Politics

Obama Draws On Lessons From Chicago Streets to Propel Race for Presidency When Barack Obama launched his presidential campaign, he called his three years as a community organizer in Chicago in the 1980s ``the best education I ever had.'' He's putting those lessons to good use in his drive for the White House, say many of those who worked with him then.

McCain Shuffles Staff, Says Campaign Manager Davis to Focus on Fundraising John McCain is restructuring his presidential campaign for the second time in a year, diminishing the duties of campaign manager Rick Davis and putting Steve Schmidt, a protégé of Karl Rove, in charge of day-to-day operations.

Bush's Dollar Maps Loss of Clout to Russia, China at His Final G-8 Summit When President George W. Bush went to his first Group of Eight summit in 2001, a dominant issue was the dollar -- the strong dollar, that is. The U.S. currency was on a record-setting streak, and the free-marketeering president wasn't going to stand in the way.

Campaign Notebook: Calculating the Consequences of an `October Surprise' The quadrennial discussion of an ``October surprise'' centers this year on whether an international crisis would overturn voter perceptions of Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama or Republican contender John McCain.

Obama Proposes $500 Million a Year for Faith-Based Programs, Reading Plan Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama said he would spend at least $500 million a year to promote community aid programs run by faith-based groups.

Obama's Media `Body Watch' Get the Scoop on Candidate's Haircuts, Workouts Barack Obama's ascension to presumed Democratic presidential nominee means the press can now get more information on the nation's next potential commander in chief, including such critical items as when he last got a haircut.

McCain Says Obama `Cannot Be Trusted,' Cites Campaign Financing Turnaround John McCain, in his sharpest attack yet against rival Barack Obama, said the Democratic presidential candidate's word ``cannot be trusted.''

McCain Touts Coal, Nuclear While Decrying `Playing Favorites' With Energy As a senator, John McCain has condemned policies that pick market winners and losers, aiming particular criticism at government ethanol subsidies as a taxpayer rip-off.

Democrat Obama Says Patriotism Debate Rooted in `Culture Wars' of Past Democrat Barack Obama said the U.S. can no longer afford to rehash the ``threadbare arguments'' of the 1960s over what it means to be a patriot amid a war and an election campaign to determine the country's future.

Obama, Bolstering Foreign Policy Credentials, Plans Trips to U.K., Israel Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama, fending off Republican criticism that he's short on foreign policy experience, plans to visit Europe and the Middle East by the end of August, his campaign said.

Boeing, Lockheed May Lose as Obama, McCain Take Aim at Big Weapon Systems Goldman Sachs Group Inc. warned its clients last month that Barack Obama would be ``a negative for defense stocks'' if he became president, because he will cut weapons programs that generate the companies' biggest profits.