2007 Deadliest Year for Iraq (So Far)

While the second half of 2007 saw a dramatic drop in violence in Iraq, 2007 has been the deadliest year for the United States military since the invasion in 2003. 2007 saw the death of 899 U.S. troops. At least 3,902 U.S. troops have died since the start of this (pointless) war.

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22451069/

New Legislature By Dems Could Shift Iraq Plans Starting Now

According to the New York Times, Democrats in the Senate are pushing for new legislature which would require that soldiers spend as much time at home as they did overseas before they are redeployed. This strategy, proposed by Senator Jim Webb of Virgina, would force President Bush to begin bringing troops home from Iraq earlier than planned, and would reduce the stress and fatigue soldiers face. Democrats say they are close to having enough Republican support for this proposal to pass. For more info, see the full article.

Katie Couric Heads to Iraq

Katie Couric will be reporting from Iraq and Syria in the coming weeks. It will be her first trip to the war zone. She will anchor the CBS Evening News from Baghdad next Tuesday and Wednesday followed by Damascus next Thursday and Friday. Her trip is in anticipation of the crucial military report on the progress of the American effort in Iraq. Click for more!

New Format, Old Questions

The internet showcased how much it has changed politics and elections last night when Anderson Cooper moderated the first ever CNN/YouTube debates. The format was new...for the first time average citizens were able to ask the questions via video submissions through YouTube. But were they really? Not entirely...CNN still acted as gatekeeper and picked which questions would address the candidates. However, the change in format did make for a new and fresh approach to presidential debates. While the format was new, the questions were old. The candidates, for the most part, still addressed the questions that they were used to dealing with Iraq, health care, and gay marriage. However, there were some questions that were new and interesting...such as asking Senator Barack Obama whether he was "black" enough and whether Senator Clinton was feminine enough. There were also some questions that were new and not so interesting...such as who was your favorite teacher? Sorry, but I felt like that was a bit of a waste of time.

Now for the winner of the debate...the format! The new format giving viewers the opportunity to ask the questions was the real winner. None of the candidates really won the debate because they all performed well and even though the format was new...a lot of the answers we received still felt extremely scripted. Of course, that won't stop any of the campaigns from declaring victory (Senator Obama's campaign crowned him king as did Senator Bidens) For once I noticed that Rep. Dennis Kucinich and Senator Chris Dodd were given equal, if not more, time than the top tier candidates. With that said, the candidate who I felt performed the worst was Governor Bill Richardson and that's only because he started off shaky. He recovered soon enough and performed well. I almost must say that Mike Gravel is insane. He's very passionate and angry about the issues but he is too much of a loose cannon and combative. I do love his presence at these debates because you can always count on him for entertainment and to put the candidates in their place. My personal favorite, other than Mrs. Clinton of course, was Senator Joe Biden. I really feel that, if Hillary Clinton were not running, this man would be the best choice for president. He really knows his foreign policy and I think he would set a good domestic agenda.

While many media and pundits predicted that the candidates would attempt to bring down Hillary Clinton last night, I found that most of the attacks were towards Barack Obama. Former Alaska Senator Mike Gravel called Obama out for saying he does not accept money from lobbyists and Dennis Kucinich attacked Obama for saying that he never voted for the Iraq War. He made it very clear that Barack Obama never had the chance to vote for the Iraq war since he was not in office at the time and that Kucinich was actually the only candidate who had not voted for the war. I was pleased to hear Kucinich make this point because I'm tired of Senator Obama using this point when it is not entirely valid.

The big issue being discussed about last night's debate is the difference in answers between Senators Clinton and Obama regarding whether or not they would promise to meet with the leaders of Iran, Venezuela, Cuba, North Korea, etc. in their first term. Senator Obama answered first and said he would make that promise to meet with the leaders and Senator Clinton answered next saying she would not promise to meet with them because she would need to make sure that it wouldn't be used for propaganda. While it may sound like they answered completely differently, they did not. Hillary, like Obama, said she would seek diplomacy but she just didn't say she would go into it without thinking about it first. While I have no doubt that Obama would also not jump into talks with the leaders without investigation and thought, Hillary's answer came across far more experienced and thought out. It made Obama's answer seem very naive and, amateur. My friend and Washington D.C. intern Ashlee Tran says "Her response to the Iran/N Korea/Venez/Syria/etc. ques was measured, poised and exemplified her experience." This, to me, just showed how excellent Hillary Clinton is in the debate format and how Barack Obama is not quite there yet. Today, in regards to those responses, the Clinton camp is attacking the Obama camp for being naive and the Obama camp is attacking the Clinton camp for being a flip flopper and supporting the Iraq War. Yes, they are still using that argument. When all else fails...Obama's camp tries to hide behind Iraq.

One question I have to personally comment on is whether African-Americans should receive reparations for slavery. Only Dennis Kucinich said yes. I could not agree more. I mean no disrespect when I say that unless you were out there in the fields picking that cotton or doing other slave labor, then there is no way you should get any reparation for slavery because, guess what, you were not enslaved.

In closing, while all the candidates shone last night, Hillary Clinton looked and sounded the most presidential. This woman knows her stuff and she has the experience (and I'll dive further into this later because you know I can't let Kevin's post go unanswered). Anderson Cooper did a great job moderating. Ashlee Tran says Cooper "pushed the candidates and continued to probe for answers. One of the best moderators thus far. Plus, he knows when to cut Kucinich off and when to bring Gravel back to...earth." I very much agree. There is a lot more I could say but, perhaps, one of my other Green Room members will choose to analyze the debate further. All in all, a pretty entertaining and informative debate.

President Cheney

According to CNN "President Bush will undergo a routine colonoscopy Saturday, and will transfer power to Vice President Dick Cheney during the procedure, expected to take about two and a half hours."

Is there anything more frightening? I don't think so. Granted, this doesn't mean much since it's only for show and only for a couple of hours but can you imagine what would happen if Dick Cheney were actually to assume the Presidency? I'm not going to hold back...I think the current Vice President is an abomination to the United States and his neo-conservative politics have misled the nation and landed us in the current disastrous situation known as the Iraq War. Is there anything wrong with admitting defeat? The United States still refuses to acknowledge the fact that we lost the Vietnam War. Guess what? Iraq is another loss. Also, the Vice President is a disgrace to the executive branch. Mr. Vice President...you are NOT above the law and you would do well to resign and give the majority of Americans what they want.

Why Obama Isn't Ready

Rich posted below how Senator Barack Obama shone at the NAACP forum. That's great for Barack...but now I will share my thoughts on why I think the freshmen Senator from Illinois is not the best choice for the Democratic nomination. I'm sure Kevin will come on at some point soon and attack both my pro-Hillary points and Rich's pro-Obama stance. Bring it on.

First, is anyone really surprised that Senator Barack Obama...the first Black American with a serious shot at the White House...did well at the NAACP forum? I'm not. This is where he should excell and shine. Barack really needed to shine here to save himself from continuing to fall in the polls while Edwards, Richardson, Clinton, and even Al Gore (who is NOT running) increase. Senator Obama did not do so well at the last Black forum at Howard University. He dropped the ball and let Hillary Clinton steal the spotlight. He really needed to pick this up...and he did...sort of. I won't doubt that Barack Obama is an EXCEPTIONAL public speaker...but he's not that great at debating (especially against Hillary Clinton and especially when he keeps complimenting John Edwards during debates). I need more than just an image of strength, I need actual strength and I don't beleive that Barack Obama has it.

Next, how big is this so-called "shine" for Obama at the NAACP forum? I say it's not very big at all. This forum is not a major televised debate so he won't get that much coverage. Also, his "shine" was not covered particularly well on the network and cable news stations. Now...what DID earn a lot of coverage for the NAACP forum? Not Barack Obama...but instead the controversial conversation between Senator Hillary Clinton and John Edwards. While this overheard conversation is most definitely not a positive thing for either Clinton or Edwards...it did manage to COMPLETELY steal the spotlight and is really all that people are talking about regarding the NAACP forum. Hillary Clinton and John Edwards were highlighted on NBC's Nightly News and on Hardball with Chris Matthews...Barack Obama was not even mentioned (unless you count the ticker at the bottom of the screen displaying a quote from the New York Times saying that Barack Obama had shone at the NAACP forum).

Finally, while I definitely believe in Barack Obama's message of hope and change. I don't really think he is that much of a change. Also, again, I don't think he is ready or nearly experienced enough. He's said how he practices a politics of change but he's been recently making attacks at Hillary Clinton, which to me shows how he is just like the rest of politicians and will go back on what he said to try and regain strength in the polls. Also, Barack Obama has NOT even served half of his FIRST term in the United States senate. While he has said that he has been against the Iraq war since the beginning I wonder if he would have voted against it had he been senator and had the same intelligence that Senators Clinton and Edwards received when they voted for the war. Senator Obama has since always voted to fund the war until the last recent vote where he and Senator Clinton finally voted to stop funding the war (the bill passed anyways). Also, fun fact and important to note, Barack Obama has the SAME EXACT voting record as Hillary Clinton. I'm sick of hearing him shout on about he has always been against the Iraq war. Bottom line Senator Obama...you weren't a senator when the war started, you didn't have the same intelligence that everyone else had. The reason this war began is because of the misconceptions and lies put forth by the Bush administration and a lot of people in power were misled. Also, I don't care if you voted for the war or voted against it...I just care that my candidate is AGAINST the war right now...which ALL of the Democratic presidential candidates are. I think Barack Obama needs a lot more time finding his footing before he attempts the highest office in the nation. He's using his momentum and popularity to try and become president...and I just don't think he's ready nor do I think he would have even tried running if he hadn't achieved such a rock star status in the Democratic party.

To echo my views on why I don't think Senator Obama is the best choice for President, here is selections from a blogger at Hillaryis44.com:

The desperate Obama campaign, falling apart even in his home state of Illinois, shows its hypocrisy once again. Obama’s flowery words say we should put “politics aside” even as his actions (For instance, following Hillary to Iowa and purposefully scheduling a speech a few blocks away from hers, days after Hillary announced her speech. We are sure he will say this is another “staff mistake”) once again demonstrate his true intent to divide Democrats in their attempts to stop the Iraq War. As Admin stated in the comments, Obama’s record in the Senate is clear. Obama has voted identically to Hillary in the Senate and has not attempted to block war funding until he decided to run for President.

Obama has so far failed to support Hillary’s intelligent proposal co-authored by Senator Robert Byrd. Today we hear echoes of the Hillary/Byrd proposal from Republican Senators.

Two leading Republican senators said today that President Bush should seek a new war authorization and present a plan to Congress by Oct. 16 outlining contingency plans in Iraq. Those plans, which would include reducing American forces, should begin by the end of the year.

Senators John W. Warner of Virginia and Richard G. Lugar of Indiana, both of whom have criticized the administration’s troop buildup plan, introduced a measure expected to be considered next week when the Iraq war debate resumes. The senators said it was critical to move beyond the current clash between Congress and the White House and begin making plans to be implemented after the military releases its progress report in September.

Instead of supporting, with vigor, the sensible Democratic deauthorization proposal from two experienced Senators, Obama tried to undermine Hillary when she spoke to the American people from Iowa.

What is Obama instead suggesting we do? Here is his latest O-Lame-O e-mail orders to his supporters: “Write a letter to the editor of your local paper right now — if you act quickly, your letter could be printed alongside tomorrow’s coverage.” The email continues, “Now is the time to act. Millions of Americans are hungry for a president who will end the war in Iraq and confront the threats we face with honesty and sound judgment. They’re waiting to hear from you. Signed, Barack Obama”

So, with “millions of Americans” “hungry for a president who will end the war in Iraq” Obama throws up his hands and suggests his supporters do what he does best: write letters. Along with providing “talking points” to be included in these letters Obama it seems has one other great activity for his supporters besides writing: ‘Read My Books’.

That’s right, read his books.

“Stealing a page from Oprah Winfrey,” Obama has launched book clubs in a dozen NH towns and online (see 7/9 Hotline). Christine Davidson, who led a discussin of “Dreams from My Father” in Portsmouth: “We’re doing this becuase [sic] people don’t really know him very well.” Obama NH comm dir Leslie Miller said about 85 people participated in the book clubs statewide on 7/10. The Portsmouth gathering “attracted only women” as the MLB All-Star Game was being played (McCormick, Chicago Tribune, 7/12). Supporters loaned books to the camp, who then distributed them to undecided voters (Pindell, Boston Globe blog, 7/11).

www.hillaryis44.com

And to end, some new polling data:

A new American Research Group survey finds Sen. Hillary Clinton continues to lead the Democratic presidential race nationally with 38% support, followed by Sen. Barack Obama at 25%, and John Edwards at 16%.

Among Republicans, Rudy Giuliani leads with 30%, followed by Fred Thompson at 17%, John McCain at 14%, Newt Gingrich at 10% and Mitt Romney at 10%.

That's enough on that (for now). Stay tuned for a full blown debate on air and most likely a response from Kevin Coughlin.