Stephen Dinan

McCain, Obama agree on big issues

On some policy issues, the presidential election just won't matter - both Sen. Barack Obama and Sen. John McCain are prepared to overturn President Bush's policy and expand federal funding for embryonic stem cell research, one of a series of contentious issues pushed out of the presidential debate because those at the top of the tickets agree. Published August 5, 2008

‘Sam’s Club’ voters called key to modern GOP

The man who's helping host the Republican nominating convention and is seen as a shortlist candidate for the vice-presidential nomination has a message for his party: Care about the Sam's Club voter. Published August 4, 2008

Race turns into insult contest

A day after the release of a McCain ad comparing Mr. Obama to Britney Spears and Paris Hilton, both campaigns veered away from the issues and into a squabble over who said what, who intended what and who insinuated the rest. Published August 1, 2008

Ad rips celebrity Obama

John McCain on Wednesday charged that rival Barack Obama is more Cosmo than he is commander in chief, running a stark, harsh and groundbreaking ad that matches him with clips of Britney Spears and Paris Hilton. Published July 31, 2008

Illegals figure drops by 11%

The Department of Homeland Security is claiming success after an independent study released Wednesday argued that stepped-up enforcement efforts have reduced the illegal immigrant population by 11 percent since August. Published July 31, 2008

Illegal population shrinking

Crackdowns on illegal immigrants are showing results. Published July 30, 2008

Bush successor faces massive debt

President Bush will bequeath the largest-ever budget deficit to his successor, and the men vying for that honor struggled Monday to explain how they will dig out from the inherited red ink. Published July 29, 2008

McCain: Obama aims to win vote, not war

Sen. John McCain said Sen. Barack Obama has played politics with the Iraq war, choosing his positions in order to win a political campaign rather than do what is needed to win the war. Published July 28, 2008

Obama launches Spanish ad

Sen. Barack Obama touts that "he grew up without a father" and was "raised by his mother with the support of his grandparents" in his first Spanish-language radio ad of the general election campaign, released Wednesday and designed to portray him as sharing the same experiences as Hispanic voters. Published July 24, 2008

Consensus builds for Iraq exit

Sen. John McCain drew closer to his Sen. Barack Obama's timetable on Iraq, saying that U.S. troops could be "largely withdrawn" in two years, even as Obama met with Iraqi leaders who now embrace his withdrawal time frame. Published July 22, 2008

Obama ups ante on Afghans, Pakistanis

Sen. Barack Obama on Sunday prodded Afghanistan and Pakistan to combat al Qaeda and Taliban forces by basing operations in those nations, using a campaign-season trip to Afghanistan to bolster his leadership credentials. Published July 21, 2008

‘Whiners’ get to Gramm; he exits McCain camp

Former Sen. Phil Gramm stepped down as a co-chairman of Sen. John McCain's presidential campaign, saying he had become a distraction after drawing criticism for calling America a "nation of whiners" last week. Published July 19, 2008

McCain ad targets Obama inaction on NATO panel

Sen. John McCain's campaign on Friday announced its first negative campaign ad of the general election that accuses Sen. Barack Obama of failing to do his duty on a subcommittee overseeing NATO, which leads war operations in Afghanistan. Published July 19, 2008

McCain’s Straight Talk spins wheels

From signature issues such as immigration and climate change to tax cuts, Sen. John McCain sometimes just seems lost as to his own record and his stance on hot-button social issues. Published July 18, 2008

Hispanic leaders eager to ‘referee debate’

The president of the nation's largest Hispanic rights organization says the group will serve as referee for the immigration debate and back it up with what members expect will be record Hispanic voter turnout in November. Published July 16, 2008

McCain asks for trust from Hispanics

Republican presidential candidate John McCain on Monday denounced those in his party he said have injected "insults" into the immigration debate but refused to back away from his new enforcement-first approach to the issue. Published July 15, 2008

Obama: Hispanics are critical to election

Sen. Barack Obama received a rock-star welcome Sunday from the nation's largest Hispanic rights group, telling them they are the critical swing group in November's presidential election and promising a renewed effort to pass an immigration bill during his first year in office. Published July 14, 2008

Hispanics seek voter bloc too big to ignore

After decades of punching beneath their political weight, National Council of La Raza and its allies vow to boost Hispanic voter participation by reducing the gap between those eligible versus number who turn out on Election Day. Published July 13, 2008

Hispanics seek McCain’s reassurance

When McCain speaks to the nation's largest Hispanic rights group this weekend, he will face an audience confused about his immigration position and looking for the same champion with whom they have worked for two decades. Published July 11, 2008

Latin America trip stirs Chavez debate

John McCain finished a three-day campaign trip to Latin America to mine the politics of free trade and foreign policy, but Republicans say the real vote mother lode may lie in the politics of a country he didn't visit — Venezuela. Published July 4, 2008