July 6, 2008
Election 2008: Mitt Romney in the news
Coverage: Eye on the White House
ON THE TRAIL
John McCain and his weekend guests - about two dozen friends and colleagues - lunched near his Arizona vacation home yesterday. With a number of potential vice presidential choices gathered at his home for the weekend, including Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, Florida Gov. Charlie Crist and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, McCain has denied the weekend hosting at his Page Springs ranch includes any running mate vetting.
Obama, McCain start process of choosing running mates
WASHINGTON - Barack Obama and John McCain have begun taking steps toward choosing their running mates, fresh signs that the Democratic nomination fight may be nearing an end and the presidential race is moving toward an Obama-McCain general election matchup.
ON THE TRAIL
Hillary Rodham Clinton raised the possibility yesterday that she might carry her fight to the Democratic convention floor. Clinton was in Florida, pressing to narrow her gap in convention delegates with Barack Obama by having delegates counted from its renegade January primary. Democratic rule-makers are to meet May 31 to decide whether to count delegates from Florida and Michigan; the states were stripped of their delegates as punishment for holding early primaries in violation of party rules. Clinton won both states, but Obama had his name removed from Michigan's ballot and neither candidate campaigned in those states. In an interview yesterday with The Associated Press, Clinton said she is willing to take her fight to seat Florida's and Michigan's delegates to the convention if the two states want to go that far. Asked whether she would support the states if they appeal an unfavorable rules committee decision to the convention floor, the former first lady replied: "Yes I will. I will, because I feel very strongly about this ... I will consult with Floridians and the voters in Michigan because it's really their voices that are being ignored and their votes that are being discounted, and I'll support whatever the elected officials and the voters in those two states want to do."
Huckabee misses mark with Obama remark in NRA speech
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Republican Mike Huckabee responded to an offstage noise during his speech to the National Rifle Association Friday by suggesting it was Barack Obama diving to the floor because someone had aimed a gun at him.
Rumor or reality? Condoleezza Rice as McCain's VP
It's the kind of rumor that sets conservatives buzzing - is Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice actively campaigning to be Sen. John McCain's vice presidential pick?
ELECTION 2008: ON THE TRAIL
Possible veep? South Carolina's maverick Gov. Mark Sanford is getting the buzz, if not necessarily the love, over the possibility he could become John McCain's running mate. Some national pundits put him on the short list. On Sunday's "Meet the Press," several guests called Sanford a good fit for the presumptive GOP nominee. Political reporters are speculating about his chances. McCain has declined to speculate about a possible running mate. There are about a dozen other names on the list, including Florida Gov. Charlie Crist, Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.), Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, former McCain rival Mitt Romney and current rival Mike Huckabee.
ELECTION 2008: ON THE TRAIL
Possible veep? South Carolina's maverick Gov. Mark Sanford is getting the buzz, if not necessarily the love, over the possibility he could become John McCain's running mate. Some national pundits put him on the short list. On Sunday's "Meet the Press," several guests called Sanford a good fit for the presumptive GOP nominee. Political reporters are speculating about his chances. McCain has declined to speculate about a possible running mate. There are about a dozen other names on the list, including Florida Gov. Charlie Crist, Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.), Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, former McCain rival Mitt Romney and current rival Mike Huckabee.
PUNCHLINES
David Letterman, "Late Show with David Letterman": "Barack Obama and John Edwards got together over the weekend. Edwards may endorse Barack Obama, although his hair is leaning toward Hillary."
'Saturday Night' is live again
"Saturday Night Live" has been gone for so long that you'll never know who its Mitt Romney impersonator was going to be.
ELECTION 2008: ON THE TRAIL
McCain lead grows. John McCain, the presumed Republican presidential nominee, picked up a total of 50 GOP national convention delegates from Michigan and Louisiana yesterday. Republicans met in both states to divvy up delegates. Thirty-two of Louisiana's 47 delegates said they intend to vote for McCain, and another three are also expected to back him. And most Michigan delegates say they will back McCain now that Mitt Romney is out, although it's unclear how many will go to the convention. McCain has 903 total delegates nationally, Huckabee 245 and Romney 253.
Romney endorses McCain; Huckabee still in race
WASHINGTON - After Mitt Romney announced he would support John McCain, urging his 280 delegates to follow suit, McCain's campaign claimed it had won the necessary delegates to secure the GOP nomination yesterday.
Punchlines
Comedy writer Janice Hough: "While campaigning in Virginia this week, Hillary Clinton promised there would be no new scandals involving her husband, former President Bill Clinton. And they say Obama's campaign is a fairy tale?"
McCain confident of wins in upcoming races
ANNAPOLIS, Md. - Confident of sweeping today's Potomac Primary, John McCain yesterday downplayed doubts arising from conservative defections and Mike Huckabee's persistent, and increasingly pointed, campaign.
DEMOCRATS, GOP AT ODDS ON SEWER CONSOLIDATION PLAN
Thousands of local primary votes may be thrown out
GOP: IT STINKS
Bush pledges to support McCain if he's nominated
WASHINGTON - President George W. Bush pledged yesterday to assist Sen. John McCain's campaign for the presidency - if he wins the Republican Party nomination - but acknowledged that the Arizona senator has "got some convincing to do" among the party's conservatives.
Huckabee's gains show McCain has work ahead
WASHINGTON - When John McCain's campaign shifts gears for the November election, the GOP's all-but-assured nominee will be on a tightrope, balancing his new role as party leader against his longtime role as party insurgent.
Huckabee's gains show McCain has work ahead
WASHINGTON - When John McCain's campaign shifts gears for the November election, the GOP's all-but-assured nominee will be on a tightrope, balancing his new role as party leader against his longtime role as party insurgent.
In politics, outcomes are rarely certain
Last June, John McCain bemoaned the rush by different states to move up the dates of their presidential primaries into an early Super Tuesday. "It's not good for the country for the whole nominating process to be over by the end of January or the fifth of February," he was quoted in the Arizona Republic as saying. "It's just not healthy."
Careful wording marks Mitt Romney's exit
Mitt Romney did. John Edwards did. Rudy Giuliani didn't.
McCain woos conservatives, Romney supporters
WASHINGTON - With his chief rival out of the way, presumptive Republican presidential nominee John McCain yesterday took his first steps toward reconciling with distrustful conservatives and took aim at liberal Democrats as he looked ahead to November.
Punchlines
Comedy writer Jake Novak: "The New York Giants stunned the previously undefeated Tom Brady and the New England Patriots by winning Super Bowl XLII. Brady was later consoled by his supermodel girlfriend, who assured him that 'this happens to lots of guys.'"
Democrats still battle while McCain win seems sure
Republican John McCain looks like he's about to cross the finish line.
McCain on path to nomination
WASHINGTON - Now that the delegate count from the 21 states in the Republicans' Super Tuesday is becoming clearer, John McCain increasingly looks like a winner in the race for the GOP nomination.
Overpowered by McCain, Romney vows to fight
BOSTON - Gov. Mitt Romney pledged to fight all the way to the Republican nominating convention this summer if necessary, despite being overpowered by John McCain in Super Tuesday contests.
McCain rides on a wave of optimism
PHOENIX - In July, when John McCain got off the plane in New Hampshire, he carried his own bags.
Primary breakdown: the Long Island factor
Sen. Hillary Clinton won solid victories over Sen. Barack Obama on Long Island and across New York State last night in the state's presidential primary, and Sen. John McCain handily won the Republican contest.
ELECTION 2008: Ten Things We learned On Super Tuesday
The biggest single primary day in American history, stretched across 24 states sea to sea, pushed Republican John McCain ever closer to his party's nomination but left Democrats Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama locked in a contest with no quick end in sight.
ELECTION 2008: No one scores Super knockout
WASHINGTON - With the biggest wins in the 21-state mega-primary yesterday, John McCain began to pull away from chief rival Mitt Romney and moved toward clinching the nomination.
ELECTION 2008: Ten Things We learned On Super Tuesday
The biggest single primary day in American history stretched across 24 states, pushed Republican John McCain within reach of his party’s nomination and gave Democrat Hillary Rodham Clinton a major lift in her battle with Barack Obama.
Huckabee, with wins in South, vows to fight on
WASHINGTON - Mike Huckabee said yesterday that he would press on with his White House candidacy, emboldened by wins in the South.
ELECTION 2008: No one scores Super knockout
WASHINGTON - With the most wins in the splintered 21- state mega-GOP primary yesterday, John McCain solidified his role as the Republican's presidential front-runner but failed to decisively pull away.
ELECTION 2008: Poll watching
For the election-obsessed, here's an hour-by-hour guide to poll closings on Super Tuesday. Eastern Standard Times shown.
A confident McCain arrives in New York City
The Straight Talk Express rolled into Manhattan yesterday, a day before Super Tuesday, carrying Republican primary front-runner John McCain, who campaigned with former Mayor Rudy Giuliani and ex-governor George Pataki.
Polls: Obama gaining on Clinton in NY, NJ
ALBANY - Though Hillary Rodham Clinton has a strong lead, Barack Obama is gaining ground among Democratic presidential primary voters in New York and New Jersey, new Quinnipiac University polls revealed yesterday.
John McCain pumped by Super Tuesday poll numbers
WASHINGTON - As top Republican presidential contenders John McCain and Mitt Romney head into tomorrow's mega-primary in New York and 20 other states, a question hangs over the GOP contest: Is it all over but for the voting?
Terrorism still a key issue in presidential race
WASHINGTON - If Rudy Giuliani couldn't make terrorism a winning issue in this year's presidential contest, the temptation is to think that no one can.
Long Islanders donate most to Clinton
Long Islanders gave almost as much money to Hillary Rodham Clinton's presidential campaign in 2007 as the other major candidates combined, a Newsday analysis of Federal Election Commission data shows.
Opinions split on whom younger LI voters will back
Barack Obama rode to victory in the South Carolina primary with a 3-1 advantage among under-30 voters, but the chairman of Nassau County's Democratic Party thinks Long Island's under-30 crowd will come out strong in favor of Hillary Rodham Clinton.
Editorial: Newsday endorses McCain in New York primary
In a Republican roster of mainly lackluster, marginal or unacceptable presidential candidates, Sen. John McCain of Arizona always stood out like a bright light in a dim room. Now that he has risen quickly from the back of the pack to pose a serious challenge to former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, McCain is by far the best choice for his party's nomination.
McCain decries Dems during campaign stops in South
ATLANTA - Republican John McCain ended a day of campaigning through the South yesterday with a rally in Atlanta, where he took shots at Democrats but didn't mention his Republican opponents.
ELECTION 08 REPUBLICAN: Traditional lines suddenly blurred
Stewart Manor resident and die-hard Republican Yolanda Chodkowski voted for President George W. Bush twice and has been a stalwart supporter of her party in past elections.
This Super Tuesday vote should live up to its name
By the time Super Tuesday rolls around in most years, voters are just going through the motions.
Clinton, Obama race for nod as McCain pulls ahead
WASHINGTON - With a boost from New York, John McCain is looking more certain than ever to become the Republican nominee after Tuesday's mega-mega-primary.
Sports has role in politics, and vice versa
Not all footballs are political, of course. But this week's close encounter between Super Sunday and Super Tuesday provides powerful evidence that presidential candidates are game-planning madly to merge our national gridiron extravaganza into their own personal pep rallies.
Latinos may hold key for Democrats on Super Tuesday
ALBUQUERQUE - Latino Ben García-Linke, a college freshman, came to hear Barack Obama speak here Friday night because he likes the candidate's opposition to the war, his plans for the environment and his sincerity. And then there's the cool factor.
Diplomat sees U.S. combat troops in Iraq into '09
WASHINGTON - The top U.S. diplomat in Iraq said Friday the United States plans to keep combat troops there into 2009, seen as the tipping point for establishing the nation's long-term security, and he offered no deadline for a full withdrawal.
ELECTION 2008: REPUBLICANS
Romney narrows focus
DENVER - Republican Mitt Romney is conceding the bulk of the Northeast to rival John McCain, counting instead on his home state of Massachusetts, a split in California and wins in a series of caucus states to extend his presidential campaign beyond Super Tuesday.
New Yorkers expected to flock to polls for primary
New Yorkers are expected to vote in relatively huge numbers on Tuesday, marking their biggest participation in a presidential primary in 20 years.
Giuliani brings endorsements for McCain
LOS ANGELES - Rudy Giuliani stood in the shadow of Arnold Schwarzenegger yesterday as the influential California governor broke a pledge to stay neutral, endorsing John McCain for the GOP nomination.
ELECTION 2008: ON THE TRAIL
He's ba-a-a-ck. Ralph Nader, below, the consumer advocate who ran for president in 2000 and 2004, said he is considering another bid because he believes the current contenders aren't standing up enough to corporate interests. "Look at the major areas of injustice, deprivation and solutions that are not being addressed by the major candidates," said Nader, 73, who was blamed in 2004 for taking enough votes from Al Gore in Florida to force the state into the GOP column, thereby making George W. Bush president. He rejected that view in a telephone interview yesterday, saying he had helped push Gore to talk about issues that gained him more support.
McCain, Romney tussle over conservative values
Fresh off a victory in Florida and with the support of primary dropout Rudy Giuliani, John McCain squared off last night with Mitt Romney in a Republican debate over who has the most legitimate claim to holding conservative values.
Presidential candidates go head-to-head on Feb. 5
WASHINGTON - In New York and across the country, the Super Tuesday ballot just got less supersized.
Rudy to hit campaign trail again - for McCain
SIMI VALLEY, Calif. - Now that Rudy Giuliani has dropped out of the presidential race, the self-described "professional" campaigner for Republican candidates is set to hit the trail in Los Angeles today for the friend he endorsed here yesterday, Sen. John McCain.
Rudy loses in Florida; may throw support to McCain
ORLANDO, Fla. - Rudy Giuliani failed his own test as a presidential contender yesterday, coming in third in the must-win primary here and clearing the way, sources said, for him to quit and endorse the Florida winner, his friend John McCain, today.
ELECTION 2008: Rudy expected to quit the race today
ORLANDO, Fla. - Rudy Giuliani failed his own test as a presidential contender yesterday, coming in third in the must-win primary here and clearing the way, sources said, for him to quit and endorse Florida winner and friend John McCain today.
Rudy's camp discussing exit if he fails in Florida
This could be "Goodbye Rudy" Tuesday.
Florida's McCain-Romney contest may oust Giuliani
MIAMI - Rudy Giuliani could be headed for the exits after today's do-or-die primary here, likely the odd man out as the GOP presidential campaign appears to be narrowing to a race mainly between John McCain and Mitt Romney.
Giuliani campaigns down to the wire in Florida
VERO BEACH, Fla. - Rudy Giuliani and his troupe found themselves in familiar surroundings in the darkened hall of the Italian American Civic Association here as the former mayor made a plea for badly needed votes in tomorrow's all-important Florida primary.
Perception he's lost support hurts Rudy in Florida
PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. - When Rudy Giuliani's campaign bus rolled into Sun City Center a week ago, David Brown lavished his support on a giant homemade "Rudy!" sign.
Editorial: God on the American campaign trail
The intensity of God-talk is already off the charts in this presidential campaign. We could all use some sensible restraint and some reflection on the history of the church-state debate, dating back to the nation's earliest days.
Giuliani vague about post-Fla. campaign plans
ORLANDO, Fla. - With a third-place showing staring him in the face, Rudy Giuliani ducked questions yesterday about whether he will stay in the race if he loses Tuesday's must-win Florida primary.
Republicans want to redo New York primary ballots
State Republicans have touched off an 11th-hour storm by trying to change the GOP presidential primary ballot in a way that could give Rudy Giuliani, their preferred candidate, better name display at the polls.
Obama blasts Clinton vote on Iraq invasion
BEAUFORT, S.C. - With just two days before the crucial South Carolina primary, Barack Obama issued one of his sharpest criticisms to date yesterday against Hillary Rodham Clinton, saying her failure to read an intelligence report on Iraq before voting to allow the U.S. invasion there placed her judgment in doubt.
ELECTION 2008: ON THE TRAIL
Kucinich withdraws. Dennis Kucinich yesterday abandoned his second long-shot bid for the White House as he faces a tough fight to hold onto his other job - U.S. congressman. The six-term House member said he would make a formal announcement today. Kucinich, 61, has four challengers in the Democratic congressional primary March 4, and earlier this week he made an urgent appeal on his Web site for funds for his re-election.
Giuliani counts on New Yorkers for Florida vote
BOCA RATON, Fla. - Could the millions of New Yorkers who have moved away to Florida and other states over the years save Rudy Giuliani's sinking presidential hopes?
ELECTION 2008
They rip Hillary, sidestep Rudy
BOCA RATON, Fla. - In the crucial last debate before next week's must-win Florida primary, Rudy Giuliani failed to break away from the pack as the GOP presidential contenders discussed the economy last night and attacked Hillary Rodham Clinton more than each other.
Punchlines
David Letterman, "Late Show With David Letterman": "Everyone's worried about the economy. Don't worry, George W. Bush is going to give it a shot in the arm. If that doesn't work, Dick Cheney's going to give it a shot in the face."
Polls show Giuliani tied for third in Florida
ESTERO, Fla. - Rudy Giuliani's make-or-break state appears to be breaking him.
Market woes could benefit Clinton, Romney on trail
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - Untold billions of stock market value may have been wiped out in this week's global market crisis, but there's political capital to be made.
New personal attacks in Clinton-Obama debate
MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. - The simmering hostility between Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama exploded in a series of extraordinary personal clashes in South Carolina last night.
Giuliani's lead in New York diminishes
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - In one of the most ominous signals to date of a campaign on the ropes, GOP presidential hopeful Rudy Giuliani saw a one-time commanding lead in his home state of New York vanish in the face of a resurgent Sen. John McCain, according to two polls released yesterday.
Giuliani's celebrity may not be enough in Florida
CELEBRATION, Fla. - With his rivals for the Republican nomination descending on Florida to campaign today, Rudy Giuliani must accomplish one key objective to win its crucial Jan. 29 primary: finally turn his celebrity into votes.
Giuliani criticizes McCain as he stumps in Florida
SOUTH PEBBLE BEACH, Fla. - As Republican front-runner John McCain bore down on Florida with momentum from a South Carolina victory, Rudy Giuliani kept up a frenetic pace of campaigning with gentle jabs at his main rival.
Clinton, McCain begin to emerge
WASHINGTON - In a topsy-turvy year like this, two wins are enough for a tail wind.
Obama's No. 2 Nevada finish sets up S.C. showdown
LAS VEGAS - Having suffered his second consecutive loss in a presidential nomination contest, Barack Obama claimed a moral victory in Nevada yesterday, saying his organization had battled Hillary Rodham Clinton to the wire and had walked away with more delegates than she had.
Giuliani gets head start in make-or-break Florida
THE VILLAGES, Fla. - While his rivals battled it out in the South Carolina primary, Rudy Giuliani sharpened his tongue yesterday in this make-or-break state for his campaign, faulting two top-tier Republicans by name for failing to support President George W. Bush's tax cuts.
CAMPAIGN BRIEFING: ON THE TRAIL
Trouble on home front? Perhaps Mitt Romney should have just kept quiet when an in-flight announcement interrupted his news conference on his economic plan. "I have an announcement," the public-address system spat. "No, not a good time for the PA system," Romney said. But the announcement continued, saying Fox News had called the Nevada caucuses for Romney. That's reason No. 1 he should have said nothing. Reason No. 2: It was his wife, Ann, who was making the announcement.