Michael Moore for Secretary of Health - BuzzMachine
Excerpt:
"Sicko is near-great documentary that will and should have a profound impact on the election and on public policy. If no president can fix our health care and insurance mess in this country and no politician can coalesce public opinion, maybe he can.
Moore is — for Moore — practically deft and subtle as he exposes the hell we’re all in with our insurance coverage. I was impressed that, all in all, he let the stories tell themselves and he left his 2×4 in the closet."
http://www.buzzmachine.com/2007/06/30/michael-moore-for-secretary-of-health/
Saturday, June 30, 2007
Wolfowitz Vows To Continue In Politics - Huffington Post
Sphere: Related Content145 Lawmakers Tell Bush To Close Guantanamo - Huffington Post
Sphere: Related ContentBranding Supporters' Desktops: A Widget for Campaigns - TechPresident
Excerpt:
"It's called Active Access, and I stumbled upon it in a random lunchtime conversation at last week's Digital Media Conference. The folks behind the product were happy to give a quick demonstration this week, and I really can't find any reason that national campaigns and big advocacy groups wouldn't jump all over it. Here's what it is and why I think it's so useful:
Branded desktop widget. Active Access is a small module that sits on a computer desktop. Once it's downloaded, it displays basic campaign branding information (logo, graphics), plus weather conditions, a web search box and a big fat "contribute" button....Want to see a screenshot? Here's a look at a generic campaign version, with the messaging panel expanded and a desktop alert popped-up."
http://www.techpresident.com/node/1806
A Strong Second Quarter - HillaryClinton.com Blog - by Howard Wolfson, Communications Director in News
Excerpts:
"Fundraising
We expect to bring in about what we did in the First Quarter, or slightly more, which should put us in the range of $27 million. To put that figure in some perspective, it is more than any Democrat has ever raised in the second quarter of the "off" year. While that figure is record setting, we do expect Senator Obama to significantly outraise us this quarter.
Bottom line is that both campaigns will raise a great deal of money and that we will have all the resources we need to compete and win. Ultimately, this race will come down to the candidates themselves, their message and the quality of their campaigns. We feel very good about where the campaign stands, and our ability to win the primary and go toe-to-toe with any of the Republicans in the field.
Electability
As Mark Penn likes to say, people always ask "can Hillary win?" but he has never had this asked of someone who is already winning. This week's national polls underscore that observation.
According to the latest CNN, Newsweek and USA Today/Gallup polls, Hillary beats all of the leading GOP contenders head-to-head, and she has solidified double-digit leads in all of the national primary polls. She's also leading in 34 out of the 36 states with recent primary polls, including the early states. Voters say she's the candidate most likely to win the general election and the primary, and according to a June Washington Post/ABC poll, Hillary leads by nearly 50 points on the question of who has the best experience to be President."
http://www.hillaryclinton.com/blog/view/?id=8969
New Law Requires New Mexico To Grow Own Pot - Huffington Post
Sphere: Related ContentHusband Guilty of Killing Nev. Official - Huffington Post
Sphere: Related ContentFour Years Later, The Search For WMDs Ends - Huffington Post
Sphere: Related ContentCNN: Moore's "Sicko" Facts Check Out - Huffington Post
Sphere: Related ContentDems Call White House Out on Subpoenas - The Huffington Post
Excerpt:
"Democrats took the first steps Friday in what could be a long march to court in a tug-of-war between the White House and Congress over subpoenas and executive and legislative branch powers.
In a letter to White House counsel Fred Fielding, the heads of the Senate and House Judiciary committees demanded an explanation in 10 days of why the White House claimed executive privilege on subpoenaed documents and vowed to invoke "the full force of law.""
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/huff-wires/20070629/congress-subpoenas/
Thursday, June 28, 2007
WSJ Reporters Stage Mass Murdoch Protest - Huffington Post
Sphere: Related ContentAl Gore's $100 Million Makeover - Drudge Report
Sphere: Related ContentFLASH: Senate switchboard has been shut down due to overwhelming calls: Sen. Sessions - Drudge Report
http://www.drudgereport.com/
John Edwards talks about Ann Coulter - Video - From: johnedwards
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fMZ0YUwLb_o
Elizabeth Edwards calls Ann Coulter Video - From: johnedwards - Views: 114,459
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v6BBDcZqSF0
Next NASA mission: Twitter and Facebook
Excerpt:
"NASA astronauts "twittering" from the moon?
It's not such a far-fetched idea, considering the space agency's current push to partner with Web 2.0 companies like Twitter and save itself from turning into a dinosaur in the Internet age. Some executives at the struggling NASA believe that if the agency can adopt Web technologies like Twitter--a social network for broadcasting thoughts online or via text message--then kids and the general public will be more connected to space exploration and inspired to learn about science.
"How can NASA become hip?" NASA CoLab Project Manager Robert Schingler asked here Tuesday at NASA's Ames Research Center. "For me, it's allowing other individuals (and companies) to participate in the program.""
Read Story
Ann Coulter Loses It On "Morning Joe" - Video - Huffington Post
Sphere: Related ContentBush Won't Supply Subpoenaed Documents
Excerpt:
"President Bush, moving toward a constitutional showdown with Congress, asserted executive privilege Thursday and rejected lawmakers' demands for documents that could shed light on the firings of federal prosecutors.
Bush's attorney told Congress the White House would not turn over subpoenaed documents for former presidential counsel Harriet Miers and former political director Sara Taylor.
In reaction, Senate Judiciary Chairman Patrick Leahy accused the administration of shifting "into Nixonian stonewalling" and revealing "disdain for our system of checks and balances."
Alex: This is not the beginning of the end of Bush's political life. This is the middle of the end. The Democrats have given Bush just enough rope to hang himself politically, and he has seemingly obliged.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/huff-wires/20070628/bush-subpoenas/
Romney's Cruel Canine Vacation - Time
Excerpt:
"The incident: dog excrement found on the roof and windows of the Romney station wagon. How it got there: Romney strapped a dog carrier — with the family dog Seamus, an Irish Setter, in it — to the roof of the family station wagon for a twelve hour drive from Boston to Ontario, which the family apparently completed, despite Seamus's rather visceral protest."
http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1638065,00.html
Obama Draws More Donors to His Campaign
Excerpt:
"Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama has improved on his stunning support in the race for campaign cash, raising his total number of donors to nearly 250,000 people in the first six months of the year.
The freshman Illinois senator impressed rivals in the first quarter when he reported 104,000 donors, but he surpassed the mark in the second quarter with 138,000 more opening their wallets, the campaign told The Associated Press.
The campaign won't say yet how much the donors have given, but the large number suggests their fundraising will be competitive with the $25.7 million he raised in the first quarter. A campaign official speaking on the condition of anonymity tried to tamp down expectations by disclosing that the average donation in the second quarter is likely to be less than the roughly $247 in the first quarter."
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/huff-wires/20070628/obama-fundraising/
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
White House, Cheney's Office, Subpoenaed
Excerpt:
"The Senate Judiciary Committee subpoenaed the White House and Vice President Dick Cheney's office Wednesday for documents relating to President Bush's warrantless eavesdropping program.
Also named in subpoenas signed by committee Chairman Patrick Leahy, D- Vt., were the Justice Department and the National Security Council. The four parties have until July 18 to comply, according to a statement by Leahy's office.
The committee wants documents that might shed light on internal disputes within the administration over the legality of the program."
http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D8Q1A20G0&show_article=1
Dodd’s army, armed with cameras - PrezVID
Excerpt:
"Chris Dodd is trying to break out of the mold of YouTube’s candidate Spotlight videos. In a video to go up today, he pushes voters to take their own video cameras and approach their senators and congressmen, asking them to talk about Iraq and to give their stand on the Dodd amendment, which would require starting to pull out of Iraq in 30 days, and then putting those videos up on YouTube. "
Video: Elizabeth Edwards calls Ann Coulter - From: johnedwards
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v6BBDcZqSF0
From: MDRUDGE - Video: KERRY FOR FAIRNESS DOCTRINE; CORRECT 'IMBALANCE' - Views: 52,925 Already Today
http://youtube.com/watch?v=6pwU0FygLlY
Video: Rudy Giuliani Speaks to Regent University
http://youtube.com/watch?v=m9nT7JpHBl4
Video: Barack Obama Iowa Ads - Carry - From: BarackObamadotcom
Description:
"The ad titled "Carry" chronicles Senator Obama's eight years in the Illinois State Senate and his success in working with Democrats and Republicans to achieve goals that they only talk about in Washington, DC"
http://youtube.com/watch?v=8Nh5rYmDCxg
By Dick Morris - If Bush pulls out the troops, it might save the GOP
Excerpt:
"Recent indications of administration unhappiness with the failure of the Iraqi regime to use the period of the surge in American troops to enact basic reforms might presage just such a withdrawal. Clearly, the Iraqi government has done nothing to expand power-sharing with the Sunnis or to equalize access to oil revenues. Their failure to act could give Bush the rationale he needs to begin to draw down American force levels.
If Bush decides to act in this way, he will be doing himself, his party, and the country a big favor. There is still time to rescue the fortunes of the Republican Party in the 2008 election. It is Iraq that is dragging the president’s ratings down and killing his party’s chances in the election. Bush’s ratings on the economy are not bad, and he still draws commendations for his battle against terrorism. If he began to pull out troops, he could begin to recover his personal ratings and move his party up."
Read Story
Thompson Holds His First Official Fundraiser In TN - Huffington Post
Sphere: Related ContentDems force Cheney flip-flop on secret docs - The Politico
Excerpt:
"Dick Cheney's office is abandoning a justification for keeping the Vice-President's secret papers out of the hands of the National Archives.
Officials working for Cheney had tried to claim he is separate from the executive branch, but they will no longer pursue that defense, senior administration officials tell The Politico."
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0607/4679.html
Rumsfeld Seeking 'Large Cash Advance' For Iraq Memoir - Huffington Post
Sphere: Related ContentClinton Surpasses Obama in Site Traffic Race, Paul Rockets to First
Excerpt:
"Hillary Clinton overtook Barack Obama in May, John Edwards and Rudy Giuliani held steady and Ron Paul rocketed from fifth place to first. That's according to Hitwise data showing the ebb and flow of traffic to the official sites of the Democratic and Republican presidential primary candidates."
http://clickz.com/showPage.html?page=3626275
Ron Paul Campaign: Paul Rockets to First
""RonPaul2008.com drew a 27 percent share of visitors to Republican candidate sites in May. MittRomney.com attracted almost 21 percent of visits last month, while JohnMccain.com brought in almost 13 percent.""
http://blog.ronpaul2008.com/ron_paul_2008/2007/06/paul-rockets-to.html
Giuliani Confronts String of Bad News - Huffington Post
Excerpt:
"Giuliani's campaign, seeking to reassure his supporters, sent out a memo Friday contending that he still is well-positioned to win the Republican nomination for president.
"While the race has tightened and our campaign has been challenged, we continue to lead in public opinion polling and we are now a better-defined campaign than when this race began in February," said the memo written by Giuliani strategy director Brent Seaborn."
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/huff-wires/20070626/giulianis-woes/
Polluter-In-Chief - Cheney Undercuts Environmental Regulations For Business Benefits… Whitman Resigned EPA Post Over His Insistence On Easing Air Pollution Controls…Major “Pet Peeve” Was Yellowstone Snowmobile Ban…Pushed For Yucca Mountain To Be Nuclear Dumping Ground - Huffington Post
Sphere: Related ContentImmigration Bill Clears Test Vote in Senate - New York Times
Sphere: Related ContentGiuliani Slams Bill Clinton on Terrorism
Excerpt:
"Republican presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani on Tuesday accused former President Clinton of not responding forcefully enough to the 1993 World Trade Center bombing or later terrorist attacks.
The former New York mayor criticized Democrats, accusing them of weakness and naivete in dealing with terrorism. Giuliani made the comments to about 650 business, corporate and political leaders at Regent University, the conservative Christian college founded by religious broadcaster Pat Robertson.
"Islamic terrorists killed more than 500 Americans before Sept. 11. Many people think the first attack on America was on Sept. 11, 2001. It was not. It was in 1993," said the former New York mayor."
http://apnews.myway.com/article/20070626/D8Q0Q5M01.html
Ann Coulter Calls Bush a 'Nincompoop'
Read Story
Ex-governor says he was target of Republican plot - The Alabama Democrat, fighting a 30-year sentence, and his supporters contend that his prosecution was a political strategy led by Karl Rove - Los Angeles Times
Excerpt:
"As Don Siegelman, the former Democratic governor of Alabama, goes before a federal judge today to fight a recommended 30-year prison sentence, he's telling anyone who'll listen that his prosecution was engineered by White House strategist Karl Rove.
It may be a long shot as a legal argument, but at least one influential Republican and a number of Democrats are questioning whether politics may have played a role in the case.
All but a handful of more than 100 charges against the former governor were rejected, his defenders point out."
Read Story
http://johnedwards.com/rightwing/
"Earlier:
This Monday, Ann Coulter took her pattern of personal attacks to a new level. On national television she said that rather than hurling more homophobic slurs, "If I'm gonna say anything about John Edwards in the future, I'll just wish he had been killed in a terrorist assassination plot.""
http://johnedwards.com/rightwing/
Warren Buffett helps put on Clinton fundraiser - No formal endorsement, calls N.Y. senator 'the person to run the country'
Excerpt:
"Buffett is also expected to host an event for rival Democrat Barack Obama later this summer and has spoken favorably about the presidential prospects of New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who recently left the Republican Party to become an independent."
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19453750/
I Got A Crush On.... Giuliani - YouTube Video
http://youtube.com/watch?v=NnqwrgHOaWo
By Al Gore - Your house, a TV, and two billion people
Excerpt:
"On July 7, more than 2 billion people will join together to watch the Live Earth concerts and demonstrate to our leaders that the time has come to solve the climate crisis.
Wherever you are that day, you can be part of the action. At events around the world, we are going to convert the potential energy of Live Earth into a global campaign. In thousands of homes, people will invite their friends and neighbors to watch the concerts and join the movement to solve the climate crisis.
NBC will be televising Live Earth (and even more extensive coverage will be available live on MSN) so turning your house into a Live Earth venue is easy. Will you commit to organize a Live Earth house party on July 7th? The parties will be fun and they'll make a difference."
http://blog.algore.com/2007/06/your_house_a_tv_and_two_billio.html
YouTube: New Hampshire Debate: The Kennedy Wing of the Gop - Duncan Hunter - TechPresident Politickr
Sphere: Related ContentMichael Moore supports Conyers/Kucinich health care plan HR 676 - TechPresident Politickr
Sphere: Related ContentTuesday, June 26, 2007
Kremlin powers may be split after Putin
Excerpt:
"Two top Kremlin officials have shown up on state-controlled television regularly for months, appearing decisive and statesmanlike, inspiring speculation that they are competing for the job of President Vladimir Putin.
And so they may be. But at least one prominent analyst predicts the two men will split the current presidential powers when Putin leaves office next year, with one serving in a weakened presidency and the other becoming a stronger prime minister."
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070626/ap_on_re_eu/russia_presidency
Crashing The System - Mother Jones
Excerpt:
"andrew rasiej
techpresident.com
In political life, an organized minority is always stronger than a disorganized majority. And organizing is easier on the Internet.
Jimmy Wales
wikipedia founder
We are going to be returning to an era of participatory politics rather than broadcast politics."
Read Story
Howard Dean Mother Jones Interview
Excerpt:
"Mother Jones: How tech savvy were you personally before your 2004 campaign?
Howard Dean: Not very. I measure myself against a 25-year-old, and I don't think I'm very tech savvy.
MJ: What convinced you, then, to embrace the Internet to such a large degree?
HD: The Internet embraced us. The truth is that we started out with no money, essentially, and what we had was a very powerful message, which was interestingly not just about the war; it was about empowering ordinary Americans. The first thing I learned was that the Internet is a community, not simply just a tool. It's a community, and they embraced us. They organized these things called "meet ups" all over the country, and they did it completely outside the campaign, and we eventually linked up with them. This was really a grassroots journey.
MJ: Do you think the use of technology has been exaggerated as a factor in your campaign?
HD: Absolutely not. The Internet is the most important tool for redemocratizing the world since Gutenberg invented the printing press. There's no way you could exaggerate the importance of the Internet, in terms of its ability to prevent the few people who seek to seize power and control everything from doing so."
http://www.motherjones.com/interview/2007/07/howard_dean.html
Joe Trippi Mother Jones Interview
Excerpt:
"MJ: On the flip side, which technology is the most overhyped right now?
JT: I would say text messaging on cell phones is not what it has been in South Korea or in other nations.
MJ: Which candidate is doing the most important things?
JT: I just signed on with Edwards, but one of the reasons I did is that both Obama and Edwards have been two of the more leading-edge campaigns of this cycle. Clinton hasn't been doing badly, though. Look, you know, this is the year in which Hillary Clinton literally announced her campaign virtually, and no one would have predicted four years ago that every single campaign would be trying to push the envelope and the front-runner would be literally announcing her campaign on the Net. One of the problems is that the front-runner always has to be more careful. I don't think the Clinton campaign is not pushing the envelope because they don't know what to do. It's not pushing the envelope because she's the front-runner."
http://www.motherjones.com/interview/2007/07/joe_trippi.html
Esther Dyson Interview - Mother Jones
Excerpt:
"MJ: Will innovative use of technology be the thing that brings politics to someone for the first time?
ED: Just as eBay turned people into active buyers and sellers, the new tools will turn people from passive consumers of politics into active participants. If you want to change something, you can start a campaign. And as people see more people doing that, they will realize: "Oh, I can do that, too." You will have the long tail of politics, not just the long tail of commerce, which is eBay. The long tail of politics is, "I can find out what my town dogcatcher is up to."
MJ: Do you see any pitfalls?
ED: [Candidates] have to tell the truth, because if they don't someone will call them on it. They have to spend more time listening and being responsive. With luck, I'm hoping that this will produce better campaigners and, ultimately, better government officials. Because they will be more accountable.
MJ: There has been a lot of discussion about the power of the Internet to hold elected officials accountable.
ED: Yes, but there is a difference between being held accountable for doing something bad and this stupid attack stuff—because you misspoke your mother's name and that means you must not love your mother. Let's grow up and pay attention to whether the candidate delivered what he promised. That's what accountability is."
http://www.motherjones.com/interview/2007/07/esther_dyson.html
Announcing techPresident's Politickr - TechPresident
Excerpt:
"Are you tired of constantly checking the candidates' blogs or consulting your feed reader to stay on top of their activities and whereabouts? Wishing there was a place where all of that info is aggregated in one spot? Well, so were we. That's why present to you techPresident's Politickr.
Politickr is a new feature that combines official blog posts, news feeds, photo streams, and video posts from the declared and prospective 2008 presidential candidates (plus some unannounced wild cards and third-party sites) and presents them side by side."
http://www.techpresident.com/node/1355
Embedded With the Candidates, NBC News Videoblogging the Campaign - TechPresident
Excerpt:
"Jim Long, NBC News videographer, writes on his blog that NBC News and The National Journal/The Hotline are going to embed journalists in the campaigns of Presidential candidates.
Embedded With the Candidates, NBC News Videoblogging the Campaign.
Long sees this as an opportunity for videobloggers to get close the candidates and show us what they're like up close and personal."
http://www.techpresident.com/node/1356
Blackstone Sparks Lobbying `Battle Royale' Over Taxes (Update2)
Excerpt:
"Private-equity firms or hedge funds were among the top donors to at least four presidential candidates in the first quarter of 2007, according to the Center for Responsive Politics, a Washington-based group that tracks money in politics. Former North Carolina Senator John Edwards received $182,250 from the employees of New York-based Fortress Investment Group LLC, making the hedge fund where he once worked his biggest backer."
Read Story
Buffett main course on Clinton’s menu - Financial Times
Excerpt:
"A powerful collection of Wall Street bankers, private equity executives and hedge fund managers has organised a lucrative fundraising event for Hillary Clinton on Tuesday night, with Warren Buffett as the entertainment."
Read Story
By Newt Gingrich - Warnings from Gaza
Excerpt:
"The Hamas victory in Gaza is a warning that World War IV (as Norman Podhoretz has called it) is going to be long and hard. It is also a warning that the West is currently losing that war."
Read Story
Mormon Church Obtained Vietnam Deferrals For Romney - Huffington Post
Sphere: Related ContentPETA Attacks Moore: "There's An Elephant In The Room, And It's You" - (Michael Moore) - Huffington Post
Sphere: Related ContentObama lobs ads, launches TV war
Excerpt:
"One new Obama ad describes how he graduated from Harvard Law and chose the long hours and lousy pay of a community organizer over corporate riches.
Famed Harvard Prof. Larry Tribe appears in the spot, calling it an "absolutely inspiring" decision by a young man "who could have written his ticket on Wall Street."
The second ad is meant to shore up doubts about Obama's record in the Illinois Senate. It also touts his reputation for bipartisanship, showing Republican state Sen. Kirk Dillard praising Obama's brains and hard work in a Midwestern accent as flat as Iowa's cornfields."
Read Story
Murdoch’s Dealings in China: Business and Personal - New York Times
Excerpt:
"Many big companies have sought to break into the Chinese market over the past two decades, but few of them have been as ardent and unrelenting as Rupert Murdoch’s News Corporation.
Mr. Murdoch has flattered Communist Party leaders and done business with their children. His Fox News network helped China’s leading state broadcaster develop a news Web site. He joined hands with the Communist Youth League, a power base in the ruling party, in a risky television venture, his China managers and advisers say."
Read Story
High Schoolers Get In Bush's Face About Torture - Huffington Post
Sphere: Related ContentFred Thompson: The Philip Morris Candidate - The Huffington Post
Excerpt:
"If Fred Thompson is elected president, he will be the first federally registered lobbyist to become Commander in Chief. Since his days as top minority counsel to the Senate Watergate Committee, Thompson has collected over $1 million in lobbying fees. In return, he has provided exceptional access to those in power.
Thompson's prospective presidential bid stands out in another respect: No campaign has been so dominated by staffers and advisers who have worked on behalf of Philip Morris, one of the world's leading tobacco conglomerates and a leading force in promoting cigarette smoking."
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2007/06/25/fred-thompson-the-philip_n_53736.html
By Arianna Huffington - A [Secret] Woman in Charge -- Hillary's Disturbing Secrecy Problem
Excerpt:
"Or, as Bernstein summed it up on the Today Show, "This is a woman who led a camouflaged life and continues to."
It's not just that she's a private person. There are plenty of public servants who are zealous about guarding their personal lives and equally zealous about keeping their public lives -- and public policies -- transparent. But, like Bush and Cheney, Clinton seems devoted to secrecy for its own sake.
As Bernstein shows, what was most shocking about her handling of the health care fiasco during her husband's administration wasn't that she kept the plan secret from its critics, but that she kept it secret even from those who would have been champions of the plan had they known anything about it.
This passion for concealment is a pattern that, as Bernstein demonstrates, has been repeated throughout Clinton's life. It was there in the head-scratching decision to hide her college thesis from public view because it was about radical organizer Saul Alinsky. It was there in her refusal for 30 years to admit that she had failed the bar exam the first time she took it. It was there in the way she glossed over in her memoir her summer internship at the law firm of Treuhaft, Walker, and Burnstein -- one of the most renowned left-wing law firms in the nation. It was there in the way she handled the Whitewater and Travelgate investigations, which, as Bernstein told me, "ended up unnecessarily prolonging them.""
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/arianna-huffington/a-secret-woman-in-c_b_53725.html
Obama Ringtones, Giuliani RSS Feeds: Are Presidential Candidates Burning Us Out Already? - New political media flood is already close to overwhelming - MTV
Excerpt:
"The good news is that by the time most of you can actually start voting in presidential primaries in February, some of the 18 major-party candidates will have dropped out of the race so you can focus on the front-runners.
The bad news?
If you've already started narrowing down the list of candidates you want to follow, you're looking at nine months of daily (or hourly) text messages, RSS feeds, blog entries, ringtones, vlog posts, e-mails, YouTube videos, MySpace friend requests, live Web chats, Eventful calendar updates and customized widgets for your desktop that give you the latest news on your candidate."
http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1563343/20070625/story.jhtml
Monday, June 25, 2007
By Sen. Mike Gravel - Why Hillary Scares Me
Excerpt:
"During one of the debates I mentioned that my fellow Democratic candidates scare me. Hillary's speech last week to the Take Back America conference gives me yet another reason to be afraid.
In an indignant voice she decried the Bush administration's ''stunning record of secrecy and corruption, of cronyism run amok. . . It is everything our founders were afraid of, everything our Constitution was designed to prevent.'' Actually, our Constitution grants Congress the power to prevent these ills but Hillary and her colleagues weren't up to the task.
Our founders' legacy did not stop Hillary from voting for the Patriot Act and then supporting its renewal in 2006 despite revelations that the government was using it to infringe on the very liberties that our founders held sacred. Where was her commitment to our founders when she voted to gut our habeas corpus protections?"
Read Story
Jesse Jackson arrested in Illinois high school protest - CNN
Excerpt:
"The Rev. Jesse Jackson was arrested Tuesday as he attempted to go onto the campus of a high school attempting to have six expelled students reinstated.
Jackson was led away in handcuffs, as were several ministers who also crossed a police line in front of Dwight D. Eisenhower High School."
http://www.cnn.com/US/9911/16/expelled.students.04/index.html
YouTube, or "EditorTube"? [UPDATE]
Excerpt:
"YouTube just posted this announcement on their blog:
We wanted to officially address the current situation of category browsing having gone missing from the site after the latest update (which also affected search for channel honors). We want to apologize for the upset and frustration that this has caused you. We wholeheartedly understand and we have been listening to the overwhelming feedback from all of you to "bring them back!""
http://www.techpresident.com/node/1221
Who business is betting on - CNN Money/Fortune
Excerpt:
"In a wide-open race, candidates are scrambling to get CEO endorsements. Our exclusive Fortune survey goes behind the scenes from Wall Street to Silicon Valley to find surprising alliances and discover how they were forged."
Read Story
'Citizen journalism' battles the Chinese censors - Breitbart
Excerpt:
"In the strictly controlled media world of communist China, "citizen journalism" is beating a way through censorship, breaking taboos and offering a pressure valve for social tensions.
In one striking example this month, the Internet was largely responsible for breaking open a slave scandal in two Chinese provinces that some local authorities had been complicit in.
A letter posted on the Internet by 400 parents of children working as slaves in brickyards was the trigger for the national press to finally report on the scandal that some rights groups say had been going on for years."
http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=070625034359.p7nae5re&show_article=1
Chavez Warns of Resistance War With USA... - Drudge Report
Sphere: Related ContentCourt allows issue ads near elections
Excerpt:
"The Supreme Court loosened restrictions Monday on corporate- and union-funded television ads that air close to elections, weakening a key provision of a landmark campaign finance law.
The court, split 5-4, upheld an appeals court ruling that an anti-abortion group should have been allowed to air ads during the final two months before the 2004 elections. The law unreasonably limits speech and violates the group's First Amendment rights, the court said."
Read Story
Iran Launches its Answer to CNN, BBC World
Excerpt:
"An increasingly crowded market for 24-hour news is facing a new rival -- a channel from Iran whose self-proclaimed aim is to break the "stranglehold" of the West over the world's media."
http://english.farsnews.com/newstext.php?nn=8604030340
McCain could pull out of race by autumn - Presidential hopeful drops campaign staff as Republican consultants predict he'll be gone by September - Times Online
Excerpt:
"THE former presidential front-runner, John McCain, may drop out of the 2008 race by September if his fundraising dries up and his poll ratings continue to drop, according to Republican insiders.
The speculation, vigorously denied by McCain’s camp, is sweeping Republican circles after a disastrous few weeks in which the principled Arizona senator has clashed with the party’s conservative base on immigration and also alienated independent voters by backing President George W Bush’s troop surge in Iraq."
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/article1977477.ece
Washington Post Profile Reveals Stealthy Cheney Spies On White House Staffers - Think Progress
Excerpt:
"Today, the Washington Post unveiled the first in its lengthy four-part series on the unprecedented influence and power of the vice president.
Shortly after Bush was elected, “Cheney preferred, and Bush approved, a mandate that gave him access to ‘every table and every meeting,’ making his voice heard in ‘whatever area the vice president feels he wants to be active in.’”"
http://thinkprogress.org/2007/06/24/cheney-wp-profile/
Obama: Faith Hijacked By Right Wing Evangelicals - Huffington Post
Sphere: Related ContentRussert: ISG Commissioners Say Giuliani’s Excuse For Leaving Is Untrue - Think Progress
Excerpt:
"Earlier this week, Newsday reported that former NYC Mayor Rudy Giuliani quit the Iraq Study Group after co-chairman James Baker offered “him a stark choice: either attend the meetings or quit.” Giuliani had failed to show up for a single meeting during the two months he was a member of the commission.
In response to the story, Giuliani said he left the group because he “didn’t want the group’s work to become a political football” for his nascent presidential campaign, a claim that has been thoroughly debunked."
http://thinkprogress.org/2007/06/24/giuliani-isg-russert/
Obama: "I'm LeBron, baby. I can play on this level. I got some game." - Political Wire
"Sen. Barack Obama, quoted in the new book Obama: From Promise to Power by David Mendell, likening himself as NBA star LeBron James as he walked around the 2004 Democratic National Convention in Boston."
http://politicalwire.com/archives/2007/06/24/quote_of_the_day.html
HuffPost Exclusive: More Lobbyists On McCain Staff Than Any Other 08 Candidate
Excerpt:
"John McCain, who made his name attacking special interests, has more lobbyists working on his staff or as advisers than any of his competitors, Republican or Democrat.
A Huffington Post examination of the campaigns of the top three presidential candidates in each party shows that lobbyists are playing key roles in both Democratic and Republican bids --although they are far more prevalent on the GOP side. But, all the campaigns pale in comparison to McCain's, whose rhetoric stands in sharp contrast to his conduct."
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2007/06/23/huffpost-exclusive-more-_n_53456.html
Sarkozy opens Darfur meeting, says ‘silence kills’
Excerpt:
"Saying ‘silence kills’, French President Nicolas Sarkozy urged delegates to a meeting on the humanitarian crisis in Darfur on Monday to find a way to stop the violence ravaging Sudan’s vast west.
France gathered senior officials from more than a dozen countries at a Paris meeting aimed at galvanizing international efforts to stabilise the western Sudanese region, where the United States has declared that genocide has taken place.
Sudan, which did not attend the meeting, agreed earlier this month to a combined United Nations and African Union peacekeeping force of more than 20,000 troops and police but many diplomats doubt it will keep its word."
Read Story=
Harriet Harman: 'I will be a champion for women'
Excerpt:
"Labour's new deputy leader today pledged to be a "champion" for women after she narrowly won the keenly fought contest to succeed John Prescott.
Harriet Harman won through in the final round of voting to beat the favourite, Education Secretary Alan Johnson by 50.43% to 49.56%."
http://www.24dash.com/centralgovernment/22871.htm
Revealed: Blair's secret plan to sack Gordon Brown - Belfast Telegraph
Excerpt:
"An explosive Cabinet Office document reveals that the departing Prime Minister had no intention of making a 'smooth transition' of power to Gordon Brown.
Marie Woolf reveals the detailed plans to sack his bitter rival and break up the Treasury in a report that reveals an extraordinary breakdown at the heart of government.
An astonishing confidential document proves that Tony Blair planned to sack Mr Brown as Chancellor of the Exchequer immediately after the last election."
http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/politics/article2707604.ece
Saturday, June 23, 2007
YouTube, or "EditorTube"? - TechPresident
Excerpts:
"A few days ago, YouTube, the giant videosharing site, unveiled some site upgrades that has a vocal chunk of its user base up in arms. The most important change, from the point of view of YouTube's burgeoning critics, is the removal of social data about videos in all the different categories and its replacement with videos that are being handpicked by the site's editors. As Brave New Films' Jim Gilliam, who alerted me to this, explains, "Before there used to be several pages of 'the most viewed,' 'most discussed,' 'top rated,' 'top favorited,' etc. for each individual category there...not just the editors picks and some random other videos.""
and
"Along with more than 4,000 text comments, his video protest has already prompted more than 200 video responses--a huge number. In just three hours, it became one of the most discussed on the site.
I asked him if he had any idea why this change might have been made and he wrote me,
Outside of YouTube's growing connection with the mainstream media and apparently the Government, there is no reason for YouTube to take down the catagories. A number of people have coincided this with the fact that YouTube doesn't want a number of videos highly critical of the candidates splashed all over their website. Instead all you get is ones handpicked by the YouTube editors which all give glowing reivews, (The one exception is a video entitled "Ron Paul is full of Shit") However a side effect of their sudden corporate sucking up is the death of the community, and people have started nicknaming YouTube as EditorTube."
http://www.techpresident.com/node/1221
SiCKO opens large in NYC... Grosses $23,576 Friday at the AMC Lincoln Square. All shows sold out; additional shows added... Developing... - Drudge Report
http://www.drudgereport.com/
Video: Blair: EU treaty good for UK - From: bbcworldnews
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a4dVcN8uNe4
In Aiding Poor, Edwards Built Bridge to 2008 - New York Times
Excerpt:
"John Edwards ended 2004 with a problem: how to keep alive his public profile without the benefit of a presidential campaign that could finance his travels and pay for his political staff.
Mr. Edwards, who reported this year that he had assets of nearly $30 million, came up with a novel solution, creating a nonprofit organization with the stated mission of fighting poverty. The organization, the Center for Promise and Opportunity, raised $1.3 million in 2005, and — unlike a sister charity he created to raise scholarship money for poor students — the main beneficiary of the center’s fund-raising was Mr. Edwards himself, tax filings show."
Read Story
Liberal Group Encourages Lieberman To Keep Raising Money — for the Other Side - CQPolitics.com
Excerpt:
"But liberal groups also see Lieberman as a liability, not a help to GOP candidates. Moveon.org says it was able to raise a whopping $355,000 during a 24-hour e-mail fundraising campaign for anti-war House members Tom Allen, D-Maine, and Patrick J. Murphy, D-Pa. Allen plans to challenge Collins for her Senate seat."
http://www.cqpolitics.com/2007/06/liberal_group_encourages_liebe.html
Former Bush EPA Chief: Giuliani ‘More Concerned With Image Than Safety’ During Anthrax Scare
Excerpt:
"In an interview last night with New York NBC affiliate WNBC, President Bush’s former EPA administrator Christine Todd Whitman revealed that mayor Rudy Giuliani’s administration “appeared to be more concerned with its image than the safety and speedy response of EPA employees in the wake of the 2001 anthrax scare.”"
http://thinkprogress.org/2007/06/22/giuliani-anthrax/
Fundraising Gap Likely to Persist For Campaigns - McCain, Edwards Expect To Lag Behind Leaders - Washington Post
Excerpt:
"Edwards and McCain are two prominent victims of the widening money gap between the front-runners and the rest of the field, a separation that will be apparent when the campaigns file their fundraising reports on the second quarter, which ends next Saturday.
Sens. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) and Barack Obama (D-Ill.) are each expected to hit the $25 million mark -- at least -- for money raised since April 1, a feat that reflects their continuing ability to reach deep into their Democratic constituency. Among the Republicans, former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney and former New York mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani are said to be repeating their impressive first-quarter takes.
Former senator Fred Thompson of Tennessee, who is not yet officially a GOP candidate, seems on track to reach his goal of raising about $5 million in just one month, according to advisers. And New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, who is barely registering in most polls, has told other Democrats that he expects to raise more money than Edwards this quarter."
Read Story
'Sicko' leaves top Democrats ill at ease - Leading candidates are sidestepping direct comment on filmmaker Michael Moore's proposals for universal healthcare - Los Angeles Times
Excerpt:
" With the release of Michael Moore's "Sicko," a movie once again is adding sizzle to an issue that's a high priority for liberal politicians — this time comprehensive health insurance for all. But unlike Al Gore's film on global warming, which helped rally support on an equally controversial problem, "Sicko" is creating an awkward situation for the leading Democratic presidential candidates.
Rejecting Moore's prescription on healthcare could alienate liberal activists, who will play a big role in choosing the party's next standard-bearer. However, his proposal — wiping out private health insurance and replacing it with a massive federal program — could be political poison with the larger electorate."
Read Story
Karzai blames 'careless' NATO for Afghan civilian deaths
Excerpt:
"The Afghan President Hamid Karzai has accused Nato, and US-led forces, of mounting "careless operations" that killed more than 90 civilians in the last 10 days."
Read Story
White House Defends Cheney's Refusal of Oversight - Washington Post
Excerpt:
"The White House defended Vice President Cheney yesterday in a dispute over his office's refusal to comply with an executive order regulating the handling of classified information as Democrats and other critics assailed him for disregarding rules that others follow.
White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said Cheney is not obligated to submit to oversight by an office that safeguards classified information, as other members and parts of the executive branch are. Cheney's office has contended that it does not have to comply because the vice president serves as president of the Senate, which means that his office is not an "entity within the executive branch."
"This is a little bit of a nonissue," Perino said at a briefing dominated by the issue. Cheney is not subject to the executive order, she said, "because the president gets to decide whether or not he should be treated separately, and he's decided that he should."
Read Story
Leaders in Deal on Europe’s Charter - New York Times
Excerpt:
"In a deal reached at 4:30 in the morning here, the leaders of the 27 members of the European Union agreed today to negotiate a treaty by the end of this year to replace the defunct constitution.
The breakthrough on the plan, which calls for the new treaty to be ratified by mid-2009, came after Poland stepped back from a dramatic threat to veto any agreement, prompting a counterthreat from Germany, which held the chairmanship of the meeting, that it would continue negotiations without Warsaw.
At the height of tension during two days of tense diplomacy here, a last-minute meeting and telephone calls organized by President Nicolas Sarkozy of France, Prime Minister Tony Blair of Britain and Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany helped to convince Poland’s leaders that their intransigence could leave them isolated."
Read Sory
Abbas forms inquiry into Gaza fiasco
Excerpt:
"Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has formed a commission of inquiry into the rout of his security forces in Gaza as he sacked a second commander over the debacle.
An official statement says the commission will be headed by Zakariya al-Agha, a Fatah leader from Gaza.
"[Mr Abbas] today ordered the formation of a commission of inquiry into the shortcomings in the Gaza Strip that failed to prevent the armed revolt by militias of the Hamas movement against Palestinian legitimacy and institutions," the statement said."
http://abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/06/23/1960017.htm
Probe Opens: Did Mitt Romney's Staff Harass 'NYT' Reporter? - Editor and Publisher
Excerpts:
"The New Hampshire Attorney General‘s Office has opened an investigation into whether presidential hopeful Mitt Romney‘s staff might have made an illegal traffic stop."
and
"Romney‘s campaign on Wednesday denied a report that aides pulled over Times reporter Mark Leibovich, who was trailing the former Massachusetts governor‘s caravan in New Hampshire, checked his license plates and told him to leave."
Read Story
Friday, June 22, 2007
CIA to declassify notorious operations
Excerpt:
"THE CIA says it it has decided to declassify most of a voluminous 1973 file known as "the family jewels", which details some of the agency's most notorious operations.
Assassination plots, human experimentation, illegal wiretaps and surveillance of journalists in the 1950s until the early 1970s are among the activities documented in the 693-page file, according to previously released documents about "the family jewels"."
http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,21948945-1702,00.html
Vietnam president signs trade pact with U.S.
Excerpt:
"Vietnamese President Nguyen Minh Triet signed a trade and investment pact with the United States on Thursday and vowed to improve the business climate in the fast-growing Southeast Asian communist state.
Triet, on the first visit to the United States by a postwar Vietnamese head of state, said it was "passe" for Americans to associate his country with conflict when it is now wide open for business."
http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/06/22/vietnam.us.reut/index.html
Merkel urges EU treaty compromise
Excerpt:
"German Chancellor Angela Merkel sought on Friday to persuade Poland to compromise over a new treaty to reform the European Union after Warsaw dug in its heels to demand a change in the voting system."
http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/europe/06/22/eu.summit.reut/index.html
Hamas denies it plans to kill Abbas
Excerpt:
"Hamas has denied Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas' accusation that it is planning to assassinate him.
"Al-Qassam Brigades does not consider Mahmoud Abbas a target," Hamas spokesman Abu Obaida said Thursday night, referring to the group's militant wing. "There is no proof that we did, either with regards to Abbas or any other politician.""
http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/meast/06/22/hamas.abbas/index.html
Drudge Report:
"**EXCLUSIVE** MEDIA WARS: NY TIMES RUSHES CONTROVERSIAL MURDOCH INVESTIGATION, NOW SET FOR PUBLICATION THIS SUNDAY, INSIDERS TELL DRUDGE... MORE... EDITORS HOPE TO HAVE DIRECT IMPACT ON PENDING MURDOCH OFFER TO BUY NYT RIVAL, WALL STREET JOURNAL... 'THE REPORTING IS NOT DONE, IT'S BEING RUSHED,' SAYS TOP INSIDER... THE EXPOSE WILL RUN OVER 3,500-WORDS, AND IS BEING DESCRIBED AS AN 'AGGRESSIVE' EXAMINATION ON MURDOCH, HIS ASIAN WIFE, AND ATTEMPTS TO EXPAND HIS MEDIA EMPIRE... DEVELOPING..."
House Republican wants to restrict Pelosi’s travel - The Hill
Excerpt:
"House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) will not be permitted to use State Department funds to travel to nations that are known to have sponsored terrorism if a Republican amendment to appropriations legislation passes the House on Thursday."
Read Story
BOXER/CLINTON DENY CONVERSATION TOOK PLACE... - Drudge Report
Sphere: Related ContentVideo: SENATOR CLAIMS: Clinton, Boxer Conspiring to Rein In Talk Radio
Video Description:
"BREITBART.TV EXCLUSIVE: Appearing on John Ziegler's evening show on KFI 640 AM in LA, U.S. Senator James Inhofe says he overheard Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-NY) and Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) saying they want a "legislative fix" for talk radio."
http://www.breitbart.tv/html/2042.html