Sign of Strange Times?

A governor from Massachusetts positions himself as a conservative, and a governor from Utah is positioning himself as a moderate...

In an interview with ABC News, Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman (R) blasted Republicans in Congress for not engaging with President Obama.

Said Huntsman: "You can't just say no. You can't just obstruct or obfuscate. Instead of just kind of grousing and complaining, it would do us all a whole lot of good if we actually started engaging directly in finding compromises and common ground and shared solutions... When you are devoid of the ideas, or the content that would allow you to articulate or paint a better future, you have no choice other than to fall back on 'no, we are not going support it, it cannot be done."

It seems Huntsman is intent on positioning himself as a possible moderate Republican candidate for president in 2012.

Huntsman also broke with conservatives on civil unions recently. The conventional wisdom is that he is angling for the GOP nomination in 2012. If this is indeed the case, will he succeed? Or, is his move towards the center premature for a party that seems to be getting more conservative, not less?

Huckabee Unleashed

According to Time, Mike Huckabee's new book, "Do The Right Thing: Inside the Movement That's Bringing Common Sense Back to America is filled with sharp words for his fellow Republicans who frustrated his bid for the party's nomination."

On Mitt Romney:

Mitt Romney, Huckabee's principal rival in Iowa, comes in for the roughest treatment. Huckabee writes that the former Massachusetts governor's record was "anything but conservative until he changed the light bulbs in his chandelier in time to run for president." He notes that Romney declined to make a phone call of congratulations after Huckabee beat the oddsmakers to win the Iowa caucuses, "which we took as a sign of total disrespect." He mocks Romney for suggesting, during one debate, more investment in high-yield stocks as a solution to economic woes. "Let them eat stocks!" Huckabee jokes.

2012

A Newsweek poll asks Republicans who they would like to see as their nominee in 2012 if John McCain does not win the election. The results:

Mitt Romney 35%
Mike Huckabee 26%
Sarah Palin 20%

Romney to the Rescue

Politicker MA: Former Gov. Mitt Romney is scheduled to embark on a three-day, eight-state trip Tuesday to campaign for Republicans in eight congressional races.

List of Districts:

• Melissa Hart, who is challenging U.S. Rep. Jason Altmire in Pennsylvania's 4th District
• U.S. Rep. Pete Roskam, who is facing a challenge from Democrat Jill Morgenthaler in Illinois' 6th District
• John Gard, who is taking on U.S. Rep. Steve Kagen in Wisconsin's 8th District
• Lynn Jenkins, Congresswoman Nancy Boyda's challenger in Kansas' 2nd District
• Pete Olson, who is challenging U.S. Rep. Nick Lampson in Texas' 22nd District, which was previously held by former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay
• Bill Cassidy, who is running against U.S. Rep. Don Cazayoux, who won his Louisiana 6th District seat in the May 3 special election
• Jay Love, who is running against Democrat Bobby Bright for the Alabama's 2nd District seat vacated by Republican Congressman Terry Everett
• Tom Rooney, who is running against embattled Congressman Tim Mahoney in Florida's 16th District

Straight From the Horse's Mouth

McCain apparently didn't think Giuliani and Romney were qualified to run for President. Maybe, he thinks on-the-job training is OK for the VP.

"I am prepared. I am prepared. I need no on-the-job training. I wasn't a mayor for a short period of time. I wasn't a governor for a short period of time."

-- Sen. John McCain, quoted by the New York Times, during the Republican presidential primaries.

(H/T: Political Wire)

Update: Here's the video clip via Think Progress.

McCain Ad: Obama for Sex Education in Kindergarten

The McCain campaign responds to the Obama ad on education with a hard-hitting one of its own. The ad contains the usual list of quotes from various media sources, often without context, which is fairly common in political advertising these days. The most explosive charge, though, is the claim that Obama sponsored legislation to include sex education in kindergarten classrooms.

The charge has been made before, once by Alan Keyes during the 2004 Senate race in Illinois and more recently by Mitt Romney. Read this article in its entirety or see the extract below for the whole story. McCain's claim, while technically "factual," is a complete distortion of truth and amounts to scare-mongering.

Extracts from the article:

Here's what Obama campaign spokeswoman Jen Psaki is telling The Brody File this morning:

"Barack Obama supports sensible, community-driven education for children because, among other things, he believes it could help protect them from pedophiles. A child's knowledge of the difference between appropriate and inappropriate touching is crucial to keeping them safe from predators."

So, at this point at least, what Obama is referring to is teaching five year olds about inappropriate touching. The Obama campaign also tells The Brody File that parents would be able to opt out. As for further details, the touching aspect seems to be the main idea here. Obama doesn't want to hand out condoms to five year olds. He doesn't want cucumber demonstrations as part of show and tell.

VP Humor

Thanks for the tip, Tim.

Image Source: Ink Tank

Anita Dunn

Anita Dunn is a senior advisor to Barack Obama and someone I’d be very scared to cross.

Here’s Anita Dunn on Lieberman:

Let's dispose of Senator Lieberman first, because the fact of the matter is what he said is not true and he knows it is not true, so it's kind of the continued moral degeneration of Joe Lieberman on display for the entire country to watch.*


And Dunn on Mitt Romney’s swipe at Michelle Obama:

Barack Obama has said that families are ‘off-limits’, and we thought that John McCain agreed. But tonight, John McCain’s handpicked attack dog, Mitt Romney, exposed the fake outrage that the Republicans have been peddling all week as the blatant hypocrisy that it is. The McCain team’s disgusting attack on Barack Obama's wife shows they would rather generate false outrage to distract from their own problems than talk about the issues facing the American people. Mitt Romney’s attack on a candidate’s wife is as pathetic as his failed presidential campaign.*

And there there’s this video. The second part of the clip focuses on McCain and Palin.



Video source: McCombover

*Emphasis added