The Democratic National Committee formally has
asked the Pentagon for reams of correspondence
between military agencies and nine potential
Republican presidential candidates, a clear indication
that Democrats are building opposition-research files
on specific 2012 contenders even before the midterm
elections.
An internal Army e-mail obtained by ABC News
indicates that the DNC has filed Freedom of
Information Act requests for "any and all records of
communication" between Army departments and
agencies and each of the nine Republicans -- all of
whom are widely mentioned as possible challengers
to President Obama.
Who are the lucky nine?
The nine Republicans that Democrats are seeking
information on are former Gov. Sarah Palin, R-Alaska;
former Gov. Mitt Romney, R-Mass.; Gov. Haley
Barbour, R-Miss.; Gov. Tim Pawlenty, R-Minn.; former
Gov. Mike Huckabee, R-Ark.; former House Speaker
Newt Gingrich, R-Ga.; Sen. John Thune, R-S.D.; Gov.
Mitch Daniels, R-Ind.; Gov. Bobby Jindal, R-La.
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Before conservatives work themselves into an outraged lather over this, I'll hasten to point out that this sort of oppo research isn't atypical; it's just starting rather early this time around:
The request isn't for details of military service or lack
thereof, but appears to be designed to find
information on letters and memos sent to and from
the potential candidates in official positions they've
held.
DNC officials declined to comment, but did not
dispute that the information has been requested. An
Army spokesman confirmed that the DNC's formal
request for information has been received.
Hey, when your guy's approval rating is dipping into the high 30's after 21 months on the job, it's probably a good move to get an early start on dirt-digging. It's never too early, it seems, to rough up your possible future adversaries.
Speaking of which, isn't this FOIA request missing someone?
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