Amid the red, white and blue bunting, Republican signs festooned the walls of Chad Smith's South Richmond home last night as about 30 people stood in the den to watch the second presidential debate of the campaign on a flat-screen TV. They cheered when Republican John McCain was introduced by moderator Tom Brokaw and booed -- good naturedly -- when Democrat Barack Obama was introduced.
John McCain dismissively called rival Barack Obama "that one," Obama mocked McCain's "Straight Talk Express," and both left the debate stage to return to the campaign trail Wednesday.
Tonight's presidential debate offers Republican John McCain one of his last best chances to stop Democrat Barack Obama's recent surge in the race and turn it in his favor.
Sen. John McCain and Gov. Sarah Palin return next week to Virginia, fighting to hold a state that -- polls suggest -- could tip Democratic for president for the first time since 1964. The Republican running mates will appear in Virginia Beach Monday morning before Palin, the vice presidential nominee, comes to Richmond for an afternoon rally.
John McCain has the most riding on the second presidential debate, though Barack Obama will be out of his scripted comfort zone in tonight's town hall-style debate. It comes exactly four weeks before Election Day. Polling shows Obama approaching the 270 Electoral College votes needed for victory.
Sen. Evan Bayh, D-Ind., told a Henrico County audience yesterday that Sen. Barack Obama is best equipped to correct the abuses that led to the $700 billion Wall Street bailout. "Who do you think is going to do a better job of protecting the taxpayer, putting into place the reforms, the regulation, the oversight to make sure this never happens again?" Bayh asked a crowd of 150 in an outdoor plaza at J.R. Tucker High School.
Democrat Barack Obama's allies warn that Republican John McCain's attacks on the Democrat's character will lead to the political equivalent of mutual assured destruction: Fire your big weapon at your own peril. Several Obama surrogates said his supporters may start reminding voters of McCain's ties to Charles Keating, a convicted savings and loan owner whose actions two decades ago triggered a Senate ethics investigation that involved McCain as one of the "Keating Five."
WASHINGTON Hurricane Ike's winds and massive waves destroyed oil platforms, tossed storage tanks and punctured pipelines. The environmental damage only now is becoming apparent: At least a half-million gallons of crude oil spilled into the Gulf of Mexico and the marshes, bayous and bays of Louisiana and Texas, according to an analysis of federal data by The Associated Press.
Joe McCain, speaking at an event in support of his brother, called two Democratic-leaning areas in Northern Virginia "communist country," according to The Washington Post's Web site.
They held their noses and voted "yes." Now lawmakers in both parties -- along with President Bush -- are waiting to see whether their historic $700 billion bailout for the financial industry can stabilize the economy and prevent a broader meltdown.
Democratic vice presidential candidate Joseph R. Biden Jr. told his son and other Delaware National Guard troops yesterday that his heart was "full of love and pride" as they prepared to leave for an assignment in Iraq.
Barack Obama's tendency through the Democratic primaries to perform better in exit polls than he actually does at the ballot box has some media organizations nervous heading into Election Night.
Six of the 11 House members from Virginia stood their ground yesterday and again voted against the $700 billion bailout plan. But Rep. Eric I. Cantor, R-7th, who played a starring role in pushing for the package, appeared relieved to have success after the surprise defeat of the measure Monday. "I'm glad it's over," he said. Cantor succeeded in adding a provision to the bill allowing Wall Street firms to buy government insurance for their less-risky assets, rather than selling the assets outright to the government, as Treasury Secretary Henry M. Paulson Jr. had recommended.
Signed and sealed, the $700 billion bailout now must be delivered. It will likely be at least a month before funds are flowing to ailing financial institutions.
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