INDIANA AND NORTH CAROLINA PRIMARY COVERAGE
Obama, Clinton battle over Iran, gas tax holiday
In separate interviews on dueling Sunday morning political news shows, Sen. Hillary Clinton and Sen. Barack Obama sparred about the gas tax holiday proposal and foreign policy.
Two days before the Indiana and North Carolina primaries crucial to their presidential fortunes, Obama appeared on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” while Clinton was on ABC’s “This Week.”
On both broadcasts, the candidates discussed Clinton’s proposal for a gas tax holiday this summer, which Obama opposes. . .
In Poll, Obama Survives Furor, but Fall Is the Test
WASHINGTON — A majority of American voters say that the furor over the relationship between Senator Barack Obama and his former pastor has not affected their opinion of Mr. Obama, but a substantial number say that it could influence voters this fall should he be the Democratic presidential nominee, according to the latest New York Times/CBS News Poll.
At the same time, an overwhelming majority of voters said candidates calling for the suspension of the federal gasoline tax this summer were acting to help themselves politically, rather than to help ordinary Americans. Mr. Obama’s rival for the Democratic nomination, Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton, has made the suspension of the gas tax a centerpiece of her campaign in recent days.
In the survey, taken in the days leading up to the primaries on Tuesday in Indiana and North Carolina, Americans were divided over the merits of the gasoline-tax suspension, which has also been backed by the presumptive Republican nominee, Senator John McCain, and condemned by Mr. Obama as political gimmickry. . .
Airport ban could make governor’s commute longer
If Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger loses precious access to the neighborhood Santa Monica Airport he uses to fly to Sacramento, he can thank his own brother-in-law, Bobby Shriver.
The Santa Monica City Council voted in March to ban large private jets from using its airport for fear that planes like Schwarzenegger’s Gulfstream IV could crash into neighboring homes if they overshoot the 4,987-foot runway. Shriver is on the council, which voted unanimously for the prohibition.
The ban is on hold, however, after the Federal Aviation Administration obtained a temporary restraining order on Monday. A federal district judge is expected to review the matter May 15. . .
