From Former Vice President Al Gore:

"Today, I announced my endorsement of Bob Tuke to be the next U.S. Senator from my home state of Tennessee. I have known Bob for a long time, and I am glad to call him a close friend ... "

Remember this 2006 ad from VoteVets?

This ad ran against George Allen, Rick Santorum and Conrad Burns. All were defeated for reelection.

The same vote against giving our troops the body armor they needed that the ad criticizes was also cast by 17 Republican Senators seeking reelection this year:

Lamar Alexander (TN)
Saxby Chambliss (GA)
Thad Cochran (MS)
Norm Coleman (MN)
Susan Collins (ME)
John Cornyn (TX)
Elizabeth Dole (NC)
Mike Enzi (WY)
Lindsey Graham (SC)
Jim Inhofe (OK)
Mitch McConnell (KY)
Pat Roberts (KS)
Jeff Sessions (AL)
Gordon Smith (OR)
Ted Stevens (AK)
John Sununu (NH)

And not only that, but these Senators had all been elected or reelected just months before. That is, the Senate class of 2002, elected in November of that year, cast these votes in April of 2003, at the very beginning of their terms, and nearly six years away from having to face the voters for it.

They thought you'd forget. They needed you to forget.

But one thing they weren't counting on was the troops still being deployed and still fighting six years later.

But they are. And though some of these clowns have since tried to make amends, the fact remains that at the critical time, they put party politics over the lives of our troops, and voted against giving them the armor they needed.

They should all go down for it, and American voters should make a special point of sinking them for their cowardly votes that they hoped we'd forget.

These ads are just the way to do it, too. But they're not on the air.

They've been produced, as you can see. All they need are new tags to identify the 17 Republican Senators up for reelection this year who voted against giving our troops adequate body armor, and they're ready to go. They've been proven in the field, and you can see the impact they'd have right here before your very eyes.

But they're not on the air. And as far as I can tell, there are no plans to put them there.

Seventeen Republican Senators, some of them very, very vulnerable this year. What could we do with those seats in our hands?

Why aren't these ads on the air?

Big time Democrats, donors, and other convention goers: think on this, please. Use the time we spend together in Denver to remedy this.

Why aren't these ads on the air, and what can we do to change that?

After many long months Tennessee's primary election was held last night, and it is my great honor to be representing the Democratic Party as a candidate for the United States Senate. It would not have been possible without the thousands of people who have aided our cause, who recognized, as I did, that it is time for a change in Washington.

This is a march that I embarked upon, not alone, but with the support of countless Tennesseans, Democrats, Independents and Republicans alike. Our shared frustration with Washington's failure to solve our most pressing problems is what motivated to begin this campaign,  and it is my belief in our ability to correct course and change direction  that will take me through our campaign's final months.

So with about three months to go, with Ted Stevens' indictment dominating the Senate news, it's time for another look at all the 2008 Senate races.  There are 35 seats up for election because of a scenario in Wyoming and Mississippi where both seats are up, due to the passing of Craig Thomas and the resignation of Trent Lott, respectively.  Now obviously, quite a few of the races are considered "safe" for the incumbent.  So what are the competitive races?

I'll rank these in terms of tiers.  The top tier will be the races where the party holding the seat has a real shot of switching (but I ain't guaranteeing anything).  The second tier are races that could become top tier races, but are not at this point.  Tier III are ones where a major event would need to happen for the seat to come into play.  And the safe seats?  Well, Mike Gravel has a better shot at winning the presidency than those incumbents have of losing their races.

This is meant to be a primer for both newcomers and political junkies alike, so some of the information may seem repetitive for you junkies out there.  Also see my previous May diary to see what things have changed since my last update.

America is in the midst of a recession largely attributable to the economic policies of the Bush administration and the Republican party.  As a result of this recession, millions of hard working Americans have been put out of work.  Almost every family in this country has been touched by the current recession.  On top of this consumers are being forced to pay record high gas prices and hundreds of thousands of people have lost their homes due to foreclosure.  Now is not the time to cut tax paying American citizens off of their unemployment benefits.

According to a recent report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, at least one in four teenage girls nationwide have a sexually transmitted disease. Clearly abstinence only school programs do not deter young people from sexual activity, but in fact this direction actually deters young adults from access to information that they need to make responsible and safe choices.  We must act immediately to withdraw funding for this program and allow teachers to present sensible sexual education curriculum.

I know, I know...it's not likely, but a brother can dream can't he?

Following up on my post from yesterday and incorporating some of the suggestions/corrections from the comments made there, let's take a look at our best case scenario in the November Senate elections.

Right now, we're at 49 Ds, 49 Rs and 2 I's.  When the smoke clears on election night in November we'll be at 62 Ds, 37 Rs and 1 I.
Here's how it's going to happen....

Of course this comes with no real surprise, but several of those Senators that blocked the windfall tax have received substantial contributions from oil and gas PAC's that would have been affected. I looked at three of my least favorite Senators John Cornyn, Jeff Sessions and Lamar Alexander.

To read about the Senate Block click here

Also please take a moment and if you can, please donate to my candidates like Rick Noriega, Vivian Figures and Bob Tuke. I started this page after the GI Bill vote, but this is another reason to help these folks.

Click on the thermometer or go to this act blue page

So with less than half a year to go, it’s time for another look at all the 2008 Senate races.  There are 35 seats up for election because of a scenario in Wyoming and Mississippi where both seats are up, due to the passing of Craig Thomas and the resignation of Trent Lott, respectively.  Now obviously, quite a few of the races are considered "safe" for the incumbent.  So I’ll rank these in terms of tiers.  The top tier will be the races where the party holding the seat has a real shot of switching.  The second tier are races that could become top tier races, but are not at this point.  Tier III are ones where a major event would need to happen for the seat to come into play.  And the safe seats?  Well, Mike Gravel has a better shot at winning the presidency than those incumbents have of losing their races.

Follow me below the fold for all the races.  This is meant to be a primer for both newcomers and political junkies alike, so some of the information may seem repetitive for you junkies out there.  Also see my previous March diary to see what things have changed since my last update.

I have started a fund to support those Senatorial candidates running against incumbent Senators this fall that did not support the GI Bill. What I found in doing my research is that generally most of these Senators do not support veterans period.

Donate by clicking on this thermometer

I am going to match whatever I can raise on here. I am simply asking that each peson that vote also donate $1.01 or more to the Candidate listed. Please spread the wealth to all of these candidates if possible. Plus who ever recieves the most votes, I will donate $25.01 of my own money to this week.

It's been five LOOOONG months since I last posted a Senate '08 diary. Back then, Fidel Castro still ran Cuba (in name, at least) and Iowa was anyone's game to predict. Two weeks before my diary was posted, a loon held Clinton's Rochester, New Hampshire office hostage for several hours. And about the time my diary was posted, the hottest news on Campaign Trail '08 was Sex On the City (if you don't remember, it's okay...it was Rudy Giuliani's 497th scandal of 2007).

Anyway, much has changed, and the Senate '08 picture has seemingly gotten brighter and brighter for the Democrats. Retaining a Senate majority seems just about assured, and expanding it significantly looks likely. That's what a basket-case economy and unanimously disdained President will do for the opposition party. Good times.

My Senate roundup below the fold! . . .

It's me, and it's in the Tennessean,today and starts as follows:

"My son is going back to Iraq later this year for a third time. This time, through the back-door draft since he's been out of the service for three years.

On Thursday, Sens. John McCain, Lamar Alexander and Bob Corker, you chose to turn your backs on him and Tennessee's other veterans. McCain, you were shockingly AWOL on the vote and Lamar and Bob, you voted AGAINST the Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2007! How could you, when the nonpartisan measure garnered a full three-quarters of the Senate to pass overwhelmingly? Sure, it was bundled with other expenditures, but again, your colleagues, both Republican and Democratic, voted overwhelmingly for this bill! You three are seriously out of touch!"

We use them all the time - our firefighters, police officers and emergency medical service personnel.  Hardly a day goes by that we don't come into contact either directly or indirectly with these hard working public servants.  When we have traffic accidents or emergencies at home or at work these public servants are the first on the scene in our communities.  Often risking their own safety in order to serve the public good, these employees of our cities, states and municipalities deserve to have collective bargaining rights.

Lamar Alexander, TN-SEN, has painted himself as a moderate Senator who takes a stand on the environment. Early on he did vote once or twice against the Bush administration but not in a big long while and that claim is just pure bull-hockey!  He's in the pocket of Big Oil just like Bush, Cheney, Condoleeza and company.  

Follow below to see a few brief cites.  But before you do, put in the back of your mind, this great hope for Tennessee:  Bob Tuke.  Tuke's former head of the Tennessee Democratic Party, led the charge for Vets for Kerry statewide, and headed up Obama's Tennessee effort.  He's a Vietnam vet and has a slim but growing chance.  He needs donations and support.  

The following is an open letter Bob Tuke, a Democratic Candidate running for Tennessee's U.S. Senate against Lamar Alexander, submitted to Huffington Post asking a few pointed questions of his opponent, incumbent Lamar Alexander.  As some of you might know, Bob's a Vietnam War vet, and has been a strong friend of mine as I've seen my two sons serve not one, not two, but three tours in Iraq and have one going back as part of Dick Cheney's IRR Stop Loss program a month shy of the end of his term in the military.

This is a longshot race, and while Lamar paints himself as independent minded and moderate, his voting record shows he is attached to the hip of one George W. Bush and is your classic Roadblock Republican.  

Read Bob's Letter below, and if you're so inclined, donate here at his site, or here at my ActBlue Page.  Lamar is ranked as 12th wealthiest Senator and Tennessee / America has nothing to show for it. He's voted against Veterans, Children, and for the kind of Corporate Welfare that is eliminating the middle class.

Dear Senator Alexander,

I read your "Flat Tax" announcement and I have a few questions.  But before I get to that, I want to look at a few key statistics about the state of our country since you went to Washington:

• Almost 6 years in office
• More than 4,034 Americans killed in Iraq and 29,628 wounded
• $9 Trillion in debt loaded onto our children and grandchildren
• Mortgages being foreclosed upon across America
• Gas prices stuck at more than $3 a gallon - Almost 6 years of blind support for the failed policies of George Bush
• Almost 6 years of silence and benign neglect on health care, education, the economy and energy prices

What a record! And now, in an election year, you propose a sweeping overhaul of the entire tax code via a press release as most Americans file their tax returns.

Talk about your calculating politician... Let me introduce you to Senator Lamar Alexander, the Senior Senator from Tennessee.  

Lamar's a classic "Roadblock Republican," towing the party line and polishing his brown-nose so nicely he was named Party Whip this year.  

He goes along quietly, towing the party line and earlier this year, all the while trying to rebrand himself a moderate, an outsider, and an independent-minded legislator.  

Well, that's just bunko.  Earlier this year, he twice voted against tax incentives for alternative energy production – policies that are critical to energy independence, job creation, and our environment.  Both of these bills failed, unfortunately.

In a classic Bush-lite move, Lamar's introduced the exact same alternative energy legislation – but instead of eliminating corporate giveaways and welfare dollars for Big Oil, he proposes to pass the tab on to our kids. A look at his biggest donors will tell you just whose interests he's protecting.  

    Former Tennessee Democratic Party Chairman Robert Tuke has entered into the 2008 Senate Race against incumbent Lamar Alexander. Currently, Senator Alexander holds a significant fundraising advantage being an elder statesman in the TN Republican Party. Mr. Tuke entered the race officially at the end of February at the behest of national Democratic Party leaders who needed a candidate with the strength and conviction to challenge a well entrenched incumbent.
    Mr. Tuke is a Vietnam veteran and a former Marine officer. Today, he is a successful Nashville attorney and the TN Chairman of Obama for America. He is a man with a significant amount of experience in the fields of healthcare law, national security,and education. Mr. Tuke has every characteristic needed to win, but must have our support.

Current Known Campaign Staff:
Joe Trippi-Political Consultant
Ben Chao-Campaign Manager