Sink steps back from 2 supporters

I n politics, you are defined by the company you keep -- especially when that company is bearing checks. Alex Sink learned this the hard way when an invitation for her Monday fundraiser in Miami Beach listed two donors with checkered pasts. The leading Democratic contender for governor, a buttoned-down former banker, decided to dump both donors for fear they would be used to smear her.

Summer brings endorsement posturing

S igh. If only politicians set aside a fraction of the time they spend chasing and flaunting campaign endorsements for real work. The economy would be humming, the terrorists would be losing, and affordable healthcare would include weekly massage treatments.

Kendall's Rep. Flores a state prospect

S he could be the Sarah Palin to his John McCain. State Rep. Anitere Flores of Miami is young, pretty and conservative. She waxes on about ''family values'' and portrays herself as an ordinary working mom.

Long-shot Burns keeps hat in ring

R emember Dennis Kucinich? Squint hard and you may recall the Democratic congressman from the 2007 presidential debates. He had served more years in office than that whippersnapper Barack Obama. He raised issues that no other candidate was willing to address.

How to spell 'boooooring' in 140 letters

I joined Twitter this week. Does that make me a twit? (Please don't answer that.) This is not why I got into journalism. Spewing online quips limited to 140 letters isn't the crusade for truth and justice I once envisioned.

Candidates juggling old, potential jobs

The press releases are out. The web sites are up. Perhaps most importantly, the fundraisers are scheduled. Still, Gov. Charlie Crist and Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink, who both announced campaigns for higher office this week, are hard-pressed to answer questions about how they would handle their would-be jobs.

Campaign will test Crist's star power

I t seems like only yesterday that Gov. Charlie Crist of Florida and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger of California stood arm and arm at a downtown Miami hotel, two of the sparkliest stars in the Republican galaxy.

POLITICS

New film doesn't 'out' Gov. Crist

Two things you should know about Outrage, a new documentary that skewers politicians who are gay in private but oppose gay rights in public.

Crist knows where the cameras are

I t was a classic Charlie Crist kind of day. After a couple of short morning meetings, the governor hammed it up for the Tallahassee press corps participating in Take Your Child to Work Day and posed for pictures with their kids.

Many Cubans not riled up by Obama's stand

At Sergio's restaurant in Miami, which touts its ''Cuban comfort food,'' you can find as many opinions on President Barack Obama's stance on Cuba as there are ways to order coffee.

Are we picking a president or a Best Friend?

Hillary wants you to choose her campaign song. John would like to meet you on Key Biscayne. And Barack is inviting you to join him for dinner.

Terror threat a touchy topic for politicians

On the day four men were accused of plotting to blow up John F. Kennedy International Airport, Rudy Giuliani summoned reporters to a late-night press conference after his speech at the Broward County Republican Party's annual Lincoln Day dinner.

It's official: 2 tongues too much for some

Can we talk? Republican presidential candidates John McCain and Mitt Romney can't pronounce the surnames of the Cuban-American congressmen from Miami, U.S. Reps. Lincoln and Mario Diaz-Balart. (Note to campaigns: it's DEE-az ba-LART.) Democratic contender Chris Dodd boasts of speaking two languages -- too bad they are Pig Latin and Esperanto, joked comedian Jon Stewart.