Edwards bets his book 'Home' opens doors

What do Steven Spielberg, Charles Barkley and Bob Dole have in common?

Their boyhood homes are all featured in former U.S. Sen. John Edwards' new book, "Home: The Blueprints of Our Lives," which is due out in November.

Edwards' book will not only deal with the humble mill house where he first lived in Seneca, S.C., but with the homes of other prominent people.

Among those who will share photographs and recollections of their childhood homes are such people as Gen. Tommy Franks, John Glenn, Maya Lin, Jake Gyllenhaal and John Mellencamp.

Edwards will use the book to launch a 50-city radio campaign, a 10-city national television campaign with personal appearances in New York; Washington; North Carolina; South Carolina; Memphis and Nashville, Tenn.; Louisville, Ky; Boston; Austin, Texas; Chicago; Milwaukee; Los Angeles; San Francisco; Seattle; and Atlanta, according to the publisher, HarperCollins.

The 224-page book will cost $29.95. A portion of the proceeds will be donated to charity. Elizabeth Edwards, the former vice presidential nominee's wife, is also writing a book.

Hayes, Taylor ailing?

Republicans are beginning to worry over two of their congressmen -- Robin Hayes and Charles Taylor -- whose polling numbers continue to fall.

Public Policy Polling of Raleigh found that voters in the 11th Congressional District prefer Democrat Heath Shuler over Taylor by a 46 percent to 42 percent margin. The survey of 687 likely voters was conducted May 22 and had a margin of error of plus or minus 3.7 percentage points. Also showing Taylor's support slipping is a survey by Anzalone Liszt Research, Shuler's pollster, which shows Shuler up 45 percent to 43 percent in a survey taken May 9 to 13.

Stuart Rothenberg, an analyst who writes for Roll Call magazine in Washington, says the Taylor/Shuler race may be "the best evidence that the national GOP meltdown is affecting individual Republicans."

President Bush's popularity has fallen sharply in the district, and Taylor's numbers are following.

Hayes, the Concord Republican in the 8th Congressional District, has also seen his support drop, according to polls. Hayes faces Democrat Larry Kissell, who lives in Biscoe in Montgomery County, in the November election.

Dole, Burr in hot seat

North Carolina's two GOP senators may not have had a more politically treacherous vote than last week's vote on immigration.

Sens. Elizabeth Dole and Richard Burr were caught between their party's conservative base which wants a tough stance against illegal immigration, and their donors in the business community, which rely on immigrant labor.

For months, Dole and Burr tried to finesse the issue.

Last week, the two senators were among 36 who voted against a Senate bill -- thereby sticking with their party's base.

Both Dole and Burr said the Senate bill provides amnesty for illegal immigrants by putting them on the path to citizenship.

"As the father of two boys, I have tried to teach them that they will benefit or suffer from the consequences of the decisions they make, whether good or bad," Burr said. "I cannot as a U.S. senator vote to grant blanket amnesty to those who have broken the law to live in our country."

Added Dole: "I have maintained that securing our borders and enforcing current laws must come first -- and unfortunately this bill puts amnesty first. I have consistently stated that I would support a program that provides temporary worker permits to help bring people out of the shadows. But I cannot and will not support granting amnesty to those who have broken our laws and entered this nation illegally.