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PRESIDENTIAL WATCH
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on each candidate to see today's news stories
(caricatures by
Linda Eddy)
Monday, July 21, 2008
GENERAL NEWS HEADLINES with excerpts
Double standard? NY Times rejects McCain's editorial; should 'mirror' Obama's
An
editorial written by Republican presidential hopeful
McCain has been rejected by the NEW YORK TIMES -- less
than a week after the paper published an essay written
by Obama, the DRUDGE REPORT has learned.
The paper's decision to refuse McCain's direct rebuttal to Obama's "My Plan for Iraq" has ignited explosive charges of media bias in top Republican circles...
see also:
Is media playing fair in campaign coverage?
Iraq, U.S. agree on 'general time
horizon' for drawdown
of troop levels, complicating Nov. election
President George W. Bush agreed to seek "a general time
horizon" for deeper reductions in American combat troops
in Iraq, a dramatic policy shift that complicates an
issue on which presidential candidates Barack Obama and
John McCain have staked opposite positions.
Bush's announcement came as Obama geared up for a Europe and Mideast trip aimed at helping him bolster his foreign policy and national security credentials, an area in which Republicans say his experience is inadequate for the White House.
see also:
McCain caught in crossfire over troops status
Troop withdrawal timetable concerns Pentagon chief
Maliki disputes report on Obama withdrawal plan
... a spokesman for al-Maliki said his remarks "were misunderstood, mistranslated and not conveyed accurately."
see also:
Comment stings Maliki as Obama arrives in Baghdad
McCain, Obama agree to a pre-convention forum
The
Rev. Rick Warren has persuaded the candidates to attend a forum at his
Saddleback Church, in Lake Forest, Calif., on Aug. 16. In an
interview, Mr. Warren said over the weekend that the presidential
candidates would appear together for a moment but that he would
interview them in succession at his megachurch.
... The forum still falls short of the kind of face-to-face, town-hall-style debates that Mr. McCain, of Arizona, has called for this summer before formal debates scheduled for this fall.
Mr. Warren, the author of the best-selling book “The Purpose-Driven Life,” said he had called each man personally to invite him to his event, which will focus on how they make decisions and on some of Mr. Warren’s main areas of focus, like AIDS, poverty and the environment.
Al Gore: no plans to serve in Obama White House
Former
Vice President Al Gore said on Sunday he has no intention of returning
to government in an Obama administration, either as vice president or
in his Cabinet, should the Illinois senator win the White House.
Gore, who endorsed Obama at the end of the Democratic presidential primaries, said his role now is to “try to bring about a sea change in public opinion,” particularly on climate and energy issues.
see also:
Brokaw treats Gore with kid gloves
Hillary buys HRC2012.com domain name
It
could be just a coincidence, but a firm associated with top leaders of
Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's 2008 presidential advance team bought
the Web site domain name HRC2012.Com on June 8, according to Marc
Ambinder of TheAtlantic.com.
Hillary loaned self another $1 million
after leaving race
Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's debt to her vendors grew in June, according to a federal filing tonight to the Federal Election Commission, and the New York Democrat reported loaning herself an additional $1 million after leaving the campaign trail.
see also:
Clinton ends June with $25.2 million debt
THE CANDIDATES:
John McCain... today's headlines with excerpts
McCain: Obama should admit he was wrong about the surge
Sen. John McCain told "Good Morning America" that he was glad Obama was in Iraq and insisted the trip will give his Democratic rival an opportunity to see the success of the surge strategy.
"He'll be able to have the opportunity to see the success of the surge. It is a success. This is the same strategy that he voted against, railed against," McCain told ABC News' Diane Sawyer.
"He should admit he was wrong about the surge," McCain later added.
Giuliani takes McCain out to the ballgame
The
two high-profile Republicans are longtime friends, despite having
campaigned against each other in the 2008 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?
Dobson leans towards endorsing McCain
The Associated Press is reporting, in a preview of Mr. Dobson’s radio show today, that he is amending his views to be more embracing of the presumptive Republican nominee. The AP reports:.
“I never thought I would hear myself saying this,” Dobson said in a radio broadcast to be broadcast Monday. “… While I am not endorsing Senator John McCain, the possibility is there that I might.”
To continue … “Barack Obama contradicts and threatens everything I believe about the institution of the family and what is best for the nation. His radical positions on life, marriage and national security force me to reevaluate the candidacy of our only other choice, John McCain.”..
McCain to speak at Sept. 11th forum in NY
Republican
presidential hopeful John McCain will speak about the
need for public service at a national forum on that
topic being held in New York on the anniversary of the
Sept. 11 terror attacks.
McCain paying down funds in advance of primary cap
Faced with a spending cap for his fall campaign, Republican presidential candidate John McCain is aggressively spending more money than he is raising during summer months and methodically reducing his cash reserves.
McCain raised more than $21 million in June and spent nearly $26 million, the campaign reported Friday night. McCain eroded his cash on hand, ending the month with $27 million in the bank. He began the month with $31.6 million in hand.
Rice won't say if she'll vote for McCain
She may be the highest ranking African-American in the Republican administration of President Bush, but when it comes to who will get her vote for president in November, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice won't say publicly that she's backing Sen. John McCain.
When asked Sunday by Wolf Blitzer on CNN's “Late Edition” if she had "decided who to vote for,” Rice replied, “Wolf, yes.”
But when Blitzer asked if she wanted to reveal her choice, Rice said, “No.”
Obama has largest fulltime working staff in campaign history
Obama, Karzai share a 'working lunch'
KABUL, July 20 -- Democratic presidential candidate
Barack Obama met here Sunday with Afghan President Hamid
Karzai and later reiterated his call for additional U.S.
forces to deal with conditions in Afghanistan that he
described as "precarious and urgent," capping a two-day
tour as casualties continued to mount from violence in
the war-torn country.
Obama arrives in Baghdad to discuss Iraq strategy
Barack
Obama landed in Baghdad Monday morning, on a fact-finding mission to
discuss Iraq strategy and U.S. troop levels here, an issue that has
become a cornerstone of debate in the presidential campaign.
Obama was scheduled to meet senior U.S. and Iraqi leaders here, including Gen. David H. Petraeus and Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki. A U.S. Embassy official provided few details of Obama's tour, citing security concerns.
Obama to speak near Berlin's Brandenburg Gate
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.
... Since German reunification, the column has become known as the central location for Berliners to party...
Air Obama
With
his trademark big red and blue "O" festooned on the tail wing, Sen.
Barack Obama's newly retrofitted and re-designed general election
plane was unveiled this weekend after receiving a makeover from its
shabbier primary season look.
The redone 757 North American plane also has Obama's "CHANGE WE CAN BELIEVE IN" slogan painted along both sides of the plane, as well as the Web address for his campaign.
Obama press told to cover up, not to wear Hamas green
Reporters traveling overseas with Sen. Barack Obama were thrown a bit of curve last week when the campaign emailed a “dress code” for Israel and Jordan. Aides had passed along as a courtesy the list that they had distributed to their staff to follow.
But some of the tips raised a few eyebrows, particularly among the female reporters.
“Do not wear green.” (Explained later as the color of Hamas)
“Do not wear nail polish.”
“Women should only wear a limited amount of jewelry.”
“Shoulders and arms must be fully covered (no strapless tops, no tank tops, no short sleeve shirts.)"
“Closed-toe shoes, women should also wear stockings.”
Obama spends less in June, saves resources
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...
Activists hope Obama can deliver an 'anti-Scalia'
They want their own Antonin Scalia. Or rather, an anti-Scalia, an individual who can easily articulate a liberal interpretation of the Constitution, offer a quick sound bite, and be prepared to mix it up with conservative activists beyond the marble and red velvet of the Supreme Court.
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