Friday, July 25, 2008

Judge tosses suit against McCain over citizenship

CONCORD – A federal judge dismissed Thursday a Nashua man's legal challenge that Republican presidential nominee-to-be Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., was ineligible because he was born in the Panama Canal Zone. After a one-hour hearing, U.S. District Court Judge Joseph LaPlante ruled Fred Hollander, of 56 Dorchester Way, lacked legal standing to bring the complaint.

Friday, July 25, 2008

In Berlin, Obama calls for unity to fight terrorism

BERLIN – Cheered by an enormous international crowd, Democratic presidential contender Sen. Barack Obama, of Illinois, on Thursday summoned Europeans and Americans together to "defeat terror and dry up the well of extremism that supports it" as surely as they conquered communism a generation ago.

Thursday, July 24, 2008

Obama pledges support for Israel

Vote '08: President

SDEROT, Israel – From the solemnity of a Holocaust museum to a dusty village battered by Hamas rockets, Democratic presidential contender Barack Obama on Wednesday professed "an unshakable commitment to the security" of Israel, whether the threat comes from terrorists, Iran or elsewhere.

Thursday, July 24, 2008

McCain says he didn't misstate facts on buildup

Vote '08: President

BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Republican John McCain pushed back Wednesday against Democratic criticism that he misstated when the troop buildup ordered by President Bush began, saying elements were put in place before Bush announced the strategy in early 2007.

Wednesday, July 23, 2008

McCain rips Obama on Iraq

Vote '08: President

ROCHESTER – Sen. John McCain charged Tuesday that rival Sen. Barack Obama would rather lose the war in Iraq if it means winning this fall’s election. The presumptive GOP nominee told a nearly packed house of supporters at the Rochester Opera House that a year ago he risked his political future by embracing an unpopular troop surge that helped reduce U.S. casualties in Iraq.

Wednesday, July 23, 2008

Presidential candidates trying to beat the clock

CONCORD - Third-party candidates Ralph Nader and Bob Barr are working to beat a deadline to qualify for New Hampshire's presidential ballot as alternatives to Republican John McCain and Democrat Barack Obama. Nader spokesman Chris Driscoll said Tuesday the campaign has gathered about 3,000 signatures of registered voters and hopes to have 6,000 by the Aug.

Wednesday, July 23, 2008

The perfect part: Cindy McCain happy to play supporting role

Vote '08: President

WASHINGTON – Cindy McCain might yearn to be invisible sometimes, or at the very least, not surrounded by the Secret Service and photographers and gawking people. The scrutiny seems too much to bear. Something about that half-apologetic manner.

Sunday, July 20, 2008

AFL-CIO falsely attacks McCain over veterans’ health care

The AFL-CIO points to Republican Sen. John McCain’s votes against Democratic proposals to increase funding. Those were defeated along party lines and were accompanied by alternative measures to increase benefits by smaller amounts, all of which passed unanimously or with near-unanimous majorities. McCain supported all of them.

Sunday, July 20, 2008

Obama spends first day in Afghanistan

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) – Sen. Barack Obama visited Saturday with U.S. troops and Afghan officials in this war-weary nation, the focal point of his proposed strategy for dealing with threats to the U.S. if elected president.

Friday, July 18, 2008

Obama raises $52m in June

WASHINGTON – Though he's raking in the cash so far, Sen. Barack Obama's decision to forgo public funds for the fall campaign means he must keep up his torrid pace – a tall order that will tax his time, test his Internet support and require the help of Democratic donors who once wished for his defeat.

Friday, July 18, 2008

Nashuans to lead McCain vets group

Two Nashua area activists will co-chair the coalition of veterans for Republican presidential nominee-to-be Sen. John McCain. Dr. Griffin Dalianis of Nashua and former Veterans of Foreign Wars State Commander Paul Chevalier head up a group that served in military conflicts from World War II to combat operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Thursday, July 17, 2008

Obama to mark birthday in Boston

CHICAGO (AP) – Barack Obama is planning to spend part of his 47th birthday in Massachusetts. The Democratic presidential contender will visit Boston on Aug. 4 for a fundraiser. Details are still being finalized.

Thursday, July 17, 2008

McCain tells NAACP he will help pupils

CINCINNATI (AP) – John McCain told the NAACP and some skeptical black voters Wednesday that he will expand education opportunities, partly through vouchers for low-income children to attend private school.

Wednesday, July 16, 2008

Obama, McCain clash on what to do about Iraq war

Vote '08: President

WASHINGTON – The two major presidential rivals sharpened their long-standing dispute over the Iraq War on Tuesday, Democratic Sen. Barack Obama calling it a costly distraction that must end while Republican Sen. John McCain insisted it is a conflict the United States has to win.

Sunday, July 13, 2008

Choices at the top of Libertarian ticket

Republicans have a presidential candidate to support: Sen. John McCain. Democrats also have their man: Sen. Barack Obama. But Libertarians in New Hampshire could have two people to choose from on their presidential ticket, a situation that pleases the state's party chairman but has others worried about confusing voters and diluting what small clout the party has.

Sunday, July 13, 2008

RNC launches false accusation against Obama baout his energy policy

FactWatch '08

An RNC ad claims Obama has "no new solutions" to the energy problem, when he actually proposes $150 billion worth. The RNC made a $3 million buy for its ad, titled "Balance," which is airing in the battleground states of Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. It began airing July 5 and is scheduled to run through July 15.

Sunday, July 13, 2008

Candidates differ on Socal Security

Vote '08: President

WASHINGTON – Sens. Barack Obama and John McCain are both proposing dramatic changes to Social Security, taking on the financially fragile "third rail of American politics" that Congress and recent presidents have been unable to repair.

Sunday, July 6, 2008

McCain struggles to regain footing against Obama in campaign

Analysis:

WASHINGTON – John McCain calls himself an underdog. That may be an understatement. The GOP presidential candidate trails Democrat Barack Obama in polls, organization and money while trying to succeed a deeply unpopular fellow Republican in a year that favors Democrats.

Sunday, July 6, 2008

Obama ad exaggerates his early work, bills he was able to have 'passed'

FactWatch '08

Barack Obama's new ad, "Dignity," is largely a 30-second version of his last one, "Country I Love." It, too, will be airing in 18 states, according to the presumptive Democratic nominee's campaign. The ad begins with the announcer telling us Obama "worked his way through college and Harvard Law."

Friday, July 4, 2008

Obama hits McCain over Iraq comment

FARGO, N.D. (AP) – Democrat Barack Obama says he's always been open to refining his Iraq policy but blamed Republican John McCain's campaign for suggesting "we were changing our policy when we haven't." The Illinois senator called a second news conference of the day Thursday to address the GOP criticism of him and resulting questions about where he stands on Iraq.

Friday, July 4, 2008

McCain brushes off shake-up questions

MEXICO CITY (AP) – Republican presidential candidate John McCain said Thursday that a shake-up in the leadership of his campaign was part of a "natural evolution" as the organization becomes more national in scope. McCain's campaign announced Wednesday that top adviser Steve Schmidt would assume a broad portfolio of duties, with nearly full control over message and strategy.

Wednesday, July 2, 2008

Veterans, soldiers see presidential race through own lens

Vote '08: President

WASHINGTON – Brandon Ziegler served two tours in Iraq and wears a bracelet inscribed with the name of an Army buddy who never made it home. Jim Morin saw action in Iraq and Afghanistan and has lost several friends to the war in Iraq, the latest just a month ago.

Wednesday, July 2, 2008

Obama courting conservatives

ZANESVILLE, Ohio – Taking a page from President Bush, Democrat Barack Obama said Tuesday he wants to expand White House efforts to steer social service dollars to religious groups, risking protests in his own party with his latest aggressive reach for voters who usually vote Republican.

Wednesday, July 2, 2008

McCain defends his support of free trade

Vote '08: President

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) – John McCain portrayed free trade Tuesday as a win-win proposition for the U.S. and its Latin American economic partners, but labor leaders said it's been a big loser for Rust Belt voters.

Sunday, June 29, 2008

Local donations to presidential candidates

Presidential donations have become a lot less complicated since 2007, when enough candidates prowled New Hampshire to make up both sides of a basketball game, including a full contingent of substitutes.

Saturday, June 28, 2008

Obama, Clinton appear together for first time since race ended

UNITY – On a hot, sultry summer's day, Democratic presidential runner-up Hillary Clinton and a victorious Barack Obama came to an aptly-named town to implore supporters to unite as the only way to make progress on health care, education reform, energy independence and ending the war in Iraq.

Saturday, June 28, 2008

'Hanoi Hilton' jailer: I'd vote for McCain

HAIPHONG, Vietnam – Sen. John McCain has an unusual endorsement – from the Vietnamese jailer who says he held him captive for about five years as a prisoner of war and now considers him a friend. "If I were an American voter, I would vote for Mr.

Friday, June 27, 2008

Stumping in N.H., Mrs. Obama lauds Clinton

Vote '08: President

MANCHESTER – Michelle Obama praised her husband's former rival Thursday, crediting Sen. Hillary Clinton with bringing the concerns of working families to the forefront of the presidential campaign. A day before Barack Obama and Clinton were traveling together to tiny Unity, his wife campaigned with former Gov.

Friday, June 27, 2008

Longtime Democrat takes sides with opposition

CONCORD – A former Clinton administration official and Concord Democrat agreed Thursday to co-chair Democrats for John McCain, which backs the Arizona Republican's presidential campaign. James McConaha served as Bill Clinton's Farm Service Agency director in New Hampshire. Former Democratic Gov. Jeanne Shaheen named him to be the state's director of historical resources.

Thursday, June 26, 2008

Candidates reach for Obama's coattails for boost

WASHINGTON – Just a month ago, Republican strategists were trying to closely link Democratic House candidates to Sen. Barack Obama, convinced that in certain parts of the country Obama would drag candidates from his own party down to defeat.