Free Republic

McCain calls Iowa poll 'meaningless' By JIM DAVENPORT, Associated Press Writer 1 hour, 39 minutes ago COLUMBIA, S.C. - Republican presidential candidate John McCain on Monday shrugged off his 10th-place finish in the Iowa straw poll this past weekend, calling such contests meaningless. ADVERTISEMENT The Arizona senator, starting a two-day swing through early voting South Carolina, skipped the Iowa straw poll along with Rudy Giuliani and all-but-declared candidate Fred Thompson. Mitt Romney easily won the Republican-run contest, with Mike Huckabee a distant second and Kansas Sen. Sam Brownback third. McCain, who garnered 101 votes, said he was surprised to get...

Leo, Rosie make Time's most influential NEW YORK - Heartthrob Leonardo DiCaprio and envelope-pushers Rosie O'Donnell and Sacha Baron Cohen are among the entertainment newsmakers on Time magazine's list of 100 people who shape the world. The list of 100 most influential, on newsstands Friday, also includes Queen Elizabeth II, presidential hopefuls Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama (news, bio, voting record), YouTube founders Steve Chen and Chad Hurley, director Martin Scorsese and model Kate Moss. It does not include President Bush. In a piece she wrote for the magazine, Barbara Walters, the creator of "The View," had kind words to...