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Shalersville, Richfield towers are links to 1949 cross-country marathon
Can DNA tests free ex-Akron captain?
Zips' Porter creates culture of success
Health reform passes hurdle in Senate
Lawyers compare four cases to Prade's
Visiting new Navy ship brings back memories for Doylestown man serves on USS New York in 1930s
Green High senior goes extra mile for those who walk and jog the park trails
Most Read Stories
Police accuse bank robbery suspect of gobbling up note (with dashcam video)
Victim of beating in Kent last week is declared dead at Akron hospital
Dad accused of forcing son into field, killing him
Can DNA tests free ex-Akron captain?
Man found dead in North Akron home is identified
Browns' roster nearly devoid of consistent players
Does it work? Test team returns to try out new products advertised on television
Coventry man killed in crash at I-77 ramp
Blogs:
Pets:
Cat-loving chihuahua suckles seven abandoned kittens
The Heldenfiles:
Friday Night Notebook
Patrick McManamon:
Browns vs. Lions live …
Akron Zips:
Akron trounces Howard to reach .500
Tribe Matters:
Seven players added to Tribe’s 40-man roster
Cleveland Browns:
Robiskie, Harrison inactive
Kent State Sports:
Kent State blown out in second half, loses to Temple 47-13
Cleveland Cavaliers:
Gameblog: Cavs vs. Philadelphia 76ers
Buckeye Blogging:
OSU – Michigan college football rivals meet in Baghdad
Varsity Letters:
Four area football teams play tonight
All Da King's Men:
The Sunday Sanity Challenge
Blog of Mass Destruction:
Will Health Care Reform Pass?
Akron Law Café:
Health Care Financing Reform: (69) The Brookings Institute Study on "Bending the Curve" – Four General Strategies
See Jane Style:
Vintage Chic
Car Chase:
TIME TO GET YOUR COLLECTOR CARS WINTERIZED
Let's Talk Real Estate:
Silverdome Potentially SOLD!
Ohio Travels with Betty:
George is looking for a Thanksgiving buffet in Akron.
Sound Check:
Steely Dan Plays "The Royal Scam" at E.J. Thomas Hall
HRLite House:
A Random Rant on Testing
Akron Gamer:
Nintendo's Mario endures even as games come and go
Pair battle in media over comments on Iraq war
By Dennis J. Willard
Beacon Journal Columbus Bureau
Published on Thursday, Feb 28, 2008
COLUMBUS: Following the Democratic debate Tuesday evening in Cleveland, presidential candidates Barack Obama and John McCain waged a war of words of their own over the presence of al-Qaida in Iraq.
McCain, the U.S. senator from Arizona and the presumed Republican nominee, criticized Obama for stating during his debate with U.S. Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-New York, that he would reserve his right if
elected president to attack al-Qaida in Iraq if the terrorist group established a base there after the U.S. withdraws under his pledged, but undetermined, timetable for next year.
McCain, according to published reports, stated during a speech Wednesday in Tyler, Texas, he had news for the U.S. senator from Illinois, that al-Qaida was already in Iraq.
Obama countered McCain during a rally at Ohio State University, explaining he is well aware that al-Qaida has established a presence in Iraq.
''I have some news for John McCain,'' Obama said. ''There was no such thing as al-Qaida in Iraq until George Bush and John McCain decided to invade Iraq.''
Stating he would stand strong against terrorism as president, Obama said Bush and his followers waged the wrong war, and they should have been focusing on al-Qaida in Afghanistan and the foothills of Pakistan.
Obama spent nearly an hour speaking to an enthusiastic crowd of more than 5,000 at St. John Arena on the OSU campus.
Closing the gap
Next Tuesday, voters in Ohio are likely to determine the Democratic presidential nominee. Primaries are scheduled for the same day in Texas, Rhode Island and Vermont.
Obama trails Clinton by 8 to 11 points according to recent polls, but he has narrowed the gap in Ohio with a spate of television and radio advertisements that touch upon hot-button issues, particularly the unpopular North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) signed by former President Bill Clinton.
Before the crowd of students and other supporters, Obama returned to NAFTA and the state's troubled economy, promising once again to provide tax breaks to companies that invest in the U.S. and to strip incentives from businesses that export jobs and outsource work across our borders and overseas.
Obama again pledged to make affordable health insurance available to the 47 million uninsured Americans and to mandate that parental coverage extend to their children until age 25.
The candidate outlined plans to roll back tax breaks for the wealthy and provide a tax cut to anyone earning $75,000 or less annually, raise the minimum wage on a regular basis rather than once every 10 years, fund early childhood education initiatives and reward teachers financially for their hard work.
Obama said he would overhaul the No Child Left Behind Act, increase standards in schools while moving away from high stakes testing, expand the arts curricula in classrooms, and provide a $4,000 tuition credit to make college more affordable in return for community service from students.
Throughout the speech, Obama cast himself as an agent of change, willing to take on the Washington establishment while battling special interests and lobbyists.
He said he is not afraid to confront people, noting he told automakers in Detroit that they will need to improve their mileage per gallon on future vehicles and he once again mentioned the struggle the country faces in converting to alternative energies because it means taking on companies like Exxon that reported $11 billion in profits last quarter.
He addressed his critics, particularly Clinton, who deride his message of hope as being naive, noting the idea means not walking around with one's head in the clouds, but imagining the possibilities for positive change and then fighting to make them real.
They act like ''I kinda stumbled into running for the presidency,'' Obama said.
Dennis J. Willard can be reached at 614-224-1613 or dwillard@thebeaconjournal.com.
COLUMBUS: Following the Democratic debate Tuesday evening in Cleveland, presidential candidates Barack Obama and John McCain waged a war of words of their own over the presence of al-Qaida in Iraq.
Get the full article here.
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