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The scene is the Foxwoods Resort Casino in Connecticut . The year 2000. The congressman has $100 chips stacked high, having a grand time at the crap table. He likes to gamble and isn't afraid to show some temper when he loses. Along for the ride are his campaign manager and one of the two biggest lobbyist handing out campaign money from various Indian tribes who was also a 20 year friend of the legislator. By now we've all heard about the money J.D. Hayworth received from an Indian tribe by way of disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff, who was one...

Enclosed are some excerpts from Senator John McCain's letter that he E-Mailed to his followers today. I'm pleased to see someone on Capital Hill who is standing up to Obama and the Democrats and their outrageous wasteful spending..... "My Friend, I have spent much of my career fighting against wasteful spending in Washington. I'm not afraid to speak out when I see taxpayer dollars wasted. And in all my years in public office, I have never seen spending as out of control as it is under the current Democratic leadership. Our national debt has reached an all-time high of $12.4...

Advocacy groups step up efforts to rally support. BY NOELLE PHILLIPS In recent weeks, Latinos in South Carolina have gathered for food and conversation to discuss a strategy for immigration reform. Energized by the election of President Barack Obama, they are trying to push the explosive issue back into the national conversation. "It's going to come up," said the Rev. Sandy Jones, pastor of Spring of Life Lutheran Church, which has a predominantly Hispanic congregation. "I'm afraid this debate is going to be more vitriolic than health care was." People attending these events want the federal government to create a...

Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., is launching perhaps his harshest attack yet on his own party and his gushiest praise of Democrats. "I believe my party has gone astray," McCain said yesterday, singling out GOP stands on environmental issues and racial set-asides. "I think the Democratic Party is a fine party, and I have no problems with it, in their views and their philosophy," he said. "But I also feel the Republican Party can be brought back to the principles I articulated before."

Hayworth faced ethical scrutiny during his unsuccessful reelection campaign for his ties to disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff, whose Native-American clients contributed $100,000 to his campaigns. He is still paying off legal debt that he accumulated preparing for a possible federal investigation in connection with the Abramoff scandal.

Paul Streitz has decided to call Sarah Palin by her real name, because she endorsed John McCain (who is trying to win a fifth term as Senator) and said she will campaign for him. Fanatic Palinites, such as the editors of the misnamed „conservatives4palin.com” website (they should rename it „liberals4palin.com”), lambasted him and called him a “backstabber”. “If Paul Streitz’s support of Governor Palin is contingent upon his agreeing with every decision she makes or her selling out her deeply-held values, that’s unfortunate. While all support is appreciated, the governor has never been for sale. Ask the Alaska establishment, who...

Holy smokes! JD is telling us this is his last hour on the air! He is saying he will be heard from again in the public arena.

PHOENIX – Former Arizona Congressman J.D. Hayworth says he's planning to run against John McCain for his U.S. Senate seat. Hayworth told The Associated Press late Friday that he stepped down as host of his radio program on KFYI-AM, a conservative radio talk show in Phoenix. He says he wouldn't have been able to remain host of the program while running against McCain. Hayworth was ousted from his Congressional seat in 2007 after 12 years in office by Democrat Harry Mitchell, and has hosted the radio show for the past few years.

Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) is running a new radio ad slamming an opponent who hasn't even gotten in the race. The unusual ad suggests McCain is truly worried about a challenge from ex-Rep. J.D. Hayworth (R), who is taking steps toward running to McCain's right. McCain has already run 2 positive ads on conservative radio stations, but the 3rd ad shows McCain's team has already done the opposition research. "John McCain's running for re-election. Well, I'd hope so, why wouldn't he? It's not like our country is on the right track. It's a mess, Congress spending us into oblivion. We...

Sen. John McCain (R) has known from an early stage that he could face a tough primary in his bid for re-election this year, and acted on it. He already launched radio ads touting his effort to block President Obama's "extreme left wing crusade." And just this week, Sen.-elect Scott Brown (R) recorded robocalls that went out to voters in Arizona. Now, a Rasmussen poll (502 LVs, 1/20, MoE +/- 4.5%) shows the Maverick just over 50 percent in a potential matchup against former Rep. JD Hayworth -- not the best position for an incumbent to be, but an improvement...

(NECN: Washington) - Senator-Elect Scott Brown met this morning in Washington with Arizona Senator John McCain. "I'm very pleased and proud to have Senator Brown come and visit with me," said McCain. "Senator Brown represents, I think, the dreams and the hopes and the frustrations that Americans feel today," said McCain. "The bill (health care) that was being pushed in Washington was not good for Massachusetts...a one size fits all program is not good for Massachusetts," said Brown. "People want good government...they want us to solve problems," said Brown.Brown beat Democrat Martha Coakley in a special election held in Massachusetts...

Sen. John McCain's wife Cindy McCain is the newest face of a pro-gay marriage campaign. Posing with tape over her mouth and a "NOH8" logo on her face, Cindy McCain was photographed for the NOH8 Campaign, which protests Proposition 8, the California proposition passed in 2008 banning same-sex marriage. The proposition is currently being challenged in federal court. McCain approached the campaign herself about her participation, the NOH8 Web site says. She has spoken out on behalf of gay rights before, though this is perhaps her most prominent show of support for the issue. "The McCains are one of the...

Washington (CNN) – As Sen. John McCain readies for a potential primary challenge from the right this fall, the Arizona Republican is playing his trump card. Sarah Palin, McCain's former running mate and perhaps the most powerful brand in Republican politics, will stump for McCain in Arizona on March 26 and 27, a Palin adviser told CNN. The presence of Palin - and the considerable crowds and media attention she will draw - might give pause to J.D. Hayworth, the former Republican congressman and radio host who opposes McCain's position on illegal immigration and is mulling a Senate run of...

As Sen. John McCain readies for a potential primary challenge from the right this fall, the Arizona Republican is playing his trump card. Sarah Palin, McCain's former running mate and perhaps the most powerful brand in Republican politics, will stump for McCain in Arizona on March 26 and 27, a Palin adviser told CNN. The presence of Palin - and the considerable crowds and media attention she will draw - might give pause to J.D. Hayworth, the former Republican congressman and radio host who opposes McCain's position on illegal immigration and is mulling a Senate run of his own.

The GW College Republicans have withdrawn their financial support from Meghan McCain's upcoming appearance at GW, after claims that the Allied in Pride president was not forthcoming about the topic of McCain's speech. Michael Komo, president of Allied in Pride, told The Hatchet last week that McCain would be appearing as the keynote speaker of their annual "Marriage Equality Week" in February, but the CR leadership claims they were not aware of this when they were asked for their financial support. McCain, an outspoken advocate for gay rights, is the daughter of former Republican presidential nominee Sen. John McCain. "Our...

Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) notified his Twitter users Tuesday that he crossed the 1.7 million follower threshold. McCain took to Twitter a day after the account of his 2008 presidential election opponent, President Barack Obama, announced it had crossed over the 3 million follower mark: Over 1.7 million followers!! Thanks everyone - keep tweeting! The former GOP nominee has a long way to go if he wants to avenge his loss last year by gaining more followers than Obama. McCain is the second-most followed sitting politician on Twitter and the 49th most followed Twitter user overall according to TwitterCounter, a...

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BOSTON (AP) — Sen. John McCain has endorsed Massachusetts Senate candidate Scott Brown, saying the Republican offers the best solutions to overcome the recession and face down threats to national security. The 2008 Republican nominee for president said Sunday that Brown has worked to cut spending and keep taxes low. Arizona’s senior senator says Brown’s experience as an officer in the Army National Guard also helps him understand the need for a strong military and protecting U.S. interests around the world.

McCain responded by saying immigrants were taking jobs nobody else wanted. He offered anybody in the crowd $50 an hour to pick lettuce in Arizona. Shouts of protest rose from the crowd, with some accepting McCain’s job offer. “I’ll take it!� one man shouted. McCain insisted none of them would do such menial labor for a complete season. “You can’t do it, my friends.� Some in the crowd said they didn’t appreciate McCain questioning their work ethic.

(snip) SAMUELSON: If John McCain had won, would there be more bipartisanship?HOLTZ-EAKIN: I think so. One reason is mechanical: it would have been a Republican president and a Democratic Congress. You have to operate in a more bipartisan fashion. It's also about style. McCain is more willing to disappoint Republicans than Obama is to disappoint Democrats.(snip)