Obama, Clinton Release Statement on Roll Call Vote at the DNC

Senator Clinton's supporters will receive an opportunity to cast a vote in her favor at the Democratic National Convention. The symbolic move, in the form of a roll call vote of the states, was announced by Senators Clinton and Obama released a joint statement today:

Since June, Senators Obama and Clinton have been working together to ensure a Democratic victory this November. They are both committed to winning back the White House and to to ensuring that the voices of all 35 million people who participated in this historic primary election are respected and heard in Denver. To honor and celebrate these voices and votes, both Senator Obama's and Senator Clinton's names will be placed in nomination.

"I am convinced that honoring Senator Clinton's historic campaign in this way will help us celebrate this defining moment in our history and bring the party together in a strong united fashion," said Senator Barack Obama.

Senator Obama's campaign encouraged Senator Clinton's name to be placed in nomination as a show of unity and in recognition of the historic race she ran and the fact that she was the first woman to compete in all of our nation's primary contests.

"With every voice heard and the Party strongly united, we will elect Senator Obama President of the United States and put our nation on the path to peace and prosperity once again," said Senator Hillary Clinton.

Senator Obama and Senator Clinton are looking forward to a convention unified behind Barack Obama as the Party's nominee and to victory this fall for America.

By Staff Reporter of the Sun | Thu, 14 Aug 2008 at 1:00 PM | Permalink

Eli Lake and Matthew Lee on bloggingheads.tv

Eli Lake and Matthew Lee discuss the international criminal court, international law and the international system.

By Eli Lake | Mon, 4 Aug 2008 at 4:36 PM | Permalink

Eli Lake on bloggingheads.tv

Eli Lake and the New Republic's Peter Scoblic discuss whether Ronald Reagan had anything to do with the collapse of the Soviet Union and whether international law can protect the civilized world from nuclear terrorism.

By Eli Lake | Wed, 30 Jul 2008 at 12:31 PM | Permalink

Church-State Separatists Disappointed, Not Panicked, Over Obama Plan

A wave of concern spread among activists for church-state separation this morning as reports circulated that Senator Obama was planning to announce a faith-based initiative that would permit faith-related groups to fire and hire on the basis of religion while operating government-funded programs. However, Mr. Obama's actual pronouncement was less alarming to critics of the Bush Administration's faith-based policy, as the presumptive Democratic nominee made clear that non-discrimination rules would follow tax money and religious groups couldlimit hiring to their own faithful only on privately-funded programs.

"There was a bit of panic around here when the first reports came in," a spokeman for Americans United for Separation of Church and State, Robert Boston, said. However, the panic has subsided as it became clear Mr. Obama did not intend to allow religious-based discrimination with taxpayer money. "It's not full-blown like we first thought," Mr. Boston said.

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By Josh Gerstein | Tue, 1 Jul 2008 at 2:41 PM | Permalink

Obama and White Men: Where's the Gap?

Just watched a discussion on MSNBC where Andrea Mitchell and Jay Carney of Time were talking about the nasty rumors about Senator Obama and his wife on the Internets. Like the old should-this-be-an-issue-to-discuss-in-the-press Nightline shows, the segment managed to air the rumors while condemning them as unfounded (and condemning others for airing them).

Ms. Mitchell went on to suggest that the rumors were contributing to a "resistance" that has Senator Obama 20% behind Senator McCain among white men in the latest NBC/WSJ poll. Mr. McCain is at 55%; Mr. Obama at 35%. But that gap is actually less than what one would expect based on recent history.

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By Josh Gerstein | Thu, 12 Jun 2008 at 1:50 PM | Permalink

Report: Clinton To End Campaign Friday

Last night Senator Clinton told her supporters it was not yet time to make a decision about the future of her campaign. But tonight, ABC News is reporting that the former first lady's road to the Democratic nomination ends Friday.

"ABC News has learned Sen. Hillary Clinton told supporters on a conference call Wednesday that she will appear alongside her supporters on Friday, Democratic sources tell ABC News' Kate Snow," the network reports. "All indications are that Clinton will concede her presidential race there, two Democratic sources tell ABC News' Kate Snow."

It's a thin reed to stand on, but at least one additional political news outlet is claiming to have confirmed ABC's rumor.

"A senior source in Clinton's camp said she'll drop out of the race for the White House on Friday, confirming an ABC News report," the Politico's Ben Smith says.

A third campaign beat reporter's take on the report seemed less certain that Friday would be it for Mrs. Clinton.

"[Clinton] is moving to suspend her campaign and endorse Senator Barack Obama on Friday after Democratic members of Congress urged her Wednesday to leave the race and allow the party to coalesce around Mr. Obama, according to a senior adviser to Mrs. Clinton," the New York Times' Adam Nagourney wrote in a blog post.

By Josh Gerstein | Wed, 4 Jun 2008 at 7:11 PM | Permalink

President Carter Throws His Support to Obama

There are two living Democrats who once served as president, and one of them, Jimmy Carter, is ready to endorse Senator Obama. The Associated Press reported the news this evening.

"The fact is the Obama people already know they have my vote when the polls close tonight," the AP reported President Carter as saying today at Atlanta.

Mr. Carter, of course, is a superdelegate, which adds another to Mr. Obama's column.

By Josh Gerstein | Tue, 3 Jun 2008 at 7:15 PM | Permalink

Obama: America's First Jewish President

Bill Clinton was America's first black president. Or so we thought. Until recently, John Edwards was running to be America's first woman president. Now, shocking word that Barack Obama may be in line to be America's first Jewish president.

Discussing his affinity for Israel, Senator Obama tells the Atlantic magazine, "I've got it in the gut." He describes his own thought process as agonized (dare we say neurotic?) in a way that some might view as quintessentially Jewish. And he professes an "enormous emotional attachment and sympathy for Israel" that would make an Aipac board member jealous.

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By Josh Gerstein | Mon, 12 May 2008 at 9:21 PM | Permalink

GOP Official: Wright Will Not Be Used In Ads

With a rebuke of state party officials for using Senator Obama's former pastor in a television ad, the Republican National Committee and the McCain campaign are beginning to define what will be fair game in a general election match-up with the Illinois senator.

A Republican official involved in party strategy told The New York Sun this morning that the party does not expect to use Rev. Wright in ads against Mr. Obama this fall if he wins the Democratic nomination. "I don't foresee a case where we would be using that," said the official, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss strategy.
Whether that prohibition would also extend to a former member of the Weather Underground, William Ayers, who has been linked to Mr. Obama, is another question.

While Mr. McCain has largely stayed away from commenting on Rev. Wright, he criticized Mr. Obama over his association with Mr. Ayers, who hosted an event for Mr. Obama and donated to his campaign for the state Senate in Illinois. Mr. McCain called Mr. Ayers "an unrepentant terrorist."

The issue has come up after the North Carolina Republican Party released an ad this morning that shows clips of the former pastor, Rev. Jeremiah Wright, and says that Mr. Obama is "too extreme" for voters in the state. The ad is aimed at undercutting two Democratic gubernatorial candidates by tying them to Mr. Obama and Rev. Wright.

The McCain campaign just released a letter from the Arizona senator to the chairwoman of the state GOP, Linda Daves, in which he urges her not to run what he calls an "offensive" ad. "The television advertisement you are planning to air degrades our civics and distracts us from the very real differences we have with the Democrats," Mr. McCain writes. "In the strongest terms, I implore you to not run this advertisement."
A spokesman for Mr. McCain would not comment on the campaign's plans for general election advertising beyond the candidate's words in the letter.

The chairman of the Republican National Committee, Robert Duncan, also contacted Ms. Daves this morning with the same message.

By Russell Berman | Wed, 23 Apr 2008 at 12:29 PM | Permalink

Faux 'Nazi Skinheads for McCain' Group Registers with IRS

A political group registered last week with the Internal Revenue Service, "Nazi Skinheads for McCain 2008," is aimed at skewering the presumptive Republican nominee, not backing him, an organizer said yesterday.

"I'm not a Nazi skinhead. I'm not a McCain supporter, either," an unemployed software designer from Jacksonville, Fla., Kier O'Neil told The New York Sun Tuesday. "I'm kind of a disaffected Republican. I would rather have pretty much anybody in office than to have a Republican back in office."

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By Josh Gerstein | Tue, 22 Apr 2008 at 9:21 PM | Permalink

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