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People:  Abramoff,
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PEOPLE News:
 Barack
Obama - People
-  Politics
-  Illinois
-  Hawaii
-  US
-  Indonesia
-  Kenya
"Obama's Fascinating Interview with Cathleen Falsani." ... "The most detailed and fascinating explication of [Democratic President-Elect] Barack Obama's faith came in a 2004 interview he gave Chicago Sun Times columnist Cathleen Falsani when he was running for U.S. Senate in Illinois." ... "Because of how controversial that interview became, Falsani has graciously allowed us [Beliefnet.com] to print the full conversation here." ... "FALSANI: What do you believe?" ... "OBAMA: I am a Christian." ... "So, I have a deep faith. So I draw from the Christian faith." ... "On the other hand, I was born in Hawaii where obviously there are a lot of Eastern influences." ... "I lived in Indonesia, the largest Muslim country in the world, between the ages of six and 10." ... "My father was from Kenya, and although he was probably most accurately labeled an agnostic, his father was Muslim." ... "And I'd say, probably, intellectually I've drawn as much from Judaism as any other faith." ... "So, I'm rooted in the Christian tradition. I believe that there are many paths to the same place, and that is a belief that there is a higher power, a belief that we are connected as a people. That there are values that transcend race or culture, that move us forward, and there's an obligation for all of us individually as well as collectively to take responsibility to make those values lived." -Beliefnet.com 
Barack
Obama -  E-Mail
-  Database
- 2008
Election - People
-  Communications
-  Media
- Politics
-  GOV
-  Legislation
- 2010
Election
"Under Obama, Web Would Be the Way: Unprecedented Online Outreach Expected." ... "Armed with millions of e-mail addresses and a political operation that harnessed the Internet like no campaign before it, [Democratic President-Elect] Barack Obama will enter the White House with the opportunity to create the first truly "wired" presidency." ... "Obama aides and allies are preparing a major expansion of the White House communications operation, enabling them to reach out directly to the supporters they have collected over 21 months without having to go through the mainstream media." ... "The nucleus of that effort is an e-mail database of more than 10 million supporters. The list is considered so valuable that the Obama camp briefly offered it as collateral during a cash-flow crunch late in the campaign, though it wound up never needing the loan, senior aides said. At least 3.1 million people on the list donated money to Obama." ... "Millions more made up the volunteer corps that organized his enormous rallies, registered millions of voters and held countless gatherings to plug the senator to friends and neighbors. On Election Day [2008], they served as the backbone of Obama's get-out-the-vote operation, reaching voters by phone and at the front door, serving coffee at polling stations and babysitting so parents could stand in line at voting precincts." ... "After Obama declared victory, his campaign sent a text message announcing that his supporters hadn't heard the last from the president-elect. Obama conveyed a similar message to his staff in a campaignwide conference call Wednesday, signaling that his election was the beginning, and not the culmination, of a political movement." ... "Accordingly, the president-elect's http://www.change.gov transition Web site features a blog and a suggestion form, signaling the kinds of direct and instantaneous interaction that the Obama administration will encourage, perhaps with an eye toward turning its following into the biggest special-interest group in Washington." ... "Once Obama is sworn in, those backers may be summoned to push reluctant members of Congress to support legislation, to offer feedback on initiatives and to enlist in administration-supported causes in local communities. Obama would also be positioned to ask his supporters to back his favored candidates with fundraising and turnout support in the 2010 midterm elections." (1, 2) -By Shailagh Murray and Matthew Mosk with contributions by Alec MacGillis -WashingtonPost 
 Child
-  Labor
-  Safety
-  Enforcement
-  Employers
- Politics
-  Food
-  Agriculture
-  Plants
-  Construction
- People
- Federal
- Immigration
-  North
Carolina - South
Carolina - Iowa
"Child labor going largely unchecked." ... "Nery Castañeda tackled a job that was never intended for kids his age." ... "One afternoon last fall, the 17-year-old Guatemala native ran a machine to grind damaged pallets into mulch. When a co-worker at the Greensboro [North Carolina] plant returned from another task, he didn't see Nery – until he looked inside the shredder." ... "“A person shouldn't die like this,” said older brother Luis. “…He came with a dream and found death.”" ... "Decades after the enactment of regulations designed to prevent such tragedies, thousands of youths still get hurt on American jobs deemed unsafe for young workers. On a typical day, more than 400 juvenile workers are injured on the job. Once every 10 days, on average, a worker under the age of 18 is killed, federal statistics show." ... "Enforcement has waned, despite new evidence that many employers are ignoring child labor laws. U.S. [United States] Department of Labor investigations have dropped by nearly half since fiscal year 2000." ... "“There are lots of kids being asked to do work that's been prohibited for them – and it's been prohibited because it's dangerous,” said Carol Runyan, who heads UNC's Injury Prevention Research Center. “…Our system is failing them.”" ... "More than 3 million youths under age 18 have jobs. Regulations prohibit them from doing a variety of hazardous jobs, including most meat-processing work." ... "But last month, at an immigration raid at a House of Raeford Farms poultry plant in Greenville, S.C. [South Carolina], six juveniles were among the workers detained. Three young workers told the Observer they were under 18 when they held jobs at House of Raeford plants requiring them to make thousands of cuts a day with sharp knives. The company says it requires job applicants to present identification showing their age, but not all the documentation is accurate." ... "At Agriprocessors, a large meatpacking plant in Postville, Iowa, authorities recently charged owners with thousands of child-labor violations after finding that teenage employees were asked to use circular saws, clean floors with powerful chemicals and perform other dangerous tasks." ... "“The raids in Postville and Greenville show that 15- and 16-year-old kids are doing some of the most dangerous jobs in America,” says Reid Maki of the National Consumers League. “ … It's time for the U.S. Department of Labor to investigate slaughterhouses and poultry plants.”" ... "A study of 16- and 17-year-old construction workers in North Carolina, published in 2006, found that more than 80 percent did tasks that were clearly prohibited. A national survey of young retail and service workers, published in 2007, found that more than half of males and more than 40 percent of females performed prohibited tasks." ... "Runyan, who co-authored both studies, says much of the blame lies with employers." ... "“I suspect there are employers who flagrantly disregard the law,” she said. “And I suspect there are others who are clueless.”" ... "Total federal penalties for child labor violations dropped 29 percent from 2000 to 2007." -By Ames Alexander and Franco Ordonez -Observer 
 Radio
- 
-  Opinion
- Politics
- People
- 2008
Election - Obama
-Government
-  Retirement
- Money
"Right-wing media feeds its post-election anger." ... "... [M]any on the losing end of last week's [2008] election want to hold on to their anger. And there are those in the media -- led by the likes of [radio talker Rush] Limbaugh and [Fox tv talker Sean] Hannity -- only too ready to feed that animus, along with their own ratings." ... "In a time when the nation calls out for cool leadership and rational discussion, Limbaugh stirs the caldron, a tendency he proved in a particularly grotesque way last week when he accused Obama's party of plotting a government takeover of 401(k) retirement plans." ... ""They're going to take your 401(k), put it in the Social Security trust fund, whatever the hell that is," Limbaugh woofed. "Trust fund, my rear end."" ... "A slight problem with Limbaugh's report: Obama and the Democrats have proposed no such thing." ... "To broadcast such a report -- so drained of context as to constitute a lie -- would be a shameless act at any time. But Limbaugh needlessly stirred the fears of the millions he holds in his thrall -- making the 401(k) thievery sound like nearly a done deal. Shameless." -By James Rainey -LAtimes
Barack
Obama -  Madelyn
Lee Payne Dunham - Grandmother
- Hawaii
- NC
- 2008
Election - Politics
"Obama's grandmother dies a day before election." ... "[2008 Election Democratic Presidential Candidate] Barack Obama's grandmother, whose personality and bearing shaped much of the life of the Democratic presidential contender, has died, Obama announced Monday, one day before the election. Madelyn Payne Dunham was 86." ... "Obama announced the news from the campaign trail in Charlotte, N.C. [North Carolina.] The joint statement with his sister Maya Soetoro-Ng said Dunham died peacefully late Sunday night after a battle with cancer." ... "They said: "She was the cornerstone of our family, and a woman of extraordinary accomplishment, strength, and humility. She was the person who encouraged and allowed us to take chances."" ... "Last month, Obama took a break from campaigning and flew to Hawaii to be with Dunham as her health declined." ... "Stanley Dunham [Obama's grandfather] died in 1992, while Obama's mother died in 1995. His father is also deceased." ... "When Obama was young, he and his grandmother toured the United States by Greyhound bus, stopping at the Grand Canyon, Yellowstone Park, Disneyland and Chicago [Illinois], where Obama would years later settle. " -By Herbert A. Sample with contributions by Nedra Pickler -AP via -Yahoo 
 Sarah
Palin -  John
McCain -  Fashion
- Money
-  Alaska
- 2008
Election - Working
- People
- Health
Care
"Palin Clothes Spending Has Dems Salivating, Republicans Silent." ... "Since her selection as [2008 Election Republican Presidential Candidate] John McCain's running mate, the Republican National Committee spent more than $150,000 on clothing and make-up for [2008 Election Republican Vice Presidential Candidate and Alaska] Gov. Sarah Palin, her husband, and even her infant son, Politico reported on Tuesday evening." ... "Palin, in the end, had received the equivalent of $2,500 in clothes per day." ... "During a week in which the Republican ticket is trying to highlight its connection to the working class - and, by extension, promoting its newest campaign tool, Joe the Plumber - it was revealed that Palin's fashion budget for several weeks was more than four times the median salary of an American plumber ($37,514). To put it another way: Palin received more valuable clothes in one month than the average American household spends on clothes in 80 years. A Democrat put it in even blunter terms: her clothes were the cost of health care for 15 or so people." -By Sam Stein -HuffingtonPost.com
Racist
- Marketing
- Fashion
- Politics
-  Terrorism
- Crime
- Illegal
- Immigration
- Economy
-  Pennsylvania
-  Alabama
-  Fla
"White supremacists target middle America." ... "The white-power movement is changing its marketing strategy to broaden its appeal." ... "The USA's largest neo-Nazi group is ditching its trademark brown Nazi uniform with swastika armband for a more muted look in black fatigues." ... "In Pennsylvania, the Keystone State Skinheads is changing its name to Keystone United to attract members." ... "Supremacist groups are on the rise as they market themselves to middle America, according to leaders of the groups and organizations that monitor them. They are fueled by the debate over illegal immigration and a struggling economy." ... ""Many white supremacist groups are going more mainstream," says Jack Levin, a Northeastern University criminologist who studies hate crime. "They are eliminating the sheets and armbands. … The groups realize if they want to be attractive to middle-class types, they need to look middle-class."" ... "The FBI [Federal Bureau of Investigation] knows of about 24 domestic terrorist groups. Spokesman Richard Kolko would not say how many are white supremacists." ... "Jeff Schoep, head of the National Socialist Movement, says the government classifies his group as a domestic group of interest, not domestic terrorists. The FBI would not comment." ... "[Former Alabama Ku Klux Klan leader Don] Black's son, Derek, 19, was elected to the Palm Beach County, Fla. [Florida], Republican committee in August. Local Republican leaders are trying to unseat him after learning of his white supremacist ties." -By Marisol Bello -USATODAY
Barack
Obama - Madelyn
Payne Dunham - Grandmother
- Hawaii
- Illinois
-  Kansas
- Politics
- Race
-  History
-  Book
- 2008
Election
"Obama's grandmother fights to see him elected." ... "Madelyn Payne Dunham gave young [2008 Election Democratic Presidential Candidate] Barack Obama a place to call home while his mother traveled the world. When he needed money for school, she went without new clothes to help pay his tuition." ... "And when the Illinois Senator decided to seek the Democratic presidential nomination, Dunham provided the "Kansas heartland" pedigree he needed to appeal to conservative white voters — and a personal anecdote about racial prejudice that helped the man with the foreign name and Ivy League resume connect with the African-American experience." ... "The 85-year-old former bank executive is said to be "gravely ill" after falling and breaking her hip, and some reports suggest she might not live to see the results of the Nov. 4 election. Whatever happens, she's already lived long enough to see her "Barry" achieve what she'd wanted for him, her brother says." ... "Although he made his mark thousands of miles from the Honolulu [Hawaii's capital] apartment where she helped raise him, Obama and others credit Dunham — whose birthday is Sunday — with instilling in him an appreciation for education and hard work, and with setting an example of thrift, practicality and tolerance." ... ""I think there's nobody more important than her, except his mother, in shaping his character," said David Mendell, who interviewed Dunham in 2004 for the Chicago Tribune and later wrote the book, "Obama: From Promise to Power."" ... "While her husband [Obama's grandfather, Stanley Dunham] was away in the Army during World War II, she was home raising their daughter, Stanley Ann, and supervising a B-29 bomber assembly line at the Boeing plant in Wichita [Kansas]." -By Allen G. Breed -AP via -Google 
Madelyn Payne Dunham Obama's Grandparents: 
Stanley Armour Dunham and Madelyn Lee Payne Dunham Barack Obama's Grandparents
Barack
Obama - Madelyn
Dunham - Grandmother
- Hawaii
-  Indiana
-  Wisconsin
- Des-Moines
- Iowa
- Politics
- 2008
Election
"Obama will make emergency trip to Hawaii to visit his Grandmother." ... "[2008 Election Democratic] Presidential hopeful Barack Obama will make an emergency trip back to the [Hawaii] islands this week to visit his grandmother." ... "A campaign spokesman says 86-year old Madelyn Dunham is very ill." ... "Obama plans to leave Indianapolis [Indiania's capital] on Thursday afternoon." ... "His grandmother has always been one of the most important people in his life." ... ""She's the one who put off buying a new car or a new dress for herself so that I could have a better life. She poured everything she had into me," said Obama on August 28." ... "Obama will be stepping off the campaign trail for a couple days to be at his grandmother's side." ... "He cancelled his appearances in Madison, Wisconsin, and Des Moines, Iowa to make the trip." -By Marisa Yamane -KHON2.com
Barack
Obama - Madelyn
Dunham - Grandmother
- Politics
- 2008
Election
"Obama Calls Grandmother "Rock of My Family"." ... "In September, [2008 Election Democratic Presidential Candidate] Barak Obama talked about his grandmother [Madelyn Dunham] during an interview with CBS News' Katie Couric." ... ""She's been the rock of my family. She worked very hard all of her life. And made a lot of sacrifices on my behalf. And now she can't travel. She's got osteoporosis that's very bad. She's as sharp as they come. She explained to me the other day, she said you know the problem with getting old is that you're the same person, just your body is falling apart, and it's very frustrating. And that's how she feels. And you know, spending time with her is something that's going to be a priority after the election is over."" -By Tim Sakahara -KGMB9.com
Barack
Obama - Madelyn
Dunham - Business
-  Woman
- Grandmother
- Hawaii
- Illinois
- Politics
- 2008
Election
"Obama's Grandmother Described As 'Strong Willed': Senator Leaves Campaign Trail To Make Visit." ... "Those who know Madelyn Dunham said throughout her life she has been "strong willed" and ambitious." ... "Dunham's health has slowly deteriorated and during his recent visit to Hawaii [2008 Election Democratic Presidential Candidate and Illinois Senator] Sen. Barack Obama spoke about his grandmother's condition." ... ""Her body is not in great shape she has osteoporosis which means she can't travel. She can't sit for a long periods of time on the plane so that's why it is so important for me to take these trips back to Hawaii," Obama said." ... "Barack Obama since he was 10." ... "Dunham turns 86 on Sunday." ... "University of Hawaii professor Alice Dewey is a longtime friend of the Obamas and remembers Dunham's tenacity." ... ""She was a very determined person as you began to get to know her she knew her mind and followed her principles," Dewey said." ... "Dunham was one of the first women vice presidents at the Bank of Hawaii. Co-workers said she was a well respected business woman." -KITV.com
Barack
Obama - Madelyn
Dunham - Grandmother
- Health
- Hawaii
- Illinois
- Politics
- 2008
Election
"Obama coming to Hawaii to visit ailing grandmother." ... "[2008 Election Democratic Presidential Candidate Barack] Obama spokesman Robert Gibbs announced that the senator will head to Hawaii Thursday to see his 86-year-old grandmother, Madelyn Dunham, who is seriously ill." ... "She was released from the hospital last week and is at her home on Oahu [Hawaii]. Obama plans to return to the campaign on Saturday." ... "In a statement Gibbs said: "[Illinois] Senator Obama's grandmother, Madelyn Dunham, has always been one of the most important people in his life. Along with his mother and his grandfather, she raised him in Hawaii from the time he was born until the moment he left for college. As he said at the Democratic Convention, she poured everything she had into him." ... ""Recently, his grandmother has become ill, and in the last few weeks, her health has deteriorated to the point where her situation is very serious. It is for that reason that Senator Obama has decided to change his schedule on Thursday and Friday so that he can see her and spend some time with her. He will be returning the the campaign trail on Saturday."" -KHNL.com 
Barack Obama's Grandparents: Grandmother Madelyn Dunham and Grandfather Stanley Dunham 20080923 
 Housing
- Consumer
- People
- Working
- Families
"Millions spend half of income on housing." ... "[Al] Ray is one of more than 7.5 million people — almost 15 percent of American homeowners with a mortgage — who are spending half of their income or more on housing costs, according to 2007 data released Tuesday by the U.S. Census Bureau. That is up from nearly 7.1 million the year before." ... "Traditionally, the government and most lenders consider a homeowner spending 30 percent or more of their income on housing costs to be financially burdened. But that definition now covers almost 38 percent of American homeowners with a mortgage — 19 million of them." ... "Though home prices have fallen this year, in the most expensive markets where home prices tripled during the boom, many working families still cannot afford to buy a home." ... "More than 4 million homeowners were at least one month behind on their loans at the end of June, and almost 500,000 had started the foreclosure process, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association." -By Adrian Sainz and Alan Zibel with contributions by Allen Chen -AP via -Yahoo
Political
-  Science
-  Psychology
-  DNA
-  Nature
- Nurture
-  Nebraska
"Are you a born conservative (or liberal)? A new study suggests that your political attitudes are wired in from the beginning." ... "It's literally in their DNA." ... "People with strongly conservative views were three times more fearful than staunch liberals after the effects of gender, age, income and education were factored out." ... "Kevin B. Smith, a political science professor at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and a study author, said conservatives were more vigilant to environmental threats, and he speculated that this innate tendency led them to support policies that protect the social order." ... "Fowler said the study added to the growing research suggesting that over millions of years, humans have developed two cognitive styles -- conservative and liberal. Cautious conservatives prevented societies from taking undue risks, while more flexible liberals fostered cooperation." ... ""For the species to survive, you need both," he said." ... "But Jon Krosnick, a political science professor at Stanford University, said it was impossible to draw any conclusions from a study with so few people, all from a small Midwestern town." ... "The study is the latest to challenge the long-standing dogma that upbringing and environmental factors determine political attitudes." -By Denise Gellene -LAtimes
Psychological
- Science
- People
- 2008
Election
"The Power of Political Misinformation." ... "As the [2008 Election] presidential campaign heats up, intense efforts are underway to debunk rumors and misinformation. Nearly all these efforts rest on the assumption that good information is the antidote to misinformation." ... "But a series of new experiments show that misinformation can exercise a ghostly influence on people's minds after it has been debunked -- even among people who recognize it as misinformation. In some cases, correcting misinformation serves to increase the power of bad information." ... "A variety of psychological experiments have shown that political misinformation primarily works by feeding into people's preexisting views." ... "[Yale University political scientist John] Bullock and others have also shown that some refutations can strengthen misinformation, especially among conservatives." ... "In a paper approaching publication, Nyhan, a PhD student at Duke University, and Reifler, at Georgia State University, suggest that Republicans might be especially prone to the backfire effect because conservatives may have more rigid views than liberals: Upon hearing a refutation, conservatives might "argue back" against the refutation in their minds, thereby strengthening their belief in the misinformation." -By Shankar Vedantam -WashingtonPost
John
McCain - William
Timmons -  Rick
Davis - Corporate
- Government
- Political
- History
-  Oil
- 
-
-
-
- 2008
Election
"McCain Taps Lobbyist for Transition." ... "[2008 Election Republican Presidential Candidate John McCain transition planner William] Timmons is the chairman emeritus of Timmons and Company, a small but influential lobbying firm he founded in 1975 shortly after leaving the [Republican Nixon-Ford] White House. According to Senate records, he registered to lobby in 2008 for a wide range of companies and trade groups, including the American Petroleum Institute, the American Medical Association, Chrysler, Freddie Mac, Visa USA and Anheuser-Busch." ... "His registrations include work on a number of issues that have become flashpoints in the presidential campaign. He has registered to work on bills that deal with the regulations of troubled [home] mortgage lenders Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae, a bill to provide farm subsidies and bills that regulate domestic oil-drilling." ... "By tapping Timmons, McCain has turned to one of Washington's steadiest and most senior inside players to guide him in the event of a victory — but also to someone who represents the antithesis of the kind of outside-of-Washington change he has recently been promising. One Republican familiar with the process said the decision to involve Timmons could become a political liability for the campaign's reformist image, especially in the wake of the controversies over the lobbying backgrounds of other McCain staffers, including campaign manager Rick Davis. "It's one more blind spot for Rick Davis and John McCain," the person said." -By Michael Scherer -TIME.com
 Gordon
Smith - Illegal
- Immigration
- Business
- Food
- Workers
- Politics
- Agriculture
- Property
- History
-  Oregon
-  Md
-Hawaii
-  Utah
-  Wash
"Señor Smith: Low-wage Latino workers keep [Oregon Republican Senator] Sen. Gordon Smith’s family business humming. Not all of them are legal." ... "Up on a hill overlooking this Eastern Oregon town of 701 people, Smith Frozen Foods turns raw produce from the surrounding fields into ready-to-eat products." ... "Smith’s goods appear in grocery stores under other brand names. But in tiny Weston [Oregon], a water tank emblazoned with the capital letters S-M-I-T-H sits like a sentry greeting travelers on nearby Highway 11." ... "Gordon Smith, a United States senator from Oregon and the only Republican senator representing a West Coast state, has owned the plant his grandfather founded in 1919 for nearly 30 years." ... "“Son,” father Milan Smith once said, according to Gordon Smith’s 2006 memoir, “you can sell ice to Eskimos and coals to Newcastle.”" ... "Today, Smith Frozen Foods generates millions in income for the senator, according to Smith’s 2007 financial disclosure report." ... "And in this town, Smith’s wealth looms large, even though the 56-year-old lawmaker seldom visits and calls nearby Pendleton [Oregon] his home. According to the Center for Responsive Politics, Smith is the 12th-richest member of the U.S. [United States] Senate, with an estimated net worth between $8 million and $39 million—wealth that’s allowed him to buy a $3.5 million mansion in Bethesda, Md. [Maryland], property on the Hawaiian island of Kauai, a Park City, Utah, condominium and—more famously—four antique golf clubs worth $1.25 million." ... "The workers at Smith Frozen Foods, who clean the machinery, monitor production and pack upward of 50 million pounds of produce each year, earn about $80 a day, four or five days a week, 10 months a year—if they’re lucky." ... "One other thing—some of them appear to be illegal immigrants." ... "WW recently spent several days in Weston, and the nearby cities of Milton-Freewater [Oregon] and Walla Walla, Wash. [Washington], where most of Smith’s employees live. WW spoke to dozens of current and former Smith workers, Latino advocates, court personnel, public defenders, educators, police administrators, church officials, social service agents and business owners and determined that some portion of Smith’s workforce comprises undocumented immigrants." ... "It’s a revelation that may not be newsworthy around Weston, where most people this reporter interviewed knew, or assumed, that the agricultural processing plant hired illegal immigrants." ... "Additional interviews and review of public records reveal that Smith’s company appears to have employed illegal immigrants for decades, stretching back as far as the 1980s." -By Beth Slovic -WWeek.com
John
McCain - Psychology
- Politics
-  Texas
-  Miss
- 2008
Election
"McCain's history of hot temper raises concerns." ... "[2008 Election Republican Presidential Candidate] John McCain made a quick stop at the Capitol one day last spring to sit in on Senate negotiations on the big immigration bill, and [Texas Republican Senator] John Cornyn was not pleased." ... "Cornyn, a mild-mannered Texas Republican, saw a loophole in the bill that he thought would allow felons to pursue a path to citizenship." ... "McCain called Cornyn's claim "chicken-s---," according to people familiar with the meeting, and charged that the Texan was looking for an excuse to scuttle the bill. Cornyn grimly told McCain he had a lot of nerve to suddenly show up and inject himself into the sensitive negotiations." ... ""F--- you," McCain told Cornyn, in front of about 40 witnesses." ... "It was another instance of the Republican presidential candidate losing his temper, another instance where, as POW-MIA activist Carol Hrdlicka put it, "It's his way or no way."" ... "There's a lengthy list of similar outbursts through the years: McCain pushing a woman in a wheelchair, trying to get an Arizona Republican aide fired from three different jobs, berating a young GOP activist on the night of his own 1986 Senate election and many more." ... "In January, [Mississippi Republican Senator] Sen. Thad Cochran, R-Miss. [Republican-Mississippi], told The Boston Globe that, "the thought of (McCain) being president sends a cold chill down my spine. He is erratic. He is hotheaded. He loses his temper and he worries me." (Cochran has since endorsed McCain.)" -By David Lightman and Matt Stearns with contributions by Margaret Talev -McClatchyDC.com |
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