Garling Gauge

Mukasey: U.S. Military Has Never Waterboarded

Senate gives Mukasey a pass

Watching U.S. Senators question Attorney General Michael Mukasey at the Justice Department Oversight session is infuriating. Not only does Mukasey refuse to directly answer any question, no matter how simple, the senators give him a pass. This is oversight malpractice.

When asked by Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL) of the Senate Judiciary Committee if the U.S. military is waterboarding or has waterboarded a person in the past, Attorney General Michael Mukasey just said “not that I’m aware of.”

Liar. Liar.

U.S. Soldiers in Vietnam waterboarding a suspect near Da Nang in 1968.

If a random blogger knows about U.S. military abuses in the past, how could any Attorneys General not know?

Mukasey is a failure as the top law officer in the U.S., and as a responsible U.S. citizen. He, more than any other, has the power to reign in the legal power to torture other people, and he not only refuses, but refuses to answer basic questions about it.

Watch the testimony on fast forward and look at how many times he looks down or looks away from the questioner, each time he is being asked a direct question about something that makes him uncomfortable. Even when Sen. Kennedy (D-Mass) asked Mukasey that if Mukasey himself was waterboarded, would he consider it torture, Mukasey could only say “It would feel like torture.”

Dispicable. Dispicable.

Still want the Republicans in power?

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• President Bush’s Mukasey Approves of Torture
• Romney OK’s Torture with Knives
• Waterboarding: The New American Crawl

images: http://img.timeinc.net/time/daily/2007/0710/mukasey_1029.jpg, http://alittlereality.blogspot.com/2007/10/is-waterboarding-torture.html

Florida Republican Presidential Debate Firsts 1/24/08

McCain’s Brain: “What the hell is Giuliani doing?”

Republican Alamo

So what are those wacky Republicans going to say tonight? Though the field has narrowed with the loss of former senator Fred Thompson (not such a loss, really), the drama is still high in the Republican presidential field.

Sen. John McCain continues to assert he’s as spry as a puppy, former Gov. Mitt Romney continues to flow with the wind, coming full circle to emphasize his business acumen as the economy plays a larger role in campaign discourse, former Gov. Mike Huckabee wishes Chuck Norris could be on stage with him, and Rudolph Giuliani is hoping his wait-till-Florida gambit pays off.

McCain seems to have the advantage tonight with his recent win in South Carolina and today’s endorsement by Sylvester Stallone (take that Norris!), but Romney’s got the big bucks, Giuliani has his feet planted, and Rep. Ron Paul isn’t backing down.

Let’s find out what happens with more debate firsts!

Debate Firsts

• First to step on stage: Former Gov. Mike Huckabee
• First candidate to obviously need a haircut: Rep. Ron Paul
• First candidate to receive a question: former Gov. Mitt Romney on the economy
• First candidate to talk in slow motion: Sen. John McCain
• First to wear a bright blue suit to a presidential debate: Romney
• First to wear a shiny purple tie: Moderator Brian Williams
• First to mention ‘tax cuts’ and ‘tax reductions’ over two thousand times in one answer: former mayor Rudolph Giuliani (okay, that’s a slight exaggeration)
• First to wear an American flag lapel pin that looks like its drooping: Giuliani
• First to stutter: former Gov. Mike Huckabee
• First to mention dance recitals: Huckabee
• First to wear a tie taken from Sen. John Kerry’s closet: Romney
• First to say he has the economy in his DNA: Romney
• First to mention the ‘bridge to nowhere’: McCain (How come Republicans never mention that it was a Republican that wanted that bridge?)
• First to wear a tie with the strongest stripes: Paul
• First to say he was given a $10,000,000 check: Giuliani
• First to laugh: Giuliani
• First to say Republicans have greater economic responsibility even after moderater Tim Russert destroyed the GOP with facts comparing the Clinton vs. the Bush years: McCain (anyone who wants to keep the Iraq war going has no business saying he’ll control spending)
• First to mention trickle down economics and trickle up economics: Huckabee
• First to say he understands the ‘totality of the American family’: Huckabee
• First to say he won’t run on the Bush administration’s record on the economy: Romney
• First to say the GOP is the party of change: Romney (gimmi a break)
• First to say he’s the taxpayer’s best friend: Paul
• First place medal for the darkest tan in the audience: Florida Governor Charlie Crist
• First to close his left eye half closed every time he talks about Iraq: McCain
• First to say America exiting Iraq is ‘unthinkable’: Romney
• First candidate to get an applause from the Republican audience for saying ignorant things in a strong way: Romney (don’t worry, I’m sure he won’t be the last)
• Second to get an applause from the audience: Paul for saying the Iraq war was a bad idea
• First to call the Iraq war a ’sad story’: Paul
• First to say we should thank President Bush for the Iraq war: Huckabee (this guy is insane)
• First to mention Easter eggs: Huckabee
• Break

• First candidate to ask Giuliani about China: Romney
• First to say America should push for the ability of Chinese to sue each other: Giuliani
• First to say China is in more need of energy independence than America is: Giuliani
• First to mention the Fair Tax: McCain
• First to mention drug dealers: Huckabee
• First to mention prostitutes: Huckabee
• First to mention pimps: Huckabee
• First to get a laugh from the audience by saying drug dealers, prostitutes and pimps aren’t Republicans: Guess who
• First to mention sunlight: Paul
• First to mention sunshine: McCain
• First to avoid answering Paul’s economic question by saying he’ll rely on other people instead of giving an opinion himself: McCain (seems like he didn’t know the answer)
• First to mention the Supreme Court: Romney
• First candidate to have really strange eyebrows: Giuliani
• First to say the Florida coastline is beautiful: moderator Tim Russert
• First to say Sen. Joe Lieberman is one of his favorite Democrats: McCain (possible VP plug?)
• Break

• First to compare his candidacy is like the New York Giants: Giuliani
• First to say Romney has been lulled into a false sense of security: Giuliani
• First candidate to be asked about his mother: McCain
• First person to wear glasses that look as if they were purchased in the ’80s: moderator Brian Williams
• First candidate to say he knows how to keep Israel independent: McCain (what the hell does that mean?)
• First candidate to refuse to answer a question: Romney refusing to say how much of his own money he’s spent in Florida
• First to say he has the only program to help the elderly: Paul
• First to say ‘double whammy’: Romney

• First to mention Chuck Norris’ foot: Huckabee
• First to say he didn’t disagree with with Chuck Norris because he was standing next to him: Huckabee
• First accurate description of Giuliani: New York Times (as mentioned by Williams. Read the endorsements tomorrow)
• End Debate
• First candidate to get a kiss after the debate: Giuliani

And the winner? Giving it to Romney.. no McCain.. no Romney. Hrm.

When America gets over Romney’s religion, Democrats are going to realize he is a potential powerhouse. Oh he’s arrogant and wrong on everything, but he talks a good talk.

More Debate Firsts here.
Images: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/, http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3032553/, http://i.xanga.com/penncashcow/whammy.jpg

Political Quote of the Day 1/22/08

“I’m John Edwards and I represent the ‘grown-up wing’ in the Democratic Party.”
-John Edwards responding to the post-debate spat between Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton

South Carolina Democratic Presidential Debate Firsts, 1/21/08

Sen. Clinton, Sen. Obama, and former senator John Edwards in South Carolina

Fireworks on MLK Day

It’s Martin Luther King Jr. Day, a day ‘on’ from work to remember the man, the message, and the movement. But political wonks paying close attention to the Democratic presidential primary could easily argue that the reverend’s message of peaceful resolutions has fallen on deaf ears amongst the candidates.

With former president Bill Clinton stumping for his wife’s candidacy and highlighting the relative inexperience of Sen. Barack Obama, the Democratic party is torn between two powerful messages: the stalwart experience of our party, and the desire for American unity after two polarizing presidents.

Will Clinton play it safe on MLK day? Can Obama rev up for the crowd? Will Edwards sell what could be his final real pitch?

Lets find out with more debate firsts.

Debate Firsts

• First to wear a tie that matches his hair: Moderator Wolf Blitzer
• First to appear on stage: Former Senator John Edwards
• First candidate to clap for himself: Senator Barack Obama
• First question is on the economy, and it goes to Senator Hillary Clinton. Could be the new front burner issue of the campaign.
• First to mention President Bush: Clinton (in her first answer no less! The more she mentions his name, the better for her campaign)
• First to stutter: Obama (a weak start for the well-spoken)
• First to mention ‘green infrastructure’: Edwards
• First to separate himself from the other candidates: Edwards (the best high card he can play)
• First to say NAFTA was a mistake: Obama
• First to mention another candidate’s father: Obama (Edwards’ ‘I’m the son of a mill worker’ rift has officially sunk in)
• Doh! First to mention his own father: Edwards (yup, he even did his rift)
• First to say that in a year he would be president: Obama

• First to say another candidate has lied: Obama on Clinton
• First to mention another candidate’s website: Clinton on Obama
• First to mention ‘the future’: Clinton (had to beat Obama to that one)
• First to say let’s talk about Ronald Reagan: Obama (ew, do we have to?)
• First to interrupt another candidate: Clinton
• First to get upset: Obama
• First to say he was fighting for America while Sen. Clinton was on the board of Walmart: Obama (wowzer!)
• First to say ‘There is a third candidate in this debate’: Edwards (trying to get a word in edgewise during a Clinton/Obama scuffle)
• First to say “I can’t tell who I’m running against sometimes”: Obama (in reference to Sen. Clinton and former president Bill Clinton)
• First to say she was fighting for America while Sen. Obama was representing a slum lord: Clinton
• First to appear as the adult on stage: Edwards (hard not to after a scuffle like that)

Clinton, Obama, and Edwards, in likely reverse order of who will exit the presidential race first

• First to wear an ugly purple tie to a presidential debate: Moderator Joe Johns
• First to take a drink of water: Edwards
• First to say the financial sub-prime loan problem is a racial issue: Edwards
• With two questions in a row after the Clinton/Obama squabble, Edwards appears to be selling his message
• First to say Obama doesn’t take responsibility for his votes: Clinton
• First to get booed: Clinton for making that remark
• First to say that Clinton will say anything to get elected: Obama
• First to say he doesn’t enjoy being criticized as a presidential candidate: Obama (boo-hoo)
• First to appear completely on the defensive: Obama (stuck between Clinton and Edwards literally and verbally)
• First to stare deeply at another candidate: Obama eying Edwards while waiting to respond to criticism
• First to mention ‘Band-Aids’: Clinton
• First to say Obama’s health care plan doesn’t cover everyone: Edwards, er Clinton, er Edwards, er… hard to tell
• First great question for Clinton - Are you looking to end or win the Iraq war?: Ooh.. how sneaky
• First to rub his eye: Obama
• First to bring up al-Qaeda: Obama (whoever becomes the Democratic nominee, he or she needs to play the I’m-strong-against-terrorism card right away)
• First Break

Clinton & Obama arguing on stage

• First to say that no other candidate has worked harder for the goals of MLK than he has: Edwards
• First to say how long it’s been since she graduated: Clinton
• First to say he’s in a fight with Bill O’Reilly (and he likes it): Edwards
• First great question for Obama: Do you think Bill Clinton was our first black president?
• First to say he’d have to investigate further the dancing abilities of the former president to confirm or not that he is indeed a ‘brother’: Obama
• First to mention Frederick Douglas: Clinton (you know she’s been waiting to plug that in)
• First question to get a rumble from the audience: Is Bill Clinton’s rhetoric against Obama too much?
• First to say the one thing Bush and Cheney have done for us is to give their party a really bad name: Obama
• First to bring up Sen. John McCain as the GOP front runner: Edwards
• Second Break
• New Poll: U.S. more comfortable with a black president than a woman president
• First to invoke JFK: Obama
• First to say Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. wouldn’t endorse any of the Democratic candidates: Obama
• First to frown when he shook Edward’s hand at the end of the debate: Obama
• First to frown when he shook Clinton’s hand at the end of the debate: Edwards
• End Debate

Tempers flare between Clinton & Obama

Mark Halperin’s take on the debate

So who won the debate? Tough to gauge. The crowd was with Obama, Clinton stood tough, and Edwards walked mostly above the fray. Mark Halperin of the Time blog, The Page, summed up the debate with the above photo.

Political Director Chuck Todd of MSNBC summed up the Clinton-Obama tit-for-tat in the follow way:

Obama consistently got caught in a debate trap by responding to every charge with an explanation. It’s a standup thing to do on one hand, but it ends up putting Obama off message; and it allows for the attack to get more air time rather than the original point or message Obama meant to be heard. Clinton, in contrast, rarely answers a charge directly and instead deflects by counter-punching, which shows her discipline.

We’ll see which plays better in South Carolina and on Super Tuesday: Steadfastness or discipline. I think Joe Klein of Swampland has the best summary of the debate, a one word first sentence on his blog:

“Oy.”

• Video from Time
• More Debate Firsts

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Images: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/, http://www.cnn.com/, http://media.collegepublisher.com/media/paper1146/stills/6iuqwp3g.jpg, http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/01/21/debate.main/index.html, http://usatoday.com/, http://www.politico.com/, http://letgodtoday.com/siteimages/MLK.jpg, http://thepage.time.com/

Canada Adds U.S.A. to Torture List

Canada to diplomats: U.S. tortures people

Truth - Another reason to move to Canada.

A training document produced by the foreign ministry openly admits the United States is a country where prisoners are at risk of torture. “The manual - part of a training course on torture awareness for diplomats - also includes Israel, China, Iran and Afghanistan on its watch list.”

This really shouldn’t be news at all. Our American government tortures people. Period. And those who chose to vote the current administration back into office, while knowing from the media that the government allows torture, are complicit.

Back in 2005 the U.S. openly admitted to its torturing ways. AFX News Limited reported that the “acknowledgement was made in a report submitted to the UN Committee against Torture, said a member of the ten-person panel, speaking on on condition of anonymity. ” Sources at the UN said “this is the first time the world body has received such a frank statement on torture from US authorities.”

Our Canadian friends to the north should be applauded for their honesty. Friends tell friends what they need to hear, not what they want to here. The foreign ministry, though indicating this is not a policy document representing the views of Canada, deserve credit for ’speaking truth to power’ as they say, even if indirectly.

Excerpts from the BBC article:

[The document] also classifies some US interrogation techniques as torture.

“The training manual is not a policy document and does not reflect the views or policies of this government,” said a spokesman for Foreign Minister Maxime Bernier.

The manual lists US interrogation techniques such as forced nudity, isolation, sleep deprivation and the blindfolding of prisoners under “definition of torture”.

It also refers to the US detention camp at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba where a Canadian man is being held. Critics say it ridicules Ottawa’s claims that Omar Khadr is not being mistreated.

There was no immediate response from either the US or Israel.

The torture awareness course was introduced after Ottawa was strongly criticised for its handling of the case of a Canadian who was deported from the US to Syria in 2002.

Syrian-born Maher Arar - who was accused of being an al-Qaeda member - says he was tortured during his 10 months in a Damascus jail - a claim strongly denied by Syria.

A Canadian government inquiry exonerated Mr Arar of any links with terrorist groups. It also showed that Canadian diplomats had not had any formal training on how to detect whether detainees had been abused.

Read the full article here.

With the 2008 election now in full swing, public discourse on the subject of torture appears to have been moved to the back burner. It is amazing to me that the elimination of torture is not higher on the list of priorities of the presidential aspirants. Here is a small sampling of what the current crop would do on their first days as president.

Fred Thompson - First day in office

Bill Richardson - First day in office

Rudolph Giuliani Ad “First Day”

Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, Bill Richardson - First days in office

John McCain - First day in office

The only presidential candidate with the sense to close the US detention camp at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba on the first day of his presidency is the same man who said it would be “fine with me” if the U.S. military stayed in Iraq another 100 years.

McCain on U.S. forces in Iraq

Wonder what the other Republican candidates think about “enhanced interrogation techniques”? Here is a small example:

Mitt Romney on Guantanamo Bay

And the torture continues…

• Waterboarding: The New American Crawl
• President Bush’s Mukasey Approves of Torture
• Romney OK’s Torture With Knive

http://www.abc.net.au/reslib/200602/r72694_504843.jpg
http://weblogs.elearning.ubc.ca/ross/archives/1212196.jpg

Nevada Democratic ‘Debate Firsts’ 1/15/08

The ‘Survivors’

Race & gender pole vault into the Democratic discourse

Live blogging of the debate.

The race has tightened to the big three: Sen. Hillary Clinton, Sen. Barack Obama, and former Sen. John Edwards. Back in Nevada, the debate is another intense sit down affair (still not sure how that’s possible). So grab a good drink, kick back your feet, and enjoy more debate firsts.

Debate Firsts

• First to be excluded from the debate: Rep. Dennis Kucinich (Nevada Supreme Court rules MSNBC is within their rights to exclude him)
• First candidate shown at the beginning of the debate: Republican Mitt Romney!? (Yep, he won Michigan)
• First Question: How did we get here? (with race and gender involved in the political discourse)
• First to answer a question: Sen. Hillary Clinton
• First to wear a striped tie: Sen. John Edwards
• First to use part of his stump speech in an answer: Edwards
• First to wear a tie with a goofy print: Sen. Barack Obama
• First debate to have the candidates and the moderators sitting at the same table: This one!
• First to take notes: Edwards
• First wrinkled brow to look like roller coaster: Edwards
• First to ask if he regrets a comment: Obama
• First to say he’s fighting for change: Edwards
• First exciting moment: Look out! Someone from the audience is yelling out something indiscernible! (sounded like: “these are race based questions”)
• Second exciting moment: The moderators say the candidates get to ask each other questions - w00t!
• First to say the three candidates on stage are ‘the survivors’: Clinton
• First to point his finger at moderator Tim Russert: Obama
• Obama’s self-described greatest strength: Bring people together
• Obama’s self-described greatest weakness: Can lose paperwork, keeps a messy office
• Edward’s self-described greatest strength: Fighting for others
• Edward’s self-described greatest weakness: Too emotional
• Clinton’s self-described greatest strength: Passionate about… not sure, her answer was overly complicated.
• Clinton’s self-described greatest weakness: Impatience
• First to try and separate himself from the other candidates: Edwards (my change is better)
• First to specifically separate herself from another candidate: Clinton on Obama saying he’s not a Chief Operating Officer and president needs to be, and I am)
• First to suggest President Bush never loses his papers: Obama
• First to smile: Obama
• First to say the internet has lies on it: Obama
• First to have to defend his religious faith: Obama
• First to take a drink: Obama (presumably of water)
• Commercial break

• First to appear truly passionate about an issue: Clinton on bailouts from foreign entities
• First to count on his fingers: Edwards
• First to say Americans have been handed the torch to work and suffer for our children: Edwards
• First to say the Bush administration doesn’t believe in any type of oversight: Obama
• First to say “…when I am President of the United States”: Obama
• First to use over twenty hand gestures in one answer: Edwards (quite the feat!)
• First to say she regets a vote: Clinton
• First to appear to have the greatest command of the issues and how they are connected: Clinton
• First to say Washington D.C. lobbyists = bad legislation: Obama
• Second to take a drink: Edwards
• First to mention “green collar” jobs”: Clinton
• First to say the distance between the candidates and the moderators is seven feet: moderator Brian Williams
• First to ask questions to the other candidates: Edwards
• First to suggest public financing of campaigns: Obama
• First to ask Obama to co-sponsor her legislation: Clinton
• First to say she’ll co-sponsor Obama’s legislation: Clinton (can you feel the love?)
• First to refer to his future self as Command in Chief: Obama
• First to say as president he would take all combat troops out of Iraq in his first year: Edwards
• First to illicit a laugh from the moderators: Obama
• First to wear a thick, black plastic watch band: Edwards
• First to cal al-Qaeda ‘public enemy number one’: Edwards
• First to say something is a ‘distinction without a difference’: Obama (could Obama’s word splintering grow to be as annoying as Bush’s word smushing?)
• First to stand up and leave the stage at the second break: Obama
• First to appear smug: Obama
• Commercial break

• First to say she’s working with the Republicans: Clinton
• First to say we need more troops: Obama
• First repeated word to give me the giggles: Yucca (mountain)
• First missing issue: Terrorism (Why haven’t the moderators asked about terrorism yet, and why is terrorism always one of the first topics asked at Republican debates? )
• First to bring up Dick Cheney (yuck): Obama
• First to mention that this is supposed to be a Black/Brown debate: Clinton
• First to say the American agenda is the agenda for colored people: Clinton
• First to be cut off by a moderator: Clinton
• First candidate to interrupt a moderator: Clinton (back at’cha!)
• First to suggest that America has high schools that are ‘drop out factories’: Edwards
• First mayor to be brought up: NYC mayor Bloomberg (what, no Giuliani?)
• Commercial break

• First to clear her throat: Clinton
• First to suggest Clinton uses the fear of terrorism to score political points: Obama (um… okay)
• First time Clinton says she decided to run for president: Last New Year
• First time Edwards says he decided to run for president: Last December
• First time Obama says he decided to run for president: Last December
• First to say his children were above average: Obama
• First to stand up after the debate and leave the table: Obama
• End debate

Click here for more Debate Firsts
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/05/us/politics/05dems.html?_r=1&oref=slogin http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ http://apnews.myway.com/article/20080116/D8U6NDE00.html
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/huff-wires/20080115/democratic-rdp/

R.I.P. Oval Office 2008

Thank you Daniel Owen

Today I bid a fond farewell to Oval Office 2008, a non-partisan blog of the current presidential race that helped inspire the Garling Gauge. While the Garling Gauge focuses on the offbeat, humorous, and poignant stories defining the outer edge of political theater, non-partisan blogs are playing an increasingly important role in the ‘08 election.

Non-partisan political blogs such as Oval Office 2008, Taegan Gooddard’s Political Wire , and CNN’s Political Ticker offer alternative news sources for political geeks and the internet savvy searching for greater avenues to content.

Thank you Daniel Owen for your thoughts and writings, and best of luck in your new endeavors.

Proposal for New Bush Coins

Bringing honesty to the U.S. Treasury

Dean Opperman of BlimpTV.net has an interesting proposal for the U.S. Treasury. With a premade advertisement for money collectors, these new coins are sure to add much needed revenue to the U.S. coffers cleaned out from the Iraq war, wasteful Department of Homeland Security, and Republican administration.

New Bush Coins

If only it were so.

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More on President Bush

Fox South Carolina Republican Debate Firsts

Personal jabs within long-winded answers keep the GOP debate interesting

I almost avoided this debate as soon as it started. Annoying America’s Got Talent type singers screeching the national anthem almost jinxed the whole damn thing.

But the campaign is growing in excitement as Ron Paul has returned to the GOP debate mix, McCain is playing the frontrunner, Romney is getting desperate, Giuliani is trying to gain momentum, more primaries are right around the corner, and Duncan Hunter is off somewhere crying.

It’s time for more debate firsts - Here we go!

Debate Firsts

• First to be introduced: former Sen. Fred Thompson
• First question: Do you believe South Carolina is heading for a recession?
• First to say he’s called “The Sheriff”: Sen. John McCain
• First to wear his watch on his right wrist: Moderator Brit Hume
• First candidate’s answer to bore me to tears: former mayor Rudy Giuliani on taxes
• First to say America is in a recession: Rep. Ron Paul
• First candidate to directly answer a question without trying to sell himself: Paul
• First candidate whose eyebrows respond to the ebb and flow of his voice: former Gov. Mike Huckabee
• First to say “climate change probably has to be addressed”: McCain
• First candidate to sway back and forth at his podium: former Sen. Fred Thompson
• First candidate to call another one a liberal: Thompson to Huckabee
• First candidate to get an applause from the audience: Thompson
• First to quote an Air Force saying: Huckabee (They say if you’re not taking flack you’re not over the target. I’m taking flack so I must be over the target - does anyone really say that?).
• First to wink at the moderators: Huckabee
• First to cough: Moderator Carl Cameron
• First to ask the moderator if he could “please” participate in the current debate, instead of answer a ridiculous question about 9/11 Truthers: Paul
• First candidate to run an ad during the Fox debate: Giuliani
• First to mention virgins: Thompson
• First to suggest that the small Iranian speedboat incident was designed to test the defenses of a United States Naval Destroyer: former Gov. Mitt Romney
• First to ask rhetorical questions to himself: McCain
• First to say that Time Magazine got their ‘Person of the Year’ wrong: McCain
• First to wear an extremely ugly tie: Moderator Wendel Goler (I think that’s his name)
• First to say all Al-Qaeda wants to trade is burqas: McCain
• First debate where Ron Paul really takes John McCain to task over Iraq: This one! (about time)
• First to say American foreign policy is no longer like checkers, instead it is like three-dimensional chess (like in Star Trek): Romney
• First to count on his fingers: Romney
• First to say Israel should be dealt with in an adult fashion: Paul
• First to say if America wants to help protect Israel we should stop supplying Arab nations with weapons: Paul
• NOTE: If you want to get an applause at a Republican debate, just raise your voice at the very end of your answer. Including the word “America” at the end of your sentence also doubles your chance.
• First to mention the Lizard’s Thicket restaurant: Romney
• First to mention Republican lobbyist Jack Abramoff: McCain
• First to say he made highways accessible to all the kids in Arkansas: Huckabee
• First to look like he fake-bakes: Thompson
• First to say the type of change the Democrats want to make is to take the change out of your pocket: Giuliani (lousy pre-written joke, received zero applause).
• First to tout “throwing out [Yasser]Arafat” from a United Nations celebration as foreign policy experience: Giuliani
• First to play the “judgement” card: McCain
• First to mention his wife: Huckabee
• First to get an applause for saying he will practice his religion if he is president or not: Huckabee
• And the winner? For the first time, Ron Paul

More Debate Firsts here.

Image: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/

‘08 Ode to Biden & Dodd

Doyen elders keep their heads high

It’s been several days since the Iowa caucuses lead upstart senator Barack Obama to victory. Called a “Senator Killer” by Mitt Romney, Obama won decisive victories against Sen. Hillary Clinton, former Sen. John Edwards, Sen. Joe Biden, and Sen. Chris Dodd. Any one of these senators would make an excellent president. Obama? He’s got the passion and the voice, but predicting his actions in office remains a fool’s game.

That is partially why the quick drop out of Biden and Dodd was so painful to Democrats looking for experience this election cycle. Both Biden and Dodd would have easily defeated any Republican nominee and set the country back on the right track. Both Biden and Dodd would have responsibly ended the war in Iraq, supported important social programs, and worked well across the aisle. Both would have been excellent, electable presidents.

So with a touch of sadness I bid them farewell in ‘08, left with rolling the dice on the youngblood (Obama), a previously defeated candidate (Edwards), an uninspiring overweight governor (Richardson), or Republican anathema (Clinton). Whoever said the Democrats were satisfied with their field of candidates should consider taking another poll now that our doyen elders have dropped out.

Don’t get me wrong, voting for any of the Republican candidates would be insane, and any of the Democratic candidates as president would make make George Bush’s presidency look that much more pathetic. The issue is that now we’ve ventured into riskier waters. The failures of the Bush administration have left the White House ripe for Democratic picking. Choosing a moderate, experienced Democrat as the party nominee gave us an enormous chance of taking back the presidency. Any of the Democratic candidates would make an excellent president. And the Democrats are excited about their prospects in ‘08: Too excited it seems to vote for the safe win. And the enthusiasm of the Iowa Democrats just might have been our Achilles heel.

As a final ode to the senators who were shunned by Iowa Democrats and would would have easily won in ‘08, here are their thank-yous to their supporters after the Iowa caucuses.

Sen. Joe Biden’s thank you to supporters

Sen. Chris Dodd’s thank you to supporters

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http://i.a.cnn.net/cnn/2007/images/10/13/t1home.doddbiden.ap.jpg