text:
If this election is about change, as Barack Obama and John McCain say, Democrats here in Washington state are asking voters not to go too far.
An increasingly blue state on the national electoral map, Washington hasn't voted for a Republican for president since Ronald Reagan in 1984.
In this battleground state, Jennifer Chadwell-Feld is already at war.
Chadwell-Feld, 58, dials voters from a small warehouse, gauging support for Republican presidential nominee John McCain and reminding them a vote Nov. 4 could be crucial in one of the nation's tightest swing states.
"Since you support McCain, would you be willing to volunteer for the campaign?" the volunteer says and records the answers, which will be entered into a computer. "Can we get you a yard sign?"
Ron Booth voted Republican in the presidential election four years ago.
In the staunchly Republican state of Texas, home to President Bush, that's not much of a surprise. Booth says, however, that in November, he'll cast his vote for the Democratic presidential candidate, Sen. Barack Obama.
"You can't do the things of the past to solve the problems of the future," says Booth, 45, a finance manager, as he lunched recently at an outdoor cafe in downtown Houston. "We need change. That's Obama, clearly."
Sen. Tim Johnson battles for re-election in GOP dominated state.
Sen. Tim Johnson has come through emergency brain surgery, a coma and a grueling recovery.
Now, Johnson, a 61-year-old Democrat who battled back from a December 2006 brain hemorrhage, is running for re-election in a GOP-dominated state where President Bush won 60% of the vote in 2000 and 2004.
It may turn out to be the easiest thing he's done in two years.
Johnson, running against Republican state lawmaker Joel Dykstra, was comfortably ahead 60% to 35% in a July Rasmussen Reports poll, the most recent statewide poll on this year's race.
Anxieties About the Economy, Obama Have Created an Unpredictable Dynamic in Keystone State
At Rep. Mike Doyle's annual picnic here in this Pittsburgh suburb, Janet Keane recalled coming home during the Depression, when "honest to God, there was nothing to eat."
Keane, 85, a longtime friend of the Democratic congressman, said last week that she's looking for someone who will spare her grandchildren that experience as she tries to decide between Democrat Barack Obama and Republican John McCain in the presidential election Nov. 4.
"I like McCain," she said. "But I don't like that he's a Bush man."
A North Carolina parking lot owner says supporters of the Democratic presidential candidate are no longer welcome to park their cars.
WFMY reports Tim Henderson, who owns a parking lot in Gibsonville, N.C., "put up "no parking" signs targeting Barack Obama supporters."
The lot owner tells WFMY that his message is clear: He's posted two signs discouraging Obama supporters or those in cars with Obama stickers displayed on them from parking there.
"I don't know how many ways you can interpret it. If you're an Obama supporter, you've got an Obama sticker on your car, you're not welcome to park here," Henderson told the Greensboro CBS affiliate station.
There's a campaign going on in this village of 6,444 in the northeast region of this battleground state.
Lawn signs line the sidewalks and organizers talk on cellphones in a temporary office.
The signs are not part of a political campaign. They carry slogans such as "World class work force" and "Save U.S. Jobs" and are part of an effort to save a paper mill, and maybe a town.
Conservative Evangelical Vote Still the Republican Party's to Lose
Dennis Barbee cares about low taxes. He also wants a strong economy and solid national security.
Above all else, the registered nurse from Spring Hill, Tenn., is basing his vote this November on moral issues.
"Making sure human beings have a right to live is important to me," Barbee says. He isn't yet sure who he'll vote for, but the candidate he backs will be "a godly person that definitely has Jesus Christ as their savior," he says.
McCain Campaign Pulls Resources from the Wolverine State
John McCain's path to the 270 electoral votes he must secure in order to win the White House may have just gotten a little bit harder.
ABC News can confirm a Politico report that the McCain campaign is pulling the plug on trying to flip the state of Michigan from Blue to Red and locking up those key 17 electoral votes. According to Republicans familiar with the McCain campaign's plans in the Wolverine State, McCain has canceled a planned event in the state and is expected to halt his television advertising there.
Although McCain's move does not deliver a net gain of electoral votes into Obama's column, the significance of taking the populous state off the battlefield cannot be overstated.
A senior McCain adviser, however, played down the significance of the move by stating that Michigan was more about spreading the field of play on Obama rather than a needed state for their campaign to get the needed 270 electoral votes.
As the general election began to take shape in early summer, McCain campaign aides saw Michigan, Pennsylvania, and New Hampshire as their best opportunities to take some states that John Kerry won in 2004 and place them in the GOP column. Losing one of those key targets of opportunity while still having to defend a slew of Red states such as Colorado, Virginia, North Carolina, Ohio, Florida, and Indiana is a tough blow to the McCain campaign as it seeks to maintain viable paths to 270 electoral votes.
Read more HERE.
Heading into tonight's vice presidential showdown in St. Louis, an ABC News/Washington Post poll released today reveals the Sarah Palin boom has all but busted.
Watch the Vice Presidential Debate -- ABC News Live Coverage Begins at 9 p.m. ET
In his analysis, ABC News' Polling Director Gary Langer writes, "Skepticism about Sarah Palin has soared since she entered the national political stage, with six in 10 Americans now doubting her qualifications for office and fewer than half convinced of her grasp of complex issues."
Rick Klein, author of 'The Note', calls tonight's match-up "a face-off of a peculiar sort". (Rick will be live-blogging tonight throughout the debate.)
Long before the debate over a federal bailout of the nation's financial institutions took center stage, sagging property values and soaring mortgage payments triggered in part by adjustable interest rates and increasing taxes threatened to force thousands of Floridians into foreclosure.
According to RealtyTrac, Florida's 44,000 foreclosure filings in August trailed only California in the number of properties affected. California had 101,724 filings. Florida's foreclosure woes surpassed the rest of the Top 5 states: Arizona, 14,333; Michigan,13,605; and Nevada, 11,706.
Conservative Stronghold Could Fall from GOP Ranks for the First Time Since 1976
Former Democratic National Committee chairman Don Fowler isn't ready to bet money on Barack Obama winning the Palmetto State in the Nov. 4 presidential election.
But Fowler, chairman of Columbia-based Fowler Communications, said a confluence of factors makes it possible that this stronghold of Deep South conservatism could fall from the ranks of the GOP for the first time since Jimmy Carter in 1976 and for only the second since John F. Kennedy in 1960.
His arguments include:
Nearly twice as many Democrats as Republicans voted in Feb. at N.D. caucuses.
Sen. John McCain was on TV at the student center at Minot State University, but Megan Walser barely glanced up from the information desk as she gave directions to a freshman football player.
At 19, Walser is undecided who will get her first vote for president. Rising costs of gas, food, rent and tuition are on her mind. As the daughter of a rancher in Rhame, she's thinking about farm issues, too.
But what may have caught her eye most this presidential season was who made time to campaign in North Dakota.
From the harsh tone of a congressional race in Alabama, it might be hard to believe the candidates are deacons at the same Baptist church.
Democrat Bobby Bright and Republican Jay Love are campaigning hard for an open seat in Congress to represent the rural 2nd District in Alabama ??? a seat Democrats have not won since 1962.
Sen. John McCain and Sen. Barack Obama head to Mississippi tonight for the first presidential debate of the general election.
For a walk down memory lane (presidential debate edition), check out this video produced by ABCNews.com producer Lindsey Ellerson on memorable debate moments in the election cycles of yore.
And while there were questions on top of questions as to whether or not the debate would go on as scheduled, pundits volleying back and forth over whether it should or shouldn't, ABC News' Polling Director Gary Langer blogs on whether the candidates' debate performances even matter.
Do they?
McCain Lifts Campaign Suspension, Plans to Attend First Debate
The debate is on!
ABC News' George Stephanopoulos confirmed that Sen. John McCain will be attending the first presidential debate tonight in Mississippi.
"Optimistic that there has been significant progress toward a bipartisan agreement," the McCain campaign said in a statement they are "resuming all activities and the Senator will travel to the debate this afternoon."
McCain announced on Wednesday that he was suspending all campaign activity to head to Washington and work towards a resolution on the bailout plan.
Tune in to the first presidential debate tonight on ABC News or ABCNews.com at 9 p.m. ET!
In Arkansas, National Issues Effect Local Concerns at the Ballot Box
Voters here, like in most places, will be thinking about the economy, the Iraq war and health care when they go to the polls Nov. 4. But in Mountain Home, they'll also be thinking about a proposed hike in the 8% sales tax to pay for an indoor swimming pool in Cooper Park.
The pool's a big topic in this small Ozarks city of 11,000. It's an example of how national issues can influence local concerns and of how people across the USA will have more on their minds than presidential nominees Barack Obama and John McCain when they go to vote.
Little Doubt Over Who Will Win Illinois, But Can Obama Meet Expectations?
Catherine Haskins is 36 and has never bothered to vote in a presidential election. She says that will change Nov. 4 when she votes for Barack Obama.
Until now, Haskins, a single mom and small business owner in Washington Park, one of this city's poorest neighborhoods, never believed that any presidential candidate could make a difference in her life or the lives of her three sons.
In Obama, she says, she sees a politician who was raised by his own single mom and by his grandparents, a former community organizer who worked in Chicago neighborhoods much like her own. "He gets it. He's lived it," she says.
Where Anthony Hurt once saw rubble and litter, he now sees a bright mural. From his second-story window, the view of drugs and decay has given way to sunflowers and trees.
More than 150 formerly vacant lots in this city, which is often derided for its high rate of violent crime, have been transformed into community parks ??? in part with the help of federal grants.
An ABCNews/Washington Post poll reveals that the economy looms large over Virginia voters as they look to cast battleground ballots on Election Day.
"Economic jitters and a favorable Democratic climate are contributing to a competitive presidential contest in Virginia, a traditionally Republican state in national elections but one where Democrats have won the last three races for governor or U.S. Senate," writes Gary Langer, director of the ABC News Polling Unit.
Fifty-two percent call it the single most important issue in their vote, far and away No. 1. And eight in 10 are worried about the economy's direction in the next few years, with 45 percent very worried.
In Virginia, Sen. Barack Obama holds a 10-point over Sen. John McCain among registered voters in trust to handle the economy, the lead grows to 23 points when in understanding the economic woes of Americans.
Main Street buzz has turned from racial politics to presidential politics in the year since the "Jena Six" legal battles and civil rights protests.
Residents gathered outside the La Salle Parish courthouse in Jena, La., on Sept. 11 to reflect on community values and how the presidential election might play here, a parish of about 14,000 residents, heavily invested in oil, timber and conservative values.
A year ago Saturday about 20,000 civil rights demonstrators protested a perception of legal injustice and racial prejudice at the same courthouse. But on Sept. 11, as townspeople, the school band, elected officials and the National Guard came together, the focus was patriotism and politics, said Sammy Franklin, long-time editor and publisher of the Jena Times.
"These people here are very patriotic," Franklin said, noting that many are veterans.
"You have a war veteran, a former POW, here, and then you have a candidate here that will not salute the flag, not wear a flag pin," said Franklin, referring to presidential candidates Sens. John McCain and Barack Obama. "I've heard some diehard Democrats, that would never (not) vote for a Democrat before say, 'No, I can't do that this time.' ??? Because of just that one thing."
Franklin predicted La Salle Parish would go Republican on Nov. 4, and recent history backs him up. La Salle gave President Bush more than 80% of its vote in 2004 ??? and 75% in 2000.
Identity influences politics
Cleveland Riser Jr., a retired educator who invested 29 years in the local school system, said he sees identity as a pressure point this year. The parish is 85.6% white and 12% black.
"Can they overcome the fact that when they see him they are going to see a darker face?" asked Riser, a black man with Native American and white heritage.
Riser, who supports Obama, said he believes race will factor into voters' decisions but that it was not the most important issue to him.
Age made more of a difference. Riser, a veteran, admires McCain's military service but thinks a 72-year-old candidate lacks the energy for the job. Instead, he was inspired by the vivacity and enthusiasm of Obama, 47.
Living near the Marine Corps' largest base and watching new houses and schools going up to hold military families, Roger Denoncourt doesn't feel much of the economic pressure that is defining the 2008 presidential election.
The retired Marine says his vote will go to candidates he sees as supportive of the military.
The delegates from the District of Columbia were revved.
"We demand a vote!" they chanted at last month's Democratic convention as Eleanor Holmes Norton, the district's non-voting delegate to Congress, looked on approvingly. It was a high point for the 70-member D.C. delegation, which spent four days lobbying for a vote in Congress with T-shirts, flashing buttons and bumper stickers sporting the slogan "Taxation Without Representation."
HARPERS FERRY, W.Va. -- It wasn't that long ago that West Virginia was a rather reliable blue dot on your electoral map.
Michael Dukakis won here. So did Jimmy Carter -- twice. Bill Clinton was also 2-for-2.
But something has changed: Al Gore lost West Virginia by 6 points. John Kerry made it closer, but still lost by 2.5 points. It's on Barack Obama's wish list -- but the long list, not the short list.
This is not the flip-side of neighboring Virginia, where demographic changes are making a red state purple.
From the roof of the Robert C. Byrd Intermodal Transportation Center on Main Street, one can see the Wheeling Artisan Center to the east, the Wheeling Stamping Building to the south and Wheeling Heritage Port to the west ??? all flourishing, thanks to the financial help of Sen. Robert Byrd.
To say the 90-year-old senator from West Virginia has brought home the bacon during his half-century in Washington would be akin to saying Congress likes to spend taxpayers' money.
Two of Byrd's Senate colleagues, Republican John McCain and Democrat Barack Obama, are threatening his ability to spend that money in places such as Wheeling, Charleston, Huntington and Morgantown. McCain wants to eliminate all congressional "earmarks" ??? money set aside by lawmakers for specific programs or projects back home. Obama favors less spending and more transparency.
Whoever becomes the nation's 44th president could send places such as Wheeling reeling.
"Without the government's assistance, I don't think we would have been able to develop what we have today," says Hydie Friend, executive director of the Wheeling National Heritage Area Corporation, which seeks to celebrate the city's place in history as the original gateway to the West.
Cutting corners
The arguments against earmarks are familiar: The government can't afford them. They're chosen on the basis of politics, not merit. Lawmakers with clout command the most cash. In some cases, they are the source of political corruption ??? as was the case of former congressman Randy "Duke" Cunningham, a Republican who was convicted in 2005 of taking bribes in exchange for Defense earmarks.
"What we've created here is an easy, corner-cutting way of getting money," says Leslie Paige of Citizens Against Government Waste, a non-partisan group opposed to earmarks.
That's not how West Virginia officials see it. Working in a largely blue collar state, where municipal governments and universities struggle to make ends meet, they see earmarks as a reward for entrepreneurial spirit.
PITTSBURGH -- Rolling through Ohio, and now in Pennsylvania, I've got swing states on my mind -- and not only because of the acrobats who greeted us in Pittsburgh, in a literal circus-like atmosphere at the train station.
For better or worse, it's states like these -- and a small handful of others -- that will determine this election.
The old thinking has been that if you win two out of the three biggest battlegrounds -- Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Florida -- you become president. It worked for George W. Bush in 2000 and 2004, and it very well could work again in 2008.
Small towns like this bucolic river community may play an outsized role in determining whether John McCain or Barack Obama becomes president. They are the swing counties in what may be the most important swing state in this election.
Four years ago, John Kerry's presidential campaign organization blitzed through Ohio's 16 heavily Democratic counties to generate massive voter turnout. On Election Day, Kerry won more votes in Ohio than any previous Democratic presidential nominee.
Stopping off in Washington for a series of television talk-show interviews Tuesday morning, Democratic vice presidential candidate Joe Biden didn't pass up the chance to ride the Amtrak train to Wilmington for an evening campaign event outside of Philadelphia.
Carrying a light brown satchel, Biden arrived on the Union Station platform in Washington, D.C. just before the 2pm departure, stopping to hug a uniformed Amtrak employee before waving another over to say hi, shaking his hand and talking to him like an old friend.
Biden is well-known on the route. On the stump, he talks frequently about his daily ritual of taking the train from his Wilmington home to his Capitol Hill Senate office every morning and back again every night
ERIE, Pa. -- This is the state that came through by 9 points for Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton in the primaries -- after many pundits declared the nomination to belong to Sen. Barack Obama.
This is a town that's been suffering -- caught in an economic slump that has left many disaffected and disillusioned, even, dare we suggest, "bitter."
So it seemed worthwhile to check in with some folks in the wake of Clinton's advice that her supporters simply must back in Obama on economic grounds.
Well -- not so much, and not so fast.
SILVER CREEK, N.Y. -- Here in the far western portion of New York State, with lush vineyards around us, the "Good Morning America" crew recreated the classic grape-stomping scene from "I Love Lucy."
Some residents, meanwhile, are still talking about the economy -- and how they're ready to stomp out the old.
But we're finding again that the definition of "change," well, changes.
Here over the river -- with half of our train over American waters, half over Canadian waters -- is as good a place as any to consider one little-told border story.
The Canadian side here -- like much of Canada's economy -- is booming. High gas prices are actually good news for many in Canada, an oil-exporting nation where the dollar is strong and jobs are growing.
New York pollster Lee Miringoff thought there would be two hot poll questions for New Yorkers this fall:
1. Which presidential candidate from New York would carry the state in November, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton or former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani?
2. Whom should Gov. Eliot Spitzer appoint to the Senate to fill Clinton's term if she goes to the White House?
To say things didn't work that way is one of the great understatements of modern New York politics.
Clinton lost the Democratic nominating contest to Barack Obama. Former GOP front-runner Giuliani failed to win a single Republican primary or caucus despite spending tens of millions of dollars.
Divided by Their Politics, Mothers Find Some Common Ground on VP Pick
It's happening at kitchen tables and office water coolers, over e-mail and at friends' birthday parties: People nationwide are reeling from two head-spinning weeks that have reinvigorated John McCain's campaign for the presidency with the selection of vice presidential pick Sarah Palin.
"I did want to learn a lot more about her because of that acceptance speech," said Democrat Tina Hamilton, of Acton, Mass. "And I was wowed. I absolutely was wowed."
Still, Hamilton is one of many people taking a closer look now that "the dust has settled a little bit for me," and she is reminding herself that she does not agree with Palin's politics.
Hamilton was also one of a group of seven women, from diverse backgrounds, that ABC News invited to the small town of Stockbridge, Mass., to discuss the governor, her interview with ABC News and her impact on the race. Thousands of miles from Palin's hometown of Wasilla, Alaska, they formed an informal, if unscientific, focus group.
From the historic caboose on this train, the Pennsylvania 120, I filed this video blog on our first day on the rails, from the Berkshires of Western Massachusetts.
It's a pleasant day outside today -- in the upper 70s in Upstate New York -- but there's an issue that's picked up some mentions in the local papers the last few days: winter home-heating costs.
It will be winter's double-wallop: For people struggling to pay their bills, one particular bill is going to be as much as 25 percent higher than last year, according to the Center for American Progress.
LIHEAP -- the federal Low-Income Heating Assistant Program -- is designed to help. It sparks a perennial battle in Congress (fiscal conservatives and warm-state lawmakers tend to be less friendly to the federal subsidy) that almost always ends in some kind of compromise.
Almost. For this winter, after years of cutbacks, no money has been pumped into the federal pipeline. Without federal action, the program is done.
It's an issue that's among very many that fuels local anger toward Congress: People want their LIHEAP, just like they want their Medicare, say, and resent the inaction. An issue worth tracking in both local and federal races going into the fall.
STOCKBRIDGE, Mass. -- It's hard to feel further from Wall Street out here on the rails -- as we roll past the lush green and picturesque towns in Western Massachusetts.
But the economic turmoil that's rocking so much of the country is evident -- in the empty, rusting buildings that dot the landscape, and mostly in the conversations we have when we climb off the train.
Even in gorgeous Stockbridge -- a liberal enclave, with a tourist economy that hasn't been hit the same way so many other parts of the country have -- the unease is real.
I commented to Connie Montgomery, a retiree who lives in Stockbridge, about how far we felt from Wall Street on a perfect day in this Norman Rockwell town -- as we got ready for a brief concert featuring James Taylor and Yo-Yo Ma.
"Oh yeah -- but we're not," Montgomery said. "There's a lot of retired people who depend on investments, and it's just very shaky."
McCain, Obama Fight Over Contested Tarheel State
Sen. Barack Obama and Sen. John McCain are locked in a competitive race for the state of North Carolina. One of the battleground states in this year's presidential election, the Tar Heel State has voted Republican in the last four national elections.
But, while the state has been a Republican stronghold in years past, recent trends suggest there may be an opportunity for Democrats to turn the state blue.
Obama emerged victorious over Sen. Hillary Clinton in the May primary, largely backed by African-Americans, he took the state with 91 percent of the black vote and 56 percent of the total vote. McCain also won the state's Republican primary, besting his competitors with 74 percent of the vote. With 15 electoral votes on the table, both candidates have invested in North Carolina, pouring organizational resources into the traditionally red state.
The latest ABC News assessment categorizes North Carolina as "Battleground," but check back soon for more updates from ABC News.
Can McCain Make the Traditionally Democratic State a Battleground?
There was a time when the political leaning of New Jersey was not a foregone conclusion, but the Garden State has not voted for a Republican presidential candidate since 1988 when George H.W. Bush took the White House.
While Sen. Barack Obama had a strong showing in New Jersey's Democratic primary, Sen. Hillary Clinton, who was endorsed by New Jersey Gov. Jon Corzine, won the state with 55 percent of the vote to Obama's 44 percent.
McCain picked up 52 delegates in the state's Republican primary, besting his competitors with 55 percent of the vote. New Jersey was among other big state wins for McCain on Super Tuesday that helped him secure his status as the clear GOP front-runner.
Democrats currently control the state's Congress as well as the governorship and recent polls suggest Obama is the leading contender to pick up the state's 15 electoral votes in November.
The latest ABC News assessment categorizes New Jersey as "Leaning Democratic," but check back soon for more updates from ABC News.
It was a photo finish seen more often on the last lap on the Indianapolis 500 than in a presidential primary.
Hillary Clinton's campaign had just about run out of gas and a dual defeat on May 6, 2008, would have almost certainly increased the calls for her to pull into the pit and cede the race to Barack Obama.
But Clinton won -- by only 14,192 votes in over 1 million cast.
Now Obama returns to Indiana with hopes of snatching the state that hasn't vote for a Democratic presidential contender since supporting President Lyndon B. Johnson over Republican Barry Goldwater in 1964.
Sen. John McCain has all but a lock on the reliably Republican state of Idaho -- which hasn't favored a Democratic presidential contender since President Lyndon B. Johnson eeked out a one-percent victory over Republican Barry Goldwater in 1964.
Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., got some R&R at his wife's ski getaway in posh Sun Valley but he wasn't there to contest the state in the tight 2004 election.
The lack of a competitive presidential landscape may make the most interesting race in the state the one to replace scandal-plagued Sen. Larry Craig.
But Craig, who leaves the Senate amidst an effort to clear his name related to a sex-sting operation in the Minneapolis/St. Paul airport, may have hurt the Republican party's reputation nationally, does not appear to have done much damage to the Idaho GOP.
CQPolitics.com rates the Senate race between Lt. Gov. Jim Risch and former Democratic Rep. Larry LaRocco as "safe Republican".
Vermont's three electoral votes will likely end up in Sen. Barack Obama's tally without much of a fight.
Sen. John McCain can try to reach the pockets of religious conservatives tucked throughout Vermont but in 1988, the once-reliably red New England state made a hard left turn and never looked back. Both McCain and Obama were winners in the Vermont's March primary.
Both the state's senators -- Democrat Patrick Leahy and Independent Bernard Sanders -- were early supporters of Obama's presidential bid. The state's former Gov. Howard Dean made his own unsuccessful run for the White House in 2004 and now chairs the Democratic party.
And if you need more evidence of Vermont's left-of-center tendencies...
In March, voters in two Vermont towns approved ballot measures calling for a Bush-Cheney indictment.
Check back to see when ABC News' heads to Vermont!
Sen. Hillary Clinton's supporters might be singing the blues but they can still be counted on to vote Democratic come November. New York's 31 electoral votes should be a safe bet for Sen. Barack Obama, despite his 17-point loss there to New York Sen. Hillary Clinton during the Democratic primary.
Still, Obama's margin of victory over Sen. John McCain in New York could be a good, early indicator on election day of how willing Clinton supporters are to forgive and forget and align behind the Democratic nominee.
McCain has little chance of making significant in-roads within this reliably Democratic knot of voters, though his victory in the state during the Republican primaries was strong. In 1984, Ronald Reagan was the last Republican presidential candidate to win New York.
ABC News heads to New York on Sept. 16, 2008. Check back then to see what voters there are saying!
Connecticut's not the kind of place a Republican presidential candidate would expect to do well in. But John McCain's not your ordinary GOPer.
If something happened that dramatically put a bunch of blue states in play, Connecticut is, like New Jersey, the kind of place where McCain could make some gains.
The nation's highest-income state, Connecticut has a streak of independence.
Longtime Senator Joe Lieberman, who served as Vice President Al Gore's running mate in 2000 and made his own bid for the White House in 2004 was reelected to Congress in 2006 as an Independent after he lost the Democratic primary to Ned Lamont.
Sen. Lieberman crossed party lines again this year to endorse his friend and Republican colleague Sen. McCain and even took a prime speaking slot at the Republican National Convention in Minneapolis/St. Paul.
No Democrat has captured Connecticut's governor's mansion since 1986. A former Republican, Lowell Weicker, was elected governor in 1990 as an Independent.
But it will take a tide of a pretty good size to actually put Connecticut in play. For now, Obama can count on a likely win but no state can ever be taken for granted.
Wyoming's solid Republican tendencies face no real Democratic threat come the November general election.
During the March caucuses in Wyoming, Sen. Barack Obama and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney emerged victorious for their respective parties, but the Romney win doesn't mean Sen. John McCain will have any problems capturing the western state's three electoral votes.
The home turf of sitting Vice President Dick Cheney, Wyoming is reliably red and has voted for the Republican presidential candidate in the last ten presidential elections.
Check back to see when ABC News heads to Wyoming!
Despite hosting Sen. John McCain's August nominating convention, Sen. Barack Obama is favored to win Minnesota in November -- the state has voted for the Democratic presidential candidate in the last eight presidential elections.
The state's red and blue pockets are distinct. McCain kept the Gopher State in the headlines amid intense speculation that early supporter and Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty would be tapped for the second spot on his presidential ticket, though McCain ultimately chose Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin.
Montana's three electoral votes lean in Sen. John McCain's favor but Sen. Barack Obama won't give up Big Sky Country without a fight.
In the last ten presidential elections, Montana has show it's left leanings only once: in 1992, when it voted for then-Gov. Bill Clinton over President George Bush.
McCain's story, military service and ties to the Western regions of the country will likely resonate with Montana conservatives but Obama's efforts in the state have been consistent.
Oregon's seven electoral votes lean blue in the November general election, but it doesn't mean the Beaver State will be won for the Democrats without a battle.
Oregon was consistently red till 1988 when it started leaning left. In 2004, Sen. John Kerry won Oregon by just 4 percentage points; in 2000, Vice President Al Gore took the state by 7,000 votes.
Sen. John McCain has focused efforts on the state's small towns, hoping to draw support from pockets with conservative and blue-collar voters. Sen. Barack Obama used the prolonged Democratic primary process to build strength in the northwestern state, campaigning there until late May and drawing a crowd of some-75,000 when he spoke in Portland ahead of the state's primary.
Will the Heart of Dixie beat for Sen. John McCain or Sen. Barack Obama on November 4?
Though Obama counted Alabama among his Super Tuesday victories over Sen. Hillary Clinton, bets are on McCain to win the state's nine electoral votes: ABC News counts the state as solidly Republican territory.
Still the McCain campaign isn't without concerns on the ground. Obama's candidacy could increase voter turnout among African-Americans who make up more than a quarter of the state's population. Their presence at the polls threatens to erode the high margins that Republican candidates have previously enjoyed in Alabama.
In the last ten presidential elections, Alabama has taken the Republican route eight times -- moving to the blue only once in that time period for Jimmy Carter in 1976 and marching to an independent drum in 1968 when it voted for Indy presidential candidate George Wallace over Republican Richard Nixon or Democrat Hubert Humphrey.
Check back to see when ABC News heads to Alabama!
While Mainers are leaning towards Obama, the Pine Tree State is moderate and fiercely independent; not necessarily a sure bet for the candidate.
Maine has voted Democratic in the last four election with John Kerry winning by nine percent over George Bush. But the state- who's motto is- "I lead," has always been more open to voting for independent and third party candidates.
Maine has had two independent governors recently. Angus King, who served from 1995 to 2003 and James B. Longley who served from 1975 to 1972. And in 2002 the Green Party candidate won nine percent of the vote for the gubernatorial election, one of the party's highest turnout for a statewide office.
In the Democratic primary Obama beat Clinton 59 to 40 percent and McCain did not do well against the former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney who's fellow New Englanders turned out for him 52 percent over McCain's 22 percent.
Besides Nebraska, Maine is the only other state that divides their electoral votes, rather than letting the winner take all. However, the votes have never actually been split.
It comes as no surprise that the Aloha State and birth place to Barack Obama is solidly Democratic and slated to go to the candidate in November.
Hawaii has always leaned liberal and has voted for Democrats in all but two of the Presidential elections. In the Democratic caucus, Obama beat out Clinton 76 to 24 percent.
Having grown up there, Obama is popular in the Aloha state and was even referred to as "Hawaii's third Senator" by locals when elected to the US Senate to represent Illinois.
Obama made a big splash when he vacationed in Hawaii with his family in August. His homecoming was well received by locals but some in the McCain camp saw the trip as indulgent. And some analysts noted that it was politically risky to leave the continental US in the middle of a campaign.
Either way, the Aloha state is likely to turn out big for its native son and easily deliver the four electoral votes it carries.
The Great Plains state is almost a sure bet for John McCain. For the past ten presidential elections, Oklahomans have put a Republican at the top of their ticket.
President Bush got 66 percent of the vote in the 2004 election, and many believe that this home of the American Bison boasts one of the most conservative congressional delegations.
While state polls suggest that voters will likely turn out for John McCain, he only didn't overwhelmingly win the state's Super Tuesday primary, only edging out Huckabee 37 to 33 percent.
But one thing is for sure, Oklahoma, which in Chocktaw, means 'Red People,' is definitely a red state.
Since first being able to vote for President in 1964, the nation's capitol has always selected a Democrat, and by large margins. 2008 will likely be no different; the District is still solidly Democratic.
African Americans make up around 56 percent of the population, another factor that may help Barack Obama.
In the February primary, Obama easily defeated Hillary Clinton 75 percent to 24 percent. McCain won 68 percent of the Republican votes over Huckabee's 17 percent.
The District only has three electoral votes but in what is looking to be a tight race between McCain and Obama every vote could make an impact.
Turning red only twice in the last ten presidential elections, Rhode Island's four electoral votes are almost certain to fall in the Democratic column come November.
The Republican operation on the ground remains hopeful that Sen. John McCain can make some inroads among the state's reliably Democratic bloc given that Sen. Hillary Clinton won Rhode Island by 18 percentage points during its March Democratic primary. Still there has been little evidence that Sen. Barack Obama has had any difficulty gaining ground among state voters since becoming the Democratic nominee.
Rhode Island Congressman Patrick Kennedy, D-RI, endorsed Obama in January alongside his father, Sen. Ted Kennedy, and cousin, Caroline Kennedy.
In the latest ABC News assessment, we've got Rhode Island's four electoral votes as solidly Democratic.
In the Mountain State where coal mining once ruled -- race could play a bigger factor in the presidential election than in any other state. West Virginia has been ranked by the US Census Bureau as one of the five least racially diverse states in the country and it's clear that race played a factor in the May Democratic primary.
In the contest, Hillary Clinton solidly defeated Barack Obama by one of her widest margins of victory in the primary season winning 67 percent of the vote to Obama's 26 percent.
According to exit polls, two in ten whites said the race of the candidate was a factor in their vote. This could spell trouble for Obama -- as only 31 percent of those voters said they'd support Obama over John McCain. McCain beat out Huckabee and Romney in the primary but came in third in the state's February Caucus.
West Virginia has voted for a Democratic candidate for President 20 out of the last 36 times, but ABC News has the state leaning Republican this election. However the mountain state could very well be up for grabs and prove to be a key swing state in this contest.
Nevada, a True Battleground State, Is Up for Grabs
In a state that is perhaps best known for gambling and the unique allure of its famous 'Sin City', the presidential election odds are tight, with polls showing a dead heat between Sen. Barack Obama and John McCain.
The state went Democratic in 1994 and 1996, but voted Republican in 2000 and 2004.
During the frenzy of the primaries, Nevada's caucus went for Hillary Clinton over Sen. Barack Obama but Obama walked away with more delegates in the process.
McCain, meanwhile, came in third in the GOP primary behind Mitt Romney and Ron Paul.
As this red-and-blue roulette wheel begins to slow its spin, it is still unclear where the ball will drop come November.
1992 Was the Last Time the Peach State Went Democratic
Georgia, the classic Southern state where a soft drawl and warm nights fill the landscape with serenity, is proving to be less than calming for the presidential candidates.
By maintaining a large staff and pursuing new voters there, Sen. Barack Obama has taken aim at the traditionally red state.
The state has not voted for a Democratic candidate in 16 years -- a fact which the McCain camp is counting on.
Sen. John McCain's campaign has no field office in Georgia, compared with the more than 30 field offices maintained by the Obama campaign.
Despite successful fundraising efforts in Georgia, especially in the Atlanta area, a recent shift of staffers from Georgia offices to North Carolina offices by the Obama campaign could signal a shift in strategy -- but the Obama camp maintains that it is not surrendering the state to McCain.
McCain lost Georgia's Feb. 5 Republican primary to Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, but according to the latest ABC News assessment, the state is still "leaning Republican."
A border state nestled in the Deep South, Mississippi has voted solidly Republican in every presidential election since President Reagan took office in 1980. The Delta State, named after the Mississippi River, carries six electoral votes.
Senator John McCain beat his GOP competitors by a landslide in the state's Republican primary in March, winning 79 percent of the vote. Senator Barack Obama also had a strong showing in Mississippi, winning the Democratic contest with more than sixty percent of the vote, a victory that was largely supported by overwhelming support among black voters. Mississippi has the highest percentage of black voters of any state in the nation, however even if Obama is able to mobilize a record number of African-Americans, history suggests it may still be quite difficult for the Democrat to turn the state blue.
According to exit polls in 2004, Sen. John Kerry captured 90 percent of the black vote in Mississippi, however, President George W. Bush was still able to take the state by a margin of 20 percent.
It should also be noted that local Mississippi politics have taken an unexpected turn as just this year, the Democrats captured three Congressional seats from the Republicans in special elections.
Both candidates made stops in the Delta State during the long campaign season, and on September 26, McCain and Obama will appear together at the University of Mississippi in Oxford for the first presidential debate.
The latest ABC News assessment categorizes Mississippi as "Solid Republican," but check back to follow Mississippi's political tide and find out when ABC News will be visiting.
Ohio will be center stage this election, proving to be a tough battleground who's results could tip the scales of momentum in favor of one candidate. Polls show that Obama and McCain are neck in neck in the Buckeye State. Ohio has historically been a bellwether for the presidential elections, with many analysts believing it is a microcosm for the rest of the country.
For the past eleven elections, no candidate has won the White House without winning Ohio first. And no Republican in history has ever won the White House without winning in Ohio.
In the March Democratic primary Hillary Clinton emerged victorious over Obama and John McCain easily beat out Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee who then conceded from the race.
In 2004, Ohio was ground zero in the race between President Bush and Sen. John Kerry. Turnout increased 20 percent in 2004 and Bush ultimately eked it out with 51 percent of the votes.
The southwestern corner of the state is the area to watch analysts say with new Democratic voters who are upper middle class, more educated and new to the state.
In Kentucky, candidates John McCain and Barack Obama battle for the state's eight electoral votes.
In 1992 and 1996, Kentucky went to Democrats. In 2000 and 2004, Republicans won the state.
Along the tortuous path to the November election, Sen. Hillary Clinton overwhelmingly won Kentucky's Democratic primary in May over Democratic presidential candidate Obama. The Illinois senator won just 30 percent of the primary vote compared to Clinton's 65 percent of the vote. McCain soundly won his party's Kentucky primary.
Check back to see when ABC News heads to Kentucky, and learn how the candidates are faring on the road to the White House.
The year 1976 was the last time South Carolina voted Democrat in the presidential election. Still, Democrats in the Palmetto state have been energized on the road to 2008, with a record number of votes cast in South Carolina's Democratic primary in late January.
During the primaries, Republican candidate for president John McCain won the state's Republican contest with 33 percent of the vote over former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee, who clinched 30 percent of the vote.
Democratic pick Barack Obama won South Carolina's Democratic primary with 55 percent of the vote.
The presidential hopefuls now compete for eight electoral votes in the traditionally Red Palmetto state.
Check back to see when ABC News heads to South Carolina and see how the race is shaping up for McCain and Obama.
John McCain, Barack Obama Vie for Votes in the Volunteer State
Tennessee has 11 electoral votes up for grabs, but which presidential candidate will make it to the top of the charts -- and which one will be singing the blues after Nov. 4?
Tennessee has danced with both the Republican and Democratic parties in the most recent presidential elections, going blue for Bill Clinton in 1992 and 1996, but red for George W. Bush in both 2000 and 2004.
Al Gore probably doesn't want to remember that 2000 race -- after consecutive wins with his name on the ticket as Clinton's vice president, Tennessee spurned its native son.
Obama and McCain might be singing Don't Be Cruel to Tennessee voters, after they picked Hillary Clinton in the Democratic primary and Republicans chose former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee in their contest.
Former Tennessee Republican Sen. Fred Thompson met a similar fate as Gore when he came in fifth in the state's Republican primary.
Will Tennessee be All Shook Up in 2008? Check back as ABC News hits all the high notes in the Volunteer State.
Last week, McCain advisor Mark Salter mentioned New Hampshire, as well as Wisconsin, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Ohio and Minnesota as key battleground states Republicans hope to win.
On the road to the White House, Republican presidential hopeful John McCain and Democratic candidate Barack Obama scuffle for just four electoral votes in the Grantite state.
The state went to Republicans in 2000, but voters there opted for Democratic candidates in 1992, 1996 and 2004.
This time around, the Granite state's early January primaries were close calls for both Democrat and Republican contenders. Republican presidential candidate John McCain won the Republican contest with 37 percent of the vote to former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney's 32 percent. New York senator Hillary Clinton won the Democrat's battle in New Hampshire with 39 percent of the vote to Democratic presidential pick Barack Obama's 37 percent.
Check back to see when ABC News heads to New Hampshire and learn more about how the race will shape up for the candidates.
Ah, Florida.
Up for grabs in the Sunshine state are 27 electoral votes -- votes that have been a source of fierce contention in the past.
Fighting for the White House, Democrats last won the state in 1996, though many folks still beg to differ after the famously disputed contest of 2000 between Bush and Gore. Republicans took Florida in 2004, 2000 and 1992.
This time around, late January primaries swept the battleground state into the 2008 election in late January. Now, Florida is seen as one of three states, along with Ohio and Pennslyvania, that is critical to the November 2008 election.
The Republican primary brought John McCain a victory, winning Florida with 36 percent of the vote to former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney's 31 percent.
Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., beat out Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama in the Democratic primary, collecting 870,986 votes, or 50 percent, compared to Obama's 33 percent.
Check back to see when ABC News heads to Florida and learn if, and how, the political tide turns for either candidate.
Obama, McCain Hope to Drive Away with State's Electoral Votes
In the race to the White House, John McCain and Barack Obama face a tough crowd in Michigan.
Michigan voters who participated in exit polls after the state's primary overwhelmingly cited the economy as their top concern.
Facing economic troubles because of struggling industry, including an increasingly tenuous auto industry, Michigan also has the highest unemployment rate in the nation.
But as Michigan tries to renew its economy, Obama and McCain renew their battle for the state's 17 electoral votes.
Neither presidential candidate won Michigan's primary. Obama's name wasn't on the Democratic ballot because he chose not to participate, later resulting in a delegate debacle. McCain came in second to Mitt Romney, R-Mass., whose father once served as governor of the state.
Check back to find out when ABC News will motor to Michigan and break down this battleground state.
Obama, McCain Each Hope the 'Bellwether State' Rings in His Favor
As goes Missouri, so goes the nation. Well, that is if history has anything to say about the 2008 race to the White House.
Missouri has voted with the winner in every presidential election since 1904 (with the exception of 1956 race), earning the Show-Me State another nickname in political circles: The Bellwether State.
Not all that surprising, when one considers Missouri's makeup: with major cities St. Louis and Kansas City, to farms in the northern part of the state, to the rolling Ozark Mountains in the south, it's somewhat of a microcosm of the United States.
With 11 electoral votes at stake, both Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., and Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., hope to repeat their respective Super Tuesday primary victories and ride the Missouri wave all the way to 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.
But which will it be? And will Missouri again predict the winner? Stay tuned as ABC News takes a look at the candidates' arch rivalry as they battle their way to the White House.
'08 Race Faces Battleground in Hawkeye State Where It All Began
Will the 2008 presidential race boil down to the state where it all began?
Iowa's first-in-the-nation caucus, held on Jan. 3, 2008, launched Sen. Barack Obama onto the Democratic presidential map when he emerged victorious with 38 percent of the vote over party rivals Sen. John Edwards and Sen. Hillary Clinton, who won 30 and 29 percent, respectively.
Both Sen. Chris Dodd and Sen. Joe Biden, who later became the Democratic vice presidential nominee, dropped out of the race following Iowa, each capturing less than 1 percent of the vote.
Democrats have largely dominated the state politics of Maryland for the last century and all signs suggest the blue state will maintain its traditional color in this season's race for the White House.
With 270 electoral votes up for grabs, Maryland offers ten votes. The border state, lined by two large, liberal-leaning metropolitan areas, Baltimore, Maryland and Washington, D.C., contributed to Sen. Obama's "Potomac Sweep" after Super Tuesday. The Senator decisively won the state's primary in February, helping Obama gain momentum over Sen. Hillary Clinton.
"Tonight we're on our way," Obama said in his victory speech from Madison, Wisconsin. "We now have won East and West and North and South and across the heartland of this country we love."
Maryland is also home to the popular Democratic Governor and former Baltimore Mayor Martin J. O'Malley as well as Democratic House Majority Leader Rep. Steny Hoyer.
The latest ABC News assessment categorizes Maryland as "Solid Democratic," but check back to see when ABC News heads to the state to learn more about the developing race.
Obama Hopes to Turn Historically Red State Purple
Cornhusker football fans paint Nebraska solidly red during the fall months, and so the state typically goes in presidential elections -- it has given all of its electoral votes to Republican candidates since 1964.
But Nebraska is one of two states that can split its electoral votes (Maine is the other), so Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama's camp has set up shop in Omaha, the state's largest city, in an effort to wrestle one or more of the five electoral votes away from the GOP.
ABC News' assessment of the state puts it in the "leaning Republican" column, but Obama hopes to tip the scales and turn this red state just a bit purple.
The Illinois senator has an ally in Sen. Ben Nelson, D-Neb., who endorsed him in January.
Nebraska's other U.S. Senator, the outgoing Republican Chuck Hagel, is known as a maverick because of his willingness to break with his party on the war in Iraq and other key issues, drawing many comparisons to Republican presidential nominee John McCain, R-Ariz. But Hagel hasn't endorsed either candidate, and his name was even tossed out as a long shot choice to share a ticket with Obama.
Will history repeat itself with all of the Cornhusker State's votes on the board for McCain? Or will Obama throw a Hail Mary for an upset this political season? Stay tuned as ABC News delivers the highlights this fall.
Who will Wisconsin elect for the role of "Big Cheese" in the November general election?
During the Democratic primary, Sen. Barack Obama emerged victorious over Sen. Hillary Clinton in the battleground state's February contest -- 58 percent to 41 percent.
In 2004, Democrat John Kerry eked out a Wisconsin win in the general election with less than 12,000 votes; in 2000, Vice President Al Gore defeated then-Gov. George Bush by less than 6,000. Operatives on both sides of the aisle expect a tight race again in 2008.
Blue Pennsylvania Highlighted as One of GOP's Top Three Targets
Democratic strategist James Carville once famously described Pennsylvania as "Philadelphia and Pittsburgh with Alabama in between."
As the fight for November comes in to focus, the Keystone State's 21 electoral votes will be key as the '08 race pits red against blue and moderate against moderate in Pennsylvania, a state that has gone Democratic in the last four presidential elections, though by ever-shrinking margins.
Sen. John McCain set sights on Pennsylvania as one of his top three Blue State targets in November; Democratic nominee Sen. Barack Obama lost the primary battle there to Sen. Hillary Clinton who was boosted to a 10-point lead by working-class white voters during the April primary.
Segregated Churches the Norm
Nowhere is the country's racial divide more obvious, more blatant, than inside its houses of worship.
Every Sunday parishioners head to their respective churches, the vast majority of which are filled with worshippers predominately of one race. Only 7 percent of American churches are racially integrated, according to the Pew Center.
It's a harsh statistic for a nation that has its first viable minority candidate with a shot at the White House, and decades after the Supreme Court's ruling in Brown v. Board of Education knocked down the notion that "separate but equal" was constitutional.
"I don't think we segregate on purpose. Where you build a strong faith base in, you just kind of cling to that church," said African-American churchgoer Monica Boudouin.
Barack Obama's Home State Grapples With High Unemployment Rates
For Illinois Voters, It's the Unemployment, Stupid Barack Obama's Home State Grapples With High Unemployment Rates
Let's be honest. Few people ???if anyone ??? expect the blue state of Illinois to be clocked in the red or even purple column this November, primarily because Barack Obama , its new favorite son and senator, is running for the Oval Office and enjoys great popularity in his home state.
And while Barack may easily capture the land of Lincoln's 21 electoral votes, there is one issue with which the state is grappling that could be the deciding factor in voters' minds ??? unemployment. At a current rate of 7.2 percent, Illinois' unemployment rate rose from July to August and is at its highest level since June 1992, according to the U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Those stats far outpace national numbers and the battle for jobs in the Prairie State has ignited an entrepreneurial spirit in some residents. They've decided to open their own small businesses to support their families.
Arizona Voted for Both Bushes, but Went to Clinton in 1996
As former Democratic presidential nominee Al Gore proved in 2000, the way to the White House is paved partially through your home state. In that year's election, Gore lost his home state of Tennessee, which would have given him the title of commander-in-chief.
John McCain isn't planning to repeat the former vice president's mistake. He's practically got Arizona's 10 electors locked up, as the state leans toward red.
McCain racked up an easy win against his Republican primary rivals in February. McCain has been a staple of Arizona politics since he was elected to Congress in 1982. Four years later he was elected to his Senate seat.
The other senator vying for a place on Pennsylvania Avenue, Barack Obama, hasn't fared as well in this region: Hillary Clinton beat him during the Democratic primary.
But don't count Obama totally out. While Arizona voted consistently for the Bushes, Bill Clinton was able to grab the state in 1996.
Colorado Is Battleground State in Dems' Political Plans
Barack Obama has made it no secret; the key to the White House is winning the West, and Colorado is one of the most coveted jewels in the close campaign. The battleground state and its nine electors sit amid a sea of strongly held Republican states (Utah, Arizona, Kansas, Wyoming and Nebraska). But John McCain can't yet count Colorado among his probable victories in his battle with Obama.
McCain couldn't even pry the state away from Republican opponent Mitt Romney, who trounced the competition by taking 70 percent of the primary vote.
While Obama did beat out Hillary Clinton in February, it will be no easy task to win Colorado ??? a state with both a Democratic and a Republican senator. The solution may be to win over the heavily populated Mile High City and its metro area, where Obama wowed the DNC with his acceptance speech in August.
South Dakota Is One State McCain Can Count on in '08
There's no doubt that South Dakota is a Republican-friendly state. Residents gave George W. Bush their votes during his two presidential campaigns, just has they had voted Republican in the 1992 and 1996 presidential elections.
This year is no different, and all expectations are that Sen. John McCain will add the Mount Rushmore State to his finally vote tally in his attempt to reach the magic number of 270 electoral votes. South Dakota only has three electoral votes up for grabs, but as the most recent presidential elections have proved ??? every electoral vote literally counts.
In a state where residents have the lowest state income taxes per capita in the country, the nuts and bolts of McCain's tax plan may have something to do with the Arizona senator's popularity.
He won a whopping 70 percent of the votes during the primary season, while Sen. Barack Obama lost the Democratic primary to Sen. Hillary Clinton.
State Often Goes to the Dems, Despite Heavy Support for Republicans in the West
The Democrats likely are counting on the Pacific Northwest, including Washington, as faithful blue states this political season. The aptly named Evergreen State gave Sen. Barack Obama a decisive victory over Hillary Clinton in February. He walked away with 68 percent of the vote.
For Republican Sen. John McCain, the results weren't as dominate, though he ultimately did come away with a win.
The place that gave birth to grunge culture and put the final coffin nail in 1980s hair metal has an intriguing balance. Washington often is seen as divided politically along the Cascade Mountains, with the western part of the state being more liberal and the eastern part more conservative.
And though the state's delegates went with the Democratic candidate in the last four presidential elections, a closer look at the returns from 2004 shows that the eastern portion heavily favored George W. Bush in his re-election campaign.
Polls indicate the nation's 42nd state is leaning heavily Democratic in the Race for '08, and will probably will give its 11 electoral votes to Obama this November ??? thanks in part to larger, liberal metropolitan areas like Seattle.
With its heavy involvement in the technology sector ??? Washington is home to Microsoft, online giant Amazon.com, game maker Nintendo and aircraft giant Boeing ??? the economy could be a major player in the fight for votes in Washington.
The good-time southern state known for Cajun food, Mardi Gras celebrations and its unique brand of politics, may not have as many electoral votes up for grabs as more populous states, but it doesn't make Louisiana any less interesting. The boot-shaped state went to George W. Bush in 2000 and 2004, but prior to that, it helped put Bill Clinton in office, siding with the former Arkansas governor in 1992 and in 1998.
In February, Sen. Barack Obama bested Sen. Hillary Clinton when he grabbed a win, and Sen. John McCain came in second in Louisiana to Mike Huckabee during the primary season. Today, the self-billed Sportsman's Paradise is a GOP stronghold in the 2008 election, helped, in part, by its Republican up-and-comer Gov. Bobby Jindal.
Always a big player on the nation's political scene, Texas' 34 coveted electoral votes have gone to Republicans in the last four presidential elections. It may have helped that the current president was the Lone Star State's governor when he first sought the country's highest office in 2004. And while Texas is, today, seen as an unwavering red state, it wasn't always the case.
When President John F. Kennedy aimed for 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. in 1960, he didn't think he could win without putting a southerner on the ticket. Enter Democrat Lyndon B. Johnson. Texas also was the home of feisty Democratic Gov. Anne Richards, who, in 1988, gave a piercing speech at the Democratic National Convention.
In this political season, Obama wasn't able to sway Texans his way, as Hillary Clinton picked up the state thanks, in part, to the Hispanic vote. McCain captured the votes of Texas Republicans and added the southwest state on his march to his party's nomination.
The nation's first state is one of its smallest but will play a big role in the 2008 election as six-term Sen. Joe Biden takes the national stage as Barack Obama's running mate.
Odds are Delaware will go to the Democrats this November.
Biden has a strong following in his home state and Delaware has been reliably Democratic in the last four elections.
Sen. John McCain won the state's primary en route to the Republican nomination but it probably won't mean much as the Obama-Biden team looks to lock down their home territory of Illinois and Delaware to focus on nearby battleground states such as Pennsylvania.
Teddy Roosevelt Country Hasn't Voted for a Dem President Since LBJ in 1964
Could the battle for the White House extend all the way to the badlands of North Dakota? A few months back, the Obama camp thought, 'You Betcha!'
North Dakota, the land where buffalo roam but the votes haven't gone to a Democratic presidential contender since President Lyndon B. Johnson in 1964, was one of 18 states in which Obama originally aired television ads and it's a split ticket state (two Democratic senators and a Dem congressman despite its red reputation).


text:
ULEV-2 CARB Emissions Rating
The V-6 engine in the Odyssey meets California's Ultra-Low-Emission Vehicle (ULEV-2)[1] standard for light trucks. Fuel efficiency[2] remains a high priority, as the outstanding city/highway ratings of the Odyssey confirm.
[1] ULEV-2 (Ultra-Low-Emission Vehicle) models as certified by the California Air Resources Board (CARB).
[2] 19 city/28 highway/22 combined mpg rating. Based on 2015 EPA mileage ratings. Use for comparison purposes only. Your mileage will vary depending on how you drive and maintain your vehicle.
Variable Cylinder Management (VCM®)
Variable Cylinder Management™ (VCM®) is programmed to run on three, four or six cylinders, based on the power requirement. Backed by the intelligence of i-VTEC® technology, VCM quickly and seamlessly activates or deactivates two or three cylinders. So you get the best of both worlds: V-6 power when accelerating or climbing, and the efficiency of a smaller engine while cruising.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Officiating (Sports)
News about Sports Officiating, including commentary and archival articles published in The New York Times.
Chronology of Coverage
Jul. 5, 2015
WNBA officials have made several possible game-altering mistakes already this season, one that even drew a fine. MORE
May. 29, 2015
Christopher Clarey On Tennis column notes that while Rafael Nadal's request after first round of French Open that chair umpire Carlos Bernardes not be assigned to any of his matches was surprising to many, it is not without precedent. MORE
May. 4, 2015
John Eligon On Boxing column holds that, despite reactions of fans, judges scored fight between Floyd Mayweather Jr and Manny Pacquiao accurately in awarding Mayweather unanimous victory. MORE
Apr. 1, 2015
College basketball players are limited in their uniform choices by longstanding NCAA rule barring use of numerals 6,7,8 and 9; regulation is meant to simplify signals used by officials to communicate with scorer's table. MORE
Mar. 26, 2015
Many observers, as well as competitors, say questionable officiating has affected outcomes of several games in opening rounds of NCAA men's basketball tournament. MORE
Mar. 20, 2015
NCAA will for first time use Precision Time System throughout basketball tournament; system uses Fox 40, louder and more reliable whistle invented by former referee Ron Foxcraft, to trigger device that stops game clock instantly rather than relying on sideline clock operator. MORE
Mar. 15, 2015
Essay by Jennifer Eggers looks back at the career of her father Michael Eggers, NCAA Division I men's basketball official for 41 years; says her father never took officiating lightly, even as game evolved over that time. MORE
Jan. 12, 2015
Ruling on catch by Dallas Cowboys receiver Dez Bryant in final minutes of playoff game is reversed after challenge by Green Bay Packers' coach Mike McCarthy; call, which leads to narrow victory by Packers, is made based on close reading of process rules. MORE
Jan. 6, 2015
Dean Blandino, vice president for officiating for NFL, says Dallas Cowboys should have been penalized at a key point in fourth quarter of their victory over Detroit Lions; says pass interference should have been called on a Lions third-down play; officials did throw flag but after conferring decided there would be no penalty. MORE
Dec. 11, 2014
Oklahoma Judge Bernard M Jones II says he will issue ruling on whether part or all of disputed football playoff game between Locust Grove High School and Frederick A Douglass High should be replayed because of blown call affecting game's outcome. MORE
Dec. 9, 2014
Class 3A football playoffs for Oklahoma's midsize schools are being delayed until district judge upholds or invalidates Locust Grove's disputed quarterfinal victory Nov 28 over Frederick A Douglass High School of Oklahoma City; Douglass wants game partly or entirely replayed because of critical, admitted error made by referees in negating late touchdown. MORE
Dec. 3, 2014
Veteran MLB umpire Dale Scott reveals that he is gay in article in Outsports.com, becoming first publicly gay active major-league umpire. MORE
Nov. 26, 2014
French chair umpire Morgan Lamri becomes first official to be suspended for gambling-related corruption by the Tennis Integrity Unit; receives lifetime ban. MORE
Nov. 2, 2014
NHL is cracking down on what it sees as rampant fakery among players taking theatrical falls on the ice in order to influence a referee; NHL Rule 64 calls for two-minute penalty against any player who blatantly dives to ice or embellishes a fall or reaction, and referees are being directed to be stricter about penalizing such violations. MORE
Oct. 24, 2014
The Upshot; Major League baseball's strike zone is bigger than it used to be, especially around batters' knees, due to league's growing use of video technology to evaluate umpires, who are sticking more closely to the official strike zone; rule book defines strike zone as going to just below kneecap, and that enlarged zone is a major reason strikeouts have risen and scoring has dropped sharply. MORE
Oct. 24, 2014
Major League Soccer referee Jose Carlos Rivero is suspended after being arrested on felony charges for claiming more than $14,000 in unemployment benefits while he was employed. MORE
Oct. 21, 2014
Baseball is experimenting with new rules aimed at speeding up the game, including use of a pitching clock to limit time between pitches. MORE
Sep. 10, 2014
MLB urges umpires to apply common sense to new rule on home plate collisions that has confounded players and fans; calls based on strict interpretation of rule have often overturned plays in which runner would clearly have been out. MORE
Aug. 25, 2014
United States Open preview notes that veteran line umpires at the tournament avoid blocked views by studying players' patterns. MORE
Aug. 20, 2014
NBA referee Dick Bavetta announces his retirement after 39 years, working 2,635 regular-season games, and 270 playoff contests, never missing an assignment. MORE
Jul. 31, 2014
Referees in England's Premier League will start using a vanishing spray, water-based, shaving-cream-like foam, to prevent encroachment by soccer players in a defensive wall during free kicks. MORE
Jul. 8, 2014
Researchers at Northwestern University conclude, after examining photographic evidence, that Major League Baseball umpires make more errors in favor of All-Star pitchers than pitchers who have never been selected for an All-Star Game; findings suggest that officials might be just as star-struck as the average fan. MORE
Jul. 6, 2014
Sam Borden On Soccer column holds that the referee's failure to control World Cup soccer match between Brazil and Colombia led to serious injury of Brazil's star striker Neymar; notes that 54 fouls were committed in the game. MORE
Jul. 1, 2014
Jere Longman On Soccer column; United States coach Jurgen Klinsmann expresses unease about the French-speaking referee scheduled to officiate Round of 16 match with Belgium. MORE
Jun. 29, 2014
John Branch On Tennis column considers John McEnroe's contention that line judges in tennis are obsolete because of technology that is already used to challenge and correct missed calls. MORE
Jun. 24, 2014
Vagaries of time are the norm in soccer; with stoppage time rule, games do not end when a clock expires, but only when the referee decides they are over; latest example came in World Cup game when United States took lead in 81st minute of 90-minute match, only to see the advantage slip away when Portugal scored 14 minutes later. MORE
Jun. 21, 2014
World Cup Roundup; FIFA drops linesman Humberto Clavijo of Colombia from his crew's next assignment at the World Cup after he made offside decisions that denied Mexico two potential goals in team's opening game against Cameroon; other soccer news noted. MORE
Jun. 10, 2014
Company GoalControl is installing system of cameras and software that will try to ensure, for the first time at a World Cup, that every goal scored has actually crossed the line, and that no ball near the line is incorrectly declared a goal if it has not. MORE
Jun. 8, 2014
Placing judges at Belmont Park find that determining official race results is delicate dance; when horses reach finish line of 146th running of Belmont Stakes, three judges write down the order of finish as best as they can tell by the naked eye; there is no question that Tonalist crossed first followed by Commissioner and Medal count. MORE
Jun. 1, 2014
Investigative report by FIFA, soccer world's governing body, raises serious questions about vulnerability of World Cup to match fixing; report, which has yet to be released, found that match-rigging syndicate and its referees infiltrated upper reaches of global soccer in order to fix exhibition matches and exploit them for betting purposes (Series: Rigged). MORE
May. 18, 2014
Profile of Dan Merzel, who is working toward his goal to become an umpire in Major League Baseball; Merzel is scheduled to umpire 142 minor league games in a 152-day stretch and be paid $3,000 a month; says it is worth it, even though as a Johns Hopkins graduate with a sought-after degree, he would seem to have more lucrative options. MORE
May. 16, 2014
Incidents in Brooklyn Nets-Miami Heat and Los Angeles Clippers-Oklahoma City Thunder playoff games are the latest to call attention to what officials are allowed to review; are likely to prompt changes in the replay system; NBA fines Clippers coach Doc Rivers over his diatribe after officials did not overturn pivotal call in his team's playoff loss. MORE
May. 4, 2014
Baseball's so-called neighborhood play, unwritten rule that allows middle infielders not to touch second base for the forceout on a double play, is exempt from expanded video review because of safety concerns; like pitchers' use of pine tar in cold weather for a better grip on the ball, the neighborhood play is allowed as long as it is not too obvious. MORE
Apr. 22, 2014
New York Rangers are 3 for 12 on power plays in their playoff series with Philadelphia Flyers, but two offsetting diving penalties in Game 2 cost them, and players question whether calls were fair. MORE
Apr. 18, 2014
Court of Arbitration for Sport exonerates six officials who were implicated in a judging scandal, annulling a decision by the governing body for rhythmic gymnastics; cheating was said to have occurred in 2012 in testing rooms across Europe, where judges were seeking to qualify to officiate at elite competitions like 2016 Summer Olympics. MORE
Apr. 6, 2014
Extra Bases column; of the first 20 calls reviewed on baseball's video replay, 12 held up, and a spent appeal proved costly in a close game; Major League Baseball has been transparent about the system, showing disputed plays on stadium video boards and on a Twitter account; replay setup is more about strategy than it is about achieving perfection. MORE
Apr. 1, 2014
Major League Baseball's inaugural regular-season use of the new replay review system draws no complaints in opening day games. MORE
Mar. 30, 2014
Gray Matter column by professors of management Brayden King and Jerry Kim contests Major League Baseball's decision to leave calling of strike zone completely to official discretion, and not subject to instant replay review; contends that calling strike zone may be officiating decision most subject to human error or bias; questions whether fans want to see completely fair game, or game that mimics flaws of real world. MORE
Mar. 27, 2014
Major League Baseball offers demonstration of its new instant replay review system, which links camera feeds from 30 ballparks to replay operations center at MLB Advanced Media in Manhattan; in demonstration, two MLB officials play the roles of an umpire at the operations center and an umpire calling in from Arizona to report a manager's challenge to a play. MORE
Mar. 21, 2014
Professional Soccer Referees Association ratifies a new collective bargaining agreement, ending a lockout that had led the league to use replacement referees and assistant referees for the first two weeks of the season. MORE
Mar. 18, 2014
Sports officiating provides an agreeable part-time job to many, and it can be possible to turn job into full-time living; still, landing one of more than 300 coveted and lucrative positions in big-league sports remains difficult prospect; officiating camps and professional schools offer aspiring officials a way in. MORE
Mar. 16, 2014
Soccer Roundup; disputed call from Alan Kelly, replacement official serving during Major League Soccer's lockout of referees, allows Colorado Rapids a penalty kick in 1-1 tie against New York Red Bulls; other soccer news noted MORE
Mar. 8, 2014
Major League Soccer will open its 19th season with replacement referees as the Professional Referee Organization announces lock out over labor dispute; negotiations have become increasingly testy in recent months, and two sides remain far apart on salaries and fees for officials. MORE
Mar. 4, 2014
Baseball Roundup; MLB's era of expanded instant replay gets under way in 2014; other baseball items noted. MORE
Mar. 3, 2014
NCAA's rule change prohibiting hand-checking shifts emphasis in college basketball to more offensive skill rather than defensive muscle. MORE
Feb. 25, 2014
Major League Baseball and its players adopt rule limiting home plate collisions, rather than banning them outright; in what both sides say is a one-year experiment, rule allows collisions if the catcher has the ball and is blocking the runner's direct path to home plate, or if the catcher goes into the basepath to field a throw to the plate. MORE
Feb. 6, 2014
Many in the competitive skating world, as well as independent experts, remain skeptical about sport's credibility, especially the objectivity of its judges; doubt remains 12 years after major overhaul of scoring and judging standards following scandal at the 2002 Olympic Games. MORE
Feb. 6, 2014
Recent additions to winter Olympic sports, like the halfpipe competition, are determined by panel of judges rather than clocks or measuring tape, leaving significant room for exploitation and debate. MORE
Jan. 24, 2014
Curling largely relies on athletes to police themselves and call their own fouls, even at the Olympics, with world recognition at stake; historically seen as a gentleman's game, curlers are expected to call attention to their own errors; while some officials line curling arenas, they are chiefly relegated to timekeeping and measuring. MORE
Jan. 17, 2014
Tyler Kepner On Baseball column; Major League Baseball announces that its teams have unanimously approved the expanded use of replay for 2014, and that the players' and umpires' unions have also agreed; managers will be allowed to ask for one replay review per game on calls that are eligible to be overturned; umpires will have the discretion to initiate reviews from the seventh inning on. MORE
There are no additional abstracts to display.
United States' Gold Cup Performance Culminates With a Whimper
Forced into the third-place game after its surprising loss to Jamaica, the U.S. national team was in no mood for consolation and showed it in a shootout loss to Panama.
July 26, 2015, Sunday
MORE ON OFFICIATING (SPORTS) AND: Soccer , Panama , Officiating (Sports) , Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) , Geiger, Mark , Mexico , Gold Cup (Soccer)
Gold Cup Match Fixed, Panama Official Says
Pedro Chaluja, the president of Panama's soccer federation, told reporters that the outcome of Wednesday's 2-1 loss to Mexico had been manipulated in retaliation for Panama's not voting for Sepp Blatter in the recent FIFA presidential election.
July 25, 2015, Saturday
MORE ON OFFICIATING (SPORTS) AND: Soccer , Panama , Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) , Officiating (Sports) , Mexico , Ethics and Official Misconduct , International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) , Blatter, Sepp , Geiger, Mark , Gold Cup (Soccer)
Brazilian League Tells Referees Not to Take It Anymore
The confederation has authorized officials to be ruthless in enforcing rules and limiting dissent, and a record number of yellow cards have been issued.
July 5, 2015, Sunday
MORE ON OFFICIATING (SPORTS) AND: Officiating (Sports) , Soccer , Brazil
N.B.A. Testing New Technology
Referees in the N.B.A. summer leagues will be wearing headsets, and replay reviews will be used during games.
July 5, 2015, Sunday
MORE ON OFFICIATING (SPORTS) AND: Basketball , Officiating (Sports) , National Basketball Assn
W.N.B.A. Referees Find Their Calling Isn't All It's Cracked Up to Be
During the league's first month, mistakes made by officials during games left some coaches angry and some players serving as de facto enforcers of the rules.
July 5, 2015, Sunday
MORE ON OFFICIATING (SPORTS) AND: Officiating (Sports) , Basketball , Women's National Basketball Assn
Messi Shows His Europe-Based Peers the Way in Copa América
South America seems to put its star players on a pedestal, but some Europe-based stars at the Copa America have failed to live up to the adulation.
June 22, 2015, Monday
MORE ON OFFICIATING (SPORTS) AND: Soccer , Higuain, Gonzalo , Iniesta, Andres , Tevez, Carlos , Dunga , Messi, Lionel , Neymar , Vidal, Arturo , Copa America (Soccer) , Drunken and Reckless Driving , Officiating (Sports) , Chile , Santiago (Chile) , Aguero, Sergio
Forget the Calls. Players Challenge the People Who Make Them.
Rules do not prohibit requests from players to work with different umpires, and such requests are not without precedent. Nor are they guaranteed to succeed.
May 29, 2015, Friday
MORE ON OFFICIATING (SPORTS) AND: Tennis , Nadal, Rafael , Bernardes, Carlos , Officiating (Sports) , Assn of Tennis Professionals , French Open (Tennis)
Men's College Basketball Looks to a 30-Second Shot Clock to Speed Game
N.C.A.A. rule makers on Friday proposed the shorter shot clock, fewer timeouts and a less physical style of play, an effort to increase scoring and speed games.
May 16, 2015, Saturday
MORE ON OFFICIATING (SPORTS) AND: Basketball (College) , National Collegiate Athletic Assn , Officiating (Sports)
The Cost of Issuing Free Throws
The parade to the foul line was nearly endless in Game 2 on Wednesday as the Clippers sent the Rockets to the free-throw line 64 times, and ended up losing.
May 10, 2015, Sunday
MORE ON OFFICIATING (SPORTS) AND: Basketball , Playoff Games , Harden, James , Officiating (Sports) , Howard, Dwight , Houston Rockets , Los Angeles Clippers
A Letdown for the Masses, but a Treat for Aficionados
The much-hyped superfight displayed vintage Floyd Mayweather tactics, as the undefeated champion kept Manny Pacquiao from connecting on many punches.
May 4, 2015, Monday
MORE ON OFFICIATING (SPORTS) AND: Boxing , Officiating (Sports) , Mayweather, Floyd Jr , Pacquiao, Manny , Roach, Freddie , De La Hoya, Oscar , Las Vegas (Nev) , MGM Grand Garden Arena (Las Vegas, Nev)
When Tempers Flare
In a series of photographs from the Times archives, we take a look at the tense moments after disputed calls by baseball umpires.
The Powerful N.F.L. Is Humbled
William C. Rhoden discusses how the N.F.L.'s debacle with replacement referees proves that the league is not invincible.
The Replacement Official's Handbook
An illustrated look at 10 missed calls we will not miss by the N.F.L.'s replacement officials.
Referees Go Overboard
The referees have gone overboard with the yellow and red cards in the tournament. George Vecsey and Roger Cohen point the finger of blame.
Rss Feeds On Officiating (Sports)
Subscribe to an RSS feed on this topic. What is RSS?
Get Alerts On Officiating (Sports)
Receive My Alerts e-mails on topics covered on this page.More Alerts >>


text:
Quick Links
Shop All Jewelry
RG10109 In Stock
Rotating hearts circle around your finger with this sterling silver continuous heart ring. This ring measurses 0.25 inches wide and has a rhodium finish to give the ring the look of platinum. This adorable sterling silver continuous heart ring is fun to wear! If you like heart rings, you will love this sterling silver heart ring.
Eve's Addiction.com wants you to be a happy customer. We want you to be completely satisfied with the sterling silver jewelry that you receive from us, as we only sell high quality silver and cubic zirconia cz jewelry. We do understand that you may not like your purchase for some reason.
You may return or exchange your jewelry within 60 days of purchase if you are not satisfied with it. The jewelry must be returned in its original condition for a refund or exchange. Engraved, personalized, photo, monogram, name and initial, chocolate and clearance items are not returnable or exchangeable.


text:
"A civilization flourishes when people
trees under which they will never sit."
-Greek Proverb
Volunteers are FUNdamental to Lincoln Parks and Recreation!
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the value of one volunteer hour is $19.51. Each year, community volunteers donate up to 30,000 hours to Lincoln Parks and Recreation—which is a $585,000 savings for Department's annual operating budget.
Parks and Recreation volunteers not only impact our bottom line by providing important services, they get a great sense of community pride for supporting Lincoln's greatest resource—our City Parks and Recreation system.
We offer a variety of volunteer opportunities, such as teaching hobbies, coaching youth, special events like "Wake up the Beds" at Sunken Gardens, parks and trail cleanups and landscape maintenance. We provide volunteer activities for individuals, organizations and businesses which can be one-day events or ongoing activities.
We ask that all volunteers complete a volunteer application and other appropriate forms, which helps us track your hours, skills and interests.
Thank you for donating your time to help Lincoln Parks and Recreation!


text:
Very long piece.
I just wanted to get some reaction to this. I think you all know where I stand.
Very long piece.
I just wanted to get some reaction to this. I think you all know where I stand.
Hope Springs Eternal
Thanks for the post. Prepare to get flamed.
"Hey...Dad. Wanna Have A Catch?" Kevin Costner in "Field Of Dreams."
LTC Tim Ryan is Commander, Task Force 2-12 Cavalry, First Cavalry Division in Iraq. He led troops into battle in Fallujah late last year and is now involved in security operations for the upcoming elections. He wrote the following during "down time" after the Fallujah operation. His views are his own.
Guess he might know what he is talking about. Been there, done that. Cannot say the same about Seymour Hersh or Robert Parry. Or am I wrong (again)?
Thanks for the link.
Small market fan... always hoping, but never expecting.
Interesting article. Media coverage certainly isn't ever perfect, and I don't know how you weigh the good that's being done against the bad that's happening in Iraq. I doubt anyone does. Regardless I'm sure the troops are doing the best they can in a bad situation, and this article reinforces that. Media coverage is partially going to be driven by the fact that this has been a particularly divisive war though, and I think media coverage of any government activity should err on the critical side. In my opinion, that's the media's job.
Is that necessary?Prepare to get flamed.
We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars.
--Oscar Wilde
Not if subsequent posts are similar to yours. You made no attack on anyone and didn't use any of the cliched responses some use here. You simply gave a reasoned opinion and I respect that.Originally Posted by Redsfaithful
"Hey...Dad. Wanna Have A Catch?" Kevin Costner in "Field Of Dreams."
There will be NO flames. Discussion, perhaps, but no flames.Originally Posted by RedsBaron
Several of us have fire extinguishers at the ready
Artificial intelligence is no match for natural stupidity.
Originally Posted by CougarQuest
MUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH :MandJ:
Last edited by CougarQuest; 01-20-2005 at 03:44 PM.
key quote:
"These people will not surrender," he said. He was referring not only to the estimated 15,000-17,000 members of the Islamic Army in Iraq, which kidnapped him and Chesnot, but also to the dozens of other Islamic fundamentalist groups fighting in the country. "They have time, they have weapons, they have money," Malbrunot said. "And they are fighting at home. I am afraid it will only get worse and they will get more and more power. It frightens me."
What's even worse, he said, is that in President George W. Bush, "they have a great partner." Neither side is willing to budge. "
Last edited by Mutaman; 01-22-2005 at 01:54 AM.
Wow, quite a piece.
"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover."
~ Mark Twain
Yes it was. I do wonder if Iraq will even exist a few years from now, or if it will be officially a dismembered state, with the Kurds controlling a portion, and much in continued chaos.Originally Posted by RFS62
"Hey...Dad. Wanna Have A Catch?" Kevin Costner in "Field Of Dreams."
I just gave a fire extinguisher class at work. Remember... not all fire extinguishers are designed for every type of fire. So be sure you have the right one.Originally Posted by CougarQuest
And remember "PASS" means "Pull, Aim, Squeeze, and Sweep"
And always aim at the base of the fire.
:MandJ: :MandJ:
Excellent article. I'm saving that bad boy!
I have come to find that I got my most accurate coverage about this war from those who are serving there. I have several friends/co-workers who have sons over there. Some got to come home for the Holidays on leave and got the chance to relay their experiences.
They say that a vast majority of the soldiers believe in what they are doing and agree with the overall objective. There are problems and "hot spots", such as in Fallujeh, Mosul, and around Baghdad, where the majority of the insuregents, who are Sunnis, are centralized. But overall, they stated that we are making alot of good progress, there is alot being accomplished, and that a majority of the Iraqis welcome them and want them there.
But the soldiers I have talked to say they don't get to hear/listen to alot of the media coverage that is going on over here in the states. And when they came home on leave they were somewhat disturbed at our media coverage of the war. They feel the media is not being objective and not covering alot of the good/progress that is being made all around Iraq. They impression they got from watching our media while home is that the whole country is in turmoil and out of control, and they say that just is not true at all.
Last edited by GAC; 01-22-2005 at 09:32 AM.
"panic" only comes from having real expectations
Am I the only person who would be really disturbed if the media was simply cheerleading?They feel the media is not being objective and not covering alot of the good/progress that is being made all around Iraq.
Like I said earlier, the media's job isn't to be "fair and balanced", it's to tell the truth. There are many, many bad things happening in Iraq every day that don't make the news, just like there are many good things happening in Iraq every day that don't make the news.
Here's a blog that details everything that happens in Iraq everyday:
It's stunning how many bombings there are, how many people are killed, etc that don't make the news.
The internet is the place to get news anymore anyway. I certainly agree with this guy that the mainstream media has failed us, I just feel that way for different reasons.
We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars.
--Oscar Wilde
I don't think being objective should be construed as "cheerleading" RF.Originally Posted by Redsfaithful
Put yourself in one of those's soldiers shoes who has been over there, is experiencing and knowing what is going on firsthand, then comes home on leave and sees the media giving what they say is a very warped and unobjective report of what is going on, and not giving the soldiers any credit, or yes, accolades for those good things they are accomplishing.
And like the soldier in this article says though RF... they are not telling the whole truth. They are being very "selective", or maybe the right word is "omissive" in the handling of the entire truth in order to get a desired result.Like I said earlier, the media's job isn't to be "fair and balanced", it's to tell the truth.
Just as this soldier pointed out this example...
Again...if you were a US soldier and read these headlines, and saw where the media was not being comprehensive in their coverage, then wouldn't you be somewhat amiss?More recently, a major news agency's website lead read: "Suicide Bomber Kills Six in Baghdad" and "Seven Marines Die in Iraq Clashes." True, yes. Comprehensive, no. Did the author of this article bother to mention that Coalition troops killed 50 or so terrorists while incurring those seven losses? Of course not. Nor was there any mention about the substantial progress these offensive operations continue to achieve in defeating the insurgents. Unfortunately, this sort of incomplete reporting has become the norm for the media, whose poor job of presenting a complete picture of what is going on in Iraq borders on being criminal.
No one wants "white washing" or "cheerleading" going on in this war. I think we simply want the full, comprehensive truth in reporting.
Last edited by GAC; 01-22-2005 at 10:31 AM.
"panic" only comes from having real expectations
I would guess that everyone is seeing only "part of the elephant" and is reporting what he or she observes, influenced by whatever biases and preconceptions they bring to the issue. A soldier or a journalist or just an observer in a relatively peaceful part of Iraq may believe everything is going well while someone in an Iraqi hellhole will nasturally believe there is no hope.
"Hey...Dad. Wanna Have A Catch?" Kevin Costner in "Field Of Dreams."
I just think he's wrong. Most stories I read have the number of insurgents killed included. It might not be the focal point of the story, but it's usually there.Did the author of this article bother to mention that Coalition troops killed 50 or so terrorists while incurring those seven losses
That's from the newest CNN.com "roundup". I think they report what they have to be honest. If the military releases an enemy casualty number then they seem to include it.Also Friday, a U.S. soldier was killed and another wounded while raiding a bomb-making cell north of Baghdad, the U.S. military said. With the fatality, 1,371 U.S. troops have died in the Iraq war.
The raid took place near Ad Duluiya, about 60 miles (97 km) north of Baghdad, a military statement said. One insurgent was killed and 12 suspects detained after the raid on eight locations, the statement said.
We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars.
--Oscar Wilde
Board Moderators may, at their discretion and judgment, delete and/or edit any messages that violate any of the following guidelines: 1. Explicit references to alleged illegal or unlawful acts. 2. Graphic sexual descriptions. 3. Racial or ethnic slurs. 4. Use of edgy language (including masked profanity). 5. Direct personal attacks, flames, fights, trolling, baiting, name-calling, general nuisance, excessive player criticism or anything along those lines. 6. Posting spam. 7. Each person may have only one user account. It is fine to be critical here - that's what this board is for. But let's not beat a subject or a player to death, please.


text:
Please visit Tentmaker Resources Tentmaker on YouTube
0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.
That is awesome, Shawn.You wrote, "I think the first step is a desire...that burning desire for more of God." I reached a point in my life where I knew I was still placing certain hopes & dreams even above my love for God, and I've prayed over and over that He helps me to love and desire Him more than anyone or anything else in the world. He has really answered that prayer for me in amazing ways, and that is now my prayer for others ... that God helps them desire Him more than anyone or anything else.
Shawn . . . please don't take this the wrong way . . .but . . .you're pregnant!!!! Do you have an ear to hear that???


text:
Well I'm going to be moving to clovis NM in less than 2 months. As soon as I have orders in hand (I'm Air Force) I'm going to potentially buy one do the leftover mule deer tags. I was hoping some of you who've hunted NM in the past could point me to the better units that still have tags available. Thanks.
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD