BOWLING GREEN, Ohio — John McCain and Sarah Palin accused the Los Angeles Times yesterday of protecting Barack Obama by withholding a videotape of the Democrat attending a 2003 party for a Palestinian-American professor and critic of Israel.

The paper said it had written about the event in April and would not release the tape because of a promise made to the source who provided it.

McCain and Palin called Rashid Khalidi a former spokesman for the Palestinian Liberation Organization, a characterization that Khalidi has denied in the past. Both candidates said guests at the party made critical comments about Israel.

Khalidi is a professor of Middle East Studies at Columbia University and a longtime friend of Obama's. Khalidi has publicly criticized Israel, but he and Obama have both said they hold very different opinions on Israeli issues.

PALIN FACES NEW ETHICS COMPLAINT

ANCHORAGE, Alaska — A new ethics complaint against Sarah Palin accuses the Alaska governor of charging the state when her children traveled with her.

The complaint released yesterday alleges that Palin used her official position as governor for personal gain.

The Associated Press reported this month that Palin charged the state more than $21,000 for her three daughters' commercial flights since she became governor in December 2006. She later ordered changes to travel forms to specify official business on the trips.

The complaint says Palin charged the travel costs for events her children were not invited to and where they served no legitimate state business.

BILL CLINTON SHARES STAGE WITH OBAMA

KISSIMMEE, Fla. — Portraying harmony like never before, Bill Clinton hailed Barack Obama yesterday, a power pairing designed to inspire Democrats already smelling victory.

"Barack Obama represents America's future, and you've got to be there for him next Tuesday," Clinton, with Obama at his side, said to the cheers of a partisan crowd.

Heaping praise on President Bush's predecessor, Obama said of Clinton: "In case all of you forgot, this is what it's like to have a great president."

Obama even prodded the crowd to cheer more, saying "Bill Clinton. Give it up!"

The appearance of the former and would-be president marked the first time they shared a stage in the campaign.