Fox News Fred Barnes' has a knack for trying to be so conservative and score points with the Bush Adminstration, that he makes dumb statements more often than not, by far.
Barnes -- on today's Fox News Panel With Britt Hume -- famously observed, in response to how some liberal browsers were attacking Obama on his support of the reformed FISA Act, said "Who Reads Bloggers?"
Well, in the sprit of that civic dis, we have "The Fred Barnes Watch" -- coming soon.
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Senator Clinton and Caroline Kennedy Schlossberg On Obama Plane Wednesday
Senator Clinton and Caroline Kennedy Schlossberg On Obama Plane Wednesday
What does it tell you when Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton and Caroline Kennedy Schlossberg (who's heading Senator Barack Obama's search for a vice presidential candidate) are on the Obama airplane on the same day that Senator Obama casts a vote in favor of a slightly refined Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) that Clinton opposed?
It tells me that Clinton's going to be the Vice Presidential Canidate for Obama.
This story comes from The Washington Independent, who's contributor SRIDHAR PAPPU wrote:
We awoke on the Obama plane on the Reagan International Airport tarmac with news that we'd have not one, but two special guests on our trip to New York. The first was Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, Barack Obama's onetime nemesis and now seemingly close cohort as she tries to both influence the direction of the general campaign and recoup the millions of dollars in debt she owes as the result of the race. The second? Caroline Kennedy Schlossberg, daughter of the late president and vice presidential search committee.
The latter arrived on the plane with Obama, sporting some aviator sunglasses. At the moment, his "body man" Reggie Love is passing out cookies to those press held up in the back of the plane. We'll return with a beverage update if time permits.
This is a great political "headfake" that was so good, it caught Pappu off guard, treating it as routine news. It's anything but
The FISA issue and Obama's vote caught the press entirely off-guard. CNN took the bait hook-line-and-sinker today, reporting that Clinton and Obama were "at odds" with each other, and that the issue could harm her VP chances.
Hah!
Senator Ted Kennedy Returns To The Senate
Senator Ted Kennedy Returns To The Senate
Senator Ted Kennedy, courageously battling terminal brain cancer, returned to his Senate duties and in the process displayed his uncanny knack for great political timing. Recognizing that his vote would not only break a tie in the overall voting for a bil preventing a six percent cut in Medicare, but perhaps bring some Republicans over to the Democratic Side, Kennedy made the trip to Capitol Hill, and was given a war hero's welcome.
I can't wait to see him at the Democratic National Convention. You just know he's excited to appear before this grand stage.
Wednesday, July 09, 2008
Obama Supports Revised FISA Bill Today
Upsetting Presumptive Republican Presidential Nominee Senator John McCain, who has to reach for the tired "flip-flop" strategy, Senator and Presumptive Democratic Presidential Nominee Barack Obama backed the passage of "FISA", The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, in the Senate today.
Developing story.
Developing story.
Julie Donaldson, Sports Reporter Testifies Ivan Lattimore Beat Her
Julie Donaldson, Sports Reporter Testifies Ivan Lattimore Beat Her
In an unfortunate and sad twist of events, Julie Donaldson, the famous New York Mets features producer and sports reporter who's Internet popularity rocketed with a video of her being doused with beer by celebrating NY Mets after they won the pennant in 2006 that became so popular one can't even find it anymore, has testified that her bofriend Ivan Lattimore bear her.
In a case of "What was she thinking", the Boston Globe reports:
Since she and Lattimore started dating, Donaldson said, there have been at least four violent episodes. The first, she said, occurred at the Super Bowl in Arizona and resulted in bruises on her arms. "I wore a long sleeve shirt and didn't tell anyone," she said.
The second attack was more serious, she said. After a Celtics game against the Miami Heat on March 30, Donaldson said that she lied to Lattimore about her whereabouts and that he was waiting for her when she returned to her apartment.
"He grabbed me by my hair and took my hands by my wrists and made me punch my face," she said, adding that she had to miss work the next day because of bruises on her face. A few months ago, she said, another fight ensued after a night of drinking at Sonsie on Newbury Street.
Why women -- some women -- chose guys like Ivan Lattimore is beyond me. He's a nut case.
Tuesday, July 08, 2008
Checking in at DNC Convention Media Walkthrough
Walkthrough in Denver. This one directly from my iPhone. It is at Pepsi Center, which is where the
convention will be held August 23 - 28.
The big news was the move of Senator Obama's acceptance speech to
Invesco Field next door.
More in our video series.
Obama's Comprehensive Energy Plan
Barack Obama's energy plan will provide meaningful short-term relief for our families and make a historic investment in alternative energy development that will create millions of new jobs, keep the cost of energy affordable and secure our energy independence once and for all. This is the sort of leadership the current generation of Americans needs - and demands - from our elected officials.Learn more about Obama's comprehensive energy plan at: http://www.NewEnergyForAmerica.com
The Columbus Dispatch Ad Watch said the RNC was "Stretching the Truth":
While Obama is offering real solutions for America's energy future, the Republican National Committee recently released a false, negative ad attacking Barack Obama on energy."The commercial accurately points out that McCain favors temporarily lifting the federal gasoline tax, which Obama opposes. Nearly every reputable economist says lifting the gas tax would save motorists nickels and dimes and not produce one new gallon of gasoline."It's all part of Obama's unified view of the way energy affects our economy, our environment and climate, and our national security interests. He's advocating a much more pro-active leadership approach to science than the Republican party has prioritized in recent memory. At a glance, Obama wants to:
"The commercial also accurately points out that McCain favors drilling off the coasts of California and Florida, while Obama does not. But many economists are not convinced that oil exploration off the coasts would dramatically reduce gasoline prices any time soon. Instead, oil prices have risen because demand has outpaced production worldwide. The commercial does not mention that McCain once opposed offshore exploration. And it probably is no accident that the commercial is being aired in Ohio, Michigan, and Wisconsin rather than Florida and California.""VERDICT: 'Stretching The Truth'" [Columbus Dispatch 7/7]
- Reduce Carbon Emissions 80 Percent by 2050
- Invest in a Clean Energy Future
- Support Next Generation Biofuels
- Set America on Path to Oil Independence
- Improve Energy Efficiency 50 Percent by 2030
- Restore U.S. Leadership on Climate Change
A BACKSTAGE PASS to see OBAMA accept the nomination in Denver?
All you have to do is donate at least $5 this month via special links provided at the Obamesque blog and you're in the running to meet Senator Barack Obama BACKSTAGE and see him accept the Democratic nomination in front of 75,000 people. Can you imagine seeing the convention from this perspective, and meeting the man who will probably be the next President of the United States?If you're one of the ones selected you also get to bring a guest. Let's spend a few nights in Denver, shall we?
History in the making, and you can be there with the crew from Zennie's Zeitgeist (we're covering the whole convention.)
read more | digg story
Zennie In Denver for DNC Convention Media Walkthrough
Zennie In Denver for DNC Convention Media Walkthrough
...and I'm off to sleep, having just got in at 1 AM after a massively delayed flight. It's a one-day trip. The meeting's at 8 AM at The Pepsi Center.
Stay tuned. Video camera's with me as well.
Monday, July 07, 2008
McCain's no economist, he's confused about Obama's tax plan - and apparently his own, too!
Senator Obama’s plan will not raise taxes - it WILL provide a bigger break for middle class Americans than Senator McCain’s plan. As numerous outside observers agree: McCAIN’S claims that Obama will raise taxes are “WRONG,” “FALSE,” “MISLEADING”
Do you trust factcheck.org? That' s one of many sources cited in the article McCain’s claims that Obama will raise taxes are wrong.
It’s misleading to tag Obama for something that was built in to the Bush tax cuts. Remember that they are set to auto-expire - that's the law Bush signed.
The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) projects that the unified budget deficit will be $443 billion in 2013 assuming that expiring tax cuts are extended. To balance the budget in that year John McCain would have to pay for all of his campaign proposals plus cut another $443 billion of spending. To give a sense of why this pledge is not credible, cutting spending by $443 billion would require:
Do you trust factcheck.org? That' s one of many sources cited in the article McCain’s claims that Obama will raise taxes are wrong.
It’s misleading to tag Obama for something that was built in to the Bush tax cuts. Remember that they are set to auto-expire - that's the law Bush signed.
Senator McCain has announced that he would balance the budget by 2013.
The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) projects that the unified budget deficit will be $443 billion in 2013 assuming that expiring tax cuts are extended. To balance the budget in that year John McCain would have to pay for all of his campaign proposals plus cut another $443 billion of spending. To give a sense of why this pledge is not credible, cutting spending by $443 billion would require:
- Cutting Medicare by 81 percent OR
- Cutting Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid by 33 percent OR
- Cutting non-defense discretionary spending – which pays for education, veterans, air traffic control and justice – by 79 percent
And these spending cuts would be on top of the hundreds of billions of dollars of spending cuts Senator McCain needs to pay for his existing proposals including: increasing defense spending, cutting corporate taxes, eliminating the Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT), and a small tax cut for middle class families with children (a total of $125 for middle class families with 2 children and $0 for 101 million households who do not qualify). The New York Times has estimated that Senator McCain’s budget plan “will add $200 billion to $300 billion or, depending on his voluntary tax system, even more” annually to the deficit.
Without these offsets and spending cuts, the McCain budget would leave a deficit of at least $650 billion to $750 billion in 2013 alone. No wonder so many Republicans are now reporting that they’ll vote for Barack Obama in November.
Chevron Pipelines Attacked In Nigeria and Columbia; FARC May Be Responsible In Columbia
In the ongoing matter of Chevron and Nigeria comes a report from UPI declaring that "Nigeria attack cripples Chevron". Moreover, the same report points a finger at militant groups like the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND). And while there's no recorded link between MEND and Chevron accuser Larry Bowoto, it seems the two have similar aims: to cripple Chevron's presence in the region, as well as that of Royal Dutch Shell.
Consider this UPI report:
FARC May Be Behind Anti-Chevron Ecuador Efforts
It seem that MEND has something in common with FARC, the same organization that kidnapped now freed politician Ingrid Betancourt: both have apparently bombed Chevron pipelines. in FARK's case, such an activity has been ongoing since 2001, but not limited to Chevron at that time; Petroecuador pipelines -- Petroecuador has long been a partner to Chevron in the region -- were the targets of that Columbian rebel group and that continues today.
Since Ecuador's charging that Columbia's using U.S. made weapons, it seems that Chevron's made as the scapegoat, when it provides much needed employment to the region as is true in Nigeria.
Consider this UPI report:
Chevron Corp. has declared a force majeure on its oil exports following a particularly destructive attack on one of its installations in the Niger Delta.
Officials at the U.S. oil company said that though production was unaffected at offshore installations, Chevron could not meet its production quotas for customers because of shortfalls caused by the pipeline attack last week at the Escravos oil field in the delta.
Though Chevron would not say just how much production was lost due to the attack, Nigerian energy officials estimated the losses at over 100,000 barrels per day, a blow that prompted the company to declare force majeure, relieving them of their contractual obligations until the assaulted pipeline can be repaired and secured.
Chevron, meanwhile, is not the only company reeling from the recent increase in violence against foreign oil interests by armed militant groups in the delta. Royal Dutch Shell (NYSE:RDS-A), the leading foreign petroleum company operating in Nigeria, suffered yet another in a long list of attacks at its Bonga facility last week, prompting the Anglo-Dutch company to halt production for several days.
It wasn't the first time Shell was forced to scale back production due to militant violence. In January, Shell shut down operations at its Forcados terminal following pipeline attacks that threw its 100,000 barrel-per-day production offline. The terminal already had been shut once before because of violence and reopened in October 2007 after more than a year of halted production. Since its reopening, the facility, which can produce some 450,000 barrels per day, had been operating at a fraction of its capacity.
FARC May Be Behind Anti-Chevron Ecuador Efforts
It seem that MEND has something in common with FARC, the same organization that kidnapped now freed politician Ingrid Betancourt: both have apparently bombed Chevron pipelines. in FARK's case, such an activity has been ongoing since 2001, but not limited to Chevron at that time; Petroecuador pipelines -- Petroecuador has long been a partner to Chevron in the region -- were the targets of that Columbian rebel group and that continues today.
Since Ecuador's charging that Columbia's using U.S. made weapons, it seems that Chevron's made as the scapegoat, when it provides much needed employment to the region as is true in Nigeria.
Barack Obama's Poised For Big Electoral College Win - Zogby
John Zogby, who's polls are generally considered to be the most accurate and fair, reports that Senator Barack Obama has an electoral college lead over John McCain that may be too much for the GOP representative, 273 to 158.
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