Informed Speculation

Well, good riddance to Bill Richardson, who has always had hints and allegations of scandal, though usually of a more Bill Clintonesque nature, surrounding him.  Richardson was far too much of a ‘fair trader’ for my tastes, anyway (tough break for New Mexico, though, looks like they’re still stuck with him for now). But how [...]

I’ve been quite content with most of Obama’s early decisions in the transition period.  I criticized his choice of Hillary, admittedly not on her own merits, but because of her association with her increasingly buffoonish husband.  The first real danger sign I saw was Obama’s choice of Bill Richardson for Secretary of Commerce (confirmed today).  [...]

…and numerous other variations on the theme – all directed at a trial balloon being floated by some that Bill Clinton take over his wife’s Senate spot following her now-confirmed status as SoS-designee: In an op-ed column last week in The Washington Post, journalists Karl Meyer and Shareen Blair Brysac urged [New York governor David] [...]

So, New York Fed President Timothy Geithner at Treasury (seems to be well-received), and Richardson at Commerce…hmmph.  Not a good choice there.  I oppose Hillary as SoS not because of her, but because of her boorish husband, but Richardson is not a good ambassador for trade.  Here are some past quotes: “What I believe we [...]

Well, one name has surfaced already – Rahm Emanuel as Chief of Staff.  Some other possibilities I have heard or read include keeping Robert Gates as Defense Secretary (bipartisan gesture, continuity during time of war, acknowledgment that he has been much better than Rumsfeld), and Paul Volcker as a dark horse for Treasury Secretary (THAT [...]

To the surprise of no one, Bill Richardson has left the race for the 2008 Democratic nomination. Now, I’m no spring chicken, and for the last several election cycles, Bill Richardson’s name has been thrown in the hat for the Democratic nomination.  May it never be so again. The guy’s got credentials.  Okay, we all [...]

9% of precincts in, Hillary leads Obama by 37-36(!), McCain over Romney 37-28%… UPDATE 7:04 p.m.: Hillary up by 3% now with 11% in – if she wins this, and she may very well, it just goes to show that nothing that anyone in the pundit class says (myself included) means much of anything.  Sigh…I’m not [...]

So says the Washington Post editorial board: AT SATURDAY’S New Hampshire debate, Democratic candidates were confronted with a question that they have been ducking for some time: Can they concede that the “surge” of U.S. troops in Iraq has worked? All of them vehemently opposed the troop increase when President Bush proposed it a year [...]

Ye gods, that was just about unbearable. The more I see of these debates, the more convinced I am that they are an almost completely useless contrivance. But I’ll plow ahead: One, the reason I could NEVER be a Democrat is summed up nicely by the round of applause Kucinich got when he suggested we [...]

General observations: the front-runners didn’t suffer any huge gaffes, but they were pretty unimpressive for the most part. Mike Gravel: F-.  My God, what a nut…anyone who watched that debate and would still consider voting for Gravel must be a blood relative.  ‘Nuff said about this VERY marginal candidate. Dennis Kucinich: B.  Kucinich is a blazing [...]

Robert Novak says Bill Richardson’s star is rising: New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson is viewed by Democratic insiders as rising to the top of the party’s second-tier presidential candidates, becoming a leading vice-presidential prospect and an increasingly possible nominee for president. Richardson’s past service as a member of Congress, U.S. ambassador to the United Nations [...]

I join Tom Bevan in his amazement at Kevin Drum’s assertion: [Just Say No] to whatever Kevin Drum was on when he wrote this about 2008: “…[T]he Republican field is remarkably weak this cycle. Compared to Democrats, who have half a dozen genuinely strong contenders, John McCain (news, bio, voting record) is really the only [...]

Oh, yeah, he’s in, too: After years of freelancing his diplomatic skills from the unlikely position as governor of the state of New Mexico, Bill Richardson is taking the first step toward a bid to become president and put his skills to work in the White House. Richardson plans to announce Sunday that he will [...]

Bill Richardson has made it official; he’s in: New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson is expected to formally file papers to form a presidential exploratory committee in January. But today he told FOX News “I am running,” as he described the professional and personal experiences that he believes have prepared him for the job. “I’ve dealt [...]

So sayeth the Nutroots® prophet: Standard caveats aside (it’s early, we don’t have a set field, blah blah blah), it’s hard to see how Barack Obama loses the nomination barring scandal or the mother-of-all gaffes. I’ve been working up a few scenarios given the primary calendar (which isn’t set in stone, with states like California [...]

This very weekend, in fact: At a time when centrism has become a dirty word in some Democratic Party circles, hundreds of the party’s avowed moderates are convening in Denver this weekend to discuss their agenda for this fall’s election and the presidential contest in 2008. The annual meeting of the Democratic Leadership Council, a [...]

Best piece I’ve seen yet on YearlyKos comes from Ryan Lizza. Lizza manages to sum up the absurdity of the progressive blog world in two passages: the unmasking of Armando and the revelation of the egotism that feeds the Nutroots®: [S]omeone is missing: Armando. A favorite blogger and foreign policy wonk, Armando earned the privilege [...]

So says John Hawkins, and I believe he’s got it right…I must vociferously disagree with his number two choice, however…I’m more likely to win as the Democratic presidential nominee than him…

And some people think he can be a presidential candidate! Ha!…

Writing in his column/blog at the Washington Post, Chris Cillizza offers the following list as the 12 candidates to watch for 2008: Democrats – Bayh, Clinton, Edwards, Fiengold, Kerry, Warner Republicans – Allen, Frist, Giuliani, Huckabee, McCain, Romney Well, I haven’t done any handicapping lately, so let’s take a look at those candidates. First, the [...]