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At rallies with Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr., the aides like to play loud, loud music before and after campaign events, the volume drowning any conversation. So it was [...]

CORRECTION APPENDEDPresident Obama and Mitt Romney finally found something they could agree on during Thursday night's 67th annual Al Smith white-tie charity dinner: Jokes about Vice President Joseph R. Biden [...]

WOODBRIDGE, Va. -- President Obama traded charges with Representative Paul D. Ryan on Friday over the financing of Medicare, as each candidate sought to appeal to older voters by warning [...]

EVANSVILLE, Ind. -- When Mitt Romney campaigned last week at one stop in Colorado, a key swing state whose governor and senators are Democrats, he sought to sell himself with [...]

The Romney campaign unveiled an advertisement on Wednesday that contends that under President Obama, stimulus money went to the president's political donors and to overseas companies. THE SCRIPT [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

President Obama's campaign has unveiled an attack ad arguing that Mitt Romney's tax plan is a sop to the wealthy. The ad will run in swing states: Colorado, Florida, Iowa, Nevada, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Virginia. THE SCRIPT ''The choice on taxes. Mitt Romney's plan: A 25 percent tax cut for millionaires. Tax breaks for oil companies and corporations that shift jobs overseas. But a tax hike for 18 million working families. President Obama's plan: Ask the wealthy to pay a little more so the middle class pays less. Eliminate oil subsidies and tax breaks for companies that outsource. Two plans. Your choice.'' [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It seemed a ripe opportunity for Mitt Romney: The crisis that unfolded last month over the Chinese dissident Chen Guangcheng was a way to hammer President Obama as weak on human rights and unwilling to be assertive with China. Inside the campaign, though, sharp differences emerged among staff members and foreign policy advisers as the crisis deepened and Mr. Chen left the protection of the United States Embassy in Beijing. Some advisers cautioned of the dangers of plunging too quickly into the middle of a fast-moving diplomatic crisis and wanted Mr. Romney to have a political margin of safety in case of a sudden breakthrough, according to people close to the campaign. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Richard Grenell, an openly gay and longtime Republican foreign policy spokesman hired last month by Mitt Romney's campaign, abruptly resigned on Tuesday after antigay elements in the party criticized his appointment and some Republican advisers said Mr. Grenell had been sidelined by the campaign during a busy foreign policy week. The Romney campaign issued a statement saying that it had sought to keep Mr. Grenell from quitting. And according to some Republicans, while Mr. Grenell's sexual orientation was not an issue for the campaign, the Romney team had cut Mr. Grenell out of the loop on some issues after feeling a surprising pressure from some social conservatives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BURBANK, Calif. -- Whatever happened to Ron Paul? He came in second in the New Hampshire primary. He has raised more money than any Republican candidate except for Mitt Romney. His campaign rallies still draw thousands of fervent supporters, far more than any of his rivals'. College students give him rock-star treatment, and he is planning rallies at 30 campuses over two months. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

HERRIN, Ill. -- Rick Santorum has accused President Obama of waging class warfare, of dividing America -- ''the 99 versus the one,'' he says. But campaigning in recent days in Illinois and Missouri, Mr. Santorum has sought to motivate his followers by highlighting a different divide: urban versus rural. And because many of the nation's small towns are suffering economically, Mr. Santorum's approach means he is taking on his own party. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The crucial role the ''super PAC'' now plays in modern presidential politics has been on vivid display in the week before the Super Tuesday primaries, as these outside groups have all outspent the campaigns and become their de facto advertising arms. The super PACs supporting Mitt Romney, Rick Santorum and Newt Gingrich have poured nearly $4 million into advertising in Ohio ahead of the primary next week, accounting for most of the spending on commercials there in what has become an overwhelmingly negative contest. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

LAKE JACKSON, Tex. -- Once there was a challenge of a softball game from the Ron Paul clan to the Mitt Romney clan. ''They didn't show up,'' Mr. Paul says. ''We didn't schedule it. We really razz them about that, 'You guys chickened out!' '' When Mr. Paul's campaign jet broke down last year in Wolfeboro, N.H., Mr. Romney's wife, Ann, offered to let Mr. Paul, an aide and one of his granddaughters stay the night at their summer home on Lake Winnipesaukee. When Mr. Romney arrived later, he offered his jet to take them home to Texas. Mr. Paul, not wanting to impose, was grateful but declined both offers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

DAYTON, Ohio -- On a day that was not kind to Newt Gingrich, he traveled to a place he hopes will help get him back in the saddle next month: Ohio. Dealt a big defeats in the Minnesota and Colorado caucuses on Tuesday, Mr. Gingrich is campaigning for two days across Ohio, which does not vote until Super Tuesday -- March 6 -- but is a place he feels he can win. A strong showing in this state, with its 66 delegates, would help him claw back from disappointing showings in Florida and Nevada and play into his strategy of trying to regain momentum in conservative Southern states and working-class battlegrounds that hold contests on Super Tuesday or later. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

MANCHESTER, N.H. -- Representative Ron Paul of Texas finished a strong second in the state's Republican primary on Tuesday, which in many ways was the more telling outcome in a race where Mitt Romney's dominance was never in doubt. Mr. Paul polled well ahead of the late-surging Jon M. Huntsman Jr., who ran third, and Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum, who battled for fourth. Mr. Paul benefited from the large turnout of independent voters, getting the nod from about a third, a little more than Mr. Romney. He also did well with young voters and those who said they were liberal on social issues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

OSCEOLA, Iowa -- One of two things is certain to happen in the next few weeks to Rick Santorum, after making more than 300 campaign stops in Iowa and draining his personal bank account. Either he will finally catch fire (and there are signs he may be gaining some ground). Or he will become the sole major Republican candidate to never have been among the Iowa front-runners this year (outside of Jon M. Huntsman Jr., who did not really try). In a contest dominated by candidate appearances that avoid close contact with journalists and skeptical audiences, Mr. Santorum stands out. Even at the tiny gatherings with a handful of voters that still make up a good deal of his stump-speech tour -- though his crowds have been getting bigger -- he typically talks for an hour or more, exhausting the questions and, sometimes, the questioners. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

6:51 p.m. Updated MOUNT PLEASANT, S.C. - Gov. Rick Perry of Texas and Representative Michele Bachmann have joined other candidates, including Mitt Romney, in passing on Donald Trump's Dec. 27 debate in Iowa. Mr. Perry's campaign issued this statement on Thursday: Governor Perry has talked to Donald Trump in recent days and respects him and the folks at NewsMax very much. There are two debates in the next seven days. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Will he or won't he? Gov. Rick Perry of Texas, who suggested this week that it might have been a mistake to attend all the Republican debates so far and that he might not participate in some coming ones, now says he could be open to attending more. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Senator John McCain arrived in Iraq on Sunday morning on a trip that was described as a visit by an official Congressional delegation, but that also served to showcase his foreign policy credentials as he campaigns for the White House. Mr. McCain, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, was scheduled to meet with officials including the American ambassador to Iraq, Ryan C. Crocker, and the senior American military commander in the country, Gen. David H. Petraeus. He was also scheduled to meet with the Iraqi prime minister, Nuri Kamal al-Maliki, said Yaseen Majid, a media adviser to Mr. Maliki. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Reports that the United States Senate approved a 2.4 trillion dollar budget resolution for 2005 that could imperil President George W. Bush's plan to make all of his tax cuts permanent. Vote followed rebellion in the House by Republicans demanding strong actions to control spending; Approved budget shrinks the federal deficit faster than the Bush administration proposes; Concern among some Republican Party members that the deficit is becoming an election-year issue.

Reports on the term to be used to refer a fund-raiser who can raise at least $200,000 for the reelection campaign of U.S. President George W. Bush.

Reports on the funds raised by Senator John Edwards of North Carolina for his presidential campaign in the first three months of 2003.

Reports on the campaign funds and spending of U.S. Senatorial candidates from the Republican and Democratic parties.

Reports on the findings of the Committee for the Study of the American Electorate on the percentage of the voting-age population in the U.S. who went to polls for midterm primaries in 2002.

Reports on a debate in the U.S. Federal Election Commission on whether to allow political parties to spend unlimited amounts of hard money donations to help elect presidential candidates in the country as of September 13, 2002.

Reports on the comments made by former U.S. presidential candidate Al Gore regarding the mistake he committed during his campaign for the 2000 election.

Provides information on the approval of an election campaign statute by the U.S. Federal Election Commission on June 20, 2002, which will allow federal candidates speaking at state or local fund-raisers to seek unrestricted soft money contributions.

Examines how plans to overhaul U.S. corporate and accounting laws after Enron's collapse have stalled in Congress. Role of lobbyists in killing efforts to impose tight controls on corporate conduct; Political gridlock on bills to change accounting standards, stock options and conflict of interest rules; Changes that were made by corporate U.S. and the stockmarkets; Aggression of federal regulators in enforcing rules; Strategies of Democrats and Republicans for the November 2002 elections.

Reports that few voters in Saint Louis, Missouri consider the role of the state of the United States economy in the November 2000 presidential election. Factors which contributed to the economic prosperity; Failure of Democratic presidential nominee Al Gore to capitalize on the nation's prosperity; Confidence of registered voters on the economy; Views on the link between politics and the stock market.

Reports that Sam Wyly, an investor from Texas, has spent money in boosting the political career of United States presidential candidate George W. Bush. Effort he made via a television advertisement to attack the environmental record of candidate John McCain; Amount of his donations for the election campaigns of Bush.

WASHINGTON -- Moments after making remarks in Jerusalem about Middle East culture that enraged Palestinians and undermined the public relations value of his trip to Israel, Mitt Romney looked around the room for Dan Senor, one of his campaign's top foreign policy advisers. It was Mr. Senor's book about entrepreneurs in Israel that informed his comments, Mr. Romney explained to the group of Jewish-American donors he had assembled at the King David hotel. The book, ''Start-up Nation,'' is among Mr. Senor's writings that Mr. Romney frequently cites in public. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Mitt Romney, facing his greatest challenge of the campaign so far, relentlessly pressed Newt Gingrich on Thursday night in their final debate before the Florida primary, seeking to regain the offensive against an insurgent challenge that has shaken his claim to inevitability. On immigration, personal finances and the grand ideas that have been the trademark of Mr. Gingrich's candidacy, Mr. Romney gave his rival no quarter, giving prime time voice to his campaign's all-out, round-the-clock assault on Mr. Gingrich here. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

COLUMBIA, S.C. -- For the Republican presidential candidates who want to stop Mitt Romney in South Carolina, it comes down to this: How far are they willing to go? A day after Mr. Romney's victory in New Hampshire left his rivals running out of time to block his path to the nomination, he was greeted here by a wave of attacks on his business record, his past support for abortion rights and his character. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

WASHINGTON -- Gov. Rick Perry of Texas tried to neutralize an onslaught of ridicule with a dose of humor on Thursday, appearing on television from morning until night in an urgent attempt to deflect grave concerns about his candidacy and to keep the Republican presidential race from advancing without him. As Mitt Romney sought to capitalize on the moment by persuading Republicans that he is the party's strongest nominee to confront President Obama, the campaigns of Herman Cain and Newt Gingrich also jostled for new attention in the wake of Mr. Perry's memory lapse that left him speechless at a debate on Wednesday. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on issues involving the attempt of U.S. presidential candidate Mitt Romney to undercut the President Barack Obama's 2009 auto bailout narrative. It notes that Romney has characterized the bailout plan of Obama as based on his approach. Meanwhile, it says that Obama has released a commercial campaign calling Romney's advertisement false and reiterating.

CORRECTION APPENDED MONTGOMERY, Ala. -- For weeks, Rick Santorum and Newt Gingrich have been echoes of each other, both aiming their urgent verbal fire at Mitt Romney, the man they are desperate to stop from becoming the leader of the Republican Party. But the political and geographical imperatives of two important Southern primaries next week are forcing the two men to turn on each other as they seek to demonstrate an ability to unite the party's fickle conservative base. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

CORRECTION APPENDED MANCHESTER, N.H. -- Campaign advisers to former Gov. Mitt Romney of Massachusetts, stung by unexpectedly fierce attacks from Republican rivals on his career as a corporate buyout specialist, are scrambling to avoid a prolonged and nasty battle over his business record before it does lasting damage to the front-runner. Although the advisers had always expected that Democrats would malign Mr. Romney's work of buying and selling companies, they were largely unprepared for an assault that came so early in the campaign and from within the ranks of their own party, those involved in the campaign discussions said. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

MANCHESTER, N.H. -- As candidates spent the weekend trying to catch up to Mitt Romney in New Hampshire, with the primary just two days away, a longtime supporter of Newt Gingrich donated $5 million to a ''super PAC'' backing his presidential bid, providing a major boost to Mr. Gingrich's ailing campaign. The donation by Sheldon Adelson was reported Saturday night by The Washington Post. He has long been a generous patron of Mr. Gingrich's political career. The super PAC, Winning Our Future, was formed last month by Becky Burkett, who served until earlier last year as chief development officer for American Solutions, a political action committee that Mr. Gingrich founded. The cash infusion from Mr. Adelson instantly catapults Winning Our Future into the top ranks of candidate super PACs, groups that can raise unlimited amounts of money from donors and spend it all on advertisements and other efforts to back a specific candidate, so long as they do not coordinate with the campaign. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With voting to begin in Iowa nine days after Christmas, the Republican presidential contest has become intense and frenetic. The week ahead will feature a dizzying amount of travel, wall-to-wall campaign advertising in the early-voting states and stump speeches delivered with new intensity. Newt Gingrich [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

SIMPSONVILLE, S.C. -- Gov. Rick Perry of Texas is taking significant steps to redefine his candidacy as his battle for the Republican nomination intensifies, including unveiling a tax overhaul plan that would give people the option of paying a 20 percent flat tax on income. With the first electoral contests just over two months away, Mr. Perry is expanding beyond the tight circle of advisers from Texas, adding veterans of past Republican campaigns who will help direct the candidate's ad spending, polling and policy development. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]