Presidential Campaign

I thoughts Fred Thompson's responses were substantive, candid and optimistic. He showed himself more than capable for the road ahead. He demonstrated a command of the issues, domestic and international. He was unafraid of speaking plainly of the generational challenges we face, and discussing his approach to solving our most difficult problems.

As they prepare to spend millions of dollars in re-election campaigns, members of Congress should be asking themselves “Do I want to be Christine Jennings? Read more...

Actor/director/producer Rob Reiner tells volunteers how to be more convincing in this campaign ad, released Tuesday by Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's (D-N.Y.) '08 presidential campaign.

Reiner has directed, produced, and appeared in television and film since the 1960s. He directed "The American President," and appeared in "Primary Colors," the film version of a book based on Bill Clinton's first presidential run.

Reiner has given money to both Clinton and former Sen. John Edwards (D-N.C.) in their bids for the '08 presidential nomination, according to The Hill's examination of Federal Election Commission filing reports.

Former Sen. Mike Gravel (D-Alaska) answers a question submitted though his campaign website as to why he said, in a September Democratic debate, that credit card companies deserved to get "stuck" with his $90,000 of debt when he declared bankruptcy.

Gravel says the bankrupted credit cards had been used for The Democracy Foundation, a group Gravel founded, and not for personal expenditures. Gravel cites undergoing several medical operations in one year as a precipitating cause, and says he may have answered the original question too glibly for the well-paid debate host, Tim Russert.

Gravel says he has impoverished himself over the years in support of The Democracy Foundation, adding that he does not own any property. According to Gravel, Presidents Harry Truman and Thomas Jefferson both, like Gravel, were bankrupt at one point.

Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman, Jr. (R) says why he thinks Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) should be president in this ad, released Saturday by McCain's '08 presidential campaign.

The ad is geared toward Michigan voters, bearing the title "Bold Solutions for Michigan" on McCain's YouTube channel.

Huntsman, 47, says that, for his generation, two people stand out as visionaries -- President Ronald Reagan and McCain.

GOP presidential hopeful Mitt Romney released a new radio ad Friday, saying he is "the only major candidate for president" to sign a pledge not to raise taxes.

Romney signed the pledge, offered by the group Americans for Tax Reform (ATR), December 31, 2006. The pledge was signed by each of the last three GOP presidential nominees -- former President George H.W. Bush, former Kansas Sen. Bob Dole, and current President George W. Bush -- during their campaigns.

Five other '08 GOP presidential hopefuls have also signed the pledge: Sen. Sam Brownback (Kansas), former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, Rep. Duncan Hunter (Calif.), Rep. Ron Paul (Texas), and Rep. Tom Tancredo (Colo.). Former Virginia Gov. Jim Gilmore, who has since renounced his candidacy, also signed.

Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.) stumps for her fellow Illinoisan Sen. Barack Obama (D) in this video for Obama's '08 presidential campaign, calling the senator "courageous" for denouncing the Iraq war in his '05 Senate run.

Schakowsky says Obama "was able to cut through all of, really, the propaganda that was being thrown at us" in the buildup to the invasion of Iraq.

Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) released a new campaign ad Thursday, suggesting her push for universal healthcare would outlast those of other candidates in the '08 presidential race.

In the ad, a narrator touts Clinton's record of healthcare advocacy for children, 9/11 ground zero workers, and National Guard and Reserve members. The narrator then asks: "Now that almost every candidate's standing for healthcare for all, which one do you think will never back down?"

Heritage's Mike Franc says social issues may drive a wedge between Republicans.

James Denton, who plays plumber Mike Delfino on ABC's "Desperate Housewives," has endorsed former N.C. Sen. John Edwards (D) in the '08 presidential race. Denton campaigned with Edwards' eldest daughter Cate at the University of Iowa over the weekend.

In this video, Denton says he is "desperate" for "the kind of change John Edwards is offering."

"If you're as desperate as I am for change, please join us today," Denton says. "Make a donation, aything you can afford -- help keep John in this fight."