Today on the presidential campaign trail

[Ron Burgundy]

AP - IN THE HEADLINES

McCain renews calls for U.S. to collaborate more with allies ... Obama chides McCain for "sit back and watch" economic approach ... Bill Clinton says his wife won't back down from a fight in the 2008 contest ... Figuring out the Catholic vote in Pennsylvania critical for Clinton, Obama ... Obama says sound bites don't tell pastor's story ... Democrat Gravel switches party affiliation to Libertarian

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McCain: Collaborate more with allies

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Republican John McCain said Wednesday the United States should work more collegially with democratic allies and live up to its duties as a world leader.

"Our great power does not mean we can do whatever we want whenever we want, nor should we assume we have all the wisdom and knowledge necessary to succeed," the likely presidential nominee told the Los Angeles World Affairs Council. The intent of the address was to signal to world leaders that he would end an era of what critics have called President Bush's cowboy diplomacy.

"We need to listen to the views and respect the collective will of our democratic allies," McCain added.

Fresh from a trip to the Middle East and Europe, McCain defended his support for a continued U.S. military mission as the Iraq war enters its sixth year and the U.S. death toll tops 4,000. He derided calls for withdrawal from Democratic rivals Sens. Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama.

"We have incurred a moral responsibility in Iraq. It would be an unconscionable act of betrayal, a stain on our character as a great nation, if we were to walk away from the Iraqi people," McCain said to sustained applause from the several hundred people.

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Obama chides McCain on economy

GREENSBORO, N.C. (AP) — Democrat Barack Obama ridiculed Republican John McCain on Wednesday for what he called a "sit back and watch" approach to the economic troubles gripping the nation.

Back campaigning after a brief family vacation in the Caribbean, Obama focused on the housing crisis that has rocked Wall Street and the economic downturn that has forced the Federal Reserve to intervene.

On Tuesday, McCain derided government intervention to save and reward banks or small borrowers who behave irresponsibly and offered few immediate alternatives for fixing the country's growing housing crisis.

"John McCain has admitted he doesn't understand the economy as well as he should, and yesterday he proved it in giving a speech on the housing crisis," Obama told an auditorium of supporters.

McCain defended his housing pitch, saying he would do "whatever's necessary" to help homeowners.

"But raise taxes as Senator Obama wants to do or some kind of massive bailout that is a needless expenditure of taxpayer dollars is obviously something that I don't support," McCain told reporters Wednesday.

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Clinton says wife won't retreat in fight

PARKERSBURG, W.Va. (AP) — Former President Clinton said Wednesday his wife won't back down from a fight with her rival Barack Obama no matter how contentious the Democratic presidential race becomes.

Clinton told several hundred supporters the division between Hillary Rodham Clinton and Obama is nothing to be concerned about, and if politicians don't want to get "beat up," they shouldn't run.

The former president rejected calls from some "elite" members of the Democratic Party who are suggesting that his wife bow out of the race so as not to divide the party.

He said now is not the time, as his wife is gaining ground on Obama.

"Let's just saddle up and have an argument," he said. "What's wrong with that?"

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Catholic vote critical for Dems in Pa.

SCRANTON, Pa. (AP) — Understanding Pennsylvania's Catholic tradition and responding to it is essential for Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama for success in the April 22 primary.

Clinton has fared well among Catholic voters in early primary states and holds a substantial lead over Obama among Catholic Democrats in Pennsylvania polls. Some analysts, however, say that Catholic voters' race, age and economic status — rather than religion — are more likely to play a greater role in determining their vote.

Pennsylvania has an estimated 3.8 million Catholics, or just over 30 percent of the state's population, and the percentage among Democrats is estimated to be slightly higher.

Obama plans small meetings with Catholic voters and intends to communicate through e-mails and phone banks.

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Obama seeks to quell flap over pastor

GREENSBORO, N.C. (AP) — Democrat Barack Obama on Wednesday sought to quell concerns over anti-American remarks by his former pastor, saying people are paying too much attention to a small number of "stupid" comments.

Obama last week gave a sweeping speech on race and condemned the incendiary remarks of the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, but Wright's words continue to dog the candidate.

"This is somebody that was preaching three sermons at least a week for 30 years and it got boiled down ... into a half-minute sound clip and just played it over and over and over again, partly because it spoke to some of the racial divisions we have in this country," Obama told an audience in central North Carolina.

Obama's rival Hillary Rodham Clinton said Tuesday she would have parted company with a minister who talked about America the way Wright has.

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Democrat Gravel switches to Libertarian

WASHINGTON (AP) — Long-shot presidential candidate Mike Gravel told supporters Wednesday he is leaving the Democratic Party to join the Libertarian Party.

The former Democratic senator from Alaska said in an e-mail that the Democratic Party "no longer represents my vision for our great country."

"It is a party that continues to sustain war, the military-industrial complex and imperialism — all of which I find anathema to my views," he said in the e-mail in which he also asked supporters for campaign donations.

Gravel, 77, has been excluded from recent Democratic debates because he failed to meet fundraising or polling thresholds.

"I look forward to advancing my presidential candidacy within the Libertarian Party, which is considerably closer to my values, my foreign policy views and my domestic views," he said.

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THE DEMOCRATS

Clinton holds a fundraiser in Washington. Obama campaigns in North Carolina.

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THE REPUBLICANS

McCain campaigns in California.

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QUOTE OF THE DAY:

"I detest war. It might not be the worst thing to befall human beings, but it is wretched beyond all description." — McCain, a former Vietnam prisoner of war, in a foreign policy speech.

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STAT OF THE DAY:

Exit polls show McCain only twice has prevailed among people calling themselves very conservative — in Ohio and Mississippi — after he effectively clinched the presidential nomination.

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Compiled by Ann Sanner.

source: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080326/ap_on_el_pr/2008_race_rundown [link]