Kucinich to abandon his bid for presidency

CLEVELAND — Democrat Dennis Kucinich is abandoning his second, longshot bid for the White House as he faces a tough fight to hold onto his other job: U.S. congressman.

In an interview with Cleveland's Plain Dealer, the six-term House member said he was quitting the race and would make a formal announcement today.

"I will be announcing that I'm transitioning out of the presidential campaign," Kucinich said. "I'm making that announcement tomorrow about a new direction."

Kucinich has received little support in his presidential bid; he received 1 percent of the vote in the New Hampshire primary and was shut out in the Iowa caucuses. He did have a devoted following.

Kucinich, 61, is facing four challengers in the Democratic congressional primary March 4, and this week he made an urgent appeal on his Web site for money for his re-election. Rival Joe Cimperman has been critical of Kucinich for focusing too much time outside of his district while campaigning for president.

Kucinich said he will not endorse another Democrat in the primary.

As a presidential candidate, he proposed a Department of Peace, backed universal health care and supported gay marriage. He also pushed for the impeachment of Vice President Dick Cheney.

N.Y. Times endorses Clinton and McCain

NEW YORK — The New York Times editorial board has endorsed Sens. Hillary Rodham Clinton and John McCain in the presidential primary race.

In editorials posted Thursday on the newspaper's Web site, the board argued forcefully on Clinton's behalf, while saying that McCain, R-Ariz., was the best of a flawed GOP field with which the board had "strong disagreements."

The board said its case for Clinton, D-N.Y., was based on more than her accomplishments, adding that the senator "sometimes overstates the importance of résumé."

The board also spoke favorably of Clinton's main rival for the Democratic nomination, Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois, calling him "incandescent." But it concluded that "we need more specifics to go with his amorphous promise of a new governing majority, a clearer sense of how he would govern."

McCain, the editorial said, "is the only Republican who promises to end the George Bush style of governing from and on behalf of a small, angry fringe."

Clinton, Obama pull warring radio ads

BEAUFORT, S.C. — Sens. Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama stepped back from the brink in their war of words Thursday, with each pulling harsh radio ads from local airwaves and seeking to play down intraparty tensions.

Clinton retreated first. Under fire for airing misleading ads about her main rival, her campaign pulled a radio spot that suggested Obama was a closet Republican who supported President Reagan and the ideas of the 1994 revolt that swept the GOP to control of both chambers of Congress.

The Illinois senator's campaign counterpunched with its own radio ad that pointed out Clinton's early support for the Iraq war and accused her of distorting Obama's words. "She'll say anything and change nothing," the ad said. But by late afternoon, it, too, was off the air.

McCain raises $7 million this month

WASHINGTON — John McCain, riding high after victories in New Hampshire and South Carolina, has raised more than $7 million this month, collecting in three weeks more than he took in during one three-month period last year.

McCain spokeswoman Jill Hazelbaker said McCain has expanded his base of contributors to more than 110,000 donors and raised $3 million online. He raised $5.7 million between July 1 and Sept. 30.

The campaign has said McCain also exceeded that period's fundraising during the fourth quarter of 2007 but has not specified a total. Hazelbaker would not say how much money is on hand.

Huckabee criticizes Romney's dealings

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Republican Mike Huckabee criticized rival Mitt Romney's past as a venture capitalist Thursday, saying some workers lost their jobs as a result.

Romney founded Bain Capital, a firm that developed a reputation for turning around ailing companies and earned him millions of dollars. Asked about Romney's experience, Huckabee said the former Massachusetts governor's success came at the expense of workers.

"If that's the turnaround, a lot of Americans would not want to see their lives turned around like that," Huckabee said.

Romney defended the takeovers on Fox News on Sunday: "We grew jobs quite dramatically in many settings. But oftentimes, when an enterprise is in real trouble, you have to try and cut back to save it."

Seattle Times news services