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NYTimes.com
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/us/AP-Campaign-GOP-Analysis.html?_r=1&sq=gay&st=nyt&oref=slogin&scp=4&pagewanted=print
Analysis: McCain Aiming for GOP Unity
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Filed at 5:15 a.m. ET
February 6, 2008
PHOENIX (AP) -- Who would have believed it? John McCain -- occasionalantagonist of the establishment, defender of an unpopular war, loser of the2000 primary campaign -- stands as the likely Republican nominee forpresident.
After a whirlwind of voting Tuesday that delivered a seeminglyinsurmountable delegate lead over rival Mitt Romney, McCain still faces adaunting task -- winning over the conservatives who are suspicious of, evenhostile toward, the four-term Arizona senator.
He took the first step Tuesday night, when he declared victory in acarefully written, why-I-am-a-Republican speech. McCain said he hopes todraw Republicans together in the manner of Ronald Reagan, patron saint ofthe modern-day GOP.
''I am as confident tonight as I have ever been that we can succeed inNovember by uniting our party in our determination to keep our country safe,proud, prosperous and free and by again making a persuasive case toindependents, and to those enlightened members of the other party, that thegreat Ronald Reagan claimed for our party,'' he said.
The race is not completely settled. While Tuesday's voting was enough tomake McCain the clear front-runner, he's still won just under half theconvention delegates he will need to lock up nomination.
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NYTimes.com
http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/washington/politics-usa-politics-huckabee.html?sq=gay&st=nyt&scp=3&pagewanted=print
Pastor Without A Prayer, Huckabee Stays In Race
By REUTERS
Filed at 3:05 a.m. ET
February 6, 2008
DALLAS (Reuters) - Republican Mike Huckabee probably hasn't got a prayer inhis bid for the U.S. presidency. But the guitar strumming, joke-crackingBaptist preacher may be a longshot for the second White House job.
The former Arkansas governor remains behind rivals Arizona Sen. John McCainand former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney but did better than expected inSuper Tuesday voting, drawing on support from his evangelical base in theSouth.
"We're still in this, we've been saying that for a long time," Huckabee saidon CNN on Tuesday night.
Political analysts say only a miracle could push him over the top -- butthey're not ready to consign Huckabee to the electoral wilderness.
"Huckabee represents the social conservative wing of the party right now andI think he's in it at least partly for the movement," said David Domke, aprofessor of communication at the University of Washington.
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WashingtonPost.com
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/02/05/AR2008020503031_pf.html
CALIFORNIA | Democratic Turnout in a GOP Stronghold
By Karl Vick
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, February 6, 2008; A21
RANCHO PALOS VERDES, Calif., Feb. 5 -- The car door opened, and a toy poodlenamed Dion hopped onto the parking lot outside City Hall.
"Can she vote?" asked her owner, Diana Wise. "She really wants to."
"I don't know," said neighbor Marcy Tiffany, worried that the color of thepooch's jacket signaled a lean to the left. "I think she's pretty pink."
This wealthy peninsula south of Los Angeles has been reliably Republican foras long as anyone here can remember. It is laced with cul de sacs and bathedin ocean light so splendid it might be where Ronald Reagan first glimpsedthat shining city on the hill.
But Tuesday was not a normal day here. Turnout was strong -- one poll workercalled it the busiest day she's seen in 30 years -- and unusuallyDemocratic. Though registered Republicans outnumbered Democrats 715 to 410in one precinct here, Democrats had case one more ballot than Republicans bymidday.
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WashingtonPost.com
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/02/05/AR2008020503143_pf.html
Obama-Clinton Rivalry Muddles D.C. Alignments
By David Nakamura
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, February 6, 2008; B01
Washington lawyers Jim Hudson and Bill Lightfoot know how to spot a winning politician: Two years ago, they teamed up as co-chairmen of Adrian M.Fenty's powerhouse mayoral campaign.
But this year, the Fenty brain trust is divided.
Hudson raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for Barack Obama'spresidential campaign and helped line up Fenty's endorsement of theDemocratic senator from Illinois. Lightfoot is a member of the D.C. steeringcommittee for Hillary Rodham Clinton's campaign and lobbied for the senatorfrom New York during the D.C. Democratic State Committee's straw poll inDecember.
"They've been fun debates," said Lightfoot, sounding a tad too eager to playdown the split over Obama and Clinton. "It's an event among friends."
With the approach of next Tuesday's primary in the District, politicalmovers and shakers have lined up behind the two candidates in a network ofinteresting alliances and rivalries.
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WashingtonPost.com
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/02/05/AR2008020502976_pf.html
GEORGIA | Low GOP Enthusiasm
By Peter Whoriskey
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, February 6, 2008; A28
MARIETTA, Ga., Feb. 5 -- The fast-growing suburbs of Cobb County have longbeen home to political passions, mostly conservative. They were the base forformer House speaker Newt Gingrich, and over the years, residents havequarreled loudly over a Ten Commandments display at the county courthouse,gay-rights issues, and whether science texts should include a disclaimerstating that evolution is a theory.
As voters filed out of the polling place at Johnson Ferry Road BaptistChurch, however, few seemed to exhibit much passion for the remaining cropof presidential contenders. Up to the last moments, polls showed that, onthe Republican side, Sen. John McCain (Ariz.) and former governors MittRomney of Massachusetts and Mike Huckabee of Arkansas remained in a closerace in Georgia, with McCain possibly holding a small advantage.
"There's not one perfect candidate for me this year -- it's veryfrustrating," said Kim Tatman, 50, a teacher. She said she ended up votingfor Huckabee, though she had preferred former New York mayor Rudolph W.Giuliani.
Chris Ensley, 35, a banker, voted for Romney despite uneasiness about thechanges in his stance on abortion. "I don't think a Republican is going towin, anyway," Ensley said, acknowledging that he has considered voting for aDemocrat in the general election. "A lot of people think it's time for achange."
Phillip Kittell, 48, a financial planner and a Republican voter for morethan 20 years, went a step further: He crossed party lines to cast a ballotin the Democratic primary for Sen. Barack Obama (Ill.). "I've just lost alot of faith in the Republican Party," he said. "I just don't like thedeceptions."
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MiamiHerald.com
http://www.miamiherald.com/political-currents/v-print/story/408269.html
After Super Tuesday: Can anyone stop John McCain?
BY STEVEN THOMMA
Posted on Wed, Feb. 06, 2008
Republicans are now left with only one question: Can anyone stop JohnMcCain?
The Arizona senator swept big state primaries Tuesday, grabbing hundreds ofdelegates and a huge lead in the tally needed to secure the Republicanpresidential nomination on the first ballot at the convention in St. Paul,Minn.
With 47 percent of the convention delegates still up for grabs, it's stillmathematically possible for one of McCain's two top challengers to win. It'sjust much, much harder for them after McCain's Super Tuesday victories.
For one thing, McCain now has a big lead after ending the day with at least439 delegates of the 1,191 needed to win the nomination, according to theAssociated Press count.
Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney had 199, and former Arkansas Gov. MikeHuckabee had 136.
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St. Petersburg Times
http://www.sptimes.com/2008/02/06/Worldandnation/McCain_s_rise_brings_.shtml
McCain's rise brings little joy to left, right
By ADAM C. SMITH, Times Political Editor
Published February 6, 2008
Something remarkable was brewing as Sen. John McCain continued a toughtrudge toward the Republican presidential nomination on Super Tuesday:Democrats finding common ground with Rush Limbaugh and Ann Coulter.
It's one of the stranger phenomena in this already astounding election, boththe left and the right in fear that McCain will become the Republicanstandard bearer heading into November. Democrats worry he's the onlycandidate who can keep the White House in Republican hands, while someardent conservatives peg him as a virtual Democrat in disguise.
"As an American, I feel great knowing the Republican nominee will probablybe better prepared and more moderate than some of the alternatives," saidRobin Rorapaugh, a Democratic strategist based in Broward County. "As aDemocrat wanting to win, I don't feel so great because McCain has realappeal to independent voters."
McCain solidified his place as the prohibitive frontrunner Tuesday, thoughhe might have been seriously wounded but for Mike Huckabee helping preventMitt Romney from gaining steam in conservative Southern states. McCain had acommanding lead in delegates, however, and fended off Romney's aggressivechallenge in California, the biggest delegate prize of all.
The 71-year-old former prisoner of war won handily in delegate-rich bluestates including New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and Illinois, whileRomney won his home state of Massachusetts and the Mormon stronghold ofUtah, along with several caucus elections.
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Miami Herald
http://www.miamiherald.com/515/story/407849.html
Clinton wins California; Obama also wins a series of victories
BY DAVID LIGHTMAN
Posted on Wed, Feb. 06, 2008
Hillary Clinton marched across the country Tuesday, winning a string of key battleground states with a coalition of women, older voters and moderates,but Barack Obama nearly matched her with his own series of victories.
Early Wednesday, NBC News, CNN and the Associated Press called California,the largest state, for Clinton.
Although Obama increasingly had drawn big, enthusiastic crowds across thenation, the New York senator showed impressive breadth in winning her homestate and key battlegrounds in New Jersey, Missouri, Arizona andMassachusetts while rolling through Tennessee, Oklahoma and Arkansas.
Obama, though, wouldn't fade, as the Illinois senator won states with largeblack voting blocs -- Georgia, Alabama and Delaware -- while takingprimaries in his home state, Utah and Connecticut as well as caucuses inNorth Dakota, Kansas, Minnesota, Idaho and Colorado.
The results mean that the Clinton-Obama duel will continue for weeks andpossibly months. Both campaigns stressed Tuesday night that they were readyto battle later this week in Louisiana and Nebraska, which hold contestsSaturday, then on to Maryland, Virginia and the District of Columbia nextTuesday -- and perhaps all the way to the August convention.
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Miami Herald
http://www.miamiherald.com/515/story/407893.html
McCain wins California, strong in Northeast, Midwest
BY STEVEN THOMMA
Posted on Wed, Feb. 06, 2008
Arizona Sen. John McCain swept to victories in the Northeast, industrialMidwest and Southwest on Tuesday, amassing delegates in what he hoped wouldbe a Super Tuesday march toward the Republican presidential nomination.
McCain was declared the winner in California, in addition to Connecticut,Delaware, New Jersey, New York, Illinois, Oklahoma, Missouri and Arizona,seizing most of their delegates.
Rival Mitt Romney jumped in with a quick win in his home state ofMassachusetts -- where he was a one-term governor -- and in Utah, home tohis Mormon faith. He added wins across the Plains in Minnesota, North Dakotaand Montana.
But he lost battleground contests, and perhaps the mantle of chiefchallenger, to former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee.
Romney was outmaneuvered in an old-fashioned state convention, losingunexpectedly to Huckabee in West Virginia.
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Miami Herald
http://www.miamiherald.com/politics/story/407491.html
Presidential Primary Tracker by State
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Boston Globe
http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2008/02/06/clinton_mccain_win_california_primaries/
Hispanics boost Clinton in California
By Juliet Williams, Associated Press Writer | February 6, 2008
LOS ANGELES --Hillary Rodham Clinton rode a wave of Hispanic voter turnoutto victory and John McCain benefited from voters concerned about the economyand Iraq as the nation's most populous state wielded its influence in thepresidential nominating process for the first time in decades.
Clinton had 54 percent to rival Barack Obama's 37 percent, with a third ofprecincts reporting. McCain had 44 percent to Romney's 27 percent.
Exit polls conducted for The Associated Press showed Hispanic voters backedClinton by a margin of more than 2-1.
Among them was Erendida Vargas, 32, a housekeeper from Los Angeles.
"She is going to be the first woman president," Vargas said. "Everything mendo, we can do it, too."
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New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/06/business/worldbusiness/07asiastox.html?hp
Asia Stocks Follow Dow's Decline; Europe Is Steady
By MARTIN FOSTER
February 6, 2008
TOKYO - Asian markets slumped Wednesday amid fears that shrinkingconsumption in the United States could harm exporters, and possibly affectbroader Asian economic factors. European markets were mostly unchanged inearly trading.
The concerns about exporters reinforce the widely held view that thefortunes of Asian economies remain closely tied to the United States, anddespite the rise of a new middle class with spending power in countries likeChina and India, Asian economies have not completely decoupled from theworld's biggest economy.
"The idea that Asian economies have decoupled from the U.S. is nonsense,"Edwin Merner, president of Atlantis Investment Research in Tokyo said. "Ifyou suggested that to a serious economist he or she would laugh at you."
The Nikkei average was down 4.7 percent or 646.26 points to end at13,099.24. The broader Topix lost 4.2 percent to close at 1,298.41.
The Hang Seng index in Hong Kong closed 5.4 percent down in a half-daytrading session before the Lunar New Year holidays. Japanese stocks fell asdid shares in Australia, Singapore and India.
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New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/06/opinion/06wed5.html?ref=opinion
Editorial: A Shameful Record
February 6, 2008
The United States leads the world in a shameful category: the number ofpeople it has locked up for life without parole for crimes committed byjuveniles. Juvenile crime should not be taken lightly, but young peopleshould not be completely written off.
According to Human Rights Watch, 2,380 people in this country are servinglife sentences for crimes they committed before they turned 18. That makesthe United States an extreme global outlier. Sentencing juveniles to lifewithout parole is at odds with international law; the vast majority of theworld's countries ban the practice.
Some juvenile criminals commit horrible crimes, and the justice systemshould punish them accordingly. Juveniles, though, are not adults. Eventheir brain development is different, making them less able than olderpeople to resist impulses. Consideration should also be given to the natureof the crime. In some cases, juveniles have been imprisoned for life foracting as accessories or lookouts for adults. Putting a 16-year-old whoplayed such a role in jail for perhaps 65 years is an extraordinarily harsh,and expensive, societal response.
There are ongoing efforts in several states to impose sorely needed balanceto the law. In California, the Legislature recently failed to act on a billthat would have allowed the more than 225 inmates serving life sentencesthere for crimes committed as minors the right to appear before a paroleboard after serving 25 years in prison. The bill deserves to bereintroduced, and to pass.
California is hardly the only state that needs to rethink its approach. Asmany as 38 states sentence minors to life without the chance of parole,including Pennsylvania, the worst offender, where hundreds of inmates -estimates range from 360 to 433 - have no hope of ever being releasedbecause of crimes they committed between the ages of 13 and 18.
There are now more than 2 million people behind bars in the United States.Locking up juveniles for life without parole is unfair and a poor use ofcriminal justice resources. California, and the other states, should rethinkthis misguided policy.
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New York Times
http://campaignstops.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/02/05/taking-sides/index.html?ref=opinion
Taking Sides
By Dan Schnur
February 5, 2008, 4:51 pm
Much has been written about the economic, social and national securityconservatives who represent the three legs of the Republican partycoalition. But consider instead another way of analyzing the current G.O.P.landscape, dividing the party into three different factions. Call them the"we've-never-liked-McCain Republicans," the "we-don't-trust-Romney"Republicans and most important, the "we're-not-going-to-win-anyway"Republicans.
The differences between these camps are as much about attitude as issues.Together, they help explain why a long-time outsider like John McCain ispoised to win over the G.O.P. establishment at the expense of a candidatelike Mitt Romney, whose policy platform and professional biography wouldseem to make him a natural choice for the more traditional members of theparty.
The largest subgroup of the G.O.P. electorate is the "we've-never-liked-McCain" Republicans. This group doesn't like what they perceive to be as SenatorMcCain's heresies on tax cuts, immigration and global warming. If SenatorMcCain becomes the party's nominee, he'll have the opportunity to shrink itsranks considerably with the combination of a smart selection of a runningmate, an almost-relentless focus on national security and the unusualassistance of a battalion of Swift Boat descendants poised to eviscerate theDemocratic nominee.
Because an important percentage of these voters are supporting Mike Huckabee's candidacy rather than Mitt Romney's, the anti-McCain faction has seen itsinfluence compromised. The longer these remaining Huckabites wait toconsolidate behind one candidate, the less influence this faction will haveover the nomination. But if Senator McCain doesn't wrap up the nomination onSuper Tuesday, a prolonged battle with Mitt Romney could cause these ranksto grow.
Whether it's because of his past positions on abortion and gay rights, atendency to emphasize different aspects of his biography to differentaudiences, or possibly just his hair, a number of G.O.P. regulars simply don't find Mr. Romney credible even on issues on which they agree with him. Whilethe "we-don't-trust-Romney" Republicans are smaller in number than those whodon't like Senator McCain, they are currently in control of the nominationprocess.
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New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/06/us/politics/06assess.html?hp
News Analysis: Two Parties, Two Distinct Paths to the Nomination
By ADAM NAGOURNEY
February 6, 2008
The Republican and Democratic presidential contests began diverging Tuesday,leaving the Democrats facing a long and potentially divisive nominationbattle and the Republicans closer to an opportunity to put aside deepinternal divisions and rally around a nominee.
The differing situations for the Republicans and Democrats have clearimplications for both parties as they begin to move from the nominationbattle toward the general election.
On the Democratic side, Senators Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obamaseem likely to continue their state-by-state struggle, after a night oftit-for-tat division of states and delegates, though Mrs. Clinton claimedthe formidable prize of California.
But after months of disarray, Republicans seemed closer to coalescing aroundSenator John McCain of Arizona. As Mr. McCain logged victories in populousstates, including California, and added more delegates to his count, hemoved nearer his goal of wrapping up his competition with Mitt Romney ofMassachusetts. A third Republican candidate, Mike Huckabee of Arkansas,underlined Mr. Romney's weakness by posting a series of victories, in aperformance that highlighted the discomfort social conservatives have withthe field.
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New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/06/business/worldbusiness/07asiastox.html?hp
Asia Stocks Follow Dow's Decline; Europe Is Steady
By MARTIN FOSTER
February 6, 2008
TOKYO - Asian markets slumped Wednesday amid fears that shrinkingconsumption in the United States could harm exporters, and possibly affectbroader Asian economic factors. European markets were mostly unchanged inearly trading.
The concerns about exporters reinforce the widely held view that thefortunes of Asian economies remain closely tied to the United States, anddespite the rise of a new middle class with spending power in countries likeChina and India, Asian economies have not completely decoupled from theworld's biggest economy.
"The idea that Asian economies have decoupled from the U.S. is nonsense,"Edwin Merner, president of Atlantis Investment Research in Tokyo said. "Ifyou suggested that to a serious economist he or she would laugh at you."
The Nikkei average was down 4.7 percent or 646.26 points to end at13,099.24. The broader Topix lost 4.2 percent to close at 1,298.41.
The Hang Seng index in Hong Kong closed 5.4 percent down in a half-daytrading session before the Lunar New Year holidays. Japanese stocks fell asdid shares in Australia, Singapore and India.
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Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/02/05/AR2008020502764.html?hpid=sec-nation
U.S. Acknowledges Use of Waterboarding
By LARA JAKES JORDAN
The Associated Press
Wednesday, February 6, 2008; 1:59 AM
WASHINGTON -- Senate Democrats demanded a criminal investigation intowaterboarding by government interrogators Tuesday after the Bushadministration acknowledged for the first time that the tactic was used onthree terror suspects.
In congressional testimony Tuesday, CIA Director Michael Hayden became thefirst administration official to publicly acknowledge the agency usedwaterboarding on detainees following the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
Waterboarding involves strapping a suspect down and pouring water over hiscloth-covered face to create the sensation of drowning. It has been tracedback hundreds of years, to the Spanish Inquisition, and is condemned bynations around the world.
"We used it against these three detainees because of the circumstances atthe time," Hayden told the Senate Intelligence Committee. "There was thebelief that additional catastrophic attacks against the homeland wereinevitable. And we had limited knowledge about al-Qaida and its workings.Those two realities have changed."
Hayden said Khalid Sheik Mohammed, Abu Zubayda and Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiriwere waterboarded in 2002 and 2003. Hayden banned the technique in 2006, butNational Intelligence Director Mike McConnell told senators during the samehearing Tuesday that waterboarding remains in the CIA arsenal _ so long asit as the specific consent of the president and legal approval of theattorney general.
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Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/02/05/AR2008020503112.html?hpid=sec-religion
No Resolution in Dispute Over Mo. Church
By CHERYL WITTENAUER
The Associated Press
Tuesday, February 5, 2008; 8:44 PM
ST. LOUIS -- St. Louis Archbishop Raymond Burke met with an excommunicatedpriest at the center of a dispute over a Polish-heritage Roman Catholicchurch on Tuesday, but dismissed the pastor's reconciliation offer as"offensive to God."
The Rev. Marek Bozek, pastor of St. Stanislaus Kostka church, said he would"seriously consider" leaving the parish and would be willing to repent andpublicly apologize _ if Burke kept the church open, revoked excommunicationand other penalties, and made other concessions.
"The offer is offensive to God because he admits he needs to repent but heputs conditions on it," Burke said. "People can't buy reconciliation."
Bozek, 33, met with Burke for about an hour as more than 200 of Bozek'ssupporters stood outside in a cold, steady rain and prayed for him. A dozenother Roman Catholics prayed and held signs promoting obedience to Burke.
Burke said in an interview Tuesday that he ordered the priest to appearbefore him for a "canonical admonition" to make Bozek recognize the "seriouswrongs he has done, withdraw from them and make reparation."
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