Clinton-Obama race too close to call

Clinton-Obama race too close to call

FORMER first lady Hillary Clinton holds a narrow lead over rival Barack Obama in New Hampshire's Democratic primary but the race remains too close to call, US news networks say.

Former vice presidential nominee John Edwards seemed headed for third place in the first primary of the 2008 White House race, but media said the winner remained to be determined.

Pre-vote polls had given Senator Obama as much as a double-digit lead in New Hampshire, following his stunning success in last Thursday's Iowa caucuses.

[...]

A national poll by USA Today/Gallup said Senator Obama and Senator Clinton each drew 33 per cent support from Democrats, compared to an 18-point lead for the former first lady in mid-December, well before Senator Obama's win in Iowa.

I think this is a good article because of the facts; Clinton and Obama are so close that there really is no way of determining who will be the favorite. I think it will be an interesting process as we make our way to February 5, and see where the votes end up going.

GOP Candidates Debate in South Carolina, but Look Ahead

GOP Candidates Debate in South Carolina, but Look Ahead

Nothing on the debate stage in this first-in-the-South primary state seemed to change the dynamics of the race for the Republican presidential nomination Thursday evening.

However, that is not to say we didn't learn things about the current state of play. Arizona Sen. John McCain and Mitt Romney are focused on their New Hampshire rematch coming up in Michigan. Fred Thompson and Mike Huckabee are in a battle for Southern champ in South Carolina. And Rudolph Giuliani sees McCain as a potential threat.

[...]

Huckabee used what has now become a frequent retort whenever he is attacked. "If you're not catching flak, you're not over the target. I'm catching the flak, I must be over the target," Huckabee quipped.

This article is the perfect example of exactly how mean politics can get. Personally I don't think that verbally attacking another persons character is what should determine someone to be the leader of our country. True or not, the statements that were made were not exactly necessary.

Giuliani Advisers Forgo Salaries

Giuliani Advisers Forgo Salaries

Top advisers to former New York mayor Rudolph Giuliani have voluntarily agreed to forgo their salaries or consultant fees, an indication that Giuliani's strategy of sitting out the early primaries is causing fundraising problems for the campaign.

[...]

And finishing fourth, as he did in New Hampshire, and sixth, as he did in Iowa, makes them even more nervous about pouring good money after bad.

Senior aides to Giuliani have said for weeks that they are comfortable with their strategy, which hinges on winning Florida and using the momentum from that victory to help win most of the 22 states which will vote a week later on Feb. 5.

Yesterday, the campaign unveiled two ads in Florida and announced a bus tour of the state that will begin on Sunday and take the former mayor to as many as five cities in the Sunshine State each day.

I don't think that Giuliani is being very smart in his strategy. Yea, he has high hopes to come ahead at the end but without giving it a full effort from the beginning
he may only be sabotaging himself in this close race we have to the Presidential election.

Kin blame Huckabee in killings

Kin blame Huckabee in killings

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Presidential candidate Mike Huckabee says he is "heartbroken" over the pain suffered by the families of two women slain in Kansas City more than six years ago.

Authorities say Carol Shields and Sara Andrasek were killed by the same man -- Wayne DuMond, who was released from an Arkansas prison in 1999.

Their mothers say Huckabee, the Republican former governor of Arkansas, is responsible, at least in part, for DuMond's release.

[...]

He acknowledged that he considered commuting DuMond's sentence to time served and that he doubted DuMond's guilt in the 1990s. Now, he says, "given what's happened," he believes DuMond was guilty of rape and regrets DuMond's release.

Despite the parole decision in 1997, DuMond's actual release was delayed for more than two years because of an unusual condition -- DuMond would have to move to another state.

After his release in 1999, DuMond lived briefly in Arkansas before moving to Smithville, Mo., just a few weeks before Carol Shields was murdered.

I think that this story may in fact have a very large role in the decision making when it comes down to this candidate. Unfortunately politics is all about what you have done or have been accused of in the past and most people will look at this as a very negative point.

Edwards sees opportunity in Clinton-Obama spat

Edwards sees opportunity in Clinton-Obama spat

DES MOINES, Iowa (CNN) -- With Sens. Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama increasingly sniping at each other, Democratic presidential hopeful John Edwards sees an opening in Iowa.
Edwards, Clinton and Obama are in a statistical dead heat in the Hawkeye state, according to the latest polls, and, with a little less than one month left until the Iowa caucuses on January 3, Clinton and Obama are trading almost-daily attacks on each others character and judgment.

[...]

A poor showing in Iowa could be just as devastating. This summer Edwards was the front-runner in Iowa according to polls, and he has a pre-existing campaign structure from his 2004 bid.

While Edwards strategists argue others have been here just as much and have every bit as much at stake, the bottom line is that Edwards does don't want to be seen after the vote as the candidate who should have won.

This article shows a very strategic way of going about getting the votes in Iowa. I think its very smart on Edwards part to keep himself positive and kind of in the background. If Hillary and Obama get people so fed up with them, Edwards could very well be the next in line for their votes.

Romney's goal to calm fears in speech on his Mormon faith

Romney's goal to calm fears in speech on his Mormon faith

Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney must reassure voters during a speech scheduled Thursday that his beliefs as a Mormon fit neatly with the nation's fundamental values and its demands for the chief executive in the White House.

[...]

Romney is an "optimistic presidential candidate" and "Mormonism is an optimistic religion - it believes in unlimited human progress and the potential of human beings to become divine," Schmalz said. "If Romney can use those broad themes without linking them to Mormonism, he becomes a candidate who believes in possibilities for everyone."

My views on this article are a little wavered. Personally I think that a candidate's religion should not be a factor in choosing them for a place in office. However, at the same time I can understand why some people would be upset or worried about the possibility of bringing someone from the Mormon faith into the White House. Regardless of how this speech turns out, there will be some very unhappy people.

Mass. Considers Outlawing Spanking

Mass. Considers Outlawing Spanking

A bill that would prohibit parents from spanking their children is being criticized as unnecessary and unenforceable by many Massachusetts lawmakers.

The measure - being heard Wednesday by a legislative committee - defines corporal punishment as "the willful infliction of physical pain or injurious or humiliating treatment." State legislator Jay Kaufman said he submitted the bill at the request of nurse Kathleen Wolf.

[...]

"The state has always had rights in this area" such as "child safety seats in cars," said Whitehurst. "We're not saying parents can't make choices. We're just saying let's move toward nonviolent methods."

The legislature has ended formal sessions for 2007, so the earliest the bill could be debated would be next year.

I found this article really intriguing because of the huge controversy going on with parents abusing their children. Spanking has been used as a form of punishment and a method of discipline and now there are possibilities of banning it because of some parents who go way too far and actually abuse their children.