Politalk

July 2

Hi...welcome to Politalk. I hope to raise some questions and thoughts in this space...and I'd like to get your feedback and hear what you think.
I was going to start by bringing up a few topics and waiting for your response, but as I write this, the big political news of the day is President Bush commuting the sentence of Scooter Libby.
What are your thoughts? Did the President do the right thing, or did he in effect say the Vice-President's former chief of staff is beyond the law? Yes, I know, he must still pay the $250,000 fine, but he won't have to serve the 30 months he was sentenced to serve. So let me know...we can talk about lots of other topics, like fundraising. Good news for Obama, bad news for McCain.

Rick

July 11th--

Hi again...did you see this?

AP-MO--US-Iraq-Bond,0129

Kit Bond blames Bush for 'wrong' Iraq strategy

WASHINGTON (AP) - Missouri Senator Kit Bond is among a growing
number of Republicans questioning President Bush's Iraq war policy.
Bush's national security adviser Steven Hadley meets today with
more than a dozen G-O-P senators in a bid to shore up eroding
support for the war.
Yesterday Bond -- one of Bush's staunchest supporters -- didn't
mince words about his feelings toward the administration's war
policy. Bond said the White House has pursued the wrong policy for
years after toppling Saddam Hussein.
He says the U-S should have adopted a counterinsurgency
strategy, and blamed Bush for the error.
Despite his blunt talk about a failed war strategy, Bond is
among several G-O-P lawmakers who are warning against a quick
withdrawal of troops.

Interesting, and doubly so because Missouri's senior senator is not up for re-election in 2008. So Bond was not just trying to cover his backside for next fall. But another question deserves to be asked...why hasn't Bond said this before?

July 16...

I've always been fascinated by Presidents. We know what they say publicly, but what are they really thinking? As someone who has worked a little bit in politics, I can tell you politicians and their aides are always concerned about image and spin...how to put the best face on things.
So...speaking of faces, I was struck by Peggy Noonan's latest column in the Wall Street Journal. A former Reagan speech writer and strong Bush advocate, she lately has been highly critical of our current President. And she was very upset by the tone of Mr. Bush's last news conference. Among other things, she wrote, "He's in a good mood...he doesn't seem to be suffering." She contrasts that with the obvious agonies Lincoln and LBJ went through...and calls the effect, "jarring." Could that be a part of Mr. Bush's poll troubles? Critics have long complained that he has a tendency to smirk in a condescending way, but maybe those people don't like him anyway. I do understand her point...while a President must appear confident, being too upbeat can be interpreted as disrespectful to the men and women who have and are sacrificing so much in Iraq. It also gives ammunition to his critics who claim he either is in denial or just doesn't fully understand the situation. Your thoughts?

July 17--

The latest fund raising numbers are good news for Missouri Governor Matt Blunt, but sobering for anyone who thinks political campaigns have become way too expensive. The Governor's campaign report shows he has $5.8 million in the bank. That compares with $2.4 million for his opponent, Attorney General Jay Nixon. With the election well over a year away, and with Missouri no longer having donation limits, both candidates are sure to raise, and spend, much, much more. Who will win? Critics say it's often who has the most money to spend on television and radio ads. In fact, the Governor reportedly is already running some ads outstate...again, well over a year out from the election itself. Off the top of my head, I seem to recall that together, then Senator Jim Talent and challenger Claire McCaskill spent more than $20 million dollars in their race. The Governor's race seems sure to push, if not exceed those numbers. Is this democracy in action, or just another example of the Golden Rule? That is, in politics, he who has the gold rules.

July 25

Many may say Missouri Attorney General Jay Nixon's contention that candidates should return the money they received in excess of the now reinstated campaign donation limits is correct, but it's also self-serving. As I noted here recently, Nixon is far behind Governor Blunt in the amount of money he's raised for their race next year. If candidates have to give a good chunk of money back, it's obviously going to benefit Nixon. It's another attempt for one side to try to paint the other in a political corner (see the Taum Sauk reservoir issue), and you can be sure the jousting will continue right up until election day.