Countdown

Early Primaries

Vol. 7, 43
Posted on Monday December 18, 2006

Early Primaries: Iowa, New Hampshire, Baghdad, Damascus

With potential presidential candidates eager to beef up their foreign policy (and national security) credentials, the Middle East is rivaling Iowa as a campaign stop. Senators John McCain (R-AZ), John Kerry (D-MA), and Chris Dodd (D-CT) have made trips to Iraq and Governor Bill Richardson (D-NM) (also a former US Ambassador to the UN) will be traveling to Sudan to negotiate a peacekeeping force for Darfur. Dodd and Kerry, both members of the Foreign Relations Committee, will also travel to Syria, Lebanon, and Jordan. On his controversial trip to Syria, Kerry said, “It’s very hard to move the ball if you don’t know firsthand what people’s needs are, what their own perceptions are…Talking to someone is not rewarding their behavior. I have no illusions about our differences with these countries.” Dodd stressed that members of Congress should “go to hotspots, not just garden spots” and he “can’t think of a more critical part of the world than the Middle East.”

Are “Fair and Honest Broker” Still Dirty Words?

While it’s clear that presidential candidates acknowledge the important role the Middle East will play in 2008, a recent UPI/Zogby poll reveals a partisan split among voters on one of the region’s most important issues—Israel-Palestine. While only 33% of Americans approve of the President’s handling of the conflict, 56% of Republicans give Bush a positive rating as opposed to only 5% of Democrats. There is, however, majority support for the United States to approach the conflict as a fair and honest broker. “More than two-thirds (68%) feel that in pursuing peace in the Middle East, the Bush Administration leans toward Israel, while a majority (56%) believe the Administration should steer a middle course (rather than lean toward Israel or the Palestinians).”

Bye Bye, Bayh…

Poor Evan Bayh. The Indiana Senator had the misfortune of traveling to New Hampshire the same week as Barack Obama. That’s all it took for Bayh to end his presidential bid (while at the same time placing himself nicely as a potential VP). The Washington Post’s political blog opines that Bayh’s departure will benefit Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack (Bayh is also a former heartland governor) and Obama (who may find it easier to raise money in Chicago without Bayh, from Indiana, around)…In other Democratic news, former vice presidential nominee John Edwards has announced that he is announcing, making him the first of the three top candidates (along with Obama and Senator Hillary Clinton) to do so…Potential GOP contender Newt Gingrich has declared that if there is not a clear Republican nominee by Labor Day 2007, then he will throw in his hat. That’s next fall. That’s like light years in presidential politics.

Are you an Al Ja-hero?

In a hilarious segment, “The Daily Show’s” Samantha Bee highlighted Al Jazeera’s recently launched English language station. Dubbing herself an “Al Ja-hero,” Bee offered unsolicited advice on news programs (Newshour) as well as tips for anchors Dave Marash and Ghida Fakhry. As a result, Fakhry soon changed her “weird sounding” name to Peppermint Gomez while Marash worked on his segways, “Coming up next, immigrants: are they stealing your blonde daughters?” To watch the full clip, click here.