This and that. Kerry, Limbaugh just miss each other at Walter Reed

[TayTay]

* John Kerry came thisclose to bumping into Rush Limbaugh when both made
unannounced visits to troops at Walter Reed yesterday morning. The conservative
radio host was in town for a WMAL fundraising appearance at the Warner Theatre
for Fisher Houses, which accommodate families of wounded vets; a radio exec
accompanying him said the hospital staff seemed to do "some fancy footwork" to
keep him from intersecting with the Senate Democrat. A Kerry aide said the
senator (who's made several quiet visits there in recent years) had no idea
Limbaugh was in the building.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/11/17/AR2006111700079.html


Massachusetts -- John Kerry (D): "If" is the operative word in this race. IF Kerry decides to run for president in 2008 and IF he gives up his seat to do so, then we will see a historic free-for-all among Democrats for the right to replace him. Reps. Marty Meehan, Barney Frank, Stephen Lynch and Ed Markey have all made clear they are interest in a Senate bid and have been squirreling away hundreds of thousands of dollars in their House accounts to be used to jumpstart a Senate race. Meehan is the leader of that pack with nearly $5 million in the bank, but it's unlikely that even that large a warchest will scare away other potential competitors. No Republican names have been floated; outgoing Lt. Gov. Kerry Healey's (R) dismal showing this fall in the governor's race may serve as a deterrent to other ambitious GOPers in this ultimate blue state.

http://blog.washingtonpost.com/thefix/

(Note to WaPo, Kerry Healey is the only Rethug left in Mass. This would be an 'in-the-family' fight, a complete blood-bath, and absolutely the most fun thing ever, in fact, the most fun you can ever have with your pants on.)

[beachmom]

1. Awkward!!! Still, if they had run into each other, given the

solemnity of the place they were visiting, there would have been no scene. Maybe just a mutual snub.


I have to say on the Senate seat I have really mixed feelings. If Kerry can't be president I want him in the Senate -- no way will anyone be able to completely replace what he adds to that chamber (don't get me wrong -- I like Barney Frank and the others, but they're not Kerry).

Like we discussed before, it seems he will have to decide by the fall of '07.

[TayTay]

2. Yeah, I have mixed feelings too!

We don't have anymore at home like that. That is a unique person who pursued a unique path to the Senate. (It is unusual to have someone go from a relatively low-level job like Lt. Gov to the US Senate without an intervening period in a Governor's seat or in the House of Representatives. That's unusual. Very unusual, even for Massachusetts, home of a lot of hack politicians.) And we have no one at home who *looks* like a Senator. (Okay, Party of One in missing that, but dammit, it was part of the package.)

I would be relatively heart-broken. Unless it's a promotion. In which case, we can spend the next dozen years telling whomever occupies the Senate not designated for a Kennedy, well Sen. Kerry never would have done it that way. Sen. Kerry used to talk about it like this, and Why can't you be more like Sen. Kerry? (LOL! Double LOL! Hmmm, triple LOL come to think of it.)

Mixed feelings. Of the lot mentioned, I want Martha Coakley. It would be nice for this supposedly liberal, progressive and ultimately blue state to send a friggin woman to DC to represent us. What are the Dem women of the Commonwealth, chopped liver already?

[karynnj]

7. What's ironic is that Limbaugh has inadvertantly gotten Kerry credit

for doing something he has always done very quietly - never talking about or seeking any publicity for.

[TayTay]

3. The PRemise: Jim Webb and the botched joke (pronoun-gate)

Premise reader Lynn S. of Virginia raised a fair point about Jim Webb’s response to Senator Kerry’s botched joke:

Actually, here in Virginia, Jim Webb had what I thought was a perfect response:

Webb, in a tight senate race against incumbent Republican George Allen, told reporters in Salem this morning, “If that’s John Kerry’s idea of a joke he needs to work on his punch line. But at the same time this administration has to accept the realities of failed strategic policy.”

Webb also said there are a lot of fine, educated people in the military, including his son, who went to Penn State for three years. Webb declined to comment about whether Kerry should apologize to the White House. He said that’s between John Kerry and the president.

There was a way to not completely trash Kerry and still come out of it with a net gain. I think Webb did that.

I think she’s right. I looked at several other accounts of Mr. Webb’s response and it’s clear that he did not call for John Kerry to apologize, as others did. The editorial tone of the reporting of Mr. Webb’s response varies, but it was probably an overstatement on my part to have claimed that he condemned Senator Kerry.

– Mark Barrett

November 16th, 2006 - 9:36 pm | Link
(http://thepremise.com/ )

[beachmom]

4. Oh, my that Lynn S. person has incredible insight

wink, wink

[TayTay]

5. Yeah, she does.

I think she should get a blog. The wisdom she exhibits is extraordinary.

I mean that.

[karynnj]

6. I apologize in advance for saying this, but I couldn't resist

Webb's son went to Penn State for 3 years ----- so, he dropped out ..... and he's stuck in .......


On a more serious level, Lynn makes an excellent point - Webb's response was letter perfect. Even to whether Kerry should appologize to the WHITEHOUSE. (though why he would apologize for saying they didn't prepare properly for the war is beyond me - Bush needs to apologize to the country and troops for that.)

[ProSense]

8. I liked Webb's response,

and I'm glad Lynn makes the point. To the other point, there was absolutely no reason to partially trash Kerry. This entire episode was shameful!

[TayTay]

9. Historical C-Span shows: 12 Hours on Robert Gates

Senator Kerry was involved in these 1991 hearings:

http://inside.c-spanarchives.org:8080/cspan/schedule.csp

Compiled Program
Robert Gates and Rep. Nancy Pelosi Programming
C-SPAN, C3 History
Washington, District of Columbia (United States)
ID: 195255 - 11/15/2006 - 12:00 - ns

Programs about Robert Gates, the nominee for secretary of Defense, and Rep. Nancy Pelosi, the Democratic nominee for Speaker of the House include:

17976 - 05/14/1991 Nomination of Central Intelligence Director

21245 - 09/16/1991 CIA Director Confirmation Day 1, Part 1

21257 - 09/16/1991 CIA Director Confirmation Day 1, Part 2

23791 - 01/15/1992 Continuing Nuclear Threats to the U.S.

175411 - 03/07/2003 U.S. Foreign Policy

The Booknotes program was 13176 - 05/17/1990 Fighting for Peace by Caspar W. Weinberger.

Programs on writing about history include:

191951 - 03/30/2006 Osman's Dream: The History of the Ottoman Empire

191276 - 04/24/2006 The Armenian Massacres in Ottoman Turkey: A Disputed Genocide

Also included was:

125339 - 06/21/1999 Abraham Lincoln Biographical Vignette