Election 2008: Hillary Clinton in the news

McCain: Iraq War can be won by 2013

WASHINGTON - Sen. John McCain looked into the future yesterday and predicted that American troops would return home in victory by the end of his first term as president in 2013.

Obama blasts Bush for 'false political attack'

WASHINGTON - Barack Obama accused President George W. Bush of "a false political attack" yesterday after Bush warned in Israel against appeasing terrorists - early salvos in a general election campaign that's already blazing.

Police remove dozens of dogs from East Northport home

These are the topics mentioned in CR #29149. Suffolk County, Mixed Martial Arts, Crossword, New York Giants, Nassau County, New York Islanders, New York Jets, New York Knicks, New York Mets, New York Rangers, New York Yankees, Tilles Center, Nassau Coliseum, Nikon at Jones Beach, North Fork Theater, Fire Island, Jones Beach, North Fork, The Hamptons, Suffolk County, North Fork Wineries, Town of Huntington, Hillary Clinton, Fashion Week and Long Island Championships. These are the topics mentioned in CR #29149. Ground Zero/WTC/9-11, Prospect Park, Broadway, Central Park and Coney Island.

ON THE TRAIL

Hillary Rodham Clinton yesterday backed away from her comments about support among "white Americans," saying she agreed with a top New York Democrat who criticized her remarks. Harlem Rep. Charles Rangel said Saturday that Clinton's comments were "the dumbest thing" she could have said. "Well, he's probably right," Clinton said on CNN last night. "Obviously I have worked very hard to get the votes of everyone ... And I know Senator [Barack] Obama has worked hard to reach out to every community and constituency." Clinton said she was referring to an Associated Press story about the primaries when she made the comments a week ago to USA Today, saying she was winning the support of "hardworking Americans, white Americans."

Punchlines

Comedy writer Janice Hough: "Despite her recent win in West Virginia, Hillary Clinton has almost no mathematical chance for the nomination, and almost no time left to catch up. Yet she still insists she will win. I guess she really did grow up a Cubs fan."

Edwards' long-sought endorsement goes to Obama

WASHINGTON - Former presidential hopeful John Edwards endorsed Barack Obama yesterday, giving him a boost with blue-collar voters - and delivering what Obama hopes will be a coup de grace to Hillary Rodham Clinton's campaign.

James Klurfeld: Will gas prices kill suburban driving?

Iappreciate the argument that experts are making about why the various proposals to suspend gasoline taxes for the summer don't make any sense economically or from the point of view of a rational energy policy.

West Virginia win propels Clinton to stay in race

CHARLESTON, W.Va. - Hillary Rodham Clinton cited her lopsided 2-to-1 win in West Virginia last night as proof she should fight on for the next three weeks - but her celebration will be cut short when she's grilled today by supporters eager to know her rationale for remaining in the race.

Clinton win unlikely to derail Obama nomination

WASHINGTON - This isn't exactly the victory lap Barack Obama had in mind.

Since 1998, Dolans gave $2.7M to politicians, causes

The Dolan family and its Cablevision political action committee are heavy hitters in the halls of power in Albany and Washington, giving more than $2.7 million to politicians and causes of all stripes since 1998.

ON THE TRAIL

Sen. John McCain called for reductions in carbon emissions yesterday and criticized the Bush administration for failing to lead the fight against climate change. In a speech in Portland, Ore., the likely Republican presidential nominee proposed a "cap-and-trade" system to reduce greenhouse gases and allow the sale of rights to excess emissions by firms that reduce their own. He also said more international cooperation is needed. "I will not shirk the mantle of leadership that the United States bears," McCain said.

Clinton compares her campaign to JFK'sin 1960

CLEAR FORK, W.Va. - Hillary Rodham Clinton compared her underdog quest for the White House yesterday to John F. Kennedy's 1960 campaign - while her top strategist likened Barack Obama's sky-high confidence to George W. Bush's infamous "Mission Accomplished" declaration.

ON THE TRAIL

Representing the military regime in Myanmar has cost the man the John McCain campaign selected to run the 2008 Republican National Convention his post. Doug Goodyear resigned as convention coordinator yesterday - within a few hours of Newsweek posting a story online that his firm was paid $348,000 in 2002 and 2003 to represent the Burmese junta. In a two-sentence statement, the chief executive of lobbying firm DCI Group said he offered the convention his resignation "so as not to become a distraction in this campaign. I continue to strongly support John McCain for president, and wish him the best of luck in this campaign."

Rangel rips Hillary

One of Hillary Rodham Clinton's most important supporters, Charles Rangel, repudiated her claims she has broader support among "white Americans," calling the comments "the dumbest thing she could ever have said."

W.Va. still skeptical

MOOREFIELD, W.Va. - In Hardy County, Democrats outnumber Republicans more than 2 to 1. But there is little enthusiasm for Barack Obama in this mountainside enclave - a portent of trouble for the Illinois senator in this Tuesday's West Virginia presidential primary and the general election beyond.

Les Payne: And the rightful winner is...

With math, by-laws and the democratic process favoring her opponent, Hillary Rodham Clinton's campaign options appear to be either attempting an intra-party coup d'etat or playing what in Alabama used to be called the "cracker card."

John Edwards says Barack Obama is "likely" nominee

Former Democratic presidential hopeful John Edwards said yesterday he thinks Barack Obama will be the party's presidential nominee and that Hillary Rodham Clinton must be careful not to damage party prospects in November as she campaigns on.

SPIN CYCLE: GUIDE TO POLITICS AND POLITICIANS

NO JOB, NO BENEFITS

Clinton's grip on superdelegates is slipping

WASHINGTON - It's not a stampede yet - but the superdelegates are starting to gallop toward Barack Obama.

May 10: Investigate Republic Airport, Manhattan suburbinizaton, gas tax debate

Do real Republic Airport reporting

Clinton, Obama hesitate to build "Dream Ticket"

CHARLESTON, W.Va. - There's only one problem with the idea of a Hillary Clinton- Barack Obama "Dream Team" ticket - neither member of the team is ready to buy the dream.

ON THE TRAIL

Cornered on a conference call about dentist shortages in upstate New York, Sen. Charles Schumer didn't exactly endorse Hillary Rodham Clinton's plan to go on in the race for the Democratic nomination with enthusiasm. "It's her decision to make and I'll accept what decision she makes," The Associated Press reported him saying. Asked specifically what her chances are of capturing the nomination and how she might accomplish that, Schumer (D-N.Y.), an early and enthusiastic Clinton supporter, was uncharacteristically quiet. "I'm not going to get into the details here, but this is still a close race, and you know, the decisions that Hillary Clinton makes are the decisions that, as a supporter of hers, I will abide by," he said.

James Klurfeld: Long Island, our Senator has tough choice to make

The Hillary Clinton we've seen over the past few weeks of the campaign is the Hillary Clinton many of us have come to know in New York over the past eight years: Bright, tenacious, charming to a degree unexpected, indefatigable in her determination to demonstrate that a Midwesterner by way of Arkansas and Washington could represent New York with all its different regions and diversity.

Clinton supporters: It may be time to call it quits

INDIANAPOLIS - It ain't over 'til it's over, but a growing number of Hillary Rodham Clinton's closest friends now think it's really over.

Clinton nearly toast, so why is she still in race?

In political races, toast is a relative term.

State Senate pushes for gas tax holiday

ALBANY - With gasoline prices nearing $4 a gallon, the Senate planned to pass a bill today that would suspend the state's gasoline taxes for the summer months. But the Republican-backed measure faces opposition in the Assembly and reservations in the governor's office.

Obama celebrates double-digit North Carolina win

Reveling in his first major win in three months, Barack Obama returned to his major themes of change and unity yesterday, seeking to allay fears of a Democratic divide come November and position himself as the candidate who can win.

Obama's North Carolina win a blow to Clinton

Barack Obama scored a resounding win in North Carolina while Hillary Rodham Clinton clung to a narrow lead in Indiana last night - delivering a major blow to Clinton's White House hopes and intensifying a scramble for undecided superdelegates.

McCain says he'll appoint conservative judges

WASHINGTON - John McCain made a play to the GOP's right wing yesterday, vowing to appoint conservative judges like Chief Justice John Roberts Jr. and Justice Samuel Alito and blasting Democratic rivals Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton for voting against them.

Clinton shifts from policy to populism

Hillary Rodham Clinton began the campaign in pearls, assembling a team of fundraisers that included luminaries from New York's financial services industry.

Actor Tom Hanks announces he's backing Obama

Tom Hanks is supporting presidential hopeful Barack Obama.

As race tightens, Obama tries to lighten up

As Barack Obama's campaign for president hit one of its toughest stretches in recent days, his two young daughters made their first appearance on the campaign trail since South Carolina.

Obama can't shake Wright; Clinton defends gas plan

Hillary Rodham Clinton's name is on the ballot in Indiana and North Carolina tomorrow - but Barack Obama seemed to be running against the Rev. Jeremiah Wright yesterday.

Montano plays spoilsport at Nolan's party

UNWELCOME SERVER

Les Payne: Flagging Oval Office hope among African-Americans

'I think you can stick a fork in Barack Obama," said the patriarch of a respected middle class, Connecticut family Friday. "He is done."

OFF CAMERA

Verne Gay: What I now know about Walters

No wows.

May 4: Suffolk police, primary votes, boater safety, bag recycling woes

Highway needs patrolling

Hard to believe Hillary's still here

WASHINGTON - It's gone on for 16 months, longer than many jail sentences and most Hollywood marriages. Forty-seven states and territories with 30.7 million voters have cast ballots. Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama have collectively raised and spent nearly a half-billion dollars on TV ads, millionaire consultants, flowers, rental jets and doughnuts.

Scaling down the pitches

INDIANAPOLIS - Bringing the race for the Democratic nomination closer to home yesterday, both Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama opted to make closing arguments in small-scale, family-friendly settings where their climbs are steepest in Tuesday's primaries - North Carolina for Clinton and Indiana for Obama.

Clinton, Obama highlight differences over gas tax

MUNSTER, Ind. - Hillary Rodham Clinton called for a vote Friday in the Democratic-controlled Congress on a summertime suspension of the federal gasoline tax, a plan that Barack Obama dismissed as a political stunt that would cost thousands of construction jobs.

May 3: Rudy's Communion, the Rev. Wright, LIPA, syringe case

Communion a teaching moment

Poll reveals gas pump woes; politicians offer some relief

STATE ACTION? The State Senate is expected as early as next week to take up a Republican-backed bill to suspend the state's gasoline tax this summer, but Gov. David A. Paterson and the Assembly speaker have expressed reservations about it.

Nassau-Suffolk solidarity proclaimed by Democrats

SARATOGA SPRINGS

N-Zone Athlete of Week: Jaclyn Marshall

Jaclyn Marshall

James Klurfeld: Long, winding presidential campaign road no good

This campaign has gone on entirely too long.

Clinton superdelegate defects to Obama

WASHINGTON - Barack Obama gobbled up a major Hillary Clinton superdelegate yesterday - but he's suffering from a decline in the polls that coincides with the national tour conducted by his firebrand former pastor, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright.

Wright's comments likely to draw voters from Obama

With polls showing increasingly tight races in Indiana and North Carolina's Democratic presidential primaries, political experts in those states said yesterday that Sen. Barack Obama's renouncement of his firebrand former pastor may not be enough to stop his political bleeding.

ON THE TRAIL

Barack Obama's presidential campaign wants federal regulators to investigate fellow Democrats who are backing Hillary Clinton's candidacy, taking intraparty discord to a new level. Obama's campaign lawyer, Robert Bauer, filed a complaint yesterday with the Federal Election Commission, accusing the pro-Clinton American Leadership Project of violating campaign finance laws by running ads against Obama. The group is largely financed by the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees and is run by Democratic operatives, many of them based in California and who have past connections to Clinton or her husband. Its organizers say they are abiding by the law and a 2007 Supreme Court ruling.

Clinton and O'Reilly target Jeremiah Wright

WASHINGTON - Hillary Rodham Clinton and conservative commentator Bill O'Reilly don't agree on much.

Not just a test for Obama

One concern about Barack Obama is that he's never had to run the gantlet of sharp knives that come out in high-stakes national political fights. Now the knives are out. Obama is being sorely tested by the Rev. Jeremiah Wright imbroglio. But Obama isn't the only one who will be tested now that Wright's views on race and America are out there for all to hear. The nation's voters will be, too.

Wright drives a wedge between Obama and whites

For weeks the Rev. Jeremiah Wright was right to castigate those who used sound bites from his fiery sermons to paint him as "some sort of fanatic." But his latest wounds are self-inflicted. And, as Sen. Barack Obama's recently retired pastor, Wright is taking the Illinois Democrat's presidential campaign down, too.

Thursday, May. 01, 2008

Bill O'Reilly interviewed Sen. Hillary Clinton yesterday in South Bend, Ind., for his Fox News Channel show. A story yesterday implied that O'Reilly would not interview Clinton in person.

Time on Murdoch’s side in Newsday buy

There is little the federal government can do to stop Rupert Murdoch from buying Newsday, despite some congressional opposition, objections from public-interest groups and a proposed deal that would violate even relaxed federal rules, media experts say.

Obama criticizes, rejects pastor in damage control

Seeking to stanch political wounds inflicted by his longtime pastor, Democratic presidential contender Barack Obama yesterday sharply criticized the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, calling his comments on race "ridiculous propositions," "outrageous remarks" and "a bunch of rants."

Move Democratic convention to end of June

Democratic Party Chair Howard Dean was right on Monday when he said that either Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama should drop out of the race for President - for the good of the party - after the last votes are counted on June 3. When the time comes, he predicted, the untenable candidate will simply know that it's all over. "They don't need any pushing from me," he said.

Clinton to appear on O'Reilly show

He's a right-wing television commentator known for anti-liberal harangues.

Obama: Candidates' gas holiday proposal a 'gimmick'

Democrat Barack Obama dismissed his rivals' calls for national gas tax holiday as a political ploy that won't help struggling consumers. Hillary Rodham Clinton said his stance shows he's out of touch with the economic realities faced by ordinary citizens.

No such thing as a free tank

Soaring gas prices are hurting consumers and, for politicians, "consumer" is another word for "voter," and "hurting" is another word for "opportunity." So it's no surprise that presidential hopefuls Sens. John McCain and Hillary Clinton and some members of the New York State Legislature have proposed a summer gas-tax holiday. Bad idea.

ON THE TRAIL

Republican John McCain wants to change how Americans get their health insurance, shifting away from job-based coverage to an open market where people can choose from competing policies. McCain said yesterday that he would offer families a $5,000 tax credit to help buy insurance. Everyone would get the credit, even if they have a policy through an employer. "You simply choose the insurance provider that suits you best," McCain said in a speech in Tampa, Fla. "The health plan you chose would be as good as any that an employer could choose for you." To pay for the tax credit, McCain would eliminate the tax exemption for people whose employers pay a portion of their coverage, raising an estimated $3.6 trillion in revenues, aides said. Democratic rival Hillary Clinton said under McCain's plan, millions of Americans would lose their health care coverage through their jobs. "The McCain plan eliminates the policies that hold the employer-based health insurance system together, so while people might have a 'choice' of getting such coverage, employers would have no incentive to provide it," she said. A spokesman for Democrat Barack Obama said McCain was "recycling the same failed policies that didn't work when George Bush first proposed them and won't work now." --The Associated Press

Call for special prosecutor after acquittals in Bell case

It was in 1990 that then-Gov. Mario Cuomo closed the office of the special state prosecutor, which for 17 years ferreted out corruption and wrongdoing in the criminal justice system.

Dean: Clinton or Obama must concede after June 3

WASHINGTON - Democratic Party Chairman Howard Dean said yesterday that either Hillary Rodham Clinton or Barack Obama must drop out of the Democratic presidential race after the June primaries in order to unify the party by the convention.

High court approves state photo voter-ID mandates

WASHINGTON - States can require voters to produce photo identification, the Supreme Court ruled yesterday, upholding a Republican-inspired law that Democrats say will keep some poor, older and minority voters from casting ballots.

ON THE TRAIL

Hillary Rodham Clinton does better than Barack Obama when matched against Republican John McCain, according to the latest Associated Press-Ipsos poll. Clinton leads McCain 50 percent to 41 percent while Obama is ahead 46-44, within the margin of error, according to the poll taken after Clinton's Pennsylvania primary victory last week. But the matchups were closer in a Gallup poll released yesterday. Clinton leads McCain 47-44 while Obama runs even with him at 45 percent, the poll found.

Wallace Matthews: Defending Roger, for now

Now I know how Joe Torre felt.

SPINCYCLE: GUIDE TO POLITICS AND POLITICIANS

CLINTON CLINGS ON

Trash talking ain't nothing this campaign season

After Hillary Clinton's surprisingly comfortable win in Pennsylvania last week, the Democratic primary moves on to North Carolina and Indiana. And so continues the dirtiest and most vitriolic political campaign in history - or so the mainstream media would have you believe.

National Democratic primary has an NYC flavor

Call them parochial, but some of the region's big-name Democratic pros are struck by the similarity between their party's ongoing presidential drama and your classic su- percharged New York primary.

McCain, Clinton for gas-tax holiday; Obama's not

For Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, who have scant policy differences between them, tackling record gas prices is shaping up to be one of those disagreements - and a potential pitfall for Obama.

Sports figures take sides with campaign donations

The world of sports is a multibillion- dollar enterprise that allows owners, team executives, head coaches and players to walk around with money clips filled with hundreds and investment accounts stuffed with millions. People with substantial money are likely to back up their political affiliations with donations. A quick search through the Federal Election Committee's public records shows contributions by several dozen sports figures.

Obama's new battleground: white working class

WASHINGTON - The morning after Barack Obama lost the white vote in the Pennsylvania primary by 26 points, his top strategist was on TV suggesting his candidate didn't necessarily need blue-collar whites to win the White House.

ON THE TRAIL

Democrat Barack Obama blamed high gasoline prices Friday on Washington and a political establishment, including his rivals for the presidency, that he says hasn't stood up to oil companies. Rival Hillary Rodham Clinton highlighted his vote for an energy bill she opposed and his campaign contributions from oil executives. "The candidates with the Washington experience ... mean well, but they've been in Washington for a long time and even with all that experience they talk about, nothing has happened," Obama said at an Indianapolis gas station. "This country didn't raise fuel efficiency standards for over 30 years." Clinton derided his promise to take on special interests. "When it came time to stand up against the oil companies, to stand against Dick Cheney's energy bill, my opponent voted for it and I voted against it," Clinton said at a rally at Indiana University in Bloomington.

ON THE TRAIL

Democratic Party officials may urge undecided superdelegates to choose a presidential candidate soon after the primaries end in June, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said yesterday. Reid said he is talking with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean about contacting superdelegates - party officials allowed to vote at the nominating convention - to ask them to decide between Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama. "The three of us may write a joint letter," Reid said, reflecting concern by some officials that the lengthy Democratic contest is giving the party's nominee a late start in the general election campaign against presumptive Republican nominee John McCain. Any letter to superdelegates would go out after the last Democratic primary contest on June 3, said Rodell Mollineau, a Reid spokesman.

N-Zone Athlete of Week: Jessie Stavola

Jessie Stavola

James Klurfeld: Will lack of national experience hurt Obama?

The political question of the day is why Sen. Barack Obama can't close out the Democratic nomination. He missed the opportunity in New Hampshire, and then again in Texas and Ohio, and now in Pennsylvania.

TV personality Star Jones files for divorce

Three years after tying the knot in a spectacular, over-the-top affair that caused some backlash, Star Jones has decided to end her marriage to banker Al Reynolds, The Associated Press reports.