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Wednesday, January 30, 2008
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Here's John Edwards' withdrawal announcement video from his blog.
"2008 pres"
7:09:22 PM 
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Colorado Confidential: "Statistics released from the U.S. Department of Labor last Friday show that union membership grew nationally by 311,000 in 2007, the biggest annual gain in nearly 25 years, and part of that number came from Colorado. The number of union members in Colorado grew by 26,000, the state's largest annual increase in at least nine years. Colorado's union numbers have been in a steady decline since 1999, when the reported union membership by the federal labor department's Bureau of Labor and Statistics was 9.4 percent. In 2007, the number was 8.7 percent, and 7.7 percent in 2006. The only other time Colorado's membership rate has grown in the last nine years was in 2004, where union members grew by 16,000, according to available government data."
"2008 pres"
7:01:05 PM
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Political Wire: "'They're banging down the doors.' -- Strategist Joe Trippi, quoted by TPM, on Sen. Barack Obama and Sen. Hillary Clinton trying to secure the endorsement of John Edwards."
Political Wire: "'If I do endorse, it's going to be a gut feeling. It's not going to be about statistics, about past ties. I've been on the campaign trail with both of them. I feel that I know them. I feel I know the issues. I feel I know what makes them both tick.' -- New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, quoted by the Washington Post, on endorsing either Sen. Hillary Clinton or Sen. Barack Obama in the Democratic presidential race."
Captain's Quarters: "A new Gallup poll shows Hillary Clinton has lost most of her once-dominant national lead over Barack Obama, just as the race turns towards a clarifying Super Tuesday primary date. She has tumbled six points in nine days, while Obama has gained eight in the same period. With John Edwards exiting the race, Obama has momentum and seems poised to pick up more steam."
Captain's Quarters: "In what looks to be a bona fide movement behind the campaign, John McCain has not just become the Republican frontrunner but the national leader in the presidential sweepstakes. In a poll taken before his Florida victory, Rasmussen has McCain leading Hillary Clinton by eight points and Barack Obama by six. It caps an improbable comeback by a man whom the media laughed off as dead in the water six months ago."
Colorado Confidential: "Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama made a campaign appearance at the University of Denver this morning, where he spoke to a full house of 9,000 people packed into Magness Arena. Thousands more watched his speech on screens from an adjacent gymnasium and the lacrosse fields outside. Inside the stadium, the vibe was electric -- helped by the fact that so many of the Obama supporters in the crowd were young people. With face paint, handmade posters and rock and roll music, exultant Denverites welcomed the Illinois Senator and his message of change and hope for the future. One of Obama's high-profile supporters, Caroline Kennedy, was on hand to introduce the candidate, whom she compared to her father, the late John F. Kennedy."
Photos from the Obama rally today in Denver.
Nelson Warfield, a Republican consultant (via The NYT): "Rudy didn't even care enough about conservatives to lie to us."
Pat Buchanan (via Andrew Sullivan): "The jobs are never coming back, the illegals are never going home, but we're going to have a lot more wars," - Pat Buchanan on McCain's message for the fall.
Political Wire: "A new Public Policy Polling survey in Tennessee finds Mike Huckabee leading the Republican presidential race with 30% support, followed by Sen. John McCain at 26% and Mitt Romney at 22%. On the Democratic side, Sen. Hillary Clinton leads with 43%, followed by Sen. Barack Obama at 32% and John Edwards at 16%."
"2008 pres"
6:28:26 PM
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Political Wire: "The networks project that Sen. John McCain will win the Republican primary in Florida tonight, edging out Mitt Romney. Meanwhile, sources tell Time magazine that likely third place finisher Rudy Giuliani will drop out of the race and endorse McCain as early as tomorrow in California."
"2008 pres"
5:39:06 AM
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Here's a report from Davos and U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon about the looming water crisis worldwide reported by USA Water News. From the article:
U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon urged the world recently to put the looming crisis over water shortages at the top of the global agenda this year and take action to prevent conflicts over scarce supplies. He reminded business and political leaders at the World Economic Forum that the conflict in the Darfur region of Sudan was touched off by drought -- and he said shortages of water contribute to poverty and social hardship in Somalia, Chad, Israel, the Palestinian territories, Nigeria, Sri Lanka, Haiti, Colombia and Kazakhstan. "Too often, where we need water we find guns instead," Ban said. "Population growth will make the problem worse. So will climate change. As the global economy grows, so will its thirst. Many more conflicts lie just over the horizon."
He said a recent report identified 46 countries with 2.7 billion people where climate change and water-related crises create "a high risk of violent conflict" and a further 56 countries, with 1.2 billion people "are at high risk of violent conflict." The report was by International Alert, an independent peacebuilding organization based in London. Ban told the VIP audience that he spent 2007 "banging my drum on climate change," an issue the Forum also had as one of its main themes last year. He welcomed the focus on water this year saying the session should be named: "Water is running out...We need to adapt to this reality, just as we do to climate change," he said. "There is still enough water for all of us -- but only so long as we can keep it clean, use it more wisely, and share it fairly." Ban said he will invite world leaders to "a critical high-level meeting" in September to focus on meeting U.N. development goals -- including cutting by half the number of people without access to safe drinking water by 2015 -- particularly in Africa. "We must mobilize world opinion and focus political will," he said. "What we did for climate change last year, we want to do for water and development in 2008."[...]
E. Neville Isdell, chairman and CEO of The Coca-Cola Co., said "this is an issue which ranks next to climate change. ... However, water has got lost as part of the climate change debate...The solutions are there," he said. "The awareness globally and the commitment globally is not there yet." Isdell urged the world to "raise the issue of water to the level that we have managed to raise the issue of climate change." He also issued "a clarion cry for engagement," especially with the agricultural sector which uses 70 percent of water resources, compared with 23 percent by industry and 7 percent by "humanity in general." Peter Brabeck-Letmathe, chairman and CEO of Nestle SA, the world's biggest food and drink company, said "time is still on our side but time is running out, just like water is running out." He said the demand for biofuels is misguided because 9,000 liters of water are needed to produce one liter of biodiesel. "This can only work because water has no price," Brabeck said. "If we are going to use 1,950 cubic kilometers of water for biofuels when at the same time our ... water reservoirs are already depleted now, you can see that this strategy that we have today -- and which is backed by all major governments -- is not the right strategy...If you would allow market forces to define how to define the value of the water, we could make a big step forward," Brabeck said.
"colorado water"
5:27:26 AM
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© Copyright 2009 John Orr.
Last update: 3/15/09; 2:04:16 PM.
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