Soundbytes For December 10

You have to be able to make your point in a sentence or two. Learn that from Laloo Yadav, the most talked about politician on the planet according to a Harvard study.

"Bill Clinton has spent more time in Iowa this past month than in all of 1992 and 1996."

"Hillary takes money from lobbyists. And she pays back in kind. Her health care plan is written for the insurance companies. Her stance on Iran is written for the defense contractors."

"The Clintons have been making too much money since they left the White House. Their definition of middle class has changed. People in the top 6% income bracket are now middle class."

"If you think the top 6% are middle class, you are out of touch."

"On social security, achieving overall fiscal responsibility is breakfast. Both Hillary and I are for that. But lifting the cap to also tax income after $200,000 in lunch. And Hillary refuses to look at the lunch menu."

"If you can't beat them, join them. Hillary fought the insurance companies in 1993. She got beat, so now she has joined them."

"Hillary has been leading the national polls since February. Folks, it's called name recognition. Joe Lieberman was also leading for big parts of 2003. As was Ted Kennedy in 1980."

"Asbestos pantsuit, now that is not an idea for an Iowa winter."

"Is Bill Clinton running for a third term?"

"How many of Hillary's millions are lobbyist and special interest money?"

"The average contribution to my campaign has been 25 dollars."

"We went to the moon. We can tackle global warming."

"We have to invent our way out of our energy dilemma."

"Strong countries and presidents talk to adversaries. Kennedy did."

"Yes, this country is ready for someone whose mother was white, father was African, and whose cousin is Dick Cheney."

"I have a soft spot for my cousin Dick Cheney, but I disagree with him on both Iraq and Iran. I disagree with Hillary too."

"Hillary wanted Rumsfelt out in 2006. That was to say she thought the decision to go to war was right, the execution got messed up. My position has been the decision to go to war itself was messed up."

"Close to 400,000 Americans have donated to my campaign. That is more than for all other Dems combined."

"This country has not seen a larger grassroots movement in its history."

"We are going to need this grassroots movement even more after I am in the White House because the special interests will still be there."

"You get a presidential election every four years. But you get a movement once a generation, maybe."

"I can imagine my cabinet being about 40% female. This is a brave, new century."

"I take great pride in my African heritage. I take great pride in my Kansas heritage."

"I feel the need for a global war on domestic violence."

"Equal pay, it is time for equal pay. This applies to both race and gender."

"The information age is going to be about universal broadband, but it is also going to be about lifelong education, and universal health care, and access to credit by people in all income brackets."

"Predatory lending has got to stop."

"It is in our interest that India and China grow."

"Globalization is overall a positive force. But it is not if its fruits are not distributed among the people at large."

"This is the internet century. It is a problem that Hillary can't think in front of a computer and thinks bloggers are people talking to themselves."

"Hillary, why do you work so hard to sound like the Bush Republicans on foreign policy?"

"If Warren Buffett is willing to pay his dues, people less rich than him should not have a problem either. And that guy more than most understands entrepreneurship and wealth creation."

"Denis, I like your wife." (Sorry, can't use this. Joe Biden already did.)

"John Edwards wants to nuke the insurance companies on his way to universal health insurance. Hillary wants to write them a black check. Both are problems looking for more problems."

"Hillary, did you go to an all white high school? How does that prepare you for globalization?"

"A white woman has to be 90 to remember a time when they could not vote in this country. A black person - man or woman - only has to be 50. My election to the presidency will be more historic."

"If you want symbolic progress on gender, you go with Hillary, if you want substantive progress on gender, you come with me."

"Indira Gandhi and Benazir Bhutto did not do much for gender in their countries."

"If you don't have judgment and character, can you claim you have strength and experience?"

"Two of our greatest presidents Lincoln and Washington had no experience."

"I have been an elected official for much longer than Hillary."

"Hillary has never held a local or state level office."

"If Hillary's White House years are to count, she is going to have to release her records from the period."

"Hillary has been an excellent Senator. That is why I think she should continue in the Senate."

"So what is Hillary's latest position on driving licenses for undocumented workers?"

"How is Hillary going to compete with Mitt or Rudy on Iraq and Iran? How are their positions different?"

"This election cycle has been no different from any other. People are only now beginning to pay attention."

"I provide universal health insurance for half as money as Hillary and in half as much time. No wonder Hillary thinks I don't intend to cover everybody."

"With me you get an end to war in Iraq and democracy and stability there, and normal relations with Iran."

"The message of democracy and human rights do not run counter to our national security. True national security can only be achieved through a total spread of democracy in the Arab world brought about by local, mass movements."

"Invading Iraq was to take one eye off the Al Qaeda. Invading Iran would be take both eyes off the Al Qaeda."

"Bin Laden is still at large. The Al Qaeda is stronger today than it was before 9/11. Whatever we have been doing has not been working."

"If the US were to invade Iran, we are going to have to reinstate the draft in a major way or we have to nuke Tehran out of existence. Neither option is on my table."

"A five minute air raid of Iran is a neocon fantasy just like a quick victory in Iraq was."

"Yes, I would be willing to talk to our adversaries. I don't fear them."

"Global warming is no hoax."

In The News

Fighting to Fix What’s Not Broken New York Times, United States The program has enough in projected revenues and guaranteed Treasury i.o.u.’s, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, to pay its promised benefits fully through 2046....... While Mrs. Clinton was right that eliminating the cap entirely would raise about $100 billion a year, or $1 trillion over 10 years, it is not clear that is what Mr. Obama intends to do. ...... what is at stake with Social Security is to recognize that its problems pale next to the escalating cost of health care. ....... the cost of Medicare and Medicaid will soar to about 20 percent of gross domestic product by 2050, from 4.6 percent today. By comparison, Social Security rises to just a little over 6 percent from about 4.2 percent. ...... our country’s financial health will in fact be determined primarily by the growth rate of per capital health care costs ....... just because Social Security has less severe problems doesn’t mean that they are non-existent. ...... some of the liberal bloggers were out of touch with the concerns of ordinary voters, who want reassurances that Social Security will remain on a sound footing. ...... the Obama view that Social Security is the best program the government has ever had ...... “A sensible approach is to modestly adjust the regressive payroll tax so that the highest-income people share in the burden now, rather than wait until the problem gets worse and the program’s opponents try to force major benefit cuts.” ...... “Social Security is not a crisis, but there is a problem,” he said. “That problem is solvable, as Henry is fond of saying, but the longer you wait, the harder it is. The sooner you do something, the easier it will be.”
On The Campaign: 2008 Already Settled? Not by a Long Shot strategists in both parties say it is too early to hand the White House keys over to the Democratic Party ...... “She is an habitual evader,” said David Axelrod ...... If Mrs. Clinton wins the nomination and loses the White House to a Republican who challenges her candor, she might look back at these months as the time her fellow-Democrats softened her up for the Republican kill. ....... Most polls suggest that the nation sees the Iraq war as a mistake, and that voters will be looking for a president who will end it; the Democratic presidential field is united in saying it would do so. But the downturn in violence in Iraq over the past month — taking the war off the front pages, and leading Mr. McCain to argue that the so-called surge may be working — is a reminder of one of the great unknowns of this election: What will the state of the war be 10 months from now? ....... Three of the party’s top strategists under Mr. Bush — Karl Rove, Ken Mehlman and Matthew Dowd — have moved on. The Republican National Committee is in the doldrums; its chairman, Mel Martinez, stepped down last month. ....... even Republicans say the exuberance Democrats are exhibiting today is hardly irrational
Obama Takes Pointers from Karl Rove OpEdNews, PA The similarities between Barack's campaign and what Karl Rove is calling on the next GOP candidate for president to do to win are frighteningly similar. But that could be because to beat Karl Rove, you have to campaign like Karl Rove. Or it could mean that Barack Obama is a wolf in sheep's clothing.
The Left's Obama Problem TPMCafe we're constantly reacting to the other side instead of setting our own terms for the debate ...... There, in a nutshell, is the lingering concern a lot of folks on the Left have with Barack Obama: his policies are suitably progressive, but his framing of those policies, from his constant invocation of bipartisanship to his occasional violation of progressive taboos (e.g., lecturing teachers about their opposition to merit pay, and bloggers about their "incivility", and consorting with anti-gay gospel singers), makes them suspect he's really talking past them in order to appeal to the David Broders of the political world. ....... If Obama wins Iowa, and gets the desired one-on-one with HRC, the Left's Obama Problem may be resolved in the opposite direction, though the agony inflicted by Obama's "centrist" rhetorical tendencies could grow with the realization that the Left has nowhere else to go.
Las Vegas Smackdown? Nah, Clinton, Obama and Edwards Play to a Draw Mother Jones
Obama, at fundraiser, thrills supporters with promises of real change Austin American-Statesman, TX tieless and without a jacket, he delivered a tighter, more polished speech ...... Arduengo said before Obama spoke that he liked former U.S. Sen. John Edwards .... After the speech, Arduengo said, "If the Texas primary actually mattered, I'd be inclined to vote for Obama." ..... the crowd, which included people of different ages and races ..... "He's my man," Anette Ussery, who wore a Burnet County Democrats shirt, said of Obama. "He's fresh; he's worldly." ..... Emily Schrader, a senior at Westwood High School, marked her 18th birthday by cheering Obama with her parents, Beth and Steve Schrader. She appreciated Obama's vow to stop big-business lobbyists and fat cats from running Washington. She said that if she gets into Northwestern University, she hopes to help the Obama campaign in Chicago. Obama, who next headed to a private fundraiser, said, "Let's reach for what we know is possible: a nation healed, a world prepared, an America that can believe again."
Michelle Obama tickets available The Times and Democrat, SC
Obama's wife making stop here Tuesday Orangeburg Times Democrat

For Clinton, More Time and More Advertising New York Times nearly doubled the size of her staff in Iowa and has substantially increased her advertising ....... Seldom will a day go by, aides said, when either she or former President Bill Clinton will not be on some patch of Iowa soil ..... The intense attention is the latest indication of the Clinton campaign’s worry about establishing dominance in Iowa ...... unease with Mrs. Clinton among many voters. ..... The Clinton campaign has been flying in operatives from across the country to bolster the Iowa effort. ..... If candidates do not reach a 15 percent threshold in each of the 1,784 precinct caucuses on Jan. 3, their supporters make a second choice, a procedure that Mrs. Clinton’s aides fear could favor Mr. Edwards or Mr. Obama. ...... final seven weeks .... rivals are also planning to spend nearly all their time in Iowa in December ...... hiring 100 new workers to concentrate on a person-to-person drive to explain the quirky process of the caucuses, with a goal of having 50,000 in-home visits by Christmas. ...... More than 60 percent of those who have identified themselves as Clinton supporters, senior strategists say, have never participated in the Iowa caucuses. It is a far higher share than the campaign had been anticipating, which suggests that many of the reliable rank-and-file Democrats have chosen another candidate. So the Clinton campaign is working to expand its universe of supporters to women who have never participated. ........ hired eight deputies charged solely with drumming up media coverage in smaller cities across the state. ..... new anxieties about Iowa and a sense of heightened importance in the vote’s outcome ..... the Clinton campaign held a job fair in Washington to recruit many of the 100 new workers, but it remains an open question whether the late influx of young aides will be able to build the relationships with Iowa voters that other campaigns have been working on for months. ......... “At the beginning, she didn’t understand the whole notion of relationship building,” said Mr. Vilsack, the former Iowa governor, who often travels the state with Mrs. Clinton and introduces her to voters. “She now gets it. She now understands the psyche of this process.”
Obama criticizes Clinton campaign at Austin rally Dallas Morning News "If my opponents come at me with fear-mongering and swift-boating, I will take them head-on," he said. "The American people are tired of fear and they are tired of diversions and distractions." ........ Obama is coming off a shaky performance in Thursday's Democratic debate, where Mrs. Clinton demonstrated skill and polish in putting her rivals on the defensive. ....... her campaign has been described by analysts as disciplined and methodical.
Nepal: Full proportional voting system unacceptable, NC Telegraphnepal.com Mr. Poudel however, said that the NC could make a compromise, if the Maoists’ came with the idea of at least ten percent regular voting (FPTP-first past the post) and the rest of the ninety percent voting through proportional system.
Nepal: India can’t solve Terai crisis, MJF leader unless the genuine demands forwarded by the Madhesis were not met with by the Government, the Terai/Madhesh problems will remain intact.
Nepal: We are a nationalist force, MJF leader Yadav
Nepal: CBES warns of armed revolt, 25000 volunteers ready..
Nepal: Maoists threaten parallel government it is not that easy to weaken the Maoist Party that has more than six lakhs members
Nepal: Mahato warns of yet another Madhesi revolt Mr. Mahato was today talking to journalists in Parasi Bazaar in the district of Nawalparasi. ..... “Our party supports the recently passed proposals for declaring a federal democratic republic and the adoption of full proportion system of voting for the CA elections”, Mahato concluded. .... Mr. Mahato who was a minister in the present government under Koirala had to resign from his position only after an inner party feud. His ministerial seat yet remains vacant. ..... Mr. Mahato since then has been actively involved in uniting various Terai outfits under a single umbrella and voicing for the Madhesi rights.
Mormon smears turn Republican race sour Times Online Callers also claimed the Church of Jesus Christ of LatterDay Saints did not consecrate blacks as bishops until the 1970s and believes the Book of Mormon supersedes the Bible. Romney called the attacks “unAmerican”. ....... Robert Redford, the film star, joined in the Mormon-bashing this month, claiming that church followers were “very adept at not being fazed and speaking fluently and gracefully” because they “learn how to deflect blows and stay on message” when they go on missions “when they are 19 or 20”. ...... “only Romney has the cash and the organisation to go one-to-one with Rudy”. ...... “if the campaign that used appeals to religious bigotry is identified, it will be over for that candidate”. ...... polling was carried out by Western Wats, which is based in Utah ..... members of the company were revealed to be Romney donors. ....... Romney’s camp has been debating whether to sharpen its attacks on Giuliani, with some advisers cautioning that it could result in a “murder-suicide”, destroying both candidates. But the tone between the rivals has hardened
UN Panel Gives Dire Warming Forecast The Associated Press
Novak column inflames Clinton-Obama feud Newsday unspecified "agents" working for Clinton "are spreading the word in Democratic circles that she has scandalous information." ...... Clinton spokesman Jay Carson said he has "absolutely no idea" what Novak or Obama were talking about. He ridiculed Obama for allowing Novak to drive a wedge between Democrats. ...... "He's parroting Republican talking points from a columnist of questionable credibility," Carson said. "If you don't have the experience not to fall into a Bob Novak trap you have no business seeking the presidency." ....... She kept up the pressure on Obama Saturday, criticizing his health care plan before a group of steel workers in North Las Vegas.
Clinton camp fires back over column Reuters “I am prepared to stand up to that kind of politics, whether it's deployed by candidates in our party, in the other party or by any third party." ..... the "Washington art of evasion and deflection." He asked: "Are 'agents' of their campaign spreading these rumors? And do they have 'scandalous' information that they are not releasing? Yes or no?”
Column by Novak Inspires 'Swift' Obama Reaction Editor & Publisher
Is Barack Obama just another high-toned liberal doomed to failure? Slate Stevenson, the famously virtuous Illinois governor who nobly went down to defeat against Dwight Eisenhower in 1952 and 1956, remains the model Democratic loser. He was the sensible champion of civility who gallantly upheld the liberal banner in a conservative age, even while getting drubbed at the polls. One of his favorite tactics was to proclaim his ability to flout his audiences and instead act on behalf of the whole public. ..... most Democratic politicians have succeeded by building alliances of disparate groups, each with its own pet issues ...... resonated most with intellectuals and well-educated upscale professionals. ....... the quest for common ground with a language of enlightened reason. It disdains the passionate and sometimes ugly politics of backroom deals, negative campaigning, sordid tactics, and appeals to emotion. It extols sacrifice and denigrates self-interest. ........ Mugwump-style reformism went into eclipse during the New Deal. Franklin Roosevelt and his circle preferred a strategy of coalition building that had roots in Democratic urban machine politics. In their policies, they focused unsentimentally on economics—passing programs that would put food on people's tables. They dispensed with the Mugwumps' and Progressives' moral uplift in favor of a pragmatic approach. ....... From Eugene McCarthy in 1968 to Paul Tsongas in 1992 to Bill Bradley in 2000, these figures typically commanded strong followings among students and upscale liberals, while generating comparatively less enthusiasm among labor and African-Americans, among other core Democratic voters. ......... In 1952 and again in 1956, Stevenson tried to avoid negative campaigning at first, considering it undignified and an insult to voters. (He felt the same way about TV ads.) And so when he finally, of necessity, resorted to attacking Eisenhower—mainly by going after his running mate, Richard Nixon—Stevenson came off as desperate and hypocritical. The same was true for Tsongas and Bradley when they flailed haplessly at Bill Clinton and Al Gore. ....... If he continues to heed the advice of friendly pundits to attack Hillary Clinton more forcefully, he risks undermining the very premise of his campaign, tainting his image as a new kind of politician while failing to land his punches, because in the end he's not really a street fighter. What he doesn't seem to understand—as Stevenson did not—is that democratic politics fairly demands a measure of thrust and parry, of appeals to self-interest, and of playing the political game. And so does being a good president.
Novak: Clinton has secret dirt on Obama The Carpetbagger Report This word-of-mouth among Democrats makes Obama look vulnerable and Clinton look prudent. ...... Novak claims that Clinton “agents” aren’t spreading Obama rumors — they’re spreading rumors about rumors. They have “scandalous information,” which they won’t use, but which nevertheless “makes Obama look vulnerable.” ....... Notice that the campaign took a derisive tone towards Novak, which was the right call.
A sweet Saturday mystery: Clinton, Obama and Mr. X Los Angeles Times Novak is a curmudgeonly old Washington veteran much courted by GOP sources seeking to reach their base ...... The column even got a red-letter mention on the Drudge Report, which guaranteed wide notice in political circles. ........ the Clinton machine is notorious for playing hardball and this is just the kind of thing that team might do ...... Notice how Obama tries to tie Clinton to the old Washington politics, using the unsourced, unconfirmed innuendoes of a conservative Republican reporter initially aimed at him. ....... the races in both parties appeared to be tightening. ..... Political leaks--or in this case, insinuations of a non-leak--can be tricky things with unintended consequences. Back in 2000, five days before the general election, thinking there would be insufficient time for the Bush-Cheney ticket to recover, someone leaked word to a Maine TV station about a long-ago DUI arrest there of George W. Bush. Democrats often forget it was Carl Cameron of Fox News who made that a national story. ...... his five-point lead in Maine became overnight a five-point deficit there and he lost that state in the Electoral College.

Hillary's Health Care Plan: A Bonanza For The Insurance Companies

Hillary's health care plan in a nutshell is this. The health insurance industry is working just fine. It covers those who can afford to pay. It leaves out those who can't afford to pay. So if you want everyone to have insurance, you mandate it for those who can afford it but choose to stay out, and you have the government pay for all those who can't afford to pay, which is the vast majority of the uninsured.

Don't tell me Hillary does not respond to lobbyists' money. What better deal could the health insurance industry ask for? Hillary is so totally taking care of them.

Hillary's plan will lead to further skyrocketing costs in the health care industry. You are going to see food fights, there will be so much food, err, cash.

Universal health insurance is a goal that has to be coupled with the goal of bringing the costs down across the board. Health care reform is about asking why America pays more for health than any other country, more than most other countries put together, but why it does not have the number one health care in the world.

Hillary refuses to tackle the many dysfunctional aspects of the health care industry. I guess she feels like she burnt her fingers back in 1993. When you can't beat them, join them. She has learned the lessons the hard way, but I get the impression she has learned the wrong lessons.

Take a more functional industry like the computer industry. The price of computers has fallen consistently over the years, decades. It is because the market forces are at work in the computer industry.

In the health care industry, the market forces are not at work. Instead there is this evil collusion of vested interests. The biggest proof is the poor adoption in the health care industry of information technology. If the health care companies felt like they were competing with each other to provide the best possible service at the lowest possible price, they would be trying to outdo each other in terms who will best adopt information technology in all aspects of their operations. But they are not. They have not been. That is one example to show there is a big need to inject market forces into the health care industry.

But Hillary's plan makes it sound like the health insurance companies have too little money and that is the number one health care problem in the country.

She mandates health insurance. It sounds like it will become illegal to not have health insurance. But no. There will be no punitive measures. So it will be a voluntary mandate. You will be required to have health insurance, but if you don't get it, that's okay too. She should switch words. Instead of calling it a mandate, she should call it a suggestion. As in, Hillary wants you to have health insurance. She also wants you to eat your vegetables.

In a nutshell, when she says mandating, she does not mean that.

And her plan to help people out who can't afford it is tricky too. There is an emphasis on tax credits.

She has been dancing around the possibility that the government will actually have to step in and pay wholesale for those who just can't pay for it now.

Barack's plan is clearer and simpler. Bring the costs down across the board, and pay for those who can't pay. So if you currently do have insurance, your premium goes down. If you don't, you get it.

Of course John Edwards has a point. Hillary is wedded to Washington's corrupt ways. She is by now chummy with the forces she tried to fight in 1993. She has become one with them. That does not count for strength and experience. That, in my book, is capitulation. She has accepted defeat.

There is a reason why Barack's bill for universal health insurance in only half of Senator Clinton's. You are looking at $50 billion in one plan, and $100 billion in another. Because Barack intends to show some tough love to the insurance companies. Yes, there will be universal health insurance. So, yes, you will make more money. You will have more customers. But first cut out the fat. Under Barack's plan, the premiums go down for everyone involved.

Hillary is in disbelief. No wonder she accused Barack of not being for universal health insurance during the Las Vegas debate. She just can't see how you can provide universal insurance for only $50 billion.

That smaller dollar figure means Barack's plan is more likely to get Republican support than Clinton's. And the end result will have to be bipartisan. We all know that. It can't be just a Dem plan.

That plays to Barack's number one strength. He can bring people together. Hillary can't.

So not only is Barack's plan superior, more market friendly, more gutsy in terms taking on the insurance companies, but it also has a much better chance of getting enacted.

And it is curious that Hillary wants eight years to implement her plan. What is more presumptuos, that she thinks she will be a two term president, or that she thinks she is already the nominee, already the president?

Barack's plan is more challenging to implement. He wants four years to do it. So when he seeks reelection, you will actually be able to hold him accountable. Hillary's plan is to just give more money to the insurance companies. For that she wants eight years.

What if she does not deliver even in eight years? She goes writes a memoir. You are stuck with no health insurance. After all, Harry Truman also tried, and he was no pushover.

And her newest ad actually tries to say her 13,000 page 1993 plan was actually a good one. She thinks of the issue as a position paper to be written, instead of a political process to be navigated. That might be her number one flaw on the issue.

Education, Health, Credit: Universal And Lifelong
Faith, Family, Work, Health
Mandating Health Insurance: The Poor Have Too Much Money
Health Care As A Spectrum
Health Care Options

Hillary's 35 - 8 = 27 Years Of "Strength And Experience," 7 Years As Elected Official

Hillary is smart. She got better grades at Yale than Bill Clinton. She has had a lifelong commitment to public service. Bill Clinton as Governor was making 30,000 a year. Makes you want to think in terms of a minimum wage idea not just for teachers, but also Governors.

But she has never held any local or state level office. Years as First Lady don't really count, and if they do, release your records.

The only elected public office she has ever held has been that of US Senator. She has been an excellent Senator.

Barack is smart. He has had a lifelong commitment to public service. But he has had more experience than Hillary as an elected official. He has held a state level office.

If the spouse's experience can count for yours, I'd like to claim Barack could manage a hospital. But in all honesty, I don't think he could. I mean, he could after a learning period, but not as in, let me just step in. It is a different skill set.

Hillary's Middle Class
Gender: The Only Thing Hillary Has Going For Her
Hillary's Pro-War, Anti-Immigration Plank
Bill Clinton's Swift Tongue
Charlie Rangel, Mr. 45%, Hillary Kitchen Rodham Clinton
Does Hillary Have A Gender Card?
Hillary's Socialized Medicine
Bush Is Anarchy, Hillary Is Monarchy
Why Hillary's Iran Vote Is Dangerous

In The News

Obama's Got the Youth Vote, And They Can In Fact Vote Washington Post, United States out of the estimated 9,000 who showed up at Veterans Memorial Auditorium in Des Moines, at least a third were Obama supporters. To which Mandy Grunwald, a longtime adviser to Sen. Hillary Clinton, said, according to the Politico: "Our people look like caucus-goers, and [Obama's] people look like they are 18. [Mark] Penn said they look like Facebook." ...... "Good strategy: A week after finally setting up your campaign's organization to attract young people, tell them they won't vote anyway so their presence is irrelevant," wrote Erickson. ...... "I don't know what it gets Hillary for her team to criticize young people -- and to brand themselves the candidate of the status-quo. What is more, taunting Obama about it could backfire by providing what they call in football 'bulletin board material.' I can hear Obama now: 'Hillary thinks you won't show up! Hillary thinks you're to be ignored! Hillary thinks..." ......... "If Clinton's aides are right in their from-the-hip demographic analysis, they better hope that those young faces aren't carrying their Facebook social network with them." ....... Facebook is the unofficial capital of anti-Clinton country, with young voters -- male and female, mostly Republicans but with some Democrats -- forming numerous groups attacking the former first lady. .... "They look like Facebook" insult. Two days ago, the petition had 570 names. As of Friday morning, it's up to 2,985. ..... One of the newest members, Sean Taylor of Kentucky, wrote on the wall of the Facebook petition: "Barack Obama all the way! And I (and my friends) do vote, Hillary."
Letters: Is (His) Biography (Our) Destiny? New York Times Those who feel safer with Hillary Clinton’s old-school “big stick” diplomacy than with the kind of intelligent use of “soft power” that Barack Obama endorses are living in the past. Our experiences in Vietnam and Iraq have established that use of force does not necessarily lead to beneficial results. What a President Obama would offer is a new avenue to power and respect, not through military might, but through cooperation and understanding. There is no strength more powerful than countries and peoples working together for the common good; and in the face of the dire threats we all share — from global warming to desperate acts born of social inequity — such cooperation can occur none too soon. ...... Barack Obama is one of the contenders who has captured my interest. He has surrounded himself with bright, seasoned advisers. I’m not worried about his inexperience. I hear his intelligent, tempered responses to issues. The United States has an enormous amount of international repair work to do.
Rove says Obama is missing chances to knock Clinton off stride. CNN Political Ticker
Rove as Edwards, Obama strategist? MSNBC considers her to be a “fatally flawed” candidate. But he’s upping the ante on the criticism. ...... “I’ve been surprised at how weak Edwards and Obama have been,” Rove told C-SPAN’s Steve Scully today during a live question-and-answer session with students at three different universities across the country. As if to poke at the fire that in the pending Democratic nomination process, he continued, saying, “They’re both going to give her some scares; she’s going to lose some thing along the way, possibly starting with Iowa.” ....... the Illinois senator has faltered in creating a strong moment of contrast between himself and his opponents during debates. Citing Clinton’s vague answer regarding the release of White House papers during her tenure as first lady, Rove said Obama has had “a number of occasions like that, where a sharp and clear and respectful contrast really could’ve created a moment.” ........ a full third of the population in 2007 saying they would not vote for a Mormon.
Rovian ruminations: Karl Rove scans the presidential races Los Angeles Times, CA archived here. ..... reducing crime, welfare and the general coarseness of urban life there. ..... the strength he has in the early states is authentic .... the surprise to me is how they haven't been able to take advantage of the openings they've been given and exploit them." ....... Rove said Obama, who spoke next, could have drawn a dramatically stark contrast, creating a memorable moment by turning to her and saying of course it was her decision. All she had to do was order the papers released, which are the basis of her claims to be sufficiently experienced to become president. But the Illinois senator did not. Instead he compared the sealed papers to the secretiveness of the Bush administration. ......... Rove added, "Someone characterized Obama to me as another Adlai Stevenson, and I think that's probably accurate." ..... Rove, a self-taught student of history who never graduated from college .... a natural maturation process on the conservative side of the GOP that allows larger issues such as terrorism and national security to take a higher priority now than the onetime all-importance of social issues such as abortion. .... "When my book comes out in 2009."
The Case for Obama Atlantic Online In 2008, Obama is more likely than Clinton to win an impressive electoral vote total that will look like a mandate.
Will Obama Turn Out Young Voters In Iowa? Atlantic Online The Obama's campaign turnout model incorporates large numbers of Democratic leaning independents who have never caucused and young voters who have never voted in a presidential race. ...... College kids will be back home and will be distributed throughout the state, thereby magnifying their effect on other precincts. ......... Obama has more money than any other credible challenger in history; his campaign is not making the same mistakes that Howard Dean's made; Obama is a much better presence on the campaign trail than Bill Bradley and Gary Hart ever were ........ Caucus turnout could reach 160,000. ..... No one but the Obama team believes that -- other campaigns estimate a turnout of about 135,000 Dems. ..... Two thirds of Iowa college students come from Iowa, and the Obama campaign has undertaken a fairly massive effort to make sure they are registered to vote. Potential college-aged supporters are tracked as regularly as veteran caucus goers.
Youth Vote May Bring Iowa Surprise Yahoo! News "While student outreach is a piece of the puzzle, it's not the keystone," said Obama spokeswoman Jen Psaki. The campaign won't fall into the same trap candidates like Dean did, by depending on voters who don't traditionally show up. ........ "It seems like every cycle there is a candidate who says, 'This is the year we get out the youth vote,'" said former Iowa Democratic Party chairman Gordon Fischer, who is backing Obama. "In the past, there have been attempts to organize the youth vote. I don't think there has been as large an attempt as there is now." ....... 18-29 year olds have begun turning out in higher numbers. In the general election in 2004, 49% of the demographic turned out to vote ...... Even with record caucus attendance in 2004, when more than 124,000 Democrats showed up to participate in the crowded and contentious Democratic nominating contest, people between the ages of 18-34 made up just 10% of the crowd, according to Iowa Democratic Party statistics. By contrast, 32% were over 65. ....... the weather is likely to be miserably cold, and that attendees must spend hours in a room with people they barely know and proudly voice their opinions on politics. "That's not normal college student behavior" ....... process itself is another barrier, one that requires a time-intensive investment to overcome. Trading votes, compromising and convincing neighbors are all skills required to win delegates for one's chosen candidate. "Half the battle is getting [young voters] to show up," independent pollster Ann Selzer said. "And another quarter of the battle is teaching them what to do." ...... Experienced caucus-goers, many of whom have participated in the process for decades, can operate more effectively than a passionate younger voter with little knowledge of the process. ....... Obama boasts 31 satellite campaign offices in the state, more than any other candidate. He's spent more than $4 million on television ads ..... Several second-tier candidates have packed up an moved all but a few staffers - and even family members -- to Iowa for the critical final stretch. ....... If the race is as close as polls suggest - Clinton, Obama and Edwards all hover in the low to mid-20% range - strong youth turnout could be key to anyone's hopes of winning. Pollster Selzer says it is no longer implausible to bank on new faces showing up on caucus night. In 2004, 45% of attendees were first-time caucus-goers. ....... traditional campaigning comes first. "We're looking at young voters as icing on the cake," he said, "but we're still baking the cake."
Obama supporters frustrated by long wait to see their man San Francisco Chronicle, USA stood in line for more than two hours outside the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium on Wednesday night and still didn't get in to the Illinois senator's raucous campaign rally. ........ The crush of people trying to get into the rally overwhelmed the security efforts ...... At 6:30 p.m., when the doors opened for the event, the queue outside looked like a summertime line at Disneyland. ...... "I stood in this line for over two hours and advanced about 100 feet" ..... "I was surprised at how patient everyone was," Davis said. "It wasn't an angry or an ugly crowd, although the wait did start to get old." ..... by about 8:45 p.m., the Secret Service took down the metal detectors and let the crowd stream in unchecked. ..... crowd that roared its approval throughout the candidate's half-hour speech.
SF: OBAMA WOWS CROWD OF 6000 AT CIVIC AUDITORIUM CBS 5

Bush criticizes Democrats over Iraq war funds Reuters
UPDATE 1-US envoy seen trying to revive Musharraf-Bhutto deal Reuters
Democratic hopefuls play difference cards in Vegas Los Angeles Times Clinton stepped down from her front-runner's pedestal and hit back at her Democratic rivals Thursday night in a feisty debate that drew out differences over immigration, foreign policy and the proper tone of an increasingly harsh campaign. ..... suggesting that Obama had failed to take a strong stand in favor of universal healthcare. ....... Oct. 30 .... Her nonspecific answers to several questions fueled rivals' assertions that she was shifty and over-calculating. ........ "When I was a state senator in Illinois, I voted to require that illegal aliens get trained, get a license, get insurance to protect public safety," Obama said. " . . . But I have to make sure that people understand. The problem we have here is not driver's licenses. Undocumented workers do not come here to drive." ....... Edwards and New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson joined Obama on the pro-license side........ Obama doubled back on another issue from the previous debate, Social Security, and delivered one of the sharpest jabs of the evening ....... "Understand that only 6% of Americans make more than $97,000 a year," Obama said. "So 6% is not the middle class. It is the upper class. You know, this is the kind of thing that I would expect from [Republicans] Mitt Romney or Rudy Giuliani, where we start playing with numbers. We start playing with numbers in order to try to make a point." ...... In contrast with earlier debates, the discussion was not dominated by the war in Iraq. ..... would appoint only judges who accepted Roe vs. Wade as "settled law." ...... proposal to store nuclear waste beneath Yucca Mountain, about 90 miles northwest of Las Vegas. ...... Los Angeles -- where the candidates are scheduled to debate on Dec. 10.
Musharraf stands up to pressure from US San Jose Mercury News
US seeks to end Pakistan crisis BBC News
Obama hits Clinton with early debate punches Tehran Times Clinton engaged in an angry back-and-forth with Obama on healthcare, as tensions flared in the opening moments of the debate. ...... several recent polls suggest the race may be narrowing. ..... She saw that lead slip to 19 percent, in a CNN/Opinion Research Corporation national survey from a previous 30-point advantage. .... Two polls in the key state of New Hampshire, which traditionally holds the first presidential primary contest, showed Clinton still leading, but edging back towards the field. .... In Iowa, the race is a statistical dead heat, recent polls show.
Obama on the Clinton 'secret pact of ambition' Baltimore Sun “I’m not in this race to fulfill some long-held plan or because it was owed to me” ..... the number of people who say Senator Obama talked about running for president as a youngster seems to grow daily
Clinton shows she can push back Toronto Star
Clinton Tags Romney As a Flip-Flopper The Associated Press Romney is touting a constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage after saying during a 1994 U.S. Senate campaign that he'd be a better advocate of gay rights than his opponent, Democrat Edward M. Kennedy. Romney says he also opposed gay marriage in 1994, and is as committed to opposing discrimination based on sexual orientation today as he was 13 years ago. .... "A lot of people laughed at George Bush flubbing sentences in 2000, but a lot of people took that to be a sign he was like the rest of us" ...... Romney, the son of a three-term governor
Obama Campaign On "Clinton Mandate?" Atlantic Online Clinton said about the mandate in her health care plan, “At this point, we don't have anything punitive that we have proposed. We're providing incentives and tax credits which we think will be very attractive to the vast majority of Americans.” ....... The ad reminds viewers of her failed effort to pass universal health care in the early 1990s, trying to portray a thwarted enterprise as one of vision. .... require every American to buy health insurance, offering tax credits and subsidies to help those who can't afford it.
Clinton Advances Renewable Energy Ideas The Associated Press
Clinton highlights renewable energy ideas in Nevada speech San Jose Mercury News "We have all this empty federal land in Nevada, it should be packed with wind turbines and solar panels." ...... Nevada, a state rich in geothermal, solar and wind power
UN peace mission in Nepal set to be extended AFP
Giuliani Assures Group on Conservatism The Associated Press
Anti-hate-crime rally at Justice Department Los Angeles Times incidents of noose hangings and other displays of racial antagonism. ..... "In recent months, there have been reports of nooses and other symbols of racial and religious hate appearing in schools, workplaces, and neighborhoods across the country. ........ Sharpton said: "We are not fighting conservatives. We're fighting Confederates. ..... In fiscal year 2007, the Justice Department convicted 189 defendants of civil rights violations, according to a department fact sheet released Thursday. The department said this was the largest number of such convictions in its history. ....... During Friday's protest, demonstrators circled the Justice Department building seven times, echoing the biblical account of the ancient city of Jericho, the walls of which were said to have crumbled after Joshua and his followers circled the city seven times. ..... Sharpton, who referred to Joshua in his speech, was joined at the rally by the fiancee of Sean Bell, a black New York man who was killed by police on his wedding day last year, and the father of Mychal Bell, one of the "Jena Six."
China deals blow to Western efforts to punish Iran Stuff.co.nz
Iran: China Pulls Out of Sanctions Meeting New York Times “I think it’s partly related to genuine travel difficulties, but also linked to resistance on the broader question of sanctions from that quarter.”
'China's exports may decline sharply' Times of India
China warns of weak int'l demand as global economy slows Xinhua
China powers ahead on renewable energy China Daily China is well on its way to acquiring fully 15 percent of its energy from renewable sources by the year 2020, while the United States is dragging its feet on transitioning away from fossil fuels ... Nations across the globe invested over $50 billion collectively into renewable energy conversion last year, and in 2007 China alone is expected to account for some $10 billion of investment .... Worldwatch Institute, an independent Washington, DC research group. .... China will draw 30 percent of its power from renewable sources by 2050. ..... China's ability to lead the world into the age of renewable energy, much as the United States led the world into the age of oil roughly a century ago ...... renewable energy sources -- unlike traditional fossil fuels -- will never run out. ...... with hybrid technology the United States is easily capable of reaching 55 mpg, and with fuel cell technology could possibly go as high as 80 mpg in the future. ..... The goal of a 15 percent renewable energy share by 2020 pales in comparison to Germany's plan to source 45 percent of its electricity from renewables by 2030.
China smokes the US in renewables, and who's got the most ... Seattle Post Intelligencer
Court rejects challenge to wiretap program Los Angeles Times
Wireless Links Give Businesses an Option The Associated Press
Scientists Clone First Monkey Voice of America
Monkey Embryos Cloned for Stem Cells Washington Post
You, again: Are we getting closer to cloning humans? CNN

Poll: Electability drives Giuliani lead in Nevada CNN
Thousands March in Washington to Call for Prosecution of Hate Crimes Voice of America
Behind Clinton’s Diamonds and Pearls New York Times “Do you prefer diamonds or pearls?” Maria Luisa Parra-Sandoval, one of several audience members who posed questions, asked her. “I want both,” Mrs. Clinton replied to laughter. Last week, CNN had contacted Ms. Parra-Sandoval, a political science student at University of Las Vegas-Nevada, through a professor, and asked her to submit a question. She wrote one about health care for children. CNN rejected it, calling it too similar to another question that would be asked. So she sent another, about Iraq. That was rejected too. On Wednesday, a CNN producer asked her for two final questions, one substantive and one light. Ms. Parra-Sandoval sent one about Yucca Mountain, the Nevada site under consideration as a storage facility for radioactive waste. With the deadline approaching, she stared at her computer screen. Noticing the pearl-pattern background on her MySpace page, she dashed off the jewelry one. CNN asked her to come to the debate with both questions memorized. Two hours in, a producer whispered that she should ask the second one. “Because I was on national TV, I felt hesitant, but then I felt like, ‘Oh my God, I’m on national TV, I’ll just ask it,’” Ms. Parra-Sandoval said. Now Ms. Parra-Sandoval is being accused, by everyone from bloggers to fellow students, of asking an airheaded, sexist question. On her MySpace page and in a phone interview, she protested that she tried to ask several substantive questions but that CNN would only let her participate through a silly one. “The media should be more democratic and be better able to reflect our democratic process,” she said. ........ the odd thing about this particular incident is that Ms. Parra-Sandoval does not seem the least bit frivolous or bling-minded. A former illegal immigrant whose parents clean and do laundry for Las Vegas hotels, she attends a UNLV honors program on scholarship and work-study programs. Two summers ago, she interned for Senator Harry Reid; last summer, she won a fellowship in public policy at Princeton. She wants to be an immigration lawyer when she’s older.
Clinton Rallies, Counterattacks At Debate U.S. News & World Report Clinton changed her strategy, focusing more on attacking and counter-attacking her opponents than at previous events ....... Clinton "accused" Obama "of wimping out on health care ...... Clinton "was much more aggressive, repeatedly challenging her rivals by name, as she had not done in past debates. ...... If Clinton was "significantly more critical of her rivals, Obama was more direct than he has been in previous debates. ..... framing the Democratic contest as it now stands as a series of attacks that risked damaging the ultimate party nominee, even as she went on the attack for the first time herself ...... After two bad weeks in the 2008 Democratic presidential campaign, she recovered her footing and pushed back sharply at her opponents in a debate Thursday night." Obama "had only an average night, and on a couple of questions he seemed flummoxed. ....... And Edwards "should have stayed home." ..... Clinton said she was wearing her 'asbestos pants suit' in Las Vegas, but, more important, she was wearing a smile and carrying a fistful of ammo and sound bytes. ...... that Clinton "gave as good as she got. And those who tried to kick her, stubbed their toes. John Edwards got booed when he attacked her for taking money from Washington lobbyists...and seemed both surprised and irritated ....... poised and pugnacious ...... describes Obama as "focused, energized, tough, charismatic-pretty much everything the press had accused him of not being in previous debates. And yet the candidate who probably helped herself the most was Hillary Clinton." ....... for the second month in row McCain performs better against leading Democrat Hillary Clinton in hypothetical matchups than any other top-tier Republican ..... In the Democratic primary, 44% would vote for Clinton; 23% would vote for Obama ...... Clinton tops Giuliani 47%-43% and Thompson 49%-40%, but is in a tighter race with McCain, whom she leads 46%-45%. Clinton trounces Romney, 50%-37% ....... Giuliani leads the GOP field with 25%, followed by Romney, 21%; Thompson, 17%; McCain ....... ..... 27% of Iowa Democratic caucus-goers would vote for Hillary Clinton; 25% would vote for Barack Obama11% were undecided. ...... 27% of caucus-goers would vote for Mitt Romney; 18% would vote for Mike Huckabee; 16% would vote for Rudy Giuliani; 10% would vote for Fred Thompson; 6% would vote for John McCain; 5% would vote for Ron Paul ...... Clinton leads with 29%, followed by Obama, 27% ..... a prod toward greater transparency and disclosure on Capitol Hill. ...... Bush "accused the Democratic-controlled Senate of waging a 'search and destroy' mission against his judicial nominees that ruins reputations." ..... Bush's announcement was "applauded by Senator Charles E. Schumer," who "had called for opening up the military airspace." Schumer "said the change should be made permanent." ...... the root of the problem of airline delays: the nation's outdated air traffic control system." ...... Newsweek .. Karl Rove, who was announced Thursday as the magazine's newest contributor ... On Aug. 13, the same day Rove stood alongside President Bush on the South Lawn, Meacham said he e-mailed the strategist about getting his byline in print."
China pulls out of Iran sanctions meeting Tehran Times
Bush presses hard to ensure Japan remains a close ally International Herald Tribune
Germany could consider separate EU steps on Iran Reuters
Merrill to Pay Chief $50 Million, More if Stock Rises New York Times
UN Global Warming Report Sternly Warns Against Inaction Washington Post
Is Google Planning An Android Platform For Wireless Spectrum? InformationWeek