The voter unity the Democrats will seek to support either candidate foreshadows (and mirrors) the unity the entire USA needs to support the next president. It may be trickier if Clinton prevails given Obama's broad support OUTSIDE his own party, but... Here's an audacious non-political formula to get there regardless. We can allow ourselves to grow apart, isolated and increasingly vulnerable, or we can decide to grow together. We must respect each other, and exhibit that respect even when we disagree, because despite disagreements what was true in 1776 is still true today: we are still seeking to form a more perfect union, and we flourish by unifying the myriad diverse strengths of individuals into a synergistic, unified democracy. It's a work in progress. Of course, it's easier in theory than it will be in practice, and we may have to oust the ratings-hungry sound-biters to succeed. (Oh darn.)
read more | digg story
Monday, May 19, 2008
Sunday, May 18, 2008
Barack Obama Draws A Record 75,000 In Portland, Oregon Today
I've seen 18,000 gather in Oakland's City Hall plaza to hear Senator Obama and I thought that was massive. Every part of the area was filled with people and I could not imagine a larger gathering.
Well, think of a crowd almost four times larger than that and you will have this photo and the massively attended Obama speech in Portland, Oregon today.
What this says is Barack should not only do well in Oregon, he should clinch the number of delegates he needs to claim a majority of pledged delegates. But this also sends a message to Superdelegates that he's got a massive base of donors giving below $200, which means the Obama campaign does not have to share the names on their mailing lists.
If you want to be a part of Obama's action, you've got to back him.
Ecuador's Oil Power Grab: Suing Chevron; Taking Over US Oil Company Production
The Chevron / Ecuador scandal is more complex after all.
The Government of Ecuador's on a mission to take over and run energy production previously owned by American Companies. And where it can't do that, it files a lawsuit of it's own against Chevron for an oil spill that's the fault of PetroEcuador, the state-owned oil company.
The latest news came this weekend, when President Rafael Correa made an offer to buy out companies that did not want to do business with the country in it's original deal to slash winfall profits to just one percent. Now, Correa says he's willing to give up to a 30 percent profit if those companies drop their lawsuits.
But that's not the real news for companies like Occidental Petroleum, based in America. Because of a long-running dispute, Ecuador took over Occidental's production and gave it to Petroecuador, the same company that is the real organization to blame for Ecuador's oil-spill problems of the past.
Ecuador's overall strategy is clear. Give winfall profits to non-American oil companies, but sue and punish American oil firms, from Occidental to Chevron, and make PetroEcuador richer in the process. The Government is playing two sides of the coin: trying to increase oil production, but keep the tribes, who are anti-American, appeased in the process.
The Government of Ecuador's on a mission to take over and run energy production previously owned by American Companies. And where it can't do that, it files a lawsuit of it's own against Chevron for an oil spill that's the fault of PetroEcuador, the state-owned oil company.
The latest news came this weekend, when President Rafael Correa made an offer to buy out companies that did not want to do business with the country in it's original deal to slash winfall profits to just one percent. Now, Correa says he's willing to give up to a 30 percent profit if those companies drop their lawsuits.
But that's not the real news for companies like Occidental Petroleum, based in America. Because of a long-running dispute, Ecuador took over Occidental's production and gave it to Petroecuador, the same company that is the real organization to blame for Ecuador's oil-spill problems of the past.
Ecuador's overall strategy is clear. Give winfall profits to non-American oil companies, but sue and punish American oil firms, from Occidental to Chevron, and make PetroEcuador richer in the process. The Government is playing two sides of the coin: trying to increase oil production, but keep the tribes, who are anti-American, appeased in the process.
Mike Huckabee Should Apologize To Barack Obama For Dumb Joke
There's no way to excuse what Governor Mike Huckabee said as he was joking about Senator Barack Obama having a gun pointed at him. What was more chilling was that the NRA people laughed at the joke.
I think Atomic Lemur's right: the NRA's mostly gun-toting jerks who laugh about shooting people. The irony is that Senator Obama actually supports many of the NRA's positions regarding the individual right to bear arms.
I wish the NRA people were smart enough to see past his skin color to know that. GRRRR!!!!
See the video:
I think Atomic Lemur's right: the NRA's mostly gun-toting jerks who laugh about shooting people. The irony is that Senator Obama actually supports many of the NRA's positions regarding the individual right to bear arms.
I wish the NRA people were smart enough to see past his skin color to know that. GRRRR!!!!
See the video:
Clinton Campaign: "It Is Over" - Andrea Mitchell Reports On NBC News
In this Brietbart video, NBC News' Andrea Mitchell said that Hillary Clinton's campaign representatives have agreed that it's over and there's no way she can win the Democratic Presidential Nomination over Senator Barack Obama.
Saturday, May 17, 2008
Senator Edward M. Kennedy Hospitalized
Breaking News Alert
The New York Times
Senator Edward M. Kennedy was rushed to a hospital on Saturday morning in Cape Cod, where he was treated for aserious - but unknown - illness. A senior Democratic official, speaking on condition of anonymity out of respect for the Kennedy family, said the senator was taken by ambulance to the hospital after he became ill at the Kennedy compound in Hyannisport, Mass.
The New York Times
Senator Edward M. Kennedy was rushed to a hospital on Saturday morning in Cape Cod, where he was treated for aserious - but unknown - illness. A senior Democratic official, speaking on condition of anonymity out of respect for the Kennedy family, said the senator was taken by ambulance to the hospital after he became ill at the Kennedy compound in Hyannisport, Mass.
Friday, May 16, 2008
HBO's Hard Knocks to Feature the Dallas Cowboys
I Guess HBO is trying to keep the show fresh and innovative. That's nice, but could you pick a better team to showcase then the Cowgirls-i-mean-boys? How about some team who is on their way back up, Like the Redskins, or the Vikings, or even the Saints. Any team but the Cowboys and their attention seeking receiver Terrell Owens, who reminds us not to Pick on Tony Romo because he's is "His QB." Let me know when Tony gets a National Commercial spot. Even Brady Quinn of the Browns(and he's still a Back-up!) has an EAS-Myoplex commercial!! Is Wade Phillips even "Telegenic" enough to do a month of Training camp TV spots? Will we see another Terrell Owens "Meltdown"?
Fact-Checking Obama book quotes from "Dreams" and "Audacity"
There have been a series of quotes circulating in email recently, allegedly taken from Obama's books "Dreams of My Father" and "The Audacity of Hope." The author downloaded an unabridged copy (from ebooks) to facilitate locating each one. What he found will disappoint Obama's detractors, and inform everybody else.
read more | digg story
read more | digg story
Thursday, May 15, 2008
George Bush Following in Bill Clinton's Footsteps?
George W. Bush injected himself into the 2008 presidential race today when he took a swipe at Barack Obama in a speech to the Israeli Knesset. Without naming the Illinois Senator, the President criticized Obama's call for diplomatic engagement with Iran. Former Republican Presidential candidate Pat Buchanan, commenting on MSNBC, described the President’s attack on a domestic political opponent in a formal speech in a foreign capital as “astonishing.” White House spokesmen said the speech was not a slam on Obama. However, CNN’s headline declared “Bush suggests Obama wants 'appeasement' of terrorists.”
[begin satire]
Speaking to a group of Americans Abroad in Tel Aviv after his speech, the President echoed Bill Clinton’s appeal on behalf of Hillary in January in New Hampshire, asking voters to give John McCain a "fighting chance" to continue the policies of the past eight years. “We can’t be a new story, I’m sorry,” he said apologetically, “there’s nothing we can do. I can’t make him younger, hairier, or African American. There’s lotsa things I can’t do. But if you want a President and you need one, he would be by far the best.”
These comments of course have led some political and psycho-analysts to see other strong similarities with former President Clinton's sometimes controversial role in his wife’s campaign. They speculate Bush is trying to make up for the public humiliation he subjected McCain to during his failed contest for the Republican nomination in 2000. Others note a McCain victory may be the last opportunity for Bush to restore the legacy of his own Presidency, stained by the scandals of a failed war, an economy on the brink of depression and the Administration’s response to Hurricane Katrina. However, most analysts do not expect Bush to follow the example of former Presidents Clinton and Bush’s own father, George H.W. Bush, in promoting philanthropy after he leaves the White House. With all the catching up he has to do on the golf course, unfortunately they just don’t think there will be enough time left for fighting AIDS or helping disaster victims.
In other news, White House Press Secretary Dana Perino confirmed that the President has asked the Justice Department to provide him with a list of all Administration officials who may have committed crimes while in office. “The President wishes to ensure that before he leaves office his Article II powers to grant pardons are exercised to the fullest extent, whether just for directing lucrative contracts to cronies or the commission of war crimes. This is one section of the Constitution that the President considers sacrosanct.” Perino would not indicate, however, if the President was prepared to make public the names of all donors to the George W. Bush Presidential Library that will be constructed starting next year at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, and is expected to cost as much as $500 million. "It is too early to make that call," said Perino, "and we were frankly hoping Bill Clinton would break ground on that precedent. We'll just have to wait and see what he does if Hillary becomes Vice President."
wizinit is the nom de guerre of a veteran diplomat whose career highlight was lunching with the late Art Buchwald in an Eighth Floor dining room at the US State Department in the mid-eighties. He is now a registered Fan of Andy Borowitz at the Huffington Post
[begin satire]
Speaking to a group of Americans Abroad in Tel Aviv after his speech, the President echoed Bill Clinton’s appeal on behalf of Hillary in January in New Hampshire, asking voters to give John McCain a "fighting chance" to continue the policies of the past eight years. “We can’t be a new story, I’m sorry,” he said apologetically, “there’s nothing we can do. I can’t make him younger, hairier, or African American. There’s lotsa things I can’t do. But if you want a President and you need one, he would be by far the best.”
These comments of course have led some political and psycho-analysts to see other strong similarities with former President Clinton's sometimes controversial role in his wife’s campaign. They speculate Bush is trying to make up for the public humiliation he subjected McCain to during his failed contest for the Republican nomination in 2000. Others note a McCain victory may be the last opportunity for Bush to restore the legacy of his own Presidency, stained by the scandals of a failed war, an economy on the brink of depression and the Administration’s response to Hurricane Katrina. However, most analysts do not expect Bush to follow the example of former Presidents Clinton and Bush’s own father, George H.W. Bush, in promoting philanthropy after he leaves the White House. With all the catching up he has to do on the golf course, unfortunately they just don’t think there will be enough time left for fighting AIDS or helping disaster victims.
In other news, White House Press Secretary Dana Perino confirmed that the President has asked the Justice Department to provide him with a list of all Administration officials who may have committed crimes while in office. “The President wishes to ensure that before he leaves office his Article II powers to grant pardons are exercised to the fullest extent, whether just for directing lucrative contracts to cronies or the commission of war crimes. This is one section of the Constitution that the President considers sacrosanct.” Perino would not indicate, however, if the President was prepared to make public the names of all donors to the George W. Bush Presidential Library that will be constructed starting next year at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, and is expected to cost as much as $500 million. "It is too early to make that call," said Perino, "and we were frankly hoping Bill Clinton would break ground on that precedent. We'll just have to wait and see what he does if Hillary becomes Vice President."
wizinit is the nom de guerre of a veteran diplomat whose career highlight was lunching with the late Art Buchwald in an Eighth Floor dining room at the US State Department in the mid-eighties. He is now a registered Fan of Andy Borowitz at the Huffington Post
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
China Earthquake In Sichuan's Provincial Capital Chengdu
aardbeving
землетрясение в Китае
terremoto en China
terremoto na China
중국에 지진이
Erdbeben in China
tremblement de terre en Chine
四川省汶川地震最新情况
With over 15,000 dead and an estimated $20 million in damage, one wonders what the earthquake that rocked to the northwest of Sichuan's provincial capital Chengdu on Monday -- the worst in 32 years -- looked like. These videos give an answer. The next question is how will this impact the Olympic Games?
землетрясение в Китае
terremoto en China
terremoto na China
중국에 지진이
Erdbeben in China
tremblement de terre en Chine
四川省汶川地震最新情况
With over 15,000 dead and an estimated $20 million in damage, one wonders what the earthquake that rocked to the northwest of Sichuan's provincial capital Chengdu on Monday -- the worst in 32 years -- looked like. These videos give an answer. The next question is how will this impact the Olympic Games?
Travis Childers Wins | GOP Loses In Mississipi As "Anti-Obama" Strategy Fails
After weeks of hammering Mississipi voters with Anti-Obama commercials that smacked of race-batting in an attempt to have voters select their candidate Greg Davis over Dem Travis Childers, the Republican Party was handed what some call a "stunning loss" and what I call a serious misread of the American Condition.
Look, each state in America is a unique region unto itself and to assume that people will think or act the same way in New York as they will in Florida is silly. But it's also dumb to think that what will play in Georgia will work in Florida. It will not.
Travis Childers beat Davis by a three-point margin, 49 percent to 46 percent.
The reason Childers won is that he's just conservative enough to pull middle-democrats and swing-voters, and he's a Democrat who did not walk away from Barack Obama, which got him the Black and liberal Dem vote, too. Plus, the country as a whole is more "left" than it has ever been and President Bush' low approval ratings do not help the GOP.
Look, each state in America is a unique region unto itself and to assume that people will think or act the same way in New York as they will in Florida is silly. But it's also dumb to think that what will play in Georgia will work in Florida. It will not.
Travis Childers beat Davis by a three-point margin, 49 percent to 46 percent.
The reason Childers won is that he's just conservative enough to pull middle-democrats and swing-voters, and he's a Democrat who did not walk away from Barack Obama, which got him the Black and liberal Dem vote, too. Plus, the country as a whole is more "left" than it has ever been and President Bush' low approval ratings do not help the GOP.
JOHN EDWARDS ENDORSES BARACK OBAMA!
JOHN EDWARDS ENDORSES BARACK OBAMA!
(AP photo)
In a move as shocking for its timing as it is for its impact, former Senator and Presidential Candidate John Edwards has just officially endorsed Senator Barack Obama for President. Edwards did this at a previously scheduled Obama campaign visit in Grand Rapids, Michigan, but it could not have been better timed.
While Senator Obama was already well on his way to sewing-up the Democratic Presidential Nomination, he'd just been clobbered in West Virginia by Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton. While Obama did not campaign heavily there, the idea was being launched -- by Clinton herself -- that she and not Obama could win the "poor, undereducated, working-class white vote."
When was the last time you heard that description of a group of people?
At any rate, the next day -- today -- Barack Obama took the media wind out of Senator Clinton's sails with this annoucement. And while John Edwards played it cool in the introduction -- like a master poker player who knew he played the right hand at the right time -- Edwards gave a rousing speech that rivaled the best stem-winders this election has seen and managed to calm would-be Clinton supporters by giving her and them just respect, then saving his best emotion and prose for Senator Obama.
The next most obvious question is will Senator Obama pick Senator Edwards as his running mate? Personally, I think an Obama / Edwards ticket is a winner, not just for this campaign, but for the this generation.
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