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Rep. Eric I. Cantor, R-7th, appearing in Denver with former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, says Sen. Barack Obama and his running mate show a lack of judgment. "We’ve got a serious problem of judgment" because of the Democrats’ unwillingness to drill for oil and because of their willingness to engage with Iran, Cantor said. Sen. Joseph R. Biden Jr., D-Del. "was the pick" for Obama’s running mate "because of his foreign policy experience," Cantor said. "On Iran, Joe Biden has been wrong. He has pursued a policy of engagement with a terrorist-sponsoring regime." Romney and Cantor, both who have been...

In a year that has seemed so bleak for Republicans, John McCain not only can upset Barack Obama and win the White House, he can change the voting dynamic of American Jews. With the Democratic and Republican national conventions scheduled over the next three weeks, both presumptive nominees could announce their running mates at any moment. Among a field of imperfect potential options, U.S. Representative Eric Cantor (R – Virginia) may be McCain's best option, and he is a good choice indeed. Several vice-presidential contenders continue to be discussed in McCain's circles, from the obvious (Mitt Romney) to the slightly...

Though remaining silent over the weekend regarding the possibility of getting the nod for VP, Congressman Eric Cantor took to the national airwaves Sunday afternoon to campaign for presidential candidate John McCain. Cantor, Culpeper’s rep in the U.S. House of Representatives, appeared on CNN’s Late Edition With Wolf Blitzer to offer his take on Sen. McCain’s interview Saturday with evangelist Rick Warren in his California megachurch. The discussion focused on abortion and energy. And while Cantor himself is up for re-election to a fifth term in No-vember, there was no talk about his candidacy — only McCain’s. Cantor, a Richmond...

As he works diligently on behalf of John McCain, Fred Zeidman expects the Arizona senator to break records. “I believe he is going to get unprecedented Jewish support,” said the vice chair of Jewish outreach at the Republican National Committee. “Hopefully, 40 percent.” If Jews do support the presumptive Republican candidate at that level, it would top the 24 percent of the Jewish vote George W. Bush received in 2004, not to mention the 39 percent that Ronald Reagan won in 1980. “Am I happy about this number? No, not necessarily,” said Zeidman, a Houston venture capitalist and former top...

(IsraelNN.com) Virginia Republican Congressman Eric Cantor, whom Republican presidential candidate Senator John McCain is considering naming as his vice-presidential running mate, said in a speech last November that Jerusalem is "Ground Zero in the global battle between tyranny and democracy" and is "Israel's lifeblood." Speaking during a visit to Israel for the "One Jerusalem" event, which protested the Annapolis summit, Cantor said: "Jerusalem is not merely the capital of Israel but the spiritual capital of Jews and Christians everywhere. It's the site of the First and Second Temples, which housed the Holy of Holies, and it's the direction in which...

John McCain’s vice president may be a Jewish member of the House, a prospect that has sparked excitement, but also debate over the political experience of a relatively young and unknown and young politician. The AP reported that the McCain campaign has asked Rep. Eric Cantor, a 45-year-old fourth term representative from Virginia, for personal documents, indicating him as a possible running-mate. A representative from Cantor’s office refused to comment, but that has not stopped the intense speculation about the possibility, especially within the Jewish community. Suzanne Kurtz, a spokesperson for the Republican Jewish Coalition, said Cantor would be a...

Link Only http://rawstory.com/news/2008/DNC_targets_longshot_VP_possibility_as_0811.html

The possibility that John McCain may choose a Jew named Eric Cantor (R-VA) as his vice presidential candidate made headline news in the Jewish media this week; and although we are rightfully proud of Jewish achievement, this legitimate pride should not, if Cantor is eventually chosen, automatically translate into votes for McCain. Presidential or vice presidential candidates should be chosen based on many things, however, skin color, race or religion should not be one of them. The reason for this is obvious: Race, religious membership and skin color are not indicators of character, leadership ability or even opinions and values....

The vice presidential buzz in recent days has been all about a possible selection by Democratic presidential contender Barack Obama of Indiana Sen. Evan Bayh as his running mate. But the real vice presidential courtship may be developing on the Republican side. John McCain is reportedly getting very serious -- indeed, there is some talk that the Republican candidate's staff is already at the vetting stage -- about Virginia Congressman Eric Cantor. It is true that Cantor is a virtual unknown nationally. But Cantor, the Republican chief deputy whip in the House, is one of the rising stars of the...

A key evangelical leader with influence on American politics emphasized this past week the importance of Republican John McCain’s vice presidential pick on the decision of values voters this fall. Presumptive presidential candidate McCain’s running mate selection is the “most important” decision of the campaign, said Richard Land of the Southern Baptist Convention’s Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission to CBS News. If McCain picks a pro-choice running mate, Land said, it will only confirm the mistrust of evangelicals toward the candidate that some have criticized as being too liberal. “[H]e has no room for error, no margin for doubt,” noted...

Recent speculation about Republican presidential candidate John McCain's running mate has featured Virginia's 7th District Rep. Eric Cantor. Cantor -- a rising star in the Republican Party -- would bring to the GOP ticket youth, conservative credentials, formidable political skills, and a base of support in a battle ground state. Yet Cantor's limited experience may be a liability for the campaign, and it is not clear how Cantor would help McCain deal with the major challenges he would face if elected president. Presidential candidates typically choose running mates who complement themselves, as Bill Clinton did with Al Gore in 1992,...

While a new poll revealed has that John McCain remains the clear choice among Israelis for the White House, the presumptive Republican candidate for president was last weekend reported to be looking at a leading Jewish politician as a possible running mate as he attempts to maximise support across America. Eric Cantor, the chief deputy minority whip in the House of Representatives - where he is currently the sole Jewish Republican - is said to feature on a shortlist which also includes former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney. The 45-year-old, who would be the country’s first vice-president if he join the...

While Rep. Eric I. Cantor, R-7th, again refused Wednesday to address speculation that he might be John McCain’s running mate, he gave a speech that could be interpreted as an audition for the job. Speaking to the Greater Richmond Chamber at Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden, Cantor proposed a “middle-class bill of rights” to ease voters’ concerns about the slumping economy. Cantor, who is Jewish, also talked about his family’s humble immigrant roots. A representative of the chamber introduced Cantor as “our rock star.” “My kids would be amused,” he said. Cantor said his father’s mother came to Richmond as an...

The veepstakes period of the presidential campaign is always a good opportunity for Americans to learn about lower-profile officials in different parts of the country: Gov. Tim Pawlenty of Minnesota today, for instance, and Gov. Kathleen Sebelius of Kansas. And then there’s Representative Eric Cantor of Virginia. Huh? The drumbeat for Mr. Cantor, a Republican from the Richmond area, has been slowly building

Eric Cantor is being vetted by John McCain for the vice presidential slot. Congressman Cantor may very well be the best possible Republican to run with McCain -- for several different reasons. First, Cantor is very conservative. Virginia, a conservative state, has eleven congressmen. Only one of those eleven has a higher lifetime rating by the American Conservative Union than Eric Cantor. No one, anywhere, was more conservative than Cantor in the last year of congressional ratings, 2007: Congressman Cantor had a perfect one hundred percent rating by the ACU. McCain needs a conservative to enthuse the Republican base and...

There are a lot of reasons to support Eric Cantor for VP. There's the usual lines: he raises money, he's young, he's Jewish, etc etc etc. But the real reason I support Eric Cantor is that he fights. The arguments for and against are what they are, but Eric Cantor has been one of the very few members of Congress who has consistently battled the Democrat Congress at every stage and in every capacity he can. He fights the good fight in the trenches, in the House of Representatives where America's Mother-in-Law rules. But more than simply throwing hands, Cantor...

Washington, D.C. (AHN) - Rep. Eric Cantor (R-VA) is the favorite among potential vice presidential candidates for Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) . Reports indicate that the young Republican was asked to furnish the McCain campaign with documents for its vetting process. Pundits note that Cantor would add a vibrancy to the 71-year old senator's candidacy, but also say his lack of name recall outside of Virginia and Washington may pose a serious disadvantage for McCain. Cantor, the only Jewish Republican in the House, co-chairs the McCain campaign's Jewish outreach effort. He is also the House chief deputy minority whip and,...

The conservative anti-tax group Club for Growth said Wednesday that Rep. Eric Cantor (R-Va.) has evolved into the kind of vice presidential candidate it could get behind if Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) should tap him. The group argued that Cantor has been “consistently strong in several economic policy areas” and, after a start in the “key area” of government spending that was “less strong,” the Club for Growth now thinks that Cantor “ranks among the most pro-growth members in the House.” “Over the past two years, Rep. Cantor has been one of the few Republicans to come to grips with...

House Chief Deputy Minority Whip Eric Cantor, Virginia Republican, is reportedly on John McCain's short list for vice president. Mr. Cantor, 45, would bring a number of strengths to the Republican ticket. If Mr. McCain were to select Mr. Cantor, who has a lifetime American Conservative Union rating of 97 percent, it would send a clear message to the conservative Republican base that has had a difficult, uneasy relationship with Mr. McCain. It also would do so without alienating non-conservatives who might be inclined to support the nominee. There are any number of objections that can be raised to a...

Washington, DC (PRWEB) August 6, 2008 -- Congressman Eric Cantor (R Va.) is calling on the Corporation for Public Broadcasting to develop "a clear mechanism" to assure that recipients of CPB funding meet the statutory requirement for "strict adherence to objectivity and balance in all programs or series of programs of a controversial nature." In an August 4 letter to Chair Chris Boskin and the other CPB board members, Rep. Cantor said "I remain concerned" about a 2005 Inspector General' s report that noted the corporation had not carried out its statutory obligation to, in the congressman's words, "impose firm...