Polinaut: July 21, 2006 Archive

Tiger is winning The British Open

Posted at 6:46 AM on July 21, 2006 by Tom Scheck

I know that has nothing to do with poliics but it's my way of saying I'm off for a few days. Mike Mulcahy is the lone driver of the Polinaut bus.

Please don't be offended If I don't return your e-mails/notes for a few days.

AG Update

Posted at 7:27 AM on July 21, 2006 by Mike Mulcahy

Jennifer Mattson and Patrick Cotter are both out. Mattson says she supports Lori Swanson:

There is no doubt in my mind that the lawyer best qualified to fulfill that goal is Solicitor General Lori Swanson. She has had primary responsibility for the managed health care litigation and has performed with admiration and distinction. She is tough-minded, legally-skilled and knows this area of the law better than anyone in our state. Using today’s political lingo, in my judgment, Lori is the only heavy hitter still in the race. She has been slugging away at corporate defendants and winning for the people of Minnesota.

Cathy Wurzer tells me the remaining three candidates may be on Almanac Friday night.

Gutknecht question at White House

Posted at 7:40 AM on July 21, 2006 by Mike Mulcahy

Rep. Gil Gutknecht's assessment of the situation in Iraq came up during the White House press briefing yesterday. Minnesota Campaign Report tipped me off to this yesterday, but I got too busy with my "real" job to follow up on it. This is from the White House transcript:

Q Can I ask you about Iraq? A Republican Congressman, Gil Gutknecht from Minnesota came back from a trip last week to Iraq, an official trip, and came back and said he believes the conditions on the ground are worse than the administration has been telling the public. And he's also now calling for troops to start coming home. What's the White House reaction to that?

MR. SNOW: The White House reaction is that, number one, we understand that there is a real attempt, especially in and around Baghdad, to create violence, create havoc, and weaken the government. And the response to that is not to run away, but to figure out how best to deal with the terror elements so that the Maliki government is going to be able to operate effectively.

And I guarantee you, that's going to be one of the key things that the President and the Prime Minister talk about next week.

Q But when John Murtha and other Democrats called for troops to come home, Karl Rove and others have said that this is cutting and running. Here you have a Republican Congressman in a tight re-election. He's saying troops should come home, and that the conditions on the ground are not as you're saying.

MR. SNOW: Well, we also disagree with him.

Q Is he waving the white flag of surrender?

MR. SNOW: No. He's expressing his opinion.

John.

Q Thank you, Tony. Two questions. First, following up on the question of --

MR. SNOW: Actually, Mark, you'll have to ask him. Ask him. That's the best way to get the good answer

Scheck probably saw this...

Posted at 8:58 AM on July 21, 2006 by Mike Mulcahy (3 Comments)

This just in from the AP about an amazing Tiger Woods shot:

Woods already had grabbed the lead when he stood over a 4-iron at No. 14, the flag rippling in the breeze 209 yards away. He ripped a low shot that caught the edge of the green and hopped three more times before striking the stick, dropping straight in for eagle.

Wow.

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Rove alert

Posted at 1:48 PM on July 21, 2006 by Mike Mulcahy

Reporters were allowed in the fundraiser for Bachmann. Hope to have the tape up sometime this afternoon.

Rove tape

Posted at 2:11 PM on July 21, 2006 by Mike Mulcahy

Here's the audio of Karl Rove at today's fundraiser for Congressional candidate Michele Bachmann. Slight technical problem causes us to join a few minutes after he started.

And a photo to boot, courtesy of MPR's Art Hughes.