Did you know that there are children growing up in this country with no understanding of why Americans are spending trillions of dollars fighting endless bloody wars in Iraq and Afghanistan? Come to think of it, we still don't really understand it either, but thankfully Mike Huckabee is here to teach young and old alike about what happened on 9/11, and why we had no choice but to fight our so-totally-worth-it War on Tactic. Pour yourself a bowl of Little Chocolate Donuts and press your face close to the screen; it's a cartoon! And it's available now for just $19.95 (plus shipping and handling). Here's a preview: more ›

If you woke up this morning with a vague sense of emptiness, as if the air tasted a little less sweet, and your slippers were just not as soft as they used to be, the reason is probably that former governor and current bass guitar melter-of-faces Mike Huckabee will not be running for president. more ›

Chris Christie may now hold the answer to his "do or die" dilemma on whether to run for president in 2012. A Quinnipiac poll asked respondents to rate leaders from 0 to 100 degrees on a 'feeling thermometer,' with the highest numbers reflecting the warmest feelings," and New Jersey's possibly svelter Governor was rated the highest politician, with 57 degrees. Barring an unexpected shakeup at the editorial board of Teen Beat, this is perhaps the only time Christie's name will sit next to the word "Hottest" in a headline. more ›

Because former Arkansas governor and possible 2012 contender Mike Huckabee is trying to explain his remarks criticizing Natalie Portman because the 29-year-old, Oscar-winning Harvard graduate is pregnant yet not married. On his Huck PAC website, he wrote, "Natalie is an extraordinary actor, very deserving of her recent Oscar and I am glad she will marry her baby's father. However, contrary to what the Hollywood media reported, I did not 'slam' or "attack" Natalie Portman, nor did I criticize the hardworking single mothers in our country." Okay, so what did he say? more ›

Former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee is totally throwing himself into the national spotlight (and 2012 ring) with his remarks this week. After falsely claiming that President Obama grew up in Kenya, Huckabee, in a discussion about the Oscars, said on a radio program, "One of the things that's troubling is that people see a Natalie Portman or some other Hollywood starlet who boasts of, 'Hey look, you know, we're having children, we're not married, but we're having these children, and they're doing just fine.' But there aren't really a lot of single moms out there who are making millions of dollars every year for being in a movie. And I think it gives a distorted image that yes, not everybody hires nannies, and caretakers, and nurses." more ›

Former TLC reality show star Sarah Palin has criticized First Lady Michelle Obama's plan to get kids active and healthy, saying, "What she is telling us is she cannot trust parents to make decisions for their own children, for their own families in what we should eat." But GOP members Chris Christie (whose suits are growing baggier!) and Mike Huckabee are coming to Obama's defense, reminding everyone that the government won't be outlawing dessert any time soon. Christie said on CBS, "I think it's a really good goal to encourage kids to eat better...If a kid can avoid that in his adult years or her adult years, more power to them." Huckabee even says that obesity is a matter of national security! more ›

Wait, who? This morning, Manhattan Republican Myers Mermel announced that he has thrown his hat into the ring as a candidate for Jacob's position NY Governor. “We all know how poorly our incumbents have fared, it is time to vote them out and for the people to have their voice heard. There is no secret to resolving our economic crisis, we must vote the current team out and start our reforms,” he wrote on his website. Mmmm, Mermel. more ›

Former Arkansas governor and presidential candidate Mike Huckabee dipped his toe into the NY 2010 election season and endorsed Myers Mermel, a Manhattan resident, for Lieutenant Governor. Huckabee says on a video, "He's governor ready. Now, let me explain what that means. I was a lieutenant governor and became governor because the governor had to, somehow, get out of office. You know what? That's happened a lot, including in New York. The lieutenant governor needs to be somebody who is ready to take the job." In a 2008 Observer feature, Mermel was described as running "a commercial real estate ownership and advisory business. Of late, he's also quite busy with the thankless task of running Huckabee’s New York bid." more ›

Yesterday, Senator John McCain was welcomed and endorsed by President Bush. Bush referenced McCain's doubters and past history, "John showed incredible courage and strength of character and perseverance in order to get to this moment. And that's exactly what we need in a President: somebody that can handle the tough decisions; somebody who won't flinch in the face of danger." more ›

CNN, NBC, and the AP are projecting Senator John McCain will clinch the Republican presidential campaign, after winning the primaries in Texas, Ohio, Vermont and Rhode Island and clinching the 1,191 delegates needed. A source tells NBC that President Bush has invited McCain to the White House tomorrow and will endorse him. McCain will be having a victory party in Dallas tonight, complete with banner that says "1,191." more ›

Saturday Night Live is back! Wasting no time digging into primary season, the opening skit was a debate between Hillary and Barack, immediately answering the big question posed this week: who will be our Fauxbama? The answer: Fred Armisen! The Huffington Post raises the controversial points of this decision, given the previously-noted lack of minority players on the show (Armisen is not black - he's Venezuelan and Japanese - but has played Prince on SNL) and the whole "Is Obama black enough?" debate. As for the sketch itself, it was about the media's infatuation with Obama - and it even included Obama Girl! more ›

Ralph Nader will be making another third-party bid for the Presidency in the 2008 election. The consumer advocate - and bane of many Democrats - made the announcement this morning on Meet the Press.

In an echo of its 2006 article about her Senate re-election campaign spending, the NY Times finds Hillary Clinton donors are concerned over her campaign's spending. Some of the line items that emerged after her campaign finance report was published: $100,000 in party platters and shovels for Iowa caucus parties (where Clinton placed third - and where it did not snow), $25,000 in hotel rooms at Las Vegas' Bellagio, $275,000 to a South Carolina firm "that was supposed to turn out black voters for her" (Barack Obama won SC by almost 30%) and $267,000 for adviser Howard Wolfson's January fee. more ›

Hillary Clinton's February flop continued today as voters in Virginia, Maryland and D.C. turned out for Barack Obama by nearly two-to-one margins (in D.C. he won by 75% to 24%). According to exit polls, Obama not only did well with young voters, blacks and independents but, surprisingly, with certain demographics Clinton's been counting on: senior citizens, women and blue collar voters. Polls suggest 49% of those who voted for Obama were white and voters over sixty backed Obama by 52%. more ›

After a competitive Super Tuesday matchup, Barack Obama has swept three states having Democratic contests. So far, it looks like Obama has won the Nebraska primary over Hillary Clinton 68% to 32%, the Washington primary 68% to 31% and the Louisiana caucus 55% to 38% (with 82% of the precincts reporting). more ›

The specter of a Mormon multimillionaire as president has been lifted; Mitt Romney announced his withdrawal from the Republican primary race this afternoon. Romney used his speech to the Conservative Political Action Committee to declare: “If I fight on in my campaign, all the way to the convention, I would forestall the launch of a national campaign and make it more likely that Senator Clinton or Obama would win.” Wonkette liveblogged the speech to great comic effect. more ›

It was an exciting night of Super Tuesday primary returns. In the Democratic contest, Hillary Clinton won eight states, including New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, and California, but Obama won twelve - Illinois, Connecticut, Alabama, and Missouri - among them (New Mexico is still undecided as the two candidates are in a tie). The NY Times notes that since there were no decisive victories, "an electoral fight...will unfold for weeks to come." Or, as the Post puts it in more visceral terms, "Neither Clinton nor Obama was able to deliver a knockout punch on a night that had once been expected to crown a winner." more ›

As of 11:45 p.m., Hillary Clinton and John McCain are projected to win their New York primaries. The Democratic primary distributes NY delegates proportionally, so the final total will be important in determining how many will go to Clinton and how many to Barack Obama. more ›

The presidential race has been a goldmine for talk shows (well, when the Writers' Guild strike isn't happening) and nowhere is that more apparent than on The Daily Show and The Colbert Report. On last night's Colbert Report, on a riff about John McCain's Super Tuesday chances and taking credit for Mike Huckabee'e campaign, Stephen Colbert was joined by Jon Stewart, his Comedy Central crony, and then Conan O'Brien! more ›

John McCain's Straight Talk Express headed into Manhattan today, taking him to Grand Central Terminal where he got the endorsement of former governor George Pataki. McCain, along with wife Cindy, appeared with Pataki, Alphonse D'Amato, Joseph Lieberman and Rudy Giuliani as the Republican candidate appears to be leading in many Super Tuesday polls over rivals Mitt Romney, Mike Huckabee and Ron Paul. more ›

It's pretty safe to say many New Yorkers are aligned with the Democratic party, but it's unclear who NYC's registered Democrats will vote for on primary day - Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama. Though in the highly unscientific survey of sights around the city over the past week (and year), it seems the senator representing Illinois has an edge. more ›

After early results put John McCain and Mitt Romney in a "too close to call" race, McCain won the Florida primary. Rudy Giuliani, who once led national polls, looks like he'll finish in third place (though Mike Huckabee is a close fourth as of 10PM), which is actually his best finish after the primaries and caucuses in New Hampshire, Iowa, Wyoming, Michigan, Nevada and South Carolina. more ›

Today, the Republican presidential hopefuls are vying to win the Florida primary (the Democrats aren't allowing Florida delegates to count at the convention, because Florida moved its primary up). Polls close in two hours, and many believe that the state will be contested between John McCain and Mitt Romney. Our former mayor Rudy Giuliani, who has spent much time in Florida, instead of campaigning in South Carolina, Iowa or New Hampshire (though he did spend a substantial amount of time in NH), seems like he may be in third place or even fourth, if Mike Huckabee does well. more ›

What State of the Union? All we know is that "BAMALOT" and "SHAF-TED" are funny-in-a-silly-way Post and Daily News (respectively) covers and that Rudy Giuliani heads into today's Florida primary with a "Goodbye Rudy Tuesday" Newsday cover. more ›

To no one's surprise, Senator-turned- actor-turned- presidential- candidate-wannabe Fred Thompson has dropped out of the hunt for the Republican party nomination. Thompson had not done very well in any of the early caucuses or primaries and his exit may actually mean a bump for Mike Huckabee, who has a similar more-conservative-than-the-others platform. more ›

Yesterday the three top Democratic contenders for the presidential nominations debated in Nevada. The debate wasn't as testy as previous ones, in part because Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama were trying to maintain an aura of good will and love for the Democratic party - and not bicker over race or gender. Which meant that Clinton, Obama and John Edwards were pretty boring in their happy, friendly paces. The NY Times noticed that even Tim Russert, one of the moderators, "seemed subdued" in a night of "'John' and 'Barack' and 'Hillary,' soft voices, easy jokes and belly laughs." more ›

Top aides with the Giuliani for President campaign are declining January paychecks, while insisting that it's not because the former Mayor's organization is strapped for cash. Rudy Giuliani is currently stumping in Florida after very lackluster performances in the Iowa and New Hampshire primaries. Iowa was not a surprise; Giuliani had written off the midwestern state as a poor use of time and resources. A very poor performance in New Hampshire had to have been a blow to his campaign though, as he campaigned extensively in the Granite State, although in fits and starts, which may have turned voters off. more ›

Senator John McCain won the Republican primary in New Hampshire, with the race being called for him early on. Senator Hillary Clinton beat Senator Barack Obama by a few thousand votes in a very close race. Comebacks all around! more ›

As last night's Iowa caucuses heralded the beginning of the heated drive to presidential nominations and general election, news of Barack Obama's Democratic win and Mike Huckabee's Republican win is naturally front page material. The Daily News and Newsday both take "BAM" as their headlines, though the News focuses on Obama while Newsday offers a split Obama-Huckabee cover. more ›