PRESIDENT GIVES KAMALA HARRIS HIS LUKE-WARM, BELATED ENDORSEMENT

The President has endorsed Harris in the California Attorney General race, but the text of the "endorsement" (which, BTW comes only three weeks before the election) sounds like more of a pity endorsement based on Harris' desperation than a glowing statement of her qualifications to be California's next top prosecutor:

"Now she's running to be California's attorney general, and I am proud to stand by her," Obama's written statement said. "She is someone who understands the needs of all Americans, and I need allies like that fighting for change across the country."

Obama said Harris "needs our help if she's going to win this race."

Don't you “stand by” someone who is in trouble?

We agree with one thing, she "needs help"--because she is completely unqualified to be attorney general.

We mean if Harris was so qualified, why didn't Obama find a place for her in his administration?

After all, she was one of the first politicians to endorse him nationally when he announced his presidential bid, and she co-chaired his California fundraising effort.

Yet he offered this attractive woman NO JOB in his administration.

Our take: She must be pretty unqualified and/or way too liberal for even the commander-in-chief. Otherwise, why no job offer?

Read more: Obama endorses Harris for California Attorney General (Fresno Bee)

AG CANDIDATE COOLEY TROUNCES KAMALA HARRIS IN UC DAVIS DEBATE

We watched yesterday’s televised debate between Los Angeles District Attorney Steve Cooley and San Francisco DA Kamala Harris, and Harris was (in our opinion) mauled.

In addition to coming off as evasive, Harris seemed nervous and uncomfortable—shifting from side to side—and Cooley calm, experienced and focused.

In fact, after watching the debate, we could not agree more with the San Francisco Chronicle’s Debra Saunders when she wrote for Real Clear Politics:

“I don't understand why San Francisco District Attorney Kamala Harris wants to be California's next attorney general. Then again, it's hard to understand why she even ran for DA -- other than because she has a yen for elective office.

"She hasn't been an aggressive prosecutor. She hasn't been a competent administrator. She seems more interested in advancing liberal causes than putting bad guys behind bars.”

(See, Debra Saunders, Race Pits Dream Prosecutor Against S.F.'s Nightmare DA, Real Clear Politics, 9/26/2010.)

Don’t take our (or Debra’s) word for it—watch the debate yourself and sound off in the comments.

No wonder Cooley is leading the darling of the DNC in both money raised and money in the bank--the smart money always goes to the perceived winner this late in the race.

STEVE COOLEY LEADS SF DA HARRIS IN AG RACE, NEW POLL SAYS

Embattled San Francisco District Attorney Kamala Harris, whose quest for the job of California’s top prosecutor has been plagued by her opposition to the death penalty for cop killers and a subpar trial conviction rate now has something else standing in her path to the Attorney General’s Office: A new poll, giving her Republican opponent Steve Cooley a clear lead in the race.

A separate, earlier poll gave Cooley, the Republican Los Angeles County District Attorney, a small marginal lead over Harris, the Democratic District Attorney for San Francisco County.

The Field Poll had Cooley ahead of Harris by three percent, with Cooley at 37 percent and Harris at 34 percent.

But second poll conducted by Hill Research Associates July 10-12 gives Cooley a seven percent lead. The results showed Cooley with 41 percent and Harris with 34 percent, and also projected Cooley as the leader in all media markets except San Francisco.

The death penalty remains a key point of contrast between the candidates, with Cooley for and Harris opposed. Over 70 percent of Calif. voters continue to support the death penalty, which Harris has said she is personally against, and which she has consistantly refused to seek when it was up to her as San Francisco District Attorney--even for cop killers.

In 2009, Harris came under fire when her office decided not to seek the death penalty for triple-murderer and illegal alien Edwin Ramos, who shot three men, a father and his two sons, to death. Harris was also criticized in 2004 for refusing to seek the death penalty in the killing of a 29-year-old San Francisco police officer by a gang member.

The feeling in the law enforcement community is that cop killers are among the most dangerous of offenders, and taking the death penalty off of the table for cop killers endangers officer’s lives.

Harris has also come under fire for having the worst trial conviction rate in the state, with an accused murder in San Francisco having a 50% chance of acquittal if he decides to make Harris’ office prove the case at trial.

However, Harris has strong support from the DNC, listing $636,603 cash on hand with Cooley reporting just $222,729 as of May 22, 2010. So don't count the anti-death penalty conviction rate challanged SF DA out of the race just yet.

AG CANDIDATE KAMALA HARRIS HAS WORST CONVICTION RATE IN STATE

Opinion, by Blogonaut

We have made no secret of our view that San Francisco District Attorney Kamala Harris, with her anti-law enforcement views (including refusing to enforce the death penalty in all cases—not to mention dismissing provable charges against the drug crazed man on two burglary probations caught by SFPD on our penthouse balcony where he crouched with a knife, duct tape and rope) is a weak candidate for California’s top prosecutor.

While we were across the street grabbing a cup of Joe this cover story in the SF Weekly (a left wing neighborhood paper that would favor Harris as much as any periodical would) caught our eye:

A Lack of Conviction.

Apparently, if you are charged with murder in San Francisco, and decide to roll the dice on a jury trial, with Kamala Harris as the District Attorney you have a 50-50 chance of beating the rap. Even though Harris takes only the strongest cases to trial, and dismisses the rest:

"In the first quarter of 2010, things got worse. During that time, Harris' office secured guilty verdicts in just 53 percent of its felony trials — a remarkable figure, revealing that defendants accused of serious crimes who took their case to trial had an even one-in-two shot at winning an acquittal. By contrast, the most recent recorded statewide average was 83 percent, according to statistics from the California Judicial Council.

"The general decline in felony trial convictions has included more failures in murder cases specifically, according to records released by the D.A.'s office in response to a request from SF Weekly. From January 2009 through the end of last month, according to the records, Harris has obtained murder or voluntary manslaughter convictions for just 11 out of 20 homicide defendants at trial, with the rest acquitted or convicted on lesser charges."

Read the full SF Weekly cover story on Harris' courtroom record.

Read how Kamala Harris does not even know how many SF cops she convicted of crimes!

[That's right, up to 100 SF police officers have been convicted of crimes, and Harris cannot even tell the Chief of Police who those officers are!]

The bottom line is that if those of you in other counties want to step over drunks and drug addicts laying in the sidewalks, and you are against enforcing the laws on our books--like the death penalty for cop killers and serial killers--then Kamala Harris is YOUR cantidate for California Attorney General.

Which is why, no doubt, Nancy Pelosi has endorsed Harris for Attorney General.