Poll: Clinton Has Large Lead in N.H.

But the poll has a huge problem. And Senator Obama's more popular than Clinton with voters under 45.

By The Associated Press
Sun Oct 14, 7:40 AM ET

Hillary Rodham Clinton is holding a commanding lead over Barack Obama for the Democratic presidential nomination in New Hampshire, a poll released Sunday found.

Clinton had the support of 40 percent of those surveyed compared to 20 percent for Obama, Marist College Institute for Public Opinion said.

John Edwards was third (12 percent) and Bill Richardson fourth (7 percent).

On the Republican side, Mitt Romney held a slight edge over Rudy Giuliani (25 percent to 21 percent). John McCain was third (18 percent) and Fred Thompson fourth (10 percent).

Clinton was the overwhelming choice among those polled who want a strong leader or someone who will bring about change — 44 percent chose her compared with 20 percent for Obama and 11 percent for Edwards.

Clinton also drew the most support — 33 percent — from those questioned who ranked the Iraq war as their top issue. And the New York senator was seen as the most likely Democrat to win in November, getting the nod from 58 percent in the survey.

On the GOP side, when people were asked to pick a strong leader, Romney got 29 percent, compared with 23 percent for McCain and 22 percent for Giuliani.

Security against terrorism was the most important issue for GOP voters; on this issue, Romney was picked by 29 percent, and Giuliani and McCain by 21 percent each. Giuliani, the former New York mayor, was picked by more people in the survey as having the best chance of winning in November — 36 percent versus 30 percent for Romney.

The poll was conducted from Oct. 4-9 and involved telephone interviews with 1,512 registered voters and New Hampshire residents likely to register in time to vote in the presidential primary.

The poll has a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 4 percentage points for Democratic primary voters and 4.5 percentage points for Republican primary voters.

Barack Obama Leads In NH With Voters Under 45 Years Old - Pollster Mentions That In Fine Point

The so-called latest New Hampshire Poll says that Senator Hillary Clinton has a 20-point lead in that state.

But a look at the actual poll data that Marist College Institute for Public Opinion has released so far shows this -- in fine print:

Barack Obama does better among independents than Democrats. He receives the support of 29% of independents but just 14% of Democrats. Senator Obama is also more popular with younger voters than voters forty-five years of age or older. 29% of likely Democratic presidential primary voters under age forty-five support him compared with 15% of voters who are forty-five or older.

This opens a major-league can of worms for the credibility of reporting that Senator Clinton has any kind of real lead in New Hampshire.

The last NH poll also reported a Clinton lead, but only 17 percent of the people contacted bothered to respond, which means that a whopping 83 percent were undecided. Plus, there was no age breakdown given in the poll data released.

Still, the Clinton people, especially their campaign leaders , are acting like they're ahead, setting the stage for what could be a major surprise.

Web 2.0 Summit Has "Web Bowl" - Tuesday Oct 16th.

This is from CMP and the Web 2.0 website

Sold Out Web 2.0 Summit Announces First Web Bowl: Challenges World to Stump the Luminaries

Competition Offers Everyone the Chance to Participate

SAN FRANCISCO -- September 25, 2007 -- O'Reilly Media, Inc. and CMP Technology, co-producers of the annual Web 2.0 Summit, today jointly announced the launch of the Web Bowl, a live trivia competition about the Internet, taking place during the sold out event this year. Conference organizers are reaching out to the general public and attendees to pool together the most challenging (and fun) questions about the World Wide Web for the first annual Web Bowl.

Web 2.0 Summit's Web Bowl asks people to match wits with Internet luminaries, bringing the toughest questions about the Web on stage. The biggest names of the Web community will be able to prove themselves in real time amidst the gunfire of questions on industry trivia, history, and personalities. Hosted by Web 2.0 Summit's chair, John Battelle, the Web Bowl was modeled on the Computer History Bowl to entertain, inform, and inspire the Web community.

"We are pleased to announce the first annual Web Bowl at the Summit," said John Battelle, Web 2.0 Summit's Program Chair. "The game show format will create an entertaining opportunity to both celebrate the history and future of the Web among the leading members of the Web community. Even those not able to make it will be able to participate virtually, in true 2.0 spirit."

Web Bowl is challenging the world to submit the toughest questions about the Internet to use in the Web Bowl. Questions could range from what the first instant messaging service was to who created the first blog, and more. Acknowledgement will go to the person who submits a question used on-stage at the event.

To sign up for this, click here.

Amanda Congdon Supports Barack Obama

I just got a Facebook News Flash from my Facebook friend Amanda Congdon, who reports that she's behind Barack Obama for President!

Awesome!

I wonder if that has something to do with 1) his authetic politics, 2) the need for real change, and 3) the fact that Barack's, Amanda's, and my birthday are all the same day -- August 4th?

Hmmm..

Vimeo's HD Online Videos May Make Joost Days Numbered

Ok, here's an example of what TechCrunch's Shonfeld was writing about. Vimeo has high quality HD online videos on its site already.

Check it out. Watch out Joost!

TechCrunch's Schonfeld Thinks Joost Days Are Numbered

Eric Schonfeld of TechCrunch thinks Joost, the online video streaming site, may be seeing the end of a good run as more and more competitors crowd the field.

Anna Nicole Smith | Jerry Brown Suspects She May Have Been Killed

Former Governor and Oakland Mayor and now Attorney General Jerry Brown is all over the death of Anna Nicole Smith and released this statement, which I got from TMZ.com:

"Brown's Statement
Posted Oct 12th 2007 2:24PM by TMZ Staff
"The California Department of Justice today served search warrants at various doctors' offices, billing locations, and residences in both Los Angeles and Orange Counties, related to the death of Anna Nicole Smith. The locations searched today are related to doctors who provided medical treatment or prescribed drugs for Anna Nicole Smith or her associates.

On March 30, 2007, the California Department of Justice Bureau of Narcotic Enforcement commenced an investigation into circumstances surrounding the death of Anna Nicole Smith, including the prescribing and dispensing practices of several California licensed doctors and pharmacies. To date, agents have reviewed over 100,000 computer images and files, analyzed patient profiles and pharmacy logs and interviewed witnesses throughout the country and abroad.

The California Department of Justice is spearheading this investigation with the cooperation of regulatory agencies, medical professionals and law enforcement agencies, including: The California Department of Insurance, the California Medical Board, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, the Seminole Tribal Police and the Royal Bahamian Police Force.

In view of the fact that the investigation is ongoing, we will not provide further details or report any findings at this time. The California Department of Justice will conduct a fair and thorough investigation and wishes to protect the identity of cooperating witnesses. When our investigation is complete, you will be provided as much information as possible about any suspects, arrests or criminal charges.

Beyond this statement, no one involved in this investigation will have further comment at this time. Thank you for your cooperation."

Barack Obama | Barack Obama Is Not Muslim | Clinton Backers Said To Spread Rumor

HAVE HILLARY CLINTON SUPPORTERS AND STAFFERS BEEN BEHIND THESE FALSE RUMORS? FOX NEWS SAYS "YES."

For some reason, some total nutcases out there who call themselves Americans no doubt are sending out emails that say Senator Barack Obama is Muslim. It's an effort to play what some call "The Muslim Phobia Card" (Everything has a card these days.)

There are also indications that people connected with Senator Hillary Clinton are spreading this rumor. That's the ultimate dirty pool tactic.

It's not true and also panders to the worst fears and bad aspects of America. Don't believe it - and do your own homework on this. The Politico.com did ...

Obama, in fact, is not a Muslim.

The assertion that he is one is based on his paternal ancestry from a Muslim family in Kenya, his living in Indonesia with a Muslim stepfather and, briefly, as a child, attending a public school there which reportedly offered some religious instruction to its predominantly Muslim study body.

But he was raised primarily by his mother, who eschewed organized religion.

He has written and spoken at length about his path to Christianity and the black church as a community organizer in Chicago.

In recent months, Obama has been talking more openly about his faith, especially in the South.

He has worshipped at three large South Carolina churches over the past two Sundays. Last weekend, he raised eyebrows at the Redemption World Outreach Center in Greenville by saying he was “confident that we can create a kingdom right here on Earth."

Indeed, on www.snopes.com — the site that fashions itself as the place where urban legends go to die — there is a lengthy page devoted to debunking the myth that Obama is a “radical, ideological Muslim” that includes a reference to a 2004 Chicago Sun-Times story where he talks of his “personal relationship with Jesus Christ.”

Obama’s aides are aware of the theme, but it’s far harder to respond to faceless whispers than to open assertions.

“We've got to be vigilant to knock down any untruth out there about us,” said spokesman Bill Burton.

Hey, evaluate Senator Obama on his merits and not untruths. Don't be stupid.

Quincy Carter Arrested For Drug Possession - Sad Story

This is someone I've been rooting for and it's sad to see that drugs have overtaken him. I hope he gets the real help he needs and sees the wake-up call. He was a real talent that -- for a while -- had the World on a string.

Here's the story...

Former Cowboys QB Arrested On Drug Charge

FORT WORTH, Texas -- Former Dallas Cowboys quarterback Quincy Carter was arrested in Shreveport on a drug charge early Friday morning.
Carter was booked into the Shreveport City Jail at about 4 a.m. after being charged with possession of marijuana. Carter was later transferred to the Caddo Correctional Center.
In a news release, police said the incident began at about 1:30 a.m. when an officer stopped a silver car that was reported to have been involved in selling drugs at the Circle K convenience store at Youree and Southfield.

In Iowa, Hillary Clinton Backer Terry McAuliffe Says Clinton Iraq Vote Flip-Flop Due To Gender

Folks, I'm not making this up. It comes from the Iowa Independent newspaper. On August 30th, Clinton Campaign President Terry McAuliffe opened his mouth and stuck his foot deep in it, pissing off the people in attendance and possibly damaging the Clinton effort in Iowa.

On top of that, McAuliffe's act is upsetting other Iowans as well, and one person just plain wrote "I'm sick of Terry McAuliffe." Yes, the person who will stand in a photo with a Panda -- a costumed Panda -- for a vote, is proving to be a major liability in the state Clinton needs to prove she's unstoppable.

And what's so funny is he's the head of the campaign. He's walking around acting like they've got the election in the bag and thus not being affaid to make stupid statements, like this doozy of a running-off-at-the-mouth you're about to see below.

According to Chase Martyn, ....

Terry McAuliffe, who serves as Chair of Clinton's presidential campaign and was Chair of the Democratic National Committee from 2001 to 2005, helped shed light on why Clinton will not admit her vote was a mistake during an August 30 appearance at a coffee shop in Grinnell, IA. Abby Rapoport, editor-in-chief of Grinnell College's Scarlet & Black student newspaper, was the only reporter present for McAuliffe's candid conversation, and she quoted him this way in the September 7 issue of the paper:

McAuliffe declared that under no circumstances would she take back her vote. “A woman?” he almost yelled. “Can you imagine?”

Iowa Independent has verified from three other attendees of the event that McAuliffe was quoted accurately. Ironically, those attendees also told us that before discussing the connection between Clinton's position on her war vote and her gender, McAuliffe noted that he could only speak so candidly because there were no reporters present -- or so he thought.




Grinnell Coffee Company has a hip, artsy vibe with its black walls and its Venus Rising painting with a French coffee press. But I walked straight to the back, where a small beige room stands in stark contrast to the warm and friendly coffee shop. In the room, Grinnell community members talked in small clusters, awaiting the arrival of yet another politico to plead for their vote.
Suddenly a wholly alien force took over the room. Terry McAuliffe, former Democratic National Committee Chair and long time friend of the Clintons, arrived with an air of dominance, as all eyes focused on him.

McAuliffe is tall, with a booming voice and a slick, used-car-salesman type charm. His smiles and greetings, not to mention his slaps on the back of Wayne Moyer, Political Science, felt too self-congratulatory. You guys haven't won yet, I thought.

As if on command, we all sat down at once, waiting to hear what McAuliffe would say. Yet no one seemed more excited to hear him speak than McAuliffe himself. I guessed it would have something to do with voting for Hillary, given the posters taped to the wall and the stacks of lawn signs in the corner. But his tone was not quite what I imagined.

After asking who in the room would be supporting Hillary and finding only four of the twelve attendees to be loyal, McAuliffe began by emphasizing the campaign's currently successes, and its domination of the polls. He almost seemed to gloss over the nomination process, eager to talk about the general election.

"A lot of people ask me, `Can she win the general election?'" he boomed. The sweet older woman next to me seemed to perk up and nod at the question; presumably, she was asking it too. "Well," he continued, "that's the dumbest question I've ever heard." The woman seemed to stop nodding along.

McAuliffe spoke for almost forty-five minutes, focusing mainly on the general election, an election, he announced, that the Clinton campaign was already fundraising for.

"Anyone in the room who doesn't think this isn't going to be the most vicious campaign is nuts," he proclaimed. He seemed ready for the viciousness though. Later, he declared that "If you defame this woman … we will hit you back so hard your head will spin."

I kept trying to remind myself, undecided that I was, that in fact McAuliffe was not Hillary Clinton and his pushy, aggressive style did not necessarily discount his candidate. And at least he wasn't attacking other candidates, a trait I find particularly frustrating. Hear him all the way through, I thought. Give Hillary a chance.

And apparently Hillary needs my help. "Hillary is going to get elected," he proclaimed, "and I'll tell you why folks, because of women." 18 through 35 year-old women, he specified. ME.

But it was another 18 to 35 year old woman that caused a stir. McAuliffe asked those of us who were not supporters at the beginning of his little talk if any of us had changed out minds. When he found that none of us were swayed, he asked someone to come forward with their objections to his candidate, Jordan Levine '10 , one of the leaders of the Students for Hillary, pointed to Hannah Garden-Monheit '08, leader of Students for Obama. McAuliffe pushed her. "I don't mean to put you on the spot but…"

Garden-Monheit said she disliked Clinton's war vote. McAuliffe declared that under no circumstances would she take back her vote. "A woman?" he almost yelled. "Can you imagine?"

Carol Kramer, one of the four in the room supporting Clinton, echoed Garden-Monheit's concerns about Clinton's war vote.. "I want her to apologize," she explained.

"And I don't," McAuliffe retorted. Supporters could still incur his condescension. He reminded us that "[Republicans] are killers …. They're gonna lie, they're gonna steal-they're good at it."

But his parting words were more unifying. "We all come together in the end," he said. Fine, I thought. I'll vote for any of them-as long as I don't have to vote for you.

Whatever the reasons for Terry's behavior, it's clear he thinks the campaign's so far ahead it can survive his display of arrogance and stupidity.

Big mistake.

CNN.com readers sound off on Gore, Nobel Peace Prize

With a plethora of dissenting view points, this really calls into question the sanity of Americans.The objective of this award might be in question, but there's no questioning the outstanding work Gore has performed.

CNN) -- Former Vice President Al Gore and the United Nations' Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change won the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize on Friday for their work to raise awareness about global warming.

CNN.com asked readers to share their thoughts on the Nobel Prize, global warming and Gore's selection. The response was overwhelming.

Many readers offered congratulations to the former vice president, while others expressed disdain for him. Some readers said it was a poor choice, while others flat out dismissed global warming as pseudoscience.

Below is a selection of those responses, some of which have been edited for length and clarity:

Roy Woodcock of Rochester, Washington
What a disgraceful choice. Al Gore has promoted bad science and dishonesty, but done nothing to promote peace. I must conclude that his selection is based on pure politics.

George Burns of Shrewsbury, Massachusetts
I can only imagine how upset Bill "looking for my legacy" Clinton is that he didn't win it. Mr. Clinton really thought he had a chance at it when he tried to broker piece between [Yasser] Arafat and [Ehud] Barak. Arafat, another Nobel Peace Prize winner, rejected Barak's offer of everything Arafat wanted. ... Jimmy Carter, another Nobel Peace Prize winner, got North Korea to "promise" to terminate their nuclear weapons program. How'd that work out?

Mr. Gore is in great company.
Subhojit Roy of Marietta, Georgia
This is as deserving an award as one can be. Al Gore is the undisputed champion of raising awareness about global warming and other environmental hazards. Visionary Al is always on the right side of issues from global warming to his opposition of the devastating Iraq war.

Rob Edwards of Woodbridge, Connecticut
It is a sad world in which we live when bad science (and even a lack of any data at all on many points) leads to so much hype or accolades, especially the award of the Nobel Peace Prize. The IPCC is a farce. View the CBC documentary from 2005, which is backed up by clear and reproducible science, to understand how wrong the IPCC and Al Gore actually are.

Wanting things to be so does not make them so. And with so many other deserving nominees once again it seems that politics is playing a role on too many fronts. When more science is actually researched on the [global warming] issue and it shows that Al was a buffoon, one would hope to see his gold medal stripped from him in a Marion Jones fashion. This is a disgrace.

Chris Smith of Bexley, Ohio
Al Gore? Nobel Peace Prize? Wow, that really degrades my image of that prize. Why not give it to Michael Moore while we're at it? How sad.

Robert Singleton of Wakefield, Massachusetts
I think it's a good thing Al Gore won the peace prize. People like my English teacher try to downplay the significance of global warming. Maybe this will help give him the respect he needs to push this issue.

John Gruber of Bremerton, Washington
There is going to be a lot of controversy over whether Al Gore should win the Nobel Peace Prize. Regardless of what the critics might say, or the political pundits trying to gauge whether he is going to run for president or not, he is still an extraordinary man.

He took the defeat of the 2000 election and rechanneled that energy into a cause that he feels passionately for. He has raised the awareness of a growing global issue, and regardless of whether those changes affect us in 50 years or 100 years, he has shown courage for pointing out things that others don't want to acknowledge.

Finally, I think that we as Americans should be proud of Al Gore. There is a certain national pride that should occur when someone wins the Nobel Peace Prize, and rather than condensing this award into a 30-second sound bite, and analyzing it, we should take a moment to reflect on ourselves and our nation.

Seung Kim of Fort Wayne, Indiana
What Mr. Gore achieved is noble and good for us, but I have to wonder if he is the right person for Nobel Peace Prize. Several past Nobel Peace Prize winners, such as ... Arafat from PLO, may not have been the best choices either.

Marla Adams of New Salisbury, Indiana
I am very pleased for Al Gore. I have been an admirer of his ever since I saw him speak at Lanesville, Indiana, during the Clinton/Gore bus tour before Clinton's first presidential victory. He has worked tirelessly to inform, not just the citizens of the U.S., but the citizens of the world of the environmental crisis. It is simply inexcusable for world leaders to not pay attention to the evidence of this crisis. Score one for Al Gore that Florida cannot take away.

Phillip Bernard of La Grange, Illinois
The peace prize should be reserved for furthering peace in our world. The work Mr. Gore has done is conjectured quasi-science. His research does not employ a scientific method, otherwise it would have been considered for the prize for science.

Robert Ellis of Columbus, Ohio
Well-deserved award. If Al Gore had been president, the world would be a far more peaceful place, and America would be admired. Instead we have oil wars and worldwide hatred of America. For more than 30 years, Gore has been one of the planet's truly enlightened thinkers. I hope he gives this country another chance by running for president again.

Matthew Joyce of New York
Regarding Al Gore's recent Nobel Peace Prize acquisition, I find this to be absolutely deplorable. First off, choosing an opportunistic politician who has damaged the good name of global climate research, and a man that is responsible in no small part for having further diminished the powers of the EPA during his term in office is downright absurd.

The Nobel Peace Prize used to mean something. As of today they are all now worthless. And I mourn the passing of this once great humanitarian honor. Watch as the Nobel committee chairman explains why Gore, U.N. panel won »

Reynolds Jones of Schenectady, New York
Political and religious ideology has never caused or stopped a natural disaster or plague. It won't do so now. There are serious problems with climate change going on, right now. The most dangerous possibility is that of run-away global warming -- while I don't think that will happen, I don't (nor does anyone else) know that it won't happen.

Al Gore is correct about climate change. We can only hope that conservative ideologues, both religious and political will stop obstructing reasonable efforts to save the planet, and thus to save the race that we belong to.

Sam Gibbs of Muncie, Indiana
Al Gore may use far more energy than the average U.S. citizen, but his impact, as one person, on raising awareness about, and fighting for legislation against, global warming far exceeds anything that most of the United States' 300 million citizens combined have ever done or will ever do.

Matthew Whitley of Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Over the last decades, the Nobel Peace Prize has increasingly become a laughingstock. That Al Gore of all people should be honored this year is another nail in the Nobel Peace Prize's coffin of legitimacy and relevance. Much like the prize for literature, the peace prize is becoming nothing more than a political bauble awarded to some political insider advocating the cause of the week.

Al Gore has been "working" for climate change for an enormous period of four whole years, coincidentally discovering this new passion right when his political career was slouching to its end. The Nobel Committee actually expects us to believe that, out of all human organizations working for peace and the improvement of the human condition, Al Gore's paltry four-year media circus of climate change advocacy is the most significant achievement we have to show for ourselves?

How ridiculous. I'm embarrassed for the legacy of the Nobel Prizes, I'm embarrassed for my country, and, if I were Al Gore, I'd be embarrassed to stand in front of the world claiming to be a worthy, legitimate recipient of the peace prize.

Emily McGue of Columbus, Ohio
I think it is absurd that Al Gore won the Nobel Peace Prize for raising awareness about something that is not even true. Global warming may be happening, but is not because of us. There are many scientists out there who would love to agree with me. If you are going to give recognition to someone for promoting the awareness of something that isn't even true, you might as well just hand out a half-million dollars to some random person walking down the street, they would be more deserving.

Mark McCord of New Richmond, Wisconsin
This just means the Nobel Peace Prize no longer stands for peace, it stands for propaganda, fear and political agendas.

Linda Witt of Bemidji, Minnesota
It is wonderful Al Gore won the Nobel Peace Prize. I can only wonder how different our country would be now if he had been our president. I'm proud of him and his work and intelligence. He alone has done more for raising awareness of global warming than our current president has with all the power he has at his disposal. As Americans we should take his lead in fighting the global warming crisis.

Ryan Kiblinger of Temple, Texas
My heart just broke today. The Nobel Prize went to an individual who consumes many times more than the average person in the world, and more than the average person in the first world. Yet he wins an award for his propaganda with regards to global warming. Al Gore has no scientific expertise for his film and congressional testimony. He is a mere puppet and speculator. The Nobel Peace Prize has lost all credibility today, and for that my heart breaks.

Mark Green of High Point, North Carolina
How exactly does this pertain to world peace? From the very beginning of his "campaign" this has reeked of politics. The reasons for global warming are widely disputed as are Gore's data. His carbon credits program is a sham.

If his efforts had resulted in a sweeping policy change across the globe, then maybe -- maybe -- I could see it. Even then, isn't it more scientifically, or more precisely, environmentally oriented? Gore's role has been more of a spokesperson. Maybe the award should be the Nobel Prize for Most Prominent Politician as a
Spokesperson.

Al Gore Should Endorse Barack Obama If He's Not Going To Run For President

As you know unless you've crawled under a rock, Al Gore was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize , and the media's immediately speculating on what his plans will be -- in other words, will he run for President?

Gore has stated several times that he will not run and that at some point in the future, he will endorse a candidate running for President.

Gore should endorse Barack Obama, and not just because Barack's the best candidate, but because Senator Obama -- of all the candidates -- is the only one who signed the Live Earth pledge, encourages his supporters to do so , and takes Gore's efforts so seriously he consistently refers to them and to the Global Climate problem on the campaign trail.

Moreover, Senator Obama's energy plan is specifically designed “to combat global warming and achieve energy security." In fact, the campaign website states...

"Global warming is real, is happening now and is the result of human activities. The number of Category 4 and 5 hurricanes has almost doubled in the last 30 years. Glaciers are melting faster; the polar ice caps are shrinking; trees are blooming earlier; oceans are becoming more acidic, threatening marine life; people are dying in heat waves; species are migrating, and eventually many will become extinct. Scientists predict that absent major emission reductions, climate change will worsen famine and drought in some of the poorest places in the world and wreak havoc across the globe. In the U.S., sea-level rise threatens to cause massive economic and ecological damage to our populated coastal areas.:

By contrast, Senator Hillary Clinton did not have her supporters back the Live Earth pledge or give it attention on her website. And while she mentions her admiration for Gore, she does so with a caveat that she does not agree with all of his ideas -- like what?

She said ....

"You know, I have a great deal of respect for Vice President Gore. He has been beating the drums and sounding the alarm of global warming for many, many years. He has never given up on his mission to try and raise awareness and to get the country to take action. I may not agree with everything he proposes -- I don't agree 100 percent with anything that any one person proposes -- but I am certainly grateful to him for being such a public spokesman."

Well, now that spokesman is a Nobel Prize-winner. Gore should back Barack Obama.