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"Military action was now seen as inevitable. Bush wanted to remove Saddam, through military action, justified by the conjunction of terrorism and WMD. But the intelligence and facts were being fixed around the policy."-The Downing Street Memo, 7/23/2002
Hooray for Party Unity!
Does he think his rabid support is doing Obama any good considering his constituents gave a rat's ass who he supported? Appears to me that it actually backfired. Anyway, here's to adding fuel to the fire Senator Kennedy.Ted Kennedy, the aging liberal lion of the Democratic Party, took a nasty bite out of Hillary Clinton Friday, saying she shouldn't be vice president because the job requires "real leadership."
"I don't think it's possible," Kennedy, a Barack Obama supporter, told Bloomberg Television when asked about an Obama-Clinton ticket.
Kennedy added that he hoped Obama would choose a running mate who is "in tune with his appeal for the nobler aspirations of the American people.
"And I think if we had real leadership - as we do with Barack Obama - in the number-two spot as well, it'd be enormously helpful," he added. [more]
Next Stop: West Virginia
I simply believe Senator Clinton is the stronger general election candidate for reasons I would go into in this blog post if not for my posting the following letter by Congressional Democrats. It would just be redundant.5/9/2008
Swing State Democrats Say Hillary Best For Top Of Ticket
Over a dozen members of Congress wrote to other Democrats touting their support for Hillary, saying she is the strongest candidate to have at the top of the ticket in the fall.
The text of the letter is below.
Dear Fellow Democrat,
We are writing to you because of our shared belief in our Party’s principles and our commitment to ensuring that we have the strongest possible nominee to lead our ticket against John McCain and the Republicans in November.
The decision about who to support to be our Party’s nominee is not one that any of us should take lightly. We haven’t. But, after giving this important decision a great deal of thought, we are convinced that Hillary Clinton has the vision, skills and commitment to make the changes our country needs. As Democrats who have run and won in competitive Congressional districts and battleground states, we believe that Hillary is best positioned to successfully lead the Democratic ticket in districts and states like ours around the country.
As you know, Hillary has racked up victories in bellwether states like Ohio, Pennsylvania and now Indiana that are absolutely vital to winning the White House and maintaining our Congressional majority in the fall. Hillary has won the big battleground states by connecting with voters whose support we must have to win the general election. Her victories in Pennsylvania and Indiana were all the more impressive after being outspent by as much as two or three to one.
Pennsylvania was not just a victory for Hillary Clinton. It was also a wake- up call for superdelegates, forcing us to ask ourselves two essential questions: 1) Which candidate can carry the magic 270 electoral votes to win in the fall? 2) Which candidate is most likely to help our fellow Democrats in down-ballot races? We believe the answer to both of these questions is Hillary Clinton.
On the first question, Hillary has shown she can win the all-important battleground states like Ohio, Pennsylvania and Florida even while being outspent. This speaks to her ability to connect with voters we must deliver in the fall, including blue collar Democrats who can sway this election as they have in the past.
On the second question, Hillary has won rural and suburban districts which we as Democrats must carry to maintain our edge in Congress. Of the fifteen districts rated “toss up” by the Cook Political Report, Hillary has now won ten. Of the 20 districts we picked up in 2006 that had gone for President Bush just two years before, Hillary has now won 16. She is strong in the places we must win to hold and expand our majority.
This is a historically close race. The candidates are separated by a mere percentage point or two and the path to victory for each candidate is the same: win in the upcoming states and secure enough pledged and automatic delegates to get to the number required to win the nomination.
The race now turns to the remaining six contests where the focus will be squarely on the economy. Voters in our states and across the country are voting on issues that affect them, their communities and their children’s future. We believe that they will decide that Hillary is the candidate who best understands those issues and has the best solutions to address them.
We Democrats are justifiably proud of both of our candidates, and if Senator Obama is our Party’s nominee, we will enthusiastically support him. But our responsibility is not to choose simply to support the eventual nominee; it is to help select the nominee who is best for our party and best for our country. Our choice is clear: Hillary Clinton is that candidate. We believe she should be your choice as well.
Thank you for consideration.
Sincerely,
Rep. Michael Arcuri (NY-24)
Rep. Shelley Berkley (NV-01)
Rep. Marion Berry (AR-1)
Rep. Henry Cuellar (TX-28)
Rep. Kirsten Gillibrand (NY-20)
Rep. Gene Green (TX -29)
Rep. John Hall (NY-19)
Rep. Darlene Hooley (OR-5)
Rep. Paul E. Kanjorski (PA-11)
Rep. Kendrick B. Meek (FL-17)
Rep. Stephanie Tubbs Jones (OH-11)
Rep. Silvestre Reyes (TX-16)
Rep. Mike Ross (AR-4)
Rep. Joe Sestak (PA-7)
Rep. Ike Skelton (MO-4)
Rep. John Tanner (TN-8)
Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (FL-20)
And they thought Clinton was tough
It's going to get even uglier for the soon to be self-proclaimed nominee.
Superdelegates, should he win the battle and not the war in November, don't say you weren't warned.
We need a fighter in the White House
I've no doubt that any other politician in her position would have quit a long time ago.
It's Official: Tim Russert crowned Obama the Democratic Nominee last night
My question is why did he wait so long? All those primaries, millions spent, nails bitten. And it's not like there was any question which candidate he was in the tank for. Jack Ass.
BTW, Hillary WON Indiana last night. A HUGE feat for her and, quite frankly, a huge defeat for her opponent who predicted he'd win by 7 points. Of course, our respected "news" outlets focused their attention to Obama's NC victory and his inevitable coronation. Go figure.
Her campaign is still alive despite getting outspent, in some cases 3 to one (contribute here), and blatantly attacked by the MSM and not so MSM that have favored her opponent from the beginning. This isn't over until SHE says it's over.
Hillary Clinton's Comprehensive Energy Plan
But, if you're looking for a comprehensive energy plan, Senator Clinton offers the following:Hillary's plan to promote energy independence, address global warming, and
As for that gas tax holiday, $10 may not be a lot for those who can afford donating, say, $96 to a presidential campaign, but for many, that pittance saved on gas could go towards groceries, paying the electric bill, paying the water bill, a medical copayment, credit card debt, more gas to commute to and from work or to go to a job interview (or even a couple of lattes for you stereotypical Obama supporters). This is temporary relief for struggling Americans on the oil companies' dime unlike McCain's with no plan to pay for it. Of course, some economists may be right that this may actually result in higher gas prices (that's left to be seen), and those accusing Senator Clinton of political pandering may be right, too. Do they think these candidates are playing Monopoly? Politicians, including Obama, himself, pander. In this case he fails to connect to the "lunch bucket" democrats who are looking for relief from not just the inflating prices they're paying at the pump, but from an industry that's raking billions in profits on the backs of their families. Hillary is offering that relief, while Barack offers nothing which is why she's winning this debate. But then again, should Hillary lose big tonight, I take it back.
transform our economy includes:
Obama: "I don't think anyone predicted 911"
Unbelievable, but those words actually came out of the Senator's mouth.
Listen:MATTHEWS: Let me give you a scene that may face you in the next year or two, where the national security adviser calls you at 3:00 in the morning and tells that you a couple of jet -- commercial jets have been hijacked. And they believe it is al Qaeda. And, as we know, al Qaeda always tries a second time. They tried for the World Trade Center after '93. They came back in '01.
Has he forgotten or even heard about that Aug. 6 PDB?
They're heading for the Capitol. What do you do?
OBAMA: Well, look, I am hesitant to engage in hypotheticals like that, because...
MATTHEWS: But it has been predictable.
OBAMA: Oh, well, the--I don't think anybody predicted 9/11. And, so, we don't know what kinds of circumstances are going to come up. [more]
Plus he's given a possible scenario and calls it hypothetical. Is McCain taking note of his likely opponent's reluctance to address this topic?
Kristen Breitweiser, a 911 widow, and member of the Jersey Girls who fought tooth and nail for the creation of the 911 Commission in order to investigate and repair the national security failures which made our nation vulnerable to the September 11th attacks supports Hillary Clinton.[] One of the reasons I support Hillary Clinton over Barack Obama is because of the enormous help Senator Clinton gave to the 9/11 families who were fighting to create a 9/11 Commission.
One of the issues I've had with Senator Obama after he became a Senator was his support of Rice considering his strong opposition to this war. He was against it from the very beginning, he says. Then why would he vote in support of a woman who lied to the American people and the rest of the world about the reasons for attacking Iraq?
My experience in Washington showed me that there were very few people who understood what needed to be done and even fewer people who had the courage, stamina, and ability to get those things done.
Hillary Clinton was one of those people. And without fail, anytime we needed help -- whether that was achieving bi-partisan consensus, strong-arming the White House and/or House Republicans, or cajoling reluctant and recalcitrant Democrats like Lieberman, Senator Clinton always took the call and helped solve the problem.
I might add that for someone whose husband, former President Bill Clinton, was a point of investigation for the 9/11 Commission, it certainly did not play in Senator Clinton's favor to have something like the 9/11 Commission impaneled. Yet, Senator Clinton was one of our biggest, fiercest, and most vocal advocates for the creation of a 9/11 Commission.
Unfortunately, I can't say the same about Barack Obama since he was still in the Illinois State Senate for the years that I was fighting for a 9/11 Commission in Washington.
But as a 9/11 widow who, along with other 9/11 families, fought very hard to learn lessons from 9/11 to not only make our nation safer but also to hold people like Condoleezza Rice accountable, it is wholly unacceptable for any presidential candidate to get such a simple, historical fact about national security -- that the 9/11 attacks were predictable -- so totally wrong.
Because to do so, means that you don't fully understand and appreciate all that has happened and everything else that needs to happen since 9/11 with regard to our national security.
So why did Obama say it? Because he was just being glib? Or does Obama actually mean it and genuinely not know what he needs to know to be the next president? [more]
The words "I don't think anybody predicted 911" is a Bush administration talking point and should never come out of the mouth of a presidential candidate, at least on our side, given all the documentation in support of the contrary, and for Barack Obama to repeat those words, is a slap in the face to everyone who has fought tirelessly to bring to light this administration's failures to prevent what was indeed a predictable terrorist attack and to make national security a priority so that the mistakes of the past would not be repeated.
Randi Rhodes: "Hillary is a f*cking whore"
This coming from a woman who claims to be liberal, progressive and a Democrat.
(more here)
I used to enjoy her show, even when there was an obvious Obama bias, but the Hillary hatred spewed day after day from someone, who in the above video calls Senator Clinton and Geraldine Ferraro whores, made her program simply unbearable. Granted, she's not the only media personality to attack Clinton, but the misogynists of the MSM have nothing on this performance.
Update 4/3/08: Randy's been suspended:Air America has suspended on-air host Randi Rhodes for making inappropriate
I'm sure it's temporary once she apologizes.
statements about prominent figures, including Senator Hillary Clinton, at a
recent public appearance on behalf of Air America in San Francisco which was
sponsored by an Air America affiliate station.
"Air America encourages strong opinions about public affairs but
does not condone such abusive, ad hominem language by our Hosts," said chair
Charlie Kireker.
Pelosi clarifies role of superdelegates
Thank you.
AP:WASHINGTON - House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said the superdelegates who may ultimately decide the Democratic party's presidential nominee have a right to vote as they wish, and that the drawn-out contest between candidates Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama should be allowed to reach its conclusion.
Some are going to accuse Senator Clinton's supporters of twisting the Speaker's arm, but to do what, convey the rules? It's nice to know Madame Speaker believes (at least publicly) that it ain't over till it's over.
"These superdelegates have the right to vote their conscience and who they think would be the better president, or who can win, but they also then should get involved in the campaigns and make their power known there," Pelosi said in an interview aired Tuesday on ABC's "Good Morning America." [more]
Dean: "We need to let the voters have their say"
I'm glad at least Howard Dean is exhibiting some level of neutrality here. As much as the Obama supporters would like Hillary to throw in the towel, the rest of the voters have yet to weigh in. With Democrats evenly split between these two candidates, bullying one candidate to drop out before the rest of the states have had their say will certainly have a larger negative impact on this party than waiting for all the votes to be counted. Had Nancy Pelosi shown the same kind of restraint as Howard Dean did during the above interview, that letter Hillary's supporters had sent to the Speaker would not have been written.
Partial transcript:HD: [] Here's what's gonna happen. The voters get their say, and I know all the insiders are, you know, wringing their hands and all this stuff, but, let's see what the people from Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Puerto Rico, Indiana and North Carolina and so forth have to say in the next few weeks just like we've heard from the 30 million folks in Texas and Ohio, in New York and California and Iowa and so forth. Let's see what they have to say. They're in fact gonna elect the next President of the United states. We've probably oughta listen to them.
JS: You do have everybody talking about how the ongoing Democratic battle is going to hurt the party, but, my gosh, if this hadn't gone on for as long as it had gone on, like you said, there wouldn't be a hundred thousand Republicans switching to the Democratic Party in Pennsylvania. I mean you're not just a party operator, you have run for office. You understand electoral politics. Sometimes tough primaries are actually good for the candidate, right?
HD: That's right, and I think we need to discuss all these things that are coming up because otherwise, you know the Republicans can't run the country. They've shown us that. But they certainly do know how to win elections and if you don't think all this stuff isn't going to come up in October, it is, so we might as well talk about all that stuff now. That doesn't bother me. []
WG: There's been some talk over the last couple of weeks that at some point if this goes on any farther, someone from the party, a party elder, is going to have to step in and decide this and tell either Barack Obama or Hillary Clinton to get out of the race. Do you believe that and if so, who do you see that person being?
HD: It's not gonna happen like that. I've had a lot of conversations with a lot of so called party elders who are not aligned and not with either campaign. Look, I've been a candidate. You don't step in and tell a candidate to get out of the race after all they've been through. Nobody does that and nobody's ever done that. [] Both these candidates believe that they can win this[]
Power of the Purse
Let he who has never boycotted cast the first stone.The Honorable Nancy Pelosi
Were they writing on behalf of their candidate? Yes. Did they misinterpret the rules? No. Were they asking that their candidate be given special treatment? No. Were they correct to call the Speaker who should have exhibited a level of neutrality out on her obvious partiality and hypocrisy? Yes. Should anyone no matter how fat his or her pocketbook be obligated to support a business, organization or party if said business, organization or PARTY does not reflect his or her values? IMHO, no. In this case, Mr. Aronchick through Rattner, representing the voices of the other half and apparently less vocal of the Democratic electorate are calling for some fairness from the DNC, and if takes $$$$ to get their message across, so be it. If I had a nickle for every one I've withheld in protest, I'd qualify to be in that list.
Speaker of the US House of Representatives
Office of the Speaker
H-232, US Capitol
Washington, DC 20515
Dear Madame Speaker,
As Democrats, we have been heartened by the overwhelming response that our fellow Democrats have shown for our party’s candidates during this primary season. Each caucus and each primary has seen a record turnout of voters. But this dynamic primary season is not at an end. Several states and millions of Democratic voters have not yet had a chance to cast their votes.
We respect those voters and believe that they, like the voters in the states that have already participated, have a right to be heard. None of us should make declarative statements that diminish the importance of their voices and their votes. We are writing to say we believe your remarks on ABC News This Week on March 16th did just that.
During your appearance, you suggested super-delegates have an obligation to support the candidate who leads in the pledged delegate count as of June 3rd , whether that lead be by 500 delegates or 2. This is an untenable position that runs counter to the party’s intent in establishing super-delegates in 1984 as well as your own comments recorded in The Hill ten days earlier:
"I believe super-delegates have to use their own judgment and there will be many equities that they have to weigh when they make the decision. Their own belief and who they think will be the best president, who they think can win, how their own region voted, and their own responsibility.’”
Super-delegates, like all delegates, have an obligation to make an informed, individual decision about whom to support and who would be the party’s strongest nominee. Both campaigns agree that at the end of the primary contests neither will have enough pledged delegates to secure the nomination. In that situation, super-delegates must look to not one criterion but to the full panoply of factors that will help them assess who will be the party’s strongest nominee in the general election.
We have been strong supporters of the DCCC. We therefore urge you to clarify your position on super-delegates and reflect in your comments a more open view to the optional independent actions of each of the delegates at the National Convention in August. We appreciate your activities in support of the Democratic Party and your leadership role in the Party and hope you will be responsive to some of your major enthusiastic supporters.
Sincerely,
Marc Aronchick
Clarence Avant
Susie Tompkins Buell
Sim Farar
Robert L. Johnson
Chris Korge
Marc and Cathy Lasry
Hassan Nemazee
Alan and Susan Patricof
JB Pritzker
Amy Rao
Lynn de Rothschild
Haim Saban
Bernard Schwartz
Stanley S. Shuman
Jay Snyder
Maureen White and Steven Rattner [more]
Hillary's Response to Katrina
We've heard the Obama campaign accuse Senator Clinton of what she didn't do.
Cry.[] there were tears that melted the Granite State. And those are tears that Mrs. Clinton cried on that day, clearly moved voters. She somehow connected with those voters.
Frankly, I can't fathom how someone who, I'm certain, wasn't with Senator Clinton 24/7 since that tragedy occured could make such a statement unless he were attacking her character. On three levels, actually. She's not just calculating... Not just heartless... but racist as well. Keep that in mind AA SC voters. I wonder if Obama's victory in SC was due to his camp's playing of the race card and character assasinations. Noooo. Of course not. The politics of HOPE was and is above that kind of politics, so I've been told.
But those tears also have to be analyzed. They have to be looked at very, very carefully in light of Katrina, in light of other things that Mrs. Clinton did not cry for, particularly as we head to South Carolina where 45% of African-Americans who participate in the Democratic contest, and they see real hope in Barack Obama. [...]
We saw something very clever in the last week of this campaign coming out of Iowa, going into New Hampshire, we saw a sensitivity factor. Something that Mrs. Clinton has not been able to do with voters that she tried in New Hampshire.
Not in response to voters -- not in response to Katrina, not in response to other issues that have devastated the American people, the war in Iraq, we saw tears in response to her appearance. So her appearance brought her to tears, but not hurricane Katrina.
I don't know if Clinton cried for the victims of Katrina, but apparently, she tried to do more than that. If she didn't cry, she was probably just too busy.
more...
Cheney reminds us he can give a sh*t
In case we've forgotten.
Bonus video.
His remarks on the 4,000 dead U.S. troops or the "all volunteer force" as the vice president likes to call them.
Obama releases 7 years of tax returns
Transparency is a good thing.
Hillary?"I think that's a good first step,” she said. “Now he should release his records
Sometimes I think I take politics way too seriously.
from being in the state senate and any other information that the public and the
press need to know from his experience, because I think that, you know, we
should continue to make available the information that we have. She added that
she plans to release her own returns shortly. [more]
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