Sen. John Warner announced that he will not seek reelection in Charlottesville, Virginia on Friday

WASHINTON (CNN) – In a phone conversation with CNN’s Senior Political Correspondent Candy Crowley, Virginia Republican Sen. John Warner said he had "mixed emotions" about his retirement. Warner admitted that worry over whether his seat might be won by a Democrat in 2008 was “a factor” in his decision, but indicated the passage of time may have been more influential.

Warner, who is 80 years old and would be almost 82 at the start of a sixth term, called his senate job "so dynamic, so demanding that it is really 24-7.”

“In the end, my thinking was driven by one thing, by what is fair, not to me, but to the people of this state,” he said. Warner has worked with many of the people mentioned as possible candidates for his now open seat. He acknowledged his retirement puts Virginia in play for Democrats, but said “you take the cards the voters deal you and go for it.”

A top Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee, Warner made headlines recently when he called for some troops to start coming home by December to show the Iraqis that the U.S. commitment is not without end. Still, Warner told Crowley the war is not lost, saying there have been “some measurable gains” and American soldiers are helping sustain the Iraqi government by giving it “breathing space, so the legislative body can do their work.” In Warner’s view, however, Prime Minister Maliki’s government is not living up to its end of the bargain.

Warner said he is grateful for the 16 more months he has left to work on Iraq and Afghanistan, and without a campaign to worry about, he says no one can say “politics” is a factor in decisions he makes about those two conflicts.

Warner wouldn’t say whether he thought embattled Idaho Republican Sen. Larry Craig should resign his seat, but he did tell Crowley, “I think the Senate Republican leadership under Sen. Mitch McConnell are taking the right steps.”

Once he leaves the Senate, Warner hopes to do work in the philanthropic arena. Asked if he will miss the Senate, Warner said “you miss everything in life but you have to keep going out.”

– CNN’s Candy Crowley and Sasha Johnson

WASHINGTON (CNN) — Facing pressure to resign from the Senate, Idaho Sen. Larry Craig will announce his plans at a press conference in Idaho on Saturday.

Full story: Craig likely to quit soon

Sen. Warner recently suggested that President Bush have some troops home from Iraq by Christmas

WASHINGTON (CNN) – Senator John Warner announced Friday that he will retire after his current term expires and will not run for re-election in 2008. The five term senior senator from Virginia was first elected to his seat in 1978.

The announcement of the 80-year-old Warner’s retirement puts Senate Republicans in a bigger bind as they try to recapture the chamber from the Democrats in next year’s election. Virginia was once a solid red state, but Democrats have won most of the major state wide elections in recent years.

Warner’s seat will definitely be in play next year. Rep. Tom Davis could run for Warner’s seat. The moderate Republican from northern Virginia has long eyed succeeding Warner. But Davis is a moderate Republican and would most likely face serious competition from a conservative candidate. One possibility is former Governor Jim Gilmore, who gave up his bid for the White House last month.

On the Democratic side, party leaders are hoping former Governor Mark Warner (no relation) will run. Warner left office after 2005 with very high favorable ratings. He also considered running for president but never officially jumped into the race. Warner would be considered a very strong candidate and could have a good chance at taking the seat away from the Republicans.

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Rep. Tom Davis will run for John Warner's Senate seat, according to a CNN source

WASHINGTON (CNN) — Rep. Tom Davis appears to be the first person to throw his hat into the ring in the battle to succeed retiring Sen. John Warner of Virginia. A congressional source close to Davis told CNN Radio’s Lisa Goddard that, “Tom’s running. He didn’t want to say more today because it’s the senator’s day.”

The source reached out to CNN just one hour after Warner announced that he won’t run for re-election in 2008. Davis, a moderate Republican from Northern Virginia, has long eyed succeeding Warner. But Davis could most likely face serious competition from a more conservative candidate. One possibility is former Gov. Jim Gilmore, who gave up his bid for the White House last month.

On the Democratic side, party leaders are hoping former Gov. Mark Warner (no relation) will run. Warner left office in 2005 with very high favorable ratings. He also considered running for president, but never officially jumped into the race. Warner would be considered a very strong candidate, and could have a good chance at taking the seat away from the Republicans.

According to sources close to CNN, Gov. Warner is expected to make a decision about entering the race within a week.

The Democrats currently hold a slim 51 to 49 majority in the Senate. But 22 of the 34 seats up next year are held by Republicans. Warner becomes the second GOP senator to retire rather than run for re-election in 2008. Sen. Wayne Allard of Colorado is also retiring.

Earlier today, Rep. Davis put out a statement regarding his colleague’s retirement, saying, “Senator Warner is a giant. For decades, he’s been everything a public servant should be: thoughtful, honorable, persistent, courageous, and generous. He’s been that rare politician who cares more about getting things done than getting credit. He’s made Virginia a better place. He’s made our nation more secure. He’ll go down in history as one of the greats – and I’m sure there are several chapters yet to be written. Today’s a day to celebrate and honor John Warner. He’s more than earned a victory lap. An announcement from me on my future plans can wait for another day.”

– CNN’s Lisa Goddard and Paul Steinhauser

WASHINGTON (CNN) – Sen. John Warner, R-Virginia, on Friday became the second senator to announce he will not seek re-election in 2008, joining fellow Republican Wayne Allard of Colorado on the campaign sidelines.

A total of 34 U.S. Senate seats will be up for grabs next year, with Republicans defending 22 seats, compared to 12 seats for Democrats.

A complete list of senators up in 2008 is available below.

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(CNN) — Sen. John Warner, R-Va., will not seek a sixth term, he announced Friday.

Full story: Warner to retire from Senate

Norman Hsu surrendered to authorities in California on Friday

REDWOOD CITY, Calif. (CNN) – Embattled Democratic fund-raiser Norman Hsu turned himself in on Friday to authorities in California on a 16-year-old grand theft charge, a San Mateo County, Calif., Superior Court spokeswoman told CNN.

Hsu was being held on $2 million bond at the Maguire Correctional Facility in Redwood City, the San Mateo County seat. A bail reduction hearing has been scheduled for Wednesday.

Hsu had been a top contributor to Democrats, including presidential candidates Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama. But their campaigns and others said they have returned or given to charity donations from Hsu, who had an open bench warrant for his arrest in California.

Full Story: Democratic fundraiser surrenders on theft charge

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Two men were married outside a minister's home in the state's first legal same-sex wedding Friday morning, less than 24 hours after a judge threw out Iowa's ban on gay marriage and about two hours before the same judge put his ruling on hold.

It was a narrow window of opportunity.

About 20 gay couples had applied for marriage licenses by 11 a.m. when the Polk County Recorder announced that she had been instructed to stop accepting the applications.

Click to read the full story

Bill for Vice President?

NEW YORK, New York (AP) — Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton tells David Letterman there may be less resistance these days to the idea of a female commander-in-chief, but that the resistance hasn't disappeared entirely.

The Democratic presidential hopeful says she knows "it's a big deal" she might be the first woman president. She says she's running because she thinks she's the best qualified person for the job, not because she's a woman.

In her seventh appearance on "The Late Show," the former first lady said her ex-president husband couldn't serve as her vice-president but joked that "he looked into that."

Clinton also read the "Top Ten List" of tongue-in-cheek campaign promises, including number three: "We will finally have a president who doesn't mind pulling over and asking for directions."

Related: Watch Hillary's top ten

Snow told CNN Thursday his health is improving.

WASHINGTON (CNN) — White House Press Secretary Tony Snow, who is undergoing treatment for cancer, will step down from his post September 14 and be replaced by Deputy Press Secretary Dana Perino, the White House announced Friday.

Full Story: Snow stepping down

CONCORD, N.H. (WMUR) – Democratic parties in the four states originally scheduled to hold primaries or caucuses early in the season are calling upon the presidential candidates to urge other states to stop trying to move up in the process.

New Hampshire Democratic Party Chairman Ray Buckley said that the parties in New Hampshire, Iowa, South Carolina and Nevada will urge the candidates to call on other states to stop moving their contests earlier.

The move is aimed at states such as Florida and Michigan, which are in the process of scheduling primaries earlier than the dates set by the Democratic National Committee. Buckley said that the traditionally early states want to open a dialogue with the other states to solve the problem.

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Craig said Tuesday he did nothing wrong.

BOISE, Idaho (CNN) — Top Republican Party leaders have received indications that Sen. Larry Craig, R-Idaho,  is preparing to resign, according to a GOP source with knowledge of the situation who spoke with CNN. The Republican National Committee was poised to take the extraordinary step of calling on Craig to step down but that planned effort was put on hold when Craig himself indicated that he's preparing to relinquish his U.S. Senate seat.

CNN has learned that high level meetings regarding Craig’s resignation were being conducted in Idaho on Thursday.

Related: Craig likely to quit soon

–CNN Congressional Correspondent Dana Bash

Watch John King report from Charleston, South Carolina.

CHARLESTON, South Carolina (CNN) — Trying to boost his support in South Carolina, Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney ended his summer with a two-day swing through the Palmetto state.

Romney currently leads in the polls in Iowa and New Hampshire, but has been struggling in South Carolina. In the latest CNN/Opinion Research Corporation Poll, he earned just 6 percent of the vote — significantly less than Rudy Giuliani, John McCain and Fred Thompson.

CNN Chief National Correspondent John King covered Romney on the trail and had an exclusive interview.

Arizona Sen. John McCain is going to emphasize his credentials to be commander-in-chief.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Republican John McCain will aggressively try to sell support for the unpopular Iraq conflict — and his
weakened presidential candidacy — in a September push that will emphasize his war-hero biography and his credentials to be
commander in chief.

"The transcendent issue of the 21st century is the struggle against radical Islamic extremism and I, with considerable ego, say that I'm the best prepared and qualified to meet this challenge," the Arizona senator says in a new online video that details his decades-long military career and includes footage of his nearly six-year Vietnam imprisonment.

In a letter to supporters, McCain adds: "We are at a crossroads in this struggle, and we will need a president who has the credibility to lead, the experience to lead wisely and the strength of will to take the right path, even if it means walking a lonely road."

The former Navy pilot returns to Iowa on Sunday for a string of patriotic Labor Day events, the start of a fall effort to regain traction after a summer marked by a staff exodus, a drained bank account, a management change and sagging poll numbers.

As the country focuses on a highly anticipated report on the war next month, McCain will present arguments in Washington and on the campaign trail for staying — and winning — in Iraq while Democrats push for a withdrawal timetable. He hopes to generate public support for President Bush's plan for a continued presence in Iraq and, at the same time, momentum for his own bid.

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Compiled by Stephen Bach, CNN Washington Bureau

Making news today…

* A U.S. military plane carrying Rep. Bud Cramer (D-AL) and Sens. Richard Shelby (R-AL), Mel Martinez (R-FL) and James Inhofe (R-OK) came under rocket fire while leaving Baghdad, Iraq, for Amman, Jordan, Thursday night and had to take evasive maneuvers.

Full story

* "U.S. Sen. Larry Craig's support among key party leaders weakened Thursday, leaving Idaho facing diminished clout in Congress whether the embattled Idaho Republican stays or quits." (Idaho Statesman)

* Former U.S. Sen. Fred Thompson will officially announce his candidacy for president on the Web next Thursday, September 6, sources working on the actor's formal entry into the race told CNN.

The announcement video will be posted at 12:01 a.m. ET Thursday at www.imwithfred.com.

Full story on The Ticker 

"Finally, the Fredheads can breathe." (The Hill)

Some political analysts "questioned whether Thompson's late entry will dilute his impact." (Boston Globe)

The "slow rollout of his candidacy has been plagued by staff shakeups, slower-than-anticipated fundraising and unexplained delays in the announcement of his bid." (Washington Post)

The almost-candidate will not appear at a September 5 GOP debate in New Hampshire, but "Thompson's campaign and NBC are trying to arrange an appearance by Thompson on 'The Tonight Show With Jay Leno'" the same night. "[A] Thompson appearance on the Leno show could eclipse the debate, and give the candidate an enormous audience in a friendly entertainment venue." (Los Angeles Times)

* To see Sen. Hillary Clinton's Top Ten campaign promises, click here.

* And who, according to the Washington Post, is the "cuddly antidote" to an "awfully tough-talking Republican field?" Find out in Hot Topics below!

President's Schedule:

* President Bush makes an 11:10 am ET statement on homeownership financing in the Rose Garden.

At 1:20 pm ET, the president meets with Defense Secretary Robert Gates and the Joint Chiefs of Staff at the Pentagon.

Also on the Political Radar:

* The Republican Party of Texas begins a 2-day straw poll event in Fort Worth. 

* Sen. Joe Biden (D-DE) meets Iowa Dems in Webster City (8:30 am ET), Fort Dodge (10:30 am ET), Algona (1:30 pm ET), and Mason City (6:30 pm ET).

* Mitt Romney takes the Mitt Mobile to Aiken, SC, for an 8 am ET "Ask Mitt Anything" event. He later holds a 10:15 am ET meet and greet in Newberry, SC, and another "Ask Mitt Anything" event at 12:15 pm ET in Greenville, SC.

* Sen. Chris Dodd (D-CT) takes his IAFF endorsement rollout tour to New Hampshire with a 10 am ET stop at Station 7 in Manchester.

* Bill Richardson delivers a 9 pm ET speech at the Odessa Hispanic Chamber of Commerce installation banquet in Odessa, TX.

* Mike Gravel appears on HBO's "Real Time with Bill Maher."

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Political Hot Topics
(Today's top political stories from news organizations across the country)

REID SAYS HE'S WILLING TO COMPROMISE ON TROOP DEPLOYMENTS: Saying the coming weeks will be "one of the last opportunities" to alter the course of the war, Senate Majority Leader Harry M. Reid (D-Nev.) said he is now willing to compromise with Republicans to find ways to limit troop deployments in Iraq. Reid acknowledged that his previous firm demand for a spring withdrawal deadline had become an obstacle for a small but growing number of Republicans who have said they want to end the war but have been unwilling to set a timeline. "I don't think we have to think that our way is the only way," Reid said of specific dates during an interview in his office here. "I'm not saying, 'Republicans, do what we want to do.' Just give me something that you think you would like to do, that accomplishes some or all of what I want to do." Washington Post: Reid Opens Door to Pact With Antiwar Republicans 

GILLESPIE CITES PROGRESS IN SWAYING OPINION ON WAR: The White House believes it has made significant progress over the past month in swaying public and political opinion toward supporting a continued U.S. military effort in Iraq, one of President Bush's closest advisers said in an interview. "The end of the August feels a lot better than the beginning of August when it comes to where we are relative to perceptions of our Iraq policy and what is working," said Ed Gillespie, counselor to the president. Washington Times: Bush's war support rising? 

ALLAWI LEADS CAMPAIGN FOR NO-CONFIDENCE VOTE ON MALIKI: A mixed group of moderate Iraqi politicians is trying to rally support in the parliament for a no-confidence vote that would unseat unpopular Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki. The effort is led by Ayad Allawi, a secular Shiite who served as interim prime minister of Iraq from June 2004 to April 2005. It is unclear whether Allawi, who spends most of his time in Jordan, can muster enough parliamentary votes or popular support to be a viable alternative to al-Maliki. Allawi wouldn't say whether he wants to become prime minister if he succeeds in engineering al-Maliki's ouster. Allawi said any parliamentary move to push aside al-Maliki would likely not occur until after September. USA Today: Effort to oust al-Maliki charges on 

U.S. SAYS COMPANY PAID BRIBES FOR IRAQ CONTRACTS: An American-owned company operating from Kuwait paid hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes to American contracting officers in efforts to win more than $11 million in contracts, the government says in court documents. The Army last month suspended the company, Lee Dynamics International, from doing business with the government, and the case now appears to be at the center of a contracting fraud scandal that prompted Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates to dispatch the Pentagon inspector general to Iraq to investigate… A lawyer for the company denied the accusations. New York Times: U.S. Says Company Bribed Officers for Work in Iraq 

SLEW OF OPEN JOBS AT 1600 PENN. AVE: Wanted: Legal experience. Must be willing to undergo extensive media scrutiny, a comprehensive FBI background check, and potentially hostile questions from senators of an opposing political party. These are some of the qualities President Bush is looking for in a new attorney general to replace Alberto Gonzales. The search to fill the Cabinet post is only one of many openings Bush will try to fill during the last 17 months of his presidency. Like its predecessors, the Bush administration faces a large number of vacancies in its last months, as political appointees explore opportunities in the private sector. Finding replacements won't be so easy, analysts say, especially given the conflict between the Republican White House and the Democratic Senate that must confirm Bush's picks. USA Today: Warner says today if he'll run 

WH TO OFFER HELP FOR LOW-INCOME HOMEOWNERS: President Bush, in his first response to families hit by the subprime mortgage crisis, plans to announce several steps Friday to help Americans who have credit problems meet the rising cost of their housing loans, administration officials said Thursday. The officials said Mr. Bush would call for the Federal Housing Administration to change its federal mortgage insurance program in a way that would let an additional 80,000 homeowners with spotty credit records sign up, beyond the 160,000 likely to use it this year and next. New York Times: Bush Will Offer Relief for Some on Home Loans 

WHETHER HE STAYS OR GOES, CRAIG SCANDAL HURTS IDAHO CLOUT: U.S. Sen. Larry Craig's support among key party leaders weakened Thursday, leaving Idaho facing diminished clout in Congress whether the embattled Idaho Republican stays or quits. Republican leaders stepped up pressure on Craig as Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell called his conduct "unforgivable" and the chairman of the Senate Republican re-election committee suggested that Craig should resign. McConnell also said many Republican senators now want Craig to go. Both senators stopped short of calling for Craig's resignation, but their prominence in the Senate Republican leadership gave their comments added weight. Idaho Statesman: GOP support for Sen. Larry Craig dwindles 

WHAT SENATE RULES DID CRAIG BREAK? The Senate GOP leadership's call this week for an ethics investigation into Sen. Larry Craig's (R-Idaho) arrest and guilty plea in the wake of a June incident in the Minneapolis airport bathroom raises significant questions about just what, if any, Senate rules Craig may have violated. In their Aug. 29 letter to the Senate Ethics Committee, Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and four other Senate GOP leaders refer only to the fact that Craig pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct in asking the panel to look at potential ethics violations. But because Craig's admitted offense is considered a minor crime, a handful of current and former Senate aides are questioning the leadership's rationale for requesting a probe of a crime that does not appear to be related to Craig's "official" Senate duties. Roll Call: Ethics Panel Investigation of Craig Has Little Precedent 

DOJ IG INVESTIGATING THE DEPARTING AG: The Justice Department's inspector general indicated yesterday that he is investigating whether departing Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales gave false or misleading testimony to Congress, including whether he lied under oath about warrantless surveillance and the firings of nine U.S. attorneys. The disclosure by Inspector General Glenn A. Fine in a letter to Congress signals an expansion of the department's internal investigations into Gonzales's troubled tenure, probes that were not previously known to be focused so sharply on the attorney general and his testimony. Washington Post: Justice Dept. Probing Whether Gonzales Lied 

ADMIN USING "STATE SECRETS" PRIVILEGE TO FIGHT SWIFT SUIT: The Bush administration is signaling that it plans to turn again to a legal tool, the "state secrets" privilege, to try to stop a suit against a Belgian banking cooperative that secretly supplied millions of private financial records to the United States government, court documents show. The suit against the consortium, known as Swift, threatens to disrupt the operations of a vital national security program and to disclose "highly classified information" if it continues, the Justice Department has said in court filings. A hearing on the suit is scheduled for Friday in federal court in Alexandria, Va. New York Times: U.S. Cites 'Secrets' Privilege as It Tries to Stop Suit on Banking Records 

INFANT FORMULA LOBBY HELPED CHANGE HHS AD CAMPAIGN: In an attempt to raise the nation's historically low rate of breast-feeding, federal health officials commissioned an attention-grabbing advertising campaign a few years ago to convince mothers that their babies faced real health risks if they did not breast-feed. It featured striking photos of insulin syringes and asthma inhalers topped with rubber nipples. Plans to run these blunt ads infuriated the politically powerful infant formula industry, which hired a former chairman of the Republican National Committee and a former top regulatory official to lobby the Health and Human Services Department. Not long afterward, department political appointees toned down the campaign. Washington Post: HHS Toned Down Breast-Feeding Ads 

WILL WARNER RUN AGAIN? ANNOUNCEMENT TODAY: Sen. John W. Warner may launch another chapter in an almost storybook political career today — or start planning its conclusion. Warner, 80, has served 28 years in the Senate. He won election in 1978 after the initial GOP nominee was killed in a plane crash. The millionaire politician rose from a freshman, husband of actress Elizabeth Taylor and lampooned for dilettantism, to become a highly influential senator on defense. Today Warner plans to announce his intention on seeking election in 2008 to a sixth term. He is Virginia's second-longest serving U.S. senator, behind Harry F. Byrd who served more than 32 years. Richmond Times-Dispatch: Warner says today if he'll run 

JUDGE DISMISSES SUIT AIMING TO LIMIT 527s: A district court judge Thursday dismissed a case against the Federal Election Commission (FEC) that would have compelled the agency to set rules for outside 527 groups. The ruling places the burden back on Congress to impose new constraints on the powerful groups before the 2008 election season begins in earnest. Rep. Chris Shays (R-Conn.), who brought the suit against the FEC with former Rep. Marty Meehan (D-Mass.), expressed disappointment in the decision and called on Congress to pass a bill limiting the activities of 527s as soon possible despite a crowded fall congressional calendar. The Hill: Judge dismisses Shays, Meehan 527 suit 

HSU'S "SHADOWY BUSINESSES" AND "UNSAVORY EPISODES": Money has brought both trappings and trouble for Norman Hsu. Major contributions to the campaigns of Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton and other candidates have made the apparel executive an insider in elite political circles. He shows up in cozy pictures with politicians, at lavish fundraising events, and on the boards of prestigious organizations. But Hsu's history includes more unsavory episodes and associations. In 1990, he allegedly was kidnapped by Chinese gang members in San Francisco as part of an apparent effort to collect a debt. A year and a half later, he pleaded no contest to a charge of fleecing investors in what authorities called a Ponzi scheme of fraud. Along the way, he left a bankruptcy filing and bitter investors who accused him of making off with their savings. Los Angeles Times: Wealth, mystery surround donor Hsu 

FOR OBAMA, VICTORY IN IA OR NH NECESSARY TO WIN OVER SC'S BLACK VOTERS: Sen. Barack Obama's campaign says he must win either the Iowa caucuses or New Hampshire's primary to show black voters influential in ensuing primaries that he's a legitimate candidate. Victory in the predominantly white states would energize blacks in early primary states such as South Carolina, where black voters make up nearly half of the Democratic electorate, and help undermine efforts by Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's campaign to lock down black voters historically fond of former President Bill Clinton. Washington Times: Obama needs early win to get black vote 

"CUDDLY" HUCKABEE'S BIG "MEDIA HUG": [H]ip is precisely what Huckabee has become in the weeks since he placed second in the Iowa Straw Poll on Aug. 11. Indeed, since walking into the media filing room that night and being swarmed by the media as if he were — these are his words — "Britney Spears being released from prison," Huckabee has been seen as the cuddly antidote to what has been an awfully tough-talking Republican field. He's the affable, compassionate, good guy and rock-and-roll evangelical who plays guitar and wants to hang with the Rolling Stones. It's hard to think of a candidate in recent political history who felt such a bounce and media hug after a second-place finish in a nonbinding contest where three of the top-tier candidates or almost-candidates — John McCain, Rudy Giuliani and Fred Thompson — didn't bother to show. But man, is he working it. Washington Post: Music to His Ears 

BIDEN BOOK #15, BRIEFLY, ON NYT BEST-SELLER LIST: While his bottom-tier showing in the national polls pales in comparison to his lengthy tenure in the Senate, Biden's recent success with a New York Times best seller has given him a new source of esteem. At one point this month, "Promises" ranked directly behind runaway favorite "Freakonomics" in the non-fiction category. To be sure, total sales somewhere between 8,000 and 15,000 copies don't promise an uptick in opinion polls. Prominent friends and longtime colleagues have helped to promote the book by hosting parties, promotion events where local booksellers typically offer copies for purchase. But an appearance at No. 15 on the New York Times best-seller list is a valuable achievement for the marketing of a book—and a candidate—even if it did only last for one week before dropping several slots. Chicago Tribune: Book a new source of esteem for Biden 

BIDEN GETS HIS JEANS DIRTY AT CEDAR RAPIDS MIDDLE SCHOOL: After a day at work with a presidential candidate by his side, Marshall Clemons was impressed. Sure, he said, he liked what Delaware Sen. Joe Biden had to say about issues that affect him and his family — like fixing the nation's broken health care system and boosting pay for teachers. In fact, the head building engineer at Harding Middle School is no longer undecided come caucus time. But the veteran politician could also really turn a wrench. "I was impressed by the way he grabbed it and just turned those bolts like he'd been working on it forever," laughed Clemons, 36, who stood atop a ladder next to Biden. Teachers gave bewildered smiles from their desks, likely at the fact that one of the candidates vying to be the next leader of the free world was replacing their air conditioning filters. Des Moines Register: Biden gets down, dirty in C.R. visit 

Hillary Clinton will donate contributions from Norman Hsu

NEW YORK (CNN) — The campaigns for a number of Democrats, including Sens. Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama, said Thursday they have returned or given to charity donations from fund-raiser Norman Hsu, who has an open bench warrant for his arrest in California.

"Obviously, we were all surprised by this news," the junior senator from New York said during a news conference with Gov. Eliot Spitzer, whose campaign confirmed that he too returned donations from Hsu.

Clinton said the news was unexpected. "I think it's fair to say we were all very surprised by this," she said about the $23,000 her campaign received.

Hsu came under scrutiny after news reports questioned his fund-raising and revealed he has a criminal record.

Read the rest of this entry »

Mitt Romney in 2004 at a press conference regarding same-sex marriage in Massachusetts

DES MOINES, Iowa (CNN) — Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney, who faced the issue as governor of Massachusetts, criticized an Iowa district court ruling Thursday that said same-sex couples have the right to marry.

A judge in Polk County, Iowa, said gay couples must be allowed to get married because of the state constitution's guarantee of equal treatment.  The judge also struck a state law that banned same-sex marriages and said valid marriage is only between a male and a female.  The ruling came in response to a lawsuit by six gay couples seeking permission to marry, and will now go to the Iowa Supreme Court.

Romney, leading in the Iowa polls after courting conservative support, was the first candidate to react to the decision.  In a statement, he said, "The ruling is Iowa today is another example of an activist court and unelected judges trying to define marriage and disregard the will of the people as expressed through Iowa's Defense of Marriage Act.  This once again highlights the need for a Federal Marriage Amendment to protect the traditional definition of marriage as between one man and one woman."

Romney, who was governor when the Massachusetts Supreme Court ruled in favor of same-sex marriages in 2004, did approve certificates allowing gay couples to marry.  But he worked with other opponents in an effort to overturn the state law, and has pushed for a national ban.

–CNN Political Desk Managing Editor Steve Brusk

Watch the Best Political Team on TV discuss Fred Thompson's impending presidential candidacy.

WASHINGTON (CNN) – Former U.S. Sen. Fred Thompson will officially announce his candidacy for president on the Web next Thursday, September 6, sources working on the actor's formal entry into the race told CNN Thursday.

The announcement video will be posted at 12:01 a.m. ET Thursday at www.imwithfred.com.

The sources said Thompson would travel and campaign in key primary states following the Internet announcement.

The Web announcement will not take place before Wednesday's GOP debate in New Hampshire, the sources said, adding they did not expect Thompson to attend.

Early this week, the New Hampshire Union-Leader called on Thompson to attend the debate.

"If Thompson announces before the debate, New Hampshire voters will expect him to be at the University of New Hampshire with the other announced candidates," the newspaper said. "A no-show will be counted here as a snub.

"If Thompson waits until after the debate to make his announcement, it will appear to some as if he timed the announcement just to avoid the New Hampshire debate. That would give his foes the chance to say he is either not serious about running for the nomination or is too unprepared to be considered a credible candidate."

Thompson created a fundraising committee that allowed him to begin raising money for a possible presidential campaign on June 1.

An actor best known for his role as District Attorney Arthur Branch in NBC's "Law & Order," Thompson was elected to the Senate in 1994 and served there for eight years.

– CNN's John King and Candy Crowley

Will an endorsement from a firefighters union help Chris Dodd like it helped John Kerry?

IOWA CITY, Iowa (CNN) — Democratic presidential candidate Chris Dodd called Thursday one of the best days he's had on the trail so far. Of course, for a man who's polling as low as he is, "best" is relative.

The senator from Connecticut stood on stage for what could eventually prove to be a helpful photo op. Holding his hand under the lights was the man often credited with lifting John Kerry's 2004 presidential bid to a new level. That man is Harold Schaitberger.

Schaitberger is the president of the International Association of Fire Fighters, a union representing 281,000 full-time professional fire fighters.

Wednesday he announced the IAFF is throwing all of its support behind long-shot candidate Chris Dodd.

"I have committed myself to this campaign…until we get to the White House," Schaitberger said.

"One of the things I admire about fire fighters," Dodd said, "[is] they don't sit around and just say 'who's winning?' They ask themselves 'who should win?'"

And according to today's polls, Dodd certainly isn't winning. But even though he argued that "poll numbers in August mean nothing," you can't ignore the fact that he's consistently coming in at around 1 percent.

Now the question is, could this endorsement change anything?

Let's rewind four years. Sen. John Kerry, then seen as a long-shot for the Democratic presidential nominee, was given this very same endorsement.

Read the rest of this entry »

Watch CNN's Dana Bash interview C.L. "Butch" Otter.

BOISE, Idaho (CNN) – Idaho’s Republican Gov. C.L. "Butch" Otter on Thursday said to CNN Congressional Correspondent Dana Bash that Sen. Craig was in a "tough spot" and indicated that the senator’s loss of key Senate committee assignments could be “problematic” for Idaho residents.

"Obviously, some of his colleagues in the Senate are calling for his resignation but, once again, Larry's going to have to work that out himself," said Otter. "Nobody likes these kind of problems, these kind of problems you just can't…. get rid of with a simple explanation. It takes a long time, and then you never really unring the bell. So, as we go forward, I suspect there's going to have to be additional consideration by Larry and his family on where exactly to go."

Are you essentially saying it’s time for Sen. Craig to resign? Bash followed-up.

“What I said was it's a tough spot for Larry, and it's a tough spot for his family, and as this thing drags on, and we already know that there's going to be congressional hearings on it, ethics committee — as is appropriate and proper — that it takes a long, long time for these things to work themselves out,” he said.

When Bash asked the governor if the senator's political career would be able to withstand the storm, the governor simply replied, "I'm not going to go there."

– CNN's Dana Bash and Sareena Dalla