Syndication
The Campaign Blogging Continues… Over at the Bintel Blog
The Forward’s campaign blogging is moving over to our Bintel Blog.
The John and Joe Show: Lieberman Campaigns for McCain, But Says He’s Not Interested in No. 2 Spot
John McCain and Joe Lieberman have been keeping close company since the Connecticut senator crossed the aisle to endorse his Republican Senate colleague’s presidential bid. Lieberman has been campaigning for McCain in New Hampshire, and today the bipartisan pair have a co-bylined opinion article in The Wall Street Journal arguing that the U.S. military surge in Iraq has worked and praising the leadership of General David Petraeus.
Despite some speculation about a possible McCain-Lieberman ticket, the 2000 Democratic vice-presidential nominee told Reuters he wasn’t interested in being McCain’s running mate. “”Oh yeah. I got that bug out of my system,” he said.
N.Y. Sun: Obama’s Stance on Israel Should Be Welcomed, Not Attacked
The decidedly right-wing New York Sun — a fervent defender of Israel that’s hawkish on the Mideast and bearish on prospects for peace with the Palestinians — is defending Barack Obama from Republican charges that he’s weak when it comes to supporting Israel.
The Sun’s editorialist writes:
New York Republicans, according to an article in the New York Post yesterday, are preparing to attack Senator Obama for his supposed lack of support for Israel. “Obama’s commitment to Israel is open to question, and that would help us with Jews,” the Post quotes a “prominent New York Republican” as saying. We’re no shills for Mr. Obama, but these Republicans haven’t checked their facts. At least by our lights, Mr. Obama’s commitment to Israel, as he has articulated it so far in his campaign, is quite moving and a tribute to the broad, bipartisan support that the Jewish state has in America.
Read the full editorial here.
Hat tip: JTA
Reading Ron Paul’s Old Newsletters: ’93 WTC Bombing a Mossad ‘Set-Up’?
The New Republic’s James Kirchik reads the political newsletters that Ron Paul was busy putting out in the decades before he became a national political figure. In the future presidential candidate’s newsletters Kirchik finds crazy conspiracy theories, hostility to blacks in general (and Martin Luther King Jr. in particular), anti-gay remarks and some unkind words about Israel:
Kirchick writes:
…The newsletters display an obsession with Israel; no other country is mentioned more often in the editions I saw, or with more vitriol. A 1987 issue of Paul’s Investment Letter called Israel “an aggressive, national socialist state,” and a 1990 newsletter discussed the “tens of thousands of well-placed friends of Israel in all countries who are willing to wok [sic] for the Mossad in their area of expertise.” Of the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, a newsletter said, “Whether it was a setup by the Israeli Mossad, as a Jewish friend of mine suspects, or was truly a retaliation by the Islamic fundamentalists, matters little.”
While the authorship of the individual newsletter articles is not always clear, Kirchik argues:
…whoever actually wrote them, the newsletters I saw all had one thing in common: They were published under a banner containing Paul’s name, and the articles (except for one special edition of a newsletter that contained the byline of another writer) seem designed to create the impression that they were written by him–and reflected his views.
Hat tip: NJDC blog.
UPDATE: Ron Paul’s campaign issued the following statement:
In response to an article published by The New Republic, Ron Paul issued the following statement:
“The quotations in The New Republic article are not mine and do not represent what I believe or have ever believed. I have never uttered such words and denounce such small-minded thoughts.
“In fact, I have always agreed with Martin Luther King, Jr. that we should only be concerned with the content of a person’s character, not the color of their skin. As I stated on the floor of the U.S. House on April 20, 1999: ‘I rise in great respect for the courage and high ideals of Rosa Parks who stood steadfastly for the rights of individuals against unjust laws and oppressive governmental policies.’
“This story is old news and has been rehashed for over a decade. It’s once again being resurrected for obvious political reasons on the day of the New Hampshire primary.
“When I was out of Congress and practicing medicine full-time, a newsletter was published under my name that I did not edit. Several writers contributed to the product. For over a decade, I have publicly taken moral responsibility for not paying closer attention to what went out under my name.”
Larry David Thinks Obama Would Make a Pretty, Pretty, Pretty Good President
Barack Obama has a surly nebbish stumping in the Dartmouth College dorms for him — “Seinfeld” co-creator and star of HBO’s “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” Larry David.
“Haven’t we had enough with Bushes and Clintons and Bushes,” David told students. “The country needs a shower, a good, long, hot shower. That’s what Obama is, a hot shower. So fresh you can smell him, delicious.”
According to The Dartmouth, David “avoided serious responses to students’ questions on policy issues.” Instead, he left that task to his celebrity co-campaigners, Arianna Huffington and his agent, Ari Emanuel. (Emanuel, like David, provided the inspiration for an HBO series character, super-agent Ari Gold on “Entourage,” and is also the brother of Democratic political powerbroker, Rep. Rahm Emanuel — who is in the now-dicey position of being a Clinton loyalist in Chicago.)
While shying from the serious issues, David was in top form when asked which “Seinfeld” character would make the best president.
“Newman,” David answered. “Because every time he would give a press conference and walk up to the podium, everyone would say, ‘Hello Newman.’”
Hat tip: Politico’s Ben Smith.
UPDATE: Arianna Huffington has a nice account of David’s appearance here. He actually gave a pretty substantive response to a student who asked about Obama’s preparation for the presidency.
NJDC: Huckabee Is an ‘Extremist’
The National Jewish Democratic Council doesn’t approve of the choice of Republican caucus-goers. In a statement, the NJDC dubbed the former Arkansas governor an “extremist”; called his record on church-state issues is “frightening”; rapped him over his opposition to dual citizenship, pointing to Americans who vote in Israeli elections; and said that he “has not demonstrated the competence necessary to be an effective leader on Middle East issues.”
A Bronfman for Huckabee?
The New York Post reports:
Mike Huckabee is being backed by a bizarre upstate group that has been denounced as a cult, The Post has learned.
Records show Huckabee raked in $20,000 from Sara Bronfman, the Seagram liquor heiress and high-profile devotee of the NXIVM group.
Bronfman made the donation to Hope for America, a political action committee set up in Virginia by Huckabee, according to that state’s public records.
Albany-based NXIVM bills itself as an executive-training program, but detractors have said it is a “cult.”
Read the full article.
UPDATE: Sara Bronfman has also given to Hillary’s campaign, according to the FundRace data base.
Going Green, McKinney Announces White House Bid
A former member of Congress who has had a famously combative relationship with the Jewish community is jumping into the presidential race. Former Rep. Cynthia McKinney — a former Democrat formerly of Georgia — has announced her intention to run for president with the Green Party. She made her announcement via video:
McKinney joins a crowded field of potential nominees who Greens say are under consideration. Already, McKinney is leveling a Ralph Nader-esque at her former political party:
“The Democrats do not speak for us,” she says in her video. “They have abdicated their sacred responsibilities to the American people, to the Constitution and to the global community. The Democrats, no different than their Republican counterparts, eat out of the hands of corrupt lobbyists and feed at the same corporate trough.”
Joe for John: Lieberman Endorses McCain
Joseph Lieberman has crossed the aisle to endorse the presidential candidacy of his good friend — and fellow Senate Iraq war hawk — John McCain.
The two have plenty in common — including a willingness to buck their parties on occasion: Lieberman on Iraq, and other issues; McCain on global warming, campaign finance reform and more. In his endorsement speech in New Hampshire, Lieberman stressed the importance of putting the national interest ahead of party politics
One question is whether an endorsement from the self-proclaimed “independent Democrat” will help or hurt McCain with his party’s faithful. The Associated Press’s Jennifer Loven writes, “the endorsement carries the risk of alienating conservatives who have been critical of his support for immigration and campaign finance reforms.”
In New Hampshire though, as the AP notes, independents are allowed to vote in the party primaries. Lieberman and the emphasis on bridging the partisan divide could help McCain with this key constituency. (And, in any case, it would be hard for McCain’s GOP opponents to nail him over an endorsement from a Democrat who is well regarded by many Republicans.)
The decision, however, of the Democrats’ 2000 vice-presidential nominee to endorse a Republican — while hardly surprising — is certainly striking (as, of course, was Democratic primary voters’ rebuke of Lieberman in his Senate reelection bid). Democrats, it goes without saying, are not pleased with Lieberman’s latest move — even dyed-in-the-wool centrists “I am very saddened by Senator Lieberman’s choice and profoundly disagree with it,” said Al From, founder and CEO of the Democratic Leadership Council. “We need to elect a Democratic president in 2008.”
But, it seems, Lieberman’s endorsement may have been of more use to McCain than it would have been to any of the Democratic hopefuls, who are currently competing over who has the strongest anti-Bush bona fides. The AP reports:
Sen. Joseph Lieberman, Democrat Al Gore’s running mate in 2000, said he had intended to wait until after the primaries to make a choice for the 2008 presidential race. But McCain asked for his support and no Democrat did.
Emphasis added.
UPDATE: Lieberman detractors are pointing to this remark, made by the Connecticut senator during a debate with his 2006 Senate race opponent Ned Lamont:
In Wake of Intelligence Report, Dems Rap Bush Over Iran
With a recent U.S. intelligence report concluding that Iran has likely halted its nuclear weapons program, the Democratic candidates wasted little time before attacking the Bush administration over its handling of the Iranian nuclear issue — and decrying the president’s response to the report.
The L.A. Times reports on what the candidates said on the matter during a national Public Radio debate:
Senator Hillary Clinton:
I vehemently disagree with the president that nothing’s changed and therefore nothing in American policy has to change. We do know that pressure on Iran does have an effect. I think that is an important lesson.
Senator Joseph Biden:
It was like watching a rerun of his statements on Iraq five years earlier. Iran is not a nuclear threat to the United States of America. Iran should be dealt with directly, with the rest of the world at our side. But we’ve made it more difficult now, because who is going to trust us?
John Edwards:
What I believe is that this president, who, just a few weeks ago, was talking about World War III, he, the vice president, the neocons have been on a march to possible war with Iran for a long time. We know that they’ve prepared contingency plans for a military attack.
Senator Barack Obama:
What I’ve been consistent about was that this saber-rattling was a repetition of Iraq, a war I opposed, and that we needed to oppose George Bush again. We can’t keep on giving him the benefit of the doubt, knowing the ways in which they manipulate intelligence.
Rep. Dennis Kucinich:
When people say all options are on the table, as the three senators have, they actually encouraged President Bush and licensed his rhetoric. What I’m saying is that I’m the only one here who in Congress repeatedly challenge, in every chance and every legislation, repeatedly challenge this mindset that said all options are on the table and that Iran had nuclear weapons programs.
According to Newsday, Edwards and Senator Chris Dodd both ripped Hillary for backing a resolution in Congress calling Iran’s Revolutionary Guard as a terrorist organization.
“This has to be considered in the context that Senator Clinton has said she agrees with George Bush terminology that we’re in a global war on terror,” Edwards said.
Dodd said that Clinton’s vote “specifically eliminated any option except the military one.”
Clinton, however, said that the resolution caused Iran to reduce its actions in Iraq. “”I think we’ve actually seen the positive effects of having labeled them a terrorist organization,” she said.
Dodd also said that he’s buying his kids Christmas toys from Iowa.
Mike Huckabee: ‘Christian Leader’
We’re still waiting for the Giuliani “Lapsed Catholic Leader” video, and the Hillary Clinton “United Methodist Leader” video. I wonder why Joseph Lieberman never made a “Jewish Leader” campaign video?
Whatever Huckabee’s doing, it seems to be paying off: The latest poll from Rasmussen has him first in Iowa.
Although perhaps that showing is on the strength of his earlier, Chuck Norris video:
NJDC Not Thrilled With Idea of Kucinich-Paul Ticket
Leftist Dennis Kucinich and libertarian Ron Paul may hail from opposite ends of the political spectrum, but they share a strong antipathy toward the projection of American power abroad and have both garnered cult followings with their respective long-shot presidential bids. They also happen to have developed a strong friendship in Congress, and have been known to speak admiringly of each other on the campaign trail.
So it’s not entirely shocking that Kucinich would consider his Republican colleague from Texas as a potential running mate (apparently in the very unlikely event that he wins the Democratic nomination).
It’s also not surprising that the National Jewish Democratic Council wouldn’t be thrilled by the idea, particularly since Paul isn’t exactly known as a friend of Israel.
“Despite his views on the Iraq War, Rep. Paul no more belongs on a Democratic ticket than Dennis Kucinich on a Republican one,” the NJDC’s executive Director, Ira Forman, said in a statement. “Any Jewish Democrats or independents that are tempted toward Rep. Paul because of his stance on the War should be reminded that this Republican Representative has a terrible record on Middle East politics, is anti-choice, and opposes stem cell research.”
But, as it turns out, Ron Paul’s campaign — which has had much more traction than Kucinich’s — doesn’t seem thrilled by the idea either.
“Dr. Paul and Rep. Kucinich are friends and there is a lot of mutual respect,” Paul communications director Jesse Benton wrote in an e-mail to the Cleveland Plain Dealer. “They have worked, and will continue to work, together on ending the war and protecting civil liberties.
“However, Ron wants to substantially cut the size and scope of the federal government. There are too many differences on issues such as taxes and spending to think a joint ticket would be possible.”
Barbra Streisand Joins Team Hillary
It’s official: Babs is for Hill. Continuing its push to amass a mountain of bold-faced endorsements, the Clinton campaign announced this morning that the legendary singer loves the sound of “Madame President.”
Here’s the press release:
Barbra Streisand Endorses Hillary Clinton
Legendary filmmaker, artist, and Democratic activist, Barbra Streisand, today endorsed Hillary Clinton for President. Streisand cited Clinton’s ability to bring about change and the historic nature of her campaign as reasons why she is supporting Hillary’s candidacy.
“Madame President of the United States…it’s an extraordinary thought. We truly are in a momentous time, where a woman’s potential has no limitations,” said Streisand. “Hillary Clinton has already proven to a generation of women that there are no limits for success. She is driven by her passion for public service and her belief in the enormous potential of our country. Smart, capable and strong in her convictions, Hillary has transcended the dictates of what is thought to be possible for our time.
“Hillary is a powerful voice for change as we find our country at an important crossroads. Under her leadership, our country will regain its respect within the global community. She will prioritize issues of global climate change, universal health care and rebuilding a strong economy. After 8 long years, the public will once again have faith in their government.
“Another former first lady, Eleanor Roosevelt once wrote, ‘In government, in business, and in the professions there may be a day when women will be looked upon as persons. We are, however, far from that day as yet.’ More than 50 years later ‘that day’ is now upon us and Hillary Clinton is ready to shatter through that glass ceiling for all women.”
Streisand has been working on behalf of Democratic candidates for over forty years, performing at fundraisers and participating in campaign events. In addition, the Streisand Foundation has raised millions for causes including the environment, women’s equality as well as human and civil rights and liberties.
“I’m honored to have Barbra’s support,” said Clinton. “Barbra has used her immense talent to be an advocate for truth, justice, and fairness and I deeply appreciate her confidence in my candidacy as we work together to change the direction of our nation.”
Barbra Streisand is a singer, theatre and film actress, composer, film producer and director. She has won Oscars for Best Actress and Best Original Song as well as multiple Emmy Awards, Grammy Awards, and Golden Globe Awards. She is considered one of the most commercially and critically successful female entertainers in modern history.
Streisand, who was famously friendly with the Clintons during their residency in the White House, had previously given to the Clinton, Obama, Edwards and Dodd campaigns. Streisand’s spreading around of her wealth prompted reports of a rift with the Clintons.
Dems, Huckabee Blast Saudi Justice
The Saudis are getting a lashing from Democratic presidential hopefuls for the recent sentencing of a 19-year-old gang-rape victim to 200 lashes for “adultery.” Taking on the Saudis has long been a popular tack for Democrats, given the cozy relations between the House of Saud and the House of Bush. This time around, leading Democratic contenders lined up to condemn the sentence and the Bush administration’s failure to condemn it more forcefully.
Hillary said:
This is an outrage. The Bush administration has refused to condemn the sentence and said it will not protest an internal Saudi decision. I urge President Bush to call on King Abdullah to cancel the ruling and drop all charges against this woman. As president I will once again make human rights an American priority around the world.
Her stance earned her some kudos from an unlikely corner, the resolutely conservative New York Sun, which editorialized: “The candidate who has been toughest on Saudi Arabia in the past week hasn’t been Mayor Giuliani, Senator McCain, or Governor Romney, but Senator Clinton, the Democrat of New York.” It continued: “Hats off to Mrs. Clinton for talking tough to the Saudis.” (Then, of course, the non-nonpartisan Sun proceeded to list the Saudis who donated large sums to the Bill Clinton’s presidential library.)
One Republican candidate who spoke out strongly on the issue is the surging Mike Huckabee. The AP reports:
“The United States has been far too involved in sort of looking the other way, not only at the atrocities of human rights and violation of women,” Huckabee said on CNN’s “Late Edition.”
“Every time we put our credit card in the gas pump, we’re paying so that the Saudis get rich — filthy, obscenely rich, and that money then ends up going to funding madrassas,” schools “that train the terrorists,” said Huckabee. “America has allowed itself to become enslaved to Saudi oil. It’s absurd. It’s embarrassing.”
Huckabee said “I would make the United States energy independent within 10 years and tell the Saudis they can keep their oil just like they can keep their sand, that we won’t need either one of them.”
This isn’t the first time that Huckabee has talked tough on the Saudis. His campaign Web site’s page on energy policy — on which he calls for the development of alternative energy sources and more conservation — says of the Saudis: “These folks have had us over a barrel - literally - for way too long.”
Who’s Striking: Nora Ephron
The Writers Guild picket line moves to Silver Cup Studios in Long Island City tomorrow, and none other than Nora Ephron is “supposed to” attend, according to Sherry Goldberg of Writers Guild of America East.
Given that late-night writers turned out in droves to Rockefeller Center today, can we also expect appearances from some of the stars?
Writers On Strike, With An Assist from Obama
Forgive us if we in the Forward newsroom are paying a little bit of extra attention to the Writers Guild strike. We’re union members ourselves, and the whole brouhaha has our favorite celebrities going all lefty on us: SNL’s Tina Fey and Seth Myers are uptown picketing at Rockefeller Center; Jon Stewart may or may not be keeping his own writers afloat with out-of-pocket payments for the next two weeks.
Barack Obama, meanwhile, has weighed in with statement in support of the writers:
“I stand with the writers. The Guild’s demand is a test of whether corporate media corporations are going to give writers a fair share of the wealth their work creates or continue concentrating profits in the hands of their executives. I urge the producers to work with the writers so that everyone can get back to work.”
Condi, Hadley, Wolfowitz and Feith Will Take the Stand at Aipac Trial
The judge in the Aipac trial just ruled that defendants Steve Rosen and Keith Weissman can subpoena 15 government officials to testify in their trial, scheduled for early next year.
The list of subpoenas assures that the trial will be the best show in town, with Condoleezza Rice, Steve Hadley, Paul Wolfowitz and Doug Feith taking the stand.
This might turn out to be a little embarrassing for the Bush administration officials, who will be asked about meetings they had with Aipac officials in which they allegedly revealed secret information. After all, it was President Bush who set out to fight leaks on national security issues.
As we reported a while ago, the defense is hoping to convince the jury that leaking information to lobbyists is common practice in Washington.
Judge T.S. Ellis of the Virginia District Court seems to think this line of defense can make sense. “If true, the U.S. government’s use of Aipac for “back channel” purposes may serve to exculpate defendants by negating the criminal states of mind the government must prove to convict defendants of the charged offenses,” the judge ruled, adding that “conversations between two or more government officials, even if not communicated to defendants, might be relevant to show that particular government officials authorized the disclosure of non-public information to defendants or to Aipac.”
Huckabee: I will Not Use the H-Word on Rudy
Controversy continues to bubble up around GOP presidential contender Mike Huckabee over his belief that legalized abortion constitutes a modern day “holocaust.”
Huckabee was asked about it by CNN’s Wolf Blitzer yesterday, and confirmed that, from his perspective, Roe v. Wade has wrought a modern day “holocaust.”
That, in and of itself, is something of a yawn by now, but we were amused here at Forward by Blitzer’s awkward attempt to get Huckabee to accuse Giuliani – who has long taken flack on the right for his pro-choice views – of therefore supporting a “holocaust.”
Huckabee didn’t take the bait. As I explore in a story I put up today, the whole focus on the former Arkansas governor’s beliefs about abortion is something of a red herring. It suggests Huckabee is a card-carrying member of the old Christian right, when he’s in reality part of a new breed of evangelicals who are more interested in reaching out to mainstream America.
Here’s the exchange between Blitzer and Huckabee:
Jewish Democrats on What’s Scary…
Never mind that Halloween, which falls on a Wednesday this year, is the bane of Hebrew school administrators everywhere. The holiday may not be kosher, but it’s good for a laugh, and the National Jewish Democratic Council has come out with this scary cartoon:
Could Romney Face His Own Tough Questions About Tolerance?
I have a story up this week about the fact that Mitt Romney’s Mormonism – a major hurdle in his challenge to win over the GOP’s base – is at the same time winning him a little extra sympathy from some Jewish Republicans. (Jews know what it’s like to face questions about one’s religion, after all.)
But one other point worth noticing here: As much as the press has picked up on the Mormon-As-Underdog theme, Romney faces tough questions about his faith not only because evangelical Christians and others have some irrational, unfair prejudice against Mormons. He also faces tough questions because of the history of Mormonism itself, including the faith’s longtime exclusion of African-Americans from its priesthood.
As he continues to mull whether to make a big JFK-esque speech, Romney’s also no doubt praying he won’t eventually be forced to speak on his faith’s more troubling history.
