McCain's wife won't release her tax returns

WASHINGTON — Cindy McCain, the wife of Sen. John McCain, said in an interview televised Thursday that she would never release her tax returns, even if her husband was elected president and she became first lady.

Cindy McCain, who has a significant stake in a beer distributorship in Phoenix that her late father helped found, is wealthier than her husband and files her taxes separately. On NBC's "Today" show, McCain, who has cited privacy concerns for her children, said she had no intention of releasing her returns. "This is a privacy issue," she said.

"What is John McCain trying to hide?" asked Howard Dean, chairman of the Democratic National Committee. "Throughout this campaign, he has acted like his own calls for openness and accountability apply to everyone but himself."

Clinton-Obama ticket talk

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — There's only one problem with the idea of a Hillary Rodham Clinton-Barack Obama ticket: Neither member of the team is expressing interest.

With Clinton's White House hopes on the wane, chatter of a joint ticket with Obama on the top was making the rounds of Democratic power circles, the media and in the two campaigns.

Obama — who is said to have resisted the idea privately — fueled the talk Thursday, telling CNN that Clinton is "an extraordinary candidate ... so obviously she'd be on anybody's short list to be a potential vice-presidential candidate."

One-time Bill Clinton aide George Stephanopoulos, now ABC's Sunday morning host, reported Thursday that top Clinton aides were eager to discuss a peace treaty contingent on the joint ticket.

Clinton advisers deny the campaign is even considering the vice-presidential slot yet.

"Losing his bearings" comment draws jabs

NEW YORK — Sen. Barack Obama said Thursday that Republican John McCain was "losing his bearings" for repeatedly suggesting the Islamic terrorist group Hamas preferred Obama for president.

That brought an angry response from McCain's campaign, which accused Obama of trying to make an issue of McCain's age.

Age is a touchy subject for McCain, who turns 72 in August and would be the oldest person to be sworn in as president if elected.

In an interview Thursday on CNN, Obama accused McCain of trying to smear him by repeating the comments. "For him to toss out comments like that, I think, is an example of him losing his bearings as he pursues this nomination," Obama said.

McCain's campaign accused Obama of trying to divert attention from a legitimate question by raising McCain's age. "He used the words 'losing his bearings' intentionally, a not-particularly-clever way of raising John McCain's age as an issue," McCain adviser Mark Salter said.

The dust-up occurred as Obama picked up the support of U.S. Reps. Brad Miller, of North Carolina, and Rick Larsen, of Lake Stevens.

Obama, Clinton stump in Oregon

PORTLAND — Sen. Barack Obama will make three stops in Oregon today in his campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination.

He will appear in Beaverton, Albany and Eugene, and is expected to remain in Oregon on Saturday.

Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton was scheduled for a town-hall event Thursday night at the Jackson County Exposition Park in Central Point, and planned a health-care discussion today at Doernbecher Children's Hospital in Portland.

Seattle Times news services