« December 2007 | Main | February 2008 »

January 31, 2008

PB Rescue Open Thread

Read them all, then chat away...

GOP Exodus

We've been covering the Republican retirements in the House as they trickle out one-by-one -- and for good reason: it makes their work in November so much more difficult.

Today the NY Times takes a look "the roster of retirees at 28, one of the highest numbers recorded for the party in the House." I guess pursuing an agenda that consists of nothing but obstruction isn't a lot of fun for them.

The latest retirement, from Rep. Tom Davis, was because he didn't enjoy being in the minority party. And that's likely what's causing others to retire, too, when they aren't leaving for -- well -- more lucrative options.

I'll leave you with the analysis from the Times:

With only five Democratic seats opening so far, party strategists and independent analysts say the disparity in open seats — typically the most competitive House fights, as voters oust relatively few incumbents — makes it highly unlikely that Republicans could seize the seats necessary to regain the House. The current House has 199 Republicans and 232 Democrats, with four vacancies to be filled by special elections.

“The open-seat situation is so lopsided as to deny Republicans any chance of taking back the House in 2008,” said David Wasserman, who analyzes House races for The Cook Political Report, a nonpartisan publication.

And let's not forget that we've also got the resources in all 50 states.

Record Prices and Record Profits

The Guardian:

Shell was today accused of making "obscene" profits at a time when pensioners, motorists and industry are struggling with higher energy prices when it unveiled annual earnings of $27.6bn.

And unless I can't divide...

27,600,000,000 / 365 = 75,616,438.36 a day

Afternoon Open Thread

• Jobless claims rising and consumers are spending less. (h/t Americablog)
• State Department on Afghanistan: "Nobody can tell me it's not going in a positive direction."
• He may have the endorsement, but Giuliani donors are unwilling to open their pockets for McCain. [Mike Gehrke]
• Does he know something we don’t know? Romney refuses to indulge in big Super Tuesday ad buy. [Mike Gehrke]
• My campaign bus can go faster than yours!! Amdinder: "According to eyewitnesses, the Straight Talk Express sped past Mitt Romney's campaign cavalcade on the 405 freeway tonight." [Mike Gehrke]

Chat away...

Pause?

On Monday, during the State of the Union, Bush declared: "In the coming months, four additional brigades and two Marine battalions will follow suit." That action would just about bring troop levels to where they were before the escalation.

But what about after that?

According to the Washington Post, the White House will propose a "freeze" on troop levels that would start in July for an unspecified amount of time. Some are floating the idea it could be a few months, which could then mean to the end of Bush's term in office.

Here's what Speaker Pelosi's blog, the Gavel, has to say:

The President’s Iraq policy will result in the same number of troops committed to an endless war in Iraq at the end of this year as were there at the end of 2006. And the President continues to ignore the calls of the American people to wind down the war with the responsible redeployment of our troops.

Meanwhile, as a report by former NATO commander General James Jones makes clear, NATO ‘is not winning’ the real war against terrorism in Afghanistan.’ And an Army study reportedly reveals that suicides among Army personnel are at record levels.

And John McCain wants another 100 years in Iraq...

No Straight Talk On Benchmarks On Withdrawl

At last nights Republican debate John McCain attacked Mitt Romney for discussing benchmarks in an interview from last April. The problem as usual for McCain, there's wasn't much straight talk in his accusations or his discussion of benchmarks. Last January McCain was advocating benchmarks, which if left unmet would have consequences because the "mission" could not be met. One would have to assume that the consequence McCain was advocating wasn't a military attack on the current government in Iraq.

This isn't the first time that McCain has been hypocritical on the issue of benchmarks and timetables.

McCain On The Economy: Four More Years

At last night's debate John McCain took tried to claim the Bush mantle on the economy. Unfortunately for McCain he's not very familiar with the economy - he defers to Phil Gramm on the economic issues - and he ended up stumbling over economic ideas trying to defend the Bush administrations horrible economic policies (PDF).

Fight Night!

11th Commandment goes out the window in down and dirty debate at Reagan Library:

John McCain and Mitt Romney carried their bitter Florida clash into California on Wednesday, each impugning the other's honesty in a hot-tempered debate as they sought to attract voters casting ballots in five days in a coast-to-coast array of primaries and caucuses.

McCain, caustic for much of the debate, castigated Romney for what he said was a past insinuation that America should withdraw from Iraq. [...]

Romney called the accusation "reprehensible" and said the Arizona senator was deliberately misrepresenting his comments because of a weakness for "Washington-style" negative campaigning.

Speaking of debates, McCain declined a one-on-one showdown with Romney on Meet the Press.

Thursday Open Thread

Chat away...

January 30, 2008

GOP Debate Open Thread

It's down to four -- Mike Huckabee, John McCain, Ron Paul, and Mitt Romney.

Tonight at 8pm you can watch the remaining GOP hopefuls debate in California on CNN. I'm sure there will be plenty of people liveblogging it -- both here in the comments here and also over at PartyBuilder, so take your pick.

So chat away...

Rudy Giuliani Attacked McCain.. As Late As Monday

Rudy Giuliani isn't a candidate for president anymore but as he endorses John McCain's Double Talk Express his website is chock full of criticism that Giuliani probably isn't willing to address today. Some of the attacks on McCain were sent out as recently as Monday.

On Fiscal & Economic Issues

Attacks John McCain saying that he is “not a fiscal conservative”

Disputes McCain contention: McCain needs to be educated on the economy

On Taxes

Attacks McCain for voting to raise taxes 50 times

Attacks John McCain for lack of executive experience

Attacks John McCain for not passing tax cuts

Attacks John McCain for voting against Bush tax cuts

Attacks John McCain for voting against Bush’s tax cuts

On Catastrophic Insurance

Attacks John McCain for opposing catastrophic insurance

Attacks John McCain for opposing catastrophic insurance

Attacks John McCain for opposing catastrophic insurance

On Not Being a True Republican

Attacked John McCain for receiving liberal newspaper editorial endorsements

On Immigration

Highlights Criticism of McCain on Immigration

On Executive Leadership Experience

Attacks John McCain for lack of executive experience

Attacks John McCain for lack of executive experience

On The Debate, Economy, War And The New York Times:

Highlights attacks on McCain by conservative commentators

More from the Mukasey Hearing

It's been a tough Senate visit for Attorney General Mukasey, who has continued to refuse giving answers to the questions being put before him by the Senate. And now he's not just refusing to answer questions, he's also refusing to brief Congress on the legality of the CIA's interrogation program.

And if that's not enough, he's even refusing to do so in a classified setting. Senator Feingold rightly pointed out that he's not exactly following through with the promises he made before being confirmed:

Video at ThinkProgress.

It's also worth noting that the frustration with the lack of clarity from Mukasey has been bipartisan.

Afternoon Open Thread

• TPM Muckraker has several running posts on the Judiciary Hearing with Mukasey, with lots of video.
• Yet another GOP Congressman retiring, this time Rep. Tom Davis (R-VA).
• Greenspan's doubting Fed's ability to prevent recession.
• Irony Watch: Star of most violent TVs and movies endorses Gov. "the entertainment industry is conditioning kids to kill." [Mike Gehrke]
• Somewhere, Ed Koch is doing a victory dance. [Mike Gehrke]

Chat away...

The McCain Platform: Less Jobs, More Wars

MSNBC commentator Joe Scarborough, a former Republican Congressman from Florida, paraphrased Senator John McCain's presidential platform as "less jobs, more wars."

Perhaps this is why...

McCain on the Economy:

Like Mike Huckabee, who joked recently that he "may not be the expert that some people are on foreign policy, but I did stay in a Holiday Inn Express last night," McCain suggested to reporters Monday that American consumer culture offered a short cut to expertise. "The issue of economics is not something I've understood as well as I should," McCain said. "I've got Greenspan's book." [emphasis added]

McCain on Future Military Confrontations:

Sen. John McCain told a crowd of supporters on Sunday, "It's a tough war we're in. It's not going to be over right away. There's going to be other wars." Offering more of his increasingly bleak "straight talk," he repeated the claim: "I'm sorry to tell you, there's going to be other wars. We will never surrender but there will be other wars." [emphasis added]

Mukasey: Feels Waterboarding Torture "If Done to Me"

It's not entirely clear which distinction he was making in his answer compared to what he said in the letter (which said that it's not clearly illegal).

You can find the video over at Think Progress and watch the response to Senator Kennedy's question, which invokes Cicero.

Here's a rough transcript from the Judiciary Committee hearing:

Kennedy: So I won't even bother to ask you whether waterboarding counts as torture because we know from your letter that we won't get a straight answer. So let me ask you this, would waterboarding be torture if it was done to you?

Mukasey: I would feel that it was.

Could It Be the Return Of Angry McCain?

John McCain faces a showdown with conservative talk radio:

Conservative talk radio is ganging up on presidential candidate John McCain, attacking him for joining Democrats to push liberal legislation and opposing bedrock Republican positions from tax cuts to immigration. [...] While most polls show the two men in a dead heat in key primary and caucus contests across the nation, the campaign battle on talk radio has turned into a lopsided offensive against Mr. McCain, whose positions on illegal aliens, President Bush's tax cuts, oil exploration in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and campaign-finance regulation have infuriated conservative commentators.

It's a party fractured... and McCain isn't gaining any conservative love:

According to the exit polls, 62 percent of primary voters identified themselves as conservative and 37 percent of them voted for Mitt Romney, compared to the 29 percent who went for McCain. That McCain continues to lose among his party's most conservative members could provide a small opening for Romney heading into super Tuesday.

Right Now: Mukasey Testifies

The hearing began at 10am this morning in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee.

According to the NY Times, it is the committee's "first oversight hearing for the new attorney general." And one subject expected to be discussed was a letter by Mukasey that waterboarding was not clearly illegal.

You can watch a live webcast of the hearing.

Wednesday Open Thread

Chat away...

Sound Familar?

Rudy Giuliani placed third in last night's Florida primary, behind John McCain and Mitt Romney.

Below is a clip from Rudy's speech.

Yeah... I liked it better when it was delivered by Howard Dean several years ago.

January 29, 2008

Election Results Open Thread

Chat away...

Evening Open Thread

Chat away...

Energy and Enthusiasm!

"Everywhere we go, it's standing-room only. People can't wait to see [Rudy Giuliani]. There's a lot of energy and enthusiasm."

Clearly...

The image doesn't completely show it, but the rest of the airport hanger was basically empty...

Afternoon Open Thread

• Norm Coleman was the happiest I've ever seen him when Bush walked by. The DSCC is holding a caption contest in the image's honor.
• Americans Against Escalation in Iraq responds to the State of the Union Address and takes a look at least years address, as well.
• Mitt Romney doesn't have a clear position on an issue: shocker!! Romney hits McCain for vote against Medicare Plan Mitt criticized. [Mike Gehrke]
• Taking his delegate and going home? Giuliani hints at ending his bid post-Florida [Mike Gehrke]

Chat away...

Justice Accused of Blocking Gonzales Investigation

The LA Times has the scoop (via DailyKos):

The government agency that enforces one of the principal laws aimed at keeping politics out of the civil service has accused the Justice Department of blocking its investigation into alleged politicizing of the department under former Atty. Gen. Alberto R. Gonzales.

The politicization of these various parts of government have led to different scandals, most notably at the Department of Justice. And now there are accusations that Mukasey won't share documents or answer questions.

I want to quote the whole article, but here's another key graf:

The Justice Department wants Bloch to wait until its own internal investigation is completed. [...] But that, the regulator wrote, could take until the last months of the Bush administration, "when there is little hope of any corrective measures or discipline possible" being taken by his office.

Bloch also cites "a disturbing pattern of disregard for the authority of my office" by the Justice Department.

More Gifts

Huckabee's ever-growing list of ethics complaints gets a little bit longer:

An ethics complaint was filed Monday against Mike Huckabee accusing the former Arkansas governor of violating state law by not revealing donors to a private fund used to raise money for his official portrait.

Jim Parsons of Bella Vista says he filed the complaint accusing the Republican presidential hopeful of violating a 2001 law requiring the governor to report donors of gifts he receives on behalf of the state.

[...] Two donors said they gave money to the fund for Huckabee's portrait, but a report filed with the state's Ethics Commission lists the portrait's artist as the sole donor.

Negroponte Confirms Use of Waterboarding

In an interview with National Journal, former Director of National Intelligence, John Negroponte, confirmed the use of waterboarding as an interrogation tactic by the Bush administration.

Q: When we as a nation are still debating the morality and efficacy of "harsh" interrogation techniques that much of the world consider torture, and indefinite detainment that lies outside the rule of international law, can the United States really win the "war of ideas" that President Bush insists is crucial to this conflict?

Negroponte: I get concerned that we're too retrospective and tend to look in the rearview mirror too often at things that happened four or even six years ago. We've taken steps to address the issue of interrogations, for instance, and waterboarding has not been used in years. It wasn't used when I was director of national intelligence, nor even for a few years before that. We've also taken significant steps to improve Guantanamo. People will tell you now that it is a world-class detention facility. But if you want to highlight and accent the negative, you can resurface these issues constantly to keep them alive. I would rather focus on what we need to do going forward. [emphasis added]

(Hat tip: Paul Kiel, TPMmuckraker)

Tuesday Open Thread

Chat away...

Shadegg Accepts $10,000 in PAC Money from Maxed-Out Contributors

Down in the southwestern desert, Arizona Democrats drafted an FEC complaint against Rep. John Shadegg (R-Phoenix, Ariz.) on the grounds that his re-election campaign is skirting donation limits through his political action committee (PAC).

Two Valley businessmen who made the maximum allowable individual donations to Shadegg's campaign in 2007 also wrote additional $5,000 checks to Shadegg's PAC, Leadership for America's Future. Eleven days later, on June 26, the PAC wrote two identical $5,000 checks to Shadegg.

Normally, such a transfer would not be noticed among thousands of dollars in contributions. But in the same reporting period, Shadegg's PAC received no other contributions and paid out only the $10,000.

Democrats accused Shadegg of using the PAC to avoid laws that prohibit donors from giving more than $2,300 to a candidate's re-election campaign in an election cycle.

Shadegg, who is up for re-election this year, said the contributions are legal because neither he nor the donors were aware that the money sent to the PAC would end up in his re-election campaign. [...]

Officials with the FEC, which regulates election finances, won't comment on the Shadegg donations, saying they can't speak on an issue they might be called to investigate.

Congressman Shadegg, as you may remember, claimed on FOX News during the intra-party election for majority leader to replace former Rep. Tom DeLay (R-Sugarland, Tex.), to have a "level of taint" lower than that of his opponents, Rep. John Boehner (R-West Chester, Ohio) and Rep. Roy Blunt (R-Springfield, Mo.).

(Hat tip: Zelph, AZNetroots)

January 28, 2008

Sens. Webb, McCaskill's "Modern Day Truman Committee" Signed into Law

Senators Jim Webb (D-Virginia) and Claire McCaskill (D-Missouri) spoke about the need for a "modern day Truman Commission," and last year introduced an amendment to that effect. The commission was signed into law by the President as part of the National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 2008.

Senator Jim Webb's office provided details last September:

* Establishes an independent, bipartisan eight-member Commission on Wartime Contracting to study federal agency contracting for logistics support, reconstruction, and security functions in Iraq and Afghanistan. The Commission will issue interim and final reports on its findings and recommendations, including an evaluation of which functions are inherently governmental and which functions are appropriate for performance by contractors in a contingency operation, especially whether providing security in an areas of combat operations is inherently governmental.

* Requires an assessment of the extent of waste, fraud, abuse, and mismanagement of wartime contracts, and the extent to which those responsible have been held accountable. The Commission will have the authority to refer to the Department of Justice any violation or potential violation of law it identifies.

* Expands the jurisdiction of the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction (SIGIR) and a newly-created Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) beyond reconstruction to include security contracting in Iraq and Afghanistan. It also requires an expanded series of audits of wartime contracts by the inspectors general of the Department of Defense and other executive agencies.

Update: It turns out that the commission championed by Senators Webb and McCaskill was one of four items listed on a signing statement issued by President Bush.

Senator Webb will be speaking on the Senate floor about the signing statement shortly.

Stay tuned.

Evening Open Thread

Chat away...

State of the Union Bingo

Since President Bush assumed office, a Democratic tradition soon emerged: State of the Union Bingo. The rules are simple. Give it a try! Heck, given how often many of these words are used, try playing more than once!

Go and Get Your Game On

Mark a square on your Bingo card every time President Bush says one of 25 key words. When you have marked 5 squares in a row (horizontally, vertically, or diagonally), you score Bingo! Click the "Reset Bingo Card" button to create a unique card for every guest. Play online or print the bingo card and use the Bush-inspired State of the Union Bingo chips.

Bingo Card | Bingo Chips

More War

From the Huffington Post:

The presidential candidate who sang "Bomb bomb Iran" is already looking towards the war after the war in Iraq.

Sen. John McCain told a crowd of supporters on Sunday, "It's a tough war we're in. It's not going to be over right away. There's going to be other wars." Offering more of his increasingly bleak "straight talk," he repeated the claim: "I'm sorry to tell you, there's going to be other wars. We will never surrender but there will be other wars."

McCain did not elaborate who the United States would be fighting. But he did warn the crowd to be ready for the ramifications of current and future battles.

Afternoon Open Thread

• Food fight! [Matt Ortega]
• Bush is looking for another $70 billion in war funding, part of that "small price" Republicans keep talking about.
• Rudy's week is off to a rocky start. 9-11 firefighter's father wages war on Giuliani candidacy. [Mike Gehrke]
• McCain's master health care plan? Raid Medicare benefits! [Mike Gehrke]

Chat away...

Noticing a Trend?

As you know, Bush is giving his last State of the Union Address tonight. I was curious whether there was a trend in either direction in the number of applauses that he's received during the speech. So I went through the official transcripts at WhiteHouse.gov -- the results, while entertaining, won't surprise you:

So while the number of words in the Address has gotten longer in recent years, there are fewer interruptions. Unfortunately, the White House doesn't specify whether he received regular applause or a "Standing O."

Is There An Endorsement McCain Won't Take?

McCain accepts the endorsement of Bear-DNA Earmarker (and Jack Abramoff's favorite former Senator) Conrad Burns:

John McCain went to the Senate floor in 2003 to mercilessly ridicule a fellow Republican, then-Montana Sen. Conrad Burns, for tucking a $1 million earmark into a spending bill to study the DNA of Montana's bears.

"One can only imagine and conjure up an idea as to how this might be used," mocked McCain. "Approach a bear: 'That bear cub over there claims that you're his father and we need to take your DNA.' Approach another bear: 'Two hikers had their food stolen by a bear, and we think it is you. We have to get the DNA.'

He continues to cite the earmark on the campaign trail, with no mention of where it came from.

Hang On Rudy!

Tomorrow is the Republican Party's Florida primary: Rudy Giuliani's last stand. Giuliani, who is tearing it up in delegates with two, put all of his eggs in the Florida primary basket when he decided to retreat from Iowa, Wyoming, New Hampshire, Michigan and South Carolina. He placed sixth, fourth, fourth, sixth and sixth, in those contests.

However, Giuliani says he may not even need to win Florida. (Somebody needs to tell this guy he's running out of states to retreat from.)

In that spirit, here's The Clash with "Rudie Can't Fail."

Monday Open Thread

Chat away...

January 27, 2008

Sunday Open Thread

Chat away...

January 26, 2008

From the Archives

Saturday Open Thread

Chat away...

January 25, 2008

PB Rescue Open Thread

Jon P calls our attention to the legacy of George Bush in advance of next week's State of the Union address.

Chat away...

AP Fact Checks Last Night's Debate

The GOP presidential debate last night likely kept the Associated Press up late to turn out this lengthy fact check. The subhead reads:

Fact Check: Republicans Mischaracterize Democratic Plans - And Sometimes Their Own

Here's hoping they get overtime...

Union Rates Increasing

It's the first time membership in unions, as a percentage of workers, has increased in a quarter of a century.

There's a lot of interesting information in this new report:

Construction unions increased their membership faster than the rate of job growth in that industry, with membership jumping from 13.0 percent in 2006 to 13.9 percent in 2007. Membership in the private health and education sectors grew from 8.3 percent to 8.8 percent. Unions also made headway in the low-paying retail industry, increasing membership rates from 5.0 percent to 5.2 percent.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, full-time union members "had median usual weekly earnings of $863 while those who were not represented by unions had median weekly earnings of $663."

It's not all good news, however; the manufacturing industry lost unionized jobs at a faster pace than other manufacturing jobs. While unionization grew in the Northeast, it fell in the Midwestern states.

McCain's Problem With the Facts

In yesterday's debate, the Senator just kept making error after error. Even fringe candidate Ron Paul was able to mix him up with a question about economics that he clearly wasn't ready for.

But more importantly, he kept having trouble with the facts.

First up from First Read:

"...Is it a problem for your campaign that the economy is now the most important issue, one that by your own acknowledgment you're not well versed on?"

McCain replied, "Actually, I don't know where you got that quote from."

Actually, the quote came from a 2005 piece by Stephen Moore...

They also note a second error:

"But, look, I won the majority of Republican vote in both New Hampshire and South Carolina."

Well, according to the exit polls, Huckabee slightly beat McCain among self-identified South Carolina Republicans... And Romney slightly beat him among self-identified New Hampshire Republicans...

Finally, the Florida Sun-Sentinel had this to add to the list:

"For openers, maybe they'll tell me where the $200 billion is coming from," [McCain] said. [...] The Congressional Budget Office estimated the cost at $25 million per year, nothing close to the billions McCain suggested.

Straight-talk!

Afternoon Open Thread

• Bold.
• Abandon ship! Yet another Republican Congressman retires.
• Senator Boxer takes on the EPA Administrator and files a bill to grant California's waiver.
• Mitt goes to Washington... Romney's not fooling anyone with outsider message. [Mike Gehrke]
• McCain v. McCain: what a strange journey it's been from Senator McCain to candidate McCain. [Mike Gehrke]
• Giuliani's former law colleagues have less than stellar reviews for former prosecutor and allege misuse of office. [Mike Gehrke]

Chat away...

Memo To Voters

Mitt Romney doesn't care about you:

"But why not tell the voters of Florida and across the country how much of your own wealth you're spending, so they can make a judgment and factor that into their own decision?" Russert responded.

"Well, I'm not concerned about the voters," Romney replied. "I'm much more concerned about the other guys on this stage..."

Friday Five

Here are five of the events in PartyBuilder for the coming week. You can add your own event or find one near you.

1. Hot Springs County House Party (Thermopolis, WY) - We're going to bring together Democratic activists to hear about our plan to organize precincts across the state and across the country to win this year's elections. All Democrats are strongly encouraged to attend any of the 17 house parties throughout the state or host your own house party!
2. Centre County Monthly Breakfast (Philipsburg, PA) - Join us at the Gaslight Café in Philipsburg for an all-you-can-eat buffet
3. Volunteer at Food Bank of the Rockies in Denver (Denver, CO) - Join Democrats Work as we kick-off our "Ready, Set, CO!" campaign to ready Colorado for the 2008 Democratic National Convention by volunteering at the Food Bank of the Rockies in Denver.
4. IDN Bookclub of Chicago (Chicago, IL) - Our IDN Bookclub selection for January is "Conscience of a Liberal" by Paul Krugman.
5. The Sullivan County Democratic Women's Luncheon (Kingsport, TN) - Mrs. Gina Frye, Registrar, Sullivan County Election Commission, will serve as guest speaker.

Polling the Economy

There are more than a few interesting insights from a new Bloomberg/Los Angeles Times survey polling various economic questions. Not only are Democrats trusted far more than Bush on the issue -- which we already knew -- but independents are twice as likely to favor Democrats.

Also noteworthy, the number one reason respondents gave for who or what to blame if we fall into recession was Bush.

How bad do people think things are? 8 of 10 "said a recession is likely this year." Two-thirds say the economy is bad. And 63-percent believe this country is on the "wrong track."

Friday Open Thread

Chat away...

January 24, 2008

Evening Open Thread

Chat away...

And there's a Republican debate tonight on MSNBC (streamed on msnbc.com) from 9 to 10:30PM ET.

Iraq Benchmark Report Card

An interesting report over at the Center of American Progress, which shows that "the Iraqi government has only met three of the 18 benchmarks laid out last year."

Government Benchmarks:
Perform constitutional review. - Unmet
Enact de-Ba'athification reform. - Partial
Form semi-autonomous regions. - Unmet
Hold provincial elections. - Unmet
Address amnesty. - Unmet
Establish support for Baghdad Security Plan. - Met
Ensure minority rights in Iraqi legislature. - Met
Keep Iraqi Security Forces free from partisan interference. - Unmet

Security Benchmarks:
Disarm militias. - Unmet
Provide military support in Baghdad. - Partial
Empower Iraqi Security Forces. - Partial
Ensure impartial law enforcement. - Unmet
Establish support for Baghdad Security Plan by Maliki government. - Unmet
Reduce sectarian violence. - Partial
Establish neighborhood security in Baghdad. - Met
Increase independent Iraqi Security Forces. - Unmet

Economic Benchmarks:
Implement oil legislation. - Unmet
Distribute Iraqi resources equitably. - Partial

But it must be an unfair report card... they didn't mention the new Chinese restaurant.

So make that 4 of 19 benchmarks.

Afternooon Open Thread

• Mitt Romney's prepared to empty his pockets and spend as much as $40 million for his campaign, making him his own biggest supporter.
• Senator Boxer sets EPA Administrator Stephen Johnson straight.
• The White House tries to play down a new study finding that the White House "issued 935 false statements about the threat from Iraq in the two years following 9/11." Not a shocking response.
• Rudy Giuliani incites an angry mob in Florida?
• Mike Huckabee, just another addition to the GOP Culture of Corruption. [Mike Gehrke]
• No "straight talk" here... McCain has trouble squaring current positions with his past. [Mike Gehrke]

Chat away...

Kit Bond Puts Partisan Politics Above City's Safety

Senator Kit Bond (R-Missouri) threatened to withhold much needed federal money for the city of St. Peters because the Republican Mayor, Len Pagano, reportedly spoke too nicely of a local Democrat who happens to be running against a former Bond aide.

It all started when a Fann campaign worker put together a piece of campaign literature with a picture of Fann and Pagano on the back, with words of praise from Pagano about Tom. [...]

The substance of Bond's conversation with Pagano was: THREAT--according to a well connected birdie I know. St. Peters is waiting impatiently on FEMA funds needed to complete the Highway 370 project there. Bond said he could make those FEMA funds go away permanently. He also mentioned that there were still a few days left before the filing deadline in the mayoral race and that if Pagano didn't disavow endorsing Fann, the Republicans would find themselves a primary challenger.

Slick Mitt Gets Picked Last In Gym

Mitt Romney isn’t winning any popularity contests among GOP field:

“Never get into a wrestling match with a pig,” Senator John McCain said in New Hampshire this month after reporters asked him about Mr. Romney. “You both get dirty, and the pig likes it.”

Mike Huckabee’s pugilistic campaign chairman, Ed Rollins, appeared to stop just short of threatening Mr. Romney with physical violence at one point.
[...]
Campaign insiders and outside strategists point to several factors driving the ill will, most notably, Mr. Romney’s attacks on opponents in television commercials, the perception of him as an ideological panderer and resentment about his seemingly unlimited resources as others have struggled to raise cash.

Not a Small Price

A new report by the Congressional Budget Office finds that the cost of escalating the war in Iraq has escalated itself to an estimated $440 billion to date, or about $11 billion a month.

All this is adding to the debt, which the Associated Press notes "skyrocketed to more than $9 trillion, up from around $5.6 trillion when Bush took office in January 2001."

But is the plan to pretend the costs just don't exist and hope we all don't notice? See this story in the Politico today:

The White House confirmed Wednesday that its new budget next month will not request a full year’s funding for the war in Iraq, leaving the next president and Congress to confront major cost questions soon after taking office in 2009.

The decision reverses the administration’s stance of just a year ago, when President Bush’s budget made a point of spelling out in advance what he thought the costs would be for military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan for 2008.

All of this costs doesn't even take into account that economists predicted that, as ThinkProgress notes, "a prolonged U.S. presence in Iraq could lead to a recession."

Thursday Open Thread

Chat away...

January 23, 2008

Indisputable Proof

Did you know that there was indisputable proof that Iraq was in great shape? Evidence so solid that nobody could possibly argue with it? New facts emerging that almost make you want to pick up and move to Baghdad?

The RNC blog has the details of what they're calling "another sign of progress."

A Chinese restaurant just opened in Baghdad. That Baghdad. [...] Sounds tasty to me—but more importantly, it’s the little stories like this one, and indeed this one (to which I’ve pointed before), that convince me progress is being made in Iraq.

Well -- case closed, obviously. Why not join John McCain and push for another 100 years?

They quote somebody saying that "it's not that much different from here in the States." In that case, mission accomplished.

Evening Open Thread

Chat away...

Where They Stand on Children's Health

Expanding the children's health bill, which Republicans in Congress just blocked once again, has tremendous support from the American people. But where do the Republican presidential candidates stand on making sure more children have health care?

John McCain - Voted against reauthorizing SCHIP, which would have expanded the program to 10 million children.

Mitt Romney - Said that he would have vetoed the bill, if he was President Bush. Not that anybody can tell the difference between them anymore. He claims that he favors vetoing their insurance because he wants everybody to have health insurance.

Rudy Giuliani - He also wants to veto it.

Mike Huckabee - He says expanding the program is "problematic" for "budgetary" and "philosophical" reasons.

Afternooon Open Thread

• Two nonprofit journalism organizations took a look at Bush administration statements and found "hundreds of false statements about the national security threat from Iraq in the two years following the 2001 terrorist attacks."
• House Republicans barely kept alive Bush's veto of children's health insurance. They were outnumbered 260 to 152.
• Huckabee has a cash flow problem, and his staff is being forced to work without pay. [Mike Gehrke]
• Firefighters follow Giuliani to the Sunshine State... and not to show their support. [Mike Gehrke]
• And it's time to play the expectations game!! Florida no longer ‘must win’ for Giuliani? [Mike Gehrke]

Chat away...

McCain Proves Himself Right

"The issue of economics is not something I've understood as well as I should."
- John McCain, NYT 01/14/08

"I still believe our fundamental underpinnings of our economy are strong."
- John McCain, ThinkProgress 01/23/08

He had it right the first time.

This failure to recognize the reality of the economic situation reminds me a lot of his failure to recognize the problems that we're facing over in Iraq. I'm sure the "next six months" will be vital to determining the future of the economy...

Running Scared

John McCain is bowing out of a debate with Mike Huckabee and Mitt Romney:

A debate between John McCain, Mitt Romney and Mike Huckabee that was to be held on ABC's "This Week" Sunday from Florida fell through after McCain declined to come to Miami for the proposed forum, a network source confirms.

The debate was to feature the three GOP candidates who have won either a primary or a caucus so far and would have been their final appearance before what could be a decisive contest on Tuesday.

Congress to Vote Again on Children's Health

Back in December, Bush vetoed expanding the children's health care program -- despite an overwhelming majority in the House and the Senate favoring the bill. (As well as a majority of the American people.)

Today it's back, and the Republicans in Congress will have a chance to reverse their decision in light of an economy with fears of increasing unemployment -- which could mean an increasing number of children in their districts back home without health care.

Ten million children are counting on Republicans to stop blocking this bill from getting passed.

Wednesday Open Thread

Chat away...

January 22, 2008

Tuesday Evening Open Thread

Chat away...

A Blunt Change of Heart?

Republican Governor Matt Blunt shocked Missourians when he announced that he would not seek another term.

In a statement that shocked political leaders in both parties, Blunt released a TV address "announcing that having achieved virtually everything he set out to accomplish when he ran for governor, he will not seek a second term.

The unexpected announcement was so shocking because, as observers note, Gov. Blunt launched television ads as far back as 2006 and was running online advertising.

Roe v. Wade Anniversary

On this day in 1973, the Supreme Court ruled in Roe v. Wade that women have a constitutional right to privacy. Here's Governor Dean's statement:

As we mark the 35th anniversary of Roe v. Wade today, Democrats stand solidly in support of women and their right to make important life decisions about their health care.

It's critical that abortion remain a personal decision. If Roe was overturned, women and their doctors would be treated like criminals, jeopardizing women's health and safety. We can all agree that reducing the number of abortions in our country is an important goal, and in fact abortions have decreased. We will continue to work towards common-ground solutions to reduce the number of unintended pregnancies, while allowing women to make the best decisions for themselves and their families.

Fred Out

CNN reporting that he's dropping out. My guess? Nobody's happier about this than Fred Thompson.

Updated by Matt Ortega: Fred Thompson was spotted "riding" off into the sunset on the golf cart he came in on:

Afternoon Open Thread

• Firefighters are also fighting Rudy Giuliani all across Florida. Apparently, so are some "pro-life" activists.
• Trimming the fat? The Huckabee campaign cuts back on campaign expenses and eliminates the press plane. And he has reportedly been limiting his time in Florida. [Mike Gehrke]
• Romney "changes tune" on layoffs... shock!
• Vote for me... or else! Giuliani has a long history of waging vengeance on opponents. [Mike Gehrke]
• Oscar nominees announced.

Chat away...

Out Of Both Sides Of McCain's Mouth

Well before Mitt Romney's flip flops became legendary, John McCain had paved the road with his embrace of Bush Administration policies after opposing while running for president in 2000. Campaigning in Florida today John McCain came out against creating a National Catastrophic Insurance Policy to help stabilize insurance for millions of Americans.

"I do not support a national catastrophic insurance policy,'' McCain said in Coral Gables. "That insurance policy is there and it's called FEMA and it's called national disaster preparedness...I still do not have confidence that FEMA is capable of handling those responsibilities.''

The only problem for McCain, he'd take the exact opposite position last October when he wasn't the front runner for the Republican nomination.

McCain said he supports the idea of a national insurance backup fund to help stabilize the property insurance market, as long as it doesn't cost policy holders in states that aren't disaster prone.

Facing 60 Years?

You might remember Brent Wilkes, the defense contractor convicted of bribing (former) Republican Congressman Duke Cunningham. Well, now it appears that federal probation officials have recommended that he serve 60 years in prison.

According to the San Diego Union-Tribune, those same officials reportedly said it amounted to "essentially a life sentence," and it "recommended increasing his sentence based on the amount of profit that ADCS Inc. received..."

This is the recommendation, not a ruling, but here's what Shaun Martin, a law professor at the University of San Diego School of Law, had to say:

I'm sure Wilkes' lawyers' jaws dropped to the floor when they read 60 years. It's a huge number. Bribing public officials is worse than stealing from shareholders. Both are terrible, but one is worse.

According to TPM Muckraker, if handed down it would be "far and away the most severe sentence to be handed down in the recent spate of bribery prosecutions."

BREAKING NEWS!!

Fred Thompson takes a day off...

That third place finish in South Carolina probably tuckered him out:

The former Tennessee senator returned to his suburban Washington home late Saturday after delivering a speech in South Carolina that sounded as though he was calling it quits. He stopped short of doing so, but some supporters suspected it would only be a matter of time before Thompson withdraws.

Who Let the Dogs Out?

It has become the must-see video of the day -- video of Romney "awkwardly quipping" "Who let the dogs out? Who. Who." Stick around for the end and you can watch Mitt Romney talk about a child's "bling bling."

The Wikipedia page for the 8-year-old song has already been updated accordingly: "For reasons known only to him, Mitt Romney said 'Who let the Dogs Out?' during a Martin Luther King Birthday celebration on January 21, 2008."

Tuesday Open Thread

Chat away...

January 20, 2008

Sunday Open Thread

Chat away...

January 19, 2008

Food for Thought

A comparison of votes received and state delegates awarded between Rep. Ron Paul and Mayor Rudy Giuliani. Remember which one was labeled the "fringe candidate" from the start:

Iowa
Ron Paul	11,817	10%
Rudy Giuliani	4,097	4%

Wyoming
Ron Paul	0 state delegates	0%
Rudy Giuliani	0 state delegates	0%

New Hampshire
Rudy Giuliani	20,395	9%
Ron Paul	18,303	8%

Michigan
Ron Paul	54,434	6%
Rudy Giuliani	24,706	3%

Nevada
Ron Paul	6,077 state delegates	14%
Rudy Giuliani	1,907 state delegates	4%

South Carolina (93% in)
Ron Paul	15,235	4%
Rudy Giuliani	8,518	2%

Total votes through six early states:
Ron Paul	99,789 votes
Rudy Giuliani	57,716 votes

Afternoon/Evening Open Thread

Chat away...

From the Archives

Saturday Open Thread

Chat away...

January 18, 2008

Evening Open Thread

Chat away...

Mitt Romney's Phantom Lobbyist Army

This morning, Mike posted the video of former Gov. Mitt Romney's meltdown when confronted by a reported from the Associated Press on the inconsistencies with Romney's rhetoric and his ties to lobbyists.

Romney says that he "doesn't have lobbyists running my campaign" and that he "doesn't have lobbyists at my elbows that are arguing for one industry or another industry and I do not have favors I have to repay to people who have been in Washington for years."

Mother Jones decided to look into it.

The truth is that Romney is tied closely with many lobbyists. The AP reporter Romney exchanged sharp words with later reported that several Romney aides and advisers are lobbyists. Additionally, as the Nation first reported, Romney has accepted more money from lobbyists and received more endorsements from lobbyists than any other Republican presidential candidate.

The lobbyists who have endorsed Romney have represented, in 2007 alone, nearly every part of the health care and financial services industries, the NRA, members of the tobacco industry, and gambling interests.

Read more from Mother Jones, including a partial list of the phantom army of lobbyists that Romney says he doesn't have.

Afternoon Open Thread

• Salon takes a must-read look at McCain's record on Iraq, pointing out the reality that he had no problems with the strategy when the war began, that he was part of the "Mission Accomplished" crowd, and that he wasn't always knocking Rumsfeld.
• Fred Thompson says he won't prioritize the global AIDS iniative: "Christ didn't tell us to go to the government and pass a bill to get some of these social problems dealt with. He told us to do it. [...] I'm not going to go around the state and the country with regards to a serious problem and say that I'm going to prioritize that."
• Rudy's personal economic stimulus... he pushes border technology he would profit from. [Mike Gehrke]
• Rep. Conyers introduced a bill to fight voter caging.

Chat away...

473 Days of No White House Email?

White House spokesman Tony Fratto: "I think to the best of what all the analysis we've been able to do, we have absolutely no reason to believe that any emails are missing."

Yet as Congressman Waxman notes in a release announcing hearings on whether millions of emails were lost, "a 2005 White House analysis found no archived mail for hundreds of days between 2003 and 2005."

Here's what he's expecting to find out, according to a letter he wrote to Fred Fielding, Counsel to the President:

• Allegations that White House emails have gone missing from 2003 to 2005.
• "Recycling" backup tapes between before October 2003, calling into question whether those backups exist at all anymore.
• Whether preservation of White House emails is being done properly.
• Going forward, the preservation of emails when we transition to a new president.

Fielding has got plenty of time to find out the answers to these questions; hopefully he knows them by February 15, when he's invited to testify.

Plant Closing Puts 896 Out of Work But Don't Tell Mitch Daniels

Nearly 1,000 employees at the General Electric refrigerator plant in Bloomington face losing their jobs when the company announced the plant's pending shutdown.

General Electric could close its Bloomington refrigerator plant late in 2009, dealing another setback to an industrial state trying to build a new tech economy even as factory jobs vanish.

GE announced the pending shutdown of the 896-employee plant in Southern Indiana on Thursday, while in metropolitan Indianapolis, student lender Sallie Mae idled 117 workers at its Fishers loan and service data center because of the nation's credit crunch.

America's ongoing credit crisis has raised fears that the national economy will tip into recession and take Indiana with it.

Republican Governor Mitch Daniels, however, could not be reached for comment. Pity. Surely the 896 employees in Bloomington wanted to hear more of that 'things are great' talk from Gov. Daniels' State of the State Address.

In a statement, Indiana Democratic Party Chair Dan Parker took Gov. Daniels to task:

Mitch Daniels delivered a lovely version of revisionist history to the people of Indiana tonight, but he failed to take into account his own record on property taxes, job growth and outsourcing.

Mitch Daniels wants to take credit for all the good while ignoring his past. [...]

[T]o hear Mitch Daniels spin it, we're living in a land of chocolate rivers and unicorns.

President John F. Kennedy once quoted "an old saying" at a press conference in 1961, "Victory has a thousand fathers and defeat is an orphan."

Shorter Mitch Daniels on his abysmal record: "I don't know that kid."

Meltdown

I might have to start making the Mitt Romney to English translator a regular feature here -- or at least for the next few weeks if he keeps this up. Watch Mitt Romney spiral out-of-control (non-YouTube version available here).

There are two problems here -- the first of which, that the reporter jumps on -- is that there aren't lobbyists "running his campaign." As Romney verifies in the video, senior aide and lobbyist Ron Kaufman is often at his side and has helped him prep for debates (along with helping with strategy).

Second, there's his claim that he doesn't have "lobbyists who have raised all sorts of money for [him]." The Washington Post specifically cites lobbyist/Romney bundlers Scott Baugh, Alberto Cardenas, and Jack Gerard.

Friday Open Thread

Chat away...

January 17, 2008

Thursday Afternoon Open Thread

• Back in May 2006, John Gibson called on whites to "make more babies" following a study that showed nearly half of the children in the U.S. under five were, well, not white. "You know what that means? Twenty-five years and the majority of the population is Hispanic. ... To put it bluntly, we need more babies," he said. Yesterday, Gibson celebrated and took credit for the rise in "Anglo" births.
• The Future Majority's Mike Connery takes a look at the media consumption habits of young people with a new study out by PEW Research.
• Today's Denver Post reports that American soldiers "who were not medically fit" were sent overseas "to war zones last month to meet 'deployable strength' goals." (Hat tip: Brad Friedman, VetVoice)
• GOP: Former Mayor Rudy Giuliani's most ardent supporters are speaking publicly about his flat lining campaign. Gov. Mike Huckabee channeled former Sen. Rick Santorum when he equated homosexuality with bestiality.

Escalation Sucked Flexibility Out of the System

"The surge has sucked all of the flexibility out of the system. And we need to find a way of getting back into balance."
- Army Chief of Staff George Casey

It's another example of how the Bush escalation policy has left us less safe by putting significant strain on the military. More at the Center for American Progress:

But the top commander in Iraq, General David Petraeus, is now worried about how many troops he can withdraw from the country even though he and the president have declared victory after the surge. With 155,000 American troops currently in Iraq and another 4 combat brigades, or 25,000 troops, withdrawing by mid-summer, there is a question if the security gains made in the last year can be maintained.

Paul Tops McCain in 2008 Democratic Party Republican Straw Poll

It may be snowing here in Washington, D.C., but the sun is apparently shinning on Congressman Ron Paul, who edged out Senator John McCain in the 2008 Democratic Party Republican Straw Poll. Meanwhile, former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani ended up in a familiar place: sixth.

Full results:

Candidate	%
Rep. Ron Paul	25.72%
Sen. John McCain	24.73%
Gov. Mike Huckabee	17.17%
Gov. Mitt Romney	12.14%
Sen. Fred Thompson	10.07%
Mayor Rudy Giuliani	6.74%
Rep. Duncan Hunter	3.42%

The Tancredo Effect

Another installment of Governor Huckabee vs. presidential candidate Huckabee. This time, Mike continues his rightward spiral on immigration:

Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee yesterday continued to move to the right on immigration during this year's presidential campaign, signing a pledge to enforce immigration laws and to make all illegal aliens go home.

The pledge, offered by immigration control advocacy group Numbers USA, commits Mr. Huckabee to oppose a new path to citizenship for current illegal aliens and to cut the number of illegal aliens already in the country through attrition by law enforcement...

He must have gotten it from Romney’s playbook.

Housing Plunges

Home construction in December fell to "its lowest point in 16 years." Just the stats, all via the Wall Street Journal:

• December 2007 groundbreakings "were 38.2% below the level of construction in December 2006."
• Building permits fell 8.1%.
• Single-family housing starts fell 2.9%.
• Housing groundbreakings decreased "by 19.6% in the West, 30.8% in the Midwest, 25.8% in the Northeast, and 3.3% in the South."

Thursday Open Thread

Chat away...

January 16, 2008

Wednesday Open Thread

Chat away...

Vote!

The Republicans aren't exactly happy with their group of candidates -- just check out how the NY Post put it in their headline this morning. And more importantly, Republican voters just haven't been turning out like Democrats have.

So help fill out the gap; vote in the 2008 Democratic Party Republican Straw Poll and let us know which presidential candidate best represents the values of the Republican Party.

(And if you're pushing for a particular candidate to win, send it around to as many people as you'd like. Just don't pull a Romney and vote over and over again.)

Breaking News: Ex-GOP Congressman Indicted in Terror Money Ring

The Associated Press reports that former Republican Congressman Mark Deli Siljander was indicted for money laundering, conspiracy and obstruction of justice in a terrorist financing ring.

A former congressman and delegate to the United Nations was indicted Wednesday as part of a terrorist fundraising ring that allegedly sent more than $130,000 to an al-Qaida and Taliban supporter who has threatened U.S. and international troops in Afghanistan.

The former Republican congressman from Michigan, Mark Deli Siljander, was charged with money laundering, conspiracy and obstructing justice for allegedly lying about lobbying senators on behalf of an Islamic charity that authorities said was secretly sending funds to terrorists.

More from the Kansas City Star:

According to the new charges, the charity sent about $130,000 in 2003 and 2004 to bank accounts in Pakistan, allegedly for an orphanage housed in buildings owned by Glubuddin Hekmatyar, an Afghan mujahideen leader.

The U.S. government designated Hekmatyar as a global terrorist in February 2003 because of his links to al Qaida and the Taliban.

The new charges also accuse Mark Deli Siljander, who represented Michigan in Congress from 1981-1987, of receiving $50,000 from the charity in 2004. Siljander, who operates a Washington D.C. public relations firm, was hired to lobby Congress to remove the charity from a U.S. Senate Finance Committee list of non-profit organizations suspected of being involved in supporting international terrorism.

Afternoon Open Thread

• Mike Huckabee changes his position on a federal workplace smoking ban.
• More than one million push-polls for Huckabee in just three days.
• Republicans just don't like their options. See the AP and (for the headline) the NY Post.
• Huckabee's new adviser once called for putting "a cop in front of every mosque."

Chat away...

And the Winner Is...

John McCain! Uhhh, I mean...

MI GOP gets MI GOP primary winner wrong:

The Associated Press named Romney the GOP winner when polls closed in Michigan's western Upper Peninsula at 9 p.m. EST.

The first GOP release went out just minutes later and stated, "In a close-fought victory, Senator John McCain succeeded again (in) the Michigan Republican primary, winning over a traditionally unpredictable voter base in Michigan."

White House Email Backup Tape... Recycled?

We should be grateful, I suppose, for having a White House that cares so much about protecting our environment that they'd... reduce, reuse and recycle the backup email tapes?

Instead of confronting global warming, or improving the air and water quality, the White House decided before October 2003 that their priority should be making sure we save the environment by saving over old backup tapes so that we don't use too many of them.

Of course, we now know that there were potentially millions of missing emails. It's still unclear whether the failure to keep old backup tapes led to emails going missing forever. And the White House appears to be doing everything in their power not to clarify whether or not they actually still have the emails in their possession.

But even more incredible is the White House explanation for the "recycling." It was, according to a White House aide, "consistent with industry best practices."

But then how do they explain the switch post-2003? They wanted to move towards what they seem to be saying are bad practices?

Questioning the Numbers

The Government Accountability Office questions the numbers used by the Bush administration in their report that graded whether or not Iraq had met certain "benchmarks."

And it's not that the report itself painted a beautiful picture of Iraq, either. As even Fox News described the September benchmark report when it came out, "Iraqi leaders gained little new ground on key military and political goals..."

From the GAO report, which focused specifically on the extent of how much progress Iraq was making on implementing its budget (PDF):

The administration reported that Iraq’s central government ministries had spent 24 percent of their 2007 capital projects budget, as of July 15, 2007. However, this report is not consistent with Iraq’s official expenditure reports, which show that the central ministries had spent only 4.4 percent of their investment budget as of August 2007."

Why the delays? "Violence and sectarian strife" and an "exodus of skilled labor from Iraq" are cited, among other reasons.

Wednesday Open Thread

Chat away...

January 15, 2008

PB Rescue Open Thread

You can talk about the Michigan results when they come in tonight in this thread... or anything else on your mind.

• Mark Eades notes incoming fire from Republicans aimed at the McCain campaign.
• Blackwater is sharing a new $15 billion contract.
• Freedom of Speech along with other Partybuilders say 'Happy Birthday' to Dr. King.

Chat away...

CBO Touts Dem Economic Plans

Budget analysis from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) favored Democratic plans to kick start the economy.

Economic stimulus proposals favored by Democrats, including tax rebates, extended unemployment benefits and a temporary increase in food stamps are cost-effective ways for Congress to try to boost the economy, the Congressional Budget Office said Tuesday.

Republican plans? Well... not so much.

At the same time, CBO said, some options floated by Republicans such as extending President Bush's tax cuts, cutting corporate tax rates and giving businesses new incentives to invest may be less cost-effective in the short term.

Democrats are offering "cost-effective ways" to boost the economy. Republicans, meanwhile, are offering more of the same.

Sebelius to Deliver Democratic Address on State of the Union

Speaker Pelosi and Senator Reid just announced that Kansas Governor Sebelius will deliver the Democratic Address on State of the Union after the president gives his speech in about two weeks.

Also, Texas state Senator Leticia Van de Putte will deliver the Spanish language address.

Afternoon Open Thread

• Governor Dean will appear on CNBC's "Closing Bell" at 4:20 PM and MSNBC Live at 4:35 PM today.
• Another Republican Congressman announced he's retiring: Richard Baker. That makes four of these in about two weeks.
• McCain gets the endorsement of a man he once called an "a-hole."
• Shocking! Romney retools message on auto industry to pander to Michigan voters.
• History According to Rudy; Chapter XXVII: Giuliani says he's the biggest change agent "in modern times."
• Rudy gets the coveted Naked Cowboy endorsement.

Chat away...

Hi Mom

If only all of the voters in Michigan were mothers of his staff, he wouldn't have been forced to devote so many resources into the state. But, alas, he'll have to settle for photo-ops that simply hide the family ties:

Local and national media outlets, including Politico.com, reported that Romney was the picture of empathy as he sat at the Marshall, Mich. kitchen table of 51-year-old Elizabeth Sachs...

What wasn’t reported – and what the Romney campaign did not reveal at the time – was that one of Sachs’ sons, Steve Sachs, is a paid employee of Romney’s campaign, organizing five counties in Michigan.

Game On in Mississippi

The special election for the seat of retired Senator Trent Lott (R-Mississippi) will be on or before March 19, a judge ruled. Republican Governor Haley Barbour "exceeded his constitutional authority" by scheduling the special election for November.

In his order, DeLaughter said the election should be held "within 90 days of the governor's Dec. 20, 2007 proclamation of writ of election...on or before March 19, 2008.

Hood cited Mississippi Code 23-15-855, which applies to U.S. senator vacancies. He and Barbour have differing interpretations of that statute.

Several prominent local Democrats have jumped into the race to unseat Gov. Barbour's appointed replacement, Senator Roger Wicker. Mississippi Democrats can start the wave of Republican seats tipping over to the Democrats before the summer.

(Hat tip: Swing State Project)

Polling!

It's the lowest approval rating that Bush has received to date in this particular poll: 32 percent. And an incredible 66 percent disapprove, leaving few undecided.

More from the ABC/Washington Post poll (PDF):

• Only 28 percent of Americans approve of his handling of the economy (down 6-points in the last month). The number one economic concern is health care costs.
• Only 30 percent approve of his handling of Iraq, and "two-thirds say the war was not worth fighting."
• Republican self-identification sunk "to an average of 25 percent across 2007."

Tuesday Open Thread

Chat away...

January 14, 2008

Monday Evening Open Thread

Chat away...

Bush "All But Disowned" the NIE

When Bush finally got around to reading the National Intelligence Estimate that determined that Iran had disbanded its weapons program in 2003, he didn't say he disagreed with it.

Until now.

"He told the Israelis that he can't control what the intelligence community says, but that [the NIE's] conclusions don't reflect his own views" about Iran's nuclear-weapons program, said the official, who would discuss intelligence matters only on the condition of anonymity.

It'd be nice to hear what information he's basing that on, given that our best intelligence sources apparently hasn't seen it -- if it exists.

None of this stopped White House spokesperson Dana Perino from spinning: "I’ve not heard the President express anything but support for the intelligence community."

Waxman to Interview EPA Administrator

The EPA failed to meet their deadlines for handing over documents related to their rejection of California's efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Congressman Waxman is on the case, seeking "transcribed interviews." And in the Senate, Senator Boxer will be holding hearings with EPA Administrator Stephen Johnson on January 24th where he'll try to explain himself.

Some background:

Late last year, Johnson, over the unanimous objection of his staff, arbitrarily denied California's petition to limit greenhouse gas emissions from cars and trucks. He was even told that the EPA would lose the case if California sued -- which they did, as expected, along with fifteen other states.

Afternoon Open Thread

• Mitt Romney’s puts $200,000 incomes in the “Middle Class.”
• John McCain is ignoring education on the campaign trail.
• Giuliani calls for 50-state competitor to be nominated... except of course for Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina, Michigan...
• Mitt's car collection unlikely to woo Michigan voters. The Boston Herald reported that Romney owned a 1985 BMW and a 1996 Saab Turbo 9000.
• Wow.

Chat away...

Huckabee Loves Gifts

Mike Huckabee recalls the tale thusly: "At a campaign stop in Michigan yesterday, a woman came up to me and said 'I don't have any money but I want to give you something for the campaign.' Then she reached out to me and gave me a gold ring."

And then, Mike Huckabee, the man known for his questionable habit of accepting gifts inappropriately, took it. And it appears he took it without asking the questions that would allow it to be reported as an in-kind contribution.

Just add that to the list of gifts he took as governor:

- A $1,000 pair of cufflinks
- Tens of thousands of dollars of clothing
- Gift certificates to sporting goods stores
- Gift certificates to clothing boutiques
- Gift certificates to Wal-Mart
- A $3,695 pair of cowboy boots
- A $500 belt
- 200 copies of a book Huckabee wrote
- Flowers
- Air travel
- Pastries
- Clothing
- Parties

You Gotta Lose Your Mind in Detroit Rock City

So much for being the Hometown Son... Romney's roots in Michigan so far not winning him the primary there:

Mr. Romney’s name recognition and favorability ratings are higher in Michigan than nationally, according to local polls. But he is still locked in a close contest with Mr. McCain and Mr. Huckabee and it would be difficult for him to recover from a defeat here.

And on the Romney Death Watch:

"We're going all the way through Feb. 5 - no ifs, ands, or buts about it," he said on CBS's "Face the Nation." "This is a race that is not going to be decided by a few states. It's a race that I'm taking to the nation."

All the way until February? Not November?

Less Than Straight Talk

That's what Novak says about McCain on the issue of taxes.

When John McCain complained Robert Novak was wrong when he wrote a piece explaining that McCain reversed his position on the Bush tax cuts, McCain said he saw no need for Bob Novak to go back and listen to his recording of their conversation.

Now we know why.

It turns out that -- yes -- John McCain did at the very least imply he now regretted his vote. Here are the key sentences in Novak's column today:

So, did McCain regret his no votes [on the Bush tax cuts]? He replied, "I can't tell you that I cast exactly right votes over the years." Based on more than half a century talking to politicians, I took that as a yes.

Not that Novak's "interpretation" is the ultimate authority, but certainly McCain has been in DC long enough to know what exactly he was saying to him. It's hard to imagine otherwise.

Monday Open Thread

Chat away...

January 13, 2008

Sunday Open Thread

Chat away...

January 12, 2008

From the Archives

Saturday Open Thread

Chat away...

January 11, 2008

Friday Evening Open Thread

Chat away...

Rudy's Bad Day

Earlier today it was reported that Giuliani staffers were "volunteering" not to get paid because the campaign needed to save its money for television ads in the big states.

And because the amount of money saved here is small ("about $50,000 per month," according to Marc Ambinder), that suggests they're in an especially tough spot essentially looking for spare pennies that might have fallen between the couch cushions.

So what's the worst thing that can happen when you're in a spot like this? Well, probably having your finance chair leave the campaign.

But it's just all about the money. What about public support, specifically back home in New York? According to the Daily News, NY state Conservative Party Chairman Mike Long says his party is "likely to give an early nod to Fred Thompson if he manages to 'break through' in South Carolina."

It's okay, though -- he'll be the first to tell you this was his strategy all along.

Friday Five

Here are five of the events in PartyBuilder for the coming week. You can add your own event or find one near you.

1. ROOTSCAMP (Louisville, KY) - RootsCamp is participant driven, using the "unconference" or "open space" format that is born from the desire for activists, organizers, leaders and politicians to share and learn in a productive, fast-paced, open environment. RootsCamp is an intense event with discussions, demos, and interaction from participants.
2. Hillsborough County Volunteer Fair (Tampa, FL) - Do you want to get involved but are not sure how? Do you want to meet other Democratic activists in the area? Do you want to make a difference? Lowry Park 1-12-08 11am to 3pm BBQ . . .Click the link below and get the details!
3. Nevada Alternative Fuel Seminar (Las Vegas, NV) - The Democratic party is poised to advert the oil crisis of 2009, and we want to help that image.
4. Roadmap to Victory Rally and Workshop (York, PA) - You are invited to take part in a very special event. Please join volunteers from all corners of York County on Saturday, January 19, for the unveiling of the 2008 Roadmap to Victory – the Democratic plan to mobilize for this year’s election.
5. Your Vote Counts (Dayton, OH) - Voter registration drive for 18 to 40 years old.

Afternoon Open Thread

• Bush was finally asked about McCain's desire to be in for the next 100 years. His response? "That's a long time." Congratulations, Senator, on having an Iraq position so extreme even Bush distances himself from it.
• Questions arise on Huckabee's ties to an advocate for embryonic stem cell research.
• Bush aides are planning a historic, massive comeback in public support for a final approval rating by the end of his term of... 45-percent?
• Supreme Court Justice Bill O'Reilly?

Chat away...

Tax Cut Math

Bondad over at the Huffington Post takes a look at Giuliani's tax cut claims at the debate, where he tried to claim that his cuts would pay for themselves.

But this is a case where we don't even have to look at the data to get a more honest answer. You see, Giuliani's top economic advisor recently said on Fox Business Network that the tax cuts wouldn't pay for themselves.

If you're wondering why he'd say that, it's because it's a fact hard to avoid. FactCheck.org declared that his rhetoric on this issue is something that "nearly all economists say is a fantasy."

Facts, apparently, won't stop Rudy.

The Self-Proclaimed Greatest Critic of the War

It's a laughable claim, as our new video shows, from the man who refused to call for Rumsfeld's resignation and for years kept saying that we just need to stay the course.

Four-plus years down, less than 96 to go, I suppose.

Friday Open Thread

Chat away...

January 10, 2008

PB Rescue Open Thread

Read them all, then chat away...

You can also stick around the comments for the Republican debate tonight at 9PM ET (on Fox News)...

Blackwater in the News

Two big pieces of news on the Blackwater front today. Up first, two former Blackwater employees were given probation for gunrunning, the Associated Press reports.

They were granted leniency, apparently, because "they have been helping federal investigators." (Blackwater is under investigation for their alleged involvement in the Iraqi civilian deaths, as well as for "possible weapons smuggling allegations.")

Also in the news, as TPM Muckraker reports, via a New York Times story:

Back in 2005, The New York Times reports, a Blackwater helicopter dropped tear gas (CS gas) on a checkpoint in Baghdad's Green Zone. "An armored vehicle on the ground also released the gas, temporarily blinding drivers, passers-by and at least 10 American soldiers operating the checkpoint.... A number of Iraqi civilians, both on foot and in cars waiting to go through the checkpoint, were also exposed. " The gas, which the American military itself "can use only under the strictest conditions and with the approval of top military commanders," causes burning eyes, skin irritation, coughing, difficulty breathing and sometimes even vomiting.

But Blackwater has an explanation: "...a CS gas canister was mistaken for a smoke canister..." That's it.

Doolittle to Retire

Still under a corruption investigation for his role in a lobbying scandal, Republican Congressman John Doolittle announced he's retiring from Congress at the end of this term.

California Majority Report first reported the item earlier this week, but the story was denied by Doolittle's staff until today when the official announcement was made.

It was only several months ago that Doolittle declared, "I am running again. Period."

Afternoon Open Thread

• News writers reached an agreement with CBS on a contract, which still awaits approval from the Writers Guild's membership."
• Is South Carolina Huckabee's last stand, too?
• Mitt Romney off the air in South Carolina and Florida.
• Fred Thompson woos gun owners "clad in jeans and vests and concealed weapons."
• A federal judge decides not to look into the missing CIA interrogation tapes.

Chat away...

South Carolina Dogfight

South Carolina is no New Hampshire. Unfriendly faces greet McCain in the Palmetto State:

In his maverick 2000 presidential bid, South Carolina was McCain's Waterloo, where he was crushed by the state establishment's favorite, George W. Bush.

The senator from Arizona now returns to that blood-soaked political battlefield hoping to prove his appeal to the conservative party regulars he needs to keep his resurgent campaign on track for the long haul.

But South Carolina remains littered with political land mines for McCain. There are more evangelical conservatives here than in New Hampshire, and they view him with suspicion. And no one has forgotten the 2000 battle, which featured scathing personal attacks from both sides.

The Escalation: One Year Later

It's the deadliest year for American troops since the war began.

As a rationale of why a short-lived troop increase would allow us to bring our troops home, he promised that the Iraqi government would "have the breathing space it needs" for political reconciliation. On that front, as the National Security Network points out, there has been "no progress on any of the key political benchmarks... The oil law, de-Baathification reform, the Constitution and provincial elections are all stalled."

That's not to say Bush didn't promise it, when discussing why we needed to escalate the war:

"To give every Iraqi citizen a stake in the country's economy, Iraq will pass legislation to share oil revenues among all Iraqis."

"To empower local leaders, Iraqis plan to hold provincial elections later this year."

"And to allow more Iraqis to re-enter their nation's political life, the government will reform de-Baathification laws, and establish a fair process for considering amendments to Iraq's constitution."

It's worth taking a moment to remember why Bush claimed he was temporarily increasing troop levels in Iraq. One year ago, he said it would mean "we can hasten the day our troops begin coming home." Yet Republicans like John McCain are talking about being there for another 100 years.

Thursday Open Thread

Chat away...

January 9, 2008

PB Rescue Open Thread

Retired Army notes that Giuliani canceled an appearance at a circus so reporters wouldn't make the obvious connection.

Chat away...

Photo IDs and the Election

Today the Supreme Court heard arguments on Indiana's voter ID law. Because the folks at SCOTUS Blog have a background in this stuff, I'll let them summarize:

At issue in the consolidated cases of Crawford v. Marion County Election Board (07-21) and Indiana Democratic Party v. Rokita (07-25) is the constitutionality of a 2005 Indiana law that voters who show up at the polls without a photo ID will be allowed only to cast a provisional ballot, to be validated later at another place only if they can travel there and then prove identity.

There's been a big problem across the country with Republican attempts at suppressing the vote. But why do they claim to support it? To combat "voter fraud" -- but there's never been a report of voter impersonation fraud in Indiana.

We can, however, point to people disenfranchised at the polls because of this law. It's undemocratic.

We'll see what happens. But we're not just sitting back, we've launched an unprecedented voter protection effort make sure your vote is counted.

McCain's Double Talk Takes New Hampshire

This morning the Democratic Party sent out a research memo about John McCain's weaker than expected win in New Hampshire last night. As the memo points out John McCain's extreme shift right disillusioned independents and he underperformed his 2000 win, despite the fact there were 33% more voters last night than there were in 2000.

Read the entire memo below.

Despite repeating his win in New Hampshire, the John McCain of 2008 emerges much weaker than the John McCain of 2000. His poll ratings may have rebounded from the levels they were at during the summer, but the "Do anything to win" strategy that caused them to crash in the first place is still in place.That strategy and its radioactive results will continue to dog him in the coming weeks.

McCain And Republicans Captured Smaller Share Of NH Voters Than 8 Years Ago.

As just about everybody predicted, John McCain won the New Hampshire Republican primary last night. But in the process he received fewer votes than either Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama, and even among Republicans his overall victory was less convincing than his 2000 showing. Overall turnout in the open New Hampshire primary increased by roughly one-third, but McCain actually received fewer votes than he did in 2000. With 99 percent of precincts reporting, McCain tallied nearly 89,000 votes this year. In 2000, McCain received 115,606 votes– that’s 23 percent fewer votes in an overall electorate that increased by more than 100,000 voters.

NH Raw Vote Totals 2000-2008

2000 Results
McCain (R) 115,606
Gore (D) 76,897
Bush (R) 72,330
Bradley (D) 70,502
Forbes (R) 30,166

2008 results with 99 percent reporting
Clinton (D) 112,238
Obama (D) 104,757
McCain (R) 88,447
Romney (R) 75,202
Edwards (D) 48,666

Keep reading "McCain's Double Talk Takes New Hampshire"

FlipperTV Catches John McCain

One of the interesting projects we've developed is FlipperTV, where Democratic Party staffers tracking the Republican presidential candidates have been compiling video of the candidates campaigning.

And, yes, we did catch John McCain telling New Hampshire voters that he wanted to stay in Iraq for the next 100 years:

Later, he amended it to a million years... then ten million.

This is exactly why projects like this one are so important. We're going to make sure the eventual nominee is held accountable for what they've been saying in the primary as they've moved further and further to the right.

You can help keep it going with a contribution.

Dissent Among the Ranks?

Yesterday I mentioned Huckabee's flip-flop on immigration. After his top immigration surrogate claimed he supported a constitutional amendment to deny birthright citizenship -- and after his campaign refused to back away from it -- they later put out a statement reversing his position.

Now the "surrogate," James Gilchrist, isn't talking. The Washington Times reported today that he "did not respond to repeated phone calls and e-mails yesterday asking about the discrepancy."

But, the piece continues, "in a 42-minute telephone call Sunday Gilchrist told The Times that Mr. Huckabee promised [a SCOTUS test case and an amendment to the Constitution]."

Said Gilchrist: "The guy looked me right in the eye."

The statement they issued clearly isn't enough -- the campaign still has a lot to explain.

Judge Orders Answers From White House

Quickly, too.

The White House now has five business days to tell the court whether their backup system for emails -- which ensures they aren't deleted -- has the alleged millions of missing emails they're required to keep.

They've managed to dodge the question, as I've written about in the past. Specifically, they've said only that "some e-mails may not have been automatically archived in the past, but they may be available on backup tapes."

It's worth noting that Patrick Fitzgerald, who led the case against Scooter Libby, warned that while he had no evidence that emails related to the case had been destroyed, he could not be sure due to some emails not being preserved normally.

The U.S. Magistrate Judge requested the information about the missing emails for the time period covering the Valerie Plame controversy.

Surveying the GOP Wreckage

The morning after the primary, the GOP field remains in disarray:

After Senator John McCain’s victory here on Tuesday, the Republican field is more scrambled than ever, with the battleground now shifting to a series of states where each of the leading candidates believes he holds certain advantages.

Mr. McCain, who will also go to Michigan on Wednesday, is looking to finish off Mr. Romney there...

A wild card is Mike Huckabee, who has surged to the lead in some national polls. He hopes to be competitive in Michigan but is looking more toward the Jan. 19 primary in South Carolina...

Waiting in the wings is a weakened Rudolph W. Giuliani, who is now focused almost exclusively on a victory in Florida’s primary on Jan. 29...

Wednesday Open Thread

Chat away...

January 8, 2008

NH Primary Open Thread

Chat away, it's primary day...

Would Republicans Prefer None Of The Above

Republican and Independent voters aren't happy with the choices on the Republican voters. In the last year, almost every candidate has been a "frontrunner" in New Hampshire, only to be rejected later. Long time front runner Rudy Giuliani has run 2,840 ads in NH and looks to come in behind Mike Huckabee who's run less than 100 ads in New Hampshire. Meanwhile both smooth talking Mitt Romney and double talk McCain are fighting for "first place." As Laura points out at Blue Hampshire McCain can barely manage to fill the same space that Senator Biden filled last Spring.

Meanwhile excitement for the all the Democratic candidates seems to be high in NH, so high that the Secretary of State is printing new ballots.

White House Launches Blog?

That's what it's being called, but it's debatable (1) whether it's a blog, and (2) if so, whether it's their first.

Anyway, it's a temporary page set up for a Bush administration Middle East trip. There are no comments allowed on this "blog."

It's about as much of a blog as what was essentially Barney's frequently-updated blog (yeah -- the dog) back in 2004, which has since gone dead. I wonder why, with content like this:

Dear barney, what do they call the outer layer of skin on a tree?

A:Barney, First Dog:
Bark!!! Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!!

Seriously.

Reflecting on New Hampshire

With today being New Hampshire's primary day, it's worth taking a look at the gains we're making there.

Last year, New Hampshire:

• Threw out two Republican Congressmen (replacing them with Democrats).
• Took control of both houses of the state legislature for the first time since the 19th Century.
• Re-elected their Democratic governor by the largest margin in their history, 48 points.

We're making gains in all 50 states, but New Hampshire has a particularly good trend.

Huckabee Flip-Flops on Birthright Citizenship

Today the Washington Times reported that Mike Huckabee vowed to amend the Constitution to prevent children born in the U.S. to illegal aliens from automatically becoming American citizens. It attributed this information to his "his top immigration surrogate," and fits nicely with his recent sharp right turn on immigration.

When the campaign was first asked about it, they didn't contest their support of the amendment.

Later, however, they issued this response:

I do not support an amendment to the constitution that would prevent children born in the U.S. to illegal aliens from automatically becoming American citizens. I have no intention of supporting a constitutional amendment to deny birthright citizenship.

But wait, not only is this a flip from what their story was yesterday -- back in August, it was Huckabee himself who stated, "I think there is reason to revisit that, just because a person, through sheer chance of geography, happened to be physically here at the point of birth, doesn't necessarily constitute citizenship. I think that's a very reasonable thing to do, to revisit that."

Recession?

Yesterday, a spokesman for President Bush announced, "I don't know of anyone predicting a recession."

It's a pretty bold statement. It's also false.

And today, a New York Times article notes that "even after a government report on Friday that showed unemployment jumped to 5 percent last month from 4.7 percent in November, Mr. Bush stopped short of warning that the nation may be about to enter a recession."

Now the Telegraph reports that Merrill Lynch is declaring that we're already in a recession.

The Truth Comes Out!

It's the understatement of the day, coming from Fred Thompson's wife, about how little Fred Thompson wanted to run: "It wasn't something that he had a burning desire for."

Shock.

Primary Day

Use this thread to cheer on your candidate, predict results, or for any other primary talk...

And if you haven't already, you can let the eventual Democratic nominee know that we'll be united after all of the primaries are over by signing this petition.

Tuesday Open Thread

Chat away...

January 7, 2008

Thompson's Last Stand

Former Senator Fred Thompson (R-Tennessee) provides an important lesson in effective campaign messaging.

Sen. Thompson is relying on a strong showing in South Carolina to propel his candidacy to the White House. CNN reported this afternoon that the Thompson campaign is joking about South Carolina as "Custer's last stand."

Of course, General Armstrong Custer was defeated and killed in the Battle of Little Bighorn.

Apparently, Sen. Thompson didn't learn anything from the opening scene in Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee. Sen. Thompson either doesn't know history, doesn't want to stick around in the race, or both. (To be fair, Sen. Thompson has a history of remembering the facts wrong, or not at all.)

Monday Evening Open Thread

Chat away...

Goodbye, Doolittle?

The California Majority Report is reporting that "Congressman John Doolittle, the focus of a federal corruption probe, will announce that he will not seek re-election."

Doolittle's office is reporting that they have nothing to report, but the Politico cites "House GOP insiders" as saying that the retirement story is accurate.

McConnell Obstructionism Continues

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Kentucky) continues the Republican obstructionism parade.

The nominating process in the 2008 presidential election began in Iowa last week, but the federal government's campaign-finance agency is unable to enforce the spending laws because it doesn't have enough commissioners.

And that is the fault of Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., according to Fred Wertheimer, president of Democracy 21, a nonpartisan campaign finance watchdog. [...]

With only two commissioners in place since the start of the new year, the FEC is unable to issue finance rulings, file suits or levy penalties for violations of the campaign laws. Four votes are required for any decision.

Read the full article in the Kentucky Courier-Journal.

Hunter to Make Major Announcement

Maybe he's announcing who his VP will be once he gets the nomination? After all, he's currently tied with former front-runner Rudy Giuliani in delegates, both with one delegate apiece.

UPDATE: See him brag about his delegate on Morning Joe!

Racial Disparities Continue

Not shocking, but still important to flag.

According to a new study, "U.S. blacks continue to get inferior cancer treatment compared to whites, researchers said on Monday in a study showing that disparities first documented in the early 1990s persist despite efforts to erase them."

Read more here.

Bush Reappoints Ineffective Mine Safety Chief

In the George W. Bush administration, officials continue to fail upwards as the President renominated Stickler as acting assistant secretary on January 4. Stickler, the former industry executive-turned-Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) head that mishandled the response to the Crandall Canyon mine collapse last August.

Think Progress' Amanda Terkel writes:

Stickler’s bio has also reappeared on the MSHA site. With his acting title, he will be able to serve 210 days. The White House has also renominated him for the permanent position.

As The New York Times recently noted, Bush “has left whole agencies of the executive branch to be run largely by acting or interim appointees,” who have not been approved by the Senate. The Senate has repeatedly had to convene pro forma sessions in order to prevent Bush from giving these controversial nominees recess appointments.

Senator Ted Kennedy (D-Massachusetts) released a statement opposing Stickler's nomination.

Update: MSHA missed the deadline for finalizing new safety standards. (Hat tip: BlueGrassRoots)

The Bush administration missed a legal deadline to finalize rules to require more and better-trained mine rescue teams across the nation’s coalfields.

Under a 2006 law signed by President Bush, Labor Secretary Elaine Chao was required to issue final rules by Dec. 15, 2007.

The rules are still not finalized, and are sitting at the White House, under review by the Office of Management and Budget.

They Never Learn, Do They?

Giuliani's New York canvassers are trolling Red Sox Nation in Yankees garb, in advance of the primary:

Some Rudy Giuliani volunteers bused here from New York City struck out as they went door to door in advance of Tuesday's Granite State primary while wearing caps or jackets of the hated New York Yankees.

"Some people really don't think," said a person with knowledge of the situation.

"You're in the middle of Red Sox Nation wearing stuff from their enemy. It's absolutely ridiculous.

Strike two?

Ron Paul to Cross Picket Line... Again

Republican presidential candidates are jumping ahead of one another to cross the picket line of workers who have public opinion handily on their side. First, it was Mike Huckabee, who said he didn't realize that he was going to be crossing the line.

Up next, Ron Paul, who will appear on the Tonight Show this evening.

As ThinkProgress points out, this isn't the first picket line that Ron Paul has crossed. In December, Paul appeared on The View -- despite the striking writers. He later said that he "doesn't care about the unions or the pickets."

Monday Open Thread

Chat away...

January 6, 2008

Sunday Open Thread

Chat away...

January 5, 2008

From the Archives

Saturday Open Thread

Chat away...

January 4, 2008

Friday Evening Open Thread

Chat away...

Jobless Rate Hits 2-Year High

"This is a major warning shot that the economy is in trouble," said economist Joel Naroff, president of Naroff Economic Advisors.

From the AP:

The civilian unemployment rate jumped from 4.7 percent in November to 5 percent in December, the highest since November 2005, after the Gulf Coast hurricanes dealt the country a mighty blow. Total payrolls -- both private employers and government -- grew by just 18,000 last month, the worst showing since August 2003...

Government and private employers "added the fewest new jobs to their payrolls in more than four years."

Romney: Four More Years!

"People want change in Washington, not in the White House," says Mitt Romney, ignoring the polling that shows that people want change in the White House by huge margins. Only 26 percent of Americans approve of Bush's handling of foreign policy and his handling of the economy.

Of course, he's also ignoring the geography of the White House. It is, in fact, in Washington.

Friday Five

Here are five of the events in PartyBuilder for the coming week. You can add your own event or find one near you.

1. Volunteer at the Broomfield Recycle Center, First Shift (Broomfield, CO)

   Join your fellow Broomfield Democrats, EcoCycle, and the Colorado Green Action Network to work a shift at the Broomfield Recycling Center during the post-holiday recyling rush!

2. Houston Area Stonewall Democrats Meeting (Houston, TX)
   

   Join us as we elect officers for 2008! Don't worry we'll finish the meeting part in time to gather around televisions for the New Hampshire Primary results!

3. Saloon Democrats of Chicago (Chicago, IL)
   

   Join us as we settle the problems of the world from a democratic perspective -- over a friendly drink or two! Every Wednesday (6:30pm-9pm) at Frankie Z's (435 N. Clark).

4. DFNYC Sunnyside Linkup (Sunnyside, NY)
   

   After the highly successful December mega-Linkup, we're back to our neighborhood linkups.

5. Orange County Young Democrats Meeting: Celebrate Ten Years of Orange County Young Democrats (Santa Ana, CA)
   

   Join us for our next monthly Orange County Young Democrats meeting this Thursday, January 10th at 7:00 PM at Democratic Party of Orange County headquarters...

Rudy Floats A Veep Name

Cheney?!?!?

Would a Rudy Giuliani administration be populated with a Cabinet of Republican rivals and a powerful, all-knowing vice president like Dick Cheney? Possibly, according to musings Giuliani shared in answers to questions from New Hampshire voters yesterday in Hooksett.

Some perspective

John McCain corrects his statement that we should be in Iraq for the next hundred years, and says to make it a million years. To understand the implications of this, I put together this handy chart:

Both, I suppose, are only estimates though.

McCain: Make It 100! UPDATE: 1,000,000!

John McCain tells New Hampshire he literally wants to stay in Iraq for the next hundred years, not just 50 years like president Bush:

And the transcript, via DailyKos:

Q: President Bush has talked about our staying in Iraq for 50 years --" (cut off by McCain)

McCain: "Make it a hundred."

Q: "Is that ..." (cut off)

McCain: "We've been in South Korea ... we've been in Japan for 60 years. We've been in South Korea 50 years or so. That would be fine with me. As long as Americans ..."

Q: [tries to say something]

McCain: "As long as Americans are not being injured or harmed or wounded or killed. That's fine with me, I hope that would be fine with you, if we maintain a presence in a very volatile part of the world where Al Qaeda is training and equipping and recruiting and motivating people every single day.

UPDATE: Make it a million years, McCain now says.

Friday Open Thread

Chat away...

January 3, 2008

Caucus Evening Open Thread

Governor Dean will appear live tonight in advance of the Iowa caucus results!

9:15 PM: CNN's "Situation Room" with Wolf Blitzer
9:30 PM: Bloomberg's "Money & Politics"
9:45 PM: MSNBC Caucus Coverage with Keith Olbermann

Make your predictions, root for your candidate, and chat away...

UPDATE: Results are coming in.

The League and MoveOn Launch Digital Primaries on Facebook

This presidential election cycle not only marks the beginning of the end of the disastrous George W. Bush presidency, but the infusion of new, emerging online tools at the disposal of candidates and constituency groups.

Iowans head to school gymnasiums and firehouses across the state of Iowa, and the League of Young Voters teamed up with MoveOn.org and launched a digital primary using the application feature of the popular social networking site, Facebook, as the ballot booth.

The Future Majority's Michael Connery explains:

The League Primary is a new third party application on Facebook that allows users to select their choice for President (in either party), highlight their 3 most important issues, and cast their ballot among their numerous Facebook networks. Votes are tallied nationally, and for each network to which a member belongs (for instance, I belong to the New York network, so I can view results nationally or within New York). Students will be able to view results for their school networks and so on, creating innumerable "virtual primaries" limited only by the total number of networks on Facebook.

Idiots' Guide to the Democratic Caucus

That's what TPM Election Central is calling this helpful primer for understanding how the Iowa caucus will work. Make sure that you read the entire piece, but I'll excerpt some of the key paragraphs:

In each precinct, once the first round of caucusing is done, each candidate will get assigned a number of delegates roughly proportional to the percentage of caucusers who supported him or her. Now here's the rub: All candidates that don't get more than 15% of caucusers are deemed non-viable.[...]

Once some candidates are declared non-viable, supporters of viable candidates will court those people to caucus for their own viable candidates, and after the floating votes have reallocated another count is taken.
[...]
Eventually, the proceedings stop, and the state Democratic party then tallies up the total percentage of the state delegates each leading candidate is projected to have. This number is the percentage of support for each candidate we'll be hearing about later tonight ...

Again, read the entire piece. There's a little more to it, but it's really not all that complicated. Anybody can re-register to vote at the door, which allows Independents to participate so long as they -- at least temporarily -- change their affiliation.

Romney: I Love Bush

Here's what he had to say to those tiny percentage of voters -- and shrinking -- who still approve of President Bush: "We also love a president who has kept us safe these last six years."

But really, all of the Republicans are the same way. They have the same positions, they hire the same people, and they'll continue the Bush years if elected.

Still, Republicans have largely attempted to distance themselves from Bush when it came to mentioning his name -- all while embracing everything he favors and represents. Is this the result of a candidate too worried about the primary to think about how his closeness to Bush will hurt him in the general election?

Oh yeah, and it's a flip flop. But with Romney, that goes without saying.

Say It Ain't So!

Thompson may drop out if he (surprise) performs poorly in Iowa today, says the Politico citing officials close to his campaign.

But Fred Thompson is rested for caucus day today. While all those other candidates were out there meeting Iowans, campaigning, and pushing people to caucus, Thompson was napping, according to ABC News:

Thompson's campaign scheduled only one event for New Year's Day, a meet-and-greet at the Iowa Veterans Home in Marshalltown, about an hour outside Des Moines. [...] "We could either — it was a close call, to go jogging in almost zero-degree weather, or stay in and take a nap. After considerable consideration, I decided to take a nap."

Says the man who's been putting Iowans to sleep on the trail for months...

Caucus Day!

In the comments, let me know who you're pulling for and why.

The Iowa caucus is the first step towards a new president. We've put out a caucus day memo showing just how the Republican candidates offer more of the same. No Republican candidate has a plan to end the war in Iraq or expand health care coverage. They want to privatize Social Security and favor irresponsible "budget-busting favors" for the wealthy and special interests.

It's because of this that, no matter who wins, we need to unite around the eventual Democratic nominee. We're already generating more excitement. Even die-hard Republicans don't like their choices, and hardly anybody attends their events.

You can let the eventual Democratic nominee know that we'll be united after the primary and ready to take on the Republican nominee by signing this petition. It's going to take all of us working together to bring change to the White House, so join me in signing.

Thursday Open Thread

Chat away...

January 2, 2008

Caucus Eve Open Thread

Here are some your posts, via PartyBuilder:

• Mark T helpfully supplies a link to where the Iowa Democratic Party will be posting the election results, when they come in, tomorrow.
• Oil hits $100 a barrel. Jim Callahan has the story.
• PartyBuilder Sactown Hippie gets to vote for the first time, and is looking for advice.

This is an open thread. Chat away...

Another Flip-Flop

Do I even have to tell you who I'm referring to? Or is the title enough to tell you it's about Mitt Romney?

A couple days ago about the state of Iowa: "I think I'm going to win."

And then today: "I can't possibly predict that I'm gonna take first place in any particular state."

Is there anything this guy won't flip-flop on?

Justice Department Opens Criminal Probe Into CIA Tapes

This just in, from the AP:

The Justice Department opened a criminal investigation into the destruction of CIA interrogation videotapes and Attorney General Michael B. Mukasey appointed an outside prosecutor to oversee the case.

The CIA acknowledged last month that it destroyed videos of officers using tough interrogation methods while questioning two al-Qaida suspects. The acknowledgment sparked a congressional inquiry and a preliminary investigation by Justice.

UPDATE: More, from Rep. Conyers:

While I certainly agree that these matters warrant an immediate criminal investigation, it is disappointing that the Attorney General has stepped outside the Justice Department’s own regulations and declined to appoint a more independent special counsel in this matter. Because of this action, the Congress and the American people will be denied – as they were in the Valerie Plame matter – any final report on the investigation.

Equally disappointing is the limited scope of this investigation, which appears limited to the destruction of two tapes. The government needs to scrutinize what other evidence may have been destroyed beyond the two tapes, as well as the underlying allegations of misconduct associated with the interrogations.

GOP Boasts About "Caging" Efforts

In a recent e-mail to party supporters, Kansas GOP Chair Kris Kobach bragged about the Republican Party's efforts at "caging" voters.

In an e-mail message sent to state Republicans, Kansas Republican Party Chairman Kris Kobach reviewed the party’s accomplishments this year.

In the message, he states: “To date, the Kansas GOP has identified and caged more voters in the last 11 months than the previous two years.”

Mike Gaughan, executive director of the Kansas Democratic Party, said, “Vote caging is a pretty direct form of voter suppression.”

For more on voter suppression efforts through "caging" methods, check out the Buffalo Blog, the official blog of the Kansas Democratic Party.

Huckabee Didn't Know About NIE Because Busy Following Britney Gossip

You all know the story. Mike Huckabee, displaying his well-known lack of foreign policy knowledge, for days didn't even know about the NIE that came and tried to make excuses for it. This, of course, was despite the fact that it had been a big news stories in all of the papers.

But now he's back with a new excuse: he was too busy following the Britney gossip and watching 'Dancing with the Stars.'

Seriously.

Huckabee: "The point I'm trying to make is that, on the campaign trail, nobody's going to be able, if they've been campaigning as hard as we have been, to keep up with every single thing, from what happened to Britney last night to who won 'Dancing with the Stars.'"

Will Huckabee Cross the Picket Line?

With only one day before the Iowa caucus, Mike Huckabee is turning to Jay Leno and will appear on the Tonight Show.

But the Writers Guild announced this weekend that they planned to picket the late night show, among others. Of course, that could be the entire reason Huckabee decided to appear on the show.

Or maybe Huckabee just saw how much the show helped Fred Thompson.

Can He Spend it All?

Mitt Romney continues to finance his own campaign, but he won't say how much until after the Iowa caucus:

Mitt Romney said today that he donated more of his personal fortune to his campaign in the fourth quarter, which closed yesterday, but he refused to disclose the amount.

"I'm sure I made additional contributions in the fourth quarter, but I don't have any numbers for you," Romney said in a news conference in the basement of a home, where he had just held a house party. "And we're not going to get into the numbers probably until some time in the middle of the month. Right now, we're focused on voters."

Wednesday Open Thread

Chat away...