Will Jeb Run?

By the way, I did recieve a copy of the 1982 HOF induction speech that Governor Chandler made.

Apparently, Jeb Bush will not run in 2008 but will not rule out a future run for president eventually. I'm not going to whine about dynasties since Democrats do it as well though we actually govern better than them.

"You should never say never. But for the 2008 election, my answer is definitely no," he said, in comments translated into German by the magazine.

Asked whether his answer meant a later challenge was possible, he said: "Let's say there's a vague chance."

Stephen Colbert, pronounced Colbare as it's French, calls the 2006 gubernatorial race for Eliot Spitzer.

"You're the golden boy, you could anything," said Colbert, an alum from the Daily Show on Comedy Central credited as a top news source for young people. "I'm not a king maker...but you're going to win," he said.

Spitzer laughed off the endorsement in the five-minute interview and succeeded in his handlers' plea to not try to be funny.

But when he answered Colbert's question about the cost of a gubernatorial campaign as between $30 million and $40 million, Spitzer said: "It's almost an obscene amount of money...the reason it's not completely obscene is I'm about to do it."

I am only linking to this to show you what the Republicans are saying without me actually commenting about it as I will invoke the 11h commandment right now. Therefore, I have no comment.

The GOP Chairman, Ken Mehlman, admits that they are in tough times. Just look at the policies they are making. The next thing you know is that they will start standing up for prison reform because that is where some of them are going.

"There is no question we're in difficult political times," Republican Party Chairman Ken Mehlman told NBC's Meet the Press.[...]

Democratic Party Chairman Howard Dean was optimistic on his party's chances to win back Congress in 2006. "Yes, we can and we will," he said on Meet the Press.

"The truth is when the American people want real change they'll have it. And this time they are going to get real change," he said.

How does Joe Lieberman feel about the president's handling of the war?

"Those aren't irrelevant questions," says Sen. Joe Lieberman (D-Conn.). "But the more they dominate the public debate, the harder it is to sustain public support for the war."[...]

"We're at war, and we've got to remind ourselves of that from time to time," Lieberman said. And not just, or even mostly, Democrats, Lieberman stressed last week at an Aspen Institute forum: "It really has to start, ought to start, with the administration."[...]

A true wartime president, Lieberman said, would reach out regularly to congressional leaders of both parties. He would explain strategy, admit mistakes, be open to suggestions.

How have candidates done with financing their campaigns?

Democrats, meanwhile, have boasted solid fund-raising with a series of events featuring national figures, such as former vice presidential candidate John Edwards, Delaware Sen. Joseph Biden and a forthcoming Dec. 2 event with New York Sen. Hillary Clinton.

However, neither political party organization will file its financial update until January.

The two Democratic constitutional officers seeking re-election, Attorney General Stumbo and State Auditor Crit Luallen, haven't begun raising money. Luallen's report showed one $250 donation and $76.75 in interest on funds left over from her 2003 run. Stumbo reported no new money.

Democrats are focusing on 2006 first.

Jonathan Singer at Basie interviews former Senator George McGovern. I had the chance to meet Senator McGovern on October 5, 2004, and was able to watch the Vice Presidential debate with the Senator.

Singer: You’re speaking from South Dakota. There’s been a lot of talk following the 2000 and especially 2004 election of "red" states and "blue" states, and people usually think of South Dakota as a "red" state. But two of its three Congressional members are Democrats, and previously all three were. North Dakota is represented by all three Democrats. What do you make of this talk of "red" states and "blue" states? Does it even exist, really?

George McGovern: I have trouble remembering from one day to the next what "blue" and "red" mean. They used to call us Democrats “reds” because they thought we were too liberal, too pink. I’m glad the Republicans have assumed that label now.

But in any event, I think it’s a kind of superficial way to look at politics. People, more and more, tend to vote on something in addition to partisan considerations. During my years in politics here in South Dakota, I was constantly stopped by people in the street who would say, "I’m a Republican, but I’m for you George." And this state kept me in office for almost a quarter of a century. So I don’t think of it as either "red" or "blue." And I think that’s true with most states.

I am going to be busy working on this paper on Governor Chandler for a bulk of the evening so posting will be light today.