Hillary’s Voice

They finally have our needs in mind (by NewHampster at Partizane)

Dems Who Flipped On FISA Immunity See More Telecom Cash (The Crypt, CBS News)
House Democrats who flipped their votes to support retroactive immunity for telecom companies in last week’s FISA bill took thousands of dollars more from phone companies than Democrats who consistently voted against legislation with an immunity provision, according to an analysis by MAPLight.org.

Feingold to filibuster warrantless wiretapping bill
Sen. Russ Feingold, D-Wis., will take steps this week to filibuster a Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) reform proposal that provides retroactive immunity to telecommunications corporations that violate the privacy rights of customers by sharing information with illegal spying programs. Feingold and Connecticut Sen. Chris Dodd — both longtime critics of the immunity provision — indicated they would take steps to block the bill after members of groups such as TrueMajority.org on Tuesday urged senators to use all procedural strategies available to them to stall the rapid progress of Bush administration-backed legislation that would bar consumer lawsuits against telephone companies that are guilty of spying on Americans.
That is LEADERSHIP.

Reid to co-sponsor effort to strip retroactive immunity from FISA bill. (Think Progress)
[Tuesday], Sens. Chris Dodd (D-CT) and Russ Feingold (D-WI) promised to do everything they can to strip retroactive immunity from “compromise” wiretapping legislation, including a filibuster. In a statement, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid’s (D-NV) office says he will co-sponsor and support their efforts.

Lawsuit could be power shake-up for Obama, McCain
WASHINGTON - Barack Obama and John McCain, two senators who want to become president, are trying not to pick sides in the White House’s court fight with Congress over executive privilege.
That is NOT leadership.

A Time For Decision … Or Arrest (by TChris at TalkLeft)
The issue before District Judge John Bates can be framed in simple terms: Does the Constitution empower the president to block enforcement of congressional subpoenas that command the testimony of senior presidential advisers concerning the firings of U.S. Attorneys? Judge Bates said yesterday: “Whether I rule for the executive branch or I rule for the legislative branch, I’m going to disrupt the balance [of powers.]” Not really. Ruling on the question will disrupt the status quo — an impasse — but the balance of powers has already been disrupted by a president who considers himself above the law. Judge Bates has an opportunity to restore the proper balance: each branch acting as a check against abuses of power by the other branches.

Another opportunity for Obama to lead (by lambert at Corrente)
Boston Globe: “Ten months after Congress passed a law establishing a White House coordinator for preventing nuclear terrorism, President Bush has no plans to create the high-level post any time soon, according to the National Security Council…” [T]he White House seems to be ignoring the nuclear terrorism coordinator requirement not for constitutional reasons but simply because the administration thinks it is a bad idea. It is a stance some legal scholars called an even more blatant disregard of the checks and balances on presidential power.

Republicans recycle Clinton’s Obama barbs
WASHINGTON (AFP) - Hoping to spoil this week’s political embrace of erstwhile foes Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, Republicans are picking at festering wounds from the Democratic White House primary battle.
Oh, yes.  Any and all problems Obama has will be blamed on Hillary.

What Does He Really Believe? (by Charles Lemos at No Quarter)
[A] new Republican National Committee ad asks what Obama’s real position is on trade issues. It’s hard to tell.
Click through to watch the ad.

Bill Clinton offers support to Obama
WASHINGTON - Former President Clinton said through a spokesman Tuesday that he is committed to helping Barack Obama become president, his first comments in support of his wife’s former rival since their primary ended three weeks ago.

Clinton’s back in the game (Politico)
The senator was all smiles as she returned to her day job, where she received a standing ovation.
Yes, well, she did what they wanted her to do—hand over the nomination to the least qualified candidate ever.

ACTION: I Own My Vote - Sign the Pledge (by Alegre)
CLICK HERE to sign the pledge.  It’s quick - it’s easy - and it sends a message to Howard Dean, Barack Obama, David AxelRove and anyone else who just assumes we’re going to fall in line behind someone who’s lied about our candidate, attacked her mercilessly while claiming to be the candidate of change without a peep from the DNC, the press or the media - and who’s followers have been relentless in hounding, stalking and abusing anyone who doesn’t fall in line behind their guy. As you’ve probably noticed, Obama’s got a lot of work to do if he wants to heal the divisions he’s played a large role in creating in our party. My advice for our presumptuous nominee? Get to work Barack and do it now!

Pelosi: Yes, sexism hurt Clinton; but that’s just the way it is (On Politics, USA Today)
At a breakfast with reporters hosted by the Christian Science Monitor this morning, USA TODAY’s Washington Bureau chief Susan Page asked House Speaker Nancy Pelosi if she thought sexism had played a significant role in Hillary Rodham Clinton’s failure to win the Democratic presidential nomination. The California Democrat’s answer was yes, but that Clinton’s gender also may have helped her somewhat — and that it doesn’t pay to dwell on the negatives. Pelosi said she too has been a victim of sexism.
Yes, don’t dwell on negatives, like the Bush administration’s CRIMES.  Just let them get away with it.  Good idea, Nancy.  Let everybody get away with everything.  Unless they get in the way of the money raising machine.

The “New” Politics (by Big Tent Democrat at TalkLeft)
M.J. Rosenberg writes: “[I]t is silly to get bent out of shape when [Obama] says something he may or may not believe in order to win . . . That is precisely what I want him to do . . .” I suppose that is why Rosenberg supported the Obama campaign’s saying: “Proving once again that [Hillary Clinton] will say and do anything to win . . .” All the “outrage” Rosenberg expressed about the Clinton campaign was just a big lie apparently. Now my own view is that ALL pols will say and do anything to win - the trick for us as citizens is to make the politically wise thing to do be the things we want the pols to do. That is why we hold their feet to the fire.

Why we fight (by Joseph Cannon at Cannonfire)
The PUMA meme, like the term itself, was born online. Anti-Obama sentiment would never have congealed into a movement if his followers had not behaved in such a repulsive fashion, if they had not cried “Racism!” at every perceived heresy. For months, they disparaged the legacy of the best Democratic president since FDR. The so-called “left” regurgitated every right-wing hate-meme and wacko anti-Clinton conspiracy theory of the 1990s. Roughly twelve years ago, the Whitewater smear (along with all the cognate smears) made me love a president toward whom I had previously felt lukewarm. History crossed party lines in order to repeat itself: In 2008, the Moulitsas Mob transformed this Anyone-But-Hillary kind-o-guy into a Hillary-Or-Else kind-o-guy…

For months, we stood on the receiving end of the most despicable, deceitful, paranoid, insulting and abhorrent barrage in the history of the Democratic party. Hillary’s a Republican! Hillary’s a fucking whore! Hillary’s worse than Lieberman! Hillary FORCED Dubya to invade Iraq! Hillary wants to kill Obama, just like she killed Vince Foster! The prog-bloggers spoke darkly about the “Bush-Clinton crime family” — a term which soon morphed into the “Clinton-Bush crime family.” The Kossacks became the new Freepers, the new Dittoheads. Our lives were threatened. The prog-bloggers kept shouting: Go! Go! Leave us, Clintonistas! This is OUR party now. Get out out OUT! So out we went. And we ain’t coming back soon…

We have only one way to cleanse the party of Moulitsas, Stassinopoulos, Aravosis, Marshall, Obama, Axelrod, Plouffe, Dean, Brazile and all those other pieces of subhuman sewage. We must make sure that Obama fails — either in August (very unlikely) or in November (more likely) or, if need be, in his presidency. After that, and only after that, comes unity. On our terms.

An open letter to Glenn Greenwald (by vastleft at Corrente)
Glenn,… Some of us have become personae non grata by noticing again and again how far from a tonic for what ails Bush-afflicted America Barack Obama really is. One of the great, undertold stories of this campaign is the complete meltdown of the left blogosphere, where virtually no intelligent intra-party debate remained possible because major forums like Daily Kos and Democratic Underground — and practically every A-list blog’s comments threads — turned into echo chambers for Clinton hate and Obama infallibility… When the progressive blogosphere gave infinite, automatic credit to Obama regardless of his positions, statements, and actions, the opportunity for progressive reform being the coin of the realm in this contest went out the window. What a different race we would have had if Democrats had held both candidates’ feet to the fire to commit to restoring Constitutional government!

Obama asks donors to help Clinton with debt
WASHINGTON - Democrat Barack Obama on Tuesday asked his finance team to help Hillary Rodham Clinton pay off a debt of at least $10 million from her failed presidential campaign, setting the stage for joint appearances by the two former rivals later in the week.

Obama dismisses Dobson criticism about Bible
LOS ANGELES - Barack Obama said Tuesday that evangelical leader James Dobson was “making stuff up” when he accused the presumed Democratic presidential nominee of distorting the Bible… In his program, Dobson focused on examples Obama cited in asking which Biblical passages should guide public policy. For instance, Obama said Leviticus suggests slavery is OK and eating shellfish is an abomination…” “I think he’s deliberately distorting the traditional understanding of the Bible to fit his own worldview, his own confused theology,” Dobson said.
Is Dobson saying that slavery is okay, and that no Christian should eat shellfish?

Enabling (by Big Tent Democrat at TalkLeft)
Jonathan Singer is urging donations to the Democratic candidate for Senate in Colorado Mark Udall… I personally would not lift a finger for Mark Udall. Why? Because he has not lifted a finger for any issue I care about. He voted for the Steny Surrender. He has never supported timelines for withdrawal from Iraq. He never has spoken for anything that I care about… Mark Udall does not care about you. I am not at all sure why you should care too much about him. Is he better than the Reoublican? Of course. Vote for him if you are in Colorado. Work hard for him? I would not. He has not worked hard for you.
Ditto Barack Obama.

What Barack Obama can learn from Jesse Ventura (by Garrison Keillor, Salon)
I made fun of Jesse for years, but the man knew something basic about politics: You need to talk to the people. How else will they get who you are?

Voters say McCain better suited to handle Iraq than Obama
While Iraq is not shaping up to be a main issue for the November election, a new Associated Press-Yahoo! News poll finds more voters believe John McCain is better suited to handle Iraq than his Democratic presidential rival, Barack Obama.

Clarke: Charlie Black Basically Said To Terrorists, ‘Yes You Can Manipulate Our Politics, Come And Do It’ (Think Progress)
[Monday], Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) distanced himself from chief strategist Charlie Black’s comments that a terrorist attack would be a “big advantage” to the McCain campaign. “If he said that, and I do not know the context, I strenuously disagree,” McCain told reporters. Later in the day on MSNBC, former counterterrorism adviser Richard Clarke told Keith Olbermann that if McCain was serious in his outrage, he should fire Black immediately. He also criticized Black for basically encouraging terrorists such as Osama bin Laden to manipulate American politics.
Um, I don’t think the terrorists need any help, Mr. Clarke.  Besides, fighting scare tactics with scare tactics is not exactly my cup of tea.

Obama team calls more attention to McCain adviser’s comments on terrorism (On Politics at USA Today)
Looking to keep at least some attention focused on a comment made yesterday by one of John McCain’s top advisers, Democrat Barack Obama’s presidential campaign just put a member of the 9/11 Commission on the phone with reporters to condemn the words… Ben-Veniste (an Obama supporter) told reporters that Black’s comments “provide a candid and very disappointing glimpse into the thinking of one of Sen. McCain’s closest advisers.”… Dennis McDonough, an Obama foreign policy adviser, was also on the call. He said that “politicizing” the issue of terrorism is not making the nation safer.
But Obama’s not politicizing terror, oh, no!  Just taking advantage of the OTHER team’s politicizing terror.  Oh, wait, isn’t that the same thing?

FLASHBACK: McCain Declared Osama Bin Laden Threats Are ‘Very Helpful’ To Bush’s Campaign (Think Progress)
[Monday], Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) sought to distance himself from adviser Charlie Black, who told Fortune Magazine that another terrorist attack on the United States would be “a big advantage” to McCain’s campaign. McCain rejected the comments, saying, “If he said that, and I do not know the context, I strenuously disagree.” However, McCain himself has made similar assertions in the past. In 2004, just three days before the presidential election, McCain argued that a recently-released video-tape by Osama bin Laden would prove “very helpful to President Bush”:

A novel defense for McCain’s policy reversals (by Steve Benen at Crooks and Liars)
Two months ago, the Washington Post’s Richard Cohen noted in passing that John McCain has “fudged and ducked and swallowed the truth on occasion.” Cohen, however, said McCain deserved a pass because he had “understandable” reasons for his mendacity. And what, pray tell, were these “understandable” reasons? Cohen didn’t say. They were just, ipso facto, understandable. [Tuesday], Cohen added a little substance to the claim. McCain may be a flip-flopper, but that’s fine, Cohen argues, because he’s also a former prisoner of war. Seriously.
And Steve, what’s your defense for Obama’s many fudgings, duckings, and swallowings of the truth?

Slick John McCain and the offshore oil ruse (by Andrew Leonard, Salon)
The safety and economics of offshore drilling are distractions from the much larger challenges that humanity faces: Climate change and peak oil.

Elizabeth Edwards: McCain’s individual market for health insurance discriminates against women. (Think Progress)
Writing at the Wonk Room today, Elizabeth Edwards, a Senior Fellow at the Center for American Progress Action Fund, points out that the individual market for health care — as advocated by Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) — would discriminate against women. Edwards explains that health care insurers “‘rate-up’ my insurance bill for not only my status as a breast cancer patient, but also my gender,” noting that women are forced to pay more for health insurance.

Grassroots Support For Single Payer (by Trudy Lierberman, Columbia Journalism Review)
Crossing what has become the acceptable boundary for discussion about health reform, the media turned out to cover rallies in nineteen cities marking a National Day of Action against insurance companies.

“Aware of the Internet,” Computer Non-User McCain Touts eBay as Recession Cure (by Jon Perr at Crooks and Liars)
Two weeks ago, Huffington Post reminded Americans that John McCain by his own admission doesn’t know how to use a computer.  Now, McCain campaign aide Mark Soohoo reassured voters that “John McCain is aware of the Internet” and “You don’t actually have to use a computer to understand how it shapes the country.” No doubt, as with so much that for his public policy pronouncements, John McCain didn’t let his ignorance get in the way of speaking out. As it turns out, back in April the self-described computer “illiterate” proclaimed eBay was the answer to poverty and recession in the United States.
Maybe he’s been talking to Dick Cheney.

McCain reaches into S. Florida homes with massive conference call
Imagine this: After a long day at work, you’re stirring a pot of spaghetti when the phone rings. It’s John McCain.

A map of who’s who politically on the Web (On Politics, USA Today)
PresidentialWatch08 has had an interactive map up-and-running on its site for a couple weeks now, but it seems to just now be getting wide notice. The dots represent “the 500 most influential websites of the U.S. political webosphere,” according to the site’s blog. Go there if you want to see whether your favorites have been included — and perhaps to find some links to new sites. Here’s what the map looks like:

The East Coast dominates?  I am SO surprised!

Lots more really good stuff at MakeThemAccountable.com.

Carolyn Kay
MakeThemAccountable.com