Buck Naked Politics

The Clintons Made 109 Million in the Last Eight Years....

...so shouldn't people be praising them for still wanting to serve their country for a relative pittance?  Perhaps it's a naive question----I don't understand money.  If I had that kind of money, I'd move to Paris and spend the rest of my life cultivating my own garden.  Read the commentary of people who find their financial success questionable here.  Read my co-blogger's discussion here.

Clinton Tax Returns: Success and Charity

by D. Cupples |  Hillary Clinton's campaign released the Clintons' tax returns from 2000-2006 and reported combined pre-tax earnings of about $109 million for those seven years and $20.4 million for 2007, according to the Associated Press.

Nearly half of their earnings came from Bill Clinton's speeches, and the Clintons paid $33.8 million in taxes from 2006-2007 (about 31% of their adjusted gross income). 

More impressive than their actually paying taxes is that the couple listed $10.25 million in charitable contributions, about 9.5% of their AGI.  According to the Clinton campaign, data for 2005 shows the average charitable donations among Americans earning $10 million or more is only about 3% of their income.

Nation Loses More Jobs in March

by D. Cupples |  Last month, we learned that our nation lost 63,000 jobs in February. Yesterday, we learned that the nation has lost 80,000. The New York Times reports that the unemployment rate increased from 4.8% to 5.1%.

 Dean Baker, co-director of the Center for Economic and Policy Research, wrote:

Another Obama Advisor Says what Obama "Doesn't" Mean

by D. Cupples |  In March, Barack Obama foreign policy adviser Samantha Power indicated to the BBC that Obama wasn't committed to his campaign statements about ending the Iraq war within 16 months after he (if elected) takes office.  Many wondered about Obama's sincerity when speaking while on the campaign trail.

In February, Obama adviser Susan Rice reportedly told the press that Obama's war-ending plans aren't firm.  Now, a different Obama adviser has advocated keeping a strong troop presence in Iraq through 2010.  The New York Sun reports:

Rasmussen: Hillary Would be Well Ahead if Dems Used 'Winner Take All System'

Posted by Damozel | I thought this was interesting, considered from the standpoint of "it might have been."  It's not exactly news to me, since my co-blogger D Cupples has been saying it for weeks.  I just haven't seen it squarely confronted in the media.

If the Democrats were to allot their current state delegate totals in a winner-take-all format, Clinton would actually have a significant delegate advantage. Despite having won only 14 recognized contests to Obama's 30, Clinton would currently have a 120 (1738 to 1618) total delegate lead and a remarkable 167 (1427 to 1260) pledged delegate lead. These numbers give Texas' "prima-caucus" delegates to Clinton and do not include Florida, Michigan or the 693 total delegates and 566 pledged delegates still to be won in the next few months. (Rasmussen Reports)

As the article points out, it's too late now for the Clintons to argue for a new system.  Well, obviously.  Still, it's food for reflection.  And perhaps also argument:

"Progressive" Radio Host Enjoys Cheers While Eating Fellow Progressive [UPDATE: Rhodes Suspended]

by D. Cupples |  Last night, No Quarter posted a video clip (below) featuring "progressive" Air America radio host Randi Rhodes' spewing of vulgarity-laden hatred toward Hillary Clinton during a live performance.

Rhodes was more redundant than creative: she merely repeated the same vile vituperations.  Amazingly enough, Rhodes' simple words ("F*cking whore") actually revved up the crowd, which cheered on cue and lapped it all up like swine slurping up slop.

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I suppose that's one way to coax alienated Hillary supporters to join Obama's team if he becomes the nominee.

I doubt this is the type of party unity Sen. Obama had audaciously hoped to inspire -- but it's precisely what he has inspired.

UPDATE below:

Deja Vu: New NIE Says Security Improved in Iraq?

by D. Cupples  | A new, classified National Intelligence Estimate claims that significant progress has been made in Iraq's security since August -- according to a officials who spoke anonymously to the press. 

Not surprisingly, the new NIE says pretty much says what the last NIE said -- the one released just before General David Petraeus testified to Congress that the surge was working and that we made progress in Iraq.  The Associated Press reports:

Edwards Not Interested in VP Slot or in Endorsing Either Dem; Elizabeth Endorses Hillary's Health Care Plan

Posted by Damozel | John Edwards says he will not accept the VP slot this time around. (Reuters)  That substantially weakens my hopes for bringing myself to stomach an Obama nomination, unless of course Hillary were the running mate (and assuming she'd agree to such a thing). (Reuters)  He declined again to endorse either Hillary or Obama---though his wife, Elizabeth has made it clear that she favors Hillary's plan.  I guess she lost her 'surrogate' status when Edwards dropped out of the campaign, since her statements aren't being attributed to him. 

Trial of Eight terrorist Suspects Begins in the UK

Posted by Damozel | According to the prosecution, the eight men now on trial  "planned to detonate bombs aboard flights from London across the Atlantic to create deaths on an almost unprecedented scale." (BBC News)   "Their plan was to smuggle homemade liquid bombs on board several translatlantic passenger flights and to detonate them mid-flight."(BBC News)    This is why after August 2006, passengers were banned from taking liquids on board aircraft, says the BBC.  Good.  Let's keep it that way, I say. 

Apparently, the men planned to use a mixture of hydrogen peroxide and other substances disguised as delicious fruit-flavored beverages. (BBC News)  "A sugary drink known as Tang would be mixed with the solution to add power to the explosion." (BBC News)   Tang!  Can you still buy Tang?  And who knew that the drink of the astronauts could be subverted to such a dire and evil purpose?  The conspirators intended to build detonators that could be concealed in 1.5 volt batteries and ignited by a disposable camera. (BBC News)

China's Preparation for the Olympics: Arresting Dissidents?

Posted by Damozel | When China bid to get the Olympics, it promised to do a better job protecting the rights of its citizens, including, presumably, Chinese dissidents.(BBC News)  Remember that?

Today, in a move that Condoleezza Rice called 'deeply disturbing,' the Chinese sent dissident Hu Jia to jail for three years.(BBC News)  Hu Jia has been an outspoken critic of China's human rights records for years. 

Correspondents say he had become a kind of one-man clearing house for information, passing it on to journalists, organisations and foreign embassies.

Evidence presented against Mr Hu in court included interviews he gave to foreign media and political articles that he wrote for the internet, lawyer Li Fangping said. (BBC News) 

Mukasey Unwittingly Indicates Administration was Incompetent or Dishonest

by D. Cupples |  During a speech last week -- while trying to justify increased wiretapping powers for the Bush Administration under FISA -- Attorney General Michael Mukasey implied that 9/11 might have been prevented if the Administration had had broader wiretapping powers.  Mukasey said:

"'We knew that there had been a call from someplace that was known to be a safe house in Afghanistan and we knew that it came to the United States. We didn’t know precisely where it went. You’ve got 3,000 people who went to work that day, and didn’t come home, to show for that.'"

House Judiciary Committee chairman John Conyers pointed out the obvious implications of Mukasey's implications: that either the Bush Administration is lying now or was incompetent before 9/11.  In a letter to Mukasey, Conyers wrote:

Maya Angelou Urges Hillary to Persevere

by D. Cupples |   Distinguished poet, author and civil-rights leader Dr. Maya Angelou (who turns 80 today) recently wrote a lovely and inspirational piece about why Hillary Clinton's supporters should not give up.  Dr. Angelou wrote:

"You may write me down in history   

"With your bitter, twisted lies,    

"You may trod me in the very dirt    

"But still, like dust, I’ll rise.

"This is not the first time you have seen Hillary Clinton seemingly at her wits end, but she has always risen, always risen, much to the dismay of her adversaries and the delight of her friends.

Obama's Adventures Among the Working Classes

Posted by Damozel | Obama's had a little trouble getting into blue collar mode in Pennsylvania.  I admit that some perverse part of me---staunch Hillary supporter that I am---finds all this rather endearing.  Weary, evidently, of bashing only Hillary, Maureen Dowd writes:

His strenuous and inadvertently hilarious efforts to woo working-class folk in Pennsylvania have only made him seem more effete. Keeping his tie firmly in place, he genteelly sipped his pint of Yuengling beer at Sharky’s sports cafe in Latrobe and bowled badly in Altoona. Challenging Obama to a bowl-off, Hillary kindly offered to “spot him two frames.” (NYT)

Bless his heart; he's trying, isn't he?  After all, he did ask for beer, not vintage champagne.  For his pains, Dowd calls him 'effete' and 'languid';  Hillary, on the other hand, is 'gritty' and 'a scrappy blue-collar mama.'   

Howard Dean & the FL delegates: No nomination Without (Partial) Representation!

Posted by Teh Nutroots | First off, let me get this off my chest one more time:  Screw the DNC and its selective application of its intermittently all-important rules.  What if the DNC had been as strict with SC as with FL and MI? 

But apparently when SC decided to flout the rules, the DNC had grown tired of being hard-asses. See Wayne Barrett's discussion here (the part headed "Some Democrats are more equal than others"). "As much as the DNC tries to pretend otherwise, it had choices. In fact, it later showed understandable leniency to three other states who changed their primary dates--New Hampshire, Iowa and South Carolina -- seating all their delegates. The tough love treatment was reserved for Michigan and Florida." (HuffPost)

Hillary on Mad Money

Posted by Damozel | On Mad Money, Hillary discusses her economic plan with Jim Cramer.  As always, I am impressed by the depth and specificity of her knowledge.

Inspector General Investigates the DoJ's Firing of Exemplary Prosecutor

Posted by Teh Nutroots |  The lawyer herself---known for reticence about her private life--- is keeping quiet, but the DoJ's inspector general is investigating whether one of the country's top prosecutors was let go because of rumors that she was a lesbian.  I apologize for the pop culture reference but come on, you know someone's got to say it.  As a (former) Law and Order fan, I--and everyone else who remembers the episode--- will obviously have thought of the "Serena Southerlyn" character's out-of-left-field exit line ("Is it because I'm a lesbian?") upon being fired by Fred Thompson's character a few years ago.  But whereas Fred Thompson's character "Branch" fired Rohm's character for being too lenient to be a prosecutor, Leslie Hagen's record reflects that her performance was exemplary.  

Gas Prices Up Again

by D. Cupples |   I took this photo yesterday, but it's no April Fool's joke. 

These are our gas prices in North Florida.  Keep in mind that the higher gas prices go, the higher the cost of producing and shipping the goods that we buy on a daily basis -- our food, clothing, toys....

At the beginning of February, I took a picture at the same gas station: Regular Unleaded was $3.16 and Diesel was $3.49

In the same blog post, I mentioned that Exxon Mobil had listed $11.6 billion in quarterly profits -- the highest ever in U.S. corporate history -- and had record annual profits of $40.66 billion in 2007.

GAO Slams Administration over Costs and Performance of Defense Contractors

by D. Cupples |  The Bush Administration has made great advances in funneling tax dollars to private contractors.  As we've repeatedly discussed, the Administration has also done a poor job of 1) negotiating contracts so as to protect us taxpayers, and 2) monitoring the contractors.

In short, it's been a free-for-all climate of waste, fraud, and questionable performance.

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a report pointing out that the Pentagon's biggest weapons programs are billions over budget and largely behind schedule (see  full report or summary.)  The GAO has spent years urging the Defense Department ot get its act together -- to no avail. The Washington Post has a good write up:

Some Dem Super-Delegates Don't Get How They're Making McCain Ecstatic

by D. Cupples |   Six Democratic super-delegates from North Carolina plan to endorse Barack Obama before that state's primary. They're afraid that prolonged contentious campaigning will reduce the yet-unnamed Dem nominee's chances against McCain.

Translation: they want Hillary to drop out sooner (before the next 10 states have primaries).

Super-delegates' attempts to prematurely give Obama the nomination would only further ossify the resentment many Hillary supporters already feel toward Obama and the Democratic Party. 

Below, I explain why throwing the race to Obama now might make John McCain ecstatic in November -- and would likely create a new wave of Independents.

(Update) A Reply by the Liberal Journal to a Note from the Pro-Hillary Blogs to the Pro-Obama Ones

Posted by Damozel | The Liberal Journal thinks it's a shame that some pro-Hillary blogs are quoting Republicans.  So does Brad at Sadly, No!  "You know who you are," says Nelson M. of the LJ.

With all due respect to these fine publications, perhaps they had better consider what this means about the extent to which pro-Hillary bloggers have been alienated by the relentless scorn, sanctimony, and contempt with which some progressive blogs have treated Hillary Clinton and her supporters during the last few months.