February 26, 2008 – Capitol Hill Blue

It’s Called “Leadership”

February 26, 2008

The more their campaigns go on, the more the clear differences between Mr. Obama and Mrs. Clinton appear. They are not so much policy differences as they are personal differences. And, in a word, I believe those differences can all be chalked up to the “L” word”….”Leadership”.

In exit poll after exit poll, an overwhelming majority of Democratic voters have said they would be “comfortable” with EITHER Mr. Orbama OR Mrs. Clinton as President. So what attributes of Mr. Obama’s character are now fueling his growing popularity, and what attributes are now sinking Mrs. Clinton’s?

A Politician in a Poke?

February 26, 2008

Imagine, if you will, that you have just been awarded a new NFL franchise. One of the big things you have to do, other than coming up with gobs of money, is pick a head coach. So you look around at head coaches, assistant coaches, offensive and defensive coordinators, etc., and develop a short list of perhaps five people.

Bush: Clueless and Happy

February 26, 2008

President Bush last night delivered a buoyant campaign-style address to the 2008 Republican Governors Association Gala, once again raising the question of whether he has any idea what a drag he’ll be on the Republican ticket.

Our Elections Take Too Long And Cost Too Much

February 26, 2008

The 2008 election is ALREADY over three years old and we are still only a little bit closer to knowing who the two party’s top nominees will be.

The Democrats are, by their own admission, now feeling a “strong undercurrent of fear” if their little beauty contest between Mr. Obama and Mrs. Clinton drags on for very much longer. The policy differences between the two candidates are minuscule, so it’s really now down to their two personalities.

Sen. Chris Dodd plans to endorse Obama

February 26, 2008

Former Democratic presidential hopeful Chris Dodd will endorse Barack Obama in his bid for the White House on Tuesday, a source close to the Obama campaign said.

Dodd, a U.S. senator from Connecticut, dropped out of the race for the Democratic presidential nomination in early January after placing sixth in the Iowa caucuses, the first nominating contest in the nation.

Obama, a senator from Illinois, and rival Hillary Clinton, a senator from New York and former first lady, are now battling for the nomination.

Clinton heads into last-chance debate

February 26, 2008

Faltering Democrat Hillary Clinton Tuesday faced one of her last chances to derail Barack Obama’s presidential express train at their final debate before make-or-break nominating contests next week.

After a day of running battles Monday, Obama headed into the televised debate in Cleveland, Ohio buoyed by new polls suggesting his rival senator’s national support was collapsing.

One of the polls by CBS News and the New York Times gave the Illinois senator a 16-point lead over Clinton among Democrats nationwide, 54 percent to 38 percent.

Obama’s momentum increases

February 26, 2008

Barack Obama has taken clear leads over Hillary Rodham Clinton among white men, middle-income earners and liberals, allowing him to catch his faltering rival in their race for the Democratic presidential nomination, a national poll showed Monday.

Marine vehicle delays cost American lives

February 26, 2008

The Marine Corps has asked the Pentagon’s inspector general to examine allegations that a nearly two-year delay in the fielding of blast-resistant vehicles led to hundreds of combat casualties in Iraq.

The system for rapidly shipping needed gear to troops on the front lines has been examined by auditors before and continues to improve, Col. David Lapan, a Marine Corps spokesman, said Monday night. Due to the seriousness of the allegations, however, “the Marine Corps has taken the additional step” of requesting the IG investigation, Lapan said in an e-mailed statement.

Democrats see a train wreck coming

February 26, 2008

Remember the political teeth-gnashing eight years ago when Democrat Al Gore won the popular vote for president only to lose to Republican George W. Bush in the Electoral College after weeks of disputed vote-counting in Florida and contradictory decisions by the Florida and U.S. supreme courts?

Names may change but corruption remains

February 26, 2008

It didn’t all start with Watergate — the age of Washington ethical lapses, that is — and the ghosts of earlier scandals still haunt the halls of Congress.

Back in the ’60s following a Senate scandal of huge proportions, first the upper chamber of Congress and then the House decided to establish bipartisan committees to convince the public that lawmakers took ethics seriously. Until that time, allegations of ethics violations were handled by standing committees controlled by the majority party.