Rudy's new political ad attacking Hillary Clinton features multiple pictures of General Petraeus in uniform -- but now the Pentagon says that the General "has not condoned" the use of his image in Rudy's ad or any other political ads, adding that it was done "without his consent."

Rudy's Web ad -- launched yesterday -- features images of a uniformed Petraeus as a narrator's voice in the background accuses Clinton of slandering the General. In the ad, the Giulilani campaign also faults Clinton for not forcefully condemning a MoveOn ad in The Times that also features a picture of Petraeus.

Giuliani's ad, in addition to featuring multiple pictures of Petraeus in uniform, also features photos of uniformed American soldiers in Iraq that are "shown as Mrs. Clinton is accused of turning her back on them," as today's New York Times piece on the ad puts it. You can view the ad here, on Giuliani's campaign Web site.

Defense Department regulations prohibit uniformed personnel from appearing in political ads. And while these are stock photos, meaning that neither Petraeus nor the other military personnel actively moved to appear in Giuliani's ad, their use in this ad makes the question of whether Petraeus or the Defense Department condone the use of images of him or other military uniformed personnel a fair one.

It also raises the question of whether the Giuliani campaign perhaps should have asked Petraeus' permission to use his image in the ad -- particularly since the ad is designed to portray him as respectful of the General while painting Clinton as disrespectful, even disdainful, towards the top commander in Iraq.

So we posed the question to Petraeus' spokesman, Colonel Steven Boylan: Does General Petraeus condone the use of his image in political ads? He emailed this reply:

"General Petraeus has not condoned the use of his photo in political ads. Use of his photos in recent ads was without his consent or advance knowledge."

We've emailed the Giuliani campaign for comment about this, asking whether Petraeus should have been informed of the use of his image in a political ad in advance. We also asked whether the ad would continue to remain posted now that Petraeus's spokesperson has confirmed that he "has not condoned" its use in any political ad.

We'll keep you posted.

Late Update: Quick clarification. I should have made it clearer in this post that the point I'm making here isn't that the ad is a violation of DOD regs. Rather, it's that the spirit of the regs, which frown on the appearance of uniformed personnel in political ads, makes the question as to whether Petraeus condones the use of his image in ads a fair one.

It's also a fair question in light of Petraeus' high profile and in light of Rudy's aggressive use of his image to paint Hillary as disrespectful, even disdainful, of the top commander and of the military in general.

This is fun. John Boehner's office has hatched a new explanation for why Dems and others are criticizing his "small price" remark: Because they want American troops to get defeated in Iraq.

The Cleveland Plain-Dealer asked Boehner's office about his comment, in which he said that the loss of American lives was a "small price" to pay for defeating Al Qaeda, and here's what the paper got from Boehner spokesperson Jessica Towhey:

A Boehner spokeswoman said his remarks referred to the monetary investment the United States has made to win the global war on terror and ensure U.S. security. She observed that Boehner visited Iraq this week to thank U.S. troops for their service and assess the "progress on the ground that some Democrats are so desperate to ignore."

"It's apparent that some Democrats and the far-left wing of their party are deeply afraid we are winning in Iraq now, and it's clear they will do anything they can -- including making false representations -- to ensure our troops come home after defeat, not victory," said Boehner spokeswoman Jessica Towhey.

It's worth noting, of course, that Ms. Towhey is, well, not telling the truth. In fact, Boehner was answering a question that very clearly was about the loss of American lives, not just money.

It's also worth noting that Navy veteran and Republican John McCain agrees with the Dems who allegedly are only criticizing Boehner because they want our troops to lose. Just yesterday, McCain said that Boehner should "retract" is remark.

The Democratic field for Senate in New Hampshire is already starting to clear for former governor and 2002 nominee Jeanne Shaheen, who announced this morning that she'll be making the race. The New Hampshire Union Leader reports that Portsmouth Mayor Steve Marchand, one of three Democrats already running, will soon withdraw from the campaign. Marchand had previously indicated that he would drop out if Shaheen ran.

The two remaining Dems, activist Katrina Swett and Dartmouth professor Jay Buckey, don't appear to be withdrawing for now. Swett put out a press release declaring, "I entered this race to make a positive change in the direction of our country and I remain committed to ensuring John Sununu’s defeat November 2008" — a noncommittal statement either way.

Buckey, meanwhile, appears committed to staying in: "I look forward to a vigorous discussion of the important issues in a primary, and I’d welcome Jeanne Shaheen into the race if she decides to run."

Late Update: Marchand formally withdrew from the race on Saturday. He did not close the door on a future race for political office — perhaps a run for Senate in 2010 — but did not seem too eager to address the question just yet: "I've only been an ex-candidate for 15 minutes."

Two House Dem leaders have now added their voices to the growing criticism of John "Small Price" Boehner:

Democratic whip Clyburn:

“Minority Leader John Boehner calls the cost in American lives and taxpayer dollars a ‘small price’ to pay in Iraq. The loss of American lives is never a small price."

House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer:

From President Bush’s repeated use of the word strategy (5 times) while offering no new strategy, to Minority Leader Boehner’s declaration that 3,775 American dead is a “small price to pay,” Republicans once again showed Americans that they just don’t get it.

The war between the two New York frontrunners is heating up today. Rudy -- who took out a full page ad in The New York Times today blasting Hillary and MoveOn for questioning Scholar-Warrior Petraeus -- has just posted a new Web ad with lots of pictures of Petraeus hitting her yet again on this front.

In response, the Hillary campaign is charging that Rudy is attacking her to halt his slide in recent polls. Hillary spokesperson Phil Singer sends over the following:

Rudy Giuliani is dropping in the polls and is unable to defend his own support for George Bush's failed war. Instead of distorting Senator Clinton’s record in the campaign's first attack ad, the Mayor should tell voters why he thinks sticking with the Bush Iraq strategy makes sense. The country wants change and while Hillary Clinton is focused on ending the war, Mayor Giuliani is playing politics.

We'd like to see these responses contain references to the fact that Rudy's 9/11 performance is now being questioned by his own hero firefighters, but that's just us.

A new Research 2000 poll of Kentucky finds Governor Ernie Fletcher (R) trailing Democratic nominee Steve Beshear by a 56%-39% margin — meaning Fletcher's recent anti-casino campaign has failed to get him any traction in the polls or change the subject from his administration's own ethics scandals.

Fletcher's favorable rating is only 40%, with a 57% unfavorable rating. Beshear's rating is a much better 57%-34%. Adding insult to injury, Beshear leads Fletcher in all six of the state's Congressional districts, despite the fact that only two of those seats are actually represented by Democrats.

Beshear has led by at least 15 points in almost every poll taken since the May primary.

Senator Norm Coleman (R-MN) — who's becoming increasingly vulnerable to a challenge from comedian Al Franken or trial lawyer Mike Ciresi, has figured out what to do about his political problem: Call for withdrawal from Iraq.

Withdrawal, that is, of only half the troops — in three years. That's what Coleman is now calling for, according to CQ Politics, though it's unclear whether he's willing to back legislation compelling that to happen.

Faced with restive constituents, vulnerable incumbents are likely to be offering more and more solutions like this. But if this is the sort of thing that GOPers hope will help stave off more losses in 2008, the party could in for real trouble, if the polls indicating majority support for full and relatively prompt withdrawal are any indication.

MoveOn is now raising money to air a new TV spot, debunking Bush's promised "withdrawal" of 30,000 troops in Iraq — which if true would only bring us back to the pre-surge levels.

And MoveOn isn't backing away from the "Betray Us" ad, either — the narrator closes the ad with, "George Bush: A betrayal of trust."

Nancy Pelosi has a new formulation to describe the Iraq War: Bush's "Ten Year War." Check out her just-released statement lacerating the White House's new report finding slim progress in Iraq:

“President Bush is committed to 10 more years of war in Iraq at a cost of untold lives lost and hundreds of billions of dollars to American taxpayers, even though today’s White House report admits little progress has been made by the Iraqi government.

“The redeployment of our troops cannot be delayed by the failure of the Iraqi government to achieve the political and economic benchmarks established by the Bush Administration. The American people reject the President’s 10-year war in Iraq and want a responsible redeployment to end this war.”

The "ten year war" formulation seems like a potentially effective one -- its basis appears to be General Petraeus' recent claim to a Congressional delegation that we could be in Iraq for a decade to come. Meanwhile, Harry Reid also harshly condemned the report today, blasting the lack of progress and the non-drawdown of troops to pre-surge levels as "unacceptable." Reid's full statement here.

It's early in the cycle, but a Republican candidate in a top-tier race for Congress has already dropped out. Ohio Coal Association president Mike Carey, who had been seeking the nomination to face freshman Democrat Zack Space, has withdrawn his candidacy, saying he did not want to lose time with his wife and five-year old son.

The seat will still be a top target for the Republicans, as it voted 57% for President Bush in 2004, and went Democratic last year after the resignation and corruption-related guilty plea of longtime Republican incumbent Bob Ney.

Elizabeth Edwards, in a new interview:

MoveOn.org should not have labeled Gen. David Petraeus “General Betray Us” in a controversial newspaper ad, Elizabeth Edwards said in Des Moines Friday.

“Someone who’s spent their life in the military doesn’t deserve ‘General Betray Us,’” said Edwards, wife of Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards.

Ben Smith puckishly wonders if this is a "Sister Souljah moment." Indeed, you've got to wonder what the thinking is here, since all this does is give the MoveOn story legs. And, right on cue, it's already up on Drudge...

Late Update: An Edward supporter writes in and notes that Elizabeth's comments aren't surprising considering her upbringing as the daughter of a Navy pilot and points out that Elizabeth goes on to praise grassroots organizations like MoveOn.org in the original article.

DNC chair Howard Dean is seeking to ratchet up the pressure on John "Small Price" Boehner in a new statement out to the national press corps, calling on voters to express their disapproval of Boehner's remark to their individual Representatives. You can read the whole thing here. Key quote:

"House Republican Leader John Boehner's comments on Wednesday are deplorable and he should apologize immediately. Our brave men and women who have given their lives in service to our country and their families have made the ultimate sacrifice, and to say anything less is insulting to their memories and service."

Meanwhile, in another bid to turn up the heat, the DNC has created a new Web site explicitly designed to enable people to email their Reps. about Boehner. It's here.

Depending on how this story works out, could there be zero New England Republicans in the House two years from now?

Congressman Christopher Shays (R-CT) is the sole remaining Republican House member from New England, and even he barely survived the 2006 election. And now he's threatening to not run again — he's already a top Democratic target — if the House GOP leadership doesn't make him the head Republican on the Oversight and Government Reform Committee. If they do promise him the top spot but then renege in 2009, he says he'll resign.

"I'm 61 years old. I've been in Congress 20 years," Shays told the Hartford Courant. "If I have to fight to become chairman of a committee, given the job I've done, I need to move on."

The Hillary campaign is hitting back at Rudy's full-page Times ad faulting her for daring to raise questions about Scholar-Warrior Petraeus' credibility. The statement from Hillary spokesperson Phil Singer:

It’s hardly surprising that Mayor Giuliani is running the first negative ad of the 08 campaign given his inability to justify his unqualified support for President Bush’s failed Iraq strategy. Senator Clinton respects Gen Petraeus’ service to our country. She knows the best way to honor our soldiers is to end the war in Iraq and bring them home.

Former Governor Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) has confirmed in a statement that she is running for the U.S. Senate — a rematch against Republican incumbent John Sununu that currently looks to be heavily in her favor. The news was first reported this morning.

"We've proven in New Hampshire that we can work together to get things done," Shaheen said in a press release. "I want to take that common-sense approach to Washington and help get this country moving in the right direction."

Full statement after the jump.

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Joe Biden went on MSNBC last night and slammed Boehner's "small price" line in very harsh terms, saying:

"It's unconscionable. Simply unconscionable. And the rationale put forward is simply ridiculous."

Note that Biden wasn't just slamming the remark itself, he was also ridiculing the argument by Boehner's people that he was only referring to the expense of the war. The question Boehner was answering, however, was very clearly about troop deaths, too.

Here's video of Biden (the key moment comes towards the end):

Now that the ultra, super serious John McCain and Joe Biden have both faulted Boehner, how much longer can the press pretend this isn't news?

Okay, we have our first Republican criticizing GOP House leader John Boehner for saying that troop deaths in Iraq are a "small price" to pay for defeating Al Qaeda.

Time magazine's Ana Marie Cox reports the following from McCain's bus:

On the bus, McCain responded to John Boehner's remark that American lives were a "small price" to pay for a victory in Iraq.

Asked about it on the heels of his demanding that Democratic candidates "repudiate" the MoveOn.org Petreaus/Betray Us ad, he grimaced: "He misspoke. With all due respect, every American wounded or sacrificed is the greatest possible price to pay," and we should all be grateful, "particularly those of us who sit in relative safety while those young men and women are fighting."

McCain does go on to say that the Petraeus ad is worse than what Boehner said, but nonetheless, McCain's reference to "those of us who sit in relative safety" seems like a pretty harsh dig at Boehner -- criticism that it will be hard to ignore. What's more, Boehner's spokesman isn't conceding that he "misspoke" -- indeed, he's defending the remark. McCain, meanwhile, says he in fact "misspoke," and implied strongly that Boehner was minimizing the sacrifice our troops are making.

Okay, so now that the respected and serious John McCain has faulted Boehner's remark, can we call it a gaffe yet? Will the big news orgs step up and cover this story in a serious way?

Late Update: Ana Marie Cox emails me to say that McCain also said the following (which she didn't include in her initial report): "He ought to retract it."

I've updated headline to reflect this. So now respected veteran and Republican John McCain has called on Boehner to retract this remark.

The right-wing astroturf group Freedom's Watch, founded a few weeks ago to be a pro-war answer to MoveOn, has a new TV spot attacking MoveOn's "Betray Us" ad in the New York Times:

"Name calling, charges of betrayal — it's despicable. It's what MoveOn shamefully does, and it's wrong," the narrator says. "America and the forces of freedom are winning. MoveOn is losing."

Newt Gingrich games out what's going to happen in the Presidential race next year, and decides that the odds are running heavily in favor of a Democratic win:

I think that the country, after the last couple of years, has a bias in favor of change -- I think probably starting with Katrina and coming through Baghdad and the whole sense of too much spending. And you sense a lack of enthusiasm in the conservative base, and you sense a stunning level of intensity in the anti-war Left. And so you just look at the dynamics and you have to say the odds are probably 80-20.

This follows Bob Novak's equally depressing assessment the other day that the GOP is facing losses of at least five seats in the Senate. At this rate the 2008 Republican Convention is going to be sponsored by Zoloft.

Rudy has spent the last several days blasting Hillary and other Dems over Iraq, accusing her in particular of treasonously questioning the credibility of General Petraeus. He's blasted other Dems as defeatist or worse, and he's getting tons of attention for it.

But it's worth noting that Rudy's own questionable record on Iraq is getting lost in the shuffle -- and by all rights should lead folks to question his own credibility in making such criticisms.

Read more »

The new AP-Ipsos poll shows Rudy Giuliani and Fred Thompson running close among Republicans nationwide: Rudy 24%, Thompson 19%, John McCain 15%, and Mitt Romney 9%. In a way, Thompson is actually in third — undecideds come in at 22%.

In terms of demographic breakdown, it's a close race among various Republican constituent groups, with no overall leader. Giuliani and Thompson each have about a quarter of those under 50, white males and married men, and one fifth each of conservatives, Southerners and evangelicals.

Meanwhile, Giuliani and McCain both have one fifth of white Republican women. And Giuliani, Thompson and McCain are all running about equally with college-educated GOPers, Midwesterners, suburbanites and married women.

On the Democratic side, Hillary Clinton leads with 34%, followed by Barack Obama at 20%, and John Edwards at 10%.

Fred Thompson may have just stepped into some serious trouble with the Christian right. During an interview in Florida, Thompson was critical of the federal government's attempted intervention into the Terri Schiavo case in 2005. "Local matters, generally speaking, should be left to the locals," Thompson said. "I think Congress has got an awful lot to keep up with."

Thompson also went beyond mere talk about proper jurisdiction in the case, and declined to give any opinion on the actual moral details of the case. "I can't pass judgment on it. I know that good people were doing what they thought was best," he said. "That's going back in history. I don't remember the details of it."

Over on the right, David Brody is not impressed: "I think it goes without saying that if you want to be the candidate for social conservatives you need to do your homework on Terri Schiavo. Nobody is saying you have to go chapter and verse on it but to go generic isn't enough."

As for the details, ABC News notes that Thompson did an episode of Law & Order loosely based on the case.

Rudy Giuliani has responded to MoveOn's ad against General Petraeus with a full-page New York Times ad of his own — using his own ad to not only attack MoveOn but also to blast Hillary Clinton for criticizing Petraeus' analysis during this week's committee hearings.

The ad promotes "the Petraeus record," detailing the general's medals and other awards. "Who should America listen to," the ad asks, "A decorated soldier's commitment to defending America, or Hillary Clinton's commitment to defending MoveOn.org?"

Rudy boasted last night on Fox News that he would be getting the same "discounted" rate that MoveOn got for their ad — a line the right has been pushing. However, the Times explained yesterday that $64,575, the rate that MoveOn paid, is in fact the standard rate for a full-page, black-and-white advocacy ad purchased on a standby basis, in which the buyer can request a specific day and page placement but is not guaranteed to get them.

To view the ad, click here.

Big news out of New Hampshire: A new report says that former governor Jeanne Shaheen has decided to seek a rematch against vulnerable incumbent GOP Senator John Sununu. This morning's Union Leader says it has the story:

Former Gov. Jeanne Shaheen will be a candidate for the U.S. Senate in 2008, the New Hampshire Union Leader has learned.

The Democratic former three-term chief executive is expected to issue a statement today addressing her political plans. While it's unclear exactly how the statement will be phrased, sources say Shaheen has decided to seek the seat held by Republican John E. Sununu, who defeated her in a bitter 2002 contest...

Shaheen, who served as governor from 1997 to 2003, lost to Sununu by a 51 to 47 percent margin five years ago after polls had shown her with a narrow lead heading into the final weekend of the campaign.

Polls show that Shaheen is already leading by landslide margins against Sununu, who's been badly weakened by his support for the Iraq War. Her entry into the race, should this report be true, adds greatly to the considerable woes facing the GOP as they ponder the Senate map for 2008.

Republicans are already dealing with the retirement of Senator John Warner, whose seat is now being targeted by popular former governor Mark Warner, as well as the near-certain resignation of Senator Larry Craig and the mounting vulnerability of multiple GOP incumbents due to Iraq. Making matters worse for the GOP, they are being forced to defend many more Senate seats than Dems are, meaning Dems will have more resources to pour into top tier races. Shaheen's presumed entry adds one more such race to the list.

Hillary on Bush's speech:

"Regrettably, the President did not seize the opportunity tonight to offer the American people a candid assessment of the challenges that we continue to face in Iraq, or offer a change in course to his failing strategy. Instead, he portrayed an unavoidable reduction in U.S. troops to pre-surge levels as a marker of progress. Redeploying over the next year five of the twenty combat brigades currently deployed in Iraq will merely bring our total number of troops back to the same level that existed before the President announced his escalation in January of this year. As was discussed during General Petraeus's testimony this week, troop levels in Iraq must decrease by this amount regardless, in order to avoid extending Army deployments beyond 15 months and straining our military even further than it already is.

"What the President told the American people tonight is that one year from now, there will be the same number of troops in Iraq as there were one year ago. That is simply too little too late, and unacceptable to this Congress and the American people who have made clear their strong desire to bring our brave troops home.

"The Commander-in-Chief has the authority to issue the order to greatly accelerate the redeployment of U.S. forces from Iraq, and to bring so many more of our troops home so much faster. They have done everything we have asked of them and more, but are now stuck in the middle of a civil war. I continue to implore the President to change course, bring our troops home faster, and end this war responsibly as soon as possible."

Bill Richardson on Bush's speech:

"Enough is enough. This President lacks credibility. President Bush needs to stop putting his historical legacy ahead of the safety of our troops and the security of our nation.

"As of next summer, the President plans to have 130,000 troops in the midst of a civil war in Iraq. Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, and John Edwards would leave between 60,000 and 90,000 troops in Iraq with no timetable for a full withdrawal. All of these plans are unacceptable. We must get all of our troops out of Iraq in six to eight months.

"After years of President Bush's reckless mismanagement of the war in Iraq, there is only one responsible course of action left to us. We need to get all of our troops out of Iraq, not just the combat troops as others have suggested, and leave no residual forces behind. Our troops have done everything asked of them, but the solution in Iraq involves diplomacy, not military force. Leaving troops behind would serve as a roadblock to political progress. The hard work of diplomacy and reconciliation cannot begin until we start to withdraw our troops and make it clear that we are leaving. If Congress does not join me and get all of our troops out of Iraq, I will show them the way once I am elected President."

Harry Reid responds to Bush's speech:

"Tonight President Bush announced his plan to keep at least 130,000 troops in Iraq indefinitely, demonstrating that he is trying to run out the clock on his failed strategy and leave the hard decisions to the next president.

"For months the American people, a bipartisan majority of Congress and countless military experts have called for a new way forward in Iraq, but the President has offered only a commitment to endless war that will continue to take American lives, deplete our treasury, and divert our focus from fighting an effective war on terrorism against Osama bin Laden and his Al Qaeda operatives.

"After almost five years, tonight was just more of the same. It's not progress nor is it the strategy for success our troops deserve. And as long as President Bush keeps them in harm's way without clear purpose or achievable goals, Democrats will keep fighting to responsibly end this war."

Here's the full ad John Edwards ran on MSNBC faulting Bush during the speech:

Barack Obama's statement on Bush's Iraq speech:

"It is long past time to end a war that never should have started. President Bush was wrong when he took us to war, he was wrong when he escalated this war in January, and he is wrong to stay the course now. I opposed this war from the beginning, I introduced legislation in January that would have already started to bring our troops home, and I will continue to lead the fight in the Senate for a fixed timeline with a deadline for the removal of all of our combat troops.

"The American people are not going to be fooled by the same false promises of success that got us into Iraq. Iraq's leaders are not making the political progress that was the stated purpose of the surge, but the President wants us to keep giving him a blank check. We must not continue the enormous sacrifice of our troops, our military readiness, our treasury, and our standing in the world just to keep the violence at the same unacceptable levels they were at in 2005 and 2006.

"That is why I have proposed an immediate and sustained removal of 1 to 2 combat brigades each month to conclude by the end of next year. We have to come together – not as Republicans and Democrats – but as Americans to turn the page in Iraq so that we can recapture our unity of purpose at home and our leadership around the world."

The Senate Democrats have released excerpts of a speech to be delivered tonight by Senator Jack Reed (D-RI), in which he will be rebutting President Bush's address regarding Iraq.

Check out the excerpts after the jump.

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Okay, here's a first look at a portion of the new two-minute ad that John Edwards, in a novel move, is running on MSNBC during President Bush's prime-time speech on Iraq. We obtained a copy of an excerpt:

Thoughts?

A poll released by Nebraska Attorney General Jon Bruning (R) shows a close race against former Governor Mike Johanns for the Republican nomination for Senate, Roll Call reports. Johanns leads with 39% support, followed by Bruning at 30%.

"These numbers show that the pundits who say Mike Johanns is a clear favorite are flat-out wrong," said Bruning campaign manager Jordan McGrain. "Johanns is not the heavyweight among Republicans some expect him to be."

The poll also showed Bruning ahead of former Congressman Hal Daub in a two-way Republican primary, 48%-17%. Overall, the poll is a strong signal that Bruning has no intention of backing down if Johanns makes the race.

The Nebraska Senate race is expected to be a top Democratic target next year, if former Dem Senator Bob Kerrey runs for the seat. Two-term incumbent Chuck Hagel, a strong conservative who has broken sharply with the White House on Iraq, is retiring. Bruning was already running hard against Hagel in the GOP primary, citing Hagel's votes with Senate Democrats on the issue.

Here's another Democratic leader coming out to blast GOP House leader John Boehner for saying that troop losses in Iraq would be "a small price" to pay to defeat Al Qaeda and stabilize the Middle East.

Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee chair Chris Van Hollen, who oversees the 2008 House races for Dems, has just emailed over this statement demanding that Boehner apologize to the military and their families:

“To belittle the sacrifice of more than 30,000 brave Americans killed or injured in Iraq as a ‘small price’ is reprehensible. Clearly, Minority Leader John Boehner will say anything to justify George Bush’s stay the course approach, but this damaging rhetoric has no place in the debate about the new direction needed in Iraq. Minority Leader Boehner owes our military and their families an apology for his hurtful comments that minimize their tragic loss.”

Marine Corps veteran Daniel Johnson is considering a run for Congress as a Democrat against Congressman Patrick McHenry (R-NC), who hails from a heavily Republican district and was re-elected with 62% of the vote in 2006.

"So far, my entire professional career, I've been in one type of service or another," said Johnson, adding that a campaign "would be another way to serve a lot of people in a wide range of issues. It's very appealing and something worth considering."

Johnson lost both legs below the knee, plus a finger, while saving another man in a 1999 accident. He was awarded the Navy Marine Corps Medal, the highest peacetime award given to an officer.

(Via Kos)

As we noted below, in a novel move, John Edwards has booked some time on MSNBC to run an ad countering Bush's big Iraq speech tonight. Here are some excerpts from what he'll say in the spot that were provided by the campaign:

“Unfortunately, the president is pressing on with the only strategy he’s ever had – more time, more troops, and more war.

“In January, after years of evidence that military actions cannot force a political solution, the president announced a military surge to force a political solution. In May, he vetoed a plan to end the war, demanded more time to show the surge could work, and Congress gave it to him. Now, after Gen. Petraeus reports the surge has produced no progress toward a political solution, what does the president want? More time for the surge to work, when all of us know it won’t.

“But Congress must answer to the American people. Tell Congress you know the truth -- they have the power to end this war and you expect them to use it. When the president asks for more money and more time, Congress needs to tell him he only gets one choice: a firm timeline for withdrawal.”

Fred Thompson has now received his first endorsement from a Senator outside his home state of Tennessee: Thad Cochran of Mississippi.

"Senator Thompson is the candidate best able to win the general election in 2008 and carry our conservative values all the way to the White House," Cochran said in a Thompson campaign press release. "I worked closely with him in the United States Senate and know he has the conservative values, integrity, experience, and judgment to unite our country, lead our nation, fight the Global War on Terrorism, and keep us safe."

So just how out of the mainstream is MoveOn's "Betray Us" ad, about which the GOP has been screaming bloody murder? And politically, should Democrats rush to distance themselves from it? A new poll from Fox News, of all places, shows that the number of registered voters who agree with the substance of the ad is actually larger than the number who think Petraeus was being honest in his report of progress in Iraq:

This week General David Petraeus gave a report to Congress on the progress in Iraq. Based on what you know, was General Petraeus’s report truthful and objective or was it slanted toward the policies of the Bush administration?

Truthful 35%
Slanted 40%

The poll was taken on Tuesday and Wednesday, in the wake of Petraeus' testimony — and it turns out that only 35% of Americans actually believe him. And not only that, but more respondents agree with the MoveOn position.

Okay, here we go.

Democratic leaders are now opening fire on GOP House leader John Boehner, demanding that he apologize for saying in an interview yesterday that troop deaths in Iraq would be a "small price" to pay for defeating Al Qaeda and achieving Middle East stability.

"Boehner’s comments yesterday are deplorable and he should apologize immediately," Democratic National Committee chair Howard Dean said in a statement emailed to Election Central. "Bohener’s comments show how truly out of touch the Republicans are. The loss of a son or daughter is never a small price to pay, especially for a policy which was initiated by Republicans who misled the nation about why we are there."

As we first reported yesterday at The Horse's Mouth, Boehner was asked yesterday on CNN about the continued sacrifice of money and American lives in Iraq. He replied that "the investment that we’re making today will be a small price if we’re able to stop al Qaeda here, if we’re able to stabilize the Middle East, it’s not only going to be a small price for the near future, but think about the future for our kids and their kids."

Because the question had specifically referred to America troop deaths, in his answer Boehner appeared to be saying that the expenditure of not just money, but untold American lives, too, would be a "small price" to pay for achieving our goals in the Middle East.

Now Democratic National Committee chairman Howard Dean's office has sent us the following statement from him:

“House Republican Leader John Boehner’s comments yesterday are deplorable and he should apologize immediately. Our brave men and women who have given their lives in service to our country and their families have made the ultimate sacrafice, and to say anything less is insulting to their memories and service. Republicans stubbornly refuse to acknowledge that their Iraq policy is a failure, our troops are mired in a civil war and we’re not making the necessary political progress on the ground. Bohener’s comments show how truly out of touch the Republicans are. The loss of a son or daughter is never a small price to pay, especially for a policy which was initiated by Republicans who misled the nation about why we are there. The war in Iraq must end. We need to bring our troops home.”

Earlier today, Senator John Kerry also demanded an apology from Boehner. "What a stunningly cavalier statement about the lives of the young men and women who serve our country," Kerry wrote. "A single life is a large price to pay for any endeavor...Where is Representative Boehner's apology? And where is an Iraq policy equal to our soldiers' tremendous sacrifice?"

Meanwhile, we make the case as to why Boehner's comment matters here. Now that Dean has come out and hit Boehner, with other Dems likely to follow suit soon, it remains to be seen whether this highly questionable statement from Boehner will attract anywhere near the media attention that was accorded, say, Kerry's botched troop joke last fall.

A Boehner spokesperson didn't immediately return a call for comment.

Late Update: Here's another one. Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee head Chris Van Hollen has sent over this statement demanding that Boehner apologize to the military and their families:

“To belittle the sacrifice of more than 30,000 brave Americans killed or injured in Iraq as a ‘small price’ is reprehensible. Clearly, Minority Leader John Boehner will say anything to justify George Bush’s stay the course approach, but this damaging rhetoric has no place is the debate about the new direction needed in Iraq. Minority Leader Boehner owes our military and their families an apology for his hurtful comments that minimize their tragic loss.”

Oh, this is just sad. Fox News and other right wing news outlets are attacking The New York Times today for running a "discounted" ad placed the other day by MoveOn attacking General Petraeus. The claim being made is that The Times is somehow in league with MoveOn and the rest of the shadowy left-wing conspiracy to end the war.

Now Rudy Giuliani has jumped aboard this Merry-Go-Round. At a campaign appearance today, he called on the Times to run an ad from him, at the same discounted rate, an ad praising Petraeus.

"We're going to call upon the New York Times to give us the same rate, heavily discounted rate that they gave MoveOn.org for that abominable ad that was very very coincidentally published on the day that Gen Petraeus testified," Rudy said.

It doesn't appear to matter to these folks that such discounts are standard in the industry with clients who advertise often, such as MoveOn does. It's really sad to see Rudy reduced to this, in a way.

Prediction: This story is going to crash and burn in a big way soon.

This is interesting: A new study finds that contributions to Democrats from members of the U.S. military have shot up dramatically since the start of the Iraq war in 20003.

The study, by Capital Eye, which is a newsletter for the Center for Responsive Politics, finds that this year, 40% of military money has gone to the Democratic Party or Dem Presidential candidates, compared to only 23% in 2002, before the war started.

Even more interesting, it finds that of all the Presidential candidates, the one receiving the most military money right now is Barack Obama, who opposed the war from the beginning (though his relative youth could be a key factor, the study speculates).

And the leader among GOP candidates in military contributions is Ron Paul, the only antiwar Republican Presidential candidate, who's getting far more than veteran John McCain.

How about that?

Full study and all the numbers here.

Okay, we now have our first poll taken during the days of General Petraeus' Congressional testimony, and it suggests that The Petraeus Show didn't budge public opinion in any significant way on several key questions.

The new Associated Press poll, taken September 10-12, two days during and one day after his testimony, finds:

* Only 33% approve of the President's handling of Iraq

* Only 40% approve of his handling of foreign policy and terrorism

* Only 33% approve of his overall job performance

In all three cases, the numbers went up one or two points from last month -- statistically meaningless changes.

These numbers don't tell us the whole story, of course. It'll be better to see polling on the questions of whether people think the surge is working and whether people want withdrawal, all put to voters after the Petraeus testimony concluded. But this is a start.