Asked if he is prepared to take on Barack Obama today, John McCain didn’t pause. “Oh I’m ready,” he told reporters at a press conference in South Carolina. “I’m ready to take to the American people the challenges of the issues we face. Whether it be raising your taxes as Senator Obama wants to do. Something like capital gains where 100 million Americans have an investment or have the government make the decisions on health care or the family or certainly issues such as national security.” McCain continued his assault on Obama’s foreign policy vision in his second media availabilty in less than four hours. “Senator Obama continues to say he would sit down and negotiate with the president of Iran who yesterday called the state of Israel a stinking corpse,” McCain said. “That’s a dramatic difference between my view of the relations with a state sponsor of terror that is exporting lethal explosive devices into Iraq killing Americans and I would not give them the respect or the ability to enhance their prestige by sitting down and talking to the head of the state sponsor of terrorism who repeats his country’s dedication to the extinction of the state of Israel.” The Arizona Senator also commented on the escalating violence in Lebanon, condemning what he feels is Syrian interference in Lebanese affairs. “The Syrians are obviously playing a role and would like to a reassert or increase their influence in Lebanon and its affairs,” McCain said. “I think that obviously pressure (has) to be brought to bear on Syria, who is the major motivator I think of a lot of their continued effort to gain control of Lebanon and continue the influence they have had for a long period of time. And I would recommend that we of course convene other and work with other nations who have an interest in Lebanon and peace in the region.” McCain to Obama: Bring it on

Sen. John McCain struck back at his likely Democratic rival Friday, arguing that a senior Hamas adviser’s endorsement of Sen. Barack Obama is a “legitimate point of discussion,” after Obama called the issue a “smear.” “It’s very obvious to everyone that Senator Obama shares nothing of the values or the goals of Hamas, which is a terrorist organization, I think that that’s obvious and I’ve certainly never implied anything else,” McCain told reporters a press conference in the Garden State Friday. “But it’s also a fact that a spokesperson from Hamas said that he approves of Senator Obama’s candidacy. I think that’s of interest to the American people and that is something that needs to be discussed–why his policies should meet the approval of a spokesperson for Hamas. I believe that’s a legitimate point of discussion.” McCain calls Hamas endorsement “legitimate point of discussion”

The man picked by the John McCain campaign to run the 2008 Republican National Convention resigned Saturday after a report that his lobbying firm used to represent the military regime in Myanmar. Doug Goodyear resigned as convention coordinator and issued a two sentence statement: “Today I offered the convention my resignation so as not to become a distraction in this campaign. I continue to strongly support John McCain for president, and wish him the best of luck in this campaign.” Goodyear, chief executive of lobbying firm DCI Group, resigned a few hours after Newsweek posted a story posted online that the company was paid $348,000 in 2002 and 2003 to represent Myanmar’s junta. “We respect Mr. Goodyear’s decision, and look forward to the convention in September,” said Brian Rogers, a spokesman for the McCain campaign. GOP Convention Leader Resigns After Myanmar Lobbying Ties Reported

Sen. McCain is set to appear on Saturday Night Live next weekend, giving us a good excuse to take a glimpse back at his October 2002 SNL appearance. In the skit above, he (painfully tries to) sing Barbra Streisand’s greatest hits like “Memories” and “People,” before going back to his straight talk: “Do I know how to sing? About as well as she knows how to govern America!” McCain sings Streisand

During his press conference in Jersey City today, Sen. McCain indicated that he is on the verge of getting behind the Lieberman-Warner climate change legislation: “I’m pleased in negotiations and discussion with Senator Lieberman that there will be a far more important nuclear component of this legislation that’s going to be coming to the floor. I hope that it will be passed and I hope that the entire Congress will join in supporting it and the President of the United States would sign it,” McCain said, also taking a shot at his Democratic opponents as he added that, “Senator Lieberman and I brought the issue to the floor of the Senate long before Senator Obama or Senator Clinton had any involvement with it whatsoever.” The presumptive GOP nominee may risk some heat from business groups like the US Chamber of Commerce, which currently opposes the legislation. McCain, who will be rolling out his energy and environment policy next week during events in Oregon and Washington state, also said Friday that he will make comprehensive global climate change pact a priority. “As president, I will dedicate myself to addressing the issue of climate change globally. I will work as my highest priority to have a global agreement that includes India and China,” he added.

Sen. McCain and his mother co-star in a Mother’s Day ad set to air on on ABC Family, A&E, Hallmark Channel, Lifetime, Oxygen and TLC. The TV spot comes out just as the GOPer is battling the age issue. McCain response on age: His 96 year old mom

First daughter Jenna Bush and Henry Hager, the son of a well-connected Virginia Republican, said “I do” Saturday on President Bush’s 1,600-acre ranch near Crawford, Texas. The president and the bride picked “You Are So Beautiful” for their father-daughter dance, band leader Tyrone Smith of Nashville, Tenn. told The Associated Press. Smith and his 10-piece party band, The Tyrone Smith Revue, was asked to do “Lovin’ in My Baby’s Eyes” by Taj Mahal for the newlyweds’ first dance. Smith, who witnessed the wedding ceremony, told AP afterward the groom was dressed in a dark blue suit with powder-blue tie and the bride wore a “very simple and elegant” white dress, but did not wear a veil. Smith said Jenna Bush’s paternal grandparents, President George H.W. Bush and Barbara Bush, spoke during the wedding, though he could not hear their comments. The AP reported the festivities began Friday with a bridal lunch, rehearsal dinner and post-rehearsal dinner celebration in Salado, a tiny tourist village, which used to be a stagecoach stop. Jenna, her sister and the first lady were in Salado, more than an hour’s drive south of Crawford, all day Friday and the president arrived in the evening by motorcade. “I had to face some very difficult spending decisions, and I’ve had to conduct sensitive diplomacy. That’s called planning for a wedding,” Bush told the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce on March 12. The plans had been largely under wraps, but they called for gathering by a lake in front of an altar and 4-foot-high cross made from Texas limestone. “This is the time when the wildflowers are all blooming. And I think it will be a very, very lovely wedding, and it will be very like Jenna and Henry,” first lady Laura Bush recently said. Jenna Bush told CNN’s Larry King on April 24 that the wedding would include “all relatives, our families, really, kind of big. So it’s half-family and then half very close friends.” Not all of her friends were expected to be on hand though. “The only information that I’ve received is that there are a number of Jenna’s close friends who are not being invited to this wedding because, according to them, she would be afraid of their behavior,” Doug Wead said. Wead is a former aide to President George H.W. Bush and author of “All the Presidents’ Children.” He says that unlike the pageantry of White House weddings past, such as Tricia Nixon’s in 1971, the Texas ceremony would take place away from the media spotlight. “The Bushes are very private. It’s a time of war; it’s at a time of economic struggle. … And this president has high negatives right now. … It’s much more of a low-key event,” Wead said. Wead said another consideration for the wedding’s location is “they know that they don’t own the White House, that they can’t go back. “It will belong to Barack Obama or Hillary Clinton or John McCain. … But [Jenna and Henry] will always have Crawford. They won’t even maybe have Kennebunkport; that hasn’t been decided yet. … But Crawford, Jenna and Henry can walk through the moonlight and hold hands and say, ‘This is where we were married,’ and it will always be theirs,” Wead added. The first lady’s office kept a tight lid on specifics. But the bride did reveal dress details to Vogue magazine, describing her gown as an Oscar de la Renta creation made of organza with embroidery and beading. “I’m very, very excited. It’s a very interesting passage of life when you get to that time in your life when your child, first child is getting married — and we’re getting, for us, our first son,” Laura Bush said May 5. And already, the first lady is joking about names for possible grandchildren down the road. “George or Georgia … Georgina. Georgette,” she said. As for the event itself, the ceremony took place in the evening hours in order to spare guests from the searing Texas heat. Wedding bells toll for first daughter

Today is my daughter Jenna’s wedding day. This is a joyous occasion for our family, as we celebrate the happy life ahead of her and her husband Henry. It’s also a special time for Laura, who this Mother’s Day weekend will watch a young woman we raised together walk down the aisle. Mother’s Day is a special time for mothers all across America. On this holiday, we pause to celebrate the love and compassion of the women who have raised us, and to thank them for the many years of patience and selflessness. Throughout our lives, mothers are there with an encouraging word, a sympathetic ear, and a tender heart. They set our direction in life, and from time to time they have been known to correct our course. Like many of you, my life has been blessed by a mother who is a source of unconditional love. Those of us who have been so fortunate are forever in debt to these caring women. So on this holiday weekend, we celebrate all those mothers who help make our country a better place. On this Mother’s Day weekend, we think of the mothers who are celebrating this holiday for the very first time. Few blessings can compare to starting a new family. And few bonds are stronger than those between a mother and her newborn baby. This is also a special time for new adoptive mothers, who have welcomed their children into their homes with open arms and an open heart. We wish all these new parents many happy Mother’s Days to come. On this Mother’s Day weekend, we think of the many mothers who raised the brave men and women serving our country in uniform. And to those mothers, I offer the thanks of a grateful Nation. Your sons and daughters are defending our freedom with dignity and honor. And America appreciates the sacrifices that your families make in the name of duty. On this Mother’s Day weekend, we remember the mothers grieving a son or daughter lost in the service to their country, as well as the children who have lost a mother in uniform. We share their pride in these wonderful Americans who have given everything to protect our people from harm. Nothing we say can ever make up for their loss. But on this special day, we hold them in our hearts and we lift them in our prayers. I wish every mother listening this morning a blessed Mother’s Day, including my own. And I have a message for every son and daughter listening this morning: Remember to tell mom the first thing tomorrow how much you love her. President Bush’s Radio Address

“Canweask.com” Per the RNC, the point is to encourage “voters to ask Barack Obama questions about the important issues facing America.”

Naturally, they have some ideas as to the sort of questions that should be asked.

The WSJ sums up his prep for the general.

Reid Wilson quantifies the GOP panic when it comes to the House.

The Bush administration’s FEC nomination move is seen as a favor to McCain.

The White House won’t say why they made the move.

A Michigan columnist wonders why McCain held a non-economy event in the hard-hit Wolverine State

The Washington Post digs into another McCain-rancher relationship.

Ron Paul delegates at the convention!

Teddy Davis has a story we haven’t heard the last of: McCain faces enormous pressure from social conservatives to back away from his commitment to include safety exceptions to an abortion ban in the party platform.

Ron Paul, bestselling author.

McCain says age is a legitimate issue.

Even as the Democratic primary seems to be coming to a close, the delegate situation in Michigan and Florida remains unresolved. Today, both reporters and voters asked Senator Barack Obama about the on-going battle. At a town hall in Bend, OR, a woman asked the Democratic frontrunner given the outcome of the race if he has “considered giving her Florida?” referring to Senator Hillary Clinton. Obama chuckled at first, but then said the delegates will be seated, “Let me say this. I love Florida, I love Michigan. The people of Michigan and Florida they will be represented at the convention–their delegates will be seated and we will figure out a way where they are fully participating in the process.” He defended his opposition to a re-vote explaining to the crowd that he stuck by the rules not to campaign in Florida and Michigan because both states broke DNC regulations and moved their primaries up,  Obama: Michigan and Florida Will Be Seated

After a day of attacking Barack Obama for failing to agree to a Democratic debate, for failing to agree with her plan for a federal gas tax holiday, and for failing to side with the forces of good on the 2005 “Dick Cheney Energy Bill,” Hillary Clinton went back to attacking him on what she’s called the driving force behind her campaign — for failing to provide universal health care. Speaking to reporters and patients bundled against the cold in a chilly courtyard here at a local children’s hospital, Clinton zeroed in on what she called the “artificial distinction” between children and adults in Obama’s health care plan. Obama would mandate coverage for kids, but not for adults — a proposal Clinton called “unworkable.” “You have to have a seamless health care system which covers every single person. My plan does, my opponent’s doesn’t,” she said. “There are 600,000 uninsured Oregonians. Under my plan, everyone would be covered. Under his plan at least 220,000 would still be left uninsured.” “This is a big difference in this campaign. And really, it’s not a difference of politics as much as commitment.” Hillary’s Greatest Hits: Back to Bashing Barack on Health Care

Two Republican lawyers say House Speaker Nancy Pelosi may have violated federal election law by appearing in an ad concerning climate change. “It’s prohibited,” GOP campaign finance lawyer Jan Baran told the New York Sun. The ad features Pelosi and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich sitting in front of the U.S. Capitol and warns of the dangers of climate change. It has run about 300 times on cable and network TV since its April debut. Baran says the ad is illegal because Pelosi has a primary election on June 3 in California, and such ads cannot be aired with 90 days of an election if they are “coordinated” by an outside group — in this case, the Alliance for Climate Protection. A coordinated ad is considered a campaign donation. “She’s in the ad. That means it’s coordinated,” another GOP campaign finance attorney, James Bopp Jr., told the Sun. “I’m a guy that specializes in loopholes. I don’t know of any loopholes.” The Alliance for Climate Protection was founded by Al Gore. Most corporations are barred from making donations to federal campaigns, and Bopp says even an unincorporated group would be limited to a single $2,300 gift for the primary. “This is no doubt way over $2,300,” he said.  Drew Hammill, a spokesman for Pelosi, said: “We were pleased to participate in the Alliance’s nonpartisan effort on climate protection. We didn’t coordinate with the Alliance and trusted they would run the ad only where it was proper and legal.” A spokesman for the Alliance told the Sun: “We are confident that this ad is in compliance with all rules.” Gore’s Pelosi Ad May Violate Election Law

Tax Troubles: Report: Al Sharpton and his business entities owe nearly $1.5 million in overdue taxes and associated penalties

Obama Says He Will Wrap Up Primary with an Oregon Win

Clinton Name to Be Tested, as Primary Race Nears Its End

Report: Another Clinton Donor Under Investigation

Appalachian Primaries Give Clinton a Buffer, as Obama Predicts Oregon Knockout

ABC News’ Bret Hovell reports: Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., raised $7 million for his campaign and the Republican National Committee Wednesday night at a fundraiser in New York City. The event was hosted by the owner of the New York Jets, Woody Johnson, who announced the total. It was the largest single fundraising haul for the McCain campaign. Under a new fundraising structure created by the campaign and the RNC, donors can give to an organization called “McCain Victory 2008″ up to nearly $70,000. The first $2,300 of that money goes to the McCain campaign, the largest amount that can be given to a candidate under federal regulations. The next $28,000 or so goes to the RNC, and any further money is divided up evenly by four swing states the campaign plans to target in the general election. Democrats this cycle have far outraised McCain, the presumptive Republican nominee, but McCain’s fundraising has improved in recent weeks. Tuesday night at a fundraising event in Michigan, the campaign netted $2 million. McCain Raises $7m in NYC

Just what did Barack Obama mean when he said John McCain was “losing his bearings?” The two campaigns got in a strange tussle Thursday night over those words, with the McCain camp accusing Obama of taking a cheap shot at the Arizona senator’s age. Obama used that phrase during an interview with CNN, when he accused McCain of trying to smear him by suggesting that Hamas preferred Obama for president. McCain adviser Mark Salter swiftly sent out a lengthy memo claiming Obama was trying to divert attention from real issues by resorting to ageism. “He used the words ‘losing his bearings’ intentionally, a not-particularly-clever way of raising John McCain’s age as an issue,” Salter said. “This is typical of the Obama style of campaigning.” The expected Republican presidential nominee turns 72 in August, and would be the oldest person sworn in as president if elected. McCain Camp Accuses Obama of Taking Cheap Shot at Senator’s Age

John McCain, appearing to accept Barack Obama as his likely opponent in November, told FOX News’ Bill O’Reilly on Thursday that he will run his general election campaign by exploiting what he sees as the Illinois senator’s “inexperience and lack of judgment.” The Arizona senator suggested Obama’s willingness to hold talks with nations like Iran and his light record on national security, along with his tax-raising proposals, will lead to his electoral undoing in the fall. “So I think it’s inexperience and judgment and vision … for the future of this country. And I think that’s what this campaign is gonna be all about,” McCain said when asked what he sees as Obama’s biggest weakness. “If you are gonna sit down with someone like (Mahmoud) Ahmadinejad, who … says they are gonna quote ‘wipe Israel off the map,’ then you enhance their prestige,” he said. “The same thing if you want to talk to Mr. (Hugo) Chavez. The same thing if you want to talk to Raul Castro, who was the henchman in Cuba and still is for many, many years.” McCain Targets Obama’s ‘Inexperience, Lack of Judgment’

John McCain offered to hand out a few New York slices as he visited a fire station on a light day of campaigning Thursday. “Can I distribute?” the expected Republican presidential nominee asked the firefighter holding a stack of pizza boxes at the midtown Manhattan station. McCain also paused in front of a memorial to firefighters who died in the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. He sat down for a brief chat in the station’s break room, asking a rapid-fire succession of questions: “What do you need, some equipment? What have you got? So what else do you need? Newer equipment? How’s recruitment going? You got enough people? How’s retention?” Before leaving, McCain posed in front of two fire trucks with several firefighters holding a T-shirt from the station. McCain was on a fundraising swing and media blitz in New York. The Arizona senator netted $7 million at an event Wednesday night and had another fundraiser scheduled Thursday afternoon in New Jersey. McCain also taped interviews on Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart,” Fox News’”The O’Reilly Factor” and “Live with Regis and Kelly.” His wife, Cindy, was interviewed by NBC’s “Today” show. McCain visits NYC fire station

McCain Sets Stage for Fall Run: Sen. McCain received the gift of time to lay the groundwork for his fall campaign, as Sens. Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton fought each other for the Democratic nomination. Now that the Democratic fight appears to be nearing an end, the Arizona senator will soon find out how effectively he used the time.

John McCain holds a press conference in Columbia, South Carolina. ON THE TRAIL: Friday, May 9, 2008

John McCain will give a major speech Monday in Portland laying out his views on the environment and offering a contrast to President Bush on green issues. Speaking at Vestas Energy, the top maker of wind energy turbines, McCain will discuss climate change, the need to reduce dependency on carbon-based fuels and make plain that he wants to restore America as an environmental leader in the world, an aide said. The speech is to lay the groundwork for an even more significant address in early June where McCain will detail his energy proposals. Most of McCain’s policy speeches since winning the nomination have been in line with standard Republican dogma: cutting taxes and spending, a market-based approach to healthcare and a pledge to appoint constructionist judges. Without mentioning Bush’s name, he did break with the administration on some matters (Guantanamo, torture, global warming) in a March foreign policy address but he’s also been a vocal proponent of the current Iraq policy. Yet McCain aides see the environment as a key area where they can reassert their maverick bona fides and reach out to some Republicans and independents disaffected from the party and the president. On Tuesday, McCain will continue with the environmental theme up the coast in Washington. He’ll do a roundtable with local leaders in Seattle and then take along the press corps along on a hike of Rattlesnake Mountain. McCain will become the latest presidential candidate to appear Live From New York a week from tomorrow. Rudy, Huck, Obama and Hillary have all made cameos this cycle. Jonathan Martin’s Blog: Political News about Republicans and the 2008 Election - Politico.com

McCain will become the latest presidential candidate to appear Live From New York a week from tomorrow. Rudy, Huck, Obama and Hillary have all made cameos this cycle. Jonathan Martin’s Blog: Political News about Republicans and the 2008 Election - Politico.com

Economists Back McCain

McCain jokes about his temper.

Click here to watch Day’s interview with FOX News.

John McCain rarely speaks about his experiences as a POW in Vietnam, but one of his cell mates at the Hanoi Hilton on Thursday described some of the conditions and character traits that earned McCain the commendations he received for his war service. Col. George “Bud” Day, 83, is the most decorated service man since Gen. Douglas MacArthur, with more than 70 medals. A living legend, Day was blown out of the sky two months to the day before the North Vietnamese shot down a propaganda prize, whose father and grandfather were renowned American admirals. “They told me we were gonna get a roommate and it was gonna be the prince. The Vietnamese called him the prince so I asked my nurse what was his name? They said John McCain,” Day told FOX News. Both he and McCain were taken captive in 1967, and held until their release in 1973. Day said the first time he saw McCain, he believed the future senator was close to death and that the only reason for the chance encounter was part of a Vietnamese ploy to break the morale of U.S. servicemen already in captivity. “I took one look at him, and my brain instantly said, ‘They dropped this guy off on me to claim that we let him die,’” Day said. “He was just emaciated. Very, very skinny, in this full body cast. Just filthy.” The U.S. soldiers were held sometimes five to a cell, barely big enough for two. “He had this gimpy knee where he’d busted his knee, this arm had been fractured in a couple places, he’d been bayoneted in the leg, this arm was out at the shoulder and, in fact, during that time it was out at the shoulder so long it wore a hole in this bone,” Day said. During captivity, they were tortured mercilessly, Day said, describing one tactic that McCain has also recalled. “They roped me under the arms, tied my hands behind my back, ran another rope to that, got me up on a chair, threw that rope up over a rafter and jerked the chair out from under me and your own weight just tears your body apart,” he said. Day’s broken arm was re-broken during torture so he would never fly again. McCain played physical therapist. “John said, ‘Well we’ll gather up some bamboo, and he was in a bandage on his leg at that time. So I got some strips of bamboo, smuggled them into the room, John put his foot in my arm pit and pulled on my wrist ’till we could get the bone forced back down … it wasn’t exactly perfect but it worked out he got it back to where it was functional,” Day said. But nerve damage was extensive — his crushed hands were useless. Meanwhile, McCain was treated no better than the trash they were fed in the form of a soup. “I mean you could smell him for 25 feet. Bunch of food and nasty stuff in his hair, and down his neck and inside his cast. The cast was not lined so every time he would move inside this cast, it was just eating a hole in his arm or his elbow or someplace, and he was just in — he was in pain,” Day recalled. Yet McCain, now 71, made efforts to help Day recover from his own injuries, Day said. Day said he had limited use of his arms, which was a result of a combination of torture and the initial plane crash that put him in the hands of his captors — an ordeal that earned Day the Congressional Medal of Honor. “And when I finally did regain use of that, it was after months and months of dragging this hand and finger on the wall of the prison cell,” Day said, walking his fingers up the air like he did many years ago. “John would help me. … John would pull my fingers out straight. They would just instantly recurl. And finally, one morning, I had just the slightest bit of movement in this hand — finger — and we both cried,” Day said. McCain, whose military record was released to the Associated Press on Wednesday, received 17 commendations over his career from 1951-81. They included the Silver Star for his conduct in captivity. He also received the Legion of Merit, the Distinguished Flying Cross and a Bronze Star. Day said by any humane standard, McCain would have been a good candidate for early release from the camp, but that wasn’t in his playbook. “It also wasn’t in his playbook to die. In fact he quickly became a leader.” Day said he asked McCain if he would be one of his preachers. “He said sure. He had a great handle on the Episcopalian liturgy, he could just repeat it verbatim,” he said. But repeating what he went through during his incarceration is something McCain almost never does as a presidential candidate. Day said he thinks he should. “I’ve never seen any shortcomings or any shortfall out of him talking about that, but he just doesn’t trade on that. I think he feels that it’s wrong to trade on being a hero, but he is,” Day said. McCain’s Former Hanoi Cell Mate Describes Character in Deplorable Conditions

It’s hard not to notice: In each of the past three Republican primaries, roughly a quarter of the vote went to someone other than John McCain. Ron Paul and Mike Huckabee got a combined 27 percent of the vote in Pennsylvania last month, long after the GOP nomination had been settled in McCain’s favor. On Tuesday, Paul, Huckabee and Mitt Romney received a combined 23 percent in Indiana. Alan Keyes, Huckabee, Paul and “no preference” took 26 percent in North Carolina. On the surface, it would seem that McCain, the party’s presumptive nominee, still has some distance to go in winning over his party. But aides to McCain and other observers say the results are less than meets the eye. They argue that the lingering votes for Paul and Huckabee — who together won about one-fifth of the vote in Indiana and North Carolina — represent vestigial passion for two candidates who developed a fervent, if narrow, grass-roots following. Still, for a candidate viewed with suspicion by some in his party’s base, the dissenting votes are a nuisance he could do without. One McCain strategist suggested it was part of a long-term effort to influence the direction of the party. “Ron Paul is doing now exactly what Pat Robertson did in his heyday,” said this adviser. “This is a systematic effort to have a major role in the party. By showing up and voting for their candidate even after he’s conceded he can’t win the nomination, the argument goes, supporters are doing the same thing as their fellow believers in other states who are packing party conventions in an effort to elect Paul delegates to the national convention in St. Paul and onto county and state committees. Similarly, if more subtly, Huckabee backers are seeking to register their support for a candidate who carried the Christian conservative and anti-abortion banner. “These are Christians and libertarians who are staking out their turf for two years and four years from now,” said the McCain strategist of the never-say-die Paul and Huckabee backers. Huckabee campaign manager Chip Saltsman said they hadn’t done a thing in any of the three states and downplayed the results. “There’s a lot of affection and lot of people out there still love Mike Huckabee,” said Saltsman. “They know John McCain is the nominee and, like Mike Huckabee, they’re going to work for him.” David Beasley, a former South Carolina governor who was one of Huckabee’s most ardent backers in the primary, conceded that some of it may be related to conservative unease about McCain. While noting that such voters first “love Huckabee,” Beasley said “they dislike McCain, so there is a little protest factor.” “In November, though, they will vote for McCain because of their utter disgust for Hillary and/or Obama,” Beasley added. “Unless McCain does something new that really upsets the right, I believe they will be energized voters against the Democrat nominee.” G. Terry Madonna, a political scientist at Pennsylvania’s Franklin & Marshall College, agreed. “These primaries are about letting voters vote their hearts,” Madonna said. “It’s a little protest. But before it’s over, the contrast between Obama and McCain will be sufficiently drawn and the relevance of the election will be sufficiently understood that the protests will be gone.” Indeed, a search of past presidential primaries reveals that other eventual nominees saw one-time rivals who had galvanized discrete constituencies take a share of the vote even after they had ceased to be active candidates. McCain himself should know — he was once the recipient of such sympathy votes. Nearly a month after withdrawing from the race in 2000, McCain took 22 percent of the vote against then-Texas Gov. George W. Bush in the April 4 Pennsylvania primary. A month later, still on the ballot, McCain received 19 percent against Bush in Indiana and 11 percent on the same day in North Carolina. Even as late as June, McCain got 10 percent in New Mexico and 14 percent in South Dakota. And he wasn’t alone. Even Keyes, a perennial candidate, cracked double-digits in three June primaries. Four years earlier, a similar scenario took place. That time, it was the pugnacious Pat Buchanan who was still drawing votes well into the political after-life. Even after effectively withdrawing from the race on April 17, the pitchfork populist won 19 percent in Indiana and 13 percent in North Carolina on May 7. A week later, he got 16 percent in West Virginia. All this came long after Bob Dole had picked up the necessary delegates to seize the nomination on March 26. Buchanan and Paul were similar in that each withdrew from the race without completely withdrawing. Neither formally quit but rather couched their decision in more vague terms about not actively seeking the nomination. The common thread among all these pro forma contests was that dismal turnout exaggerated the share of symbolic votes captured by the has-beens beyond what it might have been otherwise. As for this year, McCain’s campaign dismissed the results with another line of argument: They weren’t doing anything to drive supporters to the polls. “The day we got 1,191 [delegates] was the day I stopped thinking about Mike Huckabee and started thinking about kicking Barack Obama’s ass,” said a McCain aide, discussing the matter only on background. The campaign said it spent no money and no man hours on turnout for the moot contests. “We’re saving our resources for the fight ahead of us,” said the aide. McCain’s camp argues that polling data is the better indicator of how the candidate is faring in consolidating party support. In a memo sent out Wednesday, campaign manager Rick Davis pointed to a recent Wall Street Journal and NBC survey that showed McCain was taking over 80 percent of the vote among Republicans against either Hillary Rodham Clinton or Barack Obama. “This is before we have even begun the general election cycle,” Davis wrote. Some still dissing McCain at polls

House Votes to Prop Up $300 Billion in Home Loans

Hoekstra Removes Earmarks From Intelligence Bill

McCain to air unique Mother’s Day ad

Ose lends himself another $200K for June 3 primary

Boehner advises Fossella to make a decision over the weekend

Boehner launches new group to steer NRCC

Cheney stumps for GOP candidate in Mississippi

GCM Forum

With the nation’s economic anxieties growing in direct proportion to oil prices, let’s not forget this fact: that the Left’s decades-long refusal to address domestic energy supply will cost Americans more than the soaring gas prices they are already paying. Who is to blame for increasing gas prices? Listening to the rhetoric on the Left, it’s the fault of George Bush, or, better yet, Dick Cheney, who must be making some money on the side. (Is it part of a Halliburton plot?) Moving rightward, a surprising number of conservatives seem to be buying into the notion that soaring oil prices are a conspiracy hatched in the boardrooms of corporate America. Unfortunately for the conspiracy theorists, the exotic theories do not hold up. Instead, rising prices are the result of that most fundamental of economic principles: supply and demand. Demand for oil is booming around the world as developing nations grow economically and develop their own middle-classes. Consider the world’s two most populous nations, China and India, which together contain over one third of the world’s population and seven times that of the world’s third largest country, the United States. Both China and India are experiencing annual economic growth rates approaching 10 percent. As these folks earn more, they want what we want – cars, air conditioning, TVs, better food, etc. We cannot freeze economic conditions around the world. As demand for oil increases, supplies get tighter and costs go up. That’s Economics 101. A recent Canadian study predicted that oil prices could double by 2012 due to the growing supply and demand imbalance. The report also states, “An expected drop in demand in the United States due to higher prices and a weak economy will be more than offset by demand growth in developing nations.” Then there’s the supply side of the equation. This week’s spike in prices had little to do with any of the popular explanations. Recently, Islamic radicals in Nigeria attacked and blew-up multiple oil pipelines run by Shell Oil. At the same time, employees of Exxon in Nigeria were striking for more pay. Nigeria is Africa’s most prolific oil producer and an important source of world oil supplies. But that isn’t all. Rumors were rampant last weekend that the Defense Department is drawing up plans to hit terrorist camps in Iran, where radicals are being trained and sent to Iraq to kill American soldiers. We have tolerated this for months, and patience is wearing thin. Any hostilities in Iran raise the possibility of an interruption in oil supplies from that country. A Strike on Iran could cause that nation’s unstable leader to blockade the Strait of Hormuz, through which 30 percent of the world’s oil passes. So, if you’re a foreign government that needs oil for your military, or an airline company or anyone else who relies on oil, this week brought anxiety about whether your supply will be disrupted. To “hedge,” you go into the market place and buy contracts guaranteeing you delivery of oil at a future date. But because many people had the same need this week, prices were driven up (supply and demand). Supply-side action can be taken. President Bush remarked in a speech this week that, “Members of Congress have been vocal about foreign governments increasing their oil production; yet Congress has been just as vocal in opposition to efforts to expand our production here at home.” Bush went on to explain:

“They repeatedly blocked environmentally safe exploration in ANWR. The Department of Energy estimates that ANWR could allow America to produce about a million additional barrels of oil every day, which translates to about 27 millions of gallons of gasoline and diesel every day. That would be about a 20-percent increase of oil — crude oil production over U.S. levels, and it would likely mean lower gas prices. And yet such efforts to explore in ANWR have been consistently blocked.”

As the president also noted, it’s been more than 30 years since America built its last new oil refinery during which time Congress has repeatedly blocked efforts to expand capacity and build more refineries. But liberal politicians believe the solution lies in punishing the producers of the very products we need most. Barack Obama has suggested imposing a “windfall profits” tax on the oil companies. We tried high taxes and price controls back in the 1970s, and that scheme led to decreased domestic oil production and increased oil imports from OPEC nations, shortages and long lines at the pumps. What’s the real solution? Recently, U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon responded to the global food crisis by warning that the world “must urgently increase food production to ease skyrocketing prices…” That solution would be more aptly applied to our growing energy challenges. We must increase production of oil and natural gas in order to meet the increasing demand worldwide In order to do that, Senate conservatives have introduced a common-sense, free market-oriented plan – the American Energy Production Act of 2008. The bill would allow for more domestic oil and natural gas exploration, more use of coal and liquefied coal and it would tap into America’s vast oil shale fields. The result of such a plan, if enacted, would be more oil and natural gas on the market, easing supply constraints and lowering prices. It would also create tens of thousands of new jobs in America and go a long way toward reducing our dependence on energy from unstable and hostile foreign regimes, many of which are actively seeking our destruction. The plan makes sense, which is probably why congressional liberals have already come out against it. Oil Economics 101

Cindy McCain says she will never make her tax returns public even if her husband wins the White House and she becomes the first lady. “You know, my husband and I have been married 28 years and we have filed separate tax returns for 28 years. This is a privacy issue. My husband is the candidate,” Cindy McCain, wife of Republican presidential nominee-in-waiting John McCain, said in an interview aired on NBC’s “Today” on Thursday. Asked if she would release her tax returns if she was first lady, Cindy McCain said: “No.” The Arizona senator released his tax return last month, reporting he had a total income of $405,409 in 2007 and paid $84,460 in federal income taxes. He files his return separately from his wife, an heiress to a Phoenix-based beer distributing company whose fortune is in the $100 million range. Sen. McCain is routinely is ranked among the richest lawmakers in Congress, but he and his wife have kept their finances separate throughout their marriage. A prenuptial agreement left much of the family’s assets in Cindy McCain’s name. Cindy McCain says she’ll never release her tax returns 

Mark Sanford might be considered a vice presidential prospect by some, but the South Carolina governor won’t be appearing with John McCain when the presumptive Republican nominee arrives in the Palmetto State on Friday. Sanford, a member of the Air Force Reserves, has reserve duty on Friday, a commitment that will keep him far away from McCain’s press conference in Columbia this afternoon. Joel Sawyer, a spokesman for the governor, said Sanford’s wife Jenny will attend the McCain press conference as well as a big-ticket fundraiser in Columbia later in the day. Despite the vice presidential speculation surrounding Sanford nationally, several McCain insiders in the state have privately downplayed the likelihood that he will tap Sanford, a staunch fiscal conservative, as a running mate. McCain was asked about his vice presidential search process at a campaign event in New Jersey on Friday morning. “There is a period where you just start looking at a large number of people,” McCain responded, “and we are still at that stage.” Sanford won’t appear with McCain

Infighting Rains On McCain’s Party: Senator John McCain is sailing toward his coronation as the Republican presidential nominee while the Democratic candidates battle fiercely. But Republicans also are engaged in some tough infighting that could disrupt the national convention and make it more difficult for him to unite the party in the fall.

Gary Bauer argues McCain’s age could be an advantage. (Churchill reference included.)

Larry Kudlow is worried about the Republican party.

Giuliani sort of agrees with Newt on the GOP

John Edwards still isn’t backing a candidate in this year’s Democratic primary race – but it looks like he might be ready to pick a winner. The former presidential candidate told interviewers on NBC and MSNBC that Barack Obama will probably top the Democratic ticket this fall. Hillary Clinton has said that she can still win the nomination – but “it’s very difficult to make the math work,” said Edwards. Which one of the remaining contenders is best-equipped to beat presumptive Republican nominee John McCain? Edwards tried to avoid picking between the two – then chose Obama, because he said the Illinois senator was the probable Democratic nominee. He added that he worried the continuing campaign could take a toll on the party’s presidential chances. “I think it’s fine for Hillary to keep making the case for her,” said the former North Carolina senator. “But when that shifts to everything that is wrong with him, then we’re doing damage instead of being helpful.” Edwards has been heavily wooed by both the Clinton and Obama campaigns since he ended his presidential run in January, but has not publicly endorsed either candidate. Edwards: Tough for Clinton to ‘make the math work’

Hillary Clinton’s campaign stepped up its efforts to convince uncommitted members of Congress to back her campaign Friday, releasing a memo signed by more than a dozen congressional Democrats that argues she is “the strongest candidate to have at the top of the ticket this fall” and sending a PowerPoint presentation to legislators detailing her ability to carry swing districts. The representatives – including Kendrick Meek of Michigan and Debbie Wasserman Schultz of Florida, two states at the center of the party’s heated delegate dispute – say the party will unite around Barack Obama if he becomes the nominee, but point to her wins in states like Ohio and Pennsylvania as evidence she can “connect with voters we must deliver in the fall, including blue collar Democrats who can sway this election as they have in the past…. “Hillary has won rural and suburban districts which we as Democrats must carry to maintain our edge in Congress.” And in a PowerPoint presentation e-mailed to every Democratic legislator on Capitol Hill, along with the rest of the party’s superdelegates, the Clinton campaign detailed instances that demonstrated how Clinton had beaten Obama in Republican-leaning congressional districts, and had consistently topped him among key voting blocs like seniors and Hispanics. “In 2006, the Democrats retook Congress by picking up 31 new seats. 20 of these freshmen Democrats are in Republican-leaning districts that voted for President Bush in 2004,” says the presentation. “These freshmen need a nominee who can compete in their tough districts.” Clinton camp presses electability

Kennedy: No veep slot for Clinton: It’s fun to think about, but there are so many obstacles, and Ted Kennedy isn’t buying.

Despite signs pointing to an Obama win, Clinton vows to keep fighting — are her backers willing to keep spending? Up-Hill Battles to Keep $$ Flowing

Clinton Urges Supporters to Ignore Calls to End Her Campaign

Could Hillary win big in W.Va. primary?

Bulletins at Obama’s Church Controversial

Will Obama Squander the Dems’ Lead?

Desperate Clinton is Danger to Dems

Ten ‘What Ifs’ About Clinton’s Campaign

A Farewell to Hillary

Obama’s Toughest Fight is Against McCain

Asked about his infamous temper today, John McCain delivered a rousing response, exclaiming that he is just as angry as the rest of America with the corruption and wasteful spending in Washington. “I will confess to you my friend that I get angry…I get angry when I see corruption to the point where we have former members of Congress residing in federal prison,” McCain said at a townhall meeting Wednesday, sounding at times like the Howard Beale character from the film “Network.” “And you know something? The American people are angry too and they’re not going to take it anymore. And that’s why they want change. And they’re mad and they’ve lost their temper. You know? These townhall meetings, ask them if they’re not mad! Ask ‘em. Ask ‘em the way their tax dollars and spending has gone completely out of control.” Though journalists frequently ask McCain about his temperament, the question rarely come sup at townhall meetings. The questioner, a self-described Republican man said McCain’s temper was a “concern” before going on to quote Sen. Thad Cochran’s statement that McCain is too “erratic” and “hotheaded” to be President. McCain initially joked with him, responding “how dare you ask that question? Take that microphone away from him,” drawing laughter from the crowd. McCain went on to add, “I get angry when I saw a guy named Abramoff that ripped off Native Americans for millions and millions and millions of dollars and people ended up, including him, in federal prison. I get angry when I see 233 million of your tax dollars going to…a bridge to an island with 50 people on it. And that’s your dollars.” McCain: “The American people are angry”

Hillary Clinton personally loaned her campaign a total of $6.425 million in the last month to keep her campaign afloat while being massively outspent by Barack Obama. Clinton gave herself $5 million on April 11th, nearly 2 weeks before her 9 point win in Pennsylvania. Though her campaign reported raising $10 million on the night of the Pennsylvania primary, Clinton also lent her campaign $1 million on May 1 and another $425,000 on May 5 — just a day before a big loss in North Carolina and close win in Indiana. Clinton also loaned herself $5 million when funds were low before Super Tuesday, crediting that donation with saving her floundering campaign and prompting a flood of new donations from supporters who hadn’t known she was in need of cash. Spokesman Mo Elleithee says the loan “demonstrates her commitment to the campaign, and makes sure we have the resources we need going forward to Puerto Rico.” Clinton Loaned Campaign $6.4 Million

Family Research Council President Tony Perkins, a leader of the social conservative community, is a fan of today’s remarks: From a release…. “Senator McCain’s speech will be well- received by millions of Americans alarmed by activist judges who undermine the rule of law by legislating from the bench. “We applaud Senator McCain for his support of federal judges who will apply the U.S. Constitution. He is correct in criticizing both federal judges who presume to ‘make law instead of apply it’ and the obstructionist Senate Democratic leaders who continue to deny hearings to well-qualified judicial nominees. “The Senate Democratic leadership views the judiciary as a tool to dictate social policy. If they can’t pass a hate-crimes law, they will support judges who will install one from the bench. If they can’t overturn the Defense of Marriage Act, they will find a judge to declare it unconstitutional. “Essentially, the Democrats in the Senate have committed themselves to obstruct and pervert the judicial process until the time, they hope, when a liberal president can nominate judicial activists to reshape the social policy landscape of America. “I thank Senator McCain for the commitment he made today to ‘restore the standards and spirit that give the judicial branch its place of honor in our government…. Every federal court should be a refuge from abuses of power, and not the source’ of them.” Perkins praises McCain remarks

Of the Democratic presidential candidates, would Republican John McCain rather take on Barack Obama or Hillary Rodham Clinton? “You know, Ron Paul is still in the race,” McCain joked Wednesday during a taping of Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart.” McCain deadpanned about the marathon race between the Democrats: “I hate to watch it. It’s terrible. My heart goes out to them.” During the taping, McCain pretended to walk off the set when Stewart pressed him on whether President Bush is more of a liability for him than the Rev. Jeremiah Wright is for Obama. Then McCain fiddled with his microphone and mouthed “technical difficulties” into the camera. The all-but-certain Republican nominee did reveal a few tidbits. His Secret Service code name, he thinks, “is ‘jerk,’” and his choice for a vice presidential running mate is Dwight Schrute, a character on the NBC sitcom, “The Office,” played by Rainn Wilson. Comedy aside, McCain used the opportunity to challenge Obama, who moved a step closer to claiming the Democratic nomination after Tuesday’s primaries in Indiana and North Carolina. Stewart asked whether McCain really believed the Islamic terrorist group Hamas had endorsed Obama. McCain’s campaign issued a fundraising letter after a Hamas adviser, Ahmed Yousef, said the group likes Obama. “It’s indicative of how some of our enemies view America,” McCain said. “And I guarantee you, they’re not going to endorse me.” Off camera, Obama’s campaign said McCain should apologize for “repeating tired and divisive attacks about Barack Obama that he knows are flat-out untrue.” McCain jokes about rivals with comedian Jon Stewart

From his five years in a North Vietnamese prison camp to his tenure as the Navy’s liaison to the Senate, John McCain’s Navy record boils down to a series of unadorned paragraphs that bestow upon him some of the nation’s top military honors. The Navy recently released McCain’s military record — most of it citations for medals during his Navy career — after a Freedom of Information Act request by The Associated Press. McCain was awarded a Silver Star Medal for resisting “extreme mental and physical cruelties” inflicted upon him by his captors from late October to early December 1967, the early months of his captivity, according to the citation. The North Vietnamese, according to the Navy, ignored international agreements and tortured McCain “in an attempt to obtain military information and false confessions for propaganda purposes.” McCain, now the Republican Party’s likely presidential nominee, was taken prisoner in October 1967 after he was shot down while on a mission over Hanoi. He wasn’t freed until March 1973, after the United States signed peace agreements with the North Vietnamese. His captors tortured him and held him in solitary confinement. Still, he declined an offer of early release until those who had been at the prison longer than him were let go. That decision earned McCain a Navy Commendation Medal. Although McCain was “crippled from serious and ill-treated injuries,” he steadfastly refused offers of freedom from those holding him prisoner. “His selfless action served as an example to others and his forthright refusal, by giving emphasis to the insidious nature of such releases, may have prevented a possibly chaotic deterioration in prisoner discipline,” the citation says. McCain attended the U.S. Naval Academy from 1954 to 1958, and was commissioned as an ensign in June of that year. He retired in April 1981 with the rank of captain. In that time he received 17 awards and decorations. Besides the Silver Star Medal, McCain also received the Legion of Merit with a combat “V” and one gold star, a Distinguished Flying Cross and a Bronze Art Medal with a combat “V” and two gold stars. Several citations mention his achievements either as a prisoner or as a lieutenant commander flying bombing runs off the deck of the USS Oriskany. Some are signed by then-Secretary of the Navy John Warner, who would become a colleague of McCain’s in the Senate. The citations refer to his “accurate ordnance delivery” and his “aggressive and skillful airmanship.” He earned his Bronze Star the day before he was shot down, for participating in a mission over an airfield in Phuc Yen, 11 miles north of Hanoi. The citation for his Distinguished Flying Cross sums up McCain’s misfortune the following day: “Although his aircraft was severely damaged, he continued his bomb delivery pass and released his bombs on the target. When the aircraft would not recover from the dive, Commander McCain was forced to eject over the target.” Years later, as his Navy career approached its end, McCain received the Legion of Merit Medal. By then, his missions were in the halls of Congress as a liaison to the Senate from the Navy’s Office of Legislative Affairs. He was praised for providing Navy leaders “with sage advice and sound judgment for enacting critical legislation during a period of severe fiscal constraint.” The following year, he ran for Congress from Arizona, and won. McCain’s Navy Records Detail Commendations

For Mitt Romney, the suspension of his campaign at the Conservative Political Action Committee conference two days after Super Tuesday marked the beginning of a new and promising campaign. As he ended his quest for the Republican presidential nomination, he staked for himself a position as leader for the conservative future. It’s a good position to be in for a potential 2012 run for the presidency. And it’s a position that makes him an attractive option for John McCain’s No. 2 in 2008. In his withdrawal speech, Romney announced that “conservative principles are needed now more than ever” — hitting the economy, the culture, and the war. One Romney adviser referred to the speech and the pullout as “a down-payment on a conservative future.” Romney’s biggest value to McCain, though, comes from his experience in business. John McCain has no such experience and famously said during the New Hampshire primary that “the issue of economics is not something I’ve understood as well as I should.” (He added that he owns former Federal Reserve chairman Alan Greenspan’s book.) That quote will come back to haunt McCain once general-election time finally arrives. Mitt Romney’s greatest asset for McCain — who has been in Congress for almost a quarter of a century — is, therefore, his executive experience, most of it in the business world, most notably as vice president of Bain & Company, Inc. from 1978 to 1984, and as founder of Bain Capital, venture-capital savior of the likes of Staples, Domino’s Pizza, and Sports Authority. Romney famously turned around the corrupt and broke ($379 million in debt) Salt Lake City Olympics and cleaned up a Massachusetts budget running $3 billion in the red without raising taxes. At a time when the country may be in a wartime recession, Romney emanates a confident competence (and he would do it, as veep nominee, alongside a GOP presidential nominee with a mixed tax-cutting record). Choosing Romney, then, could be as practical as politics gets. When in the voting booth, partisan preferences may pale in comparison to the attraction of a guarantee of competence in the executive. McCain, if he chooses Romney, may be wise to give Vice President Romney more than economics in his assignment portfolio. As two-time Cabinet secretary William J. Bennett recently put it on his radio show, “McCain would do the war. Romney would do domestic.” Social conservatives might hold up McCain’s speech this week on the judiciary and say, great blueprint, Senator. But we don’t trust you, Senator. (In fact, former Department of Justice official Mark R. Levin, another talk-show host, said just that in the wake of the judges speech: “I don’t trust this guy.”) Take that basically sound blueprint and give us someone we trust. Romney, who fought judicial activism on marriage in Massachusetts — and made the issue a key part of his campaign for president — has some credentials there. The governor makes electoral-map sense, too. First of all, now we can agree the Mormon factor is a plus. Utah’s a lock, he won the caucus there with 90 percent of the vote. But Utah’s not the battleground: Michigan is. And Romney’s favorite-son status there makes it a likely delivery for McCain with Romney on the ticket. (Romney’s economics talk went over well there, too, you might recall.) Romney’s already been to Michigan on McCain’s behalf and no doubt will return. Would the Michigan effect spread to Ohio? McCain seems already to have an appreciation for Romney’s electoral assets: Romney recently spoke to the Nevada state Republican convention; Romney won the Nevada caucus with 51 percent of the vote to McCain’s 13 percent. Since endorsing McCain, Romney has hit the media trail for McCain, too — including talking to radio and TV giant Sean Hannity — at the McCain communications shop’s request. McCain’s Vice President? Mitt Romney As Running Mate

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(This is the sixth Veepstakes article. Already profiled have been Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford, Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, former Ohio Rep. Rob Portman and Rep. Paul Ryan.) A former lieutenant governor tapped to run for Vice President two years after losing a U.S. Senate race? the idea seems outlandish. But, sure enough, Michael Steele — Maryland’s lieutenant governor, the state’s second-highest elected official from 2002-06 — is quite often mentioned on lists of potential running mates for John McCain. And to those who point to Steele’s 55%-to-45% loss to Democrat Ben Cardin in Maryland’s nationally watched Senate race in ‘06 as a bar to his being on a national ticket, Steele enthusiasts counter that, among others, Abraham Lincoln and Richard Nixon lost races for statewide office before winning the Republican nomination for President. At 52, Steele remains one of the most prominent African-American Republican spokesmen. This is significant, since the GOP has no blacks in either the House or Senate and only one member of the Republican National Committee is African-American. An attorney and businessman who once studied for the priesthood, Steele was GOP chairman of Maryland’s Prince George’s County, and then went on to serve as state party chairman before becoming the Free State’s first Republican lieutenant governor since the office was created. Initially often referred to in the press as “Mike Tyson’s brother-in-law” (his physician-sister was once married to the former heavyweight boxing champion), Steele soon developed a strong following in the Republican grass-roots in Maryland. Now chairman of GOPAC, the Republican training and recruitment group, and a frequent Fox-TV commentator, Steele is often a guest speaker at GOP functions in his home state and nationally. “That’s amazing,” was Steele’s response when I mentioned to him the vice presidential speculation about him I often run into. “I mean, he said, you’ve got to ask yourself the question, what would you do if the nominee of your party came to you, hopefully with a degree of confidence in what you could bring to the ticket, and asked you. You’d be hard-pressed to say no. But you definitely would have to take into consideration all the other things that are out there, like family, and stuff like that. But it’s one of those things. I’ll be very honest with you, John, it’s just so beyond my wildest imagination that I just, you know, I don’t think, I try not to think about it, at least.” But Steele would like to see an African-American on a national Republican ticket, “either now or down the road,” arguing that “we have an enormously important history when it comes to the social, civil, and political empowerment of African-Americans,” and Republicans “don’t have to jump up and down and wave our arms and say, ‘Gee, see what we’ve done,’” The Maryland man nonetheless concedes that, “unfortunately, today, politics has denigrated to that extent.” Notice the rhetoric coming out of the Democratic primaries. You know, ‘If Barack Obama’s not the nominee,’, fill in the blank. There’s not this sense of how the process unfolds. It’s all “it would have been stolen from them, it would have been cheating.” And that’s just not — I don’t think that’s smart politics” “The other thing ostensibly what happens with Republicans is invariably when an African-American rises through the ranks through hard work and the natural course of political experience, you hear that kind of crazy, loony stuff coming from the left, like ‘oh, well, they just promoted him because he’s black.’ Oh, well, you know, he’s just …” As, I think it was Cosmopolitan magazine, referred to me and [’06 Ohio and Pennsylvania Republican gubernatorial candidates] Ken Blackwell and Lynn Swann — “well, they’re the lawn jockeys of the Republican Party.” McCain’s Veepstakes: Michael Steele

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It would be more amusing had I not been personally involved. Three years ago I was a lone voice outrageously predicting $100 oil, debated on many occasions on national TV by those predicting $50 or even less. The tapes are still available. Now, $100 seems conservative, others have jumped on that number by the carload and the OPEC president said last week that oil may climb to $200. This, by the way, is the same organization that four years ago was insisting that the “official” price was between $24 and $28, while we were paying $50. Clearly they hoodwinked us. Oil is at $120 with no price reduction in sight because of two simple but unsavory facts: We in the United States and Europe have earned the right and the luxury to be ridiculous and oil producing countries, knowing this, have become militants, in what arguably can be called energy imperialism. First a disclaimer, in itself silly that I have to make. This article is not paid by Big Oil. Second, I have a simple belief: energy and its abundance is perhaps the most important commodity in modern life, bar none, and any energy shortages will plunge the world in an economic tailspin we have never experienced before. If one does not believe this, no need to read further. Of the world energy demand 87 percent comes from fossil fuels, oil, gas and coal. This fraction has not changed much since the 1970’s and the first “energy crisis” while energy demand has more than doubled. By almost everybody’s estimates by the year 2030, the total world demand will increase by 50 percent and oil, gas and coal will still provide 87 percent of the world’s energy. The reason we use them is not because of some evil conspiracy headed by a dark knight by the name of Dick Cheney. We use them because they are the easiest, most flexible, most reliable and most efficient forms of energy. Biofuels as done today, cause a negative energy balance not even considering their impact on food prices. I have no aversion to wind or solar. I love the sun, I am Greek. But they are eminently unreliable and, even in their best case, without government subsidies, they make $200 to $2000 oil still attractive. It is that simple. But here is how we are ridiculous and it would have been funny had we not run the danger of committing societal hara-kiri. We have let dazed environmentalism of the most outrageous variety to put on a tie and become mainstream, dominate the covers of national newsmagazines and, predictably as of late, earn Oscars, Emmys and Nobels. There are no alternatives to fossil fuels for decades to come and the transition will be long and painful. We will continue to be a fossil-fuel dependent economy for the foreseeable future. To boot, the US imports now almost 70 percent of 21 million barrels per day of oil demand. Hugo Chavez, Vladimir Putin and Mahmoud Ahmedinejad have noticed. So what do we do now? We are not allowed to drill in proven offshore or arctic resources and where we can drill “it takes more than an act of Congress”. At any given time, our oil and gas reserves are perhaps 40 percent less than they could have been in practically any other country because of environmental compliance. Ask almost any American which country provides more oil to the United States and the answer would be Saudi Arabia, Canada or Mexico. The correct answer is of course the United States, by far. In a margin business where one half of one percent of over or under supply can cause havoc on the oil price, drilling in the ANWR would make a heck of difference both really and symbolically. It takes 800 permits to build a new refinery. Is it surprising that none has been built in over 30 years? Big Oil is of course blamed by many, headed by national politicians. The truth is that US oil companies have very little impact on current oil prices and their influence is waning by energy militant countries that own the reserves. Instead of being protected they are maligned by politicians and a gullible public. Simple question: suppose that the energy industry is all nationalized and the ExxonMobil’s of the world are taken over by the government. Does anybody believe that gasoline prices would be lower? It may surprise almost all to realize that, having to buy oil from militant nations with little control over them, US Big Oil and the consumers are in much closer predicament than taxing and regulating government or elitist, touchy feely politicians and environmentalists. And of course the biggest boogieman is climate change hysteria. Both Hillary Clinton and Barrack Obama have bought the man-made origin and have adopted the slogan of 80 percent reduction in carbon dioxide emissions (the main greenhouse gas produced from burning fossil fuels) by 2050. John McCain is not far behind. If they succeed they will bring a growing United States to the level of the lowest 5 percentile of the world’s poorest countries. Maybe that is the egalitarianism they seek: to make all of the world that poor. Oil at $120: Here’s Why

Barack Obama has finally distanced himself from Rev. Jeremiah Wright after a 20-year relationship, but the pastor who is replacing Wright at Chicago’s Trinity United Church of Christ is likely to be just as controversial. New Trinity pastor Otis Moss has called Biblical patriarch Abraham a pimp and made other statements many would consider offensive. After Obama called Wright’s comments divisive and destructive, a questioner noted that Rev. Moss has defended Wright and asked if Obama would continue attending the church. Well, the new pastor, the young pastor, Reverend Otis Moss, is a wonderful young pastor, Obama responded. And as I said, I still very much value the Trinity community. Moss, the 37-year-old hip-hop pastor, as he’s called by congregants, will become head of Trinity in June, after serving as an assistant pastor there for two years. But a videotape of a sermon he delivered at Wright’s church shows this wonderful young pastor referring to ghetto prophets and thug theology, calling the late rapper Tupac Shakur a prophet, and reciting at length lyrics to Shakur’s song Thugz Mansion. New Obama Pastor Just As Controversial As Wright

Wisconsin: McCain Leads Both Democrats 47% to 43%

Kentucky: Clinton 56% Obama 31%

West Virginia: Clinton 56% Obama 27%

Oregon: Obama 51% Clinton 39%

Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani is offering his expertise to a candidate for mayor of Kiev, Ukraine. The ex-mayor’s firm, Giuliani Partners, announced Wednesday that it is advising the campaign of Vitali Klitschko in the May 25 election. Klitschko is a former heavyweight boxing champion who is running against the incumbent mayor of Kiev, Oleksandr Omelchenk. Giuliani said his firm will advise the candidate on how to turn Kiev around by reforming city government. Kiev is the capital of Ukraine and has 2.7 million people. Giuliani failed in his own campaign for the Republican nomination for president. He