Kos To Yepsen: Hogwash

Kos To Yepsen: Hogwash

Well, the headline says hogwash but the copy is better:

David Yepsen, the dean of the Iowa political press (sic), writes:

Tom Vilsack's withdrawl from the 2008 race for president is bad news [...] For those offering the most strident anti-war messages. (They also didn't go the distance for Howard Dean four years ago.) [...]

Vilsack's departure is also evidence a strong anti-war message isn't enough. Today, everybody wants out of Iraq and bashes the war. The question is finding a credible way to do it, and Democrats are having trouble agreeing on a plan.

Bullshit. Vilsack was never a credible anti-war voice.

In reality, Vilsack's departure is bad news for 1) those without credibility on Iraq, and 2) for no-name obscure candidates easily overshadowed by the Democratic titans slugging it out at the top.

Glad to see that the dean of the blogosphere sees through the "dean" of the Iowa press corps. Maybe everyone will soon figure out Yepsen's The Overrated One and start going to Mike Glover for their meta-interviews.

Jerome Armstrong on Vilsack

Jerome Armstrong on Vilsack

"There was just not a road beyond Iowa. Whoever lands John Norris will be the winner from Vilsack dropping out."

Vilsack Dropping Out

Vilsack Dropping Out

The Underrated One has the story.

Taking bets: Vilsack's Hillary endorsement will no doubt follow soon. But that'll be less imortant than who, if anyone, Tom Harkin endorses.

This frees up an amount of Iowa talent and experience that's disproportionate to Vilsack's poll standing. I expect Vilsack's home state support to splinter among the rest of the field. The commanality among the Vilsack list - excluding the Mt. Pleasantries - seemed to be Inside The Des Moines Beltway and/or personal loyalty.

UPDATE: "It is money and only money," says TV in the speech.

Loebsack on Surge, Vilsack on Leno

Loebsack on Surge, Vilsack on Leno

Debate on the anti-surge resolution continues, and everyone is stating their case. Here's Dave Loebsack:

For too long Congress refused to stand up to the administration. Our actions today must mark the beginning of Congress's oversight role, not the end.

The time has come to tell President Bush enough is enough! Last November, the American people spoke. They spoke loudly and clearly on a number of issues but none more passionately and forcefully than the war in Iraq. The American people, long before this debate this week, decided that the misadventure in Iraq must end.

More from Loebsack later today says the in box:

Rep. Dave Loebsack to comment on President Bush's plan to escalate the war in Iraq Friday, February 16. The footage will be sent from Washington, D.C. via satellite FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 16 FROM 4:30 - 5:15p.m.

The Reg provides handy-dandy complete statements from all five Iowans. And the Iowa Senate lends its support on a voice vote.

But will the House sign on too? Pat Murphy doesn't think so, and he's not sure on stem cells either: "At this point, I don't know if we have enough votes to pass it." Well, why not?

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All the papers have their reviews of Vilsack on Leno which I missed apparantly he did a bit where the security guards didn't recognize him and repeated the basic bits - rock solid, never been ahead and never lost, etc. for a new audience.

Maybe more significantly, the Vilsackers are phonebanking and my phone rang yesterday with the basic pre-caucus call. The Ex Guv is coming to town March 2 to the Hamburg Inn, which I could actually see from where I was standing in the laundromat. It was a decent earnest kid for hire on the other end; I felt more informed than the caller but then I'm probably not a typical call.

Tom Miller, Mike Fitzgerald... Barack Obama

Tom Miller, Mike Fitzgerald... Barack Obama

From the inbox:

U.S. Senator Barack Obama's campaign today announced that Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller and Iowa State Treasurer Michael Fitzgerald have endorsed Barack Obama for President...

No wonder they weren't on that Vilsack list yesterday... that's a big zing to the former guv: the two longest serving statewide elected officials, so popular they ran unopposed last year.

I'm remembering Tom Miller was a Lieberman guy in `03. I considered that myself since my caucus support is the kiss of death (Hart, Jackson, Harkin, Bradley, Dean... my only caucus for a nominee was the `96 Clinton re-elect) and I wanted to be sure Joementum would lose. But luckily he didn't need my help.

Hey, Drew, do you have the inside dish here?

Tangent: As an Iowan I hate to say it, but some of the second-tier folks would be best advised to adopt a Screw Iowa strategy rather than try to break through the Three Rock Stars and the Home Town Boy. The true second tier, Vilsack included, each has a needle that could in theory be threaded:

Bill Richardson needs to spend every free moment in Vegas (he may already be doing that)

New Hampshire is a short hop for Chris Dodd

Wes Clark, if he gets in, should focus on vet-heavy South Carolina.

At this point it should be noted that the Screw Iowa Strategy (Gore 88, McCain 00) has never worked.

The articulate Joe Biden has no viable options, so from this day on I include him in the third tier with Dennis Kookcinich, Sal Mohamed and Mike Gravel (it's pronounced graVEL and not like rocks).

Vilsack Has A List, Obama Has A Rally

Vilsack Has A List

An interesting tactic: Vilsack publishes a list of 1159 Iowa committments. The list geek in me loves it but I don't have time to dig into the whole thing; it's Obama Day (hence the timing, Tom?) and it's what we in Johnson County call Hy-Vee Saturday. Six early voting sites for Tuesday's SILO election.

But I had time for a quick look. The gems of the list are the Harkins of Cumming; Secretary of State Mike Mauro is listed too, as is one of his predecessors, Elaine Baxter. The name Culver is absent... no Tom Miler... no Fitzgeralds... no Blouins... Look, here's Gordon... seeing a lot of Mount Pleasant here... Cacciatore... Gene Fraise...

Here's the eastern Iowa names I'm recognizing:

Cedar Rapids Mayor Kay Halloran

Former state senator Jean Lloyd-Jones of Iowa City (1992 US Senate nominee)

Former Linn County Supervisor Ken Perry

Anyway, if someone doesn't beat me to it (oops, looks like Iowa Progress already has) I'll do a deeper analysis later. Maybe after Tuesday...

Speaking of lists and SILO, they ran a several-hundred name list of supporters on a full page of the Press-Citizen yesterday... and on the left Joe Bolkcom's name is on it plus a mention in his newsletter.

Ans speaking of Obama, his site's got live video of the announcement. I'm not sure if my coverage is live or pseudo-live yet. Gazette has a teaser:

"The Obama campaign would like to do a living room campaign", said Steve Sovern of North Liberty, who will introduce Obama. (Deeth notes: Sovern=prominent area attorney, former congressional candidate) "They know it'll just have to be a larger living room."