An F/A 18 Hornet launches off the deck of USS Eisenhower. The US Navy has
begun its largest Persian Gulf exercise since the invasion of Iraq in 2003.
** NUMBERS, WE GOT NUMBERS. I’m going through quite a few polling results, from California and elsewhere. Very interesting stuff which will dominate much of the late week coverage at NWN. Not out of line with what you’ve been reading here.
** U.S. SENATE VOTES FOR IRAQ WITHDRAWAL. The Senate just voted to back a timetable for withdrawal of US combat troops from Iraq, 50 to 48. Nebraska Democrat Ben Nelson and Nebraska Republican Chuck Hagel switched from no votes on March 15th to yes votes on March 27th.
** ARNOLD’S PRISON BREAK. Although the Legislature is about to break again for Easter recess, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger said today that he thinks they are close to a solution on the California prison crisis. A federal court is threatening to take over the system, which is now terribly overcrowded, and might set an arbitrary cap on the overall number of prisoners, leading to release of criminals still doing their time. Schwarzenegger says that would be “a disaster. We could have dangerous criminals roaming the neighborhoods.”
Although some critics see no progress, Schwarzenegger does. The state Assembly yesterday passed a bill allowing judges greater discretion in setting sentences. The US Supreme Court earlier this year threw out California’s sentencing law. Schwarzenegger says he believes a solution will be found because one must be found. It’s not unlike the infrastructure bill last year. For long stretches of time, there was no apparent progress. But it ultimately came together.
** WILL SENATE DEMOCRATS GET IT DONE THIS TIME? The US Senate is moving toward a vote on another Iraq pullout measure, this one inserted in funding for the overall war effort. It’s a conditional deadline of March 2008. Senate Republicans, mindful of having members facing dicey re-elections next year, won’t attempt to filibuster the legislation, removing the need to have Republicans oppose allowing the bill to come to a vote. Similar legislation failed 48 to 50 last time, with Republican John McCain offf on the campaign trail and Democrat Tim Johnson still recovering from a brain ailment and unable to come to the floor to vote. With Joe Liebeman a certain no vote, Democrats are hoping to attract Nebraska Democrat Ben Nelson and Arkansas Democrat Mark Pryor.
** EDWARDS RAMPS UP SOUTH CAROLINA SUPPORT. John Edwards, who had lately fallen behind in the fourth-in-the-nation South Carolina Democratic presidential primary, yesterday got a boost there as he unveiled the broadest group of state endorsers of any candidate. Edwards, the former U.S. senator from North Carolina and 2004 Democratic vice presidential nominee, is a native of South Carolina. He won there in 2004, and almost certainly must win there next year.
** SCHWARZENEGGER WEBCAST AT 11:15 AM. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger discusses his water policy proposals in a live webcast from the Department of Water Resources operations center at 11:15 this morning.
** CARRIER BATTLE GROUPS CONDUCT WAR GAMES OFF IRAN. Two U.S. Navy aircraft carrier battle groups have begun an exercise in the Persian Gulf. The groups, which center on the USS Eisenhower and USS Stennis, are conducting air strike and air and sea defense operations. This is the biggest naval operation in the Gulf since the US invasion of Iraq in 2003. US forces promise to respect the territorial waters of Iran, which extend twelve miles from shore into the Gulf. Meanwhile, the stand-off between Britain and Iran over the seizure of 15 British sailors and marines is in its fourth day.
** GIULIANI TO NEVADA. With the Nevada Republican Party in the process of moving its presidential caucus up to January 19th, which would match the Nevada Democratic caucus as the second-in-the-nation contest, former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani travels to Nevada tomorrow. Giuliani leads in early polling in Nevada, with John McCain running second.
** DID CALIFORNIA CHANGE THE CLINTON STRATEGY? Clinton campaign chairman Terry McAuliffe says that it was the rumored move of the California presidential primary to February 5th that accelerated his candidate’s announcement plans and changed the nature of the race. The rise of Barack Obama might have had something to do with it, too.
** ARNOLD’S WATER WEEK CONTINUES. After touring a Central Valley dam and speaking to Fresno community leaders yesterday about his plan to add more above ground water storage, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger this morning tours the state Department of Water Resources’ operations center in Sacramento and discusses the water portion in Phase II of his Strategic Growth Plan. Schwarzenegger wants to spend $6 billion upgrading water transfer systems, expanding water storage, and conserving natural waterways. He’s making his pitch for more water storage based on population growth and the impact of the greenhouse effect on the Sierra snowpacks. Many environmentalists prefer conservation efforts to water storage, which led to the derailing of moves to add one or two dams to last year’s Phase I of the Strategic Growth Plan. The Fresno Bee editorialized this morning in favor of a new dam outside Fresno.
** Track global and national energy prices in near real time via Bloomberg. Crude oil prices remain up with the continuing Iranian crisis, in the $62 to $65 per barrel range.
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I agree…I am only repeating what the Russian spokesperson said…in any event, this plant will NEVER be finished under PUTIN…this is about face-saving… .and reaching out to Iran….note, the spokesperson said deadlines need to be pushed back ….but this was very bruising public spat for Iran ….
everyone wants them to feel a little better…to cooperate…..I am sure the Russians don’t won’t to be picking up bodies all over ME or Europe either….if that happened they would have more than anyone else!
Blair’s spokesperson also is saying “discreet talks” are going on …
Gee, it IS a nice day to go boating, isn’t it? ;-}
re: Prisons: It disappoints me to see a leader I warily admire and support yank out the old “dangerous criminals roaming the neighborhoods” saw, as if we don’t have many thousands with no history of violence whatever locked up who would go to the head of the line.
Arnold, the Willie Horton gag is beneath you, and you shouldn’t paint yourself in a corner regarding sentence reductions by stirring those passions. You may need to go there….
Hey Paul,
there is some very erroneous info in your Saudi post…but in any event, I would throw a scarf around my head when Riyadh and work for them at a drop of a hat! Of course my main office would have to be Brussels! and of course, I would need to be in on every negotiation with Putin!
It’s 3:55 am Wed 3/28 in Riyadh!!!!
With his personal wealth and moderate positions, Steve Poizner is the GOP’s best/only hope to win the Governor’s race in 2010. Some of the GOP’s most able insiders are giving Poizner a crash course in government and politics to ramp up his public profile and campaign skills.
Tom McClintock would be Poizner’s only challenger, but the fact he has lost 4 straight statewide elections will likely make most donors pause before supporting a fifth suicide charge.
And I would also like to see Barbara with a role in ME policy. Her analysis makes a lot of sense to me.
My guess is he signs the sentencing bill I mentioned.
>re: Prisons: It disappoints me to see a leader I warily admire and support yank out the old “dangerous criminals roaming the neighborhoods” saw, as if we don’t have many thousands with no history of violence whatever locked up who would go to the head of the line.
Arnold, the Willie Horton gag is beneath you, and you shouldn’t paint yourself in a corner regarding sentence reductions by stirring those passions. You may need to go there….
Thank You KK! Do you know any Saudis you could advance my resume to!
this is so amazing …I just googled “morning prayers in Riyadh” and this calendar came up that tells a Muslim when to say their prayers any where in the world! It is like the world wide Shabbat Calenders on the internet that tells a religious Jew when Shabbat begins and ends…
If I used it right the King Abdullah will be saying his morning prayers at 4:26 am it’s 4:17 am now!!! I love this world with all its differences!!!…
“Tom McClintock…fifth suicide charge.”
If there is only one other candidate in the race, Tom will still find a way to come in third.
lol
Did it say anything about Easter Sunday?
> this is so amazing …I just googled “morning prayers in Riyadh” and this calendar came up that tells a Muslim when to say their prayers any where in the world! It is like the world wide Shabbat Calenders on the internet that tells a religious Jew when Shabbat begins and ends…
If I used it right the King Abdullah will be saying his morning prayers at 4:26 am it’s 4:17 am now!!! I love this world with all its differences!!!…
Mar 27, 2007 05:18 PM
>>BB: My guess is he signs the sentencing bill I mentioned.
I imagine he will, and that may solve the problem in future cases with the USSC decision re: sentencing triads, though that doubtless will be litigated as well.
But to address overpopulation by other any means other than by trying to simply build our way out of the crisis, he may have to (and should) embrace the sentencing commission concept, which red-meat Reeps deride as meaning “dangerous criminals roaming the neighborhoods.” I just think it unwise and impolitic to play to their hand by adopting their alarmist rhetoric, and thereby reinforcing the public perception that ANY form of early release is necessarily a danger to the public.
I think the reality of it is that most people don’t care about prison reform, or being good to convicts, or letting people out of prison early.
Remember, they vote for tough on crime stuff all the time.
Willie Horton worked. Nobody wants to be Michael Dukakis.
And poizner’s base is?
Sorry Bill, its not ideology. Arnold beat Davis because, well Davis was Davis and if there was an ideology there it escapes me. Course if Wilson hadn’t signed that ridiculous “Electricity Deregulation” bill and if “Kenny-boy” and the other Texas wonderkinds hadn’t raped the state Grey would never have been challenged. Really think Darryl Issa would have prevailed? Grey was cruising at 60% in the polls and then the lights went out. Perfect.
No, unless the GOP finds another “Last Action Hero” they’re toast in this state as their White base all moved to Idaho and Utah!
Sorry Bill, get used to it.
Richard, you have somehow managed to completely miss my point.
That is because you are too attached to ideology.
I wonder what is next for the Congress on Iraq.
BB: I think the reality of it is that most people don’t care about prison reform, or being good to convicts, or letting people out of prison early.
Agreed. But a wise leader who has done the math sometimes has to sometimes navigate around fear, ignorance and prejudice, and leaves himself/herself wiggle room to do so. This sort of talk on Arnold’s part, adopting the right wing’s talking point for his own purposes of demonstrating urgency, poisons the well for sentencing commission proposals not yet presented. I didn’t think he had already made his mind up to reject any such proposal, but it seems he just gravely undermined the concept by equating all forms of sentence reduction programs with Willie Horton. As you say, Willie Horton works. What dismays me is that I believe AS chooses his words more carefully than it sometimes appears, and HE knows that “Willie Horton works.”
My guess is he knows the Democrats, left to their own devices, won’t want to build more prison capacity.
Remember, in the term limits era, most of these folks have very limited political experience.
Kandy Kid,
There is a big difference between GOP insiders who play tutor to Poizner vs. those who are leveraging him to attract business.
Got it?
One unnamed former State Senator and one unnamed consultant are going to get burned badly in the process. Stay tuned and read newspapers.
Beyond that brewing scandal, it is just too early to handicap a 2010 race for Governor. There are more aspirants than you cite. Some with credentials AND checkbook to blow away the field.
Dem field will be whittled down considerably. Don’t for a minute forget or dismiss Westly.
Doh! lol
. Don’t for a minute forget or dismiss Westly.
Death Star, I agree there are plenty of Republicans who would love to be our next Governor. I just do not see their checkbooks. Clearly there is plenty of time for the political landscape to change.
Newt was on Charlie Rose last night, very effectively posturing as Elder Statesman And Bearer of The One True Flag, lamenting how the Bush Administration strayed from the Conservative Faith.
Is he lurking and assessing?
He sure is, and if you all think Hillary has electability issues …
Notice the big flow to Hillary in the Iowa poll I report on in today’s issue.
Mr. Gingrich is utterly unelectable.
The “personality” factor seems different, though, with Newt. My forebrain remembers that I detested him then and should detest him now, yet I caught myself being drawn in by his articulate and personable presence. Had to take 3 showers to feel clean again once I realized what was occurring, but it made me realize he does have some charm to draw on to mitigate substantive negatives. Hillary, alas, is still a work in progress in that dept., though I agree she’s getting better in the bits of appearances I’ve seen lately.
Dr. Hemlock, I hope you guys are right. I was having an Oh-Oh moment when I caught myself being impressed.
Mr. Bradley:Did it say anything about Easter Sunday?
Mr. Bradley you are so funny!…it was a Muslim Prayer internet calendar! …they have “set times” for prayers! Christians can pray anytime! …all the time in fact! I am Saudi Summit watching today …It’s 8:29 pm in Riyadh!…Day 1 of Summit is over! But I am sure the King has them working late into the night! Toodles!
Barbara, was my comment that in the 21st century we should be way past the era of kings and royals erroneous?
or is that the Saudi royal family isn’t really wealthy? I’m sure they are altruistic with pure motives for playing peacemaker in the middle east.
ok, Dick Cheney isn’t really an oil baron, just a common war profiteer and corporate welfare queen.
He’s a really great character on 24.