Saturday, June 21, 2008
The latest developments on the campaign trail:
Barack Obama on Friday dismissed rival John McCain’s proposal to allow offshore drilling as an election-year conversion, arguing that it will not lower gas prices for families “this year, next year, five years from now.” The likely Democratic nominee pledged to keep in place the federal government’s 27-year moratorium on offshore drilling and criticized McCain on changing his position on the matter.
In a cross-border political attack, McCain said Friday that Obama’s opposition to the North American Free Trade Agreement is “nothing more than retreating behind protectionist walls.” McCain added that if he wins the White House, “have no doubt that America will honor its international commitments — and we will expect the same of others.”
Obama’s campaign announced Friday that he will campaign with former rival Hillary Rodham Clinton next week, a step toward unifying a fractured Democratic Party after a bruising primary fight. Obama’s campaign said in a brief e-mail that the two senators and former opponents will campaign together for the first time Friday, and more details would be forthcoming.
Mayor Michael Bloomberg urged Jewish voters to denounce the whisper campaign that for months has pushed the false rumor that Obama is secretly a Muslim. Bloomberg, mentioned as a possible vice presidential candidate for both parties, warned a Jewish group in Boca Raton, Fla., on Friday that the attempt to portray Obama as a shadowy Muslim with a hidden agenda often targets Jewish voters online and with e-mails.
Republican Sen. Chuck Hagel said Friday he would consider serving as Obama’s running mate if asked, but he doesn’t expect to be on any ticket. Hagel’s vocal criticism of the Bush administration since the 2003 invasion of Iraq has touched off speculation that if Obama were to pick a Republican running mate, it might be Hagel.
Source: Associated Press