April 21, 2004

QUOTABLES:

"I think the message is getting delivered to them that it is intolerable if they (Iran) develop a nuclear weapon," Bush said. "It would be intolerable to peace and stability in the Middle East if they (Iran) get a nuclear weapon, particularly since their stated objective is the destruction of Israel."

"I am puzzled, Mr. President, how Senator Kerry and his Democratic colleagues, who voted for the Patriot Act, can now do an about-face and raise such serious questions about its effects on civil liberties?" said Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) 

"Bush has scrambled the American debate over the occupation of Iraq by declaring that he will defer to U.N. special envoy Lakhdar Brahimi on the selection of the Iraqi government that will assume power after June 30... His new move has blurred the contrast between him and the Massachusetts senator, who has insisted for months that the United States would not attract more military and financial support in Iraq unless it ceded the international community more control over development of the new Iraqi government." -- writes Ron Brownstein, LA Times.

JUST POLITICS

Kerry’s new environmentalism

Sen. John Kerry, at the beginning of his three-day buildup on the environment prior to Earth Day, zagged towards the Bill Clinton Democrats stating he would be a business friendly environmentalist. However, he expanded the targets for his environmental programs beyond past efforts.

Kerry also said he would embark on new programs in four areas: improving the quality and health testing of public waters; reducing mercury and other harmful emissions from power plants; decreasing pollution runoff from farms, factories and residential neighborhoods; and increasing spending to form coastal preserves.

Kerry declared that he has always been reasonable, "The same old, tired arguments keep coming at us," Kerry said, "that if you want a strong economy you have to stop doing some of these things that they call extreme. I have always believed in reasonableness. And so do you."

This despite the fact that he has encouraged environmental law suits against the federal government.

Kerry vowed to do the following:

·        Work harder than Bush to enforce a 1990 law, the Beaches Environmental Assessment and Coastal Health Act, that increased standards for measuring water pollution and warning the public about health threats. Kerry said he would spend the money to allow local governments to conduct the studies, but he did not give a cost.

·        Create a "toxics task force" at the EPA to identify the sources of contaminants entering the food stream. He said he would insist that when toxics were identified, federal officials moved quickly to reduce them.

·        Develop a program of incentives to encourage farmers, developers and others to reduce the amount of pollutants they release into streets and storm drains — so-called "non-point" pollution that has been difficult for government to control.

Kerry’s new ad campaign 

Sen. John Kerry released the following press release regarding its new ad campaign:

The John Kerry for President campaign today launched a significant new ad campaign designed to tell the American people how Kerry will build a stronger and more secure America. The first two in what will be a series of ads emphasize John Kerry's clear strategy to win the peace in Iraq and his plan to rebuild America by putting our economy back on track, creating new and better jobs, expanding access to affordable health care and improving our nation's schools.

"John Kerry offers real leadership and vision of how to build a stronger America," said Kerry Campaign Manger Mary Beth Cahill. "These ads communicate where John Kerry wants to take the country, including building a stronger economy, improving health care and education and making the nation safer and more secure."

"Commitment" features Kerry talking directly to the American people about the steps he will take to make America stronger, including keeping America safe and secure, ending tax incentives that encourage companies to move jobs overseas and investing in education and healthcare. "Risk" shows Kerry talking about his plan to change the situation in Iraq by reaching out to the international community in order to share the burden and risk.

The ads will air in the following 17 states: Maine, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Iowa, New Mexico, Oregon, Wisconsin, Florida, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, Nevada, West Virginia, Arizona, Arkansas, Washington and Ohio.

These ads highlight Kerry's detailed plan to build a stronger America. His "Jobs First" economic plan will create 10 million new jobs in America and eliminate all of the tax breaks that encourage companies to move jobs overseas. His comprehensive health care plan will simultaneously hold down costs while expanding coverage to more Americans. For education, Kerry will rollback the Bush tax cut and heavily invest in our public schools.

The ads also reinforce Kerry's clear strategy to win the peace in Iraq. Kerry has called on America's leaders to be honest with the American people about the difficulties we face in Iraq. He has said we must supply our military commanders with the additional troops they have requested in order to provide the security the Iraqi people need to go about the business of daily life.

Kerry has also said we must remove the "Made in America" label from the Iraqi occupation, and he has called for the creation of an international mission authorized by the United Nations that will help the Iraqi people hold elections, restore government services and rebuild their economy. Finally, Kerry has said we should transform the military force in Iraq into a NATO security force under the leadership of an American commander, so that the United States is not shouldering the burdens and risks alone.

Congress’s Iraq hearings

The Senate Foreign Relations Committee is holding hearings on Iraq. There were a number of Senators worrying about their political futures given the questionings and diatribes. The Washington Post’s take is that the Senators are concerned about their constituents:

The sentiments expressed by lawmakers appeared to signal the likelihood of increased pressure from Congress for a more definitive statement of strategy from the administration, including steps for an orderly transfer of power.

Or:

"As long as people can see a reasonable [prospect] of Iraq as a functioning democracy, they will continue to support the sacrifice. But the lack of a well-defined plan for how to get there is getting to be more of a problem," said Sen. Lindsey O. Graham (R-S.C.).

The USA Today reports on Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz contentious testimony before the Senate. Some of the questioning related to Bob Woodward’s book, "Plan of Attack." Other testimony related to the fact that Congress no longer receives the in-depth reports it used to due to Congress leaking what it is told:

Wolfowitz was accused of a lack of candor. ''We get a series of very glossy statements on how things have transpired and how Saddam Hussein is a really bad man, (but) we have a right to know and should be told what is going on in factual terms,'' Sen. Mark Dayton, D-Minn., said. He called Wolfowitz's testimony ''a continuation of this attitude that Congress is to be duped and led along. I find it just abhorrent.''

Wolfowitz said that he and others at the Pentagon ''manage the whole process of the reports'' that go to Congress so that people who are interviewed ''give us candid opinions'' without worrying that Congress will see what they say. That displeased several senators.

''Don't we deserve candid opinions?'' Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., asked. ''The Constitution requires us to supervise the activities of the Department of Defense, and we have just as much of a right to get this information.''

Woodward’s never ending book 

ABC’s The Note reports on changing records at the Pentagon relating to Woodward’s book:

The Washington Post's Mike Allen Notes "the Pentagon deleted from a public transcript a statement Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld made to author Bob Woodward suggesting that the administration gave Saudi Arabia a two-month heads-up that President Bush had decided to invade Iraq." LINK