Round 3

Good list of domestic priorities from Obama

McCain comes out against subsidies for ethanol. Wants to cut spending...

McCain brings in Sen. Clinton...I guess that is smart...

It seems to me that Obama has lots of opportunities for home runs, but doesn't seem to take advantage of them...

Here he comes!!! Connecting bush w/ mcCain...

Round 3 - Tie

And now I hand the blogging off to my colleagues...

Round 2

Question with earmarking - a McCain strength. Takes a good shot at Obama on earmarks.

Obama ignores the shot and goes right at the tax cuts for the wealthy! Nice comeback!

McCain hits back and comes back to the need to reform earmarks. A solid retort.

Obama comes back to taxes, that is solid ground for him!

McCain is defending the business tax??? This round was his and now he is defending the business tax???

Obama comes back and with a solid 95% and attacks the business protections mcCain supports.

McCain comes back to bills before the senate?

Round 2 - Obama

The Opening

And here we go...

Don't you just love Jim Lehrer!

Good friendly hand shakes. Lots of smiles!!!
Ok beginning. Obama's a little nervous... Is it me or do his eyebrows look really dark?

McCain does a nice job mentioning Kennedy, even though he's fine according to all reports...

Obama is going back to the past saying, "I told you so." Don't know if that is the best thing to do. Good job going back to regulation...

McCain also says "I told you so..." Goes back to Dwight Eisenhower...who remembers him???? How is Normandy connected to the economy?

Obama goes back to McCains fundamentals of the economy are strong...smack!

Round one - Tie

Expect the Unexpected

McCain

McCain needs to project a sense of competance. The biggest issue facing him is this idea that Republicans are no longer competant. Given the terrible state of the economy, plus the dismal failures of the Bush administration in dealing with foreign affairs, Iraq, Katrina, etc., McCain must reassure voters that he is more competant than any other Republican out there. If he can come off strong, self-assured, and competant, he'll do fine tonight.

Obama

Obama needs to demonstrate his commander-in-chief"iness." The biggest issue facing Obama is convincing voters that he can stand up and be trusted to face the daunting issues that face this country - see above. If he can show that he can stand toe-to-toe with McCain, and people feel that he passes the commander-in-chief threshold, Obama can't lose this election.

Bottom-line: Both this debate and the election are Obama's to lose.

Live Blogging Tonight! The Great Debate!!!

Blue is Back!!!

Rejoice!

Vote 2008 Report: Edwards Makes It Official

John Edwards makes it official courtesy of the Today show. In a Thursday morning interview with Matt Lauer, Edwards announced his '08 bid for the big chair. Many are calling Edwards the man to watch in 2008. The primary season seems to be stacked in his favor. The first three Democratic contests are clearly in his reach if the early polls are to be believed. He is leading in Iowa, and you may recall he did unexpectedly well there in 2004 - came in second.

Then the primary turns to New Hampshire where Edwards is no stranger. He is polling quite well there as he has pursued the tried and true method of presidential campaigning in the granite state - door to door, kitchen to kitchen, living room to living room. Meanwhile, the big guns - Clinton and Obama - have taken a more rock star approach - relying on their names, and in Obama's case, early TV spots.

After New Hampshire, the campaign goes through Nevada - a heavy labor state. Edwards has perhaps the best relationship with labor than any other potential 2008 Democrat. Edwards may be hoping that what happens in Vegas spreads out all over the nation. He will need the momentum of these three contests to carry him through come Super Tuesday. A large number of primaries benefit the big guns, but I'm sure by then, Edwards is hoping he's one of the big guns in the race.

With Hilary Clinton and Barack Obama considered to be the early favorites, there has to be a more traditional white male that gathers some steam. With the early exits of Mark Warner, Evan Bayh, and Russ Feingold, Edwards is hoping to be that guy.

With his message of hope for the economically disenfranchised in this country, he might just gather enough African-American votes necessary to halt an Obama surge. Time will tell, but one has to admit that this race is already getting interesting.

One other note: As with all other announced candidates, Edwards' campaign website has been added to the right sidebar under Democratic Candidates. He joins Vilsack, Gravel, and Kucinich. As you may notice, no one has been added to the Republican candidates section. Only one Republican has announced - Congressman Duncan Hunter. I find it an extremely poor sign that his announcement was over a month ago and he has yet to launch a presidential website. Get with the program, Duncan. This is the big leagues, not some campaign for city council.

A Nation Mourns - Gerald Ford (1913 - 2006)

In a statement released early today, it was announced that our 38th President - Gerald Ford - is dead. While only serving two years in the Oval office, President Ford was able to turn the country away from the darkness of Watergate and Vietnam. Perhaps his bravest political act - the pardon of Richard Nixon - cost him his own 4 year term in the White House. Still, when asked about that pardon, Ford always stood by it as the right thing to do to heal a fractured country.

Sometimes, Presidents make decisions that aren't politically popular. But they do it for the betterment of the country and it's citizens. Gerald Ford made the right decision at the time to lift this country out of the political quicksand of Watergate. Yet we mourn him today not because of the decision to pardon Nixon, but because he held the one position in America that embodies the American people itself - the American Presidency.

So today, I join the national choir of salutes to number 38. Hail to the Chief, Mr. President. Godspeed.

Merry Christmas!

From my blog to your home, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Sen. Tim Johnson and the Soap Opera Called – American Politics

As you all know, Sen. Tim Johnson (D) was taken to the hospital yesterday after experiencing stroke-like symptoms. As reported in this morning’s news, it turns out that the South Dakota Senator had brain surgery last night to relieve pressure caused by a condition known as AVM. For those of you who happen to be fans of HBO’s deceased drama, Six Feet Under, AVM is the same condition that caused the death of the character of Nate.

Basically, AVM is a tangled mass of blood vessels in the brain. My understanding is that the condition is something folks are born with, but unless you have some type of need for a brain scan, it isn’t something typically diagnosed unless something occurs – as happened in Sen. Johnson’s case.

I find it fascinating that no sooner was Sen. Johnson taken to the hospital that the media and folks like me started discussing the balance of power in the US Senate. Of course, should Sen. Johnson vacate his Senate seat for any reason, a 50-50 scenario forms, giving Dick Cheney tie-breaker status; thus, the Senate returns to Republican control.

This reminds me of the party switch by Sen. Jeffords back in 2000. Of course, the stakes – namely the life of Tim Johnson – are greater in this case, but the result would be the same – a shift of power in the Senate. Once again, the realm of American politics becomes the stuff of daytime soap operas – life and death drama brought about by seemingly absurd scenarios like a mysterious and rare brain injury that claims its victim at the most climactic and dramatic moment.

People like me eat this stuff up. In fact, I have long said that politics is the ultimate soap opera. Obviously, I am not alone as it is clear the mainstream media loves it too! But I’m left wondering if the typical American is just shaking their head wondering what all the excitement is about. I imagine most Americans want Sen. Johnson to be ok and make it through this. After all, most Americans are good-hearted people that generally desire good things for most people.

I also want Sen. Johnson to be ok and make it through this. Still, and maybe I’m being a bit too honest here, but I can’t help but love the drama of this. But I admit that I am a fan of daytime soaps. I’m one of the few who watch General Hospital every day. But things are not going well in the soap opera business.

When the storied Luke and Laura married in 1981, over 30 million Americans tuned in to view General Hospital that day. But today, ratings are down to all-time lows even though the story lines are filled with high stakes drama. Luke and Laura just remarried to celebrate their 25th anniversary. Barely 4 million people tuned in. Ratings like this have led many a TV prognosticator to predict the eventual demise of the daytime soap.

As the saying goes, art imitates life. I just hope that American interest in the drama of American politics doesn’t go the way of Luke and Laura.

A Statesman's Report

I admit that I have yet to read the entire text of the Iraq Study Group’s report, but I will be picking up my copy sometime this weekend. What I have gleaned from numerous news reports seems somewhat surprising to me. I did expect this report to offer a number of “to do” items, though somewhat fewer than the 79 the report proposes. But what has me pleasantly surprised is the way in which the report describes the current situation in Iraq.

“The ability of the United States to influence events within Iraq is diminishing," the report claims. It goes further in describing the current situation in Iraq as "grave and deteriorating."

In fact, it is clear that the commissioners of the Study Group were not influenced by rose-colored glasses. Moreover, their honesty is refreshing, especially after coming off of an active campaign season. Sandra Day O’Connor’s honest expression of “surprise” at how bad the Iraqi situation was when she saw it first hand was very refreshing. That level of “surprise” seemed to be shared among the commissioners. In fact, the report goes so far as to accuse the Defense Department of misrepresenting and underreporting the level of violence in Iraq.

My surprise has to do with the level of honesty in this report. The commitment to honesty superseded partisanship. It was good to see that a group of politicians can truly become a group of statesmen when the stakes are high enough. It makes one – no matter how jaded – believe that our government does indeed work.

I applaud the Iraq Study Group and hope we can enter into a period of genuine, bi-partisan problem-solving because this country, and the world, truly needs a period of statesmanship.

A full PDF text version of the Iraq Study Group Report is available courtesy of MSNBC.