Reducing the Influence of Money in Politics?

After being defeated in a Congressional race in 2000, Obama sought out a means to revive his political fortunes, and soon found a Chicago group of Entrepreneurs who were looking for a means of trying to break out. If Obama was able to help this group over come historical barriers facing minority owned companies they would help to finance his political endeavors. However, in his presidential campaign, Obama has been "running on a platform of reducing the influence of money in politics.

Withdraw from Iraq

During the Democratic Debate Wednesday night, most of the candidates would not commit to having all troops out of Iraq by 2013. This seems kind of odd, seeing as how most of the candidates are strongly opposed to the war and wanted to immediately withdraw troops from Iraq and end the war. This reluctance makes you wonder if the Democratic candidates are genuinely opposed to the war, or just using the war's unpopularity as a tool to gain votes.

NRA Forum

On Friday the NRA (National Rifle Association) hosted a forum where they invited Republican Presidential candidates to come and express their stance on gun control. None of the Democratic candidates were invited to the forum. According to a NRA spokesman they were not invited because " they have not showed respect of the 2nd Amendment. Giuliani, who had a liberal view on gun control as Mayor of New York, squared off against other Republicans for these views. It did not help his argument when he answered a phone call from his wife during his speech. This was not only rude, but also unprofessional. Does America really want a president who takes phone calls while publicly discussing important issues?

Hillary Defining the Democratic Campaign for President?

Senator Clinton was on five different interview programs Sunday morning where she answered question about her health plan, her views on the Moveon.org ad, and about how she would handle the war in Iraq. The press has recognized Senator Clinton as the front-runner for the 2008 presidential election, however is that really the case? A candidate is considered a front runner with they are ahead in the polls, have collected the most endorsements, is ahead in fundraising, is the subject of the most media attention, or draws the biggest crowds. But just because Hillary draws the most media attention does that necessarily mean that see is the front-runner?

Bush vs. Children's Health Care

President Bush threatened to veto a bill today that he felt was a "step toward federalization." The children's health insurance program is really popular among house Democrats. The current children's health plan, which is set to expire on September 30, provides health coverage for over 6.6 million children and the new proposal will add 4 million to that number. Bush has asked for a temporary extension of the health care program and has accused the Democrats of playing politics with children's health care.

Giuliani Proposes NATO Expansion

Giuliani announced his hope of expanding the NATO alliance during his London visit Wednesday. He believes that Israel would be more than "willing to help us in the effort against terrorism." This trip to London was a way to raise money for his campaign, as well as to gain the support of the Republican faithful. Giuliani did not focus solely on incorporating Israel in NATO, he also listed Japan, Australia, and India as nations that meet the "basic standards of good governance, military readiness." The expansion of NATO is just one of four essential elements, that Giuliani believe will aid in the struggle against terrorism. However, with the tensions that exist in the Middle East already, will including Israel in NATO help the U.S., or just endanger any chance for peace in the Middle East?

The Attorney General Ultimatum

Two Democratic Senator's, Patrick Leahy of Vermont and Charles Schumer of New York, said yesterday that they were going to use the nomination of the new attorney general as a way to get information regarding the conduct of the former attorney general. President Bush wants Mukasey confirmed as the new attorney general by October the 8, but Leahy said, "there would be no quick confirmation without the documents he and Schumer have requested.

O.J. Again

Yesterday, O.J. Simpson was arrested and charged with six felonies. He is believed to have broken into a Las Vagas Hotel room Thrusday night, he was armed, and stole sports memorabilia. Simpson will face any where from 6 to 70 years in jail, if convicted. Simpson claims that he was escorted up to the room, and there were no guns involved. Simpson was quoted saying, " Everybody knows this is stolen stuff. In any event, it's stolen stuff that is mine. Nobody was roughed up."

New Attorney General

President Bush is expected to announce a replacement for former attorney general, Alberto Gonzales, tommorow morning. Micheal Mukasey, a former federal judge from New York is the expected to replace Gonzales. Mukasey has presided over many high profile terrorism trials, however he is not a close confidante of President Bush like Gonzales was. Mukasey is not expected to cause a confirmation battle within the mostly Democratic Senate.

According to Bush, American Safety Depends on a Continual Presence in Iraq

Last night President Bush described his plan to begin gradually removing troops from Iraq. He said that the progress, which has been made so far in Iraq, could be compromised if a large number of troops are pulled from Iraq quickly. This seems like an almost reasonable plan, until Bush called for an "enduring relationship with Iraq that would keep forces there beyond my presidency." He argued that a free and friendly Iraq would be essential to the safety of the United States. He must have had time to "sit down and sort it out in his mind" unlike General Petraeus.

New Twist on Hsu's Case

Norman Hsu, the former Democratic fundraiser who was arrested for fraud, maild a suiced not last week to the New York Offices of the Innocence Project. Innocence Project officals would not give any details about the letter, but a spokesman said that it was "not rambling in nature." The letter arrive last Thursday, and it was one page, type written and signed by Hsu. It was sent by FedEx overnight delievery. Executive director of the Innocence Project, Madeline DeLone faxed a copy of the letter to the California District Attorney's office where Hsu case is being handled.

Fraud in the Clinton Campaign

Senator Hillary Clinton's campaign is having to review thousand of dollars that have been raised by Norman Hsu after learning that he had a warrant for his arrest stemming from a 1991 from his contribution in an attempt to defraud investors in his New York apparel business. Hsu has risen hundred of thousand of dollars for Democratic Candidates since 2003. Could this set back hinder Senator Clinton's, or any of the Democratic Candidate's chance for the White House in 2008?

Anti-War to the extreme

MoveOn.org, an online anti-war group published an offensive ad in The New York Times on Monday that read, "General Petraeus or General Betray Us." This angered many Democrats, who have been trying to gain support in Congress by pledging to end the war. This ad was viewed by many Republican's as "over the top." This ad along with General Petraeus's testimony seemed to renew the confidence of many Republicans, as well as cement President Bush's support among them. Petraeus told Congress that enough stability had been achieved to withdraw 30,000 troops by next summer.

Should we feel safe?

Monday General Petraeus addressed Congress about the diplomatic status in Iraq. Petraeus seemed hesitant when answering a question from Senator John Warner. He asked if Petraeus felt that the war in Iraq is making American's safer. Petraeus replied with a seemingly evasive answer about how the strategy is the best course for achieving U.S objectives in Iraq. Unsatisfied, Warner repeated his question, and Petraeus said, " Sir, I don't know actually. I have not sat down and sorted it out in my mind."
Not only is his answer not reassuring for any American concerned for their safety, but also it makes it seem that the people dying in Iraq to defend our country are dying in vain.

9/11 a Lesson to Keep in Mind, or a Clever Political Tool?

Opponents of Rudolph Giuliani are beginning to question if he is using his personal experiences during 9/11 to gain support for his presidential campaign. Edwards has said that Giuliani "is determined to take every opportunity to exploit the memory of 9/11 for political gain, rather than honor the incredible sacrifices of our first responders." Giuliani has countered this argument by saying that it "is important to keep the lessons [Sept. 11] in mind." It is not an exaggeration in the slightest to believe that Giuliani is using 9/11 as a way to gain the support of voters. However, I believe that if Giuliani's opponents were in the same position that they would also take advantage of the opportunity to get voters to sympathize with them. Therefore, I believe that it is unfair to criticize Giuliani for speaking about 9/11 during his campaign speeches; the people who do criticize him do so out of fear that his personal account will win him more votes.

Newsies

I've never really been what you would call a "blogger", and I'm not really sure what exactly I'm suppose to be blogging about so I hope this subject will do. Friday night I watched a Disney musical called Newsies with a few people from my dorm. The movie takes place in New York City during the summer of 1899. The main characters of the movie, the newsies, deliever news papers to the city in order to earn a living. However, the newsies soon lose their way of life when the owners of all the major papers decide to raise the price on papers to earn themselves some unnessisary extra cash. In an attempt to stop this injustice all the newsies of the city decide to go on strike. They hold protest rallies and form picket lines, but their attempts are all but usless because none of the papers will report on the strike. One of the main characters then states that the protest rally never happened, because if it isn't in the papers then it doesn't exsist. This made me realize exactly how dependent we are on the media, and how easily it can be manipulated to serve the best intrest of only one person or group instead of the general public like it was meant to do. Today we rely on it even more than it we did back then, and it is still true that if we don't see something on the news, hear it on the radio, or read it in the papers then it doesn't exist for us. So what happens today if the owner of ABC or CNN decide that it would profit them more to not report a story?