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Paul Streitz has decided to call Sarah Palin by her real name, because she endorsed John McCain (who is trying to win a fifth term as Senator) and said she will campaign for him. Fanatic Palinites, such as the editors of the misnamed „conservatives4palin.com” website (they should rename it „liberals4palin.com”), lambasted him and called him a “backstabber”. “If Paul Streitz’s support of Governor Palin is contingent upon his agreeing with every decision she makes or her selling out her deeply-held values, that’s unfortunate. While all support is appreciated, the governor has never been for sale. Ask the Alaska establishment, who...

For months Democrats, including President Obama, courted Senator Olympia J. Snowe, Republican of Maine, hoping to win her vote for major health care legislation. And now that the legislation is stalled, following the Republican victory in the Massachusetts special election on Tuesday, Ms. Snowe said she tried to warn Democrats, including Mr. Obama, that they were pushing too hard too fast. “It really is a reflection of the country, frankly, and having to build the right consensus and not overreaching with very expansive policy,” Ms. Snowe said of the outcome in Massachusetts. “I am not surprised in what occurred on...

Gay rights supporters in California say they have found an unlikely ally in Cindy McCain, the wife of Republican Sen. John McCain of Arizona, who lent her name this week to the cause of same-sex marriage. McCain’s support comes as Proposition 8 proponents and opponents battle over the constitutionality of California’s ban on gay marriage in San Francisco federal court. The ad features McCain, right hand over her heart, wind rustling her blond locks, with “No H8” written on her cheek and silver duct tape over her mouth. “To have the wife of a Republican presidential candidate really turns everything...

Sen. John McCain (R) has known from an early stage that he could face a tough primary in his bid for re-election this year, and acted on it. He already launched radio ads touting his effort to block President Obama's "extreme left wing crusade." And just this week, Sen.-elect Scott Brown (R) recorded robocalls that went out to voters in Arizona. Now, a Rasmussen poll (502 LVs, 1/20, MoE +/- 4.5%) shows the Maverick just over 50 percent in a potential matchup against former Rep. JD Hayworth -- not the best position for an incumbent to be, but an improvement...

As Sen. John McCain readies for a potential primary challenge from the right this fall, the Arizona Republican is playing his trump card. Sarah Palin, McCain's former running mate and perhaps the most powerful brand in Republican politics, will stump for McCain in Arizona on March 26 and 27, a Palin adviser told CNN. The presence of Palin - and the considerable crowds and media attention she will draw - might give pause to J.D. Hayworth, the former Republican congressman and radio host who opposes McCain's position on illegal immigration and is mulling a Senate run of his own.

Washington (CNN) – As Sen. John McCain readies for a potential primary challenge from the right this fall, the Arizona Republican is playing his trump card. Sarah Palin, McCain's former running mate and perhaps the most powerful brand in Republican politics, will stump for McCain in Arizona on March 26 and 27, a Palin adviser told CNN. The presence of Palin - and the considerable crowds and media attention she will draw - might give pause to J.D. Hayworth, the former Republican congressman and radio host who opposes McCain's position on illegal immigration and is mulling a Senate run of...

Former Gov. Sarah Palin will announce today that she's hitting the campaign trail for Republicans -- including her former running mate John McCain. Palin, who did not campaign in last year's governor's races or in yesterday's Senate race in Massachusetts, has committed to contests in three states, including two Republican primaries, an aide said. She'll campaign in Texas for Gov. Rick Perry, who faces a primary challenge from Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison; she'll appear in Arizona for Senator John McCain, who faces a challenge from the right; and she'll appear in Minnesota for Rep. Michelle Bachmann, a conservative firebrand who...

The GW College Republicans have withdrawn their financial support from Meghan McCain's upcoming appearance at GW, after claims that the Allied in Pride president was not forthcoming about the topic of McCain's speech. Michael Komo, president of Allied in Pride, told The Hatchet last week that McCain would be appearing as the keynote speaker of their annual "Marriage Equality Week" in February, but the CR leadership claims they were not aware of this when they were asked for their financial support. McCain, an outspoken advocate for gay rights, is the daughter of former Republican presidential nominee Sen. John McCain. "Our...

Meghan McCain, daughter of the former Republican presidential candidate, Sen. John McCain, will be the keynote speaker of Allied in Pride's "Marriage Equality Week." At an event called "Redefining Republican: No Labels, No Boxes, No Stereotypes" on Feb. 9, McCain is expected to speak about the future of the Republican party. A columnist for The Daily Beast and author of a forthcoming book, she has written publicly in support of gay marriage. "She's a different type of Republican," said Michael Komo, president of Allied in Pride. "We thought her input would be helpful on the subject of marriage and the...

Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) is heading for a collision with Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) over whose pet issue will get top billing in the Senate later this year. Schumer is taking a lead role in immigration — and is pushing Democrats to prioritize a potentially toxic issue leading up to the November elections. Kerry is a lead negotiator on climate change and is demanding that a climate bill get pushed to the front of the line. Kerry and Schumer — who have a history of competitive tensions — are maneuvering behind the scenes to get White House and Senate leadership...

CLEMSON — Once you got past the citizens with bullhorns and politically savvy signs, opposition to Sen. Lindsey Graham continued inside The Brooks Center on Tuesday evening. The South Carolina Republican came to Clemson to host a town hall-style meeting with the public, and ended up greeting a mixed bag of political opinions. After outlining the importance of health care reform on the heels of competition rather than a monopoly, a strong support of conflict laws in the military and less dependency on foreign oil, the floor opened to those wishing to address Graham and his policies. While the senator...

Sen. Lindsey Graham is ready to be the 60th Senate vote to get the climate change and energy bill passed, he told a Midlands audience Tuesday at Harbison State Forest. “Since they’ve got no Republicans but me, business is open,” Graham said. Graham has been criticized by his own party for pursuing bipartisan resolutions on such issues as illegal immigration and possible filibusters of judicial nominees. And he believes that the cap-and-trade bills being debated this year are another occasion to do so, he told the audience at a forestry conference hosted by the S.C. Wildlife Federation. He said he...

U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham said a Lexington County Republican Party vote to censure him was engineered by libertarians within the party more concerned about ideological purity than with growing the GOP or with effective public policy. Graham said the 13-7 vote to censure him was engineered by supporters of U.S. Rep. Ron Paul, a Texas Republican who ran for president in 2008. Paul is a libertarian who favors strict limits on government authority. “I have tried my best to be a conservative that can grow and build this party,” Graham said, noting his efforts to reach out to African Americans...

(CNN) – Jim Greer, the embattled chairman of the Republican Party of Florida, will resign Tuesday, two sources close to the party confirm to CNN. Greer will discuss his decision with members of the Republican State Executive Committee around noon, and will hold a conference call with reporters at 1 p.m. ET. The longtime ally of Gov. Charlie Crist has been under fire for his management of party money and his involvement in contested primaries. Critics of the chairman - including backers of Marco Rubio, Crist's conservative rival for the GOP Senate nomination - have been demanding his ouster for...

(CNN) - The Lexington County Republican Party in South Carolina voted late Monday to censure Sen. Lindsey Graham for his positions on several controversial issues, including his recent support for a compromise on cap-and-trade legislation. The Lexington GOP is now the second county party organization in a matter of months to censure Graham after Charleston County leaders approved a similar resolution in November. But unlike Charleston County, Lexington is one of the most conservative counties in South Carolina and is considered a bellwether of Republican sentiment in the state. The measure passed by a 13-7 vote after more than an...

BOSTON (AP) — Sen. John McCain has endorsed Massachusetts Senate candidate Scott Brown, saying the Republican offers the best solutions to overcome the recession and face down threats to national security. The 2008 Republican nominee for president said Sunday that Brown has worked to cut spending and keep taxes low. Arizona’s senior senator says Brown’s experience as an officer in the Army National Guard also helps him understand the need for a strong military and protecting U.S. interests around the world.

McCain responded by saying immigrants were taking jobs nobody else wanted. He offered anybody in the crowd $50 an hour to pick lettuce in Arizona. Shouts of protest rose from the crowd, with some accepting McCain’s job offer. “I’ll take it!� one man shouted. McCain insisted none of them would do such menial labor for a complete season. “You can’t do it, my friends.� Some in the crowd said they didn’t appreciate McCain questioning their work ethic.

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WASHINGTON (AFP) — Three senior US senators on Tuesday called on President Barack Obama to stop transferring Guantanamo detainees to Yemen until Sanaa can guarantee that they will not return to the battlefield. Senators John McCain, Lindsey Graham and Joseph Lieberman -- the first two Republicans and the third a political independent -- said that such transfers are "highly unwise and ill-considered." Close to half of the 198 "war on terror" detainees still at the US prison in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba -- which Obama has vowed to close -- are from Yemen. The senators wrote to express their "deep concern"...

Washington (CNN) – Although he called the Senate health care bill a "budget buster," Republican Sen. John Cornyn said Tuesday that there are some parts of it that he can get behind. The Texas lawmaker told CNN's Suzanne Malveaux that "there are some good things about the (health care) bill," like some wellness and prevention initiatives, delivery system reforms and requiring insurance companies to cover people with pre-existing conditions. "Absolutely. There's bipartisan support for eliminating the pre-existing conditions exclusion," Cornyn said.