The iPol Interview: Bill Richardson

Days Until Bush Leaves Office = 558

Earlier today, I conducted an exclusive one-on-one telephone interview with New Mexico Governor and presidential candidate Bill Richardson as he traveled on his latest Iowa campaign swing.

iPol: Governor, welcome back to Iowa. Where are you calling from - travelling from where to where this afternoon?

Governor Richardson: “I’m going right now to Cedar Rapids from Waterloo. I’ve got my final event in Cedar Rapids. Then I go to Cincinnati, and then to the debate in Detroit tomorrow.”

iPol: So, you’re back in Iowa again after visiting just 2 or 3 weeks ago. What’s the purpose of this trip, and what do you hope to accomplish?

Governor Richardson: “The purpose of the trip is to connect with Iowa. I’m a grassroots candidate. I don’t have the glitz and the money the other candidates have, so I’m going to outwork them. I’m going to go to house parties, and I’m going to try to visit as many counties as I can, visit businesses, shake hands. What I’m trying to do is visit the little towns; I’ve gone to several little towns that haven’t had too much attention. I was in Independence, I was in Manchester, I was in – well, Dubuque – I was in Maquoketa. And now we’re off back to Cedar Rapids.
“I’m talking about issues. I’m basically saying that I’m the best prepared candidate with the most experience and I bring the best of both worlds: change and experience. My message is one of change: change in approach to foreign policy, energy, the economy, health care. And I’ve got the experience to get it done and the ability to bring people together and get legislation passed that is needed for this country. “

iPol: What do you say to voters here and around the country who may be thinking, “Sure, Bill Richardson – nice guy, funny TV commercials, impressive resume and credentials, but he’s only at 10% in the polls and I don’t want to throw away my vote on a long shot. Can he win?” What do you say to them?

Governor Richardson: “I say to them that we ought to start thinking about electability in the general election, that I can win in regions where other Democrats have not been able to win, like the Southwest, Ohio, some southern states. Secondly, that Bill Richardson can win, because he’s going to outwork everybody. We’ve got seven months to go, and there are a bunch of debates coming, and he’s going to outwork everybody.
“I’m just saying to Iowans that you have the formidable decision to make the first shot at who the president is, and it should be done on substance and on merit, rather than on glitz and money and political legacies, and that message will get across. There’s plenty of time.”

iPol: People familiar with you and your candidacy of course know about your extensive record in public service: congressman, Energy Secretary and United States Ambassador to the United Nations during the Bill Clinton administration, Governor of New Mexico, nominated for the Nobel Prize 4 times. In all of that, what has been your biggest success in public life? What one thing has brought you the most satisfaction, looking back?

Governor Richardson: “Improving New Mexico’s schools; raising teacher’s salaries, moving from 49th to 27th in teacher salary increases; increasing academic standards in the state. That would be followed by my being able to insure kids under five. Those, I think, would be, policy-wise, would be the most satisfying of what I’ve been able to do throughout my career. It’s been helping people, and that’s what I like to do as a public servant.”

iPol: Flip side of that same question: if there was one thing you wish you could do over or do differently, what would it have been?

Governor Richardson: “I wish I had been less aggressive and less bombastic with the New Mexico legislature when I wanted them to pass an increase in the minimum wage. Instead of negotiating and instead of working with them, I got a little irritated that it wasn’t happening. And we had a wait a year for that to happen, probably because of my impatience. But we finally got it done in this last session, and increased the minimum wage to $7.50 an hour, so I’m satisfied. But that always will be a regret, that maybe because of my aggressiveness, and that I didn’t follow my diplomacy, which I always do, that I delayed people getting an increase in the wage for a full year.”

iPol: Let’s talk about immigration for a moment. Specifically, immigration reform measures directed primarily against Latino immigrants to this country are shaping the race on the Republican side, and will undoubtedly be an issue in the general election. As the only Latino candidate in the race, how to you see this issue impacting your campaign, and how do you plan to respond?

Governor Richardson: “Being Latino should not effect me, because I need to do what’s best for the country as president, or as governor, what works best for my constituents. Three years ago I angered many Latino leaders nationally by declaring a border emergency on my border with Mexico because my constituents in New Mexico, especially southern New Mexico, were asking me to do something. There was a flow of people and drugs, and killings, and the federal government wasn’t doing anything. So I ordered a border emergency so that we could hire, the state could hire, law enforcement officers; the federal government, the Border Patrol, weren’t doing anything.
“But, yeah, I have personally felt the sting of being a Latino, looking a little different, especially when I was growing up. So you can empathize a little bit; my mother’s Mexican. But it’s important not to get your personal prejudices and biases…although I am sometimes upset at the media for depicted those film images of illegal immigrant climbing across the fence, but they don’t seem to focus or picture immigrants working hard in the corn fields of Iowa, back-breaking jobs, or an immigrant being in Iraq as a soldier who gave his life for this country. So sometimes I get angry, but what I think is needed is a bi-partisan solution to the immigration problem.
“You never get any votes out of this issue, I have found over the years. But what is important to do is to do the right thing.”

iPol: Let’s talk about energy policy and climate change. This past weekend, of course, there have been the Live Earth events taking place here and around the world. In conjunction with that, MoveOn.org was holding what they called a Virtual Town Hall on energy policy and asking people to rate the energy proposals of the various Democratic candidates, yourself included. They sent out the results of that earlier today, and it shows that your proposal came in 5th, with 12.6 percent of the votes from the participants; you came in behind John Edwards, Dennis Kucinich, Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. Does that result surprise you, and do you have any comment?

Governor Richardson: “Well, my program on greenhouse gas emissions, the Sierra Club and the League of Conservation Voters, they rated it the most aggressive. So I think a lot of these are popularity polls; they’re not based on substance. I certainly have the most aggressive [plan] on greenhouse gas emissions. I have an Apollo program that is very decisive. I don’t worry about those polls. I believe, by far, not only do I have the most aggressive plan, but I’ve been Energy Secretary, and New Mexico is probably a cleaner energy state than in any of the states where these candidates represent. So I believe my record is the strongest, and also I have direct experience getting clean energy done at the state level, at the federal level; I increased efficiency standards of air conditioning by 30% when I was Energy Secretary. So I believe my plan is the strongest.

iPol: Let's talk about Iraq for a moment. Every candidate on the Democratic side has their plan for bringing troops home and ending the war. What do you say to voters evaluating your plan, and why should they support it over the other candidates’ plans?

Governor Richardson: “Because my plan is the clearest and most decisive. I say get out by the end of this calendar year, and unlike other candidates, I say no residual forces. Every other candidate has residual forces. I believe they’ve become targets, our troops, and that diplomacy can’t begin until they’re out. If our troops stay, they’ll be attacked, and it will prolong the war.
“But what I also offer is a diplomatic plan; a diplomatic plan to partition the country, not into three states, but possibly three entities; a reconciliation process of the three groups in Iraq, and an all-Muslim peacekeeping force, inviting Iran and Syria to participate. So, I know how to get it done. I’ve been to the region. I’ve been in Iraq. I negotiated with Saddam Hussein, I know the leaders of the other countries. I believe my plan is the most viable.
“I also believe that Congress is abdicating. Instead of passing appropriations measures to reduce funding and to deal with benchmarks, they ought to pass [a measure] deauthorizing the war; a clear, Article I initiative that the President can’t veto, that would be decisive. That would be much more effective than these measly appropriations bills, where we have not stopped the President one iota; he’s basically got a blank check.

iPol: On a related note: how many New Mexico National Guard troops are currently serving in Iraq? How many fatalities have they suffered?

Governor Richardson: “I believe we’ve had 45 fatalities in the state, total. How many Guardsmen we have in Iraq, probably about 200 right now; they come in and out, they’re deployed in and out. We have a total Guard force of about 4700, and most of them have been there, have been deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan.

iPol: Finally, a question that has been kind of floating out there for a while now, but never directly answered. Unfortunately, it’s a question that’s been raised by your own campaign, and I hope you’ll be able to provide a definitive answer here and now. And the question is: If you were a tree, what kind of a tree would you be?

Governor Richardson: “I would be an oak tree!”

iPol: Governor Bill Richardson of New Mexico, thanks very much for taking time to speak with me today – it’s been fun. Let’s do this again, only next time face-to-face, and in the Oval Office.

Live Blogging Obama in Des Moines

Days Until Bush Leaves Office = 559

Here at DMACC's auto shop building for an Obama event on the topic of the economic impact of the Iraq war. I've managed to weasel press credentials for the event, so instead of being with the Great Unwashed Masses today, I'll be hanging with the Mega Unwashed Masses instead.

Speaking of which, I see AP, Radio Iowa, and, of course, the ubiquitous Majors so far.

9:51 - no air condition in this building! Yeech! Event is scheduled to kick off at 10:30.

9:57 - Campaign staff is doing an Obama trivia quiz from the podium.

9:58 - looks like about 250 people in the building.

10:07 - correction: Obama's campaign estimates 500 people in the building.

10:14 - Barack is in the building.

10:17 - Obama takes the podium.

10:18 - Acknowledgements: Tom Miller, the Polk Country Democratic party officials and elected officials. Says this is designed to be a Town Hall meeting, so won't be giving a long speech; emphasis will be on Q&A.

10:19 - Wall Street is doing great, Main Street is struggling. How will ordinary worker meet expenses for health care, education, etc.? Stats touted by the administration don't tell this story.

10:21 - This process has been going on for some time, Obama says. Recalls moving to Chicago in the early 1980's, the steel mill closures and layoffs of that time. As globalization goes forward, the experience of the steel industry is being repeated across many other sectors of the economy. We need to figure out to make globalization work not just for Wall Street and Corporate America, but for ordinary Americans.

10:25 - Globalization cannot be stopped in its tracks; some lost jobs will not come back from overseas. What to do?
1) close tax incentives for companies to move jobs overseas - calls this a "no brainer."
2) give workers a "solid safety net." Workers today won't hold the same job for decades. Workers should not lose health insurance when they change jobs; we need universal healthcare, and he touts his plans. Huge applause.

Loud noise in the building! They're firing up the air conditioning. Biggest applause so far!

10:29 - need to improve pension savings incentives, pension security and Social Security.
3) create incentives for investment in new industries here in the U.S. Cites alternatives fuels as an example, touts his energy plan.

10:31 - invest in broadband internet access, and life-long learning opportunities; touts education plan.

We can do all this, Obama says. If we can find $275 million for the war, we can find that same kind of money to strengthen the domestic economy. Sustained applause. Quotes stats about what the IA03 Congressional district could have bought with the money sent from here to Iraq for the war. Long list!

10:35 - these things cannot be done with the war still waging. Again says war is wrong, recalls his opposition to the war back in 2002. Says surge "clearly has not worked;" not a single benchmark laid out by the President will be met. Time to "bring our combat troops home and stop having them in the midst of a civil war."

10:37 - last word on Iraq policy does not rest with the White House. Congress will take up redeployment legislation soon, and cracks are starting to show in the GOP, so its important to contact congressional reps to urge support for redeployment.

10:38 - end of formal remarks, on to Q&A. First questions is on No Child Left Behind. Obama says you can't leave the money behind for No Child Left Behind. Nice line!

10:41 - question from doctor about diabetes. I remember this guy from the Hillary Clinton GMA health care town hall. Asks about prevention funding. Obama says only about 4% of every healthcare dollar goes to prevention, which makes ours a disease care system, not a health care system. Cites obesity rate increases over the last 25 years, stresses need for people to exercise. Would also include chronic care management aspect of his health care plan.

10:45 - Would sign stem cell research authorization as president. White House should be driven by science and fact, not ideology.

10:46 - Question from audience about Obama's work as a community organizer. Obama says he learned that certain common values extend across community lines, and this helps him work with people to find common ground. Also says he learned that regular people need to be involved in the political process to achieve change.

10:50 - question from a senior citizen who says "I've been studying health care since you were a pup." Questioner says insurance companies take all the money and produce nothing. Urges Obama to consider Medicare for All. Obama replies that this proposal is part of his overall health care plan. Says he will prevent insurance companies from denying coverage for pre-existing conditions.

10:53 - another health care question, this time focused on veterans health care. Obama says the GI Bill's benefits should never expire, and will introduce legislation to do this next week. Also says improved PTSD treatment will be needed for vets returning from Iraq. VA care system is good, Obama says, but takes too long for vets to get accepted, and when they do, VA facilities can be too far away; these vets should be allowed to access private health care facilities at VA rates.

10:58 - how will Obama work with the International Community to stabilize Iraq? Obama says we need to be as "careful getting out as we were careless getting in" to Iraq; says he would bring troops out of combat positions, bring some of them home, and leave a "residual force" to support logistics and go after terrorists. Some might be in other mid-east countries besides Iraq. Start with regional allies like Israel, Jordan and Saudi Arabia to stabilize Iraq. But would go further and work with our enemies; cites Ronald Reagan working with the USSR during the Cold War as an example. Also says we need to strengthen the military effort in Afghanistan. Adds we need to make troop rotations more fair.

11:03 - question on nuclear weapons. Richardson will cut arsenals by half, Biden will reduce arsenal to 10,000 weapons; what would Obama do? Obama says he's been working on arms control for years. Says unsecured nukes are most dangerous threat to American safety. Would work to restart talks with Russia; hasn't settled on a number of weapons yet. Says Bush administration has rejected agreements already in place from his own father.

11:06 - question on WTO and NAFTA. Obama says global trade isn't all bad, can produce greater international stability through expanded economic prosperity. Says problem comes when the process is tilted in favor of corporate interests and against the interests of ordinary workers. Says every trade agreement we enter into must contain strong labor and environmental safeguards to prevent child labor, prison labor and unsafe working conditions. Also says he wants fast track trade agreement authority as president. Says we need to be better negotiators of trade agreements so we derive more benefit from the agreements. Cites agreements with China and South Korea as those which could be improved. Says "as President of the United States, I'm not just representing Wall Street and Goldman Sachs," but workers as well.

11:14 - Last Question: what criteria would Obama use in choosing a Vice President and cabinet?
1) integrity. Cites ethics legislation he's introducing to prevent revolving door lobbying.
2) competence: "no more Brownies."
3 ) independence: "I want someone who will say no to me, who tells me when I'm wrong...other than my wife." Would listen to everybody, including Republicans, and then exercise good judgment in making decisions.

11:18 - and we're done! Press is packing up, and my laptop is running on battery fumes, so I'll conclude live blogging now. But I'll be back with some wrap up thoughts and analysis later on.

11:19 - Wait! Obama is back on the stage. Says he forgot to appeal to voters for support, does so now!

11:20 - OK, now we're done. Really. Please check back later for the wrap up.

###

Dodd Wraps Up "River to River" Tour of Iowa

Days Until Bush Leaves Office = 562

Senator and presidential candidate Chris Dodd brought his "River to River" tour of Iowa to a close yesterday with a rally on the banks of the Missouri River in Council Bluffs.

After pulling in to the rally in a huge blue bus specially painted to promote his latest Iowa campaign swing, Dodd took the stage to enthusiastic applause under a blistering sun while Tom Petty's "I Won't Back Down" played over the P.A. system. After an introduction by Iowa Senate Majority Leader and Council Bluffs native Mike Gronstal, Dodd addressed the crowd of 500 from Iowa and neighboring Nebraska for about 10 minutes.

In a hoarse voice worn by a week of stumping from one side of the state to the other, Dodd repeated a refrain now familiar from all the Democratic candidates about the important role Iowans have in determining the next president and the seriousness with which they approach this responsibility, and went on to stress the importance of the issues at stake in next year's elections.

Regarding Iraq, Dodd said, "I believe we ought to begin redeploying tonight. There is no military solution in Iraq. We ought to be looking for a diplomatic solution. We ought to get our troops back home, and I'm going to be fighting for that, not only in the Senate, but also as a candidate for president." Noting the link between America's dependence on foreign oil and the U.S. military commitments required to assure access to that oil, Dodd added, "If they were growing turnips in Iraq, we wouldn't be there."

Dodd also made a nod to the Live Earth events taking place that day, saying "there is no more important issue than getting rid of global warming." Dodd also made brief mention of the importance of health care and education.

"I ask for your help and support in all of this," Dodd continued. "I'm not as well known and maybe as well financed as some of the others. But I believe that Iowans take their time and listen to each one of us who seek your support. You've got a wonderful habit over the years of deciding for yourselves who'll be the Democratic nominee, not based on money, not based on celebrity, but our passion, our commitment to putting this country on the right track again. And I offer myself as a candidate who will put America back on track both at home and abroad, and will make a difference. And I think you're going to give me a chance to make that case."

Summing up, Dodd asserted that there are no one-party solutions to the challenges confronting the country, and that he believes he has the leadership to bring people together. "I think we want to be one country again. I think we want to be asked to do big things for the world.

"I don't believe in mincing words, half-measures and platitudes," Dodd concluded. "I'm 63 years of age; I'm not going to do this twice. I know who I am, I know what I care about, and I know how to get the job done."

Having made his pitch, Dodd went on to introduce legendary singer/songwriter Paul Simon, who played a four song acoustic set of "Sounds of Silence," "Loves Me Like a Rock," "The Boxer," and "Me and Julio Down by the School Yard."

"It's been such a pleasure to me to be traveling around the state of Iowa for the last two days - an absolute gift. Thank you so much," Simon said after concluding his set. Chris Dodd having taken the stage once more, Simon went on, "I'm so proud to stand next to a friend of mine who is running for the President of the United States, and deserves to be elected. It's incredible."

The Dodd campaign has posted video of the event on its web site.

Richardson Returning to Iowa Next Week

Days Until Bush Leaves Office = 564

From the inbox today:

Democratic Presidential Candidate Bill Richardson to Campaign in Eastern Iowa

Richardson Will Hold Events in Bettendorf, Clinton, Maquoketa, Dubuque, Manchester, Independence, Waterloo and Cedar Rapids and Visit “Field of Dreams”

DES MOINES ---- New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson will return to Iowa on July 10 and 11 for a swing through Eastern Iowa. During his visit, the third in three weeks, he will visit nine Eastern Iowa communities: Bettendorf, Clinton, Maquoketa, Dubuque, Dyersville, Manchester, Independence, Waterloo and Cedar Rapids. He will hold his signature “Presidential Job Interview” events in six of the communities, in addition to a house party in Dubuque and a Meet & Greet event in Cedar Rapids. He will also visit Dyersville’s famed “Field of Dreams.”

Tuesday, July 10

Scott County Presidential Job Interview
WHEN: 11:30 AM
WHERE: United Steelworkers Local 105 Hall, 880 Devils Glen Rd., Bettendorf, IA 52722

Clinton County Presidential Job Interview
WHEN: 3:15 PM
WHERE: Riverside Restaurant, 517 N. 2nd St., Ground Floor, Clinton, IA 52732

Jackson County Presidential Job Interview
WHEN: 5:15 PM
WHERE: Costello’s Old Mill, 22095 Highway 64, Maquoketa, IA 52060

Dubuque County House Party
WHEN: 7:00 PM
WHERE: Residence of Christine and Tom Sinsky, 1390 Valentine Dr., Dubuque, IA 52003

Wednesday, July 11

“Field of Dreams” Visit
WHEN: 9:00 AM
WHERE: “Field of Dreams,” 28963 Lansing Rd., Dyersville, IA 52040

Delaware County Presidential Job Interview
WHEN: 10:00 AM
WHERE: Cedar Lodge Steak House, 205 S. 12th St. Development, Manchester, IA 52057

Buchanan County Presidential Job Interview
WHEN: 11:15 AM
WHERE: Pizza Ranch, 1900 1st St. West, Independence, IA 50644

Black Hawk County Presidential Job Interview
WHEN: 12:45 PM
WHERE: La Chiquita Restaurant, 301 E. 4th St., Waterloo, IA 50703

Linn County Meet & Greet
WHEN: 3:00 PM
WHERE: Richardson for President Cedar Rapids Office, Cypress Plaza, 4350 16th Ave. SW, Cedar Rapids, IA 52404

Again with the Haircut?

Days Until Bush Leaves Office = 564

For those of you who haven’t taken a look at 2008 Central yet, you should definitely click through and pay them a visit. It is a site run by a couple of very sharp guys who do a consistently good job analyzing the 2008 race right across the political spectrum. Even when I disagree with what they write, I respect their ability to present their analysis and coherently state their case.

I was looking over their site a little earlier this evening, and came across a recent post titled, “Update: I Still Do Not Care About John Edwards’ Haircuts.” The post had a couple of points to which I wanted to respond, and I duly began typing out a comment on their site. However, the length began to run way past what anyone could reasonably consider a “comment,” and went on to become more of a full length rant in its own right. So, rather than clog up their site with it, I decided it made more sense to just post it here.

[Note: I urge you to read the 2008 Central post linked to above before proceeding; the rest of this likely won’t make much sense, otherwise.]

As one who has made some of the very points referred to in the article (see this post), allow me to respectfully differ with its author, and to take a moment to make my position clear.

I agree that Edwards’ money makes him no different from most other Democratic candidates (see this post for some thoughts on this). But the problem I find with John Edwards is not that he has money and still espouses concern for the poor and middle class, because, again to the author’s point, all candidates do this. The problem I have with John Edwards in this regard is not that he wants people to believe he is concerned for the lot of the ordinary American, but that he still claims to be one of them.

Contrast this with Franklin Roosevelt. He came to the White House as possibly the richest president, in comparative terms, that we have ever had. Yet he also did more to better the economic and social condition of the great mass of the American people than any other president in our history. The distinction here is that FDR never attempted to persuade people that he was economically and socially “one of us;” rather, he offered hope to a country sunk in misery and was elected on the strength of his record as governor of New York, and of his policies and ideas, which contrasted so greatly with those offered by Hoover and the Republicans of the time.

What FDR got that John Edwards doesn’t get is that the American people don’t necessarily need to see their mirror image when they look at who they will make their president. Rather, the American people, I believe, are more interested in where a candidate stands than in where a candidate comes from. That John Edwards expresses concern for the underprivileged is commendable, and I find no fault with him for doing so; I do not think him insincere, nor discount his own personal experience in rising from poverty himself. Rather, the problem arises when, on top of these things, John Edwards lays claim to being a common man. He isn’t. He doesn’t have to be. But he still insists on asking voters to make the not inconsiderable leap of believing he is. It is, simply put, laying it on just a little too thick for his own good.

And that’s what the haircut stuff is all about : it goes to the heart of this problem. When you’re blogging about the haircut, you’re blogging about this. With respect, it is not trivia, precisely because John Edwards appeals for support in no small part based upon personal qualities.

So yes, absolutely let us talk about substance, let us debate policy and records in office. But let us not put on blinders to other things that matter – because there are, and they do – when considering the claims of those who seek to lead us.

Hillary & Bill Clinton at the Fairgrounds

Days Until Bush Leaves Office = 566

Hype, defined as "extravagant or excessive publicity," is an integral part of any political event worth the name. And there was no shortage of hype leading up to last night's public debut of Bill Clinton campaigning at his wife's side.

But it is no small thing to be present at history in the making, and that is what this was, hype or no hype. A former president campaigning on behalf of his wife's presidential bid? Nothing like it ever before in American history.

The event was held in front of the Agriculture building at the State Fairgrounds, and was attended by an estimated 7,000 people. Show time was listed as 7:30; I got there a little before 6:30, and found at least 1,000 people there ahead of me. Still, after some scouting around, I found a spot about 10 feet from the flatbed trailer that served as the stage and settled in to wait. I always enjoy listening to the conversations taking place around me at these things, and I heard a lot more uncommitted talk around me than I expected.

There's been lots of mainstream media coverage of this event, of course, and much of it has been centered on how Bill Clinton appears to react to campaigning for Hillary. But what I haven't seen mentioned that struck me quite forcibly last night, is the impact on Hillary of having Bill campaigning with her. Yes, having him introducing her and appearing with her on stage is meant to illuminate her middle-class background, her commitment to public service, and all the rest. But more than any of those things, and in ways that I think cannot be mere affectation, being on stage with her husband softens Hillary Clinton and humanizes her in exactly the way the media has been saying she needs. Whether this is as a result of drawing charm from Bill Clinton by osmosis, or the halo effect of campaigning with a former president, or being buoyed by the energy imparted to a crowd anywhere Bill Clinton appears is a question that lots of people will be discussing as the campaign goes on. For myself, however, having been there and seen it first hand, I believe this softening is simply the by-product of Hillary campaigning with the one person who, for all their well-publicized marital travails, knows her to her soul, and in whose judgment and opinion she has absolute confidence.

I'll refer you to the mainstream media links below for details about Hillary's speech and the other aspects of the event. But I did shoot some video of the goings-on, so have a look and form your own opinion.




Des Moines Register

New York Times

Washington Post

Los Angeles Times

British Broadcasting Corporation

Candidate Reactions to the Libby Commutation

Days Until Bush Leaves Office = 567

The following are statements issued by the Democratic candidates in reaction to President Bush's commutation of Scooter Libby's jail term.

Joe Biden:

"Hours after a federal appeals court ruled that I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby would have to begin serving his prison sentence while appealing his conviction for crimes of perjury, obstruction of justice and lying to investigators, President Bush commuted his sentence.

Last week Vice President Cheney asserted that he was beyond the reach of the law. Today, President Bush demonstrated the lengths he would go to, ensuring that even aides to Dick Cheney are beyond the judgment of the law.

It is time for the American people to be heard.

I call for all Americans to flood the White House with phone calls tomorrow expressing their outrage over this blatant disregard for the rule of law.

202-456-1414
Remind George Bush what he told staffers during a swearing in ceremony for White House staff back in January 2001:

"[We] must remember the high standards that come with high office. This begins with careful adherence to the rules. I expect every member of this administration to stay well within the boundaries that define legal and ethical conduct. This means avoiding even the appearance of problems. This means checking and, if need be, double- checking that the rules have been obeyed. This means never compromising those rules. No one in the White House should be afraid to confront the people they work for, for ethical concerns, and no one should hesitate to confront me as well. We are all accountable to one another. And above all, we are all accountable to the law and to the American people."

Click here to watch the video of George Bush addressing staff: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wjwLlfFKerU"

Hillary Clinton:

"Today's decision is yet another example that this Administration simply considers itself above the law. This case arose from the Administration's politicization of national security intelligence and its efforts to punish those who spoke out against its policies. Four years into the Iraq war, Americans are still living with the consequences of this White House's efforts to quell dissent. This commutation sends the clear signal that in this Administration, cronyism and ideology trump competence and justice."

Chris Dodd:

"By commuting Scooter Libby's sentence, the President continues to abdicate responsibility for the actions of his Administration. The only ones paying the price for this Administration's actions are the American people."

John Edwards:

"Only a president clinically incapable of understanding that mistakes have consequences could take the action he did today. President Bush has just sent exactly the wrong signal to the country and the world. In George Bush's America, it is apparently okay to misuse intelligence for political gain, mislead prosecutors and lie to the FBI. George Bush and his cronies think they are above the law and the rest of us live with the consequences. The cause of equal justice in America took a serious blow today."

Barack Obama:

"This decision to commute the sentence of a man who compromised our national security cements the legacy of an Administration characterized by a politics of cynicism and division, one that has consistently placed itself and its ideology above the law. This is exactly the kind of politics we must change so we can begin restoring the American people's faith in a government that puts the country's progress ahead of the bitter partisanship of recent years."

Bill Richardson:

"It's a sad day when the President commutes the sentence of a public official who deliberately and blatantly betrayed the public trust and obstructed an important federal investigation," said Governor Richardson. "This administration clearly believes its officials are above the law, from ignoring FISA laws when eavesdropping on US citizens, to the abuse of classified material, to ignoring the Geneva Conventions and international law with secret prisons and torturing prisoners.

There is a reason we have laws and why we expect our Presidents to obey them. Institutions have a collective wisdom greater than that of any one individual. The arrogance of this administration's disdain for the law and its belief it operates with impunity are breathtaking.

Will the President also commute the sentences of others who obstructed justice and lied to grand juries, or only those who act to protect President Bush and Vice President Cheney?"

First Casualty of Poor Q2 Fund Raising: McCain's Staff

Days Until Bush Leaves Office = 567

In considering how best to approach the money race for the 2nd quarter, I decided pretty early on to leave the bean-counting to others, and wait instead until all the checks had been written and then focus on the impact of fund raising success (or failure) to the various campaigns.

Not hard to do, at least today.

The first casualty: John McCain's campaign organization and staff. According to the Associated Press, McCain did so poorly in raising money during the quarter ending June 30 that he will be getting rid of at least 50 staff members, and slashing pay for those who remain, even at the most senior levels.

There's no indication at this point that McCain is considering dropping out of the race, nor, the AP article notes, is a major reshuffle planned for the campaign's senior staff. However, with poll numbers going through the floor not just in Iowa, but nationally, the McCain camp must undertake some type of action to get a little momentum back on their side. And if McCain's upcoming return to Iraq to trumpet the success of military escalation there is part of that plan, his campaign is in deep, deep trouble.

All this is astonishing, really, for the candidate who just a few months ago was considered the frontrunner for his party's nomination.

Some Tiers Must Fall

Days Until Bush Leaves Office = 572

I’ve been watching, with interest, the fanfare greeting the news that New Mexico Governor and Presidential candidate Bill Richardson has gotten a bump in the polls of late.

This started a couple of weeks ago with the release of a CNN-WMUR TV poll that showed Bill Richardson had climbed to 10% in New Hampshire, and in so doing moved even with John Edwards there. Governor Richardson’s numbers began to rise after a widely-praised ad campaign built around a “Presidential job interview” theme. Then, earlier this week, Richardson’s campaign announced that its own internal polling now shows their candidate at 13% in Iowa, which, if you disregard the 4.4% margin of error, would put him ahead of Barack Obama here. Finally today, Pollster.com announced that it has added Richardson to its “Top Democrats” ranking, based on its findings that Richardson alone among the candidates is experiencing a substantial upturn in his numbers in both Iowa and New Hampshire.

Richardson’s campaign, of course, has eagerly seized on these developments, today alone sending out not one, but two emails drawing attention to their candidate’s numbers and going so far as to proclaim “Richardson Officially Breaks into Top Teir.”

Let me hasten to say that I don’t question the legitimacy of these latest polls or the use made of them by the Richardson campaign; indeed, I would do the same. What I do question, though, is when and how in the course of this historically dynamic campaign there came to be a top tier of candidates to begin with.

For example, if I were writing on this topic a year ago, any discussion of top tier candidates would have included Tom Vilsack, who, as outgoing Governor of Iowa would at that time have been presumed to exert disproportionate influence upon the campaign in his home state, in very much the same way as Tom Harkin in 1992. Following the accepted wisdom of the time, I would undoubtedly also have written about John Kerry’s generally anticipated second run for the White House, and the impact on the race of his name recognition and 3 million-plus member email subscription list. Vilsack, of course, withdrew his candidacy back on February 23, and Kerry opted not to get into the 2008 race all.

This brings us to today’s “top tier” of Hillary Clinton, John Edwards, Barack Obama, and, so as not to quibble, now Bill Richardson. Each candidate has taken a different road to arrive in the “top tier,” but they all, Richardson excepted, since he only today “officially” arrived among them, have three things in common: good poll numbers, good fund raising numbers, and lots and lots of free media. None of these things, of course, measures the actual strength of anyone’s ground game here or in New Hampshire (has anyone else noticed that Dodd just opened 8 new field offices in Iowa?), ignores the outcome of the South Carolina and New Hampshire debates (as I’m sure Joe Biden’s people would hasten to point out), and provides absolutely no guidance as to future trends.

Which is to say that handicapping the candidates into ordinal tiers at this stage in the campaign is meaningless. It is all trying to call the result of a horse race before the track has even opened. If the outcome of presidential campaigns were determined by Vegas odds makers or media pundits, then graduate students in political science today would be laboring over theses on the history of Thomas Dewey’s presidency and the legacy of Lyndon Johnson’s 1968 landslide reelection.

I’m not trying to deny Bill Richardson, or anyone else, their day in the sun. I’m merely pointing out how fast the weather can change.

2008: How Desperate are Republicans?

Days Until Bush Leaves Office = 573

The big question right now among Republicans is how to remove Vice President Cheney from office. Or so says Sally Quinn in an op-ed piece in today's Washington Post, shockingly titled, "A GOP Plan to Oust Cheney."

Are things really that bad among Republicans? You bet they are. The GOP is still reeling from its epic defeat in last year's elections, and lives in daily dread of next year's contest for the White House. It isn't hard to understand why.

Just take a look at the candidates fielded by each party. For the Democrats: Joe Biden, a Senator with awesome policy chops; Hillary Clinton, already a political legend whose star is in all probability still rising; Chris Dodd, who is rapidly becoming a one-man idea factory in this campaign; John Edwards, with proven populist appeal; Barack Obama, the ultimate political rock star; and Bill Richardson, with as impressive a resume as any person who has ever sought the Oval Office. For the Republicans: a crop of anonymous pols so generic and colorless that one of their own number coined the definitive collective moniker of dismissal for them all: Rudy McRomney.

But back to Sally Quinn. Surveying the beleaguered state of the current administration, Quinn recalls an anecdote concerning a previous Republican disaster in office, Richard Nixon, who, as an aside, is starting to look pretty good in comparison to George W. Bush. In Quinn's story, Barry Goldwater is wrestling with the dilemma of whether it is actually time to deliver the news to Nixon that the angry villagers are in full pitchfork mode and it is time to go. According to Quinn, a similar moment may be at hand for Dick Cheney, with John Warner as the messenger.

But that's not the really desperate part. No, the really desperate part of this story is that Quinn goes on to postulate that Cheney is replaced as Vice President by - wait for it - Fred Thompson, whose rise to power heals the party at a stroke, reverses the country's historically low estimation of the GOP, and allows Thompson to ride his white charger roughshod over all challengers to win the Presidency with ease.

And it appears that some in the GOP are seriously considering the scenario Quinn discusses in her article. But that's not the story. The story is that current circumstances and future prospects are so bad for Republicans (or should that be Republicants?) that they resort to this sort of utter fantasy for comfort.

As the sloganeers of the gun lobby might put it, Dick Cheney will give up his office only when they pry it from his cold, dead hands. That Republicans dream otherwise shows the true extent of their desperation.