NewsAndPolicy.com

RSS Feed Homepage

Articles: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7

Young Evangelicals Embrace Huckabee as Old Guard Balks
2008-01-12 20:32:00
Much of the national leadership of the Christian conservative movement has turned a cold shoulder to the Republican presidential campaign of Mike Huckabee, wary of his populist approach to economic issues and his criticism of the Bush administration?s foreign policy. But that has only fired up Brett and Alex Harris. The Harris brothers, 19-year-old evangelical authors and speakers who grew up steeped in the conservative Christian movement, are the creators of Huck?s Army, an online network that has connected 12,000 Huckabee campaign volunteers, including several hundred in Michigan, which votes Tuesday, and South Carolina, which votes Saturday. They say they like Mr. Huckabee for the same reason many of their elders do not: ?He reaches outside the normal Republican box,? Brett Harris said in an interview from his home near Portland, Ore. The brothers fell for Mr. Huckabee last August when they saw him draw applause on ?The Daily Show With Jon Stewart? for explaining that he belie...
More About: Politics , Today , Young , Embrace , Guard

Romney, McCain clash over jobs in depressed Michigan
2008-01-12 20:18:00
YPSILANTI, Michigan (Reuters) - Mitt Romney and John McCain clashed on Saturday over how to revive the depressed economy of Michigan, the former U.S. manufacturing powerhouse which hosts the next Republican presidential primary. Michigan-born Romney, eager for a win here on Tuesday after losing Iowa to former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee and New Hampshire to Arizona Sen. McCain, went to a General Motors Corp. plant that just announced it was laying off 200 workers. "It's inexcusable to me to see these jobs going away again and again and again," Romney said outside the plant, arguing for more investment in science and technology research. Romney has criticized McCain for asserting that state jobs lost overseas are "not coming back," calling it defeatist. McCain hit back sharply, saying he would be "ashamed and embarrassed" if he were to claim that old jobs were coming back. "I'm proud to say I can bring jobs, new jobs, create new jobs," McCain told reporters after a campaign eve...
More About: Jobs , Today , Clash

Clinton Camps's Hits On Obama Painful to Blacks
2008-01-12 20:12:00
Sharp criticism of Barack Obama and other comments about Martin Luther King Jr. ? all from people associated with Hillary Clinton ?s presidential campaign ? have generated resentment among some black S.C. voters. The furor comes just two weeks before those voters will have a significant say in who wins the Jan. 26 primary here. The Clinton-Obama battle has the potential to become a wrenching divide for black voters. Historically those voters have been strong backers of Bill and Hillary Clinton. But many black voters now are drawn to the prospect of a black man winning the presidency. Those on both sides say watching the battle unfold in the Palmetto State, where black voters could cast half of the votes in the Democratic primary, won?t be pretty. ?To some of us, it is painful,? said state Sen. Darrell Jackson, a Clinton supporter. U.S. Rep. Jim Clyburn, D-S.C., had pledged to remain neutral as Democrats competed for votes in the state?s primary. But the state?s only African-Ame...
More About: Today , Hits , Blacks

Iran dominates Republican presidential debate in conservative South Carolin
2008-01-11 17:13:00
The wide-open and unpredictable Republican presidential race moved to religiously conservative South Carolina last night with a debate dominated by Iran and Ronald Reagan. The five candidates still in the running, holding a debate in a state whose primary on Saturday January 19 could determine the nomination, argued who best embodied the legacy of Ronald Reagan and talked belligerently about Tehran. John McCain, boosted by his comeback victory in New Hampshire on Wednesday, and Mitt Romney, severely damaged after losing the first two nominating contests, also went after each other ahead of Tuesday's primary in Michigan, a showdown that could kill off either campaign. Mr McCain, who emerged from the debate unscathed, received a further boost with new polls showing him leading in both Michigan and South Carolina. South Carolina has a Republican electorate heavy with conservatives and evangelicals and is also home to many military bases. It is shaping up once again to be a critic...
More About: Presidential , Debate , Conservative

Romney attacks McCain at Republican debate
2008-01-11 17:10:00
MYRTLE BEACH, South Carolina (Reuters) - Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney on Thursday accused rival John McCain of giving up on people who have lost jobs in the economically depressed state of Michigan as the Republicans' wide-open campaign turned to the faltering economy. Romney, in danger of losing Michigan to McCain in next Tuesday's vote, quickly went on the attack against the Arizona senator at a debate, noting McCain had said in Michigan on Wednesday that the people there should realize some lost jobs will never return. "I know that there are some people who think, as Sen. McCain did, he said, you know, some jobs are leaving Michigan and they're not coming back. I disagree. I'm going to fight for every single job, Michigan, South Carolina, every state in this country, we're going to fight for jobs and make sure our future is bright," said Romney, a former governor of Massachusetts whose family has deep ties to Michigan. McCain, who has some momentum based ...
More About: Today , Debate , Attacks

Bank of America to buy Countrywide for $4 billion
2008-01-11 17:04:00
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Bank of America Corp said on Friday it agreed to acquire battered mortgage lender Countrywide Financial Corp in a $4 billion transaction that could help avert one of the biggest collapses from the U.S. housing crisis. The purchase marks another major but risky acquisition for Bank of America Chief Executive Kenneth Lewis, who has spent more than $100 billion since 2004 to create the nation's second-largest bank, and by far its largest consumer bank. It would provide a lifeline for Countrywide. The largest U.S. mortgage lender has been convulsed by mounting losses and defaults, a loss of access to credit markets, and a slew of lawsuits and regulatory probes into its lending practices and Chief Executive Angelo Mozilo's pay. On Tuesday, it rejected rumors it might go bankrupt. Before Friday, Bank of America had a roughly $1.3 billion paper loss on the $2 billion it injected into Countrywide in August as the global credit crisis deepened. Countrywide's market...
More About: Business , Today

Huckabee Begins Push For a Surprise Win in Michigan
2008-01-11 16:54:00
Until this week, Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee had not run a single ad in Michigan , and had no paid staffers in the state. He did not have a campaign office. He had not sent out a single piece of direct mail. Meanwhile, his rival Mitt Romney -- who announced after his second-place New Hampshire showing that Michigan was his top priority -- has run nearly $3 million dollars worth of television ads in Michigan. And John McCain, fresh off his New Hampshire win -- and with the backing of two of the state's largest papers, the Detroit News and the Detroit Free-Press -- has been keeping pace in recent polls with the well-funded Romney effort. But just as in Iowa, a grassroots network of conservative Christian activists and fair tax proponents are, improbably, keeping Huckabee in contention for the top spot in the GOP primary here. "We laid the groundwork," says Gary Glenn, one of the leaders of the movement. "The fact that he's even in a position to threaten Mitt ...
More About: Today , Push

David Brooks: Surprise Parties
2008-01-09 16:21:00
This election isn?t only about change, it?s about surprise. Here are the top 10 surprises of New Hampshire primary night, 2008: 1. Republicans voted in nearly the same numbers as Democrats. In Iowa, Democratic interest swamped Republican interest. In New Hampshire, the Democrats had an edge, but it was not huge. 2. The polls on the Democratic side were wrong. Cynics will think this is no surprise, but in fact when you get a dozen polls saying the same thing (Obama by 9), that usually predicts the final result. The Obama people thought the polls were right. I?ve spent a lot of time with Clinton people recently. From their sour expressions, you know they thought the polls were right. But they weren?t. 3. Money is not god. Mitt Romney has spent roughly $80 million and run more ads than even Clinton and Obama. He?s 0 for 2. 4. Working-class women stuck with Hillary. The secret to her success, and the reason she may win the election in November (if she gets that far) is that less-edu...
More About: Politics , David Brooks , Today , Parties , David

Clinton Escapes to Fight Another Day
2008-01-09 16:18:00
Hillary Rodham Clinton is back. With solid support from registered Democrats and the backing of women, who deserted her in Iowa, Senator Clinton beat Senator Barack Obama of Illinois with a margin that ? if not particularly wide ? was enough for her campaign to claim a resounding victory. The political intensity of her victory was magnified by a weekend of polls and rapturous packed rallies for Mr. Obama that suggested Mrs. Clinton was in dire shape, particularly after Mr. Obama?s drubbing of her in Iowa. Mrs. Clinton won in a state that has always had a warm spot for the Clinton family. There was no end to the comparisons to how New Hampshire saved Bill Clinton?s campaign in 1992, when he too seemed on the verge of defeat. (In that case, though, Mr. Clinton declared victory after coming in second with 25 percent after being as low as 19 percent in polls.) Political theatrics aside, there were lessons from her victory on Tuesday that could prove instructive as Mrs. Clinton and Mr...
More About: Fight , Today , Linton

Goldman Sachs sees recession in 2008
2008-01-09 16:15:00
Goldman Sachs on Wednesday said it expects the U.S. economy to drop into recession this year, prompting the Federal Reserve to slash benchmark lending rates to 2.5 percent by the third quarter. In a note to clients, Goldman said real gross domestic product would contract by 1 percent on an annualized basis in both the second and third quarters. For all of 2008, the investment bank said GDP would rise by 0.8 percent. The unemployment rate will rise to 6.5 percent in 2009 from the current 5 percent, it said.
More About: Business , Today , Goldman Sachs , Recession , Sees

Robert Novak: McCain Shreds Romney's Plan, Is Likely Nominee
2008-01-09 15:47:00
During four final days of campaigning after the Iowa caucuses, New Hampshire's Republican primary was one-on-one between Arizona Sen. John McCain and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney. Because the winner would become the party's most likely nominee, McCain's decisive victory puts him in a commanding position after being counted out for much of the last year. McCain won a majority of registered Republican voters here as well as New Hampshire independents who voted in the GOP primary (as he did in 2000 when he swamped George W. Bush). Romney's attacks on McCain's liberal immigration policies were popular with Republican voters, but did not resonate with McCain's independent base. Diminished by losing in Iowa, Romney entered the final weekend in New Hampshire some five percentage points behind. His strategists hoped the immigration issue would erase that lead. In fact, accusing McCain of advocating amnesty for illegal aliens had no more impact in New Hampshire than it had i...
More About: Today , Robert , Robert Novak , Plan , Novak

Cash-Crunched Thompson Reduces Salaries
2008-01-09 15:47:00
Near the bottom in New Hampshire's primary results and strapped for cash, Republican Fred Thompson 's campaign is cutting staff salaries to free up resources for a last-ditch effort to revitalize his White House bid in South Carolina. The decision means Thompson will mostly forgo the next primary, scheduled in Michigan, on which rivals John McCain and Mitt Romney are already setting their sights. "This campaign is going to be a South Carolina campaign," Thompson campaign manager Bill Lacy said in a statement released as New Hampshire primary results showing a McCain victory were being tallied. The campaign will focus its tight financial resources on a bus tour starting Thursday in South Carolina and statewide advertising. To offset the expenditures, "the campaign's headquarters staff is going above and beyond the call of duty" and "will work for reduced pay through the South Carolina voting," the campaign's statement said. Thompson entered the race late, and his fundraising is...
More About: Today , Cash

Huckabee seeks Catholic support
2008-01-08 18:27:00
Republican presidential candidate and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee sees his conservative religious base as reaching beyond evangelical Protestants to Catholic s as well. Huckabee, an ordained Baptist preacher, won the Iowa caucus last week which kicks off the nominating process for the November presidential election, largely because of support from the state?s numerous evengelical community. While campaigning in New Hampshire ? where he is hoping for a solid third place finish in the state?s Tuesday primary ? Huckabee told reporters on the bus on Monday that he felt his broad message resonated with many Catholics. ?Catholics were a major source of support for me in Arkansas. And they have been nationally. And it?s not only because of the pro-life and pro-family issues,? he said, refering to his opposition to abortion rights and gay marriage. ?I certainly believe that Catholics are right about talking about poverty, disease and hunger. Things I talk about ? I think a lot of ...
More About: Politics , Today , Support

Huckabee: Just Another Candidate Whose Wife Pulls the Strings From Behind t
2008-01-08 17:49:00
As the Mike Huckabee campaign prepared to air a television advertisement attacking Mitt Romney in the last days before the Iowa caucuses, one crucial player argued strenuously against the spot. Her name was Janet Huckabee. Mike Huckabee would eventually announce at a news conference that he was overruling most of his advisors and would not air the ad. He described this as an act of conscience, but he was also bowing to the wishes of his wife of 33 years. "I told him, 'I don't feel comfortable with you doing this,' " she said in an interview. "I kind of always knew he'd come to his senses." In the Republican presidential contest, Janet Huckabee is at once the least-known of the candidates' wives, and perhaps the most politically experienced. She and President Clinton, the husband of Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, share the distinction of being the only spouses on either side of the race who have run for office themselves. Janet Huckabee lost a bid to be Arkansas secretary of s...
More About: Wife , Today , Strings , Candidate

Obama widens lead over Clinton in New Hampshire
2008-01-08 16:56:00
Democrat Barack Obama expanded his lead over Hillary Clinton in New Hampshire to 13 points as voting began in the state's critical presidential primary, according to a Reuters/C-SPAN/Zogby poll released on Tuesday. Republican Sen. John McCain of Arizona also widened his advantage over former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, taking a 36 percent to 27 percent edge after months of hard campaigning in the state. Obama continued to feed on the momentum from his performance in Iowa last week, when he and Republican Mike Huckabee scored breakthrough wins that left Clinton and Romney reeling.
More About: Democrats , Today

New Hampshire Rasmussen Poll: McCain 32% Romney 31%
2008-01-07 18:37:00
John McCain is facing an unusual two-front challenge as he seeks to hang on to a narrow lead in New Hampshire ?s Republican Presidential Primary. He is competing with Mitt Romney for votes in the Republican Primary. At the same time, he is competing with Barack Obama for Independent voters who can choose to vote in either the Republican or the Democratic Primary on Tuesday. At the moment, he is losing ground to Obama which is causing him problems with Romney. On Friday, the Rasmussen Reports survey found that Independent voters were likely to make up 32% of the Republican Primary electorate. That dropped to 27% of Sunday. As a result, McCain?s lead over Romney has dipped to a statistically insignificant one-point advantage. The latest Rasmussen Reports telephone survey in New Hampshire shows John McCain earning 32% of the vote while Mitt Romney attracts 31%. The survey was conducted on Saturday and Sunday. All interviews were conducted before Sunday night?s debate. Romney leads by...
More About: Republicans , Today , Poll

Bill Gates eyes next "digital decade"
2008-01-07 18:18:00
Microsoft Corp chairman Bill Gates took center stage at the world's largest technology show for the last time on Sunday and predicted that his industry was on the cusp of the next "digital decade." Gates, who plans to switch in July to a more limited role at the company he co-founded in 1975 with childhood friend Paul Allen, said computing will become a pervasive part of everyday life through devices like televisions, mobile telephones. "Everything will connect up. You'll just take it for granted. No longer will users have to bridge between devices and remember what's where," Gates told the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.
More About: Business , Eyes , Science and Technology , Today

Obama gets beefed-up protection
2008-01-07 17:59:00
Secret Service presence has increased for Sen. Barack Obama since his dramatic win in Iowa, amid fears over the safety of the man seeking to become America's first black president. The Illinois senator's security now rivals that of President Bush, with a dozen Secret Service agents wearing dark suits and earpieces leading bomb-sniffing dogs through event venues, sweeping all equipment brought by journalists and flanking the candidate as he plunges into crowds of supporters. "For many black supporters, there is a lot of anxiety that he will be killed, and it is on people's minds," said Melissa Harris-Lacewell, a Princeton University professor of political science and contemporary black culture. "You can't make a prediction like this ? like he has 'a 50 percent chance of getting shot.' But the greater his visibility and the greater his access to people, there is a danger," she said. Another black presidential candidate, Jesse Jackson, drew Secret Service protection because o...
More About: Today

Behind Huckabee's radical 'Fair Tax'
2008-01-07 17:24:00
With Mike Huckabee's big win in the Iowa Republican caucus Thursday, more people are asking, "So what's this guy actually stand for?" Answer: For the most part, he's a pretty conventional conservative Republican. But on economics, he has one big, out-of-left-field-or maybe make that out-of-right-field-idea. It's called the "Fair Tax," which is spin-ease for a national retail sales tax. The sales tax idea isn't Huckabee's invention. It was developed by a group called Americans for Fair Tax ation, and it has already been written into a bill sponsored by Georgia congressman John Linder. Conservative talk radio host Neal Boortz has helped turn it into a grassroots cause, and his FairTax Book, which he co-wrote with Linder, briefly held the No. 1 spot on the New York Times non-fiction best seller list. Here's a quick guide to how the "Fair Tax" is supposed to work, and to some of the problems it might run into if a President Huckabee ever tried to get it passed. How would the...
More About: Business , Today , Radical

Can Obama Withstand the Scrutiny?
2008-01-07 17:20:00
The Barack Obama who arrived in New Hampshire the morning of January 4 was the same Barack Obama who awoke in Iowa the previous day wondering, no doubt, if his bid for the White House might soon effectively be over?except, of course, that in the eyes of the world, he now looked like a conceivable, indeed a probable, president of the United States. This transformation happens a couple of times every four years, but in Obama?s case, it was more than usually hard to get one's head around, given the world-historical meaning and uplift with which it was freighted. The moment was so dazzling, in fact, that it obscured a simple truth: Obama is still a political work-in-progress. His vulnerabilities are real and not terribly difficult to discern. And even his strengths are about to be placed under ungodly strain by two of the greatest quantum forces in the political universe: the weight of unparalleled expectations and the Clinton hit machine. Sepia-toned histories may recount Obama?s st...
More About: Today , Fade out , Scrutiny

Pentagon: Iranian speedboats Harass US navy vessels in Gulf
2008-01-07 17:17:00
Five Iranian speedboats swarmed three US navy ships as they transited the strategic Strait of Hormuz over the weekend, radioing a threat to blow them up, a Pentagon official said Monday. "I'm coming at you and you will blow up in a couple of minutes," the official quoted the radio transmission as saying. The official, who asked not to be identified, said no shots were fired during the encounter, which occurred Saturday in international waters as the three US navy ships transited the Strait of Hormuz. Reports of the incident came as President George W. Bush was to leave for the Middle East on Tuesday to boost the Israeli-Palestinian peace process and also to reiterate to allies that Washington continues to view Iran as a threat. "Five Iranian speedboats pretty much swarmed three US warships as they were transiting through international waters," the Pentagon official said. The speedboats came within a couple hundred meters of the US vessels, the official said. CNN, which first ...
More About: Navy , Gulf , Oats

Bill Kristol: President Mike Huckabee?
2008-01-07 17:10:00
Thank you, Senator Obama. You?ve defeated Senator Clinton in Iowa. It looks as if you?re about to beat her in New Hampshire. There will be no Clinton Restoration. A nation turns its grateful eyes to you. But gratitude for sparing us a third Clinton term only goes so far. Who, inquiring minds want to know, is going to spare us a first Obama term? After all, for all his ability and charm, Barack Obama is still a liberal Democrat. Some of us would much prefer a non-liberal and non-Democratic administration. We don?t want to increase the scope of the nanny state, we don?t want to undo the good done by the appointments of John Roberts and Samuel Alito to the Supreme Court, and we really don?t want to snatch defeat out of the jaws of victory in Iraq. For me, therefore, the most interesting moment in Saturday night?s Republican debate at St. Anselm College was when the candidates were asked what arguments they would make if they found themselves running against Obama in the general elec...
More About: President , Mike Huckabee , Today , Mike , Bill Kristol

Kenya govt denounces "genocide" as toll hits 300
2008-01-02 18:27:00
President Mwai Kibaki's government accused rival Raila Odinga's party of unleashing "genocide" in Kenya on Wednesday as the death toll from tribal violence over a disputed election passed 300. "It is becoming clear that these well-organized acts of genocide and ethnic cleansing were well planned, financed and rehearsed by Orange Democratic Movement leaders prior to the general elections," said the statement read by Lands Minister Kivutha Kibwana on behalf of his colleagues. Odinga's supporters, drawn mainly from his Luo tribe, have blamed the violence on Kibaki for provoking citizens by "stealing" a December 27 vote that international observers said fell short of democratic standards. Both sides alleged rigging.
More About: World News , Today , Genocide , Hits

Gold Reaches New Record
2008-01-02 18:23:00
Gold became the first commodity to reach a new record on the first session of new year with bullion prices pushing past the previous high of $850 a troy ounce reached in January 1980. Gold pushed to $859.30 a troy ounce on Wednesday, helped by renewed US dollar weakness after the influential ISM manufacturing survey indicated that activity contracted in December, fuelling fears that weakness in the housing market is spreading into the wider economy. Gold prices surged 30 per cent in 2007 as the dollar sank against the euro and oil prices challenged the $100 a barrel level. This combination was a key factor behind strong inflows in gold exchange traded funds in 2007. Meanwhile jewellery demand remained strong in spite of high prices, particularly in India, China and the Middle East.
More About: Business , Gold , Today , New Record , Record

Pew Poll: McCain Surges to Head of GOP Field Nationally
2008-01-02 18:11:00
On the eve of the Iowa caucuses, Rudy Giuliani?s once solid lead in nationwide polling of Republican voters has vanished. The latest nationwide survey by the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press finds about equal levels of support for John McCain (22%), Rudy Giuliani (20%), and Mike Huckabee (17%). The poll, conducted Dec. 19-30 among 471 Republican and Republican-leaning registered voters nationwide, finds that Giuliani?s support has slipped 13 points since September. Huckabee has gained 13 points over that period, and McCain ? who many analysts all but wrote off over the summer ? has rebuilt his base nationwide from a low of 16% in September to 22% today. The drop in support for Giuliani has occurred across all segments of the GOP electorate. While he continues to garner more backing from moderate and liberal Republicans (28%) than from conservatives (15%), both groups show double-digit declines from September. The growth in support for McCain is most notable among mo...
More About: Today , Poll , Head , Field

What We Want in a President: Ruthlessness is important when it comes to for
2008-01-02 18:00:00
In the next six weeks Americans are going to pick the two finalists in the long job search for the most important CEO position on the planet. As someone who has served in three White Houses and been a Federal Reserve governor during a fourth, I have become a firm believer that the character traits someone brings to the job are more important than the issue papers or debate sound bites that get so much attention in the primaries. Consider two examples. In December, Joe Trippi, a strategist for John Edwards, noted that polls showed a quarter of Barack Obama's own supporters did not think he would be qualified to be president. This says little about Mr. Obama, but it does say a lot about the process. These voters are not choosing someone to lead the country; they are trying to send a message about their own personal frustrations, or perhaps about another candidate. Or consider the comments of a friend of mine and active fund-raiser about Fred Thompson, who is my choice. My friend ag...
More About: President , Editorials , Today , Ruth

Pakistan election postponed until February 18
2008-01-02 17:56:00
Pakistan pushed back its general election by 6 weeks to Feb 18 on Wednesday following the assassination of Benazir Bhutto, against the objections of the main opposition parties who fear a delay will work against them. "In all the four provinces, for some days this election process came to a complete halt," Chief Election Commissioner Qazi Mohammad Farooq told a news conference. "Polling will now be held on February 18 instead of January 8." The killing of the charismatic opposition leader has fuelled doubts about stability and the transition to democratic rule in nuclear-armed Pakistan, a crucial U.S. ally in its anti-terrorism efforts.
More About: Pakistan , World News , Today

Has Huck Lost It?: An unconventional finale to an unconventional campaign
2008-01-02 17:49:00
This morning Mike Huckabee will appear at campaign events in Fort Dodge and Mason City, Iowa, and then, around noon, board a private jet for a destination not usually favored by front-runners on the eve of the Iowa caucuses: Burbank, California. There, he will tape an appearance on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, and, after the show, hop back on the jet and head back to Iowa, planning to arrive by about 2 A.M. Thursday. His first event on Caucus Day will be at 8:30 A.M. in Burlington, and he?ll go straight through until the votes are counted in the evening. It?s an unconventional last day in an unconventional campaign. But given that this will be both Leno?s first time back on The Tonight Show since the writer?s strike, as well as Huckabee?s last big TV appearance before the caucuses, the governor?s aides believe there will be great public interest. ?It?s an incredible opportunity to talk to a lot of people, campaign manager Chip Saltsman told me last night, ?and a lot of people in...
More About: Lost , Today , Campaign , Finale

Same-Sex Divorce Challenges the Legal System
2008-01-02 17:41:00
When her three-year-old marriage broke up, the 44-year-old doctor assumed she and her ex would split their property and jointly parent their two children. Her stay-at-home spouse wanted sole custody and the right to move the children out of Massachusetts. In pretrial motions, both parents made the same argument to a judge: The children should be with me; I'm their mother. For years, family court judges leaned toward a maternal preference when it came to custody disputes. But what to do when both parents are women, or neither is? Judges in Massachusetts have been grappling with that question since gay and lesbian couples began filing for divorce in 2004, seven months after the state Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage.
More About: Divorce , System , Today , Legal , Sexuality

Candidates' Returns From Early Primaries Aren't Easy to Predict
2008-01-02 17:37:00
During the longest, earliest, and most expensive primary election campaign America has witnessed, the top 10 contenders spent at least $28 million and campaigned more than 775 days in Iowa and New Hampshire, two states representing less than 2% of Americans. Will the results be worth all that time and money? Past primary results show returns from early-voting states are not easy math. Not one of the last four presidents won both Iowa and New Hampshire the year they got their party's nomination. In 1980, George H.W. Bush defeated Ronald Reagan in Iowa -- yet Mr. Reagan became the candidate. Eight years later, Mr. Bush won the nomination but placed third in Iowa. In 2000, his son, George W. Bush, ended up behind rival John McCain in New Hampshire, and in 1992, Bill Clinton was beaten in both first-primary and in first-caucus states. Still, it was Mr. Clinton who said candidates should try their best to win New Hampshire. "You've just got to go up there and work your heart out, a...
More About: Today , Candidates , Early , Easy , Primaries