Stories related to: John Kerry

Democrats stood shoulder-to-shoulder in fury yesterday to lash President Bush for indicating that Barack Obama is like a Nazi appeaser because he supports outreach to countries like Iran. Even Hillary Clinton leaped to her rival's defense, Reuters reports. "President Bush's comparison of any Democrat to Nazi appeasers is both offensive and outrageous," Clinton said. More »

Harry Reid brushed aside yesterday suggestions Hillary Clinton, fresh from a primary defeat to Barack Obama, might ascend to the top Senate job. “Keep in mind,” he told the Huffington Post, “a senator coming back who’s run for president is not a very unique one. Sen. John Kerry ran, he’s back. Chris Dodd ran, he’s back. Joe Biden ran, he’s back.” More »

Catholic universities are increasingly leaving pro-choice politicians off their lists of possible commencement speakers and honorary-degree recipients, reports the Boston Globe. John Kerry, Nancy Pelosi, Ted Kennedy, and other Catholic pols who don’t hew to the church's party line, especially on abortion, find themselves sidelined as the 225 American Catholic schools bow to pressure from the Vatican and some US clerics. More »

Now that Barack Obama has all but knocked out Hillary Clinton, Rush Limbaugh is calling off "Operation Chaos" and relishing the notion that Obama will be the nominee, CNN notes. Limbaugh has for months urged Republicans to vote for Clinton to prolong the race. Today, he urged superdelegates to publicly back Obama, calling him the "weakest" of the Democratic candidates. More »

Before winning the Teamsters’ endorsement, Barack Obama said he’d support ending government oversight of the union, an unusual stance for a presidential candidate, reports the Wall Street Journal . An independent board has policed the historically organized-crime-influenced Teamsters since 1992; Bill Clinton, John Kerry, and Al Gore left the matter to the Justice Department. More »

As more longtime Clintonites succumb to Obamania and Hillary Clinton's superdelegate lead gradually diminishes, the former first couple is left to sift their friendships into past and present. But while the Clinton camp sees shifts toward Barack Obama as acts of betrayal, others consider them comeuppance for the Clintons' habit of collecting political allies and taking them for granted, reports the New York Times . More »

Rocker Bruce Springsteen endorsed Barack Obama today, calling the candidate “head and shoulders above the rest.” The Boss cited Obama’s leadership on the war, economic and racial justice, and the environment, the New York Times reports; he also criticized the “bitter” flap, saying Obama's opponents were exaggerating the remarks to “diminish” him.  More »

Mark Penn leaves Hillary Clinton’s campaign with a hefty $14 million lining his own pockets, a new high in the skyrocketing world of campaign consultancy, and some 9% of all money Clinton has laid out to date. But ordinary Americans are newly in the position of having their donations misspent, reports Mike Madden in Salon —previously only a risk for lobbyists and wealthy donors. More »

As Barack Obama emerges as Democratic front-runner, Republicans appear to be recalibrating their compasses: Disparaging Obama and praising Hillary Clinton is an inevitable response to Obama's growing odds of winning, Jonathan Chait writes in the New Republic : Karl Rove & Co. “discredit” Obama by defining his “supporters out of the mainstream”—as academics and elites—and crediting his rival with populism just to show  he lacks it.   More »

Barack Obama's campaign says the candidate is beyond labels but the senator's critics think they've found one that fits: liberal. The McCain campaign has branded the candidate an "old-style liberal," while the Clintonites say Obama's positions could alienate moderates—and wonder how the candidate National Journal rated as 2007's most liberal senator could be a unifier. More »

John McCain has been feverishly polishing his conservative credentials lately, but the Republican nominee has twice flirted with crossing the aisle for good, the New York Times points out. In 2001, fresh from a bitter election battle with George W. Bush, he considered switching parties, and in 2004 he talked with John Kerry about sharing a presidential ticket. More »

John McCain started to lose his temper with a New York Times reporter yesterday after being asked about John Kerry, ABC reports. McCain said there was no chance he would choose his friend Kerry for a running mate because of their "vastly different" views. He got testy when asked about a 2004 conversation where Kerry reportedly put the idea of Kerry-McCain to him. More »

Top Democrats are urging Hillary Clinton to quit if she can’t score big in Tuesday’s primaries, the New York Times reports. Senators John Kerry and Dick Durbin, both Obama backers, and New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson pressed her today to consider party unity if she loses in Texas and Ohio. “I just think that D-Day is Tuesday,” Richardson said on “Face the Nation." More »

It's no NPR yet, but the latest radio phenomenon is gathering steam—and it's not even really radio, Portfolio reports. The 18-month-old BlogTalkRadio.com lets anyone with a broadcasting itch host a show for free; users select a time slot, genre, topic and start gabbing—the audio blog even comes with a phone system that accepts live callers—who have included Brad Pitt and John Kerry. More »

They've escaped the dreaded "flip-flopper" label, but both Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama have changed positions on various issues in the course of their campaigns. Appearing absolutely consistent is especially hard for senators, reports the Washington Post , because they have thousands of votes to explain, and many are the products of strategy and compromise. More »

Helicopters transporting three US senators over mountains in Afghanistan were forced to make an emergency landing today due to a snowstorm, the Associated Press reports. US troops sent ground transportation for Democrats John Kerry and Joseph Biden and Republican Chuck Hagel, none of whom was injured, and returned them to Bagram Air Base. Their diplomatic tour has since continued to Ankara, Turkey. More »

Polls have closed in Pakistani elections long-delayed by the assassination of Benazir Bhutto, as fears of violence kept voter turnout down to an estimated 15%, Reuters reports. Heavy security, with more than 470,000 police and soldiers deployed at polls nationwide, did little to assuage citizens' anxiety as voting proceeded quietly, the Guardian reports. More »

Hillary Clinton is starting to lose the support of prominent black leaders—and superdelegates— who previously backed her. Rep. John Lewis, a Georgia Democrat who carries great influence in Congress, says he's now tilting toward Barack Obama. Another Georgia Democrat, David Scott, already switched, the AP reports. “Something is happening in America," Lewis said, "and people are prepared and ready to make that great leap.” More »

Looking for love on this Valentine's Day? Maybe you should join a presidential campaign, the Christian Science Monitor reports. With the trail drawing energized, like-minded activists, traditionally tame vote-first states are earning new slogans like “what happens in Iowa stays in Iowa.” Indeed, staffers are finding love in all the political places, even inspiring dating websites for politicos. More »

Even after Barack Obama's weekend primary victories, he and Hillary Clinton are neck-and-neck in the delegate race thanks to her lead among superdelegates. By the AP's count, Clinton has won endorsements from 243 of the 796 party officials and insiders who vote at the convention for the candidate of their choice. Obama has commitments from 156. More »