March 2008

PA Senator Bob Casey Endorses Obama
March 28, 2008

Increasing Calls For Clinton To Drop Out
March 28, 2008

Combat Surges In Baghdad And Basra
March 26, 2008

New Home Sales Hit 13-Year Low
March 26, 2008

GOP Members Switch Parties To Cause Mischief In Pennsylvania Democratic Primary
March 26, 2008

McCain Says No To Mortgage Relief
March 26, 2008

Hillary Recants Story Of Sniper Fire In Bosnia
March 25, 2008

Detroit Mayor Charged With Perjury, Obstruction For Lying About Affair With Chief Of Staff
March 24, 2008

"John McCain, Hero Of France"
March 22, 2008
A new ad by the progressive think tank Campaign For America's Future criticizes GOP presidential candidate John McCain's role in helping a multi-billion dollar defense contract go to a French company.

Obama "Honored" By Bill Richardson Endorsement
March 22, 2008

McCain Continues To Ignore Limits On Campaign Spending
March 22, 2008
By Rob @ 11:35 a.m.  John McCain has now officially spent $58.4 million on his presidential campaign, more than the $54 million permitted under federal law for those candidates who receive federal matching funds for their campaign.  McCain applied for matching funds when he was lagging in the polls and desperate for money, and used his right to the funds as collateral for millions in loans.  Now that things look better for McCain, he intends to withdraw form the matching funds system.  Unfortunately for McCain, he has been told by the Federal Elections Commission that he cannot simply quit and must get permission to withdraw from the FCC.  McCain has obtained an opinion from a private lawyer that says he can do what he wants, so McCain is going ahead and ignoring the spending limits. 

State Department Employees Fired For Accessing Obama Passport File
March 20, 2008

Records From Time As First Lady Show Hillary An Early Supporter Of NAFTA
March 20, 2008

McCain Aide "Suspended" For Circulating Video Attacking Obama's Pastor And Patriotism
March 20, 2008
An aide to the McCain presidential campaign has been suspended after circulating a video that questions the patriotism of Barack Obama based on comments made by Pastor Wright.  A McCain spokesperson said the aide was "reprimanded by campaign leadership," but would not say for how long the aide would remain suspended.

22nd GOP House Member Announces Retirement
March 20, 2008
GOP prospects for re-taking the House of Representatives grew even worse today as New York Rep. Tom Reynolds announced his retirement.  Reynolds is one of 22 GOP House members who are retiring, compared with just three Democrats. 

Clinton Relying On Evan Bayh As Indiana Looks To Play Key Role In Democratic Race
March 20, 2008

Michigan Do-Over Plan Is Dead
March 20, 2008

Obama Speaks About Race Issues In America
March 18, 2008

FOX Anchor Compares Obama Pastor To Nazi Adolf Hitler
March 18, 2008

Supreme Court Reviews DC Handgun Ban
March 18, 2008



Taxpayers Foot The Bill For McCain Campaign Swing Through Middle East
March 18, 2008
By Rob @ 9:26 a.m. John McCain and two of his political allies, Sen. Lindsey Graham of North Carolina and Sen. Joe Lieberman of Connecticut, took a tour of Iraq, Jordan and Israel this week, all paid for with tax dollars.  Both Lieberman and Graham are mentioned as likely members of a McCain administration.  On the way back, McCain will stop in London to raise money for his presidential campaign.

While In Jordan, McCain demonstrated a fundamental misunderstanding of the situation in Iraq, incorrectly claiming that it is "common knowldge . . . that al-Qaeda is going back into Iran and receiving training and are coming back from Iran."  McCain withdrew the comment after Lieberman whispered in his ear.

No Do-Over For Florida Primary
March 17, 2008

Paterson Replaces Spitzer As NY Governor
March 17, 2008

Obama Picks Up Edwards' Iowa Delegates
March 15, 2008

Michigan & Florida Struggling To Find Plan To Seat Delegates At DNC
March 15, 2008
After ignoring the party rules regarding scheduling of primaries, Democrats in Michigan and Florida are still struggling to find some way for delegates from those two states to be seated at the Democratic National Convention this summer. 

Chinese Military Puts Down Tibet Protesters
March 15, 2008

Scare Tactics: McCain Claims al Qaeda Will Try To Disrupt US Presidential Election
March 15, 2008
GOP presidential candidate John McCain is warning that al Qaeda may try to increase their attacks in Iraq in the coming months in order to harm his chances of becoming president.

Obama Rejects Comments By His Former Pastor
March 15, 2008



Spitzer vs. Vitter:  Double Standard
March 12, 2008
By Rob @ 8:59 a.m.  Saying "I cannot allow my private failings to disrupt the people's work," Elliott Spitzer announced he will resign as governor of New York two days after it was revealed that he used a high-priced escort service.  Spitzer, a Democrat, will resign effective Monday, March 17th. 

Many of us are still waiting for the resignation of Louisiana's GOP Sen. David Vitter, who was identified last year as a client of the DC Madam. The current governor of Louisiana, Bobby Jindal, is one of four members of the executive committee of the National Republican Governor's Association, which immediately called for Spitzer's resignation.  Neither Jindal nor the GOP governors' group have called for Vitter's resignation.  Instead, Jindal co-hosted a fundraiser for Vitter last month that pulled in nearly half a million dollars.

Mississippi Goes Big For Obama
March 12, 2008
Barack Obama has beaten Hillary Clinton by more than 20 percent in the Mississippi Democratic primary, erasing the modest gains Clinton made in the hunt for delegates by winning the Ohio primary.

Obama Takes On Clinton's Foreign Policy "Experience"
March 11, 2008

Ashcroft Defends No Bid Contract From Justice Department
March 11, 2008
Former Attorney General John Ashcroft appeared before Congress today to answer questions about a no-bid contract, worth between $28 - 52 million, awarded to Ashcroft's consulting firm by Justice Department employees that had worked for Ashcroft when he ran the department.  Yesterday, the Administration announced new guidelines for awarding contracts to avoid the type of conflict of interest questions that came up when Ashcroft's contract became public knowledge.

Prosecutors Charge Arizona Rep With Ripping Off Pro-Life Groups
March 11, 2008
Representative Rick Renzi was a co-chair of John McCain's presidential campaign in Arizona and a staunchly pro-life member of Congress, but he has been indicted for defrauding anti-abortion groups to fund his campaign for Congress.

Legislature Threatens To Impeach Spitzer Over Prostitute Scandal
March 11, 2008
The New York state legislature is threatening to begin impeachment proceedings against Governor Elliott Spitzer if he does not resign within 48 hours following disclosure of Spitzer's connection with a prostitution ring. The New York Times is reporting that Spizter will resign.

Five US Soldiers Killed In Baghdad Bombing
March 10, 2008

Haliburton Subsidiary Supplied Troops With Unsafe Drinking Water In Iraq
March 10, 2008

NY Gov Caught In Prostitute Sting
March 10, 2008

Democrats Win Hastert's House Seat
March 9, 2008
The seat held by former GOP Speaker of the House of Representatives Dennis Hastert went to the Democrats today, when businessman Bill Foster won the special election held to determine Hastert's successor.  A special election was necessary because Hastert resigned rather than serve until the end of his current term in January 2009.



Obama Wins Wyoming Caucuses
March 8, 2008

McCain's Fight Against "Pork" Projects Sending Defense Contracts To Foreign Countries?
March 8, 2008

Bush Vetoes Waterboarding Ban
March 8, 2008
By Rob @ 3:19 p.m.  President Bush vetoed Congress' ban on the CIA engaging in the torture technique known as waterboarding, which involves making a prisoner feel like he is drowning in order to coerce cooperation.  According to Bush, waterboarding is "one of the most valuable tools on the war on terror." 

The International Convention Against Torture, signed by President Ronald Reagan and ratified by the Senate in 1994.  The treaty defines torture as "any act by which severe pain or suffering, whether physical or mental, is intentionally inflicted on a person for such purposes as obtaining from him or a third person information or a confession, punishing him for an act he or a third person has committed or is suspected of having committed, or intimidating or coercing him or a third person, or for any reason based on discrimination of any kind, when such pain or suffering is inflicted by or at the instigation of or with the consent or acquiescence of a public official or other person acting in an official capacity. It does not include pain or suffering arising only from, inherent in or incidental to lawful sanctions."

When Reagan submitted the treaty, his message to the Senate said:  "The United States participated actively and effectively in the negotiation of the Convention . It marks a significant step in the development during this century of international measures against torture and other inhuman treatment or punishment. Ratification of the Convention by the United States will clearly express United States opposition to torture, an abhorrent practice unfortunately still prevalent in the world today."
       
The Mississippi Supreme Court regarded the practice known then as "the water cure," as torture by 1926.

Did GOP Hijinks Swing Texas Primary To Clinton?
March 7, 2008
Rush Limbaugh promoted it, Bill O'Reilly talked about it, but did conservative voters really cross-over to vote in the Texas GOP primary in order to promote the candidate they think is most beatable, Hillary Clinton?

Florida Sen. Bill Nelson Calls For New Democratic Primary
March 6, 2008

Hillary's Math Problem
March 5, 2008
To beat Barack Obama among pledged delegates to the Democratic National Convention, Hillary Clinton needs to win the upcoming 12 primaries by an average of 23 percent.

Bob Dole Brings Up McCain's Notorious Temper
March 3, 2008
The 1996 GOP presidential nominee, former Kansas Sen. Bob Dole, told CNN's Larry King, Dole told CNN’s Larry King that his former Senate colleague “does have a… I guess you could say temper. But I always sort of rationalized that because the poor guy had been locked up” in a tiny cell for six years.

Split Decision In Texas Two-Step
March 3, 2008
The Democrats' process for choosing delegates in Texas is a two part process:  first, the primary election, followed by caucuses that can only be attended by people who voted in the primary.  Hillary Clinton won 51 percent of the primary vote to Barack Obama's 47 percent, and returns show Obama with a lead among caucus goers.

Clinton Wins Ohio Primary
March 3, 2008

McCain Clinches GOP Nomination, Huckabee Drops Out
March 3, 2008

Lobbyist Hired To Coordinate McCain Campaign With Congressional Republicans
March 3, 2008

Obama Almost As Well-Liked By Republicans As McCain
March 3, 2008
Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama is nearly as well-liked among GOP members as likely Republican presidential nominee John McCain.  Obama is ranked as the most likable candidate by 23 percent of Republicans while 25 percent name McCain as most likable.

Ohio And Texas May Decide Democratic Nomination
March 3, 2008
Voting is "brisk" in Texas and lines are expected for those who wait until later in the day to vote.  Record turnout is also expected in Ohio.

Florida Do-Over?
March 2, 2008
The GOP governor of Florida, Charlie Crist, has announced he supports a re-do of the Florida Democratic primary at state expense.  Florida originally held its primary on January 29th, which violated Democratic party rules, and the delegates selected that day will not be seated at this summer's Democratic National Convention in Denver. Hillary Clinton received the most votes in the first Florida primary, but the candidates did not campaign in there.

McCain Endorsed By Anti-Catholic Televangelist
March 2, 2008
John Hagee, a Texas televangelist that has described the Catholic Church as "The Great Whore," "the anti-Christ" and a "false cult system" has endorsed the GOP presidential campaign of John McCain.  McCain says he is proud of Hagee's "spiritual leadership."