News Roundup

Democratic Rep. Cramer Retiring, Prompting Likely GOP Foray
Rep. Robert E. “Bud” Cramer, an Alabama Democrat, will not seek re-election this year in the state’s 5th Congressional District — a decision that will surely touch off a partisan battle in this year’s House election. Although the nine-term incumbent’s conservative image enabled him to easily keep the district at Alabama’s northern edge in Democratic Party hands, its voters otherwise tend to lean strongly Republican. Cramer’s decision will be greeted as a positive development by national Republican strategists, whose party lost 30 seats and control of the House in the 2006 elections and has struggled so far in this election cycle to add Democratic seats to their list of vulnerable takeover targets.
http://www.cqpolitics.com/wmspage.cfm?docID=news-000002687874

McCain: Opposition to Iraq Withdrawal ‘Seminal Event’ in History
John McCain cast his opposition to a troop withdrawal date in Iraq in historic terms Thursday during a FOX News interview, saying he would continue to fight anybody trying to end the war prematurely “every step of the way.”
http://elections.foxnews.com/2008/03/13/mccain-opposition-to-iraq-withdrawal-seminal-event-in-history/

Bob Benenson’s Jigsaw Politics: Free-Falling GOP Crash-lands in Illinois Cornfield
You never know when a slumping political party has hit rock-bottom until it has clearly rebounded. But the Republican Party arguably reached a new low last Saturday, March 8, when first-time Democratic candidate Bill Foster won the Illinois seat from which Republican J. Dennis Hastert — the former longtime Speaker of the U.S. House — resigned last November.
http://www.cqpolitics.com/wmspage.cfm?docID=news-000002687879

Politics: Trading places in the scramble for Capitol Hill
Financial Times - London,England,UK
Until late last year Mr McCain appeared to trail contenders – Rudolph Giuliani, Mitt Romney and Fred Thompson – whom he has since vanquished in the ...

The Hillarys, the Huckabees
LimaOhio.com - OH
Mike Huckabee is out of the presidential race, and Hillary Clinton is back in. But in a larger sense we’ll always have the Hillarys and the Huckabees. ...

John McCain can win in Pennsylvania, Giuliani says
PennLive.com - Harrisburg,PA,USA
Rudy Giuliani said today at the West Shore Country Club. Giuliani was substituting for McCain, who canceled his appearance at the $1000-a-plate campaign ...

Clinton vs. Obama fuels party switch
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review - Pittsburgh,PA,USA
In Fayette County, 271 voters switched to the Democratic Party while 211 changed their registration to Republican, according to Election Bureau Director ...

Huckabee to Speak in Columbia
KOMU-TV - Columbia,MO,USA
COLUMBIA - Former presidential candidate Mike Huckabee will be in Columbia this evening, but will not be focusing on politics. The visit was first scheduled ...

50 Suggestions For McCain’s VP
Truthdig - United States
MIKE HUCKABEE. Plays popular former Governor of Arkansas card. RUDI GIULIANI. Sop to huge pro-choice, pro-gay rights, pro-gun control wing of the GOP. ...

Big candidate lineup set for Rep. Hunter's seat
San Diego Union Tribune - United States
Duncan Hunter, R-Alpine, has held more than a quarter century. The elder Hunter declined to run for re-election to pursue an ill-fated presidential bid. ...

Obama blasts McCain on tax stance
Reuters India - Mumbai,India
By John Whitesides, Political Correspondent WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Democrat Barack Obama took aim on Thursday at potential White House opponent John McCain, ...

Who’s the Real Candidate for Change?
Human Events - Washington,DC,USA
And Republican candidate John McCain says he will make “real changes” in Washington. Here’s a simple test, since all three candidates are members of the US ...

State House Candidate To Campaign From Iraq
News4Jax.com - Jacksonville,FL,USA
... from Iraq Jack Capra, a Republican candidate for state House District 18, is also a commander in the US Navy Reserve Judge Advocate General Corps. ...

House candidate speaks KXNet.com North Dakota News
Reiten Television KXMB Bismarck - Bismarck,ND,USA
ABERDEEN, SD (AP) The Republican candidate for South Dakota's lone seat in the US House says Iraq and an overblown federal government are the biggest ...

John McCain: Early US pull-out from Iraq will cause 'genocide'
Telegraph.co.uk - United Kingdom
On the eve of his first overseas visit since becoming the Republican nominee, John McCain has warned that an early withdrawal of US troops from Iraq would ...

McCain’s ‘spiritual adviser’ an Islam basher
Daily Times - Lahore,Pakistan
By Khalid Hasan WASHINGTON: Senator John McCain has expressed admiration for an Ohio pastor who has called upon Christians to wage a “war” against the ...

Huck and Romney ramp up VP talk
Minnesota Public Radio - Saint Paul,MN,USA
Republican Mitt Romney told Fox News earlier this week that he'd be "honored" to be John McCain's running mate. Mike Huckabee said on NPR this morning that ...

McCain in trouble with conservatives as $35bn aircraft contract ...
Independent - London,England,UK
By Leonard Doyle in Washington John McCain's awkward honeymoon with US conservatives, which began with his victory in the battle for the Republican ...

Poll Puts McCain Ahead of Clinton and Obama in Pennsylvania
Wall Street Journal - USA
John McCain? A new poll gives McCain,the presumptive Republican nominee, a lead over both his Democratic opponents in the Keystone State, which holds its ...

McCain's Plan to Ban `Earmarks' to Get Senate Test (Update1)
Bloomberg - USA
By Brian Faler March 13 (Bloomberg) -- Republican John McCain and Democrats Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama will take a break from the presidential ...

Traps Ahead For Candidates On Capitol Hill
CBS News - New York,NY,USA
Senators and presidential candidates Hillary Rodham Clinton, Barack Obama and John McCain all plan to be back on Capitol Hill today. (CBS/AP) Notable events ...

Obama Criticizes McCain on Taxes
The Associated Press - John McCain reversed his position on President Bush's deep tax cuts in order to win the Republican presidential nomination, one of his sharpest criticisms ...

Randy Wolken dropping out of race for Congress
The Post-Standard - Syracuse.com - Syracuse,NY,USA
Randy Wolken, a Republican candidate for the 25th Congressional seat being vacated by Rep. James T. Walsh, R-Onondaga, is ending his campaign. ...

Randy Wolken pulls out of central New York Congressional race
WCAX - Burlington,VT,USA
AP - March 13, 2008 6:45 PM ET SYRACUSE, NY (AP) - Randy Wolken, a Republican candidate for the central New York Congressional seat being vacated by James ...

McCain Is Fighting to Win the Catholic Vote
U.S. News & World Report - Washington,DC,USA
John McCain stood with Texas televangelist John Hagee last month and said he was "proud" to receive the megachurch pastor's endorsement, a collective ...

Panel rejects McCain ballot challenge
Indianapolis Star - United States
John McCain's inclusion on Indiana's May 6 primary ballot, finding that the Republican presidential nominee has enough petition signatures to appear on the ...

Romney would accept offer to run with McCain
Dallas Morning News - Dallas,TX,USA
Mitt Romney said Tuesday that if one were made, he would accept an offer to be John McCain's running mate. "I think any Republican leader in this country ...

No Mitt-igating circumstances
Boston Herald - United States
By Wayne Woodlief Nice to know that Mitt Romney would be “honored” - and ready to accept on Day 1 - if Sen. John McCain would just ask him to be his vice ...

A taxing surprise
Independent - London,England,UK
Political Enquirer also has interesting news of McCain's possible interest in courting Mitt Romney as his running mate. McCain's age means that his running ...