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September 30, 2007

Sunday Open Thread

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September 29, 2007

From the Archives

Saturday Open Thread

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September 28, 2007

PB Rescue Open Thread

You'll want to check it out all weekend, but let me get you started:

• Sharon Grosfeld, from the Women's Leadership Forum, writes that "As we enter the month of October, which has been designated as Domestic Violence Awareness Month, we need to do everything we can to insure that legislation on the national and state levels is enacted that will lead victims of domestic violence towards independent lives, free of the abuse that has dominated their daily existence."
• My mom told me yesterday to watch Oprah. I didn't listen. So Annie B has the details.
• And I love seeing folks organize locally on PartyBuilder. But young people organizing locally? Even better. Good work, Shauna!

Chat away...

Romney Hypocrisy on Venezuela and Iran

Mitt Romney has been trying to court Republican voters by attacking the Governments of Venezuela and Iran and, in the case of Iran, urging divestment. It seems that Romney hasn't been as forthcoming about his ties to Hugo Chavez and Venezuela's oil company.

On the campaign trail, Republican Mitt Romney has been harshly critical of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez. But that hasn't stopped his campaign from taking donations from lobbyists who receive millions of dollars from a Venezuelan government-linked oil company.

Thursday night, supporters of the former Massachusetts Governor hosted 'Rallies for Romney' all over the country. The Washington, DC-event was hosted at Dutko Worldwide, a lobbying firm whose chairman, Ronald Kaufman, is a major Romney advisor. Dutko's president, Craig Pattee, is also a national finance co-chair for the campaign. Furthermore, Dutko employees have donated at least $15,400 to Romney's campaign, according to Federal Election Commission records.

The firm is the only registered federal lobbyist for Citgo, a US-based subsidiary of the Venezuelan government-owned Petroleos de Venezuela, according to the Senate Office of Public Records. Citgo has paid Dutko more than $3 million in fees since 1998.

Romney has also been calling for divestment from Iran. Last week it was reported that Romney had more than $250,000 invested in Iran. Just another set of flip-flops from Romney?

Governor Dean Blasts Bush For Threatening to Veto Health Coverage For Kids

Governor Dean blasted President Bush today for threatening to veto legislation that would provide health care coverage for millions of low-income children. Here's his statement:

"It's despicable that President Bush is willing to deny our nation's children health care. How is it compassionate conservatism to stand against ensuring that our children have access to the doctor visits for preventative care and treatment they need? While the President is committed to spending billions of dollars on a failed strategy in Iraq with no end in sight, he is willing to deny health care to our children here at home. Equally shameful, the Republican presidential candidates agree with President Bush's veto threat. The President and the Republican candidates should recognize that the health of our children must be a national priority and join Democrats in supporting this bill."

New Audio of Rush Limbaugh Viciously Smearing a Veteran

This morning we told you about Rush Limbaugh's comments calling soldiers who oppose the war in Iraq "phony soldiers." Now we've learned this isn't the first time he's smeared the troops.

Check out this clip from his radio show in 2005, in which he viciously attacked Paul Hackett, who served in the 1st Marine Division in Ramadi and Fallujah, and returned home to run for Congress in a special election against Republican Jean Schmidt.

Limbaugh calls Hackett a "staff puke," and claims that he served in Iraq only to "pad his resume."

Showing Up

Really, this says it all, doesn't it?

As Stephanie mentioned yesterday, Tavis Smiley moderated a Republican debate yesterday at a historically black college for issues important to minority communities.

But four empty lecterns say it all; Rudy Giuliani, John McCain, Fred Thompson and Mitt Romney all cited "scheduling difficulties." This, of course, after refusing other opportunities to speak to these issues at debates.

Giuliani Says He Took Cell Phone Call From Wife Because of Sept. 11

Rudy Giuliani is now saying that he took a cell phone call from his wife in the middle of a speech last week because of--wait for it--September 11. Of course.

Giuliani also addressed a cell phone call he took from his wife, Judith, last week during his speech to the National Rifle Association...

"And quite honestly, since Sept. 11, most of the time when we get on a plane, we talk to each other and just reaffirm the fact that we love each other," he said.

This is the man whose supporters recently held a "$9.11 for Rudy" fundraiser for him. His political capitalization on that event is officially out of control.

Republicans Failing in Effort to Split California's Electoral Votes

Last week we reported on a Republican-sponsored ballot initiative that would have changed the way California distributes its electoral votes--a change that Republicans believed would allow them to pick up seats in California and win the White House.

Now we learn that the ballot initiative is dead--at least for now. The Los Angeles Times reported today that:

The proposal to change the winner-take-all electoral vote allocation to one by congressional district is virtually dead with the resignation of key supporters, internal disputes and a lack of funds...The reality is hundreds of thousands of signatures must be gathered by the end of November to get the measure on the June 2008 ballot.

The initiative began in July under mysterious circumstances. The paperwork was filed by a Republican law firm in Sacramento, but the financial backers remained anonymous--leading Bob Herbert of the New York Times to say this looked like another Republican "dirty trick."

Rush Limbaugh Owes Troops An Apology

During the September 26 broadcast of his syndicated radio show, Rush Limbaugh called service members who advocate U.S. withdrawal from Iraq "phony soldiers."

Responding to a caller, a veteran who supported ending the war, Limbaugh said soldiers who want to bring our troops home were "phony soldiers." Another caller said "And what's really funny is they never talk to real soldiers. They pull these soldiers that come up out of the blue and spout to the media." Limbaugh responded "The phony soldiers."

Governor Dean condemned the remarks and called on Limbaugh to apologize:

"Rush Limbaugh should immediately apologize to our brave men and women in uniform for undermining the sacrifices they make every day serving our country. Limbaugh's comments were un-American, have no place in the public discourse, and show just how far he'll go to defend President Bush's failed policy in Iraq. America's troops deserve better, and Limbaugh owes them an apology."

Friday Open Thread

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September 27, 2007

PB Rescue Open Thread

Good news and bad news on PartyBuilder today.

• shopman shares good news about the 4th Amendment.
• But Jim Callahan posts a link to shocking statistics on Iraqi civilian deaths.

The Democratic Party gives anybody the ability to write blog posts directly on our website over at PartyBuilder (PB). You can read what everybody has to say, or you can create your own account and start writing posts yourself.

This is an open thread. Chat away...

Cheney Predicts Iraq Mess He Created

In this recently-unearthed video of Dick Cheney in 1992, he defends the first Bush Administration's decision not to occupy Iraq. In the video Dick Cheney asks some very persistent questions about occupying Iraq.

"But let's assume for the moment that we would have been able to do it...Then the question comes [of] putting a government in place of the one you've just gotten rid of; you can't just sort of turn around and walk away--you have now accepted the responsibility for what happens in Iraq. What kind of government do you want us to create in place of the old Saddam Hussein government? Do you want a Sunni government, or a Shi'a government or maybe it ought to be a Kurdish government, or maybe one based on the Ba'ath Party or maybe some combination of all of those? How long is that government likely to survive without U.S. military forces there to keep it propped up?

We would have been in a situation once we went into Baghdad where we would have engaged in the kind of street by street house to house fighting in an urban setting that would have been dramatically different from what from what we were able to do in the gulf...

You would have been fighting in a build up urban area, large civilian population and much heavier prospects for casualties.

You would have found as well I think the disintegration of the arab coalition that signed on to support us in our efforts to eject the Iraqis from Kuwait but never signed on for the proposition that the United States would become some kind of quasi permanent occupier of a major middle eastern nation.

If you get into the business of committing U.S. forces on the ground in Iraq, to occupy the place, my guess is I'd probably still have people there today instead of having been able to bring them home...The bottom line question for me was: How many additional American lives is Saddam Hussein worth? The answer: not very damn many."

The question is whether Vice President Dick Cheney even asked himself those question in 2003.

NYC Kids Learn Valuable Lesson: Don't Take Grammar Lessons From the President

President Bush made a grammar gaffe while promoting "No Child Left Behind" at an event that included the U.S. Secretary of Education, the New York City schools chancellor, Mayor Bloomberg and First Lady Laura Bush.

President Bush stood in front of a group of New York City elementary school students and touted higher national test scores by proudly declaring: "Childrens do learn."

For the record, the First Lady, a former public-school teacher and librarian, didn't appear to flinch when the President said, "As yesterday's positive report card shows, childrens do learn when standards are high and results are measured."

Senate Democrats Pass Hate Crimes Bill

Senate Democrats passed the Matthew Shepard Local Law Enforcement Enhancement Act today, an important amendment that expands the definition of a hate crime to include those based on disability, gender, sexual orientation, and gender identity. This legislation will also provide federal assistance to states, local communities and Indian tribes to prosecute hate crimes.

The vote was 60 to 39, with Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) not voting. The "no" votes included several senators facing re-election next year, including Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and Sen. Larry Craig (R-ID), who recently pleaded guilty in a public bathroom sex scandal.

See the roll call here.

Senate Democrats Expand Health Coverage For Kids

By a vote of 69-39, the Senate has passed legislation expanding health coverage to more children through the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP), a highly successful government program that makes sure poor children can receive medical care when they are sick.

"There is only one thing standing between improving the successful Children's Health Insurance Program and covering millions of uninsured children and that is a Presidential signature," said Senator Debbie Stabenow. "We need to hold the President accountable for saying no to providing coverage for over ten million uninsured American children."

Bush has threatened to veto the legislation.

Mitt Will Donate To Campaign Again

Romney was for self-finance--before he was against it.

Republican Mitt Romney, who once said donating to his presidential campaign would be a nightmare, told an audience Wednesday that the millions he is pouring into the race keep him free of special interests.

The former Massachusetts governor made the pronouncement amid a five-day California swing that includes 11 fundraisers, and just before a lobbying group's fundraiser for him in Washington. Romney also said he would likely contribute more to his campaign before the fundraising quarter ends Monday, although he declined to say how much.

To date, the venture capitalist has contributed $9 million to his campaign, nearly a quarter of his overall contributions.

"I don't like the fact that money has such an impact on politics, but this to me is a reason I'm investing at least as much as everybody else--probably a little more," Romney told about 200 people in an airport hangar.

Republicans Won't Debate Issues That Affect People of Color

Tonight Tavis Smiley will moderate a Republican presidential debate at Morgan State University in Baltimore, a historically black college. The debate will focus on issues important to minority communities.

But four empty lecterns will represent four candidates who refused to appear. Rudy Giuliani, John McCain, Fred Thompson and Mitt Romney all cited "scheduling difficulties."

Their actions are coming under criticism from other Republicans who fear their party's standing is eroding further with black and Latino voters. From a recent article in the Washington Post:

"We sound like we don't want immigration; we sound like we don't want black people to vote for us," said former congressman Jack Kemp (N.Y.), who was the GOP vice presidential nominee in 1996. "What are we going to do--meet in a country club in the suburbs one day? If we're going to be competitive with people of color, we've got to ask them for their vote."

The host of tonight's debate, talk show host Tavis Smiley, had this to say:

"When you reject every black invitation and every brown invitation you receive, is that a scheduling issue or is it a pattern?" he asked. "I don't believe anybody should be elected president of the United States if they think along the way they can ignore people of color. That's just not the America we live in."

The debate will take place tonight, 9-10:30 ET, and will be broadcast on PBS and online.

Thursday Open Thread

Late chat today...

September 26, 2007

Debate Tonight!

It's on MSNBC at 9PM - 11PM ET. It will also be streamed live on msnbc.com. I'm sure there will be some discussion over at PartyBuilder, but I know many of you love to stick to this blog...

So chat away...

PB Rescue Open Thread

I'll have a special thread tonight dedicated solely to the debate (9PM ET), but for now, you can read the posts in PartyBuilder that have been tagged properly -- September 26th Debate -- right here.

Chat away...

The Senator Who Just Wouldn't Resign

Yes, that would apply to Vitter, as well. But this time I'm talking about Larry Craig, who has a fast-approaching deadline of September 30th. CNN has the scoop:

Sen. Larry Craig won't resign from the Senate while awaiting a judge's ruling on his effort to get a guilty plea withdrawn in a restroom sex sting, a source said Wednesday. [...] Craig had said he would resign from the Senate if he could not get the guilty plea overturned by September 30. But on Tuesday, Craig said he wouldn't resign until "legal determinations" are made.

So when will those legal determinations be made? According to the AP, the judge has said that he "probably wouldn't rule in the case until late next week."

But it isn't looking good for the Senator. Here's what his own attorney had to say: getting the plea withdrawn is "near impossible, and it should be."

Is that what he told the judge?

Debate.. at PartyBuilder!

First, Governor Dean will appear on MSNBC's Hardball with Chris Matthews today at 7:15 PM ET, prior to the Democratic presidential debate tonight at 9PM ET.

But I also want to let you know that over at PartyBuilder, you can expect a lot of posting tonight about the debate, so you won't want to miss it. In addition, we've got a September 26th debate website all set up, and once the debate approaches we'll be posting photos as well as live-blogging.

You can submit questions for the debate from a link on this page.

UPDATE: This just in from Kombiz, who is in New Hampshire already for the debate tonight:

All of the campaigns have set up signs and lined up supporters outside the debate hall to show their strength. You can watch the Democratic Party’s flickr feed for new pictures from the debate, and this post for updates from Dartmouth.

With that I’'d like to ask a question of our readership, Is there something you'’d like to know about the debate, or how it'’s run, that I can track down?

If there's anything, let him know in the comments.

Supreme Court To Hear Voting Rights Case

The Supreme Court will decide whether an Indiana law that requires voters to take a current photo ID to the polls places an
unconstitutional burden on the right to vote.

Democratic National Committee Voting Rights Institute Chair Donna Brazile said this in response to today's decision by the Supreme Court to hear the Indiana voter ID case:

"The Indiana voter ID law should be overturned and found unconstitutional once and for all. A strong ruling will discourage other states from trying to apply what can only be described as a modern day poll tax which disenfranchises legally eligible voters. As Democrats, we believe that we should make it easier, not harder for all Americans to exercise their fundamental right to vote."

Read the rest of her statement here.

Children's Health Care Passes House

But will Bush tell millions of children that they're going to be denied coverage when they're sick and most in need? Will he veto that bipartisan compromise that passed overwhelmingly in the House?

He has threatened to pull a Mitt Romney by saying "no more free rides" to poor children, but there's a lot at stake here. The 265-159 vote last night in the House, while decisive, fell just short of a veto-proof majority.

Some votes might flip between now and then, and a veto won't end this debate. These children deserve care, and to put this in perspective, it's only at a cost of just over 2 weeks in Iraq.

The bill, which covers an estimated 10 million children (4 million additional), helps prevent the shortfalls in funding that denies coverage and guarantees dental health and mental health benefits. You can read this report about the legislation.

Does Bush think that poor sick children should have to get a job, and hope it comes with health care? Or will he understand that we need a safety net to protect the most vulnerable in our communities.

Let's be clear -- the Bush plan isn't compromise. It's a cut that would leave less children insured. Democrats and Republicans already compromised on a bill that passed with overwhelming support, yet Bush might undercut all that.

Republican leaders shouldn't want to be on the wrong side of this important moral issue. But if that's not enough for them, health care is one of the biggest issues in America right now -- and Americans overwhelmingly want this to pass.

Here's what Rep. Rangel had to say about the bill, via the Gavel:

Bush Administration Interferes With Blackwater Probe

Last week, the State Department ordered Blackwater USA, the private security firm under investigation for killing Iraqi civilians, not to disclose information about its Iraqi operations without Bush administration approval--setting the stage for another showdown between Congress and the Bush administration.

In a letter sent to a senior Blackwater executive Thursday, a State Department contracting official ordered the company "to make no disclosure of the documents or information" about its work in Iraq without permission.

The Congressional investigation stems from a September 16 incident in which Blackwater employees opened fire and killed at least 11 Iraqi civilians. In the aftermath, the Iraqi government expelled Blackwater from the country.

Paul Bremer, the former U.S. administrator for Iraq, granted contractors immunity from prosecution in an order he signed the day before handing over sovereignty in June 2004.

Wednesday Open Thread

Chat away...

September 25, 2007

PB Rescue Open Thread

Here are some of the posts you can enjoy at PartyBuilder.

• Laria asks a question about Party Politics.
• In Rudy Can't Tell The Truth, shopman takes note of an article in the Washington Post that details the "evolution" of Giuliani.
• And Mark in LA tells us: Fight the GOP on SCHIP.

The Democratic Party gives anybody the ability to write blog posts directly on our website over at PartyBuilder (PB). You can read what everybody has to say, or you can create your own account and start writing posts yourself.

This is an open thread. Chat away...

Von Spakovsky Up for a Vote Tomorrow

The Senate Rules Committee, TPM Muckraker reminds us, will vote tomorrow on whether the recess-appointed Hans von Spakovsky will get a term at the FEC.

Former employees of the voting section mounted serious opposition to von Spakovsky's nomination, with a group writing in a letter to the committee that he'd been "the point person for undermining the Civil Rights Division's mandate to protect voting rights." Von Spakovsky, however, portrayed himself during his confirmation hearing as just a lawyer in the section who gave advice when it was asked. It was a portrayal with real problems -- as von Spakovsky himself tacitly acknowledged when he modified his testimony in later written answers to the committee.

Von Spakovsky also sought to spike accusations that he'd retaliated against wrong-thinking employees (i.e. lawyers overly-preoccupied with African-Americans' voting rights) by, among other things, adding negative comments to their performance evaluations. But two former lawyers told us that he'd done just that -- and then went so far as to stifle their appeals of the changes.

He's a controversial figure, and you can read more about him in this lengthy 3-part series.

Did General Petraeus Report the Right Numbers?

Two weeks ago, General David Petraeus testified before Congress that sectarian violence in Iraq is decreasing. Shortly afterwards, George Bush cited this "success" when he announced a plan to keep the troop levels high in Iraq until at least next summer.

Now the Washington Post has published new evidence challenging the way that the U.S. military is analyzing and tallying each civilian death in Iraq.

On Sept. 1, the bullet-riddled bodies of four Iraqi men were found on a Baghdad street. Two days later, a single dead man, with one bullet in his head, was found on a different street. According to the U.S. military in Iraq, the solitary man was a victim of sectarian violence. The first four were not.

According to the article, a team of analysts working on computers judges whether or not civilians deaths are caused by sectarian violence based on factors like neighborhood and type of death.

The four Shiite men, for instance, were judged to be killed by "criminal" violence, not sectarian violence--since sectarian violence is identified as "a single shot to the head," not a spray of gunfire.

The Bush administration has based its claims of progress on these types of data. But the article goes on to explain just why the data may be deeply flawed. It's worth a read.

Voters Deserve to Know

Would Rudy Giuliani, John McCain, Mitt Romney and Fred Thompson stand with Bush and veto children's health care?

Voters want -- and deserve -- to know.

We've got an entire research document that gives the specifics on the Republican candidates' shoddy record on health care coverage for low income children.

Giuliani calls it "Socialized Medicine." McCain thinks it covers too many children. Romney tells poor children: "No more free rides." And Thompson was one of only 2 Senators opposing an amendment that would ensure that $16 billion of the budget would be spent over five years to provide health insurance for up to five million low-income children.

It's almost as if President Bush is running for a third term.

Republicans Don't Have CashTo Compete in Key House Races

The Politico reports that Republican leaders are privately bracing for the possibility that they could lose even more House seats next year, thanks to retirements, scandals and debt.

Three House Republicans in very competitive districts recently announced their retirements--and several more senior GOP members have hinted they may do the same.

Put simply, Republicans lack the money to fight seriously for many of these seats. The NRCC is essentially broke, with more debt than money in the bank. "When you look at what’s going on in the House, the prospects for getting back on track are pretty dim at the moment," said Rep. Ray LaHood (R-Ill.).

...The GOP’s budget is already strained without the additional races to fund. At the end of August, the National Republican Congressional Committee reported only $1.6 million cash on hand, with $4 million in debt. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, by comparison, had banked over $22 million, with only $3 million in debt.

$9.11

It's almost too outrageous to believe -- a Rudy Giuliani fundraising party, called "$9.11 for Rudy," will actually be attempting to raise that amount per person.

Not very long ago, the Giuliani campaign said in response to worries he would politicize the anniversary: "To say he's politicizing it -- he never would do anything like that."

They're blaming it on kids, who they say came up with the idea.

Tuesday Open Thread

Chat away...

September 24, 2007

Monday Evening Open Thread

Chat away...

UAW Members Strike Nationwide For Job Security

About 73,000 United Auto Workers (UAW) members at General Motors (GM) plants across the country went on strike today after an 11 a.m. deadline passed. Negotiations continued through the day as workers walked the picket lines. The number one issue is job security.

UAW President Ron Gettelfinger said in a statement last night:

"We’re shocked and disappointed that General Motors has failed to recognize and appreciate what our membership has contributed during the past four years. Since 2003, our members have made extraordinary efforts every time the company came to us with a problem: the corporate restructuring, the attrition plan, the Delphi bankruptcy, the 2005 health care agreement. In every case our members went the extra mile to find reasonable solutions.

Throughout this time period, it has been the dedication of UAW members that has helped GM set new standards for safety, quality and productivity in their manufacturing facilities. And in this current round of bargaining, we did everything possible to negotiate a new contract, including an unprecedented agreement to stay at the bargaining table nine days past the expiration of the previous agreement."

This is the first nationwide strike during auto contract negotiations since 1976. We'll post updates as we learn more.

Transportation Secretary Lobbied to Block Approval of California Vehicle Standards

Transportation Secretary Mary Peters, a Bush appointee, personally directed a behind-the-scenes lobbying campaign against California's attempts to implement their own motor vehicle standards--and she did it with White House approval. Rep. Henry Waxman (D-CA), Chair of the Oversight and Government Reform Committee, has obtained the evidence.

The lobbying effort against California clean air was apparently approved by the Chief of Staff in the White House Council on Environmental Quality and coordinated by the auto industry.

One of the political staffers involved in the effort even wrote an email saying: "we are a bit concerned...appears to sound more like lobbying...looking back, I may have said more that [sic] I should have." Next day, the Chief of Staff for the Transportation Department wrote: "The last e-mail isn't a good conversation for e-mail."

According to documents and interviews with senior officials, the goal of the lobbying effort was to urge members of Congress and state governors to oppose EPA approval of the new California motor vehicle standards, which are intended to reduce harmful greenhouse gas emissions.

50th Anniversary of the Integration of Little Rock Central High School

Fifty years ago today, nine students started the integration of Little Rock Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas. Governor Dean issued the following statement in recognition of their bravery and achievement:

"It was only 50 years ago when nine brave students attempted to integrate Little Rock, Arkansas' schools. These students faced hardship and scrutiny from the community and local government but their struggles and eventual success became a turning point in our nation's history and in our struggle against the forces of racism and discrimination.

"While we have made a great deal of progress in the last 50 years, recent events have served to remind us that we still have a long way to go towards erasing the stains of racism, intolerance and injustice. As we mark this anniversary, let us rededicate ourselves to working towards a nation that honors the sacrifices of those nine students who pioneered the way."

Republicans Obstruct Children's Health Insurance

It looks like the entirety of the Republican strategy -- in Congress and the White House -- is to prevent as much as possible from getting done for the American people. They've blocked votes on Iraq, voting rights, human rights, and troop rest. In fact, they're literally on a path for setting a record for the most obstructionist in history.

And now they want to block a children's health care bill.

This time it's the White House that's stepping up to the plate, threatening to veto a Congressional compromise that would cover 10 million children in need. And to what end? Well, Bush's own suggested plan, according to the Congressional Budget Office, is "insufficient to continue covering the children who are already in the program."

That means, practically-speaking in terms of children covered, Bush's proposal it's a cut. This is from the same man who, back in 2004, promised to "lead an aggressive effort to enroll millions of poor children who are eligible but not signed up for the government's health insurance programs." He said he'd expand SCHIP for millions more children within the next couple years.

But now that it's coming to his desk, he's thinking about denying millions of children health care. With one swipe of his pen, he'll be making a decision that will affect whether poor kids will be denied treatment in hospitals and doctor offices across America.

So it's not even about the hypocrisy. It's about the children that will suffer if he vetoes that bill.

Rudy Answers His Cell Phone In the Middle of Speeches

Rudy Giuliani answered a phone call from his wife as he addressed a National Rifle Association conference in Washington last Friday.

"Hello dear. I'm talking to the members of the N.R.A. right now. Would you like to say hello?" he said, apparently speaking to his wife, Judith. "I'll give you a call as soon as I'm finished. Have a safe trip. Bye bye."

Though there was some scattered laughter, the audience was mostly quiet as Mr. Giuliani ended the call and added: "This is one of the great blessings of the modern age--to always be available."

The New York Times also noted that it's not the first time Giuliani has taken a call from his wife in the middle of a political event. Apparently it also happened in June while the former New York mayor was campaigning in Hialeah, Florida.

Monday Open Thread

Chat away...

September 23, 2007

Sunday Open Thread

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September 22, 2007

From the Archives

Saturday Open Thread

Chat away...

September 21, 2007

PB Rescue Open Thread

It's time for another round of your posts over at PartyBuilder:

• Erick of Farmington declares, Count My Vote!
• Women's Leadership Forum intern Kirsten Lindholm and WLF Executive Director Sharon Grosfeld let us know about the Community Choice Act of 2007.
• Laria explains why I moved from Alexandria, VA to Washington DC in Metro Wormholes.

The Democratic Party gives anybody the ability to write blog posts directly on our website over at PartyBuilder (PB). You can read what everybody has to say, or you can create your own account and start writing posts yourself.

This is an open thread. Chat away...

Rudy's Inspiration?

When I watched this:

I immediately was reminded of this (skip 15 seconds in):

Different situations, but it's worth noting that not only has this happened before in the middle of a speech, but it ended up not working out too well for Conrad Burns.

CREW Requests Stevens Be Removed From Committee Assignments

We knew that "the Veco briber" gave the Feds evidence on Senator Stevens, but what we didn't know until last night was that the FBI "secretly taped telephone calls with Sen. Ted Stevens as part of a public corruption sting."

Now CREW is calling on McConnell to remove Stevens from his committee assignments:

Today, Melanie Sloan, the executive director of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW), sent a letter to Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) asking that he remove Senator Ted Stevens (R-AK) from his committee assignments and refer the criminal matters surrounding the FBI investigation into Sen. Stevens' activities to the Senate Ethics Committee.

It's a story that hasn't received the attention it deserves. The claims that this VECO contracter is making are pretty extraordinary.

Rudy: 9/11 Changed My Position On Gun Control

Here's the quote:

I also think that there have been subsequent intervening events -- September 11 -- which cast somewhat of a different light on the Second Amendment and Second Amendment rights. It doesn't change the fundamental rights, but maybe it highlights the necessity for them more.

You can watch it for yourself right here.

Senate Republicans Still Want Us In Iraq

The Levin/Reed amendment to the defense appropriations bill just failed to pass, 47-47. The bill declared that the Secretary of Defense "shall commence the reduction of the number of United States forces in Iraq not later than 90 days after the date of the enactment of this Act."

It also would have said he must "complete the transition of United States forces to a limited presence and missions as described in subsection by not later than nine months after the date of the enactment of this Act."

And just today, the Bush administration announced that they'll be boosting their spending request for the war. It isn't a small boost, either, with the Washington Post reporting it may be an additional $50 billion, which would bring the total for the year up to nearly $200 billion.

I'm sure Boehner would call that a "small price."

If Romney Did Talk To Minority Audiences, He'd Change His Tone

In an interview with the Times of London published yesterday, Romney admitted to adjusting "the tone of a message to suit his audience," saying "If you're talking to an African-American audience you may put more emphasis on civil rights than if you're talking to a Republican audience in Iowa."

The irony of this being that he is not planning on addressing an African-American audience anytime soon, as he has declined to attend the PBS forum on minority issues held at Morgan State next week; rather, he will be spending the day in California where he has a planned stop in Sacramento to, introduce himself to the folks who happen to be eating at the IHOP on Advantage Lane. And when pressed on not attending the debate, rather than committing to address minority issues in the near future, his campaign responded by merely forwarding "a list of black Florida supporters to illustrate minority backing."

08ers and the NRA

Don't expect Rudy to be met with too many friendly faces at the NRA today:

Rudy Giuliani takes his presidential pitch to the National Rifle Association Friday -- a group he once likened to "extremists" -- but his past record as the Republican Party's biggest gun-control booster will make it almost impossible for him to win broad support, activists say.

In fact, a scheduling coincidence Friday shows just how hard it is for Giuliani to escape his past: He speaks to an NRA meeting here on the very same day his 2000 lawsuit against gun-makers goes before a federal appeals court in New York.

And Romney could be shooting himself in the foot by skipping NRA the forum:

But one official said Romney’s decision to send a recorded speech instead of attending in person “is a big mistake,” describing the move as “extremely disappointing,” particularly in light of Romney’s short time as an NRA member and past misstatements about how much of a hunter he is.

Friday Open Thread

Chat away...

September 20, 2007

PB Rescue Open Thread

Once again, let me invite you to read them all.

Chat away...

Bush: Saddam Killed Mandela

This makes my head hurt:

In a press conference this morning, President Bush tried to assert that Saddam’s brutal rule over Iraq wiped the country clean of potential democratic reformers--individuals who may have possessed leadership skills like former South African President Nelson Mandela. In doing so, Bush inartfully suggested Saddam killed Mandela.

I thought an interesting comment was made--somebody said to me, I heard somebody say, "Now, where's Mandela?" Well, Mandela’s dead because Saddam Hussein killed all the Mandelas.

Faiz at Think Progress points out that Nelson Mandela (who is alive) is a strong opponent of the war in Iraq. Before the war, he condemned Bush as "a president who can’t think properly."

"Small Price" Republicans

And from Fox News, of all places.

Still no apology, but at least now he's being forced to respond personally.

It's time for him to drop the act. Clearly, as the video shows, he was responding to a question that specifically talked about American casualties.

The Interns Are Running The War Room

Another key McCain aide, Robert Terra, is quitting.

A protege of McCain's former rapid response director Matt David, Terra may join his mentor over at Freedom's Watch, the pro-war advocacy group that is seeking to go toe-to-toe with the MoveOns of the world on issues related to national security.

Terra trained two interns before leaving and they will take time off from their studies to staff and run the war room.

But will the McCain campaign raise enough cash to pay the interns a stipend?

Rudy Continues To Mislead On Time Spent At Ground Zero

It's a wonder why Rudy Giuliani still tries to mislead Americans about the amount of time he spent at ground zero. Yesterday in an interview with CNN Giuliani continued to mislead and stood by his earlier claim that he was just like the rescue workers, who often worked for more than 12 hours a day in the debris, and faced equal risks.

Here's what Giuliani claimed on CNN.

“You can be there for a relatively short period of time and still get sick, and still be considered in the category of people who are at risk.”

“The reality is that I was there a good deal of time, a lot more then the Times indicates.”

“In fact I’ve even been invited to join some of the studies, some of the tests, to determine what kind of impact did it have on me.”

Here's what the New York Times said about the amount of time that Rudy Giuliani spent at ground zero.

“An exhaustively detailed account from his mayoral archive, revised after the events to account for last-minute changes on scheduled stops, does exist for the period of Sept. 17 to Dec. 16, 2001. It shows he was there for a total of 29 hours in those three months, often for short periods or to visit locations adjacent to the rubble. In that same period, many rescue and recovery workers put in daily 12-hour shifts.”

Giuliani: I'm Kind Of a Big Deal

Rudy Giuliani bragged to reporters in London yesterday that he is one of the most famous Americans in the world.

"I'm probably one of the four or five best-known Americans in the world," Giuliani declared to a small group of reporters at a posh London hotel.

Asked to name the four better-known Americans, Giuliani replied, "Bill Clinton...Hillary," before being whisked away by aides to another engagement.

Apparently, President Bush didn't make the top of Giuliani's list, to say nothing of Brangelina, Madonna, Oprah or others too famous to have more than one name. Aides were unable to fill in the blanks later.

Rep. King: There Are "Too Many Mosques"

There's simply no excuse a sitting member of Congress uses this type of bigoted language:

In the interview, he was even given the opportunity to retract his statement when his disgusting remark was repeated back to him -- yet he refused.

This is the man who serves as the Homeland Security advisor to Rudy Giuliani, yet I can't find anything about it on Giuliani's website. It's worth noting that Giuliani appears to make a habit of surrounding himself with people he later regrets.

Thursday Open Thread

Chat away...

September 19, 2007

PB Rescue Open Thread

Read them all, then chat away...

Webb Amendment Update

The Senate voted today on an amendment proposed by Sen. Jim Webb(D-VA) that would guarantee longer rest periods for troops between deployments.

The Republican Party lobbied hard against this amendment. The amendment was defeated, 56 to 44.

UPDATE: Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) sponsored a toothless "fake" amendment that states that "we understand the stress and strain that’s been inflicted on the men and women in the military"--but does nothing to provide real support to the troops. The non-binding resolution was voted on immediately afterwards and lost by a vote of 55 to 45.

Giuliani's Dirty Donors Fundraise In London

Rudy Giuliani can't leave his ethical problems in the US. As he heads out to London to raise money the Village Voice has a story today about the Giuliani's administration ties to a school bus company with ties to the mob.

It seems that Giuliani also has problems with some of his hosts at his London fundraiser tonight.

But while Rudy is far away from the Big Apple, scandal has followed him across the pond. At least three of the organizers of today's event have controversial pasts.

Rockwell Schnabel, an honorary chair for today's event, paid to settle a federal ethics violation that accused him of greasing the contracting wheels for a company owned by his father-in-law. "In 1993, the Justice Department said that Schnabel, then deputy commerce secretary, had contacted the Department of Veterans Affairs to speed approval of a federal contract for Del Mar Avionics, a medical supply and defense company owned by his father-in-law." Mother Jones reports, "Schnabel admitted no wrongdoing, but paid $5,000 to settle the ethics violation."

Senate Republicans Kill DC Voting Rights Bill

Senate Republicans defeated a voting rights bill yesterday that would have finally granted District of Columbia residents the right to vote:

A bill that would have given District of Columbia residents their first-ever member of Congress died in the Senate on Tuesday, dashing hopes of full voting rights in the nation's capital after a 206-year wait.

Senators voted 57-42, just three votes short of the 60 needed to move the measure forward. The bill would have created two new House seats: One for the city of about 600,000 people and one for Utah, which narrowly missed out on a fourth seat after the last census.

The procedural vote, against moving on with the debate, effectively killed the best chance in decades to win the District a full-fledged House member. The city has been denied voting rights in Congress since 1801, making it the only major capital city in the world where citizens are denied a vote in the nation's representative body of government.

Unconstitutional? So Would McCain Ignore It?

John McCain's nonsensical claim that the Webb's amendment is unconstitutional is shot down incredibly easily by Josh Marshall.

So, yes, the rhetoric is bogus. But the next step is finding out whether a "President McCain" would ignore the law if Congress succeeds in passing it, given that he believes it's unconstitutional.

Bush Wants To Expand Spying Powers

Today Bush said that a law that was hastily passed in August to temporarily give the government more power to spy overseas without warrants must be "made permanent and expanded."

Just last week, Bush's spymaster Mike McConnell admitted that he misled Congress when he claimed that this law helped U.S. authorities foil a major terror plot in Germany--a claim that is not true.

Even worse, it turns out that Congress was misled in the first place by the bogus threat of terrorist attacks. Raw Story reports:

Republicans and the Bush administration used a 'bogus' terror threat that raised specific fears of an attack on the Capitol to scare lawmakers into adopting a dramatic temporary expansion of the government's spy powers last month, a top intelligence committee Democrat said Wednesday.

Congress agreed to give President Bush and the nation's intelligence agencies extra authority to spy on Americans just hours before lawmakers left for a month-long recess in August. In the legislative session's final week, news emerged of an impending plot by foreign terrorists to attack the US Capitol, and Republicans pointed to the reports as justification to expand the administration's powers.

"That specific intelligence claim, it turned out, was bogus; the
intelligence agencies knew that," Rep. Jane Harman (D-CA) said at a
forum on the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act organized by the
Center for American Progress in Washington. However, lawmakers did not learn of the claim's unreliability until "the day" they approved the FISA expansion, she said.

Today, in another defeat for civil liberties, Senate Republicans also prevented the restoration of habeas corpus.

More On Troop Readiness

After Stephanie wrote below about the pro-troop Webb amendment, which would guarantee longer rest periods for troops between deployments, news came that there's going to be an apparently toothless McCain-Warner proposal.

ThinkProgress has more:

McCain said he and Sen. John Warner (R-VA) have teamed up to put together a “sense of the Senate” amendment to express “very clearly that we all want all our troops home and we understand the stress and strain that’s been inflicted on the men and women in the military and the guard and reserves.”

Feeling their pain... but doing nothing about it.

Two Republican Senators Up For Re-Election Vote Against Habeas Corpus

When Democrats tried to overcome a Republican filibuster this morning in order to restore habeas corpus, two Republican senators who are both up for re-election--and facing difficult campaigns--voted against civil liberties.

Sen. Norm Coleman (R-MN) and Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) both voted nay.

Duly noted.

Webb Amendment Would Guarantee Rest For Troops

Sen. Jim Webb (D-VA) has sponsored legislation that would guarantee longer rest periods for troops between deployments. The amendment would guarantee active-duty troops and units at least equal time at home as the length of their previous tour overseas. The amendment also sets a minimum 1-to-3 year ratio for National Guard and Reserve members and units.

There will be a fight to pass this amendment, and Webb's office recorded this YouTube video asking for help:

You can help by calling your Senator. Calls to retiring Sen. John Warner (R-VA) are needed in particular. Warner previously supported the amendment, but now he is wavering.

For examples of why this amendment is so crucial for our troops, read this MSNBC article (h/t Nitpicker).

UPDATE: Sen. Webb introducing his amendment now.

UPDATE II: We're hearing that a vote is expected in the Senate at 5:25pm ET.

Criminalizing Women and Doctors

Pandering to extremists in the Republican party, Fred Thompson hinted that he's open to criminalizing women who receive and doctors who provide abortions. Vanessa from feministing has more on the issue.

Since Anna Quindlen's piece came out asking "How much time should she do?", it looks like Fred Thompson apparently has an answer for that.

The presidential candidate was asked that very question while in Iowa last week, and answered that women shouldn't be criminalized if seeking abortion under the first three months of pregnancy. That's right, just the first three months. You second and third trimesters can all rot in jail.

He also said, authorities "can do whatever they want to with abortion doctors, as far as I'm concerned," but "if it comes down to giving criminal sanctions to a 19-year-old girl and her mama, I'm against that." Such consideration!

Senate Vote on Habeas Corpus

A crucial vote will take place today at 10:30 am ET, when the Senate will hold a cloture vote on the Leahy-Specter-Dodd amendment--the legislation that would restore habeas corpus, a safeguard against illegal imprisonment that is essential to civil liberties. Democrats in the Senate need 60 votes to overcome the Republican filibuster of this important legislation.

At Firedoglake, Christy Hardin Smith has the whip count so far this morning--and the office numbers of Senators who might need an extra nudge.

UPDATE: During the first vote, the yays were 56, the nays were 43, so Democrats could not overcome the Republican filibuster. But there was an absence of a quorum, so Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid moved to reconsider. Happening now...

UPDATE II: It looks like the legislation is dead.

Wednesday Open Thread

Chat away...

September 18, 2007

PB Rescue Open Thread

There's something in the coffee in Crown Point, Indiana. More specifically, at Conservative Cafe: Coffee Served Right, where you can "feel safe to talk about American 'values' and watch Fox Noise on the television," according to Dr. Lee.

Not sure why I find that so entertaining.

Read the rest, then chat away...

Americans Still Want Out of Iraq

A majority of Americans still want an end to the war in Iraq, despite the heavily coordinated White House publicity campaign last week. According to a new poll from the Pew Research Center:

Fifty-four percent still favor bringing the troops home as soon as possible, a measurement that has not changed in months, according to a poll released Tuesday by the nonpartisan Pew Research Center.

...Overall, two out of three said their views on the war had not been changed by presentations last week by Bush and Petraeus, the top U.S. commander in Iraq.

Not only that, but the percentage of Americans who favor withdrawal has slightly increased since General Petraeus reported to Congress. From a separate CBS News survey:

Only 22 percent said they are willing to keep large numbers of U.S. troops in Iraq longer than two more years, largely unchanged from the previous survey. Nearly half, or 49 percent, said they should stay less than a year while 23 percent said they should remain for a year or two.

Giuliani More of The Same On Iraq

Rudy Giuliani is a fairly divisive character when he's painted in a corner and the last week has been no exception as he's attacked other candidates instead of talking about Iraq. In the recent past Giuliani has avoided saying anything about Iraq.

The Democratic Party just sent out a document with Giuliani's record on Iraq. Some of his comments from the release are below.

Giuliani Iraq Policy: Nothing More Than Stay The Course. "Indeed, none of the three front-runners -- Mr. McCain, former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani or former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney -- offered much more than a stay-the-course line on Iraq and the general war on terrorism."

Giuliani Does Not Have Insight Into What Will Happen In Iraq. In an interview with MSNBC, Giuliani said, "Iraq may get better, Iraq may get worse, we maybe successful in Iraq, we may not be. I don't know the answer to that."

Giuliani Has No Plans of Having Specific Plans For Iraq. The New York Times reported, Giuliani said that the "fluid situation there [in Iraq] makes it hard to speak in specifics about the war."

Giuliani Doesn’t understand the facts on the ground in Iraq. Giuliani said, "For me, the Iraq war was about removing a pillar of Islamic terrorism, Saddam Hussein…Iraq, in the present condition that it is in, cannot offer the kind of support to Islamic terrorism that it could in the past."

Romney Gets Goose Egg At Value Voters Debate

The four leading Republican presidential candidates all dodged the "Value Voters" debate last night.

"The big losers last night were the no-show candidates Fred Thompson who placed at 4 percent, Rudy Giuliani and John McCain who each received 1 percent and Mitt Romney who was the only candidate to receive zero votes at the end of the night.

Drill the Everglades? Thompson Says It's Not Off the Table

Really? The Everglades?

Republican presidential candidate Fred Thompson met with Florida Gov. Charlie Crist in Tallahassee this morning and said he wouldn’t rule out drilling for oil in the Everglades.

“Gosh, no one has told me there is any major reserves in the Everglades,” the former Tennessee senator said when asked about the issue. “Maybe that’s one of the things I have to learn while I’m down here.”

He continued, saying "I'm not going to start out by taking this, that or the other off the table in terms of our overall energy situation."

Jeb Bush caused controversy in the state when he wanted to lower the buffer-zone for drilling to 125 miles from the state, so we'll see how drilling in the Everglades goes over in the Sunshine state.

Integrity

As I mentioned before, the federal Office of Special Counsel is looking into whether US Attorney Rachel Paulose (friend of Monica Goodling) mishandled classified information, threatened to fire an employee who raised concerns about it, retaliated against "disloyal" employees, and called employees racial epithets.

Now watch her talk about integrity.

More on the Still-Hired US Attorney

Given the story below about Rachel Paulose, it's worth revisiting this bit of testimony from her friend Monica Goodling:

ELLISON:Now, the person who you did hire was Rachel Paulose. Is that right?

GOODLING:There was a panel of people involved, but yes.

ELLISON:Rachel Paulose was hired.

Now, you know that four assistant U.S. attorneys have quit because she is so inadequate in management, in the U.S. Attorney's Office in Minnesota.

You know that today, right?

GOODLING:I read press accounts that they went back to...

ELLISON:You know that's true, don't you?

GOODLING:I don't believe they resigned.I believe they went back to their positions as AUSA.

ELLISON:No, they quit their leadership positions...

(UNKNOWN):Would you let her answer the question?

ELLISON:They quit their leadership positions.Is that right?

GOODLING:Yes...

ELLISON:And they went back to (inaudible) positions.

Is that right?

GOODLING:That's what I understand from the paper.

ELLISON:So Ms. Paulose was -- and you know Ms. Paulose personally, isn't that right?

GOODLING:I met her during the interview process.

ELLISON:She described you as a friend of hers.

Would you use that term friend as well?

GOODLING:We became friends after the hiring process.

ELLISON:And you're friends today, right?

GOODLING:I haven't spoken to her in some time, but yes.

ELLISON:How much time has gone by since you spoke to her?

GOODLING:Maybe February, maybe early March.

ELLISON:So you spoke to her as early as last -- as March '07.

GOODLING:Maybe I -- maybe the first week of March.I can't recall.

[...]

ELLISON:Did Rachel Paulose's political affiliation play any role in her hiring?

GOODLING:Yes, it did.

ELLISON:And that would be that she was a Republican?

GOODLING:Yes.

You can watch Paulose talk about integrity in this old interview, as well (see the video to the right on that page).

A US Attorney Who Wasn't Fired

Much has been written about the stellar record of many of the US Attorneys that were fired for political reasons. However, today news comes about one of the US Attorneys that remained, Rachel Paulose.

Here are those allegations, via ThinkProgress:

– Paulose mishandled classified information. Black writes that Paulose regularly received “status updates on the war on terror” from intelligence and law enforcement agencies. The “secret” reports were supposed to be locked up, but Paulose “regularly left the reports loose in her office, sometimes unattended.”

– Paulose threatened to fire an employee who raised concerns about the material. Then-First Assistant U.S. Attorney John Marti spoke to Paulose about safeguarding the classified materials and “as required by regulations, filed a report with the national office that oversees U.S. attorneys.” Paulose began “threatening” to fire Marti and “bad-mouthing” him to other colleagues. He eventually resigned.

– Paulose repeatedly retaliated against employees suspected of “disloyalty.” Paulose “allegedly said that she would make the woman so miserable that she would want to quit. In some instances, Paulose allegedly ordered those in charge of performing job evaluations to downgrade the reviews of those she considered disloyal.”

– Paulose called employees racial epithets. “Paulose allegedly denigrated one employee of the office, using the terms ‘fat,’ ‘black,’ ‘lazy’ and ‘ass.’”

Paulose, it's worth noting, is a good friend of the now-disgraced Monica Goodling. For information about how Paulose got her position, check out this old post from TPM.

Tuesday Open Thread

Chat away...

September 17, 2007

Maybe It's the Heat

Not that it was necessary to make the point that we need to fight global warming, but last month was the second-hottest August on record. This is according to the National Climatic Data Center, a government resource and "the world's largest active archive of weather data."

This news comes via Climate Progress, a project of John Podesta's Center for American Progress (CAP). And appropriately enough, CAP also put on their website today a speech by Podesta to the National Association of State Treasures on the potential economic impact:

In the United States, the potential economic impacts on regional economic development are many. Droughts and loss of soil moisture from a warming climate are predicted to cause a lowering of water tables, with potentially devastating economic impacts to agricultural communities throughout the Great Plains.

Direct impacts from global warming on regional economies will also include a serious blow to the timber industry from increased prevalence of pests like the southern pine beetle, slower growth rates for trees, and more frequent wildfires. This would mean a decrease in revenue for producers of $1 billion to $2 billion per year.

For resource-dependent states and industries, whether you are calculating expected agricultural yields or changes in hydroelectric energy production from melting snow pack, global warming has real consequences for businesses and investors.

Additionally, states face substantial policy risk from the increasing regulation of carbon, particularly where dominant industries are tied to energy generation and use. Coal producing states and those with larger shares of coal-based electricity, for example, have a strong interest in ensuring a rapid shift to technologies capable of capturing and storing carbon, to ensure a place for coal in a carbon-constrained world.

But then again, if we act now the Earth wins!

Eight Questions Mitt Won't Answer

The original YouTube Republican debate was originally supposed to take place tonight, before Mitt Romney and the Republican field ran away, scared that they would be "hard questions" by real Americans.

Mitt Romney is poking Republican YouTube users in the eye, Mitt Romney is holding a scripted online forum where he'll avoid having to answer tough questions from real Americans. So as a service we're proposing eight questions, which smooth talking Mitt Romney has avoided answering. We don't expect that Romney's "controlled" online forum will ask any tough questions but maybe it'll remind voters and the media about some of the questions that Romney is hoping to duck.

On His Massachusetts Health Care Plan:

Why does Mitt Romney call Democratic health care proposals “socialized medicine” when he championed a similar plan in Massachusetts, calling it “a conservative victory” as recently as April 2006?

On Tax Exemptions and Health Care:

Does Mitt Romney support using tax exemptions to expand health care (as he said in Florida on August 24) or does he think tax exemptions are not an effective way to provide universal health coverage “because the people that don’t have insurance aren’t paying taxes” (as he said during nationally televised debate on August 5)?

On Iraq:

Why did Mitt Romney let John McCain bully him into saying President Bush’s strategy in Iraqis working just days after Romney finally admitted that Iraq is “a mess” and in the middle of a civil war?

On the YouTube Debate:

Is Mitt Romney ducking the CNN/YouTube debate (which was originally scheduled for today) because he’s afraid to take questions from a snowman, or because the virtual video trail of all his flip-flops on YouTube is dogging his campaign?

On John Boehner’s “Small Price” Comment:

Why won’t Romney condemn Republican House Minority Leader John Boehner’s comment that the 3,776 American soldiers who have died in Iraq and the 27,186 soldiers who have been wounded there are “a small price” to pay?

On His Fundraisers:

Why won’t Mitt Romney disclose his bundlers or return money raised for his campaign by sketchy contributors like Alan Fabian?

On Blackwater:

Does he intend to keep Cofer Black in place as his top counter-terrorism advisor after his consulting operation was expelled by the government of Iraq for shooting civilians.

On PhonyFred.com website:

How does Romney expect people to believe his campaign had nothing to do with the Phony Fred website when his South Carolina consultant Warren Tompkins and SC Campaign Manager Terry Sullivan were “working in the same office space, using the same phone number and sharing the same e-mail network as the group responsible for PhoneyFred.org”?

The Coming Rudy Flip Flop

Rudy Giuliani is going to speak before the NRA on Friday, attempting to pander to the audience. He'll also follow Mitt Romney by changing his positions dramatically on gun control from those he held when he was the Mayor of New York City.

We're assuming that he won't repeat what he's said in the past.

Top Giuliani Fundraiser Owed Back Taxes

George Gilmore, chair of the Republican Party in Ocean County, New Jersey, was "bundling" hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of cash for Rudy Giuliani--even though he owed the federal government more than $100,000 in back taxes. From Blue Jersey:

Maybe you're familiar with Gilmore, who is without question the most powerful Republican boss in the state. He's a partner in a lucrative law firm, Gilmore & Monahan, which handles millions of taxpayer dollars every year. He's a fund-raising dynamo, becoming a "Pioneer" (bundling more than $100,000) for George W. Bush in both 2000 and 2004. But there's one thing a lot of people didn't know about Gilmore until recently.

He's had trouble paying his taxes.

At least that's what the Ocean County Observer says. Last week, they reported that "county tax records still show that Gilmore has a tax lien for $158,716.74 in outstanding [individual federal income] tax payments from 2005." According to the Observer, Gilmore paid his liens just a few weeks ago--the exact same time citizens and reporters began researching the story.

No word on whether Giuliani will return all the bundled contributions from this disgraced fundraiser.

Dick Cheney Careful To Avoid Incrimination

Don't count on learning anything more about Dick Cheney's secrets from his archives:

Speaking on Friday at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library & Museum in Grand Rapids, Mich., Cheney said that because he served as President Ford’s chief of staff, "researchers like to come and dig through my files, to see if anything interesting turns up."

"I want to wish them luck," he quipped, eliciting laughter from the crowd, "but the files are pretty thin. I learned early on that if you don’t want your memos to get you in trouble some day, just don’t write any."

Bush Nominates Mukasey For Attorney General

One thing everybody has learned since the problems that arose in the Justice Department under Alberto Gonzales is what happens when the Attorney General fails to serve as an independent figure. The politicization of the Department means that the next AG will have to work extra hard to restore confidence in the system.

Today President Bush nominated Michael Mukasey for the job, who has "received endorsements in the past from liberals, including one of the Senate's most liberal Democrats."

It will be important to find out in his Senate testimony whether his loyalty will stand with the people -- not the president. That means asking some tough questions and getting some real answers.

Blackwater USA Kicked Out of Iraq

Blackwater USA, a private mercenary firm that operates in Iraq, first came to public attention in 2004 when four employees were ambushed and killed in Fallujah--partly due to the firm's failure to take security precautions. Now the Iraqi government has announced it is expelling Blackwater from the country for the wrongful deaths of eight civilians.

The Interior ministry said Monday that it was revoking the license of an American security firm allegedly involved in the fatal shooting of civilians during an attack on a State Department motorcade in Baghdad.

..."We have canceled the license of Blackwater and prevented them from working all over Iraqi territory. We will also refer those involved to Iraqi judicial authorities," Mr. Khalaf said. He said witness reports pointed to Blackwater involvement but said the incident was still under investigation. It wasn't immediately clear if the measure against Blackwater was intended to be temporary or permanent.

In related news, Mitt Romney has hired Blackwater's vice-chairman, Cofer Black, as one of his counterterrorism policy advisors.

Monday Open Thread

Chat away...

September 16, 2007

Sunday Open Thread

Chat away...

September 15, 2007

From the Archives

I love these videos.

Saturday Open Thread

Chat away...

September 14, 2007

PB Resecue Open Thread

Thank you, Mr. Scott Key (by annie b)

Chat away -- and be sure to read PartyBuilder all weekend long.

Veco Briber Gives Feds Evidence on Stevens

Veco CEO Bill Allen, who admitted to spending more than $400,000 in bribes for various legislators, now says that's "including for work done at the Girdwood, Alaska, home of Stevens."

There was also this exchange (in court):

Wendt: “There wasn’t a lot of material … but you paid some labor bills that went into Sen. Stevens’ house?”

Allen: “Yes.”

Allen said it the labor was from Veco employees.

Expect much, much more in the coming days and weeks on this issue from TPM Muckraker.

Republicans Are Skittish, Despite Bush's Tough Talk

Bush announced in a national television address last night that he wants to keep the current high troop levels in Iraq at least through next summer, and possibly indefinitely.

But if the speech was intended to rally the reluctant Republican base--let alone persuade the angry Democratic one--it may have missed its mark by a mile. From the Politico:

White House confidence that Bush, with help from Army Gen. David Petraeus, has regained political momentum for the war is about to be sorely tested. Not all Republicans were thrilled with the speech, and one top Republican Senate adviser said it amounted to unrealistic "happy talk."

The president now faces the prospect that his campaign to portray this year's "surge" policy as working could stall under closer scrutiny by lawmakers, including in his own party, who are either skeptical of his words or worried about how voters will perceive them, or both.

From the Washington Post:

If the prime targets of President Bush's appeal for patience last night were moderates in his own party, his speech may have fallen flat...Republican lawmakers, facing tough reelection bids in the midst of an ongoing war, reacted with grave concern to the president's call for only modest troop reductions and no dramatic change of mission in Iraq.

But it's important to note that most of the consternation is based on fear--fear of the extent to which an angry American public might punish the Republican party in 2008. From CNN via AMERICAblog:

"One key congressional aide that told me today, if the situation has not improved for Republicans come spring, then what looks like a very bad year for Republicans will become even worse." [CNN, Situation Room, 9/13/07]

Oh yeah, and Bush is unpopular--they aren't happy that this is the guy selling the war.

Some key Hill Republicans...were upset that he returned front and center on the issue at a time when the White House had so carefully ceded the selling of the surge to Petraeus and Crocker. "Why would he threaten the momentum we have?" says one frustrated Capitol Hill Republican strategist with ties to the GOP leadership. "You have an unpopular President going onto prime time television, interrupting Americans' TV programs, to remind them of why they don't like him."

So much for choreography...

Military Families Contributing to Democrats

Who didn't pay for Rudy Giuliani's pro-war New York Times ad? Hint: a new report finds that more troops and military families are contributing to Democrats.

As the Iraq war drags on and US casualties mount, members of the military appear to be showing their discontent by donating more to Democrats, a campaign finance watchdog group said yesterday.

Service members have traditionally supported the Republican Party, but, since the war started in 2003, there has been a dramatic shift away from financial backing for GOP candidates for president and Congress, the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics reported.

Fred on Florida Delegates: "Uh...I dunno"

The RNC recently voted to strip Florida of half its delegates for breaking primary rules. So what will Fred Thompson do if he receives the party nomination? Will he allow all of Florida's delegates to attend?

"Uh, well, you know, it could be. But I don't know. I haven't thought about that. All I know is I'm not going to get into intramural party politics."

The Friday Five

Every Friday we're highlighting five events happening around the country that we've found in PartyBuilder's Events system.

Here are 5 events happening around the country. If you don't see one in your neck of the woods, click here to search for one near you. Or better yet, create your own!

1. Laugh For Votes (New York, NY)
   

   Improv Comey with guests comics Ken Perstein (Bush Impersonator) and more. Come out and meet some party line entertainers. We want to organize a big fundraiser next year where all procedes will go to the party.

2. Cleanup Mud Creek Trail (Fayetteville, AR)
   

   Join Democrats Work, the Young Democrats, and the Washington County Democratic Party to cleanup Mud Creek Trail in Fayetteville.

3. Greater Winter Haven Democratic Club "Fall Out Of Summer BBQ" (Auburndale, FL)
   

   Come out and join the greater Winter Haven Democratic Club for our 2007 Fall Out of Summer BBQ Bash!!

4. South Central Texas Democratic Pachanga (Seguin, TX)
   

   The Young Democrats of Texas Lutheran University and the Democratic Party of Guadalupe County present the South Central Texas Democratic Pachanga. The rally will host, as speakers, Democratic candidates for U.S. Senate, Texas Supreme Court, and the Chief Justice, Fourth Court of Appeals.

5. Oktoberfest in New Boston (New Boston, NH)
   

   The New Boston, NH Democratic Committee is holding an Oktoberfest Party @ 271 Chestnut Hill Rd. on Sept. 16th from 2-5 PM. We'll be entertained by King Ludwig's Bavarian Band.

Fred Thompson Acted in Fictional Version of Schiavo Case, Unclear on Real Version

Fred Thompson has convenient short-term memory loss.

Republican presidential candidate Fred Thompson gave no opinion Thursday when asked about efforts by President Bush and Congress to keep Terri Schiavo alive, saying he does not remember details of the right-to-die case that stirred national debate.

..."I can't pass judgment on it. I know that good people were doing what they thought was best," Thompson said. "That's going back in history. I don't remember the details of it."

While working as a lobbyist that same summer, Thompson helped brief John Roberts about the case for his Supreme Court confirmation hearings.

In November 2005, Thompson even acted in an episode of "Law & Order" called "Age of Innocence" about a husband trying to disconnect his wife's feeding tube over the objections of her family.

UPDATE: When asked to clarify Thompson's comments on the Terri Schiavo case, spokesman Jeff Sadosky said:

"While he believes in the sanctity of life, he also believes that it was a decision for the family to make under state law, so there was no role for the federal government to play."

Alberto Gonzales' Last Day on the Job

Attorney General Alberto Gonzales is quietly leaving office today after more than nine months of controversy. In honor of his last day on the job, here's some highlights of his tenure at the Justice Department.

February 6, 2006: Alberto Gonzales lobbies for Bush administration's illegal domestic spying program--and even Bush allies are angry.

February 16, 2007: We begin to learn about the scandal of eight fired U.S. attorneys--and the extent to which Alberto Gonzales is turning the Justice Department into a political wing of the Bush White House.

April 20, 2007: Remember this video? We splice together Gonzales' testimony before Congress, and "I Don't Recall" becomes a YouTube hit.

May 15, 2007: James Comey testifies that Alberto Gonzales was involved in an incident that the Washington Post called "Bush administration lawlessness so shocking it would have been unbelievable coming from a less reputable source."

June 6, 2007: More evidence that the Justice Department suppressed voting rights--and the suppression efforts are directly related to the fired U.S. attorneys. And more here. And here.

June 11, 2007: The Senate holds a no-confidence vote on Alberto Gonzales. The measure fails, and Gonzales remains in office.

July 10, 2007: Alberto Gonzales knows about violations of the Patriot Act--and then lies about it under oath to the Senate intelligence committee.

August 27, 2007: Alberto Gonzales finally resigns. Finally.

New Campaign Against Boehner's Remarks

After House Minority Leader John Boehner said that the sacrifice of soldiers who have died or been wounded in Iraq "will be a small price if we're able to stop al Qaeda," his remarks were quickly condemned by Governor Howard Dean, Sen. John Kerry (D-MA) and DCCC Chair Chris Van Hollen. As we reported earlier, Governor Dean said in part:

"House Republican Leader John Boehner’s comments yesterday are deplorable and he should apologize immediately. Our brave men and women who have given their lives in service to our country and their families have made the ultimate sacrifice, and to say anything less is insulting to their memories and service."

You can help by joining the online campaign to call for Congress to take action against John Boehner. Use this online tool from Democrats.org to write your Representative, asking them to denounce Boehner's remarks.

UPDATE: ThinkProgress reports that Boehner now says he was referring to the money spent in Iraq--not the loss of American lives. But if you read the transcript, he was clearly referring to troop deaths.

Friday Open Thread

Friday is here...

September 13, 2007

Thursday Night Open Thread

Chat away...

Bush Speech: Wants to Keep Troop Levels High In Iraq

Tonight when Bush addresses the nation at 9pm ET, it will be his eighth "major" Iraq speech since the war began in March 2003. He is expected to announce that he wants to keep 160,000 troops in Iraq until next summer, before cutting to 130,000 troops--the same number of troops that were deployed before the January escalation.

Senator Jack Reed (D-RI), a former Army Ranger and a member of the Armed Services Committee, will give the official Democratic response to Bush’s speech. Congressman Silvestre Reyes of Texas, a Vietnam combat veteran and Chairman of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, will give the Spanish language response.

Governor Dean On Boehner's Deplorable Comments

Governor Dean responded to Republican leader John Boehner's deplorable comments.

"House Republican Leader John Boehner’s comments yesterday are deplorable and he should apologize immediately. Our brave men and women who have given their lives in service to our country and their families have made the ultimate sacrifice, and to say anything less is insulting to their memories and service. Republicans stubbornly refuse to acknowledge that their Iraq policy is a failure, our troops are mired in a civil war and we’re not making the necessary political progress on the ground. Bohener’s comments show how truly out of touch the Republicans are. The loss of a son or daughter is never a small price to pay, especially for a policy which was initiated by Republicans who misled the nation about why we are there. The war in Iraq must end. We need to bring our troops home."

Governor Dean Interview About Online Campaigning

Governor Dean, described as the "original Internet candidate," was interviewed for Huffington Post about the influence of the Internet on political campaigns. Here's the clip:

The interview was featured as part of Huffington Post's Democratic candidate mashup.

Leadership? Giuliani Failed NYC Schools

Rudy Giuliani's rocky record with the New York public school system:

New York City schools went through eight years of political chaos during Giuliani's terms, which ended in 2002. His bare-knuckle tactics contributed to the departure of three chancellors, according to interviews with former school administrators, Board of Education members, teachers, parents, union officials and outside experts.

He left behind an expired union contract, an army of angry teachers and a school system that by his own admission was still delivering inferior educations to hundreds of thousands of students.

How Giuliani handled education provides a window into his potential political skills as a U.S.president, especially in terms of the way he managed people and his refusal to compromise on issues big and small.

Bush's Top Spy Chief Admits He Misled Congress

Bush's spymaster admits he misled Congress:

In a new embarrassment for the Bush administration top spymaster, Director of National Intelligence Mike McConnell is withdrawing an assertion he made to Congress this week that a recently passed electronic-surveillance law helped U.S. authorities foil a major terror plot in Germany.

On Monday, McConnell told senators that the controversial law, called the "Protect America Act," helped to "facilitate" the arrest of three men suspected of planning massive car bombings against American targets in Germany. The problem is that the law didn't really foil the German plot.

The U.S. military initially provided information that helped the Germans uncover the plot. But that exchange of information took place months before the new "Protect America" law was passed.

The "Protect America Act" is a temporary law that expires in six months. It is expected to be the subject of intense debate in the months ahead.

Fred Visits a "Golf Cart Community"

Today Fred Thompson is going to be campaigning in the Villages -- a giant retirement community (spanning 3 counties) where everybody rides around in golf carts. It's a nice place, and Wikipedia defines it the following way:

The Villages is a golf cart community, meaning golf carts may be safely and legally driven on the special transportion trails built especially for carts and along many roads 24 hours a day. A golf cart overpass was built across US 27/US 441 in the center of The Villages to connect the original neighborhood to the new areas because a tunnel could not be constructed to provide safe passage across this major highway. Tunnels serve this purpose throughout the rest of the community where a highway must be crossed.

Perfect for Fred. He'll fit right in:

Thursday Open Thread

Chat away...

September 12, 2007

PB Rescue Open Thread

Read them all. And then chat away...

Boehner Claims "We" Have Paid "A Small Price" in Iraq

This is pretty stunning. The Republican leader in the House had this to say today to Wolf Blitzer:

We need to continue our effort here because, Wolf, long term, the investment that we’re making today will be a small price if we’re able to stop al Qaeda here, if we’re able to stabilize the Middle East, it’s not only going to be a small price for the near future, but think about the future for our kids and their kids.

Nobody should ever minimize what our troops have sacrificed. And what's this "we" business, anyway?

Bush Administration Suddenly Doesn't Believe in Benchmarks

Thanks to Steve Benen at the Carpetbagger Report for catching this:

It was the White House and the Iraqi government, not Congress, that first proposed the benchmarks for Iraq that are now producing failing grades, a provenance that raises questions about why the administration is declaring now that the government’s performance is not the best measure of change.

And linking it to this, from White House Press Secretary Tony Snow today:

"No, benchmarks were something that Congress wanted to use as a metric. And we’re going to produce a report. But the fact is that the situation is bigger and more complex, and you need to look at the whole picture."

So why is the White House suddenly so interested in the "bigger, more complex" picture? Maybe because Iraq's Maliki government successfully met only 3 out of 18 benchmarks--a failing report card by any count.

Three Surrender from "No Surrender" Campaign

John McCain loses even more staff...

As he launches his "No Surrender" tour defending his staunch support for the war in Iraq, John McCain faces continued staff turmoil.

Three aides in McCain's national political department have resigned in recent days, nearly depleting an already-thinned out element of the Arizonan's campaign and again raising questions about whether he has the organization to compete for the GOP nod.

Fact-Checking Fred

Fred Thompson's lazy campaign is already off to a rocky start with the truth. Yesterday the campaign released a web video about Thompson claiming that, "Fred went on to win re-election by the largest margin in Tennessee history."

But the claim made by the Fred Thompson campaign is factually wrong. Since Tennessee voters started electing their Senators in 1913, Tennessee Senators have won re-election to the Senate 20 times. The largest percentage margin achieved by a Tennessee Senator was 61.2% achieved by Al Gore Sr. in 1958 (Thompson is ranked #14 out of 20 with a 24.55% margin).

In 2000 Bill Frist won re-election by a margin of 634,292, the largest vote margin in Tennessee history. (Thompson is ranked #3 out of 20 with a margin of 436,617 votes.)

Romney Dumps Website Author That Was "Not Affiliated" With His Campaign

Mitt Romney is already trailing brand-new candidate Fred Thompson in the polls--and now he's dealing with a PR disaster caused by "PhoneyFred."

Sources are telling FITS News that Mitt Romney’s South Carolina campaign organization has fired consultant Wesley Donehue in an effort to make him the scapegoat for yesterday’s PR disaster. Donehue has been publicly fingered by the Romney campaign as the individual responsible for creating PhoneyFred.org, a website attacking recently-announced presidential candidate Fred Thompson. Our sources tell us Romney’s $12,000-a-month lead consultant J. Warren Tompkins and S.C. Campaign Manager Terry Sullivan are telling people they had no idea Donehue was behind the website.

Uh-huh. Romney’s spokesman also says Donehue is "not an employee of ours," yet Donehue’s "On The Mark" direct mail firm received $81,225.02 from the Romney campaign during the second quarter of 2007, according to Federal Election Commission filings.

The anti-Thompson website called the candidate names like Fancy Fred, Five O'Clock Fred, Flip-Flop Fred, McCain Fred, Moron Fred, Playboy Fred, Pro-Choice Fred, Son-of-a-Fred and Trial Lawyer Fred.

Fred Thompson Asked About Infrastructure, Talks About Saddam Hussein

On the campaign trail in New Hampshire, Fred Thompson is asked about America's infrastructure...and answers by talking about Saddam Hussein.

Thomson was asked how he would make funding of the Iraq war more transparent while also ensuring adequate money in the federal budget for maintaining the U.S. infrastructure.

The Aug. 1 collapse of a Minneapolis bridge that killed 13 people-- the worst U.S. bridge failure in 25 years--"went down because things aren't being paid attention to at home," said Cindy Holden, 57, a nurse who asked the question.

In response, Thompson launched into an almost 10-minute answer focused on why it was necessary to overthrow Saddam Hussein. He didn't mention infrastructure.

Bush To Announce He Will Keep 160,000 Troops In Iraq Until Next Summer

George Bush is expected to announce Thursday a plan to keep 160,000 troops in Iraq until next summer, before cutting to 130,000 troops--the same number of troops that were deployed before the January escalation.

In a 15-minute address from the White House at 9 p.m. EDT, Bush will endorse the recommendations of his top general and top diplomat in Iraq, following their appearance at two days of hearings in Congress, administration officials said.

...In his speech, Bush will adopt Petraeus' call for more time to determine the pace and scale of future withdrawals and offer to report to Congress in March, one official said.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, (D-CA) said it appears that Bush will merely bring the country back to where it was before the election that put Democrats in control of Congress--with 130,000 troops in Iraq.

And Taylor Marsh points out that the military planned to pull those 30,000 troops out of Iraq since April 2006--so this "compromise" is not a compromise at all.

Wednesday Open Thread

Chat away...

September 11, 2007

PB Rescue Open Thread

PartyBuilder Rescue time! And just one today, since we've been focusing so much on the Petraeus testimony.

We can't all be on the Senate Armed Services committee, but I_doubt_it has a list of questions for Ambassador Crocker and Gen. Petraeus.

Chat away...

Health Coverage Costs Rise Faster Than Wages, Inflation

Working families are taking another hit on health-care costs this year, according to a new report from the Kaiser Family Foundation. Health insurance premiums rose an average of 6.1 percent, far faster than inflation and pay increases.

This year, premiums reached an average of $12,106 for a family of four, with workers paying, on average, $3,281 of that. Premiums to cover a single person cost $4,479, with employees paying $694. The portions both families and single people pay in premiums has nearly doubled since 2001.

Since 2001, the cost of premiums has gone up 78 percent, far faster than the 19 percent increase in wages and 17 percent jump in inflation.

Meanwhile, as the number of uninsured rises, the Bush administration is making it more difficult for states to provide health coverage to low-income children.

Giuliani Attends 9/11 Event with Author Who Attacked 9/11 Widows

The NY Daily News reports that Rudy Giuliani is attending a 9/11 event tonight in New York City, with right-wing radio host Sean Hannity and provocateur Ann Coulter. As Greg Sargent over at TPM Café points out Coulter has a history of attacking the families of the 9/11 victims.

Last June she attacked the 9/11 families by saying,"Do I have to kill my mother so I can be a victim, too?"

She claimed that 9/11 families would not give up their “celebrity and notoriety” to “have their husbands back.”

In her book and on television, she’s attacked the widows of 9/11 families by saying, "I've never seen people enjoying their husbands' deaths."

As the NY Daily News points out this morning, Giuliani has decided to commemorate the anniversary of 9/11 with Ann Coulter tonight.

General Petraeus Testifies Before Senate Committee, Part II

General Petraeus and U.S. Ambassador Ryan Crocker are testifying at 2pm ET before the Senate Armed Services Committee, broadcast live on C-SPAN.

Use this post as the open thread for the hearing. You also might want to read through the open thread from the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee hearing that just ended.

Governor Dean's 9/11 Statement

Here's the statement issued by Governor Dean commemorating the sixth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks:

On the sixth anniversary of September 11, we honor those who were killed in those tragic attacks, the family and friends who still grieve their loss, and the survivors who continue to suffer. On that day, our country and our world changed forever. Today, Democrats also renew our commitment to fighting the real war on terror. Six years after the attacks, we are not as safe as we should be. We remain committed to fighting al Qaeda where they are and implementing policies that make our country safer and more secure.

General Petraeus Testifies Before Senate Committee

General David Petraeus and U.S. Ambassador Ryan Crocker testifying now before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, broadcast live on C-SPAN.

Arctic Ice the Size of Florida Melts in One Week

Scientists are alarmed that over 69,000 square miles of Arctic sea ice, roughly the size of Florida, melted away in just six days last week.

"If you had asked me a few years ago about how fast the Arctic would be ice free in summer, I would have said somewhere between about 2070 and the turn of the century," said scientist Mark Serreze, polar ice expert at the NSIDC. "My view has changed. I think that an ice-free Arctic as early as 2030 is not unreasonable."

Sea ice helps regulate the planet's climate by affecting air and ocean currents. It also acts like a mirror, helping to reflect the sun's energy back into space. According to Robert Correll, chair of the Arctic Climate Impact Assessment, the loss of sea ice will "shift some of the weather patterns in ways that we are just beginning to understand."

Violence in Iraq is Increasing, Despite White House Message

General David Petraeus and U.S. Ambassador Ryan Crocker testified yesterday before the joint House Armed Services and Foreign Affairs committees. Their message? That Bush's escalation in Iraq is working and that violence in Iraq is down.

But it's just not true.

• The Associated Press reported 1,809 civilians killed in August, up from 1,760 in July, after an independent study of Iraqi police reports nationwide. An independent study by the Los Angeles Times also found August was worse than July and June.

• More U.S. troops died every month this year compared to the same month last year.

• Petraeus claims attacks in Iraq were just 960 a week in August. The Washington Post reports that experts "accuse the military of cherry-picking positive indicators"--including only counting people who were shot in the back, not in the front.

• A USA Today-Gallup poll shows 53% of Americans don't trust the Petraeus report.

General Petraeus is expected to testify again today at 2pm ET before the Senate Armed Services committee. We'll have a new thread for discussion as the testimony continues.

Tuesday Open Thread

Chat away...

September 10, 2007

What Does Fred Thompson Believe About Anything?

Taking his cue from Mitt Romney, lobbyist Fred Thompson starts changing his position on Global Warming.

From the NH Union Leader editorial page editor, Andrew Kline.

He told the global warming guys that climate change was real and that the United States needed to address it. He mentioned working with other nations to find solutions, but he had no specific agenda. (Afterwards, the activists said they were not satisfied with his answer.)

It's no surprise Fred doesn't want to talk about specifics, he's probably just learning about his new found position on global warming.

At the end of July (a mere month and a half ago) the Washington Post pointed out that Fred Thompson was mocking climate scientists for their studies on global warming.

Scientists who insist that global warming is ruining nature, he said, are like those true believers four centuries ago who insisted that the Earth is flat. "Ask Galileo," he said.

Mitt Romney would be impressed.

Send Fred Thompson Back To The Minor Leagues

More bad reviews for Fred Thompson's first foray into the debate.

Thompson's debut wasn't a disaster, but it was far from a tour de force. His opponents have had months to burnish their sound bites to a lapidary shine. Thompson doesn't have sound bites yet; the lines he seemed to have practiced came out soggy instead of crisp. He did get better as the evening wore on, but he gave Romney and Giuliani no reason to stop sniping at each other -- or Hillary Clinton-- and turn any serious fire on the new guy.

In fact a blogger did the research and found that Fred Thompson spent more than two minutes stuttering, confused, and stumbling over his own words.

Duncan Hunter Contradicts Petraeus

Rep. Duncan Hunter, not very long ago:

General Petraeus is not just coming back not just as a guy who is going to give us his take on the Iraq situation, but as the leader of more than 160,000 American personnel in uniform in Iraq. And they're not only watching his testimony, but they're watching our testimony. They're watching how we treat them.

And General Petraeus, when he testified before the Senate back in January:

Senator, I seriously doubt that our troops are sitting watching C-SPAN 3 in Iraq right now.

Video coming shortly. (Update-Added)

Having trouble? Download it here.

Testimony Live

The testimony before the joint House Armed Services and Foreign Affairs committees by General David Petraeus and U.S. Ambassador Ryan Crocker is being broadcast live now on both CNN and C-Span 3.

General Petraeus Testifies on Iraq; Majority of Americans Want Out

General David Petraeus and U.S. Ambassador Ryan Crocker will begin their testimony before Congress today at 12:30pm ET, at a hearing that will be attended by 107 House members. Both are expected to say that Bush's escalation in Iraq is a success--even though the situation in Iraq is clearly worsening.

Meanwhile, according to a new USA TODAY/Gallup Poll, a majority of Americans want to withdraw from Iraq:

A record 60% say the United States should set a timetable to withdraw forces "and stick to that timetable regardless of what is going on in Iraq."

"The president's message has been offset by a stream of credible analyses that things are in pretty bad shape," says Richard Eichenberg, a political scientist at Tufts. He notes pessimistic assessments released last week by the Government Accountability Office and a commission of retired generals.

Asked about Petraeus' testimony, 53% of those surveyed say the commander of U.S. forces in Iraq will deliver "a biased report that reflects what the Bush administration wants the public to believe." Four in 10 say it will be independent.

The Bush Report: Crisis In Confidence

The National Security Network spoke to top national security experts in advance of the testimony today by Petraeus and Crocker. You can watch that video below:

Thompson Campaign Uses Three-Year-Old As Prop

Over the weekend, Chase Martyn at the Iowa Independent caught this funny anecdote about the Fred Thompson campaign. Seems that his three-year-old daughter is being sent onto the stage at the 40-minute mark of his speeches...and he responds with a folksy "bless your heart" each time. Also from Bret Hayworth at the Sioux City Journal:

Forty minutes into the event, Thompson’s 3-year-old daughter, Hayden, ran onto the convention center stage. Some in the crowd let out a heartfelt ‘aawwww.’ Thompson told Hayden, "Bless your heart, I’ll be done in a second."

With this being a major event as Thompson kicked off his candidacy yesterday and today, there was a huge national press crew along. I heard that Thompson’s daughter had similarly come onto the stage near the end of both Iowa campaign stops yesterday...I interviewed a few people after the Thompson appearance for reactions to the speech, and one man brought up that he thought the daughter coming onto the stage was, well, staged.

Monday Open Thread

Chat away...

September 9, 2007

Sunday Open Thread

Chat away...

September 8, 2007

From the Archives

While this Commodore Amiga commercial might not have been as "influential" as the Apple 1984 ad, it's still my personal favorite for the appearance of Tip O'Neil:

Saturday Open Thread

Chat away...

September 7, 2007

PB Rescue Open Thread

PartyBuilder!

• Of Course. (marsh)
• Karl writes a piece about how to win locally. Start organizing!
• And on this Friday, let me echo this statement by shopman: good night Democrats!

The Democratic Party gives anybody the ability to write blog posts directly on our website over at PartyBuilder (PB). You can read what everybody has to say, or you can create your own account and start writing posts yourself.

This is an open thread. Chat away...

Thompson: Bin Laden 'More Symbolism Than Anything Else'

During the second day on the campaign trail, Fred Thompson's nascent campaign got a lot rougher when he downplayed the importance of catching Osama Bin Laden.

"Bin Laden is more symbolism than anything else. I think it demonstrates to people once again that we're in a global war."

Osama Bin Laden is the leader of Al Qaeda, and is responsible for the deaths of thousands of Americans. It's been more than 2,000 days since President Bush said that we would catch Bin Laden, and we're approaching the anniversary of September 11th.

UPDATE (by Mike): To make things worse, the idea the Bin Laden is just a symbol appears to directly contradict other statements he's making.

This morning on Good Morning America he said "I think the point is clearly he's there, clearly he's somewhere along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border and clearly he's still giving orders."

The Bush Report: No Written Petraeus Testimony

According to the Washington Times, the final Bush report that Petraeus will be presenting to the Congress next week will not be based on any written presentation by the General. In fact, it states that the only thing he will have written are his opening remarks to the Congress:

A senior military officer said there will be no written presentation to the president on security and stability in Iraq. “There is no report. It is an assessment provided by them by testimony,” the officer said.

The impression that the White House has given the nation, when it comes to the Bush report, has certainly "evolved" over the months. For more, see ThinkProgress:

To recap, first the public was incorrectly led to believe that Gen. David Petraeus would issue his own report about the situation on the ground in Iraq. Then the Los Angeles Times reported that the so-called “Petraeus report” would “actually be written by the White House.”

Rep. Tom Davis (R-VA) then suggested the White House would probably “tweak” the “Petraeus report.” In an effort to put the controversy to rest, Gen. David Petraeus assured lawmakers that the White House was not going to be involved in the “writing” of the report.

And that brings us to where we are today, just days before Petraeus makes his way to way to the Congress. Certainly we can expect the same thing from the Bush report as we've had the entire time -- President Bush will claim "it's working" just like he did (repeatedly) in 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, and 2007. The president will attempt to cherry-pick the data. Then, he'll make excuses for why we haven't made the political progress that was promised.

Bush's Bad Day At APEC

During a speech to leaders at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum (APEC), Bush made several gaffes within a matter of minutes.

First he thanked Australian Prime Minister John Howard for "being such a fine host for the OPEC summit"--even though OPEC is a cartel of 12 major oil producers, and neither Australia nor the United States are members. Then he referred to the "Austrian" soldiers serving in Iraq, when he meant to refer to the host country's Australian troops.

But what happened next pretty much summarizes Bush's foreign policy:

Then, speech done, Bush confidently headed out--the wrong way.

He strode away from the lectern on a path that would have sent him over a steep drop. Howard and others redirected the president to center stage, where there were steps leading down to the floor of the theater.

Phone Jamming

Big news on the phone jamming front:

In a letter to House oversight committee Chairman Henry Waxman (D-CA) today, Rep. Paul Hodes (D-NH) asks that the committee investigate. Not only is there evidence that the White House might have been involved in the jamming, Hodes writes, but there's evidence that Justice Department officials interfered in the prosecution. He wants the committee to "determine if a politically motivated plot did in fact obstruct justice in this case, and if so to take such steps as may be reasonable." You can read his letter here. Democrats had earlier requested that the Senate Judiciary Committee probe the matter.

Three guilty pleas and one conviction have resulted from investigation of the scheme, where Republicans conspired to jam Democratic phone lines on Election Day, 2002.

The Friday Five

Every Friday we're highlighting five events happening around the country that we've found in PartyBuilder's Events system.

Here are 5 events happening around the country. If you don't see one in your neck of the woods, click here to search for one near you. Or better yet, create your own!

1. Tri-City Action for Peace Monthly Vigil (Saginaw, MI)
   

   Join Local Peace Group gathering at Bay and Tittabawassee to protest against the continuation- and escalation- of the War in Iraq.

2. Basic VAN Training (Reno, NV)
   

   The VAN's advanced screening options will help you pinpoint your target democratic demographics. "Report" features include robust tools such as printing neighborhood maps of registered Democrats.

3. Used Book Sale (Abington, PA)
   

   Abington Rockledge Democratic Committee will hold a huge Used Book Sale, with hundreds of books priced to sell. All proceeds benefit local candidates in Abington, PA. Part of whole block flea market.

4. Beach Clean Up (Morro Bay, CA)
   

   Clean the Beach at Morro Rock State Park along with other Ecology minded folks. Make the public aware that Democrats care about quality of life at the "down and dirty" level. Bring gloves and grabbers if possible. The beach is well maintained but Labor Day tourists leave extra trash.

5. TT: Spangle Harvest Festival (Spangle, WA)
   

   Pancake breakfast, parade, all-day craft fair, kids’ bike races, classic car show, home run derby, kids’ games, bingo, BBQ dinner, go-cart races, food booths, adult dance & karaoke. Bring the whole family and your friends for a full day of food, fun, prized and music.

Fred Thompson's First Campaign Event: "Low Energy, Boring, Pathetic"

Ryan Sager writes about Fred Thompson's first event in Iowa:

I just attended Fred Thompson's first campaign event in Des Moines, Iowa. The quick take: This is a whimper of a start.

I'm writing from the filing center that the Thompson campaign has set up in the Polk County Convention Complex, and the verdict from the grizzled and cynical Des Moines press corps is harsh: "Pathetic" was the word used by one vet. "Small" and "low energy" were the words used to describe the crowd.

Friday Open Thread

Chat away...

September 6, 2007

PB Rescue Open Thread

I love the rescue feature -- thanks again to SusanG.

Anyway, the last couple of days have been really active over there lately thanks to an email we recently sent out asking people to start organizing at the county level through the website. So here's a small list, but go there and you'll find much, much more.

• In Well, it is about time we all, T-Rod decides to take the challenge offered by the email and starts his own effort to organize locally.
• Paul Thompson (Porthos), highlights a new video by Robert Greenwald that takes on the real Rudy.
• The U.S. Census Bureau released its most recent poverty report, and I didn't know about it. Thankfully, The Unbeliever flags it for us and writes (sarcastically) Quit worrying about trying to feed your kids, and pull yourself up by your bootstraps
• And there's a new Iraq report, says shopman. "My assessment is that because of the number and breadth of parties boycotting the cabinet, the Iraqi government is in essential collapse," Kenneth Katzman, the author of the report, said. "That argues against any real prospects for political reconciliation."

The Democratic Party gives anybody the ability to write blog posts directly on our website over at PartyBuilder (PB). You can read what everybody has to say, or you can create your own account and start writing posts yourself.

This is an open thread. Chat away...

Giuliani: The Real Giuliani

New York City firefighters have already taken on Rudy Giuliani's record on public safety while he was the mayor of the New York City, and today Robert Greenwald of Brave New Films released a web clip with interviews about Giuliani's decision to put the emergency management station in the World Trade Center Buildings against the advice of his Director of emergency management.

Here's an exchange between Rudy Giuliani and Chris Wallace on Fox News.

You put the emergency response command center in the World Trade Center in 1997, even though your director of emergency management suggested — recommended that you not put it there because it had been a target in 1993. Why'd you do that?

GIULIANI: My director of emergency management recommended 7 World Trade Center, and that was...

WALLACE: I have got a copy right here of Jerry Hauer's directive to you. And there were meetings in which Jerry Hauer said that it's a bad idea. And the police chief, Howard Safir, said it was a bad idea.

GIULIANI: Jerry Hauer recommended that as the prime site and the site that would make the most sense, and he recommended it because...

In the short film here's what Jerry Hauer, Rudy Giuliani's own Director of emergency management had to say about that exchange.

It’s just a flat out lie. All the other options were taken away and we kept being pushed back towards 7 world trade center. It was very clear that the mayor was not going to go anywhere else but Lower Manhattan. …

He has no idea what he’s talking about. There was no virtual command center. We did not have a virtual capability outside of 7 World Trade Center.

Fred Thompson's Real Record on Social Security

Fred Thompson says that Social Security needs to be "fixed," which sounds a lot like George Bush, and he vigorously supported Bush's plans to privatize Social Security in the past.

In 2000, speaking to a group of Tennessee Republicans, he "applauded Bush for his plan to change Social Security," and in 2001 he appeared on CNN and defended the president’s plan, saying it provided a better return in the long run.

And back in 1999, Fred Thompson co-sponsored legislation which would allow Americans to divert a portion of payroll taxes to a private savings account--and away from Social Security.

But now...

Asked how his ideas for overhauling the system differ from those of George W. Bush, the actor and former Tennessee senator says: "I don't even remember the details of his plan."

Welcome Back, Senator!

Good news:

Democrat Tim Johnson of South Dakota was welcomed back to the Senate Wednesday by colleagues of both parties who hailed his recovery from a life-threatening brain hemorrhage Dec. 13.

The official embrace came at mid-afternoon, when senators adopted a resolution (S Res 306) extending “their warmest welcome” and expressing “their personal happiness at his return” and “their very best wishes for his continued health.”
[...]
He said, “I believe I have been given a second chance at life,” and vowed to use that second chance to continue his work for his state and nation.

It's good to have him back. And for more on the politics part of this story, see MyDD.

GOP Leaders Divided About Senator Craig

That foot tapping you hear isn't coming from Craig; it's coming from GOP Senate leaders waiting for him to resign. Yesterday they held a "passionate" and "spirited" discussion "behind closed doors," as CNN reports:

Sen. Ted. Stevens of Alaska, whose home was recently raided as part of a federal corruption probe, stood up to say it's wrong to prejudge these matters.

He was joined by Sen. Jim Bunning of Kentucky and Sen. Michael Enzi of Wyoming, who also "wagged their finger" at the leadership, in the words of one of the aides.

But many more senators stood to defend the leaders, even greeting Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky with applause when he was introduced to discuss the topic at the weekly Senate Republican policy luncheon in the Capitol.

McConnell may have received applause, but then again, so did Vitter.

Judge Strikes Down Part of Patriot Act

A federal judge struck down parts of the revised USA Patriot Act today as unconstitutional, saying that investigators must have court approval before they can order Internet providers to turn over customer records.

U.S. District Judge Victor Marrero said the government orders must be subject to meaningful judicial review and that the recently rewritten Patriot Act "offends the fundamental constitutional principles of checks and balances and separation of powers."

He also said that the law "reflects an attempt by Congress and the executive to infringe upon the judiciary's designated role under the Constitution."

This is the second time that Judge Marrero has ruled parts of the Patriot Act unconstitutional. Back in 2004, he ruled that some provisions of the original Patriot Act violated free speech and amounted to unreasonable search and seizure.

It's Working? That Old Line Again?

Do they really expect us to believe them this time?

"The terrorists and the Baathists loyal to the old regime will fail because America and our allies have a strategy, and our strategy is working."
President Bush
November 1, 2003

"Our strategy is working."
Vice President Cheney
September 28, 2004

"That's our strategy. And it is working and it is going to work, for the good of the country."
President Bush
June 24, 2005

"Our strategy is working."
White House's "National Strategy for Victory in Iraq"
November 30, 2005

"This approach is working."
President Bush
December 7, 2005

"It is a concrete example of how our strategy is working."
Frm. White House spokesman Scott McClellan
March 20, 2006

"It took time to understand and adjust to the brutality of the enemy in Iraq. Yet the strategy is working."
President Bush
March 20, 2006

Cherry-Picking, A Grand Bush Administration Tradition

The Washington Post reports today that -- surprise, surprise -- the data used by Republicans to claim the escalation worked directly contradicts what the experts have been saying.

These numbers are being used by the GOP as political propaganda, and while we expect it from this administration, it simply doesn't match the reality on the ground.

Here are the facts, via the Post:

• There is "escalating warfare between rival Shiite militias in southern Iraq that has consumed the port city of Basra and resulted last month in the assassination of two southern provincial governors."


• The AP, according to the Post, "counted 1,809 civilian deaths in August, making it the highest monthly total this year, with 27,564 civilians killed overall since the AP began collecting data in April 2005."


• The GAO report found that "average number of daily attacks against civilians have remained unchanged from February to July 2007."

Over at Talking Points Memo, Josh Marshall continues the discussion about the Iraq statistics:

Maybe next week they'll stand in front of a "Escalation Accomplished" banner. Declaring success worked so well for them last time.

Fred Thompson Finally Announces...Hollywood-Style

Fred Thompson officially announced his candidacy for the Republican presidential nomination late last night, and, like any actor, he did it Hollywood-style on the Jay Leno show:

He confirmed his bid to Leno in Los Angeles--"I'm running for president of the United States"--while his eight rivals gathered in New Hampshire to debate without him.

But New Hampshire's Republican voters, already less-than-satisfied with their field, may not forgive him for skipping the debate. Fergus Cullen, chair of the Republican state party, said that he was disappointed that Thompson was "trading jokes" on the Leno show while his opponents debated in New Hampshire.

Thursday Open Thread

Chat away...

September 5, 2007

PB Rescue Open Thread

Republican presidential candidates will be appearing on their home turf, Fox News, starting at 9PM Eastern Time. Kombiz plans to have an open thread where he'll be posting a few updates.

But I also want to encourage all of you to use PartyBuilder to liveblog the debate. And when you do, be sure to use the same tag: September 5th Debate

Using the same exact tag (and not a variation) will help make sure they all show up in the same place: right here.

Until then, chat away...

Keep reading "PB Rescue Open Thread"

UN Launches Web Portal to Cut Global Warming Gas Emissions

As an environmentalist with an obvious interest in utilizing the Internet for progressive change, I couldn't turn down the chance to write about this:

The CDM Bazaar (www.cdmbazaar.net)... is designed to spur the exchange of information among buyers, sellers and service providers engaged in the Kyoto Protocol’s clean development mechanism (CDM).

The website itself is a bit confusing at first, with acronyms for pretty much everything, but its target audience isn't really you and me.

It's aimed at stakeholders in the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) project looking to post information "such as potential emission reduction projects looking for financing." It's also for emission reduction credits available for sale, information about carbon credits purchasing, carbon market related events, and employment, as the article notes.

There's no reason this information shouldn't be publicly available, making this website a step in the right direction. And while it won't be of use to me day-to-day, I'm happy to know that it's out there.

Just make sure Scientist Ted Stevens doesn't find out.

Fred Thompson Skips Debate for Leno

I realize that it's Letterman who has the Top Ten, but here are my Top Five guesses as to why Fred Thompson is skipping the Fox News Republican debate for the Tonight Show.

5. On the Tonight Show, he gets to hang out with a much younger crowd of people the age of Jay Leno.

4. Thinks Jay will ask tougher questions than Fox News.

3. Hollywood vs. New Hampshire? Easy call for Fred.

2. Arnold-envy.

1. Do you really expect Lazy Fred Thompson to stand for 90 minutes? Jay Leno has a couch!

Lobbyist Fred Charges Up His Golf Cart

Lobbyist Fred Thompson is apparently finally about to announce that he's going to really run, walk, or take a golf cart for the Republican presidential nomination. Today the "campaign" fired another top staffer who had been recruited personally by Fred Thompson less than a month ago.

There are more major resignations of founding Fredheads now looming over the way the "new media strategy" was supplanted by a "corporate" and "predictable" approach. They are also protesting the way so many people have been treated by the candidate and spouse.

As one insider said of Mills' departure, "he was recruited and hired by the candidate and his wife and they did not have the guts to let him go themselves. They have wrecked his life and it's totally wrong."

In preparation to run, he's skipping tonight's Republican debate and appearing on the Jay Leno show, something he'd ironically criticized John McCain for doing in the past. Instead Lobbyist Fred Thompson will be running an ad tonight, and ad that looks eerily like an ad he ran in 2004 that wouldn't be so popular today.

President Bush and the Generals

While the "I do tears" claim by Bush in a new book is receiving the bulk of attention, a very different quote stood out to me:

Bush, without addressing that meeting, suggested to the author that the ex-generals did get under his skin.

"My reaction was, 'No military guy is gonna tell a civilian how to react,'" he said.

Compare that to his public statements, namely at a press conference about a year ago:

"And that's the way I will continue to conduct the war. I'll listen to generals."

He's happy to listen to the military -- except when they disagree with him. A better example might be the Joint Chiefs of Staff, who have called for significant troop reductions far beyond simply returning to pre-surge levels (which has to happen anyway).

Bush Success Rating At Historic Low

When Bush took a clear position on an issue, he was successful only 14 percent of the time this year--the least successful of any president in fifty years. From CQPolitics:

The previous low for any president was in 1995, when Bill Clinton won just 26 percent of the time during the first year after Republicans took control of the House. If Bush’s score holds through the end of the year, he will have the lowest success rating in either chamber for any president since Congressional Quarterly began analyzing votes in 1953.

A study of House and Senate floor votes, compiled by CQ over the August recess, also showed that House Democrats have backed Bush’s legislative positions this year only 6 percent of the time, making for the strongest opposition from either party against a president in the 54 years CQ has kept score.

Return of Senator Craig?

With the apparent support of Senator Specter (documented by a voice mail message), it appears that Craig might try to hold on to his seat pending the outcomes both in court and the Senate Ethics Committee.

Yes, this means that Republicans will continue to be asked whether the Senator should resign. It means the Republican National Committee might be held to their claim to be ready to officially call for his resignation.

But had Craig resigned, it's possible it wouldn't have gone to the Ethics Committee. And now that it will, does that make it more likely Senator Vitter's D.C. Madam confession will go there, as well?

Just askin'...

Wednesday Open Thread

Chat away...

September 4, 2007

PB Rescue Open Thread

• Are you using Too Much Baggage? Ed talks about the need to reduce bag consumption.
• Sam debunks the Misleading Reports of Troop Deaths and presents the truth about the "improvement" in Iraq.
• A belated Happy Birthday goes out to FreedomOfSpeech, who examines the changing season in relation to the changing political climate.

Chat away...

Scientist Ted Stevens?

Republican Senator Ted Stevens just got back from the lab after spending the August recess collecting and observing data. And wouldn't you know it, he's got some amazing results: the Earth is about to start getting cooler!

Phew! That was a close one...

White House Blatantly Edits GAO Report on Iraq

Last week, a leaked report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) revealed that Iraq has failed to meet 15 of 18 benchmarks for political and military progress.

The report was leaked by an official who feared the White House would water down its grim assessment of the situation in Iraq. Now, it appears that the official was right. From the Associated Press:

Baghdad has not met 11 of its 18 political and security goals, according to a new independent report on Iraq that challenges President Bush's assessment on the war.

The study, conducted by the Government Accountability Office, was slightly more upbeat than initially planned. After receiving substantial resistance from the White House, the GAO determined that four benchmarks--instead of two--had been partially met.

Let's do the math. According to the original report, the Iraqi government met only 3 of 18 benchmarks. After the White House intervened, the Iraqi government was given "partial credit" for 4 more benchmarks.

A headline about the original report would have read: "Iraq hasn't met 15 of 18 benchmarks." Now the Associated Press headline reads: "Iraq hasn't met 11 of 18 benchmarks." A significant--and blatant--difference.

Fred Thompson Skips Debate, But Buys Air Time

Fred Thompson's new communications director Todd Harris scoffs that "everyday normal Americans" don't watch debates, so it's not worth showing up--but apparently the Thompson campaign still thinks it's worth buying air time.

Fred D. Thompson, the soon-to-be-official presidential contender, has come under a good deal of criticism in New Hampshire this week for scheduling his formal announcement for next Thursday morning and thus skipping the Republican debate in Manchester on Wednesday night.

But that does not mean that television viewers watching the debate will not see him.

Campaign officials said Friday that Mr. Thompson had bought a 30-second spot that would be televised nationally on the Fox News Channel, the network carrying the debate, just as viewers are tuning in at the onset.

So what's the deal? He'll buy an ad, but he won't compete? Is he just plain chicken?

UPDATE: Mike Link asks if the campaign ad is yet another violation of federal election law.

Republican Candidates Embrace 4 More Years of Bush Agenda

As the country rejects the failed Republican policies of the last 7 years and yearns for a new direction, the Los Angeles Times reports this morning that the Republican presidential candidates have embraced the failed Bush Agenda.

More than two-thirds of Americans say the country is "seriously off on the wrong track" under President Bush. Still, a remarkable thing is happening among Republican candidates for the White House: They are enthusiastically embracing Bush's major policies and principles -- even some of the most controversial and unsuccessful ones.

Mitt Romney wants to keep the Guantanamo Bay prison open--even expand it--and endorses Bush's failed plan to overhaul Social Security. Rudolph W. Giuliani, like Bush, sees tax breaks as the key to expanding health insurance coverage. Sen. John McCain of Arizona is a stalwart defender of a war that has left the nation unsettled.

All the leading GOP candidates want to continue Bush's tax cuts. And like Bush, they all oppose a bill to expand a health insurance program for children.

Bush Plans to "Make a Lot of Money" After Leaving Office

This weekend, the New York Times published a revealing anecdote from an upcoming book by Texas writer Robert Draper, in which Bush muses aloud about his time after he leaves office.

First, Mr. Bush said, "I’ll give some speeches, just to replenish the ol’ coffers." With assets that have been estimated as high as nearly $21 million, Mr. Bush added, "I don’t know what my dad gets — it’s more than 50-75" thousand dollars a speech, and "Clinton’s making a lot of money."

Nice to see what his priorities are.

Tuesday Open Thread

Chat away...

Iraq: September Has Arrived

Politicians may have been waiting for September to make a decision about Iraq, but the American people have already decided.

Nevertheless, finally, September is here and the White House report will soon be issued -- within a couple weeks. It has been reported that General Petraeus will not be writing the White House report, rather it will be the work of administration officials.

But when he comes to DC to testify before the Congress, many will be listening to what he has to say.

Will he refute the recommendations of the Joint Chiefs, whose top generals have pushed for significant troop reductions? Or will he argue for the Bush plan to "stay the course" and only implement the insignificant reductions already planned?

We'll be covering this closely in the coming weeks. This is just the beginning.

September 3, 2007

Monday Open Thread

Chat away...

September 2, 2007

Sunday Open Thread

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September 1, 2007

From the Archives

Just the first 2 and a half minutes...

Saturday Open Thread

Chat away...