"Putting Country First"--John McCain

45 Years Later: What Would Martin Say?---WILLIAM HOSTON

The Katrina Files: Part 1

Recently, Rush Limbaugh made the following comments about the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, “I want to know. I look at Iowa, I look at Illinois—I want to see the murders. I want to see the looting. I want to see all the stuff that happened in New Orleans. I see devastation in Iowa and Illinois that dwarfs what happened in New Orleans. I see people working together. I see people trying to save their property…I don’t see a bunch of people running around waving guns at helicopters, I don’t see a bunch of people running shooting cops. I don’t see a bunch of people raping people on the street. I don’t see a bunch of people doing everything they can…whining and moaning—where’s FEMA, where’s BUSH. I see the heartland of America. When I look at Iowa and when I look at Illinois, I see the backbone of America.”

Senator Clinton Wants A "Hand-Out".

“Sen. Barack Obama has asked members of his National Finance Committee to help former rival Sen. Hillary Clinton retire the debt from her failed presidential campaign. Obama and Clinton ran a protracted race for the Democratic presidential nomination that left Clinton with a campaign debt of more than $22 million when she bowed out this month.Obama asked [the members] to contribute to Clinton’s campaign if they were so inclined, but he did not direct them to do so.”

Obama Says Republicans Will Use Race To Stoke Fear (No S*&T!)

Democratic presidential contender Barack Obama said on Friday he expects Republicans to highlight the fact that he is black as part of an effort to make voters afraid of him.

"It is going to be very difficult for Republicans to run on their stewardship of the economy or their outstanding foreign policy," Obama told a fundraiser in Jacksonville, Florida. "We know what kind of campaign they're going to run. They're going to try to make you afraid.

"They're going to try to make you afraid of me. He's young and inexperienced and he's got a funny name. And did I mention he's black?"

He said he was also set for Republicans to say "he's got a feisty wife," in trying to attack his wife Michelle.

"We know the strategy because they've already shown their cards. Ultimately I think the American people recognize that old stuff hasn't moved us forward. That old stuff just divides us," he said.

McCain Says Yes to Public Financing.

Senator John McCain has decided to accept public financing for his campaign, while Democrat rival, Senator Barack Obama, has decided to opt out of the system. “We will take public financing,” Senator McCain told reporters aboard his campaign bus on Thursday, June 19. Asked what his thinking was, he simply said, “Because we decided to take public financing.”

The McCain campaign has long struggled to raise money, and was out-raised by several of his Republican rivals in the primary and vastly out-raised by Senator Obama. The McCain campaign hoped that by accepting public financing – which will yield it more $84.1 million – and relying on the deep-pockets of the Republican National Committee, it will be able to stay competitive with Senator Obama.

Obama Declines Public Financing.

MoveOn, AFSCME hit McCain hard

Button For Obama

On Sale at the Texas GOP convention. The speakers were generally respectful of Obama, the Dallas Morning News reports, but this is the sort of stuff that the RNC has been warning state parties about for months.

June 16, 1971-September 13, 1996: Happy Birthday 2Pac.

R.I.P. Tim Russert

Politicians who had faced Russert on Meet the Press had these things to say about him. President Bush praised him as "a tough and hardworking newsman. He was always well-informed and thorough in his interviews. And he was as gregarious off the set as he was prepared on it." Former President Bill Clinton and Senator Hillary Clinton released a joint statement saying: "Tim had a love of public service and a dedication to journalism that rightfully earned him the respect and admiration of not only his colleagues but also those of us who had the privilege to go toe to toe with him." Senator John McCain said: "Tim Russert was at the top of his profession. He was a man of honesty and integrity. He was hard, but he was always fair." Senator Barack Obama said: "I've known Tim Russert since I first spoke to the convention in 2004. He was somebody who over time I came to consider not only a journalist but a friend. There wasn't a better interviewer in television nor a more thoughtful analyst of our politics, and he was also one of the finest men I knew."

Do you think candidate age will be a deciding factor in the U.S. presidential election?

Should the Torture of Detainees Be Condoned?

An Assassination On The Image of Barack Obama: Freedom of Expression or Racism?!

"44" ---WILLIAM HOSTON

The Rising Price of Gasoline.

Gasoline prices hit a record mark on June 8, as the national average reached $4 a gallon for the first time. The national average for regular unleaded rose 1.7 cents to $4.005. This surpassed the previous record of $3.989 set earlier in the week. What is the deal with the rising prices of gasoline?

Barack Obama Democratic Nomination Victory Speech