Articles of Interest 2-28-08

251 Days until Election Day

MORNING UPDATE:

In Memoriam: William F. Buckley 1925 – 2008

The House Republican Caucus gathered yesterday for a retreat to discuss winning back the House this fall.  I joined a number of speakers as we went over specific programs, support and strategies for the upcoming elections.  House Republicans are ready!

The Political, Candidate & Party Assistance teams were on the road again last night on the "Unity Road Show" in “northern” Michigan.

We had a very successful meeting in Grand Traverse County.  We had folks from Mason, Lake, Leelanau, Manistee, and Grand Traverse Counties in attendance, twenty in all, including Lance Roman, Chairman of Leelanau County, Joan Jackson, member of Leelanau women’s group, and Joan Runnels, Lake County Chair.  We owe a special thanks to Molly Agostinelli, Chair for Grand Traverse County, who helped put this event together.

Conservative talk show host Rush Limbaugh calls Congressman Bart Stupak a “wholesale idiot(s)”….see the clip below on our web page.

Michigan Republicans have updated our web page with our own 2.0 version …easier to navigate, more information…and still under construction…so please be patient. 

BECOME A PRECINCT DELEGATE!!  Fill out and return the Affidavit of Identity to your county clerk or send it to the state party…we’ll handle the filings. Link to form

Many folks have asked…what does a precinct delegate do?  Here is some basic information about how we try and organize our precinct delegates to be part of our “political machine” to help elect Republicans.

We have had so many areas where more than one person wanted to serve…I am going to encourage our county & district parties to “open” up the participation and attempt to “maximize” the number of potential precinct delegates…not minimize them.  If you are willing to run, work and be part of the team…we want you on board!  Our party needs to grow!!!

THE REST OF THE STORY:

- Anuzis' Statement on the passing of William F. Buckley, Jr.

http://migop.blogs.com/blog/2008/02/rip-william-f-b.html

“God saw all that he had made, and it was very good,” mankind is
told at the end of the first chapter of the Book of Genesis.  There is no
doubt in my mind that on a beautiful day in 1925 God went back to work and
with His best effort made William F. Buckley, Jr.  Now, God welcomes His
very good creation back after an incredible life in which Buckley helped to
create the modern conservative movement. 

“At the Michigan Republican Party, I know I express the feelings of
thousands of grassroots members who are saddened at the passing of a man
whose intellect and ability to communicate basic conservative ideas and
values changed our state, nation and world.  Buckley practiced his
conservatism with élan and style.  When I was a young conservative in
college, watching Firing Line and reading National Review, I thought Buckley
made conservatism cool.  Later, conservative lions like Bill Buckley and
Russell Kirk inspired Governor Engler to lead a conservative renaissance in
Michigan in the 1990s.

“I am told that Bill Buckley died at his desk, still at work in his
study.  We can only imagine his last thoughts and wishes, but I think we can
all honor his memory and build his legacy by working even harder to rebuild
the conservative movement.  More than anything, Buckley understood the power
of ideas, and now it is our job to keep up the fight to make elections about
ideas and substance, not about rhetoric and personality. 

“Friends and admirers throughout Michigan extend their condolences
to his son Christopher and the entire Buckley family.  Be assured that
you are in our prayers.”

- Conservative talk-show icon Rush Limbaugh lambasted Congressman Bart Stupak’s for sticking his nose someplace it doesn’t belong by suggesting he and his fellow liberal Democrats know more about medicine than the doctor who created the world’s first artificial heart.

Dr. Robert Jarvik is the inventor of the artificial heart, holds a degree in medicine, and was the spokesman for the cholesterol-lowering drug Lipitor since 2006. Stupak and his Democrat colleagues recently challenged the Jarvik’s integrity and questioned whether he should be allowed to serve as a spokesman for a prescription drug.

We guess it must be easier to demagogue this issue than it is to allow a vote on an important national security bill that would allow America’s defenders to track and monitor the actions of international terrorists intent on attacking the United States.

A clip of Limbaugh’s segment from his radio show can be found at www.migop.org.

Saul Anuzis

STATE STORIES

http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080227/NEWS01/80227045

New documents show mayor's cover-up

By DAVID ASHENFELTER, JIM SCHAEFER AND M.L. ELRICK

February 27, 2008

A Wayne County judge today released the last remaining sealed documents, showing how Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick and his city-paid lawyers schemed to conceal incriminating text messages that could result in perjury charges against him and Christine Beatty.The documents, released after a two-month legal battle between the Free Press and the Kilpatrick administration, show the mayor and his lawyers settled the lawsuits of three police whistle-blowers on Oct. 17 for $8.4 million, but ripped up the deal after the Free Press asked for a copy.

http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080227/METRO/802270436

Court records: Kilpatrick covered up text messages to hide perjury

Wednesday, February 27, 2008

Paul Egan and Mike Wilkinson / The

Detroit

News

DETROIT

-- The mayor and the city of

Detroit

engaged in a massive cover-up to conceal perjury by Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, paying millions of dollars to do so, The Detroit News and Detroit Free Press newspapers said in court documents released today.

The deposition of police lawyer Michael Stefani and related documents "describe efforts by the Chief Executive Officer of the city and numerous city attorneys to conceal from the city council and the public evidence that the mayor and his chief of staff had lied under oath," The Detroit News and the Detroit Free Press said in legal briefs submitted to Michigan courts in connection with the records fight. "They describe efforts to pay over $8 million of public money (100 cents on the dollar) to hide evidence that the Mayor and his Chief of Staff had lied under oath.

Documents Regarding Cover-up

Court Order

http://media.freep.com/documents/supreme0227/index.htm

Mike Stefani Deposition Transcript

http://www.freep.com/assets/static/pdf/0227_mstefani.pdf

Original Settlement Agreement

http://media.freep.com/documents/exhibit11_0227/index.htm

Agreement Where to Hide Text Messages

http://media.freep.com/documents/exhibit14_0227/index.htm

Text Message Agreement Supplement

http://media.freep.com/documents/exhibit15_0227/index.htm

Rejection of Proposed Deal

http://media.freep.com/documents/exhibit10_0227/index.htm

http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080227/CFP10/80227085

The painful truth about mayor's lies

Supreme Court upholds public's right to know abuses of public trust

Wednesday, February 27, 2008

Detroit

Free Press Editorial

The people won Wednesday when the state Supreme Court added its deciding voice to the now deafening legal chorus against Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick’s ill-founded claim that you can cut private deals with public money. City tax dollars are not his to spend in secret. The people have a right to know how their money is being used. And here is what the people should reasonably be able to conclude from the records made public after the high court ruling: Kilpatrick lied under oath during a trial about his relationship with Christine Beatty, then his chief of staff, and their plans to fire a police officer whose investigation was getting close to their affair. Beatty lied, too. Threatened with exposure by the discovery of their text messages, the mayor, aided by the city’s corporation counsel and his own attorney, responded with an elaborate cover-up that involved settling the claims of three police officers against the city for $8.4 million in public funds and hiding forever the text messages.

http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080227/COL33/302270002

Own up to it, Mr. Mayor: You've been hiding the truth

BY STEPHEN HENDERSON

February 27, 2008

Now that all the documents are out in the light of day, you don't have to be a genius to figure out what Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick was up to in the city hall text message scandal. But you'd have to be a fool to believe that this is anything other than what it looks like: a massive, layered cover-up, perpetrated at great taxpayer expense and designed to keep the public and the City Council from ever knowing the truth.

http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080227/METRO/802270443

Kilpatrick's legal options running out

Wednesday, February 27, 2008

Paul Egan / The

Detroit

News

Today's Michigan Supreme Court decision on secret settlement records related to city of

Detroit

police whistle-blower lawsuits, while assuring those records will be made public, likely does not end civil court proceedings related to the text message scandal. Lawyers for Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick have said they are exploring a possible civil lawsuit against whoever leaked to the news media the text messages he exchanged with his former chief of staff. William Mitchell III, one of Kilpatrick's lawyers, has said the only people who were supposed to receive the text messages from SkyTel of Mississippi were Michael Stefani, a lawyer representing police officers in whistle-blower lawsuits against the city, and Wayne Circuit Judge Michael Callahan, who handled the cases. Callahan has denied ever seeing the records.

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/M/MI_DETROIT_MAYOR_MIOL-?SITE=MIDTN&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

State Supreme Court won't hear

Detroit

mayor's appeal

Wednesday, February 27, 2008

By COREY WILLIAMS

DETROIT (AP) -- Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick's journey through the appeals process ended Wednesday when the state's highest court denied his effort to keep sealed documents that detail an affair he carried on with his top aide in apparent contradiction to sworn testimony both gave during a whistle-blowers' trial.The documents are related to embarrassing and sexually explicit text messages between Kilpatrick and former Chief of Staff Christine Beatty, but they do not include the actual messages.

http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080227/METRO/802270461/1361

Granholm: Release of documents necessary for city to move past scandal

Wednesday, February 27, 2008

Karen Bouffard / The

Detroit

News

DETROIT

-- Gov. Jennifer Granholm said today's release of documents in the

Detroit

whistle-blowers' case "is a step that's necessary to move beyond the controversy."

In a lunch-hour interview on WWJ radio, Granholm -- an attorney and fellow Democrat -- wouldn't say whether she thinks Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick should resign. But Detroit City Council President Kenneth Cockrel, who is next in line to succeed Kilpatrick, didn't pull any punches. "This is a ridiculous battle that should not be allowed to continue," Cockrel said. "Enough is enough "These documents should be made public. If I were in his shoes, I would have stepped down weeks ago.

http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080227/METRO/802270449

Prosecutor deposes council president Cockrel

Wednesday, February 27, 2008

Paul Egan and Christine MacDonald / The

Detroit

News

Lawyers representing Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy, who is conducting a criminal investigation into the settlement to determine if any laws were broken, deposed Detroit City Council President Kenneth Cockrel, Jr., and Councilman Kwame Kenyatta about their knowledge of the settlement, Cockrel said today. Cockrel said his questioning lasted about 45 minutes. He declined to comment further, saying he was advised that "the less said about the deposition the better." Cockrel and the council have urged release of the documents, and are concerned that they were duped into approving the $8.4 million whistle-blowers' settlement without getting all the details.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/02/27/AR2008022703295.html

Singular Unease for

Michigan

's Power Couple

By Mary Ann Akers And Paul Kane

Thursday, February 28, 2008

If the angst of a superdelegate were a portrait, it would look just like Debbie Dingell, the wife of Rep. John Dingell (D- Mich.), chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee. Dingell the superdelegate -- the blond one, not the bald one; they're both superdelegates -- is losing sleep over the political mess she helped cause in her state by pushing for an early Democratic primary in defiance of national party rules.

"I probably haven't slept since February 4th," said Dingell, vice chair of the General Motors Foundation, maybe only half-jokingly. "Because it does matter. I really care about the people of my state."

http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080227/OPINION03/802270365

Granholm struggles as vision hits reality

By Daniel Howes

Wednesday, February 27, 2008

DETROIT

-- She wouldn't be mistaken for a Republican, but Gov. Jennifer Granholm is striking a decidedly business-friendly tone in year six of her administration. Detroit Renaissance, the coterie of southeast Michigan CEOs pushing its own agenda of structural reform, might be pleased to know she embraces its laundry list of reform which, in what felt Tuesday like a previous political life, she expended political capital to quash late last summer. With the business group's revived reform agenda in one hand, she goes through its points one at a time. Match any increases in state spending with budget cut? "We're doing it," Granholm tells me during an hourlong chat in the boardroom of what was the

General

Motors

Building

and now is

Cadillac Place

. Do a better job of forecasting state revenue, mostly to avoid the nasty budget surprises of the past few years? "Totally agree with this," she says, adding that Treasurer Bob Kleine has been asked to prepare a two-year revenue estimate for the next revenue conference in May.

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/M/MI_GRANHOLM_ROADS_MIOL-?SITE=MIDTN&SECTION=INTERNATIONAL&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

Governor says moving up road projects will create 2,100 jobs

Wednesday, February 27, 2008

Associated Press

LANSING

,

Mich.

(AP) -- Gov. Jennifer Granholm says moving up $150 million in road projects should add 2,100 construction and engineering jobs this summer. The projects include replacing or rebuilding bridges as well as repairing state roads. The 34 projects originally were set for 2009 or later. The state Transportation Commission is expected to approve the projects when it meets Thursday. Most of the money will come from selling bonds. A small amount will come from refinancing the state's debt. Granholm says none of the money is available for dealing with potholes in local roads. But she says it will be used to improve deteriorating state roads and bridges this summer.

http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080227/NEWS05/80227053/1008/news06

34 road projects to begin early

By CHRIS CHRISTOFF

February 27, 2008

LANSING

– Repairs to 10 bridges over I-696 in

Warren

are among 34 road projects that will be launched this summer, a year or two before they were scheduled, Gov. Jennifer Granholm announced today. The largest single project is a $53-million reconstruction of a stretch of I-94 in St. Clair County. The road and bridge projects will cost $150 million and will create 2,100 construction jobs to help lift

Michigan

’s sagging economy, Granholm said. They were slated for 2009 and 2010, but will be moved up on the

Michigan Department of Transportation’s schedule.

http://www.livingstondaily.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080227/NEWS01/802270309/1002

Granholm: Energy jobs will spark the economy - with video

By Christopher Behnan

Wednesday, February 27, 2008

Gov. Jennifer Granholm said

Michigan

is positioned to become a base for the alternative energy industry and create thousands of new jobs in the process in a Daily Press & Argus interview Tuesday. Granholm visited the Howell offices of the Daily Press & Argus, having just returned from a meeting of the National Governors Association in

Washington

,

D.C.

, to discuss plans to draw renewable energy companies to the state and create related job-training opportunities in the wake of massive job losses across the state.

http://michiganmessenger.com/showDiary.do;jsessionid=13162505E3D28B3B64673F27528FD622?diaryId=915

Recall developments continue as the clock ticks

by: Kevin Shopshire

2/26/08

The recalls of

Michigan

lawmakers saw a few new developments this week as one group launched a court challenge and another saw its recall language rejected. The Michigan Taxpayer Alliance (MTA) is attempting to recall primarily Democratic lawmakers who voted to increase taxes in October, and the Michigan Democratic Party (MDP) is retaliating by going after a Republican in a leadership position. On Monday the Oakland County Election Commission rejected the petition language for House Minority Leader Craig DeRoche, R-Novi, as unclear for a second time. The recall cites his vote against repealing the state's pharmaceutical company immunity law that does not allow consumers to sue drug companies who cause death and injury through negligence, and the recall is being led by the MDP. Under current law

Michigan

is the only state where residents cannot sue drug companies for damages.

http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080227/METRO/802270487/1361

Legislature advances driver's license, ID bills

Wednesday, February 27, 2008

Associated Press

LANSING

--

Michigan

is getting closer to having driver's licenses that would make it easier to cross the nation's borders. Both the House and Senate passed legislation Wednesday related to complying with tougher identification rules required by the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative. Some of the major bills could be finalized Thursday and sent to Governor Jennifer Granholm for her signature. The Detroit Regional Chamber is urging quick action to finalize the bills so they become law.

Tougher identification rules started to be phased in last month.

Michigan

's current driver's license must be accompanied by citizenship proof to cross the border.

http://www.hometownlife.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080227/NEWS22/80227025

Activist faces charges after scuffle with police

By Sandra Armbruster

Wednesday, February 27, 2008

A Rochester Hills Democrat claims that his arrest Monday at a meeting of the Troy-Clawson Republican Forum was politically motivated. “I did nothing wrong. I will be vindicated,” said Bruce Fealk. Fealk faces three charges of assaulting a police officer, trespassing, and hindering and resisting arrest. All are misdemeanors punishable by a 90-day sentence, if convicted. Fealk’s attorney, Paul Stevenson, said Fealk will have to make a court appearance in the case by March 12. Troy Police confirmed the incident happened, but would not name Fealk as the person arrested, since he was allowed to post a bond and not face an arraignment on what are disorderly conduct charges.

http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080227/NEWS07/80227062

Report today says federal government not providing enough for

Great Lakes

By TODD SPANGLER

February 27, 2008

WASHINGTON – A report released today by the Great Lakes Commission and Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative says local governments are making substantial investment in protecting the Great Lakes but that the federal government isn’t providing nearly enough. At a news conference in

Washington

today, where Michigan Lt. Gov. John Cherry was one of the speakers, officials with the groups acknowledged they could not put a dollar-amount on how much various federal agencies spend on the

Great Lakes

. But they noted that one program – the Clean Water State Revolving Fund, in which the federal government helps pay for local water quality efforts – has seen funding cut nearly in half since 2004.

http://www.mlive.com/news/bctimes/index.ssf?/base/news-11/120412892089470.xml&coll=4

DEQ may add

Saginaw

Bay

to impaired waters list

Wednesday, February 27, 2008

By Jeff Kartjkart

Maybe the

Saginaw

Bay

is impaired for nutrients and algae, after all. This week was the deadline for public comments on an impaired waters list generated by the state Department of Environmental Quality. Some environmental groups, including the

Alliance

for the

Great Lakes

, criticized the so-called Integrated Report, because it didn't list the bay as impaired for algae and nutrients like phosphorus, despite nasty muck that's been fouling area beaches with increasing intensity in recent years.

http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080228/AUTO01/802280370

Axle strike shuts GM plant

It's latest fallout as auto industry upheaval stirs up labor unrest.

Thursday, February 28, 2008

Eric Morath and Sharon Terlep / The

Detroit

News

General Motors Corp. will shut down its

Pontiac

truck plant today, forcing the layoff of about 2,500 workers, in the first major fallout from the UAW's strike against auto parts maker American Axle & Manufacturing Holdings Inc. GM needs parts from Detroit-based American Axle to build the Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra pickups at the

Pontiac

factory. GM spokesman Tom Wickham said work at the plant will stop after today's first shift. There won't be an immediate shortage of the pickups because the automaker has enough vehicles in inventory to meet consumer demand for three to four months.

http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080227/AUTO01/802270359

UAW challenges American Axle

Union

says profitable company's wage reduction demands unfair to workers

Wednesday, February 27, 2008

Eric Morath and Sharon Terlep / The

Detroit

News

DETROIT

-- The United Auto Workers union is digging in against American Axle & Manufacturing Holdings Inc., saying it must see key financial information about the company before it can assess the supplier's demand for across-the-board wage and benefit cuts. The issue is a hot point because the union consented to historic givebacks last year in contract talks with

Detroit

's Big Three automakers but was allowed to review the finances of General Motors Corp. and Ford Motor Co. The UAW has also agreed to drastic wage cuts at Delphi Corp. and other auto suppliers, mostly as a result of bankruptcy proceedings.

http://www.mlive.com/flintjournal/index.ssf/2008/02/genesee_county_may_borrow_more.html

Genesee

County

may borrow more than $50 million to make up for unpaid property taxes

by Ron Fonger

Wednesday February 27, 2008

GENESEE COUNTY

,

Michigan

-- The number of people and businesses that still haven't paid last year's property taxes is forcing the county to borrow as much as $52 million to make up the difference. The county Board of Commissioners could give final approval next month for the borrowing plan, which has increased an alarming 40 percent compared to just three years ago. "This is an indication of the condition of economy," said

county

Treasurer

Daniel Kildee, who asked commissioners for the authorization to borrow today. "There are more people who are in (trouble)." The county traditionally borrows to make sure taxing authorities such as cities and townships get all the taxes and liens --Â for unpaid water and sewer bills, for example --Â that they are due.

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/H/HISPANICS_NORTHERN_NICHE_MIOL-?SITE=MIDTN&SECTION=INTERNATIONAL&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

A new wave of Latinos helps revitalize southwest

Detroit

Wednesday, February 27, 2008

By COREY WILLIAMS

DETROIT

(AP) -- The broad-brimmed western hats, colorful festival dance dresses and Mayan-style pottery that line the shelves at Xochi's Mexican Imports are common sites at stores in the southwest. But it's southwest

Detroit

on a very cold, dreary winter day, not sunny

El Paso

,

San Diego

,

Tucson

or other cities just north of the Mexican border. From its

Mexican

Town

restaurant district to the new shops of the La Plaza Mercado retail development, southwest

Detroit

is doing something it hasn't done in years - grow and prosper." We come starving for a better life," 32-year-old dance instructor Valeria Montes said. "We want to strive and we've found in southwest

Detroit

a place to do it. The opportunity was here for us and we took it."

NATIONAL STORIES

http://apnews.myway.com/article/20080227/D8V2P9PG0.html

William F. Buckley Jr. Dies at 82

Feb 27, 2008

By HILLEL ITALIE

NEW YORK

(AP) - William F. Buckley Jr., the erudite Ivy Leaguer and conservative herald who showered huge and scornful words on liberalism as he observed, abetted and cheered on the right's post-World War II rise from the fringes to the White House, died Wednesday. He was 82. His assistant Linda Bridges said Buckley was found dead by his cook at his home in

Stamford

,

Conn.

The cause of death was unknown, but he had been ill with emphysema, she said. Editor, columnist, novelist, debater, TV talk show star of "Firing Line," harpsichordist, trans-oceanic sailor and even a good-natured loser in a New York mayor's race, Buckley worked at a daunting pace, taking as little as 20 minutes to write a column for his magazine, the National Review.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/27/business/media/27cnd-buckley.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin

William F. Buckley Jr. Is Dead at 82

By DOUGLAS MARTIN

Published: February 27, 2008

William F. Buckley Jr., who marshaled polysyllabic exuberance, famously arched eyebrows and a refined, perspicacious mind to elevate conservatism to the center of American political discourse, died Wednesday at his home in

Stamford

,

Conn.

Mr Buckley, 82, suffered from diabetes and emphysema, his son Christopher said, although the exact cause of death was not immediately known. He was found at his desk in the study of his home, his son said. “He might have been working on a column,” Mr. Buckley said.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/28/opinion/28mike.html?ref=nyregion

I’m Not Running for President, but ...

By Michael R. Bloomberg

Published: February 28, 2008

WATCHING the 2008 presidential campaign, you sometimes get the feeling that the candidates — smart, all of them — must know better. They must know we can’t fix our economy and create jobs by isolating

America

from global trade. They must know that we can’t fix our immigration problems with border security alone. They must know that we can’t fix our schools without holding teachers, principals and parents accountable for results. They must know that fighting global warming is not a costless challenge. And they must know that we can’t keep illegal guns out of the hands of criminals unless we crack down on the black market for them. The vast majority of Americans know that all of this is true, but — politics being what it is — the candidates seem afraid to level with them.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/28/nyregion/28bloomberg.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin

Bloomberg Says He Won’t Run but Will Be Active

By DIANE CARDWELL

Published: February 28, 2008

Bringing an end to a long flirtation with a bid for the White House, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg has officially closed the door on a presidential candidacy. In an Op-Ed article published in Thursday’s New York Times, Mr. Bloomberg wrote that he still believed that a nonpartisan approach is needed to solve the country’s problems and that an independent candidate can win. But he will not run, he said. “I listened carefully to those who encouraged me to run, but I am not — and will not be — a candidate for president,” Mr. Bloomberg said. “I have watched this campaign unfold, and I am hopeful that the current campaigns can rise to the challenge by offering truly independent leadership. The most productive role that I can serve is to push them forward, by using the means at my disposal to promote a real and honest debate.”

http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-na-poll27feb27,0,5452138.story

McCain has edge over Democrats

The GOP candidate is rated 'strongest leader.' The survey also shows Obama has a six-point lead over

Clinton

.

By Peter Wallsten

February 27, 2008

WASHINGTON

-- As he emerges from a sometimes- bitter primary campaign, presumptive Republican presidential nominee John McCain poses a stiff challenge to either of his potential Democratic opponents in the general election, a new Los Angeles Times/Bloomberg poll has found. The findings underscore the difficulties ahead for Democrats as they hope to retake the White House during a time of war, with voters giving McCain far higher marks when it comes to experience, fighting terrorism and dealing with the situation in

Iraq

.

http://www.washingtontimes.com/article/20080227/NATION/267093512/1028/election

GOP banks on McCain to lure Hispanic vote

By Stephen Dinan

February 27, 2008

Two years ago, Republicans fought over immigration and hemorrhaged Hispanic voters. Now they are poised to nominate the one man who can rebuild the Hispanic voter coalition that pushed President Bush twice to victory, the architects of that coalition say.

"I think the only candidate that Republicans have running for president who could retain those votes is in fact Senator McCain," said the Rev. Luis Cortes Jr., president of Esperanza USA, founder of the National Hispanic Prayer Breakfast and a key player in helping Mr. Bush connect with Hispanic voters during his two runs for office.

http://www.washingtontimes.com/article/20080227/NATION/68805009/1002

McCain camp slams FEC row

By Stephen Dinan

February 27, 2008

Sen. John McCain's presidential campaign yesterday scolded reporters for their coverage of his ongoing dispute with the Federal Election Commission, saying they were taken in by Democrats' spin and that the campaign is in no danger. "You guys totally took the bait from [Democratic National Committee Chairman] Howard Dean," McCain campaign manager Rick Davis told reporters during a conference call.Mr. Davis dismissed Mr. McCain's disagreement with the FEC over whether he can unilaterally withdraw from his earlier application to take taxpayer-funded matching dollars in the primaries.

http://blog.washingtonpost.com/the-trail/2008/02/27/mccain_slams_obama_on_handling.html

McCain Slams Obama on Handling War

February 27, 2008

By Michael D. Shear

TYLER, Texas -- Sen. John McCain mocked Sen. Barack Obama for suggesting at last night's debate that as president he might send troops back into Iraq if al-Qaeda returns to establish a base of operations there following a U.S. withdrawal."I have some news," McCain told voters at a rally here Wednesday morning. "Al-Qaeda is in

Iraq

. Al-Qaeda is called al-Qaeda in

Iraq

. My friends, if we left, they wouldn't be establishing a base...they would be taking a country. I will not allow that to happen my friends. I will not surrender. I will not surrender to al-Qaeda."

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB120407230026495047.html?mod=opinion_main_commentaries

Is McCain Too Old?

By RYAN COLE

February 27, 2008; Page A16

John McCain will turn 72 in August. If he goes on to win the presidency in November he will be the oldest American to enter that high office. Though his opponents have only nibbled around the corners of the issue, Mr. McCain's age will certainly emerge as the presidential sweepstakes unfold. Indeed, it is likely to be a prime target of his would-be Democratic opponent in the general election. This will especially be the case if he is pitted against the 46-year-old Barack Obama. Mr. McCain's own genetic material appears to be strong -- his 96-year-old mother Roberta has been in tow on the campaign trail. And the rigors of campaigning are surely an indicator of who is or is not physically fit for the job. Still, is Mr. McCain "too old to be president?" A glance at modern history might help answer this question.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/28/us/politics/28mccain.html?ref=politics

McCain’s Canal Zone Birth Prompts Queries About Whether That Rules Him Out

By CARL HULSE

Published: February 28, 2008

WASHINGTON

— The question has nagged at the parents of Americans born outside the continental

United States

for generations: Dare their children aspire to grow up and become president? In the case of Senator John McCain of

Arizona

, the issue is becoming more than a matter of parental daydreaming. McCain’s likely nomination as the Republican candidate for president and the happenstance of his birth in the

Panama Canal Zone

in 1936 are reviving a musty debate that has surfaced periodically since the founders first set quill to parchment and declared that only a “natural-born citizen” can hold the nation’s highest office.

http://www.washingtontimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080227/NATION/60131842/1001

Obama, McCain wrangle on

Iraq

By Christina Bellantoni

February 27, 2008

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Sen. Barack Obama lambasted Sen. John McCain as tied to the "politics of the past" after the presumptive Republican nominee mocked the Democratic front-runner's comments about al Qaeda in last night's Democratic debate.

"John McCain may like to say he wants to follow Osama bin Laden to the gates of hell, but so far all he's done is follow George Bush into a misguided war in Iraq," said Mr. Obama, of Illinois.

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2008/02/we_could_use_a_man_like_george.html

We Could Use a Man Like George Herbert Walker Again

February 27, 2008

By Gregory Scoblete

It's doubtful that George H. W. Bush's endorsement last week of John McCain will have any serious impact on the dynamic of the campaign, but the 84 year old former president's momentary resurfacing on the public stage provides a useful reminder of what was once a hallmark Republican attitude toward foreign policy: prudential realism. In this election year - a time of soaring rhetoric and bold pronouncements - it's useful to reflect on a legacy that took a more measured, yet nonetheless successful, approach to the country's foreign policy challenges.

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0208/8713.html

Boehner tells GOP to get off 'dead asses'

By: Patrick O'Connor

Feb 27, 2008

House Minority Leader John A. Boehner (R-Ohio) challenged Republicans on Tuesday to get off their “dead asses” and start raising money for the National Republican Congressional Committee. And the Republican leader wasn’t the only lawmaker berating his GOP colleagues to raise more money for the committee’s March 12 fundraising dinner: According to sources in the room, NRCC Chairman Tom Cole (R-Okla.) and Minority Whip Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) also used a closed-door session at the Capitol Hill Club on Tuesday to challenge Republicans to raise more campaign cash

http://www.tnr.com/politics/story.html?id=aa0cd21b-0ff2-4329-88a1-69c6c268b304

Race Man

How Barack Obama played the race card and blamed Hillary Clinton.

by Sean Wilentz

Wednesday, February 27, 2008

After several weeks of swooning, news reports are finally being filed about the gap between Senator Barack Obama's promises of a pure, soul-cleansing "new" politics and the calculated, deeply dishonest conduct of his actually-existing campaign. But it remains to be seen whether the latest ploy by the Obama camp--over allegations about the circulation of a photograph of Obama in ceremonial Somali dress--will be exposed by the press as the manipulative illusion that it is. Most of the recent correctives have concerned outrageously deceptive advertisements approved and released by Obama's campaign. First, in

Iowa

, the Obama camp aired radio ads patterned on the notorious "Harry and Louise" Republican propaganda from 1993, charging falsely that Senator Hillary Clinton's health care proposal would "force those who cannot afford health insurance to buy it, punishing those who won't fall in line."

http://www.villagevoice.com/news/0809,314536,314536,4.html

Hoffa & Barack: The Labor-Latte

Alliance

Now divorced from the mob, the Teamsters choose a Bobby Kennedy type for president

by Tom Robbins

February 26th, 2008

If you wanted to conjure up an unlikely photo op—something along the lines of George W. Bush in a loving arms-around with Dennis Kucinich—you might try putting skinny Barack Obama in a happy embrace with burly Teamsters union leader Jim Hoffa Jr.These are not exactly birds of a feather. But there they were last week, grinning and gripping in San Antonio, as Hoffa vowed to put DRIVE—the union's powerful political-action committee—in gear for Obama in the upcoming campaigns.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/02/27/AR2008022703360.html?hpid=topnews

Clinton

Campaign Pours Resources Into Two Crucial Primaries

February 28, 2008

By Anne E. Kornblut and Shailagh Murray

ZANESVILLE, Ohio, Feb. 27 -- Aides to Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (N.Y.), coming to terms with the idea that she must win contests in both Texas and Ohio next week or face enormous pressure to drop out of the race for the Democratic presidential nomination, are pouring all of the campaign's dwindling resources into the March 4 primaries.

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2008/02/the_clintons_just_wont_learn.html

The

Clintons

Just Won't Learn

February 27, 2008

By Dick Morris

Whether one likes, dislikes, loves, hates, admires, fears, despises, or envies them, every Clinton watcher has this in common: They are dumbfounded both by the incompetence with which Hillary has run for president and her intransigence at sticking to a failed message. In a demonstration of inability and inflexibility reminiscent of her healthcare debacle of 1993-94, Mrs. Clinton seems destined to fulfill Voltaire's description of the Bourbon kings of

France

: "They learn nothing. They forget nothing."Even now, with her back against the wall, fighting for her political career, Hillary, presumably with Bill's acquiescence, insists on making the same mistakes that landed her in the soup. No new tactics, no new strategy, no new message emerges.

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/opinion/oped/bal-op.schaller27feb27,0,2737862.column

Clinton

squanders support with inept, unseemly campaign

Thomas F. Schaller

February 27, 2008

The big-state primaries in

Ohio

and

Texas

are less than a week away, yet Sen. Hillary Clinton has already forfeited. Oh, she's still running against fellow Sen. Barack Obama for the Democratic nomination - harder and nastier than ever, in fact. But through a long and growing list of blunders, slights and nefarious maneuvers, Mrs. Clinton has forfeited her right to any remaining benefit of the doubt from Democratic voters.

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0208/8747.html

Bush aides:

Clintons

holding up records

By: Mike Allen

Feb 27, 2008

The White House said Wednesday that the

Clinton

family is holding up the release of schedules from the first lady years of Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.). She said in Tuesday’s debate that she wants them out “as quick as possible.” Her campaign says it may take two more weeks for Bruce Lindsey, chief executive officer of the William J. Clinton Foundation, to decide what to put out and then to request release of the papers from the White House. A

Clinton

aide said Lindsey “is reviewing as expeditiously as possible.” But the aide pointed out that the

Clintons

have 45 days for review after a Jan. 31 decision by the National Archives approving more than 11,000 pages of documents for release.

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2008/02/democrats_the_parts_of_anticom.html

Dems Become the Anti-Competition Party

February 27, 2008

By Ruben Navarrette

SAN DIEGO

-- Recently, I spoke to a group of Hispanic high school students with plans to apply to Ivy League universities. The first thing I wanted them to know was that they wouldn't be the only ones applying. It's fine to have big dreams, I told them. But here's the catch: For everything you want in life, there are going to be others who want the same things. So you have to compete. And there is nothing wrong with that. Competition is part of life. It makes you better, stronger, and -- ultimately -- more powerful.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/02/26/AR2008022602650.html

Winter of the Patriarchs

By Harold Meyerson

Wednesday, February 27, 2008

Looks like

Havana

's fabled Hotel Nacional won't be reverting to Meyer Lansky anytime soon. After 49 years, Fidel Castro has stepped down as

Cuba

's president, and his younger brother Raul, a callow 76-year-old, succeeded him on Sunday, pledging in his inaugural address to consult Fidel on every important question. (Big Brother is watching.) The National Assembly selected 77-year-old Jose Ramon Machado Ventura, who fought with the Castros in the revolution of the 1950s, to be the new first vice president

http://www.washingtontimes.com/article/20080227/NATION/330835332/1002

Senate to revisit

Iraq

war cutoff

By Sean Lengell

February 27, 2008

Senate Democrats yesterday called for the fifth vote in the past year to put an expiration date on Iraq war funding — a move welcomed by Republicans eager to discuss what they say are the conflict's recent successes. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, Nevada Democrat, introduced a proposal to cut funding for most troops in

Iraq

within 120 days of the bill's enactment. Similar Democrat-crafted Senate measures were rejected four times in 2007.

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/85eeb76a-e546-11dc-9334-0000779fd2ac.html

Dollar hits new low as Fed signals rate cut

By Krishna Guha in

Washington

Published: February 27 2008

The dollar fell to a fresh record low against the euro on Wednesday as Ben Bernanke signalled that the Federal Reserve is likely to cut interest rates again next month.

The single European currency breached $1.51 after the Fed chairman made it clear that the

US

central bank remained firmly focused on the risks to growth, in spite of some increase in inflation risk following a run of bad price reports. The Fed “will act in a timely manner as needed to support growth and to provide adequate insurance against downside risks”, Mr Bernanke told Congress. The Fed has cut rates five times since last summer, taking rates down from 5.25 per cent at the beginning of August to the current level of 3 per cent.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/02/27/AR2008022700967.html?hpid=topnews

Fed Open to Rate Cuts, but Still Worried About Inflation

Economic Reports Raise Specter of Stagflation

By Neil Irwin and Dina ElBoghdady

Wednesday, February 27, 2008

Federal Reserve Chairman Ben S. Bernanke signaled openness to further interest rate cuts today, though he also indicated that the risk of higher-than-expected inflation has increased in recent weeks and that the central bank will be watching that trend carefully. Fed policymakers, Bernanke told the House Financial Services Committee today, "will act in a timely manner as needed to support growth and to provide adequate insurance against downside risk."

http://www.reuters.com/article/newsOne/idUSL2778203620080227

Patched up

U.S.

embassy reopens in

Belgrade

Wed Feb 27, 2008

by Ellie Tzortzi

BELGRADE

(Reuters) - The United States embassy in

Belgrade

reopened on Wednesday, its windows cracked and facade blackened from a fire that Serbs started last week in protest against

U.S.

support for Kosovo's independence. Workers were still sweeping up the damage at the embassy, where the charred body of a protester was found after the rioters smashed their way into the building on Thursday.

http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/02/27/europe/russia.php

Sizing up Medvedev, the next Russian president

By C.J. Chivers

Published: February 27, 2008

ALABINO,

Russia

: Dmitri Medvedev, the man chosen to be the next Russian president, sat surrounded by soldiers. It was Feb. 23, Defenders of the Motherland Day, and Medvedev had traveled to the parade grounds of the Tamanskaya Motorized Rifle Division. The division has been a perennial character in Russian political life. One of its tanks opened fire on the Parliament building in

Moscow

in 1993, preserving Boris Yeltsin's presidency. Eight years ago, as a new president, Vladimir Putin, was introducing himself to the world, its platoons fought for the capital of Chechnya, helping forge Putin's persona as a leader of icy resolve.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB120407293929595107.html?mod=opinion_main_commentaries

That Other Presidential Campaign

By MATTHEW KAMINSKI

February 27, 2008

Ahead of another foreordained election this Sunday, Vladimir Putin exudes confidence about his political future. Yet his actions betray an insecurity that must come naturally to a man with KGB-honed analytical skills. By the looks of this dull presidential campaign, "Putinism" is settling in for a Thousand Years. Dmitry Medvedev, the 42-year-old aide tapped by President Putin, is so sure of victory that he rarely bothers to hit the hustings. In any case, most Russians believe that Mr. Putin will stay top dog. The popular incumbent, constitutionally barred from a third consecutive term, plans to take the job of prime minister.