The Political Silly Season Has Started...Again

The presidential primaries are still a long way off, not starting until early 2008. But that hasn't stopped presidential hopefuls from visiting New Hampshire in an effort to lay the groundwork for a future campaign.

It seems the left over campaign signs from the 2004 Presidential elections have barely rotted away when TV, radio, and newspaper ads touting the efforts of a would-be candidate are starting to make their presence known.

Former 2004 running mates Senator John Kerry and ex-Senator John Edwards were slated to visit the state today, though there apparently no plans for them to meet. This is Edwards' third visit this year. There's no doubt in my mind that they're both planning another run for the White House.

Those supporting the idea of Hillary Clinton running for president will be visiting later and will be funding ads supporting her run.

Others presidential hopefuls visiting New Hampshire include Senator Evan Bayh (D-Indiana), Governor Bill Richardson (D-New Mexico), Senator Bill Frist (R-Tennessee), Senator Chuck Hagel (R-Nebraska), Senator George Allen (R-Virginia), Senator Sam Brownback (R-Kansas), former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich, Governor Mitt Romney (R-Massachusetts), Representative Tom Tancredo (R-Colorado), and a host of others. Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee is scheduled to visit the state next month.

It is the beginning of the next great political silly season. Let the glad-handing begin....

(Cross-posted to Weekend Pundit)

Trade, not Aid: Critical CAFTA Vote this Week

by Robin Burk

From time to time I've been posting articles about Latin America, specifically Hugo Chavez in Venezuela of late. The region is an important one globally, our closest geographic neighbors after Canada and one that I think potentially poses either great opportunities or, as I fear, serious security and other challenges in the coming decades.

The countries of Latin America have had varied histories, but most have experienced a lot of poverty and political repression, some of which the U.S. has turned a blind eye to -- or quietly supported. Now these countries are linking into the global economic, trade and political networks that so characterize our times. The question is, WHICH networks will they join, and to what end?

If we are wise and lucky, it will be the Central American and Dominican Republic Free Trade Agreement. Unfortunately, many Senators (primarily Democrats) oppose CAFTA and it is in danger of not being approved here. U.S. failure to approve this agreement will do more than sabotage a fledgling trade pact: it may well doom our relationships with Latin America permanently, as Andres Oppenheimer notes. And that will do more than create tensions or foster continued economic and political problems for Central America. (h/t Publius Pundit)

It just might mean that those countries actively align with China, harbor Islamacist and other terror groups and pose a serious security threat to the U.S. and allied nations.

Read the Rest...

Republican candidate calls for Bush impeachment

Dennis Morrisseau is a retired restaurant owner from West Pawlet, Vermont who's running as a Republican for the seat being vacated by Bernie Sanders. If elected, he promises to bring articles of impeachment against president Bush. Morrisseau doesn't appear to have a web site, and in lieu of a national party he's trying to go the grassroots route a la Howard Dean.

"GOP candidate calls for impeachment" quotes him as saying:

"This leadership isn't very Republican and I don't think it's very popular with Vermont Republicans... Republicans in this state tend to be mind-your-own-business people, keep taxes low and government small... [Former VT Gov. Deane Davis] was the best environmentalist we had in this state... That's Republicanism in Vermont. We like small businesses. We're afraid of outsiders and large businesses. That's what I'm about.... I think I've got a great shot... There's been movement since the election, if you track the polls. That's not just Democrats, that's Republicans, too. Down in southern Vermont, [Bush] is reviled among Republicans."

If his message gets any further attention, expect the fact that he was one of the founders of VT's liberal, anti-Vietnam War Liberty Union Party as well as the fact that he's a former Democrat to be used against him.

John Roberts is SCOTUS Pick [Updated]

Red State seems to be laying all the cards on John Roberts.

Bio of Roberts

Update; AP is confirming it is Roberts.

It should be noted that Red State beat the AP to that confirmation by two minutes.

NRO on Roberts

More on Roberts here

Keep an eye on this blog throughout the evening.

A round up/tracking of blog reactions here

An opposition by Alliance for Justice (pdf) [via Daily Kos]

NARAL opposition

More at Confirm Them

Plenty at Volokh, including a list of groups that opposed Roberts in 2003.

Edith Clement

Disclaimer:I grant that this is one person's opinion, and I will present it without commentary.

I just had a conversation with a source, (said source wishes to remain anonymous for professional reasons), intimately familiar with the Fifth Cicuit and got the following reaction to the possibility of the nomination of Judge Clement:

"Not much of a worker"

"Not the sharpest pencil in the box"

"A completely average federal judge"

All in all, my source believes that this is somewhat of a stealth nomination, and that the lack of a track record may be her most appealing qualification.

Supreme Court Pick to Come Tonight

President Bush will name his selection for the open seat on the U.S. Supreme Court Tuesday night at 9 p.m. EDT, a senior administration official said.

[...]

The name at the top of the list appears to be that of Judge Edith Clement (search), a judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit in New Orleans. Activists have already prepared a video testimonial from long-time lawyer friends of Clement, who is known by the nickname "Joy."

FOX News has learned that Clement has already been interviewed by Vice President Dick Cheney, a possible sign that she is the choice for the high court.

Read more..

2008: The Games Begin In Iowa

I'm sorry -- didn't we just finish this?

Well, time's up. Here we go: Governors who would hope to be president of the United States are (informally) stumping in Iowa (CNN).

Particularly active: Pataki (NY), Vilsack (Iowa), and Huckabee (Arkansas). Oh, and Romney (MA). Those who read this page have heard me say it before: Keep and eye on Romney -- he's gonna get the nod before all is said and done.

Rehnquist Won’t Resign

The Associated Press reports Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist, says he will continue heading the court as long his health permits:

“I want to put to rest the speculation and unfounded rumors of my imminent retirement,” Rehnquist, 80, and ailing with thyroid cancer, said in a statement obtained by The Associated Press. “I am not about to announce my retirement. I will continue to perform my duties as chief justice as long as my health permits.”

From California Yankee.

Plame Outing May Not Have Been Crime

USA Today reports that the "outing" of Wilson's wife "may not have been a crime at all."

According to USA Today, in his book, "The Politics of Truth," Wilson writes that he and his future wife both returned from overseas assignments in June 1997:

Neither spouse, a reading of the book indicates, was again stationed overseas. They appear to have remained in Washington, D.C., where they married and became parents of twins.

Six years later, in July 2003, the name of the CIA officer — Valerie Plame — was revealed by columnist Robert Novak.

The column's date is important because the law against unmasking the identities of U.S. spies says a "covert agent" must have been on an overseas assignment "within the last five years." The assignment also must be long-term, not a short trip or temporary post, two experts on the law say. Wilson's book makes numerous references to the couple's life in Washington over the six years up to July 2003.

"Unless she was really stationed abroad sometime after their marriage," she wasn't a covert agent protected by the law, says Bruce Sanford, an attorney who helped write the 1982 act that protects covert agents' identities.

From California Yankee.

Tancredo Not Running for President - Yet

Despite four trips to early primary and caucus states this year, Colorado's Republican Congressman Tom Tancredo says he is not running for president.

The Washington Times reports that Tancredo will run unless a top-tier Republican candidate takes a strong position on cracking down on illegal immigration and lowering legal immigration:

"My task is to get one of them to take this on," Mr. Tancredo told about 50 members of the Christian Coalition of Iowa who gathered in a community center in Cedar Falls on Friday night. "If they don't do that, if I cannot find someone to do that, if they just give lip service to it and not the heart, yeah, I will run. I will do that."

Tancredo believes the reception he received in Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina and Georgia are an indication of how important the issue of immigration has become.

From California Yankee.

Farrell Wants A Rematch

Associated Press reports that Westport's Democratic First Selectman Diane Farrell took the first formal steps for a rematch with Republican Congressman Christopher Shays:

Farrell, a Democrat who lost to Shays in 2004, filed papers with the Federal Election Commission that will allow her to begin raising money for her campaign.

Shays, meanwhile, will file an FEC report Friday that will show he has already raised about $500,000 for his re-election bid, according to his campaign manager Michael Sohn. Sohn said Shays will finish the second quarter of the year with about $375,000 in cash on hand.

From California Yankee.

Spotlight on Rove

A roundup of Rove stories:

Rove under fire, WH quiet:

Nearly two years after stating that any administration official found to have been involved in leaking the name of an undercover CIA officer would be fired, and assuring that Karl Rove and other senior aides to President Bush had nothing to do with the disclosure, the White House refused on Monday to answer any questions about new evidence of Rove's role in the matter.

Dems urge Rove to clear air on leak:

Democrats yesterday pressed White House aide Karl Rove to "clear the air" about his role in the leak of a covert CIA operative's identity to the news media after disclosures that he was a Time reporter's source on that story.

The heat on Rove rose after the White House yesterday rebuffed reporters' questions about his role, citing the special prosecutor's probe - even though two years ago a Bush spokesman called suggestions Rove was involved "ridiculous" and said anyone who was would be fired.

"The prosecutors overseeing the investigation had expressed a preference to us that one way to help the investigation is not to be commenting on it from this podium," White House spokesman Scott McClellan said yesterday.

Press Batters McClellan on Rove/Plame Link

Full text of briefing

White House in a bind over Rove e-mail

Blog links:

Captain's Quarters
Powerline
Billmon
Just One Minute
Mickey Kaus

President Bush Consults Senators About Supreme Court

The Associated Press reports President Bush is meeting with Sen. Arlen Specter, R-Pa., chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee; Sen. Patrick Leahy of Vermont, the ranking Democrat on the committee; Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn.; and Democratic Leader Harry Reid of Nevada to talk about the Supreme Court vacancy:

While the president has held telephone conversations with the four senators before, Bush's breakfast with the four Tuesday is their first meeting in person about the vacancy.

"The president is not prejudging anything," White House press secretary Scott McClellan said Monday, adding that Bush and his advisers have reached out to more than 60 senators. "He wants to hear what their views are and hear what they have to say as we move forward on a Supreme Court nominee."

From California Yankee.

Justice O'Connor Retires From Supreme Court [Updated - Blog links]

Supreme Court Justrice Sandra Day O'Connor submitted her retirement notice to President Bush on Friday, setting the stage for a contentious battle over her replacement.

Bush is scheduled to speak from the White House Rose Garden at 11:15 a.m. EDT to announce the retirement. Sources said he will not be naming a potential successor for O'Connor.

"Dear President Bush, this is to inform you of my decision to retire from my position as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, effective upon the nomination and confirmation of my successor. It has been a great priviledge indeed to have served as a member of the Court for 24 Terms.

"I will leave it with enormous respect for the integrity of the Court and its role under our constitutional structure," O'Connor wrote.

Read more....

Sandra Day O'Connor was the first woman and the 102nd person to sit on the Supreme Court of the United States.

Judicial Offices:
Nominated by President Reagan as Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court on July 7, 1981; confirmed by the United States Senate on September 22, 1981; and took oath of office on September 25, 1981.

Appointed to the Arizona Court of Appeals by Governor Bruce Babbitt and served from 1979 to 1981.

Elected judge of the Maricopa County Superior Court, Phoenix, Arizona. and served from 1975 to 1979.

Some quotes from Justice O'Connor:

• A moment of silence is not inherently religious.

• Do the best you can in every task, no matter how unimportant it may seem at the time. No one learns more about a problem than the person at the bottom.

• Having family responsibilities and concerns just has to make you a more understanding person.

• I don't know that there are any short cuts to doing a good job.

• It is a measure of the framers' fear that a passing majority might find it expedient to compromise 4th Amendment values that these values were embodied in the Constitution itself.

• It is difficult to discern a serious threat to religious liberty from a room of silent, thoughtful schoolchildren.

• My hope is that 10 years from now, after I've been across the street at work for a while, they'll all be glad they gave me that wonderful vote.

• Statutes authorizing unreasonable searches were the core concern of the framers of the 4th Amendment.

We hold that the reckless disregard for human life implicit in knowingly engaging in criminal activity known to carry a grave risk of death represents a highly culpable mental state that may be taken into account in making a capital sentencing judgment not inevitable, lethal result.

Possible replacements include Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales and federal courts of appeals judges J. Michael Luttig, John Roberts, Samuel A. Alito Jr., Michael McConnell, Emilio Garza and James Harvie Wilkinson III. Others mentioned are former Solicitor General Theodore Olson, lawyer Miguel Estrada and former deputy attorney general Larry Thompson, but Bush's pick could be a surprise choice not well known in legal circles. Another prospective candidate is Edith Hollan Jones, a judge on the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals who was also considered for a Supreme Court vacancy by President Bush's father.

Thoughts from Orin Kerr

Lots of talk over at The Corner

Supreme Court Nomination Blog

How Appealing

Bench memos at National Review

Just keep scrolling down at Daily Kos

Michelle Malkin