Cheney echoes Bob Dole: McClellan a “miserable creature”

Vice President Dick Cheney criticized the press at the National Press Club when referring to the Pulitzer Prize won by the New York Times for a piece that divulged information pertaining to US security, an action that he deemed was “less than honorable.” When asked, Cheney said that the most difficult part of his jobs involves the press since his role as an adviser necessitates an ability to keep important information secret.

Cheney said that the surge of forces in Iraq has been “enormously successful” and added that no terror attack on the United States in seven years can be attributed to the United States’s involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan. The vice president stated that a successful president must make unpopular decisions, comparing President George W. Bush’s actions to the difficult choices made by President Lincoln during the Civil War. Cheney said that invading Iraq and Afghanistan will be viewed positively in ten to fifteen years and that the suggestion that the Bush administration acted rashly is false.

Cheney said that oil prices would be a factor in the upcoming presidential elections. He said that the “era of oil” is not ending and that the United States needs to do more to increase domestic production of petroleum. Cheney criticized those who try to limit domestic production and added that a repeal of federal gas taxes would do little to alleviate high prices if supply is not increased. Cheney added that Senators John McCain and Barack Obama will make strategic decisions when choosing a running mate, ignoring the status of Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton.

When prompted to comment on the release of a book by former White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan, the vice president laughed quietly and said that former Sen. Bob Dole’s (R-Kan.) condemnation of McClellan as a “miserable creature” was accurate. In addition, Cheney revealed that he is an eighth cousin Barack Obama and said he would not be opposed to a family reunion. When discussing his family’s history, Vice President Cheney said that he is descended from two different Cheney families and emphasized that his family was never from West Virginia, a comment that surprised the audience.

Clinton Campaign pushes for Florida and Michigan

Howard Wolfson of Sen. Hillary Clinton’s (D-N.Y.) presidential campaign held a conference call along with one of Clinton’s senior advisers, Harold Ickes, to discuss what should be done about the currently unseated delegates from the Michigan and Florida Democratic primaries.

Ickes said that the campaign believes that all delegates from both states should be seated and have a full vote. Of the 55 uncommitted delegates from Michigan, Ickes said that all should be seated as uncommitted delegates. He said he is hopeful that this will be resolved in the Clinton Campaign’s favor at the Democratic National Committee Rules and Bylaws meeting on May 31.

Wolfson said that Clinton has a “winning map” in the general election against Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), despite recent portrayals of Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) as the inevitable Democratic presidential nominee. He said this does not mean that Obama could not win the general election if he became the nominee, but that he believes superdelegates should choose Clinton as the stronger candidate.

When asked why Clinton’s position seemed to be that states could “break the rules” of the party with no real consequences, Ickes replied that the intention in excluding Florida and Michigan was to “send a message” to other states that there would be “severe consequences” if they did not comply with party mandates. He said that goal was accomplished since no other states broke the rules, and the states did suffer by being denied a full-fledged campaign.

Wolfson said voters turned out in unprecedented numbers and due to the high level of voting, every measure should be taken to make sure their opinions are honored and respected. When asked if he would still think the votes should be counted if the turnout was much lower, Wolfson said that there was “every expectation” before the primaries that the Florida and Michigan votes “would not be consequential.” He said people in states like West Virginia and Kentucky have turned out despite being told their votes would not matter, and that this means every vote should count.

Wolfson said that contrary to rumors, there has been no discussion between the campaigns about a possible joint ticket between the two leading candidates. He also said that Obama’s search for a vice presidential candidate was premature in light of the fact that he is not yet the nominee, but said it is not the Clinton Campaign’s position to judge how the Obama Campaign operates. He said that to his knowledge, Clinton was not currently looking for a vice president to run on her potential ticket.

New polls gage likely outcome of Election 2008

George Washington University held a conference call to release the findings of a new Battleground Poll that tested national attitudes on race, the economy, and the Iraq War in relation to the candidates involved in the 2008 presidential election.

Brian Nienaber, vice president of the Republican polling firm the Tarrance Group, said that with three out of four voters disapproving of the direction the country is headed, “you’d certainly be well-positioned to think that the Republican Party and its presidential nominee would be in a nearly hopeless position, even at this early stage in the electoral process.” He went on to enumerate what he believed to be presumed presidential nominee Sen. John McCain’s (R-Ariz.) strengths on issues like Iraq and national security, saying that he has his own “brand of change” to sell that will distance him from anti-incumbent sentiment without “repudiating” the Republican Party. Citing statistics from the poll analysis that support this, Nienaber said that 40 percent of Americans still believe the U.S. should maintain a presence in Iraq until military officials say it is safe to leave. He said that 56 percent of voters still like President Bush as a person, even if they do not approve of his Administration. Nienaber also cited the Democratic Party’s weaknesses, saying that 1 in 5 supporters of each major nominee did not plan to vote for the other if their candidate was not elected. Nienaber said that “as bad as things are right now,” the Republican Party can still look forward to “successes” in November.

Celinda Lake, president of the Democratic polling firm Lake Research Partners, said “there’s no question that there are enormous challenges to the Republican brand,” but that McCain is a “formidable candidate” that Democrats should not underestimate. However, she said that Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) is “overwhelmingly” winning over independent voters compared to McCain. Lake said that 87 percent of Democratic voters say that the Iraq war was not worth the cost, while 75 percent of Republicans still think it was. Lake also said that Republicans in Congress have even lower approval ratings than Bush, emphasizing the strength of voters motivated by a desire for a change of the party in power. While she said that the general presidential election “bodes well for the Obama ticket,” Lake maintained that “it’s not over until the fall.” She also said she thinks Obama can “bring home” Hillary supporters to the Democratic Party if he is the nominee.

Sound bites, getting it wrong?

The Reverend Jeremiah Wright spoke before a huge crowd of guests at the National Press Club. While the Vice President of the Press Club introduced him, including a statement about all of his previous inflammatory comments and how Senator Barack Obama is distancing himself from the Preacher, the Reverend looked at the floor with a half smile.

Although originally designed as a speech, the Reverend Wright spoke with great eloquence and passion as if giving a sermon, as his voice modulated up and down before the exuberant audience, mainly members of churches and a few non-profit organizations. As the speech progressed, members of the audience started shouting “yeah,” or “right,” and eventually “amen!”

The Reverend Wright said numerous times that by taking a phrase he’d said from a sermon and airing only that one piece, that soundbite, was essentially mischaracterizing his intent and creating inaccurate depictions of who he is and what he believes. He was not there, he said, to name which candidate he thought God wanted in the White House, but he did say (apparently in jest) that he wouldn’t mind being the Vice President.

A major focus of the speech was on history of the black culture and the black religious experience. At one point, Wright said, the black church was the “invisible institution” and was forced underground by the code, since if more than two black individuals congregated together, they had to have a white person present to monitor their behavior. This drew shouts from the audience, mainly “thank God” and “amen.”

You cannot confine a soul, Wright said, that has been liberated and set free by the gospel. Liberating the captives, liberates those that are freeing the captives. God does not desire to see us at war, to see us judging each other superior or inferior, or to see us hating each other. The way we see God, he said, shapes how we see men.

After his brief speech (which was met with a standing ovation), the NPC presenter came to the podium armed with a list of prepared questions that members of the press had submitted. The Reverend Wright looked rather amused at most of the questions, at one point asking if anyone in the media had watched any of his sermons in their entirety. He continually shrugged, laughed, and gestured to the audience how silly this all seemed, evoking peals of laughter from the audience.

During one question, asking him to reaffirm his statements about HIV being deliberately inflicted amongst the black community, Wright looked towards the press and almost indignantly asked which one of the reporters had asked such a question. A reporter leapt to his feet and shouted out the question again, invoking a “no questions from the floor” remark from the NPC. His answer was to ask if the reporter had read "Medical Apartheid," saying he (Wright) reads things, and based on what happens to African Americans in this country, he believes the government is capable of everything. We sold Hussein biological weapons, he said, and he believes "we are capable."

Stating a few times that he was not there to make political statements, Wright did, of course, acknowledge that he “is Barack Obama’s pastor.” A key, he said, is that reconciliation means that we embrace our individual rich histories, we root out any teachings of superiority or the hatred of those who are different than us, because they are all God’s children and no better, no worse, and in need of forgiveness. Only then, he said, will there be liberation and reconciliation.

Don't baby Obama

By Ellen Ratner
Talk Radio News Service Bureau Chief

After last week's Pennsylvania debate between Sens. Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, my very good friends on the left were screaming.

ABC moderators George Stephanopoulos and Charlie Gibson were being denounced as traitors, knaves and, in a few instances, things that cannot be mentioned in a family news website. The complaint was that for the first 45 minutes of the debate, the questions were mostly issue-free and centered on Obama's negatives and such matters as his relationships with the incendiary Rev. Wright and ex-SDS weathermen Bill Ayres.

Some on the left say that it was unfair, unbalanced, tilted against Obama and favoring his opponent.

I agree.

I disagree.

Yes, it was unfair; yes it favored Hillary and indirectly, McCain. Yes, it was a radical departure from previous debates.

And yes, it was in Barack Obama's long-term interest that he be subjected to an onslaught of unfair and unbalanced questions, bias and a strong tilt against him.



Why? Because George and Gibson offered Obama a mere light appetizer of what he can expect in the general election. Because Obama had better get used to the big time of opposition research and negative ads, of Republican 527s, of whisper campaigns and anonymous Internet "mail" campaigns. Obama and his people better get used to the fact that once inside the big tent of national politics, he won't be able to declare, as he did at a recent press conference, that "eight questions" about Chicago sleaze ball Ton Rezco are "enough" and just walk off the stage. Taking umbrage doesn't work in a national debate, any more than staring at his watch did for George Bush No. 41.

The old line that, "Life is short, and then you die" is truer about presidential politics than any other endeavor. Just ask Jimmy Carter, Walter Mondale, Mike Dukakis, Al Gore or John Kerry.

I plan to fight like hell for any Democratic nominee. But hell is a notoriously hot place, and all George and Gibson did for the Democrats was raise the temperature to general election levels.

My fellow Democrats take note: We are doing our candidate no favors by babying him now.