McCainpedia is the latest online tool designed to provide greater access to information and resources. McCainpedia is an electronic encyclopedia that provides the opportunity for anyone, anywhere to review the raw facts and research of John McCain's record and then use it or share it in any way they choose. By visiting, you're a mouse-click away from our research on John McCain.
When we launched our national television ad hitting John McCain on his commitment to 100 years in Iraq, the Republicans went ballistic. The RNC threatened legal action, lobbied networks to refrain from airing it, and tried to explain away McCain's comments with arguments the presumptive GOP nominee previously dismissed. Watch the ad and help us inform the American people about John McCain's commitment to 100 years in Iraq.
In 2005, John McCain said he opposed a long-term American presence in the mold of the U.S. post-war commitments in Germany, Japan and Korea. Last year, he told Charlie Rose that such an arrangement could not work, even if there are no American casualties. Now, John McCain and the RNC are explaining away his "100 years" comment, and our national television ad, with this very argument.
Early in the Republican primary season, John McCain stated that he would not fly on corporate jets, nor would he enlist the aid of his wife's wealth to the campaign. According to the New York Times on Sunday, John McCain "frequently" flew on a corporate jet owned by a company headed by wife, Cindy, and paid a fraction of the actual cost.
On the same day President Bush spoke at an economic summit in New Orleans and stated the "we are not in a recession," Pennsylvania exit polls showed nine in ten voters believed the U.S. was in a recession.
Earth Day, first celebrated in 1970, was the brainchild of environmental advocate and late senator, Gaylord Nelson (D-WI), to push the environment as a national issue. The efforts of millions before and since continue to remind us of the little things we can do to be environmentally conscious.
The Democratic Party today announced it will air its first television advertisement of the 2008 Presidential Election season. The ad will begin airing on cable networks nationally on Tuesday, April 22nd. While John McCain and the Republican Party hope voters will forget their fiscal mismanagement of the last seven years, the Democratic Party ad gives voters the chance to hear John McCain in his own words.
The Democratic Party today announced it will air its first television advertisement of the 2008 Presidential Election season. The ad will begin airing on cable networks nationally on Tuesday, April 22nd. While John McCain and the Republican Party hope voters will forget their fiscal mismanagement of the last seven years, the Democratic Party ad gives voters the chance to hear John McCain in his own words.
That headline makes plenty of sense since John McCain doesn't know what he is talking about. John McCain admitted on national television that his economic plan is at odds with experts. But rest assured, he's not winging it. McCain's got experts of his own, and Alan Greenspan's book, too!
General David Petreaus testified before Congress that he was recommending President Bush "pause" the July reductions of American armed forces in Iraq for 45 days. But Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki "disagrees" with the recommendation from Gen. Petreaus, citing the Iraqi Security Forces' capabilities.
In an appearance on a right-wing radio program, Republican presidential nominee John McCain professed his staunch support for President George W. Bush on Iraq, stating "no one has supported President Bush on Iraq more than I have." John McCain offers four more years of failed Bush policies.
Gen. Richard A. Cody, the Army's vice chief of staff, says that heavy deployments are inflicting "incredible stress" on soldiers and their families, and that they pose a "significant risk" to the nation's all-volunteer army. Gen. David Petreaus, the top U.S. commander in Iraq, will testify next week.
Just how do you define success in Iraq? It's one of the points that McCain's no-policy policy address today was expected to address, and it's now different than the definition he gave a couple months ago. It seems what's meant by "success" keeps changing, perhaps to allow us to stay there for another 100 years?
A while back we filed an FEC complaint against John McCain, asking them to investigate whether the McCain campaign was on the verge of violating the spending limit law he agreed to when he became eligible to receive matching funds.
A recent CNN/Opinion Research poll finds that more than seven in ten Americans believe spending on the Iraq War is, at least partly, responsible for the current economic situation. Also, the poll finds that less than one in three Americans support the war, with opposition at 66 percent.
The EPA won't provide documents about the decision to reject California's attempt to reduce their emissions of greenhouse gasses. So Chairman Waxman has now issued a subpoena for "unredacted copies of documents that have been improperly withheld from the Committee," given that a "desire to conceal embarrassing facts" is not a valid legal basis.
The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Michael Mullen, said today that "The pace of ongoing operations has prevented our forces from fully training for the full spectrum of operations and impacts our ability to be ready to counter future threats."
Speaking in front of the Senate Intelligence Committee, Director of National Intelligence Mike McConnell claims that when he said "If I had water draining into my nose... it would be torture," he was referring to swim lessons, not waterboarding.
All of our Democratic candidates for president are better than the Republican candidates. So pledge to unite together as a party and support our nominee, whoever that may be, as we continue to work around the clock to fight for the American people. Let our candidates know that after the primaries, we'll stand united as a party.
The Los Angeles Times reports that the head of the U.S. Office of Special Counsel wrote to Attorney General Mukasey that the Justice Department "repeatedly 'impeded'" his investigation into the polarization of the department under Alberto Gonzales.
Hold the GOP accountable for everything they say on the campaign trail. We've got video straight from the field. Catch the flip-flops, exaggerations, and falsehoods and send them our way -- or download and mix them into a video of your own.
On Saturday, Republicans in Nevada and South Carolina opted for four more years of the Bush presidency. Romney takes Nevada and McCain wins in South Carolina but both are offering more of the same.
In New Hampshire, Democrats had far greater turnout than Republicans, displaying the enthusiasm gap this election year. Results make it clear that Democrats have the momentum and enthusiasm on our side. Regardless of who our nominee is, we will be united behind in making sure they become President next November. Click to read the full results and pledge your support.
President Bush reappointed Richard Stickler, the former industry executive-turned-Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) head that mishandled the response to the Crandall Canyon mine collapse last August. Meanwhile, the MSHA missed the deadline for finalizing new safety standards.
In Iowa, Democrats had far greater turnout than Republicans, displaying the enthusiasm gap this election year. Results make it clear that Democrats have the momentum and enthusiasm on our side. Regardless of who our nominee is, we will be united behind in making sure they become President next November. Click to read the full results and pledge your support.
The Iowa caucuses are approaching, but are any of the Republican candidates doing what it takes to win? All of the GOP candidates appear to be downplaying the importance of the election later this week. It's no wonder Iowa Republicans feel left out in the cold and depressed with their choices.
Now that Scooter Libby dropped his appeal, the White House can no longer use the excuse that there's an ongoing criminal proceeding to avoid answering questions about their role in leaking the identity of a covert CIA agent. That's still not stopping them from trying anyway.
Congress is getting to the bottom of the leaking of a covert CIA agent, despite a former White House official being found guilty of lying and obstructing justice. Yet the White House is currently preventing Fitzgerald from handing over "key documents," according to a new letter from Rep. Waxman.
The State Department is already under fire for an extreme lack of oversight over private contractors working in Iraq. Now a new report reveals that it can't account for $1.2 billion paid to one of those private contractors, DynCorp.
Democrats in Congress tried to override Bush's veto of children's health coverage on Thursday, but Republicans stopped them from reaching the needed majority. The bill would have brought health coverage to approximately ten million children in need.
Bush vetoed health care for poor children earlier this month. Now the fight is heating up, as House Democrats have one last chance to override Bush's veto. You've sent almost 200,000 letters to Congress so far using our online tool--but the fight isn't over.
The War Profiteering Prevention Act, H.R. 400, would make it a felony to profiteer from war. If this legislation becomes law, anyone found guilty of profiting excessively from military action or reconstruction may be subject to 20 years in prison and fines of $1 million, or as much as twice the illegal profits of their crime.
A shadowy group of right-wing Republicans recently sponsored a ballot initiative that would have changed the way California distributes its electoral votes. The effort failed, but now there are new questions about Rudy Giuliani's ties to the aborted campaign.
By a vote of 69-39, the Senate has passed legislation expanding health coverage to more children through the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP), a highly successful program that makes sure poor children can receive medical care when they are sick. But Bush has threatened to veto the legislation.
The State Department has ordered Blackwater USA, the private security firm under investigation for killing Iraqi civilians, not to disclose information about its Iraqi operations without Bush administration approval--setting the stage for another showdown between Congress and the White House.
Transportation Secretary Mary Peters, a Bush appointee, directed a lobbying effort against California's attempt to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through motor vehicle standards--and she did it with White House approval.
Sen. Jim Webb(D-VA) has sponsored legislation that would guarantee longer rest periods for troops between deployments. The amendment would guarantee active-duty troops and units at least equal time at home as the length of their previous tour overseas.
A crucial vote will take place today at 10:30 am ET, when the Senate will hold a cloture vote on legislation that would restore habeas corpus--a safeguard against illegal imprisonment that is essential to civil liberties. Democrats in the Senate need 60 votes to overcome the Republican filibuster of this important legislation.
A majority of Americans still want an end to the war in Iraq, despite the heavily coordinated White House publicity campaign last week. According to two new polls, more than half of respondents said the United States should bring home troops as soon as possible--and the percentage has increased since General Petraeus reported to Congress.
Bush announced in a television address last night that he wants to keep the current high troop levels in Iraq at least through next summer, and possibly indefinitely. But if the speech was intended to rally the reluctant Republican base--let alone persuade the angry Democratic one--it missed its mark by a mile.
Bush addressed the nation about Iraq last night for the eighth time since the invasion. He announced that he wants to keep troop levels high in Iraq through next summer, before cutting to 130,000 troops--the same number of troops that were already there before the January escalation. Here's what we wrote yesterday.
General David Petraeus, testifying before the joint House Armed Services and Foreign Affairs committees yesterday, said that Bush's escalation in Iraq is working and that violence in Iraq is down. But it looks like the White House is cherry-picking data. Here's some facts about the Bush "surge."
The testimony by General David Petraeus and Ambassador Ryan Crocker about Bush's escalation in Iraq is happening now before the joint House Armed Services and Foreign Affairs committees. The testimony is being broadcast live on CNN and C-Span 3. Join our live chat and help check the facts in real time.
Since the war in Iraq began, the Bush administration has repeatedly insisted that their strategy "is working." And each time, it's been false. Now they're pulling out the same tired line again, but Americans know better. Do they really expect us to believe them this time?
Due to White House interference, the GAO report on Bush's escalation in Iraq is now watered down. Not only that, but the result of the changes makes for headlines that read very differently from how they would have read before--implying that the situation in Iraq is better than it actually is.
According to a leaked report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) on the results of the Bush administration's escalation in Iraq, the escalation shows almost no signs of progress so far--and the Iraqi government has failed to meet most benchmarks.
The $19 billion dollar program to arm Iraqi security forces is rife with fraud. The Pentagon has not only lost about 190,000 of the program's AK-47 assault rifles and pistols, but now there is evidence of corruption involving $5 billion in contracts and over $15 million in bribes.
The Bush administration is making it more difficult for states to provide health coverage to low-income children by mandating tough new rules that determine eligibility--even though many states are trying to increase the number of children covered.
A U.S. appeals court is reviewing the legality of the Bush administration's Warrantless Eavesdropping Program, but the administration is now attempting to claim that the courts "must dismiss the cases" because they expose "national secrets."
Department of Health and Human Services directors are sending copycat letters to newspapers across the country, spreading misinformation about the children's health insurance program, SCHIP, currently up for re-authorization.
The Pentagon has lost track of about 190,000 AK-47 assault rifles and pistols given to Iraqi security forces, according to a new government report, raising fears that some of those weapons have fallen into the hands of insurgents fighting U.S. forces in Iraq.
FBI Director Robert Mueller testified today that Attorney General Alberto Gonzales was not accurate in his sworn testimony to the Senate on Tuesday, raising new questions about whether or not Gonzales committed perjury. The controversy centers on a late-night cloak-and-daggers hospital visit in 2004.
Today Senate Democrats passed legislation to upgrade the military health care that our active-duty soldiers and veterans receive. The bill also includes new resources for traumatic brain injuries and post-traumatic stress disorder, and a 3.5% pay raise for soldiers and their families.
Last May, the Bush administration "strongly opposed" a 0.5 percent pay raise for the troops, calling the raise "unnecessary," even though many military families depend on food stamps to survive. Now Bush is falsely claiming that Congress did not want to increase soldiers' pay.
After an all-night debate on Iraq, Senate Democrats tried today to end a Republican block on a vote on the Levin-Reed amendment, which would require a troop withdrawal to begin within the next 120 days. Democrats fell short of the 60 votes needed to end debate and bring a vote.
House Democrats voted to cut $19 billion in federal subsidies to lending companies, and to channel the savings to student aid, lowering interest rates on student loans, and making it easier for students to repay their loans after graduation. Bush has already threatened to veto.
Yesterday House Democrats passed legislation that would begin the responsible redeployment of U.S. troops within 120 days and complete redeployment by April 1, 2008. The vote was 223-201, the largest margin in favor of redeployment to date.
A new study by the Pentagon's Inspector General concludes that the Bush administration's Department of Defense risked the lives of U.S. troops in Iraq by how they chose to award contracts for MRAP vehicles, the armored vehicles that are safer for soldiers than Humvees.
Senate Democrats moved Tuesday to cut off $4.8 million in funding for Vice President Dick Cheney's office until he agrees to comply with an executive order governing how to handle classified information. Sen. Durbin (D-Ill) said, "Neither Mr. Cheney or his staff is above the law or the Constitution."
When U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales asked Congress to renew the USA Patriot Act, he assured senators that the FBI had not abused its new powers under the Act. But according to internal FBI documents, he had received multiple reports of abuses and violations.
The politically-motivated firings of US Attorneys continues to cause controversy, with the White House ignoring subpoenas and attempts at a compromise. By refusing to detail which parts of the subpoenaed documents qualify for executive privilege, the administration continues to stonewall the investigation.
Something as important as the Bush administration commuting the sentence of convicted felon Scooter Libby -- a former top White House aide who obstructed justice to cover-up the circumstances around an outed covert CIA agent -- deserves some follow-up questions. Here's what they haven't answered.
The Bush administration has slashed funding for the endangered species division of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, even though hundreds of species are now critically close to extinction. The program has a staff vacancy of 30%, and one appointee just resigned in the midst of scandal.
The Washington Post calls the Bush presidency "the most drastic political collapse in a generation." With a 26% approval rating, Bush is now isolated even from old friends and is avoiding public appearances. His current attitude is described as "fatalism."
President Bush has decided to commute the sentence of convicted felon Scooter Libby, his former staffer. It's a last-minute move to keep Libby out of prison, after he lost his motion to be released on bond pending appeal. Bush did not argue that Libby is innocent, and only 21-percent of Americans favor a pardon.
As President Bush's approval rating drops to near-historic lows of 26%, a new poll shows that a majority of Americans believe that Democratic control of Congress is better for the country. A majority also favor Democratic candidates in general over Republican candidates.
According to a new report released this week, the world's richest people are getting even richer. Their combined wealth surged last year to $37.2 trillion dollars--at the same time that Republicans were trying to block a minimum wage increase of $2.10 an hour for the lowest-paid workers in the U.S.
According to a new bipartisan report, the Pentagon has spent $19 billion on training and equipping Iraqi security forces--and can't account for how it was spent. The United States has now spent over $55,000 on each Iraqi recruit, but can't even say how many of those recruits are still in operation.
Today the Senate Judiciary Committee subpoenaed both the White House and Vice President Dick Cheney's office for documents related to the Bush administration's illegal domestic spying program. The stage is now set for a showdown between the White House and Congress.
The Supreme Court ruled against one of the major provisions in the 2002 campaign finance reform act yesterday, in another narrow 5-4 ruling. The decision was called an example of "greater hostility on the court to federal limitations on money in politics."
Both the Senate and House education committees have approved legislation that would cut federal subsidies to lending companies by as much as $19 billion. The savings would be channeled to student aid, lower interest rates on student loans, and make it easier for students to repay their loans after graduation.
The Bush Administration and the chemical, oil and gas industries are blocking efforts to improve security at chemical storage facilities--despite the fact that millions of Americans are potentially at risk.
Energy independence is something that both sides talk about, but it's an issue where the old Republican Congress simply failed to lead. Now the Democratic Congress is taking up the issue, offering bold ideas to reduce our nation's dependence on oil by significantly reducing our oil consumption.
For the first time, the White House is linked directly to the political purge of eight U.S. attorneys. According to new documents released last night, former White House political director Sara Taylor was directly involved in discussions about fired U.S. attorney Bud Cummins and his replacement, Karl Rove protégé Tim Griffin.
Democrats in Congress defeated a proposal by Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY) that would have required all voters to show extra identification in order to vote. This week also revealed more Republican efforts to suppress votes-- under the guise of cracking down on voter fraud.
Bradley Schlozman, a political appointee in the Justice Department, obtained indictments against members of a liberal group in Missouri just one week before the November 2006 election. His story reveals how the department aggressively persecuted voter registration efforts under the guise of cracking down on voter fraud.
Tim Griffin, the controversial U.S. attorney in Arkansas, has resigned. Griffin is a protégé of Karl Rove and formerly research director of the Republican National Committee. In 2004, Griffin led a "caging" scheme to suppress the votes of African-American service members in Florida.
Lurita Doan, chief of the General Services Administration (GSA), violated the federal Hatch Act last January when she asked how GSA political appointees could "help our candidates" win the next election, referring to Republicans seen as vulnerable by the Bush administration.
The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), which guarantees Americans the right to obtain federal agency records, marked an important victory for proponents of keeping our government open. As support builds to amend the act to further increase transparency, an anonymous Republican Senator has placed a "secret hold" on the Open Government Act.
House Democrats passed an increase in the minimum wage on Thursday, raising the wage from $5.15 to $7.25 an hour. A full-time minimum-wage worker stands to earn an extra $4,000 a year--a raise that could make all the difference when paying rent, buying groceries or filling the tank with gas.
Last month, Bush nominated Michael Baroody, executive vice president of the National Association of Manufacturers, to head the Consumer Product Safety Commission--the very organization that he has consistently opposed. Senate Democrats fought back, and Baroody has now withdrawn his nomination.
Gas prices soared to a new record this week, as millions of Americans prepared to hit the road for the holiday weekend. Even adjusted for inflation, the price of a gallon of unleaded gas topped the 1981 spike--the highest prices on record for the last 26 years.
Paul Wolfowitz, one of the architects of the Iraq war, stepped down yesterday, after a report by the World Bank ethics panel found that he violated bank rules by engineering a promotion and large raise for his girlfriend. Despite the White House's support, the the scandal proved too serious to simply brush off.
Much has been written about the creation of a "War Czar" to oversee the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, which has been filled by Lt. Gen. Douglas Lute. Yet what hasn't been discussed is the timetable that he set back in August of 2005, declaring that the United States was expected to withdraw troop levels significantly from Iraq in the next 12 months.
Ten Republican presidential candidates debated again last night in South Carolina. John McCain, Rudy Giuliani, Mitt Romney and the others tangled themselves in knots trying to explain their changing positions on just about everything. Now here is the good, the bad, and the ugly from the Daily Flipper, Debate Edition.
A day after Deputy Attorney General Paul McNulty announced that he would resign by the end of the summer, Attorney General Alberto Gonzales was quick to blame him for the controversial firings of eight U.S. attorneys last year. Gonzales told reporters, "At the end of the day, the recommendations reflected the views of the deputy attorney general."
Last week, the House passed the Student Loan Sunshine Act in response to recent student loan scandals--like kickbacks to colleges in return for "preferred lender" status for loan companies. Education Secretary Margaret Spellings faced tough questions before the Committee on Education and Labor.
The Bush administration may have deliberately withheld emails from Congress that would have revealed just how deeply Karl Rove was involved in Attorneygate. An anonymous senior official leaked damning emails today to reporters that reveal a highly orchestrated cover-up by the White House and Justice Department.
The average price of gas hit $3.07 per gallon, a new record in a year of sky-high gas prices. Working families are feeling the squeeze. For some, it now takes a whole day-and-a-half in wages just to fill the tank. So why are the big oil companies posting record profits--and why isn't the Bush administration doing anything about it?
The House voted yesterday to expand and improve Head Start, the popular early childhood development and education program. The vote was a defeat for the Bush administration, which has consistently cut funding for the program and demanded literacy testing for four-year-olds. The bill reauthorizes Head Start for the first time since 1998.
President Bush’s approval rating has now fallen to 28%, the lowest level ever, according to the most recent Harris poll. The news comes as Bush continues to clash with Democrats over their Iraq Emergency Supplemental Bill, which would fully fund the troops while setting a timetable to bring them home. Bush plans to veto the legislation.
Last week, the FBI raided the business of Roberta Renzi, wife of Rep. Rick Renzi (R-AZ), who is under investigation for corruption charges. New details are now emerging about the land deals that led to the federal grand jury probe--and how that investigation might be linked to the firing of U.S. Attorney Paul Charlton.
President Bush, who is now isolated in his support for the Attorney General, issued a statement saying that Gonzales had apologized for his "lack of clarity." But even other Republicans aren't buying it. Watch our video “Total Recall,” in which Alberto Gonzales says he can’t remember, well, pretty much anything.
The worst part of Attorney General Alberto Gonzales' testimony yesterday was that he couldn’t seem to remember anything at all--like trying to tell Congress that "the dog ate my homework." We’ve put together a video of all the moments that he "just couldn't recall." Watch the video and see if you can keep track, then read the "reviews" of his performance. Universal agreement? Two thumbs down.
The Democratic Party, with tens of thousands of co-signers, filed a Freedom of Information Act Request with the Department of Justice regarding the firing of the U.S. Attorneys. Now it's 30 days since the FOIA request and we've filed a lawsuit in an effort to obtain the RNC-Justice Department emails.
Governor Howard Dean issued the following statement on the tragedy at Virginia Tech: "Today our thoughts and prayers are with the victims, their families and the students, faculty and administration officials at Virginia Tech. Our nation is devastated by this tragedy and mourns with those who lost loved ones today."
With the Senate recently completing their 100th work day, it's worth taking a look at all they have already done to improve the lives of Americans. Unlike the do-nothing Republican Congress they replaced, Democrats have already pursued a positive agenda and gotten things done on ethics reform, minimum wage, energy independence, eduction, health care, homeland security, veterans, and Iraq.
The scandal at the Justice Department and the White House concerning the firing of several U.S. Attorneys continues to raise eyebrows, most recently with the "missing" emails of White House staffers using an email system maintained by the Republican National Committee. With this igniting a firestorm of controversy, and with Alberto Gonzales testifying next week, here's a guide to the phantom emails.
The 2008 Democratic National Convention will take place August 25-28, 2008 in Denver, Colorado. The Democratic Party has now launched the official 2008 convention website. The new site allows visitors to learn more about the nominating process, how to be a delegate, or how to volunteer. Check it out and tell us what you think.
Last week, we asked you to send us your thoughts about why it's time to end the war in Iraq and bring our troops home. Based on your comments, we created a new ad that will debut tomorrow about the war. Because we received so many responses -- and can't use them all -- here's a sample of the great feedback we received. Consider it a sneak preview for the web ad.
