The Swamp

Hoyer warns of Republican side effects

Wed, 14 May 2008 19:12:12 -0500

by Matthew Hay Brown

As noted already here and elsewhere, the slogan unveiled this week by House Republicans - "Change you deserve" - is already a trademark used by Wyeth Pharmaceuticals to market its antidepressant Effexor XR.

In his weekly meeting with reporters today, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer projected a list of the drug's side effects, and highlighted a few: nausea, headaches and drowsiness.

"Democrats, not drugs, is what the people need," Hoyer said.

Republican spokesman Michael Steel dismissed the bit as "foolishness."

"This sort of silly stunt is another reminder that House Democrats have no, nada, zero agenda that would actually help the American people," he said. "Rather than wasting time on campaign-style hijinks, they should be working with Republicans to solve the problems facing our country."

Clinton camp: 'We respect Edwards' but...

Wed, 14 May 2008 18:56:00 -0500

by Frank James

Terry McAuliffe, chairman of Sen. Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign, issued a terse statement in the wake of the news that John Edwards, the former senator from North Carolina and erstwhile presidential candidate, was endorsing Sen. Barack Obama.

"We respect John Edwards, but as the voters of West Virginia showed last night, this thing is far from over."

We suspect there might've been some stronger views expressed within the Clinton camp when they leaned of Edwards' decision which, coming a day after Clinton's big win in West Virginia, tends to dull the impact of her Tuesday night accomplishment, such as it was.

Blunt: Actually, we won, sort of

Wed, 14 May 2008 18:48:35 -0500

by Matthew Hay Brown

Congressional Republicans are agonizing over their third consecutive special election loss, Minority Whip Roy Blunt sees a silver lining to the victories this month of conservative Democrats Don Cazayoux and Travis Childers.

"The one thing that - if you looked at both of these elections, in Mississippi and Louisiana, you saw - the candidates - both candidates ran on what Republicans are for," the Missouri Republican told reporters today. "So we know now that the message works."

Cazayoux in Louisiana and Childers in Mississippi overcame Republican attempts to link them with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, presidential contender Barack Obama and other national Democrats to win seats long held by the GOP.

To Blunt, the Democrats' message sounded familiar.

"Yesterday, you had the winning candidate saying repeatedly that he didn't know Nancy Pelosi or Barack Obama," he said. "You had him talking about cutting taxes, having less spending, being pro-gun and pro-life. That's the guy that won.

"Actually," he added, "the guy that lost was also for all that stuff."

Ohio AG Marc Dann quits

Wed, 14 May 2008 17:59:22 -0500

Ohio Attorney General Marc Dann, left, announces his resignation Wednesday, May 14, 2008 in the Cabinet room of the Governor's office in Columbus, Ohio. At right is Gov. Ted Strickland. (AP Photo/Kiichiro Sato)

Andrew Zajac

It didn't take long. Five weeks from the first report of sexual harassment in Marc Dann's office to his resignation in Columbus late this afternoon.

Democrats are hoping this calms the political waters in the run-up to the November election, but don't count on it.

The state inspector general, acting under special authority granted yesterday by the General Assembly, raided Dann's office earlier today and removed computers and files.

That virtually guarantees the scandal will have legs long after Dann's departure.

A lingering inquiry could have implications for the presidential race. Revelations of criminal behavior or even just more sleaze would make selling Barack Obama, in particular, more difficult for Ohio Democrats.

Edwards endorses Obama

Wed, 14 May 2008 17:16:49 -0500

Sen. Barack Obama and former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards chat during a January 2008 South Carolina rally in honor of Martin Luther King. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast, File)

by Christi Parsons

Former Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards endorsed Barack Obama tonight at a campaign event in Grand Rapids.

The endorsement comes more than three months after Edwards dropped out of the race for the Democratic nomination, asking the two remaining candidates to make poverty a central issue of the general election.

As the race between Obama and rival Hillary Clinton has dragged on, Edwards in recent days had said publicly that he wasn't sure if he'd endorse or that it would matter if he did.

But last week, David Bonior, Edwards' campaign manager, came out in support of Obama.

And now, as Obama prepares to court voters in Michigan, Edwards joined him to announce his endorsement.

Before he dropped out of the race, Edwards won 19 pledged delegates. He has the power to release his delegates and encourage them to vote for Obama, which could widen the Illinois senator's lead by a sizable chunk.

Clinton won't be "pushed out"

Wed, 14 May 2008 16:50:02 -0500

by Christi Parsons

HIllary Clinton doesn't intend to be "pushed out," she tells Brian Williams in an interview airing tonight on NBC Nightly News.

That's because "until it's over, it's not over," she tells FOX News Channel's Major Garrett.

It's a media-blitz day for Clinton, who is telling just about every new show that will listen that she is in this thing until the last primary voter has voted.

"(F)or me, it's a privilege and a joy to travel around our country to make my case to people from one coast to the other and to continue to, you know, work as hard as I can to win this nomination," Clinton tells Williams, according to a rush transcript of the interview. "And that's what I intend to do. And, you know, we'll get to June the 4th after the last votes are cast on June the 3rd. And I think we'll have a better idea about where we stand."

Barack Obama thinks he has a pretty good idea where things stand, but Clinton challenges the notion in both interviews, according to advance highlights:

Obama calls female reporter 'sweetie'

Wed, 14 May 2008 16:00:00 -0500

by Frank James

Why did Sen. Barack Obama refer to a reporter during a Michigan campaign stop as "sweetie?"

Was it an attempt by the Democratic presidential candidate to show his affinity for blue-collar folks by attempting to sound like a waitress at a diner?

In the same vein, was he trying for a little machismo in front of the male workers at a Sterling, Michigan auto manufacturing plant he visited today?

Needless to say, a lot of women and even some men aren't going to like it. Some will interpret it as Obama being dismissive to the point of being somewhat sexist.

I'm not saying that's the correct interpretation, just that that's what some people will read into his term of endearment.

I expect an e-mail from the Clinton campaign in 10,9,8,7,6...

Give Clinton respect, EMILY says

Wed, 14 May 2008 15:41:00 -0500

by Christi Parsons

Earlier today, the pro-choice group NARAL endorsed Barack Obama for president, a surprising development given that longtime abortion-rights advocate HIllary Clinton is still in the race.

Now fires back Ellen R. Malcom, president of EMILY's List, which tries to elect pro-choice Democratic women to office.

"I think it is tremendously disrespectful to Sen. Clinton . . . to not give her the courtesy to finish the final three weeks of the primary process," Malcom says. "It certainly must be disconcerting for elected leaders who stand up for reproductive rights and expect the choice community will stand with them."

Clinton, she writes, "held up the nomination of a FDA commissioner in order to force approval of Plan B," and also "spoke so eloquently during the Supreme Court nomination about the importance of protecting Roe vs. Wade."

NARAL president Nancy Keenan said earlier today that her group is going with the candidate they think "will secure the Democratic nomination and advance to the general election."

"That candidate is Sen. Obama," she said.

Clinton's big night topped 'expectations'

Wed, 14 May 2008 15:20:53 -0500

By Rick Pearson

LOUISVILLE--Touting a victory that "exceeded even our own expectations," Sen. Hillary Clinton's campaign is contending their big win in West Virginia last night has put them ahead of Sen. Barack Obama in the popular vote in their efforts to portray her as the most electable candidate in the fall.

But the Clinton campaign's total includes those famously disputed states--Michigan and Florida--which had their nominating convention delegations nullified for moving their primaries ahead of Feb. 5. Clinton maintains she won the two states even though she was the only major candidate on the ballot in Michigan.

It's official: Polar bears endangered

Wed, 14 May 2008 14:58:00 -0500

Polar bear mother and her two cubs in Wapusk National Park on Hudson Bay near Churchill, Manitoba, Nov. 6, 2007. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press,Jonathan Hayward)

by Frank James

It's official. Polar bears are a federally designated endangered species.

Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne made the announcement this very hour that the Bush Administration is declaring the bears endangered because the melting Arctic ice pack, courtesy of global warming, threatens their habitat.

The administration was racing the clock to beat a federal court order which directed the Interior Department to decide by Thursday, as in tomorrow.

There are about 20,000 polar bears roaming the Arctic, living off seals and anything else they can hunt down.

The Bush Administration last year had tried declare the fairly awesome creature merely "threatened" which wouldn't have required any more action on its part. That caused an environmental group to sue, leading to today's decision.

Environmentalists that the decision will force the federal government to be more aggressive in reducing greenhouse-gas emissions since the Endangered Species Act requires affirmative steps to change the conditions that place a species on the list.

But while conceding that the bears are endangered, Kempthorne was clear the administration didn't want environmentalist to try and use the new designation to force the government's hand on greenhouse emissions.

Bush: 'Save a seat in ex-leaders' club'

Wed, 14 May 2008 14:35:00 -0500

by Mark Silva

JERUSALEM -- President Bush, featured at a gala evening of music, dance and speechmaking in celebration of the 60th anniversary of Israel tonight, addressed both the fellow world leaders in the hall and "ex-leaders.''

"Save a seat in the ex-leaders' club,'' Bush said with a smile.

The president also had some advice for fellow Americans in the hall: "My fellow Americans, spend freely and behave yourselves.''

And Bush, celebrating the long friendship of the United States -- the first to recognize Israel's independence -- pronounced himself "thrilled to be here with one of America's closest friends....Happy birthday.''

"You are an unusual person,'' Prime Minister Ehud Olmert told the visiting president tonight, hailing him as an unusual friend of Israel.

Bush will address the Knesset, the Israeli parliament, tomorrow.

"I hear it's a place of sharp elbows,'' Bush said to laughter in the front row from Olmert and President Shimon Peres. "I'm not going to be throwing any elbows.''

Clinton the "real thing," gov says

Wed, 14 May 2008 14:19:36 -0500

by Christi Parsons

Gov. Ed Rendell, who describes himself as the "last of the Mohicans" sticking by Hillary Clinton to the bitter end of the Democratic primary, today endorsed the idea of a ticket that combines her with rival Barack Obama.

Pundits have speculated in recent days that a high-profile Clinton supporter would make a good running mate for Obama, considered by many to be the likely nominee, because it would be a nod to the many people who voted for the former first lady.

But Rendell says Obama shouldn't settle for a Clinton supporter.

"If Sen. Obama becomes our nominee and he wants . . . someone to carry the Clinton banner," Rendell tells CNN, "there's no question in my mind they should ask Hillary Clinton to be that candidate."

Would she accept? The Pennsylvania governor, one of the Clinton family's closest advisers, says he's not sure.

"I don't know whether she would accept," Rendell said. "I don't know whether he would do it. But don't settle for . . . a Clinton supporter. You've got the real thing, someone who has energized voters."

NARAL backs Obama

Wed, 14 May 2008 14:17:08 -0500

by Jim Tankersley

The nation's foremost abortion-rights advocacy group has all-but declared Barack Obama the winner of the Democratic presidential primaries.

NARAL Pro-Choice America's political action committee endorsed the Illinois senator today with a press release that praises both him and rival Hillary Clinton, but says the group is going with Obama because it believes he will be the Democratic nominee.

"Pro-choice Americans have been fortunate to have two strong pro-choice candidates in Sen. Obama and Sen. Clinton, both of whom have inspired millions of new voters to participate in this historic presidential race," NARAL president Nancy Keenan said in the release, which was circulated by Obama's campaign. "Today, we are proud to put our organization's grassroots and political support behind the pro-choice candidate whom we believe will secure the Democratic nomination and advance to the general election. That candidate is Sen. Obama."

The release also says Obama's contrast with Republican presumptive nominee John McCain, an abortion opponent, will unify abortion-rights supporters around Obama in the fall.

Ironically enough, the endorsement comes a day after a Democrat who opposes abortion won a special House race in Mississippi.

Read on for the full press release.

Colbert mocks Bill O'Reilly tantrum

Wed, 14 May 2008 14:14:00 -0500

by Frank James

Thanks to Stephen Colbert, many of us who didn't know about the popular old "Bill O'Reilley Inside Edition tantrum video" drawing attention on YouTube now know about it.

Maybe O'Reilly should seek pointers from Sen. John McCain, a recent guest on the O'Reilly Factor TV show, on how to mellow out.

Fed catches a break on inflation

Wed, 14 May 2008 13:49:45 -0500

by Frank James

The big sigh of relief that could be heard emanating from the far end of Constitution Ave. nearest the Potomac River in Washington, D.C. was the sound of Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke exhaling.

That's because today's consumer price index report for April showed that so-called core inflation, that is, subtracting food and energy costs from the mox, was just .1 percent, which was half the rate of March.

Coming after a series of rate cuts by the central bank meant to revive the flagging economy, the April CPI seemed to be telling Bernanke and the rest of us that those rate decreases haven't begun to fan the fires of inflation, at least not yet.

Of course, in the real world of actual consumers, food and energy costs can't just be ignored. Inflation, including those important consumables, was up .2 percent for April if you count the rising costs of those two categories.