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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
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

Foreign Policy Experience and the Presidency
2007-08-29 17:32:00
On August 23, 2007, Barack Obama appeared on ?The Daily Show? with Jon Stewart . The question of his experience on foreign policy was asked. In the opening of the show there was a piece that Jon did called ?Billions and Billions? that perfectly described our past foreign policy blunders in the Middle East and why this ?experience? maybe useless. Stewart started out with a news piece announcing that the United States was going to sell $20 billion dollars in weapons to Saudi Arabia to the royal family. Stewart stated that it was ok though because ?a full 20 percent of the 9/11 hijackers were NOT from there?.Stewart also pointed out that Saudi Arabia sponsored Hamas in the past by holding a telethon for them. This would cause a problem with Israel but the White House announced that they would increase aid to Israel by 25 percent, nearly 30 billion dollars. ?Oh billions of dollars, is there no dispute you can?t solve.? Stewart said.He was quick to also point out what Dick Chaney sa...
More About: Hillary Clinton , Osama Bin Laden , Experience

Hey Fred! You In or Out?!
2007-08-26 05:56:00
Fred Thompson of "Law and Order" NBC campaigning in Des Moines, Iowa. Photo by REUTERS. This past week Lane Hudson, a liberal blogger, filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission claiming that Fred Thompson was breaking the law by not declaring himself a presidential candidate. Hudson has said that Thompson has broken the law by raising large sums of money, ?beyond what would be required to explore a possible candidacy?, signed a lease for a campaign headquarters, and spent advertising dollars. Hudson claims that Thompson has gone above and beyond the ?Testing the Waters? provision of FEC laws and told the FEC that failure to act on this violation would ?further corrupt the American political process.? I could not agree more. This tactic of not declaring would mean he may not have to disclose who is donating to his campaign until January 31st, which would be well after many of the state primaries. He has been tip toeing around a run for months and it is time for him t...
More About: Fred

Iowa Democratic Presidential Debate YouTube Videos
2007-08-25 05:16:00
The Democratic candidates ascended on Des Moines, Iowa for an important debate in the first presidential caucus state. George Stephanopoulos was the moderator for the event held on ABC News?s, ?This Week?, on Sunday August 19, 2007. One main topic of the debate was whether or not Barack Obama had enough experience to be president or not. Barack Obama went on the defense to show he has what it takes to be president and that a different perspective is exactly what is needed. Here are all of the videos from the debate in case you missed it: Part 1:Part 2:Part 3: Part 4:Part 5:Part 6:Part 7:Part 8:Part 9:Part 10:Part 11:
More About: Videos , Youtube , Presidential , Debate

Global Warming Documentary Opens Nation Wide Tomorrow
2007-08-24 03:41:00
The ?11th Hour?, an environmental documentary by Leonardo DiCaprio goes nation wide on Friday, August 24, 2007. The film gives a devastatingly bleak outlook on the current condition of the planet due to global warming and what we can do to reduce our footprint on it. ?The UN estimates that by the middle of the century there may be 150 million environmental refugees,? according to one expert in the film. The film shows how we are using too many of the earth?s resources too quickly. The earth?s living systems are in decline and that rate of decline is growing more and more by the day. The title ?11th Hour? stands for the last hour when change is possible and the goal of the movie is to create action toward a sustainable earth before it is too late. The makers of the film are saying that this is our last chance to act before it maybe too late to reverse the negative impacts that we have already had on our environment. See the film, try to walk there, ride your bike, or take publ...
More About: Video , Global Warming , Environment , United Nations , Documentary

Barack Obama on the Daily Show with Jon Stewart
2007-08-23 22:27:00
Barack Obama on the Daily Show with John Stewart Barack Obama was on one of my favorite TV shows on Wednesday, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart . Barack talks about experience and judge as a potential candidate and the role the media is playing in this debate with Hillary Clinton. It was an interesting appearance and if you missed it here are the videos. Part 1:In this part of the video Barack and Jon talk about an Oprah fundraiser and celebrities fundraising on his behalf. They also discuss whether or not Hillary Clinton?s being First Lady is experience for being president or not. Part 2:
More About: Video , Oprah Winfrey , Barack Obama

AFL-CIO Democratic Debate
2007-08-20 14:56:00
Hosted by Keith Olbermann on August 7, 2007 in Chicago, Illinois. Democrats fought for a huge group of union supporters at the AFL-CIO Democratic presidential forum. Part 1: Part 2: Part 3: Part 4: Part 5: Part 6: Part 7: Part 8: Part 9: Part 10: Part 11:
More About: Debate

Match Your Views With the Candidates
2007-08-17 08:28:00
I stumbled upon this website the other day and thought it would be a useful tool for people that are searching for a presidential candidate to support or want to see if their opinions really match up with their favorite candidate. It is a 34 question survey that asks your opinion on issues and then gives you the closest matches based on percentages. I was surprised with my results and I think other people might be to if they complete the survey. You have to register to take it but I think it is worth it. http://www.politichoice.com/default.aspx
More About: Views , Candidates , Match , Candidate

Tommy Thompson Withdrawals Presidential Bid After Straw Poll
2007-08-14 08:06:00
Tommy Thompson waits to be introduced by the Iowa Straw Poll in Ames, Iowa. REUTERS/Joshua Lott Former Wisconsin Governor Tommy Thompson withdrew from the presidential race on Sunday after a disappointing sixth place finish in the Iowa Republican straw poll. Thompson bet it all on the straw poll hoping a decent finish there would be a sign that his campaign was turning around but he lost that bet. The poll on Saturday placed him ahead of candidates who decided either not to show up to the event or they have not even entered the race yet. Duncan Hunter and John Cox also finished behind Thompson with less than 1% which is about where they have been polling. Thompson said if he did not finish in the top two in Saturday?s straw poll that he would withdrawal from the race. ?I have no regrets about running. I felt my record as governor of Wisconsin and secretary of Health and Human Services gave me the experience I needed to serve as president, but I respect t...
More About: Presidential , Sam Brownback , Fred Thompson , Tom Tancredo

Iowa Republican Debate YouTube Videos
2007-08-12 23:09:00
On August 5, 2007, the Republican candidates, minus Fred Thompson who has not yet become an official candidate, debated in Iowa. Iowa is the first primary caucus state and Drake University played host to this important debate for Republican candidates in Des Moines, Iowa. George Stephanopoulos was the moderator for the debate with the ABC News ?This Week? Sunday morning show hosting the event. Mitt Romney and Rudy Giuliani are leading the polls currently in Iowa with Mitt Romney coming in first in the non-binding straw poll on August 11th. Here are all of the videos from the debate: Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9
More About: Videos , Youtube , Sam Brownback

Ron Paul Interview on YouTube.com
2007-08-09 05:55:00
Ron Paul sits down with the political director of YouTube .com for an interview with video questions from viewers. Ron Paul has the most subscribers of any Republican candidate on YouTube.com and Ron Paul is an extremely popular search name on the internet. The Congressman from Texas is popular perhaps because of his stance on the Iraq war and his extreme small government views. Paul voted against going into Iraq and is the only Republican presidential candidates who thinks that ?we should just come home? from Iraq. Paul has said previously that he would get rid of the I.R.S. and the federal income tax. In this video he answers a question from a viewer who asked what he would replace it with. Paul also talks about the effects of the internet on the campaign and how it is getting young Americans involved. It is an interesting video which is why I wanted to bring it to your attention. There is a section at the end where he is asked a lot of questions and is ask...
More About: Youtube , Ron Paul

Progressive Bloggers Meet in Chicago
2007-08-07 19:11:00
August 2-5, 2007 the Yearly Kos meeting of progressive bloggers took place in Chicago , Illinois. The convention was sold out as all eight Democratic candidates made it there to try and ?woo? this influential group. The highlight of the candidate forum was no doubt the debate between Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, and John Edwards over taking money from lobbyists. Obama and Edwards both do not take money from lobbyists and the debate turned quickly to Clinton?s position on taking money from these groups. Barack Obama described how this money has to have an impact on her and to say it does not is wrong. John Edwards then posed a straight forward question to Hillary Clinton asking her if she was going to continue to take money from lobbyists. Clinton said that she would continue to and claimed that these groups represent ?real? Americans too and said that it will not influence her core beliefs. The reaction of the crowd to that answer was mixed. Mostly it receive...
More About: Progressive , Bloggers , Meet , Blogg

Fox News Attacks Ron Paul
2007-08-07 05:04:00
Ron Paul appeared on Fox New?s ?Big Story Weekend? with Julie Banderas on August 5, 2007. Fox News takes the Republican line to discredit his views on taking the troops out of Iraq and Ron Paul comes firing back. Paul explains his position for wanting to send the troops home and why they should not have been there in the first place. He does an excellent job of explaining it as Julie Banderas tries to paint him as someone who is giving up on Iraq and leaving the Middle East in chaos. Ron Paul says that the ones saying Iraq will lead to a domino effect in the Middle East when we leave are the same people saying that we should have gone into Iraq. We also said the same thing with Vietnam and we are trading with now. Watch the videos to see the attacks that Fox News tries to make on him and how he explains his positions so well. If it was not for his position on eliminating nearly every government office, a Democrat could almost vote for him, but not really. ...
More About: Tube , Ron Paul

Barack Obama Says He Will Go After Monopolies and Special Interests
2007-08-06 20:51:00
Barack Obama spoke in Cedar Rapids, Iowa about the new ?Gilded Age?. Wealth is being concentrated in the hands of the few much like it was during the presidency of Teddy Roosevelt. Roosevelt spent a lot of his work as president trying to correct this imbalance of wealth and power and place it back into the American people?s hands and not the few rich barons of the time. ?Teddy Roosevelt decided not to play along. He devoted his presidency to busting trusts, breaking up trusts, doing his best to give the American people a shot at the American dream once more. Over a century later America needs this kind of leadership more than ever. We need a president who sees the government not as a tool to enrich well connected friends and high priced lobbyists but as the defender of fairness and opportunity for every single American. That?s what this country has been about that?s what kind of president I intend to be? Obama said. Barack Obama went on to say, ?we can do thes...
More About: Barack Obama , President Bush , Tube , Barack

Follow Up: Democratic Debates Should Reduce the Amount of Candidates
2007-08-03 08:37:00
Several comments were made about my opinion on narrowing the amount of candidates in the Democratic debates. To make sure that all the comments on the matter could be seen I wanted to post a link to the JohnEdwards.com blog section, where my post was made available. If you go to http://blog.johnedwards.com/story/2007/7/ 31/21015/7173#commenttop you will be able to see all of the comments that other readers have made that agreed and disagreed with my position.Thank-you for the lively discussion on the matter!
More About: Debates , Candidates , Reduce , Redu

Darfur, Sudan: "Not on My Watch"
2007-08-01 06:36:00
Displaced women sit inside a temporary home in a camp in North Darfur. Photo by REUTERS/Michael Kamber. At the beginning of George W. Bush?s presidency he read a report on the Rwandan genocide. In the margins of that report he wrote the words, ?Not on my watch?. It has been over three years since the beginning of the genocide in Darfur and nothing has been done. President Bush is, of course, not the only one responsible for not acting in the Darfur region to stop the genocide there. After the Holocaust we said, ?never again?. After Rwanda in 1994 we said, ?never again?. Why is it taking so long for Americans and the rest of the world to demand that their leaders do something about the atrocities that are occurring there? So far since the conflict began in 2003, over 400,000 people have died and more than 2.5 million civilians have been forced to flee their homes. These refugees now live in displaced camps in Sudan or in refugee camps in the neighboring count...
More About: Watch , Iraq , United Nations

Democratic Debates Should Reduce the Amount of Candidates
2007-07-30 02:46:00
Edwards and Clinton at the CNN/YouTube debate in South Carolina. Photo by REUTERS.John Edwards and Hillary Clinton were recently caught suggesting that the Democratic debates should limit the number of candidates. Dennis Kucinich fired back at John Edwards saying he had, ?a consistent lack of integrity?. Dennis Kucinich has been a long time candidate and has constantly been polling in the low single digits. Mike Gravel has been polling even lower, if he is included in the polling data. In a July 23, 2007 Washington Post-ABC News Poll Mike Gravel received less than .5 percent support from potential voters. Are the single issue and outsider candidates adding to the spirit of the debates or are they taking away from those that can win for the party? Splitting the time between eight candidates does not leave a lot of time for the candidates to debate every important topic or in enough detail. Mike Gravel has repeatedly said he does not like the other candidates and...
More About: Debates , Candidates , Reduce , Redu

Democratic CNN/YouTube from South Carolina on July 23, 2007
2007-07-28 09:14:00
Here is the full debate from last Monday in case you missed it. It was a very interesting one with all of the questions coming from the viewers and candidates being pressed for answers. I think it was the most interesting debate so far so be sure to check it out. You can also read my last post to see my evaluation of the debate. Part 1: Part 2: Part 3: Part 4: Part 5: Part 6: Part 7: Part 8: Part 9: Part 10: Part 11: Part 12: Part 13: Part 14: Part 15: Part 16: Part 17: Part 18: Part 19:
More About: Youtube , Democratic , South , South Carolina , Carolina

CNN/YouTube Debate Evaluation
2007-07-24 19:52:00
On Monday, Charleston, South Carolina hosted the CNN/YouTube Democratic debate. It was clear to see through out the debate that Joe Biden, John Edwards and Barack Obama seized the most opportunities and were the most skilled debaters of the night. Joe Biden has been consistent through out all Democratic debates with intellectual and comprehensive responses. Tonight was no different for Biden. He is the only candidate advocating for a different approach on Iraq which calls for a division of the country into three separate ?states? or entities with a weak central government. With the Kurds in the North, the Shiites and the Sunnis a division of the country could help to ease the sectarian and civil war strife that divides the nation currently. What they did not have time for was this follow up question to that answer; how would the oil revenues be divided with the oil not falling equally geographically? According to CNN dial polls from listeners during the debate, Ba...
More About: Youtube , Iraq War , Health Care , Hillary Clinton

Opinions of Convenience?
2007-07-20 07:11:00
Mitt Romney has recently changed his mind on several key issues that are important to the conservative right. Other conservative candidates have changed their minds or tried to appear ?more conservative?. Did these candidates really reconsider the issues and change their positions they have held for years? Or are these new opinions of convenience. Mitt Romney had been a strong pro-choice advocate and Governor in Massachusetts until 2007. In Time Magazine on May 21, 2007, Mitt Romney said he changed his mind on abortion after meeting with a Harvard doctor on November 9, 2004. Mitt Romney gave a speech in May of 2005, which has been shown on YouTube over 10,000 times, that has him defending his pro-choice position. Did Romney really change his mind or did he change it so he could run for president in the Republican Party? His story about changing his mind in 2004 makes it less believable when 6 months later he is recorded saying he defends the pro-choice position. ...
More About: Barack Obama , Rudy Giuliani , Fred Thompson , Opinions

Democrats All Night Debate Fails to Pass Withdrawal Bill
2007-07-19 06:35:00
Senator Harry Reid(D-Nevada) (L) and Senator Carl Levin (D-Michigan) speak at a press conference outside the Senate chambers Wednesday. Photo by REUTERS/Joshua Roberts. Debate began on Tuesday at 11 am and ended around 11 am on Wednesday. Senators debated the Iraq war all night challenging the Republicans to filibuster them. Cots were assembled in meeting rooms near the Senate floor and pizza was ordered to keep the tired Senators debating on the floor in a rare all night debate. According to the Washington Post only 6 Senators used the cots, apparently most of them can still handle the schedule of a college student or presidential candidate. Both sides were determined to have their way and in the Senate that means you need a 60 vote majority to end debate and vote on the issue in the Senate. Wednesday morning Democrats fell well short of getting those 60 votes needed to overcome the Republican?s procedural objections. 52 Senators voted to end debate a...
More About: Iraq War , President Bush , Michael Moore

Hillary and Bill ?Take Iowa by Storm? on July 4, 2007
2007-07-12 06:51:00
I am always on the look out for what I think are the best videos from campaign sites to share here and I think this one deserves to be posted. This video has speech highlights from a day long tour of Iowa with Senator Clinton and former President Bill Clinton . The video shows the people of Iowa and gives their reactions along with a very powerful message from President Clinton at the end of the video about what a New York City firefighter said to him while on a golf course.
More About: Tube , Storm , Hillary

Barack Obama on the Road for Fourth of July
2007-07-10 04:43:00
Barack Obama spent the fourth of July, 2007 with his family on the campaign trail traveling from Oskaloosa, Iowa to Pella, Iowa. This video shows the candidate in a more personal manor playing a game of UNO with his two girls and his wife.
More About: Barack Obama , Tube , Barack