dcwhip

The McCain Article [NYT] Feedback + explanation: A recent New York Times article examined a number of decisions by Senator John McCain that raised questions about his judgment over potential conflicts of interest. The article included reporting on Mr. McCain’s relationship with a female lobbyist whose clients often had business before the Senate committee led by Mr. McCain. Since publication of the article, The Times has received more than 2,000 comments, many of them criticizing the handling of the article. More than 4,000 questions were sent via e-mail to The Times on Thursday night and Friday. Editors and reporters who worked on the article answered some of the questions on Friday.

Rep. Renzi Indicted [Cap Briefing] Rep. Rick Renzi (R) was indicted today on multiple charges by a federal grand jury looking into a controversial land deal in his home state of Arizona. Here is a copy of the indictment. Under heavy pressure from House GOP leaders, Renzi had already announced that he would not run for re-election, as news of the Justice Department’s probe had crippled him politically. Renzi is one of roughly two-dozen Arizona “co-chairs” of Sen. John McCain’s (R-Ariz.) presidential campaign. So far, McCain has not put out a statement today on Renzi’s indictment, though he did say on the campaign trail that he was “disappointed.”

Hillary: I Don’t Look Very Wistful [Politico] The Hillary Rodham Clinton portrayed in recent press reports as someone reckoning with the probable end of a campaign wasn’t in sight Sunday, either on the campaign plane or before thousands of cheering supporters here. Both in her demeanor and her words, the senator from New York — who long enjoyed front-runner status for the Democratic presidential nomination — made it clear she wasn’t buying stories describing her campaign as dispirited and demoralized.

What is Pat Leahy Thinking? [FDL] Last week. Sen. Pat Leahy managed to sneak a judicial nominee hearing in under cover of recess, scheduling the hearing on the fly…and reportedly leaving a number of Democratic Senators and their staffers on the committee less-than-pleased at his high-handed tactics on scheduling this. What is Pat Leahy thinking? I’m trying to get to the bottom of it. Here’s what I know: — Catharina Haynes is a former Texas District Court judge who has been nominated by the Bushies to a seat on the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals — which covers Texas, Mississippi, and Louisiana. Every other judge on the Fifth Circuit has been appointed by a Republican president, to a court which used to stand up for civil rights concerns but now sadly rubber stamps Bush Administration gutting of enforcement. (Can you hear the blistering speech that Barbara Jordan would have given about something like this?) — Haynes has a relatively tiny paper trail, leaving not much to be discerned about her judicial temperament, which is likely one of the reasons she was nominated. That and she’s currently a partner at Baker Botts, after losing re-election to the bench in 2006.

Obama Blog Targets Talk Left [Taylor Marsh] Well, what do you think about this? If only SNL could do a similar piece on The Progressive Village, those genuflecting Obama blogs that are presently on full scale attack. And so it begins. One of Obama’s male ringmasters has decided to openly go after Talk Left, citing this post by Jeralyn: Who’s really picking our Democratic nominee? If it’s the Democratic youth or African American voters, I’m okay with that. That’s fair. If it’s Republicans, I’m not. We’ll get trounced in November.Without reliable stats to show Obama’s support is from those who will for the Democrat in November, I’d say the best way to ensure Republicans stay out of our race and don’t steal another election from us is for Dems to vote for Hillary to be the nominee.