McCain fears chaos, genocide

Americans’ energy concerns and the Iraq war were discussed by Republican presidential candidate Sen. John McCain in Virginia. McCain said that the United States must lower its dependence on foreign oil by increasing its domestic production. He also called for continued research on alternative energy sources. McCain restated his support for a gas tax holiday, a measure that would lower gasoline prices by temporarily removing its federal taxes.

To increase domestic production, McCain said that he will soon call for a lifting of a moratorium that prohibits states from exploring for oil and natural gas reserves offshore. He added that states with reserves should be given incentives to produce, saying that increasing the percentage of revenue states receive is one possible motivation. McCain called ANWR “pristine” and said the he opposes drilling for oil in a region that was set aside as a wildlife reserve.

McCain emphatically declared that the United States is winning the war in Iraq, saying that President Bush’s troop increases have brought greater stability to the country, reduced Iranian influence, and allowed for the growth of Iraq’s democracy. McCain said that Democratic presidential hopeful Sen. Barack Obama’s advocacy for a withdrawal date and Obama’s statement that a troop surge would fail were wrong. McCain noted that Obama has not visited Iraq in over two years and, to gain a complete and thorough grasp of the military situation there, suggested that Obama meet with General Petraeus. McCain said that US troops should come home with victory and honor and that a quick exit could lead to chaos and genocide.

McCain repeated his desire to hold weekly town hall meetings with Obama until each party’s convention is held, saying that he will continue to reserve one day a week for such an event. McCain remarked that town hall meetings are the root of democracy and that these discussions would clearly show the differences between the two candidates. In reference to Sen. Obama's statement that small town Americans are bitter and thus turn to guns and religion, McCain maintained he would never suggest that people in small towns turn to guns and religion out of bitterness, telling those in small towns that his presidency would bring them a safe and prosperous nation.

John McCain alive and kickin'

Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) health was described as “very good” in a conference call held with three of McCain’s doctor at Mayo Clinic Arizona. Since 1993, McCain has had four melanomas removed, three noninvasive and one invasive. Dr. John D. Eckstein, McCain’s physician for sixteen years, was able to cite “ No medical reason or problems that would preclude Sen. McCain from fulfilling all the duties and obligations of the President of the United States.”

A 2.2 mm thick melanoma that had a 2 cm diameter was removed from the McCain’s lower left temple after it was found to be invasive in August 2000. Dr. Michael L. Hinni, the otolaryngologist that performed the procedure, said that the procedure necessitated a large wound, 6 cm by 6 cm. Hinni stated that the reconstruction procedure resulted in a prominent left jaw due to an absence of tissue and that this prominence is not evidence of a recurrence of cancer.

Other health topics discussed include four small kidney stones in McCain’s right kidney and McCain’s reduced range of mobility, a result of McCain’s imprisonment during the Vietnam War. McCain currently takes medication to lower cholesterol, prevent kidney stones, preserve potassium in the blood stream, and multi-vitamins. When McCain’s age was called into question Eckstein said “age should not be a limiting factor in this day and age.”

Obama Campaign Conference Call with Big Name Supporters

Obama Campaign supporters Senators John Kerry, Amy Klobuchar, Claire McCaskill, and Governors Janet Napolitano and Deval Patrick in addition to campaign manager David Plouffe were on a conference call today to discuss the State of the Race.

Kerry was the first to speak and called last night’s victories a “giant and decisive stride” toward the nomination. McCaskill thought last night was “extraordinary” in many ways and believed that Obama squared off the electability argument and gained the trust of the voters. Now that there are more superdelegates outstanding than pledged delegates, Napolitano believes that now is the time for the superdelegates to begin bringing this process to a close and to begin announcing their preference. Klobuchar finished with “the heart of the heartland is with Barack Obama.”

Another endorsement leaves Obama with big day in delegate race

Congressman Bruce Braley (D-IA) announced his endorsement for Barack Obama today adding another superdelegate to Obama’s list. This was the third superdelegate vote from a member of Congress that Obama received today alone, making this lead 140 and on their way to the 285 delegate votes they need.

Braley was introduced as a champion for workers and families. His work to raise minimum wage and trade laws that benefit workers was also noted. Braley said that he initially pledged his superdelegate vote to John Edwards, but when he dropped out of the race, Braley decided he would take his time on making his decision as to who his vote would go to. After much deliberation, he decided to endorse Obama, making him the 19th superdelegate that had supported Edwards and now supports Obama.

Obama Campaign holds conference call about FEC complaint against Clinton group

The Obama Campaign held a conference call today to talk about their FEC complaint against a pro-Clinton group called the ALP, or American Leadership Project. The campaign claims that they are a “so-called” 527 political group that is run by Jason Kinney, who happens to be the son of a Hillary Clinton Indiana state co-chair.

Yesterday, the ALP began running an attack ad that is apparently misleading against Obama. Barack Obama’s Campaign Chief Counsel Bob Bauer and state Representative Matt Pierce were on the call to discuss the complaint.

Bauer stated “now the law needs to be enforced to send the ultimate message” while Pierce commented, “clearly this didn’t make sense to me” going on to say “who are these people, I really don’t know.”