Sunday Roundup

This week featured the through-the-looking glass moment when Bill Clinton accused Barack Obama of having "played the race card on me," then denied saying it just a few hours later -- even though he'd said it on the radio. I know Toni Morrison called Clinton the first black president, but that's taking things too far. Joining the outrageous parade, John McCain said it's "very clear" that Hamas wants Obama to be president, and that he would be open to "tearing down" New Orleans' Katrina-devastated Lower 9th Ward. Not to be left out, Hillary Clinton vowed to "totally obliterate" Iran if it attacked Israel, and repeatedly claimed to have "received more votes" than "anyone else" -- which is absolutely true... if you "totally obliterate" her pledge to disavow Michigan and Florida.

Comments

[LAShores]

Huffington Post isn't really a Pro-Obama site. It's merely a medium to gather information and you draw your on conclusion from that information. Keep in mind, HuffPo is the site that broke the "bitter gate" story. Which I'm still confused about.. I mean if you look at the bitter gate thing, it was taken out of context. And let's assume it wasn't taken out of context, every word that Obama said was right. Those rednecks in small towns do cling to guns and jesus. Sooooo what's the big deal.
Anyway, this is the best website on the internet to obtain timely political information.

[PioneerKing]

"... comparing Barack Obama"s primary victory in South Carolina to Jesse Jackson"s campaigns and complaining Bill Richardson broke his word by endorsing Obama, every story has seemed to reinforce an image of Clinton as a sort of ill-tempered coot driven a little mad by Obama"s success," "this campaign has enraged him,"an adviser told me. "He doesn"t like Obama, in private conversations, he has been dismissive of Obama."
Clinton hates Obama because a neophyte black freshman senator is beating The Clintons, and Obama has achieved what The Clintons have not been able to do, energize folks by the millions who register and vote.
"The focus on Clintonian error has obscured a debate that Obama and the former President tried to have. Obama has been arguing the country"s economic troubles are as much Clinton"s fault as Bush"s," Obama [correctly] "blames Clinton deregulation of telecommunications and banking industries, he implicitly accuses Bill Clinton of surrendering to special interests." "The problems we face go beyond any single Administration," Obama told one labor audience. "For far too long, through both Democratic and Republican Administrations, the system has been rigged against everyday Americans by the lobbyists that Wall Street uses to get its way."
Clinton hates that Obama has spoken the truth about the Clinton era, but Obama does not care what the Clintons think of him.

http://www.newyorker.com/talk/2008/05/05/080505ta_talk_lizza

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/paul-jenkins/clinton-not-exactly-the-g_b_98789.html

[terraprieto]

All we can do now is wait until June.

It is my expectation that Obama will end the primary season June 3 with a pledged delegate margin of about a hundred votes.

Shortly thereafter, the DNC and Obama's campaign will announce they will recommend that the credentials committee seat the Florida and Michigan delegations selected at their state conventions, giving Clinton a 60 net delegate gain. Obama will continue to lead the total pledged delegate count by about 40 votes.

A few hundred superdelegates will announce their committment to vote for Obama at the convention. Obama will be the presumptive nominee, AND Michigan and Florida will have been counted in the total.

If the situations were reversed, and Clinton was ahead by any number of pledged delegates, she would be the nominee. To do anything else would leave her supporters feeling severely alienated and cheated. The Democrats won't do that to either side. Since Obama will almost certainly be in the lead, he will be the nominee.

I hope that the Democrats can then unite around Obama, our nominee, and win in November.

[Titonwan]

That's about the most adult version of reality I have heard lately. Thank you!

[cacki]

sweet.

[bitsbarnes]

if almost all commentary and comments are supporting barack obama there is no reason to visit this site. it is as predictable as rush limbaugh.

[dwillisno1]

this site==predictably right

Rush Limbaugh==predictably wrong

you==predictably trollistic

[bitsbarnes]

trolls vote too!

[ibsteve2u]

We know. We remember 1998, 2000, 2002, and 2004.

[RedKnuckles]

Catch you later, then...

[cacki]

sweet.

[AnAussieSlummingIt]

haiku for hillary

the whole world will change
every day a new landscape
each night a new dream

in the bare desert
the wind will shift a huge dune
one grain at a time

[opines]

The ruling clique which ascended to power with the assassination of JFK in 1963 and has succeeded in consolidating its power since then, has two candidates in the 2006 Presidential contest. They are John McCain (Pentagon) and Hillary Clinton (Neocon).

The election of either would not threaten the control of that clique. Military Imperialism, the Southern Strategy and Trickle-down economics is its policy.

Barack Obama, whose emergence as the Democratic frontrunner was not foreseen, represents a mortal threat to our current policy makers.

Sen. Clinton and Sen. McCain should be seen as partners in the effort to stop him.

[hallelujahanyway]

Succinct assessment. Rings (too!) true.

I tremble to think what kind of sh*t will rain down from those vertiginous heights (more like depths) should Obama make it into office. Or will they skilfully quash a democratic election ---

AGAIN?

We need to get serious about stopping this "ruling clique." Or have we waited too long?
What a corruptible let-down our Democratic congress has turned out to be. I can almost see it Nancy Pelosi's eyes sometimes..that she has been assimilated..

what the hail to make of it? What to do? All the traditional avenues of redress are not serving us, seems like. Rallies, marches vigils, talks, demonstrations. Anymore, these methods seem to marginalize dissenters. It's as if we need to organize on a much larger scale. If Obama doesn't get assimilated, remains a true "voice for [at least some] change, he has just the right kind of platform, really, for pulling us all together and developing a voice that has influence, clout. I'm on the Obama campaign email list and send money in 10 and 25 dollar increments (being po'), hoping to weave my bit of oomph to strengthen the grassroots. Hoping there is still hope. Real hope, not slogany hope

[pedrothemigrant]

Hey thanks for the Hillary quote! Now I don't care who wins, as long as its not Obama.

[PatCroft]

We have an opportunity, once these white house thugs are removed to turn New Orleans into another gem. The current administration along with FEMA have done everything to subvert and turn up side down their very rolls with helping the victims of Katrina and subsequently the people of the 9th ward. Call this compassionate conservative ism if you will. New Orleans can become the Venice of the Americas with the peoples of the 9th ward in heavy participation.

Isn't it time to put this government back on track and with its disarming of itself. We do not need to protect our boarders with anything other than our good or great will.

[Dan Stewart]

A round-up of this week's lies.

It's a reflection of how our culture embraces lies and liars.

Is it absurd to teach your children to tell the truth?

[georgiaR]

Regarding the lower 9th ward in New Orleans. If it is not safe and prone to flooding why rebuild it.
Im no engineer but makes sense to me

[cmeans29]

All of Holland is below sea level and they have no problems. California is prone to earthquakes, wild fires, and mud slides, but they rebuild.

It was reported on , MSNBC, that the company rebuilding the dams in New Orleans, was using newspaper in some portions, as filler.

[VisiteDeVoltaire]

There are people whose families have lived and owned property in the lower 9th ward for generations. This would mean dispossessing them at fire sale rates, if the property records can be found at all as a lot of them were destroyed. This in effect would make it impossible for these residents to purchase property elsewhere in NO as these are the city's poorest property owners.

In addition, it is not as if nothing would be built there. The property would then be back on the market, available for commercial development. This would be a case of corporations profiting from the poor's misfortune in the extreme.

[kravitz]

Bill Moyer's Journal with Jeremiah Wright, first seen last Friday, will be rebroadcast tonight, Sunday April 27 at 7:00 PM EST. So the ones who saw it are thinking McCain is out of touch...or didn't watch. Or doesn't care. And they'll be joined by those who missed the first broadcast, and will also get to see the truly insane and inane media, Clintons and Republicans need to keep Wright a juggernaught for sales, ratings and racists. This interview lets people see how the media is manipulating this entire election cycle. It needs Wright like a junkie needs a fix. And if Wright is no longer the angry black boogeyman, the media has nothing to survive on except the next rip and read.

Cindy McCain (by way of her father) is connected to abortion terrorists who murdered a journalist. (Yes, it's a real story, not a snark.) Now we know why he gets a free pass by the press!

Deceased journalist Don Bolles' bombed out car on display at Newseum.

How's that for interrupting your Sunday?

John McCain's Ties to Terrorists
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/4/26/202813/282/311/504123

Matt Welch
http://www.mattwelch.com/archives/2007/12/23-week/

Hotel reclaims name in effort to memorialize journalist's death
http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/local/articles/0516ruelas16.html

Sen. McCain Wants To Be President
http://www.usvetdsp.com/story22.htm

[TedAtkMA]

As I said earlier today in response to a different article, Senator Obama has said:
"I think it is very important that Iran understands that an attack on Israel is an attack on our strongest ally in the region, one whose security we consider paramount. It would be an act of aggression that I would consider unacceptable, and the United States would take appropriate action."

Senator Obama has also stressed that "they (the Iranians) should also know that I will take no options off the table when it comes to preventing them from using nuclear weapons or obtaining nuclear weapons."

The words "take no options off the table" means that Senator Obama does not rule out using strategic or tactical nuclear weapons to respond to an Iranian attack on Israel.

So, when Senator Clinton says she would "totally obliterate" Iran if it attacks Israel with nuclear weapons; it seems clear that Senator Obama, if he were President, would do exactly the same thing.

[Saltire]

As memory serves me, I thought Senator Clinton said would be "able to obliterate" , meaning it as a warning, not as a threat?

[juangault]

Total obliteration, involves killing maybe, what, 30 million people, who outside of being there, really had nothing to do with the situation.

Now a tactical nuclear weapon used as a bunker buster might kill a thousand, and most of those involved in the objectionable behavior. I doubt if Russia or China would ever go along. Hey, maybe we can get one of them to take over for us. China could clean up on oil, Russia could finally get a southern port to the oceans. Like most Americans, I doubt if many Iranians want more war.

[fun2bfree]

Except Obama makes no specific threats, leave diplomacy as an option and in general demonstrates the level and cool headed approach of a leader--this difference was best illustrated by comparing Pres Bush (W)- "bring it on" attitude to his father's far wiser "would not be Prudent at this juncture" approach to foreign policy.

Clinton = irresponsible lying loudmouth
Obama = responsible statesman and leader.

[TedAtkMA]

Are you really saying that Barack Obama, if he was President of the United States and was faced with a nuclear attack by Iran on Israel, would see diplomacy as an appropriate response!

[LeaveArtieAlone]

TedAtkMA,

I was not aware you were/are an advisor to the Clinton's and/or Obama camp. Did you interpret HRC"s meaning or were you told? Did Obama have a one on one just with you to enlighten us here? Seriously, sometimes people "misspeak" and sometimes they don"t. Let us draw our own conclusions about what was truly said instead of having someone trying to interpret the meaning of what was not said.

[georgiaR]

On April 16th Ahmed Yousef the chief political advisor to the Prime Minister of Hamas on a radio interview with WABC did say he supported Barack Obama. Also is anyone going to return to living in the lower 9th ward in New Orleans? If not why rebuild it?

[DrZee]

Duh (I'm smacking my forehead at your comment).... How insane is it to believe that Hamas is somehow connected to Obama if the chief political advisor of Hamas says he supports Obama? Does that have any basis in reality? Soooo, let's see, um... that crazy dictator in North Korea (egads, the name escapes me because I'm sooo pissed right this minute)... anyway let's say that crazy guy makes an announcement to his entire country that he supports McCain... think that means McCain is in league with him? Huh? Or let's say the American Nazi Party endorses McCain... does that make McCain a Nazi? Huh?

And as to the 9th Ward.... do you live in New Orleans? If not, I don't think you'd even begin to understand why lifelong residents would WANT to rebuild. Think about it. If your home is obliterated by some disaster, do you want to rebuild? How about some of those midwestern towns hit by tornadoes? Are they rebuilding? You know... those nice quaint white towns?

Yeah, I thought so.

[dawlishgal]

Sheesh....Limbaugh is telling people to vote for Clinton because the Republicans want to run against the weakest candidate and they believe SHE is that one, and now the advisor to Hamas is supporting Obama...Of course, HE wants McCain to win and to keep on with the Iraq war for the next 100 years because it is bleeding this country dry financially and killing a lot of our finest young people, as well as providing the best recruitment tool for terrorists that anybody could possibly imagine. And what better and more satisfying thing to a terrorist than to dupe the terminally stupid Americans by pretending to support somebody and virtually guaranteeing that the dumbest of the dumb people will vote against that person.

The more I hear from people who spew this kind of crap (either with creepy anti-American propaganda in mind or because they actually believe it themselves, the more I fear that the coming election will be another that will be decided by the most stupid and the most gullible elements of our voting population. Karl Rove taught the propagandists EXACTLY what to say to the morons, and the dimwits have not smartened up even one iota since they believed the nefarious swifties and voted for Bush.

[fedupnburnin]

I see nothing wrong with Arrianna's change over to a more liberal position. The whole point to political discourse is to get the other person to see the error of their ways. I admire her because she has guts. Much more than I do.

[NursePatric]

Arianna. Come on now: Hillary said she would do that if Iran used NUCLEAR weapons against Israel. This has always been the US policy for Nuclear deterence. I know you dislike Hillary intensely ... i wish you would write about why? No, not a recap of she stayed with a cheater; she exagerrated about sniper fire; she takes PAC money. No, I want to know why she bothers you so deeply ... what buttons she is pushing. You are obviously not alone. I would really like to hear some honest reflection on this from people of your ilk. I don't get it. I really don't. I mean I would like her better if she were tall and gorgeous and had a velvety smooth voice and ascerbic wit and could dance well etc. But I like her just fine for being smart and politically effective and caring about kids and families and personal rights. She's a politician. She does what they do. At least she knows it -- she's made conscious choices about how far to stretch her priciples to be in that arena. Please ... free associate ... why do you HRC bashers feel so strongly???

[shelobo]

Hmmmmmm,LIEING is a far cry from streching the truth.I wonder why the media thrives on the Ayars,Wright and Rezko B/S ,when they have not questions the Clintons links with people like Huma Abedin,and where this woman got her money to live the lavish lifestyle she did when she 'worked' for Hillary?Then theres Mauricio Celis ,now he's a interesting 'friend' of the clintons.Celis is among the Hillarys most generous donors and fundraisers, cutting hefty checks and raising more than $100,000 at a single event in early 2007.Then theres Raul Yzaguirre ,he reportably is on her campaign list ,he founded the latino radical group known as National Council of La Raza!Hence the reason for her HUGE hispanic votes.And an army of former Clinton administration officials had been put on the Colombian government payroll to push a NAFTA-style free trade deal. These people -- many waiting to get back into government should Hillary Clinton win -- are making up to $100,000 a month from a murderous right-wing regime that is one of the worst human rights violators in the Western Hemisphere. Now, today, we see how high up the Clinton machine this corruption really goes.(Thanks to huffingtonpost.com ,http://www.huffingtonpost.com/david-sirota/clinton-chief-on-payroll_b_95033.html people found this info out.

[Fasteddie1515]

Hillary has no principles.

[FogCityJohn]

NursePatric, the fact that you call people like Arianna "HRC bashers" shows that you're not paying too much attention to what people who oppose Clinton say. So, maybe it will help you if I give you a partial list of reasons why I don't support Hillary.

First, she voted for the Iraq war. Her vote helped get my partner stop-lossed and deployed to Iraq. He came back in one piece (physically) but the experience has scarred him for life.

Second, she supports neoconservative foreign policy initiatives like the Kyl-Lieberman amendment. (Do we really need a war with Iran?)

Third, as a gay man, I haven't forgiven her husband for signing two of the most homophobic pieces of legislation in American history -- don't ask, don't tell and DOMA. (And it's relevant because Hillary claims credit for her husband's administration.) The idea of Bill Clinton "defending" marriage is a joke, and it burns me to have a philanderer like him tell me that my relationship is somehow less worthy than his.

Fourth, her campaign has been divisive and, yes, racist. She's trying to define Obama as a "black" candidate and treating AA voters as if they don't matter. She's also attacking liberal activists (like me) and calling anyone who supports Obama names. Like her triangulating husband before her, she does not care about the Democratic Party, only about her own political fortunes.

I could go on, but I don't have space . . .

[EyeWantOneNation]

Arianna; I watch Bill Maher every week. Although I knew you would be appearing on his show last Friday to mainly promote your new book, I was also looking forward to your input and knowledgeable insights on the political scene.

Please, Arianna...PLEEEZE...in the future check Bill's guest-list on the panel. Having Garry Shandling on the panel usually means little or no intelligent discourse available. So was the case again !!!

I was quite disappointed, but happy you and Phil managed to get a few - although a few too many - remarks in !!!

[cmeans29]

Yeah, Gary's question to Arianna, "Are You Legal?" LOL