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Does anyone know of an objective web site that compares the Presidential candidates in an interesting manner? A friend who is on the fence is looking for something. Thanks!

SAN FRANCISCO – Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said Tuesday that the presidential candidates should end the smear campaigns and get back to the issues. Republican John McCain and Democrat Barack Obama are wasting time making accusations that have nothing to do with the topics Americans want to hear about, he said. “Look at what the presidential campaign has reduced down to: They now are accusing each other of things that have nothing to do with the economy, that have nothing to do with health care, that have nothing to do with the environment, that have nothing to do with, you...

Google Labs launches an addictive little webapp called In Quotes, which searches and compares things politicians have said in the news by keyword.

Yes, it is the coolest part of my job. I get to shake hands and meet face to face with the candidates for President. So what's it like? Well, let's see. I interviewed Fred Thompson when it was 93 degrees and 100 percent humidity in the sun at The Villages. We all looked like drenched rats. I hardly remember what I asked him but do remember praying I wouldn't faint. I thought it was odd when we interviewed Mike Huckabee at a Tampa hotel. He was the advance man, the scheduler, the room set up person, the security, AND the...

OUTTA SIGHT! [PART TWO] The Winnowing of the Candidates By John W. Cassell Where have all the candidates gone…short time passing? This is my attempt at an answer to the question "where has the spontaneity gone" asked earlier. This is where it gets tricky, folks. This is the part we never see. They don't cast any blinking, blinding bright lights on THIS process…no music and special effects psychologically calculated to bring a human being to the point of joyful tears, no matter WHAT is going on at the podium. This is where both the spontaneity went and the real power...

Soldiers stood directly behind Raddatz as she queried GI’s walking past. She asked 60 GI’s who they planned to vote for in November. 54 said John McCain, 4 for Obama, and 2 for Hillary. When the story ran, they didn't even mention the 54 that chose McCain.

John McCain has several objectives when it comes to his vice presidential choice. He must address the age issue, most likely choosing someone younger than himself, while also giving baby boomers and even younger voters a contemporary on the ticket. He must choose someone who garners the support of the conservative movement, which McCain himself has long had trouble doing. Secondary considerations include geography, as well as demographic and biographical factors. Here are the top 15 candidates, along with their pros and cons and odds of being picked. For my thoughts on the Democratic veepstakes, see my column of May...

DETROIT, July 5 (UPI) -- Muslims in the Detroit area are upset that neither of the presumptive major party presidential nominees has made an effort to reach out to them. The area has one of the largest and most visible Muslim communities in the United States. In recent campaigns, candidates have addressed meetings or met with local religious leaders, The Detroit News reports. "Any candidate should address the issues of American society, not a particular religion," said Dr. Abdul Raheman Nakadar, a retired cardiologist who publishes The Muslim Observer. "But when you ask a certain group for support, then you...

Veterans In Politics Candidate 2008 Endorsement Interview PART 2 Citizens of Southern Nevada we know that when you go to the voting booth to cast your vote for Nevada State Assembly, United States Congressional Representative, Clark County Commissioners, State Board of Education, University State Regent, Clark County School Trustee you are unsure who the candidates are. The Veterans In Politics International is giving you an opportunity to see your candidates in our Candidate 2008 Endorsement Interview PART 2. Candidate Endorsement Interviews will also be aired LIVE on www.AllTalkRadio.net , http://www.helloworld.com/members_myworld.aspx?ID=nevadavip and open to the public to sit and watch the...

John McCain obviously wants the country to begin thinking and talking about his selection of a running mate – otherwise, why did he invite three leading V.P. possibilities (Governors Mitt Romney, Charlie Crist and Bobby Jindal) to his home in Sedona, Arizona for a Memorial Day barbeque?

WASHINGTON (AFP) - Hillary Clinton is smart and forceful, John McCain is proud but has a volatile temper, and Barack Obama is a diplomat who deals well with different people and situations. At least, that's what graphologists say their handwriting reveals about them. "Handwriting is a reflection of the inner personality. It shows a person's ego strength, how good they feel about themselves, their intellectual, communication and working styles," graphologist Sheila Lowe, author of "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Handwriting Analysis", told AFP. Graphology -- the study of how we loop our Ls and cross our Ts -- is not...

May 15, 2008 Berkeley, California OK, Scooter's psychotic empathizing with John McCain has gotten totally out of hand. It's one thing to adopt the hairstyle or even mild mannerisms of somebody one admires, but Scooter's total metamorphosis into McCain by way of elaborate theatrical makeup, wardrobe, acting, and vocal inflections is beyond weird. Yesterday we went shopping at the mall, and while there Scooter probably signed over a hundred autographs as Senator McCain. Later at the urging of onlookers he even gave an impromptu speech from atop a table at the food court. After flashing some very realistic Vietnam...

Nearly half of likely voters — 48 percent — are not satisfied with the current candidates for president, with Republicans and conservative voters the most unhappy about their likely candidate choices in November, a new nationwide Zogby Interactive poll shows. In what could spell bad news for the presumptive Republican nominee John McCain, an overwhelming 86 percent of self-described “very conservative” voters said they are displeased with the current presidential candidates, and 65 percent of these voters said they are very unsatisfied. The vast majority of conservatives (76 percent) and Republicans (76 percent) also expressed significant dissatisfaction with the current...

"Me? I'm just hangin' out, listening for McCain's phone call and waiting for reporters..." Mike "The Huckster" Huckabee, is at the top of the short list of John McCain's vice presidential candidates. At least according to a top McCain fundraiser. Economic conservatives are likely to oppose the choice of Huckabee as McCain’s vice presidential candidate, given the populist tone of his campaign and his tax record as governor of Arkansas. But in his “Capital Commerce” column for U.S. News & World Report, James Pethokoukis points to the fundraiser’s disclosure and cites several factors that could make Huckabee a strong asset...

We're looking for voters who want to make their voices heard this election season. We're putting together a co-op documentary featuring YOU - the real voter. We want to know what's important to you, what you think the candidates are failing to do and what will affect your vote this election year. The film is going to be premiered for free on the web, and before it does, we're going to get the candidate's candid reactions and answers to your video. This is your chance to make a difference in 2008 and we want to hear from you! Learn more...

Sorting the good candidates from the bad is hard work few citizens are willing to undertake. Most prefer to remain blissfully ignorant hoping to remain unscathed while the country falls apart around them. These are the same people that expect you to share your emergency supplies after a natural disaster because they couldn’t be bothered to prepare themselves. "All politicians are alike!"..."What difference does it make if we vote or not?"..."Nothing ever changes anyway." These are the frequently heard responses when you ask friends or acquaintances if they plan to vote. They do not follow politics closely, and sadly, this...

Prince Otto von Bismarck is credited with the sneering remark that "there is a special providence that protects idiots, drunkards, children and the United States of America." Of course, that was in the age of presidents Rutherford B. Hayes, James Garfield and Chester A. Arthur, so Bismarck, the greatest statesman of his age, was entitled to look down on the quality of American leadership. One wonders what old "Blood and Iron" would say today if he were looking at the magnificent triumvirate of Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama and John McCain. (At least Curly, Moe and Larry were funny when they...

The Presidency really takes its toll; just look at how George Bush has aged. To see how the current candidates would fare after a term in the Oval Office, we put them through the Pop Photo Time Machine. See our Photoshopped before and afters of Hillary Clinton, John McCain, and Barack Obama. Mouse-over any of the images to see how the candidates may look in 2012. Aging takes time, even when you make it happen artificially with software. Each candidate took about four hours of retouching. To mimic the ravages of time, we did the following: - Used the Burn...

Johnny can't wear white shirts-- I get it. That is unfortunate because the white shirt with the black suit and BLACK tie is HOT right now: But taking a cue from fashion expert Nicolas Sarkozy, even pastels will work with the black ensemble: I actually think Sarkozy started wearing pastels in deference to John Sidney, who I'm sure he hopes will win the election. Dark suits = HOT. Pale ties on Johnny = NOT hot This tie ends up looking fleshy colored and yukky even though it is a nice tie. He needs to stick with dark ties so he...

Constitutional Literacy at Risk by: Malcolm A. Kline, April 07, 2008 Americans’ awareness of their freedoms and where they came from are at a low point and the institutions that once passed on that knowledge are largely to blame. “The public’s veneration of the Constitution is combined with a low level of knowledge,” Andrew Busch, a professor at Claremont McKenna said at the Heritage Foundation last Thursday. “Many did not know there were three branches of government,” he observed, referring to polling data.... (snip).. “One student told me the three branches of government were the president, the mayor and the...

Cannot Post due to copyright issues: http://www.newyorker.com/talk/comment/2008/03/17/080317taco_talk_hertzberg

If there was ever an election cycle in which the issues (at this juncture, really weighty ones) took a back seat to pomp and circumstance – or, if you prefer, hype and flatulence – this one is definitely it. With the exception of half a handful of worthwhile individuals who were destined to be ignored by the public (for reasons of lack of profile), their party’s elite (for reasons rooted in fear and weakness), and the media (for obvious reasons), the choices have been ghastly right from the start. An earthshaking event (like Bobby Kennedy’s assassination during the 1968 Presidential...

Watching U.S. leaders snap and backbite, do you ever ask yourself: Where is the love? Do you ever wonder what the love lives of the presidential candidates are like? Me neither, but if there is a fitting time to inquire into their romantic practices, Valentine’s Day is it. The office comes with expectations of personal accountability as much as it does with political accountability, and a nation that reads more Us Weekly than Newsweek is bound to be curious. When the Kenneth Starr report appeared, outraged politicians from both ends of the spectrum deemed it “pornographic” and “dirt and filth.”...

Our next president's first act will be to solemnly swear to uphold the Constitution. But what does that document say about who that person should be? Of course, all the top candidates are formally eligible. The Constitution demands only that our next president must have been born a citizen, must be at least 35 years old, and must have resided in the United States for 14 or more years. But if we probe these rules and ask not merely what the text says but why, interesting differences among the contenders snap into focus. Favorite Sons: For example, why was the...

Regardless of how much money you make, you have skin in this game. The four leading presidential candidates say they're concerned about the taxes that Americans pay out of their paychecks. And they all vow to do something about it if elected. Now with the economy at the forefront of the presidential campaign, the leading candidates' tax proposals will come under increasing scrutiny in the coming weeks. Here's a look at some of the ways that Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, John McCain and Mitt Romney would realign tax policies and how those changes could affect your take-home pay. Keeping the...

The Republican candidate for president of the United States could probably be easily selected if he were presented to the public in a format similar to the old, long-running TV game show “To Tell the Truth.” With John McCain, Mitt Romney, and Mike Huckabee barnstorming across the primary states, each claiming to be an authentic, rock-ribbed political conservative, Republican voters are divided and frustrated with the choices that are before them. The demonstrably real conservatives, of course, have all dropped out of the race for lack of money, widespread recognition and the ability to “catch fire”: Fred Thompson, Duncan Hunter,...

As "Super Tuesday" approaches, the candidates take off the gloves and let fly !

JUST stop. For a couple of minutes, stop listening to the vanity-stricken talking heads, the madcap ideologues and the party hacks who believe you should jump to attention when they tell you who to vote for. Stop and look at this primary season. In both parties. Set aside your political preferences for a moment and consider the field of candidates. As Americans - Republican, Democrat or Independent - we should all be proud. This is, by far, the most all-American primary season we've ever had. Who's running for the chance to run? A woman. An evangelical Christian. A black. A...

Politics has become impossible to avoid here on the Lane. I imagine you folks have the same problem.

2008 Election 17 Candidates 1 Vote Yours Click HERE: ABC News MATCH-O-MATIC

One of the most repeated claims today by many in politics is that the tax cuts initiated by President Bush benefited the wealthy and major corporations, with little or no benefit to the middle class and lower income people. These tax cuts are due to expire in 2010, and the only constant I am hearing from the Democratic candidates is that they all intend to allow these cuts to expire. The current leadership of both the House and Senate, now controlled by Democrats, agree with the candidates and want these “unfair” cuts to expire.

Conservative talk show host Rush Limbaugh was heard the other day saying on his nationally syndicated program that he may not endorse a Republican candidate for president this year. Limbaugh may be doing the right thing. There isn't one contender in the GOP bunch right now that satisfies the Republican base. John McCain is a Republican in name only. His campaign finance reform bill soured him to those who feels it tramples on free speech. He is fiscally liberal and his stance on immigration leads one to believe he is not an advocate for the sovereignty of this great nation....

Arms & The Manpower by: Amanda Busse, January 25, 2008 Analysts predict that equipment shortages in the military may become a source for debate in the upcoming 2008 Presidential election. As America enters its fifth year in Iraq and Afghanistan, there is a growing need to replace “worn out” equipment, according to Brad Curran, Senior Industry Analyst for Frost and Sullivan. Both the need for new equipment and calls to expand the number of military personnel have led to increased projected spending in the Department of Defense budget for 2008. Analysts at Frost and Sullivan assert that spending is expected...

NEW YORK (AP) - Few constituencies are as eager for the Republican Party to falter this political season as gay-rights activists. Yet as they observe the Democratic presidential campaign and the rest of the electoral landscape, their high hopes often are mixed with frustration. Even as they expect to support whichever Democrat gets the presidential nomination, many activists are disappointed that the three leading contenders rarely mention gay-rights topics unless responding to a question. "They don't want to broach civil unions, marriage, equalizing benefits for same-sex couples," said Jennifer Chrisler, head of the Family Equality Council, which supports gay and...

JANUARY 22--For the aspiring young assassin, a popular online games site offers kids the opportunity to assume the identity of a leading presidential contender and then shoot their political opponents in a series of armed confrontations in the White House.

What candidates don’t tell you is the most important Throughout the election season, people get used to the usual verbal tricks of the politicians — the hedging on issues, the facile promises, the misdirection and the empty slogans of the day, like being a “candidate of change.” These devices generally fall into the category of simply telling people what they want to hear. Certainly committed supporters of a candidate, and those who are predisposed toward one, will filter out, minimize, or dismiss in their own minds any facts that are contradictory to their favorite’s position on any given issue. This...

Click the link on the heading to see and hear the video clip. If you watched the Las Vegas debate you saw what's on the video, but a lot of us didn't watch it so here's what the Democrat weasels had to say about what they will do concerning guns if elected. What they say they want to do is scary enough, but what I know they actually intend to do if elected is much worse. They all lie like a Persian rug, but they are so good at it they almost fool me and I know they're lying.

Take look at what the candidates have raised and their powerful donors. For the first time in the history of Presidential politics the candidates are expected to raise over 1 Billion dollars. The stakes are high in this race. Senator Hillary Clinton has already announced that her campaign has raised over 100 million to date.

For Republican voters who want a “true” conservative at the top of the Republican presidential ticket, please understand that you now have 24 hours to your party’s and America’s destiny. Senator Fred Thompson, as you know, is the sole bearer of the conservative mantle; more specifically, he is strong on national security and defense; for smaller government; and low taxes and reduced federal spending. He is 100% pro-life and family; stridently against illegal immigration; and a proponent of national sovereignty. Now is the time for you to make a difference on the battlefield, namely, South Carolina.

If Fred Thompson or Duncan Hunter don't "make it" and it becomes necessary to vote while holding my nose and puking, I tried to devise a rational way to determine which RINO (Republican In Name Only) would make me the least ill. I identified my top issues and prioritized them based on: How immediately an issue could impact the nation- Immediate, Urgent, Serious The power of an issue’s negative impact on the nation- Devastating, Powerful, Strong and Once implemented the likelihood an issue could ever be changed- Unchangeable, Changeable. It seemed rational that issues like being conquered by illegal immigrants...

The Candidates are a wonderful suburban family made up of Daddy Thompson, Mommy Hillary, and their school-aged children Edwards, Giuliani, Huckabee, Hunter, Kucinich, McCain, Obama, Paul and Romney. Since the Candidates set a truly commendable example for the average American family, we can only learn from observing one of their typical evenings: Little Obama walks into the kitchen, where Mommy Hillary is busy cooking, Giuliani is playing SimCity on his laptop and Edwards is watching TV. Obama: Mommy can I go play outside with Paul and Kucinich? Mommy Hillary: No honey, it’s almost time for dinner. Besides, I don’t even...

THE DEPTHS OF THE SURFACE - DOWN A QUART © by Norman Liebmann There is bad news and good news. The bad news is Bill Clinton plans to take a more active part in his wife’s presidential campaign. The good news is he doesn’t look well. If Barack Obama wins the White House, his Presidency will be called the “They Call Me Mister Tibbs” Administration. The Obama political ascendancy shows that that the Democrats are ready for a different flavor of socialism. Hillary’s tears have converted her political campaign to a soap opera. I guess that’s the change she promised....

INTRODUCTION Crowds invariably select a leader. Our nature is to look for a leader and then give that leader affection and power. While we may recognize the importance of having a leader, we seldom bother with reflecting on “how” this occurs. This brief effort attempts to understand “how” we select a leader. TRANSFERENCE At one time, a psychiatric paper always referenced Freud. No longer. Both Freud and psychoanalysis are discounted by many as wild and fanciful speculations at best or humbug at worst. What is forgotten is that Freud observed and recorded aspects of human nature for the first time...

Huckabee Not the Best for Homeschoolers This is something new for me. For the last 22 years, my family has served the homeschooling movement without ever uttering a single word (in print OR behind the scenes) regarding national or state politics. But now that one particular candidate-former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee-is experiencing a surge in popularity that the mainstream press attributes to the homeschool movement, I feel the need to say a few words. Acccording to a December 17 Washington Post story, "It was the endorsement by prominent national home-school advocate Michael Farris that helped propel Huckabee to a surprising...

I haven't been a blogger since last spring. But I am still active in several conservative forums and I am bringing you some information that I think only grassroots groups, bloggers, and talk radio can do anything about. Regardless of your political affiliation, or your choice of candidate, it should be somewhat chilling to realize how much the media is manipulating campaign information and access. I don't write this to whine "it's not fair!", but to make you aware that there is a real problem. I've tried to handle this through official channels (ie: the SC GOP, Fox News, and...

By nature, politicians love to talk. They stream words faster than a jobless blogger on a double latte. But most of those words come during endless speeches and handshaking, in a robotic process that's even more draining for candidates who are amid a yearlong quest for the White House. Still, it turns out that most presidential contenders have a more thoughtful side, as authors of books that help to define where they began, what they want, and how they think. Generally, the public knows who these politicians are from their stump campaigning, but who are they in print? We decided...

<p>The French deconstructionists taught us that, sometimes, the best way to understand something is to look not front and center but at some small, seemingly insignificant detail on the very fringe. In that spirit, perhaps the best way to understand the upcoming year of presidential campaigning is to look at the candidates who do not stand a snowball’s chance in hell, who will probably never generate the slightest name recognition and may, indeed, be certifiably insane.</p>

I know many Paul Bearers, and they are Christian - as most everyone, except Democrats, are now confessing to be. To say they are overly enamored with Ron Paul is an understatement as they think he is just an apocalypse shy of being the Second Coming. Ron Paul is the only "Constitutional" candidate, they claim, and he wants to High Tail It out of Iraq, eliminate the IRS, withdraw from the world, and kill welfare payments including Social Security and Medicaid. Who could ask for anything more? Ron Paul does have more reasonable ideas such as "really doing something" about...

CLICK HERE to take a 25 question test to see which of the major party candidates most closely matches your political philosophy and preferences. Clicking the link will open to a new window.