Dayton International Airport:

On the day when Barack Obama is to make his historic speech accepting the democratic nomination for president, the media descended on the small Dayton International Airport to wait the arrival of John McCain.  The speculation was running fast and furious on who the pick might be after Carl broke the news that Rick Davis, McCain campaign manager, confirmed that John McCain had made his decision….

No leaking of who…just that the decision was made……The Vice Presidential pick will join John McCain at a rally at noon Friday at the Nutter Center in Dayton, Oh.

Sen. McCain responds to Obama’s red state strategy, hits the Democrat as a hypocrite and continues his assault on Obama as a “liberal, doctrinaire Democrat” in today’s interview with Carl Cameron.

PART II

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SEE PART I HERE…

WASHINGTON, D.C. — In an interview with Carl Cameron today, Sen. McCain introduced some new pushback to Sen. Obama’s assertion that the GOPer represents a Bush third term. The presumptive Republican nominee instead argues that the Illinois Democrat is promoting policies that would mean a second term for President Carter.

“You know one of his favorite phrases is that I would be a Bush third term. Well I think maybe his proposals could be a Carter second term,” McCain told Fox.

WATCH PART I OF THE INTERVIEW:

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SEE ALSO PART II

John McCain complimented current New York Mayor Mike Bloomberg’s education plan–fixing a system that was “clearly broken.” Paging Rudy Giuliani?

The former NYC mayor was up next to discuss education but ignored McCain’s remarks.

The Romney campaign will air a negative ad against Iowa frontrunner Governor Mike Huckabee beginning tomorrow. The campaign calls it a “contrast ad” and it will point out the differences between Romney’s record on immigration and Huckabee’s.

The Romney strategy to win relies on a victory in Iowa and New Hampshire and riding that momentum to the GOP nomination. But, with the former Arkansas governor surging in the polls the campaign has decided to turn to negative television ads.

Press Secretary Eric Fehrnstrom released a statement with the commercial, “Mitt Romney has a record as governor opposing illegal immigration. Mike Huckabee has a different record of supporting ‘discounted’ tuition benefits and amnesty for illegal immigrants. We think it’s fair to point out those differences.”

The ad begins by comparing Romney and Huckabee favorably, “Two former governors. . .two good family men. . .Both pro-life. . .both support a constitutional amendment protecting traditional marriage. . .” The ad then takes a negative tone pointing out their differences on immigration, focusing on Huckabee’s support for tuition discounts for the children of illegal aliens.

Huckabee’s defense is that he doesn’t believe children should pay for the sins of their parents and has said that America is a better country than that. The campaign responded to the ad:

“We’re disappointed that Governor Romney favors smearing his fellow Republicans as his primary campaign strategy. But the voters in Iowa are too savvy to fall for such desperate tactics.”

The McCain campaign was quick to issue a scathing statement, even before the Huckabee camp responded:

“News that Mitt Romney will launch a new attack ad tomorrow is another move by a campaign that continues to insult Iowa voters. . . Governor Romney has flip-flopped on several major issues that voters care about. It’s particularly amazing that Governor Romney would attack anyone on immigration when he’s on his third position.”

The release of the ad comes one day after the Univision debate in Miami where the majority of the questions tossed to the candidates focused on immigration. Romney stuck to the same wording on immigration he uses on the campaign trail, but delivered it in a much softer tone than the fiery rhetoric he usually delivers on the stump.

In the first caucus state of Iowa, illegal immigration is the most important topic to Republican voters. The Romney campaign is hoping this ad will score with that electorate and enable him to regain the lead he previously enjoyed.

Des Moines, IA

To commemorate World AIDS Day many of the presidential candidates are 
launching HIV/AIDS platforms. Today, the Romney campaign sent out a
 release outlining their plan to fight AIDS.

“As President, I will mobilize our civilian instruments of power to
 address HIV/AIDS, poverty and other challenges across Africa by
 empowering a single U.S. official with the responsibility and
 authority to lead all of America’s civilian efforts in the region. I
 will fundamentally transform our international aid efforts so that
 more of our assistance goes to those suffering rather than
 bureaucracy.  Today, only one-third of all foreign aid gets to the 
people it was intended to help.  That must change.”

The statement continues outlining their plan to fight the disease in
the United States:

“As devastating as HIV/AIDS has been around the world, we must not 
forget that over a million Americans are living with the disease here
 at home.  We should do all we can to ensure that America continues to
 lead the world in cutting-edge research and development into new
 medicines. I believe in supporting policies that foster innovation and
 get every American access to affordable, quality health insurance.  I
 also believe that government should work in partnership with our
 nation’s pharmaceutical researchers and manufacturers to advance the
 HIV/AIDS research agenda and move us toward a cure.”

Yesterday, Governor Romney was campaigning in Iowa and was asked about the AIDS crisis by two women, both in response to Governor Huckabee launching his HIV/AIDS agenda. Huckabee calls for expanding health insurance, increasing research funds and continuing his support for the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief.

Romney seemed unsure of his plan at the time. The first questioner asked if the Presidential hopeful will make sure HIV positive people get the treatment they need before they get sick. He didn’t answer and instead took the opportunity to discuss his health care plan.

“I believe I am the only governor in America that’s actually put in place a plan that gets everybody health insurance. I’m pretty proud of the fact that everybody else is talking about it, but I actually did it,” he said.

He continued with a dig at politicians who want universal health insurance, presumably Senator Clinton: “Not by giving people government health insurance, but instead by helping people get private free market insurance and that’s what we did in my state…that will cover people not only with HIV/AIDS, but people with hypertension, people with diabetes, and with all the diseases and conditions we have in our country.”

The Governor was also asked what he would do to fight AIDS in Africa
 and increase worldwide funding. Romney didn’t answer the question directly — instead he pressed his commitment to America and garnered applause from the crowd.

“Well there is no question we care about the conditions of the world. Of poverty and sickness and disease. But, I have to be honest with you that my first priority is with Americans and caring for our citizens here and that will be my first responsibility as President of the United States and I will also as a member of a generous nation work hard to alleviate suffering and pain and poverty around the world,” he said.

Senator McCain also released a statement today offering his prayers to 
those affected and committed his support to the President’s Emergency
 Plan for AIDS Relief, a U.S.-funded, five-year, $15 billion plan to 
fight HIV/AIDS in developing nations. The program, which launched in
 2005, is going to expire in 2003. It has come under fire because one
 third of the funds spent on disease prevention abroad must go to
 abstinence education. McCain also called for transparency from the
 countries America assists in the fight: “Afflicted nations with whom
 we partner to fight this disease must also know that we expect a level
 of governance, transparency and effectiveness from them in order to
 make the fullest use of AIDS assistance so we can make the greatest
 impact on people’s lives.”

The Giuliani campaign also shared his thoughts on defeating the disease: “As President, I will continue America’s life saving role as a leader in the global fight against HIV/AIDS until the day humanity can declare victory against this deadly disease.”

This week Senator Clinton launched an HIV/AIDS platform at Rick
 Warren’s Saddleback Church in California. Her plan to fight the disease includes increasing funding, guaranteeing health insurance for patients, escalating commitments to research and providing at least $50 billion for global HIV/AIDS by 2013, among other initiatives.

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She’s started being more aggressive against her rival Democrats, but Hillary Clinton takes a turn back toward the general election fight in a new campaign ad airing in New Hampshire. In the :30 spot, she goes after the Republican candidates who have already started attacking her — showing clips of anti-Clinton ads from John McCain and Mitt Romney with an announcer saying “Here they go again – the same old Republican attack machine is back.”

“Maybe it’s because they know that there’s one candidate with the strength and experience to get us out of Iraq, one candidate who will end tax giveaways for the big corporations, one candidate committed to cutting the huge Republican deficit and one candidate who will put government back to work for the middle class.”

Of course, the Machine itself disagrees with that line of reasoning. RNC Spokesman Danny Diaz says, “Senator Clinton has spent her entire career blaming her problems on her political opponents. The only things that are the ’same’ and ‘old’ are Hillary Clinton’s excuses.”

And Romney spokesman Kevin Madden says, “Governor Romney also has a record of, and reputation for, actually getting things done. Senator Clinton has a reputation for one thing: partisanship. Extreme partisanship.”

Isn’t it ironic? Independent expenditures helped defeat John McCain in 2000. That made him all the more determined to pass BCRA…bipartisan campaign fiannce reform act…to the unintiated…McCain Feingold to everyone else. McCain calls it Ironic, Romney calls it dripping with irony..

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A group trying to help McCain finds their assistance unwelcome.

John McCain is making it clear — he’s against mandatory health insurance.

He’s said it before, but the Senator emphasized his position Wednesday at a health care forum organized by a hospital trade association in DC.

MCCAIN: “I don’t think that there should be a mandate for every American to have health insurance. I think that one of our goals should be that every American own their own home, but I’m not going to mandate that every American own their own home. I think that every American should have, be available to, an affordable college education. But I’m not going to mandate that every American go to college. I feel the same way about health care. If it’s affordable and available, then it seems to me that again, it’s a matter of choice amongst Americans.”

One highlight of McCain’s health policy is a tax credit of $2500 per individual or $5000 per family to pay for health insurance.

Policy aides clarified details of that proposal Wednesday. They say workers would have to pay taxes on the dollar amount of coverage provided by an employer. But they say the new insurance credit would more than offset the extra taxes for all but the wealthiest Americans. The tax deduction to employers providing insurance would stay in place.