Comicsartist

Today on the presidential campaign trail

By The Associated Press
The Associated Press
Saturday, August 30, 2008; 3:06 AM

-- IN THE HEADLINES

McCain selects Alaska's Gov. Sarah Palin to be vice presidential candidate ... Obama's acceptance speech at Democratic convention seen by 38 million-plus viewers ... Palin choice as McCain running mate raises eyebrows, even within her own state

___

McCain taps Alaska governor for VP

DAYTON, Ohio (AP) _ Republican John McCain introduced first-term Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as his vice presidential running mate Friday, a stunning selection of a little-known conservative newcomer who relishes fighting the establishment.

"She's exactly who I need. She's exactly who this country needs to help me fight the same old Washington politics of 'Me first and country second,' " McCain declared as the pair stood together for the first time at a boisterous rally in Ohio just days before the opening of the party's national convention.

Palin, the first Republican woman on a presidential ticket, promised: "I'm going to take our campaign to every part of our country and our message of reform to every voter of every background in every political party, or no party at all."

"Politics isn't just a game of competing interests and clashing parties," added Palin, 44, who has built her career in large measure by challenging fellow Republicans.

In the increasingly intensive presidential campaign, McCain made his selection six days after his Democratic rival, Barack Obama, named Sen. Joe Biden of Delaware, as his No. 2 on the ticket.

Public opinion polls show a close race between Obama and McCain, and with scarcely two months remaining until the election, neither contender can allow the other to jump out to a big post-convention lead.

On his 72nd birthday, McCain chose Palin, a woman younger than two of the Arizonan's seven children and a person who until recently was the mayor of small-town Wasilla, Alaska and has been governor less than two years. He settled on her six months after first meeting the governor and following only one phone call between them last Sunday and a single face-to-face meeting Thursday, according to a timeline provided by his campaign.

The Obama campaign immediately questioned whether she would be prepared to step in and be president if necessary.

___

Obama's speech seen by 38 million-plus viewers

NEW YORK (AP) _ Barack Obama's audience for his acceptance speech likely topped 40 million people, and the Democratic gathering that nominated him was a more popular television event than any other political convention in history.

More people watched Obama speak from a packed stadium in Denver on Thursday than watched the Olympics opening ceremony in Beijing, the final "American Idol" or the Academy Awards this year, Nielsen Media Research said Friday. (Four playoff football games, including the Super Bowl between the Giants and Patriots, were seen by more than 40 million people.)

His TV audience nearly doubled the amount of people who watched John Kerry accept the Democratic nomination to run against President Bush four years ago. Kerry's speech was seen by a little more than 20 million people; Bush's acceptance speech to GOP delegates had 27.6 million viewers.

Through four days, the Democratic convention was seen in an average of 22.5 million households. No other convention _ Republican or Democratic _ had been seen in as many homes since Nielsen began keeping these records for the Kennedy-Nixon campaign in 1960. There weren't enough television sets in American homes to have possibly beaten this record in years before that.

The convention that comes closest in interest was the 1976 Republican gathering, which averaged 21.9 million homes. That was the year President Gerald Ford fought off a challenge for the nomination from future President Ronald Reagan. For Democrats, the closest came during the 1980 convention where Sen. Edward Kennedy challenged President Jimmy Carter for the nomination.

___

Palin candidacy raises eyebrows in Alaska

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) _ Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin's reputation as a crusading reformer after pushing through higher taxes on oil companies has been tarnished by revelations that members of her staff tried to have her former brother-in-law fired from his job as an Alaska state trooper.

State lawmakers have launched a $100,000 investigation to determine if Palin dismissed Public Safety Commissioner Walt Monegan last month because Monegan wouldn't fire a state trooper involved in a messy custody battle with her sister.

She also is under fire from environmentalists for opposing the Bush administration's decision in May to list the polar bear as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act because global warming is melting the polar ice cap. Palin said the decision could damage the state's and nation's economy.

Palin's rapid ascent in politics followed her appointment in 2003 by then-Gov. Frank Murkowski to Alaska's Oil and Gas Conservation Commission. From that post, she exposed ethical violations by the state GOP chairman, also a fellow commissioner, who got too close to the oil companies, and later exposed a similar problem involving the state attorney general.

She supports opening the Arctic National Wildlife Reserve to drilling. But over opposition from oil companies, she pushed through the Alaska Legislature new taxes on the profits from oil pumped on Alaska's North Slope.

With oil prices soaring, Alaska collected an estimated $6 billion from the new taxes last fiscal year. With the state treasury bulging, she won legislative approval for a special $1,200 payment to every Alaskan to help pay for high energy prices.

Palin's approval ratings have ranged from 79 to 86 percent, says Mark Hellenthal, a Republican pollster in Alaska.

___

THE DEMOCRATS

Barack Obama and Joe Biden have stops in Cleveland and Dublin, Ohio.

___

THE REPUBLICANS

John McCain and Sarah Palin hold a rally in Washington, Pa.

___

QUOTE OF THE DAY:

"The fundamental principle behind any selection of a running mate would be whether that person is fully prepared to take over and shares your values, your principles, your philosophy and your priorities." John McCain, speaking earlier this year about naming a vice presidential candidate.

___

STAT OF THE DAY:

Sarah Palin is the first female Republican vice presidential candidate; she's the second woman to be picked as a running mate on a major party ticket.

___

Compiled by Ann Sanner and Ronald Powers.
Today on the presidential campaign trail

__________________

Comicsartist

Today on the presidential campaign trail

By The Associated Press – 2 hours ago

IN THE HEADLINES

McCain, GOP keep watchful eye on hurricane, with convention plans still on hold ... Lobbyists carry on with glitzy convention parties; some make good with hurricane relief ... Troopergate investigation could gain national spotlight during Palin's VP campaign

___

McCain eyes Gustav as curtailed convention opens

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — As anxious Republican delegates stood in wait, GOP presidential candidate John McCain and party officials kept a watchful eye on Hurricane Gustav Monday and weighed next steps for their shortened convention. McCain said defenses against Gustav were better than when Katrina slammed into New Orleans but still "not perfect."

President Bush, whose administration was widely accused of a botched handling of the Katrina disaster, traveled to Texas rather than to St. Paul, where he had been scheduled to speak on the opening night of the Republican National Convention. Bush planned visits to Austin and San Antonio to visit staging grounds for hurricane response efforts.

The convention remained in limbo on its first day. At McCain's behest, party leaders called off the usual festivities and planned only a truncated business meeting in the afternoon.

Gustav weakened somewhat as it neared landfall along the mostly evacuated Louisiana coast. The National Hurricane Center said the storm should hit somewhere southwest of New Orleans by midday.

McCain, who visited Mississippi on Sunday, said that while there is now better coordination among federal, state and local authorities, there are still problems.

McCain's wife, Cindy, and his new running mate, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, arrived in the convention city Sunday night.

First lady Laura Bush, who had also been scheduled to address the convention's opening session, said the government response to Hurricane Katrina "is going to be a lot better" than it was three years ago for Katrina.

___

Amid toned down convention the parties go on

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — With Hurricane Gustav spinning toward landfall, lobbyists, corporations and industry groups are scrambling to put a solemn face on their glitzy GOP convention parties and still revel with big donors, delegates and members of Congress.

Few party hosts outright canceled their receptions and galas this week. Instead, some atoned by tapping well-heeled and not-so-well-heeled partygoers for contributions toward hurricane relief for Gulf Coast states.

Republican John McCain called for only essential opening-day convention activities on Monday. And while speeches were canceled, most of the hot-ticket parties appeared ready to go on with their shows.

"We could have canceled, but talk about a waste of resources," said Frank Coleman, senior vice president at the Distilled Spirits Council, which was co-hosting a party with the Daimler Co. and The Hill newspaper.

The council was among the first to consider the fundraising option. Coleman said hosts began to keep an eye on potential hurricane weather patterns last week. With the help of a co-sponsor who knew the director of the Minnesota Red Cross, the fundraising deal was sealed. The party, originally billed as the Spirits of Minneapolis, was changed to the Spirits of the Gulf Coast.

The McCain campaign was asking other party sponsors to do the same. The campaign itself planned to turn it's own reception thanking fundraisers of the party's Victory '08 fund into a Gulf money raising event.

___

Troopergate could dog Palin on campaign

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — Troopergate. It's a political he-said, she-said that has dogged Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin for nearly two months and is likely to do so for another two months leading to the Nov. 4 presidential election.

The little-known vice presidential candidate faces accusations of firing public safety commissioner Walt Monegan in what amounts to a messy Palin family drama dating to her pre-gubernatorial days. Monegan had refused to fire a state trooper who had divorced Palin's sister.

The accuser is blogger and rental car executive Andrew Halcro, a Republican-turned-Independent who lost to Palin in the 2006 governor's race.

The accused is Palin, the rising Republican star with a clean-hands reputation who has the most to lose.

The man in the middle is former commissioner, Monegan, who says Palin never told him to fire the trooper, but he felt pressure to do so from members of her administration.

Then there's trooper Mike Wooten, who used a Taser on his stepson, Palin's nephew Payton. Wooten has been reprimanded for violating nearly a dozen laws and departmental policies since December 2001.

It's now in the hands of a state-hired investigator working for a Republican-dominated legislative committee that hopes to sort out the mess.

Palin steadfastly denies the allegations, and with her signature resolve, said she welcomes the investigation. "Hold me accountable," she challenge her critics.

___

THE DEMOCRATS

Barack Obama is scheduled to hold a rally in Detroit before attending a barbecue in Monroe, Mich., and a rally in Milwaukee.

___

THE REPUBLICANS

John McCain planned to stop in Toledo, Ohio, and Philadelphia.

Sarah Palin is in St. Paul, Minn.

___

QUOTE OF THE DAY:

"I know they're disappointed they're not going to get to have the program tonight, but everyone understands it, everyone is thinking about everybody all across the Gulf Coast." — First lady Laura Bush, speaking about the Republican National Convention on CBS' "The Early Show."

___

STAT OF THE DAY:

The Republican National Convention is expected to draw about 45,000 delegates, alternate delegates, volunteers, members of the press and other guests.

Compiled by Ann Sanner.
The Associated Press: Today on the presidential campaign trail

__________________

Comicsartist

Today on the presidential campaign trail

By The Associated Press – 7 hours ago

IN THE HEADLINES

Obama says McCain and GOP are out of touch with middle-class struggles ... McCain and Palin present themselves as eager reformers ... Poll finds only 4 in 10 say Palin has enough experience to be president; number is higher for Biden ... Subpoenas to be issued for Troopergate probe of Palin in Alaska ...

___

Obama: McCain focused on biography, not economy

DURYEA, Pa. (AP) — Democrat Barack Obama called Republican rival John McCain's acceptance speech the final piece of an out-of-touch convention that focused on its nominee's biography instead of the struggles of the middle class.

"If you watched the Republican National Convention over the last three days, you wouldn't know that we have the highest unemployment in five years because they didn't say a thing about what is going on with the middle class," Obama told workers at a specialty glass factory.

"They spent a lot of time talking about John McCain's biography, which we all honor," the Illinois senator said. "They talked about me a lot, in less than respectful terms. What they didn't talk about is you and what you're seeing in your lives and what you're going through, or what your friends or your neighbors are going through."

Obama pointed out that the nation's unemployment rate zoomed to a five-year high of 6.1 percent in August, according to a government jobs report issued Friday.

"We've now lost 605,000 jobs since the beginning of this year," Obama said. "We've had eight consecutive months of job losses."

Obama seized on the new jobs report as part of his strategy to tie McCain to President Bush's stewardship of the economy and to connect with voters who fear their jobs will disappear. There is no shortage of such voters in Rust Belt Pennsylvania.

___

McCain says 'it's over' for special interests

CEDARBURG, Wis. (AP) — John McCain said Friday the sagging economy has brought "tough times all over America" as the newly chosen Republican presidential ticket debuted in critical Midwestern states.

A crowd of thousands cheered the Arizona senator and Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as they presented themselves as a team of reformers eager to challenge Washington's political establishment.

"John McCain doesn't run with the Washington herd," said Palin, the 44-year-old surprise pick as McCain's running mate.

"It's over. It's over. It's over for the special interests," McCain promised. "We're going to start working for the people of this country."

Twelve hours after leaving the Republican convention in Minnesota, McCain and Palin were cheered and applauded by a throng of thousands that wound down several streets of Cedarburg, a traditional Republican enclave within Democratic-leaning Wisconsin.

McCain's campaign put out an ambitious estimate of 12,400 people at the rally. Cedarburg's population is about 11,000.

Two months before the election, small towns are a key target for McCain as he tries to lure independent and blue-collar voters essential for him to win.

___

Poll: Only 4 in 10 say Palin has enough experience

WASHINGTON (AP) — Just four in 10 say Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin has enough experience to be president, while nearly two-thirds say so about Joe Biden, her Democratic counterpart, a poll showed Friday.

Views of Palin largely reflect partisan loyalty and show she's having little initial impact on which presidential ticket people support, the ABC News survey showed.

Eight in 10 Republicans and more than four in 10 independents say they have more confidence in Republican presidential nominee John McCain's decision-making for his selection of Palin. Six in 10 Democrats say it reduces theirs.

More have a favorable than unfavorable view of Palin by 50 percent to 37 percent — a bit less than the 54 percent to 30 percent positive opinion they have of Biden. Palin is seen favorably by 85 percent of Republicans, 24 percent of Democrats and 53 percent of independents.

By just 6 percentage points, people say her choice makes them likelier to vote for than against the McCain ticket. Pivotal GOP voting blocs — conservatives, Republicans and white evangelicals — are all likelier to support than oppose McCain because of Palin by 32 points or more.

Biden makes people likelier to support Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama by 12 points. Most say neither vice presidential pick will make a difference.

___

Subpoenas to be issued for Troopergate probe

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — The Alaska Legislature will work to complete its ethics investigation into Gov. Sarah Palin's firing of her public safety commissioner earlier than expected, weeks before the national election.

State Sen. Hollis French says seven witnesses told the Legislature's investigator they will not provide depositions and canceled their meetings. French, who is overseeing the investigation into whether Palin abused her power, said the Legislature will subpoena witnesses.

Lawmakers say they have put the investigation on a fast track now that Palin is Republican John McCain's running mate. The investigation previously was expected to end on Oct. 31. French says the probe will be completed three weeks earlier than that.

In July, a state oversight committee approved $100,000 for an investigation into whether Palin fired public safety commissioner Walt Monegan because he would not dismiss a trooper who went through a messy divorce with her sister before Palin ran for governor.

___

THE DEMOCRATS

Barack Obama talked to voters in Pennsylvania.

Joe Biden campaigned with his wife in Philadelphia.

___

THE REPUBLICANS

John McCain and Sarah Palin met voters in Cedarburg, Wis., before holding a rally in Sterling Heights, Mich.

___

QUOTE OF THE DAY:

"If you watched the Republican National Convention over the last three days, you wouldn't know that we have the highest unemployment in five years because they didn't say a thing about what is going on with the middle class," Obama told workers at a specialty glass factory.

___

STAT OF THE DAY:

A private attorney is authorized to spend $95,000 of state money to defend Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin against accusations of abuse of power.

Compiled by Ann Sanner.
The Associated Press: Today on the presidential campaign trail

__________________

Comicsartist

Today on the presidential campaign trail

By The Associated Press – 5 hours ago

IN THE HEADLINES

Obama, McCain suggest changes in Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac ... Republican vice presidential hopeful's church promotes prayer to make gays straight ... Presidential candidates plan joint appearance at Ground Zero to mark Sept. 11 attacks ...

___

Obama, McCain call for changes in mortgage giants

TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (AP) — Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama says any government takeover of troubled mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac must put the interests of taxpayers and homeowners first. His opponent, GOP nominee John McCain, said it was essential to restructure the mortgage giants.

"Any action we take must be focused not on the whims of lobbyists and special interests worried about their bonuses and hourly fees, but on whether it will strengthen our economy and help struggling homeowners," Obama told reporters after a campaign stop Saturday in Indiana.

He stopped short of making detailed proposals, saying "we need to carefully address" the possible impact on community and regional banks. "But we must not allow government intervention to protect investors and speculators who relied on the government to reap massive profits," he said.

In Colorado, McCain said, "today we're looking at a federal bailout of our home loan agencies." His running mate, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, said a "McCain-Palin administration will make them smaller and smarter and more effective for homeowners who need them." She did not elaborate.

Later, at a rally in Albuquerque, McCain added: "We need to keep people in their homes, but we can't allow this to turn into a bailout of Wall Street speculators."

In an interview for CBS "Face The Nation" to be aired Sunday, McCain said the mortgage giants need to be restructured.

Obama, talking of possible changes to Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae, said: "We can't have a situation in which, during boom times, management and investors are soaking up huge profits, taking extraordinary risks, and thinking to themselves that if they get into trouble because of these risky investments that somehow the taxpayers are going to be there to bail them out."

Obama restated his call for a second stimulus package this year, which would involve a tax rebate for individuals and aid to states for education, health care and other costs.

___

Palin church promotes converting gays

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — Gov. Sarah Palin's church is promoting a conference that promises to convert gays into heterosexuals through the power of prayer.

"You'll be encouraged by the power of God's love and His desire to transform the lives of those impacted by homosexuality," according to the insert in the bulletin of the Wasilla Bible Church, where Palin has prayed for about six years.

Palin's conservative Christian views have energized that part of the GOP electorate, which was lukewarm to John McCain's candidacy before he named her as his vice presidential choice. She is staunchly anti-abortion, opposing exceptions for rape and incest, and opposes gay marriage and spousal rights for gay couples.

Focus on the Family, a national Christian fundamentalist organization, is conducting the "Love Won Out" Conference in Anchorage, about 30 miles from Wasilla.

Palin has not publicly expressed a view on the so-called "pray away the gay" movement. Larry Kroon, senior pastor at Palin's church, was not available to discuss the matter, said a church worker who declined to give her name.

Gay activists in Alaska said Palin has not worked actively against their interests, but early in her administration she supported a bill to overrule a court decision to block state benefits for gay partners of public employees. At the time, less than one-half of 1 percent of state employees had applied for the benefits, which were ordered by a 2005 ruling by the Alaska Supreme Court.

Palin reversed her position and vetoed the bill after the state attorney general said it was unconstitutional. But her reluctant support didn't win fans among Alaska's gay population, said Scott Turner, a gay activist in Anchorage.

"Less than 1 percent of state employees would even apply for benefits, so why make a big deal out of such a small number?" he said.

___

McCain, Obama plan joint stop at Ground Zero

WASHINGTON (AP) — Sens. John McCain and Barack Obama say they'll put aside partisan politics for a joint appearance at Ground Zero to mark the seventh anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks.

The Democratic and Republican presidential nominees, in a statement, said Saturday they will appear together at the World Trade Center site on Thursday "to honor the memory of each and every American who died" in the 2001 attacks.

The campaigns already had agreed to suspend television advertising critical of each other on Sept. 11. The McCain campaign has said it will air no ads that day.

Both campaigns have been running negative television ads and, at the just-concluded political conventions, held back in exploiting partisan differences.

Obama and McCain said Thursday will be different.

"All of us came together on 9/11 — not as Democrats or Republicans — but as Americans," they said. "We were united as one American family. On Thursday, we will put aside politics and come together to renew that unity."

A group backing community service, MyGoodDeed.org, wants Sept. 11 to become a national day of voluntary service and had asked that Obama and McCain perform acts of community service instead of campaigning.

Nearly 3,000 people were killed after hijackers rammed passenger airplanes into the Twin Towers in New York and the Pentagon. The death total includes 40 passengers and crew members aboard the fourth hijacked plane, United 93. It crashed in a field near Shanksville, Pa., as passengers rushed the cockpit, investigators believe.

___

THE DEMOCRATS

Barack Obama had no public events scheduled; Joe Biden campaigns in Kalispell, Mont.

___

THE REPUBLICANS

John McCain and Sarah Palin had no public events scheduled.

___

QUOTE OF THE DAY:

"When you start just focusing exclusively on trying to tear the other person down instead of what you are going to do on behalf of the American people to deal with this economy, then that's not serving Democrats, that's not serving Republicans, that's not serving anybody." — Barack Obama.

___

STAT OF THE DAY:

The largest bloc of Catholic voters — 41 percent — identify as independents, up 11 percentage points from 2004, according to February polling for Georgetown University's Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate.

Compiled by Ann Sanner and Ronald Powers.
The Associated Press: Today on the presidential campaign trail

__________________

Comicsartist

Today on the presidential campaign trail

By The Associated Press – 6 hours ago

IN THE HEADLINES

Palin: Obama shouldn't 'go there' when talking about earmarks ... Obama talks about the economy in Michigan ... No dustup with Palin in sight as Clinton asserts the election is about issues ... Bush, Cheney say Palin would be a good veep, praise her speech as "superb" ... Biden says Obama administration would make middle class top priority ... Obama drops daughters off for first day of school

___

McCain, Palin criticize Obama on earmarks

LEE'S SUMMIT, Mo. (AP) — John McCain and Sarah Palin criticized Democrat Barack Obama over the amount of money he has requested for his home state of Illinois, even though Alaska under Palin's leadership has asked Washington for 10 times more money per citizen for pet projects.

At a rally in Missouri, the Republican presidential nominee and his running mate accused Obama of requesting nearly $1 billion in earmarks for his state during his time as a senator. The new line of attack came after Obama made his first direct criticism of Palin over the weekend, using the topic of earmarks, which are special projects that lawmakers try to get for their districts and constituents.

"Just the other day our opponent brought up earmarks — and frankly I was surprised that he would even raise the subject at all," Palin said. "I thought he wouldn't want to go there."

Obama hasn't asked for any earmarks this year. Last year, he asked for $311 million worth, about $25 for every Illinois resident. Alaska asked this year for earmarks totaling $198 million, about $295 for every Alaska citizen.

Palin has cut back on pork project requests, but under her administration, Alaska is still and by far the largest per-capita consumer of federal pet-project spending.

McCain and Palin were presented as a maverick team in a campaign ad released Monday that played up their reputation for taking on entrenched interests. The ad credits Palin with stopping the bridge without mentioning she once appeared to support it.

___

Obama visits Michigan to talk about the economy

FLINT, Mich. (AP) — Democrat Barack Obama said Monday his Republican opponent will continue President Bush's economic policies of the last eight years that have made it harder for middle-class families to get by.

"You don't have to tell the people of Flint or the people of Michigan that our economy is not in good shape," the Illinois senator said at Mott Community College in Flint. "You do need to tell John McCain — because just a few weeks ago he said the economy was fundamentally sound."

Monday afternoon's visit was his third to the battleground state in nine days. Later Monday, he will stop in the Detroit suburb of Farmington Hills for a "town hall-style" event.

Michigan's 8.5 percent unemployment rate is the highest in the country. Domestic automakers are struggling to stay afloat.

The troubled U.S. economy has become a big factor in the presidential campaign, mostly eclipsing the Iraq war as voters worry about losing their jobs, homes and health insurance coverage.

___

A Hillary vs. Sarah smackdown? Don't bet on it

KISSIMMEE, Fla. (AP) — Anyone wanting a Hillary vs. Sarah smackdown might be in for a letdown.

First, Sarah Palin launched her Republican vice presidential campaign with praise for the strides made by Hillary Rodham Clinton in her quest for the Democratic presidential nomination. On Monday, Clinton spoke in kind.

"It is a great accomplishment," Clinton said of Palin's selection as the GOP's first female running mate. Clinton told a rally of 500 that the election will be decided on issues, not the historical significance of the candidates, and Democrat Barack Obama and his running mate Joe Biden bring more to the table than the Republican ticket.

"Women as well as men make their decisions after they weigh the evidence," Clinton said. "As Americans go into that voting booth, what they have to ask themselves is not so much who am I for, as who is for me? And I don't think it's an even close question that we have the ticket that is going to do the best job in restoring the American promise."

___

Bush, Cheney give Palin thumbs-up

ROME (AP) — There's nothing stopping Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin from serving well in the White House, according to the men who now hold the nation's highest offices.

"She's had executive experience, and that's what it takes to be a capable person in here in Washington, D.C. in the executive branch," President Bush said in an interview to air Tuesday on Fox News Channel's "Fox and Friends."

"John McCain made an inspired pick," Bush added. The former two-term Texas governor came to Washington without experience in national office — the path Palin is trying to follow.

Meanwhile, Vice President Dick Cheney told reporters in Rome on Monday that he "loved" Palin's speech to the Republican National Convention, which he watched "with great interest." Cheney laughed when he recounted her line about the difference between hockey moms and pit bulls being a coat of lipstick.

"I thought her appearance at the convention was superb," Cheney said.

___

Biden courts workers, Catholics, Packers fans

GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin will eventually have to defend "some fairly extreme views" on climate change when she starts granting interviews as Republican presidential hopeful John McCain's running mate, her Democratic rival Joe Biden said Monday.

"Her views on everything from global warming to a host of other things, if they are as presented, they are pretty far out there," Biden said during a town hall-style meeting. "She's going to have to defend those positions."

Palin has expressed doubt over whether human activity has contributed to global warming and has clashed with environmentalists over classifying the polar bear as a threatened species and her defense of Alaska's right to shoot down wolves from the air to boost caribou and moose herds for hunters.

Biden, the Democratic presidential nominee, also pledged help for laid-off paper workers, courted Catholic voters and claimed to be a longtime Green Bay Packers fan.

Obama and McCain are competing for Wisconsin's 10 electoral votes, and polls show a tight race.

___

Obama takes daughters to first day of school

CHICAGO (AP) — Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama held his daughters' hands when he escorted them to their first day of school on Monday.

The girls arrived at the University of Chicago Laboratory Schools in a five-SUV motorcade after a short drive from their South Side home.

It was the first day of classes for 10-year-old Malia, a fifth-grader, and 7-year-old Sasha, in second grade. They'd spent some of their summer on the campaign trail with their dad.

"The fifth grader didn't really want me to go up to the classroom, but I went," Obama said with a smile at an event a few hours later in Flint, Mich. "She's still daddy's girl."

___

DAILY TRACK

Republican John McCain has a 5-percentage-point lead over Democrat Barack Obama — he has 49 percent to Obama's 44 percent — among registered voters in the presidential race, according to the latest Gallup Poll daily tracking update.

___

THE DEMOCRATS

Barack Obama has scheduled stops in the Michigan cities of Flint and Farmington Hills.

Joe Biden campaigned in Green Bay, Wis., before heading to Des Moines, Iowa.

___

THE REPUBLICANS

John McCain and Sarah Palin campaigned in Lee's Summit, Mo.

___

QUOTE OF THE DAY:

"He wins the primary, gets a sidekick who's a woman and, all of the sudden, he's about change." — Bettina Evans, 49, of Raytown, Mo., speaking about Republican John McCain.

___

STAT OF THE DAY:

Four Arizona politicians, including John McCain in 2000, have run for president. All lost.

Compiled by Ann Sanner.
The Associated Press: Today on the presidential campaign trail

__________________

Comicsartist

Today on the presidential campaign trail

By The Associated Press – 3 hours ago

IN THE HEADLINES

McCain edges Obama with help from whites in AP-GfK poll ... McCain misstates that Palin didn't seek earmarks ... Palin says she has never disputed human impact on climate change ... Obama campaign sharpens attacks against McCain in memo and ad ... Biden releases 10 years of personal tax records ... McCain campaign seeks to downplay Palin's book incident

___

McCain takes slim lead over Obama in AP-GfK poll

WASHINGTON (AP) — Republican John McCain has taken a modest lead over Barack Obama entering the final seven weeks of their presidential contest, buoyed by decisive advantages among suburban and working-class whites and a huge edge in how people rate each candidate's experience, a poll showed Friday.

McCain has had some success parrying his Democratic opponent's efforts to tie him to the deeply unpopular President Bush, according to the AP-GfK Poll of likely voters. Half say they believe the Arizona senator would chart a different path from Bush, including a slight majority of independents, a pivotal group of voters.

The survey has plenty of positive signs for Obama as well. The Illinois senator is generally doing about as well with whites as Democrat John Kerry did in his losing but close 2004 race against Bush. Obama has an 18-percentage-point lead over McCain among voters who look more to a contender's values and views than experience, and a modest advantage in the number of supporters who say they will definitely vote for their candidate.

Even so, the survey — conducted after both parties staged their conventions and picked their vice presidential candidates — conforms with others that have shown the Republicans grabbing the momentum after a summer in which Obama had steadily maintained a slim lead. According to the AP-GfK Poll, McCain leads Obama 48 percent to 44 percent.

___

McCain says Palin never sought earmarks even though she did

NEW YORK (AP) — Republican John McCain said Friday that running mate Sarah Palin has never asked for money for lawmakers' pet projects as Alaska governor when in fact she has sought nearly $200 million in earmarks this year.

McCain made the comments as he appeared on the ABC television show "The View" as part of his effort to woo women to his candidacy.

The Arizona senator said the GOP vice presidential nominee would be good for the country because she would reform government, and specifically cited curbing federal spending for earmarks.

When pressed about Palin's record of requesting and accepting such money for Alaska, McCain ignored the record and said: "Not as governor she didn't."

___

Palin's statements on climate change murky

FORT WAINWRIGHT, Alaska (AP) — Vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin's assertion that she believes humans contribute to global warming — made in her first major interview since joining the Republican ticket — is more definitive than her previous statements.

Palin said she didn't disagree with scientists that "man's activities" could be contributing to the problem.

"Show me where I have ever said that there's absolute proof that nothing that man has ever conducted or engaged in has had any effect or no effect on climate change," Palin told ABC News in an interview broadcast Thursday and Friday. "I have not said that."

However, in the past Palin has expressed doubts about the connection between emissions from human activities and global warming. She told the Internet news site Newsmax last month, "A changing environment will affect Alaska more than any other state, because of our location. ... I'm not one, though, who would attribute it to being man-made."

In a letter to Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne in December 2006 about listing the polar bear as a threatened species, Palin questioned what human activities could be regulated to help the bear.

"When a species' habitat (in this case, sea ice) is declining due to climate change, but there are no discrete human activities that can be regulated or modified to effect change, what do you do?" she wrote.

___

Obama mocks McCain as computer illiterate

NEW YORK (AP) — John McCain is mocked as an out-of-touch, out-of-date computer illiterate in a television commercial out Friday from Barack Obama as the Democrat begins his sharpest barrage yet on McCain's long Washington career.

The new fighting spirit comes as McCain has been gaining in the polls and some Democrats have been expressing concern the Obama campaign has not been aggressive enough. Obama's campaign says the escalation will involve advertising and pushes made by the candidate, running mate Joe Biden and other surrogates across the country.

The newest ad showcasing their hard line includes unflattering footage of McCain at a hearing in the early '80s, wearing giant glasses and an out-of-style suit, interspersed with shots of a disco ball, a clunky phone, an outdated computer and a Rubik's Cube.

"1982, John McCain goes to Washington," an announcer says over chirpy elevator music. "Things have changed in the last 26 years, but McCain hasn't.

___

Biden releases decade of financial records

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Democratic vice presidential nominee Joe Biden and his wife on Friday released a decade of their personal financial records, showing a veteran U.S. senator who earned less than many of his congressional colleagues.

The Bidens' move is designed to pressure Republican vice presidential pick Sarah Palin to release her financial records. An aide to GOP presidential nominee John McCain said the campaign would release the documents but gave no indication when that would happen.

Joe and Jill Biden earned $319,853 in 2007. Joe Biden reported $161,708 in income from the U.S. Senate and another $71,000 in royalties for his book, "Promises to Keep."

Jill Biden earned $66,546 at her job at Delaware Technical and Community College, where she teaches English.

The couple paid $42,516 in federal taxes and another $10,912 in Delaware state taxes in 2007.

___

GOP campaign downplays Palin book-banning inquiry

WASILLA, Alaska (AP) — The McCain campaign is defending Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin's much-criticized inquiry into banning books at her hometown library, saying her questions were only hypothetical.

Shortly after taking office in 1996 as mayor of Wasilla, a city of about 7,000 people, Palin asked the city's head librarian about banning books. Later, the librarian was notified by Palin that she was being fired, although Palin backed off under pressure.

Palin's alleged attempt at book-banning has been a matter of intense interest since Republican presidential nominee John McCain named her as his running mate last month.

Taylor Griffin, a spokesman for the McCain campaign, said Thursday that Palin asked the head librarian, Mary Ellen Emmons, on three occasions how she would react to attempts at banning books. He said the questions, in the fall of 1996, were hypothetical and entirely appropriate. He said a patron had asked the library to remove a title the year before and the mayor wanted to understand how such disputes were handled.

Records on the city's Web site, however, do not show any books were challenged in Wasilla in the 10 years before Palin took office.

___

DAILY TRACK

Republican John McCain has a slight lead over Democrat Barack Obama — 48 percent to Obama's 45 percent — among registered voters in the presidential race, according to the latest Gallup Poll daily tracking update.

___

THE DEMOCRATS

Barack Obama campaigned in New Hampshire.

Joe Biden raises campaign cash in Texas.

___

THE REPUBLICANS

John McCain is interviewed for "The View" and "Rachael Ray" television shows.

Sarah Palin is in Wasilla, Alaska, with no public schedule.

___

QUOTE OF THE DAY:

"My heart sort of runs with McCain and my mind probably tends to run toward Obama." — David Scorup, 58, a county government official in Othello, Wash.

___

STAT OF THE DAY:

New Hampshire has 4 electoral votes.

Compiled by Ann Sanner.
The Associated Press: Today on the presidential campaign trail

__________________

Comicsartist

Today on the presidential campaign trail

The Associated Press

IN THE HEADLINES

Biden says paying higher taxes gives wealthier Americans a chance to be patriotic ... Obama tells voters McCain is not a moderate on abortion despite that perception ... Hagel says it's a 'stretch' to call Palin qualified to be president ... Their town still recovering from flooding, Cedar Rapids residents wish McCain would tour city

---

Biden calls paying higher taxes a patriotic act

WASHINGTON (AP) - Democratic vice presidential candidate Joe Biden said Thursday that paying more in taxes is the patriotic thing to do for wealthier Americans. In a new TV ad that repeats widely debunked claims about the Democratic tax plan, the Republican campaign calls Obama's tax increases "painful."

Under the economic plan proposed by Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama, people earning more than $250,000 a year would pay more in taxes while those earning less - the vast majority of American taxpayers - would receive a tax cut.

Although Republican John McCain claims that Obama would raise taxes, the independent Tax Policy Center and other groups conclude that four out of five U.S. households would receive tax cuts under Obama's proposals.

"We want to take money and put it back in the pocket of middle-class people," Biden said in an interview on ABC's "Good Morning America."

Noting that wealthier Americans would indeed pay more, Biden said: "It's time to be patriotic ... time to jump in, time to be part of the deal, time to help get America out of the rut."

---

Obama casts light on McCain's abortion record

WASHINGTON (AP) - Republican John McCain, an abortion rights opponent with a conservative Senate record on the issue, seems content with the public's perception that he's more moderate on the issue.

Democrat Barack Obama, who supports abortion rights, is only too happy to remind voters where McCain stands, but he tries to make his case without attracting too much attention.

Both candidates are gingerly trying to strike the right chord on abortion as they reach out to a critical voting group - independents and moderates, primarily women in swing-voting suburban regions of crucial states such as Pennsylvania, Michigan and Ohio.

The candidates' carefully targeted ads on abortion and stem-cell research, topics that enflame passions among both abortion-rights proponents and opponents, illustrate how Republicans and Democrats alike are tailoring their messages to specific groups of voters.

Cultural issues have largely taken a back seat this presidential campaign to the frail economy and the Iraq war, as well as questions of character and promises of change.

But with polls showing a close White House race, each candidate is trying to woo voters concerned about particular issues in hopes they will help tip the balance on Nov. 4. As with abortion, the candidates are likely to use radio and campaign mail on other social topics, such as gun control and gay rights.

---

GOP senator: A 'stretch' to say Palin is qualified

WASHINGTON (AP) - Nebraska Republican Sen. Chuck Hagel said his party's vice presidential nominee, Sarah Palin, lacks foreign policy experience and called it a "stretch" to say she's qualified to be president.

"She doesn't have any foreign policy credentials," Hagel said in an interview published Thursday by the Omaha World-Herald. "You get a passport for the first time in your life last year? I mean, I don't know what you can say. You can't say anything."

Could Palin lead the country if GOP presidential nominee John McCain could not?

"I think it's a stretch to, in any way, to say that she's got the experience to be president of the United States," Hagel said.

McCain and other Republicans have defended Palin's qualifications, citing Alaska's proximity to Russia. Palin told ABC News, "They're our next-door neighbors and you can actually see Russia from land here in Alaska, from an island in Alaska."

Hagel took issue with that argument. "I think they ought to be just honest about it and stop the nonsense about, 'I look out my window and I see Russia and so therefore I know something about Russia,'" he said. "That kind of thing is insulting to the American people."

Hagel, a senior member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, has been a vocal critic of the Bush administration since the 2003 invasion of Iraq. Although he didn't expect to be asked, Hagel once said he would have considered serving as Democrat Barack Obama's running mate.

---

Cedar Rapids residents wish McCain would tour city

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) - Republican McCain's decision to hold an airport rally while skipping a tour of a city still reeling from summer flooding has some in Cedar Rapids grumbling.

McCain, they say, is only the latest official to ignore their city's pain.

"That's exactly what's happening," said Lee Clancey, a Republican and a former mayor who is coordinating flood recovery efforts. "I don't know if his advance team is making him aware that there are significant needs here."

McCain's schedule for Thursday calls for him to land at the Eastern Iowa Airport about five miles outside of Cedar Rapids, hold a rally at a private flying service with running mate Sarah Palin, then wing off to his next event.

"He's in and out," said David Roederer, chairman of McCain's campaign in Iowa. There had been "some discussion" about touring the flood-ravaged city, he said, but scheduling pressures barely six weeks before the election prevailed.

---

THE DEMOCRATS

Barack Obama holds a rally in Espanola, N.M.

Joe Biden campaigns in Ohio.

---

THE REPUBLICANS

John McCain and Sarah Palin talk to voters in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and Green Bay, Wis.

---

QUOTE OF THE DAY:

"It's time to be patriotic ... time to jump in, time to be part of the deal, time to help get America out of the rut." - Democratic vice presidential candidate Joe Biden, speaking about wealthier Americans paying more taxes, in an interview on ABC's "Good Morning America."

---

STAT OF THE DAY:

Since their party conventions, the two presidential campaigns have shown ads nearly 70,000 times in battleground states and on national cable and national network television at a total cost of more than $15 million, according to TNS Media Intelligence/Campaign Media Analysis Group, a firm that tracks ads.
Compiled by Ann Sanner.
www.kansascity.com | 09/18/2008 | Today on the presidential campaign trail

__________________

Comicsartist

Today on the presidential campaign trail

By The Associated Press – 8 hours ago

IN THE HEADLINES

McCain seeks to delay debate to focus on economy, Obama says let's proceed ... Palin says another Great Depression could be in store ... Biden says McCain often wrong about security issues ... Poll finds 18 percent of voters are up for grabs, economy key to getting their support ... Source says Freddie Mac paid $15,000 a month to lobbying firm of McCain campaign manager

___

McCain seeks to delay debate to focus on economy

NEW YORK (AP) — Republican John McCain said Wednesday he wants to delay Friday's debate with Democratic rival Barack Obama and temporarily put aside their partisan campaign to resolve the nation's financial crisis.

McCain's announcement came after the two candidates held private talks about joining forces to address the Wall Street meltdown. Obama's campaign said the Democrat initiated the talks, but McCain beat Obama to the punch with the first public statement calling for them to rise above politics in a crisis.

In response, Obama said "it's more important than ever" that the debate be held as scheduled.

"This is exactly the time when the American people need to hear from the person who, in approximately 40 days, will be responsible for dealing with this mess," Obama said at a news conference in Clearwater, Fla.

McCain said the Bush administration's $700 billion bailout plan seemed headed for defeat and that a bipartisan solution was urgently needed.

He said he would set politics aside and return to Washington on Thursday to focus on the country's financial problems after he addresses former President Clinton's Global Initiative session in New York. McCain also said he had spoken with President Bush and asked him to convene a leadership meeting in Washington that would include him and Obama.

McCain also canceled his planned appearance Wednesday on CBS' "The Late Show with David Letterman."

Senior campaign adviser Mark Salter said the campaign would suspend all advertising and campaign events until a workable deal is reached on the bailout proposal — but only if Obama's campaign agrees to do the same.

___

Palin says 2nd Great Depression could be in store

NEW YORK (AP) — Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin said Wednesday that the United States could be headed for another Great Depression if Congress doesn't act on the financial crisis.

Palin commented in an interview with "CBS Evening News" anchor Katie Couric while visiting New York to meet with foreign leaders for the first time in her political career. Asked whether Great Depression could set in if Congress doesn't approve the Bush administration's $700 billion bailout proposal, Palin said: "Unfortunately, that is the road that America may find itself on."

The Alaska governor said the solution doesn't necessarily have to be the proposed bailout plan, but that it should be some form of bipartisan action to reform Wall Street.

Meanwhile, as Palin sought to establish her credentials in world affairs, first lady Laura Bush said Palin didn't have enough foreign policy experience but was a "quick study."

Palin got a glimpse of ground zero for the Sept. 11 terror attacks as her motorcade sped to a private meeting with Iraqi President Jalal Talabani. She also met with Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari before preparing to join McCain for an evening session with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

Earlier Wednesday, the two candidates met together with Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili and Ukrainian President Viktor Yuschenko.

___

Biden says McCain often wrong on national security

CINCINNATI (AP) — Democratic vice presidential candidate Joe Biden on Wednesday questioned John McCain's judgment to be commander in chief, arguing that the Republican presidential candidate would keep digging the United States into a hole of isolation and insecurity.

"Our country is less secure and more isolated than it has been at any time in recent history," Biden said in a speech. "This administration has dug America into a very deep hole around the world at a time our leadership is needed to meet the challenges of the 21st century."

Biden said a central question is which candidate can get the U.S. out of that hole, and he said it is Democrat Barack Obama.

"Nothing is more important than judgment," Biden said. "But time and again, on the most critical national security issues of our time,