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April 30, 2007

Fred Korematsu (1919-2005)

Over 60 years ago, Fred Korematsu (1919-2005) courageously challenged Executive Order 9066, which called for the imprisonment of over one hundred thousand Japanese Americans in internment camps during World War II. He decided to take a stand, refusing to passively suffer the discrimination to which Japanese Americans were subjected during that dark chapter in American history.

Korematsu was born in Oakland, California, to Japanese parents who owned a flower nursery; his life was that of an average American until, in 1942, President Roosevelt ordered the internment of all Japanese Americans. Rather than acquiesce and be sent to what he called a "concentration camp," Korematsu went into hiding. After eventually being found and arrested by police, he contested his confinement, but without success. He passionately challenged the legality of the Japanese internment camps, taking his case to Federal Court. After being tried and convicted, Korematsu appealed, taking the case all the way to the United States Supreme Court. In the case of Korematsu v. United States, the Court upheld the previous rulings and failed to acknowledge the flagrant violations of civil liberties suffered by Korematsu and thousands of others. Stating that the government’s need to protect citizens against espionage outweighed the individual rights of Korematsu, the Court held that compulsory exclusion is justified during times of "emergency and peril."

Korematsu challenged the earlier decision through a writ of coram nobis in the early 1980s. It was not until forty years after Korematsu’s imprisonment, in 1988, that the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California granted Korematsu’s writ and overturned his conviction.

Korematsu’s persistent struggle toward justice was instrumental in winning an official apology from the U.S. government, as well as reparations for the thousands of Japanese Americans who were forced into internment camps. In 1998, Korematsu’s extraordinary courage in the face of injustice was recognized by the White House, where President Clinton awarded him the nation’s highest civilian honor-- the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Join us in celebrating Asian Pacific American Heritage Month by honoring Fred Korematsu and other individuals whose courage and passion made a difference.

Four Years After He Said It Was Over, Bush Opposes Ending the War

This Tuesday marks four years since George W. Bush posed in a flight suit on the deck of the USS Abraham Lincoln and declared that major combat operations in Iraq were over. The famous "Mission Accomplished" banner hung above him as he spoke.

Since that day on May 1, 2003, over 3,450 U.S. soldiers have lost their lives. Thousands more have been injured, many permanently disabled. In April alone, there were over 100 U.S. deaths, making it one of the worst months since 2003, as our troops are forced to confront a deadly escalation in the Iraqi civil war.

In recent weeks, Democrats have clashed with the White House over the Iraq Accountability Act, which would provide funding for the equipment and armor that the troops need while setting a timetable to bring them home. Bush has already announced that he will veto the bill.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice told "Fox News Sunday" that such a timetable would hamper "the flexibility of our commanders to do what they think they need to do on the ground, calling it "micromanagement" of the war. In earlier remarks, Bush referred to the timetables as "artificial."

Bush could veto the Iraq Accountability Act as soon as tomorrow--exactly four years to the day that he declared the war over and "Mission Accomplished" during the photo-op on the Navy carrier. Another anniversary, on July 2, marks four years since the president taunted insurgents to "Bring it on," in response to a rising number of attacks on U.S. troops. Since he uttered those words, another 3,144 soldiers have died.

Bush Nominee: No To Safety Standards

President Bush has nominated Michael Baroody, executive vice president of the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM), to head the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC)--the very organization that NAM has consistently sought to undermine.

During Baroody’s tenure at NAM, his organization has:

• Opposed a CPSC Proposal to improve safety standards for baby walkers. Instead, NAM blamed parents for improperly supervising their children.

• Opposed trying to improve the system by which consumers learn about recalls of potentially dangerous children’s products.

• Lobbied to weaken the guidelines that companies used to determine whether they must report substantial product hazards; and

• Lobbied New York Governor George Pataki to veto legislation that mandated fire safe cigarettes.

Eight consumer groups have united to oppose Baroody’s nomination. A grassroots campaign is asking senators to “Oppose Nominating the Guy Who Hates Product Safety As Head of Product Safety.” His confirmation hearing is tentatively scheduled for May 3.

The CPSC has the authority to set safety standards, require labeling, order recalls, ban products, collect death and injury data, and inform the public about consumer product safety. It has at least 15,000 products under its jurisdiction, including many products used by children, like strollers, swings, cribs, high chairs, baby walkers and toys.

There are more than 27,000 deaths and 33 million injuries each year associated with the consumer products that CPSC is supposed to monitor. In recent years, the agency’s budget and staff have been slashed.

Local Newspaper Calls for Resignation of Rep. Rick Renzi (R-AZ)

The conservative East Valley Tribune has called for the resignation of Rep. Rick Renzi (R-AZ). Renzi is currently under investigation by the FBI for corruption:

"The FBI investigation already is hampering Renzi’s representation of the 1st Congressional District, which reaches across a vast swath of northern Arizona. He has stepped away from all of his committee assignments and made himself largely unavailable for comment...the honorable choice, would be for Renzi to step aside and let someone else come forward to represent his district and our state in Congress."

Renzi issued a statement on Friday saying that he does not intend to resign. He continues to cast votes in Congress, such as his recent vote against the Iraq Accountability Act.

A National Security Makeover

Rudy Giuliani may be headed for a national security makeover due to questionable clients:

On April 19, New York Governor Eliot Spitzer called for the eventual shutdown of a nuclear power plant 24 miles from New York City, saying it's ``not a smart location'' for a facility he has warned is vulnerable to a terrorist attack.

That assessment was a setback for one of the Indian Point plant's biggest boosters: Republican presidential frontrunner Rudy Giuliani. Giuliani, whose consulting firm advises plant owner Entergy Corp. on security and evacuation plans, last November declared the company a ``model'' of safety.

Giuliani, 62, is also advising TransCanada Corp. and Shell Oil Co. on a plan to place a 1,215-foot-long barge on Long Island Sound to store liquefied natural gas. Connecticut Governor Jodi Rell, a Republican, is among those opposing the project on safety grounds.

His law firm has lobbied to exempt respiratory-mask manufacturers from lawsuits when equipment fails, a position that has outraged police and firefighters. The firm also represents an oil company controlled by Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, who has challenged U.S. influence throughout Latin America.

So Giuliani is trying to distract from his record, pushing the politics of fear:

So what sort of presidential campaign do you run if you're too liberal for conservatives, too Republican for Democrats, and you drag along a personal life too messy for moderates? Rudy Giuliani has just answered that question: He'll be counting on the fear factor. [...] But the 9/11 connection also holds pitfalls for America's Mayor. As many New York analysts have pointed out, it was during Giuliani's tenure that the city opened a technologically sophisticated Office of Emergency Management in the World Trade Center complex, where it was useless after the terrorist strike because the entire area had to be evacuated. It's a little tricky, then, for Giuliani to turn around and blame a Democratic president for failing to predict that terrorists might strike the World Trade Center a second time. (Islamist terrorists bombed the World Trade Center in 1993, killing six and injuring hundreds.)

Also relevant, Gary Hart called-out Rudy Giuliani on 9-11 preparations:

Since you have based your presidential campaign almost exclusively on your reaction to terrorist attacks on New York City, and since you have recently accused Democrats of being on the defense against terrorism and therefore guilty of inviting more casualties, I have one question for you: Where were you on terrorism between January 31, 2001, and September 11th?

The first date was when the U.S. Commission on National Security/21st Century issued its final report warning, as did its previous reports, of the danger of terrorist attacks on America. The George W. Bush administration did nothing about these warnings and we lost 3,000 American lives. What did you do during those critical eight months? Where were you? Were you on the defensive, or were you even paying attention?

Before you qualify to criticize Democrats, Mr. Giuliani, you must account for your preparation of your city for these clearly predicted attacks. Tell us, please, what steps you took to make your city safer.

Until you do, then I strongly suggest you should keep your mouth shut about Democrats and terrorism.

You have not qualified to criticize others, let alone be president of the United States.

Monday Open Thread

Chat away...

April 29, 2007

Sunday Open Thread

Chat away...

April 28, 2007

Saturday Open Thread

Chat away...

April 27, 2007

The Friday Five: 50 State Canvass Edition

Every Friday we're highlighting five events happening around the country that we've found in PartyBuilder's Events system. This week, however, we have a special edition as Democrats from all over the country canvass their neighborhoods as part of our 50 State Canvass.

Here are 5 events happening around the country, as part of the 50 State Canvass on April 28. If you don't see one in your neck of the woods, click here to search for one near you.

1. Loudoun County 50 State Canvass (Leesburg, VA)

   Join Democrats in Loudoun County as we talk with voters about the importance of the 2007 elections in Virginia.

2. Evesham Township Canvass (Evesham, NJ)

   Come out an canvass in Evesham Township! We will be going door-to-door beginning at 12pm. If you have any time to give please come out and join us!

3. Etowah County Canvass (Gadsden, AL)

   The Etowah County Democrat Committee is in the process of planning and recruiting volunteers to participate in the 50 State Canvass.

4. Topeka Spring Campaign Kickoff (Topeka, KS)

   Shawnee County is now home to a Democratic member of Congress. Let's get to work to keep it that way!

5. New Dems Voter Registration Canvass (Scottsdale, AZ)

   A voter registration canvass will be launched in District 8 as part of the "National Day of Action." Volunteers will gather to pick up materials and then canvass their neighborhoods in search of unregistered Democrats.

Another GOP Golfing Trip Paid For By...You Guessed It, Jack Abramoff

U.S. Rep. Tom Feeney (R-FL) took a controversial golf trip to Scotland in 2003 which was apparently paid for by a foundation that Senate investigators described as a "slush fund" used by convicted lobbyist Jack Abramoff.

The foundation's connection is included among thousands of pages of Senate records and is the first evidence of who apparently paid for the trip, which has sparked an FBI probe.

Investigators for the Senate Indian Affairs Committee have detailed a pattern of Abramoff pressuring Indian tribes for donations to his Capital Athletic Foundation, either directly or indirectly, and then using those funds to pay for golfing junkets to Scotland for powerful public officials.

In January, Feeney agreed to pay $5,643 to the U.S. Treasury after a House ethics panel found that his trip to Scotland with Abramoff violated congressional rules.

Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) named Rep. Feeney one of the twenty most corrupt members of Congress.

Romney Hires 'That' Guy

Cofer Black was a top CIA counterterrorism official on 9/11.

It was in that capacity that, per Bob Woodward's "Plan of Attack," he told President Bush of what he planned to do with the evil-doers.

"We're going to kill them. We're going to put their heads on sticks. When we're through with them they will have flies walking across their eyeballs."

The flies-on-the-eyeballs guy will now be advising Mitt Romney on national security.

But They Did it Too!

Romney tries to escape the heat, spotlights other GOP policy flops:

Mitt Romney directly engaged two of his better-known rivals for the Republican presidential nomination on Thursday, telling an interviewer that Senator John McCain and Rudolph W. Giuliani had both changed their positions on important issues over the years, just as he had.

Mr. Romney, a former governor of Massachusetts, has been criticized by some conservatives for changing his position on abortion and gay rights in recent years as he prepared to run for president. On Thursday, he gave an interview in New Hampshire in which he sought to deflect criticism on that front, telling The Associated Press that “everybody in this race that I know has changed their mind on certain positions, and they’ve done so as they gained more experience.”

He then went on to single out Mr. McCain and Mr. Giuliani, who have been ahead of him in recent opinion polls.

“Senator McCain voted against the Bush tax cuts,” Mr. Romney told The A.P. “Now he’s for them. He was opposed to ethanol. Now he’s for it. He said he was opposed to overturning Roe v. Wade. Now he’s for overturning Roe v. Wade.”

“Mayor Giuliani has made a number of changes over his career, and there are places where I’ve made changes,” Mr. Romney said in the interview.

Jack Valenti, 1922-2007

Jack Valenti, head of the Motion Picture Association of America and ex-White House aide, died yesterday at the age of 85. Governor Dean issued the following statement:

"Our hearts go out to Jack Valenti's family and friends as we mourn his loss. A fine public servant, advising Democratic leaders for decades, Jack served our country with honor, dignity and poise. Like the film that he loved so much, Jack was truly 'a man for all seasons.' We will all miss Jack."

Son of a Preacher Man

Mike Huckabee's son arrested with a handgun:

David Huckabee, a son of Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee, was arrested at an Arkansas airport Thursday after a federal X-ray technician detected a loaded Glock pistol in his carry-on luggage.

"I removed the bag and asked Mr. Huckabee if he knew what he had in the bag," Little Rock police officer Arthur Nugent wrote in a report after he was summoned to a security checkpoint. "He replied he did now."

Huckabee, 26, later pleaded guilty in Little Rock District Court after being charged with a misdemeanor count of possessing a weapon in a prohibited place.

Giuliani Now Opposes Civil Unions

In a major reversal from his earlier position, former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani now opposes civil unions between same sex partners.

The Giuliani campaign issued a statement yesterday to the New York Sun in response to passage of a law in New Hampshire’s State Senate which will legalize same sex unions in the state:

“In this specific case the law states same sex civil unions are the equivalent of marriage and recognizes same sex unions from outside states. This goes too far and Mayor Giuliani does not support it.”

Giuliani previously said that he is in favor of civil unions, most notably on a February 2004 edition of Fox News’s “The O’Reilly Factor.” Republican pollster Tony Fabrizio told the Sun:

“Why would you want to take a position where you are splitting hairs, when you have been so consistently on the record as for civil unions? You can’t turn around at the eleventh hour and say this comes a little too close to marriage and then not support it.”

Giuliani’s waffling position is leading many to wonder if he is worried that his liberal stances on social issues in the past will hurt him in the Republican primary.

50 State Canvass: Making North Carolina a Blue State in '08

This weekend, Democrats will ask friends and neighbors across the country to join us in making positive change in America as part of the "50 State Canvass." Mark Hufford reports from North Carolina--and from the heart of Republican territory.

The 50-state canvass got underway last weekend here in North Carolina, where we're setting our sights on making NC a Blue State in '08.

Canvassers in one of our mountain counties hit the streets on Saturday with doorhangers in hand, and with open ears. Here in the TarHeel State we're considering this to be a "listening canvass,"--gathering information about perceptions and about issues that are touching the lives of our neighbors (and concurrently finding more volunteers to join us).

Just as the 50-state strategy is putting on a full-court press even in states considered "unwinnable," we're reaching into some counties historically considered Republican territory.

The Democrats pictured here live in a county where we're outnumbered by Republicans 55 percent to 30 percent (with 15 percent unaffiliated). Do these Democrats look demoralized or like they're ready to give up? No!! Because they're part of a four-county area that in 2006, in a huge upset, elected Democrat Steve Goss to our State Senate. Steve was on hand Saturday to spur canvassers on.

In Western North Carolina, and throughout our state, we've seen widespread proof that even in the rural South, even where we're outnumbered, Democrats can win elections. Especially when we stress direct voter contact, neighbor-to-neighbor. I strongly believe that most Unaffiliated voters, and even Republicans, are Democrats at heart--we just need to stand on their doorsteps and remind them in a neighborly way.

Lastly, thanks to the DNC for the doorhangers, which make this process easier and more professional.

(Mark Hufford is the DNC regional organizer for Western North Carolina.)

Friday Open Thread

The first Democratic presidential debate took place last night in Orangeburg, South Carolina. What did you think?

April 26, 2007

Tonight: First Democratic Presidential Debate

All eight Democratic presidential candidates--Joe Biden, Hillary Clinton, Chris Dodd, John Edwards, Mike Gravel, Dennis Kucinich, Barack Obama and Bill Richardson--will participate in the first debate of the 2008 campaign. The debate will take place at South Carolina State University in Orangeburg tonight at 7:00 pm EST. Brian Williams from NBC will moderate. The debate will air live on MSNBC and South Carolina NBC affiliates.

The rich diversity and strength of the Democratic field is already creating national excitement about the campaign. Democratic presidential candidates raised 50% more than the Republican candidates during the first quarter of this year, shattering fundraising records. Democrats raised about $80 million, Republicans $52 million.

Supporters of the major candidates surrounded Martin Luther King Jr. auditorium at South Carolina State University today, holding signs for the television cameras and cheering for the candidates, as campaign managers and pundits spoke about the anticipation surrounding this debate. Karen Finney, DNC Communications Director, said:

“While the American people are embracing the strong field of Democratic candidates and their message of hope, integrity, real security and strong ideas for America's future, the GOP field are only offering more of the same failed policies and divisive tactics we've had to endure over the last six years under President Bush.”

“The GOP contenders have made it clear time and again that they are just out of touch with hard-working Americans, so it's not surprising that they've had trouble gaining momentum. The American people know that the Democratic Party is the only party that can truly deliver the change and positive vision our nation needs.”

President Bush’s approval rating has now fallen to 28%, the lowest level ever, according to the most recent Harris poll. Only 22 percent believe the country is on the right track right now.

Tonight, the candidates will each offer their own, positive visions for how to change direction. Be sure to tune in at 7:00pm EST on MSNBC.

Governor Dean on MSNBC

Howard Dean was on MSNBC earlier today previewing the debate in South Carolina this evening, which starts at 7 p.m. ET and will be streamed live on MSNBC.com.

Flash Player 8 is required to view this presentation. You can download it here.

He's also scheduled to be on CNN during the 4:00 PM hour today, so if you missed his first appearance, stay tuned.

Senate Votes to Approve Iraq Emergency Supplemental Bill

The Senate just passed the Emergency Supplemental Conference Report. This is the legislation that would fully fund the troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, while mandating withdrawal of our soldiers from the Iraqi civil war. President Bush has already announced that he plans to veto the measure. Stay tuned...

Update: The vote was 51-46. Republican Senators Chuck Hagel of Nebraska and Gordon Smith of Oregon crossed the aisle to vote with the Democratic majority.

Update II: Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) and Sen. Lindsay Graham (R-SC) both missed the vote. After taxpayers had to foot the bill for their recent shopping junket to Baghdad, you would think they could at least show up for important votes on Iraq.

Mel's Fundraising Scandal

In 2004, while living in Florida, I proudly voted against the current general chairman of the Republican National Committee. Unfortunately, Mel Martinez picked up the Senate seat for the GOP. Now an audit released last week by the Federal Election Commission shows that his campaign "could potentially be fined hundreds of thousands of dollars after federal auditors found repeat violations of federal election law in his 2004 Senate campaign."

The Miami Herald has more:

Auditors also found that Martinez's campaign failed to file the required last-minute contribution notices before the 2004 primary and general elections disclosing 109 contributions that totaled $162,000.

Martinez, who has blamed the mistakes on the campaign's rapid fundraising -- he pulled in more than $12 million in 10 months -- said Thursday the campaign is working actively on resolving any issues raised by the FEC.

If you're from Florida, you probably know that this is something of a pattern for the Senator. He always blames someone else. Most notably, there was the case of the Terri Schiavo "great political issue" memos he personally handed out -- but claims to have not read. In that case, he blamed it on a staffer, who was fired.

But that's not the only example, as a St. Petersburg Times article from 2005 reminds us:

In the final, critical days of fall's Republican primary for the U.S. Senate from Florida, Mel Martinez's campaign sent out a flier accusing his conservative rival of catering to "the radical homosexual lobby."

Under blistering criticism, Martinez said he had not seen the flier before a staffer mailed it to voters; he promised he would never again be caught unaware of his staff's actions.

Just a few weeks later, he again blamed a staffer for a news release from his campaign that called federal agents "armed thugs" for seizing Elian Gonzalez from his Miami home. Martinez said he wasn't responsible for the "inappropriate" comment. "It was put out by someone in the office," he said.

The obvious link to this Bush administration, which constantly refuses to accept responsibility, is just begging to be made. However, I think it's more important to point out that this is the new top fundraiser for the Republican Party. Given that, his fundraising during his own campaign becomes even more important to highlight.

Byrd Pushes Back During Final Senate Debate on Iraq Bill

During the final debate this morning on the Iraq Emergency Supplemental Bill, Sen. Robert Byrd (D-WV) eloquently pushed back against the White House spin that this bill is saddled with "pork." Hat tip to Bob Geiger for posting on this first:

"The United States Congress is not holding funding for the troops hostage to domestic pork barrel spending.

"$6.9 billion for rebuilding the Gulf Coast after Hurricane Katrina is not pork barrel spending. Ask the citizens of New Orleans.

"$1.8 billion for the VA to provide first class health care to our wounded veterans is not pork barrel spending. Ask the troops who are waiting for care. Ask their families.

"$20 million to repair Walter Reed Hospital is not pork barrel spending.

"$650 million for the S-CHIP child health program to deal with the shortfall in fourteen states is not pork barrel spending. Ask the parents with sick children.

"$2.25 billion for securing the country from terrorist attack, including port and border security, transit security, funds to improve screening for explosives at airports, and for screening cargo on passenger aircraft. This is not pork barrel spending."

Something to remember the next time the Bush administration claims that the bill to fund our troops is packed with pork and peanuts.

Republicans Rated R For Language

As the local reporter notes: "We want to warn you that some of that language in the report that follows may not be suitable for young children, so you may want to have your children leave the room."

(Via MyDD)

The angry tirade by the Republican House majority leader in Montana has been called "a low point in the history in the body." He has apologized to the House, but is that enough?

Florida Dems Win One More

The Florida Democratic Party continues to impress, and their hard work led to one more pickup of a Republican seat in the Florida House of Representatives. I spoke with the incredibly smart and talented Steve Schale, political director for the Florida Democratic Party’s House Democratic Caucus, about the seat. He mentioned the important role that the 50-State-Strategy played.

He credited two DNC 50-state program staffers, Nate Jenkins and Julie Petrick, for the significant role they played in the win. "Thanks to the hard work of Nate and Julie, the Democrats not only turned out more votes on Election Day, but also defeated the Republicans among absentee voters, a feat rarely accomplished in Florida," he said.

But that's not all:

Darren’s win is significant for a couple of reasons. In addition to adding another Democrat to the ranks of the Florida House, this was the first time Florida Democrats have won a competitive special election in nearly a decade. Darren’s win also gives Puerto Rican Democrats a voice in the Florida Legislature.

Overall, the Soto victory marked the eighth Republican seat the Florida Democratic Party has taken back this election cycle, placing it among the most successful Democratic legislative caucuses in the country.

Congratulations to Florida Democrats who, under the leadership of Karen Thurman, continue to make gains.

Bush Approval Rating Falls to New Low of 28%

President Bush’s approval rating has now fallen to 28%, the lowest level ever, according to the most recent Harris poll. From the Wall Street Journal:

Of the 1,001 American adults polled online April 20-23, only 28% had a positive view of Mr. Bush's job performance, down from 32% in February and from a high of 88% in the aftermath of the terror attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. The current rating is his weakest showing since his inauguration.

Bush’s approval rating is falling at a time when Democrats and the White House are clashing over the Iraq Emergency Supplemental Bill. The legislation would provide funding for the equipment and armor that the troops need overseas, while setting a timetable to bring them home. Bush has already announced that he will veto the bill.

A second poll conducted for NBC News/ Wall Street Journal by Democratic pollster Peter Hart and Republican pollster Neil Newhouse, shows that a solid majority of Americans side with the Democrats.

“They don’t see the surge working,” says Democratic pollster Peter D. Hart. Instead, they are saying “we need to get out.”

According to the survey, 56 percent of Americans say they agree more with the Democrats in Congress who want to set a deadline for troop withdrawal, versus the 37 percent who say they agree with Bush that there shouldn’t be a deadline.

55 percent believe that victory in Iraq isn't possible. And 49 percent say the situation in Iraq has gotten worse in the last three months since Bush announced his so-called troop surge.

Finally, only 22 percent believe the country is on the right track. That's the lowest number on this question since October 1992, when Bush's father was running for a second term--and lost.

Thursday Open Thread

Chat away...

April 25, 2007

Panel Votes to Subpoena Condoleezza Rice

In rapid succession today, three separate congressional committees ramped up their investigations of the Bush administration. From the Associated Press:

By 21-10, the House oversight committee voted to issue a subpoena to [Secretary of State Condoleezza] Rice to compel her story on the Bush administration's claim, now discredited, that Iraq was seeking uranium from Africa.

Moments earlier in the committee chamber next door, the House Judiciary Committee voted 32-6 to grant immunity to Monica Goodling, [U.S. Attorney General Alberto] Gonzales' White House liaison, for her testimony on why the administration fired eight federal prosecutors. The panel also unanimously approved — but did not issue — a subpoena to compel her to appear.

Simultaneously across Capitol Hill, the Senate Judiciary Committee approved — but did not issue — a subpoena on the prosecutors' matter to Sara Taylor, deputy to presidential adviser Karl Rove.

What's Wrong With John McCain?

1. Too focused on Iraq:

   As He Enters Race, McCain Appears to Be Off His Stride

   McCain has the most to prove at this point, and he may have limited time to demonstrate that he and his campaign are back on track. His advisers say their first priority is to raise $20 million or more by the end of June, to put to rest doubts about the senator's appeal to Republican donors.
   . . .
   Another goal is to broaden the definition of McCain's candidacy, which has been singularly focused on Iraq. "Because the war was going badly, that defined John more tightly than anyone wanted," said one official, who requested anonymity in order to speak freely about internal campaign issues.

2. His base no longer loves him:

   And on Tuesday, he made an appearance on “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart” on Comedy Central, where his efforts to make light of his much-criticized comments during a recent trip to Baghdad did not go over with the decidedly antiwar audience. At the end, Mr. Stewart asked Mr. McCain how America could “quell a civil war when it’s not your country,” prompting the audience to roar in support — of Mr. Stewart. That prompted Mr. McCain to say of the audience, “I think I know who’s side they’re on.” Mr. Stewart shot back, “They’re on America’s side,” and the audience again hollered in approval of Mr. Stewart.

3. He’s too close to Bush:

   "The thing that really, really got me is how he shifted and catered to Bush after Bush did him in big-time in South Carolina," said Ron Pies, a retired Tempe official who was behind McCain "100 percent" in 2000 but now likes McCain's GOP rival Mitt Romney, a former Massachusetts governor. "Here was a guy who had so much integrity and so much going for him. To me, it just boiled down to a situation where he wants to be president."

4. He needs to move more to the right:

   What will really make the difference for McCain is a real concerted heart felt effort to reconnect with the conservative base of the party. Fiscal conservatives and religious conservatives. He needs them to win. If he shows that he will embrace some of their ideas and takes steps to do just that during the campaign, he may be able to re-energize the base he needs. It can't be a dog and pony show. It must be sincere. Voters will know the difference.

5. He’s moved so far to the right, nobody knows who he is anymore:

   "Really what has hurt him is the war and the fact that by redefining himself, he has undefined John McCain," said Zogby, who has done work for McCain and other Republicans and Democrats in the past.

   "You knew who he was in 2000. Who is he in 2008?"

6. He’s not a Governor:

   Since the 1976 election, when former Georgia Gov. Jimmy Carter won, every president except George H.W. Bush has had a gubernatorial background.

   The element conspicuously missing from McCain's resume: executive experience. . . .
   "Americans strongly prefer executives to legislators as president and for good reason," said Larry Sabato, director of the University of Virginia's Center for Politics. "If I were to summarize the way that Americans look at the varying offices, it would be this: executives do, while senators talk."

7. He just needs more money:

   It is McCain who has the most to prove at this point, and he may have limited time to demonstrate that he and his campaign are once again on track. His own advisers say their first priority is to raise $20 million or more between now and the end of June to put to rest doubts about the senator's appeal to Republican donors.

New Details in the Investigation of Rep. Rick Renzi (R-AZ)

Last week, we reported that the FBI raided the business of Roberta Renzi, wife of Rep. Rick Renzi (R-AZ), who is under investigation for corruption charges. Now there are new details about the business deals that led to the federal grand jury probe.

Part of the investigation centers around a 480-acre parcel of Cochise County farmland once owned by a former Renzi business partner, James Sandlin. On two occasions, Renzi actively used his position as a member of Congress to get the property sold. From the Arizona Republic:

“The first attempt involved a copper-mining partnership called the Resolution Copper Co. Renzi told the company he would support a land trade sought by Resolution if it would agree to buy the 480-acre parcel as well. He described the deal as vital to the nearby San Carlos River watershed. The officers of Resolution balked.

Not only did they balk, the president of the company at that time went to extraordinary lengths to document what Renzi told him: He wrote a letter to himself detailing their negotiations so that he would have postmarked evidence. That letter now is a part of the FBI’s investigation.”

Renzi didn’t stop there. As a member of the House Natural Resources Committee, he played a role in arranging the eventual sale of the Cochise County land to a group of preservationists for nearly $4 million in April 2005. At the time, he described the sale of the land as a “matter of national security.” The sale netted a $3 million profit for the property’s owner, James Sandlin, who had bought the land just two years before.

But the most damning evidence of Renzi’s interest in the sale is the action of Sandlin, his business partner. On the day he received his first payment for the land, Sandlin paid a $200,000 debt to a wine company owned by Renzi.

Meanwhile, from the Wall Street Journal today, new questions about whether the corruption investigation of Rep. Renzi is linked to the untimely firing of U.S. Attorney Paul Charlton:

“As midterm elections approached last November, federal investigators in Arizona faced unexpected obstacles in getting needed Justice Department approvals to advance a corruption investigation of Republican Rep. Rick Renzi, people close to the case said.

The delays, which postponed key approvals in the case until after the election, raise new questions about whether Attorney General Alberto Gonzales or other officials may have weighed political issues in some investigations."

Rep. Renzi is one of two Republican congressmen who recently faced raids by the FBI. The other is Rep. John Doolittle (R-CA), who is under investigation for his ties to convicted GOP lobbyist Jack Abramoff.

McCain's Baghdad Market IED Joke

Last night on the Daily Show, trying to quell the firestorm of criticism that erupted after his stroll through a Baghdad market with a few buddies (i.e. 100 Soldiers, 3 Blackhawks, and 2 Apache Gunships), a sometimes-snippy John McCain attempted to joke his way out of it:

"I had something really picked out for you [Jon]. It's a nice -- yeah -- it's a nice little IED to put under your desk."

As you probably know, the day after McCain visited the market, 21 Iraqis working there "were abducted and murdered." The joke reminds me of the famous one told by President Bush about the phantom weapons of mass destruction: "Those weapons of mass destruction have got to be somewhere. Nope, no weapons over there ... maybe under here?"

The joke, of course, backfired.

Today John McCain will officially announce his candidacy for president, but it seems an increasing number of Americans are asking whether he can be taken seriously.

A Correction

We received the following criticism regarding a recent post quoting a wide range of conservatives who recognize the many failures of Alberto Gonzales.

The headline of a Monday morning post by Stephanie Taylor on The Democrat Party web site blog makes an astounding-but-false claim that President Bush is Alone in his Support for the Attorney General.

How do I know this headline isn’t true? Because I support Alberto Gonzalez, and that makes two!

Yes. Two people in America, not one, support Alberto Gonzales: President Bush and Random Internet Guy. We regret the error.

Wednesday Open Thread

Chat away...

April 24, 2007

John McCain, Bringing Back the Yawn

From the Washington Post:

But, whatever the circumstances, McCain's speech sparked little energy among the crowd gathered at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington. The lone highlight was when he pulled out a huge and cumbersome cell phone from the 1980s and modern model to show the power of American ingenuity. In general, the speech was extremely heavy on policy proposals and light on uplifting rhetoric.

The press conference afterward was more of the same. McCain answered a series of questions with his voice soft and his hands clasped in front of him. Asked about the Supreme Court hearing set for Wednesday on a legal challenge to the 2002 campaign finance bill that bears his name, McCain said quietly, "I would hope that most people would recognize we have eliminated one of the most corrupting influences in Washington ... soft money."

Looking as tired as his audience, a tuckered out McCain searches for a younger look:

One of the central elements of McCain’s strategy in the second quarter is to court young donors who, in addition to money, might inject a measure of youthful enthusiasm into his campaign.

Some inside-the-Beltway handicappers have observed that McCain, who follows an unrelenting schedule, at times looks tired on the campaign trail.

Cabin Fire

Romney's being hit on his move away from non-discrimination law:

ABC News' Teddy Davis Reports: Mitt Romney's shifting stance on gay rights drew fire Monday from the president of the Log Cabin Republicans in advance of Tuesday's re-introduction of the Employee Non-Discrimination Act -- gay rights legislation whose main provisions Romney once supported but no longer does.

"Gov. Romney has some explaining to do about why he suddenly and dramatically changed his position on this issue," Patrick Sammon, the president of the Log Cabin Republicans, tells ABC News. "It really raises the question about whether you can trust Mitt Romney. Whether the issue is guns, gays, abortion, or other issues, his views seem to be constantly shifting and changing."

New Yorkers Not Exactly Showing the Love for Giuliani

From the NY Daily News:

Presidential hopeful Rudy Giuliani is keeping a low profile in his hometown these days, perhaps with reason - protesters who lost loved ones on 9/11 are picketing him whenever they learn his whereabouts in the city.

The small but determined band of local parents and widows greeted Giuliani yesterday as he attended the New York Republican County Committee Lincoln Day Dinner at Cipriani, a posh midtown eatery.

The former mayor slid in the back door, avoiding the 20 or so protesters with signs that read, "Rudy for President? Not in my son's name!" and "America's Night Mayor."

The group, made up mostly of FDNY veterans, families and union leaders, says its goal is to educate Americans about what it sees as the tragic mistakes Giuliani made on 9/11 and the mythical image that has grown up around him from that day.

Tuesday Open Thread

Chat away...

April 23, 2007

Halliburton Hurt Our Troops—At a Cost of $1.4 Billion

Last Thursday, during a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on the cost of the Iraq war, Sen. Byron Dorgan (D-ND) spoke about his ongoing investigation of Halliburton, the corporation under contract with the Pentagon to handle Iraq war logistics like feeding our soldiers and supplying them with drinking water.

His testimony was a scathing indictment of how the Bush administration has hurt our troops by awarding "no-bid" contracts worth billions to Halliburton--and how Halliburton has put our troops at risk. For example:

"Halliburton allowed our troops in Iraq to shower, bathe, and sometimes brush their teeth with water that was tested positive for E. coli and Coliform Bacteria, and was more contaminated than raw water from the highly polluted Euphrates River."

A high number of bacterial infections among soldiers were later traced back to the contaminated water provided by Halliburton.

Halliburton also served the troops food that had spoiled or passed its expiration date. When convoys carrying food came under attack, Halliburton managers ordered employees to remove bullets from the food, and then served the food to unwitting soldiers and Marines.

Sen. Dorgan cited 19 other abuses, describing how Halliburton "charged taxpayers for services it never provided and tens of thousands of meals that it never served," and "sent unarmed truck drivers into a known combat zone without warning them of the danger, resulting in the deaths of six truck drivers and two soldiers."

Halliburton employees were ordered to burn brand-new $85,000 trucks on the side of the road, far from any hostilities, because they didn’t have the right wrench to change a tire--and because the trucks could be replaced on a profitable "cost-plus" basis at taxpayer expense. Halliburton charged taxpayers triple the price of hand towels, while having the Halliburton logo embroidered on each one.

Taxpayers have been charged $45 for a case for soda and $100 for a bag of laundry. Meanwhile, our troops are sent into battle without the armor and equipment they need.

According to auditors at the Defense Contract Audit Agency, as of June 2005, Halliburton had billed taxpayers $1.4 billion in questionable and undocumented charges under various Iraq contracts.

Don’t forget that Vice-President Dick Cheney was the CEO of Halliburton--before he left to join George Bush on the Republican ticket in 2000. Cheney’s "retirement" package from Halliburton was worth more than $33.7 million.

Unanswered Questions from the Gonzales Testimony

This testimony from Alberto Gonzales continues to bother me:

And with respect to certain communications -- such as the communication with the president, such as the discussions about Carol Lam -- I did not view it at the time as part of this review process. I simply considered those as doing part of my job. We'd heard complaints about the performance of Ms. Lam. I directed the department to try to ascertain whether or not those complaints were legitimate, and if not, we ought to look at perhaps doing something about it.

He's trying to (a) defend his earlier remark that he wasn't involved in conversations, and (b) blame his staff for not communicating concerns to Lam.

But if the "concerns" (such as communication with the president) were not "part of the review process," how can he continue to say that based on those very complaints, he ordered his department to review her performance that would determine whether they ought to do "something" about it?

He can't have it both ways, claiming the concerns weren't part of the review so that his earlier statement isn't false, while also claiming the concerns were part of the review process, so that he can claim that it was his staff that wrongly didn't notify Lam about immigration concerns.

One last note. There are a couple reasons Gonzales might have for his defense of his earlier remark with the claim that it wasn't part of the review process. The obvious motivation is to protect himself, but the other could be to protect the White House.

Living the Life...

Giuliani indulges in swanky hotels on the campaign trail:

He's running for president, but some of Rudy Giuliani's campaign-trail hotels have been fit for a king.

Giuliani, whose campaign boasts of having spent the least cash of all the Republican White House candidates, rented rooms at a string of high-end hotels as he stumped around the country over the last three months, his campaign filings show.

They included the swank Fairmont San Francisco, the Arizona Biltmore hotel in Phoenix and the Hotel Andalucia in Santa Barbara, where the campaign paid $2,457 at the end of last month.

Some $4,600 went to the Conrad Hotel in Indianapolis, a city where the candidate held a fund-raiser last month co-hosted by former Mayor Stephen Goldsmith, a policy adviser to Giuliani.

Oh, and by the way... Giuliani's not a tax-cutter after all..

But he also worked hard for high taxes. In 1994, Giuliani endorsed Gov. Mario Cuomo, a Democrat, for re-election against then-challenger George Pataki, the Republican. Why? In part, it was because Giuliani opposed Pataki's proposed tax cuts.

And in 1999 Giuliani fought against the State Legislature's repeal of a commuter income tax.

In fact, Giuliani's rather smallish tax cuts were swamped by his tax increases. New York City's personal, corporate and unincorporated business income taxes, on top of state income levies, have long hampered entrepreneurship and economic growth, chasing away individuals and businesses. Giuliani's budgets called for continuing a temporary personal income tax surcharges when they were to expire. Those are big tax increases Giuliani does not bring up when he's campaigning.

Fred Thompson Keeps it in the Family

Gives more money to his son than to GOP:

In the five years since Republican Fred Thompson left the Senate, he has maintained his political fund-raising account -- and it has paid more money to his son than it has contributed to help elect Republicans to Congress, records show.

Mr. Thompson, of Tennessee, announced that he would not seek re-election to the Senate in 2002. But since then, his political action committee has paid $244,000 in "management/consulting fees" to his son's consulting firm in Nashville, according to reports filed with the Federal Election Commission.

During the same period, the Fred D. Thompson PAC donated a total of $225,000 to Republican candidates and party organizations, according to the reports.

President Bush is Alone in his Support for the Attorney General

President Bush continues to support embattled Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, even after a humiliating day of testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee. On Friday, the White House issued a press release which stated:

“President Bush was pleased with the Attorney General’s testimony today. After hours of testimony in which he answered all of the Senators’ questions and provided thousands of pages of documents, he again showed that nothing improper occurred. He admitted the matter could have been handled much better, and he apologized for the disruption to the lives of the U.S. Attorneys involved, as well as for the lack of clarity in his initial response.”

Talk about a lack of clarity. Watch our new video “Total Recall,” in which Alberto Gonzales says he can’t remember, well, pretty much anything.

President Bush was isolated in his support as Republican senators and conservatives abandoned the Attorney General in droves.

Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX):

“General Gonzales, you and I have known each other a long time, and I believe that you are a good and decent man. But I have to tell you that the way that this investigation has been handled is just been--been really deplorable.”

Sen. Tom Coburn (R-OK):

“I believe you ought to suffer the consequences that these others have suffered. And I believe that the best way to put this behind us is your resignation.”

Sen. Arlen Specter (R-PA):

“I believe, as I have said before, that his ability to manage the department has been severely undercut by the way he has handled these resignations and by the way he has handled his news conferences, his press statements and his testimony before the committee.”

Sen. Lindsay Graham (R-SC):

“Mr. Attorney General, you said something that struck me, that ‘sometimes it just came down to these were not the right people at the right time.’ If I applied that standard to you, what would you say?”

President Bush is Alone in his Support for the Attorney General

President Bush continues to support embattled Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, even after a humiliating day of testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee. On Friday, the White House issued a press release which stated:

“President Bush was pleased with the Attorney General’s testimony today. After hours of testimony in which he answered all of the Senators’ questions and provided thousands of pages of documents, he again showed that nothing improper occurred. He admitted the matter could have been handled much better, and he apologized for the disruption to the lives of the U.S. Attorneys involved, as well as for the lack of clarity in his initial response.”

President Bush was isolated in his support as Republican senators and conservatives abandoned the Attorney General in droves.

Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX):

“General Gonzales, you and I have known each other a long time, and I believe that you are a good and decent man. But I have to tell you that the way that this investigation has been handled is just been--been really deplorable.”

McCain "Announcing" Candidacy

Just reminding everyone that he's still running...

McCain has been running for president unofficially for months, but next week’s tour will mark the start of his official campaign.

But McCain thinks that he's too good for SC Party Conventions:

Andrews was disappointed, he said, that U.S. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., did not attend the convention. While the other candidates barnstormed through Greenville, Spartanburg and Richland counties on Saturday, McCain did not.

Judging from poll numbers, he may want to reconsider his strategy:

The weekend before Arizona Sen. John McCain makes his official presidential announcement in South Carolina, polls show he's not popular with local Republican voters.

The Republican parties in Greenville, Spartanburg and Richland counties held conventions Saturday, where the candidates had the chance to speak and voters participated in polls. McCain did not attend and opted to send former Oklahoma Gov. Frank Keating to appear in his place. Spartanburg County Republican Party Chairman Rick Beltram blamed McCain's absence for his poor showing.

"I thought that McCain missing these South Carolina conventions was a major error in his strategy," Beltram said. "I don't understand what [McCain's strategists] were thinking. McCain is coming here next week to announce that he's running for president, and the newspapers have stuff about him doing so poorly in the straw polls. It is beyond me what their strategy was."

Rep. Juanita Millender-McDonald (D-CA), 1938-2007

Juanita Millender-McDonald, the congresswoman who represented the 37th District in Southern California, died of cancer late Saturday in Carson, California. She was 68.

Rep. Millender-McDonald was born in Birmingham, Ala., on Sept. 7, 1938. She earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Redlands and a master’s degree from California State University, Los Angeles. She was first elected to the House in 1996 in a special election, and was currently serving her sixth full term. This year, she became chairwoman of the Committee on House Administration, which oversees operations of the House and federal election procedures.

Recently, Rep. Millender-McDonald worked on election reform issues and opposing the genocide in Darfur.

Governor Dean issued the following statement, offering his condolences:

“Our thoughts and prayers are with Rep. Millender-McDonald’s family and friends along with the constituents she proudly served for seven terms in California’s 37th district. Recently Rep. Millender-McDonald made history when she became the first African American woman to serve as Chair of the House Administration Committee. She was widely known for her hard work, commitment, and strong sense of purpose and determination. She will be sorely missed.”

Rep. Millender-McDonald is survived by her husband, James McDonald Jr., five children, and five grandchildren.

Monday Open Thread

Chat away...

April 22, 2007

Sunday Open Thread

Chat away...

April 21, 2007

Saturday Open Thread

Chat away...

April 20, 2007

Alberto Gonzales: “I Don’t Recall”

Watch our video of the testimony yesterday by Attorney General Alberto Gonzales and count all the times he "just couldn't recall"--his version of "the dog ate my homework."

In the aftermath of his testimony, newspapers across the country panned his appearance.

From the Seattle Times:

“Attorney General Alberto Gonzales looked like an ineffective, and at times clueless, leader in his testimony before Congress Thursday. This page already has called for the U.S. attorney general to resign. Many others, including Republican and Democratic elected officials, have as well, although President Bush remains supportive...Gonzales should go back and watch his testimony. If he applies the same criteria to what he admitted was mishandling of the firings--as Republican Sen. Tom Coburn of Oklahoma suggested--Gonzales would come to a different conclusion about whether he should stay.”

From Newsday:

“U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales failed to untangle himself yesterday from the knot of lies, contradictions and misrepresentations surrounding his firing of federal prosecutors who were involved in sensitive public corruption cases...The Justice Department and the professionals who work for it deserve better leadership. Many senators on the committee were in bipartisan disbelief that they were getting the truth from Gonzales about the reasons eight U.S. attorneys were dismissed…But at the end of the day, even the motivation no longer seemed to matter. With his equivocations, his inability to recall making critical decisions, and his testimony illustrating an abdication of many responsibilities to inexperienced and ideological aides, Gonzales only wound up making the case that he is too incompetent to continue running the Justice Department...Gonzales insisted he could repair the damage to the Justice Department. He can't. Gonzales is the one who should be fired for poor performance.”

From the San Francisco Chronicle:

“If the senate hearing Thursday is any indicator, U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales should clean out his desk and depart. Dishonesty, incompetence, evasiveness--every sin in public life--were all pinned on the nation's top lawman. Quitting, not continuing, is the only option. He found few defenders on the skeptical panel with several senators putting it straight out: The hedged answers and partial responses over the firings of U.S. attorneys make it clear that Gonzales must go. The Capitol Hill session did him no good.…In its politics, the White House famously values loyalty above all else. It's a factor that Gonzales, a Texas long timer, who goes back decades with President Bush, has counted on to weather the scandal. But the Senate committee grilling should show the most diehard Bush loyalist that Gonzales' service is at an end. It's time for him to resign.”

From the Baltimore Sun:

“Paraphrasing Oscar Hammerstein II, who wrote the words to the musical Oklahoma!, Republican Sen. Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania observed at the end of the hearing, 'I think we've gone about as far as we can go.' It was obvious by that point that the attorney general wasn't about to provide the senators with anything that approximated substance--or precision. Senator Specter didn't urge Mr. Gonzales to resign; he counseled him instead to examine his own conscience. It will be interesting to see what the attorney general finds there.”

From the Chicago Tribune:

“Atty. Gen. Alberto Gonzales faced two unappealing possibilities in his testimony to Congress on Thursday. He could admit that he was largely out of the loop on some of the most important decisions that the Justice Department can make: Who should serve as U.S. attorney? Or he could acknowledge he was at the center of the hugely bungled dismissals of several federal prosecutors. In other words: Was he clueless? Or incompetent? Unfortunately for Gonzales, his hours of testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee created the impression that he was some of both...Over the past several months, Gonzales has generated suspicion and confusion with his shifting explanations and subsequent clarifications about this mess. The multiple accounts have infuriated senators. Add to that the earlier congressional testimony of former Gonzales chief of staff Kyle Sampson, which contradicted some of Gonzales' claims. Taken together, this episode doesn't inspire confidence that the attorney general acted in the best interests of law enforcement--and nothing else.”

Governor Dean On Bush’s Commitment To a Failed Iraq Strategy

"President Bush continues to ignore the will of the American people. Democrats have a clear plan to change course in Iraq. We believe that our brave men and women fighting there should not be policing a civil war and that the Iraqis must be accountable for their own future. We support our troops and our plan ensures they have the resources they need on the ground and the care they deserve when they return home. It’s time for President Bush to stop bullying members of Congress and work with Democrats toward a solution."

Have You Heard the Little Ditty About Bombing Iran?

Sneak preview? McCain lets some of his famous temper show, tells critics to 'get a life':

Arizona Sen. John McCain said critics complaining about his recent joke about bombing Iran should "lighten up and get a life."

"Please, I was talking to some of my old veterans friends," the Republican presidential candidate told reporters Thursday, a day after he parodied the Beach Boys song "Barbara Ann" at a campaign stop in South Carolina. The senator changed the song's title to "Bomb Iran."

"My response is lighten up and get a life," he said.

From Indiana, Another Dirty Donor for Romney

Just when you thought that Rookie Romney might have learned his lesson...

Indiana's Republican Secretary of State Todd Rokita and his wife gave $4,200 to Mitt Romney’s campaign and hosted an April 5 fundraiser at the Columbia Club for Romney. Now Todd Rokita is under fire for insensitive remarks comparing African American voting habits to slavery. Questioning why roughly 90 percent of African Americans vote for Democrats, Rokita asked, "Who's the master and who's the slave in that relationship?"

Romney should return Rokita’s contribution. Duh.

The Friday Five: Earth Day Weekend Edition

Every Friday we're highlighting five events happening around the country that we've found in PartyBuilder's Events system. Democrats who work and play together, win together, and keeping your local Democrats active and involved is the key to sustaining vibrant organizations.

Here are 5 events happening around the country in the next week. If you don't see one in your neck of the woods, click here to search for one near you.

1. Earth Day Fair and Celebration (Bend, OR)

   This promises to be another exciting community event with interactive displays, art, live music, performances, and great hands-on activities for all ages. The 8th annual Procession of the Species, a colorful, creative parade filled with children and adults costumed as their favorite species will kick off the day

2. DNC Unity Event (Washington, DC)
   

   This is an exciting event coming up on May 2nd, and we would love for you to join us. The DNC is kicking off it's DC Trailblazer Council with a UNITY party at Busboys and Poets.

3. Lincoln Earth Day Clean Up (Lincoln, RI)
   

   Join the members of the LDTC at their first annual Earth Day Community Clean up. Meet at the Saylesville School and we will spend a few hours setting an example in the community.

4. Meet the Bloggers (Austin, TX)
   

   Find Out Who Is Behind Some Of Your Favorite Texas Blogs... including Burnt Orange Report, Capitol Annex, Texas Kaos, McBlogger, and more!

5. Democratic Divas (Brandon, FL)
   

   The Democratic Divas are holding their opening lunch! Don't miss it!

FBI Raid Targets Second Republican Congressman

Yesterday afternoon, the FBI raided a business owned by the wife of Rep. Rick Renzi (R-AZ). This follows an FBI raid earlier this week on the home of Rep. John Doolittle (R-CA). Both raids were conducted as part of ongoing corruptions investigations.

As a result of the raid, Renzi is stepping down from his seat on the House Intelligence Committee, according to a statement from his office.

The congressman’s father, Retired Major General Eugene Renzi, is executive vice-president of ManTech International Corp., a defense contractor. In 2003, Rep. Renzi sponsored legislation that dealt hundreds of millions of dollars to ManTech. ManTech was also the largest contributor to his 2002 congressional campaign and the second largest contributor to his 2004 campaign. From a report by CREW:

If Rep. Renzi accepted campaign contributions from ManTech in exchange for pushing through legislation benefiting the company, he would be in violation of federal bribery laws. His actions on behalf of his father may have also violated conflict-of-interest rules and the requirement that Members of the House conduct themselves "at all times in a manner that reflects creditably on the House."

And it all comes back to Attorneygate...

ThinkProgress reports that there are also suspicions that Paul Charlton, the former U.S. Attorney in Arizona, was fired in part because of his probe into Renzi’s activities.

Friday Open Thread

Chat away...

April 19, 2007

Rep. John Doolittle (R-CA) Gives Up Seat on House Appropriations Committee

In the wake of an FBI search of his home, Rep. John Doolittle (R-CA) has decided to give up his seat on the House Appropriations Committee.

Doolittle is under investigation due to his ties with convicted GOP lobbyist Jack Abramoff. From ThinkProgress:

The relationship between John Doolittle and criminal lobbyist Jack Abramoff is extensive. Doolittle received $64,500 from Abramoff, his partners and clients between 2001 and 2004. Abramoff let Doolittle hold fundraisers in his sky box for free, and paid to send Doolittle’s top aide to Puerto Rico. Abramoff hired Doolittle’s then-chief of staff, Kevin Ring, who in turn helped hire Doolittle’s wife. Julie Doolittle, who owned a consulting firm, was brought on by Abramoff and his firm, Greenberg Traurig, to do fundraising for Abramoff’s charity.

Doolittle has also drawn strong criticism for employing his wife as his campaign fundraiser in the past. In January he said that he would no longer do so.

Julie Doolittle has collected more than $100,000 from donors--15 percent of what was raised--since 2003. And don’t forget that California has state communal property laws. What belongs to Julie also belongs to John.

Ohio Dems Hand Rove an Affidavit

Yesterday I wrote about the Ohio Democratic Party's plan to hand Karl Rove an affidavit. Now the ODP has a blog post with must-see video from the event.

Buckeye State Blog has more:

At least they tried.. Last night Todd Hoffman, the official ODP blogger, and friends headed out to see if they could have a few words with Karl Rove before his presentation at the Tuscarawas County Republican Party Lincoln Day Dinner. Specifically, they'd hoped to get his hancock on an affadavit regarding the the firing of the eight US Attorneys.

To see how things went check out the HILARIOUS video. I've been laughing my butt off the last 20 minutes.

I'm SHOCKED Rove decided not to give a straight answer!

DNC Lawsuit to Obtain RNC-Justice Department Communications

One month ago, I hand-delivered a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) Request to the Department of Justice on behalf of Governor Dean and the tens of thousands of you who added your names to it. The FOIA attempted to get beyond the stonewalling, contradictions and misleading statements given surrounding the firing of the U.S. Attorneys by requesting:

all documents in the possession, custody or control of the Office of Attorney General, Office of the Deputy Attorney General and Office of the Associate Attorney General, prepared on or after November 1, 2004, constituting, reflecting or referring to communications to or from or to any officer or employee of the Republican National Committee or any state or local Republican Party committee, referring, relating to or discussing (1) any prospective or ongoing investigation or prosecution; (2) initiating any investigation or prosecution; or (3) the appointment or termination of any United States Attorney; or (4) the performance, work or activity of any United States Attorney or Office of United States Attorney;

Since then, the Republican National Committee claims they have lost emails from Karl Rove's email RNC account during an 18-week gap. In addition, some of the White House staffers using RNC email addresses may have been used to communicate with the Justice Department about the firings.

Now it's 30 days since the FOIA request and we've filed a lawsuit in an effort to obtain the RNC-Justice Department communications. The stonewalling continues, but this time it's affecting a request by tens of thousands of you.

You can read our complaint against the Justice Department here. Also, you can read the original FOIA letter here, which was signed by Governor Dean.

McCain's Brilliant "Map" Strategy

John McCain might not have an exit strategy, or even a plan B, but he does have a plan to educate the American public on Iraq. That brilliant plan? I'm gonna show them a map!

One audience member asked whether McCain would directly address the American people more often than President Bush. To laughs, he said he would do it every two weeks, even if it were only covered by CSPAN.

“I would have a map of Iraq and I’d point out, Look, here’s what happened good. We’ve got the sheiks on our side. There’s less killing in Anbar province,” he said.

It's unclear how that map will make one American in the middle of a bloody civil war any safer.

Straight Talk Express, Now a Musical

Has the Straight Talk Express gone off the rails?

John McCain, at a town hall meeting in Murrell's Inlet, responding to a question about whether or not there are plans to attack Iran:

“McCain began his answer by changing the words to a popular Beach Boys song. “Bomb bomb bomb, bomb bomb Iran,” he sang to the tune of Barbara Ann. “Iran is dedicated to the destruction of Israel. That alone should concern us but now they are trying for nuclear capabilities. I totally support the President when he says we will not allow Iran to destroy Israel.”

Apparently McCain is campaigning to the one-third of America that still believes Bush can be trusted to make foreign policy decisions that make sense.

UPDATE: Here's the video... (bumped)

Friday Deadline for RNC Emails

Michael Link is covering the Alberto Gonzales hearing today. Meanwhile, Democrats are asking tough questions in a separate investigation about the use of RNC email accounts by Bush administration officials. From the Politico:

“House Oversight and Government Reform Chairman Henry A. Waxman (D-Calif.) set a Friday deadline for the Republican National Committee to identify the "roughly 50" White House officials who held RNC email accounts for an ongoing investigation into possible violations of the Presidential Records Act by current and former administration officials.

In a letter to RNC Chairman Mike Duncan, Waxman complained, "Despite several requests, the RNC has not provided details about the number of RNC emails sent or received by White House officials. This is elementary information that should already have been provided to the committee."

Meanwhile, Bush’s lawyers are instructing the RNC not to turn over emails to Congress before showing them to the White House. Read the story from yesterday here.

Romney Reveals His Affinity for Hitler Trivia

From the Washington Post blog, The Fix:

Former Gov. Mitt Romney (R-Mass.) is one of the most poised and well-spoken candidates in the 2008 field.

That's why a remark he made at a forum in Northern Virginia this morning in response to a question regarding the future of nuclear power caught our eye. In his response, Romney says that if America wanted to build nuclear reactors at this point they would need to hire the French to do so. Romney then makes mention of the fact that it was Hitler who pioneered the technology to liquefy coal.

Giuliani Flipping and Flopping

No surprise here: Giuliani curves to the right, flips on partial-birth on abortion:

On Wednesday, he praised the court for upholding the ban on the midterm procedure. "The Supreme Court reached the correct conclusion in upholding the congressional ban on partial-birth abortion," Giuliani said in a statement. "I agree with it."

His praise for the ruling contrasts his position while seeking reelection as mayor in 1997. On an abortion rights group's questionnaire, he circled "yes" next to the question of whether he would oppose "legislation that would make criminals of doctors who perform intact D&X abortions" — the technical term for what critics call "partial-birth" abortions.

Kelli Conlin, president of the abortion rights group, now known as NARAL Pro-Choice New York, accused Giuliani of "flip-flopping." "I am absolutely astounded that Mayor Giuliani would do a 180-degree pivot on his former position," she said.

And then if that wasn't enough, he copped out on the Confederate Flag issue:

Rudy Giuliani, who years ago praised those who were trying to get the Confederate flag removed, today says the issue should be decided by the states.

"We have different sensitivities, and at different times we are going to come to different decisions, and I think that is best left up to the states," he said about the Confederate flag last week in Alabama.

When I interviewed Giuliani recently on a campaign swing in South Carolina, he said: "A lot of the more intricate issues should get decided on a state-by-state basis. The federal government should stick to things it does well and leave a lot of the differences of opinion to the states."

The flips just keep on coming. He's even giving Romney a run for his money:

Just this week, Giuliani said the Virginia Tech tragedy "does not alter the Second Amendment." Since he began running for President, he has said he believes states should have the power to set gun laws.

But as mayor and as a Senate candidate before dropping out for health reasons, Giuliani strongly favored mandatory federal licensing of handguns, and backed an assault weapon ban and a waiting period for gun purchases.

And while as mayor he declared the flat tax, where everyone pays the same amount, a "terrible mistake for urban areas," he seemed much more open to the idea last month while accepting the endorsement of Mr. Flat Tax himself, Steve Forbes.

It's so bad, voters are seeing the cracks in his credibility:

Giuliani remained the front-runner in the national poll, but his support has eroded. In a late-February Post-ABC News poll, 44 percent of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents preferred Giuliani for the nomination; that figure is down to 33 percent. Support for McCain held steady at 21 percent.

No Clue Why He Fired An Attorney

The hearing by the Senate Judiciary Committee is getting interesting. Alberto Gonzales says he doesn't remember why he fired U.S. Attorney Bogden. No clue. Here's his wordy way of saying it:

I do not recall what I knew about Mr. Bodgen on December 7th. That's not to say I wasn't given a reason, I just don't recall the reason. I didn't have an independent basis for recollection of knowing about Mr. Bodgan.

It used to be that they were giving different reasons for the firings that just kept changing, seemingly by the day. Is he just giving up? The idea that he can fire somebody, and then have no recollection as to the reason, is simply stunning.

UPDATE: But what about the other U.S. Attorneys, which Gonzales has claimed were fired for performance reasons? Here's a confession Senator Feinstein got out of Gonzales.

Feinstein: "And you're testifying to us that you made these decisions without ever looking at the performance reviews?"

Gonzales: "Senator, that is correct."

Gonzales Contradictions

Alberto Gonzales, minutes ago: "I now understand that there was a conversation between myself and the President."

But Kyle Sampson, his former Chief of Staff, "told congressional investigators on Sunday that Gonzales remembered talking to Bush last October about concerns with then-U.S. Attorney David Iglesias of New Mexico."

Thursday Open Thread

Alberto Gonzales will testify in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee this morning. You can watch the webcast live at their website (once it begins).

This is an open thread. Chat away...

Brooklyn Native to Head Democratic Convention

From Ken Bazinet at the New York Daily News:

"A slate of Democratic Party veterans and Clinton administration exiles were named today to the senior leadership team for the 2008 Democratic National Convention Committee, including a well-known clergywoman originally from Brooklyn.

The Rev. Daughtry, a Pentecostal minister and currently the DNC chief of staff, has a big NYC connection. She hails from Brooklyn and is the daughter of borough activists. Her father Herbert is a well-known Brooklyn clergyman who’s pastor of The House of the Lord Church on Atlantic Ave. in Boerum Hill, Brooklyn."

The Democratic National Convention will be held next summer in Denver.

Governor Dean on Supreme Court Ruling on Federal Abortion Ban

Governor Dean issued the following statement yesterday on the Supreme Court’s 5-4 ruling upholding the federal abortion ban:

“Today's decision by the Supreme Court takes away a right that has previously been affirmed by the Court. A woman's decision about her own reproductive health is a very personal and difficult one that should remain hers to be made with her doctor. This latest decision by the Court stands in stark contradiction to previous rulings recognizing the complexity of women's medical conditions and replaces the judgment of doctors, women and their families for the judgment of five Supreme Court Justices. Regardless of political affiliation, we can all agree that reducing the number of abortions is a priority. Democrats are committed to finding common ground on this issue and focusing on legislative measures to increase education, prevention and support systems to help reduce the number of abortions each year in the United States.”

April 18, 2007

Bush Lawyers Tell the RNC Not to Turn Over E-Mails

This is a busy day in politics, but I wanted to make sure that everyone saw this latest development in Attorneygate. From the Miami Herald:

"President Bush's lawyers told the Republican National Committee on Tuesday not to turn over to Congress any e-mails related to the firings last year of eight U.S. attorneys before showing them to the White House.

Democrats and Republican critics of the administration said the move suggests that the White House is seeking to develop a strategy to block the release of the non-government e-mails to congressional investigators by arguing that they're covered by executive privilege and not subject to review."

Michael Link already covered part of this case for us in a detailed post earlier this week, in which he talked about the missing e-mails that the Republican National Committee claims to have “lost.”

Now it appears that the Bush administration wants to cover RNC e-mails with executive privilege--the same e-mail accounts that Karl Rove and his underlings arguably used to avoid those pesky rules like “oversight” that come with doing government business.

Talk about a classic case of wanting to have your cake and eat it, too. I’ll have a slice of Blackberry, please.

The More They Learn, The Less They Like

As Rudy Giuliani heads back to New York today for another campaign fundraiser, the reviews are in for his first campaign swing through Iowa, and the results are not-too-good for the Republican presidential candidate.

In fact, given that the more Iowans see of Giuliani, the less they like, one wonders how much longer he could afford to stay in the state. As our press release notes:

From criticism of his “big-city” politicking, to an “anti-Giuliani” petition circulating in Iowa and a spate of polls showing that the race is tightening, it is clear that the more Hawkeye State Republicans learn about the Rudy they don’t know, the more they’re turning away from his candidacy.

In fact, a veteran political columnist for the Des Moines Register even went so far as to declare that Giuliani doesn't "get" politics in Iowa -- that it's "more than money and media" and "not the big-city" stuff.

He certainly didn't prove them wrong when he didn't even have time to shake hands. It led the Politico to question whether Iowans will demand a more personal touch.

But worst of all for him had to be the petition circulating among Iowa conservatives vowing not to support him "under any circumstances."

Ohio Dems to Hand Rove an Affidavit

Karl Rove is coming to Ohio, and the Ohio Democratic Party plans to greet him with an affidavit clearing up his "possible indiscretions" in the scandal surrounding the firing of several U.S. Attorneys. You can read the full affidavit here (PDF), but here are some of the questions they're asking:

[ ] Did [ ] Did Not hide or suppress information on the firings of U.S. Attorneys;
[ ] Did [ ] Did Not direct members of the White House political team involved in the politically motivated firings of eight U.S. Attorneys;
[ ] Did [ ] Did Not discuss the firing of U.S. Attorney David Inglesias with President Bush and Senator Pete Domenici;
[ ] Did [ ] Did Not delete hundreds of emails related to White House investigations;
[ ] Did [ ] Did Not play a role in the politically motivated decision to reveal the identity of a covert CIA officer in a time of war;
[ ] Did [ ] Did Not meet with Jack Abramoff.

The Ohio Democratic Party also has a petition to tell Karl Rove "Ohioans want straight and honest answers to these allegations." But -- oh yes -- there's more:

According to the county GOP's Web site, the go-to man for tickets to the event is none other than Matthew D. Parker, a former aide and campaign manager to ex-Rep. Bob Ney, who is now serving a prison term for corruption charges.

The Republican Party in Ohio has had to deal with a whole host of corruption problems, from Bob Ney to the Coingate scandal. And now they're stuck with Karl Rove while he's at the center of a high-profile controversy.

Senate Republicans Filibuster the Medicare Prescription Drug Bill

Today Senate Republicans stalled a bill that would have allowed the federal government to negotiate prices for Medicare prescription drugs.

Medicare, which covers 40 million elderly and disabled Americans, is currently prohibited from negotiating prices with drug manufacturers like Pfizer Inc., Merck & Co Inc. or Eli Lilly and Co. From the New York Times:

"Democrats say government negotiations would save money both for the federal budget and for older Americans by getting the lowest drug prices possible."

But the bill was opposed by many Republicans and drug makers. At a White House meeting last week, aides to President Bush urged employer groups, insurance companies and drugstores to lobby against the Senate measure.

The bill fell 5 votes short of the 60 needed to end the Republican filibuster.

Tommy Thompson Campaign: Get Out While You Can

Thompson's Daily Flipper: Read what the Republicans Wish You Wouldn't...

Tommy Thompson Campaign: Get Out While You Can

If Tommy Thompson's presidential run isn't over, it should be.

And this has nothing to do with his relatively light campaign chest. His remarks about Jewish people and tradition Monday revealed him simply to be ill-suited to the presidency.

Speaking to the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism in Washington, D.C., Thompson said, "I'm in the private sector, and for the first time in my life I'm earning money. You know, that's sort of part of the Jewish tradition, and I do not find anything wrong with that."

Memo to Tommy Thompson: Good luck in retirement.

McCain Pays For Friends and Endorsements in South Carolina

McCain's Daily Flipper: Read what the Republicans Wish You Wouldn't...

He Probably Got Picked Last in Gym Class Too. . . McCain Pays For Friends and Endorsements in South Carolina

John McCain’s presidential campaign has paid more than $30,000 in 2007 to a South Carolina senator and the sons of two other prominent elected officials, all of whom have endorsed the Arizona Republican’s bid for the White House.

Campaign finance reports filed this week with the Federal Election Commission show McCain’s campaign has paid:

• Sen. Mike Fair, R-Greenville, three payments of $7,000 each as a get-out-the-vote consultant
• Bryan Haskins, son of Rep. Gloria Haskins, R-Greenville, more than $6,500, as a youth campaign coordinator
• Stan Spears Jr., son of Adjutant General Stan Spears, more than $5,000 as veterans coordinator

And His Fundraising Numbers Could Push Him Back to the Second Tier

Some campaign veterans said Mr. McCain's numbers mean he has fallen into the second tier of Republicans, with just $5.2 million cash on hand and $1.8 million in reported debt, while others said he's in even worse shape. "McCain's done," said one former Republican congressman as he looked at the numbers.

Straight Talk Express: The Little Engine That Couldn’t

"It's gone from the mighty steam engine to the little steam engine that could. He has really lost a lot of steam and he's got a lot of really skeptical voters," Clemson University political scientist Dave Woodard said. "He's not the same candidate and the situation is not the same."

For instance, this campaign plays out against the backdrop of a war and many Republicans still hoping to see better candidates enter the fray. McCain, who entered the race with huge lists of endorsements from elected and political leaders already is seeing some of that support softening.

On Saturday, state Rep. Thad Viers of Myrtle Beach _ one of the 40 Statehouse Republicans endorsing McCain as his campaign launched earlier this year _ was at the Horry County GOP convention wondering why McCain wasn't there and listening to former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney.

Romney's Dirty Money

Romney's Daily Flipper: Read what the Republicans Wish You Wouldn't...

While Romney Attracts Some Dirty Money of His Own

Carl Linder is going to be Mitt Romney's Finance Co-Chair in Ohio.

Carl Linder gave over $425,000 to a group called Common Sense Ohio, which ran deceptive ads and push-polling. And by the way, when Mitt Romney was chair of the Republican Governors Association, that organization gave money directly to Common Sense Ohio. What the H-E-double toothpicks Mitt? A direct endorsement of push-polling and deceptive ads? Nice.

Sam Fox gave Mitt Romney's PAC $100,000. (And just think George Bush made Fox an ambassador for a mere $50,000 to the Swift Boat Liars.) Sam Fox may have had amnesia regarding what scum the Swifties were, but Mitt should know. Evidently Mitt doesn't care.

And last but not least, there's Romney National Finance Chair, John Rakolta. You might think that Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm is a remarkable woman. Mr. Rakolta thinks that she, and some other prominent Democratic presidents, resemble Hitler. (See Romney camp catches flak for Hitler ad)

The “F” in FEC Could Stand for “Fun Facts . . . “

Romney has raised the most money of any Republican, but he also likes to spend it. That money didn't go to staff perks. Romney, the richest candidate, was stingiest with his staff members' salaries and often had them fly discount airlines and double up on accommodations like the Super 8 Motel. Instead of free drinks and food at the campaign, they're only subsidized (sodas at 25 cents a can; snacks in the vending machine are 50 cents).

. . .

$16,317 in catering costs for an event at the swank Beverly Hilton hotel seems more politically problematic, especially since it may come to symbolize the trouble the campaign finds itself in after having raised only $13 million in the first quarter while spending $8 million. Romney burned a lot, too, but McCain has campaigned for years as a pork buster and someone who hasn't been tainted by the profligate spending ways of Washington.

Giuliani Wants it Both Ways on Gun Control

Giuliani's Daily Flipper: Read what the Republicans Wish You Wouldn't...

TOP HEADLINE: Giuliani Wants it Both Ways on Gun Control

Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani's campaign issued a statement in the candidate's name stating that "[t]his tragedy does not alter the Second Amendment."

"People have the right to keep and bear arms and the Constitution says this right will not be infringed. The recent Parker decision makes it clear that restrictions, if any, must be reasonable and these are best decided on a state-by-state basis," Giuliani concluded, referring to the recent federal appeals court decision overturning the gun ban in Washington, D.C.

But Giuliani was once a strong supporter of enacting federal restrictions on access to firearms.

Giuliani Taps Swift Boat Oil Man for Texas Funds

T. Boone Pickens Jr. has made most of his estimated $2.5 billion fortune in the oil market over the past eight years. Now, the Texan is betting big money on a bull market in another commodity: the presidential candidacy of Rudy Giuliani.

The 78-year-old hedge-fund manager and former corporate raider says he has raised more than $500,000 for Mr. Giuliani's campaign. That makes him one of the candidate's top fund-raisers, according to people with knowledge of the campaign.

Mr. Pickens backed President Bush in the 2004 election. Though he wasn't one of the president's major fund-raisers, he did contribute $3 million to the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth and its controversial advertising campaign attacking the Vietnam War record of Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry, the Democratic nominee.

Giuli-YAWN-i

Saturday night raised questions about whether he can pull it off.

His speech was long, focus-free and sort of flat. His seat at the left end of his party means he can't serve the kind of red meat that gets GOP activists fired up. The crowd was polite and even friendly at times but there was an air of discomfort that was difficult to miss.

Poll: Americans Trust Democrats on Iraq War Policy

A new Washington Post-ABC News poll of 1,141 adults shows that 58 percent of Americans trust the Democrats in Congress to do a better job handling the situation in Iraq, compared to only 33 percent who trust President Bush.

This number has grown since February, when polls showed that 54 percent of Americans trusted the Democrats in Congress more than Bush.

The news comes as Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and Senator Harry Reid (D-NV) prepare for a White House meeting with President Bush that many have billed as a “showdown” over Iraq. At stake is whether the president signs into law the Emergency Supplemental Appropriations Bill.

The legislation, passed by both the House and Senate, offers a plan for a responsible end to the war in Iraq, including new rules for resting, equipping and training combat troops. The legislation also includes a 2008 date for the final withdrawal of U.S. troops.

President Bush has already announced that he plans to veto the legislation.

Today’s poll shows that 56 percent of Americans now favor withdrawing U.S. forces from Iraq, even if civil order is not restored.

President Bush and Vice-President Cheney continue to make the case that the war in Iraq is related to the fight against terrorism. But a growing number of Americans disagree. 57 percent now believe that the Iraq war is separate from the fight against terrorism--and that the United States can still win the fight against terrorism without being involved in the civil war in Iraq.

The poll also showed that President Bush’s overall job approval rating is stagnant at 35 percent. 70 percent of Americans disapprove of how he has handled the war.

Wednesday Open Thread

Chat away...

April 17, 2007

Come to the Rally

On Thursday, April 26 at 9:00 AM, on the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol, the "Komen Community Challenge" will kick off. Here is some information about what they want to accomplish:

Twenty-five years ago, Susan G. Komen for the Cure started the breast cancer movement with a promise to end breast cancer forever. We're still fighting. Over the next 25 years, 5 million Americans could be diagnosed with breast cancer and more than 1 million of them could die. That's an epidemic. And because there are gaps in our system, breast cancer is deadlier for some than it is for others. That's wrong. Komen for the Cure plans to end this disease. Not just for people with money or connections or good health insurance. Not just for people who live in big cities. Not just people who fit the 'right' patient profile. For everybody.

Over the next several months, Komen's special brand of pink ribbon activism will hit 25 cities across the country with a rallying cry to "close the gap." We are launching the Komen Community Challenge in front of the U.S. Capitol with Congressional leaders, breast cancer survivors and activists.

We all agree that we need a cure. But what we also need is to make this a national priority. Each one of us can get involved in making that happen.

Who, Exactly, Underperformed?

Who really underperformed, Alberto Gonzales or the attorneys he fired? For that, let's take a look at his own written statement for Thursday's hearing in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee. Here are some excerpts I put together:

• "I apologize"
• "I am sorry"
• "could have – and should have – been handled differently"
• "I made mistakes"
• "I would have handled this differently"
• "I should have done more"
• "at times I have been less than precise"
• "I misspoke"
• "That statement was too broad."
• "imprecise and overbroad"
• "I regret that"
• "management missteps"
• "should have been more rigorous"
• "should have been completed in a much shorter period of time"
• "owes them more respect than they were shown"
• "should have worked with them"
• "I should have communicated the concerns more effectively"
• "I should have informed them of my decisions in a more dignified manner"
• "could have been handled much better"
• "I want to apologize publicly"

UPDATE: An excellent question from SandyH in the comments:

If he really feels this way, why doesn't he resign? That would be the honorable thing to do, so as not to make a mockery of all these regrets.

Bush Fails to Make the Case

President Bush has already vowed to veto the emergency spending bill that provides funding for the troops along with a strategy for getting them out of a bloody civil war. Instead, he's looking for nothing short of a rubber stamp for his failed policies.

Yet public opinion is clearly with the Democrats. And as the Horse's Mouth points out, there's more:

In other words, not only is the central White House/GOP message failing to persuade, but fewer people buy it now since back when the GOP propaganda campaign geared up again in earnest, and significantly more people hold the opposite view. Simply put, the White House and GOP are losing the argument, if they haven't completely lost it already -- suggesting that on Iraq, their once-daunting ability to persuade, something that was jealously eyed by Dems after the 2004 losses and has been hailed by the media for far too long since, has been reduced at this point to little more than smoldering wreckage.

So as Bush prepares his veto, it will be interesting to see if the Republicans in Congress favor a blank check for President Bush to stay the course.

Gonzales' Memory

TPM Muckraker has yet another must-read post:

In October of last year, President Bush had a conversation with Gonzales about U.S. attorneys. According to the White House's public statements, the conversation was a broad one, about voter fraud in three districts. Gonzales has said publicly that he doesn't remember such a conversation taking place.

But that's not what Kyle Sampson told congressional investigators this past weekend. According to Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Sampson said that in early March of this year, Gonzales told him about a conversation he'd had in October with Bush that was specifically about U.S. Attorney for New Mexico David Iglesias. [...]

So in early March, Gonzales told Sampson privately about this conversation (this was, by the way, before the White House had publicly disclosed that there had been any conversations between Bush and Gonzales about U.S. attorneys). But on March 26, Gonzales told NBC and the world that he didn't remember having any such conversation.

The Gonzales hearing got pushed back to Thursday at 9:30am, but the questions continue to mount for the Attorney General.

Tuesday Open Thread

Chat away...

April 16, 2007

Tax Day? How About Some Representation, Please?

Today is Emancipation Day here in the District of Columbia, in honor of April 16, 1862, when 3,100 people were freed in the city, nine months before the Emancipation Proclamation.

Last month, the D.C. Voting Rights Act was introduced in the House. The legislation was pulled from the floor when Republican members tried to attach an unrelated amendment about D.C. gun control laws. Even if the legislation returns to the House floor, the Bush administration has threatened to veto any bill that grants D.C. residents the right to elect a voting member of Congress.

Today is also marked by the looming specter of Tax Day, and it’s worth noting that D.C. residents pay the second highest per capita federal income taxes in the nation. There are over 580,000 disenfranchised, tax-paying Americans living in D.C.

Thousands of D.C. residents gathered at 4pm today at the Capitol Reflecting Pool to march for D.C. Voting Rights, joining Mayor Adrian Fenty, Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton, Rep. John Lewis (D-GA) and others. Donna Brazile, Voting Rights Institute Chair, said in an email that the march will:

“Send Congress and the President the message that we cannot advocate for rights abroad that we deny at home.”

So when you mail in those late tax returns--remember us here in the nation’s Capitol. At least you get your money’s worth of democracy.

First 100 Days A Success

With the Senate recently completing their 100th work day, it's worth taking a look at all they have already done to improve the lives of Americans. Unlike the do-nothing Republican Congress they replaced, Democrats have already pursued a positive agenda and gotten things done.

Early on, Democrats replaced the Republican Culture of Corruption with the most significant ethics reforms in more than 20 years, reigning in the influence of lobbyists and tightening the ethics rules that govern Congress. The legislation banned gifts, meals, and travel funded by lobbyists, and has been called "the most significant ethics reform since Watergate."

The House and the Senate also passed a bill to raise the minimum wage for the first time in a decade. They made America safer by passing all of the recommendations of the 9/11 Commission. They passed a bill to promote stem cell research by expanding federal funding by lifting restrictions, which should soon reach the President's desk.

The Senate has held 58 oversight hearings on the war in Iraq, compared to the last (Republican-led) Senate holding zero. In addition, Democrats have crafted legislation to remove our troops from the civil war in Iraq so that we can change the course. No longer will the Congress simply being a rubber stamp for the Bush administration.

That "no rubber stamp" rule doesn't just apply to Iraq, as Senate Democrats are also investigating the conditions at Walter Reed. Our veterans deserve the very best treatment, and so it is vital to determine what went wrong. It also applies to the hearings to determine the White House's involvement in the firing of several U.S. attorneys.

On top of it all, House Democrats have passed legislation to make college more accessible by lowering the interest rate on student loans. They've passed bills ranging from making America more energy independent to making health care more affordable.

Yet while Democrats continue to get things done, Republicans in Congress continue to attempt to block positive reform at every stage on many of these issues. So far, Democrats have come out on top. That's not just a victory for us, but a victory for America.

New Link Between Domenici and Bush in U.S. Attorney Scandal

According to the Albuquerque Journal, Sen. Pete Domenici (R-NM) personally appealed to the White House to fire U.S. Attorney David Iglesias, first asking White House advisor Karl Rove to speak to President Bush about the ouster, and then speaking directly to Bush about it himself.

The newspaper reported on Sunday that Domenici was responding to complaints from a number of sources, including law enforcement officials and Republican Party activists.

“In the spring of 2006, Domenici told Gonzales he wanted Iglesias out. Gonzales refused. He told Domenici he would fire Iglesias only on orders from the president. At some point after the election last Nov. 6, Domenici called Bush’s senior political advisor, Karl Rove, and told him he wanted Iglesias out and asked Rove to take his request directly to the president. Domenici and Bush subsequently had a telephone conversation about the issue.”

The link between Sen. Domenici and President Bush emerges just as U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzalez prepares to testify before Congress tomorrow in the ongoing investigation into the firing of eight U.S. prosecutors.

In a new poll, 67 percent of respondents said they believed the prosecutors were fired by the Justice Department for political reasons, not on the basis of their performance.

Sen. Domenici’s current term ends in 2008. With the ethical questions that now surround him, the Washington Post ranks his seat at #8 of the top ten seats to watch.

The Daily Flipper

Read what the Republicans Wish You Wouldn't...

TOP HEADLINE: Do Romney’s Neverending Slip-ups Mean He’s Not Quite Ready for Prime Time?

Romney has tried to sell himself as a "turnaround" artist who can use his skills as a businessman to come in and clean up the mess created by the current administration.

But he doesn't seem quite ready for prime-time politics, and his stumbles raise a familiar question: can a big shot from the private sector, accustomed to control, handle the chaos of a political campaign? And can a high roller in the secretive world of finance stand the exposure of public life? The historical record is mixed: for every Michael Bloomberg, the media mogul turned über-competent mayor of New York, there has been at least one Dick Cheney, who seems to think that the iron-fist approach mastered at a big corporation like Halliburton can be just as effective in the vice president's office. Romney might have learned from the mistakes of his father, George, who was a huge success as a car manufacturer, but committed the unpardonable gaffe of speaking his inner mind as a presidential candidate (in 1967, the senior Romney allowed that he had had a "brainwashing" on a visit to U.S. Army headquarters in Vietnam). Romney's spokesman says the former governor "believes that government bureaucracy can and should learn the best practices of management." But so far, Romney himself hasn't quite figured out how to integrate the two.

GOP Candidates ‘Take it Outside’ at Unity Dinner

"Rudy McRomney is not a conservative, and he knows he's not a conservative," former Virginia Gov. Jim Gilmore said.

Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee also poked at Giuliani: "Every single person who comes to this podium will tell you he's a true conservative. You'll have to sort out whether that's true, but let me tell you the good news: At least it proves in our party it still matters to be a conservative and no one but a conservative has any hope of getting elected to the presidency from the Republican party in 2008."

Kansas Sen. Sam Brownback took a dig at celebrity candidates like Giuliani and McCain.

"We are a party based on principles, not personalities," he said.

Giuliani Strategy: Urge Voters To Support Him Because They Don’t Agree With Him?

Republican presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani warned GOP activists in Des Moines on Saturday that if they insist on a nominee who always agrees with them, it will spell defeat in 2008.

“Our party is going to grow, and we are going to win in 2008 if we are a party characterized by what we’re for, not if we’re a party that’s known for what we’re against,” the former New York mayor said at a midday campaign stop.

Giuliani’s Gender-Bending Not Exactly Working in his Favor

Political observers say many voters associate a macho demeanor with Giuliani's post-Sept. 11 image as a strong national leader in a time of crisis — an image that could lose its power if dressed in stockings and dancing the cancan.

Yes, there was another year when he wore fishnet hose and did high kicks with the Rockettes.

"People think of him as a leader and a tough guy, and he has this image as somebody who tamed the city of New York and made the trains run on time, and seeing him dressed up like a girl would run contrary to all of those things," said Neal Thigpen, a political-science professor at Francis Marion University in South Carolina.

Return of the Pander Parade; Giuliani to Speak at Robertson’s University

Republican White House hopeful Rudy Giuliani will speak tomorrow at the university founded by televangelist Pat Robertson, a major appearance for the former mayor before a conservative crowd.

Several hundred people have registered to size up Giuliani, who holds liberal social views but is casting himself as the campaign's true "fiscal conservative."

He will be introduced at Regent University by Robertson - who in 2005 said Giuliani would make "a good president."

McCain in the Money? Not So Much. . .

Republican presidential hopeful Sen. John McCain yesterday reported $5.2 million cash on hand in his campaign account after the first three months of the year, about half what his two major opponents reported. The Arizona Republican reported to the Federal Election Commission he raised $13.1 million in the first three months of this year and spent $8.4 million -- or 61.4 percent of what he raised. That's far higher than the "burn," or spending rate reported by former New York Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, who spent at a more frugal rate, raised more overall and each reported more than $10 million cash on hand. Link.

John McCain is really setting himself up for a "Comeback Kid" storyline, it seems. How else to explain the fact that after raising less cash than any of his serious rivals for the GOP nomination, he has also managed to burn though a far greater portion of his funds than any of his rivals? … His rivals are in much better shape... (even Chris Dodd has more cash on hand)
Link.

Those Remaining on Payroll Gave at the Office . . .

Although his payroll costs were not immediately available, he reported paying the Internal Revenue Service $740,135 in payroll taxes and other fees. McCain aides have said for weeks they have begun scaling back his operation, including trimming staff, to reduce costs.

And they are doing their part, too. His report shows $19,405 in contributions from people who said they work for the campaign.

While Mitt Romney Feels the Burn. . .

Presidential hopeful Mitt Romney raised almost $7 million more than fellow candidate Rudolph W. Giuliani but had only $1 million more cash on hand to use in the Republican primary as of March 31, according to figures both men filed with the Federal Election Commission yesterday. Mr. Giuliani's figures -- $16.6 million raised in the first quarter and $10.8 million cash on hand available for the primary -- shows a lean campaign that is spending frugally, that raised $11.5 million in March alone, and that promised to keep up that pace for the future.

You Never Call. . . Was It Something I Leaked? Cheney Hasn’t Spoken to Libby Since Guilty Verdict

In the nearly six weeks since his close friend and former chief of staff was convicted of lying and obstructing an investigation, Vice President Dick Cheney has not once spoken to I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby.

Why?

"Well, there hasn't been occasion to do so," Cheney said in an interview broadcast Sunday on CBS' "Face the Nation."

If Anything, You Can Always Count on the Second Tier for an Offcolor Joke

Most Offbeat Anecdote/Joke: Tie. Sam Brownback somehow digressing into how Mother Teresa wanted to melt down her Congressional Gold Medal and then use the sale of the gold for the poor (Brownback convinced her it was better to just auction off the thing) and Tommy Thompson telling a joke that included the line, "Mexicans drink a lot of tequila and they suffer less heart attacks than the British."

What’s Not on Sam Brownback’s Ipod

The Republican senator from Kansas provided ABC News with a list of what he terms the "top five songs on the Billboard Hot Rap Tracks for the week of April 10, 2007." The songs, by EMI Capitol Records, Jive, Def Jam, Interscope, and Big Oomp Records, include offensive language that Brownback wants pulled the way Imus was pulled.

The follwing lyrics are excerpted from a handout provided by Brownback:

Link.

President Fred Thompson? Only on HBO

And you can catch the actor side of Thompson throughout the month of May. HBO plans to air "Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee," in which Thompson plays Ulysses S. Grant.

The End of an Affair: Press No Longer Smitten With McCain

The press corps has fallen out of love with John McCain rather rapidly. And even his celebrity status isn't enough to get him much airtime these days. I hate to harp on it, but it calls for harping on: Mr. McCain's attempted campaign relaunch last week (the Iraq war speech down at VMI) was a complete and utter bust. Don Imus and Anna Nicole's baby-daddy crowded it right out of the national consciousness.

What's worst for Mr. McCain is that a slump like this is likely to feed on itself. Very bad first-quarter fundraising figures + extremely bad polling numbers do not = a successful second-quarter fundraising showing. And with no money and all the free media going against you ...

... well, you'd better hope those town halls really do the trick.

He’s Not Much of an Idea Man

Senator John McCain said that the buildup of American forces in Iraq represented the only viable option to avoid failure in Iraq and that he had yet to identify an effective fallback if the current strategy failed.

“I have no Plan B,” Mr. McCain said in an interview. “If I saw that doomsday scenario evolving, then I would try to come up with one. But I cannot give you a good alternative because if I had a good alternative, maybe we could consider it now.”

And He’s Not Exactly as Young as He Used to Be

Here's another thing about the McCain visit: Boy, did he look all tuckered out. In fairness to McCain, it was late and the day was probably long for the 70-year-old prisoner of war veteran, who keeps a schedule gallivanting the nation that would kill an average man. But presidential candidates don't get to be average. While he was quick with a joke and light on his feet on the stump, McCain looked like he needed to be propped up with a stick while mingling in the VIP room before the dinner.

Next Week for the Gilmore “campaign”: Oppo Dump on “Fred Huckacredo”

Gilmore's attack on "Rudy McRomney" was the harshest attack on the GOP frontrunners issued at Saturday's gathering of the Republican presidential field in Des Moines, Iowa.

It was met with a smattering of boos from the audience of Republican Party donors.

Monday Open Thread

Chat away...

April 15, 2007

Sunday Open Thread

Chat away...

April 14, 2007

Saturday Open Thread

Chat away...

April 13, 2007

Deep Throat? Try Deep Pockets

For some reason, the song “Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap” keeps running through my head. I’m thinking it would be an appropriate theme song for Mitt Romney’s campaign.

Romney, the founder of a giant private equity firm, is worth millions of dollars already. He used his personal fortune to pave his way into politics, spending $6 million of his own money on a successful run for governor of Massachusetts in 2002. He’s also leveraged his fortune in his run for the presidency, loaning his own campaign millions of dollars.

As a result, Romney raced far ahead of his Republican rivals in the first quarter of fundraising, bringing in more than $20 million dollars. John McCain, in comparison, raised only $12.5 million and Rudy Giuliani raised $15 million. Romney is raking it in, hand over tightly-wadded fist.

But who are these deep-pocketed donors? The list reads like a Who’s Who from the playbook of dirty campaigns.

CARL LINDNER, COMMON SENSE OHIO

Take Carl Lindner, founder of American Financial Group and one of the biggest conservative donors in the country. Last month, Lindner was named one of Romney’s Ohio finance chairs, along with his son S. Craig Lindner, and co-chair of the campaign’s national finance committee. S. Craig Lindner hosted a fundraising event for Romney at his Indian Hill home in Cincinnati earlier this month. The Lindner and Romney families are close and consider each other friends.

But a new report from the Campaign Finance Institute also fingers Carl Linder as the big donor behind Common Sense Ohio, a group that ran deceptive push poll operations in six states during the 2006 elections.

Lindner donated $427,224 to fund last-minute phone calls distorting the records of Democratic candidates Ted Strickland in Ohio, Ben Cardin in Maryland, Jon Tester in Montana, and Harold Ford in Tennessee, among others. Lindner’s donation was half of the organization’s total budget.

Of course, it’s worth noting that under Mitt Romney’s leadership, the Republican Governor’s Association also donated $70,000 to Common Sense Ohio.

SAM FOX, SWIFT BOAT VETS FOR TRUTH

Remember Sam Fox? He just got himself a cushy job as Ambassador to Belgium, thanks to a questionable recess appointment by President Bush.

But back in 2004, Sam Fox donated $50,000 to the notorious Swift Boat Vets for Truth, the group that aired ads distorting the Vietnam War record of Senator John Kerry.

Fox claims that he considers Kerry a hero. But he refused to call the contribution a mistake. When questioned about his donation to Swift Boat Vets for Truth, he said, “When I’m asked, I just generally give.”

He also gave $100,000 to Romney’s PAC in Iowa and hosted a Romney political retreat in Alaska. Belgium chocolates may be on the way.

BOB PERRY, SWIFT BOAT VETS FOR TRUTH, COLLEGE REPUBLICANS

Bob Perry, a Texas homebuilder, is one of the new members of the Romney Texas fundraising team. An invitation to a Dallas fundraiser for Romney on March 26 includes Perry’s name as a member of the “Texas Leadership Team.”

Perry was also the chief backer of the Swift Boat Vets for Truth. IRS records show that he donated $4.5 million to the group in 2004. Perry is one of the largest Republican donors in Texas, and has donated “hundreds of thousands of dollars” in campaign contributions to local and federal Republican candidates. He is also a good friend of George Bush and Karl Rove.

Perry is also the fourth largest donor to the College Republicans 527 organization. That group has recently sponsored activities such as “Fun with Guns,” in which young Republicans use BB guns or paintball guns to shoot cardboard cut-outs of Democratic leaders like Hillary Clinton and John Kerry, or “Catch the Illegal Immigrant,” in which players searched their campuses for a student wearing the name-tag “illegal immigrant.”

JOHN RAKOLTA, FUNDED AD COMPARING DEMOCRATS TO HITLER

In 2006, John Rakolta and his wife each donated $5,000 to Voice the Vote, a political action committee started by Detroit political consultant Adolph Mongo. Their $10,000 contribution accounts for more than one-third of the $29,000 that Mongo raised.

Voice the Vote PAC produced ads that ran in the Michigan Chronicle newspaper featuring photographs of Hitler alongside Governor Granholm and five former Democratic presidents.

John Rakolta is the National Finance Co-Chair for the Romney campaign. Rakolta also serves on Romney’s Florida statewide Finance Steering Committee.

THOSE DEEP POCKETS

With the Bush administration’s scandal du jour of the missing eighteen weeks worth of emails making it look more like the Nixon administration every day, we might be looking for the next Deep Throat. But it looks like Mitt Romney may have already found his Deep Pockets.

The Friday Five

Every Friday we're highlighting five events happening around the country that we've found in PartyBuilder's Events system. Democrats who work and play together, win together, and keeping your local Democrats active and involved is the key to sustaining vibrant organizations.

Here are 5 events happening around the country in the next week. If you don't see one in your neck of the woods, click here to search for one near you.

1. D.C. (Rally) (Washington, DC)

   On Monday, April 16th beginning at 2:30pm at Freedom Plaza, District citizens will gather to send Congress and the President the message that we cannot advocate for rights abroad that we deny at home. We will then march to the Capitol and rally at the Reflecting Pool at 4:00pm.

2. Becoming A Catalyst For Change: Empowering Our Communities Through Individual Greatness (Northampton, MA)
   

   This symposium will be absent of the theories and rhetoric that are so common in academia. True brilliance will be mirrored in our actions. Although long-term change is well within our reach, the goal of our symposium is to make the process easier by providing valuable tools and resources along with getting you in contact with people who are changing the world as we speak.

3. Gathering of Democratic Friends (Columbus, GA)
   

   Come share the convivial atmosphere of the pub at the lower level of the Goetchius House to talk issues with other Progressive Democrats! Coffee, iced tea, & soft drinks also served.

4. Wine Tasting (Kansas City, MO)
   

   Fundraiser for the Platte County Democratic party
   $35 per person. In addition to the wine and pleasant company, there will be hors d'oeuvres and a chocolate fountain.

5. Caucus Schmaucus (Sparks, NV)
   

   What the heck is a caucus? Why should I participate? What difference can I make? Learn the answers to all these questions AND MORE....

Questions For Cheney

This weekend, Vice President Dick Cheney will appear on "Face the Nation." As our press folks note, Cheney "has yet to answer questions about the growing number of scandals currently engulfing the Bush Administration as well as the White House's failed Iraq strategy."

Here are some of the questions we'd like to see answered. For more background on each of them, check out the full press release.

1. In light of the bombing of the Iraqi parliament inside the green zone, do you still believe things are going “remarkably well” in Iraq?
2. This week, it was announced that 13,000 National Guard soldiers should prepare for a sooner than expected possible deployment to Iraq and last week Defense Secretary Gates said U.S. Army units would be deployed to Iraq for 15 months instead of 12 months. Even Gates said our forces are “stretched.” Will you acknowledge that your Administration’s failure to properly plan for the war has stretched our military to the breaking point?
3. When will we leave Iraq?
4. Recent reports show that a number of White House staffers used RNC email accounts to secretly conduct government business and that many of these emails, including many of Karl Rove’s messages, have since been lost. Doesn't this practice violate the law? Has any member of your staff been given an RNC account? Can you comment on this practice?
5. A new poll says a majority of Americans think the Attorney General should be fired. Do you think Attorney General Gonzales should be fired? How far into the Bush White House does this scandal go and has anyone on your staff been involved?
6. Do you feel you were misled by Doug Feith?

Fantastic questions that deserve an answer. And extra bonus points for an answer to this one:

7. Several months ago, according to the Associated Press, you said on "Meet the Press" that you "would not comment on what [your] own role in that case may have been, saying [you were] likely to be called as a witness in Libby’s trial." Now that the trial is over and your former Chief of Staff has been convicted of four felony charges, what was your role in the matter?

Phantom Emails: The Eighteen Week Gap

The scandal at the Justice Department and the White House concerning the firing of several U.S. Attorneys continues to raise eyebrows, most recently with the "missing" emails of White House staffers using an email system maintained by the Republican National Committee (RNC).

This is yet another spin-off scandal that's a product of the original one. With this igniting a firestorm of controversy, and with Alberto Gonzales testifying before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday, consider this a guide to the phantom emails.

A couple dozen White House employees are using an email system maintained by the RNC, which itself is the subject of much scrutiny, as they may have used it for official business. Karl Rove, for instance, "reportedly uses his RNC-provided account for approximately 95% of his communication." In August of 2004, due to "unspecified legal inquiries" that many believe involves Patrick Fitzgerald's investigation, the Republican National Committee stopped automatically deleting emails from the White House employees using their system.

Rep. Waxman, Chairman of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, previously asked the RNC (and the Bush-Cheney '04 campaign) to retain copies of the emails sent by White House officials after discovering that they had been used in discussion with the scandal surrounding the firings of the U.S. Attorneys.

This is where it gets particularly interesting. In a recent letter from Rep. Waxman yesterday to Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, he notes that the RNC's chief council says that "although the hold started in August 2004, the RNC does not have any e-mails prior to 2005 for Mr. Rove." And then there's this nugget:

Mr. Kelner did not give any explanation for the e-mails missing from Mr. Rove's account, but he did acknowledge that one possible explanation is that Mr. Rove personally deleted his e-mails from the RNC server.

That's one possible explanation for what happened to the pre-2005 emails, says the RNC's chief council. After 2005, once the RNC put into place an automatic archive policy for Rove that removed his ability to personally delete emails, the emails presumably exist.

So now there's a gap in emails, from August 2004 to presumably early 2005, that's being compared to the famous missing 18 minute gap of the Nixon tapes.

But are the emails really missing? Well, for the answer to that question, take a look at what Senator Leahy had to say:

There are also additional notes on the side that merit attention:

• Originally, the White House claimed that "only a handful" of White House employees were using the RNC email system. It turns out that over the years, that number has been closer to 50.


• In addition to the phantom RNC emails, CREW, an ethics watchdog group, claims that "Executive Office of the President (EOP) has lost over five million emails generated between March 2003 and October 2005." These are unrelated to the RNC emails, and were seemingly cited in a letter from Patrick Fitzgerald to Scooter Libby's attorney.


• John Conyers, Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, has demanded that the RNC hand over emails related to the U.S. Attorney scandal. In his letter, he states the following:

  We have also been advised that there may be RNC e-mail traffic relating to Republican Party concerns about the United States Attorney in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, prior to his announcing, on the eve of the hotly contested 2006 gubernatorial election, that he was indicting an official in the incumbent Democratic governor's administration.

So there you go. That's where we find ourselves today. More seems to be coming out on a daily basis again, and there was just a big document dump from the Justice Department related to the U.S. Attorney scandal, so stay tuned.

Something Strange at the Education Department

Last week, a story broke about a scandal at the federal Education Department, when it was revealed that a senior official sold more than $100,000 in shares in a student loan company--while he was overseeing lenders in the federal student loan program.

At the time, the Education Department said that Secretary Margaret Spellings had just been briefed on the situation and that the department was taking the matter “very seriously.”

Now it turns out that the senior official, Matteo Fontana, had disclosed his ownership of the stock to the department years ago. Now there are new questions about whether or not the department had known about the situation all along.

By the way, Fontana received 7,000 of those shares in December 2001 as a "gift" from a senior executive at Education Lending Group. Fontana is now on paid administrative leave.

This story is still developing. We'll keep you posted.

The Daily Flipper

Read what the Republicans Wish You Wouldn't...

TOP HEADLINE: A John McCain Presidency: Four More Years of Bush Legacy

The old John McCain - the principled maverick - may have been the man to lead his party out of such a mess, and reconnect it to the American people. The John McCain of today, who champions the "troop surge" as a quick fix to Iraq's ethnic problems, is stating openly to voters that his presidency would be a continuation - or, indeed, an escalation - of Bush in foreign policy.

Just last week, McCain was in Baghdad claiming that victory in Iraq was around the corner. Historians have a phrase for that kind of thinking - it's called "bunker mentality."

Allow the idea of four or eight more years of self-delusion in Iraq to sink in for a moment. Even assuming that McCain stopped his flip-flopping once in the Oval Office, even assuming that all his self-contradictions were just an act he was putting on to get elected, his presidency would still mean another four years of Bush's foreign policy.

McCain Reinvention Off to “Dismal” Start

For weeks he has been trailing Rudy Giuliani both in the polls and in the fund-raising race. He had hoped that he would build such a powerful machine that his conservative critics would line up behind him; instead, the machine is so rickety that ex-friends in the media are lining up to write his obituary.

The relaunching process got off to a dismal start. Mr McCain began by sort-of-apologising for a recent stroll through a Baghdad market that did little to burnish the image of the straight talker of legend. The market was much safer than it used to be, he claimed, while being clearly guarded by a legion of soldiers and a phalanx of helicopter gunships.

McCain’s Plan to Win Votes … Hire Them All

The total campaign operation now numbers more than 120 people, and an aide emphasized that the cuts would not hit key political and communications operations. The shifts also include restructuring consultant contracts.

This Was Your Idea?? Gingrich Urged White House to Create War ‘Czar’

The idea for such a czar has been promoted by various people, including former House speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.), who sent a memo to the White House several weeks ago advocating it as part of an 18-point plan.

"The slowness and ineffectiveness of the American bureaucracy is a major hindrance to our winning, and they've got to cut through it," Gingrich said in an interview yesterday.

So far, the White House has had trouble finding someone to fill the new assignment. At least five retired four-star generals have declined to be considered. Since The Post disclosed the plan this week, many Democrats and former military officers have blasted the idea as a misguided reorganization or as an abrogation of presidential responsibility.

Romney Forced to Defend His Flops in Chicago

He responded to the charge that he has changed his positions on issues important to conservative Republican primary voters since he decided to run for president.

When Romney ran for governor of Massachusetts in 2002, he campaigned as a candidate who supported abortion rights. Now he says it is up to the states to choose. He has always personally been anti-abortion, he said, but the debate over cloning a few years ago convinced him that states should have the right to limit the procedure.

Romney said that while he thinks the administration committed a "number of errors" in its handling of the war, he backs Bush's ongoing troop surge and said withdrawal would be a "grave error."

But Romney has come under criticism for supporting private timetables for the withdrawal of U.S. troops in Iraq, with some Republicans contending his position is not far removed from attempts by congressional Democrats to set public timetables on troop deployment in a supplemental military spending bill.

I Swear It Was Another GOP MA Governor. . . Romney Curiously Ignores Mass Health Care Reform In Accomplishments

As Mitt Romney aggressively courts conservatives in his bid for the Republican presidential nomination, landmark health-care legislation that the former Massachusetts governor signed into law about a year ago has been largely left out of his pitch.

Buoyed by leading the GOP pack in fundraising for the first three months of this year, Romney's campaign recently launched a series of ads in Iowa and New Hampshire, but they featured another aspect of his tenure as governor: vetoes of spending bills from the Democratic state legislature.

"It was an incredible accomplishment, and Romney really drove this," said Jonathan Gruber, an economics professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology who worked with the Romney administration on the plan. "I would have hoped he would be touting it more than he is. To me, it should be the accomplishment he's running on, and I don't see him doing that."

In his major speeches, including the announcement of his candidacy in Michigan in February, Romney has often omitted mention of the health-care law. When he does talk about it, he frequently complains about provisions the legislature added that he opposed.

Off Message? Candy Handed Out at Huckabee’s Health Event

Speaking to a group of municipal employees at the Utah League of Cities and Towns midyear convention at the Dixie Convention Center on Thursday, Huckabee said the unhealthy lifestyle of Americans is impacting the gross national product by about $700 billion a year.

Ireland said the conference was based on the theme of Get Fit - Get Healthy and had been heavily played into the conference criteria.

Unfortunately, no one seemed to notify the exhibitors at the event of the fact that healthy lifestyles were the key to the conference.

Many of the exhibitors handed out candy at the various booths with only one providing nuts as a healthy alternative.

New Yorkers Don’t Remember Giuliani’s So-Called Fiscal Conservatism

Enter Rudy, who has elevated "fiscal discipline" to a top promise, claiming "the strongest record" of any candidate -- "Republican or Democrat" -- on that issue. His op-ed this week in the Financial Times led with the line: "Washington needs a hefty dose of fiscal discipline." The phrase tops his list of issues on his Web site, where he notes that he cut the size of NYC-funded government by 20% and got rid of wasteful programs. He's promised his own vetoes.

Yet if this is music to many American ears, it's semi-Swahili to New Yorkers who've seen the mayor at work.

Take the line-item veto. For decades New York had taken advantage of a special program that allowed it alone to reap extra federal Medicaid dollars. The city's broken health system was dependent on this booty, and its loss would have required painful change. Mr. Giuliani instead sued, portraying the issue as us-against-them. When he won, his press release declared it a "great victory" for "the people of the city, the state and the constitution of the U.S." No mention of the other Americans who got to float NYC's bills.

Here's another one: Out-of-city residents had long complained about New York's onerous commuter tax, and in 1999 the state legislature moved for repeal. Rightfully so, since it was unprincipled and bad economic policy. Yet it gave New York City $360 million a year, which is why Mr. Giuliani fought (unsuccessfully) against its end. Or take Nafta, which Mr. Giuliani complained would be bad for New York.

How Giuliani Killed the Line-Item Veto

Here's a little nugget from the past, a tale that may offer some insights into the next stage of the GOP presidential race, and the fortunes of front-runner Rudy Giuliani:

The date is the mid-1990s, and Republicans have swept Congress with their Contract with America. A top promise is greater fiscal responsibility, and a crucial element of that is a vow to pass a line-item veto and give the president the power to weed out pork. In 1996 Republicans are as good as their word, and grant the opposition's Bill Clinton a broad new power to strip wasteful spending.

Mr. Clinton is enthusiastic, and in August 1997 uses his tool for the first time to strike down a special-interest provision tucked in a bill. That provision gives New York hospitals a unique right to bilk extra Medicaid money, and the veto is expected to save federal taxpayers at least $200 million. Quicker than a Big Apple pol can say "pork," New York officials sue, challenging the line item veto's constitutionality. That suit, Clinton v. City of New York, goes all the way to the Supremes, which in 1998 put the kibosh on veto authority.

The kicker? The guy who brought the suit and won--or, rather, the guy who helped stall one of the more powerful tools for reining in government spending--was none other than former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani.

Rudy’s Fuzzy Abortion Position Could Cost Him Social Conservatives

Perhaps it is inevitable that a man who became a national icon also ended up politically tone deaf. He began to believe his press clipplings, sycophants surrounded him, drowning out any criticism, and the rush of White House staff wannabees left him convinced that the bandwagon could not run off-course. Rudy Giuliani obviously doesn't get it, but his support for taxpayer-paid abortions could --and certainly should--prove to be the deal- breaker for pro-life conservatives.

Giuliani Hides Behind His Real Positions With States’ Rights Argument

By scooping up so many issues into his state right’s satchel, Giuliani dodges his responsibility as a presidential candidate to explain to the electorate why he believes that the right to abortion is not absolute, or why he believes that states can fly the Confederate Flag, or whether he believes that, as abhorrent a symbol as that flag may have become, states certainly have the “right” to fly it. That last example is instructive. No one we know of has ever asserted that Congress should ban the Confederate Flag. It is a dodge – a plain dodge – to simply say that it’s a state’s rights issue. No one disputes that. Rudy has decided he does not need to tell Alabamans whether he personally endorses the idea.

More Proof That Pork Can’t Buy You Happiness

“I remember asking myself when I first arrived in the Senate, whether Stevens was ever in a good mood.” – Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., paying tribute to Ted Stevens of Alaska, who became the longest-serving Republican senator in history this week

Defending the Rights of Workers

Today there's an editorial in the Sacramento Bee that provides the important context in which the Employee Free Choice Act is offered. The system is currently broken, with an outdated system that desperately needs reform:

Currently, the National Labor Relations Board sets an election a month or two down the road, after receiving a petition from at least 30 percent of eligible employees requesting a union vote. If an employer fully adheres to the law -- an increasingly rare prospect -- the company has the right to hire a hard-ball anti-union consultant, bar all union organizers from its stores, call an unlimited number of mandatory meetings with employees to discuss the union and "predict" that similar firms have gone bankrupt when they were unionized. Workers have the right, in fact, the obligation to listen.

If an employer decides to violate the law, say by demoting or firing workers for their union activity, penalties are so minimal they often act as an incentive rather than an impediment to these illegal practices.

The Senate is expected to consider the Employee Free Choice act in the weeks ahead, which would make it easier for workers to organize, as well as strengthening the penalties for employers who violate the rights of their employees. The House of Representatives already acted and voted in favor of the bill.

When 60 million workers would join a union "if they could," you know the system is broken. Let's hope the people score a victory on this one. You can add your voice by signing this petition to urge Senate Republicans to do the right thing.

Friday Open Thread

Chat away...

April 12, 2007

McCain "Digging For Ponies" In Iraq?

ThinkProgress notes John McCain admitted to a group of bloggers that he was "digging for the pony." As one conservative blogger who attended the conference call noted:

Says he may be “digging for the pony”, but doesn’t think al-Sadr would make good on threats because if he loses, then he’s “finished”.

But what, exactly, does that phrase mean? I've been tracking it down, and the earliest mention I can find comes from a piece in the National Review:

“The pony in the dung heap?” Father Albacete said. “That’s it. That’s the entire anthropology of human existence. You become a complete person by digging for the pony in the midst of all the crap life throws at you.”

So in McCain's metaphor, Iraq is "the dung heap?" And if things were going so well, would we really need to be shoveling around manure, looking for a pony? Is this what his dog and pony show in Iraq was about?

By the way, there was also a controversy the last time McCain had a blogger conference call.

Wisconsin Seniors Fall Down the Donut Hole

SeniorCare, a Wisconsin state program that helps low-income seniors get prescription drugs, serves 104,000 people and has saved the federal government $669 million in Medicaid costs. SeniorCare is also a popular program, generally liked by Wisconsin residents, and offers better benefits than Part D.

So why is the Bush administration pulling the plug on SeniorCare?

The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services announced last week that it was ending all federal funding for the program on June 30, which will essentially shut the program down. Governor Jim Doyle (D) said in a statement:

“The Bush administration is making a terrible mistake. As a result, Wisconsin seniors will pay more and get less coverage, while drug companies make even larger profits. Our state won’t be allowed to negotiate better prices on behalf of our seniors as we do now.”

SeniorCare is open to all residents 65 and older, and covered $253 million in drug costs last year. The federal government pays about $617 a year for the average SeniorCare participant, compared to nearly $1,200 for the average participant in the federal Medicare Part D program. The projected taxpayer savings are more than $400 million over the next three years.

Jason Helgerson, Wisconsin’s Medicaid director, told the Washington Post:

“SeniorCare is more cost-effective than Part D, for the simple reason that we negotiate with the drug companies and the federal government doesn’t.”

Senate Democrats are trying to address that very problem, pushing for legislation to allow Medicare to negotiate lower drug prices for the millions of Americans who get their prescription drugs through Plan D.

When the Republican Congress added a drug benefit to Medicare in 2003, the legislation prohibited Medicare from negotiating prices with drug manufacturers. Critics of the plan say that this has led to exorbitant and unnecessary costs for many seniors.

The Senate is expected to consider a measure next week to allow Medicare to negotiate discounts. According to the New York Times, at a White House meeting last week, aides to President Bush urged employer groups, insurance companies and drugstores to lobby against the Senate measure.

Hate Crimes Legislation Introduced in the Senate

Today Governor Dean issued a statement about a critical Hate Crimes bill just introduced in the Senate. You can read the entire release, but here's an excerpt:

Despite the fact that one in six hate crimes target the LGBT community, federal law does not currently include any protections for these Americans. The Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act will correct this injustice and provide the Department of Justice and local law enforcement agencies the resources they need to protect every American from hate crimes.

Hopefully this legislation will move through the Senate quickly. The House version of the bill was introduced last month.

The Daily Flipper

Read what the Republicans Wish You Wouldn't...

TOP HEADLINE: Withdrawal Number 2: Bernie Kerik Drops Bid For Security Advisor, Giuliani Associate Prepares for Federal Charges

As had been predicted by critics, embattled ex-New York City Police Commissioner Bernard Kerik has been forced to pull out of his contract as security advisor to President Bharrat Jagdeo because of the charges he may soon face in the US.

"[Kerik] said he doesn't want the country to be tainted," Jagdeo revealed yesterday at a news conference, adding that similar reasons were given for his decision to put off his involvement in Trinidad and Tobago.

US federal prosecutors are preparing to charge Kerik with several felonies, including tax evasion and conspiracy to commit wiretapping. As a result, Kerik revealed last week that he would not be returning to Trinidad until the charges against him are dealt with. He also said he did not want his presence to lead to criticisms of the opposition United National Congress, which contracted his services to deal with the country's high crime rate.

Kerik was President George W. Bush's nominee for Secretary of Homeland Security, but he withdrew his name from consideration for failing to pay social security taxes for his nanny. Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani had endorsed the nomination but has since admitted that it was a mistake. Giuliani's association with Kerik is being seen as a major blow to his campaign for the Republican Presidential nomination, particularly after reports of impending charges against him.

No Surprise Here: Giuliani Takes “Fuzzy” Stance on Abortion

Former New York Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani, a Republican who has few fans among conservatives for his support of abortion rights, has taken a fuzzy position.

His spokeswoman Maria Comella said Giuliani thinks "we need to take advantage of new technology, while at the same time need to be respectful of human life." She refused to provide details.

Southern Pandering, Rudy Style; Giuliani Says Slave Apology Up to the States

Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, making a swing through the South on Wednesday, ducked the racially charged issue of whether Georgia should apologize for slavery, saying it was up to individual states.

"States like Georgia should decide that for themselves," Giuliani said at a stop in Atlanta.

The mayor made a similar response when asked about another hot racial issue - the Confederate flag.

Giuliani has had a rocky relationship in the black community. During his tenure as mayor of New York, police shot and killed unarmed West African immigrant Amadou Diallo and Haitian immigrant Abner Louima was beaten and sodomized with a plunger in a Brooklyn station house. Black leaders lambasted the mayor for refusing to meet with them and for supporting the police.

Conservative NY Paper Editorializes Against Giuliani Confederate Flag Stance

Anyone hoping to be president of the United States of America owes it to national unity and historical accuracy to go beyond that and note that to many Americans, the flag is a symbol of the evil of slavery and of a secession effort that threatened to destroy the union of our nation. Anything short of that is unseemly pandering to Southern voters. Mr. Giuliani is admired as much as he is because of his reputation as a straight-talking New Yorker. A presidential campaign is no time for Mr. Giuliani or Mr. Romney to start talking like Trent Lott or Howard Dean or Jefferson Davis. The Republican president for them to emulate on this issue, unapologetically, is Lincoln.

Who Knew THIS Would Be A Two-Day Story For Rudy

He does have one somewhat bitter memory of Long Island: even worse than when the lifelong Yankee fan had to wear a Boston Red Sox uniform in Little League.

"One year they changed our name ... we were called the Dodgers," the hated Yankee rival that abandoned Brooklyn. "And that was much tougher."

Wannabe Hunter Romney Scares Away the Easter Bunny

"Those small animals can be ferocious," Romney joked Wednesday. "There were some pretty sad faces around the Romney household on Easter. We had our grandkids there and they were disappointed the Easter bunny didn't come. He heard I was packing heat."

McCain’s Friendly VMI Audience Not So Friendly After All

Eight VMI alumni have been killed in Iraq, as well as two others in the attacks on Sept. 11, 2001. And the front rows of Jackson Memorial Hall were filled with former cadets who have served stints in Iraq.

The cadets offered McCain polite applause but afterward several of them expressed doubts with the way the war was being handled.

"I really don't know where I stand," said Nick Matson, a sophomore from Roseville, Calif. "I just think we need a new leader."

As He Slips to Third in the Polls . . .

Sen. John McCain, once considered the front-runner for the Republican presidential nomination, has fallen to third place in a new Los Angeles Times/Bloomberg poll, and is running behind Fred Thompson, an actor and former senator who has not even entered the race.

The Arizona senator's showing in the poll is his lowest in any national survey to date, marking a new benchmark in his flagging fortunes. The surge of interest in Thompson is a sign of conservative dissatisfaction with the established field of candidates and underscores just how unsettled the Republican race remains.

You Know What That Means. . . Time For Some Heads to Roll!

Sen. John McCain's troubled presidential campaign is eliminating some non-senior staff positions and cutting some consultants' contracts.

Chris Drummond, a former top aide to South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford, told The Associated Press that his consulting contract was among those dropped. Sanford was McCain's 2000 campaign co-chairman with Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C.

"It kind of came as a surprise," Drummond said.

Who’s In Charge of the Teleprompter? McCain and Bush Deliver Near-Identical Iraq Speeches

Arizona Sen. John McCain stood before an auditorium of uniformed cadets at the Virginia Military Institute in Lexington, Va., on Wednesday with a message about the war in Iraq. "There are the first glimmers of progress," McCain said, in what his campaign billed as the first of three major policy speeches that will lead to the official announcement of his presidential campaign later this month.

McCain was reading the words off a teleprompter in the back of the room, but it was hard not to notice how closely they matched a statement made just 25 hours earlier by President Bush, who had also come to Virginia to talk to a military audience. "We're beginning to see some progress towards our mission," Bush had declared to American Legion Post 177 in Fairfax.

The echo-chamber effect did not end there. On Tuesday, Bush told his listeners that the Democratic leadership was "irresponsible" for attaching restrictions on funding for the troops, which Bush called a "political statement" that could risk the war effort. On Wednesday, McCain told the VMI cadets that Democrats had chosen a "reckless" road that would "deny our soldiers the means to prevent an American defeat." On Tuesday, Bush praised Iraq's new oil law, warned of a power vacuum that would be caused by a U.S. withdrawal, and spoke of the lessons of Sept. 11. On Wednesday, so did McCain.

Now That’s an Understatement: Straight Talk Express Hitting Some Bumps in the Road

McCain Reaches Back To Catch Momentum, Just Don’t Reach Back Too Far…

Oddly enough, the Arizona senator previously had been known primarily for unfortunate associations. He had briefly been chairman of Phil Gramm's ill-starred presidential campaign. Before that, he had been tarred by Charles Keating, a disgraced financier of the 1980s who spread a lot of money around on Capitol Hill when the savings and loan industry was collapsing.

He Would Definitely Lose the Class Spelling Bee: Duncan Hunter Misspells ‘President’

Even little 8-year-old Susie Flynn can spell “president,” something that the architects of Rep. Duncan Hunter’s (R-Calif.) run for the title of commander in chief apparently can’t manage.

In the California Republican’s formal Federal Election Commission filing making his bid official, Hunter misspelled “president,” mangling the name of his committee as “Hunter for Prseident Inc.”

On the bright side, although the field of candidates for the presidency is a bit crowded, Hunter is uncontested to be prseident.

His signature song? “Hail to the Cheif.”

Conservatives Worry About a President Gingrich’s Ego: Urge Him to Remain an “Intellectual Gadfly”

One former close adviser stipulated that he was "not focused on marital infidelity" except as one indication that Gingrich "was not able to put aside his ego out of a sense of higher purpose or principle." He said, "It breaks my heart to say this, because Newt has a view of the world closest to mine, (but) is this the person I want across the table from Putin?"

So how can Gingrich make his greatest contribution to the nation? By remaining an intellectual gadfly. President John F. Kennedy once hosted a dinner for Nobel Prize winners and said the evening displayed "probably the greatest concentration of talent and genius (in the White House) except for perhaps those times when Thomas Jefferson ate alone."

Today, publicists could say that the Heritage Foundation generates more ideas per hour than anyone else -- except when Gingrich is giving a speech. I hope he stays an intellectual entrepreneur and gives many more.

Hypocrisy Parade: Romney Urges Attention Away From “Beltway” Focus on Polls, Fundraising. . .After Touting His Poll Numbers and Fundraising

Says a Romney campaign email to supporters in touting the former governor's big national security speech last night at A&M:

"Sometimes the "Inside the Beltway" focus on the horserace – the polls, the fundraising, and the endorsements – causes one to lose sight of the most important factors in an election: the candidate’s agenda, policy vision, and leadership capacity."

So does this mean Mitt lost sight "of the most important factors" at his Iowa campaign HQ opening last week when he used his speech there to trumpet his poll standing, fundraising and plans to win the Iowa GOP's straw poll?

I guess the last part is at least part of the "candidate's agenda."

Thursday Open Thread

Chat away...

April 11, 2007

GOP 08’ers McCain, Giuliani and Huckabee Supported Don Imus—After His Racist Remarks

So Imus is out. But don’t forget that before it happened, no less than three leading Republican presidential candidates made statements in support of him, even in the wake of his suspension for racist remarks.

On the April 4 edition of MSNBC’s “Imus in the Morning,” host Don Imus referred to the Rutgers University women’s basketball team as “nappy-headed hos,” shortly after the show’s executive producer, Bernard McGuirk, called the team “hard-core hos.” The team is made up of eight African-American and two white players.

You would think that this one is a no-brainer. The comments were disgusting, hurtful, degrading and hateful. But no less than three leading Republican presidential candidates seemed to think otherwise.

In an article in the New York Daily News today, titled “Rudy, McCain say they forgive and support,” Giuliani was quoted as saying that he would appear again on Imus show [italics mine]:

“I take Don at his word that he understands the gravity of what he said. He seems sincerely sorry about it and seems like someone who will endeavor not to do that again and I take him at his word."

Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) had similar words for Imus:

" "He has apologized. He said that he is deeply sorry. I'm a great believer in redemption. Whether he needs to do more in order to satisfy the concerns of people like the members of that team, that's something that's between him and them. But I have made many mistakes in my life ... and I have apologized, and most people have accepted that apology."

From the conservative CBN News Brody File, Mike Huckabee’s statement:

“Yes I'd go on the show again. Imus said something really insensitive, he admitted it and apologized. He's continued to have me on his show when I said stupid things. I consider him a friend and don't abandon my friends even when they do something wrong. What Imus said was wrong, but he seems genuinely sorry. He's certainly not the first to put his foot in his mouth - and he won't be the last.”

Apparently it’s fine to say offensive and derogatory things, so long as you tack an “I’m sorry” on the end. Working on such a slippery ethical slide, what other kinds of behavior will McCain, Giuliani and Huckabee excuse from the people they call “friends?”

Carol Lam - A Primer

One of the U.S. Attorneys that was fired in the purge was Carol Lam, who investigated Republican Congressman Duke Cunningham (and others). In a new video by Talking Points Memo's Joshua Marshall, he lays out the case against the claims by the Justice Department that she was fired because of immigration cases. If you'd like a more detailed version, my personal favorite is this post over at TPM Muckraker back in March. While we wait for Alberto Gonzales to testify to the Senate Judiciary Committee, there's some extra time to understand why this is so important.

Your Iraq Ad

We asked you to become a spokesperson for the Democratic Party and respond to the Republicans' ridiculous claims about the war. You came through, spoke out, and we created our first ad of the 2008 presidential race -- starring you.

Flash Player 8 is required to view this presentation. You can download it here.

Posted by Michael Link on Wednesday, April 11, 2007 | Permalink | Comments (31)