Bush Endorsement Costs Mayor
In the final days of the campaign, St. Paul Mayor Randy Kelly "is fighting to keep a 30-year political career alive" after the Democratic mayor angered many with his endorsement of President Bush in last year's election. A Star Tribune Minnesota Poll of likely voters shows him trailing former City Council member Chris Coleman by 41 points, 66% to 25%.
The Washington Post has a good piece on how that fateful endorsement in on the verge of ending Kelly's political career.
McCain Courts Jerry Falwell
Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) "is taking action to make it hard for conservatives to write him off in the 2008 presidential race," Washington Whispers reports. "His office confirms that the maverick moderate recently met with the Rev. Jerry Falwell, a conservative icon who is influential with voters on the right."
"Also, as McCain prepares a campaign-style trip to South Carolina, critical in the 2008 GOP primaries, a key ally is putting himself in the good graces of conservatives. South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham is winning kudos from conservatives for backing Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito, raising his stature in the state and maybe even making his 2008 endorsement the key to victory. And should McCain win the state that derailed his 2000 bid, Graham would vault to the top of the veep list, say insiders."
White House Preparing for Rove Departure
From Time magazine: "Despite Karl Rove's flashes of ebullience in recent days and the insistence of friends that he is out of legal jeopardy, several of the most important lawyers who deal with special counsel Patrick Fitzgerald said they saw more clues last week that Fitzgerald is continuing to look into the possibility of charging Rove with lying to investigators or the grand jury or both."
If he's indicted, he'll have to leave immediately. And "if he leaves, he will not be alone. Several well-wired Administration officials predict that within a year, the President will have a new chief of staff and press secretary, probably a new Treasury Secretary and maybe a new Defense Secretary."
Newsweek implies Rove is in trouble even if he's not indicted. "At the very least, Rove misled White House officials and the public by allowing a Bush spokesman to say Rove had not been involved in discussions about Joseph Wilson, a critic of the administration's WMD rationale for the war in Iraq, and the fact that Wilson's wife worked at the CIA. Those assertions are now inoperative, as they used to say in the Watergate days."
Schwarzenegger Sours on Bush
Craig Crawford looks at the latest twist in the relationship between President Bush and California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R). "Both men are now fighting for their own political survival, and each is discovering that he is best served by ignoring the other. The governor?s liberal views on abortion and gay rights hamper the president?s efforts to hold his conservative base together."
"Bush is so unpopular here that it wasn?t enough for Schwarzenegger to simply avoid being seen with him. The state GOP spokeswoman, Karen Hanretty, went out of her way to trash the president on the eve of his visit last month, saying that 'unless President Bush is coming to California to hand over a check from the federal government to help us with the financial challenges we face, the visit seems ill-timed.'?
When Democrats took to the airwaves recently to compare the two politicians, Schwarzenegger "countered with a political play that could be quite telling for the 2008 presidential campaign. He reached out to Sen. John McCain (R-AZ). It seems that the man who lost the 2000 nomination to Bush is now the better photo opportunity."
Cheney's Office Implicated in Torture of Prisoners
Vice President Dick Cheney's office was responsible for issuing the directives which led to U.S. soldiers to abuse prisoners in Iraq and Afghanistan, according to a NPR interview with Col. Lawrence Wilkerson, former chief of staff to Secretary of State Colin Powell.
Wilkerson says he traced a trail of memos authorizing the questionable practices through Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld's office directly to Cheney's vice presidential staff.
Wilkerson paraphrased the directions given to U.S. soldiers: "We're not getting enough good intelligence and you need to get that evidence, and, oh, by the way, here's some ways you probably can get it. And even some of the ways that they detailed were not in accordance with the spirit of the Geneva Conventions and the law of war."
In recent weeks, Wilkerson has been very critical of the "cabal" run by Rumsfeld and Cheney in planning the Iraq war.
Another Republican Declines to Challenge Napolitano
The Arizona Republican Party's "quest for a top-tier candidate in the 2006 governor's race took another ominous turn Thursday when its latest 'best hope' bowed out, leaving party leaders wondering why they can't find a viable candidate to run against" Gov. Janet Napolitano (D), the Arizona Republic reports.
Former state transportation chief Mary Peters' "surprise exodus leaves the GOP without any established names to challenge Napolitano as 2006 draws near."
A poll we highlighted earlier this week shows Napolitano way ahead of all potential challengers.
Military backs down, will carry Ed Schultz Show overseas
John Byrne
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Armed Forces Radio has decided to include the Ed Schultz Show in overseas programming, RAW STORY has learned.
The show recently got into a fracas with the Defense Department after the liberal radio host called out Allison Barber, a deputy assistant secretary of defense, for staging a teleconference event between President Bush and U.S. soldiers in Iraq.
The Department had intended to begin carrying Schultz's show earlier, but that deal was put on hold after Schultz's remarks. Several Democratic senators then wrote to officials in the Defense Department.
The letter confirming Schultz's arrival on overseas military frequencies follows below. Schultz will share the airwaves with conservative radio maven Rush Limbaugh.
Armed Forces Radio provides U.S. radio and television programming, "a touch of home," to U.S. service men and women and their families serving abroad.
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In the final days of the campaign, St. Paul Mayor Randy Kelly "is fighting to keep a 30-year political career alive" after the Democratic mayor angered many with his endorsement of President Bush in last year's election. A Star Tribune Minnesota Poll of likely voters shows him trailing former City Council member Chris Coleman by 41 points, 66% to 25%.
The Washington Post has a good piece on how that fateful endorsement in on the verge of ending Kelly's political career.
McCain Courts Jerry Falwell
Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) "is taking action to make it hard for conservatives to write him off in the 2008 presidential race," Washington Whispers reports. "His office confirms that the maverick moderate recently met with the Rev. Jerry Falwell, a conservative icon who is influential with voters on the right."
"Also, as McCain prepares a campaign-style trip to South Carolina, critical in the 2008 GOP primaries, a key ally is putting himself in the good graces of conservatives. South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham is winning kudos from conservatives for backing Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito, raising his stature in the state and maybe even making his 2008 endorsement the key to victory. And should McCain win the state that derailed his 2000 bid, Graham would vault to the top of the veep list, say insiders."
White House Preparing for Rove Departure
From Time magazine: "Despite Karl Rove's flashes of ebullience in recent days and the insistence of friends that he is out of legal jeopardy, several of the most important lawyers who deal with special counsel Patrick Fitzgerald said they saw more clues last week that Fitzgerald is continuing to look into the possibility of charging Rove with lying to investigators or the grand jury or both."
If he's indicted, he'll have to leave immediately. And "if he leaves, he will not be alone. Several well-wired Administration officials predict that within a year, the President will have a new chief of staff and press secretary, probably a new Treasury Secretary and maybe a new Defense Secretary."
Newsweek implies Rove is in trouble even if he's not indicted. "At the very least, Rove misled White House officials and the public by allowing a Bush spokesman to say Rove had not been involved in discussions about Joseph Wilson, a critic of the administration's WMD rationale for the war in Iraq, and the fact that Wilson's wife worked at the CIA. Those assertions are now inoperative, as they used to say in the Watergate days."
Schwarzenegger Sours on Bush
Craig Crawford looks at the latest twist in the relationship between President Bush and California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R). "Both men are now fighting for their own political survival, and each is discovering that he is best served by ignoring the other. The governor?s liberal views on abortion and gay rights hamper the president?s efforts to hold his conservative base together."
"Bush is so unpopular here that it wasn?t enough for Schwarzenegger to simply avoid being seen with him. The state GOP spokeswoman, Karen Hanretty, went out of her way to trash the president on the eve of his visit last month, saying that 'unless President Bush is coming to California to hand over a check from the federal government to help us with the financial challenges we face, the visit seems ill-timed.'?
When Democrats took to the airwaves recently to compare the two politicians, Schwarzenegger "countered with a political play that could be quite telling for the 2008 presidential campaign. He reached out to Sen. John McCain (R-AZ). It seems that the man who lost the 2000 nomination to Bush is now the better photo opportunity."
Cheney's Office Implicated in Torture of Prisoners
Vice President Dick Cheney's office was responsible for issuing the directives which led to U.S. soldiers to abuse prisoners in Iraq and Afghanistan, according to a NPR interview with Col. Lawrence Wilkerson, former chief of staff to Secretary of State Colin Powell.
Wilkerson says he traced a trail of memos authorizing the questionable practices through Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld's office directly to Cheney's vice presidential staff.
Wilkerson paraphrased the directions given to U.S. soldiers: "We're not getting enough good intelligence and you need to get that evidence, and, oh, by the way, here's some ways you probably can get it. And even some of the ways that they detailed were not in accordance with the spirit of the Geneva Conventions and the law of war."
In recent weeks, Wilkerson has been very critical of the "cabal" run by Rumsfeld and Cheney in planning the Iraq war.
Another Republican Declines to Challenge Napolitano
The Arizona Republican Party's "quest for a top-tier candidate in the 2006 governor's race took another ominous turn Thursday when its latest 'best hope' bowed out, leaving party leaders wondering why they can't find a viable candidate to run against" Gov. Janet Napolitano (D), the Arizona Republic reports.
Former state transportation chief Mary Peters' "surprise exodus leaves the GOP without any established names to challenge Napolitano as 2006 draws near."
A poll we highlighted earlier this week shows Napolitano way ahead of all potential challengers.
Military backs down, will carry Ed Schultz Show overseas
John Byrne
Print This | Email This
Armed Forces Radio has decided to include the Ed Schultz Show in overseas programming, RAW STORY has learned.
The show recently got into a fracas with the Defense Department after the liberal radio host called out Allison Barber, a deputy assistant secretary of defense, for staging a teleconference event between President Bush and U.S. soldiers in Iraq.
The Department had intended to begin carrying Schultz's show earlier, but that deal was put on hold after Schultz's remarks. Several Democratic senators then wrote to officials in the Defense Department.
The letter confirming Schultz's arrival on overseas military frequencies follows below. Schultz will share the airwaves with conservative radio maven Rush Limbaugh.
Armed Forces Radio provides U.S. radio and television programming, "a touch of home," to U.S. service men and women and their families serving abroad.
#
