swimming freestyle

This Is Getting Kinda Ridiculous

Yesterday's noteworthy discovery was that Doug Goodyear, John McCain's guy to manage the Republican National Convention, is a big time professional lobbyist for Exxon, General Motors and, to top it off, the military junta government of Burma.  Goodyear resigned yesterday evening after news of his lobbying ties were reported in the upcoming edition of Newsweek.

Today yet another McCain crony lobbyist resigned when his ties to the murderers governing Burma became public.  From Marc Ambinder:

Doug Davenport, the regional campaign manager for the mid-Atlantic states, founded the DCI Group's lobbying practice and oversaw the contract with Myanmar in 2002.

"Doug has tendered his resignation and we have accepted it," Jill Hazelbaker, McCain's communications director, wrote in a e-mail.

Goodyear and Davenport were recruited by McCain's campaign manager, Rick Davis, who has been accused by some current and former McCain advisers of take insufficient care of McCain's reformer brand by appointing lobbyists to key positions. Ironically, as Newsweek reported, Goodyear was asked to become convention CEO after Davis's lobbying firm partner, Paul Manafort, was nixed because of his own close ties to foreign governments and controversial companies.

Perhaps a brief refresher on the government of Burma is in order:

• Burma has been under military rule since 1962, when the democratic government was overthrown in a military coup d'etat.  The junta has ruled ruthlessly since.
• In 2007, Burmese dissidents followed by Buddhist monks staged anti-government protests.  The Burmese military put down the demonstrations, jailing and killing an unknown number of protesters (international media was barred from entering the country to cover the protests).
• Earlier this month, a devastating cyclone tore through Burma.  The United Nations is estimating one million Burmese are displaced and the death toll is estimated today at 100K.  As the Burmese are homeless and face rampant disease from lack of facilities and supplies, the junta is restricting aid and holding supplies rather than dispersing them to the Burmese people.
  

Who in good conscience could lobby for the murderous thugs now governing Burma?   And why would John McCain be so willing to associate himself with these guys?   

Jeez, I hope this election does become a debate about character and judgment because, at this point, it seems John McCain falls a little short in those departments.   

Happy Mother's Day

To My Mother

They tell us of an Indian tree
    Which howsoe'er the sun and sky
May tempt its boughs to wander free,
    And shoot and blossom, wide and high,
Far better loves to bend its arms
    Downward again to that dear earth
From which the life that fills and warms
    Its grateful being, first had birth,
'Tis thus, though wooed by flattering friends,
    And fed with fame (if fame it may be),
This heart, my own dear mother, bends,
    With love's true instinct, back to thee!

- Thomas Moore

A Picture for the Day

Patricia Perreault of Canada swam in the Guadalquivir River during a training session for the World Open Water Swimming Championships in Seville, Spain. (NY Times)

Update to "A Question of Judgment"

Update to "A Question of Judgment", a post from earlier today:

The New York Times is reporting this evening that Doug Goodyear, the professional lobbyist hand picked by John McCain to manage the Republican National Convention, has resigned. 

“Today I offered the convention my resignation so as not to become a distraction in this campaign,’’ Mr. Goodyear said in a two-sentence statement. “I continue to strongly support John McCain for president, and wish him the best of luck in this campaign.’’

Mr. Goodyear is the chief executive office and a founding partner of DCI Group, a public affairs group with offices in Washington and Phoenix. He offered his resignation on Saturday after Newsweek reported that his firm had been paid $348,000 in 2002 to represent the military junta that runs Myanmar.

The Times article includes excerpts from an 2005 Wall Street Journal editorial co-written by John McCain and Senator Mitch McConnell that bluntly criticizes the Burmese regime:

The junta routinely jails democracy activists, sometimes resorting to torture and murder,’’ it said. “The Burmese military employs rape as a weapon of war, destroying the lives of innocent ethnic minority women and girls. Child soldiers are pressed into the military’s rank and file. Narcotics production remains a profitable business, with illegal drugs flowing across Burma’s borders into neighboring countries.’’

Jeez Senator McCain, perhaps you have some explaining to do about some of the unsavory characters you're hanging out with.

A Question of Judgment

This does seem to be the dominant theme this election season. 

It can be argued Hillary Clinton's presidential aspirations went out the window when she voted, in 2002, to authorize President Bush the option to use force in Iraq.  Barack Obama's 20 year membership in Trinity Church has called many to question why he would opt to attend a church whose pastor delivered fiery, hate filled sermons.  John McCain's Keating Five involvement in the late 1980's nearly led to the end of Senator McCain's political career and ended with a rebuke from Congress.

It's probably unfair to expect any of the candidates will, in every case, exercise perfect judgment as President.  But it is a reasonable expectation that each has learned from past mistakes and will use those learnings to make better judgments going forward.

I would bet Senator Clinton will be very careful in the future that her Senate votes don't have the appearance of a political calculation and Senator Obama will now be a good deal more careful about his associations with controversial figures.

I'm not convinced, however, Senator McCain has quite learned the lesson of his Keating Five misadventure. (For a primer on the Keating Five and Senator McCain's involvement, go here).  Given the circumstances, one might expect John McCain to be very wary of associations with lobbyists and ultra-concerned about the appearances that those lobbyists hold some sway with the Senator. 

I wrote yesterday of reports of a late 1990's Arizona land swap deal that included Senator McCain's direct involvement.  The big (and I mean BIG) beneficiaries of that deal had connections to McCain campaign staffers and donors.  The post also outlined the very large number of professional lobbyists attached to the McCain for President campaign.

In the upcoming Newsweek, it's reported Senator McCain's choice for the manager of the Republican National Convention is raising eyebrows; it's yet another big time lobbyist, Doug Goodyear.

Goodyear is CEO of DCI Group, a consulting firm that earned $3 million last year lobbying for ExxonMobil, General Motors and other client,  Potentially more problematic: the firm was paid $348,000 in 2002 to represent Burma's military junta, which had been strongly condemned by the State Department for its human-rights record and remains in power today. Justice Department lobbying records show DCI pushed to "begin a dialogue of political reconciliation" with the regime. It also led a PR campaign to burnish the junta's image, drafting releases praising Burma's efforts to curb the drug trade and denouncing "falsehoods" by the Bush administration that the regime engaged in rape and other abuses.

Another issue: DCI has been a pioneer in running "independent" expenditure campaigns by so–called 527 groups, precisely the kind of operations that McCain, in his battle for campaign-finance reform, has denounced. In 2004, the DCI Group led a pro-Bush 527 called Progress for America, which was later fined (along with several other 527s on both sides of the political divide) for violating federal election laws. Goodyear, however, says that DCI is "not in the 527 business anymore."

No one is claiming Senator McCain is doing anything illegal here with all these lobbyists with which he seems intent on filling his campaign.  But he must understand, given his past history with the Keating Five, that these kind of associations raise red flags and suggest that he's not fully learned the lessons from that experience.

And that raises a question about his judgment.

McCain May Or May Not Have Voted For Bush

I've resisted writing about the brouhaha around whether or not John McCain voted for George Bush in 2000.  It just seems like a ridiculous waste of time, but there is one intriguing element of the story.

Arianna Huffington created a stir early this week when she reported she heard John say at a Los Angeles dinner party shortly after the 2000 election that he had not voted for President Bush.  (By the way, that makes something John McCain and I have in common).

The McCain campaign responded quickly:

“She’s a flake and a poser and an attention-seeking diva,” Mark Salter, one of Mr. McCain’s closest aides, told The Washington Post.

As far as I'm concerned, the story actually benefits McCain.  On the one hand he can easily pooh pooh the whole thing by calling Arianna Huffington, someone despised anyway by the Republicans, a bunch of rude names.  Republicans, after all, would never believe Arianna Huffington when they have John McCain saying otherwise.  And on other hand, Independents and more conservative Democrats might believe Huffington and feel this gives McCain some street cred; "what a rebel, not even voting for the leader of his party".

But here's what I find interesting about the whole story:  What the heck are John and Cindy McCain doing at a party at Candice Bergen's house in Beverly Hills, hobnobbing with Huffington and noted liberal actors Bradley Whitford and Richard Schiff?  Is this the McCain's social circle?

Just asking... 

Morocco Rocks

Nice article in today's NY Times about the 10th-annual Gnawa and World Music Festival in Essaouira, Morocco.  Likened to Burning Man, this music festival draws 400,000 fans from across North Africa, Europe and, even, the United States.

...The music built slowly to an exhilarating crescendo of intricate rhythms and cross rhythms created by propulsive beating on hand-held drums and large, tambourinelike bendirs, staccato hand claps and the incessant, syncopated clack and clatter of the steel castanets. As the spirit moved them, musicians put down their instruments and stepped to the front of the stage to dance, displaying footwork and moves that resembled those of their African-American cousins, from the Temptations’ stylized line steps and James Brown’s knee drops to hip-hop’s exaggerated lopping turns, as well as whirls, leaps, back flips and hussar-like two-legged kicks that defied choreographic categorization, not to mention gravity.

Like all Gnawa brotherhoods, Mr. Gadari’s group performed music that for centuries was played only in secret spirit-possession and healing ceremonies called lilas that have evolved from ancient African animistic and Islamic Sufi rituals. The brotherhoods continue to perform in such religious rites — though only in strictly private gatherings — in which conjured healing spirits are said “to mount” the possessed, who whirl and writhe in ecstatic trance, during which they often cut or flail themselves with ceremonial daggers or iron batons.

The Arizona Land Deal

We know an awful lot about Barack Obama; he and his wife's finances, his pastor, his ex-Weatherman neighbor down the street (William Ayers), his ties to a corrupt Illinois businessman (Tony Rezko), and his voting record in the Illinois legislature.  Some of it fair.  Some of it not.

John McCain, on the other hand, has gotten a pretty easy ride from the mainstream media.  A story in this morning's Washington Post may signal the beginning of a closer look at Senator McCain. 

Sen. John McCain championed legislation that will let an Arizona rancher trade remote grassland and ponderosa pine forest here for acres of valuable federally owned property that is ready for development, a land swap that now stands to directly benefit one of his top presidential campaign fundraisers.

Initially reluctant to support the swap, the Arizona Republican became a key figure in pushing the deal through Congress after the rancher and his partners hired lobbyists that included McCain's 1992 Senate campaign manager, two of his former Senate staff members (one of whom has returned as his chief of staff), and an Arizona insider who was a major McCain donor and is now bundling campaign checks.

When McCain's legislation passed in November 2005, the ranch owner gave the job of building as many as 12,000 homes to SunCor Development, a firm in Tempe, Ariz., run by Steven A. Betts, a longtime McCain supporter who has raised more than $100,000 for the presumptive Republican nominee. Betts said he and McCain never discussed the deal.

A town official opposed to the swap said other Yavapai Ranch land sold nine years ago for about $2,000 per acre, while some of the prime commercial land near a parcel that the developers will get has brought as much as $120,000 per acre.

Senator McCain has promoted himself as "Mr. Clean" and opposed to the influence of special interests in Washingon, but dances around questions of the same lobbyist's influence on his campaign and the extraordinary number of professional lobbyists working on the McCain campaign.

...when McCain huddled with his closest advisers at his rustic Arizona cabin last weekend to map out his presidential campaign, virtually every one was part of the Washington lobbying culture he has long decried. His campaign manager, Rick Davis, co-founded a lobbying firm whose clients have included Verizon and SBC Telecommunications. His chief political adviser, Charles R. Black Jr., is chairman of one of Washington's lobbying powerhouses, BKSH and Associates, which has represented AT&T, Alcoa, JPMorgan and U.S. Airways.

Senior advisers Steve Schmidt and Mark McKinnon work for firms that have lobbied for Land O' Lakes, UST Public Affairs, Dell and Fannie Mae.

It's entirely appropriate the candidates be fully vetted.  In the mix, sadly, will be some issues that seem superfluous and trivial.  The Arizona land deal and the extent of lobbyist's influence in the McCain campaign are legitimate issues to explore before November.

Ew, Icky

Anyone else find Senator Lieberman's choice of words a little odd?

A Picture for the Day

Bangalore, India: A worker sorts packets of cut roses for auction (The Guardian UK)

Candor from John McCain

A month ago, a Hamas spokesman told an interviewer the terrorist group approved of Barack Obama's candidacy for president.  John McCain has argued since that Hamas "endorsed" Obama. 

This isn't exactly a straight line and Obama said yesterday he considers it a smear:

"This is offensive, and I think it's disappointing, because John McCain always says, 'Well, I'm not going to run that kind of politics,'" Obama said. "And then to engage in that kind of smear, I think, is unfortunate, particularly since my policy toward Hamas has been no different than his."

Obviously, no candidate can control foreign leaders from making public statements about their preferences.  Time Magazine recently published an article on Iran that included speculation that Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad may be hoping for a John McCain presidency in order to bolster his hold on his presidency.  I heard no one suggest that Ahmadinejad had "endorsed" McCain.

If Senator McCain has evidence Barack Obama is supportive of Hamas, he should make that information available.  In the absence of that proof, McCain's inference that Obama is, in some way, sympathetic to Hamas is the sign of a very desperate campaign.  In fact, Senator McCain admitted today it's just good old nasty politics:

“It's very obvious to everyone that Senator Obama shares nothing of the values or goals of Hamas, which is a terrorist organization,” McCain said. “But it's also fact that a spokesperson from Hamas said that he approves of Obama's candidacy. I think that's of interest to the American people.”

Despite Senator McCain's and Mrs. McCain's assurances, a "respectful" campaign seems the last thing we can expect from the McCain campaign.

Clinton Tries Powerpoint

When all else fails...go to Powerpoint:

Stepping up its efforts to push her case with super-dels and party leaders, the Hillary campaign is emailing out a Power-Point presentation to all Dems in the House touting her electability and her ability to carry tough swing districts.

The gist of the argument is that Hillary has beaten Obama in the vast majority of tough red-leaning House districts, and has consistently outperformed him among key demographics -- seniors, Hispanics, and rural voters.

It's unclear how effective this will be, given that the Hillary camp has been making electability arguments for months even as Obama has consistently won over these super-dels at a greater rate. (Link)

It's not clear why Senator Clinton thinks this will help.  This is the same argument Senator Clnton has been trying to sell for the last several months to no avail. 

In the meantime, it's been reported that Barack Obama has picked up an additional eight superdelegates today.

Holy S**t

(h/t The Daily Dish)

Yikes

Just in case you are in the 18% or so that think Congress is doing an OK job:

On Wednesday afternoon, the House had just voted, 412 to 0, to pass H. Res. 1113, "Celebrating the role of mothers in the United States and supporting the goals and ideals of Mother's Day," when Rep. Todd Tiahrt (R-Kan.), rose in protest.

"Mr. Speaker, I move to reconsider the vote," he announced.

This time, 178 Republicans cast their votes against mothers.

Republicans, unhappy with the Democratic majority, have been using such procedural tactics as this all week to bring the House to a standstill.

Boehner lamented yesterday. "It's time for Democrats and Republicans to work together."

To induce this working together, Boehner decided to stop the House from working at all. As House Democrats tried to pass legislation to ease the mortgage crisis on Wednesday, Republicans served up hours of procedural delays, demanding a score of roll call votes: 10 motions to adjourn, half a dozen motions to reconsider, various and sundry amendments, a motion to approve the daily journal, a motion to instruct and a "motion to rise." (Link)

I suppose the first question to ask is why the U.S. Congress believes they need to vote on bills "supporting mothers".  That's not exactly a burning issue.   Another question may be how those 178 Republicans intend to explain their anti-Mom votes to constituents in November. 

And, finally, the big question: Is there's some way we can just get rid of them all?

McCain Can't Close The Deal

John McCain, presumptive Republican nominee, has some rough sailing ahead.  In the last three Republican primaries, a quarter of the vote went to other candidates.

Ron Paul and Mike Huckabee got a combined 27 percent of the vote in Pennsylvania last month, long after the GOP nomination had been settled in McCain's favor. On Tuesday, Paul, Huckabee and Mitt Romney received a combined 23 percent in Indiana. Alan Keyes, Huckabee, Paul and "no preference" took 26 percent in North Carolina.

On the surface, it would seem that McCain, the party's presumptive nominee, still has some distance to go in winning over his party. (Link)

Results Matter

While campaigning in West Virginia, ex-President Bill Clinton once again became unhinged when a heckler in the audience contested his claim Hillary Clinton had improved health care during his presidency. 

I won't comment on the Bill Clinton's newfound proclivity for going off in public.  I won't comment on whether Mrs. Clinton could have been more effective at her attempts to reform health care.  Though this little episode does raise a question about how low the bar has been set for accomplishment.  And this applies to all the candidates.

Bill Clinton seems to be suggesting Hillary Clinton should be getting big props for all her efforts on health care reform in 1993.  Look, no one can dispute Mrs. Clinton worked on health care reform in 1993.  I'm sure she worked hard too.

But, at the end of the day, it's results that matter.  All the hard work in the world doesn't mean much without anything to show for it.  And the truth is, for all her efforts, Mrs. Clinton failed to implement any substantive reform to a badly broken system.

Hard work is good.  Results are better.

For Hillary Clinton

The Huntingtons, "How Can I Miss You When You Won't Go Away"

Tick, Tick, Tick

That's the sound of the clock running out on Senator Hillary Clinton's quixotic campaign for the Democratic Party nomination.

ABC News is reporting today that Barack Obama, for the first time, has surpassed Senator Clinton in pledged superdelegates; 267 to Clinton's 265. 

The various news agencies all have slight differences in superdelegate counts for each candidate, so some counts may still show Clinton with a lead.  The accompanying superdelegate graph, though, paints a pretty convincing case it's just a matter of time before Clinton's last advantage is gone.

Love of the Longboard

From the NY Times:

...So-called soul surfers, more concerned with the individuality of the sport, and less with the commercial aspects, are picking up the old boards in an effort to retain the original spirit of surfing.

And they gather for events like the Big Stick Logjam, one of the longest running longboard surf contests in the world, which was held April 26 and 27. This year the contest attracted more than 100 competitors, who came from all up and down the West Coast.

AND there is something about watching a longboarder make a good, easy turn that conjures the same nostalgic elegance as watching a classic hot rod like a chrome-encrusted T-bucket or a low-slung ’49 Mercury cruise down main street.

Eddy Arnold

Eddy Arnold (May 15, 1918 – May 8, 2008). There are several reasons for Arnold's great success. From the beginning he stood out from his contemporaries in the world of country singers. He never wore gaudy, glittering outfits. He sang from his diaphragm, not through his nose. He avoided the standard honky-tonk themes, preferring instead to sing songs that explored the intricacies of love.  The most important factor for his success, however, was his voice. Steve Sholes, who produced all of his early hits, called Arnold a natural singer, comparing him to the likes of Bing Crosby and Enrico Caruso. Arnold worked hard perfecting his natural ability. A review of his musical career shows his progression from fledgling singer to polished performer. (Wikipedia)