Month: October 2008

Florida’s Amendment 2, the so-called “Protection of Marriage” initiative, is unnecessary (it’s already illegal for gays to marry in Florida); likely unconstitutional (a Kentucy marriage protection law is currently under review); and bad for seniors (who often lose benefits if they marry), unmarried victims of domestic abuse (similar initiatives have been used to argue no legal relationship existed, setting the abuser free), and anyone involved in a “common law” arrangement. That’s why all but the most uninformed or unenlightened are against it.

If you’re in Florida, vote no on Amendment 2. If you’re in California, vote no on Proposition 8. If you’re in a state that has a marriage protection initiative on the ballot we haven’t mentioned, let us know so we can urge voters in your state to defeat it too.

Rightwing media bias: The lead story in today’s Washington Times implies that Barack Obama interfered with negotiations between the Bush administration and the Iraqi government over extending the right of the United States to occupy Iraq after a United Nations mandate expires on Dec. 31:
“Do you think it is appropriate for a presidential candidate to inject himself in a sitting president’s negotiations with another country during wartime?”
– WashTimes poll question adjacent to article

At the same time the Bush administration was negotiating a still elusive agreement to keep the U.S. military in Iraq, Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama tried to convince Iraqi leaders in private conversations that the president shouldn’t be allowed to enact the deal without congressional approval…

[The conversation] stirred controversy over the appropriateness of a White House candidate’s contacts with foreign governments while the sitting president is conducting a war.

Both the Obama campaign and Iraq’s ambassador to the United States, Samir Sumaidaie, confirmed that the conversation took place, and even the Times reporter, Barbara Slavin, who once worked for USA Today, admits that both sides “said the conversation was at Mr. Zebari’s request.” Even so, Slavin writes:

“In the conversation, the senator urged Iraq to delay the [memorandum of understanding] between Iraq and the United States until the new administration was in place,” [said Sumaidaie].

He said Mr. Zebari replied that any such agreement would not bind a new administration. “The new administration will have a free hand to opt out,” he said the foreign minister told Mr. Obama.

Mr. Sumaidaie did not participate in the call, he said, but stood next to Mr. Zebari during the conversation and was briefed by him immediately afterward.

The call was not recorded by either side, and Mr. Zebari did not respond to repeated telephone and e-mail messages requesting direct comment.

The Obama campaign denies Obama recommended stalling the negotiations:

The Obama campaign told the paper that the Illinois Democrat was speaking to Iraqi officials in his capacity as a U.S. senator and member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. The campaign pointed out that Obama spoke to Iraqi officials just days after a U.S. Senate delegation, including two Republicans, wrote to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates urging consultation over any agreements committing U.S. troops and civilian contractors to Iraq “for an extended period of time,” the paper reported.

Obama campaign spokeswoman Wendy Morigi added: “It’s obvious that others are trying to mischaracterize Obama’s position, [but] on numerous occasions he has made it perfectly clear that the United States only has one president at a time and that the administration speaks with one voice.”

While Slavin pulls her punches in characterizing the conversation between Obama and Zebari, a poll adjacent to the story on the Times’ webpage asks this question:

Do you think it is appropriate for a presidential candidate to inject himself in a sitting president’s negotiations with another country during wartime?

Since even Slavin admits Zebari reached out to Obama, Obama certainly did not “inject” himself into the negotiations. The Washington Times is owned by the Unification Church, a rightwing religious cult based in Korea, and this bias could explain its apparent effort to spark outrage over Obama’s perceived meddling in the Bush administration’s negotiations.

At the same time, the New York Post, which is part of the Fox News empire, has also reported that Obama suggested that Iraqi officials delay the negotiations until the next administration takes office.

Al Franken

Obama’s ability to help down the ticket — and the economy tanking — could be factors in Al Franken’s new lead in the Minnesota Senate race. Rasmussen Reports puts Franken ahead of Republican Sen. Norm Coleman with 43 percent to Coleman’s 37. A month ago, Coleman led Franken by a point.

Math whizzes will note that 43 plus 37 doesn’t equal 100, and that brings us to a complicating factor in the race. Jesse Ventura style Independent Dean Barkley is pulling in 17 percent of those polled. Of them, only 3 percent claim to be rock solid behind Barkley, who then-Gov. Ventura appointed to fill the seat of Sen. Paul Wellstone for about eight weeks after his death and until Coleman’s inauguration. So 14 percent of Barkley’s supporters could be in play. In a race where Franken is rated “very unfavorable” by 37 percent and Coleman by 29, that leaves the race pretty much a toss-up.

You can help put Franken over the top with a generous, or hell, meager, donation.

The poll was conducted in partnership with FOX Television. If they say Franken has a chance, you can feel pretty sure you’re not wasting your money by helping him.

From last night’s Late Show with David Letterman:

Now here’s this thing with John McCain…you know a couple of weeks ago, John McCain was supposed to be on the show. And at the last minute he calls me up –- and I’ve got a lot of respect…you get a call from a senator –- you get a call from a guy who is a bona fide war hero –- all of a sudden, you know, your lips start to vibrate. So I said “Sure, whatever you want.” And he says, “Look, Dave, the economy is about to crater.” It’s about to “crater,” his word. “And I have to rush back to Washington to save the economy.” And so it made me feel puny. So I said, “OK, Senator, do what you have to do. Rush right back to Washington.” And then I hung up and I felt like a patriot. I felt like I had done my part. And he was supposed to be on the show like an hour later. So now, we’re in a hole but everybody has to pull together in economic hardship times. So we all pull together and we get that guy with the big head from MSNBC. What’s his name? Keith Olbermann, yeah. Giant head. So he comes over. He’s good. He’s very good. So now it turns out, not only did he not rush back to Washington, he spent the night here in New York City. He went on Katie Couric…he was on Conan…he was on Regis…he was everywhere. So now, in an attempt to save his campaign, they’re talking about coming back. You see what I’m saying? So we said, “Sure, we would love you to come back.” And even on the phone, he said, “I’ll bring….Sarah.” But they’re being squirrely. Politicians can be squirrely. Because we have a date picked. We do this show every afternoon at 5:30. He wants to do the show at 5. So one –- we have no guarantee he’s going to show up, period. And we’ve kind of already rearranged our schedule on his behalf to save the economy, right? By getting that big-headed kid in here to talk about the politics. You know what I’m driving at? I just don’t know if we can trust him. And by the way, I don’t need to remind you that the road to the White House runs right through here.

H/T to Matt and Rebecca

Obama/Biden: 48%
McCain/Palin: 41%
Undec 7%

–In battleground states (CO, MI, NH, NM, FL, OH, PA, VA, WI and NV), Obama holds a more significant 52-38% lead.

–Obama’s lead among women has widened to 14 pts. Yesterday it was a 9 pt. advantage. Obama also holds a 2 pt. lead among men.

– 67% of voters rate the economy as the most important issue facing the country. Obama holds a 6 pt. lead among voters on the issue of who’d best handle the economy.

Today’s Diageo/Hotline tracking poll, conducted 10/7-9 by FD, surveyed 838 LVs and has a margin of error of +/- 3.4%. Party ID Breakdown for the sample is 41%D, 37%R, 18%I.