Articles of Interest 1-29-08

282 Days until Election Day

MORNING UPDATE:

President Bush delivered his last State of the Union address.  President Bush presented his strong resolve to keep America’s economy healthy, his initiatives that keep America competitive, cut wasteful spending, and expand education options.

Listen to what the Democrats had to say…how they responded…EVERYTHING they proposed cost taxpayer’s money…EVERYTHING was another “gimme” at your expense…and EVERYTHING was obviously wrong, just because President Bush said it.

The partisan bickering and perspective was little more than politics as usual.

It was raining in Holland yesterday!?!  We spent the afternoon at the headquarters going over our victory plans for 2008.  Ottawa County GOP is ready to lead the way!!!

Pam Bouchard’s mother passed away this weekend.  Please keep Mike, Pam and the rest of the Bouchard family in our prayers.

Many attended a beautiful Memorial Service for former Kent County GOP Chairman Karl Hascall at the Fredrick Meijer Garden yesterday.  Please keep the Hascall family in your prayers.

THE REST OF THE STORY:

No further commentary today.

Saul Anuzis

STATE STORIES

http://www.lsj.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080128/NEWS04/801280348/1005/news

Granholm to focus on state's struggling economy in address

Governor may urge action on foreclosures

January 28, 2008

Chris Andrews

Gov. Jennifer Granholm's fifth State of the State address Tuesday will be her first without a budget crisis looming in the background. But the state's struggling economy remains at the forefront, providing both challenge and opportunity.I f Granholm is to leave office in 2011 with a legacy, the time to set the course is now, said Bill Rustem, president of Public Sector Consultants, a Lansing think tank "What is it that she is going to do for the next three years that will make a mark on Michigan?" Rustem asked. "What is it that 20 years from now people will say, 'I remember during the Granholm administration, this is what happened that changed

Michigan

.' "

http://blog.mlive.com/kzgazette/2008/01/granholm_pushes_for_tougher_sc.html

Granholm pushes for tougher schools

by Peter Luke | Gazette News Service

January 28, 2008

LANSING

-- Gov. Jennifer Granholm will propose Tuesday a $300 million state fund to provide planning and startup cash for the creation of as many as 100 small high schools in

Michigan

.

The schools, designed to replace dysfunctional, industrial-model high schools plagued by high dropout rates and low academic achievement, would be:

• Proposed by local school districts and limited to 400 students or less on a general admission basis.

• Governed on site by a principal with increased autonomy to set budgets, establish curriculum, hire teaching staff and establish work rules.

http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080128/NEWS07/80128086

Economy, trade plans face fights from Michigan

January 28, 2008

By JUSTIN HYDE

President George W. Bush’s final State of the Union address contained several proposals that lawmakers from

Michigan

favor — and a few that aren’t so popular. Excerpts from the president’s speech Monday night highlighted an agreement for a $150-billion economic stimulus plan and his proposals to help homeowners facing mortgage defaults, both of which could help

Michigan

residents. “As we meet tonight, our economy is undergoing a period of uncertainty. … And at kitchen tables across our country, there is concern about our economic future,” Bush said. “In the long run, Americans can be confident about our economic growth.”

http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080128/NEWS01/80128035&theme=KILPATRICK012008

Beatty quits, says she regrets 'devastation' caused by scandal

January 28, 2008

Free Press Staff

Christine Beatty, 37, resigned her post as chief of staff to Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick this morning, saying the text-message scandal engulfing the administration has left her unable to do her job effectively. Kilpatrick's office had no comment on Beatty's resignation, and the mayor still has not been seen in public today. Beatty resigned five days after the Free Press reported in an exclusive investigation that she and the mayor had lied under oath in a whistleblower's suit against the city. Text messages exchanged by the two and obtained by the Free Press contradict what they said on the witness stand about their relationship and about their decision to fire a police officer who was investigating possible wrongdoing by the mayor's staff.

http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080128/METRO/801280418

Detroit

council seeks closed meeting to discuss scandal

Monday, January 28, 2008

Mike Wilkinson / The

Detroit

News

DETROIT

-- Two Detroit City Council members want a private council meeting to talk about how they can investigate possible wrongdoing by Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick and Christine Beatty, his former chief of staff who submitted her resignation today. JoAnn Watson and Council President Pro Tem Monica Conyers have asked the council's lawyers to lay the framework for a closed-door meeting to go over different legal alternatives, Watson said today. Sam Riddle, Conyers' chief of staff, said Conyers may call for an investigation of the settlement between Kilpatrick and the police officers who won a whistleblowers lawsuit against the city. A jury awarded the officers $8.4 million and, after initially vowing to appeal, Kilpatrick and the city settled the case.

http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080128/OPINION03/801280345

Can city withstand scandal's fallout?

Monday, January 28, 2008

By Daniel Howes

Whatever foibles emerged during his six years in office, Kwame Kilpatrick became a driving force behind

Detroit

's economic redevelopment efforts. His lobbying of would-be investors and strong-arming of city bureaucrats to move deals forward quickened momentum despite a chronically sick state economy.  But is the city's fledgling economic foundation, mostly focused in its downtown core, strong enough to move forward without the mayor in office? Yes and no, business and development insiders tell me privately.

http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080128/NEWS01/80128085

Officials, taxpayers have long odds of collecting from Kilpatrick, Beatty

January 28, 2008

By DAVID ASHENFELTER and JENNIFER

DIXON

Slim to none.Those are the odds legal experts give the Detroit City Council or taxpayers of successfully suing Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick and former chief of staff Christine Beatty to recover $9 million the city paid to settle a police whistle-blower suit.

The only way the city will recover any money from Kilpatrick and Beatty is if they are convicted of lying at the police trial and sentenced by a judge to pay restitution, the experts said. “I’m not aware of any legal statute that would allow taxpayers or the City Council to recover any of the money,”

Wayne

State

University

constitutional law professor Robert Sedler said Monday.

http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080128/POLITICS/801280386/1361

Michigan

manufacturer to be highlighted in Bush's presidential address

Monday, January 28, 2008

Deb Price / The

Detroit

News

WASHINGTON

-- President Bush will highlight a

Michigan

manufacturer tonight in his State of the Union address to explain the benefits of the new economic stimulus plan.

The White House announced this morning that James Barnard, the chief financial officer of Barnard Manufacturing in

St. Johns

, will be among invited guests sitting in the First Lady's box in what will be Bush's final State of the Union address. Last Friday, White House press secretary Dana Perino said the president would focus on economic stimulus and

Iraq

. The White House said that the tax provisions in the stimulus plan would help Barnard with his new investment in two machines at his company, which makes pivot pins for bulldozers and other earthmoving equipment.

http://www.lsj.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080128/OPINION01/801280322/1085/opinion

Session rules promote delay

Require shorter sessions to end long before start of fiscal year

January 28, 2008

Lansing

State

Journal

Meet less, get more. Looking at the Michigan Legislature's performance in recent years - 2007 in particular - it's clear the body's rules are too loose, too conducive to a lack of discipline. Facing a $1.8 billion budget deficit for 2008, and an Oct. 1 start of that fiscal year, the House and Senate met in session a total of 27 days in July and August (13 House, 14 Senate) On Sept. 14, 2007, still lacking a budget and facing a government shutdown in two weeks, the Michigan Senate convened in session - for a grand total of 60 seconds before adjourning for two days.

http://www.mlive.com/news/citpat/index.ssf?/base/news-24/1201532753309250.xml&coll=3

Lawmakers push for green energy

Sunday, January 28, 2008

By Chris Gautz

State lawmakers are intensifying efforts to require utilities to use a certain percentage of green energy to keep the lights on. Proponents of the so-called Renewable Portfolio Standard say it not only would lessen the toll on the environment, but significantly improve

Michigan

's chances of attracting jobs in the renewable energy field. Several other states have already adopted mandates, requiring utilities to use anywhere from 10 percent to 25 percent of green energy within the next decade or so.

Michigan

, already struggling economically, will need to get moving to stay competitive. ``Without an RPS, alternative energy businesses will not locate in the state,'' said James Epolito, president and CEO of the Michigan Economic Development Corp., the state's leading economic development agency. ``The trigger to grow in this state is the RPS.''

http://www.mlive.com/news/bctimes/index.ssf?/base/news-11/1201536909188230.xml&coll=4

Michigan

considering five-year high school plan

Monday, January 28, 2008

By AMY PAYNE

If college students can take more than four years to graduate, why not high school students? The state Board of Education is considering a proposal to raise the number of years before graduation for some

Michigan

high school students. Under today's regulations, students count as ''dropouts'' in state records if they don't finish high school in four years - even if they receive their diplomas within the next year. But that could soon change. Carolyn C. Wierda, superintendent of the

Bay City

school district, said she's pleased with the idea of giving students who need it that extra year. Students sometimes need just a couple of classes or a semester of schooling in order to graduate, she said.

''With the focus on increased high school rigor and higher academics for every student, the option of a five-year plan is a very solid idea,'' Wierda said. ''Any high school in

Michigan

is penalized if students do not graduate in four years.''

http://www.lsj.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080128/OPINION02/801280334/1085/opinion

Senate should run from Blue Cross legislation

Individual market bills are nothing but power grab

January 28, 2008

By Bob Deehan

Dr. David Janda, a surgeon from The Institute for Preventative Sports Medicine in Ann Arbor, revealed in a recent column some dangerous flaws in House Bills 5282-5285, addressing so-called individual health insurance "reform". These bills were rammed through the Michigan House of Representatives late last year without debate or meaningful examination of the consequences of the legislation. Presumably, this happened because the Legislature was paralyzed by the infamous budget battle, and chose not to evaluate the impact of their actions. The chief promoter of these bills, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, quickly responded to Janda's analysis, offering a viewpoint by Dr. Thomas Simmer, its chief medical officer.

http://www.lsj.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080128/NEWS01/801280333/1001/news

State's prepaid tuition program turns 20

Official says fund has $1B in assets

January 28, 2008

Melanie Trusty

A

Westphalia

mother wants to secure her 2-year-old daughter's future education the way her parents did - with a Michigan Education Trust Fund contract. Corie Weber recently bought her daughter a MET contract because the 20-year-old program helped Corie's parents send her to

Lansing

Community College

and

Northwood

University

. "It was an excellent experience for myself, and I wanted to give it to her for the future," Weber said.

NATIONAL STORIES

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/28/washington/28cnd-bush.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin

Bush Urges Quick Action on Economy

By DAVID STOUT

Published: January 28, 2008

WASHINGTON

— President Bush sought to reassure Americans about the economy on Monday night, declaring in his last State of the Union address that the

United States

would banish the specter of an imminent recession, provided that Congress acts quickly on the economic stimulus package laid out last week.“ To build a prosperous future, we must trust people with their own money and empower them to grow our economy,” Mr. Bush said before an audience of hundreds of officials and guests at the Capitol and a television audience of millions. “In the long run, Americans can be confident about our economic growth,” Mr. Bush said. “But in the short run, we can all see that growth is slowing.”

http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080128/POLITICS/801280426

Bush touts economic fix-it plan for nation

Michigan

businessman who would benefit from tax breaks is invited to attend the State of the Union speech.

Monday, January 28, 2008

Deb Price and David Shepardson

WASHINGTON

-- In his final State of the Union address, President Bush urged Congress to swiftly pass a $150 billion stimulus package that would give most of the nation's families tax rebates and the state's businesses incentives to invest in new equipment.  "To build a prosperous future, we must trust people with their own money and empower them to grow our economy," Bush said in remarks prepared for Congress and the nation. "As we meet tonight, our economy is undergoing a period of uncertainty ... In the long run, Americans can be confident about our economic growth."  The stimulus package, which would give tax rebates of up to $1,200 to 116 million families and $50 billion to reduce the cost of buying new equipment for business, won support from House leaders and Bush. About 94 percent of

Michigan

families would get some sort of rebate check.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/01/28/AR2008012801279.html?hpid=topnews

Bush Is Upbeat on

Iraq

and the Economy

State of the

Union

Reflects New Focus on Money Matters

By Michael Abramowitz and Dan Eggen

Tuesday, January 29, 2008

President Bush told the American people last night that his strategy to stabilize Iraq is achieving results "few of us could have imagined just one year ago," even as he sought to reassure the public that his new stimulus plan will stave off the recession that threatens to overtake the nation's economy during the final year of his presidency. Appearing before Congress for his seventh and last State of the Union address, Bush claimed vindication for his controversial decision a year ago to send a "surge" of about 30,000 additional troops to Iraq. "The enemy is still dangerous and more work remains," Bush acknowledged, but with high-profile attacks, sectarian violence and civilian deaths falling, he said progress is unmistakable. "Some may deny the surge is working," Bush said, "but among the terrorists there is no doubt. Al-Qaeda is on the run in

Iraq

, and this enemy will be defeated."

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0108/8138.html

Bush urges quick passage of stimulus

By: David Rogers

Jan 28, 2008

President Bush urged Congress Monday night to take quick action on an economic stimulus package and new

Iraq

war funding but also demanded a second round of cuts from the home-state spending projects so favored by lawmakers. In his final State of the Union address as president, Bush put a major focus on the troubled economy, speaking to the concerns “at kitchen tables across our country.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/28/washington/28cnd-earmark.html?hp

Bush Pledges Vetoes to Slow Earmarks

By ROBERT PEAR

Published: January 28, 2008

WASHINGTON

— President Bush will veto spending bills this year unless they cut in half the total amount of money earmarked for lawmakers’ pet projects, and he will order agencies to ignore future earmarks unless they are explicitly listed in the text of legislation, the White House said Monday. Mr. Bush’s press secretary, Dana Perino, said these actions, being announced in the State of the Union address on Monday night, were “unprecedented steps” to prevent wasteful earmarks.

http://thehill.com/leading-the-news/clinton-obama-steal-bushs-final-show-2008-01-29.html

Clinton

, Obama steal Bush’s final show 

By Alexander Bolton 

01/29/08

All eyes were on Democratic presidential frontrunners Sens. Barack Obama (

Ill.

) and Hillary Rodham Clinton (N.Y.) Monday night as spectators and pundits followed their every move during President Bush’s final State of the Union address.

Clinton

set observers atwitter when she waded through the crowd before the speech to shake hands with Democratic dean and senior Sen. Edward Kennedy (

Mass.

), who made headlines Monday by endorsing Obama in the primary. For the second year in a row, Obama sat next to Kennedy for the president’s annual address. Yet despite this,

Clinton

managed to miss Obama’s attention as she chatted with Kennedy while reporters looked on hungrily from the overhanging balcony. 

http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5ipNmsYK997nRb4ks4uKB3-yQbaxQD8UF8N680

Text of Bush's

Final

State

of the

Union

January 28, 2008

The Associated Press

Madame Speaker, Vice President Cheney, Members of Congress, distinguished guests and fellow citizens:

Seven years have passed since I first stood before you at this rostrum. In that time, our country has been tested in ways none of us could have imagined. We have faced hard decisions about peace and war, rising competition in the world economy and the health and welfare of our citizens. These issues call for vigorous debate, and I think it's fair to say we've answered that call. Yet history will record that amid our differences, we acted with purpose. And together, we showed the world the power and resilience of American self-government. All of us were sent to

Washington

to carry out the people's business. That is the purpose of this body. It is the meaning of our oath. And it remains our charge to keep.

http://www.miamiherald.com/political-currents/story/396057.html

Florida

primary turnout may set record

Early and absentee ballots are pouring in, suggesting that moving up Florida's primary to Tuesday is drawing more voters to the polls.

Mon, Jan. 28, 2008

BY GARY FINEOUT

Nearly one million Floridians have already cast early and absentee ballots in the state's primary, a sign that moving up the date of the presidential primary will likely yield a record turnout on Tuesday. The last time there was a contested presidential primary on both the Republican and Democratic sides, only about 19 percent of

Florida

voters, or 1.34 million, cast ballots. But numbers assembled by the political parties show that more than 988,000 people had voted by Sunday.

.

http://www.reuters.com/article/reutersEdge/idUSN2741414520080128

U.S.

electorate tunes in to wide-open 2008 race

January 28, 2008

By Steve Gorman

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The U.S. electorate appears to be more engaged in presidential politics than it has been in many years, stirred by the drama of a wide-open campaign, anger at the Iraq war and anxiety over the economy, political observers say. The trend is especially true among Democrats, galvanized by what they see as an opportunity to retake the White House after eight years on the outside, according to pollsters, academics and media analysts.

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0108/8154.html

Romney-McCain

Fla.

clash gets hot

By: Jonathan Martin

Jan 28, 2008

ORLANDO

– With polls showing them neck-and-neck in this potentially decisive state, John McCain and Mitt Romney engaged in some of the harshest exchanges of the GOP contest today. Romney focused on McCain’s maverick tendencies, calling into question his rival's commitment to conservatism, while McCain returned fire in a scathing attack that cited Romney’s changed positions and his policies as

Massachusetts

governor.

http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D8UEV3NO0&show_article=1

Mitt Romney, John McCain Trade Charges 

Jan 28 2008

By GLEN JOHNSON

WEST PALM BEACH

,

Fla.

(AP) - Mitt Romney and John McCain accused each other Monday of harboring liberal tendencies, a charge bordering on blasphemy in the increasingly caustic campaign for the Republican presidential nomination. Romney struck first on the day before the winner-take-all

Florida

primary, criticizing the

Arizona

senator for his legislation reducing the role of money in politics, for his position on immigration and for his support of an energy bill that he said would have driven up consumer costs. "If you ask people, 'Look at the three things Senator McCain has done as a senator,' if you want that kind of a liberal Democrat course as president, then you can vote for him," Romney told campaign workers. "But those three pieces of legislation, those aren't conservative, those aren't Republican, those are not the kind of leadership that we need as we go forward."

http://www.nysun.com/article/70286

The Case for McCain

By EDWARD GLAESER

January 28, 2008

One year ago, when voters' roundly repudiated Republican representatives and put Nancy Pelosi in the Speaker's chair, it was hard to have much optimism about the future of the Grand Old Party. Not only had the G.O.P. been bested on the hustings, but many loyal Republicans thought that this defeat was deserved. The party of

Lincoln

that had once stood for able integrity didn't seem all that able or all that honest.Twelve months later, Republicans have more right to be optimistic. The Democrat primaries have become a nasty brawl focused on the politics of identity. The party of Jimmy Carter will nominate a candidate for the world's most important executive position without significant executive experience.

http://www.spectator.org/dsp_article.asp?art_id=12644

McCain

Peaks

By Larry Thornberry

Published 1/28/2008

TAMPA

-- John McCain has just had a heck of a week. He's peaking at the right time in Florida, perhaps just in time to come away Tuesday evening with the Sunshine State's 57 convention delegates as well as momentum into Super Tuesday, just a week after Florida's primary. In boxing, when a fighter flurries at the end of a round he may win it even if he hadn't been the best up to the flurry. It's called stealing a round. Bad name, but a legit strategy. If you're susceptible to sports metaphors, as I am, this may be the way you see the last few days for McCain. And what an important round

Florida

will be. Besides the large number of delegates at stake, this will be the first time McCain can show what he has without any help from independents. Only Republicans can vote in the Florida Republican primary.

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0108/8137.html

McCain's one-two

Florida

punch

By: Jonathan Martin

Jan 27, 2008

TAMPA

— Two well-timed endorsements could make the difference for Sen. John McCain prior to Tuesday's pivotal

Florida

primary. With Florida Sen. Mel Martinez and Gov. Charlie Crist throwing him their support, the Arizona senator might be able to drive local coverage in the final hours and obscure the economic message rival Mitt Romney used to dominate last week.

http://www.politico.com/blogs/jonathanmartin/0108/McCain_hits_Romney_hard_on_Fla_radio.html

McCain hits Romney hard on

Fla.

radio

January 28, 2008

By Jonathan Martin

With polls showing the race too close for comfort, both McCain and Romney are ramping up the negativity. Romney has sent out at least two tough robocalls attacking McCain for being insufficiently conservative. And now McCain is airing a very tough radio spot going after Romney on health care, taxes and electability. It's airing on

Orlando

stations. A McCain aide said it was running in

Orlando

,

Tampa

,

Jacksonville

,

Ft.

Myers

, and West Palm.

http://corner.nationalreview.com/post/?q=ZGQ4MTA5ODdlYTgzMjU0NTFmYTI1Y2Q0YTFjY2VkYzA=

McCain's Dishonest Attack   

January 28, 2008

By Rich Lowry

As I've said before, McCain deserves a large part of the credit for the surge—he pushed to have it implemented both in his public advocacy and his behind-the-scenes lobbying of the Bush administration, and he has been its foremost defender. Romney wasn't as enthusiastic about it and in his body language, if nothing else seemed ready to distance himself from it if it failed. This is a perfectly legitimate issue for McCain to raise, and he has, by saying things like Romney was "looking at his shoes" while he was putting it all on the line for the surge.

http://www.bostonherald.com/blogs/news/presidential_briefing/?p=161

Romney depicts loose cannon McCain

January 28, 2008

Boston

Herald

Less than 48 hours after proclaiming he would never get personal with another Republican, Mitt Romney’s latest campaign missive focuses on the temper of Arizona Sen. John McCain. The Romney camp frames the memo as a top-10 list of McCain’s “attacks” on Republicans. It could also be called “10 instances over the last eight years when McCain got angry or lost his cool.” Oh, and the missive pays special attention to McCain’s use of four-letter words that are not H-E-double-hockey-sticks. Update: On Thursday afternoon, Romney said, “One thing I’m also gonna point out is, particularly in a Republican campaign, I’m not going to talk about the character of the people I’m running against.” He also cited Ronald Reagan’s so-called 11th commandment, something along the lines of, “though shalt not attack fellow Republicans.”

http://apnews.myway.com/article/20080128/D8UF610O1.html

Romney Criticizes McCain Legislation

Jan 28, 2008

By LIBBY QUAID

JACKSONVILLE

,

Fla.

(AP) - Mitt Romney and John McCain accused each other Monday of being liberals, a charge tantamount to blasphemy in the caustic campaign for the Republican presidential nomination. One day before the crucial

Florida

primary, Romney lambasted the

Arizona

senator for a host of "liberal answers" to the country's problems. Among them: McCain's legislation curbing money in politics, his more forgiving view of illegal immigrants and his backing of an energy bill that Romney said would raise consumer costs. "And I just don't think those liberal answers are what

America

is looking for, not for the Republican Party or for any party, for that matter," Romney said in

Fort Myers

,

Fla.

http://www.cbsnews.com/blogs/2008/01/28/politics/fromtheroad/entry3761700.shtml

Romney Campaign Alleges Dirty Tricks In

Miami

January 28, 2008

by Scott Conroy

PANAMA CITY

,

FLA.

-- Mitt Romney’s

Florida

state chairman Al Cardenas told reporters that Romney supporters have been receiving robo-calls this afternoon, which erroneously claim that the former

Massachusetts

governor wants to open up

U.S.

relations with Fidel Castro’s

Cuba

.

Cardenas

said the calls were “obviously a dirty tactic and strategy to rebut the efforts that we make to let the community know our position on the subject.”

Cardenas

said that the campaign began receiving reports of the robo-calls this afternoon, soon after Roger Noriega, the head of Romney’s

Cuba

policy team, appeared on paid programming on several Miami-area radio stations to outline Romney’s position on Cuban relations.

http://www.time.com/time/politics/article/0,8599,1707342,00.html

Can Romney's Inner Geek Win Out?

Sunday, Jan. 27, 2008

By MICHAEL SCHERER

Mitt Romney's mind is a marvel — a calculating, evaluating, inquisitive, all-consuming consulting machine, formed on his CEO-father's lap, trained in Harvard's business and law schools, and perfected while making hundreds of millions in the cutthroat world of private equity investing. There is not a spreadsheet that does not pique his interest, not a bureaucracy he does not itch to streamline, not a widget factory he does not wish to understand.

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/washington/2008/01/breaking-news-i.html

Rudy Giuliani hints at dropping out

January 28, 2008

By Andrew Malcolm

Rudy Giuliani appears to be pondering an end to his long pursuit of the Republican presidential nomination. In a meeting in the back of his chartered plane en route to

St. Petersburg

,

Fla.

, a short while ago, the onetime, longtime GOP front-runner told a small group of reporters, including The Times' Louise Roug: "The winner of

Florida

will win the nomination."  He then went on to predict he would win. And his spokeswoman, Maria Comella, said later he was speaking with confidence.

http://www.nypost.com/php/pfriendly/print.php?url=http://www.nypost.com/seven/01282008/postopinion/opedcolumnists/giulianis_last_stand_480021.htm

Giuliani’s Last Stand

By RYAN SAGER

January 28, 2008

TOMORROW in

Florida

, Rudy Giuliani will make what is expected to be his last stand of the '08 race. What went wrong? As an early (2006) believer in his capacity to become this race's frontrunner, I'd have to say that he's run a campaign that deserves to lose. While he focused strategically on

Florida

and the Feb. 5 states, he undermined this by pitching his campaign thematically to

Iowa

and other parts of the GOP least likely to vote for him. Now, should Giuliani lose tomorrow and overall, the media blame will fall mainly on his much-maligned late-state strategy. But it's tough to see any other path he could have taken.

http://www.washingtontimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080128/NATION/806460815/1028/ELECTION

Giuliani falls far behind in

Florida

By Joseph Curl and Sean Lengell

January 28, 2008

BOCA RATON

,

Fla.

—

Florida

now appears to be a two-way race between Mitt Romney and Sen. John McCain, as two new polls show Rudolph W. Giuliani losing support after skipping six straight presidential-nomination contests.Just 48 hours before the

Florida

primary, the former

Massachusetts

governor and the senator from

Arizona

are deadlocked at 30 percent, according a Reuters-CSPAN-Zogby poll released yesterday. Another poll, by Rasmussen Reports, showed Mr. Romney up by six percentage points over Mr. McCain. But both polls show the former

New York City

mayor unable to reignite his campaign. The Zogby poll showed Mr. Giuliani slumping to fourth place — one point behind former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee — at 13 percent, down two points from its last poll. The Rasmussen poll put Mr. Giuliani at 14 percent.

http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D8UF9T503&show_article=1

No Chitchat Between Clinton and Obama 

Jan 28 2008

By LAURIE KELLMAN

WASHINGTON (AP) - So close, yet so far away—and so bitter. Rival Democrats Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama came within a foot of each other just before President Bush's State of the Union speech Monday night and managed not to acknowledge each other, and certainly not touch.

Clinton

, clad in scarlet, crossed the aisle between their seats on the House floor and reached out a hand to greet Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, the Democratic icon whose endorsement she had courted only to lose it to Obama. Kennedy shook her hand while Obama, wearing a dark suit and standing between the two, turned away.

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2008/01/hillarys_latino_firewall.html

Clinton

Gambles with Latino Firewall

January 28, 2008

By Robert Novak

LOS ANGELES -- Sen. Hillary Clinton is relying on the big Latino vote as her firewall to prevent losing the

California

Democratic primary Feb. 5, the most important of 22 states contested on Mega Tuesday. But that reliance, say both pro-Clinton and anti-Clinton Democrats, is fraught with peril for the Democratic Party's coalition by threatening to alienate its essential African-American component.

Clinton

's double-digit lead in

California

polls over Sen. Barack Obama is misleading. Subtract a Latino voting bloc whose dependability to show up Election Day always has been shaky, and

Clinton

is no better than even in the state, with Obama gaining. To encourage this brown firewall, the

Clinton

campaign may be drifting into encouragement of brown vs. black racial conflict by condoning Latino racial hostility to the first African-American with a chance to become president.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/28/us/politics/28kennedy.html?ex=1202187600&en=f849a7c6afe02a0e&ei=5065&partner=MYWAY

Kennedy Chooses Obama, Spurning Plea by

Clintons

By JEFF ZELENY and CARL HULSE

January 28, 2008

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Senator Edward M. Kennedy, rejecting entreaties from the Clintons and their supporters, is set to endorse Senator Barack Obama’s presidential bid on Monday as part of an effort to lend Kennedy charisma and connections before the 22-state Feb. 5 showdown for the Democratic nomination. Both the Clintons and their allies had pressed Mr. Kennedy for weeks to remain neutral in the Democratic race, but Mr. Kennedy had become increasingly disenchanted with the tone of the

Clinton

campaign, aides said. He and former President Bill Clinton had a heated telephone exchange earlier this month over what Mr. Kennedy considered misleading statements by Mr. Clinton about Mr. Obama, as well as his injection of race into the campaign.

http://apnews.myway.com/article/20080128/D8UET5E00.html

Clinton

Brings Campaign to

Florida

Jan 28, 2008

By MIKE GLOVER

SARASOTA

,

Fla.

(AP) - Stung by her lopsided loss to Barack Obama in

South Carolina

, Hillary Rodham Clinton is trying to shift her momentum in

Florida

- even though its Democratic primary won't count for much. Like her rivals,

Clinton

has agreed to a pledge imposed by national party leaders not to publicly campaign in the state. But after

South Carolina

,

Clinton

was skating up against the edge of that agreement and trying to lend some credibility to the outcome Tuesday. She arrived in

Florida

on Sunday for two events - both closed fundraisers, in keeping with the pledge not to campaign. She clearly winked at that pledge with her arrival, joking about the warm weather and positioning herself so photographers had a palm tree for a backdrop.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/28/us/politics/28dems.html?ex=1202101200&en=79a4160be45da25d&ei=5099&partner=TOPIXNEWS

Clinton

’s

Camp

Seeks

Gentler Role for Ex-President

By PATRICK HEALY

Published: January 28, 2008

Democrats inside and outside the Clinton campaign on Sunday debated and in some cases bemoaned the degree to which former President Bill Clinton’s criticism of Senator Barack Obama last week had inflicted lasting damage on his wife’s presidential candidacy. “I think his harsh style hurt Senator Clinton — it polarized the campaign and polarized the electorate, and it also made it harder for Senator Clinton’s positive message to break through,” said Celinda Lake, a Democratic strategist and pollster who is not affiliated with any of the candidates.

http://blogs.tnr.com/tnr/blogs/the_plank/archive/2008/01/28/why-kennedy-s-endorsement-matters.aspx

Why Kennedy's Endorsement Matters

January 28, 2008

By Jonathan Cohn

How will Ted Kennedy's endorsement affect the presidential race? The debate is already well underway. Skeptics note that endorsements don't have the same weight they did a few decades ago, when more voters took their cues from party leaders. Al Gore's endorsement of Howard Dean four years ago certainly didn't deliver the nomination.  But Kennedy's progressive record on economic issues, not to mention his family name, might give him unusual clout with older, working-class white voters -- ones who, until now, have strongly preferred Hillary Clinton. Kennedy is also said to be popular with Latinos, thanks in part to his history of championing liberal immigration reforms and to Robert Kennedy's early support of Cesar Chavez.

http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080128/BLOG01/80128031/1215/NEWS15

Spell-check gaffe: You type Obama, Microsoft inserts Osama

January 28, 2008

BY MIKE WENDLAND

There's a glitch, of sorts, with the popular Microsoft Word program that is starting to seriously irk those who follow politics, especially those who like Senator Barack Obama. Type in the word "Obama" and it comes up as a misspelling. Ask Word to suggest a word and it presents "Osama." Not good, say readers like Susan Kurtzman, of

Birmingham

, who e-mailed me her frustration: "Mr. Wendland... Something is making me crazy. Every time I type in “Obama” my spell check wants to change it to “Osama”. How in the heck do you get Microsoft to add a name/word to their master list?" she asks. I'm using the latest version of Office — Office 2008 for Macintosh — and sure enough, it thinks I mean Osama when I type in Obama (see the image at top right).

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2008/01/27/nhs127.xml

Don't treat the old and unhealthy, say doctors

By Laura Donnelly

28/01/2008

Doctors are calling for NHS treatment to be withheld from patients who are too old or who lead unhealthy lives.  Smokers, heavy drinkers, the obese and the elderly should be barred from receiving some operations, according to doctors, with most saying the health service cannot afford to provide free care to everyone. £1.7 billion is spent treating diseases caused by smoking, such as lung cancer and emphysema. Fertility treatment and "social" abortions are also on the list of procedures that many doctors say should not be funded by the state.The findings of a survey conducted by Doctor magazine sparked a fierce row last night, with the British Medical Association and campaign groups describing the recommendations from family and hospital doctors as "out­rageous" and "disgraceful".

http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=080128225315.f1ybely4&show_article=1

Bush: US will 'confront'

Iran

if necessary 

Jan 28 2008

AFP

US President George W. Bush warned

Iran

Monday that the

United States

will "confront those who threaten our troops" and defend its allies and interests in the Gulf.

Bush, in excerpts of his State of the Union speech provided by the White House, also urged

Tehran

to suspend its uranium enrichment program, embrace political reforms, and "cease your support for terror abroad." "But above all, know this:

America

will confront those who threaten our troops, we will stand by our allies, and we will defend our vital interests in the

Persian Gulf

," he said.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/28/washington/29cnd-fiscal.html?hp

Senate Panel Unveils Its Own Stimulus Plan

By DAVID M. HERSZENHORN

Published: January 28, 2008

WASHINGTON — The Senate Finance Committee, moving to put its own stamp on a rescue plan for the ailing economy, unveiled a $156 billion fiscal stimulus package on Monday that would pay $500 to most individual tax filers and $1,000 to couples, with an additional $300 a child for families, with no income cap to disqualify high earners.  The Senate package would cost more than the stimulus plan agreed to last week by President Bush, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and the Republican leader, Representative John A. Boehner of

Ohio

, but there are differences over how much more. The Senate has not released the cost of individual components of the plan, nor does it estimate the cost beyond 2008.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB120147855494820719.html?mod=opinion_main_commentaries

The Economy Is Fine (Really)

By BRIAN WESBURY
January 28, 2008

It is hard to imagine any time in history when such rampant pessimism about the economy has existed with so little evidence of serious trouble. True, retail sales fell 0.4% in December and fourth-quarter real GDP probably grew at only a 1.5% annual rate. It is also true that in the past six months manufacturing production has been flat, new orders for durable goods have fallen at a 0.8% annual rate, and unemployment blipped up to 5%. Soft data for sure, but nowhere near the end of the world.