« January 2008 | Main | March 2008 »

February 29, 2008

Evening Open Thread

We're doing some tech upgrades over the weekend, so comments may be a little strange at times. Please be patient, as you always are, if your comment doesn't appear immediately or momentarily disappears.

And for those of you looking for the technical issues we'll be working out, see this video guide.

Chat away...

WH Staffer Caught by a Blogger

White House staffer Timothy Goeglein has admitted to plagiarism, the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette reports:

"It is true," Tim Goeglein wrote to The Journal Gazette in an e-mail. "I am entirely at fault. It was wrong of me. There are no excuses."

He said he wrote to the author of the essay, Jeffrey Hart "to apologize, and do so categorically and without exception."

Nancy Nall, a former News-Sentinel columnist who writes a blog from her home in Michigan, detailed the nearly word-for-word similarities of eight paragraphs of Goeglein's 16-pargraph essay about college education, which appeared in the News-Sentinel on Thursday, and Hart's column, which was written about a decade ago.

Friday Five

Here are five of the events in PartyBuilder for the coming week. You can add your own event or find one near you.

1. Women's History Month Celebration (Washington, DC) - The Women's Leadership Forum and The Women's Caucus of the Democratic National Committee invite you to celebrate with Governor Howard Dean, Chairman of the Democratic National Committee, WOMEN'S HISTORY MONTH
2. Council of Democratic Clubs (York, PA) - Get in on the ground floor as the York County Council of Democratic Clubs holds its first meeting. The purpose of the Council is to develop an ongoing dialogue between Clubs, the Democratic Party of York County and Democratic candidates.
3. Voter training (Baltimore, MD) - Teaching voters how to register, find info on candidate, assist people to polls, answer questions about candidate, respond to misinformation, fundraising on small level which makes a difference, sharing information on why women should vote for democrats.
4. Party Chair Candidate Forum (Lafayette, LA) - Six candidates for the position of chair of the Louisiana Democratic Party have been invited (and accepted) invitations to participate in a forum to discuss their plans for the future of the party.
5. Comedy Against Evil (New York, NY) - Jeff Kreisler - writer for Comedy Central's Indecision2008, winner of the Bill Hicks Spirit Award, and author of Harper Collins' "Get Rich Cheating" - dissects American politics and culture with passion, absurdity, and hope.

Commemorating Women's History Month

March 1st begins Women's History Month and that is particularly important for Democrats since we have a long, proud history of women's accomplishments to celebrate and honor. Simply going back to 1920, after battling for 72 years, the 19th Amendment to the Constitution was finally ratified and women got the right to vote. From that point on women were, and still are, unstoppable.

In 1925, Nellie Taylor Ross, a Wyoming Democrat, became the nation's first female governor. In 1931, Hattie Wyatt Caraway was appointed to the U.S. Senate from Arizona and in 1933, Frances Perkins was appointed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt to be the first female Secretary of Labor.

In 1965, Patsy Takemoto Mink from Hawaii became the first woman of color and the first woman of Asian-Pacific Islander descent to serve in the U.S. House of Representatives. Then in 1968, Shirley Chisholm from N.Y. became the first African American woman to serve in Congress. In 1972, she ran for president in the Democratic primary.

In 1977, President Carter appointed Patricia Roberts Harris, the first African American woman to serve as Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, and thereafter Secretary of Health and Human Services. A few years later in 1984, Congresswoman Geraldine Ferraro became the first woman nominated for Vice-President.

In 1985, Madeline Kunin was elected governor of Vermont and became the first woman to serve three consecutive terms as governor. The following year, in 1986, Barbara Mikulski from Maryland became the first Democratic woman elected to the U.S. Senate without previously filling an unexpired Congressional term.

In 1992, Carol Moseley Braun from Illinois became the first African American woman to be elected to the U.S. Senate and Nydia Velasquez from New York became the first Puerto Rican woman to be elected to Congress. The following year, in 1993, Janet Reno became the first woman to serve as U.S. Attorney General.

Madeleine Albright became the first woman to serve as U.S. Secretary of State, making her the highest ranking woman in the government in 1997. Also that year, Aida Alvarez became the first Hispanic woman to hold a cabinet level position when she was appointed Administrator of the U.S. Small Business Administration by President Bill Clinton.

The next year, in 1998, Tammy Baldwin became Wisconsin's first woman in Congress and the first open lesbian elected to Congress as a non-incumbent. Three years later, Hillary Clinton became the first woman elected to the U.S. Senate from New York and the only First Lady ever elected to public office. Also in 2001, Senator Patty Murray from Washington State became the first woman to serve as Chair of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee and Representative Nita Lowey became the first woman to Chair the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.

In 2003, Arizona made history when its citizens elected Janet Napolitano as their Governor, the first time a female governor succeeded another female governor. Two years later in 2005, three Congresswomen became the first women of color to chair congressional committees: they are Representative Stephanie Tubbs Jones from Ohio, chairing the Committee on Ethics; the late Representative Juanita Millender-McDonald from California, chairing the Committee on House Administration (and later succeeded by Representative Laura Richardson); and Representative Nydia Velasquez from N.Y., chairing the Committee on Small Business.

Thanks to these trailblazing women, (and the many not mentioned here but no less important), the idea of having a female Speaker of the House seemed more than plausible. Indeed, it was doable and it happened. In 2006, when the Democrats took control of Congress, Nancy Pelosi became the first woman Speaker of the House, making her the third highest ranking official in the government and the highest ranking female in U.S. political history.

Finally, we must also pay tribute to the unsung heroines whose contributions to women's history are marked by their labor on many different fronts. They are our mothers, grandmothers, sisters, daughters, cousins and friends. They are every woman.

Afternoon Open Thread

• Rep. Ginny Brown-Waite: Go jump in a lake.
• The controversy over McCain's embrace of Hagee continues.
• ThinkProgress has the latest developments on more potential secrets in the Bush library.
• The CIA Director says they'll follow the waterboarding ban if the law passes.

Chat away...

Bittersweet Endorsement?

McCain picks up support of Texas preacher who has some choice words for the Catholic Church:

John McCain proudly touted picking up the support of Texas preacher John Hagee at a town hall meeting this morning in Houston.

But Hagee's endorsement doesn't come free. He's said some derogatory things about Catholicism in the past.

So naturally William Donahue, outspoken head of the conservative Catholic League issued a scathing press release today, calling on McCain to disavow Hagee's backing.

Donahue notes Hagee has called the Catholic church "‘The Great Whore,’ an ‘apostate church,’ the ‘anti-Christ,’ and a ‘false cult system.’

Bush Sees Nixon in the Rear View Mirror

The Moderate Voice's Shaun Mullen breaks down a recent national Zogby poll that shows President Bush with higher negatives than former President Richard Nixon.

Some 52 percent of those surveyed place Bush at the bottom end of the scale as either “below average” or a “failure”, compared to 50 percent who said the same about Nixon. Bush also beats out Nixon on the failure scale - one in three Americans (33 percent) say Bush is a failure as a president, up from 30 percent who said the same last year. Most Democrats (60 percent) view Bush as a failure, but half as many independents (29 percent) feel the same, compared to just 7 percent of Republicans.

Friday Open Thread

Chat away...

February 28, 2008

Evening Open Thread

Chat away...

Speaker Pelosi to Mukasey on Contempt

Here it is, in full (emphasis mine):

The Honorable Michael B. Mukasey The Attorney General U.S. Department of Justice 950 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W Washington, D.C. 20530-0001

Dear Mr. Attorney General:

In accordance with 2 U.S.C. § 194 and the attached House Resolution 979 (adopted on February 14, 2008), I have today sent a certification to the United States Attorney for the District of Columbia, Jeffrey Taylor, advising him of the failure of former White House Counsel, Harriet Miers, to appear, testify and produce documents in compliance with a duly issued subpoena of a subcommittee of the House Judiciary Committee and of the failure of Joshua Bolten, White House Chief of Staff and custodian of White House documents, to produce documents in his custody as required by a duly issued subpoena of the House Judiciary Committee.

Under section 194, Mr. Taylor is now required “to bring the matter before the grand jury for its action.” The appropriate grand jury action is a criminal charge for violation of 2 U.S.C. § 192, which provides: “Every person who having been summoned as a witness by the authority of either House of Congress to give testimony or to produce papers . . . willfully makes default . . . shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor” and shall be subject to a fine and “imprisonment in a common jail for not less than one month nor more than twelve months.”

According to the testimony of your predecessor, former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, and your recent testimony before the House Judiciary Committee, the Justice Department intends to prevent Mr. Taylor from complying with the statute and enforcing the contempt citations against Ms. Miers and Mr. Bolten. You claimed that “enforcement by way of contempt of a congressional subpoena is not permitted when the President directs a direct adviser of his… not to appear or when he directs any member of the executive not to produce documents.” Hearing on Oversight of the Dep’t of Justice Before the H. Comm. on the Judiciary, 110th Cong. 87-88 (Feb. 7, 2008). You purported to base your view on a “long line of authority,” but cited no court decision that supports this proposition.

There is no authority by which persons may wholly ignore a subpoena and fail to appear as directed because a President unilaterally instructs them to do so. Even if a subpoenaed witness intends to assert a privilege in response to questions, the witness is not at liberty to disregard the subpoena and fail to appear at the required time and place. Surely, your Department would not tolerate that type of action if the witness were subpoenaed to a federal grand jury. Short of a formal assertion of executive privilege, which cannot be made in this case, there is no authority that permits a President to advise anyone to ignore a duly issued congressional subpoena for documents.

Your press spokesman has stated that you will “act promptly” to review this matter and reach a final decision. We will appreciate your acting with appropriate dispatch on this important matter. I strongly urge you to reconsider your position and to ensure that our nation is operating under the rule of law and not at presidential whim. If, however, you intend to persist in preventing Mr. Taylor from carrying out his statutory obligation to present this matter to the grand jury in the District of Columbia, we respectfully request that you inform us of that decision within one week from today, so that the House may proceed with a civil enforcement suit in federal district court.

Thank your for your prompt consideration and attention to this matter.

best regards,

NANCY PELOSI
Speaker of the House

And here's the letter by Chairman Conyers.

Afternoon Open Thread

• Economy slowing to a "near crawl."
• The Republican leadership is whining about not getting enough telecom money.
• A new report says that 1 of every 100 Americans are behind bars.
• And this is going to be simply incredible (via Scoble).

Chat away...

Stuck Between An Immigrant And A Border Fence?

McCain’s sharp right turn on immigration may cost him Hispanic support:

The metamorphosis reflects McCain's intensifying effort to consolidate his support among conservatives, who deride the Arizona senator's past proposals on immigration as offering amnesty to lawbreakers, and bitterly resent his work with Democrats, including Sen. Ted Kennedy of Massachusetts, on the issue.

If he goes too far in the other direction, though, he could alienate the Hispanic voters who he's counting on to siphon support from a Democratic rival in states like Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, and to be competitive in California.

History Always Repeats Itself

McCain's ethics woes throwback to Keating scandal:

As William K. Black watches John McCain move toward the Republican presidential nomination, he thinks of a day 21 years ago that he considers one of the most troubling of his life.

Black, a senior federal savings and loan regulator at the time, attended a meeting at which he felt McCain and four other senators pressured federal regulators to back off from investigating the troubled Lincoln Savings and Loan.
[...]
McCain also has faced fresh criticism for pushing the Federal Communications Commission to make a decision in a 1999 case affecting another major campaign donor, Paxson Communications.

Thursday Open Thread

Chat away...

February 27, 2008

Evening Open Thread

Chat away...

It's the Coverup?

It turns out McCain's campaign misled reporters about their Kentucky ballot application.

We've been covering pretty extensively the McCain campaign's move to use their eligibility for public matching funds for material benefit -- and then their attempt to unilaterally leave the program without the kind of letter from the FEC that everybody else has had to get.

Speaking with reporters yesterday, his campaign falsely stated that they were getting on the Kentucky ballot by collecting signatures. Why? Because in states like Ohio and Deleware, rather than spend tons of money getting signatures, he used his matching funds certification to get on the ballot.

The truth to Kentucky is much different than what the campaign claimed, documents we're releasing show.

Contrary to the McCain camp's claim, he got on the ballot there by showing that he had qualified for the ballot in at least 20 other states. One of those states McCain's campaign cited? Delaware. Which, as noted above, he got on by using his matching funds eligibility.

Proof is page 23 of McCain's Kentucky ballot application.

He wants to deny such material gain took place, but we're not letting him get away with it.

NRCC's Brilliant Recruiting

Wow... just, wow.

Afternoon Open Thread

Chat away...

Republican National Committee's Broken Promises

This time, they're breaking their promise to Congress that they'd try to restore the emails from 2001 to 2003, when White House officials were using RNC email accounts to do government work -- which is supposed to be done using government email accounts that are subject to public records requests.

The controversy over the RNC email accounts is a different matter than the potentially millions of missing White House emails, just to be clear. I know it's hard to differentiate at times with so many scandals going on.

From the WaPo:

The RNC had previously told the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee that it was attempting to restore e-mails from 2001 to 2003, when the RNC had a policy of purging all e-mails, including those to and from White House officials, after 30 days. But Chairman Henry A. Waxman (D-Calif.) disclosed during a hearing yesterday that the RNC has now said it "has no intention of trying to restore the missing White House e-mails."

"The result is a potentially enormous gap in the historical record," Waxman said, including the buildup to the Iraq war.

As far as who used these accounts, the Post reports that it was "about 80 White House aides" that used it "for official government business."

Rove, for example, sent or received 140,000 e-mails on RNC servers from 2002 to 2007, and more than half involved official ".gov" accounts, the panel has said.

Hi Ho Silver... It's The Loan Arranger!

McCain's no-good very-bad week continues, as his placement on the Ohio ballot raises questions. The New York Times put it this way:

Did Senator John McCain of Arizona benefit unfairly from rules that automatically placed him on the ballot in Ohio once he qualified for public campaign financing?

Yes.

And McCain may also have gotten special treatment in obtaining his loan, according to questions being raised in the Washington Post -- which is also following this big story that goes to the heart of McCain's credibility problem:

"If the bank is saying they lent him money on the basis of future receipts, well, in presidential campaigns, their future receipts can be zero or millions," said Marc Elias, an election lawyer who arranged a loan in 2003 for the presidential bid of Sen. John F. Kerry (D-Mass.). "The idea that this would be a dependable source of collateral is preposterous."

Another question, Elias said, is whether McCain received special treatment in obtaining the loan. Watkins said McCain did not. But he noted that Fidelity's bankers had prior relationships with several top McCain advisers, including lobbyist Charles R. Black Jr. and campaign manager Rick Davis. Davis's consulting firm borrowed money from Fidelity bankers in the mid-1990s when they worked at Franklin National Bank, according to Watkins and public records. (Franklin National later merged with BB&T.)

Big Wins in FL, NY

Yesterday there were special elections in New York and in Florida.

We won both.

You probably remember Florida State Representative Bob Allen, who resigned after being convicted for "a sex solicitation charge." The election to fill his seat was between Democrat Tony Sasso and Republican Sean Campbell. In the end, by a margin of roughly 400 votes, Sasso won.

It's the ninth pick-up for Florida Democrats so far since 2006.

And then there's the huge victory for Darrel Aubertine, which might result in Democrats having control over the NY state Senate.

What's remarkable about these wins is where they took place. On the Florida district, an email I got noted that in 2004, Bush won it by an 18 point margin. Senator Martinez won it by 12. And the New York district has been represented by a Republican, according to one knowledgeable Kossack, since 1880.

We're winning in places where Democrats never used to even be competitive, our state parties are more organized for ever before, and the grassroots activsts are engaged and ready for November 2008.

Oh, and did I mention high Democratic turnout?

Wednesday Open Thread

Chat away...

February 26, 2008

Evening Open Thread

Chat away...

Gov. Dean on MSNBC and the DNC FEC Complaint

Watch Governor Howard Dean's appearance on MSNBC this afternoon. Chairman Dean discusses, among other things, the DNC's FEC complaint filed against John McCain's lobbyist employment program presidential campaign.

Afternoon Open Thread

Chat away...

DNC Releases Governor Dean's 2003 FEC Letter

John McCain's attempt to skirt federal election law is starting to catch up to him. Word of the FEC complaint filed by the DNC yesterday was all over the news. McCain claimed that his campaign did exactly what Governor Dean did when he ran for president.

John McCain is wrong.

To prove it, the DNC released Governor Dean's 2003 FEC letter granting him permission to withdraw from public financing. (The letter is embedded below for your viewing convenience.)

You can add your name to the growing list of others supporting our FEC complaint against the McCain campaign here. If you already signed your name, be sure to invite your friends and family to read Governor Dean's 2003 FEC letter, and add their names in support.

President Bush Predicts the Future

Senate Guru senses a trend emerging on the amazing powers of Bushtradamus:

George W. Bush on June 14, 2006:

I feel confident we will hold the House and the Senate.

George W. Bush on February 25, 2008:

I'm confident we'll hold the White House in 2008.

What about you? Got any Bush predictions that, well, did not play out as intended?

Bush vs. McCain

Enjoy this video the Democratic Party put together. Imagine somebody's ethics problems being so troubling that he can be lectured about it by Bush, of all people.

Tuesday Open Thread

Chat away...

Keep reading "Tuesday Open Thread"

February 25, 2008

McCain's Sweetheart Deal

MSNBC's David Schuster explain John McCain's sweetheart deal that we've challenged to the FEC.

Evening Open Thread

Chat away...

McCain Withheld Controversial Abramoff Email

Breaking at the Huffington Post:

In the 2006 Senate report concerning Abramoff's activities, which McCain spearheaded, the Arizona Republican conspicuously left out information detailing how Alabama Gov. Bob Riley was targeted by Abramoff's influence peddling scheme. [...]

In a December 2002 email obtained by the Huffington Post -- which McCain and his staff had access to prior to the issuance of his report -- Abramoff explains to an aide what he would like to see Riley do in return for the "help" he received from Abramoff's tribal clients.
[...]
And yet, despite the implications of the information, McCain and the Senate Indian Affairs Committee sat on the controversial portion of the email. According to an official familiar with the investigation, McCain also subsequently refused to make the email public after the report was released.

A Retraction?

Earlier today McCain said that to win the presidential race he must convince Americans that staying the course is working. If he can't do that, he said, "then I lose. I lose."

And moments later...

"If I may, I'd like to retract 'I'll lose.'"

Straight-talk!

Afternoon Open Thread

Chat away...

McCain: War will be "Over Soon"

Mission accomplished!

It's about a minute into the audio we've posted here, and you can hear John McCain declare that the war will be "over soon."

He was speaking at a town hall meeting in Rocky River, OH when he made this announcement and held out hope that Americans will be able to withdraw.

The backtracking on his 100 year comment continues.

Updated by Matt Ortega: Fastest hundred years ever! How will Iraq affect the 2108 presidential election? Share your thoughts!

For now, Here's Jon Stewart mocking John McCain at the Oscars a hundred years ago:

Democratic Party Files Complaint Against McCain for Ignoring FEC Law

Today we're filing a complaint with the FEC against John McCain's campaign. In the complaint, we ask them to investigate whether the McCain campaign is about to violate the spending limit law he agreed to when he became eligible to receive matching funds.

I've embedded the document below, or you can download here.

We've heard a lot recently about Senator McCain's lack of ethics. Maybe it has to do with having a campaign that's run so heavily by Washington lobbyists, but it has now extended beyond his Senate conduct and into his campaign.

The press release we issued a few days ago expresses pretty nicely how this scheme by McCain's campaign worked:

In order to receive matching funds, John McCain signed a binding agreement with the FEC to accept spending limits and to abide by the conditions of receiving those funds. The FEC makes clear that any request to withdraw from the agreement must be granted by the FEC. In other words, McCain can't just unilaterally withdraw. FEC Chairman David Mason made this clear in a letter to McCain advising him that the law requires the FEC to approve his request to withdraw from his contract.

According to past Commission rulings, the McCain campaign would not be allowed to withdraw from matching funds because it has already violated a key condition for being let out of the program - pledging matching funds as collateral for a private loan. McCain obtained a $4 million line of credit -- drew $2,971,697 from it - and documents make clear that the promise of public financing was used to secure his loan.

More than this, his campaign also got free ballot access, worth millions of dollars, because of his public financing. But now -- after he's received all this financial help -- he wants to unilaterally withdraw from the program.

This is about more than spending limits and the FEC; this is a question of integrity.

Flipper Jr?

Mitt Romney's son, Josh Romney, is considering a run for Congress in Utah's second:

Utahns may get the chance to vote for a Romney this November after all — Josh Romney, the son of former GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney, says he's considering a run for Congress. [...] Josh Romney told the Deseret Morning News that after a year of campaigning across country for his father, he's been approached to run as a Republican against 2nd Congressional District Rep. Jim Matheson, D-Utah.

"I haven't ruled it out," Josh Romney, 32, of Millcreek, said of becoming a candidate himself. "I'm pretty young, but I've had good experience on the campaign trail." Plus, he said, he likely could count on his father's supporters here in Utah.

Standing Ovations

What is it with ethically-challenged Republican leaders getting standing ovations?

The latest in this trend is Senator Larry Craig, with the South Idaho Press reporting that "A standing ovation for Sen. Larry Craig’s service to Idaho was the highlight of the Mini-Cassia Lincoln Day Luncheon presented by the Republican Party committees of Cassia and Minidoka counties..."

Flashback to July, when Senator David Vitter also received a "loud standing ovation" after he appeared at a closed Republican Senate luncheon "after hiding with the equivalent of a paper bag on his head."

Monday Open Thread

Chat away...

February 24, 2008

Evening Open Thread

Chat away...

Sunday Open Thread

Chat away...

February 23, 2008

Evening Open Thread

Chat away...

From the Archives

Saturday Open Thread

Chat away...

February 22, 2008

Evening Open Thread

Chat away...

McCain Praised Renzi's Honesty and Integrity in 2006 Robo-Call

As was mentioned earlier, Rep. Rick Renzi (R-Flagstaff, Ariz.) was indicted on a series of charges, including extortion, surrounding a land deal. It just so happens that Renzi and Republican presidential nominee John McCain are described by their local paper, the Arizona Republic as "close," notes The Nation's Ari Berman. McCain donated $2,000 to Renzi from his political action committee. Renzi even joined McCain in the now infamous stroll through a Baghdad market.

Last cycle, McCain was attributed as the author of a fundraising e-mail to Renzi supporters in the summer of 2006. With Renzi facing a tough re-election challenge, news broke in late October that Renzi was under investigation by the FBI. Less than a week later, John McCain came to the rescue by recording a robo-call that emphasized Renzi's "honesty and integrity." Local Arizona blogger Eli Blake provided a transcript of the message he received on his voice mail:

This is Senator John McCain. I'm calling to urge you to support my friend, Representative Rick Renzi for Congress. Rick has represented the first district of Arizona with tenacity, honesty and integrity beyond reproach. I work with Rick every day and can report to you his total dedication to the people of Arizona and the United States. Please join me in supporting rural Arizona's workhorse Congressman on November 7. [Paid for and authorized by Rick Renzi for Congress]

Despite the fact that Congressman Renzi was under investigation for over a year, McCain named Renzi as a campaign co-chair, joining a total of 20 lobbyists on the team. McCain acted "surprised" at a press conference in Indianapolis.

TPMmuckraker's Paul Kiel did not seem to buy it, however.

While the timing of the indictment might have been a surprise, it should not have been unexpected. The federal investigation of Renzi was first reported in the fall of 2006. The FBI raided his wife's office in April of 2007.

Back then, as Renzi was pressured to resign from all three of his committee assignments. He did. He was also pressured to resign. McCain refused to join in those calls -- and also expressed a similar ignorance about the case, the details of which had been widely reported.

John McCain: He sure knows how to pick 'em.

Friday Five

Here are five of the events in PartyBuilder for the coming week. You can add your own event or find one near you.

1. Sen Katus Pre-CrackerBarrel (Rapid City, SD) - Tom Katus invites everyone to a legislative session update before the Crackerbarrel at the Java Coffee Shop, SDMSMT Campus, at 8 am.
2. 13th District Delegate Candidate Training (Smyrna, GA) - In April of 2008, the Democratic Party of Georgia will conduct caucuses in each of Georgia's 13 Congressional Districts to select Delegates to the 2008 Democratic National Convention.
3. democrat rally (Nacogdoches, TX) - bring a picnic and have a good time in the park
4. Pizza and Policy Discussion (Omaha, NE) - Join Richard Carter, Candidate for United States Congress, for a Young Democrats of Nebraska Pizza and Policy Discussion.
5. IDN Bookclub with Christine Pelosi (Chicago, IL) - It's going to be a very special IDN Bookclub get-together on February (2/24, 3:30p). Author Christine Pelosi will be phoning in to discuss her book "Campaign Boot Camp: Basic Training for Future Leaders".

Afternoon Open Thread

What stories am I not paying enough attention to?

Breaking: McCain Distorted Key Fact in Scandal

Goodbye, credibility.

Breaking news from Michael Isikoff at Newsweek:

A sworn deposition that Sen. John McCain gave in a lawsuit more than five years ago appears to contradict one part of a sweeping denial that his campaign issued this week to rebut a New York Times story about his ties to a Washington lobbyist. [...] Just hours after the Times's story was posted, the McCain campaign issued a point-by-point response that depicted the letters as routine correspondence handled by his staff—and insisted that McCain had never even spoken with anybody from Paxson or Alcalde & Fay about the matter. "No representative of Paxson or Alcalde & Fay personally asked Senator McCain to send a letter to the FCC," the campaign said in a statement e-mailed to reporters.

But that flat claim seems to be contradicted by an impeccable source: McCain himself. "I was contacted by Mr. Paxson on this issue," McCain said in the Sept. 25, 2002, deposition obtained by NEWSWEEK. "He wanted their approval very bad for purposes of his business. I believe that Mr. Paxson had a legitimate complaint."

The McCain camp's response?

That he "was speaking in shorthand."

Seriously.

No, really.

That's it.

Too bad the actual conversation contradicts that, as well. The transcript, also from the Newsweek article:

"But I would add, I was contacted by Mr. Paxson on this issue."

"You were?"

"Yes."

Abrams then asked McCain: "Can you tell us what you said and what he said about it?"

McCain: "That he had applied to purchase this station and that he wanted to purchase it. And that there had been a numerous year delay with the FCC reaching a decision. And he wanted their approval very bad for purposes of his business. I said, 'I would be glad to write a letter asking them to act, but I will not write a letter, I cannot write a letter asking them to approve or deny, because then that would be an interference in their activities. I think everybody is entitled to a decision. But I can't ask for a favorable disposition for you'."

Rep. Renzi (R-AZ), Co-Chair for McCain Campaign, Indicted

Congressman Rick Renzi (R-Flagstaff, Ariz.), state co-chair for John McCain's Arizona leadership team, was indicted on charges of "extortion, wire fraud, money laundering and other charges related to a land deal."

The Associated Press reports:

A 26-page federal indictment unsealed today accuses Renzi and two former business partners of conspiring to promote the sale of land that buyers could swap for property owned by the federal government. The sale netted one of Renzi's former partners $4.5 million.

A Campaign of Lobbyists

There isn't any other way to describe it, really, reading the latest Washington Post piece detailing why McCain team is shockingly tied to Washington lobbyists. And should he become the next president of the United States, then we've got something else on our hands...

A White House of lobbyists.

Consider, via the WaPo piece:

His campaign manager, Rick Davis, co-founded a lobbying firm whose clients have included Verizon and SBC Telecommunications. His chief political adviser, Charles R. Black Jr., is chairman of one of Washington's lobbying powerhouses, BKSH and Associates, which has represented AT&T, Alcoa, JPMorgan and U.S. Airways.

Senior advisers Steve Schmidt and Mark McKinnon work for firms that have lobbied for Land O' Lakes, UST Public Affairs, Dell and Fannie Mae.
[...]
McCain recently hired Mark Buse to be his Senate chief of staff. Buse led the Commerce Committee staff in the late 1990s and early 2000s, and was until last fall a lobbyist for ML Strategies, representing eBay, Goldman Sachs Group, Cablevision, Tenneco and Novartis Pharmaceuticals.

McCain's top fundraising official is former congressman Tom Loeffler (R-Tex.), who heads a lobbying law firm called the Loeffler Group. He has counseled the Saudis as well as Southwest Airlines, AT&T, Toyota and the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America.

It's really a huge list, and you should read the whole thing. But if you read nothing else, you've got to check out this sentence about his chief political advisor, mentioned in the article as chairman of one of Washington's lobbying powerhouses.

Black said he does a lot of his work by telephone from McCain's Straight Talk Express bus.

McCain talks a good game about lobbyists going back and forth between public officials and lobbyists. But I didn't know buses had revolving doors.

Lexis Nexis is a Magical Tool

For once, George Bush got something right. From the campaign for the Republican presidential nomination in 2000:

Texas Gov. George W. Bush, abandoning all pretense of running a nice-guy front-runner campaign, lashed out at John McCain's reform credentials today, charging that the Arizonan has hypocritically used his position as chairman of a Senate committee to raise money from lobbyists and to travel on corporate jets. "I'm not letting Senator McCain get away with this Washington doubletalk," Bush told reporters here. "He has been in Washington long enough to earn a very important committee chairmanship. He has used that position skillfully to forward his campaign." [Washington Post, 01/05/00]

Friday Open Thread

Chat away...

February 21, 2008

McCain Camp Pushes Back Lobbyist Article with E-Mail Ask from Lobbyist

Define irony:

Last night, the New York Times published an article chronicling John McCain's unethical run-ins over the years, and alleging that he may have aided a telecommunications lobbyist with regulators while chair of the Senate Commerce Committee. Springing into action, the McCain campaign made the article the subject of a fundraising ask under the name of -- here's the kicker -- lobbyist and campaign manager, Rick Davis.

Evening Open Thread

So what's going on out there, America?

California Republicans Protect Yacht Owners from Sales Taxes

California Republicans successfully thwarted an attempt to close the tax loophole for yacht owners. (It was described in the Sacramento Bee as "a loophole that allows purchasers of boats, motor homes and airplanes to take possession outside the state's boundaries and avoid California sales taxes if they leave it out of state for a specified period.")

Assembly Republicans defeated a bill that would close the so-called "sloop hole" that allows owners of yachts and private planes to dodge a use-tax by parking the vehicles out of state for the first three months after purchase.

California loses an estimated $26 million a year because of the current law...

Currently, the state is facing a $14 billion budget deficit. To give you a sense of the misplaced priorities, while California Republicans were protecting yacht owners, hundreds of disabled and seniors rallied at the State Capitol to protest 18 percent cuts to the In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS).

Local activists have bombarded the state GOP with calls. When they turned off their phones, they found other ways to voice their displeasure.

Afternoon Open Thread

Chat away in this fresh open thread.

Thursday Morning Open Thread

Here are a few stories to start your day.

• Richard Perle, one of the architects of the War in Iraq: "we have already won" the war but the war is "far from over."

• John McCain sided with President Bush on torture.

• American Research Group recorded the lowest approval rating for President Bush to date. Meet Mr. 19%.

February 20, 2008

Evening Open Thread

Chat away...

Thousands March for Voting Rights in Texas

Burnt Orange Report tells an incredible story of 1,000 young people from Prairie View A&M University who marched 7.3 miles with 1,000 community activists to the only polling location in all of rural Waller County, Texas.

The group marched to cast their ballots on the first day of early voting in Texas, and to also protest the limited access to the ballot.

The Waller County Courthouse in Hempstead is the only polling location and reportedly has only two voting machines. However, the actions of the students from Prairie View A&M and their community allies did not go unnoticed. From the Houston Chronicle:

Under pressure from the federal government, Waller County on Tuesday added three temporary polling places for early voting, ditching plans to open only one voting site in advance of the March 4 primary.

The Justice Department questioned the county's January decision to cut early-voting sites from a half dozen throughout the county to just one in Hempstead. The county's about-face came on the same day that vocal critics announced a mass march to the polls next week.

Commissioners made the change in an emergency session Tuesday to address questions from federal voting officials about whether one site would infringe on the rights of minority voters.

Early voting begins Tuesday, but the additional sites won't open until the end of next week. They will be available for voters from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Feb. 22 and 23.

Congratulations to the students and community activists!

Not Just Iraq

Today seems to be McCain-100-Years Day on this blog, so I might as well add one more post on the topic. Over at ThinkProgress (via commenter Cubilist), they've flagged down this exchange from John McCain and ABC's Good Morning America:

ROBERTS: So it’s clear you have no regrets in saying that the U.S. could be in Iraq for a hundred years.

MCCAIN: The U.S. could have a military presence anywhere in the world for a long period of time.

Thanks for the clarification. Had any other places in particular in mind?

Afternoon Open Thread

Chat away...

McCain On Bush's Biggest Mistake

If one were to ask most Americans the biggest failures of the Bush administration the list would be fairly large and varied. I suspect that Katrina, Iraq, Mission Accomplished, the outing of a CIA agent for political purposes, etc.

One could go on forever. For McCain Bush's biggest mistake was not vetoing budgets bills during his last seven years. Budgets that John McCain voted for year after year.

But, earlier in his administration, when the Republicans controlled Congress, Bush routinely signed budgets that included pork-barrel projects and earmarked spending.

"That was probably the biggest mistake the Bush administration made," McCain said Tuesday.

Not this:

Stretched Dangerously Thin Because of Iraq

So say 9 out of 10 current and retired military officers, according to a new poll. But as John McCain might say, those people obviously don't, you know, understand the military.

The methodology:

More than 3,400 serving and retired officers took part in the poll, organizers said. Around 90 percent were retired officers, a large majority had combat experience and about 10 percent had served in Iraq or Afghanistan.

Like Army Chief of Staff Gen. George Casey said back in 2007, "it’s going to take us three or four years and a substantial amount of resources to put" the Army "back in balance." Even that depends on when "the conflict end[s]."

100 years?

DSCC Releases Web Video of Bush Republicans on Iraq

Mike Link wrote earlier about John McCain's attempts at backtracking on comments about staying in Iraq until the next ice age.

This morning, our friends at the DSCC released a video with McCain and a slew of Republican senators -- Susan Collins, Maine; Judd Gregg, New Hampshire; Mitch McConnell, Kentucky; Norm Coleman, Minnesota -- towing the Bush Republican line on Iraq.

Shorter Bush Republicans on Iraq: "To infinity, and beyond!"

McCain Tries to Backtrack on 100 Years

Here's the thing about John McCain's remark that he wants us to stay in Iraq for the next 100 years: he didn't just say it, he kept saying it over and over when asked about it.

He didn't backtrack, he turned it into a key plank on his platform when he ran to the right of all the other Republicans in the primary. Unlike Romney, he said, he didn't even want secret timetables for moving our troops out because he wanted us to be there for the next century.

No more:

"The surge is succeeding," he said today. "We can bring our troops home with honor. And we can bring them all home or we can have security arrangements much along the lines we have had with other countries."

His earlier comment on 100 years "was taken out context -- wildly," McCain said. "But I understand that. We are not playing bean bag here."

Taken out of context so wildly that he had no problem with it until he decided to start running a general election strategy? Not only didn't he mind, but he used the comment to appeal to the far-right wing of the Republican Party.

So how can he expect us to believe that suddenly he's changed his mind on his central campaign issue in the primary -- being in Iraq for the next 100 years?

I guess this is his new strategy: pretend that the last few months never happened. He's discovered -- SHOCK! -- that the American people don't want to be there for 100 years, so goodbye to all that supposed "straight talk" about how people really agreed with his previously-in-context remark.

Wednesday Open Thread

Chat away...

February 19, 2008

Primary/Caucus Results Open Thread

They'll be coming in later tonight.

Until then, chat away...

12 Years for Duke Briber

Duke Cunningham briber, Bush Pioneer, and defense contractor Brent Wilkes is actually kind of lucky that he's only getting 12 years in prison, thanks to the new ruling by the judge in the case. He was convicted a while back on all 13 counts in his trial, and federal probation officials recommended that he serve 60.

Not that 12 years is a walk in the park. In fact, as TPM Muckraker notes, "when it comes to the flurry of congressional corruption cases in D.C., Wilkes has received the most severe sentence so far."

It's unclear, but it seems that one reason for the judge's lighter sentence is that he "disagreed with prosecutors who contended Wilkes masterminded the scheme." Instead, he put a lot more of the blame on Cunningham, who had already been sentenced to 8 years.

Bush Library Donor Spared Border Fence Cutting Property

Pure coincidence, I'm sure. From Think Progress:

In October 2006, President Bush authorized the construction of a 700-mile border fence between the United States and Mexico. Now, however, the Department of Homeland Security’s construction plans are facing opposition from Texans who object to the fence cutting through their property. The Washington Post reports on the hard line the Bush administration is taking with these protesting landowners ...

DHS has no problem pursuing elderly and struggling homeowners. In the small town of Granjeno (pop. 313), however, the border fence would, conveniently, “abruptly end” at the property owned by Dallas billionaire Ray L. Hunt.

It’s not surprising that the administration would be hesitant to upset Hunt, who was a Bush-Cheney campaign “Pioneer” in 2000. More recently, Hunt “donated $35 million to Southern Methodist University to help build Bush’s presidential library.” In 2001, Bush appointed Hunt to his Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board, granting him “a security clearance and access to classified intelligence.”

Hunt, one of the wealthiest oilmen in the world, previously served on the board of Halliburton and was National Petroleum Council chairman between 1991 and 1994.

Oil Closes Above $100

First time ever.

From CNBC: "U.S. crude oil futures settled at a record $100.01 a barrel on Tuesday, after surging to a record high of $100.10 intraday on refinery snags, a weak dollar, and concerns about supply from Venezuela and Nigeria and amid expectations OPEC will not increase output in March."

And speaking of record costs, there are also record profits. Flashback: $75,616,438.36 a day.

Updated by Matt Ortega: Of course, we have nothing to worry about because, as Mitt Romney pointed out before the U.S.S. Mitt crashed into a Super Tuesday iceberg, "Bush got us off of foreign oil."

So glad we dodged that bullet. Whew!

Afternoon Open Thread

• Wikileaks shut down. Now it's back up at another domain.
• Bush rejects that the spending in Iraq has any negative effect on the economy. In fact, it's smart economics, he declares. America disagrees.
• Congrats to TPM, which won a George Polk award for their work investigating the story behind the firing of US Attorneys.
• How does this happen?

Chat away...

Democrats Keeping Congress in Session

Sen. Reid has done this before, keeping the Senate in "pro forma" sessions in order to make sure that Bush can't exploit loopholes to get around the oversight of Congress. And this time Speaker Pelosi's going to do the same.

Here's what this does, via the Politico:

Since neither chamber goes out for more than three days, Bush cannot take the dramatic step of calling the Congress back for the first special session since Harry Truman did it in 1948.

Even though the Republicans in Congress refused to extend the the Protect America Act, Democrats continue working on the issue through the recess.

The Debate Begins: McCain vs America

McCain continues his transition to McCain 2.0 with his torture vote, as an LA Times editorial points out:

...Sen. McCain (R-Ariz.) should have voted last week for legislation sponsored by Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) that would remove any doubt that CIA interrogators are forbidden to engage in waterboarding and other tactics banned by the Army Field Manual. Instead, McCain squandered some of his moral authority by supporting the Bush administration's position that the CIA should have more leeway than military interrogators. [...] In voting to give Bush that inch, McCain has been untrue to his principles.

Not "Entirely" at Arms Length?

So which is it, Senator?

McCain, yesterday: "I'd be honored to have President George Bush's support, his endorsement. And I'd be honored to be anywhere with him under any circumstances. I am proud of this president's strategy in Iraq."

His advisor, yesterday: 'While there were risks for Mr. McCain to appear with Mr. Bush, it would be a bad idea to keep Mr. Bush entirely at arm's length.'

It sounds to me that they're planning on keeping some distance, despite what McCain is saying.

Tuesday Open Thread

Chat away...

February 18, 2008

Lazy Monday Morning Open Thread

Chat away...

February 17, 2008

Evening Open Thread

Chat away...

Sunday Open Thread

Chat away...

February 16, 2008

Evening Open Thread

Chat away...

From the Archives

Saturday Open Thread

Chat away...

February 15, 2008

Evening Open Thread

Chat away...

Republican Retirements

Yes, it's part historical trivia. But when the NRCC starts wondering why they're on defense, yet again, this will certainly be one more thing -- of many -- they can attribute it to:

According to the Cook Political Report's indispensable "House Race Summary," 30 Republicans are calling it quits before the November elections compared to just six Democrats [...]

A quick glance at the historical record shows the uniqueness of the current House landscape. The last two elections (2006 and 2004) have seen 21 and 19 Republican incumbents, respectively, pass on re-election bids. In fact, not since 1958 were there more Republican retirements over the course of a cycle (27) than today on the GOP side.

Maybe they can just fudge the numbers...

Beyond the Drama

I briefly alluded to what's going on with FISA and the Protect America Act (PPA) yesterday, but missed a lot of the specifics because of the DRAMA! of the House Republicans interrupting the service for Tom Lantos and later walking out during a contempt vote.

Their outrage lasted, I heard, about half an hour.

So I missed what's behind it, which is the debate over the PPA. Basically, President Bush -- with Republicans in Congress all too happy to follow his lead, like always -- are demanding that it pass immediately because, they say, it's about to expire.

And were it to expire, they continue, there would be havoc. But (1) this is, at best, a misrepresentation of the facts, and (2) maybe they shouldn't have refused to extend it.

Lots of blogs have been making those points, particularly the first one. But my favorite take-down comes from Chairman Reyes:

First, NSA can use its authority under Executive Order 12333 to conduct surveillance abroad of any known or suspected terrorist. There is no requirement for a warrant. There is no requirement for probable cause. Most of NSA’s collection occurs under this authority.

Second, NSA can use its authority under the Protect America Act, enacted last August, to conduct surveillance here in the U.S of any foreign target. This authority does not “expire” on Saturday, as you have stated. Under the PAA, orders authorizing surveillance may last for one year – until at least August 2008. These orders may cover every terrorist group without limitation. If a new member of the group is identified, or if a new phone number or email address is identified, the NSA may add it to the existing orders, and surveillance can begin immediately. We will not “go dark.”

Third, in the remote possibility that a new terrorist organization emerges that we have never previously identified, the NSA could use existing authority under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) to monitor those communications. Since its establishment nearly 30 years ago, the FISA Court has approved nearly every application for a warrant from the Department of Justice. In an emergency, NSA or the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) may begin surveillance immediately, and a FISA Court order does not have to be obtained for three days. The former head of FISA operations for the Department of Justice has testified publicly that emergency authorization may be granted in a matter of minutes.

I'm sure, in light of these facts, Bush will immediately correct the record and never distort the facts ever, ever again...

Oh wait.

Friday Five

Here are five of the events in PartyBuilder for the coming week. You can add your own event or find one near you.

1. Tom Katus Pre-CrackerBarrel (Rapid City, SD) - Tom invites all to a legislative session update before the Crackerbarrel at the Java Coffee Shop, SDMSMT Campus, at 8 am. The coffee shop is down the hall from the lecture hall where the Crackerbarrel takes place in the Classroom Building.
2. Let's get started (Riva, MD) - et's meet and plan ways to support the Party, to reclaim the White House, to involve new (young) voters. Kory Blake, chair of the Anne Arundel County Democratic Committee, will join us to speak about GOTV and grassroots organizing.
3. CRABBING with the DEMOCRATS (Sparks, NV) - The Truckee Meadows Democratic Alliance invites you to enjoy a fabulous evening.
4. Democrats Work: Food for Homeless Teens (Denver, CO) - Join the Democrats Work Convention Crew as we prepare and serve dinner at Denver's Urban Peak Shelter for homeless and runaway teens. Stick around, enjoy the dinner you helped prepare, and hang out with some of the shelter's clients.
5. Increasing voter turn out for Pct 87 (Corpus Christi, TX) - Increasing voter turn out for pct 87. Will you help me? Lets get block captains

Afternoon Open Thread

Chat away...

Another Principle Gets Tossed Out the Window

The disgraced Tom DeLay is now stumping for McCain in Arizona. DeLay once said that he "might have to sit this one out" if McCain won the nomination.

Flashback . . .

During a private luncheon with Republican chiefs of staff on Capitol Hill, DeLay — who has criticized McCain for years — stepped up his attacks in the wake of the senator’s reemergence as a top presidential contender. DeLay said McCain has no principles and indicated he would not endorse the senator if he won the GOP primary.

“If McCain gets the nomination, I don’t know what I’ll do,” DeLay said at the Capitol Hill Club, according to a source in the room. “I might have to sit this one out.”

He added that a McCain triumph for the GOP nomination would destroy the Republican Party.

Justice Department Says Waterboarding May be Legal

So when John McCain goes on Larry King Live, like he did last night, and says that we didn't need to vote on waterboarding, keep this in mind.

Specifically, the acting head of the Justice Department's Office of Legal Counsel said that the Justice Department hasn't determined whether it's legal, saying saying he "has not had occasion to address the question since the enactment of these new laws."

So in light of this, how does McCain explain his vote?

KING: Senator, despite a veto threat, the Senate voted 51-45 yesterday to prohibit the CIA from using waterboarding and other harsh interrogation methods.

MCCAIN: Yes.

KING: You voted to oppose that.

MCCAIN: I voted...

KING: Why?

MCCAIN: Because you...

KING: I thought you were against all that.

MCCAIN: I am. Let me make it very clear. Waterboarding, in my view, is torture, and it's illegal...

Yes, torture is illegal. But all of this falls short of explaining why he's against any new law that make clear that it's illegal.

But it was something he said later that stuck out even more:

But to say that they can't use any additional techniques, in my view, is not appropriate.

What did he say about additional techniques in the past? Here's what he said back in November: "The army general there said that techniques under the Army Field Manual are working and working effectively, and he didn’t think they need to do anything else."

Friday Open Thread

Chat away...

February 14, 2008

Evening Open Thread

Chat away...

Health Risks From FEMA Trailers

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has completed its preliminary analysis, testing the level of formaldehyde in occupied FEMA trailers that were issued to hurricane victims after Katrina.

Results weren't good. Here they are, straight from the CDC's website:

• "In many trailers, mobile homes, and park models tested, formaldehyde levels were elevated relative to typical levels of US indoor exposure."
• "Average levels of formaldehyde in all units was about 77 parts per billion (ppb). This level is higher than US background levels. Levels measured ranged from 3 ppb to 590 ppb."
• "These measured levels are likely to under-represent long-term exposures since formaldehyde levels tend to be higher in newer travel trailers and mobile homes and during warmer weather."
• "Indoor temperature was a significant factor for formaldehyde levels in this study independent of trailer make or model."
• "Formaldehyde levels varied by model (mobile homes, park homes, and travel trailers), but all types of trailers tested had some high levels."
• "At the levels seen in many trailers, health could be affected."

So what does this mean for the hurricane victims? According to the Washington Post, formaldehyde can "cause vision and respiratory problems, and long-term exposure has been linked to cancer, as well as to asthma, bronchitis and allergies in children."

Here's what CDC Director Julie Gerberding has to say: "We're also concerned because they've been in there 18 months, and even a low level could result in large cumulative exposure. We know less about effects of chronic exposure. It's very important we reduce it as much and as quickly as we can, and the way to do that is to get people out of these homes."

House GOP Walks Out

It was part of the theatrics by the House Republicans that they now seem to be regretting. But here's how it all started, via MSNBC's First Read: "Right in the middle of the Statuary Hall service for the late Tom Lantos, a Republican went to the floor -- just steps from the solemn proceedings -- and called a procedural vote, apparently out of pique."

Explanation of the specifics of how this worked:

At 11:05 am this morning, Diaz-Balart [R] offered a motion to adjourn, which, if passed, would have ended the House's legislative day. It appears the intent was to keep the House from debating contempt citations for former White House Counsel Harriet Miers and White House Chief of Staff Josh Bolten, which were on the agenda. According to the Congressional Research Service, "A motion to adjourn is of the highest privilege, takes precedence over all other motions, is not debatable, and must be put to an immediate vote." That means that the members of the House had to leave the Lantos memorial where they were paying their respects to vote on the House floor, for nothing more important than to keep the day's business open.

It was a pretty shocking move for them. All because they wanted to protest the idea that a bill that they voted against extending could, as a result, expire. A bill, by the way, that had absolutely nothing to do with the contempt vote.

Got that?

Yeah.

They're outraged -- OUTRAGED! -- that a bill they voted against extending could now expire as a result.

So they did exactly what you'd expect them to do, which is stage a walk-out specifically on a completely different vote, the contempt resolution for Harriet Myers and Joshua Bolton.

It passed.

House Approves Contempt Resolutions for Miers and Bolten

I'll have more on the story behind what happened in a bit, but it's important to note that the House recommended to find Harriet Miers and Joshua Bolten in contempt of Congress for refusing to comply with subpoenas.

Speaker Pelosi: "This is beyond arrogance. This is hubris taken to the ultimate degree. As former Congressman Edwards, again, I remind a former member in the Republican leadership of the House, said, 'No Congress, indeed no lawyer, would ever agree to such an outrageous demand.'"

Afternoon Open Thread

Chat away...

McCain's Rumsfeld Rewrite

The Washington Post's Peter Baker calls out John McCain's revisionist history on his criticisms of then-Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld.

As he gets closer to the Republican nomination, John McCain has been trying to balance his unqualified support for the Iraq war by reminding audiences that he was also a tough critic of the way it was managed until President Bush finally changed strategies a year ago. In recent weeks, McCain has gone so far as to tell audiences that he was "the only one" who called for then-Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld's resignation.

The only trick is he never did, at least not publicly. [...] But even as he was criticizing Rumsfeld, McCain typically stopped short of calling for the defense secretary to step down on the grounds that it was up to the president to decide who served in his cabinet.

Provided are a few recent instances of McCain rewriting the history of his criticisms of Rumsfeld.

McCain has rewritten that history a couple times lately. While campaigning in Fort Myers, Fla., on Jan. 26, he told a crowd: "In the conflict that we're in, I'm the only one that said we have to abandon the Rumsfeld strategy -- and Rumsfeld -- and adopt a new strategy." Then four days later during a debate at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, Calif., aired on CNN, McCain said, "I'm the only one that said that Rumsfeld had to go."

Baker calls it a "script rewrite" in his headline. Now that the writers are returning to work from the three month strike, maybe John McCain can get better fiction writing?

Everything He Touches Turns Into An Ethics Investigation

A Huckabee pastor endorsement is being investigated by the IRS:

An attorney for clergyman Wiley S. Drake confirmed Wednesday that the Internal Revenue Service was investigating the pastor's endorsement of former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee's presidential bid, written on church letterhead and announced during a church-affiliated Internet radio show. [...] As tax-exempt organizations, churches are barred from campaigning for candidates. IRS officials declined to comment on the matter, citing privacy regulations.

Happy Valentine's Day

Some folks at the Democratic Party put together a special video celebrating the "Sweetheart Deal" McCain has made with the far right-wing.

Enjoy.

Thursday Open Thread

Chat away...

February 13, 2008

Evening Open Thread

Chat away...

McCain Shows Up... But Only to Flip Flop

Today with 51 votes, the Senate successfully voted to declare that, as Senator Reid put it, "the Army Field Manual works and torture does not." There's the possibility of a Bush veto, of course, but the Senate stood up and made their voice heard. And of course, if Bush vetoes, we can push for Republicans to actually stand up to the Bush administration and vote to overturn it.

But what about Senator McCain, the man who not that long ago declared (with video!):

I just came back from visiting a prison in Iraq. The Army General there said the techniques under the Army Field Manual are working and working effectively. And he didn't think they needed to do anything else.

Well, he voted against the bill to abide by the Army Field Manual, of course. More double-talk from the Senator who this time is refusing to take a stand against waterboarding.

Contempt

TPM Muckraker:

House Judiciary Committee Chair John Conyers (D-MI) introduced two resolutions this afternoon related to the subpoenas. The first is a criminal contempt resolution against White House chief of staff Josh Bolten and former White House counsel Harriet Miers -- both were subpoenaed and did not respond, citing the White House's invocation of executive privilege.

To be clear, they didn't simply decide that they didn't want to respond to individual questions that -- in their view -- might be shielding by executive privilege. No, instead they simply did not appear in front of the committee at all.

It's an important distinction to make, I think. Because it's not just a lack of willingness to work with Congress. It's to an extent that's quite remarkable.

TPM Muckraker got the resolution itself, and reports that a second resolution "would serve as an available alternative should Attorney General Michael Mukasey follow through on his threat not to enforce the criminal citation."

Don't Mess With Me, Er, Texas

Huckabee refuses to face the music:

Brushing off calls by Texas Gov. Rick Perry and others for him to withdraw from the presidential race, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee said Tuesday that his longshot strategy for winning the Republican nomination runs straight through Texas.

"Texas is very, very important to us," Huckabee told a meeting with reporters. "We will spend a lot of time in Texas between now and March 4."

So will the famous McCain temper finally be unleashed on Huckabee?

Afternoon Open Thread

• Clemens testifies before Congress.
• Giuliani is deep "in the hole" financially with campaign debts.
• Comcast admitting to slowing down some of its downloads, for music, movies, and other files.
• Ambassadors agree: Bolton undermined UN reforms.

Chat away...

McCain Runs Against...

...himself:

In recent months McCain has styled himself as a tax-cutter. He said he supported President Ronald Reagan's tax reductions, though he wasn't in Congress when Reagan pushed through his 1981 package. [...]

After Bush's election, McCain opposed the new president's 2001 tax plan. ``I cannot in good conscience support a tax cut in which so many of the benefits go to the most fortunate among us at the expense of middle-class Americans,'' he said. He was one of two Republican senators to vote against the cuts.

Two years later he voted against a second round of tax cuts, arguing that a nation at war couldn't afford them.

Victory for Writers

And it's a victory for all workers and union-members. It's also good news for the Networks, since it's a fair deal that, in the words of CBS executive Leslie Moonves, "recognizes the large contribution that writers have made to the industry."

It was put to a vote by the writers, and the results were overwhelming: 3,492 voted for the new contract with only 283 voting against. And so the three-month strike is over.

Under the agreement:

Writers would get a maximum flat fee of about $1,200 for streamed programs in the deal's first two years and then get 2 percent of a distributor's gross in year three -- a key union demand.

Other provisions include increased residual payments for downloaded movies and TV programs.

Wednesday Open Thread

Chat away...

February 12, 2008

Evening Open Thread

Chat away...

McCain: Anyone Who Worries About How Long We're In Iraq Does Not Understand The Military

Tell that to the vast majority of Americans who worry specifically about that. The full context, which includes the same bogus explanation as his 100 years comment -- thereby missing the point -- comes over at Think Progress.

They also note comments by the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Adm. Mike Mullen and Army Chief of Staff Gen. George Casey:

- In October 2007, Casey said that “it’s going to take us three or four years and a substantial amount of resources to put” the Army “back in balance” and that time frame depends on when “the conflict end[s].”

- In July 2007, Mullen testified that without political and economic progress in Iraq, “no amount of troops and no amount of time will make much of a difference” and that “a protracted deployment of U.S. troops to Iraq…risks further emboldening Iranian hegemonic ambitions.”

So the American people aren't alone. Apparently McCain believes they don't "understand the military," either.

Afternoon Open Thread

• Writers are expected to vote on their contract soon.
• Scalia says "it would be absurd to say that you can’t stick something under the fingernails, smack them in the face." Audio at Think Progress.
• Ron Paul: I'm still in the race!
• Huckabee has now become McCain’s biggest headache.

Chat away...

RNC Hiring TPM Readers?

It's yet another election day, but the RNC hasn't begun advertising for John McCain yet -- no, first they're spending that money trying to hire readers of the respected left-leaning blog Talking Points Memo.

Not exactly what you'd expect by the man who supposedly "helped lay the groundwork for political use of the Internet."

Huckabee Didn't Get the Memo

He's still doing robocalls on Romney:

I've gotten multiple reports from politicos in Maryland and Virginia about the Trust Huckabee robo-calls. The third-party group has launched their usual automated calls going after Huck's rivals, but with a twist: they haven't take Mitt out of their cross-hairs.

Huckabee has disavowed the group's efforts, but took a contribution from their parent organization last quarter.
[...]
The group offers even more oppo on the dreaded Romney, hitting the former rival on abortion, taxes, immigration and guns.

Judge Orders Missing Email Related Inquiry

The latest, from CREW, on what they claim are over 10 million White House emails not properly saved:

In this lawsuit CREW is seeking documents that the [Office of Administration] prepared assessing the scope of the missing White House email problem and its proposed recovery plan. The administration has taken the position that the OA is not an agency subject to the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), despite responding to FOIA requests in the past.

More on the implications of this from the Associated Press:

The judge said she will allow Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington to gather a "very limited" amount of information from the White House Office of Administration, which is in charge of preserving e-mail.

The issue for Kollar-Kotelly is whether the Office of Administration operates with substantial independent authority. If the judge finds that it does, the private group can pursue data about what went wrong with the White House e-mail system.

Tuesday Open Thread

Chat away...

February 11, 2008

Evening Open Thread

Chat away...

McCain's Doubletalk

It's all part of the manufactured storyline McCain's campaign has tried to create by claiming to be a critic -- no, THE critic -- while being the number one supporter of the Bush Iraq policy.

You see this in a number of ways, but one of them is trying to claim it was just President Bush -- not him -- that thought this would be a "day at the beach."

He wants to pretend he never said that "success will be fairly easy." Or that there's "no doubt in [his] mind that once these people are gone that we will be welcomed as liberators." And nevermind when he said "I believe that we can win an overwhelming victory in a very short period of time."

Rove, Revisited

Earlier I wrote about McCain's kind words for Karl Rove, who he repeatedly praised as "one of the smartest political minds," noting that he'd love to have Rove's advice despite the reporter citing Rove's "very aggressive tactics." Kind of lets you know what to expect if McCain becomes their nominee.

But are the feelings mutual? Here's what Rove had to say about McCain eight years ago (via Swampland):

Afternoon Open Thread

• McCain's advisor are hoping for another Bush bear hug.
• "As good as it gets for defense contractors."
• A tentative deal has been struck with the writers.
• Not exactly the best surrogate these days... Bush says he’ll ‘help’ McCain campaign if he's the nominee. [Mike Gehrke]
• And there's no consensus. McCain suffers major losses in weekend contests. [Mike Gehrke]

Study Critical of War Planning and Administration Buried by Army

Following eighteen months of research on post-war Iraq, the RAND Corporation produced a detailed report in 2005 that was critical of "nearly every organization that had a role in planning the war." The Army, however, buried the study -- RAND produced a classified and unclassified versions -- until the New York Times obtained a copy.

But the study’s wide-ranging critique of the White House, the Defense Department and other government agencies was a concern for Army generals, and the Army has sought to keep the report under lock and key. [...]

That assessment parallels the verdicts of numerous former officials and independent analysts.

The study chided President Bush — and by implication Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who served as national security adviser when the war was planned — as having failed to resolve differences among rival agencies. “Throughout the planning process, tensions between the Defense Department and the State Department were never mediated by the president or his staff,” it said.

The report takes the Defense and State departments to task. From the Times article:

The Defense Department led by Donald H. Rumsfeld was given the lead in overseeing the postwar period in Iraq despite its "lack of capacity for civilian reconstruction planning and execution."

The State Department led by Colin L. Powell produced a voluminous study on the future of Iraq that identified important issues but was of "uneven quality" and “did not constitute an actionable plan.”

The report listed numerous failures and major mistakes that compounded problems, among these were:

Bush administration officials underestimated the requirements to rebuild Iraq and "[t]here was also little incentive to challenge that assumption, the report said."

There was a "general lack of coordination" and "'[T]here was never an attempt to develop a single national plan that integrated humanitarian assistance, reconstruction, governance, infrastructure development and postwar security,' the study said."

The military under Gen. Tommy Franks' command "assumed that Iraq’s police and civil bureaucracy would stay on the job and had no fallback option in case that expectation proved wrong."

There was a "shortfall" of forces that was "exacerbated" when General Franks and Rumsfeld withheld a division as U.S. forces entered Baghdad, reflecting their "assessment that the war had been won."

These blunders, notes the report, had "'the inadvertent effort of strengthening the insurgency,' as Iraqis experienced a lack of security and essential services and focused on 'negative effects of the U.S. security presence.'"

Senior Army officials, unhappy about the findings, questioned the study and resisted a response from RAND seeking publication. One of the study's formal sponsors said in a statement that "it lacked the perspective needed for future planning by the U.S. Army."

A Pentagon official who is familiar with the episode offered a different interpretation: Army officials were concerned that the report would strain relations with a powerful defense secretary and become caught up in the political debate over the war. “The Army leaders who were involved did not want to take the chance of increasing the friction with Secretary Rumsfeld,” said the official, who asked not to be identified because he did not want to alienate senior military officials.

The Army asked RAND to resubmit their study.

Also in the Times today: Secretary Robert Gates publicly endorsed "pausing" troop reductions.

Tom Lantos, 1928-2008

Governor Dean issued the following statement:

Our nation has lost a great public servant with the passing of Representative Tom Lantos. In serving his constituents and his country, Tom never forgot the Democratic Party's ideals of freedom, fairness, and opportunity for all. As Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, he was an authority on foreign policy issues and a voice for the oppressed. The only Holocaust survivor in Congress, he was a forceful and passionate advocate for civil liberties and human rights. Today, I join with countless others across the country in offering my thoughts and prayers to Rep. Lantos' family and friends as we honor his life and legacy.

And from a statement on Lantos' House website:

Throughout his adult life Lantos sought to be a voice for human rights and civil liberties. He and Annette Lantos, his childhood sweetheart and wife of nearly 58 years were, as Lantos put it, "full partners both in Congress and in life," and they continued their work right up to his final days. Tom Lantos was the founding co-chairman of the 24-year-old Congressional Human Rights Caucus, which Annette directed as a volunteer since its inception. He also founded the Congressional Friends of Animals Caucus.

Annette said that her husband's life was "defined by courage, optimism, and unwavering dedication to his principles and to his family."

Karl Rove's Candidate

QUESTION: Karl Rove?

MCCAIN: Oh I, listen, he ah. Nobody denies he's one of the smartest political minds in America. I'd be glad to get his advice. I get advice from a lot of people. I'd be happy to have his advice.

QUESTION: I was wondering about that, right…

MCCAIN: He beat me. I certainly would be glad to get his advice. I don't think I'd want to revisit how he did it. And I mean that. Not about South Carolina. I mean I don't feel like reliving my defeat.

QUESTION: Are you worried about, he uses very aggressive tactics is that something that--

MCCAIN: I've always respected Karl Rove as one of the smart great political minds I think in American politics. I've always respected him. We never had any ill will after the initial South Carolina thing. After we had the meeting with President Bush we moved on. I've seen Karl Rove many times when I've been over at the White House. We've always had pleasant conversations.

Monday Open Thread

Chat away...

February 10, 2008

Sunday Open Thread

Chat away...

February 9, 2008

From the Archives

Saturday Open Thread

Chat away...

February 8, 2008

PB Rescue Open Thread

PB user Paul Thompson asks that you become an organ donor.

Chat away...

Waxman Issues Subpoena for EPA

Rep. Waxman, Chairman of the Oversight and Government Reform Committed, just issued a subpoena for a "key presentation [...] by EPA staff about California's regulations to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from automobiles."

Apparently, EPA Administrator Stephen Johnson disagreed with his staff over whether to grant the petition to California. And the EPA is refusing to give the Senate committee access to it.

TPM Muckraker notes that "the EPA is crying foul, fretful that the committee will turn the documents over to the 16 states and five environmental advocacy groups that are suing the agency over the decision."

Bush Passes the Torch to McCain

Third. Bush. Term.:

In a speech to the Conservative Political Action Conference in Washington, Bush offered an implicit endorsement of McCain's bona fides as a true conservative in the face of deep skepticism on the right. Although he did not mention McCain by name, the president said whoever ends up being the Republican nominee will represent conservative values.

"We have had good debates and soon we will have a nominee who will carry a conservative banner into this election and beyond," Bush said. "The stakes in November are high. . . . Prosperity and peace are in the balance. So with confidence in our vision and faith in our values, let us go forward, fight for victory and keep the White House in 2008."

My favorite part: "Prosperity and peace are in the balance..." so vote for the guy who wants to be in Iraq for 100 years!

Earlier today, TIME Magazine's Mark Halperin, who broke the story of Mitt Romney's departure from the race yesterday, says that privately, President Bush sees John McCain as the best person to carry his (disastrously failed) agenda forward. (Transcript of the clip below.)

Steve Doocy: Do you think it's interesting that the president will not mention John McCain by name today?

Mark Halperin: Mike Huckabee is still formally in the race. The President behind the scenes has told people for months that he thought McCain would be the nominee. Even during some of those dark periods he still thought he could win. And also that McCain would be the best to carry forth his agenda. I've got news for you before the president starts, Karl Rove, a friend of Fox, Fox Contributor, yesterday delivered a check for $2,300 to John McCain." [Fox News, Fox and Friends, 2/8/2008]

That sounds about right.

Friday Five

Here are five of the events in PartyBuilder for the coming week. You can add your own event or find one near you.

1. Committee Breakfast (Bristol, VA) - The Bristol Va Democratic Committee will gather for a "dutch treat" breakfast at Shoney's on Lee Highway, in Bristol, VA on Saturday, Feb. 9 at 10 am.
2. Valentines for Vets (Denver, CO) - Put on your crafty cap and join Democrats Work volunteers in creating hand-made Valentine's for veterans recovering at Denver's VA Rehabilitation Center.
3. Nevada State Democratic Party Central Committee Meeting (Pahrump, NV) - State Central Committee Meeting Agenda.
4. Crook County House Party (Hulett, WY) - We're going to bring together Democratic activists to hear about our plan to organize precincts across the state and across the country to win this year's elections.
5. Bye Bye Bush Bash (Green Bay, WI) - This is a Democratic Party Fundraiser to help get democrats elected in Northeastern WI.

Afternoon Open Thread

• "Boo!"
• CIA Director Michael Hayden's not sure waterboarding is legal, but isn't exactly curious, either.
• Don’t forget about Huck!! [Mike Gehrke]
• Mitt Romney, it was fun while it lasted. [Mike Gehrke]

Chat away...

More on the NRCC Scandal

Details are finally starting to emerge. And Republican lawmakers don't want to hear those details, even privately, for fear of becoming a part of the scandal.

From the Politico:

Finally, at a recent meeting, the now former NRCC treasurer, Christopher J. Ward, relented, giving Conaway what was supposed to be an official internal audit from 2006. That document was a fake, the GOP members said. Even the letterhead on which it was sent was a forgery.

Revelations about the falsified document touched off an unfolding scandal that has rocked the NRCC and spurred a criminal investigation by the FBI into the committee’s accounting procedures.
[...]
But it may take four to six weeks for a forensic audit of the NRCC to be completed, one senior Republican lawmaker said, and until then, it is unclear what, if any, wrongdoing occurred or the scope of potential losses to the committee.
[...]
The acknowledgment that the committee’s financial records might be inaccurate or falsified opens the possibility that the accounting problems could run much deeper than initially suggested in Cole’s original public statement on the matter.

Bush League Justice

MSNBC's Dan Abrams takes a look at what passes in President Bush's 'Justice' Department with Georgetown Law School professor, Jonathan Turley.

He Already Quit His Day Job

McCain got lost on his way to the Senate floor:

McCain has missed 255 of 450 votes cast in the Senate since January 2007, including every vote this year until Thursday's. That's according to the Democratic National Committee, which keeps a tally.

"It's very hard, obviously. I've missed a lot of votes, and there's no doubt about it," the Arizona senator told reporters Wednesday during a flight from Phoenix to Washington.

Friday Open Thread

Chat away...

February 7, 2008

Evening Open Thread

Chat away...

Republicans Still Divided

Senator McCain continues to pander to the right-wing -- he just finished speaking to CPAC -- but the Republican Party is still divided.

Exhibit A: the GOP Moneybomb is a bust. Republican activists have been trying to raise money for the Republican nominee all day, and here's how they've done so far.

Afternoon Open Thread

• Earlier I spoke about McCain being the only Senator who skipped the economic stimulus vote, but now it turns out he was back in DC in time and didn't vote anyway. Think Progress compiles the evidence and it's clear he wanted to avoid taking a stand.
• And he's racking up the missed votes.
• Mukasey won't investigate waterboarding. And now he won't investigate warrantless wiretapping, either.
• This is unbelievable.

Chat away...

Romney Out

As somebody in the office just noted, it's Romney's last flip-flop. Various news outlets are reporting Mitt Romney will be dropping out of the race.

NY Times earlier today: "Mitt Romney is committed to staying in the Republican presidential race despite his losses on Tuesday...his advisers said Wednesday."

And now: "Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney will suspend his bid for the Republican presidential nomination..."

No Bear Hug?

"That definitional period is so significant, and the president is such a big gun to associate yourself with. So I wouldn't expect a big bear hug."
- Dan Bartlett, Bush's former counselor

No bear hug? Well how do you explain this picture?

McCain at CPAC

Today Senator McCain will go where no maverick has gone before -- to the annual Conservative Political Action Committee conference that he skipped in the past.

He's scheduled for 3PM, and we'll be watching to see if he continues the extreme right-wing pandering that has become a staple of his campaign, flip-flopping on immigration, promising 100 years in Iraq, and changing his position on the Bush tax cuts.

And that's just the beginning.

The event has been controversial in the past for having speakers like Ann Coulter (who still has a role -- though scaled back -- at this year's convention).

History Lessons

Orlando Sentinel:

A week ago, [Florida GOP Congresswoman Ginny] Brown-Waite sent out a press release about the economic-stimulus package pending in Congress. She said the package shouldn't give $600-per-person checks to residents of Puerto Rico and Guam.

"I do not believe American taxpayer funds should be sent to foreign citizens who do not pay taxes," Brown-Waite said.

Puerto Ricans and Guamanians are U.S. citizens, since 1917 and 1950, respectively.

California Latinos Set Turnout Record

The Latino community is one of the most rapidly growing in the country, and with the rise in numbers will be a rise in political power. Latinos turned out in huge numbers across the country on Super Tuesday, and set a record in California. From the San Jose Mercury News:

With Tuesday's record-setting turnout, California Hispanics for the first time performed as well as any other racial group in a statewide election.

The outpouring was especially strong on the Democratic side, with Hispanics accounting for 30 percent of Tuesday's presidential primary vote.

Hispanic Democrats nearly doubled their percentage from the 2000 and 2004 primaries. And they matched their percentage among California adults [...]

John McCain Skips Stimulus Package Vote

Yesterday Republicans blocked the economic stimulus package in the Senate, which would have extended unemployment benefits and sends helped out wounded and disabled veterans. It also would have helped 21.5 million senior citizens get stimulus checks, among other things.

Democrats were one vote short of pushing it through the Republican obstruction, but where was John McCain? Holding "Mac is Back" rallies, putting what's best for his campaign ahead of what's best for the country.

One vote. That's all we needed to stop the obstruction and get this done for the American people. McCain was nowhere to be seen.

Maybe he's just not all that interested in the economy. Last month U.S. News wrote that the GOP frontrunners "appeared unaware of the fiscal stimulus debate currently happening in Washington." And he has noted himself that he "doesn't really understand economics."

Thursday Open Thread

Chat away...

February 6, 2008

Evening Open Thread

Chat away...

Clemency Turned Bad

Yet another one:

A Van Buren man paroled in 2004 after then-Gov. Mike Huckabee commuted his six-year prison sentence for fourth-offense DWI pleaded guilty to a new drunken driving charge Tuesday.

Eugene Fields, 69, was sentenced to 14 days in the Sebastian County Detention Center following his plea in Fort Smith District Court to charges of second-offense DWI and refusing a breath test.
[...]
Fort Smith police arrested Fields on Friday night after the vehicle he was driving was spotted "weaving in and out of his lane" of traffic, according to an arrest report.

NRCC probe scares GOP

The Politico reports:

Top House Republicans were told in recent days that a former employee of their campaign committee may have forged an official audit during the contentious 2006 election cycle and that they should brace for the possibility that an unfolding investigation could uncover financial improprieties stretching back several years, according to GOP sources briefed on the members-only discussions.

The former employee later became an outside contractor for them, as well, and has been managing their bookkeeping "for more than a decade."

Other clients of the alleged rogue bookkeeper include:
- Rep. Jim Saxton of New Jersey
- Rep. James T. Walsh of New York
- Rep. Jerry Weller of Illinois
- Rep. Steve Buyer of Indiana
- Rep. Phil English of Pennsylvania
- Rep. Bob Goodlatte of Virginia

The NRCC isn't saying much -- just that there "may" have been "fraud."

Afternoon Open Thread

• Bush effectively kills Freedom of Information Act compliance officer position in his budget request.
• Trent Lott appreciation day.
• McCain to GOP critics: "calm down."
• Not a great couple weeks for Giuliani... New baseball cards include Mayor celebrating with the Red Sox. [Mike Gehrke]
• John Mellencamp not happy about McCain using his music on the campaign trail. [Mike Gehrke]

Chat away...

Significantly Stressed

The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Michael Mullen, said today that US forces are "significantly stressed" and that "the pace of ongoing operations has prevented our forces from fully training for the full spectrum of operations and impacts our ability to be ready to counter future threats."

That's a pretty strong national security argument against the extended 100 year stay in Iraq that John McCain is making a key point in his platform this primary season.

It also points out one of costs that's sometimes noted, but not often fully discussed in this debate -- the cost of our attention being focused elsewhere.

One of the most-cited examples is Afghanistan, where -- as Mullen notes -- there is "a growing insurgency, increasing violence and a burgeoning drug trade fueled by widespread poppy cultivation."

Just add that to the list of "small costs."

Democrats Shatter Previous Primary Turnout Records

CNN reported late last night on massive Democratic turnout across the country. Some of these figures are based off of incomplete returns, like Arizona for instance, who broke the previous record by 80,000 with 67% percent in at the time.

Though the fate of the Democratic race to the nomination remains uncertain, one thing is for sure: voters are turning out for the Democratic primaries in number that absolutely shatter previous records — which may be a troubling sign for Republicans looking ahead to the general election.

We may not have a nominee yet, but I'll tell you this, when you look at these numbers from the across the country, one thing is for certain: our Democratic nominee will be competitive anywhere.

STATE: MISSOURI
PREVIOUS RECORD: 528,000
VOTES TONIGHT SO FAR: 778,000 (98% reporting)
% CHANGE OVER PREVIOUS RECORD: +47%

STATE: ILLINOIS
PREVIOUS RECORD: 1,504,000
VOTES TONIGHT SO FAR: 1,809,000 (91% reporting)
% CHANGE OVER PREVIOUS RECORD: +20%

STATE: NEW YORK
PREVIOUS RECORD: 1,575,000
VOTES TONIGHT SO FAR: 1,744,000 (99% reporting)
% CHANGE OVER PREVIOUS RECORD: +11%

STATE: NEW JERSEY
PREVIOUS RECORD: 654,000
VOTES TONIGHT SO FAR: 1,104,000 (99% reporting)
% CHANGE OVER PREVIOUS RECORD: +69%

STATE: MASSACHUSETTS
PREVIOUS RECORD: 793,000
VOTES TONIGHT SO FAR: 1,170,000 (98% reporting)
% CHANGE OVER PREVIOUS RECORD: +48%

STATE: ARIZONA
PREVIOUS RECORD: 239,000
VOTES TONIGHT SO FAR: 314,000 (67% reporting)
% CHANGE OVER PREVIOUS RECORD: +31%

Million Dollar Delegates

Maybe he should have invested in something else. Romney is getting a bad return on candidacy:

By Republican strategist Alex Vogel's calculation, Mitt Romney is giving Gramm a run for his money. The former Massachusetts governor has spent $1.16 million per delegate, a rate that would cost him $1.33 billion to win the nomination.

Reportedly, in the Romney camp it's a day of "frank discussions."

(Photo credit: Jon, Flight Blogger)

Updated at 11:22am [by Matt Ortega]: Rudy Giuliani says, "I see your $1.16 million per delegate, and raise you $50 million."

Wednesday Open Thread

Chat away...

Will AZ Republicans Reject McCain?

It's unclear at this point, but it looks like a strong possibility that John McCain won't break 50-percent in his own home state. With 67% reporting, he's only at 47-percent, with a majority choosing other candidates.

It's still a plurality, but it's still could turn out to be a notable rejection worth mentioning.

February 5, 2008

McCain, Romney and Huckabee Split More States

Sen. John McCain kept up the trend of winning his home state of Arizona.

Up north, the state of North Dakota goes for Gov. Mitt Romney with a 13 point win over Sen. McCain, 36-23 with 98 percent reporting. Reports show huge turnout for Democrats, nearly twice the expected turnout.

Some news in the Georgia Republican primary, I saw that one of the cable news outlets called the state for Gov. Mike Huckabee. Huckabee managed to pull out the win which had been too close to call for nearly four hours.

Colorado, which is reporting stuffed caucus locations on the Democratic side, has yet to produce a winner for the Republicans.

Polling Pictures

A cool idea from the New York Times, where you can post and view photographs from polling locations all over the country -- and even search by state, time, and ballot type.

Just one more thing to do while you stay up all night commenting and waiting for the results to come in out west.

Election Results Open Thread

We're liveblogging, pushing the old open thread down the page... so I figured I'd give you another one.

Enjoy, and chat away...

Democratic Enthusiasm in Colorado, Minnesota

The Washington Post's Josh White reports from Colorado on packed crows for their caucus:

Colorado’s caucuses opened at 7 p.m. local time (9 p.m. EST) tonight and were facing an expected crush of voters. Bill Compton, political director for the state Democratic Party, said some locations were so full that people were spilling into the hallways. [emphasis added]

A friend writes from Minnesota:

Usually we have about 50 people show up for our caucuses in a small town in a county that's been Republican since the Civil War, even during the heyday of the Farmer-Labor years in the 1920s and 1930s.

Tonight? Almost 300 voters.

Two words, six syllables, say it with me now: "Enthusiasm gap." Change is in the air and the wind is at the backs of Democrats.

Updated at 10:50pm: The Washington Post has more on "historic turnout" in the state of Minnesota.

"The turnout is historic," said Kelly Schwinghammer, a state party spokeswoman. "I'd venture to say we've probably never seen anything like this. [...]"

Tornado in Tennessee

Just heard on MSNBC that a tornado touched down this afternoon in Tennessee as voters were heading to the polls, and that some of them closed early.

CNN: Rudy Delivers New York for McCain; $50 Million Delegate Too Close to Call

CNN Senior Political Analyst Bill Schneider reported on the network's blog, Political Ticker, that former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani helped deliver New York for Sen. John McCain.

Our exit polls show the former New York City mayor's endorsement of McCain played a key factor in his win there. Over half of New York Republicans said Giuliani's endorsement was important, and those voters went to McCain over Romney 63 percent to 22 percent. (Romney beat McCain by 47 percent to 29 percent among those voters who said Giuliani's endorsement was not important.)

No word on Giuliani's sole, $50 million delegate.

Georgia On My Mind

Georgia closed their polls at 7:00pm tonight and we are still waiting on a final result in the Republican primary. MSNBC reported a slim margin between Gov. Mike Huckabee leading Sen. John McCain with Gov. Mitt Romney hanging around for a close three-way race.

In the meantime, enjoy this live performance of "Georgia On My Mind" by Ray Charles.

McCain's Tri-State Trifecta

John McCain completed the tri-state trifecta, adding to his win in Connecticut with wins in New York and New Jersey.

Gov. Dean on TV [VIDEO]

Gov. Howard Dean, chair of the Democratic National Committee (DNC), appeared on CNN's The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer, and MSNBC's Hardball with Chris Matthews earlier today.

More Polls Close, More States Declared

The networks called several states since the polls closed at 8:00pm.

Here's a shocker: Gov. Mike Huckabee won his home state of Arkansas.

Gov. Mitt Romney was able to hold on to the state he, apparently, despised for the twenty-plus years he lived, raised his kids and governed there.

Meanwhile, Sen. John McCain won in Illinois, New Jersey, and Connecticut.

McCain turns to O'Reilly

McCain has been trying to pander to the right-wing fringe of his party in a desperate attempt to win the nomination. This morning in an interview with Matt Lauer, John McCain referred to Bill O'Reilly as validator of his extreme political views. The problem is that Bill O'Reilly is being criticized by Veteran groups for dismissing the hundreds of thousands of Veterans who are homeless on any given night.

More Governor Dean on your TV

Governor Dean plans to attend each of the following media outlets tonight.

8:40 PM: ABC Radio Nationwide

8:50 PM: Newsweek-Washington Post Webcast
Watch at http://www.newsweek.com/

9:00 PM: Brave New Films-Huffington Post Webcast
Watch at http://bravenewfilms.org/network/5-super-tuesday

9:20 PM: Bloomberg's Money & Politics

9:40 PM: MSNBC Live with Keith Olbermann

10:35 PM: NPR Super Tuesday with Michelle Norris

Georgia Polls Close, Results Trickling In

The polls closed in Georgia at 7:00pm tonight. It is too close to call on the Republican side between Sen. John McCain (R-Arizona), Gov. Mike Huckabee (R-Arkansas) and Gov. Mitt Romney (R-Massachusetts).

It looks like a long night is in store. Someone fire up the Mr. Coffee, we're going to need it tonight!

For full Georgia results, click here.

Super Tuesday Evening Open Thread

Chat away...

Who voted today?

Waterboarding Not Torture, But Swim Lessons Are?

"If I had water draining into my nose, oh God, I just can't imagine how painful. Whether it's torture by anybody else's definition, for me it would be torture."
- Director of National Intelligence Mike McConnell

But it's okay! He wasn't talking about waterboarding, just swim lessons. No, really. Think Progress provides the transcript (and video):

MCCONNELL: "So what I was having a discussion with a journalist it was about being a water safety instructor and teaching people to swim. He said, 'what about when water goes up your nose?' I said, 'that'd be torturous. It'd be very painful for me.'"

Later, they discussed waterboarding, so he says the journalist must have confused the two. Given that he didn't dispute the quote, it's also unclear how "torture" became "torturous."

As Think Progress also notes, last week Mukasey admitted that he "would feel" waterboarding was torture if done to him.

Governor Dean on your TV

Governor Dean will appear on the MSNBC's Hardball with Chris Matthews at 5PM and then CNN's Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer at 5:15PM today. Be sure to watch.

The Five Brothers' Worst Nightmare

A reader sent in the following photo while waiting to board a plane at Logan International Airport in Boston.

(Photo credit: Jon, Flight Blogger)

Huckabee Wins West Virginia, Now 2-7

Gov. Mike Huckabee (R-Arkansas) won the West Virginia Caucus on the second ballot with 52 percent. Gov. Mitt Romney (R-Massachusetts), who was leading on the first ballot, was unable to meet the 50 percent threshold.

The victory is Huckabee's first in over a month when he won the Iowa Caucus on January 3.

Afternoon Open Thread

Chat away...

Super Tuesday: In the States

Given that a lot of the state Democratic Parties have local information about voting and election results, I thought this round-up would be helpful.

Alabama	Kansas
Alaska	Massachusetts
Arizona	Minnesota
Arkansas	Missouri
California	New Jersey
Colorado	New Mexico
Connecticut	New York
Delaware	North Dakota
Georgia	Oklahoma
Idaho	Tennessee
Illinois	Utah

Counting His Chickens...

McCain ignores Romney on the trail:

John McCain vowed yesterday that he would carry New York against either Hillary Rodham Clinton or Barack Obama in the fall.

"I will compete and win in New York state in November as the nominee of my party," McCain said after receiving the endorsement of former Gov. George Pataki at Grand Central Terminal.
[..]
Front-runner McCain expressed confidence he will do well in today's GOP contests in 22 states. He never mentioned Mitt Romney, his chief rival.

Mapping Super Tuesday

I was looking for some neutral Super Tuesday maps and came up with a couple of them.

First up, YouTube is doing something a little unique, mapping their presidential YouTube videos so you can see where they're coming from. Anybody, for any candidate, can upload their opinions, analysis, or footage from the campaign trail. And because of the mapping interface, you can see what people near you are saying.

The Washington Post's map isn't nearly as interactive, but useful. It provides those delegate numbers and voting history not only for Super Tuesday states (which are identified so you can find them faster), but other states as well.

Super Tuesday Open Thread

Chat away...

February 4, 2008

Evening Open Thread

Chat away...

The Economy, According to Google

At Google Trends, specifically, which roughly tracks search volume by keyword, we've seen a big spike in the last month or so for one particular search term: foreclosure.

Obviously, there are better and more exact ways of measuring this stuff, so this is simply intended to be illustrative.

Four More Years

(Photo credit: Jonah)

Polling!

A new poll from the Washington Post/ABC News shows more good news for the Democratic Party -- namely that we're the party that people trust over the Republicans to handle, well, every single issue that they asked about:

- The economy: 52 Democrats, 33 Republicans
- Immigration issues: 40 Democrats, 37 Republicans
- The situation in Iraq: 48 Democrats, 34 Republicans
- The federal budget: 52 Democrats, 31 Republicans
- Taxes: 48 Democrats, 40 Republicans
- The U.S. campaign against terrorism: 44 Democrats, 37 Republicans
- Health care: 56 Democrats, 29 Republicans

As you can see, the second biggest gap appeared on the budget. And as I mentioned in the Open Thread, the ranking Republican on the Senate Budget Committee says the president's budget isn't "serious" and that their defense numbers are "absurd on their face."

Afternoon Open Thread

• A New York Times reporter reports in a new book that Condoleezza Rice "seemed uninterested in actually advising the president" and rather "wanted to be his closest confidant."
• The ranking Republican on the Senate Budget Committee says the president's budget isn't "serious" and that their defense numbers are "absurd on their face."
• McCain 2.0 continues on his rightward march. [Mike Gehrke]
• Romney tries to sweep his Massachusetts record under the rug. [Mike Gehrke]

Chat away...

Got A Score To Settle?

Santorum robocalls for Romney:

Mitt Romney's campaign is blasting out automated phone calls that feature a recording of former Senator Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania raising questions about John McCain's "temperament" -- a hot-button issue that Romney himself has assiduously avoided.

Santorum said in an interview today that he wrote the script himself, and the campaign deferred to him and approved it.

"John McCain has written about and talked about the issues that he has with respect to his temperament and his ability to work with other people and to do so in a way that's productive," Santorum said in an interview after stumping for Romney at Dave & Buster's restaurant.

Correcting Conservatives on the Youth Vote

The Future Majority's Mike Connery directs our attention to Campus Progress correcting conservative Jason Mattera on the youth vote:

Monday Open Thread

Chat away...

February 3, 2008

Sunday Open Thread

Chat away...

February 2, 2008

From the Archives

Saturday Open Thread

Chat away...

February 1, 2008

Evening Open Thread

Chat away...

Giuliani's 50 Million Dollar Delegate

TPM:

As the LA Times notes, that's the worst dollar for delegate record in American presidential history.[...]

And at that rate Rudy would have needed $60 billion to win the nomination.

The single Giuliani delegate may be lonely, but she/he has got to be comforted by the fact that they're worth $50 million.

Democratic Party Celebrates Black History Month

I wanted to make sure everybody got to see this joint statement today by Governor Dean, Vice Chair Lottie Shackelford and Black Caucus Chair Virgie Rollins -- celebrating the start of Black History Month, as Black History Month kicks off:

Today we mark the beginning of Black History Month, a time to reflect and celebrate the rich thread of African American achievement in the beautiful tapestry of diversity in America. America's history is a story made up of many voices under one great nation, and it is during this month that we remember that our nation can only fulfill its potential when we allow each and every American a chance to fulfill their own dreams.

Nearly 43 years after the passage of the Voting Rights Act, the Democratic Party continues to be at the forefront of ensuring social and economic justice for every American and promoting the rich diversity of our nation. During this election year in which the Democratic Party will make history by nominating either the first African American or the first woman as our nominee, we are grateful to see African Americans supporting Democrats in record numbers in the primaries.

Together our party will continue its long commitment to ensuring that African Americans have the same opportunities as their fellow Americans in realizing the American dream. For Democrats, Dr. Martin Luther King's call to 'Let freedom ring' is not just something we hear in February--it is all year round.

Friday Five

Here are five of the events in PartyBuilder for the coming week. You can add your own event or find one near you.

1. Democratic Party of Curry County Pre-Caucus Breakfast (Clovis, NM) - Any Democrat and/or Democratic Candidate is invited
2. Chili Cook Off (Norman, OK) - The Cleveland County Democratic Party will hold its annual Chili Cook Off on Saturday, February 2, 12:00 - 2:00 p.m. at the J. D. McCarty Center, 2002 E. Robinson in Norman.
3. Snacks & Democrats II (Venice, CA) - Hang with smart & creative people, have snacks, and decide who you want to vote for in the presidential primary.
4. Wine Tasting and Campaign Kick-off (Lake in the Hills, IL) - Join us in Toasting a Democratic Victory in 2008
5. Soup-er Tuesday (Lancaster, PA) - Don't sit home alone watching the results! Join your fellow democrats for a light supper of soup, breads, and desserts with election results projected on a large screen.

U.S. Settles in Immigrant Drugging Case

U.S. officials from the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) drugged a Senegal immigrant who overstayed his student visa as they were about to deport him nearly a year ago.

ICE settled with Amadou Diouf of Senegal and Raymond Soeoth of Indonesia, for $50,000 each, and allowed them to remain in the United States for two years.

CNN reports:

Diouf spent nearly two years in detention for overstaying his student visa, and in late February 2007 was put on a plane for deportation. Diouf said he had a federal stay of his deportation in his hand on the plane, but his U.S. government escorts didn't care.

He was wrestled to the ground and injected through his clothes, he said. At the time, the federal agents said they administered the drugs to sedate him because he wouldn't follow their orders, a claim Diouf denies.

"That was a horrible experience," he said. "That experience alone was worse than the two years that I stayed in detention." [...]

Just last month, ICE changed its policy and in the future must seek a court order for authority to administer drugs to people being deported.

Soeoth's medical records indicate one of the drugs used on him was called Haldol -- which is often used to treat schizophrenia or other mental illnesses -- although he had no history of mental illness. It's not clear what drug was injected into Diouf.

The government did not admit wrongdoing or apologize in its settlement.

Afternoon Open Thread

• TSA launches blog. Hilarity ensues.
• Jobs report worse than usual.
• For those keeping score, Romney dumped $35 million into his campaign so far. [Mike Gehrke]
• Romney Master Strategy Memo: If we get more votes, we win! [Mike Gehrke]
• McCain cedes Utah? McCain's ad buy doesn’t include the Beehive State. [Mike Gehrke]

Chat away...

Do As I Say, Not As I Do?

You remember those robocalls on Huckabee's behalf that Huckabee criticized? Well, it turns out that he has accepted contributions from that same group:

Mike Huckabee has renounced the support of Common Sense Issues Inc. and has called for an investigation into its push-polling on his behalf.

But that didn’t stop his campaign from accepting a $2,000 contribution from the group’s political action committee, according to Huckabee’s fourth-quarter report.

Dominici Under Senate Investigation

I suppose this means his office is no longer "happy as a clam."

Today we learn that the Senate Ethics Committee is investigating Republican Senator Pete Dominici, who was a key player in the controversy over fired US Attorneys. You'll remember, I'm sure, that former US Attorney David Iglesias said that the lawmaker pressured him about the investigation of a Democrat in his state.

Back in March, after Dominici admitted to making the call, CREW filed a complaint against him -- and the Senate does allow for outside groups to make complaints. We've learned about the Senate investigation thanks to Democratic ethics reform requiring a yearly report.

Friday Open Thread

Chat away...