News For Friday Oct 10, 2008 News For Friday Oct 10, 2008

Politics & Elections Politics & Elections

Missouri officials suspect fake voter registration - Added 1 day ago

Officials in Missouri, a hard-fought jewel in the presidential race, are sifting through possibly hundreds of questionable or duplicate voter-registration forms submitted by an advocacy group that has been accused of...

Obama: McCain camp brings up Ayers to score points - Added 1 day ago

Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama said Wednesday that Republicans are highlighting his association with a former 1960s radical in an effort to "score cheap political points" in the final weeks before the...

Obama rejects McCain's plan to buy mortgages - Added 2 days ago

Democrat Barack Obama's campaign criticized John McCain's mortgage bailout plan Wednesday, saying it would cause the government to lose money by paying too much for bad loans. McCain's proposal to spend $300 billion in...

McCain pledges balanced budget, criticizes Obama - Added 2 days ago

Republican presidential candidate John McCain promised Wednesday to balance the federal budget despite the nation's deepening economic distress. McCain said he would "confront" the massive federal debt and would...

Rivals competing for voters' trust on economy - Added 2 days ago

With the deepening U.S. economic crisis rippling around the globe, Democrat Barack Obama and Republican John McCain seem to agree the question facing anxious voters is: Who do you trust? "All we heard from Sen. McCain...

NRA ad uses Clinton's words against Obama on guns - Added 2 days ago

The National Rifle Association is turning to Hillary Rodham Clinton to bolster its criticism of Barack Obama's positions on gun issues. The NRA's Political Victory Fund planned a national newspaper ad Thursday reviving...

Biden calls McCain a sidekick, not a maverick - Added 2 days ago

Democratic vice presidential candidate Joe Biden called Republican John McCain an angry man making ugly attacks against the Democratic ticket to cover up his support for President Bush. "You can't call yourself a...

Esquire backs Obama in its first endorsement - Added 2 days ago

Esquire is backing Democrat Barack Obama for president _ its first endorsement in the magazine's 75-year history. The Illinois senator is "the only possible choice to lead the country," editors wrote in the November...

Anti-Obama e-mail sent with DeSoto Co. computers - Added 2 days ago

Government employees in a north Mississippi county were told not to use public property for political activity after a comptroller used a work computer to forward a chain e-mail asking people to pray for Barack Obama's...

Polygraphs proposed for Ind. congressional debate - Added 2 days ago

Two challengers for an Indiana congressional seat have agreed to be hooked up to lie detectors during a debate, but an official with the incumbent's party dismisses the idea as "bizarre." Ninth District Republican...

Today on the presidential campaign trail - Added 2 days ago

IN THE HEADLINES Obama says better days are ahead, urges Americans to stay calm during economic woes ... McCain, Palin renew criticism of Obama's policies ... Speaker at McCain calls his rival 'Barack Hussein Obama'...

Judge puts early voting in 3 Ind. cities on hold - Added 2 days ago

A federal judge blocked the opening of some early voting sites in a heavily Democratic area of Republican-leaning Indiana until he can hear arguments Friday on whether they would violate state law. U.S. District Judge...

McCain rally speaker refers to Obama's middle name - Added 2 days ago

For the second time in three days, a rally for the Republican presidential ticket invoked Democrat Barack Obama's middle name, Hussein, in an attempt to add to doubts about his background, faith and campaign. Before...

McCain's plan would buy bad homeowner mortgages - Added 2 days ago

John McCain's proposal to buy up bad home mortgages would use nearly half the $700 billion from the recent Wall Street bailout package to assist Americans directly, instead of indirectly by rescuing the nation's...

Post-debate polling favors Obama over McCain - Added 2 days ago

John McCain dismissively called rival Barack Obama "that one," Obama mocked McCain's "Straight Talk Express," and both left the debate stage to return to the campaign trail Wednesday. CNN's national poll of debate...

Correction: UAW-McCain Ad story - Added 2 days ago

In an Oct. 7 story about the United Auto Workers union launching a presidential ad campaign, The Associated Press reported erroneously the number of UAW members living in the states where the ads will run. The UAW says...

Poll: Obama up by 10 points in Wisconsin - Added 2 days ago

Results of a Research 2000 poll done for WISC-TV in Madison, Wis., which asked likely voters in Wisconsin for their views on the presidential race. THE POLL: WISC-TV poll of 600 randomly selected likely voters in...

Once firmly in GOP column, NC now a battleground - Added 2 days ago

It's no coincidence that Barack Obama did his preparation for this week's presidential debate in North Carolina's western mountains. Or that on the day of the debate, Michelle Obama was rallying voters on the state's...

Study: Nearly all recent McCain ads were negative - Added 2 days ago

Nearly every TV ad Republican John McCain ran last week was negative, compared to just 34 percent of those by Democrat Barack Obama, according to an analysis released Wednesday. The harsher tone in McCain's ads mirrors...

McCain and Obama support cut in interest rates - Added 2 days ago

Statements by presidential candidates Republican John McCain and Democrat Barack Obama on the Federal Reserve's action Wednesday to cut interest rates. ___ I applaud the move by the Open Market Committee of the...

Analysis: Obama, McCain defy stereotypes in debate - Added 2 days ago

Democrat Barack Obama and Republican John McCain tried to rectify perceived shortcomings and played against type at key moments in Tuesday's presidential debate, but neither seemed to change a campaign dynamic that...

Early voters start casting ballots in New Mexico - Added 2 days ago

It was only midmorning on the first day of absentee voting, but 200 people had already shown up to cast their ballots at the clerk's office in Bernalillo County, New Mexico's most populous. "All indications are folks...

US House race in NM pits oilman against rancher - Added 2 days ago

Small details matter to rancher Ed Tinsley, the Republican nominee in the 2nd Congressional District race. He'll pore over contracts, analyzing fine print to ensure he understands what he's studying. It's a trait...

Wis. judicial panel: Punish new judge for false ad - Added 2 days ago

!!-- pobj:WIRAC501-0215081527 -->State regulators say a Willie Horton-style campaign ad that suggested the first black member of the Wisconsin Supreme Court freed a child molester played so loose with the truth that the...

W.Va. ag chief running for 11th 4-year term - Added 2 days ago

The longest serving state agriculture commissioner in the nation is running for another four years. His opponent says 40 years in office is long enough. But 81-year-old Gus Douglass says he still has plenty of work to...

Fact check: Obama, McCain twist records - Added 2 days ago

Republican John McCain expressed incredulity in the presidential debate Tuesday that Democrat Barack Obama would tip off the enemy by saying publicly that he'd attack al-Qaida in Pakistan under certain conditions....

Body language: confident Obama, combative McCain - Added 2 days ago

The McCains and the Obamas moved about the stage separately for a little while after their debate, greeting people on the stage, but not each other. Then John McCain tapped Barack Obama's back briefly and Obama turned...

Gore toasts Obama at fundraiser - Added 2 days ago

Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama switched from debater to fundraiser Tuesday night, making a brief appearance at a late-night gathering at Al Gore's Tennessee home. Organizers said between 300 and 350...

Town hall debate keeps Brokaw busy - Added 2 days ago

After Gwen Ifill seemed frustrated at losing control of last week's vice presidential debate, Tom Brokaw seemed determined not to let that happen Tuesday with John McCain and Barack Obama. The veteran NBC anchor was...

Brown, Schweitzer clash over energy, economy - Added 2 days ago

Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer and his Republican challenger, state Sen. Roy Brown, continued to grapple over the pace of energy development, whether taxes are too high and if Montana can weather the economic downturn as...

Palin's family ties include FDR, Princess Diana - Added 2 days ago

Barack Obama and Dick Cheney are not the only political odd couple who share a family tree. Sarah Palin is linked in her lineage to Franklin Roosevelt. She also has a connection with Princess Diana. Roosevelt, the...

Debate quotes from McCain, Obama - Added 2 days ago

Quotes from Republican Sen. John McCain of Arizona and Democratic Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois during their second presidential debate on Tuesday at Belmont University in Nashville, Tenn.: ___ On mortgages: McCAIN:...

McCain linked to group in Iran-Contra affair - Added 2 days ago

Republican Sen. John McCain served on the advisory board to the U.S. chapter of an international group linked to ultra-right-wing death squads in Central America in the 1980s. The U.S. Council for World Freedom also...

Palin speaks with group of reporters - Added 2 days ago

After weeks of limited contact with the news media, Republican vice presidential hopeful Sarah Palin ventured to the back of her campaign plane Tuesday and answered several questions from reporters. The Alaska governor...

State reviewing per diem payments to Palin - Added 2 days ago

Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin's practice of charging the state when she stays in her home must be reviewed to determine if she should pay taxes on the payments, state Finance Director Kim Garnero said Tuesday. Palin, the...

Obama money from abroad could total $3.3 million - Added 2 days ago

Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama has raised about $3.3 million from contributors who did not list a home state or who designated their state with an abbreviation that did not match one of the 50 states or...

ACORN office in Vegas raided in voter-fraud probe - Added 3 days ago

Nevada authorities seized records Tuesday from a group they accused of submitting fraudulent voter-registration forms _ including for the starting lineup of the Dallas Cowboys. "Tony Romo is not registered to vote in...

Palin stretches truth in campaign speeches - Added 3 days ago

Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin tells audiences the election is about the "truthfulness and judgment" needed to be president. But the Alaska governor often stretches the truth herself. She has...

Feds question new voter checks in 6 states - Added 3 days ago

Federal officials have asked election officials in six states to investigate whether social security number checks are being improperly run on people registering to vote. Social Security Commissioner Michael Astrue...

Obama wishes he had more time for staying fit - Added 3 days ago

Barack Obama says he wishes he had more time for staying fit. And the Democratic presidential candidate admits that he still occasionally smokes a cigarette. "Most of my workouts have to come before my day starts,"...

UAW launches advertising campaign against McCain - Added 3 days ago

United Auto Workers President Ron Gettelfinger said Tuesday the union would run $3 million worth of advertising criticizing Republican presidential candidate John McCain and his economic policies in four key states. ...

NY Gov. Paterson says he'll seek full term in 2010 - Added 3 days ago

New York Gov. David Paterson says he will run in 2010 for a full term in the office he has held since Eliot Spitzer resigned. Paterson on Tuesday also launched a new political Web site that solicits campaign donations...

Schwarzenegger to candidates: Get back to issues - Added 3 days ago

Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said Tuesday that the presidential candidates should end the smear campaigns and get back to the issues. Republican John McCain and Democrat Barack Obama are wasting time making...

Obama camp cites SC school invites to Ayers - Added 3 days ago

Barack Obama's campaign is citing the University of South Carolina's speaking invitations to William Ayers and Republican Gov. Mark Sanford's role as school trustee to counter GOP efforts to link the presidential...

Record Pa. voter registration pads Democrats' edge - Added 3 days ago

Democratic registration has surged by 13 percent and Republican ranks have shrunk by 1 percent as a record 8.6 million people in battleground Pennsylvania registered to vote in the presidential election. Last-minute...

Spokesman calls Conn. campaign win a 'lost cause' - Added 3 days ago

The spokesman for a Connecticut congressional candidate is learning that not everything is private on the Internet. On Sept. 30, a University of Connecticut poll showed Republican Sean Sullivan trailing Democratic U.S....

Analysis: McCain's contrition ends over Keating - Added 3 days ago

Nearly 20 years of John McCain's contrition over his role in a 1980s banking scandal vanished this week in 17 minutes and 30 seconds. It took that long for John Dowd, McCain's lawyer in the Keating Five investigation,...

Gay candidates anticipate breakthroughs on Nov. 4 - Added 3 days ago

!!-- pobj:CODER501-0812081356 -->In his liberal Colorado district, it's no big deal that Jared Polis is gay. Yet his expected victory Nov. 4 in a congressional race would be a historic milestone and, he hopes, send an...

Today on the presidential campaign trail - Added 3 days ago

IN THE HEADLINES Obama hopes to cement gains in debate; McCain tries to make up ground amid economic crisis ... Supreme Court turns down Barr's request for help in Louisiana ... Palin's promise of transparency in...

Palin pledges of Alaska sunshine marred by secrets - Added 3 days ago

Sarah Palin's promise for a new era of government openness as the reform governor of Alaska started to crack even before Sen. John McCain's presidential campaign built a wall of protectiveness around her. Palin was...