Friday’s political round-up

June 8, 2007

Today’s installment of campaign-related news items that wouldn’t generate a post of their own, but may be of interest to political observers:

* The WaPo had a front-page item today on a large number of John McCain backers jumping ship to sign up with Fred Thompson lately. For example, John Dowd, McCain’s former personal lawyer who backed him in 2000 and had signed up to be a major fundraiser for him in 2008, has made the switch. “I am very sorry to see what’s happened to John,” Dowd said, adding, “It’s a difficult thing to leave a friend and go to another friend. But we lost the John McCain I knew.” Ouch.

* Compounding John McCain’s bad news, David Nix, a major McCain backer and organizer in South Carolina, announced yesterday that he is withdrawing his support for the senator. McCain’s sponsorship of the defeated immigration bill pushed Nix to make the decision. “There is a very wide gulf between what I believe as a conservative South Carolina Republican and what Senator McCain is pushing for with this bill,” he said.

* John Edwards, in a well-received speech on national security, took a pointed shot at Rudy Giuliani. “If Mayor Giuliani believes that what President Bush has done is good and wants to embrace it and run a campaign for the presidency, saying I will give you four more years of what this president has given you, then he’s allowed to do that,” Edwards said. “He’ll never be elected president of the United States, but he’s allowed to do that.”

* In light of the side debate in Dem circles about whether Hillary Clinton was right that the nation is slightly safer now than before 9/11, Rasmussen conducted a poll showing that most Dems don’t believe that. Only 29% of Democrats, and 48% of Americans overall, agree.

* And last night, Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies hosted an event, open to all presidential candidates, on Iraq policy. Only three candidates — Biden, Kucinich, and Gravel — agreed to participate, but Biden and Kucinich were delayed by congressional business. It gave Gravel a chance to talk more than a half-hour straight on his withdrawal policy. “I’ve got more than five minutes and they don’t have me sitting somewhere where you can’t find me,” he said.

I had hoped you might put your unique spin on the fisticuffs in the Alabama Senate.

Alabama Lawmaker Punches Senate Colleague

MONTGOMERY, Ala. — Simmering tensions in the Alabama Senate boiled over on the final day of the regular legislative session.

A Republican lawmaker punched a Democratic colleague in the head before they were pulled apart.

Those Republicans sure are a touchy lot, aren’t they?

  • “as a conservative South Carolina Republican” a.k.a wrong on everything, greedy douchebag.

  • The Democrats need to get to work on what to do about Fred Thompson. Regardless of his ideology or competence, Thompson has a lot going for him as a candidate. First, he’s an actor. Americans respond well to melodramatic drivel. Second, he looks — or knows how to look — “presidential.” Vaporous as that concept is, it’s a plus. Third, Thompson has the opportunity to appear to be an “outsider,” lambasting Bush policies and stealing Democratic ideas and plans. So, as a pure candidate, he strikes me as a Republican who could disappoint Dems who think 2008 is done deal.

  • America is probably dumb enough to vote for another Reagan, but Fred Thompson is still totally supportive of the biggest screwup in American history, the Iraq war.

    I think if Gore steps in he will mop the floor with Flipflop Freddie.

  • …meanwhile at the G-8…

    News reports say Bush has curtailed some activities due to a sudden case of an intestinal ailment. Too bad this malady wasn’t dramatically revealed by another Bush family president vomiting into the lap of another world leader. (“Bush Pukes on Putin” would have made a great headline.)

  • Being a consummate fan of the Clintons, I’m hard pushed to believe that Hillary would say such a thing as that the nation is slightly safer now than before 9/11, without good reason. It’s something she must certainly have examined and thought about. So it makes me wonder if there was some clever tactic afoot in making such an assertion.

    My first though was that, since it’s a parameter that’s hard to measure, she chose not to make a debating point out of it. Of course, there are many other ways she could have voice such an opinion, if that really is her opinion.

    Now, I’m wondering if she made that statement knowing that most people disagree with it, and so leave it up to the voters to make their case against it. That way the truth of its negation becomes even more convincing, voiced, as it would be, by the public at large. It’s kind of tertiary level politicking, but quite nifty nonetheless.

  • Gosh. All this bad news for JohnBoy McCaca leads me to believe that he’s finally “striking the ramp.”

    Repeatedly. Ad nauseum. Ad infinitum…..

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