Major commitment out of the Edwards camp tonight, as he becomes the first primary candidate in history to respond to a sitting president's announcement on national television.
I'm not going to beat around the Bush here (hee hee); I'm totally psyched over this. After almost 7 years of Twig (you know, that part of a Bush that doesn't amount to much), John Edwards is standing up and telling it like it is.
NO TIMELINE, NO FUNDING. NO EXCUSES!
1 John Edwards Addresses the Nation
2 Yahoo/Bloomberg News Candidate Mash-ups on Yahoo
3 Heading on Down Nawlins Way!
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A couple of Edwards-related diaries on Daily Kos, in case you missed them:
Al Gore has called for Action -- John Edwards is taking a Stand to meet that Call
Edwards Campaign: Clinton is Wrong on Lobbyists
Compare and Contrast:
GOP House leader John Boehner answering Wolf Blitzer on how long the military commitment in Iraq will take given the cost in dollars and blood:
I think General Petraeus outlined it pretty clearly. We're making success. We need to firm up those successes. We need to continue our effort here because, Wolf, long term, the investment that we're making today will be a small price if we're able to stop al Qaeda here, if we're able to stabilize the Middle East, it's not only going to be a small price for the near future, but think about the future for our kids and their kids.
(H/T to Greg Sargent)
John Edwards tonight:
Tell Congress you know the truth. They have the power to end this war and you expect them to use it. When the president asks for more money and more time, Congress needs to tell him he only gets one choice -- a firm timeline for withdrawal.
I don't know about you but I'll take Edwards' path over the "small price" highway the Republicans want to continue on down. Sweet begeebus!
As Peter Beinart says in his pre-speech reaction to President Bush and General Petreaus:
This is what happens when presidential leadership breaks down. ... [I]t is not [Petreaus's] job to decide how much longer America should keep troops in Iraq. That decision, at its core, is political. It requires balancing the occupation's costs--financial, institutional, diplomatic, and human--against the potential costs of withdrawal. And thus, it requires views on the broad scope of American foreign policy. ... George W. Bush is paid to have opinions on those topics; David Petraeus is not. But since most Americans no longer trust President Bush on the subject of Iraq, he and his advisors have made it seem as if the president is following Petraeus's lead when constitutionally, it's the other way around.
And from the Center for American Progress:
John Edwards also appeared on Larry King Live, following the totally ghoulish Rudy Giuliani. (My wife actually shouted through the TV screen at Giuliani, "Stop making those freaky bug-eyes! You are freaking me out!") Edwards was particularly effective in slapping down King's "chaos hawk" question by pointing out that the only way to prevent total chaos in Iraq is for the Iraqis to make political progress, and that's something the continued American presence just doesn't help. Watch:
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YAHOO Candidate Mash-Ups
Another place to get a good sense of John Edwards' position on Iraq is over at the Yahoo Candidate Mash-Ups. Here's the clip of Edwards with Charlie Rose, subject-Iraq.
Edwards on Health Care
Edwards on Education
Edwards with Bill Maher: What's the Beef
So, between now and September 21st, head on over, watch some videos and do a real compare and contrast. Don't worry, we'll remind you later.
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The Big Easy with John Edwards
Heading down N'orlns way with John Edwards will be 5 lucky folks to work their butts off. You've heard about it, you know you want to be there. Be one of the lucky 5. Donate now to the Edwards campaign and join John Edwards to make a difference in the area most devastated by the failures of Bush and his ilk. As he says, you don't have to wait for the next election to create change.
Speaking of change, a famous son of this once and future beautiful city is Harry Connick Jr. He broke ground today on a project aimed at restoring a New Orleans music scene damaged by Hurricane Katrina. Would be nice to visit while we're there with Edwards - if he gives us any time off that is!
Tomorrow Begins Today!