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McCain throws Gramm under the busBELLEVILLE, MI — Former Texas Senator Phil Gramm was once talked about as a potential McCain Treasury Secretary but today may be unqualified for Ambassador to Belarus. The presumptive GOP nominee had stern words for one of his senior economic advisers and close friends Thursday after Gramm told the Washington Times that America is going through a “mental recession” and Americans are a “nation of whiners.” “I don’t agree with Senator Gramm. I believe that the person here in Michigan that just lost his job isn’t suffering a ‘mental recession.’ I believe the mother here in Michigan and around America who is trying to get enough money to educate their children isn’t ‘whining,’” McCain told reporters today. “America is in great difficulty and we are experiencing enormous economic challenges as well as others. Phil Gramm does not speak for me. I speak for me. So, I strongly disagree.” McCain has previously said that “no one is more qualified” on economic issues than Gramm, but made clear today that he was unhappy with the former Texas senator when asked if Gramm would have a role in a future McCain administration. “I think Senator Gramm would be in serious consideration for ambassador to Belarus, although I’m not sure the citizens of Minsk would welcome that,” McCain said. Obama hammered McCain for the Gramm comments during a speech today in Virginia noting, “America already has one Dr. Phil. We don’t need another one when it comes to the economy - we need somebody to actually solve the economy. It’s not just a figment of your imagination, it’s not all in your head.” McCain responded today by by declaring that Obama has earned a Ph.D of his own when it comes to energy policy. “He is opposed to everything, whether it be off shore drilling, whether it be nuclear power, whether it be any of the efforts we need to make…you are talking about Dr. Phil. He is Dr. No. He is Dr. No on energy,” McCain declared, smiling. “I speak for me, I have been speaking to the American people and I have been leading us forward with plans of action to address our economy and our need for energy independence.”         11:25 - 2008-Jul-10 - comments {0} - post commentCALIFORNIA FIRE UPDATE!4:24am The call comes. A fire burning near Paradise California has destroyed 40 homes and threatening thousands more. 5:48am The bag is packed and I am at LAX trying to get on the next flight to Sacramento. Tom Whitaker, our San Francisco photographer, is meeting me at the airport. 8:58am Tom and I are on the road, headed north on the 99 freeway, which runs along the east side of the central valley here in the Golden State. I know this area well, since I began my first TV job here 10 years ago. 11:15 We arrive in the Paradise area, actually we pass through the first checkpoint. I have driven these roads many times before, the town is built amongst tall pines, oaks and brush. Because of this terrain and fauna, it’s tough to tell that 30,000 people live here. Right now I am told 10,000 have been evacuated. It’s an eerie feel, the smoke thick amongst the trees and I see no cars, no people, no animals. The sun is obscure and it is snowing ashes. 11:35 Our vendor satellite truck is now in place. We had to find a clearing wide enough to get out a satellite signal and we found that at the Feather River Hospital, which is now evacuated. The patients were rushed out of here in the middle of the night as the fire raged in the canyon below. We are standing only a mile or so from the front line, but you wouldn’t know it because we can’t see a thing other than thick falling ash covering everything. 12:18pm. The satellite truck has finally found a clearing through the trees to hit a satellite. I got him to park alongside a fire truck from San Bruno California, he’s out of the way, but we are in a good location. While cables are being run, we get a quick interview with some firefighters. One tells me when the wind kicks up, “it’s like blowing fist-sized hand grenades of fire.” Thankfully right now the wind is calm, but the fire burns and forecasts are for strong winds this afternoon. It has become a waiting game on this sleeping giant fire. The front line is burning long and low. If and when the wind returns, the fire will again be in the tall trees. Right now because of the smoke, there is no air support, which means it is man versus fire on the ground here. The temperature hovers near 100 and I feel no humidity. 12:34. We complete our first satellite live report in front of the Feather River Hospital, where all patients have been evacuated. The area is still very smokey and my nostrils burn from the smoke and soot. 3:45. I have been told by the assistant sheriff that they are preparing for the possibility of 19,000 more evacs. That’s IF the winds come back. They are expected again soon……according to forecasts. We all know about that reliability. 4:50pm. I have been told several instances of pot farms, both in the field and in one case in a home, we left to burn. There was a fear they had been boobytrapped.. 6:10pm. As I type this, air support has just arrived for the first time today. Still heavy smoke, but a small clearing allows a couple to drop. Finally the new evacuations are in an area down the hill from Paradise. The truck and AM crew will pass near these areas in the AM, highway 70 will be a safe route, but they could move to this location instead of Concow. Has to be an AM call because the fire will move tonight after we are gone.         11:00 - 2008-Jul-10 - comments {0} - post commentThe Rev. Jesse Jackson Calls ???On the Record??Last night, the Rev. Jesse Jackson called during the show and addressed his “hot mic” comments about Barack Obama. In case you missed the interview, here it is: Part 1 Part 2
        10:58 - 2008-Jul-10 - comments {0} - post commentObama Camp Seizes McCain Surrogate??s ???Mental??? CommentsIn an interview with the Washington Times, former Texas Senator Phil Gramm, a McCain advisor and surrogate, questioned the reality of an economic recession. According to the paper, Gramm said the slowdown was “wildly exaggerated.” “You’ve heard of mental depression; this is a mental recession,” Gramm told the paper. “We have sort of become a nation of whiners,” he continued, adding there’s “constant whining, complaining” about an “America in decline” despite booms in U.S. exports and growth. The Obama campaign gleefully leapt at Gramm’s observations, issuing a statement to reporters. “The American people know that our economic problems aren??t just in their heads.? They don??t need psychological relief ?? they need real relief ?? and that??s what Barack Obama will provide as President,??? a spokesman wrote. At Obama’s economic security town hall in Northern Virginia, presumptive Democratic nominee Obama teed up his response by reminding voters that John McCain at one point observed that the economy had seen “great progress.” Obama told the crowd of nearly 3,000, “If you can??t see the problem you??re not gonna solve it. Now Senator McCain, unfortunately doesn??t seem to see the problem.” Quoting Gramm, Obama interpreted, “I guess what he meant was that it??s a figment of your imagination, these high gas prices. Senator Gramm then deemed the United States ?? and I quote ?? ‘a nation of whiners,’ he said incredulously as the crowd jeered. “Ho! ‘A nation of whiners.’” Noting the irony that McCain “admitted” his gas tax holiday and off shore drilling will have “psychological benefits,” Obama said, “America already has one Dr. Phil.? We don??t need another one when it comes to the economy ?? we need somebody to actually solve the economy. It??s not just a figment of your imagination, it??s not all in your head!” Obama concluded his riff by saying, “I think it??s time we had a President who doesn??t deny our problems ?? or blame the American people for them ?? but takes responsibility and provides the leadership to solve them.? And that??s the kind of President I intend to be.” The crowd seemed to agree with his assessment.         10:34 - 2008-Jul-10 - comments {0} - post commentGretaLiveWire!!If you missed GretaLiveWire last night, you can still watch it….but here is the question: why won’t Fox book any guests for GretaLiveWire?
        10:31 - 2008-Jul-10 - comments {0} - post commentMcCain Has Best Fundraising Month, Raises $22 Million in JuneWASHINGTON — Campaign officials say Republican John McCain raised more than $22 million in June for his presidential bid. That’s McCain’s best month yet. He ends the month of June with nearly $27 million cash on hand, according to campaign officials. McCain campaign manager Rick Davis said Thursday that McCain and the national Republican Party together entered the month of July with about $95 million in the bank. The money has given McCain the ability to outspend Democratic rival Barack Obama on television advertising in key battleground states, Davis says. Obama has not yet revealed his June fundraising. 10:26 - 2008-Jul-10 - comments {0} - post commentObama Advisers With Ties to Elian Saga Irks Some Cuban-AmericansTwo advisers with ties to the Elian Gonzalez controversy of eight years ago are causing problems for Barack Obama among some Cuban-Americans in Florida, The Miami Herald reported Thursday. Eight Cuban-American exile organizations are urging three lawmakers who backed Hillary Clinton to demand the Obama campaign remove vice presidential search committee member Eric Holder and foreign policy adviser Greg Craig. The paper’s Web site reports that a letter to Sens. Bill Nelson and Robert Menendez as well as Miami Mayor Manny Diaz says the advisers played “prominent” roles in sending Gonzalez back to Cuba after his mother drowned trying to raft to Miami. “Had it not been for the actions of these two men, lending themselves as instruments to Fidel Castro, Elian could today be enjoying the freedom his mother died to provide for him,” the letter said. A six-year-old Gonzalez found himself wrapped in a legal battle upon his arrival to the U.S. after his father requested him returned to Cuba in 2000. Recently Gonzalez, now 14, joined Cuba’s Young Communist Union and pledges support to the Castro government. Click here to read the full article from The Miami Herald. 09:55 - 2008-Jul-10 - comments {0} - post commentMcCain Avoids Question About Insurance Covering Viagra, Not ContraceptivesPORTSMOUTH, Ohio — Republican John McCain prides himself on being a straight talker. But he resisted being dragged into a discussion Wednesday about insurance companies that cover Viagra but not birth control products. “I certainly do not want to discuss that issue,” the presidential candidate said when a reporter asked him about it on his campaign bus, the “Straight Talk Express.” A few seats away was Carly Fiorina, a top McCain supporter who stirred talk about the topic at a recent Washington breakfast with reporters. The former Hewlett-Packard chief executive, discussing consumer-driven health insurance, mentioned something “I’ve been hearing a lot about from women: There are many health insurance plans that will cover Viagra but won’t cover birth-control medication. Those women would like a choice.” Fiorina is among McCain’s most prominent female advisers, and seen by some as a possible choice to be his running mate. When asked Wednesday if he had voted in the Senate against a proposal to require insurance companies to cover contraceptive products, McCain replied, “I don’t know enough about it to give you an informed answer because I don’t recall the vote… I don’t usually duck an issue, but I’ll try to get back to you.” Campaign spokesman Brian Rogers later said Fiorina was describing McCain’s “vision for choice and competition in health insurance.” He said McCain will open insurance markets “for greater variety and competition, allowing women to choose policies that fit their needs. An example is the choice for women to dump a policy that only covers Viagra for a policy that covers their real needs.” A Republican policy group said the Senate vote in question was a complicated matter that, among other things, would have supported using federal money to promote emergency contraceptives, which many Americans oppose. 09:39 - 2008-Jul-10 - comments {0} - post commentMore computer fun??¦NOT!Hi everyone! Well, it gets better… I came into work today, and my computer was not working at all!? HA!? I should’ve been careful what I said about Microsoft!? No Internet, no internal email - Nothing!? I had our Helpdesk come up and take a look, and they’re still trying to find out why I have no connection at all!? Yikes. Hence, the delay in writing.? ? Thank you for all your computer stories.? I’m glad I’m not the only one!? Weatherwise, unfortunately we are still dealing with terrible wildfire weather out west.? Record heat, low relative humidity, and breezy conditions.? The ridge of high pressure should begin to break down on Friday - so the weekend looks a little better in terms of relatively cooler temperatures.? The stories out of California have been horrific.? I heard one woman say it’s like a Natural Disaster at this point.? We also have the potential of severe weather over the Midwest and great Lakes today.? A couple of earlier tornado warnings were issued in South Dakota and Minesota? this morning. So that’s all I’ve got for now.? Blogging may be sporadic for the reasons mentioned above.? I know you guys will keep yourselves amused in the meantime! jd
(Drastic measures!? Photo by Clipart)         09:19 - 2008-Jul-10 - comments {0} - post commentNo Evidence of Tampering on Obama Campaign Plane, Report FindsInvestigators found no initial evidence of tampering on Barack Obama’s campaign plane, which was forced to make an unscheduled stop earlier this week after an emergency slide deployed in flight. The National Transportation Safety Board released an update Thursday finding that the evacuation slide in the tail cone of the plane was partially inflated and that it had “marks consistent with rubbing of elevator control cables.” But the report said an inspection of the hardware “did not reveal any evidence of missing components, nor any evidence of tampering.” The plane, a Midwest Airlines flight, set down in St. Louis shortly after taking off from Chicago Monday en route to Charlotte, N.C., where the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee was supposed to give an address on the economy. The early landing was not classified as an emergency. The preliminary NTSB report said the slide’s inflation bottle was empty and noted some irregularities with the elevator cables. The report said a catwalk railing was broken and “impinged upon elevator control cables.” The flight crew told investigators that, while they did not hear the slide deploy, they noticed “elevator control stiffness” shortly after departing from Chicago. The safety board has removed the slide and hardware, as well as flight recorders and maintenance records, for further analysis.
08:51 - 2008-Jul-10 - comments {0} - post commentGeorgia Rep. Who Endorsed Clinton Faces Rare Primary ChallengeATLANTA — Rep. John Lewis has not faced a primary election fight in 16 years, but now two younger challengers want to apply Barack Obama’s talk of change and unseat the civil rights icon who initially backed Hillary Clinton in the Democratic presidential race. Lewis, 68, is on the ballot for Tuesday’s 5th District primary with a 31-year-old minister and a state legislator who unsuccessfully ran against Lewis in 1992 and is 18 years his junior. The Rev. Markel Hutchins and Rep. “Able” Mable Thomas are betting that Lewis’ early endorsement of Clinton will hurt him among voters who may have seen the alliance as a betrayal in a district that overwhelmingly favored Obama. Lewis later switched his support to Obama and does not expect his initial decision to hinder his campaign. “I told my young opponents, I’ve been about change. I am change,” Lewis told The Associated Press. “If it was not for the changes that I, along with many of my colleagues, created, they probably would not have an opportunity to be running for Congress or anything else.” Still, Lewis, who first took office in 1987, said he welcomes the challenge. “People have a right to run,” he said. “I believe the people of this district will reward me for my long years of service with the hope and expectation that I will continue to provide them with the best of service.” The winner of the 5th District primary will claim the seat and head to Washington in January, as there is no Republican candidate running for the post. Hutchins, who is among the youngest congressional candidates in the country, said his candidacy is meant not as an offense, but as a sign of gratitude. “We thank Congressman Lewis and the generation that he marched with that brought us across bridges in the 1960s, but there are additional bridges to cross,” Hutchins said. Hutchins gained national attention as spokesman for the family of Kathryn Johnston, the 92-year-old woman gunned down by Atlanta police officers in a botched 2006 drug raid. In the aftermath, he advocated for changes in police department policy and helped keep attention on the case. Hutchins said he used to believe activism was more productive than politics, but was inspired by Obama’s candidacy to challenge a man he considers “the most visible representation of the tradition out of which I come.” In making his decision, Hutchins said he recalled words often quoted by Lewis: “The time is always right to do right.” “I think it makes the political season even more historic,” Hutchins said. “It’s a signal for the American people and especially African Americans that it’s time to transition from the civil rights generation to a younger generation of leadership that is able to identify with the pressing problems of the time in which we live.” Thomas, 50, also forged her political roots at a young age. She was chosen as a presidential delegate to the 1984 Democratic National Convention and won her first term in the state legislature at 28 as Georgia’s youngest state representative. Thomas’ first stretch in the state legislature ended in 1993, after she first challenged Lewis for the 5th District seat. She won less than a quarter of the vote, losing by more than 30,000 votes. She returned to the Georgia House in 2004 and said her experience as a local lawmaker has made her more familiar with the district’s issues. “You’ve spent so much time being a national leader and forgotten the pain and suffering of the 5th District,” Thomas said during a recent debate, in which Lewis declined to participate. For all the attention around Lewis’ endorsement controversy, observers say it is unlikely that voters in his majority black district — which spans Atlanta and the metro area in Fulton, Clayton and DeKalb counties — will abandon him next week. If Lewis’ war chest is any indication, he is in no danger. He has raised more than $870,000 and still has more than $560,000 in cash on hand, compared to $4,682 raised by Hutchins, of which he has only $35 available, according to both candidates’ most recent filings with the Federal Election Commission. Candidates are not required to file if they raise and spend less than $5,000, and Thomas did not file a report with the FEC. Still, Lewis may not always be in a politically safe district as a new generation of black leaders continues to emerge, said David Bositis of the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies in Washington. “He’s getting up there in years, and one of these days, if he doesn’t decide to leave himself, he will find a serious opponent who will potentially unseat him,” Bositis said. “That’s not this year, but that will come, and sooner rather than later.” For now, Lewis said he is determined to stay in office. “There’s not any reason to put me on the shelf, to place me in some corner not to be heard from,” he said. “I think the people in this district have been very, very good to me, and over the years, I’ve tried to be good to them.” 08:39 - 2008-Jul-10 - comments {0} - post commentGramm Comment on ???Nation of Whiners?? Draws CondemnationBarack Obama ridiculed a John McCain economic adviser Thursday who said the United States has become a “nation of whiners” suffering from a “mental recession,” as McCain distanced himself from the remarks. Phil Gramm, who now is the No. 2 at the Swiss bank UBS, told The Washington Times the U.S. has benefited from globalization but most Americans are misguided by constant reports that the economy is at its worst in 30 years. “You’ve heard of mental depression; this is a mental recession,” Gramm, a former Texas senator, told the newspaper, adding that the presumptive Republican nominee will face an uphill battle fighting those perceptions. “We have sort of become a nation of whiners,” he said. “You just hear this constant whining, complaining about a loss of competitiveness, America in ‘decline’ despite a major export boom that is the primary reason that growth continues in the economy.” Gramm later told a cable network that he was calling the country’s leaders whiners, not the American people as a whole, but stood by his “mental recession” remark. Obama, speaking about economic security to a women’s group in Fairfax, Va., said Gramm’s comments show the McCain campaign has no remedy for the nation’s economic woes. “This comes after Senator McCain recently admitted that his energy proposals … will have mainly ‘psychological’ benefits. I want all of you to know that America already has one Dr. Phil. We don’t need another one when it comes to the economy,” he said. “Let’s be clear, when people are struggling with the rising costs of everything from gas to groceries, when we’ve lost 438,000 jobs over the past six months, when the typical family has lost $1,000 in income … since George Bush took office … this economic downturn is not in your heads. “It isn’t whining to ask government to step in and give families some relief.” Minutes later McCain disavowed the Gramm comments, saying, “We are experiencing enormous economic challenges as well as others. Phil Gramm does not speak for me. I speak for me. So I strongly disagree.” Asked if Gramm might be in line for a job as treasury secretary, McCain joked: “I think Senator Gramm would be in serious consideration for ambassador to Belarus, although I am not sure that the citizens of Minsk would welcome that.” But he used the “Dr. Phil” jab to repeat his criticism that Obama indiscriminately shoots down all his energy proposals. “You’re talking about Dr. Phil — he’s Dr. No,” McCain said. “He’s against offshore drilling, he’s against offering a reward for the development of the electric car, he’s against everything we need to do to make this nation energy independent.”
Gramm said earlier that all the reporting on trade deficits, illegal immigration, housing and credit problems and record oil prices have not stopped the economy from growing. Still, McCain will face a difficult public relations job. Gramm also said that President Bush and Republicans in Congress are to blame for the damaged Republican image. He told the newspaper that he believes voter’s opinions on issues remain the same but that they have lost faith that lawmakers in Washington, D.C., care about them. He blamed the blurring differences between Republicans and Democrats on government expansion and spending over the past eight years as a major cause of the problem, the paper reports. A McCain campaign official said the Republican presidential candidate does not share Gramm’s view. “Phil Gramm??s comments are not representative of John McCain??s views. John McCain travels the country every day talking to Americans who are hurting, feeling pain at the pump and worrying about how they??ll pay their mortgage. That??s why he has a realistic plan to deliver immediate relief at the gas pump, grow our economy and put Americans back to work,” the official said. A spokesman for Obama said Gramm’s analysis ignores facts on the ground. ???One of Senator McCain??s top economic advisers may think that when people are struggling with lost jobs, stagnant wages, and the rising costs of everything from gas to groceries, it??s merely a ???mental recession??. … But the American people know that our economic problems aren??t just in their heads. They don??t need psychological relief -?? they need real relief ?? and that??s what Barack Obama will provide as President,??? said Obama campaign spokesman Bill Burton. Click here to read the full article in The Washington Times 08:31 - 2008-Jul-10 - comments {0} - post commentopen blog08:04 - 2008-Jul-10 - comments {0} - post commentAny comment to this article?07:59 - 2008-Jul-10 - comments {0} - post commentMcCain Attempts to Stay on Message, Block Out Campaign DistractionsJohn McCain, a week after handing day-to-day campaign operations to a key adviser, is making a fresh attempt to stick to the script. The presumptive Republican presidential nominee embarked this week on a tour stressing “Jobs for America,” and so far he has taken every chance to hammer home that theme and block out distractions. McCain struggled to focus earlier in the season — but the renewed emphasis on message discipline is seen as a way to guide the campaign storyline, and prevent the news of the day from interfering with his intended talking points. Though he strayed Wednesday to address reports about an Iranian missile test and a vote by Barack Obama on a controversial surveillance bill, McCain advisers told FOX News they are pleased with McCain’s effort so far to stay on track. “I think what we’ll see for the next 100 and something days, I think you’re going to see an incredibly disciplined campaign, and they’re going to be driving the message,” said Chip Saltsman, former campaign manager for GOP candidate Mike Huckabee. “The McCain campaign’s setting the table right now … and they’re forcing Obama to talk about what they want to talk about.” The Arizona senator has been accused of wavering on his campaign message, toggling through various labels for Obama while struggling to focus on a single theme on the stump. By contrast, Obama consistently has pressed his message of change since the primary and portrayed McCain as the third term of President Bush. McCain advisers acknowledge that they had trouble getting their message out despite a three-month head start over Obama. Through the spring months, McCain launched themed weeks devoted to his biography and issues like poverty and health care, but they were undercut as the campaign pushed multiple messages in the same week. McCain often held press conferences on the same day as big speeches, in turn allowing the media to ignore the substance of his address and cover his fresh comments. For instance, in early April he revealed he had a list of about 20 possible vice presidential candidates during a week when he was supposed to focus on his military service. Adviser Steve Schmidt, though, was given full control of day-to-day operations last week. He essentially has been in charge of message-shaping for months, only now has significantly more power. And the campaign has limited the once-daily, hours-long sessions with the press, as well as press conferences after he gives a major policy speech. Rather, the campaign is giving national reporters time to ask questions after evening news deadlines, or on days when the campaign does not have a message. As of this week, face time with the candidate will mostly be limited to a small pool of reporters who will then feed the interviews out to the rest of the national media. The Wall Street Journal reported Saturday that the primary reason for the staff restructuring had to do with a desire to sharpen the campaign’s message. McCain’s campaign recently has stuck with the accusation that Obama is a flip-flopper who will say or do anything for political gain, and this week it made pains to stress economic themes at every turn. “To achieve full economic recovery, we need to think as well about the leading job creators in America. … Small businesses are the job engine of America, and I will make it easier for them to grow and create more jobs,” he said at a town hall meeting Wednesday in Ohio. “The choice in this election is stark and simple. Senator Obama will raise your taxes. I won’t, because jobs are the most important thing our economy creates. And when you raise taxes in a bad economy you eliminate jobs.” McCain, in an interview Tuesday morning with FOX News, also stressed his theme of the week. And when he addressed the League of United Latin American Citizens on Tuesday, he tied his appeals to Latino voters to his weeklong economic chorus. “All of us know what’s happening to the economy. And it’s slowing,” he said at the top of his address. He attempted to link all topics, from energy to immigration to tax policy, back to the economic downturn and job creation. Earlier at a town hall meeting in Georgia, Obama said McCain is asking for trouble with his focus on taxes. “If Senator McCain wants to debate about taxes in this campaign, that’s a debate I cannot wait to have, because John McCain doesn’t have an answer to the housing crisis, he doesn’t have and answer to the education crisis, he doesn’t have a plan to rebuild our infrastructure,” he said. “The only plan that he has is to not only continue the Bush tax cuts to the wealthy corporations, he wants to increase them. … A McCain administration would mean a fiscal Groundhog Day in Washington.” Obama spokesman Hari Sevugan also told FOXNews.com that McCain’s latest strategy won’t alter what he called the outdated set of policies he’s offering. “What I think is clear no matter how John McCain wants to package it, is that he’s offering more of the same, and that’s not going to change the direction of the country or help American families,” he said. McCain is stressing the economy as national polls consistently show him trailing Obama on domestic issues. McCain’s strong suit is national security and foreign affairs, and he has a tendency to rely on those issues to carry him through town hall meetings and similar campaign stops. But Monday in Colorado, McCain hammered the economic message on all fronts. He re-proposed a plan to balance the federal budget by 2013 in Denver, flanked by new “Jobs for America” signs. In addition, his campaign announced that 300 economists endorsed his economic plan. It held two conference calls for reporters pushing the jobs message. It rolled out a national “jobs coalition” of small business owners in 19 states. And it released a comprehensive briefing paper on their plan to balance the budget in four years. The campaign also did not hold a press conference where other issues would likely come up. The Arizona senator says he wants to run a “respectful” campaign and recently has shown restraint in personally responding to Obama’s comments on his Iraq policy. Obama took heat last week when he said he’s willing to “refine” his policy on the war, which includes a pledge to withdraw all U.S. brigades within 16 months of taking office. Asked Monday by one town hall participant what was the biggest difference was between him and Obama, McCain kept his criticism mostly to the economy. But his campaign surrogates and staffers freely attack Obama, and McCain has been unable to stay on message entirely. McCain criticized Obama’s Iraq position as “all over the map” in an interview with a Denver-area radio show, and on FOX News Tuesday morning said “there’s been definitely shifts in position (for Obama), and one of them is Iraq.” One Democratic source also noted that McCain jumped off the economy track on Wednesday to respond to reports of Iranian missile tests, and reprise criticism of Obama for not voting to call Iran’s Revolutionary Guard a terrorist organization last year. (The Obama campaign points out that the Illinois senator co-sponsored an earlier bill that would have done the same thing.) As McCain focuses on message-tightening, his campaign is centralizing. Mike Duhaime, former campaign manager for Rudy Giuliani, was announced Sunday as the McCain campaign’s new political director. Schmidt announced in a memo to staff last week that he would also hire a field director, all part of an effort to “increase our capacity to reach out to voters, build coalitions, identify supporters and ultimately turn them out to the polls on November 4.” Schmidt wrote that “hundreds more field staff” would be deployed in the coming weeks. McCain says he performs best as the underdog, and told FOX News last week that Schmidt’s reassignment was part of a “very great expansion” in the campaign. He’ll have a ways to catch up. McCain’s campaign is roughly 300-strong compared with Obama’s 1,000-person plus operation. And Obama has a daunting fundraising lead over McCain — that lead could easily expand since the Illinois senator announced he would not be accepting more than $84 million in public financing for the general election. He’ll be raising money privately. “We need to keep doing what we’re doing, only do it a lot harder,” McCain told FOX News, declining to fret about his standing in the polls. “I’m happy with where we’ve come, I’m happy with where we are. We have been declared dead many times … but somehow we seem to stay in the race and we will stay in.” FOX News’ Mosheh Oinounou and Judson Berger and The Associated Press contributed to this report. 07:07 - 2008-Jul-10 - comments {0} - post commentHillary and Barack Hit New YorkHillary Clinton stood alongside Barack Obama at a women’s fundraising breakfast for the Obama Victory Fund. The minimum donation - $250. This after attending a $33,000/plate Manhattan dinner together the night before. On her home turf, Clinton urged her supporters to get behind Barack Obama’s campaign. Republicans, as much as they should, she said, will not “go go gently into that good night.”? She continued, “No matter how self evident it is to us that this is the man, this is the candidate, this is the one we should be voting for, working for and making our president ?? there are millions of your fellow Americans who aren??t there yet, so we have to really be engaged and that??s what I??m asking you to do.” Besides, she noted, Tthe Democratic Party is a family, you know, sometimes a dysfunctional family but it??s a family.” The former candidate shared with the mostly female crowd a backstage moment. “Barack and I were talking before we came out before about the rigors of the campaign trail, which are many…Barack said, ???You look kind of rested.?? I said, ‘Well ‘kind of’ is the right descriptor,’ but I??m actually, if you don??t tell anybody, trying to exercise a little bit, which I??m told does wonders for a person. Because during the campaign, you I??m sure read that Barack would get up faithfully every morning and go to the gym. I would get up and have my hair done. Just one of those Ginger Rogers, Fred Astaire things that are part of our lives,” she joked as the crowd laughed. For his part, Obama admitted he “desperately” needs both Hillary and Bill Clinton to be involved in this campaign. “If we are working together and all the women in this room are working together - there is no way we??re gonna lose in November. That I??m absolutely confident of,” he said. As he has since he announced he was the presumptive Democratic nominee on the night of the final primary, Barack Obama praised Hillary Clinton - this time with a twist. Looking out at the sea of women, Obama said, “As someone who took the same historic journey as Senator Clinton ?? although I didn??t do it in heels ?? who shared the stage with her many times over these last 16 months, I know firsthand how tough she is, how passionate she is, and how committed she is to the causes that bring us here today.” Obama continues with Thursday’s theme and will hold a town hall in Fairfax, Virginia, this afternoon geared towards women’s economic security.         06:49 - 2008-Jul-10 - comments {0} - post commentAFL-CIO to Use Veterans to Attack McCainWASHINGTON — The AFL-CIO is mobilizing union members who are military veterans to work against Republican presidential candidate John McCain and other office seekers it opposes, officials said Thursday. John Sweeney, the president of the labor federation, planned to announce the creation of a Union Veterans Council in a teleconference Thursday. The union, which endorsed Democrat Barack Obama for president last month, plans to form state councils of union veterans in key election battlegrounds, including Wisconsin, Minnesota, Colorado, Ohio and West Virginia. Later, it plans to organize in Pennsylvania, Michigan and Virginia. “We’re forming this Union Veterans Council to bring together union members who are veterans to speak out on the issues that matter the most to them — in this year’s election and beyond,” Sweeney said in a statement. “With the formation of the Union Veterans Council, veterans will be front and center in the effort to put our country back on track.” Sweeney said key issues will include money for the Veterans Affairs Department, health and education benefits for veterans, and job growth. The union also launched an ad that will air Thursday that features a Vietnam combat veteran criticizing McCain’s stance on the war in Iraq and on veterans issues. The ad will air for three weeks on national cable and in Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Wisconsin, union officials said. The outreach effort will include door-to-door canvassing and visits to worksites by veterans to talk to union members about issues in the election. The union also plans to identify and track union veterans. The AFL-CIO estimates it has 2.1 million members who are either veterans or are serving in active duty in the military. Sweeney was expected to make the announcement with Mark Ayers, the president of the Building & Construction Trades Council and a former Navy pilot. “Not only has McCain voted the wrong way on veterans issues — such as opposing increased funding for veterans’ health care the last four years in a row — but he also doesn’t support middle-class people’s issues,” Ayers said in a statement. “He wants to tax people’s health care benefits and supports unfair trade deals, including NAFTA.” 06:27 - 2008-Jul-10 - comments {0} - post commentObama Campaigns With Clinton to Appeal to Women VotersNEW YORK — Going after the women’s vote, Democrat Barack Obama chastised Republican John McCain on Thursday over his opposition to an equal-pay Senate bill, his support for conservative-leaning Supreme Court justices and his abortion-rights objections. “I will never back down in defending a woman’s right to choose,” the likely Democratic nominee said, drawing a sharp contrast with his GOP rival. “That’s what’s at stake,” Obama added as he campaigned with his half-sister and Hillary Rodham Clinton, the pioneering former first lady he toppled during the Democratic presidential primary, at a “Women for Obama” breakfast fundraiser. Obama packed his day with female-focused events in New York and Virginia, a reminder of his need to win over women who include some still smarting from Clinton’s loss. She had tried to become the first woman to win the White House, and women were her base voters. They took her defeat hard, so much so that even a few are promising to vote for McCain. Thus, to underscore his differences with McCain on women’s issues, Obama cited Senate legislation from the spring that sought to counteract a Supreme Court decision limiting how long workers can wait before suing for pay discrimination. Obama said McCain “thinks the Supreme Court got it right.” “He suggested that the reason women don’t have equal pay isn’t discrimination on the job — it’s because they need more education and training,” Obama said, eliciting groans from the audience. Obama said the problem is some employers aren’t paying women enough and many women aren’t able to challenge that. “The solution is to finally close that gap and pay women what they’ve earned, nothing less.” Obama backed the Senate legislation that would have made it easier for women to sue their employers for pay discrimination. McCain opposed it, saying at the time: “I am all in favor of pay equity for women, but this kind of legislation … opens us up to lawsuits for all kinds of problems.” Seeking an edge, the Democrat also raised the issue of abortion rights, which is shaping up to be a major point of difference between the candidates. Obama supports keeping the landmark decision that legalized abortion, Roe v. Wade, intact, while McCain opposes abortion rights and wants to appoint Supreme Court justices akin to Chief Justice John Roberts and Samuel Alito. “Senator McCain has made it abundantly clear that he wants to appoint justices like Roberts and Alito — and that he hopes to see Roe overturned,” Obama said. “I stand by my votes against confirming Justices Roberts and Alito.” The Democrat said voters will decide in the fall election “whether we’ll have judges who demonstrate sound judgment and empathy, who understand how law operates in our daily lives, who are committed to upholding the values at the core of our Constitution — or judges who put ideology before justice, with our fundamental rights as the first casualty.” The Republican National Committee argued that although Obama opposed the confirmation of Roberts and Alito, he backed the court’s recent decision on gun rights and sided with the minority on the death penalty in child rape cases. Said RNC spokesman Alex Conant: “Considering his recent reversals and partisan record, rather than attack Justices Roberts and Alito, Obama owes the American people more than just political expedience.” Obama started his day at the 2,300-person fundraiser with Clinton — their second joint fundraising appearance in as many days — and with his half-sister, Maya Soetoro-Ng. “I’m grateful for all of you who have come together,” Clinton said as she introduced Obama. “I know you’ll be there in November.” She noted that Obama had mentioned that she looked rested after being off the rigorous campaign trail, said she’s trying to exercise now and compared her habits with Obama’s during the primary season. “Barack would get up faithfully every morning and go to the gym. I would get up and have my hair done,” she quipped. Later, Obama was scheduled to hold a town-hall event in Fairfax, Va., on his economic plan and how it would help women and all parents balance work and family demands. Virginia first lady Anne Holton planned to introduce Obama. 05:49 - 2008-Jul-10 - comments {0} - post commentOhio Reconsiders ???Sleepovers?? for Voting Machine SafetyCOLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio’s elections chief is reconsidering a plan to prohibit poll workers from taking voting machines home for safekeeping in the days before the November presidential election. Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner announced plans in February to scrap the practice known as “sleepovers” because of security concerns. But her proposal is being attacked by county elections officials who argue that the custom makes it easier to transport machines to polling sites. “She has listened to the concerns of election officials and ultimately wants to do what is best for their process but also make sure that all safety precautions are considered,” Brunner spokesman Patrick Gallaway said Wednesday. Brunner has frequently referred to a Licking County poll worker who took a machine home for safekeeping and improperly voted on it, fearing there wouldn’t be enough time on Election Day. Election officials say safeguards prevent such a tampered machine from being used at the polls because it would not have the required vote tally of “zero” before voting began. Sleepovers are prevalent in Ohio counties that use touch-screen voting machines and are sometimes used in counties with machines that scan paper ballots. The practice enables poll workers to pick up voting machines and other equipment such as memory cards in the days before the election, keep them at home and then take them to polling locations on Election Day. Without sleepovers, counties would likely have to hire a company to distribute the voting machines, said Keith Cunningham, director of the Allen County Board of Elections and past president of the Ohio Association of Election Officials. That would cost several thousand dollars, and some counties can’t afford it, he said. Counties also would have to test the machines as much as a week earlier so the movers could transport them in time for the election, Cunningham said. “It would be logistically impossible for the counties having large numbers of machines to deliver, set up and test all their machines on election morning,” Ashland County Board of Elections Director Shannon Leininger wrote in a May 7 e-mail to Brunner. Brunner has invited local officials to suggest potential alternatives to banning sleepovers. A decision will be made in the next few weeks, Gallaway said. One alternative would be to lock voting machines inside polling places for a few days, Cunningham said. “You got two choices — you’re either going to have a machine unattended at a polling location for a few days or you are going to have a machine in the hands of a poll worker,” he said. “Pick your poison.” 05:18 - 2008-Jul-10 - comments {0} - post commentGood Morning ?? I neglected to post this OPEN THREAD this am..so now I am!
Good morning! I am already reading the morning papers on the Blog Roll on the right hand side of GretaWire..so go ahead and blog! This is an open thread!         04:32 - 2008-Jul-10 - comments {0} - post comment
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