David Sherfinski
Articles by David Sherfinski
Iran, Hezbollah ‘could possibly strike’ Israel, Sen. Robert Menendez says
Sen. Robert Menendez, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said Tuesday morning that Iran and Hezbollah "could possibly" strike Israel, depending on how the United States gets involved in Syria, but that the consequences of inaction are far too great not to act. Published September 3, 2013
McCain and Graham invited to White House to talk Syria
President Obama has invited two of the Senate's leading Republican voices on foreign military affairs to the White House as he tries to make his case to Congress for the use of military force in Syria. Published September 1, 2013
Some GOP lawmakers skeptical Congress will OK military force in Syria
Secretary of State John F. Kerry predicted Sunday that the U.S. Congress would not "turn its back" on the Syrian people and U.S. allies in the Middle East, but two leading Republicans on Capitol Hill said prospects for support for the use of military authorization are dim. Published September 1, 2013
John Kerry: Evidence of nerve agent sarin in Syria
Secretary of State John F. Kerry pledged Sunday that the Obama administration will persuade Congress to authorize the use of military force in Syria, attempting to bolster his case with new information that traces of the deadly nerve gas sarin was found in Damascus. Published September 1, 2013
Syrian state media call Obama’s move a ‘retreat’
A Syrian state-run newspaper published a front-page article Sunday declaring President Obama's decision to wait for congressional authorization to launch any military strikes a signal of "retreat" by the United States. Published September 1, 2013
Congress in no rush to return for Syria decision
Faced with the most momentous foreign policy vote in years, Congress has decided on the go-slow approach, with leaders saying they will take their time in deciding whether to approve retaliatory strikes against Syria. Published August 31, 2013
Virginia voters split on McDonnell’s trustworthiness
New poll numbers show Republican Gov. Bob McDonnell's popularity plummeting among Virginia voters, even as the GOP's gubernatorial nominee began running an ad Thursday distancing himself from the man he hopes to replace. Published August 22, 2013
Virginians don’t like their candidates for governor
More Virginia voters by a wide margin say they will vote for gubernatorial candidate Terry McAuliffe or Kenneth T. Cuccinelli II than say they like them, according to poll results released Wednesday amid an uncharacteristically toxic campaign. Published August 21, 2013
Politicians’ candor can cause them grief when caught on tape
Politicians, often attempting to distinguish themselves from their opponents and galvanize their supporters, are increasingly getting tripped up over language or ideas at odds with the image they've created for the general public's consumption. Published August 20, 2013
Longtime GOP strategist Boyd Marcus backs Democrat Terry McAuliffe
Boyd Marcus, a longtime Republican adviser and strategist in Virginia who has worked for former Gov. James S. Gilmore III and House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, threw his support behind Democratic gubernatorial candidate Terry McAuliffe on Tuesday. Published August 20, 2013
Longtime Va. GOP adviser endorses McAuliffe
Boyd Marcus, a longtime Republican adviser and strategist in Virginia who has worked for former Gov. James S. Gilmore III and House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, threw his support behind Democratic gubernatorial candidate Terry McAuliffe on Tuesday. Published August 20, 2013
Bob McDonnell reports nearly $2B cumulative surplus
Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell said Monday that the state accumulated the largest cumulative budget surplus of any administration in state history — a feat that comes as an ongoing gifts scandal threatens to overshadow the Republican lame duck's final months in office. Published August 19, 2013
Terry McAuliffe poised to let Virginia Democratic Party sling mud for him
Democrat Terry McAuliffe, struggling to create a positive image for himself in Virginia's governor race, is setting the stage to shift the dirty work of negative advertising this fall to others. Published August 15, 2013
Fundraising, attack ads stir up Va. governor’s race
The typically sleepy pre-Labor Day lull during Virginia election years has been upended this season by a deluge of ads and fundraising on behalf of Virginia Attorney General Kenneth T. Cuccinelli II and Democrat Terry McAuliffe, who are vying to become the Old Dominion's 72nd governor. Published August 14, 2013
RGA hauls in $23.5 million in first half of year
The Republican Governors Association hauled in $23.5 million in the first half of 2013 — nearly double the amount they raised four years ago during a like cycle — and has more than $37 million on hand heading into the 2013 and 2014 elections. Published August 14, 2013
Virginia candidates for governor try to turn campaign tide
Virginia Attorney General Kenneth T. Cuccinelli II on Tuesday rolled out a proposal that would overhaul Virginia's K-12 education system as he and Democrat Terry McAuliffe try to debunk charges that the year's marquee political race has devolved into little more than a mudslinging fusillade of negative attacks. Published August 13, 2013
McAuliffe’s overstated production levels for GreenTech mar business-savvy image
The green car company co-founded by Virginia gubernatorial nominee Terry McAuliffe has fallen woefully short of its original projected job creation and production levels while becoming ensnared in two federal investigations. Published August 11, 2013
E-mails: ‘Political pressure’ in Gulf Coast visa case
President Obama's pick to be the next No. 2 at the Department of Homeland Security was involved in "political pressure" to influence a visa case linked to Virginia gubernatorial candidate Terry McAuliffe's former car company, according to e-mails released Friday — documents that may contradict testimony nominee Alejandro Mayorkas gave last month to a Senate committee. Published August 9, 2013
Va. gubernatorial rivals trade shots in debate
Virginia gubernatorial candidates Terry McAuliffe and Ken Cuccinelli mixed nasty with nice Friday morning as they made their pitches to a business-friendly crowd in Manassas at the latest forum in a campaign many have labeled a "race to the bottom" for both candidates' incessant attacks on one another's policy positions and personal character. Published August 9, 2013
Weiner, McAuliffe are ‘headaches’ for Clinton, GOP says
She's been keeping a low profile, but Republicans say Hillary Rodham Clinton's potential presidential ambitions can only be hurt by the heavily covered recent stories involving her scandal-plagued friend Anthony D. Weiner's sexcapades in New York and her close confidant Terry McAuliffe's tangles with federal regulators over a former business enterprise. Published August 7, 2013