|
|
|||
|
|||
|
|
Insider Report: Secret Service Calls Obama ‘Renegade' Special From NewsMax's Most Informed Sources
Headlines (Scroll down for complete stories):
1. Florida Gov. Crist Touted as GOP VP Candidate
2. Hedgecock Credits NewsMax on Haditha
3. Zogby: Bloomberg Can Win in ‘08
4. Secret Service Calls Obama ‘Renegade'
5. Kissinger: I Won't Read POW Book
6. Who Will Replace Imus?
7. We Heard: Al Franken, Ben Stein, Lou Dobbs
1. Florida Gov. Crist Touted as GOP Veep Candidate Florida Gov. Charlie Crist has been in office for only six months, but he's being talked about as a possible vice presidential candidate on the Republican ticket in 2008. Crist is currently enjoying an approval rating of 73 percent, according to a Quinnipiac University poll. That's nearly 12 points higher than the peak ratings for his popular predecessor, Jeb Bush. As a moderate Republican from an important swing state, Crist could have a strong appeal to a national ticket, according to the Sarasota Herald-Tribune.
Story Continues Below
"In each of the last two presidential elections, Florida's electoral votes proved to be the decider of the contest," the paper noted. "If Crist could deliver the king of all battleground states, he could help any one of the top GOP contenders win the White House." Larry Sabato, director of the University of Virginia's Center for Politics, said Crist "is definitely in the conversation." Sensing his potential importance in the race, all three of the GOP front-runners — Rudy Giuliani, John McCain, and Mitt Romney — have asked Crist to join their campaign, said Crist, who added that he has turned down the requests. Crist has been gaining national recognition since easily winning the governor's race last year. He has testified before Congress and attended an international trade mission in the Middle East. Crist has also won applause for moving to lower property taxes in Florida.
But many of the state's conservatives want to give the new governor more time before they make a judgment. Crist upset some in the Republican Party by moving to give felons the right to vote. Had that been in effect in the 2000 election, it is doubtful George Bush would have won Florida in the closely contested race with Al Gore. Another worrisome revelation: Crist is planning to set up a global warming summit with California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. Editor's Note:
2. Hedgecock Credits NewsMax on Haditha Rush Limbaugh's guest host Roger Hedgecock has praised NewsMax's exclusive in-depth coverage of the Haditha incident and its aftermath. Last December, eight Marines were hit with a variety of charges stemming from the November 2005 incident, in which 24 Iraqis were killed, and an investigation is ongoing. NewsMax correspondent Phil Brennan has been following the story closely. On June 21, Hedgecock — a talk radio host on station KOGO in San Diego — sat in for Rush Limbaugh and told listeners: "In Camp Pendleton . . . trials are being held against United States Marines for a massacre, Time magazine called it. "A massacre by the men of Kilo Company, 3rd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, that killed '24 innocent civilians.' Some of them executed. Many of them women and children who were slaughtered mercilessly by vengeful Marines after one of their own had been killed in an IED explosion just a few minutes before . . . "That's the description in Time magazine. "It turns out that something quite different happened. "What happened, according to sworn testimony, and people have been passing their polygraphs: The charges to date have been actually dropped against one of the Marines, Sgt. Sanick P. Dela Cruz. More of that is coming. NewsMax.com is the only place where they've been following this story. And it has been a remarkable story . . . "We now know . . . that the accusations against the Marines are completely false." In his report filed on June 14, Brennan noted: "When it comes to the November 2005 Haditha incident, which the media has characterized as a wanton massacre of 24 innocent civilians, it seems it is the truth that has been massacred — by the news media. Editor's Note:
3. Zogby: Bloomberg Can Win in '08 New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg can be more than just a spoiler if he runs for president as an independent next year — he could actually win, according to prominent pollster John Zogby. "My polling shows his chances are promising," Zogby writes in an opinion piece for the New York Daily News. He explains: "After more than a decade of harsh wrangling, likely voters tell me they are tired of the vicious partisanship. In a national telephone poll last month, 80 percent said it was "very important" that the next president be a person who can unite the country, and 82 percent said the same about the need for a competent manager. Bloomberg wins on both counts." In that poll, 58 percent said it was "very important" that the next president be able to cross party lines to work with political opponents, while just 42 percent said it was "very important" that a candidate reflect the values of their own political party. "Put another way, the middle ground of the political electorate is expanding; the fringes are contracting, and Bloomberg could be sitting in the sweet spot," said Zogby, president and CEO of the global polling firm Zogby International.
"In an exhaustingly drawn-out campaign, Bloomberg can essentially remain above the fray for many more months while the Democrats and Republicans slug it out for their respective nominations. If and when he finally steps in, he could be seen as a real breath of fresh air. In a society that increasingly puts value on what's new and exciting, we should not underestimate this factor." Zogby concludes: "Bloomberg's combination of a track record of political success, a political philosophy that matches what the electorate wants, and the cash to buy a campaign organization makes it possible he may do much more than just affect the race — he could win it." Editor's Note:
4. Secret Service Calls Obama 'Renegade' Secret Service agents have traditionally given "secret" code names to presidential candidates and other dignitaries they protect. Sen. Barack Obama's moniker: "Renegade." The Secret Service announced on May that it was placing Obama under its protection — the earliest ever for a presidential candidate — for undisclosed reasons. The only other presidential candidate currently receiving Secret Service protection is Hillary Clinton, as a former first lady. She was dubbed "Evergreen" when her husband Bill — "Eagle" — first came under agency protection. President George Bush is "Tumbler," and his father is "Timberwolf," the New York Post reports. Sen. John Kerry was named "Minuteman" after winning the Democratic nomination in 2004, while Al Gore started out as "Sawhorse" and eventually became "Sundance." Former President Jimmy Carter, who taught Sunday school, is "Deacon," and Ronald Reagan was "Rawhide." But according to the Post, a Secret Service spokesman said all code names are chosen by military officials and they should not be examined too closely for deeper meaning. Editor's Note:
5. Kissinger: I Won't Read POW Book Former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger says he won't read a new best-selling book charging that he and other government officials engaged in a massive cover-up of prisoners left behind in Southeast Asia after the Vietnam War. "An Enormous Crime: The Definitive Account of American POWs Abandoned in Southeast Asia," by former Rep. Bill Hendon and co-author Elizabeth Stewart, chronicles the failure of the U.S. government to take action regarding hundreds of prisoners even after receiving overwhelming proof that they were being held by the North Vietnamese. It also maintains that Kissinger and President Richard Nixon promised $4.75 billion in aid to North Vietnam in exchange for the return of all POWs. Kissinger told the New York Daily News that he did receive a copy of the book, but added: "I'm not going to read it." He also claimed the book's allegations are "irresponsible" and "insupportable" and had already been reviewed in extensive congressional hearings. Editor's Note:
6. Who Will Replace Imus? Joe Scarborough has completed his fifth straight week as the replacement anchor for Don Imus on MSNBC, but the network has yet to announce if he will get the job permanently. The former Florida congressman first anchored the 6 a.m. to 9 a.m. show on May 14, about a month after Imus was dropped by MSNBC and CBS Radio for his derogatory remark about the Rutgers University women's basketball team. He has been on steadily since May 28, with MSNBC calling his morning program "Morning Joe" in promotions. According to Broadcast Newsroom, MSNBC vice president of communications Jeremy Gaines recently declined to say if Scarborough will be Imus' permanent replacement. But he said there would soon be an announcement about the morning slot. Stay tuned. Editor's Note:
7. We Heard . . . THAT Senate candidate Al Franken has "won" Ben Stein's money. Stein, who hosted the Comedy Central game show "Win Ben Stein's Money" for six years, gave the former "Saturday Night Live" star $1,000, according to the publication Roll Call. Asked by a blogger why the conservative Stein — who was a speechwriter and lawyer for Republicans Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford — would contribute to the campaign of the former Air America host, Stein replied: "Al is a close friend and one of the smartest people I have ever met," according to the Web site rawstory.com.
Franken is seeking the Democratic nomination for the U.S. Senate seat from Minnesota now occupied by Republican Norm Coleman. Other celebrities who have contributed to Franken's campaign include Paul Newman, Tom Hanks, Rob Reiner, political comedian Bill Maher, writer Nora Ephron, "Seinfeld" creator Larry David and Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein. THAT New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg's potential run for the White House as an independent in 2008 would stand a good chance of succeeding if all voters were watchers of "Lou Dobbs Tonight." Dobbs has a poll question on his show each evening. On June 18, the question was: Do you consider yourself to be Republican, Democrat or Independent? The results: A large majority, 71 percent, said they were independents, while 22 percent said Democrats and just 7 percent said Republicans.
Editor's notes:
Read more on this subject in related Hot Topics:
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||
Print Page 
Forward Page 
|
| All Rights Reserved © 2008 NewsMax.Com |