Democratic Debate Preparation ...

It's getting exciting just listening to Wolf describing the scene outside the Kodak Theatre this afternoon ... since I'm limited to listening to the CNN TV feed right now!! :-(

I've been in the Kodak Theatre many times, and it truly is as beautiful a venue as I'm sure it will look like tonight on TV - the same as it looks during the Academy Awards telecasts.

I've been scrounging around for some 'real-time' debate prep photos, so here goes:

from Mark Hill/CNN:






from David Markland @ Metroblogging LA (www.blogging.la)

GOP Debate …

Photo credit: Brian VanderBurg (LA Times)

Speaking of “timetables” ... (J/K)

I won’t get into a rant about the fact that we shouldn’t need any discussion of that word if we hadn’t hastily invaded and destroyed the infrastructure of a country that we had no business pre-emptively attacking in the first place ...

Could it have gotten any more petty last night? I am NO fan of any candidate that was on the stage last night, but I’m not so sure that John McCain scored many positive points in the category of ‘looking Presidential’ last night. I’ve seen words like “caustic”, “snide”, “rude”, etc. in the articles I’ve been looking at today.

And as for ‘time equity’ among the candidates, that didn’t exist almost from the start. And I’m afraid that once again, none other than moderator Anderson Cooper is getting the lion’s share of any ‘blame’ being passed around. When, in fact, the two panelists, Jim VandeHei (Politico.com) and Janet Hook (LA Times) were part of the problem as well, focusing their questions towards McCain & Romney.

And about the questions – why are alleged ‘intelligent’ panelists allowed to ask questions that obviously ‘bait’ candidates into the petty scuffling about irrelevant topics during an abbreviated (yet crucial) political debate that we saw last night? What purpose was there for Janet Hook to ask Governor Romney a question about his comments regarding Iraq withdrawal timetables phrased with the preface of “Senator McCain stated ...” – unless she was determined to instigate an aggravating waste of time? I guess the assumption is that the majority of people who watch these debates want ‘political blood’ and those of us who want to learn about policy positions and problem solving details are in the vast minority. But with that said, I already anticipate that this debate’s relative civility will far outweigh whatever slugfest we will have to suffer through tonight with the Democratic Debate.

Below are a few of the article that might be interesting to review – giving various ‘takes’ on the analysis of last night’s debate:

Debate transcript – from CNN.com

Live Blogging the Republican Debate – courtesy of USA Today

McCain, Romney spar before Super Tuesday

Front-runners John McCain and Mitt Romney attacked each other's conservative credentials as they fought for their party's top spot during the final showdown before the Super Tuesday contests.

Accusations fly at Republican Debate

The field narrowed, and McCain and Romney traded angry charges in the last GOP face-off before Super Tuesday.

Romney falls into McCain trap on Iraq

But there was little focus on the nation’s economic uncertainty or the hot-button topics that make some conservatives doubt McCain’s pureness of heart.

McCain practices the role of front-runner (not a pro-McCain article, BTW)

John McCain may be getting the hang of this front-runner thing. You say whatever you want to say, you keep repeating it, and you don’t worry about the details. Straight talk? That was earlier in the campaign.

Four thoughts on Wednesday’s Republican Debate – from Newsweek.com

The Dynamic, the Personalities, the Petulance – and Ron Paul ...


And some pictures from last night’s event – even though I never particularly cared for Nancy Reagan as First Lady, it’s nice to see that she was treated with appropriate dignity and respect:




The next two shots are courtesy of Brian Vander Brug and Robert Gauthier from the LA Times:




The next two are credited to E.M. Pio-Roda and copyright is noted: E.M. Pio-Roda ©2008 Cable News Network. A Time Warner Company. All Rights Reserved.




And the last two are from the broadcast itself – one at the height of the McCain-Romney jabfest, and of course, one (more) of the modest moderator:




tonight on Anderson Cooper 360°:


Thanks for visiting - updates posted as needed - I think I'll comment about the AC 360° debate analysis from both evenings in one past - either this evening or tomorrow ...

And as Jack Cafferty just suggested to Wolf Blitzer on TSR - let's hope that WB has enough Kevlar with him to withstand whatever will be 'lobbed' onstage tonight ...

McCain, Clinton win Florida Primaries …

Today’s Buzz ...

from last night’s Anderson Cooper 360°:




Other than the additional ‘breaking news’ that occurred last night (and since), there really isn’t much else to say about last night’s coverage. John McCain won 57 delegates in the winner-take-all Republican Primary, and Hillary Clinton added zero delegates to her total. Or at least zero for now. The DNC sanctioned Florida for holding its primary ahead of Super Tuesday, without permission. Interesting that the Hill completely avoided answering Wolf Blitzer’s question about whether or not she’d be willing to go to court in order to get the Florida delegates seated at the convention. Also interesting that she even showed up on CNN – perhaps she snubbed Anderson Cooper (and others) last night because she didn’t want to answer questions about her SC loss or about the Ted Kennedy endorsement of Barack Obama. She was allowed to successfully avoid answering the question on those topics asked by Brian Williams, the one anchor she did grace with her presence on Monday evening. If you listened ever-so-closely, you were able to catch a momentary annoyance in Mr. Cooper’s voice as the broadcast went back to NY so Wolf could interview the good Senator. It was certainly justified – IMO.

It wasn’t all that surprising when the news came through later on in the evening that Rudy Giuliani would be quitting the race and endorsing John McCain. With a very disappointing third place finish, after two months of focused campaigning and millions of advertising dollars, I doubt that he really had much choice. He does have the long-term reputation of what at least was a successful business (prior to the campaign) to consider. And he does respect and admire McCain, so this appears to be an amiable solution for all involved.

The more surprising news – that has occurred this morning – is that John Edwards has “suspended” his campaign. That means – in brief terms – that his name will still appear on the primary ballots where it already is listed. And he may still amass a certain number of delegates. He has received pledges from both Obama and Clinton that they will also ‘carry on the fight’ to end poverty – which was the theme of the Edwards campaign. He made the announcement in New Orleans, where he made the original announcement for the start of his candidacy in December 2006. I have the feeling that this isn’t the last that we’ll be hearing from John Edwards. CNN.com has an article about the consequences surrounding the Edwards departure, and Time.com has an interesting story about why Edwards and his message never seemed to really catch on.



The AC 360° program was broadcast from the stage that will be used for tonight’s debate. It’s been custom-built, and is using the retired Boeing 707 airplane, , housed in the Reagan Library facility as its backdrop. This particular plane was once used by several Presidents in Air Force One capacity. Below are some interesting shots that show some visual perspective of what we’ll be seeing later this evening:






And to end on a silly note (for once, perhaps) – more antics from the Colbert Report last night – with Jon Stewart arriving to finally ‘settle’ the ongoing Conan-Colbert-Huckabee “feud” – here’s the video:



tonight on Anderson Cooper 360°:


Thanks for visiting - updates posted as needed - have a terrific Wednesday!

SOTU Wrap-Up …

Today’s Buzz ...

from last night’s Anderson Cooper 360°:

Anderson had a very busy night interviewing a variety of people and gathering analysis from an even wider variety of people!

All four leading Presidential candidates were initially scheduled to appear, but Senator Clinton backed out at the last minute, according to the show bookers. No explanation given, though there has been much speculation on the AC360° Blog as to why. TV Newser reports that she also cancelled with MSNBC and Fox News, and granted her only interview of the evening to Brian Williams.





The first ‘panel’ of the evening that provided SOTU wrap-up analysis, as well as commentary on the Romney and Obama interviews, consisted of David Gergen, John King, Gloria Borger and Jeff Toobin.



The second panel discussed the growing ‘personal’ nature of attacks between Mitt Romney and John McCain, as well as commenting on Anderson’s interview with John McCain. This panel consisted of David Gergen, John King, Amy Holmes and former McCain speechwriter Dan Schnur.



Tom Foreman reviewed what I’m calling ‘delegate mathematics’, as well as other delegate ‘nuances’ such as the use of ‘super delegates’ (usually politicians) by the Democrats. Does the DNC provide them with red capes as well? (J/K) Tom explained that while Barack Obama has more delegates based on voting results, Hillary Clinton has more total delegates because more ‘super delegates’ are currently committed to her. Note the word “currently” here, because as Jeff Toobin pointed out, they want to be affiliated with a ‘winner’, so their ‘loyalty’ may not necessarily be iron-clad. So much for honor among elected officials ... again – J/K (unfortunately) ...





The next panel that Anderson spoke with consisted of Bill Schneider, John King, Gloria Borger and Jeff Toobin; they briefly discussed the most recent polling results in Florida – in anticipation of today’s GOP Primary, and the various campaigning strategies that candidates might begin employing as Super Tuesday gets closer and closer.



Anderson ended the ‘panel parade’ last night with a more in-depth discussion of the Florida GOP Primary and the potential consequences that might occur depending upon the final voting results. The panel consisted of David Gergen, John King and Amy Holmes. Obviously, the odds are against Rudy Giuliani coming away with anything more than a third place finish – a tough loss, should it happen, for someone who has pretty much staked his candidacy on that one state.



Other news and notes:

Obama receives Kennedy endorsement

Senator Ted Kennedy, Rep. Patrick Kennedy and Caroline Kennedy have chosen to endorse Barack Obama. There has been much coverage (as well as much controversy) surrounding this event – somewhat eclipsing the other Kennedy endorsement bestowed yesterday.

Photo Coutesy of Yahoo News/Reuters

Clinton receives Kennedy endorsement

From the New York Observer: On the heels of an endorsement for Barack Obama from Caroline Kennedy and the news that Ted Kennedy is going to endorse Obama, the Clinton campaign released this statement of endorsement from Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, former Lt. Governor of Maryland:

“I respect Caroline and Teddy's decision but I have made a different choice. While I admire Senator Obama greatly, I have known Hillary Clinton for over 25 years and have seen first hand how she gets results. As a woman, leader, and person of deep convictions, I believe Hillary Clinton would make the best possible choice for president. She shares so many of the concerns of my father. Hillary has spent a lifetime speaking out on behalf of the powerless and working to alleviate poverty, in our country and around the world. I have seen her work up close and know she will be a great President. At this moment when so much is at stake at home and overseas, I urge our fellow Americans to support Hillary Clinton. That is why my brother Bobby, my sister Kerry, and I are supporting Hillary Clinton.”

Building the Debate stage

On the program last night, there was a time lapse video debuted which showed how the stage was being built at the Reagan Library for tomorrow night’s Republican debate – you can see it via this link.

CNN Debate Press Release

There was a CNN Press Release today giving a few more details about both debates that will be broadcast over the next two nights:

Release Date: 1/29/2008

CNN/Los Angeles Times/POLITICO to Air ‘Super Bowl’ of Presidential Debates

CNN, the Los Angeles Times and POLITICO are conducting back-to-back presidential primary debates less than one week before Super Tuesday. The Republican debate on Wednesday, Jan. 30, and the Democratic debate on Thursday, Jan. 31, will be the final face-off for the candidates before primary voters in more than 20 states flock to the polls on Tuesday, Feb. 5.

Each debate will run approximately 90 minutes beginning at 8 p.m. (ET)/5 p.m. (PT).

Anchor Anderson Cooper will moderate the Republican candidates’ debate at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library. Jim VandeHei, executive editor of the POLITICO, and Janet Hook, senior political correspondent for the Los Angeles Times, will serve as panelists questioning the candidates.

CNN’s lead political anchor Wolf Blitzer will moderate the Democratic candidates’ debate at the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood and Highland the following night. Panelists will be Doyle McManus, Washington bureau chief of the Los Angeles Times, and Jeanne Cummings, a senior correspondent for the POLITICO.

All three partners will provide robust, online elements in conjunction with the debates. The Los Angeles Times will offer readers live analysis at http://latimes.com/campaign08 as well as a “Top of the Ticket” blog, discussion boards and live streaming video direct from the Kodak Theatre. These elements complement the Times’ ongoing news coverage, editorials and analysis intended to aid voters in making informed decisions on Super Tuesday.

For the debates, POLITICO has gathered thousands of questions for the candidates from its readers across the country. Viewers can log on to POLITICO.com during the debates to vote for the questions panelists will ask the candidates. POLITICO.com will also feature a live blog all night from the debate halls, post-debate analysis, behind-the-scenes video, photos and more.




tonight on Anderson Cooper 360°:


Thanks for visiting - updates posted as needed - have a terrific Tuesday!!

Weekend Wrap-up (Part 2) ….

in a word ... WOW!!!
Regardless of who you may be supporting in the Presidential campaign (or if you’re still undecided) - after all the negative rhetoric and mud-slinging that went on during the past week in the run-up to the Democratic Primary in South Carolina on Saturday - winning by a two-to-one margin, combined with unprecedented voter turnout, isn’t something to take lightly.





The last cap in this section – with the map pretty much blanketed in royal blue to indicate that Obama won all but 2 counties in the entire state – sums up what John King stated could be considered – in technical terms – a ‘rout’.



Even so, I kept wanting someone to say (and I think that Jeff Toobin did in at least a roundabout way) that this was just one state and one contest - there's still a very, very long way to go before anything is decided.

We also learned during the evening that Florida Governor Charlie Crist (R) officially endorsed John McCain for President. Not much of a surprise. Endorsing Mitt Romney – now that would have been a surprise …

And talk about getting nasty – Mitt Romney is taking several jabs at John McCain – sans any form of restraint. They are both currently leading Rudy Giuliani in Florida, much to his dismay, to be sure.



We also learned that Caroline Kennedy wrote an inspirational op-ed piece for the Sunday New York Times – in which she endorses Barack Obama. I don’t recall that she’s made a public endorsement in any previous race – I suppose I just don’t recall that she did. But today (Sunday), it’s been disclosed that Senator Ted Kennedy will be joining Caroline tomorrow with an endorsement of Senator Obama. Both are scheduled to announce the endorsements in person with Obama on Monday.



And certainly not to detract from the significance of this victory, but prior to results being broadcast on Saturday evening, I checked out Jack Cafferty’s blog and came across this very interesting (granted, not new) proposition. What about Al Gore getting into the race? Yes, THAT Al Gore. Former Vice President. Environmental Crusader. Nobel Peace Prize Winner. Interesting that this is still a subject of discussion ...

Al Gore at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland(Photo courtesy of Getty Images)

Thanks for visiting - hope you had a terrific weekend!