US President Tim Kalemkarian, US Senate Tim Kalemkarian, US House Tim Kalemkarian: best major candidate.

THIS WAS SENT TO ME BY A FRIEND. IT IS VERY EXCITING.

THE AUSTRALIAN NEWSPAPER

Caroline Overington: Why self-made Condi should run for president

February 10, 2007 THE next US presidential election will not be held for another 22 months but there is already a feeling, particularly among people who don't approve of President George W. Bush, that Americans will surely elect a Democrat.But seriously, which one? Let's examine the early candidates: Just last week, Joe Biden - he's a senator from Delaware - got off to a roaring start, declaring that an opponent for the Democratic nomination, Barack Obama, was the first "articulate" and "clean" black candidate to make a run for the White House (unlike black candidates of yore, such as Jesse Jackson, who were apparently dirty and foaming at the mouth). Biden corrected himself, saying he didn't mean clean as in, well, clean. He meant clean as in fresh. Of course he did. Obama - indeed gracious, loquacious and groomed - took it on the chin, but that won't help his campaign. Obama's daddy was a Muslim. Ergo, he's doomed. Hillary Clinton is also running, and tripping up at every turn. In Ohio last month, she claimed that she was able to deal with terrorists such as Osama bin Laden because her background "equips me to deal with evil and bad men". The press was startled. Surely she didn't mean her husband, Bill? And if not, who did she mean? Not the vast right-wing conspiracy again? Clinton tried to laugh it off, telling reporters it was a joke: "You know, you guys keep telling me, lighten up, be funny." Yes, let's all lighten up about bin Laden. Honestly, he's a gas. So, to recap, the Democratic Party has recently put forward three new candidates, and this is how they rate: Obama: black son of Muslim father. Unelectable. Biden: small mind from very small state. Unelectable. Clinton: dour and lacking candour. Unelectable. There is another cab on the rank: the southerner John Edwards, who ran on John Kerry's ticket in 2004 and got flogged. Edwards campaigns on the notion that there are "two Americas", one rich, one poor, and he'd like to close the divide. How awkward, then, when the press last week uncovered the plan for his new house, with an indoor pool and soccer pitch, five bedrooms, six bathrooms, and a big red extension known as "the Barn". Edwards: rich and, like John Kerry, pretending not to be. Unelectable. Which brings us back to Bush's team, the Republicans. Their stand-out candidate is Senator John McCain, who is the son and grandson of navy admirals, who saw combat in Vietnam and was for five years a prisoner of war. McCain: you'd have to think, unbeatable. To get up, however, he will have to deal with the former New York mayor, Rudolph Giuliani. Now Giuliani has his problems. He comes with two ex-wives, one of whom is also his cousin, the other of whom is very bitter, and took him to court when he tried to move his mistress - now his third wife - into the mayor's mansion. But to be a man with many wives is not to make Giuliani unelectable because he is, a)sorry; b)sunny; and c)he was steadfast after the September 11 terrorist attacks. Giuliani: possibly electable. If those candidates weren't solid enough, the Republicans have another trick up their sleeve: a radiantly intelligent, polished and popular, confident and experienced candidate, whose only problem is that she's not actually in the race. We speak, of course, of Condoleezza Rice. Oh yes, Rice, Secretary of State, or as Bush once put it, America's face to the world. America's most senior diplomat and Bush's former national security adviser must surely step up soon, if not for the top job - although she could do it on her ear - then at least on somebody else's ticket. Rice has global prominence, and her present portfolio is enormous: peace in the Middle East; poverty in Africa; idiocy in North Korea, it's all on her beat. Unlike Clinton, Rice is entirely self-made. She is not married and cannot be accused of trading on her husband's name. Born in race-segregated Alabama, she has overcome the hurdle of prejudice. She once said of her parents, and the parents of her black peers: "They refused to allow the limits and injustices of their time to limit our horizons." Her natural brilliance is not in doubt: Rice studied French, piano and ice-skating from the age of three. She had tenure at Stanford University at 26. She is a student of history, and - as adviser to Ronald Reagan during the Cold War - helped shape it. Time magazine puts her approval rating 20 points higher than Bush. Like Bush, she's an evangelical Christian. Her closest relationship is with God. Also like Bush, she believes promotion of democracy is part of America's duty to mankind, and that democratic capitalism will solve the world's problems, among them poverty, illiteracy and sickness. Yes, she's a woman with a mission. The problem, of course, is that Rice repeatedly rules herself out of the race for the White House. Last March, she told America's Meet the Press that she had no intention of running, despite all the "Condi 2008" stickers appearing on bumpers across the country. On the other hand, Rice clearly feels that she still has work to do. An example: last September, a popular US footballer, Tiki Barber, attended a lunch with Rice at the State Department. "She's welcoming and warm. There's no facade," Barber said, afterwards. Rice is a football fan; she repeatedly says she would like one day to run the NFL. Barber asked her whether she was serious. "Oh, yes, I'd love to," she replied. "But I got to figure out Iran first." Yes, go figure out Iran. And then run, Condi, run.

overingtonc@theaustralian.com.au

"...because my remaining the focus of sustained ideological attacks was inevitably making me a liability to the campaign,..."

Gee, Melissa, wasn't it ideological attacks by you and Amanda that started this tempest in a teapot. Duh! Now you're the target of ideological attacks. Wake up, girl!

Once again guys, this shouldn't have been about Anti-Catholic/Pro-Catholic; it should have been about campaign workers straying off the reservation.

Bill Donahue likes to hear himself talk, uses a Sunday School approach in his positions and as Blarg pointed out is no more representative of Catholics as a whole than Falwell or Roberston are of Protestants.

Even if Amanda and Melissa aren't Jewish, they sure show a lot of chutzpah.

Next tempest, please.

"...because my remaining the focus of sustained ideological attacks was inevitably making me a liability to the campaign,..."

Gee, Melissa, wasn't it ideological attacks by you and Amanda that started this tempest in a teapot.

Once again guys, this shouldn't have been an Anti-Catholic/Pro-Catholic issue; it should have been about campaign workers straying off the reservation.

Bill Donahue likes to hear himself talk, uses a Sunday School approach in his positions and as Blarg pointed out is no more representative of Catholics as a whole than Falwell or Roberston are of Protestants.

Even if Amanda and Melissa aren't Jewish, they sure show a lot of chutzpah.

Next tempest, please.

So the response to people saying that some Catholics are creepy misogynists is rape threats. I'm not quite sure you guys are clear on the concept, but go ahead and gloat. I'm sure that's what Jesus would do.

Quick! What non-issue can the wingers think of next? With each petty obsession they move further and further from the main stream.

The topic was Edwards and someone posted about Obama. So that opens the door for another 2008 contender to be discussed:
Secretary of State Condi Rice.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/02/13/AR2007021300130.html

The post is reporting the first phase of the N Korea 6-party talks and how the neighbors near that nation have worked with the US State Dept to get this nuclear weapon threat settled by DIPLOMATIC MEANS.

Some of the Democrats and liberals in here do not like that I stand up for Condi as a presidential candidate. But she is doing the work of our top diplomat, she is strong on foreign policy in the whole world, not just Iraq. Instead of flying around building a portfolio as a candidate, she is working for our current president to set the stage for the rest of Bush's term in office.

Some think Newt can enter the race later in 2007 and if that is true, the same could be said for Condi Rice.

Cillizza wanted to ask President Bush "which is your preferred candidate for the Republican nomination in 2008?"
And I wonder what Chris would have said if the President has said:
MY CHOICE IS CONDI RICE TO BE MY LEGACY.

Over the next year, keep an eye on her overall success. Now that Negroponte is on board as her deputy, the power of the State Department has doubled.

Ann Compton asked the question about 2008, and Bush said I will not become the PUNDIT in chief. That is a good answer since he has TWO YEARS REMAINING IN OFFICE TO GET THINGS DONE.

N Korea and Venezula are topics of interest being handled by Condi Rice right now. And I do a lot of research to stay informed about what actions Condi is taking and her success. Stay tuned.

I love the delicious irony of "Former Catholic" (read above) telling Catholics to "turn the other cheek."

Interesting how offended Catholics who speak out against the blasphemous attacks on their faith (and Edwards' glib response) are somehow categorized as part of a "Catholic hate-attack machine."

Incredible. Truly incredible.

Edwards didn't fire them. It was the death threats. There were lots of them -- quite graphic.

See, the 'relgious' in our country clearly want to murder anyone who disagrees with them.

I'm sure Jesus would have been pleased.

Edwards didn't fire them. It was the death threats. There were lots of them -- quite graphic.

See, the 'relgious' in our country clearly want to murder anyone who disagrees with them.

I'm sure Jesus would have been pleased.

What I find instructive about this whole episode is how it exposed how amateurish the Edwards campaign is. No politician with an ounce of sense would have hired either one of those leftard harrigans if he had actually read anything she had written. Is there ANY vetting going on?

Not a fan of the Catholic hate-attack machine. What ever happened to turn the other cheek?

Not a fan of the Catholic hate-attack machine. What ever happened to turn the other cheek?

Not a fan of the Catholic hate-attack machine. What ever happened to turn the other cheek?

True, there is no parallel. But the point of criticizing Donahue is to show that his opinions are meaningless. He thinks that these bloggers are anti-Catholic. But he himself is a terrible bigot. So why should we listen when he complains about being offended? I'm sure that the majority of Catholics feel the same about Donahue as the majority of Protestants feel about Jerry Falwell. He doesn't speak for the whole religion.

I don't know why you lefties can't understand the simple point that no Republican has hired William Donahue, therefore there is no parallel between whatever it is you think he has done, and what John Edwards' hired staff has done.

Chris, I would love to see something explaining why you think this issue is so important. I don't get it personally, as many many campaign staffers have been fired over out-of-line remarks over the years. I don't see why the fact the remarks were on the Internet make any difference, but your insights would be valuable.

William, you are correct. We in NC won't take Edwards back, nor would he have won reelection to the senate in 2004. Phony, phony, poll driven phony.

Bill Donohue is a traditional Catholic: that means he is anti-semitic, anti-rationalist, anti-Protestant, anti-everything modern and advanced. He is a Torquemada.

Bill Donohue is a traditional Catholic: that means he is anti-semitic, anti-rationalist, anti-Protestant, anti-everything modern and advanced. He is a Torquemada.

Bill Donohue is a traditional Catholic: that means he is anti-semitic, anti-ratinalist, anti-Protestant, anti-everything modern and advanced. He is a Torquemada.

Now is the time to expose Bill Donohue for his bigotry, racism, and anti-semitism. And yes, his vulgarity. Fortunately, in the age of the Internet, everything that hypocrite has ever said or written is easily recoverable.

let us please remember

edwards obviously so very carefully vetted what these two people wrote and was happy with it. Then when controversy erupted he proudly stood by them -although it took more than long enough to check out hte bloggers reactions to it- and hten both of them left within days totally of their own volition and Edwards can still do no wrong.

oh and Hillary is still an evil horrible calculating woman.

What should never have even happened has been one horrible blunder after another which has kept this story alive. Edwards ditched them pure and simple. He would have ditched them earlier but he checked out the bloggers reatction first. Could you imagine if this happened in the post primary campaign? He would have lost a whole weeks worth of news cycles through dithering inaction.

pathetic. wake up and smell the coffee, Edwards is not the totally honest non-politician he pretends to be. He tailors his message and now runs to the left in order to win the nomination and then if he did win it would charge straight back to the centre. There's nothing necessarily wrong with that but I find the beliefs of the netroots mind boggingly naive and/or stupid. THEY ARE ALL POLITICIANS.

oh and the criticism that Chris gets is totally unwarranted. He reports what is news and understands way more about how this game is played than some of the netroots who think that every democrat thinks like them. I'm as liberal as they come but I am forced to roll my eyes at some of the other so called liberals around.

Let us not forget that the actual reason these two bloggers resigned was the enormous amount of death threats, rape threats, and other sorts of threats aimed at them by so-called 'Christians'. All these two did was make statements that were unfavorable to the Catholic faith. I am a Catholic and did not appreciate their statements, but I live in a country where people have a right to believe what they wish without fear of reprisal.

Not so with the right-wing attack machine. Anything and everything said is fair game for them to create controversy. Who has looked into Bill Donohue's past? Was he not an apologist for Deal Hudson's date rape? These people claim to speak for religious people, but they only speak for a partisan agenda.

Come on Chris, don't be duped by them. Point out the sickness of the people attacking these two bloggers, don't just take it lying down.

Dear Mr. Cillizza,

Keep your hate campaign against the most liberal components of our society!!!

Shame on you!!

Yours,
Che

For uncensored news please go to:

otherside123.blogspot.com
www.wsws.org
www.onlinejournal.com
www.takingaimradio.net

so, william, would it have been ok if they had insulted jews? or muslims? be careful not to set the religion / morality bar too low - rudy giuliani, among others, might trip on it.

the hypocrisy of some on this issue is breathtaking. seems to me religion has NO place in politics, other than as a freedom to be protected, and from which those of other or no faiths must BE protected.

What's that I smell?

The sweet smell of VICTORY!!!

Too bad, Ms. McEwan and Mrs. Marcotte. You shouldn't have insulted Christianity if you wanted to keep your jobs.

And Edwards, you won't survive the primaries.

Bill Donahue will see to that.

You'll regret the day when you sided with Kos instead of Christians.

Bye Bye, Breck Girl. Go back to NC, if they'll even take you.

Edwards...done
Biden...done
Obama...significantly damaged...he'll be finished before summer.

Things are lookin' good.

I can't WAIT until the Clinton war machine gets to work on Obama. It's gonna be GREAT!

Do you think the Obama-nable snowman will melt come spring?

As Chris Rock put it: "But all of that stuff exists to keep you from the thinking about THE WAR!"

Chris, have you considered renamming The Fix "GOP Talking Points?"

Just a thought

John Edwards gave them a choice: step down or be fired. But either way both will be back in the Edwards campaign by late summer. A very nice hat trick by John Edwards.

I will have to agree with Judge C. Crater. The entire episode was boring, very boring!

BORING! Show's over folks, move along, move along. Find some other controversy to convert from a molehill into a mountain.

Love bloggers getting hoist on their own petards. Everyone is a big mouth until they lose their anonymity.