The Mersman Political Blog![]() The Mersman Political Blog Political news on Iraq, 2008 presidential election, Congress, Capital Hill news, world news and any political news that is of importance. Updated often! Check it out! Critical thinking liberal news with fact based writing with separate opinion sectio Articles
Barack Obama Makes Surprise Appearance on Saturday Night Live
2007-11-04 11:09:00 Barack Obama made a surprise appearance last night during the introduction of NBC's "Saturday Night Live ". The skit featured the cast of "SNL" as the Democratic presidential candidates dressed in costumes for Halloween. Barack Obama comes up wearing a Barack Obama mask and reveals himself. Obama takes implied shots at Hillary Clinton who is hosting the Halloween party by saying that he will continue to be himself. ?Well you know Hillary, I have nothing to hide, I enjoy being myself. I am not going to change myself just because it is Halloween,? Obama said. The skit ended with Barack Obama giving the standard opening to the show, ?Live from New York it?s Saturday Night? There is some subtle humor mixed in that might be harder to get unless you have been watching all of the debates or if you have been following the campaign closely. It adds a certain level of humor that has certainly been missing from SNL lately. This clip happens to be pretty good. Check... More About: Barack Obama , Barack
Democratic Candidates Go After Clinton
2007-11-02 06:47:00 Hillary Clinton speaks during the debate on Tuesday trying to explain she only changed her position a tiny bit. (Photo by REUTERS).Tuesday night October 30, MSNBC hosted the eighth Democratic presidential debate. All eyes were on Barack Obama as everyone expected to see him go for the jugular in regards to Senator Clinton. Obama?s strategy was to let the other candidates do the dirty work for him while outlining differences between him and Clinton. Hillary Clinton spent the night warding off Dodd, Biden, and John Edwards in particular. Clinton was challenged on her electability, her position on Iraq, The first question of the night was to Barack Obama asking him where he has differed from Clinton and how she has tried to ?sound Republican and vote Republican?. Obama said that the lead up to the debate contained a lot of hype and accused Clinton of flip-flopping on issues. John Edwards accused Clinton of ?double-talk? on the issue of Iran and outlined o... More About: Democratic Candidates , Candidates , Candidate
Democratic Debate in Philadelphia (October 30)
2007-10-30 18:36:00 Democratic candidates shown debating in New Hampshire. Tonights debate will be held in Philadelphia on MSNBC. (Photo by REUTERS). Tonight, Brian Williams and Tim Russert will moderate the eighth Democratic debate that will air on MSNBC. You will also be able to see the debate streamed live on MSNBC.com. The debate will begin at 9:00 PM Eastern time and is supposed to last 2 hours. The thing to watch tonight will be Barack Obama ?s offensive strategy on Hillary Clinton. Do not forget that John Edwards will also be there on the offensive as well, especially on the issue of Hillary taking money from lobbyists. I have been hearing political commentators saying that this debate will be more important for Obama because the next debate is too close to Thanksgiving . That debate is scheduled for November 15, 2007. I thought Thanksgiving was on the 22nd? I think they under estimate Americans ability to think about the upcoming holiday and what Barack Obama says i... More About: Iraq , Social Security , Democratic
Howard Dean Talks About Faith and Politics at Hope College
2007-10-29 16:50:00 Howard Dean speaks at Hope College in Holland, MI. (Photo by Brandon Mersman)Democratic chairman Howard Dean visited a small Christian college in Holland, Michigan on Monday to talk about faith and politics. ?I am not here to persuade you [into voting Democrat] and if that happens that?s great that?s God?s work,? Dean told the audience jokingly. Dean stated that he was a member of a church back home and that his beliefs were what led him to choose the Democratic Party. In the past few elections Democrats have not done well among religious voters and he said that the Democratic Party needed to do a better job of reaching out to people of faith. Dean was there to talk about what the two parties have in common and he said that there really is a lot they have in common. Dean said that the Democratic Party is a party of equal opportunity; that everyone should have access to health care (which received a loud round of applause); no child should go to bed hungry, wa... More About: Politics , Religion , Faith , Iraq War
Barack Obama: Hillary Clinton Not Being Honest with American People
2007-10-28 06:37:00 Barack Obama speaks in Chicago. (Photo by REUTERS). On Friday, Barack Obama was asked if he thought Hillary was being honest with the American people. He replied, ?No.? ?I don?t think people know what her agenda exactly is,? Obama said. He said that social security, Iraq , and Iran were all issues where she was not entirely clear what she would do if she was elected. ??One of the things that I firmly believe is that we?ve got to be clear with the American people right now about the important choices that we?re going to need to make in order to get a mandate for change, not to try to obfuscate and avoid being a target in the general election,? Barack said. After two terms of President Bush we should know how important it is to learn a presidential candidate?s intentions when it comes to Iraq, Iran, and other critical issues, before they are elected. Barack Obama promised his worried supporters on Friday that he would go after Clinton more assertively. ... More About: People , Democrats , Republicans
Bush and Republicans are Making America Less Safe
2007-10-26 07:05:00 President Bush tugs his ear at a United Nations Security Council meeting in New York City. (Photo by REUTERS) ?Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer,? the legendary Sun-tzu once said. President Bush has taken the exact opposite approach in his tenure. If you are an enemy of the United States the Bush administration cuts off all ties with you. Take for example; Iran . Is there a worse way that President Bush could be handling the situation? The Pentagon is currently drawing up plans for military operations against Iran and on Thursday the United States issued new sanctions on Iran. The sanctions on Iran have escalated tensions in the nuclear battle even more. Iran said that the sanctions were illegal and ?doomed? to failure. "You can run like crazy carrying razors--it is not the best way to resolve the problem," Russian President Vladimir Puttin said on Thursday. While the Bush administration continues to push it?s enemies farther away it... More About: America , Iraq , Republicans
Obama Scores Higher on God-o-Meter than Republicans
2007-10-25 07:12:00 Barack Obama takes his place before a Democratic debate. Photo by REUTERS. Barack Obama scored a 9 out of 10 on Beliefnet.com?s God-o-Meter which is higher than all other Republican candidates. Obama also scored higher than all other Democratic candidates. Beliefnet is partnering with TIME Magazine to inform voters on where the candidates stand in matters of faith. To do this they have simplified it by giving them a number rating out of 10. According to BeliefNet.com, ?The God-o-Meter (pronounced Gah-DOM-meter) scientifically measures factors such as rate of God-talk, effectiveness?saying God wants a capital gains tax cut doesn't guarantee a high rating?and other top-secret criteria.? On the website you can click on the candidate?s head and see their scores along with other written information about their religious views. The site is constantly rescoring based on the new information. Barack Obama is courting church goers as strongly as George W . Bush di... More About: Republicans , Barack Obama , Time Magazine
Florida Republican Debate Hosted by Fox News (October 21, 2007)
2007-10-22 20:50:00 Sunday Night Fox News hosted another Republican debate. This time in Orlando, Florida. Here are the YouTube videos of the debate. Part 1: Part 2: Part 3: Part 4: Part 5: Part 6: Part 7: Part 8: Part 9: More About: Rudy Giuliani , Fred Thompson , Duncan Hunter
Sam Brownback Makes an Exit from Presidential Campaign
2007-10-21 08:49:00 Senator Sam Brownback (R-Kansas) signs books at a conservative family values group. Photo by REUTERS.On Friday, October 19, 2007, Sam Brownback (R-Kansas) announced that he had found an exit strategy, from the presidential campaign that is. The Republican Senator from Kansas tried to sell himself on being the true family values candidate but conservatives apparently were not interested. Brownback raised only $926,000 last quarter, which is fine if you are running for county clerk, but not for president. Brownback made his emotional announcement from Topeka, Kansas with his wife Mary and his family at his side. "Today I'm ending my candidacy. My yellow brick road just came short of the White House this time," Brownback said. Oh nice one, he?s from Kansas, a ?Wizard of Oz? reference. "We've really been held (back) early on by the media saying 'we don't think he can do it,'" Brownback said. Brownback?s support was waning and had sunk into the single digit... More About: Africa , Presidential , Hillary Clinton , Mike Huckabee
SCHIP Veto Override Falls Short in House
2007-10-19 05:47:00 Nancy Pelosi speaks on Capital Hill behind large colorful graphics about SCHIP . The veto override on Thursday fell 13 votes shy of what was needed to override the President. Photo by REUTERS. On Thursday, House Democrats who had fought feverously to persuade Republicans to change their votes on the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) in order to override the president?s veto, fell 13 votes short of a veto proof majority. Democrats were able to pick up more votes the second time around but it was still not enough. What is astonishing about the fact that President Bush was able to get Republicans to ?fall in line? with him on this bill is the fact that the vast majority of Americans support the passage of this legislation. What is also amazing is that a lot of Republicans do not seem to care about keeping their jobs. With Democrats in a strong position to pick up more seats in the House and Senate in 2008, a ?Nay? vote on this piece of legislati... More About: Short , John Dingell
Gore?s Peace Prize Renews Same Old Calls
2007-10-17 06:44:00 Former United States Vice President Al Gore addresses a crowd in Palo Alto, Texas after begin awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. Photo by REUTERS.After Al Gore won the Nobel Peace Prize last week the age old question was asked again, ?will Al Gore run for president??The answer is still no and the question is still as ridiculous. Al Gore has no intention of running for president. The same question was asked after he won an Oscar, then the Emmy, and now the Nobel.Nothing has changed. It would be an impossible and awkward position for Gore to put himself in running against Hillary Clinton whose husband he served under as vice president.All of the same political friends and donors have already gone Clinton?s way with only a few months before the primaries begin.There is also no lack of political stars in the Democratic field and no reason for him to jump into such a crowded field.A new Gallup Poll conducted over the weekend found that only 41 percent of Americans wanted Gore to run for ... More About: Global Warming , President Bush
Ron Paul Talks to Washington Post about Third Party Run
2007-10-15 03:19:00 Michael D. Shear of the Washington Post interviewed Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul recently to ask him about his fund-raising success and whether or not he would run under a third party. The last fund-raising quarter Ron Paul was able to raise $5.2 million dollars and his current goal is to raise $12 million dollars by the end of the next quarter. ?When people hear the message of limited government and the constitution they respond very very favorably,? Paul said. Michael Shear asked him how he plans to spend the money and in what states. Ron Paul said he will be spending his new funds in the early states and focusing on New Hampshire. Ron Paul should be right up the ?Live Free or Die? state?s alley. Shear also asked him if he would run for president under a third party if he did not get the nomination. Paul talked about the difficulty to get on the ballots in each of the 50 states and how hard it is to get the two parties to let a third party can... More About: Party , Washington Post
Bill O?Reilly Tries to Smear John Edwards
2007-10-13 16:59:00 Bill O?Reilly , everyone?s favorite Fox News commentator has now claimed that Osama bin Laden has a John Edwards bumper sticker on the wall of his cave. He also referred to him and Democrats like him as ?touchy feely liberals?. Well then, I guess I am a ?touchy feely liberal.? I am not going to call Bill any names here, I am just going to show why John Edwards and other Democrats like him, would be more successful than President Bush has been on the war on terror. If John Edwards was elected or any other ?touchy feely liberal? for that matter, Osama bin Laden would loose his biggest recruitment tool. The war in Iraq has helped Al-Qaeda recruit more terrorists than ever and it has given Al-Qaeda American targets closer to home. A report by the International Institute for Strategic Studies in London said that the risk of terrorism against Westerners and Western interests, ?appeared to [have] increased after the Iraq war began in March 2003.? The report also sh... More About: Bill O
You Can?t Stop the Ron Paul Express
2007-10-12 07:00:00 Ron Paul speaks at the Americans for Prosperity Foundation's Defending the American Dream Summit in Washington, DC. Photo by REUTERS. $5.2 million dollars last quarter, 56.1 million Google hits, and over 40,000 people who have volunteered online to help the Ron Paul campaign. This guy is for real. It appears that this candidate has jumped from ?unknown? to top-tier. He is still behind in the money game but debate moderators are giving him more time, his supporters are more energetic, audiences love his responses, and his campaign seems to have the big ?Mo? right now (Mo as in momentum if you are not a political nerd). More people are starting to take Ron Paul seriously now despite how much this enrages fellow candidates on stage. The more candidates try to attack Paul the stronger Paul looks and the more heat his opponents take. Ron Paul?s YouTube channel has more than 31,600 subscribers. Hillary Clinton has just over 6,200 and Rudy Giuliani has a meager... More About: Space , Time Magazine
Republican ?Your Money Your Vote? Debate in Dearborn, Michigan (October 9,
2007-10-11 06:44:00 Fred Thompson tries to find words, any words to say that will resemble a sentence. Photo by REUTERS.All nine, count them nine, Republican candidates made it to the MSNBC ?Your Money Your Vote ? debate in Dearborn, Michigan . Home to the failing auto industry and a state with one of the highest unemployment rates in the country. Mitt Romney and Rudy Giuliani spent the night exchanging punches over which candidate spent the most money and increased taxes the most while in office. The candidates also had a another brilliant idea when they decided to attack Hillary Clinton throughout the debate giving more weight to her argument that she is the presumed nominee and best able to defeat the Republicans. The fact that Republicans think that they have to start attacking Clinton already at the primary stage shows that Republicans are scared of facing her in the general election. The candidates were asked if they thought they would support the Republican nominee if they... More About: Debate
Fred Thompson Skit on Saturday Night Live
2007-10-10 19:14:00 Not bad for an SNL skit in the past few seasons. ?How badly do I want to be our nation?s president? On a scale of 1 to 10? I?m about a 6.? Saturday Night Live is even able to pick up on Fred Thompson ?s lack luster energy level and his laziness when it comes to trying to pump up a crowd. Does he realize how long the presidential campaign is? Here is the clip: The now famous ?round of applause video?: More About: Tube
Remaining Debates Scheduled for Presidential Primary
2007-10-10 05:24:00 Here is a list of the remaining debates that are scheduled at the moment for both parties. It shows the location and which channel will be hosting the event. Dates and events may still be subject to change by candidates and parties.Democratic Debates ? October 30, 2007: NBC News/MSNBC in Philadelphia, PA? November 15, 2007: CNN in Las Vegas, NV? December 10, 2007: CBS in Los Angeles, CA? December 17, 2007: CNN and Politico .com host a Democratic presidential debate at the Kennedy Library in Boston? Jan. 6, 2008: The Des Moines Register and Iowa Public Television host a Democratic presidential debate in Johnson, IA? Jan. 15, 2008: The Caucus of African American Nevadans and Impacto host a Democratic presidential debate in Las Vegas, NV? Jan. 31, 2008: CNN and the Los Angeles Times host a debate of the Democratic presidential candidates in CaliforniaRepublican Debates? October 21, 2007 Orlando, Florida - FOX News? November 6, 2007 Ames, Iowa - MSNBC? November 28, 2007 St Petersburg, F... More About: Google , Presidential , Tube
Third Quarter Presidential Fund Raising
2007-10-08 19:36:00 "I raised how much?" Hillary Clinton celebrates raising $27 million dollars this quarter while Giuliani raises $11 million dollars. Photo by REUTERS. Hillary Clinton tops all candidates taking in 27 million dollars this past three month period and the top Republican Giuliani took in a ?meager? $11 million dollars in comparison. Last presidential election that would have been a staggering figure. Democrats were easily able to out raise Republicans again this quarter perhaps displaying strong distaste for the war in Iraq and the vast Republican scandals over the last couple of years. Barack Obama was able to raise $20 million dollars this quarter and has been saving 5 percent of his total funds to spent on the general election. Obama received his money from over 93,000 donors this quarter.Hillary Clinton specified that she would put $5 million of her $27 million this quarter into her general election fund. Clinton?s money came from over 100,000 donors this quarter which was the f... More About: Presidential , Bill Clinton , John Edwards
The Daily Show with Jon Stewart Piece on Partisan Kids Books
2007-10-08 05:54:00 This is just a very funny video that I saw on ?The Daily Show? with Jon Stewart that I wanted to share. It also shows the ridiculous links that some people go through to try and embed partisan beliefs in their children?s minds at a very young age. This interview is conducted by John Oliver and looks at both sides of this argument. Authors of children?s books should stick to non-partisan topics in their stories and not add in Ted Kennedy trying to take their children?s money in taxes or demonizing liberals as something they should fear. Unless we want to raise more hateful Ann Coulters in this world. Here is the video, enjoy it for satirical humor because of how ridiculous it is.function fbs_click() {u=location.href;t=document.title;window. open('http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php? u='+encodeURIComponent(u)+'&t='+encodeURI Component(t),'sharer','toolbar=0,status=0 ,width=626,height=436');return false;} html .fb_share_link { padding:2px 0 0 20px; height:16px; backgrou... More About: Video , Kids , Books
New Hampshire Democratic Debate (September 26, 2007)
2007-10-03 07:22:00 All eight Democratic candidates before the debate in Hanover, New Hampshire . Probably telling themselves I have a much better chance of winning now that I showed up. Photo by REUTERS. Wednesday, September 26, 2007 Democrats gathered for another primary debate. This time the stage was at Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire. All eight candidates were present for the debate that aired on MSNBC and was moderated by NBC?s Tim Russert. Iraq was the largest topic of the night with the front runners agreeing that they could not promise to end the conflict by 2013. ?I think it's hard to project four years from now,? said Barack Obama of Illinois. One thing that is certain is that he was against the war from the start and if he was elected he would be inheriting a war that he himself would not have voted for. ?It is very difficult to know what we're going to be inheriting,? Hillary Clinton suggested, who herself, voted for the war. John Edwards also sa... More About: Debate
?Top Republicans? Afraid to Debate Minority Issues
2007-09-30 23:17:00 John McCain pictured at a Fox News debate in which he decided was important enough to show up to. Sam Brownback on the right was not scared to debate minority issues in Baltimore and was embarrassed that the other candidates did not show up. Photo by REUTERS. The stage was set for the PBS debate at the historically black Morgan State University in Baltimore, but the four leading Republic ans decided they had more important things to do. Rudy Giuliani, Fred Thompson (who has yet to debate), Mitt Romney, and John McCain were all afraid that the forum of journalists would be ?too hostel?. The candidates chalked it up to ?scheduling conflicts? but the host of the forum was quick to state the real reason at the opening out of frustration. The candidates who did bother to show up were able to reach out to minorities and criticize the other candidates for not being there. Sam Brownback, Mike Huckabee, Ron Paul, Alan Keyes, Tom Tancredo, and Duncan Hunter were all present for ... More About: Issues , Debate , Minor
Rudy Giuliani?s Lies Make Easy Target
2007-09-28 04:08:00 Rudy Giuliani stages a phone call from his wife right during his speech at the NRA, reminding him to pick up milk on the way home. Photo by: REUTERS. Perhaps Democrats would like to face Rudy Giuliani in 2008 more than any other front runner. Giuliani is running on one issue alone and that is September 11 and the lies he is telling along the way would make an excellent target for who ever turns out to be the Democratic nominee. Last weeks events concerning the National Rifle Association highlighted yet again Rudy Giuliani?s use of ?truth stretching?. It does not take anyone long to find out that Rudy Giuliani is a liar by searching YouTube .com. If you take what he said last week to the NRA and compare it to his views as mayor of New York City you will see that he either is lying now or he changed his mind. Giuliani claimed that it was, of course, September 11, 2001 that made him change his views on gun control. If that was the case, the video of him from 200... More About: World Trade Center , Rudy Giuliani , Republican Party
Violence in Darfur Continues
2007-09-27 04:46:00 A recent ad campaign is about to be released by SaveDarfur.org which tells the stories of people who are still suffering and dying in the genocide in Darfur. According to SaveDarfur.org over 100,000 people called President Bush to live up to his promise to address the General Assembly about Darfur while at the United Nations this week. President Bush told the UNGA, ??The United Nations must answer this challenge to conscience -and live up to its promise to promptly deploy peacekeeping forces to Darfur.? The United Nations recently approved a joint peace keeping force of United Nations forces and African Union forces to put a stop to the violence perpetrated on non-Arab Sudan ese people. Peace talks are also set to be held in October. The United States would of course need to contribute their share of the bill for the peacekeeping forces and supply their share of the equipment as well. If there is no follow through from those that have promised their support to the peo... More About: Action , War , Violence
Giuliani Flip-Flops Again
2007-09-23 18:18:00 Rudy Giuliani tries to tell the NRA his position on gun control has changed this much. Photo by: REUTERS/Larry Downing.Rudy Giuliani has now changed his views on gun control in order to entice Republican primary voters to vote for him. Rudy Giuliani appeared before a meeting of the National Rifle Association along with several other Republican candidates plus Bill Richardson . Rudy Giuliani, while mayor of New York City had a long record of pushing for tougher gun control and it actually helped him reduce crime in his city. The other candidates there had long been supporters of NRA issues and gun owners? rights. Giuliani pretended on Thursday that the attacks of September 11, 2001 changed his views on the issue and that it was not next years (or late this year) Republican primary which is made up of mostly conservative voters. Giuliani told the crowd of 500 people that the attacks placed, ?a whole different emphasis on the things America needs to do to protect its... More About: Washington Post , Rudy Giuliani , Presidential Election 2008
Hillary Clinton Unveils Health Care Plan, Finally!?
2007-09-19 07:24:00 Hillary Clinton speaks in Iowa on Sept. 16, 2007. Photo by REUTERS/Joshua LottOn Monday the long awaited and long promised Hillary Clinton health care plan was finally been unveiled. Hillary has been careful not to offer many details of her plan saying that they would come later. Those details are in now, more than eight months after John Edwards announced his fully universal health care plan. Her plan would cover the 47 million uninsured Americans and make health care more affordable. "It is time for us to come together and start living up to our values, to provide quality affordable health care for every single American," Hillary told listeners in Iowa. Her plan provides tax credits for Americans who cannot afford insurance. When people cannot afford to pay for it at that point, how can they pay for it now and wait for a tax break at the end of the year? The plan would also give those tax credits to small businesses who provide insurance, offer more choic... More About: Health , Health Care , Hillary Clinton , Care
Republican Debate from New Hampshire (9/5/2007)
2007-09-14 18:37:00 (Right) Mike Huckabee gives Rudy Giuliani a ?peck? on the cheek following the debate in New Hampshire on September 5, 2007. (Left) John McCain leans in to get in on the action. Photo by REUTERS. Brit Hume hosted the fifth Republican presidential debate in New Hampshire at the University of New Hampshire on September 5th, 2007. Fred Thompson was the only candidate not on hand. Thompson took the night to appear on Jay Leno and announce his inevitable presidential campaign and did not make it to the debate. Fred?s absence did not go unnoticed by the candidates on stage and the other candidates briefly discussed his entrance to the race. Most of the candidates welcomed him into the race while joking about why he was not there in person talking with the people of New Hampshire. John McCain commented that it was a decision for Thompson to make on his own whether or not to be there and joked that maybe they were up past his bedtime. Rudy Giuliani suggested... More About: Sam Brownback , Duncan Hunter , Tom Tancredo
Democratic Congress Harder Working
2007-09-12 06:32:00 House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-California) and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nevada) speak outside the White House at a press conference. Photo by REUTERS.So far the 110th congress is only 8 months into their term with the new Democratic ally controlled House and Senate. So far they have managed to pass more legislation, hold more oversight hearings, and have logged more hours at work than the 109th Republican controlled Congress . According to Time Magazine , the 110th Congress has passed 122 substantial bills. The 109th Congress run by the GOP only passed 77 comparable pieces of legislation. The new legislation includes ethics reform, expansion of children?s health care, increased minimum wage, 9/11 reforms, and lobbying reform. With President Bush controlling the Executive Branch and not a strong enough majority of Democrats in the Senate, President Bush still has the power to veto any legislation he does not agree with. Bush vetoed an Iraq spending... More About: Health Care
3,753 American Troops Killed Since "Mission Accomplished"
2007-09-07 06:03:00 Since May 1, 2003, 3,614 troops have died in Iraq. This was the date of the now infamous speech on the USS Abraham Lincoln in which the banner appeared in the background reading "Mission Accomplished".As of September 5, 2007, 3,753 American troops have lost their lives and 27,767 American troops have been seriously injured. That is the official number of wounded from the Pentagon. Others put the estimated number of wounded anywhere from 23,000 to as many as 100,000 injured.For more information on casuality statistics and figures please visit: http://www.antiwar.com/casualties/ More About: Bush , Troops , Killed
Candidates Take No Rest On Labor Day
2007-09-06 06:41:00 On Labor Day, September 3, 2007 the presidential candidates did not take a break from the labor of campaigning. With the almost 2 year long campaign in full swing there is apparently no time for a holiday with the election only 427 days away. John Edwards was able to score some major endorsements during the weekend from the United Steeleworkers Union and the United Mine Workers of America. Edwards is a strong favorite among union workers for his defense of labor issues and support of forming unions across the country. Edwards believes that unions are an important part of strengthening the middle class and reducing poverty. ?If the union, in order to show its strength and courage has to go out on strike and walk the picket line, when I'm president of the United States ... nobody ... will be able to walk through that picket line and take your job away from you,? Edwards told a crowd of union workers in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania. Barack Obama spoke at a rally in Manchester, New Ham... More About: Washington Post , Hillary Clinton , Bill Clinton
A Look Inside Sudanese Rebels Fighting Against the Janjuweed
More articles from this author:2007-09-02 19:16:00 Just a few months ago in a video about Darfur , Sudan John Edwards said, ?Dr. Martin Luther King spoke about silence being betrayal.? In the case of Sudan and the genocide occurring in Darfur John Edwards believes our silence on the matter is betraying what we stand for and betraying our fellow human beings by turning our backs on them.The government of Sudan and the Janjuweed are responsible for killing over 400,000 civilians and are targeting ethnic populations. Rebel groups formed to fight against the government and the Janjuweed. The two major rebel groups are the Sudanese Liberation Army/Movement (SLA/SLM) and the Justice Equality Movement (JEM). There are some smaller rebel groups outside of these two major groups and they have an agenda of their own. These rebel groups are armed to protect themselves and those that are still alive from their communities. They are also not willing to agree to the recent peace deals until economic equality can be reached for all citizens o... More About: Foreign Policy , Fighting 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 |




