They've got
Video-Dean Challenges Bush
Video-David Brooks breaks down
Video-Scotty
Audio-MP3-George Bush Bike Riding PSA,
here.
Sunday, July 17, 2005
''July 23rd House Parties featuring Amb. Joe Wilson and Randi Rhodes''
"Downing Street, Rovegate, and the Ongoing Deception in Iraq: July 23rd is the 3-year anniversary of the drafting of the Downing Street Minutes. I am organizing a series of house parties on this date throughout the country in order to broaden public understanding of how Karl Rove and the Bush Administration have manipulated intelligence, deceived the American people, and misled our nation into war.
Given that we learned in the past few days that Karl Rove served as a source for Robert Novak in his column outing Ms. Plame, it is becoming increasingly clear that we need to learn not only what and why Rove told the press, but what the president knew and when he knew it. If Rove is willing to spin this issue with the press, as this New York Times story appears to show, he ought to be willing to come clean with the American people.The house parties I have organized for July 23rd provide a platform for people to come together and express their strong opposition to the Bush Administration’s conduct of war. Please join us at a house party near you. If you can host a party, click here to sign up. We will provide media kits and other materials to assist with the event. If you would rather attend an event, click here.
I will be conducting a conference call for house party hosts featuring Ambassador Joe Wilson and Randi Rhodes as my special guests."-from the invitation by John Conyers on his website. If you click on the Washington button, you will find one Seattle houseparty that is already planned.
Given that we learned in the past few days that Karl Rove served as a source for Robert Novak in his column outing Ms. Plame, it is becoming increasingly clear that we need to learn not only what and why Rove told the press, but what the president knew and when he knew it. If Rove is willing to spin this issue with the press, as this New York Times story appears to show, he ought to be willing to come clean with the American people.The house parties I have organized for July 23rd provide a platform for people to come together and express their strong opposition to the Bush Administration’s conduct of war. Please join us at a house party near you. If you can host a party, click here to sign up. We will provide media kits and other materials to assist with the event. If you would rather attend an event, click here.
I will be conducting a conference call for house party hosts featuring Ambassador Joe Wilson and Randi Rhodes as my special guests."-from the invitation by John Conyers on his website. If you click on the Washington button, you will find one Seattle houseparty that is already planned.
''Dean wows Dems with speech''
"GREAT FALLS - Democratic National Chairman Howard Dean called for national health insurance for all Americans, prompting Montana Democrats to whoop and holler on Saturday night.
"This country needs to join the British, the French, the German, the Japanese, the Irish, the Italians, the Swedes, the Norwegians," Dean, a physician and former Vermont governor, said at the dinner speech at the Montana Democratic Party's Officers Convention. "We ought to have health insurance for every man, woman and child in America."
The crowd of 450 rose en masse to cheer on Dean's call for national health insurance. They yelled so loudly during the speech that Dean said later he should have started his 2004 presidential campaign in Montana instead of Iowa.
The Rocky Mountain West will provide the winning margin for the Democratic presidential candidate in 2008, Dean predicted. He has spent the past week in this region, flying to Montana on Saturday from Utah. "You know why I think we're going to win in the Rocky Mountain West?" he asked. "Because Republicans have forgotten who they are, and we've remembered all of a sudden who we are."
Dean praised the Montana Democratic Party's 2004 electoral gains - electing Brian Schweitzer as the party's first governor since Ted Schwinden left office in 1989, controlling the state Senate for the first time since 1993 and achieving a tie in the Montana House that Republicans had dominated since 1991.
At one point, Dean poked fun at himself and his famous scream last year that some say doomed his 2004 presidential race. "If we can do that in Montana with no help from the DNC, surely we can win in Colorado, in Arizona and Nevada and New Mexico - not to mention Michigan and Ohio and California," he shouted with a big smile on his face. "Never believe what you read in the press. We're might as well have some fun here."
New Montana Democratic Party Chairman Dennis McDonald, of Melville, who had earlier expressed reservations about Dean and said he didn't want photograph taken with him, had a different view after hearing the DNC chairman's speech. "I loved the positive speech, and I loved the positive message," McDonald said. He added that he told Dean he was honored to get his picture taken with him.
Others attending the dinner also praised Dean's speech.
He made it clear the Democrats really are party of moral values," said Liberty County Democratic Chairman Don Marble, a Chester attorney. "He brings a level of excitement and hope to people about health care, funding education and protecting the environment."-from the story in the Billings Gazette (MT).
"This country needs to join the British, the French, the German, the Japanese, the Irish, the Italians, the Swedes, the Norwegians," Dean, a physician and former Vermont governor, said at the dinner speech at the Montana Democratic Party's Officers Convention. "We ought to have health insurance for every man, woman and child in America."
The crowd of 450 rose en masse to cheer on Dean's call for national health insurance. They yelled so loudly during the speech that Dean said later he should have started his 2004 presidential campaign in Montana instead of Iowa.
The Rocky Mountain West will provide the winning margin for the Democratic presidential candidate in 2008, Dean predicted. He has spent the past week in this region, flying to Montana on Saturday from Utah. "You know why I think we're going to win in the Rocky Mountain West?" he asked. "Because Republicans have forgotten who they are, and we've remembered all of a sudden who we are."
Dean praised the Montana Democratic Party's 2004 electoral gains - electing Brian Schweitzer as the party's first governor since Ted Schwinden left office in 1989, controlling the state Senate for the first time since 1993 and achieving a tie in the Montana House that Republicans had dominated since 1991.
At one point, Dean poked fun at himself and his famous scream last year that some say doomed his 2004 presidential race. "If we can do that in Montana with no help from the DNC, surely we can win in Colorado, in Arizona and Nevada and New Mexico - not to mention Michigan and Ohio and California," he shouted with a big smile on his face. "Never believe what you read in the press. We're might as well have some fun here."
New Montana Democratic Party Chairman Dennis McDonald, of Melville, who had earlier expressed reservations about Dean and said he didn't want photograph taken with him, had a different view after hearing the DNC chairman's speech. "I loved the positive speech, and I loved the positive message," McDonald said. He added that he told Dean he was honored to get his picture taken with him.
Others attending the dinner also praised Dean's speech.
He made it clear the Democrats really are party of moral values," said Liberty County Democratic Chairman Don Marble, a Chester attorney. "He brings a level of excitement and hope to people about health care, funding education and protecting the environment."-from the story in the Billings Gazette (MT).
Saturday, July 16, 2005
''Veterans Need Our Help: Air America''
Susan Hu, posting on Booman Tribune, reminds us that Patty Murray took on the Rovians and WON in the U.S. Senate. Some people have been underestimating Patty for a long time.
''The politics of faith''
"Just because Democratic Party Chair Howard Dean got in hot water last month for calling the Republicans "pretty much a white, Christian Party" doesn't mean he's not hunting for white, Christian votes. At a meeting last week with liberal evangelical preacher Jim Wallis--which began with a prayer led by Dean's chief of staff, who is a Pentecostal minister--Dean drilled the antiabortion Wallis on how to make party rhetoric on abortion rights more values-friendly. "Nobody is pro-abortion," Dean said, according to a party official. "But do you want the government telling you what to do in your personal life?"
Dean is doing more than tinkering with the party line; he's spearheading a new campaign to woo religious voters. There's been so much outreach to religious groups in his five months at its helm that the Democratic National Committee hired an experienced Capitol Hill aide last week to help manage the effort. Congressional Democrats, meanwhile, have stepped up consultations with religious leaders. After taking a hit among "values" voters in the last election, Democrats are strategizing on how to play up what they call the moral--and in some cases biblical--underpinnings of their political convictions. Complementing the official effort is a crop of new, religiously affiliated advocacy groups. "Democrats had [thought] it a bit unseemly to wear your religion on your sleeve," says South Carolina Rep. James Clyburn. "But those of us who've been walking the walk . . . have decided it's time to talk the talk." The success of that effort could determine whether Democrats start winning elections again."-from the article in U.S. News and World Report.
Dean is doing more than tinkering with the party line; he's spearheading a new campaign to woo religious voters. There's been so much outreach to religious groups in his five months at its helm that the Democratic National Committee hired an experienced Capitol Hill aide last week to help manage the effort. Congressional Democrats, meanwhile, have stepped up consultations with religious leaders. After taking a hit among "values" voters in the last election, Democrats are strategizing on how to play up what they call the moral--and in some cases biblical--underpinnings of their political convictions. Complementing the official effort is a crop of new, religiously affiliated advocacy groups. "Democrats had [thought] it a bit unseemly to wear your religion on your sleeve," says South Carolina Rep. James Clyburn. "But those of us who've been walking the walk . . . have decided it's time to talk the talk." The success of that effort could determine whether Democrats start winning elections again."-from the article in U.S. News and World Report.
''Dems national chairman invades GOP stronghold''
"The national Democratic chairman strode to the front of the bandshell and breathed in the humid Idaho air. He was in the heart of enemy territory.
He smiled.
Minutes before, "Thank God I'm a Country Boy" had blared from the speakers as people mingled in the shade of pine trees.
Now the chairman commanded all attention. His rolled-up sleeves showed thick New England forearms. He was ready.
"We didn't quite win in Idaho the last time, but we're not quitting," he said. "People say, 'Why'd you come here? This is a Republican state,' but they're wrong.
"This is a libertarian area. We're going to win on a Western platform next time."
Less than half a mile away loomed Gov. Dirk Kempthorne's office in the ornate state capitol building where he has largely gotten his way for the past six years. Kempthorne's press secretary said the governor had no comment, adding he was currently away at a retreat in Iowa.
The chairman was obviously brave. Or crazy.
Howard Dean rose from relative obscurity as a former physician to become the Governor of Vermont. Last year he rode a wave of popularity to the brink of a presidential nomination and an appearance on the cover of Rolling Stone. Then the wave crashed as Dean lost the nomination to John Kerry and watched George Bush win the national election.
But Dean resurfaced in February as the Chairman of the Democratic National Committee and appeared Friday afternoon in Boise on a swing to recapture the hearts and minds of the Western states.
Nearly 500 people showed up in Boise's Julia Davis Park to cheer on his every salvo. "We need a president who's the president of all Americans and not just his Americans," Dean said, sparking vociferous applause. "The worst thing he's done is set us against each other." During a half-hour speech, Dean advocated for health insurance for all Americans, blasted Tom DeLay and Karl Rove and, with his index finger piercing the air, accused Republicans of treating veterans like dirt.
Then he turned his attention to a local issue when he said: "Imagine the Senate closing their committee hearings so the public doesn't know what's going on. We can do better than that."
Not long after the cheering died down, Dean was already gone, bound for Salt Lake City and then Great Falls, Mont. But the question lingered - Was he wasting his time? Could Howard Dean do anything to boost the beleaguered Democratic party in the Gem State?
Bill Kibble certainly thinks Dean's message can take root in Idaho, a state where less than 20 percent of state legislators are from the Democratic party. Kibble, a Vietnam veteran who served 21 years in the Air Force, needed someone to vent to by the rally's end.
"(The Republicans) are such hypocrites," said the Boise native. "The way it is now, the only people who are sacrificing are the men and women in the armed forces and their families.
"It's terrible."
Others expressed similar feelings as they crowded around Dean, hoping for a chance to meet the chairman and see if he really was as optimistic as he seemed. "I was a Republican, but you've converted me," confessed one woman. "Thanks for not writing us off, Governor," hollered another man. Through it all, Dean beamed broadly beneath the bright sun, his right arm working like a piston as he shook dozens of hands thrust in front of him.
Underneath the enthusiasm and optimism of Dean's speech lay a hint at the new strategy of the Democratic party. Outnumbered in Congress and rendered to the sidelines in states like Idaho, the party of Cecil Andrus and Frank Church seems to be turning to a new tack in their quest to redefine the country and themselves. Republicans, Dean said, are the real "big government" party. Democrats, he maintained, are the ones with traditional family values. That goes against traditional stereotypes, but Dean was adamant. "The President is so busy giving freedom to the Iraqis, but what about freedom at home?" he asked.
Dean then turned his attention to subjects such as abortion and gay marriage.
"Those kind of decisions belong to individual families - that's none of the government's business," he said. He urged crowd members to begin working now for the upcoming elections.
In Idaho, a race to replace Kempthorne looms on the horizon and veteran Republican lawmakers Mike Simpson and Larry Craig are up for reelection. The Republicans seem unassailable, near-certain locks to win. But the chairman seems determined to get local Democrats to play them at their own game, and win.
He knows it won't be easy. The sweat showed through his blue shirt on Friday. But he's ready. The sleeves are rolled up. He's ready for a fight."-from the story in the Pocatello Idaho State Journal.
He smiled.
Minutes before, "Thank God I'm a Country Boy" had blared from the speakers as people mingled in the shade of pine trees.
Now the chairman commanded all attention. His rolled-up sleeves showed thick New England forearms. He was ready.
"We didn't quite win in Idaho the last time, but we're not quitting," he said. "People say, 'Why'd you come here? This is a Republican state,' but they're wrong.
"This is a libertarian area. We're going to win on a Western platform next time."
Less than half a mile away loomed Gov. Dirk Kempthorne's office in the ornate state capitol building where he has largely gotten his way for the past six years. Kempthorne's press secretary said the governor had no comment, adding he was currently away at a retreat in Iowa.
The chairman was obviously brave. Or crazy.
Howard Dean rose from relative obscurity as a former physician to become the Governor of Vermont. Last year he rode a wave of popularity to the brink of a presidential nomination and an appearance on the cover of Rolling Stone. Then the wave crashed as Dean lost the nomination to John Kerry and watched George Bush win the national election.
But Dean resurfaced in February as the Chairman of the Democratic National Committee and appeared Friday afternoon in Boise on a swing to recapture the hearts and minds of the Western states.
Nearly 500 people showed up in Boise's Julia Davis Park to cheer on his every salvo. "We need a president who's the president of all Americans and not just his Americans," Dean said, sparking vociferous applause. "The worst thing he's done is set us against each other." During a half-hour speech, Dean advocated for health insurance for all Americans, blasted Tom DeLay and Karl Rove and, with his index finger piercing the air, accused Republicans of treating veterans like dirt.
Then he turned his attention to a local issue when he said: "Imagine the Senate closing their committee hearings so the public doesn't know what's going on. We can do better than that."
Not long after the cheering died down, Dean was already gone, bound for Salt Lake City and then Great Falls, Mont. But the question lingered - Was he wasting his time? Could Howard Dean do anything to boost the beleaguered Democratic party in the Gem State?
Bill Kibble certainly thinks Dean's message can take root in Idaho, a state where less than 20 percent of state legislators are from the Democratic party. Kibble, a Vietnam veteran who served 21 years in the Air Force, needed someone to vent to by the rally's end.
"(The Republicans) are such hypocrites," said the Boise native. "The way it is now, the only people who are sacrificing are the men and women in the armed forces and their families.
"It's terrible."
Others expressed similar feelings as they crowded around Dean, hoping for a chance to meet the chairman and see if he really was as optimistic as he seemed. "I was a Republican, but you've converted me," confessed one woman. "Thanks for not writing us off, Governor," hollered another man. Through it all, Dean beamed broadly beneath the bright sun, his right arm working like a piston as he shook dozens of hands thrust in front of him.
Underneath the enthusiasm and optimism of Dean's speech lay a hint at the new strategy of the Democratic party. Outnumbered in Congress and rendered to the sidelines in states like Idaho, the party of Cecil Andrus and Frank Church seems to be turning to a new tack in their quest to redefine the country and themselves. Republicans, Dean said, are the real "big government" party. Democrats, he maintained, are the ones with traditional family values. That goes against traditional stereotypes, but Dean was adamant. "The President is so busy giving freedom to the Iraqis, but what about freedom at home?" he asked.
Dean then turned his attention to subjects such as abortion and gay marriage.
"Those kind of decisions belong to individual families - that's none of the government's business," he said. He urged crowd members to begin working now for the upcoming elections.
In Idaho, a race to replace Kempthorne looms on the horizon and veteran Republican lawmakers Mike Simpson and Larry Craig are up for reelection. The Republicans seem unassailable, near-certain locks to win. But the chairman seems determined to get local Democrats to play them at their own game, and win.
He knows it won't be easy. The sweat showed through his blue shirt on Friday. But he's ready. The sleeves are rolled up. He's ready for a fight."-from the story in the Pocatello Idaho State Journal.
''Howard Dean Rallies Utah Democrats''
"Democratic National Chairman Howard Dean rallied party loyalists Saturday, declaring that Democrats can regain prominence in offices from the school board to presidency.
The former Vermont governor, who made an unsuccessful run in 2004 for the Democratic presidential nomination, said Democrats can recover from a GOP clubbing on the national stage by taking command of issues including health care.
“In my state everybody has health insurance, and our per capita income probably is not much more than yours,” he said. “We did it without raising taxes, and you can do that without raising taxes. We can do that as the richest economy in the world.”
Dean was introduced by his cousin, Salt Lake County Mayor Peter Corroon, a Democrat who showed he can win in Republican territory. Dean doesn't expect Utah, which President Bush carried with about 70 percent of the vote last fall, to support a Democrat in the next presidential election. But he said Democrats can still improve their standing throughout the country.
Dean spoke to repeated applause in a 285-seat auditorium at Westminster College with overflow crowds filling two other rooms. It gave him a total audience of more than 500 people.
The 56-year-old Yale-educated doctor is known for making provocative remarks – he most recently drew fire for depicting Republicans as “pretty much a white, Christian party” with many who “never made an honest living.” Those and other comments have other leading Democrats saying Dean doesn’t speak for the party.
But some loyalists found Dean’s remarks subdued in heavily Republican Utah.
“It wasn’t as high-key as I would have expected,” said Rudi Kohler of Heber City, vice chairman for Wasatch County Democrats. “I would have expected a rallying cry. He covered all the points, but he didn’t have the enthusiasm he showed in his campaign.”
Dean tried to appeal to Utah sentiments by boasting about his endorsements from the National Rifle Association as Vermont governor from 1991-2003. He was against only “shooting deer from your car.”
He urged Utah Democrats to help fortify the party’s coffers by pledging $20 a month for a Democratic “bond.” The DNC raised more than $28 million through the first half of this non-election year for federal offices – a pace lagging the Republican Party by half.
Dean, who was on a swing through the West, added that Democrats can reclaim the moral high ground on health care, education and keeping the nation out of debt.
“One of the things we’re going to change, the Democrat Party, is we are not going to let Republicans tell people what the Democratic Party stands for. We’re going to leave that to ourselves,” Dean said.
Dean drew some of his biggest applause by defining the Democratic position on abortion.
“I’m tired of Republicans telling us we’re pro-abortion. I served on the board of Planned Parenthood for five years. I don’t know anybody who’s pro-abortion,” he said. “Most people in this country would like to see the abortion rate go down. That includes Democrats and Republicans. The difference between the parties is that we believe a woman makes that decision about her health care – and they believe Tom Delay makes it.”-from the AP story on KUTV.
The former Vermont governor, who made an unsuccessful run in 2004 for the Democratic presidential nomination, said Democrats can recover from a GOP clubbing on the national stage by taking command of issues including health care.
“In my state everybody has health insurance, and our per capita income probably is not much more than yours,” he said. “We did it without raising taxes, and you can do that without raising taxes. We can do that as the richest economy in the world.”
Dean was introduced by his cousin, Salt Lake County Mayor Peter Corroon, a Democrat who showed he can win in Republican territory. Dean doesn't expect Utah, which President Bush carried with about 70 percent of the vote last fall, to support a Democrat in the next presidential election. But he said Democrats can still improve their standing throughout the country.
Dean spoke to repeated applause in a 285-seat auditorium at Westminster College with overflow crowds filling two other rooms. It gave him a total audience of more than 500 people.
The 56-year-old Yale-educated doctor is known for making provocative remarks – he most recently drew fire for depicting Republicans as “pretty much a white, Christian party” with many who “never made an honest living.” Those and other comments have other leading Democrats saying Dean doesn’t speak for the party.
But some loyalists found Dean’s remarks subdued in heavily Republican Utah.
“It wasn’t as high-key as I would have expected,” said Rudi Kohler of Heber City, vice chairman for Wasatch County Democrats. “I would have expected a rallying cry. He covered all the points, but he didn’t have the enthusiasm he showed in his campaign.”
Dean tried to appeal to Utah sentiments by boasting about his endorsements from the National Rifle Association as Vermont governor from 1991-2003. He was against only “shooting deer from your car.”
He urged Utah Democrats to help fortify the party’s coffers by pledging $20 a month for a Democratic “bond.” The DNC raised more than $28 million through the first half of this non-election year for federal offices – a pace lagging the Republican Party by half.
Dean, who was on a swing through the West, added that Democrats can reclaim the moral high ground on health care, education and keeping the nation out of debt.
“One of the things we’re going to change, the Democrat Party, is we are not going to let Republicans tell people what the Democratic Party stands for. We’re going to leave that to ourselves,” Dean said.
Dean drew some of his biggest applause by defining the Democratic position on abortion.
“I’m tired of Republicans telling us we’re pro-abortion. I served on the board of Planned Parenthood for five years. I don’t know anybody who’s pro-abortion,” he said. “Most people in this country would like to see the abortion rate go down. That includes Democrats and Republicans. The difference between the parties is that we believe a woman makes that decision about her health care – and they believe Tom Delay makes it.”-from the AP story on KUTV.
''Howard Dean Speaks to Utah Democrats''
"Howard Dean and Democrats are getting a big jump start on the election season, but why in Utah? We're certainly not the first state you'd name when you think Democrat, but the DNC has a plan to send out its message in all states. Still, Utah is a tough one.
Dean spoke for about 40 minutes at Westminster College in Salt Lake City today. Many will probably say he's wasting his time. Utah voted Republican more than any other state in the country, which is exactly why he was here.
The seats filled up quickly to hear Dean speak. Who would've ever thought there were so many Democrats in Utah?
"We are very much alive and kicking."
Then again, when you get someone like Howard Dean to speak, empty seats are hard to come by.
Howard Dean, Chairman, Democratic National Committee: “We’re starting now. This campaign is starting right now.”
Dean, who ran for president in 2004, is on a rocky mountain swing. He wants people to listen to what Democrats have to say, instead of listening to what Republicans have to say about Democrats.
Howard Dean: "Most people agree with us. Even in Utah, most people agree with democrats."
And Dean spoke a little about everything, from the budget...
Howard Dean: "Not one republican president has balanced the budget in the last 35 years in this country. Not one."
…To the war in Iraq.
Howard Dean: "Most Americans think it is wrong to tell parents of the people who lost their lives in Iraq that we went there because of 9-11, when that was not true."
He also spoke about why gays should have benefits, children should have healthcare, and why the Supreme Court should be balanced and allow more personal freedoms.
Howard Dean: "We have a republican appointed supreme court that decided they can take your house and put a Sheraton Hotel in there. We have a republican government that can tell you when your loved ones get a feeding tube and when they don't."
Dean definitely spoke about a lot, and he knows Utah is traditionally Republican, more so than any other state, but he says if you listen to his party’s message and put aside what you think you know, there's a chance you just might agree."-from the story on KSL TV in Salt Lake City.
Dean spoke for about 40 minutes at Westminster College in Salt Lake City today. Many will probably say he's wasting his time. Utah voted Republican more than any other state in the country, which is exactly why he was here.
The seats filled up quickly to hear Dean speak. Who would've ever thought there were so many Democrats in Utah?
"We are very much alive and kicking."
Then again, when you get someone like Howard Dean to speak, empty seats are hard to come by.
Howard Dean, Chairman, Democratic National Committee: “We’re starting now. This campaign is starting right now.”
Dean, who ran for president in 2004, is on a rocky mountain swing. He wants people to listen to what Democrats have to say, instead of listening to what Republicans have to say about Democrats.
Howard Dean: "Most people agree with us. Even in Utah, most people agree with democrats."
And Dean spoke a little about everything, from the budget...
Howard Dean: "Not one republican president has balanced the budget in the last 35 years in this country. Not one."
…To the war in Iraq.
Howard Dean: "Most Americans think it is wrong to tell parents of the people who lost their lives in Iraq that we went there because of 9-11, when that was not true."
He also spoke about why gays should have benefits, children should have healthcare, and why the Supreme Court should be balanced and allow more personal freedoms.
Howard Dean: "We have a republican appointed supreme court that decided they can take your house and put a Sheraton Hotel in there. We have a republican government that can tell you when your loved ones get a feeding tube and when they don't."
Dean definitely spoke about a lot, and he knows Utah is traditionally Republican, more so than any other state, but he says if you listen to his party’s message and put aside what you think you know, there's a chance you just might agree."-from the story on KSL TV in Salt Lake City.
''Dean and Mehlman at NAACP Convention''
"On Thursday, July 14, 2005, Gov. Howard Dean, Chairman of the Democratic Party, addressed the NAACP National Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The video of the speech as well as exerpts are linked from dfasv.org. It was a speech in which Dean was very much in command of himself and his audience, persuasive, and delivered a speech all Americans can be proud of. It was a wonderful, riveting, inspiring speech in the guv's natural style. But, GOP Chairman Ken Mehlman also spoke, right after Dean. What I intend to do here is give you an account of Howard Dean's speech, and compare and contrast with Mehlman's."-from Kos by Deaniac 83. Here's the link to the video of the NAACP speech.
'''Deaniacs' cheer defiant Democratic Party chief''
"Last year, Iowa.
This year, Denver.
If Howard Dean is there, Joel Weierman wants to help.
The Boulder resident, 32 and a self-confessed "die-hard Deaniac," shelled out $100 Thursday to hear the former presidential candidate spell out his vision for leading the Democratic National Committee.
"Thank you," Arapahoe County resident Laure Levin told Dean afterward. "I'm ready to hit the streets again."
"He was great," said Weierman, who admitted he was crushed last year when Dean lost the Iowa primary to John Kerry.
Dean came to Colorado on Thursday for a fundraiser that attracted more than 300 people."-from the story in the Rocky Mountain News.
This year, Denver.
If Howard Dean is there, Joel Weierman wants to help.
The Boulder resident, 32 and a self-confessed "die-hard Deaniac," shelled out $100 Thursday to hear the former presidential candidate spell out his vision for leading the Democratic National Committee.
"Thank you," Arapahoe County resident Laure Levin told Dean afterward. "I'm ready to hit the streets again."
"He was great," said Weierman, who admitted he was crushed last year when Dean lost the Iowa primary to John Kerry.
Dean came to Colorado on Thursday for a fundraiser that attracted more than 300 people."-from the story in the Rocky Mountain News.
Friday, July 15, 2005
''Rossi won't run for Senate''
"Republican Dino Rossi said this morning he will not run against Democratic Sen. Maria Cantwell next year.
Rossi had been leaning against making the Senate race since May, when he lost a court fight over last November's governor's election. He had sued to overturn the election of Democratic Gov. Christine Gregoire.
Rossi said in a statement he had two major problems with another race so soon: the effect on his family and his long-stated goal of focusing on in-state issues.
"Right now I'm committed to turning this state around, and I need to stay here to accomplish that goal," Rossi said in his statement. "For these reasons, I will not run for U.S. Senate in 2006."
Rossi had been the first choice of many Republican leaders. His announcement clears the way for others testing the water. Potential opponents for Cantwell include Safeco CEO Mike McGavick, Republican activist and former federal prosecutor Diane Tebelius, former Congressman Rick White and state Sen. Linda Evans Parlette, R-Wenatchee.
Republican Party Chairman Chris Vance has said he and national Republican leaders want to avoid a primary and will work to have just one candidate enter the race.
"This will be the catalyst for things to move forward in the U.S. Senate Race," Vance said today. "There is a tremendous desire and I think consensus among Republican leaders that we need to unite behind one candidate."-from the story in the Seattle Times.
Rossi had been leaning against making the Senate race since May, when he lost a court fight over last November's governor's election. He had sued to overturn the election of Democratic Gov. Christine Gregoire.
Rossi said in a statement he had two major problems with another race so soon: the effect on his family and his long-stated goal of focusing on in-state issues.
"Right now I'm committed to turning this state around, and I need to stay here to accomplish that goal," Rossi said in his statement. "For these reasons, I will not run for U.S. Senate in 2006."
Rossi had been the first choice of many Republican leaders. His announcement clears the way for others testing the water. Potential opponents for Cantwell include Safeco CEO Mike McGavick, Republican activist and former federal prosecutor Diane Tebelius, former Congressman Rick White and state Sen. Linda Evans Parlette, R-Wenatchee.
Republican Party Chairman Chris Vance has said he and national Republican leaders want to avoid a primary and will work to have just one candidate enter the race.
"This will be the catalyst for things to move forward in the U.S. Senate Race," Vance said today. "There is a tremendous desire and I think consensus among Republican leaders that we need to unite behind one candidate."-from the story in the Seattle Times.
''Rove-gate: Who Leaked to the Leakers?''
"This isn't about Karl Rove: What if Karl Rove isn't guilty of knowingly leaking Valerie Plame's name as a covert CIA agent involved in nuclear proliferation issues? What if Rove's lawyer, Robert Luskin, is correct when he says that he's been assured by prosecutors that his client is not a target of the ongoing investigation into Plame-gate? I'm going to swim against the tide, here, and against the expectations of my readers, by suggesting that this investigation isn't about Rove – and, furthermore, that Rove is a victim, in an important sense, someone who was used and abused by the real culprits. And who are these mysterious culprits? We'll get to that in a moment, but first some background…"-from Justin Raimondo's post on antiwar.com. I am posting this based on Annie Robbins comment: "best so far."
Report-''Beyond Rove": Special prosecutor investigating Ari Fleischer, others
"WASHINGTON - The special prosecutor probing the outing of a CIA spy is looking beyond who leaked Valerie Plame's identity, seeking whether White House aides tried to cover their tracks after her name went public, sources told the Daily News.
Along with Bush political guru Karl Rove, the grand jury is investigating what role, if any, ex-White House mouthpiece Ari Fleischer may have played in the revelation that the former covert operative Plame was married to former Ambassador Joe Wilson.
"Ari's name keeps popping up," said one source familiar with special prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald's probe.
Another source close to the probe added there is renewed interest in Fleischer, "based on Fitzgerald's questions."
Another source close to the probe added there is renewed interest in Fleischer, "based on Fitzgerald's questions."
A State Department memo that included background on Wilson - and who in the White House had access to it - appears to be a key to revealing who gave conservative columnist Robert Novak Plame's name, both sources said.
Another person of interest in the case is Vice President Cheney's chief of staff Lewis (Scooter) Libby, who was described as "totally obsessed with Wilson," the sources said."-from the story in today's New York Daily News, via The Smirking Chimp.
Along with Bush political guru Karl Rove, the grand jury is investigating what role, if any, ex-White House mouthpiece Ari Fleischer may have played in the revelation that the former covert operative Plame was married to former Ambassador Joe Wilson.
"Ari's name keeps popping up," said one source familiar with special prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald's probe.
Another source close to the probe added there is renewed interest in Fleischer, "based on Fitzgerald's questions."
Another source close to the probe added there is renewed interest in Fleischer, "based on Fitzgerald's questions."
A State Department memo that included background on Wilson - and who in the White House had access to it - appears to be a key to revealing who gave conservative columnist Robert Novak Plame's name, both sources said.
Another person of interest in the case is Vice President Cheney's chief of staff Lewis (Scooter) Libby, who was described as "totally obsessed with Wilson," the sources said."-from the story in today's New York Daily News, via The Smirking Chimp.
''Rove May Have Lied to Federal Agents, a Federal Crime''
"Looks like Karl Rove did break the law, the same federal law that got Martha Stewart sentenced to six months in prison.
It now appears that Rove, President Bush’s chief of staff, may have lied to the FBI in October 2003—a federal crime—when he was questioned by federal agents investigating who was responsible for leaking information about a covert CIA operative to the media.
During questioning by the FBI about his role in the Plame affair, Rove told federal agents that he only started sharing information about Plame with reporters and White House officials for the first time after conservative columnist Robert Novak identified her covert CIA status in his column on July 14, 2003, according to a report in the American Prospect about Rove’s testimony in March 2004, a copy of which can be found here. But Rove wasn’t truthful with the FBI what with the recent disclosure of Time magazine reporter Matthew Cooper’s emails, which reveal Rove as the source for Cooper’s own July 2003 story identifying Plame as a CIA operative, and show that Rove spoke to Cooper nearly a week before Novak’s column was published and, according to previously published news reports, spoke to a half-dozen other reporters about Plame as early as June 2003."-from the post on OpEdNews.
It now appears that Rove, President Bush’s chief of staff, may have lied to the FBI in October 2003—a federal crime—when he was questioned by federal agents investigating who was responsible for leaking information about a covert CIA operative to the media.
During questioning by the FBI about his role in the Plame affair, Rove told federal agents that he only started sharing information about Plame with reporters and White House officials for the first time after conservative columnist Robert Novak identified her covert CIA status in his column on July 14, 2003, according to a report in the American Prospect about Rove’s testimony in March 2004, a copy of which can be found here. But Rove wasn’t truthful with the FBI what with the recent disclosure of Time magazine reporter Matthew Cooper’s emails, which reveal Rove as the source for Cooper’s own July 2003 story identifying Plame as a CIA operative, and show that Rove spoke to Cooper nearly a week before Novak’s column was published and, according to previously published news reports, spoke to a half-dozen other reporters about Plame as early as June 2003."-from the post on OpEdNews.
''Rove Confirmed Plame Indirectly, Lawyer Says''
"White House senior adviser Karl Rove indirectly confirmed the CIA affiliation of an administration critic's wife for Robert D. Novak the week before the columnist named her and revealed her position, a lawyer involved in the case said last night.
The operative, Valerie Plame, is the wife of Joseph C. Wilson IV, a former ambassador who had publicly disputed the White House's contention that Saddam Hussein had sought to buy uranium from Niger for possible use in a nuclear weapon.
The lawyer, who has knowledge of the conversations between Rove and prosecutors, said President Bush's deputy chief of staff has told investigators that he first learned about the operative from a journalist and that he later learned her name from Novak.
Rove has said he does not recall who the journalist was who first told him that Wilson's wife worked for the CIA, or when the conversation occurred, the lawyer said.
The New York Times reported the conversation between Rove and Novak in its Friday editions. The lawyer confirmed that account and elaborated on it. The account suggests that Rove could not have been Novak's original source but may have been a secondary source. Novak has refused to comment about his sources or to say whether he has cooperated with prosecutors.
The lawyer said that Novak showed up on a White House call log as having telephoned Rove in the week before the publication of the July 2003 column, which has touched off a two-year federal investigation and led to the jailing of New York Times reporter Judith Miller, who has refused to testify about her conversation with a source involved in the case.
The White House turned over call logs relating to the case, along with stacks of printed e-mails, at the request of federal investigators.
Special prosecutor Patrick J. Fitzgerald has been investigating the leak of Plame's name, which could be a felony under certain circumstances, such as if the person who leaked her name did so knowing that the government was working to keep her identity a secret.
The new account means that Rove talked to both of the journalists who are known to have published original accounts about Plame. Rove's representatives have said that he mentioned the issue in the most general terms and did not name Plame. Democrats say he was trying to fuel stories that would punish an administration critic.
The lawyer said Novak had telephoned Rove to discuss another column, about Frances Fragos Townsend, who had been named deputy national security adviser for terrorism in May 2003. That column ran in Novak's home paper, the Chicago Sun-Times, on July 10, 2003, under the headline "Bush sets himself up for another embarrassment."
At the end of that 15- or 20-minute call, according to the lawyer, Novak said he had learned that Wilson's wife worked for the CIA.
"I heard that, too," Rove replied, according to the lawyer, confirming the Times account."-from today's Washington Post story.
The operative, Valerie Plame, is the wife of Joseph C. Wilson IV, a former ambassador who had publicly disputed the White House's contention that Saddam Hussein had sought to buy uranium from Niger for possible use in a nuclear weapon.
The lawyer, who has knowledge of the conversations between Rove and prosecutors, said President Bush's deputy chief of staff has told investigators that he first learned about the operative from a journalist and that he later learned her name from Novak.
Rove has said he does not recall who the journalist was who first told him that Wilson's wife worked for the CIA, or when the conversation occurred, the lawyer said.
The New York Times reported the conversation between Rove and Novak in its Friday editions. The lawyer confirmed that account and elaborated on it. The account suggests that Rove could not have been Novak's original source but may have been a secondary source. Novak has refused to comment about his sources or to say whether he has cooperated with prosecutors.
The lawyer said that Novak showed up on a White House call log as having telephoned Rove in the week before the publication of the July 2003 column, which has touched off a two-year federal investigation and led to the jailing of New York Times reporter Judith Miller, who has refused to testify about her conversation with a source involved in the case.
The White House turned over call logs relating to the case, along with stacks of printed e-mails, at the request of federal investigators.
Special prosecutor Patrick J. Fitzgerald has been investigating the leak of Plame's name, which could be a felony under certain circumstances, such as if the person who leaked her name did so knowing that the government was working to keep her identity a secret.
The new account means that Rove talked to both of the journalists who are known to have published original accounts about Plame. Rove's representatives have said that he mentioned the issue in the most general terms and did not name Plame. Democrats say he was trying to fuel stories that would punish an administration critic.
The lawyer said Novak had telephoned Rove to discuss another column, about Frances Fragos Townsend, who had been named deputy national security adviser for terrorism in May 2003. That column ran in Novak's home paper, the Chicago Sun-Times, on July 10, 2003, under the headline "Bush sets himself up for another embarrassment."
At the end of that 15- or 20-minute call, according to the lawyer, Novak said he had learned that Wilson's wife worked for the CIA.
"I heard that, too," Rove replied, according to the lawyer, confirming the Times account."-from today's Washington Post story.
Thursday, July 14, 2005
''Dean touts Colorado's Democratic Party gains during fundraising visit''
"DENVER — Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean on Thursday praised Colorado Democrats for taking control of the state House and Senate last year and indirectly took a jab at Focus on the Family, which recently started a nonprofit group to address public policy concerns. During a fundraiser, Dean said state Democratic Party leaders turned the state into a swing state last year and he promised to work hard for more Democratic victories next year.
"If you want to focus on the family, focus on minimum wage. If you want to focus on the family, focus on smaller class size," Dean said in an apparent reference to Colorado Springs-based Focus on the Family, whose public policy arm has campaigned against gay marriage. Dean said gay marriage is not mentioned once in the Bible.
Dean said Republicans will try to make immigration a national issue. "In 2006, it's going to be immigrants, you wait and see," he said."-from the AP story tonight.
"If you want to focus on the family, focus on minimum wage. If you want to focus on the family, focus on smaller class size," Dean said in an apparent reference to Colorado Springs-based Focus on the Family, whose public policy arm has campaigned against gay marriage. Dean said gay marriage is not mentioned once in the Bible.
Dean said Republicans will try to make immigration a national issue. "In 2006, it's going to be immigrants, you wait and see," he said."-from the AP story tonight.
''CIA agent's husband says Rove pushed Plame story''
"What this thing has been for the past two years has been a cover-up, a cover-up of the ... web of lies that underpin the justification for going to war in Iraq," said Plame's husband, Joseph Wilson, a career foreign service officer who served in the Clinton White House. "And to a certain extent, this cover-up is becoming unraveled. That's why you see the White House stonewalling," Wilson told NBC's "Today" show.
Wilson charged in another interview that Rove was actively promoting Novak's story about Plame in 2003, saying the White House deputy chief of staff declared Wilson's wife "fair game" in a telephone conversation with Chris Matthews, the host of NBC's political affairs program, "Hardball." "He (Matthews) called me up as soon as he got off the phone," Wilson told CNN. "He called me up and he said: 'I just got off the phone with Karl Rove. He says your wife is fair game'. I know that Karl Rove was, in fact, engaged in pushing the Novak story."-from the story tonight from Yahoo News.
Wilson charged in another interview that Rove was actively promoting Novak's story about Plame in 2003, saying the White House deputy chief of staff declared Wilson's wife "fair game" in a telephone conversation with Chris Matthews, the host of NBC's political affairs program, "Hardball." "He (Matthews) called me up as soon as he got off the phone," Wilson told CNN. "He called me up and he said: 'I just got off the phone with Karl Rove. He says your wife is fair game'. I know that Karl Rove was, in fact, engaged in pushing the Novak story."-from the story tonight from Yahoo News.
''Dean: Bush 'Losing Credibility' Over Iraq, Rove''
"Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean said Thursday that President Bush is "losing credibility with the American people" because of his policies regarding the war in Iraq and the controversy involving Karl Rove. The American people have lost trust in Bush's trust and integrity "because his administration is playing politics with our national security," Dean said in a press release.
"The president must keep his word and put patriotism ahead of partisanship," the former governor of Vermont continued, adding that Bush "must demonstrate that he values protecting CIA operatives fighting on the front lines in the war on terror over protecting his political operatives." As proof of his claims, Dean pointed to a new NBC News/Wall Street Journal Poll, which shows that only 41 percent of Americans think Bush is being "honest and straightforward," his lowest ranking as president. That's a drop of nine percentage points since January, when a majority (50 percent to 36 percent) indicated that he was honest and straightforward.
Calls seeking comment from the Republican National Committee were not returned by press time."-from the post on Cybercast News Service.
"The president must keep his word and put patriotism ahead of partisanship," the former governor of Vermont continued, adding that Bush "must demonstrate that he values protecting CIA operatives fighting on the front lines in the war on terror over protecting his political operatives." As proof of his claims, Dean pointed to a new NBC News/Wall Street Journal Poll, which shows that only 41 percent of Americans think Bush is being "honest and straightforward," his lowest ranking as president. That's a drop of nine percentage points since January, when a majority (50 percent to 36 percent) indicated that he was honest and straightforward.
Calls seeking comment from the Republican National Committee were not returned by press time."-from the post on Cybercast News Service.
''Howard Dean Addresses NAACP Annual Convention''
"We need to reform our election system. I know Donna Brazille was here earlier this week to talk to you about our Ohio report. I'm not here to look backward, but to look forward. But the truth is, our election system failed the citizens of Ohio in 2004, and failed African Americans who had to wait three times as long to cast their vote, and failed young voters who were illegally asked for identification at the polls.
We need to make voting a federal right for all Americans. Voting isn't just a right, it's a responsibility...
We're not going to divide Americans to win elections. The Republican Party's "Southern Strategy" used in the 1960s and 1970s lives today. In 2000, they used the racially charged word "quota" to divide African Americans. In 2004, they used gay marriage. And just you wait; in 2006 its going to be immigrants. We need to stand together. We are all children of God, equal in the eyes of God. We need to stand up for social justice. The one thing the Democratic Party will never do - we will never divide Americans to win elections. We'll never do that..."-from his remarks today, via the DNC website.
We need to make voting a federal right for all Americans. Voting isn't just a right, it's a responsibility...
We're not going to divide Americans to win elections. The Republican Party's "Southern Strategy" used in the 1960s and 1970s lives today. In 2000, they used the racially charged word "quota" to divide African Americans. In 2004, they used gay marriage. And just you wait; in 2006 its going to be immigrants. We need to stand together. We are all children of God, equal in the eyes of God. We need to stand up for social justice. The one thing the Democratic Party will never do - we will never divide Americans to win elections. We'll never do that..."-from his remarks today, via the DNC website.
''Gov. Dean energizes Wisconsin Dems!''
"Gov. Dean's visit to Madison blew away all expectations. Over 700 people showed up for Dem Party fundraiser and organizers had to move the event from the lobby of the Orpheum Theater to the theater itself (and compensate the 20 people watching a movie at the time). Organizers had expected a crowd of about 150 people. It was a tremendous event. Democrats in Madison gave the Gov. a standing ovation and appreciated the Governor's introspective take on how the Democratic Party can better connect with the American public. We want Howard Dean back in Madison soon!"-from the post on Wisconsin Grassroots Democrats.
It also features a link to today's story in the Capital Times: "Furious over recent allegations that senior Bush aide and Republican political mastermind Karl Rove revealed the identity of an undercover CIA agent as a method of retribution, audience members showed the kind of energy that hasn't been evident here since the election. "If Karl Rove is guilty of exposing a secret agent of our government, that's treason. As far as I'm concerned, he should be put to death," Mike Bullock, a member of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 159, said as he waited to hear Dean speak. "I mean, that's the price of treason. Benedict Arnold Rove."
Louise Ebben of Appleton nodded along as Bullock spoke and said she was glad to meet someone who shared her outrage over the situation. Unlike Bullock, Ebben said Dean wasn't her favorite in the primary because she said she questioned his ability to win the general election. But both said Dean had the right message now and they joined hundreds of others who gave Dean long, loud standing ovations. So many showed up to the event that Orpheum owner Henry Doane emptied the main theater for their use, giving refunds and free tickets to the 21 people who were planning to see a matinee show of "Enron."
If Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean is criticized in some circles for speaking too bluntly, the overflow audience that came to see him at a fundraiser Wednesday at the Orpheum Theatre in Madison was even more blunt."
It also features a link to today's story in the Capital Times: "Furious over recent allegations that senior Bush aide and Republican political mastermind Karl Rove revealed the identity of an undercover CIA agent as a method of retribution, audience members showed the kind of energy that hasn't been evident here since the election. "If Karl Rove is guilty of exposing a secret agent of our government, that's treason. As far as I'm concerned, he should be put to death," Mike Bullock, a member of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 159, said as he waited to hear Dean speak. "I mean, that's the price of treason. Benedict Arnold Rove."
Louise Ebben of Appleton nodded along as Bullock spoke and said she was glad to meet someone who shared her outrage over the situation. Unlike Bullock, Ebben said Dean wasn't her favorite in the primary because she said she questioned his ability to win the general election. But both said Dean had the right message now and they joined hundreds of others who gave Dean long, loud standing ovations. So many showed up to the event that Orpheum owner Henry Doane emptied the main theater for their use, giving refunds and free tickets to the 21 people who were planning to see a matinee show of "Enron."
If Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean is criticized in some circles for speaking too bluntly, the overflow audience that came to see him at a fundraiser Wednesday at the Orpheum Theatre in Madison was even more blunt."
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