July 25, 2008
Election 2008: Barack Obama in the news
In Berlin, Obama asks Europe, America to defeat terror
BERLIN - Before the largest crowd of his campaign - 4,000 miles from the United States - Democratic presidential contender Barack Obama yesterday summoned Europeans and Americans together to "defeat terror and dry up the well of extremism that supports it" as surely as they conquered communism a generation ago.
Report: Bloomberg to tout McCain
As Barack Obama delivered a high-profile speech in Berlin, John McCain had his own German experience - at a restaurant in Ohio - as reports swirled that the Arizona Republican's campaign may get a boost from New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg.
McCain defends comment on the surge in Iraq
BETHLEHEM, Pa. - Republican John McCain pushed back yesterday against Democratic criticism that he misstated when the troop buildup ordered by President George W. Bush began, saying elements were put in place before Bush announced the strategy early last year.
Obama visits Israel, vowing commitment to its security
SDEROT, Israel - From the solemnity of a Holocaust museum to a dusty village battered by Hamas rockets, Democratic presidential contender Barack Obama yesterday professed "an unshakable commitment to the security" of Israel, whether the threat comes from terrorists, Iran or elsewhere.
CAMPAIGN TRAIL
Democratic hopeful Barack Obama holds a sizable lead over Republican John McCain in New Jersey, according to a poll released yesterday. The Monmouth University/Gannett New Jersey Poll found Obama leading McCain 50 percent to 36 percent among likely voters. It found each candidate backed by 75 percent of his own party members and independent voters supporting Obama 30 percent to 26 percent. New Jersey hasn't backed a Republican presidential candidate since 1988. The state has 15 electoral votes. Obama also has a slight lead nationally over McCain among registered voters, according to the latest Gallup Poll Daily tracking update.
Ellis Henican: Andrew Giuliani files lawsuit against Duke
Andrew Giuliani has hit a rough patch in his drive to become a pro golfer - being tossed off the Duke University golf team, his lawyers say, over "unfounded accusations" and a coach's "bizarre Lord of the Flies scheme."
Punchlines
Comedy writer Janice Hough: "John McCain says that Barack Obama could only make his trip to Iraq now because the surge is making it safe for him to be there. Almost as safe as it would have been for him to travel there before we invaded in the first place?"
Obama shifts from war zones to Mideast peace efforts
AMMAN, Jordan - After visits to war zones in Iraq and Afghanistan, Barack Obama shifted his focus to Mideast peace efforts yesterday, arriving for two days of talks with leaders in Jordan, Israel and the Palestinian territories.
Is McCain ready to announce his running mate?
ROCHESTER, N.H. - Yet another town-hall meeting isn't doing the trick. Neither is dropping in on a former Republican president.
WORLD & NATION: ABROAD
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice hopes to judge North Korea's seriousness about abandoning nuclear weapons when she holds the Bush administration's highest-level talks in four years with the Stalinist state this week. The North has been given a four-page draft document laying out what the United States wants from it to prove it has told the truth about its past atomic programs. Rice expects Pyongyang's foreign minister to provide at least an initial response to the proposal at today's meeting. The draft calls for intrusive inspections of North Korean nuclear facilities, soil sampling and interviews with key scientists.
WAR UPDATE
One of five Britons kidnapped in Iraq more than a year ago has killed himself, according to a Shia militia that claimed responsibility for the kidnappings. The Sunday Times of London published what it said was a statement in a video it obtained from the group through an intermediary in Iraq. The video shows an Arabic-language statement claiming that one of the hostages - identified only as Jason - killed himself May 25. A photograph is affixed to the top left corner of the statement. The newspaper said the statement blamed the British government for ignoring previous statements that the kidnappers and the captives have made. In the past, the militia has demanded that that all British forces be withdrawn from Iraq and that Iraqis held by U.S.-led forces be freed.
ON THE TRAIL
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 campaign sent the newspaper the op-ed on Friday. In it, the Arizona senator describes how the buildup of U.S. forces in Iraq has helped curb violence. He also chides Democrat Barack Obama for outlining his plan for Iraq before his current meetings with commanders and Iraqi leaders. In an e-mail to the campaign on Friday, David Shipley, a Times op-ed editor, said he could not accept the article in its current form. McCain's article would "have to lay out a clear plan for achieving victory - with troops levels, timetables and measures for compelling the Iraqis to cooperate," Shipley said. "And it would need to describe the senator's Afghanistan strategy, spelling out how it meshes with his Iraq plan." Yesterday, McCain spokesman Tucker Bounds said McCain, "believes that victory in Iraq must be based on conditions on the ground, not arbitrary timetables. Unlike Barack Obama, that position will not change based on politics or the demands of The New York Times." In a statement, the Times called it "standard procedure" to go back and forth with an author on his or her submission. McCain's submission comes after the newspaper ran an op-ed written by Obama last Monday. The Illinois senator wrote that as president he would send at least two more combat brigades to Afghanistan as part of his plan to pull combat troops out of Iraq and focus on al-Qaida in Afghanistan. The Times said it has published at least seven of McCain's op-ed articles since 1996.
Bush could order thousands out of Iraq by year's end
BAGHDAD - Iraq's security has improved so much, even as U.S. troop levels have dropped, that President George W. Bush seems likely to order thousands more soldiers home by year's end.
Barack Obama gets face time with Iraq's leaders
BAGHDAD - Face to face with Iraq's leaders, Barack Obama gained fresh support yesterday for the idea of pulling all U.S. combat forces out of the war zone by 2010. But the Iraqis stopped short of actual timetables or endorsement of Obama's pledge to withdraw American troops within 16 months if he wins the presidency.
McCain criticizes Obama on war strategy, gas prices
KENNEBUNKPORT, Maine - Republican John McCain worked yesterday to wrestle the spotlight from Barack Obama's tour of Iraq by insisting he was right and the Democrat was wrong about the war and releasing a new ad blaming higher gasoline prices on his opponent.
Local Republicans seen as possible governor candidates
For the moment, the biggest Long Island names in statewide politics belong to Thomas DiNapoli, the Democratic state comptroller, and Dean Skelos, the Senate's GOP majority leader. Fast forward to the 2010 governor's race, and at least five regional names pop out of the rumor mill, on the Republican side.
McCain takes in Yankees game with Giuliani
With Democrat Barack Obama on the other side of the planet, Republican presidential candidate John McCain stayed closer to home yesterday, visiting Yankee Stadium with former Mayor Rudy Giuliani.
Heading to Iraq
KABUL, Afghanistan - As Sen. Barack Obama heads to Iraq for his first visit as a presidential candidate, his plan for bringing the war to a swift conclusion is triggering a political furor abroad and at home, with a U.S. military leader declaring yesterday that setting a hard deadline for withdrawing troops is risky.
July 21: Defensive driving, Iraq flip-flopping, day care cuts
Iraq flip-flop not OK with everyone
Les Payne: CNN to offer a glimpse of black life in America
As the world's window on the United States, CNN is offering its second documentary on black life in the republic, as Barack Obama is visiting Europe and the Middle East, with the three TV network anchors in global tracking mode.
ON THE TRAIL
Barack Obama cut back on his spending in June after securing the Democratic presidential nomination, building up his cash on hand as Republican rival John McCain outspent him with a heavy dose of television advertising. Unlike McCain, who spent more than he raised in June, Obama accumulated cash during the month, holding back on a ramped-up television campaign until July. Obama is now matching McCain's and the GOP's spending on advertising. McCain reported his June fundraising in a monthly report filed Friday with the Federal Election Commission. Obama had until midnight yesterday to file his report.
McCain raises money in Hamptons
In his second fundraising trip to Long Island in two months, John McCain visited the Hamptons yesterday, buzzing in and out of New York City by helicopter, as he sought to catch up with his rival Barack Obama, who has a commanding lead in campaign funds.
Ellis Henican: Obama travels this weekend to show world he's ready
Travel, they say, is broadening, and Barack Obama is on an exciting trip.
Obama begins Mideast, Europe trip in Afghanistan
KABUL, Afghanistan - Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama got his first look at deteriorating conditions in war-torn Afghanistan yesterday, meeting U.S. military commanders and local officials and touring part of the country by helicopter on the first day of a highly anticipated visit to the Middle East and Europe that drew a fresh rebuke from Republican rival John McCain.
ON THE TRAIL
As Barack Obama readied for a high profile trip to Baghdad, Republican John McCain launched a new television ad accusing his presidential rival of switching positions on Iraq "to help himself become president." Meanwhile, Chancellor Angela Merkel's spokesman said the German leader will welcome Obama to her office in Berlin on Thursday. The Democratic hopeful's stop is part of a tour of Europe and the Mideast aimed at burnishing his foreign policy credentials. McCain's criticism wasn't limited to the ad. He said Friday that Obama would face a far less secure Iraq "if we had done what he wanted to do." His 30-second ad, running on national cable and in 11 battleground states, is the hardest hit aimed at Obama so far by McCain. "Barack Obama never held a single Senate hearing on Afghanistan," the ad's announcer says. "He hasn't been to Iraq in years. He voted against funding our troops. Positions that helped him win his nomination. Now Obama is changing to help himself become president."
McCain promises to help struggling auto workers
WARREN, Mich. - Republican presidential candidate John McCain pledged Friday to help auto workers rebuild their industry and in the process jump-start the entire U.S. economy.
Paterson condemns New Yorker's satirical Obama cover
CINCINNATI - New York Gov. David A. Paterson and the NAACP yesterday condemned the New Yorker magazine's satirical cover depicting Democrat Barack Obama and his wife as flag-burning radicals.
Op-ed: For women, a lesson in unity from Seneca Falls
This weekend, those of us who are united in the struggle for justice and opportunity for women will celebrate a happy anniversary: the Seneca Falls convention and the inauguration of the women's rights movement in America.
ON THE TRAIL
Former President Bill Clinton said yesterday he is eager to campaign for Barack Obama whenever the Democrat needs him, but has not given any thought to whether he wants to speak at the party convention in Denver next month. "I told him that whenever he wanted me to do it, I was ready, and so it's basically on their timetable," Clinton said. "He's got a lot of things to do between now and the convention, of which this is simply one, so I'll do whatever I'm asked to do, whenever I can do it." Relations between Clinton and Obama have only just begun to thaw since Obama defeated the former president's wife, Hillary Rodham Clinton, in the bruising Democratic primary that ended last month. Just weeks ago, Obama called the former president to ask for his help in winning the White House. Clinton's comments came at a news conference for his foundation's work.
Can Obama keep up fundraising without public funds?
WASHINGTON - Though he's raking in the cash so far, Barack Obama's decision to forgo public funds for the fall campaign means he must keep up his torrid pace - a tall order that will tax his time, test his Internet support and require the help of Democratic donors who once wished for his defeat.
July 18: DWI shame, Rangel and Bush's hubris, Obama cartoon outrage
Shame all into DWI awareness
McCain talks education with the NAACP
CINCINNATI - John McCain told the NAACP and some skeptical black voters yesterday that he will expand education opportunities, partly through vouchers for low-income children to attend private school.
Fox: Jackson used N-word in criticism of Obama
The Rev. Jesse Jackson used the N-word during a break in a TV interview in which he criticized presidential candidate Barack Obama, Fox News confirmed yesterday.
Punchlines
Jay Leno, "The Tonight Show": "President Bush signed a bill giving phone companies immunity for letting the government spy on its customers without a warrant. Isn't that unbelievable? President Bush said 9/11 changed everything. And you know, he's right, because violating the Constitution and breaking the law used to mean jail time."
Cutting U.S. troops in Iraq hinted for fall
WASHINGTON - The Pentagon's top military officer said yesterday he is likely to recommend further troop reductions in Iraq this fall.
'Those 'gotcha!' moments for Generation Facebook
Imagine if the current crop of public figures had grown up during the Facebook era. We might have photos of John McCain in Florida slurping body shots off his stripper girlfriend. Barack Obama rolling a joint on a beach in Hawaii. George W. Bush passed out at a Yale frat party, 40-ounce beer bottles duct-taped to his hands. Hillary Rodham Clinton at a Wellesley peace rally, locking lips with her husband's future secretary of Labor, Robert Reich.
James Klurfeld: Bush's flip-flop on Iran is better late than never
In praise of flip-flopping, part two.
real LI: Real Estate and Real Lives in the Communities of Long Island
Purple passion at Russell Simmons' annual fundraiser for arts education
ON THE TRAIL
Advocates for gay and lesbian parents are denouncing Sen. John McCain, an adoptive father himself, for opposing adoptions by gays, which prompted his presidential campaign to clarify yesterday that he does not seek a federal ban on the practice. Only one state, Florida, outlaws adoptions by gays. The Republican nominee-in-waiting said in Sunday's New York Times: "I think that we've proven that both parents are important in the success of a family so, no, I don't believe in gay adoption." He then remarked that he and his wife, Cindy, were proud to be adoptive parents of a daughter born in Bangladesh, and he encouraged others to adopt. Asked if those adopting should be a "traditional couple," McCain answered, "Yes." The responses were condemned by gay and lesbian groups. "He's completely out of touch," said Kara Suffredini, public policy director for the Family Equality Council. "There's no reason, except for the sake of red meat for his base, to throw up screens in the way of children in foster care getting homes."
Gloomy outlook for Bush's remaining six months
WASHINGTON - This is hardly the way he wanted to go out.
Obama, McCain sharpen dispute over Iraq war
WASHINGTON - The two major presidential rivals sharpened their long-standing dispute over the Iraq war yesterday, Democratic Sen. Barack Obama calling it a costly distraction that must end while Republican Sen. John McCain insisted it is a conflict the United States has to win.
ON THE TRAIL
Democrat Barack Obama said yesterday that as president he would send at least two more combat brigades to Afghanistan, where U.S. troops face rising violence and endured their deadliest attack in three years on Sunday. The proposed force increase, about 7,000 troops, is part of Obama's plan to pull combat troops out of Iraq and focus on the growing threat from a resurgent al-Qaida in Afghanistan. "As president, I would pursue a new strategy, and begin by providing at least two additional combat brigades to support our effort in Afghanistan," Obama said in an op-ed article yesterday in The New York Times, a day before he plans a speech in Washington on his vision for Iraq and Afghanistan. Republican John McCain is planning to speak Thursday about his plan for Afghanistan.
Long Islanders appalled by New Yorker's Obama cartoon
When Eileen Hafner looked at the political cartoon on the cover of this week's The New Yorker magazine, her jaw dropped.
Artist's rendering
Two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning Newsday editorial cartoonist Walt Handelsman said he found The New Yorker's cover image of Barack and Michelle Obama "shocking" and "edgy," and likely to stir controversy among people who don't understand the illustration.
Obama campaign, Democrats slam New Yorker Obama cartoon
For the record, the presidential campaigns for Barack Obama and John McCain are agreed that the latest cover of The New Yorker magazine is "tasteless and offensive."
Les Payne: Time for Rev. Jackson to step stage right
As Nelson Mandela walked the line of dignitaries at Kennedy Airport during his historic 1990 U.S. visit, the Rev. Jesse Jackson positioned himself before the TV cameras, then reached up and needlessly adjusted Mandela's tie.
Simon says he has shot at winning Skelos' Senate seat
The jackpot prize for the political lottery in which Roy D. Simon Jr. holds a ticket surged three weeks ago when his electoral opponent Dean Skelos (R-Rockville Centre) became Senate majority leader.
McCain, Obama battle to court Hispanic voters
ORLANDO, Fla. - Like eager but awkward suitors, Sens. Barack Obama and John McCain are working hard and sometimes fumbling while courting Hispanic voters who could swing November's presidential election.
July 13: Outreach to heroin addicts, flip-flopping or flexibility?, Jackson's gaffe
Flexibility a virtue in politics
Ellis Henican: Obama and Jackson's generation gap transcends race
It was the whisper heard round the world. And even now, no one seems quite certain what that whisper means.
Balance of aging Supreme Court hinges on next president
WASHINGTON - John Paul Stevens still plays tennis at 88. Ruth Bader Ginsburg, 75, works out regularly in the Supreme Court gym.
Nation has become polarized, Bill Clinton warns
PHILADELPHIA - Former President Bill Clinton warned yesterday that the country is becoming increasingly polarized despite the historic nature of the Democratic primary.
McCain woos women voters, pans Obama's tax cut plans
Republican John McCain told a mostly female audience in Hudson, Wis., Friday that his plans to cut income, business and estate taxes would help women while Democrat Barack Obama's proposals would only erect new economic obstacles for them.
ON THE TRAIL
NASCAR's BAM Racing team is in discussions with Barack Obama's presidential campaign about a potential sponsorship deal in the Sprint Cup series later this year. Team spokesman Rhett Vandiver told The Associated Press on Friday that the team has made a sponsorship proposal to the Democratic presidential hopeful's campaign, and has made similar proposals to the campaign of Republican John McCain and at least one third-party candidate. Sports Illustrated first reported the proposal on its Web site, saying Obama's campaign is in talks with BAM, a part-time operation that hasn't raced in recent weeks, to sponsor its No. 49 car in the Aug. 3 race at Pocono.
July 12: Real support for troops, reckless drivers, Brinkley's tabloid freakshow, church corruption
Church rot is at the top
McCain rejects adviser's "nation of whiners" comments
BELLEVILLE, Mich. - John McCain broke sharply from an economic adviser who dubbed the United States "a nation of whiners" in a "mental recession" as the Republican presidential candidate sought to counter criticism that he's weak on the economy.
Party unity: The memory is the first thing to go
Party unity means never having to say you're sorry - or that you even remember what you might have been sorry about.
Obama supporters shrug off Jesse Jackson comments
Jesse Jackson's televised comments about Barack Obama's anatomy elicited a series of shrugs from the presidential candidate's supporters at a midtown fundraiser yesterday.
Clinton and Obama expand bases for support and money
Barack Obama's campaign yesterday made a direct appeal to women who supported his chief Democratic rival, calling Hillary Rodham Clinton "my partner" and "my friend" at a breakfast fundraiser in Manhattan.
James Klurfeld: Old: Gotcha politics. New: Flexible candidates
Enough already with the "gotcha" game. I don't believe most voters are interested in playing it. Voters care more about the overall substance of a candidate's position than whether there's been some shift in it as the campaign - and events - progress.
Obama donors balk at paying Clinton's debt
A few days after he stood next to Hillary Rodham Clinton, the duo basking in mutual support on a stage in Unity, N.H., Barack Obama had a conference call with his top donors, giving them a simple charge - ask some friends to write $2,300 checks to Clinton's debt-ridden campaign.
Punchlines
Conan O'Brien, "Late Night with Conan O'Brien": "The Democratic Convention is being held at a 20,000- seat arena in Denver, but Barack Obama has decided to give his acceptance speech at Denver's 80,000-seat football stadium. Meanwhile, Ralph Nader will be giving his acceptance speech at a Foot Locker."
Clinton votes against warrantless wiretapping bill
WASHINGTON - Hillary Rodham Clinton, who has been busily patching her frayed relationship with Barack Obama, broke with her former rival yesterday by voting against the warrantless wiretapping bill.
Bush administration downplays Iranian missile tests
WASHINGTON - Iran test-fired nine missiles yesterday - including at least one capable of striking Israel - and asserted that thousands more were "ready for launch," but Bush administration officials downplayed the possibility of military action against the Islamic republic and belittled Iran's claims of progress on its nuclear program.
A slip - and an apology
WASHINGTON - The Rev. Jesse Jackson apologized yesterday to Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama for saying he is "talking down to black people" - and for adding a "regretfully crude" remark about Obama's anatomy.
Obama regrets kids' time on TV
Don't expect to see more of Barack Obama's young daughters on television any time soon.
Senate passes eavesdropping bill
WASHINGTON - The Senate sent the White House a bill overhauling bitterly disputed rules on secret government eavesdropping yesterday, bowing to President George W. Bush's demand to shield telecommunications companies from lawsuits complaining they helped the United States spy on Americans.
ON THE TRAIL
Barack Obama dismissed the notion yesterday that he has shifted stances on Iraq, guns and the death penalty to break with his party's liberal wing and court a wider swath of voters. "The people who say this haven't apparently been listening to me," he said at a town-hall-style event in Powder Springs, Ga. Obama blamed criticism from "my friends on the left" and "some of the media" in part on cynicism that ascribes political motives to every move candidates make. "You're not going to agree with me on 100 percent of what I think, but don't assume that if I don't agree with you on something that it must be because I'm doing that politically," he said."
Ex-EPA aide: Cheney staff censored warning on climate
WASHINGTON - Members of Vice President Dick Cheney's staff censored congressional testimony by a top federal official on the health threats posed by global warming, a former Environmental Protection Agency official said yesterday.
Senate Dems not backing Obama on wiretapping bill
Sen. Charles Schumer and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid are bucking their party's presidential nominee Barack Obama by opposing a White House-backed warrantless wiretapping bill expected to be voted on today.
McCain, Obama woo Hispanics with economic plans
WASHINGTON - Republican John McCain and Democrat Barack Obama pitched competing economic plans to Hispanics yesterday, the second time in as many weeks the presidential candidates directly appealed to the critical constituency.
InBev pressing to oust Anheuser board
InBev will ask Anheuser-Busch shareholders to oust the U.S. brewer's board after it rejected InBev's $46.3-billion hostile takeover offer as too low.
Study: Repeal 'don't ask, don't tell' law
WASHINGTON - Congress should repeal the "don't ask, don't tell" law because the presence of gays in the military is unlikely to undermine the ability to fight and win, according to a new study released by a California-based research center.
ON THE TRAIL
Barack Obama will accept the Democratic presidential nomination at Invesco Field at Mile High, a 76,000-seat stadium, rather than at the site of the party's national convention across town. Obama, speaking to reporters in St. Louis, said he was excited about the move. "Sometimes our conventions don't feel like they are open to everybody," Obama said. "For us to be able to do it in Invesco Field is an opportunity for 80,000 people who might otherwise not have been able to participate to get involved."Obama's acceptance will come on the last night of the convention, which runs from Aug. 24 to 28.
Obama and McCain square off over the economy
DENVER - Barack Obama and John McCain agree on this much: The economy is staggering under the Bush administration, and Americans are hurting. But they part ways on how to fix it, as they made clear in dueling economic speeches yesterday.
Les Payne: Seeking true American liberty Independence Day
Is it deep denial or just shallow ignorance that accounts for otherwise intelligent Americans overlooking the founding history that shames this republic each Fourth of July?
Likely successor to Nassau assessor to start job
With Nassau Assessor Harvey Levinson expected to retire soon, his predicted successor starts today.