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By Marybeth Hamilton
By Amy Goodman, David Goodman
$5.18
$22
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Just as John McCain was catching flak for bolstering Paris Hilton’s bafflingly resilient showbiz career, another danger appeared on the horizon in the form of that purebred Hollywood golden retriever Gwyneth Paltrow, who’s turned up in a Democrat-sponsored PSA with an angular bob that could slice deli meat and a get-out-the-vote message for expat American voters.
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Right, so we’ve just seen the comparisons to Britney and Paris in John McCain’s “Celeb” commercial, one of several ads from Team McCain’s oeuvre that perhaps unwisely focus almost exclusively on the presumptive Democratic nominee instead of on McCain’s own policies and positions. Now, here’s Charlton Heston’s Moses impersonation to ratchet up the Camp-O-Meter in “The One,” a McCain spot that ends by ... saying Obama “might be The One.” Huh?
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AP photo / Ziv Koren, Pool
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By Robert Scheer — Barack Obama is betraying his promise of change and is in danger of becoming just another political hack. Yes, just like former maverick John McCain, who has refashioned himself as a mindless rubber stamp for the most inane policies of the miserably failed Bush administration.
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AP photo / Jae C. Hong
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By Bill Boyarsky — The adoring media coverage of Barack Obama’s international tour is masking the reality that, whether he wins or loses, we’re almost certain to be stuck in Iraq for a long time, thanks to the legacy of George Bush.
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AP photo / Sergei Chuzavkov
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We all know about this week’s Controversial Satire Attempt by that wicked, bad New Yorker magazine, which critics can now bash for being wicked instead of just elitist. (Boring!) That particular faux pas rocked the ever-intertwined worlds of politics and publishing and seemed to prove that poking fun at a certain presumptive presidential nominee can be a precarious enterprise, if not an absolute no-no.
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Flickr / Joe Crimmings
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As Barack Obama’s campaign manager, David Plouffe, said in an e-mail to Obama supporters, the campaign has developed a “very aggressive strategy” that requires aggressive fundraising efforts as well. Judging by Team Obama’s tally for the month of June, those efforts are quite literally paying off.
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AP photo / Al Behrman
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Sen. Barack Obama made a key speech on Tuesday in Washington, in which he asserted his position on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, offered a 16-month troop withdrawal timetable and outlined his plans for combating terrorism if he is elected president in November.
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huffingtonpost.com
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A defiant new group of Democrats calling itself the Denver Group has started a campaign to make sure the Democratic presidential nomination remains open until August’s convention in Denver, leaving the game open to certain contenders (read: HRC) instead of following the “presumptive nominee Barack Obama” plan.
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AP photo / Lauren Victoria Burke
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Just when it seemed they wouldn’t have enough votes to pass a key Medicare bill, Democratic senators staged a dramatic coup by secretly whisking Sen. Edward Kennedy into the Capitol on Wednesday to cast his vote and make his first congressional appearance since he was diagnosed with brain cancer in May.
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AP photo / Susan Walsh
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President Bush hasn’t exactly been basking in the glow of Americans’ approval recently, according to those all-important poll numbers, and now he’s got some company at the bottom of the barrel. Rasmussen Reports finds that just 9 percent of American voters think Congress is doing a bang-up job, and the numbers fall even lower for respondents who don’t identify as either Republicans or Democrats.
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webb.senate.gov
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He’s hung up his tiara and sash, ladies and gentlemen: Virginia’s Sen. Jim Webb has announced in no uncertain terms that he is officially out of the running to be Barack Obama’s choice for vice president. As Talking Points Memo reported Monday, Webb put out a formal statement declaring that he has made it clear to Obama’s camp that he wants to continue serving as a senator but will still enthusiastically back Obama’s bid for the presidency.
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AP photo / Charlie Niebergall
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Hillary Clinton finally campaigned with Barack Obama, at a rally in the town of Unity, N.H. Never one to miss out on using overtly direct town names—remember Bill Clinton was born in a place called Hope—the Democratic Party may be trying a bit too hard to heal its wounds after a divisive battle in the primaries.
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allamericanpatriots.com
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It might be safe to assume that these folks aren’t fans of President Bush: A group calling itself the Presidential Memorial Commission of San Francisco is hoping to commemorate Bush as he leaves office by re-christening a nearby sewage station as the George W. Bush Sewage Plant and by urging locals to flush together on cue on Jan. 20, 2009.
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Jon Stewart compares and contrasts Barack Obama’s version of the presidential seal to the real deal in this “Daily Show” clip and takes aim at the presumptive Democratic candidate for his declaration that he won’t be drawing on public financing for the home stretch of his bid for office after previously suggesting otherwise.
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AP photo / Hans Deryk
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Presidential candidate Barack Obama is currently enjoying a 15-point lead over Republican rival John McCain, according to a new poll conducted by Newsweek, which found that 51 percent of registered voters around the country favored Obama for president, while 36 percent picked McCain.
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AP photo / Rick Bowmer,file
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Hillary Clinton will be joining her erstwhile rival, Barack Obama, for a week of campaign support as he ramps up his efforts to defeat John McCain in November’s presidential elections. Clinton will kick off her tandem tour with Obama June 27 in a bid to repair lingering rifts within Democratic circles.
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popwatch.ew.com
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NBC News will keep its Sunday lineup intact by giving Brian Williams a temporary stint as host of “Meet the Press,” replacing the late Tim Russert for the time being. Because Russert and Williams teamed up for the Jan. 15 Democratic presidential debate in Las Vegas, many viewers might be primed to make the transition along with Williams.
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trailblazersblog.dallasnews.com
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Some challenges to Sen. Barack Obama’s potential presidential authority might be considered covertly racist, but here’s one that baldly revels in its ignorance: At last weekend’s Republican state convention in Texas, a vendor booth hosted by Republicanmarket pushed a pin that brought racial politics to the fore in the most blatant and unproductive possible way.
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AP photo / Carolyn Kaster, file
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By Robert Scheer — Why not Hillary? Not my first choice—Al Gore is—but I find all of the pro-and-con debate about Hillary Rodham Clinton to be beside the point. She is, as Barack Obama said, likable enough, and the Dems are not likely to pick anyone better.
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AP photo / Mel Evans, File
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During the final stages of Hillary Clinton’s campaign, a common refrain emerged among some of her more ardent supporters: If Barack Obama wins the nomination, we’re backing John McCain. Now that the dust has settled somewhat after Clinton’s concession, Obama is working to clarify the differences between his positions and McCain’s when it comes to issues that impact the lives of female voters.
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Here’s a lengthy (run time: 23:49) video clip from Barack Obama’s Father’s Day speech at Chicago’s Apostolic Church of God on Sunday, beginning with his riff about too many fathers from the African-American community being “MIA.”
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rollingstone.com
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The uneasy love affair between celebrity and politics continued late last week with a change of camps by former Hillary Clinton booster Barbra Streisand, who has officially made a lateral move to endorse Barack Obama. Babs’ fans are still waiting to hear if la Streisand will pipe up for the Illinois senator this summer as part of her pro-Obama plans.
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AP photo / Jim Mone
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Al Franken’s career arc has taken an unconventional turn: The comedian has nailed down the Minnesota Democrats’ endorsement for the U.S. Senate, following in former Gov. Jesse Ventura’s footsteps as a performer-turned-politician in the Midwestern state. Starting out in comedy may serve Franken well in Congress, where knowing how to work a tough crowd just might come in handy.
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Hillary Clinton formally stepped off the long road to the White House on Saturday, at least in terms of seeking the presidency herself, by standing before a throng of supporters in Washington, D.C., and announcing she was suspending her campaign. She congratulated former rival Barack Obama and asked the gathered well-wishers “to join me in working as hard for Barack Obama as you have for me.”
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AP photo / Jose Luis Magana
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Regardless of the end result of her efforts, Hillary Clinton has endured a grueling trial by fire in recent months in her historic bid for the presidency. The Nation’s Katha Pollitt points out the gains she believes Clinton made for women in and beyond the strictly political realm, arguing that ” ... Women and men of every party and candidate preference, and every ethnicity too, owe Hillary Clinton a standing ovation, even if they can’t stand her.”
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Richard Phibbs / HillaryClinton.com
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Inching closer to concession, Hillary Clinton shifted gears on Thursday, taking a different tone in an e-mail to her allies and readying them to back her rival for the top spot on the Democratic presidential ticket, Barack Obama. However, she will still wait until Saturday to make any kind of formal announcement about her status in the race.
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AP photo / Lauren Victoria Burke
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By Bill Boyarsky — If Barack Obama, the presumed Democratic presidential nominee, is to defeat John McCain, he’d better get started organizing teams of election law attorneys and other specialists to guard against efforts already underway to disenfranchise Democratic voters.
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AP photo / Charlie Niebergall
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Once again, the topic of the vice presidency has come up for Hillary Clinton and, this time, she’s apparently responded receptively to the idea—if it would help the Democrats win the White House in November. Clinton reportedly said she was “open” to the idea during a conference call Tuesday.
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It was clear who sided with which candidate on Saturday in Washington after Democratic Party officials reached a decision on seating delegates from this winter’s Florida and Michigan primaries—cheers and angry jeers erupted when committee members explained that they would seat the delegates from both states with half-votes.
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AP photo / Chris Carlson
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Having endured at least three rounds of controversy stemming from his 20-year association with Chicago’s Trinity United Church of Christ, Democratic candidate Barack Obama has decided to end his membership, telling reporters Saturday that he is sorry for the intense media attention his affiliation has attracted to the church and its members.
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After some seriously suspenseful primaries earlier in the year, the general feeling about Sunday’s Democratic presidential primary in Puerto Rico is far less ... energized, let’s say. In fact, local officials are predicting that a substantial percentage of Puerto Rican voters won’t even show up at the polls.
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blog.ecr.co.za
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Sen. John Kerry (remember him?) has penned an Op-Ed for The Washington Post, taking issue with President Bush’s—and by extension, John McCain’s—argument that engaging in talks with Iran would constitute a dangerous gesture of “appeasement.” The No. 1 reason Kerry thinks the GOP leaders’ stance is wrong? Well, “In short, not talking to Iran has failed. Miserably.” Above, Iranian President Ahmadinejad.
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AP photo / Rich Pedroncelli
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Internal shake-ups among Sen. John McCain’s campaign aides, unusual structuring choices within his camp and the worry among some Republicans that their presumptive nominee isn’t capitalizing sufficiently on the Democrats’ current chaos are all spelling trouble for Team McCain.
Posted on May 24, 2008
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Not known for being a shrinking violet, Keith Olbermann left no uncertainty about what he thinks of Sen. Hillary Clinton’s explanation for why she invoked the specter of Robert Kennedy’s 1968 assassination when discussing her decision to keep campaigning to the end. He’s not buyin’ it, folks.
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AP photo / Elise Amendola
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Addressing the issue of whether she should drop out of the presidential race—and, if so, when—Sen. Hillary Clinton pointed to the assassination of Robert Kennedy in June 1968 in defending her refusal to quit. Updated
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flickr.com / Brian Wozniak
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It might be hard to imagine, given the tensions and free-flying barbs between them in recent months, but Sen. Hillary Clinton may be angling to become Barack Obama’s running mate should he clinch the Democratic presidential nomination this summer.
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AP photo
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Although this report characterizes Sen. Barack Obama’s search for a vice presidential running mate as “top-secret,” it can’t be all that hush-hush if it’s out on the news wires. That said, who might he be eyeing?
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Well, as you’ve probably noticed by now, John Edwards has publicly backed Barack Obama as his candidate of choice. There’s just one problem, as Stephen Colbert reminds us: Edwards previously said on Colbert’s show that he’d support the candidate who pledged to do the most for the nation’s poor—and the one who supplied him with a jet ski. But he hasn’t gotten that jet ski yet, has he now, Mr. Obama?
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AP photo / Lionel Cironneau
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Actor Sean Penn has already made waves at the Cannes Film Festival, where he’s leading this year’s jury, by weighing in about the presidential race back home—and by pointedly bucking the local smoking ban. Suffice it to say that Penn won’t be joining Oprah on one of her pep rallies for Barack Obama anytime soon.
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You just can’t catch a break as a politician these days. Right when you think you look all “hip” and “endearingly self-deprecating” by allowing yourself to be skewered by certain late-night comedians (bonus points if you’re actually on the show while this gentle, aide-approved ribbing is happening), those same wise asses up and turn on you.
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AP photo / Bob Bird
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Despite the doomsday tones that some in the blogosphere and in more traditional media circles took in their assessment of Hillary Clinton’s chances of nabbing the Democratic nomination after last Tuesday’s primaries, supporters have flocked to West Virginia. They are working hard there to keep their favorite candidate in the running, even if it means dealing with heckling from some locals who don’t share their mission.
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AP photo / Susan Walsh
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The aftereffects of Tuesday’s Democratic primaries in North Carolina and Indiana are registering in the ongoing contest for superdelegate supporters: By late Friday, Barack Obama’s “super” group was just 166 short of the 2,025 delegates he needs to win the nomination.
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gawker.com
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Studio honcho Harvey Weinstein is a force to be reckoned with—it was no coincidence that Disney subsidiary Miramax became a major player in the film industry under his watch—and recently he reportedly attempted to use his powers of persuasion to convince House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to follow his plan for a Democratic primary revote in Florida and Michigan ... or else.
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AP photo / Gerald Herbert
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By Robert Scheer — In the increasingly unlikely event of a McCain-Clinton election, folks who care about the peace issue would have serious reason to worry. Both of these candidates are inveterate hawks, and what we would be up against is a choice between the neoconservatives and the neoliberals as to who could be more adventurous in getting us into unjustifiable foreign wars.
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AP photo / Elise Amendola
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Judging by exit polls, two groups made the difference for Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton Tuesday night. A strong showing from African-American voters and gains elsewhere helped Obama to a big win in North Carolina. Hillary Clinton, meanwhile, could thank older voters for what turned out to be a nail-biter of a victory in Indiana.
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Leave it to “Entertainment Tonight” to really get Hillary Clinton talking about the key issues of the day, like teen star Miley Cyrus’ semi-nudie-pic shame and TV titan Barbara Walters’ stunning affair admission in her new memoir. Thank heavens someone finally dared to go there.
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Director Michael Moore paid a visit to “Larry King Live” on Wednesday night, holding forth on a number of timely topics, including his decision to endorse Barack Obama, his newest documentary (about the ‘04 presidential election), Hillary Clinton’s interview the same day on “that other station” and the persistent controversy surrounding the Rev. Jeremiah Wright.
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The competition between Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton to win their Senate colleagues’ endorsements is still very close, but Obama moved one notch ahead of Clinton Monday with the addition of Sen. Jeff Bingaman of New Mexico to his list of supporters, which has now grown to 14.
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