Associated Press

Stockdale, who had won the Medal of Honor for his actions during 7 1⁄2 years of captivity as a POW during the Vietnam War, as his "interim" running mate in late March.[16] Stockdale would remain in the position throughout the campaign. A Boston Globe report suggested that Boston University President John Silber was also considered as a running mate.[30] During an Associated Press interview in April, Perot commented that he might begin a campaign before his supporters achieved ballot access in all states.[31] In New York, ballot access appeared to be the most difficult to attain. In a five-week summer period, the campaign would be required to compile 20,000 signatures from non-primary voters, including 100 from each of half of the state's Congressional districts.[32] Perot conceded that he might not appear on the state's ballot, but stated that he may run anyway.[31]
Throughout April, the draft efforts continued, and Perot appeared on talk shows, discussing his plans and positions on political issues.[33] During an appearance on Larry King Live, Perot stated that he was closer to a decision on a potential campaign, and that he was willing to spend $100 million of his own money to finance it.[34] On the Today Show he was interviewed by Katie Couric, and proposed to cut Medicare and Social Security for "people who don't need it".[33] He appeared on Face the Nation later in the month, and argued that wealthy Americans should spend more than average Americans to eliminate the budget deficit.[35] His budget numbers were contested by Tim Russert on Meet the Press, during a heated interview, after which, a frustrated Perot considered dropping out of the race.[23] C-SPAN ran a speech by Perot, where announced that he hoped to run a campaign without "political pros"[36] to avoid the "dirty tricks"[36] of past campaigns. After this appearance, campaign consultant Ray Strother explained to Perot that professionals such as pollster Mark Penn were essential to a successful campaign.[36] In late April, Perot hired former Chicago Tribune editor James Squires as press spokesman to handle the large volume of interview requests from the media.[37] At the end of the month, Perot realized that he had spent too much time visiting talk shows, and announced that he would spend his next few weeks focusing on the issues.[38]




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US healthcare law: Judge rules against key provision

The healthcare reform has divided US public opinion
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A federal judge in the US state of Virginia has ruled against a key part of the Obama administration's law on healthcare reform.

The decision by US District Judge Henry Hudson is the first finding against the law passed in March.

He backed the state of Virginia's argument that the law's requirement that Americans purchase healthcare or face a fine was unconstitutional.

Other lawsuits are pending, but the US Supreme Court will have the final word.

The judge wrote in a 42-page decision that the disputed provision was "neither within the letter nor the spirit of the Constitution".

But he declined to invalidate the entire law, in what correspondents say was a small victory for Barack Obama.

'Critical milestone'
The decision has been welcomed by Virginia Attorney General, Kenneth Cuccinelli, who filed the lawsuit.

"This won't be the final round, as this will ultimately be decided by the Supreme Court, but today is a critical milestone in the protection of the Constitution," he said in a statement after the ruling.

The US Justice Department expressed disappointment, but said it continued to believe the law was constitutional.

"There is clear and well-established legal precedent that Congress acted within its constitutional authority in passing this law and we are confident that we will ultimately prevail," said a Justice Department spokeswoman.

The law on healthcare reform is seen by some as one of Mr Obama's biggest achievements during his first two years in office, but it continues to divide public opinion.

It aims to extend health insurance to millions of Americans who lack it - partly by requiring the mostly young, healthy Americans who currently forgo insurance to purchase it.

Two judges have rejected other challenges to the law, including one in Virginia last month.







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