CNN’s Late Edition celebrated its 10th anniversary today by re-airing some of Wolf Blitzer’s key interviews with Bush administration officials about the Iraq war. Some highlights. BUSH: "If at any time I found that the Iraqis were developing weapons of mass destruction, they wouldn’t exist anymore (Jan. 2000)"
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Sunday, July 6, 2008
CNN Revisits the Iraq war’s Deceit and Deception
Why Zimbabwe Horror Ignored: No Oil, No al Qaeda, Wrong Color
It is clear that the lives of black Africans are expendable. That is why their plight is ignored.
South African President Thabo Mbeki has held talks in Harare with Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe and Arthur Mutambara, leader of a breakaway opposition faction. Mr Mbeki, the chief regional negotiator on the Zimbabwe crisis, has been trying to persuade Mr Mugabe to form a government of national unity. However, Morgan Tsvangirai, leader of the main opposition party, declined to meet Mr Mbeki. Before Saturday’s meeting VOA’s Akwei Thompson spoke with John Makumbe, senior lecturer of political science at the University of Zimbabwe the country’s political future.
Makumbe said that, technically, President Mugabe will rule Zimbabwe for the next five years, however, “it will be interesting to see how he rules this country with an illegitimate presidency that he has acquired ” he added.
On the issue of negotiations for a possible unity government in Zimbabwe Makumbe said that would be possible only if the conditions laid down by the Movement for Democratic change are met.
Mort Zuckerman: We're Headed for Worst Recession Since the Great Depression
Coming from a well known publisher and billionaire, Zuckerman's words carry weight. And he's been saying it all along. You just need to look all around you. There are serious problems that if not addressed will lead to a depression. This blogger is only one of the very few sounding the alarm. Tragically, we have a President who is criminally negligent and won't lift a finger to save us.
- Previous posts:
Bush: Olympic Boycott would Insult Chinese
Bush refuses to do the right thing. He will never take the side of the oppressed. He's also been total lapdog of the Chinese. He's once again given the finger to the Tibetans.
President Bush on Sunday defended his decision to attend next month's Olympics opening ceremony in Beijing, saying that to boycott "would be an affront to the Chinese people."Why don't you try this approach with Iran? Why appeasing China good and not with Iran?
Speaking to reporters ahead of this week's summit of the Group of Eight industrialized nations in Japan, Bush said he did not need to skip the ceremony to show his position on religious freedom and human rights in China.
He said if he failed to attend the Games it would "make it more difficult to be able to speak more frankly with the Chinese leadership."
Saturday, July 5, 2008
Former Cabinet Member: Bush Looked to Invade Iraq before 9-11
"This is the full CBS 60 Minutes 2004 interview of Former Secretary Of Treasury Paul O'Neil and reporter Ron Suskind that discusses Bush asking his National Security Council to "find a way" to invade Iraq during their first meeting in January 2001. Almost 9 months before the September 11th attacks. This seems to have been forgotten by the mainstream media, and the Congress."
Child Pornography Becomes Mainstream
This is an extreme example of the anything goes culture we find in the West. The media will do anything it can get away with. It is only a matter of time before this monstrosity comes to the states. After all, don't the ISPs tolerate extreme pornography on their sites? We've become so indifferent that we allow the apologists for decadence, under the guise of freedom, to brainwash us. We've allowed ourselves to be convinced that what's bad for us is in fact good. The best example is the current occupant of the White House. He has destroyed our country and our freedoms and we we've gone along with it.
A TAXPAYER-funded magazine has put a naked six-year-old girl on the cover in protest at the "hysteria" over similar images by photographer Bill Henson.
The July edition of Art Monthly Australia also includes several provocative photos of children posing naked in adult jewellery as well as naked teenage girls.
In the editorial, Maurice O'Riordan said he chose the 2003 picture of the young girl in the "hope of restoring some dignity to the debate" and to "validate nudity and childhood as subjects for art".
The image, taken by Melbourne-based Polixeni Papapetrou, is believed to be her own daughter.
Mr O'Riordan, who does not have children of his own, told The Sunday Telegraph he did not care if it stirred community complaint.
"I believe the image is of a six-year-old girl," he said.
"Maybe this is bold, but I don't see the need to give in to that sort of hysteria or the prospect of complaint.
"I couldn't really understand the furore."
The artist, Ms Papapetrou, said she supports the use of her work for the magazine's cover.
"We need to be clever enough to distinguish art from other types of images, otherwise we live in danger of eradicating any image of childhood in this culture for future generations to see."
[...]Mr Henson was cleared of any wrongdoing following a police investigation.
A spokeswoman for the Australia Council yesterday defended their decision to help fund the magazine. She said the Council regarded Mr Henson as one of the country's premier artists.
Free Enterprisers to Blame for Airline Woes
I was amused to hear Steve Forbes blame the government for the problems with the airline industry and the poor service they provide. It turns out that the problems began when the industry was deregulated in 1978. The greatest consequence of that decision was September 11th. Today's problems have only worsened because of high oil prices and greater security measures. Therefore, Mr.Forbes, you and your type are to blame.
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry
Salmonella Outbreak's Victims Rise To 943
The government is still clueless...just like this President.
The U.S. government on Saturday announced an increase in the number of people reported being sickened in a record salmonella outbreak in which tomatoes are the leading suspect although investigators are testing other types of fresh produce.
There have been 943 reported cases across the United States, with at least 130 hospitalizations since mid-April after the first salmonella illnesses appeared, the Food and Drug Administration said Saturday.
That compares with a total of 922 people about two days ago and 869 reported earlier in the past week.
On Tuesday, the government it would test numerous other kinds of fresh produce while insisting that tomatoes remained the leading culprit. Investigators have kept quiet about exactly what other vegetables are getting tracked but said they are looking at items commonly served with fresh tomatoes.
Amnesty Urges Indonesia to halt Serial Killer's Execution
Amnesty should concentrate on stopping the oppression of innocent people worldwide, not fighting for murderers. This might explain why they are so ineffective in stopping false imprisonments and torture worldwide:
Rights group Amnesty International called on Indonesia Saturday not to execute a man who murdered 42 women in "black magic" rituals.
Self-proclaimed shaman Ahmad Suraji was sentenced to death in 1998 after police found the women's bodies buried in a sugar cane field.
He confessed to strangling most of the women and drinking their saliva to improve his magical powers after they came to him for help.
Amnesty said it recognised the need to address serious crime, but was "convinced that the death penalty does not provide a solution."
"(We are) calling for the planned execution of Achmad Suradji to be halted immediately and for his sentence to be commuted," it said in a statement.
Prosecutors said this week Suraji and four other Indonesians would "soon" be executed after President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyon rejected his clemency application. Amnesty also urged authorities to spare the lives of the four others.
New West Nile Virus Strain may Worsen Epidemic
I've argued for years that West Nile Virus appearing on U.S. soil when it did was an act of terror by Saddam Hussein. And I oppose the Iraq War. Unfortunately, like the anthrax attacks, no one in law enforcement understands the connection. And it would seem the government as a whole is clueless as to how to deal with this menace.
A new strain of West Nile virus is spreading better and earlier across the United States, and may thrive in hot American summers, researchers said on Thursday.
The virus infected an estimated 175,000 people last year, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported in its weekly report on death and disease on Thursday.
The mosquito-borne virus caused an estimated 35,000 cases of fever, was reported to have killed 117 people and caused serious disease such as encephalitis and meningitis in 1,227 people in 2007, the CDC reported.
A second team of researchers said a new strain of the virus that has completely overtaken the original strain is particularly well suited to hotter weather -- which in turn means West Nile outbreaks may worsen in the north.
It also means that North America may suffer more from West Nile virus than other parts of the world, said Lyle Petersen, who helps lead West Nile surveillance at the CDC.
West Nile was introduced to the United States in 1999 -- during a particularly hot summer in New York City.
Related Link:
- Saddam Connection: West Nile Virus the First Bioweapon?
- Is West Nile virus Saddam's revenge?
16 Civilians said Killed in US-led Strike, Afghan MP Shot Dead
The situation in Afghanistan continues to worsen. It's always bad when you end up killing civilians. It serves as great propaganda for the enemy--even if it is provoked by them.
An Afghan provincial governor said Saturday 16 civilians including women, children and doctors were killed in US-led coalition air strikes but the force insisted the dead were militants.
In other violence, gunmen killed a legislator while 10 militants were blown up by their own bomb in troubled southern Afghanistan, authorities said.
The air strikes were carried out on Friday in the remote district of Waygal in the mountainous northeast province of Nuristan, about 50 kilometres (30 miles) from the border with Pakistan.
Provincial governor Tamim Nuristani told AFP 16 civilians were killed as they were travelling out of the area after being told by security forces to leave ahead of an operation against Islamic insurgents.
"They included two women, two children and workers and shopkeepers travelling in two pick-up vehicles," Nuristani told AFP. Two doctors and a female nurse were also dead, he said.
But the coalition said Friday and again Saturday the dead were militants who were escaping after attacking an NATO-led military base in the rugged area.
A big part of the problem is Pakistan, where the Taliban go to hide and regroup without much fear of being caught.
Pakistani security forces have eased an operation against insurgents in a tribal region near the border with Afghanistan as local elders try to negotiate peace with a militant leader, a government official said Saturday.
The operation is a shift for Pakistan's government, which has sought to end militant violence through peace deals since coming to power after February elections.
That approach has faced criticism from the United States, where officials say the deals will simply give militants time to regroup and intensify attacks in neighboring Afghanistan.
The operation has also faced criticism from skeptics who say it has met with scant resistance and appears to have led to the death of only one militant. Many militants apparently fled before the operation started.
Hidden Camera Footage Exposes Mugabe 'Vote-rigging'
As I argued previously, the only hope for the people of Zimbabwe, ironically, are cameras. Without video the media ignores oppression. And if the media ignores it the politicians and public ignore the horror.
Secret footage filmed by a Zimbabwean prison guard shows how a supporter of President Robert Mugabe rigged votes in his favour, British newspaper The Guardian said.
The hidden camera images apparently show one of Mugabe's so-called war veterans -- with the power to denounce prison workers as opposition supporters -- supervising their votes, logging each one against the voter's identification number and watching as they mark the ballots.
"It is believed to be the first footage of actual ballot-rigging," The Guardian said.
Harare prison guard Shepherd Yuda, 36, who filmed the clips, has since fled the country with his pregnant wife and their children.
The 10-minute film is on the British daily's website. It was filmed during the six days before the June 27 presidential election second round run-off.
The Guardian gave Yuda the camera to film the daily life of a prison guard but he found himself recording the overseeing of ballots by supporters of Mugabe's ZANU-PF ruling party.
- See the video here.
Friday, July 4, 2008
CNN Poll: Most say Founding Fathers wouldn't be Impressed
They must be turning in their graves:
How would the likes of Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin feel about the way the United States has turned out 232 years after declaring its independence?
Not pleased, a majority of Americans recently polled said.
According to a new CNN/Opinion Research Corp. survey, 69 percent of adult Americans who responded to a poll June 26-29 said the signers of the Declaration of Independence would be disappointed by the way the nation has turned out overall.
Twenty-nine percent responded "pleased," the only other choice given to the 1,026 respondents of the telephone poll.
Americans "didn't always feel that way," according to Keating Holland, CNN polling director. "In 2001, 54 percent thought that the signers of the Declaration of Independence would be pleased with the state of the country today."
Still, most who responded to last month's poll took great pride in their country.
Sixty-one percent said they were extremely proud to be Americans; another 28 percent said they were very proud. Seven percent answered "moderately," 2 percent said "only a little," and 1 percent answered "not at all."
U.S. Soldiers In Iraq Mark July 4th
Let's not forget the troops on the 4th:
It's Staff Sgt. Edgar Covarrubias' second Fourth of July in Iraq. No family barbecue, no fireworks, but Covarrubias says he'll call his mom, wife and kids to share the day anyway.
Across Iraq, America's Independence Day was a normal work day for most U.S. troops. But the military threw in a taste of home at larger bases with ribs, corn on the cob and red, white and blue cake.
The holiday is even leaner at smaller outposts closer to the violence, where it comes with a can of meat, some cookies and a job not yet done.
"We are not going to stop our operations to celebrate the Fourth of July," said Sgt. Mark Johnson, 26, at a small joint U.S.-Iraqi outpost in the city of Iskandariyah, some 30 miles south of Baghdad.
"Nothing special is planned for today and that's OK because we didn't expect anything," added the 3rd Infantry Division soldier from Waterport, N.Y.
Protesters Interrupt Bush Holiday Speech
In the spirit of American democracy. At least there are some out there willing to speak up against this un-American President:
ABC's Matthew Jaffe reports: Protesters today repeatedly interrupted President Bush's Fourth of July speech at Monticello, Thomas Jefferson's residence in Charlottesville, Virginia.
No sooner had Bush started speaking at the naturalization ceremony welcoming new American citizens than protesters began shouting at him, calling him a "war criminal."
The President paused in his remarks and then responded, "To my fellow citizens, we believe in free speech in the United States of America."
One woman moved towards the stage before being stopped by security, but other protesters still made their voices heard.
Only minutes later, another protester shouted expletives at the President, while still another called Bush "a fascist".
By the time Bush finished his 10-minute remarks, at least nine protesters had been escorted out of the event by law enforcement.
[...]Protesters also lined the President's motorcade route, chanting "Arrest Bush" as he drove to and from the Monticello ceremony.
See a video of the protests:
Thursday, July 3, 2008
New Safety Concerns over Chinese-Made Fireworks
Just another product from China that endangers our people:
Last summer, it was Chinese-made toys, pet food and meat that caused concern. This July 4th holiday, there are new worries about the overly explosive nature of its fireworks. This week, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) issued a report saying it found that nearly half of the shipments they inspected coming from China do not meet Federal safety guidelines. That's especially worrying since, according the American Pyrotechnic Association, 98 percent of fireworks used in backyards and front lawns across America are manufactured in China. NEWSWEEK's Caitlin McDevitt spoke with Scott Wolfson, a chief spokesman for the Commission about its findings and why this Independence Day could be more volatile than in previous years.
In the Commission's test of 400 Chinese shipments, 46 percent of were found to be non-compliant. That seems quite high. What were some common violations?
Wolfson: There are very strict mandatory standards for how much flash powder can be in consumer fireworks. Flash powder is the main ingredient that gives it its explosive nature. We often look for those that are over-packed. There are also standards that deal with stability. The fuse length also has to meet a standard, and there has to be certain labeling.
What's allowable under Federal standards?
Under Federal standards for legal consumer fireworks, there should only be 50 mg of flash powder or less in firecrackers, which stay on the ground and can produce a snake like effect. Aerial fireworks must contain 130 mg or less.
Some of the fireworks you found head for the consumer market was actually commercial grade, meaning they were more explosive and volatile. How are such fireworks ending up in the hands of consumers?
The CPSC has seen unscrupulous sellers willing to provide professional fireworks to consumers. It is actually a felony to sell professional fireworks to a person who does not have the appropriate license. It is also a felony to buy professional grade fireworks without a license.
Are there particular brands or kinds of fireworks that consumers should be wary of?
Anytime a product proves to be volatile the CPSC seeks to remove that product from the marketplace. The CPSC strongly encourages consumers to only use consumer grade fireworks and to use them as intended and directed.
What should people do if they suspect they may have such fireworks?
Consumers should only purchase fireworks from an approved source. They should look for fireworks with brightly colored wrapping, that has the clear and legible name of the product and only buy products out the front door - Consumers should avoid buying products in plain wrapping with no identifiable marking and being sold out the back door.
Bush now Wants U.S. Troops to Fight Until They Die in Afghanistan
It used to be that U.S. troops kept being sent to Iraq to fight and die, or until too mangled to fight again. Now King George wants to do it in Afghanistan. And in the end, it will be for nothing. We will never be able to defeat the Taliban in a country that has never been conquered; with no central government. And we will lose both wars because we don't have the resources to fight two wars in countries where we don't speak the language and the population is hostile towards us. Our troops are just cannon fodder just as they were in Vietnam.
The Pentagon has extended the tour of 2,200 Marines in Afghanistan, after insisting for months the unit would come home on time.
The 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit, which is doing combat operations in the volatile south, will stay an extra 30 days and come home in early November rather than October, Marine Col. David Lapan confirmed Thursday.
Military leaders as recently as Wednesday stressed the need for additional troops in Afghanistan. Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, has often praised the work of the 24th M.E.U. in fighting Taliban militants in Helmand Province.
Defense Secretary Robert Gates, however, has repeatedly said he did not intend to extend or replace the U.S. Marines in Afghanistan, calling their deployment there an extraordinary, one-time effort to help tamp down the increasing violence in the south.
Asked about the possibility of an extension in early May, Gates said he would "be loathe to do that." He added that "no one has suggested even the possibility of extending that rotation."
Lapan said Thursday that commanders in Afghanistan asked that the Marines stay longer.
[...]The Pentagon has said that more U.S. forces cannot be sent to the Afghan fight until decisions are made to further reduce troop levels in Iraq. In the last two months, violence in Afghanistan has led to more U.S. and coalition casualties there than in Iraq, and June was the deadliest month for U.S. troops in Afghanistan since the war began.
"The Taliban and their supporters have, without question, grown more effective and more aggressive in recent weeks ... as the casualty figures clearly demonstrate," Mullen told a Pentagon press conference Wednesday.
Meanwhile, the politicians just play politics:
Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama waded into controversy on Thursday over his plans to withdraw U.S. combat troops from Iraq, first saying he might "refine" his views but later declaring his stance had remained unchanged for more than a year.
Obama was forced to call reporters back for a second news conference in Fargo, North Dakota, after he initially left open the possibility of revising his 16-month timetable for pulling U.S. combat forces from Iraq.
"Let me be as clear as I can be. I intend to end this war. My first day in office I will bring the joint chiefs of staff in and I will give them a new mission and that is to end this war," Obama told reporters in his second news conference.
But he added: "I would be a poor commander in chief if I didn't take facts on the ground into account."
At an earlier news conference, the Illinois senator had said he could "refine" his stance after he visits Iraq.
Bush Supported Iraq Oil Deal Benefiting his Texas Friend
More proof that Iraq war was about oil:
U.S. officials condoned Hunt Oil Co. efforts to obtain an exploration deal with Iraq’s Kurdish regional government, contrary to public statements discouraging it, according to documents cited by a congressional committee.
When the agreement was announced in September, it was criticized as undermining efforts to strengthen Iraq central government, which still had no national oil revenue-sharing law.
Bush administration officials expressed public concern and denied any knowledge of the contract.
On Wednesday, U.S. Rep. Henry Waxman released e-mails and letters obtained by the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee that appeared to show the opposite.
“Contrary to the denials of administration officials, advisors to the president and officials in the State and Commerce Departments knew about Hunt Oil’s interest in the Kurdish region months before the contract was executed,” Waxman, a California Democrat, wrote in a letter to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.
[...]“You and other administration officials have denied playing any role in these contracts. In the case of Hunt Oil, however, similar denials appear to have been misleading,” Waxman wrote.
This follows recent news that Western oil companies would get access to Iraq's large reserves.
Iraq is close to signing oil service deals with several major Western oil companies in an effort to boost its output capacity, the country's oil ministry said Thursday — the first major Iraqi contracts with big Western companies since the 2003 U.S.-led invasion.
[...]The deals, once signed, are something of a stopgap measure to help Iraq begin to increase production until the country is able to approve a new national oil law — now held up by political squabbles among Sunnis, Shiites and Kurds.
But they also could mark the beginning of an important long-term toehold by big Western companies into Iraq's potentially lucrative oil industry, by giving the companies a bidding advantage over other companies in the future.
You can tell the fix is in when the Iraqi government is trying to cover-up the deal:
Iraq's oil ministry spokesman would not name the companies set to get the deals.
But last December, four major companies — Royal Dutch Shell PLC, BP PLC, ExxonMobil Corp. and Chevron Corp. — submitted technical and financial proposals for the five oil fields and received counterproposals from the Iraqi side.
The New York Times reported Thursday that Shell, BP and Exxon Mobil, plus Total, were the four major companies close to signing deals, along with Chevron and some smaller companies.
We are in a Recession. Are We Headed for a Depression?
Today on Morning Joe, Mark Haynes, pointed out why we are in a recession (stock market down 20% from highs, 400,000 applications for unemployment insurance). When do we start worrying? When have the candidates mentioned the crisis? Or even used the word, crisis? What is the Congress doing? Forget Bush. He don't care. Wake up, folks.
Employers cut payrolls by 62,000 in June, the sixth straight month of nationwide job losses, underscoring the economy’s fragile state. The unemployment rate held steady at 5.5 percent.
The latest snapshot of business conditions, released by the Labor Department on Thursday, showed continued caution on the part of employers who are chafing under high energy prices and are uncertain about how long the economy will be stuck in a sluggish mode, reflecting fallout from housing, credit and financial troubles.
Heavy job losses in construction, manufacturing and financial services, along with cutbacks in retailing, eclipsed job gains in education and health services, leisure and hospitality, and government.
[...]The jobless rate spiked to 5.5 percent in May. That marked the biggest over-the-month increase in two decades and left the rate at its highest since October 2004.
Job losses in both April and May turned out to be considerably deeper than had been thought. Payrolls dropped by 67,000 in April, versus the 28,000 previously reported. And, losses in May came to 62,000, rather than the 49,000 initially estimated.
So far this year, the economy has lost a total of 438,00 jobs, an average of 73,000 a month.
But the crisis isn't limited to the United States, eventhough it began here. We need a global consensus on what to do. We have to stop the collapse of the U.S dollar. And, of course, something has to be done about oil prices. Why isn't the government(s) doing something about runaway prices?
Global stocks fell Thursday as the price of oil rose above $145 a barrel for the first time.
Investors were unwilling to make major bets as they awaited an interest rate decision from the European Central Bank and an important employment report from the United States.
“Rising oil prices aren’t good for anyone,” said Steven Vanneste, an economist at Fortis in Brussels. “In addition to the higher energy costs that businesses face, employees are going to be asking for wage increases, which will double the cost burden on companies.”
U.S. crude oil futures for August delivery rose $1.80 to $145.37, beating the record of $144.57 a barrel set Wednesday in New York.
The situation in Japan is particularly disconcerting:
Japan's key stock index extended its sell-off to an 11th straight session Thursday — its longest slide in 54 years.
[...]The Nikkei has lost more than eight percent of its value over the 11-day fall, which is the longest losing streak since the index stumbled for 15 straight trading days starting April 28, 1954.
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
McCain Campaign in Disarray
I think McCain is too much of a control freak to run an effective Presidential campaign. The same thing happened in 2000. He doesn't listen very well.
John McCain put a top adviser in control of day-to-day campaign operations Wednesday after weeks of private concerns among Republicans that the GOP presidential campaign had not made the transition for the general election.
Steve Schmidt, a veteran of President Bush's re-election and a member of the Arizona senator's inner circle, will oversee daily political, strategy, coalitions, scheduling and communications efforts from the campaign's northern Virginia headquarters.
The campaign's estimated 300-person staff will report to Schmidt, who will report to campaign manager Rick Davis.
Davis will continue to focus on long-term planning, the vice presidential search, fundraising and the national convention but Schmidt's added responsibilities mean the campaign manager's load now will be somewhat lighter. Davis took the reins of the campaign almost exactly a year ago amid a major staff shake-up and has been the subject of Democratic criticism for his past lobbying work.
He told the staff of Schmidt's expanded role at a Wednesday meeting at headquarters, saying that Schmidt would have "full operational control" of the campaign's daily activities.
This from the NY Times:
Senator John McCain’s presidential campaign has gone through its second shake-up in a year. Responding to Republican concerns that his candidacy was faltering, Mr. McCain put a veteran of President Bush’s 2004 campaign in charge of day-to-day operations and stepped away from a plan to have the campaign run by 11 regional managers, Mr. McCain’s aides said Wednesday.
The installation of Steve Schmidt, who worked closely with Karl Rove, at Mr. McCain’s headquarters represented a sharp diminishment of the responsibilities of Rick Davis, who has been Mr. McCain’s campaign manager since the last shake-up nearly a year ago.
The shift was approved by Mr. McCain after several of his aides, including Mr. Schmidt, went to him about 10 days ago and warned him that he was in danger of losing the presidential election to Senator Barack Obama, the presumptive Democratic nominee, unless he revamped his campaign operation, two officials close to the campaign said.
Mr. Schmidt’s elevation is the latest sign of increasing influence of veterans of Mr. Rove’s shop in the McCain operation. Nicolle Wallace, who was communications director for Mr. Bush in the 2004 campaign (and in his White House) has joined the campaign as a senior adviser, and will travel with Mr. McCain every other week. Greg Jenkins, another veteran of Mr. Rove’s operation who is a former Fox News producer and director of the presidential advance team in the Bush White House, was hired by Mr. Schmidt last week after a series of what Mr. McCain’s advisers acknowledged were poorly executed campaign events.
This from U.S.News:
It was a long time coming: Today's shake-up of GOP nominee John McCain's leadership team follows weeks of harsh—and increasingly public—criticism by influential members of his own party who say they have been alarmed at what they have seen as the campaign's lack of focus and poor planning.
[...]Top Republicans have been expressing frustration about the lack of focus of McCain's campaign, its failure to hit a consistent "message of the day," its lack of outreach to cultural conservatives, and poorly stage-managed campaign events. "His schedule has been unbelievable," said one strategist close to the McCain campaign. "They have him all over the place, no consistency—it's been incredible."
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