IOWA
PRESIDENTIAL WATCH
Iowa...
Where Presidents Begin
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on each candidate to see today's news stories
(caricatures by
Linda Eddy)
Weekend Report, May 10-11, 2008
GENERAL NEWS HEADLINES with excerpts
Close-in supporters of Sen. Barack Obama's presidential campaign are convinced he never will offer the vice presidential nomination to Sen. Hillary Clinton for one overriding reason: Michelle Obama.
Wall Street Journal: The Clinton divorce
No,
we don't mean Bill and Hillary. We mean the separation now under way
between the Clintons and the Democratic Party. Like all divorces after
lengthy unions, this one is painful and has had its moments of
reconciliation, but after Tuesday a split looks inevitable. The long
co-dependency is over...
... this time the Clinton foes aren't the "vast right-wing conspiracy." This time the conspirators are fellow Democrats. It took 10 years, but you might say Democrats have finally voted to impeach.
Times poll shows Obama and Clinton beating McCain
Although Democrats are still tangled in a fractious presidential primary, both Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama would probably beat presumptive GOP nominee John McCain in the popular vote if the election were held now, according to a Los Angeles Times/Bloomberg poll
Obama accuses McCain of 'losing his bearings'
Democratic
presidential candidate Barack Obama said Thursday that Republican John
McCain was "losing his bearings" for repeatedly suggesting the Islamic
terrorist group Hamas preferred Obama for president.
That brought an angry response from McCain's campaign, which accused Obama of trying to make an issue of McCain's age.
National polling firm Rasmussen Reports announced on Friday that it will stop polling people about the presidential campaign of Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton because her opponent, Sen. Barack Obama, will win the Democratic nomination.
"I don't think it's possible," he told Hunt of the joint ticket, continuing that:
Obama should choose a running mate who "is in tune with his appeal for the nobler aspirations of the American people," Kennedy said. "If we had real leadership — as we do with Barack Obama — in the No. 2 spot as well, it'd be enormously helpful."
Kennedy spokesman Anthony Coley says in a statement:
Senator Kennedy thinks Senator Clinton is more than qualified to be Vice President, but doesn't think it's likely given the tenor of the campaign in recent weeks.
Edwards
may endorse,
says Obama 'is clearly
the likely nominee'
RNC launches anti-Obama site "CanWeAsk.com"
Naturally, they have some ideas as to the sort of questions that should be asked....
THE CANDIDATES:
John McCain... today's headlines with excerpts
Speaking
to reporters in Columbia, South Carolina today, John McCain called for
pressure "to be brought to bear on Syria” for their role in the recent
violence in Lebanon. The Republican presumptive nominee called Syria
a “major motivator” of Hezbollah and called for the United Nations to
take firmer action to secure peace in the region.
McCain also cited the United Nations Security Council’s “failure to implement” its resolution to disarm Hezbollah and a called for greater sense of urgency from nations with interests in the Middle East to work towards bringing a long term end to the fighting.
McCain says he DID vote for George W. Bush
Heightening a he-said she-said brouhaha, Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., today disputed liberal blogger Arianna Huffington's assertion that the presumptive Republican nominee voted against George W. Bush during the 2000 election.
"It's nonsense," said McCain, whose campaign has suggested Huffington made up the story to promote her new book.
McCain planning climate change tour
"John McCain is going to be doing more of these themed tours of America, and one of them is going to be on energy and global climate change. It could get him into trouble with Republicans, of course, and with the base, who don't think there is much climate change going on, but it is something that he's very passionate about and he's going to be talking about it."
McCain says he's done more on environment than Clinton or Obama
When questioned by a local reporter about his commitment to environmental issues, McCain argued he had done more to address the issue of climate change than either Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) or Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.).
"Sen. Lieberman and I brought legislation on this issue to the floor long before Sen. Obama or Sen. Clinton had any involvement whatsoever," he said.
Cindy McCain: Husband's campaign won't use 'negative stuff'
Mrs.
McCain said that the upcoming campaign against either
Sen. Barack Obama or Sen. Hillary Clinton would not
engage in negative tactics.
“We'd rather not win than to have to do that,” Mrs. McCain said. “That's not worth winning for. This is about being a leader and a person that can be a good example for our children, and a good role model. There's many, many, many more things to this job than just being the president. You are an example. You have to — you have to be better than that. You have to be.”
Says she'll never release tax returns ... Cindy McCain says she will never make her tax returns public even if her husband wins the White House and she becomes the first lady.
McCain camp's new 'Mom' video
Hillary Clinton... today's headlines with excerpts
Clinton
strategists to media:
we're not walking off the court
Communications Director Howard Wolfson and Garin made a two-fold electability argument they hope the remaining uncommitted superdelegates will find compelling enough for Sen. Clinton to win their support and upend the nomination race.
The campaign looked at all the most recent general election match-up polls in the 50 states and claimed Clinton leads Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., by 42 electoral votes compared to Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., trailing McCain by 8 electoral votes.
They also cited Florida, Ohio, and Missouri as the key differences that tipped the map to Sen. Clinton's favor.
The other argument put forth by the struggling Clinton campaign Friday was an attempt to paint her as the stronger candidate for critical down ballot races.
Panetta: Time for Clinton to concede
"It's pretty clear unless there's a bolt of lightning, Barack Obama is likely to win the Democratic nomination," former Clinton White House chief of staff Leon Panetta says. "She's put up a good fight and put up a good race, but I think there's a time now where she needs to concede and unify the party."
Peggy Noonan column: Damsel of distress
Some insight from a superdelegate I spoke to Thursday:
It's not math anymore, it's psychodrama. If she can't have it, no one can have it. If she has to tear the party apart, she will.
Clinton cash-strapped
Clinton's diminished political momentum, following Tuesday's loss in the North Carolina primary and her narrow victory in Indiana, appears to have had a dampening effect on her fund-raising, aides said, increasing the likelihood that Clinton will lend her campaign more of her own money beyond the $11 million she has already provided...
Hillary would take VP spot
Is Sen. Hillary Clinton staying in the race to get the vice presidential slot?
George thinks so.
Barack Obama... today's headlines with excerpts
Obama
talks of 'unifying the party', open to helping Clinton with campaign
debt
"When you’ve had a strong opponent, you want to make sure you're putting that opponent in a strong position so that they can work to win an election in November," Obama said. "I'd want to have a broad range discussion with Clinton about how I could make her feel good about the process and have her on the team moving forward."
Obama focuses on McCain, ignores Clinton
In a clear break from taking on two opponents to just one, Sen. Barack Obama on Friday launched a point by point breakdown of his differences with Sen. John McCain in his first public campaign event since the full results of Tuesday’s primaries.
Absent from his prepared remarks were any mention of his Democratic opponent, Sen. Hillary Clinton...
Obama pulls ahead of Clinton in superdelegates
Senator
Barack Obama surged ahead of his rival, Senator Hillary Rodham
Clinton, in the count of superdelegates on Friday, the first time
since the outset of the race that Mrs. Clinton has lost the lead in
one of her few remaining trump cards.
Mr. Obama racked up seven endorsements in the last 24 hours from superdelegates, the Democratic Party insiders who are granted autonomy to support whomever they wish at the convention in August. One, a New Jersey congressman, switched his allegiance away from Mrs. Clinton, allowing the Illinois senator to pull ahead of his opponent, according to the latest New York Times count.
Obama on Clinton veep speculation
Obama outlined three qualifications for hiring – or appointing – people: Competence, integrity, independence.
“I will say that she [Hillary Clinton] has shown herself to be an extraordinary candidate and an extraordinary public servant. She is hard working, she is tough, she is very smart,” Mr. Obama said. “So I think she’d be on anybody’s shortlist of the vice presidential candidates, but beyond that, I don’t want to offer an opinion.”
Invoking senatorial privilege, Obama schmoozes on House floor
Sen.
Barack Obama invoked
senatorial privilege and got himself onto the House floor today, where
he passed the time schmoozing, signing autographs and, hmmm, maybe
doing a little politicking.
... said Obama about his visit: "I just wanted to make sure that I gave an update not only to my supporters, but to those who are trying to figure out what direction to go in," he said. "Obviously some have been anxious about some of the sense of division in the party, and I just wanted to assure them that whatever happens, we will be coming together."
Ralph Nader... today's headlines with excerpts
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