OBAMA IN FRAY: Democratic presidential contender Barack Obama said Friday that the head of the Justice Department’s voting rights division should be fired for saying voter ID laws hurt the elderly but aren’t a problem for minorities because they often die before old age. John Tanner’s remarks came during an Oct. 5 panel discussion on minority voters before the National Latino Congreso in Los Angeles. In a letter to the Justice Department, sent Friday, Obama called Tanner’s remarks a disgrace and asked Acting Atty. Gen. Peter Keisler to dismiss him.
BIG MOVE: Democratic presidential candidate Christopher Dodd has rented a house in Des Moines, where he and his family will live until the caucuses in January. The Connecticut senator and his wife, Jackie Clegg Dodd, have two daughters, 6-year-old Grace and 2-year-old Christina. “It’s one more piece of strengthening our operation in Iowa. We are committed to the state,” campaign spokeswoman Taylor West said Friday. The Dodds are arranging to enroll Grace in kindergarten.
DEMOCRATIC VALUES: Three of the major Democratic presidential candidates Friday sought to counter Republican rivals attending a conservative conference by contending the GOP doesn’t control the market on the values of America’s electorate. In addition, Sens. Hillary Clinton and Joseph Biden and New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson also each looked to gain a foothold for support at the Polk County Democrats’ fall dinner at the Iowa State Fairgrounds. Clinton, who was more than 90 minutes late to the event, urged Democrats to help return the country to a nation of “new beginnings and exciting possibilities.”
GOP OFFICIAL QUITS: Mel Martinez, the public face of the Republican National Committee as its general chairman, announced Friday he was stepping down from his post after serving only 10 months. His resignation came months earlier than anticipated. Martinez wasn’t expected to step down until a Republican presidential nominee was selected, and the earliest that could occur is February. The RNC said Martinez’ job would not be filled. Martinez, a prominent Cuban-American who is up for re-election in 2010, said he was relinquishing the job to spend more time focusing on his Florida constituents.
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