Thursday, April 17, 2008

Middle East Policy The American Conservative: "According to the Jerusalem Post report on Wednesday's televised debate, the two Democratic presidential candidates are now committed not only to use U.S. military in retaliation against a possible Iranian nuclear attack on Israel but are also ready to extend the U.S. nuclear umbrella to Israel and the entire Middle East." "2008 pres" 5:45:43 PM

? for President? Here's a roundup of reactions to last night's Democratic debate from The Moderate Voice. Barack Obama (via Political Wire): "Now, I don't blame Washington for this because that's just how Washington is. They like stirring up controversies and getting us to play gotcha games and getting us to attack each other. And I've got to say Sen. Clinton looked in her element." Mathew Gross: "Last night's presidential 'debate' truly was a low point in American politics. I'm sure I wasn't the only one who turned it off in disgust after watching 40 nauseating minutes in which not a single issue -- not the war, not the economy, not gas prices, not global warming, not health care, not the collapsing dollar -- was brought up. Apparently, in the minds of Charlie Gibson and George Stephanopoulos, such issues are of less import than a flag lapel pin or whatever the latest specious complaint making the rounds of the idiotnet happen to be." Daily Kos: "After the first forty minutes of last night's Democratic debate, it was clear we were watching something historic. Not historic in a good way, mind you, but historic in the sense of being something so deeply embarrassing to the nation that it will be pointed to, in future books and documentary works, as a prime example of the collapse of the American media into utter and complete substanceless, into self-celebrated vapidity, and into a now-complete inability or unwillingness to cover the most important affairs of the nation to any but the most shallow of depths." Political Wire: "A new Zogby poll in Pennsylvania finds Sen. Hillary Clinton barely edging Sen. Barack Obama, 45% to 44% with 12% undecided." "2008 pres" 5:43:24 PM

2008 Democratic National Convention Denver Post: "Protesters will not be confined to 'cages' during the 2008 Democratic National Convention, and the city wants to get away from the long lines of shoulder-to-shoulder, riot-gear-clad police that typified security at the national conventions in Boston and New York, Denver City Councilman Charlie Brown said today. 'We don't want to provoke violence,' Brown said. Brown said he talked with Mayor John Hickenlooper on Wednesday and that the two discussed 'trying to get away from having lines of police officers.' Brown later asserted: 'We aren't going to cage protesters.' The councilman made his comments before a group of about 50 students and others at the University of Denver law school, where local law groups are sponsoring a four-day series of workshops and discussions that offer training and tips for activists and protesters planning to demonstrate in and around convention week." "2008 pres" 5:40:29 PM

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