US Election 2008 Blog

By Joan Vennochi, Boston Globe

THE NEXT time the Democrats debate, they should pull out a chair for Bill Clinton.

Wolf Blitzer asked all the candidates what they would do with Bill Clinton if they were elected president. His question was clearly posed to get Hillary Clinton to talk about her husband’s role in any future Clinton administration.

Mike Gravel, the former senator from Alaska, said he would use Clinton as a goodwill ambassador, adding, to laughter, “He can take his wife with him; she’ll still be in the Senate.”

Hillary Clinton said, “Bill Clinton, my dear husband, would be sent around the world as a roving ambassador.” There isn’t a problem we face, she added, “where we don’t need friends and allies, and he would be a tremendous help.”

At another moment, Hillary Clinton was asked whether the Clinton administration’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy regarding gays and lesbians in the military was a mistake. She called it “a transition policy.” Then, when the candidates were asked what they would do if they had information about Osama bin Laden’s whereabouts, Clinton noted, “My husband tried to take out bin Laden.”

Her opponents also used Bill Clinton as a reference point. Senator Joe Biden of Delaware noted that he “came to your husband” to make the case for US involvement in the Balkans. When asked to give his “definition of rich,” Senator Barack Obama of Illinois referenced tax policy “back to when Clinton was in office.”

For Hillary Clinton, this could be a plus with voters who yearn for the Clinton years. But it also focuses attention on a complicated political and marital relationship — and is all about the past.

The Clintons, of all politicians, know that presidential elections are about the future. Remember the Clinton-Gore campaign song of 1992? The refrain went, “Don’t stop thinking about tomorrow.” It wasn’t “Yesterday.”

 Sofia Echo 

Controversy between the United States and Russia about the planned US anti-missile defence shield over Central and Eastern Europe will be one of the dominant themes during US president George Bush’s visit to Bulgaria.

Nato member Bulgaria, which will not be covered by the shield, wants the same level of security as nearby states that will be involved in the scheme, which the US says is intended as protection against a potential threat from Iran.

Bush’s June 10 and 11 visit will include meetings with his host, President Georgi Parvanov, and Prime Minister Sergey Stanishev, among others.

Other security issues on the agenda include Bulgaria’s military modernisation.

Bush will reiterate US support for the Bulgarian medics facing the death penalty in Libya.

Bulgaria will continue to press for the US to scrap the requirement for Bulgarians to have visas to enter the US. In an interview broadcast on Bulgarian National Television (BNT) on June 1, Bush described this as a “tough issue” but said that he was working to come up with a solution.

Asked by BNT what Bulgaria would get in return for its military bases deal with the US, Bush said: “I don’t think friends really kind of measure decision-making on a quid pro quo basis”. On Iraq, Bush expressed his condolences to the families of Bulgarian military personnel who had died there, but defended his decisions.

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By Laura Smith-Spark, BBC News
Manchester, New Hampshire

Want to meet the next president of the United States? Move to New Hampshire and you stand a good chance.

In a country of some 300 million people, the state’s 1.3 million residents are perhaps the most heavily-canvassed and targeted voters of any in the nation, bar Iowa.

Last week each party’s candidates flocked to New Hampshire for the latest televised debates, as they seek the all-important nomination to run for president in 2008.

And over the coming months, the contenders will court the state like no other, descending on it for house parties, 4 July parades and rallies - each time seeking vital “face time” with potential voters, in a strategy known as “retail politics”.

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DesMoinesRegister.com

Dubuque, Ia. - U.S. Sen. Barack Obama on Saturday launched what he touted as one of the largest and earliest nationwide door-to-door efforts in presidential campaign history.

“It is a testimony to the degree to which people, as I travel all across the country, are so invested in change,” the Illinois Democrat said. “They want to turn the page and create a new kind of politics.”

More than 200 people in Dubuque volunteered to go door to door for Obama. At least 38 groups - more than 1,500 volunteers overall - took part in Iowa. The event, “Walk for Change,” attracted more than 10,000 volunteers, located in all 50 states, aides said.

Obama raised $25 million in the first quarter of his campaign, nearly the same amount as Sen. Hillary Clinton of New York, who leads Obama in many early polls and is considered the party’s presidential front-runner.

Obama’s campaign staff has not yet turned to television advertising and has instead concentrated on dozens of smaller, more personal stops. Staffers declined to speculate Saturday when or whether TV ads will be part of the strategy.

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This will be a blog about the presidential election in USA next year. Here you will find the latest news about the presidental election. Headlines and featured articles from European and American observers wiil be published regulary. We’ll possibly represent the European point of view about the U. S. election but will share comments from bloggers and journalists all around the world. Here you will find not only articles about the election but also multimedia information (video, audio, photos) and some fun stuff related to the candidates like comics, cartoons, jokes, anecdotes, etc.

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