Mccain

MANCHESTER, N.H. -- An Iowa straw poll that traditionally has served as an early benchmark in the Republican presidential nomination race lost much of its luster yesterday, as first Rudolph W. Giuliani and then John McCain decided not to compete in it. The straw poll, scheduled for Aug. 11, in past campaigns has drawn tens of thousands of Republicans to a state party gathering in Ames, Iowa. But candidates vying to run well have had to spend large sums of money to transport supporters to cast ballots at the gathering.

A SMALL number of voters, some paid by candidates, trooped to Ames, Iowa, over the weekend to vote in a nearly meaningless first step toward selecting a Republican presidential nominee for the year 2000.The so-called straw poll proved a number of well-accepted truths: Political reporters need something to occupy them during the summer of nonelection years.Texas Gov. George W. Bush is the party's front-runner.Former Tennessee Gov. Lamar Alexander is a slow learner, having finished sixth after campaigning in Iowa for six years.

MILFORD, N.H. -- "I was originally for Forbes," says Steven Desmarais, who owns a construction company in nearby Amherst. "I really like what he has to say. But he's not electable."So Desmarais has moved from publisher Steve Forbes to Gov. George W. Bush of Texas as his likely choice in the Republican primary Feb. 1."I want the Republicans to win, and that requires a candidate who can win," he says.But Robert Rowe, a retired lawyer and a state legislator, has a different view of Bush and has signed on to help Sen. John McCain of Arizona.

ALTON, N.H. -- On a cold, drizzly morning this week, Bill Davies woke up itching for a candidate fix. So he jumped out of bed to get to a 7: 45 a.m. town hall meeting where Sen. John McCain was speaking.Then he followed the Republican presidential hopeful in the rain to American Legion Post 72 here. By lunch, he had gripped McCain's hand and had looked him in the eye. Twice."He showed me the man behind the politician," Davies said. "That's important."Only in New Hampshire is a candidate's personal touch considered a voter's birthright.

When Sen. John McCain graduated from the Naval Academy four decades ago, President Dwight D. Eisenhower addressed his commencement. Graduates of the Johns Hopkins University heard a would-be president yesterday as McCain, a candidate for the Republican nomination, used the occasion to outline a domestic political agenda.The Republican from Arizona admitted after his talk that he remembers nothing of what Eisenhower said, but was impressed by his presence in the way he finds few are impressed by politicians these days.

Rep. Wayne T. Gilchrest, in a characteristic break with the state's Republican establishment, has agreed to serve as chairman of Arizona Sen. John McCain's presidential campaign in Maryland.The Eastern Shore congressman said Texas Gov. George W. Bush, the Republican front-runner, is a "fine man" but that McCain is a "bold and visionary" candidate."I just want someone in there who has the guts and the brains to do the right thing, and I think McCain is that person," Gilchrest said.Howard Opinsky, press secretary for McCain's campaign, said Gilchrest is the first well-known Maryland Republican official to endorse the senator.

MILFORD, N.H. -- "I'm sort of a Democrat, but I'm thinking of voting for McCain," Bernice Staley says, "because he really says what he thinks."Then, pausing as she loads children and groceries into her car, she adds: "But then again, I'm for choice [on abortion rights], so maybe I'll vote for Bradley. I like him, too."Her friend Nancy, an independent who doesn't want her last name used, is similarly conflicted."I like both of them," she says, "but I think Bradley has a better chance. Everybody says Gore is a good man, but he's too close to Clinton for me."

CLAREMONT, N.H. -- The picture of Republican John McCain and Democrat Bill Bradley shaking hands on cam paign finance reform has far less to do with the issue of political money than with each of their campaigns in the Feb. 1 New Hampshire presi dential primary.The target group is made up of 274,927 citizens of New Hampshire who have registered as independ ents, thus for the first time outnumbering the 265,679 Repub licans as well as the 197,816 Demo crats.Indeed, it is probably not extrav agant to say that the independents have the potential to play a deci sive role in both party primaries if they show up in the expected num bers.

WASHINGTON -- A key early backer of Texas Gov. George W. Bush defected to a rival presidential campaign yesterday, offering another reminder that the race for the Republican nomination is far from over.Former New York Rep. Guy V. Molinari, a name with considerable power in delegate-rich New York GOP circles, switched his allegiance to Sen. John McCain of Arizona in the latest in a series of bumps for what had been the smooth-running Bush campaign.Molinari, a leader in the effort to coax Bush into the race, said he changed his mind after comparing the candidates.

DES MOINES, Iowa -- In a clear sign that John McCain's presidential candidacy is gathering steam, the Arizona senator was jabbed repeatedly by his Republican opponents in an Iowa debate last night.McCain, who is not campaigning for this state's caucuses next month, took the offensive in the nationally televised forum. He accused his rivals of pandering to Iowa voters by supporting taxpayer subsidies for ethanol, a corn-based fuel additive."I'm going to tell you the things you don't want to hear as well as the things you do want to hear," McCain said in an apparent attempt to score points with voters in New Hampshire, where he is concentrating his candidacy.

Mitzi McCain's huge hopes for Inauguration Day included a grand gospel brunch at a Washington hotel in the heart of Pennsylvania Avenue's pomp and pageantry. Jumbo television screens on three spacious levels would broadcast President Barack Obama's history-making oath. And the hotel balcony's giant floor-to-ceiling windows would make the perfect place to gaze at the first couple striding down the inaugural parade route. Instead, McCain found herself in a meeting room in the bowels of the JW Marriott, about to bear witness to a defining moment in American history as she might in her Pikesville home - on a small, run-of-the-mill TV. "It's disappointing," she said, flatly.

Summing up, let me just say that I reject, repudiate, renounce, denounce, dismiss and utterly regret 2008. In fact, I categorically denounce any person or statement that disparages or causes distress to any living creature on this great planet or that serves to divide us from any other planet in this universe - or any other - and such creatures as, therein, may reside. That being said, it is still nevertheless true that Barack Obama's middle name is Hussein. I mention this not to cause trouble, because I categorically renounce trouble, but to cite one of the many odd utterings that defined 2008 as The Year of Denouncing and Repudiating.

Stevens concedes, thanks his supporters ANCHORAGE, Alaska: Sen. Ted Stevens conceded the election for U.S. Senate to Anchorage Mayor Mark Begich yesterday, bringing to an end his 40 years as the dominant force in Alaska politics and the longest-serving Republican in Senate history. Stevens' office issued a written statement congratulating Begich, a Democrat who ran as a change candidate in the face of federal ethics charges against the man many Alaskans call "Uncle Ted." "My family and I wish to thank the thousands of Alaskans who stood by us and who supported my re-election," Stevens said in a statement.

So this is what "change" looks like. After a campaign built on a word that many challenged as vague and meaningless, change came swiftly Tuesday. The polls had barely opened - with long lines of new voters, or simply newly invigorated ones - and already it was clear that this was going to be a different election than we'd seen in the last couple of presidential cycles. A giddy, festive day - free doughnuts! - turned into a celebratory night, from the new president-elect's huge victory party in Chicago to spontaneous streetcorner eruptions across the country.

PHILADELPHIA - Despite a last-minute frenzy for Pennsylvania's electoral plenty, John McCain failed to switch this traditionally blue state, which awarded its 21 votes to Barack Obama and helped him win the presidency. Polls closed at 8 p.m. and, moments later, based on exit poll data, NBC called the state for Obama. Other news organizations followed within an hour. Although Pennsylvania has not voted for a Republican presidential candidate in 20 years, it was seen by many political analysts - and the McCain campaign - as a potential Election Day surprise.

Barack Obama, the Illinois Democrat who built a campaign and a movement around the promise of change, won a resounding victory over Republican John McCain last night, becoming the first black president in U.S. history. Choosing a steady 47-year-old lawyer and former community organizer to guide the nation, voters looked past Obama's relative lack of national experience to end eight years of Republican leadership amid a once-in-a-century economic crisis and protracted foreign wars. Hundreds of thousands of supporters gathered in Grant Park in Chicago, which Obama represented in the Illinois Legislature just 46 months ago, as the Democrat was declared the winner about 11 p.m. Eastern time.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - Democrat Barack Obama and Republican John McCain blitzed the political and geographic map of the United States yesterday as the presidential election moved into its last hours with the candidates making their last appeals to undecided voters and swing states. The major party candidates sought to cram in one more rally, one more denunciation of a foe and one more exhortation for supporters to go to the polls today. Experts estimate that about 130 million people will vote this year; tens of millions already have waited in long lines to cast their ballots.

WASHINGTON - Americans are making history today. They'll choose the country's first black president or they'll elect its oldest new chief executive, with the first female vice president. More than 130 million voters, a record number, are expected to cast ballots across the country. If it is a runaway for Barack Obama or John McCain, a winner could emerge as early as 9 or 10 tonight. Even if the popular vote count is relatively close, an Electoral College landslide could develop if most swing states tip the same way. But it will be after 11 p.m. Eastern time - when polls close on the West Coast - before the president-elect can claim victory in the longest, most expensive, and many would say the most exciting, presidential contest ever.

McCain a big draw on Saturday Night Live John McCain was a hit on Saturday Night Live, just not as big a hit as his running mate. The Republican, who poked fun at his presidential campaign's financial shortcomings and his reputation as a political maverick in Saturday's appearance, led the show to its second-best overnight ratings since a December 1997 holiday episode. NBC estimated yesterday that when the final national viewer estimate is known later this week, it will be a little less than 12 million people.

One more day and it'll be over. One more day and the Campaign That Never Ends finally ends. Think how different life will be after tomorrow's election. No more campaign commercials to get you all worked up. No more 24-hour coverage of Barack Obama and John McCain speechifying in front of the adoring wives and frenzied supporters to drive you nuts. No more Gallup polls, Nielsen polls, New York Times/CBS News polls and every other poll every 5 minutes. No more Joe the Plumber. OK, that likely won't happen.