Still Waiting....

Haven't yet seen anything from (Republican water-carrier from Tennessee) Glenn Reynolds about the Tennessee Republican Party "Hussein" smear campaign, have you? I guess that's what it means to be an "independent" -- you neither condone nor condemn... but just whistle past the graveyard.

Obama Hasn't Lost a Single Day

Don't Buy It

Implicit in this post by Josh Marshall about the RNC's "Hussein" line-in-the-sand is the naivete of anyone buying the McCain good cop routine in tsk tsking Bill Cunningham. (Was it someone over at TNR who was blathering about McCain's "good instincts"?) Like Bill Clinton, the right wing echo chamber can't be muzzled. The accountability isn't there and will never be there. So why should Obama sign on to public financing if he knows McCain will just let the bad cops on AM radio do all his dirty work for him?

Something I Don't Get

Why are we supposed to believe Michael Bloomberg's not running just because he said so in the New York Times? I mean he's been saying that all along, just in slightly less prestigious venues.

From the Rejection and Denunciation File...

Earlier we heard about Hillary's own rejection and denunciation kerfuffle. Now it's Little Russ's turn. Can't say he didn't have it coming.

Matt Gonzalez: Good is the Enemy of Great

It's not a particularly fine distinction but some on the left still don't seem to get it. Gonzalez, a failed Green Party candidate for San Francisco Mayor, can't see the difference between opposing the decision to go to war and supporting immediate withdrawal.

First, he opposed the war in Iraq while in the Illinois state legislature. Once he was running for US Senate though, when public opinion and support for the war was at its highest, he was quoted in the July 27, 2004 Chicago Tribune as saying, “There’s not that much difference between my position and George Bush’s position at this stage. The difference, in my mind, is who’s in a position to execute.” The Tribune went on to say that Obama, “now believes US forces must remain to stabilize the war-ravaged nation – a policy not dissimilar to the current approach of the Bush administration.”

Obama’s campaign says he was referring to the ongoing occupation and how best to stabilize the region. But why wouldn’t he have taken the opportunity to urge withdrawal if he truly opposed the war?

To regard them as the same strikes me as Bushian Manicheanism. But then again should one expect finer parsing from a political party that could not distinguish between Al Gore and George W. Bush?

Speaking of which, is Ralph Nader completely out of touch with contemporary political reality? The question answers itself. The truth is that if Nader were actually a good organizer he wouldn't need the MSM air-time that is the sole reason he keeps running for President.

UPDATE: Matt Gonzalez becomes Ralph Nader's running mate.

Reality Check

Even for the Washington Times this story is unusually idiotic.

How Do You Predict Future Prison Population?

Look at third grade test scores today. Pretty depressing stuff.

A Word on Hypocrisy and Partisanship...

Rosner finally gets to do the hit piece on Obama that he's been itching to do for the last year. Maybe now he can move on to a different subject?

What I love about partisans (and make no mistake, Rosner is a partisan) is their marvelously self-righteous blindness -- while others of us tend toward self-doubt. Look at this passage:

The irony here is quite entertaining. I've been hearing numerous Obama supporters warning from the tendency of Israelis to meddle in American politics. They were furious when anonymous sources in the Israeli government expressed "concern" regarding an Obama administration. They were outraged when former Israeli ambassador to Washington Danny Ayalon expressed "doubt" regarding Obama's positions and honesty when it comes to views regarding Israel.... I don't hear these voices of protest now.

I would have written that the people defending Ayalon's comments (such as, er, Rosner) are now hypocritically criticizing Obama. But then I guess I'm partisan, too.

Not So Super-Delegates

Of course I am against any kind of super-delegate shenanigans and agree with the sentiment of this piece. The Hunt Commission did its crude handiwork in the year I was born - not to mention that most states have changed their primary dates, the process has become ever more front-loaded, there's this phenomenon known (to W) as the Internets... and certainly not to mention repeated losses to the Republicans due to the stupidity of "Party elders"... Isn't it about time for a new commission?

But this claim had me furrowing my brow:"And yes, while it's true that some independents and Republicans may have voted in a few of those races, it's also true that these people are now likely to vote for a Democrat in November." Huh? I wish this were true, but Democrats would be naive to believe it.

For Once I Agree With Abe Foxman

I don't really see what benefit participation in Durban II can possibly have for the Jewish community. But it's an interesting debate and probably a metonym for the larger debate over engaging one's enemies in diplomacy.

Another Reason To Evacuate the Settlements...

You can't get accurate weather reports.

Developing News in Maine

Top "Developing News" stories from the Portland Press-Telegram...
___________

Toboggan crash injures six 6:19 PM

Updates from the trail: Clinton and Obama in Maine 6:00 PM

O'Brien sets state-best mark in girls shot put 2:18 PM
___________

I don't want to say that toboggan crashes and girls shot-put aren't important... but is it possible that the media, state election officials, Party elites, etc. are under-estimating people's interest in the election? And is it possible that this is partly why most of the caucuses (e.g. Washington, Nebraska) have had major logistical problems (e.g. understaffing at caucus sites, not enough sign-in sheets, etc.)?

Anti-Anti-Anti-Anti-'Juno' Backlash?

Island Time?

I'm looking at the Virgin Islands Daily News website and for the life of me I can't find anything about the Democratic delegate convention (won by Obama)... maybe they'll have something up tomorrow?

Not Attacking Iran - A Failure of Imagination?

Democratic Bastard Children of 2008

Implicit here is the idea that the Democrats will not be able to successfully fight Rovian dirty tricks (caging operations, onerous voter ID laws, etc.) if Clinton loyalists inside the Democratic Party win the battle to seat Michigan and Florida and by doing so determine the outcome of the primaries... throwing all notions of fair play under the bus (and raising the terrible specter of Bush v. Gore)... If there is a way for the Democrats to ruin a perfect storm of malaise among Republicans, excitement among Democrats, and a wave of GOP retirements, and sweep away all their advantages in November, this is surely it.

Cloning of Hasidic Jews? (See Joel Klein Quote)

He's Hasidic and his wife is a lawyer? Why does that sound suspicious to me?

Reverse-Nationalization?