NYTimes
August 23
9:49 am
Morning Buzz
Categories: General, Hillary Rodham Clinton, Mark Green, K.T. McFarland, City Hall, Elections 2008, Attorney General's Race, New York Senate Race, Morning Buzz, Jonathan Tasini, Connecticut Senate Race, Joseph Lieberman, Ned Lamont

Jonathan Tasini in June. (Librado Romero/The New York Times)
Jonathan Tasini’s challenge may not have Hillary Rodham Clinton running scared, but he certainly has some liberal groups a little nervous.

In the course of reporting on Mr. Tasini’s campaign in the Senate Democratic primary on Sept. 12, there were a number of leaders of prominent liberal groups who said nice things about Mr. Tasini privately but refused to go on the record for fear of incurring wrath in Hillaryland.

“Give me one good reason to tell you how I really feel about Tasini and Clinton,” said one Washington-based liberal whose name would be recognizable to many of you if he had let me use it. “One good reason.” When I suggested political principle, he replied, “Yeah, but Tasini is going to lose big. Sacrificing the principle in this moment versus sacrificing my standing with Mrs. Clinton, it’s a no-brainer.”

There were plenty of young liberals in Bryant Park Monday night who had no such fear, however.

Mr. Tasini is trying to ride a wave of support from city newspapers calling for a debate between the two Democratic candidates on the primary ballot.

But Team Hillary is still insisting that they want to wait to see how the campaign unfolds. With 20 days to go until the primary, how long will an excuse of wait-and-see hold up? Mr. Tasini, of course, is itching to debate Mrs. Clinton, because it would be the single best way to spread his message of liberal discontent – especially since those left-wing groups aren’t flocking to his banner.

A man whose political trajectory Mr. Tasini would like to follow, Ned Lamont, the new Democratic nominee for Senate from Connecticut, has pulled even in a new poll against Senator Joseph I. Lieberman, who is running as an independent in the fall general election.

Mr. Lieberman made some newsworthy comments on a conservative talk radio show yesterday, such as comparing the war in Iraq with the struggle against fascism on the eve of World War II.

When the host said the U.S. is in the midst of World War III, Mr. Lieberman replied that the two political parties aren’t pulling together in the fight, and then told the host, “everything you’ve just said is right.”

Pivoting from ’06 to ’08, which potential candidate is better positioned in the new schedule of Democratic caucuses/primaries (i.e., Iowa, Nevada, New Hampshire, South Carolina): Mrs. Clinton or John Edwards?

In the Senate, Mrs. Clinton is delaying the renewal of the main federal program for fighting HIV/AIDS, the Ryan White Act of 1990, because she says its proposed formula would cut funding to New York, according to The Washington Post.

Yvette Clarke has been picking up some key endorsements lately in the central Brooklyn congressional race, including Anthony Weiner’s on Tuesday. Worth noting: Mr. Weiner’s possible bid for the New York City mayoralty in 2009 gets prominent mention in the Clarke endorsement stories.

And the Sierra Club endorsed Mark Green yesterday.

Mayor Mike Bloomberg went to Ireland yesterday and, lo and behold, took a moment to spread his favorite message: He has no plans to run for president in 2008.

Looping back to the Clinton Senate race for a moment: One of her Republican opponents, K.T. McFarland, plans to resume campaigning shortly after taking a pause to deal with her daughter’s shoplifting arrest last weekend, advisers tell me.

Oh, and those jeans Camilla McFarland fingered in Southampton? $172.

– Patrick Healy