Bob Graham hints on Saturday that the end may be near for his Presidential bid. If so, bully for him for seeing the writing on the wall. (Besides, an early bow-out can’t hurt his veep credentials.)
Category: Election 2004
Wes Clark’s Wars.
A former Kosovo War reporter evaluates Wesley Clark’s tenure as NATO commander, and finds that much of the recent criticism leveled the General’s way may be somewhat unfair. In related news, the Village Voice offers a less-sympathetic view of Clark regarding the recent admissions in his new book, Winning Modern Wars.
Shades of Watergate.
From out the mists of history, Watergate figures weigh in on Felonygate and this administration’s total lack of credibility: Nixon counsel John Dean calls the Bushies worse than his old employers, while Daniel Ellsberg argues that the Plumbers are back. Says Ellsberg of the Plame situation, “I see an almost identical pattern here [between his own experience and Plame’s]. Really, I don’t know of any analogy so close in the 30 years between now and then. This is not an everyday occurrence.” In related news, it turns out that the Bushies have lied again — this time, Wolfowitz & co. drastically overstated the health of the Iraqi oil industry, despite a Pentagon report to the contrary, so as to minimize the cost of Iraqi reconstruction for American taxpayers. Typical.
What’s Good for the Goose.
The political quagmire thickens for Dubya on the matter of the compromised CIA agent, with 2/3rds of Americans supporting the appointment of a special prosecutor into the matter. The GOP invested millions of taxpayer dollars in the vain search for a felony they could stick on the Clinton White House…let’s hope they show the same resolve and fortitude now that we’ve found an actual felon within this administration. If they can get that worked up over Monica Lewinsky, I can’t wait to see how they’ll respond to a criminal act of treason by one of the Bushies.
Space Cadet.
General Wesley Clark stumps for faster-than-light travel in New Hampshire. “I still believe in e=mc², but I can’t believe that in all of human history, we’ll never ever be able to go beyond the speed of light to reach where we want to go. I happen to believe that mankind can do it…It’s my only faith-based initiative.” Well, I guess he’s up on Dubya, who’s still trying to work out evolution. At the same rally, Clark introduced Professor John Frink as his potential National Science Advisor. “Suppose we extend the square beyond the two dimensions of our universe… along the hypothetical Z axis, there…”
War Chests.
In other campaign news, Bush outtpaced Dean — the leading Democratic fund-raiser — by a factor of three in the past three months, and has now raised $82.5 million for his 2004 campaign. No money for jobs, no money for rebuilding Iraq…but plenty to go around for Dubya’s re-election. Go figure.
Goldwater Country Drops Dubya.
In another dismal poll for the Bushies, only a third of Arizonans want to keep Dubya in 2004. (Bush won the state by 6 in 2000.) Would the land of McCain go instead for a Clark or Dean?
Dean Deserters?
Is General Clark eating into Dean’s numbers? Perhaps, but I don’t think it matters all that much at the moment. As stories on the frosty relationship between the two suggest, Dean is already a top-tier candidate – it’s the gaggle of media-hungry candidates below him that should most worry about the Clark buzz and ensuing press vacuum. For another, Dean’s the only Dem candidate right now other than Clark who seems to attract true believers (as any number of weblogs will attest.) Sure, the Doctor may be losing waverers – but I’d bet he has the largest number of core supporters going, and they seem more committed and battle-tested than Clark’s new volunteer army.
Between Iraq and a Hard Place.
Facing the lowest numbers of his presidency and a increasingly troubling lack of WMD, Dubya fails to garner any new international support for the reconstruction of Iraq. And what did he expect, after waltzing into the UN and insulting the intelligence of the world? Amateur hour continues at our nation’s peril.
Battle Cry of Falsehood.
In the bookmarks for awhile: James McPherson, author of Battle Cry of Freedom and current head of the AHA, criticizes Dubya’s use of revisionist history and “revisionist history.”