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It’s hard not to admire Hillary Clinton, even in times like these. As a Barack Obama supporter, I have every reason to be angry at her refusal to concede the nomination. For one thing, she’s stopping the unification of the party. Barack Obama’s victory speech Tuesday night, at once a call for unification and a beautiful complement to Hillary Clinton’s campaign, provided the perfect exit for her. Saying that “our party and our country are better off because of her,” Obama couldn’t have made a better speech, except for one little omission. Were Hillary on the stage with him, endorsing the victory he had uncontestably and mathematically achieved, it would have been symbolic. Not quite a dream ticket, but still nothing short of magical.

It’s that kind of support that Hillary now needs to lend to the Obama campaign. The Republicans have already gotten their propaganda machine rolling, and it’s clear that they intend to do exactly what many Democrats feared - use Hillary Clinton’s attacks on Barack as their own. While she intended to make her case to voters as to why they should vote for her, she’s now convincing voters to vote against Obama. An appearance and a speech Tuesday night could have quelled those fears.

Her failures notwithstanding, there’s still time to assemble some sort of coalition to revive and unify the Democratic Party. In an election once thought to be impossible to lose, the Democratic Party now faces an uphill battle against John McCain. News has emerged today that Clinton does indeed hope to cave to the party’s wishes and concede the election at an event on Saturday. She and her campaign director, Howard Wolfson, have also turned down thoughts of a Clinton Vice Presidency. As Dick Morris says, a Clinton VP would be creating a White House menagé-a-trois. That’s not something we want a new President to have to put up with. Still, independent backers like Lanny Davis, the creator of Black Entertainment Television, persist in attempting to foist a “dream ticket” on to Obama.

Obama’s victory is a symbolic moment for African Americans, and for the country. The pity in all of this is that there are several key figures, and many Clinton voters, who refuse to recognize this. The disappearence of a woman from the race has now led dozens of Clinton supporters, including some commenters on the NYT’s The Caucus Blog, to note that they’ll be lending their support to John McCain.

Someone who supported Hillary Clinton has a bundle of reasons to support Obama. The major differences between them were not even policy based, but instead character based. Feminists who supported Clinton because she was a woman should recognize that Barack Obama is a man doing the same thing for African Americans. In the process, he’s not just breaking down discrimination against blacks; he’s breaking down discrimination as a whole. Clinton supporters must also realize that Clinton still did something incredible for females everywhere, helping them to realize that the sky truly is the limit. She didn’t lose the nomination because she was a woman; she lost it because Barack ran a better campaign.

——

In other news, The Caucus, quickly becoming one of my favorite go-to sources for political news and insight, has a new feature entitled “The Long Goodbye.” Informative and humorous, the series provides interesting insights into the race and Hillary’s potential strategy. I recommend you keep a close eye on it for more up-to-the-minute news on Hillary’s concession.

Popularity: 30% [?]

Speaking at the Janesville General Motors Assembly Plant, Barack Obama finally laid a concrete and comprehensive plan for economic development during an Obama presidency.  The location of the speech is somewhat symbolic given the announcement by GM yesterday of huge losses and issues with the unions.  The Page has full coverage of his plan, but we’ll outline it below.  Commentary and opinions on the plan will be posted shortly.

We are not standing on the brink of recession due to forces beyond our control. The fallout from the housing crisis that’s cost jobs and wiped out savings was not an inevitable part of the business cycle. It was a failure of leadership and imagination in Washington – the culmination of decades of decisions that were made or put off without regard to the realities of a global economy and the growing inequality it’s produced….

I don’t know about a time-out, but I do know this – when I am President, I will not sign another trade agreement unless it has protections for our environment and protections for American workers. And I’ll pass the Patriot Employer Act that I’ve been fighting for ever since I ran for the Senate – we will end the tax breaks for companies who ship our jobs overseas, and we will give those breaks to companies who create good jobs with decent wages right here in America….

My energy plan will invest $150 billion over ten years to establish a green energy sector that will create up to 5 million new jobs over the next two decades – jobs that pay well and can’t be outsourced….

In the end, this economic agenda won’t just require new money. It will require a new spirit of cooperation and innovation on behalf of the American people. We will have to learn more, and study more, and work harder. We’ll be called upon to take part in shared sacrifice and shared prosperity. And we’ll have to remind ourselves that we rise and fall as one nation; that a country in which only a few prosper is antithetical to our ideals and our democracy; and that those of us who have benefited greatly from the blessings of this country have a solemn obligation to open the doors of opportunity, not just for our children, but to all of America’s children.

Those who claim that Mr. Obama has been all style and all substance should finally have something to chew on today, whether they like his plan or not.  We’ll soon see how the public reacts.  February’s primaries are supposed to be skewed heavily in Obama’s favor, and results like yesterday’s in upcoming primaries could help seal the nomination for a candidate who was once thought of as a long shot.

Popularity: 36% [?]

While President Bush may be “the Decider” of American politics, Super Tuesday may have been the crucial decider in the race for the Democratic and Republican presidential nominations. As candidates traversed the country in a rapid attempt to get out the vote, Americans turned out in record numbers to support their candidates. Candidates that appeal to the youth, like Barack Obama, helped to make the 2008 primaries one of the most trafficked in recent history. Tsunami Tuesday, as some called it this year, featured the highest density of primaries in one day in the history of the political system in the United States.

The Straight Talk Steamroller

John McCain, favored by most as the future Republican nominee, scored big wins across the country. The surprise of the day, however, came as Mike Huckabee swept across the South with dozens of victories, blocking a viable candidacy from Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney. In prior debates, and throughout the news media, Romney and McCain had attempted to transform the Republican race into a two candidate contest. Romney, however, may be squeezed out of a system of his own doing as Huckabee’s victories catapulted him back to the spotlight he basked in following the Iowa caucuses. Pundits like FOX News’ Sean Hannity believe that the McCain campaign transpired to throw Huckabee back into the limelight by throwing some of their delegates to him in crucial states. West Virginia, for example, was handed to Mitt Romney after the first round of caucusing. The second round, however, produced markedly different results. Huckabee, bolstered by the support of McCain’s voters, quickly became the victor. It’s tactics like these that seem to have blocked Mitt Romney from successfully winning the conservative votes he needed.

  Republican Frontrunner John McCain

  [Photo Credit: VictoryNH]

As McCain wins victory after victory across the country, conservatives keep attempting to block the Straight Talk Express on its route to the Republican presidential nomination. Dr. James Dobson, director of the conservative organization Focus on the Family, said in a statement yesterday that he would never support a McCain candidacy. Similar statements by conservative pundits like Ann Coulter (who said she’d actively campaign for Hillary Clinton in the general election if McCain was the Republican nominee) haven’t quite put a dent in the perceived viability of a McCain presidency. Commentator Sean Hannity remarked upon McCain’s reported party flip-flops in prior years, noting that he debated running with John Kerry in 2004. McCain is reminiscent of Connecticut Senator Joe Lieberman, the Independent Democrat who has endorsed his run for President.

  Does Anyone Else?

  [Photo Credit: jaquina]

Romney’s withdrawal from the race the other day truly makes McCain the only viable candidate. The Huckabee campaign is still active, even if it may be fighting a race it cannot win. When asked why he was going to stay in the race the other day, Governor Huckabee made some comments typical of his candidacy thus far,

I didn’t major in math. I majored in miracles.

Luckily, that’s what Huckabee will need to win the Republican nominations. McCain has a tough task ahead of him in uniting the Republican party, but he has months to do it.

Decision Time for Democrats

The Democrats, meanwhile, have no such candidate. Opinion polls are locked between the two candidates, and the primaries show similar results. When contrasted with John McCain, the presumptive Republican nominee, Barack Obama is the candidate who fares far better. Yet within the Democratic Party, Hillary Clinton still maintains a large following. So, come the Democratic Convention, will Democrats choose the candidate who fares better nationally, or better within their own party?

Retribution for Republicans?

The Bush Presidency will leave the next president with a mess to clean up. Yet it seems as if most Americans aren’t taking out their anger on Republicans. McCain, it seems, is able to separate himself far enough from President Bush. Super Tuesday painted Obama as viable, Hillary as beatable, and McCain as the inevitable candidate. Still, Americans are indecisive. The coming weeks, and coming primaries, will help to narrow the field for the inevitable two person campaign coming for November.

Popularity: 49% [?]

With Mitt Romney now out of the way and the path to the Republican nomination clear, Arizona Senator John McCain has the ability to unite the Republican Party and lead them forward into the upcoming election.  Mark Halperin, of Time Magazine’s The Page blog, has a great list of things McCain can do now that he’s the only viable candidate for the Republicans.  The Democrats may suffer from infighting for the next couple of months, but McCain finally has the capability to start his campaign for the presidency.  Huckabee is all but an afterthought at this point, even as endorsements from conservatives like James Dobson of Focus on the Family pour in.  McCain may have some support stolen by Barack Obama, who seems to be attracting many Republicans to his potential ticket as well.  The list is well worth reading, and should make some Democrats a bit frightened about the potential of two candidates fighting until the Democratic Convention.  Several of the list’s highlights are published below:

1. Raise and save money for the spring, summer, and general election.

2. Formulate and implement a general election and Electoral College strategy.

12. Travel overseas to heighten his foreign policy credentials.

13. Look and act presidential.

14. Charm independents without offending his base…

Popularity: 38% [?]

As January comes to a close, the Obama campaign has easily surpassed a fundraising goal set earlier today. In a mass e-mail from the Obama campaign earlier today, the campaign stated that they were looking for more donors to boost their current 242,000 individual donor count above 250,000. Tonight, their website shows that they surpassed that milestone and had approximately 253,198 supporters [as of this writing] during the month of January. Obama’s e-mail touts the wide variety of donors, and mentions the fact that Obama has received donations from more than 500,000 individual donators [a figure he surpassed in the hours before the Iowa caucuses]. Obama, ever the politician, attributes this “unprecedented base of individual donors” to his rejection of special interest money.

We rejected donations from Washington lobbyists and special interest PACs and relied on ordinary people to take ownership of this campaign — and the result was more donors than any presidential primary campaign has had in history.

During the last three months of 2007, Obama raised approximately $23.5 million. In January alone, however, the candidate has raised in excess of $32 million. This is a record for candidates still faced with a primary challenge. For all those who thought Hillary was sure to win the nomination following her victory in New Hampshire, Obama’s fundraising successes should give them second thoughts. Obama may not have the richest supporters, but he has among the widest networks of individual donors, and it’s the number of people, not the size of their donations, that counts when the Democrats will be picking a presidential candidate. MSNBC is reporting that the Republican candidates didn’t even come close to the massive figure released by the Obama campaign, and the Clinton camp has yet to release their figures for January.

Scores of Obama Supporters Have Rallied Around Their Candidate

Obama’s “Yes We Can” slogan seems to be convincing America that he’s electable as well, as he’s been victorious in several early primaries. With Edwards out of the race, it will be interesting to see where his supporters end up. Both candidates are vying for his endorsement, and many unions and organizations that once backed Edwards have now switched their affiliation to Obama. Whether or not Edwards will endorse either Democrat before Super Tuesday remains to be seen.Tonight’s Democratic debate, called a “love movie” by the Agence France-Presse, saw the start of cordial relationships between the two candidates. This is a marked difference between the finger pointing and negative comments circulating between John McCain and Mitt Romney, who still have other candidates to worry about. Both Democrats made it clear that they’d like to see the Republicans out of the White House in 2009. While their platforms differ only slightly, the CNN-sponsored debate focused on three main areas, healthcare, Iraq, and illegal immigration. CNN’s catalog of quotes from the debate provides a window into the platforms of each candidate, while their Election Center provides further information for undecided voters.

Cordial Relations Marked Tonight’s Democratic Debate

Most pundits, including CNN’s Bruce Schneider, are calling the debate a draw. Schneider said that Democrats are “happy with their choice this year, but they don’t want to have to make it.” Fortunately for the undecided, the coming weeks will shed more light on the records and positions of both candidates. Unfortunately, however, many will have to make their decisions in short order for the primaries on February 5th. Join us for live, broadcasted video coverage of Super Tuesday next week on February 5th for more about the candidates and the status of the race.

Popularity: 66% [?]

Caroline Kennedy’s rousing Obama endorsement over the weekend was an impassioned plea for voters to choose a “President like my father.” Calling Obama a man who could “be..the president…for a whole new generation of Americans,” Kennedy’s endorsement made big news, attracting the most views of any article on the New York Times website.

Caroline Kennedy Speaks to Obama Supporters at American University [Photo: Obama Campaign]Her editorial was complemented by rumors over the weekend of an endorsement from famous Massachusetts Senator Ted Kennedy, and the speculation was confirmed Monday when Kennedy made his endorsement official with a speech at American University in Washington, DC. Praising Obama as a President who “can renew our belief that our country’s best days are still to come.” Joined by son Patrick, Kennedy said Obama had “extraordinary gifts of leadership,” yet still complimented Edwards and Clinton, promising to support whichever candidate the Democratic Party decided to nominate. Kennedy elaborates on his stance on the Huffington Post. The Obama campaign has also collected news coverage from the day as well.Obama has collected dozens of endorsements in recent days, including that of Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius, who delivered last night’s State of the Union rebuttal. Newspapers haven’t been shy about endorsing him either, and both the Chicago Tribune and the San Francisco Chronicle have come out in favor of Obama. All praise Obama’s enthusiasm and his ability to unite the country to lead us forward together. Having just watched Kennedy’s endorsement, I can say that it’s a worthwhile speech that certainly appeals to patriotism, political service, and Obama’s vision of the future.

Barack Obama and Senator Edward Kennedy at the American University Rally [Photo: Obama Campaign]

There’s been little news for Hillary Clinton’s campaign following the New York Times endorsement she received earlier in the month. In a article called “Kennedys for Clinton,” Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Kerry Kennedy hand their support to Hillary Clinton, dissenting from the Obama line taken by the more influential political figures in the family. Meanwhile, she remains focused on attempting to get delegates from Florida to count for the nomination while Bill stumps elsewhere in the country.

Will Supporters Like These Propel Obama to the Presidency? [Photo: Obama Campaign]

The “spark of hope” Kennedy claims Obama has lit within America has certainly inspired dozens of others besides the Kennedys. We’ll soon find out if it’s enough to win him the Democratic nomination and eventually, the Presidency of the United States.

Popularity: 35% [?]

Last week, during their endorsement of John McCain as the Republican nominee, The New York Times included some choice words for a mayor they supported at one time, Rudy Giuliani.

“The real Mr. Giuliani, whom many New Yorkers came to know and mistrust, is a narrow, obsessively secretive, vindictive man who saw no need to limit police power…”

Giuliani, they asserted, was not the same man as he was during his mayoral tenure. While his campaign has not fared well in most states, Florida seems to be the fighting ground for his candidacy. As he’s currently in fifth place [without a win in any early primary or caucuses], Giuliani needs to hold Florida to show America that he is electable. Fortunately, if current trends hold, Mr. Giuliani will place third in tonight’s primary, behind established frontrunners John McCain and Mitt Romney.

That outcome is better not just for the other Republican candidates, but for America as well. With Giuiliani out of the race, America will be safe from a President who intended to encroach upon their vital Constitutional rights, and a President who would endanger relations with the international community. An America without Rudy Giuliani is an America prepared to confront fearmongering, and an America prepared to blaze the path to a successful future and a new American era. Below, you’ll find a more descriptive analysis of our viewpoints.

The Candidate of Fear

by Zach

As the Republican Party has moved more towards religious and social conservatism, only one candidate has managed to stay in the race without espousing his socially conservative beliefs. Rudolph Giuliani, former mayor of New York City, was that candidate. Unfortunately for his campaign, he’s proved to be far from the ideal social conservative most Republican voters are looking for.  His pro-choice beliefs, while in line with the ideals of many mainstream voters, did not play well with conservatives either.  While I admire Rudy’s resistance to conservative social pressures, the Republicans did not.

Voters should consider themselves lucky. The centerpiece of Giuliani’s campaign has been September 11th. Whereas most Republican candidates used the main focuses of their campaign as a jumping off point for other issues, Giuliani relied at times only on his “tough guy” national security viewpoint. When voters disagreed, Giuliani was always there to tell them that he was the mayor of New York City on 9/11. It’s true. False, however, are most of Giuliani’s comments about the aftermath of September 11th.

September 11th was the worst terrorist tragedy America has ever seen. Yet there are some actions Giuliani took during his tenure as mayor that could have prevented dozens of casualties. Giuliani’s anti-terror headquarters, the $13 million Emergency Operations Center, opened in a building right across the street from the World Trade Center, ignoring the risks posed by terrorist attacks like that of Ramzi Yousef in 1993. Even Giuliani’s emergency management director, Jerome M. Hauer, has criticized his handling of the 9/11 tragedy, claiming Mr. Giuliani is running on a “Grand Illusion.” Giuliani made other errors that contributed to a slower emergency response on 9/11. Procedural lapses in the production of radios and flame retardant firefighter uniforms may have elevated the death toll for first responders. Giuliani’s been criticized for his reaction to the environmental and health concerns of the attacks as well. Giuliani ran a “slipshod, haphazard, uncoordinated, unfocused response” to the health challenges of the attacks. As a result, more than 70% of WTC first responders now suffer long term ills, mainly from breathing in debris that Mayor Giuliani told them was safe. As a result, many firefighters have spoken out against Mayor Giuliani’s campaign.

Without 9/11, there is no substance to Mayor Giuliani’s campaign for the presidency. Despite snags in the public perception of his performance post-9/11, he continues to exploit the fears of Americans in negative and fearmongering campaign advertisements. His “Ready” advertisement has caused a stir among thousands of disgruntled viewers, as it portrays marching terrorists with dangerous voiceovers like “Leaders assassinated. Democracy attacked.” Preying on the fears of Americans is not the way to win a presidency. On the Democratic side, Barack Obama is winning praise for his optimistic and hopeful message for the future of America. Those who endorse him applaud his forward thinking and plans for an America that fits neatly into the new international balance. A Rudy Giuliani presidency, meanwhile, would do the opposite, driving Americans further away from the ideals of freedom that our country is based on.

Giuliani is an avid proponent of the REAL ID Act, a plan to issue a national ID card to all Americans. The REAL ID Act would create the potential for an even larger surveillance state. After President Bush broke FISA precedents illegally, does America really want a president who is openly prepared to spy on them? The ACLU notes that issuing a REAL ID “does nothing to protect against terrorism.” Giuliani, however, still espouses its benefits, and says he’d require Americans to use their “tamper proof ID card” to “work, pay taxes, get online, become a citizen, follow the rules.” In a draconian police state like Giuliani is proposing, Americans would be deprived of crucial rights granted to them by the Constitution. Giuliani is running not just against the majority of Americans’ policies, but against those of the United States Constitution as well.

His inability to capture the interest of Americans in early primary and caucus states like Iowa and New Hampshire led him to focus his efforts on tonight’s Florida primary. Dismal results in the aforementioned early contests have diminished any hope for a Giuliani presidency, and tonight’s loss will hopefully be the death knell to his campaign. Giuliani has the support of neoconservative war hawks, but lacks the support of any American political base. The Republicans don’t support him, his own New York City firemen don’t support him, and, most importantly, Americans do not support Rudolph Giuliani’s candidacy for President of the United States.

Giuliani: Avoiding a Lasting Peace

by Eftychis

In Giuliani’s Foreign Policy essay in Foreign Affairs magazine entitled, “Towards a Realistic Peace” he outlines his plan for strengthening America’s position in the international system. Mayor Giuliani faces two dilemmas with his foreign policy stance. The first is that 9/11 occurred almost seven years ago. The second is that there is nothing in his plan that differentiates him from any of the other Republican candidates; in particular there is nothing to indicate he has more understanding of national security or foreign affairs than legendary, veteran Senator John McCain. As we approach Florida and the subsequent Super-Tuesday primaries it is apparent that the economy belongs to Mitt Romney, social conservatives have found themselves aligned Mike Huckabee, libertarians with Ron Paul, and military and national security conservatives divided between McCain and Rudy Giuliani. In his piece in Foreign Affairs Giuliani writes that we are the, “9/11-generation.” While in many ways this is true, the 2008 election is about the “Iraq generation.” It could be argued that the consequences and ramifications of September 11th 2001 are only just beginning to manifest them across the world, but it is evident that the most contentious event to occur after the mass murder of American citizens at the world trade center is the Iraq war. Yet, Rudy Giuliani does nothing to explain to voters why he is more capable of managing this war than Senator John McCain. McCain stood up to President Bush’s failed military policy in Iraq when Rudy Giuliani was still reading neo-con talking points and now most of the foreign policy advisors who engineered the failed Iraq war have shifted over to the Giuliani campaign. Giuliani has hoped that GOP primary voters will support him because of his national security credentials but I see no evidence for him to make the case that his are any greater than the other candidates and there is nothing he can do to convince GOP voters that he is more capable of winning the war in Iraq than John McCain. If McCain has the war and Romney has the economy, what does Giuliani embody to appeal to voters with?

Popularity: 75% [?]

Our live coverage of President Bush’s 2008 State of the Union address is after the jump for those who would like to replay our live blogging. Thanks for joining us!

We’d like to recommend Slate’s interesting analysis of Bush’s language choice in the State of the Union.  It’s an interesting analysis of trends and the effect of current events on his wording. Lire le reste de cet article »

Popularity: 68% [?]

The New York Times, one of the world’s most highly respected newspapers, just announced their editorial board’s decision to endorse Hillary Clinton and John McCain in the upcoming primaries. While the endorsement of McCain isn’t such a surprise, the NYT’s endorsement seemingly could have gone to Obama or Clinton. Luckily, the Times doesn’t fall down on the typical “experience” excuse that Obama has refuted in the past. Nicholas D. Kristof, a columnist for the Times, shoots down Clinton’s “experience” argument today as well in a new editorial. Kristof notes that the politician that is “most experienced today in the classic sense” is Dick Cheney, and he succeeds in proving that the most experienced candidates aren’t always the ones we’d like to run our country. The stark differences in tone between the Republican and Democratic endorsements from the Times seem to echo the feelings of America today.

John McCain and Hillary Clinton, who received the endorsements of the New York Times today

Hopeful for the future, the Times “strongly recommends” that voters select Hillary Clinton from what is, luckily, not “an uninspiring pack.” While the Times focuses mainly on Clinton and Obama, they make a point of noting that Edwards has “enlivened the race with his own brand of populism,” which may, according to analysts, help to make him a kingmaker at the Democratic Convention later in the year. They do, however, temper their admiration of his dedication by saying that they’re “not sure shere he stands,” effectively making Edwards’ the Democratic flip-flopper, like his 2004 running mate John Kerry.The recommendation to vote for Clinton doesn’t mean the Times doesn’t recognize the strength and benefits of an Obama candidacy, and they draw attention to his successes as well. A key point the Times makes, however, is the fact that “Firstness” is not a reason to choose a certain candidate in this election. Despite what the mainstream media may say, many voters do delve deep into issues and are not voting for candidates superficially. CNN ran a horrendous story last week on the subject, mentioning what they basically call the plight of black women voters. It’s not a question of whether or not to vote for the first woman or first black man. It’s instead a question of who’s going to run the country better.

Barack Obama, Clinton’s main adversary in the quest for the Democratic nomination

The New York Times has decided that Clinton is that candidate. Both candidates, they feel, can repair the “grievous harm” Bush has done to the United States’ image around the world. As I have said in the past, Clinton and Obama really don’t have that much separating them in terms of major issues, and the Times agrees. While Obama highlights change in his candidacy, Hillary has recently taken his message and reiterated it with her own spin, garnering praise from pundits after she “found her voice” after victory in New Hampshire. Key reasons the Times mentions for selecting Clinton include “the depth of her knowledge, …the force of her intellect, and..the breadth of, yes, her experience.” They go even further, praising Clinton and saying she would be a “strong commander in chief.” The problem with Obama’s campaign is that he deals in abstracts, and Clinton seems instead to be equipped with in-depth answers and a clear plan for America’s future. The ideals held by both candidates - the elimination of No Child Left Behind, broadened health coverage, and more - are music to the majority of Americans’ ears. The Times critiques Clinton’s camp as well, explaining that while they support her candidacy, they’d prefer that she abandon the divisive and negative attacks she has pursued against Obama and other competitors. That didn’t stop them, however, from calling Clinton the “best choice for the Democratic Party as it tries to regain the White House.”The tone of the McCain endorsement is strikingly different, but the liberal slant of the New York Times means it isn’t quite a surprise. McCain’s bipartisan efforts in the past have led the Times, and much of America, to conclude that he is America’s best hope at uniting the two parties, a contrast to Hillary’s often divisive politics. The editorial begins, “We have strong disagreements with all the Republicans running for president,” and then proceeds to lampoon them for a laundry list of failures in the campaigning season, including a lack of a plan for Iraq, clinging to discredited economic theories, and more. McCain received the endorsement because of his ability to stand on principles, battle global warming, and stand up for the ethical treatment of detainees.

Rudy Giuliani, former NYC Mayor and current Republican candidate

The remainder of the endorsement, however, focuses on Rudolph Giuliani, the onetime mayor and also-ran presidential contender in 2008. His candidacy depends largely on success in Florida, which he is unlikely to achieve. The Times claims that the mayor they endorsed in 1997 for reelection is not “the man..running for president.” We’ll be analyzing Giuliani’s campaign in an upcoming feature article as well. The Times closes their editorial by claiming that McCain is not a “moderate,” but still is “the best choice for the party’s presidential nomination.”New School Politics will publish our official endorsements later in the month, but I believe that those of The New York Times should be a valuable resource to voters in their quest to find an adequate candidate for the 2008 election. They should, however, be taken with a grain of salt as well, as Obama’s endorsement by New Hampshire papers like the Nashua Telegraph failed to produce results for him in that crucial early primary. We’ll have more on the presidential election, including the aforementioned piece on Giuliani, tomorrow.

Popularity: 43% [?]

Today was a big day for presidential politics, as the long-shot candidate (and one of my closet favorites) Dennis Kucinich decided to cease his run for the Democratic nomination for the presidency. Calling it a “transition,” Kucinich insisted [in a video to Cleveland's Plain Dealer] he wanted to continue to serve in Congress and will pursue re-election. He’s been in the news recently for his plan to initiate impeachment proceedings against President Bush on January 28th, the day of his State of the Union speech. Kucinich’s speech, where he tears into Bush claiming, “We already know the State of the Union…it’s a lie,” is available on YouTube. He was rebuked by House Republicans afterwards, and Florida GOP Rep. Cliff Stearns called Kucinich’s plan a “personal attack.” Kucinich’s famed single-player health care plan, a hallmark of his campaign, may find its way into the healthcare plans of other candidates. Kucinich’s often radical views brought some humor and some radicalism to the race, and he will be missed. The mainstream media, it seems, made it more difficult for Kucinich to continue his run, excluding him from the past couple of debates.

Former Democratic Candidate Dennis Kucinich

We’re expecting announcements over the next couple of days of a couple of more resignations as the fields thin with the continuing primaries. Mike Gravel, a Democrat who has polled even lower than Kucinich, still remains in the race along with John Edwards, Hillary Clinton, and Barack Obama. The Republican field saw the loss of Fred Thompson the other day, and if Rudy Giuliani doesn’t win in Florida, he looks like he’ll be the next casualty. On Super Tuesday, February 5th, join New School Politics for live multimedia and written coverage of the primary results from twenty-four states, along with in-depth analysis from our staff of writers.

Popularity: 37% [?]