Fantasy Politics USA

Hillary Clinton suggests that some of Bush’s surge plan in Iraq is working during an address to the Veterans of Foreign Wars convention on Monday. “We’ve begun to change tactics in Iraq, and in some areas, particularly in Al Anbar province, it’s working,” Clinton said. “We’re just years too late in changing our tactics.” “We can’t ever let that happen again,” she added. “We can’t be fighting the last war. We have to keep preparing to fight the new war.” I guess Clinton says what ever she thinks her audience wants to hear. She did admit it was a mistake to give President Bush the authority to do what he did in Iraq during the last debate. Clinton sidesteps the fact that she too, was a part of that mistake. Clinton was soon attacked for flip flopping on her position on Iraq. Democratic rival Bill Richardson said in a statement, “The fact is the surge is not working. I do not give President Bush the same credit on Iraq that Hillary does.” Fred Thompson was also at the convention and had some more support for the Iraq war. He said he thought the nation was in denial when dealing with the threat of terrorism. “I don’t think that yet as a nation we have come to terms with the nature and the extent of the threat facing this country,” Thompson told the crowd of veterans. Thompson said he felt the nation was at a crossroads and, “it’s time that we had a frank discussion in this country at the highest levels with both parties as to what it’s going to take and the unity we’re going to need.” So he wants a bipartisan agreement of his ideas. Thompson also attacked those that want to pull the troops out of Iraq, the cut and run crowd. “Some people in this country apparently think that if we can pull out of Iraq, our problems are going to be over. You and I know better than that. We know that Iraq is an important front in this war,” Thompson said. Thompson also mention the Al Anbar province as a sign of progress in Iraq. Barack Obama also addressed the VFW convention and promised to take care of veterans after they return from war. “We honor your service and we enter into a sacred trust with you from the moment you put on that uniform,” Obama told the nation’s veterans. “That trust is simple. America will be there for you just as you have been there for America.” Obama added, “As a candidate for the presidency, I know that I am running to become commander-in-chief, to safeguard this nation’s security, and to keep that sacred trust. There is no responsibility that I take more seriously.”
Alan Cosgrove

Another former Senator has announced he might jump into the Presidential race. Georgia Democrat Sam Nunn told the Atlanta Constitution that he is considering a run as an independent. “My own thinking is, it may be a time for the country to say, ‘Timeout. The two-party system has served us well, historically, but it’s not serving us now,’” Nunn said in an interview. “I am frustrated, and clearly frustrated, with the fact that I think my children and grandchildren are not going to have the kind of future they should be having.” Nunn is known for his work in reducing nuclear weapons while in the Senate. Nunn has said he has been in touch with Unity08, a group of former Republicans and Democrats that are working together to promote a bipartisan independent ticket. Michael Bloomberg has also been in conact with this group, even though he is saying that he couldn’t win anyway. “Nobody’s going to elect me president of the United States,” Bloomberg told Dan Rather. “What I’d like to do is to be able to influence the dialogue. I’m a citizen.” Bloomberg could jump in at any time with his billions, and I believe he is just testing the waters. He just mentions it every couple of weeks so he can keep his name on that long list of potential candidates. Nunn mentioned he wanted to wait until the first of next year after the Democrats and Republicans have straightened themselves out. It makes sense for a third party candidate to wait.
Alan Cosgrove

Vibe Magazine has done a two part interview of Presidential candidate Barack Obama. Obama will also grace the cover of the September issue of Vibe with the caption ‘It’s Obama Time.’ The interviews are conducted by American Book Award winning author Jeff Chang. The interviews take on many issues from the Iraq war, taxes, crime, education, and even fashion. Chang even asks Obama what he has on his iPod. Obama said, “I’m impacted by my generation. Most of my iPod probably is either jazz classics – Coltrane, Miles Davis – or it’s got the songs of my youth, right? So you know Stevie Wonder, Earth Wind & Fire, Aretha Franklin. But every once in a while I will find something that’s out right now that moves me, and then I’ll pull that down. So when the Fugees were together, I loved listening to the Fugees. I think OutKast does a lot of interesting work. My fellow Chicagoan Common I think is outstanding. I really dig his stuff.” To read both interviews and other stuff about Obama from Vibe Magazine click here.
Alan Cosgrove

Fred Thompson hasn’t entered the race officially yet, but today he did a bit of heavy campaigning during his testing the waters phase. Thompson took his turn speaking at the Iowa State Fair on the soapbox Friday. He told the crowd he was pro-life, and he urged patience in Iraq. Some suggested he was waiting to long to declare his candidacy, but he brushed them aside saying, “I wasn’t around when they made those rules and I’m not abiding by them. We’ve got plenty of time.” On the way out of the fair Thompson told one lady as he shook her hand, “We’ll be in your face so much you’ll be sick of us.” Thompson spoke vaguely about the war in Iraq. “We’ve got to make very, very sure that we don’t run up the white flag when there’s an opportunity there to prevail,” Thompson said. “If we don’t prevail there, if we don’t stabilize the situation in Iraq, that’s going to make it more and more difficult in other parts of the world.” Later in an interview with CNN, Thompson called Roe v Wade, “bad law and bad medicine.” He also spoke against gay marriages during the interview saying, “I don’t think that one state ought to be able to pass a law requiring gay marriage or allowing gay marriage and have another state be required to follow along.” Thompson was asked about his critics, and he told CNN’s John King, “If I have critics in Washington it’s not going to come as a surprise to me. I’ll have more by the end of this campaign.” Thompson then added, “The proof’s in the pudding. I think that’s curable.” This guy seems a perfect fit for those yearning for the Reagan years. He speaks with glaring generalities and cliches that mean absolutely nothing.
Alan Cosgrove

The Illinois Republican party held a Straw Poll during it’s Republican day festivities at the Illinois State Fair on Thursday. To be included a candidate had to participate in at least one of the Republican debates, or have poll numbers above 5% at a national level. Mitt Romney won the Illinois Straw Poll overwhelmingly with 40.35% of the vote. Non-candidate Fred Thompson came in second with 19.96% of the vote. Rounding out the top five was Ron Paul with 18.87%, Rudy Giuliani with 11.67%, and John McCain with 4.12%. Mike Huckabee the real winner of the Iowa Straw Poll was sixth with only 3.04%. Other candidates received even less votes. To bad ‘none of the above’ wasn’t included. Only Mitt Romney and Ron Paul have been in the top five of both of the recent Republican Straw Polls. Giuliani may be ahead in the polls, but when people are really casting votes Mitt Romney keeps coming out on top.
Alan Cosgrove