http://www.kentucky.com/329/index.xml News, sports, and entertainment from Kentucky.com en-us Copyright 2008 Kentucky.com Politics and Government 60 Thu, 28 Aug 2008 10:29:40 EDT http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss McClatchy Interactive's Workbench webmaster@kentucky.com http://www.kentucky.com/601/story/505425.html http://www.kentucky.com/601/story/505425.html Thu, 28 Aug 2008 08:17 EDT http://www.kentucky.com/676/story/505471.html http://www.kentucky.com/676/story/505471.html Thu, 28 Aug 2008 09:54 EDT
The meeting Tuesday came after several weeks of Pakistani offensives against militants in the country's volatile northwest - an effort American officials welcomed but said Thursday has come nowhere near to stemming growing problems near the Afghan border.

The meeting aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln was the latest of several between Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and General Ashfaq Kayani, chief of staff of the Pakistani army.

U.S. defense officials said that this time Mullen also brought Gen. David Petraeus, the top American commander in Iraq, who will soon leave to become the senior commander in the Middle East; Adm. Eric T. Olson, head of the Special Operations Command; Gen. David McKiernan, NATO's commander in Afghanistan; Lt. Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, acting commander of American forces in the Middle East; and Rear Adm. Michael LeFever, American military liaison in Pakistan.

A U.S. official familiar with the discussion said Tuesday's meeting was "more collaborative," compared to a similar meeting a month ago when Mullen took a "more firm tone" in warning Kayani that Islamabad was not doing enough to counter militants waging cross-border attacks in Afghanistan.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/676/story/504477.html http://www.kentucky.com/676/story/504477.html Thu, 28 Aug 2008 09:49 EDT
The sweep of history provided weight to words yet spoken: The previous evening Obama became the first black man to be a major political party's presidential candidate, and his acceptance of the Democratic nomination comes on the 45th anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech.

Obama's unique personal story was sure to be included in his acceptance address Thursday night. Still, he also planned to talk about problems facing Americans today, from health care and education to international threats, campaign manager David Plouffe said.

"I think what Sen. Obama wants to do is make sure everyone watching at home is going to have a clear sense of where he wants to take the country, that we're on the wrong path and Barack Obama is going to put us back on the right track both here at home and overseas," Plouffe told ABC's "Good Morning America."

John McCain, Obama's Republican rival, offered mild criticism ahead of Obama's speech, saying Thursday that he admires and respects Obama but "I don't think he's right for America."]]> http://www.kentucky.com/676/story/505247.html http://www.kentucky.com/676/story/505247.html Thu, 28 Aug 2008 09:14 EDT
Here at the Democratic National Convention, the youthful and energetic former Florida finance chairman for Hillary Rodham Clinton is handing out party tickets and hard-to-get floor passes to his donors - the traditional thank-you gesture from a money bundler.

But Heckler still has another "ask" to go with his reward.

"These are the donors who we will need to raise money for Sen. Obama," the 32-year-old Fort Lauderdale lawyer said.

Back in Florida, Heckler has joined with other Clinton fundraisers, including Chris Korge, one of her national finance chairs, to raise almost $1 million from Clinton donors for Obama. Obama's Florida team has reached out to Clinton's money people, even offering them office space at their headquarters.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/676/story/504530.html http://www.kentucky.com/676/story/504530.html Thu, 28 Aug 2008 08:08 EDT
"I think Michelle Obama kicked it off pretty well, don't you think?" Obama said, as delegates at the Pepsi Center roared.

As his wife clapped and smiled and mouthed, "I love you," Obama joined his running mate, Sen. Joe Biden, on the platform.

"If I'm not mistaken, Hillary Clinton rocked the house down last night!" Obama said.

He also praised former President Bill Clinton, who spoke earlier Wednesday night, as someone who reminds us about "what it's like when you've got a president who actually puts people first. Thank you President Clinton."]]> http://www.kentucky.com/676/story/505381.html http://www.kentucky.com/676/story/505381.html Thu, 28 Aug 2008 06:43 EDT
Democrat Jim Prendergast says telling voters about his 1996 misdemeanor assault conviction "to be honest with the people I'm going to work for." He also says he wants to explain the arrest on his terms, rather than have his opponent bring it up in an attack ad.

Prendergast calls the incident a turning point in his life. He says he didn't strike his then-wife, but grabbed her roughly with both hands during an argument. He says he and his ex-wife are now on friendly terms.

The man he's running to unseat, Republican state Rep. Tom Quigley, says he never had any intention of bringing up the incident.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/676/story/505330.html http://www.kentucky.com/676/story/505330.html Thu, 28 Aug 2008 04:37 EDT
Community activist Kevin Powell, 42, is trying to paint the 74-year-old Rep. Edolphus "Ed" Towns as part of an earlier generation of elected officials who have become ineffective as he tries to stage an upset of the 26-year incumbent in the Sept. 9 Democratic primary.

Powell, who went on to become a well-known writer and public speaker after rising to prominence on the first season of the MTV reality show in 1992, has been trying to convince voters that Towns has severely neglected the district and allowed problems to fester.

He's never held elected office, but has been able to draw on his own fame from "The Real World" and pull in celebrity supporters such as Chris Rock, George Soros, Dave Chappelle and Gloria Steinem.

"I have deep respect and appreciation for the civil rights movement," Powell said one recent morning after greeting commuters outside a Brooklyn subway station. "But far too many of that generation who've been in office far too long have a sense of entitlement and privilege.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/329/story/505151.html http://www.kentucky.com/329/story/505151.html Thu, 28 Aug 2008 01:50 EDT
ANCHORAGE, Alaska . Alaska's Republican old guard talked tough Wednesday after a bruising primary, sounding confident they can prevail in the November general election despite criminal investigations.

U.S. Rep. Don Young, under federal investigation for ties to a corrupt Alaska businessman, was locked in a virtual dead heat with Lt. Gov. Sean Parnell for Alaska's sole House seat, which Young has held for 35 years.

Sen. Ted Stevens, the Senate's longest-serving Republican, breezed to a primary win Tuesday, gaining 63 percent of the vote against six GOP challengers. But 33,000 GOP primary voters went against him, more than four times the number who did so in his last primary in 2002.

Two formidable opponents still stand in the way of Stevens' seventh full term: federal prosecutors who next month will try to prove he's a felon, and the energetic mayor of Anchorage, Mark Begich, a Democrat receiving strong national party support. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/329/story/505131.html http://www.kentucky.com/329/story/505131.html Thu, 28 Aug 2008 01:50 EDT
Kentucky's Democratic delegation cast a majority of its 60 votes for Sen. Barack Obama after a hectic and sometimes emotional day for both Obama and Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton loyalists.

When Kentucky's turn came in the state roll call at the Democratic National Convention, Gov. Steve Beshear announced on the floor of the Pepsi Center in Denver that the Bluegrass state would give 36 votes to Obama and 24 to Clinton.

Entering the convention, 37 of the delegates were pledged to Clinton based on the May 20 primary results. And three of the nine "superdelegates" in the convention who could choose which candidate to back were Clinton supporters.

But Clinton, on Wednesday, followed up her pledge of support for Obama in Tuesday night's speech by telling her supporters and pledged delegates that they could vote to nominate Obama on the floor. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/329/story/503791.html http://www.kentucky.com/329/story/503791.html Wed, 27 Aug 2008 01:55 EDT
DENVER . Sen. Edward M. Kennedy had just left a hospital bed when he delivered his speech to the Democratic National Convention on Monday night, after suffering a debilitating bout of kidney stones on Sunday upon arriving in town, aides said.

Kennedy's aides described a harrowing 48-hour period in which it appeared that Kennedy would not be able to give the convention speech. In June, he had told family members when he left the Duke University Medical Center, where he was operated on for brain cancer, that he was intent on giving the speech.

And with less than two hours to go before he was supposed to take the stage, Kennedy . sitting in a room at the University of Colorado Hospital . told his wife, Victoria, and doctors that he wanted to go to the Pepsi Center and deliver the speech.

He was driven there, accompanied by a doctor and paramedics, perched on a golf cart that took him inside. Kennedy, with his wife and his niece Caroline at his side, walked gingerly onto the stage, where he delivered a highly acclaimed address. He then returned to the hospital, where he spent the night. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/329/story/503781.html http://www.kentucky.com/329/story/503781.html Wed, 27 Aug 2008 01:55 EDT
DENVER . Overshadowed by his rival's convention, Republican John McCain is hours away from grabbing back the spotlight by choosing his running mate.

McCain is expected to announce his choice Friday in Ohio. He hasn't given any clue, but Republican insiders and analysts say that a fast-changing landscape in recent days has helped some potential choices and hurt others.

Among the changes:

. McCain has pulled into a neck-and-neck fight with Democrat Barack Obama after trailing for weeks. He led 46-44 percent in a Gallup daily tracking poll released Tuesday. That lessens the need for him to make a dramatic long-shot pick such as Carly Fiorina, the former Hewlett-Packard chief executive officer, to shake up the race. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/329/story/502302.html http://www.kentucky.com/329/story/502302.html Tue, 26 Aug 2008 01:50 EDT
DENVER . Democrats opened their 2008 national convention Monday with an emotional tribute to an ailing Sen. Edward Kennedy, who told delegates that "the torch will be passed again" to Sen. Barack Obama and a new generation of leaders.

"We are told that Barack Obama believes too much in an America of high principle and bold endeavor," the Massachusetts Democrat said. "But when John Kennedy thought of going to the moon, he didn't say it's too far to get there."

The passing of the torch of the Kennedy legacy to Obama was the highlight of a night that also featured an address by Michelle Obama, wife of the Democratic presidential candidate, who told the crowd how she and her husband were "raised with so many of the same values.

"What struck me when I first met Barack was that even though he had this funny name, even though he'd grown up all the way across the continent in Hawaii, h is family was so much like mine," said Obama, who was born eight weeks after John Kennedy was assassinated in 1963. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/329/story/502324.html http://www.kentucky.com/329/story/502324.html Tue, 26 Aug 2008 01:50 EDT
My mom did not approve of men who cheated on their wives. She called them "long-tailed rats."

During the 2000 race, she listened to news reports about John McCain confessing to dalliances that caused his first marriage to fall apart after he came back from his stint as a POW in Vietnam.

I figured, given her stringent moral standards, that her great affection for McCain would be dimmed.

"So," I asked her, "what do you think of that?" ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/518/story/504232.html http://www.kentucky.com/518/story/504232.html Thu, 28 Aug 2008 03:39 EDT
Barack Obama to woo nation 45 years after Martin Luther King's 'I have a dream' speech ... Biden tells Democratic convention needs more than a good soldier, reference to McCain ... Clinton delivers strong endorsement for Obama while passing torch

---

Obama to woo nation with historic speech

DENVER (AP) - Barack Obama stands before delegates and the nation Thursday - the 45th anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.'s historic "I Have a Dream" speech - to accept the Democratic presidential nomination, the first black man to claim such a prize.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/518/story/504902.html http://www.kentucky.com/518/story/504902.html Thu, 28 Aug 2008 00:18 EDT
Some examples:

VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE SEN. JOE BIDEN of DELAWARE: "Barack Obama will bring down health care costs by $2,500 for the typical family, and, at long last, deliver affordable, accessible health care for all Americans."

THE FACTS: Obama's health care plan does not provide for universal health care coverage. He promises to make it affordable and would require children to be covered, but not adults. Estimates of how many would remain without insurance vary. Hillary Rodham Clinton said during the primaries that Obama's plan would leave 15 million people uninsured.

FORMER PRESIDENT CLINTON: The Bush administration "took us from record surpluses to an exploding national debt; from over 22 million new jobs an increase in working family incomes of $7,500 to a decline of more than $2,000; from almost 8 million Americans moving out of poverty to more than 5 and half million falling into poverty - and million more losing their health insurance."]]> http://www.kentucky.com/518/story/504477.html http://www.kentucky.com/518/story/504477.html Thu, 28 Aug 2008 09:49 EDT
The sweep of history provided weight to words yet spoken: The previous evening Obama became the first black man to be a major political party's presidential candidate, and his acceptance of the Democratic nomination comes on the 45th anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech.

Obama's unique personal story was sure to be included in his acceptance address Thursday night. Still, he also planned to talk about problems facing Americans today, from health care and education to international threats, campaign manager David Plouffe said.

"I think what Sen. Obama wants to do is make sure everyone watching at home is going to have a clear sense of where he wants to take the country, that we're on the wrong path and Barack Obama is going to put us back on the right track both here at home and overseas," Plouffe told ABC's "Good Morning America."

John McCain, Obama's Republican rival, offered mild criticism ahead of Obama's speech, saying Thursday that he admires and respects Obama but "I don't think he's right for America."]]> http://www.kentucky.com/518/story/504827.html http://www.kentucky.com/518/story/504827.html Thu, 28 Aug 2008 00:23 EDT
Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's move to proclaim rival Barack Obama as the Democratic nominee for president set a tone that carried through the convention's third night.

It was a meticulously organized peace offering done at a crucial time. Clinton stepped to a microphone on the convention's floor at 6:47 p.m. EDT, when ABC, CBS and NBC were in the midst of their evening newscasts. All three newscasts carried the event live on the East Coast, along with the cable news networks. (ABC broke into regular programming in non-Eastern time zones, while CBS and NBC didn't).

Almost immediately, network anchors and pundits - tipped off by some of the genuine emotion they saw in the room - took a step back to recognize the historical import of a black man being nominated by a major party as its candidate for president.

NBC's Tom Brokaw said he saw an acquaintance, a black woman business executive, have a brief emotional meltdown.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/518/story/504953.html http://www.kentucky.com/518/story/504953.html Thu, 28 Aug 2008 00:32 EDT
In a single sentence, Obama's new running mate complimented John McCain's years of military service and slapped his claim on the White House.

As Biden concluded his speech accepting the nomination, Obama stepped on stage and embraced his man to a convention roar.

"I want everybody to now understand why I am so proud to have Joe Biden ... and the whole Biden family," Obama told the boisterous crowd. "I think he's presented himself pretty well so far, what do you think?" More cheers.

In his speech, Biden also sniped at Vice President Dick Cheney, saying that after he takes over the job, for Americans trying to do the right thing and honor the Constitution, "no longer will the eight most dreaded words in the English language be 'The vice president's office is on the phone.'"]]> http://www.kentucky.com/518/story/504669.html http://www.kentucky.com/518/story/504669.html Thu, 28 Aug 2008 10:28 EDT
The Republican presidential candidate told a Pittsburgh radio station he wouldn't even talk about which way he is leaning.

In the interview with KDKA NewsRadio on Thursday morning, McCain talked very highly about one of the people considered a strong possibility to be his choice, former Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Ridge. He called Ridge a great American and a dear friend whom he has relied upon for years.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/210/story/503726.html http://www.kentucky.com/210/story/503726.html Wed, 27 Aug 2008 01:55 EDT
Democratic U.S. Rep. Ben Chandler chose the middle of a national convention with a theme of unity to publicly bury any hard feelings with U.S. Senate candidate Bruce Lunsford stemming from their 2003 gubernatorial primary.

Chandler, the 6th District congressman from Versailles, endorsed and then embraced his former rival, Lunsford, at a Kentucky delegation breakfast Tuesday at the Democratic National Convention in Denver.

In a phone interview from Denver, Chandler said he and Lunsford had privately put to rest the lingering hard feelings from an intensely personal and often negative campaign five years ago for the Democratic nomination for governor. The only thing left to do was to pick a time to do so publicly, Chandler said.

That came in front of nearly 100 Democratic activists from Kentucky, many of whom backed Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton during the primary while Chandler had endorsed Sen. Barack Obama. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/210/story/502347.html http://www.kentucky.com/210/story/502347.html Tue, 26 Aug 2008 01:50 EDT
FRANKFORT . Gov. Steve Beshear, at the helm of a three-wheeled electric car, took a victory lap around the Capitol on Monday morning after announcing that Simpson County had landed an $84 million factory to build the low-speed vehicles.

The Democratic governor declared the ride "smooth" and beamed at the prospect of 4,000 new jobs at a 1 million-square-foot manufacturing plant in the south-central Kentucky community of Franklin.

Beshear said Integrity Automotive of Shepherdsville will partner with the California-based ZAP (Zero Air Pollution) electric car maker to expand its manufacturing operations, which currently are based in China.

Meanwhile, independent auto industry analysts expressed doubts about the news. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/210/story/501032.html http://www.kentucky.com/210/story/501032.html Mon, 25 Aug 2008 05:30 EDT
Some Kentucky Democrats, like Gov. Steve Beshear and Lexington lawyer Reginald Thomas, are making their first trip to a national party convention in more than two decades.

Others, such as Auditor Crit Luallen, are becoming regulars.

And then there are the rookies, such as 20-year-old Tyler Murphy of Flatwoods and 26-year-old Jacqueline Coleman of Mercer County, who will participate in the nomination of their party.s presidential candidate for the first time.

All have headed to Denver as part of Kentucky.s delegation of 60 voting participants at the Democratic National Convention. They.re joined by nine alternates, six organizing committee members and two Democrats who will serve as pages. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/210/story/501041.html http://www.kentucky.com/210/story/501041.html Mon, 25 Aug 2008 01:54 EDT
Kentucky sent 60 delegates to the Democratic National Convention in Denver, as well as as nine alternates, six standing committee members and two pages who will help at the events. Nine of those with votes are considered .superdelegates. who are free to vote for whichever candidate they please. The other 51 are .pledged. to either Hillary Rodham Clinton or Barack Obama based on the results of Kentucky.s May 20 primary. Here.s the full roster:

Superdelegates:

Gov. Steve Beshear (Obama)

Moretta Bosley, Owensboro (Clinton) ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/210/story/501050.html http://www.kentucky.com/210/story/501050.html Mon, 25 Aug 2008 06:25 EDT
Like political water torture, Democratic state Rep. Greg Stumbo has been slowly revealing his intentions all summer about whether he.ll run for the top spot in the state House.

With each comment he exudes more confidence.

.I should have a decision in the next two weeks,. he said during a telephone interview Saturday. He added that he.s been .very, very encouraged. by support from other House Democrats.

Because lawmakers never want to pick the wrong side in a leadership race, Stumbo said momentum could snowball in his favor if he reaches a certain tipping point of support. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/210/story/500233.html http://www.kentucky.com/210/story/500233.html Sun, 24 Aug 2008 07:20 EDT
As the FBI investigates possible corruption in Kentucky road contracts, it.s returning to ground that federal prosecutors plowed for five years . and then abandoned after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

Beginning in 1997, the U.S. Justice Department Antitrust Division assigned at least eight attorneys, plus U.S. attorneys in Lexington, FBI agents in Louisville and grand juries in Lexington and Covington, to a massive investigation of Kentucky road contractors, according to federal records obtained by the Herald-Leader.

The case focused on politically connected road contractor Leonard Lawson . who is at the center of the current FBI investigation . and other industry leaders. It lasted from Dec. 3, 1997, to sometime after Sept. 6, 2001, records indicate.

In letters to grand jury witnesses, some of whom were promised immunity for their testimony, prosecutors said they were looking for violations of the Sherman Antitrust Act by .the asphalt paving industry. in Kentucky since 1990. They cited the part of the law prohibiting .agreements, conspiracies or trusts in restraint of trade.. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/676/story/504669.html http://www.kentucky.com/676/story/504669.html Thu, 28 Aug 2008 10:28 EDT
The Republican presidential candidate told a Pittsburgh radio station he wouldn't even talk about which way he is leaning.

In the interview with KDKA NewsRadio on Thursday morning, McCain talked very highly about one of the people considered a strong possibility to be his choice, former Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Ridge. He called Ridge a great American and a dear friend whom he has relied upon for years.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/329/story/505154.html http://www.kentucky.com/329/story/505154.html Thu, 28 Aug 2008 01:50 EDT
WASHINGTON . Sen. John McCain has decided on his running mate, two Republican strategists in contact with McCain's campaign said Wednesday. He is expected to reveal his choice at a rally at a basketball arena in Dayton, Ohio, at 11 a.m. Friday.

McCain's decision is known only to his small inner circle of advisers, no more than three or four people, who have refused all public discussion on the matter. Republicans close to the campaign said that the top contenders remained the same three men who have been the source of speculation for weeks: former Gov. Mitt Romney of Massachusetts, Gov. Tim Pawlenty of Minnesota and, possibly, Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman, independent of Connecticut.

It was unclear how seriously McCain was considering his good friend, Lieberman, who favors abortion rights and whose selection could set off a revolt among delegates at the Republican National Convention next week in Minneapolis-St. Paul as well as a backlash among Christian conservatives. But as recently as Tuesday, McCain was said to still be entertaining the idea of Lieberman, who was Al Gore's running mate on the Democratic presidential ticket in 2000.

Under this scenario, McCain's choice of Lieberman would help him appeal to women, independents and conservative Democrats in a tough year for Republican candidates. "It's really alive in McCain's mind," said one Republican consultant familiar with some of the campaign's deliberations. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/518/story/504530.html http://www.kentucky.com/518/story/504530.html Thu, 28 Aug 2008 08:08 EDT
"I think Michelle Obama kicked it off pretty well, don't you think?" Obama said, as delegates at the Pepsi Center roared.

As his wife clapped and smiled and mouthed, "I love you," Obama joined his running mate, Sen. Joe Biden, on the platform.

"If I'm not mistaken, Hillary Clinton rocked the house down last night!" Obama said.

He also praised former President Bill Clinton, who spoke earlier Wednesday night, as someone who reminds us about "what it's like when you've got a president who actually puts people first. Thank you President Clinton."]]> http://www.kentucky.com/210/story/505131.html http://www.kentucky.com/210/story/505131.html Thu, 28 Aug 2008 01:50 EDT
Kentucky's Democratic delegation cast a majority of its 60 votes for Sen. Barack Obama after a hectic and sometimes emotional day for both Obama and Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton loyalists.

When Kentucky's turn came in the state roll call at the Democratic National Convention, Gov. Steve Beshear announced on the floor of the Pepsi Center in Denver that the Bluegrass state would give 36 votes to Obama and 24 to Clinton.

Entering the convention, 37 of the delegates were pledged to Clinton based on the May 20 primary results. And three of the nine "superdelegates" in the convention who could choose which candidate to back were Clinton supporters.

But Clinton, on Wednesday, followed up her pledge of support for Obama in Tuesday night's speech by telling her supporters and pledged delegates that they could vote to nominate Obama on the floor. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/204/story/501050.html http://www.kentucky.com/204/story/501050.html Mon, 25 Aug 2008 06:25 EDT
Like political water torture, Democratic state Rep. Greg Stumbo has been slowly revealing his intentions all summer about whether he.ll run for the top spot in the state House.

With each comment he exudes more confidence.

.I should have a decision in the next two weeks,. he said during a telephone interview Saturday. He added that he.s been .very, very encouraged. by support from other House Democrats.

Because lawmakers never want to pick the wrong side in a leadership race, Stumbo said momentum could snowball in his favor if he reaches a certain tipping point of support. ]]>