Friday’s political round-up

March 23, 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:

* Former President Bill Clinton has been very assertive the last few days, arguing that it’s “just not fair” to characterize Hillary Clinton as a war supporter. “This dichotomy that’s been set up to allow [Obama] to become the raging hero of the anti-war crowd on the Internet is just factually inaccurate…. It’s just not fair to say that people who voted for the resolution wanted war,” Clinton said.

* Speaking of Hillary, the AP reported today that former Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack (D) will endorse Clinton’s presidential bid. Vilsack, who recently dropped out of the race citing a lack of money, will reportedly make the announcement on Monday.

* Rudy Giuliani said yesterday that it was a mistake to coin the term “war on terror” because it allows enemies to redefine the United States incorrectly as a nation that prefers war. Giuliani told a gathering of newspaper reporters that “America is seen as a country by too many that wants to have war, or exercises its power too much, pushes its weight around too much.”

* Mitt Romney’s effort to convince Republicans he’s not a liberal suffered another setback yesterday when we learned that Romney endorsed Salt Lake City Mayor Rocky Anderson, the pro-gay, pro-choice, pro-impeachment Democrat, in 2003. In fact, Romney also appeared in a TV ad for Anderson’s re-election campaign.

* After receiving some criticism from the gay community after a tepid response to Gen. Peter Pace’s homophobic comments two weeks ago, Barack Obama is forming a gay advisory panel to offer the campaign guidance on GLBT issues. Campaign aides insisted the panel was in the works before the Pace flap.

* I mentioned yesterday that Florida may join most of the other huge states in moving its presidential primary to Feb. 5. Apparently, that’s not quite good enough — the state House approved a measure to move the date up to Jan. 29, just seven days after New Hampshire. (thanks to Nautilator for the tip)

* Rep. Tom Tancredo (R-Colo.) will decide whether to run for president within two weeks. Campaign spokesman Alan Moore tells the Associated Press that Tancredo’s late March campaign finance report will show he has raised more than $1 million in donations.

It’s good Florida is moving up their primary. Gives them plenty of time to count, re-count, re-re-count, and hold another election before the primary season ends. Someone down there is thinking.

  • Sorry, Mr Clinton. That’s a strawman.

    Your wife may not have wanted war, but she voted to give a known serial liar the authority to take us into war, based on the assurances of that same liar about some crap that made no sense. She hasn’t apologized yet for being either a) stupid or b) politically calculating.

    Worst of all she still sucks up to AIPAC, which not only supports Bush’s escalation, but now wants us to get into another war – with Iran.

  • RE Giuliani, I wonder how many times he has uttered that phrase ocver the past 3 years. I seem to remember a speech where it seemed like every other utterance was “war on terror.”

  • The issue is does Mrs. Clinton believe that the United States should be the worlds cop and use its military to enforce its beliefs in democracy and capitalism. I havn’t heard anybody running for President discussing a significantly smaller U.S. military, rather the talk is about expanding the Army and no discussion about placing missiles in the former soviet states.
    The Dem’s are very similiar to the Republican far right when it comes to military spending and the role of America in world affairs, they just choose different battles.

  • Looks like Guilianni just lost the Republican nomination with that series of remarks. It flies in the face of Neo-Conservatism. Neo-Fascism, to be correct.
    Must be a liberal that wrote that speech, way too much reality in it.

  • I’m not sure what to think of Obama’s “gay advisory panel.”

    I mean, I suppose we’re to see it as showing that he takes gay rights seriously. But on the other hand, it’s hard not to see it as political consultants who will tell Obama what gay people want to hear, since apparently his instincts are less than stellar.

  • I don’t know if this is common, but I am getting an increasingly uneasy feeling about Hillary. Would she be just another president who treats war as a handy policy tool? I know she wants to appear solid and steady as a politician, but I fear she lacks imagination for being a different kind of president. Anybody else feeling this?

  • Dale (@8),

    I think every ounce of imagination was smacked out of her when her plans for universal health care went down in flames all those years ago. Ever since then, everything she’s has done had her political good as prime motivation, not the common good. In her own way, she’s “sold out” as much as McCain had.

  • Rudy Giuliani said yesterday that it was a mistake to coin the term “war on terror” because it allows enemies to redefine the United States incorrectly as a nation that prefers war. Giuliani told a gathering of newspaper reporters that “America is seen as a country by too many that wants to have war, or exercises its power too much, pushes its weight around too much.”

    Yeah, but his punch line is that it’s “the terrorists’ war on us.”

  • Giuliani told a gathering of newspaper reporters that “America is seen as a country by too many that wants to have war, or exercises its power too much, pushes its weight around too much.”

    Anyone got any pictures of the heads exploding over at little green footballs and powerline? They must be going crazy over this tidbit.

  • The more Bill stumps for Hillary, the less I admire him. Especially when he uses bogus arguments like that above.

    We should have staggered primaries, but the votes should not be counted until all primaries are complete.

    That will allow candidates to campaign in all states without resorting to big money campaigns but allow a level playing field through the whole primary and make sure that everyones’ votes count.

  • In that she, much like Obama and Edwards, has spent much of the past three weeks sucking up to Israel and hawking Ongoing War (Iran), I don’t find it difficult at all to see her as “a war supporter.”

  • Hil’s been doing the same thing since 2002. When Murtha said enough, she sat. When Edwards apologized for his vote, she sat. When things were really starting to get ugly in Iraq, she sat. When things got REALLY ugly in Iraq, she had some mealy mouth platitudes that kept the status quo. She broke bread with Rupert Murdoch and “why-aren’t-they-discredited?” AIPAC and supported Lieberman during 2006. As others have mentioned, everything she does is calculated for her to become Prez.

    Now she’s turning to Bill to help save her from the big bad meanies in Blogostan, who have been pretty much correct about things since this fucking awful war began.

    I have no hope for America if Hils is elected as I’m pretty sure she won’t change much that the Bushies have done.

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