It is 2004 and we are deep in the heart of the presidential campaign. On this particular evening candidates George W. Bush and John Kerry stand behind podiums, ready to face off in a debate being moderated by the NewsHour's Jim Lehrer. Lehrer is in the midst of his opening statement, about to ask the first question of the evening to Senator Kerry, when Bush makes his move. He stealthly approaches Lehrer, weilding a......

Happy Valentine's Day, Barack! Obama hasn't yet snagged the Democratic nomination. But already, like John Kerry before him, he's about to become the target of an "exposé film." As reported in the New York Times, the conservative group Citizens United has budgeted about $1 million to produce the film, which they plan to distribute this summer. The group and its president have previously released such creatively-titled valentines as Hillary, the Movie (a love song......

Last night marked the official beginning of the 2008 presidential season. The close of the Iowa Democratic caucuses saw Barack Obama with 37 percent, John Edwards with 30 percent, and Hillary Clinton in third place with 29 percent of the votes, with 99 percent of Iowa precincts reporting. On the Republican side Mike Huckabee was the big winner. In fact, last night was a night of few surprises. The big shockers coming out of the......

While most of the city was partying down at Lollapalooza this weekend, a different type of party was going on just a few blocks south of Grant Park: YearlyKos, the annual convention hosted by DailyKos, the netroots weblog started by Markos Moulitsas Zúniga, and filled with content, news and views by a motley crew of bloggers from around the nation (including Dick Durbin!). Saturday was a big day for the bloggers by the lake, with......

In the marathon that this presidential political season is becoming, presidential hopeful and former North Carolina Senator John Edwards made a pair of brief campaign stops in Chicago Wednesday, just one day before Barack Obama made a campaign stop in North Carolina. At BB's bar and restaurant on Hubbard, part of his "Small Change for Big Change" series of fundraisers, Edwards told the crowd, who had paid between $15 and $100 a head to hear......

We don't know about where you are, but it seems like spring can't decide whether or not to happen. Some days are warm, some days are cold, and sometimes you aren't sure which. Baseball may have started up (and soccer/football winding down) but it still seems cold out there. Unless it's not. Anyways, onto the -ists. Austinist happily anticipated fall's Austin City Limits, even though they're not fully recovered from South By Southwest. In other......

As the world holds its breath, teetering precariously on the cusp of the Super Bowl (well, at least in America), the wheels of the -ists keep on turning. Austinist was in a musical frame of mind as they listened to the new Shins album, updated the SXSW band listings and got called "punk rock" for their efforts by MTV. And an ice storm swept through the area. Bostonist said goodbye to John Kerry's plans......

Is Dick Durbin untouchable this season? It's starting to look that way. The intrepid senator from downstate is preparing to run for his third term in the Senate in '08, and the Illinois GOP is having a hard time fielding anyone to take him on. Even that perennial standard-bearer for the wacky-right in the Land of Lincoln, Jim Oberweis, is dodging this bullet, eyeing instead Denny Hastert's seat. Besides being the new Senate whip, and......

While many of the lectures and panels for this year's Chicago Humanities Festival are already sold out, there still seem to be plenty of tickets left for the film series. The theme is “Peace and War,” a subject which is (unfortunately) as timely as ever, and Facets program director Charles Coleman has put together a superb lineup. All of the chosen films guarantee plenty of food for thought, some to an uncomfortable degree. We'd like......

Though John Kerry poo-pooed it, many a spirit was uplifted in Illinois when the news came that Illinois led the nation in job creation for the month of April. Sure, there were some that scratched their heads and wondered where the jobs were (aside from the newest fast food restaurant to set up shop next door—potato, potahto). But still, it was nice to hear that the state’s economy isn’t as bad as all the others.......

We asked you for your voting stories, and you delivered. Here's one we found pretty moving, from Michael: This election is important to me because of one major issue, stem cell research. I have Multiple Sclerosis. It's not Richard Pryor severe, but even in the 3 years I've had it, I'm not nearly as exciting as I once was. John Kerry believes in progressing science using new technologies, including stem cell research, so I......

The Sun-Times endorsed John Kerry yesterday, which is noteworthy considering that it endorsed George W. Bush last time around. The endorsement sounds like a lot of Kerry endorsements—loosely in favor of Kerry, strongly opposed to Bush. The president's handling of the past year in Iraq -- his dismissal of those who warned him about the difficulty of reorganizing the country, his neglect of deep problems that are costing American lives there -- made us doubt......

What to do if you're a Chicago teenager and want to get involved in the election? Go to Wisoconsin, is what. Because Illinois is expected to vote for Kerry, teens involved in a group called Mikva Challenge headed to the Wisconsin, one of the nearest battleground states, to get a taste of politics they can't get around here. "The sad truth is that in Illinois there's nothing going on in the presidential race," said Brian......

Chicagoist received a mass e-mail message this past week with the subject line "Mandatory Draft" followed by a number of, depending on your position, exciting or menacing exclamation points. The e-mail mentions companion bills H.R. 163 and S 82. The titles of both these bills contain the text "...to provide for the common defense by requiring that all young persons in the United States, including women, perform a period of military service or a period......

So John Kerry was on The Daily Show last night, trying to woo youngsters and seem 'hip.' It almost worked, too. He had his moments, specifically when he and Jon Stewart folded their arms and looked right at each other from only a few inches away, which was actually adorable in an unexpected and possibly wrong and gross way. Kerry was sporting one of those oh my god, cancer awareness is so trendy Lance Armstrong......

Chicago Tribune editor, William Rood, who served with John Kerry in Vietnam has come forward to denounce the attacks on Kerry's war record. Rood, who commanded a swift boat during the 1969 mission that resulted in Kerry's Silver Star, says that Kerry's critics are telling lies about his actions in the war. Kerry asked Rood to break his 35-year silence and tell the truth in his own words about what happened, but Rood says that's......

With Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Barack Obama running unchallenged, and President George Bush essentially conceeding Illinois to Democratic challenger John Kerry, the top of the ballot this November isn't drawing a whole lot of attention. This has opened up a whole lot of possibility for races further down the ballot, like the 8th Congressional District race up in northwestern Cook, and Lake and McHenry Counties. The seat, held by Republican Rep. Phil Crane for thirty-three......

Cementing his place as the hot "up-and-comer" of the Democratic party, Illinois senate candidate Barak Obama will give the keynote address at the Democratic Convention on July 27. According to the Kerry-Edwards campaign blog: Obama will talk about his hope for America and the new direction for this country the Kerry-Edwards ticket offers. He will speak to the need for a stronger America that puts jobs, families and communities first. He will also highlight......

Democratic vice presidential candidate John Edwards is coming to Chicago tomorrow in his first solo campaign appearance. John Kerry and Edwards have campaigned together since the announcement that Kerry chose Edwards as his running mate, but campaign officials say they will split up and start campaign separately. Wednesday's fund-raiser at the Chicago Hilton and Towers will be part of a weekend-long fund raising bonanza and is sure not to be Edwards only visit to IL,......

Finally. John Kerry named John Edwards as his running mate this morning, shocking no one but disappointing the other 24 people on his not-that-short list. By selecting Edwards, Kerry went with the smooth-talking Southern populist over more seasoned politicians in hopes of injecting vigor and small-town appeal to the Democratic presidential ticket. Kerry, a decorated Vietnam veteran, calculated that he didn't need to add foreign policy heft to the ticket. Called aloof by his critics,......

Illinois for Kerry is hosting an evening of music and politics tomorrow night at 7:30 p.m. at the Civic Opera House. Proceeds benefit John Kerry for President and the least you can get in for is $100. Although Kerry was in Chicago this week, Chicagoist is unable to determine whether he is attending this event. But Kerry's sister, Diana, will be there and so will Bill Clinton. Other guests scheduled to appear are: � Harold......