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| McCain, Obama hedge on costly new Marine One Fri, 18 Jul 2008 23:19 EDT John McCain and Barack Obama vow to reform the nation's defense procurement if elected president, yet each is unwilling to take a firm stand against the skyrocketing cost of a plum White House perk: the new Marine One helicopter. Originally carrying a hefty price tag at $6.1 billion, the fleet of 28 helicopters being built to fly the next president is now projected to cost $11.2 billion. At $400 million apiece, the helicopters far exceed a prime example McCain uses on the campaign trail to rail against congressional pork-barrel spending, a $230 million "bridge to nowhere" in Alaska. The British have bought the same base model helicopter for $57 million each. In separate interviews with The Associated Press, the Republican and Democratic presidential candidates pledged to look at the program but stopped short of saying whether it should be canceled. Any review after the next president takes office in January would butt up against the first deliveries of the helicopters, slated for 2010. McCain labeled the contract growth a "scandal" before asking to revise his assessment "in a more polite way." He said the program is part of "an out-of-control procurement system that has to be fixed." |
| Iraqi opinions on Obama's planned visit Fri, 18 Jul 2008 14:31 EDT Some comments from around Iraq on Sen. Barack Obama's expected visit: --- "We are worried that he might win the presidency and pull out (American) forces because chaos would prevail in Iraq and militias would return." - Mohammed Abbas, 19, Shiite primary school teacher in southern city of Hillah. --- "We hope Obama will fulfill his promise of pulling out American forces if he wins the election. If he is sincere with this pledge, we hope he wins." - Hussein Jassim, 35, Shiite laborer in the Baghdad neighborhood of Sadr City. |
| Sat, 19 Jul 2008 03:37 EDT |
| Trip abroad mightsend message at home Sat, 19 Jul 2008 03:37 EDT WASHINGTON . Barack Obama will spend next week touring the Middle East and Western Europe, a trip that's galvanized much of the world's attention because of his charisma, race and family background and the 180-degree shift he's promising from the Bush administration's foreign policy. The presumptive Democratic presidential nominee will meet with top leaders of five nations considered key allies of the United States . Jordan, Israel, Germany, France and Britain . as well as with Palestinian leaders. Obama foreign-policy advisers said Friday that the central goals of the trip were to exchange views with those leaders; look for ways to enhance cooperation on nuclear non-proliferation, counter-terrorism, energy security and climate change; and underscore shared values. Aides say that the campaign-funded trip isn't electorally motivated. But the freshman Democratic senator from Illinois will want to show Americans: |
| Agreement might blur disputes over Iraq war Sat, 19 Jul 2008 03:37 EDT WASHINGTON . A new U.S.-Iraqi agreement raising the possibility of a withdrawal time line threatens to complicate the war policies of presidential candidates Barack Obama and John McCain. It bolsters Obama's call for a quick exit but also could undercut one of the Democrat's signature issues . opposition to the war . as he prepares for a high-stakes trip to the region. It leaves McCain caught between his objections to any timetable and the evolving wishes of the Republican president he hopes to succeed. Iraq has been replaced by the sputtering economy as issue No. 1 for U.S. voters, but the war remains a pivotal campaign issue even though violence there has declined. |
| McConnell ad links rival to gas prices Sat, 19 Jul 2008 03:37 EDT U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell used his first television commercial of the summer to link his Democratic opponent, Bruce Lunsford, to high gas prices. McConnell's ad, which is airing statewide and first ran in Lexington during the early morning news shows Friday, criticizes Lunsford for pushing for a provision 28 years ago that automatically raises Kentucky's gas tax each year if the wholesale price of gasoline shoots up. .Bruce Lunsford: automatic tax increases, more expensive gas,. the ad's announcer says to conclude the 30-second spot. Lunsford's campaign dismissed the ad as .nothing more than a desperate political smokescreen.. |
| Obama talks national security Thu, 17 Jul 2008 03:12 EDT WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. . Democrat Barack Obama warned Wednesday about the danger of .fighting the last war,. as he pledged to focus on emerging nuclear, biological and cyber threats if elected president. Among those joining him for a panel at Purdue University were two potential running mates: Sen. Evan Bayh, D-Ind., and former Sen. Sam Nunn, D-Ga. As the ex-governor of a Republican state, Bayh could help Obama. Nunn, a defense expert from the South, would burnish the ticket's experience. When asked whether he were interested in the job or had provided material to vetters, Bayh referred reporters to the Obama campaign. Said Nunn: .Certainly I would talk to Sen. Obama if he wanted to talk about it, but I think the chance of an offer are pretty slim.. |
| McCain courts NAACP Thu, 17 Jul 2008 03:12 EDT CINCINNATI . John McCain told the NAACP and some skeptical black voters Wednesday that he will expand education opportunities, partly through vouchers for low-income children to attend private school. The likely Republican presidential nominee addressed the annual convention of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, the nation's oldest civil rights organization. In greeting the group, McCain praised Democrat Barack Obama's historic campaign, but said the Illinois senator is wrong to oppose school vouchers for students in failing public schools. It is time, McCain said, to use vouchers and other tools such as merit pay for teachers to break from conventional thinking on educational policy. Obama, he said, has dismissed support for private school vouchers for low-income Americans. |
| Farming heritage project receives $11 million check Thu, 17 Jul 2008 03:12 EDT FRANKFORT . Gov. Steve Beshear presented an $11 million check Wednesday for the building of the Kentucky Agriculture Heritage Center in Mercer County. The center is a grass-roots project to preserve and promote Kentucky's agricultural heritage. It will showcase technology, provide workspaces and resources for farm organizations and interest groups, and contain educational resources, recreational activities and entertainment. The state's agricultural history will be displayed through hands-on activities such as a walking farm tour, demonstrations, expositions and virtual agricultural experiences. The center will be built on 50 acres of farmland at Anderson Circle Farm in Mercer County. |
| State backs carpools, flex time Wed, 16 Jul 2008 02:17 EDT FRANKFORT . The nearly 6,000 state employees who work in Frankfort and live outside Franklin County are keenly aware of the record-high cost of commuting to work. Gov. Steve Beshear announced two initiatives Tuesday to help such state workers. At a Capitol news conference, Beshear said the state is implementing a new carpooling Web site . www.kentucky.gov/carpool . to link commuting state employees. And he is encouraging a more aggressive push toward flexible work hours instead of the traditional eight-hour Monday-through-Friday shifts. |
| Beshear abolishes vehicle-enforcement department Tue, 15 Jul 2008 04:17 EDT FRANKFORT . The officers in the brown cruisers who enforce commercial-vehicle regulations and safety laws on state highways soon will be working for the Kentucky State Police. Gov. Steve Beshear has signed an executive order to abolish the Department of Kentucky Vehicle Enforcement in the Justice and Public Safety Cabinet and make it a division in the state police. Beshear said the reorganization will allow the new division to expand hours of operation at weigh stations to increase the inspection and records checks of hazardous cargo and save $750,000 to $1 million a year through efficiencies such as reducing fuel costs and centralizing facilities. He said the 240 or so rank-and-file employees in vehicle enforcement will keep their jobs, but Justice Secretary J. Michael Brown said the two remaining managerial or non-merit positions might be lost or changed. Greg Howard left the vehicle-enforcement commissioner's spot last month. |
| At the Democrats' party, a Pentecostal minister Sat, 19 Jul 2008 16:54 EDT The request befuddled Leah Daughtry. The experienced political hand in charge of planning next month's Democratic National Convention - a self-described "black chick from Brooklyn" and ordained Pentecostal minister who keeps a Bible in her purse - didn't know what to tell the atheists. Daughtry, 44, was preparing for an Aug. 24 interfaith service that will open the Democrats' gathering here - a first for a party that hasn't always gotten God. Before her was an angry letter from a secularist group that wanted to know whether atheists would be on the podium. "Atheists speaking at an interfaith service ... does that work?" Daughtry asked this week. "I don't quite know. But they're part of the party, you treat them with respect. I'll give them an answer." On a larger scale, it's what Daughtry and a growing number of Democrats of faith are setting out to do: hold together and grow their party by claiming ground on religion and values that Republicans have successfully mined for years. The presumptive Democratic nominee, Sen. Barack Obama, has incorporated faith themes and outreach into his campaign since the primaries began. A new political action committee, Matthew 25, is running pro-Obama ads on Christian radio. "People of faith" will have a caucus of their own at the convention, just as blacks, Hispanics and military veterans do. |
| McCain backer resigns after .whiners' comment Sat, 19 Jul 2008 03:37 EDT NEW YORK . Former Texas Sen. Phil Gramm resigned Friday from his role as GOP presidential candidate John McCain's campaign co-chairman, hoping to quiet the uproar that followed his comments that the United States had become a .nation of whiners. whose constant complaints about the U.S. economy show they are in a .mental recession.. Gramm, a past presidential candidate, made the remarks more than a week ago. Mc.Cain immediately distanced himself from the comments, but they brought a steady stream of criticism just as McCain is trying to show he can help steer the country past its current financial troubles. Gramm said in a statement late Friday that he is stepping down to .end this distraction.. |
| Governor's crew's air fare to Pike County over $7,000 Sat, 19 Jul 2008 03:37 EDT Gov. Steve Beshear took three planeloads of officials with him to Pike County on Thursday at a cost of more than $7,000 for the first stop in his six-week statewide tour of town-hall meetings. That came just days after Beshear suggested ways state workers could conserve on fuel when commuting. The trip's cost immediately drew criticism from political opponents who pointed to the state's budget crunch that Beshear and lawmakers have bemoaned all year. The administration defended the flights, saying they saved officials' time. Beshear, joined by all but two of his Cabinet secretaries, presided over the meeting in the Eastern Kentucky town of Virgie to talk with constituents about issues and goals. |
| Obama: Step up effort against Taliban, al-Qaida Sun, 20 Jul 2008 15:22 EDT Democratic presidential contender Barack Obama said Sunday the United States, NATO and Afghanistan must do more to combat the Taliban and al-Qaida, and he urged stronger steps to prod Pakistan into eliminating cross-border terrorist training camps. "Our message to the Afghan government is this: We want a strong partnership based on 'more for more' - more resources from the United States and NATO, and more action from the Afghan government to improve the lives of the Afghan people," Obama and Sens. Chuck Hagel, R-Neb. and Jack Reed, D-R.I., said in a written statement after departing Afghanistan. Separately, in a broadcast interview, Obama suggested the U.S. link continued military aid to Pakistan to the government's willingness to combat terrorists in a lawless region astride its border with Afghanistan. "I think that the U.S. government provides an awful lot of aid to Pakistan, provides a lot of military support to Pakistan. And to send a clear message to Pakistan that this is important, to them as well as to us," he said. "I think that message has not been sent." Security problems in Afghanistan cannot be solved, he said, "without engaging the Pakistan government." |
| Obama to speak near Berlin's Brandenburg Gate Sun, 20 Jul 2008 15:22 EDT Barack Obama's campaign said Sunday he will give a speech on the future of trans-Atlantic relations in front of a Prussian war monument in downtown Berlin - in view of the historic Brandenburg Gate. The announcement that he will speak at the Victory Column, or Siegessaeule, ended weeks of speculation here. It also triggered criticism that the 226-foot column built in 1873 to celebrate Prussian war victories over Denmark, Austria and France was an inappropriate choice. One of Berlin's best-known monuments, the column is topped by a golden, winged figure representing Victoria, the Roman goddess of victory. It stood in front of Germany's parliament building, the Reichstag, until the late 1930s when Adolf Hitler's architect Albert Speer moved it to its current location in the middle of the Tiergarten park as part of uncompleted plans for a grandiose remake of the capital. "I ask myself whether Obama was well advised to choose the Siegessaeule as a place for a speech on his vision for global cooperation," Rainer Bruederle of the opposition Free Democrats was quoted as telling the Bild am Sonntag weekly. Since German reunification, the column has become known as the central location for Berliners to party. |
| Unlike McCain, many seniors depend on the Web Sun, 20 Jul 2008 22:47 EDT If Sen. John McCain is really serious about becoming a Web-savvy citizen, perhaps Kathryn Robinson can help. Robinson is now 106 - that's 35 years older than McCain - and she began using the Internet at 98, at the Barclay Friends home in West Chester, Pa., where she lives. "I started to learn because I wanted to e-mail my family," she says - in an e-mail message, naturally. Blogs have been buzzing recently over McCain's admission that when it comes to the Internet, "I'm an illiterate who has to rely on his wife for any assistance he can get." And the 71-year-old presumptive Republican nominee, asked about his Web use last week by the New York Times, said that aides "go on for me. I will have that down fairly soon, getting on myself." How unusual is it for a 71-year-old American to be unplugged? That depends how you look at the statistics. Only 35 percent of Americans over age 65 are online, according to data from April and May compiled by the Pew Internet Project at the Pew Research Center. |
| From shipping lobbyist to McCain adviser Sun, 20 Jul 2008 19:27 EDT Playing a dual role as shipping lobbyist and member of a federal advisory panel, John McCain's campaign policy coordinator helped shape a controversial homeland security initiative that has taken the government 5 1/2 years to develop. The proposed program called "10+2" points out a key problem in the age of terrorism: How much can the government expect U.S. importers to pay to help ensure the country's safety? A former chief of staff to McCain, Christopher Koch in 2000 set up the World Shipping Council to lobby on behalf of some 40 foreign-based and U.S. ocean carriers. The companies transport half a trillion dollars worth of U.S. exports and imports annually. The group has spent $1.7 million seeking to influence the federal government on a range of maritime issues. In May, Koch de-registered as a lobbyist, took a leave of absence from the World Shipping Council and joined McCain's campaign. He plans to return to the shipping council after the election. In keeping with what McCain says is a strict policy to free his campaign from lobbyist influence, Koch has recused himself from dealing with the topics on which he has lobbied. He said in an e-mail that if a specific issue regarding regulation of the liner shipping industry were to arise as a presidential campaign issue, he would not participate in any campaign policy decisions about it. |
| Rice: Obama's success is great gain for blacks Sun, 20 Jul 2008 15:22 EDT Condoleezza Rice says it's a remarkable accomplishment that a black politician is on track for his party's presidential nomination. The secretary of state said Democrat Barack Obama's likely nomination shows the nation's progress in race relations. "I think it's great, and I think it's great for our country," Rice said of Obama's candidacy. Rice noted that Colin Powell was the first black person to be America's top diplomat. She is the second. "It just shows that our country has been doing this for a while and it's great that this last barrier perhaps, has also come down," she said in a broadcast interview that aired Sunday. |
| Gore: Clinton campaign changed perception of women Sun, 20 Jul 2008 15:22 EDT Al Gore said Sunday that Hillary Rodham Clinton's campaign for the White House helped change society's perception of women. But the former vice president, who has endorsed Barack Obama, demurred when asked whether the New York senator was treated unfairly during the campaign because of her gender. "I think that women often face these kinds of challenges, of course, in our society," Gore said in a broadcast interview. "But I think that she did an amazing job in changing that, as I think Senator Obama and Bill Richardson, where Hispanics are concerned, also made it possible for our country to move on into the 21st century and say, 'Wait a minute, these old things that held us down in the past, we're now within sight of a time when we can move beyond that,'" Gore said. Obama defeated Clinton for the Democratic nomination in a matchup that featured a black man against a woman. Obama clinched the nomination in June, becoming the first black candidate to represent a major party in the race for the presidency. |
| Obama to speak at Berlin's Victory Column Sun, 20 Jul 2008 10:37 EDT Barack Obama's office said Sunday he will give a speech on the U.S. partnership with Germany and trans-Atlantic relations in front of the gold-topped Victory Column, or Siegessaeule, in the heart of downtown Berlin. The Democratic presidential contender's office said the speech would focus on the need to strengthen trans-Atlantic relations to meet 21st century challenges. The Siegessaeule is one of Berlin's best-known monuments and stands about a mile from the historic Brandenburg Gate where Obama had wanted to speak. The gate is a symbol of the Cold War and the spot where former President Reagan delivered a memorable speech. However, Chancellor Angela Merkel made it clear she didn't like the idea and Obama's campaign has sought to minimize any controversy. The Victory Column, built to commemorate Prussian victories over Denmark, Austria and France., was completed in 1873. One of Berlin's best-known monuments, it is topped by a winged golden figure meant to represent Victoria, the Roman goddess of victory. The column is within direct sight of the Brandenburg Gate. |
| McCain loves town halls, but it's not mutual Sun, 20 Jul 2008 04:42 EDT DENVER . John McCain was in his favorite campaign setting, a town-hall meeting, when he spotted a promising target. .I'd love to recognize you first, sir,. the Republican presidential candidate said to a man in a Vietnam War veteran's hat. Instead of a softball opening question from a fellow vet, however, McCain got a lengthy harangue, as the man insisted the senator had opposed better medical benefits for veterans. McCain, who spent more than five years as a prisoner of war, politely said the man was mistaken. He finally broke it off, saying, .I'll be glad to examine what your version of my record is.. The July 7 episode in Denver underscored the iffy nature of a campaign strategy that McCain seems to adore. Town-hall sessions . in which he makes opening remarks and takes questions for an hour or more . have become McCain's staple, and he constantly needles Democratic opponent Barack Obama for not joining him onstage. |
| Television News shows Sun, 20 Jul 2008 10:48 EDT Fox News Sunday Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; Sens. Joe Lieberman, I-Conn., and Evan Bayh, D-Ind.; Earl Morse, founder of Honor Flight, a program of free flights for World War II veterans. 9 a.m., Fox-56 Meet the Press |
| Giuliani takes McCain out to the ballgame Sun, 20 Jul 2008 22:37 EDT With Democrat Barack Obama on the other side of the planet, Republican presidential candidate John McCain stayed closer to home Sunday, visiting Yankee Stadium with former Mayor Rudy Giuliani. The two high-profile Republicans are longtime friends, despite having campaigned against each other in the GOP primaries in which McCain ultimately prevailed. When Giuliani bowed out of the race, he immediately endorsed McCain. Could Giuliani, who moonlights as the No. 1 Yankee fan, become the No. 2 on the Republican ticket? "You hear all kinds of stuff, but I'm not thinking about anything but helping to get him elected," Giuliani said. "Beyond the fact that he's the candidate of my party, he's a very good friend." Before the game, McCain, Giuliani and Giuliani's wife, Judith, went onto the field, chatting with Yankees manager Joe Girardi and Oakland A's manager Bob Geren. |
| Obama stops in Kuwait on way to Afghanistan Sun, 20 Jul 2008 04:42 EDT KABUL, Afghanistan . Sen. Barack Obama arrived in Afghanistan Saturday, opening a high-stakes foreign trip in a country that is increasingly the focus of his clash with Sen. John McCain in the presidential campaign over whether the war in Iraq has been a distraction in hunting down terrorists. As Obama met with U.S. troops, military leaders and regional officials in eastern Afghanistan, he made no public statements in his first hours on the ground here, the first stop on a weeklong trip that also will take him to Iraq, Israel and Western Europe. But McCain quickly sought to raise questions about Obama's judgment on foreign policy in a radio address on Saturday. .In a time of war,. McCain said, .the commander-in-chief's job doesn't get a learning curve.. Obama flew to eastern Afghanistan, near the border with Pakistan, to get a first-hand look at the region where U.S. troops are feeling the brunt of increased attacks from militants infiltrating the border from Pakistan. In selecting Afghanistan as the opening stop of his first overseas trip as the presumptive Democratic nominee, he was seeking to highlight what he says is its importance as the key front in the fight against terrorism. |
| Republicans hoping for a grand old party in Minn. Mon, 21 Jul 2008 12:41 EDT Republicans are counting on a glitch-free convention to help lift the party's sagging morale and boost John McCain's presidential prospects when they assemble in this picturesque city on the Mississippi River in six weeks. Organizers began construction Monday at the Xcel Energy Center, home to the Minnesota Wild NHL hockey franchise, to host 4,600 delegates and alternates and thousands more guests and media Sept. 1-4. Dozens of construction workers began unscrewing seats and unloading equipment from trucks, making room for the stage where McCain will deliver his acceptance speech. The Republican Party will have exclusive access to the arena through the convention. The GOP sessions get under way just four days after Democrats conclude their own convention in Denver; never before have the two parties' events been scheduled so late in the summer, and so close together. McCain strategists believe the timing could work to their advantage, potentially blunting the post-Denver "bounce" Obama should receive as a newly minted nominee. And even though Obama now leads McCain by double digits in most Minnesota polls, his strategists hope a successful convention could help the Arizona senator's chances of winning the state. Elected officials of both parties have taken a leadership role. |
| League of Conservation Voters to endorse Obama Mon, 21 Jul 2008 12:41 EDT In an election all about change, environmental groups are doing the usual - endorsing the Democratic presidential candidate. The League of Conservation Voters will become the latest green group to back Democrat Barack Obama in six separate events across the country Monday. Its pick shouldn't be a surprise. Its scorecard of votes on environmental issues for the first session of the current Congress gave Obama a score of 67 and Republican John McCain a zero. The Arizona senator did not show up for any of the votes the group scored. "When you look specifically at the twin challenges of cutting global warming pollution and moving toward a clean energy future, on those issues Barack Obama has the most comprehensive plan we have ever seen for a presidential nominee," said league president Gene Karpinski. The league has endorsed presidential candidates since the early 1980s, but not once has it selected a Republican. Obama thanked the group in a statement, saying that "together, we will create a better, cleaner, more secure future." Friends of the Earth and the Sierra Club announced their support for Obama earlier this year, citing McCain's support for more offshore drilling, expanding nuclear power and a gas tax holiday. Neither group has ever backed a Republican presidential candidate, although in 1988 Sierra Club made no choice because both Republican George H.W. Bush and Democrat Michael Dukakis would have been good stewards of the environment, said spokesman Josh Dorner. |
| Details of June presidential fundraising Mon, 21 Jul 2008 12:41 EDT Fundraising figures for June as released by the presidential candidates. REPUBLICAN JOHN MCCAIN Total receipts to date: $144 million. Total contributions to date: $126.3 million. |
| Is media playing fair in campaign coverage? Mon, 21 Jul 2008 11:11 EDT Television news' royalty will fly in to meet Barack Obama during this week's overseas trip: CBS chief anchor Katie Couric in Jordan on Tuesday, ABC's Charles Gibson in Israel on Wednesday and NBC's Brian Williams in Germany on Thursday. The anchor blessing defines the trip as a Major Event and - much like a "Saturday Night Live" skit in February that depicted a press corps fawning over Obama - raises anew the issue of fairness in campaign coverage. The news media have devoted significantly more attention to the Democrat since Hillary Rodham Clinton suspended her campaign and left a two-person contest for the presidency between Obama and Republican John McCain, according to research conducted by the Project for Excellence in Journalism. News executives say there are reasons for the disparity, such as the continuing story about whether Clinton's and Obama's supporters can reconcile. They even partly blame McCain. By criticizing Obama for a lack of foreign policy experience, McCain raised the stakes for Obama's trip, "especially if he winds up going into two war zones," said Paul Friedman, senior vice president of CBS News. Obama has traveled to Afghanistan and is expected to go to Iraq. He is also scheduled to visit Jordan, Israel, Germany, France and England. Network anchors stayed home during McCain's recent foreign excursions. |
| Iraq sees hope of US troop withdrawal by 2010 Mon, 21 Jul 2008 14:21 EDT Iraq's government welcomed Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama on Monday with word that it apparently shares his hope that U.S. combat forces could leave by 2010. The statement by Iraq's government spokesman, Ali al-Dabbagh, followed talks between Obama and Prime Minister Nouri Al-Maliki - who has struggled for days to clarify Iraq's position on a possible timetable for a U.S. troop pullout. Al-Dabbagh said the government did not endorse a fixed date, but hoped American combat units could be out of Iraq sometime in 2010. That timeframe falls within the 16-month withdrawal plan proposed by Obama, who arrived in Iraq earlier in the day as part of a congressional fact-finding team. "We are hoping that in 2010 that combat troops will withdraw from Iraq," al-Dabbagh told reporters, noting that any withdrawal plan was subject to change if the level of violence kicks up again. As he departed from talks with al-Maliki and President Jalal Talabani in Baghdad's heavily protected Green Zone, Obama said, "We had a very constructive discussion." Obama also plans meetings with U.S. military commanders who will outline recent progress in the war he has opposed from the start. |
| Obama spends less in June, saves resources Mon, 21 Jul 2008 12:51 EDT Barack Obama reversed a two month trend in June by raising more money and spending less, a tangible result of clinching the Democratic nomination. Obama continued to raise money for the primary stage of the election, a noteworthy showing that means he has not even tried to tap most of his 1.7 million donors for general election cash. The Illinois senator reported bringing in $52 million in June, more than twice the nearly $21.5 million raised by Republican rival John McCain during the month. Obama had $72 million in cash on hand to McCain's $27 million, according to their reports with the Federal Election Commission. Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, who suspended her quest for the White House on June 7, faced a starkly different financial picture. She lent herself an additional $1 million in June to pay off vendors, increasing her total loan to the campaign to $13.2 million. She reported owing vendors $12 million. She raised $2.7 million from donors in June. Unlike McCain, who spent more than he raised in June, Obama accumulated cash during the month, holding back on a ramped-up television campaign until July. McCain spent $16 million on advertising in June to Obama's $5 million. Obama is now matching McCain's and the Republican Party's spending on advertising. |
| Many may grumble, but few are running Mon, 21 Jul 2008 03:12 EDT When Kentucky's founding fathers put together this democracy, they gave voters the chance to fire their state legislators every every two or four years. If things weren't going well in state government, the people could install better leaders, or so the theory went. Well, the 2008 General Assembly is coming off a spring of gridlock and acrimony that left the legislature's approval rate hovering around 22 percent . down there with the same percentage of Americans who claim they've seen ghosts. Yet there will be little that Kentucky voters can do to exorcise that frustration with state lawmakers at the ballot box this fall. |
| McCain, Obama to participate in church forum Mon, 21 Jul 2008 12:51 EDT Republican John McCain and Democrat Barack Obama will participate next month in a question-and-answer forum at Saddleback Church, Pastor Rick Warren said Monday. Warren, who oversees the 22,000-member congregation, will question the presidential candidates on Aug. 16 during the church's Saddleback Civil Forum on Leadership and Compassion. Joshua DuBois, Obama's director of religious affairs, said the senator was "looking forward to going back to Saddleback with his good friend Pastor Rick Warren." Obama spoke at Saddleback in 2006. Warren said the candidates didn't want a debate format but rather the two-hour forum. The candidates are expected to appear together briefly before each takes questions from Warren for about an hour. A coin toss determined that Obama will go first. Warren is the author of "The Purpose Driven Life." |
| In Kabul, Obama pledges aid Mon, 21 Jul 2008 03:12 EDT KABUL, Afghanistan . Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama pledged steadfast aid to Afghanistan in talks Sunday with its Western-backed leader, and vowed to pursue the war on terror .with vigor. if elected, an Afghan official said. On the second day of an international tour designed to burnish his foreign-policy credentials, the Illinois senator and a pair of colleagues held two hours of talks with President Hamid Karzai at his palace in the capital. Obama has chided Karzai for not doing more to build confidence in his government, which remains weak after the ouster of the Taliban in 2001. He made no public comment after the meeting, but said in a written statement that his main purpose was to see U.S. troops, thank them for their .extraordinary service. and let them know the United States is proud of them. |
| Veterans group hits McCain on troop pullout Thu, 24 Jul 2008 01:33 EDT A veterans group critical of the war in Iraq accuses John McCain of wanting to occupy Iraq indefinitely, against the wishes of the country's leaders, in an ad that will air later this week. The group, VoteVets.org, calls attention to Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's desire for a troop withdrawal timetable. The group will spend $100,000 to run the ad on the MSNBC and CNN cable channels from Friday through the middle of next week. In the ad, Iraq war veteran Brandon Woods of New York says: "What did we fight for in Iraq? I have some idea. I fought in Operation Iraqi Freedom. And 'freedom' means when the Iraqi people and their Prime Minister ask us to make a plan to leave, we do. But Senator McCain would occupy Iraq indefinitely, against their wishes. That's not what freedom means. That's not what we fought for. Senator, I thought you would know better." Democratic presidential contender Barack Obama was in Baghdad earlier this week when Iraqi officials said they envisioned a U.S. combat troop withdrawal in 2010. That's generally the same 16-month timetable Obama has recommended. McCain has opposed a specific target date for pulling out troops. |
| McCain denies he misstated timing of Iraq surge Thu, 24 Jul 2008 02:27 EDT Republican John McCain pushed back on Wednesday against Democratic criticism that he misstated when the troop buildup ordered by President Bush began, saying elements were put in place before Bush announced the strategy in early 2007. He told reporters during an unscheduled stop in a super market that, what the Bush administration calls "the surge" was actually "made up of a number of components," some of which began before the president's order for more troops. It's all a matter of semantics, he suggested. McCain said Army Col. Sean MacFarland started carrying out elements of a new counterinsurgency strategy as early as December 2006. At issue are McCain's comments in a Tuesday interview with CBS. The Arizona senator disputed Democrat Barack Obama's contention that a Sunni revolt against al-Qaida combined with the dispatch of thousands more U.S. combat troops to Iraq to produce the improved security situation there. McCain called that a "false depiction." |
| Obama tells Israel he's committed to its security Thu, 24 Jul 2008 02:22 EDT From the solemnity of a Holocaust museum to a dusty village battered by Hamas rockets, Democratic presidential contender Barack Obama on Wednesday professed "an unshakable commitment to the security" of Israel, whether the threat comes from terrorists, Iran or elsewhere. "The way you know where somebody's going is where have they been. And I've been with Israel for many, many years now," he said on a day that bore striking similarities to campaigning in the United States. In his public remarks, Obama sidestepped a question of whether he would condone an Israeli attack to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. But he said he was confident that in several private meetings he had not left Israeli politicians with the impression that, if elected president, he would be "pressuring them to accept any kinds of concessions that would put their security at stake." Obama packed more than a half-dozen meetings, a stop at the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial, a helicopter tour of the country and a visit to a house hit by Hamas rockets into his only full day in Israel during his trip to the Middle East and Europe. He also rode past an Israeli checkpoint into Ramallah on the West Bank, where he assured Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas of his support for a two-state resolution of the region's long animosities. Later, entering a session with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, Obama said his talks with Abbas indicated "there's a strong sense of progress being made" toward peace. Olmert nodded and said, "Indeed." |
| Obama daughters keep hectic schedules of their own Thu, 24 Jul 2008 01:18 EDT The rules in the Obama household for Malia and Sasha are clear-cut: -"No whining, arguing or annoying teasing," their mother, Michelle Obama, told People Magazine. -Make the bed. "Doesn't have to look good, just throw the sheet over it," said the mother of 10-year-old Malia and 7-year-old Sasha. -Set your own alarm clock. "They get themselves up, get their own clothes," said their grandmother Marian Robinson. -And the allowance from Dad for doing chores is $1 a week. Barack Obama conceded that "I'm out of town for weeks at a time, so Malia will say, 'Hey you owe me for 10 weeks.'" |
| Obama visits Western Wall Wed, 23 Jul 2008 23:28 EDT Democratic presidential contender Barack Obama paid a predawn visit to the holiest place in Judaism on Thursday, bowing his head in prayer at the Western Wall. Obama placed a small note inside a crevice in the ancient wall, a custom observed by many. He made his brief stop as he completed a trip to the Middle East in which he met with Israeli and Palestinian leaders as well as Jordan's King Abdullah II. Orthodox men at the wall for morning prayers ran down the steps to get a look at Obama. Many reached out to shake his hand, although one booming voice called out, "Obama, Jerusalem is not for sale!" Obama's visit lasted less than 15 minutes. He was flying to Europe immediately afterward for stops in Germany, France and England before returning home over the weekend. |
| Waging the image campaign overseas Wed, 23 Jul 2008 20:18 EDT Barack Obama has packed his overseas trip with presidential images: a helicopter ride over Iraq with the U.S. military commander; a visit to a Holocaust memorial; a meeting at Afghan President Hamid Karzai's palace. He even found time to sink a three-point basketball shot before cheering U.S. soldiers. John McCain? His most memorable picture of the week was riding a golf cart with former President George Bush at Bush's Kennebunkport vacation home in Maine. If the image campaign means anything, it's been a tough week for the Republican presidential candidate. |
| McCain denies misstating the timing of surge Thu, 24 Jul 2008 02:51 EDT BETHLEHEM, Pa. . Republican John McCain pushed back Wednesday against Democratic criticism that he misstated when the troop buildup ordered by President Bush began, saying elements were put in place before Bush announced the strategy in early 2007. He told reporters during an unscheduled stop in a supermarket that what the Bush administration calls .the surge. was actually .made up of a number of components,. some of which began before the president's order for more troops. It's all a matter of semantics, he suggested. McCain said Army Col. Sean MacFarland started carrying out elements of a new counterinsurgency strategy as early as December 2006. |
| Poll: Energy worries mount; economy top issue Thu, 24 Jul 2008 02:51 EDT WASHINGTON . What's rising faster than gas prices this summer? Americans' worries about them. The economy is the nation's top concern by far, but anxiety about energy has grown more since spring than any other issue while the focus on Iraq continues to fade, according to a poll released Wednesday. The findings by the Associated Press-Ipsos poll provide the latest confirmation of how economic woes . including job losses, rising inflation and the ailing financial and housing markets . are dominating voters' worries as fall's presidential election approaches. Forty-four percent said the economy was the country's most important problem, a small increase from the 39 percent who said so in April. |
| Gas prices fuel Senate race Thu, 24 Jul 2008 02:51 EDT The galling gas prices that have dominated national political discourse are now fueling Kentucky's U.S. Senate race, putting both candidates' economic and political IQs to the test. Republican U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell, who is seeking his fifth term, is hammering the issue on two fronts: on the airwaves with his first commercial against Democratic challenger Bruce Lunsford, and during policy debates in the Senate chamber. Meanwhile, Lunsford has popped up at filling stations around Kentucky this summer to pump gas for drivers and make his pitch that McConnell has been one of the Washington policy-makers in the driver's seat over the last quarter century that allowed prices to explode. Today, Lunsford will unveil his .eight-point plan for energy independence. in Louisville. So if the first two slow, hot summer months of the general election campaign are any indication, voters have heard only the opening arguments of this high-octane gasoline debate. |
| State decides to only lower flags for Kentucky-born soldiers Thu, 24 Jul 2008 02:51 EDT FRANKFORT . Kentucky has started lowering flags to half-staff only for fallen soldiers from the Bluegrass State, upsetting veterans and lawmakers who say the policy dishonors tens of thousands of service members from other states stationed at installations such as Fort Campbell and Fort Knox. Gov. Steve Beshear last month changed the old policy of lowering state and U.S. flags to half-staff from the announcement of any Kentucky-based soldier's death until his or her funeral. Now the flag will be lowered only for Kentucky natives, and only on the day they are buried. Maj. Gen. Edward Tonini, Kentucky's adjutant general, said the previous policy made it impossible to tell who was being honored and led to lengthy stretches where flags were lowered for multiple people. Between April 1 and July 2, the state lowered flags for 26 soldiers, only four from Kentucky. Ken Hart, state adjutant for the American Legion of Kentucky, which represents 33,000 veterans, called the new policy ridiculous. |
| McCain may be zeroing in on a running mate Wed, 23 Jul 2008 07:47 EDT ROCHESTER, N.H. . Yet another town-hall meeting isn't doing the trick. Neither is dropping in on a former Republican president. So just what can John McCain do to draw attention away from his showy Democratic rival? Pick a running mate, perhaps. Speculation swirled Tuesday that McCain might name his vice presidential partner within the next few days, right in the middle of Barack Obama's overseas tour. McCain aides were not helping tamp down the speculation with their comments, often made late in the afternoon, of .no announcement today.. |
| Obama acknowledges concerns about timetable Wed, 23 Jul 2008 04:09 EDT AMMAN, Jordan . Democratic presidential contender Barack Obama declined to rate the Bush administration's troop surge in Iraq a success on Tuesday despite a reduction in violence, and he expressed understanding of Gen. David Petraeus' opposition to a timetable for the withdrawal of U.S. combat troops. .Not surprisingly he wants to retain as much flexibility as possible,. Obama said of the general, with whom he met in recent days while touring Iraq and Afghanistan. .I think he wants maximum flexibility to be able to . to do what he believes needs to be done inside of Iraq. .But keep in mind, for example, one of General Petraeus' responsibilities is not to think about how could we be using some of that $10 billion a month to shore up a U.S. economy that is really hurting right now,. Obama said. |
| $3.1 million in grants to aid law enforcement Thu, 24 Jul 2008 02:51 EDT FRANKFORT . The Justice and Public Safety Cabinet announced Tuesday the award of 48 federal and state grants totaling nearly $3.1 million to help state and local law enforcement protect citizens against drunken driving, drugs and other crimes. .The Justice and Public Safety Cabinet is committed to helping local law enforcement across Kentucky,. said cabinet Secretary J. Michael Brown. .This money will assist officers as they perform the duties necessary to keep their communities safe.. In all, 26 federal Byrne/Justice Assistance Grants were awarded. The federal money is supposed to help law enforcement agencies, drug task forces and other criminal justice programs stop the spread of drugs across the state. In addition, the cabinet awarded 22 grants through the Law Enforcement Service Fee program to help officers target drivers under the influence of alcohol and drugs. |
| State wants defenders to stop refusing cases Thu, 24 Jul 2008 02:51 EDT The state finance cabinet is asking for an injunction to block public defenders from withdrawing from cases. The Department of Public Advocacy began withdrawing from certain types of cases July 1 because of budget cuts. It has sued the state and leaders in the legislature for more funding, saying they have not allocated enough money to fulfill the state's constitutional mandate to provide lawyers for poor criminal defendants. By DPA's own estimates, it has enough money to last through February or March 2009 before running out. Lawyers for the Finance . Administration Cabinet and State Treasurer Todd Hollenbach IV say that gives the legislature or courts five to six months to address the issues raised in the lawsuit. But Public Advocate Ernie Lewis said it would be irresponsible for the agency to spend money until it goes broke. The public and General Assembly would not stand for that, he said. |
| Nursing home investigations go back to 2001 Wed, 23 Jul 2008 08:09 EDT State investigators started investigating the relationship between a recently fired state employee and a nursing home operator as early as 2001. A 46-page report released Tuesday by the Cabinet for Health and Family Serv.ices shows that the cabinet had investigated possible ethical problems between state employees and Garrard Convalescent Home owner Ralph Stacey Jr. at least three times over the past eight years. In one of the investigations, there was an allegation that Stacey was being tipped off before inspectors visited the Covington area nursing home. Sharon Harris, a nurse administrator with the Department of Public Health, and Moses Young, an assistant director with the Office of Inspector General, were fired by the cabinet in May after Inspector General Sadiqa Reynolds got a tip in March that the two were living in Lexington homes owned by Stacey. |
| Nighbert leaves job as Republican aide Tue, 22 Jul 2008 03:04 EDT Former Transportation Secretary Bill Nighbert has left his position as an aide to state Senate Republican leadership for a private-sector job, Senate leaders confirmed Monday. Senate President David Williams said Nighbert left 10 days ago to take a consulting position. Nighbert was transportation secretary from 2005 to December 2007. Williams hired him in January to help the Burkesville Republican with transportation-related issues. Nighbert's attorney, Howard Mann, said Monday that his client had said the position with Williams was temporary. Mann confirmed last month that Nighbert had been asked to appear before a federal grand jury investigating improprieties in the Transportation Cabinet. Nighbert declined to testify, Mann said in June. |
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