gottalaff at Brave New Films

Hillary campaign: It's not over

2008-04-12T19:28:33Z

In response to this Politico article, Hillary's campaign said this:

ABC News' Kate Snow and Eloise Harper report: It’s not over.
That’s the message out of the Clinton campaign today.

But it will be eventually, right? This will end in June, right? Please? Before June? Maybe? Huh, huh, huh?

“Sen. Clinton has been counted out many times in this campaign,” said communications director Howard Wolfson. “The press has on several occasions decided the campaign was over, Sen. Clinton was through..."

Wait, what? "The real question is why so many people are playing. The answer has more to do with media psychology than with practical politics. Journalists, for instance, have become partners with the Clinton campaign in pretending that the contest is closer than it really is. [...] Reporters and editors love a close race — it’s more fun and it’s good for business."

And each time voters decided ... the campaign was not over.”
Wolfson said he had no idea who the unnamed “important Clinton advisor” was, but said that the ten percent comment did not reflect sentiment within the campaign.

Well, what's he going to say, "Yes, that 10% comment reflects exactly what our campaign believes, that Hillary doesn't have a chance in hell to win"?

Here's the comment: "One important Clinton adviser estimated to Politico privately that she has no more than a 10 percent chance of winning her race against Barack Obama, an appraisal that was echoed by other operatives."

He did add this caveat:

“Obviously, we have to do well,” he said. “There’s no question about that.”

There. Just thought you'd want to know that Hillary's still in the race. You know, in case someone out there had other ideas.

CEO of passport contractor supports Obama

2008-06-08T03:30:50Z

From the Department of Irony:

The CEO of a company whose employee is accused of improperly accessing the passport files of presidential candidates is a consultant to the Obama campaign, a source familiar with the firm said Saturday.
John Brennan, president of The Analysis Corporation (TAC), advises the Illinois Democrat on foreign policy and intelligence issues, the source said.

He might want to re-think that "intelligence" part of his title.

Brennan briefed the media on behalf of the campaign earlier this month. The executive is a former senior CIA official and former interim director of the National Counterterrorism Center. He contributed $2,300 to the Obama campaign in January.
When asked about the contribution, a State Department official told CNN's Zain Verjee, "We ethically awarded contacts. Political affiliation is not one of the factors that we check."

That's where he differs with BushCo. But I digress.

The department does not check the "personal activities of that nature of the officers of the corporation." Contracts are "competitively awarded," the official added.

Irony isn't dead after all.

Watch the video

White House tossed its computer hard drives. Bye-bye evidence

2008-03-22T13:57:38Z

No evidence, no jail terms?

(AP) Older White House computer hard drives have been destroyed, the White House disclosed to a federal court Friday in a controversy over millions of possibly missing e-mails from 2003 to 2005.

The White House revealed new information about how it handles its computers in an effort to persuade a federal magistrate it would be fruitless to undertake an e-mail recovery plan that the court proposed.

It's also fruitless to undertake any effort to nail BushCo. But let's keep trying.

Under pressure to provide details about its computer system, the White House told the congressional committee that it never completed work that began in 2003 on a planned records management and e-mail archiving system. The White House canceled the project in late 2006 and says it is still working on a new version.

In the absence of a permanent archiving system, the White House has been archiving e-mails on White House servers since early in the administration.
The White House says it does not know if any e-mails are missing, but is looking into the matter.

And by "looking into the matter" they mean starting a new war with Iran, destroying the economy, and prying into the passport files of Barack Obama and others.

John Edwards not gonna d'it, not gonna d'it

2008-03-22T13:58:56Z

That was my Dana Carvey impression of his Bush 41 impression. Here's another impression: Edwards won't endorse.

John Edwards is unlikely to endorse either Barack Obama or Hillary Clinton before the nomination is decided, according to interviews with several members of the former candidate's inner circle.

At least three individuals who have recently spoken to Edwards expect that he will choose to stay out of the fight, though they warn that no one other than his wife, Elizabeth, can be certain of his thinking.

A former Edwards operative says he wants to "remain neutral and sort of try to play on that Al Gore status as party elder” and let the people decide.

“He is genuinely torn between the two,” the adviser added. “On the big change, money and politics, he obviously agrees more with Barack. I think on the toughness and experience in life, making difficult decisions, I think he believes Hillary is more ready for the job. I also think that he thinks the way she has pursued his support has a level of seriousness he has not seen from the other guy.”

"The other guy"? Who would that be, John Sidney Hussein McPain? Ohhh, he must mean Barack Hussein Obama. That other guy.

His close aides also said also said "he has spoken several times with Gore about the race." You know, that other other guy.

While Edwards’ advisers don’t expect an endorsement, they are quick to note that he may turn around and surprise them.

So he won't endorse unless he does endorse, which he won't, but he might.

I'm glad that's finally settled.

Sorry, Hillary, I hafta post on NAFTA

2008-03-21T21:39:21Z

More on the Hillary and NAFTA issue, via Jake Tapper:

I have now talked to three former Clinton Administration officials whom I trust who tell me that then-First Lady Hillary Clinton opposed the idea of introducing NAFTA before health care, but expressed no reservations in public or private about the substance of NAFTA.

Yet the Clinton campaign continues to propagate this myth that she fought NAFTA tooth and nail because she opposed the substance of the bill. The campaign claims over and over that she did not support NAFTA. That may be emotionally and intellectually true -- but actions speak louder than misgivings.

So many quotes, so little space:

...Laura E. Jones, executive director of the United States Association of Importers of Textiles and Apparel, who was there. "There was no question that everyone who spoke including the First Lady was for NAFTA, it was a rally on behalf of NAFTA to help it get passed. It's unquestionable. And there are many people out there who were there who remember the incident who work in this industry."

Finally:

"This is such a non issue to us, because obviously it was a pro-NAFTA group and a pro-NAFTA event," says Hughes. "It was a 100 percent pro-NAFTA event. No one suggested any inklings of doubt since part of the agenda was to promote enthusiasm for passage of NAFTA."
Did that include then-First Lady Clinton?
"Absolutely. She was the highlight of the event. She was absolutely the capper to the event. It was a positive rally. I assure you if there had even been a hint of waffling from her -- because we were in the last days before NAFTA passed and it was a pretty hectic time -- we would have freaked out."

4 Pinocchios?

Balkin' at Hillary's Balkan

2008-03-22T11:36:52Z

She gets 4 Pinocchios from Michael Dobbs for this one:

The caption under the photo above reads:

Greeting ceremony, Tuzla military airport, Bosnia, March 25, 1996.

A March 17th speech by Hillary included:

"I remember landing under sniper fire. There was supposed to be some kind of a greeting ceremony at the airport, but instead we just ran with our heads down to get into the vehicles to get to our base."

--Hillary Clinton, speech at George Washington University, March 17, 2008.

This article states:

As a reporter who visited Bosnia soon after the December 1995 Dayton Peace agreement, I can attest that the physical risks were minimal during this period, particularly at a heavily fortified U.S. Air Force base, such as Tuzla. Contrary to the claims of Hillary Clinton and former Army secretary Togo West, Bosnia was not "too dangerous" a place for President Clinton to visit in early 1996. In fact, the first Clinton to visit the Tuzla Air Force base was not Hillary, but Bill, on January 13, 1996. [...]
Far from running to an airport building with their heads down, Clinton and her party were greeted on the tarmac by smiling U.S. and Bosnian officials. An eight-year-old Moslem girl, Emina Bicakcic, read a poem in English. An Associated Press photograph of the greeting ceremony, above, shows a smiling Clinton bending down to receive a kiss.

Lissa Muscatine, who served as Hilary Clinton's chief speechwriter in 1996 and accompanied her on the Bosnia trip, says:

I was on the plane with then First Lady Hillary Clinton for the trip from Germany into Bosnia in 1996. We were put on a C17-- a plane capable of steep ascents and descents -- precisely because we were flying into what was considered a combat zone. We were issued flak jackets for the final leg because of possible sniper fire near Tuzla. As an additional precaution, the First Lady and Chelsea were moved to the armored cockpit for the descent into Tuzla. We were told that a welcoming ceremony on the tarmac might be canceled because of sniper fire in the hills surrounding the air strip. From Tuzla, Hillary flew to two outposts in Bosnia with gunships escorting her helicopter.

The Fact Checker says:

Clinton's tale of landing at Tuzla airport "under sniper fire" and then running for cover is simply not credible. Photographs and video of the arrival ceremony, combined with contemporaneous news reports, tell a very different story. Four Pinocchios.

Anyone else balkin'?

Concession

2008-03-22T00:47:26Z

This is from TPM:

[T]his afternoon, just before going to a meeting, I posted a link to The Politico article on Hillary Clinton's chances of winning the nomination and expressed my agreement with it. [Laffy note: This one] When I returned I fully expected an avalanche of emails from Hillary supporters. But when I did return, nothing, or nearly so. Even the few we did get barely seemed to have their heart in it.
This is, I grant you, a highly unscientific measure. But I wonder whether the collapse of the revote negotiations, the revelation that the campaign is in debt and the Richardson endorsement together are collectively forcing a moment of realization.

In Comments here, I've been hearing that on Hardball, they've essentially been saying that Hillary should give it up, she's lost. It's a refrain I've heard publicly more and more.

I've noticed that there are fewer protests in our Comments, too. We used to get vehement, screaming Hillary voters denouncing, renouncing, and rejecting Obama, and not from our regulars, but new visitors to the site.

What do you think? Are Josh Marshall and Chris Matthews right?

Will Bush and Cheney act on their delusions?

2008-03-21T19:09:52Z

To: Mrs. George W. Bush, Mrs. Richard Cheney
From: Bellevue

We regret to inform you that your spouses are suffering from something we call Psychotic Delusionus Swaggerus Idioticus...

President Bush on Wednesday said something demonstrably false and inflammatory about Iran -- asserting that the Iranian government has "declared they want to have a nuclear weapon to destroy people."
The Iranians have never done any such thing -- and for Bush to say so at a time of great tension between the two countries is bizarre at best.
So why did he say it? Was he actively trying to misrepresent the situation? Was it just a slip of the tongue? Or does he believe it, despite the abundant evidence to the contrary? [...]
And yet, as disturbing as the third possibility is -- that Bush is operating in an alternate reality -- it's supported by this simple fact: He's said almost exactly the same thing at least once before.

Mrs. Bush, Mrs. Cheney, the urgency for restraint and the employment of straight jackets cannot be stressed enough. We assure you, we used only the best quality product, the latest models, and have made every effort to meet with their fashion consultants before choosing the hue we like to call "Warmonger Ecru"...

In short, it seems clear that Bush remains convinced that the Iranians continue to pursue nuclear weapons. Does he also somehow believe they've acknowledged this publicly? Or that they may as well have? Is this the kind of stuff that Cheney -- often the last person to talk to Bush before important decisions -- whispers in his ear?

It's worth getting Bush on the record about exactly how he understands the facts here.

And -- especially after the suspicious dismissal of Admiral William J. "Fox" Fallon earlier this month, and given Cheney's conviction that the legislative branch can't limit the executive's war-making powers -- it may be worth asking ourselves if there's anything that would prevent the president and vice president from acting on their delusions.

Thank you for your understanding. Visiting hours are alternate Sundays, 8 am through 12 noon, at which time we force feed them Freedom Fries as a reward for participating in "Waterboarding for Military Wannabes". They seem to genuinely enjoy their time together, and we were especially pleased to grant their request to be handcuffed together during that particular activity.

Yours very sincerely,

Dr. Laffy, Psyche Ward 13, Bellevue Psychiatric Hospital

Obama Endorsements: The Epilogue

2008-03-22T11:13:59Z

Who's in the mood for gossip? Hands? Okay, but you never heard it from me:

Richardson, in a statement posted Friday on the Web site of his defunct presidential campaign and e-mailed to supporters, also called for New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton to end her own campaign for the nomination for the good of the Democratic Party.

Need more? Feeling feisty? Want some fodder? As in The Fodder of Our Country? Sorry, it's Friday.

Bill Richardson criticized a Clinton campaign adviser Friday for suggesting his endorsement of Barack Obama is insignificant.
"I resent the fact that the Clinton people are now saying that my endorsement is too late because I only can help with Texans — with Texas and Hispanics, implying that that's my only value," the New Mexico governor told CNN's John King. "That's typical of some of his advisers that kind of turned me off." [...]
In the interview Friday, Richardson also said he called Hillary Clinton Thursday to inform her of his decision to back Obama, a conversation he described as "painful."
"It was painful and it wasn't easy," he said. "I've spoken to others who have had that same conversation and they say at the end, it’s not all that pleasant."
The former Democratic presidential candidate declined to elaborate further on his conversation with Clinton.
Last month, Chris Dodd — another former presidential candidate who decided to endorse Obama last month — said he had a "not comfortable" conversation with Clinton informing her of the news.

That's it from Laffy Gossip Central.

5 Easy Reasons

2008-03-21T17:49:55Z

5 reasons why the Governor Bill Richardson endorsement of Obama was just what the doctor ordered:

Timing. Two words: Reverend Wright.
Superdelegates. Richardson is one. This sends a message to other superdelegates.
Richardson is close to both Clintons. "[S]ymbolically his connections with the Clintons will raise questions as to why he decided to turn his back on the New York senator, rather than remaining neutral in the nomination battle."
Experience. Richardson has it. If Obama can be "guilty by his association" with Rev Wright, then he can be experienced by his association with Richardson, who has an extensive foreign relations resume.
Hispanics. "Clinton still will be heavily favored to win the Puerto Rico primary in June, but as the first Hispanic candidate for president, Richardson's endorsement speaks to a weakness in Obama's candidacy."

This, or any, one endorsement isn't exactly like waving a magic wand over Obama's candidacy. But:

Richardson's endorsement and in particular his warning about the consequences of indefinite conflict may influence other Democrats still trying to decide what to do.

John Sidney McCain continues to avoid photo ops

2008-03-21T16:48:38Z

See? The Big Trip has nothing to do with photo ops. Nothing. Running for president is just coincidental to his non-photo op overseas trip.

John Edwards still not endorsing

2008-03-21T18:47:24Z

He still won't endorse, but here are a few tidbits:

The former North Carolina senator suggested he might be willing to accept a Cabinet post in a Democratic administration. "I want to serve my country in whatever way I can," Edwards said.
He also didn't rule out a third presidential bid.
"I'm not thinking about running again," Edwards said. "But never say never."
Edwards said he did not expect the Democratic presidential fight between Clinton and Sen. Barack Obama to last as long as it has.

Hey, I didn't say they were major tidbits... just tidbits!

62...

2008-03-21T15:39:13Z

...and counting:

By the by, Bill Richardson is the 62nd Super D to endorse Barack Obama since Feb. 5.
Clinton landed two Super Ds this week, but they were the first to jump on board in some time.

H/t: Taegan Goddard's Political Wire

The real story of the 9/11 sermon by Obama's reverend

2008-03-22T14:36:05Z

~~Anderson Cooper~~ Roland S. Martin is actually doing his job:

One of the most controversial statements in this sermon was when he mentioned “chickens coming home to roost.” He was actually quoting Edward Peck, former U.S. Ambassador to Iraq and deputy director of President Reagan’s terrorism task force, who was speaking on FOX News. That’s what he told the congregation.

He was quoting Peck as saying that America’s foreign policy has put the nation in peril [...]

You can listen to the entire speech here. You can read part of it here.

By the way, nowhere in this sermon did he said “God damn America.” I’m not sure which sermon that came from.
This doesn’t explain anything away, nor does it absolve Wright of using the N-word, but what it does do is add an accurate perspective to this conversation.
The point that I have always made as a journalist is that our job is to seek the truth, and not the partial truth.

Your point is more than well-taken, ~~Anderson~~ Roland. Thank you.

Hillary Rodham Clinton has virtually no chance of winning

2008-03-22T12:23:28Z

Her own campaign acknowledges that she can't win:

One big fact has largely been lost in the recent coverage of the Democratic presidential race: Hillary Rodham Clinton has virtually no chance of winning. [...]
As it happens, many people inside Clinton’s campaign live right here on Earth. One important Clinton adviser estimated to Politico privately that she has no more than a 10 percent chance of winning her race against Barack Obama, an appraisal that was echoed by other operatives.

In other words: The notion of the Democratic contest being a dramatic cliffhanger is a game of make-believe.

So why keep up the pretense?

The real question is why so many people are playing. The answer has more to do with media psychology than with practical politics. Journalists, for instance, have become partners with the Clinton campaign in pretending that the contest is closer than it really is.

Haven't we been discussing similar sentiments in Comments? Why, yes we have! We're smart like that.

One important, if subliminal, reason is self-interest. Reporters and editors love a close race — it’s more fun and it’s good for business.

Well, then, so long as the media can make a buck...

What has to irk Clintons’ aides is that they felt she might finally have him on the ropes, bruised badly by the Wright fight and wobbly in polls. But the bell rang long ago in the minds of too many voters.

Yeah, we voters have minds of our own. Go figure.

Go here for much more.

H/t: Commenter Eve

Obama spokesman: Hillary "deeply flawed"

2008-03-21T16:17:11Z

Responding to new poll numbers, among other things, Obama campaign manager David Plouffe responded:

"If Sen. Clinton wants to have a discussion about electability and vetting, we're happy to have it," Plouffe also said. "She would be a deeply flawed nominee. There are character issues here that will cause us real problems in the fall."

Getting a little pointed, are we?

"Sen. Clinton essentially misled the voters of Ohio, strongly suggesting she was always opposed to NAFTA privately," Plouffe said. "But now we see that she had meetings, where the sole purpose was to cheerlead for NAFTA and press for its support."
"Sen. Clinton likes to talk about do-over elections," he added. "The only do-over election we might want to consider is in Ohio, since Sen. Clinton misled the voters in Ohio about her support of NAFTA."

Me-OW!

In a memo sent to reporters shortly after Plouffe's comments, Clinton spokesman Phil Singer said, "At this point, it’s no secret that the Obama campaign is in political hot water given the news stories of the last few weeks and is desperate to change the subject."

I'm pretty sure the State Department and Governor Richardson did that for them.

PassportGate: Sean McCormack squirms

2008-03-21T16:21:08Z

Here are my patented, award-winning, internationally acclaimed quick notes on the State Department spokesman Sean McCormack's press conference regarding the Obama passport file breach, including my take:

Sincerity is not this guy's strong suit. He rivals President (sic) Bush in the Smirk Department. But he wants us to know that the State Department takes this VERY seriously. VERY.

These are serious issues of management, or lack thererof. Who are these contractors? Who are the companies with employees who broke the rules? It's an inexcusable invasion of privacy, and McCormack's condescending, patronizing attitude reflects BushCo's.

NOTE: I used CAPS when McCormack over-emphasized words. Most are direct quotes. Only the snarky enhancements are mine.

"IF people break the rules, we punish those people! We don't WANT them to break the rules, but IF they do..."

Heh heh, some "low-level employee" rifled through the Hillary Clinton, Obama, and McCain files. Pshhbig deal. Low-level. Move along.

We're vigilant. We REALLY are. That's why I'm half-smiling through this entire Q & A.

"The system worked."

Q: It didn't prevent multiple unauthorized breaches of one, now 2 other candidates.

A: "It's just not perfect! You LEARN. And what have we learned? That we took ACTION. BUT...no, that didn't rise up to senior management levels. That didn't happen."

[No, it didn't.]

"But it will now! Why is that important? So steps can be taken! Prudent steps!" The right steps! "To prevent future INCIDENCES." [And yes, he said "incidences", not "incidents"]

"Pat Kennedy's looking into ALL THREE, at how we can put safeguards in place. At senior levels." See? We're learning! See? See?

"The system's not perfect. It worked" though.

Oh, and "we haven't done any other searches of past candidates", to see if their files were breached, to answer the question you asked 15 minutes ago. Just thought I'd slip that in.

"We should have known, we first became aware of questions about this when a reporter called yesterday afternoon."

THEN, wow, THEN, "we briefed [Condi and Obama's] staff BEFORE we replied to the reporters." Aren't we professional and on top of things? See? See?

"We took steps!" We did everything perfectly... AFTER the breach. See? The system worked!

It's just one of those crazy, wacky things, heh! And "I can assure you, we will take care of that person!"

"What's in the files?" Pshhcome on. Just "date of birth, address, parent information, basic biographical data." Nothin' to worry about. Oh, and yeah, "it COULD BE MORE, but, I won't speculate", because I'm good that way.

Besides, "it doesn't matter what's in the file, it's that it was accessed!"

Pshh, "every year there are a handful of cases like this!"

"This is important that the American people understand this, see: There are 18 million files generated every year, and ONLY A HANDFUL GOT BREACHED." See?

My sneer tells you it's not important. "There are ONLY A HANDFUL OF UNAUTHORIZED ACCESS cases. One is too many, but we DO have a system in place to catch people... and then we DISCIPLINE them! Because we go by the BOOK... Just a HANDFUL. Each year. Maybe there are some we don't know about."

Q: We just learned of 5!

A: "Okay, TWO handfuls." ... We try to be "good stewards"...

It's official: Bill Richardson endorses Barack Obama

2008-03-21T14:26:02Z

Here are a few quotes from Governor Richardson's speech, who, despite close ties to the Clintons, endorsed Obama just now:

"He spoke to us as adults."
"As an Hispanic American, I was particularly touched by his words."
"I know him quite well... [As an opponent], I appreciated his steadfast patriotism and his remarkable talents... Here was a really good guy."
"Here's why: One time at one of the debates, I was sitting next to him... Finally I was recognized and I wasn't listening! I turned to Barack, and he whispered, 'Katrina! Katrina!' and I gave my answer. He could have thrown me under the bus, but he stood behind me! Well, don't tell anyone about that incident."
"Your candidacy is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for our nation, and you are a once-in-a-lifetime leader."
"Si se puede!"

Keith Olbermann's 5th anniversary NBC special: March 30, 7 pm

2008-03-21T13:29:57Z

Keith gets an anniversary gift:

NBC will broadcast an anniversary special commemorating five years of Countdown with Keith Olbermann, the top-rated program on sister channel MSNBC.
NBC will air the Countdown special March 30 at 7 p.m.

The network hopes to expand the program’s audience by giving broadcast viewers a look at the show.

He's already boosted MSNBC's profile.

"When we started this five years ago, I told a reporter that our charge was to stay out of the way of the news: 'News is the news. We will not be screwing around with it,'" Olbermann said in announcing the anniversary special. "We held true to that promise -- we just screwed around with everything about its presentation and interpretation. And I'm delighted by the results and honored by the incredible loyalty of those viewers who join me each night."

And as a special treat, the very next day he'll take us on a walk down Memory Lane:

Beginning March 31, Countdown will feature some of the highlights from the five years of the show, including Olbermann’s first “special comment” about then-Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld and the show’s re-enactment of the Larry Craig fiasco.

Be there or be square.

President Bob Barr?

2008-06-10T02:48:19Z

On MSNBC: Bob Barr is considering a run for president as a third party candidate.

McCain Aide Suspended for Pushing Racist Video

2008-03-20T22:18:23Z

Posting from work, so it's a copy-and-paste:

A McCain campaign aide actively pushed an incendiary, racially-charged video that uses the controversial words of Barack Obama's pastor to tar Obama as unpatriotic -- despite the fact that McCain himself has suggested that Obama shouldn't be held accountable for Wright's views.

Obama campaign hits Hillary on NAFTA

2008-03-21T14:12:52Z

One more quickie before I leave:

On a campaign conference call just now, chief [Obama] strategist David Axelrod said Clinton "owes an apology to the people of this country" for suggesting that she hadn't been involved in passing NAFTA when her schedules provide "direct, incontrovertible evidence that Sen. Clinton was involved on this issue."

We knew that was coming.

Obama campaign: Evenly splitting Michigan's delegates is fair

2008-03-22T11:39:07Z

Do we finally have a solution?

Barack Obama's campaign said Thursday that evenly splitting Michigan's delegates with rival Hillary Rodham Clinton would be a fair way of resolving the dispute over how to handle the state at the Democratic National Convention.

Christopher Dodd, an Obama supporter, is behind that idea. Obama's name was not on the Michigan ballot, Clinton's was.

Finally! A resolution! Wait, what's that? What am I hearing through my non-existent ear piece?

The Clinton campaign immediately rejected the idea of splitting the delegates. "Michigan is populated by people, not numbers, and those people need to have their voices heard in this process," said Clinton spokesman Phil Singer.

Oh.

Democratic leaders in Michigan have said DNC rules require them to bar those who voted in the Republican primary from casting ballots in a do-over primary. But DNC spokswoman Stacie Paxton said Thursday that the party would consider waiving the rule because of Michigan's unique situation if the state requested it. [...]
Dodd said in his statement Monday that even though he left his name on the ballot, it's clear that the results of the Jan. 15 primary should not be used to apportion delegates. The Democratic National Committee declined to comment on Dodd's proposal.

Sigh.

Barack Obama on Larry King tonight, March 20

2008-03-21T14:15:36Z

Barack Obama... for the hou-ah! Boise, Idaho, hel-LO!

Presidential candidate Barack Obama! He spoke out against the war in Iraq 5 years ago. What are his thoughts now? Plus, the politics of race in America.
• E-mail your questions.
• Send us a video e-mail!

There. I promo'd their promo. I have to DVR it, since I'll be at work. Where will you be?

Democratic Debate #18,778,780.02 set for April

2008-03-21T14:16:01Z

Will sparks fly? Will the candidates hug? Will Hillary Hussein Clinton pull out Barack Hussein Obama's chair this time?

The ABC News debate, which both Democratic candidates agreed to earlier this month, has been set for April 16 in Philadelphia at 8:00pm. The debate will be anchored by Charles Gibson and George Stephanopoulos.
ABC saw huge ratings for its most recent round of debates, back-to-back Democratic and Republican debates in January.
There is still no confirmation on a possible CBS debate, speculated to take place April 19 in North Carolina.

I hope Obama wears a flag pin. I wouldn't want anyone thinking he's unpatriotic or anything. By the way, he's black. And Christian.