Dean says McCain is pandering to the right wing base of the GOP

[madfloridian]

Those were not good interviews today really of Dean and Mehlman. Dean is resorting to talking points so that no one can "catch" him saying anything wrong.

And Mehlman is just plain lying his ass off, with Wolf giving him kind pass after pass.

This was a good part, though.

http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0610/15/le.01.html

BLITZER: We're almost out of time, Governor. But I want you to respond to Senator John McCain, arguably the front-runner, at least one of the front-runners for the Republican presidential nomination in 2008. He really slammed the Democrats, the Clinton administration hard this past week on the issue of North Korea.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

U.S. SENATOR JOHN MCCAIN, R-ARIZONA: We had a carrots and no sticks policy that only encouraged bad behavior. When one carrot didn't work, we offered another. Now we are facing the consequences of the failed Clinton administration policies.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: Is he the Republican you fear most in 2008?

DEAN: Not if he keeps talking like that. He's clearly pandering to the right-wing base in the Republican Party. The truth is, and Senator McCain knows this very well, is that not one nuclear weapon was added to the North Korea arsenal while Bill Clinton was president. Under this president, we believe the number of nuclear weapons have quadrupled, and they have now set off a test.

[MadMaddie]

1. Does a fish swim in water? Nothing new here

McCain has nothing, except like the rest of the Repugs to try to deflect responsibility of this Repug Senate and House and the WH failures.....if all else fails then blame Clinton....

[w4rma]

2. Good for Dean. (nt)

[madfloridian]

3. Oh, and PS...I don't blame Dean for using talking points.

And sticking to them before the election. Dem strategists jump on every word he says, so I don't blame him.

It just makes for boring interviews. Still boring is better than the lying one by Kennyboy Mehlman.

[Kurovski]

4. K&R.(nt)

[Cha]

5. THis was americablog's take on woof's

interviewing today..

Didn't have much to say about Dean but what you have is Excellent! mccain is no better than the pathological liar bush.

But on melhman they had a lot to say..

"Anyone get a chance to watch Wolf get a spine today? First, Wolf interviewed Howard Dean about the elections. Dean did a fine job though he wasn't in the studio.

Then, Wolf interviewed Mehlman in the studio. In the beginning, Ken had that smarty pants smile he is usually sporting to cover up his anger. It faded fast.
Wolf pummeled Mehlman about the Foley scandal. Ken said the GOP "could not have been more aggressive" on Foley. He tried to spread the lie that Democrats knew. And, Ken kept saying Foley got "the political death penalty." But, Wolf kept pushing -- even interrupting Mehlman's spin.

Blitzer asked Ken about the e-mails Mark Foley sent to Jeb Bush whining that the President was dissing him during the 2004 campaing. Classic moment when Wolf said to Kenny that since it was widely assumed Foley was gay, is that why he was snubbed? Ken said "absolutely not." Ken didn't seem to love that question.

Never thought Wolf would ask Mehlman about his relationship with Abramoff despite the major coverage of their relationship in today's LA Times article. But, he did. Mehlman's answer was completely Nixonian. He kept saying, "I don't recall the specifics" and "I don't recall it specifically." It was great."


http://americablog.blogspot.com/

[madfloridian]

6. But Wolf never called him on anything...really.

He really let his I don't remember stuff slide.

But when Dean got Josh and John Bolton's names mixed up unaware...Wolf nearly exploded in glee. He was snide and mocked Dean for making a mistake in first names...he just kept on.

Mehlman did get asked some questions, but he was never called on his lies.

I guess I miss the old Dean, and his real ideas, not just the talking points. But I guess we knew it would be this way, that he would have to let others take credit for things he said in early 2003. And they are doing that, zidzi.

[Cha]

7. Anybody could get josh and john

bolton's name confused..they're both bush assholes, right?

I'm thinking Dean is just going through a low cycle..he'll come back stronger than ever. It's happened before and it will happen again.

I was looking for that thread .."rw is party of big brother" said by Dean but I'm not seeing it?

[madfloridian]

8. He knows the same bunch

that said "Dean does not speak for me"...even when he was right are still hanging around and will likely say it again.

Don't you remember when he ran for chair we all knew it would happen. Reid and Pelosi sat him down not to talk about policy. Well, damn, that doesn't leave much else.

I guess it hits me really hard when I remember all the times in 2003 he did speak out and got blasted away by the same ones who are using his words freely now....the words they humiliated him about then.

I guess I am doubly upset this week with our local and state parties, and their utter contempt for the 50 state strategy..which they say frequently. They figure since the DNC is concentrating on the west and midwest and thinks they can win 08 without Florida....that they are not getting all the attention.

They are though, all the big shots were in Florida last week raising huge amounts. All the big names were on the FDP site, except Dean's name. They and our local party are pretty openly contemptuous of all things that appear to be change.

Oh, well.

[madfloridian]

12. Here's that thread you wanted.

I just realized which one you were talking about.

http://journals.democraticunderground.com/madfloridian/420

Looks like they are concentrating on the western states for 08.

[Cha]

16. Nice journal, mad!

I'll read this tomorrow when I'm not so cold..thanks.

[madfloridian]

17. You might appreciate this, zidzi.

A little remembrance I wrote.

A tribute and some remembrances

[Cha]

19. I do appreciate that, mad..

That's quite a talented fellow, your Edwin C. Owens. Sorry, he had to leave us so soon.

The tribute from Joe Trippi was especially heartwrenching because of all that went down before, during, and after he left Dean's campaign. I wish he wouldn't have burnt those bridges he writes about but at least he acquiesces to burning them.

That was a graphically and eloquently beautiful tribute on pyzch's site to Edwin.

[madfloridian]

20. Both the part about Trippi and the part about Edwin were sad...

But Subway is doing better, so that is good.

[Cha]

18. Finally warmed up to sit at

my computer and read this report from US News on Dean.

I'm hoping rove's hatchet men aren't in place in the Western states to hack to voting machines if that's what they have. I know they've been busy for the last 2 years suppressing voters on different levels.

"The Republican Party has become the big-brother party, and this is a very libertarian part of the country. ... don't believe it's the government's place to tell them what to do with their personal lives, and this is a government that specializes in telling people what to do in their personal lives."

Thanks for pointing that out, Dean!

[blm]

9. Woohoo..... Dean and Kerry on same page - go after McCain's integrity

on this issue. Two great smackdown's this week of McCain by Dems. Keep it up, guys.

HONESTY will make the biggest difference in 2008.

[madfloridian]

10. We need to keep doing that. The bloggers have been great.

They take spells of going after him a lot. Bout time for another round.

[blm]

11. Both Dean and Kerry had major smackdowns of McCain this week. Clinton

team tried to pull one off, but instead she ended up apologizing for it.

[saltpoint]

13. Dean's exactly right. McCain's shameless campaigning for Dubya in

04 was party politics at its basest, most unforgivable level. He offended man of the independent voters he first appealed to and who gave him such a big win in the New Hampshire primary in 2000.

I don't see much of that McCain left in the current model. Dean is right to say what he did.

[madfloridian]

14. Yes, Crusoe, it needs to be said frequently.

He is only a shadow of what he used to be.

[saltpoint]

15. Hi, madfloridian. Yes. Dean has been direct and clear on all things,

seems to me, and he's right here again.

You're spot-on to insist on the contrast between McCain back then and McCain these days.

Good post.