First Door on the Left

If true, this is mighty big news…

Howard Dean’s Presidential ambitions are poised to get a major lift on Nov. 6 when the AFL-CIO’s largest union, the 1.3 million member Service Employees International Union, is set to endorse him, BusinessWeek has learned. The SEIU’s action, coming shortly after Dean won pledges from two small unions, the International Union of Painters and the California Teachers Assn., goes a long way toward completing the transformation of the former Vermont governor from a niche candidate backed by limousine liberals, antiwar activists, and tech-savvy young people into a mainstream candidate who can also connect with blue-collar America. Says SEIU President Andy Stern: “It’s clear that Dean has gained the most support amongst our members and local leaders.”

Though I have yet to figure out exactly where I fit into that group of “limousine liberals, antiwar activists and tech-savvy young people.”

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It seems that Governor Dean is quite popular in my home state of Idaho. This is surprising, since Idaho is a strong Republican state and hasn’t gone for a Democratic presidential candidate since Lyndon Johnson in 1964. Also, John Kerry has a summer home there — in Sun Valley.

Howard Dean is paying more attention to Idaho than any presidential candidate ever, excepting the two Idahoans who sought the job.

Despite Idaho´s lowly rank on the Democratic ladder, Dean will visit a fourth time Thursday. This odd phenomena prompted my editor, a suspicious type, to ask, “Has he got a girlfriend here, or what?”

No, Dean doesn´t have Clintonesque bimbo eruptions. He´s returning for good reasons.

First, he really likes Idaho and is keeping a commitment to help rebuild the party by speaking at Thursday´s JFK Banquet in Boise.

Second, Idaho´s Feb. 24 Democratic caucus has strategic importance, and Dean could pick up some modest momentum by stealing the state from rival Sen. John Kerry, who has a second home in Sun Valley.

Jerry Brady, the party´s 2002 gubernatorial nominee, said Dean vowed during his August stop to return.

“He said, ´I know the staff doesn´t want me to do this, but I´m going to be back,´ ” Brady recalled. “I was surprised. I didn´t think it would fit into his strategy. But he´s his own man, and if he wants to do something, he does it. He said, ´Darn it, you people need some help, and I want to stand by you.´ ”

Thanks to Jay Allen’s MT-Blacklist (used to block and remove comment spam), comments are once again open. Of course, I would prefer that you use the forum, but comments are available if you would like to use them.

Democratic presidential candidate Al Sharpton launched a blistering attack on Howard Dean yesterday, accusing his rival of promoting an “anti-black agenda.”

“Howard Dean’s opposition to affirmative action, his current support for the death penalty and historic support of the NRA’s [National Rifle Association's] agenda amounts to an anti-black agenda that will not sell in communities of color in this country,” Sharpton said in a statement.

He said his comments were in response to a news report yesterday that Rep. Jesse L. Jackson Jr. (D-Ill.) plans to endorse Dean, the former Vermont governor and presumed front-runner for the 2004 Democratic nomination. Sharpton has had a long-standing rivalry with the congressman’s father, Jesse L. Jackson, who twice ran for president.

“Any so-called African American leader that would endorse Dean despite his anti-black record is mortgaging the future of our struggle for civil rights and social justice,” Sharpton said.

His statement cited a 1995 interview in which Dean appeared to question the need for affirmative action programs based solely on race. “I think we ought to look at affirmative action programs based not on race but on class,” Dean said on CNN’s “Late Edition.”

Responding to Sharpton’s comments, Dean’s deputy campaign manager, Andi Pringle, said: “Governor Dean has always been a strong supporter of affirmative action, and he believes there is still a great need for affirmative action in America.”

Until now, the Dean campaign’s brushes with racial issues have been less vitriolic. Earlier this year, some critics, noting that Dean comes from a heavily white state and campaigns extensively via the Internet, questioned his ability to reach low-income and minority voters.

In a Sept. 9 candidates forum in Baltimore, Dean said he was “the only white politician that ever talks about race in front of white audiences.” Several rivals pointed to speeches that disproved Dean’s assertion, which Sen. John Edwards (D-N.C.) called divisive.

Donna Brazile, who managed Al Gore’s 2000 presidential campaign, yesterday dismissed Sharpton’s attacks as a ploy to boost his standing in the polls.

“I think Dean’s record on civil rights issues, on affirmative action — his willingness to talk about race in a very inclusive way — has been refreshing,” said Brazile, who is African American. “These long-shot candidates, all they’re doing is taking aim at the top tier because they’re frustrated. I think Reverend Sharpton should keep his focus on ideas.”

Here is Congressman Jackson’s response:

Congressman Jesse L. Jackson today said, “Al Sharpton is making a great contribution to the Democratic Party with his performances in the debates, his inspirational speeches on the campaign trail, his raising of the political consciousness of voters on issues that many of the other candidates will not touch, and by bringing new voters into the process.

“But no contribution of the Rev. Al Sharpton has been greater than the role he has played of statesman in the debates – of urging fellow competitors to ‘first do not harm’ to one another. It was Al Sharpton who said in the first debate in South Carolina, televised by ABC, that the ‘Democrats should not have a debate and George Bush turn out to be the winner.’ He has constantly reminded his fellow Democratic presidential candidates that the goal is to defeat President Bush in November, 2004. He has also said that while he understands there will be competition between each of them, none of them should do any harm to the other candidates that would prevent them from defeating George Bush.

“Unfortunately, Rev. Sharpton has rejected his own advice. The spirit of Rev. Sharpton’s release in that regard is over-the-top and mostly inaccurate. Rev. Sharpton is inaccurate when he says that Howard Dean is ‘opposed to affirmative action.’ Even the 1995 quote he attributes to Gov. Dean is not a statement ‘opposed’ to affirmative action, but an argument for a broader criteria. More importantly, during this campaign Governor Dean has clearly stated for the record that he supports affirmative action based on race, gender and class – which is what the law requires.

“Whoever the ultimate nominee of the Democratic Party is I intend to support — and I will not agree with them on every issue. Gov. Dean and I may just have to agree to disagree on the death penalty. However, I would remind Rev. Sharpton that both he and I supported Bill Clinton in 1992 and 1996 even though he supported the death penalty and ending welfare as we know it — both of which we disagreed with.

“With respect to gun control, Gov. Dean supports all of the common sense FEDERAL laws and proposed laws with respect to renewal of the assault weapons ban, holding gun manufacturers responsible, adequately checking purchasers at gun shows. But beyond that he argues that different states have different needs, and I agree. Not every state values hunters and hunting equally and I respect and agree with Gov. Dean in that regard.

“I don’t understand why I am being singled out. Rep. Major Owens, from New York, endorsed Gov. Dean some time ago, but none of these issues were raised. No member of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) has endorsed Rev. Sharpton, and there were other members of the CBC in the New York Times article who indicated that they too may be on the verge of endorsing Gov. Dean.

“I also don’t understand Rev. Sharpton’s attempt to introduce ‘race’ into the campaign by using such rhetoric as ‘anti-black’ with respect to Gov. Dean. I challenge all of the other candidates to urge Rev. Sharpton to resist using such inflammatory rhetoric.

“Clearly, Gov. Dean is not anti-black and it is ridiculous for Rev. Sharpton to compare him to President George Bush in that regard. When it comes to addressing issues that directly affect African Americans, and indirectly affects all Americans, Gov. Dean clearly has good record. Up until this point — until I indicated my intention to endorse Gov. Dean – the Democratic campaign has been free of such racial rhetoric. I would recommend that it remain so. Such rhetoric will not contribute to defeating George W. Bush in 2004. Indeed, it will insure his re-election.”

CAIRO – Most Arab media on Tuesday blamed the U.S. failure to provide security in Baghdad for the latest suicide bombings in the Iraqi capital.

They agreed that Washington had only itself to blame for the chaos and said the United States had failed Iraqis by not providing enough security to prevent the devastating attacks that killed 35 people on Monday, the start of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

“Iraq, on the first day of Ramadan, was the scene of a bloodbath and occupation forces are directly responsible for this because of the instability they created in Iraq,” wrote the daily al-Khaleej, published in the United Arab Emirates.

But, like others, the daily said it feared the bombings, that included an attack on the Red Cross headquarters in Baghdad, would only extend the U.S. occupation that many in the region see as a thinly veiled act of colonialism.

“The bombing which targeted a humanitarian organization… serves the occupation and extends it instead of ending it,” the UAE daily said.

Saudi Arabia’s leading al-Riyadh newspaper said the United States had to give up its dreams of controlling Iraq and the whole region or face further attacks.

“The political bubble has burst in Baghdad. Will it be followed by other explosions or will the voice of reason prevail over the American dream of hegemony?” the Arabic daily wrote.

Some were outspoken against those who carried out the attacks that cost the lives of dozens of Iraqis and wounded 230 by targeting the Red Cross and three police stations.

“What happened yesterday in Baghdad is a crime by all measures, but it is more disgraceful than a crime: it is a deadly political mistake,” wrote Lebanon’s as-Safir daily.

“Such political mistakes help the occupation to justify its horrible crimes,” it added.

Yemeni journalist Fares Ghanim said U.S. mistakes were driving people to despair. “If the security situation continues it will provide a fertile ground for Muslim extremists who want to take revenge on Americans,” he said.

In non-Arab Iran, reformist parliamentarian Reza Yousefian said: “It is unjustifiable to kill ordinary people in the name of an anti-American campaign. On the contrary, the more insecurity prevails in Iraq, the longer Americans will stay.”

Egypt’s Al-Akhbar daily said the message was clear:

“The only way to disentangle from this deadlock in which the United States finds itself and to avoid becoming mired in a swamp is to speed up the hand over of power to Iraqis.”

DENVER — Democratic Presidential Candidate Governor Howard Dean, M.D., issued this statement following President Bush’s press conference today.

“Yesterday, the President claimed that the wave of attacks that left dozens dead and scores injured proved that the US was winning the peace in Iraq. At this point, nothing he says really surprises me anymore.

“Today, we heard him try to walk away from the USS Abraham ‘End of Major Combat Operations’ announcement, absurdly claiming that the White House was not responsible for the ‘Mission Accomplished’ banner that decorated the flight deck. He tried to argue that our actions are supported by the Iraqi people, when poll after poll suggests that more and more Iraqis are becoming fed up with the American occupation. And he was adamant that the US will remain in Iraq, but failed to offer any insight as to what he would do to address the increasingly dire situation.

“This President appears to lack the leadership skills required to do what is necessary to successfully stabilize and reconstruct Iraq before the window of opportunity closes. Instead, President Bush seems content to pursue the current flawed plan, unwilling to do what is necessary to encourage our friends and allies to assist, incapable of taking the steps necessary to expedite the transfer of sovereignty to the Iraqis, and content to direct billions of dollars to special interests like Halliburton. And US troops and taxpayers are suffering as a result.

“We need a president who will show true leadership and make the tough choices. In Iraq, this means turning over planning and oversight of reconstruction to the State Department; doing everything in our power to encourage our allies and friends to join us in Iraq by sending their troops, their money, and their expertise to accelerate the reconstruction process; restoring law and order and the resumption of basic services that are fundamental to success in all other areas; turning over sovereignty to the Iraqis as soon as possible; and awarding reconstruction contracts–not to special interests like Halliburton–but to the best US or foreign bidder.”

President Bush yesterday put the best face on a new surge of violence in Iraq as his top defense aides huddled to discuss additional ways of thwarting the anti-American rebellion there before it becomes more widespread.

The president, speaking after attacks on police stations and a Red Cross facility in Iraq killed at least 35 people, said such attacks should be seen as a sign of progress because they show the desperation of those who oppose the U.S.-led occupation.

“The more successful we are on the ground, the more these killers will react,” Bush said as he sat in the Oval Office with L. Paul Bremer, the U.S. administrator in Iraq. He added: “The more progress we make on the ground, the more free the Iraqis become, the more electricity is available, the more jobs are available, the more kids that are going to school, the more desperate these killers become, because they can’t stand the thought of a free society.”

He’s kidding, right? The more they bomb us, the more Iraqis and U.S. troops killed, the more successful we are. It appears that Mr. Bush has completely lost touch with reality.

I thought Rush Limbaugh was the one with the pill problem.

William Saletan, Slate Magazine, writes about

Well, the Kerry-Gephardt machine is at it again. Two weeks ago, the New York Times outed the collaboration between John Kerry’s campaign and Dick Gephardt’s. Their common objective was taking down Howard Dean, who threatens to kill Gephardt in Iowa and Kerry in New Hampshire.

Last week, they struck again. Dean has two new ads on the air, one in Iowa and one in New Hampshire. The press is pouncing on him. “Dean’s New Iowa Ads Attack Rivals,” says the Washington Post. “Dean Becomes First in Campaign to Attack Fellow Democrats,” says the Times. And look who shows up in the articles: spokesmen for Kerry and Gephardt. The Post quotes Kerry’s campaign manager, Jim Jordan, saying, “No one here can remember any Democratic candidate going up with negative ads in October.” The Times tells readers what transpired backstage: “an intense round of press releases, phone calls and e-mail messages from opponents’ campaigns to reporters debating how negative the spots were. Mr. Kerry’s staff quickly e-mailed the advertisements’ scripts to reporters with the subject line ‘Dean goes negative.’ ”

Do the ads live up to the hype? Hardly. In the New Hampshire ad, Dean says of Iraq, “The best my opponents can do is ask questions today that they should have asked before they supported the war.” In the Iowa ad, he says of seniors’ prescription drug costs, “Instead of fixing the problem, the best my opponents can do is talk about what was said eight years ago. … For years, the politicians in Washington have talked about health insurance and a prescription drug benefit, and all you got was talk. But in Vermont, we did it.”

That’s it. No names. All issues. By my count, Dean’s complaint about Iraq applies to at least four candidates, and his complaint about prescription drugs applies to at least five. When you draw a distinction that separates you from all the other electable candidates, it’s more accurate to say that the distinction is about you, not them. I prefer to reserve the word “attack” for something more pointed. The only pointed thing I see here is Dean’s slap at opponents who “talk about what was said eight years ago.” Reporters know Gephardt is the candidate who has slammed Dean hardest for endorsing Medicare cost controls in 1995. But that critique of Dean has since been echoed by others.

The Iraq ad doesn’t even break new ground. Dean ran ads in August and September saying, “I opposed the war with Iraq when too many Democrats supported it.” Even the pastoral setting looked similar.

If this is what’s going to pass for an “attack” in this year’s campaign ads, I’m going to rent a Tarantino movie.

DES MOINES — Howard Dean issued the following statement in response to reports that the bipartisan 9/11 commission could soon be forced to issue subpoenas to the White House and other executive branch agencies because of continuing delays by the Bush administration in providing documents and other evidence needed by the panel:

“I am very concerned by the President’s foot-dragging on cooperation with the bi-partisan 9/11 commission. We already know that President Bush received a written intelligence report in August 2001, the month before the attacks that Al Qaeda might try to hijack American passenger planes. The Administration’s current stonewalling suggests that there is more that they knew and want to hide from the American public.

“The work that this commission is performing is critical to our national security. We need to know what transpired before the tragedy of 9/11 in order to avoid future similar tragedies. If the bipartisan commission investigating the terrorist attacks says that it needs the documents the Administration is withholding, then the President has an obligation to the American people to turn them over immediately.

“An issue this important to our national security should trump whatever concerns about political embarrassment the Administration might have.”

WASHINGTON (CNN) — Documents requested by the independent commission investigating the September 11 attacks on New York and Washington are “very sensitive,” and the White House counsel is handling talks on turning them over, President Bush said Monday.

The commission, led by former New Jersey Gov. Thomas Kean, has threatened to subpoena the White House if it does not turn over the requested records.

“Those are very sensitive documents, and my attorney, Al Gonzales, is working with Chairman Kean,” Bush told reporters Monday.

If Mr. Bush were to change the words “very sensitive” to “very embarrassing” or “very harmful to my administration” he may have gotten it right.