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South Carolina state is bordered by the states of North Carolina (north) and Georgia (southwest).

South Carolina state also borders the Atlantic Ocean (southeast).

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20080729

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"Bush to leave a record budget deficit of $482 billion: [Republican President Bush] White House officials say the economy and a bipartisan stimulus package caused the worsening picture for 2009, but Democrats blame Bush's tax cuts and fiscal management." ... "Democrats on Capitol Hill blamed the revised deficit figures on Bush's large tax cuts and freewheeling spending." ... ""If we gave Olympic medals for fiscal irresponsibility, President Bush would take the gold, the silver and the bronze, because he's got the three highest record deficits ever," said [South Dakota Democratic Senator] Sen. Kent Conrad (D-S.D.), chairman of the Senate Budget Committee. "He sets records in every single category: 2009 would be the gold; 2004 the silver; 2008 the bronze."" ... "[South Carolina Democratic Representative] Rep. John M. Spratt Jr. (D-S.C.) noted that Bush inherited a budget surplus from his Democratic predecessor, so the blame for the poor fiscal performance rests with him." ... ""Mr. Bush came to office with the biggest surpluses in history and he will leave office with the biggest deficit in history. That's the bottom line," said Spratt, chairman of the House Budget Committee." -By Maura Reynolds

-LAtimes

20080524

John McCain - Barack Obama - Joseph Lieberman - Lindsey Graham - Finance - Laws - 2008 Election - Ad - Iraq - War - US - Connecticut - South Carolina - Arizona - "McCain advisers on '527' attacking Obama." ... "Both [2008 Election Presidential Candidates] John McCain and Barack Obama say they want to rein in the power of the so-called "527s," the independent political committees that skirt the campaign finance laws with unlimited financing and unregulated campaign attacks." ... "But two of [Republican] McCain's own campaign chairmen are serving on the board of an independent organization behind a new attack ad against [Democratic] Obama, "an apparent violation of the Arizona Republican's new conflict of interest policy,'' the Huffington Post notes." ... ""Sens. [Connecticut Independent Senator] Joseph Lieberman and [South Carolina Republican Senator] Lindsey Graham both hold chairs for the McCain camp as well as positions on the board of advisers of Vets for Freedom, an advocacy group that supports the Iraq war,'' the HuffPost reports. "A week ago these titles may not have been a political issue. But under McCain's newly-implemented ethics policy, Lieberman and Graham's role with Vets for Freedom is now proving problematic." -By Mark Silva -Sun-Sentinel.com

20080423

Tony Zirkle - Racism - Religion - Indiana - Illinois - South Carolina - 2008 Election - "House GOP [GOP=Grand Old Party=Republican] Candidate Spoke At Hitler Event: [Indiana Republican Tony Zirkle 2008 Election] Candidate For Indiana District Defends Speech At American National Socialist Workers Party Event Celebrating Nazi's Birthday." ... "A congressional candidate is defending his speech to a group celebrating the anniversary of Adolf Hitler's birth, saying he appeared simply because he was asked." ... "Tony Zirkle, who is seeking the Republican nomination in northern Indiana's 2nd District, stood in front of a painting of Hitler, next to people wearing swastika armbands and with a swastika flag in the background for the speech to the American National Socialist Workers Party in Chicago [Illinois] on Sunday." ... ""I'll speak before any group that invites me," Zirkle said Monday. "I've spoken on an African-American radio station in Atlanta."" ... "He compared his speech to other politicians appearing at Bob Jones University." ... "[Republican] George W. Bush, then a candidate for president, was criticized eight years ago for speaking at the South Carolina school, which teaches students that Catholicism is a cult. Also at the time of the speech, the school banned interracial dating, a policy that has since been dropped. " -AP via -CBSNews

20080316

John McCain - US - Iraq - Military - Politics- History - AZ - CT - SC - "One Year Later, Market Where McCain Strolled ‘Freely’ Is Controlled By Sadr, Too Unsafe For Americans To Visit." ... "On April 1, 2007, [2008 Election Republican Presidential Candidate and Arizona Senator] Sen. John McCain (R-AZ [Republican-Arizona]) strolled through the open-air Shorja market in Baghdad [Iraq's capital] in an effort to prove that Americans are “not getting the full picture” of what’s going on in Iraq. In a press conference after his Baghdad tour, McCain told a reporter that his visit to the market was proof that people could “walk freely” in parts of Baghdad." ... "What McCain failed to mention was that he was accompanied by “100 American soldiers, with three Blackhawk helicopters, and two Apache gunships overhead.” He also appeared to be wearing a bulletproof vest during his visit." ... "Since that trip, McCain has claimed that the situation in Iraq has improved even more. A few months ago, McCain claimed that “we’ve succeeded militarily” in Iraq. Things, of course, are going so well, that he wants to keep U.S. troops there for at least 100 years." ... "McCain is now back in Iraq for a “surprise visit with Iraqi and American diplomatic and military leaders.” He is joined by fellow Iraq war defenders Sens. Joe Lieberman (I-CT [Independent Democrat-Connecticut]) and Lindsey Graham (R-SC [Republican-South Carolina]). But it’s unlikely they will be visiting the Shorja market again. Today, CNN reported that they tried to visit the Shorja market, but it was too unsafe and they were unable to go:"

WATCH

[CNN:] "We got close to that marketplace today, Jim, but our own security advisers here in Iraq did not want us to go there. They didn’t believe it was safe for an American to be in that area. We were in a thriving marketplace nearby." ... "But when you show up, the local Iraqis, while it is clear security is better on the street — it is clear there are more markets open, just the traffic jams alone tell you that things are better on the streets of Baghdad — it’s also a very sensitive potential neighborhoods." ... "That one marketplace, as a matter of fact, you do see Iraqi police, you do see the Iraqi army, but in truth, that area is controlled by the radical cleric Moqtada al Sadr’s Mahdi army."

-CNN via

-ThinkProgress.org

20080313

Hillary Clinton - Barack Obama - Race - 2008 Election - New York - Illinois - South Carolina - "Clinton apologizes to black voters." ... "[2008 Election Democratic Presidential Candidate and New York Senator] Sen. Hillary Clinton apologized to a gathering of black newspaper publishers Wednesday for a top fundraiser's controversial comments that [2008 Election Democratic Presidential Candidate and Illinois Senator] Sen. Barack Obama's race has helped his candidacy." ... "The New York senator found herself in the hot seat after the remarks by Geraldine Ferraro -- a former New York congresswoman, Democratic vice presidential candidate and Clinton supporter." ... ""I rejected what she said and I certainly do repudiate it," Clinton said at the National Newspaper Publishers Association meeting in Washington." ... "Clinton was asked about remarks her husband, former [Democratic] President Bill Clinton, made while on the trail for his wife in South Carolina last month in which he seemed to imply that Obama's success in South Carolina would largely be based on his race." ... ""I'm sorry if anyone was offended. It certainly was not meant in anyway to be offensive," she said." -CNN

20080312

Barack Obama - Hillary Clinton - 2008 Election - Lawmakers - Illinois - New York - South Carolina - Mississippi - Georgia - Virginia - North Carolina - Tennessee - Alabama - North Dakota - South Dakota - Kentucky - West Virginia - "Eyeing Obama coattails." ... "Democratic lawmakers are becoming persuaded that [2008 Election Democratic Presidential Candidate and Illinois Senator] Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.[Democratic-Illinois]) would have a more positive impact on other Democrats on the November ballot than [2008 Election Democratic Presidential Candidate and New York Senator] Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.[Democratic-New York])." ... "Obama’s advantage over Clinton would be most pronounced in the Southern and Western states President Bush carried in 2000 and 2004, say lawmakers interviewed by The Hill. In total, 32 members of Congress from these “red states” have endorsed Obama. Twenty-two lawmakers from those states have backed Clinton." ... "Obama will “bring new people into the process in Southern states, there’s no question about it,” said Rep. James Clyburn, the House Democratic whip from South Carolina. “In these Southern states he’s bringing out more people, young people, African-Americans. They’re being energized by him.”" ... "Clyburn, who has stayed neutral in the primary, said Obama at the top of the ticket would “certainly” do more to help other Democratic candidates, citing South Carolina and Mississippi specifically." ... "Obama has picked up congressional endorsements from Georgia, Virginia, North Carolina, Tennessee, Alabama, North and South Dakota, Mississippi, Kentucky, and West Virginia. Clinton has not collected congressional endorsements from any of these states, according to a tally kept by The Hill." -By Alexander Bolton with contributions by Sam Youngman -TheHill.com

20080126

Barack Obama - Hillary Clinton - John Edwards - South Carolina - 2008 Election - "Obama smashes Clinton in S.C. victory." ... "[2008 Election Democratic Presidential Candidate] Barack Obama cruised to a decisive victory in South Carolina's presidential primary Saturday with overwhelming support from black voters and about one-fourth of whites as well, a win that leaves [2008 Election Democratic Presidential Candidate] Hillary Clinton humbled and [2008 Election Democratic Presidential Candidate] John Edwards staggering." ... "Clinton and her husband, the former president, fought hard in the final days to overtake the Illinois senator, or at least come close in a state where polls found she was the front-runner just last month." -By David Lightman -McClatchyDC.com

20080125

John Edwards - Consumer - Marketplace - Politics - Government - Law - 2008 Election - North Carolina - South Carolina - "Health Care Up to Public, Edwards Says." ... "[2008 Election Democratic Presidential Candidate and North Carolina's] Former Senator John Edwards does not discount the possibility that his health care proposal, which would allow Americans to buy new government insurance packages modeled on Medicare, could evolve into a federalized system like those in Canada and many European countries. And if it does, Mr. Edwards said he would be just fine with that." ... "But Mr. Edwards, of North Carolina, emphasized in a 40-minute interview on health policy that the choice would be made not in Washington, but by consumers in an open marketplace where private insurance competes with government plans." ... "“American health consumers will decide which works best,” Mr. Edwards said Wednesday afternoon while traveling through South Carolina on his campaign bus. “It could continue to be divided. But it could go in one direction or the other, and one of the directions is obviously government or single-payer. And I’m not opposed to that.”" ... "If the government is able to undercut private insurers on price — by forgoing profit, reducing overhead, and maximizing economies of scale — it theoretically could put the private system out of business and become the de facto insurer for the nation." ... "Republican candidates and policy strategists have raised the specter of “socialized medicine” and depicted the Democratic plans as a back-door route to a so-called single-payer government system." ... "Mr. Edwards brushed off that critique. “There is nothing back-door about it,” he said. “It’s right through the front door. We’re going to let America decide what health care system works for them.”" (1, 2) -By Kevin Sack -NYTimes

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20080123

Stephen Colbert - Hillary Clinton- Barack Obama - Civil Rights - History - Humor - - Writers - Union - Entertainment - Song - Religion - Medical - University - South Carolina - Business - 2008 Election - Politics - "Colbert's Civil Rights MLK Day Writer's Strike-Busting Writerless Show — In Song." ... "[Stephen Colbert,] After paying his respects to Monday's debate and busting out a pretty darn good Tom Cruise imitation, Colbert made a segue which, in retrospect, was brilliant: Moving from [2008 Election Democratic Presidential Candidate Hillary] Clinton and [2008 Election Democratic Presidential Candidate Barack] Obama's bickering over who loved Reagan more to the evidence provided by Tom Brokaw's book, Boom! Voices of the Sixties, which, in addition to quoting Hillary Clinton discussing how [former Republican President] Ronald Reagan finessed the balance of his role "beautifully" on page 404, contains an early segment devoted to the Reverend Andrew Young, the "last surviving member of Martin Luther King's inner circle at the Southern Christian Leadership Council," and lifelong, steadfast civil rights activist. Colbert got to that — eventually — after first introducing a documentary-style segment (in the style of Brokaw's "1968" documentary, complete with soundtrack) about the Charleston Hospital workers union strike of 1969, which was settled by the young, er, Young, who negotiated with a vice president of the associated Medical University of South Carolina — "the only administrator willing to meet with Young was the newly-appointed vice-president of the medical college, who had taken up the position just days before the strike was called." The two worked behind the scenes to finally end the strike — and on the hundredth day, they came to an agreement, awarding raises to the striking workers." ... "That administrator? James Colbert — Stephen's father." -By Rachel Sklar -HuffingtonPost.com

Watch Colbert Report:

"A-It's All About Stephen."

"B-Interview - Ambassador Andrew Young."

"C-Let My People Go."

John Edwards - Hillary Clinton - South Carolina - Economic - Family - Farmers - Jobs - Internet - 2008 Election - "Edwards jabs Clinton for leaving SC." ... "[2008 Election] Democratic presidential hopeful John Edwards said South Carolina voters should question [2008 Election Democratic Presidential Candidate] Hillary Rodham Clinton's commitment to the state since she left in the run-up to the state's primary." ... ""After the debate, she flew out and she's been gone and she won't be back until I don't know - later in the week or until primary day," Edwards told a crowd of about 150 people in this small city on Wednesday. "What are the chances she's coming back when she's president of the United States?"" ... "A South Carolina native and son of a mill worker, he stresses themes focused on the middle class and an economic plan that would bring help to family farmers, and jobs and broadband Internet connections to rural areas." -By Susanne M. Schafer -AssociatedPress
Hillary Clinton - Barack Obama - South Carolina - Radio - Ads - Economic - Jobs - 2008 Election - Illinois - "Clinton, Obama take war of words to airwaves." ... "Three days ahead of South Carolina's Democratic presidential primary, [2008 Election Democratic Presidential Candidate Hillary] Clinton aired a radio ad here ridiculing [2008 Election Democratic Presidential Candidate Barack] Obama's recent comments about Republican ideas." ... ""Aren't those the ideas that got us into the economic mess we're in today?" the ad's narrator asks." ... "Obama, an Illinois senator who would be the first black U.S. [United States] president, responded later in the day with his own radio ad bluntly confronting Clinton." ... ""Hillary Clinton will say anything to get elected," the narrator of Obama's ad says. "She'll say anything and change nothing."" ... ""Now she's making false attacks on Barack Obama," the ad's narrator says." ... ""She championed NAFTA (the North American Free Trade Agreement), even though it has cost South Carolina thousands of jobs. And worst of all, it was Hillary Clinton who voted for [Republican President] George Bush's war in Iraq."" (1, 2, 3) -By John Whitesides with contributions by Stuart Grudgings -Reuters

20080122

John Edwards - South Carolina - Workers - Economy - 2008 Election - Health-Care - Kids - Education - "Edwards gets union support, details $1.5B plan for SC." ... "[2008 Election] Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards on Tuesday won the endorsement of one of South Carolina's largest unions [the Communications Workers of America] as he gave details of an economic plan his campaign said would offer his native state's struggling economy $1.5 billion in relief." ... ""Our country is no longer on the brink of a recession. I think we're in one," Edwards said during a conference call with reporters on Tuesday, a day after a testy debate between the Democratic candidates." ... ""I was proud to represent the grown-up wing of the Democratic Party," he told the cheering crowd." ... ""When all those kinds of personal attacks are going on, it doesn't do a thing to help somebody get health care who doesn't have it," Edwards said. "It doesn't do a thing to help our kids get the education they need. We have work to do in this country."" ... ""There's a disconnect between Washington and the government paying attention to what's happening in real people's lives, as opposed to just paying attention to what's happening on Wall Street," he said." ... ""You watch what [Republican President] George Bush does he just waits and waits and waits and then by the time the water's coming in like a flood, he responds, which is exactly what he's done about the economy," Edwards said. "A month ago I said we had to do something about this and still be he waited and waited."" -By Bruce Smith with contributions by Jim Davenport -AP via-AJC
Fred Thompson - South Carolina - Tennessee - Actor - 2008 Election - "Fred Thompson Bows Out Of '08 Presidential Race: Actor and former [Tennessee Republican] senator announces his withdrawal following third-place finish in South Carolina." ... "Former Tennessee Senator Fred Thompson, who is perhaps best known for his work on "Law & Order," has pulled his name out of the proverbial hat, announcing Tuesday (January 22) through his Web site that he won't be seeking the Republican nomination for president." ... "The 65-year-old thespian was an early favorite for his party's nomination, but his campaign floundered from the outset, and Thompson never quite garnered the support he needed to carry on. He was one of the last candidates to enter the race, after months of speculation that he'd take a stab at the White House." -By Chris Harris -MTV.com

20080119

Mitt Romney - Politics - Massachusetts - New Hampshire - Nevada - South Carolina - 2008 Election - "More than a dozen lobbyists working to raise money for Romney." ... "Former Bay State Gov. [Massachusetts Republican Governor and 2008 Election Republican Presidential Candidate] Mitt Romney, who has cast himself as a Washington outsider and blasted his opponents’ ties to lobbyists, has more than a dozen federally registered lobbyists raising money for him and several others advising his campaign, records show." ... "At a Nashua event the day before the New Hampshire primary, Romney said, “I don’t have years and years of favors to repay, lobbyists who have raised all sorts of money for me.”" ... "But at least 13 lobbyists work as so-called bundlers - those responsible for prodding deep-pocketed donors and generating vast sums of money for the candidate - according to records compiled by nonprofit Washington watchdog Public Citizen." ... "Romney, who faces a critical doubleheader in South Carolina and Nevada today, got into a tussle Thursday with an Associated Press reporter over the issue. “I don’t have lobbyists running my campaign,” Romney remarked. “I don’t have lobbyists that are tied to my . . .” The reporter interrupted him saying, “That is not true,” and naming [lobbyist Ronald C.] Kaufman, which provoked a tense exchange." -By Jessica Van Sack -BostonHerald.com

20080115

John Edwards - Hillary Clinton - Barack Obama - South Carolina - American - Jobs - Overseas - Trade - 2008 Election - "Edwards draws direct contrasts with rivals." ... "The four 10-second spots [2008 Election Democratic Presidential Candidate's new TV ads], which begin airing today in South Carolina, each show photos of [2008 Election Democratic Presidential Candidate Hillary] Clinton and [2008 Election Democratic Presidential Candidate Barack] Obama while the announcer poses a question. In one, the query is: "Which Democrat opposed NAFTA [North American Free Trade Agreement] and other trade deals that send American jobs overseas?" In the second, "Which Democrat has never taken a dime of campaign money from Washington lobbyists?" In the third, "Who’s the only Democrat who would ban Washington lobbyists from the White House staff?" And in the fourth, "Who’s the only Democrat that beats all the Republicans in the recent CNN poll?"" ... "They all end with, "John Edwards is the only one."" -By Foon Rhee -BostonGlobe

20080114

John Edwards - Environmental - Law - South Carolina - Coal-Plant - Corporation - US - Global - Climate - North Carolina - 2008 Election - "Edwards Calls for Ban on Coal Plants." ... "[2008 Election] Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards on Monday said a proposed coal-fired power plant shouldn't be built in northeastern South Carolina, continuing his call for a ban on those facilities." ... ""My view is that needs to stop," Edwards said of the $1 billion, 600-megawatt plant set to be built along the Pee Dee River in this early voting state. Santee Cooper officials are awaiting a final permit from state environmental regulators." ... "Edwards, a former North Carolina senator, told about 150 people at a campus of Coastal Carolina University that coal-fired plants are "taking a bad situation and making it worse."" ... "He also said he was opposed to new nuclear power plants and that the U.S. has no credibility in global warming discussions. "We are the worst polluter on the planet," Edwards said." ... ""We have to have a president willing to stand up to the oil and gas industry," Edwards said." -By Page Ivey -AP via -Forbes

20080108

John Edwards - Barack Obama - Hillary Clinton - Health - Industry - New Hampshire - Nevada - South Carolina - Illinois - 2008 Election - "What if it's a two-man Democratic race? New Hampshire may leave Clinton on the ropes, reshaping the contest." ... "Imagine a whole new race for the Democratic presidential nomination: a two-man contest between the 2004 vice presidential nominee, [2008 Election Democratic Presidential Candidate] John Edwards, and the rookie phenomenon of 2008, [2008 Election Democratic Presidential Candidate and Illinois Senator] Sen. Barack Obama." ... "If [2008 Election Democratic Presidential Candidate] Hillary Clinton were to suffer a defeat of large proportions on Tuesday night in the New Hampshire primary, and if her star were to fade in the succeeding contests in Nevada and South Carolina, she might either quit the race or cease to be a dominant factor." ... "Elizabeth Edwards, the candidate’s wife and most outspoken campaign advocate, pressed the critique of Obama on Monday at a stop in Bedford, N.H. [New Hampshire.]" ... "“Sen. Obama, when he was in the state Senate in Illinois, took money from the health insurance industry at the same time that he was suggesting an amendment that was favorable to the health insurance industry and was unfavorable to the people of the Illinois,” she told a small crowd." ... "She also slammed Obama for having a lobbyist as co-chairman of his New Hampshire campaign." ... "[John Edwards strategist Joe Trippi:] “For a year everybody was told this contest is between him (Obama) and her (Clinton),” Trippi argued. “And during that year, the national audience has learned quite a bit about him, most of it amazingly good: amazing speaker, incredibly inspirational — and yet where is he nationally? He’s at 25 percent. The Rasmussen Poll, which is the only national one I’ve seen since Iowa, has him at 25. I’ll tell you why: They have massive doubts about this guy — on their own.”" ... "In other words, even without advertising from Edwards pointing out flaws in the Obama image or record, many Democratic voters have doubts about Obama." ... "“If you were going to fall under his spell, wouldn’t you have done it by now?” asked Trippi." (1, 2) -By Tom Curry -MSNBC

20080107

South Carolina - Voting Machines - Hacking - 2008 Election - Politics - Ohio - Colorado - "S.C. to use voting machines banned in other states." ... "South Carolina election officials say they still plan to use touch-screen voting machines [in the 2008 Elections] despite the fact that other states have banned the use of similar systems made by the same company." ... "Last month, top election officials in Ohio and Colorado declared that Election Systems and Software's iVotronic is unfit for elections." ... "The ban was prompted by a study done for the state of Ohio in which researchers found electronic voting systems could be corrupted with magnets or handheld electronic devices such as Palm Treos." ... "The Ohio study found the machines "lack the fundamental technical controls necessary to guarantee a trustworthy election under operational conditions."" ... ""Exploitable vulnerabilities allow even persons with limited access — voters and precinct poll workers — to compromise voting machines and precinct results, and, in some cases, to inject and spread software viruses into the central election management system," the report says. " -AP via -PostAndCourier

20071227

Mike Huckabee - Money - Religion - Abortion - 2008 Election - Polls - Marketing - Arkansas - Iowa - South Carolina - "Huckabee's Rise Drives Wedge Between Wall Street, Evangelicals." ... "The former Arkansas governor [2008 Election Republican Presidential Candidate Mike Huckabee] has surged in Republican presidential-preference polls, winning the support of Christian fundamentalists while peppering his campaign rhetoric with jabs at the financial industry. He calls himself the candidate who isn't a ``wholly owned subsidiary'' of investment banks, decries large executive-pay packages and says the party needs to shift its focus from Wall Street to Main Street." ... "In doing so, he threatens the uneasy if effective coalition Republicans have counted on for three decades: abortion opponents and other social-issue activists supplying foot soldiers, proponents of tax cuts and business-friendly regulatory policies putting up the money and getting the biggest economic benefits." ... "``Huckabee puts this long-simmering feud between the social-conservative wing and the country-club and business crowd into starker contrast,'' said Stuart Rothenberg, publisher of the nonpartisan Rothenberg Political Report in Washington." ... "The stronger he gets in the polls, the stronger the intra- party backlash against him. ``He's sort of a populist, and that doesn't sell too well on Wall Street,'' said David Hedley, a retired managing director at Donaldson Lufkin & Jenrette who raised at least $100,000 for [Republican President] George W. Bush in the 2000 presidential election." ... "The Club for Growth, a Washington-based group that advocates tax and spending cuts, has mounted a [marketing] campaign against Huckabee in Iowa and South Carolina, which holds its Republican primary on Jan. 19." ... "After Huckabee finished second in an August Iowa straw poll, he said in an interview that his biggest asset going into the contest ``was the negative attack ads that the Club for Greed, excuse me, the Club for Growth was running.''" -By Matthew Benjamin -Bloomberg via -Yahoo

20071218

Gordon Smith - Trent Lott - Racism - History - South Carolina - Mississippi - Oregon - "Gordon Smith Defends Lott's Segregationist Comments." ... "Speaking on the Senate floor Tuesday morning, [Oregon Republican Senator] Sen. Gordon Smith, R-OR [Republican-Oregon], offered a passionate defense of the pro-segregationist comments made by his colleague and friend, [Mississippi Republican Senator] Sen. Trent Lott, more then three years ago." ... ""I was half way around the world when an event befell Trent Lott that shook me deeply," Smith said, referencing Lott's 2002 remarks in praise of Dixiecrat [South Carolina Republican Senator] Strom Thurmond's 1948 run for the White House. "I was celebrating my re-election and on vacation. I watched over international news as his words were misconstrued, words which we had heard him utter many times in his big warm-heartedness trying to make one of our colleagues, Strom Thurmond, feel good at 100 years old. We knew what he meant. But the wolfpack of the press circled around him, sensed blood in the water, and the exigencies of politics caused a great injustice..."" ... "In 2002, Lott lost his Senate Republican Leader post after he was quoted praising the staunch segregationist Strom Thurmond during Thurmond's 100th birthday party. "I want to say this about my state: when Strom Thurmond ran for President, we voted for him," Lott boasted. "We're proud of it. And if the rest of the country had followed our lead, we wouldn't have had all these problems over all these years, either."" ... "Lott apologized repeatedly for his remarks, calling them "insensitive," "repugnant" and "inexcusable" during an appearance on a black-oriented cable channel." ... "Lott recently found himself back among the leadership ranks. His election as minority whip in November 2006 came by a 25 to 24 vote. Sen. Smith played a key role in the internal party election." -By Sam Stein -HuffingtonPost.com
WATCH Oregon Republican Gordon Smith defend Mississippi Republican Trent Lott's celebration of South Carolina Republican Strom Thurmond's segregationist run for President in 1948.
Mitt Romney - Mike Huckabee - South Carolina - Utah - Arkansas - Massachusetts - Politics - Poll - 2008 Election - "Mormonism an issue for Romney in South Carolina." ... "Something about [2008 Election Republican Presidential Candidate] Mitt Romney just isn't right with Bill Burdette. And something about [2008 Election Republican Presidential Candidate] Mike Huckabee is." ... ""Romney's from Utah and he's Mormon," said the 41-year-old software engineer from Iva, S.C. [South Carolina] "Huckabee's from the South and he's Baptist."" ... "Understand, Burdette said, he's not choosing his candidate based on religion, but Huckabee, a Baptist minister who was the governor of Arkansas for 10 and a half years, is someone he's comfortable with." ... "That's Romney's problem throughout this crucial early-voting state, where a win Jan. 19 by the former Massachusetts governor would give him a huge boost in his quest for the Republican presidential nomination." ... "An estimated 63 percent of Republican primary voters in South Carolina are "born again" or evangelical Christians, so a Romney win would be hailed as dramatic proof that his Mormon faith wasn't a big factor in voter judgments." ... "Except that evidence from polls and visits throughout the state shows that it is." -By David Lightman -McClatchyDC.com
Mitt Romney -