Susan Crabtree

After Biden, Obama will be ‘respectful’ in next debate

After Vice President Joseph R. Biden earned the label "Laughing Joe" after he chuckled, sighed and interrupted his way through his debate with Rep. Paul Ryan last week, Team Obama is stressing that the president plans to be respectful in his second verbal match-up against Mitt Romney on Tuesday night. Published October 15, 2012

Biden, Ryan go head to head, but they can’t see eye to eye in vice presidential debate

Looking to erase the memory of President Obama's widely panned debate performance from a week ago, Vice President Joseph R. Biden took the fight to his rival Paul Ryan on Thursday, accusing him of obfuscating Republicans' tax cut plans and calling GOP criticism of the administration's handling of last month's Libya terrorist attack "malarkey." Published October 11, 2012

Biden’s debate aim: Reclaim edge after Obama’s subpar showing

With President Obama looking to an unpredictable and gaffe-prone Joseph R. Biden to get his campaign back on track in Thursday's debate, the pressure on the vice president couldn't be greater. Published October 10, 2012

Obama turns up intensity on stump

Looking to turn a negative into a positive, President Obama on the campaign trail is openly acknowledging a less-than-stellar performance in last week's debate, joking about his stumble, pleading for contributions and complaining sharply about Mitt Romney's "extreme makeover." Published October 9, 2012

Obama designates Chavez home as monument

President Obama designated the home of Latino labor leader Cesar Chavez as a national monument Monday, a move Republicans denounced as a desperate attempt to shore up Latino support as the race tightens in its final weeks. Published October 8, 2012

Obama launches pre-emptive strike ahead of Romney’s foreign policy speech

President Obama's re-election campaign on Monday launched a pre-emptive strike ahead of Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney's planned foreign policy address, arguing that Mr. Romney has failed the the commander-in-chief test on the global stage — in part by staking out positions to the right of former President George W. Bush. Published October 8, 2012

Obama hails job picture; Romney says improvement too slow

President Obama hailed a modest improvement in job growth last month as evidence his policies are working and pleaded with voters not to risk handing control of the country to GOP rival Mitt Romney, whose supply-side economics he said are the same policies that caused the financial crisis. Published October 5, 2012

Biden says he’s ready to rumble with Ryan

Vice President Joseph R. Biden isn't known for his disciplined oratory, but after watching Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney outperform President Obama during Wednesday night's debate, Mr. Biden said he's ready to face Mr. Romney's running mate, Rep. Paul Ryan, and pin him down on the facts. Published October 4, 2012

McCain: Obama acting beyond authority

Sen. John McCain on Wednesday accused President Obama of using taxpayer dollars to buy off defense contractors for political gain. Published October 3, 2012

Grassley, Ayotte want answers on OMB promise to cover defense layoff costs

Two top Republicans said this week that the Obama administration may not have had the legal authority to tell defense companies that taxpayers will pick up their legal bills if the companies are sued because of layoffs resulting from pending defense cuts. Published October 2, 2012

Reticent Romney ratchets up attack on Obama on Libya

Mitt Romney has been surprisingly reticent about attacking President Obama's handling of the assault on the U.S. Consulate in Libya, but on Monday, his campaign signaled he will begin to take a harder line on Mr. Obama's foreign policy overall heading into Wednesday's first debate. Published October 1, 2012

Lockheed says it won’t issue layoff notices

Lockheed Martin on Monday backed down from its summertime threat to issue layoff warnings to employees just before the November election, saying the Obama administration has given assurances that it won't immediately kill any major defense contracts when automatic spending cuts go into effect in January. Published October 1, 2012

Obama, Romney move battle to Virginia for military votes

President Obama and Republican rival Mitt Romney each trolled for military votes Thursday in the critical swing state of Virginia, and although polls show Mr. Obama with a slight edge overall in the state, he is having trouble convincing veterans that he should remain their commander in chief. Published September 27, 2012

In Virginia Beach, Obama says vets aren’t ‘victims’

President Obama played to an enthusiastic crowd in the military stronghold of Virginia Beach Thursday, promising to bring about a "new economic patriotism" and hailing veterans and military families as valued members of the middle class. Published September 27, 2012

Obama ridicules Romney over China tough talk

With the latest polls giving him an edge in the must-win state of Ohio, President Obama exuded confidence during a trip to the northern part of the state Wednesday, accusing Mitt Romney of wanting to "stick it to the middle class" and calling his tough talk on China "just not credible." Published September 26, 2012

Obama’s camp calls Libya hit ‘terrorism’

The Obama administration said Wednesday it now thinks the attack that killed the U.S. ambassador to Libya was linked to an affiliate of al Qaeda — an evaluation that comes two weeks after the strike and as the White House has struggled to defend its initial read on the situation. Published September 26, 2012

Obama garbles U.S. history in human trafficking speech

President Obama called on nations Tuesday to end the modern slavery of human trafficking and, in the process, got his U.S. Civil War history a bit garbled. Published September 25, 2012

Ethics panel clears Rep. Waters, reproves grandson

The House Ethics Committee officially exonerated Rep. Maxine Waters, California Democrat, in a 3-year-old conflict-of-interest case involving her work on behalf of minority-owned banks despite her husband's financial stake in one of them. Published September 25, 2012

GOP recalls Obama’s earlier victory lap on Libya

Republicans said Tuesday the stark contrast between President Obama's speech to the U.N. General Assembly Tuesday compared to his remarks a year ago — on Iran, Libya and the greater Middle East — are a measure of the administration's foreign policy failures. Published September 25, 2012

Romney takes aim at foreign aid, ties future aid to trade

Seeking to carve out foreign-policy differences with President Obama, rival Mitt Romney on Tuesday said he wants to impose a bargain on countries seeking U.S. foreign aid: open economies to trade and investment in exchange for American taxpayers' generosity. Published September 25, 2012