Obama-Romney top Minnesota

Democrats Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton battled to a draw on "Super Tuesday," and John McCain took charge of the Republican race, according to Reuters.

In Minnesota, former Massachusetss Governor Mitt Romney came out on top of the Republican field. With 72 percent of the state's 4,122 precincts reporting, the former Massachusetts governor had 42 percent of the vote.

John McCain and Mike Huckabee were battling for second place, with the Arizona senator polling 22 percent of the ballots to 20 percent for the former Arkansas governor.

Obama scored victories in Alabama, Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Idaho, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, North Dakota, Utah and his home state of Illinois. He reportedly maintained his strong showing among black voters but also expanded support among whites, winning 40 percent in Georgia, exit polls said. Obama outpolled Clinton in Minnesota more than two to one, according to reports.

The Pioneer Press reports that amid record turnout of approaching 200,000, which caused long waits, long lines and frenzy in the caucuses, with 78 percent of precincts reporting, Obama had 67 percent to Clinton's 32 percent. His strong support came from all over the state, the Twin Cities, the Iron Range, southeastern and central Minnesota.

Clinton won heavy support from women and Hispanics nationwide, exit polls showed. Clinton won Arizona, Arkansas, California, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Oklahoma, Tennessee and her home state of New York.

It appears the southern whites voted for Obama and the northeast liberals stuck with Clinton. Just an observation.

McCain won contests in Arizona, California, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Missouri, New Jersey, New York and Oklahoma. He lost the south, or did he? Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee, a Baptist preacher, won in Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Tennessee and West Virginia. Some say if Huckabee wins, McCain wins because votes for Huckabee take away votes for Romney.

Huckabee's wins were fueled by strong support from evangelical Christians, and he split votes with Romney among conservatives unhappy with McCain.

Romney, a former businessman, won in Alaska, Colorado, Minnesota, Montana, North Dakota, Massachusetts and Utah.

What do you read in the results?

Romney is out!

Today before a crowd of more than 6,000 conservative political activists, former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney announced he'd be suspending his candidacy for president.

Wait a minute... He won in Minnesota. He won in Carver County precincts. What does this say about Minnesota Republicans? What does it say about what Senator McCain, who is now likely to get the party's nomination, and what he needs to do to earn conservative Republican support?

Obama in St. Paul

The cheers didn't stop much for Sen. Barack Obama Tuesday night as he addressed a packed crowd at the Excel Energy Center in St. Paul.

He dedicated the night to his grandmother and then declared himself the Democrat nominee for president.

"After 54 hard-fought contests, our primary season has finally come to an end," he said.

Bringing a message that "change must come to Washington," he called his campaign for president "a journey that will bring a new and better day to America."

"We owe our children a better future. We owe our country a better future," Obama said. "In just a few short months the Republican Party will arrive in St. Paul with a very different agenda."

The crowd booed at the mention of the Republican Party, and Obama cited differences between himself and the presumptive Republican nominee John McCain.

"We must be as careful getting out of Iraq as we were careless getting in, but start leaving we must," he said. "It's time to refocus our efforts... we must once again have the courage and the conviction to lead the free world... that's what change is."

The crowd chanted "Yes we can."

"We may call ourselves Democrats and Republicans, but we are Americans first. We are always Americans first," he said.

Michelle Obama
DNC, Day 1

Introducing Michelle Obama

Day 1 of the DNC, at least what we saw of it, seemed emotionally charged. Sen. Ted Kennedy took the stage to deliver a rousing speech like he has at so many Democratic National Conventions in the past. Stricken with brain cancer, the man who is fondly referred to as the "liberal lion" brought tears to the eyes of many delegates.

And that was just the beginning. Throughout the evening, the cameras always seemed to catch at least one delegate wiping a tear from their cheeck or with tears in their eyes.

Mrs. Obama was the keynote speaker and after a video produced by the DNC, which introduced her as every American woman, she recounted her history of community involvement and activism with Barack.

"My piece of the American dream is a blessng won by those who came before me," she said. "The world as it is just won't do. We have an obligation to fight for the world as it should be."

"In my own life, in my own small way, I have tried to give back to this country that has given me so much," she said. "Each of us has something to contribute to the life of this nation."

Her theme was soft, and she assured listeners that she's a lot like them. She said Barack's vision encompasses all things and will help him bring changes to the country.

"The Barack Obama that I know today is the same man I fell in love with 19 years ago," she said as many delegates on the convention floor wiped tears from their eyes. "Let's stand together to elect Barack Obama president of the United States of America."

The speech was interupted numerous times by applause, and the delegates seemed to love it. Barack appeared on a big screen from Kansas City after the speech.

"Now you know why I asked her out so many times, even though she said 'no.' You want a persistant president," he assured the crowd. This was following on Michelle's recounting in her speech that she has turned Obama down several times before finally relenting to go out with him for ice cream.

Joe Biden
DNC, Day 3

Biden lashes out

Sen. Joe Biden, who has been in office since the Nixon Administration and will fill the role of vice president on the Obama ticket, took the stage after a video introduction about his family life and accomplishments in the U.S. Senate and a second introduction from his son, Beau Biden, who is waiting for a deployment to Iraq.

Sen. Biden and his son look alike, and they seem to have a very close relationship. Biden had the crowd spellbound through the first half of his speech.

"My parents taught us to live our faith and treasure our families. We learned the dignity of work," he said. "Today that American dream feels like it's slowly slipping away."

"I've never seen a time when Washington has watched so many people get knocked down without doing anything to help them get up," he continued. "You know folks, that's the America that George Bush has left us."

Biden tried to tie President Bush to the preseumptive Republican nominee John McCain, promising the crowd that they both pose a grave threat to the future of the country and the world. The camera panned to a woman wiping a tear from her cheek at this time.

The crowd wanted red meat from Biden, and Biden gave it to them, verbally ripping and tearing Republicans, conservatives and their ideals. Obama's hit man, he's been battling in the Senate even longer than John McCain. After the shredding of Republicanism, he talked about hope.

"You know, you can learn a lot about a man campaigning with him," Biden said of Obama. "I watched how Barack touched people, how he inspired them... Change it is exactly what Barack Obama will do."

The friendship between Sen. McCain and Sen. Biden goes beyond politics, he said, adding that he profoundly disagrees with where McCain wants to take the country.

"That's not change. That's more of the same," he bellowed, continuing with a litany of perceived sins committed by McCain and all Republicans and Republican sympathizers. The crowd joined him in saying "That's more of the same," but they never seemed to get in sync with his rhythm.

"Should we trust John McCain's judgement when he rejected talking to Iran?" Biden asked, asserting that the Bush Administration is now thinking about opening up talks with Iran. He pointed out that was Obama's position all along.

"Again and again, John McCain has been wrong, and Sen. Obama has been right... Again and again on the most important national security issues of our time John McCain was wrong and Sen. Obama has been right," Biden said- his face set, his fists clenched, his eyes steely.

"The American people are ready. I am ready. Barack is ready," he announced.

The crowd roared, delighted to see Biden''s enthusiasm, gleeful to hear him attack McCain's perceived national security and foreign relations strengths. Then the 65-year-old, who opposed the Persion Gulf War in 1991 and currently serves as the head of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, said "God bless America" and ended the speech.

Sen. Obama made a surprise appearanc in person, flashed a big smile, and the crowd went wild as he recounted the success of the convention so far.

"Change is brought about because ordinary people do extraordinary things," he said, promising a great Thursday night at Invesco Field.

Then the stage filled with families and their young children, as that dance song from 1979, "We are family," began blasting through the convention center.

Barack Obama
DNC, Day 4

Obama promises to cut taxes,
end dependency on oil from the Middle East in 10 years

Flag-waving supporters, about 84,000 of them, filled Denver's Invesco Field for Sen. Barack Obama's acceptance speech of the nomination to be the next Democratic president of the United States.

In the speech, Obama referred often to the promise of America. He laid out big ideas and big plans for a better future because he assured supporters that the American dream is in jeaporday and needs saving. In no uncertain terms, he placed the blame for this at the feet of President Bush and by extension Sen. McCain, who he alleged has voted with Bush 90 percent of the time over the past eight years.

"It's not because John McCain doesn't care. It's because John McCain doesn't get it," he said, attaching the idea of trickle-down economics. "Born into poverty? Pull yourself up by your own bootstraps. If you don't have boots, good luck. You're on your own."

During the speech, Obama promised much. He promised to fix the nation's tax system and that his tax plan would close corporate loop holes and cut taxes for 95 percent of Americans. He promised to pay for it all without going into deficite spending and also to invest hundreds of millions in new sources of energy without drilling for more oil.

"Now is the time to end this addiction and to understand that drilling is a stop-gap measure," Obama said, promising to find ways to safely produce nuclear power.

He promised to invest in early childhood education, pay teachers more and ask for higher standards and more accountability in the nation's education system. He promised to make sure students who invest in their country would be able to afford a college education.

"Michelle and I are only here tonight because we were given a chance and an education," said the graduate of Columbia University and Harvard Law School.

He also pledged to pay for his plans by eliminating federal programs that do not work. He promised to change the federal bureaucracy and try to instill in fellow Democrats and all Americans a sense of personal responsibility.

"We must also admit that programs alone can't replace parents," he said on the topic of responsibility and government not being the answer to all problems. "Individual responsiblity and mutual responsibility. That's the essence of America's promise."

He even talked about foreign policy.

"If John McCain wants to have a debate about who has the temperment and judgement to be the next Commander in Chief, that's a debate I'm willing to have," he said, even though he has previously refused to engage with McCain in town hall meetings.

"John McCain likes to say that he'll follow Osama bin Laden to the gates of hell, but he won't even follow him to the cave where he lives," said Obama, accusing McCain of following the Bush Administration with "tough talk" and "bad policy." Obama promised to end the war in Iraq responsibly and also finish fighting the Taliban.

"I will build new partnerships to defeat the threats of the 21st century," he said, promising to restore America to its standing as "the last best hope."

"These are the policies I will pursue, and in the weeks ahead I look forward to debating them with John McCain," he said, encouraging followers that political discourse ought not to end in character assassinations and challenges of patriotism. "The times are too serious. The stakes are too high for this partisan play-book... The challenges we face require tough choices."

He said the country needs to restore a sense of common purpose. He played the role of a centrist on the issues of immigration, gay and lesbian marriage, second amendment rights and abortion, criticizing people who claim that traditional moral values are under attack as naysayers unwilling to accept new ideas.

He promised that in an Obama Administration change would not come from Washington. It would come to Washington.

"I believe that as hard as it will be, the change we need is coming," he said. "I've seen it in Washington where we worked across party lines."

He invoked Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and said: "America, we can not turn back, not with so much work to be done."

Pawlenty not selected as VP

An official close to Minn. Gov. Tim Pawlenty said the governor had been informed he is not McCain's pick.

Sen. John McCain has chosen Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin to run alongside him as Vice President. Palin, 44, a self-styled "hockey mom" and political reformer, is a charismatic speaker with a charming personality.

The Draft Palin for Vice President committee has been using the slagan "New Energy for America."

She is energetic and strongly in favor of drilling for more oil as a solution to the nation's energy crisis. It's not the only solution, but it's one that makes logical sense to get started, she says.

Tuesday, Sept. 2
RNC

Speakers extol McCain

After opening acitivities were cancelled at the Republican National Convention on Monday, Tuesday was all about the Republican delegates gathered in the Xcel Energy Center under the banner of nominating and eventually electing Sen. John McCain and his Vice Presidential nominee Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin.
Sen. Norm Coleman: Minnesota's Republican Senator and former mayor of St. Paul Norm Coleman
Service, the operative word Monday, was still a theme. Some brown signs with white lettering ‘service’ swayed in the crowd. They were outnumbered by signs reading ‘Country First.’ Several speakers made calls for donations to victims of Hurricane Gustav in the Gulf Coast, but the primary theme was John McCain and his family- their friends, character, conservative principles and humanitarian credentials.

Stories about the McCain family abounded, though a Freudian slip occurred early in the night when a woman who was talking about Palin referred to her as “Sarah Pawlenty.”

Delegates glanced nervously at each other. What would the abundant scores of media do with that one? Oh well, they cheered anyway.

The RNC showed videos of Presidents Theodore Roosevelt, Abraham Lincoln and George H.W. Bush and Ronald Reagan, showing how they persevered through trials and “put their country first.”

Veterans on the big screen

The implication was that McCain is such a person. Bush, the elder, received a loud and sustained standing ovation when he and his wife, Barbara, made a surprise entrance to sit in the same row as Cindy McCain.

McCain's family row: Prior to the arrival of former President Bush and wife, Barbara Bush.

The crowd had barely settled when Bill Gross from North Dakota took center stage to discuss service to others.

“It is becoming increasingly difficult for family farmers to make a living,” he said, plugging his non-profit organization, Farm Rescue. “The success of the organization has only been possible because of the good-hearted volunteers who give their time… What is important is that you find it in your heart that you make time to provide service to others.”

First Lady Laura Bush took the stage at 8:45 p.m., to a roar of applause. The crowd was fired up by this time. She introduced President Bush, who addressed the crowd from the Oval Office via satellite.

“I thank all the wonderful volunteers who stepped forward to help their brothers and sisters in need,” Bush said, going on the call Sen. McCain “The next president of the United States.”
“John McCain’s life is a story of service above self,” the president said. “If the Hanoi Hilton could not break John McCain’s resolve, you can be sure the angry Left never will.”

Bush, bumble free and articulate as can be, received numerous standing ovations. The crowd loved him.

Then Senator Fred Thomson took the stage to a rumble of cheers, dropping the name Gov. Sarah Palin and declaring her “a breath of fresh air… who has actually governed, rather than talked a good game on the Sunday talk show circuit.”

“She’s a courageous, successful reformer who is not afraid to take on the establishment,” Thompson said. “Remind you of anybody?"

He was referring to Sen. McCain.

"When she and John McCain get to Washington, they’re not going to care how much the alligators get irritated. They’re going to drain that swamp,” Thompson said.

Thompson, a friend of McCain’s and former colleague in the U.S. Senate, gave an impassioned speech detailing McCain’s war and legislative experiences. It was interrupted numerous times by loud applause and chants of “U.S.A.”

He brought up hot-button social issues to fire up the crowd even more and jabbed repeatedly at the Democrat nominee Barack Obama and the Democratic controlled Congress, saying Obama is history-making because he is the "most liberal" and "most inexperienced" candidate ever and the Democrat-controlled Congress is history making because it's the most unpopular in the nation's history. The crowd loved it and went wild.
Idaho delegate
Then former Democratic Vice Presidential nominee Joe Lieberman, now an Independent who caucuses with the Democratic Party, took the stage as the keynote speaker. He was subdued, compared to Thompson.

“I’m here to support John McCain because country matters more than party,” he said. “If John McCain is just another partisan Republican, then I’m Michael Moore’s favorite Democrat. I think you know that I’m not.”

“Eloquence is no substitute for a record, not in these tough times for America,” Lieberman said. “This is especially true because we are a nation at war.”

“John McCain will be a president our allies will trust, and our enemies will fear,” he said. “Trust me, John McCain is no ordinary candidate. You may not agree with John McCain on every issue, but you can always count on him to be straight with you on where he stands.”

He referred to McCain as “a restless reformer,” who would clean up Washington and get it “working for all people.” Appealing to Democrats who are not sold on the Obama-Biden ticket, he asked them to vote for the person they think will be better for the country, not who belongs to their party.

After the speeches, Carver County Delegate K.J. McDonald gave high marks for the evening to Sen. Fred Thompson, a candidate he supported earlier in the year in Thompson's failed bid for the Republican nomination.

“He said all the right things about John McCain and the cause- the necessity to elect a hero, like John McCain is. He told the true story of what a great patriot he is and how this is the man who can lead,” said McDonald.

Gov. Romney appears: Where'd he come from? I'd better shoot a few photos.More images from Day 3 of the Republican National Convention

Photos by Forrest Adams

McCain supporter

Hannity and Comes Live: Near the set of the Fox News Channel show Hannity and Colmes
Allan Colmes: Preparing to broadcast
Minutes away: See teleprompter on right
Sean Hannity: Ranting, as usual

RNC Day 4
Thursday, Sept. 4

McCain accepts nomination,
vows that change is on the way

The enthusiasm was high among delegates, won over to fully supporting their candidate during this convention.

Hispanics for McCain: From the Virginia delegation

The Energy Center erupted, and members of the media clamoured toward the stage Thursday night as Republican Presidential hopefull Sen. John McCain walked toward the microphone to accept his party's nomination for president.

Enter stage left: Sen. John McCain
Reporters and televsion cameras: Standing behind delegates, reporters and videographers clamoured for a view of Sen. John McCain as he walked to the microphone Thursday night.
He spoke for approximately one hour, gesturing with his hands and arms as he was able. The speech covered many topics and ideas, but Democratic Vice Presidential Candidate Joe Biden termed it "the most conservative platform in the history of his party."

McCain called for government reform, less government spending, more "school choice," re-education through community colleges for people who have lost their jobs, due to the global economy, more off-shore drilling for oil, building a foundation of peace between nations and much more.

The speech: Sen. John McCain
Singing the praises of the idea of America and of the country itself, he told delegates and the radio and television audience that he's part of something larger than himself, and that has made the difference in his life. He encouraged volutneerism and service to others. Mixed into the speech were criticisms of opponent Barack Obama.

Biden sent the following statements in an e-mail to supporters.

"After days of negative attacks -- and no mention of real proposals to fix our economy, get more people health care, or make America safer -- the party that brought you eight years of disastrous policies is asking for four more."

"Well, not if we have anything to say about it. Across this nation, people like you have joined this movement because you believe that we are better than the past eight years. And now that we are entering the final stretch, it's going to take all of us to bring the change we need."

Speaking of the Republicans who controlled Congress for 12 years before they were voted out of office in 2006, McCain said:

"We were elected to change Washington, and we let Washington change us."

A POW during the Vietnam War, turned "foot soldier in the Reagan Revolution" and later a political rebel, vowed to vanquish the "constant partisan rancor" that grips Washington. He vowed to get the government working for the people's best interests again.

"Change is coming," he promised the roaring crowd and television and radio audience

As for Obama, he said, "I will keep taxes low and cut them where I can. My opponent will raise them. I will cut government spending. He will increase it."

"Fight with me. Fight with me. Fight with me. Fight for what's right for our country," he said in a crescendo, as the audience drowned out his voice.
Balloons in waiting: Sen. McCain and Gov. Palin together on stage
McCain's wife, Cindy, and ticketmate Sarah Palin and her husband joined him on stage as tens of thousands red, white and balloons and confetti fell from high above the convention floor.

Palin- intelligent or not?

I have been there live to hear Republican Vice Presidential hopeful Sarah Palin speak twice in the last month as she has been in Minnesota. Both times she came accross as sincere and down-to-earth.

However, on Saturday I heard a sound clip of her answering a question last week about her foreign policy experience. Her answer was unintelligible, and I started to ask myself if this former journalist, city councilor, mayor and governor is all personality and no brains.

Could it be?

The question to Gov. Palin was how serving as the governor Alaska, a state neighboring Russia, gives her foreign policy experience. Her response was a jumbled mix of thoughts with no clear link connecting them. I really couldn't understand what she was trying to say, something about being alert if the Russians ever invaded U.S. air space, but she came across as an even worse communicator than President Bush.

An answer like, "We trade with the Russians, and I have been on several trade missions there," or "We would be the last line of defense if the Russians ever decided to invade the United States, so I have studied deeply into what my instructions to the Alaska National Guard would be if that ever happened" would be much more acceptable. Instead she bumbled and stumbled, said nothing and in the process of doing so came across of an ignoramus.

The Palin-Biden debate on Thursday promises to be interesting because I think if she stumbles like that against Biden, the McCain ticket, which is already dropping in the polls, will be doomed.

PBS journalist Gwen Ifill, moderator of the upcoming vice presidential debate, said that she'd remain impartial, even though she's writing a book titled: "The Breakthrough: Politics and Race in the Age of Obama," which is to be published by Doubleday on Jan. 20, 2009, the day a new president is inaugurated.

The day before the Joe Biden-Sarah Palin debate, columnist Michelle Malkin wrote in the New York Post about Ifill's book, saying "she's so far in the tank for the Democratic presidential candidate, her oxygen delivery line is running out."

The McCain campaign found out about Ifill's book in the last day or so, a spokesman said.

Ifill's resume includes jobs at The New York Times, the Washington Post and NBC News. She moderated the 2004 vice presidential debate between ****** Cheney and John Edwards.

Obama-McCain: Debate 2

The second debate between Barack Obama and John McCain was boring and left a lot to be desired. Abortion, gun control, immigration, education and character were not discussed.

It was a town-hall-style forum at Belmont University in Nashville, with questions allegedly from the audience. Select audience members read questions, but as the candidates glided past sharp questions, I found myself trying to remember exactly what the question was. These guys have heard the same questions over and over again for the past two years.

All we heard was the same old stuff, and I'm getting tired of it.

Obama says he'll give 95 percent of Americans a tax cut. It's not true. Thirty percent of tax payers don't pay federal income taxes, so his numbers just don't work out.

McCain says he'll work with Republicans and Democrats to solve problems. He's doing this because he thinks it will attract independent voters, like bipartisanship is the only thing they care about. How about telling us what your ideas are?

More allegations about Palin's ties to Alaska Independence Party-

Sarah Palin's husband Todd was a member of this party, and both attended their conventions, one time while she was running for Governor with a campaign co-chair that was a onetime governor elected as one of their members, according to the blog One Peoples Project http://onepeoplesproject.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1....

"Is it possible that Sarah Palin is a sleeper cell AKIP member who is seeking power to give power and freedom to her great state of Alaska?" blogger Casey Gane-McCalla wrote on an African-American blog called NewsOne. "

Biden predicts international crisis

Democratic vice presidential candidate Joe Biden at a fundraiser in Seattle said that there will be “an international crisis” within the first six months of a Barack Obama administration.

Biden said that “it will not be six months before the world tests Barack Obama like they did John Kennedy. The world is looking. We're about to elect a brilliant 47-year-old senator president of the United States of America.”

“Watch. We're going to have an international crisis, a generated crisis, to test the mettle of this guy,” Biden said.