2/29

It just occurred to me that this day only shows-up on our calendar every four years.

So... happy "This-Day-Only-Happens-Every-Four-Years-Day".

Put that on a greeting card.

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ObamaSong

Another original Obama video. This one's not quite as good as the YesWeCan song - in my humble opinion.



I have more to say, but I'll save that for tomorrow.

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Jelly Beans

Yes. Jelly beans.

I just took a quick trip to my friendly neighborhood Wally-World, where Easter candy has been in the aisles since before Valentine's Day. Since I was there with my son (PajamaBoy?), I decided to be that dad, you know - the guy who spoils his kid when mommy isn't around.

I bought him some jelly beans. Yum.

After we got home and ate some dinner, I decided to open up the bag and give the Boy some beans - and to partake in a few myself.

As I was picking through the bowl, attempting to find my favorites, something very strange occurred to me: I am a jelly bean racist.

A jelly bean racist you say? What is that you ask? Well my friends, it's really quite simple: I LOVE the white jelly beans. They are my favorite. Oh sure, I like the pink ones, and the purple ones - but white are clearly the most superior of all of the jelly bean varieties.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to a white jelly bean supremacy rally.

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Tired & Uninspired

I'll be completely honest with you - I'm struggling.

Today is one of those days where I feel like just about everything that I type is forced or contrived. I'm not feeling as creative as I usually do. It pains me to feel this way because I usually sit down to the keyboard and words flow forth from my fingertips.

It could be the weather. I wish it was sunny.

It could be that I haven't showered yet today. Gross.

... OR ...

It could be that my in-laws are coming to visit. Yeah, that's the ticket.

Posting will probably be spotty for the next couple of days due to visits and what-nots. Please feel free to continue to fill up my inbox with sweet-nothings. I enjoy getting blog-love-letters. Good stuff.

Oh, and in the next couple of weeks I will be purchasing a REAL domain name. Not that there is anything wrong with the .blogspot address. I was thinking www[dot]thePajamaPundit[dot]com - thoughts?

Have a great weekend - Tuesday will be HUGE.

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Speeches

- Bruce Plante, the Chattanooga Times Free Press

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Where Is Mike Huckabee?

In Texarkana, as it turns out.

Huckabee is upset at the revelation (no pun intended) that the Reverend John Hagee has endorsed senator John McCain. Being a man-of-the-cloth himself, Huckabee thought that Hagee would not back McCain because of the senator's support of stem-cell-research.

More importantly is the issue that McCain now faces: to reject and/or denounce Rev. Hagee.

What, you say? Why would McCain want to do such a thing? McCain has been courting the Evangelical vote for the past 18 months - why would he want to risk offending the "religious right" by denouncing Hagee?

This is why:



... and that's just the TIP of the iceberg.

I've never heard such blatant disrespect for both Jews and Muslims in one place. If Minister Louis Farrakhan incites a denunciation and rejection from Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton (and just about everyone else who comes into contact with him) for the anti-semitic remarks that he has made, then Rev. Hagee should get the exact same treatment from John McCain.

And yet, McCain is embracing this endorsement? C'mon Johnny Mac - you are BETTER than this!

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"It'll Be Over By February 5th"

Love it.



She NEVER saw this coming.

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Nader/Gonzales Ticket

Ralph Nader has tapped Matt Gonzales to be his running mate for Nader's THIRD try at winning the presidency. Check it:

As the perennial presidential candidate Ralph Nader announced that former San Francisco Supervisor Matt Gonzalez would be his running mate, there was not a Nader supporter with a sign in sight. With no were cheers or applause, the room was so quiet you could hear the photographers’ shutters click.

Yeah, but those cameras... they're... they're so loud.

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Bush: Suck It Up America

Okay, so he didn't tell us all to 'suck it up' in so many words. At least not in public. Video:



Did you get that? When asked if Americans who are worried about their civil liberties being violated by the intelligence gathering processes of the government should just "suck it up", president Bush said, "I wouldn't put it that way if I were in public." (my emphasis)

Rrrrright. So how would you put it when you are in private?

Ugh.

Head nod: TPM

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Generational Racism

The other day, Andrew Sullivan posed an interesting question to his readers: Why is it that so many senior citizens are backing Hillary Clinton?

My thoughts? I have a 90-year-old great aunt who said recently that she'd never vote for Obama because he's black.

I think that it is very unfortunate that she (and many older folks like herself) feel this way - hell, it's much more than unfortunate, it's a f**kin' shame. That said, people in my grandparents generation grew-up in a VERY different time. My grandfather (may he rest in peace) used to refer to any person from Japan, China, N/S Korea, et al, as a "chink". Yikes, right? But, he didn't mean any disrespect. This old-timer fought the Japanese in WWII. He watched as Americans died for no apparent reason in Vietnam. That's how he, and I would guess most of America, referred to anyone from an "eastern" country.

With any luck - and the way that things seem to be going - Barack Obama will win the Democratic party nomination for the presidency. At which time, people like my great aunt will hopefully say, "well, I'll be damned." and realize the error of their ways.

Or not - those racist old fogeys.

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Funny Of The Week

Double Funny Of The Week - or FunnIES Of The Week:





Awesome.

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Explain Hussein

This is a great column that explains the origins and meaning of the name Hussein. Definitely worth a read - particularly for jackasses like Bill Cunningham and Ann Coulter. Check it:

Barack Obama's middle name is in honor of his grandfather, Hussein, a secular resident of Nairobi. Americans may think of Saddam Hussein when they hear the name, but that is like thinking of Stalin when you hear the name Joseph.

OH NO! MY FRIEND JOE IS A COMMUNIST!!!!

I'm writing my letter to Homeland Security right now...

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Mail Bag ::: Dissent

Yesterday, I talked about Hillary Clinton's campaign ad that (I think) is offensive. Another reader named "Anonymous" writes:

Um, excuse me, but didn't Obama raise JFK from the dead, too? Was that commercial equally offensive? Hmm.

Setting aside Anonymous' love of a passive-aggressive tone, I'd like to rebut.

When I referred to Clinton's ad as offensive, I did so not because using a deceased person as a possible endorsement - but rather using a deceased person as a possible endorsement WITHOUT the permission of the family.

When Barack Obama received his endorsement from Caroline Kennedy, she gave him permission to use the likeness of her father, former president John F. Kennedy in campaign commercials. Caroline Kennedy is the only surviving child of John F. Kennedy. Therefore, when she gives permission, it's NOT offensive.

What IS offensive (to me) is when Ann Richards' children do not give permission for the use of her likeness in a Clinton campaign ad:

Now, granted, the Clinton campaign got permission from Richards' youngest daughter, Ellen, to use her likeness in the campaign videos and literature. But, I think that it is imperative that if you are looking to give the impression of an endorsement from a deceased person - you should get permission from the entire family. All of the four children.

And I'm done.

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Elections: MK Style

This is how we should choose our leaders:



A fight to the death. Awesome.

Head nod: B-diddy

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George W. Bush And Amnesty

I'm listening to the president's press conference right now.

He wants the Congress to "act quickly" to pass his amnesty bill. Oh, but it's not amnesty for illegal immigrants - it's amnesty for America's telecommunications companies.

Despite the fact that all of the telecom companies have agreed to continue to support the idea of eavesdropping on American's to find evil-doers, Bush wants to give them RETROACTIVE amnesty from all lawsuits alleging violations of American's civil liberties.

What a bunch of crap.

In the span of five minutes, I heard: "Dangerous". "Raises the risk". "Tie the hands of our commanders in Iraq". "Opponents of the war see only one strategy: retreat". Oh, and he just brought out the oldie-but-not-so-goodie: "Stay the course". Congress needs to "stand by our brave men and women and stand by our troops".

Ah, the fear card. Is there any chance that the Bush administration will ever stop playing that?

I know I'm not the only person out there that is so tired of hearing the same tired lines from this so-called-leader. Why don't people call him on this obvious fear-mongering? It's propaganda pure and simple.

To me, he might as well come out and say, "If you don't support my policy of war and fear, then you are not supporting the troops and likely supporting the terrorists."

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Karl Rove On Barack H. Obama

You know things are bad for the GOP when Karl Rove (yes, that Karl Rove) is telling the party to lay off the "Hussein" comments.

Via Marc Ambinder and Joe Gandelman at TMV:

The context was, you're not going to stigmatize this guy. You shouldn't underestimate him," one of the executive directors said. Rove said that the use of "Barack Hussein Obama" would perpetuate the notion that Republicans were bigoted and would hurt the party.

And Joe Gandelman adds:

[T]he bottom line is that he’s [Rove] saying “tread lightly and in fact don’t tread on that area.”

Will they listen? If you believe that, I can sell you THIS for $200.

I certainly hope so. Otherwise, it's going to get really messy on the campaign trail.

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Bill Clinton Should Shut Up

I don't mean to disrespect the former president, but come on man. Seriously?

Bill Clinton has done nothing but damage his wife's presidential campaign. Whether or not he was disrespecting senator Obama by calling his stance on Iraq as a "fairy tale", he damaged her campaign. Whether or not you think he "played the race card" in South Carolina - he damaged her campaign.

It seems that just about every time former president Clinton opens his mouth,Hillary's campaign staff and surrogates have to spend the next 48 hours (or sometimes more) dealing with the press and public backlash. When will they wise up and simply tell him to go and play some golf.

"Here is your pitching wedge Billy - go hit the links. We'll holler when we need 'ya."

*brushes hands off*

Don't get me wrong, I do enjoy seeing the Clinton Campaign Express in the midst of it's derailment. That is a fun sight to behold. I'm just offering some friendly (or unfriendly?) advice. Take it or leave it.

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Photo: Tony Gutierrez/AP

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Obama And The Superdelegates

This is huge.

Representative John Lewis (D-Ga) has decided to switch his support from senator Hillary Clinton - whom he backed last year - to senator Barack Obama. Via CQ Politics:

[Lewis] is often referred to by fellow members of the Congressional Black Caucus as the “conscience of Congress” and his shift could provide cover for other African American officials who want to jump on Obama’s speeding bandwagon.

It seems that the freight train that is Barack Obama's campaign is continuing to gain momentum. As I've argued before, it is simply a matter of time now before Hillary calls a press conference to concede the nomination to Barack... and I'm watching the second-hand on the clock tick... tick... tick...

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Hard Wuerk

- M. Wuerker, Wuerking Drawings

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Hillary: Anything To Get Elected

Now isn't this interesting?

Ann Richards, beloved former Democratic governor of Texas passed away nearly a year and a half ago. So why on earth is the Clinton campaign claiming that if she were alive, Richards would be endorsing Hillary?

Because they think so - and that's a good enough reason for Hillary's campaign to produce video and have it featured on her website (which she seems to LOVE plugging at the debates - what's up with that?).

As it turns out Ann Richard's two sons aren't very pleased with the Clinton camp. Check it:

As her children, we never presumed to know her mind when alive and we are not prepared to make a claim as to who she would endorse or what she would do if she were still with us. We are not granting permission for her name to be used in advertisements on behalf of either candidate.

Now, granted, the Clinton campaign got permission from Richards' youngest daughter, Ellen, to use her likeness in the campaign videos and literature. But, I think that it is imperative that if you are looking to give the impression of an endorsement from a deceased person - you should get permission from the entire family. All of the four children.

Here is the video in question:



While the video doesn't come right out and say "Ann Richards would vote for Hillary Clinton", the insinuation is there. "Today, Ann would be asking all of us to make a statement", says the female narrator. "She would be traveling to every small town and big city in Texas urging us all to take a stand. To be counted. To make a difference. To make history." Now, look at me in the virtual blog-eye and tell me that isn't directed at women to say that "hey, Ann Richards was a woman and she would vote for a woman - oh and Hillary just happens to be the only woman candidate in this race."

Ugh.

If you ask me, this whole thing is in poor taste. Ann Richards cannot defend herself because she passed away in September of 2006. What if she would have endorsed Barack Obama? What if she would have endorsed Bill Richardson? What if she would not have endorsed anyone? We'll never know - but we are told by the Clinton camp that Ann Richards surely would have supported Hillary.

I think that her sons are being very cool about the whole thing. If it were me, I would be suing the pantsuit off of Hillary Clinton for something like this.

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William F. Buckley, Jr. 1925 - 2008

The conservative movement has lost one of it's most well-loved architects. I think Sullivan sums it up well:

[Buckley] lived long enough to see this precious inheritance grotesquely squandered by the conservative establishment he helped build. Like many of us, he came to see the administration of George W. Bush as in some ways the deepest, darkest betrayal of conservative values, and the hideous hateful movement that sustained it unthinkingly as part of the problem rather than the solution. But he was surely not surprised. A skeptical, thinking conservative knows that in time, great, abiding ideas can ossify into ideology and ideology can become propaganda and propaganda can degenerate into toxic factionalism. It is part of human nature and human history. There is no reason why conservatism as a political movement should be immune from its own critique of all such movements. He was polite about this, of course - much politer than many of us. But he had enough intellectual integrity not to disguise it either.

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Cunning Ham

Douchebaggery:



McCain's response:



But wait... there's MORE douchebaggery:



Since when did re-instating habeas corpus become a bad thing? "Juan Pablo" McCain?! Is this guy for real? For once I have to say that Alan Colmes appears to have grown a sack. He actually took Cunningham to task for some of the asinine stuff that he has said on the air.

As I said yesterday when this story came out, John McCain handled this nonsense with tact. I think he did the right thing in distancing himself from a wing-nut like Cunningham.

Ugh. What a vile summamabitch.

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A Movement Of Millions

I can just picture it now: Random Task, Frau Farbissina and Number Two all flanking Dr. Evil while he gazes at a poster of Barack Obama. Evil slowly raises a pinkie-finger-extended-fist to his mouth and says in a quasi-British accent, "One MILLION donors! Moo-hoo-wah-wah!"

Okay, so I'm a movie junkie - but you get the point:



Impressive by any political standard. I would guess that this is a first in presidential elections.

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Barack Obama ::: Unfit For President

Read with scathing sarcasm. My favorites:

He'll take away votes from Ralph Nader.

...and...

He hasn't been able to attract elderly white woman voters.

Nice.

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No "Game-Changer"

As I see it, there were no real momentum-shifting moments in tonight's Democratic debate. My standout moment was in the first five minutes with Hillary citing a Saturday Night Live sketch to show the media's bias toward Barack Obama. That's some great source material for your allegations there Hill - a late-night-sketch-comedy show. Duh.

Bang. Bang. Bang. Bang. Boo-friggin'-hoo Hillary. A good debater can tackle the issues regardless of where or when the question hits them (the key here Hillary is to use the first question to then set the tone for the debate with your opponent - ah, but I'm sure you knew that already).

Anyway - I didn't see anything that would lead me to believe that Hillary Clinton will be making a huge comeback. Sorry to disappoint you B-diddy, but I think that ship has sailed. I think that Barack Obama will win Texas and possibly Ohio too. At that point, Hillary will have to "make a decision" about her campaign.

It's late. I'm out.

More tomorrow.

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Photo: Matt Sullivan/Reuters

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Saturday Night Live Invoked

I can't believe that Hillary Clinton just invoked a Saturday Night Live sketch in her plea for the moderators to be more fair. "She sounds like a kindergartner", says the Pajama Wife.

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Mail Bag

Super-duper-mail-bag again today:

I'm thankful that I did not get this email yet. I'm even more thankful that [the Pajama Wife] and I have have some kick ass husbands that truly respect us as women along with others. You kick ass [Pajama Pundit]!

Thanks Heather - keep on reading!

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Art As Diplomacy

What a great example of coming together.

While the United States and North Korea still have many hurdles to overcome, I think that the New York Philharmonic's visit is a huge step in the right direction. Money line:

"You cannot demonize people when you're sitting there listening to their music. You don't go to war with people unless you demonize them first," [Former U.S. Defense Secretary William Perry] said.

Indeed. Peace through music. I think John Lennon was onto something.

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Photo: David Guttenfelder/AP

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Foreplay

If this is what Republican surrogates are going to do in the general election, things are going to be ugly. Check it:

Hussein is Obama's middle name, but talk show host Bill Cunningham used it three times as he addressed the crowd before the likely Republican nominee's appearance.

"Now we have a hack, Chicago-style Daley politician who is picturing himself as change. When he gets done with you, all you're going to have in your pocket is change," Cunningham said as the audience roared.

However, to his credit, John McCain QUICKLY denounced this right-wing-radio hack and is douchebaggery:

I did not know about these remarks but I take responsibility for them. I repudiate them. My entire campaign I have treated Senator Obama and Senator Clinton with respect. I will continue to do that throughout this campaign.

Right on John. Right on.

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The Continuing Downfall

Politico's top headline right now: "Finger-pointing, frustration in Clinton Camp". Check it:

Looking forward, it is clear Clinton’s team has only a faint and highly improvisational strategy about what to do over the next seven days. Simply put, there is no secret weapon.

The only thing that can save Hillary Clinton's campaign now is some sort of slip-up or scandal involving Barack Obama, a fish and some massage oil. Bottom-line: Hillary is in trouble.

This is why the debate tonight should be very interesting.

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Happiness Is...

MORE SNOW!!!

We've been getting nailed in the northeast in the past couple of weeks. The Pajama Wife hates it. She's ready for spring to be here. She curses Punxutawney Phil in her sleep.

I say, BRING ON THE SNOW!

If it's going to be cold, it might as well look pretty.

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Photo: me

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Angry White Nonsense

I received an e-mail forward from someone in my life. I'm not going to name names, as it is possible (however unlikely) that this person may be reading my blog. Suffice it to say that I don't condone the messages in this e-mail, but I felt that I should display the forward to my readers in hopes to show what a segment of our country actually believes. Here is the message in it's entirety:

There is a great amount of interest in this year's presidential elections, as everybody seems to recognize that our next president has to be a lot better than George Bush. The Democrats are riding high with two groundbreaking candidates, a woman and an African-American, while the conservative Republicans are in a quandary about their party's nod to a quasi-liberal maverick, John McCain.

Each candidate is carefully pandering to a smörgåsbord of special-interest groups, ranging from gay, lesbian and transgender people to children of illegal immigrants to working mothers to evangelical Christians.

There is one group no one has recognized, and it is the group that will decide the election: the Angry White Man. The Angry White Man comes from all economic backgrounds, from dirt-poor to filthy rich. He represents all geographic areas in America, from urban sophisticate to rural redneck, deep South to mountain West, left Coast to Eastern Seaboard.

His common traits are that he isn't looking for anything from anyone, just the promise to be able to make his own way on a level playing field. In many cases, he is an independent businessman and employs several people. He pays more than his share of taxes and works hard.

The victimhood syndrome buzzwords: "disenfranchised", "marginalized" and "voiceless" don't resonate with him. "Press one for English" is a curse-word to him. He's used to picking up the tab, whether it's the company Christmas party, three sets of braces, three college educations or a beautiful wedding.

He believes the Constitution is to be interpreted literally, not as a living document open to the whims and vagaries of a panel of judges who have never worked an honest day in their lives.

The Angry White Man owns firearms, and he's willing to pick up a gun to defend his home and his country. He is willing to lay down his life to defend the freedom and safety of others, and the thought of killing someone who needs killing really doesn't bother him.

The Angry White Man is not a metrosexual, a homosexual or a victim. Nobody like him drowned in Hurricane Katrina, he got his people together and got the hell out, then went back in to rescue those too helpless and stupid to help themselves, often as a police officer, a National Guard soldier or a volunteer firefighter.

His last name and religion don't matter. His background might be Italian, English, Polish, German, Slavic, Irish, or Russian, and he might have Cherokee, Mexican, or Puerto Rican mixed in, but he considers himself a white American.

He's a man's man, the kind of guy who likes to play poker, watch football, hunt white-tailed deer, call turkeys, play golf, spend a few bucks at a strip club once in a blue moon, change his own oil and build things. He coaches baseball, soccer and football teams and doesn't ask for a penny. He's the kind of guy who can put an addition on his house with a couple of friends, drill an oil well, weld a new bumper for his truck, design a factory and publish books. He can fill a train with 100,000 tons of coal and get it to the power plant on time so that you keep the lights on and never know what it took to flip that light switch.

Women either love him or hate him, but they know he's a man, not a dishrag. If they're looking for someone to walk all over, they've got the wrong guy. He stands up straight, opens doors for women and says "Yes, sir" and "No, ma'am".

He might be a Republican and he might be a Democrat; he might be a Libertarian or a Green. He knows that his wife is more emotional than rational, and he guides the family in a rational manner.

He's not a racist, but he is annoyed and disappointed when people of certain backgrounds exhibit behavior that typifies the worst stereotypes of their race. He's willing to give everybody a fair chance if they work hard, play by the rules and learn English.

Most important, the Angry White Man is pissed off. When his job site becomes flooded with illegal workers who don't pay taxes and his wages drop like a stone, he gets righteously angry. When his job gets shipped overseas, and he has to speak to some incomprehensible idiot in India for tech support, he simmers. When Al Sharpton comes on TV, leading some rally for reparations for slavery or some such nonsense, he bites his tongue and he remembers. When a child gets charged with carrying a concealed weapon for mistakenly bringing a penknife to school, he takes note of who the local idiots are in education and law enforcement.

He also votes, and the Angry White Man loathes Hillary Clinton. Her voice reminds him of a shovel scraping a rock. He recoils at the mere sight of her on television. Her very image disgusts him, and he cannot fathom why anyone would want her as their leader. It's not that she is a woman. It's that she is who she is. It's the liberal victim groups she panders to, the "poor me" attitude that she represents, her inability to give a straight answer to an honest question, his tax dollars that she wants to give to people who refuse to do anything for themselves.

There are many millions of Angry White Men. Four million Angry White Men are members of the National Rifle Association, and all of them will vote against Hillary Clinton, just as the great majority of them voted for George Bush.

He hopes that she will be the Democratic nominee for president in 2008, and he will make sure that she gets beaten like a drum.

Wow.

Now, as I said earlier - and have stated many times before - I do not like Hillary Clinton. The only way that I would vote for Hillary Clinton is if she was running against George W. Bush (or possibly Karl Rove). Fortunately for America, that's not the case. That my friends, is the only similarity between Yours Truly and this e-mail.

Look, with all of the talk about the first possible female president, or the first possible person-of-color president, the White Dudes seem to have been left in the proverbial dust (see: John Edwards, Joe Biden, Chris Dodd, et al). So... what's wrong with that? White Dudes have had plenty of opportunity to make things happen in this country - and plenty have. I'm not arguing that White Dudes have screwed things up (even though most would argue that is the current situation), as there have been many significant White Dudes who have brought about positive change in our nation's relatively short history. I'm merely saying that the excitement over someone OTHER than a White Dude becoming president is definitely a big deal - and should be treated as such.

I think that the biggest problem that I have with this "angry" message is that it appears to speak in general terms. As a White Dude myself:

• I do NOT believe that John McCain is a "quasi-liberal" anything. A moderate perhaps, but not a liberal.
  
• Words like "disenfranchised", "marginalized" and "voiceless" do affect me, as they should affect all Americans.
• I am NOT a member of the NRA. I do not own a gun, and while I have no problem with those who do, the thought of "killing someone who needs killing" does INDEED bother me. Who needs killing anyway?
• I'm pretty sure that metrosexuals and homosexuals (which are two COMPLETELY different things) can be white and/or angry too, right?
  
• I don't have the stats in front of me, but I'm sure that there were plenty of white victims of Hurricane Katrina. The idea that people who were/are victims of that disaster are at fault for their own plight is ridiculous at best.
• What is a "man's man" anyway? If I don't watch Monday Night Football, does that make me any less of a man?
  
• "He knows that his wife is more emotional than rational" - whomever wrote this MUST be single. Period.

It's the idea that I, as a White Dude, might be lumped in with the knuckle-dragger who wrote this bile that bothers me the most. I'm white... oh, and I'm angry as hell too. It's just that I'm not angry for the same reasons that this mouth-breather is.

I desperately want to see change in this country and the mere fact that the past seven years have yielded nothing but more problems makes me and Angry American Man.

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The Dodd Squad

... will now be supporting Barack Obama. Check it:

Obama and rival Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton had been vying for Dodd’s support since he exited the presidential race after a poor showing in the Iowa caucus last month. Dodd, who won his Senate seat in 1980 and chaired the Democratic National Committee from 1995-1996, has long-standing ties to the Clintons.

And despite those "long-standing ties", Dodd is going to endorse Obama. Awww SNAP!

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Photo: Eric Thayer/Reuters

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A New Day

Thanks to everyone for the well-wishes and migraine-relief tips. I slept for 10 hours last night (awesome) - and I feel like a new completely different person today.

Bring on the debate tonight!

I can't wait to see Hillary Clinton bring the ruckus tonight. If she doesn't (if we see a repeat of last Thursday's love-fest), I think that she is truly down and out of this campaign. She needs to fundamentally change the game tonight.

And Barack? He just needs to continue to play the fantastic zone defense that he has been doing thus far. His defenses seem to be impenetrable.

I love this stuff.

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A Foggy Day

My head is still in a fog and my kids are quite demanding of my attention.

More tomorrow.

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Funny Of The Week

I needed a laugh like this today. Check here first for the history. Then enjoy.



Classic.

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The Return Of... Romney?

Really? I thought he was out?

Because he suspended rather than terminated his campaign, Romney still retains control of the nearly 300 delegates he's already won. Another former governor, Mike Huckabee, remains in the race and is nearing Romney's delegate totals, though few give him a realistic chance of catching McCain, with more than 900 delegates.

Oh... I see - a technicality. Look out John McCain!

Yeah. I'll believe it when I see it. This is likely much ado about nothing.

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Mail Bag: Reader Consent

If you haven't read the reader dissent from this weekend, check it out.

It goes without saying that comments like that will continue to come at me - especially if my readership continues to grow. But, things aren't always bad. I also get notes like this one from Reader Ron:

I'll try to keep this grammatically correct as possible. Hahahaha. I have to say that your response to "anonymous'" post was amazing and quite possibly one of the most American things I have read in a long time. I read your stuff just about everyday and thoroughly enjoy. I appreciate what you are doing and just want to say, keep up the good work!!!

Thanks Ron. I appreciate that you appreciate.

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Compare & Contrast

Observe:



Versus:



If you ask me, I'd rather have the latter running the Free World. As the saying goes, "cooler heads prevail"... or whatever. I do prefer a cooler head.

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Migraine Madness

It's 2:33 p.m. and this is my first post of the day. Yeah, that's pretty weak.

I was up half of the night with the most wicked migraine that I've ever had. No kidding. I wound up taking a scalding hot shower at 2:00 a.m. (on the Pajama Wife's suggestion), which felt good. That finally enabled me to get to sleep.

I'm not sure if it was the Chinese food that I had for dinner - or the Oscars that had this effect on me. However, I will never have sweet & sour chicken on Oscar night again. Ever.

I'm feeling like junk today, so you will likely not hear much from me.

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The Downfall Of The Clinton Machine

... as seen through the eyes of my favorite conservative. Read the whole post, it's worth it. Check it:

Clinton is a terrible manager of people. Coming into a campaign she had been planning for, what, two decades, she was so not ready on Day One, or even Day 300. Her White House, if we can glean anything from the campaign, would be a secretive nest of well-fed yes-people, an uncontrollable egomaniac spouse able and willing to bigfoot anyone if he wants to, a phalanx of flunkies who cannot tell the boss when things are wrong, and a drizzle of dreary hacks like Mark Penn. Her only genuine skill is pivoting off the Limbaugh machine (which is now as played out as its enemies). Her new weapon is apparently bursting into tears. I mean: really.

Welcome back Andrew - welcome back.

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I. Am. Ironman.

Sweeeeeet.

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The Return Of Darth Nader

Ugh. Here we go yet again.

What is this - his 805th time running for president?

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Overstaying His Welcome

Say what you will about Mike Huckabee, the guy knows how to reach a "cool" audience:



He's done several appearances on talk shows - and now the season re-premiere of Saturday Night Live. Very cool.

On a separate note; I'm so glad that the strike is over. I love me some SNL!

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Mail Bag: Reader Dissent

I usually try to relax on Sundays. However, this really got my boxers in a bunch. In response to this post of mine, a reader commented - and I quote:

err..you missed part of that quote there buddy...

"Is she wins Texas and Ohio, she'll be the nominee. If you dont deliver for her than I dont think seh can be. It's all on you."

http://youtube.com/watch?v=GcLGkoEN9EQ

I guess thats why though..you dont have many readers.

Really? That's your complaint? Fair enough. My rebuttal:

First of all "Anonymous", if you are going to argue that I quoted former president Clinton incorrectly, it would definitely help your case to quote him correctly yourself. "Is she wins Texas and Ohio, she'll be the nominee. If you dont deliver for her than I dont think seh can be. It's all on you." (emphasis added by me) No less than FIVE grammatical mistakes in your quotation. Nice argument there.

Secondly, I referenced my source "buddy". If you look at that posting at FirstRead, I pulled the EXACT quote on which Carrie Dann was reporting. Apparently, she truncated the quote - and for that I will give a half-apology.

Look "Anonymous", I appreciate your reading my blog - however small and insignificant it may be. But if you are going to attack me for what you perceive as a misrepresentation of the facts, then you should probably back your findings up with some half-decent research, credible sourcing on your part and - as archaic as it may sound - CORRECT GRAMMAR USAGE. I'm always up for a spirited debate - but it is extremely difficult for me to take you seriously when you have gross misspelling and typographical errors in a five-and-a-half sentence critique (and that is including Bill Clinton's quote).

On the charge of my blog not having many readers... you caught me. I'm guilty. The day that I stop writing because of a small readership is the day that I give up my creative and political voice. I don't write these seemingly inane ramblings to reach a throng of readers (though that would be nice), I write because I CAN. I write because I WANT TO. I write because I ENJOY THIS. This is how I voice my opinion to the world. Whether the world is listening or not is completely irrelevant to me.

If you would like to continue this dialogue, I'll be waiting - with baited breath. BUT please, do bring your 'A' game... I don't enjoy competing against the junior varsity squad here.

Oh, and PS: that YouTube link does not work. I can only assume that you are pointing to a video clip of the quote in question - but alas, it will not load in my browser.

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Saturday Morning Cartoon

This week's Saturday Morning Cartoon: Pole Position

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iConcur

This round-up seems to jive with mine fairly well.

Chuck Todd does a great job for NBC News. This is why First Read is a bookmark for me.

As it says at the bottom of the page, there are only 256 days until election day in November.

Sweet.

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Clinton Vs. Obama :: CNN Style

In what was the 19th debate for the Democratic candidates, I was clearly watching a different program than that of the pundits on CNN and MSNBC.

Nearly all of the analysis that I saw had Hillary Clinton "winning" the debate. Despite this fact, most pundits have also been saying that Obama will still win the party nomination because nothing happened at the debate to change the overall standings. Most of the talking heads that I've seen have argued that Hillary needed to make a major move last night - or Barack needed to have a major gaffe for any real change to occur. Obviously, neither of those things happened.

In the debate that I saw, Barack Obama was the CLEAR winner. He debated circles around Hillary about everything from health care to Iraq to her ridiculous charges of plagiarism. I think that it was his best debate performance yet and that he seemed to appear as a presidential figure.

Either way, nothing happened in the debate that will change the paradigm of the campaign. Barack Obama will win Texas and Ohio. If Hillary Clinton listens to her husband, she will drop out of the race at that point. If not, she will again be defeated in Pennsylvania.

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CDs

If you are like me, you have a TON of CDs laying around because you keep 99.99% of your music on your computer/iPod. So what should you do with all of those non-functional plastic discs?

Try, a lamp:



How sweet is that? I think I'm going to try this...

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CNN Democratic Debate

Will tonight's debate between Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton be a hugfest or a slugfest?

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Guitar Hero

All I can say is that this guy must have the thickest callouses on his fingers.

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What The F**K? :: Bill O'Reilly Edition

Really Bill O'Reilly? A "lynching party"? You really want to use those words? On. The. Air?

Let me be clear Bill-O: I am ALL for freedom of speech. The fact that in our great land you can say whateverthehell you want to is a freedom and a privilege that I use. Every. Day. This feeble attempt at a political blog is evidence that I cherish the ideals set forth in the First Amendment.

That said, there are just some things that you don't say on the public airwaves. This is one of those things:

I don't want to go on a lynching party against Michelle Obama unless there's evidence, hard facts, that say this is how the woman really feels. If that's how she really feels -- that America is a bad country or a flawed nation, whatever -- then that's legit. We'll track it down.

Yikes.

Now, whatever his intent (since his producer has come out to say that O'Reilly had only the best intentions), I feel that using the term "lynching" in conjunction with a real person (particularly a person of color) is waaaay out of line. Beyond that, Michelle Obama is not just any woman of color, she is the spouse of a man who is running for the Highest Office In The Land.

Look, Don Imus got his ass FIRED for using similar language on the air - and this is not the first time that O'Reilly has uttered rhetoric that is offensive (at best), possibly even racist (at worst). I'm unsure whether Bill-O is a prejudiced man - or whether he is just an insensitive prick. Maybe it's a combination of the two, I don't know.

What I DO know is that Fox News and Westwood One should both fire him. He's made a pattern of spewing forth verbal vomit that should not be tolerated on ANY airwaves.

Done and done.

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Photo: Jeff Christensen/AP

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McCain Vs. New York Times

Stupid. Stupid. Stupid.

This is a hit piece, plain and simple. Why on earth would a newspaper - THE newspaper of record - place a political story of this magnitude on A1, front page above the fold, and not have ANY named sources? It is now the responsibility of editors of the New York Times to get these "unnamed sources" to go on the record. Period.

I just watched John McCain's press conference and it was a stellar performance by the gentleman from Arizona. Classic McCain. He went out and made his statement in front of reporters early in the morning - and then took EVERY LAST QUESTION in the place. He didn't leave until all of the reporters were satisfied.

This is great strategy: hit the story head-on (apply directly to the forehead), answer all of the questions about it, and then get on with your campaign.

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Photo: John Gress/Reuters

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Crappy Picture Dujour

Badass lunar eclipse tonight.



It's too bad I don't have a telephoto lens yet.

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And Away We Go!

The first BIG BOMB of a news story in the 2008 presidential race. From the top of Drudge:

The New York Times hits John McCain hard. Money line:

A female lobbyist had been turning up with him at fund-raisers, visiting his offices and accompanying him on a client’s corporate jet. Convinced the relationship had become romantic, some of his top advisers intervened to protect the candidate from himself — instructing staff members to block the woman’s access, privately warning her away and repeatedly confronting him, several people involved in the campaign said on the condition of anonymity.

The issue is not whether or not McCain had an affair outside of marriage. The issue IS whether or not McCain had an affair outside of marriage WITH A WASHINGTON LOBBYIST.

And so begins the season rife with the dirty laundry of politicians.

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Chris Matthews: Do Your Job

Hilzoy to Chris Matthews (and other media-types):

Do your jobs. Don't leave it to bloggers like me to do it for you.

Amen.

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Mark Penn's "Memo"

Oh, this is rich. Money line:

Seriously, has any of you been to Wisconsin until now? I haven't even been in an airport there. You probably can't even name the capital. It's a state comprised of rubes and impressionable elites.

This is why the blogosphere has become an addiction for me.

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Bill Clinton: "It's All On You"

Wow. This is some straight-talk from former president Clinton right here:

If she [Hillary Clinton] wins in Texas and Ohio, she'll be the nominee. If she doesn't, I don't think she can be. It's all on you.

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Space Shuttle

What is it about the Space Shuttle that makes me swell with American pride? Why is it that when I watch this thing come in for a beautiful landing, that I'm moved?

Just awesome.

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A Free Pass For Barack Obama

There has been a lot of jibber-jabber lately about Barack Obama getting a "free-pass" from the main-stream-media. Wrong.

Here is how I see it.

To begin with, while I am not one who reads too much into polls, in the latest data from Reuters/Zogby, senator Barack Obama is leading senator Hillary Rodham Clinton by a 14-point-margin, 52 to 38% on a national level. That is a stark difference from the nearly even numbers just one month ago.

It is apparent to me that if anyone is getting good treatment from the MSM, it has to be Hillary Clinton. Think about it...

It seems to me that ever since Super Tuesday, I've heard all of the political pundits echoing the same types of commentary. After February 5th, everyone was saying that HRC needed to make sure that she secured a strong victory in the primary states of Maryland, Virginia and the District of Columbia. As we all know, that didn't happen. After her crushing losses in the Potomac states, the pundits then shifted their rhetoric saying that Hillary needed to get a big win in Wisconsin so that her wins in Texas and Ohio would be that much more pronounced. They said that if she didn't win in Wisconsin, that she would go a full month without any victories.

Well, last night happened - and it happened for Barack Obama. Not only did HRC lose in the Land of Cheese, but she lost by a 17-point-margin (a much larger spread than anticipated). Now, all of the pundits have one again changed their analysis to reflect the "firewall" that Clinton has in the states of Texas and Ohio. And ALREADY the talk has begun that Pennsylvania is an all-important state for Hillary to win.

Loyal readers and political fanboys (and fangirls) my simple point is this: Hillary Clinton has been given EVERY benefit of the doubt imaginable. If Barack Obama had lost not one, not two or three, but TEN primary contests in a row - and was trailing Hillary Clinton (or any other candidate for that matter) by 14 points in a national poll - the MSM would definitely count him as down and out. Not so with Hillary Clinton. She keeps losing and the media keeps going on to the next primary event and saying that it will be her "last chance".

Now, I will concede that the media has had somewhat of a coverage crush on BO, which to me is understandable because he's new, he's fresh and he's got a great story. Not to mention that he is quite possibly one of the greatest orators in a generation. Needless to say that he makes George W. Bush sound like a Teddy Ruxpin doll that's batteries have worn out.

That said there have been two developments this week in which I feel the media is over-hyping: Michelle Obama's supposed gaffe about her pride, and the so-called-plagiarism of Deval Patrick's 2006 gubernatorial campaign speech ("Just Words"). I feel like the media has definitely NOT given Obama a "free pass" on those two stories in particular.

What I see here is Barack Obama definitely getting mostly positive coverage in the MSM, I will not contest that fact. However, this notion that the media hates Hillary Clinton is flimsy at best. HRC has been given every opportunity (over and over) to make her comebackor to at least stave off Obama's momentum. I have friends who still think that she can win the nomination - despite the nearly impossible odds.

I just don't see that happening. Why?

Five words: Ten. States. In. A. Row.

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Art: Shepard Fairey

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Ouch, That's Harsh

It simply sucks to be that dude. Unless of course it was all staged. What can I say? I'm a cynic.

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Beginning Of The End

The L.A. Times is posing the correct question: Wisconsin: Beginning of the end for Clinton? Money line:

The New York senator also opened a TV ad attack on Obama in Wisconsin that slammed him for refusing to debate in the state.

In the end, that charge "insulted people's intelligence," said Wisconsin pollster Paul Maslin, a Democrat watching the nomination battle from the sidelines.

"Do they think people in Wisconsin don't watch MSNBC or Fox or CNN? People know there have been plenty of debates."

Hillary Clinton needs to go after Obama on substantive issues. This argument that "he won't debate" or that "he plagiarized speeches" just won't cut it with informed voters. And let's face it, this year - even in the primaries - the voters are very well informed.

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Hillary Clinton: Sore Loser

Hillary Clinton is not a gracious loser.

This phenomenon occurred after the so-called Potomac Primary last week. After it was clear that Barack Obama has swept the proverbial floor with Hillary - winning by "substantial margins" in all of the contests - Hillary spoke to her a crowd of supporters in Texas and didn't even mention her defeats, much less congratulate senator Obama. Last night, after the race in Wisconsin had been projected as a win for Obama, Hillary again spoke to a crowd of supporters. This time she was in Ohio. But, like last week, she made no mention of the defeat. There was no concession or congratulatory remarks. That is, simply put, being a sore loser. Period.

Video:


So, when Barack Obama started his speech a mere 10 minutes into Hillary's, and every media outlet cut off her speech to televise his, I don't think that Obama was being rude (as some pundits have said). I think that he was giving her a taste of her own medicine. Some pundits are saying that he was rude to "bump" her (MSNBC is referring to it at the "Obama Bump" in the news ticker at the bottom of the screen), I think it's quite the opposite. She hasn't been gracious in her defeat (mostly because she hasn't expected a defeat of this magnitude - I mean come on - it's WISCONSIN!) and therefore Obama has every right to "bump" her and do it with some fervor. Hell, I'd be in there throwin' 'bows as it were.

Now, had Obama done that after Hillary began her speech by saying, "I'd like to congratulate my opponent in a well-fought campaign, blah blah blah..." I would take a completely different tack on this issue.

But alas, that ain't how it went down.

UPDATE::: Hillary Clinton did call Barack Obama and congratulate him, but the call was described as "brief" by the Obama campaign.

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Photo: Eric Thayer/Getty Images

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Prediction Results

Barack Obama is the projected winner in the Wisconsin Democratic primary election.

With just over 65% of the precincts reporting, Barack Obama is leading Hillary Clinton 57% to 42%. My original predictions had Obama winning by five percent margin - as opposed to the current spread of 15%. However, I am not surprised that Hillary Clinton has been defeated in the Land of Cheese.

John McCain is the projected winner in the Wisconsin Republican primary election.

With just over 65% of the precincts reporting, John McCain is leading Mike Huckabee 54% to 38%. My original predictions had McCain winning 56% to 32%. I was pretty close.

On to Hawai'i. It's too bad that the voting there takes place well after I'm asleep.

I'm off to bed. More tomorrow.

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Prediction

The polls in Wisconsin close in about 15 minutes. My predictions...

Democrats :::
Barack Obama = 49%
Hillary Clinton = 44%

Republicans :::
John McCain = 56%
Mike Huckabee = 32%

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RoveTV

Just one more reason that I don't watch Fox News. And a big one at that.

However, the reviews don't seem to be all that bad. Money line:

...Rove has merely offered clarity, concision, humility, good humor, good posture, and dispassionate analysis. To be sure, there are lefties distraught that he does not eat babies on-air. Maybe some conservatives, too. But the only thing more impressive than hearing the man drop political science—what other cable-news analyst has lately name-checked Henry Cabot Lodge?—is seeing that one of our culture's most controversial figures is one of its most mild-mannered.

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Photo: Gerald Herbert/AP

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Hard Wuerk

- M. Wuerker, Wuerking Drawings

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Michelle Obama's Pride

Here is her quote:

What we’ve learned over this year is that hope is making a comeback. It is making a comeback and let me tell you something, for the first time in my adult lifetime, I’m really proud of my country. And not just because Barack has done well, but because I think people are hungry for change. And I have been desperate to see our country moving in that direction and just not feeling so alone in my frustration and disappointment. I’ve seen people who are hungry to be unified around some basic common issues, and it’s made me proud.

Okay, now read this column about it. Don't think about it, just read it.

I wish that more people would read instead of react. Mrs. Obama is not saying that she has never been proud to be an American, she is simply saying that she is seeing a groundswell of support for change in our great country - and that has made her particularly proud.

But you wouldn't hear that if you listened solely to the conservative-talk-radio-crowd.

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Plagiarism, Schmlagiarism

Much is being made about Barack Obama's alleged plagiarism (via the Clinton campaign) from a speech by Massachusetts governor Deval Patrick. If you haven't seen the clips, look no further:

Deval Patrick:


Barack Obama: (go 4:30 into the clip)


Now - here are my thoughts.

• Are these speeches similar both in topic and language? Yes.
• Is there a distinct similarity in the language and inflection that it used in the delivery? Yes.
• Should Barack Obama have credited Deval Patrick for using similar rhetoric? Most likely.
• Will the uninformed voter possibly think that Barack Obama is a plagiarist? Probably.

HOWEVER...

What the uninformed voter needs to learn about is the fact that Obama and governor Patrick are indeed friends. Deval Patrick has not only endorsed Barack Obama for president, he works with him on his campaign. Patrick has even gone out to defend senator Obama and his remarks.

The only explanation for all of this talk about plagiarism is that the the Clinton campaign is floundering. They are grasping at straws to try to knock Obama off of his momentum. This weak allegation of plagiarism is not going to thwart his throngs of loyal supporters from coming out and voting for him in Wisconsin, Washington and Hawai'i tonight - nor Texas and Ohio in two weeks.

The Clinton campaign needs to come to the realization that Hillary Clinton is not - and never WAS going to have an easy road to the Democratic nomination. They made a fatal error in assuming that it would all be over and done with by the time that Super Tuesday rolled around in February. Since then, with Barack Obama's momentum, the Clinton camp has continually been trying to play 'catch-up'. It will remain that way until she decides to drop out of the race.

Unfortunately for Obama - and the Democratic party in general - I don't think that Hillary will be dropping out any time soon. She feels that she is owed the party's nomination - and therein lies the main contributing factor in her downfall.

Although some think that I am wrong.

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Crack That Whip

This. Looks. Awesome.

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Out With The Old, In With The... Less Old

Fidel Castro is out.

Raul Castro (Fidel's somewhat younger brother) is in.

My question: will this really be any real change?

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Bill Clinton Is Coming Apart

See here and here.

If you are Hillary Clinton, you have to be thinking, "Geez Bill - just go home and watch some NASCAR until this campaign thing is over".

Seriously. What is he thinking? I understand that you want to keep your candidate-of-choice in the news cycle - but not like this.

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Early

Why am I up at 5:53 a.m. you ask? Well, for whatever reason, my little girl has been getting up between the hours of 5:00 and 6:00 each morning for the past week or so. Not sure why that is - but it needs to stop. Desperately.

The Pajama Parents are here for a couple of days. Posting may not be as fast and furious as it has been lately. However, I'm getting geared up for the Wisconsin/Hawai'i showdown on Tuesday.

That's how I roll.

Man, I am tired.

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A Good Conversation

Bill Maher and a GREAT panel have a good debate.

*** WARNING - SOME PROFANITY. PLAY AT LOW VOLUME. ***

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