First Thing In the Morning

Your Wednesday news...

A deal is reached aimed at ending the political crisis in Lebanon.

European Union unveils a plan aimed at making farmers more responsive to market forces amid rapidly rising food prices.

Jordan Hamilton, White House Chief of Staff and political strategist to President Jimmy Carter, died Tuesday after a long battle with cancer.

After rejecting his initial request, Great Britain will grant asylum to a gay Iranian teenager who faces execution if forced to return to his homeland.

"Idol" - Battle of the Davids: The Season Finale

Ok...the whole boxer thing through out the show was about as lame as lame gets. Give me a freekin' break! Can you say "testosterone overload?"

Now that that is out the way...on to the final round of "American Idol"...

David Cook
"I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For"
Those gorgeous eyes should be enough to lead him to victory as far as I'm concerned. That said, I think he coasted on this song. He didn't take any chances, playing it right down the middle. But still, I liked it. Let there be no doubt - this man is the true essence of "rock star."

David Archuletta
"Don't Let the Sun Go Down On Me"
Good gawd...could they have picked a more predictable song!? He nailed it, of course and proved without a doubt that he deserved to be on that stage tonight. He got a bit pitchy toward the end, but overall really nicely done.

David Cook
"Dream Big"
Good, old-fashioned rock and roll from Mr. Cook. However the results go, this guy has a big career in front of him. He's the more marketable talent and the bigger personality. He sang his ass off.

David Archuletta
"In This Moment"
Sheez! Can you say "schmalzy?" Damn that was a horrid little song. Typical of Archuletta and the girls no doubt loved it. As such, this performance will add to his vote totals tonight.

David Cook
"The World I Know"
Hmmm...Cook has turned in much better performances in past weeks. He's off his game tonight but only by a tad. It forces me to wonder: Is he throwing the contest on purpose? If he comes in second, chances are he wouldn't be tied to a recording contract as stifling as the one winner signs. I'm sure I'm wrong...but I can't stop thinking that maybe...perhaps...

David Archuletta
"Imagine"
I loved it when he did this song earlier in the season and I loved it no less tonight. Corny as all hell, but his voice and that song are an amazing combination.

Who will win tomorrow night? More than likely it will be Archuletta. The show's demographics favor him more than they do Cook. Either way, it is clear that the two best contestants wound up in this finale round. "American Idol" seems to have pulled itself out of the lull it had fallen into the last couple of seasons or so.

Both Davids have extremely bright futures in front of them. They performed better more consistently than any of the season's other contestants. And that is something they should both be proud of...whatever the results show tomorrow night.

Almost There

Although Sen. Clinton has won another substantial primary victory, this time in Kentucky, Sen. Barack Obama is now only 95 delegates away from calling the nomination his own.

With polls in Oregon set to close soon, the Senator from Illinois will be even closer.

Update, 8:00pm: NBC News projects Obama the winner in Oregon's primary.

Senator Kennedy

The great lion of the United States Senate is pretty darn sick. Sen. Ted Kennedy (Democrat-MA) was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor today. The man who has fought the good fight for Americans since the day he took office now has his own battle to wage.

Healing thoughts being sent his way, I'm sure, from all over the country.

Dylan and Timmy

Two sets of very dear friends lost their beloved pets this past weekend. Laurie and Tony lost their pride and joy, Timmy; and Susan and Jeff lost the real patriarch of their household, Dylan.

For both Brent and myself, each will always hold a special place in our hearts. Memories of Timmy-sitting and of Dylan's catnip escapades will forever fill our memories of those two sweet boys.

Our thoughts are with Laurie, Tony, Susan, and Jeff.

Why America Needs Obama

Voting in Kentucky or Oregon today? Has the state of the current Democratic race left you on the fence? Let me try to sway you. Originally posted before the big February 5th "Super-duper Tuesday" contests, you can read my endorsement of Sen. Barack Obama by clicking here.

The Popular Vote

From Patrick Healy of the NY Times:

Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton is entering the Kentucky and Oregon primaries on Tuesday with one of the most pugnacious political messages of her campaign: That she is ahead in the national popular vote...

Of course, the only way she comes to that conclusion is by including her votes in Michigan. Never mind that all the other candidates removed their names from the ballot in solidarity with the Party's punishment for the state moving their primary up to a date earlier than agreed. Never mind that 45% of the state never the less went to the polls that day and voted for "no one" over Sen. Clinton.

Let's be clear: If the tables were turned and Obama was trying to count votes he received in a state where Clinton's name didn't appear on the ballot, the former First Lady would be caterwauling from here to kingdom come. The votes in Michigan shouldn't count, the delegates from the state should be seated at the convention in half-capacity, and that's the end of it.

So, for the record, here is the national popular vote for the Democrats as of this morning (before Kentucky and Oregon vote):

Obama
16,442,622
49.3%

Clinton
15,736,286
47.2%

Edwards, Biden, Dodd, Richardson, etc. have the remaining 3.5%

For kicks, let's add the votes in Florida, another state that was punished for moving their primary to January, but in which all names remained on the ballot:

Obama
17,018,836
48.5%

Clinton
16,607,272
47.3%

The other candidates split the remaining 4.2%

This argument that she's winning the popular vote is flimsy at best and reeks of desperation, as does her argument that the number of delegates needed to win the nomination is 2,209 rather the 2,025 agreed to in the rule book.

Changing the rules in the middle of the game so you can win? Sounds way too Bush-like for comfort, if you ask me.

"3 In the Mourning"

Heh!

First Thing In the Morning

Ok...I'm trying a new blog segment and we'll see how it works. Essentially it will be a few key news headlines, hand-picked by yours truly, that I think are rather important in the overall scheme of things (you will click on the headline to read each story). In this day and age, when major media outlets spend hours and hours covering everything but news, I'll do what I can to keep you informed about the world around you. In this day and age, being uninformed is not an option.

I will more than likely post these headlines while I sip my morning coffee, and so as such I am naming the segment "First Thing In the Morning," after an old morning news show that used to air on WMAQ-TV (NBC) in Chicago.

And now, your morning news...

11 Iraqi police recruits killed in a bus ambush by Sunni insurgents near the Syrian border.

Venezuela: "U.S. violated our airspace." Tension rising in the region with both the US and Colombia accusing Caracas of financing Colombian rebels.

Police in France, the Netherlands and Germany have arrested 10 people suspected of providing funding to Islamic extremists in Uzbekistan.

"What I'm About to Tell You": More Soviet-style secrecy from the Fascists in the White House.

EPA chief drops his support to protect Californians from auto pollution because Bush said "boo."

"Lay Off My Wife"

Sen. Barack Obama gives the bottom feeders known as the Tennessee Republican Party notice: His wife and his family are off limits...



It's good to see Obama going to toe-to-toe with these assholes. If there are still people out there who tend to think of the Illinois Senator as soft-shoed, then take another look at the clip above. Believe me, he will get all up in the GOP's face!

Marriage in California: "Equal Respect & Dignity"

The ruling last week by the California State Supreme Court was, without a doubt, a tremendous step forward for those who believe in equal rights under the law. Not special rights...equal rights. While I have never been a true believer in the institution of marriage (I think people should pair up with whomever the please, share property with that person, leave an estate to that person, be able to visit them in the hospital, etc., without any sort of official state backing), I believe more passionately that, under the rule of law, gays and lesbians should be able to marry if they so wish. The court's ruling last week indicates that the tide is turning in that direction.

The opinion, written by Chief Justice Ronald George, cited the court's 1948 decision that reversed the state's ban on interracial marriage. It found that "equal respect and dignity" of marriage is a "basic civil right" that cannot be withheld from same-sex couples.

But the victory lap should include a whole lot of caution. Prior to the Court's ruling, a group of Fascists known as California Marriage Protection delivered a petition to the California Secretary of State that reportedly has enough signatures to get a proposed amendment to the State Constitution put on the November ballot that would nulify the Court's ruling and ban same-sex couples from being able to marry. I am not at all optimistic that the hateful amendment will fail - as much as I would like to have more faith in my fellow Californians, my gut tells me they will vote to write hate into our state's Constitution.

In 2000 the Knight Initiative (named for an ultra-conservative state legislator who turned out to have a gay son), a ballot measure that defined marriage in California as between a man and a woman, passed overwhelmingly (61% to 39%). On the bright side, that was eight years ago, and it was placed on a presidential primary ballot in which the Democratic nominee (Al Gore) had the nomination clinched while the Republicans (George W. Bush and John McCain) were still battling it out. Thus, conservative turnout was high and progressive turnout somewhat low.

That said, while California is notoriously "blue" on the electoral map, a look at the deeper Democratic demographics shows that defeating a state constitutional amendment will require some hard work, lots of sweat, and quite possible a few tears.

The Bay Area I'm not worried about. Parts of Los Angeles will be in our camp as well. And Gov. Schwarzenegger has, to his credit, come out against a constitutional amendment. But, in all honesty, the blue collar folks in the Central Valley, the conservative Democrats up in the Sacramento area, hispanic voters down in San Fernando Valley, and the African-American community in South Central Los Angeles no doubt still harbor some unexplained fear at even the thought of gay marriage.

So, unless the fight against marriage rights is joined in full force, the great state of California will find itself writing hate into its Constitution. And it will remain there for at least a decade.

McCain, the Flip-Flopper

Putting the derailed "Straight Talk Express" into perspective...

Obama vs Grandpa Bush Bitch

George W. Bush and the man who not only kisses his ass but essentially crawls up it, John McCain, tried to take Barack Obama down on the issue of foreign policy last week. Obama's reaction? Essentially, it was "bring it on"...



The current president's foreign policy is absolutely abysmal - perhaps the worst in American history - and John McCain has embraced those policies whole-heartedly these last four years. Decisions this president has made have left America - and Americans - less safe, in dire straits, and in need of a new direction. And Barack Obama has given notice that he will not be painted as weak-kneed and incompetent; that he will, in fact, go toe-to-toe with the Republicans and their failed policies.

Sen. Byrd Endorses Obama

Sen. Robert Byrd (D-WV), the Dean of the Senate and one of the body's last true Constitutional scholars, has endorsed Sen. Barack Obama for president.

I'm sure he has his reasons for not doing so until now, but that endorsement would have been nice prior to the state's presidential primary last week. Whether it will help tomorrow with Appalachian voters in Kentucky is questionable.

But either way, the endorsement by Sen. Byrd is a tremendous "get" for the Obama campaign, especially after the state went so overwhelmingly for Senator Clinton.

California Supreme Court To Rule On Same-Sex Marriage

The California Supreme Court will convene at 10am this morning to hand down their ruling on the legality of the state's ban on same-sex marriage.

Eight Years of Stumbling

Quote of the Day:

For now, Team America is losing on just about every front [in the Middle East]. How come? The short answer is that Iran is smart and ruthless, America is dumb and weak...

-New York Times foreign affairs columnist Thomas Friedman, on the how the next president will more than likely face a cold-war-like scenario with Iran.

Sigh...I'm already on Larry's shit-list for the rants about Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign, but this is really gonna push him over the edge. ;-) But here it goes...

In his goal to change the way things are done in D.C., in a much-needed effort to hit the reset button in American global affairs, a "President Obama" would do well to include non-government officials in his cabinet and inner-circle. One person I would put near the top of that list is Tom Friedman. He doesn't have to be Secretary of State or anything, but including him in a small circle of presidential advisers, along with others who hold views opposite of Friedman's (like, say, Chris Dodd), would go a long way toward making Obama's presidency a success and, more importantly, give him the tools to repair America's global image, which has been tarnished beyond repair under Little Boy Bush.

Just thinking out loud; food for thought, so to speak.

"This Advice Mr. Bush: Shut the Hell Up!"

In a passionate and brutal Special Comments segment yesterday, Keith Olbermann blasted President Bush over Iraq, incompetence, lies, and golf. It is posted in two parts totaling about 12 minutes, but please...please...take the time to watch:

Part 1:



Part 2:

The Fuckhead In the White House

He's such a prick...

I don't want some mom whose son may have recently died to see the Commander-in-Chief playing golf. I feel I owe it to the families to be as - to be in solidarity as best as I can with them. And I think playing golf during a war just sends the wrong signal.

Actually sir, what you owe the families of those fighting in Iraq is some good old fashioned COMPETENCE.

Among other things.

You fucking jerk.

Edwards Endorses Obama

Former Sen. John Edwards, the 2004 Democratic vice-presidential nominee, and a nominee for the party's presidential nomination this year, endorsed Sen. Barack Obama this afternoon.

Part of me wonders why he didn't endorse earlier, but I'll chalk it up to him not really knowning who to support. The TV talking heads are wondering what sort of deal may have been struck between the two men: Vice-President (I don't think so since he's been in that slot already, but who knows), Attorney General (imagine...a competent AG who has actually read the Constitution), Secretary of Labor?

Time will tell, but in the mean time this is a HUGE "get" for the Obama campaign.

Back to Seattle

I flew back up late this morning and am ready to re-start the project that had me up here in the first place. Posting may get light every now and then, so please bare with me.

Without Garfield

Ok...things were getting a bit too serious so let's lighten them up a bit. How about another "Garfield Minus Garfield" strip? For those of you who missed my first post about it in March, this hilarious website removes the infamous cat from his own comic strip, leaving only the sad and hapless Jon Arbuckle. As the site's header says:

...the result is an even better comic about schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and the empty desperation of modern life.

The result is absolutely brilliant...

Mid-Week Brain Break

"Soul Train" funk, circa 1975...

The Inability to Admit Defeat

Quote of the Week:

[Hillary] she soldiers on, undaunted, because real women “don’t give up in difficult situations.”

I suppose you can call all this “feminism.” But, as my husband pointed out this morning, if feminism is the inability to concede error or defeat — even in light of irrefutable, empirical evidence and in the face of spiraling support and tanking morale, George Bush must be the feminist icon of the ages.

-Dahlia Lithwick, over at Slate, on the stubbornness of Hillary Clinton.

That's been one of my main arguments against Sen. Clinton. The inability to admit mistakes or concede defeat by the current president has put American in an awful bind. We don't need four more years of it.

Huge Endorsements For Obama

From the Wall Street Journal:

Three former chairmen of the Securities and Exchange Commission will publicly endorse Democratic Sen. Barack Obama's bid for the presidency Wednesday, including one who served under President Bush.

William Donaldson, Arthur Levitt, and David Ruder will join former Fed Chairman Paul Volcker in endorsing Sen. Obama.

236 - 199

With yesterday's huge win in Mississippi, the Democrats now have 236 seats in the House of Representatives to the Republicans' 199. Since the Republican route of 1994 the GOP have not held more than 230 seats, and for the first time since then they hold under 200.

Say it with me: ominous.

The Asshole, McAuliffe

Forget that his voice is about as shrill as Hillary Clinton's (nails on a chalkboard) and that he's a complete and utter asshole (and Chris Matthews is a jerk in this clip too), but Terry McAuliffe's argument in this clip, comparing this year's race to the Carter-Kennedy contest of 1980 and to the Mondale-Hart contest in 1984, leaves no doubt in my mind that Sen. Clinton's motives from this point out are not sound. She simply wants to take this to the convention and pick a fight there, and she doesn't care what it does to the party's chances in November.

Memo to Hillary and Terry: Stop making the 1980 and 1984 comparisons. The Democrats lost those to elections in landslides!

Retraction

In the heat of the moment (hey...she does that to me), I posted some really harsh language in the "Kamikaze" post below. It's been removed and my apologies go out to my readers, Sen. Clinton's supporters (Hi Larry!), and to Sen. Clinton.

The kamikaze argument still holds, but the harsh language has been removed.

In Nebraska

The ever-handsome Scott Kleeb won the Democratic nomination for the U.S. Senate race in Nebraska. He'll face Republican Mike Johanns in November for the seat being vacated by Chuck Hagel.

In Mississippi

Democrat Travis Childers has won a special election for an empty House seat in Mississippi tonight, in a district that is about as Republican as they come.

The Republicans have got to be shitting their pants!

AmericaBlog (Reprise)

I was taking another look at John Aravosis' comments at AmericaBlog tonight and some key points in his final paragraph jumped out at me.

To my family, friends, and readers who wonder why I've become so disenchanted with the Clintons, John nails it:

I defended her. I defended her husband. And now I'm actually wondering if the Republicans weren't right about them. That's how bad she has damaged her reputation. People who actually liked you, who actually helped you, who actually defended you, LOATHE you now. Call me a Clinton-hater all you like, but people like me were the ones who had your back [during the 90s]. And we never will again.

Amen, Brother John...AMEN!

Hillary's Kamikaze Mission

As expected Sen. Hillary Clinton handed Sen. Barack Obama his ass tonight in West Virginia. And then some:

Clinton 67%
Obama 26%
Edwards 7%

This result was expected. Race played a huge role in the state and the conservative Democrats handed Clinton a victory that means absolutely nothing. Despite tonight's huge win, and despite next week's expected win in Kentucky, there is still no path to the nomination for her, save a super-delegate coup at the convention.

And so, what was her speech all about tonight? Forget about going out with a bang or bowing out gracefully. When Clinton said the number of delegates needed to win the nomination is 2,209, it became more obvious than ever that she is playing the Republican game. She knows damn well...and she fucking AGREED TO IT...that this year the Democratic rules say you need 2,025. Mark my words: She intends to take this all the way to the convention.

John Aravosis at AmericaBlog:

"Go Away You Horrible Human Being"

IT'S NOT CLOSE. YOU FREAKING LOST THE NOMINATION, WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU?

Good God. What is wrong with her? The Clintons and their campaign staff don't give a damn that they are now hurting our electoral chances in the fall against McCain and against the Republicans in Congress. Their campaign isn't happening in some vacuum, and they know it. Our candidates can't fundraise because of her. Obama can't focus on McCain because of her. Obama is wasting money on HER, rather than spending it on McCain, because of her. EMILY's List, and AFSCME, and the American Federation of Teachers and others are wasting their members' money on her now-failed race - money that they could be spending, should be spending, on other real races, races that haven't already lost. She can't win, the math says she lost the nomination, but she doesn't give a damn. She's going to stay in the race like some spoiled hateful egotistical brat.

Why is the media even covering her? The only stories that should be written about Hillary Clinton is how much damage she's causing our party. How she's hurting fundraising at the DNC - they even admitted it, they're not raising the money they need to fight John McCain because of this woman. Why don't you write some stories about how she is hurting our candidates who can't fundraise because of her? How she has forced EMILY's List and AFSCME and the AFT to waste their money because of her. How she has caused a civil war in the Netroots. Five months ago we all felt that we had 3 great candidates. Now, far too many of us loathe Hillary Clinton, and she has done her racist best to ensure that her supporters can't stand Barack Obama either.

The Clintons don't give a damn about our party. Their party, their church, is themselves. To hell with everyone else. I actually liked Hillary up until a few months ago. Other bloggers used to tell me that Joe and I were too nice to Hillary. People just assumed that we were endorsing her. Now I actually loathe her. She makes me yell at the TV like she's George Bush, and no one other than George Bush makes me yell at the TV - until now. I actually can't stand her or her husband any more. I defended her. I defended her husband. And now I'm actually wondering if the Republicans weren't right about them. That's how bad she has damaged her reputation. People who actually liked you, who actually helped you, who actually defended you, LOATHE you now. Call me a Clinton-hater all you like, but people like me were the ones who had your back. And we never will again.

Let me close with what Mike Huckabee just said on MSNBC:
"The happiest person in America tonight is John McCain."

I was going to start to tone down the rhetoric against Sen. Clinton on this blog. But forget that! She is actually on a kamikaze mission...I'm sure of it! If she can't get her way she is going to tear apart the Democratic Party.

She's no better than Karl Rove and the Republicans.

Obama Leads McCain By 7 Points

With the Democratic nomination all but his, Sen. Barack Obama now leads Sen. John McCain by a 7-point margin in a new ABC News/Washington Post poll:

Obama 51%
McCain 44%

Obamacans

Here is the winner of MoveOn.org's recent "Obama in 30 Seconds" ad contest:

Eye Candy

Actor Sean Harris, getting wet for the Everyman Campaign Against Male Cancer...

SNL and Hillary Clinton

They go in for the kill...



I found this clip over at Towleroad, where a reader commented:

The viciousness of Hillary put-downs is deeply troubling.

And saddening.

The Obama victory is diminished by the nastiness of all this sort of thing.

And American discourse is diminished as well.

Sigh.

And so I responded:

Hillary brought this on herself. I used to admire her (and Bill) and was one of their most passionate supporters and strongest defenders; and think Bill's presidency was the best of the last three decades. But this campaign has shown them to be absolutely Karl-Rovian in their campaign tactics. Sure, Obama had to fight hard in order to stay in the race, but he never retreated to the racist, homophobic, Dixiecrat tactics that the Clintons did.

If anyone diminished American discourse, it was Sen. Clinton, her husband, and the goons in her campaign.

Self-Important TelePrompter Readers

It seems Bill O'Reilly was a Grade-A asshole as far back as when he was reading the telemprompter for the crappy little "Inside Edition." Watch this "professional broadcast journalist" get his panties in a wad over the fact that he is unable to say "goodnight" without an assist from the teleprompter.

Update: YouTube pulled the original clip, but uber-O'Reilly fan Keith Olbermann aired it on "Countdown" last night and thus I've re-embedded it. Olbermann's introductory commentary is priceless.

Update 2: YouTube has pulled the Olbermann clip. Here is another one...



Reminds me of another self-important diva, this one of NBC News circa the early 80s...



...who quickly fell into on-the-set substance abuse and a tragic end...

Manic Monday Levity

Hilarious skit from this weekend's "Saturday Night Live." (Well...hilarious for those of you born before 1973.)

"Call Your Mother"

One more post for Mothers Day...an excellent non-foreign affairs essay from NY Times foreign affairs columnist Thomas L. Friedman:

"Call Your Mother"
by Thomas L. Friedman
New York Times
May 11, 2008

The ad popped up in my e-mail the way it always has: “1-800-Flowers: Mother’s Day Madness — 30 Tulips + FREE vase for just $39.99!”

I almost clicked on it, forgetting for a moment that those services would not be needed this year. My mother, Margaret Friedman, died last month at the age of 89, and so this is my first Mother’s Day without a mom.

As columnists, we appear before you twice a week on these pages as simple bylines, but, yes, even columnists have mothers. And in my case, much of the outlook that infuses my own writings was bred into me from my mom. So, for once in 13 years, I’d like to share a little bit about her.

My mom was gripped by dementia for much of the last decade, but she never lost the generous “Minnesota nice” demeanor that characterized her in her better days. As my childhood friend Brad Lehrman said to me at her funeral: “She put the mensch in dementia.”

My mom’s life spanned an incredible period. She was born in 1918, just at the close of World War I. She grew up in the Depression, enlisted in the Navy after Pearl Harbor, served her country in World War II, bought our first house with a G.I. loan and lived long enough to play bridge on the Internet with someone in Siberia.

For most of my childhood, my mom appeared to be a typical suburban housewife of her generation, although I knew she was anything but typical. She sewed many of my sisters’ clothes, including both of their wedding dresses, and boy’s suits for me. And on the side, she won several national bridge tournaments.

My mom left two indelible marks on me. The first was to never settle for the cards you’re dealt. My dad died suddenly when I was 19. My mom worked for a couple of years. But in 1975, I got a scholarship to go to graduate school in Britain and my mom surprised us all one day by announcing that she was going, too. I called it the “Jewish Mother Junior Year Abroad Program.”

Most of her friends were shocked that she wasn’t just going to play widow. Instead, she sold our house in little St. Louis Park, Minn., and moved to London. But what was most amazing to watch was how she used her world-class bridge skills to build new friendships, including with one couple who flew her to Paris for a bridge game. Yes, our little Margie off to Paris to play bridge. She even came to see me in Beirut once, during the civil war — at age 62.

The picture of her in Beirut makes me think back in amazement at what my mom might have done had she had the money to finish college and pursue her dreams — the way she encouraged me to pursue mine, even when they meant I’d be far away in some crazy place and our only communications would be through my byline. It’s so easy to overlook — your mom had dreams, too.

My mom’s other big influence on me you can read between the lines of virtually every column — and that is a sense of optimism. She was the most uncynical person in the world. I don’t recall her ever uttering a word of cynicism. She was not naïve. She had taken her knocks. But every time life knocked her down, she got up, dusted herself off and kept on marching forward, motivated by the saying that pessimists are usually right, optimists are usually wrong, but most great changes were made by optimists.

Six years ago, I was in Israel at a dinner with the editor of the Haaretz newspaper, which publishes my column in Hebrew. I asked the editor why the newspaper ran my column, and he joked: “Tom, you’re the only optimist we have.” An Israeli general, Uzi Dayan, was seated next to me and as we walked to the table, he said: “Tom, I know why you’re an optimist. It’s because you’re short and you can only see that part of the glass that’s half full.”

Well, the truth is, I am not that short. But my mom was. And she, indeed, could only see that part of the glass that was half full. Read me, read my mom.

Whenever I’ve had the honor of giving a college graduation speech, I always try to end it with this story about the legendary University of Alabama football coach, Bear Bryant. Late in his career, after his mother had died, South Central Bell Telephone Company asked Bear Bryant to do a TV commercial. As best I can piece together, the commercial was supposed to be very simple — just a little music and Coach Bryant saying in his tough voice: “Have you called your mama today?”

On the day of the filming, though, he decided to ad-lib something. He reportedly looked into the camera and said: “Have you called your mama today? I sure wish I could call mine.” That was how the commercial ran, and it got a huge response from audiences.

So on this Mother’s Day, if you take one thing away from this column, take this: Call your mother.

I sure wish I could call mine.

Mothers Day Levity

Heh!

End-of-the-Week Levity

"Cats For Dummies"

A Banner Year?

By way of Marc Ambinder, here are the key data points of a memo released by the Democratic Party yesterday. The memo argues that the party could be in for a banner year. (COULD...remember...this is the DEMOCRATIC Party...well known for turning sure victory into a narrow loss!):

TURNOUT: Increase in voter turnout was high in every state in the nation. The lowest increase? Hillary Clinton's former home state of Arkansas, which saw an 18% increase in Democratic voter turnout. The largest? Kansas, home state to Barack Obama's mother and one of the reddest states in the union, saw their turnout increase by two-THOUSAND percent!

CONTRASTS: Republican turnout almost everywhere either stagnated or actually decreased.

YOUNG VOTERS: Turnout among the under 30s tripled or quadrupled almost everywhere. In Massachusetts young voter turnout shot up by 100%.

INDEPENDENTS: The percentage of independents voting in the Democratic primaries increased.

SCARY FACTS FOR REPUBLICANS: Per the DNC Memo, "In fact, in seven counties in Ohio — Putnam, Brown, Shelby, Belmont, Warren, Delaware, and Clarmont — the vote totals for our two Democratic candidates in the 2008 primary exceeded the votes for John Kerry in the general election in each of those counties."

REGISTRATION: In New Hampshire, 75,000 folks registered as Democrats on Election Day alone, exceeding the Democratic registration shift during the entire election cycle in 2000.

A look at a few recent Electoral College polls show Barack Obama competitve in long-time Republican states like Virginia and North Dakota, not to mention parts of Nebraska. I have a hunch, if all goes well, pundits and politicians will be a bit surprised at the final electoral map in November.

Hillary Dearest

Kevin, at Citizen Crain, telling the gay community that no tears should be shed over Hillary Clinton's apparent loss of the Democratic presidential nomination:

A lot of tripe is thrown around about gay Republicans in the gay media, and has been for over a decade. But not enough has been written about the toxic impact that Clintonism has wrought on the gay community and its political leadership. The cravenness of it, the poisonous combination of raising hopes with glistening promises, and dashing them at the first sign of political risk -- all the while shifting the blame to others -- has done more to destroy what was once a potentially powerful movement than anything a small band of hapless, closeted gay Republicans on Capitol Hill (now "cleansed" for the most part) could ever have done...

[Clinton's defeat] Whether you realize it or not, [is] good for you. Embrace it. And get back to work in making your party something other than a gigantic waste of money, hope and effort.

If what the Clintons did to the black community during this campaign was any indication, the gay community would have been in for a world of hurt under a Hillary Clinton administration.

Kevin's argument aside, we should remember that despite having Bill Clinton throw us under the bus at the first sign of political turmoil (Melissa Etheridge's words, not mine), the gay community thrived on its own, thank you, despite that. And it had absolutely nothing to do with the Clinton Administration (who, I remind you, put "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" in place and who, I remind you, signed the Defense of Marriage Act). Yes, he was an excellent president on most matters and, had it been an option, a third term would have benefited the nation more than the presidency of George W. Bush. (I certainly would have voted for him despite the political expediency; and, yes, for Hillary this year had she been the nominee.) But let's get one thing...uhhh..."straight" - the huge strides the gay community made in the 1990s happened for one reason and one reason only: The gays themselves made them happen.

Picture of the Day

Time Magazine calls it...

McCain's Pastor Problems

Big State, Small State; Red State, Blue State

Quote of the Day:

Because for too long we have let places like West Virginia slip out of the Democratic column and you know it is a fact that no Democratic president has ever won the White House since 1916 without winning West Virginia.

-Sen. Hillary Clinton this week in West Virginia, where she is expected to win a big victory next week.

So the small states matter now, do they Senator?

There She Goes Again

I wanted to believe she would finish out the race with a bit of class and some long-absent grace. I refused to listen to that little voice in the back of my head that was trying its best to tell me not to trust her.

Alas, I should have.

Sen. Hillary Clinton, yesterday to USA Today:

I have a much broader base to build a winning coalition on...Sen. Obama's support among working, hard-working Americans, white Americans, is weakening again, and how whites in both states who had not completed college were supporting me.

Can you say "race-baiting?" How about "Dixie-crat!?" Good God! The Clinton team never ceases to amaze me. Now before my Clinton supporter friends start piling on, think about this: Had another Democrat said this, or had a Republican said it, the comment would have been enough to kill their campaign. Why oh why is Clinton held to a different standard?

The issue of race has become an obsession with the Clintons in this campaign and it has ruined their reputation with the African-American community to the point where it will most likely never be repaired. Bill Clinton was once called the honorary first black president. His support in that community was essential to both of his election victories and to the success of his presidency. He was wildly popular among African-American voters and they were his most loyal demographic during his years in the White House.

And so, after Clinton's campaign surrogates used racist tactics in an attempt to beat back a challenge from her African-American opponent, after her husband (the honorary "first black president") went into white middle-class neighborhoods to throw his most loyal followers under the proverbial bus...well...it was oh-so-fucking-sweet to see African-American voters head to their polling places in droves this past Tuesday and hand both Bill and Hillary Clinton their asses on a platter.

In my eyes, the complete and total abandonment of the Clintons by their strongest supporters from the 1990s is the most fitting of final chapters to such a vile, Bush-esque campaign.

So Long, Jason

I was watching election returns come in from Indiana and North Carolina on Tuesday night and as a result did not see "American Idol." (Quite frankly, the show is getting super stale. Yeah, yeah...so is this presidential nominating election!)

Anyway, Jason Castro was voted off the show this week. And looking at this performance it's easy to see why...

Where Things Went Sour In Iraq

Rep. Paul Broun (Republican-GA) has surveyed the situation in Iraq, monitored the President's failed policies there, investigated the reason behind the increase in American casualties, and has concluded that the #1 reason things have gone sour in Iraq is...porn.

I don't know whether to laugh or cry.

Corrections

A couple of corrections to items posted in the last couple of days:

1. Reports that Gen. Wes Clark phoned Sen. Hillary Clinton to talk to her about dropping out of the race were false. According to a Clark spokesperson, the call did not take place.

2. After landing in D.C. Tuesday night/Wednesday morning, Sen. Clinton heard the talk on TV was that her campaign was over. While that may the case, Clinton decided to reschedule campaign events for Wednesday. It was reported late Tuesday that she canceled all events save a fundraiser.

Clinton's Financial Straits

MSNBC is reporting this morning that Hillary Clinton loaned her campaign an additional $6.4 million last month.

And after last night's lackluster performance in the Indiana and North Carolina primaries, I'm sure donations are drying up fast.

Out of Touch

Now that the fat lady has sung and we know that Barack Obama will be the Democratic nominee for president, let the fall campaign begin. The main argument the party should pound home to Americans in all 50 states? John McCain is about as out of touch as you can get...

Unification

According to John Cole, this is what it's going to look like when we Obama folks kiss and make up with our brothers and sisters at Camp Clinton:

Clark Calls Clinton

Quote of the Morning:

General Wesley Clark, a strong Clinton supporter and fellow Arkansan, called Hillary tonight to tell her it's over.

We like General Clark here at AMERICAblog, and have a bit of a history with him. So we hope what we're hearing is true. But the general better watch it - this could be his most dangerous mission to date. When you take on the Clintons, the sniper fire is real.

-Joe Sudbay at AMERICAblog, reporting on Clark's "come to Jesus" talk with Sen. Clinton last night.

Following his own run for the Democratic presidential nomination four years ago, Clark still has a very passionate following. His loyalty to the Clintons is beyond reproach. One would hope that they would take his advice to heart. But I have a hunch they'll keep going. And Sudbay is right...Clark better duck!

One thing is for sure though...today is going to be quite uncomfortable around Clinton campaign headquarters.

It's Over

Following last night's rout in North Carolina (Obama won by 14 points, or over 230,000 votes) and the turning of a potential rout to a whisker-thin win in Indiana (Clinton eked out an anemic 22,000 vote win out of over 1,250,000 ballots cast), the writing is on the wall, the fat lady has sung, stick a fork in her she's done.

Barack Obama will be the Democratic Party's nominee for President of the United States.

He now leads Sen. Clinton in the national popular vote by 711,777 votes, a margin she will not be able to overcome. If you add the rule-breaking votes in Florida and Michigan, she still trails Sen. Obama. And I bet that following last night's powerhouse performance, we will probably see super-delegates fall in line with Obama's candidacy.

Even Tim-MEH agrees with the new conventional wisdom:


So we have three questions: Will she bow out gracefully? Or will she continue to fight in hopes of stealing the nomination from Obama at the convention in Denver? Or will she simply get through the remaining primaries, aware that the nomination is not hers, but hoping to go out with her head held high?

We'll see. She's gonna do what she's gonna do. For the rest of us it's time for the general election campaign to begin. Obama vs. McCain, baby! And I like our chances. I like them very much!

Just Before 10pm PT

A late update: Clinton's lead in Indiana has now shrunk to just over 16,000 votes with 95% of the statewide vote counted. I still think she'll win, but the outstanding vote totals are in Lake County...so who knows. I have a hunch a final call won't be made until tomorrow sometime.

A telling sign of how tonight's results have affected the Clinton campaign: She has canceled all public appearances scheduled for tomorrow (save a fundraiser in the evening).

Another sign: With Obama's 15-point blow out in North Carolina and with Indiana a question mark, the talking heads on TV seem to be in agreement. The Democratic nominee for president is Barack Obama.

Update: NBC is declaring Clinton the "apparent winner" in Indiana. I've never heard that phrase before. It's almost like the number crunchers at Rockefeller Plaza just wanted to go home. That said, I'm sure the final result will show Clinton winning by a point or two.

But the night belongs to Obama. He now leads in the national popular vote - and even if you add Florida and Michigan to the mix he holds on to that lead. As for delegates to the convention, Obama came out well ahead of Clinton tonight.

And now...I'm off to bed.

'night 'night!

For Equal Measure...

...Sen. Clinton's speech:

A True Class Act

Tonight's victory speech from Barack Obama:

Hillary Giuliani?

What.
The.
FUCK!?

For absolutely no reason she brings up 9/11!? She truly is morphing into a nasty Republican.

Number Crunching

I am absolutely horrible at math, but with Lake County being the sole hold out in Indiana, I don't see a superb number there for Obama being big enough to overtake Clinton's current small statewide lead.

She'll win, I believe. But still, it won't be the blowout everyone was talking of this past weekend.

McCain's Weak Base

Looking forward to the general election in November, there was some more bad news for John McCain tonight. Over 25% of voters who cast ballots in North Carolina's Republican primary voted for someone other than McCain. They voted for candidates who are officially no longer in the race. That's not a base from which to organize a winning campaign.

Update: In Indiana, 22% voted against McCain.

GIve It Up

After the tremendous speech Obama gave in North Carolina, Hillary Clinton comes out tonight, with Indiana's vote still in question, and immediately gets bitchy. (By the way Hillary, Indiana didn't break any tie of any kind.)

And then she asked for money.

Things are that bad.

This is (still) essentially over.

No matter what she does.

It's time for her to go away.

Yeah, yeah...she moved into a more unifying stance half-way through the speech, but I didn't believe her sincerity. Not one iota.

Indiana Updates

5:19pm PT: CBS News calls the Indiana primary for Sen. Clinton, however none of the other networks have followed.

Update (6:32pm): At 5:15pm Clinton was leading Obama 55% to 45% in Indiana. As of 6:32pm that lead has been cut to 52% to 48%. And Lake County (which includes Gary, right outside of Chicago) and a large hunk of Monroe County (home to Indiana University) have yet to report.

That is why none of the other networks outside of CBS have called the state for Clinton. MSNBC has moved the race from "too EARLY to call" to "too CLOSE to call."

Whatever happens, Clinton has had - without a doubt - a pretty bad night.

More to follow.

Obama Takes North Carolina

Quote of the Day:

This primary election on Tuesday is a game changer. This is going to make a huge difference in what happens going forward. The entire country - probably even a lot of the world - is looking to see what North Carolina decides.

-Sen. Hillary Clinton, this past Friday in Kinston, NC. (She will, of course, deny tomorrow that she said anything of the kind about North Carolina.)

Imagine the body blow she must have felt when all four networks called North Carolina for Barack Obama the second polls closed there tonight.

Former President Bill Clinton did NINE SPEECHES for his wife in the "tar-heel state" yesterday, yet the rejection of the former first lady seems (SEEMS) to be tremendously huge.

The raw numbers are still coming in, but NBC's Chuck Todd says to watch the popular vote percentages in NC. Should Obama get 55% of the vote there, he'll get very close to erasing Clinton's gains in Pennsylvania two weeks ago. Should he get 57% of the vote in NC, he'll have erased it and then some.

PS, Hillary: Take note...North Carolina is a "big state." And Barack Obama just won it handily.

Indiana: Too Early Too Call

That the networks are unable to make the call out of the gate tells us that Clinton's hopes for a blow out in Indiana will not come true tonight. She may still win the state (I'll guess by about 4 to 5 points), but actual vote totals are going to need to come in before the nets can call it.

Whatever happens, it won't be good news for Hillary Clinton.

Polling In Oregon

SurveyUSA, the gold standard in polling this election season, has just released a survey of Oregon voters:

Obama 50%
Clinton 44%

Among white voters, the split is the same:

Obama 50%
Clinton 44%

This is a state that is 93.5% white and about 2.2% black. Sort of throws the argument that Obama can't win the white demographic out the window, doesn't it?

While we're at it, let's take a look at some of the other states Obama has won so far:

Idaho
Iowa
Kansas
Maine
Nebraska
North Dakota
Utah
Vermont
Wisconsin
Wyoming

Each and every one a state with a tremendous white population. Wouldn't it be nice if the Clinton campaign stopped the racist "he can't win in white states" bullshit?

The won't. But wouldn't it be nice?

Who Are You Calling A Pansy, Asshole?

Gov. Mike Easley of North Carolina, endorsing Sen. Hillary Clinton for the Democratic presidential nomination yesterday:

She makes Rocky Balboa look like a pansy.

According to the dictionary there are three definitions of the word "pansy." The first is the "large-flowered garden plant" definition. The other two?

-A timid man or boy considered childish or unassertive
-Offensive term for a homosexual man

For the record, Clinton laughed at the Governor's comment. Yet gays and lesbians continue to back her in droves. So, to my brothers and sisters, let me ask this: In high school, if some bitchy little hoo-ha was running for class president and used your friendship to get a leg up only to throw you under a bus later in the process, and then topped it off by calling you a pansy right before the class election...you mean to tell me you would still vote for her?

I'm all for idolizing icy bitches like Joan Crawford for camp value, but to vote for someone who knocks you down time and time again...well, that's a level of self-loathing I cannot for the life of me understand.

To my fellow progressives, I ask this: For the purposes of this campaign the Clintons have played both the race card and the homophobia card. Why? Because the only path they see to winning their party's nomination is to play to the fears of white lower and middle class voters. They've essentially thrown their entire base to the wolves and opened up the Republican play book, bringing up Jesse Jackson in South Carolina and playing to the Jesse Helms homophobes in North Carolina. And as if to add insult to injury, Clinton is going on "The O'Reilly Factor" tonight!

If this were any other candidate, progressives would be having huge fits. Why she has even minimal support from any true-blooded liberal is beyond me.

Mid-Week Brain Break

I spent many a Saturday morning in front of the TV watching this show. Here is a classic performance from 1979, "Disco Night" by GQ. And watch that lead singer...the man lip-syncs so well one might believe he was actually singing live...

Bush-Rove, Redux

Quote of the Day:

...in a hypothetical contest between McCain and Clinton, the very forces that help keep Clinton ahead among [older white] voters in the primaries would aid McCain against Clinton in the general election. McCain’s a Scots-Irish Vietnam vet with an independent streak. He should beat her easily in this demographic.

If, however, Clinton becomes the nominee by wrestling superdelegates away from Obama at the convention (which, barring a catastrophe, is the only way she can do it), McCain’s advantages grow even more.

The Democrats led by Clinton would haemorrhage desperately needed black votes and young votes. All the new money, new votes and new enthusiasm that Obama has brought into his party would not just disappear; the new voters would be actively enraged, sit out the election or even vote for McCain.

-The Sunday Times' Andrew Sullivan, looking into his rather clear and accurate crystal ball.

Between Bill Clinton (formerly referred to as "the honorary first black president") telling white voters in North Carolina that a black candidate "doesn't care about people like you" and Hillary Clinton hopping into bed with Richard Mellon Scaife, the uber-millionaire who bankrolled the constant right wing attacks against the Clintons during Bill's presidency, the 42nd president and his wife have alienated and insulted huge blocks of voters who backed them passionately during the 90s (and beyond).

Including this voter. Am I disenchanted enough to hold my vote from Hillary should she somehow steal the Democratic nomination? Right now I'd say yes, but that could very well be my emotions talking. But one thing is for sure...even if I cast an extremely unenthusiastic vote Hillary's way in November, this blog would continue to be one of her fiercest critics. Because mark my words, she'll run her White House the same exact way she runs her campaign. And the last thing this country and Hillary's political party need is a Democratic version of Team Bush-Rove.

Holding Pattern

A slight hic-cup in a major aspect of this Seattle project has put things in a holding pattern. I'll still be up here through the middle of the week and then, depending on how fast things are resolved, could return home for a week or so before things start back up again. If, however, things are resloved quicker than anticipated, I will remain here.

With any luck though I'll see Brent before Friday, when he leaves for two weeks of his own work-related projects.

24 Hours

Home from Seattle for about 24 hours. I'm in serious need of some B-man and Chloe time! Some snuggle time with the girl this afternoon and a nice dinner at Town Hall with Brent this evening.

Dorothy was right...there's no place like home.

George McCain Hoover...or Up Shits Creek

I was afraid this was going to happen. Food shortages overseas are beginning to creep into American markets. Here are some key points from a web news story earlier in the week:

-Americans are stocking up on staples such as rice, flour and oil in anticipation of high prices and shortages spreading from overseas.

-Costco and other grocery stores in California reported a run on rice, which has forced them to set limits on how many sacks of rice each customer can buy.

-U.S. wheat stocks are at the lowest levels in 60 years

-The diversion of one-third of the U.S. corn crop into making ethanol for vehicles has increased prices for corn and other staples such as soybeans and cotton as more acreage is set aside for ethanol production.

-Farmers also have raised prices because they have been hard hit by spiraling energy costs, which not only raised the price of diesel fuel to records of over $4 a gallon but drove up the cost of nitrogen fertilizer, which is made from natural gas.

According to Tom Buis, President of the National Farmers Union:

"Something is wrong."

No shit!

I've said it before and I'll say it again, anyone who continues to think that the Republican Party is the party of fiscal responsibility is living in a fool's paradise. There is nothing at all conservative about how this President, his father, Ronald Reagan, Gerald Ford, Richard Nixon, and Herbert Hoover navigated America's finances. Trickle-down economic policies and the run-up of record-setting debt (much of it owed to foreign adversaries) is the ultimate in irresponsibility and, in my humble opinion, absolutely anti-American.

The Republican nominee in this year's presidential contest has admitted to knowing nothing about economic affairs and, while on the campaign trail, embraces the policies of the current administration...the very policies that have put us in our current situation of high prices, a housing market breakdown, and a fast-collapsing economy overall.

Umm....thank you, but no.

If Americans put John McCain in the White House this November then they have what's coming to them. And dare I say, the resulting downturn could be on par with Herbert Hoover's Great Depression.

In the mean time, get out there and hunt down some of that neighborhood squirrel. The way things are going, it will soon be about all you can afford for dinner.

Eye Candy

Portland, Oregon native Kerry Degman is apparently the hottest guy in the modeling world right now.

One word: WOOF!

Terry's Hypocrisy

Quote of the Day:

Carl, take it to the bank. They will not get a credential. The closest they'll get to Boston will be watching it on television. I will not let you break this entire nominating process for one state. The rules are the rules. If you want to call my bluff, Carl, you go ahead and do it.

-Terry McAuliffe, campaign fundraising guy for the presidential campaign of Sen. Hillary Clinton, to Sen. Carl Levin of Michigan, trying to enforce the Democratic Party primary rules...

...in 2004, when he was chairman of the Democratic National Committee.

McAulilffe today?

I'm saying they've already voted, let's count the votes. I’m saying that the state parties in those states need to work with the national party and figure out how we count the votes that have already been voted.

Gee, Ter...what's changed?

Clinton By 8

As exepcted Sen. Hillary Clinton was the victor in Pennsylvania's Democratic presidential primary last night. As the coverage on CNN and MSNBC came to a close at midnight ET, the numbers had the former First Lady beating Sen. Barack Obama by 10 percentage points.

But then Delaware County, just south of Philadelphia, reported their numbers.

With a few last minute stragglers still to report, the close to final result brought Clinton's margin into the "dreaded" single-digit territory:

Clinton 54%
Obama 46%

Either way, a win is still a win and the party's contest continues further. Clinton actually gave a half-way decent speech last night. She was gracious and her voice didn't make me want to slit my wrists. Obama, on the other hand, seemed tired and off his game. To me that makes him more human. He's not the robot that the Clintons have become.

Despite this victory, the math still isn't there for Hillary Clinton. She still has to perform impossibly well in each and every one of the remaining states...a rather tall order. She's out of money (although I'm sure her plea for donations last night gave her coffers a boost) and trails in national surveys.

And so we soldier forward. On to North Carolina and Indiana...two states where Obama leads in current polling.

I Missed "Idol"

I was working last night and didn't get a chance to see "Idol," so new review this week. As Simon likes to say..."SAAWW-ree!"

Now More Than Ever: Obama

As Pennsylvanians head to their polling places today to cast ballots for the Democratic Party presidential nomination, I re-post my February endorsement in that contest here.

A change to that argument. In that essay I said:

Hillary Clinton would be a nightmare. Not her, specifically...not her politics...not her governing style...but rather, the result of the election.

I would like to amend that. Since early February Hillary Clinton has turned into the Karl Rove of this election cycle, spewing vile Republican talking points, saying one thing then later denying that she said it, and practially endorsing the Republican nominee should she lose her party's nomination. If that's how she runs her campaign then I shiver to wonder how she would govern this country. People call the possibility of a McCain presidency the unofficial third term of George W. Bush. I dare say, a Hillary Clinton presidency wouldn't be all that different.

Little Miss Chloe

Enjoying a very comfortable Saturday siesta...

In Seattle...VERY Light Blogging through Mid-May

I am in Seattle through August. (Yes...AUGUST!!) The major project I've been preparing for begins in full force tomorrow morning at 6am. It will require 12 to 14-hour days most of the coming week and, more than likely, the following week. As such, blogging will be extremely light at best. Things get back on a more even keel in about three weeks, although they'll be continually busy through mid-August.

End-of-the-Week Levity

Every episode of the BBC's classic sitcom "The Vicar of Dibley" ended with a wickedly funny joke, told by the Vicar (played superbly by Dawn French) to the ever-so-dense Alice (played to perfection by Emma Chambers).

Here is a hodge-podge of those jokes from the first "series" (that's British for "season"). Enjoy...

Betrayal In San Francisco

Well the bitch has started already, throwing vital supporters under a bus in order to get a political foothold with another demographic. Who did she betray this time?

The entire city of San Francisco.

That's it, Hil. Tell the red states they don't matter because Obama wins their primaries, and then go after one of the more progressive cities in America in order to gain favor with the religious zealots of those same red states. You truly have no scruples.

To my fellow Democrats who remain in the Clinton camp: It's time to face the facts. She really is turning into the Karl Rove of this election. And because of it she needs to be soundly defeated.

Two More Supers For Obama

Two old-horse Democratic heavyweights have endorsed Sen. Barack Obama for the party's 2008 presidential nomination. Former Sen. David Boren (OK) and former Sen. Sam Nunn (GA) have thrown their support behind the Illinois Senator, and are now advising the candidate on issues of national security.

Of course Hillary Clinton will probably discount these endorsements since they come from men who represented two of the reddest states in the nation.

For the record...should Obama go all the way, Sam Nunn would be an excellent pick for Defense or national security adviser (or even White House Chief of Staff).

UPDATE: It turns out Boren and Nunn are not super-delegates to the convention. None the less the ensorsement of these two powerhouse Democrats, one from the old confederacy and the other from one of the most Republican states in the southwest, can only help sway undecided supers to Obama.

Quickly, on the Debate

I have a busy day ahead and will comment a little more on last night's Democratic presidential debate later, but three quick things...

1. Charles Gibson and George Stephanopoulos gave journalism a huge black eye last night. The debate questions were tabloid-esque and played to the lowest common denominator of American society. With everything going on in the world - Iraq, terrorism, the economy - ABC asks about FLAG PINS?! To quote Bill Clinton in South Carolina: "Give me a break!"

2. Stephanopoulos used to work for Bill Clinton as both a campaign strategist and as a White House adviser. As such, ABC News shouldn't have let him anywhere near that debate stage last night. To let him moderate a debate in which one of the candidates is his former boss' wife was irresponsible.

To add fuel to the fire, Stephanopoulos then went on to use a right wing talking point (about Obama's very brief and very light affiliation with some 70s radical, who Hillary's husband pardoned) to punch Clinton's opponent. He put himself in the gutter with Hillary Clinton - taking on Karl Rove campaign tactics and asking questions fielded by uber-fascist Sean Hannity. It was lower than low.

3. Most of the debates of this political season were aired live across the entire country, no matter the time zone. I think ABC did the West Coast a disservice last night by airing the debate in the Mountain and Pacific time zones on tape in order to get them into the prime time hours. I wound up watching the debate live on-line, but still...the tape-delay decision just added to already wretched performance of their "moderators."

Good Riddance

Kristy Lee Cook is finally out of "American Idol." She was the least talented of the bunch and should have been voted off weeks ago. But now we have a real contest on our hands and I look forward to seeing how things play out over the next several weeks.

Mid-Week Brain Break

A straight white kid, in dreads, playing a ukelele, singing a song long admired by gay men. Only in an America where a mixed race black man from Hawaii, who grew up in Indonesia, is a leading candidate for president.

Enjoy Jason Castro's eclectic and enjoyable take on "Somewhere Over the Rainbow"...

The Post-"Bitter" Obama Surge

It seems all the drama over Obama's "bitter" pill last week was for naught. A new ABC News/Washington Post poll, taken as the statement was being dissected all over cable news, shows the Illinois Senator solidifying a national preference lead for the Democratic nomination, and beating John McCain comfortably in the fall:

For the Democratic nomination:
Obama 51%
Clinton 41%

Best nominee against McCain:
Obama 62%
Clinton 31%

In the general election:
Obama 49%
McCain 44%

"Little Annie Oakley," however, doesn't fare so well:

General election:
McCain 48%
Clinton 44%

Clinton honest & trustworthy:
Yes 39%
No 58%

Independent voters are abandoning Sen. Clinton in droves. McCain leads among the non-affiliated voters by 10-points against the former First Lady. Obama leads this group by 8-points against McCain.

It seems when Hillary Clinton gets her hackles up voters are reminded of what they don't like about her and are willing to risk four more years of Fascist-Republican rule in order to keep her out of the White House.

I don't think she should be the Democratic nominee based on polls like these. She would lose handily and America can't afford another presidential term in the mold of George W. Bush. That said, it's that third term I think Americans should think about on the off chance that they have to make a decision in a "Clinton vs McCain" contest...

Four years of Grandpa Bush-Bitch, who has cow-towed to every whim of the worst president in U.S. history, or four years of the nails-across-the-blackboard psycho-drama of the 90s? For many it would be a close call, but the answer should be rather obvious.

"Idol" - The Top 7

Ugh! It's "Mariah Carey Week" and I can't stand her. Talk about an over-rated pop diva! For what it's worth, here we go...

David Archuletta
"When You Believe"
Wow! I sound like a broken record, I know, but this boy can SING! This was absolutely stupendous and one of his best performances of the season.

Carly
"Without You"
Technically this isn't a Mariah song (her version was a remake) but...whatever. Following David A, this was a pretty weak performance. It was kinda screechy and out of tune in places. Boring, too.

Syesha
"Vanishing"
'twas alright. Nothing too special and not her best performance. Just ok.

Brooke
"Hero"
She's getting a bit boring, too. I like her style and her vocals never disappoint. But the whole "alone with an intsrument" thing is getting old real fast. Not bad in the least. Just boring.

Kristy Lee
"Forever"
Ok...that little taped exchange between her and Mariah will provide teen boys with masturbatory fantasies for the next several nights. And hopefully that will keep them from picking up the phone and voting for her. People...SHE. CAN'T. SING. She's flat, she's bland, and she's boring as hell.

David Cook
"Always Be My Baby"
He looked pretty damn hot tonight...very sexy. And once again he took a song, reworked it, and molded it into his own. Both Davids are - I think - the best of the season, but Cook is the guy who needs to come in 3rd or so this year...the Chris Daughtry or Elliott Yamin of this season. He deserves a great record contract and I think he'll get one that doesn't compromise his style if he doesn't go all the way in this competition.

Jason
"I Don't Want To Cry"
Like David Cook, Jason can be so very original (last week's version of "Somewhere Over the Rainbow," case in point). And this was very nice. Not the best of the night, but definately in the top three.

In Montana

A new poll in Montana shows Barack Obama nipping at John McCain's heels in a general election match up:

McCain 48%
Obama 43%

Hillary Clinton loses handily:

McCain 54%
Clinton 36%

That 36% is probably Clinton's ceiling. Remember...this is a state where about 60% of voters said they would never, ever vote for Hillary Clinton. And while the state carries only 3 Electoral College votes, in a close election those electors could make the difference (had Al Gore prevailed in just one small 3-vote state in 2000 he'd be finishing his second term right now). But more than that, moving such a state to the Democratic column would be a small step in the direction of a nationwide mandate.

Montana last went Democratic in 1992, voting for Bill Clinton as Ross Perot siphoned a huge percentage of the vote away from the first President Bush. Clinton would lose the state four years later, and it has been one of the more reliable Republican states in presidential elections since then.

They do have a blue streak though, having elected a very popular Democratic governor (Brian Schweitzer) and two U.S. Senators (Max Baucus and Jon Tester). And now it seems Obama has a fighting chance in the Treasure State. A victory there on election night could well spill over into other Mountain West and High Plains states like South Dakota, Nevada, Colorado, and perhaps an electoral vote or two in Nebraska.

For Democrats in the remaining primary and caucus states the task is easy: Do you go with the candidate who has the better chance at picking up some normally Republican states? Or do we shoot ourselves in the foot yet again by nominating a candidate who has little chance of doing so - and could possibly move a couple of Democratic states (Oregon, Washington) into the Republican column?

McBush

With the Democrats still deciding who their nominee will be in this election, Sen. John McCain, who locked the Republican nomination up weeks ago, has spent his time running his general election campaign. To counter that advantage, I was hoping an independent group or two would begin running ads against Grandpa Bush-Bitch. Progressive Media, USA has just put up a brilliant one.

When you hear the right-wing nut-jobs foaming at the mouth that the election of John McCain this fall would not be a "Bush third term," don't believe a word of it...

Hillary Clinton - Republican

With the super-fast release of this new TV ad, it's become increasingly clear that Hillary Clinton would rather see four more years of failed Republican-Fascist rule than help elect a Democrat in November. She has turned into the right-wing slime machine she so abhorred back in 1998, and Democrats around the country should reject her flat out.

Eye Candy

Happy Tax Day!

Bring It On!

Brent and I were in Placer County this past weekend spending some time with his parents before we both get bogged down in work-related travel. As such, I missed the dust-up over Sen. Barack Obama's comments late last week that lower middle class Americans "get bitter, they cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren't like them or anti-immigrant sentiment or anti-trade sentiment as a way to explain their frustrations."

To borrow a phrase from Bill Clinton: Give me a break!

The fact of the matter is, he's telling the truth. This sort of honesty is a bit brutal, and he probably could have phrased it better, but Obama's comments were spot on...and the Clintons know it. In fact, the former President said in his memoirs:

If [Republicans] could cut funding for Medicare, Medicaid, education, and the environment, middle-class Americans would see fewer benefits from their tax dollars, feel more resentful paying taxes, and become even more receptive to their appeals for tax cuts and their strategy of waging campaigns on divisive social and cultural issues like abortion, gay rights, and guns.

For decades - DECADES! - lower middle class Americans have been ignored economically that they have stopped voting for their financial interests and instead cast their ballots based on the social-issue fear card played by the Republican-Fascists.

Even Jim Webb, the blue-dog conservative Democratic Senator from Virginia sees it:

Working Americans have been repeatedly seduced at the polls by emotional issues such as the predictable mantra of "God, guns, gays, abortion and the flag" while their way of life shifted ineluctably beneath their feet.

All the talk on the blogosphere this weekend that Obama has provided a big opening for the Clinton campaign is a bit over done. As usual, Clinton overplayed her hand by touting her love of guns and her new favorite past time - hunting! Good God...it was all I could do to keep my breakfast down. It was as if Charlton Heston's spirit had taken a brief detour through Hillary Clinton's icy cold soul before heading down to his eternal home at the Beelzebub Retirement Center.

And then...AND THEN...Sen. Obama came out punching yesterday. You can't help but admire a guy who gets back up and immediately goes on the offensive after such a weekend. For the first time in a long, long time the Democrats have a candidate with rock solid cajones:

"Ha !"

Ok...it's plainly obvious to anyone who watches "Hardball" on MSNBC that Chris Matthews has an ego the size of Philadelphia...but who knew he was so damn narcissistic?

Mark Leibovich has quite the revealling essay in Sunday's NY Times Magazine:

At one point, Matthews suddenly became hypnotized by a TV over the bar set to a rebroadcast of “Hardball.” “Hey, there I am — it’s me,” he said, staring at himself on the screen. “It’s me.”

As Matthews says when he hears one of his own lame jokes..."HA !"

Alberto Unemployed

When you trash the Constitution and break the laws you were supposed to protect, it should be no surprise that law firms take a pass when you apply for a job.

End-of-the-Week Levity

From the crazy, wine-drinking folks at "Match Game"...