theSun | THURSDAY OCTOBER 30 2008
news without borders
McCain and Palin want
corrupt senator to resign
HERSHEY (Pennsylvania): US presi-
dential candidate John McCain and
his running mate, Alaska Governor
Sarah Palin, urged fellow Republican
Ted Stevens to resign on Tuesday
after the veteran Alaska senator
was convicted of corruption.
Distancing herself from
her former political ally after
Monday’s verdict, which could help
Democrats expand their control of
the US Senate in the Nov 4 election,
Palin called on Stevens to do the
“statesman-like thing”.
“The time has come for him
to step aside. Even if elected on
Tuesday, Senator Stevens should
step aside to allow a special
election to give Alaskans a real
choice of who will serve them
in Congress,” Palin said in a
statement.
With 40 years of service,
Stevens, 84, is the longest-serving
Republican in the Senate. He is also
one of the most powerful Repub-
licans and used his influence to
History in the air, Obama
tells supporters
NORFOLK (Virginia):
Democrat Barack Obama
geared up yesterday to deliver
a presidential-style address to
the nation on the final stretch
of his electrifying White House
campaign against John McCain.
Upping the pace to an
intense new level six days
before next Tuesday’s election,
Obama was to hold his first
joint rally with former president
Bill Clinton at a midnight event
in Orlando, Florida.
The Illinois senator, who at
47 is bidding to be America’s
first black president, is
riding high in the polls and
Republican McCain is beset
by reports of internal disarray
between his aides and running
mate Sarah Palin.
In Virginia late Tuesday,
Obama said history was in the
air as he builds a double-digit
poll lead in a state that last
voted for a Democratic White
House hopeful in 1964.
In fact, as he campaigned in
the picturesque Shenandoah
Valley, Obama said the last
Democratic presidential
contender to come to the region
Japanese town rooting
for its namesake in election
OBAMA (Japan): It may not quite
be the party planned by Barack
Obama’s home city of Chicago, but
a Japanese town named Obama is
pulling out the stops in the hope
its adopted son will win the White
House next week.
This ancient fishing town of
32,000 people – Obama means
“small shore” in Japanese – has
been rooting for the Democratic
senator from Illinois ever since he
became a viable candidate for the
American presidency.
What started as a small, tongue-
in-cheek “Obama for Obama”
13
Palin (left)
channel billions of dollars in federal the Senate will be spurred by these and McCain
spending to his state. events to redouble their efforts to wave to the
Stevens, in a tight race for end this kind of corruption once crowd at a
re-election, was found guilty on and for all,” McCain said. campaign
Monday on all seven counts of lying He said it was a sign of the rally in
on Senate disclosure forms to hide “health of our democracy” that Hershey,
more than US$250,000 (RM850,000) Stevens was held to account for Pennsylvania
in home renovations and other gifts his conduct. – Reuters on Tuesday.
from an oil executive.
Stevens has called the
convictions unjust and said he
plans to return to Alaska and
resume campaigning against his
Democratic challenger, Anchorage
Mayor Mark Begich.
Over the past decade, Stevens
worked closely with Palin during
her time as mayor of the town
of Wasilla and most recently as
governor of Alaska. When the FBI
first announced it was investigating
Stevens, she urged him to come
clean.
In a separate statement, McCain
said Stevens had broken the trust
of Alaskans and should step down.
“I hope that my colleagues in
REUTERSPIX
was the racist Stephen Douglas Obama on 49% to McCain’s 40
Spend
wisely
and be
selective
– Abraham Lincoln’s opponent in Ohio, another major toss-up pg 18
before the 1861-1865 Civil War. state.
“That’s a long distance to The newspaper said that
travel,” he said, while stressing in both states, Obama “has
in a now-daily warning against opened commanding
complacency: “Don’t think for leads over McCain
one minute that power will among women,
concede without a fight. young people,
“We’re going to have to work first-time
like our future depends on it, voters and
because it does.” blacks
McCain, 72, was yesterday and other
also campaigning in the minorities.”
Sunshine State, a pivotal McCain is
battleground that decided portraying Obama
the 2000 election in favour of as an ultra-liberal politician
President George W. Bush after plotting to raise taxes across
a recount fiasco that went all the board.
the way to the Supreme Court. “Senator Obama is running
An estimated two million to be redistributionist-in-chief,
Floridians have voted early and I’m running to be commander-
queues have grown so lengthy in-chief,” he said. – AFP
that Governor Charlie Crist – a
moderate Republican who is
reportedly critical of McCain’s
campaign – has extended
balloting hours.
Florida had appeared a lock
for McCain not many weeks
ago, but a Los Angeles Times
poll late Tuesday had Obama
ahead by 50-43%. It also had
campaign has brought a rare media
spotlight to this town on the Sea of
Japan (East Sea) – and since turned
into a townwide passion.
Banners with Obama’s picture
hang on lampposts across the town,
where a statue of the senator clad
in a Stars and Stripes necktie and a
Japanese-style headband that says
“I love Obama” now greets visitors.
A year ago, the world of US
politics was far from the minds of
most residents here. But now they
plan to hold a watch party on Nov 5,
when the election results will come
in. – AFP