Discussion of Possible Candidates

[LouiseVargas]

Can we start a discussion of possible candidates and their running mates from both parties?

[justinsmama]

Sounds good to me!

[Dihannah1]

As it stands now, I am leaning towards Guliani, but still to soon too make a decision.  As he stated last night, it's still too soon for him to think of VP.
I need to wait for more information on all candidates.  I only know the few I will not consider..

[Chicago_510]

I received this today.  I'm not sure if its 100% accurate, so you might want to double check some of these.  Sorry its so long.



SO YOU MIGHT VOTE FOR HILLARY?  THINK ABOUT IT FIRST...

This is what happens when you have dirt on the Clintons :

1 - James McDougal - Clinton's convicted Whitewater partner died of
an apparent heart attack, while in solitary confinement.  He was a
key witness in Ken Starr's investigation.

2 - Mary Mahoney - A former White House intern was murdered July,
1997 at a Starbucks Coffee Shop in Georgetown.  The murder
happened just after she was to go public with her story of sexual
harassment in the White House.

3 - Vince Foster - Former white House counselor, and colleague of
Hillary Clinton at Little Rock 's Rose Law firm.  Died of a gunshot
wound to the head, ruled a suicide.

4 - Ron Brown - Secretary of Commerce and former DNC Chairman.
  Reported to have died by impact in a plane crash.  A pathologist
close to the investigation reported that there was a hole in the top
of Brown's skull resembling a gunshot wound.  At the time of his
death Brown was being investigated, and spoke publicly of his
willingness to cut a deal with prosecutors.

5 - C. Victor Raiser II and Montgomery Raiser, Major players in the
Clinton fund raising organization died in a private plane crash in
July, 1992.

6 - Paul Tulley - Democratic National Committee Political Director
found dead in a hotel room in Little Rock, September, 1992.
Described by Clinton as a "Dear friend and trusted advisor."

7- Ed Willey - Clinton fund raiser, found dead November, 1993 deep
in the woods in VA of a gunshot wound to the head.  Ruled a suicide.
Ed Willey died on the same day his wife Kathleen Willey claimed Bill
Clinton groped her in the oval office in the White House.  Ed Willey
was involved in several Clinton fund raising events.

8 - Jerry Parks - Head of Clinton's gubernatorial security team in
Little Rock   Gunned down in his car at a deserted intersection
outside Little Rock.  Park's son said his father was building a
dossier on Clinton.  He allegedly threatened to reveal this
information.
After he died the files were mysteriously removed from his house.

9 - James Bunch - Died from a gunshot suicide.  It was reported
that he had a "Black Book" of people which contained names of
influential people who visited prostitutes in Texas and Arkansas .

10 - James Wilson - Was found dead in May, 1993, from an apparent
hanging suicide.  He was reported to have ties to Whitewater.
 
11- Kathy Ferguson, ex-wife of Arkansas Trooper Danny Ferguson,
was found dead in May, 1994, in her living room with a gunshot to
her head.  It was ruled a suicide even though there were several
packed suitcases, as if she were g oing somewhere.  Danny
Ferguson was a co-defendant along with Bill Clinton in the Paula
Jones lawsuit.  Kathy Ferguson was a possible corroborating
witness for Paula Jones.

12 - Bill Shelton - Arkansas State Trooper and fiancee of Kathy
Ferguson.  Critical of the suicide ruling of his fiancee, he was found
dead in June, 1994, of a gunshot wound also ruled a suicide at the
grave site of his fiancee.

13 - Gandy Baugh - Attorney for Clinton's friend Dan Lassater, died
by jumping out a window of a tall building January, 1994.  His client
was a convicted drug distributor.

14 - Florence Martin - Accountant & sub-contractor for the CIA, was
related to the Barry Seal Mena Airport drug smuggling case.  He
died of three gunshot wounds.

15 - Suzanne Coleman - Reportedly had an affair with Clinton when
he was Arkansas Attorney General.  Died of a gunshot wound to the
back of the head, ruled a suicide.  Was pregnant at the time of her
death.

16 - Paula Grober - Clinton's speech interpreter for the deaf from
1978 until her death December 9, 1992.  She died in a one car
accident.

17 - Danny Casolaro - Investigative reporter.  Investigating Mena
Airport and Arkansas Development Finance Authority.  He slit his
wrists, apparently, in the middle of his investigation.

18 - Paul Wilcher - Attorney investigating corruption at Mena Airport
with Casolaro and the 1980 "October Surprise" was found dead on
a toilet June 22, 1993, in his Washington DC apartment.  Had
delivered a report to Janet Reno three weeks before his death.

19 - Jon Parnell Walker - Whitewater investigator for Resolution Trust
Corp.  Jumped to his death from his Arlington, Virginia apartment
balcony August 15, 1993.  He was investigating the Morgan Guarantee
scandal.

20 - Barbara Wise - Commerce Department staffer.  Worked closely
with Ron Brown and John Huang.  Cause of death unknown.  Died
November 29, 1996.  Her bruised, nude body was found locked in
her office at the Department of Commerce.

21- Charles Meissner - Assistant Secretary of Commerce who gave
John Huang special security clearance, died shortly thereafter in a
small plane crash.

22 - Dr. Stanley Heard - Chairman of the National Chiropractic Health
Care Advisory Committee, died with his attorney Steve Dickson in a
small plane crash.  Dr. Heard, in addition to serving on Clinton 's
advisory council personally treated Clinton's mother, stepfather and
brother.

23 - Barry Seal - Drug running pilot out of Mena Arkansas, death was
no accident.

24 - Johnny Lawhorn Jr. - Mechanic, found a check made out to Bill
Clinton in the trunk of a car left at his repair shop.  He was found
dead after his car had hit a utility pole.

25 - Stanley Hug gins - Investigated Madison Guarantee.  His death
was a purported suicide and his report was never released.
 
26- Hershell Friday - Attorney and Clinton fund raiser died March 1,
1994 when his plane exploded.

27 - Kevin Ives and Don Henry - Known as "The boys on the track"
case.  Reports say the boys may have stumbled upon the Mena
Arkansas airport drug operation.  A controversial case, the initial
report of death said, due to falling asleep on railroad tracks.  Later
reports claim the two boys had been slain before being placed on
the tracks.  Many linked to the case died before their testimony
could come before a Grand Jury.

THE FOLLOWING PERSONS HAD INFORMATION ON THE
IVES/HENRY CASE:

28 - Keith Coney - Died when his motorcycle slammed into the back
of a truck, July, 1988.

29 - Keith McMaskle - Died, stabbed 113 times, November, 1988

30 - Gregory Collins - Died from a gunshot wound, January, 1989.

31 - Jeff Rhodes - He was shot, mutilated and found burned in a
trash dump in April, 1989.

33 - James Milan - Found decapitated.  However, the Coroner ruled
his death was due to "natural causes."

34 - Jordan Kettleson - Was found shot to death in the front seat of
his pickup truck in June, 1990.

35 - Richard Winters - A suspect in the Ives / Henry deaths.  He was
killed in a set-up robbery, July, 1989.

THE FOLLOWING CLINTON BODYGUARDS ARE DEAD:
36 - Major William S. Barkley Jr.
37 - Captain Scott J. Reynolds
38 - Sgt. Brian Hanley
39 - Sgt. Tim Sabel
40 - Major General William Robertson
41 - Col. William Densberger
42 - Col. Robert Kelly
43 - Spec. Gary Rhodes
44 - Steve Willis
45 - Robert Williams
46 - Conway LeBleu
47 - Todd McKeehan

[Anna]

   

[LouiseVargas]

Chicago,

Your post blew me away. It almost sounds like what happens in Aruba.

Do you think Bill had all these people killed? Too many deaths by car accidents, plane crashes and supposed suicides. I was especially taken with Ron Brown, and it was so sad he died in a plane crash. Of course, I never heard that there was hole in the top of his head resembling a gunshot wound.

Let me just focus on one little aspect of Ron Brown's plane crash, when the airplane carrying him and about 30 other people crashed in Bosnia. Where did they board the plane (somewhere in the US?) and why were they going to Bosnia? Let us assume the other passengers were expendable. If it is true Ron was shot in the head, when was he shot? He could only have been shot before he got onto the plane or else during the flight. If they shot him first, I supposed they could have very discretely loaded him on board. If he were shot on board the plane, who else was involved? Did they pilots have a clue about it? Why would they take a flight knowing they would be blow up. Could Ron have been shot ahead of time and the crash detonated by some remote control object?

Stuff like this drives me nuts.

[LouiseVargas]

I wish to hell I had not thrown out my Time Magazine which showed pics of everyone who is running.

On the Republican side, I like Guillani and Jeb Bush. Both have proven themselves when dealing with a national crisis.  Rudy Giuliani supports abortion rights.

I would never trust McCain due to the years he spent in prison in Viet Nam.  This may sound harsh but I often think of Senator Max Cleland (who lost both legs and one arm in Viet Name) who was invited to speak at many functions. Despite all he lost, he seemed to be jovial and well adjusted in his wheelchair. When the US attacked Iraq, Max was seen photographed with Bush at his ranch. After a while, we haven't seen Max ... maybe PSTD?

TOM TANCREDO - The Colorado Rep's big issue, border control, inspires base G.O.P. voters. He has sponsored legislation punishing Sudan for its war in Darfur
TOMMY THOMPSON - The former Wisconsin G.O.P. Governor made a name in welfare reform in the '90s. He's pushing a plan to split Iraq into three separate states

DENNIS KUCINICH - Yes, it still rhymes with "spinach." His antiwar stance, looking better now than in '04, has drawn backers among House colleagues in both parties

CHRISTOPHER DODD - The affable Democrat is popular in the Senate. Fluent in Spanish, he's an expert on Latin America and is strong on children's issues

TOM VILSACK - Inexperienced in foreign affairs, he's a likable self-made man. His hopes ride on his record as Iowa's Governor and a champion of ethanol fuel

DUNCAN HUNTER - A boutique candidate for lovers of military hardware and a pro-Bush foreign policy, the Congressman (R.-Calif.) has ties to bribe-taking Duke Cunningham

Sam Brownback (opposed to embryonic stem-cell research, abortion and gay marriage A standard-bearer of the social right--with a twist. He speaks out against poverty, the genocide in Darfur and the war in Iraq)

Mitt Romney who faces a challenge in explaining his Mormonism to conservative Christians suspicious of it. )  

On the other side, I like Clinton, Obama, Edwards (does not support gay marriage) and Gore. Gore denies that he plans to run, but his hit film, An Inconvenient Truth, and his strong stands on climate change and the war in Iraq have rehabilitated him with Democratic activists.

[pdh3]

Jeb Bush did nothing to improve the Child Welfare System in FL, even thoug he pledged to do so. It is one of the worst, if not the worst, in the country. I will not vote for him because of that.
I'm also tired of the Bush way of running things. I want a President who can unite us, and I don't think it's Jeb, or Hilary or Obama.
I think Rudy or Joe Liberman might be our best chance. I have the utmost respect for John McCain, but I don't know if his health can withstand the rigors of the Presidency.
IMHO.

[sharon]

Perfect seque pdh3  

Just a local update on Jeb.


http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/southflorida/sfl-cjeb10feb10,0,3243793.story?coll=sfla-home-headlines

Citizen Jeb rediscovers private life

By Jamie Malernee
South Florida Sun-Sentinel
Posted February 10 2007

 
He's been spotted parallel parking at a South Miami shopping mall and buying popcorn at a local movie theater.

He looks like he's lost a little weight and is sporting a tan, thanks to more exercise, golf and a trip to Mexico with his wife. And at a middle school this week, he told a classroom of students that he doesn't have "any burning ambitions to do anything else" in politics.
 
For the month that former Gov. Jeb Bush has been out of office, he has settled back into life as a private citizen in South Florida and downplayed speculation about his career plans -- not an easy task for the son of one president, the brother of another, and a man who could one day also make a run for the nation's highest office.

Gone is his security detail and driver. He now zips around town, sans entourage, in his new silver Chrysler 300 M sedan. He and his wife have swapped the governor's mansion for a swanky, empty-nester condo in downtown Coral Gables. No longer collecting a government paycheck, Bush, who turns 54 Sunday, has signed on with an agent that represents heavy-hitter clients who charge more than $40,000 per appearance.

While visiting a Miami middle school this week, even the children wanted to know what his future holds, with one boy asking Bush if he wanted to be president. Bush, a Republican, previously has said he would not run for president in 2008, but he has not specifically ruled out the vice presidential spot.

"Everybody thinks politicians are blinded by their own ambitions and are posturing themselves to run for the next thing," Bush answered. "The only thing I ever really wanted to do in politics ... was to be governor. And then my dream came true. I don't have any burning ambitions to do anything else."

Bush's friends say his self-imposed break has several aims: to relax for the first time in eight years; to allow Florida's new governor the limelight; and to make sure his next step -- speculated upon by politicians, pundits and even a new book -- is the right one.

"Timing is everything in politics," notes Frank Brogan, Bush's former lieutenant governor and now president of Florida Atlantic University . "[Jeb Bush] is very smart intellectually and wise politically and he knows that there is a rhythm to these things."

Given President George W. Bush's dismal approval rating and the popularity of Florida's new governor, Republican Charlie Crist, Democrats such as Rep. Susan Bucher say they don't see Jeb Bush as an immediate player at the national or state level.

Bucher, who represents West Palm Beach, thinks there is no chance Americans will elect another Bush in 2008, making any run after that questionable.

"It's going to be hard for him to keep people remembering who he is in 2012," she noted.

One way Bush will stay visible is by traveling the country, giving speeches. Bush has signed an exclusive deal with the Washington Speakers Bureau, a Virginia-based lecture agent that represents heavies like Colin Powell and Madeleine Albright.

Florida House Speaker Marco Rubio, a Republican from Coral Gables, says he's getting reports of "Jeb sightings" from all over Coral Gables, where Bush and his wife, Columba, are renting at the downtown Segovia Tower. Their unit, which takes up an entire floor of the building, sold for $1.4 million last year, records show.

Bush often grabs a bite to eat at the Gables Diner or meets friends at the Starbucks on Miracle Mile.

"It's almost like Elvis," Rubio laughed. "He's made the rounds and his tried to reconnect with people."

Before Bush decides his next move, he is adjusting to all the little -- and not-so little -- things that change when a person is suddenly no longer governor. Bush told the class of middle school students he's enjoying his newfound freedom, without a driver or Secret Service detail.

"It's kind of confining to have people all around you all the time," he said. "I like to get in my car and go and be a normal person."

The downside: He's relearning how to survive Miami's clogged highways and has talked about getting a global positioning system for his car.

"The most difficult thing for him is to not answer [e-mails] with his BlackBerry when he drives," said Slater Bayliss, a lobbyist and former personal assistant to the governor.

Miami attorney Al Cardenas, former state Republican party chairman, said Bush is "getting used to doing things himself, makes his own appointments, answers his own phone."

Brogan said Bush and his wife are enjoying the changes .

"It's really a change to ... take your wife to the movies and not sit in the back of a car like you're going to the prom," he said. "It will be a transition that everywhere he goes, there is not an international press corps waiting for him, and he'll be getting on a plane that says `Delta' instead of the state's plane."

Colleagues say Bush has received no shortage of career offers and encouragement .

Many expect him to re-enter the business world. Bush started his professional life working for a Texas bank, heading up its Venezuela office, and later became a millionaire while partner of a commercial real estate firm.

"It's my opinion he'll go to the private sector, make some good money and return [to politics] later," said Rep. Jack Seiler, D-Wilton Manors.

Cardenas said international trade and alternative fuels are areas where Bush could mix business and policy.

Whatever Bush decides, many expect him to make up his mind soon.

"I can't imagine him relaxing for too long. He's not the kind of guy to go to Tahiti ... with drinks with little umbrellas in them," said Rep. Dan Gelber, D-Miami Beach. "He relished work, he likes to have goals and charge a hill, and being out of office is not going to change that one bit."

Staff writers Mark Hollis and Linda Kleindienst and researcher Barbara Hijek contributed to this report.

Jamie Malernee can be reached at jmalernee@sun-sentinel.com or 954-356-4849.