Bill Clinton a draw at Hub event
Bill Clinton's name has been floated for all kinds of positions -- from the next president of the World Bank to a future US ambassador to the United Nations. But for now he's got a more pressing role: fund-raiser for his wife's presidential campaign.
The former president will headline a major gala for Hillary Clinton June 6 at the Fairmont Copley Plaza in Boston. The event begins with a $2,300-per-person pre-party with Bill Clinton, followed by a $500-a-head general reception. As part of the Clinton campaign's efforts to broaden its donor base, young professionals can attend for a mere $100.
Hillary Clinton won't be there, but her husband is enough of a draw that hundreds of people have already inquired about attending, according to her campaign. VIPs expected at the bash include Provincetown Banner publisher Alix Ritchie; Stacey Lucchino, wife of Red Sox CEO Larry Lucchino; and Steve Grossman, a veteran Democratic fund-raiser and activist who is involved in Clinton's campaign.
In a speech yesterday to the Set America Free Coalition in Washington, Brownback said the country needs to boost the supply of domestic oil with tax incentives, better drilling technology, and drilling in Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and the Canadian Oil Sands in northern Alberta.
"For too long our foreign policy has been dictated, in part, by our need for foreign oil," said Brownback, a senator from Kansas. "It is in the interest of America's security for us to look at ways of lessening our dependence on foreign oil."
Brownback also wants increased production of renewable fuels, such as corn-based ethanol, and he wants to explore coal-to-liquid fuel. He also seeks to reduce the country's oil demand with tax credits and other incentives to get people to drive plug-in hybrid cars.
Brownback's campaign said he would propose specifics later in the year. (AP)
"He's simply here to learn more about us," church spokesman Mike Otterson said. "We want him to know what the church does, what its work is."
Sharpton was debating with an atheist author when he said: "As for the one Mormon running for office, those who really believe in God will defeat him anyways, so don't worry about that; that's a temporary situation."
Sharpton, a Pentecostal minister who urged the firing of Don Imus after the radio host's racially insensitive remarks, said his words were taken out of context. But he immediately called elders of the 12.5 million-member church to apologize.
Monday, on a live broadcast of his radio show from a church-owned broadcast center in Salt Lake City, Sharpton said he respects Mormons as Christians and believers. He called any perceived friction between himself and the church a "fabricated controversy."
He has not apologized to Romney but called for a "dialogue of reconciliation." Romney has said Sharpton's comment could be construed as bigoted. (AP)
The former Arkansas governor said he would not participate in the Baptist Covenant Program Celebration in Atlanta in January, scheduled to feature Carter and former President Clinton.
"Withdrawing from the gathering is one of the few ways that I can show my disappointment in the comments that were made this weekend," Huckabee said in a statement.
Huckabee criticized Carter for a statement he made to the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette for a Saturday story in which he said: "I think as far as the adverse impact on the nation around the world, this administration has been the worst in history."
That comment, Huckabee said, "violated an unspoken code that you don't make personal attacks on others who currently hold the job. You just don't."
Carter, a Baptist, said Monday that when he made the comment, he was responding to a question comparing the Bush administration's foreign policy with that of Richard Nixon. The White House has dismissed Carter as "increasingly irrelevant." (AP)
The ads, focused on Iraq, are expected to run in heavily Democratic Eugene, Oregon's third largest city, and on local cable stations. The purchase of television time for the ad costs about $20,000, according to a rival campaign. That's a small amount designed to generate media attention and motivate activists.
The Edwards campaign has been running some television commercials in Iowa and New Hampshire, more traditional venues for ads because they are early encounters in the presidential nominating contests. Edwards has also been running the ads on his website and inviting supporters to add their own video messages.
Oregon has added significance because it is among a number of states considering moving their primaries up to Feb. 5. (AP)
