Bob Menendez

Senator Bob Menendez said that Fidel Castro’s resignation as Cuban President isn’t great news, but he hopes the Cuban people will take to the streets to peacefully protest the Castro regime.

“This is not the cause for celebration that some would believe. This does not represent the replacement of totalitarianism with democracy,” said Menendez. “Instead, it is the replacement of one dictator with another.”

Hailed as a big event in New Jersey political history, the 2008 Democratic Party presidential primary produced some memorable moments of oratory.

Here are several:

Bob Menendez in North Bergen on Jan. 23

"Hudson, Hispanics, Hillary, History"

In an e-mail sent earlier today, Hillary Clinton’s National Finance Co-Chairman, John F.X. Graham, offered considerable praise to a multitude of Democratic leaders who played a role in Clinton’s 54%-44% victory in the New Jersey Democratic presidential primary:

Jon Corzine and Bob Menendez each think the other would make a great Vice President
It was a Jon Corzine/Bob Menendez love fest today as each exclaimed the others’ qualifications to be second in command under a President Hillary Clinton.

Although Corzine has all but ruled out any possibility of working in Washington next year if Clinton wins the presidential election, Menendez thinks he’d be a splendid choice for Vice President.

“I think he’d be a great choice,” said Menendez in response to a question during a conference call with Corzine about Clinton’s New Jersey primary victory.

Now that the New Jersey presidential primary is over, don’t bet on the last two major Democratic elected official holdouts to make an endorsement any time soon.

U.S. Sen. Frank Lautenberg and Rep. Rush Holt were the only two federal elected officials from the state who didn’t pick a horse in the run up to the primary. And now that the primary is over and done with here, their endorsements aren’t likely to swing any voters in other states.

But if the race betw

Just a few months ago, New Jersey’s presidential primary – moved up to February in a quest for national political relevance – was looking like a non-event. Hillary Clinton and Rudy Giuliani had considerable leads; in the case of the GOP, the winner-take-all primary meant that there were no delegates available to the other contenders.

Lionel Leach’s comment is really bugging supporters of Newark Mayor Cory Booker.  In an interview with PolitickerNJ.com on Friday, Leach, who identified himself as a spokesman for Hillary Clinton’s campaign in Newark, said that one of the reasons Clinton has done so well gathering endorsements of Democratic officials is because they don’t like Booker.  "I think a lot more elected officials would have supported Barack Obama were it not for (Cory) Booker’s support of Obama,” Leach told PolitickerNJ.com’s Max Pizzaro.  Leach, a well-known Democratic operative, worked for U.S. Senator Robert Menendez until just recently.

Will Bob Menendez make a play for a spot on the national ticket?

U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez doesn’t seem to be gunning for vice president. But he won’t completely rule out the prospect either.

“I am just focused on two things: standing up for the families of New Jersey in the Senate, just as we’re doing with the stimulus package where we got higher rates for the rebates, and secondly making sure Hillary has a big win on Super Tuesday and beyond and becomes the candidate of the party,” he said. “Everything else beyond that is so speculative. I appreciate the flattering comments.”

Menendez’s name was first floated by Clinton National Finance Co-Chair John F.X. Graham, who called him the “most intriguing choice.”

There are no plans to get Hillary Clinton back in New Jersey for Super Tuesday, but her campaign made the best of their New Jersey resources to start their final push towards the primary.

With the Barack Obama campaign gaining momentum in the state, Clinton's New Jersey all stars began their statewide bus tour this morning at the Brownstone Diner and Pancake Factor in downtown Jersey City - deep in the territory of Mayor Jerramiah Healy, one of Obama's chief backers. 

The rally was not completely without reminders of who the mayor of the town supports.  Just before the rally began, a white van sat out front with a sign on its side reading "Save America, vote Obama."  But before most of the Clinton-backing politicians arrived, the van drove off and its parking spot was filled by the SUV of the local congressman, Albio Sires.

PolitickerNJ.com, since February 1, 2000