Democrats Lead in Donations From Heath Care Industry

Despite constant criticism and reform proposals from Democratic presidential candidates, Democratic candidates have raised about $6.5 million fro the Heath Care Industry. On the other hand, Republican candidates have raised only about $4.8 million. Senator Clinton, who is leading the Democrats in the finance race, received $2.7 million despite her "calls for broad changes to the health care system that could pose serious financial challenges to private insurers and other sectors of the industry. Mitt Romney, the leading Republican fundraiser, is trailing Clinton by $1.1 million from the health care industry. Does this shift towards contributing heavily to Democratic candidates symbolize the growing belief that the Democrats have a strong chance to win the White House next year, and the health care industry is trying to influence the candidates?

Mukasey Nomination Depends on Views of Torture

Michael Mukasey’s nomination to replace Gonzales, as attorney general has appeared to be a sure thing over the past few weeks, and Democratic lawmakers say that he may still be confirmed because of the overwhelming need for leadership in the Justice Department. Lawmakers did not show any concern about Mukasey's nomination until his confirmation hearing last week. Mukasey offered some "awkward responses" to questions regarding his views about anti-terrorism policies that the Bush administration has engaged in. President Bush issued a complaint on Friday about how the Democratic leaders in Congress are taking too much time to approve the nomination of Mukasey "even as members complain about the lack of leadership at the Department of Justice."

Obama, Osama

This morning while talking about the threat of radical Islam, Governor Romney mistakenly called Osama bin Laden Barack Obama, not once but twice. A Romney spokesman claimed that Romney "simply misspoke" and "was referring to a recently released audiotape by bin Laden and misspoke when referencing the name." Was this just a slip of the tongue, or was it a subtle way to attack Senator Obama's upbringing and values?

Bush Claims He Wants to Help

Bush said yesterday that he was willing to negotiate with democrats about the Children’s Health Care Bill, if the Democrats make up their minds to " put the well-being of the children first. Bush was quoted saying that "My Attitude is, lets help the poor children," and "Let's make sure the program does what it's suppose to do." The president claimed that the bill that was proposed would steer the children's healthcare program away from its core purpose by expanding it to cover families that should be able to afford healthcare on their own. Was this truly Bush's intention when he vetoed the bill, or does he want the coverage of children to continue to be limited in order to use the extra money to fund his war in Iraq?

Clinton and Giuliani Lead Presidential Financial Race

Hillary Clinton and Rudy Giuliani are the front-runners for their parties' presidential nominations, as well as the financial leaders heading into the final months of the primary season. Clinton was reported to have $35 million available to spend on her campaign, making her $3 million ahead of her fellow Democrat Barack Obama. Both Democrats have a huge advantage over their Republican running mates. Giuliani leads Republican candidates, ending September with $16 million in his campaign account, while his closest rival is Romney how has $9 million at his disposal. However, Romney, Giuliani, and Obabma all spent more than their campaigns brought in over the past three months. Obama and Romney both have spent extra on television ads in hope of catching their better-known, front-running rivals. For example, Obama has aired 2400 more television spots that Clinton has this year.

Washington Genocide Vote

Many House members from both sides have begun to withdraw their support from a resolution that would condemn the mass killings of nearly a century ago in Turkey as genocide. The Turkish government has lobbied strongly against this symbolic resolution from the time of its proposal. The diminishing support for this bill is largely attributed to the fears that many House members have about the potential Turkish decision to deny American access to critical military facilities in Turkey. The Bush administration has warned that this proposal could cause harm to the American war effort in Iraq and have encouraged House Republicans to not support this measure.

G.O.P. Jump on the Global Warming Bandwagon

After Al Gore was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize Friday for his "work highlighting the treat posed by climate change," many of the Republican presidential contenders have integrated their views and how they would handle the issue into their speeches. Senator McCain is calling for the capping of gas emissions that are linked to global warming and higher fuel economy standards. On the other hand, Giuliani and Romney are emphasizing a push toward clean coal and other alternative energy sources. However, they all agree on one thing, that nuclear power should be greatly expanded.