Ouch. Senator Hillary devoted barely any time to Iraq in her CDP Convention speech. She didn’t admit she made a mistake, even though she had the perfect opportunity. Really, I’m shocked by what she didn’t say.

She had a nice laundry list, but how can she avoid the biggest issue in the race? When she finally mentioned Iraq, she lost the crowd. I really don’t see how she can campaign in this environment without admitting her mistake.

Iraq is the issue and the fact Clinton refuses to acknowledge her mistake is going to dog her through the race — ending up in every newspaper article about the race. Why is she listening to the people who are telling her this makes sense?

(more Hillary speech coverage. – promoted by juls)

I hate to say this, but seeing Hillary up on the big screen at the CDP convention is totally giving me flashbacks to the now infamous 1984 parody ad.

I say this not to be mean, but just to marvel at the impact of this new media environment. I saw that ad probably a dozen times, between getting it passed around by friends and the media coverage it received. I realize that most people who see Hillary will speak will see her on that big screen, and it will evoke the negative imagery of “Vote Different,” which just says how brilliant that particular hit piece was.

So far I am not wowed by Hillary’s speech, and I would say the reaction of the crowd is tepid at best. The highlight: she talked about immigration reform and wanting to “bring people from the shadows.” The lowlight: The whole “you are invisible” refrain is really not working for me.

About to go to a press conference with her now, which should be really interesting!

never mind, I’m heading over to hekebolos’s live blog. 

I’m here at the “internet media” table at the convention.  I was going to liveblog from my seat in the Region 13 section, but it’s so far back is ridiculous.  Seriously, guys!  The middle of LA, and we get put in the way back with the Young Democrats?!  What the heck is that all about?

Anyway, Congressman Susan Davis is up right now.  But here’s a picture of Juls at the media table:

More below the fold, starting with John Garamendi.

Garamendi starts with renewing a respect for human rights and civil rights.  This guy is pretty enthusiastic!  Now he’s talking about the CTA.

Garamendi continues by saying that we will finally establish a single-payer healthcare system.

Now I like this: it’s time to establish an energy policy that removes us from the most risky, dangerous places in the world.  Energy policy that frees us from carbon cycles; an energy policy where we’re not dependent on places around the world.  I need to get a hold of this guy’s legislative counsel and push Energize America.

Garamendi closes by thanking everyone for his support in his election.  I’ll put up more posts for the presidential candidate speeches.

So I wandered out on the patio for a moment of outdoors time. When I tried to get back into the convention center, I found myself locked out. But there was a Democrat who realized my situation from a good 40 feet away and stopped his conversation and came over to the door to let me back in. He said, “I’m the candidate who opens doors.” Thank you Congressman Kucinich.

“You can’t say you’re against this war if you won’t vote to cut off funding.” That’s the challenge Dennis Kucinich says he will take to the other Democratic presidential candidates this afternoon when he addresses the California Democratic Party convention in San Diego.

Kucinich attacked a provision in a recently passed supplemental spending bill that he says would force the Iraqi government to give up control of its oil under the pretense of environmental protection. “Most of the media and have no clue” about this provision of HR 1591, known as the Hydrocarbon Act, said Kucinich.

Elizabeth and Dennis Kucinich

“It is a crime to launch a war against a nation that didn’t attack us and to then steal their resources,” Kucinich said.

He charged that the just-passed bills setting a deadline for withdrawal will not end the war, since “the deadlines will be inevitably be violated” and troops will be left in place to defend the private interests that he says are the true benficiaries of the war in Iraq.

Kucinich said his role in the presidential campaign is “to be the truth-teller”, noting that he warned 4 years ago that the war was being launched on false pretenses. As president, he said, he would end the use of war as an instrument of foreign policy and return America to its aspirations for liberty and justice.

Conventions are a whirlwind.  You promise to do 50 things and you end up doing 5.  You meet 200 hundred people and can’t remember their name afterwards.  You walk more in a day than you would in a week.  But ultimately, that little corner of the convention, that little snapshot, is as illuminating as an omniscient bird’s-eye view.

The turnout for the Progressive Caucus was amazing.  I would guess about 400 delegates and supporters packed one of the biggest rooms in the convention center.  I would say that the Progressive Caucus has arrived.  It only started two years ago, and now it’s the largest caucus in the Party.  Assemblyowman Loni Hancock gave a report on her Clean Money bill, AB 583, which passed the Assembly Elections Committee.  Mimi Kennedy talked about election protection.  Brad Parker gave a stirring speech about the rise of the progressive movement.  It was great stuff.

As I said, the Resolutions Committee folded a lot of the more contentious resolutions into some more mealy-mouthed ones.  Of particular concern to me is the resolution to form an Audit Committee, so I’ll be heading out to gather signatures to bring that one to the floor.

over…

The blograiser was amazing.  Unfortunately I spent so much time getting the liveblog up at Daily Kos that I didn’t have a ton of time for interaction.  But I did get to talk with Charlie Brown for quite a while about Iraq.  His son is over there right now flying planes in the Air Force.  He talked about how 40% of the officer corps is walking away from the service, how 30% of the Air Force planes have been grounded for wing cracks, essentially how the military has been broken by this conflict and how it’ll take years to get the ship righted.  Charlie is a great guy.  I can also boast that both Brown and Jerry McNerney commented on the live blog from my laptop!

One great thing that stood out is when Todd Stenhouse, Brown’s campaign guy, was talking with a couple of us, and said, “I get calls from reporters all the time asking, ‘Who’s dday, who’s juls, who’s Land of Enchantment, and why do they keep scooping me?'”  LOL.  We’re just faster is all because we don’t have a paper to meet a deadline for.

After the blograiser we headed out to some hospitality suites at the Convention Center.  The Young Democrats event was pretty fun.

Highlight image of the convention so far: Dude at breakfast with no shirt, a leather jacket, and two Yoplaits(?).

OK, gotta go…