washingtonpost.com - In Congress

A Hard-Hitting Final Round

Michael D. Shear and Robert Barnes — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 00:00:00 EDT

HEMPSTEAD, N.Y., Oct. 15 -- Seeking to recapture the momentum in the presidential race, John McCain aggressively criticized Barack Obama's past relationships and challenged his character Wednesday night while Obama sought to link McCain to President Bush and direct the conversation to "solving the...

Verizon and AT&T Provided Cell Towers for McCain Ranch

James V. Grimaldi — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 00:00:00 EDT

Early in 2007, just as her husband launched his presidential bid, Cindy McCain sought to resolve an old problem -- the lack of cellphone coverage on her remote 15-acre ranch near Sedona, Ariz., nestled deep in a tree-lined canyon called Hidden Valley.

McCain Faces Tough Task in Final Presidential Debate

William Branigin — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 13:50:00 EDT

Heading into his third and final presidential debate against Barack Obama tonight, John McCain faces an uphill struggle against a "brilliant speaker" who has opened up a substantial lead in opinion polls nationwide and in key battleground states, the McCain campaign said today.

Message Muddle

Howard Kurtz — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 10:14:01 EDT

Remember a few short weeks ago, when the race was tight and the pundits were goading Barack Obama to get aggressive and sharpen his message or see the thing slip away?

U.S. Forces Nine Major Banks To Accept Partial Nationalization

David Cho, Neil Irwin and Peter Whoriskey — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 00:00:00 EDT

The U.S. government is dramatically escalating its response to the financial crisis by planning to invest $250 billion in the country's banks, forcing nine of the largest to accept a Treasury stake in what amounts to a partial nationalization.

Scandal Embroils Congressman

Christopher Lee — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 00:00:00 EDT

Rep. Tim Mahoney (D-Fla.) requested an ethics investigation of himself yesterday after ABC News reported that he paid hush money to a former mistress who once worked on his staff and was threatening to sue him.

Looking Ahead, Obama Builds Ties With 'Blue Dogs'

Shailagh Murray — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 00:00:00 EDT

Rep. Mike Ross of Arkansas is not likely to bring Barack Obama many votes on Nov. 4. Neither is Rep. John Tanner of Tennessee or Rep. Allen Boyd, a farmer from the Florida Panhandle.

Obama Up by 10 Points as McCain Favorability Ratings Fall

Anne E. Kornblut and Jon Cohen — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 00:00:00 EDT

With just over three weeks until Election Day, the two presidential nominees appear to be on opposite trajectories, with Sen. Barack Obama gaining momentum and Sen. John McCain stalled or losing ground on a range of issues and personal traits, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll.

Seeing White House From a Cell in Hanoi

Michael Leahy — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 00:00:00 EDT

To endure their long ordeal, John McCain and the other U.S. servicemen held as prisoners of war in North Vietnam in the 1960s developed a number of survival techniques. None was quite as effective as the one former Navy pilot Richard Stratton remembers: "If you kept your mind occupied, you were...

Clintons Join Biden to Campaign for Obama in Scranton

Robert Barnes — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 00:00:00 EDT

SCRANTON, Pa., Oct. 12 -- Everything in politics is recyclable. Sen. Joseph R. Biden Jr. left this state while in grade school, but he can still talk of "we Pennsylvanians." Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's childhood summers at a nearby lake can be turned into the declaration that "here in northeast...

Issue of Race Creeps Into Campaign

Anne E. Kornblut — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 00:00:00 EDT

In the first presidential campaign involving an African American nominee of a major party, both candidates have agreed on this much: They would rather not dwell on the subject of race.

Incumbents Are Attacked for Rescue Plan

Paul Kane — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 00:00:00 EDT

On the evening of Sept. 30, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) helped unveil a bipartisan deal that would open the door to massive government intervention in the financial markets, calling it "one of the finer moments in the Senate."

U.S. Military Plans Polls and Focus Groups in Iraq

Walter Pincus — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 00:00:00 EDT

The U.S. military is planning a large polling and focus-group operation in Iraq over the next three years to help "build robust and positive relations with the people of Iraq and to assist the Iraqi people in forming a new government," according to a proposal seeking private contractors for the...

McCain Moves to Soften the Tone at Rallies, if Not in Ads

Michael D. Shear — Sat, 11 Oct 2008 00:00:00 EDT

LAKEVILLE, Minn., Oct. 10 -- At the end of perhaps the most charged and negative week of the presidential campaign, Sen. John McCain sought to tone down his rhetoric toward Sen. Barack Obama even as his running mate, allies and his own advertising continued to attack the character of the Democrat...

Palin's New Role: Traditional Running Mate

Perry Bacon Jr. — Sat, 11 Oct 2008 00:00:00 EDT

WILMINGTON, Ohio -- In her initial days as a vice presidential candidate, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin sought to reach beyond the Republican base to independents and moderate Democrats dissatisfied with Sen. Barack Obama. At campaign events, she praised Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) and openly...

Stevens's Reputation 'Sterling,' Powell Says

Del Quentin Wilber — Sat, 11 Oct 2008 00:00:00 EDT

Former secretary of state Colin L. Powell told jurors in the corruption trial of Sen. Ted Stevens yesterday that the powerful Alaska Republican had a "sterling" reputation among the nation's military and political leaders.

U.S. Allegedly Listened In on Calls of Americans Abroad

Joby Warrick — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 00:00:00 EDT

The chairman of the Senate intelligence committee is looking into allegations that a U.S. spy agency improperly eavesdropped on the phone calls of hundreds of Americans overseas, including aid workers and U.S. military personnel talking to their spouses at home.