The Democratic National Convention is designed to be a showcase for Barack Obama, culminating with his acceptance speech at Invesco Field, home to the NFL's Denver Broncos. However, lingering hangovers from the Democratic primary are causing concern that the convention might not be as smooth for Obama as his campaign might hope. The biggest concern today: whether delegates pledged to Sen. Hillary Clinton will call for a roll call vote. ABC World News reported Clinton "says the voices of her supporters should be heard at the Democratic Convention. Her delegates say they want to be heard. But if her name were placed in nomination, if there were to be a roll call vote, would that take the spotlight off of Barack Obama? There do seem to be lasting divisions in the Democratic Party." Newsday says Clinton "is giving every indication that she will not go quietly or meekly into" the convention. NBC Nightly News showed Ann Lewis, a Clinton advisor, saying that her supporters "want recognition for Hillary's historic role and their own in this campaign. They want a chance to be heard and to feel included."
U.S. News & World Report reported on its website that Democratic Party "leaders are concerned that the Hillary rebels will reopen old wounds and reignite the debate over whether she was treated fairly by Obama and the media as the first woman to be a serious presidential contender. Such a split could lead to an embarrassing mess in Denver just when Obama needs all the positive vibrations he can generate."
However, the Washington Post, in a front-page article titled "Democratic Aides Working On Plan To Keep The Peace At The Convention," says, "The Obama and Clinton camps said this week that they agree on a central point: They would like to avoid an embarrassing display of discord from Clinton's most ardent backers when the national convention begins in just over two weeks."
Meanwhile, Obama himself is moving to placate the Clintons. The New York Times reports that in a "public peace offering," the Obama campaign offered former President Bill Clinton a speaking role on August 27, the 3rd day of the convention. In addition, in an interview with the New York Post, Obama defended the Clintons and dismissed media speculation that Bill Clinton in an interview with ABC News was attempting to question Obama's qualifications, saying, "I think the interview was designed entirely to provoke him. It was designed to get a rise out of him. I think his answers were exactly right."
ABC World News reports in its lead story that the McCain campaign "knows an opportunity when it sees one," and has released a new internet ad which shows Sen. Hillary Clinton saying, "I know Senator McCain has a life sometime of experience that he will bring to the White House. And Senator Obama has a speech he gave in 2002." The Los Angeles Times adds that McCain's campaign yesterday "released a one-minute Web ad seeking to burnish his maverick image -- with testimonials from prominent Democrats." In addition to the Clinton item, the "montage" includes "footage of Obama defender" Sen. John Kerry "calling McCain 'a courageous, patriotic American who stands up for what he believes.' ... Perhaps most embarrassing is a 2003 clip of" DNC Chairman Howard Dean "saying he modeled his own presidential bid on McCain's 2000 run because of McCain's direct manner."
On MSNBC's Countdown, Keith Olberman said of the McCain spot, "Problem is only one of the testimonials was less than two years old. The second problem -- the DNC promptly followed with its own wed web ad with the testimonial of all the same Democrats attesting to how McCain has since betrayed his principles for the sake of the campaign."
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The CBS Evening News reported last night that Sen. John McCain "brought up Sen. Obama's name several times at a town meeting in Ohio, taking aim at his energy plan." McCain said, "I think Senator Obama might be a little bit confused. Yesterday, he accused me of having President Bush's policies on energy. That's odd, because he voted for the President's energy bill. And I voted against it." Fox News' Special Report also reported that McCain opened his Lima, Ohio town hall with "a broadside" against Obama, as did the local Lima News, which reported that McCain said, "I know he hasn't been in the Senate that long but even in the real world voting for something means you support it and voting against something means you oppose it."
Meanwhile, Obama is getting praise from an unexpected quarter the Wall Street Journal's conservative editorial page. In an editorial this morning, the Wall Street Journal says, "The underreported economic news of the week is that Barack Obama favors a stronger dollar. Even better, he thinks a stronger greenback would help to reduce oil prices. That at least is what the Democratic presidential candidate told a town hall forum in Parma, Ohio, on Tuesday. 'If we had a strengthening of the dollar, that would help' reduce fuel costs, he said. ... This ought to be a bigger story." The Journal concludes, "We don't know who is whispering in Mr. Obama's ear about the dollar, but he's on to a rich political vein. ... Over to you, John McCain."
Sen. Barack Obama and his family are heading for Hawaii today for a vacation, but it won't be without some campaigning. The Honolulu Star-Bulletin reports that the Obama camp says he and his wife will hold a rally today upon their arrival where he will "talk about his vision for bringing America together and creating the kind of change we can believe in." The Washington Post adds that during Obama's last visit to Hawaii, "People magazine published photos of him on the beach looking buff. Not all campaign vacation photo ops go so well. Think John F. Kerry...windsurfing."
The New York Times reports deep inside it's 'A' Section that a new group led by Tom Matzzie, "a liberal political operative who has been involved with some prominent left-wing efforts in recent years," is targeting potential GOP big-dollar donors, sending them a letter alerting them "to a variety of potential dangers, including legal trouble, public exposure and watchdog groups digging through their lives," if they contribute to groups running ads attacking Barack Obama. The Times calls the letters "an opening shot" and a "first step" in a wider effort to suppress GOP donors.
Fox News' Hannity and Colmes aired a tape of a seven-year-old girl asking Sen. Barack Obama yesterday why he was running for president. According to Fox's Allan Colmes, Obama "offered what some are viewing as a scary response." Sen. Obama was shown saying, "I'm running for president because of -- because I got two daughters just like you. America is -- is no longer what it could be, what it once was. And I say to myself, 'I don't want that future for my children.'" Former Gov. Mike Huckabee commented, "What see saw is a candidate who is exhausted. ... This was a very, very serious tactical error. It's that kind of comment that does come back to haunt a candidate."
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The Gallup daily presidential tracking poll shows Obama leading McCain 46%-43%. The poll surveyed 2,735 registered voters from August 4-6. The Rasmussen Reports automated daily tracking poll for August 7 shows Obama leading McCain 44%-43%, and 47%-46% with leaners.
A Rasmussen Reports automated poll of 500 likely Wisconsin voters taken August 5 shows Barack Obama leading John McCain 47%-43%.
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President Bush's arrival in Beijing for the opening ceremonies of the Olympic Games, and his comments on the Chinese government yesterday in Thailand, received heavy attention on all three broadcast network newscasts Thursday night, with the story leading two of the three broadcasts. ABC World News reported, "President Bush arrived in Beijing tonight following a speech in Thailand in which he criticized China's human rights record. The Chinese responded to the speech by warning the President not to interfere in its business -- a polite way of saying 'butt out.'" The CBS Evening News said Bush "put a spotlight on the other side of China, rebuking the government for its human rights record."
In its lead story, NBC Nightly News reported from Beijing, "The President of the United States is here tonight, making him the first American president to attend the Olympic Games on foreign soil. Today, he used some tough words on his way here about the host nation of China and that has added a political backdrop already to the start of these games." Bush "publicly scolded his Chinese hosts from 2,000 miles away in Bangkok." Bush: "Not to antagonize China's leaders, but trusting its people with greater freedom is the only way for China to develop its full potential." But Chinese officials "rejected the speech, calling it interference in their internal affairs." Fox News' Special Report said Bush "praised China for the economic progress it has made since his first visit there more than 30 years ago, but suggested financial freedom will lead Chinese citizens to desire more."
The Washington Post reports the President arrived in Beijing "as the Chinese government reminded the world that it opposes interference from other countries on human rights and other issues." Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang issued a statement saying in part, "We firmly oppose any words or acts that interfere in other countries' internal affairs, using human rights and religion and other issues." And while the Chinese Foreign Ministry was responding to his comments in Bangkok, reports the New York Times, the President "rebuked China over political and religious freedoms for a second day on Friday." During a dedication ceremony of the new US Embassy in Beijing, Bush "said that the embassy, still unfinished, reflected the progress the two countries had made," but stressed that the US will "continue to be candid about our mutual global responsibilities." The Financial Times said Bush "condemned China's treatment of political dissidents and pressed for an unfettered Chinese press." The Wall Street Journal says in the "weeks leading up" to the trip, Bush "has engaged in a delicate balancing act," facing "pressure at home to confront China," while "looking to keep relations on a strong footing with China."
White House Staff, Press Corps Detained At Airport The CBS Evening News reported that in an incident resulting from "high anxiety" or "perhaps high security" or "maybe just simple pettiness, the plane carrying White House staffers and White House press corps landed at the Beijing airport as scheduled and was forced to sit on the tarmac for three hours in the middle of the night before being able to unload." The AP says White House officials "would say only there were 'logistical problems' getting clearance to unload the aircraft. The flight crew was told the Chinese were insisting that all luggage be inspected."
Separatists Warn Of Possible Terror Attacks The AP reports that the Turkistan Islamic Party, "which seeks independence for China's western Xinjiang region," released a video "warning Muslims to avoid being on planes, trains and buses with Chinese at the games," according to the US monitoring organization SITE Intelligence Group. In the six-minute video, a speaker with his face covered warns, "Do not stay on the same bus, on the same train, on the same plane, in the same buildings, or any place the Chinese are." The New York Times says the man, "who identifies himself as Abdullah Mansour," speaks in Uighur in the video. AFP says Chinese authorities have "warned that 'terrorists' from home and abroad pose a massive threat to the event."
US Warns Americans Of Chinese Cyber-Spying The CBS Evening News reported, "US intelligence officials have issued a strong warning that Americans traveling overseas, particularly visitors to the Olympics in China, face a serious risk of having sensitive information stolen. The travel alert is blunt: 'All information you send electronically -- by fax machine, personal digital assistant, computer, or telephone -- can be intercepted.'"
Media reports this morning are suggesting that the US and Iraq are close to reaching an agreement on a timetable for the withdrawal of US troops. ABC World News, for example, reported that Iraqi officials "said today there may soon be an agreement under which all US combat forces would be withdrawn by October 2010, with all other troops pulled out three years later." The CBS Evening News also reported that "US and Iraqi negotiators are close to agreeing on a timetable for withdrawing American troops." McClatchy reports the two nations are "nearing completion of negotiations on a security agreement that would pull American troops out of Iraqi cities by next July and foresees all US combat troops gone from Iraq by 2011." The AP, however, reports that US officials "insisted no dates had been agreed" upon.
In what is widely portrayed as a setback to the Bush Administration, ABC World News reported Osama bin Laden's driver Salim Hamdan was sentenced to five and a half years in prison, "far less than the 30 years the government wanted," after being convicted by a Guantanamo Bay military tribunal of supporting terrorism. ABC said Hamdan "could be eligible for release in five months, but the government says he could also be held indefinitely until the war on terror ends." NBC Nightly News said it "appears to be a big setback for the Bush Administration and military prosecutors," while the CBS Evening News called it "a stunning rejection of prosecution demands."
USA Today reports Hamdan "has the right to appeal his conviction," but defense lawyer Charlie Swift "said the five months left on his prison term may not leave enough time to do so." But while Judge Keith Allred, reports the AP, "said Hamdan...would likely be eligible for release," Pentagon spokesman, Navy Cmdr. Jeffrey Gordon, "said he could not speculate whether Hamdan would be released later this year or remain imprisoned as an 'enemy combatant.'"
The Washington Post reports on its front page that Hamdan's trial "was viewed as a test case of a system that the administration has been pushing, despite fierce opposition and repeated delays, since just after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks." And its "result -- a mixed verdict and an extraordinarily light sentence -- could raise questions about the administration's strategy of taking high-profile terrorism trials out of civilian courts and bringing them before the military." The Wall Street Journal also says the "surprisingly light sentence could be a bad omen for the government, which is preparing the more dramatic trials of the key alleged Sept. 11 conspirators." The New York Times reports that Hamdan's attorneys "described the verdict as a victory propelled by the military officers on the panel, but they said it did not remedy what they have described as the system's flaws."
The AP reports White House Chief of Staff Joshua B. Bolten and former White House counsel Harriet E. Miers have petitioned US District Judge John Bates "to delay enforcement of his ruling that they must testify before Congress." Without a "quick stay of the ruling," Bolten and Miers argued in a court filing, they "may be forced to testify before an appeal can be heard." The Washington Post says Democrats have announced that they "would schedule hearings on the issue in September," and a delay "could head off such hearings until after the elections." The Hill also reports on the petition under the headline "White House Remains Defiant On Miers, Bolten Testimony."
Gannett News Service reports House Minority Whip Roy Blunt asked Democratic colleagues "to join Republicans in urging House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to reconvene the House and hold votes on proposals aimed at increasing domestic oil production." In a letter signed by the entire Republican leadership, Blunt wrote, "If you agree that Congress should not be taking a five-week vacation until we address the energy crisis, will you join us in publicly calling on Speaker Pelosi to reconvene the House and allow a vote on increasing American-made energy?" The Politico says Pelosi "is highly unlikely to cave in to this request." Fox News' Special Report reported that Blunt "says the situation is in the hands of Democrats."
In his New York Times column, Paul Krugman writes, "So the G.O.P. has found its issue for the 2008 election. For the next three months the party plans to keep chanting: 'Drill here! Drill now! Drill here! Drill now!' ... Republicans, once hailed as the 'party of ideas,' have become the party of stupid." In his Washington Post column, Charles Krauthammer writes, "Why would you not drill to provide a steady supply of proven fuels for the next few decades as we make the huge technological and economic transition to renewable energy? ... The problem for the Democrats is that the argument for 'do everything' is not rocket science. It is common sense."
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Jay Leno: "President Bush is on a weeklong tour to Asia, where he'll visit South Korea, Thailand and China -- or as the White House calls it, 'The Everything Sold at Wal-Mart Tour.'"
Jay Leno: "President Bush arrived in Beijing earlier today. I don't think he really understands the Olympics that well. Like, they asked him if he liked the decathlon, and he said, no, he preferred regular coffee."
Jay Leno: "Earlier this week on the Internet, Paris Hilton posted her own ad to spoof the ad John McCain made about her." The McCain camp "responded by that by saying Paris Hilton supports McCain's approach to America's energy crisis. How desperate is your presidential campaign when you have to try and convince people that Paris Hilton agrees with you?"
David Letterman: The Chinese "threw a big steak dinner for President Bush in his honor. They served Peking Lame Duck."
David Letterman: "President Bush, he doesn't know what he's doing over there. He turned to the president of China, and he said, 'General Tso, I love your chicken.'"
Jimmy Kimmel: "More than 60 heads of state will be at the opening ceremonies, so security is extremely tight in China, which has been very hard on the locals there. Many stores and factories in Beijing have been required to close, and people have been forced out of their houses. It's sort of like here in the United States, only for them, it'll end in a couple of weeks."
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