News For Thursday Jul 24, 2008 News For Thursday Jul 24, 2008

Politics & Elections Politics & Elections

Obama tells Israel he's committed to its security - Added 1 hour ago

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...

Obama visits Western Wall - Added 1 hour ago

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...

Obama pays visit to Jerusalem holy site - Added 1 hour ago

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...

Obama to run ads during Olympics - Added 1 hour ago

Barack Obama is going for the gold. The Democratic presidential contender has decided to buy $5 million in national advertising on NBC during the broadcast of the Olympic games, an NBC spokeswoman confirmed Wednesday....

McCain denies he misstated timing of Iraq surge - Added 3 hours ago

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...

Today on the presidential campaign trail - Added 6 hours ago

IN THE HEADLINES Obama tells Israelis he's committed to their security, speaking with Hamas rockets as backdrop ... McCain denies he misstated timing of Iraq surge; says some elements began before Bush's order ......

Obama, McCain and their uneven gifts of gab - Added 6 hours ago

If the presidential election were decided by speeches alone, it would be over already. Barack Obama soars, John McCain struggles. Obama beams, McCain grins at the wrong time. Obama looks off into a heavenly distance...

Ad hits McCain on troop pullout - Added 7 hours ago

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,...

McCain has Berlin moment too _ in little Berlins - Added 8 hours ago

John McCain can be a Berliner, too. The Republican National Committee decided to have a little fun with Barack Obama's widely anticipated speech Thursday at Berlin's Victory Column. It is airing anti-Obama ads in...

Obama calls Holocaust memorial 'a place of hope' - Added 10 hours ago

Barack Obama on Wednesday pronounced Israel's memorial to the 6 million Jews who perished in the Holocaust "a place of hope" and a potent reminder of humankind's ability to "rise up from tragedy and remake our world." ...

Method for AP-Ipsos poll on top national problems - Added 10 hours ago

The Associated Press-Ipsos poll on top national problems was conducted July 10-14, 2008, and is based on telephone interviews with a nationally representative random sample of 500 adults from all states. Digits in the...

Poll: Economy top issue; energy worries grow most - Added 10 hours ago

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...

Obama in his own words - Added 11 hours ago

Quotes from Barack Obama, the Democratic nominee-in-waiting. ___ In his keynote address at the Democratic National Convention in Boston, on July 27, 2004: "The pundits like to slice and dice our country into red...

McCain in his own words - Added 11 hours ago

Quotes from John McCain, the Republican nominee-in-waiting. ___ After winning the New Hampshire primary on Jan. 8: "My friends, you know, I'm past the age when I can claim the noun 'kid,' no matter what adjective...

Obama daughters keep hectic schedules of their own - Added 11 hours ago

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...

Obama's great-uncle recalls liberating Nazi camp - Added 12 hours ago

Charles T. Payne had his first close brush with history at the end of World War II, when his infantry division liberated Ohrdruf, a subcamp of the Nazis' Buchenwald concentration camp. Now 83, Payne is experiencing a...

Obama's great-uncle recalls liberating Nazi camp - Added 21 hours ago

Charles T. Payne had his first close brush with history at the end of World War II, when his infantry division liberated Ohrdruf, a subcamp of the Nazis' Buchenwald concentration camp. Now 83, Payne is experiencing a...

Obama campaign: McCain flubs on Iraq timeline - Added 23 hours ago

Republican presidential candidate John McCain says Democrat Barack Obama is wrong about the Iraq war. But Obama's campaign says McCain was wrong about the war's timeline during a nationally televised interview Tuesday....

Obama vows to work for Mideast breakthrough - Added 1 day ago

Democratic presidential contender Barack Obama vowed Tuesday to work for a breakthrough in Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations "starting from the minute I'm sworn into office." In a news conference before departing...

McCain may be zeroing in on a running mate - Added 1 day ago

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,...

Obama: Iraq now needs a political solution - Added 1 day ago

Democratic presidential contender Barack Obama declined Tuesday to rate the Bush administration's troop surge in Iraq a success despite a reduction in violence, and expressed understanding of Gen. David Petraeus'...

Ron Paul's political event moves to larger venue - Added 1 day ago

Supporters of maverick Rep. Ron Paul who are organizing a rally as an alternative to the Republican National Convention are moving their crosstown event to a larger venue. The Rally for the Republic featuring Paul _...

Bush raises money for GOP House challenger - Added 1 day ago

President Bush is hoping that this will be the year his party ousts Democratic Rep. Jim Marshall from Congress and he came to Georgia on Tuesday to pump money into the campaign of Marshall's challenger. The president...

Today on the presidential campaign trail - Added 1 day ago

IN THE HEADLINES Obama says he'll work for Mideast peace _ Israelis, Palestinians need to be stronger, unified ... Speculation increases about a McCain running mate ... Obama sees security progress in Iraq; calls...

Analysis: Obama pledges engagement in Mideast - Added 1 day ago

Is there anything new a presidential candidate can say about the absence of peace in the fragile Middle East? Anything beyond a promise to work at it hard? Barack Obama is not offering a sure-to-work formula to bring...

Lautenberg drops Boss tix request for fundraiser - Added 1 day ago

Sen. Frank Lautenberg's re-election campaign has dropped its request to get the operator of Giants Stadium to provide it with Bruce Springsteen tickets for a fundraiser event this weekend. The turnaround followed a...

Chasing Obama across Iraqi, Afghan war zones - Added 1 day ago

It was long past sunrise and still no clue: Where's Barack Obama? Was he having breakfast with soldiers? No reply from the military. A market visit perhaps? No sign of that. Then word trickled in Tuesday that he was...

Obama says he'll work for Mideast peace - Added 1 day ago

Democratic presidential contender Barack Obama stepped into the thicket of Mideast politics Wednesday, declaring that neither the Israelis nor the Palestinians are strong enough internally to make the bold concessions...

McCain adviser paid by controversial businessman - Added 1 day ago

Sen. John McCain's campaign on Tuesday distanced its foreign policy adviser from a longtime Republican fundraiser who paid the adviser $130,000 when he was a lobbyist. The payments by Texas businessman Stephen Payne to...

Jordan's king urges evenhanded US Mideast policy - Added 1 day ago

Jordan's king has told Democratic presidential contender Barack Obama that an evenhanded U.S. policy would bolster America's credibility in the Middle East. King Abdullah II also told Obama that achieving Palestinian...

Analysis: Foreign tour is media bonanza for Obama - Added 1 day ago

Jordan, Israel and Germany aren't normally known as swing states in a White House campaign. But Barack Obama's off to a fast start in his attempt to change that with an election-season tour designed to show him as a...

Obamamania in full flight ahead of tour of Europe - Added 1 day ago

Europe is about to give Barack Obama one of the grandest of stages for statesmanship. In this city where John F. Kennedy, Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton all made famous speeches, Obama will find himself stepping into...

Attempt to recall New Jersey governor falling flat - Added 1 day ago

A bid to recall New Jersey Gov. Jon S. Corzine appears to be sputtering toward an unsuccessful finish. The effort's chairman, Carl Bergmanson, said Monday that backers have less than 100,000 signatures. They need 1.2...

Rice told embassies to limit aid for Obama, McCain - Added 1 day ago

As Democrat Barack Obama began an overseas tour, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice told employees at U.S. embassies to provide only minimal help to visiting presidential candidates. The orders went to all overseas...

McCain insists he was right, Obama wrong on Iraq - Added 1 day ago

Republican John McCain worked on Monday to wrestle the spotlight from rival Barack Obama's tour of Iraq by insisting he was right and the Democrat was wrong about the war and releasing a new critical ad blaming higher...

Obama spends less in June, saves resources - Added 2 days ago

Barack Obama's army of small-dollar donors gave his presidential campaign its biggest boost in June, contributing more than $30 million in individual sums of $200 or less. Overall, the presumed Democratic presidential...

SC senator criticized for blog posting about Obama - Added 2 days ago

A Republican state senator is being criticized for a post on his blog that shows photos of Barack Obama and Osama bin Laden wearing similar clothing, along with a line that says the difference between them is "a little...

Obama in Iraq: Withdrawal support but no timetable - Added 2 days ago

Face to face with Iraq's leaders, Barack Obama gained fresh support Monday for the idea of pulling all U.S. combat forces from the war zone by 2010. But the Iraqis stopped short of actual timetables or endorsement of...

McCain adviser lobbied for Stephen Payne - Added 2 days ago

A top foreign policy adviser to John McCain has lobbied the National Security Council, Congress and the State Department on behalf of Stephen Payne, the Texas businessman and longtime Republican fundraiser caught up in...

Text of Obama statement on trip to Iraq - Added 2 days ago

Text of statement by Sens. Barack Obama, Jack Reed and Chuck Hagel on their visit to Iraq: "We are in Iraq to thank our troops, diplomats and civilians for the remarkable job they are doing and to let them know that,...

New York Times defends not running McCain op-ed - Added 2 days ago

The New York Times defended its decision not to publish an op-ed article as submitted by Republican John McCain about the Iraq war on grounds it customarily reviews such pieces with the author. McCain's presidential...

Poll: McCain, Obama in tight Michigan race - Added 2 days ago

THE RACE: The presidential race in Michigan ___ THE NUMBERS Barack Obama, 43 percent John McCain, 41 percent ___ OF INTEREST: More Michigan voters thought well of McCain than Obama, with 58 percent having a...

Today on the presidential campaign trail - Added 2 days ago

IN THE HEADLINES Obama gets withdrawal support from Iraqis, military briefing, helicopter tour from Petraeus ... McCain releases energy attack ad, questions Obama's credentials as rival tours war zone ... GOP counting...

Poll shows presidential race close in NH - Added 2 days ago

THE RACE: The presidential race in New Hampshire ___ THE NUMBERS Barack Obama, 46 percent John McCain, 43 percent ___ OF INTEREST: Obama and McCain are neck-and-neck in New Hampshire, a swing state, and only half...

Adwatch: McCain ad blames Obama for gas price hike - Added 2 days ago

TITLE: "Pump." LENGTH: 30 seconds AIRING: National cable and Colorado, Iowa, Michigan, Missouri, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Northern Virginia and Wisconsin. SCRIPT: Announcer: "Gas prices...

McCain, Obama to participate in church forum - Added 2 days ago

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,...

McCain ad blames Obama for rising gas prices - Added 2 days ago

Republican presidential candidate John McCain is launching a new television ad that blames Democratic rival Barack Obama for rising gasoline prices. The ad, airing on national cable and in 11 battleground states,...

League of Conservation Voters to endorse Obama - Added 2 days ago

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...

Republicans hoping for a grand old party in Minn. - Added 2 days ago

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...

Obama spends less in June, saves resources - Added 2 days ago

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...