Malloy, DeStefano bloodbath

(due to new video footage, this post has been bumped to the top)
Oh, this primary battle between Dan Malloy and John DeStefano is getting ugly.

It seems like these two have been at each others throats for the last week taking shots at each other whenever they get a chance.

Hmm, I think convention time is around the corner.

On Tuesday, both Democratic candidates debated each other in front of a Latino audience in Hartford recently and it was something to see.

The two Democratic mayors running for governor clashed Tuesday night over their records of promoting and serving Latinos in their very different cities.

In a debate before a Latino audience in Hartford, New Haven Mayor John DeStefano Jr. ridiculed the Latino hiring record of his rival, Stamford Mayor Dannel P. Malloy.

DeStefano said 500 Latinos are employed by the city of New Haven, compared with only 100 in Stamford. And, he added, his police chief and two former chiefs of staff are Hispanic.

"Let me tell you what I have done, not what I would do," DeStefano said.

Malloy immediately jabbed back, blaming DeStefano's opposition for recently costing Jorge Perez his position as president of the New Haven Board of Aldermen. Malloy said he has been endorsed by Jorge Perez and other ranking Latinos, including Hartford Mayor Eddie A. Perez.

"There is a way to demonstrate fidelity with the Latino community, and I happen to think that when Jorge Perez was not elected as the head of the aldermanic board in New Haven, it was a huge breach of trust, not just in New Haven, but on a statewide basis," Malloy said.

DeStefano replied he preferred to recite his record of hiring Latinos, not dropping Hispanic names.

Ouch, these guys aren't holding back any punches and things are going to continue to go downhill as the convention approaches.

What's that you say? You miss the debate on Tuesday night? Well, don't worry, ConnecticutBLOG has the video footage of these two Democrats going at each other and the video will be posted later tonight.

Somewhere, Gov. Rell is just grinning.

UPDATE: Here is the video highlights from Tuesday night's debate:

UPDATE 2: I heard that the video is not playing well so I'm taking the footage down for now. I'll repost the video once I find out what's going on. My bad.

FEC numbers

Genghis at Connecticut Local Politics gives the run-down on the candidates fundraising numbers.

Senate:
Lamont (D): $712,611 ($371,500 from candidate's own funds)
Lieberman (D): $947,356

Governor:
DeStefano (D): $415,000
Malloy (D): $570,000
Rell (R): $900,000(est.)

2nd CD:
Courtney (D): $274,688
Simmons (R): 222,500 (est.)

4th CD:
Farrell (D): $514,595
Shays (R): $372,000

5th CD:
Murphy (D): $335,000 (est.)
Johnson (R): $436,373.90

The Associated Press reports on the latest numbers while focusing on the Lamont campaign.

U.S. Sen. Joe Lieberman's Democratic challenger, Ned Lamont, raised over $700,000 during the first three months of the year, but more than half of it was donated by the candidate himself.

"It's a contribution," said Lamont campaign manager Tom Swan. "Ned felt we needed to help level the playing field to kick off the campaign. He believes his money was a good down payment."

In addition to the $371,500 Lamont gave himself, the candidate raised $341,111 from more than 4,300 donors during the first three months of this year, Swan said. That leaves him with $375,916 cash on hand. Lamont's account balance is just slightly more than the money he gave to his own campaign.

"We raised enough money from enough people to show we're going to be very competitive in August," said Swan, making reference to the Aug. 8 primary. "We're very pleased."

[...]

Lieberman raised $947,356 during the first quarter, pushing his campaign warchest to more than $4.7 million.

"I'm grateful for this incredibly strong show of support at every level, especially from the many people who took the time to write small checks," Lieberman said in a written statement.

Lieberman has received 24,000 contributions for this election cycle, which began in December 2000, his campaign said. About 80 percent of those donors gave $200 or less.

What does this all mean? Those who believe in Ned Lamont will tell you that Ned will win this election because of Ned, not because of how much money he has on hand. CTKeith from DumpJoe.com best illustrates the admiration Lamont supporters have for the Grenwich millionare who teaches kids at a inner city school in Bridgeport.

We fell for a guy without the malice that many of us feel toward Lieberman.

We fell for the guy who taught poor kids in Bridgeport way before he ever thought of running for any political post.

We fell for the guy who says with conviction that Healthcare is a right.

We fell for the guy who will shake all hands and take all questions and questioners seriously.

We fell for the guy who is humble in front of all audiences.

and

We fell for the guy who we know is telling the truth when he talks about those "dinner time political talks at his families dinner table".

I was very skeptical when Ned Lamont first announced. I thought Lowell Weickers Name recognition, experiene and his courage made him a better choice and thought we could indeed get him to run as a Democrat. I was fearful that starting from scratch with a "millionaire From Greenwich" would be a disaster but BOY WAS I WRONG.

I've been to more Lamont events than most and I can tell you Ned has a gift. A gift that allows him to enter a room of people hoping for something special and to deliver it. Those who have seen and heard Ned in person automatically know he's a serious contender and a serious threat to our Jr. Senator and that's Ned and his supporters biggest asset.

Well said Keith.

Danbury News-Times screws up, falls for Neo-nazi hoax

Wow! I'm speechless!

How could the News-Times not verify this Neo-Naxi allegation before releasing it in the paper? Was their only source an email from this guy? Because of an article that was clearly not verified, the city pulled a permit for safety reasons thus stopping a rally from happening.

One thing is for certain, someone at the News-Times has some explaining to do.

Danbury Police said Friday that the man who claimed to be a member of the Grey Wolves neo-Nazi group made up the entire story. Police said there is no such group as the Grey Wolves, and the man apologized for his behavior.

Because the Neo-Nazi threat has been removed, Mayor Mark Boughton said the city will give a permit to the Minutemen United to hold a religious rally and prayer vigil on Danbury Green Tuesday to support the dissolution of the barriers between religion and government in the United States.

"I apologize to the city of Danbury,’’ said the man, who refused to give his name to the News-Times. "I’m a fool. I’m an idiot.’’

The man, who said he lived in Fairfield County, said he made up the name Grey Wolves because of his indignation over the rally.

"I’m a strong supporter of church and state,’’ he said.

The editorial board of the News-Times have to explain themselves regarding this major screw-up.

Come see Ned Lamont in your area

Come and see what all the hype is about as Ned Lamont takes his campaign across the state.

Ned Lamont will address SCSU students and others
Date: Mon, 17 Apr 2006 13:00:00 EDT
Description:
Ned will speak at Southern Connecticut State University

New Britain DTC meeting
Date: Mon, 17 Apr 2006 19:30:00 EDT
Description:
Ned will address New Britain DTC delegates and others.

Newtown Dems Meet and Greet for Ned Lamont
Date: Mon, 17 Apr 2006 20:00:00 EDT
Description:
Ned will meet and address DTC members and supporters from Newtown and surrounding towns.

House Party for Ned Lamont
Date: Tue, 18 Apr 2006 18:00:00 EDT
Description:
Ned will attend a house party at the home of Cynthia Ward and Paul Wikstrom in the Boston area to meet supporters.

College Democrats of CT State Convention
Date: Sat, 22 Apr 2006 11:00:00 EDT
Description:
Ned will address student Democrats from across the state at their convention.

Heritage Village Democratic Club meeting
Date: Sat, 22 Apr 2006 13:30:00 EDT
Description:
The Heritage Village Democrats have invited Ned Lamont to address them during their annual membership drive.

Lamont does Middlefield

The Ned Lamont express made a stop in Middlefield on Tuesday as the man who is challenging Joe Lieberman came talked to the town's Democratic Town Committee and answered numerius questions from those who attended.

Ned Lamont, a cheery former Greenwich selectman, stopped in as part of a state-wide tour he's been on since entering the race last month. Lamont had no reservations about detailing his progressive viewpoints on several issues. The first question came from Mary Beth Johnson, who asked if he would support senator Russ Feingold's (D-Wisconsin) resolution to censure the president for his warrantless wiretapping program. Without missing a beat, Lamont responded "I would absolutely support the censure resolution. Everyone seems to be in agreement that the President broke the law, but they just don't want to punish him."

According to those who attended the event, Lamont impressed many people and might of won a few delegate votes.

Lamont seemed to already have support among those who had come to see him speak. "Joe Lieberman has changed," Clay Howe of Durham commented, "He is no longer the Joe Lieberman who once represented New Haven." The primary will be held in August, and Lamont's campaign has been slowing drawing national attention. Just that day rumors were flying that Lieberman would enter the Senate race as an independent if he were to lose the primary.

If you want to see the man in action, check out the campaign's website for details on where Ned will be in the upcoming weeks.

Stamford Advocate: Lieberman best stick with party

The Stamford Advocate weighs in on Lieberman's threat to leave the Democratic party and offers a piece of good advice to the three time senator.

Speaking to reporters in Hartford on Monday, Mr. Lieberman said "I am not foreclosing the option" if Democrats choose Greenwich's Ned Lamont as their candidate, The Hartford Courant reported.

Mr. Lieberman said that's because he believes he's the best man for the job regardless of affiliation. An independent run would give voters a chance to determine that for themselves.

But it must worry some Democrats who fear he would be putting the seat at risk for a second time. With no threatening Republicans on the horizon this year -- Republican Party insiders even discussed endorsing Mr. Lieberman at one point -- the only thing Democrats really have to fear is the prospect of two of their own canceling each other out.

It also might say something about how Mr. Lieberman views the threat posed by Mr. Lamont. That the three-term senator is even considering an independent run, publicly no less, indicates he is troubled by the challenge. That is despite a February Quinnipiac University poll that gave Mr. Lieberman a 68 percent chance of winning the nomination compared to 13 percent for Mr. Lamont. Perhaps Mr. Lieberman is worried about how his ardent support for the Iraq war -- and growing reputation (deserved or not) as President Bush's inside man among the Democrats -- will play out in voting booths.

[...]

At a time when Democrats feel control of Congress is within their grasp, Mr. Lieberman's wait-and-see attitude could also hurt other candidates who are relying on him. They include former Westport First Selectwoman Diane Farrell, who is making a second run at U.S. Rep. Christopher Shays and who's taken some heat for backing Mr. Lieberman over Mr. Lamont.

He could be hurting himself as well. Mr. Lieberman might consider that a firm, Democrat-or-nothing declaration could be the best strategy for keeping his job. The Democratic primary is on Aug. 8. To qualify as an independent candidate, Mr. Lieberman would have to produce 7,500 voter signatures the next day. News that Mr. Lieberman is out collecting names between now and the primary would not sit well with many registered Democrats, and it could nudge some of them toward Mr. Lamont.

If he really is worried about the challenger from Greenwich, Mr. Lieberman should think very carefully about that.

Lieberman worse case scenario comes true

Former Derby Mayor and Republican Alan Schlesinger throws his hat into the US Senate race. Schlesinger is challenging the one issue wonder and xenophobe Paul Streitz for the Republican nomination

Former Derby Mayor Alan Schlesinger will enter the U.S. Senate race Monday, seeking the Republican nomination and setting the stage for a potential battle against incumbent U.S. Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman in November.

Schlesinger will vie for the ballot slot at the GOP convention on May 20 against Paul F. Streitz of Darien and possibly Jack Orchulli, the former fashion entrepreneur who lost against Sen. Christopher J. Dodd in the 2004 Senate race.

Schlesinger, who won six elections for the state legislature and two for mayor, predicted Thursday that Democratic challenger Ned Lamont would defeat Lieberman in a Democratic primary in August, setting up a possible three-way race in November. The reason for the prediction, Schlesinger said, is "history" - meaning that Democrats in Connecticut have traditionally chosen the more liberal candidate in scenario primaries.

"This is the party that brought you [former gubernatorial contender Bill] Curry twice and is totally upset with Lieberman over Iraq," Schlesinger said. "Lamont will be coming at him from the left, and I will come at him from the right."

Lieberman has not ruled out running as an independent if he loses the Democratic nomination.

Why is this bad for Lieberman you ask. It's bad because Lieberman had a 70+ percent approval among Republicans in the state but this was before a credible candidate came on the scene.

Now things have changed.

Schlesinger has a long political history in Connecticut winning two elections for mayor and six elections for state legislature. He should be able to pull away those Republican voters who would of otherwise vote for Lieberman in November which makes Lieberman's strategy of running as an independent all the more risky.

Rally permit denied in Danbury

The city of Danbury does the right thing.

Organizers of a rally promoting religious rights must find a new location after Danbury officials pulled their permit Thursday to hold the event on public property downtown.

City officials asked members of Minutemen United, an Ohio-based Christian organization, to relocate their rally from the Danbury Green after The News-Times reported that a neo-Nazi group called the Grey Wolves plans to attend the event, which is scheduled for Tuesday.

The city has the right to deny permits for safety reasons.

"We asked the (religious) organization to locate the event to a private property so they can regulate who can attend," said Danbury Mayor Mark Boughton.

Members of Minutemen United, which is not affiliated with the neo-Nazi group, are worried that the Grey Wolves might derail their plans for a solemn event, but they still plan to hold the rally.

As of Thursday night, the Minutemen United group had not found another site for the rally.

This was a smart move by the city and Mayor Boughton. One look at this email from a member of the Neo-nazi group to the News-Times and you could tell that these wackos were up to no good.

"I am the local spokesman for this society. We are not some super large Kabal! We have approximately 200 people in three states that are active members. We dress in black pants, black boots, red sox with black jackets with the swastika branded in the back. We just want to show our solidarity with the churches who are sponsoring this activity. I personally am not looking for any confrontations, but if we are provoked we will react very strongly!"

Stevie Wonder could see that this rally would only lead to trouble so the city had every right to pull the permit for safety reasons.

Backtrack

I think they someone got the message.

Correction: April 13, 2006

An article on Tuesday about an effort to defeat Senator Joseph I. Lieberman of Connecticut referred incorrectly to his support by the state Democratic Party leadership. Although Nancy J. DiNardo, chairwoman of the Central Committee, supports him, the committee itself has not taken a formal position.

Priceless.
(hat tip to thirdparty for catching this).

Welcome the Neo-Nazis to Danbury

This is insane.

A rally calling for an end to the separation of church and state is expected to draw hundreds to downtown Danbury on Tuesday, including members of a neo-Nazi group who plan to wear swastikas on their black jackets.

Minutemen United, an Ohio-based Christian organization, is holding the rally Tuesday afternoon, because "the wall between the separation of church and state must be torn down," the group's leader and founder Dave Daubenmire said Wednesday.

Minutemen United expects up to 300 people at the event on the Danbury Green, but that number could increase as word of the rally spreads. Members of other organizations that advocate unity between religion and government say they plan to attend.

The Grey Wolves, a Northeast-based white supremacist group loosely affiliated with the Christian Identity Movement, will bring three busloads of people to the rally, Rick Renage, Grey Wolves spokesman, said Wednesday.

Renage read about the rally at NewsTimesLive.com, The News-Times' Web site, which posted information Wednesday afternoon about the event.

"We just want to show our solidarity with the churches who are sponsoring this activity," Renage said.

Bullshit! This is a Neo-Nazi group and NO church should allow these wackos to attend their rally.

The Southern Poverty Law Center, a civil rights organization known for its battles with white supremacists and its tracking of extremist groups across the country, could not confirm whether the Grey Wolves is a hate group.

Still, Frank Caporale, a non-denominational Christian from Danbury who is helping to organize the rally, told Renage not to attend.

"This is not a demonstration. This is a solemn assembly," Caporale said. "This is religious, not political. I want people from all walks of life to feel comfortable attending."

Renage said his group will not cause any trouble.

"I, personally, am not looking for any confrontations, but if we are provoked, we will react very strongly," he said in an e-mail to The News-Times.

Danbury Police Detective Lt. Tom Michael said he would have more information today about how the police department will handle the rally.

The Rev. Bob Cutting, pastor of Mountain Church of God in Brookfield and member of Minutemen United, said he was not aware of the Grey Wolves' participation, but he said all are welcome as long as they do not bring signs.

"It's open to the public. We just don't want any disruption," Cutting said. "This is about the separation of church and state."

Again, this is bullshit and should not be tolerated in our city. For any so-called church to say that a hate-group is welcomed to attend their silly rally is outrageous and unacceptable.

Enough is enough. It's bad enough that we have extremists in this area who are trying to get recognized, now we have to deal with Neo-Nazis giving Danbury a bad name.

What's next, cross burning?

Are you pissed off? We'll have information on how to best express your outrage later.

Howard Dean will support eventual CT Democratic Nominee

Breaking news from MyDD

I was at an American Prospect breakfast with Howard Dean, and he said among other things that the DNC won't be involved in the Connecticut primary. However, he went out of his way to single out Joe Lieberman for being an 'outlier' on national security, and he did say that the DNC will support the eventual Democratic nominee. You hear what I'm saying? If Joe goes Indy, he's losing major backing.

Dean gives a simple answer to a simple question. Too bad we can't get a straight answer like this out of our Democratic officials here in Connecticut.

I say again, if Joe is threatening to leave the Democratic party if there is a primary (or if he loses the primary), why should any Democratic candidate offer their support to him? You would NEVER hear a Republican make a simular claim (i.e. McCain) so why should Joe be allowed to get off the hook?

UPDATE: Lamontblog ups the ante.

What is any Democrat - much less the state and national leadership - doing supporting a candidate who by his own admission may may take the money and run to the other side of the aisle before November?

Contact Dodd, DiNardo, and the DSCC. Tell them you won't support them if they continue to support a candidate who might cut and run from the party:

Sen. Christopher Dodd
Washington Office: (202) 224-2823
Connecticut Office: (860) 258-6940

CT Democratic Party Chairwoman Nancy DiNardo
Email: NDiNardo@ctdems.org
Phone: (860) 560-1775
Fax: (860) 560-1522

Democratic Senatorial Campaign Commitee
Email: info@dscc.org
Phone: (202) 224-2447
Fax: (202) 969-0354

Chris Dodd will supposedly be on Colin McEnroe's show on WTIC radio today, sometime between 3 and 6. You can call in at (800) 966-9842.

Too little, too late

Thanks for nothing Colin.
Disgraceful.

Former US Secretary of State Colin Powell said that, despite the fact that the State Department's experts did not suspect Iraq had nuclear capabilities, President Bush followed the misleading advice of Vice President Richard B. Cheney on the subject, according to claims made today by the website Truthdig.

In the report it is also disclosed that Powell characterized the President's mention of the Niger in the State of the Union "a big mistake."

[...]

On Monday, former Secretary of State Colin Powell told me that he and his department's top experts never believed that Iraq posed an imminent nuclear threat, but that the president followed the misleading advice of Vice President Dick Cheney and the CIA in making the claim. Now he tells us.

[...]

"The CIA was pushing the aluminum tube argument heavily and Cheney went with that instead of what our guys wrote," Powell said. And the Niger reference in Bush's State of the Union speech? "That was a big mistake," he said. "It should never have been in the speech. I didn't need Wilson to tell me that there wasn't a Niger connection. He didn't tell us anything we didn't already know. I never believed it."

You have blood on your hands but unlike the other wingnuts who ran away from military service, your actions are worse because you knew the evidence was B.S. and you went before the U.N. and told a bunch of lies anyway.

You helped sell a war that was based on a bunch of lies that YOU KNEW were lies. I don't know how you sleep at night knowing that you actions (or inaction) resulted in the deaths of over 2000+ Americans and tens of thousands of innocent Iraqis who being blown to bits.

Baseball fans give Cheney a piece of their mind

What was he thinking?

Vice President Cheney threw out the ceremonial first pitch at the home opener of the Washington Nationals game today. The crowd was was less than thrilled to have him there, loudly booing over the Fox News reporter. (Note: Fox producers muted the crowd audio halfway through before letting viewers “listen in” after the pitch.)

Check out the video. It's priceless.

Immigrant supporters come out in force

Maybe Nancy Johnson should rethink her plans to meet with an anti-immigrant hate group in Danbury. I think these people just became Chris Murphy supporters.

From Washington, D.C., to tiny Garden City, Kan., the events Monday made it clear that immigration is no longer an issue restricted to border states. Organizers of rallies in Hartford and New Haven said Monday marked a new chapter of the debate in a state with a rapidly growing population of undocumented immigrants.

Although those immigrants in the past preferred to remain in the shadows, organizers said Monday such immigrants joined activists, unions and religious groups in calling for new laws that provide a way for those here illegally to become citizens.

"Today's laws are not only anti-immigrant, today's laws are anti-American," New Haven Mayor and gubernatorial candidate John DeStefano told an estimated crowd of 2,000 on the New Haven Green.

The events yesterday in Connecticut illustrates how support there is for immigrant rights. Hopefully, the supporters can channel that energy into votes come election day.

Public is off the kool-aid

Nice to see that the public is FINALLY waking up. Can we talk about censure now?

A new Gallup poll released today finds that most Americans are critical of President Bush's actions in the Plame/CIA leak scandal, but only one in four is following the matter closely.

Overall, 63% of Americans believe Bush did something either illegal (21%) or unethical (42%), while 28% say he did nothing wrong. While many more Democrats are critical, 3 in 10 Republicans also find that Bush did something illegal or unethical.

Lieberman's campaign manager "unaware" of third-party deadline

Read this money quote.

Lieberman’s campaign manager, Sean Smith, said the senator had previously refused to rule out running as an independent, but is not making any contingency plans to do so.

Smith said he was unaware of the deadline for filing third-party candidacies relative to the primary date.

"It’s not something we’re planning for, or are allocating any thoughts or resources for. We are mounting an aggressive Democratic primary campaign, and we intend to win," Smith said.

Ah, yeah, right. Lieberman won't rule out a running as an independent but his campaign manager is unaware of the deadline? Who is he trying to fool?

Lieberman repeats independent option

If Joe's keeping his option of running as an independent open (and who can blame him, if I had a 70+ percent approval rating among Republicans, I'd do the same), the question people should be asking is why are the Democrats having a primary in the first place. If Lieberman is going disregard the wishes of the Democratic Party in Connecticut (if he loses in the primary) and jump ship, why should any Democratic public official offer his or her endorsement to him now?

U.S. Sen. Joe Lieberman, facing a challenge from within the Democratic Party for renomination, said Monday he has not ruled out the possibility he would seek a fourth term as an independent.

"I have not foreclosed the option," Lieberman said at a news conference at the Capitol. "If I wanted to run as an independent, I would. I'm running as a Democrat. I've been a Democrat all my life."

The question remains, if one claims to be a loyal Democrat, why go against the wishes of your party if you lose the primary to Ned Lamont?

Ned Lamont said he would support whoever wins the Democratic nomination, why won't Joe? Running for the best interest of the Democratic Party in Connecticut is one thing, running for your own best interest is a whole different matter.

Again I ask, if Lieberman is giving every indication that he'll ignore the wishes of the Democratic party and run as an independent, why should ANY Democrat endorse your candidacy?

Where is the loyality to your party Joe?

Lamont lashes out over President's hypocrisy

Joe Lieberman has still not made a comment publicly about the revelation that the Bush administration decalssified prewar intelligence information (which was previously highly classified) and leaked to the press solely for political purposes. At his appearance in Windsor on Sunday, although a member of the audience raised the topic in a from of a question, Lieberman failed to comment on the matter.

Many analysis last week were puzzled with Joe's silence on this matter.

Analysts and operatives in both parties said Friday they were puzzled that Lieberman, whose perceived coziness with the Republican president is fueling a primary challenge by Greenwich businessman Ned Lamont, found nothing to say about Bush for 28 hours.

"Say anything. Even something mildly critical would have no doubt helped in his primary," said Larry Sabato, a University of Virginia political scientist.

[...]

Where was Lieberman?

"He was conscious and not flying around the world?" asked Jennifer Duffy, who tracks Senate races for The Cook Political Report. "Well, then it was a missed opportunity for him."

Ned Lamont had a few words to say about the President's hypocritical action and the inaction of Congress to hold the Bush administration accountable for their actions. Lamont issued this statement over the weekend.

Congress needs to investigate these very grave and credible claims that the Bush administration, led by President Bush himself, leaked classified information for political gain. If true, this is a serious abuse of the power of his office and of the trust of the people.

These claims must be quickly and seriously investigated, and if proved true, those responsible should be held accountable.

The hesitation of our representatives to call for a thorough investigation of these charges is a clear example of why I am in this race. Connecticut deserves a Senator who will stand up to the Bush administration and demand that Congress fulfill its Constitutional duty by investigating this serious breach of national security.

Still no word from Joe.

UPDATE: A senior administration official confirms that Bush authorized the leaking of a prewar intellegence report (which was until this point, classified) to discredit a war critic.

A senior administration official confirmed for the first time on Sunday that President Bush had ordered the declassification of parts of a prewar intelligence report on Iraq in an effort to rebut critics who said the administration had exaggerated the nuclear threat posed by Saddam Hussein.

[...]

The statement by the official came after the White House had declined to confirm, for three days, Mr. Libby's grand jury testimony that he had been told by Mr. Cheney that Mr. Bush had authorized the disclosure. The official declined to be named, because of an administration policy of not commenting on issues now in court. Confirmation that Mr. Bush ordered the declassification was published late Saturday by The Associated Press, which quoted "an attorney knowledgeable about the case." Once it appeared, the administration official was willing to confirm its details.

Video is down

YouTube.com is down right now so most (if not all) the videos on this site are missing. Hopefully, youtube will be up and running soon but I have no idea.

Ugh!

UPDATE: Everything is fine now. Nothing to see here. Please walk along...

Lamont does Face the State

Lost in the shuffle Sunday was the fact that Ned Lamont made an appearence on Face the State.

Don't worry, ConnecticutBLOG is on the case and video clips of Lamont taking on Connectitcut's version of Tim Russett will be posted later.

Joe Lieberman refuses to rule out independent run

Joe Lieberman met with DTC members in Windsor today and was asked a pointed question from Joe Lalli, a good friend of our favorite 17-year old who grilled a Lieberman staff member earlier this week.

The question was whether or not Joe Lieberman would support whoever wins the Democratic primary and if Lieberman would rule out running as an independent.

Here's the audioclip of Joe's stunning answer that shocked all who attended the meeting. Below is the transcript

Joe Lalli: Ned Lamont has already stated that he would support you if you won the Democratic nomination and Zell Miller once stated that he would always be a member of the Democratic party. Can you make similar promises?

LIEBERMAN: Will I always be a member of the Democratic party? I hope there's not a primary. I'm confident if there is one, I'll win it, but I'm not gonna rule out any other option for now because I feel so strongly that I can do better for the State of Connecticut for the next six years in the United States Senate that I want to give all the voters a chance to make that decision on Election day in November. I want to do it as a Democrat. If I didn't want to do it as a Democrat, I would choose to run in some other party, trust me. But I want to do it as a Democrat because I believe in the Democratic party, so really the choice is up to my fellow Democrats...

In other words, stop the primary challenge or I'll jump ship and allow all the voters (including that 70+ of Republicans who LOVE me) to vote for me in November as an Independent.

Joe Lieberman is such a proud Democrat that he wouldn't rule out jumping ship and run on another party's ticket if he loses the Democratic primary to Ned Lamont. In other words, he'll will not support the Democratic nominee (Ned Lamont) if he loses the primary.

Is this in the best interest of the party or the best interest of Joe Lieberman (why does the word hubris come to mind)?

It's clear after seeing Joe on two separate occasions that Joe is in this race for Joe and not for the Democrats in Connecticut. His statement today in Windsor and last week in Bethel and more importantly Ridgefield tells the real story.

At this point, you have to ask the question: why should any Democrat in Connecticut support a candidate that threatens to leave the party if there is a primary challenge and/or he loses the Democratic primary? It apparent that Joe's strong feelings about himself are more important than the viewpoint of the Democrats in Connecticut who will vote in the primary. The main theme of Lamont's campaign is that Lieberman is out of touch with the viewpoint of the voters in Connecticut and it seems like they might be correct.

The only question that remains is when Joe Lieberman will leave the Democratic party.

UPDATE: FOX 61 just ran this as their lead story (hat tip to spazeboy for the videoclip).