Thursday, October 23, 2003
Thursday Morning Surf
The Washington Post reports this morning on the Lieberman/Clark/Edwards strategy of skipping Iowa, and in Lieberman and Edwards's case, New Hampshire, in the Democratic nomination fight. Among other things, the article points out one big oddity in the process as it now exists--why it's often better to finish third than second. Also in the Post, Terry Neal writes about a straw poll scheduled at Florida's state Democratic convention in December. The Democratic National Committee has urged the nine candidates to skip it, saying it would be a distraction so close to the Iowa Caucuses in January. The article quotes the Dean and Edwards campaigns as saying they will be there, but not Dick Gephardt. His spokesman says, "We're not likely to participate in the straw poll because it's against the DNC rules. The rules are pretty clear on it."
As Democratic leader in the House of Representatives, Dick Gephardt wouldn't fight. Now as a candidate for president, he won't fight either. And if he won't fight for the nomination, he won't fight in the general election either. It's more evidence that Gephardt would be the worst nominee picked to face a sitting president since crusading newspaper editor Horace Greeley was chosen to oppose U.S. Grant, the general who won the Civil War, in 1872.
And finally: A few days after September 11, a friend e-mailed me to say that we were in for a holy war, and he noted that the only way a holy war ends is for one side to admit their god's a loser. This, of course, never happens. So General William "Mine's bigger than yours" Boykin's comments this week only serve to remind us of what's really going on out there. On the floor of the House yesterday, Republican Mike Pence of Indiana declaimed that "God is not neutral. Let it be said that in this Congress, God is on our side. And may it ever be so." Even the New York Times seems to think so, as Dave Lindorff reports.
The Washington Post reports this morning on the Lieberman/Clark/Edwards strategy of skipping Iowa, and in Lieberman and Edwards's case, New Hampshire, in the Democratic nomination fight. Among other things, the article points out one big oddity in the process as it now exists--why it's often better to finish third than second. Also in the Post, Terry Neal writes about a straw poll scheduled at Florida's state Democratic convention in December. The Democratic National Committee has urged the nine candidates to skip it, saying it would be a distraction so close to the Iowa Caucuses in January. The article quotes the Dean and Edwards campaigns as saying they will be there, but not Dick Gephardt. His spokesman says, "We're not likely to participate in the straw poll because it's against the DNC rules. The rules are pretty clear on it."
As Democratic leader in the House of Representatives, Dick Gephardt wouldn't fight. Now as a candidate for president, he won't fight either. And if he won't fight for the nomination, he won't fight in the general election either. It's more evidence that Gephardt would be the worst nominee picked to face a sitting president since crusading newspaper editor Horace Greeley was chosen to oppose U.S. Grant, the general who won the Civil War, in 1872.
And finally: A few days after September 11, a friend e-mailed me to say that we were in for a holy war, and he noted that the only way a holy war ends is for one side to admit their god's a loser. This, of course, never happens. So General William "Mine's bigger than yours" Boykin's comments this week only serve to remind us of what's really going on out there. On the floor of the House yesterday, Republican Mike Pence of Indiana declaimed that "God is not neutral. Let it be said that in this Congress, God is on our side. And may it ever be so." Even the New York Times seems to think so, as Dave Lindorff reports.
