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First Read is an analysis of the day's political news, from the NBC News political unit. First Read is updated throughout the day, so check back often.

Chuck Todd, NBC Political Director

Mark Murray, NBC Deputy Political Director

Domenico Montanaro, NBC Political Researcher



Edwards spoke to Musharraf

Posted: Thursday, December 27, 2007 4:53 PM by Domenico Montanaro

From NBC/NJ’s Tricia Miller
DECORAH, Iowa -- Edwards spoke in Waukon this afternoon about having calls in to Pakistan’s President Pervez Musharraf. Then, at his second event in Decorah, he told Iowans that he got his call returned.

“He called me,” Edwards said, “because I told the ambassador I’d like to speak to him. I met him a few years ago, which I think I told you earlier, and we had a conversation in which I urged him to continue the democratization process. He told me, he gave me his assurances that he intended to do that, and we also spoke about having international independent investigators allowed into the country for transparency purposes, for credibility purposes, and we spoke briefly about the elections.”

Edwards is the only candidate to have said publicly that he received a call from Musharraf today. Edwards did not join in the fight between rivals Clinton and Obama over which candidate has the best foreign policy advisers, and asked what this conversation does for his own foreign policy credibility, Edwards referred back to the complexity of the issue.

“I think that the most important thing is to understand what’s actually happening within Pakistan, the complex nature of the problems there, and to be visionary about what America needs to be doing,” he told reporters.

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As if Musharraf doesn't have enough on his hands without all these popcorn farts calling him.

Still waiting on the first democrat to claim this is a distraction by Bush to draw attention away from the "real threat" of man made global warming.

PS: Tell Dave Lindorff the north east will collapse into Socialist rot anarchy before we start swimming down here. :-)
So is John Edwards to be our next President because of a telephone call?

Hmm.
Give me a break, only one candidate knows this issue. BIDEN. Where was John Edwards prior to this on Pakistan? Can you say absent?
I like to see him playing the good guy. I'm not backing his campaign, but I have more respect for him this go around than I did the last time he tried.

As for his words with Musharraf, I would be interested to know what the context was on the other end of the phone. We should all pray for peace and healing for Pakistan and the region, whoever we are backing as the next leader of the free world!
This is just distasteful amd a very cheap shot Edwards' tactic to score some political points. What if Musharraf is involved in the assassination? He has absolved him right away. I thought Edwards will fight for ordinary people. Now, we clearly know that all he wants is to rub elbows with people in power..... He just lost my vote..
David, Des Moines, IO-Look at it for what it is. Edwards said he met him once prior. Maybe Musharraf liked him. Maybe he made a good impression on him. And just maybe you might overlooking the fact that this time next year Bush will be a hair away from finally being out of office and he's establishing a relationship with the guy he thinks might be the next president. Don't be so quick to bail out on him. I will agree with you that reporting it himself was self absorbing, but he is in third and trying to get votes. He still has mine.
Yeah, right, Musharraf called Edwards back.  Uh-huh.  What I think happened is that Silky channeled the spirit of Musharraf throught the phone line and he and Silky had a extistential moment together.

Silky's good that channeling thing, don't you know.  That's how he can afford his $50m mansion.  The man gives charlatans a bad name.
I would like to see proof that he actualy called.  Perhaps Edwards can share with us his phone records or he can ask his telephone company to release these records.  For some reason it sounds very unbelievable to me and Edwards is know to say just about anything.
Oh boy.  I can just imagine how that conversation went.

Edwards:  Hello Mr. President.  It is president, right?  That's what the call the guy who runs Pakistan not prime minister or some such, right? This is John Edwards.

Musharraf:  I am not interested in an exciting timeshare opportunity, but thank you Mr. Edwards.

Edwards:  No, no this is John Edwards former one term senator or a non-influential state who is running for president of the USA.  You may also remember me from my wildly unsuccessful run for VP on the Kerry ticket in 2004 where we were unable to beat a standing president who is about as popular as cancer and, in the process, I was unable to carry my home state of North Carolina.

Musharraf:  Oh, THAT John Edwards.....
Edwards continues to be the leader of the candidates.  He already has international credibility!  Not only that, but he has enough decency to not engage in the shenanigans going on today between Clinton and Obama.  With Edwards, we'll turn this country around.
Dave Tn I am just back from a 4 day vacation it's good to see you haven't changed you are just as full of it as you ever were.
I doubt that al Qaeda had anything to do with this India has enough home grown nuts without having to import them. The same thing happened to Indira Ghandi.
Edwards, as a full throated Clintonite, I still have to admit is a smart and cunning man. I think it's sad that I have distaste for him because of his previous attacking Hill and Obama positions, but now that he's calm again and just ready to attack Republicans, he's moved into my 2nd choice caegory over Obama.
The only person that takes John Edwards seriously is John Edwards.
What is the purpose of calling Musharraf. Other than show how naive John Edwards is. Does he know whether Musharraf is implicit in the death of Bhutto. This guy  is joke and an opportunist.
Mush: "Hello? Who's calling?"
Edwards: "It's John Edwards."
Mush: "Who?"
Edwards: "John Edwards. I used to be a senator in - Hello? Hello?"
all you negative Edwards pro clinton and obama people are a JOKE!! you claim to be so smart and no everything as you post your usual rhetoric ...yet you continue to allow the government and the likes of fox news to spoon feed you your intelligence. its an extremely good thing that none of you spoon fed idiots will ever be our future president!!
Elvis called me, earlier.  Wanted to tell me all about some treasure hidden under the Washington Monument.

Oh, and to tell me that John Edwards just flushed his entire campaign based on some stupid lie.
One issue that I would love to see raised is that of Edwards' senate record. He seems to get a free pass on experience because he served a full term, but if one looks at Edwards record, he consistently ranked among the very bottom among all 100 senators in number of bills sponsored. During the 107th congress (2001-2002) Edwards ranked 90th. I know these rankings are not completely accurate descriptions of a legislator's performance, but I do think a 6 year trend of relatively low activity in comparison to one's peers is quite telling. To their credit, Hilary and Obama both rank in the top 15 or so during all their years in the Senate. If Edwards is going to claim that he has "fought for the American people his whole life" than I think he should explain why he deserves to be president when he did not fight as hard as his opponents in this election. Will someone in the media PLEASE raise this issue before the caucuses???

Here is a link to the official Library of Congress website where you can examine this information yourself:
http://thomas.loc.gov/bss/d110/sponlst.html
Where was John Edwards on this issue before today?

Let's see Marge.  Do you have IOWA Public Television?  Because John Edwards was interviewed by IPTV last week, and he talked about why Pakistan is the main country over there in that part of the world that keeps him up at night.

He fully understands the issues with Pakistan and what needs to be done over there.

Everyone knows that Joe Biden is a Foreign Policy wonk, which is why he's going to make a great SECRETARY OF STATE for President John Edwards.

http://www.iptv.org/video/detail.cfm/988
Didn't Biden speak with Pervez today also?  As a matter of fact I think Biden made a direct call.  Unlike Edwards he didn't need call an ambassador to get through; he just dialed the phone.  Let's give credit where credit is due.
Edwards has the experience and the commitment to change we need for these times.  Over and over again he has proven that in stormy times, in times when no one else was talking about changing America Edwards has stood up.
I bet Edwards actually talked to Harry Shearer, the guy who does the Apu character on The Simpsons.  One Paki-sounding goof is as good as another if you're the Breck gurl trying to impress the big kids in the Democrat primaries.
Edwards:  what a moron.  
Edwards is still not the rotten byatch that george is.Hard to believe everybody gets the blame for the mess that belongs to Bush and only Bush.Guess that 19% approval rating spreads itself around.
What the heck does Mushareff need to talk to the little pissant faggot for?
why knock the guy? All he did was say, "I called the guy and he called me back." what's wrong with that? He did not try to make anything out of it but we sure are. I just wish that all of us could be less negative about all this. There was a tragedy and people reacted, that's all. Nobody, with the exception of Rudi, tried to make hay out of it.
John Edwards should be commended for pressing American interests when he had the ear of a man at the center of the world's biggest political and military faultline during the middle of a catastrophe. Whether or not you support his bid, there's no question that advocating for America's agenda during a dangerous times is  presidential.
I am sure Edwards talked with him. Why doubt it. He would get destroyed in the press for lying about such a thing and his credibility would be all of a sudden lower that Mitt Romney after his MLK comment. I think that he did have the conversation. And to be honest with you I think that is very important. If Musharraf had something to do with the death then he will have to answer for it one way or another. It is the job of a leader, like Edwards to open channels of communication in times of crisis and that is exactly what he did. Every candidate has commented on the issue. The only reason nobody else has said that they talked to Musharraf is that nobody else has. It isn't arrogant to point this out, any more than it is arrogant for another Clinton to point out that she once had an afternoon with Bhutto along with their kids.
You Edwards-haters are full of it... it's not like your comments fool anybody.  Anyone with a mind knows that you are the ones with the ulterior motive... protecting the status-quo.  

I mean come on, still bringing up the haircut issue.  Thats completely meaningless.

I think this call shows true leadership... not political manipulation.

And honestly, to really put it out there... if we fail to elect Edwards, if we vote on celebrity status or because of the price of a haircut, we'll get more of the status quo... we'll get more crap. And worst of all, we'll deserve it, for being complete idiots.
How incredibly ridiculous.
Where was John Edwards on this issue before today?

Let's see Marge.  Do you have IOWA Public Television?  Because John Edwards was interviewed by IPTV last week, and he talked about why Pakistan is the main country over there in that part of the world that keeps him up at night.

He fully understands the issues with Pakistan and what needs to be done over there.

Everyone knows that Joe Biden is a Foreign Policy wonk, which is why he's going to make a great SECRETARY OF STATE for President John Edwards.
**IF THESE CANDIDATES BELIEVE I AM FOCUSING ON FOREIGN POLICY...THINK AGAIN!!!**

Many of the candidates have spoken to the people of Pakistan and everywhere else, but what about the CITIZENS OF OUR COUNTRY who need things done here.  Pakistan can't run their country, because they are tied up with calls from nosey politicians from the US.  STAY OUT OF THOSE PEOPLE BUSINESS' AND TAKE CARE OF THE PEOPLE IN YOUR YOUR OWN COUNTRY!  I AM NOT IMPRESSED BY YOU RUNNING SOMEONE ELSE'S BUSINESS, WHEN YOU CAN'T RUN THE BUSINESS OF THE PEOPLE OF OUR GREAT COUNTRY!  WHO CARES IF YOU TOOK PICTURES WITH THEM YEARS AGO, VISITED WITH THEM, WHO CARES IF YOU TALKED TO THE PAKISTAN PRESIDENT WEEKS AGO OR WHENEVER AND GAVE HIM ADVISE!  My advice to politicians...is mind the affairs of the US.  

Politicians need to be reminded of who is electing them and it's not Pakistanians.  They should not allow what other candidates are doing to take their eyes away from what the PEOPLE here need.  

Maybe instead of calling the people in other countries, politicians should be more focused on the people who elected them in the first place and see how further can they assist the people here in the US.
HELLO POLITICIAN, MY NAME IS CITIZEN OF THE UNITED STATES and I have a list of needs that are detrimental to the needs of the people of the United States.  
Sorry folks, I had to leave a message on their  answering machines, because some of our politicians we elected are too busy for us, they are too busy trying to run other countries.  
Gimme a break!
I agree with Suzette.  If everyone would vote for anti-establishment candidates who realize that we cause untold calamities by meddling in others' business we'd be a lot better off.  The only candidates who appear to clearly understand the problems caused by meddling are Obama and Paul.
My A** he spoke with Mushareff. Edwards is so full of sh*t. Why would the President of Pakistan speak with this candidate? Edwards wouldn't have anything of substance to offer, why accept a phone call from the phoney.


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