Clinton, Obama in Nuke War

Blogger runs down likely veep candidates for Obama and McCain

(NEWSER) - “Since McCain and Obama appear to have the nominations locked up,” it's time to start eyeing the veepstakes, Chris Cillizza writes in The Fix blog. Here are his top three for each presumptive nominee, GOP first:

1. Tim Pawlenty: The Minnesota governor is a longtime McCain backer, and widely admired.
2. John Thune: A handsome conservative who also beat then-senator Tom Daschle 4 years ago.
3. Rob Portman: From Ohio, a crack economist, and not well-known—which could actually be a good thing.

Voters worry about age more than race or gender, survey finds

(NEWSER) - GOP contender John McCain would lose to either Democratic candidate if the match-up were held today, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll. Adults nationwide would choose Barack Obama over McCain by 12 percentage points; Hillary Clinton would beat the Republican by six points. Though McCain has eight months to gain ground, he appears to be a hard sell to many independent and moderate voters. More»

Each delivers 'news' to the other about al-Qaeda presence

(NEWSER) - John McCain and Barack Obama traded sharp words today, as the two presidential frontrunners bludgeoned each other over the Iraq war. McCain dug into Obama for saying, in the debate last night, that he wouldn't hesitate to act if al-Qaeda established bases in Iraq for targeting the US, Reuters reports. "I have some news," McCain told a Texas crowd. "Al-Qaeda is in Iraq. It's called Al-Qaeda in Iraq." More»

Obama's policy group boasts more than a few Clinton heavy hitters

(NEWSER) - Belying the rebel image that his campaign has sculpted out of his relative lack of political experience, the formidable team surrounding Barack Obama is full of Democratic policy veterans. Oddly enough, given the identity of his his main rival, many of them are pulled from the top ranks of the Clinton administration, the Chicago Tribune reports. More»

Senator supports pullout of one or two brigades each month

(NEWSER) - Iraq troop withdrawals should be completed by the end of next year, Barack Obama says in a speech obtained by Reuters that was to be delivered in Iowa tonight. “We have to begin to end this war now,” the Democratic presidential candidate demands; his plan calls for one or two US combat brigades to leave Iraq each month, with all troops out by the end of 2008. More»