Copyright (c) 2007 Yahoo! Inc. All rights reserved. http://news.yahoo.com/i/2231 Politics - U.S. Senate en-us Sat, 01 Sep 2007 01:16:22 GMT 5 142 18 http://news.yahoo.com/i/2231 http://us.i1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/i/us/nws/th/main_142b.gif http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/ussenate/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070901/pl_nm/usa_politics_warner_dc nm/20070901/usa_politics_warner_dc Sat, 01 Sep 2007 01:16:22 GMT <p><a href="http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/ussenate/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070901/pl_nm/usa_politics_warner_dc"><img src="http://d.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/nm/20070901/2007_08_31t141737_450x298_us_usa_politics_warner.jpg?x=130&y=86&sig=rrX9vOEWaWLFqZw5fLgG7w--" align="left" height="86" width="130" alt="Sen. John Warner talks with a reporter about the Senate's failure to vote on a House resolution that opposes President George W. Bush's decision to send 21,500 more troops to Iraq, at the U.S. Capitol in Washington February 17, 2007. (Jonathan Ernst/Reuters)" border="0" /></a>Reuters - Republican Sen. John Warner of Virginia, an influential voice in Congress on military policy, said on Friday he would not seek re-election next year -- a decision that complicates party hopes of recapturing Senate control.</p><br clear="all"/> <p><a href="http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/ussenate/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070901/pl_nm/usa_politics_warner_dc"><img src="http://d.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/nm/20070901/2007_08_31t141737_450x298_us_usa_politics_warner.jpg?x=130&y=86&sig=rrX9vOEWaWLFqZw5fLgG7w--" align="left" height="86" width="130" alt="photo" title="Sen. John Warner talks with a reporter about the Senate's failure to vote on a House resolution that opposes President George W. Bush's decision to send 21,500 more troops to Iraq, at the U.S. Capitol in Washington February 17, 2007. (Jonathan Ernst/Reuters)" border="0"/></a></p><br clear="all"/> (Reuters) http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/ussenate/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/cq/20070831/pl_cq_politics/virginiaswarnertoendpopularsenatetenureputtinggopseatasrisk cq/20070831/virginiaswarnertoendpopularsenatetenureputtinggopseatasrisk Fri, 31 Aug 2007 19:12:17 GMT CQPolitics.com - Virginia Republican Sen. John W. Warner, a leading voice on national security issues and a popular figure in his home state???s politics, announced Friday that he will not seek re-election next year. http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/ussenate/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/cq/20070831/pl_cq_politics/virginiagopsenwarnerretiringin2008 cq/20070831/virginiagopsenwarnerretiringin2008 Fri, 31 Aug 2007 18:18:09 GMT CQPolitics.com - Virginia Republican Sen. John W. Warner announced Friday afternoon in Charlottesville, Va., that he will not run next year for a sixth Senate term ??? a widely expected move that guarantees a strong bid by Democrats to take over the seat as they seek to defend or expand their razor-thin Senate majority. http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/ussenate/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070831/ap_on_go_co/ailing_senator_interview ap/20070831/ailing_senator_interview Fri, 31 Aug 2007 10:05:24 GMT <p><a href="http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/ussenate/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070831/ap_on_go_co/ailing_senator_interview"><img src="http://d.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/ap/20070830/capt.7e9d5b450dbe4d47bc3a605e1f46e7e9.johnson_interview_sddl101.jpg?x=130&y=93&sig=g4cvTFZZWt5Oc04VbWl__w--" align="left" height="93" width="130" alt="Sen. Tim Johnson, D-S.D., right, and his wife Barbara talk about the lawmaker's upcoming return to his Senate duties, Thursday, Aug. 30, 2007, at their home in Sioux Falls, S.D. Johnson, who has spent eight months recuperating from a brain hemorrhage, says he's not officially declaring his candidacy for re-election just yet, although he intends to run. (AP Photo/Dirk Lammers)" border="0" /></a>AP - Sen. Tim Johnson endured some dark days after his life-threatening brain hemorrhage, but he says he never considered resigning.</p><br clear="all"/> <p><a href="http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/ussenate/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070831/ap_on_go_co/ailing_senator_interview"><img src="http://d.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/ap/20070830/capt.7e9d5b450dbe4d47bc3a605e1f46e7e9.johnson_interview_sddl101.jpg?x=130&y=93&sig=g4cvTFZZWt5Oc04VbWl__w--" align="left" height="93" width="130" alt="photo" title="Sen. Tim Johnson, D-S.D., right, and his wife Barbara talk about the lawmaker's upcoming return to his Senate duties, Thursday, Aug. 30, 2007, at their home in Sioux Falls, S.D. Johnson, who has spent eight months recuperating from a brain hemorrhage, says he's not officially declaring his candidacy for re-election just yet, although he intends to run. (AP Photo/Dirk Lammers)" border="0"/></a></p><br clear="all"/> (AP) http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/ussenate/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/cq/20070831/pl_cq_politics/ascraigsproblemscontinuefocusturnstopossible2008idahosenateracewithouthim cq/20070831/ascraigsproblemscontinuefocusturnstopossible2008idahosenateracewithouthim Thu, 30 Aug 2007 23:45:30 GMT CQPolitics.com - Idaho Republican Sen. Larry E. Craig so far has withstood the gale of controversy that has surrounded him since Monday???s revelations of his recent conviction after an incident in a Minnesota airport men???s room, resisting calls from some of his Republican congressional colleagues for him to resign his seat ??? and a SurveyUSA poll in which 55 percent of adult Idaho respondents said he should step down. http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/ussenate/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/bloomberg/20070830/pl_bloomberg/akjy3rqltmk bloomberg/20070830/akjy3rqltmk Thu, 30 Aug 2007 22:07:03 GMT Bloomberg - Aug. 30 (Bloomberg) -- The head of the National Republican Senatorial Committee is the latest to join the growing chorus of lawmakers and Christian groups urging Idaho Senator Larry Craig to resign after his guilty plea to disorderly conduct in connection with a restroom incident. http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/ussenate/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070830/ap_on_go_co/craig_ethics_summary_box ap/20070830/craig_ethics_summary_box Thu, 30 Aug 2007 21:07:17 GMT AP - INTENTIONALLY VAGUE STANDARD: The Senate's ethics committee must judge Sen. Larry Craig, R-Idaho, on whether he exhibited "improper conduct which may reflect upon the Senate." http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/ussenate/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20070829/pl_afp/useconomybankrate afp/20070829/useconomybankrate Wed, 29 Aug 2007 21:11:13 GMT <p><a href="http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/ussenate/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20070829/pl_afp/useconomybankrate"><img src="http://d.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/afp/20070829/capt.sge.pcx36.290807211159.photo00.photo.default-512x336.jpg?x=130&y=85&sig=wdXod06Op9SJMsu5J1YI2A--" align="left" height="85" width="130" alt="Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke, pictured 21 August 2007, said in a letter to a US senator that the central bank would act &quot;as needed&quot; to ease the impact of a credit squeeze on the US economy.(AFP/Getty Images/File/Chip Somodevilla)" border="0" /></a>AFP - Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke said in a letter to a US senator that the central bank would act &quot;as needed&quot; to ease the impact of a credit squeeze on the US economy.</p><br clear="all"/> <p><a href="http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/ussenate/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20070829/pl_afp/useconomybankrate"><img src="http://d.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/afp/20070829/capt.sge.pcx36.290807211159.photo00.photo.default-512x336.jpg?x=130&y=85&sig=wdXod06Op9SJMsu5J1YI2A--" align="left" height="85" width="130" alt="photo" title="Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke, pictured 21 August 2007, said in a letter to a US senator that the central bank would act &quot;as needed&quot; to ease the impact of a credit squeeze on the US economy.(AFP/Getty Images/File/Chip Somodevilla)" border="0"/></a></p><br clear="all"/> (AFP) http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/ussenate/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/cq/20070829/pl_cq_politics/craigcrawfordstrailmixbushsbestcaseattorneygeneralmightbenoone cq/20070829/craigcrawfordstrailmixbushsbestcaseattorneygeneralmightbenoone Wed, 29 Aug 2007 14:15:15 GMT CQPolitics.com - Why should George W. Bush even want a Senate-confirmed attorney general for the remainder of his term? Given that the White House was not soon ready with a replacement nominee when Attorney General Alberto Gonzales resigned on Monday, you have to wonder if the president is in much of a hurry. http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/ussenate/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070829/ap_on_re_us/ailing_senator_return ap/20070829/ailing_senator_return Wed, 29 Aug 2007 12:08:32 GMT <p><a href="http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/ussenate/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070829/ap_on_re_us/ailing_senator_return"><img src="http://d.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/ap/20070828/capt.4e20cc3d063a41438a4fb5cf221976ca.ailing_senator_returns_sddl101.jpg?x=130&y=89&sig=6TQooxCzIzV5V1GfaFurgQ--" align="left" height="89" width="130" alt="Sen. Tim Johnson, D-S.D., with his wife Barbara at his side, makes his first public appearance since experiencing a life-threatening brain hemorrhage more than eight months ago, Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2007, in Sioux Falls, S.D. Johnson told those attending the welcome-home event: 'I am back.' (AP Photo/Dirk Lammers)" border="0" /></a>AP - In his first public appearance since a life-threatening brain hemorrhage eight months ago, Sen. Tim Johnson told supporters his will to keep fighting for them "has never been stronger."</p><br clear="all"/> <p><a href="http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/ussenate/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070829/ap_on_re_us/ailing_senator_return"><img src="http://d.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/ap/20070828/capt.4e20cc3d063a41438a4fb5cf221976ca.ailing_senator_returns_sddl101.jpg?x=130&y=89&sig=6TQooxCzIzV5V1GfaFurgQ--" align="left" height="89" width="130" alt="photo" title="Sen. Tim Johnson, D-S.D., with his wife Barbara at his side, makes his first public appearance since experiencing a life-threatening brain hemorrhage more than eight months ago, Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2007, in Sioux Falls, S.D. Johnson told those attending the welcome-home event: 'I am back.' (AP Photo/Dirk Lammers)" border="0"/></a></p><br clear="all"/> (AP) http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/ussenate/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20070828/ts_alt_afp/uscongresssenatecrime afp/20070828/uscongresssenatecrime Tue, 28 Aug 2007 22:10:24 GMT <p><a href="http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/ussenate/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20070828/ts_alt_afp/uscongresssenatecrime"><img src="http://d.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/afp/20070828/capt.sge.otm09.280807221003.photo00.photo.default-512x370.jpg?x=130&y=93&sig=mgA2hPF8B7xnYsMhK1vJiA--" align="left" height="93" width="130" alt="US Republican Senator Larry Craig, pictured in 2005, vehemently denied he was gay, despite pleading guilty after being arrested by police probing lewd incidents in an airport bathroom.(AFP/File/Mannie Garcia)" border="0" /></a>AFP - US Republican Senator Larry Craig Tuesday vehemently denied he was gay, despite pleading guilty after being arrested by police probing lewd incidents in an airport bathroom.</p><br clear="all"/> <p><a href="http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/ussenate/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20070828/ts_alt_afp/uscongresssenatecrime"><img src="http://d.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/afp/20070828/capt.sge.otm09.280807221003.photo00.photo.default-512x370.jpg?x=130&y=93&sig=mgA2hPF8B7xnYsMhK1vJiA--" align="left" height="93" width="130" alt="photo" title="US Republican Senator Larry Craig, pictured in 2005, vehemently denied he was gay, despite pleading guilty after being arrested by police probing lewd incidents in an airport bathroom.(AFP/File/Mannie Garcia)" border="0"/></a></p><br clear="all"/> (AFP) http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/ussenate/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/cq/20070828/pl_cq_politics/senatesgopleadersseekcraigethicsprobe cq/20070828/senatesgopleadersseekcraigethicsprobe Tue, 28 Aug 2007 22:00:15 GMT CQPolitics.com - Moving swiftly to get ahead of bad news for one of their own, Senate Republican leaders Tuesday said they will ask the Ethics Committee to open a file on Sen. Larry E. Craig. http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/ussenate/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070828/pl_nm/china_safety_senator_dc nm/20070828/china_safety_senator_dc Tue, 28 Aug 2007 21:24:10 GMT <p><a href="http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/ussenate/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070828/pl_nm/china_safety_senator_dc"><img src="http://d.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/nm/20070829/2007_08_29t105203_450x316_us_china_safety_senator.jpg?x=130&y=91&sig=uWCmEZvlwSZUmNp25sy7QQ--" align="left" height="91" width="130" alt="'Polly Pocket' merchandise sit on a shelf in a store in Arlington, Virginia, August 14, 2007. A Senate committee on Tuesday launched an investigation of American safety standards for children's clothing and toys in the wake of product recalls of mostly Chinese-made products. (Jim Young/Reuters)" border="0" /></a>Reuters - A Senate committee on Tuesday launched an investigation of American safety standards for children&#39;s clothing and toys in the wake of product recalls of mostly Chinese-made products.</p><br clear="all"/> <p><a href="http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/ussenate/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070828/pl_nm/china_safety_senator_dc"><img src="http://d.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/nm/20070829/2007_08_29t105203_450x316_us_china_safety_senator.jpg?x=130&y=91&sig=uWCmEZvlwSZUmNp25sy7QQ--" align="left" height="91" width="130" alt="photo" title="'Polly Pocket' merchandise sit on a shelf in a store in Arlington, Virginia, August 14, 2007. A Senate committee on Tuesday launched an investigation of American safety standards for children's clothing and toys in the wake of product recalls of mostly Chinese-made products. (Jim Young/Reuters)" border="0"/></a></p><br clear="all"/> (Reuters) http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/ussenate/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/cq/20070828/pl_cq_politics/louisianatreasurersswitchtogopaddstobuzzabout2008senatechallenge cq/20070828/louisianatreasurersswitchtogopaddstobuzzabout2008senatechallenge Tue, 28 Aug 2007 21:15:09 GMT CQPolitics.com - Democratic activists reacted with anger after Louisiana Treasurer John Kennedy announced Monday ?????? eight days before the candidate filing deadline for this year??????s state elections ?????? that he is switching parties and will seek re-election as a Republican. http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/ussenate/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070828/pl_nm/crime_senator_dc nm/20070828/crime_senator_dc Tue, 28 Aug 2007 02:35:12 GMT <p><a href="http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/ussenate/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070828/pl_nm/crime_senator_dc"><img src="http://d.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/nm/20070828/2007_08_28t072250_450x302_us_crime_senator.jpg?x=130&y=87&sig=GAl4E7HCIqiqNqrZYjijQQ--" align="left" height="87" width="130" alt="Senator Larry Craig (R-ID) holds an impromptu news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, March 2, 2004. Craig confirmed on August 27, 2007 that he pleaded guilty earlier this month to a charge of disorderly conduct after he was arrested at a Minnesota airport. (Mannie Garcia/Reuters)" border="0" /></a>Reuters - A Republican U.S. senator confirmed on Monday that he had pleaded guilty to a charge of disorderly conduct earlier this month after he was arrested in June in a men&#39;s&#39; toilet at a Minnesota airport.</p><br clear="all"/> <p><a href="http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/ussenate/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070828/pl_nm/crime_senator_dc"><img src="http://d.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/nm/20070828/2007_08_28t072250_450x302_us_crime_senator.jpg?x=130&y=87&sig=GAl4E7HCIqiqNqrZYjijQQ--" align="left" height="87" width="130" alt="photo" title="Senator Larry Craig (R-ID) holds an impromptu news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, March 2, 2004. Craig confirmed on August 27, 2007 that he pleaded guilty earlier this month to a charge of disorderly conduct after he was arrested at a Minnesota airport. (Mannie Garcia/Reuters)" border="0"/></a></p><br clear="all"/> (Reuters) http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/ussenate/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/cq/20070828/pl_cq_politics/senatorsayshewasnotinvolvedinanyinappropriateconductregretsguiltyplea cq/20070828/senatorsayshewasnotinvolvedinanyinappropriateconductregretsguiltyplea Tue, 28 Aug 2007 00:15:37 GMT CQPolitics.com - Idaho Sen. Larry E. Craig on Monday acknowledged an arrest for disorderly conduct that he had kept secret for months and confirmed a guilty plea that was secret for weeks. http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/ussenate/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20070823/ts_alt_afp/usiraqpoliticswarner afp/20070823/usiraqpoliticswarner Thu, 23 Aug 2007 22:44:59 GMT <p><a href="http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/ussenate/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20070823/ts_alt_afp/usiraqpoliticswarner"><img src="http://d.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/afp/20070823/capt.sge.nkx65.230807224452.photo00.photo.default-512x341.jpg?x=130&y=86&sig=To2iRBG0OxW8Avalx2FCXw--" align="left" height="86" width="130" alt="US Sen. John Warner, R-VA, pauses as he speaks during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. Warner, an influential Republican on military affairs, urged President George W. Bush on Thursday to start a limited withdrawal of US troops from Iraq by Christmas.(AFP/Getty Images/Alex Wong)" border="0" /></a>AFP - US Senator John Warner, an influential Republican on military affairs, urged President George W. Bush on Thursday to start a limited withdrawal of US troops from Iraq by Christmas.</p><br clear="all"/> <p><a href="http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/ussenate/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20070823/ts_alt_afp/usiraqpoliticswarner"><img src="http://d.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/afp/20070823/capt.sge.nkx65.230807224452.photo00.photo.default-512x341.jpg?x=130&y=86&sig=To2iRBG0OxW8Avalx2FCXw--" align="left" height="86" width="130" alt="photo" title="US Sen. John Warner, R-VA, pauses as he speaks during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. Warner, an influential Republican on military affairs, urged President George W. Bush on Thursday to start a limited withdrawal of US troops from Iraq by Christmas.(AFP/Getty Images/Alex Wong)" border="0"/></a></p><br clear="all"/> (AFP) http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/ussenate/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/cq/20070821/pl_cq_politics/rncmoneyedgegivesgoppartialoffsettodemssenateandhouseclout cq/20070821/rncmoneyedgegivesgoppartialoffsettodemssenateandhouseclout Tue, 21 Aug 2007 22:00:30 GMT CQPolitics.com - The Republicans?????? demotion to minority status in Congress in the aftermath of last year??????s elections has hindered fundraising efforts for 2008 by the GOP??????s Senate and House campaign units, both of which are running behind their Democratic counterparts. http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/ussenate/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20070821/ts_alt_afp/marketsfinanceus afp/20070821/marketsfinanceus Tue, 21 Aug 2007 20:47:04 GMT <p><a href="http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/ussenate/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20070821/ts_alt_afp/marketsfinanceus"><img src="http://d.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/afp/20070821/capt.sge.mti26.210807204231.photo00.photo.default-512x336.jpg?x=130&y=85&sig=RbSdltNGxkpkVFX139eCXQ--" align="left" height="85" width="130" alt="Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke leaves after a meeting with Senate Banking Committee Chairman and Democratic presidential hopeful Sen. Christopher Dodd, D-CT, and Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson, to discuss the volatile financial markets, in Dodd&#39;s Capitol Hill office in Washington, DC.(AFP/Getty Images/Chip Somodevilla)" border="0" /></a>AFP - A US senator said Tuesday that Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke pledged to use &quot;all tools available&quot; to avert a worsening of the housing and credit problems roiling financial markets.</p><br clear="all"/> <p><a href="http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/ussenate/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20070821/ts_alt_afp/marketsfinanceus"><img src="http://d.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/afp/20070821/capt.sge.mti26.210807204231.photo00.photo.default-512x336.jpg?x=130&y=85&sig=RbSdltNGxkpkVFX139eCXQ--" align="left" height="85" width="130" alt="photo" title="Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke leaves after a meeting with Senate Banking Committee Chairman and Democratic presidential hopeful Sen. Christopher Dodd, D-CT, and Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson, to discuss the volatile financial markets, in Dodd&#39;s Capitol Hill office in Washington, DC.(AFP/Getty Images/Chip Somodevilla)" border="0"/></a></p><br clear="all"/> (AFP) http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/ussenate/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070821/ap_on_el_se/oregon_senate_early_start ap/20070821/oregon_senate_early_start Tue, 21 Aug 2007 20:38:57 GMT <p><a href="http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/ussenate/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070821/ap_on_el_se/oregon_senate_early_start"><img src="http://d.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/ap/20070821/capt.01a21f6363f24bdcb41e7e9bc8e8df56.oregon_senate_early_start_ordr103.jpg?x=130&y=110&sig=wCL.VRnfNgD5ImZMr3n74g--" align="left" height="110" width="130" alt="Sen. Gordon Smith, R-Ore., second from left, and his wife Sharon, left, pose for a photo with supporters at the Republican party booth during the Tillamook County Fair in Tillamook, Ore., Aug. 10, 2007. It seems clear already that the inevitable backdrop of the campaign to dethrone Smith, expected to be the most expensive political race in Oregon history and one of the most closely watched Senate races nationwide, will be the war in Iraq.(AP Photo/Don Ryan)" border="0" /></a>AP - Many Democrats don't even know the name of their party's leading challenger to Sen. Gordon Smith, but that doesn't mean the only GOP senator remaining on the "left coast" is feeling comfortable.</p><br clear="all"/> <p><a href="http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/ussenate/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070821/ap_on_el_se/oregon_senate_early_start"><img src="http://d.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/ap/20070821/capt.01a21f6363f24bdcb41e7e9bc8e8df56.oregon_senate_early_start_ordr103.jpg?x=130&y=110&sig=wCL.VRnfNgD5ImZMr3n74g--" align="left" height="110" width="130" alt="photo" title="Sen. Gordon Smith, R-Ore., second from left, and his wife Sharon, left, pose for a photo with supporters at the Republican party booth during the Tillamook County Fair in Tillamook, Ore., Aug. 10, 2007. It seems clear already that the inevitable backdrop of the campaign to dethrone Smith, expected to be the most expensive political race in Oregon history and one of the most closely watched Senate races nationwide, will be the war in Iraq.(AP Photo/Don Ryan)" border="0"/></a></p><br clear="all"/> (AP)