News For Thursday Aug 21, 2008 News For Thursday Aug 21, 2008

Politics & Elections Politics & Elections

Obama says he's made his veep choice - Added 7 minutes ago

Barack Obama said Thursday he's chosen his running mate, but coyly kept all the details to himself as he campaigned with one leading contender and planned a major rally to present the Democratic ticket Saturday in...

Officials: Threat sent to McCain Colorado office - Added 19 minutes ago

A threatening letter containing an unidentified white powder was sent to a John McCain campaign office in this south Denver suburb Thursday, authorities said. No injuries were immediately reported. A second letter sent...

Obama raps McCain for ignorance of his own houses - Added 1 hour ago

John McCain may have created his own housing crisis. Hours after a report that the Republican presidential nominee-in-waiting didn't know how many homes he and his multimillionaire wife own, Democratic rival Barack...

Obama casts McCain as rich, out of touch - Added 1 hour ago

Democrat Barack Obama Thursday depicted John McCain as rich, out of touch and less a foreign-policy expert than he claims _ part of the increasingly negative tone of the presidential hopeful's message as he tries to...

Group to spend $2.8 million on anti-Obama ad - Added 2 hours ago

A conservative nonprofit group with a past link to Sen. John McCain's presidential campaign wants to spend $2.8 million on an ad questioning Democrat Barack Obama's relationship to a founder of the 1960s radical group...

McCain family wealth mostly in wife's name - Added 2 hours ago

Republican presidential candidate John McCain said he wasn't sure how many houses he and his wife own. Here is a rundown of the wealth of the Arizona Republican senator and his wife, Cindy. Most assets are in Mrs....

Clinton to have own floor whips at Dem convention - Added 3 hours ago

!!-- pobj:FLORL103-0821081114 -->Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's delegates will have their own organizers on the floor of the Democratic National Convention, an unusual move at a convention that is being billed as...

Today on the presidential campaign trail - Added 3 hours ago

IN THE HEADLINES Obama says he's chosen his running mate, but won't say who ... Obama pounces on McCain for not knowing how many houses he and multimillionaire wife own ... Election panel rules McCain not bound by...

Conservatives grow wary of mixing church, politics - Added 4 hours ago

Social conservatives are growing more wary of church involvement in politics, joining moderates and liberals in their unease about blurring the lines between pulpit and ballot box, a new study found. Fifty percent of...

Minnesota poll finds Obama ahead of McCain - Added 5 hours ago

THE RACE: The presidential race in Minnesota. ___ THE NUMBERS: Barack Obama, 48 percent John McCain, 38 percent ___ OF INTEREST: Ten percent of voters say they are undecided. The poll shows McCain's support in...

The whereabouts of potential veep picks - Added 6 hours ago

Several prospective running mates of Democrat Barack Obama and Republican John McCain campaigned for their candidate on Thursday, while other potential picks spent time at home or at work. Obama is expected to announce...

Nunn appears to have dropped from VP running - Added 7 hours ago

Former Georgia Sen. Sam Nunn appears to have dropped from the running to be Barack Obama's vice presidential choice. The Georgia Democrat will be traveling out of the country until Monday, his spokeswoman said...

FEC frees McCain from spending limit for primaries - Added 7 hours ago

The Federal Election Commission voted unanimously Thursday to belatedly approve Republican presidential candidate John McCain's withdrawal from public financing for the primaries _ a move that spared him potential...

Obama outspends McCain in July by 5-3 ratio - Added 8 hours ago

After tightening his expenditures in June, Barack Obama spent far more freely in July, cutting into his cash reserves while mounting an advertising campaign against Republican presidential rival John McCain. The...

Obama inspires black Republicans to switch parties - Added 8 hours ago

Sen. Barack Obama isn't just inspiring black voters to register in large numbers as he gets closer to being the Democratic presidential nominee. Evidence indicates that he's motivating some black Republicans to switch...

Campaigns vie over whether McCain is Bush clone - Added 8 hours ago

!!-- pobj:WX111-0527082056 -->!!-- pobj:WX112-0305081309 -->!!-- pobj:WX113-0305081315 -->Barack Obama likes to say, "We can't afford to give John McCain the chance to serve out George Bush's third term." Bush's "third...

McCain, Obama agree on fall debates - Added 11 hours ago

John McCain and Barack Obama have agreed to hold three presidential debates and one vice presidential debate this fall, the campaigns said in a joint statement Thursday that outlined formats, dates and locations. The...

McCain hopes to turn the tide in Great Lakes area - Added 12 hours ago

Democratic dominance in presidential elections has been the norm for decades throughout much of the country's union-strong industrial Great Lakes region. Republican John McCain hopes to upset that history. The GOP...

'Incalculable loss' _ US Rep. Tubbs Jones mourned - Added 14 hours ago

Tributes from political allies and even one-time enemies came pouring in for Democratic U.S. Rep. Stephanie Tubbs Jones, a trailblazer whose energy and outspokenness made her one of Congress' most dynamic leaders. ...

Mich. gov. to skip early part of Dem. convention - Added 16 hours ago

Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick's legal issues will cause Gov. Jennifer Granholm to miss some of the Democratic National Convention. Granholm spokeswoman Liz Boyd said Wednesday that the governor will remain in Michigan...

Washington primary produces one-party showdowns - Added 16 hours ago

There were few surprises when Washington unveiled its new primary system, but a handful of statehouse races spotlight one of the system's most interesting facets: two people from the same party moving on to the general...

Obama outspends McCain in July by 5-3 ratio - Added 18 hours ago

After tightening his expenditures in June, Barack Obama spent far more freely in July, cutting into his cash reserves while mounting an advertising campaign against Republican presidential rival John McCain. The...

Biden's emergence in VP race crystalizes concerns - Added 19 hours ago

Sen. Joe Biden's emergence at the center of speculation about who will be Barack Obama's running mate may say more about Obama's challenges in the presidential race than it does about the final selection. Obama is...

Today on the presidential campaign trail - Added 20 hours ago

IN THE HEADLINES McCain spends $32 million, Obama $55 million in July; most of the money pays for advertising ... Biden's emergence as front-runner in VP race is indication of challenges facing Obama ... Obama sharpens...

Candidates' wives lend voices to anti-poverty ad - Added 21 hours ago

!!-- pobj:NMHS-0706081358 -->Cindy McCain and Michelle Obama star in a new television ad that highlights successes in helping the world's poor and encourages people to do more this election year. But don't expect to...

McCain chides a newly feisty Obama as 'testy' - Added 22 hours ago

Republican presidential candidate John McCain chided his Democratic rival on Wednesday for getting "a little testy" as Barack Obama sharpened his tone amid a tightening White House race that gets nastier by the day. "I...

Obama sounds populist themes in Virginia bus tour - Added 23 hours ago

Democrat Barack Obama pledged Wednesday to create millions of union jobs in alternative energy and end tax breaks for companies that move jobs overseas, using tough new populist language to convince voters that he, not...

No razor wire at Denver convention holding cells - Added 1 day ago

Police have dropped plans to top the holding cells in place for use during next week's Democratic convention with razor wire after some groups started comparing the site to the detention facility for suspected...

Polls: McCain closes gap with Obama - Added 1 day ago

THE RACE: The presidential race nationally THE NUMBERS (CBS News-New York York Times) Barack Obama, 45 percent John McCain, 42 percent ___ OF INTEREST: Two weeks ago, Obama led McCain by 45 percent to 39 percent....

Obama steps up anti-McCain message in his TV ads - Added 1 day ago

Barack Obama stepped up his hard-edged ad campaign Wednesday, launching two tough commercials against Republican presidential rival John McCain. One ad, aimed at the most competitive states, criticizes McCain's...

Washington state voters get a rematch for governor - Added 1 day ago

!!-- pobj:WASPO101-0819081736 -->Their spots on the November ballot now secure, Democratic incumbent Chris Gregoire and Republican Dino Rossi enter the homestretch in what likely will be the nation's most competitive...

McCain again questions Obama's judgment on Iraq - Added 1 day ago

Republican presidential candidate John McCain told voters on Wednesday he is not challenging Barack Obama's patriotism in criticizing his call to pull out of Iraq, only the judgment of his Democratic rival. "He's...

Vitter may get to use campaign cash for legal fees - Added 1 day ago

U.S. Sen. David Vitter can use campaign funds to pay some legal costs from his involvement in an escort service scandal, according to a draft opinion prepared for the Federal Election Commission. The commission is...

The whereabouts of the potential veep picks - Added 1 day ago

The prospective running mates of Democrat Barack Obama and Republican John McCain focused on their day jobs or chores at home Wednesday. Obama, the Democrat, is expected to choose his running mate in the coming days....

Democrats to review nominating process - Added 1 day ago

Democratic Party leaders want to regain control of the primary calendar and reduce the number of superdelegates through a new commission announced Wednesday. They also want to review the caucus system, which presumed...

Secret Service's job: secure political conventions - Added 1 day ago

Every day the Secret Service thinks: Today could be THE day. That's the sober mind-set going into the presidential conventions _ both of which present special security challenges for this legendary agency in the throes...

Giuliani to give keynote at GOP convention - Added 1 day ago

Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani will give the keynote address at the Republican National Convention next month and Democrat-turned-independent Sen. Joe Lieberman also will take center stage at the GOP gathering. ...

Today on the presidential campaign trail - Added 1 day ago

IN THE HEADLINES McCain says he questions Obama's judgment, not his patriotism, on how to deal with Iraq war ... Former NY Mayor Giuliani to keynote GOP convention; other former McCain rivals also to speak ......

Obama ad: McCain would help corporations - Added 1 day ago

TITLE: "Three Times" LENGTH: 30 seconds. AIRING: Colorado, Michigan, Missouri, New Hampshire, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Virginia. SCRIPT: Announcer: "Can we really afford more of the same? John McCain's tax...

Sen. Joe Lieberman to speak at GOP convention - Added 1 day ago

Connecticut Sen. Joe Lieberman, the Democratic Party's vice presidential candidate in 2000 and now an independent who is one of John McCain's strongest supporters, will speak at the Republican National Convention, an...

Secret Service hosts Congress staffers - Added 1 day ago

As the Secret Service protects the candidates and secures the sites at the presidential nominating conventions, it will also be hosting congressional staffers who will get a taxpayer-funded, up-close look at security...

A look at convention security in Denver - Added 1 day ago

Denver _ by the numbers: _The Pepsi Center seats 20,000 in the enclosed arena; Invesco Field seats 76,000 in the open-air stadium. _900 extra police, including 300 from neighboring Aurora. Colorado law was changed...

A look at convention security in St. Paul - Added 1 day ago

St. Paul _ by the numbers: _The Xcel Energy Center can seat 20,000 people in the enclosed arena. _90 state and local agencies will provide about 3,500 officers to secure the event. _$34 million will be used to pay...

Kerry returns to stump 4 years after nomination - Added 1 day ago

The week before the 2004 Democratic National Convention, John Kerry drafted his presidential nomination speech and then set off on a cross-country trip that brought him home to thousands of delegates waiting in Boston. ...

Conventions blend money, parties, ethics rules - Added 1 day ago

Barack Obama and John McCain have burnished images as politicians who keep special interests at arms' length, yet there won't be much stiff-arming at their nominating conventions. For the next two weeks _ in Denver and...

Will young Paul, Huckabee backers stay with GOP? - Added 1 day ago

While this year's presidential election shows signs of drawing in more young voters than any since 1992, the candidates who pulled some of them into the Republican race are long gone _ and it's unclear whether they've...

AP IMPACT: Campaigns take cash, seek details later - Added 1 day ago

Neither Barack Obama nor John McCain has consistently followed the government's instructions for keeping prohibited foreign money out of their presidential campaigns, and some of that banned money has slipped into...

Party time! Convention delegates face the music - Added 1 day ago

In Minnesota, Republicans will be partying to the soothing surf pop of the Beach Boys and classic rock favorites Styx. Democrats in Denver get punk rock and Rage Against the Machine. While the national political...

Democratic convention to highlight "real people" - Added 1 day ago

An Indiana railroader, an Iowa mother and a Michigan truck driver are getting a moment at the Democratic convention to help portray Barack Obama as the people's champion and counter GOP characterizations of him as an...

Groups hope to bring initiative petition to Conn. - Added 1 day ago

A coalition of same-sex marriage opponents and taxpayer groups is trying to persuade voters to approve a state constitutional convention in the hopes of bringing the initiative petition process to Connecticut. ...