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2008 Presidential Candidates


Ghost of WGH

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Rudy Giuliani

 

 

 

Current job: Lawyer and consultant

 

Birth date: May 28, 1944, Brooklyn, New York

 

Family: Married Judith "Judi" Nathan (2003-present); Donna Hanover (1984-2002, divorced); Regina Peruggi (1968-1982, annulment). Children: stepdaughter Whitney (1986); Caroline (1989); Andrew (1986)

 

Religion: Roman Catholic

 

Education: Manhattan College, A.B., 1965; New York University Law School, J.D., 1968

 

Campaign Web site: www.joinrudy2008.com

 

On the Issues:

 

Abortion

Supports abortion rights.

 

Immigration

Supports providing a path to citizenship for some illegal immigrants, but not ahead of those in the system legally. Says that illegal immigrants must pay back-taxes, penalties and learn English and American history before gaining citizenship. Supports a high-tech fence at the U.S.-Mexican border. Supports short-term use of the National Guard to help secure the U.S.-Mexican border and long-term increases in border patrol personnel. Supports creating a tamper-resistant identification system to verify legal status.

 

Iraq

Opposes setting timetable for troop withdrawal. Supported Bush plan to send additional American troops to Iraq. Opposes congressional resolutions criticizing troop increase. Says failure in Iraq will lead to a broader regional conflict.

 

Same-sex marriage

Says marriage should be defined as between a man and a woman, but supports domestic partnerships and legal benefits for same-sex couples.

 

Social Security

Supports private retirement accounts as a part of Social Security, but not at the expense of guaranteed benefits.

 

Taxes

Supports Bush tax cuts

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Mike Huckabee

 

 

 

Current job: Term as Arkansas governor ended in January 2007

 

Birth date: August 24, 1955; Hope, Arkansas

 

Family: Married Janet Huckabee

 

Religion: Baptist

 

Education: Ouachita Baptist University, B.A., 1975; Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, 1976-80

 

Campaign Web site: www.explorehuckabee.com

 

On the Issues:

 

Abortion

Opposes abortion rights.

 

Immigration

Supports Bush-backed immigration plan that provides a path to citizenship for some illegal immigrants. Believes some Republican plans to deport illegal immigrants are "unworkable."

 

Iraq

Has offered qualified support for Bush Iraq policy, saying the president has access to military and diplomatic information that is not publicly available. Opposes congressional resolutions that express opposition to the president's plan to increase the number of American troops in Iraq. Opposes proposals to cut funding for the war.

 

Same-sex marriage

Opposes same-sex marriage.

 

Social Security

Supports Bush plan allowing workers to divert some Social Security payroll taxes into private retirement accounts.

 

Taxes

Supports a "FairTax" plan.

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Duncan Hunter

 

 

 

Current job: U.S. representative from California

 

Birth date: May 31, 1948; Riverside, California

 

Family: Married Lynne Hunter

 

Religion: Baptist

 

Education: Western State University, B.S.L and J.D., 1976

 

Campaign Web site: www.gohunter08.com

 

On the Issues:

 

Abortion

Opposes abortion rights. Sponsored legislation which would define life as beginning at conception and apply constitutional protections to the unborn.

 

Immigration

Supported strict House immigration overhaul legislation that did not provide a path to citizenship for some illegal immigrants. Voted to authorize construction of a 700-mile fence along the U.S.-Mexican border. Opposes amnesty programs. Says stricter enforcement of the nation's borders is a national security issue.

 

Iraq

Voted for the use of military force in Iraq. Voted against war spending bill that would have withdrawn most U.S. troops by March 2008. Supported Bush plan to increase the number of American troops, but would also require increased use of Iraqi forces. Has called for the administration to update Congress on war progress every 30 days. Says the United States is obligated to complete its mission in Iraq.

 

Same-sex marriage

Opposes same-sex marriage and supports a constitutional amendment defining marriage as a union between one man and one woman.

 

Social Security

Says he is considering all options to reform the program and prevent impending insolvency.

 

Taxes

Supported 2001 and 2003 Bush tax cuts. Supported extending tax cuts through 2010.

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John McCain

 

 

 

Current job: U.S. senator from Arizona

 

Birth date: August 29, 1936, Panama Canal Zone

 

Family: Married Cindy Hensley (May 17, 1980 - present); Carol Shepp (1965-1980, divorced); Children: Bridget, 1991 (adopted from Bangladesh, 1992); Jimmy, 1988; Jack, 1986; Meghan, 1984; Sidney, 1966; Adopted sons from Carol's previous marriage: Andy, 1962, and Doug, 1959.

 

Religion: Episcopalian

 

Education: U.S. Naval Academy, B.S., 1958; National War College, 1974

 

Campaign Web site: www.johnmccain.com

 

On the Issues:

 

Abortion

Opposes abortion rights except in cases of rape, incest or to protect the life of the mother.

 

Immigration

Co-sponsored Bush-backed immigration reform legislation, which would have increased funding and improved border security technology, improved enforcement of existing laws, and provided a legal path to citizenship for some illegal immigrants. Voted to authorize construction of a 700-mile fence along the U.S.-Mexican border.

 

Iraq

Voted for use of military force in Iraq. Supported Bush veto of war spending bill that would have withdrawn most U.S. troops by March 2008. Was an early proponent of sending additional American troops to Iraq.

 

Same-sex marriage

Supports definition of marriage as a union between a man and a woman, but opposes a constitutional amendment banning same sex-marriage. Says individual states should decide the issue. Says a federal marriage ban might be appropriate if courts overturned state marriage laws. Supports legal benefits for same-sex partners.

 

Social Security

Supports Bush plan to allow workers to divert some Social Security payroll taxes to private retirement accounts.

 

Taxes

Voted against 2001 and 2003 Bush tax cut laws, but later voted in favor of extending tax cuts through 2010.

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Mitt Romney

 

 

 

Current job: Term as Massachusetts governor ended in January 2007

 

Birth date: March 12, 1947; Detroit, Michigan

 

Family: Married Ann Davies (1969-present); five children

 

Religion: Mormon

 

Education: Brigham Young University, B.A., 1971; Harvard University, M.B.A., J.D., 1975

 

Campaign Web site: www.mittromney.com

 

On the Issues:

 

Abortion

Opposes abortion rights except in cases of rape, incest and to protect the life of the mother. Supported abortion rights as a 1994 Senate candidate.

 

Immigration

Opposes Bush-backed guest worker plan, saying it goes too far in expanding future immigration levels. Calls for a better system for employers to verify legal status of workers. Opposes allowing illegal immigrants to gain legal status apart from existing procedures available to all non-citizens. Opposes in-state tuition breaks for illegal immigrants. As governor, authorized use of state police for immigration enforcement.

 

Iraq

Supported Bush veto of Iraq war spending bill that would have withdrawn most U.S. troops by March 2008 at the latest. Opposes troop withdrawal. Supported the president's plan for additional troops in Iraq.

 

Same-sex marriage

Opposes same-sex marriage. Opposes civil unions, though had supported a Vermont-style civil unions law for Massachusetts.

 

Social Security

Has suggested creating an independent panel to formulate a plan to reform Social Security.

 

Taxes

Supports Bush tax cuts.

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Ron Paul

 

 

 

 

Current job: U.S. representative from Texas

 

Birth date: August 20, 1935; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

 

Family: Married Carol Paul; five children

 

Religion: Protestant

 

Education: Gettysburg College, B.A., 1957; Duke University, M.D., 1961

 

Campaign Web site: www.ronpaul2008.com

 

On the Issues:

 

Abortion

Opposes abortion rights, but says that the issue should be decided in the states. Supports ban on procedure opponents call "partial birth" abortion. Says Roe v. Wade was "wrongly decided."

 

Immigration

Supported strict House immigration overhaul legislation that did not provide a path to citizenship for some illegal immigrants. Voted to authorize construction of a 700-mile fence along the U.S.-Mexican border.

 

Iraq

Voted against use of military force in Iraq. Supports withdrawing troops from Iraq, but opposed war spending bill which included a plan to withdraw most U.S. troops by March 2008. Calls for repealing authority given to the president in 2002 Iraq war authorization vote. Opposed Bush plan to increase the number of American troops in Iraq. Says military victory in Iraq is "unattainable."

 

Same-sex marriage

Supports definition of marriage as between a man and a woman, but opposes any federal marriage definition. Says that states should not be forced to recognize another state's same-sex marriage law. Opposed House measure amending the Constitution to ban same-sex marriage.

 

Social Security

Opposes Bush plan allowing workers to divert some Social Security payroll taxes into private retirement accounts. Proposes cutting payroll taxes and allowing workers to invest the money themselves. Says excessive government spending is the cause of Social Security insolvency problems. Opposes all taxation of Social Security benefits.

 

Taxes

Supported 2001 and 2003 Bush tax cuts. Supported extending tax cuts through 2010. Named House's "top tax cutter" by conservative Human Events magazine.

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Fred Thompson

 

 

 

Current job: Actor -- most recently appeared on TV?s "Law & Order." ABC radio commentator

 

Birth date: August 19, 1942, Sheffield, Alabama

 

Family: Married Jeri Kehn Thompson (2001-present); divorced Sarah Knestrickin 1985.

 

Religion: Protestant

 

Education: Memphis State University, B.S., 1964; Vanderbilt University Law School, J.D., 1967

 

On the Issues:

 

Abortion

Opposes abortion rights. Says Roe v. Wade is a "bad law" and "bad medical science."

 

Immigration

Supports stricter enforcement of existing laws to prevent future influx of illegal immigrants. Opposes blanket amnesty programs, but willing to consider allowing some illegal immigrants to earn citizenship without being unfair to those here legally. Supports expanding visa program for skilled workers.

 

Iraq

Voted for use of military force in Iraq. Supports Bush Iraq policy, but says U.S. entered war with too few troops and wrong strategy.

 

Same-sex marriage

Opposes same-sex marriage. Personally opposes civil unions, but says the issue should be left to states.

 

Social Security

Voted in favor of using budget surplus funds to create a private savings account program as a supplement to Social Security.

 

Taxes

Voted in favor of 2001 Bush tax cut law.

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Anyone on the fence about who to vote for in the GOP should just hear the audio of each candidate's response to Benazir Bhutto's assassination. The choice should be pretty clear.

Link?

http://www.desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs...009/-1/SPORTS09

 

I'm still trying to find audio, but that has reactions from the candidates on both sides of the political fence.

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The good thing about Thompson bowing out now is that it would really help McCain.

If he does he would back McCain and McCain's website calls Thompson "a close 2nd" in being the best Reagan conservative candidate, which is why I don't think it's entirely impossible that Thompson runs for VP.

I'd absolutely love it.

 

Plus, considering McCain's age if he took the White House he could propel Thompson to the presidency in '12.

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