Year: 2008

Well, well, well…looky here. Mr. Obama is already acting like he’s in the Oval Office.

Obama calls Kenyan opposition leader; appeals for calm

NAIROBI, Kenya (CNN) — U.S. presidential hopeful Barack Obama — whose father was from Kenya — has called Kenyan opposition leader Raila Odinga to express his concerns about the outcome of the recent presidential elections in the African country, Odinga told CNN Tuesday.

An official with Obama’s campaign confirmed the Monday phone call, saying Obama wanted to speak personally to Odinga and emphasize how important it is to reduce the violence, because it can’t be allowed to tear the country apart.

“He said he was very concerned about the situation” and asked Odinga to hold talks with newly re-elected President Mwai Kibaki, the opposition leader told CNN’s Jim Clancy.

OK, so maybe he’s legitimately concerned about Kenya, but this stunt gets the eyebrow raise of the day.

Tags:
2008 Election, Barack Obama, Oval Office, President

I love the rumor mill, especially when we’re only a few hours away from a second crushing defeat for Hillary Clinton. Fox News’ Major Garrett writes:

It’s back to the future at Hillary Clinton’s campaign as some of the top advisers to former President Clinton are set to join to Hillary’s faltering campaign as early as tomorrow. Senior Clinton sources tell Fox that Hillary intends to bring in as top day-to-day advisers James Carville and Paul Begala.

And then a bit later…

Paul Begala sent the following e-mail to The Bourbon Room moments ago.

Major:

I know you’re swamped and I hate to bother you on such a busy news day, but whoever told you I am joining Hillary’s campaign fed you some bum info. It’s just not true. Or as I say to my boys, N.H.D. Not. Happening. Dude.

I am not coming in as a volunteer, or as an adviser or as a strategist or anything else. I have contributed to her campaign, and am convinced she would be a great President. But I am not joining the campaign in any form or fashion.

Thanks a lot.

All best,

Paul Begala

The sourcing on the story is impeccable and its been confirmed through other, external sources very close to the Clinton campaign. The story has always said this is a matter that has to be finalized in a shake-down meeting tomorrow after what is expected to be a bruising Clinton loss here in New Hampshire.

The final decision is due tomorrow but the current intention, as The Bourbon Room first reported, is to bring Begala and Clinton on board as day-to-day strategists on a volunteer basis.

One of the realities of political coverage, is denials fly until the press release is out. There’s no press release on this. It is in development and that’s always the way The Bourbon Room has reported it.

The topic of bringing Carville and Begala on board was first raised in a Clinton conference call yesterday, a call in which two very credible sources tell me Begala and Carville participated.

Like everyone else who has spent time with the Clintons, Paul Begala knows how to chose words. In his letter to Garrett, did you notice how did denied that he’s joining the Clinton campaign, today? He didn’t say anything about tomorrow, or the next day, or next week. The words missing from Begala’s letter were: “I’m not joining the campaign today or at anytime in the future.” But he didn’t say that, did he? Nope.

He’ll be on board by the end of the day tomorrow.

Tags:
2008 Election, Campaign, Hillary Clinton, Politics, Paul Begala, James Carville

While it’s easy to think former New York Mayor Ed Koch left this planet a few years ago (he pretty much stays out of the media), the man is very much alive. In fact, he’s so alive he’s begun to offer up prophesies. Apparently, Koch has a direct line to a deity somewhere and is appealing for certain results in the 2008 Election.

Die-hard Hillary Clinton supporter and former Mayor Ed Koch candidly admits in his latest commentary to an emotion most Clinton backers won’t readily discuss (at least not on the record): Fear.

Koch says Clinton’s loss in Iowa “scared the hell our of many of her supporters, including me,” adding:

“I’ll confess now that I will be silently praying to God that Hillary wins tomorrow and thereafter, even though I know it is foolish to think the Almighty – in whom I believe – intervenes in elections. Ridiculous, but who knows?”

Koch reiterated his prediction of a Clinton/Obama ticket.

“Last year, I prophesized that the Democrats would end up with a ticket comprised of Hillary and Barack,” Koch wrote. “Many thinking it impossible to have both a woman and a black elected on the same ticket laughed uproariously. I doubt they are still laughing, even though some would suggest a change in the order. Not I.”

Assuming for a moment that Hillary continues to lose contests leading up to February 5th, I think it’s out of the question that she could partner with Barack Obama. She is the anti-change to his big-change message. How can he suddenly turn his message around to include Hillary as a component of his lofty sugar plum fairy call for world-wide kumbuyah? Not gonna happen.

Tags:
2008 Election, Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, Politics

This time, it’s coming from Bill, and it’s directed at that vast right wing conspiracy running rampant through the main stream media. He even does the whole finger pointing thing too, right around :36 seconds in, which is reminiscent of a certain speech he once gave in the White House East Room. Where’s the message of hope, Bill? When are the Clinton’s going to understand that you can’t win elections by eliciting a 24/7 jihad against the media?

Tags:
2008 Election, Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, New Hampshire, Politics, Bill Clinton

Calculated. Scripted. Emotional blackmail. How else can you explain this drivel?

ABC News’ Kate Snow Reports: Campaigning in New Hampshire one day before the first-in-the-nation primary, Sen. Hillary Clinton got emotional had tears in her eyes as she spoke with voters about her passion for the country.

She said people aren’t aware of the small things the Democrats in Congress have accomplished. A woman asked Clinton how she does it? And who does her hair?

Clinton made a light joke about getting help and then she got emotional, her voice breaking and with tears in her eyes, she spoke about how she is passionate about this election and passionate about the country.

Uh, excuse me for a minute…

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA.

More…from the Politico, and here’s the video.

Tags:
2008 Election, Campaign, Hillary Clinton, New Hampshire, Politics

The buzz today concerns Hillary’s viability in New Hampshire and beyond.

Facing a double-digit defeat in New Hampshire, a sudden collapse in national polls and an expected fund-raising drought, Senator Hillary Clinton is preparing for a tough decision: Does she get out of the race? And when?!

“She can’t take multiple double-digit losses in New Hampshire, South Carolina and Nevada,” laments one top campaign insider to the DRUDGE REPORT. “If she gets too badly embarrassed, it will really harm her. She doesn’t want the Clinton brand to be damaged with back-to-back-to-back defeats.”

In an interview on NPR this morning, Hillary used the phrase, “I’ve always intended to run a national campaign”. That word, “intended” is her escape. She can intend to do a lot of things, but that doesn’t mean she’ll actually do any of them. She can intend to run all the way through to the Democratic convention. She can intend to be the first woman president. She can intend to be the first woman to set foot on the moon. It doesn’t mean a thing. If we know anything about Hillary by now, it’s that her words (and those of her husband) are chosen very carefully. If she loses big in New Hampshire tomorrow night, I think she’ll still be in the race, but her vocabulary will change, and the word “intend” will be used more often.

Contrary to Drudge’s news shaping, I think Hillary will continue to do what she’s doing through the early contests. If she shows poorly on February 5th, she’ll quit. Then, we can all speculate on when Obama will ask her to be his VP.

Tags:
2008 Election, Barack Obama, Campaign, Hillary Clinton, New Hampshire, Politics

No wonder Mike Gravel isn’t a front runner.

Democratic presidential candidate Mike Gravel told a group of high school students on Sunday that marijuana is safer than alcohol.

Speaking to a group of students at Phillips Exeter Academy, he said that he believes people should be able to buy marijuana in package stores.

“Alcohol is a heck of a lot worse than marijuana, and I’m sure a lot of you have tripped out on alcohol,” Gravel said. “It’s a lot safer to do it on marijuana.”

Gravel has called for the decriminalization of minor drug offenses and better treatment for abuses of hard drugs.

Can you imagine the conversation in the homes of hundreds of students that evening?

“Hi Mom, Hi Dad, I’m home from school. I had a good day – got a B+ on a math quiz, oh, and a Democratic presidential candidate spoke at an assembly. He said we should all smoke weed because it’s safer than drinking.”

Don’t miss the video here. Listen closely, I think you can even hear the kids giggling in the background. Nice.

Tags:
2008 Election, New Hampshire, Politics, Pop Culture, War on Drugs, Mike Gravel

A Wisconsin man convicted of having sexual contact with a dead deer has been sentenced to nine more months in jail. Bryan James Hathaway, 21, of Superior had his probation revoked last month for using alcohol and marijuana, lying to his probation agent, and having unapproved contact with a minor child and sexual relations with another adult. A judge sentenced Hathaway to nine more months in jail during a hearing on Friday.

Tags:
Wisconsin, Hunting, Outdoor Channel