New Richardson Ad: "When I Began"

Days Until Bush Leaves Office = 447

Bill Richardson is running a new ad in Iowa starting today. Titled, "When I Began," the ad features Richardson speaking directly into the camera and discussing his character, experience and his goals.

Here's the script for the ad:

“I’m Bill Richardson … and when I began this campaign for president, I wasn’t sure what to expect. I knew I wouldn’t have every answer … but I’ll always tell you what I really believe. And I’ll never mislead you.

I knew there’d be differences between the candidates. Especially on Iraq. I’ll get
every soldier out. You can’t say you’ll end the war if you plan to leave thousands
of troops behind. The Iraqis sure won’t think the war is over.

And when I began this campaign, I knew we had to get rid of No Child Left Behind,
reverse global warming, and cover every American with health insurance.

If you’re wondering if anyone can really do all this … just look at what I’ve done
in my life and how I’ve done it. Not by dividing people. But by earning their trust. And that’s really where we need to begin in Iraq. There is a way out.

I approved this message because I’m sure not the best looking or the flashiest … but
I know who I am. And I know how hard I’ll work for you.”

And the ad itself:

New Clinton Ad: "There for You"

Days Until Bush Leaves Office = 448

Hillary Clinton is putting up a new ad in Iowa and New Hampshire, talking up her record on Social Security and respite care benefits for family members caring for ailing relatives. The obvious target audience: senior citizens.

Think this is because Hillary just turned the big six-o herself? Eh, no. Seniors are by far the age group most likely to turn up on caucus night in Iowa and vote in the New Hampshire primary. 'Nuff said.

Here's the script for the ad:

Announcer: When George Bush threatened to privatize social security,
Hillary was there fighting every step of the way to stop him.

And she was there for every senior who needs round-the-clock-
Care, creating a law to ease the burden on family caregivers.

She's still there fighting to stop long term care insurance scams that prey on the elderly.
These days, it seems like every candidate on earth is coming here for
You.

But which candidate has been there for you all along?

Hillary Clinton: I'm Hillary Clinton and I approved this message.

And the ad itself:

Philadelphia Debate Watch Parties

Days Until Bush Leaves Office = 448

This morning I received a press release from Joe Biden's presidential campaign announcing a number of watch parties across Iowa for tomorrow's debate in Philadelphia. Details are below.

If anyone knows of watch parties being organized by other campaigns, email the details to iPol.blog@mac.com, and I'll add them as updates to this post.

Des Moines:
Angelo’s Pizza
1310 Grand Avenue
West Des Moines, IA
Time: 7:00 PM
Contact: Raena Davis/515-440-2008

Waterloo:
Monica's Piano Bar
324 East 4th Street
Waterloo, IA
Time: 7:30 PM
Contact: Josh Alcorn/319-433-6285

Elkader:
Home of Rosemary and Roger Thomas
17658 Domino Road
Elkader, IA
Time: 7:00 PM
Contact: Ryan Keenan /563-556-5106

Davenport:
Home of Pat Johnson and Cheri Canier
1800 East Deer Creek Road
Clinton, IA
Time: 7:30 PM
Contact: Andy Amsler/302-559-7310

Cedar Rapids:
Home of Sara Riley
390 Green Valley Terrace
Cedar Rapids, IA
Time: 7:30 PM
Contact: Jennifer Huson/319-366-0218

Iowa City:
Rick's Grille and Spirits
1705 South First Ave
Iowa City, IA
Time: 7:45 PM
Contact: Holly Savage/319-331-9389

Osceola:
Home of Linda and U.J. Booth
1011 Harken Hills Drive
Osceola, IA
Time: 7:30 PM
Contact: Katrina Arnold/720-936-7754

Dubuque:
Teri & John Goodman
1306 Tomahawk Drive
Dubuque, IA
Time: 7:30 PM
Contact: Ellen Goodman/563-542-6421

Council Bluffs:
Home of Linda Rhatigan
502 North Sierra Drive
Council Bluffs, IA
Time: 7:30 PM
Contact: David Sabados/712-322-1880

Ottumwa:
Home of John Anderson
101 Hill Avenue
Ottumwa, IA
Contact: John Anderson/641-226-2841

"As Basic As It Gets" - Dodd Announces Opposition to Mukasey as Attorney General

Days Until Bush Leaves Office = 448

In a conference call with reporters earlier today, Senator and presidential candidate Chris Dodd elaborated on his announcement that he will oppose confirmation of Michael Mukasey to be the next Attorney General of the United States.

Citing testimony by Mukasey, a former federal judge, that seems to defend the idea that a president is free to disregard federal statutes when acting in the capacity of Commander in Chief, Dodd said, "That's about as basic as it gets. [As president] you must obey the law. Everyone must." Dodd continued that the idea that presidential powers supersede those of Congress and the courts is "a continuation of the Alberto Gonzales mentality at the Justice Department...we are a nation of laws, and not [of] men."

Dodd's comments today go beyond the concerns raised by all the Democratic members of the Senate Judiciary Committee earlier this month over Mukasey's vague replies regarding the legality of waterboarding and other coercive interrogation techniques (yes, as a nation we now employ an entire suite of horrific interrogation methods; how nice for us) and go to more fundamental issues about whether Mukasey, as the country's chief law enforcement officer, would uphold the rule of law over presidential fiat.

In my view, Dodd is right in opposing this nomination, or the nomination of anyone who feels that laws passed by Congress can be ignored whenever a president says he (or she) is breaking those laws in pursuit of the national security. As a nation, we have already gone so far down that rabbit hole that restoring the Constitution is actually in play as an issue in the presidential campaign. Confirming Mukasey as attorney general would only compound and reinforce this trend, and I commend Chris Dodd for getting out in front on this issue. It really is, as Dodd said today, as basic as it gets.

29 Days Later

Days Until Bush Leaves Office = 452

The Bush administration today announced a broad package of sanctions against Iran. This development, coming as it does just 29 days after Senate passage of the Kyl-Lieberman resolution designating Iran's Revolutionary Guard as a terrorist organization, strikes me as a significant, and worrying, acceleration in the on-going confrontation with Iran over its nuclear program.

As of this writing, Democratic presidential candidates Hillary Clinton, Chris Dodd, John Edwards and Barack Obama have issued statements responding to the imposition of sanctions. Of all of them, Chris Dodd's is of particular merit:

"I recognize the obvious threat a nuclear Iran poses to the region and beyond, and that we must stop Iran's continued support for international terrorism.

"Unfortunately, the action taken by the Administration today comes in the context of escalating rhetoric and drumbeat to military action against Iran.

"I am deeply concerned that once again the President is opting for military action as a first resort.

"The glaring omission of any new diplomatic measures by the President today is the reason I voted, and urged my colleagues to vote, against the Kyl -Lieberman resolution on September 26.

"The aggressive actions taken today by the Administration absent any corresponding diplomatic action is exactly what we all should have known was coming when we considered our vote on the Kyl-Lieberman Amendment, and smacks, frankly, of a dangerous step toward armed confrontation with Iran."

Chris Dodd is absolutely right about this. Sanctions, and their effects, do not operate in a vacuum. Sanctions are used to reinforce diplomacy, or military preparations, and sometimes both at once. The sanctions against Iran announced today are being introduced in an atmosphere devoid of diplomatic initiatives, which strongly suggests they are intended in aid of preparation for military action. Worse still, since no other nations joined the United States in imposing sanctions today, that would mean unilateral military action.

Chris Dodd's statement shows that he knows how to keep his eye on the ball. While Dodd's references to Kyl-Lieberman are clearly aimed at Hillary Clinton, who has faced, and largely deserved, heavy criticism for her vote in favor of that resolution, he reserves his main points for the larger issue of the sanctions themselves and what they might indicate about future U.S. actions regarding Iran. John Edwards spent his statement in a direct frontal assault at Clinton for voting in favor of Kyl-Lieberman, making it seem as though he thinks these sanctions are little more than a nifty opportunity to score some political points against a rival. Barack Obama also issued a statement referring to Kyl-Lieberman, which, frankly, would carry a lot more weight but for the fact that Obama didn't even show up to vote on the resolution.

Chris Dodd is showing honest-to-goodness leadership on this issue. In doing so, he distinguishes himself as being one of the few candidates in this race who knows exactly where the line between politics and statesmanship is, and is wise and experienced enough not to cross it.

The Kyl-Lieberman resolution passed the Senate 29 days ago; 29 days from now, when the Bush administration's Iran policy may well take us who-knows-where, we may look back at what Chris Dodd said today and ask ourselves why more of us didn't listen.

Florida GOP Chair Lets Slip Plan for Bush Third Term

Days Until Bush Leaves Office = 454

Whether he intended to or not, Florida Republican Party Chairman Jim Greer yesterday issued a press statement which seemingly confirms what many people throughout the world have worried may be in the cards: a secret plan to keep George W. Bush in office for a third term.

In a statement responding to the RNC Executive Committee’s recommendation to strip the Florida GOP of half its delegates to next year’s national convention as a penalty for holding the state's primary earlier than party rules allow, Greer said, "While we disagree with the Republican National Committee's recommendation to sanction the state of Florida, at the end of the day this is a disagreement among friends and we recognize that we are all working towards a common goal: re-electing a Republican president in 2008."

Read those words again: "re-electing a Republican president in 2008." A slip of the tongue? Or an inadvertent confirmation of a secret plan for the ultimate circumvention of the Constitution?

OK, so it’s a slip of the tongue. From a GOP state chairman. In, er, Florida, no less. A slip of the tongue. Definitely. I mean, no one would be crazy enough think they could stay in office when the constitution expressly forbids it. Right? I mean, not even George W. Bush. Or…um…Dick Cheney. *starting to sweat* A slip of the tongue. Probably. That’s all. Yes, I’m pretty sure. Or a joke, maybe? *weak laughter*

Yeah, that must be it.


[Note to readers: no, I haven’t been launched on a mission to Planet Kucinich. The Greer press statement is real, and quoted verbatim. But the fuss made about it above is in jest.]

[Note to Kucinich’s people: if you run with this, I want royalties.]

Role Call of The Heartless

Days Until Bush Leaves Office = 460

Here is a complete list of members of Congress who today voted to deny health care to millions of American children. Shame on every last one of you:

Robert Aderholt, Todd Akin, Rodney Alexander, Michele Bachmann, Spencer Bachus, Richard Baker, J. Gresham Barrett, Roscoe Bartlett, Joe Barton, Judith Biggert, Brian Bilbray, Gus Bilirakis, Rob Bishop, Marsha Blackburn, Roy Blunt, John Boehner, Jo Bonner, John Boozman, Charles Boustany, Kevin Brady, Paul Broun, Henry Brown, Ginny Brown-Waite, Michael Burgess, Dan Burton, Steve Buyer, Ken Calvert, Dave Camp, John Campbell, Chris Cannon, Eric Cantor, John Carter, Steve Chabot, Howard Coble, Tom Cole, Michael Conaway, Ander Crenshaw, Barbara Cubin, John Culberson, Geoff Davis, David Davis, Nathan Deal, Mario Diaz-Balart, Lincoln Diaz-Balart, John Doolittle, Thelma Drake, David Dreier, John 'Jimmy' Duncan, Terry Everett, Mary Fallin, Tom Feeney, Jeff Flake, Randy Forbes, Jeff Fortenberry, Virginia Foxx, Trent Franks, Rodney Frelinghuysen, Elton Gallegly, Scott Garrett, Phil Gingrey, Louie Gohmert, Virgil Goode, Bob Goodlatte, Kay Granger, Sam Graves, Ralph Hall, J. Dennis Hastert, Doc Hastings, Robin Hayes, Dean Heller, Jeb Hensarling, Wally Herger, Peter Hoekstra, Kenny Hulshof, Duncan Hunter, Bob Inglis, Darrell Issa, Tim Johnson, Sam Johnson, Walter Jones, Jim Jordan, Ric Keller, Steve King, Jack Kingston, John Kline, Joe Knollenberg, Randy Kuhl, Doug Lamborn, Jerry Lewis, Ron Lewis, John Linder, Frank Lucas, Daniel Lungren, Connie Mack, Donald Manzullo, Kenny Marchant, Kevin McCarthy, Michael McCaul, Thad McCotter, Jim McCrery, Patrick McHenry, Buck McKeon, John Mica, Jeff Miller, Gary Miller, Marilyn Musgrave, Sue Myrick, Randy Neugebauer, Devin Nunes, Ron Paul, Stevan Pearce, Mike Pence, John Peterson, Chip Pickering, Joe Pitts, Ted Poe, Tom Price, Adam Putnam, George Radanovich, Thomas Reynolds, Mike Rogers, Hal Rogers, Mike Rogers, Dana Rohrabacher, Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, Peter Roskam, Edward Royce, Paul Ryan, Bill Sali, Jim Saxton, Jean Schmidt, Jim Sensenbrenner, Pete Sessions, John Shadegg, John Shimkus, Bill Shuster, Adrian Smith, Lamar Smith, Mark Souder, Cliff Stearns, John Sullivan, Tom Tancredo, Lee Terry, Mac Thornberry, Todd Tiahrt, Timothy Walberg, Greg Walden, Zachary Wamp, Dave Weldon, Jerry Weller, Lynn Westmoreland, Ed Whitfield, Roger Wicker, Joe Wilson, Jim Marshall, Gene Taylor

Candidate Reactions to CHIP Override Vote

Days Until Bush Leaves Office = 460

Joe Biden: “I am deeply disappointed first that the President chose to veto this crucial legislation and second, that the House failed to override his veto. Every single child in this country should have health insurance. Instead of making progress toward this goal, the President and Republicans in the House are turning their backs on 9 million children.”

“Despite this blow, I am committed to continue working with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle until our kids have the health coverage they need and deserve.”

Hillary Clinton: “It is deeply disappointing that a small minority of Republicans in Congress have put loyalty to this president ahead of healthcare for millions of children. But we will not give up until a bill becomes law. I will keep fighting to enact a bipartisan bill that provides affordable coverage to America’s children.”

Chris Dodd: “Today's vote in the House to uphold the President's shameful veto of the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) is yet another reminder of the consequences of disastrous priorities on the part of this White House. With the resources it takes to execute just over three months of the Iraq War, we could fully fund the expansion of health care for needy children that Bush vetoed."

John Edwards: "Today is another sad example of how broken Washington is. Instead of standing up for children and health care, House Republicans have decided to stand up for special interests and lobbyists. From this day forward, House Republicans are on notice. When I am the Democratic nominee, the days of Republican members who voted against children's health care will be numbered. We are taking names and, together, as one party, we will campaign against them."

"Sadly, there is strong message here for Democrats and Republicans. We should never have to consider selling out to lobbyists when it comes to the health of our kids. If universal health care is ever going to be more than a dream, we need to do more than change the president. We need to elect strong Democratic majorities in the House and Senate with the backbone to stand up to the big insurance and drug companies that are going to do everything they can to block universal health care. We need a strong ticket from top to bottom that will compete and win everywhere in America.

"And, when I am the Democratic nominee, we will not only win the White House, we will make every Republican who stands against children's health care pay the price."

Barack Obama: "Four million American children were denied basic health coverage today because Washington politicians failed to stand up to this President’s disgraceful veto. At a time when we’re spending billions of dollars on a war that never should’ve been authorized and giving billions in tax breaks to the wealthiest Americans, Washington’s failure shows a callousness of priorities that is offensive to the ideals we hold as Americans.

When I am President, I will sign a universal health care bill into law by the end of my first term that will cover every American and cut costs more dramatically than any other plan offered by a candidate in this race. And I’ll do it by bringing Republicans and Democrats together, like I did when I expanded health care for an additional 150,000 children and their parents as an Illinois state Senator."

Bill Richardson: "By siding with the President on this failed override vote, 154 Republican members of Congress chose to protect President Bush's misguided view, rather than protect the health of 10 million children nationwide. This President needs to stop playing politics with the lives and health of 20,000 New Mexico children and start supporting this bipartisan legislation, which is the highest health care priority for Governors across the country."

UI & Brookings Institution Present Forum on Energy and National Security

Days Until Bush Leaves Office = 461

Tonight, October 17, the University of Iowa is teaming up with the Brookings Institution to present a forum on energy and national security, with particular focus on the place of biofuels and other alternative energy sources in the policy debate leading into next year's presidential election.

I've had the opportunity to review some of the white papers that will be discussed at tonight's forum, and they present some of the very best thinking about these issues to be found anywhere. These papers, "Tackling Trade and Climate Change: Leadership on the Home Front of Foreign Policy," by William Antholis and Strobe Talbott, "Stemming Nuclear Proliferation: Prevent and Manage the Rise of New Nuclear Powers," by Stephen P. Cohen and Michael E. O'Hanlon, and "Ending Oil Dependence: Protecting National Security, the Environment and the Economy," by David Sandalow, address separate policy issues, but share a strong interconnection. A common theme in each of the papers is the need for the next president to restore America's international leadership by first forging domestic political consensus; that, in turn, will require a president with the will to confront complicated issues and the commitment to work through those issues with both parties in Congress, and all segments and regions of our economy and society. A tough challenge, certainly, and it highlights an important consideration for selecting whom among the candidates most deserves your support: which candidate best combines the vision, the commitment and political skill to restore America's international leadership by building domestic consensus on the key issues facing the country, and, indeed, the wider international community?

These are all vital issues, and anyone interested in soaking up some truly cutting-edge thinking about them should attend tonight's event. Details are below, courtesy of the University of Iowa Lecture Committee.

When: Wednesday, October 17, 2007 at 7:30 PM
Where: Iowa Memorial Union
University of Iowa
125 North Madison St.
Iowa City, IA 52245
What: Energy and National Security: The Role of Biofuels in America's Policy Debate
Contact: Sharon Benzoni, Chair, University Lecture Committee
sharon-benzoni@uiowa.edu
319.335.3255

This event is open to the public and registration is not required.

The Event: The forum will consist of two panels, the first of which will discuss energy security and alternative energy sources, specifically focusing on biofuels. The second will discuss the role that energy plays in America's foreign policy. Each panel will discuss questions from the moderator for about 45 minutes, followed by a 15 minute question and answer session with the audience.

We are working with student and activist groups, as well as some of the UI’s departments and institutes, to generate some of the questions that will be asked during the forum.

The Moderator: Dean Borg of IPTV

The Panelists:
David B. Sandalow, an Energy and Environment Scholar at Brookings, is an expert on energy policy and global warming. During the Clinton administration, Sandalow served as assistant secretary of state for oceans, environment and science and as a senior director on the staff of the National Security Council. Sandalow will be releasing a book entitled, "Freedom from Oil: How the Next President Can End the U.S. Oil Addiction."

William Antholis, managing director of Brookings. Antholis has worked on foreign security and economic policy at the National Security Council and the State Department, and was director of studies at the German Marshall Fund of the United States.

Michael E. O'Hanlon, senior fellow at Brookings. O'Hanlon specializes in Iraq, North Korea, homeland security, the use of military force and other defense issues. He advised members of Congress on military spending as a defense budget analyst. He is the director of Opportunity 08.

John Miranowski, professor of economics and director of Institute of Science and Society at Iowa State University (ISU). Miranowski has previously served as director of the Resources and Technology Division of the U.S. Department of Agriculture Economic Research Service and was executive coordinator of the Secretary of Agriculture's Policy Coordination Council.

Steven Fales, associate director of the Office of Biorenewables Programs and professor in the Department of Agronomy at ISU. Fales coordinates the College of Agriculture's Bioeconomy Initiative, which focuses on developing technologies for converting crops and plant materials into chemicals, fuels, fibers and energy.

Jerry Schnoor, co-director of the UI College of Engineering's Center for Global and Regional Environmental Research. Schnoor, who also serves as Allen S. Henry Chair in Engineering in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and research engineer at IIHR-Hydroscience & Engineering, has extensive environmental research experience. He recently chaired a U.S. biofuels production colloquium for the National Research Council at the National Academy of Sciences.

Mani Subramanian, director of the UI Center for Biocatalysis and Bioprocessing (CBB) and professor in the Department of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering. Prior to coming to the CBB, Subramanian was the global research and development director of biotechnology, bioprocessing and bioinformatics at the Dow Chemical Company.

Tonya Peeples, associate professor of chemical and biochemical engineering at the UI. Peeples' work focuses on research in the field of organisms that thrive in extreme environments. She is a member of the CBB and is director of the Ethnic Inclusion Effort for Iowa Engineering.

For more about the Brookings Institution's Opportunity '08 forums, please visit www.opportunity08.org.

How Many More Victories Can John Edwards Survive?

Days Until Bush Leaves Office = 462

I sat in on a conference call hosted by the John Edwards campaign yesterday. The purpose of the call was to trumpet Edwards' winning the endorsement of the Iowa chapter of the SEIU, comprised of about 2,000 members statewide. Among the participants were national campaign manager and former congressman David Bonior, communications director Chris Kofinis, Iowa state director Jennifer O'Malley-Dillon, and other senior staff.

After detailed expository remarks about the importance of gaining the endorsement of the SEIU's Iowa chapter, and hinting at additional endorsements to follow later in the day (indeed, nine more SEIU state chapters followed the Iowa chapter's lead in endorsing Edwards before the day was out), the Edwards staff threw the call open to Q&A. The most pointed question, asked in slightly different forms by several members of the media, was how much effect the Iowa endorsement had in assuaging the campaign's disappointment at not winning the endorsement of the SEIU national council. David Bonior in particular was quick to try to deflect that question away from the Edwards campaign, and towards the Clinton and Obama campaigns, stressing how hard the others tried to first win the national SEIU endorsement, and then tried to block the Edwards campaign from gaining the Iowa endorsement. Without putting it in so many words, Bonior went so far as to assert that not winning the SEIU national endorsement was in fact a victory for the Edwards campaign, since no other campaign won it, either.

No one with even a vague understanding of the Iowa caucuses, or Democratic politics in general, would discount the importance of union support. Indeed, the endorsement of The International Association of Fire Fighters is probably the decisive factor allowing Chris Dodd to stay in the race until caucus night. And as Bonior and the other Edwards staffers pointed out during yesterday's conference call, political organizers dispatched by unions are among the best in the business, and can provide a significant boost to a candidate's ground game. And the nine other SEIU state chapters joining the Iowa chapter in endorsing John Edwards yesterday have a combined membership of some 930,000, a big number in anybody's book.

So, yes, all of those things are true. And still none of them can erase the central and overriding fact that John Edwards' not winning the SEIU national endorsement is, quite simply, not winning. It is losing. There is no victory in getting 10 state SEIU chapters to support you when you have spent more than three years working to win the combined support of all 50 state chapters in the form of a national endorsement; far from it. It is a defeat of the first magnitude.

Similarly, Edwards' announcement late last month that he is opting in to public financing of his campaign, and thereby accepting the spending limits that are a condition of receiving federal matching dollars, was not, as he told CNN, "taking a stand, a principled stand, and I believe in public financing." This belief would seem to have come to Edwards late in a year when he has been working as hard as anyone to raise campaign cash, and just happened to precede by a few days definitive confirmation that his fundraising numbers have dropped alarmingly from earlier quarters. A victory for principle, or a triumph of spin?

So it is that the Iowa SEIU "victory" extends John Edwards' summer slump into the autumn, and, as much as anything, serves to highlight the extent to which the Edwards campaign continues to fall short of achieving every single one of its major goals. One has to wonder how many more such victories his campaign can survive.