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April 30, 2008

Evening Open Thread

Chat away...

Mission Accomplished

I don't want to jump the gun, with the anniversary of "Mission Accomplished" tomorrow, but let's not forget it wasn't just about a banner.

He also declared in his speech that "Major combat operations in Iraq have ended."

"Godfather of Green" Approval Rating Plummets Below 50%

Senator McConnell spent over $1,500,000.00 in television ads to restore his image after all the hits that it's taken. But it turns out that when your entire agenda is blocking things from getting done in the Senate, no amount of proclaiming yourself the "Godfather of Green" (no joke) will make up for it.

Right now, only 46% approve. That's bad territory for him in Kentucky, but not nearly as dangerous as the trend.

Best take at Ditch Mitch: "That would be a 20% drop in his approval rating over one month. And a 25% increase in his disapproval over one month."

Afternoon Open Thread

• Report: al-Qaida gaining strength in Pakistan and Afghanistan.
• Ted Stevens in trouble... again.
• Speaker Pelosi's blog responds to the firing of Doan.

Chat away...

McCain Introduced by Healthcare Lobbyist at Healthcare Event

Smooth:

At his health care policy event yesterday at the H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute in Florida, Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) was introduced by the institute's chairman, former Republican senator Connie Mack. But, as Hotline reports, Mack is more than just a chairman. He's also a registered state lobbyist "advocating for health insurance companies."

Apparently the McCain campaign didn't like Hotline's reporting on Mack's role as a lobbyist.

The McCain campaign lobbied On Call feverishly to tank the post. Spokesman Tucker Bounds said this item "borders on ludicrous, absurd and ridiculous."

Reporting facts, according to McCain's camp, "borders on ludicrous, absurd and ridiculous"!

Reminds me of the criticism the RNC and the McCain campaign have levied against our ad, paraphrase of course: "How dare you use John McCain's own words against him!"

Maliciously Quoting?

MoveOn.org launched an ad targeting John McCain's 100-years-in-Iraq line to coincide with the 5 year anniversary of Bush's "Mission Accomplished" speech tomorrow.

The RNC says they're "maliciously misquoting" McCain, but the audio that's in the clip is simply John McCain talking. Letting his words speak for themselves is apparently unacceptable to the RNC, a claim that's pretty laughable on its face.

Watch it:

With the anniversary tomorrow, you can expect much more coverage of the Mission Accomplished anniversary to come. Maybe in 100 years we'll be able to declare it once again.

Fired... Finally

There are plenty of reasons (now former) General Services Administration chief Lurita Doan deserves to be fired. But the timing of this is curious, given that it didn't happen when her unethical actions first came to light. Nor did it happen when the Office of Special Counsel recommended she be fired for violating the Hatch Act.

Her take, via TPM Muckraker:

"I would rather get fired for something I believe in, and a cause I was willing to fight for, rather than to believe in nothing worth being fired for." That's what Doan told Government Executive in an email last night. It's far from clear precisely what this "something" she believes in is. [...] To refresh your memory on Doan's parade of horribles: her Golden-Duke-nomination-worthy testimony came in response to a meeting in early 2007, where Karl Rove's aide Scott Jennings came to brief GSA staff on the prospects for Republicans in the 2008 elections. The PowerPoint presentation detailed which seats were "House Targets" and which "Senate Targets", which states were "Republican Offense," and which "Republican Defense."

You can watch slides from her presentation in this testimony that she gave before the Congress:

Morning Open Thread

Chat away...

April 29, 2008

ADAPT Activists Protest John McCain, RNC

Folks from ADAPT, an advocacy group for persons with disabilities, is in Washington, D.C. this week for their 25th anniversary. According to attendee reports, about 100 people showed up outside the RNC because of John McCain's opposition to the Community Choice Act (CCA).

Roll Call reports:

Meanwhile, others congregated at the office of Republican presidential candidate Sen. John McCain (Ariz.), blocking access to the Congressional suite, which is located in the Russell Senate Office Building.

At least 21 protesters have been arrested throughout the day, according to Capitol Police spokeswoman Sgt. Kimberly Schneider.

The protest is being led by the disability advocacy group ADAPT, and many of the protesters are in wheelchairs. The group strung up banners and yellow tape around the RNC building on First Street Southeast, urging McCain to support the Community Choice Act, which would give individuals who are eligible for nursing home services or similar care greater access to community-based health services.

Both Senator Hillary Clinton and Senator Barack Obama are co-sponsoring the legislation.

Evening Open Thread

• Elizabeth Edwards: McCain 'completely out of touch' with reality on health care.
• New lows.
• "Now she’s going to go without the mic. This is awesome."

Chat away...

McCain Deplored Cancer Research Earmarks

John McCain frequently touts cutting earmarks as an important way to finance more tax cuts for corporations and the richest Americans. In the past few weeks it's meant McCain has had to back away from supporting close allies like Israel and military housing.

Today as McCain was speaking to a cancer hospital in Florida he may have been hoping that Americans would forget that he had gotten on the Senate floor and spoken out out specifically against cancer research earmarks over the last 10 years.

Here are some of the programs that McCain had targeted on the Senate floor.

* “$150 million for a peer-reviewed breast cancer research program.” [Congressional Record, 10/3/07]

* $80 million for a similar [peer-reviewed] prostate cancer research program.” [Congressional Record, 10/3/07]

* “$10 million for ovarian cancer research.” [Congressional Record, 10/3/07]

* “$115 million for Breast Cancer Research.”[Congressional Record, 9/7/06]

* “$80 million for Prostate Cancer Research.” [Congressional Record, 9/7/06]

* “$15 million for Ovarian Cancer Research. Congressional Record, 9/7/06]

* “4.5 million for a Coastal Cancer Research Center.”[Congressional Record, 10/16/02]

* “$15 million for research on environmental factors affecting breast cancer” [Congressional Record, 7/11/97]

John McCain on Children's Healthcare and SCHIP

Just received an e-mail "from the desk of John McCain." (Heh.)

Today, there are 47 million uninsured individuals in the U.S., and nearly a quarter of them are children.

... which John McCain ensured did not have healthcare when he voted against SCHIP last year, and said President Bush's veto of the program's expansion was "the right call."

Bad Housing News

Or, as it's known these days, "housing news."

Prices of homes are at a record decline, according to the S&P Case/Shiller Home Price Index. According to the survey, home prices dropped by 12.7% over a year, making this the largest drop in prices on record (they started tracking in 2000).

More:

"There is no sign of a bottom in the numbers," S&P spokesman David M. Blitzer, said in a prepared statement. "Prices of single family homes continue to drop across the nation."

"This is huge," said Dean Baker, an economist with the Economic Policy Institute. "Back a couple of years ago, people were saying, 'Housing prices are not like stocks; they change slowly,'" he said.

But the drop in home prices appears to be accelerating. Indeed, Baker said that at the rate prices are falling, as much as $6 trillion in home values could be wiped out from the top of the market in June, 2006, through the end of this year.

Afternoon Open Thread

• Economists: we're in a recession.
• Actual policy positions? What's the big rush?
• Bush strongly believes in personal responsibility.

Chat away...

McCain Was Against RNC Defense of "100 Years" Comment Before He Was For It

Reeling from the damage of John McCain's own words that he'd be "fine" keeping U.S. forces in Iraq for "100 years," the RNC and John McCain's campaign are arguing that McCain meant a long-term commitment modeled after the American presence in German, Japan and Korea. But much to the RNC's chagrin, even John McCain himself said that such a model wouldn't work in Iraq.

John McCain on Hardball with Chris Matthews in 2005:

Host Chris Matthews pressed McCain on the issue. "You've heard the ideological argument to keep U.S. forces in the Middle East. I've heard it from the hawks. They say, keep United States military presence in the Middle East, like we have with the 7th Fleet in Asia. We have the German...the South Korean component. Do you think we could get along without it?"

McCain balked:

"I not only think we could get along without it, but I think one of our big problems has been the fact that many Iraqis resent American military presence," he responded. "And I don't pretend to know exactly Iraqi public opinion. But as soon as we can reduce our visibility as much as possible, the better I think it is going to be."

Last November, John McCain told Charlie Rose that he didn't think a long-term, South Korea-style American presence was possible because of the "nature of [Iraqi] society and the religious aspects of it," even if there are no casualties.

There are only two explanations for this and neither of them make John McCain look very good:

John McCain flip-flopped on the notion of a long-term American presence in Iraq to appease the far right, or more dangerously, is claiming support for a policy he knows will never work to cover up for his own comments that he would be fine keeping U.S. forces in Iraq for "100 years."

100 Years

Josh Marshall hits all the key points:

He also wrote out a lengthy post about it, which I'd like to recommend.

Keep it going. Help put it on the air.

Record Profits

Over the last three months, as we've seen prices increase at the pump, you'll be interested to know that there are also record profits:

BP's pre-tax profits rose 48 percent in the first quarter to $6.6 billion while Shell increased its profits 12 percent to a record $7.8 billion.

The increase has been driven by the rising oil prices, which the companies have passed on to consumers in the form of higher petrol and diesel costs.

Morning Open Thread

Chat away...

April 28, 2008

Outrageously Outraged Open Thread

The RNC posted a video of John McCain's 100-years-in-Iraq comment on their blog.

I'm outraged! I demand an apology!

Lawsuits! Retractions! Condemnations!

Open thread; chat away...

Gov. Dean Picks Apart John McCain's "100 Year" Comment Defense

Republicans are incensed over our latest ad hitting John McCain for his commitment to 100 years in Iraq.

And they should be -- it is devastating to John McCain's campaign.

Below is the RNC-endorsed clip (transcript here):

This past Sunday, Governor Dean appeared on Meet the Press and hit the nail on the head in picking apart McCain's defense:

McCain's SCOTUS Model, Scalia, on Torture and "Cruel and Unusual Punishment"

John McCain says that, if elected president, he would nominate Supreme Court justices in the mold of Antonin Scalia and Samuel Alito.

On the issue of appointments to the Supreme Court, McCain mentioned that Sam Brownback would play an advisory role in helping decide who he should nominate for the Supreme Court. As models of who he would select, John McCain pointed to Justices Samuel Alito and Antonin Scalia.

In an appearance on CBS' 60 Minutes, Justice Scalia says that torture does not violate "cruel and unusual punishment."

Watch:

Think Progress notes:

Scalia’s parsing of the 8th Amendment blindly ignores reports showing that the abuse at Abu Ghraib was about humiliation and punishment, not information-gathering. In 2004, the Washington Post reported MPs involved in the abuse “said detainees were beaten and sexually humiliated as punishment or for fun.” A recent New Yorker profile of one of the soldiers there confirmed that “mostly what interrogators wanted when they asked for ’special treatment’ was punishment: take away his mattress, keep him awake, take away his clothes.”

Earlier this year, John McCain voted against a ban on waterboarding.

Afternoon Open Thread

• "Bush made permanent." Enough said...
• CREW to McConnell: stop blocking the FEC votes.
• SCOTUS upholds Indiana voter ID law.

Chat away...

Doing Everything He Can

John McCain was asked about the North Carolina GOP's racially divisive ad on the Today Show, to which he replied: "I have done everything that I can to repudiate and to see that this kind of campaigning does not continue."

McCain's idea of doing "everything"? Sending an e-mail to the state party's chair.

Chances are, however, John McCain didn't even send the e-mail himself. John McCain told Politico's Mike Allen that he doesn't use a PC or a Mac, and described himself as an "illiterate" when it comes to computers. See below at about 32 seconds in.

John McCain's idea of doing everything he can: asking the intern to send an e-mail.

Updated: MSNBC's First Read has more:

On whether he has the ability to stop the NC GOP from running an ad with clips of Wright, McCain once again said that he had done all he can do, although he did admit that he has not personally tried to contact the state party and he does not plan on punishing the party if they go through with plans to place the ad on TV.

A couple things:

First, if John McCain did not "personally" try to contact the state party, this means he wasn't the one who sent the e-mail to the state party chair after all.

Secondly, apparently doing "all you can do" does not include making any "personal" overtures.

Annoy the RNC

Nothing upsets the Republican Party more than showing McCain in his own words.

Exhibit A.

So annoy the RNC and help us put this ad on the air. You can help fund it here.

UPDATE: Fixed contribute link!

McCain Airlines

The New York Times reported Sunday that John McCain frequently flew on a corporate jet owned by his wife, Cindy McCain, on the cheap.

But over a seven-month period beginning last summer, Mr. McCain’s cash-short campaign gave itself an advantage by using a corporate jet owned by a company headed by his wife, Cindy McCain, according to public records. For five of those months, the plane was used almost exclusively for campaign-related purposes, those records show.

Mr. McCain's campaign paid a total of $241,149 for the use of that plane from last August through February, records show. That amount is approximately the cost of chartering a similar jet for a month or two, according to industry estimates.

This, like so many other things, is in direct contravention from statements he made earlier in the campaign season: that he wouldn't use corporate jets, or tap his wife's wealth.

Democratic Voter Registration Off the Charts

Democratic enthusiasm is off the charts this election year. Going as far back as Iowa, Democrats turned out at the polls and caucus sites in record numbers.

Another sign of the incredible energy expressed by Democrats are the record voter registration numbers.

The past seven states to hold primaries registered more than 1 million new Democratic voters; Republican numbers mainly ebbed or stagnated. North Carolina and Indiana, which will hold their presidential primaries on May 6, are reporting a swell of new Democrats that triples the surge in registrations before the 2004 primary.

Monday Open Thread

Chat away...

(Commenting issues this morning. We're working on it.) Fixed, I think.

April 27, 2008

DNC Ad on McCain and Iraq

We released our second national television ad this morning on John McCain and Iraq. Watch it below:

You can help us inform the American people about John McCain's commitment to a hundred year presence in Iraq.

Sunday Open Thread

Chat away...

April 26, 2008

Saturday Open Thread

Chat away...

April 25, 2008

Evening Open Thread

What's on your weekend agenda? You can catch Governor Howard Dean on Meet the Press this Sunday. (Check your local listings.)

In the meantime, check out these headlines.

• Watch Jon Stewart rip John McCain on his gleeful acceptance of Pastor John Hagee's endorsement on The Daily Show.
• Shocker! John McCain's history on Hurricane Katrina doesn't match his recent rhetoric.
• Keith Olbermann spoke to IAVA Executive Director, Paul Rieckhoff, about the Department of Veterans Affairs significantly downplaying suicide rates of veterans.
• Conservative House Republicans oppose a bill aimed at implementing paper trails. (We cannot have any of that.)

Chat away...

Afternoon Open Thread

Chat away...

Question of the Day

Josh Marshall asks:

If John McCain can't stand up to the North Carolina GOP swift-boat freaks, how can he stand up to al Qaeda?

Friday Open Thread

Chat away...

April 24, 2008

Wilcox County, Alabama

John McCain is touring through areas with a history of economic and social justice problems (which Republicans traditionally ignore) to portray the presumptive GOP nominee as "not that kind of Republican." He will visit places Republicans actively vote against the interests of and forget about.

Our friends at the country club around the corner point to a stop McCain made in Wilcox County, Alabama as evidence that Compassionate Conservatism 2.0 isn't just a gimmick. (Beta tests show it, apparently, has a few bugs.)

So let's take a look at Wilcox County, population 13,183, according to census data from 2000.

Wilcox County rests inside Alabama's 7th Congressional District, currently represented by Democratic Rep. Artur Davis who was elected to his first term in 2002 with 92 percent of the vote against a Libertarian candidate. Rep. Davis won re-election in 2004 with 75 percent of the vote and twice as many votes as the Republican challenger. He ran unopposed in 2006. Republicans are so scarce in the area that they didn't even field a candidate.

Earlier this week, Alabama Democratic Party Chair Joe Turnham spelled out how John McCain's swing through the state's "blackbelt" is just more empty Republican rhetoric.

"These Republicans purport to be the champions of the poor in Alabama's Blackbelt but are the very ones who are denying our people with public policy that they deserve. Just recently Sen. McCain voted against the renewal of health care for children in the Blackbelt by his opposition to SCHIPs reauthorization, and Gov. Riley opposes removing the state sales tax on food in the Alabama Legislature at this very moment." said Joe Turnham, Chairman of the Alabama Democratic Party.

"In the wake of the public disaster of the Bush presidency, 'More of the same McCain' comes here to speak about empowerment to the very people he and the Republicans have continued to wreak havoc upon since 2003. I think Alabamians have heard enough empty rhetoric and would rather not see what would be a virtual third Bush term," exclaimed Turnham.

"Sen. McCain should temper his visit with some reality and honesty about the plight of Alabama's and America's working poor. The George Bush budget deficit, trade deficit, endless war in Iraq and failure to address economic freefall in America should be confronted and repudiated by McCain and Riley in this visit if they want to win the hearts of voters in our state." Turnham stated.

Under the Bush economy that John McCain promises to extend for another four years, Alabama has lost more than 100,000 jobs with 40,000 of them in the manufacturing sector since 2001. Gas prices are up 166 percent in Alabama over the last six years. The New York Times reported that the McCain campaign has "no estimate of how many of America's 47 million uninsured would likely gain coverage under its plan."

Just over a week ago, John McCain had the temerity to say that the economic fears of many Americans are, basically, all in their heads.

But nevermind that. John McCain and the RNC want credit just for showing up.

Evening Open Thread

Here are some stories in the news for your evening open thread:

• Evans-Novak Political Report expects Democrats to make major gains in the Senate this November.

  Three GOP-held open seats (Colorado, New Mexico, and Virginia) look ready to flip to the Democrats, and two Republican incumbents John Sununu (NH) and Norm Coleman (MN) are currently underdogs. Republicans have no good pickup opportunities.

• John McCain is waffling on his earmark commitment.
• John McCain got a sweetheart deal to host a fundraiser at the Rosewood Hall in Alabama. McCain's campaign was given an 80 percent discount. Jefferson County Democrats were charged the full rate last September. Apparently, McCain used unpaid prisoner labor at the event:

  The campaign also was given free labor from Homewood City Jail inmates to set up tables and chairs for the event, avoiding a $100 set-up fee, but did pay a standard $50 cleaning fee.

DNC Announces Hispanic Leadership Council

This week, the Democratic National Committee announced the Hispanic Leadership Council that will be led by long-time activists Gilberto Ocañas and Ingrid Duran.

Arizona Republic:

"We believe this is a key for us to be able to go on the offensive here against John McCain," said Albert Morales, director of Hispanic outreach for the DNC.

DNC spokesman Luis Miranda said that although McCain's military service often makes him initially attractive to Hispanic voters, they tend to be disillusioned once they learn of his free-market approach to health care and his apparent shift on immigration policy.

Miranda said McCain's shift on immigration policy last year, in the face of strong opposition to his proposal for comprehensive reform that would include a path to citizenship for an estimated 12 million illegal immigrants, represented "a betrayal of the Hispanic community."

The facts are clear. John McCain sold his principles down the river for political ambition. On the campaign trail with conservative crowds, John McCain continuously claimed "I got the message" on immigration.

What "message" was that? Maybe this one from Fred Thompson, who endorsed John McCain (twice), on "revisiting" birthright citizenship?

"I think that law was created at another time and place for valid reasons," the former U.S. senator from Tennessee said earlier this month. "It probably needs to be revisited."

Or this one from Tom Tancredo?

Tancredo also cited a recent report indicating that the "Catholic Church ... has been losing members rapidly -- as much as a third of the native-born Catholic population. Meanwhile, it has gained members among foreign-born (mostly Hispanic) residents."

"I suspect the Pope's immigration comments may have less to do with spreading the gospel than they do about recruiting new members of the church," said Tancredo. "This isn't preaching it is 'faith-based' marketing."

When John McCain says he "got the message," one must ask his or herself, which one?

John McCain, John Hagee and Hurricane Katrina

Think Progress:

On his radio show yesterday, right-wing talker Dennis Prager asked Hagee to respond to "the various charges made against him" in a fact sheet put out by the Democratic National Committee. Asked about his comments on Hurricane Katrina, Hagee said "the topic of that day was cursing and blessing":

HAGEE: Yes. The topic of that day was cursing and blessing. ... What happened in New Orleans looked like the curse of God, in time if New Orleans recovers and becomes the pristine city it can become it may in time be called a blessing. But at this time it's called a curse.

Prager followed up by asking if all natural disasters are a result of "the divine hand" and if there is "any natural disaster that is not the result of sin?" Hagee responded by saying "it's a result of God's permissible will" and "that there was going to be a massive homosexual rally there the following Monday," which he said "was sin."

Think Progress' Matt Corley has a rather prescient question for John McCain, who visits New Orleans on the "Places Republicans Never Visit" Tour.

Given the fact that McCain will be in New Orleans tomorrow, will reporters ask whether he agrees with Hagee belief that the devastated city was cursed because of a gay pride parade? We'll be watching.

Audio and full transcript available.

Thursday Open Thread

Chat away...

April 23, 2008

Afternoon Open Thread

• Five years ago today, John McCain praised President Bush, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, and surmised that Shiites and Sunnis "can probably get along." John McCain on the differences between Vietnam and Iraq:

  I have been committed from my experience in Vietnam never to get into a conflict that the American people would not support over time.

  I felt that the difference between the Vietnam conflict and this one we just went through is that in Vietnam, we didn't have clear cut objectives. We didn't have a strategy for victory. And obviously, we didn't have, over time, the support of the American people. I didn't feel that the Iraqi challenge in any way could be equated to that in Vietnam. [MSNBC Hardball, 4/23/03]

• Rep. Ron Paul and former Gov. Mike Huckabee combined for 27 percent of the vote in yesterday's Republican Pennsylvania Primary, and captured 219,000 votes.
• President Bush tapped General David Petreaus to take over at U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM).

PA Exits: 9 in 10 Believe U.S. in Recession; Bush: "We're Not in a Recession"

Exit polls from yesterday's Pennsylvania Primary showed nine in ten voters believed the United States was in a recession.

The same day, President Bush spoke at an economic summit in New Orleans and stated at a news conference: "We're not in a recession, we're in a slowdown ... [T]here's no question we're in a slowdown and people are concerned about it, obviously."

Wednesday Open Thread

Chat away...

April 22, 2008

Republican Forgetfulness

Our friends at the RNC on the latest McCain Makeover Tour under the title, "The Forgotten Places of America."

His stops in Selma, Thomasville, and Gee's Bend were the first of many unconventional campaign visits where the Senator will spend time in areas that have been "forgotten," and face significant economic and social challenges. [emphasis added]

This speaks volumes: when John McCain and his fellow Republicans campaign in areas caught in tough economic times, or have troubled social justice histories, it is "unconventional."

Democrats haven't forgotten these areas. Democrats visit them quite frequently and try to help them through the legislative process. When Republicans campaign there, they find it quaint.

Speaking in one of the hardest hit places of the Bush economy, Youngstown, Ohio, John McCain compared the lives of Americans facing foreclosures on their homes to the tough days on the campaign trail when he was forced to carry his own bags and fly Southwest. (You can see the connection here.)

John McCain's empty rhetoric on the historical social challenges of millions of Americans smacks of hypocrisy and political expediency coming from a guy who voted against honoring Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s birthday as a federal holiday, and is unapologetic about his vote against the 1990 Civil Rights Act.

Celebrate Earth Day

Did you know that Earth Day, first celebrated in 1970, was the brainchild of former Democratic Senator Gaylord Nelson from the state of Wisconsin?

The late senator said of the holiday:

"The objective was to get a nationwide demonstration of concern for the environment so large that it would shake the political establishment out of its lethargy," Senator Nelson said, "and, finally, force this issue permanently onto the national political agenda."

Earth Day, and efforts of millions of environmentally conscious from all walks of life continue to push the issue. Skyrocketing gas prices and the climate crisis show the imperative of investing in alternative energies, but there are a few small things you can do. Among them:

• Install compact fluorescent light bulbs (cfl) instead of the conventional, incandescent light bulbs.
• Move your thermostat up two degrees in the summer and down two degrees in the winter.
• Buy recycled paper products.
• Purchase reusable canvas bags to use at your local grocery store.
• Walk, ride a bike or use public transportation over driving when possible.

Get more tips from former Vice President Al Gore.

Is John McCain this out of touch?

Short answer, yes.

Today, John McCain gave a speech in Youngstown, Ohio where he touched on some of the economic pain that Americans have been feeling. In order to show his audience that he could connect to average voters hurt by the Bush/McCain economy he reminisced about being counted out of the race for the Republican nomination last summer when he had so little money that he had to fly coach and carry his own baggage.

The problem is that most voters in Youngstown aren't complaining about how few chartered flights they can take in a week, they're worried about their jobs, which McCain is helping send oversees and their homes, which Ohioans are losing to foreclosures at an alarming rate.

There are currently 144,000 foreclosures in Ohio alone. In Youngstown where John McCain spoke this afternoon there are 770 houses that have been Repossessed by banks and 634 homes are in pre-foreclosure. There are 1,171 homes in bankruptcy. The city of Youngstown has a population of 82,000.

When McCain compares having to carry his bags to voters in Ohio losing their houses and losing their jobs, you know he's an out of touch politician reaching to connect.

Afternoon Open Thread

Let's take a look at some headlines:

• In an attempt to downplay suicides committed by veterans to CBS News, the Department of Veterans Affairs concealed figures.
• Colorado State Rep. Douglas Bruce (R) defended calling undocumented workers "illiterate peasants."
• President Bush hit an all-time high for the Gallup presidential disapproval: 69 percent disapprove.

Chat away...

Friends in High Places

In the New York Times, there's a story about the ties between Donald Diamond, a wealthy land developer, and John McCain.

Diamond is an "Innovator" who has helped raise $250,000 for the McCain campaign this cycle.

In California, the McCain aide's assistance with the Army helped Mr. Diamond complete a purchase in 1999 that he soon turned over for a $20 million profit. And Mr. McCain's letter of recommendation reinforced Mr. Diamond's selling point about his McCain connections as he pursued -- and won in 2005 -- a potentially much more lucrative deal to develop a resort hotel and luxury housing.

In Arizona, Mr. McCain has helped Mr. Diamond with matters as small as forwarding a complaint in a regulatory skirmish over the endangered pygmy owl, and as large as introducing legislation remapping public lands. In 1991 and 1994, Mr. McCain sponsored two laws sought by Mr. Diamond that resulted in providing him millions of dollars and thousands of acres in exchange for adding some of his properties to national parks. The Arizona senator co-sponsored a third similar bill now before the Senate.

Tuesday Open Thread

Chat away, it's PA primary day...

April 21, 2008

Late Afternoon Open Thread

• The RNC tries to push back against our first tv ad of the year. They fail.
• The Bush White House is challenging a court ruling on whether their visitor logs are public records.
• Hilarious.

Chat away...

Maverick? We Don't Need No Stinkin' Maverick!

McCain is taking a much different campaign road in his second run:

To woo the GOP's conservative base, McCain has repositioned himself to align with the party mainstream on some key issues and downplayed others that once defined his independence.

Along the way, McCain has made clear that despite a flair for the impolitic or unpredictable, he hews more closely to conservative Republican orthodoxy than his rebel reputation suggests.
[...]
The policy shifts are evident: He abandoned comprehensive immigration reform last year as it threatened to sink his candidacy and is supporting tax cuts for the wealthy he had criticized for years and twice voted against in the Senate. And he has all but ignored the signature issues that framed the 2000 portrait of a maverick: campaign finance reform and a crackdown on the tobacco industry.

McCain Can't Identify His Cuts

Can't identify cuts, or won't?

On one of the Sunday shows, John McCain used the discredited claim that he'd cut spending by eliminating $65 billion worth of earmarks. This time, at least, somebody was there to call him out on it:

STEPHANOPOULOS: But, sir, let me finish my point. Every other estimate I’ve seen say that the earmarks are $18 billion or $20 billion a year. To get to the $60 billion, that includes earmarks like the aid to Israel, $2 billion a year. $1 billion a year for military housing.You’re not going to cut those.

McCAIN: I’m going to cut at least that.

STEPHANOPOULOS: Are you cutting aid to Israel?

McCAIN: Of course not. I’m not cutting aid to Israel. I’m cutting billions and billions out of defense spending which are not earmarks.

Being called out on it might not stop him from repeating the same things we all already know to be factually just plain untrue, but it's good to see that people are beginning to push him to be honest about this stuff.

Monday Morning Open Thread

How was everyone's Earth Day weekend? (The weather was not very pleasant for Earth Day on the National Mall in D.C.)

Chat away...

April 20, 2008

Our First National TV Ad of the Cycle

We launched our first national television ad of the presidential election cycle, highlighting how little John McCain understands the economy. Watch it:

You can help us get our first national ad on the air, as well as boost our long-running grassroots organizing in the states. Your support ensures that millions of Americans will get to see the real John McCain on the air and at their door.

Sunday Open Thread

Chat away...

April 19, 2008

Saturday Open Thread

Chat away...

April 18, 2008

Evening Open Thread

Chat away...

The "McCain Definition"

And once again, McCain has his finger in the air -- this time, on earmarks. In the past, he pledged to veto "every bill" with pork in it, which would result in what his campaign said were $65 billion worth of cuts. ThinkProgress looked into it, and discovered that action this would have included "U.S. funding assistance to Israel and funding for military housing."

These cuts were the ones that were going to pay for his huge corporate tax cuts.

So what does McCain do? He changed the definition of "earmark."

Really.

Under what he calls "the McCain definition," McCain's main economics advisor says that it will no longer result in $65 million. He's also no longer making reference to Congressional Research Service numbers -- the ones that would have resulted to the cuts mentioned earlier. Instead, they say, it would result in between "$16 billion and $18 billion" worth of cuts.

He refuses to say what those cuts would be. Nor will he say if he'll ever make that clear. Mark this one as yet another victory for transparency in government!

Friday Five

I haven't done one of these in way too long...

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

1. Earth Day Celebration (Chicago, IL) - Earth Day Celebration in Village Square of Northeastern U.
2. Earth Day Tree Planting (Denver, CO) - Join Democrats Work volunteers, Denver Parks and Rec, the DNCC Host Committee, the Alliance for Sustainable Colorado, and others to plant 150 trees on Auraria and Speer in honor of Earth Day.
3. Arlington Young Dems Monthly Happy Hour (Arlington, VA) - Come out and join us at our monthly happy hour for a night with other fun young professionals, great drink specials, good food, and an all around good time!
4. 2008 Membership Drive Meet-n-Greet (Torrance, CA) - $5 gets you & a guest wine, beer, snacks, soda and 2 tickets in the raffle.
5. The BLUE Party (Roanoke, VA) - The BLUE Party is an annual party thrown for college Democrats by college Democrats. It's an opportunity to get together with like-minded liberals and have fun while also promoting local, state, or national Democratic campaigns.

Afternoon Open Thread

• Rumsfeld ex-aide: "Major debacle."
• GAO: Bush lacking a strategy to wipe out bin Laden sanctuary.
• Newsflash: people don't think the economy is as strong as McCain thinks it is!
• Friday afternoon! Which means McCain releases his returns. Kind of. Well, somewhat.

Chat away...

Sometimes Pandering Gets You Nowhere

McCain earmark cutting would leave Military families out in the cold.

While McCain does not identify the $65 billion in earmarks he would cut, his campaign has cited the Congressional Research Service analysis of earmark spending as the basis for his plan because it offers the biggest amount of earmarks — up to $52 billion. [...] "The Congressional Research Service analysis counts not only the [military] family housing units added by Congress as earmarks but also those requested by the Pentagon and the White House.

"CRS identified $6.6 billion in spending in the 2005 Military Construction Appropriation bill associated with earmarks. This included 205 units at Fort Huachuca at a cost of $41 million and 250 units at Davis-Monthan Air Base at a cost $48.5 million—both in McCain’s home state of Arizona."

Think Progress concludes, "So is McCain willing to cut military housing to pay for his corporate tax cuts?"

So?

I guess that's what Dick Cheney would say about this one:

A supporter of the war, [McCain has] argued that success there is necessary for the United States' broader interests. But in this poll Americans by a record 2-1 margin, 61-31 percent, say winning in Iraq is not necessary to defeating terrorism more generally. That view's evolved since January 2007, when the public divided evenly on the question.

There's a lot more in the ABC poll, including public opinion on the economy that also runs contrary to what McCain believes (here's a hint, people don't feel the economy is "strong"). Just to focus on Iraq, however, 64-percent say the war was not worth fighting, with opposition "more intense, with strong opponents of the war outnumbering strong supporters by 2-1."

Imagine what this poll would look like in 100 years...

Morning Open Thread

Chat away...

April 17, 2008

Evening Open Thread

Chat away...

Dean on Your TV

I'll try to get the video of Dean on CNN a minute ago. But if you missed it...

You can tune in to see him on MSNBC at 4:40pm ET and Bloomberg's Money and Politics in the 7pm hour.

UPDATE: Here's the CNN clip...

Watch This Video

You won't want to miss this one.

Yesterday, apparently during a hearing by the Senate Appropriations Committee, Sen. Barbara Mikulski chastised the the Director of the Office of Management and Budget for"snarky, scolding, dismissive" comments.

But it was also for the substance of his comments. At the same time that we're spending endless amounts of money in Iraq, the administration is refusing to fund programs important here at home.

Think Progress has the video.

Gas Prices Open Thread

• Yet another record high.
• Going to $125?

Chat away, about anything...

McCain Adviser Acknowledges Tax Incentives For Corporations To Move Offshore

Details over at the Wonk Room:

While Fiorina was leading HP, the company aggressively exploited offshore tax planning. The company held more than $14 billion overseas in 2004, according to the Washington Post, reducing its tax rate from 35 percent to 12 percent. At the time, Fiorina was a prominent defender of the offshoring of American jobs –- or, as she called it, “right-shoring.”

Now she is advising Sen. John McCain, who has refused to support the elimination of incentives to invest overseas. He even voted against an amendment to require companies to pay taxes on money they earn from foreign-made products sold in the U.S.

Time For Plan B?

McCain's economic plan meets resistance on the Republican side as well, with Republicans in the House and Senate "split on some of the details, including a plan to stem the tide of foreclosures and another creating a summer gas-tax holiday."

McCain also wants more breaks for corporations while their payments drop and the Middle Class burden soars:

There's not only McCain's support for making Bush's tax cuts permanent. Most outrageous is McCain's plan to cut the corporate income tax rate, from 35 percent to 25 percent. What you won't read in today's coverage of McCain's proposal is that, according to a 2004 Government Accountability Office study, 61% of American corporations, including 39% of large companies, paid no corporate income taxes between 1996 and 2000. Last year, corporations shouldered just 14.4% of the total US tax burden, compared with about 50% in 1940. And McCain wants to give these corporations a break?

It gets even worse. A study from the nonprofit group Citizens for Tax Justice found that, because of loopholes, the corporate tax burden in the US is actually the world's third lowest when measured as a percentage of gross domestic product. McCain did promise to remove the tax loopholes that he described as "inconsistent with a free-market economy," but he offered absolutely no specifics.

Credit Crisis Hits Students?

The Boston Globe has an interesting story about how students across America are getting hit right now in this economy:

Norton thought he was set when he deposited a $16,000 student-loan check to pay for summer classes and the fall semester. But when he started to pay bills for classes, rent, and other expenses last week, his checks bounced.

He was one of 500 students left in the lurch with the April 7 bankruptcy filing of The Education Resources Institute Inc., a Boston nonprofit that guarantees student loans. And his ordeal is only the latest example of chaos in the college loan market. More than 50 firms have abandoned or cut back their federal or private student loan programs this year, unable to raise money in the financial markets. Yesterday, Citigroup, one of the largest private lenders, said it would stop lending at some schools and end its federal loan consolidations.

Morning Open Thread

Chat away...

April 16, 2008

Debate and Open Thread

Enjoy the debate, tonight at 8pm ET hosted by ABC News.

Chat away...

McCain Disagrees with Economic Experts

That headline makes plenty of sense since, oh I don't know, John McCain doesn't know what he's talking about.

John McCain admitted on national television that his economic plan is at odds with experts. But rest assured, he's not winging it. McCain's got experts of his own, and Alan Greenspan's book, too!

Today on MSNBC, McCain was asked if he is understating the costs of his tax cuts. “Independent experts say your tax cuts would cost at least $100 billion more than you say and that the savings would not materialize,” Andrea Mitchell said. McCain retorted:

I disagree. I disagree with the experts. I disagree. I disagree. I disagree with the experts. I have experts of my own. I have many experts of my own who say that this will stimulate the economy, will create jobs, and increase revenues over time.

When it comes to economic policy, he's got people to look over his shoulder and correct his homework, he tells us.

A Letter from a Birmingham Jail

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. penned one of the most beautiful pieces of literature, in this young blogger's mind, ever written forty-five years ago today.

Written from the confines of a Birmingham, Alabama city jail cell, Dr. King poetically explored the moral imperatives for action against racial injustices perpetrated around the country, and drawing on history's lessons that these rights are demanded, not bestowed.

Unsatisfied with idly standing by from Atlanta while such injustices continued in Birmingham, Dr. King was compelled to help this community in need with the determination that "injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere."

Read the full letter.

Afternoon Open Thread

• DCCC finds the script for a Freedom Watch tv ad traced to the National Republican Congressional Committee.
• Blaming the intern.
• Iraqi Unit fleeing their post.
• Debate today!

Chat away...

Read Between the Lines

McCain pledges to offer help for average Americans, but most of his proposals are aimed at the wealthy and corporations:

But much of what he detailed was a corporate special pleader's dream: a cut in the corporate income tax rate, from 35 percent to 25 percent, a proposal to allow businesses to write off the cost of new equipment and technology from their taxes, a ban on Internet and new cellphone taxes, and a permanent tax credit for research and development. [...] But tax cuts, mostly for corporations and wealthy individuals, remain the centerpiece of McCain's economic agenda.

He said his support for making Bush's tax cuts permanent would benefit people from all income levels by making sure that taxes on dividends and capital gains stay low. But most lower- and middle-income investors have the vast majority of their stock and bond holdings in retirement accounts that are exempt from federal taxation.

All in all, McCain's proposals are a veritable dream for high dollar corporations.

And so McCain pledges to continue the irresponsible Bush taxes, but provides no way to pay for them as he slowly backs away from his balanced budget pledge:

Absent from McCain's speech was any pledge to wipe out the federal deficit. Asked about the omission a few hours later at Villanova University outside Philadelphia, McCain told reporters that he would balance the budget within eight years, a retreat from his previous vow to do so within four.

Bush Announcing Opposition to Mandatory Cuts of Emissions

Today Bush is planning to announce a "realistic intermediate goal" for limiting emissions from greenhouse gases in the United States. According to the White House, they will "press for incentives for technology."

So what does that mean, specifically, that will actually be done? They have an answer to that question, too:

This speech is not going to lay out a specific proposal.

Not a single one.

So the news isn't that he's setting some goal without setting any sort of policy; it's that he's using the speech to come out against pending legislation "aimed at creating a mandatory system" to cut these emissions.

Morning Open Thread

Chat away...

April 15, 2008

Evening Open Thread

Chat away...

UPDATE: Still digging, one year later.

Bush/McCain Economics

On the economy, 70% of Americans disapprove of Bush.

Shock!

But what is, actually, somewhat important to note is that according to the Post, "even core Republicans have begun to abandon the president on the issue."

Among Republicans, 59 percent approve of the way he is handling the economy, down from 70 percent at the beginning of February and well off his career average of about 80 percent from his party's base. Only a quarter of independents and 6 percent of Democrats approve of Bush's performance on the economy.

Afternoon Open Thread

• After some initial humorous complications, Huck PAC launches. It doesn't appear to be much beyond a standard blog.
• "A drafting error."
• Foreclosures jumped 57-percent in the last 12 months.

Chat away...

McCain Says No To GI Bill

It's bipartisan legislation that would "greatly expand educational benefits for members of the military returning from Iraq and Afghanistan." But that didn't stop John McCain from coming out against the bill yesterday.

With a vote expected later this year, every vote is going to count on this one to make sure that these men and women get benefits they've more than earned.

McCain says we owe them a debt we can never repay. But that doesn't mean we shouldn't try.

What Deficit?

McCain conspicuously leaves out deficit reduction in economy speech...

Deficit reduction?

McCain had promised to balance the budget by 2012. That promise does not appear in the excerpts of the speech provided to a reporter last night. Indeed, a top McCain policy adviser said he would counsel all the presidential candidates not to talk about deficit reduction with the economy in its present condition.

More important to McCain are concepts like tax reform and "wasteful spending."

Hmmm...

I thought McCain's economic policies sounded familiar...

Morning Open Thread

Chat away...

April 14, 2008

Evening Open Thread

• Oil prices: new high.
• Former US Attorney Iglesias on intimidation.
• Well this should be interesting...

Chat away...

Another McCain Foreign Policy Error, With Video

I mentioned this earlier, but I wanted to post again with the video. McCain's latest display of his lack of foreign policy understanding came today when said he wouldn't divert troops from Iraq to Afghanistan to keep his promise to chase bin Laden to the gates of hell unless Gen. Petraeus said it was necessary.

Of course, Gen. Petraeus would not be making that determination about what was required in Afghanistan. Instead, that would be Lieutenant General Martin Dempsey, who temporarily replaced Admiral William Fallon as chief of Centcom.

What is that, strike 7 for McCain? That new team of foreign policy advisors really needs to intervene...

How to Further Tank the Economy: Elect John McCain President

In his quest to secure the Republican nomination, John McCain's rhetoric on the economy mimicked that of President Bush, with a steady stream of denials that the country was tilting towards a recession.

One problem with those denials: the facts said otherwise -- for months.

Peter Orzag of the Congressional Budget Office stated in September 2007 that the country was at an "elevated" risk of slipping into a recession. Economist and New York Times columnist Paul Krugman argued that it started in December 2007/January 2008. The investment bank Merrill Lynch declared the economy was in a recession as President Bush started pulling back on the rosy outlook.

Still, John McCain said he didn't believe the country was headed for a recession during the January 10 FOX News-televised Republican debate. It was a line that McCain carried for several more weeks, arguing that the "underpinnings of the economy are strong."

Then, just days after reaching the necessary 1,191 delegates to secure the Republican nomination, John McCain conceded that the U.S. was "very likely" in a recession. The "Straight Talk Express" must be powered with sails because the political winds have made John McCain chart a different course with the economic rhetoric.

Despite all of the "major policy speeches" on the economy, John McCain offers more of the same failed economic policies of President Bush. From privatizing Social Security to neglecting millions of uninsured, and abandoning working Americans, John McCain would prove to be disastrous for the economy.

The fact is that John McCain knows John McCain does not understand the economy and, soon, the American people will know it, too.

For more on McCain and the economy, check out the McCain Debates.

Gonzales Still Looking for a Job

In a "where are they now" piece, the New York Times updates us on the troubles Alberto Gonzales is having finding new work after resigning from his own job in disgrace. The former Attorney General was forced out after his role in politicizing the Justice Department came to light, with the firing of several attorneys.

But wait, there's hope!

Afternoon Open Thread

• McCain's "base" rewards him with his favorite treat.
• He's also even further to the right than people already believe.
• Senator Vitter won't testify.
• John McCain fooled; the McCain girls reveal the parody.

Chat away...

McCain Gets It Wrong - One More Time!

Here's the latest example of McCain's failure to understand American foreign policy. He was just asked if he'd divert troops from Iraq to Afghanistan to keep his promise to chase bin Laden "to the gates of hell." No, McCain said, unless Gen. Petraeus said it was necessary.

But as a press release we just put out points out, "as the commander of U.S. forces in Iraq, General Petraeus would not be making that decision. That would be the responsibility of Lieutenant General Martin Dempsey, who temporarily replaced Admiral William Fallon as chief of Centcom when Admiral Fallon retired in March."

In addition, we already know that the war in Iraq has diverted important resources from Afghanistan.

McCain should be careful; he's starting to become a parody of himself, displaying a dangerous lack of understanding of foreign policy.

98 Percent

In an informal survey of 109 historians found 98 percent labeled the George W. Bush presidency a "failure" and only 2 percent said it was a "success."

Not only that, more than 61 percent of the historians say the current presidency is the worst in American history. In 2004, only 11.6 percent of the historians rated Bush's presidency in last place. Among the reasons given for his low ratings: invading Iraq, "tax breaks for the rich," and alienating many nations around the world.

Democratic Party Filing Suit with District Court

For weeks now, John McCain has broken campaign finance law by going over the spending limits that he agreed to when he opted into public financing in order to secure a loan and get his name on the ballot in several states.

He has unilaterally withdrawn, rather than get permission to opt-out of the system, which is something the system doesn't allow him to do. And even getting the permission to do so is impossible once he has materially benefited from it in the ways mentioned above.

But the FEC lacks a quorum, and as a result has not begun an investigation into the complaint the we filed back in February. However, the law allows us to file suit asking courts to compel them to act.

So that's exactly what we'll be doing today. I'll have a copy of our new complaint later today, after it's filed with the District Court. We're not going to stand by as John McCain, who thinks the rules apply to everybody but him, breaks the law every single day to raise money from lobbyists and special interests.

UPDATE: Here's the PDF file of the complaint, which you can view below:

Morning Open Thread

Chat away...

April 13, 2008

Sunday Open Thread

Chat away...

April 12, 2008

From the Archives

Saturday Open Thread

Chat away...

April 11, 2008

1968 Civil Rights Act Open Thread

An open thread dedicated to the Civil Rights Act of 1968?

Sure, why not.

Chat away...

Man of the People

Because I know you're all concerned, here's an update on our good friend Trent Lott.

Poor guy.

McCain's Soros Money

Reading John McCain's fundraising emails, you'd think he really had it out for George Soros. Just one example:

"Billionaire George Soros has shown time after time that he is willing to fund baseless left-wing smear campaigns. Help us combat the millions he plans to use against us - please make your most generous donation right away."

One of those 'smear campaigns' that Soros funded? The Reform Institute, which "received $150,000 from Soros in 2003 -- when McCain was its honorary co-chair and McCain's current campaign manager (the same guy who signed yesterday's fund-raising letter) was its president."

Certainly he had no problem with Soros being a "billionaire" back then, when he wanted a share of it for the Reform Institute. But oh wait, there's more:

I've now learned that in 2002, Soros' charitable foundation, the Open Society Institute, gave $300,000 in grants to various groups that were defending the Arizona senator's campaign finance law against legal challenges to it.

An OSI spokesperson, Laura Silber, confirms to me that Soros' foundation gave $300,000 to the Brennan Center specifically for use defending McCain-Feingold. Brennan subsequently distributed that sum to various groups fighting on behalf of the McCain-sponsored law.

Afternoon Open Thread

• McCain set to begin his "compassion" tour in two weeks. So why is he skipping a Compassion Forum?
• I guess he only likes Soros when he's taking his money.
• Economy still slowing.
• Not at bottom?

Chat away...

McCain Stands By Vote Against '90 Civil Rights Act

Forty-years ago, just days after the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., President Lyndon Johnson signed the '68 Civil Rights Act. Twenty-two years later, John McCain cast a deciding vote against the Civil Rights Act in 1990.

In 1990, McCain was one of the deciding votes in helping then-President George H.W. Bush sustain a veto against the relatively benign Civil Rights Act of 1990.

In doing so, the senator found himself at odds with majorities in both chambers of Congress, most senior African Americans within the Bush administration, and the Republican-led U.S. Civil Rights Commission. He also helped Bush became the first president ever to successfully veto a civil rights measure -- Andrew Jackson in 1866 and Ronald Reagan in 1988 both had vetoes overridden.

But unlike his decision against the Dr. King holiday in 1983, this is one vote John McCain will not apologize for.

"The issue in the early '90s was a little more complicated," he told Fox News Sunday. "I've never believed in quotas, and I don't. There's no doubt about my view on that issue. And that was the implication, at least, of that other vote."

It is, critics say, a shaky defense; one that only a third of the Senate felt comfortable holding on to.

As noted by the Times at the time of the bill's debate, opponents could not produce any evidence that the original ruling in 1971 had led to a rash of quotas. And indeed, as Thomas Homburger of the Anti-Defamation League said at the time: his group historically opposes quotas and the Civil Rights Act of 1990 was "simply not a quota bill."

The measure fell one vote short.

Another Flip-Flop

After taking the heat, McCain flips on mortgage help. But which plan will he settle on?

McCain’s proposal, which he called the “HOME Program,” would let some homeowners replace their mortgage for one that is more in line with the depressed value of their home. He said the plan, to be guaranteed by the Federal Housing Administration, would be limited to those defaulting on only a primary residence and to those who could afford a new mortgage. [...] Plainly, though, McCain and his campaign aides are grappling with finding a middle ground between the interventionist approach favored by Obama and Clinton and the preference of most conservatives not to reward what they view as careless behavior on the part of home buyers who got in over their head.

New Lows

The Associated Press tells us today that President Bush has reached "a new low" in their job approval poll, with only 28-percent of Americans approving of the overall job he's doing.

Other nuggets:

• Only 7-percent of Democrats and 17-percent of independents say they approve.


• 27-percent approve of his handling of the economy, "worse than his previous low of 29 percent approval for handling the economy set in February."


• About one in four said the country is heading in the right direction, which is bad news for Senator McCain, who promises more of the same.

Morning Open Thread

Chat away...

April 10, 2008

Evening Open Thread

• McCain's beginning to assemble a more formal team of foreign policy advisers. Good, because he doesn't even seem to know the basics.
• Gates gives up hope.
• "All the time he needs." Make it a hundred?

Chat away...

More on al Qaeda and Iran

John McCain repeatedly stated that that Iran was "taking al-Qaeda into Iran, training them and sending them back" (or some variation of the same thing). Several times, in fact. Finally, Joe Lieberman correctly him publicly and he acknowledged his error.

Until the next day, when he tried to create some wiggle room with a statement that was, at best, ambiguous. This was after some tried to make the claim that McCain was right all along, and that he got it wrong when he corrected himself.

Here's what Petraeus has to say about it:

“I’m not aware of – it doesn’t mean it hasn’t happened,” Petraeus replied, choosing his words carefully.

He said that some Sunni extremists had weapons that were made in Iran, but said that it was unclear if the weapons were provided by Tehran.

“It is a good bit more difficult to connect all the dots directly,” he said.

Just so that's on the record.

Bush Downplays the Defense Dollars

Adam Blickstein, blogging at Democracy Arsenal for the National Security Network, commented on the President's speech about defense spending this morning.

Bush just stated in his speech that spending on defense as a percentage of the U.S. economy was around 4 percent, and cited that this is historically low as compared to World War Two and Vietnam. That is true, but unfortunately doesn't account for current American spending on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, funded mainly through the "off-budget" emergency supplementals that hide the true costs.

According to the New York Times, defense and war spending combined are about 6.2 percent of GDP, more than double spending eight years ago.

Afternoon Open Thread

• All the time he needs? How about 100 years?
• McCain gets it wrong on the View.
• Is it worth the cost?

Maliki Disagrees with the Pause

Bush has decided to "pause" any sort of partial draw down of troops beyond where they were before the escalation of the war began. Combined with the policy mentioned earlier today, the sum of this is that they have left open "the possibility that about 140,000 U.S. servicemen and women will still be in the war zone when the next president takes office."

Today the Associated Press reports that Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki disagrees with the "pause."

Al-Maliki, however, has said he disagrees with that decision.

The prime minister told Bush during a 20-minute telephone conversation on Wednesday that Iraqi security forces are capable of carrying out their duties and U.S. troops should be pulled out as the situation permits, according to a senior government adviser who sat in on the phone conversation. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to disclose the confidential details.

Bush to Leave 140,000 Troops in Iraq Through November

From the Washington Post:

The bottom line seems to be that after pulling out the extra forces Bush sent last year, the United States will keep about 140,000 troops in Iraq at least through the November presidential election. In the short term, the debate in Washington instead will focus more intently on trade-offs at home, including the strain on the armed forces and the Treasury.

This is at the same time that they're claiming that they're "scaling back," oddly enough, because instead of cut Army combat tours of 15 months they're going back to where they were: 12 months.

But even then, there's still a catch:

But Bush's decision will affect only those troops sent to Iraq as of Aug. 1 or later, meaning that those already there still have to complete 15-month tours. Bobby Muller, president of Veterans for America, an advocacy group, said that nearly half of the Army's active-duty frontline units are currently deployed for 15 months, and that Bush's decision leaves them out.

Updated by Matt Ortega: When Sen. Jim Webb (D-Virginia) proposed reducing combat tours from 15 to 12 months, guess who opposed it? John McCain.

Keep in mind that a certain presidential candidate just half a year ago claimed such a reduction in combat tours, when proposed by Senator Jim Webb, would "emasculate" the oh-so-successful surge, "could easily bring about ... defeat" and lead to "chaos and genocide" in the region.

Morning Open Thread

Chat away...

April 9, 2008

Evening Open Thread

• Sen. Vitter's biggest supporter? Larry Craig.
• Some YouTube goodness from the DSCC.
• On Iraq, let's not forget the cost.
• Day 2 of the hearings liveblogged here.

Chat away...

Redstate: Iraq Just Like Occupying... Alabama

If I were to make a list of places that have some sort of connection to American presence in Iraq -- places that were remotely similar -- somehow I don't think the US being in Alabama, and the South in general, would be anywhere on that list. It's hard to even begin where to start. Luckily, Blog for Our Future takes a stab at it:

Today, RedState sent an email alert to readers to further push the point ... making a, shall we say, novel argument (emphasis added): "Clearly McCain was talking about a peace time standing presence ... Someone should ask the Democrats if they think we're still at war with the confederacy, the Germans, and the Japanese given all the standing American armies in the South, Germany, and Japan." As I said in my previous post, 'Claiming a 100-year occupation in Iraq would be like Germany or Korea reveals an immense lack of foreign policy knowledge, judgment and vision.'

But then again, it makes about as much sense as John McCain's talking point about how being in Iraq for 100 years is just fine, because there will be no casualties.

Updated by Matt Ortega: Today marks the 143rd anniversary of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee's surrender to Union Gen. Ulysses S. Grant in Virginia and effectively ended the Civil War. (The confederate states were readmitted back into the Union during Reconstruction, so any "standing" 'Union' armies in the South are not occupiers...)

Only 200 Friedmans Left

Afternoon Open Thread

• 100 years.
• "Doom and gloom" hitting Silicon Valley?
• Chairman Waxman issues a third subpoena for EPA docs.
• Johm McCain?

Chat away...

No Light at the End of the Tunnel

There's just so much to highlight out of the Petraeus/Crocker testimony yesterday -- which continues today in the House, I should note. Lots stands out. What has received the bulk of the attention online, aside from John McCain's failure to understand the difference between Sunni and Shia, would be Biden's questioning:

He asked Ryan Crocker, who used to be ambassador to Pakistan, whether it would be better for U.S. interests to go after Al Qaeda on the Afghanistan-Pakistan border or Al Qaeda in Iraq.

Crocker, in an impossible political position -- give the correct answer and humiliate the Bush administration; give the administration's answer and look like a fool -- dodged as much as he could. Then Biden forced him down. Crocker: "I would therefore pick Al Qaeda on the Afghanistan-Pakistan border."

It'd be nice if somebody put that question to John McCain, who insists that Iraq should be the central front and believes we should be there for the next 100 years. Which is the bigger threat? And how should resources be allocated to deal with that threat appropriately? More questions McCain should answer.

The other part of the testimony I wanted to highlight deals directly with McCain's insistence on being in Iraq for the next 100 years. Petraeus noted: "We haven't turned any corners. We haven't seen any lights at the end of the tunnel."

And so the 100 years continue, and continue, and continue...

Compassionate Conservative?

So it appears John McCain doesn't simply get all of his major policy positions from President Bush. He also gets his entire campaign strategy from him, as well:

Now, as for that "Compassion Tour" we reported on last week, look for it to start in two weeks.

Trick, Treat, or Cover-up?

Remember the controversial Immigration and Customs Enforcement Halloween Party that resulted in Julie Myers, chief of ICE, posing with and awarding a costume prize to a lawyer dressed in dreadlocks, prison stripes, and blackened face makeup?

Well, finally a report has been issued. If Julie Myers hoped for a report that would gloss over what she did, both that day and on the days that followed, she was wrong. Instead, it finds that she not only was wrong for the act itself, but also "directed the destruction of photographs of the Halloween party, enlisted other DHS employees to destroy photographs and ordered the sanctioning and relocation of an employee in a coordinated effort to conceal the circumstances surrounding the party."

We pretty much knew most of this, but that last point was one that I hadn't seen before. It appears that after this became a controversy, the Myers relocated the costume-wearing employee was relocated outside of DC.

There are quite a few "findings," most of which are obvious. But above all, this one stands out:

Despite Secretary Chertoff’s stated “zero tolerance” for discriminatory behavior in law enforcement, neither Assistant Secretary Myers, nor her subordinates Deputy Assistant Secretary Bertucci and Chief of Staff Smith have been reprimanded for their participation in this event by DHS leadership.

Morning Open Thread

Chat away...

April 8, 2008

Evening Open Thread

• Write letters to your local newspapers about McCain's lack of understanding about Iraq.
• Crocker makes a smart choice.
• This certainly deserves more attention than it has received.

Chat away...

Two Historically GOP PA Counties Flip Democratic

In Pennsylvania two historically Republican counties in voter registrations flipped Democratic ahead of the March 24 deadline.

The registration deadline was March 24, and tens of thousands of new registrations flooded in, from both new voters and party switchers. Elections officials have been counting them since, and posting the changes in drips and drabs.

Today, the new tally in Bucks shows 185,413 enrolled Democrats, compared with 181,941 enrolled Republicans.

In Montgomery County, the new tally shows 245,209 Democrats, compared with 238,208 Republicans.

Building up the party from the local level. That sounds oddly familiar...

Republicans Struggling to Find Candidates

Republicans are struggling to find candidates at the Congressional level this cycle and, in particular, coming up empty-handed in New York. From the New York Times this morning:

Heading into this election cycle, Republican leaders in Washington identified dozens of Congressional seats they believed they could pick up in November’s election — some where Democrats narrowly won a first term in 2006, and others where Democrats represent Republican-leaning districts.

But that strategy appears to have run into complications, both in the New York region and in some other parts of the country, as many potential Republican candidates — including public officials and wealthy entrepreneurs — have stayed on the sidelines, despite direct appeals from party leaders.

In some cases, potential candidates see a tough climate for Republicans, largely because of a troubled economy and a protracted war, according to some Republicans.

It also doesn't help when your "foreign policy expert" presidential candidate cannot tell the difference between Shi'a and Sunni groups. Or ties himself so close to President Bush on Iraq. Or when his speech on the rosy outlook in Iraq gets interrupted by mortar attacks in the Green Zone. Or he admits he doesn't know anything about economics, either. Those are not exactly strong coattails...

(Hat tip: Robert Harding, The Albany Project)

CNMI: A "Successful" Guest-Worker Program?

GOP Senatorial candidate Bob Schaffer was touting his support for a guest-worker program while discussing his views on immigration. However, you will never guess the specific guest-worker program he pointed to:

He pointed to the Northern Mariana Islands, a U.S. protectorate that imports tens of thousands of foreign textile workers, as a successful model for a guest-worker program that could be adapted nationally.

"The concept of prequalifying foreign workers in their home country under private-sector management is a system that works very well in one place in America," he said of the islands' program. "I think members of Congress ought to be looking at that model and be considering it as a possible basis for a nationwide program."

One of the clients represented by convicted briber and former Republican lobbyist Jack Abramoff was a wealthy businessman, Willie Tan, in the garment industry on the island and U.S. commonwealth, Northern Marianas Islands, or CNMI.

Attempting to prevent Congress from extending federal labor laws to the island, despite the fact that all products produced there included "Made in the U.S.A." on the label, Abramoff and allies like Ralph Reed summoned the help of Christian conservatives to thwart Congressional efforts.

It was on this island that some of the worst human rights abuses occurred under the legal jurisdiction of the United States. The U.S. Department of Interior, according to the Washington Post, "presented a very different picture of life for Chinese workers on the islands. An Interior report found that Chinese women were subject to forced abortions and that women and children were subject to forced prostitution in the local sex-tourism industry."

And Republican Bob Schaffer wants to expand this nationally?

(Hat tip: Square State)

Afternoon Open Thread

• History will judge?
• LA Times: "McCain may want to work on this obvious weakness in his Iraq fund of knowledge. Maybe flash cards would help."
• Crisis? What crisis?
• $4 a gallon?

Chat away...

McCain Gets It Wrong - Again!

He just doesn't understand the very basics of what's going on in Iraq:

UPDATE: Here's a transcript:

MCCAIN: Do you still view al Qaeda in Iraq as a major threat?

PETRAEUS: It is still a major threat, though it is certainly not as major a threat as it was say 15 months ago.

MCCAIN: Certainly not an obscure sect of the Shi'ites overall?

PETREAUS: No.

MCCAIN: Or Sunnis or anybody else.

ThinkProgress also has it, and they flag down this quote: "Al Qaeda is profoundly Sunni. If a Shiite showed up at an al Qaeda club house, they’d slice off his head and use it for a soccer ball."

If Only We Could All Live In McCain's Fantasy Land

Despite recent violence, McCain continues to push rosy predictions. Maybe he put on those rose-colored glasses that the White House says they've now thrown away?

A 100 Year Agreement?

The Guardian reports word of a "confidential draft agreement" between our government and the Iraqi's, showing provisions for an open-ended military presence in the country. As they explain it, while it uses the word "temporary," it's anything but given that there are no time limits or restrictions.

But it does say that our government does not want permanent bases in Iraq. And that's where things get interesting, because John McCain so far has refused to say whether he'll keep permanent bases in Iraq despite saying he's in favor of staying there over the course of the next 100 years. In fact, only a couple days after he made the 100 years in Iraq remark, he went on Meet the Press and evaded the question of permanent bases.

So in light of this latest development, it'd be nice to see John McCain finally give an answer.

Morning Open Thread

Chat away...

UPDATE: Petraeus testifying right now. You can watch on C-SPAN online. Share your thoughts.

April 7, 2008

Afternoon Open Thread

• Rose-colored glasses. Oh, and they're contradicting themselves again. In 2006: "The President, contrary to the assertion, was not, in fact, painting a rose-colored picture."
• A debt we can never repay. But certainly we should -- at the least -- try.
• No connection to gas prices?
• Gen. Petraeus to testify before Congress tomorrow.

Chat away...

McCain's Lobbyist Connections

We've gone over this before, but Media Matters "Action Network" illustrates it so nicely. You'll want to check out this graphic showing the many lobbyists and former lobbyists on board the McCain campaign, which is more than any other candidate in the race. You can "mouse-over" to see what interests they've represented.

And as you'll see, we're not talking low-level staffers. It starts from the inner circle advising McCain -- lobbyists that might have a nice window office at the White House if he were to get elected.

What a maverick!

More McCain Misunderstandings

You can't really call them gaffes, when it's what he really understands to be the situation in Iraq:

"It was al-Sadr that declared the ceasefire, not Maliki," said McCain. "With respect, I don't think Sadr would have declared the ceasefire if he thought he was winning. [...]"

It is a convenient interpretation for a candidate who later went on to tout the political successes of the American troop surge. But it seems to contradict almost all news accounts from last week. Indeed, it was the Iranian government and members of Maliki's government who brokered the ceasefire, not Sadr.

That was the first one. The second echoes what John McCain has been saying since this war began -- that things are going swell and that we just need to stay the course.

Just add these to the growing list of McCain's failure to understand the situation on the ground in Iraq.

McCain Debates

The second debate, featuring John McCain facing off against himself on the economy, is happening now. See McCain debate himself about whether we're really in a recession, interest rate cuts, and finally Bush's tax cuts for the wealthy.

Watch it now.

Morning Open Thread

Chat away...

April 6, 2008

Sunday Open Thread

Chat away...

April 5, 2008

From the Archives

Saturday Open Thread

Chat away...

April 4, 2008

MLK Open Thread

Chat away...

And if you've got a memory of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., please share.

McCain Running Ads on Anti-Immigrant Website

Early in the primary process, John McCain backed away from his efforts on comprehensive immigration reform by telling Republican crowds that he "got the message."

Just a few weeks ago, McCain traveled to Illinois' 14th Congressional District to endorse and headline a fundraiser for Jim Oberweis, the anti-immigrant candidate that the GOP ran in the special election to replace former Speaker Denny Hastert. (Oberweis lost.)

It was learned earlier today that McCain was running ads on a notoriously anti-immigrant website.

The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), which tracks hate groups around the country, branded the site's author among the "top 20 nativists" in the country.

From the SPLC spotlight on Letiecq:

Letiecq is head of the nativist extremist organization Help Save Manassas, which boasts more than 2,000 members. He also runs "Black Velvet Bruce Li," one of the most popular anti-immigration blogs in the region. On it, Letiecq refers to day-labor centers as "open-air toilets" and describes Latino pro-immigrant activists as "mobs of machete-wielding radicals wearing ski masks" who are part of a global "Zapatista" conspiracy that also includes "burning cars in the suburbs of Paris."

In a "satirical" post in late February, Letiecq referred to undocumented immigrants as dog food.

DNC Caucus chairs released a statement calling on John McCain to stop advertising on hate sites.

Not Just One Vote

There's some distortion by John McCain over his many years of opposition to a King holiday, both at the federal and state level. He's trying to make it sound like this was just one vote, a long time ago. People aren't buying it, as the many people booing his speech earlier today made clear, but there are a few different parts to this so I figured I'd put them all in one place.

1983: McCain votes against a federal King holiday. It overwhelmingly passes anyway.

1987: McCain backs Arizona's governor in rescinding a state-level recognition of the King holiday.

1987: McCain: "They never gave us any meaningful news. They told us the day that Martin Luther King was shot, they told us the day that Bobby Kennedy was shot, but they never bothered to tell us about the moon shot. So it was certainly selected news."

1989: McCain decides to finally back a state holiday, but says he's "still opposed" to a federal holiday.

1992: McCain endorses a state holiday measure.

1994: McCain voted to defund a commission working to promote the King holiday.

And then, sometime, eventually, he got around to endorsing the idea at the federal level. None of this even begins to scratch the surface of his broader record on civil rights...

Afternoon Open Thread

• OUCH! But really, he can't expect voters to buy the idea that his years of opposition to a King holiday is no longer important.
• I never understood Stephen Colbert's anti-bear propaganda. Until now. Will Bears Against Colbert fight back?
• More bad unemployment news.

Chat away...

Demanding Answers

Chairman Conyers and other members of the Judiciary Committee wrote a letter to Attorney General Mukasey. Mukasey recently claimed there was a call, before 9/11, from a terrorist safe house in Afghanistan which was not intercepted.

Key questions:

1. Were you referring to an actual pre-9/11 incident in the portion of your statement quoted above? If not, what were you referring to?

2. Do you believe that a FISA warrant would have been required to intercept a telephone call from a known terrorist safe house in Afghanistan to the United States in 2001? If so, please explain.

3. Even assuming that such a warrant would have been required, do you agree that even before 9/11, FISA authorized emergency interception without a warrant for a 48-hour period of phone calls from a known terrorist safe house in Afghanistan to the United States?

4. Assuming that you were referring to an actual pre-9/11 incident in your statement, please explain why such phone calls were not intercepted and appropriately utilized by federal government authorities in seeking to prevent terrorist attacks.

Biography Tour

What's been ignored in McCain's "biography tour" is the quarter-century he spent in Congress, casting votes he's now attempting to run away from, such as his vote against the King holiday. The Congress as a whole, at the time, was overwhelmingly in favor with a majority of Republicans also voting in favor of recognizing the man.

It wasn't a one-time mistake. Several years passed with him still opposing a federal holiday. He also opposed a state holiday in his home state of Arizona, until finally changing his mind.

Since then, how honest has he been about it? Well, in 2000, he claimed the reason he voted against it was because "it cost too much money." This week, he changed his tune, arguing that he simply didn't have a lot of experience with the issue.

John McCain is going to have to address his record in Congress, whether he likes it or not. You can't just ignore a quarter-century and pretend it never happened.

40 Years Ago

Today, on the fortieth anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s assassination, Governor Dean issued the following statement:

Today we honor the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., a transformative American leader whose life was cut tragically short 40 years ago. As we reflect on this solemn occasion, each one of us should reaffirm our commitment to continuing Dr. King's fight for social justice, equality, fairness, and inclusion for all Americans.

Among the many lessons of Dr. King's life, he taught us that our Democracy must be nurtured. That the work of making America a better place is a lifetime commitment. Each one of us must fight for the shared values of an America where we stand up and stand together for the least among us, for our children, our veterans, our communities, the very things that define who we are and what we believe.

This year's presidential election provides a ray of hope in the realization of Dr. King's dream. Across the country we've seen historic turnout as Americans from all walks of life are making their voices heard to move our country forward. Today the Democratic Party reaffirms its commitment to work towards the beloved community Dr. King envisioned.

Morning Open Thread

Chat away...

April 3, 2008

Evening Open Thread

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Rep. Issa: 9/11 'simply' a plane crash

NY Daily News:

The California congressman who called the Sept. 11 attacks “simply” a plane crash ran for cover Wednesday under a barrage of ridicule from fellow Republicans, first responders and victims’ families.

San Diego GOP Rep. Darrell Issa was under siege for suggesting the federal government had already done enough to help New York cope with “a fire” that “simply was an aircraft” hitting the World Trade Center.

They add: "He took to the floor of Congress on Sept. 11, 2001, to argue passionately that America - not just New York - had been attacked, but conveniently forgot that during his Tuesday diatribe."

Afternoon Open Thread

• Still using paper and pencils for the Census? I haven't even owned a pencil since college.
• Speaker Pelosi makes clear that she'd like to hear about the reality of what's happening in Iraq.
• Done more than Al Gore? Huh?

Chat away...

John McCain, a Foreign Policy Expert? Really?

John McCain likes to style himself as a foreign policy expert on the campaign trail but this is a self-professed and unabashed supporter of George W. Bush's failed policies that is offering three words to the American people: Four. More. Years.

Take, for instance, John McCain's persistent gaffe: claiming that al-Qaeda in Iraq, a Sunni organization, is receiving training from the Shia-majority Iran. John McCain still can't get his story straight.

In January, John McCain claimed that Basra was "not a problem." Last week, Muqtada al-Sadr, the Shia militia leader that John McCain can't figure out, launched a full-scale assault on Iraqi national forces in Basra and left the Arizona senator "surprised."

An "expert" who claimed the war would be "easy" and that the U.S. would not be caught in "house-to-house fighting" in Baghdad in late 2002 as he helped sell the war to the American public.

With the war dragging on into its sixth year, John McCain continues the dog-and-pony show that he was out in front all along the way.

Bush Invisible; McCain to Follow His Lead?

AmericaBlog flags down this quote from the New York Times: "Mr. Bush has sometimes seemed invisible during the housing and credit crunch." He's largely offstage, as the headline proclaims. And he's out of touch with the pain that Americans are experiencing in what are tough times for many.

How did that work out?

And does it remind you of anyone?

McCain's Inconsistency on Al Qaeda

In the past, McCain has used a statement by bin Laden to make the case that Iraq is the central front in the War on Terror: "That’s what bin Laden is saying, and that’s what Gen. Petraeus is saying, and that’s what I’m saying, my friends."

But now he's trying to have it both ways. Via Think Progress, "Ayman al-Zawahiri — the terrorist organization’s number two leader — clearly states al Qaeda wants Iran to fail in Iraq."

The dispute between America and Iran is a real dispute based on the struggle over areas of influence, and the possibility of America striking Iran is a real possibility. As for what might happen in the region, I can only say that major changes will occur in the region, and the situation will be in the interest of the Mujahideen if the war saps both of them. If, however, one of them emerges victorious, its influence will intensify and fierce battles will begin between it and the Mujahideen, except that the Jihadi awakening currently under way and the degeneration state of affairs of the invaders in Afghanistan and Iraq will make it impossible for Iran or America to become the sole decision-maker in the region.

Jobless claims hit 2-year high

New people are applying for unemployment benefits at what's being reported as "the highest level in more than two years." According to the Labor Department, that number "jumped by a seasonally adjusted 38,000 to 407,000 for the week ending March 29."

But nothing to worry. McCain still says that the economy is strong. And that must be true, because McCain says it, despite also saying: "[T]he issue of economics is not something I've understood as well as I should."

Morning Open Thread

Some news to get your morning started:

• Fiscal conservatism.
• A Fox News opinion piece says the idea that the economy is troubled is a a conspiracy by liberals in the media.
• Facts beg to differ.
• Investigating Goodling.
• Gen. Richard A. Cody: heavy deployments an "incredible stress" on soldiers.

Chat away...

April 2, 2008

Evening Open Thread

Chat away...

McCain: "No One Has Supported President Bush on Iraq More Than I Have"

In his own words, via Think Progress:

In recent days, Sen. John McCain has sought to distance himself rhetorically from President Bush's foreign policy. But on right-wing radio talker Mike Gallagher’s show this past Friday, McCain struck a different tone, proudly declaring that "no one has supported President Bush on Iraq more than I have." "Let me emphasize that there are many national security issues that I have strongly supported the president and steadfastly so," added McCain.

Head on over to Think Progress for the audio.

Consider this your Evening Open Thread. Chat away...

Factory Orders Down 1.3% in February

The failed economic policies of George W. Bush in action:

New U.S. factory orders declined for the second straight month in February, and fell more than twice as much as economists expected, the Commerce Department reported today.

New factory orders fell 1.3 percent, while orders excluding transportation equipment fell even further, by 1.8 percent, which is the largest decline since January 2007. [...]

A deeper look at the numbers reveals the industries that are really hurting:

A key indicator of business confidence, orders for non-defense capital goods excluding aircraft, fell 2.4 percent in February after falling 1.0 percent the prior month.

Economists use orders of non-defense, ex-aircraft capital goods as a proxy for business capital spending and a sign of the health of the economy.

The largest order declines were in categories related to construction. Overall orders for machinery fell 12.3 percent in the month, the largest decline in four years.

And John McCain is offering more of the same.

Happy 21st Anniversary to John McCain!

John McCain is traveling the country on a biographical tour, but here's one stop his campaign won't celebrate: the Keating Five. (April 2 marks the 21st anniversary of the group's first meeting.)

McCain and four other senators interceded on behalf of Charles Keating Jr., who was embroiled in the savings and loan crisis. McCain has often said the episode helped spur his zeal for government reform.

A campaign finance reform advocacy group also cited the 21st anniversary of the meeting to renew its call for McCain to back comprehensive public financing of campaigns.

"Senator McCain claims to have learned a lesson during the Keating Five scandal in the late 1980s -- that it is important to significantly reduce the impact of money in politics," David Donnelly, national campaigns director for the Public Campaign Action Fund, said in a statement. "But McCain, whose campaign is run by a who's who of big money lobbyists, appears to have forgotten that lesson and has so far refused to make a commitment to fight for real change in how campaigns are financed."

Happy 21st anniversary to John McCain! Four more years and it reaches the "silver" anniversary.

John McCain and special interests: I really think these two kids are going to last.

McCain's Army of Lobbyist Staffers Continues to Grow

The lobbyist gravy train rolls on at the McCain campaign.

Shorter John McCain: "I am the presidential candidate who will stand up to the special interests as I hire and take advice from their lobbyists!"

In this post The Atlantic Monthly's Marc Ambinder notes that top lobbyist Doug Davenport is joining the McCain campaign as one of its ten regional campaign managers. He also, as Ambinder notes, one of the founders and current chief lobbyist for the DCI Group. Now, as long time TPM readers know, DCI is the Republican outfit when it comes to 'astroturf' (i.e., phoney) grassroots campaigns and sundry campaign bamboozlment. [...]

To be clear, I think he is accurately conveying the McCain line here. But look what it's actually saying: that McCain's reputation as someone who won't truck with lobbyist is so strong that it can overcome the fact that he's staffing his campaign with top dollar lobbyists, i.e., my reputation trumps the evidence.

Lobbyist staffers: cheaper by the dozen!

Update: Oh this is rich -- Charlie Black, who lobbied from the campaign bus before leaving his firm to join the McCain team full-time as of March 31, is asking the American people "where" the lobbyists in high-level positions are on McCain's campaign.

Think Progress found a treasure trove.

Afternoon Open Thread

Here are some stories that are floating around out there:

• John McCain voted against establishing Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s birthday as a federal holiday in 1983.
• Wal-Mart backed off a lawsuit against the family of a brain-damaged former employee.
• McCain in January: Basra "not a problem."

Chat away...

Pentagon Releases '03 Memo on Harsh Tactics

Late Tuesday, the Pentagon released a 2003 memo from the Department of Justice on the treatment of detainees.

The Justice Department memo, dated March 14, 2003, outlines legal justification for military interrogators to use harsh tactics against al-Qaida and Taliban detainees overseas -- so long as they did not specifically intend to torture their captors.

Even so, the memo noted, the president's wartime power as commander in chief would not be limited by the U.N. treaties against torture.

"Our previous opinions make clear that customary international law is not federal law and that the president is free to override it at his discretion," said the memo written by John Yoo, who was then deputy assistant attorney general for the Office of Legal Counsel.

The memo was rescinded in December 2003.

Readiness of Ground Forces Dangerously Low

In the Washington Post this morning, Army and Marine officials are reportedly saying that, as a result of the additional 30,000 forces in Iraq and Afghanistan, the readiness of the military for other conflicts is at the lowest level in years.

In a stark assessment a week before Gen. David H. Petraeus, the top U.S. commander in Iraq, is to testify on the war's progress, Gen. Richard A. Cody, the Army's vice chief of staff, said that the heavy deployments are inflicting "incredible stress" on soldiers and families and that they pose "a significant risk" to the nation's all-volunteer military.

"When the five-brigade surge went in . . . that took all the stroke out of the shock absorbers for the United States Army," Cody testified before the Senate Armed Services Committee's readiness panel.

Getting the Facts Wrong ... Again

Think Progress:

As MSNBC's Keith Olbermann noted last night, at the same time McCain expressed surprise about the developments in Basra, he also got basic facts wrong about the ceasefire that halted the violence on Sunday. McCain claimed that "it was Sadr who asked for the ceasefire," not Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Malki.

At this rate, by the end of the campaign, John McCain will have rewritten the history books: the U.S. gained independence from Germany, defeated the Russians in the Second World War and landed on Mars in 1969.

Morning Open Thread

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April 1, 2008

Evening Open Thread

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Bush? Never Heard of Him...

Says McCain: "I'm not running on the Bush presidency..."

Except, of course, that he has changed on every major issue of the day to reflect Bush's position. It started out a while ago, when he stood with Bush defending Rumsfeld keeping his job. Then he flipped on the Bush tax cuts. Social Security, immigration, and Iran followed. Then Scooter Libby and SCHIP. And on, and on, and on.

It's hard to name one major issue where they disagree, quite frankly, especially when it comes to Iraq. If he wants to actually distance himself from Bush, then maybe he shouldn't have just claimed that he wouldn't do that just one month ago.

Afternoon Open Thread

Chat away...

Does McCain Understand Iraq?

His failure to understand the basics of what's happening on the ground in Iraq keeps landing him into trouble. And ironically, every time he visits, it seems to get worse.

This latest example takes the cake:

And of course, this isn't the only recent example. There were also the repeated cases where McCain was claiming that Iran was "taking al-Qaeda into Iran, training them and sending them back." Then, only after being corrected, he admitted that wasn't true. Another misunderstanding.

Finally, the last time he visited Iraq, there was the famous Baghdad marketplace stroll flap. It, of course, revealed that McCain didn't understand the security threats on the very piece of land he was standing on.

Maybe he should stick to economics...

Governor Dean on your TV

Since I know you all love to watch, a heads-up that Governor Dean will make some cable news appearances today:

MSNBC Live with Norah O'Donnell (12:50PM ET)
Bloomberg TV (1:10PM ET)
CNN Situation Room (sometime in the 4PM hour)
CNN Election Center (sometime in the 8PM hour)

Right Now: Oil Companies on the Record

I previewed this yesterday -- today the House Select Committee for Energy Independence and Global Warming "will bring top-level executives from the five largest oil companies to discuss the current state of oil and gas prices, oil company profits, and the need for clean, renewable fuels to ease demand for oil and cut global warming pollution."

It's being described by the Hill as "another indication of the industry’s waning clout on Capitol Hil."

You can watch the hearing live from a link on this page, or on CSPAN-3.

Bush and the oil companies are trying to defeat an energy bill that already passed in the House.

Top 10

Michael mentioned McCain's appearance on Letterman tonight. Keeping with the theme, I'd like to introduce...

Top Ten Reasons to Elect John McCain

10. Who needs health insurance when we have Head On!
9. How else are we going to increase Rick Davis and Charlie Black’s billing rates?
8. Who DOESN’T want to stay in Iraq for 100 years?
7. Early bird specials at the White House cafeteria.
6. He won’t need Dick Cheney to tell members of Congress to "go f--- yourself.”
5. With the economy as good as it is, we really don’t need a president who understands economics anyway.
4. His BBQ ribs actually looked pretty good.
3. Finally, the President of the National Press Club will be made a member of the cabinet.
2. Best Karaoke Song Ever: “Bomb, Bomb, Bomb, Bomb, Bomb, Iran.”
1. The last seven years have been so great, let’s have four more!

Great Moments in Presidential Speeches

John McCain is scheduled to appear on The Late Show tonight, so in tribute to Mr. Letterman, the Democratic Party put together a special "Great Moments in Presidential Speeches."

Featuring John McCain.

There are more -- and you can watch the others right here.

Morning Open Thread

Chat away...