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AZ GOP Director: McCain Fund-raising Numbers "Bad Journalism"
In an interview with PolitickerAZ.com, Arizona Republican Party Executive Director Sean McCaffrey dismissed news reports that Sen. Barack Obama outraised Sen. John McCain in his home state as "bad journalism."
Cantor Highlights McCain's Experience on National Security
In what is certain to become a fixture in Republican attacks on Sen. Barack Obama, Rep. Eric Cantor (R-Va.) sought to contrast Sen. John McCain's lengthy record on foreign-relations issues with one of Obama's biggest perceived weaknesses: his lack of experience on foreign policy. Following Obama's speech at the AIPAC conference this morning, Cantor spoke to reporters as a surrogate for the McCain campaign in conference call.
Clinton Undermining His Elder Statesman Standing
Bill Clinton’s ever increasing role in the presidential campaign has stirred much discussion. Has an ex-president ever taken so aggressive a part in his party’s nominating contest?
Hold the Phone: House Passes FISA Sans Telecom Immunity
After weeks of threats, arguments and a secret session thrown in for good measure, the House on Friday passed a controversial bill to renew the administration's electronic surveillance program. Unlike the Senate-passed version, however, the lower-chamber's proposal would not give the phone companies amnesty for crimes they may have committed in cooperating with the program in past years without a judicial order. The House vote was 213 to 197.
House and Senate leaders now must meet to hash out the differences between the two bills. But as House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) pointed out this afternoon, even Democrats don't believe the immunity language is likely to survive the process.
The White House has said that legal immunity is vital to entice the telecom industry to participate in the program in the future. Roughly 40 lawsuits have been filed against the companies on behalf of the American Civil Liberties Union and others who argue that the warrantless wiretapping program violates the Fourth Amendment. Despite the threat of those suits, however, all the companies have agreed recently to cooperate in the program.
I Guess America Ferrera* Was Busy
Thanks to the Daily News for pointing out what really mattered about Elton John's fund-raiser for Hillary Clinton at Radio City Music Hall: what other celebs were on hand for the big event.
If We Arm the Terrorists, Who Detains Us?
It's not often that Washington Republicans will go out of their way to attack the world's largest oil supplier and Bush administration ally, Saudi Arabia. But that's precisely what three GOP House members did yesterday in an attempt to prevent a planned $123 million arms sale to the strategically placed monarchy.
Joint Town Hall Meetings in Jeopardy
It appears the much-discussed joint town hall meetings featuring Sen. John McCain and Sen. Barack Obama may not be happening after all, or at most there may be just one or two joint appearances, in addition to the three scheduled debates. Yesterday, Nancy Reagan and Lyndon Johnson's children offered to host one debate each at the presidential libraries of Ronald Reagan and Johnson. This morning, the McCain camp accepted the offer with the following statement:
McCain Camp Mum on Iraq Timeline (Updated)
Up at his ranch near Sedona, Sen. John McCain must be fuming. After everything he's done for President George W. Bush's campaign efforts -- the endorsement through clenched teeth after the bruising 20000 primary, stumping in 2004, etc. -- Bush couldn't even do McCain the simple courtesy of not completely undermining the Arizona senator's entire Iraq policy as he makes his bid for the presidency.
McCain Hesitant to Support GI Bill for Post-9/11 Vets
While Sen. John McCain is busy bolstering his friend-of-the-military image in the Middle East this week, Democratic Sen. Jim Webb is calling on the GOP presidential nominee to show similar troop support at home by endorsing a proposal to update the GI Bill, The Hill's Roxana Tiron reported today.
While 50 senators (including nine Republicans) have joined Webb in supporting the proposal, McCain has yet to do so, despite entreaties
from Webb. Webb spokeswoman Kimberly Hunter said that having McCain on board would "bring more
Republicans over to support the bill."
McCain’s Tougher Rhetoric on Iraq
DETROIT -- As we noted yesterday, Sen. John McCain is using stronger language in describing the war in Iraq than he has in the past. For months, McCain asserted that the so called “troop surge” – as well as Gen. David Petraeus’ counterinsurgency strategy -- was working, and the United States is winning the war. At a town hall meeting yesterday in Kansas City -- and again during a press conference in Michigan -- McCain flatly stated that “we have succeeded in Iraq. Not we are succeeding. We have succeeded in Iraq.”
During today’s town hall meeting at the General Motors Technical Center in Warren, Mich,, just outside of Detroit, McCain ramped up his praise of Petraeus. McCain referred to the general as “one of the great generals in history.” Whether this is an accurate description or hyperbole is an academic discussion for another day. But McCain's use of absolutes where he once offered more cautious, qualified statements indicates a push from the McCain camp to reframe the debate -- and Sen. Barack Obama's position -- on the war in Iraq.
Michigan Democrats Staying Quiet On Primary Options
As Florida Sen. Bill Nelson (D) made headlines Thursday for floating the possibility of a Democratic primary do-over, Michigan's Democrats are approaching the topic with similar gravity but lighter steps.
Both Michigan and Florida bumped their Democratic primaries forward this year, and both suffered the wrath of the Democratic National Committee, which stripped them of their nominating convention delegates. Nelson responded Thursday with a letter to DNC Chairman Howard Dean, asking that either Florida's delegates be reinstated or the national party fund another primary election. If neither request is met, Nelson warned, the Democrats would run a greater risk of losing the state in November's presidential race.
On GI Bill, Obama Hopes to Draw Distinction from McCain
As presidential hopeful Barack Obama shifts his focus from the primary contest to the general election, he's trumpeting his support for a congressional proposal to extend education benefits to post-9/11 vets -- and reminding voters that the likely GOP nominee, John McCain, opposes the same plan.
Petraeus: Best COIN-Ready Army Ever
Rep. Solomon Ortiz (D-Tex.) is talking about costs in terms of readiness. Petraeus replied that there’s another component of readiness: "How much more that our troopers get it about what it is we’re doing." In other words, the troops are better equipped to understand and execute a counterinsurgency strategy.
$800,000 and Counting
House Republicans announced yesterday that their former campaign treasurer pocketed more than $800,000 in party funds over the last seven years. It seems that Christopher Ward, a 12-year veteran of the National Republican Congressional Committee, used the cash to make mortgage payments and remodel his home. Not a bad deal, except that he got caught. And now Republican leaders are left with the unenviable task of explaining why voters should grant them the responsibility of managing the nation's books when they can't even keep track of their own.
'The Mind' Disturbs Peace of Mind in Minnesota Senate Race
The possibility that former Minnesota Gov. Jesse Ventura could step into this year's tight Senate race is worrying state GOP officials, the Minnesota Monitor reported yesterday.
Ventura -- a former professional wrestler, sometime actor, sometime author, and all-around character -- is currently promoting a new book, "Don't Start the Revolution Without Me." But he's made clear that he's satisfied with neither the incumbent, Sen. Norm Coleman (R), nor his challenger, former Saturday Night Live comedian Al Franken (D).
In an interview with CNN anchor Wolf Blitzer on Monday, Ventura skewered both candidates as unfit for the job:
BLITZER: Let's talk about Minnesota, your home state. You were the governor of Minnesota. There's a very important Senate contest that's going to happen this year, Al Franken, the comedian, now a serious Democratic politician, vs. the incumbent, Norm Coleman. Who do you support?
A Good Gig for Medical Providers
By Mike Lillis 06/20/2008
Let's say you're a medical provider, like a hospital, a nursing home or a doctor. Let's say also that you bill Medicare regularly because you care for Medicare patients. You might think that the federal government would have a system in place to garnish those payments in the event that you owe back-taxes.
But it doesn't.
In fact, according to a newly released Government Accountability Office report, roughly 27,000 Medicare providers (or 6 percent) received millions of dollars in federal payments in 2006 at the same time that they owed more than $2 billion in outstanding taxes.
In one case, an unnamed nursing home received $15 million in Medicare payments while it owed $7 million in tax debt. In another, a hospital owed $15 million in unpaid taxes, but still received $21 million from Medicare. One hospital owner lived in a $6-million home. (Nice.)
A Radical Idea for Washington Lawmakers: Pay Your Bills
By Mike Lillis 06/24/2008
As we speak, the House Budget Committee is hearing testimony about the country's financial mess. It's hardly the first time lawmakers have heard the tale, but that's different than saying they've done anything about it. Instead, we'll probably see Congress blaming the Bush administration for increased deficits and its $700 billion (unpaid) war, while the White House spins the problem as one created by Congress, which votes to approve those deficits every year. In fact, both sides are right (or, rather, wrong), because neither branch has taken any serious steps to rein in federal spending -- steps that would further harm the economy, which would be a dagger for lawmakers seeking reelection and presidents seeking a kind legacy.
A Shout-Out to Novak
By Mike Lillis 08/05/2008
In the wake of yesterday's news that long-time conservative columnist Robert Novak is retiring pending treatment for brain cancer, most reports today are remembering Novak as the guy who outed Valerie Plame as a CIA operative five years ago. Probably, he was used as part of a White House conspiracy to discredit Plame's diplomat husband, Joseph Wilson, who'd been critical of Bush administration plans to invade Iraq. But whatever future historian is writing the "Novak-was-a-Bush-administration-stooge" chapter should also recall a little-remembered Novak column penned in September of 2002 -- a full six months before the Iraq invasion -- in which the Prince of Darkness blasts the administration for a failure to acknowledge the exceedingly obvious: That of course we knew that Saddam once possessed highly-destructive weapons -- BECAUSE WE SOLD THEM TO HIM. From that column:
A War, a Democracy and a Vice President
By Mike Lillis 03/24/2008Lest anyone think that criticism of Vice President Dick Cheney's now-infamous contempt for public opinion surrounding the Iraq war is a partisan contrivance, former GOP congressman Mickey Edwards had a revealing piece in The Washington Post Saturday, arguing that executive branch recognition of public sentiment in wartime is not just in everyone's interest, it's also the administration's constitutional duty.
An Era of Fiscal Irresponsibility
By Mike Lillis 06/11/2008
The Washington Post opinion columnist Ruth Marcus has a biting critique today of how Washington's policy makers -- both Democrats and Republicans; both in the White House and on Capitol Hill -- have crippled future generations with debt simply because they can't, or won't, make the tough budget decisions themselves. It's a timely piece, as House lawmakers are set to approve a $165 billion in emergency (ie, borrowed) funds for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
