News and Currentstag:www.newsandcurrents.com,2008:/news//32008-07-08T13:02:59ZMovable Type 3.35Panel calls for new war powers legislationtag:www.newsandcurrents.com,2008:/news//3.3812008-07-08T12:51:40Z2008-07-08T13:02:59ZFormer secretaries of state James Baker III and Warren Christopher say the next time the president goes to war, Congress should be required to say whether it agrees. The co-chairmen of a bipartisan study group have proposed legislation that would require the president to consult lawmakers before initiating combat lasting longer than a week, except in cases of emergencies. In turn, Congress would have to act within 30 days, either approving or disapproving of the action.Chikeluba Kenechukwuhttp://www.newsandpolicy.com/
WASHINGTON (AP) - Former secretaries of state James Baker III and Warren Christopher say the next time the president goes to war, Congress should be required to say whether it agrees. The co-chairmen of a bipartisan study group have proposed legislation that would require the president to consult lawmakers before initiating combat lasting longer than a week, except in cases of emergencies. In turn, Congress would have to act within 30 days, either approving or disapproving of the action.
The plan, outlined by Baker and Christopher in an essay published Tuesday in The New York Times, would not necessarily prevent future debate on the so-called "war powers" issue. Instead, it would create a new consultative process between the White House and Congress to help prevent a potential constitutional showdown.
Congress' involvement in approving combat operations became a central issue in the Iraq debate last year, when Democrats tried to force President Bush to end the war.
After taking control of Congress in January 2007, Democrats tried to cap force levels and set a timetable for withdrawals. They lacked a veto-proof majority to put the restrictions into law, and the White House argued that such legislation would have violated the Constitution by infringing upon the president's role as commander in chief to protect the nation. Democrats disagreed, contending there was ample precedent.
Baker, who served as secretary of state in the first Bush administration, and Christopher, who served under President Clinton, were to discuss their findings at a news conference Tuesday morning.
The panel has been studying the issue for more than a year and consulted more than three dozen experts. Other members of the panel include former Democratic Rep. Lee Hamilton, who in 2006 led the Iraq Study Group with Baker; former Attorney General Edwin Meese III; and Strobe Talbott, former deputy secretary of state.
CNN: McCain campaign gets new political director ...tag:www.newsandcurrents.com,2008:/blog//2.3802008-07-07T13:05:09Z2008-07-07T13:11:08ZIn one of his first moves to centralize control of McCain's political
organization, Steve Schmidt has tapped Rudy Giuliani's former campaign manager,
Mike DuHaime, to be McCain's new political director, a top campaign adviser
tells CNN.Chikeluba Kenechukwuhttp://www.newsandpolicy.com/
Political Ticker is reporting that McCain has tapped Rudy Giuliani's former campaign manager Mike DuHaime to serve as his new political director ...
In one of his first moves to centralize control of McCain's political
organization, Steve Schmidt has tapped Rudy Giuliani's former campaign manager,
Mike DuHaime, to be McCain's new political director, a top campaign adviser
tells CNN.
Until last week, McCain had no political director at headquarters –
highly unusual for a general election campaign. Mccain's campaign instead
relied on 11 regional campaign managers — a structure many Republicans in and
outside of the McCain campaign, including Schmidt, considered unworkable.
After formally taking control of the political operation last week,
Schmidt decided to put a political director in place to oversee the state and
regional operations.
Duhaime went to work as an adviser to McCain at headquarters not long
after Giuliani dropped his primary bid.
]]>
Bush: Russia's new president is 'smart guy'tag:www.newsandcurrents.com,2008:/news//3.3792008-07-07T13:00:59Z2008-07-07T13:05:10ZPresident Bush and new Russian President Dmitry Medvedev stood united Monday on issues like Iran and North Korea. But for all their handshakes and smiles, it is clear that thorny issues like missile defense are in a holding pattern until a new U.S. president takes office.
In their first sit down as heads of state, Bush called Medvedev a "smart" guy who is well versed in foreign policy. Medvedev casually referred to Bush as "George." Yet they inched no closer on the missile defense issue during their more than hour-long discussion on the sidelines of a summit here.Chikeluba Kenechukwuhttp://www.newsandpolicy.com/
President Bush and new Russian President Dmitry Medvedev stood united Monday on issues like Iran and North Korea. But for all their handshakes and smiles, it is clear that thorny issues like missile defense are in a holding pattern until a new U.S. president takes office.
In their first sit down as heads of state, Bush called Medvedev a "smart" guy who is well versed in foreign policy. Medvedev casually referred to Bush as "George." Yet they inched no closer on the missile defense issue during their more than hour-long discussion on the sidelines of a summit here.
A Kremlin aide described the private meeting as open and constructive, but "at times critical."
The public comments by the two presidents only glossed over Russia's anger over missile defense. And they both brushed off the fact that their official relationship will expire in fewer than 200 days when the Bush presidency ends.
"We will build on the relationship with the new American administration," said Medvedev. "But we still have six months with the effective administration and we'll try to intensify our dialogue with this administration."
The Russian leader said he and Bush agreed on curtailing the nuclear weapon capability of Iran and North Korea.
"But then certainly there are others with respect to European affairs and missile defense where we have differences," Medvedev said. "We would like to agree on these matters, as well, and we also feel very comfortable in our dealings with George."
Like former Russian President Vladimir Putin, still the top powerbroker in Moscow, Medvedev remains critical of the West, in particular the United States. He has shown no sign of softening opposition to U.S. plans for missile defense facilities in Europe or to NATO's promise to eventually invite Georgia and Ukraine in.
Personal relations between the two appear warm, but Bush didn't go as far as to repeat what he said about Putin when he first met him in June 2001. Then, Bush said he looked into Putin's eyes and "was able to get a sense of his soul."
"I'm not going to sit here and psychoanalyze the man, but I will tell you that he's very comfortable, he's confident, and that I believe that when he tells me something, he means it," Bush said.
The two, however, are at opposite ends of their political lives. Bush is on his way out and Medvedev just took office in May. This is Bush's eighth and final G-8. This is Medvedev's freshman year at the summit.
"I reminded him that yes I'm leaving, but not until six months, and I'm sprinting to the finish," Bush said. "So we can get a lot done together, and you know there are a lot of important issues like Iran. There's an area where Russia and the United States have worked closely in the past and will continue to work closely to convince the regime to give up its desire to enrich uranium."
The two leaders, who also are also are united in their fight against international terrorism and want to see a Middle East peace accord and a future for Afghanistan, talked on the sidelines of the Group of Eight summit of industrialized nations. Japan is hosting the event at a heavily guarded luxury resort atop Poromoi Mountain in Hokkaido, an island in northern Japan.
From there, visitors normally can see the doughnut-shaped Lake Toya, formed in a crater of a collapsed volcano. Not Monday. Sheets of rain pelted the scenic mountain and the weather offered a metaphor for the contentious U.S.-Russia discussions on missile defense: Fogged in.
U.S. and Polish officials are negotiating to base American missiles in Poland for a future missile shield against Iran. Still, there is no guarantee the shield will ever be built or would work as advertised. Negotiations over the 10 missile interceptors are proving more contentious than the U.S. had anticipated.
The site would be linked to a missile-tracking radar that Washington wants to place in the Czech Republic. The Czech government has agreed in principle to the plan, but parliament's approval is still needed.
Russia is staunchly against the U.S. plans, arguing that U.S. military installations in former Soviet satellites so close to its borders would pose a threat Russian security. Moscow has threatened to aim its own missiles at any eventual base in Poland or the Czech Republic.
The U.S. maintains that the plan poses no threat to the Kremlin's vast nuclear arsenal.
After the talks, a Kremlin aide accentuated the positive in U.S.-Russian relations, but said Bush and Medvedev made no progress on the missile-defense issue - the major point of disagreement between them.
Sergei Prikhodko said the talks were "exclusively well-intentioned, constructive, and open, but at times critical."
Prikhodko said Russia is not yet satisfied with transparency measures the United States has offered to take in order to ease Moscow's concerns the system would be aimed at weakening Russia's defenses.
Medvedev also expressed serious concern about media reports that the U.S. has discussed the possibility of deploying interceptors in Lithuania, if its first choice of basing them in Poland doesn't work out.
"This is absolutely unacceptable for the Russian Federation," Prikhodko said of the Lithuanian plan.
Bush and Medvedev met on the opening day of the summit, a day focused on aid to Africa and on whether the world's economic powers were providing enough financial assistance to fight disease and improve health care.
Bush, who also attended summit sessions with several African nations, is calling on G-8 nations to write checks to make good on their pledges to help battle HIV-AIDS, malaria and other diseases.
---
Associated Press Writer Steve Gutterman in Rusutsu, Japan, contributed to this report.
Obama, McCain spar over immigrationtag:www.newsandcurrents.com,2008:/news//3.3782008-07-07T12:55:06Z2008-07-07T13:01:45ZDemocrat Barack Obama and Republican John McCain courted Hispanic support on Saturday, and Obama accused his White House rival of backing away from comprehensive U.S. immigration reform under pressure from his party.
In separate appearances before a group of Latino public officials, the two presidential contenders portrayed themselves as dedicated champions for Hispanics -- a fast-growing and critical swing voting bloc in November's election.Chikeluba Kenechukwuhttp://www.newsandpolicy.com/
Democrat Barack Obama and Republican John McCain courted Hispanic support on Saturday, and Obama accused his White House rival of backing away from comprehensive U.S. immigration reform under pressure from his party.
In separate appearances before a group of Latino public officials, the two presidential contenders portrayed themselves as dedicated champions for Hispanics -- a fast-growing and critical swing voting bloc in November's election.
Obama took aim at McCain's approach to comprehensive immigration reform and his change of emphasis on legislation to offer a pathway to citizenship for the country's 12 million illegal immigrants.
McCain, an Arizona senator, broke with his party and worked for the plan, which ultimately failed in Congress amid heavy Republican opposition.
But he shifted his approach during the fight for the party's nomination to emphasize the need to secure U.S. borders before addressing the status of illegal immigrants.
"One place where Senator McCain used to offer change was on immigration. He was a champion of comprehensive reform, and I admired him for it," Obama, an Illinois senator who supported the proposal, told the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials.
"But when he was running for his party's nomination, he walked away from that commitment. He said he wouldn't even support his own legislation if it came up for a vote," he said. "If we are going to solve the challenges we face, we can't vacillate, we can't shift depending on our politics."
McCain, who appeared before the group ahead of Obama, admitted the plan "wasn't very popular with some in my party" but said he would still work for a broad-based overhaul of U.S. immigration laws.
"It'll be my top priority yesterday, today and tomorrow," McCain said when asked if immigration reform would be high on his to-do list in his first 100 days in office.
A McCain spokesman accused Obama of voting for "poison pill" amendments that doomed the immigration deal.
"It was Obama himself who worked to kill the Senate's bipartisan immigration reform compromise last year," Brian Rogers said in a statement.
The Obama campaign shot back that McCain had thanked Obama for his support on the issue in 2006.
McCain told the Latino officials the proposal failed because Americans were not confident Congress would protect U.S. borders before dealing with the question of illegal immigration.
"GOD'S CHILDREN"
"I want to assure you we will address this issue in a humane and compassionate fashion," he said, calling illegal immigrants "God's children."
Hispanics are the fastest growing minority group in the United States and account for about 9 percent of the national electorate. They could be a critical swing voting bloc in November battleground states like Florida and in the U.S. Southwest.
In 2004, President George W. Bush won about 40 percent of the Hispanic vote -- a Republican record -- in defeating Democrat John Kerry. But opinion polls show Republicans have been hurt with Hispanics by the debate over immigration reform.
Obama has had his own problem with Hispanics, who heavily supported his primary rival Sen. Hillary Clinton of New York.
Polls show Obama has rebounded among Hispanics since clinching the Democratic nomination. Many polls show McCain falling short of Bush's 40 percent of Hispanic support.
Obama, who will be the first black nominee of a major U.S. political party, stressed the groundbreaking nature of his candidacy to the Hispanic group.
"I'm hoping that somewhere out in this audience sits the person who will become the first Latino nominee of a major party," he said.
McCain was interrupted four times during his speech and subsequent questions by protesters who challenged his staunch backing of the Iraq war. Officials of the Hispanic group apologized and said they were not members.
Obama, who has called for a withdrawal of U.S. combat troops from Iraq within 16 months of taking office, said Hispanics had borne a heavy burden during the war.
Both candidates stressed economic and education proposals they said would help Hispanics. McCain touted his plans to cut corporate tax rates and make Bush's income tax cuts permanent, along with his support for free trade proposals.
"It is a terrible mistake to raise taxes during an economic downturn," McCain said. "I reject the false virtues of economic isolationism. Any confident, competent government should embrace competition -- it makes us stronger."
Both McCain and Obama will speak next month to another influential Hispanic group, the National Council of La Raza, at its convention in San Diego.
(Editing by Anthony Boadle)
Obama, McCain set to duel over economytag:www.newsandcurrents.com,2008:/news//3.3772008-07-07T12:47:40Z2008-07-07T13:12:44ZObama, McCain set to duel over economy ... REPORT: "The presidential candidates will duel over the economy this week, with Republican Sen. John McCain touting proposals he says will stimulate job growth and Democratic Sen. Barack Obama discussing economic security for families.
McCain, an Arizona senator who has wrapped up his party's nomination, will embark on a tour of Colorado, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan and Wisconsin -- all toss-up states in the November election to win the White House.
The Arizona senator spent last week on a swing through Latin America highlighting his support for free trade, prompting some observers to question why he went abroad at a time when employers cut U.S. workers from their payrolls for a sixth straight month and gasoline prices continued to sting ..."Chikeluba Kenechukwuhttp://www.newsandpolicy.com/
The presidential candidates will duel over the economy this week, with Republican Sen. John McCain touting proposals he says will stimulate job growth and Democratic Sen. Barack Obama discussing economic security for families.
McCain, an Arizona senator who has wrapped up his party's nomination, will embark on a tour of Colorado, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan and Wisconsin -- all toss-up states in the November election to win the White House.
The Arizona senator spent last week on a swing through Latin America highlighting his support for free trade, prompting some observers to question why he went abroad at a time when employers cut U.S. workers from their payrolls for a sixth straight month and gasoline prices continued to sting.
"Sen. Obama's tax increases will hurt the economy even more and destroy jobs across this country," McCain will say in Denver on Monday, according to prepared remarks.
"At a time of increasing gas and food prices, American families need tax relief and I, not my opponent, will deliver it."
McCain is expected to offer detailed plans outlining how he would balance the federal budget by 2013, but otherwise will promote existing policy proposals rather than propose sweeping changes, an aide said.
Obama's campaign accused McCain of misrepresenting the Democrat's plans and offered a stinging description of the Arizona senator's economic ideas.
"John McCain has essentially no ideas to get the economy going and create jobs in the short run, and (he) has ideas about the long run economy that are rooted in a failed economic philosophy," Jason Furman, Obama's economic policy director, told a conference call with reporters on Sunday.
TAXES
Taxes are a key difference between the two candidates. McCain accuses Obama of wanting to raise taxes across the board, while the Illinois senator accuses his rival of wanting to provide a cushion for wealthy people and big corporations.
McCain hopes to sell his proposals to undecided voters in his tour this week.
"John McCain is undertaking a new and focused effort to highlight the job growth that would result from his economic plan," spokesman Tucker Bounds said.
"John McCain's tax cut proposals are focused on growing jobs, which is in sharp contrast to Barack Obama, who quite simply burdens small business growth with tax increases (that) will slow our economy."
Obama kicks off his week in North Carolina, where he will also focus on the economy.
Furman said Obama's tax cuts would help middle-class families and said McCain's accusations were off base.
"He is mischaracterizing Sen. Obama's plan, which is very simple. If you make below $250,000, none of your taxes go up, and in fact, most likely you're going to end up getting a tax cut," Furman said.
The two candidates disagree on other areas connected to the economy, including trade and health care reform. Both propose spurring job growth through programs to increase U.S. use of solar, wind and other renewable energy sources.
(additional reporting by Caren Bohan)
Bipartisanship marks McCain's Senate tenuretag:www.newsandcurrents.com,2008:/news//3.3762008-07-03T14:11:51Z2008-07-03T14:17:49ZRepublicans deemed it beyond the pale when Sen. John McCain crossed the Capitol, set up shop in an office belonging to House Democrats and lobbied wavering lawmakers on legislation to reduce the role of money in politics.
"A legend in his own mind," then-Majority Leader Dick Armey, a Texan, acidly called his fellow Republican at the time.Chikeluba Kenechukwuhttp://www.newsandpolicy.com/
WASHINGTON (AP) - Republicans deemed it beyond the pale when Sen. John McCain crossed the Capitol, set up shop in an office belonging to House Democrats and lobbied wavering lawmakers on legislation to reduce the role of money in politics.
"A legend in his own mind," then-Majority Leader Dick Armey, a Texan, acidly called his fellow Republican at the time.
Yet the events of that long day and night in 2002 fit a pattern for a man whose congressional career long has included a singular brand of combative bipartisanship. For more than a decade, on tobacco, health care, immigration, judicial nominees, creation of a commission to investigate the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks and more, McCain has championed high-profile legislation opposed by President Bush or others in his own party.
His record of accomplishment is mixed, yet he has made his willingness to cross the political aisle a central theme in his campaign for the White House in an era when voters are plainly tired of partisan gridlock in the nation's capital.
"I believe in bipartisanship, and that's been my record, of reaching across the aisle, whether it be to Joe Lieberman or Russ Feingold, Ted Kennedy" or others, he said recently, referring to Democrats with whom he has worked.
McCain added that he has a "long record of putting my country first, of putting my country not only before my party but before myself. Senator Obama does not have that record."
Obama, McCain's Democratic rival in the race for the White House, also lists bipartisanship as a congressional credential. A recent Associated Press-Yahoo News poll showed about 40 percent of the electorate believes both men would work across party lines.
Even so, none of the examples cited by Obama's aides, beginning with a bill to secure nuclear weapons in the former Soviet Union, placed the Illinois lawmaker at odds with the leaders of his own party or gave significant offense to outside interest groups aligned with Democrats.
Not so, McCain.
The Arizona Republican "took on his own party's leadership, and that takes enormous courage," says former Rep. Martin Meehan of Massachusetts, a Democrat who worked closely with McCain for years on the campaign finance legislation that Bush reluctantly signed into law. He added that such defiance can often lead to retaliation by the leadership.
"He's a tough adversary. He's a very effective legislator," Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell said in an interview.
As a longtime member of his party's leadership, McConnell has often borne the brunt of McCain's bipartisanship, yet he said he has never seen him cross an imaginary line into foul territory.
Nor surprisingly, McCain has had triumphs and failures over the years. He's occasionally offended his negotiating partners, and reaped criticism from members of his own party.
Democrats say he can decide quickly what broad concepts he will accept in the give-and-take of negotiations. Republicans say he is too quick to give in to Democratic demands. He is known for speaking bluntly, and for keeping his word.
House Republican leaders were anything but complimentary six years ago, when McCain tried to change federal campaign funding law over their vehement opposition.
When McCain decided on the spur of the moment to work out of an office belonging to then-Democratic Leader Dick Gephardt, they told members of the GOP rank-and-file that it was proof he was doing the Democrats' work.
"He was basically in the war room. It was unusual," said Meehan, who now is chancellor of the University of Massachusetts-Lowell.
At one point, as the measure neared a final Senate showdown, McCain issued a thinly veiled warning to members of his own party. "If I were a Republican up for re-election in the Senate, I'd ask myself, 'Do you want to be part of a continuing filibuster?'" he said at the time.
McCain was the point man in 2005 in the ultimately successful effort to gain Bush's signature on legislation banning the use of torture against detainees in the war on terror.
"We've sent a message to the world that the United States is not like the terrorists," he said at the time, seated in the Oval Office near a president whose aides had once threatened a veto over the ban. McCain's victory came despite a personal, closed-door appeal to Republican senators from Vice President Dick Cheney to exempt CIA employees from the prohibition.
Earlier that same year, McCain was a member of the so-called Gang of 14, a self-appointed group of seven senators from each party that averted a Senate crisis over administration judicial nominees long blocked by Democrats.
The final agreement was sealed around a table in McCain's Senate office.
As a result, some long-stalled appointees were confirmed, angering liberals. Others were blocked, to the anger of conservatives. "I think McCain is going to suffer. He's a great war hero and I think he meant well, but it will be proven to be a mistake," said Chuck Hurley of the conservative Iowa Family Policy Center.
Along the way, two officials said McCain angered another one of the 14, Sen. Joe Lieberman of Connecticut, by bluntly telling him he was taking too long to review the proposed agreement. Lieberman, then a Democrat, walked out of the session in response, according to these officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity. In another episode, Republican Sen. John Cornyn of Texas responded similarly to a tongue-lashing from McCain in a closed-door meeting on immigration in the same year.
Whatever the bruised feelings, McCain and Lieberman work closely on climate control legislation. The Connecticut senator, now an independent, has endorsed McCain in the presidential race because of their mutual support for the war in Iraq.
Not all of McCain's high-profile stabs at bipartisanship have been successful.
After running for president in 2000, he returned to Congress and joined attempts to pass a patient bill of rights. He told Republicans and Democrats alike at the time that in his campaign travels, he had heard numerous times that voters wanted the measure.
Efforts to forge a compromise ultimately broke down when competing outside interests - insurance companies and trial lawyers - could not agree on terms covering lawsuits by patients.
More recently, McCain has been deeply involved in unsuccessful efforts to pass immigration legislation that offers a path to citizenship for millions of men and women in the country illegally. The measure ran aground two years in a row, providing a dramatic illustration of the risks of bipartisanship.
McCain's support for legislation that conservative critics deemed an amnesty bill contributed to the near-collapse of his presidential candidacy. He shifted emphasis - his campaign Web Site makes no mention of his backing for citizenship - and now Democrats accuse him of walking away from an issue he once championed.
Ironically, the campaign season has caused something of a role reversal among Democrats, many of whom once praised McCain for his efforts, and Republicans who formerly struggled to stop them.
Sen. Richard Durbin of Illinois, who was active on legislation to ban torture, declined to be interviewed.
And McConnell volunteered that McCain's views on Iraq, tax cuts and other areas are those of a loyal Republican.
"He has also been with us on a lot of issues too so it's not like he's looking to make a deal on every issue," he said.
CNN: Jeb Mush meeting up with John McCain...tag:www.newsandcurrents.com,2008:/blog//2.3752008-07-03T14:02:04Z2008-07-03T14:10:08ZFormer Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, the brother of President Bush, is meeting up with John McCain Thursday in Mexico City to visit the Basilica of the Virgin of Guadalupe, his campaign has announced.
Chikeluba Kenechukwuhttp://www.newsandpolicy.com/
meet McCain in Mexico ...
Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, the brother of President Bush, is meeting up with John McCain Thursday in Mexico City to visit the Basilica of the Virgin of Guadalupe, his campaign has announced.
Bush, who was governor from 1999-2007, endorsed McCain's White House bid earlier this year after it was clear the Arizona senator would win the party's nomination. Bush did not endorse a candidate during the primary campaign.
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McCain aide takes over day-to-day campaign dutiestag:www.newsandcurrents.com,2008:/news//3.3742008-07-03T13:52:36Z2008-07-03T14:03:24ZJohn McCain put a top adviser in control of day-to-day campaign operations Wednesday after weeks of private concerns among Republicans that the GOP presidential campaign had not made the transition for the general election.
Steve Schmidt, a veteran of President Bush's re-election and a member of the Arizona senator's inner circle, will oversee daily political, strategy, coalitions, scheduling and communications efforts from the campaign's northern Virginia headquarters.Chikeluba Kenechukwuhttp://www.newsandpolicy.com/
WASHINGTON (AP) - John McCain put a top adviser in control of day-to-day campaign operations Wednesday after weeks of private concerns among Republicans that the GOP presidential campaign had not made the transition for the general election.
Steve Schmidt, a veteran of President Bush's re-election and a member of the Arizona senator's inner circle, will oversee daily political, strategy, coalitions, scheduling and communications efforts from the campaign's northern Virginia headquarters.
The campaign's estimated 300-person staff will report to Schmidt, who will report to campaign manager Rick Davis.
Davis will continue to focus on long-term planning, the vice presidential search, fundraising and the national convention but Schmidt's added responsibilities mean the campaign manager's load now will be somewhat lighter. Davis took the reins of the campaign almost exactly a year ago amid a major staff shake-up and has been the subject of Democratic criticism for his past lobbying work.
He told the staff of Schmidt's expanded role at a Wednesday meeting at headquarters, saying that Schmidt would have "full operational control" of the campaign's daily activities.
"This is a natural growth of the campaign and we think it's a good thing," said spokesman Brian Rogers.
Other changes and additions are expected.
Republican officials with knowledge of the plans said Schmidt likely will shift the political operations into a more traditional structure, including the hiring of a single political director and a single field director who will have authority over those divisions. The campaign has been criticized for its nontraditional, decentralized structure that broke the country into 11 regions with a campaign manager for each.
Charlie Black, a senior adviser, characterized Schmidt's larger role as a typical expansion for a growing campaign.
"The deeper you get into a presidential campaign, the more tasks there are to do and the more work there is to do," Black said. "Rick asked Steve to take on more responsibility, and he did and everybody's happy."
Since McCain wrapped up the nomination in March, Republican insiders have expressed concerns privately that the stripped-down campaign of the primary season was not adequately transformed into a general election operation able to take on Democratic Sen. Barack Obama.
Even though he clinched his party's nomination three months before the Democrat did, McCain lags Obama in fundraising, organizational structure, and polls. Critics have panned his sub-par speeches, said he lacks a cohesive message and questioned his travel itinerary. For example, he is in Colombia and Mexico this week while Obama is spending the Independence Day week traveling to battleground states and traditional Republican strongholds talking about patriotism, faith and values.
In recent weeks, the campaign has brought on other former Bush aides to bolster its efforts. Former White House communications director Nicolle Wallace and former Bush re-election staffer Matt McDonald are helping coordinate message while former White House advance director Greg Jenkins is helping coordinate events.
Schmidt was involved in McCain's presidential campaign from the start, but took on a more prominent role after the campaign nearly imploded one year ago after fundraising troubles and the staff shake-up.
He was a near constant presence on the campaign trail during McCain's comeback, which resulted in his winning enough delegates to capture the GOP nomination. In recent weeks, Schmidt worked out of headquarters as he assumed additional duties.
Schmidt, 38, presided over California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's successful re-election bid two years ago, a campaign in which the governor moved steadily to the political middle after governing as a conservative. Schmidt helped him overcome a deficit in the polls.
He also was a top aide in Bush's re-election campaign in 2004 and worked for Vice President Dick Cheney in the White House. He ran the confirmation of Justice Samuel Alito, and played a leading role in the confirmation of Chief Justice John Roberts.
The Democratic Party issued a statement saying: "It's no surprise that John McCain would put a Bush-Cheney veteran in charge of his campaign since he's been promising a third Bush term and relying on money raised by President Bush and his friends."
Public Cool To Michelle Obama, Doesn't Know Cindy McCaintag:www.newsandcurrents.com,2008:/news//3.3732008-07-03T13:43:36Z2008-07-03T13:59:08ZPublic Cool To Michelle Obama, Doesn't Know Cindy McCain ... REPORT: "The public hasn't taken to Michelle Obama yet, especially whites. And it's got a question about Cindy McCain: Who is she?
People are divided over whether they like the wife of Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama, with 30 percent seeing her favorably and 35 percent unfavorably, according to an Associated Press-Yahoo News poll released Wednesday.
They tilt positively toward the spouse of Republican hopeful John McCain, by 27 percent to 17 percent.
In other words: While the two women are about equally liked, Michelle Obama is twice as disliked as Cindy McCain ..."Chikeluba Kenechukwuhttp://www.newsandpolicy.com/
The public hasn't taken to Michelle Obama yet, especially whites. And it's got a question about Cindy McCain: Who is she?
People are divided over whether they like the wife of Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama, with 30 percent seeing her favorably and 35 percent unfavorably, according to an Associated Press-Yahoo News poll released Wednesday.
They tilt positively toward the spouse of Republican hopeful John McCain, by 27 percent to 17 percent.
In other words: While the two women are about equally liked, Michelle Obama is twice as disliked as Cindy McCain.
"Cindy seems like she's laid back and not trying to run her husband," said Linda Kaiser, 60, a Republican and church secretary from Clairton, Pa. "It's nice to have a brain, but they should let their husband be president."
Whites have an unfavorable view of Michelle Obama by 18 percentage points, while eight in 10 blacks like her. That is reminiscent of how Barack Obama fared in the Democratic primaries against Hillary Rodham Clinton.
In the AP-Yahoo News poll, whites saw Cindy McCain positively by 17 points, while one in eight blacks like her.
Michelle Obama does better with unmarried people and college graduates but is viewed poorly by people age 65 and up. Cindy McCain is seen more favorably by older people, those who are married and the more affluent, but she is less well-received by singles.
Cindy McCain is also more of a mystery. Nearly six in 10, or 56 percent, said they know too little to say much about her - exceeding the 34 percent clueless about Michelle Obama. Half of Republicans say they don't know Cindy McCain, while three in 10 Democrats say that about Michelle Obama.
Barack Obama's wife seems to incite stronger feelings. One in five had very negative views of her, triple the number who said so about John McCain's wife. One in 10 had very favorable views of Michelle Obama, double Cindy McCain's number.
"She's African-American, she's highly articulate, she's young and she seems highly devoted to her husband and her family," said Edythe Friley, 61, a retired teacher from Detroit. "She serves as a role model. There's not a parent on planet Earth who wouldn't want a daughter like this."
Michelle Obama has been in the spotlight more than Cindy McCain, including stories on whether she was trying to reshape her image.
Michelle Obama, 44, a lawyer and hospital administrator, took flak in February when she said she was proud of her country "for the first time in my adult life." Cindy McCain, 54, heiress to an Arizona beer distributorship, revealed in May that she earned more than $6 million in 2006 after saying she would never release her income tax returns.
The AP-Yahoo News survey of 1,759 adults was conducted from June 13-23 and had an overall margin of sampling error of plus or minus 2.3 percentage points. Included were interviews with 844 Democrats and 637 Republicans, for whom the margins of sampling error were plus or minus 3.4 points and 3.9 points, respectively.
The poll was conducted over the Internet by Knowledge Networks, which initially contacted people using traditional telephone polling methods and followed with online interviews. People chosen for the study who had no Internet access were given it for free.
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AP Director of Surveys Trevor Tompson and AP News Survey Specialist Dennis Junius contributed to this report.
Republicans recycle Clinton's Obama barbstag:www.newsandcurrents.com,2008:/news//3.3722008-06-24T13:20:31Z2008-06-24T13:24:37ZHoping to spoil this week's political embrace of erstwhile foes Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, Republicans are picking at festering wounds from the Democratic White House primary battle.
Presumptive nominee Obama and his vanquished foe will make a choreographed effort to repair party fractures at a fundraiser in Washington Thursday and, in an event rich with symbolism, in the town of Unity, New Hampshire, on Friday.
Chikeluba Kenechukwuhttp://www.newsandpolicy.com/
WASHINGTON (AFP) — Hoping to spoil this week's political embrace of erstwhile foes Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, Republicans are picking at festering wounds from the Democratic White House primary battle.
Presumptive nominee Obama and his vanquished foe will make a choreographed effort to repair party fractures at a fundraiser in Washington Thursday and, in an event rich with symbolism, in the town of Unity, New Hampshire, on Friday.
But backers of Republican candidate John McCain see the reconciliation offensive as a chance to detonate unspent political ammunition from Clinton's attacks that still litter the campaign trail.
Senior Democrats had always feared the bile of the prolonged Democratic nomination struggle, which effectively cleaved the party's core support in two, could damage whoever emerged as the party champion.
That is one reason why Clinton, despite losing the contest, still has a vital role in unifying the party, and remains an important ally in Obama's quest for the presidency.
As the Democratic epic unfolded, the former first lady, ex-president Bill Clinton and surrogates questioned Obama's commander-in-chief credentials and dismissed him as an eloquent wordsmith with a thin resume.
Among Democrats, those attacks may have been damaging, but were not decisive. The question now is will McCain's use of similar tactics be more successful and find a more receptive audience in the national electorate?
"Senator McCain will bring a lifetime of experience to the campaign, I will bring a lifetime of experience, and Senator Obama will bring a speech that he gave in 2002," Clinton said in March.
Those remarks have already been circulated by the Republican National Committee (RNC), with a litany of other Clinton barbs.
The most notorious Clinton attack on Obama was a chilling ad asking who voters wanted in the Oval Office to take a 3:00 am telephone call on a breaking national security crisis.
McCain has taken up where Clinton left off, hitting Obama for inexperience, and trying to make this campaign, like President George W. Bush's 2004 triumph over Democrat John Kerry, a referendum on who will keep America safe.
The Arizona senator's foreign policy aide Randy Scheunemann said last week Obama was the "perfect manifestation of a September 10 mindset," raising the September 11 attacks in a discussion on how to prosecute terror suspects.
"If Obama did receive that 3:00 am phone call, I guess his response would be to call lawyers at the Justice Department," Scheunemann said.
McCain has attacked Obama's chairmanship of a Senate subcommittee which has some oversight over NATO and has yet to probe the US-led mission in Afghanistan -- another recycled Clinton attack.
"He has not held one single hearing on Afghanistan where young Americans are in harm's way as we speak. My friends, this is about leadership," McCain said in Nevada in May.
Answering Clinton on the issue in March, Obama aides said the senator only took over the Senate Foreign Relations committee's panel on European affairs in January 2007, just as he hit the campaign trail.
On Monday, the RNC issued a "campaign countdown" to the Clinton-Obama meeting, featuring pointed past comments by attack dogs in her press team foreshadowing Obama's policy reversal last week on campaign financing.
McCain's assaults on Obama seem particularly aimed at the blue-collar, white voters who flocked to Clinton in droves during the primary season and who form a potent political force in battlegrounds like Ohio and Pennsylvania.
"Those sorts of attacks can have more credibility when they come from the candidate's own party," said Dante Scala, a political scientist at the University of New Hampshire.
"If McCain attacks Obama it is kind of chalked up as par for the course but when they can use a quotation from his own party, I think that is something else."
Throughout the primary race, Clinton's attacks on Obama often backfired because they exposed her own political liabilities.
When she attacked Obama on experience, for example, the Obama campaign ridiculed her claims that her global travels as first lady prepared her to be president.
Whether McCain's attacks will be insulated by his military heroism and long service in the US Congress, and therefore prove more successful, may be one of the keys to November's election.
Clinton wants help with campaign debt ...tag:www.newsandcurrents.com,2008:/blog//2.3712008-06-24T13:13:31Z2008-06-24T13:20:22ZHer presidential bid may have ended two weeks ago, but Hillary Clinton is still on the hunt for campaign cash.
The New York Democrat is well over $20 million in debt, nearly half of which Clinton loaned herself personally earlier in the year when her campaign was virtually broke and faced life-or-death primary contests.Chikeluba Kenechukwuhttp://www.newsandpolicy.com/
a financial lifeline ...
Her presidential bid may have ended two weeks ago, but Hillary Clinton is still on the hunt for campaign cash.
The New York Democrat is well over $20 million in debt, nearly half of which Clinton loaned herself personally earlier in the year when her campaign was virtually broke and faced life-or-death primary contests.
When it comes to recovering her personal loan, it's a race against the clock.
Under campaign finance laws spearhead by current presumptive Republican nominee John McCain, Clinton must pay herself back before the party's convention in late August, or else she is only allowed to receive $250,000.
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In an e-mail to supporters earlier Monday afternoon, Clinton says she "has something I want to say," and directs readers to a Web video in which she says "Today, I still need your help."
Text next the video reads: “By helping us pay off our campaign debt, you’re not just helping Hillary elect a Democratic president and grow our majority in Congress. You’re making it possible for her to work as hard as she can on the issues we care about.”
Clinton also continued to praise onetime rival Barack Obama, saying she knows the Illinois senator shares the same goals as she.
The Obama campaign is reportedly open to helping Clinton raise money to pay off her lingering campaign debt, though no agreement has been announced yet. Under campaign finance laws, the Obama campaign is not allowed to retire Clinton's debt directly.
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McCain disavows aide's comment about terrorismtag:www.newsandcurrents.com,2008:/news//3.3702008-06-24T12:59:05Z2008-06-24T13:14:54ZMcCain disavows aide's comment about terrorism ... REPORT: "A top adviser to John McCain said another terrorist attack on U.S. soil would be a "big advantage" for the Republican presidential candidate, drawing a sharp rebuke Monday from both the presumed GOP nominee and Democrat Barack Obama.
Charlie Black, already in the spotlight for his past lobbying work, is quoted in the upcoming July 7 edition of Fortune magazine as saying such an attack "certainly would be a big advantage to him." Black said Monday he regretted the comment.
Black is also quoted as saying the "unfortunate event" of the assassination of former Pakistani leader Benazir Bhutto in December 2007 "helped us."
Questioned about Black's comments during a news conference, McCain said, 'I cannot imagine why he would say it. It's not true. I've worked tirelessly since 9/11 to prevent another attack on the United States of America. My record is very clear ...'"Chikeluba Kenechukwuhttp://www.newsandpolicy.com/
A top adviser to John McCain said another terrorist attack on U.S. soil would be a "big advantage" for the Republican presidential candidate, drawing a sharp rebuke Monday from both the presumed GOP nominee and Democrat Barack Obama.
Charlie Black, already in the spotlight for his past lobbying work, is quoted in the upcoming July 7 edition of Fortune magazine as saying such an attack "certainly would be a big advantage to him." Black said Monday he regretted the comment.
Black is also quoted as saying the "unfortunate event" of the assassination of former Pakistani leader Benazir Bhutto in December 2007 "helped us."
Questioned about Black's comments during a news conference, McCain said, "I cannot imagine why he would say it. It's not true. I've worked tirelessly since 9/11 to prevent another attack on the United States of America. My record is very clear."
Citing his work to establish a commission to investigate the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and his membership on the Senate Armed Services Committee, McCain added: "I cannot imagine it, and so, if he said that - and I don't know the context - I strenuously disagree."
Obama spokesman Bill Burton said in a statement: "The fact that John McCain's top adviser says that a terrorist attack on American soil would be a 'big advantage' for their political campaign is a complete disgrace, and is exactly the kind of politics that needs to change. Barack Obama will turn the page on these failed policies and this cynical and divisive brand of politics so that we can unite this nation around a common purpose to finish the fight against al-Qaida."
The remarks caught McCain flat-footed on a day when he focused on energy issues - first in a speech, then at a town-hall meeting and then during a news conference as he stood beside two $100,000 electric cars. McCain offered $300 million to anyone who develops a revolutionary automobile battery, and he predicted such incentives would lower alternative energy costs.
Moments later, he was befuddled when reporters asked about Black's comments. Black was similarly surprised when reporters happened upon him outside a later McCain fundraiser.
Speaking quietly, Black read from handwritten notes. "I deeply regret the comments. They were inappropriate. I recognize that John McCain has devoted his entire adult life to protecting his country and placing its security before every other consideration," Black said.
Black repeatedly has argued that McCain - a former Navy pilot and Vietnam prisoner of war who has traveled the globe while serving in Congress - benefits any time national security matters are the news of the day. By contrast, Obama has less than four years experience in the Senate and has paid only one visit to Iraq. He plans a second trip before the November election.
During the 2004 presidential race, President Bush, Vice President Dick Cheney and other Republicans argued that Democratic nominee John Kerry was soft on terrorism; the argument resonated with voters. The GOP also questioned the Democrats' record on national security in 2002, with White House political adviser Karl Rove saying Republicans should not shy away from citing terrorism concerns as a reason to vote for their party.
The approach also paid dividends at the polls during that year's congressional elections.
The GOP line - that Democrats had a pre-Sept. 11 mind-set - failed in the 2006 midterm elections as Democrats wrested control of Congress from the Republicans.
More recently, former White House press secretary Scott McClellan wrote in a memoir that during the run-up to the 2003 invasion of Iraq, Bush and his team tried to make the weapons of mass destruction "threat and the Iraqi connection to terrorism appear just a little more certain, a little less questionable than they were."
For his part, McCain has tried to portray Obama as naive on national security and foreign policy.
On Monday, McCain told reporters he was stunned that Obama has never been briefed by Gen. David Petraeus, who is leading U.S. forces in Iraq, yet Obama is calling for a U.S. troop withdrawal.
"Remarkable how someone can make an assessment of the situation without asking for a briefing from the commanding general," McCain said.
Will McCain get Ron Paul's supporters? ...tag:www.newsandcurrents.com,2008:/blog//2.3692008-06-22T14:45:54Z2008-06-22T14:59:07ZWith iconoclast Ron Paul having ended his quixotic bid for the Republican presidential nomination — his platform had called for, among other things, ending the Iraq War, repealing the PATRIOT Act, returning to the gold standard and eliminating taxes on tips — his many dedicated supporters are up for grabs.Chikeluba Kenechukwuhttp://www.newsandpolicy.com/
votes of Ron Paul's supporters. Will he? With Paul favoring Obama's foreign policy views and suspecting that McCain will lock the US in a 100-year war in the Middle East, it doesn't seem very likely...
With iconoclast Ron Paul having ended his quixotic bid for the Republican presidential nomination — his platform had called for, among other things, ending the Iraq War, repealing the PATRIOT Act, returning to the gold standard and eliminating taxes on tips — his many dedicated supporters are up for grabs.
Even excluding his support in caucus states, Paul received a few more than a million votes in the Republican primary, finished second in five states including Pennsylvania and Oregon and continued to draw votes well after he’d effectively withdrawn from the race. His campaign also tapped into the potent new vein of online fundraising, punctuated by the so-called “money bomb” day when his supporters, unaided by his campaign, managed to pump $5 million into his coffers in 24 hours.
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Hagel says he'd consider VP offer from Obamatag:www.newsandcurrents.com,2008:/news//3.3672008-06-22T14:33:55Z2008-06-22T14:44:06ZRepublican Sen. Chuck Hagel said Friday he would consider serving as Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama's running mate if asked, but he doesn't expect to be on any ticket.
Hagel's vocal criticism of the Bush administration since the 2003 invasion of Iraq has touched off speculation that if Obama were to pick a Republican running mate, it might be Hagel. Hagel said in an interview with The Associated Press that after devoting much of his life to his country - in the Senate and the U.S. Army - he would have to consider any offer.Chikeluba Kenechukwuhttp://www.newsandpolicy.com/
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) - Republican Sen. Chuck Hagel said Friday he would consider serving as Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama's running mate if asked, but he doesn't expect to be on any ticket.
Hagel's vocal criticism of the Bush administration since the 2003 invasion of Iraq has touched off speculation that if Obama were to pick a Republican running mate, it might be Hagel. Hagel said in an interview with The Associated Press that after devoting much of his life to his country - in the Senate and the U.S. Army - he would have to consider any offer.
"If it would occur, I would have to think about it," Hagel said. "I think anybody, anybody would have to consider it. Doesn't mean you'd do it, doesn't mean you'd accept it, could be too many gaps there, but you'd have to consider it, I mean, it's the only thing you could do. Why wouldn't you?"
In a book published this year, Hagel said that despite holding one of the Senate's strongest records of support for President Bush, his standing as a Republican has been called into question because of his opposition to what he deems "a reckless foreign policy ... that is divorced from a strategic context."
Hagel wrote in "America: Our Next Chapter" that the invasion of Iraq was "the triumph of the so-called neoconservative ideology, as well as Bush administration arrogance and incompetence."
He said Friday that he and Obama also have differences.
"But what this country is going to have to do is come together next year, and the next president is going to have to bring this country together to govern with some consensus," Hagel said.
He hasn't endorsed Sen. John McCain of Arizona, the presumed Republican nominee, whom he calls a friend. Hagel said Friday he hadn't thought about who to vote for in November.
In a March appearance on ABC's "This Week, he said he and McCain have "some pretty fundamental disagreements on the future of foreign policy," including the Iraq war.
McCain has said his goal is to reduce U.S. casualties, shift security missions to Iraqis and, ultimately, have a noncombat U.S. troop presence in Iraq similar to that in South Korea. He has said that such a presence could last 100 years or more.
Ted Sorensen, a former speechwriter for President John F. Kennedy, said Thursday that Obama should consider Hagel.
Sorensen, a Nebraska native, said Obama should pick a running mate who can help where he's weakest, and Hagel's national security experience makes him a logical candidate. Obama has a team managing the vetting process that includes former first daughter Caroline Kennedy, and Sorensen said he has spoken to her about the selection.
Hagel served as an Army sergeant in Vietnam and was twice wounded in 1968, earning two Purple Hearts.
He was the only member of his party on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to support a nonbinding measure critical of Bush's decision to dispatch an additional 30,000 troops to Iraq.
"There is no strategy. This is a pingpong game with American lives," Hagel said at the time.
The rhetoric drew the public ire of Vice President Dick Cheney, who told Newsweek in January 2007 that Ronald Reagan's mantra to not speak ill of another Republican was sometimes hard to follow "where Chuck Hagel is involved."
Analysis: McCain hampered by campaign misstepstag:www.newsandcurrents.com,2008:/news//3.3682008-06-22T14:21:50Z2008-06-22T14:46:46ZAnalysis: McCain hampered by campaign missteps ... REPORT: "Call it campaign growing pains. Or bad luck. Or a combination of the two.
By any name, Sen. John McCain is hampered by missteps and self-generated controversy in the early days of the general election campaign for the White House.
Take his most recent trip through several states and the Canadian capital, a five-day span during which he courted conservatives and independents alike, raised more than $10 million and began detailing his considerable differences with Sen. Barack Obama on energy policy.
Still, on Tuesday, he criticized his rival for proposing a windfall profits tax on the oil industry. The attack was complicated by McCain's earlier statement that he would consider the same thing.
The following day, he met with a group of Hispanics in Chicago. Aides who had kept word of the event secret were placed on the defensive within hours after one participant criticized some of McCain's comments ..."Chikeluba Kenechukwuhttp://www.newsandpolicy.com/
Call it campaign growing pains. Or bad luck. Or a combination of the two.
By any name, Sen. John McCain is hampered by missteps and self-generated controversy in the early days of the general election campaign for the White House.
Take his most recent trip through several states and the Canadian capital, a five-day span during which he courted conservatives and independents alike, raised more than $10 million and began detailing his considerable differences with Sen. Barack Obama on energy policy.
Still, on Tuesday, he criticized his rival for proposing a windfall profits tax on the oil industry. The attack was complicated by McCain's earlier statement that he would consider the same thing.
The following day, he met with a group of Hispanics in Chicago. Aides who had kept word of the event secret were placed on the defensive within hours after one participant criticized some of McCain's comments.
On Thursday, the Arizona senator flew to Iowa, a likely battleground state in the fall, where he expressed sympathy with victims of severe flooding and pledged support for federal recovery aid. The event was overshadowed by President Bush's appearance elsewhere in the same state on the same day.
Friday's trip to Canada brought more controversy.
McCain arrived aboard his chartered campaign jet, yet told reporters at a news conference, "this is not a political campaign trip." The senator added he didn't feel it was appropriate to have the government to pay "while I am the nominee of my party."
The centerpiece of the six-hour visit was a speech to the Economic Club of Canada that amounted to a cross-border political attack. McCain criticized Obama, without mentioning him by name, for his opposition to the North American Free Trade Agreement.
"Demanding unilateral changes and threatening to abrogate an agreement that has increased trade and prosperity is nothing more than retreating behind protectionist walls," he said.
McCain's schedule also included mention of an unspecified "finance event." While that is customarily campaign jargon for a fundraiser, foreigners may not donate to U.S. candidates, and one aide was quoted in advance as saying that money from $100-per-person event would simply defray the cost of the earlier luncheon.
The non-fundraiser, which may or may not have cost $100 to attend, was held on the top floor of a building with a commanding view of the city skyline. McCain said he knew some of those in attendance had homes in Arizona in the cold weather, and at one point, referred to his campaign themes of "reform, peace and prosperity."
Even some Republicans have cringed in recent weeks at the campaign's efforts to ramp up for the fall campaign, although they will speak only privately.
McCain's aides minimize the difficulties.
One top aide, Mark Salter, said if McCain had not gone to Iowa, he would have looked indifferent to "a great natural calamity and the suffering it has caused." The senator has frequently criticized Bush for his administration's response to Hurricane Katrina.
Salter also said McCain had told the Hispanic audience nothing about immigration that he hasn't told dozens of town hall audiences. He blamed the dustup on a member of the Minuteman organization that opposes giving illegal immigrants any path to legal status.
Salter noted that the speech in Canada contained no overt mention of Obama.
McCain himself told reporters late in the week he remains opposed to the windfall profits tax.
Not that Obama and the Democrats weren't trying to stir controversy at every step.
By the time the sun fell on the day of the Iowa trip, an aide to Gov. Chet Culver said the Democrat had privately relayed a request to McCain to cancel his plans to avoid diverting law enforcement personnel from recovery efforts. Salter said the visit had been cleared in advance by local officials.
And McCain was still on Canadian soil when the Democratic National Committee announced it was filing a Freedom of Information Act request for State Department records detailing the involvement of Ambassador David Wilkins during the trip.
That sort of guerrilla tactic is routine in any presidential campaign. Republicans spent much of the week, for example, drawing attention to Obama's announcement that he would reject public campaign funding for the general election, a major reversal.
And in truth, no candidate can expect to make it through a grueling presidential campaign without suffering one or two self-inflicted wounds - the most grievous of which are far worse than anything that has happened to McCain.
Republican President Gerald Ford's declaration in 1976, at the height of the Cold War, that there was "no Soviet domination of Eastern Europe" was a memorable one.
Or more recently Democratic Sen. John Kerry's decision to go windsurfing in 2004, an event that Republicans turned into a metaphor for a politician who shifts with the wind.
Obama himself spent days in the Democratic primary race trying to explain away remarks he made at a closed-door fundraiser that small-town Americans who were bitter over their economic plight turned to religion.
Republicans took notice of that one, and Obama can expect to hear more about that moment in the fall.
Arguably, McCain has yet to make that kind of gaffe despite enduring a candidacy of remarkable adversity in which he went from front-runner to the campaign cellar and back again.
And for all the talk his critics like to stir about his temper, he never betrayed a hint of displeasure as he made his campaign rounds during the week.
Not even when one man at a Minnesota fundraiser upbraided him for opposing oil drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
"Thank you for that question," McCain replied.
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Editors Note - David Espo covers presidential politics for The Associated Press.