Republicans: they still exist, and they still suck at life
Rove tried to kill Lieberman VP pick
Republican strategist Karl Rove called Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman (I-Conn.) late last week and urged him to contact Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) to withdraw his name from vice presidential consideration, according to three sources familiar with the conversation.
Lieberman dismissed the request, these sources agreed.
Lieberman “laughed at the suggestion and certainly did not call [McCain] on it,” said one source familiar with the details.
“Rove called Lieberman,” recounted a second source. “Lieberman told him he would not make that call.”
Rove did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Rove, President Bush’s former top campaign adviser and arguably the most prominent political operative of the past generation, has no formal role in McCain’s campaign. But he knows much of the Arizona senator’s high command and has been offering informal advice, both over the phone and in his position as a Fox News analyst, since McCain wrapped up the GOP nomination.
His decision to wade into the vice presidential selection process could provide Democrats fresh ammunition to tie McCain to the polarizing Bush.
It is also chafing some Lieberman allies and others wary of the selection of former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney.
“Rove is pushing Romney so aggressively some folks are beginning to wonder what's going on,” grumbled one veteran Republican strategist.
From his perch on Fox, Rove has touted McCain’s fierce primary rival as strong vice presidential material.
“Romney is already vetted by the media, has strong executive experience both in business and in government, has an interesting story to tell with saving the U.S. Olympics, and also helps McCain deal with the economy, because he can speak to the economy with a fluency that McCain doesn’t have,” Rove said on “Fox News Sunday” in June.
The sources spoke about Rove’s involvement after Robert Novak, writing his first column since being diagnosed with brain cancer, reported Wednesday that McCain and some of his close associates would like to tap Lieberman for the number two slot but that putting an abortion-rights-supporting former Democrat on the Republican ticket was likely to be unrealistic.
The column said Lieberman had made that clear to McCain personally at the behest of a “close friend,” but a Lieberman source called that “totally and absolutely false.”
Reached by phone, Novak would say only: "I don't talk about my sources."
The maneuvering comes just days before McCain is to publicly unveil his pick Friday at a large rally in Ohio. A senior campaign official said Wednesday that McCain has settled on his ticket mate and that the person is to be notified Thursday.
Lieberman has his advocates, especially among those who believe McCain needs to make a transformative pick to help disassociate himself from Bush and the GOP, but most establishment Republicans believe tapping the Connecticut senator would blow up next week’s Republican convention in St. Paul, Minn., and create major problems for McCain and the conservative base of the party this fall.
A source close to Lieberman said: "If it's Lieberman, none of us know about it" - meaning staff, aides and friends. The source said Lieberman is currently on vacation on Long Island, N.Y.
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See also: Lieberman as VP hurts McCain's polling in Florida - LMAO.
Biden is wrench in McCain's VP choice
Democrat Barack Obama’s selection of Joe Biden as a running mate is complicating Republican John McCain’s analysis of his prospective vice presidential contenders.
Biden will make his formal debut Wednesday with a primetime address. McCain is expected to announce his pick after Obama accepts his nomination here on Thursday.
Some insiders are pressing McCain to make a strategic selection, one that beefs up his economic strength, enhances his chance to grab a state or amps up the partisan firepower.
“McCain knows Biden well. He knows how good he is as a knife fighter. He’ll take McCain apart,” said one Republican operative.
But a review of the much-rumored McCain shortlist clearly exposes the weaknesses each person on it might bring if matched up against the six-term senator from Delaware.
• The star of former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney seemed to be rising this summer in tandem with voters’ increasing anxiety about the economy.
But a McCain gaffe over how many homes he owns - he told Politico he didn’t know the exact number - would take on new life if multimillionaire Romney became his running mate.
Democrats already have calculated that the two men own a dozen homes between them, valued at a total of about $35 million.
That message could hurt McCain in two ways: It undercuts his argument that Obama is an out-of-touch elitist and would make Romney a poor match to Biden’s middle-class upbringing and common-man appeal on the stump.
• Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty’s strength is youth and executive experience. On television talk shows, he’s also shown a willingness to level attacks against Obama, although they are largely a reiteration of campaign talking points.
But Pawlenty, 48, may seem too young and inexperienced when measured against Biden, 65, who was elected to the U.S. Senate in 1972 - when the governor was just 12 years old.
During his service in the Senate, Biden has become a respected voice on foreign affairs. President Bush called him for advice after the Sept. 11 attacks.
Biden also is a two-time presidential candidate and a skilled sparring partner with years of practice against Republicans in the upper chamber - experiences that have given him a familiarity with partisan debate on the national stage that Pawlenty lacks.
A nationally televised Biden-Pawlenty debate “is unthinkable,” said one Republican insider.
• Former Homeland Security Director Tom Ridge could be a better match to Biden’s national security credentials. Ridge’s service in the Bush administration after the Sept. 11 attacks provided a crash course on terrorism and national security issues.
As a former Pennsylvania governor, he could be a powerful counterweight to Biden’s Catholic upbringing in Scranton, a working-class Keystone State enclave that went heavily for Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton in the primaries but could be up for grabs in November.
Ridge also is capable of throwing stinging political punches and has become a mainstay on the political talk-show circuit.
But there are downsides to a Ridge selection.
He is a supporter of abortion rights, which would aggravate McCain’s already uneasy alliance with his party’s conservative wing.
Ridge has tried to assuage conservatives about his abortion stance by stating that he would defer to McCain’s position calling for overturning the landmark Roe v. Wade ruling establishing abortion rights.
But such a nuanced position would be fertile turf for Biden to try to accomplish two goals: painting Ridge as a flip-flopper and driving a wedge between McCain and many independent and swing women voters on the abortion issue.
Another Ridge weakness is that a consulting firm he created after serving in the Bush administration recently disclosed a large lobbying contract with Albania.
Obama would seize on that contract to undermine McCain’s efforts to position himself as a crusader against the professional advocacy class.
While McCain aides are pressing for a strategic pick, insiders say the independent-minded Arizona senator has approached the decision through the lens of governing: Who would add value to policy debates, and who is best prepared to step into the top spot?
• That approach tends to enhance the credentials of Connecticut Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman, a recently turned independent who has an easy rapport with McCain and who has already run for vice president as a Democrat.
But Lieberman’s long history as a Democrat could make for a bizarre debate with Biden - with the two of them sharing long records supporting labor causes and abortion rights and a host of other issues that would infuriate McCain’s activist base.
In essence, said one insider, a Lieberman pick “means McCain would run a campaign without a core constituency of the Republican Party.”
Phyllis Schlafly, of the conservative Eagle Forum, was more blunt: “I think there would be a walkout on Lieberman at the convention. He’s not a Republican.”
McCain’s rethinking doesn’t mean that the Biden pick doesn’t open some doors.
While Biden enhances Obama’s foreign policy credentials, he doesn’t represent an effort to reach out to moderate voters. Both men are ranked among the Senate’s most liberal members.
Brian Darling, a political analyst at the Heritage Foundation, says McCain doesn’t “need to answer” the Biden pick and could take advantages of the geographic flexibility it suddenly offers him.
“If this election is going to be as close as the polls indicate, Joe Biden doesn’t change the map at all,” said Darling.
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Iraq says U.S. sought troop presence to 2015
The United States asked Iraq for permission to maintain a troop presence there to 2015, but U.S. and Iraqi negotiators agreed to limit their authorization to 2011, Iraqi President Jalal Talabani said.
"It was a U.S. proposal for the date which is 2015, and an Iraqi one which is 2010, then we agreed to make it 2011. Iraq has the right, if necessary, to extend the presence of these troops," Talabani said in an interview with al-Hurra television, a transcript of which was posted on his party's website on Wednesday.
U.S. officials in Baghdad were not immediately available for comment.
Details have been slowly emerging about negotiations for the bilateral security pact, which U.S. and Iraqi officials say are close to conclusion.
The agreement will provide a legal basis for U.S. troops to remain in Iraq after a United Nations mandate expires at the end of this year.
Earlier this week, Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki said that, while overall negotiations continued, the two sides had accepted the end of 2011 as an end date for the presence of the approximately 145,000 U.S. troops stationed in Iraq.
The emerging points of agreement reflect the increasing assertiveness of the Maliki government as it seeks to define the future of the U.S. presence in Iraq.
They also reflect the political pressures that Maliki faces at home more than five years after the U.S.-led invasion to topple Saddam Hussein.
U.S. officials stress that no final agreement has been made. A final deal will need to be approved by the Iraqi parliament.
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Brian Schweitzer: The New Barack Obama?
Though Hillary Clinton gave an extraordinary address yesterday night -- relaxed and emotive and far more impassioned than at the fine auto-eulogy I saw her deliver in June -- I'd like to declare Montana Governor Brian Schweitzer the MVP of Tuesday night.
Not only was Schweitzer's delivery emphatic and simple--his mien was entirely genuine, a reality only enhanced by his bolo tie. The governor, an irrigation specialist and practicing Catholic, got the meat of these two identities across without being pedantic, speaking of a crucifix in his home and the environmental battles he fights as an executive with fluency. Voters can smell inauthenticity, which perhaps unfairly, plagued Senate candidate Mark Warner during his keynote just prior--and that was not a whiff of that surrounding Schweitzer (in fact, the governor, who described himself off the bat as a "rancher", regularly wears bolo ties).
He really should have been the keynoter--and even without it, could well be the Barack Obama of 2008. When I was reporting out this piece on how Obama landed his 2004 keynote, many strategists told me that demographic considerations are perhaps even more at play than when selecting a vice president. This probably favored Warner, who in his technocratic, dutiful speech seemed to dampen his fighting Dem credentials for the folks watching in Virginia. There's no guarantee Montana goes blue--but it's a shame the networks ran Warner's address (an honor even Obama did not receive at the Boston convention), because Schweitzer really embodied the message Democrats must take to "regular" America.
A quick Google investigation* of the governor reveals an appearance at an American Prospect event in which he lays out the very case for casting him as a major face of the party in future: "[People] like what we Democrats do when we're elected--we just have to be more likeable when we're doing the things they like." And oh, was he. Beyond his endearing tics--the A-OK hand gestures, his refrences to "industry"--he got off some great jabs at McCain, and his hokey but effective pep-rally techniques were straight from the heartland. ("Is it time for a change?" -- "YESSSS!" "When do we need it?" "NOOOOOW!") He was patient with the crowd, and looked like he'd swallowed the canary when it met his exhortations to "stand up" with an overwhelming ovation at the end.
Further, Schweitzer has solid credentials as a nonpartisan doer. As an extraordinarily popular governor of a "red" state (more like fiercely independent), he laid out pretty early that he'd tapped a Republican as his lieutenant, and that they'd worked to bring bipartisan solutions to their state. He's also got a master's in soil science. As such, and as an energy action zealot myself, I thought Schweitzer was just the person to give a forceful delivery of the environmental platform for the Democrats this year. He's really into the issue--and delivered a strong message, I think in a more credible, unfussy manner than when former Energy Secretary Federico Pena spoke an hour earlier.
The stand of trees imposed on the screen behind Schweitzer fairly shimmered as he said some very, very important things to the American people about energy:
Barack Obama knows there's no single platform for energy independence. It's not a question of either wind or clean coal, solar or hydrogen, oil or geothermal. We need them all to create a strong American energy system, a system built on American innovation.
After eight years of a White House waiting hand and foot on big oil, John McCain offers more of the same. At a time of skyrocketing fuel prices, when American families are struggling to keep their gas tanks full, John McCain voted 25 times against renewable and alternative energy. Against clean biofuels. Against solar power. Against wind energy.
...
Even leaders in the oil industry know that Senator McCain has it wrong. We simply can't drill our way to energy independence, even if you drilled in all of John McCain's backyards, including the ones he can't even remember.
That single-answer proposition is a dry well, and here's why. America consumes 25 percent of the world's oil, but has less than 3 percent of the reserves. You don't need a $2 calculator to figure that one out. There just isn't enough oil in America, on land or offshore, to meet America's full energy needs.
Schweitzer's most important line on this topic focused on efficiency, and he milked it: "Barack Obama understands the most important barrel of oil is the one you don't use." After a fleeting hesitation, that, too got a huge cheer from the crowd. Energy conservation and efficiency and indepedence is not over our collective heads, and I think this speech demonstrated as much. That, coupled with the mix of solutions he laid out for the audience, was some fine political messaging. And the last line, clearly ad-libbed: "That's it baby--let's go win this election!" was dynamite.
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McAuliffe Considering 09 Bid for Governor
Terry McAuliffe, a former chairman of the Democratic National Committee and a key adviser to Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-NY.) is considering running for governor of Virginia next year.
McAuliffe spoke to the Virginia delegation at the Democratic National Convention this morning. After his speech in support of Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.), McAuliffe distributed free copies of his latest book. He then spent nearly an hour signing autographs and chatting with the delegates.
Rumors that McAuliffe is interested in being governor of Virginia have been percolating around the convention all week. In an interview with reporters after his speech, McAuliffe did little to dampen speculation that he was considering entering next year's race for the Democratic nomination.
"I'm focused on this election, I am going full time for Senator Obama," said McAuliffe, who lives in McLean. "But I never rule anything out. ...Everyday is a new opportunity. I would like to be Pope if I could."
During his speech to the delegation, McAuliffe noted he diverted $5 million when he was national party chairman to Gov. Timothy M. Kaine 's (D) 2005 race for governor. The infusion of party money is widely believed to have helped Kaine defeat former attorney general Jerry W. Kilgore (R).
Last month, McAuliffe surprised many pundits and Clinton supporters when he told reporters that Obama should pick Kaine as his vice-presidential nominee. McAuliffe made the comment following a speech before the Fairfax County Democratic Committee, another potential sign he is testing the waters to run for governor.
If he ran, McAuliffe would likely be able to tap his personal fortune and vast national fundraising network to raise millions of dollars in a short amount of time, especially considering how Virginia does not limit how much a donor can give to a candidate running for state office.
"Terry McAuliffe doesn't know Norton from Norfolk,'' said Tucker Martin, a spokesman for Attorney General Robert F. McDonnell, the likely Republican candidate for governor next year. "If he runs, remind me to send him a Virginia state map."
Del. Brian J. Moran (D-Alexandria) and Sen. R. Creigh Deeds (D-Bath) are the only announced candidates in the 2009 race for the Democratic nomination for governor.
When asked if he would jump into the governors race even though Deeds and Moran are already campaigning for the job, McAuliffe said, "I don't rule anything out, we will see where we go."
"I was a kid who grew up in Syracuse, I started my first business when I was 14, got lucky, started a couple companies and basically retired at a young age," McAuliffe added. "I've spent the last 15 years as basically a full-time volunteer for the Democratic Party. I love its ideals...I never take anything off the table."
Mo Elleithee, a Virginia-based Democratic consultant, said McAuliffe could "certainly shake things up" next year if he decided to run for governor.
"I think Terry McAuliffe is a dynamic and exciting figure," Elleithee said. "I think he has the potential to be a very strong and formidable statewide candidate."
Moran appeared surprised when he was asked today for his reaction to McAuliffe's comments. But Moran declined to comment.
"The more the merrier," Deeds said. "Terry McAuliffe is an accomplished political professional. He knows how the process works."
He added, "It doesn't change anything for me."
After he finished signing his books, McAuliffe volunteered to a reporter, "A lot of people came up and said, 'I hope you run'."
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Clinton Ally Blasts MSNBC Pundits
Howard Wolfson, the longtime adviser and strategist to Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton who of late has joined Fox News as a commentator, slammed two high-profile show hosts on MSNBC in exchange for calling him “Tokyo Rose” and a “toy soldier” for Fox.
“I’m not going to take any lectures on how to be a good Democrat from two people who have spent the last two years attacking Bill and Hillary Clinton,” Mr. Wolfson said, and then specifically named Keith Olbermann and Chris Matthews. “I think it’s unfortunate that a news organization with a great tradition like NBC has been taken over by those kind of antics.”
Fox News and MSNBC are, of course, rivals. And it wasn’t very long ago that some high-profile Democrats were boycotting Fox News, complaining that its coverage of President Bush and Republicans was slanted.
As for MSNBC, the Clinton campaign and its supporters had long complained about MSNBC’s coverage of Senator Clinton. In fact, if you recall, Mr. Matthews once was forced to apologize after saying that the only reason Mrs. Clinton was elected to the Senate and was on a national stage was because of her husband. Mr. Olbermann issued lengthy, scathing commentaries about her campaign.
Then yesterday, after Clinton allies and Senator Clinton herself had complained that the campaign of Senator John McCain was using her some of her ads and statements against Senator Barack Obama in its commercials, Mr. Olbermann and Mr. Matthews bantered this way:
Mr. Olbermann: Irony upon irony, instead of the commercials designed to destroy Hillary Clinton, (they) are using Hillary Clinton in commercials designed to destroy the Democratic nominee.
Mr. Matthews: Those are crocodile tears. And you wonder whether an objective person, either rational or post-rational, would be able to appreciate the fact that that’s clear politics - nothing wrong with it. But Republicans have no heart in Hillary Clinton’s claim to the White House.
They villainized her for years. Their commercials, their attitudes are - you go to a Republican hangout, it’s all anti-Hillary. That’s their point of view. To now hold her up as some victim of some sort of foul play, of unfair politics, is a joke. But the funny thing about it is, they’re enjoying it.
Fox News, for example, seems to enjoy it. It’s no accident, for example, that they hired Howard Wolfson. They use him as some sort of, oh, little toy soldier waiting on the shelf.
Mr. Olbermann: Tokyo Rose was the thought that came to my mind.
Asked why Mr. Wolfson decided to return the personal fire, he said, “I had let a couple of previous attacks pass, but at some point you need to stand up to bullies.”
Mr. Wolfson’s comments today:
Click to viewThe Olbermann-Matthews remarks:
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Some people said they like multi-part posts better so idk I'll stick with that b/c it's easier.
Does anyone else like Lieberman a tiny bit better after reading that he laughed in Rove's face?