What a difference a day makes.... even more so, eight years.
In the 2000 presidential campaign Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-NE) endorsed Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) in his long-shot presidential bid.
In 2000, Sen. Joe Lieberman (was D, now I-CT) was the vice presidential running mate on the Democratic ticket with Al Gore.
Fast forward to the 2008 campaign.
Tuesday night Hagel said of McCain's criticism of Barack Obama's pledge to engage with Iran... "I'm very upset with John with some of the things he's been saying. And I can't get into the psychoanalysis of it. But I believe that John is smarter than some of the things he is saying."
Hagel said that unlike McCain, he believes engaging in high-level talks with Iran, unconditionally, is not appeasement and praised Obama's policy of engagement... "I am confident that if Obama is elected president that is the approach we will take.... It is essential."
When asked about a rumor that the Bush administration was ginning up the possibility of war with Iran, Hagel threw the "I" bomb.... "You've got the power of impeachment...." an attack on Iran without the consent of Congress "would bring with it.... outstanding political consequences, including for the Republican party." (Huffington Post)
The subject of Iran and foreign policy brings us to Lieberman's opinion piece in the Wall Street Journal today.... "Democrats and Our Enemies."
Decrying Obama's position of talking with our enemies, Lieberman takes aim at the Democratic party and especially it's presumptive nominee... "Sen. Obama stands in stark contrast to John McCain, who has shown the political courage throughout his career to do what he thinks is right.... John also understands something else that too many Democrats seem to have become confused about lately - the difference between America's friends and America's enemies."
Embracing The Decider's Iraq war and Middle East policies, Lieberman asserts.... "I felt strongly that Democrats should embrace the basic framework the president had advanced for the war on terror as our own..."
Not only has Lieberman embraced the administration's failed foreign policies, but he acts as tender to McCain on his travels, jumping in to clean up McCain's misstatements and filling in as poster boy for McCain's self-proclaimed bipartisan support.
Hagel praises Obama, and Lieberman endorses McSame.... and so the political world turns in the political do-si-do.
Showing posts with label Al Gore. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Al Gore. Show all posts
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Monday, April 14, 2008
Hillary... Annie or Teresa?
Hillary Clinton didn't suspend her attack on Barack Obama, even at the nationally televised forum on religious and moral values last night.... "Obama Reinforcing Stereotypes, Clinton Asserts." (WaPo)
Hillary, the first to appear in separate 45-minute sessions answering questions from journalists and the audience, was quick to label Obama's recent description of small-town America.... where voters are bitter and cling to guns and religion, disillusioned by hard economic times and politicians who promise much but deliver little.... as reinforcing the stereotype of "out of touch" Democrats.
Comparing Obama to the failed Democratic presidential nominees Al Gore and John Kerry, Hillary asserted that "large segments of the electorate concluded that they did not really understand or relate to or frankly respect their ways of life" and again charged Obama as being "elitist.... and frankly patronizing."
Speaking of patronizing.... switching from her recent persona of a duck-hunting, shot-belting Annie Oakley to Mother Teresa when queried on religious subjects, Hillary's eyes-imploring-heaven, breathy replies to religious questions sounded contrived.
Rather than appearing as a Mother Teresa, Hillary, in her flared gold jacket and enveloping gold scarf, managed a closer likeness to a Buddha bobblehead.
Obama by contrast spoke thoughtfully.... without theatrical affectation.... in measured tones emphasizing his experience as a community organizer with Chicago churches, assisting workers of a steel plant that had just closed.
He walked "the uplifting peoples lives" walk. Answering the "elitist" charge, he said: "Religion is a bulwark, a foundation when other things aren't going well.... That's true in my own life.... what I was referring to was in no way demeaning a faith that I, myself, embrace."
Responding to Hillary's jab on the failed 2000 Democratic presidential campaign Obama noted, "By the way, I have to say, I think Al Gore won."
Tired of her relentless and reckless barrage of personal attacks, Obama commented to a working-class crowd at a union hall shortly before the forum that he expected such attacks from the Republican John McCain, but not a fellow Democrat.
"Shame on her. She knows better.... She's talking like she's Annie Oakley.... Hillary Clinton is out there like she's in the duck blind every Sunday," mocked Obama who laughed "She's packing a six-shooter.... That's some politics being played."
In the forum, Clinton declined repeatedly to describe her personal faith, instead falling back on "the way I was raised," implying it's too private a matter. However, earlier in the day, the opportunely-pious Hillary seemed frustrated when asked when she had last attended church or fired a gun.
"That is not a relevant question for this debate," Clinton said. "We can answer that some other time. I went to church on Easter.... "
But she shot the Easter bunny first.
Hillary, the first to appear in separate 45-minute sessions answering questions from journalists and the audience, was quick to label Obama's recent description of small-town America.... where voters are bitter and cling to guns and religion, disillusioned by hard economic times and politicians who promise much but deliver little.... as reinforcing the stereotype of "out of touch" Democrats.
Comparing Obama to the failed Democratic presidential nominees Al Gore and John Kerry, Hillary asserted that "large segments of the electorate concluded that they did not really understand or relate to or frankly respect their ways of life" and again charged Obama as being "elitist.... and frankly patronizing."
Speaking of patronizing.... switching from her recent persona of a duck-hunting, shot-belting Annie Oakley to Mother Teresa when queried on religious subjects, Hillary's eyes-imploring-heaven, breathy replies to religious questions sounded contrived.
Rather than appearing as a Mother Teresa, Hillary, in her flared gold jacket and enveloping gold scarf, managed a closer likeness to a Buddha bobblehead.
Obama by contrast spoke thoughtfully.... without theatrical affectation.... in measured tones emphasizing his experience as a community organizer with Chicago churches, assisting workers of a steel plant that had just closed.
He walked "the uplifting peoples lives" walk. Answering the "elitist" charge, he said: "Religion is a bulwark, a foundation when other things aren't going well.... That's true in my own life.... what I was referring to was in no way demeaning a faith that I, myself, embrace."
Responding to Hillary's jab on the failed 2000 Democratic presidential campaign Obama noted, "By the way, I have to say, I think Al Gore won."
Tired of her relentless and reckless barrage of personal attacks, Obama commented to a working-class crowd at a union hall shortly before the forum that he expected such attacks from the Republican John McCain, but not a fellow Democrat.
"Shame on her. She knows better.... She's talking like she's Annie Oakley.... Hillary Clinton is out there like she's in the duck blind every Sunday," mocked Obama who laughed "She's packing a six-shooter.... That's some politics being played."
In the forum, Clinton declined repeatedly to describe her personal faith, instead falling back on "the way I was raised," implying it's too private a matter. However, earlier in the day, the opportunely-pious Hillary seemed frustrated when asked when she had last attended church or fired a gun.
"That is not a relevant question for this debate," Clinton said. "We can answer that some other time. I went to church on Easter.... "
But she shot the Easter bunny first.
Monday, April 07, 2008
More Hillary Hoodwinking....
You know how Hillary Clinton repeatedly said she dodged sniper fire in Bosnia at a tarmac reception.
Well.... no sniper, just a stop with Chelsea in tow where Hillary schmoozed and accepted a poem and hug from a child.
Only when video of the event surfaced showing her version was pure invention did she admit she "misspoke" (WaPo).... even though the misspeak was included in prepared, written and vetted remarks.
You've heard Hillary tell the story of the poor uninsured woman in Ohio who was refused treatment at a hospital (NYTimes) leading to the woman's miscarriage and death.
Well.... it turns out the woman was insured and wasn't refused treatment. Even after Hillary's campaign had reason to know the story was false, she continued to use it on campaign stops.
In worker-decimated Ohio Hillary touted how she did, and still does, oppose the trade agreement NAFTA.
Well....it was later revealed she was a leading advocate for the agreement when Bill was president.
Hillary has also said she is against the Bush-promoted pending trade agreement with Colombia.
Well... her campaign's chief strategist and long-time Clinton insider Mark Penn "has asked to give up his role" because the Wall Street Journal surfaced last week that Penn, as president of his public relations firm Burson-Marsteller, had met with Colombia's ambassador to the United States to discuss the promotion of the free-trade agreement. (WaPo)
The Colombia government "hired Penn's lobbying firm last year under a $300,000 one-year contract to help secure passage" of the trade pact. (NYTimes)
So Penn's gone. Right?
Well.... while Penn ducks for cover and Clinton says she is furious with Penn, his polling firm will continue providing polling and he will continue to advise the Clinton campaign.
And, while Colombia's President Uribe is lauded as the friend of the U.S. in Latin America.... as The Decider today pushes forward the trade pact legislation.... Uribe is in truth the emblem of narco-corruption and violent repression of unions although both the Bush and Clinton administrations have turned a blind eye to his brutal dictatorship.
Bill Clinton is still chummy with Colombia's Uribe. Last June Bill was "honored" with the country's "Colombia is Passion" award.
And, last September Bill hosted Uribe as a "featured attendee" at the Clinton Global Initiative annual meeting in New York although Al Gore cancelled has appearance at a Miami conference because he didn't want to share a podium with Uribe, the hemisphere's poster boy for state-sponsored terrorism. (DailyKos)
As always with the Clintons, things aren't as they want you to believe when they're telling the story. This latest Penn/Colombia-gate dustup is just another fog in the long litany of Billary winks-and-nods.
Well.... no sniper, just a stop with Chelsea in tow where Hillary schmoozed and accepted a poem and hug from a child.
Only when video of the event surfaced showing her version was pure invention did she admit she "misspoke" (WaPo).... even though the misspeak was included in prepared, written and vetted remarks.
You've heard Hillary tell the story of the poor uninsured woman in Ohio who was refused treatment at a hospital (NYTimes) leading to the woman's miscarriage and death.
Well.... it turns out the woman was insured and wasn't refused treatment. Even after Hillary's campaign had reason to know the story was false, she continued to use it on campaign stops.
In worker-decimated Ohio Hillary touted how she did, and still does, oppose the trade agreement NAFTA.
Well....it was later revealed she was a leading advocate for the agreement when Bill was president.
Hillary has also said she is against the Bush-promoted pending trade agreement with Colombia.
Well... her campaign's chief strategist and long-time Clinton insider Mark Penn "has asked to give up his role" because the Wall Street Journal surfaced last week that Penn, as president of his public relations firm Burson-Marsteller, had met with Colombia's ambassador to the United States to discuss the promotion of the free-trade agreement. (WaPo)
The Colombia government "hired Penn's lobbying firm last year under a $300,000 one-year contract to help secure passage" of the trade pact. (NYTimes)
Of course, the Clinton campaign has denied knowing about this conflict of interest, even though the agreement was a year old and in the news at least a month ago.... and, it's not the first time such a Penn conflict of interest has come to Hillary's attention.
Union leaders have long complained about Penn. The Change to Win, a federation of labor unions including the service workers SEIU and the Teamsters, have called for Hillary to fire Penn for his representation of union busting employers like Cintas.
Even old Clinton loyalist Leon Panetta complains of Penn's role in the Clinton campaign, comparing him to Bush's "Turd Blossom" saying Penn "comes from an old school, like Karl Rove...." (Observer)So Penn's gone. Right?
Well.... while Penn ducks for cover and Clinton says she is furious with Penn, his polling firm will continue providing polling and he will continue to advise the Clinton campaign.
And, while Colombia's President Uribe is lauded as the friend of the U.S. in Latin America.... as The Decider today pushes forward the trade pact legislation.... Uribe is in truth the emblem of narco-corruption and violent repression of unions although both the Bush and Clinton administrations have turned a blind eye to his brutal dictatorship.
Bill Clinton is still chummy with Colombia's Uribe. Last June Bill was "honored" with the country's "Colombia is Passion" award.
And, last September Bill hosted Uribe as a "featured attendee" at the Clinton Global Initiative annual meeting in New York although Al Gore cancelled has appearance at a Miami conference because he didn't want to share a podium with Uribe, the hemisphere's poster boy for state-sponsored terrorism. (DailyKos)
As always with the Clintons, things aren't as they want you to believe when they're telling the story. This latest Penn/Colombia-gate dustup is just another fog in the long litany of Billary winks-and-nods.
Wednesday, April 02, 2008
McCain's Shadow....
Munich Security Conference of 2006. John McCain was conferring with the foreign minister of Germany when...."McCain 'started shaking and rising out of his chair," said one participant, a former senior diplomatic official who related the anecdote on condition of anonymity. "He said something like: 'I haven't come to Munich to hear this kind of crap.' " McCain's old pal Joe Lieberman jumped in. "Lieberman, who reads him very well, put his hand on McCain's arm and said gently, 'John, I think there's been a problem in the translation.' Of course Lieberman doesn't speak German and there hadn't been any problem in the translation.... It was just John's explosive temper." (Newsweek)
Fast forward to McCain's visit two weeks ago to the Middle East when he mistakenly said Iran was training al Qaeda in Iraq. Always-there-Joe quickly whispered in McCain's ear that Iran was accused of training fellow Shiite extremists, not their archenemies the Sunni al Qaeda.
At many McCain campaign stops, Lieberman is onstage with a microphone also fielding questions, sometimes holding forth longer than McCain. The Joe-and-John show arrived at Jerusalem's Wailing Wall in matching yarmulkes, and were decked out like teeny-bopper twins in matching suit-and-red-sweater combos at a snowy New Hampshire town hall meeting.
It's obvious, Lieberman, Democratic VP candidate to Al Gore in 2000, now an Independent after being shown the door by Democrats in Connecticut.... is McCain's ever-present minder.
Like a slick mob consigliere, Lieberman is there to smooth things over and rescue McCain when he strays off the farm.... which happens quite often. Maybe a choleric 70 plus is....
Tuesday, March 04, 2008
McCain's Lost His Way
".... Pat Robertson, Jerry Falwell and a few Washington leaders of the pro-life movement call me an unacceptable presidential candidate.... Why? Because I don't pander to them....
"The union bosses who have subordinated the interests of working families to their own ambitions, to their desire to preserve their own political power at all costs, are mirror images of Pat Robertson.... Unfortunately, Governor Bush is a Pat Robertson Republican who will lose to Al Gore.
"Neither party should be defined by pandering to the outer reaches of American politics and the agents of intolerance, whether they be Louis Farrakhan or Al Sharpton on the left, or Pat Robertson or Jerry Falwell on the right." (CNN Feb 28 2000 transcript)
These are the words of Sen. John McCain just before his savagely aborted run for the GOP presidential nomination in 2000.
Many still argue whether or not Gore actually did defeat The Decider in that hanging-by-a-chad outcome.... but one thing does stand out. This was the Straight Talking John McCain who won the hearts of moderates of both parties.... but, not of the dominant right-wing religious conservative movement in the GOP.
Moderates didn't get a chance to vote for McCain as the 2000 GOP nominee because of the successful smear campaign against McCain and his family by Bush's Rovian bullies that stopped his Straight Talk Express in early-primary-state South Carolina, Pat Robertson's stronghold.
Yet despite these tactics against McCain, he announced that he had put that behind him and supported The Decider for reelection in 2004.... disappointing many of his supporters who saw it as a trade off for Bush's support in 2008, and a sell-out of his Straight Talk for pandering.
After all, Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell Republicans were the epitome of Bush's "outer reaches" base.... but, McCain had learned his lesson. His Straight Talk Express was put on idle.
You get a whiff of McCain's religious-woodshed conversion in an interview with the Arizona Daily Star on 24 August 2005. He said about the possibility of running for president in 2008.... "My ego is sufficient to say that I think I have the background and experience...." to be president.
Evidently that "experience" included lessons on pandering to the religious right. McCain told the Star that, like Bush, he believes "all points of view" should be available to students studying the origins of mankind.... advocating teaching the theory of intelligent design alongside evolution... the "outer reaches" of the evangelical political agenda.
Any doubt about his willingness to kiss rings evaporated when he appeared on stage with Jerry Falwell at the ultra-conservative Liberty University on May 13, 2006 to deliver an address to the graduating students.
McCain's appearance with Falwell came as he was "trying to establish an early dominance in the Republican presidential nomination battle..." (NYTimes)
Moderates were disillusioned by McCain's grinding his Straight Talk Express into reverse to chase those inhabiting the fringes of the evangelical Twilight Zone that he once rebuked.
Perhaps the final breakdown of the Straight Talk Express came with the recent endorsement of McCain by "outer reaches" Texas televangelist and mega church leader John Hagee.
While Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama said he did "reject and denounce" any help from the controversial Farrakhan, there was no such declaration from McCain who refused to renounce Hagee's endorsement. (WashingtonPost)
Why is renouncing Hagee important?
Because Hagee... whose church in San Antonio has 19,000 members and his evangelism is carried on 160 TV stations and 50 radio stations in the U.S..... has referred to the Roman Catholic Church as "the great whore," and linked Adolph Hitler to the Catholic church; called Hurricane Katrina an act of God, punishing New Orleans for its sins, especially by striking on the day a "homosexual parade" was to be held as proof "of the judgement of God against the city."
It seems McCain used to see things so clearly.... a long eight years ago before his Straight Talk Express lost its way. When he was against the "failed philosophy" and "intolerance" of the Loony-Tunes religious right in the GOP, before he was for them.... or, needed them.
"The union bosses who have subordinated the interests of working families to their own ambitions, to their desire to preserve their own political power at all costs, are mirror images of Pat Robertson.... Unfortunately, Governor Bush is a Pat Robertson Republican who will lose to Al Gore.
"Neither party should be defined by pandering to the outer reaches of American politics and the agents of intolerance, whether they be Louis Farrakhan or Al Sharpton on the left, or Pat Robertson or Jerry Falwell on the right." (CNN Feb 28 2000 transcript)
These are the words of Sen. John McCain just before his savagely aborted run for the GOP presidential nomination in 2000.
Many still argue whether or not Gore actually did defeat The Decider in that hanging-by-a-chad outcome.... but one thing does stand out. This was the Straight Talking John McCain who won the hearts of moderates of both parties.... but, not of the dominant right-wing religious conservative movement in the GOP.
Moderates didn't get a chance to vote for McCain as the 2000 GOP nominee because of the successful smear campaign against McCain and his family by Bush's Rovian bullies that stopped his Straight Talk Express in early-primary-state South Carolina, Pat Robertson's stronghold.
Yet despite these tactics against McCain, he announced that he had put that behind him and supported The Decider for reelection in 2004.... disappointing many of his supporters who saw it as a trade off for Bush's support in 2008, and a sell-out of his Straight Talk for pandering.
After all, Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell Republicans were the epitome of Bush's "outer reaches" base.... but, McCain had learned his lesson. His Straight Talk Express was put on idle.
You get a whiff of McCain's religious-woodshed conversion in an interview with the Arizona Daily Star on 24 August 2005. He said about the possibility of running for president in 2008.... "My ego is sufficient to say that I think I have the background and experience...." to be president.
Evidently that "experience" included lessons on pandering to the religious right. McCain told the Star that, like Bush, he believes "all points of view" should be available to students studying the origins of mankind.... advocating teaching the theory of intelligent design alongside evolution... the "outer reaches" of the evangelical political agenda.
Any doubt about his willingness to kiss rings evaporated when he appeared on stage with Jerry Falwell at the ultra-conservative Liberty University on May 13, 2006 to deliver an address to the graduating students.
McCain's appearance with Falwell came as he was "trying to establish an early dominance in the Republican presidential nomination battle..." (NYTimes)
Moderates were disillusioned by McCain's grinding his Straight Talk Express into reverse to chase those inhabiting the fringes of the evangelical Twilight Zone that he once rebuked.
Perhaps the final breakdown of the Straight Talk Express came with the recent endorsement of McCain by "outer reaches" Texas televangelist and mega church leader John Hagee.
While Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama said he did "reject and denounce" any help from the controversial Farrakhan, there was no such declaration from McCain who refused to renounce Hagee's endorsement. (WashingtonPost)
Why is renouncing Hagee important?
Because Hagee... whose church in San Antonio has 19,000 members and his evangelism is carried on 160 TV stations and 50 radio stations in the U.S..... has referred to the Roman Catholic Church as "the great whore," and linked Adolph Hitler to the Catholic church; called Hurricane Katrina an act of God, punishing New Orleans for its sins, especially by striking on the day a "homosexual parade" was to be held as proof "of the judgement of God against the city."
It seems McCain used to see things so clearly.... a long eight years ago before his Straight Talk Express lost its way. When he was against the "failed philosophy" and "intolerance" of the Loony-Tunes religious right in the GOP, before he was for them.... or, needed them.
Saturday, July 07, 2007
Blue Marble Rocks!
It's really hard to understand why global warming naysayers are so adamantly opposed to efforts to increase environmental awareness.
Even if the effect of man on global warming is minimal, what's the harm in conserving energy and helping to preserve our "Big Blue Marble."
It really doesn't make sense.... unless those naysayers are beholden to the polluters like big oil. Even so, don't they have their own children and grandchildren's future best interests to think about? Why not do our best for them?
Why vilify Al Gore and his worldwide crusade to do something about man's contribution to global warming.... why not just relax and enjoy his Live Earth concert series today.
After many setbacks to find a venue in D.C., including the GOP blocking attempts to have the concert on the Capitol grounds calling it a "partisan political event," Gore has now had the last, and very fitting, laugh.
The D.C. venue will be the National Museum of the American Indian... where and who better to appreciate and try to preserve Mother Earth.... featuring performances by Garth Brooks, Trisha Yearwood and many Native American groups including the Blues Nation from Oklahoma.
So, on this very hot summer day.... kick back, and be entertained by the likes of Kelly Clarkson, Alicia Keys, Keith Urban, Kanye West and Bon Jovi (New Jersey); Madonna, Genesis, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Foo Fighters and Beastie Boys (London); and, many others from concerts in places like Tokyo, Shanghai, Berlin, Johannesburg, Rio de Janeiro, and Sydney.
Tune into Bravo all day, NBC tonight, or webcasts at http://liveearth.msn.com/.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)