Hillary Clinton, after weeks on sidelines, retakes center stage with warning to Iran

 

She's back.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton -- hobbled by a fractured elbow that forced her to cancel two overseas trips during the last month, eclipsed by a globe-trotting President Obama who seemed to do just fine without her in Russia and Italy -- reemerged today.

As part of her comeback tour, Clinton is about to deliver a speech today to the Council on Foreign Relations. Tomorrow she heads off on a trip to India and Thailand, the first since she broke her elbow in a fall on her way to the White House. And just in time, according to policy wonks.

"She is seen as glamorous and in many countries as a valuable symbol of the United States, but it is not at all clear that she has an in-depth influence on foreign policy," said Reginald Dale of the Center for Strategic and International Studies in an interview with the Associated Press. "She needs to decide if she wants to be the administration's mascot or have an impact on actual policy." 

Mindful that she and Obama had harsh words over how to approach Iran as opponents during the presidential campaign, Clinton has been faithful to the White House script that was enunciated by Obama during his inaugural address: "If countries like Iran are willing to unclench their fists, they will find an extended hand from us."

But with Washington increasingly concerned about Tehran's crackdown against protesters in the streets and about the regime's nuclear ambitions, Clinton uses today's speech to deliver a warning.

"Neither the president nor I have any illusions that direct dialogue with the Islamic Republic will guarantee success," Clinton says, according to excerpts released by the State Department. "But we also understand the importance of trying to engage Iran and offering its leaders a clear choice: whether to join the international community as a responsible member or to continue down a path to further isolation."

Then she adds, "We remain ready to engage with Iran, but the time for action is now. The opportunity will not remain open indefinitely."

Watch her upcoming travels for further signs of Clinton's comeback strategy.

-- Johanna Neuman

Photo: Martinez Monsivais / Associated Press.

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Robert Byrd, 91, longest-serving senator ever, in hospital again

Word today is that West Virginia's Democratic Sen. Robert Byrd is in the hospital again. If people got frequent flier miles for hospital stays, he'd have several free flights back to Charleston.

Byrd has served in the U.S. Senate longer than even Vice President Joe Biden did. Byrd has been in Congress since 1952 and in the Senate since 1958, longer than anyone else in the nation's history.

Such a distinction is deemed important in the wonderful world of Washington's Capitol Hill. Everyone wishes him well, of course.

The man is 91 years old, uses a wheelchair and, if you watch the videos below, including a speech he gave on the Senate floor last winter, he often seems to be living somewhere else. Only last year, only under collegial pressure, he relinquished chairmanship of the powerful Appropriations Committee.

 As West Virginia's top politics blogger Don Surber warns: "Byrd will outlive us all."

Byrd was hospitalized at an undisclosed location several days ago for a temperature spike and infection, and no one noticed until his office released a statement today. The statement said he "is being treated with antibiotics, responding well and is expected to be released from the hospital in a few days."

West Virginia can elect anyone it deems worthy to the Senate. And has, like every other state. But here's the problem for the nation: This guy is No. 3 in line to become president of the United States after Biden and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

Third in line.

Watch the videos and see how you feel about that.

-- Andrew Malcolm

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Photo: (Byrd after a hospitalization last year). Credit: Associated Press

A West Virginia legislator plays with a ban on Barbie dolls

Finally, an American politician with the courage to take on a Barbie doll.

Jeff Eldridge, a Democratic state legislator, has just proposed House Bill 2918 which makes West Virginia the planet's only second-known political entity to ponder banning the Barbie doll -- Iran being the other place, but they're getting nukes, so we won't make so much fun of them.

Eldridge says he feels that Barbie and other dolls like her "promote or influence girls to place an undue importance on physical beauty to the detriment of their intellectual and emotional development."

No word on how Eldridge (see photo left below, he's without hair ribbons) feels about Blaine, who hooked up with the 49-year-old Barbie after Ken dumped her, although there's a family dispute about who was the Dumper and who was the Dumpee.

But, frankly, the legislator looks like a G.I. Joe kind of guy. (Check out those fists!) Maybe if we made a 2nd Amendment Barbie in camo gear baring her arms.

All kinds of other doll possibilities in the new Washington: A Rush Limbaugh doll that flatly says, "I rule!" A Michael Steele doll that says, "No, I do!" A banker Barbie that doesn't loan money. A Rahm Emanuel doll that curses and pulls a &%$#*+\ switchblade. And a Nancy Pelosi doll that stands up and applauds whenever anyone says anything.

"If we had that other image of Barbie being smart, and beautiful as well," West Virginia's Eldridge adds, "I think that would be a great image to send to our young kids."

How exactly do you suppose a toy maker would design a doll to look smart? Eyeglasses, of course, always convey a keen intellect.

But because beauty is only skin deep and few dolls discuss Keynes, constructing an intelligent-looking doll would seem to be as difficult as making, say, a Cabinet doll behind in his taxes, complete with congressional hearing furniture and other dolls that say, "He's already apologized" and "It was an honest mistake."

If the Eldridge bill passes and West Virginians cross over to Ohio to purchase a Barbie doll, would they be violating this man's act to bring her back across state lines?

In the likely event that Delegate Eldridge is laughed out of Charleston on a toy surfboard, he feels his courageous bill introduction will still have sent an important message to retailers, which message will now more likely be: "Quick! Order more Barbies!" (Note to editor: Check Eldridge campaign donations from Mattel promotion people.)

West Virginia's Gov. Joe Manchin, who's got to deal with these guys, kept a straight face and said it's not state government's role to ban toys. "Parents have to be involved in parenting," he revealed to the Charleston Daily Mail's Michelle Saxton. "Let them make that decision."

We think the governor should also take Delegate Eldridge's toy cars away for a day so he can have Quiet Time and think about what he's been up to.

-- Andrew Malcolm

And a Hat Tip to Don Surber, our favorite very, very old West Virginian, for pointing out this refreshing piece of legislation that would help reduce the number of employed Americans.

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Photo credits: Barbie.com and the Daily Mail via Associated Press.

Another Obama official bites dust with tax problems

Nancy Killefer, named by President Obama as his chief performance expert at the Office of Management and Budget, has withdrawn her nomination on account of -- among other things -- tax problems!

The 55-year-old executive tapped to serve as the watchdog on wasteful government spending had a $900 tax lien on her home in 2005 for failing to pay unemployment compensation tax on household help, according to the Associated Press. Killefer works for the consulting giant McKinsey & Co. (See video down below.)

She is the third Obama official to run into tax troubles.

Former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle's nomination to be secretary of Health and Human Services is at a tipping point over his failure to pay $146,000 in back taxes, some of it on a limousine and driver he used in his  personal life. And Treasury Secrertary Timothy Geithner was confirmed after confessing that he, now the nominal head of the Internal Revenue Service, had failed to pay Social Security and Medicare taxes while an employee at the International Monetary Fund.

After calling for a "new era of responsibility" in his inaugural speech, Obama is coming under increased fire for seemingly applying a double standard. The Boston Globe's Peter Canellos noted this morning that the president seems to have rigorous rules for Wall Street fat cats but looser ones for his top advisors.

And some are starting to question the vetting process or decision-making abilities of the once-vaunted Obama machine. Sen. Charles Grassley of Iowa, the ranking Republican on the Finance Committee hearing Daschle's explanations, told CNN:

What bothers me is a president who wanted to get his administration off and running even before he’s sworn in. What’s wrong with the vetting process? It shows a little bit of shortcoming for someone who otherwise is a genius, you know, about management capability.

Her letter of resignation is posted below.

-- Johanna Neuman

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Photo: Getty Images

Sen. Robert Byrd gives his annual speech on the Constitutzzzzzzzzzz

Sen. Robert Byrd, Democrat, of West Virginia -- WE SAID, SENATOR ROBERT BYRD OF WEST VIRGINIA -- is the longest-serving senator in the country's history.

And also the oldest.

Think of it this way: Byrd is almost a generation older than Sen. John McCain. And nearly twice as old as Barack Obama.

It takes a really long time to get to age 90. Not many make it, let alone those who somehow keep getting elected to the United States Senate by the fine folks in West Virginia, who must not spend a whole lot of time watching C-SPAN.

Currently, Byrd is third in line to the presidency of the United States.

Our colleague Frank James over at the Swamp has posted a video here of Byrd making his annual speech on the United States Constitution, as if no one has ever hailed it before. In the wondrous world of Washington this is regarded as a grand moment.

We should all watch at least a little of it just in case we sometimes think that these folks on the public payroll in Washington aren't doing really, really important things.

In celebration of this totally tiresome annual event The Ticket is publishing two other Byrd videos here this morning. One is with ABC's Jimmy Kimmel, who has an irreverent take on Byrd doing something on the Senate floor.

The second video actually centers on Senate Democratic Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada speaking. But in the background we can see West Virginia's senior senator in deep thought. (Please be very quiet as you watch.) How much are these guys getting paid an hour?

--Andrew Malcolm 

Top of the Ticket, the start of Year Two

On this, the first anniversary of our Top of the Ticket blog, we are reminded of the mercurial, unpredictable nature of U.S. politics -- part of what makes what we do so fascinating.

Our goal -- one of us on the East Coast and the other on the far more important or at least less humid West Coast -- was to write about Campaign '08 virtually around the clock.

Our second-ever posting, 12 months ago today, previewed an upcoming L.A. Times/Bloomberg Poll; later in the day, we detailed the results of the nationwide survey. The findings were in line with other polls of the time.

In the Republican presidential race, which then seemed the most likely to last deep into the primary season, Rudy Giuliani was perched in first place. His lead wasn't overwhelming, but it was strong enough that he appeared certain to remain a major contender.

His liberal record on social issues loomed as an obvious liability within his party, but his tough-on-terrorism message was attracting substantial support from moderates and GOP-leaning independents.

His major headache among rivals last June was an as-yet-undeclared candidate who was riding a wave as the great conservative hope -- Fred Thompson. He ran a strong second in the poll.

Lagging far behind were John McCain and Mitt Romney, each barely with double-digit support. In our preview posting, we were especially scornful of McCain, noting sarcastically (and foolishly, as it turned out) that in the poll, he found himself "in heated competition with the 'Don't Know' category."

Meriting no mention from us was Mike Huckabee, one of several back-of-the-pack candidates barely earning any support across the country.

The Democratic race, at that point, seemed so much more cut-and-dried.

Hillary Clinton was the clear front-runner; Barack Obama was just as clearly ...

Dick Cheney, the constant comedian, lets some good ones fly

Have you heard the one about the powerful vice president who got up in front of a bunch of people that he probably dislikes the most of any, other than maybe special prosecutors? And he told the most hilarious joke about incest in West Virginia.

Which couldn't possibly have been funnier unless it was about incest in Mississippi.

But this being an election year, even though not for this vice president, and West Virginians being as totally humorless as everyone knows they are, Dick Cheney had to quickly issue a statement apologizing to the people of the little state without whose five electoral votes in 2000 he would long since be a full-time fly-fisherman or dove killer.

Widely considered the most powerful No. 2 in the country's history, Cheney also absolutely loves the media. Can't get enough of them. Us. Which is why he agreed to present a bunch of awards at a Monday lunch at the National Press Club, the same institution where....

UPDATED: Sen. Robert Byrd, 90, hospitalized again

The longest-serving senator in U.S. history was hospitalized again Monday night. (UPDATE: Aides now say the senator will remain in the hospital in Fairfax, Va., for several days.)

It's the third time in the last five months that the 90-year-old Democrat, Robert C. Byrd of West Virginia, has been hospitalized. This time the reason given to the Associated Press was lethargy and sluggishness.

The senator began feeling ill after a 5:30 p.m. Senate vote, went home and then to the hospital, where he had a fever. In March, he was admitted for a reaction to an antibiotic and a week before that for a fall at his home.

Colleagues have noticed that Byrd, who entered the Senate in 1958, has become increasingly frail and emotional since the death two years ago of his wife of 69 years, Erma. There have been whispers, well out of his earshot, that he might not be strong enough to remain chair of the powerful Appropriations Committee.

In an oddly-timed endorsement last month, Byrd signed on with the presidential campaign of Sen. Barack Obama six days after his state's primary voters overwhelmingly rejected the Illinois senator in favor of New York Sen. Hillary Clinton.

The current party balance of power in the Senate is 49 Democrats and 49 Republicans with two independents who usually vote Democratic. Although a departure by Byrd would reduce Democrat control to 50-49, the governor of West Virginia, Joe Manchin III, would be expected to name a fellow Democrat to fill a vacancy.

Although George W. Bush won West Virginia twice, Republicans have not controlled the state's governorship since Cecil Underwood's term ended in 2001.

-- Andrew Malcolm

Photo: Associated Press / Lauren Victoria Burke 

Television stations are big winners in the '08 campaign

One special interest -- television stations -- profited mightily from the prolonged nature of the Democratic presidential battle.

A study released today found that close to $200 million has been spent so far on televised ads by White House candidates in both parties -- with more than two-thirds of that figure accounted for by Democrats.

Indeed, the almost $75 million disbursed by Barack Obama's campaign on TV ads easily surpassed the roughly $58 million in total spending by all Republican contenders. (The leading spender in the GOP race -- by a sizable margin -- remains Mitt Romney, who folded his campaign in early February.)

A spending chart -- so comprehensive it includes the handful of spots aired by obscure Republican aspirant Hugh Cort, plus the four ads that plugged the little noticed candidacy of Democrat Dal LaMagna -- can be studied here.

Deep in the report, Ken Goldstein, a political science professor at the University of Wisconsin, offers some noteworthy observations ...

Hillary Clinton, speaking in Kentucky, has superdelegates in mind

Hillary Clinton has indulged a taste for history of late. And that was on display tonight, as she claimed her overpowering victory in the Kentucky primary (while ignoring an expected defeat looming across the country in Oregon).

Campaigning in West Virginia earlier this month, on her way to a huge primary win last Tuesday, she stressed that since 1916, no Democrat had won the White House without carrying the Mountain State.

This evening, in Louisville, she put forth a vaguer proposition. It has often been said, she asserted, that "as goes Kentucky, so goes the nation."

Frankly, that was a new one on us. But if it's so, that's bad news for Barack Obama. As we noted earlier, he would seem to have little chance to being competitive in Kentucky as the Democratic presidential nominee.

Kentucky has had a winning track record in recent decades -- the last time the Bluegrass State picked a loser in a White House contest was in 1960, when it backed Richard Nixon instead of John Kennedy.

A handful of other states can make comparable claims as bellwethers. Still, Clinton pointedly noted that her husband won Kentucky in both of his successful presidential races. And that helped frame the message in a victory speech that was directed more at Democratic superdelegates than the cheering throng in front of her.

After she spoke kind and gracious words about Sen. Ted Kennedy in the wake of the revelation that he suffers from a malignant brain tumor, after she touched upon her commitment to universal healthcare and ending the war in Iraq, after she made her now ritualistic pitch for cash by reciting her website, she got to what she and her aides see as the nub of the matter.

When the primary season wraps up on June 3 ...