1.) Bolton talks bullets, birthers, and despots with TheDC — Former Ambassador to the UN John Bolton doesn’t “believe in bumper sticker characterizations of foreign policy,” but he does believe in smacking down hacks, birthers, and people who value democracy above stability. You can find all that and more in Bolton’s extensive interview with TheDC’s Jamie Weinstein. Here’s The Mustache on the kind of regime he’d like to see in Afghanistan: “I’d favor a pro-American government with Taliban and Al-Qaeda eliminated and not subverting the government of Pakistan. If it were a democratic government in Afghanistan, I’d say ‘great.’ And if it were a non-democratic government, I’d say ‘great.’” Here’s Bolton on Herman Cain saying he wouldn’t hire any Muslims if, by a direct and blatant act of God, Cain were to become president: “There’s no religious test under the constitution. That’s what it says. Period. Close quote. You pick the best people who are philosophically consistent with the president. That’s the only test.” Here is on political assassinations: “Who can doubt that assassinating Adolf Hitler in 1935 would have saved the world from enormous tragedy or assassinating Stalin in 1930? People say you favor assassination, what do you think war is? Except that it’s assassination on a much larger scale, a much more horrific scale.” Heavy stuff. Read it all.
2.) Chris Matthews thinks Haley Barbour talks good, even dough he is from der south — The MSNBC host with the most dumb things to say “seems to be a regional dialect bigot,” says TheDC’s Jeff Poor. Matthews revealed his distaste for the way half the country talks during a discussion of Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour’s decision not to run for president. “I guess what I don’t see, I thought that Haley Barbour despite his Mississippi accent and all that – I thought he’s a smart guy,” Matthews said. LOL. You know who else was a smart guy despite his Mississippi accent? William Faulkner. Also, Barry Hannah and Larry Brown. (They are writers, Chris. You can read all about them on the Internet.) Also on that list, which is by no means short: Medgar Evers, the civil rights leader, Morgan Freeman, who played God in a movie once, Jim Henson, who made the Muppet movies you so love, and Shep Smith, an anchor just like you, except he thinks before he opens his mouth.
3.) The Donald demanded a gig in Obama’s WH, likes to write checks to the DNC — If he decides to run, Television’s Donald Trump will be the first Republican presidential candidate to have given more moolah to mainstream Democrats than to Republicans, and the second (after Jon Huntsman) to have entertained working for Obama. On the money front, Trump has given big bucks to Senate Majority Leader Harry M. Reid (Nev.), former Pennsylvania governor Edward G. Rendell, Rahm Emanuel, former senator Hillary Rodham Clinton (N.Y.), Sen. John F. Kerry (Mass.), Rep. Charles B. Rangel (N.Y.), Sen. Charles E. Schumer (N.Y.) and the late liberal lion Edward M. Kennedy (Mass.),” reports the Washington Post, which also has the other scoop: Trump asked David Axelrod if he could be in charge of the BP oil spill. “I know how to run big projects,” Trump reportedly said. “Why don’t you put me in charge?” The tent’s big, but it ain’t that big.
4.) George ‘Rocket Man’ LeMieux wants to cut everything but NASA — “George LeMieux wants to cut government spending and shrink the federal government. That is, unless you’re talking about paying for space ships that fly to asteroids,” writes TheDC’s Chris Moody. “There are very few things the federal government should be doing,” LeMieux said during a conference call with reporters Tuesday. “But one of the few things the federal government can only do is space exploration. We are seeing good private sector folks that are trying to go into low-Earth orbit and that’s great and we should encourage them, but the only folks that are going to go to an asteroid or go to Mars is going to be NASA.”
5.) Who will get all the votes and money that Haley Barbour theoretically would have had if he wanted them — Beltway strategists are absolutely giddy thinking about what second-rate GOP candidate will benefit from the exodus of Barbour, the only serious Republican policymaker to have openly considered running against Pres. Obama. While bloggers and talking heads are rooting for Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels (Barbour’s Mini Me), people whose job it is to pontificate to the political press think the real benefactors will be Mittens Romney. “Probably from a long term standpoint, Romney,” one source told TheDC’s Alexis Levinson. “Because the greatest, the most serious challenge to Romney is someone who can sort of establish themselves as the anti-Romney, and that’s what Governor Barbour would have done.” Huh. We thought the greatest challenge to Romney was Romney.
6.) Speak up, conservative black businessmen, Obama can’t hear you — The National Black Chamber of Commerce was founded in 1992 by Harry Alford. In 2008, Alford openly supported and donated money to Obama’s presidential campaign. Now, he’s wondering if that was a mistake. Just last year, Ron Busby launched the U.S. Black Chamber, Inc., an alliance of 80 black chambers of commerce across the country. While there’s certainly room in this town for more than one black business organization, Obama has decided to give his blessing to Busby and forsake Alford, who is right of center on business and economic issues. Reports TheDC’s Jonathan Strong, “President Obama has backed Busby, bringing him to the White House for bill signings and important speeches, and his staff even helping coin the new organization’s motto, ‘the national voice of the black business community.'” Ouch.
VIDEO: Air America host arrested for disrupting Allen West town hall event
To receive TheDC Morning daily, click here.