KC Buzz Blog

Edwards, in KC, on Iraq

   Former Sen. John Edwards, speaking to The Star's Steve Kraske on Iraq:
   E: I would draw down 40-50,000 troops immediately and continue that process over the next 12-plus months, get our combat troops out of Iraq.
   K: But the administration says setting just tells the insurgents they have to persevere only that long 
    E: I think the flip side is true. What Bush has been doing is enabling the bad behavior of the Shiite-Malaki-led government and the Sunni leadership. The result is there’s been no serious effort for political reconciliation. There can’t be peace and stability in Iraq without a political reconciliation. That’s the problem in Iraq. Congress should not be funding an escalation in this war. Congress has the power to stop it. And we should do more than just pass non-binding resolutions.
   K: Critics say if you pull out, you’re inviting Iran in.
   E: We need to be engaged with the Iranians directly. The Iranians, hostile as they are in many ways to us, they have an interest in stability in Iraq. They won’t want a million-plus refugees coming across their western border. They are a Shiite country. It’s a Sunni-dominated Muslim world. They are very much in the minority. That means if the conflict were to go completely south and spread out outside the borders of Iraq, they’re in the minority, they’re in a very dangerous place.

Posted by Steve Kraske

Edwards: Raising taxes for health care won't kill me

   Raising taxes to fund a universal health care plan isn't political suicide, John Edwards said today.

   "No, I think it's called telling the truth," the Democratic presidential contender said in Kansas City.

  Edwards, who stopped here for just a few hours to raise campaign money at the Mission Hills home of a lawyer, Tom Jones, unveiled a national health-care plan this week.

  One component of that plan: repealing the Bush tax cuts on the wealthiest Americans who earn more than $200,000 a year.

  "What I believe is that we have a dysfunctional health care system," he told Buzz Blog in an interview. "We have to repair our health care system, make health care more efficient, more affordable to cover the 47 million people who don't have coverage.

  "All those things aren't free."

  More in Thursday's Star.

Posted by Steve Kraske

Gulp! Is this the kind of endorsement Sam wants?

   When it comes to the Republican race for the White House, Kansas Sen. Sam Brownback is a personal favorite of a well-known Republican.

   The problem is Brownback is a personal favorite, along with former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, of former Majority Leader Tom Delay. Delay offers his thoughts on the two and the Republican nomination contest in an interview with The Hill.

   Delay resigned his seat in the House last year after he was indicted in a campaign finance case. The Democrats picked up Delay's seat in the November election as they re-took control of the House.

Posted by DeAnn Smith

Hail to Barack Hussein, whoops, the Messiah

   Having the the dreaded middle name of Hussein (thankfully Adolf wasn't considered) seems to have been the only stumble facing Illinois Sen. Barack Obama. The press (except for those at the Fox News channel, of course) are falling all over themselves to christen Obama the candidate to beat in the Democratic primaries. He's getting rock-star receptions on the campaign trail (including here in Kansas City last fall).

   So it should come as no surprise that Slate.com has done the only respectful thing for an investigative online outlet. They've created a Messiah watch page, seeking proof that Obama can literally walk on water.  And already it's done an incredible service to its readers. Who knew Obama's nickname was Barry? Move over Barry Williams. You're no longer the cutest, cleanest Barry of the bunch.

Posted by DeAnn Smith and Jason Noble

An under card death match between Sam and the Huck

   The Washington correspondent for the Christian Broadcast Network (you know, the network with a guy who knows a thing or two about Iowa caucuses and the religious right) offers his thoughts on Sen. Sam Brownback's presidential prospects. And he also offers a tidbit from a prominent evangelical leader.

   And they see Brownback's biggest competition coming from former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee.

   Of course, Brownback also has going for him that he doesn't have to face back home what Gov. Pet. Tee has to endure (and Slick Willie before him).  And that would be scathing columnists airing their dirty linen in public.

Posted by DeAnn Smith

A story to make Bill Clinton break out in cold sweats

  By Italian standards, former President Bill Clinton should consider himself lucky his wife, New York Sen. Hillary Clinton, only joked about her experiences with "evil and bad men."

   Talk about needing a spew alert over your morning latte. A former Italian prime minister got to read in his least-favorite newspaper an open letter from his wife berating him for his flirting and public marriage proposals to other women. She then laid down the gauntlet. She demanded a public apology, since he didn't see fit to give her a private one. 

   Mamma Mia! What is a philandering politician to do?

   It's almost Cupid's Day so apparently the best recourse was to write his own public Valentine, which included begging for her forgiveness and in closing offering a huge kiss. The New York Times writes up all the juicy details.

Posted by DeAnn Smith  

Biden's mouth strikes again

    It was supposed to be Sen. Joe Biden's big day announcing his presidential run. Instead, he had to explain calling Sen. Barack Obama “the first mainstream African-American who is articulate and bright and clean and a nice-looking guy.” Here's The Caucus' take.

Posted by Keith Chrostowski

N.C. reporter trashes journalism to El Rushbo

    A nervous North Carolina reporter called into Rush Limbaugh's show this morning to correct the location of presidential candidate John Edwards' palatial boondocks retreat (Chatham County, not another county as Limbaugh said) and offer his thoughts on Edwards' presidential candidacy.

   "I am really frightened," the reporter said about the notion that the former North Carolina senator might get elected president. The reporter and Limbaugh also talked about how Edwards is a "hypocrite" for talking about "two Americas" while living it up as a multimillionaire.

  Limbaugh teased the reporter that he had never heard a caller sounding so scared on the air before.

  The reporter said he is too nervous to admit in his newsroom that he's a Republican, but then said he shouldn't have to worry about anyone hearing his call and getting into trouble with his bosses because those liberal "drive by media" don't listen to Limbaugh.

  The reporter and Limbaugh joked about their conversation winding up public on Poytner or some "think tank." Limbaugh joked the headline would be "reporter trashes journalism" on Limbaugh's show.

  No, that wouldn't be Poynter. That would be the KC Buzz Blog. That's KC as in Kansas City, Mr. Limbaugh. We're sure you remember fondly your old stomping grounds, which are very snowy today. 

Posted by DeAnn Smith

Reality sets in for Kerry

    John Kerry, the senator from Massachusetts, was one of the first to bolt last night (seemingly as President Bush was saying "God Bless.") And now he's bolting from the 2008 presidential contenders.

   Media sources are reporting that the unsuccessful 2004 Democratic nominee won't try for a second time. And that's no joke.

   Posted by DeAnn Smith

The style of presidential candidacy announcements

   The Washington Post offers a look at the substance and style of presidential candidates' announcements. Kansas Sen. Sam Brownback is noted for kicking his campaign off old-school style while New York Sen. Hillary Clinton wins the cutting-edge style contest.

Posted by DeAnn Smith

Check out these numbers on Al Gore

   Anyone out there thinking that Al Gore might consider running for president next year ought to take a gander at the latest CBS News survey.

   The former veep clocks in with a 32 percent favorable rating and -- hang on here -- a 46 percent unfavorable number.

   Forty-six percent. That's way higher than anyone else surveyed -- except for John Kerry (22 percent fav, 48 percent unfav).

   Hillary was at 43-38, by the way. McCain at 39-20 and Edwards at 34-21.

   If global warming is Gore's trump card....well, he better begin looking for a new card.

Posted by Steve Kraske

Edwards pulls 'em in

   John Edwards reeled in some pretty good-sized crowds last week when he announced his bid for the White House.

   A sampling:

• In IA, the local NBC reported 2,500 people showed up for Edwards' town hall.
• In NH, the AP reported he had over 1,500 people on hand.
• In Reno, the AP reported Edwards had 1K people at his event.
• And in SC, he had over 1,800 people at his town hall.
• Finally, at his rally in Chapel Hill, the AP reported over 5K people attended.

    Not bad.

Posted by Steve Kraske

Bye, Bayh

   Indiana Sen. Evan Bayh, a centrist Democrat, announced today he's not going to run for president. Just two weeks ago he took the first steps toward a bid, but today he said:

   "The odds were always going to be very long for a relatively unknown candidate like myself, a little bit like David and Goliath,” Mr. Bayh said in a statement. “And whether there were too many Goliaths or whether I’m just not the right David, the fact remains that at the end of the day, I concluded that due to circumstances beyond our control the odds were longer than I felt I could responsibly pursue."

   Democrats are said to be stunned.

Posted by Keith Chrostowski

"Insiders" pick Clinton, McCain

   The National Journal is out with its "Insiders'" survey of the fledgling 2008 race for the White House.

   The Journal talked to both congressional and political campaign types, 145 GOPers and 147 Dems.

   Who will be the Democratic White House nominee? (first-place votes only).

• Hillary Clinton 69 percent.
• John Edwards    11
• Barack Obama   9
• Al Gore              6
• Evan Bayh         3

Who will be the GOP White House nominee?

• John McCain    73 percent
• Mitt Romney    18
• Rudy Giuliani     5
• Newt Gingrich     1
• Mike Huckabee   1

   Yep, no Sam Brownback.

Who would be the strongest Demo vice-presidential nominee? (Asked of Democrats only).

• Obama:     48 percent
• Bill Richardson:    12
• Mark Warner:    9
• Tom Vilsack      7
• Bayh       5
• Wesley Clark    5

Who would be the strongest GOP VP candidate? (Asked of GOPers only).

• Romney    20 percent
• Condoleezza Rice  18
• Giuliani   12
• Haley Barbour     8
• Jeb Bush      5
• Chuck Hagel    5
• Tim Pawlenty     5

Posted by Steve Kraske

Here it comes: Hillary vs. Barack

   The Washington Post today weighs in with an early look at the fight of the (new) century:

   Clinton vs. Obama.

   Check it out here.

Posted by Steve Kraske

You heard it here first

   At the Democratic Governors Association meeting in Washington this week, Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack was, like many of his colleagues, pretty scornful of Congress' ability to solve problems. Vilsack, who is running for president in 2008, offered a line that KC Buzz Blog is sure will get a good workout out over the next year or so: "Governors believe the solutions to America are on Main Street, not K Street."

Posted by David Goldstein

Who's on Frist?

   Tennessee Sen. Bill Frist out of the 2008 White House race? That's what The New York Times' The Caucus is reporting.

  UPDATE: Here's the AP on Frist announcing he's not running.

Posted by Keith Chrostowski

Ode to Joy, Huck style

    Doesn't Mike Huckabee remember what happened to the last cash-strapped Arkansas governor who turned to benefactors?

   Guess not.

   The second man from Hope, who is considering a GOP presidential run, is in a wee bit of hot water for a "wedding registry" that was set up to furnish his new Arkansas home as he leaves the Governor's Mansion. The Huck said today that the registry was set up at Target and Dillard's because there was no separate wedding category.

   Neither article mentions what's sure to be a much-discussed faux pas in the Natural State. Homegrown Dillard's got one of the registries, but what were the friends thinking when they included Target, rival of Arkansas-darling Wal-Mart?

Posted by DeAnn Smith

Duncan who?

   California GOP Rep. Duncan Hunter, the chairman of the Armed Services Committee, announced today he is running for president. He said it's "the right thing to do for our country."

  Some wonder if the long-shot move is related to the midterms.

  "Duncan Hunter is looking for something to do if the Democrats take control of the Congress," said poli sci prof Carl Luna. "He doesn't want to have to go from being chairman of a powerful committee to just another backbencher."

Posted by Keith Chrostowski

Dems' rock star brunching for Claire

    Democratic politicos say they're getting invites for eggs and pancakes with Illinois Sen. Barack Obama, who is headlining a Senate campaign fund raiser for Claire McCaskill.

   The event is at 8:30 a.m. Oct. 7 at the Muehlebach Hotel in downtown Kansas City. Tickets range from $250 to $2,100. Uh, at that top-end price ya gotta hope that the senator is breaking the eggs for your omelettes!

   Obama stumped for McCaskill earlier this year in the eastern part of the state.

Posted by DeAnn Smith

Keep your eye on Barack

   My buddy, David Yepsen of the Des Moines Register, has been covering Iowa presidential caucuses for years.

   Check out his take on Illinois Sen. Barack Obama's recent visit to Iowa where he gave the keynote speech at fellow Sen. Tom Harkin's steak fry. (Hint: The steak fry is a very big annual Democratic event up there).

   Obama, Yepsen writes, "got a nearly unprecedented response." A huge crowd, topped only by former President Clinton's one year.

   Obama's Iowa reception is noteworthy, Yepsen said, because there will be around 100,000 Iowa Democrats who show up on caucus night. A candidate might win with 20,000 votes. If 3,500 are willing to show up for him now, "Obama's already part way there."

   Also, there were a lot of people at the event that Yepsen had never seen. "Young people. People of color. Most old pros will tell you that attracting new people to your campaign is one sign of a winner."

   Obama danced around reporters questions about '08, but he may not be fooling anybody. "We've learned that leading national pols who come to IA on nice fall weekends aren't here just to enjoy the scenery or eat a leathery piece of food," Yepsen said.

   There are "lots of reasons why activists seemed to like Obama, but they all came down to this: Hope." He "offers them a promise of something fresh, uplifting and different."

Posted by Steve Kraske

Poll update: McCain soaring in head-to-heads

   The latest Fox News survey has John McCain on top of the world.

   The Arizona senator trumps Hillary Clinton in a hypothetical 2008 matchup 47-39 percent. And he whips Al Gore 47-40.

   Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani doesn't do quite as well against Clinton or Gore, although he beats them both.

   On a different front, asked if they thought it was likely that a member of Al Qaeda was living in their area, 54 percent of respondents said yes, that was likely.

   And asked if the Sept. 11th attacks signified the start of World War III or if that was an exaggeration, 26 percent said it was the start of the war while 65 percent called that an exaggeration.

Posted by Steve Kraske

Giuliani on top in new Iowa survey

   A new Iowa poll shows GOPer Rudy Giuliani on top, well ahead of another early presidential front-runner, John McCain.

   The Victory Enteprise poll shows the former New York mayor at 30 percent to McCain's 17. No one else is even close to double digits.

   But consider this:

   Des Moines Register political writer David Yepsen writes, "Of all the 2008 Republican presidential candidates making the rounds in Iowa, none is doing better than Mitt Romney."

   And that has drawn the attention of the McCain camp, Yepsen says.

   Oh, Kansas Sen. Sam Brownback was tied for last at 3 percent. If he stays in the hunt, a strong finish in Iowa is essential for Brownback.

Posted by Steve Kraske

Welcome to America democracy Sen. Allen

    The Washington Post has the latest on Virginia Sen. George Allen's efforts to contain the political damage to his Senatorial campaign and presidential ambitions after telling an opponent's campaign worker, "Welcome to America," and calling him a name that some liberals call racist and some conservatives say was foolish and mean.

   The Hotline says Allen is suffering more for how he's handling the post-macaca fallout than for his original faux pas. Allies even are questioning his "mohawk" excuse because "Welcome to America" is hard to misread, the online newsletter says. The Hotline wonders whether this story will fade away or dog Allen's presidential campaign because it fits the view of race and Southern politicians.

  What do you think?

Posted by DeAnn Smith

He said it

  The Hill newspaper on Capitol Hill reports this morning that while Sen. Joe Biden is flirting with running for president in 2008, he told supporters recently that it's not the end-all and be-all of his existence. A 34-year veteran of the Senate, the Delaware Democrat said he knows he could do the job, but, "I'd rather be at home making love to my wife while my children are asleep."

Posted by David Goldstein 

Who holds the ace?

   Some high stakes gambling took place in Las Vegas over the weekend, but this game had nothing to do with cards and chips.

   A group of 2008 Democratic hopefuls paraded before a conference of Internet bloggers and party activists. All know that the blogosphere and the scribes who populate it will be as important to win over as any voter wandering into a New Hampshire fire hall.

    This is a tough crowd. Democratic bloggers think that party leaders have been wimps in their struggles with Republicans. Making pitches were potential presidential wannabees Govs. Tim Vilsack of Iowa and Bill Richardson of New Mexico, former Virginia Gov. Mark Warner and retired Gen. Wesley Clark. The big name missing was Sen. Hillary Clinton of New York. Here's a full story from today's Star.

Posted by David Goldstein 9:40 a.m.

California dreaming

  Seeking to force presidential candidates to pay attention to California’s 15.5 million voters, state lawmakers have jumped aboard a new effort that would award electoral votes to the candidate who wins the popular vote nationwide. Here's how the Los Angeles Times reported the story.

Posted by Clayton Keller 10 p.m.

Interested in a third party in '08?

   A bipartisan group of political organizers launched a new group today called Unity08.com, an effort to redesign the system for nominating White House candidates. The Internet-based third party is headed up by former Carter chief of staff Hamilton Jordan, former Carter communications director Gerald Rafshoon and Hotline founder Doug Bailey. They boast they are being joined by a collection of young people.

  Newsweek's Jonathan Alter reports that the Unity08 plan calls for an online third-party convention. Any registered voter could be a delegate, voting on a centrist platform and nominating a bipartisan ticket. As part of its launch, Unity08 released a poll showing that 63 percent of respondents expressed an interest in a ticket that would feature both a prominent Democrat and prominent GOPer.

Posted by Keith Chrostowski 12:40 p.m.

John Edwards: I'm not looking back

    In Kansas City Wednesday afternoon to stump for a bump in the minimum wage, John Edwards pointed to a litany of issues bedeviling the country:

    Health care. Poverty. Iraq. Spiking gas prices. Hurricane Katrina.

    President Bush, he said, "doesn't have the respect of the American people."

   So the question I put to him in an interview after his talk at a Midtown union hall was: In your private moments, do you ever look back and wonder how you managed to lose to this guy in 2004?

   The 2004 vice-presidential nominee wasn't biting.

   "Well, actually, what I wake up thinking about these days is what should we do about people who live in poverty? What should we do about people who don't have health care coverage? And (I think about) so many middle-class families like the one I grew up in who are struggling to surivive every day.

   "Because we're better than this. America can do better than this."

   And that was that.

   Oh, Edwards said he hadn't decided yet whether he'll run in 2008.

Posted by Steve Kraske 3:03 p.m.

John Edwards is back -- again

   The last time John Edwards was in Kansas City, he talked about poverty.

   This time, the 2004 Democratic vice presidential nominee will speak about raising Missouri's minimum wage.

   Edwards, who visited the area at least twice since March 2005, will speak at noon Wednesday to the Legal Aid of Western Missouri. The event, a fund-raiser, will be Downtown. For tickets, call Denise at (816) 474-1413, ext. 226.

   Then at 1:30 p.m., Edwards will appear at a minimum wage rally at Missouri SEIU Local 1, 4526 the Paseo.

   No question the former North Carolina senator is weighing a second straight run for the presidency in 2008.

   Posted by Steve Kraske 3:20 p.m.

John Kerry to the rescue

   In what may be one more sign that John Kerry is running for president, the Massachusetts Democrat was among the first out of the gate today expressing outrage over the theft of personal data from U.S veterans.

    "If your credit card company or your doctor's office lost your personal private information, you'd go ballistic," Kerry said in a statement. "This is no way to treat those who have worn the uniform of our country. Somebody needs to be fired, the perpetrators needs to be caught, and the security system at the V.A. needs to be massively overhauled."

Got that?

Posted by Steve Kraske 2:25 p.m.

The more, the merrier

    The roads to New Hampshire and Iowa are getting crowded. Tom Daschle, who led the Senate Democrats during their long - and still ongoing - stay in the political wilderness - will make June stops in the two states that can make or break a presidential campaign.

    The Associated press reports that the former South Dakota senator said he intends to "sound out presidential themes, talk to voters and get a sense of what kind of reception I might be getting." He'll visit Michigan, too, which Democrats could add to the early caucus and primary schedule. Iowa and New Hampshire have long had it to themselves

   Daschle lost his re-election bid in 2004 to Republican John Thune. Since then, he's gotten involved with a Democratic think tank, set up a political action committee and tracked the progress of Sen. Hillary Clinton's march to the nomination. Lots of Democrats - many of them ruefully - and Republicans say she's the early favorite.

Posted by David Goldstein 9:10 a.m.