Dodd and Biden Drop Out

Senators Chris Dodd and Joe Biden ended their failed presidential campaigns after dismal showings in the Iowa caucuses.

Dodd withdrew from the race saying he tried:

"I think we all knew from the very beginning that ... this would be an uphill battle," Connecticut senator Dodd told hundreds of supporters at a campaign rally in downtown Des Moines. "Only when you try can you truly make a difference in this world, and I’m truly glad I tried."

Tonight, I'm withdrawing from the presidential race.

Delaware Senator Joe Biden also withdrew, but couldn't announce it himself:

In a speech to supporters with his tearful wife, Jill at his side, Biden never once said he was dropping out, even declaring "I ain't going away."

But his political director Danny O'Brien confirmed after Biden's speech that Biden was ending his run for the nomination.

Both candidates should have seen the writing on the wall long ago. Dodd won just 0.02 percent of Iowa's caucus-goers, even after moving his family to Iowa weeks before the caucuses.

Biden Boasts Of Experience

Delaware Democratic senator Joe Biden, who has been in office since 1972 and is chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations, boasts of his experience:

"Being president is not the same thing as running for president," he says in the spot.

He then goes on to say that the squabbling about "experience" and "change," which has consumed the campaigns of the leading Democrats -- Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, and John Edwards -- is about meaningless political slogans.

[. . .]

"You don't have to guess what I'll do as president," he says in the ad. "Just look at what I've done."

With his new ad, Biden becomes the last of the six Democratic campaigns in Iowa to advertise on TV. I fear it's too little, much too late.

Biden's Heartache

I've never had much use for Democratic presidential candidate Senator Joe Biden. I simply can't get past his plagiarism.

Nevertheless, I found this article by the Des Moines Register's Abby Simons very moving:

But ask him about that day in December 1972, a week before Christmas, six weeks after he was elected to the U.S. Senate at age 29. Ask him about when a drunk driver slammed into a car his family was riding in, killing his wife, Neilia, and 13-month-old, Naomi, and leaving sons Beau and Hunter hospitalized for months.

Then he does something very un-Biden-esque. He clams up.

"I just don't ... it's hard to talk about. It's just hard ..." Biden trails off, pauses for several seconds, and clears his throat. His wife, Jill, looks on patiently.

"Whenever you talk about it, you relive it. It doesn't matter whether it was a day ago, a month ago or, in my case now, 34 years ago."

[. . .]

He's a senator who has more than once been called a braggart, yet now speaks in passing - if at all - of the wreck that could have put his life in shambles. Nor does he speak of the brain aneurysms that nearly killed him weeks after he dropped out of the 1988 presidential race following accusations that he used plagiarized portions of a campaign speech. The dropout was a blessing in disguise, said Biden's wife, Jill, whom he married in 1977. Reaching the top may have killed him, as the aneurysm occurred the day before the New Hampshire primary.

[. . .]

"If this doesn't work, look at what we have," Jill Biden said. "We have a great marriage, we have wonderful kids and grandchildren, we have our health. It's not like 'Oh God, this is going to affect us, we have a really positive attitude about new directions, new things to do. The whole family obviously thinks Joe should be our next president. But if it doesn't work, we're happy."

Read the whole thing.

Agreeing With Joe

The Democratic Presidential candidates agree: Joe is right.



Thanks to Peter Hauck for the tip.

Obama On Saturday Night Live

Last night Obama hosted Saturday Night Live. The opening skit was a Halloween Party hosted by Bill and Hillary Clinton:



Obama also took both Clintons to task on the campaign trail:

Campaigning in South Carolina earlier, Obama accused Hillary Clinton of giving voters “vague, calculated answers to suit the politics of the moment instead of clear, consistent principles about how you would lead America.” And he subtly swiped at former President Bill Clinton by listing problems that “existed long before George Bush took office.”

You can watch videos of Hillary's vague and calculated answers here and here.

Obama, Edwards Join Democratic Boycott Of Rogue Primaries

Barack Obama and John Edwards join three other Democratic presidential wannabees in pledging to boycott states that break party rules by holding early primaries

In signing the pledge, the five candidates promise not to campaign in states holding rouge primaries:

I shall not campaign or participate in any state which schedules a presidential election primary or caucus before Feb. 5, 2008, except for the states of Iowa, Nevada, New Hampshire and South Carolina, as "campaigning" is defined by the rules and regulations of the DNC. It does not include activities specifically related to raising campaign resources such as fundraising events or the hiring of fundraising staff.

Their pledge leaves Hillary as the only Democratic candidate planning to compete in Florida and Michigan.

A pact to ignore tens of millions of diverse Americans by a selfish, four-state alliance of party insiders.

That's the reaction of Florida Democratic Party chairwoman, Karen Thurman.

A week ago, Democratic Party officials decided to disenfranchise Florida voters, unless the state party agrees to hold its primary later in the 2008 election calendar.

Democrats Boycott Rogue Primaries

Democratic presidential wannabees Joe Biden, Chris Dodd, and Bill Richardson pledge not to campaign in states that hold early nominating contests in violation of party rules.

The three signed onto a pledge circulated by Iowa, Nevada, New Hampshire and South Carolina, which have the Democratic Party's blessing to hold early primaries. The pledge says they will avoid competing in any other states that vote before February 5.

A week ago, Democratic Party officials decided to disenfranchise Florida voters, unless the state party agrees to hold its primary later in the 2008 election calendar.

The Democrats' boycott won't amount to much if the frontrunners don't participate.

Most Americans Say Iraq War Not Lost

A new UPI/Zogby poll finds a majority of Americans - 54% - believe the United States has not lost the war in Iraq.

As usual there is a huge partisan divide on this question:

While two in three Democrats (66%) said the war effort has already failed, just 9% of Republicans say the same.

This Democratic defeatism echoes that of Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, who said in April that he believed that "this war is lost and that the surge is not accomplishing anything."

While the President's approval for his handling of the war improved, up to 27% from 24% in July, Congress remains stuck at a 3% approval rating for its handling of the war. Nearly all Democrats -95% are dissatisfied with the way the Democratic Congress has handled the war. Perhaps Democrats would hold a higher opinion of Congress if Democratic leaders advocate victory rather than retreat. If Democrats would join in the call for Reids resignation over his moral support for our enemies, other Democrats in Congress would realize Americans want to win the war.

Americans are also split over which party, if elected in 2008, would be more likely to bring the war to a successful conclusion - 39% say a Republican president, while 36% say a Democratic president.

Asked which of the 2008 presidential candidates would best handle the war in Iraq, respondents preferred Rudy Giuliani - 14%, followed by Fred Thompson - 11%; Hillary Clinton - 10%; Barack Obama 9%; John McCain and Joe Biden - 7%; John Edwards - 5%,;Mitt Romney, Ron Paul, Bill Richardson, and Dennis Kucinich - 4%. But more Americans said they were unsure (15%).

The poll was conducted August 17-20, and has a margin of error of +/- 1.2 percent.