Now that he is the Republican presidential nominee, John McCain has a big decision ahead of him — who to choose as his vice-presidential running mate. A top priority for him is to pick a running mate whose presence on the ticket would reassure Americans concerned about McCain’s age.
Hillary Clinton won a critical showdown with Barack Obama in Ohio on Tuesday to breathe new life into her campaign and extend the Democratic presidential race, while John McCain clinched the Republican nomination and looked ahead to the November election.
Barack Obama bids on Tuesday to knock Hillary Clinton out of the White House race after a mud-slinging campaign that Democratic grandees fear is helping nobody but Republican heir John McCain. But heading into crunch battles in Ohio and Texas, the former first lady is full of fire and has been eviscerating her charismatic rival’s qualifications.
Barack Obama intensified his bid to end Hillary Clinton’s White House quest in Tuesday’s momentous nominating contests in Texas and Ohio, as both rivals geared up massive voter-turnout drives. Clinton, meanwhile, in a wistful moment, said she would examine her options when the results were in.
Russia’s next president Dmitry Medvedev pledged to uphold Vladimir Putin’s policies on Monday after a big election win that critics said was stage-managed to let the outgoing Kremlin leader keep his grip on power. Medvedev (42) who will be the youngest Russian leader since Tsar Nicholas II when he is sworn in on May 7, has asked former KGB spy Putin to be his prime minister.
It did not look like a political wake. Senator Hillary Clinton emerged into a basketball stadium in Houston wearing a bright red jacket, beaming broadly and waving at thousands of screaming supporters. Gene Green, a Texan congressman, introduced her with confident words predicting her return to the White House.
Democrats Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton are deadlocked in Texas and Ohio heading into potentially decisive presidential showdowns, according to a Reuters/C-Span/Houston Chronicle poll released on Saturday. Clinton is fighting to save her White House candidacy in the two primaries on Tuesday.
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/ 28 February 2008
Republican John McCain and Democrat Barack Obama faced off on Wednesday in a possible prelude to a United States presidential election battle, tangling over whether Iraq would be prey for al-Qaeda if US troops are withdrawn. McCain, who has linked his candidacy to a successful outcome in Iraq, attacked Obama’s stance on the war.
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/ 27 February 2008
Democrats Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton clashed sharply in a high-stakes one-on-one debate on Tuesday, accusing each other of falsely portraying their stances on healthcare, trade and other issues. Clinton, who needs to win next week in Ohio and Texas, went on the attack early in the debate at the Cleveland State University.
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/ 26 February 2008
Democratic presidential hopefuls Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama go head to head on Tuesday in their final showdown before the crucial Texas and Ohio primaries on March 4. The Democratic debate in Cleveland could be Clinton’s last chance to impress voters and attempt to halt some of the momentum Obama has gained.
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/ 26 February 2008
New polls on Monday suggested Hillary Clinton’s national support was collapsing, as her aides battled angrily with surging Barack Obama’s camp before a key debate in her last-stand state, Ohio. Clinton, once the runaway Democratic frontrunner, issued a fierce attack on Obama’s foreign policy credentials.
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/ 25 February 2008
Hillary Clinton is switching to an aggressive new strategy against Barack Obama to revive her campaign in advance of next week’s Texas and Ohio primaries and to restore the morale of her flagging election team. The new approach resolves weeks of internal debate inside her camp about the best way of stopping Obama.
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/ 24 February 2008
The presidential forays of Ralph Nader have turned him into one of the most divisive figures in US politics. Already on Sunday reaction was swift among Democrats to the news that Nader had thrown his hat into the ring to stand in the November election in his fifth tilt at the White House.
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/ 24 February 2008
Even though Mike Huckabee is still battling for the Republican presidential nomination despite long odds, he said he won’t ”overstay his welcome”. Then he did precisely that on Saturday night, lingering on the set in a scripted gag on the comedy skit show Saturday Night Live despite repeated cues to leave the stage.
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/ 23 February 2008
Hillary Clinton on Friday denied she was contemplating defeat for her White House bid, after her wistful tribute to Barack Obama in a debate was seen by some observers as an admission of looming failure. Clinton is reeling from her Democratic rival’s 11 straight wins in nominating contests.
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/ 22 February 2008
Senators Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton talked each other to a stalemate on Thursday night in what the Clinton campaign had hoped would offer a decisive breakthrough for her ailing campaign. On issues ranging from the economy to the war to immigration the two demonstrated the closeness of their positions rather than any grand differences of policy.
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/ 21 February 2008
Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton criticised rival Barack Obama as a big dreamer with little substance on Wednesday as she sought to slow his momentum from 10 straight victories in the race for the party’s United States presidential nomination.
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/ 20 February 2008
United States Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, staggered by 10 voting losses in a row, ridiculed surging rival Barack Obama on Wednesday as all talk and little substance as she tried to slow his momentum. The former first lady is in the fight of her political life after losing the Democratic votes in Wisconsin and Hawaii on Tuesday to Obama.
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/ 20 February 2008
Democrat Barack Obama easily beat rival Hillary Clinton in Wisconsin on Tuesday, extending his winning streak and putting pressure on Clinton to win next month in Ohio and Texas to salvage her campaign. The Obama win in Wisconsin pushed his hot streak to nine straight victories in Democratic nominating contests.
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/ 19 February 2008
Democrats Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton traded charges on Monday over Obama’s uncredited use of a friend’s lines in a speech, one day before the presidential contenders meet in a critical showdown in Wisconsin. Pointing toward Tuesday’s primary, the two camps battled over a recent Obama speech using words from Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick.
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/ 18 February 2008
United States. Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama slipped away for a private meeting with former rival John Edwards on Sunday to seek his endorsement as the Illinois senator and Hillary Clinton battle for Wisconsin. After Tuesday’s voting, Democrats have an eye on March 4, when the big states of Texas and Ohio hold primaries.
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/ 15 February 2008
Democrat Barack Obama is the ”Yes We Can” candidate of the 2008 presidential race, an Elvis-like presence riding a wave of popular enthusiasm unseen in United States politics in many years. By contrast, rival Hillary Clinton is the policy wonk who says she has the solutions to what ails America, and she frequently lists them.
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/ 15 February 2008
John McCain’s hold on the Republican nomination tightened on Thursday when he received the unexpected endorsement of his previously bitter rival, Mitt Romney. With the party closing ranks ready for November’s presidential election, Romney put aside his political and personal differences to back McCain.
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/ 14 February 2008
For Hillary Clinton, once viewed as the almost certain Democratic presidential nominee, it has come to this: win in Ohio and Texas in three weeks, and again the next month in Pennsylvania, or go home. The growing strength of rival Barack Obama leaves Clinton few options in a gruelling fight for convention delegates who select the nominee.
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/ 13 February 2008
Barack Obama was riding high on Wednesday after a string of wins gave him a clear edge in the Democratic White House race, leaving Hillary Clinton desperately seeking victories in Texas and Ohio to keep her campaign alive. Obama coasted to crushing victories in Virginia, Maryland and the United Sates capital on Tuesday.
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/ 13 February 2008
Barack Obama easily won three more Democratic nominating contests on Tuesday, extending his winning streak over rival Hillary Clinton and building momentum in a hard-fought United States presidential race. Obama rolled to decisive victories in Virginia, Maryland and the District of Columbia, running his hot streak to eight consecutive wins.
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/ 12 February 2008
Hillary Clinton’s stuttering White House campaign faces the prospect of three new hammer blows on Tuesday, with Democratic rival Barack Obama tipped to sweep a trio of Washington-area nominating contests. Clinton insisted her historic quest was in good shape, despite opinion polls that suggest she will tumble to defeat.
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/ 11 February 2008
Hillary Clinton shook up her campaign as Democratic rival Barack Obama overtook in the race for delegates to win the party nomination for the White House. Obama is expected to extend his lead in the so-called Potomac Primary on Tuesday after defeating Clinton on the weekend.
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/ 10 February 2008
Democrat Barack Obama is riding a burst of momentum into Tuesday’s United States presidential nominating contests with a string of weekend wins, while Republican John McCain received praise from onetime rival President George Bush as he tries to woo conservatives.
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/ 10 February 2008
Senator Barack Obama swept the board on Saturday, pummelling Hillary Clinton in three Democratic nominating contests as Republican Mike Huckabee gave John McCain a run for his money. Obama, who is locked in a battle with Clinton for the party’s nomination, won big in Washington state, Nebraska and Louisiana, outscoring the former first lady by two to one.
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/ 9 February 2008
Hillary Clinton’s campaign team is bracing for Barack Obama to take the lead later this month for the first time in the battle for the all-important delegates who will decide the Democratic nomination. The race looks poised to swing his way after a series of votes, beginning on Saturday with caucuses in Washington state, Nebraska and the Virgin Islands.
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/ 8 February 2008
John McCain effectively secured the Republican presidential nomination on Thursday when his main rival, Mitt Romney, near to tears, dropped out of the race. Only one person now stands between McCain and the United States presidency: the Democratic choice for the November election.