If it's possible to win the White House by being all warm and fuzzy, Ben Carson seems bent on doing so.

The retired neurosurgeon and political neophyte offers the outsider appeal with none of the bombast that characterizes Donald Trump, a combination that has recently lifted Carson to second place in the sprawling Republican field, according to several opinion surveys.

The 63-year-old doctor's soothing manner was very much on display Tuesday during an appearance before the Commonwealth Club, a buttoned-down Bay Area civic group, where he responded to nearly an hour's worth of mostly gentle questions with a series of largely airy answers.

The never-before candidate became an instant conservative sensation in 2013 when, standing just a few feet from President Obama at a National Prayer Breakfast, he delivered a blistering critique of the president's signature healthcare plan. It was never his plan to seek the White House, Carson said Tuesday, but the encouragement following that appearance was so overwhelming it could not be denied.

Since then, he's delivered a raft of provocative statements, on gays, political correctness and the Internal Revenue Service, none of which was in evidence as he settled comfortably on stage at a luxury hotel atop San Francisco's Nob Hill.

He was softspoken and self-deprecating as he described his rise from childhood poverty and the lash of racism he experienced, growing up in Detroit and later as a pioneer in the world of elite medicine.

Asked by the moderator, KGO-TV anchorman Dan Ashley, "what's a nice guy like you doing in a race like this?" Carson laughed and suggested it was a very good question. "It certainly was not one of the things on my bucket list," he replied, citing the lure of his home on a Florida golf course.

Carson grew less sure-footed, though, when the talk turned to more substantive issues.

He cited the federal deficit as the first priority he would tackle as president, then, when asked for specifics, spoke vaguely of the federal government's vast stock of under-utilized office space.

He said the way to address the country's deep-seated conflict over race would be to bring together wise and good people on both sides, to talk things out. He similarly proposed "a national conference" to discuss raising the minimum wage--to a figure uncertain--and tying the rate to inflation, so the issue could then be removed from discussion for ever more.

He renewed his criticism of Obamacare, but offered little in the way of an alternative, beyond creation of medical savings accounts that would lessen the role of government and allow people to shop for their preferred doctor.

Among the few specifics offered, Carson called for a flat tax -- around 15%, eventually falling to 10% -- to replace the current, epically convoluted federal tax system and said as president he would cut off funding to healthcare clinics offering abortion services and appoint judges who "respected human life."

There was a smattering of applause from the audience of several hundred of the curious, and a few also clapped when he called for a tougher immigration policy. But mostly Carson was accorded the polite silence of a rare and unusual guest, in this case a deeply conservative visitor to this most liberal of cities.

While others in the field have been heaving bricks, Carson never mentioned any of his 16 Republican rivals. When Trump did come up, it was in a question from either the moderator or the audience.

Carson left the crowd laughing when asked about the possibility of the two outsiders sharing the presidential ticket in November 2016 -- with Trump taming his ego and submitting to the role of vice president.

"All things are possible," Carson said, smiling.

Seeing a chance to show off their Christian conservative credentials, two GOP candidates put themselves in the unfolding drama over a Kentucky clerk's refusal to sign off on marriage licenses for gay couples.

Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee and Texas Sen. Ted Cruz traveled to the jail where Kim Davis spent six days before being released Tuesday afternoon.

Huckabee was on hand to announce to a rally outside the jail that Davis was being released. He later stood next to her and her attorney as they addressed reporters.

Cruz also met with Davis after her release and tweeted a photo. "Praise God that Kim Davis is being released. It was an outrage that she was imprisoned for six days for living according to her Christian faith," he wrote on his Facebook page.

GOP presidential hopeful Sen. Lindsey Graham (R.-S.C.) labeled the Iran nuclear deal a "strategic blunder for the ages" that could one day "become a death sentence for the state of Israel" on Tuesday in Washington.

Graham said that President Obama's nuclear deal gives Iran "a nuclear bomb, a missile to deliver it, and the money to pay for it."

Graham, an outspoken critic of Obama's foreign policy, spoke as Obama all but secured the votes in the Senate that he needed to support the deal. Three more Democratic senators announced their support for the accord on Tuesday.

Under the deal, Iran agrees to limit its nuclear program in exchange for relief from crippling international sanctions that have devastated its economy.

Noting that the United States "needed a tough American president" who "wouldn't take a bad [deal]," Graham emphasized that Obama instead "projected weakness."

In Graham's view, the United States must "force Iran back to the table to get a better deal" -- one that would require the Iranian regime to "abandon its support for terror" and "give up its nuclear program" entirely. Obama has challenged critics who have demanded a better deal to come up with specifics, saying that the deal is the best one that could have been negotiated and still gotten agreement from Tehran.

Alluding to his prior verbal skirmish with Republican front-runner Donald Trump in which Trump publicly disclosed Graham's cellphone number, Graham also held up his phone and quipped that "the number is not part of this speech."

Jeb Bush on Tuesday unveiled the first ad of his presidential campaign, a 30-second spot touting his accomplishments as governor of Florida and offering veiled criticism of his rivals in the GOP field.

“We have an important choice to make about the direction of our country. If you want more DC politicians or more self-promoters, you've got options,” Bush says, likely referring to front-runner Donald Trump and the trio of GOP senators in the race, including home-state rival Marco Rubio. “I'm offering something different: leadership, ideas and a proven conservative record.”

As footage shows Bush talking to voters, text appears on screen that says Bush cut taxes by $19 billion and oversaw eight balanced budgets.

“As governor, I cut taxes, cut spending, balanced budgets and Florida led the nation in job creation,” Bush says. “Anybody can talk. I've delivered and I hope to earn your support.”

The $500,000 ad buy covers broadcast and cable stations that air in New Hampshire. The ad, called “I've Delivered,” begins airing on Wednesday and will continue through the end of the month.

The move comes at a crucial time for Bush, who despite boasting an enormous fundraising advantage, has slipped in national and early-state polls. In an aggregate of recent New Hampshire surveys, Bush places third, behind Trump and former Ohio Gov. John Kasich.

Bush's campaign argues that although the campaign has been underway for months, many voters are still not familiar with Bush's accomplishments.

“There are still a lot of voters out there who think they know Jeb. They don't know his record,” said spokesman Tim Miller. “We have another two to three in the fall really focused on introducing his conservative record in Florida to voters.”

Correct the Record, a rapid-response group that supports Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton, argued that the ad contained “phony claims” about Bush's record. Part of the tax cuts were created by federal tax law changes enacted by his brother, President George W. Bush; the balanced budgets were achieved on the back of the housing bubble, and many of the gains Bush touts were wiped out after the bubble burst, according to the group.

“According to Jeb's new television ad, he's not a fan of 'politicians and self-promoters' -- he prefers to 'deliver.' Unfortunately for Jeb, the only thing he's delivered in the ad is a bunch of phony claims about his record,” the group said in an emailed statement. “Could it be that Jeb himself is the biggest politician and self-promoter of them all?”

Despite the uproar over Hillary Rodham Clinton's use of a private email address while secretary of State, many experts in national security law do not believe criminal charges are likely.

The law on the mishandling of classified information makes it illegal to "knowingly remove" classified information "with the intent to retain [it] at an unauthorized location."

The keyword: "knowingly."

Some emails Clinton sent and received while using the private email server have now been deemed classified. However, at the time she sent and received the messages they were not classified.

The Times' David Savage talks to law experts and explores the ins and outs of Clinton's use of a private email server.

Hillary Rodham Clinton is unveiling her campaign finance proposals today with a video that notes her personal role in the Citizens United case that opened the floodgates for secret and corporate money in campaigns.

The Times' Evan Halper has the details of Clinton's proposal, including a new federal matching program:

"Under that plan, contributions made by small donors would be matched up to an unspecified, modest amount. Candidates would only be eligible for such funds if they agree to new limits on the amount they receive from any individual donor.

"Clinton also is proposing new federal rules that would require publicly traded companies to disclose to shareholders any political contributions they make."

Clinton also is promising to nominate justices who would overturn the Citizens United decision and would uphold limits on campaign spending. But she's also taking advantage of the no-limits system in a big way.

A summer of outsiders has left insiders in both parties with plenty of worries, reports The Times' David Lauter.

Democrats are fretting about their front-runner's passion problem. Hillary Rodham Clinton still feels inevitable, but she doesn't appear to be firing up enough enthusiasm to drive the turnout she'd need to win.

On the Republican side, Donald Trump has stirred up passion to spare, but with issues and rhetoric few think will win a general election.

"The challenges they face are very different, indeed, almost mirror images of each other," Lauter writes.

Vice President Joe Biden is still deliberating on whether to run for president, but on Monday he seemed intent on showing voters, and his potential rivals, that he's fit for the challenge.

The 72-year-old jogged along a Labor Day parade route and soaked up chants of "Run, Joe, run!" on Monday, reports The Times' Mike Memoli.

He then served up a fiery defense of labor unions and a populist economic message.

“I'm hot. I'm mad. I'm angry,” he said.