Thanks for Your Comments

Thanks so much for your comments and suggestions. While I cannot respond to all of them here, let me offer a few reactions.

• I will make a clearer connection between course content and our discussions of current events. But please feel free to take the lead in raising topics.
• Whenever possible, I shall post discussion questions on the blog a day or two before class.
• I will give out a practice final similar to the air midterm. In addition, you might get together to devise your own study guide. I do not grade on a curve, so you lose nothing by cooperating with one another.
• Please use the blog to raise questions. Before a class, you might want to flag certain issues from the readings that you would like to discuss. After a class, you might raise questions that you did not get a chance to pose, or that you would like to discuss further.
• Some of you mentioned specific topics in foreign and domestic policy. We will definitely cover them in the weeks ahead.

The House voted yesterday to override Bush's veto on a spending bill for water projects by a 361-54 margin. The New York Times also reported that the House just passed legislation that combines veterans funding Bush supports with Health, Education, and Labor appropriations that Bush has threatened to veto. Like Schip, this is another example of Bush trying to stand for fiscal responsibility. The Republican leadership in the House sided with the Democrats, who claim that Bush won't support domestic programs while wasting far more money in Iraq.

The legislation could be the first veto override that this administration faces depending on how the Senate acts. It also reflects the political posturing in anticipation of next year's election. Bush is trying to return to his party's conservative roots but congressional Republicans, as was the case with Schip, face the possibility of being painted as not caring about domestic needs. On the other hand, Bush is accusing Democrats of loading pork on their spending legislation.

Giuliani Wins Robertson's Love

Giuliani and Romney both courted televangelist Pat Robertson for his endorsement, but The Los Angeles Times reports today that Giuliani was successful by proving to Robertson that he will nominate strict constructionist Supreme Court Justices and defend "our population from the blood lust of Islamic terrorists," in Robertson's words. Yesterday, Romney announced the endorsement of Sam Weyrich, founder of the Moral Majority.

These big endorsements are most unexpected because Giuliani and Romney were labeled early as the flip-floppers of abortion rights. While they are big names that both worked for with good reason, Robertson especially has somewhat decreased in influence in the evangelical world because of his own rhetorical mis-steps. It's a step for both candidates toward courting evangelicals on the whole, but I doubt these endorsements will be hugely influential further down the road.

Romney Ad

I ran into this Romney Ad released last week following the Democratic debate.

Romney attacks Clinton while emphasizing his own executive experience. I think the ad is effective. Romney is a strong public speaker with a better presidential image than Giuliani. It is also interesting to note that he has shifted his campaigning to Clinton attacks.

Just food for thought: Pomona held a discussion of the 2008 presidential election featuring a few of the Politics Faculty and the new Con-Law Professor, Justin Crowe, made an interesting argument that the real "winner" of the campaign is Bush's approach to presidential powers. In particular, he argued that while Democrats have attacked Bush's use of policy, They have not questioned his authority to implement those policies, especially with respect to national security. More specifically, Crowe mentioned the lack of transparency in the Bush administration and the unlikelihood that any of the candidates would operate differently.

I think the argument has some gaps (torture being the main one) but it is interesting to consider that the main Democratic candidates are not campaigning against presidential authority. In fact, I think it says a lot that the exception to this is Ron Paul as the loudest voice for less Presidential voice.

The West Wing

For more on the points that Matt raised (and for the writing assignment), see a story on a recent statement by Senator Clinton and an analysis of her comments.

Look here for a list of White House offices.

All presidents worry about staff leaks. LBJ did. Even the Bartlet White House did.

Fred Thompson the Actor/Politician

A recent article in the New York Times described a theme that Professor Pitney has addressed a number of times in class: the intertwining of Fred Thompson's political and dramatic careers. Fred Thompson's characters on screen are not that far from his persona in real life. Take a look at the slide show as well.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/04/arts/television/04kant.html?_r=1&oref=slogin