posted November 16, 2006 07:50 PM            

McCain's in the news. He's started his exploratory committee. www.exploremccain.com

Tommy Thompson's also in the news: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20061117/ap_on_el_pr/thompson2008

Tom Vilsack has already announced that he'll run. http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20061109/ap_on_el_pr/vilsack_president

posted November 16, 2006 11:04 PM              

There's my erudite opinion.

posted November 16, 2006 11:42 PM              

**********

John McCain Says If Democrats Win He'll "Commit Suicide"

October 18, 2006 4:27 p.m. EST

Matthew Borghese - All Headline News Staff Writer

Washington, D.C. (AHN) - In an interview, Senator and possible 2008 GOP presidential candidate, John McCain (R-AZ), when asked what he would do if Democrats won control over Congress this November, says he would "commit suicide."

McCain jokingly tells Iowa Radio that "I think I'd just commit suicide."

"I don't want to face that eventuality because I don't think it's going to happen...I think it's going to be tough, but I think we'll do o.k."

According to radio, McCain is in Iowa campaigning with GOP Congressmen Steve King and Tom Latham as well as Republican congressional candidate Jeff Lamberti.

McCain spoke at a mid-day news conference in Des Moines, where McCain was asked what his reaction would be to a Democratic take-over of the Senate.
http://www.allheadlinenews.com/articles/7005221232

posted November 17, 2006 01:38 PM            

Giuliani headlined a meeting of the finance committee in New York on Wednesday. The group will be chaired by Roy Bailey, a former finance chairman for the Texas Republican Party and a founding member of Giuliani Partners, the former mayor's consulting firm.

"It's a group of very committed people who hope the mayor's exploratory committee leads to other things," Bailey said in an interview.

Among the most notable members of the group is Pickens, a longtime contributor to President Bush and other Republican candidates. In 2004, Pickens donated more than $4 million to GOP causes, including $3 million to Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, the group that made unsubstantiated allegations about Democratic Sen. John Kerry's military record.

Other members of Giuliani's finance committee include Barry Wynn, former chairman of the South Carolina Republican Party and the finance chair of Bush's re-election campaign. The South Carolina primary is a key early contest in the presidential nominating process.

Another committee member is Tom Hicks, a Dallas billionaire and owner of the Texas Rangers baseball team. Hicks organized the investment group that purchased the Rangers in 1998 from a partnership that included Bush.

Anne Dickerson, a veteran Bush fundraiser who has been attached to Giuliani's political action committee, Solutions America, will be the committee's national fundraising director.

Bailey refused to disclose the finance committee's fundraising goals, but said the group was putting together a schedule of events around the country to begin in the next 30 days.

Bailey described Giuliani as "very serious" about the presidential exploratory effort, and said the success of the fundraising campaign will be an important gauge of whether the former mayor can raise the money he needs to go forward.

"The purpose of testing the waters is testing whether there is financial support," Bailey said.

Giuliani, widely praised for his leadership after the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks, has emerged as a national Republican leader and prodigious fundraiser for GOP candidates nationwide. But his liberal views on social issues — he supports legal abortion, gay rights and gun control — may not be well-received by Christian conservatives, who form a significant bloc of the Republican base.

National polls show Giuliani running strong among potential GOP presidential candidates, either topping the field or tied with Arizona Sen. John McCain (news, bio, voting record). McCain filed papers on Thursday to form an exploratory committee.

Other potential GOP contenders include Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and New York Gov. George Pataki. Both decided against seeking another term with an eye toward 2008.

Giuliani's successor, Republican New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, has mused publicly about running as an independent.

posted November 17, 2006 01:40 PM            

Renewable energy has the potential to unite the country, reinvent the economy and make the country more secure, Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack, a 2008 presidential candidate, said Thursday.

After a speech at the University of Colorado School of Law, Vilsack said the issue will be one of the pillars of his campaign platform. He pointed to his state's leading the country in corn-based ethanol and soy-based biodiesel production.

"I think I'm the one person in this race who's doing something about it," he said. "There are a lot of people talking about it, but we've actually done something to promote renewable fuel."

The two-term governor is the first Democrat to file for the presidency, although a number of better-known candidates are presumed to be running. Vilsack planned a multistate tour beginning Nov. 30 to formally announce his bid.

He's already opened a campaign office in Des Moines, Iowa, and has a Web site and online profiles on MySpace, Facebook and YouTube.

In his speech, Vilsack called for a greater commitment to conservation, enhancing commitments to renewable energy and making it easier for consumers to buy renewable energy.

He said that would allow the U.S. to be energy-secure, to retain its moral leadership in the world and to generate a healthier economy with better-paid, high-skill jobs.

He acknowledged the auto industry's concern about raising fuel efficiency standards and said his goal would be to ask the automakers what needs to be done to help them meet tougher standards.

"There are times when national interests are more important than parochial interests," he said.

posted November 17, 2006 01:42 PM            

By TONY LEYS
REGISTER STAFF WRITER

November 16, 2006

Former Wisconsin Gov. Tommy Thompson said in Des Moines Wednesday that he hopes to run for president.

Thompson, a Republican, was secretary of health and human services during President Bush's first term. Before that, he was Wisconsin's governor from 1987 until 2001.

Thompson was in Des Moines on Wednesday to give a speech about health care. In an interview afterward, he was asked whether he intended to run for president. "I hope so," he said. "Why not? I'm from the Midwest. There should be a Midwestern candidate for president."

Thompson said he soon will set up an exploratory committee to gauge support for a possible presidential bid. He said he expects to decide whether to run by spring.

Thompson predicted the two top issues in the 2008 race would be health care and energy. "I don't think anybody's got a better handle on health care than me," he said, noting that he oversaw Medicare and other federal health care programs. He added that he's learned a lot about energy policy as a partner in a business that plans to build an ethanol plant.

He added his name to a list of about a dozen Republicans who have shown interest in running for president. The race will be the first in decades in which no incumbent president or vice president is running.

Last week, Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack, a Democrat, announced his plans to run for president. He filed papers with the Federal Elections Commission to form a presidential campaign committee and opened a campaign headquarters in Des Moines.

Several Iowa Republicans said the fact that Thompson comes from a neighboring state could help him in the Iowa caucuses, which lead off the nomination process.

Former Gov. Terry Branstad, who introduced Thompson at Wednesday's event, said afterward that he was impressed with Thompson's work when they both were governors. "He's a very innovative guy, and I think a gutsy guy," Branstad said.

Branstad, who is president of Des Moines University, said he probably will remain neutral in the race. He noted that Thompson could be competing against several big-name Republicans, including Arizona Sen. John McCain, former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, New York Gov. George Pataki, Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee.

Former state Republican Chairman Mike Mahaffey of Montezuma said he was pleasantly surprised to hear that Thompson wants to run for president. "He's one of those affable, open Midwesterners, and we kind of like that here in Iowa," Mahaffey said.

Mahaffey said Thompson's accomplishments as governor were highlighted by a welfare-to-work program that became a national model. Thompson pushed the program in a positive way, he said. "He didn't pick on the people on welfare," Mahaffey said. "He just said, 'Hey, let's get them out of this.' "

State Rep. Linda Upmeyer, a Republican who attended Thompson's speech, said he did an admirable job as a state and federal leader. "I think he's got lots to offer, and he certainly would be an interesting candidate on health care," said Upmeyer, who is a registered nurse from Garner.

Like Branstad and Mahaffey, Upmeyer said she was not endorsing a possible Thompson candidacy.

Thompson's speech was before a new group called Iowans for Wellness and Prevention.

His appearance was sponsored by pharmaceutical giant Pfizer Inc.

Thompson predicted that the health care system would implode by 2013 unless big changes are made.

He touted wellness efforts, including measures to fight smoking and obesity and to prevent or manage diabetes and other expensive chronic diseases.

posted November 22, 2006 02:53 PM            

When introducing former vice presidential candidate John Edwards at a book signing this week, a family friend mentioned a bumper sticker she'd seen around town: "Edwards-Obama." The giddy audience roared with approval.

Both Edwards and Illinois Sen. Barack Obama insist they have yet to decide whether they are running for president, but both are drawing big crowds as they follow the modern script of a White House candidate and head out on nationwide book tours. The self-promoting promenades give both an excuse to tour early 2008 primary states — without having to publicly commit to a campaign.

"Book tours have become a basic staple of the presidential process," said Chris Lehane, a Democratic strategist who has worked on several presidential campaigns. "At some level, the success of these books is a gauge and a measuring stick with how popular these candidates are with the public, as if it were a primary."

Edwards, the former North Carolina senator who unsuccessfully sought the Democratic nomination in 2004 before landing a spot on Sen. John Kerry's ticket, has worked for the past two years to lay the groundwork for a second presidential bid. This month, he's on an 17city tour promoting a coffee-table collection of mini memoirs on childhood homes entitled "Home: The Blueprints of Our Lives."

Obama, meanwhile, released "The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream" in October. In Chicago, readers waited up to three hours in line at a book signing. After saying since his 2004 election he would serve a full six-year term in Congress, Obama acknowledged less than a week after the book came out he was considering a run for president.

Nancy Olson, a Raleigh bookstore owner who hosted Edwards at a recent signing that drew several hundred people, called the prospective tandem of Edwards and Obama "a dream ticket" that would launch Democrats back into the White House in 2008.

"It's the perfect idea," Olson said. "Obama has everything that John has (except) the experience. And he will gather that experience."

An audience member asked Edwards whether the freshman senator was his greatest literary rival.

"I think my biggest literary rival introduced me tonight," Edwards said, referring to his wife Elizabeth, who just completed a book tour promoting her own memoir — "Saving Graces: Finding Solace and Strength from Friends and Strangers" — that chronicles her battle with breast cancer.

Edwards wrote a book about his time as a trial lawyer before his 2004 campaign, and he already has plans to edit another book for release this spring. As the head of a poverty policy research center at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, he's bringing together the top poverty scholars in the nation to work on a book that discusses "creative ideas to fight poverty in the 21st century."

Obama, meanwhile, is enjoying the success of "The Audacity of Hope." The book is ranked No. 1 on several best-seller charts, and was the third-ranked book Wednesday on Amazon.com. Edwards' book was ranked No. 448, while his wife's — which came out in late September — was No. 496.

Obama's book is a call for a less confrontational and divisive style of politics and offers a discussion of foreign policy, economic security and religious and racial conflict. Obama began his book tour last month as congressional election campaigns reached a frenzy. As a result, he was a draw at his own book appearances as well as campaign events where he was a major fundraising attraction.

"He is a very talented, charismatic young leader in America," Edwards said of Obama. "I would love to see Sen. Obama and anyone else — Republicans or Democrats who can add in a real way to the dialogue of the campaign — run. We need the best possible human beings for the voters to choose from."

But first, it seems, they have to publish. New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton is rereleasing her societal analysis "It Takes a Village" in December, and Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee — a possible GOP candidate — has his own political manifesto due out in January, titled "From Hope to Higher Ground."

"These days, everyone is under pressure to put out a book to distinguish themselves," Lehane said. "It's just such an important political advantage."

___

Associated Press writer Jim Kuhnhenn contributed to this report from Washington.

posted November 22, 2006 03:11 PM            

Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani filed paperwork with the Federal Election Commission this week that takes him one step closer to running for president.

A filing on behalf of the man once dubbed "America's mayor" was hand-delivered to the commission on Monday, an FEC spokeswoman confirmed. It says Giuliani, a Republican, has created a "testing-the-waters" presidential exploratory committee.

The formal creation of the committee means Giuliani can now raise money and travel the country gauging support and preparing for a White House bid without formally declaring himself a candidate.

Giuliani, who achieved near-mythic popularity for his handling of the Sept. 11 attacks, filed similar paperwork earlier this month in New York to create the Rudy Giuliani Presidential Exploratory Committee Inc.

In addition to Giuliani, Sen. John McCain (news, bio, voting record), R-Ariz., has set up a presidential exploratory committee and Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn., also are weighing bids for the GOP nomination.

___

The filing is available at:
http://www.fec.gov

posted November 22, 2006 03:24 PM            

John Edwards (D), the Democrats' Vice Presidential nominee in 2004, is one of four Democrats currently reaching double digits of voter support for the party's top slot in 2008. The one-term Senator from North Carolina trails Republican front-runners Rudy Giuliani and John McCain, but leads other GOP contenders-Mitt Romney and Mike Huckabee. Giuliani currently leads the pack in polls for the GOP nomination.

Giuliani holds a 50% to 41% lead over Edwards. McCain holds a smaller advantage, 47% to 43%. All Democrats currently trail McCain (see match-ups for Clinton and Obama and Gore). Senator Hillary Clinton (D) is tied with Giuliani but the former New York Mayor has the edge in other match-ups.

Edwards is viewed favorably by 48% of the nation's Likely Voters and unfavorably by 38%. Rasmussen Reports will be constantly updating the favorability ratings for Democratic Presidential hopefuls. We'll be doing the same for GOP hopefuls and other Political Leaders.

We have been tracking Election 2008 since the waning days of Election 2006 to keep you posted as the nation decides the next occupant of the White House. Our most recent survey found that 43% of Americans say they would never vote for a Mormon candidate, an issue of concern to Mitt Romney. We've also noted an increase in confidence in the War on Terror since the GOP's defeat on Election Day. Democrats and unaffiliated voters are now more hopeful. Americans confidence in the nation's future is down over the past couple of years, but 61% continue to believe that U.S. society is generally fair and decent. Most Americans know little about the Congressional Democrats who will lead that body in the wake of this year's election results.

The national telephone survey of 1,000 Likely Voters was conducted by Rasmussen Reports November 13-14, 2006. The margin of sampling error for the survey is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence.

Rasmussen Reports is an electronic publishing firm specializing in the collection, publication, and distribution of public opinion polling information.

posted December 18, 2006 05:32 PM            

Bayh decided he could not compete with Sens. Hillary Clinton of New York and Barack Obama of Illinois, whose possible candidacies have dominated the positioning almost two years before the actual election.

Edwards, the former North Carolina senator, has decided he can and is planning to announce his campaign in New Orleans between Christmas and New Year's, two Democrats said.

Edwards' novel choice of sites shows how he wants to distinguish his candidacy: emphasizing policies he believes can unite a country divided by economic inequality, a situation no more evident than in the city's Lower Ninth Ward, still recovering from Hurricane Katrina.

Bayh's exit stunned rivals and supporters. The former Indiana governor abandoned his bid just two weeks after forming a committee to raise money and gauge support for his candidacy.

"The odds were always going to be very long for a relatively unknown candidate like myself, a little bit like David and Goliath," Bayh said in the statement. He added that beyond the question of "whether there were too many Goliaths or whether I'm just not the right David," his chances were slim.

Bayh did not say who he considered to be the Goliaths. Yet it is Obama and Clinton who are attracting most of the attention among the 10 or more Democrats considering a bid.

Edwards, however, is in a strong position as the leading candidate in the first nominating state, Iowa. He has taken the lead in Iowa polling even with favorite son Gov. Tom Vilsack in the mix.

Democratic strategist Stephanie Cutter said Clinton and Obama have emerged as the front-runners much earlier than was the case in previous campaigns. But she said another candidate could compete with them.

"There's room for one more. The question is: Who is it right now? And I don't think anybody can tell you with any real certainty of who that could be," she said.

Cutter said it is unclear if Edwards, despite campaigning hard in Iowa, can hold onto his lead until early 2008, when the state holds its nominating contest, as potential rivals get serious about the race.

Edwards plans to give Iowa more attention an announcement tour to begin around Dec. 28, the Democratic officials said. He plans to travel from New Orleans to Iowa and the three other early voting states — Nevada, New Hampshire and South Carolina.

The officials who discussed Edwards' plans spoke on condition of anonymity because they did not want to pre-empt his announcement. Edwards' spokesman, David Ginsberg, would not confirm or deny Edwards' plans.

Clinton and Obama would start in a strong position if they decide to run.

The former first lady, one the most well-known women in America, has a vast network of supporters developed during President Clinton's two terms.

Obama, who left Saturday on a two-week trip to visit family in his native Hawaii, has little experience in national politics; he has been in the Senate for only two years. But his message of hope is attracting support from Democrats who are looking for a fresh face and are concerned that Clinton could not win the general election.

Bayh got a taste of the competition Obama poses when they were in New Hampshire last weekend. Bayh, who had worked for months to line up support in the state, spoke at small gatherings; Obama, on his first visit, drew thousands of activists and hordes of reporters at two packed events.

Bayh had sent his staff to help with last month's election. On one trip, he raised money for a successful state Senate candidate, Betsi DeVries. She said Bayh's support was a "huge benefit" and he was in her top tier of presidential hopefuls, although she had not committed to supporting him in return.

"It was an eye-opener I would imagine for a number of these candidates who had been practicing the typical retail politics in New Hampshire to see the large crowds that Senator Obama drew," DeVries said Saturday upon hearing the news of Bayh's exit.

Bayh, 50, left open the possibility of another run. "There may be no campaign in the near future, but there is much work to be done," the two-term senator said.

Edwards, who used to run daily with Bayh when both were in the Senate, already is well known from the 2004 campaign and his profile has risen this year as he and his wife, Elizabeth, went on nationwide tours to promote their books.

Bayh was one of the most well-positioned candidates in the money race, with more than $10 million already to put into his campaign. But he faced a challenge in continuing to build his war chest while other candidates soaked up all the national attention.

Insiders expect this campaign will be the most expensive in history, with candidates needing to raise tens of millions of dollars next year to remain viable.

"The hardest part for anybody is to figure out how do I get $30 to 40 million," said Steve Elmendorf, a top adviser to Dick Gephardt and John Kerry's 2004 presidential bids. "It's daunting for anybody. I think Mrs. Clinton and Obama can do it, but I have real questions if any one else can do it."

He said Edwards could become a contender if he continues to hold the lead in Iowa. "If he can surprise people in Iowa, then it becomes a three-way race," Elmendorf said.

Edwards' campaign plans include an aggressive fundraising effort to prove that he belongs in the top tier. Because he currently does not hold federal office, Edwards does not have a war chest like some of his rivals. In fact, he has several hundred thousands of dollars of debt from his 2004 presidential campaign.

posted December 18, 2006 05:34 PM            

The former House speaker from Georgia said it would not be too late for him to enter the race after next Labor Day, if he believed no candidate had a clear advantage. He praised Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, Sen. John McCain (news, bio, voting record) of Arizona and former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani as the contenders to watch.

"If one of them seals it off by Labor Day, my announcing now wouldn't make any difference anyway," Gingrich said. "If none of the three, having from now 'til Labor Day, can seal it off, the first real vote is in 2008. And there's plenty of time in the age of television and e-mail, between Labor Day and 2008."

The nominee will not be picked officially until the Republican National Convention in St. Paul, Minn., in early September 2008.

Gingrich pointed out that John F. Kennedy and Ronald Reagan each waited to announce his candidacy until less than a year was left before the election. Kennedy confirmed he was running on Jan. 2, 1960; Reagan did so for the first time on Nov. 20, 1975, when he did not win the nomination, again on Nov. 13, 1979, and Jan. 29, 1984 — when he did capture the White House.

"Of course I'm thinking about it," Gingrich said. "I hope between now and September, to help create with every candidate in both parties, a wave of new ideas, a wave of new solutions."

Gingrich said that in early January he will write the heads of the state Democratic and Republican parties in Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina, where there are early nominating contests, to recommend they hold bipartisan debates and other forums.

On the Democratic side, Sen. Edward Kennedy (news, bio, voting record) reaffirmed on Sunday that he would support fellow Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry, the 2004 Democratic presidential nominee, if Kerry were to run again in 2008.

"John is going to make his mind up in these very next few weeks, and I have every intention of supporting him," Kennedy said. "I think of what a difference John Kerry would be if he were president of the United States of America. We'd be a vastly different country. And I think John Kerry — people underestimate him. They underestimated (him) the last time. I think he's a strong candidate."

Kerry would have to overcome early front-runners, Sens. Hillary Clinton of New York and Barack Obama of Illinois, neither of whom is an announced candidate. Kerry's 2004 running mate, John Edwards, is getting in the race.

Connecticut Sen. Chris Dodd, another likely Democratic presidential hopeful, said Sunday he was undeterred by the early strength shown by Clinton and Obama.

"This is only 2006," Dodd said on a conference call from Iraq, where he was visiting government leaders and troops from his state.

Gingrich appeared on "Meet The Press" on NBC. Kennedy was on "Fox News Sunday."

___

Associated Press writer Beth Fouhy in New York contributed to this report.