July 2000

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First Night of Convention Capped by Powell, Laura Bush Speeches 7/31/2000 11:21 PM In arguably the most-awaited speech of Monday's Republican National Convention, retired Gen. Colin Powell called on parents to step up to their responsibilities to improve the lives of their children. "With all the success we have, with all the wealth we have created, we have much more work to do and a long way to go to bring the promise of America to every single American," Powell told delegates gathered for the convention's first day. He said if children fail, "the problem is us. If we fail to give them what they need to be successful in life, the burden is on us, not our children." Read the article Gilmore Basks in Proximity to Bush 7/31/2000 11:20 PM As the sun came up today over New Jersey, James S. Gilmore III, Virginia's celebrity governor, was in suburban Mount Laurel, trying to perk up sleepy Iowa delegates with a pep talk about conservative virtues on taxes, technology and teaching. Gilmore's jaunt to Jersey wasn't glamorous, but it did showcase his new role as George W. Bush's very visible pal from Richmond -- the one who is now trailed by TV crews, fellow governors and major GOP contributors nearly everywhere he goes. Read the article Bush Sticking With His Staff 7/31/2000 7:01 PM When George W. Bush lost New Hampshire in a landslide, rumors swept Washington and his Austin headquarters: Heads will roll. But the Texas governor would have not of that. "I'm winning or losing with this gang," he said aboard his campaign plane shortly after the stunning defeat. Blessing his senior staff with a wave of the hand and a wink, he said: "They got me here. They'll get me where I'm going." Read the article Bush Promises Strong Military 7/31/2000 7:00 PM Making his way to the Republican National Convention, George W. Bush courted voters Monday in the battleground state of Ohio, pledging to "keep the peace" while also strengthening America's military. "The evil empire may have passed, but evil still exists," Bush told a crowd of about 3,000 at the University of Dayton in a reference to Ronald Reagan's characterization of the former Soviet Union. He promised to wield "a sharpened sword" against those who "resent our freedom." Read the article Race for Treasurer Heats Up 7/31/2000 6:58 PM It's fitting that the Missouri treasurer's race may come down to money. Whoever has the most wins. The fight to become Missouri's next money manager has drawn eight candidates, five of whom face primaries on Aug. 8. Whoever wins in November will be managing more than $3 billion of the state's assets daily. Out of the crowd, Republican leaders are glowing over Todd Graves, a telegenic county prosecutor from north of Kansas City. Graves is the clear winner in the money-raising sweepstakes with about $700,000 to spend on his primary and general elections. Read the article Missouri's Jack Oliver Earns Top Marks with Bush Fund-raising Effort 7/31/2000 6:56 PM Jack Oliver, a rising young star in the presidential campaign of George W. Bush, is a fifth-generation Missouri lawyer who at 31 already has clocked more than a decade's service with almost every significant Missouri Republican of the modern era. If you're active in Missouri politics, Democrat or Republican, you've probably already heard of Jack Oliver. An unusual political pro, he combines glamorous looks, courtly good manners and an encyclopedic knowledge of politics and people. Read the article Cheney Welcomed in Philly 7/30/2000 10:12 PM Republican activists gave Richard B. Cheney an enthusiastic reception here tonight, only hours after he went on the major TV networks to deliver his most extensive explanation yet of his conservative congressional voting record. The GOP vice presidential candidate said he might vote differently if he were now in Congress on issues such as launching Head Start, banning "cop killer" bullets and establishing the Department of Education. Read the article McCain Takes 'Straight Talk Express' to Convention 7/30/2000 10:10 PM John McCain's sentimental journey to the Republican National Convention had barely begun today when he was reminded that he was not headed to Philadelphia to accept his party's presidential nomination. Utility repair crews had closed one lane of the Baltimore-Washington Parkway near Hyattsville, snarling traffic. McCain, aboard his Straight Talk Express campaign bus at the head of a four-bus caravan, became mired in the backup like any motorist. Read the article Nancy Reagan Agrees to Attend GOP Convention 7/30/2000 10:09 PM Nancy Reagan, who will be the guest of honor Tuesday night at what is being billed as the Republican Convention's A-list social event, had no intention of coming to Philadelphia. "Originally she said she wasn't going to go because she didn't think she should leave Ronnie," Reagan intimate Mike Deaver told us, referring to that peerless GOP icon, former president Ronald Reagan, who is 89 and suffering from Alzheimer's disease. "But then I think people convinced her that this would be one of the chances to keep the Reagan prairie fire alive and at the last minute she said okay." Read the article Bush Anticipates an 'Emotional Moment' 7/30/2000 10:08 PM An uncommonly reflective George W. Bush ruminated over his place in history, days before the GOP nominates him for president, offering thoughts on his father, his running mate and the need for someone other than the party's standard-bearers to deliver his message. At the same time, he and running mate Richard B. Cheney made it clear that they aren't going to shy away from attacks on President Clinton's character, even as they denounced the politics of personal destruction. Read the article Bush's Goal is to Show "Different" GOP 7/30/2000 10:07 PM He's the son of an ex-president, scion of America's blue-blood Republican aristocracy, the product of America's most elite schools, who insists, all the same, that he's "a different kind" of Republican. For Texas Gov. George W. Bush, making that case is Job 1 for the Republican National Convention, which begins Monday in Philadelphia. The next four days will highlight diversity and inclusiveness and play down the culture wars and red-meat attacks on Democrats that have dominated recent GOP conventions. Read the article While Not a Delegate, Congressman Blunt is a Presence 7/30/2000 10:06 PM He's not a convention delegate, but Missouri Rep. Roy Blunt has a high-profile role at the Republican National Convention this week, serving as one of George W. Bush's chief surrogates. As a co-chairman of the national caucus team, Blunt will be dispatched to address various groups -- and Democratic attacks -- throughout the week. The lawmaker is Bush's emissary to the House and speaks almost daily with the Bush campaign, a job stemming from his position as top deputy to the powerful House GOP vote-counter, Majority Whip Tom DeLay of Texas. Read the article Bush Focuses on Upbeat Convention 7/29/2000 12:08 AM Whenever something threatened to upset George W. Bush's plans for a happy-face convention, his agents emerged Friday to smooth it -- or bury it. Republicans bickered over proposed changes in the GOP platform and primary calendar, but they were met at every turn by an army of Bush lieutenants who don't want next week's convention hijacked by controversy. Read the article Bush and Cheney Swing Through Missouri 7/29/2000 12:05 AM Seeking to build a pre-convention surge of momentum, George W. Bush on Friday brought his quest for the presidency to staunchly Republican southwest Missouri, where he showed off his new running mate and took some pointed jabs at President Clinton. Bush boasted that in former Defense Secretary Dick Cheney, he had found a man who has Washington experience, but was not of Washington, a man who would be his partner, but who could be president if needed. "He is plain-spoken and a man who speaks from the heart," Bush said. "He is a man who knows what the definition of `is' is." The crowd, gathered in the Leggett & Platt Athletic Center at Missouri Southern State College, roared its approval. Bush's reference to Clinton's hair-splitting testimony during the Monica Lewinsky scandal was a frequent refrain during his speech, which lasted less than half an hour. Read the article Cheney Defends His Record 7/27/2000 10:52 PM Dick Cheney on Thursday explained his votes against the Equal Rights Amendment, a ban on cop-killer bullets and sanctions on South Africa and GOP nominee George W. Bush assailed Democrats for their criticism of his running mate. "Secretary Cheney brought people together and helped win a war, which stands in stark contrast to Vice President Al Gore, who tends to divide people to create war," Bush told reporters as he took a break from practicing for his GOP acceptance speech. Read the article McCain Expected to Offer Strong Endorsement of Bush at GOP Convention 7/27/2000 10:51 PM Moving past the rivalry and rancor of the Republican presidential primary season, Arizona Sen. John McCain is expected Tuesday to deliver a ringing endorsement of Texas Gov. George W. Bush, the presumed GOP presidential nominee, at the Republican National Convention. Read the article GOP Convention Lineup 7/27/2000 10:49 PM Retired Gen. Norman Schwarzkopf will address the Republican National Convention next Tuesday - from the battleship USS New Jersey. Schwarzkopf is to join Sen. John McCain, both Bob and Elizabeth Dole and George W. Bush's international affairs adviser Condoleezza Rice in discussing the night's theme, national security. Read the article Poll: Bush up 11 points 7/27/2000 10:47 PM Republican presidential candidate George W. Bush is enjoying a jump in poll ratings as he heads for his party's national convention next week. Bush apparently has gotten a significant pre-convention bounce from his selection of Dick Cheney to be his running mate. The Texas governor, who has dominated political news coverage this week with his selection of running mate Dick Cheney, prepares to accept his nomination in Philadelphia with an 11-point lead over Vice President Gore, a new USA TODAY/CNN/Gallup Poll shows. Read the article Texas Democrats Back Bush 7/26/2000 6:07 PM Almost everything in Texas carried Bob Bullock's imprint, Gov. George W. Bush said in eulogizing the former Democratic lieutenant governor last year. That includes Bush and his bid for the presidency. Now Bullock's widow, Jan, is scheduled to speak next week at the Republican National Convention about Bush's qualifications to be president. Read the article Bush-Cheney Ticket Hits Wyoming Trail 7/26/2000 6:05 PM A day after taking his place on the GOP ticket, Dick Cheney returned to public life with a visit to Wyoming, where he began his climb to Congress, the Pentagon and the top of the corporate world before being tapped as George W. Bush's running mate. The Republican team's first stop after Bush's announcement in Texas was Casper, where Cheney and his high school sweetheart, Lynne, attended Natrona County High School. Read the article GOP Delegates Say Education Is Key 7/26/2000 6:04 PM Delegates to the Republican National Convention say education should be the No. 1 priority of the next president, while Democratic delegates put health care at the top of their list, according to interviews by The Associated Press. Education is a close second for the Democratic delegates, who will convene in Los Angeles beginning Aug. 14. Taxes are No. 2 for the Republicans, whose convention begins Monday in Philadelphia. Read the article Cheney's Style: Cool, Methodical, And Conservative 7/26/2000 6:02 PM At 2 a.m. on a June night in 1978, Lynne V. Cheney raced down the stairs in the Cheyenne, Wyo., home of Joseph B. Meyer, an old high school friend of her husband, who was making his first race for Congress. "Dick's got a tingling in his left arm," she told Meyer. They rushed her husband to the hospital, where doctors discovered he'd had a heart attack. Read the article A Fierce Loyalty Marks Bush's Inner Circle 7/26/2000 6:01 PM Roaming around the hospitality tents in Ames where the Iowa straw poll was held last summer, two of George W. Bush's best friends found themselves face to face with Steve Forbes, at the time a rival with Bush for the Republican presidential nomination. Not missing a beat, Brad Freeman, a wealthy California investor, draped his arm around the unsuspecting Forbes, while Don Evans, a Texas oilman, quickly borrowed a camera. A second before Evans snapped the shot, Freeman slipped in a set of oversized fake buckteeth. Read the article Alan Keyes Drops Presidential Race 7/25/2000 10:45 PM Alan Keyes expressed his support for George W. Bush's choice of a running mate Tuesday -- and said he had dropped his own campaign against Bush for the Republican nomination. Keyes won no primaries last winter and spring, but he had remained on the campaign trail spreading his conservative message. Asked Tuesday if he still considered himself a candidate, Keyes said, "I am not." Read the article Cheney Resigns As Halliburton CEO 7/25/2000 10:43 PM Former Defense Secretary Dick Cheney stepped down Tuesday as chairman of the board and CEO of Halliburton Co. hours before Texas Gov. George W. Bush announced Cheney as his running mate on the GOP ticket. During a special meeting, the company's board of directors accepted Cheney's resignation effective Aug. 16. The board then tapped Halliburton president David J. Lesar to succeed Cheney as chairman and CEO of the Dallas-based company. Read the article Danforth "Relieved" at Not Getting Vice President Nomination 7/25/2000 10:35 PM Former Sen. John Danforth was all smiles Tuesday as he spoke about being passed over for the Republican vice presidential nomination. "I'm relieved," he said at a press conference downtown at Bryan Cave, the law firm where he works. "I've been walking around for nine weeks now with an anvil over my head." Danforth got the official word from presidential candidate George W. Bush at 7:18 a.m. - on the answering machine in his law office. Later in the morning, Danforth made connections with Bush, the Texas governor. Read the article Bush Introduces Cheney as Running Mate 7/25/2000 10:34 PM Texas Gov. George W. Bush introduced his running mate Dick Cheney to a cheering crowd of supporters Tuesday, calling the former defense secretary a ``valuable partner'' who will help lead Republicans to the White House. A week before GOP delegates formally nominate the Bush-Cheney ticket, Bush turned to the man who headed his three-month search process -- bypassing several prominent Republicans who had vied for the job. Read the article Husband-Wife Candidates May Face Audit 7/25/2000 10:32 PM Jerry Riley and Jennifer Graham, a husband and wife who are candidates for a state representative seat from the District 136 -- each for a different party -- face questions about campaign expenditures. For now, they are not talking. Tim Trower of Springfield said he plans to file a complaint with the Missouri Ethics Commission today asking for an audit of the campaigns of Riley, a Republican candidate, and Graham, a Democratic candidate, for the seat held by Rep. Mike Schilling, D-Springfield. Read the article Understanding Bush: Managing to Disarm Doubters 7/24/2000 11:00 PM Expectations were not high when George W. Bush bought the Texas Rangers baseball club in 1989. The doubts were similar to those that greeted Bush's entry into politics, when he was dubbed "Shrub" because of his famous father. But in baseball, as in politics, the skeptics underestimated the man. And in baseball, as in politics, Bush disarmed them with a beguiling charm. Read the article Cheney Conservative in Values 7/24/2000 10:51 PM A look at where Dick Cheney has stood on the issues, based primarily on his voting record when he was a congressman from Wyoming from 1978 to 1989 and his tenure as secretary of defense from 1989 to 1993: Read the article Cheney Said To Be Persuasive 7/24/2000 10:50 PM Richard B. Cheney, widely credited with helping mastermind the U.S.-led military victory over Iraq, by reputation is deliberate but decisive, a Washington insider who honed his skills of persuasion both in Congress and the executive branch. Out of sight for most of the past decade, the 59-year-old Cheney is very much back in the public eye as Texas Gov. George W. Bush's choice as vice presidential running mate. Read the article Applying Personal Faith to Public Policy 7/23/2000 11:45 PM The first time a friend recalls hearing George W. Bush "talk that way" -- that is, drop the name Jesus into casual conversation -- was around 1985, in a parking lot in Midland, Tex. This friend was leading their men's Bible study, so naturally he was thrilled. "Before that I thought of him as kind of a joker, kind of a hail-fellow-well-met who thought everything in life was a joke," recalls Bruce Robinson. "But suddenly we were standing there talking very seriously about our spiritual life. And I vividly remember thinking, 'Man, you have really changed.'" Read the article Bush's Resentment of 'Elites' Informs Bid 7/23/2000 11:44 PM The Yale class of '68 bred a social type George W. Bush and his friends called The Grind. He was a tireless striver, more sober than his teachers, who split his time between the library and admirable social causes. Back then, King of the Grinds was Strobe Talbott, now deputy secretary of state, then president of the Yale Daily News, Rhodes scholar and anti-war activist in a most responsible way. Read the article Analysts See Weakening of GOP's Edge in Senate 7/23/2000 11:38 PM Republican candidates have more money to spend on close Senate races this fall, but Democrats are financially competitive in most of the tightest contests, according to recently filed midyear fundraising reports. Coupled with the fact that the death last week of Sen. Paul Coverdell (R-Ga.) has thrown another seat into contention for the November elections, the new reports reinforce widely held expectations that Democrats will pick up several Senate seats. Read the article Danforth Predicts Cheney for VP 7/23/2000 11:32 PM Former Missouri senator John Danforth, a potential Republican vice presidential candidate, said Sunday he doesn't expect to be picked by George W. Bush and predicted that former Defense Secretary Dick Cheney will get the nod. Cheney, the man in charge of Bush's selection process, has emerged as the leading candidate, Republican officials familiar with the Texas governor's deliberations have said. The Texas governor had planned to make his decision Sunday night or Monday, well in advance of the July 31 opening of the GOP convention in Philadelphia, aides said. Read the article Bush Had Wide GOP Choices 7/22/2000 11:52 PM Republican presidential candidate George W. Bush had a wide field of candidates to choose from in his search for a running mate. Here's a look at some of those who have been mentioned as vice presidential prospects. Read the article Danforth, Cheney on Bush Short List 7/22/2000 11:49 PM Former Sen. John Danforth resurfaced Saturday night as a Republican vice presidential candidate, joining former Defense Secretary Dick Cheney on George W. Bush's short list. Cheney is the leading candidate, a highly placed Republican official said as the Texas governor neared his decision. Danforth, his wife Sally, and Cheney -- who also heads Bush's search team -- met secretly with Bush for a get-to-know-you session in a Chicago hotel suite Tuesday, setting aside his oft-stated opposition to serving as vice president. Republican officials had assumed Danforth's reluctance disqualified him from consideration. Read the article Gov. Bush's Nephew Stumps in St. Louis 7/20/2000 10:47 PM George Prescott Bush is the first to note that when he enters a room, "it turns heads, it grabs attention." And not just because his dad is Florida's governor, and his uncle wants to be the next president. What catches people's eye, he adds, is that he's a Bush whose appearance reflects his Hispanic roots. His mother is a native of Mexico. He's emphasizing his heritage and his youth - he's 24 - as he travels around the country stumping for his uncle, Texas Gov. George W. Bush, and the Republican Party. Thursday's daylong visit here was part of an 18-day swing through 14 states. Read the article Miss America Cites Intimidation 7/20/2000 10:34 PM On the eve of her House testimony in support of a veterans employment bill, Miss America Heather French says a high-ranking Clinton administration official was "trying to intimidate" her into changing her position. While French did not waver in testifying July 12 for a bill the administration opposed, the Republican chairman of a Veterans' Affairs subcommittee has demanded an explanation from Labor Secretary Alexis Herman and the panel's top Democrat has told the official to resign. Read the article House Approves $289 Billion For Defense 7/20/2000 10:33 PM In a testament to the enduring popularity of defense spending even as other programs scramble for funds, the House gave overwhelming final approval yesterday to a $289.6 billion defense bill for next year that provides the Pentagon with billions more than President Clinton requested. The vote was 367 to 58. Read the article Bush Runs Ads With Leadership Theme 7/20/2000 10:33 PM Heading back to the airwaves, George W. Bush is running three new TV ads in key states portraying the Texas governor as a leader who can unite America. The ads don't make a hard pitch for Bush's candidacy or mention any of his specific ideas, but suggest that the nation is at a point in history where it can tackle tough problems. Social Security, education and the military are mentioned. "Once in a hundred years our nation has this chance to be at peace, to be prosperous, to do something good with it all," one ad says. "Shouldn't we keep America strong and rebuild our military? Shouldn't the president unite, not divide, and renew America's purpose?" Read the article Bush Returns Fire in Texas Shootout With Gore 7/20/2000 10:30 PM Republican presidential candidate George W. Bush denounced Al Gore's visit to Texas Thursday as "a travesty," saying his Democratic rival ought to be ashamed about misrepresenting his record as governor. "I'm disappointed that the vice president of all the United States would come to one of those states and try to mislead people about our state's budget," Bush told reporters outside the governor's mansion in Austin. Read the article Bush Considers Foreign Policy Team 7/20/2000 10:29 PM GOP presidential hopeful George W. Bush says he would pack his foreign policy team with heavyweights who saw the nation -- and his father -- through the Cold War, such as George Shultz, Henry Kissinger and Colin Powell. "These are all people that stood by my side when I talked about nuclear security" last spring, Bush said during an interview for CNN's Larry King Live. "Some of whom, you know, may be a part of the administration, but all of them are my supporters and friends." Also on Bush's list is his campaign's foreign policy chief, Condoleeza Rice, a Russian and Eastern European affairs specialist at National Security Council during Bush's father's administration. Read the article Keating Plays Down VP Chances 7/20/2000 10:28 PM Whoever George W. Bush chooses for a running mate, Frank Keating guesses it won't be him. "I'm not holding my breath," the Oklahoma governor said Thursday. "It's my own intuitive sense. ... I just don't think it's going to happen." Read the article McCain Said Would Serve As Bush VP 7/20/2000 10:27 PM Vanquished primary rival John McCain has told a prominent Republican governor and mutual friend of George W. Bush that he would be willing to serve as the Texan's running mate, sources said Thursday. McCain, who has previously ruled out a vice presidential bid, signaled his change of heart in a telephone conversation this week with Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Ridge, abruptly raising McCain's profile as Bush draws close to deciding, three GOP officials said. Read the article Senate Votes 'Marriage Penalty' Relief 7/19/2000 10:51 PM The Senate voted yesterday to reduce taxes for married couples as Republicans--emboldened by new estimates of soaring budget surpluses--set their sights on keeping their tax cut bandwagon rolling through the election year. Defying an almost certain White House veto, the Senate voted 61 to 38 in favor of a GOP-drafted measure to eliminate a quirk in the tax code under which millions of married couples pay more in taxes than they would if they were single and filing separately. The bill, which would also extend relief to many other married couples, would reduce federal revenue $248 billion over the next decade. Read the article Bush Ad Touts Web Site 7/19/2000 10:51 PM George W. Bush, focusing on cyberspace, is promoting his new Web site with a TV ad and meeting with technology leaders to compare notes on Internet privacy, cyber crime and a "digital divide" leaving minority households behind. The new TV spot directs people to www.georgewbush.com, using fast-paced music and tilted camera angles. The Bush campaign touted it as the first political ad devoted primarily to driving voters to the Web. Read the article Coverdell's Death Weakens GOP Senate Hold 7/19/2000 10:50 PM Every election year, politicians pay consultants millions of dollars to script and plan campaigns. But unforseen events can turn best-laid plans upside down, making a situation that once looked solid -- such as Republican control of the Senate -- suddenly seem a little shakier. Tuesday's unexpected death of Sen. Paul Coverdell (R-Ga.) was just such an event. In a tragic way, it adds to a tumultuous season that already has seen the retirement of a Senate lion, Democrat Daniel Patrick Moynihan, and a first lady's unprecedented bid to take his place. Read the article Bush on Verge of Picking VP 7/19/2000 10:48 PM George W. Bush said Wednesday he was on the verge of picking his running mate and suggested that a vice presidential candidate should pose little political risk to the ticket. "You want somebody who's not going to hurt you," Bush said. Twelve days before the opening of the national convention that will formally make him the Republican presidential candidate, Bush told reporters at an impromptu news conference, "I will make up my mind soon." Read the article Bush's General Strategy May Include Powell 7/19/2000 6:09 PM Will George W. Bush promise voters before the election that retired Gen. Colin L. Powell would be his secretary of state? When he appeared on ABC's "This Week" on Sunday, the Texas governor closed the door on selecting Powell as his running mate but appeared to open the door to making him a member of a Bush Cabinet. Bush said he was heartened that Powell recently indicated his willingness to serve in a Bush administration. Read the article Joplin the only Missouri Stop for Bush Before Convention 7/19/2000 6:08 PM Joplin will be the only Missouri stop by Texas Gov. George W. Bush in a multistate tour to end at the Republican National Convention. Bush will make a campaign appearance Friday, July 28, in Joplin, according to Katherine Hanaway, executive director of the Bush campaign in Missouri. The state has been targeted as "critical" by the presidential campaign. Read the article Keating's Appeal Lies to the Right of Bush's 7/18/2000 1:15 PM As George W. Bush weighs his choices for a running mate, many political insiders are wondering why he would be considering a fellow governor from a small state that he stands to win anyway. But less than two weeks before the presumed Republican nominee is expected to announce his vice presidential choice, Oklahoma Gov. Frank A. Keating has emerged as a strong contender, according to Republican sources. Read the article Veep Mania: Media Madness Over Running Mates 7/18/2000 1:13 PM The press, you may have noticed, is going haywire over the veepstakes. Who will Bush and Gore pick? Ridge or Hagel or Thompson or Bayh or Graham or Gephardt? This is news! America must know! Now comes evidence that America may not be quite as breathless over the vice presidential choice as journalists had imagined. That, at least, is the clear suggestion of a USA Today poll. According to the survey, 88 percent of those questioned say they've never changed their vote for a presidential candidate because of his running mate. Read the article Another Bush, by George 7/18/2000 1:12 PM He's hot, hunky and Hispanic. He's the Republicans' secret weapon, the new sex symbol of the Grand Old Party. He's George Bush. No, not the former president, nor the governor of Texas. We're talking about George Prescott Bush: the 24-year-old son of Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, as well as Dubya's nephew. With his Latino good looks and flawless manners, he's the Ricky Martin of the Bush campaign, and fourth on People magazine's list of America's 100 Most Eligible Bachelors. Read the article Missouri Voters Show Republican Leanings, Poll Indicates 7/18/2000 1:10 PM Missouri, long recognized as a bellwether of the nation's political mood, appears -- for now -- to be tilting Republican. Polls commissioned by The Kansas City Star showed last week that GOP candidates for president, U.S. Senate and governor were leading their races. Although polls for the Senate and the governor's races were extremely close, in both cases the Republicans clung to leads. Read the article Gingrich Says Gore is Democratic Party's Nixon 7/17/2000 9:29 PM Vice President Al Gore reinvents himself so often in the presidential campaign he has become the Democratic Party's Richard Nixon, said former House Speaker Newt Gingrich. In an interview broadcast Monday on NBC's "Today" show, Gingrich said Gore had been both negative and "kaleidoscopic" in his campaign, changing his image frequently like the Republican Party's Nixon during his campaigning. Read the article Pataki Is Possible Bush Running Mate 7/17/2000 9:26 PM George Pataki, the little-known Republican state senator who brought down Gov. Mario Cuomo in 1994, has been surprising skeptics for years. Now the two-term governor is under consideration as George W. Bush's running mate. Read the article Bush Promotes Paternity Registry 7/17/2000 9:24 PM Republican presidential candidate George W. Bush says fathers have no right to prevent the adoption of their children if they don't claim responsibility soon after birth. The Texas governor visited President Clinton's home state Monday to promote a 1997 Texas law creating a Paternity Registry. Fathers of out-of-wedlock children must sign the registry to maintain a legal claim of parenthood. Read the article Bush Predicts Arkansas Win 7/17/2000 9:22 PM Striking at the heart of Al Gore's political base, Republican presidential candidate George W. Bush said Monday he will visit Arkansas and four other Democratic-leaning states in the run up to the GOP convention. "I'm going to win this state," Bush declared at a news conference in President Clinton's home state. The Texas governor was in Arkansas to promote a modest initiative designed to make fathers take responsibility for their children. Read the article Ashcroft Leads Carnahan in Fund Raising 7/17/2000 9:21 PM Republican John Ashcroft, who has a slight lead in the polls in his bid for re-election to the U.S. Senate from Missouri, also has a small lead in fund raising. Ashcroft, facing two-term Democratic Gov. Mel Carnahan, reported Saturday that he raised $1.4 million from April 1 through June 30. Carnahan, who trailed Ashcroft by four points in a recent poll commissioned by The Kansas City Star, reported last week that he raised $1.2 million during the same period. Read the article Former President Ford Says He Has No Regrets 7/16/2000 10:52 PM Gerald R. Ford, America's only truly accidental president and the sole surviving member of the Warren Commission that investigated President Kennedy's assassination, is comfortable with his unique place in history and the still-controversial judgments he made. Read the article GOP, Trying to Expand, Aids Black Candidates 7/16/2000 10:46 PM I slip Town Clerk Joan Johnson thought House leaders would be furious at Suffolk County Republicans after they picked her to succeed Rep. Rick Lazio (R-N.Y.). " 'This is a seat you want to hold, and you've nominated a 66-year-old black woman?' " Johnson said she assumed they would ask. " 'Are you crazy?' " Read the article Oklahoma Governor Eyed For GOP Vice President 7/16/2000 10:46 PM Millions of Americans got to know Oklahoma Gov. Frank Keating on TV as a spokesman for his state after the carnage of the Oklahoma City bombing. "He was able to put a face to that very tragic situation," says political consultant Neva Hill. "He was a person who could help bring some focus and steadiness at the helm." That could serve him well as fellow Republican Gov. George W. Bush goes about his search for a presidential running mate. By all accounts, Keating is on Bush's list. Read the article Bush: Close To Picking Running Mate 7/16/2000 10:44 PM Gov. George W. Bush said Saturday he is getting closer to picking a running mate but declined to detail the contenders. The likely Republican presidential nominee met at the Governor's Mansion with former Defense Secretary Dick Cheney, who is heading the search for a vice presidential candidate. "I'm getting closer to a decision and I'll let you know at the appropriate time what the decision is," Bush said in a brief exchange with reporters. Read the article James Hoffa To Attend GOP Convention 7/13/2000 11:22 PM Teamsters President James Hoffa not only will attend this month's Republican National Convention in Philadelphia, he will be honored there at a party thrown by GOP chairman Jim Nicholson, 10 congressional Republicans and Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Ridge. This is the first time in 20 years that a union president has been honored by the GOP during one of its conventions, according to the Republican National Committee. Read the article Bush Addresses a Big Decision, Sort Of 7/13/2000 11:21 PM Texas Gov. George W. Bush, visiting Pennsylvania two weeks before the GOP convention comes to this state, had a day light on policy and heavy on vice presidential speculation. Addressing a state convention of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, Bush delivered a variation on his standard stump speech, geared toward the 400 aging veterans in the audience. But it was the man who introduced Bush -- Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Ridge, a name on Bush's vice presidential list and a VFW member himself -- who caused the most intrigue. Read the article Poll: Bush Supporters Enthusiastic 7/13/2000 11:10 PM George W. Bush enjoys stronger support among Republicans than Al Gore has among Democrats, a new poll says. It indicates the presidential race between the two still is tight. A majority of Republicans, 56 percent, said they were strong supporters of Bush, while less than half of Democrats, 47 percent, said they strongly supported Gore. Bush's independent backers were more enthusiastic about him than Gore's were for their candidate. Read the article Bush Trims Vice-Presidential List 7/13/2000 5:46 PM Texas Gov. George W. Bush said Thursday he has winnowed his list of possible vice presidential candidates, and he quickly added that only his wife and the man in charge of the search also know who remains in the running. With speculation rising about his pick in the run-up to the Republican National Convention, Bush said there has been "serious vetting" of medical, legal and financial records of the contenders. He indicated he doesn't intend to invite candidates for publicly disclosed meetings, saying, "I know everybody pretty darn well." Read the article Poll: Ashcroft and Carnahan Tied in U.S. Senate Race 7/13/2000 5:42 PM With the general election four months away, incumbent Sen. John Ashcroft is clinging to a narrow lead over Missouri Gov. Mel Carnahan, a new poll by The Kansas City Star shows. Ashcroft, a Republican, is leading Carnahan by 47 percent to 43 percent, with 10 percent undecided. With the poll's margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points, the race stands as a statistical dead heat. Read the article In TV ads, Ashcroft and Carnahan Trade Charges Over Health Care 7/12/2000 9:54 PM With Election Day almost four months away, both parties already are paying for expensive ad campaigns that fire away at the two contenders for the U.S. Senate: Republican incumbent John Ashcroft and his Democratic challenger, Gov. Mel Carnahan. The state Democratic Party went on the attack first, and the state GOP retaliated. Read the article House Votes to End 'Marriage Penalty' 7/12/2000 9:33 PM The House today approved major tax relief for married couples by a vote of 269-159. The vote came as Republicans criticized Democrats for trying to block efforts to eliminate the so-called marriage penalty. The GOP-crafted plan cuts taxes on married couples by $182.3 billion over 10 years by increasing the standard deduction to twice that of single taxpayers, expanding the 15 percent tax bracket for married couples and further extending benefits of the earned income tax credit to married couples. Read the article CNN Players Choose Watts as 'Veepstakes' Winner 7/12/2000 9:33 PM Oklahoma Rep. J.C. Watts, the chairman of the House Republican Conference and the sole black Republican in the chamber, has won the allpolitics.com Veepstakes, an interactive game where players picked their favorite candidate for the party's vice presidential nomination. Read the article GOP State Leaders Get Bush Update 7/12/2000 9:31 PM Firing up Republican Party leaders, George W. Bush said Wednesday he feels "great" about his chances in every state, but urged them to work hard because the election is going to be close. "I'm taking nothing for granted," Bush told about 150 party leaders gathered from across the country for an update on his presidential campaign against Democrat Al Gore. Bush said he was still mulling over who will be his running mate and would announce his choice "very soon." Read the article Bush Gains Edge With Ridge As V.P. 7/12/2000 9:29 PM The presidential race in Pennsylvania remains close, but a new poll suggests George W. Bush could gain an edge there by picking Tom Ridge, the governor of that key swing state, as his vice presidential running mate. The Keystone Poll, conducted by Millersville University's Center for Politics and Public Affairs and released Wednesday, showed Bush with 44 percent support and Al Gore with 40 percent. Read the article Latest Poll Shows Bush Surging Ahead of Gore in Missouri 7/12/2000 9:27 PM Up by only two points in February, Republican George W. Bush has surged to an 11-point lead over Democrat Al Gore in Missouri, one of the key swing states in the presidential race, according to a new poll. The survey, commissioned by The Kansas City Star, showed Bush leading Gore by 48 percent to 37 percent as the candidates approach their party conventions. Read the article Hill GOP Moves Fast on 'Marriage Penalty' Relief 7/11/2000 11:12 PM Congress yesterday opened a politically significant week of debate over taxes as Republicans pushed to put a bill eliminating the "marriage penalty" on President Clinton's desk before the Republican National Convention late this month. With huge budget surpluses looming, Democrats have joined with Republicans in calling for major tax relief this year. But the two sides can't agree on the size or shape of legislation, and Clinton has threatened to veto the Republicans' plan to cut taxes for married people unless the GOP accepts his plan to add a prescription drug benefit to the Medicare program. Read the article Judge To Hear Clinton Disbarment 7/11/2000 11:08 PM An appointed judge with barely a month's experience decided Tuesday to preside over a lawsuit that could cost President Clinton his Arkansas law license. Pulaski County Circuit Judge Leon Johnson was the fifth judge to whom the case fell after four others stepped aside, citing the appearance of conflicts of interest because of ties to Clinton, a former Arkansas governor. "I didn't see anything hindering me from taking this case," Johnson told Read the article Bush Seeks Program for Foster Kids 7/11/2000 11:08 PM Foster kids by his side, George W. Bush talked of their longing for permanent homes on Tuesday and proposed a $2.3 billion plan for giving adoptive parents a bigger tax break and states more money for child welfare. On a three-week "compassionate conservative" tour focusing on social welfare initiatives, the Republican presidential contender moderated a panel of parents and kids at the Judson Center, a home serving children from broken families. Read the article McNary's New Ads Harken Back to His Days as County Executive 7/11/2000 11:03 PM Former St. Louis County Executive Gene McNary, now a candidate for Congress, has launched two nostalgic television spots on local television looking back to a time of local growth and prosperity. The ads mark an outreach to suburbs of West St. Louis County and St. Charles County that make up the 2nd Congressional District, where McNary is seeking the Republican nomination. Read the article Bush Pledges Racial Harmony 7/10/2000 11:01 PM George W. Bush, facing a skeptical audience, told the NAACP on Monday he recognizes the Republican Party has not always been seen as friendly toward blacks. He promised to work to improve relations, saying, "Our nation is harmed when we let our differences divide us." "Some in my party have avoided the NAACP and ... some in the NAACP have avoided my party," Bush said, pausing between the two statements, drawing laughter and applause. "Before we get to the future, we must acknowledge our past." Read the article House GOP Leads Fund-Raising Battle 7/10/2000 11:00 PM Trying to hold their six-seat majority, House Republicans on Monday reported that they had raised $90 million at midyear -- almost as much as they collected during the entire 1998 election. Between Jan. 1, 1999, and June 30, 2000, the National Republican Congressional Committee took in just $10 million less than the $100 million it raised during the entire 1997-98 campaign. By June 30, 1998, the NRCC had brought in $60 million. Party officials said they are on track to raise a record $125 million by the end of the year. Read the article For GOP, a 'Different Kind of Convention' 7/10/2000 10:50 PM First by satellite link, then over local airwaves and eventually in person, Texas Gov. George W. Bush is scheduled to appear during each of the four nights of the Republican National Convention, breaking with the tradition of hiding like a bride until the closing night. This use of strategic glimpses of the nominee as a thread for the convention was one of several plans announced yesterday by Republican officials, who say they are determined to shake up decades-old rituals. "Ours will be a different kind of convention for a different kind of Republican," said Andrew H. Card Jr., the convention general co-chairman, who announced the lineup in a conference call with reporters. "We will be talking about issues like education and Social Security, which had not been center stage at Republican conventions before." Read the article Ashcroft Brings ‘Home’ Tour to Springfield 7/10/2000 10:49 PM Sen. John Ashcroft brought his re-election campaign kickoff tour to Springfield on Sunday afternoon, holding a rally in the front yard of supporters Bob and Angie Bennett. About 75 people attended the rally, including 30 or so who arrived with Ashcroft on the Missouri Values Express, the chartered bus the Republican senator used for the six-day tour. All 32 stops -- Springfield was number 31 -- were at private homes. I'm delighted to announce this candidacy not from the courthouse, not from the statehouse, but from the houses and homes of the people of this state," Ashcroft said. Read the article GOP May Defy Curb on House Campaigns 7/9/2000 10:41 PM House Republican campaign officials are preparing to defy the Federal Election Commission and inject huge amounts of party money into key congressional races this fall without waiting for a Supreme Court appeal that will determine whether the practice is legal. Read the article Bush NAACP Speech Could Improve Party's Image 7/9/2000 10:40 PM Republican presidential candidate George W. Bush could improve his party's image among black voters when he addresses the NAACP's annual meeting on Monday, the civil rights group's president said. Compared to Democratic presidential candidate Al Gore, Bush "has a harder row to hoe only because he has been defined by others," NAACP President Kweisi Mfume said Sunday on ABC's "This Week" program. Bush's speech is "his opportunity to define himself in a meaningful way." Read the article Bush Sees Advantage in Cabinet Star Power 7/9/2000 10:39 PM In a recent interview with George W. Bush, the Texas governor volunteered that he had been thinking about a novel idea: Why not name the members of his Cabinet before Election Day? "I've been asked a lot: Does it make sense to pre-announce a Cabinet, or members of a Cabinet or one member of a Cabinet?" Bush said. "I've thought about that." He didn't have a definitive answer that day. But talk about an idea that could give the GOP a late-October boost. Imagine the all-star lineup Bush could present to the American people: Gen. Colin Powell for secretary of state. Sen. John McCain of Arizona for secretary of defense. Elizabeth Dole for her old post at transportation. Read the article Powell Hints at Future Cabinet Post 7/9/2000 10:37 PM Retired Gen. Colin Powell urged the nation's governors Sunday to ''redouble your efforts'' to enlist armies of volunteers helping children. He hinted that a Cabinet post may be in his future. Powell, a featured speaker at the National Governors' Association summer meeting here, is one of the nation's most popular political figures, according to polls. He has ruled out running for office or serving as vice president, but reiterated Sunday that he would consider a Cabinet post. Read the article Senator Ashcroft wants 'Missouri Values' in Washington 7/9/2000 10:29 PM John Ashcroft promises voters a continued fight to return the national government to "Missouri values" if he's re-elected to the U.S. Senate. Ashcroft, a former two-term Republican governor who's in the last year of his first six-year Senate term, is expected to face incumbent Democratic Gov. Mel Carnahan in the November general election. And he's been spreading the "values" message in a series of 32 rallies from Missourians' homes, which he called "the source of these values." Read the article Bush Promises to Speed Up Immigration Process 7/6/2000 9:39 PM Presumptive Republican presidential nominee George W. Bush today said that he would set a "standard" of having the federal government process immigration applications within six months if he is elected president. Speaking before the annual convention of the National Council of La Raza (NCLR), Bush said that his proposal, long sought by many of the 2,500 Latino community activists gathered here, is part of a larger plan to create "a new culture of respect" at the Immigration and Naturalization Service. "The current INS is too bureaucratic. It is too stuck in the past," Bush said. Read the article Republicans Name a Diverse Group of Convention Officials 7/6/2000 9:38 PM The Republicans have named three members of Congress -- one Hispanic, one female and one black -- to leadership roles for a national convention they hope will present an image of diversity. Reps. Henry Bonilla of Texas, Jennifer Dunn of Washington state and J.C. Watts of Oklahoma will be deputy permanent chairmen of the convention that begins July 31 in Philadelphia, GOP convention spokesman Tim Fitzpatrick said Thursday. The permanent chairman is House Speaker Dennis Hastert of Illinois. Read the article Senator Thompson Eyes Vice President Role 7/6/2000 9:37 PM Lawyer. Actor. Senator. Not a bad resume for a guy whose best friend in law school says they probably were the pair on campus considered least likely to succeed. Now Fred Thompson may be looking to add another job to his list: vice president. Sen. John McCain, who lost to Texas Gov. George W. Bush during the presidential primaries, is among those who believe the Tennessee senator would be a good choice. Read the article Judge's Ruling Limiting Contributions Takes Effect 7/6/2000 9:31 PM Missouri's law limiting campaign donations from a political party to a candidate has been reinstated. U.S. District Judge Catherine Perry lifted an injunction prohibiting enforcement of the limits following a morning of oral arguments Wednesday. Perry initially declared the limits constitutional in a ruling issued two weeks ago, when she granted a summary judgment motion sought by the state. That motion dismissed the Missouri Republican Party's challenge to the law, which caps party donations to candidates at roughly 10 times the donation limits imposed on individuals. Read the article Clinton Faces Disbarment Suit 7/5/2000 5:58 PM A state Supreme Court committee has taken the unprecedented step of suing a sitting president to strip him of his law license, accusing President Clinton of dishonesty and deceit in a scathing lawsuit that declares him unfit to practice law. The court-appointed Committee on Professional Conduct, which hears complaints against lawyers licensed in the state, said Friday that Clinton was not fit to practice law because - under oath - he gave deceptive answers in the Paula Jones sexual harassment case about his relationship with former White House intern Monica Lewinsky. Read the article Lazio: Clintons Are Embarrassment 7/5/2000 5:57 PM In his harshest attack to date, Republican candidate Rick Lazio says in a fund-raising letter that Senate rival Hillary Rodham Clinton and her husband "have embarrassed our country and disgraced their powerful posts." "She covets power and control and thinks she should be dictating how other people run their lives," the Long Island congressman said in the letter, which came to light on Wednesday. "No other Senate hopeful enjoys a liberal national press that hangs on her every word and treats her never-ending soap opera of scandals as 'irrelevant' and 'yesterday's news.'" Read the article Bush Backs Traditional GOP Ideas 7/5/2000 5:57 PM George W. Bush's presidential campaign presents him as "a different kind of Republican," yet there's a ring of the familiar in his plans for the country. Health-insurance tax credits for the working poor? His father proposed similar ones as president. Partial privatization of Social Security? The idea is a longtime favorite on Capitol Hill. On education, Bush's voucher plan is a limited edition of what conservatives have championed for years and brother Jeb is experimenting with as Florida governor. Read the article NRCC Boosts Spending on House Races 7/5/2000 5:56 PM With the House Republican majority hanging in the balance, the GOP's fund-raising arm has sharply increased its spending for the November elections. A few Republicans are questioning how wisely some of the money was spent. But leaders of the National Republican Congressional Committee say the investment will pay off. Read the article Missouri Audit Raises Questions About Hiring of Tobacco Attorneys 7/5/2000 5:55 PM Attorney General Jay Nixon failed to provide state officials with reasons for hiring the legal team in Missouri's tobacco settlement case, according to a state audit. Nixon responded that the selection process was privileged information. The tobacco case was one of 16 in which Nixon's office failed to provide detailed information about the hiring of specific attorneys, according to the audit released last week by State Auditor Claire McCaskill. Nixon hired Springfield attorney Thomas Strong -- who retained other attorneys -- to work with him on the tobacco lawsuit filed in 1997. Under Nixon's agreement with Strong, the Missouri attorneys could have received as much as $400 million in legal fees. Read the article