Define 'together'
(CNN) - John McCain’s campaign announced a conference call Wednesday morning, hours after the Republican nominee and Barack Obama battled it out in Nashville, featuring former Senator Peter Fitzgerald. The former GOP legislator plans to “discuss the widening gap between Obama's rhetoric on the campaign trail and his actual record as a Chicago politician, both in the Illinois State Senate and in Washington.”
“Of the 300 million people in United States of America,” read the announcement sent to reporters, “Senator Fitzgerald is the only individual to serve in both the Illinois State Senate with Barack Obama and the United States Senate with Barack Obama and John McCain.”
But Fitzgerald didn't have quite the birds’ eye view on Obama’s Senate career the notice seemed to suggest: the two men never actually served a day together in Washington, since the Democrat took over Fitzgerald’s open Senate seat after the latter announced his retirement.
Minutes after some long-distance needling from the Obama campaign, the McCain team sent out a corrected announcement.
Age, health questions continue for McCain
(CNN) - Meghan McCain was on the talk-show couch, being grilled by the hosts of "The View." Does it bother her to hear jokes about her father's age? Megan, 23, started chuckling, and allowed, "He IS old!" Tension was replaced by laughter. But that was summer. These days, for Republican Sen. John McCain, age is no laughing matter.
Watch: Is McCain fit to be president?
Age as political issue has become a reality the McCain campaign does indeed have to face. McCain turned 72 in August, which would make him the oldest man to begin a first term as president - three years older than Ronald Reagan.
Clips of McCain making supposed age-related gaffes circulate on the Internet. Last month, Sen. Claire McCaskill, a Missouri Democrat and a supporter of Democratic candidate Sen. Barack Obama, said McCain's age and skin cancer history were fair game as a campaign issue. "We're talking about a reality here that we have to face."
All this skates over the fact that McCain already allowed reporters a peek at eight years worth of health records, dating back to 2000, while Obama has released a one-page summary from his doctor. McCain spokesman Tucker Bounds said it's a double standard. "The arbiters of this election are not demanding the same level of disclosure about Sen. Obama. He's essentially running on a doctor's note. I had a harder time getting out of high school math class."
CNN Poll: Obama won the night
NASHVILLE, Tennessee (CNN) - A national poll of debate watchers suggests that Barack Obama won the second presidential debate.
Fifty-four percent of those questioned in a CNN/Opinion Research Corporation survey conducted after the debate ended said that Obama did the best job in the debate, with 30 percent saying John McCain performed better.
Watch: Debate analysis
A majority, 54 percent, said Obama seemed to be the stronger leader during the debate, to 43 percent for McCain. By a greater than two to one margin - 65 percent to 28 percent - viewers thought Obama was more likeable during the debate.
"Obama had made some gains on the leadership issue even before the debate," said CNN Polling Director Keating Holland. "McCain's advantage on leadership shrunk from 19 points in September to just five points this weekend. If Obama can use this debate to convince Americans that he is a stronger leader than McCain, he may be difficult to defeat."
Watch: Reading the candidates' faces
A majority of debate watchers polled thought Obama was more intelligent, by a 57 percent to 25 percent margin over McCain. Twice as many debate watchers also thought Obama more clearly expressed than McCain, with 60 percent giving the nod to the Democratic nominee and 30 percent to his GOP opponent.
Son of Democratic state lawmaker indicted in Palin hacking probe
WASHINGTON (CNN) - A federal grand jury in Knoxville, Tennessee, has indicted the son of a Democratic state legislator for allegedly hacking into a personal e-mail account belonging to Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin, the Department of Justice said Wednesday.
David Kernell, 20, son of Memphis Democrat Mike Kernell, has turned himself into federal authorities for arrest and will be arraigned Wednesday morning before U.S. Magistrate Judge C. Clifford Shirley, the Department of Justice said.
Kernell was indicted on Tuesday by the grand jury on a single count of "intentionally accessing without authorization" the e-mail account of the Alaskan governor, the DOJ said. The indictment was unsealed on Wednesday.
Some of the contents of Palin's e-mail account were displayed briefly last month on the Internet. Although the displayed messages did not contain significant political disclosures, the McCain-Palin campaign issued a statement calling the incident "a shocking invasion of the governor's privacy and a violation of law."
Fact Check: Are business groups critical of McCain's health plan?
The Statement
At a presidential debate Tuesday, Oct. 7, in Nashville, Tennessee, Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama criticized the health-care plan of Republican opponent Sen. John McCain. "In fact, just today, business organizations like the United States Chamber of Commerce, which generally are
pretty supportive of Republicans, said that this would lead to the unraveling of the employer-based health care system," Obama said.
Get the facts!
Obama, McCain draw contrasts in second debate
(CNN) - Sens. John McCain and Barack Obama went head-to-head on the economy, domestic policy and foreign affairs as they faced off in their second presidential debate.
The debate was set up like a town hall meeting, and the audience was made up of undecided voters.
The candidates spoke directly to each other at times, but at other times they spoke as if their opponent were not in the room.
The debate over foreign policy boiled down to who has the better judgment.
McCain said he knows how to handle foreign affairs and questioned Obama's ability to do so.
"My judgment is something that I think I have a record to stand on," McCain said.
McCain said the "challenge" facing a president considering using military force "is to know when to go in and when not."
Obama questioned McCain's judgment in supporting the invasion of Iraq.
"When Sen. McCain was cheerleading the president to go into Iraq, he suggested it was going to be quick and easy - we would be greeted as liberators. That was the wrong judgment," he said.
Obama vowed to get Osama bin Laden and defeat al Qaeda.
"We will kill bin Laden, we will crush al Qaeda," he said.
Fact Check: Did McCain say the Iraq war would be easy, popular?
The Statement
Democratic Sen. Barack Obama said at the Oct. 7 presidential debate in Nashville, Tennessee, that when Republican opponent Sen. John McCain "was cheerleading the president to go into Iraq, he suggested it was going to be quick and easy, we'd be greeted as liberators."
Get the facts!
POLITICAL HOT TOPICS: Wednesday Oct. 8th, 2008
CNN: Obama, McCain lay out contrasts before undecided voters
Sens. John McCain and Barack Obama hammered away at each other's judgment on the economy, domestic policy and foreign affairs as they faced off in their second presidential debate.
CNN Poll: Obama won the night
A national poll of debate watchers suggests that Barack Obama won the second presidential debate.
NYT: Obama and McCain Clash Over Economy
Senators John McCain and Barack Obama debated for 90 minutes on Tuesday night before a nation in economic crisis, each promising anxious Americans that he had the better plan and vision to lead the country through what both men said was the most dire financial situation since the Great Depression.
NYT: Downturn in Decibels, Too
Neither candidate was selling morning in America. At times it seemed more like a competition to see who could paint the gloaming in the least unsettling hues.
CNN Radio: Candidates hear from only a few villagers in town hall-style debate
The town hall debate that wasn't. But who won? Lisa Desjardins has today's CNN Radio Political Ticker.
Seattle Times: McCain, Obama trade barbs in town hall debate
John McCain dismissively called rival Barack Obama "that one," Obama mocked McCain's "Straight Talk Express," and both left the debate stage to return to the campaign trail Wednesday.
ON THE TRAIL: Wednesday, Oct. 8th, 2008
* Sen. John McCain and Gov. Sarah Palin campaign in Bethlehem, PA
* Sen. Barack Obama campaigns in Indianapolis, IN
* Sen. Joe Biden campaigns in Tampa, FL
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