Obama vow: boost funds to faith-based organizations

ZANESVILLE, Ohio — Sen. Barack Obama said Tuesday that if elected president he would expand the delivery of social services through churches and other religious organizations; the announcement was a vow to achieve a goal he said President Bush had fallen short on during his two terms.

"The challenges we face today — from saving our planet to ending poverty — are simply too big for government to solve alone," said Obama, standing outside a community center in eastern Ohio. "We need an all-hands-on-deck approach."

Some Democrats have previously backed similar efforts, but Bush's version, a centerpiece of his first-term agenda, has been a lightning rod for criticism from those concerned about the separation of church and state and those who argued that Bush had used it to further a conservative political agenda.

In embracing the same general approach as Bush, Obama ran the political risk of alienating those of his supporters who would prefer that government keep its distance from religion.

But Obama's plan departed from the Bush administration's stance on one fundamental issue: whether religious organizations that get federal funds for social services can take faith into account in their hiring. Bush has said yes. Obama said no.

"If you get a federal grant, you can't use that grant money to proselytize to the people you help, and you can't discriminate against them — or against the people you hire — on the basis of their religion," Obama said. "Federal dollars that go directly to churches, temples and mosques can only be used on secular programs."

McCain meets with

Colombian president

CARTAGENA, Colombia — Sen. John McCain arrived here Tuesday night on his third foreign trip since clinching the Republican presidential nomination. It is his latest attempt to embellish his international credentials at a time when the electorate is increasingly focused on domestic issues.

McCain's latest trip — to Colombia and Mexico — is designed to highlight his positions on trade and immigration.

McCain and his wife, Cindy, met Colombian President Álvaro Uribe at the president's ceremonial home in Cartagena before a meeting with several Colombian Cabinet ministers.

Clark stands by remarks on McCain

WASHINGTON — Retired Gen. Wesley Clark rejected suggestions that he apologize Tuesday for saying Sen. John McCain's medal-winning military service does not qualify him for the White House.

Clark said a president must have judgment, not merely courage and character.

Sen. Barack Obama, the Democratic presidential hopeful, said Clark's comments had been inartful. McCain said Obama should go further than that.

"I think the time has come for Senator Obama to not just repudiate General Clark, but to cut him loose," McCain said.

Clark set off the controversy Sunday when he said McCain's wartime experience as a Navy pilot and his command of an air squadron in peacetime did not provide him with experience needed to become president.

Hispanic voting up

in 2006 election

WASHINGTON — Voting by Hispanics surged in the last congressional elections and shows strength that could swing this year's presidential vote in closely contested states such as Colorado, Nevada and New Mexico.

A government report released Tuesday shows that 5.6 million Hispanics voted in the 2006 general election, an increase of 18 percent over 2002, the previous year for a federal election without a presidential race on the ballot. That compares to a 7 percent increase among white voters and a 5 percent increase for black voters.

"For years they called the Latinos the sleeping giant. Well, they woke us up," said Luis Vera, general counsel for the League of United Latin American Citizens.

Vera said the debate over illegal immigration has energized Hispanic voters and that he expects the trend to continue this year.

Also

Former Vice President Dan Quayle said in Reno, Nev., on Tuesday that he respects Democrat Barack Obama "because he beat the Clintons" and fears Republican John McCain has an "uphill battle" to defeat Obama in November.