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The suspect claiming to have a bomb strapped to his chest at Clinton's office in Rochester may have basic road flares instead. A step son of the alleged hostage taker has told several news outlets that the man suffers from depression and had been drinking. He also said the man allegedly inquired where he could buy flares.
There are indications from Rochester, NH, police that the crisis will be resolved soon.
"It's a fluid situation," Rochester Police Det. Paul Callahan said just now in a news conference about the hostage crisis at Hillary Clinton's office in Rochester. Citing the ensuing investigation and standoff, Callahan would not give details of the suspect and whether or not all hostages have been released. At least three people were released since the man, who claimed to have a bomb, entered the office shortly before 1 p.m. today. At one point, the detective continued to call it a hostage situation. He said the downtown area has been stabilized and assured residents they are safe.
The man claiming to have a bomb and demanding to talk to Sen. Hillary Clinton has released two more hostages held in the candidate's campaign office in Rochester, NH. It is unclear whether there are additional people inside with the suspect. WMUR, AP and UnionLeader.com reported the hostage release a few minutes ago. The downtown area around the office is still in lock-down, with heavy SWAT presence. Clinton is not in New Hampshire today. The suspect walked into the North Main Street office around 1 p.m., letting a woman and a child go while ordering two people believed to be campaign workers to lie on the floor. Police are trying to negotiate with the suspect.
Mike Huckabee knows a thing about shape-shifting. The guy is a former obese American, after all. But 
now the former Arkansas governor is shaping up to be a real contender, and not just in the heartland. As the USS Huckabee arrives in New Hampshire today, public opinion of him is rising. Political observers credit his personality and his evangelical faith playing to core Republican voters. But we know it all comes back to Chuck Norris, the bad ass who's lending his celebrity to the Huckabee campaign. Huckabee's remained consistent since his near-zero standing in early polls, but he's truly enjoying the Chuck Norris factor. In a recent ad in Iowa, the two ham it up for the camera. "When Chuck Norris does a push-up, he isn't lifting himself up, he's pushing the earth down," Huckabee deadpans. Celebrity endorsements usually lack pop, but no one can accuse Chuck Norris of lacking punch. Who would dare? And there we have it: Chuck Norris could really help Huckabee win an early contest, or at least wreck the score for another leading candidate.
A few bullet points on Chuck Norris, courtesy of Chuck Norris Facts:
Chuck Norris is to Huckabee what Oprah could be for Obama. It's a guy thing, perhaps. Chuck Norris, with or without words, really speaks to us. That's right: We're too scared not to listen.
Immigration dominated last night's CNN/YouTube presidential candidates' debate, but the emerging narrative is the level of acrimony and the number of proverbial elbows being thrown among the Republicans. It was Mitt vs. Rudy. Mitt vs. Huckabee. Thompson vs. Mitt and Huckabee. McCain vs. Ron Paul. Tancredo vs. The World. It was a seismic event that foreshadows a tough campaign over the next six weeks. Most press accounts considered it a Republican equivalent to Fight Club. Even the Times called it a "testy" debate GOP Rivals Exchange Jabs. Makes one wonder what the Jan. 5 debate will be like in New Hampshire, three days away from the first primary. Romney, already under attack by a new ad questioning his position changes on abortion, is getting plenty of seasoning. Huckabee, on the other hand, is in new territory as he climbs in public opinion polls in Iowa. As the Globe reports, GOP Debate turns volatile, the former Arkansas governor welcomes the scrutiny. "When you get attacked, it's not always bad," Huckabee said. "When they're kicking you in the rear, it's just proving you're still out front."
Does your butt look big? The woman who lost 530 pounds. Family Need a Makeover? Get the recipe for Paula Deen's Cheeseballs. These are just a few of the gripping headlines on Oprah.com, which calls on us to Live Your Best Life, a motto that could have a home in the toolbox labeled "war on terror." As Oprah becomes the latest celebrity to hit the Primary campaign trail Celebrities head to NH, stumping for Barack Obama, it just makes one wonder: Where in t
he hell is Peter Yarrow? Surely one of the Democratic presidential hopefuls will roll out Peter Paul & Mary. And where's Ted Danson and Mary Steenburgen? Political analysts may say these celebrities have little value in winning over voters, but they play an increasingly important part, in that they give voters some breathing room, a break from pondering which Democrat's health care plan has a chance in hell, or which Republican candidate is a true Republican. But Oprah? Forget retail politics with this visit, scheduled for early December. No meet and greets. No impromptu exchanges. Honey, you'll never guess who I bumped into down at the store ...
Is Mitt Romney ready for his Willie Horton closeup? More prepared than the press and his Republican presidential rivals, perhaps. Before the press really began to draw similarities based on flaws in the Massachusetts judicial system, the former one-term Massachusetts governor orchestrated a little pre-emptive strike late last week: He called on the judge to resign. She's a Romney appointee. Earlier this year, Judge Kathe M. Tuttman freed Daniel T. Tavares Jr. (at left on Boston Herald cover)on bail near the end of a sentence for killing his mother. Like fellow convicted murderer Willie Horton on a weekend furlough in 1986, Tavares fled. Tavares allegedly killed newlyweds last week in Washington State Mass. Killed My Little Girl. He was freed despi
te prosecutors objecting he was a flight risk, according to the Telegram & Gazette Judge Refused GPS Monitoring. (Horton was convicted of a brutal rape in Maryland and was later used in attack ads against the 1988 Democratic nominee for president, former Massachusetts Gov. Michael Dukakis.) It turns out Tavares may have killed the couple to collect a $50 bet, The Seattle Times reports Did Graham Pair die over $50? Romney got ahead of the story, calling for his judge's head, but Rudy Giuliani added it over the weekend to the political powder keg that has been kept surprisingly dry this primary season. Every campaign has a narrative. The question in these final six weeks will be whether the genre is true crime, or some hybrid of sci-fi and old-fashioned drama.
Mail Box chock-a-block today with political fliers. The environment appears to be the issue of the week, with John McCain comparing environmental protection to patriotic duty. "McCain's was a lonely voice in the GOP calling on his colleagues to take climate change seriously," his mailer says, quoting "Republicans for Environmental Protection." Hillary Rodham Clinton's campaign chimes in with a poster showing a solar panel, wind turbines and a melting glacier. It goes big with a Native American proverb: "Treat the earth well: it was not given to you by your parents, it was loaned to you by your children." John Edwards has a mailer touting his ability to steward health care access to every American. Barack Obama touts his leadership and vision. New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson also gets into the New Hampshire mail bag this week with a promise he can "clean up Bush's mess." His campaign adds a quote from political sage Larry Sabato: "Republicans will tell you privately that if the Democrats nominate Bill Richardson the election is over. They know they will lose to Bill Richardson." Richardson's flier states he has the only plan to get every soldier out of Iraq and, per the green theme, claims Richardson has the most aggressive plan for energy independence.
It's coming nearly three weeks early than in 2004, and about three months earlier than a couple decades ago. But when The Waiting Game performed by New Hampshire Secretary of State Bill Gardner ended yesterday, with the state's powerful election chief setting Jan. 8, 2008 as the NH Primary, NH politicians hailed it as an act of preservation. "From the beginning, Bill Gardner said he would set the date of the New Hampshire Primary to protect our law and tradition," Gov. John Lynch said in a statement. "By deciding today to set the Primary for January 8, Bill has done exactly that. This date helps preserve the New 
Hampshire Primary tradition and the important contributions it makes to the American political process." As contentious as elections are these days, protecting the Primary was a fight in which Democrats and Republicans were fast allies. In the end, of course, it all came back to Gardner. As NH GOP chairman Fergus Cullen often declared, "In Bill we trust."
Extra! Extra! And extra helpings of turkey all around.
New Hampshire Secretary of State William Gardner has set Jan. 8, 2008 as the date for the nation's lead-off presidential primary. "On the evening of Thanksgiving, a uniquely American tradition, I am pleased to announce that another unique and important American tradition will endure," Gardner announced on the state Web site.
The New Hampshire Democratic Party gives 10 reasons to give thanks this Thanksgiving, showing a galactic divide between the party of Shaheen and Lynch and the party of Sununu and Gregg. The No. 1 reason credits Gov. John Lynch and the Democrat-led Legislature for delivering "much nee
ded fiscal accountability." Republican Chairman Fergus Cullen, meanwhile, reminds likely voters the state budget adopted earlier this year represented something like a 17 percent increase. Other reasons on the Dems' Top 10 list include the state restaurant and bar smoking ban at No.4 and the civil unions law at No. 5. There's ample stuffing for debate here. Let us give thanks.
It only seems like the NH Primary is coinciding with the holidays. But all matters of presidential preference sure do make for interesting gift ideas. How about a U.S. flag lapel pin for Sen. Barack Obama? Or a set of Air Force One play toys for Rep. Dennis Kucinich? Some bumper sticker favs online today Political Gifts include Don't blame me my vote wasn't counted, Re-elect Gore 2008, and Newt. From White House cigars to life-sized cardboard cut-outs, a number of Web sites offer gifts that will at least generate some chuckles, if not warrant a stirring family debate. As President Eisenhower said, "You and I, my fellow citizens, need to be strong."
It is coming to an end mighty soon, state Rep. Jim Splaine says in his late
st commentary on The Waiting Game -- the eventuality that New Hampshire is closer to setting a date for the New Hampshire Presidential Primary. Splaine is the author of the state law that requires the Primary to be at least seven days ahead of a similar election, the same law that gives Secretary of State Bill Gardner authority to s et the date as he sees fit. He's under some pressure, though he's demonstrated in the past he knows how to keep his cool in such situations. The latest is an editorial by New Hampshire Union Leader Publisher Joseph W. McQuaid, who writes that Gardner should set Jan. 8 and give everyone an extra reason to be thankful this Thanksgiving. See It's time, Bill. One comment in response, from former Democratic Party chairwoman Kathy Sullivan of all people, notes the value of a Jan. 15 date (if the schedule, or Michigan, permits). That would give New Hampshire a couple of weeks of unfettered, worldwide media attention.
Republican Mitt Romney has said he has no plan at this point to give The Speech, an address similar to when JFK declared his Catholicism and his independence from the Holy See. He has said his advisers have so far steered him clear of it. And, with 2008 bearing down upon us, is it really necessary? The better question today is whether the timetable for a possible speech just got accelerated, thanks to alleged push polling that, ac
cording to the Romney campaign, maligns the presidential hopeful's Mormon faith. The Globe reports that New Hampshire Attorney General Kelly A. Ayotte plans to investigate Push Poll gets Probed. One of the questions reportedly tells likely voters that Mormons believe the Book of Mormon is superior to the Bible. Others are said to cast Romney in a bad light. So much in politics is about timing. Raising campaign cash early enough. Mustering prominent allies soon enough. Peaking at the right time. Any negative campaigning was bound to come, especially considering the former Massachusetts governor is leading in some polls. But it's coming earlier this election cycle because of an earlier caucus vote in Iowa (Jan. 3) and an earlier lead-off primary in New Hampshire (possibly Jan. 8).
Curt Schilling is backing John McCain. The Giants win the Pennant! The Giants win the Pennant! He's no Bobby Thomson, but the guy "bats right, throws right" and we're not just talking about the business of the Diamond. In 2004, Schilling stunned everyone and carried George W. Bush's water. The way he threw it out for public consumption cheered some and angered others. A World Series Championship, especially the first in 86 years, is no soap box upon which to anoint. Of course, General Manager Theo Epstein and one of the Red Sox owners were in Manchester within days, and I was there to cover it, as they anointed John F. Kerry (I called Curt's cell over and over to no avail, realizing, damn, slow news day). Kerry lost. Red Sox, well, different story. And Curtis Montague Schilling? The aging Roosevelt is still throwing curves. Ain't it something?
Billy Gardner's phone is busy these days. Mostly, it appears, from reporters needling him on when the New Hampshire Primary will be. Are we there yet? Are we there yet? Are we there y
et? Billy Gardner is the Secretary of State in New Hampshire. He has supreme power to set the date of the first-in-the-nation primary. He is not, say, the Billy Gardner, a great Irish pugilist (at left), born in 1881 in Lisdoonvarna, County Clare, Ireland, who fought a few bouts in Manchester, NH.
But the namesake, surely he has proven, is no stranger to the ring. He says today he will not schedule the Primary date this week. Or, as he tells the Union Leader today, "probably not" this week.
No TKOs allowed.
New Hampshire Gov. John Lynch, a Democrat, shoveled praise upon John McCain as a great American during Veterans' Day ceremonies at the State Veterans' Cemetery in Boscawen yesterday. Such is McCain's cross-party and independent appeal, especially on Veterans' Day, a McCain Holiday if there ever was one. Other prominent leaders have come out and lavished similar praise--courtesy of McCain. His ads, such as the pieces online at Portsmouth Herald, feature testimonials from some of his Republican rivals, Fred Thompson and Mitt Romney. The Primary is a war of words. And, well, they said it.
Republican Mitt Romney and Democrat Hillary Clinton may be leading in New Hampshire, but the latest UNH poll shows the race is really just starting to take shape. Andy Smith, in a poll for The Boston Globe, found 60 percent of Republican voters and 48 percent of Democratic voters surveyed last week were still undecided. It's classic New Hampshire, where voters enjoy the courtship and weigh all their options.
On the eve of Veterans' Day, candidates are making a case for how they would be the best war-time president, either by remaining on the offensive or by beefing up diplomacy. And they have familiar faces leading their Veterans' teams. Military hero John McCain has Sgt. Major Paul Chevalier of Portsmouth. Mitt Romney has Rockingham County Sheriff Dan Linehan. Rudy Giuliani's state chairman is retired Maj. Gen. Joseph K. Simeone. Barack Obama has Mary Morin, executive director of NH State Veterans' Council. Hillary Clinton has Bob Hannan, who served as chair for John Kerry. He's a Friend of Bill's from college days.
The "free speech zone" was cordoned off 50 feet from the statue of Daniel Webster, a cob web over his face glistening in the sun, as the American Friends Service Committee set up their little protest. The target: Sen. Hillary Clinton, as she entered the New Hampshire Primary last week. American Friends Service Committee is t
he official name; "Quakers," of course, is the common stage name. As Arnie Alpert politely but defiantly saluted Clinton with a sign calling for peace, a troupe of women dressed as atoms urged Clinton to take the threat of a nuclear strike off the table. Call for diplomacy instead of military force, they cried. OK, they did not cry much of anything, but they made their presence known with a little creativity. Enter: The Atoms Family. Erin Placey (left) was one of those dressing up in nuclear atom suits. "She's been all over the place," said Placey, of North Berwick, Maine. Placey, too, is all over the place -- at least on the campaign trail. The Portsmouth Herald snapped a photograph of her yesterday chatting up another Democratic presidential candidate, Bill Richardson. I almost didn't recognize her. Out of costume, that is. Bird-dogging the candidates, Placey and others show, really is an art form.
Carol Paul is the latest star in a series of tape-recorded phone calls to likely voters in New Hampshire. Mrs. Paul keeps it short and sweet in the message this week, starting with a quick biography of 
the man she married 50 years ago (they have five children, 18 grandchildren and one great-grandchild ... and, based on the latest flurry of campaign donations, a Cinderella story in the making). She notes her congressman husband from Texas, a Libertarian in Republican clothing, delivered thousands of babies when he was actively practicing medicine. She then quickly concludes, "Ron wants to bring conservative values to the White House."
Let the final countdown calls begin.
The New Hampshire GOP is touting Election Day successes yesterday in Concord, Dover, Manchester and Nashua. Manchester Mayor Frank Guinta won re-election Guinta Wins, while another former legislator, Donnalee Lozeau, is the new mayor of Nashua Lozeau Makes History. Will a Red Letter Day translate into a Banner Day this time next year? State GOP Chairman Fergus Cullen is not declaring victory just yet--by any means--but he's using it to declare the Republican Party alive and well. "Guinta and Lozeau's victories demonstrate that New Hampshire did not suddenly turn blue last year," Fergus says today.
So much for those non-partisan local elections.
In solidarity with Hollywood writers on strike, here's a rerun of my post from March 27, 2007. Oddly, still rings true. --dt
New Hampshire is "expected" to hold the first primary. So read the ticker on the cable news show last night. Really, I thought, has it come to this? While other states jockey for position, vying for the shotgun seat next to Iowa's leadoff caucus and New Hampshire's first-in-the-nation primary, there was always the mumbled upon 
assessment among national politicians that the traditional roles would be respected and preserved. A couple dozen states aim to move their "similar elections" to Feb. 5, crowding the early states and ensuring a billion-dollar race. Now comes word the Nevada Republican Party wants some of the action. It's preparing to move its caucus to Jan. 19, 2008, the same day Democrats in the Casino State are scheduling their caucus. Clearly, there's a lack of respect in some corners. As for preservation, well ... sounds like Bill Gardner, NH's battle-tested secretary of state, better be oiling the sword and fortifying the ramparts. A December 2007 primary, anyone?
On the battlefields of Korea in 1951, Jack Barnes served under the United Nations flag with soldiers from several other countries. They fought with a sense of purpose in the face of what they saw as a common evil. Barnes, a state senator from Raymond, sees the same evil in terrorism in Iraq and Afghanistan. Bu
t he sees a different UN. "The UN is a toothless tiger," he said. "All they seem to do now is make our resolutions. They're meaningless." Barnes is making noise in a different role: He filed to become a candidate for vice president in the New Hampshire Primary. His mission is to challenge the UN, post- 9/11. His second priority is domestic aid to each state. He's running to make a point, not with any expectations. You won't see him on the campaign trail, though you'll see his name on the ballot. The Primary is the message. Barnes was going to run for president, but he is supporting John McCain "to the hilt."
"Obviously," Barnes said, "he is much more qualified than I am."
Why, yes, presidential hopeful Vermin Supreme does occasionally wear plastic buttocks on the campaign trail. And, yes, that's his real name. His middle name? Love. Swear to God. Welcome to the official New Hampshire Primary, where anyone really can run for president. Mr. Supreme hails from Massachusetts and, like Mitt Romney, is running as a Republican. The filing period for the Primary closed yesterday. The field is now 44 presidential candidates strong. There are few household names. Some fringe candidates, however, are minor celebrities, like Caroline P. Killeen, aka the Hemp Lady. Is New Hampshire, population 1.3 million, big enough for these wanna-be world leaders? Sure. In 1992, there were 62 candidates, the Hemp Lady among them (won 94 votes that year). Call it The Audacity of the Hopeless.
Hillary Clinton emerged from the New Hampshire Statehouse as nattily dressed you
ng campaign aides helped cue the spontaneous applause. The senator from New York today officially entered the New Hampshire Presidential Primary, what she called "an incredible example of grassroots" politics. She then rallied her troops, who were congregated between the statues of Daniel Webster and Revolutionary War Gen. John Stark. She criticized the Bush administration and recited a little-big history of her background and her campaign promises. And then, with some topspin, Clinton threw out what sounded like an olive branch, or maybe it was just a tree switch.
"You don't have to be against anybody," she said.
Former New Hampshire Democratic Party Chairwoman Kathy Sullivan relayed a similar message as she referred to Democratic candidates increasingly attacking Clinton, who leads in state polls by something like 20,000 leagues. "She is not engaging in one personal attack on her opponents," Sullivan said. "I wish I could say the same thing about her opponents."
Today is the last day for candidates to file papers with Secretary of State Bill Gardner.
Part II
"Why New Hampshire?" The book published in the run-up to the 2004 New Hampshire Presidential Primary by Secretary of State Bill Gardner and the late Hugh Gregg celebrates the lead-off primary, but it is not really written with any promotional flair. The authors present a buffet of facts and figures, anecdotes and historical points. Confident as they are in the New Hampshire Primary being a national asset, they put it all out there for readers to absorb and to appreciate.
As in past challenges to New Hampshire's treasured role, state officials from the two main political parties tend to deploy defensive strategies both openly and behind the scenes. Candidate pledges, asking candidates to boycott states that challenge the traditional role, have become part of the arsenal in the past decade. It's also a game of the last man standing, with Gardner content to wait other states out in order to follow state law, which requires the New Hampshire Primary to be held at least seven days before a similar contest.
Once again, Michigan Sen. Carl Levin has it out for New Hampshire. He continues to complain the state is not representative of the nation. Well, he’s right. The state is singular in a number of ways, some of which could be qualifications for the nation’s first voters.
Beyond political savvy, the 2006 American Community Survey released by the Census Bureau indicates Granite Staters are smarter than their neighbors in other early nominating states. New Hampshire ranks ninth when it comes to the percentage of people 25 and older with a bachelor’s degree. Other states? Michigan 35th, Iowa 37th, and South Carolina 40th.
Michigan, the eighth largest state by population, packs economic wallop and the likes of Detroit does not have an equal. But here, Michigan and New Hampshire share a little common ground. Michigan has the third highest percentage of civilians employed in manufacturing. Little New Hampshire had the fourteenth highest percentage in the state ranking, a surprisingly strong rank for mill troubles of the North Country.
On kitchen table issues, New Hampshire similarly scores a demographic high. New Hampshire and Iowa tied for fifth – only behind Utah, Idaho, South Dakota and Wyoming – on the percentage of households that are married-couple families. Michigan was twenty-sixth on this obscure statistic. But enough of Census data. The numbers that really count, Gardner underscores in his book and in interview after interview: Voter turnout.
That, the modest Secretary of State might say, is the real New Hampshire Advantage.
