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In this time of great uncertainty, America needs an experienced, decisive leader with clear vision and a steady hand to guide us through. That man is Sen. John McCain. The troubles that will face the next President of the United States are numerous and perilous. They will test the character, the resolve and the mettle of the man we choose to deal with them. Of the two men who stand on the precipice of that great office, only John McCain has proved that he has what it takes to make the tough decisions in a time of crisis. Weeks ago,...

About 100 Napa County-based Barack Obama supporters showed up Monday afternoon on the front steps of the Napa Valley Register building in downtown Napa to protest the newspaper's Sunday endorsement of John McCain for President

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) - Calling him the true reformer in the presidential contest, members of Reform Party USA endorsed Sen. John McCain for president on Saturday. Party Chairman Frank MacKay said representatives from 27 states voted to endorse McCain, the Republican nominee and Arizona senator. None voted for Democratic nominee Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois. "It's a good day for reform," MacKay told The Associated Press. "Whether (McCain) wins or loses, I believe we did the right thing and it gives independents the best chance out there to elect one of our own to the White House." MacKay said the...

HERE IS a recap of our recommendations for this year’s election. We have analyzed candidates and ballot issues to reach our opinions. President: John McCain is the clear choice over Barack Obama. Sen. Obama promises the moon and the stars to various constituencies, while Sen. McCain stands foursquare on national security and cleaning up Washington, both of which he has a proven track record. U.S. Senator: We are withholding our endorsement until after the Chieftain-sponsored debate here in Pueblo on Monday. Congress - 3rd District: Democrat John Salazar is the clear choice over Republican Wayne Wolf. Rep. Salazar has proven...

This week the McCain-Palin team raked in a bonanza of endorsements. According to conventional wisdom endorsements don't matter that much in politics, but at least one of the multiple nods announced over the past two days for the GOP's ticket could make a big difference. NRA-PVF, the National Rifle Association's Political Victory Fund, put the gun rights organization's stamp of approval on the Republican Party's presidential and vice presidential candidates, and that endorsement carries a load of clout. NRA doesn't always made a presidential endorsement in an election year, and it has not been overly enthusiastic about McCain. Jim Geraghty...

The Boston Herald is one of the first newspapers out of the gate with an endorsement in the presidential race -- and their money's on John McCain. The newspaper's endorsement Tuesday described the Republican presidential nominee as an experienced leader "who is steady in the face of crisis, mature in judgment and able to reach across the aisle to break the gridlock that has for too long gripped Washington." As the economy takes center stage in the presidential campaign, McCain has lost ground in recent national and battleground polls. But the Herald said McCain has the "courage" to make necessary...

Another sobering start to an exceedingly sobering week - but one which points to the need for a political leader who is steady in the face of crisis, mature in judgment and able to reach across the aisle to break the gridlock that has for too long gripped Washington. That man is Sen. John McCain and at this critical moment in history, this paper is pleased to endorse his candidacy for president of the United States. McCain won a lot of hearts and minds around here in 2000, and we can’t help but wonder how history might have been different...

Former Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul said Wednesday that former Sen. Phil Gramm, R-Texas, called him on Tuesday urging him to endorse John McCain, sparking charges from Democrats that the former McCain adviser is still active on behalf of the Republican presidential nominee. "I got a phone call yesterday and it was a bit of a surprise to me because their request was that I endorse John McCain. The argument was, 'he would do a little less harm than the other candidate,'" said Paul.

Barack Obama has a page on the photo sharing site called Flickr. On his profile, there are words of praise for him from fans far and wide. Here's a few (these are comments that have to be approved by the user, i.e. Obama's campaign, by the way): zanalee says: "Everywhere I go in NYC where I live, I feel this amazing spirit of support for you. I have never been so excited about a presidential candidate in my life! I wear my Obama button proudly. A woman on the train today told me I reminded her she should be wearing...

<p>There seems to be a kumbaya moment occurring on the conservative front, and it’s one that would apply a salve to Senator John McCain’s uneven, unsettled relationship with the religious right.</p> <p>Enter James Dobson, who has at times been blistering in his criticisms of Mr. McCain. The religious right’s more favored candidates — from former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee to even former Tennessee Senator Fred Thompson — are no longer options.</p>

Yet another reason to vote for Senator John McCain. Former Hillary supporter, Barbra Streisand now endorses Barack Hussein Obama: http://blogs.reuters.com/fanfare/2008/07/01/barbra-streisand-backs-obama/. Add that endorsement to backing from pro-abortion groups, the LGBT (Lesbians, Gays, Bi-sexuals, Transgendered) lobby, Reverend "God Damn America" Wright, Tony (Criminal) Rezko, Bill (Terrorist) Ayers, and every left wing kooky group out there and it's become crystal clear to all but the terminally obtuse that this guy makes George McGovern look good! This election is developing into a test of H.L. Mencken's thesis that you can never go broke underestimating the intelligence of the American people. Should Obama ever...

In a cozy Coconut Grove shop redolent of incense, Sandra Richardson hovers over six colorful tarot cards laid before her on a silk-covered table. She ponders the question: Obama or McCain? The middle-age self-described psychic consultant sweeps her ash blond hair from her shoulders. A crystal dangles around her neck. She points to the ace of cups — one of the three cards she drew for McCain. On it, a royal blue vessel emanates red, white, and gold squiggles. "This is a card with new emotional beginnings," she says. Her hazel eyes examine it before she laughs. "It's hard to...

President Daniel Ortega, who led the 1979 revolution in Nicaragua, says Barack Obama’s presidential bid is a “revolutionary” phenomenon in the United States. “It’s not to say that there is already a revolution under way in the U.S. … but yes, they are laying the foundations for a revolutionary change,” the Sandinista leader said Wednesday night as he accepted an honorary doctorate from an engineering university. Ortega led a Soviet-backed government that battled U.S.-supported Contra rebels before he lost power in a 1990 election. He returned to office last year via the ballot box. In statements broadcast on Sandinista Radio...

At least 14 Republican members of Congress have refused to endorse or publicly support Sen. John McCain for president, and more than a dozen others declined to answer whether they back the Arizona senator. Many of the recalcitrant GOP members declined to detail their reasons for withholding support, but Rep. John Peterson (R-Pa.) expressed major concerns about McCain’s energy policies and Rep. Walter Jones (R-N.C.) cited the Iraq war. A handful of other Republicans on Capitol Hill made the distinction between “endorsing” and “supporting,” adding that while they have not endorsed, they do support McCain. In recent weeks, much of...

Rep. Dan Boren, the lone Democrat in Oklahoma's congressional delegation, has declined to endorse Barack Obama, describing the Illinois senator as "the most liberal senator in the U.S. Senate." "Our nominee is not my first choice," Mr. Boren said in an Associated Press interview. Mr. Boren, who is seeking a third term in a conservative district, argued problems such as a stalling economy and high gas prices require a bipartisan spirit and "unfortunately, [Mr. Obama's] record does not reflect working in a bipartisan fashion." Also at source: Obama Establishes Internet War Room Plagued by e-mail rumors that he is a...

Fidel Castro has a fascinating op-ed in the state-run Cuban paper Granma, attacking Obama's recent Cuba speech with a slight note of regret that such a "progressive" candidate has taken such a hard-line stance. Castro charged that "Presidential candidate Obama’s speech may be formulated as follows: hunger for the nation, remittances as charitable hand-outs and visits to Cuba as propaganda for consumerism and the unsustainable way of life behind it." But he also made clear that Obama is his preferred candidate: He's "doubtless, from the social and human points of view, the most progressive candidate to the U.S. presidency."

The endorsement of Senator Barack Obama by former Senator John Edwards is a signal, though not an absolutely decisive one, of a shift in the commitment of the Democratic Party's unpledged centre. It is partly a result of sheer momentum - Edwards said as much when he said that the voters had evidently made their choice "and so have I" - but partly also a feeling of alarm at the way in which Mrs Clinton has polarised the campaign, and gone so far as to polarise it along ethnic and racial lines. Edwards himself ran a campaign very much along...

The Log Cabin Republicans of California, a gay GOP organization, has endorsed a number of Inland candidates in the June primary. The group said it didn't focus on "gay issues" in making its decisions because gays and lesbians already have many rights in California. Instead, the group looked at candidates' positions on issues such as lower taxes and public safety, said James Vaughn, the Log Cabin Republicans' state director. "The gay wars are over. We've moved on," Vaughn said. "We want to support Republicans who want to win elections, not fight losing battles." The group took neutral positions on some...

WASHINGTON — Nancy Larson's most difficult conversation was, by far, the one with Chelsea Clinton. "It was just heartbreaking," said Larson, a Democratic National Committee member from Minnesota and more to the point, a superdelegate who initially had pledged herself to Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton. This was April 12, after the former first daughter learned Larson would be shifting her allegiance to Illinois Sen. Barack Obama. "She is a delightful young woman who loves her mother very much," Larson said. "She was really pushing me. She kept asking me why I was doing this. She just kept asking, 'Why? Why?'...

U.S. Rep. Chet Edwards, D-Waco, a superdelegate, is among those to receive campaign contributions from at least one of the current presidential candidates. Records show that Edwards, whose District 17 stretches from suburbs south of Fort Worth to east of College Station, received $7,500 from Barack Obama in the 2006 or 2008 election cycles or both, according to an analysis by the Capital Eye Web site. Edwards, who could not be reached for comment Friday, has endorsed Obama.

Some 50 delegates were reportedly poised to unite behind Barack Obama if he had won by even 1 point in Texas. He lost the popular vote by 100,000 ballots, and now we learn that 100,000 Republicans voted for Hillary Clinton, probably not because of some change in party allegiance but because they thought she would be the easier candidate to beat. This kind of strategic voting often backfires (think Ralph Nader). The Texas crossovers are winners. By helping to prolong the Democratic race, they can claim credit for weakening the eventual nominee, whoever it turns out to be. Obama has...

Former President Bush to endorse McCain By LIZ SIDOTI, Associated Press Writer 11 minutes ago Republican officials say Former President George H.W. Bush will endorse John McCain in Texas on Monday. The endorsement is seen as another sign of McCain's tightening grip on the Republican presidential nomination. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because the formal announcement is next week. The Arizona senator has been working to solidify his support from the Republican base. The nod from the former president and patriarch of the Bush family will certainly help.

Sen. Thad Cochran has shifted his support to Sen. John McCain for president. Cochran made the announcement in a statement Thursday after his first choice, former Massachusetts governor, Mitt Romney, dropped out of the Republican race. Mississippi's other senator, Roger Wicker, a Republican, had endorsed former Tennessee senator, Fred Thompson, who has also withdrawn from the race. Wicker has not announced his support for another candidate. GOP Cong. Chip Pickering endorsed McCain last year. Cong. Bennie Thompson, a Democrat, has endorsed fellow Democrat, Barack Obama for president.

I suppose I could be accused of over-dramatizing, but I truly worry about the direction this nation is headed when contemplating a presidential race where the choices are liberal and liberal-light. If John McCain is the GOP nominee, that's what we'll be faced with, despite the Herculean efforts of some to spin it otherwise. In that case, the presidential candidates of both parties would be willing to use the bully pulpit and governing power of the presidency to suppress political speech, punish producers, oil companies and drug companies, open wider our borders, cater to the whacko environmental movement and its...

Facing an uphill battle in the November elections, Republicans need to nominate a presidential candidate who represents the best traditions of the Grand Old Party: fiscal responsibility, devotion to national security and honest conduct of the nation's business. Republican voters should consider themselves lucky. They have two candidates highly qualified to occupy the Oval Office: John McCain and Mitt Romney, two principled political figures who could chart a new course for our country and lead it forward with honor. In a close call, our endorsement goes to McCain, a war hero, experienced player in the U.S. Senate and Washington politics,...

Mitt Romney's record while governor of Massachusetts was much better than he's given credit for. It's the record of an achiever. The Republican governor led the fight to control sprawl and bring more affordable housing to the Bay State with groundbreaking laws and a dramatic reorganization of state agencies. In 2003, he combined transportation, housing, environmental and energy agencies into a super-agency, charged it with stopping runaway suburban growth, then appointed a Democrat environmentalist to run it. By comparison, Connecticut is still nibbling around the edges of smart growth. The former venture-capital company CEO and rescuer of the 2002 Winter...

Today Barack Obama earned the endorsement of MoveOn, one of the largest grassroots membership organizations in the United States, after clobbering Hillary Clinton by 40 percent in Internet balloting. Obama led the final tally 70.4% to 29.6%, clearing the supermajority required for the endorsement. MoveOn, which has never endorsed a presidential candidate before, boasts that it has 1.7 million members in Super Tuesday states. The group has over half a million members in California alone – roughly one out of ten primary voters in Tuesday's largest state. "We've learned that the key to achieving change in Washington without compromising core...

Make no mistake about it: If Hillary Clinton is elected president, her husband will be her rogue co-president, causing constant chaos, crises and conflicts for her new administration. And sometimes, that will be exactly what Hillary wants. Chaos is Bill Clinton’s signature style and he’s not about to suddenly change. No way. Nor does Hillary necessarily want him to be a new Bill. In many ways, his divisive role in her campaign has been carefully crafted by Hillary and her team. It might come in useful in the White House, too. Throughout Hillary’s campaign, Bill has given us an unfortunate...

by Dr. Patrick Briney, ARRA President: Mitt Romney received the endorsement by the conservative ARRA board of directors yesterday. The board was polled to determine whether to endorse a candidate, how to conduct such an endorsement, and then which candidate to endorse. The Florida primary results, the delegate count, candidate attrition, and national polls show that the Republican primary has come down to a two man contest between Mitt Romney and John McCain. As of January 29, 2008, the delegate count for the remaining Republican candidates is: John McCain 98, Mitt Romney 61, Mike Huckabee 26, and Ron Paul 8....

January 30, 2008 -- Democrats in 22 states across America go to the polls next Tuesday to pick between two presidential prospects: Sens. Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. We urge them to choose Obama - an untried candidate, to be sure, but preferable to the junior senator from New York. Obama represents a fresh start. His opponent, and her husband, stand for déjà vu all over again - a return to the opportunistic, scandal-scarred, morally muddled years of the almost infinitely self-indulgent Clinton co-presidency. Does America really want to go through all that once again? It will - if Sen....

Now that the Sunshine has set, two old friends come to an understanding. McCain topper Rick Davis quietly negotiated the agreement. HALPERIN’S TAKE: 10 things Giuliani could have done differently. Giuliani, in Florida concession speech, talked about his effort in the past tense, but said nothing explicit about dropping out — or The Deal.

It is often said that the best way to find out how a candidate would act in office if elected, is to see who he/she surrounds himself with. Money is another factor, what people and industries are backing the candidate. These answers should be an indicator of what to expect. Who is behind the man should gauge what kind of man he is. The great Richard Viguerie tells the story of how he and other conservatives had a “seat at the table” of the presidential campaigns of Barry Goldwater and Ronald Reagan for. His thinking was if Conservatives aren’t at...

John McCain is earning more establishment endorsements these days, but prominent Republican lawyers -- a big part of that Capital "E" Establishment --, for the most part, are briefing someone else: Eugene Scalia, son of Justice Antonin Scalia and a former chief lawyer for the labor department, has been neutral in the presidential race until today. He's now aboard Lawyers for Romney, and joining him are about a dozen prominent Republican lawyers who, until Monday, had been supporters of Fred Thompson.

If any recent day typifies life in this crazy modern world, it was probably this past Tuesday. World financial markets were in a meltdown and the Federal Reserve held an emergency meeting to cut the interest rate a massive three quarters of a point in an attempt to stave off a precipitous stock market drop. President Bush was working with congressional leaders on an economic stimulus package to reduce the likelihood of a recession. Meanwhile the U.S. presidential campaign was in full swing with Hillary and Obama having just ripped each other to shreds at a debate, and Fred Thompson...

Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.) secured more than $1 million in federal funding last year for a Harlem-based non-profit whose leader gave her presidential campaign a major endorsement last weekend. Clinton -- who is aggressively competing for the black vote with her chief rival for the Democratic presidential nomination, Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) -- touted the endorsement of Rev. Calvin O. Butts III, a prominent black leader and pastor of one of the oldest black churches in America, the Abyssinian Baptist Church of Harlem. The $555-billion FY 2008 omnibus spending bill approved last month by Congress included 11 appropriations bills with...

That's the name of a new anti-Huckabee web site started by former Thompson staffer Darrel Ng. Jonathan Martin has more on the site: Now that his candidate is out of the race, one Thompson staffer has gone the next stop and is actively working against Huck. Sorta. Darrel Ng, perhaps the heartiest and most dogged of Thompson's aides and somebody who logged many a mile on the Fred bus, has launched a website called "Boycott Chuck Norris." Yup, Ng now wants people to show their disregard for Huck by not patronizing any companies that use Norris as a pitchman. The...

Thursday, January 24, 2008, 05:40 PM The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Mitt Romney’s presidential campaign on Thursday rolled out a list of 11 Republican state lawmakers it had gathered up in the wake of the collapse of the Fred Thompson campaign. Top among them was House Rules Chairman Earl Ehrhart of Powder Springs. Senate President pro tem Eric Johnson of Savannah switched from Thompson to Romney on Monday — a day ahead of Thompson’s exit. In a press conference at the state Capitol, Speaker pro tem Mark Burkhalter of Alpharetta declared that Romney had now supplanted Thompson as the Republican campaign with...

We have strong disagreements with all the Republicans running for president. The leading candidates have no plan for getting American troops out of Iraq. They are too wedded to discredited economic theories and unwilling even now to break with the legacy of President Bush. We disagree with them strongly on what makes a good Supreme Court justice. Still, there is a choice to be made, and it is an easy one. Senator John McCain of Arizona is the only Republican who promises to end the George Bush style of governing from and on behalf of a small, angry fringe. With...

A far as legal-brained firepower goes, the chief beneficiary of Fred Thompson’s decision to pull out of the presidential race is Mitt Romney. The Romney campaign Thursday announced that a host of conservative lawyers_and_scholars who were backing Thompson have joined the Romney camp. Among them is Victoria Toensing, who made her mark as an anti-terrorism_policy-maker at the Justice Department during the Reagan administration. Toensing is joined by her husband (and fellow regular on the cable news circuit) Joseph diGenova, the former U.S. attorney in Washington, D.C. To date, Romney’s conservative legal cabal has been notable for the presence of Catholic_scholars...

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) - Sen. Thad Cochran, R-Miss., has endorsed Mitt Romney's bid for the White House and says he would welcome an opportunity to help the Republican "implement his conservative vision'' if elected. "It is an honor to join Governor Romney and his campaign for our nation's highest office,'' Cochran said in a statement released by the Romney campaign and confirmed by Cochran's office. "At this moment our nation faces unprecedented challenges, and Governor Romney has the experience, vision and values needed to strengthen our country for future generations,'' Cochran said in the statement. "Governor Romney is a man...

In many ways, South Carolina has the future of the Republican Party in its’ hands. Up until now, the Republican primaries have only flirted with defining what the Republican Party wants. Independents in New Hampshire helped push McCain to victory in a small state with little Republican presence. Michigan rescued Romney and was the most populace stage for a Republican primary yet. However, even that win comes with an asterisk in a largely Democrat state with a fair share of activists who were urged to muddle with the Republican primary by fringe left leaders. But his margin of victory should...

COLUMBIA, S.C. -- South Carolina Comptroller General Richard Eckstrom said he is endorsing Fred Thompson for the Republican presidential nomination. Eckstrom said the former Tennessee senator shows clear leadership on social, fiscal and defense issues and is the only conservative candidate to have momentum going into Saturday's Republican primary in South Carolina. Eckstrom says Thompson can be a leader for the nation like Gov. Mark Sanford is a leader for South Carolina. Eckstrom is a Republican serving his second term as comptroller general.

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Emmy and Golden Globe winning actor Michael Moriarty recently endorsed fellow Law & Order star Fred Thompson for President of the United States. During a telephone conversation with this writer, Moriarty said: "Whoever does occupy the White House will not overturn Roe v. Wade, nor will he or she put the dictatorial Supreme Court in its place. "However, I will personally vote for Mr. Fred Thompson and help his campaign as best I can, but I don't believe his entrance into this campaign ever carried enough pro-life commitment to do the job that has to be done. In addition, since...

Senator Fred Thompson is far and away the best conservative candidate to represent those who live in Jesusland, according to David Jeffers, author of Understanding Evangelicals: A Guide to Jesusland. "Evangelicals are looking for a candidate who is strongly pro-life, is for traditional families, and who is an actual Reagan Conservative." Jeffers explains, "Every GOP candidate is espousing Reagan-like characteristics, but only Thompson has the record to back it up." Jeffers claims that many in Jesusland are enamored with Governor Mike Huckabee because of his Southern Baptist roots and strong social conservative values. "There are three important agendas in the...

Today, Marlene Elwell, noted pro-life leader and Founder and President of Catholics in the Public Square, endorsed Governor Mitt Romney for President. Marlene was also at the helm of the successful "Marriage Protection Amendment" campaign in Michigan in 2004 that preserves marriage in the Michigan Constitution as between one man and one woman.

Below are some sites that will give you more information about Senator Fred Thompson. He has had a long political career and, though checked as much as the other candidates have been, had no political skeletons found! He is the real deal. A true lifelong conservative! He has been criticized for not having fire in his belly and that is true. Fire in the belly is a longtime desire for something, a desire that make you do anything or say anything to get that. No, that is not Fred Thompson. His fire to win is in a much better place....

Since his win in New Hampshire, many have come to view John McCain as the Republican frontrunner. He has a lead in the RCP national average, and he is the favorite at InTrade's future's market. I think this talk is a bit hasty. Most obviously, McCain and Romney are tied in Michigan - and the polls over the last three weeks have been largely conditioned by who has won. So, who knows how the Michigan results will influence South Carolina and the rest of the nation. There is another reason I am hesitant about this bandwagon. I think that the...

From the back of the Culinary union hall on Friday, all that could be seen were hundreds of upraised hands -- black, brown and white -- clapping to the chant "Sí se puede." They were clapping along with Geoconda Arguello Kline, an immigrant from Nicaragua who came to Las Vegas for a low-skilled job in a hotel. She learned English. She saved enough to buy a home for the family she was raising. She took advantage of job training programs to move up in her work, and she became active with the union. Now Kline, "Geo" to the union's members,...

Sorry, Rudy: In an interview to air this Sunday, state Conservative Party Chairman Mike Long tells WNBC's Gabe Pressman the party is likely to give an early nod to Fred Thompson if he manages to "break through" in South Carolina. "As a Conservative, as the chairman of the New York state Conservative Party, my favorite candidate, naturally, is Fred Thompson," Long said. "He did very well this week in the debate. Certainly, I think in South Carolina. If he does well there, if he breaks through in South Carolina, he changes the face of this Republican race again. He becomes...