I think this kinda goes into the stranger than fiction files:
In an unusual move, Hillary Clinton's staff is creating a 40-member "whip team" at the Denver Democratic convention to ensure that her supporters don't engage in embarrassing anti-Obama demonstrations during the floor vote on her nomination, according to people familiar with the planning.
In the beginning of 2007, Barack Obama entered this race as a little known Junior Senator of Illinois. While considered a superstar in Democratic circles, he was untested on the national level of politics and his senate race was considered a gimme due to his opposition being Alan Keys and his other opposition being shamed out of a race due to a swinger party in Paris.
When he was entering the race he was entering against seasoned faces who have done the dance before. Edwards, Biden, and Clinton were people who had experience in actual national politics. They believed they knew Iowa enough to win it. Edwards even camped his family there so he could come up with the win. Obama had tough competition and an even tougher nut to crack than he does now.
I'll give John McCain props. He knows how to pander to the base with the best of them and he carried himself enough with the base to have a sucessful forum.
So why are they so close in the polls? Barack Obama should be winning right? It is a Democratic year so he should be wiping the floor with McCain. Why isn't he? Why can't he?
I don't know where Barack Obama came up with this line. Whether it was planned by the campaign or something he just said from his heart. But he should use this line until election day. It is a simple truth that cannot be ignored even by low information voters.
Tim Kaine canceled an event he was scheduled to attend since July 11th due to a "scheduling problem".
Kaine's appearance at the Baltimore event was announced on July 11, just as speculation over his vice presidential prospects were ramping up. Some believed he would be in a secret meeting with presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama earlier today, but Kaine has insisted otherwise.
In this interview done by Margeret Telev in McClatchy Newpapers, Barack Obama establishes that he believe the race will be close, maybe even up to the wire.
Q: Despite a coup for you on this trip and Sen. McCain's obvious frustration with how the coverage of this campaign has gone, the polls suggest that the race is still within the margin of error. Do you believe that that's the case, that this is still within the margin of error, and if so, why?
A: Absolutely, I think this race is close. I think it's going to stay close throughout the election. And I think the reason is that the American people know we have to change, I think they are much more aligned with my agenda. But this is a leap for them to elect somebody with my profile, who hasn't been on the national scene that long and I think they're going to take as much time as they can to take full measure of me before they make a final decision - and rightfully so.
In 2005, rioting between blacks and French police reached a boiling point. It was when the then interior minister of France, Nicolas Sarkozy adopted a no tolerance policy against the rioting and called the mostly black native youth scum.
So it is official, the U.S. Government got Maliki to back off of his statement for a 16 month troop withdrawal.
But after the Spiegel interview was published and began generating headlines Saturday, officials at the U.S. embassy in Baghdad contacted Maliki's office to express concern and seek clarification on the remarks, according to White House spokesman Scott Stanzel.
The NYT is reporting that all of the big three news network television anchors are going to leave their studios to follow Obama on his trip overseas.
But when Mr. Obama heads for Iraq and other locations overseas this summer, Mr. Williams is planning to catch up with him in person, as are the other two evening news anchors, Charles Gibson of ABC and Katie Couric of CBS, who, like Mr. Williams, are far along in discussions to interview Mr. Obama on successive nights.
Tonight on Larry King, King asked about the VP search and Obama evaded telling of his picks but he did tell of the qualities he is looking for in a potential VP.
Basically his VP will be someone like him and embodies those ideals that he believes his campaign runs on.
Comedy is a fickle mistress. Some gags work. Some go over people's heads. Some misfire depending on your audience. Some is so offensive that it angers.
As the actual cover of this issue of the New Yorker will take the headlines for days, the inside article could be said to be just as controversal if not moreso.
In Ryan Lizza's article entitled Making It, he goes through Barack Obama meteoric rise from an unknown outsider to one of the most powerful men in Illinois.
A common narrative that has been put out there in media and with right wing (sometimes left wing) spin is that Barack Obama is an unknown entity that cannot be trusted with the White House because nobody knows what he's about. That he he is a chimera in which no one can know his true motives or true feelings on matters of importance. The flip flopper meme is one such frame that produces the sterotype of the Unknowable Barack Obama as well as the 'confusion' about his past as well as fear about his charisma as if he wants to become the overlord of the world.
But the fact that people claim that Barack is unknowable is laughable.
In researching the history of elections that had a 'mandate' of the people and its aftermath in actual policy, I came upon an article from Lawrence J. Grossback entitled Mandate Politics. This article is a must read as it examines the history of modern mandates from an electoral standpoint as well as it's effects on congress and eventually on law.
Men may speculate as they will--they may talk of patriotism--they may draw a few examples from ancient stories of great achievements performed by its influence; but, whoever builds upon it, as a sufficient basis, for conducting long and bloody War, will find themselves decieved in the end. We must take the passions of Men, as nature has given them, and those principles as a guide...I do not mean to exlude altogether the ieda of patriotism. I know it exists, and I know it had done much in the present contest. But I will venture to assert that a great and lasting War can never be supported to this principle alone...For a time it may, of itself, push men to action--to bear much--to encounter difficulties; but it will not endure unassisted by interest.
