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| BLOG ARCHIVE: APRIL 16-30, 2007. GOP
FRONT THREE FLIP-FLOP; RETURN OF GALLEGLY & BLANCO; RENZI
RUMORS GROW; HALL FACES TX PRIMARY. FREE
SPEECH ZONE. DEMS
DEBATE; McCAIN DISSES GONZO; DEAN THREATENS FL DEMS; GEORGIA CD-10
SPECIAL. FREE
SPEECH ZONE. BLOOMBERG
SORTA SAYS NO (YET AGAIN); NEW SC POLL NUMBERS. FREE
SPEECH ZONE. WEDNESDAY NEWS UPDATE. CULTURE
OF CORRUPTION PROBES FOCUS ON FEENEY, RENZI, ROVE; DEMS SNUB KUCINICH
IMPEACHMENT BILL. FREE
SPEECH ZONE. FORMER
RUSSIAN PRESIDENT BORIS YELTSIN, DEAD AT AGE 76. While
once a key ally in Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev's glasnost
and perestroika reforms, the two men split when Gorbachev was
pressured by hardliners to slow reforms and dump the troublesome
Siberian. Yeltsin -- a flawed man who readily acknowledged he
drank too Yeltsin's expulsion from the CPSU leadership was the best thing that could have happened to his career, as it made him a people's hero. Despite active KGB and CPSU efforts to scuttle Yeltsin's comeback, he first won a seat in the newly created Congress of People's Deputies with his frequent anti-Gorbachev speeches. He was then named by the Congress to a seat on the Supreme Soviet, a position he used to be elected chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the Russian SFSR in 1990 over Gorbachev's open opposition. During this period, the George HW Bush Administration totally shunned Yeltsin, mistakenly tying US policy entirely to hopes for Gorbachev's survival. In June 1991, Yeltsin impressively won 57% of the vote over Gorbachev's endorsed candidate in Russia's first democratic Presidential election. Yeltsin took office in July 1991, right as Gorbachev's USSR was on the verge of a dangerous precipice. Yeltsin, former Foreign Minister Eduard Shevardnadze, and former Gorbachev reform ally Alexander Yakovlev all openly and correctly warned in speeches of a coming "dictatorship," warning that Gorbachev had made too many concessions to hardliners in a Faustian bargain to maintain his shaky hold on power. In August 1991, the hardliners struck with an overnight coup that deposed Gorbachev and tried to reclaim control of the USSR. It was at this dark moment that Yeltsin rose to greatness, bravely using his personal popularity to resist the coup. At the risk of his life, Yeltsin drove in the early morning from his dacha outside the city to the government complex at the center of Moscow. Working to rally the pro-democracy demonstrators, he empowered them when he boldly climbed atop a Soviet tank and convinced the crew to turn their guns away from the building. He then addressed the crowds from atop the tank, rallying the democracy forces. From that moment forward, he guaranteed the strong resistance of the people and the swift collapse of the coup. That moment brought the collapse of not only the coup but of Soviet communism entirely. Within months, the Soviet Union itself was consigned to the dustbin of history, Gorbachev was out of power, the CPSU was outlawed, and Yeltsin was the most powerful man in the nation. Yeltsin had to use military tanks to turn back a coup attempt against his government in 1993, led by his own Vice President and a key secret conspirator from the failed 1991 hardliner coup. This time, Yeltsin had the tanks open fire on the Congress, killing many rebels and arresting the surviving conspirators. Yeltsin's
Presidency was marked by ups and downs, including a rise of widespread
corruption, a messy transition to a market economy, and the emergence
of the Mafia-state. The economy languished, he was largely passive
due to bad health in his second term, and he ultimately tapped
the despotic former KGB leader Vladimir Putin as his successor.
Putin today is turning Russia back into an authoritarian nation,
albeit a capitalist one. Still, despite all his flaws, it was
Yeltsin -- possibly even more than Gorbachev -- who ensured the
collapse of the feared Soviet Union and freed millions of people
from state tyranny. The cause of freedom owes Boris Yeltsin a
debt of gratitude. CLINTON,
McCAIN LEAD IN S.C.; CALIFORNIA SPECIAL ELECTION CANDIDATES EMERGE. FREE
SPEECH ZONE. WANNA
TRADE? GORE
DENIES RUMORS; HOUSE ADMIN CHAIR DIES; OREGON SEN; FRANCE PRESIDENT
PRIMARY. FREE
SPEECH ZONE. WEEKEND OPEN THREAD. FREE
SPEECH ZONE. HAGEL
GETS "PRIMARIED"; DOOLITTLE (AGAIN); AL GONZALES' BAD
DAY; RETURN OF JOE TRIPPI. FREE
SPEECH ZONE. WANNA
TRADE? SHORT
TAKES. DEM
FIELD FOR LA GOV THINS; HART-SWANN PRIMARY LOOMS; GRAVE(S) PROBLEM;
UDALL VS ?? FREE
SPEECH ZONE. VIRGINIA
TECH RAMPAGE; DOOLITTLE'S BIG DEBT; KERRY SLIGHTLY RE-OPENS DOOR
TO '08 RUN. FREE
SPEECH ZONE. BREAUX
QUITS LA GOV RACE; SUSAN COLLINS GETS JOE-MENTUM; POMBO WON'T
RUN AGAIN. FREE
SPEECH ZONE. WANNA
TRADE? |
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Giuliani
was a vocal supporter of gay rights. He marched in gay pride parades
each year, appointed out gay persons to prominent positions, supported
hate crimes and domestic partner legislation, and even lived with
a gay couple during his last divorce when his wife kicked him
out of NYC's mayoral mansion. That didn't stop Giuliani from doing
a total reversal, announcing his opposition this weekend to New
Hampshire's new civil union law which will give same sex couples
the same legal rights under state law as those accorded to married
couples. "Mayor Giuliani believes marriage is between one
man and one woman. Domestic partnerships are the appropriate way
to ensure that people are treated fairly. In this specific case
the law states same sex civil unions are the equivalent of marriage
and recognizes same sex unions from outside states. This goes
too far and Mayor Giuliani does not support it," said a written
statement given to the New York Sun in response to questions.
Compare this week's statement to what Giuliani told FOX News in
February 2004: "I'm in favor of … civil unions ...
That's why you have civil partnerships. So now you have a civil
partnership, domestic partnership, civil union, whatever you want
to call it, and that takes care of the imbalance, the discrimination,
which we shouldn't have." And, FYI, McCain likewise flip-flopped
on the civil union issue this weekend. In November 2006, McCain
told ABC News he was not in general against civil union legislation.
On Friday, McCain tried dodging the issue entirely, saying he
was a "federalist ... [and] recognizes the right of the state
of New Hampshire to regulate the institution of marriage and to
pass civil union laws." By Sunday, in a conference call with
political bloggers, McCain jettisoned his former position of support.
"I am opposed to that legislation ... If I were a citizen
of New Hampshire, I would oppose it. ... Anything that impinges
or impacts the sanctity of the marriage between men and women,
I'm opposed to it." Romney, as a candidate for Massachusetts
Governor and US Senate, supported civil union legislation. He
shifted his social positions sharply to the right as Governor,
once he decided to run for President. "Governor Romney opposes
the New Hampshire bill. He is a champion of traditional marriage.
As Governor of Massachusetts, he has a clear record opposing same
sex marriage and civil unions," explained Romney's campaign
spokesperson to the Sun.
LOUISIANA:
With former US Senator John Breaux (D) no longer looking at this
year's gubernatorial race, rumors are afoot that Governor Kathleen
Blanco (D) may jump back into the contest. It was believed she
exited the race a month ago to pave the way for Breaux to run.
But, since Breaux ran into legal obstacles which blocked him from
running, the picture has changed. Congressman Bobby Jindal (R)
remains the solid frontrunner. The overt support the Louisiana
Republican Party gave to Jindal prompted State Senator Walter
Boasso last week to switch parties to continue his run for Governor
as a Democrat. State Public Service Commissioner Foster Campbell
is also running, and is currently the leading Democratic candidate.
When WAFB-TV asked Blanco about the rumors she was reconsidering
her retirement decision, Blanco offered some very cryptic comments.
"This is Louisiana and lots of exciting things can happen
between now and the election. But, I'm certainly enjoying my current
status and expect it to be the same ... This is Louisiana and
there are no written scripts before play day," said Blanco.
Candidate filing closes September 6.
ARIZONA:
Despite a tidal wave of rumors to the contrary, Congressman Rick
Renzi (R) says he will not resign his seat. Renzi and his family
are the target of an FBI corruption probe that raided his home
two weeks ago in search of evidence. The probe is related to allegation
Renzi accepted an unreported $200,000 payment from a business
partner and political supporter, possibly because it related to
other improper conduct required in exchange for the cash. The
Phoenix Business Journal reported US Senator Jon Kyl (R)
and other leading Arizona Republicans are holding regular meetings
to plan for holding the seat in the special election they also
believe will follow the rapidly approaching resignation. According
to the newspaper, Kyl and others are also pressuring Renzi to
resign sooner rather than later. A large number of Democrats and
Republicans are already positioning themselves to run in the special
election.
Elton
Gallegly (R) totally botched his attempted retirement in 2006.
In an effort to block GOP political rival Tony Strickland from
jumping into his open seat race, Gallegly waited until just after
filing closed to announce to the media he was going retire
due to "health reasons" and quit the race immediately.
Gallegly mistakenly thought he was unopposed in the primary and
state law would allow the local party to pick an ally as his replacement
on the ballot. Unfortunately, a little-known lawyer also filed
in the GOP primary at the last minute, meaning the lawyer would
have become the nominee if Gallegly quit. After several embarrassing
days of attempting to stage the most inept retirement in Congressional
history, Gallegly announced his doctors told him he had "recovered"
and was now healthy enough to run again. Thus, Gallegly announced
he'd run "one more time" before retiring -- and won
an easy re-election victory. Miracle of miracles, the mystery
illness must now be in completely gone as Gallegly announced last
week he plans to seek re-election in 2008. Unless, of course,
he's really planning to quit again at the last minute. Fortunately,
Gallegly now knows the correct way to choreograph the surprise
switch: withdraw his papers and file someone else's qualifying
papers just before the filing deadline. Of course, it won't
be so much of a surprise to his Republican rivals if he tries
it again this time.
Democratic
Presidential Debate in South Carolina on Thursday evening was
an overly polite, friendly exchange that probably changed very
few minds. Some observations: (1) Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama
both easily held their places as the top tier candidates; (2)
John Edwards' safe performance was fine, but won't do much to
help keep him keep pace with Clinton and Obama; (3) Joe
Biden sounded pretty good, pretty Presidential, but didn't do
enough yet to break himself out of the second tier; (4) Bill
Richardson and Chris Dodd failed to make themselves stand apart
from their second tier rivals;
and (5) Dennis Kucinich will face a real fight in the third tier
with Mike Gravel for the votes of the more leftist party activists.
Howard
Dean on Thursday told the Mortgage Bankers Association that it
looks like Florida is the state most likely to break the official
DNC/RNC sanctioned schedule. "If they do, our rules are so
strict that not only will those states not collect any delegates,
but anybody that campaigns in that state will be ineligible for
any delegates from that state. We will reapportion their delegates
to all the other candidates if they show up in a state that jumps
ahead of February 5," threatened Dean. According to the AP,
leaders of both the Florida Republican Party and Florida Democratic
Party say "losing delegates is less important than having
more influence in the nation's leadership" by holding a pre-February
5 primary. Governor Charlie Crist (R) has also endorsed the legislation.
Feeney
about his ties to Abramoff. Former House committee staffer Mark
Zachares -- who was a pampered guest on Abramoff's infamous luxury
golf trips to Scotland (along
with Bob Ney, Tom DeLay and Feeney) -- pled guilty Monday to felony
corruption charges for accepting over $30,000 in gifts in exchange
for inside information about legislative action and homeland security
contracts. Zachares is reported to be cooperating with the FBI
in exchange for a lighter sentence. Zachares' attorney told reporters
his client is "fully cooperating" with the investigators
in order to get a reduced sentence. Zachares is the 11th person
to plead guilty in the Abramoff scandal. Feeney was identified
as the previously unnamed “Representative #3” in Justice
Department indictment documents filed this week in the Zachares
case. For those of you who have already forgotten, imprisoned
former Congressman Bob Ney (R-OH) was the
unnamed “Representative
#1” in other Abramoff case affidavits. Feeney told The
Hill on Tuesday he is "not worried" and had "no
relationship" with Abramoff. "The Scooter Libby case
showed that you must be careful when dealing with the [Department
of Justice, but] we’re giving them everything they need
and more," said Feeney. In news that may also be related,
former Feeney Chief of Staff Jason Roe abruptly resigned Tuesday
as Deputy Campaign Manager for Mitt Romney's Presidential campaign.
Roe, who was responsible for day-to-day operation of the Romney
campaign, claimed "family obligations" as the reason
for his sudden departure. Hmm ... John Doolittle, Bill Jefferson,
Jerry Lewis, Gary Miller, Rick Renzi, and now Tom Feeney. The
list of House members under FBI investigation rapidly continues
to grow.
The Los Angeles Times and MSNBC reported Tuesday evening
that the 
garner
some much-needed media attention for his underdog Presidential
campaign. On Tuesday, Kucinich announced he was filing a bill
of impeachment against Vice President Dick Cheney. The articles
of impeachment include allegations of knowingly providing false
intelligence information in public appearances before the Iraq
War in order to mislead Congress, made false statements about
ties between al-Qaeda and Saddam Hussein's Iraqi government, and
is endangering national security by making his recent public threats
of military action against Iran. House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer
was immediately dismissive of Kucinich's impeachment resolution,
telling the Washington Post that "I don't have any
thought about it" and that he and Speaker Pelosi planned
to keep the House "focus[ed] on the substance of the issues
at hand, and that's what we're going to do." Translation:
Kucinich will get no committee hearings and no House floor time
to debate his resolution. 
much
and suffered from serious bouts of depression -- was rousted from
a hospital bed after a breakdown to be publicly humiliated and
expelled from all his party posts at an open meeting. While Gorbachev
may have started a sincere drive to truly reform the moribund
Soviet Union, Gorbachev always intended -- like the doomed Czech
leader Dubcek in 1968 -- merely to fix the system and make Marxism
work in a positive way for the people. Gorbachev's start-and-stop
timidity, however, undermined his reformist drive to failure.
Barack
Obama at 26%, John Edwards at 21%, and all others at less than
1% each. On the GOP side, McCain led with 22%, Rudy Giuliani was
next with 19%, Fred Thompson was third with 11%, and Mitt Romney
had 10%. South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford (R) -- who has said
repeatedly he will not run -- was next with 8%, possibly as a
sign of Republican dissatisfaction with the current field. 
entirely
blind sourced, the British newspaper reported a group of Al Gore
friends and former staffers are "assembling a campaign team
in preparation for the former American vice-president to make
a fresh bid for the White House ... a shadow team that could run
his campaign at short notice." Former Gore aide Elaine Kamarck
is mentioned as one of the individuals
involved in the planning. The individuals behind the effort admit
Gore did not directly ask them to do this: "they are not
acting on formal instructions from Mr Gore, but have not been
asked [by Gore] to stop." Former President Bill Clinton also
stoked the speculation on Thursday, telling a reporter "you've
got the prospect that Vice President Gore might run." The
Hotline chimed in the Clinton comment: "We're told that
Clinton really thinks that his former Vice President might actually
run." Gore publishes a new book on his thoughts on the current
state of US politics next month. Gore, however, was quick to yet
again shoot down the speculation. "There is not a secret
campaign operation in Nashville or any other part of the country
to mobilize a campaign ... other than that which the former Vice
President has stated: to mobilize the American people to address
the climate crisis," emailed Gore's spokeswoman to the TPM
Cafe website.
Nicolas
Sarkozy and Socialist candidate Ségolène Royal advance
to the run-off in two weeks, as they respectively finished with
29.5% and 26.3% in the crowded 12-candidate primary field. Centrist
candidate François Bayrou placed third with 19% -- and
both Sarkozy and Royal are expected to aggressively court these
moderate voters over the next two weeks. Sarkozy is a Bush admirer
described as an "Atlanticist," meaning he openly supports
stronger, friendlier ties to the US. He also favors stronger support
for Israel, vows to cut the income tax rate from 60% to 50%, and
supports tougher crime and immigration laws. Royal supports a
new leftist economic agenda to boost economic growth by increasing
the minimum wage by 20%, raise retirement pensions, create 500,000
new subsidized jobs for recent graduates, and modernize the Socialist
Party. Both candidates represent a sharp break from the past French
political tradition: Sarkozy is the son of a Hungarian Jewish
immigrant, and Royal would be the first women elected to lead
France. Sarkozy is viewed as holding an sizable advantage over
Royal heading into the May 6 run-off, based upon the division
of votes between other left and right candidates eliminated in
the primary. What is most amazing about the vote is that 84% of
France's 44.5 million registered voters cast ballots. By contrast,
here in the US we're pretty thrilled when Presidential turnout
hits around the 56% mark.
Hagel
(R) continues to ponder a possible White House run, he suddenly
finds himself in a serious primary contest for renomination next
year with Attorney General Jon Bruning (R). A few months ago,
Bruning said he would support Hagel for President and would only
seek the seat if Hagel gives it up. In an interview Thursday with
the Lincoln Journal-Star, Bruning made it clear he now
plans to challenge Hagel in next year's GOP primary for the Senate
seat. "Hagel has voted with Democrats on every major issue
dealing with Iraq [during the past month] ... When he suggested
impeachment [of President Bush] as a remedy, that crossed the
line ... The only other person I’ve heard talking about
that is Cindy Sheehan ... What Senator Hagel and the Democrats
are trying to do is kill that [surge] plan in its infancy,"
said Bruning. He also bashed Hagel's proposed immigration reform
plan as an amnesty plan for illegal aliens: "The Hagel plan
rewards those who came here illegally. We need to be very careful
about a plan that encourages people to break the law. We cannot
have amnesty as part of the plan." Hagel plans to make a
decision on seeking re-election by the end of this year. 
eight
US Attorneys. US Senator Lindsay Graham (R-SC) complained -- in
response to Gonzales' testimony Thursday -- that it "is a
stretch" to believe his testimony because it appears Gonzales
"made up reasons to fire them." Even the conservative
National Review described Gonzales' performance before
committee as "disastrous." A White House spokesperson,
however, said President Bush was "pleased" with Gonzales'
testimony and that "the Attorney General has the full confidence
of the President."
Doolittle
and his lobbyist/consultant wife are key targets in the ongoing
Jack Abramoff influence buying scandal on Capitol Hill.
A much reported allegation is that money was funnelled through
Jill Doolittle's firm to influence the Congressman's official
actions. In an oddly creative spin, Doolittle claimed the raid
was only about his wife and he loyally backs her. "I support
my wife 100% and fully expect that the truth will prevail,"
said Doolittle in his written statement. Some speculation centers
around a former top Doolittle's aide, Kevin Ring, who may now
be cooperating with the Feds ... Congressman Zach Wamp (R-TN),
a leading organizer of the "Draft Fred Thompson for President"
effort, told ABC News on Wednesday that the actor and former US
Senator is going to enter the White House race ... By a 5-4 vote,
the US Supreme Court departed from recent rulings and upheld the
congressional ban on so-called "partial birth abortion."
The law bans a method of ending a pregnancy, rather than limiting
when an abortion can be performed, and accounts for only a small
percentage of the more than one million abortions performed in
the US each year. Justice Anthony Kennedy was the swing vote and
authored the majority opinion. The ruling provoked the expected
reactions. Republican Presidential hopefuls praised it, while
the Dems decried the ruling.
the
new Dem frontrunner after Breaux exited. In his brief, formal
statement, Landrieu simply said that after "much serious
consideration and prayer" on the gubernatorial contest, "I
believe I can best serve the people of Louisiana by finishing
the job I started four years ago." He declined media requests
for further explanation. PSC Commissioner Foster Campbell (D)
is already an announced candidate and has already raised over
$1 million. Although other Dems are reportedly still eyeing the
race -- including former
Congressman Chris John and former Attorney General Richard Ieyoub
-- State Democratic Chair Chris Whittington told the New Orleans
Times-Picayune that he expects they will both skip the race
and "Foster Campbell will be our candidate." Based upon
Congressman Bobby Jindal's (R) recent polling strength and the
$5 million he's raised to date, Jindal is now the strong favorite
to win the race to replace retiring Governor Kathleen Blanco (D).
Doolittle
narrowly defeated Brown by a 49% to 46% vote last year in this
usually safe GOP district. The closeness of the CD-4 race was
due in large part to Doolittle being implicated as a key target
in the ongoing Abramoff influence buying scandal on Capitol Hill.
The two men never stopped running, but the incumbent is now clearly
struggling. Doolittle raised about $128,000 in 1Q-07, and has
a cash-on-hand of $91,000 in the bank -- but his campaign is still
in debt for $172,000 from the 2006 race. A Doolittle campaign
spokesperson told the newspaper the campaign is working to pay
down the debt, and made some progress in the first quarter. Brown,
by contrast, raised $89,000 in 1Q-07 and has $136,000 cash-on-hand
(and a remaining debt of under $13,000 left from 2006). On a related
note, the Wall Street Journal reported the Abramoff-related corruption
probe remains very active in the Justice Department -- although
the current focus is allegedly more aimed at individuals tied
to the White House.
MAINE:
US Senator Joe Lieberman (Indep.D-CT) reached across the aisle
and endorsed US Senator Susan Collins (R-ME) for re-election.
Lieberman says he plans to campaign in Maine next year on behalf
of the GOP incumbent. A Collins spokesman welcomed the news, saying
Collins was "extremely grateful" and that the Lieberman's
endorsement will help her appeal as a centrist to Maine's large
number of independent voters. A spokesman for Congressman Tom
Allen (D) -- Collins' soon-to-announce opponent -- also welcomed
the Lieberman endorsement of Collins. "I think the Lieberman
endorsement is significant ... It paints a picture of Susan Collins
with people like Lieberman and McCain, who support the war,"
he explained to The Hotline. Polling shows voter sentiment
in the state runs sharply against the war.
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