Today on the Presidential Campaign Trail

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IN THE HEADLINES

McCain calls for federal aid for some homeowners hit by housing crisis ... Obama says he wouldn't require Joint Chiefs to be opposed to 'don't ask, don't tell' gay policy ... Powell says next president will have to reduce US forces in Iraq

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McCain seeks aid for some homeowners

NEW YORK (AP) — Giving a peek at a broader economic plan, Sen. John McCain is calling for federal aid for well-meaning homeowners with what he called "burdensome mortgages."

"There is nothing more important than keeping alive the American dream to own your home," the likely GOP presidential nominee said in remarks prepared for a roundtable discussion Thursday at Windows We Are Inc. in Brooklyn.

"And priority No. 1 is to keep well-meaning, deserving homeowners who are facing foreclosure in their homes," the Arizona senator said.

McCain on Thursday proposed a plan to offer deserving people the chance to trade a burdensome mortgage for a manageable loan reflecting the market value of their home.

McCain's plan would benefit the government and original lender by giving them certificates for part of the loan's original value. If the homeowner sold for more, he or she would benefit along with the government and the original lender.

McCain opposes aggressive intervention by the government to solve the mortgage crisis and the market upheaval it spawned, saying he prefers only limited intervention and letting market forces play out. His initial proposals drew criticism, with some suggesting the Republican was indifferent to the economic pain many homeowners were facing.

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Obama: Repeal of "don't ask" possible

WASHINGTON (AP) — Barack Obama says if elected president he won't require that his appointees to the Joint Chiefs of Staff support allowing gays to serve openly in the military.

The Democratic presidential front-runner favors repealing the "don't ask, don't tell" policy on gays, which was instituted during the Clinton administration. He said his priority for the Joint Chiefs will be that they make decisions to strengthen the military and keep the country safe, not their position on the policy.

"I would never make this a litmus test for the Joint Chiefs of Staff," Obama said in an interview with The Advocate, a gay newsmagazine.

"But I think there's increasing recognition within the Armed Forces that this is a counterproductive strategy," he said. "We're spending large sums of money to kick highly qualified gays or lesbians out of our military, some of whom possess specialties like Arab-language capabilities that we desperately need. That doesn't make us more safe."

The Advocate provided The Associated Press with excerpts of the interview, posted on its Web site Thursday.

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Powell: Troops in Iraq must be reduced

WASHINGTON (AP) — Former Secretary of State Colin Powell said Thursday that President Bush's successor will have to come to grips with the reality that the United States cannot continue to keep such large numbers of troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Without taking sides in the race for the White House, Powell said, "Whichever one of them becomes president ... they will face a military force that cannot continue to sustain 140,000 people deployed in Iraq and the 20 (thousand) odd or 25,000 people we have deployed in Afghanistan and our other deployments."

Powell's comments in an interview on ABC's "Good Morning America" seemed to undercut Republican presidential nominee-in-waiting John McCain's position that the U.S. should stay the course in Iraq. But Powell also said that the next president will face limitations on bringing troops home, as Sens. Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton — rivals for the Democratic nomination — have promised to do.

"They will have to continue to draw down at some pace," he said. "None of them are going to have the flexibility of just saying we're out of here, turn off the switch, turn off the lights, we're leaving. They will have a situation before them."

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THE DEMOCRATS

Hillary Rodham Clinton speaks at two Democratic dinners in Pennsylvania. Barack Obama campaigns in Indiana.

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THE REPUBLICANS

John McCain holds a meeting on small business in New York.

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QUOTE OF THE DAY:

"I'm looking at all three candidates ... I have not decided who I will vote for yet." — Former Secretary of State Colin Powell, in an interview on ABC's "Good Morning America." He donated $2,300 to Republican John McCain's campaign last year.

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STAT OF THE DAY:

Voters in Pennsylvania rarely elect black and female candidates. The state currently has only one black and one woman in its 21-member congressional delegation and has never had a black or female governor.

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Compiled by Ann Sanner.

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