McCain’s attacks on Lobbyists may be more for show:
Five lobbyists have resigned from the McCain campaign, causing many other Washington lobbyists to ask: “So this is the thanks we get?” Said one McCain supporter: “I find it a little offensive. It was good enough to get my $2,300 donation. If we’re not good enough, then send my check back. It pisses me off.” But McCain still has 115 lobbyists raising money and helping to run his campaign. And apparently, they all understand McCain’s anti-lobbyist efforts are simply for show:
At 4 p.m. Monday, campaign finance chair Susan Nelson convened a conference call with lobbyist supporters and fundraisers to assuage their bruised egos and pass along positive polling data, according to two participants in the session.
“I think they were trying to make the point that this is not an attack on lobbying or any of the people on the campaign,” said one participant in the conference call, speaking on condition of anonymity. “They want to move forward. My sense is everyone gets the joke.”
A McCain fundraiser said it’s hard “getting enthusiastic about McCain because there’s this long history of kind of castigating the lobbying community while hanging around the lobbyists.”
Senator Webb believes that an attack on Iran is desired by the administration before the elections:
Last year, Sen. Jim Webb (D-VA) proposed legislation that would have required the President Bush to “seek congressional authorization prior to commencing any broad military action in Iran,” but the amendment failed in the Senate. On NPR’s Fresh Air yesterday, host Terri Gross asked Webb about the bill and if he thinks “the Bush administration is considering a military strike” before Bush leaves office.
“It certainly seems that it’s on the table,” replied Webb, noting that some in the administration are pushing for it:GROSS: You also introduced a bill that failed to require congressional approval before any military action in Iran. Do you think the Bush administration is considering a military strike against Iran before President Bush leaves office?
WEBB: Well, it certainly seems that it’s on the table. That there are people in the administration who would like to see that happen.
Clinton Says She’s Willing To Take Fight To Convention
The AP reports on Clinton’s latest proclamations about how long she plans to contest the Democratic nomination:
In an interview Wednesday with The Associated Press, Clinton said she is willing to take her fight to seat Florida’s and Michigan’s delegates to the convention if the two states want to go that far.
Asked whether she would support the states if they appeal an unfavorable rules committee decision to the convention floor, the former first lady replied:
“Yes I will. I will, because I feel very strongly about this.”
“I will consult with Floridians and the voters in Michigan because it’s really their voices that are being ignored and their votes that are being discounted, and I’ll support whatever the elected officials and the voters in those two states want to do.”
Taking her battle to the convention would fly in the face of an increasing number of party leaders who say the contest needs to be wrapped up shortly after the last primary on June 3 to prepare adequately for the fall election.
Asked if she now envisioned the race extending beyond June 3, Clinton replied: “It could, I hope it doesn’t. I hope it’s resolved to everyone’s satisfaction by that date, because that’s what people are expecting, but we’ll have to see what happens.”
In other remarks made Wednesday Clinton continued to press her case for the nomination, intensifying her language by comparing the Florida and Michigan recount to the Civil Rights movement. As the Politico first reported:
Hillary Clinton compared her effort to seat Florida and Michigan delegates to epic American struggles, including those to free the slaves and win the right to vote for blacks and women.[...]
“This work to extend the franchise to all of our citizens is a core mission of the modern Democratic party,” she said. “From signing the Voting Rights Act and fighting racial discrimination at the ballot box to lowering the voting age so those old enough to fight and die in war would have the right to choose their commander in chief, to fighting for multi-lingual ballots so you can make your voice heard no matter what language you speak.”
