Barack Obama addressed more than 200,000 people yesterday in Berlin.
** MCCAIN MEETS WITH THE DALAI LAMA. After a tough speech to the Latino-oriented GI Forum convention in Denver knocking Barack Obama for opposing the surge in Iraq, John McCain met for 45 minutes in Aspen with the Dalai Lama. While the famed spiritual leader is not urging Tibetan Buddhists in the US to vote for McCain, which would be a rather worldly act on their part, he and McCain share a common goal of building pressure on China to gain autonomy, if not independence, for Tibet.
The Dalai Lama, wearing his traditional robes as a monk, presented the Vietnam War hero with a white silk scarf, a sign of respect.
John Ackerly, president of the International Campaign for Tibet, said McCain had requested the meeting months ago, and that while they had never met, the two had spoken by phone. “And the Dalai Lama doesn’t talk on the phone very often,” Ackerly said.
** SIX REASONS MCCAIN’S LUCKY HE DIDN’T MAKE IT ON THAT OIL RIG. From my other blog.
** NEW MEXICO POLL: OBAMA BY 6. The new Rasmussen poll has Barack Obama leading John McCain in battleground New Mexico, 49% to 43%.
** MINNESOTA POLL: OBAMA BY 13. The new Rasmussen poll (owned and operated by Republican Scott Rasmussen) has Barack Obama leading John McCain in Minnesota, 52% to 39%. This is as expected. There was a poll earlier in the week of a few battleground states, conducted over a lengthy period of time by Quinnipiac, thus with stale numbers, showing a very close race in Minnesota.
** CALIFORNIA POLL: ECONOMIC MOOD TURNS GRIM(MER). For the first time in nearly 50 years of polling, a majority of California voters tell the Field Poll that their financial circumstances have taken a turn for the worse in the past year. 63% say they are worse off now than a year ago. Only 14%, a record low, say they are better off. The previous low for that figure was 25%.
86% say California is in bad economic times, a 34-point increase since December. Only 8% say California is in good economic times.
** NATIONAL POLL: BRING TROOPS HOME FROM IRAQ IN A YEAR. A new Rasmussen poll shows that 63% of US voters want American combat troops withdrawn from Iraq now or in a year’s time. That is significantly faster than the timelines advanced by Barack Obama and the Iraqi government.
The number in favor of a rapid US withdrawal from Iraq has consistently been around 60% since the polling on this question began in August 2007.
Within that 63% of American voters who favor a rapid withdrawal from Iraq, two-fifths want the troops withdrawn “immediately.” Which is, of course, impossible. That’s 24% of the US electorate.
Only 35% of American voters want US troops to stay in Iraq “until the mission is completed.”
** REPUBLICAN SENATE CANDIDATES SHYING FROM NATIONAL CONVENTION? It seems that 9 of the 12 Republicans running in U.S. Senate races targeted by the Democrats may be shying away from attendance at September’s Republican National Convention in St. Paul, Minnesota.
According to the National Journal’s Congress Daily: Among those who will not attend are Sen. Ted Stevens of Alaska, who is not close to presumptive presidential nominee Sen. John McCain of Arizona, and Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, who is a McCain loyalist. Stevens and Collins will use the convention week to focus on their campaigns. Also sending regrets is former Rep. Bob Schaffer of Colorado, running for the seat being vacated by retiring GOP Sen. Wayne Allard.
Six others — Sens. Roger Wicker of Mississippi, John Sununu of New Hampshire, Elizabeth Dole of North Carolina and Gordon Smith of Oregon and challengers John Kennedy of Louisiana and Rep. Steve Pearce of New Mexico are still on the fence. Their spokesmen offered responses ranging from “there are no plans yet” to “no decisions have been made.”
By contrast, most Democrats in those races are either planning to attend the party’s late August convention in Denver or are leaning toward attending the event that will formally make Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois the party’s nominee for president.
** SARKOZY EMBRACE OF OBAMA NO REAL SURPRISE. Conservative French President Nicolas Sarkozy didn’t quite endorse Barack Obama during their very friendly joint appearance today, but he came awfully close.
“Obviously,” said the French president hailed by the American right upon his election, “one is interested in a candidate looking toward the future rather than the past. We say ‘good luck’ to Barack Obama. If he is chosen then France will be delighted. And if it is someone else then France will be the friend of the United States.”
That sounds a lot like an endorsement.
Sarkozy went on in this vein.
“We have been following with passion the election campaign in the United States. Barack Obama’s America is an adventure that rings true in the hearts of our people.”
Sarkozy and Obama called one another “dear friend” and “buddy” at various points during their joint appearance this morning following an hour-long private meeting in the Elysee Palace.
Many on the American right must be going … Huh?
Sarkozy, after all, was the interior minister who cracked down on rioters earlier in the decade. The interior minister who was adamant that French culture not be overwhelmed by an encroaching culture advanced by Islamic immigrants. And John McCain frequently cites Sarkozy on the campaign trail.
Yet here he is embracing Obama, a figure that many on the far right of American politics have convinced themselves is a sort of “Manchurian candidate” out to undermine and ultimately destroy Western civilization. Thus showing they have never seen the movie, incidentally.
I’m not surprised at all by this. Yes, Sarkozy opposed radical Islamic elements in France. And in the context of French politics — he defeated the glamorous Socialist Segolene Royal for the presidency of France in May 2007 — he is a conservative.
But in America, he might be a Democrat. Or an Arnold Republican.
And in France, Obama might be a Conservative.
Or he might be, as Tony Blair was and is in Britain, a modernizer of the left-of-center party. Obama, incidentally, is about to meet privately with the former British prime minister.
Before casting Obama in the ranks of the (relative) right, a bit more on Sarkozy. He made it plain in his election campaign that he would champion efforts to cut the emission of greenhouse gases. As I pointed out at the time. This is an issue that the American right still denies.
Although not John McCain, the scarcely remembered man of the week. Who Sarkozy also likes. Just not as much as he likes Obama.
As Obama pointed out, after he was elected to the Senate in 2004, Sarkozy came to Washington while still France’s interior minister, and a controversial one at that on the left. He met privately, as Obama noted this morning, with only two senators. Obama and McCain.
“So if you want to see the way things are going, watch what President Sarkozy does,” Obama said, with an amused smile toward his friend.
For his part, in a striking interview in this morning’s Le Figaro, Sarkozy exclaimed: “Obama? He’s my pal. Unlike my diplomatic advisors, I never believed in Hillary Clinton’s chances. I always said that Obama would be nominated.”
An Obama victory, he said, “would validate” his stance of friendship with America.
Obama also, for all their evident chemistry and an undeniable certain ideological simpatico, suits Sarkozy’s purpose in trying to unify his own country, riven as it is in ways by racial strife. Though as he noted in today’s press conference — in answer to a question from CNN’s Christiane Amanpour in which she pointed out that he had called rioters “scum” while interior minister — the streets have been peaceful during his presidency.
After Paris, Obama is off to London, where he will meet, as I mentioned, with Tony Blair, as well as Prime Minister Gordon Brown and the Tories’ moderate young Opposition Leader, David Cameron.
** WHERE THEY ARE TODAY.
Barack Obama is in France and Britain. He meets with President Nicolas Sarkozy in Paris and holds a press conference. He then flies to London.
John McCain is in Denver and Aspen, Colorado. He addresses the American GI Forum and meets with the Dalai Lama.
** FROM THE ARNOLD FILE. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger will join Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell and New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg live via satellite in St. Paul, Minnesota at noon to deliver remarks at the Building America’s Future Coalition tour.
Schwarzenegger, Rendell and Bloomberg all co-chair the Building America’s Future coalition which highlights the need for more federal investment in infrastructure.
Schwarzenegger was to have joined the other two yesterday in New Orleans and today in St. Paul, but cancelled due to the chronic California budget crisis. He will address the US Olympic team at San Jose State University this afternoon.
** MCCAIN TRIES TO COUNTER-PROGRAM A WAVE. You know, Obama’s new flood of foreign policy cred. Resulting in a somewhat confusing, rather sulky, kitchen sink approach. With full analysis of the two new anti-Obama attack ads, first of the general election. One is arguable. The other is preposterous. From my other blog.
** 24/7 LIVE TV NEWS FEED FROM RUSSIA TODAY. Russia has re-emerged as one of the world’s great powers. Click here for a live TV news feed on your computer, bringing you English-language, jargon-free, fast-paced coverage of global and Russian news from the new Russia Today channel. You probably already know about CNN International, BBC World, and Al Jazeera. Russia Today, which also features culture, entertainment, and sports, is based in Moscow and is owned and operated by the TV Novosti division of Russia’s state news agency, RIA Novosti.
While it’s quite foolish to expect to see, say, criticism of Vladimir Putin on Russia Today, which I know as a former DemRussia advisor, the channel is very interesting nonetheless. With U.S. cable news chattering away as it does, this sort of respite can be informative. The NWN live link to RT does not constitute an endorsement of the channel’s views. It’s presented as an otherwise unavailable new media window.
** TRACK GLOBAL AND U.S. ENERGY PRICES IN NEAR REAL TIME VIA BLOOMBERG ENERGY MARKET WATCH. Crude oil is trading now in the $123 to $125 per barrel range. After crashing over $147 for yet another record on July 11th, crude oil closed down on Friday at $128.88 per barrel. The drop of over $20 per barrel came amidst multiple signs that the weak US economy will cut future demand and fresh signs of a rapprochement between the US and Iran.
Your posts are welcome in the Forum.
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| Comments (73) |
Kandy Kid scribes:
Brasky, I am open to further evidence that Bush has fallen off the wagon. Do you have any?
——
I submit to the jury the past 7.5 years.
Ok – the National Enquirer backed by Fox News. I’m sure you’d believe the Bush story if it had been backed by Air America.
I’m reminded of that movie, So I Married an Ax Murderer, when the Weekly World Press is given credibilty because it has the “8th largest circulation in the world.”
And if Bush had been drunk for the last 7 and a half years, I would have hoped they would have been more fun. I’ll tell you this – I do feel hung over…
Edwards is obviously out.
next story.
What new video today?
Something unexpected.
He wasn’t in.
>Wilbur:
Edwards is obviously out.
next story.
Jul 25, 2008 – 10:29 pm
Someone with no taste.
>Hap Hazard:
he National Enquirer? What time did you start drinking? — OK, who said the following:
“The Times is dinner, but the National Enquirer, that’s dessert”
Jul 25, 2008 – 7:12 pm
Bad question.
>Hap Hazard:
Apparently Fox News found a hotel security employee who confirms independently from the Enquirer that Edwards was there, and on the run from the media. What would Gary Hart say?
People rarely sue the likes of the National Enquirer. It isn’t worth the trouble.
>Kandy Kid:
Brasky, I am open to further evidence that Bush has fallen off the wagon. Do you have any?
In this case, time will tell if the Edwards story is true. FoxNews has found a security guard who witnessed and confirms the story — http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,391426,00.html
If Edwards were not a potential Obama VP candidate, the “adultery while your wife is dying of cancer” story would not matter. If the story is libelous, I assume Edwards the trial lawyer will quickly sue the Enquirer. But don’t hold your breath for that filing.
Jul 25, 2008 – 6:37 pm
None.
>Brasky:
And what office is Edwards running for?
Jul 25, 2008 – 5:53 pm
Let’s see if I have this straight.
I present a ton of material about real politics here, and your only comment on it for the week is to say I’m part of a conspiracy to cover up something that comes from the National Enquirer.
I don’t have the time or inclination to fact check the National Enquirer.
And, since you’ve been around here for a long time, you should know that I don’t traffic in personal gossip about people’s private lives.
I pushed back hard against the New York Times smear of John McCain on his supposed mistress.
Who happened to be a lobbyist, by the way.
Now, had that been in the National Enquirer, I would have ignored it.
>Kandy Kid:
I know the scoop comes from the National Enquirer, but how can you ignore the Edwards hides in the bathroom at 2:40 am after being caught visiting his mistress and love child at the Beverly Hilton story?? Is NWN part of the media cover up or do you think Edwards is not a legitimate VP candidate and therefore not newsworthy?
Jul 25, 2008 – 5:18 pm
The candidate’s okay. It’s his overall situation which is problematic.
>Hap Hazard:
Thankyoubuts is pretty funny. I keep thinking that the McCain campaign will kick into gear with a little more time for Steve Schmidt, but it may just be what Bill alluded to yesterday, that the candidate himself can interfere with the best daily message control wizards.
Jul 25, 2008 – 4:42 pm
Actually, Obama’s been saying since January … “We honor John McCain for his service” …
>Hap Hazard:
Seems to go along with the 1980/1992 vibe of this presidential election. — Does very much seem that way. I wonder if soon that Obama will be routinely “thanking John McCain for his service”, a tactic I remember being a very effective one for Clinton to be using against George Bush…
Jul 25, 2008 – 3:58 pm
When I spent the day around him in May, it was evident that he was simply off what had been his game in 2000. He seemed tired and irritated at this whippersnapper Obama criticizing him for opposed Jim Webb’s New GI Bill.
>Hap Hazard:
McCain really does have a problem and I think his age perhaps more than anything else is working against him this go around. His time seems to have passed, and his age and appearance reflect that. He did give a rousing speech to the military today in Denver, but even then he is talking about things that have already transpired. And people want hope for the future, not reminiscence about the days of old. My mother in her eighties keeps harping on his age, and she is not merely a casual or infrequent political observer. The truth is that we are lucky this presidential election because either candidate would seemingly do good things for the country if elected.
Jul 25, 2008 – 3:55 pm
Right.
>Chris M:
Now’s he’s got to match Clinton and Nixon in the VFW halls and flea markets.
>He’s shown he can match Reagan and JFK, at least from a performance standpoint, at the heights and in global venues.
Jul 25, 2008 – 1:45 pm
I think they’re trying to ignore it.
>Ann:
The righty wingnuts will go nuts. MORE. lol
** SARKOZY EMBRACE OF OBAMA NO REAL SURPRISE. Conservative French President Nicolas Sarkozy didn’t quite endorse Barack Obama during their very friendly joint appearance today, but he came awfully close.
“Obviously,” said the French president hailed by the American right upon his election, “one is interested in a candidate looking toward the future rather than the past. We say ‘good luck’ to Barack Obama. If he is chosen then France will be delighted. And if it is someone else then France will be the friend of the United States.”
That sounds like a lot like an endorsement.
Sarkozy went on in this vein.
“We have been following with passion the election campaign in the United States. Barack Obama’s America is an adventure that rings true in the hearts of our people.”
Jul 25, 2008 – 11:48 am
Sacto,
Thank you for the lovely tour of the Capitol. Sacramento is a lovely…interesting town. My favorite snapshot is the portrait of Jerry Brown next to Ronald Regan in the Capitol building. I enjoyed the Vietnam Vets memorial as well as the Firefighter memorial… (another Firefighter was kiled in the line of duty this morning). I hope everyone has a chance to go see the memorials in Capitol park.
Good luck on your benefit race this morning…..:) xoxo
Carole,
Thank you! It was my pleasure to escort you and your charming family around the Capitol. Hope you had a grand time in my wonderful city.
Today’s event went well. Over a thousand people showed up to support the first annual Alzheimer’s 5K. Feeble old guy walked the distance in 44:01…
Enjoy your day!
Bad question – Only asked to contrast the different and shoddy treatment of Hart by the media, compared to the hands-off approach taken to date in Edwards’ case.
Bill, I clearly have more respect for you than to think you are part of a cover up, if one could actually be managed. That is why I included the real point, which is editorial judgment.
In the larger context, the incident raises two important points for the Obama coronation chorus. While we want to think seasoned politicians are smart people who don’t mess up, Edwards clearly has huge holes in his integrity and judgment lobes. One of his former staff people was quoted as saying, “I wish I were surprised.” Some staffers on the Obama campaign may be saying, “There but for the grace of God go I”.
Second, despite the polls showing Obama with leads in key states and higher approval ratings than McCain, election campaigns have to be run and candidates have to consistently demonstrate their abilities and qualifications. After decades on the national political scene, McCain is a pretty well known quantity and knows how to stay out of trouble. The much less seasoned Obama is more likely to make mistakes and have new revelations about his finances and character change voters’ perceptions. Even a minor campaign mistake like keeping Muslims out of a stage camera shot again could give casual voters a final reason to indulge their racist tendencies, saying “Of course I would vote for a black president, just not this one.”
The conventions mark half-time in this political Superbowl. Obama has a 7 point lead, but should be doing better given McCain’s team is playing with 50 pounds of deadweight on their back named George Bush. One significant turnover — such as evidence that the vice presidential candidate owned part of a development that was fined for dumping in Lake Tahoe — could tie it up and give momentum to McCain.
Reagan was an unsteady commodity running 2 points ahead of Jimmy Carter in 1980, a year when the Republicans should have won big — Iran hostage crisis, oil crisis, economic crisis.
Reagan was so worried he nearly put Gerald Ford on the ticket to reassure people that a right-winger with no foreign policy experience could be trusted.
Things went on from there.
I like McCain, as you know, but I don’t think the negative stories about him are done at all.
I think the press generally felt both bad and defiant about the Hart situation.
They’re generally pretty deferential about such stuff now.
With some obvious exceptions.
Remember that most of the press defended McCain agains the New York Times report.
>Hap Hazard:
Bad question – Only asked to contrast the different and shoddy treatment of Hart by the media, compared to the hands-off approach taken to date in Edwards’ case.
Jul 26, 2008 – 10:42 am
Krav Maga for the WIN…
[...]No seriously, Krav Maga is the future of hand to hand combat[...]……