Did McCain Dupe Novak on VP Pick?

Top McCain adviser in trouble with candidate, claims he was misquoted

(NEWSER) - After Phil Gramm, a ranking economic adviser to John McCain, described America as a “nation of whiners” suffering from a “mental recession,” the campaign trail is lit up over the topic, Time reports:

• From McCain himself, “Phil Gramm does not speak for me. I speak for me.” Asked about the Texan’s future job prospects, “I think Sen. Gramm would be in serious consideration for Ambassador to Belarus.”

Clinton camp denies rumor of hurtful information on rival

(NEWSER) - Does Hillary Clinton have dirt on Barack Obama? Robert Novak said yes in his weekend column and sparked a day of bickering between the camps. Obama’s campaign called the report “devoid of facts, but heavy on innuendo and insinuation of the sort to which we've become all too accustomed.” Clinton aides chastised Obama for taking Novak’s bait, claiming it betrayed his inexperience. More»

Hillary Clinton, as 'buyer's remorse' plagues a third of the country

(NEWSER) - The most popular politician nationwide is the one that got away: Hillary Clinton. Nearly two-thirds of the country sees the secretary of state favorably, and a third are battling what Bloomberg terms “buyer’s remorse” over not electing her president. Just over a year ago, only a quarter of Americans felt that way. “Looking back, I wonder if she would have been a stronger leader, knowing the games and the politics and all that goes on,” says a Florida woman. “I don’t think she would have bent as much.” More»

Reportedly told a group of Brits he wouldn't vote for McCain, too

(NEWSER) - George Bush's stop-the-presses revelations just won't stop , though the latest comes by way of a dusty anecdote that's finally seeing the light of day. Alex Barker, writing for the Financial Times reveals that in an Oval Office meeting with Gordon Brown and other British dignitaries during the 2008 campaign season, John McCain came up in conversation. Bush reportedly told the group (according to two who were there): "I probably won’t even vote for the guy. I had to endorse him. But I’d have endorsed Obama if they’d asked me." More»

It's turning her off to politics

(NEWSER) - American political hate-mongering has reached such a fervor that for the "first time" in her life Meghan McCain is finding herself "disillusioned with the political process—something I swore would never happen to me," she writes in the Daily Beast . She's angry, too, about political decisions, but "I believe we can discuss our differences with respect," she adds. It's "almost as if to be taken seriously in politics, a certain level of anger and incivility is required." When she presses for compromise, she's attacked as an "Obama zombie," she complains. More»