THE CANDIDATES:

John McCain... today's headlines with excerpts

On Iraq, McCain asks Dems to put nation ahead of ambition

"That honesty is my responsibility, and it is also the responsibility of Senators Obama and Clinton, as well as Democratic and Republican leaders in Congress," said McCain. "Doing the right thing in the heat of a political campaign is not always the easiest thing. But when 4000 Americans have given their lives so that America does not suffer the worst consequences of our failure in Iraq, it is a necessary thing. In such a grave matter, we must put the nation's interests before our own ambitions."

McCain hauls in $15 million in March

The month of March was good to John McCain – his campaign raked in more than $15 million, his best haul of this election cycle.

Greenspan endorses McCain, foresees recession

"I'm Republican and I support John McCain, who I know very well and who I respect a lot," he said.

... There is more than a 50 percent chance the United States could go into recession, former Federal Reserve chairman Alan Greenspan told El Pais newspaper in an interview published on Sunday.

McCain knocks partisan sniping

Sen. John McCain yesterday said partisan fights should have their limits in this year's presidential campaign, making a case for a civil debate that puts the fight against the threat from Muslim extremism ahead of domestic party battles.

"Let us remember, we are not enemies. We are compatriots defending ourselves from a real enemy. We have nothing to fear from each other," Mr. McCain said on the steps of the Yavapai County Courthouse, where then-Sen. Barry Goldwater began his 1964 White House campaign, which won the conservative icon the Republican presidential nomination but a defeat in November.

Anti-McCain groups lag in fundraising

Democratic talk of an early, hard-hitting campaign to "define" and tar Arizona Sen. John McCain appears to have fizzled for lack of money, leading to a quiet round of finger-pointing among Democratic operatives and donors as McCain assembles a campaign and a public image relatively unmolested... 

Hillary Clinton... today's headlines with excerpts

Hillary calls for U.S. boycott of Olympic opening ceremonies

Hillary Clinton is calling on President George W. Bush to boycott the opening ceremony at the Olympics this summer.

First reported on the Drudge Report, Clinton's call for a boycott specifically cites China's reaction to recent violence in Tibet and inaction in Darfur.

Bill Clinton to Puerto Rico: 'We need you'

With so few states left in the Democratic primary, former President Bill Clinton headed off the continent and into more uncharted waters today, for his wife's first official campaign event in Puerto Rico.

"I am glad to be back in Puerto Rico. I hope you are glad that your votes will count in the presidential election in the United States. We need you," Clinton told a small, but enthusiastic crowd

Clinton's superdelegate count continues to dwindle

... Margaret Campbell, a Montana state legislator, plans to declare her support for Senator Obama, of Illinois. She becomes the 69th superdelegate he has picked up since the Feb. 5 coast-to-coast string of primary elections and caucus votes.

In the same period, Senator Clinton, of New York, has seen a net loss of two superdelegates, according to figures from the Obama campaign that Clinton aides do not dispute. That erosion may dim Mrs. Clinton’s remaining hopes even more than internal campaign turmoil, which led to the ouster on Sunday of the campaign’s chief strategist, Mark Penn.

Penn out as Clinton senior strategist

Mark Penn, the pollster and senior strategist for Hillary Rodham Clinton's presidential bid, left the campaign Sunday after it was disclosed he met with representatives of the Colombian government to help promote a free trade agreement Clinton opposes.

"After the events of the last few days, Mark Penn has asked to give up his role as chief strategist of the Clinton Campaign," campaign manager Maggie Williams said in a statement released Sunday. "Mark, and Penn, Schoen and Berland Associates, Inc. will continue to provide polling and advice to the campaign."

see also: Clinton advisors pushed for Penn to go

Ben Smith/Politico: "Mark Penn's exit from his role as Hillary Rodham Clinton's chief strategist likely will portend no dramatic shift in message for the campaign in coming weeks but will bring satisfaction to scores of Clinton loyalists who have wanted the controversial image-meister sacked for months."

Steyn: Closing time at Cafe Clinton?

They're locking up the joint, and no matter how many nickels she drops in the jukebox it won't play "Hail To The Chief." Any minute now she'll be caught off-mike reprising the "I can't believe I'm losing to this guy" line. But this is the way the Clinton era ends, not with a bang but a self-pitying whimper...

It's 3 a.m. Do you know where your campaign is?

Clinton says we are living through 'George Bush's recession'

For the first time, Sen. Hillary Clinton said that she believes the U.S. economy is in a recession. ...

Speaking on Sunday in Missoula, Montana, Clinton explained what she will do as president to help ease economic hardship. "We are going to come up with, as I have put on my website hillaryclinton.com, $100 billion dollars in middle class tax cuts. Money is going to go back in your pockets. Money you can use to ride through George Bush’s Recession."

Obama seeks to affirm his patriotism

Barack Obama wants to make something clear: He loves America.

After a series of incidents that prompted questions about his patriotism, the Democratic presidential candidate is peppering speeches with explicit statements on his love of country.

... Such patriotic statements could be an effort to reassure voters wondering about whether he truly loves the country.

Will post-Clinton camp shake-up reduce attacks on Obama?

After the latest shake-up of her inner circle, Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign will focus more intently on spreading a positive message about her and will be less aggressive in attacking rival Barack Obama, Democratic insiders say...

John Kerry stumps for Obama

Obama takes 23-point lead in North Carolina

Obama 56, Clinton 33

Ralph Nader... today's headlines with excerpts