Barack Obama Draws 24,000 In New York - Hillary Clinton Just 1,500!

Hillary Clinton draws just 1,500 people?! That's it? Look, I don't care if the rally was in Harlem, they only drew 1,500 people. That's terrible. I don't care if it was in a church; thousands of people could have milled around outside. They didn't.

When Barack Obama held his New York rally, he drew 24,000 people. Hillary's tried, but can't even hold a rally that draws as many people as Barack can. She tried it in Oakland, and didn't do it. She can't do it. Period.

Why? Because she's not as popular as some media types and paid pollsters are trying to make us think she is.

You know what Barack Obama should do? Hold his own rally in Harlem -- just to prove a point. I'll bet he'd draw 10,000 people. Oh, and he should stage it right under that giant photo of Muhammad Ali.

The name of the rally? "Don't Call it a Comeback!"

Mark Morford - In SF Chroncle, Columnist Says We're Getting Dumber, but Fails To Define What Dumb Is

I just read San Francisco Chronicle columnist Mark Mulford's column where he claims American kids are "dumber than dirt". The main problem I have with such articles is, first, they fail to define what "dumb" is and second, they seem to yearn for a "happier time." Also, they seem to place the author in the position of "I'm better than you." Oh yeah? Says, who?

So I can't take the article seriously from the perspective around the question of correctness.

I do think that we have not shown kids the importance of critical thinking. It's just fine to watch TV -- one gains information that way. Information on our society, especially from the various news sources. But we're in trouble when we don't question what we're told.

I also think we've not shown kids the importance of being social and polite. Leave the text messages alone and talk. Say excuse me when you pass by someone. Manners are the glue that holds society together. I'm concerned that we're not making sure we have a good supply of that glue in store.

N.Y., DHS Strike Deal On Driver's Licenses

Version Established For Illegals

WASHINGTON (AP) ― The Bush administration and New York agreed Saturday on a compromise creating a more secure driver's license for U.S. citizens and allowing illegal immigrants to get a version. New York is the fourth state to reach such an agreement, after Arizona, Vermont and Washington. The issue is pressing for border states, where new and tighter rules are soon to go into effect for crossings.

The deal comes about one month after New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer announced a plan whereby illegal immigrants with a valid foreign passport could obtain a license.

The agreement with the Homeland Security Department will create a three-tier license system in New York, the largest state to sign on so far to the government's post-Sept. 11 effort to make identification cards more secure.

Spitzer, who has faced much criticism on the issue, said the deal means New York "will usher in the most secure licensing system in the nation."

Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff said he was not happy that New York intended to issue IDs to illegal immigrants. But he said there was nothing he could do to stop it.

"I don't endorse giving licenses to people who are not here legally, but federal law does allow states to make that choice," Chertoff said.

New York will produce one ID that will be as secure as a passport and is intended for people who soon will need to meet such requirements, even for a short drive to Canada.

A second version of the license will meet new federal standards of the Real ID Act, a law designed to make it much harder for illegal immigrants or would-be terrorists to obtain licenses.

A third type of license will be available to undocumented immigrants. Spitzer has said this ID will make the state more secure by bringing those people "out of the shadows" and into American society, and by lowering auto insurance rates.

New York has between 500,000 and 1 million undocumented immigrants, many of whom are driving without a license and car insurance or with fake driver's licenses, Spitzer in September when he announced his executive order.

The administration has not finalized standards for Real ID-compliant driver's licenses, but Spitzer said he believed the new licenses would meet those standards or come very close.

Many states have complained it is far too expensive to comply with the new law. Neither the governor nor Chertoff would say how much it would cost to put the system in place or who would pay for it.