Bill Clinton's third term

[OSR stands with Israel]

Breaking News : District Court rules that the modified line item veto violates separation of powers so the modified line item veto power will be struck down. 


Biden: We will be appealing this decision , as we do believe the modified line item is constitutional and fixes the parts that Clinton v city of New York found to be unconstitutional in the last line item veto bill

[OSR stands with Israel]

Meet The Press- 2003 California Gubernatorial Recall Election Special:




Tim Russert: We are now just 3 weeks away from the California Recall election where voters will vote on two separate questions . The first question being that whether their current Governor Gray Davis should be recalled, and the 2nd being , who would replace the governor if the governor indeed gets successfully recalled. The 3 leading candidates to replace the Governor are the current lieutenant governor  Cruz Bustamante, a republican state senator Tom McClintock, and Hollywood Star Arnold Schwarzenegger who is also running as a republican. Now with us is a California Election pollster . How is the race going so far.


Pollster: Currently it is looking likely that Governor Davis will be recalled and most polls show that the recall Davis Option is ahead by more then 7 points.

Russert: What about the race to replace him

Pollster: Right now State Senator McClintock is far behind in 3rd place, while Lt Governor Bustamante and Mr. Schwarzenegger keep trading leads in the polls. So far I would say this race is a tossup between Bustmante and Schwarznegger

Russet: While Mr.Schwarznegger had been a highly accomplished actor , famously starring in the Terminator Series ,  he hasnt run for political office before , so how has he managed to run a competent state wide campaign so far. He also hasnt been any type of politician before , so how can he do so well in the polls .

Pollster: The reason Mr.Schwarznegger is doing well so far is that Former Governor Pete Wilson has endorsed Schwarznegger . He also has secured the establishment of many known GOP figures in California before so that has given his campaign credibility with many voters. He also has experience running a state wide campaign before, as last year a ballot measure crafted by him got passed.  

Russert: Thank You, and we will be looking forward to know the results of the election 

[OSR stands with Israel]

HHS Secretary Howard Dean resigns:

Dean: Due to the campaign season heating up , I will have to spend more time campaigning , which will result in me not able to put in the time I need to successfully do the job of the head of the Department of Health and Human Services. For that reason I have decided to step down from that role, as I feel its not fair to the American people and the President to continue being the head of the Department of Health and Human Services without putting the time needed to run the Department. I want to thank President Clinton for having the opportunity to head this department , do really great things there , and work with you in your cabinet. I want to thank all the people who I worked with to be successful in this role , and I really will miss you.

Dean walks away

[OSR stands with Israel]

President Clinton replaces Howard Dean as HHS Secretary with a surprise pick:


HHS Secretary : Caroline Kennedy

[OSR stands with Israel]

President Clinton signs 2 New Executive Orders relating to Infrastructure :



Executive Order 13331: Streamlines Infrastructure Construction Process after the project has been aproved

Executive Order 13332: Creates a commission to research and find ways to expand broadband coverage all across the county. 

[OSR stands with Israel]

Breaking News: Arnold Schwarzenegger elected as Governor of California:





Brokaw: NBC News can now project that Gray Davis has been successfully recalled , and that means Arnold Schwarzenegger will be the next Governor of California . The star of the highly acclaimed Terminator Franchise , will have a new mission , and that is to lead the state of California.

Tim Russert: Mr.Schwarzenegger getting the most votes out of everyone trying to replace Mr.Davis is not a surprise as he has had a solid lead in the polls during the past couple weeks, and that is why the Democrats had shifted their attention away from trying to defeat Mr.Schwarzenegger to defeating the recall.  If the recall had failed it wouldnt have matter whether or not Mr.Schwarzenegger won his race or not , and the Democrats would have still controlled the California gubernatorial seat. The fact is democrats strategy of trying to defeat the recall did help , as 2 weeks ago the Recall Davis option was 20 points ahead , and now it looks like that option will only win by 5 or 6 points.

Brokaw: Do you think if they had decided to shift their attention to trying to defeat the recall earlier , they may have won

Russert: We dont know , but it certainly would have meant that the race would have been closer. 

[OSR stands with Israel]

2004 Primary Polls:


Democratic Primary:


National:

Former Vice President Al Gore 24%
Senator Russ Feingold 23%
Former HHS Secretary Howard Dean 21%
Senator Mary Landrieu  16%
House Minority Leader Dick Gephardt 12%
Representative Dennis Kucinich : 2.4%
General Wesley Clark :  1.6%


Iowa Polls:

Senator Russ Feingold 32%
House Minority Leader Dick Gephardt 27%
Former Vice President Al Gore  22%
Senator Mary Landrieu 15%
Congressman Dennis Kucinich : 2.7%
Former HHS Secretary Howard Dean 1.1%
General Wesely Clark: 0.2%


New Hampshire

Former Vice President Al Gore 37%
Former HHS Secretary Howard Dean 33%
Senator Russ Feingold 15%
Senator Mary Landrieu 8%
House Minority Leader Dick Gephardt 5%
General Wesley Clark 1.2%
Congressman Dennis Kucinich 0.8%


Republicans

National :
Governor George W Bush: 37%
Senator John McCain : 32%
Former Speaker Newt Gingrich : 25%
Representative Ron Paul: 3.2%
Businessman Steve Forbes : 2.8%


Iowa :

Governor George W Bush 55%
Former Speaker Newt Gingrich 32%
Senator John McCain 7 %
Congressman Ron Paul 3.3%
Businessman Steve Forbes 2.7%

New Hampshire:

Senator John McCain 49%
Governor George W Bush 31%
Former Speaker Newt Gingrich 10%
Congressman Ron Paul 7%
Businessman Steve Forbes 3%

[OSR stands with Israel]

Wesley Clark Drops out of the  Presidential race


Wesley Clark Statement : In light of recent poll numbers , and the news that due to those poll numbers we wouldnt qualify for the next debate , I have decided to drop out of the presidential race. I want to thank everyone who supported and worked for this campaign ,  and I want to let you know that  I will always be grateful for your support.  

[OSR stands with Israel]

PBS Democratic Debate Highlights:





Jim Lehrer: Welcome to the city of Little Rock Arkansas, the home of President Clinton , and the place where tonight's democratic debate will be held. The rules of the debate have been told to the candidates ahead of time , and the first question will go to Senator Feingold. Senator Feingold , if you are elected President how would you handle a Syrian Government who refuses to get rid of its WMD program, not cooperate with the US , and funds groups trying to harm Israel .

Feingold :  I wouldnt do anything against the Syrian Government unless we have proof that they are a threat to our country , or enforcing potential UN resolutions against them. The fact is currently we need to be focused on making sure Afghanistan becomes a stable nation in the long run , not dealing with countries that are already stable. Is the Assad regime bad, but so are so many other regimes by we do not unilaterally  try to attack them unless they pose a threat to our country , and currently they dont but an unstable Afghanistan does pose a threat to our country.


Lehrer : Senator Landrieu how would you deal with this issue

Landrieu : In my opinion we should continue what the Clinton Administration has done so far as I believe that in a few years the Syrian Government after seeing the consequences of not cooperating with the United States , they will begin to cooperate. One thing I would do differently is to make sure we increase the amount of intelligence on the situation in Syria we receive ,as we can use that to destroy WMD sites, and destroy communication sites between Syria and Hamas


Lehrer: Vice President Al Gore , you are running on continuing the policies of the Clinton Administration , but we all know its impossible for one president to be exactly like the previous president , so what would you do differently than the President.


Gore: I would put more emphasis on environmental and energy policy then President Clinton . Global Warming is going to cause terrible consequences in the future if we dont come up with the solutions to deal with it now. On that issue if we invest in Alternative Energy sources not only do we help our environment , we help solve our energy issue and make sure that our country no longer is so dependent on Middle Eastern Oil.


Lehrer : Governor Dean, if you were elected President how would you pass your proposal to reform Healthcare, when even the President's proposal failed despite the Democrats being in a much stronger position in Congress than now.

Dean: Well the reason I believe I can pass that is cause if Im the Democratic nominee I will ask the American People for a mandate on the issue of healthcare reform. This means if I win , the Congress cant tell me that the American people dont support you on this and fail to pass the public option. Now while I disagreed in what most of what Ronald Reagan did , the reason he was very successful in implementing his agenda is cause he asked a mandate from the American people to dramatically cut taxes, increase military spending , and deregulate the economy. This is something the Democratic Party should do as well except for Democratic ideas not Republican.

Lehrer: Congressman Gephardt , as you know the budget deficit this year is expected to surpass 250 billion dollars. If you are President what would you do balance the budget again.


Gephardt: The first thing we need to do is get our economy growing again. The reason we had a balanced budget in the 1990s was due to the economic boom in that decade. One way we can do that is investing in infrastructure , and actually you dont need me to be president for us to do that , because we have the votes in the house to pass funding for new Infrastructure projects but Speaker Armey just wont being it up for a vote. The 2nd thing we need to do is reduce healthcare costs , and to do that we need to pass reforms that get everybody covered , and I believe my plan is the best and most feasible way to do that. If we do that we should fix our defict problem.


Lehrer : Congressman Kucinich, if you were elected president what would be your strategy to win the war on terror

Kucinich : My strategy would be to stop all these unnecessary interventions all around the world in the first place. If we didnt get involved in so many places, we wouldnt have this problem in the first place. This problem stems from us funding anti Soviet rebels in the 1980s which later to the Taliban  due those funds. Lets not make the same mistake again.


Lehrer: Now to move on to the 2nd portion of the debate , where each candidate will have the chance to ask another candidate a question. Senator Feingold you may ask your question

Feingold: Vice President Gore , currently as you know wages for the average american have been stagnant , corporations threatening to ship jobs overseas if any worker protests their wage. If you are elected President what would you to reverse that trend

Gore: The First thing I believe we can do is raise the minimum wage to 7 dollars and 50 cents an hour by 2007 so those corporations have no choice but raise their workers pay. Also I believe we should raise taxes on corporations who pay workers less than companies who pay workers a living wage.


Lehrer : Next question will be asked by Senator Landrieu


Landrieu: Senator Feingold , you have claimed throughout the campaign that if you are elected you plan to get the US out of NAFTA , and other free trade agreements . You also plan to get rid of Taft-Hartley, pass single payer healthcare, raise the minimum wage to 9 dollars an hour , get rid of the Welfare Reform Act, reregulate the economy , and raise the top tax bracket to 50%. How will you pass any of those things against Republicans who would fight tooth and nail to stop you


Feingold: Well the first thing I would do is to make sure if I win , our party also wins both houses of congress in 2004 . Number two is I would reverse much of the Reagan era executive orders on regulatory policy. Then I would use the bully pulpit to pass my agenda by going straight to the American people, as when I win I will redirect the resources used in this campaign to keep my voters energized to help pass policy .


Lehrer: Vice President Gore

Gore: Secretary Dean, if you are president and you have to deal with an uncooperative Syrian Government how would you do so

Dean: I would give the Syrian Government a deadline , and if they dont cooperate by that deadline we will increase the severity of the sanctions. This I believe would force the Syrian government to cooperate or face terrible economic consequences if they dont.


Lehrer: Congressman Gephardt

Gephardt: Congressman Kucinich , polls show you losing not only to both Senator McCain and Governor Bush by double digits , but also show you even down in some polls against former Speaker Newt Gingrich . Explain to me how you believe you can win if you are nominated

Kucinich : Polls this early are often not  reliable at all, and in fact our last 3 president trailed in the polls by more than I am currently at a later point in the Campaign then we currently are in . Ronald Reagan trailed Carter by 30 points in the beginning of 1980 and he won the election by 10 points, George HW Bush trailed Dukakis by 17 points in the Summer of 1988 and won the election by 7.8 points, and Bill Clinton was in 3rd place behind both Perot and Bush for the first half of 1992 and he too won. So when people come to know what my positions on the issues are we too will win.


Lehrer: Secretary Dean


Dean: Congressman Gephardt , if you were elected president what would be your plan to make sure everyone can afford health insurance

Gephardt: My plan would do three things. First it would make it illegal for people with pre existing conditions to be denied health insurance, the second thing we would do is we would significantly increase taxes on health insurance companies who increase prices for the sole reason of making a profit , and the last thing we would do is to expand medicaid. I believe this can be passed easily , with even support from some Republicans.


Lehrer: Last question from you Congressman Kucinich

Kucinich: Senator Landrieu you have repeatedly stated on the campaign that you would try to be the most bi partisan president in history. Why should we elect you if you wont even stand up for Democratic principles

Landrieu: First I said If the Republicans control congress we have to be bipartisan or how do you expect us to pass anything to improve the economy and win the war on terror. Also its not a bad thing to be bipartisan as nobody is 100% right and the issues we face today requires our country to be united in solving those issues not divided.

[OSR stands with Israel]

Meet The Press Republican Debate Highlights:





Tim Russert: Welcome to a Special Edition of Meet The Press , in which we will be hosting a Republican Primary Debate. The Rules of this Republican Debate will be different from other debates as this debate will be in conversation format. The first question the candidates will be conversing about is going to be about taxes.  Each of you have plans to reform the tax code, what people want to know is one what is your tax plan, and how it would affect the economy and the budget. Governor Bush lets start of with you


Bush: My main thing my tax plan is designed to do is stimulate the economy. Tim , the only way we can reduce the deficit without cutting popular programs is by growing the economy and there are three things we need to do grow the economy . The first thing we need to do is to do is let people keep more of their hard earned money which in turn increases disposable income , which means demand will go up . The new income tax rates under my plan will be 10%, 15%,20%,25%,and 33% which means everyone in the county will get a tax cut. The 2nd thing we need to do is create an environment where small businesses thrive , and my plan is to cut taxes for them by 25%. The last thing we need to is cut the capital gains tax to increase the amount people invest in the stock market, as that is also important to increase economic growth.


Forbes: While Governor Bush tax plan is better than the status quo ,my plan is to scarp the current tax code entirely and replacing it with a flat tax of 15% on all personal and corporate income . In addition to that I will increase the standard deduction to $17,500 on individuals, $ 35,000 for joint filers , and $5,000 for each dependent . In my opinion this will result in more economic growth as it cuts taxes for everyone and makes the tax code simpler .

McCain: The Problem I have with everyone tax plan here is that , it would increase the deficit especially in a time of war like this. My tax plan is simple we will reduce taxes for everyone but middle class Americans and Poor Americans will benefit the most. The rates under my plan would be 10%, 15%, 25%, 28% , 33% and 38%. I will also increase the deduction for families who pay to send their kids to college . This in my opinion would grow the economy, be fair, and not increase the deficit .

Gingrich: Senator McCain , the problem is that the reason we have a defict now is due to the government not cutting spending.

McCain: We are in a time of War , so we cant afford spending cuts right now

Gingrich: Sure we can , we can reform entitlements which currently cost a lot of money. Back to the question at hand is my plan would be like Mr.Forbes except I dont think we would be able to pass it right now. So instead my plan would be to have two tax rates of 10% and 25% with deductions similar to what Mr.Fores just proposed. I would also cut the corporate tax down to a  top rate of 20% for all Businesses which have 3 or more employees . This plan would dramatically increase the amount of disposable income the people have , while also making it easier for our Businesses to grow.

Paul: My Plan would be simple , get rid of the income tax in general . The fact is until 1913 we didnt have an income tax and the reason for that is we didnt have a welfare state and a warfare state like what we do today. The fact is if we followed the constitution and only got the federal government involved in the things its been granted the power too we wouldnt need an federal income tax.

Bush: The problem with Congressman Paul, Mr.Forbes is that their plan would require the economy to grow by a much faster rate then it did than even in the 1980s and 1990s or you would have to make unpopular cuts to either military spending or entitlement cuts.  The fact is that members of our own party dont want either currently so all their plans would do is explode the deficit or cause us to lose in a landslide 4 years from now .Speaker Gingrich tax plan in my opinion is a tax reform proposal I would sign if it came to my desk but his would likely be sunsetted   in 10 years while mine would have a better Chance of being Permanent, and Senator McCain plan doesnt cut tax enough for economic growth. My plan is the only one on stage which would grow the economy by enough to reduce the deficit, and have a chance of being permanent .


Tim Russert: Moving on to foreign policy, if you are elected President , what would be your strategy to win the Afghnaistan War , how would you deal with an uncooperative Syrian Government , and three who would be on your short list for Secretary of State. Senator McCain we will start with you


McCain: My strategy to win the Afghanistan War is to stay the course in Afghanistan and make sure it can be turned into a stable democracy. This may require more troops to be sent there, but we must win the war as that is a crucial front in winning the war on terror. As for Syria , I would give Assad a series of nonnegotiable deadlines , where the penalty for not cooperating would get harsher and harsher as each deadline passes . If they dont cooperate with the US by the end of the deadline ,  we would have no choice but to remove Assad from power. We dont want it to come to that, so I hope that Assad cooperates with our country as we dont want war. As for who will be on my shortlist to be the next Secretary of State, I havent made my official shortlist yet , but some people who will be on the Shortlist would be : General  Colin Powell , Senator Richard Lugar, and may keep the current Sec of State Joe Lieberman.

Gingrich : You would consider a Democrat for the job?

McCain: Yes I would because Secretary Lieberman is highly qualified for the job,  and also has done a great job so far. He also is someone who never would never jeopardize our national standing in the world and our security for political points .

Gingrich: The people I would consider for secretary of state are: Senator Orin Hatch, Former Defense Secretary Dick Cheney and some others. On the issue of what would be my plan to win the war in Afghanistan is simple , let the generals decide the strategy not some Washington Bureaucrats . If we do that we will win the war and the insurgency will be totally destroyed .  Lastly my plan to deal with an uncooperative Syrian Government is simple, give Assad an Ultimatum to comply and if he doesnt we will remove him from power.

Ron Paul: I find the idea that we are talking about staying in Afghanistan , and expanding this war to Syria simply ridiculous. The fact is our mission in Afghanistan is over, we destroyed Al-Qaeda , killed Bin Laden, and the other top Al-Qaeda leaders have all been captured , and punished for what they did. The War has been won, all we are currently doing is nation building , and trying to make sure Afghanistan is a democracy. The job of the military is to protect is from our enemies , it is not to meddle in other countries affairs and decide what government they should have. Remember our founders told us to not get involved in the affairs of other countries .

McCain: The fact is times have changed since the late 1700s, and early 1800s , and we must stay involved in world affairs to keep our country safe.

Ron Paul: The problem is thats the same exact argument the Democrats use when they are asked about the welfare state.

Russert: Governor Bush

Bush: First Congressman Paul, the reason Germany and Japan are our allies today is because we stayed behind so they could become democracies. On the question you just asked , my strategy in Afghanistan is too stay the course as I believe if we do we will win this war. I also though would consult more with the Generals on the ground , as if a strategy isnt working it should be them who decides what the strategy as they know the situation on the ground better than any of us on this stage does. On the Issue of Syria , there are several things I would do .The first thing I would do is make the sanctions significantly more severe. If Assad still refuses to cooperate then I would authorize the Air Force to not only conduct Air Strikes to destroy WMD sites but to destroy Syrian Military bases in general . I believe that Assad would immediately agree to cooperate with America than as if he doenst , his regime would be weakened to a point that he would be overthrown by his people. If Assad still refuses to cooperate we would remove him from power. As for my Secretary of State , I at this time cant tell exactly who as its still too early to speculate that but I will nominate the person who I believe would best implement my foreign policy goals.

Forbes: I agree with Senator McCain and Governor Bush that the best way to win the war in Afghanistan is to stay the course and ensure that Afghanistan becomes a successful democracy. In a democracy, governments respect people's rights instead of violate them and work to destroy terrorists not harbor them. On the issue of Syria, in my opinion we should fund opposition groups to Assad , to bring down his terrible regime . If we do that, Syria would no longer be a threat. As for my choice for Secretary of State, all I can tell you is I havent thought about it yet. If I am asked to name some at the moment I would have to say Colin Powell, Rudy Giuliani but its to early to say.

[Jaguar4life]

Ron Paul 2004!

[OSR stands with Israel]

Primary Polls:


National:
Senator Russ Feingold 25%
Former Vice President Al Gore 24%
Former HHS Secretary Howard Dean 20%
Senator Mary Landrieu  15%
House Minority Leader Dick Gephardt 14%
Representative Dennis Kucinich : 2%


Iowa Polls:

Senator Russ Feingold 34%
House Minority Leader Dick Gephardt 28%
Former Vice President Al Gore  20%
Senator Mary Landrieu 14%
Congressman Dennis Kucinich : 2.6%
Former HHS Secretary Howard Dean 1.4%



New Hampshire

Former Vice President Al Gore 38%
Former HHS Secretary Howard Dean 32%
Senator Russ Feingold 16%
Senator Mary Landrieu 8%
House Minority Leader Dick Gephardt 5.2%
Congressman Dennis Kucinich 0.8%


Republicans :

National :
Governor George W Bush: 36%
Senator John McCain : 32%
Former Speaker Newt Gingrich : 27%
Representative Ron Paul: 3.2%
Businessman Steve Forbes : 1.8%


Iowa :

Governor George W Bush 54%
Former Speaker Newt Gingrich 33%
Senator John McCain 8 %
Congressman Ron Paul 3.3%
Businessman Steve Forbes 1.7%

New Hampshire:

Senator John McCain 47%
Governor George W Bush 33%
Former Speaker Newt Gingrich 10%
Congressman Ron Paul 8%
Businessman Steve Forbes 2%

[OSR stands with Israel]

President Clinton announces that elections will be held in Afghanistan next year





Tom Brokaw: President Clinton has a statement to make , so we will head there right now.


Clinton: After careful consultation to military leaders in Afghanistan  , the UN and I have decided to hold two elections in Afghanistan next year. The first election which will take place during the last week of February, will be a referendum on whether Afghanistan will have a Presidential system like us or a parliamentary system like the UK. The 2nd election will be held in mid June where voters will either elect a Parliament , or elect a President and the Afghan Legislature . The US along with the UN will do all it can to make sure that these elections are held in time, and they are conducted in a proper and safe manner.

[OSR stands with Israel]

Hillary Clinton announces she will run for the Illinois Senate seat:





Hilary Clinton: Just over 5 years ago a Republican took over the Senate seat in Illinois, and while he claims to be moderate he supports legislation that would cut taxes on the wealthy, restrict a women's right to choose , opposes increasing the minimum wage, voted yes against increased funding for public education. Just because your moderate on two or three issues doesnt make you a moderate , and just because you would be moderate in a solidly Republican state doesnt make you one in a state like Illinois. That is why I have decided to run for the Illinois Senate Seat , as we need a senator who represents the views of people of Illinois and not the views of the RNC. As an Illinois native , who in the past 6 months met the people of this great state, and got to see what their problems are I can promise you that I will do all I can to make this state a better state 6 years from now when my term is up. Thank You and May God Bless the People of Illinois.

[OSR stands with Israel]

Illinois State Senator Barack Obama to stay in the race for the Democratic Nomination:





Interviewer : As you know, with the First Lady entering the Senate rate, many democrats have dropped out . Will you remain in the race

Obama: Yes I plan on remaining in the race

Interviewer: What do you think of Mrs.Clinton entry in the race , and do you think she would be a good senator if elected.

Obama: I have no doubt in my mind that Mrs.Clinton would be a great Senator. I believe if elected she would represent the people of Illinois well , and the people of this country as well.

Interviewer: Then why are you running, if you think she would be such a good senator

Obama: One reason is she just recently moved back to the state of Illinois, while I have specifically represented the people of Illinois throughout my career. That means while I am in the Senate, I would be more in touch with the problems of the state, and I can use that to pass legislation to specifically help the people of this state. Second is that when the Democratic Senate Nominee is going to debate Senator Fitzgerald next fall , that nominee better have a deep understanding of issues what affect the state or that person will lose. That does not mean Mrs.Clinton doesnt have that understanding but she will have to prove it to the voters in the primary campaign first that she does and if she does win the nomination I will happily support her.

[OSR stands with Israel]

2004 Iowa Caucuses and New Hampshire Primary Preview:


Brokaw: Tomorrow The Iowa Caucuses will take place marking the official beginning of this year's primary season . While DC did have a primary last week in which Gore and McCain won , it wasnt awarding out any delegates so tomorrow caucuses will be the first time delegates will be handed out. So far these are the polls in Iowa and New Hampshire , both taking place this week.


Democratic


Iowa Polls:

Senator Russ Feingold 40%
House Minority Leader Dick Gephardt 20%
Former Vice President Al Gore  19%
Senator Mary Landrieu 17%
Congressman Dennis Kucinich : 2.3%
Former HHS Secretary Howard Dean 1.7%



New Hampshire :

Former Vice President Al Gore 35%
Former HHS Secretary Howard Dean 34%
Senator Russ Feingold 17%
Senator Mary Landrieu 8%
House Minority Leader Dick Gephardt 3.2%
Congressman Dennis Kucinich 0.8%

Republicans

Iowa :

Governor George W Bush 50%
Former Speaker Newt Gingrich 37%
Senator John McCain 7 %
Congressman Ron Paul 4%
Businessman Steve Forbes 2%

New Hampshire:

Senator John McCain 50%
Governor George W Bush 29%
Former Speaker Newt Gingrich 10%
Congressman Ron Paul 8%
Businessman Steve Forbes 3%

[OSR stands with Israel]

Bush and Feinglod win Iowa , McCain and Dean win New Hampshire



Bush: Thank You Iowa , and thank you to everyone who helped me win tonight. Today marks the first step in the long battle ahead , and I can promise you we will win that fight(Applause) . I have a message to Washington, and that is it is time to give the people their money back so they can choose what to do with it , its time to stop governing by the polls and start governing to make our country better. Thank You , and may god Bless America.




Feingold: I want to thank the people of Iowa , and all our campaign's volunteers for making this night possible. Today thanks to you we have , officially sent a message to the establishment that our movement is real. Tonight marks the first step , in our movement goal of taking the country back from the elites and giving it back to the people. Tonight you have told the establishment that we are tired of trade deals what puts corporations, over people tired of a tax system that puts the interests of the rich over the interests of the people, and tired of a system where Healthcare isnt a right . Thank You and may god bless you.




McCain: Thank You New Hampshire , and thank you to all my supporters for making tonight's victory possible.Our country may face a lot of challenges , but tonight you have told that we will overcome those challenges. While winning the war on terror, and making our economy grow wont be easy, we will make sure it happens as that is the only way we can guarantee our childern's future will be as great as ours and I promise you I will fight to make that happen. Thank You  and May God Bless America.


 


Thank You New Hampshire for making tonight possible. I want to let all of you know that our mission to get the mandate to make our country better as begun. Not only will we be heard here tonight, but we will be heard in South Carolina, Heard in Arizona, Heard in North Dakota, Heard in in New York, Heard in Oregon, and Heard in Washington DC because we are going to win the White House!

[OSR stands with Israel]

Delegate Count


Republicans:

George W Bush 27
John McCain 22
Newt Gingrich 11
Ron Paul 1


Democrats:

Russ Feingold : 31 (10 Supers)
Al Gore : 15       (250 Supers)
Howard Dean: 12 (100 Supers)
Mary Landrieu : 8  (40 Supers)
Dick Gephardt : 1

[OSR stands with Israel]

Forbes and Gephardt Drop Out of the Presidential Race:




Forbes: In this campaign , I have worked hard to try to win the republican nomination but after disappointing results this past week, and the path to winning the nomination closing I have decided to drop out of the race. I have also decided to endorse Speaker Newt Gingrich because he has a better tax and spending plan than Governor Bush and Senator McCain, and I hope he becomes the next President as I feel his proposals would really help our economy. Lastly I want to thank everyone who supported an worked on this campaign and I promise you just cause my campaign for president is over , my campaign to implement a flat tax isnt over.




Gephardt : After meeting with my advisors and pollsters I have decided to withdraw from the Presidential Race , as  our campaign no longer has a chance to win the nomination. I have also decided to endorse Vice President Al Gore, because I believe he has the best experience out of all the candidates to lead the country, and on the issues agrees with our campaign more than any other candidate. I want to thank everyone who supported and volunteered for this campaign, and I will never forget your dedication. Thank you and May God Bless America

[OSR stands with Israel]

President Clinton's Last State of the Union Address:




Clinton: Mr Speaker , Mr.Vice President, Members of Congress, honored Guests , my fellow Americans :

Today will mark the 12th and final time I will come to this chamber and speak about the state of the Union , and next year I will be a retired man while someone else will be giving this speech(Laughter) .Since I first took the oath of office , we have seen extraordinary changes happen in our country and the world. Like everyone I have had my share of my successes and failures in dealing with those changes, and when I leave office I want to make sure the amount of successes I have increases , so this year wont be an unproductive one(Applause).

Since 1993 our economy has added 23 million new jobs , which means more jobs has been created in this time period than in any time period in modern history(Standing Ovation). Due to this we have reduced the people on welfare , and increased the median income the average family gets in this country(Applause)and the Dow Jones Industrial Average as tripled meaning the incentives to invest in our economy has also increased(Applause). While the economy currently may not seem to be excellent , the numbers prove what we have done is right and if we continue what we have done the economy will be great once again(Mixed Applause).

Also since 1993 the world has changed dramatically due to the internet , and due to the internet we have been able to create even more jobs than we originally expected. With the Internet being more and more important , our next goal should be to make sure every American no matter where they live can access the Internet (Applause). Due to this I am asking you to approve a new infrastructure project , to make that dream a reality .


The last thing I want to talk about is our progress in the War on Terror, and I can report to you that we are currently on pace to win the war(Standing Ovation). We have removed the Taliban from power , a group which harbored terrorists , and captured and punished the top leaders of Al-Qaeda the group behind the 9/11 attacks(Standing Ovation). The next step though is to make sure Afghanistan can transition to democracy peacefully , and our troops will do all we can do make sure the election there this year can be conducted fairly and safely(Applause). The next goal is to deal with the Syrian Government as they continue to build Weapons of Mass Destruction , and supply groups who want to destroy Israel with Weapons . I want to tell their leader, that if they continue to do that he will face more consequences from our country(Applause), and we will stop him(Applause). Today Im proposing that we increase the amount of Sanctions on the Syrian Government as a punishment for them not complying with our country. Throughout the past century our country has stood in favor of Liberty and Justice throughout the world and we wont stop now(Applause).
Thank You and May God Bless America .

[OSR stands with Israel]

Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney gives Republican Response:




Romney: Good Evening , tonight I will be sharing with you my thoughts on the President's State of the Union Speech. The President over and over again talked about the economic statistics of his presidency, and mentioned the amount of jobs he created , and how the stock market tripled. What he didnt tell was there were more jobs created in his Presidency in January of 2001 than the amount created up to this point. That means our economy has lost jobs over the past 3 years and instead of giving solutions and proposals to fix that problem he has asked us to continue the status quo. The fact is in the 1990s a huge reason why we had the economic boom we did was due to the Internet Bubble, and the fact is ever since it burst our economy has stagnated not grown .

Mr.President the best way to grow the economy is  to increase either the supply or the demand and the best way to do so is to give the American people a tax cut so they have more money to spend, and more money to grow their businesses . It worked with spectacular results in the 1980s , and worked from 1994-2000 when we returned Reagan era economic policies and it will work again if we return to them once again. The last three times we didnt follow the Reagan's economic program was in the 1970s when we had stagflation throughout the decade , in the early 1990s after we raised taxes which resulted in economic stagnation ,and now  when we have kept taxes highs which currently has once again resulted in economic stagnation.



On foreign policy I agree with the President, we have had many successes but we must stay the course to win the war . One thing I believe the President should also do is give Assad strict deadlines in which the punishment to not cooperate with our country increases every time a deadline passes, and when the last deadline passes we will remove you from power.  If we do that he will surrender and we will be a safer place. Thank You and May God Bless America

[OSR stands with Israel]

Bush Dominates Mini Tuesday (Super Tuesday I) , while Gore narrowly beats Landrieu and Feingold  




Tom Brokaw: Tonight Governor Bush solidified himself as the heavy favorite to win the Republican nomination as he won all the primaries tonight , with the exception of Senator McCain's Home state Arizona and its neighbor New Mexico which was basically a tie. On the Democratic side Vice Presidential Gore won the states of Arizona, Delaware, New Mexico , and South Carolina , while Senator Landrieu won North Dakota and Oklahoma , and Senator Feingold won Missouri. Now for the map and the delegate count

Republicans:

George W Bush 210
John McCain 78
Newt Gingrich 18
Ron Paul 8


Brokaw: Is the nomination over

Russert: No its not McCain can still win if he dominates the Midwest , the North East and pulls out a win in California. Bush is the heavy favorite at this point but remember McCain trailed Graham , by a lot too although not this much.


Democrats

Al Gore : 143 (271 Supers)
Russ Feingold : 85(10 Supers)
Mary Landrieu : 80 (42 Supers)
Howard Dean: 24(77 Supers)
Dick Gephardt : 1


Brokaw: Vice President Gore has retaken the lead but currently it donest look like he will have enough to win before the convention begins

Russert: At this stage we likely will have a contested convention , but if Vice President Gore can pull of a win in Maine , the path for Gore to win on the first ballot becomes much easier as a win in Maine would knock Governor Dean out of the race.


Brokaw: Wouldn't you say Dean is already gone, I mean 23 supers after tonight has decided to switch their vote from Dean to Gore, and a couple of them to even Landrieu .

Russert: Yes but  if more dont defect after tonight and he wins the states he expected to he will still be here till the convention .

[OSR stands with Israel]

Breaking News : Appeals court upholds lower court's decision on the modified line item veto.


Biden: We will indeed be appealing this decision, and we hope it get resolved fast so it can be used during budget negotiations.

[OSR stands with Israel]

Newt Gingrich and Dennis Kucinich Drop Out of Presidential race:




Gingrich: After careful consideration I have decided to withdraw from the Presidential Race. Over the past year our campaign has worked hard to ensure that the Reagan Revolution of the 1980s and the Republican Revolution of the mid 1990s can take the next step in their goal to dismantle the big government bureaucratic state created in the 50 years before the 1980s and returning power back to the states and the people. We proposed a tax plan which would finally benefit the people over the special interests , regulatory reform what would give back more power to the people, and entitlement reform to make sure our country doesnt go bankrupt, and unfortunately we lost. Although just cause we lost doesnt mean this fight is over and I promise you over the next few years I will continue my fight to make sure these reforms happen as our country needs it to be better. I have also decided to endorse Governor George W Bush for President as he is the most Reaganite candidate left in the race and the only one who has the courage to stand up to big government . Thank You to my supporters, and may god Bless America.



Kucinich: Today I have decided to suspend my campaign as there is no possible way at this point for me to win the nomination, but just because we lost doesnt mean what we campaigned for has been lost. Senator Russ Feingold has been campaigning for similar policies and for that reason I have decided to endorse him as he is the only candidate left in the race who believes in increasing worker rights, getting out of these horrible trade deals, reversing welfare reform , reregulating Wall Street, and supports single payer healthcare. Thank You to all my supporters who supported me and I hope our progressive ideals win out this year.

[OSR stands with Israel]

President Clinton releases proposal on immigration reform


Summary of Proposal


- Requires all Publicly Traded Companies to use E-Verify to prevent illegal immigrants from obtaining a job

- Doubles Initial Penalty for Companies who hire illegal immigrants

- Penalty Doubles on each subsequent occasion when  a Company gets caught hiring illegal immigrants

- Allocates 30 Billion Dollars to build a fence in the least secure areas on the border

- Deports any illegal immigrant convicted on a felony

- Allows any illegal immigrant who has resided in the United States for 5 or more years and haven't committed a felony in the past 5 years to be given a pathway to citizenship