OBAMA DAILY NEWS THREAD Tuesday Feb-19-08

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

WELCOME TO THE OBAMA DAILY NEWS THREAD

Tuesday Feb-19-08



Esteemed DUer's, please consider taking a moment (or more)
to graciously participate by posting news and announcements about the Obama campaign on this thread.


If you can:


1. Post stories and announcements you find on the web.


2. Re-post stories and announcements you find on DU, providing a link to the original thread with thanks to the Original Poster, too


3. Start a discussion thread by re-posting a story you see on this thread.


Recommendations always appreciated!

:yourock:


Get your DU-o-matic codificator (to format your posts) here

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

1. Clinton targets pledged delegates

Not only does the Clinton campaign want the "Super Delegates" to vote for her, she wants committed delegates (those awarded based on primaries/caucuses) to switch from Obama to her:

Clinton targets pledged delegates
Feb 19, 2008

Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign intends to go after delegates whom Barack Obama has already won in the caucuses and primaries if she needs them to win the nomination.

This strategy was confirmed to me by a high-ranking Clinton official on Monday. And I am not talking about superdelegates, those 795 party big shots who are not pledged to anybody. I am talking about getting pledged delegates to switch sides.

...But one neutral Democratic operative said to me: "If you are Hillary Clinton, you know you can't get the nomination just with superdelegates without splitting the party. You have to go after the pledged delegates."

Winning with superdelegates is potentially party-splitting because it could mean throwing out the choice of the elected delegates and substituting the choice of 795 party big shots....

[blogslut]

5. Maybe THAT explains delegatehub.org

link: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x4646229

[helderheid]

9. congrats on that find, blogslut!!

[blogslut]

12. Still trying to find out about that from the Clinton campaign

I called again today and got the runaround.

[helderheid]

14. Keep after it - you rock! OH and perhaps share it with Keith Olbermann?

[blogslut]

20. I've sent tips

To two media sources. We'll see. :)

[helderheid]

21. Good on ya!!

:hi:

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

2. Report: Hillary Could Be Using Husband's Foreign Cash for Campaign

Words are cheap, Ms. Clinton? Are Bill's "words" cheap or are they paying for your campaign?
Have you been busy trying to distract voters from the source of your campaign finances?????

Report: Hillary could be using husband's foreign cash for campaign

Is Hillary Clinton using foreign money to shore up her dwindling campaign finances? At least one Washington, DC, political reporter says, "Yes."

Amanda Carpenter is the author of The Vast Right-Wing Conspiracy's Dossier on Hillary Clinton. She has a particular interest in the speaking fees former President Bill Clinton has been paid since he left the White House. "At my last count, you could add up more than $22 million in foreign money that he's essentially been given from places like the United Arab Emirates -- that's Dubai -- the People's Republic of China, Columbia. The list goes on," reports Carpenter.

Carpenter acknowledges that the former president has a right to accept speaking fees from foreign companies and even foreign governments. But she is concerned that Mr. Clinton's foreign millions are mixed together with Mrs. Clinton's personal funds in a joint checking account. "Now she has some money of her own, but if it's in a joint checking account, it's likely shared with that foreign money," she cautions. "So, effectively, through a former president husband ... who has the ability to raise this kind of foreign money, they've found a loophole in the campaign finance laws that forbid foreign money from entering U.S. elections."

"...Without a doubt," Carpenter concludes, "her husband has used his clout as a former president to raise that money. And ... with it coming from foreign countries, I think there can be questions raised as to whether or not it should be used to elect Hillary for president."

Senator Clinton (D-New York) has not released her most recent tax returns despite calls to do so from her Democratic rival, Senator Barack Obama (D-Illinois).

This is what the mainstream media should be focusing on.

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

3. Bill's Conflict of Interest, Jet Plane, $800,000, Kazakhstan and Columbia

How does the Clinton Campaign keep these scandals out of the MSM news cycle?

Clinton Used Giustra's Plane, Opened Doors for Mineral Deals

By Elliot Blair Smith

Feb. 19 (Bloomberg) -- On June 21, 2005, Bill Clinton flew to Mexico City aboard a private jet that belonged to a Canadian investment banker he was meeting for the first time.

The introduction paid off for both men.
Clinton was borrowing the jetliner to begin a four-day speaking tour of Latin America that would pay him $800,000.
Frank Giustra of Vancouver was forming a friendship that would make him part of the former president's inner circle and
gain him introductions to presidents of Kazakhstan and Colombia, where he bought mineral rights.

Giustra, 50, has since put his plane at Clinton's disposal at least a dozen times to raise money for charity, his wife's presidential campaign or himself, according to U.S. flight records and spokesmen for Clinton and Giustra. The Canadian businessman has become one of the largest donors to the Clinton Foundation, pledging half his future minerals earnings in a way that ties the foundation's success to his own.

``If former President Clinton is making decisions about where to put the charitable efforts of the Clinton Foundation based even partly on where he's likely to benefit personally, or see his friends benefit, then that clearly is a classic conflict of interest,'' says Aaron Dorfman, executive director of the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy in Washington.

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

4. Spike Lee Is Backing Barack Obama

Spike Lee Is Backing Barack Obama

DAYTON, Ohio (AP) — Spike Lee told a crowd at the University of Dayton to "do the right thing" in this year's presidential election.

"We are living in some very exciting times," Lee said Monday. "And the months leading up to the election in November will determine which way this country is going to go; forward or backward. It's up to you to do the right thing."

He said he supports Barack Obama for the Democratic nomination.

Dressed in a sweater, jeans and ball cap, Lee spoke of growing up in New York City, being a fairly average student at Morehouse College in Atlanta, and becoming a director.

..Last week, Lee was in Columbus to receive the $50,000 Wexner Prize that recognizes innovation, quality and integrity among artists.


http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5jFYfgkdbNsM2ZYjZBRqo1mBLUXWwD8UTCQVO0

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

6. Patrick: Plagiarism Accusation Against Obama 'Extravagant'

Patrick: Plagiarism Accusation Against Obama 'Extravagant'

Obama and Patrick Share Similar Biographies, Campaign Pitches and a Political Adviser

By LISA FERRI and OLIVIA STERNS
Feb. 19, 2008

The man credited with writing Sen. Barack Obama's "power of words" speech today called the plagiarism accusation "not fair" and said it was an attempt to "belittle his ability to motivate people."

Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick told "Good Morning America" that Sen. Hillary Clinton was wrong to accuse Obama of poaching his lines. "It's an elaborate charge and an extravagant one," Patrick said.

...Patrick called the comment "not fair" and said, "It's not just about words, it's about great ideas. … These are iconic phrases."

..."I've known Barack 15 years. We've talked a good deal. I fully expected he would sustain a charge at some point, trying to belittle his ability to motivate people. I got the same attack," Patrick said.

http://www.abcnews.go.com/GMA/Vote2008/story?id=4310143&page=1

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

7. Lauer to Obama: You're expecting racial appeals from the GOP, right?

Allahpundit at Hot Air tells about Matt Lauer's interview/attempts to sucker Obama into the race card crap.

Lauer to Obama: You’re expecting racial appeals from the GOP, right?

February 19, 2008 by Allahpundit

Via the Busters. Obama’s too shrewd to get down in the mud, no matter how hard Lauer tries to drag him in, but listen closely to his answer. I do love the insertion of “actually” as a qualifier, as it betrays the sense that believing Republicans would disapprove of racial attacks on a minority candidate is somehow surprising or mildly taboo.

Needless to say, there’s more going on here than meets the eye. Obama doesn’t need to accuse the GOP of playing racial politics because Matt Lauer’s going to do it for him. Billy Jeff got a taste of that when his innocuous “fairy tale” comment was demagogued from here to eternity by Obama’s supporters, but wait until the general. You ain’t see nothing yet. Peggy Noonan:

The Democrats have it exactly wrong. Hillary is the easier candidate, Mr. Obama the tougher. Hillary brings negative; it’s fair to hit her back with negative. Mr. Obama brings hope, and speaks of a better way. He’s not Bambi, he’s bulletproof.
The biggest problem for the Republicans will be that no matter what they say that is not issue oriented–”He’s too young, he’s never run anything, he’s not fully baked”–the mainstream media will tag them as dealing in racial overtones, or undertones. You can bet on this. Go to the bank on it.

Indeed, but that’s only half of it. Skim this piece from the Journal on the racial and gender nuance of the Democrats’ white male heartland base. Guess who’ll be blamed if this comes to pass: “There are going to be a lot of people crossing over to the Republicans because he’s black...”

[catgirl]

8. Obama Credited Patrick in New Hampshire

From the Plank:

Mike and Noam have already done a great job explaining the ridiculousness of the Clinton campaign's charge that Obama plagiarized from Deval Patrick, but I thought I'd add one more point. Obama's already on record as admitting he borrows lines from Patrick (and vice versa). Stumping in New Hampshire last December, Obama said:

"But you know in the end, don’t vote your fears. I’m stealing this line from my buddy (Massachusetts Gov.) Deval Patrick who stole a whole bunch of lines from me when he ran for the governorship, but it’s the right one, don’t vote your fears, vote your aspirations. Vote what you believe."

http://blogs.tnr.com/tnr/blogs/the_plank/archive/2008/02/18/obama-s-quot-plagiarism-quot.aspx


And

Ex-Clinton Speechwriter: "So silly to accuse Obama of Plagiarism"

http://blogs.tnr.com/tnr/blogs/the_plank/archive/2008/02/18/former-clinton-speechwriter-weighs-in-on-plagiarism-gate-08.aspx

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

10. To Hillary: "Dont Mess With Texas"

Don't Mess with Texas!

February 19, 2008 10:34 AM

More evidence that Team Clinton was completely unprepared for the Texas contest?

Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-NY, herself last night told reporters, per ABC News' Eloise Harper: “I’ve got people trying to understand it as we speak. Grown men are crying as we speak. I had no idea it was so bizarre.”

Does the Clinton camp think this is cute? These are really odd admissions for a campaign that claims experience and preparedness.

Former Rep. Martin Frost, D-Texas, writing in a column today says that "the delegate selection process in Texas is so complicated that it is more than theoretically possible that the candidate who wins the popular vote may not, in fact, win the most delegates."

He calls it a "Rube Goldberg-esque delegate selection process."
But then he explains it fairly well. And if I can get a hold of the basic idea, certainly Clinton campaign staffers should be able to get it.

...In any case, what seems most glaring is that Clinton has been unprepared for this. And I don't think that's particularly amusing, really.

[GalleryGod]

11. Well,Hills...I knew about 8 days ago from a DUer Post!

:blush: GOT to be embarrassing !? :blush:

What happened to Patti? Mark? Dougie Schoen? Carville?
The Uber-Mighty known as "The Five" ?

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

13. Armstrong Williams warns if Clintons try to steal nomination from Obama

(Video)

February 19, 2008
Obama’s Nomination to Lose - Armstrong Williams

Armstrong Williams says conservatives need to support McCain and the Republican party instead of opting to support Hillary, who he thinks will lose the nomination to Obama.
http://pundits.thehill.com/2008/02/19/obamas-nomination-to-loose/

Williams also says that the Clinton campaign has done alot to alienate part of their base, namely by throwing the race card. He warns that he expects the Democratic nomination to end in a (figurative) blood-bath if the Clintons try to "steal" the nomination.

Link to the video
http://link.brightcove.com/services/link/bcpid1078667133/bclid1137967300/bctid1423833225

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

15. HuffPo: Where Hillary Went Wrong: A Pre Postmortem

Dylan Loewe at Huffington Post lists a whole slew of miscalculations by the Clinton campaign today, indicating a certain tone deafness, (not just in Hillary's singing).

Some such miscalculations: Inevitability, Change vs. Experience, The False Hopes Argument (insults voters who have hope), Showcasing the Old Kind of Politics, Post February 5th Planning, A Missing Shake-Up (of the Clinton campaign after Super Tues loss),The Co-Presidency (damage by Bill),

Where Hillary Went Wrong: A Pre Postmortem

February 19, 2008

Even if Hillary is able to confound expectations and pull off a truly improbable victory over Obama, there will still have been a series of serious strategic and tactical mistakes, all of which contributed to her current position. Should she win, it will be despite these errors; more likely, they will bear the responsibility for her loss.

Inevitability
Early in the campaign, Clinton surrogates touted large national leads and a well-tested political machine to push the argument that Clinton's nomination was inevitable. Memo after memo, Mark Penn highlighted national and early state polls that showed Hillary with substantial leads. The logic was to make Obama seem defeated before the race had begun, painting all to follow as a pro forma exercise in democracy that would ultimately end, as expected, with Hillary as the nominee. The media generally peddled the Clinton campaign narrative verbatim, allowing the hypnotic tone of national poll numbers to seep a few layers too deep.

...
The False Hopes ArgumentFinding herself in an unexpected battle for nomination, Hillary and her campaign reframed their attack on Obama, arguing not just that he lacked experience, but that he was an empty suit, full of rhetoric and cadence, but not much else. More than anything else, the problem with this argument was that it was less of an attack on Obama and more of an attack on Obama supporters. They had been duped, she was arguing, allowing their hope to be unrealistically inflated, and were in for a wake-up call if they didn't heed her advice. The attack instantly struck a cord, an offensive condescension that seemed misplaced and unfair. Without skipping a beat, Obama's speechwriters responded by capturing the belittlement felt by his audience: "In the unlikely story of America," Obama proclaimed, "there is nothing false about hope."

...
The nomination race isn't over, but as I've argued, it's far closer to being over than most think. If Hillary does ultimately lose the race, it will be for a combination of reasons - not just because she faced the greatest campaigner in a generation, but because she made a series of strategic and tactical blunders along the way.

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

16. Please help keep the Daily News bumped

Hey, its hard keeping this thread visible.

I hope you will find the daily news helpful, but remember it takes alot to keep this
thread visible where it can help other du'ers.

This thread needs to be fed every now and then by fresh news items, announcements,
postings or kicks.

Thanks for your help, and I hope you enjoy the news!

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

17. California SOS to Los Angeles County: Count the Votes!

Thousands of ballots cast in the Democratic primary by non partisan voters were not counted in Los Angeles County on the night of the California primary. Brad Friedman reports that the CA SOS is going to correct that.

Bowen to the Rescue: CA's SoS Calls on L.A. County Registrar to Count Thousands of Still-Uncounted Super Tuesday Ballots

Asks for 'Precinct-by-Precinct Reconciliation' of Poll Rosters to Begin Accurately Accounting for Tens of Thousands of Non-Partisan Voters Who Cast Machine-Unreadable Ballots

California Sec. of State Debra Bowen wants Los Angeles County's acting Registrar of Voters, Dean Logan, to check the poll rosters of thousands of precincts in order to help accurately count tens of thousands of currently uncounted ballots cast in the Super Tuesday Democratic Primary.

As The BRAD BLOG pointed out last week, tens of thousands of currently uncounted ballots cast by Non-Partisan voters who chose to cross over and vote in the Democratic Primary, but who failed to ink in a second bubble meant to instruct voting machines to count the ballots as Democratic votes, can be counted accurately, as per the voters' intent, if Logan bothers to check those poll rosters.

Bowen, who sent a 3-page letter to Logan after our article pointed out that he was simply wrong, in his own report to the County Supervisors, when he claimed that it was "impossible" to determine the intent of the voters on those ballots.

...Enough excuses. It's time to count the damned votes. All 100,000 of them, if that's what needs to be done to ensure the voices of Los Angeles County voters are heard.

Obama has benefitted the most from unaffiliated votes in Democratic Primaries.

[thevoiceofreason]

18. Might Barack eke out another delegate or two with this action?

[MadBadger]

19. Both Student Newspaper at the Unviersity of Wisconsin Endorse Obama

Daily Cardinal endorses him today, and Badger Herald did late last week.

[stillcool]

22. wow...this is a great idea!!

have to do some work stuff right now, but I'll be back later to do some happy hunting!!

[Araxen]

23. K&R

:kick:

[MadBadger]

24. Survey USA GE Polls: Obama leads in VA by 6, IA by 10, Hillary loses by 3 in VA, and 11 in IA

Electability, Electability, Electability.

http://tpmelectioncentral.talkingpointsmemo.com/

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

25. The Incompetent Clinton Campaign

Over at Talk Left, "Big Tent" comments on Clinton's failure to file a full slate of delegates for Pa's primary

The Incompetent Clinton Campaign

By Big Tent Democrat, Section Elections 2008
Posted on Tue Feb 19, 2008

Via Atrios, more evidence of the incompetence of the Clinton campaign:

"Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign failed to file a full slate of convention delegate candidates for Pennsylvania's April 22 primary.

This despite the possibility the primary proves critical and despite Clinton owning the full-throated support of Gov. Rendell, state Democratic Party leadership, Mayor Nutter and, presumably, the organizational skill all that entails.

And despite a Rendell-ordered extension of the filing deadline that could be viewed as more than just coincidental."

How could this possibly have happened? And make no mistake, this reflects on the candidate, Hillary Clinton.

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

26. Clinton Boosting by McCain?

19.02.2008 The New Republic

More Clinton Boosting by McCain?

In this episode, Cindy raps Michelle.

Still unclear whether this is an effort to help Clinton become the nominee or
simply an assumption that Obama will be the opponent in November.


--Michael Crowley

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

27. Hillary's Bizarre Response to the Illinois University Tragedy

Richard Blair points out Hillary Clinton's completely bizarre response to questions
about the Illinois University Tragedy

When Did the Ability to Kill Animals Become Prerequisite for the Presidency?

Posted by Richard Blair, The All Spin Zone at 4:09 PM on February 18, 2008.

What is it with politicians who feel that they have to prove they have the ability to kill something with a weapon?

Over the weekend, Hillary Clinton was doing some campaigning in Kenosha, Wisconsin. At a Q&A session, a question was raised on what she would do to prevent tragedies such as occurred last week at Northern Illinois University, in which 5 students were killed and 22 more wounded by a former NIU student who had gone off his meds.

Her answer was troubling to me - not her stock political answer (background checks, no gun permits for terrorists or the mentally ill) - but that she felt the need to impress Wisconsin voters with her own killing credentials:


"You know, you may not believe it but I've actually gone hunting," Clinton, 60, said at a question-and-answer session with voters at a crammed bratwurst restaurant in Kenosha.

"My father taught me to shoot 100 years ago," she said jokingly...

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

28. The Clinton Campaign Problem: "they should stop acting like Republicans."

Steven Reynolds points out that Hillary's campaign, by ginning up the very thin "plagiarism" accusations,risks being labeled as mimicking GOP style strategies of attack.

Hillary Clinton’s Plagiarism Problem

Posted by Steven Reynolds, The All Spin Zone on February 19

What a stupid controversy, this supposed plagiarism thing

What a stupid controversy, this supposed plagiarism thing.
It is not just that the Clinton campaign is wrong and should apologize to Deval Patrick and Barack Obama.
It isn't even that the Clinton campaign should watch their own plagiarism problems with Hillary's speeches.
Their problem is they should stop acting like Republicans.


...Let's face it. Whether this is Hillary plagiarizing or Barack Obama listening to his friend Deval Partick and heeding his advice, this is not a Joe Biden moment, plagiarizing a whole speech by Neil Kinnock, an act that knocked Biden out of the 1988 Presidential primaries. This is Clinton campaign desperation, plain and simple. Whether that cadnidate is Barack Obama or Hillary Clinton, I do not want him or her to use the strategies of personal destruction Howard Wolfson is employing for the Clinton campaign. I do not want my candidate to act like a Republican. I'm thinking a whoile bunch of Americans, Democrat and Independent, are with me on this one.

The plagiarism problem Hillary Clinton has is not that she's used words or rhetorical strategies copied largely from Howard Dean or Jimmy Carter, as Bob Cesca suggests. Hillary Clinton's problem is that she's copying campaign strategies of personal destruction from Republicans.

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

29. Latest tracking poll: Obama Beats McCain (McCain beats Hillary)

Vote for Hillary if you want to lose the general election:

Latest Poll: McCain Beats Clinton, Obama Beats McCain

The latest national tracking poll - released today, President's Day - shows John McCain beating Hillary Clinton, 49%-42%. The Rasmussen Reports poll also shows Barack Obama beating McCain 46% to 43%.

Clinton has slipped over the last week - on Feb. 11, Rasmussen had McCain ahead of Clinton 45%-43%, which was within the margin of error.

The new poll also found Obama with the highest "favorable" ratings among likely voters. Obama is viewed favorably by 54%; McCain by 51%, and Clinton by only 45%....

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

30. Obama Camp: Clinton Tactics 'Damaging to the Party'

Obama Camp: Clinton Tactics 'Damaging to the Party'

Sen. Barack Obama's (Ill.) campaign manager asserted in a conference call this morning that the tactics employed by Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (N.Y.) in regard to the fight for Democratic delegates has the potential to fracture the party heading into the November election.

"This is a disturbing pattern," said Obama campaign manager David Plouffe after the Politico's Roger Simon reported that the Clinton campaign was preparing to woo pledged Obama delegates if the nomination fight lasts until the convention. He decried such tactics as "trickery" and added that this sort of "grasping at straws is very harmful to the party."

David Wilhelm, an Obama co-chairman and former Clinton official, was even more vehement. "Sometimes nominations are not worth having at the cost of ripping the party apart." he said.

...The contest over delegates is the ultimate process fight and, therefore, not a concept that naturally appeals to average voters.....

http://blog.washingtonpost.com/thefix/2008/02/obama_campaign_manager_clinton.html

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

31. Cartoon: Nailing Delegates

Nailing Delegates

[grantcart]

32. see him speaking now

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x4663075

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

33. Clinton ad: 'She's worked the night shift, too.'

She feels your pain. :sarcasm:
Like pretending to be a hunter Hillary pretends to have worked the night shift.

Clinton ad: 'She's worked the night shift, too.'

(CNN) – Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign is reaching out to blue-collar voters with a new ad that says she can empathize with the travails of the night shift.

“You pour coffee, fix hair, you work the night shift at the local hospital,” says the announcer in the 30-second spot, ‘Night Shift,’ over footage of workers on the job.

“You're often overworked, underpaid, and sometimes overlooked. But not by everyone. One candidate has put forth an American family agenda to make things easier for everyone who works so hard. ….”

The ad ends with a photo of Clinton working at her desk at night. “She understands. She's worked the night shift, too.”
Clinton’s campaign has noted a strong showing in Ohio’s March 4 primary is critical to her bid for the Democratic presidential nomination.

So has Clinton worked the night shift? Spokesman Howard Wolfson said Tuesday that "the reference is to her working late at night at her desk."

Sheesh! To anyone who has actually worked night shift, this reeks.

Its not Hillary's conscience, her worry about that tragic vote for the war on Iraq keeping her up late, is it?
Maybe she works late at night thinking up more negative attack ads to launch, ya think?

[UALRBSofL]

34. I can't believe all these Rovian smear articles.

I'm reporting this whole thread to the moderators. :(

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

35. Did Clinton Campaign Plagiarize Rove?

Ian Williams of the Guardian UK says that Hillary Clinton's plagiarism attack against Obama should give Karl Rove due credit:

Plagiarism forsooth! Feb 19, 2008 Guardian UK Ian Williams

...But the latest attack from the Clinton camp for alleged plagiarism - like the previous attempt to play the race card against him - should have footnoted it as a cover of "Karl Rove and the Swift Boaters: Greatest Hits, volume one". It is difficult not to suspect that the alleged linking of Obama to "terrorism" because an alleged Weatherman sent $200 to the campaign is also a leak from the Clinton campaign.. .

...

Indeed, if the Clinton team had academic insight to match their shallow academic spite, they would have noticed what their opponent said in New Hampshire last December:

"But you know in the end, don't vote your fears. I'm stealing this line from my buddy Deval Patrick who stole a whole bunch of lines from me when he ran for the governorship, but it's the right one, don't vote your fears, vote your aspirations. Vote what you believe."

The Clinton tactics highlight the self-destructive absurdity of the primary system, in which a party's potential candidates spend almost two years providing ammunition for the other side in the general election. In the absence of clear macro-policy differences, they go for quibbles and personalities. But the primaries also highlight the self-destructive egotism of Hillary Clinton and her husband. Their speedy disavowal of their longtime friend Lani Guinier when faced with a proto-swiftboating by the Wall St Journal editorialists shows that they lacked attachment to their friends and their principles if they thought it detracted from dynastic power.

[catgirl]

36. CIA operation similar to tactic Obama advocated, Bush (and competitors) criticized

On the front page of Tuesday's Washington Post was an article detailing how in late January U.S. forces, acting with autonomy inside Pakistan, were able to target and kill Abu Laith al-Libi, a senior al-Qaeda commander.

The strike, which came without the Pakistani government's knowledge and helped eliminate an individual who had long eluded the spy-agency's capture, was an obvious boon in the War on Terror. But the political implications of the operation were just as fascinating.

In August, Sen. Barack Obama had made the argument that, as president, he would target Al Qaeda officials in Pakistan even without the country's acquiescence -- the type of attack that, six months later, proved to be successful.

At the time, Obama was roundly criticized for his remarks, both by his Democratic competitors for the White House and by the Bush administration.

See link:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/02/19/cia-operation-similar-to-_n_87433.html

He was against the war and his ideas to combat terrorism are right on. Vote for Obama if you want a great president.

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

37. Obama wins Wisconsin, dashes Clinton's comeback hope in Democratic race

:toast:

Obama wins Wisconsin, dashes Clinton's comeback hope in Democratic race

February 19, 2008, EST.



Democratic presidential hopeful Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., speaks at a rally Tuesday, Feb. 19, 2008, in Houston. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS/Rick Bowmer

Beth Gorham, THE CANADIAN PRESS

WASHINGTON - Barack Obama easily clinched his ninth consecutive win Tuesday, dashing Hillary Clinton's hopes for a comeback in Wisconsin in their turbulent contest for the Democratic presidential nomination.

The latest victory placed intense pressure on Clinton to triumph in contests in Ohio and Texas early next month.

Obama was also expected to take Hawaii, where he was born, a state that offered 20 of the convention delegates needed to become the party nominee.

Wisconsin was the bigger prize, offering 74 delegates and, with its large number of blue collar voters, a preview of what could happen in industrialized states like Ohio on March 4 and Pennsylvania in April.
http://www.940news.com/nouvelles.php?cat=24&id=219149

:bounce: :yourock:

:beer: