Clinton to rally Virginia Democrats for Deeds
[cnn-photo-caption image= http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2009/images/08/18/art.clinton.gi.jpg caption="Clinton supported his friend Terry McAuliffe in the Virginia Democratic primary."]WASHINGTON (CNN) - President Obama still hasn't committed to campaign with Creigh Deeds before Election Day, but the Democratic gubernatorial hopeful is getting an assist from a former President: Bill Clinton.
Clinton will appear at a rally with Deeds somewhere in northern Virginia next Tuesday, a Deeds aide said. The exact location has not yet been finalized.
Longtime Clinton ally Terry McAuliffe, who sought the Democratic nomination before losing to Deeds in June, will also be in attendance. McAuliffe has sent out a fundraising e-mail on Deeds' behalf, but he has also urged Deeds to run a more positive campaign if he hopes to catch up to Republican Bob McDonnell before Election Day, Nov. 3.
Former Vice President Al Gore is raising money for Deeds on Friday evening.
Meghan McCain: 'Don't call me a slut'
(CNN) - Meghan McCain is breaking her silence following a wave of media attention over a picture she posted on Twitter Wednesday night.
The revealing picture of herself in a tank top, which left little to the twitterverse's imagination, immediately drew harsh criticism from other tweeters, prompting an upset McCain to declare of the social networking Web site, "What once was fun now just seems like a vessel for harassment."
The 24-year old daughter of Arizona Sen. John McCain didn't address the matter in more detail on her twitter account Thursday, but in a new column on the Web Site The Daily Beast - entitled Don't Call Me a Slut - she lashes out at the national media's scrutiny of the whole flap.
Earlier: Meghan McCain runs into backlash over photograph
"I spent most of the next day thinking about what exactly was so shocking about the picture, why there was such an immediate and nasty overreaction," McCain writes. "After all, it's not like I was caught making a sex tape. I certainly didn't pose nude for Playboy. And I hadn't even exposed a nipple."
"To be honest, I don't feel that I have anything to feel ashamed of. I've always embraced my curves and will continue to do so," she added.
McCain also accuses the media of having a double standard, celebrating photos of attractive male congressmen with their shirts off while criticizing her.
Ultimately though, McCain says she's not ready to give up Twitter just yet. Rather, she says she'll just be "more judicious" in how she uses it.
Obama, Bush turn bipartisan focus to volunteerism
(CNN) - President Barack Obama attended a community service forum at Texas A&M University on Friday hosted by one of his Republican predecessors, former President George H.W. Bush.
Obama took the opportunity to emphasize that, regardless of partisan politics, the government can only do so much with the challenges facing Americans.
"We face threats to our health, our climate and, of course, our security that have left many of our young people wondering what kind of future they will be leaving for their own kids," Obama told the audience, which including the former president and Secretary of Defense Robert Gates. "Anyone here thinks that our government always has the solutions, President Bush and I will be the first to tell you that you'll be sorely disappointed."
Deeds campaign: Obama to hit the trail in Virginia
(CNN) - President Obama will hit the trail with Virginia gubernatorial candidate Creigh Deeds October 27, the Democrat's campaign announced Friday.
The appearance, Obama's second with Deeds, will follow a visit next week to a campaign rally for New Jersey Gov. Jon Corzine.
Clinton: Karzai runoff win likely but he must deliver
[cnn-photo-caption image= http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2009/WORLD/asiapcf/10/16/clinton.afghanistan/art.clinton.speaks.cnn.jpg caption="Hillary Clinton lauds the president's patience and persistence while deciding about troop strength."]
WASHINGTON (CNN) - With a runoff presidential election in Afghanistan appearing likely, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told CNN Friday that she expects the current president, Hamid Karzai, will win.
"It is likely that they will find that President Karzai got very close to the 50-plus-1" in August's balloting, she said in an exclusive CNN interview, referring to the 50 percent plus one vote needed to avoid a runoff. "... I think one can conclude that the likelihood of him winning a second round is probably pretty high."
Clinton said the timing of President Barack Obama's decision on whether to commit more troops to the fight in Afghanistan will not hinge on the election results. "I think the president is expecting to make a decision on his own timetable," she said, "when he is absolutely comfortable with what he believes is in the best interest of the United States."
Karzai faces allegations of corruption and vote fraud in the election, but the secretary of state sidestepped a question of whether he is a "reliable" partner for the United States and the international community. Administration officials have said that without a reliable partner, a counterinsurgency effort in Afghanistan would not succeed.
Obama aide fires back at Beck over Mao remarks
[cnn-photo-caption image= http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2009/POLITICS/10/16/beck.dunn/art.dunn.gi.jpg caption="White House communications director Anita Dunn fired back at criticism from TV commentator Glenn Beck on Friday."]
WASHINGTON (CNN) - White House communications director Anita Dunn fired back at criticism from TV commentator Glenn Beck on Friday, saying that a Mao Tse-tung quote Beck took issue with was picked up from legendary GOP strategist Lee Atwater.
"The Mao quote is one I picked up from the late Republican strategist Lee Atwater from something I read in the late 1980s, so I hope I don't get my progressive friends mad at me," Dunn told CNN.
As for Beck's criticism: "The use of the phrase 'favorite political philosophers' was intended as irony, but clearly the effort fell flat - at least with a certain Fox commentator whose sense of irony may be missing."
On Thursday night's program, Beck showed exclusive video of Dunn discussing the communist leader, who was responsible for a cultural revolution in 1966 that included re-education camps and setting the army and students on witch hunts against his opponents.
Millions of Chinese suffered or died, most notably teachers, writers, political opponents or anyone deemed a "reactionary."
Deeds: Obama will campaign for me
[cnn-photo-caption image= http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2009/images/08/25/art.bocreigh0825.gi.jpg caption="The president last campaigned for Deeds in August."]WASHINGTON (CNN) - Creigh Deeds, Virginia's Democratic candidate for governor, is pledging that President Obama will campaign for him again before Election Day.
The President has scheduled a rally next week with Gov. Jon Corzine in New Jersey, but the White House has been quiet on whether Obama will do the same favor for Deeds, who is trailing Republican Bob McDonnell in the polls. Obama last appeared with Deeds at a rally in August.
When asked for an update on the situation by NBC12 News in Richmond, Deeds didn't hesitate.
"President Obama will be back in Virginia, yes," he said. "He will be back in Virginia to campaign for me."
Asked again if he and the president will appear together on the same stage at some point in the next 19 days, Deeds responded: "You will, yes."
Despite the candidate's sunny outlook, the Deeds campaign said nothing has been finalized with the administration.
"They've been very, very helpful and supportive," Deeds senior adviser Mo Elleithee said of the White House. "We're still in talks with them about trying to get the president to come back to Virginia."
Wilson spent heavily to capitalize on 'You Lie!'
[cnn-photo-caption image= http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2009/POLITICS/10/08/joe.wilson/art.joe.wilson.gi.jpg caption="Rep. Joe Wilson has raised $2.7 million so far this year, much of it as a result of his outburst."]WASHINGTON (CNN) - Rep. Joe Wilson's congressional campaign spent nearly a quarter of a million dollars on an aggressive marketing and fundraising operation in the days after the South Carolina Republican shouted "You Lie!" at President Obama in early September, financial disclosure reports reveal.
So far this year, Wilson has collected about $2.7 million in contributions, most of which came in after the infamous outburst on Sept. 9 turned the little-known congressman into a household name. After the shout, his 2010 campaign organization set out to capitalize on the outpouring of support he received from conservatives around the country.
On Sept. 14, Wilson's campaign doled out $52,250 to the Virginia-based digital communications firm Active Engagement for web design and online advertising. On Sept. 16, the campaign paid $42,400 to retain the David All Group - a Washington-based Republican new media firm - to help boost Wilson's profile on Twitter and other social networking sites.
Piryx, a firm that processes online donations, received $72,007 from the campaign in September. Wilson's team also spent nearly $30,000 to rent a mailing list from the Richard Norman Company, a conservative fundraising organization in northern Virginia.
All told, the Wilson campaign spent roughly $235,000 on services related to fundraising and communications strategy.
Senate Democrats win money war in September
WASHINGTON (CNN) - The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee outraised its Republican counterpart in September, according to numbers released Friday
The DSCC announced Friday that it brought in almost $10.2 million this quarter - including $5.9 million in the month of September - which brings its grand total over $10.3 million cash-on-hand. The committee was aided in September by a joint fundraiser with President Obama and Sen. Arlen Specter, which netted about $1 million for the committee.
"For the third straight quarter, the DSCC outraised the NRSC and has a significant cash-on-hand advantage heading into 2010," DSCC spokesman J.B. Poersch boasted in a statement.
The National Republican Senatorial raised $3.2 million in September, and currently has $5.2 million in the bank. Senate Republicans had outraised the Democrats in July and August.
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