So Peter Cowman from MoveRed.org got a chance to tag along with McCain’s visit to Washington state the other day, as noted in this earlier post. When I asked him about how McCain treated this press corps, he had this to say:

“The press was a main function of what he does on the campaign tour. After the environmental round table, they went outside for 15-20 minutes for questions. From there, the press followed him around the watershed to take video and pictures of his tour of the site. The press was not involved with the fundraisers, it was closed door for just the donors and staff.”

McCain does generally seem to take more time to talk to his traveling press corps than Sen. Clinton or Sen. Obama, at least from what I’ve observed out on the campaign trail here in Washington and then in Texas. That could be an interesting tool for his campaign come the summer and fall.

Another sure sign that Barack Obama will be the Democratic nominee: President Bush has already started taking shots at him.

Almost clearly referring to Obama, who said last July that he supported direct and unconditional talks with leaders of Iran, North Korea and other countries, Bush said this today in a speech in Israel:

“Some seem to believe that we should negotiate with the terrorists and radicals, as if some ingenious argument will persuade them they have been wrong all along. We have heard this foolish delusion before. As Nazi tanks crossed into Poland in 1939, an American senator declared: ‘Lord, if I could only have talked to Hitler, all this might have been avoided.’ We have an obligation to call this what it is — the false comfort of appeasement, which has been repeatedly discredited by history.”

Obama’s campaign released a statement almost immediately, saying, “It is sad that President Bush would use a speech to the Knesset on the 60th anniversary of Israel’s independence to launch a false political attack.”

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A few hours ago the California State Supreme Court delivered a 4-3 ruling that declared unconstitutional a state law prohibiting same-sex marriage.  The Court’s money quote from its decision is this:

“Furthermore, in contrast to earlier times, our state now recognizes that an individual’s capacity to establish a loving and long-term committed relationship with another person and responsibly to care for and raise children does not depend upon the individual’s sexual orientation, and, more generally, that an individual’s sexual orientation — like a person’s race or gender — does not constitute a legitimate basis upon which to deny or withhold legal rights.

“We therefore conclude that in view of the substance and significance of the fundamental constitutional right to form a family relationship, the California Constitution properly must be interpreted to guarantee this basic civil right to all Californians, whether gay or heterosexual, and to same-sex couples as well as to opposite-sex couples.”

With this ruling, California becomes the second state in the nation to legalize same-sex marriage. Massachusetts is the other state, and has done so since 2003.

Welcome to the 2008 presidential campaign, gay marriage.

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After John Edwards stepped out yesterday, and endorsed Senator Obama, the debate immediately began about whether his endorsement would matter, or what it would mean for Obama. It’s meaning a lot to Obama today.

Obama has picked up four of Edwards’ delegates, and the powerful endorsement of the United Steelworkers. Today, the Steelworkers, who had endorsed Edwards last year, announced thier endorsement of Obama. Their endorsement was highly courted in this election by Senator Clinton and Senator Obama. 

United Steelworkers: “Senator Obama’s call for a significant change of direction amounts to far more than a compelling rallying cry.  It is buttressed by his record of consistent support for workers, by his call for sweeping changes to our health care system, by his unflinching support for Employee Free Choice, and by his insistence that America’s trade policies must, first and foremost, serve the interests of America’s working families.

So, what does this mean for Obama? It means that Obama might not have a problem with some of the “working class votes” in the fall, like so many of the pundits have been debating about non-stop in the last 48 hours.

The steelworkers have roughly 600,000 members, and many reside in Pennsylvania and Ohio, which are two critical states in the general election for the Democrats. Alex Conant, spokesman for The Republican National Committee, didn’t waste time responding to the Steelworkers endorsement.

Conant said: ”Big union endorsements are no substitute for Obama’s serious lack of experience and understanding of economic policy. Obama’s poor judgment on economic matters would result in higher taxes on rank-and-file union members and hurt job creation. Americans looking for strong economic leadership won’t find it in Obama’s tax-and-spend agenda.”

I think this big union endorsement matters, and I suspect more endorsements to follow. I interviewed some members of United Steelworkers Union Local 5032 in Pennsylvania prior to the primary. You can read about thier story here. 

If you don’t know what the deal is with Sudan, well go check out the internet and you’ll find quite a bit of information.

This story comes courtesy of some good leg work by the Associated Press:

Cindy McCain, whose husband has been a critic of the violence in Sudan, sold off more than $2 million in mutual funds whose holdings include companies that do business in the African nation.

The sale on Wednesday came after The Associated Press questioned the investments in light of calls by John McCain, the likely Republican presidential nominee, for international financial sanctions against the Sudanese leadership.

McCain, who was campaigning in Ohio, said neither he nor his wife were aware of the Sudan-related holdings.

Divestment has become a popular way to oppose the Sudanese government’s genocide in the Darfur region of Sudan.

The New York Times followed up well on this:

Several Democratic and Republican candidates sold off similar investments during the primary season. In Senator McCain’s home state of Arizona, Gov. Janet Napolitano signed into law a bill that would “divest pension funds from those targeted corporations that materially assist the Sudanese government in carrying out the genocide in Darfur. The bill targets foreign companies involved in mineral extraction, weapon sales, and the oil industry.”

The writing has been on the wall for a while, but Republican spokespeople have stated over and again that the party isn’t in that bad of shape; in a down swing sure, just a little, but nothing too serious.

Well, frankly that’s not true and we know it.

Politico sees it:

For the past 18 months, ever since the 2006 elections, congressional Republicans have been like a hospital patient trying to convince visitors that he is not really all that sick: a bit under the weather; actually feel better than I sound; should be up and about any day; thanks for asking.

Suddenly — belatedly — all pretense is gone.

The Republican defeat in Tuesday’s special election in Mississippi, in a deeply conservative district where, in an average year, Democrats cannot even compete, was a clear sign that the GOP has the political equivalent of cancer that has spread throughout the body. Many House GOP operatives are privately predicting that the party could easily lose up to 20 seats this fall.

Like I said, it’s true. Chider’s win in Mississippi is the third of what may become a streak of conservative leaning districts that could be lost to the democrats.

Politico suggest that with the 20 seat loss, coupled with the 30 seats lost in ‘06, there would be a 70 vote difference between the parties, giving the Democrats not just a clear majority but an overwhelming juggernaut that could pass just about anything they wanted.

Two things to watch out for if this comes about: 1. With a Dem. in the White House, how will that affect how quickly things get done? 2. With a Rep. in the White House, how will that affect the powers that have been wielded by President Bush? (Will McCain have the same authority if the House becomes severely Democrat?)

Peter Cowman from MoveRed.org had the chance to spend the day with McCain yesterday. Go here to see photos from his blog:

I got an up close and personal look at his entire trip, from a round table discussion with an environmental panel and the press in North Bend, to events later on that evening. He was at the Cedar River Watershed discussing his ideas to help take care of the environment and how the United States can lead with the issue of climate change through market based solutions and American innovation.

I’m hoping to ask Cowman a few more questions about his McCain close-up, and hope to post those comments later.  

Sen. John McCain made a quick campaign stop here in Washington yesterday, meeting with local business leaders in North Bend for a panel discussion. McCain touted his environmental initiatives, including his somewhat controversial plan to build more nuclear power plants:

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Yes, we all know that Sen. Clinton is touting her recent win in West Virginia as a sign that she’s still alive. But the consensus in most media outlets is that this is a hollow victory, to say the least, and that it doesn’t mean much.

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Former Sen. John Edwards is finally set to endorse someone, and to few people’s surprise, it’s Sen. Barack Obama. Edwards will formally announce his Barack backing tonight at a rally in Grand Rapids, Michigan. In this post on the New York Daily News‘ blog, he offers this piece of advice to Obama’s last remaining rival:

“She has to be really careful that she’s not damaging our prospects, the Democratic Party and our cause for the fall,” he told CBS.

It’s unlikely that this last-minute endorsement will change the dynamics of the race (i.e. Clinton’s dogged fight to the bitter end), but it’s yet another sign that the party establishment wants this contest over ASAP.