McCain and Obama on Iraq

'Realist' Has Obama's Ear on Foreign Policy

Wall Street Journal  |  Nov 24, 08 9:26 AM CST

(Newser) - Brent Scowcroft, national security adviser to the first President Bush and shunned by the second over Iraq, is likely to exercise serious foreign-policy influence in Barack Obama’s administration, the Wall Street Journal reports. Scowcroft, known for a non-ideological foreign-policy philosophy, counts among his protégés a number of Obama allies and likely appointees, including Colin Powell and Robert Gates. More »

Obama Likely to Keep Gates at Defense

Wall Street Journal  |  Nov 11, 08 10:10 AM CST

(Newser) - Barack Obama is considering asking Robert Gates to stay on as defense secretary, advisers tell the Wall Street Journal . Gates, considered a competent and nonpartisan pragmatist, was brought on to patch things up after Donald Rumsfeld’s tenure at the Pentagon. But while Gates, like Obama, supports an increased presence in Afghanistan, he opposes a commitment to withdraw from Iraq by 2010—a key campaign promise. More »

Obama Takes Campaign to Gas Pumps

Palm Beach Post  |  Aug 6, 08 4:34 PM CDT

(Newser) - Barack Obama's campaign will run an energy-themed ad on TVs on Florida gas pumps starting today, the Palm Beach Post reports. The commercial highlights alternative-energy research and tax cuts as parts of Obama's plan to "break the grip of foreign oil," while presenting John McCain as more of the status quo. More »

Pawlenty Prods GOP to Act Like Obama

Associated Press  |  Aug 6, 08 2:54 PM CDT

(Newser) - Tim Pawlenty, the Republican governor of Minnesota often mentioned as a possible running mate for John McCain, urged GOP candidates to act more like Democrat Barack Obama. "Say what you will about Barack Obama," Pawlenty said today, "people gravitate when you have something positive to say. … People want to follow hopeful, optimistic, civil, decent leaders. They don't want to follow some negative, scornful person." More »

Oil Rhetoric Gets Silly

Washington Post  |  Aug 6, 08 10:31 AM CDT

(Newser) - It might as well be a mathematical formula: High gas prices + oncoming election = stupid policy, writes Ruth Marcus in the Washington Post. John McCain, once the possessor of a sensible energy plan, now screeches incessantly about outer-continental shelf drilling, as though this would instantly solve the energy crisis. Barack Obama, who once earned plaudits for resisting McCain and Hillary Clinton's gimmicky gas tax holiday, now wants to tap the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, an even costlier gimmick. More »

Top 5 Flip-Flops (So Far)

Politico  |  Aug 6, 08 8:43 AM CDT

(Newser) - As both presidential candidates hurl accusations of backtracking and hypocrisy at each other, Politico and PolitiFact team up to explain the five most important flip-flops of the race so far. PolitiFact rates Obama’s stance on tapping the Strategic Petroleum Reserve a “full flop,” citing strong prior opposition. McCain’s take on offshore drilling is rated a “half-flip,” taking into account his shift from a states’ rights position to staunch advocacy. More »

McCain Goes Green ... With Envy

New York Times  |  Aug 6, 08 7:52 AM CDT

(Newser) - Why is John McCain, "a man who prides himself on honor," taking the low road in his campaign against Barack Obama? For Maureen Dowd, the reason is clear: the Arizona senator is "pea-green with envy." Even more than Bill Clinton or Jesse Jackson, McCain can't stand that a younger, more handsome politician has usurped his place and become the "new wunderkind in town." More »

Paris Video Riffs on McCain's Ad