Obama weds Clinton, McCain in unholy matrimony

So Hillary Clinton, despite the "be my veep" nonsense, says even John McCain is a better choice for president than Obama. Birds of a feather. Here's what Obama has to say about the Clinton-McCain lovefest.

Diebold already rigged election for McCain

"If you can't trust your shadowy overlords to keep a secret, what is the purpose really of voting...?"

Don't panic... this is satire. :-)


Diebold Accidentally Leaks Results Of 2008 Election Early

Video: Dodd endorses Obama

Former Democratic White House contender and progressive hero Sen. Chris Dodd (D-CT) today endorsed Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) for president. Excerpts of prepared statements from both follow the video.



STATEMENT FROM SEN. CHRIS DODD: "I am here to express my strong support for the candidacy of Barack Obama. This is a moment of unity in our country, a time where we need to come together as a Democratic party and to get behind a candidacy that expresses the aspirations, the hopes, the ambitions of millions and millions of Americans. And I believe that Barack Obama has demonstrated that not only in the campaign, but also in his service to his state and his country..."

STATEMENT FROM SEN. BARACK OBAMA: "It has been my pleasure to serve alongside Chris Dodd in the United States Senate and share a stage with him during his principled run for the presidency. ... [A]s passionate as Chris Dodd is about the causes he champions, he also has that rare ability to disagree without being disagreeable. He is respected on both sides of the aisle for his authenticity, reason, and civility. And that is how, time and again, he's been able to bring Democrats and Republicans together to make a real difference in the lives of the American people. ... He conducted his campaign for President with that same character. He resisted the cheap and easy shots, and elevated the debate with important ideas about how to address the great challenges we face. He and I share a deep commitment to take our country in a new direction, and I am grateful for his endorsement."

Complete statements available here.

¡Obáma!

Offered sin palabras.


Más información aquí.

Co-media of errors: Obama/Osama redux

MSNBC joins the club of network nitwits who cannot seem to differentiate between Barack Obama and Osama bin Laden.

This one was pretty blatant, and comes not long after MSNBC's David Shuster wondered aloud if Team Clinton was pimping out Chelsea. Was this a subconscious make-up thing to appease Hillary, who blasted the network after the pimping debacle? Who knows.

CNN and the Passion of St. Hillary

They don't call it the Clinton News Network for nothing. Check out the drab colors and lighting of the Clintonpostles as compared to She-Jesus at an event broadcast this morning. All that's missing are tongues of flame. Clever work, CNN and Team Hillary, right before Super Tuesday. Should make some headway against that fascist Negro.


Where have we seen this quasi-religious effect before? Oh yeah, the media deification of St. George!

Ann Coulter would vote for Hillary Clinton? Makes sense to me

Ann Coulter was on Hannity & The Other Guy last night and said she prefers Hillary Clinton over John McCain. Wait, what?

Yes, you heard it right. Check out the vid, which I was made aware of via DownWithTyranny!, props.


Shocked? Puhleez. Why wouldn't Ann campaign for Hillary? If Clinton's elected, it means at least four more years of food on the table for the silence-challenged Coulter. All the right-wingers want Clinton in office. It's their fervent dream. The conservative Mouth of Sauron, Bill Bennett, practically blew kisses to Hillary after the debate last night (emphasis on race-baiting garbage mine):

It was a -- frankly, it was a -- I think, a little disappointing, from my perspective. I think Barack Obama had to do more than he did.

I thought she won -- I will just be crude and say I thought she won the debate. I thought she was in control. He said -- he used the locution, "we both believe," "we both think" too many times.

I think, if it comes out even, if no one has a clear advantage, it's advantage Hillary Clinton. He's the challenger. He's an athlete. He should know that he had to work a little harder.

He's an athlete that has to work a little harder for some reason. Hm, where have I heard that before?

Anyway, conservatives win three different ways whether or not Hillary is elected in November.

1. She loses to a Republican and the Clintons are never heard from again;

2. She wins, reveals herself as a right-leaning, business-friendly, pro-war "moderate," thus the status quo continues and fatcats stay fat and happy;

3. Least likely scenario: She wins, reveals herself as a hardcore liberal committed to reversing the Bush era, and conservatives spend every hour of their waking life gleefully trying to have her removed from office with lies and dirt and rehashes of Bubba's crimes.

Any of those three are enough to make cro-mag conservatives slobber like Rush Limbaugh at a Golden Corral.

The nightmare for the right is the ascension of Obama. And with the shenanigans Bill Clinton pulled in South Carolina seemingly not having much of an effect overall on Hillary's strategery, certain shameless cretins like the aforementioned Coulter might feel they can get away with even more egregiously racist attacks in November, which may well hasten their demise.

And sadly, inevitably, result in a powerful thirst for vengeance of some kind. That's one of the things the far right really specialize in, revenge... but you knew that, yes?

Obama: History will not be kind to Bush

In a post-State of the Union response, White House hopeful Sen. Barack Obama--enjoying endorsements today from Sen. Ted Kennedy, Caroline Kennedy and Toni Morrison--pans President Bush's "empty rhetoric" and says "I do not believe history will judge his administration kindly." Full text of Obama's response follows the video...


"Tonight, for the seventh long year, the American people heard a State of the Union that didn't reflect the America we see, and didn't address the challenges we face. But what it did do was give us an urgent reminder of why it's so important to turn the page on the failed politics and policies of the past, and change the status quo in Washington so we can finally start making progress for ordinary Americans.

"Tonight's State of the Union was full of the same empty rhetoric the American people have come to expect from this President. We heard President Bush say he'd do something to cut down on special interest earmarks, but we know these earmarks have skyrocketed under his administration.

"We heard the President say he wants to make tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans permanent, when we know that at a time of war and economic hardship, the last thing we need is a permanent tax cut for Americans who don't need them and weren't even asking for them. What we need is a middle class tax cut, and that's exactly what I will provide as President.

"We heard the President say he has a stimulus plan to boost our economy, but we know his plan leaves out seniors and fails to expand unemployment insurance, and we know it was George Bush's Washington that let the banks and financial institutions run amok, and take our economy down this dangerous road. What we need to do now is put more money in the pockets of workers and seniors, and expand unemployment insurance for more people and more time. And I have a plan that to do just that.

"And finally, tonight we heard President Bush say that the surge in Iraq is working, when we know that's just not true. Yes, our valiant soldiers have helped reduce the violence. Five soldiers gave their lives today in this cause, and we mourn their loss and pray for their families.

"But let there be no doubt – the Iraqi government has failed to seize the moment to reach the compromises necessary for an enduring peace. That was what we were told the surge was all about. So the only way we're finally going to pressure the Iraqis to reconcile and take responsibility for their future is to immediately begin the responsible withdrawal of our combat brigades so that we can bring all of our combat troops home.

"But another reason we need to begin this withdrawal immediately is because this war has not made us safer. I opposed this war from the start in part because I was concerned that it would take our eye off al Qaeda and distract us from finishing the job in Afghanistan. Sadly, that's what happened. It's time to heed our military commanders by increasing our commitment to Afghanistan, and it's time to protect the American people by taking the fight to al Qaeda.

"Tonight was President Bush's last State of the Union, and I do not believe history will judge his administration kindly. But I also believe the failures of the last seven years stem not just from any single policy, but from a broken politics in Washington. A politics that says it's ok to demonize your political opponents when we should be coming together to solve problems. A politics that puts Wall Street ahead of Main Street, ignoring the reality that our fates are intertwined; a politics that accepts lobbyists as part of the system in Washington, instead of recognizing how much they're a part of the problem. And a politics of fear and ideology instead of hope and common sense.

"I believe a new kind of politics is possible, and I believe it is necessary. Because the American people can't afford another four years without health care, decent wages, or an end to this war. The woman who's going to college and working the night shift to pay her sister's medical bills can't afford to wait. The Maytag workers who are now competing with their teenagers for $7 an hour jobs at Wall Mart can't afford to wait. And the woman who told me she hasn't been able to breathe since her nephew left for Iraq can't afford to wait.

"Each year, as we watch the State of the Union, we see half the chamber rise to applaud the President and half the chamber stay in their seats. We see half the country tune in to watch, but know that much of the country has stopped even listening. Imagine if next year was different. Imagine if next year, the entire nation had a president they could believe in. A president who rallied all Americans around a common purpose. That's the kind of President we need in this country. And with your help in the coming days and weeks, that's the kind of President I will be."

Human Events Thompson nod a non-event

Just over a week ago, the news that the conservative propaganda clearinghouse known as Human Events heartily endorsed Fred Thompson for President barely made a ripple outside the righty blogosphere.

That's probably because Drop Dead Fred, despite his ample frame, has barely made a ripple himself in the primary pool thus far. He's limping along in 4th or 5th place in Nevada right now, beaten once again by Romney, McCain, even the relentless Ron Paul. He might get a boost in South Carolina, where his demonizing brand of redneck swagger unfortunately seems to resonate. Perhaps that's what Human Events is banking on.

Founded in 1944, the magazine has developed a safe Net haven for a murder of right-wing crows, including Newt Gingrich, Bob Novak, Phyllis Schlafly, Pat Buchanan, and the Vladimir Zhirinovsky of the West, Ann Coulter.

This blog has previously noted Mr. Novak's peculiar obsession with Thompson as far back as May 2007, but it was muddled in August when Novak revealed that he'd actually like to see Ron Paul as president. What gives? Maybe Novak has a nameless minion ghostwriting for him too.

At any rate, Thompson coulda used the Human Events nod before Iowa; he's been beaten like a gong in most of the races thus far. Why a late endorsement for a seeming loser? Something Rovian sinister in the works behind the scenes? Will zombie Ronald Reagan rise from the grave to stump for his political descendant? Are Romney, McCain, etc. all going to commit campaign-dooming gaffes in days to come? Is Thompson going to tear open his shirt at the next debate to reveal bulging pecs and a colorful cape?

Maybe it's simply because, as Jay Cost observed in The Wall Street Journal, "Human Events is no longer the significant intellectual force it was three decades ago."

Ouch.

Further accidental humor was evidenced in a recent email distributed by Human Events that is essentially a fundraising pitch for their man Thompson, penned by his campaign manager, Bill Lacy. At the very top of the email appears, "The following is a paid political advertisement. Please note, it does not necessarily reflect the editorial positions of Human Events."

UPDATE 19 NOV 2008: No SC'boost; it was more like a SC'boom. Time for Uncle Hulka to bail.

Panderin' Paul

You'd think this would be reported far and wide, but the media took little notice that naggingly persistent GOP candidate Ron Paul gave a speech Thursday at the infamous conservative Christian college, Bob Jones University.

Why Paul, who said just a month ago that fascism will come to this country wrapped in a flag and carrying a cross, and who is still mired in a major controversy with his newsletters containing racist garbage he claims he didn't write, would make a stop at a fundamentalist madrasah that didn't open its doors to students of all races until 1975, and banned interracial dating and marriage all the way through 2000 (after George W. Bush appeared there), is beyond comprehension.

An estimated crowd of 600 Jesusbots packed the room where Paul spoke, with hundreds more "waiting in the hallway and peering through windows" to hear the Texas Congressman, who just days ago drew more votes in the Michigan primary than Fred Thompson or Rudy Giuliani.

A campaign press release said that Paul "delivered his message of freedom, peace and prosperity" to the throng of students and faculty.

Ken Herman at the Austin American-Statesman writes that he got an earlier press release from the Paul camp that said, curiously, "It should also subtly be conveyed that Dr. Ron Paul will be the only Presidential Candidate to speak at Bob Jones University (although this fact does not translate into an endorsement in any way, shape, or form)." That's probably so because Bob Jones U.'s president previously endorsed Mitt Romney, who (despite what the Paul release says) had already made a stop at the college.

The choice of Romney is odd as well, since BJU has a history of hostility towards Mormons. A former BJU president said in 2000 that Mormonism, along with Catholicism, are "cults which call themselves Christian."

In other Paulite news, conservative "founding father" Richard Viguerie has created Ultimate Ron Paul, a website whose title brings to mind a certain celebrated site about Ninja power.

Hillary: Let's come together, because I rule

Sen. Clinton just released a statement, evidently in an attempt to slough off all the ugliness these last few days with back-and-forth sniping among the top Dem candidates (and a certain ex-prez), as follows...

"Over this past week, there has been a lot of discussion and back and forth - much of which I know does not reflect what is in our hearts.

"And at this moment, I believe we must seek common ground.

"Our party and our nation is bigger than this. Our party has been on the front line of every civil rights movement, women's rights movement, workers' rights movement, and other movements for justice in America.

"We differ on a lot of things. And it is critical to have the right kind of discussion on where we stand. But when it comes to civil rights and our commitment to diversity, when it comes to our heroes - President John F. Kennedy and Dr. King - Senator Obama and I are on the same side.

"And in that spirit, let's come together, because I want more than anything else to ensure that our family stays together on the front lines of the struggle to expand rights for all Americans."

UPDATE: Obama's on the same page.

Obama still fired up, ready to go

For a guy who just lost a primary, '08 Democratic White House hopeful Barack Obama sounds like he won. Highlights and remarks follow the video below...


The Illinois senator gave yet another stirring speech, his knack for which is far superior to the rest of the field on either side.

"A few weeks ago, no one imagined that we'd have accomplished what we did here tonight," began Obama, just after congratulating winner Sen. Hillary Clinton. "For most of this campaign, we were far behind, and we always knew our climb would be steep. But in record numbers, you came out and spoke up for change. And with your voices and your votes, you made it clear that at this moment – in this election – there is something happening in America."

Obama reiterated this election season's common theme of "change," but did it with an inspired finesse and a commanding cadence that recalled Dr. Martin Luther King's gifted oratory: "There is something happening when people vote not just for the party they belong to but the hopes they hold in common – that whether we are rich or poor; black or white; Latino or Asian; whether we hail from Iowa or New Hampshire, Nevada or South Carolina, we are ready to take this country in a fundamentally new direction. That is what's happening in America right now. Change is what's happening in America."

Shades of John F. Kennedy were self-evident as Obama declared, "We can harness the ingenuity of farmers and scientists; citizens and entrepreneurs to free this nation from the tyranny of oil and save our planet from a point of no return. And when I am President, we will end this war in Iraq and bring our troops home; we will finish the job against al-Qaeda in Afghanistan; we will care for our veterans; we will restore our moral standing in the world..."

Obama then said, in a punishing Larry Holmes-like jab to the failed Bush administration and desperate GOP candidate Rudy Giuliani, among others, "We will never use 9/11 as a way to scare up votes, because it is not a tactic to win an election, it is a challenge that should unite America and the world against the common threats of the twenty-first century: terrorism and nuclear weapons; climate change and poverty; genocide and disease."

His speech built up to a crescendo as he exclaimed, "In the unlikely story that is America, there has never been anything false about hope. For when we have faced down impossible odds; when we've been told that we're not ready, or that we shouldn't try, or that we can't, generations of Americans have responded with a simple creed that sums up the spirit of a people: Yes we can!"

"Yes We Can" then became the stirring chant of the frenzied crowd; they shouted it often and loudly, in perfect unison.

Obama wasn't finished. In the best part of his speech, he underscored his mantra and touched on numerous milestones of American history. "It was a creed written into the founding documents that declared the destiny of a nation. Yes we can. It was whispered by slaves and abolitionists as they blazed a trail toward freedom through the darkest of nights. Yes we can. It was sung by immigrants as they struck out from distant shores and pioneers who pushed westward against an unforgiving wilderness. Yes we can.

"It was the call of workers who organized; women who reached for the ballot; a President who chose the moon as our new frontier; and a King who took us to the mountaintop and pointed the way to the Promised Land.

"Yes we can to justice and equality. Yes we can to opportunity and prosperity. Yes we can heal this nation. Yes we can repair this world. Yes we can!"

Tremendous. After seven years of darkness in America, forgive this blogger for feeling a bit giddy about the future, even if it's perhaps the illusory after-effects of a heady political sermon.

The prepared text of this speech is available in full at this link.

Romney: Barack Obama a killer

"Senator killer," that is. GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney made the curious remark today while campaigning in New Hampshire.

Romney first described Obama as a "senator killer" apparently in reference to Obama's poll rise over erstwhile front-runner Sen. Hillary Clinton, reports Susan Jones for CNSNews.com. Obama, Romney then said, "will have shown that he knocked off [Sens.] Chris Dodd, Joe Biden, and then Hillary Clinton." [emphasis mine]

Romney staffers are sweating even more overt allusions by the ex-gov. to the stereotype of black propensity for violence. Imagine Mitt saying in some nightmarish campaign stop rantorama that Obama could "do a 1-8-7 on Duncan Hunter," "pimp-slap Rudy Giuliani," "go Suge Knight on Dennis Kucinich," etc. before campaign aides drag him offstage and take away his ibogaine.

Million-Years McCain and the answer to a stupid question

While CNN et al. were busy going ga-ga over Mike Huckabee's trouncing of Mitt Romney et al. on the GOP side, Barack Obama was steadily putting a similar distance between himself and the rest of the Democrats in a state that is almost 95% white. Hopefully this at last provides a definitive answer to the dumbest question still being asked by corporate media: "Is America ready for a black president?" Yes, America is ready. Are the media? Are the other Democrats in the race? And for that matter, is the black Democratic establishment? You'll all be left behind. Get with the times.

Here is Obama's compelling Iowa victory speech.



And while the caucus thingie was going on, GOP contender John McCain, who about tied for third among Republicans in Iowa, had something quite startling to say about Iraq while campaigning in New Hampshire today. He interrupted someone recalling that President Bush envisions U.S. forces in Iraq for 50 more years with, "Maybe a hundred [years]." He continued, "That's fine with me, I hope that would be fine with you, if we maintain a presence in a very volatile part of the world where al-Qaeda is training and equipping and recruiting and motivating people every single day." Video below. Notice that "Independent Democrat" Sen. Joe Lieberman is standing behind him.



David Corn asked McCain about his assertion afterward and says McCain told him American troops "could be in Iraq for 'a thousand years' or 'a million years,' as far as he was concerned." Hey, why not shoot for a googolplex, Senator? You gotta think big.

UPDATE 04 JAN 2008: It's up to ten million years now, per the AP.

ADD'L ADD'L 04 JAN 2008: McCain's also hip to having Lieberman "play a part" in his cabinet, "particularly in national security issues."

Bill Kristol on Ron Paul: He's a crackpot

America's favorite neocon commentator takes a crack at America's favorite quasi-Libertarian presidential candidate. Hey, might as well... everyone else is ripping Paul, as they always do when anyone gets too big for his britches. Kristol is particularly caustic, defending in an oblique manner a war that cost 600,000 American lives (which Paul argues was unnecessary, had slavery been "bought out") by saying that Paul's "fundamental position is anti-American, let's be honest about it. He does not like the United States..."


Props to TheocracyNow for posting the vid.

Bill Richardson makes it short, sweet and brutal

Gov. Bill Richardson (D-NM) just happens to be running for president, in case you weren't aware. Today he released a statement regarding the recent hubbub over the Iran intelligence estimate that basically says Iran shelved their nuclear weapons program years ago, an assessment which differs greatly from what Bush, Cheney, and various neocon chihuahuas have yapped of late and insist on even now.

Most of the other candidates have chimed in on the report, but I like Richardson's take best. The key bit of his very brief statement:

This NIE tells us one of two things. Either the Bush-Cheney administration has been willfully misleading the American public on Iran's nuclear weapons capabilities or they are incompetent and were not aware of the consensus view of sixteen U.S. intelligence agencies until yesterday.

So they're either liars or idiots. Now that's a concise intelligence estimate if I've ever heard one.

Meanwhile, Mike Huckabee continues to channel Ronald Reagan.

It's February 2009 and a Republican is still in the White House...

Deliciously cynical ad from "Embrace Diversity '08."


Some might say, but a Democrat (Charlie Rangel) tried to bring back the draft a couple of years ago! Of course he did, he wanted to make sure even pampered rich kids had a shot at serving Bush's interests their country; moreover, he was trying to inspire active and overwhelming resistance to the war among young Americans. They're the ones who pay the price for it, and ultimately they're the ones who can end it. Unless they want to keep leaving it up to warmongering neocons and their oblivious Jesusbot electorate.

Bumper stickers for the American plutocracy

It's where we're headed anyway... dynasty leadership. Mecenday has the goods.



hat tip to Nick

Bob Novak reminds us how the economy works

Er, the D.C. economy, at any rate. From his latest exclusive newsletter:

[F]amily members of senators and congressmen from both parties and in all regions of the country have for years benefited directly from the "Washington economy" of lobbying firms and government contractors, many of which would not even exist without the infusions of taxpayer money that earmarks provide each year. ... This has never been considered improper, but few Americans know that a very small number of Washington-connected families negotiate, appropriate and benefit from large expenditures of taxpayer money on a small number of companies through the earmarking process.

Another interesting bit from his latest is his take on the dust-up between Sens. Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama at the recent Democratic YouTube debate. Of Clinton, Novak quips, "This debate will likely be remembered as the performance in which [she] finally learned to lighten up and act a bit human [emphasis his], eschewing the debilitating and robotic persona she normally affects in public speaking situations." Not sure exactly what Novak means by "act a bit human"; is this what he had in mind?

Crows Novak, "When offered the opportunity to exploit rival Barack Obama's lack of experience, she hit a home run." Uh, did she? He continues on Obama: "[He] delivered a gaffe on a foreign policy question that highlighted his lack of experience and could cost him...

"His unqualified willingness to meet with a number of rogue world leaders," he states, "was suddenly thrown into sharp contrast with Clinton's careful answer that she would not meet with anyone if she believed that the visit was going to be used as a propaganda piece to humiliate the United States."

Katrina Vanden Heuvel at The Nation makes a mockery of Novak's (and others') rah-rahing of Clinton's "careful answer" and alleged foreign relations superiority by simply saying, "Witness how far Clinton's nuanced experience got her when confronted with the 2002 Iraq war resolution."

But Clinton does have a point about being used as a propaganda piece. A president should always leave it to his lesser, nameless footsoldiers to do the grunt work with unsavory world leaders. Ronald Reagan was wise enough to do that with Saddam Hussein, sending some guy named Rumsfeld over there to meet with him. Whatever happened to those two, by the way?

Novak claims GOP voters have high standards, which still doesn't explain Patrick McHenry

"Republicans are always held to a higher standard by their own voters," asserts Bob Novak in his latest insider newsletter, adding that GOP voters "tend to place special value on family issues."

In making the claim whilst comparing wickdippin' Sen. David Vitter (R-LA) to the "embattled" Rep. William Jefferson, a Democrat, Novak doesn't explain how such high Republican voter standards could've let Vitter into office in the first place. After all, as Novak himself writes, "this is not the first time Vitter's morals have been called into question," including during his run for the Senate. "His enemies brought up old accusations that he had had a year-long affair with a prostitute in the French Quarter of New Orleans," says Novak, adding that "tales about Vitter's behavior abound in Louisiana."

This so-called "higher standard" Novak associates with GOP voters also seemed to have been waived while Republicans kept lowlifes like Newt Gingrich, Dan Burton, Tom DeLay, Richard Pombo, John Doolittle, Tom Feeney etc. in positions of power.

"Democrats will have lots of fun with this," Novak cynically declares. "They may not be able to win the governor's race, but they could make it more competitive by using Vitter to embarrass Jindal." Not sure I understand this; from what I've heard, Bobby Jindal is a good man and a worthy candidate to govern Louisiana. Why would Democrats engage in such sordid political shenanigans? Oh, I forgot; this is Louisiana we're talking about.

Novak also humorously reveals his own ridiculously low standards by asserting, quite soberly, that Sen. Vitter "cannot step down right now even if he wants to, because he would be replaced by a Democrat." Egad. Better to leave an ineffective serial adulterer in office than have a Democrat replace him!

And speaking of ineffective, the biggest waste of space in Congress, Rep. Patrick McHenry, for the second week in a row gets a consoling shoulder to cry on from Novak. McHenry, who somehow keeps getting re-elected even though he's constantly making a fool of himself, hilariously lost an earmark vote in the House recently after having ripped Democrats for their own earmark bills. "Democrats punished McHenry with a vindictive chuckle," sympathizes Novak. Curiously, he notes that "searches of Lexis-Nexis and Google News suggest that no one -- and we mean absolutely no one -- has picked up on the story of [McHenry] and the embarrassing fight he lost to keep an earmark in his district." Hm, maybe Bob oughta check out that fancy new gadget called the blogosphere, where the story was duly noted last week.