Harman speaks out on wiretap controversy
WASHINGTON (CNN) - Congresswoman Jane Harman, D-California, told the American Israel Public Affairs Committee conference Sunday she asked Attorney General Eric Holder to disclose all information related to the wiretap controversy involving her, and related to AIPAC.
"I want it all out there. I want it in public," she said again. "I want everyone to understand, including me, what has happened."
Harman has recently faced scrutiny over reports the government intercepted a conversation she had several years ago, in which she reportedly agreed to seek leniency for Steve Rosen and Keith Weissman, former lobbyists for AIPAC accused of espionage.
Prosecutors dropped the case against Rosen and Weissman on Friday.
Harman denied contacting anyone in the government about their case.
McCain campaign predicts 'one of the greatest comebacks'
(CNN) - As late polls continue to shows Barack Obama with an edge over John McCain in key battleground states, the Arizona senator’s campaign manager told reporters Friday the Republican nominee had momentum heading into the race’s closing days.
"We fight back," campaign manager Rick Davis said on a conference call, echoing McCain’s recent stump speech. "And we are witnessing, I believe, probably one of the greatest comebacks since John McCain won the primaries."
The latest CNN national poll of polls shows that Senator Barack Obama is at 50 per cent to McCain's 43 per cent, with 7 percent undecided. But Davis said surveys are irrelevant in the race’s homstretch.
"Guess what? Polling isn't accumulative," he said. "It's whatever it is today, and we see a very, very tight race today, so it really doesn't matter where it was ten days ago."
Rich is 'Raisin' McCain' in St. Paul
(CNN) - Rappers and rockers flocked to the Democratic convention last week - now country stars are turning out for John McCain at the Republican gathering in St. Paul.
John Rich, of Big & Rich, voiced strong support for the Republican contender today in an interview with CNN.
"I'm one of those young conservative voters voting for John McCain that everybody says doesn't exist out there," Rich told CNN’s Soledad O’Brien Wednesday. "But I know there's tens of millions of us and I want to write a song that got everybody fired up and kind of a rally song."
Rich was referring to his song "Raisin' McCain," which he's been performing on the campaign trail. The song invokes McCain's time as a prisoner of war in Vietnam.
"He stayed strong, stayed extra long / 'Til they let all the other boys out," he sings. "Now we've got a real man with an American plan / We're going to put him in the big White House."
Rich will be playing his song tonight at the Republican convention, and he says he's been pleased to spend time with both Senator McCain and presumptive Republican VP nominee Governor Sarah Palin.
"Getting to be a part of this process is just off the charts for an old country guy like myself," he said.
Biden: 'Barack has real experience'
(CNN) - Sen. Joe Biden on Wednesday defended criticism of running mate Barack Obama’s Senate record while campaigning in the crucial battleground state of Florida.
“Barack has real experience,” the Democratic VP candidate said. “This guy could have written his ticket to go anywhere. Anywhere at all.”
Biden was speaking at a campaign event focused on the economy in Fort Myers, Florida and discuessed Obama’s stance on the war in Iraq, his work on ethics reform in the Senate, and his proposals on solving the energy crisis. Biden also explicitly dismissed Senator John McCain’s experience in the Senate.
“30 years of bad experience ain’t worthwhile experience,” he said. “You’re not going to take your car—you’re not going to take your car back to a mechanic who for 30 years in a row has screwed it up.”
Biden himself has spent 36 years in the Senate. McCain has worked in Congress since 1982, serving in the Senate since 1987.
Biden was specifically responding to comments McCain aide Rick Davis made to The Washington Post earlier this week when he predicted that this election will come down to each candidates' personas.
"This election is not about issues," Davis said to The Post. "This election is about a composite view of what people take away from these candidates."
Biden sharply criticized that statement, citing the country's economic woes.
“Not about issues?” Biden said. “Well, let me tell you, that means to them this election is not about you being able to scrape up the tuition money to send your kid off to college this September. It's not about whether or not you're going to fill up your gas tank.”
Clinton holds 'retirement dinner' contest
(CNN) – No, she’s not leaving politics, but she is still trying to retire more than $25 million of campaign debt.
Sen. Hillary Clinton’s Web site is advertising a contest to win a summer “retirement dinner” with the former presidential contender. The price for a chance to win is a contribution to her creditors.
“Summer is a time for simple pleasures: family vacations, baseball games, and dinner out under the stars,” Clinton’s e-mail to supporters says. “At least it is if you aren't running for president! It sure is nice having a little more time on my hands, and I'd love to spend some of it with you.”
Those interested in helping Clinton retire the debt can pay from $10 to more than $2,300 for a chance to win the dinner and “talk about whatever you’d like.” The campaign’s site doesn’t say where the winner will dine with the senator, but it mentions that round-trip transportation and the total value may run $3,000.
According to the latest filing with the Federal Elections Commission, as of June 30 Clinton is $25 million in debt, over $13 million of which is owed to herself.
Hagel says judgment more important than experience
(CNN) - Two former military men who traveled to war zones with Sen. Barack Obama (D-Illinois) say the presumptive Democratic nominee is qualified to be commander in chief, despite his lack of military experience.
Sens. Chuck Hagel (R-Nebraska) and Jack Reed (D-Rhode Island) spoke to media this morning in Washington after appearing on CBS’ "Face the Nation." The two accompanied Obama to the Middle East last week.
“Each candidate has strengths and weaknesses, and experience does matter,” Hagel said. “But what matters more in my opinion is character and judgment. And judgment meaning who is it that you bring around, who is it that you listen to? Can you make the right decisions for the right reasons on behalf of your country and the world?”
Both Hagel and Reed spent years in the military. Reed attended West Point and retired as an Army captain, and Hagel earned two Purple Hearts fighting in the Vietnam War. Reed recounted the experience of traveling to military posts with Obama.
“There was something that was really dynamic,” he said. “We were trying to leave the headquarters of the 101st and we couldn't get down to the car because soldiers were flocking out of their duty positions to get autographs, to say hello, to take a picture, and it was just genuine, spontaneous and very, very enthusiastic throughout the entire trip.”
Sen. John McCain (R-Arizona) has repeatedly questioned Obama’s stance on the war in Iraq, particularly his opposition to the surge of troops instituted over the past year. The presumptive Republican nominee addressed the topic again in a radio address yesterday.
“Even in retrospect, he would choose the path of retreat and failure for America over the path of success and victory,” said McCain. “That's not exactly my idea of the judgment we seek in a commander-in-chief.”
Obama: King’s Mercedes 'a pretty smooth ride'
(CNN) - So what exactly did Barack Obama and King Abdullah discuss when the monarch drove the presidential candidate to the airport? CNN’s Candy Crowley asked the Illinois senator that very question.
Obama didn’t divulge “confidences between myself and King Abdullah” to Crowley. But he said the ride was smooth – perhaps too smooth for some.
“I gather he was going faster than it felt while I was in the car,” said Obama. “That is the report I was getting from the Secret Service afterwards.”
King Abudllah II of Jordan drove Obama to the airport in a Mercedes 600 this week as Obama readied to fly from Jordan to Israel. Their ride followed a meeting regarding the Arab-Israeli conflict.
Bush will address RNC, but will he appear with McCain?
(CNN) - White House Press Secretary Dana Perino has confirmed that President Bush will address the Republican National Convention on its first night.
Perino told reporters today at the White House briefing that President Bush will deliver a speech on September 1, Labor Day. She said incumbent presidents traditionally address the RNC on the first night of the convention.
The White House has not yet said whether Bush might appear with presumptive nominee John McCain at the convention. The two men have made few joint public appearances since McCain effectively claimed his party’s nomination this spring, as the president’s approval ratings continue to hover near historic lows.
Republicans will hold their convention September 1-4, 2008 in Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota. Democrats are slated to hold their convention the week before in Denver, Colorado.
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