RON'S
OPEN THREADS TO KEEP YOU BUSY UNTIL HE'S BACK FROM HOLIDAY. Next Update: September 7 (... maybe sooner).
Yup
...again ... I'm heading back today to visit Dana in France. While
we'll use our Paris apartment as a base, we're hoping to take
a side trip or two (maybe back down to the Cote d'Azur or up to
a mountain lake village) since Dana has a few days off between
semesters. Thus, I don't know if I'll have easy Internet access
during some of those days. If something big happens and I have
access, I'll try to post something before I return. Otherwise,
the next update will be on Friday, September 7. Enjoy the Labor
Day holiday! (FYI: The pic is a composite courtesy of help
from the SimpsonizeMe.com
site).
Posted by Ron Gunzburger - 08.27.07 | Permalink
|
TOPIC:
PRESIDENT BUSH & THE ADMINISTRATION.
Bush, Cheney, the Cabinet ... and the whole White House crew.
Posted by Ron Gunzburger - 08.27.07 | Permalink
|
TOPIC:
CONGRESS.
Pelosi, Reid ... Boehner, McConnell ... the 2008 campaigns ...
retirements ... candidacy announcements.
Posted by Ron Gunzburger - 08.27.07 | Permalink
|
TOPIC:
THE P2008 DEMS - HILLARY, OBAMA, EDWARDS, RICHARDSON & ALL
THE REST.
Clinton, Obama, Edwards, Richardson, Dodd, Biden, Kucinich
and Gravel ... anyone and anything.
Posted by Ron Gunzburger - 08.27.07 | Permalink
|
TOPIC:
THE P2008 GOP - FIRST TIER, SECOND TIER & ALL THE REST.
Rudy, Mitt, Fred (with his planned online announcement of his
candidacy -- just like Hillary did a few months ago), Mike, Ron
... and all the other guys.
Posted by Ron Gunzburger - 08.27.07 | Permalink
|
TOPIC:
THE P2008 - INDEPENDENTS, GREENS, LIBERTARIANS & MORE.
Sam Nunn, Mike Bloomberg, Ralph Nader, Ron Paul, Alan
Keyes, Tom Tancredo ... "Jonathan the Impaler"
... "Average Joe" ... and everyone else.
Posted by Ron Gunzburger - 08.27.07 | Permalink
|
TOPIC:
IRAQ, AFGHANISTAN, IRAN, CUBA, NORTH KOREA, ETC.
The release date of the White House's "Petraeus Report"
on Iraq grows closer ... Castro death rumors constantly surface
(and one of these days its actually going to be true) ... plus
anything and everything going on elswhere around the globe.
Posted by Ron Gunzburger - 08.27.07 | Permalink
|
TOPIC:
POLITICAL SCANDAL & CORRUPTION.
This topic is here because something juicy on the scandal front
always breaks when I'm on vacation.
Posted by Ron Gunzburger - 08.27.07 | Permalink
|
TOPIC:
STATE & LOCAL POLITICS.
Governors, state legislatures, candidates and local stuff.
Posted by Ron Gunzburger - 08.27.07 | Permalink
|
TOPIC:
EVERYTHING ELSE.
Your free speech zone for everything else under the sun.
Posted by Ron Gunzburger - 08.27.07 | Permalink
|
FRIDAY
NEWS UPDATE.
RENZI
RETIRES; WARNER SUGGESTS; COACH EXPLORES; FLA DEMS THREATEN. ARIZONA: Embattled Congressman Rick
Renzi (R) -- the target of multiple ongoing federal corruption
probes -- announced Thursday he will not seek reelection to a
fourth term in 2008. GOP leaders had reportedly heavily pressured
Renzi to retire, fearing he would be unable to hold the swing
seat. Ever since the FBI raided his wife's office in April, Renzi
has experienced serious political problems. According to the Arizona
Republic, Renzi had just $20,000 remaining in his campaign
account and already owes more than $450,000 in legal defense fees.
A long list of Republicans and Democrats are now reportedly looking
at the open seat contest. NRCC Chair Tom Cole said defending the
CD-1 open seat will be a top Republican priority next year. IRAQ: US Senator John Warner (R-VA) on Thursday called
on President Bush to begin the withdrawal of US troops from Iraq
next month. Warner said the drastic move is needed to give Iraqi
Prime Minister Nuri Al-Maliki a wake-up call that the US role
in Iraq will not be permanent. "I really, firmly believe
the Iraqi government, under the leadership of Prime Minister Al-Maliki,
let our troops down," said Warner. Al-Maliki announced this
week that he feels no obligation to meet -- nor even to try to
meet -- US-set benchmarks for Iraq. A spokesman for President
Bush said the White House "appreciated" Warner's suggestion
but said the President wanted to wait until the White House progress
report on Iraq is written and issued on behalf of General Petraeus
next month before making any new plans. Further, the spokesman
said the President was not inclined to set any formal withdrawal
dates. Warner is the former Armed Services Committee Chair, a
World War II and Korean War veteran, and served as US Navy Secretary
in the early 1970s. ILLINOIS: The Peoria Journal Star reports former
Indiana Pacers basketball team coach Dick Versace (D) is weighing
a run next year for the CD-18 seat left open by the retirement
of Congressman Ray LaHood (R). "This is an exploratory thing
... What drives me is the opportunity to do something I feel is
important," said Versace. State Representative Aaron Schock
is the early frontrunner for the GOP nomination. FLORIDA: Some key Florida Democrats dared the DNC to sanction
the state for advancing the Presidential primary to January 29.
US Senator Bill Nelson and US Representatives Alcee Hastings,
Kendrick Meek, Debbie
Wasserman Schultz, and Kathy Castor issued an open letter to the
DNC on Thursday, demanding that the DNC drop any threat of sanctions.
In case the message was missed, the group threatened possible
US Justice Department complaints or court challenges if the DNC
moves forward with sanctions. "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," stated the letter. They raise
an interesting question of whether the DNC and RNC can legally
conspire to preserve the protected first-in-the-nation status
of the Iowa and New Hampshire contests without violating the Voting
Rights Act and other constitutional protection against racial
discrimination in voting. US Census data shows Iowa's population
is 92% non-Hispanic White. New Hampshire's population is 94% non-Hispanic
White. Neither even remotely represents any racial or ethnic diversity.
Florida's population, by contrast, is 15.7% Black, 2% Asian, and
19.5% Hispanic. While parties are entitled to largely control
the nomination process' rules, they cannot do so in any manner
that would violate federal voting and civil rights laws by depriving
minority voters of having their votes count because they sought
the same early voting rights as the white voting population of
Iowa and New Hampshire. As Governor Jennifer Granholm, US Senator
Carl Levin and other prominent Michigan Dem leaders likewise support
their state's move to break the official schedule with a January
15 primary, look for them to soon make threaten similar actions
if Michigan is threatened with DNC sanctions. The
RNC is also threatening sanctions against both states.
Posted by Ron Gunzburger - 08.24.07 | Permalink
|
FREE
SPEECH ZONE.
Your daily open thread.
Posted by Ron Gunzburger - 08.24.07 | Permalink
|
THURSDAY
NEWS UPDATE.
MICHIGAN
BEGINS MOVE FORWARD TO JAN 15; NEW S.C. POLL. MICHIGAN: As had been threatened in recent days by the
leaders of the Michigan Republican Party and Michigan Democratic
Party, the Michigan Senate on Wednesday voted to move the state's
Presidential delegate selection contests -- either by caucus or
primary -- to January 15, 2008. The move comes in the face of
severe threatened sanctions by both the DNC and RNC. The Politico
reported State GOP Chair Saul Anuzis' response to the threats:
"We don't care." Across the aisle, US Senator Carl Levin
(D-MI) is also a vocal proponent of the switch to an early primary
date. The DNC Rules Committee will meet Saturday to discuss punishments
against the two states which plan to violate the officially sanctioned
schedule. However, even if the DNC (and, later, the RNC) vote
to sanction Florida and Michigan, the states may seek to override
the sanctions by challenging the sanctions with a floor vote at
the national conventions. State party leaders in Florida have
already said they plan to challenge any threatened sanctions with
a convention floor fight. SOUTH CAROLINA: A new Rasmussen Reports poll of likely
South Carolina primary voters place Hillary Clinton (D) and Fred
Thompson (R) in the lead. The Dem numbers: Hillary Clinton - 38%,
Barack Obama - 30%, John Edwards - 13%, Joe Biden - 3%, Bill Richardson
- 2%. The GOP numbers: Fred Thompson - 23%, Rudy Giuliani - 21%,
John McCain - 14%, Mitt Romney - 10%, Mike Huckabee - 6%, Others
- 3%.
Posted by Ron Gunzburger - 08.23.07 | Permalink
|
FREE
SPEECH ZONE.
Remember
when President Bush and White House officials indignantly said
in 2004 (and 2005 and 2006 and 2007) that the Iraq War was nothing
like the Vietnam War and any comparisons were ridiculous? Apparently
the White House has forgotten all those remarks because the President
on Wednesday equated the two wars. Speaking to the Veterans of
Foreign Wars national convention, Bush said: "Three decades
later, there is a legitimate debate about how we got into the
Vietnam War and how we left. Whatever your position in that debate,
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.'"
First
- An important correction: The infamous killing fields with the
millions of deaths occurred at the hands of Pol Pot's murderous
Khmer Rouge regime in Cambodia -- not in neighboring Vietnam.
In fact, the Stalinist Khmer Rouge regime largely rose to power
only after the US inadvertently destabilized the Cambodian monarchy
with a CIA-organized military coup that installed an unpopular
right-wing dictatorship, followed by a series of unauthorized
bombings and illegal incursions into Cambodia in a failed attempt
to find and destroy secret Viet Cong camps. In
fact, the Khmer Rouge were finally ousted from power in 1979 when
the communist Vietnamese forces invaded -- with the encouragement
of China -- and ousted Pol Pot's blood-stained government. If
our leaders want to discuss the lessons of history, it would help
if they actually discussed the correct country.
That said, I would agree that the Vietnam
and Iraq quagmires wars have much in common. If you want to find
some real similarities, read these Vietnam War quotes by President
Lyndon B. Johnson:
"If
we allow Vietnam to fall, tomorrow
we’ll be fighting in Hawaii, and next week in San Francisco."
The US and South Vietnamese forces are succeeding in "reducing
the terrorism and armed attacks … to levels where they
can be successfully controlled by the regular South Vietnamese
security forces."
"Our purpose in Vietnam is to prevent the success of aggression.
It is not conquest, it is not empire, it is not foreign bases,
it is not domination. It is, simply put, just to prevent the
forceful conquest of South Vietnam by North Vietnam"
"This is not a jungle war, but a struggle for freedom on
every front of human activity".
The Viet Cong is "a stubborn adversary who is committed
to the use of force and terror to settle political questions."
With
a minimal effort, one could match each of these 1964-68 quotes
to recent Iraq War statements by President Bush. Those who cannot
remember the past are condemned to repeat it.
Posted by Ron Gunzburger - 08.23.07 | Permalink
|
WEDNESDAY
NEWS UPDATE.
FREE
SPEECH ZONE.
I'm taking an easy evening (i.e., no writing) ... so here's your
daily open thread.
Posted by Ron Gunzburger - 08.22.07 | Permalink
|
TUESDAY
NEWS UPDATE.
NUNN
LOOKS AT INDY RUN; DEM TO WIN CALIFORNIA CD-37 SPECIAL; FILNER
CHARGED. NUNN: Retired US Senator Sam Nunn (D-GA) told the Atlanta
Journal-Constitution he is considering making an independent
run for President. "It's a possibility, not a probability.
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,'" he explained. During his career, Nunn
was viewed a very hawkish member of the conservative wing of the
Democrats -- the type of Southern White Dems who migrated to the
GOP in the 1980s and 1990s. CALIFORNIA #1: State Assemblywoman Laura Richardson (D)
is a safe bet to win the open CD-37 seat in a landslide on Tuesday.
The seat -- overwhelmingly Democratic -- was left vacant by the
April 22 death of Congresswoman Juanita Millender-McDonald (D). CALIFORNIA #2: US House Veterans Affairs Committee Chair
Bob Filner (D) was charged with misdemeanor assauly and battery
charges related to an incident Sunday night at Dulles Airport
in Virginia. Filner was reportedly enraged because of a delay
in receiving his baggage. Filner allegedly pushed a United Airlines
baggage claim worker. The Congressman was "on his way to
Iraq, visiting our troops, and will have a full statement when
he returns ... the charges are ridiculous," said Filner's
spokeswoman.
Posted by Ron Gunzburger - 08.21.07 | Permalink
|
HE'S
NEVER HEARD OF YOU, EITHER: LEE MERCER JR.
It's time to revive our popular, semi-regular feature profiling
some of the more ... ummm ... colorful candidates for President
you've never heard of. In the past I've introduced you to gadfly
White House hopefuls like Randy
"The Coolest, Greatest, Most Fantastic Returning Christ"
Crow (D-NC) and Saint Michael
Jesus the Archangel (R-MI). Well, I've found lots more who
give those to a run for their money. First up is... LEE MERCER JR (D-TEXAS). Lee Mercer Jr. is a two-time veteran
with an "unusual" story to tell. He first served in
Navy during the Vietnam War, leaving the service in 1972. After
working as a dental assistant, he earned his BS degree in business
at Texas Southern University and then became a mortgage broker.
Then he rejoined the military, entering the Texas National Guard
in 1989 and served in the first Gulf War (which he calls "the
Saudi Arabia War"). Then Mercer's
story becomes truly bizarre. He states: "On August 22, 1992,
The State of Texas installed an intelligence hotwire in me at
the United States Army Military Intelligence Academy ... The continuation
of my biography background experience, graduate education and
political experience is being held because of a Lack of authorities
debriefing funds and interest for their liability to me. I am
in a stalled police debriefing with the Houston Police Department
waiting for me to sue to complete my debriefing for my background
biography with them in the United States Army Military Intelligence
Academy ... I have a doctor degree Phd. as a doctor of laws, medicine,
theology, management, engineering and other subjects that are
guaranteed by the United States Army in ROTC to be presented to
me in a court of Law only. I will receive my doctor degrees in
a court of law only ... The United States Federal Congress has
encouraged me to want to become President of the United States
so that I can do what the President of the United States of America
is supposed to do and complete the federal and military government
biography and autobiography." Mercer's reasons for running
are just as colorful. They include: "To prove The Klu Klux
Klan and the Communist Party are gangsters and organize crime
in Business and Commerce through Eye Spy Community-Military Intelligence
... To prove that every person in the United States and world
is hooked up on an Eye Spy Community-Military Intelligence (All
Three) Electronic surveillance hot-wires approved by the United
States Congress for the U.S. Government Electronic Surveillance
of every citizen in America ... To Prove I will be the 2nd Negro
President of the United States of America in 2008 ... To Prove
President George Walker Bush, Jr. and other Public Officials have
been Impeached by the United States Congress in 2004 for torture
of me and my family, capital murder in my family, Espionage and
other crimes against the state and humanity ... To Prove the government
owes me Zillions of Dollars in money and is refraining to pay
me and my business ... To Prove Jeb Bush is all in my house with
disease ... To Prove My only Guardian Former Governor of Texas
Ann Richards has just joined my MERCER FOR PRESIDENT CAMPAIGN
... [To Prove] I have solved every crime in America and the world
for the last 15 years dating back to before Christ." Wait
a second: Jeb Bush gave him a sexually transmitted disease (if
I'm understanding that correctly) and Ann Richards has endorsed
him from the grave? WTF! There's lots more, but you'll
have to visit his campaign
website to read the rest of it.
Posted by Ron Gunzburger - 08.21.07 | Permalink
|
FREE
SPEECH ZONE. Many of you may be pierced, tattooed and latte sipping liberals
... but you definitely don't drive Volvos. I've now got a
pretty good idea what the readership of Politics1 looks like,
thanks to your help. Based upon 538 responses -- more than a typical
survey size in a political poll -- the results are interesting.
You're more politically bipartisan than most blog audiences: 51%
Democrat, 26%
Republican, 13% Independent, 4% Libertarian, 3% Green. You're
98% male (as are most blog audiences) and 86% non-Latino White.
We reach the prime age demographic wanted by TV networks: 60%
are in the 21-35 age range. As for education, 64% of you hold
college or graduate school degrees. While 64% of you attend religious
services, your religious affiliations cover the gamut of more
than 20 different beliefs. Only 1.5% of you drive a Volvo. And
-- here's the really colorful part -- 71% of you have tattoos,
52% have at least one piercing, and at least 6% say they drink
alcohol nightly. Click
here for the complete results.
Posted by Ron Gunzburger - 08.21.07 | Permalink
|
MONDAY
NEWS UPDATE.
FRED
MOVES FORWARD; DEMS DEBATE; COCHRAN RUNS AGAIN; GUTIERREZ AVOIDS
FIGHT. THOMPSON: Former US Senator Fred Thompson (R) told CNN
he will "shortly" enter the Presidential race. To strengthen
his bona fides as a social conservative, Thompson tried to clarify
his abortion stance by calling Roe v. Wade "bad law
and bad medicine." On
the issue of same-sex marriages, Thompson stopped short of calling
for a constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage. Instead, he
advocated a states' rights stance by calling for a constitutional
amendment to end the concept of full faith and credit in the marriage
realm. "I don’t think that one state ought to be able
to pass a law requiring gay marriage or allowing gay marriage
and have another state be required to follow along," said
Thompson of the amendment he'd support. Although his September
entry is relatively late, Thompson said he plans to compete in
the Iowa caucuses in January. P2008: The Democratic White House hopefuls debated yet
again on Sunday morning, this time an Iowa forum sponsored by
ABC News. It was a relatively low-key affair that from beginning
to end treated the race as largely a Clinton-versus-Obama contest
-- short-changing the others in the process. Obama, even before
this debate started, announced Saturday he would not participate
in any more debates until December. Not surprisingly, Obama was
the target of mild attacks from the others on the experience issue
-- likely fearing they would not have another direct encounter
with him for several months. Clinton, as always, was strong in
the debate. MISSISSIPPI: US Senator Thad Cochran (R) has decided to
seek re-election next year, according to his spokeswoman. “He’s
planning to run, right now he’s making preparations and
doing fund-raisings,” said Cochran press secretary Margaret
McPhillips to the Meridian Star. She said Cochran will
make his formal campaign announcement in November. With Cochran
seeking re-election, the Dems are unlikely to field any significant
challenger next year against this safe incumbent.. ILLINOIS: It only took one day, but all four Dems who had
been running to succeed Congressman Luis Gutierrez (D) quit the
race after the incumbent reversed course and announce his intent
to seek re-election next year.
Posted by Ron Gunzburger - 08.20.07 | Permalink
|
FREE
SPEECH ZONE.
While the US continues to be squeamish about same-sex marriage,
let me yet again point to the example of our northern neighbors.
This weekend, Member of Parliament Scott Brison (Liberal-Nova
Scotia) married his same-sex partner in a formal marriage ceremony
in the church of his small hometown. Brison -- who was a candidate
last year for Leader of the centrist Liberal Party -- is the first
sitting MP to take part in a same-sex marriage. While in the US
the leading Dem Presidential candidates would likely have shied
away from attending a same-sex marriage ceremony
(note: they'd probably attend if it was "just a civil union"
ceremony), the Liberal Party's candidate for Prime Minister in
the next election proudly attended the nuptials. "It's something
we need to celebrate and we must be proud that Canada is showing
the way. I came first to celebrate love and happiness between
two friends of mine, but if by my presence it helps a bit to reinforce
a newly recognized right and to encourage other countries to do
the same, I am pleased," said Liberal Party Leader Stephane
Dion. Also attending were former Prime Ministers Paul Martin (Liberal)
and Joe Clark (Progressive Conservative), plus other political
dignitaries. Brison became Canada's first openly gay federal cabinet
minister in 2004. "I'm looking forward to the day when the
idea of a gay or lesbian politician getting married is not a story
at all," said Brison when he announced his engagement two
years ago.
Posted by Ron Gunzburger - 08.20.07 | Permalink
|
WEEKEND
UPDATE.
FREE
SPEECH ZONE.
Your daily open thread.
Posted by Ron Gunzburger - 08.18.07 | Permalink
|
FRIDAY
NEWS UPDATE.
PICKERING
TO RETIRE; TSONGAS LEADS IN MASS CD-5 SPECIAL; GUTIERREZ UNRETIRES. MISSISSIPPI: In an unexpected move, Congressman Chip Pickering
(R-MS) will not be a candidate for re-election in 2008. Pickering
is planning to become a DC lobbyist, according to MSNBC. Pickering
had been interested in running for US Senator Thad Cochran's (R)
seat next year if Cochran chose to retire. Pickering's Thursday
announcement seems to indicate Cochran has recently informed Pickering
he plans to seek re-election next year. "I will not seek
re-election in 2008 ... I have a window of opportunity to maximize
my time, influence and participation in the lives of my five sons
now ages 8 to 17. Time is the one element I can never recover
or regain. Being a father is one of life's greatest callings,"
said Pickering to the Biloxi Sun-Herald. MASSACHUSETTS: A new WBZ-TV/SurveyUSA poll of likely Democratic
primary voters in the shows community college dean Niki Tsongas
holding a wide lead in the September 5 special election primary.
The numbers: Tsongas - 38%, Lowell City Councilor Eileen Donoghue
- 16%, State Rep. Barry Finegold - 14%, State Rep. Jamie Eldridge
- 13%, State Rep. Jim Miceli - 4%. The special election will replace
former CD-5 Congressman Martin Meehan (D), who resigned to become
a university president. ILLINOIS: Congressman Luis Gutierrez (D) announced his
un-retirement on Thursday. Gutierrez had previously said he would
retire next year, setting off a crowded race to succeed him. He
said he changed his mind after receiving a letter from ten key
elected officials in the district urging him to run again. "President
Barack Obama and I are going to work to get it done. We really
feel we have a responsibility to getting this work done,"
said Gutierrez at a speech before the Illinois Hispanic Chamber
of Commerce. Chicago Alderman Ricardo Munoz and Cook County Commissioner
Roberto Maldonado both immediately withdrew from the race and
endorsed Gutierrez. Chicago Alderman Manny Flores (D), who has
raised over $500,000 for his campaign, said he had not decided
whether he would continue his congressional campaign or exit in
favor or Gutierrez. Chicago Alderman George Cardenas (D) indicated
he was leaning towards continuing his primary campaign for the
seat.
Posted by Ron Gunzburger - 08.17.07 | Permalink
|
FREE
SPEECH ZONE.
Your daily open thread.
Posted by Ron Gunzburger - 08.16.07 | Permalink
|
THURSDAY
NEWS UPDATE.
PRYCE
TO RETIRE; NEW NH & SC POLLS; THE FAUX-PETRAEUS REPORT. OHIO: Congresswoman Deborah
Pryce (R) -- who narrowly survived a tough re-election race last
year -- will announce her retirement on Thursday. Franklin County
Commissioner Mary Jo Kilroy (D), Pryce's 2006 challenger, was
already an announced candidate in the expected rematch. The Columbus
Dispatch reported Pryce, 56, wants to spend more time with
her daughter -- but was also demoralized by the brutal contest
she faced during the 2006 campaign. The newspaper also said that
Steve Stivers (R) -- an Iraq War veteran and former financial
industry lobbyist appointed to the State Senate in 2003 by former
Governor Bob Taft -- is a top GOP prospect for the open seat.
Another name being floated is former Attorney General and former
State Auditor Jim Petro (R), who lost the GOP primary for Governor
in 2006. Some news reports already indicate Petro and Stivers
told GOP leaders on Wednesday they were both unwilling to run
against Kilroy. With Pryce out of the race, this swing seat moves
from the Toss-Up category to Leans Dem. NEW HAMPSHIRE: The latest Rasmussen Reports poll shows
Hillary Clinton (D) and Mitt Romney (R) holding comfortable leads
in New Hampshire. The Dem numbers: Hillary Clinton - 37%, Barack
Obama - 22%, John Edwards - 14%, Bill Richardson - 9%. The GOP
numbers: Mitt Romney - 32%, Rudy Giuliani - 20%, and John McCain
and Fred Thompson tied with 11% each. SOUTH CAROLINA: A new Public Policy Polling survey shows
competitive contests in both primaries in the Palmetto State.
The Dem numbers: Hillary Clinton - 36%, Barack Obama - 33%, John
Edwards - 12%. The GOP numbers: Fred Thompson - 22%, Rudy Giuliani
- 18%, Mitt Romney - 17%, John McCain - 11%, Mike Huckabee - 7%. THE SEPTEMBER REPORT:The Los Angeles Times reports
the Bush Administration's much heralded Iraq status report by
General David Petraeus is not actually being authored by Petraeus.
In reality, the newspaper said the White House political staff
will be writing the September report on progress in Iraq.
Posted by Ron Gunzburger - 08.16.07 | Permalink
|
FREE
SPEECH ZONE.
Your daily open thread.
Posted by Ron Gunzburger - 08.16.07 | Permalink
|
TOPIC:
THE P2008 GOP - FIRST TIER, SECOND TIER & ALL THE REST.
TOPIC:
STATE & LOCAL POLITICS.
Rick
Renzi (R) -- the target of multiple ongoing federal corruption
probes -- announced Thursday he will not seek reelection to a
fourth term in 2008. GOP leaders had reportedly heavily pressured
Renzi to retire, fearing he would be unable to hold the swing
seat. Ever since the FBI raided his wife's office in April, Renzi
has experienced serious political problems. According to the Arizona
Republic, Renzi had just $20,000 remaining in his campaign
account and already owes more than $450,000 in legal defense fees.
A long list of Republicans and Democrats are now reportedly looking
at the open seat contest. NRCC Chair Tom Cole said defending the
CD-1 open seat will be a top Republican priority next year.
Debbie
Wasserman Schultz, and Kathy Castor issued an open letter to the
DNC on Thursday, demanding that the DNC drop any threat of sanctions.
In case the message was missed, the group threatened possible
US Justice Department complaints or court challenges if the DNC
moves forward with sanctions. "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," stated the letter. They raise
an interesting question of whether the DNC and RNC can legally
conspire to preserve the protected first-in-the-nation status
of the Iowa and New Hampshire contests without violating the Voting
Rights Act and other constitutional protection against racial
discrimination in voting. US Census data shows Iowa's population
is 92% non-Hispanic White. New Hampshire's population is 94% non-Hispanic
White. Neither even remotely represents any racial or ethnic diversity.
Florida's population, by contrast, is 15.7% Black, 2% Asian, and
19.5% Hispanic. While parties are entitled to largely control
the nomination process' rules, they cannot do so in any manner
that would violate federal voting and civil rights laws by depriving
minority voters of having their votes count because they sought
the same early voting rights as the white voting population of
Iowa and New Hampshire. As Governor Jennifer Granholm, US Senator
Carl Levin and other prominent Michigan Dem leaders likewise support
their state's move to break the official schedule with a January
15 primary, look for them to soon make threaten similar actions
if Michigan is threatened with DNC sanctions. The
RNC is also threatening sanctions against both states.
Vietnam
and Iraq quagmires wars have much in common. If you want to find
some real similarities, read these Vietnam War quotes by President
Lyndon B. Johnson: 
Mercer's
story becomes truly bizarre. He states: "On August 22, 1992,
The State of Texas installed an intelligence hotwire in me at
the United States Army Military Intelligence Academy ... The continuation
of my biography background experience, graduate education and
political experience is being held because of a Lack of authorities
debriefing funds and interest for their liability to me. I am
in a stalled police debriefing with the Houston Police Department
waiting for me to sue to complete my debriefing for my background
biography with them in the United States Army Military Intelligence
Academy ... I have a doctor degree Phd. as a doctor of laws, medicine,
theology, management, engineering and other subjects that are
guaranteed by the United States Army in ROTC to be presented to
me in a court of Law only. I will receive my doctor degrees in
a court of law only ... The United States Federal Congress has
encouraged me to want to become President of the United States
so that I can do what the President of the United States of America
is supposed to do and complete the federal and military government
biography and autobiography." Mercer's reasons for running
are just as colorful. They include: "To prove The Klu Klux
Klan and the Communist Party are gangsters and organize crime
in Business and Commerce through Eye Spy Community-Military Intelligence
... To prove that every person in the United States and world
is hooked up on an Eye Spy Community-Military Intelligence (All
Three) Electronic surveillance hot-wires approved by the United
States Congress for the U.S. Government Electronic Surveillance
of every citizen in America ... To Prove I will be the 2nd Negro
President of the United States of America in 2008 ... To Prove
President George Walker Bush, Jr. and other Public Officials have
been Impeached by the United States Congress in 2004 for torture
of me and my family, capital murder in my family, Espionage and
other crimes against the state and humanity ... To Prove the government
owes me Zillions of Dollars in money and is refraining to pay
me and my business ... To Prove Jeb Bush is all in my house with
disease ... To Prove My only Guardian Former Governor of Texas
Ann Richards has just joined my MERCER FOR PRESIDENT CAMPAIGN
... [To Prove] I have solved every crime in America and the world
for the last 15 years dating back to before Christ." Wait
a second: Jeb Bush gave him a sexually transmitted disease (if
I'm understanding that correctly) and Ann Richards has endorsed
him from the grave? WTF! There's lots more, but you'll
have to visit his 
marriage,
let me yet again point to the example of our northern neighbors.
This weekend, Member of Parliament Scott Brison (Liberal-Nova
Scotia) married his same-sex partner in a formal marriage ceremony
in the church of his small hometown. Brison -- who was a candidate
last year for Leader of the centrist Liberal Party -- is the first
sitting MP to take part in a same-sex marriage. While in the US
the leading Dem Presidential candidates would likely have shied
away from attending a same-sex marriage ceremony
(note: they'd probably attend if it was "just a civil union"
ceremony), the Liberal Party's candidate for Prime Minister in
the next election proudly attended the nuptials. "It's something
we need to celebrate and we must be proud that Canada is showing
the way. I came first to celebrate love and happiness between
two friends of mine, but if by my presence it helps a bit to reinforce
a newly recognized right and to encourage other countries to do
the same, I am pleased," said Liberal Party Leader Stephane
Dion. Also attending were former Prime Ministers Paul Martin (Liberal)
and Joe Clark (Progressive Conservative), plus other political
dignitaries. Brison became Canada's first openly gay federal cabinet
minister in 2004. "I'm looking forward to the day when the
idea of a gay or lesbian politician getting married is not a story
at all," said Brison when he announced his engagement two
years ago.
Deborah
Pryce (R) -- who narrowly survived a tough re-election race last
year -- will announce her retirement on Thursday. Franklin County
Commissioner Mary Jo Kilroy (D), Pryce's 2006 challenger, was
already an announced candidate in the expected rematch. The Columbus
Dispatch reported Pryce, 56, wants to spend more time with
her daughter -- but was also demoralized by the brutal contest
she faced during the 2006 campaign. The newspaper also said that
Steve Stivers (R) -- an Iraq War veteran and former financial
industry lobbyist appointed to the State Senate in 2003 by former
Governor Bob Taft -- is a top GOP prospect for the open seat.
Another name being floated is former Attorney General and former
State Auditor Jim Petro (R), who lost the GOP primary for Governor
in 2006. Some news reports already indicate Petro and Stivers
told GOP leaders on Wednesday they were both unwilling to run
against Kilroy. With Pryce out of the race, this swing seat moves
from the Toss-Up category to Leans Dem.
