Obama team weighs Nunn, Edwards as running mates

clipped from news.aol.com Former presidential candidate John Edwards and former Georgia Sen. Sam Nunn are on a list of potential running mates for Democrat Barack Obama, according to a Michigan congresswoman. Rep. Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick, who leads the Congressional Black Caucus, said Thursday members of her caucus suggested the two at a meeting with the officials vetting candidates. The vetting team, Caroline Kennedy and Eric Holder, indicated the two were on the list. Cheeks Kilpatrick said, "Former Sen. Sam Nunn's name has come up, as well as John Edwards' name has come up among our CBC members. I reported that to them and they had both of those names on their list."

Americans drive 4.5 billion fewer miles in April

Interesting trend. It will be interesting to see how this effects oil imports and retail sales in the months ahead.

clipped from www.breitbart.com Americans drove around 4.5 billion fewer miles in April compared with the same month last year, marking the lowest mileage clocked on US roads for the month since 2003, a report showed Thursday. The Federal Highway Administration (FHA) said in its monthly report that the number of vehicle miles driven in the United States fell by 1.8 percent, to 245.9 billion, based on preliminary data from the state highway authorities across the United States.

Obama's The Country I Love

clipped from my.barackobama.com

Obama opts out of public campaign finance system

clipped from news.yahoo.com Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama said Thursday he'll bypass the federal public financing system in the general election, abandoning an earlier commitment to take the money if his Republican rival did as well. Richardson on Obama VP prospects, Clintons AP Obama: No public financing CNN

Google Maps mashups

If you've been following politics (or our blog) closely this year, you may have seen some Google Maps mashups from the Iowa Caucus, Super Tuesday, and the US state primaries--including an extra special primary map in Pennsylvania. We've recently discovered several other elections map mashups on the web that are just as interestingand we couldn't help but share.

clipped from google-latlong.blogspot.com In order to better showcase these maps to you, we've created a Google Maps Elections Gallery that will serve as a collection of the best political maps mashups during the US campaign season. Here's a sneak peek at what's inside: Primary Results: Take a look back in time as you view the final outcome of the United States primaries. Check results down to the county level and measure how close the final votes were between democratic candidates Clinton and Obama. Fundrace: The Huffington Post brings you a map that tracks campaign donors by party, candidate, and location. Already have the Earth API plug-in installed? Try switching on the Earth mode for an even richer experience! Campaign Trail: A one-stop shop that showcases each candidate's next campaign stop. you now have the opportunity to further engage yourself (and your readers) with the 2008 elections by adding any of these maps to your site.

McCain: 45 new nuclear reactors by 2030

clipped from www.msnbc.msn.com Sen. John McCain called Wednesday for the construction of 45 new nuclear reactors by 2030 and pledged $2 billion a year in federal funds "to make clean coal a reality," measures designed to reduce dependence on foreign oil.

Obama promises tuition tax credit

clipped from www.msnbc.msn.com Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama recalled paying off his own mountain of student loan debt and promised struggling college students Tuesday he would help them pay for school. Obama said he would give students a $4,000 tax credit to help pay tuition and fees in exchange for 100 hours of community service. The campaign said the program would cost $10 billion a year. "You get a hand living your dreams, and then you help your fellow citizens live theirs," the Illinois senator told a small group of students in a courtyard at Wayne County Community College. He listened as they told stories of balancing family demands, high fuel prices and school costs.

DNC wants McCain investigated

clipped from www.msnbc.msn.com WASHINGTON - Democratic Party officials plan to file a new lawsuit to compel federal regulators to investigate whether Sen. John McCain violated election laws by withdrawing from public financing. The Democratic National Committee announced Tuesday it will sue next week in U.S. District Court. It will ask the court to order the Federal Election Commission to examine, within 30 days, the legality of McCain's decision to reject $5.8 million taxpayer funds. By turning down the money, the presumed Republican nominee was able avoid strict spending limits between now and the GOP's national convention in September.

Michelle Obama preps for general election close-up

clipped from www.cnn.com Michelle Obama, wife of Sen. Barack Obama, is honing her message for the fall, aides say. "Michelle wrote her own stump (speech). And you know, she's refining it now I think as we're going into the general election," said senior Obama adviser Valerie Jarrett. Her new speeches will include more details about her family and humble upbringing on Chicago's South Side, aides said. Michelle Obama graduated from Harvard Law School, was a vice president at the University of Chicago and landed a job as a health care executive making $275,000 a year.

Be honest, we all wish to be VIPs

Count me in.

clipped from www.cnn.com We are a nation that loves anything VIP. Come on, don't sit there and try to be so righteous. If you had an opportunity to be a part of the program, you would jump at it. OK, fine. Let's do something on a smaller scale. Do you remember when you were in high school and you found out that you had a buddy working at the movie theatre, your first thought had to be, "Cool! I get to get in free!" Ever been to a club and you were one of the unfortunate folks standing behind the velvet rope? It must burn you up to see these flashy folks walk to the front of the line and have the beefy security guard, who unceremoniously turned you away, welcome them with open arms. That, folks, is the VIP treatment. And no one standing in that line likes it. But in their minds they are saying, "Now what do I need to do to be like them?"

Over One Million Supporters on Facebook

clipped from my.barackobama.com Today we crossed an important threshold: one million supporters for Barack Obama on Facebook.  The Obama page has by far more supporters than any other page – whether it’s a politician, celebrity, or band – on all of Facebook.

WNC for Obama, Part 1: It Started with a Click...

clipped from my.barackobama.com This is the first installment of a multi-part series that takes an in-depth look at the creation and evolution of a grassroots group, from it's humble beginnings as a local discussion group to its eventual role as a key component of the campaign's ground game. We'll look at the challenges they faced, the lessons they learned, the keys to their success and the role they hope to play in the general election in November.

Bush to Congress: Embrace energy exploration now

clipped from news.yahoo.com "There is no excuse for delay," the president said in a statement in the Rose Garden. With the presidential election just months away, Bush made a pointed attack on Democrats, accusing them of obstructing his energy proposals and blaming them for high gasoline costs. His proposal echoed a call by Republican presidential candidate John McCain to open the Continental Shelf for exploration Congressional Democrats were quick to reject the push for lifting the drilling moratorium, saying oil companies already have 68 million acres offshore waters under lease that are not being developed.

Battle of the Spouses: A Bit Better for Obama

clipped from abcnews.go.com In the battle of the spouses the early edge is Michelle Obama's, in favorable views and intensity of sentiment alike. But there are sharp differences among groups, and plenty of room to move for the less well-known Cindy McCain. Forty-eight percent of Americans in a new ABC News/Washington Post poll see Obama favorably, vs. 39 percent for McCain, a 9-point Obama advantage. Slightly more, though, also view Obama unfavorably – 29 percent vs. McCain's 25 percent. Click here for a PDF with charts and full questionnaire.

Democratic Convention Host Lagging on Funds

clipped from www.washingtonpost.com The committee that will host the Democratic National Convention announced this week that it is $10 million short of the $40.6 million it promised to raise by mid-June. Organizers of the Denver 2008 host committee blame the sluggish economy, the city's limited corporate base and the distraction of the long Democratic primary fight, which Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) won less than two weeks ago.

White House May Keep Documents in E-Mail Flap Private, Judge Rules

clipped from www.washingtonpost.com Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton has scheduled her first appearance with Sen. Barack Obama since the end of the Democratic nomination fight, a joint meeting with some of her top contributors next week at the Mayflower Hotel, officials from both camps confirmed yesterday. Clinton h as not appeared in public since endorsing her rival on June 7, going on vacation after that. But her finance director, Jonathan Mantz, has reportedly been working overtime to arrange the introduction of some of Clinton's fundraisers to Obama.

White House May Keep Documents in E-Mail Flap Private, Judge Rules

clipped from www.washingtonpost.com The White House does not have to make public internal documents examining the potential disappearance of e-mails sent during some of the Bush administration's biggest controversies, a U.S. district judge ruled yesterday. In a 39-page opinion, Colleen Kollar-Kotelly said that the White House's Office of Administration is not subject to the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), even though its top officials had complied with the public records law for more than two decades.

Staying in Iraq May Not Be an Option

clipped from news.aol.com The next President of the United States may not have the option of staying in Iraq because at the end of this year the U.N. mandated security agreement that legitimates the presence of coalition forces in Iraq will expire and if things keep going the way they're going, nothing will replace the current arrangement. Over the weekend, CNN's Michael Ware reported from Baghdad about the very real possibility that the Iraqi government will be dictating the terms by which American soldiers are allowed to operate in Iraq before the next president is inaugurated.