1/18: Obama's First Test?
It's hardly news that lefty bloggers are unhappy with Sen. Hillary Clinton's Iraq legislation (for the record, it does not go far enough cutting off funds or setting dates for withdrawal/redeployment). More noteworthy is Sen. Barack Obama's (D-IL) continued ability to stay vague enough on his Iraq war plans so that DailyKos' founder Markos Moulitsas can still say "[h]e's hitting the right notes on Iraq and the escalation" while he avoids committing to full-out call for cutting off funds like John Edwards. We'll soon see if the specifics of Obama's legislation, in which he proposes "begin[ning] the phased redeployment I called for two months ago," is closer to the HRC or Edwards position.
DEM FIELD: The Rapidly Shrinking General
DailyKos' founder Markos Moulitsas served up his latest "Cattle Call" 1/17 reminding readers "this isn't a list of my favorite or preferred candidates ... It's my take on where these candidates sit in the race today." His thoughts on the top five candidates in the race include:
- 1. Barack Obama: He's hitting the right notes on Iraq and the escalation. He's getting some flack from some bloggers for being "Liebermanesque" in his language, but unlike Lieberman, Obama has a strong base of support in the netroots. And he hasn't even put together a netroots operation yet.
- 2. John Edwards: Edwards got a bunch of flack from pundits for announcing his campaign in New Orleans during the Christmas holidays. ... In the dKos straw poll, Edwards went from being tied 28-28 with Obama, to a 35-28 lead (almost all at the expense of Wesley Clark). ... Edwards is in a good spot -- the most popular netroots candidate, and well positioned in the offline world as well.
- 3. Hillary Clinton: Hillary is the Lieberman of 2008 -- running strong early on name recognition and star power. ... There are plenty of people out in the states who like her well enough, and wouldn't mind supporting her, but they fear that she'll tank our Senate, House, and state candidates down the ballot. This concerns is pervasive everywhere west of the Mississippi and south of Ohio.
- 4. Bill Richardson: Can Richardson get respect? I mean, the dude just brokered a peace treaty in Darfur.
- 5. Wesley Clark: The more he waits to make a decision, the more his supporters seem to be finding John Edwards.
Kos also added these thoughts on the final results of the WH '08 dKos straw poll: "What I didn't expect was the sharp drop in Clark support. It looks like many of his supporters are getting tired of waiting for a decision, and Edwards is scooping them up."
CLINTON: A Position Only The DLC Could Love
The Left Coaster is not impressed with Hillary Clinton's 1/17 call for capping the number of troops Pres. Bush can deploy to Iraq since it does not withold funds for the surge or set a withdrawal deadline. TLC describes HRC's position as "the status quo" noting "in other words, as long as Bush keeps the troop levels underneath Hillary's limits, he can keep doing pretty much whatever the hell he wants." TLC concludes: "It's a position that only the DLC could love, and which cedes almost the entire party to John Edwards and Barack Obama, while making Hillary look like someone afraid of taking on the White House. ... And it took her weeks to come up with this? She's closer to McCain and Lieberman than she is to Chuck Hagel.
EDWARDS: Pro-Purse Power
DailyKos diarist a gnostic is fired up over John Edwards' manager David Bonior's statement that: "This weekend, President Bush claimed on national TV that Congress does not have the power to stop his proposed escalation of the war in Iraq. That's bull. I served in Congress for 26 years, and I can assure you that Congress does have the power to stop this escalation -- and it has used that power many times before, including in Vietnam, Lebanon, Nicaragua and Colombia."
Gnostic urges readers to sign Edwards petition demanding "that this Congress use its power of the purse to stop this president from escalating the war in Iraq." Gnostic concludes: "At least one of the Democratic presidential candidates is saying what we've all been saying since this latest George Bush scheme was announced...the escalation and the meek response from Congress is a steaming load of you know what...The silence is deafening from the rest of them."
BROWNBACK: Gettin' His Heine In Gear
IA's Caucus Cooler notes Sam Brownback hired Sen. John Thune (R-SD) campaign aide Jay Heine as his IA political director. Heine is also described as a "longtime advisor to Bob Vander Plaats gubernatorial campaigns" and CC adds: "As we reported yesterday Brownback was in town this week meeting with operatives and activists, they've brought on at least 1 field staffer as well to our knowledge."
BUSH: When A Cornerite Loves You, They Really Love You
The Corner's Peter Robinson continued his one-man-band draft Jeb Bush movement 1/17. Robinson fired back at Cornerites hitting Bush on immigration: " Can anyone yet state with certainty and concision-alloting, say, two or three sentences to each candidate-the immigration policies of McCain, Giuliani and Romney? If an enterprising reader would care to prepare a spreadsheet, permitting easy comparison of the policies of these three with those of Jeb, I would be only too happy to post it."
Robinson also shared a semi-Bush endorsement from Newt Gingrich who praised Bush's FloridaCompareCare.gov and MyFloridaRx.com initiatives as "glimpses of the future" and "extraordinarily useful."
Finally, Robinson shared a note from a reader "proving" his Bush-love was shared: "It's time for Republicans to throw aside this inane Bush name business in our discussion of Presidential contenders."
FRIST: Apparently, Frist Was Once Majority Leader
Righty bloggers, picking up on reports of Bill Frist plans to run for TN GOV in '10, see the move as groundwork for an WH '12 run. Influence Peddlar writes: "The Senator seems to be taking the long view on this. He's probably more popular in Tennessee than he is on the national stage. And if he has a good run as Governor, no one will remember the disappointment of his tenure as Majority Leader 10 years from now." RedState's FirstState adds: "Have we come to that point, that executive experience is so important that someone like Frist would go from the height of power in the Senate to the governorship of a state in order to have it on his resume?"
HUNTER: Not As Excited As After Staying At A Holiday Express
Right Wing News posts Duncan Hunter's latest commercial "The Border Fence" as his "Video of the Day." Hunter closes the ad saying: "Let's make sure Homeland Security builds the border fence. It works and its the law."
Extreme Mortman, however, is not impressed with Hunter's Spartanburg Marriott choice as venue for his 1/25 WH '08 announcement. Mortman writes: "How excited can anyone truly get when eating breakfast at a Marriott?"
MCCAIN: Sieleman Trumps Dobson?
IA's Caucus Cooler explains the significance of John McCain's recent hiring of Concerned Women for America IA chapter founder Maxine Sieleman: "Maxine also has a morning talk show on Christian radio in Des Moines. ... These endorsements are significant for McCain especially given the recent comments made by Focus on the Families' James Dobson." CC also notes Sielman's digs at ex-MA Gov. Mitt Romney (R) and ex-NY mayor Rudy Giuliani (R): "McCain is the one candidate who has a consistent record of supporting pro-life, pro-family legislation."
In a separate post the Cooler includes video of MoveOn's anti-McCain ad airing "in Iowa and other early caucus states."
TANCREDO: Immigration Hard-Liner Foil?
RCP Blog's Tom Bevan and Captain's Quarters are not impressed with Tom Tancredo's WH '08 bid. Reacting to suggestions Tancredo has "articulate" views, Bevan responds: "Are we talking about the same man who suggested during a July 2005 radio interview that we should "take out" the holiest city in Islam in response to possible nuke attacks on the United States by terrorists? Or the one who made news last November by referring to Miami as a "third world country?" ... Whatever you think of the merits of either of those views, "thoughtfully articulate" is not a phrase that springs to mind to describe them."
CQ is just amused by the spectacle: "One of the more amusing aspects of any presidential campaign is the people who believe they have a chance to win the nomination. ... And for Tancredo's fans, consider what a disaster a Tancredo campaign could be for hard-liners on immigration. Since he has no real national standing on any other issue, the lack of support that Tancredo will suffer will reflect directly on immigration reform. It will be much easier for moderates and liberals to show that the hard-liners on immigration are marginal at best if Tancredo runs against McCain and Giuliani and flops."
IRAQ: No Way To Triangulate Out Of This
TPM Cafe's Greg Sargent identifies the "key quote" from Barack Obama's statement announcing he would be introducing legislation on Iraq: "That is why I not only favor capping the number U.S. troops in Iraq, but believe it's imperative that we begin the phased redeployment I called for two months ago, and intend to introduce legislation that does just that." Sargent explains: "Given what Clinton said today about a troop cap, it's hard not to notice Obama's "I not only favor capping" line."
The Washington Monthly's Kevin Drum notes the similarities between Sen. Chris Dodd's (D-CT) and HRC's troop legislation and responds: "I'm opposed to the escalation too, but these moves by Dodd and Clinton actually strike me as the worst of all possible worlds. ... If there's anything we can be absolutely sure of, it's the fact that the status quo isn't working. Democrats should either go the political route and pass a nonbinding resolution, or they should pull up their socks and support legislation that defunds the war and sets a timetable for withdrawal. There's really no way to triangulate out of this."
Talk Left's Big Tent Democrat is also no fan of the Dodd plan: "Well, I do not think this is Constitutional or practical. I also do not think it is good politics or policy. For those who wonder, my plan is to set a date when funding ends, say October 30, 2007. Announce it NOW. Vote on it NOW. Then it is up to Bush to have the troops out by then. If he does not, then he is the one endangering the troops. He has 9 months to get them out.
Atrios takes a longer view on the specifics of Dem/Iraq legislative efforts: "I suppose it's progress that major Democrats are trying to one-up each other on legislation-about-Iraq-that-won't pass. Still, now that they have a majority and seem to generally agree that ending the war is the right thing to do I'd prefer it if they got into a room and found something they could all get behind which would be an attempt to end this thing."
On the House side, CaliticsTodd Beeton thanks CA Dem Reps. Lynn Woolsey, Barbara Lee, and Maxine Waters for introducing he Bring Our Troops Home and Sovereignty of Iraq Restoration Act which Woolsey outlines in a DailyKos diary including:
- Withdraw all U.S. troops and military contractors from Iraq within six months from date of enactment.
- Prohibit any further funding to deploy, or continue to deploy U.S. troops in Iraq. The bill does, however, allow for funding to be used, as needed, to ensure a safe withdrawal of all US military personnel and contractors, diplomatic consultations. Funding may also be used for the increased training and equipping of Iraqi and international security forces.
- Finally, we believe that Iraqi oil belongs to the Iraqis. Once the oil is in the international market, the U.S. will certainly have access to our share. That's why our bill ensures that the U.S. has no long-term control over Iraqi oil.
In non-congressional action, The Huffington Post's David Sirota promotes the 50-State Anti-Escalation Campaign in conjunction with the Progressive States Network and Moveon.org. According to Sirota the campaign seeks "to have state legislatures take up resolutions demanding Congress use its power to prevent President Bush's efforts to militarily escalate the Iraq War."
RNC CHAIR: GOPers Don't Like Communism
The Right Angle's John Gizzi forwards the grumblings of one RNC cmt. mem. on the election of Sen. Mel Martinez (R-FL) as RNC general chair: "We're like the Politburo in the old Soviet Union. We go along with what the White House wants when there's a Republican living there. But that doesn't mean we like it."
Gizzi later quotes MI state chair Saul Anuzis on member worries: "Criticism is over three basic points: there are some that don't believe that the general chairman model-tried with Kansas Sen. Bob Dole in the early 1970's and then with Nevada Sen. Paul Laxalt during the Reagan presidency-is a good model; second, there are those opposed to Sen. Martinez's position on immigration, believing that such a strong supporter of an 'amnesty' program is a concern for the party's image; and third, the process."
Right Wing News worries "other than being generally supportive of the people trying to block Martinez, I don't know that there's much blogs like RWN can do." RWN adds: "In any case, I think this is just another example of how George Bush has allowed an antagonistic relationship to develop between him and the people who should be his big supporters. Once George Bush got to the big dance, he acted as if he didn't need the support of the people who brought him there anymore and he, along with the rest of the Republican Party, are paying one hell of a price for it."
GOP: No '80s Rhetoric Left Behind
RedState's rhatican quotes from Ronald Reagan's First Inaugural Address (including, " It is time to check and reverse the growth of government which shows signs of having grown beyond the consent of the governed") and urges House Min. Leader John Boehner to lead GOPers "on the basis of those things the crazy old Californian said long ago" in "categorically opposing the reauthorization of" No Child Left Behind.
BLOGGERS VS. BELTWAY: As Trent Lott Goes, So Instapundit Does Not
Righty Bloggers are buzzing over Sen. Judd Gregg's (R-NH) amendment mucking up Dem ethics legislation in the senate. Under the header "Reid Again Stands in the Way of Reform" The Right Angle's Robert Bluey writes: "Gregg wants the Senate to have an up-or-down vote on his proposal to reduce wasteful spending. Reid wants nothing to do with it." The Club for Growth and the National Taxpayers Union also have thoughts while Instapundit isn't sold on the substance of Gregg's legislation: "I regard the line-item veto as a gimmick, and during the brief period when Clinton had one it didn't accomplish much. I'm not sure if this is different, though the extent of the opposition from porkmeisters like Reid and Durbin suggests to me that it might be. How's Trent Lott voting?"
POLICE LOG: Only 88 Accounting Days Left!
The Lexington Herald-Leader and Louisville Courier-Journal are both reporting that BluegrassReport founder Mark Nickolas has been indicted for willfully failing to file state income tax returns for 2003, 2004 and 2005. According to the Herald Commonwealth's Attorney Larry Cleveland claims the indictments were sought by the Kentucky Department of Revenue. The Courier notes BluegrassReport "often criticizes [KY] Gov. Ernie Fletcher" and the Herald reminds readers that Nickolas has "a lawsuit pending in federal court that alleges the Fletcher administration illegally blocks state workers from viewing his site."
Nickolas took responsibility on his blog 1/17: "I made a mistake by not filing my state taxes promptly. Period. I am alone responsible and I feel awful. I'm not going to offer any excuses." Nickolas' attorney says, he mailed Nickolas' tax returns for the years in question to the Revenue Department on Dec. 18. He said the checks cleared on Dec. 28.
The Herald concludes its story: "Another Nickolas fan, Democratic state Rep. Kathy Stein of Lexington, called the Revenue Department's failure to tell a prosecutor that Nickolas had made belated tax payments "very interesting." Still, she said "it was a pretty foolish mistake" for someone so "highly visible and critical" of Fletcher to not pay taxes for three years."
THOUGHT OF THE DAY: Some Of My Best Friends Are Bloggers ...
Buzz Machine's Jeff Jarvis picks up on Market Watch reports "that while the unique audience to online newspapers grew 9% from December 2005 to December 2006, the number of visitors to blog pages at the top newspapers skyrocketed and accounted for 13% of the parent sites' total traffic." Market Watch includes a list of the top five "online newspaper blogs and their estimated December audiences:"
- USATODAY.com blogs, 1.239 million
- The New York Times' blogs, 1.173 million
- SFGate blogs, 515,000
- Washingtonpost.com blogs, 433,000
- Boston.com blogs, 388,000
Jarvis concludes: "Note also that the definition of blogs is up for grabs. Many times, newspapers use blogging software as a means to get up news updates and such; it is the world's lightest, easiest, cheapest content management system and it's a smart use. But not all these blogs link out in conversation. Still, I'll bet this helps take the cooties off the word 'blog' in newsrooms."
LEST WE FORGET: Obama Can Cop To Drug Use But American Idol Contestants Can't?
While watching the season premiere of season 6 of American Idol Death By Camera realized that "in this day and age, almost anything can be found on the internet," and tracked down eleven MySpace profiles of Idol contestants. DBC writes up Hollywood bound Michelle Steingas' profile:
Age: 20 Myspace nickname: ultichica11 Bonus points: Long ass survey on her myspace. Most unbelievable: Who the f--k doesn't have instant message? Maybe someone who calls it "instant message." Top qualities: Underage drinker, shoplifter, skinny dipper, and the mysterious number of drugs taken ... 1. but which 1? Disqualifying factor: Public admission on your myspace of taking drugs Myspace: www.myspace.com/ultichica11 UPDATE: Less than 24 hours after appearing on American Idol, it looks like Michelle has done some damage control and deleted the incriminating survey from her myspace. I'm kicking myself for not taking screenshots of the thing.
