Happy Hour Roundup
• The straight up-or-down vote on whether to end the war in nine months just went down to defeat in the House, 255-171. The vote on the short-term funding bill is set for tonight.
• Rudy Giuliani will give a speech next week in which he will outline his pro-choice position in greater detail.
• Ben Smith reports that John Edwards is doing some pretty aggressive money poaching on Barack Obama's Chicago turf.
• Barack Obama and John McCain reportedly left the crowd at March's International Association of Fire Fighters forum feeling underwhelmed.
• Mitch McConnell says the Democrats would like 2008 to be another referendum on Iraq, as was 2006 — and Republicans don't want that to happen.
• Fred Thompson is reportedly retooling his stump speech after going over flat in California last week.
• Chuck Todd wonders if the Feb. 5 national primary will be meaningless — with the nominations being decided in Iowa and New Hampshire, as usual.
• Rudy Giuliani's consulting firm served as a key adviser to pharmaceutical firm Purdue Frederick, which has pled guilty for misleading doctors and patients about the risks of addiction to OxyContin.
• If Florida goes ahead with its plans for a Jan. 29 primary in defiance of national party rules, Democratic officials are considering awarding no delegates at all that day — rendering the votes of Democratic primary-goers completely non-binding — instead dividing up the state's Democratic delegates at a later date
• John McCain said the White House should veto a two-month Iraq funding bill — joining the White House's already-stated position that funding should only be in the form of long-running clean/blank-check bills.
• Nine Iraq War protesters were arrested for refusing to leave the Manchester district office of Sen. John Sununu (R-NH).
• Rep. Shelly Moore Capito, the lone Republican in West Virginia's Congressional delegation and the state's top-ranking GOP'er, will not challenge Dem Senator Jay Rockefeller in 2008.
• Mike Huckabee's most recent music purchase is an odd choice for a middle-aged Southern conservative: Goth rock band Evanescence, who are Arkansas natives.
• Dave Obey is not apologizing for blowing up at Dennis Kucinich over Iraq funding, and whether or not Iraq's oil would be privatized. "I told him to read the goddamn language," Obey said. "If someone's ears are too tender for that language, that's too bad. I did it on purpose."
• This may be a famous first: Al Sharpton is seeking a meeting with somebody — namely Mitt Romney — in order to give an apology for bigoted remarks!
That is a first!!
Maybe Mittens should try to get a public sit down and then rip the Rev. Al--the GOP base would love that!
May 10, 2007 6:41 PM | Reply | Permalink
How is it that the clown Sharpton has become a representative of the Democratic party? In New York, we have long grown tired of his act, and we know him for what he is. It is a disgrace that the media has given him any legitimacy.
May 10, 2007 6:50 PM | Reply | Permalink
Why doesn't Obey enlighten us with the language... and its intent i.e. not to allow for foreign investment controlling Iraqi oilfields? Does he think Cheney and Bush will russle up a new oil law that will fit Obey's benchmark? I don't know haven't seen Obey's language...
Does anyone have it? I couldn't see it on his website (slightly out of date) and is extremely general?...
Seems like the guy might need some anger management courses.
Hat Tip: Democracy Now
May 10, 2007 7:21 PM | Reply | Permalink
Christ I hope Dennis didn't get his feelings hurt!
Seriously it sounds like Kucinich was grandstanding in caucus again and Obey shut him up. The Iraqis are gonna torch that hydrocarbon law like I did my draft card on my birthday as soon as we leave.
May 10, 2007 9:28 PM | Reply | Permalink
You're sure we gonna leave then (psychic)? After both Obama and Hillary said that we are going to be protecting our vitual interests in the region?
Some who have been looking at the evidence and politics (probably far longer than we have) aren't as convinced as you that we are going to leave.
(1) Jeremy Scahill
(2) Raed Jarrar and Joshua Holland
P.S. Plus Obey is showing appalling manners.
May 11, 2007 12:23 PM | Reply | Permalink
Sand I've been sending Raed's article about the Iraqi parliment passing the timetable resolution along with Deanie Mills's devestating tale of what this war is doing to our soldiers "A Black Matter for the King" which you can find at TPM, and these Iraqi polls:
http://tinyurl.com/3b3cyu
far and wide the last few days. 4 local congressmen, Sen. Ben Nelson D-NE and my whole township Democratic party of which I'm Issues and Visibility chairman to get them to call our House Rep too.
That's what I'm doing to help end this war. I happen to think that's more effective than only preaching to the choir here. HR 2206 is more effective than HR 2237 in pressuring Repubs to break with the boy king to end this thing because they know if they have to keep voting for throwing money and lives into this disaster they'll lose their jobs. Besides which it actually garnered enough votes to pass.
No Iraqi politician is going to survive for a week after we leave if they try to give away the oil profits. And even if they could get away with it what oil company worker for Exxon or BP is going to go to Iraq under the terms of that agreement to get killed? You think that's even a possibility? Iraqis will say and do anything to get us out. Shining Cheney on with the lousy part of the hydrocarbon law is part and parcel.
Obey's been fighting Repubs in the House since 1969. Pretty damn effectively I might add and that's why he got the job as chairman of that committee.
What Kucinich was doing was pissing off a powerful Dem chairman trying to make himself look "good" and make Obey look bad. Trying to paint Obey as some kind of tool of the oil companies and Dick Cheney is just Kucinich being an asshole.
Now tell me, if by some miracle he gets elected president, how's Dennis ever going to get anything thru congress by irritating his own party's leaders? If ya ask me that kind of purer than thou Naderism is why Kucinch constantly polls 1%.
May 11, 2007 2:42 PM | Reply | Permalink
I suppose you are quite correct but we "idiot liberals" expect more from a reputed liberal like Obey.
Obey has managed to make himself part of the problem rather than the solution by seeking compromise where none is possible.
Best, Terry
May 11, 2007 3:08 PM | Reply | Permalink
I think making Repub legislators repeatedly vote one way or another on the war is a great way to keep enough pressure on them to get enough votes for a veto override. That's not being a part of the problem, that's shrewd politics. Anybody who can't handle being yelled at ought to stay out of politics. Especially when there's a war on we're trying to end. If you want civility go to talk to Joe Liebermen.
May 11, 2007 3:45 PM | Reply | Permalink