1/24: The Next TR?

Things may change by the time a Dem nominee is chosen, but for now the netroots are not terribly excited about their top two WH '08 options Sens. Hillary Clinton (NY) and Barack Obama (IL) (they are decidedly more enthused about John Edwards' candidacy however). If either Clinton or Obama does prevail in the primaries, a VP choice sure to energize Dem blogging roots would be Sen. Jim Webb (D-VA). There simply is no Dem out there today that better encapsulates the anti-Iraq war, pro-economic populist, hard-hitting political spirit of the netroots than Webb. Webb will not quite have two years as senator under his belt by the time '08 rolls around, but supporters are already noting that Webb hero Teddy Roosevelt only had two years as NY governor before he joined the McKinley ticket in 1900.

WEBB: Bigger Than Obama?

Sen. Jim Webb's (D-VA) SOTU response drew wide lefty blogger praise and even somecalls for a VP nod. Positive Webb reacts include:

• TAPPED's Ezra Klein: "Webb's response ... was strong, clear and just. His voice vibrated with outrage and urgency, and his speech laid out Democratic principles with a confident, spare, eloquence. By far the best SOTU response I've seen.
• The Plank's Michael Crowley: "Boy, was he good. That response could do for Webb something akin to what Barack Obama's 2004 convention speech did for the Illinois senator. ... Even Brit Hume and Fred Barnes on Fox were praising it.
• Daily Kos' VirginiaDem: "Listening to him describe economic inequality (a topic rarely discussed by any politician) and taking it to Bush on the war (something he's done since 2003), I couldn't help thinking about the monumental decision from leaving his comfortable private life to serve the American people again."
• Atrios' Thers: "[I]f what it takes is for the Democratic party to find a Manly Ideal like Webb to articulate simple common sense for the Punditry to get on board with coming out against a hideously stupid meatgrinder foreign policy, then, so be it.
• Daily Kos' Lucky Ducky: "The new breed of conservative Dems, huh? ... Things are looking up.

More towards the center, Andrew Sullivan was also impressed: "It was, I think, the most effective Democratic response in the Bush years. He managed to bridge economic populism with military service and pride: a very potent combination."

The Webb praise was not unanimous however, Daily Kos' HarveyMilk did not like Webb's bringing the war to a "proper conclusion that will also allow us to continue to fight the war against international terrorism." HM writes: "That could mean a lot of things. It could be meaningless, on its face. It also could have been a quote from Joe Lieberman."

An Andrew Sullivan reader also had problems with Webb's Iraq thoughts: "Jim Webb, while speaking very eloquently and forcefully, contradicted himself by first saying that America would not precipitously withdraw from Iraq, but then later saying we should responsibly redeploy so that American troops would be out of Iraq "in short order". Maybe it's me, but one sounds like the other."

DEM FIELD: Iraq is Not Enough

TPM Cafe's Ernest Wilson wants to describe the foreign policy priorities of the Dem WH '08 field, but he can't because he doesn't know what they are. Wilson writes: "We know where the candidates stand on a small handful of Iraq-related issues - when to exit; whether they support the Baker/Hamilton report. But sitting in the Oval office requires more than a position on withdrawing American troops from Baghdad. Just doing Iraq isn't enough." Wilson urges readers to press the candidates "about the progressive values that will support their progressive foreign policy. The country and maybe even the candidates will be better for it."

CLINTON: A Conversation Has Begun

Taylor Marsh is still not satisfied with Hillary Clinton's web ad buy, and is now weaving the dispute into a larger Clinton-out-of-touch-with-base narrative. After researching her BlogAd account "thoroughly and completely" Marsh is disputing claims made by Clinton aide Peter Daou that Marsh's blog was included in the ad buy. Marsh writes: "I was never included in Clinton's very large ad buy and there were no rejections of any ads anywhere in my account. Period."

Marsh begins her post on the situation by linking to a Raw Story account of similar HRC complaints from progressive talk-radio host Ed Schultz who told audiences 1/23: "I want you to know our producer James Holm tirelessly works the contacts and has repeatedly tried to connect with Clinton's people. Cutting to the chase, Hillary's people treat us like "dirt." We are constantly disregarded, told things that aren't true..."

Marsh adds to Schultz complaints: "Can you imagine anyone in the Republican Party treating their right-wing hosts like this? Not. Going. To. Happen. ... I really had no feelings whatsoever about Hillary one way or the other from the start. ... But I have to tell you that after the last few days or so I've moved into the camp that is not impressed at all with Clinton and the team she has around her, who seem not only arrogant, but possessing a queen fetish." MyDD's Texas Nate also is claiming HRC missed some important lefty blogs out of her ad buy.

For what it's worth, HRC's outreach to more conservative bloggers is scoring her positive words in righty circles. Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) aide and Ankle Biting Pundits blogger Patrick Hynes tips his hat to Clinton for credentialing him for a Nashua, NH 100 Club fund-raising 3/10. Hynes explains: "I was very forthright about who I am and what my deal is. ... Maybe she really does want to have a conversation. ... Sen. Clinton's openness to a guy like me puts her in sharp contrast to Sen. Barack Obama's team who denied me a credential during the Illinois Senator's recent "book signing trip" to New Hampshire."

Back on the left, Prairie State Blue hits Clinton for opting out of matching funds and MyDD's Matt Stoller tells readers to expect many "waffling" attacks on HRC since "Clinton is running a campaign that is almost exactly like Kerry's, because she didn't and doesn't want to deal with Iraq."

Atrios' Thers, on the other hand, is impressed with Clinton aide Terry McAuliffe's telling Daily Show host Jon Stewart: "hit us, hit Hillary, we'll hit back harder."

DODD: No Symbolism Here

Introducing Chris Dodd to Firedoglake readers before his 1/23 chat FDL's Howie Klein writes: "This community has been especially interested in Senator Dodd's firm stand against the Bush/McCain escalation plans in Iraq and in his alternative (S. 308) to the nonbinding symbolic resolutions that Bush has already announced he will ignore."

EDWARDS: Not Afraid

Daily Kos diarist Progressive America thanked John Edwards for his SOTU blog response writing: "What Edwards has shown again is that he has a clear vision for this country. ... On Iraq, Edwards says escalation is wrong, just as our military generals have said. Instead, he would withdraw 50,000 troops immediately and send the message to the Iraqis that they have a responsibility in their country. ... Edwards right now is stepping up and not being afraid. He is offering bold solutions for progress again in the country."

BROWNBACK: Racing To The Right

Christian Broadcasting Network's The Brody File has audio titled "[Sam] Brownback on whether Mitt Romney is a reliable social conservative" from Brody's 20 minute interview with Brownback 1/23. Brody explains: "Clearly, he wants to be the 'Reagan social conservative' candidate who will sit to the right of John McCain."

In a separate post Brody links to YouTube from 1/22 March for Life rally and describes: "It's another YouTube moment where a guy with a home video camera captures some pro-lifers protesting the Presidential candidacy of Mitt Romney. Then, a Brownback supporter shows up and gives his endorsement." Brody adds: "I show this only to make this point: among the grassroots, a battle is already ensuing. You have the Brownback supporters who say he's the true social conservative champion. Yet, you have Romney on the other side who can argue his conservative credentials, too."

SCOOTER: All About Rove

Firedoglake is leading the league in coverage of Scooter Libby's obstruction of justice trial. FDL's Christy Hardin Smith reports Libby lawyer Ted Wills' opening argument makes it clear Libby's defense will center around portraying Karl Rove as "a man who had to be protected at all costs." Smith adds: "it will certainly be interesting to see them try to repeatedly throw Karl Rove under a bus in open court..." The FDL crew also videologs the days events for PoliticsTV.

Talking Point Memo's Josh Marshall forwards the thoughts of a "Republican pal": the key is that Libby has decided to base his defense in large part on an attack on the White House -- specifically on Karl Rove ... The logical inference from that decision is that Libby and his lawyers have decided that President Bush will not pardon their client. ... In a narrow political sense, Rove's guilt wouldn't exculpate Libby. And taking the rap for other guilty parties wouldn't absolve him either. Perhaps they're angling for some sort of politically-tinged jury nullification."

On the right, Outside the Beltway is also live blogging the trial.

THOUGHT OF THE DAY: The State Of The Progressive Union Is Underfunded

Seeing as how it seems to be that time of year, MyDD's Matt Stoller offers his "The State of the Progressive Movement," noting: "The right has a well-developed infrastructure, and that's why they tend to win. They take care of their people. To illustrate his point, Stoller examines the case of Lane Hudson, "the person who moved Mark Foley's scandalous behavior into the national discourse on a blog called Stop Sex Predators." Before asking readers to support Blogpac so MyDD can support more Lane Hudsons Stoller explains:

When it was discovered that he was responsible for pushing Foley into the national news, Lane was fired without severance from his position at the gay rights group where he worked, the Human Rights Campaign. Were Lane on the right, he would be taken care of and put into a think tank, corporate job, or consulting shop, simply because he had proved that he is an incredibly valuable asset to the movement. But on our side, though Lane arguably delivered Democrats control of Congress, he is unemployed and struggling to pay his rent. I don't really need to point out that this is no way to run a movement.

LEST WE FORGET: Who Doesn't Want More WH Correspondents Dinners?

The Corner's John Podhoretz worries the SOTU is turning into "a tearjerking version of the White House Correspondent's Dinner." JPod explains:

Now it's not only the president who is bringing "heroes" and "ordinary people with extraordinary stories" into the chamber, but members of Congress, presidential candidates, and press hogs in general. Hillary Clinton is showing up with the son of a 9/11 rescue worker, while Rep. Dana Rohrabacher is bringing the wife of an imprisoned Border Patrol officer. Next year watch for Joe Biden to bring someone in a wheelchair, Sam Brownback to bring a snowflake baby, and Chris Dodd to bring the entire nation of Botswana.