Olberman on Bush Press Conference

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/23398815#23398815

Green Zone Attacked

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23303369

McCain Contradicts Self Relative To Relationship With Lobbyist

http://www.newsweek.com/id/114505

One Dead In US Embassy/Serbia

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23277147

Kerry, Biden, Hagel Plane Makes Emergency Landing In Afghanistan

http://rawstory.com/news/2008/Senators_copter_makes_emergency_landing_in_0221.html

Satellite May Be Shot Down On Wed.?

http://www.rawstory.com/news/mochila/Satellite_shootdown_could_be_Wednes_02192008.html

New Laser Technique May Detect Diseases By Breath Analysis

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23239066/wid/11915773?GT1=10914

Obama Wins Wisconsin

This is so difficult. I like both of them. I think it may be time for Hillary to give it up. Obama is on a roll and she has to win really big in upcoming elections to have a chance. But at least, Democrats are voting between two candidates that they like, while most Republicans I talk to say that they have to hold their nose while they vote this year, as they have not been overwhelmed by any of their choices.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23232655?GT1=10856

Castro Resigns

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23229795?GT1=10856

PA Bill Would Give Doctors Immunity For Religious/Moral Reasons

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/s_549608.html

McCain Says He Won't Raise Taxes

Well, then how does he expect to continue the war in Iraq for 100 years?

Who's Your Candidate-A Test That Matches You Up

Good Grief! I am on the same page as Mike Gravel. Obama second.

http://www.wqad.com/Global/link.asp?L=259460

Kosovo Declares Independance

What The Heck Are Superdelegates?

I have never heard of this term before. Apparently, some magical people with votes that are more important than ours, get to break a neck and neck race within the Democratic party. Reaks of backdoor politics. Republicans don't have superdelegates. They finally got something right.

Superdelegates are members of the Democratic National Committee, members of Congress, governors, and distinguised party leaders. I am not sure what category that pimply, just out of his teens guy who has been making the rounds on talk shows comes from.

Superdelegates make up 20% of the overall delegates in the event they are used...a really big chunk of votes. It is estimated that Clinton currently has the support of 234 supedelegates, while Obama has the support of 156, with the remaining 400 being undecided. But that could change with the wind. Delegates can change their support at any time. And in this election, it looks like their votes may go to the candidate they think is most likely to beat McCain, rather than the Candidate they personally feel is best. Yes, backdoor politics at it's finest.

Clinton On The Issues

More Information Can Be Found Here:

http://clinton.senate.gov/issues/education/

Foreign Policy:

"I believe that we must bring an end to the war in Iraq. As the first New York Senator to serve on the Senate Armed Services Committee, I remain focused on the many challenges we face there. I have urged the Bush Administration to end the failed policy in Iraq that forces our troops to police a civil war. And I am working hard in the Senate to advance a strategy to redeploy our troops out of Iraq as quickly and as safely as possible."

"Israel ’s right to exist, and exist in safety, should never be put into question. Israel is confronting many of the toughest challenges in its history, in a neighborhood that is less secure than ever. It is vital that we stand by our friend and our ally and that we stand by our own values. We need to continue to insist that any Palestinian government renounce terrorism and recognize Israel’s right to exist. As events unfold, we need to be prepared to resume America’s indispensable role in working with the Israelis and the Palestinians to find a just and lasting resolution to the conflict."

Environment:

"The scientific consensus on climate change is increasingly clear: unless we act to reduce emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases, the planet will continue to warm over the next century, with widespread and potentially devastating effects. These potential effects include more frequent extreme weather events, and the wider spread of diseases such as West Nile, Eastern Equine Encephalitis, and malaria."

"I firmly believe that a strong, balanced national energy policy is a key to strong economic and environmental policies as well. We need a policy that promotes the use of energy efficient technologies and alternative and renewable sources and increases energy production without disturbing precious natural resources, such as the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Our energy policy must also improve the reliability of our electricity transmission grid, protect the public's health from harmful air emissions, and create jobs."

Economy:

"For generations, our manufacturing sector has been the backbone of the American economy. Manufacturing jobs built our great Middle Class and allowed millions of families to live the American Dream and create a better life for their children. Unfortunately, we’ve seen a significant erosion of our manufacturing base. We’ve lost over 3 million manufacturing jobs over the last seven years. We need to take steps to improve our manufacturing base and utilize our nation’s strategic advantages in innovation, productivity and capital investment to renew our manufacturing sector’s strength."

"Throughout our nation’s history, the labor movement has been committed to the values that make America strong. Labor’s contributions to this country are seen on a daily basis. Be it in construction and repair, in maintenance and manufacturing or in professional emergency medical services and shipbuilding -- the list of how labor impacts the United States is endless. I am proud to champion the causes of the labor movement as we share a goal of improving the lives of America’s working families. Supporting the labor movement is supporting causes ranging from collective bargaining and job security and work-place safety to reliable pensions and a proper balance between work and family responsibilities."

Homeland Security:

"The first responsibility of all federal officials is to secure the homeland and keep our nation safe. After the horrific attacks of September 11th, it was obvious to most Americans that our intelligence services were in need of a dramatic overhaul and reorganization. The families of the victims of September 11th showed courage and persistence in working with the Congress to ensure that the 9/11 Commission’s recommendations were put into law and I was pleased that last December, at the very the end of the 108th Congress, we passed the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004. This bill made historic changes in the way our government collects and analyzes intelligence. It created a Director of National Intelligence, ensuring that there is a high level official, answerable to the President, whose primary responsibility is to ensure that our intelligence agencies are sharing information and communicating with one another. It also called for dramatic improvements in the security of our nation's transportation infrastructure, including aviation security, air cargo security, and port security. Through this legislation, the security of the Northern Border will also be improved – a goal I have worked toward since 2001. The bill also included a number of key immigration reform provisions, including those addressing the process of obtaining United States visas."

Obama On the Issues

More Information Can Be Found Here:
http://www.ontheissues.org/Barack_Obama.htm

Foreign Policy:

Never negotiate out of fear, and never fear to negotiate. (Jan 2008)

Ok to postpone Pakistani elections, but not indefinitely. (Dec 2007)

Pakistan crisis: secure nukes; continue with elections. (Dec 2007)

President must abide by international human rights treaties. (Dec 2007)

Obama Doctrine: ideology has overridden facts and reality. (Dec 2007)

China is a competitor but not an enemy. (Dec 2007)

Willing to meet with Fidel Castro, Kim Jung Il & Hugo Chavez. (Nov 2007)

Wrote 2006 law stabilizing Congo with $52M. (Oct 2007)

No Obama Doctrine; just democracy, security, liberty. (Oct 2007)

Invest in our relationship with Mexico. (Sep 2007)

Strengthen NATO to face 21st-century threats. (Aug 2007)

$50B annually to strengthen weak states at risk of collapse. (Aug 2007)

No "strategic ambiguity" on foreign policy issues. (Aug 2007)

No-fly zone in Darfur; but pay attention more in Africa. (Jun 2007)

Europe & Japan are allies, but China is a competitor. (Apr 2007)

Palestinian people suffer-but from not recognizing Israel. (Apr 2007)

Protested South African apartheid while at college. (Feb 2007)

Focus on corruption to improve African development. (Oct 2006)

Supports Israel's self-defense; but distrusted by Israelis. (Oct 2006)

Visited Africa in 2006; encouraged HIV testing & research. (Oct 2006)

Never has US had so much power & so little influence to lead. (Jul 2004)

US policy should promote democracy and human rights. (Jul 2004)

Abortion:

Expand access to contraception; reduce unintended pregnancy. (Feb 2008)

Rated 100% by NARAL on pro-choice votes in 2005, 2006 & 2007. (Jan 2008)

Voted against banning partial birth abortion. (Oct 2007)

Stem cells hold promise to cure 70 major diseases. (Aug 2007)

Trust women to make own decisions on partial-birth abortion. (Apr 2007)

Extend presumption of good faith to abortion protesters. (Oct 2006)

Constitution is a living document; no strict constructionism. (Oct 2006)

Pass the Stem Cell Research Bill. (Jun 2004)

Protect a woman's right to choose. (May 2004)

Supports Roe v. Wade. (Jul 1998)

Voted YES on expanding research to more embryonic stem cell lines. (Apr 2007)

Voted NO on notifying parents of minors who get out-of-state abortions. (Jul 2006)

Voted YES on $100M to reduce teen pregnancy by education & contraceptives. (Mar 2005)

Rated 0% by the NRLC, indicating a pro-choice stance. (Dec 2006)

Budget and Economy:

Protect consumers with Credit Card Bill of Rights. (Feb 2008)

More accountability in subprime mortgages. (Feb 2008)

Bush stimulus plan leaves out seniors & unemployed. (Jan 2008)

Voted against limiting credit to 30%, because 30% too high. (Jan 2008)

Account for every single dollar for new proposed programs. (Jan 2008)

Help the homeowners actually living in their homes. (Jan 2008)

Bankruptcy bill pushed by banks (Jan 2008)

Lack of an energy policy is a financial burden. (Jan 2008)

Bush & GOP dug budget hole; need years to dig out. (Dec 2007)

Save $150 billion in tax cuts for people who don't need them. (Dec 2007)

Take China "to the mat" about currency manipulation. (Dec 2007)

Rejects free market vision of government. (Oct 2007)

Regulate financial instruments to protect home mortgages. (Aug 2007)

Return to PayGo: compensate for all new spending. (Oct 2006)

Bush's economic policies are not working. (May 2004)

Supports federal programs to protect rural economy. (May 2004)

Voted NO on paying down federal debt by rating programs' effectiveness. (Mar 2007)

Voted NO on $40B in reduced federal overall spending. (Dec 2005)

Corporations:

Cap the farm subsidies for Fortune 500 companies. (Dec 2007)

End tax breaks for companies that send jobs overseas. (Aug 2007)

Hold corporations responsible for pensions & work conditions. (Aug 2007)

Tax incentives for corporate responsibility. (Jun 2004)

Close tax loopholes for US companies relocating abroad. (Jun 2004)

REAL USA Plan: Reward companies that create domestic jobs. (Jun 2004)

Voted YES on repealing tax subsidy for companies which move US jobs offshore. (Mar 2005)

Voted NO on reforming bankruptcy to include means-testing & restrictions. (Mar 2005)

Education:
Children's First Agenda: zero to five early education. (Feb 2008)

$4,000 college tuition for 100 hours' public service a year. (Feb 2008)

Put billions of dollars into early childhood education. (Jan 2008)

Need after-school and summer programs with good parenting. (Jan 2008)

Get parents re-engaged in educating the children. (Dec 2007)

We need a sense of urgency about improving education system. (Sep 2007)

Nationwide program to reconstruct crumbling school buildings. (Sep 2007)

STEP UP: summer learning opportunities for disadvantaged. (Aug 2007)

We left the money behind for No Child Left Behind. (Aug 2007)

Pay "master teachers" extra, but with buy-in from teachers. (Aug 2007)

Sends kids to private school; but wants good schools for all. (Jul 2007)

Supreme Court was wrong on school anti-integration ruling. (Jul 2007)

Incentives to hire a million teachers over next decade. (Jun 2007)

Pay teachers more money & treat them like professionals. (Jun 2007)

Public school system status quo is indefensible. (Oct 2006)

More teacher pay in exchange for more teacher accountability. (Oct 2006)

Guarantee affordable life-long, top-notch education. (Jun 2006)

Provide decent funding and get rid of anti-intellectualism. (Jul 2004)

Address the growing achievement gap between students. (May 2004)

Will add 25,000 teachers in high-need areas. (May 2004)

Supports charter schools and private investment in schools. (Jul 1998)

Free public college for any student with B-average. (Jul 1998)

Energy and Oil:

Reduce carbon emissions by 80% by 2050. (Feb 2008)

FactCheck: Self-contradictory on Bush's clean-energy plan. (Jan 2008)

Reduce the consumption of energy and be more efficient. (Jan 2008)

Aggressively address accelerating climate change. (Dec 2007)

Fuel efficiency and Middle East stability help on fuel costs. (Oct 2007)

Nuclear power ok if we safeguard against waste & terrorism. (Sep 2007)

Explore nuclear power as part of alternative energy mix. (Jul 2007)

Cap-and-trade carbon emissions; raise CAFE standard. (Jun 2007)

Stop sending $800M a day to Mideast dictators for oil. (Mar 2007)

Wants Detroit to build more hybrids & use more ethanol. (Oct 2006)

We cannot drill our way out of our addiction to oil. (Oct 2006)

3-way win: economy, environment, & stop funding terror. (Jun 2006)

Cap-and-trade is more specific on reducing greenhouse gases. (Jan 2006)

Conserve, develop alternative fuels, increase efficiencies. (Oct 2004)

Sponsored legislations that improve energy efficiency. (Sep 2004)

20% nation's power supply from renewable sources by 2020. (Sep 2004)

20% renewable energy by 2020. (Jul 2004)

Invest in alternative energy sources. (Jun 2004)

Increase CAFE to 40 mpg. (Jun 2004)

Tradable credits for renewable energy. (Jun 2004)

Renewable Fuels Standard: require ethanol in fuel supply. (May 2004)