Matt Ortega

A survey of presidential historians ranked the top ten presidential blunders during a weekend conference for President’s Day entitled “Presidential Moments.” So who ranked where?

1. James Buchanan for failing to avert the Civil War claiming that he did not do enough to prevent the Southern states’ secession from the Union
2. Andrew Johnson’s decision to side with Southern whites and oppose improvements in justice for Southern blacks beyond abolishing slavery

3. Lyndon Johnson for allowing the Vietnam War to escalate

4. Woodrow Wilson’s refusal to compromise on the Treaty of Versailles after World War I

5. Richard Nixon’s involvement in the Watergate cover-up

6. James Madison’s failure to keep the United States out of the War of 1812 with Britain

7. Thomas Jefferson’s Embargo Act of 1807, a self-imposed prohibition on trade with Europe during the Napoleonic Wars

8. John F. Kennedy allowing the Bay of Pigs Invasion that led to the Cuban Missile Crisis

9. Ronald Reagan and the Iran-Contra Affair, the effort to sell arms to Iran and use the money to finance an armed anti-communist group in Nicaragua

10. Bill Clinton’s affair with Monica Lewinsky

The scholars noted that the Lewinsky affair “probably affected Clinton’s presidency more than it did American history and the public,” thus the reason for its tenth ranking. I must say that I am completely surprised the current president is not on the list. It is possible he was excluded from consideration since he has just under three more years left but it is not stated in the article.

The Democratic National Committee reduced their list from thirty-five in November to eleven this week:

Anaheim, California
Dallas, Texas
Denver, Colorado
Detroit, Michigan
Las Vegas, Nevada
Minneapolis, Minnesota
New Orleans, Louisiana
New York, New York
Orlando, Florida
Phoenix, Arizona
San Antonio, Texas (Hotline sources, 2/17)

The sentimental pick is definitely New Orleans. If the city is in good enough shape to handle a large influx of people into the city, that is where the convention should be. It definitely would help pump some money into an economy that is in shambles following Hurricane Katrina.

Start the march to the White House in the heart of a symbol of the failure of Republican governance.

The immigration problem that faces this country is a lot more complex than some are willing to admit. However, Democrat-only-in-name Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-Laredo, Tex.) is teaming up with raging right-wing representative Tom Tancredo (R-Littleton, Colo.) to “deputize the minutemen militia by giving them new titles, badges and guns.”

Blue Latinos:

U.S. Congressman Henry Cuellar — a so-called Democrat from Laredo, Texas — wants to give $100 million dollars to the Minutemen, the racist, gun-toting vigilante group.

Last October, Representative Cuellar sponsored a bill called the “Border Law Enforcement Act of 2005″ that would essentially deputize members of the Minutemen militia by giving them new titles, badges and guns.

There is a saying in Spanish,”dime con quien andas y te dire quien eres,” which basically means that you can tell a lot about a person by the company that they keep. Representative Cuellar sponsored the “Border Law Enforcement Act” with none other than the “Grand Dragon” of the anti-immigrant legislators - Rep. Tom Tancredo, Republican from Colorado. Cuellar’s bill is also part of the draconian House-passed immigration reform bill HR 4437, which, among other wrong headed ideas, would further militarize the US/Mexico border, build a Berlin-style wall all along the border, and criminalize millions of immigrants and good Samaritans.

(Hat tip: Chris Bowers, MyDD)

Media Matters has the dossier on the conservative tilt to Sunday morning talks shows from 1997 to 2005.

Among the study’s key findings:

* The balance between Democrats/progressives and Republicans/conservatives was roughly equal during Clinton’s second term, with a slight edge toward Republicans/conservatives: 52 percent of the ideologically identifiable guests were from the right, and 48 percent were from the left. But in Bush’s first term, Republicans/ conservatives held a dramatic advantage, outnumbering Democrats/progressives by 58 percent to 42 percent. In 2005, the figures were an identical 58 percent to 42 percent.

* Counting only elected officials and administration representatives, Democrats had a small advantage during Clinton’s second term: 53 percent to 45 percent. In Bush’s first term, however, the Republican advantage was 61 percent to 39 percent — nearly three times as large.

* In both the Clinton and Bush administrations, conservative journalists were far more likely to appear on the Sunday shows than were progressive journalists. In Clinton’s second term, 61 percent of the ideologically identifiable journalists were conservative; in Bush’s first term, that figure rose to 69 percent.

* In 1997 and 1998, the shows conducted more solo interviews with Democrats/progressives than with Republicans/conservatives. But in every year since, there have been more solo interviews with Republicans/conservatives.

* The most frequent Sunday show guest during this nine-year period is Sen. John McCain (R-AZ), who has appeared 124 times. Sen. Joseph Biden (D-DE) has been the most frequent guest since 2003.

* In every year examined by the study — 1997 - 2005 — more panels tilted right (a greater number of Republicans/conservatives than Democrats/progressives) than tilted left. In some years, there were two, three, or even four times as many right-titled panels as left-tilted panels.

* Congressional opponents of the Iraq war were largely absent from the Sunday shows, particularly during the period just before the war began.

In short, the Sunday talk shows on ABC, CBS, and NBC are dominated by conservative voices, from newsmakers to commentators. The data from the Clinton years indicate that the disparity cannot be explained simply by the fact that Republicans currently control the government.

Be sure to check out the full final report [PDF] for full, detailed statistics.

Amanda Terkel at Think Progress writes that Representative Richard Pombo (R-Tracy, Calif.) is facing tough questions at home about the taxpayer money used to finance a 5,000 mile RV trip in the summer of 2003. However, Pombo claims the stops were for congressional business, yet the park officers think otherwise.

The chief park naturalist at Sequoia and Kings Canyon, William Tweed, searched his records Friday and couldn’t find a sign of officials meeting with Pombo.

“I’m coming up with a blank,” Tweed said in an interview. “I do not personally remember him being here, (and that) is generally something we do recall. We pay attention, because congressmen are significant people for us.”

Joshua Tree National Park spokesman Joe Zarki, whose park was also on Pombo’s visitation list, likewise said Friday that “no one here at this point can say we met with Mr. Pombo.”

As an absentee-voter of California, this is “my” representative at work.