2008 and counting: Anti-war Edwards hasn’t visited Iraq

Former Sen. John Edwards (D-N.C.), who has criticized the Democratic-led Congress for its funding of the Iraq war, has never been to Iraq.

And in a move that left him politically exposed, Edwards on Monday lambasted President Bush for making a surprise trip to the Middle Eastern country.

{mosads}“The situation in Iraq is too serious for any more ‘Mission Accomplished’ photo ops,” Edwards said in a statement.
Edwards and former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani (R) are the only two major presidential candidates never to have visited Iraq.

The former senator has repeatedly pointed his finger at Congress for agreeing to fund the war without timelines for withdrawal, irritating some of his former colleagues on Capitol Hill.

An Edwards campaign official said the senator wants to make the trip to Iraq, adding it is difficult for those who aren’t members of Congress to arrange it.

Edwards left the upper chamber in 2004, 21 months after the war in Iraq began. Edwards was running for president in 2003 and 2004.

Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) has made the trip three times, and Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) has been once, in January 2006.

Giuliani was asked about his failure to make the trip during Wednesday night’s Fox-sponsored debate, and responded that he hopes to make the trip by the end of the year.

“I hope we can do it without creating a great deal of publicity,” Giuliani said.

Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney (R) went in May 2006 with Govs. Matt Blunt (R-Mo.) and Brian Schweitzer (D-Mont.) on a trip arranged by the Defense Department, according to a Romney aide.

Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) has been to Iraq the most of any of the major candidates, making his sixth visit during the Fourth of July recess this year, according to reports.

An aide to ex-Sen. Fred Thompson (R-Tenn.) said Thompson has not been to Iraq, but he did visit Afghanistan in 2002.

-Sam Youngman

DNC seeks dirt on Thompson

As Fred Thompson tested the presidential waters this summer, the Democratic National Committee (DNC) was looking to dig up dirt on the former Tennessee senator.

DNC researcher David Schnitzer filed many Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests that sought all communications between federal agencies and Thompson, according to a review of government FOIA logs.

Schnitzer’s search for information was broad. He sent FOIA requests to dozens of agencies, ranging from the Federal Trade Commission to the Department of Transportation to the National Indian Gaming Commission.

Requesting such data is not unusual for political operatives. But Schnitzer’s requests show that the DNC is taking Thompson quite seriously.

The DNC wouldn’t reveal what Schnitzer found, but if he found something juicy, it’s safe to say it will emerge in 2008 if Thompson wins the GOP primary.

A Thompson spokesman did not comment by press time.

— Bob Cusack

Alternative primary proposed

Democratic senators from Michigan and Florida proposed legislation on Thursday that would break the presidential primary process down into six dates and six regions.

Sens. Bill Nelson (D-Fla.) and Carl Levin (D-Mich.), who come from two states that are bucking the Democratic National Committee’s (DNC) rules, unveiled a plan they say would give voters in larger states more of a say in the primary process.

The plan would create six primary dates, beginning in March and ending in June, all of which would include votes from a state in each of six regions.

It would give no special status to states that currently enjoy DNC exemptions.

Florida has already been threatened with the loss of all of its delegates for moving its primary to Jan. 29. Michigan recently moved to Jan. 15 and faces similar consequences.

“It’s a case of fundamental rights versus the rules of a political party,” Nelson said on the Senate floor. “As to our right to vote and have that vote count, there can be no debate.”

A DNC spokeswoman did not comment by press time.

— Aaron Blake

Shaking hands, missing votes

Senate leaders of both parties are well aware that their presidentially inclined members may miss big votes while campaigning, and Tuesday afternoon’s confirmation of Jim Nussle as White House budget director was no exception.

Four 2008 hopefuls missed the vote: Sens. Sam Brownback (R-Kan.), Chris Dodd (D-Conn.), John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Barack Obama (D-Ill.). McCain remains ahead of Brownback in total missed votes for presidential candidates, according to The Washington Post, having missed 151 roll calls to Brownback’s 125.

Sen. Joseph Biden (Del.) holds the Democratic field’s lead for missed votes with 79 as of Wednesday, but Dodd is close behind with 76. Clinton has missed only 12 votes, fewer than any of her rivals. Obama has missed 61 votes this year.

— Elana Schor

McCain’s  ‘No Surrender’ tour

Starting on the six-year anniversary of the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, Sen. John McCain will begin a weeklong tour of early-voting states dubbed the “No Surrender” tour.

McCain’s campaign said the senator, once the GOP front-runner, will be joined on his trips to Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina by former prisoners of war, Medal of Honor recipients and “other distinguished veterans to rally support for our troops and their mission in Iraq.”

— Sam Youngman