2008 and counting: Obama in stormy international waters

For the second straight day and third time in recent weeks, Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) made news for his controversial foreign policy pronouncements. And his Democratic rivals continued to denounce him for it.

Sens. Chris Dodd (D-Conn.) and Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) strongly criticized their Senate colleague and presidential primary opponent Thursday after Obama suggested nuclear weapons were off the table for use against Afghanistan and Pakistan.

{mosads}According to the Associated Press, Obama answered a question about nuclear force against those two countries thusly:

“I think it would be a profound mistake for us to use nuclear weapons in any circumstance,” Obama said, pausing before adding, “involving civilians.” He then tried to correct his statement: “Let me scratch that. There’s been no discussion of nuclear weapons. That’s not on the table.”

Wednesday, Obama rolled out his counterterrorism program by advocating increased use of American force in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Pakistan is a U.S. ally but is also alleged to be a haven for terrorists.

Dodd was joined by several other candidates in shunning Obama’s Pakistan remarks. Obama initially was criticized by Clinton for saying in a recent debate that he would meet with dictators without preconditions.

Dodd pounced again Thursday, suggesting Obama is unprepared to be commander in chief.

“Over the past several days, Sen. Obama’s assertions about foreign and military affairs have been, frankly, confusing and confused,” Dodd said. “He has made threats he should not make and made unwise categorical statements about military options.

“We are facing a dangerous and complicated world. The next president will require a level of understanding and judgment unprecedented in American history to address these challenges.”

Clinton, who largely sat out of the Pakistan kafuffle on Wednesday, chided Obama again Thursday. She told the Associated Press: “Presidents should be very careful at all times in discussing the use or non-use of nuclear weapons. … I don’t believe that any president should make any blanket statements with respect to the use or non-use of nuclear weapons.”

— Aaron Blake

Edwards’s purity test

John Edwards became the second presidential hopeful to condemn the Dow Jones takeover deal this week, but the first to target both his Democratic rivals and powerful media magnate Rupert Murdoch in the process.

Sen. Chris Dodd on Wednesday criticized the sale of Dow Jones, parent of The Wall Street Journal, to Murdoch’s News Corp., but the Connecticut Democrat couched his words as an indictment of the narrowing sphere of media ownership. Edwards, by contrast, pulled no punches.

“The time has come for Democrats to stop pretending to be friends with the very people who demonize the Democratic Party,” Edwards said in a statement that urged fellow Democratic candidates to return campaign checks from News Corp. executives.

Edwards’s challenge appears chiefly directed at Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.), for whom Murdoch held a highly publicized fundraiser last year. Dodd and Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) also have received multiple donations from the Murdoch empire.

But PoliticalMoneyLine shows Edwards himself taking at least $800 in contributions from the News Corp. family. A source familiar with the Edwards strategy said the former North Carolina senator would return all money tied to News Corp., to clarify the candidate’s position.

“Thousands of good people work at Fox News and News Corp., but this is about the bias of top executives, those who make real editorial decisions, like Rupert Murdoch, people who continually sanction unfounded attacks on Democrats,” Edwards spokesman Eric Schultz said via e-mail.

— Elana Schor

SEIU: Clinton owes us a healthcare plan

The Aug. 1 deadline the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) set for presidential candidates to unveil their healthcare plans has come and gone.

So the Iowa and New Hampshire state chapters of the SEIU are going to 2008 hopefuls and giving them either a clean bill of health or clocks — to remind them time is running out to offer a plan.

Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) was the only major Democratic candidate not to receive a completely clean bill of health because she has unveiled only part of her plan, according to Sarah Swisher, political director for SEIU’s Iowa chapter.

“Sen. Clinton is getting a clean bill of health with payment still due,” Swisher said. “So her Iowa for Healthcare hospital bill isn’t as clean as some of the others.”

All of the Republicans were given clocks bearing what the group called “little reminders” — for example, that 18,000 people die a year from lack of health insurance, Swisher said.

Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani is the only Republican candidate to unveil a healthcare plan, but he still gets a clock because his plan doesn’t meet the SEIU’s requirements.

— Sam Youngman