The Daily Flipper: Friday "Friends" Edition

Read what the Republicans Wish You Wouldn’t …

TOP HEADLINE: A Rocky Friendship:
Romney’s Politics Cause Him To Back Away
From Friendship that Transcends Politics

In an interview Thursday with The Associated Press, Romney sought to minimize his relationship with Anderson, once a prominent example of bipartisan camaraderie. The two worked closely together when Romney ran the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City. ... In 2003, Fehrnstrom -- also acting as Romney's spokesman -- told The Boston Globe: "Sometimes personal friendships transcend politics. That is certainly the case with Mitt Romney and Rocky Anderson."

There Go the Tickets to the State Dinner:
“Governator” Not Making Friends

In a scathing speech heavy with mockery and sarcasm, Arnold Schwarzenegger warned voters Thursday not to believe the platitudes and stump speeches of presidential candidates.

“Don’t buy into their big lines,” the Republican governor of California told a luncheon audience at a politics and policy conference in the state's capital. “They can’t just come and give us a resume and a nice line.”

Not a Good Day For “Friends of Mitt”

Richard Blankenship, a Jacksonville area investment banker and President Bush's former ambassador to the Bahamas, said he resigned from Romney's Florida finance team after becoming convinced Giuliani had broader appeal and said other Romney fundraisers in Florida could do the same. ... "The changes in core beliefs gave rise to some concerns. You have to have an anchor in life," he said of Romney.

They Have So Much in Common!
Giuliani’s Wife Actually on Her Third Marriage, Too!

Judith Nathan had been married twice, and not once as generally believed, before she wed Rudolph W. Giuliani in 2003, aides on the Giuliani presidential campaign said last night.

But With Friends Like These In His Background, Who’s Counting?

“In 1989, the comedian/political pundit - who was working with Rudy Giuliani's mayoral campaign - caused a major firestorm when he called New York City African-American then-mayoral candidate David Dinkins "a fancy schvartzer with a mustache." (The word "schvartzer" is derogatory Yiddish for a black person.) Mason compounded the problem when he said, "There is a sick Jewish problem of voting for a black man no matter how unfit he is for the job." . . . So some were startled to see a video on YouTube in which Mason says that Illinois senator Barack Obama is being taken seriously as a presidential candidate "just because he's black." Mason goes on to say that instead of running for president, Obama should become a waiter or a doorman. . . . Some find Obama appealing, Mason says, because he's "not threatening," he's soft-spoken and tall, and he has a nice haircut. Then, addressing Obama, Mason says: "Maybe you should take a test for something that you can do. Maybe you should be the head waiter in a restaurant since you never said an intelligent thing in your life. . . . Maybe you should be a doorman."”

And Its Rudy’s Business Deals That Are Ripe For Scrutiny!

As colorful as Giuliani's personal life is, his business pursuits since September 11, 2001, are perhaps even riper for scrutiny. Already, several media outlets, including National Journal, have asked Giuliani's campaign to release the complete client list of his signature consulting firm, Giuliani Partners. Clients are said to include the U.S. government, private security firms, foreign-owned companies, and businesses concerned about government regulation. Giuliani's reputation was one of the reasons an early client, Purdue Pharma, manufacturer of the painkiller OxyContin, hired the firm to help it cope with increased scrutiny from regulators.

Paging Homer Simpson . . .
Giuliani Says Plant Nuke Plant Safe; It Promptly Falls Apart

In 2002, then-New York Gov. George Pataki, a Republican, hired James Lee Witt, head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency under former President Clinton, to study site security at Indian Point. In 2003, Mr. Witt released an assessment that the security plan was "not adequate" to "protect the people from an unacceptable dose of radiation in the event of a release from Indian Point." … Shortly after signing a contract in 2003, Mr. Giuliani's company oversaw a mock terrorist drill at the site and pronounced it safe -- an assertion Mr. Giuliani repeated to reporters in November, when Entergy applied for a 20-year extension of its permit to operate. "Our view is that Indian Point is as safe as a facility can be, and a pretty good model, if not an excellent model for not only other nuclear power plants but other industries," Mr. Giuliani said.

But Indian Point has had troubles. In 2005, it emerged that deadly nuclear material had leached into the groundwater under the plant. The reactors have been unexpectedly shut down at least five times since the beginning of 2006. In December, the federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission said some plant workers feared retribution for raising safety issues. And in February, an inspection found a cracked fuel rod, a situation that could conceivably lead to a loss of nuclear material.

Giuliani Bends to the Right, Softens Position on Gun Control

But as a presidential candidate, Mr. Giuliani now talks very differently about guns as he tries to allay the concerns of Republican primary voters. He says he supports the right of individuals to bear arms, and that states — and generally not the federal government — should decide whether to put some limits on that right. He also spoke in favor of a federal appeals court ruling this month that struck down a District of Columbia ordinance barring people from keeping handguns in their homes.

Perhaps most striking, Mr. Giuliani’s campaign says it is not clear that he would support a measure he once championed, an assault weapons ban. In explaining his past positions, he and his aides say they were about fighting crime in New York City when he was mayor, adding that restrictions that make sense there can be wrong for other parts of the country.

You Would Think As a Former US Attorney, He’d Have More to Say About This

In his first public comments on the matter, Rudolph W. Giuliani today took a wait-and-see view of the firings of several United States attorneys, saying he did not know enough yet to judge whether anyone in the White House or the Justice Department had acted improperly.

He was similarly noncommittal about the propriety of Senator Pete Domenici, Republican of New Mexico, contacting a federal prosecutor about politically charged cases.

Giuliani Dodges Immigration Question, Won’t Commit to a Position

ABC News' Teddy Davis and Paul Fidalgo Report: Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani sidestepped whether he supports giving illegal immigrants a path to citizenship without first requiring them to leave the country while campaigning Thursday in the Washington, D.C. area. While not answering the specific question posed to him by ABC News, Giuliani attempted to carve out a middle-ground on the contentious illegal immigration issue, which he referred to as a "civil wrong."

Romney Slams US Immigration Policy, But Has No Plan to Fix It

Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, who is seeking the Republican presidential nomination, called U.S. immigration policy "upside down" Thursday during a speech at the Mid-America Center.

Romney, saying he does not have a fully developed immigration plan yet, said he opposes amnesty for illegal immigrants.

Maybe That’s Why He Has to Buy Friends in South Carolina

A Christian Coalition of America officer who ran a successful campaign to ban gay marriage in South Carolina said Thursday he is endorsing Republican Mitt Romney’s presidential bid and will work for the campaign. Drew McKissick, the national coalition’s secretary and board member, will be a paid ”South Carolina grass roots adviser” for the campaign, Romney spokeswoman Gail Gitcho said Thursday. . . . Last year, Romney’s political action committee donated $5,000 to McKissick’s SC for Marriage group, which pushed a state constitutional amendment that prevents any type of legal recognition of same-sex unions. While the group solicited cash from other presidential hopefuls, Romney was the only one to write a check, McKissick said.

Talk With a Certain Degree of Straightiness:
McCain Lays Out Inconsistent Position on US Attorneys to Protect WH Friends

''I hope they'll continue negotiations to satisfy both the concerns of the Senate but also preserve the executive privilege and the relationship between the president and his advisers,'' McCain said. ''I hope it doesn't run into one of these things that has to be decided by the United States Supreme Court.''

McCain deferred comment when asked about Bush's offer to grant limited interviews with lawmakers without transcripts, saying he's ''not enough of an expert'' to judge the president's proposal, which he called ''a good faith offer.''

But Bush Administration Says Its Done Negotiating

MR. SNOW: Well, I don't -- again, our offer is our offer, and we know that Senator Specter has tried to play a constructive role here.

Q Wait, wait, wait. Is that a, no?

MR. SNOW: Wait, wait, wait -- it's a, no. (Laughter.)

Q But why? You say you're open to compromise, and what way do you indicate --

MR. SNOW: No, I didn't. I didn't say we were open to compromise. I said, we opened with a compromise.

McCain Just Can’t Catch a Break:
Gets Hit From Left and Right on Immigration, Taxes

Arizona Sen. John McCain is getting hit from the political left and right as he tries regain momentum in his 2008 Republican presidential bid.

The Citizens United Political Victory Fund is the latest right-wing group to take aim at McCain's record on conservative issues. The Washington group faults McCain for voting against conservative orthodoxy including tax cuts and oil drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, and his support for campaign finance reforms, emissions caps aimed at reducing global warming and federal funding for embryonic stem cell research.

The criticism comes on the heels of similar jabs at McCain's record by the Club for Growth advocacy group.

McCain Continues to Rack Up Missed Votes

Speaking of fundraisers, a rival campaign points out that by attending a reception tonight in Newark, McCain will miss yet more votes. He had already missed 32 roll calls before today.

TX Dem Chair Calls for John Cornyn to Step Aside From Ethics Investigation

Texas Democratic Party Chair Boyd Richie called on Republican U.S. Senator John Cornyn (TX) to recuse himself from the Senate Ethics Committee investigation into Republican Senator Pete Domenici (NM) over potential ethics violations in the firing of former U.S. attorney David Iglesias, citing Cornyn's repeated public statements prejudging the matter.

"John Cornyn has publicly positioned himself as an apologist for the Bush Administration's firing of eight U.S. attorneys, showing a clear inability to fairly judge one of his own Republican colleagues on this matter," said Texas Democratic Party Chair Boyd Richie. "Cornyn had a choice to make - fulfill his role of impartiality on the Ethics Committee or serve as a partisan hack explaining away every aspect of the scandal. Unfortunately, his decision to publicly defend the firings disqualifies him from handling any related ethics violations being considered by the Committee."

Praying for the Movie: Dick Armey Fires Back at Friend Tom DeLay’s Book Portrayal, You’re No Saint Yourself

Texas Republicans Tom DeLay and Dick Armey had an uneasy alliance for years, and the feud between the former House majority leaders escalated Wednesday with Mr. Armey blasting Mr. DeLay over a new tell-all book that depicts him as an incompetent who put ambition above conservative goals.

"People retire from Congress and they basically write a book that says, 'I was a true and honest, hardworking, honorable guy and everybody around me was a bunch of slugs,' " Mr. Armey said when asked about the scathing critique.

The former lawmaker from Flower Mound, now a lobbyist and conservative activist, has made no secret of his disdain for Mr. DeLay, arguing that his ethical scrapes and reliance on social wedge issues cost Republicans.

Jeb Bush Doesn’t Measure Up in Florida:
University Refuses to Award Him Honorary Degree

The self-styled "education governor" won't likely be getting a sheepskin from the University of Florida anytime soon.

In a move that UF President Bernie Machen called a "horrible mistake," UF's Faculty Senate voted Thursday against granting former Gov. Jeb Bush an honorary degree.

After some faculty expressed concern about Bush's record in higher education, the Senate voted 38-28 to deny him the degree.

Kathleen Price, associate dean of library and technology in UF's Levin College of Law, was among those who spoke in opposition to awarding the degree.

Comments (2) «

Bravo to the House for passing the bill calling for U.S. troop withdrawal!!

Just heard baby bush throw his baby fit on CNN and he again he lied. He said the American people want to finish the war. LIE. He said the troops don't want to be let down. LIE.

The American people want their kids home now! The troops only disruption in their lives has been the result of bush separating them from their families and sending them to a war that was organized based on lies.

SOMEBODY NEEDS TO STOP THE BUSH ARROGANCE NOW!

Don't give up Dems! Don't stop just because he's throwing his fit. Don't give in!!! Don't relent!

1

WatchfulEye on March 23, 2007 at 02:12 PM

Wow, Mike, you have been busy researching. Nothing they do gets past you.

“Don’t buy into their big lines,” the Republican governor of California told a luncheon audience at a politics and policy conference in the state's capital. “They can’t just come and give us a resume and a nice line.

I guess it takes one to know one?

Giuliani's reputation was one of the reasons an early client, Purdue Pharma, manufacturer of the painkiller OxyContin, hired the firm to help it cope with increased scrutiny from regulators.

Well, this guarantees support for Giuliani from Rush Limbaugh.

Giuliani Says Plant Nuke Plant Safe; It Promptly Falls Apart

We knew the Republicans were putting miners at risk by not enforcing regulation, but I had no idea how lax the nuclear power plants are when Republicans run them.

MR. SNOW: No, I didn't. I didn't say we were open to compromise. I said, we opened with a compromise.

And the American people have compromised too long with this sort of arrogant BS.

The White House obviously is banking on the Bush crime family Supreme Court to handle this one for them. Let's get them on the record for posterity. Just how corrupt is the Roberts' Court?

2

SandyH on March 23, 2007 at 06:06 PM

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