People who will not be staying in the Lincoln bedroom

I feel it my duty to update the rolls of people we can be sure that America;s Senator will never invite to pay to stay in the Lincoln bedroom of the White Hose, once she lives there again. Here's where they donated:

HANKS, TOM BEVERLY HILLS,CA 90211
SELF EMPLOYED/ ACTOR
3/21/2007 $2,300 Obama, Barack


JACKSON, SAMUEL L. LOS ANGELES,CA 90025
SZT PROMOTIONS INC/ACTOR
3/21/2007 $2,300 Obama, Barack


JACKSON, SAMUEL L. LOS ANGELES,CA 90025
SZT PROMOTIONS INC/ACTOR
3/21/2007 $2,300 Obama, Barack


WILSON, RITA BEVERLY HILLS,CA 90211
SELF EMPLOYED/ACTOR
3/21/2007 $2,300 Obama, Barack


WILSON, RITA BEVERLY HILLS,CA 90211
SELF EMPLOYED/ACTOR
3/21/2007 $2,300 Obama, Barack


SHEINBERG, SID BEVERLY HILLS,CA 90211
THE BUBBLE FACTORY/FILM PRODUCER
3/8/2007 $2,300 Obama, Barack


SHEINBERG, LORRAINE BEVERLY HILLS,CA 90211
FEMINIST MAJORITY FOUNDATION/BOARD
3/8/2007 $2,300 Obama, Barack


PENNINGTON, CARLA BEVERLY HILLS,CA 90211
CBS PARAMOUNT TELEVISION/EXECUTIVE
4/30/2007 $500 Obama, Barack


KING, MICHAEL BEVERLY HILLS,CA 90211
HBO
5/30/2007 $2,300 Obama, Barack


TOLMACH, MATTHEW MR BEVERLY HILLS,CA 90211
SONY PICTURES ENTERTAINMENT/EXECUTI
6/25/2007 $4,600 Obama, Barack

So you picked up the paper with your right hand?

Since I know that America's Senator won't wade into this whole Senator Craig thing, and as someone who enjoys the company of my gay friends, I will be a little contrarian and weigh in on the side of discredited soon-to-be-former-future-gay-Senator Larry Craig from Idaho. Wherever that is.

For a week now I've been waiting on the scurrilous details. I couldn't breath before I heard the tale of the "reach across the aisle." The "flush heard round the world." I can't think of any more or dirtier metaphors.

Anyway, I heard the tape today. Dirty cop. When did being gay become illegal? I mean, assuming he is gay. Nudge. Play back the tape. All they have him on is waiting for a stall to open up, tapping his foot as he does his business, picking up TP so it doesn't stick to his shoe, and being intimidated by the threat of the press learning about the charges. Yeah that's right, one of the first things this cop says to the Senator is 'Don't worry, I promise little ole me won't call the media.' Now, why was this on his mind? Why was this delivered in the same threatening tone he used when he said 'I can take you to jail right now but I promise I won't'? This cop obviously lost his cool. He obviously (and who can blame him?) didn't like his assignment of sitting on a toilet lid all day watching men's eyes. Sheesh.

The second most listened-to radio talk show host in the nation is Shawn Hannity. He's had a very homophobic stance on this subject of late. Thirty seconds into any sentence on the subject of "the gays" (his words) and he'd do that fake laugh of his as though he's sweating his head off, and say "I can't believe we're talking about this!" Jeez is that boring. Those words should spell murder for a radio talk show host but for some reason he keeps his job. And he couldn't take enough calls from like-minded listeners. It was like eavesdropping on the line to meet with Santa Claus at the local mall. "People like that shouldn't be in Congress." "God fearing people shouldn't have to put up with this." I should note that none of the people who spoke these words were from Idaho, so obviously have no idea how a representative democracy works.

But today was a different story. Today he listened to the interrogation on tape and concluded that he still had reservations as to the "secret double life" of the Senator, but didn't know which action or admission was illegal. I concur. Listen with a fair ear and all you'll hear is this crazy, belligerent cop. Of the two people in the situation, I'm not so sure the Senator was the bad guy. I mean, to get this guy off my back, and to keep this outta the press, I'd probably plead guilty to somethin that only required a fine too. Heck, I know I would cos I've gotten a hefty speeding ticket in Virginia (wherever that is) and chose not to go back and fight it. Same thing.

Just a reminder: Senator Craig is 62, married, admits to being "kind of a wide guy," and had a plane to catch minutes later. Doesn't sound like some dude with a beard wife and thirty-thousand dollars in credit card debt on gym memberships and hair product. (Don't worry, my gay friends will be fine with that.)

The Empty Suit Speaks

Bet ya didn't know this:

Edwards linked to subprime foreclosures
Presidential candidate's
holdings in Fortress are invested in subprime lenders foreclosing on Katrina
victims - report.
August 17 2007: 4:18 AM EDT
LONDON (CNNMoney.com) --
Democratic presidential contender John Edwards has investing ties to subprime
lenders who are foreclosing on victims of Katrina, according to a report
published Friday.

The Wall Street Journal said there are 34 homes in New Orleans that
face foreclosure from the subprime unit of Fortress Investment Group. Edwards
has about $16 million in Fortress
(Charts),
a hedge fund and private equity manager, the newspaper said.

Edwards, the former senator from North Carolina, has been a vocal critic of
subprime lenders and told the Journal that he would assist homeowners in New
Orleans who face foreclosure from businesses linked to Fortress or who have
already lost their homes.

In Memorium: Old Orleans

Hurricane Katrina made landfall south of New Orleans at 6:10 a.m. on Aug. 29,
2005, as a strong Category 3 hurricane. It flooded 80 percent of the city and
killed more than 1,600 people in Louisiana and Mississippi in what was the worst
natural disaster in the history of the United States. -- KTBS

America's Chocolate City will be chocolate again. And where was Barack H. Obama when that storm blew in? On his book Tour?

And where was former Senator from North Carolina John Edwards? Did he even introduce a single bill in the Senate to help those poor people?

I'll let his record speak for itself.

62 year old Craig tapped his right foot, which the officer said he recognized "as a signal used by persons wishing to engage in lewd conduct."

I Totally Stole This From CNN. Just cut-and-pasted, man

Clinton receives major union endorsement
Clinton won the backing of a major union Tuesday.
(CNN) – Presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton won the support of the United Transportation Union Tuesday, the first national labor group to endorse a candidate in the 2008 race for the White House.
“It is a high honor and a distinct privilege to be the first labor union in making this endorsement,” UTU International President Paul Thompson said in a written statement. “The UTU has a long history of picking winners early. Hillary will be a president that America’s working families can count on."
"Time and again, as a United States senator, she has stood with us," Thompson added.
Calling itself "the leader among transportation labor unions," the UTU claims to represent 125,000 active and retired railroad and transit workers. It is an affiliate of the AFL-CIO.
According to the Associated Press, the UTU is also one of the top labor unions to donate to political candidates. It contributed $1.3 million to candidates in the 2004 federal elections, with 84 percent of the money going to Democrats.
All eight Democratic candidates have heavily sought the AFL-CIO's support, and participated in the labor federation's candidate forum earlier this month. Following the forum, the AFL-CIO decided not to make an official endorsement, instead allowing the 55 member unions to pick their own candidates.
“I am honored to receive the support of the United Transportation Union,” Clinton responded in a press release Tuesday. “America’s workers have been invisible to this administration, and it’s time they had an advocate in the White House.”
– CNN's Mark Norman and Alexander Mooney
Posted 8/28/2007 01:48:08 PM Permalink

And in a related news item (By the way, who cares about an international organization anyway? Those people can't vote!):

Firefighters union to endorse Dodd
Dodd is set to get a big endorsement.
WASHINGTON (CNN) – CNN has learned that Connecticut Sen. Chris Dodd’s candidacy for the Democratic presidential nomination will receive a boost in the form of an endorsement from the International Association of Firefighters.
The Association will endorse the presidential hopeful at a press conference on Wednesday in Washington.

"It Takes A Village To Raise A Child"

11 years ago today: First lady Hillary Rodham Clinton addressed the Democratic convention in Chicago, forcefully making her husband’s case for re-election while rebutting her Republican critics. "It takes a village to raise a child."

Hey, You Don't See World Leaders Lashing Out At Edwards And Obama... Am I Right?

Iraq's Maliki lashes out at Hillary Clinton
Sun Aug 26, 2007 10:05 AM EDT

By Waleed Ibrahim

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraq's Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki lashed out on Sunday at U.S. Democratic presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton who had called for him to be replaced.

In a sign of increased tension between him and Washington, Maliki also criticized the U.S. military for killing civilians.

"There are American officials who consider Iraq as if it were one of their villages, for example Hillary Clinton and Carl Levin," Maliki told a news conference.

"This is severe interference in our domestic affairs. Carl Levin and Hillary Clinton are from the Democratic Party and they must demonstrate democracy," he said. "I ask them to come to their senses and to talk in a respectful way about Iraq."

Clinton, a leading candidate to succeed George W. Bush as president, joined Levin, the head of the Senate's Armed Services Committee, in calling last week for Iraq's parliament to replace Maliki for failing to reconcile warring sects.

What's Not Agree With (Besides Her Quote "[The Surge] Is Working")?

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - New military tactics in Iraq are working but the best way to honor U.S. soldiers is "by beginning to bring them home," Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton told war veterans Monday.

Clinton, seeking the Democratic nomination for president, praised the work that soldiers have done in Iraq but described the government there as "on vacation," leaving American troops in the middle of a sectarian war.

...

Clinton said she wanted to restore America's image abroad.

"People have to root for America," she said. "They have to want to be on our side."
In Iraq, she said, the government must take responsibility for itself and its people.
"I do not think the Iraqis are ready to do what they have to do for themselves yet," she said. "I think it is unacceptable for our troops to be caught in the crossfire of a sectarian civil war while the Iraqi government is on vacation."

Clinton said new tactics have brought some success against insurgents, particularly in Iraq's Anbar province.

"It's working. We're just years too late in changing our tactics," she said. "We can't ever let that happen again. We can't be fighting the last war. We have to keep preparing to fight the new war."

Rush Is Really Wrong

Okay, let's set this up: Is there any doubt that America's Senator wants to bring home America's troops - and right now?

No. We all know America's Senator wants our troops home, and I mean yesterday.

Well, for weeks and months now, America's most-listened-to radio talk show host has been saying that secretly, behind the scenes, America knows (or at least she knows) that she won't bring our troops home from Iraq as quickly as we would like once she wins the Presidency.

Well, I don't believe it. If she wants leave our troops over there to fight in the middle of some sandstorm civil war, or if she wants to do some slow pullout over weeks and months, then she may as well join the other party right now.I'm sick of people and all of half-brained opinions about America's Senator. Trust her record.

Rush Is Right (But Only About John Edwards)

Here's the background:

ABC News' Rick Klein reports, "When an Iowa resident asked former Senator John Edwards whether the U.S. should follow the Cuban health care model, Edwards deflected the question, saying he didn't know enough to answer it." [Former-Senator Edwards] said, "Well, I'm going to be honest with you, I don't know a lot about Cuba's health care system. Is it a government-run system?"

Political Commentator Rush Limbaugh said it best:

Rush: "This is worse than Dukakis and the tank. This is worse than Dan Quayle spelling potato with an e on it. This ought to disqualify him. He doesn't know what Cuba's health care system is? "Is it a government-run system?" I think this comes close to Gerald Ford with that faux pas in his debate where he said that the Eastern bloc of countries was not under Soviet domination. A guy running for president, we just heard a bite, talking about universal health care, he will not talk to the drug companies about it; he'll go meet with Iran and offer them a deal; we can't deal with real Americans; can't deal with the drug companies. But he doesn't even know what type of health care system Cuba has, when by reputation it's the best in the world, according to people on his side of the aisle.

"Also about Cuba, and John Edwards not understanding that the Cuban health care system is "government run." Look, let me get his exact quote here: "I'm going to be honest with you. I don't know a lot about Cuba's health care system," Edwards said at an event in Oskaloosa, Iowa. "Is it a government-run system?" I don't care whether he's trying to fake us out or not, it's the dumbest political statement in the world. The context is he had flip-flopped on whether he had seen Sicko. First he said, I think, he had seen it, then he said he hadn't. The reason, he says, "I don't know anything about Cuba's health care system, is it government run?" is because if he had seen Sicko there would be no doubt. But how can there be any doubt that he knows or doesn't know, because what isn't government run in Cuba?"

Stop Leaving The Comments, I Posted About Illegal Immigration Yesterday

Quotes of our Time

"Naive"

Senator Barack H. Obama is a good Senator. He had a strong battle against Alan Keyes from Maryland for the open Illinois seat in the U.S. Senate, and he hasn't let the voters down. His words are rich and his emotion is true - I'm not rooting for him to rule our country, but I have to give him credit where credit is due. Let's listen to more syrupy words from Senator Obama, compiled two days ago by Phillip Elliott of the Associated Press:

"Don't let people tell you we can't solve our problems. Cynicism is our enemy. Don't let them convince you that it's too far gone, that Washington is too corrupt," Obama said to cheers. "Listen, there are problems in Washington but there are not problems we can't fix as citizens of the United States."

During the twilight rally in a Nashua park, Obama said the answer to health care—like many policies—is to reduce lobbyists' power.


"What's missing is not the plan, it's the sense of urgency and the willingness to take on special interests," Obama said. "It's not just enough to change political parties. For us to make those big changes, we're going to need all of you to be engaged."

Cynicism is our enemy? Strong stand, Senator. And blaming lobbyists for all of Washington's ills? Are they from the firm of Straw Man and Paper Tiger? Ha! Get it? See what I did there? Anyway, I did enjoy him saying the line: "Don't let them convince you that it's too far gone, that Washington is too corrupt." That sounds like an America's Senator supporter!! We'll have to use that line to bury him later in the campaign.

"Absurd": Channeling John Edwards

Let's talk a little bit about former-Senator John Edwards, because he had some homownship ideas of his own. Again. from I believe i remember to be the Washington Post online:

Campaigning yesterday in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Mr. Edwards, of North Carolina, told a packed union hall that recent events had shown that global trade carried consequences not only for the nation's jobs but also for its health and safety.

"We need to make sure that trade is not only smart and good for America's economy and good for American workers, but safe for American families," Mr. Edwards said. "Regular families — their safety and their best interests — should come before the interests of multinational corporations."

So, if you made it through that blah blah blah, I give you a lot of credit and I like you already because you're obviously a backer of a winner - America's Senator. Anyway, I'm kind of a cynic, so when I read something as empty as this, it reminds me of the empty-suit speaking these words. A real embarrassment to the Party.

Let's face it. John Edwards is not going to beat America's Senator in the Primary. It's just not gonna happen. It's just way beyond his grasp of possibility. So let's consider him as a choice for Vice President. That didn't take long. He's not going to be chosen for the Vice President slot either. He's a past loser in that position so why would anyone with any brains try that again? I mean, he couldn't even deliver his home state, which is pretty much the biggest job of any Vice President in all of the four years of his service to the nation. So no, he's out. Stick a fork in him. He needs to go back to his 28,000 square foot house and start producing movies, meeting starlets, or something.

I'll say this and end mine: this is the guy who approached a jury in a multi-million dollar trial and told them that he had channeled the spirit of an unborn child, and that this little child was asking them to side with John Edwards. They've got a different way of doing things in North Carolina, I guess.

Home Girl

The economy has recently been in the gutter because of mortgage lending practices that are Draconian and are sucking the blood from the neck of Americans' dreams for home-ownership. So, it stands to reason that America's Senator would have an idea for her government to fix this huge problem. Here's how she addresses it, I think from the Washington Post online:

According to a preview of her remarks provided by her campaign, Mrs.
Clinton, of New York, will lay out a plan to deal with mortgage lending abuses
and to "preserve the dream of homeownership" at a time of crisis in the mortgage
markets as homeowners default or face foreclosure when their adjustable rates
climb upwards.

Mrs. Clinton's plan, according to the outline her campaign provided,
zeroes in on "unscrupulous brokers." She would require mortgage brokers, in
their dealing with borrowers, to explain that they make more money when
borrowers' mortgage rates and fees are high.

Banking analysts generally note, though, that brokers are only part of a
larger problem: They are lieutenants for the lenders in a mortgage industry that
has until now been eager to extend easy credit to homeowners who may not be
aware of the ultimate costs of their mortgages once their adjustable rates rise.

This is important because, as Americans, we can't be expected to read "the fine print." I mean, who reads the fine print, you know? Nobody I know has the time to read the fine print. Let's be honest, people on the go, people with lives, people with a college education don't read the fine print, THAT'S WHY IT'S THE FINE PRINT!

And America's Senator is the perfect spokesperson for first-time homebuyers because, let me remind you, she's one herself. After living in public housing (wife of the Arkansas Attorney General, wife of the Arkansas Governor, wife of the President) all of her adult life, she finally got enough money to buy a house after signing a record $8 million advance on her book deal with publisher Simon & Schuster. Telling us about her feelings about a certain D.C. college intern is how she was able to afford a home in Chappaqua, N.Y., which is how she was able to become America's Senator - so there's really no downside.

America's Senator vs. Washington Insiders

Conservative columnist and D.C. mainstay Robert Novak had a little to say recently about America's Senator.

HILLARY'S LEAD

Democratic insiders who are not neutral in the presidential race do not take seriously the USA Today/Gallup poll of Democratic voters showing Sen. Hillary Clinton 23 percentage points ahead of Sen. Barack Obama. They contend national surveys are meaningless because outcomes of the early state contests are still critical.State polls show a virtual three-way tie among Clinton, Obama and former Sen. John Edwards in Iowa's early caucuses. Clinton has only a narrow lead over Obama in New Hampshire's opening primary. Obama has moved slightly ahead in the latest survey for South Carolina, the next primary state.

Obviously this is ridiculous. Check the latest numbers from realclearpolitics.com (RPC):

Iowa Democratic Caucus

Real Clear Politics Average
07/23 to 08/05
Clinton +2.3

Univ. of Iowa
07/29 - 08/05
Clinton +5

ABC News/Wash Post
07/26 - 07/31
Obama +1

American Res. Group
07/26 - 07/30
Clinton +9

Research 2000
07/23 - 07/25
Edwards +5



So, does this look like an even race? I don't even think this looks like a fair fight. The groundswell from the real people in salt-of-the-Earth middle-America is just amazing. It's a phenomenon, really.

HRC

The Hillar-- er, sorry, Human Rights Campaign had a debate yesterday. A forum. It was actually pretty well staged because it gave 15 minutes to each of the candidates who showed up, and they talked and they answered questions from a panel. Let me throw in here that only Democrats showed up to the HRC forum. Why? Because only the Democrats can win. I mean, name me a Republican who can possibly beat any of our candidates. You can't. Any of them. Nope.

So here's how it went when America's Senator sat down with music star Melissa Etheridge:

ETHERIDGE: I remember when your husband was elected president, I actually came out publicly during his inaugural week. It was a very hopeful time for the gay community. For the first time we were being recognized as American citizens. It was wonderful. We were very, very hopeful -- and in the years that followed, our hearts were broken. We were thrown under the bus. We were pushed aside. All those great promises that were made to us, were broken. A year from now, are we going to be left behind like we were before?

SEN. CLINTON: Well, you know, obviously, Melissa, I don't see it quite the way that you describe, but I respect your feeling about it. I think that we certainly didn't get as much done as I would have liked, but I believe that there was, uhh, a lot of honest effort going on by the president, the vice president and the rest of us who were trying to keep the, uh, the momentum going.

ETHERIDGE: Why not be the leader now?

SEN. CLINTON: Well, I think... I think I am a... I -- I think I am a leader now. If I were sitting where you're sitting with all you have...gone through in the last 14 years, ummm, I'm sure I would feel exactly the same way, because, you know, not only did you bravely come out, but you've had health challenges and so much else, and so time can't go by slowly. You want things to move as quickly as possible, which I... you know, understand and, um, wish could happen as well.

And now to quote Rush Limbaugh - EVEN RUSH LIMBAUGH GIVES PROPER CREDIT TO OUR CANDIDATE ON THIS! - "Whew! Man, that was bold, folks! That was just bold. That is Mrs. Clinton at her boldest best, wasn't it?" See, she's not there to back down or to pander to this large donor base. She tells it like it is. That's what she's always done all her life while serving the public trust. And she'll be the same Hillary in the White House when she's our first-female President, when America's Senator becomes America's President. HRC!

"Naive"

Senator Barack H. Obama is naive, and he proves it again with his most recent attack on America's Senator Hillary Clinton. You have to give him credit though, he and his people are good. Real good. It took them no time to dig up some dusty old piece of film and try to twist Senator Clinton's words to make it sound like she had flip-flopped on an issue as important as nuclear weapons. So I'd like to set the record straight.

First the back story from the Washington Post, the only daily worth reading in metro D.C., unless you're reading the Blade. So here goes:

Clinton Discussed Use of Nukes Last Year
By BETH FOUHY The Associated Press
Thursday, August 9, 2007; 6:42 PM
NEW YORK -- Democrat Hillary Rodham Clinton, who
chastised rival Barack Obama for ruling out the use of nuclear
weapons in the war on terror, did just that when asked about Iran a year
ago.
"I would certainly take nuclear weapons off the table," she said in
April 2006.
Her views expressed while she was gearing up for a presidential
run stand in conflict with her comments this month regarding Obama, who faced heavy
criticism from leaders of both parties, including Clinton, after saying it would
be "a profound
mistake" to deploy nuclear weapons in Afghanistan and
Pakistan.
"There's been no discussion of nuclear weapons. That's not on the
table," he said.

Clinton, who has tried to cast her rival as too inexperienced for the job of
commander in chief, said of Obama's stance on Pakistan: "I don't believe that any
president
should make any blanket statements with respect to the use or
non-use of nuclear
weapons."

But that's exactly what she did in an interview with Bloomberg Television in
April 2006. The New York senator was asked about reports that the Bush
administration was considering military intervention - possibly even a nuclear
strike - to prevent Iran from escalating its nuclear program.

"I have said publicly no option should be off the table, but I would
certainly take nuclear weapons off the table," Clinton said.

Okay, so maybe that sounds bad. But let's get a little perspective from Senator Clinton's campaign spokesman Phil Singer: "Given the saber-rattling that was coming from the Bush White House at the time, it was totally appropriate and necessary to respond to that report and call it the wrong policy."

Exactly. Am I going to have to come on this website everyday and remind you what you already know each time a question of Hillary's sincerity, ability, trustworthiness, experience, sexuality, etc. comes up?

I guess I'll just have to tell you again: it's George W. Bush's fault.

My McDonalds Theory

To the left you see Mayor McCheese. He was known as a fairly good Mayor of McDonaldsland and may actually be the only elected official I can think of who is not running for President in '08. (Unless that's Fred Thompson underneath that sash.) He couldn't run on the law and order ticket, obviously, because of the constant thorn in his 'to protect and serve' side, the Hamburglar. I know, he was busted all the time - like every commercial break during Saturday morning cartoons - but somehow he always made bail because he always seemed to end up back on the street doing smash'n'grabs against Grimace.

Anyway, a recent study found that kids who were given the choice between two hamburgers, two fries, two apple pies, (etc) - these kids always chose their favorite in the taste test as the one that was wrapped up in the McDonalds wrapper. I mean, McDonalds does have good fries, heck they have the best fries, but don't you get the idea that kids might be just a little bit swayed in an unhealthy way to really really loving any and all things McDonalds, even if the wrapper is the only difference?

So here's my theory: Barack Obama is wrapped up in a McDonalds wrapper.

Get it? He may not be the best choice in terms of our own health or well-being; he may not be the most appetizing; he may not even be the most tasty, but right now, he's got that fresh, crisp wrapper around him.

He's wearing a wrapper of upright citizenship, a wrapper of political novelty, a wrapper of 'all things to all people.' And we're a bunch of children. But soon enough we'll realize that the emperor's wrapper has slipped off, and the chicken nuggets are not the same. I'm not sure what the analogy was attempting to say, but you get what I'm saying: vote for Hillary - America's Senator.

"Naive"

The more I think about it, the more excited I am that Senator Clinton, America's Senator, will be our President. She's the only adult on that stage in the primary and I plan to lay out some proof for you right now. Remember last time we talked, Hillary had just giver it to Senator Obama really well, a real hum dinger. She reminded him that as President, you can't just say everything that comes to mind. In the latest instance it was Senator Obama who said he's prepared to bomb Pakistan if they don't hunt down Osama bin Laden (if he even exists) out in that region of the world's version of Appalachia. How 'naive' Senator Obama. You don't just tell the world your plans for military actions, nor broadcast troop movements or mission goals on that international level that the world watches. These are our military men and women you are putting on the lines with your words, Senator Obama. How 'naive' indeed.

I'm reminded of the correct way to do it, the way that America's Senator herself did it just two weeks ago. If you remember, her office had written to the Congressional relations office at the Department of Defense (D.O.D.). Her office (America's Senate Office) asked important questions about the D.O.D.'s plans for withdrawing troops quickly and efficiently from the Middle Eastern theater. So one of the folks who tracks down the answers to such questions pulled up the form letter that answers these types of questions. Only this particular fellow hit 'edit' before he saved the document. From there, he typed in an extra line or two about how the publication and broadcast of such plans would be dangerous for the troops involved and bad for the morale of our 'military men and women' and that any discussion of such actions should be done with the Senate Intelligence Committee or with this bureaucrat face to face, blah blah blah. America's Senator has a few more items on her plate right now, okay Bureaucrat? So America's Senator took this snub directly to the press to show how Bush's Pentagon treats Americans, like plebes. What Bureaucrat didn't understand was that America's Senator knows how to keep confidential information, well, confidential. Close to the chest. She can keep secrets, okay Bureaucrat? Don't attack America's Senator this way, she's one of the true patriots we have left.

"Naive"

Yeah, that's right Barack, I said 'naive.'

Anyway, America's Senator Clinton took first-term Senator Barack Obama to the proverbial wood-chipper at the latest AFL-CIO debate, hosted by MSNBC anchor and big fan of this website Keith Olbermann (insert self-referential joke here) over remarks that the young, inexperienced Senator made concerning invading our ally in the war on terrorists (He's for it.), Pakistan. Here's what the first Senator of our hearts had to say:

"I don't believe people running for president should engage in hypotheticals," she said, while admitting an attack might be merited on the basis of actionable intelligence.

"I think it is a very big mistake to telegraph that, and to destabilize the Musharraf regime which is fighting for its life against the Islamist extremists who are in bed with Al-Qaeda and (the) Taliban," she said.

Senator Clinton also warned that Washington would have to be mindful to the
implications of American actions on the government of President Pervez Musharraf
especially having to keep in mind that Pakistan has nuclear weapons and these
might fall into the hands of the al Qaeda.

She indirectly told Obama "you shouldn't always say everything you think if you're running for president, because it has consequences across the world."

Now that quote was taken from the website for "The Hindu News Update Service." That's from, like, half the world away, so don't tell me the world isn't watching this election. The world wants to see to it that the U.S. elects a member of a minority to the highest office of our land. And that minority is Senator Clinton.

She's My Girl! And She's America's Senator.

In her perfect-pitched voice delivered in a perfect volume on a perfect night, in front of a large crowd of our beloved union members - those men and women who make this country work - she delivered the line of the night. I believe the question was from a gentleman who was crying because he got laid off by a company who moved to Mexico in 1998 -- and where has the Bush administration been by the way? Why hasn't President Bush come to the aid of this man and millions and millions like him in the past ten years? Oh, he's been fighting so-called terrorists throughout the world on some made-up adventure. So anyway, our Senator Clinton (I'm not from New York, but I consider her America's Senator just like everybody calls Rudy "America's Mayor.") delivered the line of the night, and maybe the decade, to this poor fellow. She smiled and said:

The other campaigns have been using my name a lot. For 15 years, I've stood up against the right-wing machine. If you want a winner who knows how to take them on, I'm your girl!

The crowd loved her. America loves America's Senator.

Praise Me Like She Should (part 2)

I sort of got distracted in that last post the same way Iowa caucus voters are distracted right now by former-Senator John Edwards' flashy jewelry and pretty words. I was talking about the praise that Senator Hillary Clinton was heaping upon me and other supportive websites that want to change the world into Hillaryworld. So before I get distracted again, let's let her say it:

"We are certainly better prepared and more focused on, you know, taking our arguments and making them effective and disseminating them widely and really putting together a network in the blogosphere, in a lot of the new progressive infrastructure, institutions that I helped to start and support, like Media Matters and Center for American Progress. We're beginning to match what I have said for years was the advantage of the other side. You know, when I made that comment, about the vast right-wing conspiracy, I wasn't kidding."

I'm loving every minute of it. This lady has it all, folks! Okay, I will say this, I'm going to have to go back and change what I've said in the past regarding the vast right-wing conspiracy (VRWC). After I read her autobiography (first day, first edition, first printing, not a dog ear nor a scratch on the dust jacket) and I was first becoming a progressive, I kind of went out and got in people's faces, backed them off the term VRWC. I've got my edition right here, I'll quote it for you:

"Looking back, I see that I might have phrased my point more artfully, but I
stand by the characterization of Starr's investigation [regardless of the truth
about Lewinsky]."

So I thought we weren't using that phrase anymore but I can be wrong. And when I am, I'll admit it in these pages; I'm a warts-and-all writer, friends. But anyway, thanks for the praise Senator Clinton; I'll be right here for you.

Praise Me Like She Should

Look at that grin. It's saying 'We can do this, you and me. It's saying 'Thank you for working tirelessly to get the truth out about me, my family, and my record both in the Senate and for the past 35 years. These are stories that need to be told, and you, Hillary Youth, are telling them.'

At least, that's the way I see it. I think this is probably about the point that our chosen candidate was being booed mercilessly by those classless trogs over at another website, which I won't mention. The booing came when that empty-suit former-Senator Edwards announced that he wasn't going to take any lobbyist money in the campaign or, one can assume, as President. (Eye roll.) Senator Clinton, serious and knowledgeable, said that of course she was going to work with lobbyists in the future, that they are often the only source some people have for representation in Washington, D.C. Needless to say, she made pretty quick work of that question and that crowd. In fact, she told them, "I've been waiting for this. This gives us a real sense of reality with my being here."

"Absurd"

Absurd is the word I use to describe former-Senator John Edwards' attempt to make headlines. Just as the Wall Street Journal was being bought by Rupert Murdoch - a big story for some reason, not like media consolidation is unpredictable or like we ever read that rag anyway - Senator Edwards announced that his money is no good. He went further, challenging every Democrat to give back money they had been paid by the Aussie magnate. The Senator Clinton team naturally said 'that's absurd.' And Senator Edwards could barely muster a "But," before the news came out that he himself declined to turn back $800,000 of his own Fox money. That looks pretty bad but Senator Edwards clarified with this statement: "This is nothing but a perfect example of what these people do. If you stand up to them and say consolidating the media is a bad thing, it's an unhealthy thing, what they do is attack you. They can continue to attack. They will not silence me." That statement did indeed clarify things, but only in a bad way for Senator Edwards. Why is this guy still in the race in Iowa? Vote Hillary.

"Naive"

You bet he is, Senator Clinton. Senator Barack H. Obama had a rough week. First, he realized that he has limited foreign policy experience. Then, he realized that he actually doesn't have any foreign policy experience. He's just been a lawyer and served in elected office for the State of Illinois voting on budgets and working on Committees and (hopefully) being responsive to that state's citizens. And only a couple of years in the U.S. Senate voting on national issues and hearing the concerns of constituents. It hurts when you realize you are only there because of somebody else's coattails, doesn't it Senator? And by coattails, I of course mean Oprah. At any rate, Senator Obama realized he needed foreign policy experience fast, so he took the fastest D.C. to it... he gave a speech. And in that speech, Obama says he wants to invade Pakistan. Well, not really all of Pakistan, he just wants to go into northwestern Pakistan. But Pakistan President Musharraf is our ally in the war on terrorism. His airspace is necessary and so far he's let us through despite a whole terrorist population he's trying to keep clamped down. Is this how Senator Obama treats his friends? Oh yeah, I guess there is that whole Tony Rezko affair. T.R. has been one of Senator Obama's biggest contributors, but was later indicted in a political corruption probe (unrelated to Obama), in transactions related to the purchase of Obama's $1.65 million home. Keep your enemies close and invade your friends... very Barackavallian of him.