McCain blogger conference call

November 28, 2007 – 1:02 pm

McCain starts talking about his trip to Iraq.

The troops are happy with the success that we have achieved. They know that this strategy has been succeeding. In Anbar things are quiet. In Baghdad, things are better. … Petraeus believes that there could be an uptick in al-Qaeda activity because they are on the run. … How anyone can ignore the situation on the ground is beyond me. The Democrats continue to try to cut off the funding … in total disregard of the facts on the ground. … If we continue to make the progress we have made in the lase couple of months in the next 7 or 8 months … We should not be dictated by a schedule for troop withdrawal

Questions:

Bull Dog Pundit. Asks about "economic philosophy" and "judgment". Tax cuts and boxing (that’s the judgment question). McCain picks Mayweather as the boxing champion. (huh?) On taxes:

The major reason why I imposed [the Bush tax cuts] was to put a control on spending. For the next one, it was clear that we were going into a War in Iraq… I am for tax cuts of all kinds. … There hasn’t been a real income increase for lower income Americans, like there has been for more wealthy Americans. … The majority of our problem is out of control spending. … I believe in lower taxes

Jen Rubin . Campaign questions. "National poll numbers have risen, but … Iowa? Do you still intend to compete fully in Iowa?" Question on Romney’s Muslim-gate

We have a lot of work to do. … I am against ethanol subsidies … We have an excellent ground game. … We are struggling in the polls …  We’ll keep working out there. … All of us want to be the comeback kid. …

On Gov. Romney’s comment about the Muslims, my only comment is that we need to take the best qualified people. … If they are qualified to serve in the Armed Forces then are qualified to serve in any position …. Governor Romney’s appointment of a judge … best qualified people

Michael Goldfarb about the funding running out on Iraq.

It can inhibit our long-term planning and long-term equipping. … If you throw everything up in the air … it has ripple effects that can be dangerous. … You might want to mention that the Defense Authorization Bill is hung up in conference … because of the Hate Crimes Bill. … And the Wounded Warrior Bill. … It still hasn’t been signed into law. That’s disgraceful.

Matt Lewis asks about Bill Clinton’s line about Iraq.

I don’t understand former President Bill Clinton … It is all co-incidental. … What this is going to lead to is an examination of his handling of Osama Bin Laden, North Korea, etc. … I am sure that it is all coindicence that this is happening as Barack Obama closes on Hillary in Iowa.

Ed Morrissey asks about the White House’s release/agreement with Maliki on troop draw down:

I was briefed by Crocker and Petraeus while I was in Iraq. This agreement is basically an extension of the status quo … After a year, we would revert to a kind of status of forces agreement that we have with Korea and Germany.

Doug Lambert. Lincoln-Douglass style of debate between nominees of two parties

I would favor such a format. Sometimes campaigns agree on a concept, but then disagree on a format. … There are stark differences between me and Senator Clinton, and I intend to draw them. … Senator Clinton is a liberal Democrat, and I am conservative Republican.

Liz Mair asks about electability in Washington:

Environment … military … I am not an expert on Washington’s electoral history, but they like an independent streak … And the fact that I campaigned there heavily in 2000.

Jim Geraghty follows up on Rubin. Would it be helpful to have a high-ranking Muslim

It would be helpful to call on people in the Muslim community. … Positions should be dictated by [quality] … Bring in experts.

Follow up is Zalmay Khalilizad. Would a person of that expertise have a place in a McCain cabinet?

Sure. But he was hired for his experience. I would add that Ambassador Crocker is also highly qualified. … I don’t think that the decision would rest on that … Qualifications are enhanced by ones knowledge of the Muslim religion and the Middle East. …

Philip Klein asks about the Annapolis Conference:

I have not heard as much about it as a I should ….

James Joyner. "The surge is working as you pointed out… What hope do you have the political side?"

There is oil sharing. … They thought that they could get this reverse-deBaathification done. The Sadr people immediately raised hell. … There was never a Thomas Jefferson in Iraq.

[I have to run to lunch. i will come back and fill in links in a bit.]

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Dem debate: Townhall questions

November 15, 2007 – 11:11 pm

An Iraq veteran family asks about "the rush to war in Iran." Of course, Drudge links to a story on Iran:

The way to do that is to not ratchet up the winds to war here. A lot of people voted for that … a serious, serious mistake. It convinced the rest of the Muslim war that this is a war against Islam, not a war against Iran.

Clinton:

I oppose a rush to war. Started speaking about it back in February.

Obama:

We should not take steps towards increasing troop presence in Iraq.

Richardson:

End military contractors. Reform our military.

Edwards:

This administration has done more than abuse the Patriot Act. … We are going to take the steps to restore the profiling. Stop the illegal spying in America. … Closing Gitmo. No more secret prisons. No more renditions. … No torture will be tolerated in the United States.

Richardson:

I’m the only one who has addressed immigration directly. … I am the first governor to declare a border emergency because the federal government wasn’t doing its job stopping drugs and illegal immigrants.

Social Security.

Clinton:

I am for getting back to fiscal responsibility. We have long-term challenges with social security. Now we have a crisis in Medicare. … I want to move back towards fiscal responsibility. … We have to have a bipartisan commission.  … If you lift the cap completely, it is a $1t tax increase.

Obama:

Only 6% of Americans make above the cap. … This is the kind of thing that I would expect from Mitt Romney or Rudy Giuliani. … This is the top 6%, not the middle class.

What qualities must the appointees to SCOTUS have. Dodd:

A balanced sense of justice. Not just there as academics. Have a clear record. … Demonstrated that ability to be fair. I don’t necessarily believe in applying litmus tests. … I would not want justices to be appointed who would overturn Roe v Wade.

All would implement a pro-choice litmus, which various emphases.

Then I got bored with the questions.

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Dems debate notes: Journalist questions

November 15, 2007 – 10:16 pm

They ask Clinton about illegal immigration. The question cites other candidates saying that she doesn’t answer questions.

The American people know what I have been fighting for 35 years…. Fighting for issues for women and minorities, workers and families.

They ask Obama to whip Clinton:

Senator Clinton is a great politician. … Politics of parsing. … Straight answers to touch questions. Not what we have seen from Senator Clinton: drivers licences. Two weeks to get a clear answer. … Need a different kind of politics. … They don’t feel that Washington is listening to them…. Listening to the American people to get things done.

Clinton responds:

Taking strong positions. Obama’s plan would leave 15m people out of health care. Fighting this battle against the special interests for more than 15 years… We can have more a different kin of politics, but the special interests aren’t going away. The Republicans aren’t going to stop fighting.

Obama responds:

The only difference between Senator Clinton’s plan and mine is that no one has mandated. … People would love to have health care, … but they can’t afford it. … That’s what they are looking for. That’s what they deserve.

Clinton responds:

Senator Obama’s health care plan doesn’t come everyone … children’s health care plan. … He does not mandate the kind of coverage that I do. … There’s a big difference between Senator Obama and me.

They ask Edwards to way in:

The issue is whether we have a president who can restore trust in the American people. … Senator Clinton says she will end the war. She also says that she will keep combat troops in Iraq. … On Iran, she voted with Bush and the neo-cons. … …. …. She says that she will bring change to Washington, when she will not speak against a system that is corrupt….

Clinton responds:

I respect all of my colleagues on this stage. We are all Democrats. … What I believe is important is that we put forth what we stand for. I have been active for 35 years. … When Senator Edwards ran in 2004, he wasn’t for universal heatlh care. … We need to put forth a positive agenda for America. …

They ask Biden. Not an impressive dude:

The American people don’t give a darn about what we are talking about here tonight. They worry about their children are going to run into a drug dealer tomorrow. …. mortgages, Iraq… Who among us understands how to deal with Pakistan, … Georgia, … Passing the Violence Against Women Act, Passing the crime bill.,

Next question to John Edwards about changing positions:

It is different to say two contrary things at the same time to different people. In Washington, she said she would vote for the Peruvian trade deal. In Iowa, she told a bunch of union workers that she wanted a moratorium against trade deals. …

Dodd. Surprised at just how angry Edwards is:

There is a shrillness to this debate. The American people want results… They wonder if anyone in Washington is paying attention. … If we waste time on the shrillness of this debate we lose teh American people.

I am Bill Richardson, I am the governor of New Mexico. It seems that John wants to start a class war. Barack wants to start a generational war. It seems that Senator Clinton doesn’t want to stop the Iraq war. I just want to give peace a chance …. end the war … energy independence … Let’s stop going after each other on character and trust.

Support Dem nominee. Everyone is for that? Not that loon Kucinich. Now immigration. They ask Obama:

They are justified in feeling frustrated. … The reason that Americans are feeling concerned is that they feel like their jobs are slipping away. … Will make sure that we the kind of border security we need. … Employers have more of a chance of getting hit by lightening than being investigated. … Once again be a nation of laws and a nation of immigrants.

"On the issue that apparently tripped up Senator Clinton … You apparently support illegal aliens getting drivers licenses." Who supports drivers licenses for illegals? "This is the kind of question that is available for a yes or no question." The question assumes comprehensive immigration reform is not possible. Obama ducks. Edwards: No. Dodd: No. Obama: Yes. Clinton: No. Richardson: Yes and I did it. Biden: No

Education. Performance pay in education. What’s wrong with that. Dodd:

Every other question depends on having the best educated generation ever.

Richardson wants a chicken in every pot. Clinton supports "school based merit pay."

They ask Biden about Pakistan:

I do not think that we should maintain the same aid we are giving. … Move from a Musharraf policy to a Pakistan policy. … Significantly increase our economic aid. …

Richardson:

I would condition the assistance to Musharraf. … Unless you restore the constitution, have elections in January, end the state of emergency, allow Bhutto to run, reinstate the supreme court, … fight the terrorists.. It is not about what Halliburton wants in Iraq. .. Our strength as a nation is about our values. …

Edwards says nothing (except nukes)

Human rights more important than national security. Richardson says yes. Obama says not incompatible. Dodd says national security. Clinton does too.

Kucinich is crazy. "Hello. Hello."

Is General Patreaus correct in talking about more security in Iraq: Richardson:

The surge is not working.  …  [can Richardson say the world "mental"]

Obama pledges to get combat troops out in 16 months.  [but 100k troops forever]

John Edwards:

We got something we don’t need. We got NAFTA. … replace corporate republicans with corporate democrats. …

Clinton:

NAFTA did not do what many had hoped. … NAFTA was a mistake to the extent that it did not deliver what was promised. That’s why I have called for trade time out.

Dodd:

We are in a global trade environment

Obama supports Peru. Opposes CAFTA and South Korea. "Why hasn’t the United States supported the same rules as Japan." "

If you are not behaving properly … If you are not looking out for American workers.

China is supposed to look out for American workers? That is their problem?

Richardson on energy:

The future is renewable. … Turn Yucca Mountain into a national laboratory. … 30% of our electricity renewable. … American people sacrificing a little bit. [applause line]

Clinton. Piling on line.

I am not playing the gender card. I am playing the winning card. … They are not attacking me because I am a women. They are attacking me because I am ahead. … It is clear from women’s experiences that from time to time there are impediments.

Edwards:

Senator Clinton defends the system, takes money from lobbyists, etc. … But every one of us should be held to the same standard.

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McCain conference call

November 14, 2007 – 1:48 pm

First some notes from his opening:

Pakistan leads the headlines. The Pakistani intelligence services has differences with us going way back.

Mentions the Taliban and ISI and the rise of extremism in Waziristan and other places. Says that Pervez Musharraf is better than the options.

There’s a lot at stake when a nuclear powered nation … I wish that thinks were different… I am a little disappointed with my friend from Georgia Sashavilli. (sp?) The moral of the story is that democracy is tough. … Our founding fathers were right when they said that we were all created equal. And they mean all.

Also mentions the 5k in Ramadi.

The Democrats are going at it again. … They obviously don’t get it. This is a harsh comment, they are obviously more interested in their own political fortunes than anything else.

Finally shows a little humor about his staff.

"I apologize for not having a call last week. I have totally incompetent staff. The work-release programs aren’t what they are cracked up to be."

Then questions.

Jonathan Rick. Should federal law supercede the will of the people on medical marijuana:

When you talk to me about the will of the people, you are talking about the will of a small number of people who are very active… They show up at every town hall meeting … I am not changing my position on medical marijuana.

Dan Nowicki of the Arizona Republic. Asks what Jeff Flake brings to the table in NH and about McCain’s healthcare plan:

Jeff has a national reputation for his fight against earmarks… Going up to the Canadian border to talk about drug reimportation…. My emphasis on keeping costs down, putting more responsibility on the individual and the family on their health care needs. I want every American to have an education, but I am not going to mandate we have one. I want every American to have a home, but I’m not going to mandate you have one. … This is going to be one of the major issues… I look forward eagerly to that debate.

Skip Murphy from Granite Grok. asks about Edwards’ work plan (what plan?):

Are we going to become more like France? Even Sarkozy doesn’t want France to work like France. Who pays? … And I remember back when the surge started, Senator Edwards called it the McCain surge. I’d like him to do that again. … Again in the S-CHIP program there are 2m who we know are eligible, but they are not signed up. Let’s solve that first. …. Ronald Reagan used to say that if you are going to increase services, you are going to have to raise taxes at some time.

Ed Morrissey. "Next time your staff is here, we will beat them senseless until we have weekly calls." Asks for a response to Admiral Fallon’s statements on Iran and US military readiness:

With all respect to Admiral Fallon, we have contingency plans… I am confident that we have some plans to address the situation. I think that the President is correct that we cannot let Iran have a nuclear weapon. … I am very encouraged by President Sarkozy’s leading on this issue. .. I hope that the President’s meeting with Angela Merkel … Their economy is shaky. They have a lousy government.  … You cannot remove the statement that Iran cannot have nuclear weapons. …

Ed follows up with a question about democracy programs. McCain responds that we need pro-democracy programs.

Matt Lewis asks about the quiz show and Rudy causing a third party. In the case of a campaign injecting humor, "or are you prepared to make an argument that these things could happen."

It was trying to inject humor. I know it is a little juvenile. … But no, I am not predicting it.

Matt follows by asking about humor, and McCain whacks at CNN over the "b*tch" video.

Craig …. Asks about the new TV ad in New Hampshire.

People are saying that they are outraged by the spending. When you are spending money on Woodstock, and not just that… [lists off a whole bunch of projects, including a "virtual Herbarium, whatever that means"] Senator Clinton is running for business as usual, whereas I want to put business as usual out of business.

Michael Goldfarb from the Weekly Standard. asks about the military and where McCain would have the military if prez.

I have said for years that I would like a larger Army and Marine Corps. … We need more Special forces, seals, civil affairs people, people versed in interrogation techniques, etc…. It is not just money. Stop the wasteful pork-barreling spending in the Defense Appropriations Bill. It is not just a signficantly larger Army and Marine Corps, but a reorganized military to face the threats of Islamic extremism.

Asks a follow up about the grounding of the fleet of F15 and what this means about the F22:

The F15s will be fixed. It happens from time to time because it is an older plane. … The F22 is a fine airplane. … Also have to look at what kinds of wars we are going to be in. … We are going to have to have an intensively re-evaluation of where we are spending our tax-dollars. … Dwight David Eisenhower’s warning about the military-industrial complex was right. … You can see the power of their lobby and the power of their complex.

Leon Wolf from Redstate. With a question about judges. "You are, of course, tied to the fate of campaign finance reform… Would you appoint a a judge would over-turn BCRA?"

Of course. I voted for Roberts and Alito…. I don’t know a single Republican Senator who would vote for the nuclear option. … I am proud of the gang of 14. I am proud of my support for strict constructionist judges. … There was going to be a lot of money spent on ads… Some people were going to make a lot of money in that fight. … If you don’t like the Gang of 14, I am not your man.

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McCain conference call

October 25, 2007 – 11:47 am

The theme of the call really seemed to be communication. John McCain has made clear repeatedly that he would do more than the Bush administration to communicate. He would talk more about Iraq. About the deficit. About immigration. About global warming. About judges. He believes that he would be able to get through to people if he just explained. In that sense, he seems much more like Reagan or (Bill, but not Hillary) Clinton. (Hillary seems to prefer the Bush model)

There may be some news in this. McCain whacks Rudy a little on experience and torture. He gives Rob Bluey a position on the Law of the Sea Treaty. Perhaps the most important is that he really socks it to the administration on editing scientific reports. (Is this new? Surely this came up in the Commerce Committee)

My notes follow after the jump.

McCain is in Iowa. Would have been the AARP debate, but only he and Huckabee responded. Called for working — and following — the Europeans on Iran. Talked about the DREAM Act, and a couple more things. I got in late.

James Joyner. Asked about the concept of the League of Democracies. NATO+ or ad hoc? McCain indicated that he wanted a group that had regular meetings.

"A little more than the G8. Far less than NATO. NATO is more of a political/military organization. … The League of Democracies is far more non-military, sanctions, trade agreements, diplomatic and other. Dialogue. Not as much a military organization as a … political one."

Brad Marston, who had been on the bus recently. Acknowledged climate change. Asked for thoughts on "heavy editing" of CDC reports. McCain says that he was glad to have him on the bus and had a message to bloggers, "Move yourself from the couch and get on out on the bus." In response to the question, McCain might have made some news:

"Not the first time that we have heard these reports, but I am very disappointed in the administration. … Monitoring and editing of reports by political appointees who have neither the talent or the scientific background. … For years, it was an administration position that climate change was not something that we have to address. I think that this administration will not be judged well for not implementing market based … global warming."

Jen Rubin asks about judges. McCain says that the criteria — for voting on judges — shouldn’t be philosophy. Cited Ruth Bader Ginsburg. He is proud of Gang of 14.  He made an important point about communication, which is an important contrast with the Bush adminsitration

The only that you can do is make them famous. The power of the Presidency is that you can communicate directly with the American people… ‘Here is Southwick. Here’s what he’s said. Here’s what he’s done. Why should he be blocked?’

Ed Morrissey. Asks about S-CHIP. McCain made another important point about communication that points to a weakness in the Bush administration:

"When you explain the bills in townhalls, people get it. When you explain the deficit, taxes, etc., people get it. I will not approve or sign any bill that is not paid for.  If we really care about children and their health and their wellbeing, then we are not going to lay an unfunded liability on social security … they are going to be broke.  … Go right back at them."

Jim Geraghty. Asked about the DREAM Act.

On the DREAM Act, I would have voted against it because I’ve  gotten the message a thousand times. The people want the borders secured first."

Matt Lewis. Asked two questions. The first was about baseball. McCain grew up cheering for the BRS because of one of his heros. However, now it is the teams out west. The second question was on torture and Rudy’s statement yesterday about waterboarding.

The word is experience. … Romney … lawyers … When Rudy doesn’t know about waterboarding … Nearly every retired general … they think waterboarding is torture and that we shouldn’t torture. …

Robert Bluey asked about the Law of the Sea Treaty. 

We need a law of the sea, but I do worry about some of the provisions. … I would like to see a treaty .. the Arctic, which thanks to global warming is going to become more important. … Would vote against.

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So far

October 21, 2007 – 9:16 pm

It seems that John McCain and Rudy Giuliani are on. MItt Romney is struggling (although Hugh Hewitt has probably already writing his post for Romney’s victory) and I am not inspired by Fred Thompson.

Mike Huckabee’s new Buchananite turn, which I predicted, is alarming me a lot.

It seems quite likely that the quotes of the night are going to be:

  • McCain’s "tied up" line
  • McCain’s slap to Romney about "fooling people about your record"
  • McCain’s line about leading.

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Live blogging the debate

October 21, 2007 – 8:43 pm

They ask Romney about his liberalism and 1994. He dodges. He won’t talk about his past.

Thompson cracks jokes at Kennedy’s expense. He gets to talk about his details. Then he whacks at Rudy on abortion, immigration, and gun control.

Rudy says, "Fred has his problems too. Fred was the single biggest obstacle to tort reform in the US Senate."

They ask McCain about Romney and who is more conservative. McCain rattles off his record. "I lead. I didn’t manage for profit. I lead for patriotism."

Why is McCain wrong on "conning".  Romney talks about securing his borders (huh?) and other things.

They ask McCain about Romney’s lawyers/Iran comment. "Governor Romney, you’ve spent the last year trying to fool people about your record. I don’t want you to fool them about mine."

Romney gave another non-answer.

They ask Ron Paul about gay marriage. He talks about federalism and religion.  Are they teeing this up for Romney?

Yup. They want to help Romney. They ask him. Romney invokes the Catholic church and adoption. But didn’t he require the Catholic church to provide birth control and the abortion pill?

They ask Rudy why he supports gay marriage. And Rudy pushes back. He didn’t talk about kids.

They ask Thompson about lobbying for a pro-life group. He pushes back, but the delivery isn’t so hot.

They ask Tancredo about all the conservatives. "A nice think about being a book end." Then Fox cuts to him on the end… That was awesome. DId he say anything?

Now they talk to Duncan Hunter. And he hits it out of the ballpark about Democrats, Cuba, El Salvador, and Iraq. Nice.

Healthcare

Romney. Would you sign the plan that you passed? He didn’t answer the question, as usual. Why doesn’t Fox force him to answer.

Hunter pokes back at the mandates. Romney then changes the language on mandates.

Huckabee says, "we don’t have a health care system, not a health care maze. We don’t have a health care crisis. We have a health crisis." And drops his old hippies line again.

Education

Thompson on problems with NCLB. Some good lines, but … what? Need more fathers.

They ask Giuliani about the NYC schools. "There teachers … but I really care about the kids more." NICE. He repeated the line about education and choice being a civil rights issue.

Clinton

Romney and commander-in-chief. And he talks about China… Nice. He says that she’s never worked in the private sector. Wasn’t she a corporate lawyer? They re-ask the question. And Romney won’t say that she is not qualified to be CINC. He says he wouldn’t vote for her.

Rudy pokes her on phoniness on the Yankees. And the "million ideas. America can’t afford them all.  … America can’t afford you!" NICE! And Rudy gets to whack Al Gore, Hillary Clinton, two or three Florida comments, and polls.

McCain. Iraq contrast.. The question is whether the war will get in the way with Hillary. McCain gives the right answer in the abstract, but would GOPers rather beat Hillary or win the war? McCain makes, perhaps, the line of the debate when talking about the Woodstock earmark with "I wasn’t there. I was tied up at the time." As a number of people are saying, this guy looks like an adult.

Huckabee on reaching out to minorities. But Huckabee wouldn’t attend the Hispanic debate. "There’s nothing funny about Hillary Clinton being President." And he talks about taxes and Islamo-fascism. And he talks about the Law of the Sea. And he’s gone south on immigration.

Thompson. Was there substance other than "Hillary bad?"

Paul. Did he just run to the left of Hillary on the war.

I will ignore whatever Thompson just said. I already don’t remember it. Giuliani just said that we need private accounts. Fine but how?

Romney does say that he won’t cut benefits for poor people. He’s running for a general… If he gets there. Nice Huckabee joke.

Paul on monetary policy as a response to social security? There’s something correct but weird.

Duncan Hunter explains how protectionism will protect us from running out of money for Social Security? This guy is a clown. I don’t even know any socialists who believe that. Fox kicks back, and Hunter continues to demonstrate his ignorance by equating trade and federal account deficits.  Huh? And then Tancredo wants to solve it with illegal immigration. More clowniness.

Foreign Policy

McCain and Russia. "When I looked into Mr. Putin’s eyes, I saw three letters. A K, a G, and a B." AWESOME. And he lays most of the serious problems at Russia’s feet. The UN Security Council, Iran, etc. Good deal. China may be a threat, but Russia certainly is. And he talks about missile defense. It all happens. Duncan Hunter geeks out in response. Whatever.

Giuliani talks about expanding NATO and expanding democracy. An important discussion.

Thompson. For the first time tonight, I have really liked his answer and his style tonight when he talks about Iraq, Turkey, etc. And then I don’t remember enough about any of the statements of the other candidates on this. Nothing that interesting.

Paul. Who left the GOP? Paul argues that we need a Taftian policy. And the crowd is unhappy.

Giuliani and Iran. He says that a nuclear armed Iran is more dangerous than war with Iran. He has a nice comparison to

They rip into Thompson with a question. And he talks about his serious experience. And ends with a great line, "If a man can do all that and be lazy and do all that, I recommend it." But the follow up about the kids isn’t so strong.

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House RSC blogger call

October 3, 2007 – 10:52 am

Reps. Jeb Hensarling and Marsha Blackburn had a very brief conference call with bloggers.

They noted that S-CHIP was vetoed by the President. They pointed out all the details about this being more than a children’s healthcare program. 17 states are adding  adults with this. Dropping the citizenship requirement. Clearly this call (and further calls) are about rallying support for that. They also talked about earmarks.

Then there were questions.

Ed Morrissey from Captains Quarters. He asked whether or not the veto could be sustained. Hensarling points out that they already have the Republicans votes to win this fight. Then they talked about talking points. "If people realize what they have done with the S-CHIP program. With the Hillary Clinton memo from yesterday. … A walk towards a nationalized healthcare system. … More people will have opposition when they see the details …"

I asked about stripping Rep. John Doolittle of his position as founder of the RSC. Hensarling said that he would not support stripping any RSC member because they are the target of an investigation. That’s very disappointing.

Dave Weigel of Reason.com.  Asks about John Murtha’s comments about earmarks and transparency. "Transparency is John Murtha’s worst nightmare. He will do everything he can to combat transparency to the earmark system. … What the Democrats say and what they have done are completely at odds with one another. … They have huge loopholes in their system. .. This is a soft underbelly of the Democratic Party. … If [earmarks] are so good, why do they try to hide them?"

NZ Bear asked about the future legislative fights over the war. Hensarling says that he was surprised that the Democrats have not brought more resolutions to the floor. "We know that they are being hypocritical about the war. … As Jim Clyburn stated so eloquently, Good news about the war is bad news for the Democratic Party. …"

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McCain blogger conference call

September 28, 2007 – 2:00 pm

John McCain gave a conference call from Michigan where he had spoken to a Hispanic business group.

He says that the campaign is moving along well. "We have a long, hard slog." He talked about Iraq, and described Petraeus as "convincing enough to give our troops more time." McCain calls on ASEAN to kick Burma out of ASEAN. … Slaughter of Buddhist monks is unacceptable. Had the great honor of my life to meet this person [ Aung San Suu Kyi]. … Thugs running that country."

Jennifer Rubin of Human Events. Says she is asking petty political questions. Asks if he is shifting resources out of Iowa. She also asks about money. McCain responds that he has a "comfortable amount to do what we have to do. … We still have a tough fight in Iowa. … Our plans certainly are to compete in Iowa. We have a lot of work to do in Iowa. … "

Dan Nowicki of McCain Central. Asks if there are any events to commemorate 40th anniversary of McCain being shot down. McCain says that he won’t do anything. The Forrestal fire is more important to him.

James Joyner. Asks about Burma. "Tell the Chinese that they have to stop supporting the Burmese. … Call on ASEAN to through them out. … Asian leaders said that [Burma being in ASEAN] would help democracy, human rights, etc. It hasn’t turned out that way. … They have a lousy economy because they have a lousy government."

Ed Morrissey. Asks about skipping the debate last night. McCain says that he would try to reschedule. Morrissey follows up and asks if we need to reach out more to African Americans. McCain basically says yes.

Jim Geraghty. Asked about the Democrats in Iraq. Why did the top Dem candidates not announce that they would pull out. McCain points out that "we have troops in the Balkans, we have troops in South Korea, We have troops in Okinawa. Americans don’t care about whether there are troops, they care about results. We have troops in Kuwait. … This insurgency is going to be fought for a long time."

Philip Klein. Asks for comments on Hillary Clinton’s baby-bond idea. McCain asks how it can be paid for. "I’d like to give every child $100k, but I’d like to know how to pay for it. … How are we going to pay for it?"

Fausta Wertz. As a Hispanic entrepreneur, how do you propose to reduce the costs. "We have the spending. We have to stop the spenidng. We have to stop the corruption. …  Americans no longer trust their government, and we have given them good reason… Katrina, failures in Iraq, corruption. … If we stop the spending, we can go to the American people with clean hands. … I know that the overall impact [isn’t that big] but we need to get the faith back. … Look at the restructing of Congress. Different from Congress, in these townhalls, there has been a tremendous erosion in the trust in government."

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McCain Iraq blogger conference call

September 12, 2007 – 4:14 pm

"If you are not tough enough to repudiate a scurrilous attack, I don’t know how you are tough enough to be President."

Matt Lewis. He asks about where the other GOP candidates are on the surge.

"I don’t pay that much attention to the other campaigns. The reason that I responded to governor Romney is that he said ‘apparently’, etc. … I am the only one who repudiated Rumsfeld’s strategy." He follows up with "Is it the responsibility of a Republican candidate? Are they off-base with them not getting behind it?" McCain responds, "I’d like to see Republican candidates more engaged and more supportive. Obviously, the Democrats are going to try again to force withdrawal."

Jennifer Rubin. "Do you sense a stiffening of the spine?"

 "I think that was helpful. … Success on the ground has been helpful as well. … Proud of the President as well. I am glad the President went to Baghdad. We do need to put more pressure on the Maliki government."

Paul Mirengoff. "Do you think that committing to withdrawal is an optimum strategy?"

"I think that one of the things that he’s saying is that the Iraqi military will be able to be more engaged. … There are problems within the Pentagon with this surge."

Betsy Newmark of Betsy’s Page. Her student asks, "If you are elected PResident, but the public is still opposed to the war, what can you do …?"

"You have to show success on the ground. … I think the next six months are going to be critical. We are going to have to show enough success or we will be forced out."

Follow up, "How will history regard GWB’s Presidency?" McCain responds that it will depend on Iraq, and he compared with Truman.

Robert Bluey . "What would you tell the American people tomorrow in President Bush’s speech?" McCain responds, as he has, that he would give more details. He also says that he would admit failure. "You have to admit mistakes and show them where we are succeeding. Share their frustrations. Share their sorrow." Followup on Iran. "Is the admistration doing enough to hilghlight Iran?" McCain: "I would highlight it more"

Jim Addison. He asked whether the Dems are just mouthing talking points. McCain says that the Dems have just made up their minds.

Phil Klein from AmSpec. He asks about the process. McCain responds:

"The first of October is the beginning of the fiscal year. It should disturb all Americans that Harry Reid is putting this controversial legislation on the authorization bill. … Reid is negotiating with some Republicans to act on a resolution. … I know I should be out fiundraising and campaigning. This is far more important … I think it is that serious. "

Doug Lambert. He asks why we don’t take out Al-Sadr.

"Well, I agree with you. When they first had a warrant out for his arrest, I told [the generals], ‘Go get this guy.’ … Now it is very tough. He bounces back and forth between Iran. … "

Follow up about the Iranian border. "You might see American troops on the Iranian border. … Sadr announced a 6-week moratorium"

Jim Geraghty from NRO. A bunch of questions. "Should Dems return donations from MoveOn?" "Sure, but they should denounce it?" "Do you think that the hearings addressed the concerns of any wavering lawmakers?" "I hope so. … I could not have asked for a better performance from either of them."

I asked about what the Iowans at his events were thinking, given the polling that indicates that IA caucus-goers want an early withdrawal. "They are interested in getting out. I am interested in getting out. … I also think that Americans don’t want to lose. … like Harry Reid. … You get through some of the prism."

Matt Lewis again. He asks about polling. "Do you have your mojo back?" McCain responds that:

"We had some serious problems … most of them were budgetary. … Good turnout at townhalls in Iowa. … Better in New Hampshire. … Very anti-war in Iowa… More anti-war in New Hampshire. … Strong popular support for the war in South Carolina."

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