U.S. National News

Poll says:Obama clings to narrow Mich. lead

2008-09-08T17:48:00.000-07:00

WASHINGTON – In the wake of the Republican convention, Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama appears to be clinging to the narrowest of leads in battleground Michigan.

Public Policy Polling of Raleigh North Carolina polled 1,147 likely Michigan voters over the weekend and found Obama holds a 47-46 edge over Republican nominee John McCain – well within the margin of error of three percentage points.

Is it a bounce from the convention or McCain’s surprising pick of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as his running mate? From the data, it appears that the Palin pick is clearly helping McCain in the race against Obama in Michigan – a state the Republican hopes to pick up in order to beat the Democrat.

Forty-five percent of respondents in the survey say they are more likely to vote for McCain thanks to the Palin selection (compared to 30 percent who said they were likely to back Obama for picking Delaware Sen. Joe Biden as his running mate). And accoridng to the polling company, the selection is actually bolstering support among Democratic men.

While 14% of self-identified Democrats in Michigan support McCain, the polling company says that group tended to include more middle-aged women before. Now, more than half – 61% -- are men, according to the poll. And 86% of all the Democrats supporting McCain say the Palin pick helps – as do 43% of independents (compared to 36% who say it makes them less likely to support McCain because of Palin).

And independents are a key in Michigan – possibly as much as a third of the electorate. Right now, according to the poll, they are up for grabs – where Obama once held a clear edge.

The poll shows independents split 42-42 with a huge chunk – 16% – undecided.

“There’s no doubt that the Palin choice shook up the race a good deal,” said Dean Debnam, PPP’s president. “The big question now is whether this tightening we’re seeing in Michigan is just part of a convention bounce or a sign that the state is going to be extremely competitive right through November. If it is, that spells trouble for Barack Obama.”

The Obama campaign responded to the poll saying, “Michigan is always a battleground, but as voters across the state hear from both candidates over the next two months it will become clear that this election is a choice between the Bush-McCain policies that have cost us jobs and Barack Obama’s plans to get our economy back on track. This election is about change verse more of the same, and Michigan is ready for change.”

Bush to Keep Iraq Troop Levels Steady till After He Leaves

2008-09-08T17:44:00.000-07:00

President Bush will announce Tuesday that he is keeping U.S. combat troop levels steady in Iraq until after he leaves office in February, when another Army brigade will be withdrawn from the country, according to a copy of his speech released by the White House today.

At the same time, Bush will announce more increases in the number of U.S. troops fighting the resurgent Taliban militia in Afghanistan, including a fresh Marine battalion in November and an additional Army brigade in January.

The new plans, which are likely to represent Bush's last major decision on troop levels as president, effectively shift a similar number of combat troops from an improving situation in Iraq to a worsening conflict in Afghanistan. Bush will praise progress in Iraq while acknowledging that "huge challenges in Afghanistan remain," according to his remarks.

"For all the good work we have done in that country, it is clear we must do even more," Bush says in his speech, to be delivered Tuesday morning at the National Defense University in Washington. "As we learned in Iraq, the best way to restore the confidence of the people is to restore basic security -- and that requires more troops."

Bush says in his speech that a continued drawdown of troops and support personnel from Iraq underscores the dramatic reduction in violence there, which he and his aides credit to a surge in U.S. troops that began in early 2007. In addition to the Army combat brigade in February, the administration plans to withdraw an 1,100-member Marine battalion and 3,400 support troops from Iraq during the next several months.

"Here is the bottom line: While the enemy in Iraq is still dangerous, we have seized the offensive, and Iraqi forces are becomingly increasingly capable of leading and winning the fight," Bush says in his prepared remarks. "As a result, we have been able to carry out a policy of 'return on success' -- reducing American combat forces in Iraq as conditions on the ground continue to improve."

Bush's announcement amounts to an endorsement of a compromise plan among Pentagon generals, who were divided on how quickly U.S. combat troops could be safely withdrawn from Iraq. The U.S. commander in Iraq, Gen. David H. Petraeus, initially sought to sustain the current level of 15 combat brigades through June, while members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff urged a swifter reduction, according to senior military officials.

Security gains in Iraq, most notably in Anbar province, Baghdad and the southern city of Basra, led Adm. Michael Mullen, the Joint Chiefs chairman, to favor cutting the force in Iraq to 14 combat brigades by February, which became the final Pentagon recommendation agreed to by Bush, officials said.

Analysis: Bush making concessions

2007-10-18T20:05:00.000-07:00

WASHINGTON - President Bush's about-face on warrantless wiretapping was the latest in a series of White House retreats and reversals. This is a different day for a president known for his stubbornness and insistence on seeing things his way.

Energy, ethics and lobby bills advance

2007-01-18T19:29:00.000-08:00

WASHINGTON - The House wrapped up the Democrats' "100 Hours" legislative sprint Thursday with time to spare, voting to recoup billions of dollars in lost royalties from oil and gas companies and roll back industry tax breaks.

Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., takes part in a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on Iraq on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, Jan. 17, 2007.

2006-12-18T20:04:00.000-08:00

Obama May Find His Newness Both Help and Hindrance in Campaign

Obama May Find His Newness Both Help and Hindrance in Campaign Bloomberg - Wed Jan 17, 12:09 AM ET
Jan. 17 (Bloomberg) -- Illinois Senator Barack Obama took the first formal step toward a 2008 Democratic presidential bid, forming an ``exploratory committee'' for a campaign in which his recent arrival on the national scene would be both an asset and a liability.

Energy, ethics and lobby bills advance

2006-10-18T20:06:00.000-07:00

Senate passes Democrats' ethics bill

2006-08-18T20:08:00.000-07:00

WASHINGTON - The Senate, responding to voter frustration with corruption and special interest influence in Washington, on Thursday overwhelmingly approved far-reaching ethics and lobbying reform legislation.

South side of the White House in Washington, DC. The United States has expressed concern to China over Beijing's successful test in space last week of

2006-03-18T20:09:00.000-08:00

WASHINGTON - The United States criticized China on Thursday for conducting an anti-satellite weapons test in which an old Chinese weather satellite was destroyed by a missile.

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2006-01-09T18:13:00.000-08:00

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