John Mccain

TAMPA, Fla. - The fight for the Democratic presidential nomination moved to Florida yesterday, as front-runner Barack Obama began a three-day swing with rallies in Tampa and Kissimmee and Hillary Clinton pressed her case in Boca Raton and Miami to seat delegates elected in disputed primaries in Florida and Michigan. One day after winning a majority of elected delegates, Obama returned to Florida for the first time in almost a year, seeking to mend fences in a state whose primary was discounted by the Democratic National Committee because state officials accelerated the date of its primary.

Why should McCain vouch for Obama? Even ignoring Frank Schaeffer's point about whether Sen. John McCain's attacks against Sen. Barack Obama are deliberately increasing the risk of violence (and simply accusing someone is not evidence enough to establish that claim), I found it quite interesting that the ultimatum he gave to Mr. McCain was to "declare that Senator Obama a patriot, fit for office, and denounce your hate-filled supporters," or Mr. McCain would be held responsible for the consequences ("McCain's attacks fuel dangerous hatred," Commentary, Oct. 10)

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. - John McCain and Barack Obama's presidential duel moved west yesterday as the candidates held rallies in New Mexico and Nevada, key contests in the final 10 days of the race. Fewer than 1,000 supporters came out to cheer McCain in a morning rally under crisp blue skies at the State Fair Grounds in Albuquerque. Making his sixth visit to New Mexico, the four-term Republican senator from neighboring Arizona emphasized his understanding of regional concerns, including water rights and the Los Alamos National Laboratory.

The hawks are squawking. Congressional conservatives and the right-wing media are blasting President Barack Obama for going soft on the Syrians. The president insists there is a "game-changing" red line the Syrian government will have crossed if it is found to have used chemical weapons against its people, but he has bent the red line so far, the hawks say, that not only the Syrians, but the Iranians and North Koreans will conclude Mr. Obama is a...

Gov. Sarah Palin of Alaska and Sen. Joe Biden of Delaware politely sparred last night over the economy, Iraq and social issues in a vice presidential debate in which both claimed they were agents of change for a nation in financial crisis. Palin, who displayed more confidence and fluency than in recent television interviews, largely refrained from the cutting comments she has made in some of her speeches. From the beginning, the debate was marked by an air of cordiality, when Palin, who was meeting Biden for the first time, asked, "Hey, can I call you Joe?"

ST. PAUL, Minn. - Media detectives seeking clues to the real John McCain have been tracing a well-worn path to the Naval Academy campus in Annapolis. That's where McCain exhibited early signs of leadership, though not in a traditional way. He was the unlikely ringleader, more than half a century ago, of a group that came to be known as the Bad Bunch. McCain led fellow middies on forays over the wall that surrounds the academy grounds, to local bars outside the seven-mile limit where they could drink legally and to other party sites.

HARRISONBURG, Va. - Sen. Barack Obama seized upon comments by a top aide to Sen. John McCain about the Republican's health-care plan, saying that they amounted to an "October surprise" at a boisterous rally in this Shenandoah Valley town. "This morning, we were offered a stunning bit of straight talk ... from his top economic adviser, who actually said that the health insurance people currently get from their employer is, and I quote, 'way better' than the health care they'd be getting if John McCain were president," Obama told 8,000 supporters crammed into the convocation center at James Madison University.

John McCain to make appearance on 'Saturday Night Live' tonight Live from New York, it's John McCain. Aides to the Republican presidential candidate said yesterday that McCain will appear tonight on Saturday Night Live, the late-night show that has been a must-watch for many during the political season. It might get a little awkward since the host is actor Ben Affleck, a supporter of Democratic candidate Barack Obama. The musical guest is singer David Cook. When McCain's running mate, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, appeared on the show Oct. 18, SNL earned its best ratings in 14 years.

WASHINGTON, Pa. - Republican John McCain showed off his vice presidential running mate, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, in the key battleground state of Pennsylvania yesterday as Democratic rival Barack Obama's campaign aired a new TV ad urging voters not to be distracted by McCain's putting a woman on the GOP ticket. About 10,000 people filled Southwestern Pennsylvania's 3,200-seat Consol Energy Park - home of independent baseball's Washington Wild Things - to see McCain introduce his running mate.