The problem of the Florida and Michigan Democratic delegations stems from the fact that Michigan and Florida ended up holding a non-primary instead of a primary in 2008. Most of the general public does not know how much of the Florida effort was generated by the Republican Party, with full support from the local GOP including Jeb Bush, former governor and first brother. The public also does not know how much of the Michigan effort was generated by entrenched Clinton supporters. Sen. Hillary Clinton is claiming ‘victory’ in both Florida and Michigan. The situation may be easier for the Democratic Party to address in Florida, where it was created by the GOP, than in Michigan, where it was largely created by local Dems.   more »

106^th in continuing blog series on the administration push to war. October 2003 begins with some more extremely busy days for the White House and the Office of the Vice President.
October 1-2, 2003:

 

Oct 1, 2003 – Economic specialists announce that Iraq will need $36 billion for reconstruction over the next four years. This estimate comes on top of assessments by occupation forces that Iraq will also need $19 billion for other uses, according to the diplomats and economists, bringing the total needed for Iraq to over $55 billion. The United Nations and the World Bank ...   more »