There's a monster battle currently brewing between Capitol Hill and the White House. Democrats need to fight this battle with everything they've got, because (win or lose) it is a battle worth fighting... both for them, and for the country at large. And because (win or lose) it's going to make President Bush look exactly like Richard Nixon, for a long time to come.

The battle can be summed up in one of two ways, depending on your point of view. It could be expressed as: "Does Congress have the right to conduct oversight into the Executive Branch of government?" Conversely, it could also be described as: "What exactly does 'Executive Privilege' mean, and where exactly are the boundaries of the privilege?"

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[This article continues a series begun a few months ago, when I looked at the five Democratic candidates for president who weren't in the top three. This article and two previous articles examine the three frontrunners. This is mostly a critique of their web pages, for informational purposes. Campaign tactics and strategy will be addressed later. The three frontrunners are being profiled in alphabetic order, as I used for the other five candidates.

You can read about the other five in my previous articles (Part 1 and Part 2). The first of the frontrunner articles ran Tuesday, about Hillary Clinton. The second article, on John Edwards, ran yesterday.]

Barack Obama

http://www.barackobama.com/

Barack Obama is trying to run a very optimistic campaign. Although I haven't seen a full speech by him, from all reports he is an impressive orator. He is also positioning himself as the best agent for change in the Democratic race.

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[This article continues a series begun a few months ago, when I looked at the five Democratic candidates for president who weren't in the top three. This article and two others will examine the three frontrunners. This is mostly a critique of their web pages, for informational purposes. Campaign tactics and strategy will be addressed later. The three frontrunners are being profiled in alphabetic order, as I used for the other five candidates.

You can read about the other five in my previous articles (Part 1 and Part 2). The first of the frontrunner articles ran Tuesday, about Hillary Clinton. The last article will take a look at Barack Obama.]

John Edwards

http://johnedwards.com/

John Edwards is sticking with his campaign theme of there being "Two Americas" (one rich, one poor), and wanting to bring us all to "One America."

He's sticking with it, because it's a great idea. It used to be called "Populism" -- the concept of being for "the people" instead of always for the powerful.

But call it whatever you want, he could ride this idea to victory. If (and here's the catch) he can actually get his message out to "the people." Because there are a lot of vested interests -- including Big Media -- who hate the concept of populism with a vengeance.

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[John Quincy Adams and Andrew Jackson]

Bloomberg.

His name looms large over the presidential race, terrifying both Democrat and Republican alike. New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, more than all other names looming out of the misty shadows of this race (Gingrich, Gore, Hagel, etc.), is the one name that strikes fear and trembling into campaign consultants on both sides of the political divide. Bloomberg is their absolute worst nightmare: an independent candidate with such a boodle of cash that he can completely finance his own race and at the same time outspend both the Democratic and Republican candidates -- combined.

Plus, unlike H. Ross Perot, he does not appear to be nutty as a fruitcake.

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[This article continues a series begun a few months ago, where I looked at all the Democratic candidates for president who weren't in the top three. In this article and two more like it, I will examine the three frontrunners, giving them the same treatment. This is mostly a critique of their web pages, at this point, for informational purposes. Campaign tactics and strategy will be addressed later. The three frontrunners are being profiled in alphabetic order, as I used for the other five candidates. You can read about the other five in my previous articles (Part 1 and Part 2).]

Hillary Clinton

http://www.hillaryclinton.com/

Hillary Clinton needs no real introduction to anyone who hasn't been living under a rock for the past fifteen years. Her campaign is stressing her overall experience, past accomplishments, and her vision for the future. Since she is seen as the frontrunner by many (at this point), she is also carefully looking ahead to her general election campaign as well as addressing Democratic primary voters. This is a tough tightrope to walk for anyone, as in primaries you appeal to the party's base, and in the general election you appeal to the centrists and independents.

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If I described a man who took active part in student demonstrations in the 1960's, helped take over Weller Hall when he was attending Hofstra University (a man who, when running for student senate, wrote in the school's newspaper: "these conservative kids don't fuck and get high like we do"), and later did a stint as a roadie for the band "Ten Years After," you would probably form a certain type of image in your mind. Let us not mince words -- you'd think he was a hippie.

But if I described a conservative Republican Senator from Minnesota who supports the White House's Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), you'd probably get a different image in your mind. Problem is, they're the same guy.

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[Update at end of article]

Representative Robert Wexler (D-FL) may have the best answer to the Libby commutation scandal: censure President Bush. He has announced his intention in a press release, and intends to introduce the resolution this coming Tuesday, when Congress reconvenes.

Here is the full text of the resolution:

Resolution relating to the censure of George W. Bush

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OK (sigh), it's time to look at the horserace

Now that the second-quarter money-raising figures are in for the presidential candidates, I will begin to focus on the primary race in detail in the coming weeks. I have been reluctant to do so, mostly because it's just too damn early, but with the primaries only six months away, I just can't continue to ignore them.

The only time I have previously dipped my toe into these waters was back in April, when I ran a two-part series on all the Democratic candidates the media weren't telling you about. Since the media are still ignoring them, the articles [Part 1, Part 2] are worth reading for anyone interested in the "other" candidates.

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We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

-- Preamble to the Declaration of Independence

That line will be widely quoted across this land today, in parks and bandstands, on radio and in newsprint, from California to the New York islands, in countless big-city parades and from a myriad of small-town gazebos.

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White House Press Secretary Tony Snow gave a press briefing today. It shouldn't come as a surprise that almost every question was on the subject of President Bush's commutation of Scooter Libby's 30-month prison sentence.

Tony, to his credit, did his best at talking out of both sides of his mouth at once (a skill he excels at) in an attempt to explain away Bush's action as no big deal, a routine matter... nothing to see here... move along.

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