-
Voters (Heart) Obama, But Think Like McCain
Tweet Share on Facebook May 16, 2008 Comment (27)
ILLUSTRATION BY JOE CIARDIELLO FOR USN&WRThis election is starting to look like a tragic play, one where the heart fights the brain. Polls show that voters are passionate about Sen. Barack Obama. Even 23-year-old Meghan McCain thinks he's "cute." But when they consider where the candidates stand on the political spectrum, voters find themselves closer to Sen. John McCain. The latest evidence comes to us from the Winston Group, which just asked voters where they stand ideologically compared with Obama, the Democrat, and Republican McCain.
Winston Group Senior Vice President Myra Miller says most voters see themselves as center-right. On a scale of 1 to 9, with 1 being very liberal, 5 moderate, and 9 very conservative, the average voter is at 5.85. Miller says voters put McCain just to their right, at 5.94. And Obama is off to the left at 4.1.
So is it a lock for McCain? Well, yes, no—and maybe. "Because they are ideologically closer to McCain, voters will be more inclined to hear what he has to say and be open to his ideas, presenting McCain with a structural advantage toward building a center-right majority coalition," says Miller. However, she adds, "it is not a given that voters will vote for a candidate that they are closer to ideologically. Voters still want to hear ideas and what a candidate is going to do, especially in this environment." So keep on talking, guys.
-
Taliban Recruits: 4-Year-Olds
Tweet Share on Facebook May 16, 2008 Comment (1)Two new problems are plaguing the U.S.-backed recovery of Afghanistan. Said Jawad, the Afghan ambassador in Washington, tells us that the Pakistan-based Taliban is recruiting and training the handicapped and kids as young as 4 to be suicide bombers. "We do see a trend of increase," he says of the Taliban's horrific efforts. Then, he says, there's the problem with some NATO troops who are poorly trained to fight and operate under constraints. Like: Countries he refused to name won't let troops fight at night or even cooperate with other NATO forces.
-
An All-Arkansas Team for Veep?
Tweet Share on Facebook May 16, 2008 CommentA lot of historic barriers have been busted through in this presidential year, and another looms: Could both running mates herald from Arkansas? Democratic and Republican insiders say it might happen. The easiest to figure out is former Gov. Mike Huckabee, the darling of conservatives, perhaps joining Republican Sen. John McCain. But now there's talk that former Gen. Wesley Clark, a backer of Sen. Hillary Clinton, is getting the once-over from Sen. Barack Obama, the likely Democratic nominee. Reason: The ex-NATO boss would give Obama some national security credentials, and he might make it easier for Clintonistas to join the Obama bandwagon.
-
Now Hear This: Stay Fit or Else
Tweet Share on Facebook May 16, 2008 Comment (2)Reveille is 0400 at the home of the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Adm. Mike Mullen. In the predawn, we hear, the Pentagon boss hits the gym to lift weights and swim, explaining how the 6-foot-1 U.S. Naval Academy grad stays buff. Spokesman Capt. John Kirby says: "The chairman believes strongly in the power of physical fitness to reduce stress and improve one's health and well-being. He sees it very much as a readiness issue and is dedicated to making it a part of his life." Mullen's more into fitness than sweat. "He is less concerned about maintaining a given weight than he is in general fitness," adds Kirby. And he wants to lead by example. Kirby says Mullen "believes that all members of the military should maintain appropriate fitness levels, regardless of their rank or age." Of course, it's easy for the skipper. A member of the class of 1968, he played four sports and still finds time for golf and fly-fishing.
-
Harry Reid Was Boring on Purpose
Tweet Share on Facebook May 16, 2008 CommentSenate Majority Leader Harry Reid has advice for budding book authors seeking the "Jon Stewart bump" from Comedy Central's The Daily Show. Don't try to be funny. Reid, who appeared on the show recently to promote his autobio The Good Fight, says he didn't come up with the slapstick others try. "I just knew I was going to try not to be funny," Reid tells us. His typically soft approach seemed to stump Stewart. "You are someone who has a reputation for toughness," said a perplexed Stewart. "And yet as I look across from you, I think, 'I could filibuster this man.' "
-
Fading Interest in the Gipper, JFK
Tweet Share on Facebook May 16, 2008 CommentIn the world of Americana, nothing is as valuable as items from the Camelot period. Or used to be. Purveyors now say that the shine is off John F. Kennedy because buyers are aging and the market is flooded. Bill Panagopulos, president of Alexander Autographs, the big Americana auction house, saw the trend last month when JFK's 1960 campaign watch, expected to bring $100,000, was passed over by bidders. "Yup, JFK is definitely cooling off." Ditto for the once popular Ronald Reagan. There is hope, though. The dollar's drop has made autographs popular with Euros. "Items with appeal to foreigners are rocketing in price, while the bread-and-butter American autographs are good for lining bird cages," he says.
-
The Dirt on a Rosy White House Plot
Tweet Share on Facebook May 16, 2008 CommentThe roses are blooming again in the White House Rose Garden, a tribute to former first lady Edith Wilson, who renovated former first lady Edith Roosevelt's garden off the Oval Office into the Rose Garden. "There's no garden that compares to the White House garden. History was made there," says Richard Kurin, the Smithsonian Institution's acting under secretary. Now he and the White House Historical Association want to bring the White House gardens to the nation. The two organizations have assembled a huge traveling display set to visit up to 20 cities over the next four years. The history is a rich one. Teddy Roosevelt destroyed the elaborate rooftop greenhouses of previous presidents when he restored the White House. And Bill Clinton, famous for allergies, planted the most memorial trees—five, one more than George H.W. Bush.
-
Out Loud: May 16, 2008
Tweet Share on Facebook May 16, 2008 Comment (4)"It's not over until the lady in the pantsuit says it is."
Sen. Hillary Clinton, refusing to leave the presidential race
"Wouldn't taking his advice be a little like getting health tips from a funeral home director?"
Bill Burton, spokesman for Sen. Barack Obama, on advice from former Bush aide Karl Rove, now a Fox News analyst
"Write the check, and be happy."
President Bush, who married off his daughter this month, on tips he learned watching Steve Martin's Father of the Bride
"The president is the president of the United States."
Dana Perino, White House spokeswoman, dismissing charges that President Bush was criticizing Obama in a speech on U.S. policy on Israel
"She loves football, she'll go to hockey games, and, I jokingly say, 'Now, if I could only get her to have sex with me.'"
Gov. Tim Pawlenty, of Minnesota and a GOP running mate contender, referring to his wife in a radio interview
Sources: USA Today, New York Times, Politico, White House, WCCO
-
Cartoon: May 16, 2008
Tweet Share on Facebook May 16, 2008 Comment -
John McCain Still Backs Closing Gun Show Loophole
Tweet Share on Facebook May 15, 2008 Comment (35)
Amid some confusion over his positions on gun control, Republican presidential candidate Sen. John McCain plans to tell a National Rifle Association meeting Friday that he still supports closing the gun show loophole. "He will reiterate his support for background checks at gun shows," said a campaign spokeswoman. Groups opposed to McCain have been playing up comments from the senator following the Virginia Tech shootings that the nation doesn't need any more gun control laws. Associates, however, say that strong support of the Second Amendment does not clash with McCain's long-standing support for criminal background checks at gun shows where dealers can sell weapons without requiring instant background checks like more traditional stores that sell handguns. McCain's comments will likely lead to some grumbling among the NRA crowd, but organization officials say that McCain is a better supporter of the Second Amendment than either of the Democratic presidential candidates.
When he arrives, he will be met with a newspaper ad--seen above--from the pro- Barack Obama group American Hunters and Shooters Association. The small group backs limits on purchases and has been at war with the far larger NRA. The ad says that McCain was for closing the gun show loophole "before he was against it," but McCain officials say that charge is false and built on wrong claims that his rejection of gun control laws following the Virginia Tech massacre was a repudiation of his continued support for background checks at gun shows. Ray Schoenke, president of American Hunters, told Whispers this morning that he is pleased to hear that McCain still supports closing the gun show loophole but wants to "keep his feet to the fire" on the issue. "We welcome that," he said, though added that he felt "Obama is more in tune with American hunters and shooters."
