Obama vows to end tax cuts for the rich

May 14, 2007

Senator Barack Obama said yesterday that if elected president he would seek to repeal President Bush's tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans and use the money to pay for health care. Obama, an Illinois Democrat, said on ABC's "This Week" that he supported "rolling back the Bush tax cuts on the top 1 percent of people, who don't need it." He did not endorse a broader plan to raise taxes on the affluent, which has been proposed by rival John Edwards . (New York Times News Service)

Senator Chuck Hagel of Nebraska said yesterday that the Republican Party has been led astray by "isolationist insulationists" and it may be time for an independent presidential ticket. Hagel, a lifelong Republican who has been a frequent critic of the Iraq war, said on CBS's "Face the Nation" that he will decide about running by late summer. New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg is also considering a run for president as an independent, and Hagel said people might consider the two on a ticket. (AP)

Republican presidential candidate Rudolph Giuliani said that he feels "very, very passionate" about abortion, which he opposed, but would not pick Supreme Court nominees based on their view of legalized abortion. "My view is that there shouldn't be a litmus test on Roe against Wade," the former New York mayor said on "Fox News Sunday." "I'm going to select strict constructionist judges. They're free to take a look at Roe against Wade, take a look at the limitations, but I believe I should leave it to them to decide that." (AP)