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Plenty of posturing.

By Mark Kilmer Posted in Jane Harman | Joe Biden | John McCain | Mike Huckabee | Mitt Romney | Pete Hoekstra | Special Features | Talk Shows — Comments (18) / Email this page » / Leave a comment »

Sunday, October 21, 2007

What happened this morning? Well, you'll have to read the show-by-show (beneath the fold) to find out, but here is some of it.

On FNS, host Chris Wallace goaded John McCain into attacking Mitt Romney, which was not difficult: "You can't con the voters." Wallace pointed out that Fred Thompson has been recently critical of BCRA, and McCain countered that McCain-Feingold was really McCain-Feingold-Thompson, as they "couldn't have gotten it done without him." McCain would "absolutely" back BCRA today because DC is still corrupted by lobbyist. (Which means that it was a waste of time and liberty, but it is one man's reasoning/rationalization.)

Mike Huckabee was up next for Wallace on FNS, where Wallace pointed out that Huckabee had won last night's FRC straw poll, but nothing seemed to be helping in fundraising. Huckabee countered that they are the only campaign that hasn't slipped in their fundraising totals and that he isn't giving himself money or mortgaging his house.

Over on MTP, Tim Russert hosted a roundtable of women historians and journalists gushing about Hillary. Russert called Hillary "a victim of her marriage." (Yeah, but it got her to where she is today.) The best line came from the only dark haired woman on the panel, Sally Bedell Smith: "We could have two Presidents in the White House who are married to each other." That's sobering and ought to be discussed this fall.

On TW, Joe Biden was George Stephanopoulos's guest. Joe Biden argued that President Bush would still have a civil war in Iraq if all the al Qaeda up-and-disappeared in an instant. This ignores what started and what is fomenting the sectarian conflict, but Joe Biden is selectively ignorant. Joe Biden asserted that the only reason Rudy was able to solve the crime problem in New York, New York was because of the "Clinton-Biden crime bill" which gave him more cops on the street. He laughed at the suggestion that the Republicans were the party with the values, as they value someone making $1.4-million getting huge tax breaks while the taxpayers are not forced to send every student to college.

On FTN, Mitt Romney said he would talk about his values, not the particulars of his faith. Schieffer asked Romney if he believed that the Garden of Eden were in Missouri, and Romney refused to answer, saying that the church leaders could speak for him. Schieffer asked Romney about his evolving positions on abortion, and Romney accused John McCain of having changing positions too. Romney told Schieffer that he never claimed to be the only real Republican in the race and that he did not say that anyone else was not a real Republican. (I post the full quote, and I think he's right about that.)

Finally, on LE, Wolf Blitzer interviewed Jane Harman and Pete Hoekstra. Both suggested that Pyongyang might be involved in helping Syria to develop nukes, thus prompting last week's air strike from Israel. Both stated that President Bush should not have gone all bellicose with Tehran, threatening them with World War II if they developed nukes. Hoekstra said that when he and Harman are alone, away from the partisan rancor, they can work well together.

Harman added that Bush "took his eye off the ball" by attacking Iraq when he should have devoted our time, energy, and resources to capturing Osama bin Laden and Ayman al Zawahiri.

I think I can see into her soul, as well, Congressman Hoekstra.

Read More for the show-by-show review…

JOHN MCCAIN ON FNS. On FOX News Sunday, host Chris Wallace was priming the pumps for tonight's FNC Republican candidates' debate from Orlando. John McCain was first, and Wallace wanted first for him to discuss Mitt Romney and Rudy Giuliani. McCain wanted to discuss Mitt, how he was a little offended when Romney paraphrased Howard Dean in 2000 by claiming to represent the "Republican Wing of the Republican Party." This was not the case, McCain argued, as there were a number of conservative Republicans in the race, including himself.

McCain suggested: "You can't con the voters." You can't have your values "shifting with the political winds." He admitted that Romney might have thought he had to run as a liberal to win in Massachusetts against Ted Kennedy, when he said he did not want the GOP to match Reagan's conservatism and adamantly backed the notion of abortion on demand. Wallace mentioned that Romney has criticized McCain for his stances on campaign finance reform and on immigration, and McCain averred that these were also Romney's stances eighteen-months-ago.

Wallace brought up that Romney and even Fred Thompson are now criticizing McCain for his campaign finance reform push, and McCain countered that McCain-Feingold was really McCain-Feingold-Thompson, as they "couldn't have gotten it done without him." McCain defended the BCRA. He would do it again because – "Absolutely!" – because Washington is still dominated corrupted by special interests. (Which means that BCRA had all the ill-effects feared and solved no perceived problem. Nice one, John.)

McCain said he hasn't yet made a decision on whether to accept federal matching funds for his campaign, but he will not take out a loan. He then clarified, saying that he's leaving all the options on the table, but he doesn't want to take out a loan.

Wallace pointed out that McCain has been criticized for his lack of management experience, and McCain countered that he "ran" – a term from which he immediately back away, as soon as it had escaped his lips – the largest squadron in the Navy, which was, he pointed out, a "direct service to the country."

McCain boasted his consistency: "I was the only candidate who said we had to stop the failed Rumsfeld strategy." He said that he was criticized by Republicans for this, but that: "I was right."

McCain said that he does not want to become President to do the "easy thing"; rather, "I want to do the hard thing."

MIKE HUCKABEE ON FNS. Wallace next spoke to Mike Huckabee, fresh off a resounding performance at the FRC's Washington Values Voter Summit in Washington, both in the speech and in the straw poll. Huckabee told Wallace that the "values voters" dig him; they want a "conservative who is authentic" in his belief in their values.

"I think we have a real shot at winning Iowa," said the former Arkansas governor. "Every month, we keep doing better [in the polls]." The latest poll Wallace put on the screen showed Thompson and Huckabee closely tied for second place, closely trailing Romney's diminishing lead. Wallace pointed out that none of this has helped Huckabee's fundraising and suggested that the campaign would go broke if they don't outright win in Iowa. Huckabee said that the other candidates were using their own wealth or taking out loans, but he has not; he asserted that he's getting the most "miles per gallon" out of the funds he's raised: "Our universe is expanding, not contracting."

Huckabee was asked about genuine conservatives and the various charges being thrown, and stated that John McCain was a "genuine conservative." As examples, he said that McCain was conservative on the "issues conservatives care about": life issues and national defense & security. (Perhaps their peeps talked in the green room.)

Huckabee said that he has been a consistent conservative for years. There will be no "YouTube moment," when someone finds an old speech in which he said something radically different that he is saying now.

Huckabee argued that he has had more executive experience than any other candidate in the field.

Wallace pointed out that Huckabee has been criticized for his lack of foreign policy experience, so he asked two questions:

The PKK crossing the border.
Huckabee said that our troops should not engage in military exercises in this conflict; rather, we should be training and arming the Kurds, who were capable of taking care of themselves.

Musharraf or Bhutto in Pak.
It's up to the Turks, but the two seem to be coming to an accord.

Huckabee said that "they" had said that Reagan had no foreign policy experience, and that "they" had said the same thing about the second President Roosevelt. Huckabee said that it really comes down to the President's "moral character," and that he "can learn" the foreign policy stuff in office.

A MTP ALL-GIRL ROUNDTABLE. Well, all female: Doris Kearns Goodwin , Kate O'Bierne, Judy Woodruff, and Sally Bedell Smith. (Ms. Smith was the only female at the table with dark hair.)

They spoke first of Barry Obama, who had just faulted the Senate for voting to make the Iraq war possible, while he opposed it in obscurity. Goodwin opined: "I think it [Barry's new line] has to resonate with voters…. He has to differentiate himself from Hillary Clinton."

The panelists decided that this election was "all about women." Woodruff ventured that Hillary can be a "transcendent figure" in politics and can snap off 4-5% of female Republican voters in the general election. Goodwin differentiated between Hillary as Bill's first lady and Hillary on her own. O'Bierne suggested that Bill had always made the public politics look easy, but Hillary is getting better at such things.

Smith might have inadvertently given the GOP a great concept for this fall's campaign against Hillary, though we had it already: "We could have two Presidents in the White House who are married to each other." That one is loaded!

The panel spoke of Bill and Hillary, of Franklin and Eleanor. I almost spilled my coffee on my already burnt neck.

Russert contended that Hillary "is a victim of her marriage." (He ignores that her marriage got her to where she is today, which could be considered by some to be an indictment of our male dominated society, etc.) Woodruff injected that Hillary has been "more maternal recently." Russert contended that Republicans talk much more of Hillary than they do of any other issue. O'Bierne offered that she believes Hillary is "doing a pretty effective job, right now," with Republicans.

They discussed at Hillary as if they were looking into the cage of some endangered creature in a zoo.

JOE BIDEN ON TW. On ABC's This Week, host George Stephanopoulos sat down with Joe Biden in Des Moines on Friday. Steph told a story of a lady who sees him at a campaign appearance and says that she was really impressed by him, "before Hillary." How does Biden change those minds? Biden said that he doesn't change those minds, but that "there are a lot of minds being changed." He said that a "lot of serious people think I'm capable of being President, and if they thought I'd win, they'd be for me." He said that three months remain, and the next President is going to have a "very, very serious job and a tremendous opportunity." With "no margin for error."

Joe Biden hears that he'd make a great Secretary of State. He asks the crowds if they'd be willing to vote for a Presidential candidate who would not make a great Secretary of State.

Steph played a clip of John McCain criticizing the Gelb-Biden plan, and Joe Biden countered that John McCain offers no political solution of his own. Joe Biden said that if the regions have personal and economic interests in a secure Iraq, they won't kill each other. He said that he told the President that if every al Qaeda in Iraq were to die in an instance, the President would still have a "civil war" in Iraq. (He did not address for how long such would exist if those causing it were of a sudden eliminated. Poof. Magic. This "civil war" did not happen, is not happening, in a vacuum, Joe Biden.)

Steph accused Giuliani of "stepping up the rhetoric" against Iran. Joe Biden scoffed that aside from McCain, the Republican candidates know "next to nothing about foreign policy." He said that only he could stop the Iranians from getting nukes. He said that Rudy was able to solve the violent crime problem in New York City only because of the "Clinton-Biden Crime Bill," which put cops on the street.

Joe Biden added that the President is only united the Arab world against the United States with his tough talk to Iran.

Joe Biden thinks that calling the Iranian Revolutionary Guard a terrorist organization, stipulating that the thinks the resolution was a "gigantic mistake." Steph played a clip of Hillary saying that she did not endorse an invasion of Iran by voting for that resolution. Joe Biden replied that Hillary should know that Bush lies. He said that President Bush used the Iraqi Liberation Act as an excuse to invade Iraq, that he did not "abide by the spirit" of that Act.

Steph told Joe Biden, with a smirk, that as they were sitting there speaking, the Republicans were attending "something they're calling the Values Voters conference." Joe Biden began laughing. Steph commented, "You laugh, but in the past several elections, Republicans have had an advantage on that issue, that issue of values. How do Democrats get it back?" (The question itself is misleading, as since 1980, the Democrats have never been on the radar screen and have only weakly tried to get there on the issues which matter to values voters.) Biden's reply was that the Democrats have to "fiiiiiiiiiiiight baaaackkkkk." He will ask his Republican opponent what he values, and his "for instance" was telling of just how weak he is in this area: "Do you value someone making an average $1.4-million a year getting an $85-billion dollar tax cut" rather than forcing taxpayers to send everyone to college? That's a straw man, as that is not a value.

That's enough Joe Biden for this one particular stomach on one this morning.

ROMNEY ON FTN. Bob Schieffer's guest on CBS' Face the Nation was Mitt Romney. He talked of the candidates' trying to convince the values voters, but he claimed that Romney had won the FRC straw poll last night. (He won only with the illegitimate, online votes thrown in. "Huckabee won the on-the-scene poll by a huge margin.)

Romney said he'd talk about his faith and values, but that he would not talk of the doctrine of his church, leaving that to his church leadership. "I'm happy to having people ask questions." He said that so many people polled are averse to voting for a Mormon because they fear they'd be voting for Harry Reid.

Schieffer asked him if he'd ever make a speech like JFK's speech on Catholicism. Mitt stipulated that he's no Jack Kennedy, but he allowed for the possibility of such a speech in the future.

He asked if Romney takes literally the teachings of his church, and Romney said he does: "I'm true blue, through and through." This means that his church leaders will speak for him on the doctrines of Mormonism.

Schieffer asked if Mormons believe that the Garden of Eden was in Missouri. Romney refused to answer, leaving it up to his church. He talked of his values, "fundamental principles… the same, faith-to-faith."

Dr. Bob Taylor of Bob Jones said that he endorsed Mitt while rejecting his religion because he doesn't like Hillary. Mitt accepted the endorsement without repeating the guy's name.

Romney said that evangelicals will endorse Romney's values, because it was the Mormon's who helped Jerry Falwell fight gay marriage.

Schieffer asked Romney if he'd take orders from the hierarchy of the Latter Day Saints. He said that he would not listen to them on an issue which affected our nation.

After a commercial, Schieffer brought up Mitt's evolving abortion positions and McCain's contention last week that Romney is not consistent. Romney respects McCain but he has evolved, and that his other positions have also evolved. He said that many of McCain's positions have changed, on Roe, on ethanol, on immigration. On immigration, Romney thinks that all illegal immigrants should be allowed to apply to say "just like anyone else," but they should not get special treatment or amnesty.

Schieffer asked him about his previous criticisms of the NRA when now he says he is a member. Mitt said that he received the NRA's support when running for governor for Massachusetts and that he will continue to solicit their support.

Schieffer asked Romney about gay rights, with Romney telling voters in 1994 that he'd be a stronger advocate for gay rights than Ted Kennedy. Romney pointed out that in 1994, gay marriage was not an issue, so you can't use that statement against him. (Which flies directly in the face of Romney's contention that as governor of California was "adamantly pro-choice" or even in any way pro-choice. [link])

After another commercial break, they continued this discussion. Schieffer asked him about the "real Republican in this race" statement. He brought up Romney's claims in 1994 once of being an "independent" during Reagan, didn't want to return to Reagan-Bush, and had voted for Paul Tsongas. Schieffer said that this was not an evolution in values, but rather a "change in philosophy." Romney said that he had told Ted Kennedy that he was his own man, not a return of Reagan-Bush. He told Schieffer that the claim that he voted for Paul Tsongas is a smear, because he voted for Tsongas only in the Democrat primary.

Mitt Romney conceded that he is not the only "real Republican," and that he did not say that anyone was not a "real Republican."

I believe conservatives across the nation and particularly in states where I have been able to take my message, like Iowa and New Hampshire and South Carolina and Michigan and Florida and Nevada ["YEAAARRRRGH!"], that conservatives that have heard me time and again recognize that I do speak for the Republican wing of the Republican Party. [source]

Romney said that he wants to build a winning coalition by "staying true to Republican principles." (Good luck with that, governor.)

HARMAN AND HOEKSTRA ON LE. CNN's Wolf Blitzer talked to Jane Harman and Pete Hoekstra about foreign policy. Wolf opened by asking about the Israeli air strike in northern Syria, and he said it was a sign of hostile activity by the Syrians. He wants to know which other nation was involved in this. He spoke against the Administration leaking "bits and pieces" selectively to the media; they should then brief every member of Congress. Harman added that she knows of the air strike only what she has learned from the media, and that often false information if "leaked" by this Administration.

Harman pointed out that the "neighborhood" has remained quiet, so she figures the Norks were involved, and they're quiet because no one wants to start such an armed race. Hoekstra couldn't go into more depth about the program, he is not permitted to say anything. He said that what Pyongyang is doing – making and breaking agreements – "would be an indicator of what kind of agreement they would make," how trustworthy it could be.

Wolf twisted the President's view of Iran starting World War III by obtaining nuclear weapons into a threat of war. He asked Harman if this were a realistic threat. Harman replied that the President should not be so bellicose. Sanctions were working, she said. She pointed out that both Germany and France were enacting sanctions, and that war threats were not the way to go. Hoekstra said that he agreed with Jane more than with the President. He said that as he's talked to Jane, as a person and not a Democrat, he feels he can work with her to solve our problems. (Does he melt in her presence? Look into her soul? Harman has become, at least in large part in public, an anti-Bush propagandist.)

After a commercial break, Wolf asked if, given the "carnage" in Pak, it were wise for Benazir Bhutto to return to Pakistan. Harman said she didn't know, and that Musharraf is "at a weak point." She said that it would be wise to have "contingency plans" in the area in case Musharraf gets the boot, and she "trusts" that the President is developing these.

Hoekstra "thinks we should be very worried about what's happening in Pakistan." He doesn't fear an "imminent collapse"; rather, he stresses its importance in combating global terrorism. "It's the training ground for radical jihadists in their global threat against the United States." He thinks Musharraf is "doing what he can" to cooperate with us, but that he has extreme limits put on him internally on what he can do.

Harman pointed out that Musharraf's "leave 'em alone" deal with the Tribal Regions was a "colossal mistake" for him, as they don't care for him anyway. She called these Tribal Regions "ground zero" for terrorist training. She said that we have failed to capture Osama bin Laden and Ayman al Zawahiri because "we took our eyes off the ball" by invading Iraq when we should have been concentrating our time and resources in these captures. She also thinks that it was partly Musharraf's craftiness in staying power.

Harman thinks there was genocide in Iraq, adding that the United States sent the Armenians millions of dollars at the time of this genocide; she added, however, that now was "not the right time" for a floor vote on Nancy's pet resolution and that she hopes there is not one. She added that she was one of those who opposed the resolution being voted out of committee. (Harman rejected the callously tossed phrase "Holocaust denier," saying that as one who lost family members in the Nazi Holocaust, it hit home personally; she didn't use the term, but it sounded as if she took it as a personal insult.)
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And have at it!