5th run at presidency possible, Nader says

WASHINGTON — Ralph Nader is considering seeking the presidency again.

The consumer activist and political gadfly kicked off an exploratory presidential campaign Wednesday with the launch of a Web site that promises he will fight "corporate greed, corporate power, corporate control" and asks people to donate $300 each.

Nader said he is considering another White House bid because the current contenders aren't standing up enough to corporate interests.

"Look at the major areas of injustice, deprivation and solutions that are not being addressed by the major candidates," said Nader, 73.

Among other issues, he cited the need for a "practical timed withdrawal" from Iraq, programs to crack down on corporate fraud and a rearrangement of the U.S. tax system.

Nader sought the White House in each of the past four presidential elections: He ran on the Green Party ticket in 1996 and 2000 and as an independent in 2004. In 1992, he ran as a write-in candidate.

Schwarzenegger to endorse McCain

SIMI VALLEY, Calif. — California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger will endorse John McCain today, giving a boost to the Republican presidential front-runner six days before California's high-prize primary.

The two will appear at a news conference after touring a Los Angeles solar-energy company and the governor will make his endorsement official, his senior aides confirmed Wednesday.

Schwarzenegger's endorsement could be a setback for Mitt Romney, the former Massachusetts governor who saw Florida slip from his grasp Tuesday after McCain rolled up the support of that state's two top elected Republicans, Gov. Charlie Crist and Sen. Mel Martinez.

Earlier, Schwarzenegger — who counts McCain and Rudy Giuliani as close friends — said he would not make an endorsement in the GOP primary: "It doesn't help me, and it doesn't help the state of California."

But senior advisers said Giuliani's departure from the race Wednesday changed the dynamics of the decision for Schwarzenegger, and he decided to go ahead with the McCain endorsement.

No quick release of Clinton schedule

LITTLE ROCK — Hillary Rodham Clinton's daily schedules as first lady will be forwarded to former President Clinton by Friday for review, the first of two steps without a fixed time limit before any are released to the public, the National Archives said Wednesday.

The former president will have at least 30 days to review the 10,000 pages of his wife's daily schedules before they will be sent to the White House for its review, said Susan Cooper, a spokeswoman for the National Archives. The Bush administration does not have a time limit to review the documents before they can be released, Cooper said.

Last year, Clinton faced criticism from her fellow Democratic presidential rivals over the number of White House documents from her husband's administration that have not been made public.

Archivists have been sorting through 80 million pages of documents and 20 million e-mails from Bill Clinton's eight years in office.

McCain campaign plans 6 fundraisers

WASHINGTON — John McCain, who ended the year with a $4.5 million debt, plans six coast-to-coast fundraisers in three days to capitalize on his Florida victory and front-runner status and build on the $7 million he raised in the first three weeks of January.

McCain's end-of-year financial reports, filed late Tuesday with the Federal Election Commission, showed he raised $6.7 million during the last three months of 2007 and had $3 million cash in hand, not counting end-of-year debt.

He also got a significant boost from a $3 million line of credit from Fidelity Bank & Trust, a loan he secured in November.

The loan carried an 8.5 percent interest rate and was secured to a great degree by McCain's proven ability as a fundraiser.

Obama, Clinton attack each other

PHOENIX — Barack Obama on Wednesday sharpened his criticism of Hillary Rodham Clinton as a divisive, old-school politician as they emerged as the two remaining candidates for the Democratic presidential nomination.

"There are those who will tell us that our party should nominate someone who is more practiced in the art of power, that it's not yet our turn or our time," Obama told a crowd of 9,500 at a University of Denver arena in Colorado.

Doing so, he said, would "simply build a bridge back to the 20th century" rather than end "do-anything, say-anything, divisive politics." Bill Clinton as president had pledged to be a bridge to the 21st century.

Hillary Clinton shot back, stealing one of Obama's slogans.

"That certainly sounds audacious, but not hopeful ... and it's not what we should be talking about in this campaign," she said.

Obama's autobiography is titled "The Audacity of Hope."

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