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Politics : Politics for Pros- moderated -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: JohnM who wrote (5378)	8/19/2003 9:45:23 AM
From: Tom Clarke	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 793597

Then there is Wesley Clark on the Constitution: "I thought this country was founded on a principle of progressive taxation." Message 19203694

To: JohnM who wrote (5378)	8/19/2003 1:35:03 PM
From: LindyBill	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 793597

Josh Marshall Josh seems to be developing into a good Left blogger. Very few decent ones out there. I think Clark would get chewed up as a Prez candidate. No party support, he hasn't paid his dues. As I have said before, good VP material.

To: JohnM who wrote (5378)	8/19/2003 2:05:36 PM
From: LindyBill	Respond to of 793597

The California Labor Unions finally realize they are in trouble. LA Times excerpt. .......Also, officials of the 140,000-member California State Employees Assn. announced that their executive board had voted to back Bustamante. It remained unclear how much money the union will donate to Bustamante's campaign, said the organization's president, Perry Kenny. And the California Teachers Assn., which has quarreled with Davis in the past, interviewed Bustamante as well as other candidates. As unions ponder their position, a fight appeared to be brewing before next week's convention of the California Federation of Labor. So far, the labor federation's position has been that it opposes the recall and will remain silent on the second part of the ballot. Supporters of that stand say it is the simplest message to convey to members and the most likely to keep Davis in office. But backers of Bustamante are pushing for the union to get behind his candidacy. At least some major unions are sticking with the current position. The 400,000-member State Building & Construction Trades Council of California, for instance, voted in recent days to hold firm against making any endorsement to replace Davis. "I believe if you're in a war, you go out there and fight, and if you think you can't win the war, you leave yourself a lot of outs," said Bob Balgenorth, the union's president. "I believe we can win this recall. If I didn't, I'd be staking out the position" the other groups have taken. Some labor leaders say that with fewer than 50 days remaining until the Oct. 7 vote, union members need a decision soon. "At some point, there's got to be the 'come to Jesus' moment," and the meeting has "got to be it," said Barbara Dab, spokeswoman for the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor, referring to the Aug. 26 meeting in Manhattan Beach. Her organization "at the moment" is still declining to endorse a backup candidate. A formal decision on the part of the state federation to endorse a backup would require a vote of two-thirds of delegates present, if the matter is brought to a vote. Many labor leaders have expressed concern about Davis' declining support in polls. Kenny said that while his board was firmly opposed to the recall, "You can't forget about the second question; that's just foolish if you just leave it out there."...... latimes.com

To: JohnM who wrote (5378)	8/19/2003 2:28:29 PM
From: LindyBill	Respond to of 793597

One Times reporter had a "road to Baghdad" conversion, at least. War called 'justified' New York Times foreign correspondent John Burns is on record in interviews and in his own stories about dangers in Iraq under Saddam Hussein. In a new oral history, the two-time Pulitzer Prize winner went on to say: "This war could have been justified any time on the basis of human rights. Alone. This was a grotesque charnel house." Interviewed May 1 in Baghdad for "Embedded: The Media at War in Iraq," Burns added, "There were probably fewer people [who] died in the six weeks since this war began than would have died if Saddam Hussein's killing machine had gone about its daily business. So, to my mind, it was always on that basis that the war should have been justified." Burns slammed unnamed colleagues "who turned a blind eye" to terror under Hussein. Compiled by Bill Katovsky and Timothy Carlson, "Embedded" goes on sale next month. Times spokesman Toby Usnik said management would reserve comment on Burns' remarks until after they read the book. In an earlier episode, Times reporter Chris Hedges, author of "War Is a Force That Gives Us Meaning," was booed during a May commencement address at Rockford College in Illinois for criticizing U.S policy in Iraq. Usnik said The Times had nothing to add to its earlier comment about the speech. Times spokeswoman Catherine Mathis had said the paper was looking into the matter. The reporters' views may fall into a gray area. The Times' code of conduct, in a reference to broadcast appearances, says staffers "should avoid expressing views that go beyond what they would be allowed to say in the paper." nydailynews.com