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Via Cillizza’s The Fix:
The Ames Straw poll is now just days away. And, while three of the four leading Republican contenders — John McCain, Rudy Giuliani and Fred Thompson — have signaled they will not participate in the traditional early organizational test, they could have a significant impact on the ultimate outcome.
Why? Because, even thought they’re not attending the event their names will appear on the ballot. And, according to a new KCCI survey former Gov. Mitt Romney (R-Mass.) leads in Iowa with 25 percent followed by Thompson at 14 percent, Giuliani at 13 percent and McCain at 10 percent.
The fact that the no-shows names appear on the ballot and that they appear to have significant chunks of support in the state lends itself to speculation that any (or all) of the campaigns are making quiet pushes in Iowa in hopes of making a surprise showing in the straw poll….
The reality is that any of the three non-participating campaigns would love a top five finish — whether or not they admit it or make a direct play for it. It would give them something for (nearly) nothing, a rare opportunity in politics….
Lovely. First, they run away from their own base and refuse to participate in the CNN YouTube debate after they’d already agreed to do it, because they are frightened of the spontaneity of the wingnuttiest among them. And now it’s behind-the-scenes manipulation by a merry band of no shows in an Iowa straw poll in which they are participating as phantom, non-participants. And elsewhere in the hinterlands, there is a desire for Floppy Fred to energize the pack with his mere red carpet dazzle…and not much else.
Yet another chickenshit contest for the GOP, with the Republican front-runners trying to winner take all for putting forth little to no effort. Haven’t we had enough of that with the Shrub years?
And I thought the Bushies were trying to save us from the scourge of flip flops…
(Photo of actual chickenshit contest via MyMissAdventure.)
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uno?!?
Wow, i did not know there were actual chicken shit contests.
And be safe traveling Christy.
coffee’s ready – hold out your cups.
doncha get the feeling that the pugs really, actually know they cannot win in 2008? why else with all the running and hiding?
Hi, Is there any way I can contact a moderator?
Raw Story reports Rumsfeld will show up
http://rawstory.com/news/2007/….._0731.html
Safe travelling Christy
Sorry to go OT but have you seen Risen’s article about Democratic spinelessness regarding FISA amendments? I am angry.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08…..ref=slogin
The Ames Straw Poll under the best of circumstances is a fraudulent joke. This election cycle with the LDS involvement will render it even more bogus than usual.
Repubs not afraid of Wolf Blitzer, Stephanpoulous, Cooper Anderson. But don’t let the people get too close…too frightening to let the world know that the base has questions
OT – Feed is up on the Tillman hearing at Henry’s place: Oversight Feed
Boston1775 @ 6
you can use the email contacts at About/Contact Us near the top of the page.
Oh great.
WASHINGTON – Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama said Wednesday that he would possibly send troops into Pakistan to hunt down terrorists, an attempt to show strength when his chief rival has described his foreign policy skills as naive.
The Illinois senator warned Pakistani President Gen. Pervez Musharraf that he must do more to shut down terrorist operations in his country and evict foreign fighters under an Obama presidency, or Pakistan will risk a U.S. troop invasion and losing hundreds of millions of dollars in U.S. military aid.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20070536/
TiredFed @ 12
Thanks
Sen. Lisa Murkowski, fresh from her catch and release adventure in Alaska river-front real estate, has this to say about her colleague,
SenatorSaint Ted Stevens:“Senator Stevens has served his country and the State of Alaska with distinction for over 60 years. With the current investigation underway, it is not appropriate to jump to conclusions until the process is complete. Senator Stevens has the right to have the facts established in this matter.”
Oklahoma kiddo @ 13
It’s upside down world when one of the supposed peace candidates is calling for more war.
-GSD
Ed*ard – That sounds remarkably similar, but for the 60yrs part, to what she has said about Gonzales.
TiredFed @ 11
Thanks! It’s going to be on C-Span 3, too: http://www.c-span.org/watch/cs…..8;Code=CS2
Kathleen @ 7
This ought to be good…I love the smell of perjury in the morning.
So yesterday the Dems said wait til after the break to do FISA have they waffled?
Phoenix Woman @ 18
I’m hoping for an empty conference room, but Henry’s online feed is the only one that works here (CSPAN feeds require RealPlayer or the other one, neither of which we can have at work). wooops. here we go folks.
Jim Clausen @ 8
The NYT seems to be playing a little game here, as if to put pressure on the dems to support this. See related piece in Rawstory
http://rawstory.com/news/2007/….._0801.html
Notable too the NYT has a front page piece on how nice it is to watch TV in Afghanistan (puff piece), while the Boston Globe (though NYT owned) has a front page article on the anticipated 1 trillion dollar cost of the war. In short, as with the recent op ed piece on how we can win in Iraq, the NYT is doing the same thing it did in the lead up to the war- pressng the administration’s agenda. My fear with the Murdoch takeover of the Wall Street journal is that the NYT will become even more conservative to try to compete for the advertising bucks and business readers.
TILLMAN!!
Ahgoo @ 17
Yeah. GOP officeholders are busy with that sort of stuff lately –
Senator (or Representative)
Stevens, Vitter, Thurmond, DeLay, Cunningham, etc….
has served his country and the State of
(Insert Red state here)
with distinction for over_blah_ years. With the current investigation underway, it is not appropriate to jump to conclusions until the process is complete. Suspect _Blah_ has the right to have the facts established in this matter.
Can it amusingly be “Failure to Appear”? Seems to fit their theme of felonious behavior…
GSD @ 16
Not an Obama supporter, but this doesn’t sound like warmongering to me. it sounds like what we should be doing (and should have been doing all along until we caught the bastards) instead of being mired in Iraq.
Good morning from L.A. Gee, Rumsfeld being his inevitably charmless & condescending self on my tv this a.m. Can hardly wait.
Go Henry! So proud you are my Rep…
Waxman “we all appreciate that soldiers were defending this country and our freedom” This is more Horseshit. I am so tired of this “our soldiers died for freedom” Remember Waxman Iraq never attacked us American soldiers were sent to Iraq based on a “pack of lies”. And they have died, been injured and humiliated based on a “pack of Lies”
Our Freedom = our access to oil. The truth is that millions of Iraqi people have been turned into refugees, 1 million are dead who knows how many are injured due to our need to access.
When will we face up to the truth that these soldiers have died based on a “pack of lies”
The U.S. and Israel’s desire for regime change and “Securing the Realm” are crimes against humanity
None of the generals testifying at the Tillman hearing will remember a thing.
“There was NEVER a disagreement about Abner said Clem Cadiddlehopper”
When accused of lyin Clem explains that although there was plenty of disagreement about a guy who BECAME Abner- he was correct in sayin that there was no disagreement about Abner- “cause we didn’t CALL him Abner then- we called him ABE”
Wait–that breaks laws of logic !!!
That’s our AG!
Sally @ 29
and they are ALL retired! what’s up with that? btw, there’s a liveblogging thread ready for the hearing. suggest y’all wait until it gets going to move up. and remember what Christy always say, keep the oneliners to a minumum.
Bottom line about the AG
The fucker lied!!!
Most newspapers yesterday were spreading the Clusterfuck joy that the casualty levels in Iraq were at the lowest point in months at 74 killed. Trouble is- the actual casualty number is at least 87. Clusterfuck just held a few back, did his happy dance, and then released the balance after the month was over. The insightful media all bought it hook line and sinker..
“How was journalism school?”
“Well it wasn’t much work- the worst part is when they stick that straw in yer ear and suck out yer brain”.
Ain’t it great- now we’ve got hearings- everyone lies their ass off and nothin happens- cause it pleases the Clusterfuck to have em lie.
rwcole @ 33
It’s also a bogus comparison. As Juan Cole pointed out:
“July is like a blast furnace in Iraq, with temperatures approaching 120 degrees F in the shade. Guerrillas typically lie low in this unfavorable environment, compared to other seasons, and so the casualty rates go down. Instead, this year the killing season has gone on as if it were spring.
Number of US troops killed in Iraq, July, 2006: 43.”
So even if you use the 74 number, it’s close to double, and if your 87 figure is correct, just over double. Our crackerjack media at it’s best.
There have been reports about the autopsy of Pat Tillman. The claim is that he was assassinated. Does anyone know if three shots in the forehead/autopsy is true?
1) The YouTube format, until recently was a big unknown.
2) The Democrats were willing to try something new.
3) The Democrats will do the format again.
4) Republicans are afraid of something new — even though they had seen it. (How do you prepare when you haven’t had the general substance of the questions leaked to you so you could build a big test-question binder with all the potential answeres focus-grouped in your research?)
5) How can you expect someone to lead the Country when they are unwilling to try something new?
After all, if Liberty University were to announce a date and invite the candidates, they would all show.
Ed*ard at 24:
Yeah. GOP officeholders are busy with that sort of stuff lately –
Senator (or Representative)
Stevens, Vitter, Thurmond, DeLay, Cunningham, etc….
has served his country and the State of
(Insert Red state here)
with distinction for over_blah_ years. With the current investigation underway, it is not appropriate to jump to conclusions until the process is complete. Suspect _Blah_ has the right to have the facts established in this matter.
That’s step 1.
Step 2: Repeat for six months, or however long it takes.
Step 3: After conviction, say “I’ve already said all I’m going to say on the subject. It’s been dragging on forever, and it’s old news. It’s time to move on.”
Oh, and between the straw poll and the YouTube thing, is there any point at which Republican presidential candidates are going to, you know, talk to people and see if they vote for them?
I wrote an article on this last week. …a full week ahead of the news.
Once again the GOP have demonstrated their views on governance, by the people…for the people…Participatory Democracy is not for the people anymore… ‘Welcome to the Homeland’.
Does the CNN/YouTube debate offer too much direct participation to the informed voter for the GOP? Currently the United States is facing much more than the ‘war of terror’. We are at a critical time in which age demographics are playing a critical role in the direction of American electoral politics.
If the GOP give up on gaining the votes of Gen X, Gen Y, and the African American vote, as well, what segment of the population does their party represent? here is my article
http://newssophisticate.blogsp…..utube.html
Original Content Daily RSS me to be ahead
Generic MSM “news” account:
Journalist: Sir, you’re in manacles and being hauled away to prison. Isn’t this a rather shocking development in your life?
Republican: No, it’s all old news. Nothing to see here. Move along.