2004 Elections: Democratic Party Contenders

OK, I went looking around and found that Mahablog had already done the deep digging.

Here are all of the candidates' positions on Iraq, taken from their respective websites:

Carol Mosley Braun. "We don't cut and run," says Ambassador Braun. She is concerned that troops in Iraq now are short of equipment and provisions and need more support. She also says that the real challenge ahead of us is to bring the international community into Iraq to share the burden. "I hope that it will allow us, within the tradition of U.S. command and control over our own forces, allow us to extricate ourselves with honor but continue a viable war on terrorism that gets bin Laden and his pals and all the people who would do harm to the American people."

Wesley Clark. Clark was opposed to the invasion of Iraq, but now that we're there, what does he propose to do? He says plainly that it will not be possible to maintain an occupation by force. He calls for a clear exit strategy, but not for abandoning Iraq to warlords and Muslim extremists. Responsibilities for governing and reconstruction must be turned over to Iraqis as quickly as possible, but not so quickly that Iraq becomes more unstable than it already is. He wants "internal squabbling and scheming to be forced out into the open and the press invited in." He would also put a stop to the war profiteering and any notion that Iraq's reconstruction will be funded from oil profits.


Howard Dean. Dean was also opposed to the invasion of Iraq. Now that we're there, what does he plan to do about it? Dean was opposed to the recent appropriation of $87 billion dollars, but he is not in favor of an immediate withdrawal of troops, either. He also wants to put a halt to war profiteering. His statement, from his web site:

Dean believes America has a responsibility to aid Iraqi reconstruction and stabilization. He has proposed rolling back all of the Bush tax cuts and using that money to pay for reconstruction and troop support, rather than go deeper into national debt or paying for reconstruction out of Iraqi oil profits.

John Edwards. Senator Edwards voted for the Iraq War Resolution last year but against the recent appropriation of $87 billion. His web site has a nice bulleted list of steps he would take to get out of Iraq. In short, he wants to involve allies, especially the UN and NATO, and bring in a NATO-led peacekeeping force to ensure stability through the transition to a new Iraq sovereignty. He wants to help Iraqis form their own elected government so they aren't ruled by puppets and warlords, and he wants to ensure that oil profits remain with the Iraqi people.

Richard Gephardt. Congressman Gephardt voted for the Iraq War Resolution and for the $87 billion appropriation. As recently as July he was calling himself "a supporter of the war in Iraq," but has criticized Bush's execution of the post-war period for several months. "Diplomacy matters. Burden-sharing matters. Follow-through matters," he says. As president, he would seek help from NATO and the UN to stabilize Iraq.

John Kerry. Senator Kerry voted for the Iraq War Resolution but against the $87 billion appropriation. Kerry has a plan for involving the UN and providing security in Iraq. The parts of his plan are these: (1) Get a UN resolution authorizing a military force under U.S. command. (2) Put the creation of a new Iraqi government and the reconstruction of Iraq under the authority of the United Nations. (3) Transfer authority and responsibility to Iraqis. (4) Accelerate efforts to train and equip Iraqi security forces.

Dennis Kucinich. Congressman Kucinich voted against the Iraq War Resolution and against the $87 billion appropriation. His plan to evacuate Iraq boiled down: All administrative and security responsibilities will be handed over to the UN so that the US can withdraw. (He projects a three-month timetable for UN troops to completely replace US troops.) The UN, not the US, will administer Iraq's oil revenues. And he would put an end to war profiteering by turning contracts for repair over to Iraq. He believes Iraqi sovereignty can be established, a Constitution put into place, and nationwide elections held within one year of implementation of his program.

Joe Lieberman. Senator Lieberman, the biggest hawk in the field, voted for the Iraq War Resolution, the $87 billion appropriation, and is least likely to ever apologize for it. In a July 2003 Washington Post op ed, Senator Lieberman presented HIS list: (1) Commit more U.S. troops and resources to Iraq; (2) Ask NATO to assume command of forces in Iraq; (3) Release a plan and timetable for creating an Iraqi interim authority; (4) End war profiteering, allow Iraqis to control Iraq oil.(5) Develop a process and timetable for creation of a permanent Iraq government; (6) Provide for orderly, fair prosecutions of Saddam Hussein and his loyalists. Regarding point #4, however, Lieberman says, "Every last penny [of oil profits] must be invested in the country's reconstruction, and the world needs to know it."

Al Sharpton. The Rev. Sharpton does not have an Iraqi position paper on his website.

Go see the link above to get more.

A) Get used to saying "President Dean!"

B) Will Liebermann be running as the Republican nominee in 2008?

Slate's debate drinking game.

Cheers!

Take one drink if:
A candidate mentions an ordinary American by name
A candidate mentions Bill Clinton
A candidate mentions John Ashcroft
A candidate mentions John McCain
A candidate mentions Enron
A candidate mentions Halliburton
A candidate mentions a member of his or her family
A candidate gives out his or her campaign Web site URL
A candidate flourishes a printout of a strategy paper or a bill he or she co-sponsored
A candidate looks into the wrong camera during introductions
A candidate speaks Spanish
A candidate refuses to answer a hypothetical question
A candidate uses the phrase "when I'm president"
A candidate promises to "support our troops"

Take two drinks if:
A candidate says a rival is "wrong"
A candidate says he or she is "surprised" by something a rival says
The camera catches an audience member in mid-yawn

Drain your glass if:
You laugh out loud at a candidate's joke

Finish the bottle if:
The candidates get into a fistfight

Kamikaze version: Take a drink every time a candidate mentions President Bush by name. (Note: This is not recommended if you have to work Monday.)

Even without Bob Graham in the mix, there are a lot of pols on the stage to keep track of, especially after a few belts, so you may want to focus on just one or two candidates.

Carol Moseley Braun
Take a drink if she:
Points out that she's a woman
Cites the Mayflower
Uses the term "single-payer"
Refers to the "sticky ceiling"

Wesley Clark
Take a drink if he:
Says he's "pro-" something
Answers a policy question by referring to his experience in the Army
Uses the phrase "be all you can be"

Howard Dean
Take a drink if he:
Mentions "Washington" disparagingly
Mentions Ken Lay
Is caught on camera in one of his weird grimace-smiles

John Edwards
Take a drink if he:
Says something is "the right thing to do"
Mentions "Robbins, N.C."
Uses the term "millworker"
Mentions that he went to public school

Richard Gephardt
Take a drink if he:
Refers to a Bush policy as a "failure"
Points at himself
Says he "led the fight" for something
Says "dad" and "Teamster" in the same sentence
Mentions Howard Dean and Newt Gingrich in the same sentence

John Kerry
Take a drink if he:
Uses the word "sacrifice"
Mentions Vietnam
Uses the phrase "so to speak"

Dennis Kucinich
Take a drink if he:
Reads from his notes
Mentions "NAFTA" and "WTO" in the same sentence
Quotes poetry (even if it's the verse on the Statue of Liberty)

Joe Lieberman
Take a drink if he:
Uses the word "faith"
Mentions Al Gore
Gets booed

Al Sharpton
Take a drink if he:
Accuses a rival of being a closet Republican
Comes to the aid of a rival who's under attack from other candidates or members of the audience
Smiles (don't worry, you'll go home sober)

No, I wasn't trying to draw you out on favorites, PDiddie, just find out what you wish your candidate (whichever, unnamed) might say by way of strong statement about the state of the union... You know, a pithy, statesmanlike summary, bold and unrelenting, which puts the admin in a nutshell and gets widely quoted!!

Nobody has done it better yet than "George W. Bush is a miserable failure."

Great game, PDiddie ... but I'm gettin't worried here ... I strarted out with only a 12 Pack.

Last time I provided a play-by-play; that's best suited for another site, but I did jot down some of the most memorable moments:

As usual, Al Sharpton scored the best one-liners, with "Bush Roulette" (to describe the threat our soldiers are under daily in Iraq); "this battle (in 2004) will be between the Christian Right and the right Christians"; "it is an honor to send our sons to die for their country but it is a burden for the rich to pay their taxes?!?"; and "I intend to slap this donkey until this donkey kicks GWB outta the WH!"

Kerry got off with "When someone mentions God or a higher power, President Bush thinks they're talking about Dick Cheney; Dick Cheney thinks they're talking about Halliburton; and John Ashcroft thinks they're talking about him."

Clark seemed back on his heels taking incoming from Lieberman ("nobody's called me Republican Light since Wesley Clark got in the race") and even moderator Gwen Ifill ("you got fired from your position as Supreme Allied Commander in Kosovo; why?") until he delivered his closing comments, which were by far the strongest. Dean took shots from Kucinich and Kerry and Lieberman and Edwards but responded well to those challenges; he didn't flash any of the 'mad Howie' we've sometimes seen. Edwards had to defend his authorship of the Patriot Act and did not do well doing so.

So, given that Dean is the front-runner in Iowa, NH, and in fund-raising and organization elsewhere, and that he really didn't get dusted up, tonight is a win for him. No one appeared to hurt their cause, except possibly CMB, who insisted she was strong in the polls and raising lots of money and converting hearts and minds to her cause and candidacy.

That sounded like Bush talking about yellowcake and 45 minutes to a mushroom cloud to me.

Hey PDiddie, thanks for the update for those of us who cant watch it on the telly! Really appreciate it.

I particularly liked these ones:



Anyone else got a review?



Well, fair's fair, CMB has seemed to be crawling up in the nether regions of the polls ...

For example, in the latest Newsweek poll she crept up to 6%, from 5% and before that 2% - she's now above Edwards in that one. In the Zogby poll she went from 1% to 2% to 4% to 5%; and in the last ABC poll she went from 4% to 6%.

The latest Newsweek poll (which is the last poll out, dating from 23/24 Oct) also sees Dean going (back) up 5 points in one leap - from 10% to 15%.

Thats his best rating yet in that poll, and on top of that three of his four main rivals - Clark, Lieberman and Kerry - all fell by 3% (to 12%, 10% and 8%, respectively). Gephardt is stationary at 8% in that one, which means that Sharpton, up 3% to 8% as well, is now at a par with both him and Kerry.

The three latest polls all have Dean and Clark in the top two places.

I still don't particularly like that choice ... I don't trust Clark and though I like Dean, I don't think he can win against Bush ... worried about his thus far almost exclusively lily-white, higher educated support.

More entertaining this go round, Clark seem to stammer and try to BS his way around questions when pressed for answers. The statements PD noted were amusing, and were the highlights.

Dean didn't hurt himself ... gotta admire his poise, though. If he is able to continue to control his temper in the face of the inevitability of increasing internecine partisanship, Dean will indeed be fromidable. As that is a reported weakspot, it must be expected it will get more and more attention in the coming weeks. Lieberman was if anything a little stronger than I had anticipated. Other than that, I can't say any one of them changed significantly in relative position, up or down. In that respect, it could really be seen as nothing other than a Dean victory and a loss to Lieberman, Edwards, Kerry, and Gephardt. Whether or not Clark's star may be fading fast, he didn't boost himself, and really, IMO, he more than any of the others needs an upward polling trend, so he may just have been tonight's biggest loser. Also appearing were Mosely-Braun and Kucinich.

I do enjoy Sharpton, though ... he has real stage presence and a near-great delivery.

Jeez, PDiddie, that was a wonderful summary, particularly for one who doesn't have TV.

Sharpton is terrific -- I've thought so from the getgo -- and I hope he keeps whupping the donkey's butt. That's what he's there for and he knows it. It will stand him (and us) in very good stead. I predict more than a footnote in history for the guy.

It's for the same reason that I appreciate Dean's statements, even his temper. I don't want him to lose control over his temper; I want him to show he can use it effectively and knows when to button it. If he can match Sharpton's guts and acumen AND know when to use it, when to back off, he'll be a great leader.

Lieberman's remarks about Clark pretty much wraps it up: Clark may or may not be a wolf in sheep's clothing but he's an equivocating egoist, and that bumps him off my list.

Kerry's quoted statements are nice, but he has a kind of laziness or inertia which puts me off. Maybe it's just New England restraint -- which seems inappropriate in the circumstances.

Kerry's "restraint" does have leadership quality though Tartarin

How can Fox have a Democrat debate if it is a right-wing outlet?

It will provide fodder for their "journalists" later on...

Profits are always a motivating factor........Bush dictum!

Far right and balanced!

Really Scrat........you were joking weren't you? Of course you were.

There are very few posts to which I can think of no rejoinder at all...no joke that is funny...no argument I might detail which could perhaps illuminate the poster's wrong-headedness. But Scrat just wrote one.

Add to that the fact that Scrat can't distinguish between noun and adjective, and we've got the worm, fair and square!