Allen’s glich
Sen. George Allen’s Republican presidential aspirations are on hold while he
tries to win reelection in Virginia. The
Washington Post reports on the fact that his reelection has hit a glich:
If Senator George Allen of Virginia is thinking of running for president in
2008, as is widely believed, what he said in a little town in southwestern
Virginia several nights ago may haunt him.
"This fellow here, over here with the yellow shirt, Macaca, or whatever his
name is, he’s with my opponent," Mr. Allen said on Friday night at a rally
in Breaks, next to the Kentucky border. "He’s following us around
everywhere. And it’s just great."
Mr. Allen, a Republican running for re-election, was singling out S. R.
Sidarth, a 20-year-old volunteer for Mr. Allen’s Democratic challenger,
James Webb. Mr. Sidarth’s mission was to trail Mr. Allen and videotape his
speeches, in the hope they would yield grist for Mr. Webb’s campaign.
But it was Mr. Allen who supplied grist for his rival with his use of the
term "macaca," a genus that includes numerous species of monkeys found in
Asia.
Mr. Allen said Monday that he had meant no insult, that he was sorry if he
hurt anyone’s feelings and that he did not know what "macaca" meant,
according to The Washington Post, which reported the incident on Tuesday.
Mr. Sidarth, who is of Indian descent, was not convinced.
"I think he was doing it because he could, and I was the only person of
color there, and it was useful for him in inciting his audience," Mr.
Sidarth told The Post.
McCain in Iowa
Sen. John McCain has learned the lesson -- it is hard to skip Iowa. When
McCain tried to challenge George W. Bush for the presidency, he tried to
skip Iowa. The lesson seems to have been learned that it is difficult to win
without running the whole course of the marathon. McCain was sighted at the
Iowa State Fair yesterday.
The
Des Moines Register offers these comments from McCain about the roles of
Iowa and New Hampshire and what it would be like without their lead off
roles:
….[It] "would all be about money and buying media and advertising. Both Iowa
and New Hampshire are a chance for the voters to scrutinize and make
judgments about the candidates, and I think they're vital to the process,"
he said.
Biden in Iowa
Sen. Joe Biden (D-MD) made his first trip to Iowa in 19 years to check out
whether he can be his party’s nominee. The Des Moines Register story is a
must read on whether Biden has a chance:
"I've been spending all my time - literally, not figuratively - focusing on
how I'd govern. I haven't focused nearly as much as the other guys on how
I'd win," Biden said in a Des Moines Register interview Wednesday. "The
irony is I was probably a better tactical candidate 20 years ago than I am
now."
If anyone has a question as to why Biden thinks he can enter this race in
the last minutes of being able to get into the race, you just have to read
Biden’s ending quote:
"They will make a judgment that no Democrat can get elected without having
absolutely unimpeachable credentials on national security and foreign
policy," he said, "even if they are right on every other issue."
Wal Mart politics
The Union campaign against Wal Mart is traveling Iowa. The
NY Times covers this effort as does many Iowa newspapers. No other
American company demonstrates the cost cutting offshore job outsourcing
globalization of the economy better than Wal Mart.
Gov. Tom Vilsack (D-IA plans to participate in several of the stops to
burnish up his union credentials. Sen. Joe Bidden (D-MD) just happened to be
available to participate in one of the union rallies against Wal Mart also.
Romney brings gifts
Gov. Mitt Romney (R-MA) brought a $500,000 check from the Governor’s
Association for Rep. Jim Nussle’s (R-IA) campaign to become Iowa’s next
governor. The check was presented at an event in Dubuque last night.
Romney continues to grow and strengthen his organization in Iowa. Romney is
also the head of the Republican Governor’s Association.
Pataki picks up Sukup
Sen. Stewart Iverson, who chairs Gov. George Pataki’s efforts in Iowa,
announced that former gubernatorial candidate Steve Sukup has joined the
Pataki campaign. Sukup came within just a few votes of taking the Governor’s
nomination away from Doug Gross who heads Romney’s efforts in Iowa.
Kerry’s 60’s
Sen. John Kerry is seeking his 60’s anti-war roots. His latest move to
position himself to the left was a fund-raising effort for the MoveOn.org
candidate Ned Lamont who defeated fellow Senator Jo Lieberman.
Kerry said about the effort, "Despite the `warnings' coming from
consultants, political pundits and naysayers in Washington, each of these
candidates is making the mess in Iraq a central issue in their campaigns,"
Kerry said. "If we want to reward their courage, we've got to commit
ourselves to pulling them through to victory."
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