I take it you won't be joining me to see the man speak at the Convention Center on September 7!

If he's got drug or other dirties that cost the Democrats the election, I'll show up to throw a pie in his face in '09.

I hope America's ready for a black President with a Muslim name. Somehow I don't think it is, but I hope.

For the sake of the potty? LOL. Mrs. Bill Clintoon is the best thing that can happen. Run her up the flagpole and see who salutes in the next election cycle.

One thing you've got to give the little missus: she's fairly well despised among most Democrats, Libertarians, and Republicans. She's consistent.

Please, please don't blow this.

What in the hell are you talking about? If you've got specific concerns beyond cocaine and weed in the 70s, lets hear it. We've elected two straight who've lived very full lives. Why not go for the turkey?

I hope America's ready for a black President with a Muslim name. Somehow I don't think it is, but I hope.

Whoever the nominee is, whether it's Obama, Hillary, or (God forbid) Edwards, they're not going to get through this election untouched. And, should they be elected, their tenure will be no picnic either. The entire Right Wing media will make sure of that.

So why not Obama? I've yet to see him live (I will be there on September 7), but everything I've read and everything I've seen tells me he has "it". I hope he gets a chance to show it off. I hope he gets a chance to win you over.

He doesn't have to "win me over." If he gets the nomination, I'll vote for him.

What I'm talking about is electability -- can he win places like Ohio and Pennsylvania? His name is Muslim. He's African-American. I'm worried that middle America isn't big enough for that yet. Which adds up to President Fred Thompson.

BTW, "cocaine and weed" ain't nowhere near the same thing. Nobody said cocaine about Bubba, and they never really proved it on W.

His name is Muslim.

Both Rush and Ann Coulter refer to him by his full name. Barack Hussein Obama. Obviously playing up how "different" he is. I'll give you that. But I think there's a weariness out there for such childish crap. I don't have any proof and can cite no evidence. I just get that feeling. And once he speaks, I think that stuff melts away.

He's African-American.

Jordan, Oprah, and even OJ (pre-double-homicide) have managed to "overcome" that, for lack of a better word. He passes the "would you have a beer with him" test, which the Jesse Jacksons, Alan Keyes, and others have failed. It's a hurdle, no doubt. Probably greater than the Muslim name. But I think it's surmountable. At some point an African-American will be elected. At some point the post-Brown vs Board demographics will tilt in that favor, if they haven't already. It's not 1978 anymore.

Which adds up to President Fred Thompson.

The Howard Dean of the Republican party. He won't be getting the nomination. Romney-Huckabee. You read that here first.

Sounds like a sundae.

See? We already have our first t-shirt.

never really proved it on W.

When I lived in Texas, when he was Governor, the local tabloid and alternative press were filled with accusations of this on a regular basis.

I believe it. I know those fratboy scumbags well...I used to drive them around at 4 in the morning...and Dubya is no exception to the rule. Except, his fraternity was the same one at Yale that John Kerry was in, Skull and Bones, where they get all kinky, weird and ritualistic in between lining up lucrative careers at the upper echelons of power.

As far as Hillary goes, she has never been known to let mere scruples stand in her path. I would expect nothing less than a full drawer of dirt on her opponents in their campaign arsenal. Maybe she will let him have the vice-presidency or some lesser job.

Yeah, I don't quite get it, Jack. The "less dirty" of two weasels?

Or, my favorite line of the day, May the Best Fund-Raiser Win?

By current poll numbers, Edwards beats more announced GOPers, and all by a wider spread, than Hillary or Obama. Besides, a 'draft Gore' contingent has been gaining traction ... if rightful Justice is deserved, and it is.

Simply, None Of The Above is today's consensus sentiment. But in any case, the worst Demo (I'd say Biden) is going to landslide the best Repu. 'Abstain' -- a candidate to be named later -- beats the best Repu, they might as well fold the tent now, and save us our airwaves and our time they are going to puke all over. Repu's are totally toast. Coast to coast.

(Or Demo's are toast, Obama, Hillary, or otherwise, unless they unplug every damn rigged electonic voting machine before January.)

I think Mike Gravel is best, Senator I-outed-the-Pentagon-Papers-which-stopped-Vietnam. However, Kucinich has the votes, and voter support, because Character matters. His hurdle is the blockage by anti-Americans who are obscenely and immorally profiting from military extortion and theft of oil -- such as the MainGreed massmind media profits from ghouling the 'war' and blood-splattering bodies.

The internet can elect Kucinich, overnight, as soon as it dawns on everyone, using YouTube, MySpace, calling all blogs, email, the Network, iPod podcast music, the smell of youth spirit and a 'knows' for revolution, and just incidentally slay two demonic dinosaurs while we're at it -- moneybags political corruption, and massmind broadcast brainwashers. Bang! Bang! the people have smoked ya'. This 1984-98 planetwise crowd coming into its own day, is going to so annihilate the 1970-84 slacker and 1956-70 self-smug generations; flat out out-hustle them.

And you can be a force for it, Mr. Bojack, join in the celebration. Integrity is infectious. Bring in da noyze, bring in da funk.

Be all that as it may, the most surprise to me is that you could seriously expect the dirty political business-as-usual candidate parade, primary preliminaries, and cast of the Ballots of November, to actually ensue. As happenin' as you are, I'd a'thunk you were paying attention. It is not possible that all the Dictator skids have been greased and then there's not a locomotive driven down it, emphasis on the loco. Until these Executive nazis and Supreme inJustices are incarcerated, at the point of lock, stock, and barrel against their temples, American democracy is not going to get out of bushterror alive.

You lib's are hysterical. What has Obama done that makes you think he's presidential material? Serving in the Illinois senate followed by two years in the US senate gets this done for you. I hate to point out to you all that his father is black and his mother is white, something you forget to mention. How does this make him black. As some say this makes him an halfrican american. BTW, it looks like Hillary has another problem looming with campaign donations coming from questionable sources.

It is a Muslim sounding name to non Arabic speakers but it is not Muslim.

The name is Dholuo, which is an African language spoken in Western Kenya. Kenya is only 10% Muslim but 90% Christian. Obama's father was Christian as is Barack.

Although, I get your point that Joe Voter thinks the name is Muslim regardless of its actual roots and that is what matters in Nov '08.

Right Richard, Obama is sooo damn underqualified compared to W.

" locomotive driven down it, emphasis on the loco."
-----------

I love it!!

You should change you handle to locoskwat!!

As to your locopoint, I'da thunk yuzza onto sumpin. Yep, da coup is a forgone conKKKlusion. We'll just call him da Dicta-Chimp-For-Life.

Harry

PS How come tenskwatawa didn't run for Sen Smith's seat? The left hook, the machine man, and tenskwatawa... now that would be a real choice, and I would pay to go see that debate!

Prediction: the D's will nominate Hillary, and she will lose, since too many people will not vote for her but will not own up to their real intentions.

will not own up to their real intentions.

Which is that they won't vote for someone who's a b*tch, a phony, and a crook all wrapped into one.

The best thing HRC could do for the country is get the heck off the stage. But she could care less about the country.

Oh well. Who needs a Bill of Rights, anyway?

they won't vote for someone who's a b*tch, a phony, and a crook all wrapped into one

Yes, indeed she is all these things, but she's also a woman, so it's easier to seem to support her than to risk being accused of sexism. On foreign policy, she sounds no different than Dick Cheney most of the time. What's more, she is the candidate most likely to resort to nuclear weapons, since she'll be concerned that if she didn't, she'd look weak and soft.

I think America is ready for a female President. Just not that particular person.

I heard once that the reason that John F. Kennedy was able to be elected as an irish-catholic from new york was because he actually was a protestant from harvard.

So how can an african-american with a muslim-sounding name get elected? Because he's also just another protestant from harvard.

Barack electable? You bet.

Remains to be seen. JFK made it to the White House because his father's Chicago pals stole the election for him. I'm not seeing the power of the political machinery getting behind Obama at all. Quite the opposite.

As I say, I hope he's the next President. I wouldn't bet even money on it, however.

I think the Republicans are licking their collective chops at a Hillary, Obama, or Edwards ticket. Such a target-rich environment all around. Gonna be a fun election!

My action says there ain't going to be any election to speak of, and such as there is, looks like it is going to be some Demo challenger running against seated incumbent Cheney going for re-election, with the balloting rigged his way.

Not a single voice here has said one single original point, of realpolitick analysis, not already programmed into their thought by massmind conjurists in media, and now recited; (and at least one even proudly admitting incapacity to think, and identifying the source of memorized lies being parroted, i.e., "halfrican" liar talk radio).

If you've got specific concerns beyond cocaine and weed in the 70s, lets hear it.

He's already copped to both coke and weed... read his book. Boring. Old news.

He's already copped to both coke and weed... read his book. Boring. Old news.

Funny, thats what Republicans were saying about Bush when the everyone was jumping all over his chemical past.

I just cant get on to any bandwagon yet. They're all boring. And sadly, so far I think the only candidate from any party with any hint of electability is Clinton, and thats just scary.

Boring. Old news.

Not to 95% of American voters, it won't be.

Hey Jack, how about this:

http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-na-hsu29aug29,0,2313285.story?coll=la-home-center

Typical Friend of Clinton.

I would like to see Hillary Clinton lose the general election, but take office anyway.
Then I would like to see her govern in such an incompetent and malicious way that even her most ardent supporters are shocked.
If she can make a verbal commitment to mounting the most divisive, corrupt, cabalistic, deaf, inexpert, criminal administration my country has ever seen, she will have my full support. And when people wearing anti-Hillary t-shirts start getting arrested, I'm going to openly praise God for sending us this visionary, this heroine, this Angel of History.

Mission accomplished!

Edwards/Obama 08 Now that's the ticket.

At least Obama ain't gay... like the creepy, fat, bald Republican Senator whipping it out in public bathrooms across America.

We can do better.

Yes, even you, Idaho.

How about we just go for a Ron Paul / Dennis Kucinich ticket? (They can flip a coin to see who gets to lead the ticket.)

Maybe then we'd get a balanced budget.

Rumor has it that Clinton/Obama has received the endorsement of ailing Fidel.

It also occurs to me that the radical Islamonuts who are always calling us "infidels" and stuff like that never seem to go after Castro. Maybe he's onto something. If we all just changed our first names to "Fidel", then we couldn't be referred to as "in-fidel". This means that the radical islamists would have little choice but to embrace us with flowers and open arms. On the other hand, they were supposed to do that after we invaded Iraq....

From the looks of things, it must be that when we set the clocks ahead an hour, it leaves or sets back a lot of minds in pre-school.

For the record, censored from The O, and for the reading enjoyment of those with conclusions on which their facts must be based:

Russian Nuclear Security on Display, By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS, August 29, 2007

PODOLSK, Russia (AP) -- Fifteen years ago, a worker at the Russian nuclear research center in Podolsk smuggled more than three pounds of weapons-grade uranium out the doors over a period of weeks, determined to sell the material on the black market.

Police arrested the thief with the uranium on a railway platform in the city, about 35 miles south of the Russian capital, as he waited for a train to Moscow. But the incident was one of several in the former Soviet Union that set off alarm bells across the globe, warning that a new era in the annals of terrorism might soon begin.

On Wednesday, Sen. Richard Lugar and former Sen. Sam Nunn came to Podolsk to inspect $25 million worth of security measures at what is now Podolsk's Luch Scientific and Industrial Association, paid for by the United States -- improvements that one institute official said had made any future theft ''impossible.''

Also with the help of the U.S., the nuclear processing facility has installed a new perimeter fence, metal and radiation detectors, a network of surveillance cameras, special locks, doors and other systems at the facility, all intended to track the location of every ounce of highly enriched uranium kept here.

''It is very difficult work'' keeping track of the material, said Valentin Deniskin, deputy general director of scientific work at the facility. But, he added, the security measures would prevent any repeat of the 1992 theft. ''It is physically impossible to remove these materials from this territory,'' he said.

The Podolsk facility has become a major center for diluting or ''blending down'' Russian-provided enriched uranium from other former Soviet states, turning uranium capable of being used in nuclear weapons into fuel for nuclear power plants.

Since 1999, U.S. officials said, Luch has turned nearly 9 tons of bomb material into nuclear fuel that lights Russia's cities and helps run its factories.

Nunn and Lugar are in Russia to mark the 15 anniversary of the Nunn-Lugar Comprehensive Threat Reduction act, legislation that has helped former Soviet states destroy, dismantle and secure thousands of nuclear warheads and other weapons of mass destruction.

After a tour of the facility, which was off-limits to reporters, Lugar congratulated institute officials. ''You have constructed a very safe facility for crucial work,'' the 75-year-old Indiana Republican said. ''People around the world would be reassured if they could see what we viewed today.''

Nunn, 68, now the chief executive officer of the nonprofit Nuclear Threat Initiative, added that the safeguards at Luch contributed to ''the security of the Russian people and the security of the world.''

David Huizenga, assistant deputy administrator of the National Nuclear Security Administration of the Department of Energy, said there is still a threat that bomb-grade nuclear materials might be diverted or stolen from sites scattered around the former Soviet Union.

''These materials are still moving,'' he told reporters after the visit.

On Tuesday, Luch received a shipment of nearly 20 pounds of highly enriched uranium from a research reactor in Poland. In the next few months, working 24 hours a day, workers here will use chemical methods to transform the uranium into the raw material for fuel. The Department of Energy paid $490,000 for the work.

The United States and other Western nations, Huizenga said, are trying to shift more of the burden of financially supporting centers like the Luch institute onto the shoulders of Russia and its booming economy.

At the same time, nonproliferation experts are eager to ensure that the effort to enhance and maintain security at sites like Luch scattered around the former Soviet Union do not falter. The U.S. has estimated that there are about 600 tons of weapons-grade uranium stored around Russia. Some experts think that the figure is much higher.

Ivan Fedik, director of the Luch facility, recalled Wednesday how researchers and technicians at Podolsk -- which once designed small nuclear reactors for use in the Soviet space program -- faced economic privation in the days after the Soviet collapse.

''We are grateful to the American side that at this difficult time you came to our assistance,'' he told Nunn and Lugar.

Having blended down the stockpile of highly enriched uranium stored on site, Luch technicians and scientists have started to process materials from outside of Russia, including Germany, Libya, Latvia and Poland, under contract.

Vera Sviridova, deputy mayor of Podolsk, told the visiting Americans that some residents were concerned when they read reports that Russian highly enriched uranium was being returned from Germany to Luch.

City officials, she said, reassured the public that the materials would be safely handled, processed and later shipped out to make fuel.
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(This version CORRECTS SUBS 9th graf, `After a tour ...' to correct Lugar's age to 75 sted 69)