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Home > Window on Washington > Archives > 2008 > May
May 2008
Wedding party toasts amidst pivotal political showdown
To the mix of Democratic Party officials, TV crews, reporters, hotel workers and assorted demonstrators — an unruly cast of thousands — add a couple of hundred well-dressed wedding guests and a bride and groom.
Yes, festivities celebrating the Debuchananne Rogers Wedding were held Saturday at the same hotel where the Democratic National Committee’s Rules and Bylaws Committee was also meeting as the political world watched. There would be a lawn reception followed by dinner and dancing.
Luckily, the rain stopped before the wedding party and guests — dressed in smart summer fashion — began arriving. Unluckily, they had to make their way through a hotel filled with protesters, politicos and journalists who were already dragging from a long, long day.
“Oh, it’s so exciting,” said one guest in a yellow frock. “Besides, we’re Democrats.”
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Campaign aides divided over giving each Florida delegate a half vote
Florida representatives of Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama remained divided this afternoon over a proposal to seat the state’s entire Democratic convention delegation with each member getting a half-vote.
The proposal, offered by Florida Rep. Robert Wexler, who represented the Obama campaign at a meeting today of the Democratic Party’s Rules and Bylaws Committee, would result in 19 more pledged delegate votes for Sen. Hillary Clinton.
Wexler’s proposal would give each of the 185 pledged delegates and 26 superdelegates a half vote.
“Sen. Obama should be commended for his willingness to offer this extraordinary concession,” Wexler told the committee.
But U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., who has endorsed Clinton, said he would prefer to see the entire delegation seated based on the results of Florida’s Jan. 29 primary. That would result in Clinton receiving a net gain of 38 delegates.
Nelson said he could accept a solution that gave each of the pledged delegates a half vote, but that he wanted a full vote for the superdelegates.
A Nelson spokesman later clarified the senator’s position, saying that Nelson could accept a half vote for both superdelegates and pledged delegates.
“The principle here is one person, one vote,” Nelson told reporters. “Let the vote count and count as the people intended it to count. This is not about a candidate, this is about the people of Florida.”
With little separating the two sides, Wexler said he expects a resolution similar to what he proposed.
Opening the meeting that will determine the fate of the Florida and Michigan delegations to the Democratic convention, and possibly who will be the nominee, Democratic chair Howard Dean warned this morning that the committee’s decision will not satisfy everyone completely.
But Dean said he was confident that the outcome would pave the way for the party to be united by the time it meets later this summer.
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Clinton and Obama supporters chant outside pivotal DNC meeting on Florida and Michigan
“Count my vote!” the throngs in message-T-shirts chanted outside the D.C. hotel Saturday morning. “Fifty states, not forty-eight!”
Later, in a driving rain, they stood outside the Democratic National Committee meeting holding a large banner: “Florida Demands Representation.”
But none of the holders were from the Sunshine State. They came from West Virginia, Virginia, Pennsylvania and Virginia.
The only part of Ian Rivera’s attire that wasn’t soaked through was his metal “Hillary 2008” button.
“According to the party’s own rules, we can appeal this if we don’t like the decision by the Rules and Bylaws Committee,” said Rivera, who came down from New York City for this drenching. “I’ll be there when it goes to the Rules Committee at the convention. If we don’t get it done here, we’ll do it there.”
Others were, indeed, Floridians.
“I’m here because of my desire to see every vote in Florida count,” declared Margaret Bachtler, a child welfare worker from Boca Raton, Fla. “Not some votes. Not half a vote. Every vote. This is the United States of America and every vote is supposed to count.”
I’m Half A Voter,” said the T-shirt of another demonstrator from Florida.
Hundreds of protesters — mostly supporters of Hillary Clinton — gathered outside the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel well before the 9:45 a.m. opening of the key meeting of the Rules and Bylaws Committee of the Democratic National Committee.
The committee is deciding whether to seat delegations from Florida and Michigan at the Democratic National Convention. The states had been forbidden from sending delegates to Denver in August because they violated party rules to move their primaries ahead in the campaign season. A compromise could result in half the delegates from the two states being seated.
But the protesters were in no mood for a compromise that would effectively secure their party’s nomination for Barack Obama.
“We’re going all the way to the convention if it’s not settled here” to their satisfaction, said Kim Beamon, a stay-at-home mom from Deerfield Beach, Fla.
The message screamed from scores of placards.
“Not Counting Votes Is An Obamanation,” said one. “Remember the 2000 Election,” said another.
“We Spoke Loud and Clear and Our Votes Must Be Heard,” declared a T-shirt worn by one Floridian.
“I fought for my vote to count,” said Wesley Taylor, an Army veteran from Coral Springs, Fla., who is a graduate student at Florida International University.
Kathy Williams displayed a mock clothes line with sheets of white paper hung from it, explaining they bear the names of voters from Florida who have been “hung out to dry.” The names came from Florida friends who e-mailed her.
“I’m from Texas. It’s hot there but it’s hotter here,” said LuLu Flores, president of the National Women’s Political Caucus. She blasted the DNC for waiting so long to meet on the Florida and Michigan issue.
Clinton won the Florida Primary, although neither she nor Obama campaigned there after both states violated DNC rules by holding their primaries early. Clinton also won in Michigan but Obama was not on the ballot.
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McClellan and Rather
For $26 next Wednesday you can see two Texans who are not exactly tight with the Texan currently in the White House.
Former CBS anchorman Dan Rather and former White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan share the bill at New York’s 92nd Street Y.
The topic? “Inside the Bush White House” and it’s all part of the promotional tour surrounding McClellan’s hot new book criticizing President Bush.
Looking for something a bit less controversial? Try Monday night’s Mah Jongg Club Night.
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Lamar Smith tells McClellan to talk to the hand
Former White House spokesman Scott McClellan isn’t getting any love from one of his hometown congressmen.
Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee reportedly are weighing calling McClellan to testify about some of the charges in his new tall-all about the Bush administration. But the top-ranking Republican on that committee, Rep. Lamar Smith, who represents parts of western and central Austin, said in a statement today he’s not interested.
“It’s no surprise that the liberal publisher has chosen to promote outrageous statements as part of a political smear campaign to grab headlines and sell books,” Smith said. “It should not take a congressional hearing to determine that Mr. McClellan’s statements are not credible.”
In other words, don’t save a seat for Smith when McClellan’s book tour hits BookPeople in Austin on June 21.
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Galen signs on with Hutchison
Rich Galen, a former aide to Dan Quayle and Newt Gingrich when they were in Congress, is going to work for U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, R-Texas, as a senior counselor.
Galen also writes an online column at mullings.com, although he’s put the page on hiatus to await a go-ahead from the ethics police in the Senate.
But in his hiatus column, he managed to fire off this blast at press-secretary-turned-author Scott McClellan: “It was generally known in Washington that McClellan was such an ineffective spokesman that he would have done better to tack the talking points he had been given to the briefing room wall and leave, rather than waste the press corps’ time hectoring him for an hour or so every day.”
If this is the type of shot that Galen will fire at Hutchison’s adversaries (cough, Rick Perry, cough), we could be in for some fun.
Someone immediately asked whether this is another sign that Hutchison is running for governor in 2010. Perhaps. But remember that in 2005 she hired GOP campaign guy Terry Sullivan to help with her next election and many at the time thought it was a sign she would take on Perry the following year. But ultimately she chose not to run for governor and she ended her successful re-election run for Senate with a different campaign manager.
Efforts to reach the oft-quoted Galen by phone today were unsuccessful.
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Kerry takes aim at McCain using Petraeus in fundraising
Of course, those orders don’t apply to politicians who are trying to get elected president and, along with that, commander-in-chief of all military forces. Politicians like Arizona Sen. John McCain, the presumptive presidential nominee of the Republican Party.
McCain has sent out a fundraising solicitation using an image of him and Gen. David Petraeus, architect of the military surge in Iraq.
And on Friday, Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts, who like McCain is a decorated Vietnam war hero, criticized his Senate colleague for using Petraeus’s image for political purposes.
“Sadly, it’s a straight out of the Bush playbook,” said Kerry, whose unsuccessful campaign against President Bush in 2004 campaign was undercut by a Republican-funded veterans group attacking Kerry’s military record.
The McCain solicitation using a photograph of the senator shaking hands with the general in full uniform takes a swipe at Illinois Sen. Barack Obama, the likely Democratic nominee.
“Something is wrong with your judgement when you want to sit down unconditionally with Raul Castro and Iran’s President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, but you don’t take the opportunity to side down with General Petraeus and learn about the situation in Iraq firsthand.”
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Dems use McClellan’s words
Well this didn’t take long.
The Democratic National Committee quickly has cobbled together a 60-second video to take advantage of former White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan’s accusations that President Bush misled the nation into an unnecessary war in Iraq.
The DNC’s point? “John McCain was a key part of the Bush Administration’s efforts to misrepresent the threat posed by Iraq and make war look like ‘the only feasible option.’”
Those last four words are from McClellan’s book in which he says the administration orchestrated a propaganda campaign to make invading Iraq look like “the only feasible option.”
“This week, the American people are getting a fresh look at John McCain’s key role in the propaganda machine that Scott McClellan describes in his book,” said DNC spokesman Damien LaVera. “Given that he was part of the drumbeat that misled America into war and continues to misrepresent the facts as he defends his willingness to keep our troops in Iraq for 100 years, how can Senator McCain be trusted to not continue the Bush policy of cherry picking the facts on the ground in Iraq and misleading the American people?”
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Like mother, like McClellan
While the tone of Scott McClellan’s book has been widely described as surprisingly harsh, it bears some resemblance to another high profile figure who broke with Republican loyalists two and a half years ago.
That would be McClellan’s mother, Carole Keeton Strayhorn.
Strayhorn, having previously been a Democrat, was the Republican state comptroller in 2006 when she formally left the Republican Party to run for governor as an independent. Her decision wasn’t a surprise at the time because she had used her state platform for years to launch attacks on Republican Gov. Rick Perry.
Here’s what she told the San Antonio Express-News in January 2006, just after she announced she would run as an independent: “I have known for several years that something is really going on in this state, and that we were off track.”
And here’s one excerpt posted online from McClellan’s new book about his time in the Bush White House: “No single decision caused the wheels to come off the Bush White House. But the way we went about executing the decision to go to war — from making the case to the public to inadequately planning and preparing for its aftermath as we rushed into it — sent us badly off track.”
When Strayhorn left the Republican Party, former GOP state chairman George Strake Jr. told the Austin American-Statesman that she “had abandoned the principles of the Republican Party that had welcomed her with open arms.”
The state party went even further, saying Strayhorn had enjoyed a one-night stand with the GOP.
Similarly, former White House Press Secretary Ari Fleischer said on NBC’s Today show Thursday, “Scott’s about to borrow some friends on the political left for 24 hours who will throw him out as soon as they’re done with him and he’s burnt an awful lot of bridges with people who always thought fondly and highly of him.”
Strayhorn finished a distant third in that 2006 run for governor and is now said to be mulling a run for mayor of Austin. McClellan was not particularly visible in her gubernatorial race, but he was one of her most influential advisers behind the scenes.
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Clinton livin’ la vida loca with Martin endorsement
Some pundits have suggested New York Sen. Hillary Clinton is crazy to continue her presidential bid with almost no chance of overtaking Illinois Sen. Barack Obama in delegates to the Democratic National Convention this summer.
Even so, Clinton definitely is “livin’ la vida loca” as the Democratic campaign turns to the really deep South for the upcoming presidential primary in Puerto Rico.
The proof is her endorsement from Puerto Rican artist Ricky Martin, the five-time Grammy winner best known for his 1999 smash hit “Livin’ La Vida Loca.”
In a statement Thursday, Martin noted that Clinton, as the senator from New York, represents millions of Latinos and “has always been consistent in her commitment with the needs of the Latino community.”
Martin’s signature song, by the way, was not among those in the contest Clinton held for voters to choose the senator’s campaign song. Nor was one of his best known follow-up hits: “She Bangs.”
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Barack’s medical report
He’s smoked and had a rash or two, but Barack Obama’s doctor says the Illinois senator is fit to be president.
Here’s the letter, released today by the Obama campaign, from Dr. David L. Scheiner of Chicago:
To whom it may concern:
I am David L. Scheiner, a board certified general internist licensed to practice in the State of Illinois. I am on staff at the University of Chicago Hospitals and Rush University Medical Center. I have been Senator Barack Obama’s primary care physician since March 23, 1987. The following is a summary of his medical records for the past 21 years.
During that period of time, Senator Obama has been in excellent health. He has been seen regularly for medical checkups and various minor problems such as upper respiratory infections, skin rashes and minor injuries.
His family history is pertinent for his mother’s death from ovarian cancer and grandfather who died of prostate cancer. His own history included intermittent cigarette smoking. He has quit this practice on several occasions and is currently using Nicorette gum with success.
Senator Obama’s last medical checkup was on January 15, 2007; he had no complaints. He exercised regularly often jogging three miles. His diet was balanced with good intake of roughage and fluids. A complete review of systems was unremarkable. On physical examination, his blood pressure was 90/60 and pulse 60/minute. His build was lean and muscular with no excess body fat. His physical examination was completely normal.
Laboratory studies included triglycerides of 44(normal under 150), cholesterol 173 (normal under 200), HDL 68 (normal over 40), and LDL 96 (normal under 130). Chem 24, urinalysis and CBC were normal, PSA was 0.6, very good. An EKG was normal.
In short, his examination showed him to be in excellent health. Senator Barack Obama is in overall good physical and mental health needed to maintain the resiliency required in the Office of President.
Sincerely, David L. Scheiner, M.D.
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White House photographers provided pictures for McClellan book
A few current White House staffers contributed to ex-Press Secretary Scott McClellan’s new book - “What Happened” - that is under heavy fire from his former colleagues.
The photos on the front and back were provided by Eric Draper, the official White House photographer. Draper and several other White House photogs also provided pictures for the eight pages of photos inside.
Among the family photos included is the one above showing little Scotty “getting an early political lesson at age four by participating in a mock election Mom held for neighborhood kids in our front yard in 1972.”
To date, McClellan has not written a book explaining what happened in that election.
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McClellan: The Book Tour
Perhaps you’ve heard that ex-White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan has a new book out. And that means the book tour is underway - and it will wrap up with a stop in his hometown of Austin.
Here’s the sked:
June 4 - New York, 92nd Street Y, 8 p.m. June 10 - Washington, Politics and Prose book store, 7 p.m. June 17 - San Diego, City Club, time to be determined. June 18 - San Francisco, Commonwealth Club, noon. June 21 - Austin, Book People, 3 p.m.
And here’s the sked for his TV/radio appearances, which began this morning on “Today” and continues this evening on “Countdown with Keith Olberman.”
Friday - CNN’s “The Situation Room.” June 2 - CNN’s “American Morning” and Comedy Central’s “Daily Show.” June 3 - NPR’s “Fresh Air.” June 11 - NPR’s “Talk of the Nation”
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Want to play doctor with John McCain?
Care to leaf through a summary of eight years of John McCain’s medical records?
Here’s a teaser, his meds list:
Simvastatin, a cholesterol lowering medicine
Hydrochlorothiazide, for kidney stone prevention
Amiloride to preserve potassium in the blood stream
Aspirin, for blood clot prevention
Zyrtec, an anti-histamine as necessary for nasal allergies
Ambien CR, as necessary for sleep when traveling
See the whole summary at www.johnmccain.com/mccainrecords
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Bush and McCain and money
President Bush hits the road next week to raise money for probable GOP presidential nominee John McCain, but you might not see them together unless you pay the price of admission at a Phoenix event on Tuesday.
White House Spokesman Tony Fratto said the events, including two on Wednesday in Utah which McCain will not attend, will be in private residences and closed to the press. “You know the way that goes,” Fratto told reporters. “This is the way we’ve always done it.”
It’s not the way other presidents always have done it. Reporters were allowed into fundraising events President Clinton attended at private homes.
Press Secretary Dana Perino added later in the day that there is a chance of a public spotting of McCain and Bush together at an arrival or departure event in Phoenix. Stay tuned, she advised, adding that no decisions have been made yet concerning future campaign events featuring Bush and McCain.
And here’s Perino’s take on why the Phoenix event is closed to press: McCain’s doing, she says.
“The reason that they’re closed is that the McCain campaign has a practice of having their fund-raisers as closed press. And these are in private residences, which is where we have had closed press fundraisers as well,” she said.
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Rice on the side.
The verdict is in. If the British people had their way, John McCain would choose Condoleezza Rice as his running mate.
In an online poll conducted this week by the London Times, readers were asked to vote amongst 10 of the most likely choices (at least according to the Times). Here are the choices: Haley Barbour, Charlie Crist, Carly Fiorina, Lindsay Graham, Bobby Jindal, Joe Lieberman, Sarah Palin, Tim Pawlenty, Condoleezza Rice, and Mitt Romney.
The poll closed at midnight and Condi came in first with 33 percent of the vote. In second place was Mitt with 13 percent, followed by Sarah Palin with 11 percent of the vote. Both Carly and Joe received 10 percent.
The paper itself argued that Carly would make a great choice, giving the candidate the economics knowledge he lacks.
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Marshall loses seat on House Financial Services Committee
Rep. Jim Marshall, a Georgia Democrat, has been taken off the House Financial Services Committee to make room for newly elected House members, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s office said Thursday. “Jim was happy to step aside,” spokesman Doug Moore said. He said Marshall had only a temporary seat on Financial Services in addition to his permanent seats on the Armed Services and Agriculture committees. He added the third committee because of his expertise in banking, futures and credit union issues, the spokesman said, adding, “Obviously he’s disappointed because this is something he’s very interested in.” Pelosi’s spokesman, Nadeam Elshami, said, “Congressman Marshall was a valued member of the Financial Service Committee and has won the praise of the his chairman and his colleagues, but as his third committee, it was a temporary assignment.”
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Mitt PAC
Former Massachusetts Gov. and former GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney - a possible future vice presidential candidate - has formed a political action committee to help GOP candidates.
It’s the “Free and Strong America PAC” and, according to a release, “will support officeholders and candidates who are dedicated to advancing social, fiscal and foreign policies that will strengthen America at this critical time in the nation’s history.”
Says Romney - who is heading to John McCain’s Arizona retreat this weekend along Florida Gov. Charlie Crist and Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, two other potential McCain running mates:
“America is at a crossroads. If we are to remain a leader in the world, we must be prepared to tackle the numerous challenges ahead of us with the same innovation and spirit that has made us the envy of the world. Together with the candidates we support, and the help of the American people, we can embrace solutions that will create a strong economy, strong families and a strong military.”
The PAC’s first list of supported candidates includes Reps. Tom Feeney and Connie Mack of Florida, and Tom Price of Georgia.
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Obama rally potty
The facilities for the press at Barack Obama’s outdoor rally Tuesday night in downtown Des Moines.
At least they made a nice sign.
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Dr. Price’s remedy for his party
Rep. Tom Price, M.D., has a prescription for what ails his fellow Republicans: Drilling and lots of it. Drilling in Alaska, drilling off the coast of Florida, drilling wherever possible to produce made-in-America fuel.
The Georgia lawmaker said in an interview that he has, well, been trying to drill that idea into the heads of the senior policy team of presumptive Republican presidential nominee John McCain. He said he believed he has made some headway.
Price acknowledged that one obstacle was McCain’s own vote against drilling for oil in the Alaska National Wildlife Refuge.
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Broun to propose Constitutional ban on gay marriage
Rep. Paul Broun, a Georgia Republican, announced today he would introduce a Constitutional amendment to counter the California Supreme Court’s decision to recognize same-sex marriage.
“There simply is no basis for the suggestion that homosexual ‘marriage’ is a right protected by the United States Constitution,” Broun said. His draft amendment says that marriage “shall consist only of the union of a man and a woman” and rules out state-sanctioned same-sex marriages.
A similar amendment was defeated in the Senate in 2006. Constitutional amendments require a two-thirds majority of both houses of Congress plus ratification by three-fourths of the states.
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Clinton clearance sale
Forget the polls, delegate counts and tea leaves. Here, at Washington’s Dulles International Airport, is the surest sign that the end might be near for the Hillary Clinton candidacy.
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Clinton camp: No winner yet
Obama aides say the latest plan does not call for a declaration of victory tomorrow night after the voting ends in Kentucky and Oregon. Closest thing might be pointed references noting that the voting probably will give him a majority of the pledged delegates - a milestone well worth noting.
Balderdash, says the Clinton camp. Here’s today’s preemptive memo from her staff about tomorrow’s voting:
To: Interested Parties From: Howard Wolfson , Communications Director Date: Monday, May 19, 2008 Re: Mission Accomplished? Not so fast.
Senator Obama’s plan to declare himself the Democratic nominee tomorrow night in Iowa is a slap in the face to the millions of voters in the remaining primary states and to Senator Clinton’s 17 million supporters.
There is no scenario under the rules of the Democratic National Committee by which Senator Obama will be able to claim the nomination tomorrow night. He will not have 2210 delegates, the number needed with Florida and Michigan included in the process, nor will he have 2025 delegates, the number needed to secure the nomination without Florida and Michigan .
Premature victory laps and false declarations of victory are unwarranted. Declaring mission accomplished does not make it so.
While Senator Obama inaccurately declares himself the nominee, Senator Clinton will continue to work hard, campaigning for every vote in the upcoming states and making the case that she will be the best nominee to take on John McCain and be our next president.
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Hillary: “Why I’m in”
Here’s the e-mail Hillary Clinton sent to supporters today. It’s called “Why I’m in.”
You’ve got to admire optimism in the face of the realities of delegate math. And you’ve got to really admire the optimism of anybody who contributes to the Clinton campaign at this point in the race.
—
“There are some people out there who want to declare this race over now, before all the ballots have been counted or even cast. There are some who say they don’t know why I’m in this race. So let me tell you why I’m still running.”
“I’m in this race for everyone who needs a champion. For the hardworking families who are losing sleep over gas prices and grocery costs and mortgage payments and medical bills — but who never lose that American can-do spirit and optimism.”
“I’m in this race for the more than 16 million people like you who have supported me -for the people who have put their hearts into winning this race. You never gave up on me, and I’ll never give up on you.”
“We are in the homestretch. After sixteen months, there are only three weeks left to compete in the final contests. With your help I’m going to keep fighting until every last American has a chance to be heard, and as we learned last night in West Virginia, I know we can win.”
“Contribute now to keep our campaign going strong.”
“I’m also in this race because I have the best chance of beating John McCain in November and putting America on the right track.”
“We proved something in West Virginia last night - a state every Democratic president has won since 1916. And we proved something in a few other battleground states that have a history of picking presidents. Pennsylvania. Ohio. Arkansas. New Hampshire. New Jersey. New Mexico. Nevada. And, yes, Michigan and Florida.”
“I am in this race, and so are you, because we both know the stakes in this election are too high to stay on the sidelines.”
“So let’s keep going together, you and me. Let’s keep driving our campaign forward, and let’s keep winning.”
“Make a contribution today to help me win.”
“I want to thank you again for the incredible generosity of spirit you have shown over the course of this campaign. Together, you and I are going to make history.”
“Thank you,
Hillary Rodham Clinton”
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House Republicans cope with another loss
Last night’s Democratic win in a Mississippi House district that, on paper, was supposed to be an easy with for Republicans led to a very brief media briefing this morning by the Republican leaders of the House.
I don’t regularly attend their Wednesday morning briefings, but others who do say this one was particularly short. Nine minutes. Four questions allowed, although there were clearly more that reporters wanted to ask. Minority Leader John Boehner didn’t even take time to make fun of a Congress Daily reporter’s haircut (which, from what I’ve seen, he always does).
For weeks they’ve blamed Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi for high gas prices and groused about Democratic inaction on other issues. Either the message isn’t getting through or voters simply aren’t buying it.
The Republican leaders pointed out that the Democratic winner of the seat in Mississippi, Travis Childers, distanced himself from Pelosi and ran on conservative positions.
“Both sides are running on our message,” said Minority Whip Roy Blunt.
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Remember Tom DeLay?
In a story this week about how members of Congress cope with scandal (the latest being Rep. Vito Fossella, R-New York, whose recent arrest on drunk-driving charges led to the revelation that he has a secret child with someone who’s not his wife), Politico updated us on the status of the former Republican majority leader from Sugar Land.
He’s said to be persona non grata among Republican leaders.
“No one will touch DeLay now,” a veteran Democrat who served for years with DeLay told the newspaper. “DeLay should stand as a lesson to everyone: When it’s time to go, you gotta go.”
Of course we don’t know what sort of history the anonymous Democrat had with DeLay, so it’s hard to put that assessment in its proper context. It appears that in Washington, quoting people by name is considered totally lame.
DeLay is trying to build what’s been described as a conservative version of moveon.org.
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Hillary, Petty and confetti
Here’s the scene at the Clinton victory celebration in Charleston, West Virginia: Live Hillary, recorded Tom Petty and a whole lot of confetti.
Think that’s enough confetti? You’d think she’d won the World Series, not West Virginia.
And to see what happens with that confetti after Hillary has left the building, see entry below.
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Confetti diving
It will be “fun to watch to guess which one will play the biggest role in the ending,” Carter writes in an op-ed in the Washington Post
McKinney, an ex-Democrat who thinks her party isn’t liberal enough, is seeking the presidential nomination of the Green Party. Her campaign raised nearly $92,000, very little of it from Georgia, according to her March 31 federal filing. Barr, an ex-Republican who says the GOP has forsaken its small-government roots, is considering a run to be the Libertarian nominee.
A bemused Carter asks, “What is it about Georgia, anyway?”
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