Wikio Blogs - politics

[Politics] Newsweek: Republicans ‘Successfully Scaring Voters Since 1968,’ Obama’s ‘Steady, Calm, Focused Leadership’ (Stop the ACLU)

Stop the ACLU — Sun, 11 May 2008 21:39:01 GMT

-By Warner Todd Huston Here is a perfect example of the sort of wild-eyed leftism that is so infused into the very souls of every journalist that claims the mantle of the fourth estate. It's also a perfect example of how they are in the tank for their messiah, Obama. Newsweek’s Rich Wolffe and Evan Thomas [...]

NewsBusters : Newsweek: Republicans 'Successfully Scaring Voters Since 1968,' Obama ‘Steady, Calm, Focused Leadership’ ...
Lynn Sweet : The Obama team. ...

blogs : OTB News,e.politics: online advocacy tools &,Stop the ACLU,Donklephant,Lynn Sweet...
(8 posts, last update: 11/05/2008 23:39)

[Politics] McCain OK with Keeping One Burma Junta Lobbyist on Campaign (MyDD)

MyDD — Sun, 11 May 2008 23:02:54 GMT

After having read account after account after account of John McCain's all-too-close relationship with lobbyists, it's hard for me to get too surprised at reading another account. Or at least I thought it was until reading Michael Isikoff today in Newsweek . After John McCain nailed down the Republican nomination in March, his campaign began wrestling with a sensitive personnel issue: who would manage this summer's GOP convention in St. Paul, Minn.? The campaign recently tapped Doug Goodyear for the job, a veteran operative and Arizonan who was chosen for his "management experience and expertise," according to McCain press secretary Jill Hazelbaker. But some allies worry that Goodyear's selection could fuel perceptions that McCain--who has portrayed himself as a crusader against special interests--is surrounded by lobbyists. Goodyear is CEO of DCI Group, a consulting firm that earned $3 million last year lobbying for ExxonMobil, General Motors and other clients. Potentially more problematic: the firm was paid $348,000 in 2002 to represent Burma's military junta, which had been strongly condemned by the State Department for its human-rights record and remains in power today. Justice Department lobbying records show DCI pushed to "begin a dialogue of political reconciliation" with the regime. It also led a PR campaign to burnish the junta's image, drafting releases praising Burma's efforts to curb the drug trade and denouncing "falsehoods" by the Bush administration that the regime engaged in rape and other abuses. "It was our only foreign representation, it was for a short tenure, and it was six years ago," Goodyear told NEWSWEEK, adding the junta's record in the current cyclone crisis is "reprehensible." Another issue: DCI has been a pioneer in running "independent" expenditure campaigns by so-called 527 groups, precisely the kind of operations that McCain, in his battle for campaign-finance reform, has denounced. In 2004, the DCI Group led a pro-Bush 527 called Progress for America, which was later fined (along with several other 527s on both sides of the political divide) for violating federal election laws. Goodyear, however, says that DCI is "not in the 527 business anymore." Once the Isikoff article was published, it was only a matter of hours before Goodyear had left the campaign. After all, at a time when the Burmese junta is preventing much-needed aid from reaching those devastated by the recent cyclone in the country, having a man who lobbied on behalf of that rightfully maligned dictatorship run a party convention just doesn't look good. But apparently, it's alright in the eyes of McCain to keep one of the junta's lobbyists on board of his campaign committee, as Marc Ambinder points out this evening. Discussion: Optics. What becomes now of Doug Davenport, the DCI lobbying czar who is a campaign regional manager? A campaign spokesperson referred comment to Davenport, who did not immediately respond to an e-mail seeking comment. As the head DCI lobbyist, Mr. Davenport would have been directly in charge of the Myanmar account during 2002. Now having read the reporting of both Isikoff and Ambinder, I'm close to speechless. The sheer hubris of John McCain in believing a) that it's alright to have his campaign almost entirely run by lobbyists; b) that it's alright to continue to employ a lobbyist for the Burmese junta as a regional campaign manager; and c) that he shouldn't be questioned about things like this, just blows me away. I don't know what more I can say now than just wow. Tags: John McCain , Lobbyists , Burma ( all tags )

New York Times : McCain Aide Quits Over His Firm's Work for Myanmar ...
The Daily Dish : McCain, Obama, Hamas ...

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(35 posts, last update: 12/05/2008 01:02)

[Politics] Florida Political News and Commentary for 5/11/08 (FLA Politics - Front Page)

FLA Politics - Front Page — Sun, 11 May 2008 16:59:35 GMT

As noted yesterday the RPOF is participating in particularly virulent form of racial politics (above and beyonfd the usual vote caging, welfare mothers But has the RPOF's reversion (they've been there many times before, in various shapes and forms) to gutter politics , reported in the Miami Herald yesterday, and we take down a bit here , disappeared from the media's radar screen? Of course it has; the media is apparently slurping up the RPOF's expression of surprise (that they got caught') that any GOPer organization would be (at least openly) playing the race card - RPOF spokeswoman Erin Van Sickle said that, although the RPOF is a financial sponsor, "the GOP ''had no editorial control'' and that party chairman Jim Greer 'is disappointed in some of the content.'"). That excuse is of course silly - the delightful, Sarasota based National Black Republican Association has been race baiting for years, with garbage like this , and this is a very small taste: demanding that "the Democratic Party apologize to black Americans for that party's 200-year history of racism and failed socialism that have caused so much harm to blacks". Inasmuch as the Democratic Party technically didn't exist until 1844 , somewhat less than 200 years ago), perhaps these nuts (which the RPOFer is happy to associate with, including giving them financial support), is referring to the Democratic-Republican Party, founded by "Thomas Jefferson and James Madison"? That "party favored states' rights and strict adherence to the Constitution; it opposed a national bank and wealthy, moneyed interests. The Democratic-Republican Party ascended to power in the election of 1800". Does the National Black Republican Association even know who it hates, because if you read their stuff (funded in part by the RPOF, there is a lot of hate there. Will Charlie and the rest of the RPOF repudiate the National Black Republican Association ? Will Charlie direct the RPOF to cease funding of the National Black Republican Association ? Back at the ranch, t he Florida Progressive Coalition has a great new look, together with the same old awesome substance. Our review of today's Florida political news and punditry follows. "Potential Democratic landslide this fall" "In the face of a potential Democratic landslide this fall, Florida's Republican legislators picked carefully which issues to champion, which debates to avoid." Here's the outlook: This fall's elections could change the dynamics of the state Legislature. All 120 House seats will be up for grabs, as they are every two years. Almost a quarter cannot run for re-election because of term limits. Republicans dominate the House, but Democrats hope to pick up at least three seats. Half of the 40 Senate districts will be up for election this fall. Of the 13 running for re-election, eight are Republicans, five Democrats. Political observers say Democrats could gain one seat. GOP state legislators careful in election year ". RPOFer "Anti-government ideology vs. common sense" Randy Schultz: "It hasn't sunk in to Florida's legislators that the state can't sell just sunshine anymore." Visionary legislators would have kept their eye on 2019 even as they cut the 2009 budget. Instead, these legislators cobbled together a budget for next year and prayed that things will get better in 12 months. Let's look at what will have happened by then. The editors continue: At some of Florida's key institutions, dry rot is setting in because of the state's neglect. University degrees are being drained of value. Career prosecutors are leaving state attorneys' offices because they can't expect the modest raise that would be enough to keep them on the job. As the state invests nearly $1 billion in biotechnology, legislators were trying to make denial of the theory of evolution state policy. As the state encourages innovative forms of energy, legislators were letting people bring guns to work. As legislators were cutting so many items that raise up society, they were adding prison beds, even in this historically tough budget year. It is anti-government ideology vs. common sense. Is Florida Over? Only if this ideology prevails. " Signs of Florida dry rot: UF down, prisons up ". Is "Purer" really the way you want to put it? Mary Anne Lindley has passed a cup of her kool aid to John Kennedy and Aaron Deslatte, and the result is this: " They're not out founding grandfathers, but . . . Back when big state changes were purer ". Just another RPOFer empty suit The St. Petersburg Times 's Deputy Editor of Editorials, Tim Nickens "On the front page of the New York Times last week, Gov. Charlie Crist succinctly summed up his approach to governing: 'I'm supposed to respond to the people and try to make them happy.'" And the governor tries really hard. Gasoline prices too high? Crist proposes suspending the state gas tax for two weeks in July, which caught the attention of the New York Times. Property insurance too expensive? Crist promotes the expansion of the underfunded state-run Citizens Property Insurance Corp. and a freeze on premiums. Property taxes too much? Crist persuades voters to approve a constitutional amendment to expand the homestead exemption and make Save Our Homes benefits transferable to new homes. At this rate, we should expect the governor to provide all-you-can-eat ice cream to combat the summer heat. But that would be just as likely to give you a headache as the other quick fixes. "It's way too early to talk about a Crist legacy. But there ought to be more to it than gas tax suspensions, insurance premium freezes and tax cuts." But after two regular legislative sessions as governor, it's hard to see where Crist has spent his political capital on long-term solutions to the state's most pressing problems. Now his job approval ratings have dropped from the unsustainable stratosphere to the merely high. One wonders whether he will become even more reluctant to tell voters anything they don't want to hear after his term hits the half-way point and he starts thinking about re-election in 2010. " Master of quick fixes ". Nickens observes that there ought to be more "than gas tax suspensions, insurance premium freezes and tax cuts*." But hasn't RPOFer policy over the last decade been little more than that, together with massive (failed) privatization schemes, vouchers for religious schools, shilling for Batista-worshippers, FCAT follies, attacking government employees (recall the gutting of civil service), eliminating intangibles taxes on the wealthy, and ... oh yeah ... the failed attempt to have State LEOs seize Terri Schiavo from her hospice bed, only to be rebuffed by local lawmen. Are we missing something? The same old RPOFer nonesense. - - - - - - - - - - *Let's not forget to give Charlie credit for at least mouthing a few green words, but more importantly, for his role in the restoration of felons' right to vote; the restoration process needs tweaking, but Crist deserves complete credit for that. Amendment folly "On Nov. 4, voters will confront another nine constitutional amendments." Three placed on the ballot by the TBRC -- one swapping a sales-tax increase for $9.5 billion in school property taxes, and two others reversing court rulings that invalidated Gov. Jeb Bush's school-voucher programs -- are expected to draw major opposition from business and education groups. The Florida Education Association could decide Friday whether to challenge the voucher questions in court, and industry groups have discussed suing to block the tax swap from reaching voters. " This all leads somewhere ". A "poll tax" by any other name The Miami Herald editorial board: "For more than a half century, the U.S. Supreme Court interpreted voting law in a way that encouraged voting and access to the polls. But no longer. The court's recent ruling in an Indiana voter-identification case reversed the modern court's role as a champion of voting rights. Instead, the conservative-majority court* has swung to the other side. This court is doing what states once did: making it more difficult for citizens to participate in their democracy." The Indiana case presented the Supreme Court with an easy choice. It could follow legal precedent established with the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which outlawed poll taxes, literacy tests and other barriers that states -- mostly Southern -- erected to suppress votes, especially of African Americans. The other option was for the court to support Indiana's restrictive law that requires voters to have a government-issued photo ID. Regrettably, the court chose the latter in a 6-3 vote. "Indiana had passed the photo-ID law in 2005, ostensibly to prevent voter fraud even though there was no documented evidence that voter fraud actually was a problem." On the other hand, there was plenty of evidence that the strict photo-ID requirement will be difficult for some people, especially the elderly, the disabled and some segments of Hispanic and black populations. It is true that for most people, producing a photo-ID isn't a problem. But a retired or disabled person who doesn't drive will find that getting an official ID can be difficult. Many states issue official photo IDs to nondrivers, but getting one of these requires having a passport, birth certificate or other document that some people don't have. For these people, getting that government-issued photo-ID will be time-consuming and costly. No doubt, some won't bother to try to get one, or will give up in frustration. This is the kind of obstacle that the 1965 voting-rights law was designed to erase. For more than a century, states had suppressed the black vote by requiring special fees, poll taxes, literacy tests, etc. They gerrymandered districts, established primaries for whites only and created many hurdles to prevent blacks from voting. And catch the hubris of this crackpot, who you might expect has never ridden a bus in his life: During oral arguments in January, Chief Justice John Roberts** indicated how indifferent the high court's majority was to voters who might find the photo-ID requirement difficult. He said that it wasn't ''very far'' for a voter who had to travel 17 miles by bus to get government-issued photo-ID. " Court makes a U-turn on voting rights ". Recall that "Twenty-five states including Florida require some form of ID, and the court's 6-3 decision rejecting a challenge to Indiana's strict law could encourage others to adopt their own measures." - - - - - - - - - - *A pet peeve: folks often forget that seven of the nine Justices were appointed by Republicans. There is no "liberal" wing on the Court; indeed there is arguably not a single "liberal" on the Court. ** After all , Roberts' "father was an executive with Bethlehem Steel", and lil' Johnnie likely wasn't spending a lot of time riding buses. Same old The Daytona Beach News-Journal editorial board writes that "halfway through the Taxation and Budget Reform Commission's yearlong function, it became obvious its members weren't concentrating on reforming the state's broken-down tax system or addressing the state budget. Instead, they pursued political and ideological agendas, such as diverting public education dollars to private institutions and expanding faith-based programs in state prisons." " State constitutional panel lost sight of its mission ". At least read the stuff The Tampa Tribune editorial board: "All too frequently, lawmakers use a strike-all amendment to substitute new language - often a completely different topic - that's never been heard in committee or presented for public comment." Sometimes a strike-all amendment simply cleans up grammar or typos. But other times, especially on huge packages like the transportation bill, growth management and affordable-housing package, the changes are significant. Yet because there's no time to read, lawmakers must trust the bill's sponsor to disclose any changes and their impacts. At a minimum, political leaders should ensure members have time to read the legislation on which they're being asked to vote. " Strike The Strike-All Amendments ". "We"? "'We are going to be more important than ever. The Hispanic vote of this nation is going to be more energized, it's going to be more numerous and it's going to be more important than ever before,' U.S. Sen. Mel Martinez said." " Republicans woo Hispanics ". I love it when RPOFer Cubans discover that they are "Hispanic" around election time. "Golden era"? "This was supposed to be a golden era for South Florida, an unprecedented four-year period of political power where lawmakers with ties to Miami-Dade and Broward counties -- and the clout to bring the area money and push for local priorities -- were firmly in charge of the Florida Legislature." But that era could be coming to a close sooner than predicted. House Speaker Marco Rubio, whose two years in charge were tempered by a souring economy, is leaving office. Republican Alex Villalobos of Miami was in line to become Senate president for the 2009 session, but he was toppled after a bitter intraparty fight. Sen. Jeff Atwater, a North Palm Beach Republican whose district stretches into Broward County, is next in line for president, but he could face a tough reelection fight in a year when war worries and economic hardships could drag down GOP candidates. And along with Rubio, other veteran lawmakers from South Florida, including Senate Democratic Leader Steve Geller from Cooper City and Rep. Jack Seiler of Fort Lauderdale, also are leaving. In all, 10 South Florida legislators will not return. " Exiting lawmakers diminishing South Florida's legislative clout ". It wasn't a complete loss, as "despite difficult circumstances, South Florida lawmakers met with some success during the legislative session." " Legislators made some gains in tough times ". Whatever The Orlando Sentinel editorial board: " Our position: Lawmakers failed on red-light cameras, but locals should still move ahead ". Did your lobbyist do better than mine? Find out here: " 2008 legislative session — what it means for you ". Off topic No, Barack Hussein Obama didn't send a million bucks to Kenyan socialist. " Missionaries botch facts ". Perhaps the headline should read, Missionaries with political agendas are, like folks of all political stripes, prone to botch facts to serve their political ends Just sayin'. More on missionaries in The Orlando Sentinel this morning: " Campus Crusade for Christ mixes good news with community service " Daniel Ruth "It would seem there were plenty of readers who had the same reaction I experienced to discovering an academic expert on genetics and human evolution had been disinvited to speak by Pinellas County officials on, of alllllllll dates, Charles Darwin Day." " Darwinners And Darlosers: Stupidity Is 1 Thing That Just Keeps Evolving ". Yet another RPOFer GOTV artifice The St. Petersburg Times 's Howard Troxler wonders "if you believe that same-sex marriage should be illegal, the question here is whether this amendment — which outlaws something that's already illegal — risks a future court ruling that would intrude into the private affairs of thousands of Floridians." " Aiming at Adam & Steve, or a lot more? ". That, and whether the RPOF is tying to stimulate its moribund base of knuckle-draggers. That this " crook "* resides in Florida ... ... speaks volumes: " Limbaugh: 'My impact will increase' ". - - - - - - - - - - *We call him a " crook " because he was "arrested" and "booked" and then entered the typical plea deal for White (wealthy) drug offenders: pre-trial diversion ("PTD"). More: " Rehab, $30,000 to keep Limbaugh out of court ". Upon completion of the terms of the negotiated PTD settlement, the criminal charges are dismissed. He nevertheless remains a " crook " for a variety of reasons - indeed, with the PTD deal on his record, Limbaugh would probably be unable to hire on as a laborer at a theme park. Florida's booming economy " State's revenue outlook is bleak ". See also " Summer looks bleak for job seekers in Central Florida ".

Top Stories : Limbaugh: 'My impact will increase' ...
Massachusetts Liberal : Fighting the last war ...

blogs : FLA Politics - Front Page,Massachusetts Liberal,Top Stories...
(3 posts, last update: 11/05/2008 18:59)

[Politics] GOPUSA ILLINOIS Daily Clips - May 11, 2008 (illinoisreview)

illinoisreview — Sun, 11 May 2008 12:34:57 GMT

GOPUSA Illinois Daily Clips for May 11, 2008 includes news and commentaries on the following topics: McCain, Obama, Clinton Republican Party candidates, campaigns, and events Republican Party platform issues including promoting a strong national defense, respect for the rule of...

International Herald Tribune : Republicans forced to turn to their nemesis: John McCain ...
BrothersJudd Blog : IF ONLY WE HAD A NICKEL....: ...

blogs : International Herald Tribune,The Elephant Bar,illinoisreview,BrothersJudd Blog...
(4 posts, last update: 11/05/2008 14:34)

[Politics] Update: Universities in MI finding ways to keep same sex partner benefits despite SC ruling (Feministing)

Feministing — Sun, 11 May 2008 17:45:50 GMT

Just to add to what Jessica posted two days ago about the Michigan Supreme Court decision, the University of Michigan is trying to find ways around the decision . After a lower court ruled that the gay marriage ban applies to benefits, some universities switched their benefits programs so that they were available not to domestic partners but to “other eligible individuals,” a category that would include many gay partners, but would also include others who live with but are not legally related to university employees. For example, the University of Michigan's criteria include joint residence for at least six months, some joint financial ties such as checking accounts, and no legal relationship or marriage between the individuals involved. After the Supreme Court decision Wednesday, the university immediately asserted that its new benefits are not domestic partner benefits and are thus not covered by the ruling. Further, the university said it had eliminated domestic partner benefits after the lower court's decision. “The university believes all current benefit offerings are in full compliance with Michigan law. The university cares deeply about recruitment, retention, and maintaining a healthy workforce and we design our benefits with these principles in mind,” the statement said. This is why these kind of referendums (like the 2004 ballot measure that created the MI law) are so insidious. I wonder how many of the people who voted against gay marriage would agree that same sex couples should be denied access to each other's health care. Thanks to Rose for the link

Crooks and Liars : Harry Reid is planning on holding hearings on the Military Analyst story ...
Firedoglake : FDL Book Salon Welcomes Senator Harry Reid: The Good Fight ...

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(120 posts, last update: 11/05/2008 19:45)

[Politics] Yes they can (Sadly, No!)

Sadly, No! — Sun, 11 May 2008 22:07:00 GMT

One of the more tiresome arguments to come out during the primary battle is whenever someone says that “so-and-so can't win against McCain in the fall.” Uh, people, look at this: At the polls, it has been a massacre. In recent weeks, Republicans have lost a Louisiana House seat they had held for more than [...]

Top Stories : GOP getting crushed in polls, key races ...
Appalachian Scribe : Tough Times for the GOP ...

blogs : Sadly, No!,Truth Out,DownWithTyranny!,Appalachian Scribe,Vox Verax...
(8 posts, last update: 12/05/2008 00:07)

[Politics] Obama Changes His 'Unconditional' Position (Little Green Footballs)

Little Green Footballs — Sun, 11 May 2008 04:50:10 GMT

In yet another New York Times advocacy piece for Barack Obama, we discover that Obama’s advisers are trying to rewrite history again. Susan E. Rice, a former State Department and National Security Council official who is a foreign policy adviser to the Democratic candidate, said that “for political purposes, Senator Obama’s opponents on the right have distorted and reframed ” his views. Mr. McCain and his surrogates have repeatedly stated that Mr. Obama would be willing to meet “unconditionally” with Mr. Ahmadinejad. But Dr. Rice said that this was not the case for Iran or any other so-called “rogue” state. Mr. Obama believes “that engagement at the presidential level, at the appropriate time and with the appropriate preparation, can be used to leverage the change we need,” Dr. Rice said. “But nobody said he would initiate contacts at the presidential level; that requires due preparation and advance work.” The problem is, Barack Obama did say he’d meet with Iran unconditionally, in front of a lot of people, at a Democratic debate last July . He was specifically and directly asked if he would meet with the leader of Iran without preconditions, and the first word of his answer was, “Yes.” During a Democratic presidential debate in July, Senator Barack Obama, D-Illinois, said he would be willing to meet without precondition in the first year of his presidency with the leaders of Iran, Syria, Venezuela, Cuba and North Korea. There’s some “reframing” going on here, all right.

Hot Air : History re-written: Obama never said he would meet personally with Iran without precondition, says advisor ...
Gateway Pundit : BUSTED!... Obama Can't Rewrite History When It's Still Posted On His Website! ...

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(13 posts, last update: 11/05/2008 06:50)

[Politics] The Past And Future Election (Daily Kos)

Daily Kos — Sun, 11 May 2008 21:25:51 GMT

American Presidential elections are about the future, and not the past. It's for that reason that the contrast between the junior senator from Illinois and the senior senator from Arizona is so fascinating . The Republican National Committee is planning a $19.5 million advertising campaign to portray Mr. Obama, 46, as out of touch with the country and too inexperienced to be commander in chief, seeking to put him on the defensive before he can use his financial advantage against Mr. McCain, 71, party officials said. "In 1984, Ronald Reagan said, ‘I’m not going to exploit for political purposes my opponent's youth and inexperience,’ " said Frank Donatelli, the deputy chairman of the Republican National Committee. "Well, we are going to exploit Obama’s youth and inexperience." On the Democratic side, Mr. Obama’s aides this week put finishing touches on advertisements intended to tether Mr. McCain to Mr. Bush and chip away at his image as a maverick, an identity that the aides said they found remained strong with voters. "By November, every voter will know that McCain is offering a third Bush term," said Mr. Obama’s campaign manager, David Plouffe. It isn't the age stuff (McCain at 72 would be the oldest President ever inaugurated, and as he put it himself, he's a man of " the twentieth century, my century "; Obama would be a year older than Bill Clinton was when Clinton took office.) It isn't character (McCain made it to the top the Republican way: he cheated on his first wife and married a Sugar Momma, who still finances his political ambitions; see McCain campaign violates own travel policy and the issue of Cindy McCain's tax returns .) No, it's none of that. It's the important stuff, issues in the real world that affect all of us. As David Gergen put it: "The next president will inherit the most difficult agenda since the presidency of Franklin Roosevelt," he warned. Gergen stressed that a continuation of current policies would likely result in the decline of America while Japan, China and India may become superpowers within the next few decades. Whether the U.S. will remain one is questionable, he said, especially if our policies remain static. According to Gergen, America not only needs to change its policies, but revolutionize them. In addition, problems including two extensive wars, the education system and job growth require solving, not "sugar-coating." It is in this regard that the contrast is so striking. So, let's look at the three issues Americans have identified as "most important" to them. Iraq (statements from Foreign Affairs ): Obama : To renew American leadership in the world, we must first bring the Iraq war to a responsible end and refocus our attention on the broader Middle East. Iraq was a diversion from the fight against the terrorists who struck us on 9/11, and incompetent prosecution of the war by America's civilian leaders compounded the strategic blunder of choosing to wage it in the first place. We have now lost over 3,300 American lives, and thousands more suffer wounds both seen and unseen. McCain : Whether success grows closer or more distant over the coming months, it is clear that Iraq will be a central issue for the next U.S. president. Democratic candidates have promised to withdraw U.S. troops and "end the war" by fiat, regardless of the consequences. To make such decisions based on the political winds at home, rather than on the realities in the theater, is to court disaster. The war in Iraq cannot be wished away, and it is a miscalculation of historic magnitude to believe that the consequences of failure will be limited to one administration or one party. This is an American war, and its outcome will touch every one of our citizens for years to come. That is why I support our continuing efforts to win in Iraq. It is also why I oppose a preemptive withdrawal strategy that has no Plan B for the aftermath of its inevitable failure and the greater problems that would ensue. So who's right? Hint: not John McCain. Writing this month in Foreign Affairs, Steven Simon notes in The Price of the Surge (bolded mine): Unfortunately, such claims misconstrue the causes of the recent fall in violence and, more important, ignore a fatal flaw in the strategy. The surge has changed the situation not by itself but only in conjunction with several other developments: the grim successes of ethnic cleansing, the tactical quiescence of the Shiite militias, and a series of deals between U.S. forces and Sunni tribes that constitute a new bottom-up approach to pacifying Iraq. The problem is that this strategy to reduce violence is not linked to any sustainable plan for building a viable Iraqi state. If anything, it has made such an outcome less likely, by stoking the revanchist fantasies of Sunni Arab tribes and pitting them against the central government and against one another. In other words, the recent short-term gains have come at the expense of the long-term goal of a stable, unitary Iraq. Despite the current lull in violence, Washington needs to shift from a unilateral bottom-up surge strategy to a policy that promotes, rather than undermines, Iraq's cohesion. That means establishing an effective multilateral process to spur top-down political reconciliation among the major Iraqi factions. And that, in turn, means stating firmly and clearly that most U.S. forces will be withdrawn from Iraq within two or three years. Otherwise, a strategy adopted for near-term advantage by a frustrated administration will only increase the likelihood of long-term debacle. Of course, McCain (the so-called military expert) hasn't been pinned down for a response about this , which qualifies as an example of Gergen's "sugar coating": "So the Pentagon would maintain a team of 'military analysts' who reliably 'carry their water' -- yet who were presented as independent analysts by the television and cable networks. By feeding only those pro-Government sources key information and giving them access -- even before responding to the press -- only those handpicked analysts would be valuable to the networks, and that, in turn, would ensure that only pro-Government sources were heard from. Hmmm... well, let's turn to another topic of import: health reform.

Slog : Okay...What? ...
Democracy for New Mexico : Prez Candidates to Focus on Independents, Hispanics, New Mexico ...

blogs : Democracy for New Mexico,Daily Kos,ILLINOIZE,Slog,illinoisreview...
(6 posts, last update: 11/05/2008 23:25)

[Politics] Have a nice stay (Power Line)

Power Line — Sun, 11 May 2008 03:43:00 GMT

I wrote here about Abdullah Saleh al-Ajmi, "a former Guantanamo detainee who carried out a recent suicide bombing in Mosul." There are two main theories as to why he did this: (1) he was a terrorist all along and naturally reverted to terrorism upon his release or (2) he was not a terrorist before and conditions at Gitmo drove him into being one. It's pretty clear which theory the Washington Post favors. The first sentence of its story gives it away: A Kuwaiti man who complained about maltreatment during a three-year stay in the U.S. detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, was involved in a deadly suicide bombing in northern Iraq last month, the U.S. military confirmed yesterday. In the Post's telling, the man's complaint gets first billing. In fact, he's not even referred to as a detainee (the neutral, factual term I employed); he's just a Kurwaiti man on a "stay." The Post's story also turns over four paragraphs to al-Ajmi's Washington, D.C. lawyer, who talks about how his client became increasingly "distraught about the way he was treated [at Gitmo] and how he couldn't do anything about it." The Post also reports, through the lawyer, that al-Ajmi sustained a broken arm in a scuffle with guards. The lawyer considers this "abuse." The possibility that al-Ajmi started the scuffle and that the guards were simply defending themselves is not entertained. The thesis that abusive conditions at Gitmo are turning peaceable men into suicide bombers strikes me as dubious. But suppose conditions there really have been that bad. In that scenario, if we're still serious about fighting terrorism and saving innocent lives we'd be crazy to release any of the detainees, regardless of whether we have evidence of prior involvement with terrorism, and certainly crazy to release any who have "scuffled" with guards.

Sadly, No! : Ass Rocket Science ...
"We Have Some Planes" : Power Line: Have a nice stay (at guantanamo) ...

blogs : Sadly, No!,"We Have Some Planes",Power Line...
(3 posts, last update: 11/05/2008 05:43)

[Politics] Bill Clinton's Message to Rural America (Political Punch)

Political Punch — Sun, 11 May 2008 22:15:00 GMT

As Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., avoids any real campaigning in West Virginia, the former president of the United States is out there ginning up resentments. Bill Clinton has the right to say whatever he wants, of course. But he's a...

The Daily Dish : Stoking The Resentment ...
AMERICAblog : Man who got blowjob in Oval Office says WE mock voters ...

blogs : Patterico's Pontifications,AMERICAblog,Political Punch,The Daily Dish,Mia Culpa...
(5 posts, last update: 12/05/2008 00:15)

[Politics] A Voice of Sanity (Power Line)

Power Line — Sun, 11 May 2008 09:55:12 GMT

No issue has generated more misguided commentary than that of the treatment of terrorist detainees. I think the confusion stems, in part, from the false assumption that terrorist detainees, like Americans who are suspected of a crime and are in the custody of law enforcement authorities, have a right to remain silent. They have no such right. On the contrary, security agencies have the right and duty to try to extract information from them--information that in many cases, will save Americans' lives. Yesterday, House subcommittee chairman Jerrold Nadler held a hearing on "executive branch war powers," which was the usual festival of Bush-bashing, centered on legal opinions on detainee treatment that have been given by the Department of Justice. What was notable about the hearing was the opening statement by ranking Republican Trent Franks of Arizona. Franks delivered as sensible (and legally accurate) discussion as I've seen; here it is, in its entirety: FRANKS: Well, thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, the subject of detainee treatment was the subject of over 60 hearings, markups and briefings during the last Congress in the House Armed Services Committee alone, of which I am a member. The subject of this hearing is a memorandum that has long since been withdrawn. That memorandum regarded an interrogation program on which Speaker Pelosi was fully briefed in 2002. And at that briefing, no objections were made by Speaker Pelosi or anyone else. According to the Washington Post, in September 2002, four members of the Congress met for a first look at a unique CIA program designed to wring vital information from reticent terrorism suspects in U.S. custody. For more than an hour, the bipartisan group, which included current House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, was given a virtual tour of the CIA's overseas detention sites and the harsh techniques interrogators had devised to try to make their prisoners talk. Among the techniques described, said two officials present, was water boarding. On that day, no objections were raised. Mr. Chairman, let me be clear as I have done so in the past by saying that torture is already, and should be, illegal. I am against torture. Torture is banned by various provisions of the law, including the 2005 Senate Amendment prohibiting the cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment of anyone in U.S. custody. But what of severe interrogations? Mr. Chairman, were we not to engage in severe interrogations which could save thousands or even millions of lives, we would have to ask ourselves if we were facilitating the maiming and torture of innocent Americans by letting terrorist suspects conceal their evil plans. Severe interrogations are rarely used. CIA Director Michael Hayden has confirmed that despite the incessant hysteria by a few, the water boarding technique, for example, has only been used on three high-level captured terrorists, the very worst of the worst of our terrorist enemies. Director Hayden suspended the practice of water boarding by CIA agents in 2006. Before the suspension, he confirmed that his agency water boarded 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, Abu Zubaida and Abdullah Hem Nashiri (ph), and each for approximately one minute. But who are these people, Mr. Chairman? When the terrorist Zubaida, a logistics chief of Al Qaida, was captured, he and two other men were caught building a bomb. A soldering gun that was used to make the bomb was still hot on the table, along with the building plans for a school. John Kiriaku, a former CIA official involved Zubaida's interrogation, said during a recent interview, quote, "These guys hate us more than they love life. And so you're not going to convince them that because you're a nice guy and they can trust you, and that they have rapport with you that they're going to confess and give you their operations," he said. The interrogation of Zubaida was a great success, and that it led to the discovery of information that led to the capture of terrorists, thwarted terrorist plans and saved innocent American lives. When a former colleague of Mr. Kiriaku asked Zubaida what he would do if he was released, he responded, quote, "I would kill every American and Jew I could get my hands on," close quote. The results of a total of three minutes of severe interrogations of three of the worst of the worst terrorists were of immeasurable benefit to the American people. CIA Director Hayden said that Mohammed and Zubaida provided roughly 25 percent of the information that the CIA had on Al Qaida from all human sources. Now we just need to kind of back up and thought about that. A full 25 percent of the human intelligence we've received on Al Qaida from just three minutes worth of a rarely used interrogation tactic. Mr. Chairman, I just want to repeat again, as I previously said, torture is banned under federal law that prohibits the cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment of anyone in U.S. custody. The non-partisan Congressional Research Service has concluded that, quote, "The types of acts that fall within cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment contained in the McCain Amendment may change over time and may not always be clear. Courts have recognized that circumstances often determine whether conduct, quote, 'shocks the conscience and violates a person's due process rights,' unquote." Even ultra-liberal Harvard Law School Professor Alan Dershowitz agrees, as he wrote recently in the Wall Street Journal. Quote, "Attorney General Mukasey is absolutely correct that the issue of water boarding cannot be decided in the abstract. A court must examine the nature of the governmental interest at stake and then decide on a case by case basis. In several cases involving actions at least as severe as water boarding, the courts have found no violations of due process." Much will be made today of a memorandum regarding severe interrogations authored by John Yoo, a former lawyer at the Office of Legal Counsel. But as Mr. Yoo himself said during a recent interview, quote, "I didn't want the opinion to be vague so that the people who actually have to carry out these things don't have a clear line, because I think that that would be very damaging and unfair to the people who are actually asked to do these things," close quote. These things, Mr. Chairman, are efforts to save thousands of innocent American lives. Now I expect Mr. Yoo's name will be mentioned many times today, but the name of Senator Charles Schumer probably not so many times. But let us remind ourselves what Senator Schumer of New York said at an extended Judiciary Committee hearing on terror policy on June 8, 2004. And I wonder if they have the -- can we start again? (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) SCHUMER: We ought to be reasonable about this. I think there are probably very few people in this room or in America who would say that torture should never, ever be used, particularly if thousands of lives are at stake. Take the hypothetical, if we knew that there was a nuclear bomb hidden in an American city, and we believed that some kind of torture, fairly severe, maybe, would give us a chance of finding that bomb before it went off, my guess is most Americans and most senators, maybe all, would say do what you have to do. So it's easy to sit back in the armchair and say that torture can never be used. But when you're in the foxhole, it's a very different deal. And I respect, I think we all respect the fact that the president's in the foxhole every day. (END VIDEO CLIP) FRANKS: Mr. Chairman, I wish so much that this was all just an academic discussion. But unfortunately, we now live in a post-9/11 world with an enemy whose leader, Osama bin-Laden, has said, quote, "It is our duty to gain nuclear weapons." Mr. Chairman, I'm afraid that one such tragedy will transform this debate in the worst kind of way. Two airplanes hitting two buildings took 3,000 lives and cost this nation $2 trillion. If an atomic blast or some other weapon of mass destruction should ever be unleashed on this nation, it would change our concept of freedom forever. And I just hope that we can transcend the partisanship and maintain our focus on that because there's still hours on the table left when we can prevent such a tragedy, I believe, if we realize that there are ways that we can combine human decency and a vigilant foreign policy in an interrogation technique process to protect this country and the concept of freedom for future generations.

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(3 posts, last update: 11/05/2008 11:55)

[Politics] Hillary supporter jokes about shooting Bush [AMERICAblog: A great nation deserves the truth] (The Liberal Blog Network)

The Liberal Blog Network — Sun, 11 May 2008 05:26:50 GMT

High-level Hillary supporter jokes about killing President Bush , with her standing there. Ah yes, very electable that one (and classy too). Speaking before Clinton, Gov. Steve Beshear had some fighting words of his own. He tied the plight of the national Democrats to local ones, having reclaimed the office from a Republican incumbent last year. He said Democrats were "problem solvers." "I can think of only one Republican that could be a problem solver," he added. "And that is Vice President Cheney, if he would just take George on a hunting trip."

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[Politics] Deal with defeat (MyDD)

MyDD — Sun, 11 May 2008 21:37:08 GMT

I'd humbly suggest, to all the Obama supporters that join us here on this blog, that if you can't stand the heat of the West Virginia primary, you stay out of the kitchen. While I'm at it, I also suggest that you refrain from accusations against West Virginians as being racist, or you'll join the other 6 previous users here, whose offensive comments were deleted on Friday, and that were themselves banned from the site. This is a political junkie website, we thrive on primary and election coverage. When Obama blew out Clinton in Wyoming, it was blogged excessively here, both in the run-up and the day of the event coverage, and it'll be the same way with West Virginia. You don't like that? Fine, its a big wide blogosphere, go find a blog that has its head in the sand. Are the ground rules understood? In WV, Clinton is blowing Obama away in numbers that she has not been seen since Super Tuesday. And while Obama supporters have claimed that the her voters will move over to support Obama in the GE, this poll doesn't quite show that happening in WV: The MBE poll also looks ahead to the fall election against the presumptive Republican presidential nominee John McCain. Of the Democrats and independent voters surveyed, Clinton shows up better against McCain in West Virginia. 62% of Democrats and independents indicated they would vote for Clinton over 24% for McCain. In a head to head matchup between Obama and McCain in WV, Obama received 37% support compared to McCain's 35%. And that's not even including the Republicans. If I could submit a question to Ted Kennedy, it'd be: "Why can't Barack Obama connect with the voters of West Virginia like JFK did?" Seriously, why not? And as you can see from the poll numbers above, it has nothing to do with the adoration of Clinton that would turn over to Obama were he the nominee. And think about it, if your knee-jerk answer is that they are racist-- are you really saying something that you think Obama and his campaign can't say, or are you saying it because of anger and frustration? Racism is ignorance, but unfounded accusations of racism are just as low on the scum-radar. Obama will be making his only visit in the week leading up to the primary, on Monday. Clinton's been there all week-- she's trying to run up the score. The following week, Barack Obama has planned a party to claim the nomination in Portland, based on his own campaigns measurement. He can say whatever he wants, but it's an insult to intelligence to believe it until it happens by the rules. As Howard Dean has said many times, MI and FL are going to be resolved and seated. Obama has now agreed with that position. Like it or not, the working number of delegates is 2209. There's not a rule that says if you get a plurality of the pledged delegates, you win. The Obama campaign will declare that there's never been a candidate denied the election who had the most pledged delegates. True. But has there been a candidate denied the nomination whose had the most votes? I don't think so. But neither of those metrics matters. 2209, or whatever the number is after the resolution of MI and FL happens to be, is all that matters. Until then, we don't have a nominee. Tags: 2008 election ( all tags )

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[Politics] The Chicago Way (Red State)

Red State — Sun, 11 May 2008 14:25:28 GMT

I love and adore my home city, but let us face it: Clean politics has never quite been a Chicago forte . That's why it is valuable to have John Kass ask how precisely it came to be that Barack Obama was seen as a cleaner, fresher product of Chicago politics when, in fact, he has done nothing to challenge the traditional nature of politics in my beloved hometown. The following passage is a key one: As a candidate, Obama will do what he has to do to win. My argument is not with him--but with the national political media pack that refuses to look closely at what Chicago is. They're fixated on what it was, and they think it's clean now. And they've spent years crafting, then cleaving to their eager and trembling Obama narrative, a tale of great yearning, almost mythic and ardently adolescent, a tale in which Obama is portrayed as a reformer, a dynamic change agent about to do away with the old thuggish politics. Read on. It's as if Axelrod channeled it, wearing a peaked Merlin hat. Obama is a South Sider and does not hail from Camelot or Mt. Olympus or the lush forests of mythical Narnia. I've joked that reporters feel compelled to hug him, in their copy, as if he were the cuddly faun, the Mr. Tumnus of American politics. But I was only kidding. The real Mr. Tumnus never had Billy Daley or Ted Kennedy carving up Cabinet appointments. So why the disconnect? Why is Obama allowed to campaign as a reformer, virtually unchallenged by the media, though he's a product of Chicago politics and has never condemned the wholesale political corruption in his home town the way he condemns those darn Washington lobbyists. For an answer as to when pundits will ever put Illinois corruption in context, I called on Tom Bevan, executive director of the popular political Web site Real Clear Politics (which directs readers to my column on occasion) and a Chicagoan. "To a large degree, the media has accepted much of the Obama narrative thus far," Bevan told me. "He's risen so quickly, but his history hasn't been bogged down with an association of Chicago politics and I can't tell you why exactly, except perhaps that some may have bought into the established narrative and can't separate themselves from it." "And I don't know if the country understands just how corrupt the system is in Illinois. People don't see it. They're flying over us, cruising at 30,000 feet," Bevan said. Treating any part of America as flyover country constitutes a lack of respect to that part of America. Treating Chicago--a significant metropolitan center--like a political flyover zone is especially bizarre, so I invite pundits and observers to stop cruising at 30,000 feet and touch down to examine Chicago in careful and exacting fashion. They'll find that you come and stay in my hometown for a whole host of perfectly wonderful reasons, but while the political system is interesting and amusing from an anthropological perspective, it's not exactly something to admire. And Barack Obama has done nothing--nothing whatsoever--to change that. I think that's an important issue to cover in this Presidential election. Don't you? (Thanks to Mark Hemingway for the link.)

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[Politics] How Planned Parenthood celebrates Mother’s Day (Michelle Malkin)

Michelle Malkin — Sun, 11 May 2008 16:35:50 GMT

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