Barack Obama for President

McCain: Border fence first, then reform

Greg — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 03:45:29 +0000

MEXICO CITY - John McCain warned Mexicans that more border walls are needed before he attempts to overhaul U.S. immigration laws again, an unpopular position in a country he visited in hopes of boosting his standing with Hispanics at home.

Link:AZCentral

Obama picks up fund-raising pace

Greg — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 03:41:35 +0000

In the wake of Senator Barack Obama’s decision last month to bypass public financing for the general election, his campaign is embarking on a spree of pricey fund-raising events across the country.

As Mr. Obama shattered fund-raising records over the last year and a half and collected nearly $300 million, much of the attention has been on his army of small contributors over the Internet. He cited that broad base of small-dollar donors in justifying his decision to reverse his pledge to take part in the public financing system if his opponent did as well.

But Mr. Obama’s stepped-up schedule of big-money fund-raisers — the campaign has more than a dozen events planned over the next two weeks — showcases a formidable high-dollar donor network that is gaining more heft with an influx of former supporters of Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton.

Link:NYTimes.com

Obama may give nomination speech before 75,000

Greg — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 20:31:09 +0000

DENVER — Barack Obama’s campaign is considering having him accept the Democratic presidential nomination at Invesco Field at Mile High instead of the Pepsi Center, the chosen site for the Democratic National Convention, two people with knowledge of convention planning said Thursday.

Link:The Huffington Post

McCain shifts senior staff as criticism rises

Greg — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 17:50:29 +0000

John McCain has reshuffled his senior campaign staff amid mounting Republican concern at his ability to compete with Barack Obama in November’s election.

Link:FT.com

Changing dynamics in Iraq pose challenge for Obama

Greg — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 17:44:15 +0000

Senator Barack Obama said he might “refine” his Iraq policies after meeting with military commanders there later this summer. But hours later he held a second news conference to emphasize his commitment to the withdrawing of all combat troops from Iraq within 16 months of taking office.

His two statements, made Thursday in Fargo, North Dakota, reflected how the changing dynamics in Iraq have posed a challenge for Obama, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee. He has been trying to retain flexibility as violence declines there without abandoning one of the central promises of his campaign: that if elected he would end the war.

Link:International Herald Tribune

Obama: Mental distress can’t justify late abortion

Greg — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 06:50:43 +0000

Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama says “mental distress” should not qualify as a health exception for late term-abortions, a key distinction not embraced by many supporters of abortion rights.

In an interview this week with “Relevant,” a Christian magazine, Obama said prohibitions on late-term abortions must contain “a strict, well defined exception for the health of the mother.”

Link:My Way News

Obama to refine Iraq plan

Greg — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 21:40:55 +0000

Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) on Thursday backed off his firm promise to withdraw combat forces from Iraq immediately, and instead said he could “refine” his plan after his trip to Baghdad later this month.

Earlier, a top Obama adviser had said that the senator is not “wedded” to a specific timeline.

Link:Politico.com

Obama leads among Hispanic voters

Greg — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 17:10:16 +0000

Hispanic voters, many who favored Hillary Clinton during the Democratic primaries, are now strongly supporting Barack Obama over John McCain, Gallup reports.

A new poll shows registered Hispanic voters prefer Obama over McCain by 59 percent to 29 percent.

Link:The Swamp

McCain denies roughing up Sandinista

Greg — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 14:17:41 +0000

Sen. Thad Cochran, R-Miss., told a Mississippi newspaper that he saw McCain, during a trip to Nicaragua led by former Sen. Bob Dole, R-Kan., grab an Ortega associate by his shirt collar and lift him out of his chair.

“I had many, many meetings with the Sandinistas,” McCain said. “I must say, I did not admire the Sandinistas much. But there was never anything of that nature. It just didn’t happen.”

His comments did not square with Cochran’s detailed recollection of the alleged incident.

“McCain was down at the end of the table and we were talking to the head of the guerrilla group here at this end of the table and I don’t know what attracted my attention,” Cochran said in an interview with The Sun Herald in Biloxi, Miss. “But I saw some kind of quick movement at the bottom of the table and I looked down there and John had reached over and grabbed this guy by the shirt collar and had snatched him up like he was throwing him up out of the chair to tell him what he thought about him or whatever

“I don’t know what he was telling him but I thought, ‘Good grief, everybody around here has got guns and we were there on a diplomatic mission.’ I don’t know what had happened to provoke John, but he obviously got mad at the guy … and he just reached over there and snatched … him.”

Link:My Way News

McCain and Obama’s plans to combat climate change

Greg — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 14:14:26 +0000

Regardless of who is elected next November, both candidates agree that climate change is a fact and not a theory. “I know that climate change is real,” said John McCain. “We can have a debate about how serious it is, but the debate about climate change is over.” John McCain and Barack Obama however vary widely in their response to this issue, leaving the American people with a choice of approaches when choosing the next president. McCain’s primary tools include implementing a cap and trade system for emissions and utilizing greater amounts of nuclear power and “clean” coal.

Link:Environmental-Expert.com

GOP fears that Obama will get a boost from foreign travel

Greg — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 14:05:29 +0000

“It has the potential to be a big plus for Obama,” says a senior Republican who has advised several presidents over the years. “The American people know we are not liked overseas anymore, and it bothers them. People feel that Obama could help change that.”

To reinforce such an image, Obama is billing himself as a new type of commander in chief who will listen to Americas allies far more than George W. Bush has—and that is expected to be a major theme of his sojourns.

Link:US News and World Report

Poll: Obama leads — in Montana?!

Greg — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 13:59:40 +0000

Barack Obama is leading John McCain by five percentage points in Montana. The latest Rasmussen Reports telephone survey in the state shows Obama attracting 48% of the vote while McCain earns 43%.

In April, the numbers were reversed with McCain leading 48% to 43%. That was before Obama clinched the Democratic nomination and defeated Hillary Clinton by fifteen points in Montana. Fifty percent (50%) of Montana Democrats want Clinton named as Obama’s running mate. Just 29% of all Montana voters would like to see Clinton as the Vice Presidential nominee.

Link:Rasmussen Reports™

Obama got discount on home loan

Greg — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 13:04:36 +0000

The freshman Democratic senator received a discount. He locked in an interest rate of 5.625 percent on the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage, below the average for such loans at the time in Chicago. The loan was unusually large, known in banker lingo as a “super super jumbo.” Obama paid no origination fee or discount points, as some consumers do to reduce their interest rates.

Compared with the average terms offered at the time in Chicago, Obama’s rate could have saved him more than $300 per month.

Obama spokesman Ben LaBolt said the rate was adjusted to account for a competing offer from another lender and other factors. “The Obamas have since had as much as $3 million invested through Northern Trust,” he said in a statement.

Link:washingtonpost.com

Obama calls for national service

Greg — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 05:13:52 +0000

COLORADO SPRINGS, July 2 — Continuing to press the themes of values, faith and patriotism, Sen. Barack Obama exhorted Americans on Wednesday “to step into the strong currents of history” and volunteer for service to their country, pledging to dramatically expand opportunities for those accepting his challenge.

Link:washingtonpost.com

Cindy’s fortune: An asset and a liability

Greg — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 17:28:28 +0000

In 2004, Republicans demanded fuller disclosure about the considerable fortune of Teresa Heinz Kerry, wife of Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry.

Now, the GOP is reaping what it sowed.

Having established a recent precedent for increased scrutiny of spousal finances, the party now finds its own presumptive nominee, John McCain, under an unwanted spotlight over the fortune of his wife, Cindy.

Link:Politico.com