POLITICAL NEWS FROM THE UNITED SATES

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Bush spares Libby from jail term
US President George W Bush has intervened to prevent Lewis Libby, a convicted former vice-presidential aide, from serving a prison term.
President Bush described as "excessive" the 30-month prison sentence Libby was facing for having obstructed an inquiry into the leaking of a CIA agent's name.

Though no longer required to go to jail, Libby is still due to serve a period of probation and pay a fine.

An appeals court had earlier told Libby he could no longer delay going to jail.

The judge ruled that Libby could not remain free on bail while his lawyer appealed against the sentence.

CIA leak

Lewis Libby, also known by his nickname, "Scooter" Libby, was found guilty in March of perjury and obstructing justice in a case connected to Washington's decision to invade Iraq.

His trial saw the White House accused of having illegally made public the identity of a serving CIA agent, Valerie Plame, in retaliation for Ms Plame's husband's public criticism of the Iraqi invasion plan.

Libby was found to have lied to investigators about conversations where he mentioned Ms Plame but he was not convicted of having directly leaked her name.

He was sentenced to 30 months, or two-and-a-half years in prison, spend two years of probation and pay a fine of $250,000 (£125,000).

'Disgraceful decision'

President Bush said he had until now refrained from intervening in the case, waiting instead for the appeals process to take its course.

"But with the denial of bail being upheld and incarceration imminent, I believe it is now important to react to that decision," he said, referring to the appeals court's decision telling Libby he could no longer delay going to jail.

"I respect the jury's verdict," President Bush said. "But I have concluded that the prison sentence given to Mr Libby is excessive," Mr Bush said.

However, he said, Libby's remaining punishments - the probation period and fine - were "harsh" and would leave his reputation "forever damaged".

The top Democrat in the US Senate, Harry Reid, attacked the president's decision as "disgraceful".

"Libby's conviction was the one faint glimmer of accountability for White House efforts to manipulate intelligence and silence critics of the Iraq war," Mr Reid said.

"Now, even that small bit of justice has been undone," he said.



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Published: 2007/07/02 23:28:23 GMT

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IN OTHER NEWS REGARDING THE ELECTION CAMPAIGN FOR THE YEAR 2008 ON THE DEMOCRAT'S FRONT THESE ARE WHAT'S MAKING THE HEADLINES AS OF NOW.

Bill hits Hillary campaign trail
Former US President Bill Clinton is due to make his first major appearances beside wife Hillary as she campaigns in the 2008 White House race.
The pair will spend three days in Iowa, a crucial state because it is among the first to pick which candidate from each party will run for president.

Later in July they are due to travel to New Hampshire, another key early state.

It comes as second-quarter fundraising totals show Mrs Clinton second among Democratic contenders to Barack Obama.

Until now, former President Clinton has largely concentrated on fundraising on his wife's behalf and they have made few public appearances together.

Past scandals

The pair are due to attend a rally in Des Moines on Monday night before travelling to Iowa City on Tuesday and Clear Lake on Wednesday, where they will join a 4 July parade.


Mrs Clinton will then spend a fourth day campaigning in Iowa without her husband.

Their joint appearance has prompted questions about whether Mr Clinton's presence will remind voters of past scandals, such as his affair with White House intern Monica Lewinsky.

Commentators have also asked whether Mr Clinton's talents as a communicator mean he risks overshadowing his wife if they appear on the same stage.

A spokesman for Mrs Clinton's campaign team said her husband would concentrate on telling supporters about her background and her efforts to help women and children.

"Hill cam" video footage of the couple on the campaign trail in Iowa will be posted on her campaign website.

The New York senator has trailed her chief Democratic rivals, Mr Obama and former North Carolina Senator John Edwards, in some polls in the state.

Senator Obama's campaign team announced on Sunday he had raised $32.5m (£16.2m) in the second quarter of campaign fundraising, compared to some $27m (£13.5m) for Mrs Clinton.

Mr Edwards' campaign reported a second-quarter total of just over $9m (£4.5m).





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Published: 2007/07/02 16:31:21 GMT

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IN ANOTHER SURPRISING ELECTION CAMPAIGNING FUND RAISING FRONT THIS IS WHAT WHICH TOOK OBSERVERS BY SURPRISE.


Obama leads in campaign funding
Democrat Barack Obama has taken the lead over rival Hillary Clinton in the battle to raise funds for the bid to become US president.
The Illinois senator's presidential campaign raised $32.5m (£16.2m) in the period from April to June, a record for a Democratic candidate, his team said.

But Mrs Clinton, whose team said she raised around $27m (£13.5m) in the same quarter, still leads in opinion polls.

Republican candidate John McCain has raised only $11.2m, his team said.

As a result, several top staff have taken pay cuts and some jobs will be lost in a campaign shake-up, Senator McCain's campaign manager told reporters.

His fellow Republican contenders have yet to announce their second quarter totals but are expected to do so well before the 15 July deadline for submitting reports to the Federal Election Commission.

Grassroots support

Mr Obama's fund-raising success will give added momentum to his campaign to become America's first black president, correspondents say.

He has now collected a total of $55.7m (£27.9m) in funding, at least $25m (£12.6m) in the first quarter.

According to campaign aides, $31m of his total funds are earmarked for use in party primaries.


DEMOCRATS' FUNDRAISING
Barack Obama: $32.5m
Hillary Clinton: $27m
John Edwards: $9m
Bill Richardson: $7m
Christopher Dodd: $3.25m

Mrs Clinton, who leads in national and most state polls, raised $26m (£13) in the first quarter and has an extra $10m (£5m ) on top, left over from her earlier Senate campaign.
She is due to campaign in the key state of Iowa later on Monday with her husband Bill Clinton, hoping to harness the former president's ability to wow the crowds and raise funds.

Former Senator John Edwards said his campaign had garnered a second-quarter total of just over $9m (£4.5m) from some 100,000 donors.

Fellow Democratic candidates Bill Richardson and Christopher Dodd reported raising $7m (£3.5m) and $3.25m (£1.6m) respectively.

Mr Obama said he had received at least 154,000 contributions in the last accounting period, bringing the total number of donors to 258,000 in the first half of the year.

This made his the "largest grassroots campaign" for this stage of a presidential race, he said.

"We now have hundreds of thousands of Americans who are ready to demand health care for all, energy independence and an end to the war in Iraq," Mr Obama said.

"That's the kind of movement that can change the special interest-driven politics in Washington and transform our country, and it's just the beginning."

Republicans

Mr McCain's disappointing showing will be a setback for the Arizona senator, once considered to be the frontrunner for the Republican nomination but now trailing his main rivals in many polls.


He had already announced an overhaul of his fundraising operation in April after declaring a disappointing $12.5m (£6.2m) for the first quarter of 2007.

Campaign manager Terry Nelson blamed a general disenchantment among the Republican faithful for the team's failure to raise more cash, which leaves them with only $2m on hand.

Mr McCain's support for the Iraq war and the immigration bill which failed in the Senate last week may also have cost him some support, observers say.

On the Republican side, former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney indicated on Friday that his second quarter funds fell short of the $21m (£10.5m) raised in the first quarter.

Former New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, who raised nearly $15m (£7.5m) in the first quarter, was expected to announce his figures on Monday or Tuesday.

Money pledged for the presidential election in November 2008 - should a candidate become their party's nominee - cannot be spent on campaigning for the primary.

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Published: 2007/07/02 20:09:13 GMT

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ON THE REPUBLICAN FRONT THESE ARE THE NEWS MAKING THE HEADLINES


NY's Bloomberg quits Republicans
Mr Bloomberg is a billionaire

New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg has left the Republican Party and changed his political status to unaffiliated.
The move has fuelled speculation that he may run as an independent candidate for the US presidency in 2008, although he insists he does not plan to stand.

Mr Bloomberg said a non-partisan approach had "worked wonders in New York". He is barred from seeking a third term as NY mayor in 2009.

A long-term Democrat, he switched parties when he ran for mayor in 2001.

Mr Bloomberg said on Tuesday: "Although my plans for the future haven't changed, I believe this brings my affiliation into alignment with how I have led and will continue to lead our city."

Slim chance

In recent speeches Mr Bloomberg has criticised partisan politics in the US, declaring it has paralysed decision making and jeopardised America's future.


HAVE YOUR SAY
Mr Bloomberg's action shows political pragmatism. He is willing to wear any costume to get where he wants to go
Tom Taylor, Penfield, NY, USA


The 65-year-old billionaire has enough money to finance a bid for the White House.
He is the founder of the media and financial data empire Bloomberg LP.

But analysts say that if he does run as an independent, he has little chance of success.

No independent has been voted into the White House in modern history.




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Published: 2007/06/20 01:46:29 GMT

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Republicans clash on immigration
Republican presidential candidates in the US have clashed in a live TV debate over proposals to regulate immigration.
Speaking in New Hampshire, Rudy Giuliani and Mitt Romney criticised a bipartisan proposal backed by another frontrunner, Senator John McCain.

Mr McCain said the bill met "national security challenges", but Mr Giuliani called it "a typical Washington mess".

The 10 candidates also debated the possibility of military strikes against Iranian nuclear facilities.

All candidates agreed that Iran needed to be prevented from developing nuclear weapons and there was criticism of Democratic rivals over their willingness to hold direct talks with Iran on the issue.

California congressman Duncan Hunter was the most explicit, promising that he would be prepared to authorise a tactical nuclear strike if necessary.

'Severe challenges'

However, the most heated exchanges during the debate were sparked by the controversial immigration bill.

"The litmus test you should have for legislation is - is it going to make things better? When you look at these compromises it is quite possible it will make things worse," Mr Giuliani said.

Mr McCain defended the bill, which he co-sponsored by Democratic Senator Edward Kennedy and which is backed by President George W Bush.

He said he had to make compromises in order to draft legislation which both parties would support.


REPUBLICAN CANDIDATES
Sam Brownback
Jim Gilmore
Rudolph Giuliani
Mike Huckabee
Duncan Hunter
John McCain
Mitt Romney
Ron Paul
Tom Tancredo
Tommy Thompson


"This isn't the bill that I would have written, but it does satisfy our national security challenges which are severe and intense," he said.

Ex-Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney, said the bill would grant an amnesty to illegal immigrants and was unfair to the thousands seeking to come legally.

If passed by Congress, the bill could give legal status to some of the estimated 12 million illegal immigrants in the US.

President George W Bush and a bipartisan group of senators crafted a compromise version that would also strengthen security along the border with Mexico.

Open disagreements

The Iraq war featured early in the two-hour debate, with Senators McCain and Sam Brownback admitting they had not read the detailed report known as the National Intelligence Estimate before authorising the invasion of Iraq.


The revelation drew criticism from another candidate, former Virginia Governor Jim Gilmore.
Mr McCain stood by the decision to invade Iraq, arguing that sanctions designed to prevent Saddam Hussein from acquiring weapons of mass destruction had failed.

Each of the candidates was asked what action they would take if the current US troop surge did not stem the violence in Iraq.

Mr McCain said an early withdrawal of US troops would be disastrous for the entire region.

Mr Romney said the US must work to stabilise the central government in Iraq, in order for the US to bring its troops home as soon as possible.

Mr Brownback said he would end the fighting by splitting Iraq into three states.

The only Republican candidate to call for an immediate withdrawal was Texas Congressman Ron Paul, saying: "It was a mistake to go so it is a mistake to stay."

Not present at the debate but hovering over the proceedings was the fourth frontrunner, the former Tennessee senator and actor, Fred Thompson.

Correspondents say he will not formally declare his candidacy for another few weeks but he looks set to be a serious contender when he does.

New Hampshire is the state holding America's first primary vote next January. Americans will elect a new president in November 2008.

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Published: 2007/06/06 09:20:39 GMT

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Quick guide: US presidential elections
The road to the White House is long, complicated and expensive. BBC News explains the process.

The early stages

A politician with presidential ambition usually forms an exploratory committee to test the waters and raise money, sometimes up to two years before the election. They then formally declare their candidacy and campaign in key states.

The primaries

The primary season begins in the January before the election and lasts until about June. This is where candidates fight within the two main parties, Republican and Democratic, for their party's nomination.


WHAT IS A QUICK GUIDE?
Quick guides are concise explanations of topics or issues in the news.


Voters in each of the 50 states select party delegates, who in most cases have pledged to support a particular candidate. Some states use a caucus - a local meeting system - rather than primaries.


The party convention

The national party conventions, held a few months before the election, are where the candidates are formally nominated.


Delegates who have been chosen during the state primaries pick the nominee, though by this stage, the party normally knows who has won.

The winning candidate then picks a running-mate, sometimes from among the defeated rivals.

The final lap


Only now do the candidates fully square up against each other. There is massive spending on advertising, and a major flurry of state-by-state campaigning. Much attention is paid to the televised debates between the candidates. This can, but does not necessarily involve any independent candidate.

In the final weeks, the contenders typically concentrate their attention on big so-called "swing states", where the outcome is uncertain.


The election


American presidential elections are always held on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November.

Voters do not, technically, participate in a direct election of the president. They choose "electors", who are pledged to one or another candidate. This is known as the Electoral College.


WANT TO KNOW MORE?
Have we missed anything out? Do you want to suggest a subject for a Quick Guide?


Each state has a certain number of electors to the college, based on the size of its population.
In almost every state, the winner of the popular vote gets all the electoral college votes in that state. Because of this system, a candidate can take the White House without winning the popular vote, such as in the 2000 contest between George W Bush and Al Gore.




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Published: 2007/01/26 11:51:05 GMT

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US Democrats hold YouTube debate
The US Democratic presidential hopefuls are taking part in the first debate to use only video questions submitted online by the public.
The link-up by broadcaster CNN and the video-sharing website YouTube is being hailed as a political milestone.

About 2,000 30-second questions have been submitted, ranging from issues such as Iraq to health care and Darfur. Up to 30 will be put to the candidates.

Analysts say online video could play a big role in the 2008 White House race.

Candidates from both parties have been trying to build up internet support using social networking and video-sharing sites, with Democratic Senator Barack Obama proving particularly successful.

The Republicans will be asked questions submitted via YouTube on 17 September in Florida.

Cancer appeal

Monday's debate in South Carolina began broadcasting at 1900 EST (2300 GMT). It is putting the challengers for the Democratic nomination on the spot with questions directly from the voters.


We are the average American, the YouTube user, and we are being let into the inner sanctum
Blogger Steve Petersen


CNN's politics team has selected the questions to be asked. The videos, which range from high-production numbers to grainy webcam shoots, are often quirky and very personal.

In one, a 36-year-old cancer patient called Kim pulls off a wig to reveal hair loss from chemotherapy as she asks about health care for those without health insurance.

In other clips, members of the public ask the candidates about their plans for Iraq after troop withdrawal, their foreign policy views and environmental issues.

Analysts say the questions, because they are personal, may be less predictable and harder for the candidates to answer than those usually posed by journalists.

Public access

About 10 members of the public who submitted questions were invited to South Carolina to watch the debate and will have access to the candidates afterwards in the "spin room", where they talk to journalists.


Steve Petersen, a political blogger from Maryland who was one of those picked, told the BBC News website he was very excited to be attending.

In his 19-second video, he asks the presidential candidates where they get their information about world and current events from and why they trust those sources.

"It appears that CNN and YouTube really want to bring the average American into the process," he said, speaking from South Carolina.

"We are the average American, the YouTube user, and we are being let into the inner sanctum where usually only journalists and campaign staffers can go."

The candidates have already tried to engage with the YouTube audience, with Senator Joseph Biden, for example, uploading a guide telling supporters how to submit a question on Iraq.

John Edwards, former senator for North Carolina, said in a YouTube video that he expected to hear different questions from the public than from the media. He will hold a live webcast after the event.

Some commentators, however, have suggested the excitement over the debate may turn out to be more hype than a real turning point in US politics.


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Published: 2007/07/23 23:45:34 GMT

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Obama tops campaign fundraising
Democratic US presidential candidate Barack Obama is well ahead in the race for campaign funds, official figures filed in Washington have confirmed.
Senator Obama raised some $32.8m (£16.4m) in the second quarter of 2007 while fellow Democrat Hillary Clinton, who is ahead in the polls, raised $27m.

New York's ex-mayor Rudolph Giuliani led the Republicans with $17.5m.

Candidates are garnering money more quickly than ever but for some spending is rapidly outstripping fundraising.

The amount raised by Mr Obama and Mrs Clinton is more than the entire Democratic field of hopefuls managed at the same time in the run-up to the 2004 poll.

The figures show that their supporters are willing and able to back these two big-name candidates with enough cash for sophisticated and expensive campaigns, says the BBC's Justin Webb in Washington.



APRIL-JUNE 2007 FUNDRAISING
Barack Obama (D) - $32.8m
Hillary Clinton (D)- $27.1m
Rudolph Giuliani (R) - $17.5m
Mitt Romney (R) - $14m
John McCain (R) - $11.2m
John Edwards (D) - $9m
Source: reports filed to the US Federal Election Commission


Much more money is flowing into the Democratic race than the Republican.

Mr Obama's take, easily the biggest ever for a Democrat at this stage of the electoral cycle, suggests that he will be capable of matching Mrs Clinton financially all the way into next year.

The question is whether he can do it politically, our correspondent says.

The Obama camp is suggesting that his is a powerful grassroots campaign, with more than 250,000 individual donors.

However, a significant amount of his campaign funds is coming from big investment firms.

The Illinois senator's total of $32.8m for the second quarter is nearly all for the primary election.

Mrs Clinton, senator for New York, raised $21.5m for the primary election with a further $5.7m to spend in the general election campaign if she wins the Democratic nomination.

Democrat John Edwards, former senator for North Carolina, raised $9m and spent $6.4m in the second quarter.

He had $13.3m cash on hand at the end of the three-month period, compared with Mr Obama with $36.3m and Mrs Clinton with $45.2m, boosted by a $10m transfer in the first quarter from her Senate campaign fund.

Staff costs

For the Republicans, Mr Giuliani's $17.5m made him the top fundraiser, while former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney raised $14m.

His outgoings for the same period were $20.5m, nearly a quarter of which was for television advertising. However, Mr Romney has a huge personal fortune and has already lent his campaign nearly $9m.

Some of the other candidates in the crowded field are already facing the crunch with their fundraising not matching their expenditure.

Republican Senator John McCain's campaign raised $11.3m but he spent $13m. His campaign also has debts of about $1.8m.

Mr McCain, who has been trailing in the polls behind Mr Giuliani and Mr Romney, has already shaken up his campaign team, reportedly cutting dozens of jobs, amid disappointing fundraising results.

Two senior campaign aides resigned last week and more are thought likely to follow.

Employing staff to run campaigns in various part of the country was the biggest expenditure for all candidates.

Travel also accounted for a large part of budgets, with candidates spending a total of $8m to get around the country.



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Published: 2007/07/16 15:39:03 GMT

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Washington diary: McCain's tragedy
By Matt Frei
BBC News, Washington



In a time of flux and flip-flopping, consider the tragic constancy of Senator John McCain.


While other candidates are tying themselves into squishy rhetorical pretzels about the Iraq war and what they really thought about it in 2002, Mr McCain is the long stick of French bread, stiff with age and greening with mould.

I saw him at the Virginia Military Institute in April, when he tried to re-boot his campaign with a series of speeches about the war in Iraq and the need to stay put, stand firm and send more troops.

It was neither the most rousing speech nor the most electrifying delivery. But it was poignant and plausible. It had a coherent argument delivered with a sense of urgency.

He spoke in front of giant mural of the Civil War battle of New Market and for a moment I could see General McCain in tattered uniform, egging on the Union troops in a decisive junction of a bloody war.

As it happens, Mr McCain read from a giant autocue that hovered like an electronic tablet above the shaven heads of hundreds of cadets. They listened carefully, applauded politely and the ones we spoke to later seemed to agree with him.

Lucky outsider

As a Vietnam war hero and five-year resident of the Hanoi Hilton, Mr McCain has earned a respect that he doesn't need to fight for. Senator John Kerry, the Democratic candidate in 2004, kept drumming on about his valour on the Mekong.


[He] only has $2m (£1m) left in the kitty and the die appears to be cast



Mr McCain doesn't even need to mention Vietnam. You can see it in every fibre of his body. You can practically hear the North Vietnamese torturers in the senator's mercurial blue eyes. And as a former recipient of torture, he has consistently condemned its use, however ambiguous, by the administration.
His CV precedes him effortlessly and the senator from Arizona will never be "Swift Boated", unlike Mr Kerry. Instead he may well drown in the churning wake of the administration's sinking Iraq policy.


What has weighed him down even further is his constant and admirable support for immigration reform, the other Bush policy that is almost as unpopular as Iraq and has seen a mass defection of Republicans.
John McCain is being punished for being consistent and loyal. How ironic that this should be the fate of the plucky outsider who almost defeated George W Bush in the race for the 2000 nomination and whose Straight Talk Express campaign bus nearly rammed Bush's smooth talk wagons off the road.

Rising waters

I asked Mr McCain whether he'll go down in history as the candidate who was twice defeated by George Bush: once for opposing him and once for sticking by his side. He narrowed his eyes, cleared his throat, evinced a fleeting laugh verging on a croak and moved on to the next question.

After the senator's speech, his staffers and handlers high-fived each other. The relief was etched on their pale faces. Recovery was at hand.


That was in the bloom of spring. Now is the sultry heat of summer. Two of those advisers have quit this week.
As the New York Times pointed out with Big Apple sourness, one of the advisers, John Weaver, a long-time friend, even gave up his rent-controlled apartment in Greenwich Village to move down to swampy Washington DC and run the campaign. Losing a campaign is a setback. Losing a rent-controlled apartment in Manhattan for a lost cause is a tragedy.

Add to that the fact that Mr McCain, once considered the undisputed frontrunner in a party that traditionally respects the pecking order, only has $2m (£1m) left in the kitty and the die appears to be cast.

Fundraisers are like rats: they all head in one direction when the waters rise. Ron Paul, the quintessential outsider in the Republican pack also has about $2m. Compare their sums to the $32.5m that Senator Barack Obama has managed to raise in the last quarter or the estimated $200-$350m of his own money that former Governor Mitt Romney can dip into on a rainy day.

Painkillers and panaceas

But the biggest problem that Mr McCain has is not even his lack of money or his support of the president's unappealing policies.


If he bows out of the campaign - and he insists that he won't - I suspect his rivals will actually miss him


Call it unfair, but his ramrod principles look inflexible these days. His seriousness and poignancy appear grumpy or short-tempered and his ripe old age of 70 makes him look more frail than wise.

Three years ago, when most Americans still believed the Iraq war could be won, Mr McCain's qualities would have swept the board. Had Kerry managed to pick him as his running mate - as was widely rumoured - he might even have won.

But today America is fed up. Independent voters are rooting around for something new and fresh. Republicans are looking for painkillers and panaceas. Almost everyone yearns for escape. And John McCain offers none of the above.

If he bows out of the campaign - and he insists that he won't - I suspect his rivals will actually miss him.

While he beat the drum of sacrifice in Iraq they could keep more quiet on the sidelines and let him do the talking.


Send us your comments in reaction to Matt Frei's Washington diary using the link below:



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Published: 2007/07/12 09:42:19 GMT

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Online campaigns bring in the bucks
By Laura Smith-Spark
BBC News, Washington



Six months into the race, the Democratic contenders for the White House in 2008 are out-fundraising the Republicans by a wide margin.
The official second-quarter fundraising results show that the Democrats garnered some $81.2m (£40.6m) between them, compared to $46.6m (£23.3m) for the Republicans.

And a big factor in the Democrats' success is the number of people donating money to their campaigns over the internet.

Of the $58m (£29m) raised by Barack Obama, Senator for Illinois, in the first six months of this year, $17.2m has been given by online donors, $10.3m during the latest quarter.

Fellow Democrat John Edwards, former senator for North Carolina, raised $3.5m online in the second quarter of fundraising, just over a third of the $9m he raised in total. In the first quarter he raised about $3.3m online.

Hillary Clinton, Democratic senator for New York, raised $4.2m over the internet in the first three months of this year - some $600,000 of it in the last 36 hours before the deadline.

While the Republicans have also turned to the internet to solicit donations, their figures are less remarkable.

Mitt Romney, former governor of Massachusetts, is credited with raising $10m online over six months by the New York Times, while Arizona Senator John McCain garnered some $3m.

One exception however is Ron Paul. The anti-war congressman from Texas is considered an outside shot but has built up a devoted internet following, helping to give him about $2m cash on hand - roughly the same as Mr McCain.

Political bloodstream

So what has given the Democrats the edge when it comes to pulling in the dollars online?


According to Stephen Hess, of the Brookings Institution, the reason for the Democrats' internet dominance is largely that their supporters are more fired-up.

Fundraising for 2008 is being driven "by the incredible interest on the Democratic side basically in removing George W Bush and winning the election", he says.

The fact that the technology to donate online now exists and makes it easy to make small contributions "right into the political bloodstream" only adds to the momentum, Mr Hess says.

"If it was another 'ho hum' election we would not have had the interest in online campaigning that we have had this time."

Michael Malbin, of the Campaign Finance Institute, argues that the Democrats have been ahead of the Republicans generally in building online communities.

This internet presence has allowed them to sidestep the Republicans' traditional advantage in direct mail marketing - and given the Democrats the chance to gain more than cash.

"Online fundraising is part of a strategy that's not only about money, it's about trying to build networks, building support among people to whom you can go back - people who can be reached at low cost and reached repeatedly," Mr Malbin says.

'Generational challenge'

Patrick Ruffini, a Republican strategist, acknowledges on his blog that the environment "stinks" for the Republicans right now.


He writes that he expects online fundraising to "explode" once the race comes down to the general election fight between each party's chosen candidate.

"The question is whether we'll rise enough to keep up," he says, citing a "generational challenge" faced by Republican strategists trying unsuccessfully to adapt direct mail marketing tactics to online campaigning.

"If you view the internet as a shiny new toy, or worse, a new coat of paint on an old jalopy, you're missing the point," he says.

"Increasingly it's becoming the platform from which campaign strategy itself is executed."

The profile of internet fundraising has certainly risen since 2004 when Democratic hopeful Howard Dean demonstrated its power.

A study for the Pew Research Center published last week shows that all 19 officially declared candidates use their websites to solicit donations - and some go further.

Eight of the candidates' sites, four from each party, provide supporters with tools for hosting their own fundraising events, the report by the Project for Excellence in Journalism says.

Republican Rudy Giuliani's site also provides an e-mail letter for supporters to send to friends asking for donations.

'Marvellous ease'

As campaigning continues, the value of online donors - many of whom have given well below the $2,300 limit on individual contributions to primary and to general elections - is likely to become ever more apparent.


Of the 110,000 internet contributors to the Obama campaign in the first six months of the year, nine out of 10 gave $100 or less.

With all their details registered online, his campaign can go back to the same people again and again in the coming months to ask for more, up to the $2,300 ceiling.

And, of course, the beauty of online donations is their simplicity and spontaneity: with a few clicks of the mouse, a person can give what they choose, when they choose.

"You don't have to go to your chequebook, you don't have to put it an envelope, put a stamp on it, you don't have to go to your mailbox - the ease of it is quite marvellous," says Mr Hess.

Nonetheless, he warns against overplaying the power of the internet as the candidates fight for each party's nomination early next year, and then the presidency.

"Dean did all this and his campaign imploded, so this doesn't mean by any means that Barack Obama, who is doing best this way, is going to win the nomination," he says.

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http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/americas/6293980.stm

Published: 2007/07/15 11:39:01 GMT

© BBC MMVII

 

[genmirajborgza786]

Gilmore quits presidential race
Republican Jim Gilmore has said he is abandoning his attempt to win his party's nomination for the 2008 US presidential election.
One of the less prominent Republican hopefuls, Mr Gilmore has struggled since entering the race in April.

A former governor of Virginia, he described himself as a "mainstream Reagan conservative".

There are now nine Republicans in contention, with Rudolph Giuliani and Mitt Romney the frontrunners.

"I have come to believe that it takes more than a positive vision for our nation's future to successfully compete for the presidency," said Mr Gilmore, 57, in a written statement.

He has made little impact in the opinion polls, and latest figures show his campaign funds standing at a mere $90,000.

Mr Gilmore blamed his late start and the early schedule of primary elections, which will begin in the New Year.

Emergency surgery for a detached retina delayed his campaigning last month.


Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/americas/6899344.stm

Published: 2007/07/15 02:26:36 GMT

© BBC MMVII

 

[genmirajborgza786]

'Casual lunch' for Bush, Sarkozy
US President George Bush has welcomed his French counterpart, Nicolas Sarkozy, to his family home in Maine for an informal lunch.
Officials have stressed the meeting is not a summit but instead a chance for the two men to get to know each other over hot dogs and hamburgers.

France's former President Jacques Chirac's opposition to the Iraq war saw Franco-US relations fall to a new low.

But Mr Sarkozy has made it clear that he will adopt a more pro-US stance.

Mr Bush praised Mr Sarkozy to reporters as he waited on the lawn of the family home on the Atlantic seaside in Kennebunkport.

"The good thing about Mr Sarkozy is you know where he stands," said Mr Bush.

Before the lunch, Mr Sarkozy said he admired the US as "a great democracy, a country of freedom".

He said the US was "a close friend of France and I'm very glad to be able to meet with the president of the United States and speak to him."

'American picnic'

Despite protestations that the meeting is just a casual lunch, some observers have remarked that it was impossible to imagine Mr Bush issuing a similar invitation to Mr Chirac.

In addition to the Iraq war, disagreements over trade and climate change further strained the relationship between Mr Bush and Mr Chirac.

In contrast, Mr Sarkozy has made it clear, from the outset of his presidency, that America can count on his friendship.

US officials have pointed out that the countries are already working closely on issues such as Iran, Lebanon and Sudan.

The lunch will include hot dogs and hamburgers, "traditional American picnic fare", said a White House spokeswoman, Dana Perino.

No mention was made of whether french fries would be on the menu. Some Americans started calling chipped potatoes "freedom fries" after Mr Chirac opposed the 2003 invasion of Iraq.

The French president's wife, Cecilia Sarkozy, was meant to be at the lunch but phoned First Lady Laura Bush to say she and her children were feeling unwell and would not attend, Ms Perino said.

The Sarkozys have been on holiday in nearby New Hampshire.

Mr Sarkozy's decision to take a holiday in the US has led to some negative comments at home, especially from critics who believe he would like to see the French economy overhauled to follow the American free market model.


Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/americas/6941917.stm

Published: 2007/08/11 17:25:35 GMT

 

[genmirajborgza786]

Republicans await Iowa straw poll
Republican US presidential hopefuls are in the state of Iowa for straw polls which could help determine the outcome of the 2008 primary election.
Tens of thousands of Iowa Republicans are expected at the day-long event in the town of Ames, to hear speeches and vote for their chosen candidate.

Massachusetts ex-Governor Mitt Romney is expected to win, with top rivals Rudy Giuliani and John McCain absent.

Correspondents say the poll could force the end of some weaker campaigns.

Candidates like former Wisconsin Governor Tommy Thompson and Congressman Duncan Hunter could leave the presidential race if they fail to make an impact at the polls.

Million-dollar bonanza

Mr Romney and his rivals are renting hundreds of buses to bring their supporters to the event, at the Iowa State University campus.


But Mr Giuliani and Senator McCain decided not to take part in the bonanza, in which candidates can spend several million dollars on transport and tickets.
Actor and former senator Fred Thompson, who has not yet formerly launched his campaign, was also unable to participate.

Middle-ranking candidates like former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee and Senator Sam Brownback will hope to boost their campaigns and keep Mr Romney in check.

The latest opinion poll in the state gave the former Massachusetts governor a 16 percentage point lead over Mr Giuliani.

"It's a great way to measure who are the folks that have the character and vision and the organisation and the fundraising capacity, all the elements it takes to win the presidency," Mr Romney said in a video on his campaign website.


Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/americas/6942227.stm

Published: 2007/08/11 15:14:55 GMT

© BBC MMVII

 

[genmirajborgza786]

US Democrats in gay rights spotlight
By Laura Smith-Spark
BBC News, Washington
Gay marriage, homosexuality in the military, Aids policy and hate crimes are to be the focus of the latest US presidential debate.
For the first time, contenders for the White House are taking part in a live televised discussion devoted solely to gay and lesbian issues.

Backed by the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), a leading US gay rights advocacy group, it will be broadcast on gay-orientated cable network Logo and streamed live on the internet.

Although candidates from both parties were invited, only the Democrats responded positively, the HRC says, so a corresponding event will not be staged for their Republican counterparts.

The Los Angeles forum could prove a political minefield in a nation where gay rights issues continue to polarise many people, as witnessed in the 2004 presidential elections.

The decision to hold the debate in California reflects the influence the state has gained by advancing its primary elections - when party members choose which candidate to nominate for the head-to-head race - to 5 February.

So what do the Democrats stand to gain or lose by taking part?

Candidates 'on the spot'

According to law professor Daniel Conkle of Indiana University, Bloomington, the fact the debate is taking place at all reflects a remarkable evolution in attitudes towards homosexuality in the US over the past 25 years.


PARTICPATING DEMOCRATS
Hillary Clinton
John Edwards
Mike Gravel
Dennis Kucinich
Barack Obama
Bill Richardson


Nonetheless, the issue of gay marriage remains a "huge political hot potato".
On the one hand, many gay couples see the legalisation of gay marriage as being of great symbolic as well as practical significance, Mr Conkle said.

"On the other hand, there is a deep sense of, if nothing else, tradition-based support for confining marriage as an institution to the conventional heterosexual form."

Mr Conkle predicts that the candidates taking part - all the Democratic field except Senators Joseph Biden and Chris Dodd, who both plead scheduling clashes - could well be seen "squirming" as they are put on the spot.

Only Ohio Representative Dennis Kucinich and former Alaska Senator Mike Gravel, both long-shots, have given their full support to gay marriage.

The other candidates are likely to try to "massage" their positions to keep influential gay supporters on-side during the primary election process, Mr Conkle said, even though major shifts in policy are unlikely.

After all, exit polls for the 2004 presidential election suggested that 4% of voters were gay, and that of those 77% voted for Democrats.

"Once they are selected by their parties, you start to see something of a move towards the centre, with the candidates toning down their more one-sided positions in an attempt to get more votes from the middle or members of the opposite party," Mr Conkle added

'Enormous conflict'

Questions posed at last month's CNN/YouTube debate clearly exposed the conflicts that exist within the Democratic field over gay marriage.


First, two women from New York asked whether they would be allowed to marry each other under the candidates' presidencies. Mr Dodd and New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson both voiced support for civil unions but shied away from backing gay marriage.

Then, former North Carolina Senator John Edwards was asked by a pastor from that state why he felt he could use his Southern Baptist background to justify his opposition to gay marriage.

Pushed to answer, Mr Edwards said he felt "enormous conflict" on the issue. He was personally opposed to gay marriage, he explained, but as president he would not use that "faith basis" to deny anyone their rights.

All the Republicans oppose gay marriage, although former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani did support gay rights while in office and famously temporarily lived with a gay couple during his divorce.

Split surveys

Meanwhile, wider political and public argument on the issue of gay rights is far from over.

Only one state, Massachusetts, has so far legalised gay marriage. A handful, including California, Connecticut, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Vermont and Washington state, allow civil unions or domestic partnerships.

Thirteen states passed same-sex marriage bans in 2004, and a further eight took the same step in 2006.

A 2007 Pew Research Center poll showed that 55% of Americans oppose gay marriage but that 37%, a sizeable minority, support it.

Another Pew survey last year found that 54% of Americans favour allowing civil unions, up from 45% in 2003.

However, exit polls after the 2006 mid-term elections showed only a minority of black Americans - who tend to support the Democrats - back same-sex marriage or civil unions.

And a Quinnipiac University survey released this week suggests that being backed by gay rights groups turns more voters off a candidate than it attracts.

Military row

The danger is that in trying to stick to the middle ground, the Democrats risk letting down their support base among gay voters.


It really is a discussion about the foundation of equality in our society
Brad Luna
Human Rights Campaign

Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama have already come under fire this year from gay supporters for failing to respond strongly enough when the US military's outgoing top commander Gen Peter Pace described homosexual acts as "immoral".

The US military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy, which allows gay people to serve if they do not declare their sexuality or engage in homosexual acts, remains controversial and is sure to be raised at the debate.

While every Democratic candidate has said he or she would like to overturn it, none of the Republican contenders have said they intend to do likewise.

Brad Luna, a spokesman for Human Rights Campaign, said a recent row over the dismissal of valuable Arabic linguists from the military because they were gay had illustrated how important the issue was to wider US society.

He said the Democratic candidates would also be asked about hate crimes legislation, ending workplace discrimination and "kitchen table" issues to do with taxes and benefits for same-sex couples.

"What we want is to take the time in this forum to not just hear a quick sound bite -'yes, I'm for reform of don't ask, don't tell'," he told the BBC News website.

"We want to dig deeper and ask the candidates how they plan on achieving these advancements, what their policies and vision are for attaining equality in America for the GLBT [gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender] community," he said.

"It really is a discussion about the foundation of equality in our society."

The debate will be broadcast on cable network Logo at 2100 ET/1800 PT on 9 August and streamed live on the internet at LOGOonline.com.

Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/americas/6916323.stm

Published: 2007/08/09 10:50:59 GMT

© BBC MMVII