August 2007 - Posts
From NBC's Domenico Montanaro
Dodd and became the first presidential hopeful to sign the early state pledge we reported on earlier.
DODD: "I believe that Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina and Nevada offer a cross section of America and allow for voters to probe the experience and vision of candidates in a meaningful way. In this year, where the national media focus seems to be on celebrity and bank accounts, the role of these states is more important than ever. I am committed to the DNC nominating calendar and preserving the first in the nation status of Iowa and New Hampshire."
*** UPDATE *** BIDEN SIGNS PLEDGE: Biden Campaign Manager Luis Navarro: "It is time to end all the maneuvering around the dates of the early primaries and caucuses. We intend not only to sign the pledge, but to honor our pledge to Iowa, Nevada, New Hampshire and South Carolina to respect their primacy to the process. They played by the rules of the DNC. We respect those rules. The public despises this kind of maneuvering for political advantage. If the Republicans want to play this way, let them. But we will not be a party to it."
*** UPDATE 2 *** OBAMA, EDWARDS AND RICHARDSON ALSO SIGN PLEDGE: Obama, Edwards and Richardson have also agreed to sign the pledge. This puts pressure on Clinton now to say whether she will campaign in Florida and Michigan for defying the DNC and moving up inside the Feb. 5 window. ***UPDATE 3*** CLINTON SIGNS PLEDGE
CONTINUED >>
From NBC’s Domenico Montanaro
The Iowa, Nevada, New Hampshire and South Carolina Democratic Parties have joined together to ask the presidential candidates to sign a pledge that they will “not campaign or participate in any state which schedules a presidential election primary or caucus before Feb. 5, 2008, except for the states of Iowa, Nevada, New Hampshire and South Carolina.” Earlier today, we reported that DNC Chairman Howard Dean sent a letter urging the candidates to abide by the calendar.
From NBC's Andrew Merten
Virginia Senator John Warner (R) announced today he will not seek re-election next year.
Some potential candidates who will run for his post: former Gov. Mark Warner (D), Rep. Tom Davis (R) and one-time presidential hopeful and former Gov. Jim Gilmore (R).
From NBC's Mike ViqueiraMark your calendars... Gen.
David Petraeus and U.S. Ambassador to Iraq
Ryan Crocker will testify Monday, Sept. 10th at 12:30 pm before a joint hearing of the House Foreign Affairs and Armed Services Committee.
From NBC’s Domenico Montanaro
Tony Snow and President Bush made it official that Snow will be stepping down Sept. 14th. Dana Perino will replace him.
“I sadly accept his desire to leave the White House,” Bush told reporters at today’s White House Press Briefing. “It’s been a joy to watch him spar with you.” Bush went on to call Snow “smart,” “capable” and witty and then told Snow, “I accept. I love you, and I wish you all the best.”
Snow said his decision is solely based on money and has nothing to do with his battle with cancer. “I ran outta money,” Snow said. “There’s a lot of people sitting there at home saying, ‘Well whaddya mean, you make all this money.’ Well I made more money in my previous career.”
CONTINUED >>
From NBC’s Domenico MontanaroDemocratic fund-raiser
Norman Hsu has turned himself into police in California for a 15-year-old outstanding warrant. The
Los Angeles Times, which first reported that Hsu was a fugitive, reports: “Prosecutors in California said Hsu disappeared in 1992 after pleading no contest and agreeing to serve up to three years in prison for defrauding investors in a Ponzi scheme.”
San Mateo Sheriff's booking photo of Norman Hsu.
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Hsu, who a judge ordered handcuffed, faces a grand theft charge. He is being held on $2 million bond. A bail hearing is scheduled for Sept. 5th, where a judge may consider reducing his bail to $1 million.
Hsu signed on to be a
Clinton “HillRaiser,” a group of individuals who pledged to raise at least $100,000 for the New York senator’s presidential run. He has helped raise or donate money for many Democrats, including Clinton (during her presidential run),
Obama (during his 2004 U.S. Senate run) and New York Gov.
Eliot Spitzer.
CONTINUED >>
From NBC's Domenico Montanaro
Per the Atlantic’s Ambinder, DNC Chairman Howard Dean sent a “strongly worded letter,” urging candidates to abide by the DNC’s nominating selection process calendar. This comes a day after Michigan dared the DNC by moving its primary up to Jan. 15. The DNC leveled heavy sanctions against Florida on Saturday for moving its primary up to Jan. 29th, before the allowed Feb. 5th window.
"My goal as Chairman, and our objective as a Party,” Dean writes, “is to structure a nominating process that adheres to rules that are clear, straightforward and published. The vast majority of states have complied with these rules.”
From NBC’s Kelly O’Donnell
NBC News has learned that White House Press Secretary Tony Snow will step down Sept. 14 as the president's chief spokesman and the public face of the White House. Dana Perino is expected to replace him.
He is expected to make his announcement during today's on-camera White House briefing at 12:45pm. President Bush is expected to make a statement at the briefing. Snow formally informed the president yesterday.
Snow says his departure is based on family finances. "If I had the dough I'd stay 'til the bitter end,” Snow told NBC News. As an assistant to the President, Snow earns the highest-level salary among White House officials at $168,000 a year.
CONTINUED >>
From NBC's Kelly O'Donnell and Lauren Appelbaum
After three months of "testing the waters" and testing the patience of some Republican supporters, Fred Dalton Thompson will seek his party's nomination.
This afternoon in a conference call with invited supporters and participants, Thompson political director Randy Enwright explained the next steps for the "Friends of Fred Thompson Committee."
Taking a page from the Hillary Clinton playbook, the formal announcement will debut on a webcast on Thursday, September 6. It will be followed by a swing through key states: Iowa, New Hampshire, and South Carolina. And it will conclude with a "Welcome Home" in Lawrenceburg, TN on the 15th.
From NBC's Mark Murray
A new ONE campaign poll of likely GOP Iowa caucus-goers, conducted by Peter D. Hart Research Associates (D) and McLaughlin & Associates (R), has Romney leading at 35%, Giuliani at 12%, and Fred Thompson and Mike Huckabee tied at 11%.
Quick takes here: Romney has a comfortable lead, and Huckabee has a nice little bounce coming after his second-place finish in the Ames straw poll.
From NBC's Mark Murray
The AP's Ron Fournier writes that the presidential nominating contests may be far from over. "John Kerry's presidential bid was dead. If you didn't know that in September 2003, all you had to do was ask almost any pundit, politicians or political writer. We were wrong. Kerry picked up a key endorsement, poured his own money into the race and took advantage of the fact that Democratic front-runner Howard Dean's campaign had quietly peaked in the summer of 2003."
"We may be wrong again. The same folks who buried John Kerry months before he won the 2004 Democratic nomination are jumping the gun for 2008."
"The consensus in Washington is that Sen. John McCain's presidential dreams are dead and the only Republicans with a shot at the nomination are former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, former Sen. Fred Thompson and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney. Conventional wisdom also suggests that the Democratic nomination is Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's to lose, and that her only serious rivals are Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois and, perhaps, former Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina."
"Then along comes a day like Wednesday that rubs history in our faces, reminding the so-called experts how much the political landscape can change before the first votes are cast in Iowa: Sen. Chris Dodd of Connecticut, a longshot candidate for the Democratic nomination, picked up the endorsement of the International Association of Fire Fighters."
From NBC's Ken Strickland and Doug Adams
NBC News confirms an earlier report by the Politico that GOP Sen. John Warner will announce tomorrow whether he intends to run for re-election, at 2:00 pm ET on the campus of the University of Virginia in Charlottesville.
Warner is believed by politcial leaders in both parties to announce tomorrow that he will NOT run for another term. Warner, 80, has raised just $72,000 since the 2006 elections and only $500 in the first quarter of this year -- not exactly the actions of a man preparing to run in what is shaping up as a bad year for Republicans. And if Warner decides to retire, it is by no means a lock that Republcians would retain the seat. Several well-known candidates from both parties are expected to jump into the race.
CONTINUED >>
From NBC’s Domenico Montanaro
Hours after the 700,000-member International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers endorsed
Clinton, the United Brotherhood of Carpenters announced it is endorsing
Edwards. The 520,000-member union did not endorse anyone in the 2004 presidential race.
From NBC's Lauren Appelbaum
Clinton said today she was "surprised by the news" that Clinton fund-raiser Norman Hsu has an outstanding arrest warrant out for him, and added that after verifying the information, her campaign "returned his money."
“We will continue to analyze all contributions and take action if that's warranted,” Clinton said during a joint press conference with New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer to discuss the State Children’s Health Insurance Program, known as SCHIP. “And I wish Mr. Hsu well in dealing with the problems he's confronting.”
VIDEO: NBC's Deputy Political Director Mark Murray offers his first read on the Democrat's fugitive donor.A reporter pressed on, asking Clinton about problems during her husband’s presidency with donors like Johnny Chung. "I don't think it's analogous at all," Clinton replied, "I think we take these one by one as they come up. When you have as many contributors as I'm fortunate enough to have, we do the very best job we can based on the information available to us to make appropriate vetting decisions and this one was a big surprise to everybody."
CONTINUED >>
From NBC’s Domenico Montanaro
The McCain campaign today released a high-quality, 12-minute video that highlights McCain’s military service and touts his “maverick spirit” with a “rebellious streak.” It opens with McCain giving his name, rank, and officer number as a young prisoner of war in Vietnam being questioned by a foreign interviewer. The video marks a shift in his campaign to re-brand the one-time front-runner with an old theme -- the one that worked so well for him in 2000.
“I wouldn’t call it a re-branding because this has always been his brand,” said Brian Rogers, a campaign spokesman. “But certainly we view September as a critical month for the senator and our campaign. And this is the opening salvo in the way forward for our campaign.”
CONTINUED >>
From NBC's Mark Murray and Domenico Montanaro
Clinton, per her campaign, has just picked up her second labor union endorsement this week -- from the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers. The endorsement comes a few days after some of the Democratic presidential candidates (including Clinton, Edwards, and Kucinich) spoke to the union. The IAM also endorsed Huckabee in the GOP race.
Earlier this week, Clinton also won the United Transportation Union's endorsement.
From Mark Murray and Domenico Montanaro
*** It’s Been A LONG Month…: August is typically a month when many unwind, go on vacation, or head to the nearest back-to-school sale, all to prepare for the busy fall ahead. But for those who have been participating in or covering this expedited presidential race, this month has been jam-packed with news that could influence the sprint -- but aren’t we already sprinting? -- that begins after Labor Day. On the Democratic side, the month began with Obama’s speech on terrorism (and Pakistan), which produced the first real shoot-out among most of the Dem candidates. Then came Clinton’s statement at YearlyKos that she wouldn’t refuse lobbyist contributions. Next was Richardson’s response at a gay-rights forum, where he said that homosexuality is a choice. Then came the debate in Des Moines, where many of these things were rehashed and Obama proved he could take a punch. And then there was Edwards’ aggressive re-launch in New Hampshire.
*** More August News: On the GOP side, the month featured Romney’s expected win in Ames, Huckabee’s surprise second-place finish there, and Tommy Thompson’s exit. Then there were the staff departures for the other (and better-polling) Thompson, as well as the growing complaints why his campaign was waiting so long to actually begin. Also, we saw Romney and Fred gang up on Giuliani regarding immigration and guns. And the news over at the White House and Congress included Rove’s and Gonzales’ announced departures, plus the recent scandal involving Sen. Larry Craig. Whew. If all of these things happened in August, what does the fall -- and then the nominating contests in the winter -- have in store for us?
*** If The Hsu Fits…: Another story that broke during the last few days of the month was the mysterious case of Clinton bundler Norman Hsu (who has donated to other Democrats and Democratic causes). As we’ve noted earlier, the Wall Street Journal on Tuesday reported on his links to a family of modest means who had donated tens of thousands of dollars to Clinton since 2005. Then the Los Angeles Times wrote that Mr. Hsu has been a fugitive for 15 years after pleading no contest to grand theft. Today, the papers note that the Clinton campaign -- after earlier refusing to do so -- is donating to charity the $23,000 Hsu has given the campaign and reviewing thousands more he had raised. Clinton and her campaign are the last folks who would ever back down from something. But with Edwards and Obama hitting her on accepting money from federal lobbyists and past press reports of another problematic donor -- Vinod Gupta -- the campaign’s decision to return his money is a no-brainer. But what does it do with the money he’s bundled?
*** The Buzzards Are Circling: Yesterday, GOP Sens. John McCain -- who is running for president -- and Norm Coleman -- who will be in a tough contest for re-election next year -- called for the embattled Sen. Larry Craig, R-Idaho, to resign. In addition, Senate GOP leaders yesterday announced that Craig had complied with their request to step down from his key committee assignments. We’ve seen this process play out before, and there are essentially three outcomes. One, Craig resigns pretty quickly (a la Mark Foley). Two, he waits as long as possible before stepping down (Bob Ney, Alberto Gonzales). Or three, he rides out the storm as the press turns to other stories (William Jefferson, David Vitter).
*** On The Trail: Biden, in Iowa, participates in the SEIU's Walk-A-Day program; Edwards speaks at a Democratic county party BBQ in South Carolina; McCain is in Arizona; Richardson raises money in Nevada; Romney does the same in North Carolina; and actress Kathleen Turner campaigns for Obama in South Carolina.
*** And A Note: Given the need to take our final breather this August, the morning version of First Read will not publish tomorrow, although we’ll have updated posts throughout the day. The next issue of the morning version will return bright and early Tuesday, September 4. Have a happy and safe Labor Day weekend.
Countdown to MA-05 Special Election: 4 days
Countdown to LA GOV election: 51 days
Countdown to Election Day 2007: 68 days
Countdown to LA GOV run-off (if necessary): 79 days
Countdown to Iowa: 136 days
Countdown to SC GOP primary: 141 days
Countdown to Tsunami Tuesday: 158 days
Countdown to Election Day 2008: 432 days
Countdown to Inauguration Day 2009: 509 days
A new Time magazine poll of Iowa has Edwards leading at 29%, followed by Clinton at 24%, Obama at 22%, and Richardson at 11%. “For Edwards, the poll has some less welcome news as well. So far, at least, his attempts to portray himself as the real change agent in the race — the one who wants to slam the door on lobbyists and other ‘Washington insiders’ — isn't paying off. Obama beats him by 35% to 25% on the question of who ‘will take on special interests in Washington.’ (Clinton trailed with 19%.) Iowa Democrats seem to like Edwards more for who he is than for what he says; they call him the ‘most likable’ and the one who best understands their concerns, but his toss-out-the-insiders message hasn't stuck.”
CLINTON: “Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton’s campaign said yesterday that it would give to charity $23,000 it had received from a prominent Democratic donor, and review thousands of dollars more that he had raised, after learning that the authorities in California had a warrant for his arrest stemming from a 1991 fraud case,” the New York Times says. “The travails of Mr. Hsu have proved an embarrassment for the Clinton campaign, which has strived to project an image of rectitude in its fund-raising and to dispel any lingering shadows of past episodes of tainted contributions.”
CONTINUED >>
The Washington Times examines the FairTax revolution -- the push for a national retail sales tax -- “that has taken hold of the 2008 Republican presidential debate and turned from outcast to kingmaker, including aiding presidential hopeful Mike Huckabee's surprise second-place showing in this month's influential Iowa Republican presidential straw poll. Of the major candidates on the Republican side six, including all-but-announced candidate Fred Thompson, have said they are either active supporters or would at least be willing to sign a FairTax bill if it reached their desks as president.”
GIULIANI: Giuliani tapped former New York fire chief Howard Safir to lead a coalition of “law enforcement and emergency-responders backing his campaign for president.”
ROMNEY: The Romney campaign is running a new TV ad in Iowa and New Hampshire. It goes: "An Olympics hit by scandal and deficits, he rescued them. He turned around dozens of companies and became a business legend. A state losing jobs, with huge deficits, Governor Mitt Romney turned it around – cutting spending, instead of raising taxes. At every step, he's met extraordinary challenges. Mitt Romney – the energy and experience to turn around Washington."
CONTINUED >>
The
New York Times:”The White House is growing more confident that it can beat back efforts by Congressional Democrats to shift course in Iraq, a significant turnabout from two months ago, when a string of Republican defections had administration officials worried that President Bush’s troop buildup was in serious danger on Capitol Hill. Current and former administration officials say they realize that the September battle over the troop buildup will be difficult. But they also say the president’s hand is stronger now than it was in early July, when Republican senators like Pete V. Domenici of New Mexico and Richard G. Lugar of Indiana publicly called for a change of course.”
“Gov. Jennifer Granholm is convinced that the state House today will approve legislation, already passed by the Senate, to hold a statewide presidential primary Jan. 15 -- even though the move could put the state on a collision course with the national parties,” the Detroit News reports.
Edwards' campaign manager David Bonior, a Michigan native, told the Boston Globe: "I do believe there is a role for a larger state in this process whether that be Florida or wherever. But this campaign is focused on the four early states of Iowa, Nevada, New Hampshire, and South Carolina because that is where the issues matter most."
Per the Washington Times, “The top 2008 Democratic presidential candidates will likely campaign for the Jan. 29 Florida primary, and a potential earlier primary in Michigan, in defiance of the party's threat to strip the states of their convention delegates, Democratic strategists said yesterday.”
GOP Sens. John McCain and Norm Coleman called for Craig to resign yesterday. "My opinion is that when you plead guilty to a crime you shouldn't serve," McCain told CNN. "That's not a moral stand, 'holier than thou,' just a factual situation." And Coleman said in a radio interview: "If I was making the decision, I'd resign. I'd tell him to resign. I think this is one where you've pled guilty, you've had time to think about it.”
The Washington Post also notes that “Senate GOP leaders said that Craig ‘agreed to comply’ with their request that he step down as the ranking Republican on the Veterans' Affairs Committee and two subcommittees while the ethics committee assesses his case. The move, they said, was for ‘the good of the Senate.’ The intensity of the Republican leaders' assault on one of their own was stunning, if for no other reason than its unusual -- un-senatorial -- nature. Several ethics lawyers and experts could not provide an example in the past two decades of one senator calling for the ethics committee to investigate a colleague.”
CONTINUED >>
From NBC’s Domenico Montanaro
There was a broad range of reactions from the presidential candidates. We have statements from Giuliani, Dodd, Edwards, McCain, and Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean. We also have a five-and-a-half-minute video from Obama entitled, “Rebuilding New Orleans, Two Years Later.”
CONTINUED >>
From NBC's Lauren Appelbaum
With former President Jimmy Carter by his side, Edwards visited Georgia Southwestern State University to discuss his vision for America and his plans to build One America. Edwards began his speech with an attack on Bush's request for more money to fund the surge in Iraq. Using his fingers to make quote marks while saying the word "surge," Edwards dismissed the idea as a good plan.
"The Congress will be coming back next week, and I think the American people have seen enough excuses," Edwards said. "They don't want excuses anymore. They want to see this war come to an end. They want to see it brought to an end. What the Congress should do when they come back next week is make it absolutely clear, no timetable, no funding. And there should be no further excuses. The Congress needs to stand their ground. They had a mandate from the American people in the election in November in 2006 and they need to meet that mandate."
CONTINUED >>
From NBC’s Domenico Montanaro
America Coming Together, a political action committee credited with doing much of the grassroots organization and get-out-the-vote efforts for Democrats in 2004, was hit with a $775,000 fine by the Federal Election Commission for violating federal election law during the 2004 campaign election cycle.
The FEC leveled its third-largest fine in history against George Soros-backed ACT, “a federal political action committee (PAC) that also has a non-federal account registered under section 527 of the Internal Revenue Code, agreed to pay $775,000 to settle charges that it used funds raised outside federal limits and source prohibitions to pay for expenses that should have been paid with funds raised within the federal contribution limits and prohibitions,” according to the FEC’s Web site.
Also, the FEC “uncovered no evidence of coordination between” ACT and the Democratic National Committee, 2004 Democratic nominee John Kerry.
From NBC’s Kristin Wilson
“Polls don't mean spit” was the oft-repeated mantra today in DC by the president of the International Association of Firefighters and Democratic presidential hopeful Sen. Chris Dodd.
According to Dodd, and IAFF president Harold Shaitberger, however, the "very extensive surveys we've conducted and phone contacts with voters in these states" (hey, isn't that called "polling?") in Iowa and New Hampshire do mean, ummm, spit.
Shaitberger said voters are apparently still undecided in the early primary and caucus states, and will make their decisions not in August, which is filled with "more theater, more popularity contests," but rather in December and January, when "they get serious about their decision."
CONTINUED >>
From NBC's Domenico Montanaro
In another sign the presidential selection process may be headed for 2007, Wyoming Republicans voted to move their conventions to Jan. 5, leapfrogging Iowa and New Hampshire.
"We're first in the nation," State party County Convention Coordinator Tom Sansonetti told the AP. "At least for the next couple, three weeks until New Hampshire and Iowa move, which I expect they will."
Iowa and New Hampshire are currently scheduled for Jan. 14 and Jan. 22, respectively. But that is expected to change, since South Carolina moved its Republican primary to Jan. 19. We reported earlier, though, that the Republican National Committee is vowing to take tough action against states like Florida, South Carolina, New Hampshire and Michigan for moving its primary dates up. The Democratic National Committee levied the heavy sanction of stripping Florida of its delegates Saturday -- if within 30 days Florida doesn’t agree to move its primary date back by at least a week.
From NBC’s Kelly O’Donnell
Senior officials tell NBC News it is unlikely President Bush will be ready to nominate a choice for attorney general before the president leaves for the APEC Summit next week. It appears there is not sufficient time on Thursday and Friday for the president to complete interviews with candidates and be ready for an announcement, advisors said.
Officials said they now "have more names in the mix than when we started” and that consultations with members of Congress and others outside government have contributed to the process. They refused to discuss specific names, but advisors suggest that Paul Clement, George Terwilliger and Larry Silberman are among those being considered.
Advisors said they believe the speculation about Michael Chertoff has run its course, and he is not in the running to succeed Gonzales. "It gets unfair to Mike," one advisor said.
The positive reaction to Clement as acting attorney general takes some pressure off the timing, advisors said.
From NBC’s Ken Strickland
Might the Republican leadership remove embattled Sen. Larry Craig from committee assignments or request that he steps down? The leadership has not made plans to take those steps, but a GOP aide says, “We reserve that right.” Craig is a member of the powerful appropriations committee.
Also, Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell called Craig yesterday prior to releasing the statement from the GOP Leadership calling for an ethics investigation. McConnell's office wouldn't characterize the call other than to say they were giving Craig a heads-up on the GOP position. In that statement, the leadership said it will be "examining other aspects of the case to determine if additional action is required."
Also note that while senators' press offices often spam Capitol Hill reporters with press releases from the mundane to the sublime, we've seen nothing so far from anyone except the previously mentioned statement from the GOP leadership yesterday.
From NBC's Domenico Montanaro
The liberal, anti-war group MoveOn.org will go up with an ad by the end of this week in Democratic Rep. Brian Baird’s district in Washington state, accusing him of a “flip-flop” on the Iraq war.
Baird, along with Sens. Clinton and Carl Levin, recently said the troop surge in Iraq is showing signs of progress -- at least in Al-Anbar province. Baird had voted against the Iraq military action in 2003.
“MoveOn.org Political Action Committee is sponsoring the ad to call attention to the congressman’s decision to go against the views of his constituents, and his previous voting record, to support President Bush’s failed policy in Iraq,” the group said in an e-mailed statement.
CONTINUED >>
From NBC’s Domenico Montanaro
The Romney campaign is the latest to try and appeal to younger viewers with a gimmicky, “Create Your Own Ad!” push. “Yes, we’re serious,” the campaign boasts on the edit-it-yourself Web site JumpCut.com. The ad can be on “Mitt’s biography, his family, his record as Governor, or his agenda for a stronger America. In fact, your ad can have practically any theme you choose as long you support the campaign creatively and responsibly.”
The campaign provides photos, video and music -- though you can use your own. You just have to “cut, splice and edit to your heart’s content.” The deadline is Sept. 17. The campaign also provides its most recent ad as an example. Under the handle “govmittromney,” Romney’s campaign writes: “Here's one of our television ads, ‘Tested, Proven.’ Think you can do better? Just click the green ‘Edit’ button on this video (or any of the dozens of clips we've provided) and show us what you can do!” Here are some Romney videos on the site.
From Mark Murray and Domenico Montanaro
*** “I Am Not Gay”: While GOP Sen. Larry Craig’s press conference yesterday wasn’t as shocking and bizarre as Jim McGreevey’s was a few years ago, it was quite a spectacle. And it raised more questions than answers, the chief one among them: Why would a local newspaper investigation force a three-term US senator to plead guilty to disorderly conduct regarding lewd behavior in a men’s restroom? Republicans don’t seem to be buying the defense, and before Craig’s presser, the Senate GOP leadership released a statement recommending that the Senate Ethics Committee look into the incident. Of course, GOP Sen. David Vitter’s recent press conference about his links to a DC madam’s phone list was just as big of a spectacle -- and Vitter (with his wife’s help) seems to have survived that incident, at least for now. But then again, being linked to a DC madam doesn’t seem to compare to playing footsie with a plainclothes police officer in a men’s bathroom stall. We’re not the first to say this, but the biggest beneficiary to all of this has been Alberto Gonzales. Did he pick a great week to finally resign, or what?
*** Katrina, Before And After: Heading into the summer of 2005, the Bush White House was suffering its first true political defeat -- over Social Security -- and the situation in Iraq kept getting worse and worse. But few at that point envisioned that the White House and GOP were in danger of losing control of Congress. In the July 2005 NBC/WSJ poll, Bush’s approval rating stood at 46% (almost where it was before he won re-election), and his fav/unfav was 47%-43%. Then came Hurricane Katrina and the federal government’s widely criticized response to it. In the next NBC/WSJ survey, Bush’s plummeted to 40%, then his lowest rating in the poll, and his fav/unfav numbers essentially flipped. Katrina -- which slammed into the Gulf Coast exactly two years ago today -- is hardly the sole explanation for the White House’s current woes (and even lower poll numbers). But it served as the point at which the wheels started to come off.
*** Not The Big Easy: President Bush, whose approval rating now stands at 31% in the latest NBC/WSJ poll, commemorates Katrina’s second anniversary with a visit to the Gulf Coast. He begins the day with a stop at a New Orleans charter school, where he participates in a moment of silence and then makes a statement on the city’s recovery efforts. He then heads to Mississippi, where he makes another statement. None of the presidential candidates will be joining Bush in New Orleans, but many of them (Clinton, Edwards, Huckabee, Hunter, and Obama) were there in the last few days.
*** Its Downballot Impact: But Katrina didn’t only influence Bush’s political standing. Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco (D), whose response to the hurricane was just as widely condemned as Bush’s, isn’t running for re-election this year -- and Republican Bobby Jindal seems a safe bet to claim that seat. Other Gulf Coast governors, however, have seen their political fortunes rise, simply because their states didn’t look as bad as Louisiana did. Alabama Gov. Bob Riley (R), stung in 2003 by a failed tax increase, cruised to re-election last year. And Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour (R), who took a hit before Katrina for working to eliminate Medicaid benefits for thousands of poor state residents, is now in a strong position to win re-election this year, although a recent Bloomberg News article alleging that Barbour’s friends and family financially benefited from the federal reconstruction aid there might complicate things.
*** Labor Gains: A day after Clinton won the endorsement of the United Transportation Union, Dodd picks up his biggest prize so far -- and perhaps his best piece of news since he launched his presidential bid -- when the International Association of Fire Fighters endorses him today at a press conference in DC. The IAFF, of course, is the sole major union that backed John Kerry before he went on to win in Iowa in 2004 (and it also has been the group hammering Giuliani on his 9/11 record). But while Kerry was overshadowed by Dean at this point in the ’04 race, he was the initial Democratic front-runner and was still registering in double digits in national polls. That’s not the case for Dodd. But, as the Hartford Courant’s Lightman puts it, the endorsement is certainly “an important boost to his underdog campaign.”
*** Billary Returns: The Clinton campaign just issued a press release noting that Clintons -- both Bill and Hillary -- will campaign together over the Labor Day weekend. On Sunday, they hit New Hampshire and then travel to Iowa on Monday.
*** On The Trail: Elsewhere today, Biden campaigns in Iowa; Edwards, in Georgia, gives a speech that his campaign says will touch on all the issues upon which he has built his campaign (poverty, health care, global warming); McCain raises money in California and Arizona; and Romney hits two fundraisers in Georgia.
Countdown to MA-05 Special Election: 5 days
Countdown to LA GOV election: 52 days
Countdown to Election Day 2007: 69 days
Countdown to LA GOV run-off (if necessary): 80 days
Countdown to Iowa: 137 days
Countdown to Tsunami Tuesday: 159 days
Countdown to Election Day 2008: 433 days
Countdown to Inauguration Day 2009: 510 days
The New Orleans Times-Picayune has a special Katrina: Two Years Later issue with several stories looking back. The front page has a large “Thank You!” There is an installment called “Touched By an Angel” with vignettes from people who were helped by others’ kindness.
The AP’s Fournier writes that New Orleans is every Americans’ tragedy. “What happened to this historic city two years ago is more than the obvious cautionary tale of what might befall your community after a natural disaster or a terrorist strike. It's also a sad reflection of what's happening now - today, in your hometown and across an anxious and ailing nation. Inadequate health care. A housing crisis. Crumbling infrastructure. Racial division. Poor schools. Rising crime. And at the core of these and other problems threatening our way of life: a pernicious failure of leadership.”
The Los Angeles Times has a different take. “Today, by accident and by necessity, this city is awash in ideas: the new and the ambitious, the au courant and avant-garde, the idealistic and the slightly nutty. The New Orleans public education system, long considered one of most ineffective in the nation, has been revitalized with a grand experiment in charter schools; more than half of the city's public campuses are charters, the highest percentage of any major metropolis.”
CLINTON: The New York senator won the first endorsement by a national union in the 2008 campaign from the 125,000-member United Transportation Union.
The Los Angeles Times follows up on yesterday’s Wall Street Journal article about Clinton fundraiser Norman Hsu (who has also donated to Biden, Obama, and other Democrats over the years). “For the last 15 years, California authorities have been trying to figure out what happened to a businessman named Norman Hsu, who pleaded no contest to grand theft, agreed to serve up to three years in prison and then seemed to vanish… Since 2004, one Norman Hsu has been carving out a prominent place of honor among Democratic fundraisers. He has funneled hundreds of thousands of dollars in campaign contributions into party coffers, much of it earmarked for presidential hopeful Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York… Hsu [also] has focused on delivering hefty contributions from citizens who live modest lives and are neophytes in the world of campaign giving.”
Said Clinton spokesman Howard Wolfson in the article: "During Mr. Hsu's many years of active participation in the political process, there has been no question about his integrity or his commitment to playing by the rules, and we have absolutely no reason to call his contributions into question or to return them."
CONTINUED >>
BROWNBACK: He said No Child Left Behind should be revised “to let states negotiate how they meet the education law's requirements,” the Des Moines Register reports. "Where it failed was not giving flexibility to the states," Brownback said.
HUCKABEE: The former Arkansas governor has taken some implicit shots at Romney, but he was more direct in an interview with CBN’s Brody. “‘I’m going to accept that his position (on the life issue) now is a position he currently and indeed does hold but nobody can deny that it’s not the position that he had held. He’s the first to admit that and when you add to that positions that he’s held on other topics like the second amendment and even the Bush tax cuts, on same sex relationships and marriage and other things, that’s what I think causes people to say how many different changes of position can one have during an adult’s lifespan as a politician and then be confidant that that person is going to have another epiphany at some point in the future.’”
CONTINUED >>
The Boston Globe front-pages all of the scandals that are “putting campaigns to test.” The paper also front-pages its graphic with mug shots of Sen. Larry Craig (Romney’s former Idaho chairman and Senate co-liaison), Thomas Ravenel (former Giuliani South Carolina co-chairman), and Bob Allen (former McCain Florida chairman).
While much of the focus has been on the Democratic National Committee and its sanctions on Florida (and possibly Michigan) for moving up their primaries, the Republican National Committee may take similar steps against Florida, New Hampshire, Michigan and South Carolina. They “face sanctions for moving their contests to before Feb. 5. Two other early nominating states, Iowa and Nevada, will escape Republican sanctions because they hold nonbinding caucuses, not primaries.”
CONTINUED >>
The Washington Post front-pages that Bush “plans to ask Congress next month for up to $50 billion in additional funding for the war in Iraq, a White House official said yesterday, a move that appears to reflect increasing administration confidence that it can fend off congressional calls for a rapid drawdown of U.S. forces.” More: “The request -- which would come on top of about $460 billion in the fiscal 2008 defense budget and $147 billion in a pending supplemental bill to fund the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq -- is expected to be announced after congressional hearings scheduled for mid-September featuring the two top U.S. officials in Iraq.”
In its coverage of the president’s Iraq speech yesterday, the New York Times notes that Bush said “that an American withdrawal from Iraq would unsettle the entire Middle East, create a haven for Al Qaeda and embolden a belligerent Iran. He said Tehran’s nuclear programs threatened to put ‘a region already known for instability and violence under the shadow of a nuclear holocaust.’”
“Biden chastised the president for continuing to tie the war in Iraq directly to the struggle against the al-Qaida terrorists that attacked the United States in September 2001,” the Quad City Times reports. “’Today, the president argued we have to stay in Iraq to fight extremists. But the fact is his misguided and mismanaged war has fueled extremists in Iraq, Afghanistan and beyond.’”
The Washington Post covers the White House search for a successor to Gonzales. “Among those who are said to be under serious consideration are Solicitor General Paul D. Clement, whom Bush picked to serve as acting attorney general …; George J. Terwilliger III, a former deputy attorney general; former solicitor general Theodore B. Olson; Michael B. Mukasey, former chief judge of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York; and Laurence H. Silberman, a senior judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.”
The New York Times says that Gonzales’ resignation “does not mean an end to several investigations into his actions and truthfulness during his tenure at the Justice Department, with Congressional Democrats promising on Tuesday to press their inquiries.”
In a front-page article, the New York Times writes, “Just when Republicans thought things could not get any worse, Senator Larry E. Craig of Idaho confirmed that he had pleaded guilty to misdemeanor charges of disorderly conduct after an undercover police officer accused him of soliciting sex in June in a Minneapolis airport restroom… It was a bizarre spectacle, and only the latest in a string of accusations of sexual foibles and financial misdeeds that have landed Republicans in the political equivalent of purgatory, the realm of late-night comic television.”
The Washington Post’s Milbank adds, “From the opening line of his statement yesterday, Sen. Larry Craig was in trouble. ‘Thank you all very much for coming out today,’ he began. ‘Coming out’ was perhaps not the best phrase for a guy who had pleaded guilty to some rather un-senatorial conduct in an airport men's room -- and now stands accused in his home-state paper of a homosexual encounter in Union Station.”
CONTINUED >>
From NBC's Mark Murray
In a press conference from Idaho, embattled Sen. Larry Craig (R) apologized for bringing a cloud over his family and his state -- but not for what happened at that Minneapolis airport. "I did nothing wrong at the Minneapolis airport," he said, adding it was a "lapse in judgment" to plead guilty for committing a lewd act in a men's bathroom.
VIDEO: Sen. Larry Craig's Boise, Idaho statement.
He said pleading guilty was an overreaction to a monthslong investigation by the local Idaho Statesman into his sex life. "I am not gay. I have never been gay."
He went on to say, "I believe I can still be an effective leader for our state," and stated he would keep his plans to announce whether he will seek re-election next month.
DOCUMENTS: Police Report; Petition to enter guilty plea; Complaint against Craig; Register of Actions
From NBC’s Ken Strickland
Senate Republican leadership is recommending an ethics committee investigation into embattled Idaho GOP Sen. Larry Craig.
Here’s the statement from Republican leaders
Mitch McConnell,
Trent Lott,
Jon Kyl,
Kay Bailey Hutchison and
John Ensign “on the incident involving Senator Larry Craig:”
"Late yesterday we became aware of the incident involving Senator Larry Craig and his subsequent admission of guilt in a Minnesota court. This is a serious matter. Due to the reported and disputed circumstances, and the legal resolution of this serious case, we will recommend that Senator Craig's incident be reported to the Senate Ethics Committee for its review. In the meantime, Leadership is examining other aspects of the case to determine if additional action is required."
From NBC’s Domenico Montanaro
Biden urged caution today with regard to President Bush’s rhetoric in the run-up to the September Iraq report from Gen. David Petraeus and U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Ryan Crocker. The president spoke today to the American Legion and warned that "Our allies in the region would be under greater siege" if troops were pulled too soon.
“We’re going to be hearing a lot about the surge over the next few weeks. But remember it’s purpose,” Biden said in a conference call with reporters. He added that the purpose was to buy the Iraqi government time to find a political solution, and that’s not happening, Biden said.
In President Bush's speech last week to the Veterans of Foreign Wars convention, he compared Iraq to Vietnam, though “The lesson he apparently drew is that we didn’t stay in Vietnam long enough,” Biden said. “I don’t think most Americans read history the same way. I know I don’t.”
CONTINUED >>
From NBC's Mark Murray
In his interview on CNBC's Kudlow & Company (which will air later this afternoon),
Mitt Romney had some sharp words for Sen.
Larry Craig, who had endorsed the former Massachusetts governor's presidential campaign and was his Idaho chairman. "Once again, we've found people in Washington have not lived up to the level of respect and dignity that we would expect for somebody that gets elected to a position of high influence. Very disappointing. He's no longer associated with my campaign, as you can imagine... I'm sorry to see that he has fallen short."
And Romney also included this jab at
Bill Clinton as he continued to talk about Craig: "I think it reminds us of
Mark Foley and Bill Clinton. I think it reminds us of the fact that people who are elected to public office continue to disappoint, and they somehow think that if they vote the right way on issues of significance or they can speak a good game, that we'll just forgive and forget. And the truth of the matter is, the most important thing we expect from elected--an elected official is a level of dignity and character that we can point to for our kids and our grandkids, and say, `Hey, someday I hope you grow up and you're someone like that person.' And we've seen disappointment in the White House, we've seen it in the Senate, we've seen it in Congress. And frankly, it's disgusting."
***UPDATE*** Below is the conversation regarding Craig and Clinton....
CONTINUED >>
Minneapolis-St. Paul Airport Police arrest-booking photo of Sen. Lary Craig, R-Idaho |
|
From NBC’s Jim PopkinAdditional documents released today by the Minneapolis airport police show that an "agitated"
Sen. Larry Craig (R-ID) returned to the airport-police offices 11 days after his arrest and complained that he had been "drug down to this office" when arrested on June 11.
A statement by police officer Adam Snedker states that, on June 22, Craig knocked on the window of the police headquarters and complained that he had been "drug down to this office" and that he hadn't heard back from the police in over a week. Craig was asking for information to pass to his lawyer. Snedker writes: "To note, Craig appeared agitated and demeaning during my first contact with him even though I did my best to answer his questions."
Craig apparently told Officer Snedker that he had been handcuffed during the arrest. The arresting officer, however, states that "I did not handcuff Craig" even though he was under arrest. Read the full arrest report here.
From NBC's Mark Murray
In a joint statement, Florida's 10 congressional Democrats said that they're firmly set to go ahead with their primary on January 29, despite the Democratic National Committee's vow that it will strip all of state party's delegates to the 2008 Democratic National Convention -- unless the Florida Democratic Party acts in the next 30 days to delay its nominating contest (in the form of a caucus).
"We cannot go along with anything but the state-run primary set for next January," the lawmakers said in the statement. "We strongly encourage all Democrats to vote for their preferred nominee in that primary, regardless of whatever penalties the DNC might enact."
But, in the last paragraph of the statement, the lawmakers did suggest that they're willing to reach some kind of compromise. "We hope that over the next few weeks, the DNC and its chairman will show a willingness to work with us to find an equitable solution that is acceptable to all."
See below for the entire release...
CONTINUED >>
From NBC's Andrew Merten and Lauren Appelbaum
Brownback and Huckabee were the only Republicans to participate in Lance Armstrong's LIVESTRONG Presidential Cancer Forum in Cedar Rapids, IA this morning. Both drew from personal experience with the disease. Brownback told of his father's and own cancer experiences and how they made each of them stronger. "It changed me, moved my purpose into glorifying God and serving others." Huckabee told of his wife’s successful struggle with spinal cancer and that his father died from melanoma. He also made his struggle with obesity a central facet of his call for greater public health, saying his doctor told him, “If I didn’t make a lifestyle change, I was entering my last decade of life.”
VIDEO: Mike Huckabee - 'I was scared into losing 110 pounds.'Brownback promised to not only to raise the budget for cancer research but to set a clear objective: "ending deaths by cancer in 10 years."
CONTINUED >>
From NBC’s Mike Viqueira
Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, an ethics watchdog group, is filing a complaint with the Senate Ethics Committee against Sen. Larry Craig (R-ID). The Committee is not compelled to act on complaints from outside groups.
CREW chief Melanie Sloan says, "If pleading guilty to charges stemming from an attempt to solicit an undercover officer in a public restroom is not conduct that reflects poorly upon the Senate, what is?"
***UPDATE***From NBC's Ken Strickland
While there is an expectation that the Senate Ethics Committee will at some point launch an inquiry into the matter involving Craig, the committee does not confirm that it has undertaken an investigation. The Democratic spokeswoman for the panel would only say the panel "can" investigate if it so chooses.
The spokeswoman also said under the rules within the Senate ethics manual, there are no circumstances that would automatically trigger an investigation; nor is there anything that requires a senator to report a plea deal or conviction to the committee. As for Craig, his Senate office says this week was a scheduled vacation for the senator, so there are no public events planned for him in Idaho at this point.
From NBC's Mark Murray
A quick scan of some of the more prominent conservative blogs shows that these bloggers aren't defending Idaho Sen. Larry Craig (R), after Roll Call reported yesterday that Craig was arrested in June for lewd behavior in a men's bathroom. In fact, there are plenty of calls for his resignation.
Hugh Hewitt: "I realize that I did not say this about Senator Vitter, but Craig's behavior is so reckless and repulsive that an immediate exit is required."
Erick Erickson at Red State: "I can only say he must resign. Then I must say I told you so. If we do not clean our own house, the voters will do it for us."
National Review Online's Jonah Goldberg: "I don't know what Larry Craig's been doing in men's rooms. And it sure sounds like I don't wanna know either. But, whatever the facts turn out to be, I just love his office's initial statement (calling it a 'he said/he said misunderstanding')."
Patrick Ruffini: "All that seems clear right now is that Senator Larry Craig will not be invited back for another six years in Washington, be that through resignation ..., retirement, or defeat at the ballot box next November (or in the primary).
From NBC's Chuck Todd and Mark MurrayPer a source close to the White House, ex-Deputy Attorney General
George J. Terwilliger III is "looking very good" to replace Alberto Gonzales. Former Solicitor General
Ted Olson and former appellate judge
Laurence Silberman are "also in the running." And Homeland Security Secretary
Michael Chertoff and former deputy Attorney General
Larry Thompson "are unlikely."
From NBC’s Andrew Merten
ARLINGTON, Va. -- While Brownback and Huckabee will be participating in Lance Armstrong's LIVESTRONG Presidential Cancer Forum later today, Romney discussed the same topic here this morning. In a discussion with Susan G. Komen for the Cure founder Nancy Brinker, he touted his record of near-universal private health-care coverage as governor of Massachusetts and pledged a renewed effort in the White House for cancer research.
"It costs more money for us as a society to have people without health insurance," Romney told about 1,000 mostly female audience members. "It's pretty clear that breast cancer and cancer in general are not getting their fair share" of attention from Washington. He pledged that allocation of public funds for cancer research would be decided on the basis of science and not political favors, saying, he will "blast the message out there and blast the people who are sending money out based on politics."
CONTINUED >>
From Mark Murray and Domenico Montanaro
*** Another Exit: Alberto Gonzales’ resignation yesterday is just another reminder that, one by one, the most controversial members of the Bush Administration and the GOP have left the building -- or are about to leave. DeLay. Hastert. Rove. Now Gonzales. And in 17 months, Bush and Cheney will join them. These departures have allowed Democrats to rejoice in news conferences and press releases. But the Democrats shouldn’t celebrate too much: They won last fall’s midterm elections in large part simply because they weren’t Republicans. Moreover, some of the Democratic presidential candidates -- most notably Hillary Clinton -- have campaigned against Bush, Cheney, and Rove as much as they’ve campaigned against their rivals for the Dem nomination. What happens when they don’t have these people to kick around anymore?
VIDEO: President Bush denounces the treatment of Attorney General Alberto Gonzales.
***
My Own Private Idaho? Another Republican who might be leaving soon is Sen. Larry Craig, R-Idaho. Yesterday,
Roll Call reported that Craig “was arrested in June at a Minnesota airport by a plainclothes police officer investigating lewd conduct complaints in a men’s public restroom,” and that he pleaded guilty to it (a misdemeanor disorderly conduct charge) in August. Craig then released a statement after the story broke. "At the time of this incident, I complained to the police that they were misconstruing my actions. I was not involved in any inappropriate conduct,” he said. "I should have had the advice of counsel in resolving this matter. In hindsight, I should not have pled guilty. I was trying to handle this matter myself quickly and expeditiously." Whatever the case, the question -- as the Cook Political Report’s Jennifer Duffy said on TODAY -- is not whether he’ll run for re-election next year. It’s whether he decides to serve out the remainder of his term.
*** Between Iraq And A Hard Place: A day after Gonzales announced his resignation, after Roll Call reported on Craig’s arrest, and after several of the presidential candidates discussed cancer and Hurricane Katrina, the political news -- as it almost always does -- returns to Iraq. At 1:00 pm ET, Bush gives yet another speech on Iraq, this one from Reno, NV at the American Legion convention. (Will he once again invoke Vietnam?) Meanwhile, the anti-war group Americans Against Escalation in Iraq hosts about 60 town hall “Take A Stand” events tonight at which they’ll ask GOP congressmen if they will vote to change the course in Iraq. (Only one congressman, Rep. Tom Davis, R-Va., decided to show up at one of these forums, and that forum occurred last week.) At the same time, anti-war groups will be holding more than 500 candlelight vigils across the country, including one at the Capitol reflecting pool in DC.
***
The Tour de Iowa Continues: It’s the GOP’s turn to participate at the LIVESTRONG presidential cancer forum in Grand Rapids, IA, moderated by Lance Armstrong and MSNBC’s Chris Matthews. Brownback (who is a cancer survivor) and Huckabee (whose wife had cancer) are the sole participants. But Romney addresses the Susan G. Komen For The Cure 10th Annual Mission Conference in Arlington, VA. (Brownback, Clinton, Edwards, Giuliani, Richardson, and Elizabeth Edwards are addressing the group via video.)
*** On The Trail: Elsewhere, Biden, in Davenport IA, holds a press conference in response to Bush’s Iraq speech; Edwards and Kucinich address the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, which is meeting in Florida; McCain appears on The Tonight Show; Richardson campaigns in Iowa; and Romney (after his address in the DC area) attends a fundraiser in Atlanta.
*** And It’s Another Super Tuesday: For more on these events and issues -- and much, much more -- tune into MSNBC for the channel’s all-day political coverage. Anchoring Super Tuesday will be MSNBC’s Chris Jansing, MSNBC’s Tamron Hall, NBC’s Tim Russert (who will interview top advisers to the Clinton, Obama, and Edwards campaigns), NBC’s Natalie Morales, MSNBC’s Contessa Brewer, MSNBC’s Tucker Carlson, MSNBC’s David Shuster, and MSNBC’s Joe Scarborough.
Countdown to MA-05 Special Election: 6 days
Countdown to LA GOV election: 53 days
Countdown to Election Day 2007: 70 days
Countdown to LA GOV run-off (if necessary): 81 days
Countdown to Iowa: 138 days
Countdown to Tsunami Tuesday: 160 days
Countdown to Election Day 2008: 434 days
Countdown to Inauguration Day 2009: 511 days
The New York Times’ analysis: “The announcement on Monday that Mr. Gonzales will step down as attorney general — coming on the heels of the resignation of Mr. Rove, the chief political strategist — effectively removes two of the biggest targets on Democrats’ hit list. Both were close friends and aides from Mr. Bush’s days as Texas governor, and both were being cast by Democrats as symbols of what they regarded as the Bush administration’s political excesses and failures.”
VIDEO: NBC's Pete Williams report on who will succeed Alberto Gonzales.The
Washington Post notes, “Rarely has a Cabinet-level resignation been so anticipated, coming long after Gonzales's credibility had been irreparably undermined by controversy. After he seemingly could do no more harm to the administration, Bush's friend and longtime confidant finally called it quits… But his case is not unique -- and that is what has confounded Bush's allies. The same pattern occurred with former defense secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld.”
The Los Angeles Times says Gonzales “leaves an enduring legacy: a Justice Department mired in controversy over the firing of U.S. attorneys and a series of legal and moral challenges to his post-Sept. 11 policies on presidential power, torture and domestic spying.”
CONTINUED >>
BIDEN: In a media avail yesterday in Philadelphia, the Delaware senator talked about fundraising his standing in the polls. “The vast majority of Democrats -- over 90 percent -- have not made up their mind, every poll shows, as to who they're going to support. What you see right now is name recognition and the consequence of being able to raise large amounts of money. It's kind of obscene, when you think about a political process, for a primary requiring, if it were true, $100 million. I don't think it requires anything near that, I think you have to raise closer to $25 million to compete in those early primaries. And, quite frankly, whomever among us doesn't finish one, two, or close third in Iowa or New Hampshire is out of this race, anyway. So, this is still wide, wide open. The Democrats haven't begun to make up their minds yet.”
CLINTON: The
Wall Street Journal reports that a family of modest means in San Francisco -- the head of the household is a mail carrier -- has given Hillary Clinton a total of $45,000 since 2005. “The Paws' political donations closely track donations made by Norman Hsu, a wealthy New York businessman in the apparel industry who once listed the Paw home as his address, according to public records. Mr. Hsu is one of the top fund-raisers for Mrs. Clinton's presidential campaign. He has hosted or co-hosted some of her most prominent money-raising events.”
CONTINUED >>
GIULIANI: Newsday reports that Giuliani will help read aloud the names of the 9/11 victims at this year’s memorial anniversary.
HUCKABEE: The former Arkansas governor
says Thompson “will have trouble meeting expectations about his candidacy.” Said Huckabee: “’ … I think he's going to suck a lot of the oxygen out of the room when he first comes in. But I'm not sure I'd want to be in his position where the expectations are simply just sky-high for him to be able to perform.’”
THOMPSON: The
Politico writes, “With his summer-long windup to a presidential campaign finally nearing an end, actor-politician Fred Thompson defended his late entry into the race and said the continued interest in him is a reflection of Republican dissatisfaction with the rest of the field. But, in a Politico interview, Thompson also served notice that at least one measure of political strength -- fundraising -- is likely to look a bit wan when the next disclosure reports are released, reflecting a sluggish summer.”
CONTINUED >>
Pegged to today’s “Take A Stand” town halls sponsored by the anti-war Americans Against Escalation in Iraq, the Republican National Committee issued a press release this morning entitled: “Meet for Defeat -- Anti-War Coalition Plans Nationwide Meetings Advocating Surrender In Iraq.”
The
Washington Post interviews GOP Sen. Lindsey Graham -- the only member of the Senate to actually serve in Iraq -- after he served two weeks of reserve duty there. Graham called “for continuation of the ‘surge’ of U.S. troops in Iraq and warned that any decision to mandate a withdrawal this year would undercut critical gains made in recent months. Graham's comments come at a time when some of his colleagues on the Senate Armed Services Committee, including Sen. John W. Warner (R-Va.) and Sen. Carl M. Levin (D-Mich.), are calling for troop withdrawals.”
Roll Call broke the news: “Sen. Larry Craig (R-Idaho) was arrested in June at a Minnesota airport by a plainclothes police officer investigating lewd conduct complaints in a men’s public restroom, according to an arrest report obtained by Roll Call on Monday afternoon. Craig’s arrest occurred just after noon on June 11 at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport. On Aug. 8, he pleaded guilty to misdemeanor disorderly conduct in the Hennepin County District Court.”
VIDEO: NBC's Bob Faw reports on Sen. Craig's guilty plea.
The article also has these details: “According to the incident report, Sgt. Dave Karsnia was working as a plainclothes officer on June 11 investigating civilian complaints regarding sexual activity in the men’s public restroom in which Craig was arrested. Airport police previously had made numerous arrests in the men’s restroom of the Northstar Crossing in the Lindbergh Terminal in connection with sexual activity. Karsnia entered the bathroom at noon that day and about 13 minutes after taking a seat in a stall, he stated he could see ‘an older white male with grey hair standing outside my stall.’ The man, who lingered in front of the stall for two minutes, was later identified as Craig.”
CONTINUED >>
From NBC's Kelly O'Donnell
It's not yet a presidential campaign, but "Friends of Fred Thompson" is again showing signs of internal growing pains. Just last Friday, Linda Rozett was on the job and putting out releases, but today -- as we mentioned earlier -- she's out as communications director.
In an interview with NBC News, Rozett characterized her unexpected departure as "not a noteworthy event." She added, "My hope is this will be seen for nothing more than [campaign manager] Bill Lacy bringing his own team together. And while it is not my desired outcome, it happens every day in Washington in politics and with high level communications people." Rozett was told Friday.
In an internal memo to the Thompson staff obtained by NBC, Lacy explains his thinking: "I will have to make a lot of tough decisions to make our venture successful, and this was one of them. Linda is a talented, professional and gracious lady who will be missed. But in the limited amount of time we have, I feel it critical to have a communications point person with significant campaign experience."
CONTINUED >>
From NBC's Andrew Merten
Despite the overall serious nature of today’s LIVESTRONG forum, Kucinich had several comedic moments during his turn with moderators Lance Armstrong and Chris Matthews. After being asked if the Food and Drug Administration is always working in the best interest of the American people, the Ohio congressman lamented the amount of genetically modified food on the market -- using it is an opportunity to tout his own lifestyle choices. “This is why I happen to be a vegan, okay? I know a little bit about this.” Without missing a beat, he added, smiling, “People want a president who is healthy, because if you’re healthy, you can think right.”
The laughs didn’t stop there. Kucinich went on to explain the benefits of his diet, citing increased energy, clarity, and a better quality of life. Matthews went on to insinuate that Kucinich’s new lifestyle may have helped him match up with a younger wife, to which the presidential hopeful added, “I’m 60 years old, I have a -- my wife’s 29, you draw your own conclusions. Diet helps.”
CONTINUED >>
From NBC's Lauren Appelbaum
Right off the bat, Richardson called for a renewed effort in Richard Nixon's war on cancer. "This president wants a surge in the war in Iraq," Richardson said in his opening statement. "I want a surge in the war on cancer." Instead of simply allocating more money for research funds, Richardson said presidential leadership is needed to win this war. He promised to use both the bully pulpit of the president to promote healthy lifestyles and to have the same motivation John F. Kennedy had when he said America would go to the moon within 10 years.
Richardson said cancer is not a front-page issue because it is "not sexy." But he has a five-fold plan: (1) focus on prevention with healthy eating and exercise habits and a smoking ban; (2) make screening available to every American; (3) dramatically increase cancer research; (4) create a cancer czar (Richardson said Armstrong would be the choice whether he wanted to be or not); and (5) increase biomedical research.
CONTINUED >>
From NBC’s Andrew Merten
One point of difference that arose between Edwards and Clinton, who spoke immediately before him at the LIVESTRONG Presidential Cancer forum, was on the topic of a federal ban on smoking in public places. While Clinton said she supported such a ban, she stopped short of calling on federal regulation. Edwards, on the other hand, said support a ban “in public places, yes.”
Edwards also continued his call for all Democrats to forego funding from Washington lobbyists, saying, “If you give them a seat at the table, they’ll eat all the food.”
VIDEO: John Edwards explains how to fund universal health care.After his speaking turn at the event, Edwards took questions from reporters. He was asked about Clinton touting herself as the experienced candidate on the issue of healthcare. “It’s been 13 or 14 years -- I have to do the math -- since that effort was made, and we still don’t have universal health care,” Edwards said, “and you cannot have universal health care by negotiating with insurance companies and drug companies.”
CONTINUED >>
From NBC's Lauren Appelbaum
Clinton was the first presidential candidate to speak at the LIVESTRONG presidential cancer forum, moderated by Lance Armstrong and MSNBC's Chris Matthews. Clinton, Edwards, Richardson, and Kucinich were the only Democrats who attended the forum today -- and Brownback and Huckabee are the only two to attend the Republican forum tomorrow. As he did on Meet the Press yesterday, Armstrong expressed his disappointment that other candidates chose not to attend. "It is my belief, like a lot of other Americans, that the next occupant of the Oval Office must discuss this critical issue with voters," Armstrong said at the beginning of the forum.
VIDEO: Hillary Clinton tells the Livestrong forum the Bush administration has waged a war against science and research.Matthews asked Clinton about this during her first question -- bringing up
Giuliani,
McCain, and
Obama, all who have a close connection to cancer but didn't attend. Clinton did not attack either Obama or any of her potential GOP opponents, but instead promised to renew Nixon's "war on cancer," making it one of her "big goals." She brought up her universal health-care plan (which she will reportedly unveil next month) several times, tying it in to her war on cancer answer. "The big goal of the war against cancer has to be fit into the absolute essential goal of quality affordable health care, universal health care for every single American," Clinton said. "You cannot do one without the other, and we need to do both, and I intend to."
CONTINUED >>
From NBC's Lauren Appelbaum
Ahead of the rest of the presidential candidates, Obama visited New Orleans yesterday to commemorate the upcoming second anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. While addressing the First Emanuel Baptist Church, he focused more on a religious message and -- for the most part -- left politics off the pulpit.
Promising to remember the past but to concentrate on looking ahead to fixing the future, Obama pledged to fix an "empathy deficit" created by America's culture that promotes responsibility to selves rather than to others. He also promised to rebuild a "bond of trust that was broken" so that people can depend on one another again. "Let New Orleans be a place for those who lived in the shadows can step out into the light," the senator said. "And let it be then, as Jesus said, a city that is set on a hill cannot be hit. And in 10 years, in 100 years, let people come here and say this is where the renewal began. Let this place be where it was said that the people came together to build that foundation and a deep darkness was replaced with a light of hope."
The congregation received Obama well, giving him numerous applauses, standing ovations, and "Amens." In fact, the pastor introduced him as the "our candidate for president of the United States of America" -- to rousing applause.
CONTINUED >>
From NBC’s Kelly O’Donnell and Domenico Montanaro
President Bush spoke today in Nevada about the Iraqi political agreement reached over the weekend. Sources say the White House feels the development should be “viewed as important” while also saying the president will be careful. “No one wants to oversell it,” the source said.
"Yesterday's agreement was an important step," Bush said. "But much more needs to be done."
VIDEO: President Bush congratulates Iraqi leaders on what he called a promising sign of politcal progress.It was announced late Sunday that Iraq’s five top political leaders agreed to welcome into the government former members of
Saddam Hussein's Baath Party and to release thousands of Baath Party detainees, who have been held without charge. But Sunni Arab leaders said the agreement will do little to reincorporate minority Sunnis.
From NBC's Kelly O'Donnell
Sources tell NBC News that it "won't be a long, drawn out" process to pick Gonzales' successor as attorney general. The window is possibly the end of this week when the president is back in DC and before his APEC trip to Australia. That is an insider's estimation on timing.
A "very,very short list" of people knew about the Gonzales resignation. Gonzales presented his letter in person Sunday. The letter has not been made available yet. It is also "not out of the realm of possibility" that other senior White House officials will announce their departures soon, a source said, but did not say who or when.
From NBC’s Domenico Montanaro
President Bush said he “reluctantly accepted” Alberto Gonzales’ resignation and reflected on the attorney general’s legacy and tenure, calling him a man of “integrity, decency and principle.”
VIDEO: President Bush denounces what he calls unfair treatment of Alberto Gonzales.
Bush said Gonzales “played a critical role” in shaping the administration’s policies on the war on terror, the Patriot Act and helping get justices John Roberts and Samuel Alito nominated and confirmed to the U.S. Supreme Court.
***ALSO SEE: Dramatic enough in itself, the announcement Monday morning that Attorney General Alberto Gonzales had resigned also set the stage for what may be one of most contentious confirmation hearings since the Senate rejected John Tower as defense secretary in 1989. CLICK HERE.
CONTINUED >>
From NBC’s Domenico Montanaro
Attorney General
Alberto Gonzales announced his resignation this morning, speaking for about a minute from prepared remarks. He didn’t cite a reason for his resignation and took no questions, but Gonzales has been embroiled in a fight on Capitol Hill stemming from his role in the firing of U.S. Attorneys. Gonzales said he met with President Bush yesterday to discuss his intention to resign effective Sept. 17th.
VIDEO: Attorney General Alberto Gonzales announces he has resigned.
Gonzales said he was “grateful” to President Bush for giving him the chance to serve, said he has “lived the American dream” and that “Even my worst days as attorney general were better than my father’s best days.”
From NBC’s Pete Williams and Domenico MontanaroA senior administration official says
Gonzales' resignation was entirely his own decision. The official says Gonzales sent a letter to the president on Friday stating his intention to step down by mid-September but that the president did not accept it and instead invited Gonzales to Texas to talk about it.
Gonzales and his wife went to Crawford. The president and Gonzales talked Sunday and the president accepted, reluctantly, the official said.
Solicitor General Paul Clement will become acting attorney general once Gonzales is gone.
Here are the reactions from presidential candidates we’ve heard so far:
CONTINUED >>
From NBC's Domenico Montanaro
Per the
Atlantic's Marc Ambinder, the exodus in the Fred Thompson communications camp continues. Linda Rozett is the latest to depart, and Ambinder posits that it speaks to the power of Thompson's campaign manager, Bill Lacy, who appears to be "firmly in charge."
Rozett was brought on board at the suggestion of Thompson's wife, Jeri Thompson. Campaign insiders complained that Jeri Thompson had too much say in her husband's yet-to-be-announced presidential run.
From Mark Murray and Domenico Montanaro
*** Gonzo Gone: Breaking news from the New York Times: “Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales, whose tenure has been marred by controversy and accusations of perjury before Congress, has resigned.” Per NBC’s Pete Williams, Gonzales will appear before cameras at 10:30 am ET to announce the news. Williams says the word of his resignation has caught the Justice Department entirely off guard. As for the rumor that Michael Chertoff would replace him, a senior Homeland official tells Williams that Chertoff has many things he'd like to accomplish at Homeland. The official knows of no plans for Chertoff -- who is in town today -- to make any change. Edwards was the first presidential candidate out of the gate with a statement, and it was only this: “Better late than never.”
Video: NBC's John Yang reports on the Gonzales resignation.
***
Another Anti-War Badge For Hillary: On Thursday, the highly disciplined Clinton made what seemed to be a pretty big faux pas: She suggested that Republicans would benefit if there’s a terrorist attack between now and November 2008, and that she would be the best Democratic candidate to deal with that GOP advantage. That remark -- which was picked up by the national press on Friday, but then virtually disappeared from the papers over the weekend -- was roundly criticized by rivals Dodd, Edwards, and Richardson. Yet the comment will most certainly be eclipsed not only by the Gonzo news, but also by Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki’s sharp criticism of the New York senator for complaining about his leadership. Is there a better way to bolster one’s national security and anti-war credentials than by coming under attack from someone who seems to be even more unpopular than President Bush?
*** Experience Doesn’t Matter? Speaking of foreign affairs, the New York Times’ Helene Cooper made this interesting point over the weekend: that previous foreign-policy experience isn’t a prerequisite for an aspiring commander-in-chief. In fact, some with the most experience had mixed foreign-policy records as president. “‘I think experience is a terribly overrated idea when it comes to thinking about who should become president,’ said [historian] Robert Dallek… ‘Experience helped Richard Nixon, but it didn’t save him, and it certainly wasn’t a blanket endorsement. He blundered terribly in dealing with Vietnam.” With this -- and also with Carter national security adviser Zbigniew Brzezinski essentially endorsing Obama over Clinton -- are we beginning to see a shift in the CW on Obama and the issue of national security?
*** The DNC-Florida Dem Showdown: On Saturday, the DNC Rules and Bylaws Committee voted to strip the Florida Democratic Party of all of its delegates for the state moving up its primary to January 29 -- if the party doesn’t come up with some sort of compromise within 30 days. Per a DNC official, the delegate reductions would be effective without further action from the full DNC or its executive committee. Yet this could all amount to nothing, even if the DNC acts. If we get a Democratic nominee by early February, as many expect, that person would effectively control the convention and would seat the Florida delegates. But what happens if -- and it’s a big if -- there’s a brokered convention (i.e., the nomination is still up for grabs)? Could Florida’s 200-some delegates be the difference between someone winning and losing?
*** The Tour de Iowa: In Cedar Rapids, IA beginning at 11:00 am ET, four Democratic presidential candidates -- Clinton, Edwards, Richardson, and Kucinich (in that order) -- participate today in the LIVESTRONG presidential cancer forum, moderated by MSNBC’s Chris Matthews and Lance Armstrong. Each candidate will have two minutes for an opening statement, and then will engage the moderators for 13 minutes in Q&A. Tomorrow, the Republican candidates -- just Brownback and Huckabee -- will have their turn speaking to Matthews and Armstrong. Brownback is a cancer survivor, while Edwards’ and Huckabee’s wives have battled with cancer. Yet there are some cancer survivors who will be no-shows at the forum, including Giuliani, McCain, and Fred Thompson. Armstrong told Tim Russert on Meet the Press yesterday that he was disappointed with the no-shows: "I think the future commander-in-chief needs to show up and talk about what kills 600,000 Americans a year." Also, this will be the first forum/debate that Obama, whose mother died of ovarian cancer, has skipped since his campaign declared that it would begin limiting the senator’s appearances at debates and forums.
*** Katrina Politics: The other big event today is Katrina Recovery Summit in New Orleans, which Clinton, Edwards, Huckabee, and Hunter will address. Besides Iraq and the numerous GOP corruption scandals, no other event/situation hurt the Bush White House and the Republican brand more than Hurricane Katrina -- whose two-year anniversary comes on Wednesday. It also has raised a new threshold question for the presidential candidates: Can your administration effectively respond to a natural disaster and its aftermath? On Sunday, in fact, Obama unveiled a plan to speed up New Orleans’ recovery.
*** On The Trail: Sandwiched between her appearances at the LIVESTRONG forum and the Katrina summit, Clinton participates in a conversation with the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers in Florida; Huckabee also meets with the union in Florida; and Fred Thompson visits the Minnesota State Fair.
Countdown to MA-05 Special Election: 7 days
Countdown to LA GOV election: 54 days
Countdown to Election Day 2007: 71 days
Countdown to LA GOV run-off (if necessary): 82 days
Countdown to Iowa: 139 days
Countdown to Tsunami Tuesday: 161 days
Countdown to Election Day 2008: 435 days
Countdown to Inauguration Day 2009: 512 days
The
AP: “Iraq's beleaguered prime minister lashed out Sunday at Democrats who have called for his ouster, saying Sens. Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York and Carl Levin of Michigan need to ‘come to their senses.’… ‘There are American officials who consider Iraq as if it were one of their villages, for example Hillary Clinton and Carl Levin. They should come to their senses,’ al-Maliki said at a news conference.”
Newsday: “The New York senator is likely to wear the criticism with Maliki as a political badge of honor, much as she has been able to harness a recent conflict with a hawkish Pentagon aide to win over some Democratic primary voters, aides said last night. The risks for her seem minuscule, considering Maliki is almost equally unpopular with Republicans.”
GOP Sen. John Warner said yesterday on Meet the Press that “he may support Democratic legislation ordering withdrawals if President Bush refuses to set a return timetable soon. ‘I'm going to have to evaluate it," Warner said. "I don't say that as a threat, but I say that is an option we all have to consider.’”
CONTINUED >>
BIDEN: Today, Biden will pick up the endorsement of Jack Carter, the son of former President Jimmy Carter who lost his bid for the US Senate last year. Per the Biden campaign, Carter is expected to say, “Sen. Biden has entered serious proposals into the debate on many of the issues critical to Americans - and others – today. His son, Beau [Biden, newly elected Attorney General of Delaware], put it best to me a couple of months ago: 'Can you imagine what would happen if Dad came in first or second in Iowa?' That statement rang in me like a bell. I know how it can work...We did it in 1976. With Joe Biden, we don't have to worry about the problems with a lack of experience or high negatives affecting our chances in November. I'm very comfortable that he can win.”
Lack of experience? High negatives? We wonder which candidates Carter is thinking of here…
In addition, Iowa state Rep. Doris Kelley endorsed Biden on Friday.
CONTINUED >>
GIULIANI: Giuliani took shots at Democrats on Saturday during his tax plan rollout. “‘The Democrats believe in government when they have a choice. Republicans believe in people when we have a choice . . . The Republican Party is the party of the people. The Democratic Party is the party of the government.’”
The New Hampshire Union-Leader examined Giuliani’s flat tax plan. “Holding up a single piece of paper, he said future tax returns would fit on that piece of paper under his plan.”
On Saturday, the New York Times fact-checked claim on the campaign trail that, as New York mayor, he turned a $2.3 billion deficit into a multi-billion-dollar surplus. “The assertion, which Mr. Giuliani has repeated on the trail as he has promoted his fiscal conservatism, is somewhat misleading, independent fiscal monitors said. In fact, Mr. Giuliani left his successor, Michael R. Bloomberg, with a bigger deficit than the one Mr. Giuliani had to deal with when he arrived in 1994. And that deficit would have been large even if the city had not been attacked on Sept. 11, 2001.”
CONTINUED >>
Per NBC’s Domenico Montanaro, Abby Livingston, and John Yang… The Democratic National Committee took steps on Saturday that could strip the Florida Dem Party of all of its 210 delegates to next year's nominating convention -- unless it acts in the next 30 days to delay its delegate-selection contest, now set by state law for Jan. 29, by at least a week. The DNC is taking a hard line in this case because, officials say, if they don't and Florida is allowed hold its primary before Feb. 5, other states would break ranks and push to have earlier contests as well. "I hesitate of see what happens if we show somehow some wiggle room in the process," said Democratic committee member Donna Brazile, who ran Al Gore's 2000 presidential campaign.
DNC rules say no contest can be held before Feb. 5 except for Iowa (Jan. 14), Nevada (Jan. 19), New Hampshire (Jan. 22) and South Carolina (Jan. 29). The Florida primary date was set by a state law pushed by the GOP governor and the GOP-controlled legislature, which state Democratic officials say they opposed. DNC members suggested making the Jan. 29 primary a non-binding "beauty contest" and then hold a later event to allocate delegates. The DNC is offering the Florida party financial and organization help to stage caucuses on or after Feb. 5.
CONTINUED >>
More from the New York Times on Gonzales’ resignation: “Mr. Gonzales, who had rebuffed calls for his resignation, submitted his to President Bush by telephone on Friday, the official said. His decision was not immediately announced, the official added, until after the president invited him and his wife to lunch at his ranch near here. “Mr. Bush has not yet chosen a replacement but will not leave the position open long, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity because the Attorney General's resignation had not yet been made public.”
Even though Sen. Pete Domenici has put distance between himself and the White House when it comes to Iraq, President Bush travels to New Mexico today to raise money for the senator. It’s closed to the press. Then Bush heads to Washington State for an open-press fundraiser for Rep. Dave Reichert, who narrowly won re-election last fall.
From NBC's Mark Murray
-- "Senator Clinton’s remarks are deeply troubling," said Edwards communications director Chris Kofinis in a statement. "After nearly seven years of George Bush and the politics of fear, the American people deserve a President who will focus first on keeping America safe, rather than calculating the political consequences. Unfortunately, Senator Clinton is seemingly taking a page straight from the GOP playbook that got us into this mess -- using fear of another terror attack as a political tactic to bolster her candidacy, and that is just wrong.”
-- "We shouldn't be thinking about terrorism in terms of its domestic political consequences, we should be protecting the country from terrorists," said Richardson in a statement. "Senator Clinton seems to think that President Bush has made this country safer. I disagree with her. Our failed policy in Iraq is making us less safe."
From NBC's Mark Murray
At last weekend's Democratic debate,
Hillary Clinton once again made this argument in criticizing
Barack Obama for saying that nuclear weapons should be off the table when dealing with Al Qaeda in Pakistan: You need to be careful what you say. "We shouldn't use hypotheticals. You know, words do matter. And this campaign just like every other thing that happens in the United States, is looked at and followed with very great interest."
So given those remarks, it's striking that she made this hypothetical yesterday: "It's a horrible prospect to ask yourself 'What if? What if?,'" she said. "But if certain things happen between now and the election, particularly with respect to terrorism, that will automatically give the Republicans an advantage again, no matter how badly they have mishandled it, no matter how much more dangerous they have made the world. So I think I'm the best of the Democrats to deal with that as well." Clinton's comment came as she was touting her experience and how that would benefit her in a general election.
Her Democratic rivals weren't too pleased with the comment. Said Chris Dodd in a statement, "Frankly, I find it tasteless to discuss political implications when talking about a potential terrorist attack on the United States."
Asked for a response to Dodd's charge, Clinton spokesman Isaac Baker tells First Read, “Sen Clinton was making clear that she has the strength and experience to keep the country safe.”
From NBC’s Carrie Dann
…You probably think this bus tour's about you.
On Day Two of the New Hampshire media blitz designed to paint him as the change candidate,
Edwards insists that his retooled anti-establishment stump speech isn't intended to slam his Democratic rivals.
"Nothing I said yesterday has to do with other presidential candidates," Edwards told reporters in Manchester this morning. "They need to move on from thinking about themselves and think about what's important to the country."
Edwards faced tough questioning from journalists in the wake of comments yesterday that appeared to deliver a head-on accusation of too-cozy relations between the Clinton administration and DC lobbyists. (The Clinton camp responded by labeling his "angry attacks" as the mark of a "flagging" campaign.)
CONTINUED >>
From NBC’s Domenico MontanaroThe Biden campaign is sending out a fund-raising e-mail, hoping to reach $200,000 by the end of this month to keep his two ads in Iowa on the air. The campaign also includes a video, called “
Joe is Right,” which cuts together sound bites of presidential contenders, pundits, strategists, and journalists lauding Biden’s Iraq plan and foreign policy experience.
From NBC’s Libby Leist
As part of an administration-wide public relations effort to show progress in Iraq since the surge of U.S. troops in January, the State Department today organized a briefing for reporters to highlight what they believe is a success story in Anbar province.
State and DOD Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) leaders working in Ramadi, Anbar described many improvements in a city they found devastated when a new group of 6,000 U.S. soldiers and Marines arrived in March, but they also admit that the Al Qaeda threat is "always a worry" and that there is no planning for what might happen if U.S. troops are scaled back.
In March, 80 percent of the people did not have water and power, the leaders said, buildings were destroyed and al Qaeda was still a force.
CONTINUED >>
From NBC’s Domenico Montanaro
Michigan Democrats issued a letter, endorsing the proposed early contest date of Jan. 15, which has already passed in the Michigan Senate.
This comes a day before the DNC is set to level heavy sanctions on Florida for moving up its date to Jan. 29. Part of why the DNC wants to take such a hard stance toward Florida is to send a message to other states, to put a halt to the shifting nominating contest calendar. But it will be interesting to see if tomorrow’s rules and bylaws meeting has the desired effect.
The letter was signed by 14 Democrats, including Sens. Carl Levin and Debbie Stabenow, Reps. John Dingell, Sander Levin, John Conyers and Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick.
Here is the full text of the letter:
CONTINUED >>
From NBC's Domenico Montanaro
The conservative New Hampshire Union-Leader this morning writes a staff editorial with the headline, “Clinton's surge-ery: Now it's working, now it's not.” Unabashedly, the Dodd campaign is circulating it, taking the opportunity to again blast Clinton on the perceived flip-flop.
In the e-mail from the Dodd campaign, Senior Adviser
Jim Jordan writes, "It's unnerving that a would-be Commander-in-Chief can't, or won't, make up her mind on something as fundamental as the success or failure of Bush's surge. Really, it smells like more poll-driven straddling."
**** UPDATE **** The Clinton campaign reponds: "The fact is that while Democrats, including Senator Edwards and Senator Obama, acknowledge progress in Al Anbar, Senator Clinton opposed the surge from the start and believes there is no military solution to the war in Iraq."
From NBC's Lauren Appelbaum and Andy Merten
Obama varied slightly from his stump speech last night at a rally at Coastal Carolina University in South Carolina, making a direct appeal to the mostly African-American crowd. He talked about the need for a "sense of urgency" to help all people in need, even if you yourself are doing well.
“For those who think, ‘Well my child’s doing alright, I don't have to worry about all these black children and brown children,’” Obama said, “let me tell you something: Half of the U.S. workforce is going to be black and brown in a few years, so our economy is going to depend on how those children do. Our children, making sure that somebody's working to pay our social security, is going to depend on those children working.”
From NBC’s Domenico Montanaro
The day before the Democratic National Committee may level sanctions against Florida for moving up its primary to Jan. 29, Florida Democrats threatened legal action against the DNC if the state is punished and said the DNC would, in effect, “disenfranchise” Florida voters.
“If the DNC sanctions Florida, then some of us on the Florida congressional delegation may ask an appropriate legal venue to determine whether or not a political party’s rules can supercede someone’s right to vote,” said Sen. Bill Nelson (D-FL) on a conference call with reporters. Nelson admitted, though, he did not know what their legal argument would be or to which court they could appeal.
VIDEO: NBC's Political Director Chuck Todd offers his first read on the battle of leapfrogging primaries.
Nelson also said he proposed a compromise to DNC Chairman Howard Dean twice, as recent as a month ago in a face-to-face meeting he described as cordial, that the other states all move up their selection contests by seven days to maintain the nominating order.
CONTINUED >>
From NBC's Mark Murray
Here's a quick final thought today since the morning version of First Read isn't publishing tomorrow... Earlier this week, proponents of Bush's troop surge were seeing some things finally break their way just before Gen. Petraeus' September report on the situation in Iraq. First, some Democrats started to speak positively about the surge. Even Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton said it was working in Al Anbar Province, although she added that it was too little, too late (and then stated on Wednesday that the surge failed). Next came the new multi-million-dollar TV ad campaign arguing that a withdrawal from Iraq would be disastrous.
But that good news for the White House and its allies came to a crashing halt today -- with today's updated NIE report (which said that security in Iraq will continue to improve modestly, but that the level of sectarian violence there will remain high), and the speech by GOP Sen. John Warner (who argued that the White House should begin a small withdrawal of troops).
Is it fair to say that we're back to where we were before the week started: that the surge and Iraq remain perilous political issues for the White House and the GOP?
From NBC's Mark Murray
Roll Call reported this afternoon that Rep. Rick Renzi, R-Ariz., has decided not to seek re-election, "ending months of speculation regarding the ethically clouded congressman’s political future."
"Renzi’s retirement announcement adds to a list of GOP Members planning to depart upon the conclusion of the 110th Congress, including Reps. Ray LaHood (Ill.), Deborah Pryce (Ohio) and Chip Pickering (Miss.), as well as former Speaker and Rep. Dennis Hastert (Ill.)."
"But while some of those retirements and the open seats they are creating could cause problems for the Republicans’ hopes of recapturing the majority, Renzi’s departure could help the GOP by allowing them to nominate a replacement that is free of the ethical baggage that appears to have ultimately undone the Congressman’s future."
Despite that, Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee spokeswoman Jennifer Crider issued this statement: “Rick Renzi is following the Republican Conference corruption playbook -- both Bob Ney and Duke Cunningham announced they were ‘retiring’ before they pleaded guilty and resigned. The people of Arizona’s First Congressional District deserve to be represented by someone who puts them first and is free of criminal and ethical scandal.”
From NBC's Mark Murray
With the DNC Rules and Bylaws Committee set on Saturday to consider possible sanctions against Florida after moving up its primary to January 29, Florida Democrats -- Sen. Bill Nelson and Reps. Alcee Hastings, Kendrick Meek, Debbie Wasserman Schultz, and Kathy Castor -- today fired a warning shot at the DNC.
In a letter to DNC chairman Howard Dean, these five Democrats said they were concerned that the DNC would sanction Florida Democrats if the state goes ahead with its plan to hold its binding primary on a date before February 5. "If true -- and, if the DNC strips Florida of all or some of its delegates to the national convention -- we would ask the appropriate legal officials to determine whether this could violate any state or federal laws governing and protecting individual voting rights."
And then they said this, a reminder of the 2000 voting chaos in the state: "It always has been a priority of our party to protect the right of every eligible American to vote. We would hope the DNC will continue to honor this right, when the Rules and Bylaws Committee meets Saturday in Washington."
CONTINUED >>
From NBC’s Andrew Merten and Abby Livingston
Asked if he agrees with some fellow Democratic senators if Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki should be removed from power, Obama said the problem “goes beyond” who specifically is in power.
“We could have one, two, three, four replacements for Maliki,” Obama said, “but if the underlying political dynamic hasn’t changed, then we’re not going to see progress. … We know that by putting outstanding U.S. troops on the ground, that they will, on the short term, reduce violence. But unless we can get the various factions to work together, we’re not going to see the kind of progress that’s needed.”
Obama made the comments in response to questions from reporters after a roundtable discussion on education in South Carolina. The school he spoke at is the oldest public school in the Palmetto State and was highlighted in the documentary "Corridors of Shame" for its poor conditions. Obama acknowledged the conditions at J.V. Martin Junior High and emphasized his view that federal funding has been misplaced and could be put toward schools like this one.
"We're building schools -- in Baghdad," Obama said, and "we have lost a lot of revenue from tax cuts to individuals that didn't need them and weren't even asking for it."
From NBC’s Lauren Appelbaum
In a speech on health-care quality in New Hampshire, Clinton laid out her five-fold plan to Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center health care professionals: (1) support health care providers, (2) educate patients, (3) reimburse doctors by rewarding quality, (4) recruit and retain more nurses, which she called the "heart and soul of the health care system," and (5) address health disparities for both racial/ethnic reasons and preexisting conditions.
Using language Clinton has previously reserved for the Iraq war and the military, Clinton said America "plod[s] along with a 20th-Century health-care system unable to take full advantage of 21st-Century medical advances, stuck in the same rut of fatalistic thinking that has defined our health-care debate for more than a decade."
Unlike Edwards and Obama who have laid out their entire health care policies in one speech, Clinton's policy speech today is the second of three on the topic. Earlier this summer, Clinton talked about lowering costs in health care, and she promised a speech next month on her plan for universal healthcare. "My order here is deliberate," Clinton said. "In order to forge a consensus on universal health care, we need to assure people that they'll get the quality they expect at a price they can afford."
CONTINUED >>
From NBC’s Domenico Montanaro
On the heels of the updated National Intelligence Report on Iraq, Obama proposed eight things the United States should do, including redeploying troops, issuing a “transparent timetable” and ramping up diplomatic efforts
“This National Intelligence Estimate underscores the fundamental truth that we cannot continue to substitute the bravery of our troops for a true commitment from the Iraqi government to resolve the grievances at the heart of their civil war, and a true commitment from the Administration to aggressive diplomacy,” Obama said.
**** UPDATE 2 **** CLICK MORE FOR CLINTON'S RESPONSE
CONTINUED >>
From NBC’s Domenico Montanaro
Dodd became the latest to criticize Michigan and other states for trying to leapfrog the traditional nominating states of Iowa and New Hampshire. Dodd also subtly criticizes Edwards for his stance on the primaries in the e-mailed press release.
“I disagree with those candidates who would say that they are ‘running a national campaign’ and accept the political maneuvering to preempt Iowa’s time-tested and important role in the process of choosing which candidate would make the strongest nominee and strongest President,” Dodd writes.
But in the statement, Dodd takes a shot at Edwards. The words “who would say they are 'running a national campaign'” link to Edwards’ interview with the Associated Press. In that interview, Edwards said, "I'm running a national campaign, so I'm going to campaign in the states that are participating in the process. My job is not to make the rules, my job is to run."
From NBC's Domenico Montanaro
The same group that created the notorious ad for the RNC against Harold Ford in his 2006 U.S. Senate run, depicting a blonde woman telling Ford to “Call me,” is going to be leading the way in crafting Giuliani’s image.
Heath Thompson, a partner at Scott Howell and Company, will serve as Giuliani’s Lead Creative Consultant. Thompson was President Bush’s regional political director in 2004 for 10 states, including Florida and Missouri. He also directed Bush’s 2000 South Carolina primary win.
Also hopping on to promote the Giuliani cause are Chris Mottola and Associates, BrabenderCox and Crossroads Media. Mottola was also part of Bush’s 2000 and 2004 creative team and has represented Sen. Arlen Specter (R-PA) and former New York Gov. and one-time Republican presidential hopeful George Pataki. BrabenderCox has mostly worked on U.S. House, Senate and governors’ races. Crossroads has worked with the national Republican committees and says it has placed an ad in every state in the country within the past 17 years.
From NBC's Andrew Merten
John Edwards’ speech this morning from Hanover, NH today wasn't short on jabs against the “establishment” and “Washington insiders" -- words that seemed directed at Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton.
“We have got to chart a new course,” Edwards said. “Those wedded to the policies of the ‘70s, ‘80s, or ‘90s are wedded to the past -- ideas and policies that are tired, shop worn, and obsolete. We will find no answers there.” He went on to warn of only looking fondly on the past: “The problem with nostalgia is what we tend to do is, you only remember what you liked and forget the parts that you didn’t like,” he said, without making any verbal recognition towards the Clinton presidency.
When asked by a reporter after his speech if his warnings against nostalgia and the establishment were digs at Clinton, Edwards neither confirmed nor denied that they should be interpreted as such. He simply reasserted what he said during his address, saying, “Going back doesn’t move us forward, and we need to move forward,” adding, “We have to take on the entrenched interests that exist in Washington and stand between us and the change that the American people want to see.”
CONTINUED >>
From NBC's Ken Strickland
NBC News has obtained the National Intelligence Estimate report on Iraq, which is entitled:
"Prospects for Iraq's Stability: Some Security Progress but Political Reconciliation Elusive." Here are some key excerpts...
-- "There have been measurable but uneven improvements in Iraq's security situation since our last NIE on Iraq in January 2007... However, the level of violence, including attacks on and casualties among civilians, remains high; Iraq's sectarian groups remain unreconciled; al-Qa'ida in Iraq (AQI) retains the ability of conduct high-profile attack; and to date, Iraqi political leaders remain unable to govern effectively. There have been modest improvements in economic output, budget execution, and government finances but fundamental structural problems continue to prevent sustained progress in economic growth and living conditions."
-- "We assess, the extent that Coalition forces continue to conduct robust counterinsurgency operations and mentor and support the Iraqi Security Forces (ISF), that Iraq's security will continue to improve modestly during the next 6 to 12 months but that levels of insurgent and sectarian violence will remain high and the Iraqi Government will continue to struggle to achieve national-level political reconciliation and improved governance."
CONTINUED >>
From NBC's Andrew Merten
On The Daily Show last night,
Obama was asked by Jon Stewart to touch on the “experience vs. change” narrative that has dominated the media's coverage of him and Democratic opponent
Hillary Clinton. When Stewart asked if Clinton’s four additional years in the Senate -- in addition to her tenure as First Lady -- really makes her the more “experienced” of the two, Obama answered carefully. “She’s a very capable senator,” adding, “I think people rightly give her credit for having been a participant in the Clinton Administration, and that she was doing some of the heavy lifting on issues.”
But Obama went on to differentiate himself from Clinton in the same manner as he’s been doing in debates and on the stump. “I do think that, increasingly what Americans are looking for is not Washington experience, but do you have life experience that is going to lead you to make good decisions, and are you in touch with what’s happening on the ground?”
Earlier in the interview, Obama lauded the enthusiastic outpouring of support from youth his campaign has seen so far. When Stewart questioned if he was providing kegs to draw college-aged crowds, Obama jokingly replied, “We don’t like to divulge our secrets.”
From Chuck Todd, Mark Murray, and Domenico Montanaro
***
The Re-Launch: So is Edwards trying to re-launch his campaign? It depends on how one interprets a speech he’s giving today in New Hampshire, where he attempts to re-frame the race in a way that makes him the real change agent in the Democratic race. “The choice for our party could not be more clear,” Edwards will say, according to advance excerpts. “We cannot replace a group of corporate Republicans with a group of corporate Democrats, just swapping the Washington insiders of one party for the Washington insiders of the other.” He also will say, “The choice we must make is as important as it is clear. It is a choice between looking back and looking forward. A choice between the way we’ve always done it and the way we could do it if we dared… It is caution versus courage. Old versus new. Calculation versus principle. It is the establishment elites versus the American people.” This, it seems, will be the argument that Edwards plans to use against Clinton for the rest of the campaign. At a minimum, consider this the new stump speech.
 |
|
***
Hillary And Health Care: Interestingly, as Edwards argues for the candidates to think big and bold, Clinton also is in New Hampshire today, where she delivers a speech on health-care quality. It’s her second health-care address -- the first one was on costs. She has still to unveil her entire health-care plan. No doubt the Edwards camp hopes the fact that both he and Clinton will be New Hampshire on the same day will make the contrast he is trying to create easy for the media to pick up on.***
The Romney Two-Step: Another Romney flip-flop? The
Washington Post picks up on the state's rights comments regarding abortion that Romney recently made in an interview with Nevada political journo Jon Ralston (see yesterday's First Read). The Post notes that Romney's states' rights defense differed from a debate answer he gave when he said he was in favor of a Constitutional amendment to restrict abortion. The campaign’s response: that Romney “supports a two-step process in which states get authority over abortion after Roe v. Wade is overturned, followed eventually by a constitutional amendment that bans most abortions." Is anyone else a bit confused? Did Romney simply get caught up in "states' rights" spin because he knew he had to justify Nevada's support for gaming?
Video: NBC Political Director Chuck Todd on Mitt Romney's support for states' rights and abortion restrictions.
***
It’s The Economy…: The
Washington Post’s Birnbaum today writes about the reaction by the presidential candidates to the newest issue on the trail: the country's credit crunch. "Sensing an opportunity to connect with voters on an issue important to their economic futures, presidential candidates have rushed out a variety of prescriptions for these woes, with Democrats proposing the most aggressive solutions… Republican presidential candidates have been less activist in their response to the credit tightness.” Bottom line: What if we're all wrong about what this election is going to be about? What if it's NOT about Iraq but about the economy? Isn't that a bigger nightmare for the GOP than having to fight an election about Iraq? Remember, the pocketbook ALWAYS trumps -- if the pocketbook starts to look a bit bare with rank-and-file voters. Does the economy become a deadlier political punch for the Republicans to deal with than Iraq? It certainly doesn’t help.
*** On The Trail: Elsewhere today, Gravel, Kucinich, and Richardson attend a forum in California called Prez on Rez with Native American elected tribal leaders from around the country; Obama is in South Carolina; and Richardson -- in addition to attending the Prez on the Rez forum -- rolls out his “Mi Familia con Richardson” grassroots program to reach out to Latinos.
*** A Note About Tomorrow: The morning edition of First Read will return on Monday. But don’t worry -- we’ll have plenty of updates on our Web site all day Friday.
Countdown to MA-05 Special Election: 11 days
Countdown to LA GOV election: 58 days
Countdown to Election Day 2007: 75 days
Countdown to LA GOV run-off (if necessary): 86 days
Countdown to Iowa: 143 days
Countdown to Tsunami Tuesday: 165 days
Countdown to Election Day 2008: 439 days
Countdown to Inauguration Day 2009: 516 days
The Washington Post on Bush’s speech yesterday: “President Bush defended his ongoing military commitment in Iraq by linking the conflict there to the Vietnam War, arguing Wednesday that withdrawing U.S. troops would lead to widespread death and suffering as it did in Southeast Asia three decades ago… Although his comments played well among the veterans here -- the speech was interrupted with repeated cheers and applause -- the references to the Vietnam conflict, which remains a divisive, emotional issue for many Americans, prompted strong criticism from Democrats.”
VIDEO: In a speech to the Veterans of Foreign Wars, President Bush compares the Iraq war to U.S. involvment in Asia.Interestingly, in the White House press office' s "Morning Update," the staff appeared to take pains to find clips of Bush's VFW speech that didn't make the Vietnam comparison. Notice the phrase "far east."
The New York Times adds, “The speech was the beginning of an intense White House initiative to shape the debate on Capitol Hill in September, when the president’s troop buildup will undergo a re-evaluation. It came amid rising concerns in Washington over the performance of Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki of Iraq, who has made little progress toward bridging the sectarian divide in his country.”
More: “On Thursday, the administration is planning to make public parts of a sober new report by American intelligence agencies expressing deep doubts that the Maliki government can overcome sectarian differences. Government officials who have seen the report say it gives a bleak outlook on the chances Mr. Maliki can meet milestones intended to promote unity in Iraq.”
CONTINUED >>
CLINTON: Here's a piece that will make the Obama campaign crazy.
Bloomberg News has a story about how little Clinton and Obama disagree on such issues as Iraq and taxes and even health care. Doesn't the more the sentiment is out there, the more it helps Clinton and hurts Obama? "While their approaches set them apart, the front-runners for the Democratic nomination have almost no differences on issues."
EDWARDS: The
AP previews Edwards’ speech today, noting that it plans “to make an aggressive challenge to his Democratic rivals, charging their ‘change rhetoric’ doesn't match their policies and voters shouldn't pick based on nostalgia.”
Some excerpts of the speech the campaign gave to First Read. Anyone else think they’re pointed at Clinton? “The choice we must make is as important as it is clear. It is a choice between looking back and looking forward. A choice between the way we’ve always done it and the way we could do it if we dared. A choice between corporate power and the power of democracy. Between a corrupt and corroded system and a government that works for us again.”
CONTINUED >>
GIULIANI: The
New York Times picks up on the attacks Giuliani is receiving from Romney and Thompson over guns and immigration, and it notes they are coming via references to "New York City."
Meanwhile, Giuliani supporter Guy Molinari
decided to rip Thompson for the gun attack. "Giuliani's adviser called Thompson out of bounds for penning a column on his blog blasting New York City's gun-control laws under Giuliani and his successor, Mayor Bloomberg. ‘He's not just attacking Rudy. He's attacking every resident of New York City,’ Molinari charged.”
Giuliani again said, "I will end illegal immigration," which won him “his loudest applause of the evening,” the New York Daily News writes. Giuliani added, "And one of the strict requirements of citizenship should be that you have to read English, write English and understand English.”
CONTINUED >>
Could George Mitchell be asked to come in and create a compromise on the primary calendar? Believe it or not, it's one semi-serious idea
floating around Democrats.
In a statement yesterday, Bill Richardson joined with Joe Biden to hint that he might skip Michigan, should the state go ahead with a January 15 primary.
Edwards, in an interview with the
AP, was asked about the shifting calendar. He said "he won't let his party's efforts to control the primary calendar dictate where he campaigns. "I'm running a national campaign, so I'm going to campaign in the states that are participating in the process," Edwards said in a separate interview. "My job is not to make the rules, my job is to run."
The campaign later clarified to the AP that Edwards would only campaign in states sanctioned by the DNC but didn't rule out breaking that pledge.
CONTINUED >>
Start your tongues a-wagging... Jim Webb makes
his first appearance in New Hampshire as a US senator on October 20 as the keynote speaker for the state Democrats' J-J dinner. Could this be an audition for Webb as a potential running mate?
From NBC’s Domenico Montanaro
An analysis of federal campaign finance data shows 12 of the people listed as funding the group Freedom’s Watch have given $4.2 million -- overwhelmingly to Republicans -- since the 2000 election cycle.
Most of the donors have given solely to Republicans. Gary Erlbaum has given some money to Democrats, including Ben Cardin, Joe Lieberman and Chuck Schumer, but the majority of his money has gone to Republicans, including $3,000 to Giuliani’s 2008 presidential campaign.
The largest donor Dr. John Templeton, of the John Templeton Foundation and son of the founder of Templeton Investments, has given about $2.1 million -- solely to Republicans.
Here’s a breakdown of their donation totals:
CONTINUED >>
From NBC's Mike Viqueira
The date of September 11 for the General Petraeus' testimony in the House does not sit well with Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and she is asking that the date be moved from the anniversary of the attacks -- which Pelosi views as "a sacred day," according to sources in her office.
It has been reported that House Democratic leaders signed off of the 9/11 date, but that is not accurate. The Administration offered the 11th or the 12th, and no date was agreed upon, according to the same sources.
Problem: The only alternatives would be the 10th (a Monday) or the 12th (Wednesday). In the latter case, the hearing would have to be concluded before sundown and the beginning of Rosh Hashanah. The House will not be in on Thursday the 13th or Friday the 14th due to the holiday.
From NBC's Domenico Montanaro and Mark Murray
The donors who are financing the new multi-million-dollar TV ad campaign arguing against a withdrawal from Iraq include a Who's Who of former Bush Administration ambassadors (to plum assignments like France, Italy, and Malta); a least one of Bush's original Pioneers; the man ranked by Forbes (in 2006) as the third-richest American; and, of course, former White House press secretary Ari Fleischer.
Brad Blakeman, the president of Freedom's Watch, which is running these ads, released the following names as donors to his group. Blakeman told NBC that the rest of the donors are choosing to be anonymous. Freedom's Watch is a 501(c)4 organization, which can collect unlimited contributions and doesn't have to disclose its donors.
Here they are....
CONTINUED >>
From NBC’s Domenico Montanaro
First Read has confirmed that the Biden campaign is reshuffling its finance team. According a source close to the campaign, Finance Director Chris Koerner has turned over day-to-day management of the finance operation to Biden's long-time finance director, Dennis Toner. “She is not going anywhere, and her title remains the same,” the source said of Koerner, who will focus on raising money from trial lawyers.
Veteran New York fundraiser Paula Levine “is stepping up to play larger role” as is Mary Liz Kane, Sen. Ted Kennedy's long-time finance director in Boston.
Through the first two quarters, Biden has only raised $4.4 million, behind the fund-raising numbers of Clinton, Obama, Edwards, Richardson and Dodd.
From NBC's Mark Murray
A sampling of some of the reactions (so far) to Bush's VFW speech today...
John Kerry: "Invoking the tragedy of Vietnam to defend the failed policy in Iraq is as irresponsible as it is ignorant of the realities of both of those wars," Senator Kerry said. "Half of the soldiers whose names are on the Vietnam Memorial Wall died after the politicians knew our strategy would not work. The lesson is to change the strategy not just to change the rhetoric.
Clinton: "The surge was designed to give the Iraqi government time to take steps to ensure a political solution to the situation. It has failed to do so. The White House's report in September won’t change that... We need to stop refereeing the war, and start getting out now."
Obama: "The disastrous consequences described by President Bush are already in motion and are a direct result of a war that should never have been authorized. There is no military solution to Iraq's problems. The only way to reverse these consequences is to change course through a surge in our diplomatic and humanitarian efforts in Iraq and the region, and a phased withdrawal of our forces that puts real pressure on the Iraqi government to act."
Biden: "President Bush continues to cling to a fundamentally flawed premise –- that Iraqis will rally behind a strong central government. That will not happen... Bush today attempted to draw an analogy to Vietnam, but in fact it’s the president’s policies that are pushing us toward another Saigon moment –- with helicopters fleeing the roof of our embassy."
From NBC’s Courtney Kube and Domenico Montanaro
At his speech to the Veterans of Foreign Wars, President Bush emphasized support for Iraq Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki.
“Prime Minister Maliki is a good man,” Bush said, “a good guy with a difficult job, and I support him. And it is not up to the politicians in Washington, D.C to say whether he will remain in his position. That is up to the Iraqi people, who now live in a democracy, not a dictatorship.”
Video: President Bush speaks to the Veterans of Foreign War annual meeting in Kansas City.
The Pentagon echoed sentiments out of Bush and the White House this morning, saying the Department continues to support Maliki.
Pentagon Press Secretary Geoff Morrell conceded that the pace of political progress in Iraq has “not been to anyone's liking,” but added that Maliki’s government is “the government we have been working with, and we will continue to be supportive of their efforts.”
CONTINUED >>
From NBC’s Domenico MontanaroSen.
Tim Johnson (D-SD) will head home to South Dakota Tuesday for the first time since having brain surgery in December. Johnson and his, Barbara, will host a “
Thank You, South Dakota” event in Sioux Falls that day, which will be Johnson's first public appearance since the surgery.
“He’s excited to go home,” said Megan Smith, Johnson’s Senate deputy communications director. “Doctors gave him the green light to go home. We think it’s going to be a happy event.”
Johnson is expected back in the Senate this fall.
From NBC’s Domenico Montanaro
A $25 million spin campaign is on to win the public relations battle ahead of the mid-September Iraq progress report. Two groups on opposite sides of the ideological debate on whether or not to withdraw troops from Iraq have launched a massive television campaign to frame the debate.
Freedom’s Watch, with whom former Bush White House Press Secretary Ari Fleischer is working, today launched $15 million worth of ads with anecdotal accounts of injured veterans and families of those who have lost relatives who advocate for staying in Iraq.
The ads are largely in response to $10 million worth of ads already running, which are paid for by Americans Against Escalation in Iraq, a coalition of groups that want troops to begin to be withdrawn from Iraq.
CONTINUED >>
From Chuck Todd, Mark Murray, and Domenico Montanaro
***
The Best Analogy? Two days after Clinton and McCain spoke to the Veterans of Foreign Wars convention in Kansas City, and a day after Obama and Thompson did the same, President Bush addresses the group this morning. Per excerpts released by the White House, Bush will say that the surge is working and that withdrawal from Iraq could lead to the same killing of innocent lives like we saw after leaving Vietnam. “One unmistakable legacy of Vietnam is that the price of America’s withdrawal was paid by millions of innocent citizens whose agonies would add to our vocabulary new terms like ‘boat people,’ ‘re-education camps,’ and ‘killing fields,’” the president is expected to say. Yet not only does such a comparison invite Bush to being asked about the tens of thousands of Iraqi civilians who have already died since the war began, it also raises this question: Does Bush really want to compare Iraq to Vietnam? "Does he think we should have stayed in Vietnam?" Vietnam historian Stanley Karnow says in
USA Today.
***
Coming Soon To A TV Screen Near You: Also, don’t miss the news that a conservative group -- whose spokesman is former White House press secretary Ari Fleischer -- is going up today with a $15 million advertising campaign arguing that the troop surge is working. Those ads will compete against ones that antiwar groups (like Americans Against Escalation in Iraq and Americans United for Change) are/will be airing. The battle to define Petraeus’ September report is already beginning.
*** The Real Political Fight Going On: Giuliani’s campaign yesterday decided to respond to the veiled attacks coming from the Romney and Thompson camps. While not attacking Giuliani by name, they certainly attacked "New York City" on the issues of immigration and guns. Here’s Giuliani spokesperson Katie Levinson responding directly to Thompson's blog post on New York City's gun policies: "Those who live in New York in the real world -- not on TV -- know that Rudy Giuliani's record of making the city safe for families speaks for itself. No amount of political theater will change that." Bottom line, folks: The media may care more about Clinton vs. Obama right now, but Giuliani vs. Thompson/Romney is where the real action has been this week.
VIDEO: NBC's Political Director Chuck Todd offers his first read on Mitt Romney's and Fred Thompson's attacks on Republican presidential frontrunner Rudy Giuliani.
*** A Chain Reaction? As we reported last week, Michigan is working to move up its primary to January 15, leapfrogging it -- for now -- past New Hampshire, Nevada, and South Carolina (although New Hampshire will obviously move up to remain the nation’s first primary). In response to Michigan’s move, Biden released this statement yesterday: “Powerful interests are trying to change the Democratic nomination for President into a game of Monopoly, replacing the retail politics of Iowa, Nevada and New Hampshire with a process in which the only credential necessary to be President is to be the wealthiest candidate.” He then called on his Dem rivals to join him to ensure those states’ primacy on the nominating calendar. Will this lead to the candidates promising to skip Michigan? Which Democrats will join Biden’s call? Remember, this Michigan legislation isn't a done deal yet, so maybe the state legislators will compromise to end up on January 22 instead of the 15th, which would potentially preserve (at a minimum) the influence of Iowa and New Hampshire.
*** Bayou bashing: Although the presidential race is dominating most of the nation’s political talk, things are getting downright ugly in this year’s Louisiana gubernatorial contest. The state Democratic Party there is running a TV ad blasting front-runner Bobby Jindal (R), a Catholic, for writing an article back in the 1990s comparing Catholicism with Protestantism. The ad, which is airing in the Protestant-heavy north part of the state, goes: "He wrote articles that insulted thousands of Louisiana Protestants. He has referred to Protestant religions as scandalous, depraved, selfish, and heretical." Jindal, the overwhelming favorite to be the state’s next governor, has called the accusations false. With the election 59 days away, will the ad hurt him, possibly keeping him below the 50% needed to avoid a run-off? Or will it produce backlash on the Dems? One thing’s for sure: Nonpartisan political analyst Stu Rothenberg is calling it one of the “hardest hitting” -- and possibly even the “dirtiest” ad -- in history.
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***
On The Trail: Biden and Richardson participate in a Brookings Institution/University of Nevada, Reno forum on education. Before that, they address the Nevada AFL-CIO convention. Elsewhere, Giuliani rallies with supporters in Del Mar, CA; Huckabee continues to campaign in South Carolina; Hunter holds a press conference in Texas; Obama raises money in New Hampshire, campaigns in New York, and then appears on Comedy Central’s Daily Show; and Romney visits Jackson Hole, WY.
Countdown to MA-05 Special Election: 12 days
Countdown to LA GOV election: 59 days
Countdown to Election Day 2007: 76 days
Countdown to LA GOV run-off (if necessary): 87 days
Countdown to Iowa: 144 days
Countdown to Tsunami Tuesday: 166 days
Countdown to Election Day 2008: 440 days
Countdown to Inauguration Day 2009: 517 days
In previewing Bush’s VFW speech today,
USA Today also writes about the TV ad battle over how to define the success of the troop surge. “Freedom's Watch, a conservative group, plans to launch a $15 million advertising campaign in 20 states today. The group's spokesman, former Bush press secretary Ari Fleischer, says the goal is to tell people that the buildup of U.S. troops in Iraq is working. ‘We want to get the message to both Democrats and Republicans: Don't cut and run, fully fund the troops, and victory is the only objective,’ Fleischer says.”
"One of the main voices in the anti-war movement is a coalition called Americans Against Escalation in Iraq, which includes such liberal groups as MoveOn.org, the Center for American Progress and the Service Employees International Union. The coalition is running advertisements attacking senators and representatives who support Bush's Iraq policies. "Our ads are about defining the Republicans in the minds of the voters as sticking with Bush on Iraq," says Tom Matzzie, director of the ad campaign."
CONTINUED >>
BIDEN: Biden spoke at a
Jewish temple in Iowa and said, “The road to peace between Israelites and Palestinians is not through Baghdad, but ironically, the road to be able to negotiate real peace has to first settle the situation in Baghdad.”
CLINTON: In
response to Obama’s comments that the US should move toward normalizing relations with Cuba -- if the country takes steps towards democracy -- Clinton responds in a statement: "Until it is clear what type of policies might come with a new government, we cannot talk about changes in the U.S. policies toward Cuba," reports the AP’s Hispanic Affairs reporter Laura Wides-Munoz.
It looks like the Clinton campaign has joined the Obama camp in ramping up their traveling press operation. With so many reporters on the verge of hitting the trail on Sept. 3rd, there's no time like the present to beef things up. Bill Clinton spokesman Jay Carson will become Hillary’s new traveling press person. Carson has the added authority with the Clinton campaign that he'll have Bill's ear. The again, is that a danger? Bill Clinton now has direct access to the traveling press aide?
CONTINUED >>
GIULIANI: The Giuliani campaign will begin
rolling out his tax policy this week. On Saturday, for instance, his campaign will sponsor a forum on taxes, which will be moderated by former Massachusetts Gov. Paul Cellucci and former presidential candidate Steve Forbes.
The Los Angeles Times' Brownstein observes that Giuliani is bearing the brunt of the attacks in the GOP battle for purity on immigration.
The New York Post looks at New York’s immigration policies: “Former Mayor Ed Koch initiated the policy in the 1988 to encourage illegal immigrants to report crimes, seek medical treatment and enroll their kids in schools without fear of being reported. The policy was continued by successors David Dinkins, Giuliani and Bloomberg. A Giuliani campaign official said Romney's slam was "desperate" and ‘hypocritical.’”
And America's most famous Yankees fan believes the team needs to step up and re-sign A-Rod.
CONTINUED >>
At a minimum, the ballot initiative Republicans are pushing in California, which if enacted could deliver as many as 20 electoral votes to the Republican presidential nominee next year is going to cost Democratic interest groups millions of dollars. The campaign to defeat this initiative is now officially on… Two California Democrats, Peter Ragone and Chris Lehane, unveiled initiatives that would bound California in a compact with other states (if other states chose to do this) to deliver their electoral votes to the candidate who wins the national popular vote. Here's the Los Angeles Times coverage of the rollout.
The DNC rules committee meets later this week to decide whether to sanction Florida and then, of course, begin a discussion of what to do about Michigan. According to the Politico, the DNC rules committee members appear to be less interested in finding compromise and more interested in exacting a punishment.
Speaking of the DNC… This is not an Onion story. Michael Dukakis is apparently helping Howard Dean's DNC with precinct targeting. Are we sure the RNC has taken over the New York Observer?
From NBC’s Domenico Montanaro
The Edwards campaign issued a statement attacking Clinton for comments on the surge at the VFW convention yesterday. "Senator Hillary Clinton's view that the president's Iraq policy is 'working' is another instance of a Washington politician trying to have it both ways,” said Rep. David Bonior, Edwards’ campaign manager. “You cannot be for the President's strategy in Iraq but against the war. The American people deserve straight talk and real answers on Iraq, not double-speak, triangulation, or political positioning.”
The Edwards campaign did acknowledge progress in Al-Anbar in the statement, but Bonior added that progress “should not distract us from the fact that pouring more military resources into Iraq is no substitute for the comprehensive national political solution that will ultimately resolve the situation in Iraq. … By cherry-picking one instance to validate a failed Bush strategy, it risks undermining the effort in the Congress to end this war.”
****UPDATE**** We posted what Clinton said in this morning's First Thoughts, but here it is again for context: "We've begun to change tactics in Iraq and in some areas, particularly in Al Anbar province, it's working. We're just years too late changing our tactics. We can't ever let that again. We can't be fighting the last war, we have to be preparing to fight a new war."
**** UPDATE 2 **** Clinton camp's response: "Senator Edwards was right on Sunday when he said that all the Democrats would end the war and that the differences between them were small," said Howard Wolfson, Clinton senior adviser. "He is wrong today to distort Senator Clinton's opposition to the surge in a sad attempt to raise his flagging poll numbers. The fact is that while Democrats, including Senator Edwards and Senator Obama, acknowledge progress in Al Anbar, Senator Clinton opposed the surge from the start and believes there is no military solution to the war in Iraq."
From NBC's Lauren Appelbaum
In his address to the VFW today, Obama spoke on the theme of "sacred trust," using the phrase seven times in his 26-minute speech. He defined "sacred trust" simply: "America will be there for you just as you have been there for America" -- "from the moment you put on that uniform." Obama recognized he is running to become commander-in-chief "to safeguard this nation's security and to keep that sacred trust."
Obama brought up the Iraq War in the beginning of the speech, and then spoke about veterans' issues -- the opposite order of Hillary Clinton's own speech yesterday to the organization. He also criticized the Iraq war much more bluntly than Clinton did. After praising the troops' performance, he very clearly stated, "all of our top military commanders recognize that there is no military solution to the problems in Iraq."
"No matter how brilliantly and bravely our troops and their commanders perform -- and they have performed brilliantly and bravely -- they cannot and should not bear the responsibility of resolving grievances at the heart of Iraq's civil war," he said. "No military surge no matter how brilliantly performed can succeed without political reconciliation and a surge of diplomacy in Iraq and the region. Iraq's leaders are not reconciling. They are not achieving political benchmarks. The only thing that they seem to have agreed on is to take a vacation."
CONTINUED >>
From NBC's Andrew Merten
It was soon-to-be candidate Fred Thompson's turn today to address the Veterans of Foreign Wars in Kansas City, Mo. While he didn’t explicitly mention his likely campaign for the presidency, his rhetoric on the Iraq war was similar to that of some of the official GOP candidates.
Like McCain’s speech to the VFW yesterday, Thompson opted first to praise veterans -- old and young -- for their service. “Most Americans know that without the home of the brave, and folks that make it the home of the brave, there would be no land of the free. And we have you and the other people like you to thank for that."
It wasn't until about halfway through his speech that he addressed the current war in Iraq. He said, “Some people in this country apparently think that if we can pull out of Iraq, our problems will be over. You and I know better than that. We know that Iraq is an important front in this war, but we also know that if we appear to be divided and weak in this nation, that it is going to enable an enemy and make our country more dangerous.” He went on to further lament the nation's divisiveness on Iraq, calling for a “frank discussion” at “the highest levels, with both parties” because policy-makers will ultimately need “the support of the American people and their understanding of what’s at stake.”
CONTINUED >>
From NBC's Lauren Appelbaum and Kristin WilsonIn a media availability after his meeting today with Fed Chairman
Bernanke and Treasury Secretary
Paulson to discuss the nation's mortgage-market problems,
Dodd outlined his solutions to those problems. His recommendations included: 1) asking Treasury to lift portfolio caps at Fanny Mae and Freddie Mac; 2) the establishing a fund to keep people in their homes and prevent foreclosures of homes purchased with "bad mortgages"; and 3) strengthening markets for investors and businesses by keeping the markets liquid. He encouraged the Fed to use all of the tools available, but he did not call for a congressional mandate.
Dodd recognized that if people are given more time to repay their mortgages in order to avoid foreclosure, someone will have to pay for that, telling CNBC's John Harwood that "keeping people in their homes is very, very valuable." He pointed out "one foreclosure in an economically fragile neighborhood will cause the value of every other home in that square block to decline by as much as three to five-thousand dollars."
As mentioned earlier today, as the chairman of the Senate Banking Committee, Dodd is able to get meetings like this with Bernanke and Paulson. But was his photo-op today about the mortgage problems -- or about the 2008 presidential race?
We mentioned earlier that Romney is running a radio ad hitting Giuliani on immigration. Well, it seems Romney isn’t the only one going after the former New York City mayor.
NBC’s Joel Seidman reports: In his latest "Fred file" blog today, candidate-in-waiting, Fred Thompson, takes aim at Giuliani and his war on gun makers, back when Giuliani was mayor.
Thompson laments, "Unfortunately, New York is trying, again, to force its ways on the rest of us.”
The former Tennessee senator tries to shoot down an "activist federal judge from Brooklyn," who he says, "provided Mayor Giuliani's administration with the legal ruling it sought to sue gun makers."
CONTINUED >>
From NBC's Mark Murray, Chuck Todd, and Andrew Merten
On his site now, Drudge has this provocative headline: "Obama Wife Slams Hillary?" It's taken from this Chicago Sun-Times story today. "At another stop, in Atlantic, Michelle said she travels with her husband in part 'to model what it means to have family values,' adding 'if you can't run your own house, you can't run the White House.' She didn't elaborate, but it could be interpreted as a swipe at the Clintons."
So, the story seems to have it all -- a reference to the Clinton's marital problems, more Obama vs. Clinton, etc. There's just one problem: This all seems to be a manufactured controversy. For one thing, what Michelle Obama said isn't anything new; in fact, it appears to be her stump speech. She said this on August 13, per the AP. And also on August 16, per the New York Times. In both instances, it appears she's talking about her own family and its values.
In a just-concluded conference call, Obama responded to the suggestion that his wife was slamming the Clintons. "She wasn't making any reference to that," he said. "If anybody who's been listening to Michelle on the stump, she's talked about the importance of family, and the need for our family to make sure that we're thinking about our kids during the process of this campaign. And she's repeated that in every stump speech. So, you know, there are no references beyond her point that we've had an administration that talks a lot about family values, but doesn't follow through on it, and part of the challenge for us in this campaign is making sure that we are talking the talk but also walking the walk. That's all it was referring to, and as I said, that's been a standard aspect of her speech for a long time.
In short, this appears to be a Drudge straw man; the challenge for news divisions (including our own) is whether they actually bite.
From NBC's Domenico Montanaro and Andrew Merten
After Hillary Clinton yesterday said the troop surge is working, but it’s too late and Democrat Brian Baird came out and also said the surge is working, First Read asked Obama what he thinks during a conference call with reporters to announce the endorsement of Rep. Patrick Murphy (D-PA).
Obama noted that he hadn’t seen a transcript of exactly what Clinton said yesterday about the troop surge during her speech at the VFW, but added, “My assessment is that if we put an additional 30,000 of our outstanding troops into Baghdad, that that's going to quell some of the violence, short term. I don't think that there's ever been any doubt about that. And I don't think that there's any doubt that as long as US troops are present, that, you know, they are going to be doing outstanding work.
“It doesn't change the underlying assessment, which is that there's not a military solution to the problem in Iraq, and that the political dynamic in Iraq has not changed. The only thing that the Iraqi legislature appears to have agreed to, as the surge took place, was a motion to adjourn and go on vacation."
CONTINUED >>
From Chuck Todd, Mark Murray, and Domenico Montanaro
***
She Said What? As we mentioned before, perhaps the biggest story so far in the Democratic presidential contest has been Hillary Clinton’s steady evolution from a hawk on the Iraq war to a dove. That transformation, in fact, has coincided directly with her rise in the national polls. But speaking yesterday at the Veterans of Foreign Wars convention in Kansas City, she said something that might raise some Democrats’ eyebrows: that some elements of the troop surge are working. Per the
New York Times, “‘We’ve begun to change tactics in Iraq, and in some areas, particularly in Al Anbar Province, it’s working,” [she said]... ‘We’re just years too late changing our tactics. We can’t ever let that happen again. We can’t be fighting the last war; we have to be preparing to fight the new war.’” Of course, she isn’t the only Democrat who has said the surge is producing some results (see Carl Levin’s statement), but can the Democratic presidential front-runner say this? Will she be alone among the Democratic presidential candidates to praise parts of the surge?
***
More VFW Politics: McCain followed Clinton yesterday in addressing the VFW convention. While she received a tepid, polite reception, he got plenty of applause. The same thing will probably occur today when Obama (who opposes the Iraq war) and Fred Thompson (who supports it) speak at the confab. What will Obama say about the surge? Somehow, we think it will be a bit different than what Clinton said. Before he addresses the VFW, Obama holds a conference call with reporters announcing the endorsement he’s picking up from freshman Rep. Patrick Murphy (D), an Iraq war vet who opposes the war.
*** Worst Presidential Rollout Ever? Speaking of Thompson… If his campaign rollout couldn't get any worse -- see the Gucci shoes moment courtesy of Fox News -- the campaign has lost another senior staffer, this one from the communications shop. And now there’s a new FEC complaint claiming the candidate-to-be abused the "testing the waters" rule. But Thompson gets a fresh chance to prove he can give a good speech when he addresses the VFW convention. It should be a friendly audience that enjoys his aw-shucks approach. He's got a low bar of expectations to meet today. Can he exceed that bar?
VIDEO: NBC’s Political Director Chuck Todd offers his first read on FEC charges filed against former Sen. Fred Thompson, R-Tenn., and Sen. Barack Obama’s call to ease Cuban restrictions.
*** Cuba Libre: A month ago, Obama’s response to how he’d deal with world dictators created the first true skirmish of the Democratic campaign. Today, he returns to the topic (in a way) by penning an op-ed in the Miami Herald that calls for unrestricted travel rights for Cuba Americans to Cuba, as well as normalized relations with a post-Castro Cuba -- if it begins to make some democratic changes. How will this policy play in Florida? Does it help him win over some second- and third-generation Cubans who want to visit their family members in Cuba more often? Or will the policy fire up the more conservative Cubans to fight Obama and hurt the Democrats in a general in the key swing state of Florida? Of course, Obama’s policy doesn’t seem that unpopular -- after all, who is opposed to engaging a Cuba that’s making democratic progress or allowing Cuban Americans to visit their relatives? But he’s the first presidential candidate, to our knowledge, to say this.
***
He Sells Sanctuary: Romney's up with a
new radio spot that one could argue is the first semi-negative attack ad by a major candidate. The ad doesn't mention Giuliani by name, but it attacks New York City for being a "sanctuary city" for illegal immigrants.
***
The Campaigner-In-Chief Returns: One of the more interesting political stories in the run-up to last year’s midterm elections involved every time an unpopular President Bush traveled to purple states (like Ohio and Pennsylvania) to raise money and campaign for Republican candidates, most of whom ended up losing on Election Day. Bush -- with even lower national approval ratings than he had before the midterms -- returns to electoral politics in the purple (yet still Dem-leaning) Minnesota, where he raises money at a closed-press event for vulnerable Sen. Norm Coleman (R), who’s up for re-election next year. Before this evening’s fundraiser, Bush holds a media avail in Canada with the leaders of Canada and Mexico. And then he heads to Minnesota attend a briefing on the collapsed bridge in Minneapolis.
***
On The Trail: Elsewhere, Biden is in Iowa; Clinton is down in Chappaqua, NY; Dodd, in DC, meets with Federal chair Ben Bernanke and Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson about the stock market’s fluctuations, especially regarding the problems in the mortgage market; Huckabee campaigns in South Carolina; Obama heads to New Hampshire after speaking at the VFW convention; and Romney stumps in Las Vegas and Reno, NV.
Countdown to MA-05 Special Election: 13 days
Countdown to LA GOV election: 60 days
Countdown to Election Day 2007: 77 days
Countdown to LA GOV run-off (if necessary): 88 days
Countdown to Iowa: 145 days
Countdown to Tsunami Tuesday: 167 days
Countdown to Election Day 2008: 441 days
Countdown to Inauguration Day 2009: 518 days
Clinton’s remarks yesterday at the Veterans of Foreign Wars convention might raise a few eyebrows. The
New York Times writes that Clinton said “that some elements of the strategy in Iraq appeared to be achieving success, but said a military solution was unattainable and the best way to honor the service of American troops was to ‘bring them home.’ ‘We’ve begun to change tactics in Iraq, and in some areas, particularly in Al Anbar Province, it’s working,’ said Mrs. Clinton.”
More: “The remarks were notable because Mrs. Clinton has been a consistent critic of the Bush administration’s troop escalation in Iraq, and Republican presidential candidates have been seizing on signs of progress in Al Anbar Province in arguing against a troop withdrawal.”
The New York Daily News headlines Clinton and McCain speaking at the VFW convention with, “Hil wins cheers, McCain hearts at VFW.”
CONTINUED >>
CLINTON: Arkansas Gov. Mike Beebe (D) endorsed Clinton yesterday in Little Rock, NBC's Lauren Appelbaum reports. Clinton lauded Beebe's accomplishments in the state, highlighting his work with education and health care. With partners like Beebe, Clinton said she would be able to bring about the change needed in Washington. "There seemed to be a little bit of a debate on do we need change or do we need experience. Well, we need both, it's not either-or," she said. "And I'm going to take my 35 years of experience, and I'm going to put it to work on behalf of the change we need in Washington starting on day one."
DODD: The
Hartford Courant previews Dodd’s meeting today with Fed chairman Bernanke and Treasury Secretary Paulson on the mortgage-market problems. “The session, scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. in Dodd's Capitol Hill office, comes as markets nervously react to the recent credit crunch. The volatility was triggered by problems in the subprime mortgage market. Dodd has long thought the Fed could take some steps to improve its oversight of lenders and that Treasury could ease some regulatory requirements.”
A quick thought: As Senate Banking chairman, of course, Dodd has every right to call Bernanke in. But to announce this meeting in a campaign press release? Is he calling Bernanke to meet as a candidate or in his role as chairman? The Fed, after all, is supposed to be non-political.
CONTINUED >>
GIULIANI: The extensive
New Yorker profile of Giuliani wonders whether the things that made New York City residents both love and hate Giuliani make him appealing to conservatives in the South. "It is also possible that the rest of the country knows all it wishes to know about Giuliani. It was Giuliani who was depicted in the Times as imposing ‘the mores of Mayberry’ on the city. Stephen DiBrienza, the former City Councilman, says, ‘All the things that a lot of New Yorkers, myself included, hate about this guy are the things that are actually fuelling his campaign.’”
No wonder most strategists don't believe Giuliani could ever put New York in play (because he's still disliked to a degree in NYC), but he could put New Jersey, Pennsylvania, or even Connecticut in play. Overall, this is as thorough of a profile as we've seen of Giuliani this campaign season. Do take special note of the problems the author points out Giuliani could have regarding his gun stance.
Page Six reports that Giuliani will receive the British “Medal of Freedom” on September 19 from former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher.
CONTINUED >>
The AP’s Liz Sidoti looks at many of the gaffes and goofs of this election cycle. She writes that this year’s theme could very well be, "Oops! What I meant was ..."
New York City Mayor
Michael Bloomberg told Dan Rather for his HDNet program: "Nobody's going to elect me president of the United States. What I'd like to do is to be able to influence the dialogue. I'm a citizen."
The
New York Times says that Senate Judiciary Chairman Pat Leahy “threatened on Monday to pursue contempt charges against the White House next month over its response to a subpoena for internal documents on the National Security Agency’s domestic surveillance program… Mr. Leahy’s comments ratcheted up the battle between Congressional Democrats and the White House over access to secret documents on the legal underpinnings of the eavesdropping program, which authorized the N.S.A. to listen in without a court warrant on Americans’ international communications.”
USA Today notes how House Democrats are winning the fundraising race so far for 2008. “The most vulnerable House Democrats — freshmen who won in districts that went for President Bush in 2004 — raised an average of $600,000 in the first six months of this year, according to campaign-finance reports filed with the Federal Election Commission. That's nearly double what Republican freshmen raised. If the trend continues, it will make it difficult for the GOP to reduce Democrats' 231-202 House majority.”
From NBC's Andy Merten
While Clinton took a policy-heavy approach to her remarks before the Veterans of Foreign Wars today, John McCain opted instead to spend most of his time attempting to relate to the audience as a fellow veteran. In fact, the word “Iraq” was not even uttered in the first 10 minutes of his speech.
“My grandfather was a naval aviator; my father a submariner,” he said, adding, “Their respect for me was one of the great ambitions of my life. And so it was nearly pre-ordained that I would find a place in my family’s profession, and that occupation would one day take me to war.” He went on to speak of the bonds shared by those who have served in war, saying they share an “appreciation for having sacrificed for a cause greater than ourselves” and “relief for having your courage and honor tested and affirmed in the fearsome crucible of combat.”
When McCain turned to the politics of the day, he repeated his familiar “wait for September” stance, saying General Petraeus must be given a chance to “salvage from the wreckage of our past mistakes a measure of stability for Iraq and the Middle East.” But he did lament the poor management of the war in the past, saying, “I, too, have been made sick at heart by the many mistakes made by civilian and military commanders.” And when he decried the inadequacies of Walter Reed and the VA, he received heavy applause.
CONTINUED >>
From NBC's Lauren Appelbaum
Hillary Clinton was the first presidential candidate to address hundreds of members of the Veterans of Foreign Wars during this year's national convention in Kansas City, Mo. In a policy-heavy speech, Clinton outlined her plans to help veterans and highlighted her bi-partisan efforts to do so in the past. She waited until the end of her speech to address Iraq. Placing a hand upon her chest, Clinton acknowledged that some people will disagree with her for saying the best way to honor the troops is "beginning to bring them home."
"I think it is unacceptable for our troops to be caught in the crossfire of a sectarian civil war while the Iraqi government is on vacation," Clinton said. "I think it is time that the Iraqi government took responsibility for themselves and their country. Because the American people and our American military cannot want freedom and stability for the Iraqis more than they want it for themselves."
CONTINUED >>
From NBC’s Domenico Montanaro
Liberal blogger
Lane Hudson has filed a complaint against Fred Thompson with the Federal Election Commission, accusing the “testing-the-waters” candidate of violating election law. Hudson is the same activist who posted instant messages between former Rep. Mark Foley and a congressional page.
The AP reports: “The law prohibits anyone who is ‘testing the waters’ from hoarding the money for use during his actual campaign. Potential candidates also cannot refer to themselves as candidates, can't run ads that publicize their intention to campaign or take steps to qualify for the ballot in a primary or caucus state.”
Thompson has 15 days to respond to the complaint.
From NBC's John Yang and Jay Blackman
Rep.
Bob Filner (D-CA) was involved in an altercation last night at Dulles Airport. He was allegedly angered by the amount of time it was taking to get his luggage and tried to push his way through the United Airlines baggage claim office. The release below is from Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority.
“Around 6 PM on Sunday, Aug. 19, Airports Authority Police were called to the United Airlines bag claim office at Dulles for a report of an incident with a passenger regarding his baggage. The individual allegedly attempted to enter an area authorized for airline employees only, pushed aside the employee's outstretched arm and refused to leave the area when asked by an airline employee. When MWAA officers arrived a few minutes later, the man had left the office and was waiting in the area of a bag carousel. Officers interviewed him and witnesses and released him. Before the individual left the airport, officers advised him that the airline employee would be pursuing charges. The airline employee appeared before a Loudoun County Magistrate later that evening and a summons was obtained charging Robert Filner (DOB 09/04/1942) with assault and battery, a class 1 misdemeanor. Mr. Filner is scheduled to appear in Loudoun County General District Court on October 2.”
**** UPDATE **** NBC's Ken Strickland has the response from Filner's press office in a written statement: "Congressman Bob Filner is on his way to Iraq, visiting our troops, and will have a full statement when he returns. Suffice it to say now, that the story that has appeared in the press is factually incorrect-and the charges are ridiculous."
From NBC's Mark Murray
The Politico has the scoop:
Fred Thompson spokeswoman Burson Snyder has resigned from the soon-to-be campaign. "Snyder follows a handful of other Thompson aides out the door as the organization struggles to find its footing in the run-up to the former senator's anticipated post-Labor Day launch."
"The longtime communications director to House Minority Whip Roy Blunt, Snyder had been brought on to the "testing-the-waters" committee in June and had been slated to handle the day-to-day press operation. But sources familiar with the situation say she saw her role diminished when Linda Rozett was brought on to serve as the committee's communications director and when it was announced that former FOX producer Jim Mills would also come on board to work in the press shop."
From NBC's Ken Strickland
After returning from a two-day visit to Iraq, bipartisan members of the Senate Armed Services Committee --
Carl Levin and
John Warner -- say the surge has produced some results and has "provided a degree of 'breathing space' for Iraqi politicians" to make political compromises. But these senators warned they're "not optimistic about the prospects for those compromises."
They issued a joint press release today. "Given the performance of the Iraqi political leadership to date -- we remain extremely cautious in our expectations, as does our distinguished U.S. Ambassador to Iraq, Ambassador Ryan Crocker," they wrote. In several meeting with Iraqi leaders, "we witnessed a great deal of apprehension regarding the capabilities of the current Iraqi government to shed its sectarian biases and act in a unifying manner.
They said that in the absence of political reconciliation may be laying to groundwork for additional problems. "We may be inadvertently helping to create another militia which will have to be dealt with in the future."
From Chuck Todd, Mark Murray, and Domenico Montanaro
***
The Guns Of August Didn’t Fire: Overall, yesterday’s debate that had "August" written all over it, meaning the candidates decided not to take advantage of opportunities to engage. Instead, at almost every opportunity, the front-runners took pains to NOT engage, even when questions from the moderator tried to create spats. So in the absence of a "moment," it's hard not to declare Clinton the winner of this debate because, like boxing, if the champ doesn't get knocked out, then the champ is still the champ. This is not to say Obama and Edwards did poorly in this debate. To the contrary, both seemed more presidential than in previous debates, and many post-debate analyses had Obama as the winner (which shows that Obama has come a long way since that first debate in Orangeburg). But neither seemed comfortable trying to take down the front-runner: They took veiled shots at Clinton but in a way that was, well, "Iowa nice."
***
A Cautious Field: Biden -- not surprisingly -- seemed to have helped himself the most, followed by -- surprisingly -- Richardson. Of course, Richardson had a VERY low bar to surpass since he's been anywhere from bad to disastrous; Richardson was neither bad nor disastrous today. All of the candidates seemed well aware that the main audience for this debate was Iowa Democrats, and recent history has shown Iowa Democrats don't like sharp elbows. So that may explain some of the cautiousness that gripped the entire Democratic field.
***
Enough Is Enough: The decision to limit the number of debates and forums Obama will agree to for the rest of this calendar year is something that will upset a number of key Democratic interest groups. It seems a day doesn't go by that some left-of-center group doesn't pop up with a forum idea. Four months ago, we would have guessed it would have been Clinton -- not Obama -- who called for a halt to these things. But since Clinton has seen her ratings with Dems go up with every debate or forum appearance, she seems to have decided the more exposure she gets the more comfortable Democrats get with her. These forums have become her national listening tour.
VIDEO: NBC Political Director Chuck Todd offers his first read on Barack Obama rejecting offers for any additional debates.
*** Biden’s Moment: Will Biden ever get his moment? He is the Democrats' Huckabee -- meaning that he seems to perform well at every debate or forum, but doesn't have the resources to do anything more with it. With his first TV ads now airing in Iowa, we'll be watching closely to see if he can move the needle. If he can't, then our guess is that Biden will wonder how long he can go on.
*** Nunn Of The Above: Don’t miss the news that former Sen. Sam Nunn (D) -- remember him? -- might be interested in running for president as an independent. Nunn’s interest raises this question: Why haven’t other political has-beens expressed more interest in a possible 2008 candidacy? What better way to get back in the news to push a pet issue? In Nunn's case, the pet issue is a big one: nukes.
*** VFW Politics: In Kansas City today, Clinton addresses the Veterans of Foreign Wars convention, and then McCain follows her. Obama and Fred Thompson speak to the group tomorrow. And President Bush goes before the group on Wednesday. As the Washington Post puts it, “The VFW convention is not a standard campaign stop, according to VFW National Commander Gary Kurpius, and he said it is unprecedented to have candidates address the organization before winning the nomination.” Do either Clinton or Obama get booed?
*** On The Trail: Elsewhere, Huckabee campaigns in New Hampshire; Obama does the same; and Tommy Thompson -- who no longer is in the race -- appears on Comedy Central’s Daily Show.
Countdown to MA-05 Special Election: 14 days
Countdown to LA GOV election: 61 days
Countdown to Election Day 2007: 78 days
Countdown to LA GOV run-off (if necessary): 89 days
Countdown to Iowa: 146 days
Countdown to Tsunami Tuesday: 168 days
Countdown to Election Day 2008: 442 days
Countdown to Inauguration Day 2009: 519 days
The Washington Post: “Sen. Barack Obama (Ill.) drew fire from his rivals for his relative lack of political experience, but amid subtle digs from Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (N.Y.) and New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson over his approach to foreign policy, he calmly took the heat.” Also: “The candidates touched on the subject of whether Clinton was too polarizing to win the general election, as outgoing White House adviser Karl Rove postulated last week and reiterated on three Sunday talk shows.”
VIDEO: Presidential hopeful Barack Obama on opponents questioning if he’s ready to be president.
The Boston Globe says the Democrats “battled yesterday over how they would direct the withdrawal of US troops from Iraq in a debate … that largely stayed clear of personal attacks.”
The New York Times on the subdued nature of the debate: "But even in their disagreements, their voices came across as far more subdued and measured, particularly compared with side-by-side appearances earlier this month. As one sign of this, Democrats pointed to the performance of John Edwards as a reflection of a calculation that the kind of spirited attacks that won applause at a labor debate at Soldier Field this month in Chicago might not sit well on a Sunday morning with Iowa Democrats."
CONTINUED >>
We got an interesting reminder in our email inbox this weekend from the West Virginia GOP, which reminded the GOP presidential campaigns that they have to register for their unique internet Feb. 5 primary by Sept. 1. There are quite a few states whose deadlines are coming up in a hurry. In particular, Fred Thompson will have to gear up immediately to get ready for many of these deadlines. Is his team ready?
GIULIANI: Watching the former New York mayor handle questions about his personal life, one can't help but notice his response is very similar to the one George W. Bush pushed when he was constantly asked about his past indiscretions. Bush would acknowledge it without adding fuel to the fire with his "when I was young and irresponsible, I was young and irresponsible." Giuliani does a similar deflection with his past but acknowledging he made
mistakes but also indicating he won't talk about it. "I’ll talk about it appropriately and in a way to preserve as much as I can the privacy of my family and my children, which I think any decent person would,” he told reporters at a stop at a diner here on Friday.
The New York Times’ Nagourney looks at how a city slicker like Giuliani plays in Iowa. "He seems a lot more attuned to the rhythms and culture of Iowa than he did a few months ago."
CONTINUED >>
So is Karl Rove using reverse psychology on Democrats regarding Clinton v. Obama? The Los Angeles Times' Wallsten lays out the case that Rove may be attacking Clinton as a way to get Democrats to rally around her because secretly the GOP fears Obama. Wallsten notes that the Bush campaign -- in 2004 -- did a similar thing. "With his Southern base, charismatic style and populist message, Edwards, they believed, could be a real threat to Bush's reelection. But instead of attacking Edwards, Rove's team opened fire at Kerry. Their thinking went like this, Dowd explained: Democrats, in a knee-jerk reaction to GOP attacks, would rally around Kerry, whom Rove considered a comparatively weak opponent, and make him the party's nominee. Thus Bush would be spared from confronting Edwards, the candidate Republican strategists actually feared most."
VIDEO: NBC's Andrea Mitchell reports Karl Rove may be leaving the White House, but he is not letting up on his criticism of the Democrats, especially front-runner Hillary Clinton.
"Is Rove playing a similar game against Clinton? Is he trying to stampede Democrats into nominating her, having concluded that Obama, Edwards or someone else would pose a stiffer challenge to the Republican nominee?"
CONTINUED >>
If they build it, the candidates will come, right? That was the claim by the founders of Unity '08, the group trying to recruit a bipartisan presidential ticket. Well, the first major elder statesman outside of New York City has
acknowledged his interest: former Georgia Democratic Sen. Sam Nunn. But if he runs, he'll do so as an independent. "It's a possibility, not a probability," said Nunn, now the head of a nonprofit organization out to reduce the threat posed by nuclear, biological and chemical weaponry. "My own thinking is, it may be a time for the country to say, 'Timeout. The two-party system has served us well, historically, but it's not serving us now.'"
Nunn said he's not likely to make up his mind until next year, probably after the early rush of presidential primaries have produced de facto nominees for both parties. He said the decision will depend largely on what he hears from the current candidates. The only certainty, he said, is that he won't be anybody's candidate for vice president."
CONTINUED >>
The
New York Times op-ed by eight members of the 82nd Airborne division stationed in Iraq will be very difficult for the White House and other supporters of the surge to push back on. "The claim that we are increasingly in control of the battlefields in Iraq is an assessment arrived at through a flawed, American-centered framework. Yes, we are militarily superior, but our successes are offset by failures elsewhere. What soldiers call the ‘battle space’ remains the same, with changes only at the margins. It is crowded with actors who do not fit neatly into boxes: Sunni extremists, Al Qaeda terrorists, Shiite militiamen, criminals and armed tribes. This situation is made more complex by the questionable loyalties and Janus-faced role of the Iraqi police and Iraqi Army, which have been trained and armed at United States taxpayers’ expense."
In Montebello, Canada, Bush today meets with the prime minister of Canada and the president of Mexico.
The
Washington Post front-pages how Bush’s call to promote democracy around the world has largely faltered. “Two and a half years after Bush pledged in his second inaugural address to spread democracy around the world, the grand project has bogged down in a bureaucratic and geopolitical morass, in the view of many activists… Many in his administration never bought into the idea, and some undermined it, including his own vice president. The Iraq war has distracted Bush and, in some quarters, discredited his aspirations. And while he focuses his ire on bureaucracy, Bush at times has compromised the idealism of that speech in the muddy reality of guarding other U.S. interests.”
To watch Rove’s appearance on Meet the Press yesterday, click here.
The Politico also does a wrap of Rove’s appearances on the Sunday shows.
The
Washington Post looks at the early ads the Democrats and Republicans are running in the 2008 battle for Congress. “Democrats and Republicans are mounting a fierce battle to shape voter impressions of Congress during August's political lull, convinced that they must define the story line of the 2008 congressional election before voters are swamped by the presidential campaign.”
From NBC's Domenico Montanaro
DES MOINES -- There were a lot more people in general and candidates
themselves in the spin room for the Democrats than there were for the
Republicans.
Of the candidates, Biden, Dodd, Gravel, Kucinich (and adoring wife in
tow) all stopped in the spin room for an extended length. Edwards was
also accessible outside, as he did one TV interview and moved on to a
post-debate party next door to the spin room. Obama stopped by Planet
Subs to meet supporters and Clinton also attended a debate watching
party in Des Moines.
Elizabeth Edwards was in the spin room and accesible for interviews.
Howard Dean was there for the DNC, though he wouldn't comment on what
some analysts have seen as a parallels between his 2004 run and Obama's
campaign excitement. He is, however, optimistic about Democrats'
congressional and Senate seat chances in Minnesota, New Hampshire and
Colorado.
CONTINUED >>
From NBC's Chuck Todd
Overall, this is a debate that had "August" written all over it, meaning the candidates decided not to take advantage of opportunities to engage. Instead, at almost every opportunity, the frontrunners took pains to NOT engage even when questions from the moderator tried to create spats. So in the absence of a "moment," it's hard not to declare Clinton the winner of this debate because, like boxing, if the champ doesn't get knocked out, then the champ is still the champ.
This is not to say Obama and Edwards did poorly in this debate. To the contrary, both seemed more presidential than in previous debates but neither seemed comfortable trying to take down the frontrunner. Edwards and Obama took veiled shots at Clinton but in a way that was, well, "Iowa nice."
One glaring missed opportunity for Obama to show contrast with Clinton came, not from a moderator question, but from a voter question who asked about a time when the candidate didn't say everything they thought. Remember, Clinton critiqued Obama for saying everything he thought. If the places were reversed, Clinton would not have missed an opportunity like that. This is where Obama's inexperience as a politician shows. He's just not very tactical, which to some may seem like a refreshing change but in primary politics, isn't a recipe for success. Frankly, it was a moment of political campaign inexperience. Tactically, these debates do show that Obama hasn't had many tough campaigns, which may explain why he misses opportunities like this one.
Overall, Biden seemed to have helped himself the most, followed, surprisingly, by Richardson. Of course, Richardson had a VERY low bar to surpass since he's been anywhere from bad to disastrous; Richardson was neither bad nor disastrous today.
All of the candidates seemed well aware that the main audience for this debate was Iowa Democrats and recent history has shown Iowa Democrats don't like sharp elbows so that may explain some of the cautiousness that gripped the entire Democratic field.
See the next post for more detailed "tape delayed live-blogging" thoughts as I was watching the debate.
From NBC's Chuck Todd
The following were my virtual live thoughts while watching the debate in the Washington, DC-area an hour later than folks in Iowa were watching.
-- Poll Introductions: Seriously, it was bad form in their first debate and it was bad form in this debate. The bad form? Introducing the candidates in the order of their poll ratings. Unless you plan to use the poll to trim the field, was it really the right way to introduce these candidates? Doesn't it reinforce the INCORRECT notion that the media is obsessed with the horse race?
-- Primarily About Obama or Clinton? The first set of questions reinforce this notion that I've argued before: This primary campaign seems to be more of a referendum about Obama's experience, rather than Clinton's electability. I'm still not sure if this is a good thing for Clinton or a good thing for Obama. Ultimately, a candidate does hope a campaign is a referendum on them, keeps the candidate in control of the message. Then again, it's sometimes VERY difficult for a candidate to win a campaign that is a referendum on said candidate.
-- Iowa Nice Watch: This was interesting watching the candidates answer the first question about Obama's experience. None of the candidates wanted to "go there." But the awkward silences and implications WERE there. Both Richardson and Biden, in particular, seemed to WANT to criticize Obama on experience but were uncomfortable taking a shot. Perhaps both are gun shy because they've gotten into verbal trouble a few times this campaign.
-- Always An Eye On The General: Clinton's defense of what she says and doesn't say about her foreign policy on the campaign trail sounds a bit like the Republican criticism of Democrats in campaigns past that what is said on the campaign trail is seen/heard overseas.
-- Favoring The Frontrunners: If I were supporters of any candidate NOT named Clinton and Obama, I would be infuriated with the first two questions of this debate.
-- Take Take Electability Critics: Clinton dropped a little news at the debate noting she would be getting the endorsement of Arkansas Gov. Mike Beebe. AP's Ron Fournier may have found a lot of elected Democrats to say on background they fear Clinton at the top of the ticket but I am struck by the number of these moderate Democrats who are publicly backing her now.
-- Poor Dennis: It took ABC 25 minutes to get to Dennis Kucinich and the candidate let him know about it. Interesting that Kucinich kind of, sort of, took a shot at Edwards by dropping the name Fortress.
-- Free Media: Biden got a favor from ABC by airing his Iraq ad for all the Sunday morning world to see.
-- Halftime Thought: Despite the hype, it appears none of the frontrunners were interested in engaging each other too harshly. ABC tried, but the candidates didn't cooperate. Edwards, about 40 minutes in, underscored this decision by the frontrunners when he praised all of his colleagues on stage.
-- He May Not Be A Scientist, But... While I'm in the camp that Richardson permanently damaged himself over the last 3 months, it should be acknowledged that I think he did his best job yet at a debate, which was a low bar since he had some very poor debate and forum appearances in the past.
-- From Delaware To Delaware County, Iowa: Biden, once again, is coming across as the straightest talker, but the guy just can't get campaign traction. If Biden hangs in there long enough and Richardson fades a bit (due to his numerous gaffes), I wouldn't be surprised if Biden is the guy that surprisingly rises in Iowa.
-- Why The 2nd Tier Matters: Watching these debates for both parties, I am struck at how necessary the 2nd tier candidates are. They represent, in each party, a specific view in the liberal or conservative rainbow and the eventual nominee will be influenced by these folks, whether it's Kucinich on the war and trade or Tancredo on immigration.
-- Late Debate Thoughts: All of the candidates seemed aware of the phrase "Iowa nice." It's something Iowans pride themselves on; they punish negativity and it seems all of the frontrunners decided to show themselves as "Iowa nice."
From NBC's Domenico MontanaroDES MOINES -- First Read is about to head into the spin room, but here are some of my quick thoughts.
Clinton was again solid, no gaffes as usual. She is tough and well prepared.
Edwards had an OK debate as well. Is his goal to tag team Clinton with Obama? He forced the issue of lobbying again, trying to bill himself and Obama as the outsiders and Clinton the Washington establishment. He did it implicitly and only named Clinton to say she takes lobbying money -- unlike himself and Obama. The question may become who will get the traction as the true outsider? Edwards or Obama. At some point, that distinction has to happen. They don't want to split the "outsider" vote, thereby potentially giving the victory to Clinton. Look for even sharper distinction as the months move forward between Edwards and Obama.
Obama faced a tough test with the first question, and he answered it well. He used humor with his bumper cars line, but again showed he has the backbone to stand up to criticism. He looked much more comfortable in this debate. He was smoother, clearer with his answers and seems to be growing into his own political skin on stage with the other candidates.
Biden was strong on Iraq again. The more he can talk about that issue, the stronger he is.
Richardson had a better debate today than he has had in the past. He looked more comfortable, prepared and self-deprecating humor at times. But it will be tough for him or Biden to pull themselves up and penetrate that first tier.
Dodd was notably second, if not third tier and it will be tough for him as well to pull himself up. He didn't have a terrible debate, but that fly is a bad image.
Kucinich and Gravel were left to the outside. Gravel was weaker, misstating his message, even confusing Spain with Iran before correcting himself. He was tangential and just seems like an outsider throwing pebbles.
From NBC's Domenico MontanaroDES MOINES -- As Dodd was answering the decisive moment question, there was clearly a fly crawling around his white hair. Yikes. We'll see that on YouTube. He didn't even bat at it. How would he know though?
From NBC's Domenico MontanaroDES MOINES -- Richardson is the only one who invoked 9/11 throughout the debate. He said it was his decisive moment for getting back into politics.
From NBC's Domenico MontanaroDES MOINES -- Performance-based pay
Dodd: Does not support performance based pay. Wants to reform No Child Left Behind and put in incentives to get teachers into inner-city schools.
Obama: Obama told the National Education Association at their convention that he is for performance-based pay. I think we can implement a performance-based system. It has to be developed with teachers. Teachers across the board have to be paid more. He cited his sister who’s a teacher.
Clinton: Wants school-based incentive pay, not necessarily incentive pay for individual teachers.
CONTINUED >>
From NBC's Domenico MontanaroDES MOINES -- An e-mail question was on when the candidates have in their life not told the whole truth.
Biden: I am sure there are times My problem isn’t saying what I think. It’s saying too much of what I think
Obama: Didn’t exactly answer the question, instead talked about fuel efficiency standards and about needing to say tough things to interest groups.
Edwards: Edwards apparently was against the war while he was for it. “I was wrong to vote for this war.” I had huge internal conflict at the time about giving George Bush this huge authority. What I didn’t express was that internal conflict, because I didn’t trust Bush.
Clinton: She didn’t express something she clearly hasn’t told the whole truth about, which is what the question was. She said she agreed with Edwards to an extent on Iraq and said she would have never diverted attention to Iraq.
Richardson: I am making about one mistake a week. You know, I make misstatements. I am not the scripted candidate.
From NBC's Domenico MontanaroDES MOINES -- The first break comes just before 9amCT after a question on agriculture and NAFTA.
During the break, that same health care ad seemingly against Obama before the debate, ran asking what a cardboard cut out of Clinton would do about healthcare.
From NBC's Domenico MontanaroDES MOINES -- At 8:45, question from e-mail. Issue of God, religion and the power of prayer.
Clinton: I believe in the power of prayer. I am very dependant on my faith and prayer is a big part of that.
Dodd: The power of prayer is important to all of us.
Edwards: I have prayed most of my life. I pray daily now. I prayed before m y 16-year-old son died. I prayed when Elizabeth got cancer. There are some things are beyond our control. You can’t prevent bad things from happening through prayer. He also invoked Christ.
Gravel: Often the ones who pray want to go to war. What we need is love.
CONTINUED >>
From NBC's Domenico Montanaro
DES MOINES -- Biden seems to dominate the topic of Iraq. He was strong on talking about how we end the war is very strong. Audience seemed enraptured when he discussed what would happen if the war is not ended correctly.
Stephanopoulos asked where Obama stands and he deferred to Biden.
Obama said, "I think Joe is right." Obama then got easy applause when bringing back the "authorizing this war" line. He said on the experience issue, no one had more experience than Dick Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld. He criticized "conventional wisdom" again. But Stephanopoulos asked if there's a difference between what he's proposing and what Clinton's proposing. He said we can't keep writing blank checks. Does that mean he'd support cutting off the funds?
Kucinich repeated that he wants to cut off funds and criticized the Democratic-controlled Congress for not cutting off the funds.
From NBC's Domenico Montanaro
DES MOINES -- Edwards: It would be hard to pull troops out of Iraq by December, but can do it in 9-12 months. Any Democratic candidate will end this war, he said to great applause. The differences between all of us are very small. And sounded like Clinton in an earlier debate, who said the differences between us and the Republicans are large.
From NBC's Andrew MertenFirst question to Kucinich is 26 minutes in, and he's not too happy
about it. "This debate is insufficient," he said, adding, "You're
trying to polarize people out of this race."
