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Originally posted by Alogon:

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Originally posted by cqg:
I don't think she'll concede the nomination nor will she officially end or suspend her campaign. She wants to take this all the way to the convention -- and perhaps beyond.

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What will her point be?

It's interesting that she can point to a few landslide victories late in the game, without nearly giving her a majority of delegates. But the more she points to these, the more she suggests that late votes should count more than early votes-- or perhaps that there should not be such early votes-- the very opposite of her desire to get the excessively early votes counted. The irony should not be lost on us.

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Originally posted by Gort:
...or Lower Slobovia.

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Originally posted by Og: Thread Killer:
"Need to be respected" is a clear call for something tangible in the way of a sop to her.

But, "not making any decisions tonight" means its over....you don't say that if you are going forward.

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Originally posted by Og: Thread Killer:
...But, "not making any decisions tonight" means its over....you don't say that if you are going forward.

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Originally posted by mjg:
Some fallout from the Obama campaign although it looks like self-inflicted damage to me: signing up to be part of the religious hierarchy comes at a price.

Probably another thread though.

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Originally posted by RuthW:
And Obama has Caroline Kennedy on his three-person veep-picking team, and he's apparently not going to be rushed into offering it to Clinton. Dude is smart.

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Originally posted by RuthW:
My co-worker told me this morning that all the black people on her bus were talking yesterday about how deeply afraid they are that Obama will be assassinated. All I can think is, for him and for his Secret Service detail.

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Originally posted by kentishmaid:

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Originally posted by RuthW:
My co-worker told me this morning that all the black people on her bus were talking yesterday about how deeply afraid they are that Obama will be assassinated.....

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....It surprises me that that would be the case in this day and age.

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Originally posted by Ps118:

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Originally posted by kentishmaid:

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Originally posted by RuthW:
My co-worker told me this morning that all the black people on her bus were talking yesterday about how deeply afraid they are that Obama will be assassinated.....

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....It surprises me that that would be the case in this day and age.

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I'm terrified something will happen to him, I have been since Iowa, and I'm not alone.

"Fifty-nine percent of Americans (and 83 percent of African-Americans) said they were concerned “that someone might attempt to physically harm Barack Obama if he’s the Democratic nominee for president,” according to an ABC News/Washington Post poll from March 2. Twenty-four percent of those polled said they were “very concerned” about that possibility."

I heard this poll cited on one of the punditry shows a few weeks ago. I think it was Clarence Page on The McLaughlin Group, but I tracked it down here.

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Originally posted by kentishmaid:
I suppose this just shows how naive I am, but my first thought on reading that was "Surely not?". It surprises me that that would be the case in this day and age.

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Originally posted by Clint Boggis:
What's the reason for perceived additional risk? His colour? His name? What?

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Originally posted by Mere Nick:
apostasy

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Furthermore, his administration would struggle to positively engage the Muslim world, where Islam isn't just a religion, it's the way of life. Conservative Muslim populations that are riddled with poverty and low literacy rates can be more readily swayed to join the cause against the "Great Satan" (the US) if their imams and mullahs shout that it is led by an apostate.

Diplomacy is highly personal. The leaders of America's Middle Eastern allies – such as Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Qatar – already feel besieged by jihadists and disgruntled citizens who see their governments as toadies of the West. The murtad card could intensify that pressure, so leaders of these countries might be compelled to distance themselves from Washington.

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ISTM the question is how many people will be influenced by the AQ types given some case could be made the more moderate may perceive Obama as a positive step forward for the US. My take is you have to play to the middle rather than the fringe so IMO Obama as prez would be more beneficial than not, at least in this regard.

But that dynamic is exactly why I still think him being elected is not the slam dunk many here think: overall the US is not anywhere near as 'left' as he is so I still predict McCain wins by a small percentage, largely because he's perceived as more 'moderate' and more experienced.

If it comes down to 'the vision thing' (gotta love Bushisms ) only, Obama will be the next POTUS. There's a part of me that wouldn't mind seeing it, just to see if he can do what he says he can.

You never know.

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Originally posted by Amanda B. Reckondwythe:
Let us see what comes of them.

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Originally posted by jlg:
Procedural questions:

What, exactly, is "impeachment" under the constitution of the the USA and whatever laws have modified it since then?

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Originally posted by Gort:
But still, someone has officially read charges into the record.

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Originally posted by jlg:
Procedural questions:

What, exactly, is "impeachment" under the constitution of the the USA and whatever laws have modified it since then?
(snip)
I now defer to the various shipmate lawyers to debate the fine points of all this, and I probably won't post again, since I don't have a clue, but do hope to learn a lot.

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In a stern Father's Day address, Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., told an African-American congregation today that too many fathers -- including his own -- have failed their children.

The Democratic candidate speaks of the importance of being a father."They've abandoned their responsibilities," said Obama, the putative Democratic nominee for president. "They're acting like boys instead of men, and the foundations of our families have suffered because of it. You and I know this is true, but nowhere is it more true than in the African-American community."

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Wow.

I give him huge credit for taking on the Democratic powers that be. Bill Cosby was virtually pilloried for this kind of comment: it will be interesting to see how Obama fares.

Wow.

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Originally posted by mjg:
I give him huge credit for taking on the Democratic powers that be. Bill Cosby was virtually pilloried for this kind of comment: it will be interesting to see how Obama fares.

Wow.

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Originally posted by tclune:

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Originally posted by mjg:
I give him huge credit for taking on the Democratic powers that be. Bill Cosby was virtually pilloried for this kind of comment: it will be interesting to see how Obama fares.

Wow.

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I guess I'm more cynical than you are. This seems like a low-risk way of reaching out to those red-necks who he needs to woo. His African American base is not likely to bolt for McCain over this to any noticeable degree, and working class whites have always liked to see a black man upbraid the black community. I don't particularly blame him for doing this, and I think he probably said things that he more-or-less believed, but the motivation seems to me most likely to be to pander to working class whites.

--Tom Clune

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I have to admit, I'm ambivalent watching all this. On the one hand, Obama did sell out the primary cause of his professional life, all for a tiny political advantage. If he'll sell that out, what won't he sell out? On the other hand, global affairs ain't beanbag. If we're going to have a president who is going to go toe to toe with the likes of Vladimir Putin, maybe it is better that he should have a ruthlessly opportunist Fast Eddie Obama lurking inside.

All I know for sure is that this guy is no liberal goo-goo. Republicans keep calling him naive. But naive is the last word I'd use to describe Barack Obama. He's the most effectively political creature we've seen in decades. Even Bill Clinton wasn't smart enough to succeed in politics by pretending to renounce politics.

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Obama has long acknowledged and accepted the basic reality that you cannot change Washington until you change the way we finance our politics and our campaigns. True, his campaign has done what was considered impossible by bringing in so many new, small contributors, which is healthy for American democracy. But don't, as some Obama folks do, call this a different form of public financing. It is not. Public financing imposes spending limits.

Obama did not "aggressively pursue" any agreement. He did not sit down with John McCain.

He did not do what he told us he would do. He may very well win the White House. But even if he does, Barack Obama will still be just one more politician who broke his word.

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Originally posted by mjg:
David Brooks is labeled 'conservative' but IMO he's usually pretty evenhanded: last week on the PBS News Hour he was as worked up as I've ever seen him on Obama's campaign financing decision, and even Mark Shields wasn't defending him.

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