HavenWorks.com/north-carolina North Carolina News

US: NY<NC>ND

A-B-C-D-E-F-G-H-I-J-K-L-M-N-O-P-Q-R-S-T-U-V-W-X-Y-Z

North Carolina News, North Carolina State News, North Carolina capital: Raleigh, NC News

OBAMA'08! Contribute +Volunteer +Organize
NORTH CAROLINA: Events +Join/ACT +Action +Map

HavenWorks

Georgia

S. Carolina

Tennessee

Virginia

US States
North Carolina capital: Raleigh

US Capitals
NC: North Carolina

State Abbr.
North Carolina state is bordered by the states of South Carolina, Georgia (south), Tennessee (west), and Virginia (north).

North Carolina state also borders the Atlantic Ocean (east).

USS-Monitor

~~~~~~~~~~~~!

North Carolina

NORTH CAROLINA News:

20080804

US_Debt

Government

Money

Countrywide Financial Corporation

Real Estate

North Carolina

New York

United Kingdom

"Fewest Treasury Traders Since 1960 Hit Taxpayers (Update4)." ... "For the first time since 1960, when it created the network of securities firms obligated to buy and sell Treasury bonds, the U.S. government has the fewest bond traders making markets in its debt and a bigger burden for American taxpayers financing record federal deficits." ... "The number of so-called primary government securities dealers declined to 19 last month when Bank of America Corp., based in Charlotte, North Carolina, acquired the troubled Countrywide Financial Corp. The sale was the climax of dozens of bank failures, triggered by the biggest decline in residential real estate since the Great Depression and the seizing up of credit markets from New York to London [United Kingdom's capital]. The Federal Reserve Bank of New York, the agent of the U.S. Treasury, plans to shrink the dealers again when JPMorgan Chase & Co. completes its takeover of Bear Stearns Cos." ... "The paucity of primary dealers coincides with the largest borrowing requirement in American history and the acknowledgment by the administration of [Republican] President George W. Bush that the U.S. will finance a budget deficit totaling a record $482 billion next year. When the dealer system began 48 years ago with 18 firms, the U.S. had a $300 million surplus. The group has shrunk from a peak of 46 in 1988. " -By Sandra Hernandez

-Bloomberg

20080729

Homes

Nevada

Florida

Phoenix

Arizona

Los Angeles

San Diego

San Francisco

California

Florida

Michigan

Minnesota

Illinois

Ohio

Georgia

New York

Seattle

Washington

Massachusetts

Portland

Oregon

Colorado

Texas

North Carolina

"Home prices down 15.8% in past year, S&P says: Seven of 20 cities tally monthly price gains in May, Case-Shiller data show." ... "Prices in 10 cities fell 16.9% in the past year." ... "Prices thus are at the same levels as they were in the summer of 2004, which means four years of appreciation have been effectively wiped out. Prices are down 18.4% from peak levels seen two years ago." ... "Here's a list of the 20 cities in the Case-Shiller index with the annual decline through May: Las Vegas [Nevada], down 28.4%; Miami [Florida], down 28.3%; Phoenix [Arizona], down 26.5%; Los Angeles [California], down 24.5%; San Diego [California], down 23.2%; San Francisco [California], down 22.9%; Tampa [Florida], down 20.2%; Detroit [Michigan], down 17.4%; Washington [DC], down 15.4%; Minneapolis [Minnesota], down 14.8%; Chicago [Illinois], down 9.4%; Cleveland [Ohio], down 8%; Atlanta [Georgia], and New York [City, New York], both down 7.9%; Seattle [Washington], down 6.3%; Boston [Massachusetts], down 6.2%; Portland [Oregon], down 5.2%; Denver [Colorado], down 4.8%; Dallas [Texas], down 3.1%; and Charlotte, N.C. [North Carolina], down 0.2%." -By Rex Nutting

-MarketWatch

20080622

Blackwater

Corporate

Military

Federal

Crime

North Carolina

"Blackwater using cache of AK-47s: Rifles given to sheriff in deal that skirts law." ... "The private military company Blackwater [owned by Erik Prince] has found an unusual way to skirt federal laws that prohibit private parties from buying automatic weapons. Blackwater bought 17 Romanian AK-47s and 17 Bushmasters, gave ownership of the guns to the Camden County [North Carolina] sheriff and keeps most of the guns at Blackwater's armory in Moyock [North Carolina]." ... "Tiny Camden County -- population 9,271 -- is one of the most peaceful in North Carolina. In the last 10 years, there have been two murders, three robberies and seven rapes reported. The sheriff has just 19 deputies." ... "Sheriff Tony Perry said his department has never used the 17 AK-47s outside of shooting practice at Blackwater. None of his 19 deputies are qualified to use the AK-47s, Perry said, and his department's need for automatic weapons is "very minimal."" ... "In the summer of 2005, Blackwater CEO Gary Jackson signed two agreements with [Major] Maj. Jon Worthington of the Sheriff's Office. Worthington has worked as a firearms instructor for Blackwater." ... ""Blackwater has financed the purchase of 17 Romanian AK-47 rifles for the Camden County Sheriff's Office for use by Sheriff's Office," the agreement says. "The Camden County Sheriff's Office will have unlimited access to these rifles for training and qualification, and state of emergency use." Worthington and Jackson also signed an agreement for the purchase of 17 Bushmaster XM15 E2S automatic rifles." ... "Why did Blackwater strike this deal with the Camden County sheriff?" ... ""Because they needed guns, I imagine," Jackson said." ... "Under federal law, it is illegal for a person to receive or possess an automatic weapon that is not registered to that person in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record." -By Joseph Neff

-NewsObserver.com

20080608

Barack Obama

John McCain

Hillary Clinton

2008 Election

North Carolina

Missouri

Montana

Virginia

Illinois

Arizona

New York

Economy

History

Gasoline

Unemployment

"Obama Maps a Nationwide Push in G.O.P. Strongholds." ... "[2008 Election Democratic Presidential Candidate and Illinois] Senator Barack Obama’s general election plan calls for broadening the electoral map by challenging [2008 Election Republican Presidential Candidate and Arizona] Senator John McCain in typically Republican states — from North Carolina to Missouri to Montana — as Mr. Obama seeks to take advantage of voter turnout operations built in nearly 50 states in the long Democratic nomination battle, aides said." ... "On Monday, Mr. Obama will travel to North Carolina — a state that has not voted for a Democratic presidential candidate in 32 years — to start a two-week tour of speeches, town hall forums and other appearances intended to highlight differences with Mr. McCain on the economy. From there, he heads to Missouri, which last voted for a Democrat in 1996. His first campaign swing after securing the Democratic presidential nomination last week was to Virginia, which last voted Democratic in 1964." ... "With [New York] Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton now having formally bowed out of the race and thrown her backing to him, Mr. Obama wants to define the faltering economy as the paramount issue facing the country, a task probably made easier by ever-rising gasoline prices and the sharp rise in unemployment the government reported on Friday." (1, 2) -By Adam Nagourney and Jeff Zeleny with contributions by Jim Rutenberg

-NYTimes

20080527

Home - Prices - Nevada - Florida - Phoenix - Arizona - NC - "S&P: US home prices tumble a record 14.1 pct in 1Q." ... "Standard & Poor's/Case-Shiller said its national home price index fell 14.1 percent in the first quarter compared with a year earlier, the lowest since its inception in 1988." ... "However, the index is still up 60 percent versus 2000." ... "Nineteen of the 20 metro areas reported annual declines, with 15 of them posting record lows. Six metro areas lost more than 20 percent." ... "Las Vegas [Nevada] had the worst performance in March, falling 25.9 percent from a year earlier, followed by Miami [Florida] and Phoenix [Arizona]. Only Charlotte, N.C. [North Carolina], stayed above water, gaining less than 1 percent over the previous year." -By J.W. Elphinstone -AP via -SFGate.com

20080514

John Edwards - Barack Obama - 2008 Election - North Carolina - Illinois - Michigan - Clinton - "Edwards Endorses Obama." ... "John Edwards, the former senator from North Carolina who bowed out of the [2008 Election] presidential race in January, endorsed [2008 Election Democratic Presidential Candidate and Illinois] Senator Barack Obama at a rally here tonight." ... "“The reason I am here tonight is because the Democratic voters in America have made their choice, and so have I,” Mr. Edwards said. " ... [WATCH: John Edwards: "There is one man who knows and understands that this is the time for bold leadership. There is one man that knows how to create the change, the lasting change, that you have to build from the ground up. There is one man who knows in his heart that it is time to create one America, not two, and that man is Barack Obama."]

Edwards Obama

[NYTimes photo]

"Officials announced the news of Mr. Edwards’s endorsement shortly after Mr. Obama landed here [in Michigan] late this afternoon." ... "Mr. Edwards began by paying tribute to [2008 Election Democratic Presidential Candidate Hillary] Mrs. Clinton. “It is very, very hard to get up every day and do what she’s done,” Mr. Edwards Mrs. Clinton. “It is hard to go out there and fight and speak up when the odds turn against you. What she has shown is strength and character.”" ... "He said Mrs. Clinton is a “woman who is made of steel. She is a leader in this country not because of her husband but because of what she has done.”" -By Jim Rutenberg and Julie Bosman with contributions by Jeff Zeleny

-NYTimes

WATCH full video: "John Edwards Endorses Barack Obama."

20080508

Barack Obama - John McCain - 2008 Election - Military - Terrorism - Israel - Palestine - Iraq - Pakistan - US - Indiana - North Carolina - "Obama: McCain is 'losing his bearings'." ... "[2008 Election Democratic Presidential Candidate] Barack Obama chastised [2008 Election Republican Presidential Candidate] John McCain Thursday for engaging in “smear” politics, and defended himself from critics who question whether he is capable of being commander-in-chief, during a wide-ranging interview with CNN’s Wolf Blitzer — his first sit-down since the Indiana and North Carolina primaries." ... "“This is offensive, and I think it's disappointing,” Obama told Blitzer, when asked his thoughts about McCain’s comments that the terrorist organization Hamas wants Obama to be president. “Because John McCain always says ‘I am not going to run that kind of politics,’ and to engage in that kind of smear is unfortunate, particularly because my policy toward Hamas has been no different than his." ... "“I’ve said it’s a terrorist organization and we should not negotiate with them unless they recognize Israel, renounce violence, and unless they are willing to abide by previous accords between the Palestinians and the Israelis. So for him to toss out comments like that I think is an example of him losing his bearings as he pursues this nomination. We don’t need name calling in this debate.”" ... "(Related: Obama: World wants to see U.S. lead)" ... "On the topic of national security, Obama said that the American people are looking for a leader with “good judgment” — a trait the Democratic presidential hopeful said he possessed." ... "“Whether it’s my judgment on Iraq and recognizing that that was going to be a strategic blunder, to my insistence that we need to talk not just to countries we like, but countries we don’t, to my assessment in terms of how we had over-invested in the Musharraf government in Pakistan and that was going to be setting us up for failure later on,” Obama said. “I think I’ve consistently displayed the kind of judgment that the American people are looking for in the next president.”" -By Mark Preston and Alexander Mooney -CNN

20080503

Barack Obama - Hillary Clinton - Gas - Politics - 2008 Election - New York - Illinois - Indiana - North Carolina - US - Guam - "Obama rips Clinton's gas tax plan." ... "Broadening his attack, [2008 Election Democratic Presidential Candidate and Illinois Senator] Sen. Barack Obama said Saturday that [2008 Election Democratic Presidential Candidate and New York Senator] Sen. Hillary Clinton's support for a summertime break from the federal gasoline tax symbolizes a candidacy consisting of "phony ideas, calculated to win elections instead of actually solving problems."" ... "Locked in a Democratic presidential race for the ages, Clinton and Obama campaigned across Indiana and North Carolina at the same time they competed in Guam's caucuses and added to their convention delegate totals in several states." ... "In all, four delegates were at stake in Guam half a world away from the U.S. [United States] mainland. But given the closeness of the race, both candidates made an effort to win." -CNN
People - Health - Environment - Trees - Global - Earth - Science - Politics - Book - North Carolina - "Caring for planet increasingly tied to faith groups." ... "Abraham sits at the oaks. Deborah holds court under a palm tree. Moses speaks to a bush." ... ""I would say connecting this to the Bible is important for some people," said Dr. Matthew Sleeth, a former hospital chief of staff who couldn't shake the faces of patients with seemingly increasing environment-related illnesses. So he quit his job, gave away half his belongings and began spreading the word on the urgency of people paying more attention to the environment." ... "Pointing out the symbolism of trees in Scripture has helped Sleeth link faith with personal responsibility. His book, "Serve God and Save the Planet: A Christian Call to Action," is in its seventh printing. Sleeth also has a prominent role in the publication of an upcoming "green Bible."" ... ""The change has come when people who are strong in their faith, who might be against it," Sleeth says of the deterioration of the Earth, "then go look at the Bible with this in mind and they see a different story."" ... "The statewide faith and environment conference that Sleeth will co-headline at Catawba College in Salisbury [North Carolina] this month grew out of a meeting among Greensboro [North Carolina] houses of worship at Holy Trinity Episcopal Church. Participants tried to broaden the conversation between the scientific and faith-based communities." ... ""When people realize that there is this direct tie between our own faith and being good stewards of this Earth," said John Wear, founding director of Catawba's Center for the Environment, "then it gives them a purpose that didn't exist before."" -By Nancy McLaughlin -News-Record.com
CenterForTheEnvironment.org

20080430

Clinton - McCain - Obama - Infrastructure - Auto - Transportation - North Carolina - 2008 Election - Oil - Companies - Politics - "Clinton-McCain gas tax holiday slammed as bad idea." ... "The [gas] tax is used to fund the Highway Trust Fund that builds and maintains roads and bridges." ... "Economists said that since refineries cannot increase their supply of gasoline in the space of a few summer months, lower prices will just boost demand and the benefits will flow to oil companies, not consumers." ... ""You are just going to push up the price of gas by almost the size of the tax cut," said Eric Toder, a senior fellow at the Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center in Washington." ... "[2008 Election Democratic Presidential Candidate Barack] Obama criticized the plan as pure politics and said the only way to lower the price of gas is to use less oil." ... ""It would last for three months and it would save you on average half a tank of gas, $25 to $30. That's what Senator Clinton and Senator McCain are proposing to deal with the gas crisis," he said on Tuesday in Winston-Salem, North Carolina." ... ""This isn't an idea designed to get you through the summer, it's an idea designed to get them through an election."" (1, 2, 3) -By Alister Bull with contributions by Bill Trott -Reuters

20080429

Military - NC - US - Afghanistan - Worldwide - "Army widens probe after finding bad conditions at Fort Bragg." ... "Army officials said Tuesday they are inspecting every barracks building worldwide to see whether plumbing and other problems revealed at Fort Bragg, N.C. [North Carolina], last week are widespread." ... "[Brigadier General] Brig. Gen. Dennis Rogers, who is responsible for maintaining barracks throughout the Army, told reporters at the Pentagon that most inspections were done last weekend but he had not seen final results." ... "Rogers said it was too soon to know whether the Fort Bragg problem was an isolated incident. He acknowledged the revelations from a video shot by the father of an 82nd Airborne Division soldier showing poor conditions such as mold inside the barracks, peeling interior paint and a bathroom drain plugged with sewage." ... "The soldier's father, Ed Frawley, said he was disgusted by the conditions that greeted his son and the rest of his 82nd Airborne unit that returned on April 7-8 after a 15-month tour of duty in Afghanistan." -By Robert Burns -AP via -SeattleTimes
Military - North Carolina - "Dad: 'Good things are happening' after Fort Bragg video." ... "A man who posted a video online showing deplorable conditions in his son's barracks at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, said Tuesday that "good things are happening" regarding repairs." ... "Edward Frawley's 10-minute video shows still photos from throughout the barracks, which include shots of mold and rust in several areas. The video is posted on the popular file-sharing site YouTube and Frawley's business Web site." ... "Paint, which Frawley says is lead-based, is chipping off. Ceiling tiles are missing. A broken drain pipe allows sewer gas into the building, while another one has tissues stuffed into it in an apparent effort to stop the gas from coming in." ... "Photos from the communal bathroom show some of the most disturbing images. In one, a soldier stands in a sink to avoid what Frawley says is 3 inches of sewage that covered the floor when toilets overflowed." ... "At times, "sewage water backs up into the sinks in the lower floors of these barracks," Frawley says in his narration." -
WATCH: "Barracks for Charlie CO 2/508 82n Airborne" [Fort Bragg, North Carolina]
Barack Obama - Hillary Clinton - Accounting - Indiana - North Carolina - Illinois - New York - Colorado - 2008 Election - "Obama Heads for Superdelegate Edge." ... "The 795 superdelegates, who can vote for any nominee, fall into one of two groups -- the elected and the unelected." ... "The elected are the party's 28 governors, 234 House members, 49 senators and assorted big-city mayors and state officeholders." ... "The nonelected superdelegates are the more than 400 national and state party officers of the Democratic National Committee." ... "Among elected officials, [2008 Election Democratic Presidential Candidate and Illinois Senator Barack] Sen. Obama leads in endorsements from governors and senators. He is behind among House members by one, but both camps expect him to pull ahead unless he does badly in next Tuesday's Indiana and North Carolina primaries. If he doesn't stumble, enough elected Democrats are expected to back Sen. Obama after the last primaries June 3 to give him the delegate majority needed for nomination." ... "[2008 Election Democratic Presidential Candidate and New York Senator Hillary] Sen. Clinton still leads in endorsements from nonelected officials. Many have known her and former [Democratic] President Clinton since the couple's White House years, or worked for them then." ... "About 300 of the 795 superdelegates remain uncommitted; they don't have to endorse anyone until [August] Aug. 27 at the Democrats' Denver [Colorado] convention." -By Jackie Calmes -WSJ.com

20080401

Girls - Fashion - Politics - Companies- North Carolina - Students - Faith - "Modesty is the new black for girls tired of racy clothes: Teen groups teach the value of covering up." ... "In Charlotte [North Carolina] and across the country, young girls, their mothers and even clothing companies are covering up." ... "Teens and parents fighting over what is appropriate is nothing new. But now, girl-centric groups are working to arm girls with the awareness and self-confidence to say no to the sexy." ... "And in Charlotte, more than 65 high-school students are participating in Pure Fashion, an international faith-based program that recognizes "true beauty."" ... "It was started in 1999 by a lay Catholic group, and has chapters in more than 25 cities, including Raleigh [North Carolina's capital]." -By Rachel Sutherland -Charlotte.com

20080328

John Edwards - Barack Obama - Hillary Clinton - Poverty - Health Care - Economics - Politics - North Carolina - 2008 Election - "Who’ll Stop the Pain?" ... "In the days after [former 2008 Election Democratic Presidential Candidate] John Edwards’s withdrawal from the Democratic race, the political world expected his endorsement of [2008 Election Democratic Presidential Candidate] Barack Obama would be forthcoming tout de suite." ... "But now two months have passed since Edwards dropped out—tempus fugit!—and still no endorsement. Why? According to a Democratic strategist unaligned with any campaign but with knowledge of the situation gleaned from all three camps, the answer is simple: Obama blew it. Speaking to Edwards on the day he exited the race, Obama came across as glib and aloof. His response to Edwards’s imprecations that he make poverty a central part of his agenda was shallow, perfunctory, pat. [2008 Election Democratic Presidential Candidate Hillary] Clinton, by contrast, engaged Edwards in a lengthy policy discussion. Her affect was solicitous and respectful. When Clinton met Edwards face-to-face in North Carolina ten days later, her approach continued to impress; she even made headway with Elizabeth [Edwards, John Edwards's wife]. Whereas in his Edwards sit-down, Obama dug himself in deeper, getting into a fight with Elizabeth about health care, insisting that his plan is universal (a position she considers a crock), high-handedly criticizing Clinton’s plan (and by extension Edwards’s) for its insurance mandate." -By John Heilemann -NYMag.com
Barack Obama - Hillary Clinton - John McCain - Homeowners - Financial - Law - Government - Energy - Telecommunications - Illinois - North Carolina - 2008 Election - "Obama Casts Wide Blame for Financial Crisis and Proposes Homeowner Aid." ... "[2008 Election Democratic Presidential Candidate and Illinois] Senator Barack Obama called Thursday for tighter regulation of mortgage lenders, banks and financial houses, even as he spoke of pumping $30 billion into the economy to shield homeowners and local governments from the worst effects of the collapse of the housing bubble." ... "Mr. Obama laid much of the blame for the crisis on lobbyists and politicians who dismantled the regulatory framework governing the energy, telecommunications and financial services sectors." ... "“Under Republican and Democratic administrations, we failed to guard against practices that all too often rewarded financial manipulation instead of productivity and sound business practices,” Mr. Obama said. “The result has been a distorted market that creates bubbles instead of steady sustainable growth, a market that favors Wall Street over Main Street but ends up hurting both.”" ... "“Instead of establishing a 21st-century regulatory framework, we simply dismantled the old one,” he said, “aided by a legal but corrupt bargain in which campaign money all too often shaped policy and watered down oversight.”" ... "[2008 Election Democratic Presidential Candidate Hillary Clinton:] “We’ve had enough of a president who didn’t know enough about economics and didn’t do enough for the American middle class,” Mrs. Clinton said in Raleigh [North Carolina's capital]. Referring to [2008 Election Republican Presidential Candidate John] Mr. McCain, she added, “I don’t think we can afford four more years of that kind of inaction.”" ... "Mr. McCain “recently admitted, ‘The issue of economics is not something I’ve understood as well as I should,’ ” Mrs. Clinton said. “And it turns out he’d rather ignore the credit crisis and mortgage crisis — or blame middle-class families instead of offering solutions on their behalf.”" -By Michael Powell and Jeff Zeleny -NYTimes

20080327

Hillary Clinton - John McCain - 2008 Election - North Carolina - "Clinton tells Democrats: Don't vote for McCain." ... "[2008 Election Democratic Presidential Candidate] Hillary Clinton pleaded for partisan unity on Thursday, urging Democrats not to abandon their party to vote for [2008 Election Republican Presidential Candidate] John McCain if their preferred candidate fails to secure the nomination." ... "Clinton was asked by a questioner in the audience here [Fayetteville, North Carolina] what she would tell frustrated Democrats who might consider voting for McCain in the general election out of spite." ... "“Please think through this decision,” Clinton said, laughing and emphasizing the word “please.”" ... "“It is not a wise decision for yourself or your country.”" -By Peter Hamby -CNN

20080325

Home-Prices - History - Seattle - Washington - Portland - Ore - Nevada - Florida - Phoenix - Arizona - San Diego - California - Michigan - NC - "U.S. home prices fall 10.7% in January, Seattle's drop 1.3%." ... "U.S. [United States] home prices fell 10.7 percent in January from the same month last year, according to the Standard & Poor's/Case-Shiller home-price index of 20 cities, which saw the steepest decline in the two-decade history of the index." ... "Seattle[Washington]-area home prices were among the decliners, although the annual drop was a slight 1.3 percent. Only Portland, Ore. [Oregon], posted a smaller annual decline, 0.5 percent." ... "Worst hit were Las Vegas [Nevada] and Miami [Florida], both reporting 19.3 percent drops, as the regions are still paying the price for rampant speculation and overbuilding during the boom years. Those cities and 14 others — including Phoenix [Arizona], San Diego [California] and Detroit [Michigan] — posted record lows." ... "Only Charlotte, N.C. [North Carolina], squeaked by as a gainer in the Case-Shiller index, with a 1.8 percent increase in January compared with a year earlier." -By Vinnee Tong with contributions by Dan Caterinicchia -AP via -SeattleTimes

20080320

Barack Obama - John McCain - US - Iraq - Afghanistan - Pakistan - Military - Terrorism - Intelligence - Osama bin Laden - North Carolina - Illinois - Arizona - 2008 Election - "Obama says Iraq war has hurt U.S. security." ... "[2008 Election Democratic] Presidential hopeful Barack Obama traveled Wednesday to a community college near Ft. Bragg [North Carolina], home of the 82nd Airborne Division and the Army Special Operations Command, to argue that the Iraq war had opened a "security gap" for the United States." ... "Speaking on the fifth anniversary of the start of the Iraq war, the Illinois senator said it had emboldened enemies such as Iran and Al Qaeda while weakening U.S. support in the Middle East." ... "And Obama teased [2008 Election Republican Presidential Candidate] John McCain, a supporter of the war and the presumptive Republican nominee for president, for a mix-up Tuesday during a visit to the Middle East." ... ""Just yesterday, we heard [Arizona Senator] Sen. McCain confuse Sunni and Shia, Iran and Al Qaeda," Obama said. "Maybe that is why he voted to go to war with a country that had no Al Qaeda ties. Maybe that is why he completely fails to understand that the war in Iraq has done more to embolden America's enemies than any strategic choice that we have made in decades."" ... "Likewise, Obama targeted McCain's frequent vow that as president he would pursue Osama bin Laden "to the gates of hell." Obama argued that the promise was meaningless given McCain's focus on the conflict in Iraq rather than devoting greater military resources to Afghanistan and the Pakistani border regions, where Bin Laden is believed to be hiding." ... ""We have a security gap when candidates say they will follow Osama bin Laden to the gates of hell but refuse to follow him where he actually goes," Obama said." -By Mike Dorning -ChicagoTribune via -LAtimes

20080312

Barack Obama - Hillary Clinton - 2008 Election - Lawmakers - Illinois - New York - South Carolina - Mississippi - Georgia - Virginia - North Carolina - Tennessee - Alabama - North Dakota - South Dakota - Kentucky - West Virginia - "Eyeing Obama coattails." ... "Democratic lawmakers are becoming persuaded that [2008 Election Democratic Presidential Candidate and Illinois Senator] Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.[Democratic-Illinois]) would have a more positive impact on other Democrats on the November ballot than [2008 Election Democratic Presidential Candidate and New York Senator] Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.[Democratic-New York])." ... "Obama’s advantage over Clinton would be most pronounced in the Southern and Western states President Bush carried in 2000 and 2004, say lawmakers interviewed by The Hill. In total, 32 members of Congress from these “red states” have endorsed Obama. Twenty-two lawmakers from those states have backed Clinton." ... "Obama will “bring new people into the process in Southern states, there’s no question about it,” said Rep. James Clyburn, the House Democratic whip from South Carolina. “In these Southern states he’s bringing out more people, young people, African-Americans. They’re being energized by him.”" ... "Clyburn, who has stayed neutral in the primary, said Obama at the top of the ticket would “certainly” do more to help other Democratic candidates, citing South Carolina and Mississippi specifically." ... "Obama has picked up congressional endorsements from Georgia, Virginia, North Carolina, Tennessee, Alabama, North and South Dakota, Mississippi, Kentucky, and West Virginia. Clinton has not collected congressional endorsements from any of these states, according to a tally kept by The Hill." -By Alexander Bolton with contributions by Sam Youngman -TheHill.com

20080302

John McCain - John Hagee - Religious - Politician - Terrorism - Women - Arizona - Texas - North Carolina - John Edwards - 2008 Election - Media - "NY Times' standards for Catholic League's Donohue: Three articles for criticism of Edwards, two paragraphs for criticism of McCain." ... "Summary: The New York Times has devoted only two paragraphs and 102 words thus far to Catholic League president Bill Donohue's criticism of [2008 Election Republican Presidential Candidate and Arizona Senator] Sen. John McCain for his failure to repudiate the support of evangelist John Hagee, who has made statements Donohue considers anti-Catholic, and McCain's ensuing response. By comparison, the Times published three separate articles on Donohue's criticism of former [2008 Election Democratic Presidential Candidate and North Carolina Senator] Sen. John Edwards' presidential campaign for hiring two bloggers who Donohue contended were "anti-Catholic, vulgar, trash-talking bigots," and the Edwards campaign's subsequent reaction." ... "In its March 1 article on a new Clinton campaign ad, the Times reported:"

"On the Republican side, Mr. McCain defended his endorsement from the Rev. John C. Hagee, an evangelical pastor in Texas. On Thursday, the president of the Catholic League, Bill Donohue, released a statement calling on Mr. McCain to repudiate the endorsement for what Mr. Donohue said was Mr. Hagee's war on the Catholic Church in calling it the "anti-Christ" and "a false cult system."" ... "Mr. McCain responded that he was proud of Mr. Hagee's spiritual leadership and his commitment to Israel, and that "when he endorses me, it does not mean that I embrace everything that he stands for or believes in.""

"In addition to the comments about Catholicism highlighted by the Times, Hagee has also made controversial statements about homosexuality, Islam, and women. For instance, investigative journalist Sarah Posner reported in God's Profits: Faith, Fraud and the Republican Crusade for Values Voters (PoliPointPress, January 2008) that in his book What Every Man Wants in a Woman (Charisma House, 2005), Hagee wrote: "Do you know the difference between a woman with PMS and a snarling Doberman pinscher? The answer is lipstick. Do you know the difference between a terrorist and a woman with PMS? You can negotiate with a terrorist."

-MediaMatters.org

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

North Carolina Websites