SIRIUS Satellite Radio will Ring in 2008 With 13 Live Concerts

SIRIUS Satellite Radio (Nasdaq: SIRI) says that it will celebrate the New Year with 13 exclusive live concert broadcasts from locations across the US featuring some of the world's biggest artists.

The artists include Velvet Revolver, Patti Smith, 3 Doors Down, Southside Johnny, The Bangles and others.

In addition, listeners can hear classic New Year's performances from"The King" and "The Chairman." Beginning at 8 pm ET / 5 pm PT, Elvis Radio will broadcast a triple play of Elvis concerts, including Elvis' 1976 New Year's Eve performance in Pittsburgh, Pa. On Siriusly Sinatra channel 75 at11 pm ET/ 8 pm and 11 pm PT, listeners will hear Frank Sinatra's 1986 concert recorded at the Golden Nugget in Las Vegas, Nev.

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January Web Traffic Reflects New Year's Resolutions

January saw significant increases in visitation to tax, travel, careers and real estate sites. Heightened interest in tax software and Microsoft's new Vista operating system boosted traffic to the computer software category, while mounting speculation about 2008 U.S. presidential candidates drove traffic to political sites.

That's according to the comScore Media Metrix monthly analysis of U.S. consumer activity at top online properties and categories for January 2007.

"As we've witnessed on an annual basis, consumers turned to the Web at the beginning of the year in a very utilitarian fashion, with an eye toward planning," says Jack Flanagan, executive vice president of comScore MediaMetrix. "Traffic to tax sites continued to grow versus December, and Travelsites also saw increases as Americans explored ways to escape the winter doldrums. Politics also captured consumers' attention, as politicians turned to the Web as their primary vehicle to announce their candidaciesfor the first time. In addition, Americans took keen interest in potential career changes and housing moves in January."

comScore Media Metrix, a division of comScore Networks, provides Internet audience measurement services that report detailsof online media usage, visitor demographics and online buying power for the home, work and university audiences across local U.S. markets and across the globe. All comScore Media Metrix syndicated ratings are based onindustry-sanctioned sampling methodologies, according to the company.

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Lawmakers Seek To Reform Presidential Campaign System

A bipartisan group of lawmakers in Congress have introduced bills to overhaul and modernize the U.S. public financing system to elect its presidents.

Reps. Marty Meehan (D-Mass.), Christopher Shays (R-Conn.) and David Price (D-NC) announced the introduction of legislation to fix the presidential public financing system. Sen. Russell Feingold (D-Wis.) introduced companion legislation in the Senate as well.

The legislation would take effect on January 1, 2009 and be effective for presidential elections following the 2008 election, however.

"We are heading into a presidential election in 2008, in which the two major party nominees are expected to decline public financing for their races and to spend $500 million each, or a combined $1 billion, in private contributions for their primary and general election campaigns," says Fred Wertheimer, president of Democracy 21, a campaign finance advocacy organization. "In order to raise this massive amount of private campaign contributions, big-money fundraisers are bound to play a preeminent role in the presidential campaigns.

The presidential campaign bill increases the amount of matching funds for the presidential primaries from a 1:1 match for up to $250 of an individual's aggregate contributions, to a 4:1 match for up to $200 of an individual's contribution," Wertheimer adds.

The presidential campaign bill increases the spending limit for candidates who choose to participate in the presidential primary public financing system from its current level of approximately $45 million, to $150 million, with a sub-limit of no more than $100 million to be spent by April 1. The bill increases the spending limit for participating general election candidates from its current level of $75 million, to $100 million. The limits are indexed for inflation. The bill repeals the primary state-by-state spending limits.

To qualify for public financing in the primary election, a presidential candidate must raise $25,000 in each of 20 states, in amounts of no more than $200 of each individual's aggregate contribution. This increases the $5,000 per state requirement in current law. A candidate also must commit to accept public financing in both the primary and general election in order to receive public funds for the primary election.

The presidential campaign finance bill moves the starting date for the payment of matching funds to primary candidates from January 1 of the election year to six months before the first primary or caucus is held by a party to select it presidential nominee.

The presidential campaign finance bill provides that if one or more participating candidates in the primary election are running against a non-participating candidate of the same party who raises or spends more than 120 percent of the primary election spending limit, the spending limit for the participating candidates is increased to $150 million during the pre-April 1 period or $200 million for the whole primary period.


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Newsweek Poll: Bush Standing Hits All-Time Low

U.S. approval for President Bush has hit a record low level despite pitching policies in his recent televised State of the Union address, according to a new Newsweek poll.

President Bush's job approval rating hit an all-time low in theNewsweek Poll at 30 percent. Sixty-one percent of all those polled says they are dissatisfied with the way things are going in the United States at this time; just 30 percent are satisfied.

Sixty-seven percent of those polled believe Bush's decisions about policy in Iraq and other major areas are influenced more by his personal beliefs regardless of the facts, while just 22 percent say his decisions are influenced more by the facts. And 71 percent say Bush will not have enough support over the next two years to make a difference in getting things done in Washington; just 21 percent say he will. The public is split on whether or not Congress is likely (42%) or not likely (48%) to give serious consideration to the proposals Bush made in the State of the Union address about energy, health and other domestic policy.

Fifty-three percent of all those polled say they think history will see Bush as a below average president; 30 percent say average and 14 percent say above average. And 58 percent of all those polled say at this point in time, they personally wish that Bush's presidency was over; 37 percent do not feel that way.

In deciding whether to vote Democratic or Republican in the 2008 presidential election, among registered voters, 31 percent say their view of Bush will be very important; 17 percent say it will be somewhat important and 15 percent say not too important.


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Pastor Rick Warren, Oprah Among Stars Who Back Obama

DraftObama.org, a grassroots site designed to encourage U.S. Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) to run for president in 2008, today announced the launch of an"Honorary Celebrity Members" class.

The website offers a running tally of the growing number of "Barack Stars" -- celebrities who have said or strongly implied they would support Barack Obama for president, site organizers say. Obama has said he will announce his intention to run for president in 2008 by Feb. 10.

"It's not often you get Warren Buffett, Oprah Winfrey, Will Smith, Pastor Rick Warren, and George Clooney on the same list. That just shows the incredible ability of Senator Obama to inspire some of the most famous and respected Americans alive today," says Ben Stanfield, DraftObama.org founder. "By compiling this list of celebrity supporters in one place, we hope to showcase that ability in the clearest possible fashion and to encourage Americans of all backgrounds to learn more about Senator Obama."

The new effort features celebrities across many fields, ranging from investment guru Warren Buffett, to talk show icon Oprah Winfrey, to political matron Ethel Kennedy. With each celebrity is the specific quote made expressing admiration for Obama, along with the source.

"The list of 'Barack Stars' may be glamorous, but their reasons forsupporting Senator Obama are very much down to Earth," says Stanfield. "And this list is just a harbinger of things to come, when the real stars -- the American voters -- get to make their own choices known."

Obama faces a crowded field for the 2008 Democrat nomination for president. Obama's biggest competition comes in the form of former first lady and New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton.


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Bush Should Include Federal Research As Priority

President Bush should not neglect U.S. federal spending on research and development in either his televised State of the Union speech tonight nor his upcoming proposed federal budget for the 2008 fiscal year, according to a group that promotes research.

"The president in his State of the Union speech and 2008 budget proposal has a chance to show real leadership by calling for renewed emphasis on science and research as the future of our economy," says former U.S. Rep. John Edward Porter (R-Ill.), chair of Research!America.

"America's economic destiny is, without question, tied to our investment in scientific research. Research offers the promise of better health and of better-paying jobs for a better future. I hope the president will outline a vision to speed the pace of science and better prepare our children for careers in a knowledge-based economy.

"In an August 2006 Research!America poll, a majority of Americans said more funding for medical and health research now is essential to our future health and economic prosperity," Porter adds. "This is a time of unprecedented opportunity for science when the U.S., with our talent pool and research capabilities, could be leading the world in medical and scientific advances. We must boost spending for all science and research, not just certain areas. At stake is our standing in the world and our children's standard of living."

In particular, President Bush must focus both on federal support for research and development in the physical sciences and health sciences, says Research!America President Mary Woolley.
"We applaud the president's anticipated call for more physical science funding in 2008, such as the research funded by the National Science Foundation," Woolley says. "However, advances in physical and life sciences go hand in hand: how would we have outpatient laser treatment for glaucoma without research that developed safe lasers and research that helped us understand the workings of the eye?

"Research!America would be extremely concerned if the president's 2008 budget for research for health fails even to match inflation, as was thecase last year for the National Institutes of Health and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality -- or worse, falls below prior years' budgets, as occurred last year with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's critical core programs," she adds. The investments of the past are now bearing fruit, for instance, in the decrease in cancer mortality, and theAmerican people expect that success to continue -- not slow down. When federally funded health research stalls, we lose family members prematurely, our economy loses productivity when workers become sick, and America begins to lose its position as a global leader in science."


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Emily's List Gets Behind Hillary For 2008

Emily's List, which promotes Democratic women for political office, has already thrown its support behind U.S. Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton for president in 2008.

Senator from New York, Clinton is moving closer toward an official run for the Democratic nomination for president. She was first lady when her husband, Bill Clinton, served in the Oval Office.

"I am one of the millions of women who have waited all their lives to see the first woman sworn in as president of the United States -- and now we have our best opportunity to see that dream fulfilled," says EMILY's List President Ellen Malcolm.

Clinton has edged closer to running, reportedly saying on her Web site, "I'm in and I'm in to win."

If Clinton runs, she will likely face fellow Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois in a titanic battle for the Democrat nomination. Other Democrats running into former Sen. and 2004 vice presidential candidate John Edwards, Sen. Chris Dodd of Connecticut and former Democrat Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack.

Hillary Clinton was elected to the Senate in 2000 and re-elected last year. If elected to the White House, Democrat Clinton would be the first woman to be elected U.S. president.

"On the national stage and in the neighborhoods of New York, Senator Hillary Clinton has repeatedly put her expertise and power behind solutions that make the lives of the American people safer and more prosperous. No one is more qualified to bring to the White House the kind of principled and effective leadership our nation so desperately needs," Malcolm says.

Malcolm adds, "It is with tremendous excitement and pride that EMILY's List endorses
Senator Hillary Clinton for president. As Senator Clinton begins her historic journey, EMILY's List will be with her every step of the way -- raising early money from our grassroots donor network of more than 100,000 EMILY's List members, using our vast political resources to help her build a strong national campaign, and mobilizing millions of women voters through our groundbreaking WOMEN VOTE! program to support her and every Democrat on the ticket in 2008."


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Online Crowd Prefers Obama Over Hillary

U.S. Sen Barack Obama (D-Ill.) -- not Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton -- is the top choice for president in 2008, according to an online poll in which nearly 200,000 AOL users responded.

In the U.S. Senate for just two years, Obama is weighing a White House run and will announce by Feb. 10. Former first lady Hillary Clinton, meanwhile, is also reportedly close to starting her bid for the presidency. Clinton in 2006 was re-elected to a second term as senator from New York.

But Obama, son of an American and a Kenyan, is the top choice in the unscientific AOL poll. Obama seems to offer an inspirational, less-partisan alternative. Obama was the star televised speaker at the 2004 Democratic convention.

Answering the question, "Who would do better in a race for the Democratic nomination?" 58% favored Barack Obama compared to 42% for Clinton. Some 199,523 AOL users responded to the question.

On "Who would do better against a GOP nominee?" Barack Obama came out on top with 61% of 198,064 who replied to that question compared to Hillary Clinton with 39%.

In perhaps the strongest measure of Obama's sudden candidacy, asked "Would you like to see Clinton run?" 57% of the 195,736 respondents said "No." Forty-three percent said, "Yes."

By contrast, 61% of 196,202 respondents want Barack Obama to run compared to 39%
who don't.

AOL cautions its poll results are not scientific and reflect the opinions of only those users who chose to participate.

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New Obama Site On Iraq Launched

A grassroots organization encouraging U.S. Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) to run for president in 2008 announced the launch of ObamaWasRight.com, an affiliated website and blog dedicated to discussion and solution-finding on the issue of the war in Iraq, the group says.

The new site coincides with Obama filing paperwork to open an exploratory committee as a prelude to a White House campaign. Obama's top Democratic competition in the primaries could come from Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York who is also mulling a 2008 run. Former Sen. John Edwards ofNorth Carolina is another prime contender for the Democratic nomination.

Obama reportedly will decide on a 2008 run by Feb. 10.

"We're incredibly excited about Obama's exploratory committee," says Ben Stanfield, founder of DraftObama.org. "It's a major step in our ultimate goal, seeing Senator Obama enter the presidential race. We've been working hard for the last few months to organize thousands of volunteers across all 50 states, and we'll continue that hard work right up to his announcement on Feb. 10th."

The website was launched today in response to strong interest from participants in the DraftObama.org movement for creating a forum specific to issues concerning the war. It highlights Obama's uniquely consistent position in opposition to the war in Iraq among the six leading presidential hopefuls in both parties, organizers say.

"Although he could easily be the 'I-told-you-so candidate,' Senator Obama has shown remarkable statesmanship by focusing not on the past, buton the future," says Stanfield. "Our new site,'ObamaWasRight.com' will become a leading forum for Americans whoappreciate that Senator Obama has been consistently opposed to the Iraq War, and who want to follow his lead, and help in the process of findingnon-partisan approaches to bringing our troops home."

President Bush launched the invasion of Iraq nearly four years ago. It has claimed the lives of more than 3,000 American service personnel. Polls have found Americans disapprove of the war in Iraq.

DraftObama.org is an all-volunteer grassroots organization supporting apresidential run by Senator Obama. Spearheaded by a growing collection ofvolunteers from around the country, the movement has grown from a singleweb page created by Ben Stanfield, a computer technician in Rockville, Md., to a national movement with tens of thousands of petition-signers, hundreds of volunteers in every state, and over half a million unique visitors tothe DraftObama.org site, site organizers say.

The movement gained national attention by airing the first television advertisement of the 2008 presidential election cycle, airing "Believe Again" in Washington, DC, New Hampshire, Iowa and Hawaii. The 60- second spot also reached many YouTube milestones, including moer than 100,000 viewings, site organizers add.


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Dems Tie McCain To Bush 'Surge' Strategy

In a potential glimpse at the 2008 race for the White House, Democrats are tying U.S. Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) to the unpopular escalation of the war in Iraq that President Bush unveiled this week.

McCain is looking at a second bid for president. McCain ran for the GOP nomination in 2000 but ultimately lost to Bush.

"Cementing himself as the establishment candidate committed to continuing the Bush legacy of failure in Iraq, John McCain yesterday wholeheartedly endorsed the president's escalation of the war. Although the president's new increase of troops for the civil war in Iraq falls shy of the 35,000 troops McCain had proposed, the Arizona senator said he was satisfied with the move, stating 'I think it meets our criteria,'" the Democratic National Committee says, citing a McCain interview on CNN.

"Spearheading the effort to escalate the Iraq War with tens ofthousands more American troops may cement John McCain in Bush's camp, but it won't help him become Bush's successor," says Democratic National Committee spokesman Luis Miranda. "The American people have made it clear they want a new direction in Iraq, not another troop increase that keeps our brave men and women in uniform bogged down in the Iraqi civil war."

Inability to articulate clear position has garnered McCain broad criticism, according to the Democratic National Committee.

Polls find Americans disapprove of sending more troops to Iraq.

"Harold Meyerson wrote in the Washington Post that McCain's continued hawkishness, even if held sincerely, was flawed, writing that 'integrity in the pursuit of fantasy is no virtue,'" the DNC says. "Joel Connelly, a columnist for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, noted that, 'The heady spirit of a reformer on the road is gone,' and concluded that McCain 'is the last person in the world that you'd want to be in charge of cleaning up Bush's [foreign policy] excesses.' Ann McFeatters wrote that McCain has become 'garbled' in explaining his Iraq position. And pollster John Zogby noted that McCain's 'going to be all alone in suggesting the Iraq Study Group' was wrong.

McCain has criticized aspects of Bush's war handling, however, and called attention to mistakes in remarks in a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing in Iraq.

"We have made many, many mistakes since 2003, and these will not be easily reversed," McCain said. "Even greater than the costs thus far and in the future, however, are the catastrophic consequences that would ensue from our failure in Iraq. By surging troops and bringing security to Baghdad and other areas, we will give the Iraqis and their partners the best possible chances to succeed.

"From everything I saw during my trip to Iraq last month, I believe that success is still possible," McCain added. "And I would not support this new strategy if I didn’t think it had a real chance of success. But let us realize that there are no guarantees. By controlling the violence, we can pave the way for a political settlement. Once the government wields greater authority, however, Iraqi leaders must take significant steps on their own, and they must do it right away."

McCain acknowledges that "[i]ncreasing U.S. troop levels will expose more brave Americans to danger and increase the number of American casualties."


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RunObama.com Enlists 6,500 Supporters in Two Weeks

The website RunObama.com has collected 6,500 signatures on a petition urging U.S. Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) to run for president in 2008, those who operate the site say.

The thousands of Obama supporters from all 50 states and the District of Columbia poured in during the first two weeks of the site being active, the operators say.

A rising star in the Democratic party, Obama has left the door open to a bid for the White House. If he decides to run, he would face potentially many rivals for the Democratic nomination, including Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton. Outgoing Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack has already declared he will run as has Sen. Joe Biden of Delaware.

Obama has been in national office just two years. Before that, he served as a state legislator in Illinois.

RunObama.com is now urging supporters of Barack Obama to gather 10,000 signatures before Sunday, December 10 to present to Obama during his first visit to New Hampshire. New Hampshire is home to an early and often crucial early test in the primary elections in which voters of each party select nominees for president.

The site was created to gather Obama supporters together to show the Illinois Democrat that there is a grassroots army of citizens ready to support him.

The site features a blog that is covering the early stages of an Obama campaign, as well as a video section to highlight recent television clips.

On the petition, the website encourages people to "Tell Obama to Run," declaring: "We the undersigned believe we need new leadership in this country. We need someone who can challenge, inspire and get America back on track. Most of all, we need leadership. Senator Obama needs to know that if -- and when -- he decides to run, he'll have an army of grassroots supporters ready to help him win!"