2008 Primaries Thread 2: THE QUICKENING

He'll do it with a heavy sigh and "great reluctance," as befits a good self-described Chicago politician.

As for where, a good opportunity always knocks.

Obama's candidacy indicates an exhaustion with military chest-thumping, yes? I've thought it's weird that no one in the MSM says that the "hope" message is basically a sublimated anti-war theme. O's the only candidate with even marginal antiwar cred.

Dr Morbius, I'm all for heavy doses of cynicism when it comes to U.S. politics, but this is just blustering.

Maybe "plenty of bombing" is the wrong phrase; not as much as his predecessor. And that will satisfy the "left."

morbius would you like to actually stake anything on this prediction? right now you sound like don weiner saying he'll bet his balls that giuliani get the nom

is anybody laying claims to Don's balls, btw? does ILX have a trophy room?

whats a wiener without its balls

banned

He'll do it with a heavy sigh and "great reluctance," as befits a good self-described Chicago politician.

What Chicago politicans, machine or otherwise, have done this?

what don't you remember when Mayor Daley bombed Cuba

now we're gettin' somewhere!

Dynastic entitlement, policies that build personal wealth and power, a populism that still negotiates for titans of industry: yeah, Obama is just another cog in that machine.

Sounds like the Clintons to me.

WP: Possible GOP Lines of Attack Against Obama

To me, the standout quote is from HRC's chief strategist, Mark Penn:

"But the truth is, if he is ever in a general election, a lot of positions he took in 2003 and 2004 will come back to haunt him in a big way and a lot of the vetting that didn’t happen will happen. The independent and Republican support that he has had will evaporate really quickly.”

yeah Penn's been real OTM so far hasn't he

no surprise here but I think Penn is full of shit - lol xpost

much rather have Axelrod running the ship

“They will try to rerun old races and battles and divide along traditional lines,” Mr. Axelrod said. “I think the country is eager for something else. And I think the country is not going to be so easily distracted. We are prepared to deal with whatever they offer.”

“I understand very, very well how facts can be manipulated,” he said. “I’m not going to get into specifics, but I know his record well, we know his record well, and we understand the areas that they might try to exploit. But I also am very, very confident that we can parry those kind of tactics effectively and show the same appeal with independent voters and some Republican voters that he has in Illinois.”

If Mark Penn was a doctor he would have been sued for malpractice by now.

So, if this "vetting" he refers to would be so disasterous among independents, why wouldn't it help HRC for her campaign to do it now? Enquiring minds want to know.

I agree with all that about Mark Penn. I also agree that Obama's the much better nominee. Doesn't change my uneasiness about the GE, tho.

AUSTIN -- The Texas Democratic Party is warning that its March 4 caucuses could be delayed or disrupted after aides to White House hopeful Hillary Clinton raised the specter of an "imminent" lawsuit over its complicated delegate selection process, officials said Thursday night.

http://www.star-telegram.com/news/story/502662.html

apparently the clinton campaign is already denying that like crazy

xposts Uneasiness is good. Complacency will bite on the ass every time.

Just got off a call with DC friend whose ex-Clinton staffer hubby thinks HRC needs to get out ASAP for reasons of 'legacy preservation' - the campaign has done nothing so much as remind people about what was wrong with Clintons rather than what was right. Friend has voted across spectrum and thinks McCain = OLD whenever people see him and she hasn't had a look at that Popeye photo yet.

Oh and what a great LGBT policy statement - I agree with him on the whole 'civil union not actual marriage' thing - perhaps from Constitutional law perspective it can be argued that marriage = religion and civil unions = state? Keep it separated, yo?

from Constitutional law perspective it can be argued that marriage = religion and civil unions = state

this has always seemed like the logical solution to me and I don't understand why its never really clearly spelled out this way (apart from homophobes demand to conflate the two, which goes hand-in-hand with their gay marriage will lead to me marrying a box turtle claims, etc.)

I think it would be kind of funny if Shakey married a box turtle, so I support gay marriage.

Dan Lacey could make the invite.

all these years the law has been holding me back

OBAMA '08: He'll let Shakey shack up with Myrtle.

Sad face on Yertle.

http://zenandjuice.com/word/wp-content/uploads/2007/01/drawme.jpg

I now pronounce you...

lolposts, esp THOSE LIL GUYS.

Yeah, here in YURP you can't even invoke your deity remix at the town hall or bring God into the proceedings at all. Even in Britain with its state religion angle!

Another thing to do is to get God off the money and the Pledge of Allegiance for the same Constitutional reasons; these were only sprinkled with religious pixie dust during McCarthy. And in my aggressively secular high school with its even split of Catholics, Jews and Protestants we were always 'one nation, indivisible' without recourse to God. 90 per cent of students were believers and nobody had a cow, amazing...

But suzy people FOUGHT and DIED for that money.

thats not gonna happen

i dont think obama gives a shit about those debates

My dad last night on McCain being a hero for not leaving captivity early: "So he's a hero because he followed the rules?" (My dad being a vet, fwiw.)

WHY I AM NOT PRESIDENT PART 3455564

One thing that totally impresses me about Obama is his ability to make a good case for resolution of a heretofore controiversial issue sensibly, using very measured language.

xpost with privileged people grafting/following the rules there's always this thing of OMG they did it like *us* have a cookie please.

Can someone repost Popeye for me? I'm scared to do a reload...

Never mind, Popeye found and despatched to insider on maternity leave!

I know not being in a contested race anymore puts him at a disadvantage but wow mccain only raised $12M in February vs. $35M for Hillary and I think close to $50M for Obama

How many college professors have we had as presidents? Woodrow Wilson, maybe?

How many faculty brats have we had as a president? Would Obama be the first?

wait when was Eisenhower prez of Columbia?

right before he was prez.

McCain not exactly running away from Hagee .... pretty weak stuff here

"Yesterday, Pastor John Hagee endorsed my candidacy for president in San Antonio, Texas. However, in no way did I intend for his endorsement to suggest that I in turn agree with all of Pastor Hagee's views, which I obviously do not.
"I am hopeful that Catholics, Protestants and all people of faith who share my vision for the future of America will respond to our message of defending innocent life, traditional marriage, and compassion for the most vulnerable in our society."

if obama said that re: farrakhan he'd be dead in the water

difference is Obama can easily afford to alienate the radical black muslim community. McCain has no such wiggle room when it comes to evangelicals.

the other difference is the persecution of jews is on a much grander scale in modern times than persecution of catholics

haha yeah that too

PAPISTS!

hey according to Hagee the jews only have themselves to blame

"It was the disobedience and rebellion of the Jews, God's chosen people, to their covenantal responsibility to serve only the one true God, Jehovah, that gave rise to the opposition and persecution that they experienced beginning in Canaan and continuing to this very day....
How utterly repulsive, insulting, and heartbreaking to God for His chosen people to credit idols with bringing blessings He had showered upon the chosen people. Their own rebellion had birthed the seed of anti-Semitism that would arise and bring destruction to them for centuries to come.... it rises from the judgment of God uppon his rebellious chosen people."

(sorry for just c+p'ing half of talking points memo the last couple posts .... slow day at work)

I always suspected God was an anti-semite