John McCain Defends Hillary Clinton Aide Accused of Links to Muslim Brotherhood

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: John McCain yesterday rushed to the defence of one of Hillary Clinton's top aides, lashing out at fellow Republicans who accused the Muslim staffer of having links to the Muslim Brotherhood.

Breaking ranks with his party, the veteran Republican took to the Senate floor to condemn the "sinister accusations" made by Michelle Bachmann and others against Huma Adebin, Mrs Clinton's Deputy Chief of Staff.

He called the allegations "an unwarranted and unfounded attack on an honorable woman, a dedicated American, and a loyal public servant".

Mrs Bachmann, the former Republican presidential hopeful, and four other House members had written to the State Department claiming that America's foreign policy was being influenced by the supporters of the Islamist group.

In a letter that drew comparisons to the McCarthyite anti-Communist witch hunts of the 1950s, the group demanded an investigation into possible Muslim Brotherhood infiltration of the State Department and called for anyone found with links to the group to be made to "publicly condemn and disclaim" its goals.

They also singled out Ms Adebin, a Muslim born in Michigan, claiming that her father, mother and brother had been "connected" to the Brotherhood. As evidence they cited a document produced by the Centre for Security Policy, a controversial ultra-conservative think tank.

Ms Adebin has been at Mrs Clinton's side for more than a decade, and regularly travels with the Secretary of State on diplomatic missions around the world. Mrs Clinton has described the Arabic and Urdu speaker as a "second daughter".

Last year Ms Adebin's husband, the Democratic congressman Anthony Weiner, was forced to resign after admitting sending naked pictures of himself to other women. » | Thursday, July 19, 2012

THE NATIONAL INTEREST: Michele Bachmann's Plot To Defame Huma Abedin » | Jacob Heilbrunn | Thursday, July 19, 2012

FRONTPAGEMAG.COM: Huma Abedin’s Mother and an Islamist Agenda » | Nonie Darwish | Friday, July 20, 2012

Ex-President George W. Bush Rips Wisdom of Barack Obama, Sarah Palin and John McCain to Friends
NEW YORK DAILY NEWS: WASHINGTON - Two years of retirement haven't dulled George W. Bush's political zest - and President Obama and Sarah Palin are among his under-the-radar targets.

The 43rd President has told friends the ex-Alaska governor isn't qualified to be President and criticizes Arizona Sen. John McCain for putting Palin on the 2008 GOP ticket and handing her a national platform.

"Naming Palin makes Bush think less of McCain as a man," a Republican official familiar with Bush's thinking told the Daily News.

"He thinks McCain ran a lousy campaign with an unqualified running mate and destroyed any chance of winning by picking Palin."

As he prepares for the Tuesday launch of his memoir, "Decision Points," Bush scrupulously gives his successor a public pass - a statesmanlike stance urged by his father, President George H. W. Bush.

"I want my President to succeed because if my President succeeds my country succeeds, and I want my country to succeed," Bush typically says when asked about Obama.

"He won't call Obama by name but he won't trash him," a confidant noted, referring to Bush's comments in post-presidency speaking appearances, which have netted him millions, often at $100,000 or more a pop.

Still, he thinks Obama has failed as a President - a judgment supported by this week's robust Republican gains. >>> Thomas M. Defrank, Daily News Washington Bureau Chief | Friday, November 05, 2010

Republicans Wage War on Immigrants in Constitution Citizenship Challenge
THE TELEGRAPH: Leading Republicans have joined a push for a repeal of the constitutional amendment that confers citizenship upon anyone born in the United States as immigration takes centre stage ahead of the mid term elections.

They argue that the 14th amendment, which was enacted in 1868, is being exploited by illegal immigrants as well as wealthy people who want to use their children to "anchor" themselves to the US.

The suggestion of a review or repeal of the amendment is a highly controversial move as most American view the constitution as sacrosanct. The 14th amendment was designed to prevent individual states refusing to grant citizenship to slaves freed in the aftermath of the Civil War.

Among the leading Republicans in the Senate supporting the move is John McCain, the 2008 presidential candidate, who is currently facing a Right-wing challenge from within his own party in his re-election bid in Arizona, the border state where immigration is a dominant issue. >>> Alex Spillius in Washington | Wednesday, August 04, 2010

John McCain Swings Right in Desperate Bid for Political Survival
THE GUARDIAN: One-time moderate Arizona senator keeps step with the Tea Party and gets tough on illegal immigration

John Ladd points to the piles of empty water and Coke bottles, a yellow blanket and numerous other bits of debris abandoned on his cattle ranch in Cochise county, near Tombstone, Arizona. The sprawling estate, stretching 10 miles along the US-Mexico border, is a favoured route for those making the illegal, dangerous and often fatal, journey to what they hope is a bright new future. >>> Ewen MacAskill in Tucson | Friday, April 30, 2010

Gays in military? Not for McCain
THE SYDNEY MORNING HERALD: WASHINGTON: Three years ago, the Republican senator John McCain was pretty clear about his stand on the military's ''Don't ask, don't tell'' policy on gay service personnel.

The war hero said he would support ending the ban once the top brass told him they were OK with it.

''The day that the leadership of the military comes to me and says, 'Senator, we ought to change the policy,' then I think we ought to consider seriously changing it because those leaders in the military are the ones we give the responsibility to,'' he told an audience of college students.

That day arrived on Tuesday, with the US Defence Secretary, Robert Gates, and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Mike Mullen, testifying to senators following President Barack Obama's announcement that he would seek a congressional repeal of the 15-year-old policy.

Admiral Mullen called repealing the policy, which bans openly gay men and lesbians from serving, ''the right thing to do'' and said he was troubled by in effect forcing service members to ''lie about who they are in order to defend their fellow citizens''.

Mr Gates told the armed services committee: ''I fully support the President's decision.'' >>> The Washington Post, Agence France-Presse | Thursday, February 04, 2010

Republicans Take Some Bold Steps to Exit the Dark Ages
THE TELEGRAPH: Senator John McCain has been forced to issue a statement clarifying his position on gay marriage after his wife Cindy and daughter Meghan posed for campaign posters.

Cindy and Meghan McCain, posed for photos endorsing pro-gay marriage forces in California.

Mrs McCain appears with silver duct tape across her mouth and "NOH8" written on one cheek. The photo was posted on Wednesday on the NOH8 campaign's website.

The homosexual rights group opposes Proposition 8 - the ballot measure passed by Californian voters in 2008 which bans same-sex marriage.

Cindy McCain contacted NOH8 and offered to pose for the photo endorsement, the website said.

John McCain's office said in a statement that the Arizona senator an 2008 Republican presidential candidate respects the views of members of his family but remains opposed to gay marriage. John McCain's Wife Cindy Becomes Poster Girl for Same-sex Marriage >>> | Thursday, January 21, 2010

Meghan McCain on Twitter >>>

Schwarzenegger Pummels Barack Obama
Photo of Arnold Schwarzenegger helping John McCain beef up his campaign in Columbus, Ohio courtesy of The Telegraph
THE TELEGRAPH: Arnold Schwarzenegger brought some much-needed brawn to John McCain's presidential campaign with a muscular attack mocking Barack Obama's policies and physique.

The California governor was joined by Country and Western star Hank Williams Jr as they pumped up supporters at a boisterous rally in Columbus, Ohio. The state is a must-win battleground so crucial to Mr McCain that he devoted two of the last five days of the campaign to blitz the state by bus.

The Austrian-born former Mr Universe, a popular Republican moderate who played a key role in helping George W Bush win Ohio and thus the White House four years ago, reminded the audience that he hosted an annual bodybuilding contest in Columbus.

"I want to invite Senator Obama because he needs to do something about those skinny legs," he said to loud and amused roars. "I'm going to make him do some squats. And then we're going to make him do some biceps curls to beef up those scrawny little arms."

He then turned to the political impact of his message. "If only we could do something about putting some meat on his ideas," he said, whipping the crowd into a frenzy. "Senator McCain on the other hand is built like a rock."

The star of the Terminator blockbusters added that while he played action heroes on screen, "John McCain is a real action hero" who "has served his country longer in a POW camp than his opponent has served in the United State Senate". >>> By Philip Sherwell in Columbus, Ohio | November 1, 2008

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New Polls Give John McCain Hope as Race Tightens
THE TELEGRAPH: New polls released suggest that the race for the White House is tightening, giving Republicans slender hope that Senator John McCain can overtake Senator Barack Obama in the final five days of the campaign.


A new poll by Rasmussen Reports showed Mr McCain closing to within three points of Mr Obama nationwide for the first time in more than month, trailing 47 per cent to 50 per cent.

A Quinnipiac University poll showed Mr Obama with a still sizeable, albeit slightly narrower lead in swing states Ohio and Pennsylvania but with Florida now too close to call.

On average, the Democrat's lead is down from the level of seven to 7.5 per cent seen for the past two weeks to six per cent.

Mr Obama and his campaign staff have persistently said the race will tighten late on, and those numbers are giving the McCain campaign encouragement that their relentless attempts to portray Mr Obama as an ultraliberal politician secretly plotting to raise taxes across the board are slowly starting to draw support.

Bill McInturff, Mr McCain's chief pollster, released a memo saying: "As other public polls begin to show Senator Obama dropping below 50% and the margin over McCain beginning to approach margin of error with a week left, all signs say we are headed to an election that may easily be too close to call by next Tuesday."

The campaign believes that the eight to ten per cent of undecided voters will tilt heavily in Mr McCain's favour. >>> By Alex Spillius in Washington | October30, 2008

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John McCain dénonce le triomphalisme d'Obama
Photo grâce au Figaro
LE FIGARO: Le candidat républicain attaque sans relâche pour faire mentir les sondages qui le donnent toujours derrière Obama. Mais moins loin.

Dans une semaine et un jour, les jeux seront faits. La nervosité est perceptible chez les électeurs démocrates qui n'osent encore croire à la victoire de leur favori. «On y avait cru les deux dernières fois avec Gore et Kerry. Les républicains vont tout faire pour créer des problèmes aux urnes le jour du vote, comme on l'a vu en Floride en 2000 et dans l'Ohio en 2004», dit Ann, une New-Yorkaise dont les craintes sont partagées par de nombreux partisans de Barack Obama. Au retour d'une visite éclair à sa grand-mère mourante à Hawaï, le candidat démocrate a mis en garde ses troupes dans les trois États de l'Ouest où il s'est arrêté pour tenter de faire définitivement pencher, de son côté, une balance traditionnellement favorable aux républicains.

«Nous allons devoir nous battre chaque jour qui nous reste, nous ne pouvons nous relâcher», a répété Barack Obama dans ses meetings à Reno, dans le Nevada, et au Nouveau-Mexique avant de gagner le Colorado. Ces trois États représentent globalement dix-neuf grands électeurs qui pourraient compenser une défaite en Floride ou dans l'Ohio, l'un des grands États clés avec la Pennsylvanie. À égalité avec McCain dans les sondages en Floride, Obama fera campagne mercredi à Orlando en compagnie de Bill Clinton. L'ancien président fera sa première apparition au côté de l'ex-rival de son épouse, qu'il avait sérieusement égratigné pendant les primaires. S'il est un État qui lui semble promis mais qu'Obama ne prend pas pour acquis, c'est la Pennsylvanie. Il sera aujourd'hui à Pittsburgh, où le racisme latent chez certains cols bleus est difficilement mesurable dans les sondages, puis dans le comté conservateur de Chester près de Philadelphie. >>> Jean-Louis Turlin | 27.10.2008

The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Broché) >>>
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Melanie Phillips: Is America Really Going to Do This?
THE SPECTATOR: The impact of the financial crisis on the American presidential election has somewhat obscured the most important reason why the prospect of an Obama presidency is giving so many people nightmares. This is the fear that, if he wins, US defences will be emasculated at a time of unprecedented international peril and the enemies of America and the free world will seize their opportunity to destroy the west.

Personally, I don’t give any credence to the ‘support’ for one candidate over the other that has been expressed by the enemies of civilisation (Iran and Hamas ‘support’ Obama, while an al Qaeda blogger ‘supports’ McCain). Their agenda is simply to sow confusion and promote American recriminations and disarray. Nor do I set much store by many of the remarks made by either candidate during the latter stages of this election campaign, since under this kind of pressure both will now say pretty much anything to win it. The New York Times has run a useful analysis of the candidates’ foreign policy campaign statements which shows how Obama has carefully tacked to the ‘hard power’ agenda while McCain has in turn nodded towards ‘soft power’.

No, the only way to assess their position is to look at each man in the round, at what his general attitude is towards war and self-defence, aggression and appeasement, the values of the west and those of its enemies and – perhaps most crucially of all – the nature of the advisers and associates to whom he is listening. As I have said before, I do not trust McCain; I think his judgment is erratic and impetuous, and sometimes wrong. But on the big picture, he gets it. He will defend America and the free world whereas Obama will undermine them and aid their enemies.

Here’s why. McCain believes in protecting and defending America as it is. Obama tells the world he is ashamed of America and wants to change it into something else. McCain stands for American exceptionalism, the belief that American values are superior to tyrannies. Obama stands for the expiation of America’s original sin in oppressing black people, the third world and the poor.

Obama thinks world conflicts are basically the west’s fault, and so it must right the injustices it has inflicted. That’s why he believes in ‘soft power’ — diplomacy, aid, rectifying ‘grievances’ (thus legitimising them, encouraging terror and promoting injustice) and resolving conflict by talking. As a result, he will take an axe to America’s defences at the very time when they need to be built up. He has said he will ‘cut investments in unproven missile defense systems’; he will ‘not weaponize space’; he will ‘slow our development of future combat systems’; and he will also ‘not develop nuclear weapons,’ pledging to seek ‘deep cuts’ in America’s arsenal, thus unilaterally disabling its nuclear deterrent as Russia and China engage in massive military buildups.

McCain understands that an Islamic war of conquest is being waged on a number of diverse fronts which all have to be seen in relation to each other. For Obama, however, the real source of evil in the world is America. The evil represented by Iran and the Islamic jihadists is apparently all America’s fault. ‘A lot of evil’s been perpetuated based on the claim that we were fighting evil,’ he said. Last May, he dismissed Iran as a tiny place which posed no threat to the US -- before reversing himself the very next day when he said Iran was a great threat which had to be defeated. He has also said that Hezbollah and Hamas have ‘legitimate grievances’. Really? And what might they be? Their grievances are a) the existence of Israel b) its support by America c) the absence of salafist Islam in the world. Does Obama think these ‘grievances’ are legitimate? >>> By Melanie Phillips | Friday, October 24, 2008

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The Third 2008 Presidential Debate: John McCain versus Barack Obama (Full Version)

THE NEW YORK TIMES: McCain Presses Obama in Final Debate

Senator John McCain used the final debate of the presidential election on Wednesday night to raise persistent and pointed questions about Senator Barack Obama’s character, judgment and policy prescriptions in a session that was by far the most spirited and combative of their encounters this fall.

At times showing anger and at others a methodical determination to make all his points, Mr. McCain pressed his Democratic rival on taxes, spending, the tone of the campaign and his association with the former Weather Underground leader William Ayers, using nearly every argument at his disposal in an effort to alter the course of a contest that has increasingly gone Mr. Obama’s way.

But Mr. Obama maintained a placid and at times bemused demeanor — if at times appearing to work at it — as he parried the attacks and pressed his consistent line that Mr. McCain would represent a continuation of President Bush’s unpopular policies, especially on the economy.

That set the backdrop for one of the sharpest exchanges of the evening, when, in response to Mr. Obama’s statement that Mr. McCain had repeatedly supported Mr. Bush’s economic policies, Mr. McCain fairly leaped out of his chair to say: “Senator Obama, I am not President Bush. If you wanted to run against President Bush, you should have run four years ago.” >>> By Jim Rutenberg | October 15, 2008

THE TELEGRAPH: US Presidential Debate: John McCain Attacks Barack Obama as High-spending Liberal

Republican nominee Senator John McCain has fulfilled the wishes of his supporters, aggressively demanding that Senator Barack Obama explain his relationship with a 1960s radical and attacking his Democratic rival as a high tax, high-spending liberal.

Saving their sharpest encounter for the final debate, the US presidential candidates offered clear differences in their visions for the country one of them will be soon be governing.

Much of their disagreement centred around an Ohio plumber, Joe Wurzelbacher, whose recently confronted Mr Obama about the higher taxes he would face under the Democrat’s plans. Several times both candidates addressed their comments to "Joe the Plumber" – "if you are watching".

Slipping further behind in the polls, Mr McCain came out fighting and repeated to Mr Obama's face some of the most negative campaign allegations about the Illinois senator.

He demanded to know the full extent of Mr Obama’s relationship with Bill Ayers, now an education professor who was the founder group of anti-Vietnam War militants called the Weather Underground that bombed government buildings in the late 1960s and early 1970s.

"I don't care about an old washed-up terrorist, but as Senator Clinton said in her debates with you, we need to know the full extent of the relationship with you," said Mr McCain. >>> By Alex Spillius in Hempstead, New York | October 16, 2008

BBC:
McCain and Obama in Tense Final Debate >>> | October 16, 2008

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The New York Times: "Ein Pro-Obama-Kampfblatt" so McCain
WELT ONLINE: "Ein Pro-Obama-Kampfblatt" sei die New York Times: Mit diesem Vorwurf hat John McCain der linksliberalen Zeitung den Krieg erklärt. Anlass war ein Bericht, der McCains Wahlkampfmanager schwere Vorwürfe machte. Und die New York Times ist nicht das einzige Medium, dass McCains Team Parteilichkeit vorwirft.

Mit der Klage, die „New York Times“ sei „zu 150 Prozent ein Pro-Obama-Kampfblatt“ und betreibe keinen Journalismus mehr, hat John McCain der angesehensten Zeitung der US-Ostküste den Krieg erklären lassen. Steve Schmidt, der Chefstratege des republikanischen Präsidentschaftskandidaten, vollzog in einer Konferenzschaltung mit Reportern den Bruch mit der „Times“. Anlass war ein Bericht der Zeitung, der Rick Davis, Wahlkampfmanager McCains, vorhielt, als Lobbyist Millionen Dollar von den halbstaatlichen Kreditanstalten Fannie Mae und Freddie Mac kassiert zu haben, bevor sie von der US-Regierung vor der Pleite bewahrt wurden. McCain bläst zum Angriff auf die "New York Times" >>> Von Uwe Schmitt | 23. September 2008

THE NEW YORK TIMES:
McCain Camp Takes Issue With Times Coverage: The McCain campaign lashed out at The New York Times on Monday, accusing it of dropping its journalistic standards and being “150 percent in the tank” for Senator Barack Obama.

In a conference call with reporters, Steve Schmidt, Senator John McCain’s senior campaign adviser, was asked about an article in The Times on Monday reporting that Mr. McCain’s campaign manager, Rick Davis, had been paid nearly $2 million by Fannie Mae and Freddy Mac to head a group devoted to defend the mortgage giants against the imposition of stricter regulations.

Asked about the article, Mr. Davis, who was on the call, said the group’s sole function was to promote home ownership. But Mr. Schmidt criticized The Times for its coverage.

“Whatever the New York Times once was, it is today not by any standard a journalistic organization,” Mr. Schmidt said. He added, “This is an organization that is completely, totally, 150 percent in the tank for the Democratic candidate, which is their prerogative to be.”

He added, “Everything that is read in The New York Times that attacks this campaign should be evaluated by the American people from that perspective.” >>> NYT | September 22, 2008

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Gordon Brown's Endorsement Won't Win Barack Obama Votes
THE TELEGRAPH: For a man who prides himself on his encyclopaedic knowledge of American politics, Gordon Brown has made an incomprehensible schoolboy error with his article apparently endorsing Barack Obama’s candidacy.

It is hard to know where to start in assessing the ineptitude of its content and timing or the effect it will have on Anglo-American relations when the new president is sworn in on January 20th.

The first law of diplomacy is that you do not stick your fat foot into other country’s elections, least of all the US presidential contest, where the chap who wins can turn round and squash you, like Monty Python’s giant descending foot, if you get it wrong.

John McCain will, of course, be furious by the diplomatic slight. The Republican candidate has twice met with Mr Brown in the last year and always hits the Prime Minister’s talking points on the need for allies to have more say in the war on terror and the general excellence of the British armed forces. He deserved better than this.

Nor is the endorsement, particularly so ineptly delivered, of Gordon Brown something that will warm the increasingly cold feet of Barack Obama. The Democratic candidate has been panned at home for his grandstanding European tour. He won’t win over Appalachia with the news that Britain’s lame duck prime minister is rooting for him.

There is also a factual point. Despite Mr Brown’s words, it is far from clear that it is the “Democrats who are generating the ideas to help people through more difficult times.” If they have, the voters haven’t noticed. In fact, Mr Obama has proved quite unable to convince the electorate that he has the answers on the failing US economy. Otherwise he would have states like Pennsylvania and Ohio, the keys to the White House, in the bag. He does not.

And this is what makes the statement potentially so ruinous. It is a classic testament to Mr Brown’s tin ear and ham-fisted political touch that he has chosen to do this at a time when Obama’s standing has never been weaker in his battle with Mr McCain. The Republican leads for the first time in national polls. There is a good chance that Mr Obama will not be president. Gordon Brown's Endorsement Won't Win Barack Obama Votes >>> By Tim Shipman in Washington | September 10, 2008

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Surprise! McCain dépasse Obama
TRIBUNE DE GENÈVE: ÉTATS-UNIS | Le candidat républicain fait une remontée spectaculaire dans un sondage publié hier. Le choix de sa remuante colistière Sarah Palin n’y est sans doute pas pour rien.

On croyait John McCain à la traîne, loin derrière son rival Barack Obama. Or, le candidat républicain à la Maison-Blanche vient de passer devant son adversaire démocrate dans un sondage Gallup publié hier dans USA Today. Le premier a obtenu 50% des intentions de vote contre 46% pour le second. Un résultat inattendu pour le camp républicain qui imaginait son héros en plus mauvaise position. Surprise! McCain dépasse Obama >>> AA avec afp | 09.09.2008

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McCain Pledges to Unite America

THE TELEGRAPH: John McCain vowed to transform Washington, denouncing the “partisan rancour” he said had plagued the ruling establishment for decades.

Attempting to take the sting out of rival Senator Barack Obama’s message of change, he said: "Let me offer an advance warning to the old, big spending, do nothing, me first, country second Washington crowd: change is coming.”

As he formally accepted his party's presidential nomination, the Vietnam War veteran promised to fight for his country “as long as I draw breath”.

“I'm going to fight for my cause every day as your President,” he told a packed hall in St Paul, Minnesota.

"I have that record and the scars to prove it. Senator Obama does not," he said

Bringing the crowd to its feet, he continued: "Stand up, stand up, stand up and fight. Nothing is inevitable here. We're Americans and we never give up. We never quit. We never hide form history. We make history."

Mr McCain made just one direct mention of the outgoing President George W Bush, thanking him for leading the country safely through the years since the September 11 attacks.

Needing to distance himself from the most unpopular US president of the modern era, he made a thinly veiled criticism of Mr Bush.

He said Republicans had lost Americans' trust "when we valued our power over our principles. We're going to change that.

"We're going to recover the people's trust by standing up again for the values Americans admire. The party of Lincoln, [Theodore] Roosevelt and Reagan is going to get back to basics."

At 72, the four-term Arizona senator once again presented himself as a maverick capable of working across party lines, having moved to the Right during the campaign to woo the party’s activists.

He said proudly of his past disagreements with the party: "I've been called a maverick. Sometimes it's meant as a compliment and sometimes it's not.

"Again and again, I've worked with members of both parties to fix problems that need to be fixed.

"That's how I will govern as president. I will reach out my hand to anyone to help me get this country moving again. John McCain Vows to Unite America in Republican Convention Speech >>> By Alex Spillius in St Paul | September 5, 2008

THE TELEGRAPH:
John McCain Offered Republicans Vision Rooted in Reality, Not Barack Obama's Empty Promises >>> By Simon Heffer | September 5, 2008

NZZ Online:
Aufruf McCains zum Kampf für Amerika: Bekenntnishafte Rede des republikanischen Kandidaten >>> Von Beat Ammann, St. Paul | 5. September 2008

LE FIGARO:
John McCain promet le changement: Dans son discours d’investiture aux accents guerriers, le candidat républicain à la Maison-Blanche a invité les Américains au combat >>> J.B. (lefigaro.fr) Avec AFP et AP | 5.9.2008

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McCain Needs to Get Serious - and Warn about a Global Tempest
THE TELEGRAPH: Hurricane Gustav roars toward the Gulf coast of America and brings with it an extraordinarily appropriate metaphor for the Republican National Convention.

If the message of the Obama Democrats last week was "change", then the prevailing theme of the Republican gathering this week should be "danger".

John McCain, when asked whether the arrival of the hurricane would affect his convention, said that it might well be inappropriate to hold a "festive event" at such a time. I hope that his people extrapolate from that and decide that festivity should not be the order of the day anyway. The tempest that is now threatening New Orleans with yet more devastation is an uncanny analogue of the perfect Russian storm that is confronting America and the rest of what we must once again call the "free world".

By some terrifying logic, Vladimir Putin has clearly decided that his country's destiny will be fulfilled by becoming a rogue superpower. That is the new reality in which the United States presidential campaign will be conducted. So the outcome of this election is likely to be determined by the contest between those who claim that internal "change" is the biggest challenge facing America, as opposed to those who see external threat and the collapse of world order as the first priority. McCain Needs to Get Serious - and Warn about a Global Tempest >>> By Janet Daley | September 1, 2008

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On John McCain’s Selection of Sarah Palin as His Running Mate
Watch Guardian video: Republican presidential candidate John McCain makes his first appearance on stage with his running mate, Alaska governor Sarah Palin >>>
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John McCain on the Ellen Degeneres Show (Ellen) Discussing Gay Marriage

Clinton on the Ellen Degeneres Show (Ellen) Discussing Gay Marriage >>>

Barack Obama on Gay Marriage >>>

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McCain Chooses Palin as Running Mate
McCain has chosen the attractive Sarah Palin as his running mate. Photo courtesy of The New York Times
THE NEW YORK TIMES: DAYTON, Ohio — In a surprise move, Senator John McCain chose Gov. Sarah Palin of Alaska as his running mate on Friday, McCain officials confirmed, shaking up the political world at a time when his campaign has been trying to attract women, especially disaffected supporters of Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton.

In choosing Ms. Palin — a 44-year-old conservative and self-described “hockey mom” who has been governor for less than two years — the McCain campaign reached far outside the Washington Beltway in an election in which the Democratic presidential nominee, Senator Barack Obama, is running on a platform of change.

Ms. Palin, a former mayor of the small town of Wasilla, an Anchorage suburb, and one-time beauty pageant queen, first rose to prominence as a whistle-blower uncovering ethical misconduct in state government.

The selection amounted to a gamble that an infusion of new leadership — and the novelty of the Republican Party’s first female candidate for vice president — would more than compensate for the risk that Ms. Palin could undercut one of the McCain campaign’s central arguments, its claim that Mr. Obama is too inexperienced to be president.

The choice of Ms. Palin stands in sharp contrast to the selection of the Democratic vice presidential nominee, Senator Joseph R. Biden Jr. of Delaware, a veteran lawmaker and chairman of Foreign Relations Committee. McCain Chooses Palin as Running Mate >>> By Michael Cooper and Elisabeth Bumiller | August 29, 2008

BBC:
McCain Picks Female Running Mate: US Republican presidential hopeful John McCain has picked Sarah Palin, the female governor of Alaska, as his surprise running mate >>> | August 29, 2008

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Obama: Can He Hope to Win the White House?
THE INDEPENDENT: If fear had a smell, the westerly breezes would be bearing a rank odour from the other side of the Atlantic: it would be emanating from the pores of the Democratic Party establishment as it contemplates the dwindling of Barack Obama's previously impressive opinion poll lead over John McCain.

This really was not meant to happen. The intensity and discipline of Obama's campaigning has been unremitting, while that on behalf of McCain has seemed incoherent, not helped by the 71-year old Arizona Senator's occasional senior moment. So how on earth could Gallup last week have found that those it claims to be "likely voters" are currently 49 per cent in favour of McCain and only 45 per cent for Obama?

Some in the Obama camp complain that it has come as the McCain campaign has switched to "negative advertising". This seems to be largely based on a Republican ad called "The One", which splices images of Obama with Charlton Heston as Moses parting the Red Sea. Actually, since Obama had declared of his victory in the Democratic primaries that "this was the moment when the rise of the oceans began to slow and the planet began to heal", he was almost asking to be satirised.

You might think that the Democrats would be grateful to their opponents for comparing Barack Obama with a Biblical miracle-worker but, of course, they understood the unspoken sub-text – that Obama is man of unbelievable pretentiousness. The implicit contrast is with John McCain, the down-to-earth guy who tells it like it is in plain language – "the straight-talk express".

There is also a painful awareness in the Democrat camp that their candidate does not always help himself to appear more representative of "ordinary Americans". They still shudder over his unguarded comments to wealthy San Franciscan party donors about the industrial working classes who bitterly "cling to guns or religion", or his remarking in Iowa, apropos of rising food prices: "Anybody gone into Whole Foods lately and seen what they charge for arugula?" Can Obama Hope to Win If He Lacks the Common Touch? >>> By Dominic Lawson | August 12, 2008

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