Bayh As Veep? But He Co-Chaired Neocon Committee For The Liberation Of Iraq With McCain!

[Douglas Carpenter]

Bayh As Veep? But He Co-Chaired Neocon Committee For The Liberation Of Iraq With McCain!

By Greg Sargent - July 16, 2008, 6:03PM

link:
http://tpmelectioncentral.talkingpointsmemo.com/2008/07/bayh_as_veep_he_cochaired_wing.php

"Senator Evan Bayh's appearance today with Barack Obama at the "21st Century Threats" summit has stirred a lot of talk in the press about the possibility of him being on Obama's Veep short-list.

But we're not sure that's such a viable idea. That's because in 2003, Bayh was an honorary co-chair of the neocon pro-war Committee for the Liberation of Iraq -- a group he joined along with none other than John McCain and Joe Lieberman, according to a press release from during the run-up to the invasion.

Check this out, from the group's press release on February 14th, 2003 (via Nexis):

By Greg Sargent - July 16, 2008, 6:03PM
Senator Evan Bayh's appearance today with Barack Obama at the "21st Century Threats" summit has stirred a lot of talk in the press about the possibility of him being on Obama's Veep short-list.

But we're not sure that's such a viable idea. That's because in 2003, Bayh was an honorary co-chair of the neocon pro-war Committee for the Liberation of Iraq -- a group he joined along with none other than John McCain and Joe Lieberman, according to a press release from during the run-up to the invasion.

Check this out, from the group's press release on February 14th, 2003 (via Nexis):

The Committee for the Liberation of Iraq (CLI) is pleased to welcome Sen. Evan Bayh (D-Ind.) as an Honorary Co-Chairman. Bayh becomes the third U.S. Senator to join the committee after Sens. Joe Lieberman (D-Conn.) and John McCain (R-Ariz.) announced their participation on January 28.

The Committee is a neo-con group that was formed to propagandize the country into war. It boasted such illustrious neocon members as Bill Kristol, former CIA director James Woolsey, and even McCain senior foreign policy adviser and Chalabi-bamboozler Randy Scheunemann, whom Josh has been blogging about.

Bayh would, to put it very charitably, muddle Obama's message. It's true that Bayh was said to have subsequently removed himself from the group. But Obama's campaign is partly about -- and rightly so -- the judgment he made, and others didn't, in the run-up to the invasion.

The McCain campaign and the Repubs would have a grand time mocking the choice. Indeed, the McCain camp is already trying to make an issue of Bayh's past.".


link to full article:

http://tpmelectioncentral.talkingpointsmemo.com/2008/07/bayh_as_veep_he_cochaired_wing.php

[Cant trust em]

1. Some will see this as mollifying those who think Obama is weak on Nat'l Security.

However, I see this as undermining Obama's strong anti-war credentials.

[cbc5g]

2. Ouch...well, it won't be Bayh lol

[TwilightGardener]

3. Jack Reed voted against the war. He makes Bayh look like the shallow fool he is.

[Douglas Carpenter]

4. Unfortunately, Evan Bayh is under VERY serious consideration right now

In fact be leads in the speculating on both Rasmussen Markets and Intrade Prediction Markets

Intrade Prediction Market is now speculating a 19.8% chance Sen. Bayh will be selected.

Sen. Biden is number two with Intrade speculating a 13.4% chance he will be selected

http://www.intrade.com/jsp/intrade/contractSearch/

Sen. Bayh also leads on Rasmussen Markets at 19.0%, followed by Sen. Biden at 13.0%

http://markets.rasmussenreports.com/aav2/trading/tradingHTML.jsp?selConID=68206

[Douglas Carpenter]

6. /

[Cosmocat]

10. Bayh would be a great pick ...

Look ... Put me in as someone who wanted to gag myself thinking about Evan Bayh as a presidential candidate a year ago ... I get where everyone here is with him being DLC ... AND, I also had thought, up until about early June, that BO was going to pick another strong, dynamic progressive to be his VP ...

But, people here are just not in the moment on this thing ...

The media narratives are starting to form, and that has to be a very strong consideration in the VP pick ...
Also, I didn't see BO running as hard as he has to the middle, and again, I think his VP will follow suit ...
People here just do not want to credit Bayh for how strong of a pol he is ...
People here don't understand, whatever ratings of pols there are, that Bayh is right on most every major issue ...
Finally, what people don't want to see is where BO's "power" epicenter is, and how Bayh applifies it with his power epicenter ...

First, this would be issue about the neocon group ... That is something that people HERE are going to be bothered about ... Sorry, it will NOT be something the MSM carries heavy ... He is a "hawk" ??? It will be the FIRST time, R or D in my life that a "hawk" got pillored in the press ...

Second, he really is an exceptional politician ... He has gone from Secretary of State for Indiana, to a two term governor, to being in his third team in the Senate ... IN INDIANA AS A DEMOCRATE ... And, he is nearly BO's age ... He brings the "executive experience" as a governor ... His time as a governor was fantastic - NO TAX INCREASES and in fact, the largest tax cut in state history ... He has all the right committee assignments in the Senate ...

Third, as close as Obama is in Indiana, Bayh WOULD seal it ... The comparison to Edwards is weak ... Edwards was a first term Senator ... Bayh is bedrock in his state ... Also, Bayh would help with Iowa, which looks real good already, AND depending on who McCain's pick is, will help with Ohio and/or Michigan ... IF McCain goes with Romney, who do you think Ohioans are going to view more favorably Romney or Bayh ...

The Edwards pick does NOT match, the pick actually is closer to Clinton picking Gore - put aside the far left politics of it ... Clinton picked another southerner to amplify his strengths there ... Same with a BO pick of Bayh ...

People want to put their OWN view to what BO is saying with "change" ... Again, that is the beauty of using change as a campaign slogan ... But, in the end, all he is saying with "change" is 1) No corruption 2) Tamp down the partisanship considerably ...

In those regard, sorry folks, Bayh fits it to a T ... A long career with no remarkable "ethical" glitches ... And,for the very reasons everyone in this highly partisan forum want to puke thinking about Bayh, he is NOT a partisan figure ...

Again, I thought two months ago the pick would be a dynamic liberal ... TODAY I see the media just hammering Obama, and I see him running for the middle ... I see Bayh as a VERY strong candidate because he LOOKS republican and does not fit the typecast that that Rs/MSM use to smash Ds, and that he stands to have as great of an electoral impact of any candidate that has been mentioned ...

Does he need a new haircut ???

YES !!!

But, BO has ALL of our votes ... Bayh gets him as many of those swing votes as any other candidate, and he is NOT as horrible as people here think he is ...

[Douglas Carpenter]

5. one kick

[Douglas Carpenter]

7. one kick for the next shift

[Alexander]

8. Feingold has none of this baggage. He'd be perfect.

How sweet would that be, if Obama picks him?

[Douglas Carpenter]

9. unfortunately, Sen. Feingold is not under consideration

I am not expecting Sen. Obama to pick an out and out liberal or progressive even if they are much closer to my own personal convictions.

I just hope that Sen. Obama does not pick a foreign policy neoconservative like Sen. Bayh. That would not be change. And I would not be able to believe in it.

[AllentownJake]

11. Yep Bayh is out

I thought he might be a good pick for the Midwest but his conservative history mixxed with the fact he's boring as hell mixxed with the fact he's a second generation politian.

Only see negatives with him.

[Cosmocat]

12. Positives vs negatives ...

I thought he might be a good pick for the Midwest but his conservative history mixxed with the fact he's boring as hell mixxed with the fact he's a second generation politian.

Only see negatives with him

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Again, to someone in DU, these are "negatives" ...

But, we are pulling the trigger for BO regardless ...

For SWING voters, the voters who are undecides ... Not a single thing you noted will be a "negative" ... To the contrary, they are likely positives ...

[Douglas Carpenter]

13. I can tell you about one very important demographic that is well outside the usual liberal circles

The millions and millions of Arab-American voters (70% of whom are Christian) along with the millions and millions of Muslim-American voters,

Just since George W. Bush these two valuable demographic went from about 60% Republican voters to about 70% Democratic voters.

These two groups of American voters have already gone from enthusiastic supporters of Sen. Obama to less than enthusiastic accepters and apologist for Sen. Obama, but will still probably vote for Sen. Obama anyway in spite of some disappointment.

The selection of Evan Bayh could quite possibly mean the end to this fundamental realignment. A very real political opportunity for expanding the base of the Party will have been lost. Any group of people can only handle being effectively told, "go away, you are not wanted", just so many times.

[Douglas Carpenter]

14. /

[RedShoes]

15. don't count him out. A few of Obama's closest aides used to work for Bayh and the dlc.

and there's no ways around that.

[Douglas Carpenter]

16. one kick for the next shift

[mod mom]

17. Last thing we need is a DLC neo-con-imho

[Radical Activist]

18. Bayh would undermine Obama's message.

And he won't bring Indiana with him. Sorry but Indiana is probably the most racist state in America, and certainly the most racist north of the mason dixon line. It isn't going for Obama.

[Bobbie Jo]

19. If Obama is going for the "plain jane" strategy...Bayh is the one.

Speaking as a Hoosier, I believe Obama can carry Indiana w/o him. Bayh would represent the "safe" side of the ticket to balance the unknown quantity of Obama. IMO....as long as Obama doesn't choose an axe murderer, he's good to go.B-)

[Better Believe It]

20. Picking Bayh: That's Almost As Good As Gore Picking Leiberman In 2000!

Yikes!

Bayh?

Can you think of anyone more to the right in the Democratic Party?

[Avalux]

21. Bayh is perhaps a worse choice than Hagel.

There, I said it. I've never liked the guy much and would be extremely disappointed if he's Obama's pick.

[Douglas Carpenter]

22. that is certainly my opinion too

although on domestic issues Bayh certainly has a more progressive record, by far -- so does Joe Lieberman.

But like Sen. Lieberman and unlike Sen. Hagel, Sen. Bayh is a foreign policy neoconservative.

As awful as some of Sen. Hagel's positions are on domestic issues, he would still be a force for peace in the Middle East. While Bayh would be a force for war.

Perhaps, many don't see this as importantly as I do, but if the foreign policy neoconservatives like Bayh and Lieberman succeed in their "crusade", there will hardly be any funds left and any room left for domestic advancements. The social decay and economic collapse caused by any more insane and irresponsible wars will result in far, far more domestic suffering than we could even begin to imagine.