Hit Parade

Anyone who is not deeply naïve about American politics had to know it was coming: an intense assault on Barack Obama's character, his past, and his judgment. Now, as the previous fragments of rumor, innuendo, online reporting, and political gamesmanship are intersecting into a broader tale, we are about to see what Senator Obama -- and the United States of America -- are made of. We are about to move from "the silly season" to "the ugly season."

The sudden surfacing of a picture of Obama in traditional Somali dress; the charge that he had plagiarized his friend and advisor, Governor Patrick Deval; Senator Clinton's recent incensed discovery of leaflets circulating in Ohio exaggerating her support for NAFTA -- all of this is trivial in relation to the hit parade that is coming. Ties to Arab-American money and influence, Iraqi Baathist billionaire money, the PLO, domestic American terrorism... follow the money, connect the dots. This is now what is gaining traction (and detail) on the conservative blogs. It is just a matter of time (my guess is, a few days to a week) before it hits the mainstream press and the nightly news.

The timing is probably no coincidence. This week is probably Hillary Clinton's (and everyone else's) last chance to stop Obama from winning the Democratic nomination -- or at least from winning the primary elections and caucuses so decisively that the Democratic Party would be shattered if it then tried to deny him the nomination at its Denver convention on the strength of votes by "superdelegates." For weeks now, Senator Clinton's campaign has been trying to stimulate media interest in the story of Obama's Chicago past, to little effect. Now, finally, many of the threads have been picked up, extended, and woven together by conservative New York radio talk show host John Batchelor, in two extended blogs on the website, humanevents.com.

The implication of the story is that Obama got his start and rose to his heights in Illinois politics with the support of crooks, terrorists, and foes of Israel. Obama's early ties to Tony Rezko, a Syrian-American businessman about to go on trial next week for corruption (whom Hillary Clinton denounced in an earlier debate as a "slum landlord'), is the one part of the story that is more widely known. The idea here is that Rezko was a seminal figure in helping to fund Obama's political rise, and that he introduced Obama in 2003 to a shadowy Iraqi-born British billionaire, Nadhmi Auchi, who is allegedly implicated in financial wrongdoing or criminal activity on three continents. Other strands involve Senator Obama's associations with Professor Rashid Khalidi (then of the University of Chicago, now of Columbia University), who is alleged to have worked for the PLO in the late 1970s and is an outspoken critic of Israel, and his interaction with William Ayers and Bernadine Dohrn, former members of the revolutionary, terrorist organization of the late 1960s and early 70s, the Weather Underground, which was responsible for several bombings of government buildings.

Much of what hangs out there on the Internet now amounts to innuendo and guilt by association. No one is alleging that Obama has done anything illegal. Rather, the implication is that this is not the sort of man you would want to trust the future of your country to. And to the Jewish-American community: This is not the sort of man you would want to think about entrusting the security of the state of Israel to.

Many people (Jewish and otherwise) who have come to know Obama, watched him grow, and taken the measure of the man have come to feel differently. If every president (not to mention presidential candidate) had to agree with the views of or be held personally accountable for every individual he or she had met, served on a board or committee with, or taken a campaign contribution from, it is hard to imagine who we would have left to serve. I tried to think of a president in the post-World War II period who had not had to deal with a serious scandal in his administration. Truman, Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon and on, they all had skeletons tumbling out of their presidential closet. For a moment I thought, well, there was Jimmy Carter, who promised the country "a government as good as the American people." And then I remembered his director of the Office of Management and Budget, Bert Lance, who was forced to resign over allegations of prior financial mismanagement.

There is a lesson in Carter's experience. There are no angels in politics, and aspirants to the presidency should not present themselves as such. Politics does not attract angels. It attracts people who want to get close to power to advance their interests (which often include getting richer than they already are), and it attracts people who want power for a variety of reasons (which often include making the country and the world a better place). In the mix, we get corruption, scandal, or sometimes simply bad judgment. It seduces even people who think of themselves as honest: witness Senator McCain's involvement in the Keating Five scandal, or the recent allegations in a New York Times article of his close relationship with a lobbyist. It is important that Barack Obama's avid followers not idealize him into something he is not, and that he not mislead his devoted following and the country into thinking he is something superhuman in a moral sense. He is fallible and imperfect, and so has been every president in American history. The questions are ones of scale and balance, of what is left when you account for the fallibility, and of how a president, or would-be president, acknowledges and learns from his mistakes.

As the multiple strands of the story are seized upon, worked, researched, and vetted by major media outlets, we will see what is left to it. My guess is we will find that Chicago machine politics remain afflicted with many of the problems that have plagued it for decades, and that a young aspiring politician without deep roots in the city made some errors in judgment in associating with Rezko, and with Auchi if that is established. There is another story to be explained: how a prominent member of a violent terrorist organization 4 decades ago, who was quoted only some years ago as having said, "I don't regret setting bombs; I feel we didn't do enough," became an influential professor and member of the Chicago social and political establishment. But that is hardly a story that Barack Obama has to answer for.

What Senator Obama will not be able to do is simply dismiss all of this as more "politics as usual" or "silly season." It may be politics as usual, but it is politics that can be deadly in a general election. Whether Obama used drugs as a young person is not really relevant to what kind of president he will be a generation later. But who he has worked with and depended on for his political advancement is not irrelevant. Barack Obama is not responsible for the views and associations of everyone he has ever associated with. But he would be wise to respond quickly and forthrightly as these questions come to the center stage. He must define in this context who he really is. If he does not do so, the Republican attack machine will be happy to do it for him. And we saw what they did four years ago to a war hero named John Kerry.

Comments

[Myrrhis]

The canonization of Obama is a phenomenon perpetrated by either Hillary and her camp or the 'Pubs and theirs, or both. They saw an opening in trying to paint a movement characterized by optimism and a large youth vote as cultish and messianic. It just doesn't wash.

How long are we going to allow an opposition, ANY opposition, to define us? Neither Clinton's faux (Fox?) preacher stint nor the MSMs endless parade of "Obamaniacs" "Koolaid drinkers" etc. can change who we are. Either we are resolved to see this thing through, on our terms, with OUR identity clearly established for US, or we are just playing into the fearmongering that has been so prevalent of late. They do not define us as voters, and neither do I see many believable Obama supporters seeking to define our candidate. (Note "believable", I really do think there are 'Pubs who skulk around the various left-leaning media outlets)

You said, Mr. Diamond, that no one is without fault, that no candidate has been without scandal. Ok. So let's get to work. Let's just forget all this timidity. We have power, energy, and even the over-used-term momentum. Dare I say it? Yes we can.

[grlpatriot]

I love how Obama's problem is Hillary's fault. Obama did this to himself. The Obama "movement" as "cultish" was created by his supporters. Just quit the blame game. If you believe in Obama, and this is a non-story, then stick with him. But don't be surprised when people are turned off by the freak show.

[jfh]

re I love how Obama's problem is Hillary's fault.

Of course it is! It is Rule #1 of the Special Rules for Hillary.

[Myrrhis]

Aight, grrl, challenge time:

Find a widely available web resource in which ANYONE directly tied to the Obama campaign uses language that can be seen as characterizing his supporters as cultish, provided that characterization is clearly meant in earnest, and not as a sarcastic response to being labelled.

I got 50 bucks that sez you can't do it.

You want a freak show? Try Who-am-I-today Hillary. "I'm a preacher! I'm a schoolteacher! I'm a conciliator! I'm an attack dog! I am the walrus!"

As you said, don't be surprised by anyone . . .

[TMAN]

Yes I agree with the content and tone of this response. It's going to come down to that vs McCain no time for being tenative. It is a generational showdown and the time is ripe.
The continued existence of our nation with it's long held (recently ignored) values is at stake.

[auntyhattie]

Now that the right wing attack machine has destroyed Hillary Clinton, they will go to work on Obama. I'm not so sure McCain isn't going to win.

[VOTER]

Correction: McCain's name has been changed

to McWar.

[XYZ]

McCain is in the proverbial glass house he can't throw stones that hard they may crack his maverick fasade.

[Hilleluiah]

I'm confident that McCain is going to win.

Missouri polls of democrats who voted:

50% of Obama Supporters will vote for Hillary, 50% will not.

30% of Hillary Supporters will vote for Obama, 60+% will not.

I'll vote for Senator Obama, but all I hear from other Hillary supporters is that they will not. I think we need to support whomever the democrat is, but I can't make people who's number one reason for voting for Hillary is experience and security, feel secure with Senator Obama.

[pgate127]

I'm one of those Hillary supporters who is thinking twice about voting for Obama. I am tired of being maligned by Obama supporters (not to mention some of the Liberal Media) as being out of touch, craven, power-seeking, hypocritical or whatever else they want to throw at me, by way of throwing it at my candidate. I'm simply a Democrat who looked at the card of candidates, did my research and chose who I wanted to vote for, based on who I thought would do the best job.

The Obama supporters on these blogs really need to pull in their talons. I can tell you one thing from experience, and that is they can't do it on their own. They will neeed a unified Democratic Party to pull this off.

And don't start all the "Supreme Court! Supreme Court!" BS with me. Where was this vaunted "youth vote" in the last election when that really mattered? What, now you want me to vote for your candidate to rescue what's left of your right to choose and your right to privacy?

Hey, I've been doing that for 40 years now, and as far as I'm concerned, I'm tired of you sitting on your Me-centered rear ends waiting for everyone else to tuck you in for your life.

You want your candidate to win? Then stop telling nearly half of the Party that we're idiots. We aren't. And you WILL need us.

[jfh]

Are you sure this is correct?
Missouri polls of democrats who voted:

50% of Obama Supporters will vote for Hillary, 50% will not.

30% of Hillary Supporters will vote for Obama, 60+% will not.

After all Obama predicted that Senator Clintons supporters would vote for HIM but doubted that his supporters would vote for HER.

How can this be? The All-Knowing and Wise Obama is wrong!!! Do not tell me that the god not only has stinky feet (thanks for telling us that Michelle Obama!) but the feet are also made of clay??

[whimsicalpig]

I see chaos in congress and the government if obama wins and just more of the same if mccain or hillary win.

the only difference being the supreme court so I would hope for a democrat.

If you think nothing was acomplished with Jimmy Carter, just wait to see the dug in heels with obama.

why would any senator or representative go against his K-street special interest supporters in favor of obama's agenda

just what would obama have to offer these guys, a kumbaya moment?

I fault him for not preparing his followers for the brick wall they are headed towards if they do get their guy in the white house,

of course, he wouldn't be thier pied piper if he told them the truth.

[whimsicalpig]

I was sure that america would come to its senses in 2004 and rid us of bush

I was totally unprepared to accept how gullible and stupid many voters are.

with the path that the dems have chosen, there will be an angry old white guty in the white house come jamnualry 2009

[independentrepublicrat]

So let me get this straight: Under the guise that we citizens have somehow missed the politics of personal destruction that plagues every election in this country AND under the guise that you are concerned for Senator Obama's reputation and character because baseless, scurrilous attacks are sure to come from wingnuts (and obvious democratic gutter skunks pontificating not too differently from yourself), YOU HAVE DECIDED THAT IT IS IN SENATOR OBAMA'S BEST INTEREST FOR YOU TO GET A JUMP ON THOSE DEALING IN FEARMONGERING, HATEMONGERING, LIES, AND ASPERSIONS BY WEAVING TOGETHER YOUR OWN BLOG OF "innuendo and guilt by association" ROOTED IN NOTHING BUT XENOPHOBIA, FEARMONGERING, HATEMONGERING, LIES, AND INNUENDO?! You know, just in case the mainstream media and wingnuts did not get to wider distribution in time to stop this Obama guy, you wanted to do your part to help "their" (translation "your")cause.

If this doesn't beat all, take the cake, or fan the schit, I don't know what does. So, it was decided by someone(s) that you were a good operative for this move because surely if that head case T-Marsh would have written the above attack it would have been summarily dismissed for the garbage it is. You on the other hand have laid a deceptive quicksandish level ground with your first blog just two weeks ago. Then you come with a shameless and baseless attack that is so unambiguous even a blind man can see, assuming he had a working brain, which apparently you are betting against.

Your post should be insulting on so many different levels to every progressive person of good conscience who reads it, again assuming they have exercised brains. The cleverness of your ruse notwithstanding, this has brought this campaign to a new low and I find it disgusting, especially in its presentation under pretenses. The above blog is nothing more than fearmongering and hatemongering smear perpetuated as concern.

[Opus007]

I understand your point. But you can't be surprised--they are totally predictable. They can't win on substance- they are so corrupt and incompentent.
It is our time to turn the tables on them.

[grlpatriot]

Insert head in sand.

[pgate127]

Dude. BREATHE. Diamond is just laying it out as the Right will begin laying it out after next Tuesday. You can't just bury your head in the sand--or, worse yet, throw a tantrum--and expect them to disappear.

This is REALITY. Best get your armor on. It's gonna get ugly.

[independentrepublicrat]

Dude. THINK. Diamond is just laying out his right wing smear before next Tuesday in an effort to breathe life into Billary's failed campaign. You can't just leave your head buried in your azz---or worse yet throw around stupid lies---and expect to be considered doing anything but spreading manure.

[Bluesage]

This is a very fair assessment but will likely be viewed by Obama supporters as a smear. They tolerate no questioning of their guy. He is above it all and will save the world. I have no doubt that he will be the Democrat nominee and I think it will be a very tough battle for him. I think it's naive to believe that all those cross-over Republicans who were Democrats for a day will stay with Obama. And, it's naive to believe that all those young voters will maintain their enthusiam until Nov. and go out and vote. That has not been the case historically. The MSM has given Obama a free ride so we really know very little about him and I see more xanax in his belly than fire. I supported John Edwards but the MSM and DNC/DLC decided this was the year to promote our "first" and promote they did to the exclusion of all other viable candidates. I still don't understand that thinking considering the absolute necessity of a Democrat being elected in Nov. Our only hope for Nov. is that McCrazy turns out to be worse than we all thought. Close will be a republican win.

[independentrepublicrat]

What is the point of holding people's replies hostage just so that you can read them and make a counterpost right before/after a valid post to dismiss it. The moderation here is quite pathetic in that regard. It shows both a lack of character and inferior intelligence.

[drbala]

Right on. If Obama's followers think that Obama has UT, KS, LA, AL, VA, GA, etc. in the bag come November, they are a crazier cult that one can imagine.

Most of the blue blooded democracts have voted for Hillary so far; let's hope that they will stick with Obama in the general election, if he is the nominee. But no guarantees if the Obama camp and its followers keep throwing venom at the real dems. Then Obama will really have to win UT, KS, LA, AL, VA, GA, etc. to have a chance in November!

[TankerRat]

Add ID, MT,ND,SD,OH, FL,TX, KT,TN,NC,SC and NE to that list. If not, then say hello to President McCain. Heaven protect us.

[Sketchartist]

All that people have to do is NOT SUPPORT all politicians and media who use dirty tactics - and REWARD the opposite.

That has been happening. I urge that it continue.

[Repubnomore]

Excellent point! We can't back down now - this is just a bump in the road.

The middle of the road Republicans are coming to Obama because they are fed up with fear mongering. Smear tactics from the far right will only mobilize against the GOP more.

While no candidate is immune to these types of attacks, think of what they'd cook up with Hillary? There's a reason she isn't releasing her tax returns and her First Lady docs are being held up indefinitely.

Rising above the fray will be more difficult for Obama this time, but if the far right is launching this now, they'll be all out of ammo long before November.

[dadumdee]

Good article, but you just make sure you are part of the solution and not the problem. I read, you write, so do your thing to ensure we get the truth.

[grlpatriot]

When Obama's associations with Rezko, Rashid Khalidi, Wright, and Ayers are repackaged by the RNC, and thrown out into the MSM, you better believe that Obama's negatives are going to go through the roof. The poll numbers that show Obama beating McCain are a snapshot of public opinion BEFORE Obama's negatives are introduced. Hillary wins or is close to McCain in a matchup, despite high negatives. Not fully vetting Obama is one of the biggest mistakes Democrats are making right now. I know this isn't what people want to hear.

[consultant55]

I agree. The hard right of the Republican Party is going to go hard negative. They'll throw up imperfections and fabrication. When they do it, they'll show they are just as stuck in a time warp as is the Clinton campaign. (1)most of America is sick of the campaign of character destruction. (2)much of America HATES Bush and almost ALL of the policies of his administration. (3)the 18-30 age group is just not as outright racist and fearful of each other as older folks. For the first time in their young lives, someone has reached out, provoked them, and they have responded. They see this election is about their future, and man, do they want to erase the direction of the last 8 years.

As they said in the film, The Terminator, "a storm is coming". I agree. Let's get ready, kick its ass, and move on. We've got a lot of work to do after November.

To Hillary, Obama, Independents & Republican supporters: let's work together for something worthy of calling ourselves Americans.

[Opus007]

We haven't even scratched the surface on McCain's negatives because until very recently he wasn't even considered a viable candidate.

[hank48188]

All the names you just mentioned were talked about by a radio host that was on FOX NEWS about 20 minutes ago. He was talking about Tony Rezko and his connection to Nadhmi Auchi, a iraqi Billionire. Also mentioned the fundraiser held by the WEATHERMAN TERRORISTS, Bernarding Dohrn and William Ayers, for Obama in Chicago. And then Obama is a member of a Church that Honored Louis Farrakhan for being a Great Man? Talk about some bad judgement.

[TankerRat]

You may wish to recheck that grlpatriot. Latest polls I've seen say HRC trails McCain by ten points or more in all categories except one.

[VoterFraudNeverAgain]

" And to the Jewish-American community: This is not the sort of man you would want to think about entrusting the security of the state of Israel to."

Change that into:
"Bush, Cheney, Wolowitz, Feith, Abrams - these are not the sort of men I would want to entrust the security of the state of Israel to."
But they were - and that's why the brutal occupation of Palestine continues, the inhumane siege of a million and a half civilians in Gaza continues, and why the blood of Israelis and Palestinians sadly continues to be spilled on a daily basis.

Read editorials and opeds in Haaretz www.haaretz.comm). Even Israelis are fed up with the neo-con control of US foreign policy. read editorials and opeds in Haaretz.

[Rog49Thomas]

Sadly Haaretz represents only one small segment of the political spectrum in Israel.

If it represented more, then elections would reflect that fact.

[bluestatelib]

It's really fascinating to see how much glee many Clinton supporters express at the prospect of some "skeleton" coming out of Obama's closet to sink his campaign. They hope to see Obama lose in the general election and be shamefully disgraced so that they'll be proven "right" about how he hasn't been "vetted" in the primary.

Yet, the Clinton campaign has for the last year thrown everything at Obama, including the "kitchen sink," and many of the um, "controversial" associations (i.e. Rezco, Weatherman Underground, etc.) listed above, yet he's not only survived, he's winning by double digits nationally against her.

I've come to the sad conclusion that many Democrats are shamelessly fearful cowards. They're so afraid of what the big bad Republicans will do in the general, that many of them are willing to push aside the single most inspirational Democratic figure in 40 years to play it "safe." 40 years! Even after we've denounced (and rejected :) Gore and Kerry and other Democrats for being lackluster, uninspiring and unable to bring new people to the Democratic fold.

Instead of gleefully hoping that Obama falters, Democrats should get behind the forthcoming nominee to help him survive whatever Republican slime will come his way. But, obviously many Democrats are just too petty and cowardly at this point.

Luckily, Obama appeals to more than just Democrats but also Independents and some Republicans - many who aren't as traumatized by past Democratic presidential losses as are many hardcore Democrats.

[CatfishJohn]

...thats well stated...i agree, america is at the precipice of a potential "sea change" politically...my own hope was that this would be engineered by john edwards, who in an era before today's corporate media designating their preferred candidates for the WH, would have been a helluva strong candidate ( alas, he was jsut too liberal for the corporate media's stamp of approval and thereby forcefully marginalized by them). hopefully, obama is holding his best cards ( i.e. a truly liberal agenda) close to his vest..his personal pedigree would surely indicate that, although we all know how 60's children hillary and bill turned corporatists republican -lites....so you are correct- perhaps we need to take to the notion that if Obama is elected, a tranformation much like 1932, 1960 and (unfortunately ) 1980 may be at hand...and if not that, at least we will know that america's abundant number of republican closet racists will lose sleep and be writhing in their gut dailyover a black man with liberal propensities as president--i say, "OBAMA '08"!

[Hilleluiah]

Are you serious? "The Kitchen Sink?" It's called debating and finding out who your opponent is? Nothing personal, just asking about the facts.

I agree that the "Democrats" are weak if they can't handle being asked tough questions. Seriously, what have the Clintons asked that Barack Obama cannot handle? This is the office of the Presidency, not Student Council. It's the world that we live in; it's tough; life is tough and you need to grow a set to survive in it. Mommy and Daddy cannot fix everything for you or fight all of your battles. Sometimes you need to stand up and fight for what you believe in. If someone smacks you in the face, you don't hold hands, you smack them harder!

On the one hand, I tend to agree with the Republicans when they talk about the weak liberal lefts. On the other hand, how can I fully trust their judgement about who the "right" democratic candidate is when they gave us 8 years of Bush!

[hank48188]

Once all these blog stories hit the MSM, as they did today on FOX, Obama will have lots of explaining to do, I guess this is why he's ducking the media. The radio host that was on FOX was talking about the trial of Tony Rezko next week, Rezko's 20 year relationship with Obama and the connection to Iraqi billionire Nadhmi Auchi. He also metioned the fundraiser held for Obama by the WEATHERMEN TERRORISTS that live in Chicago, Bernardine Dohrn and William Ayers and Obama's connection to someone from the PLO in Chicago as well

[jeanniem]

The good news is that the conservative blogs have been and continue to be watched by both the Clinton and Obama camps. If there is a "loose nuke" out there to annihilate Obama and Clinton has failed to discover it at this late date, her campaign will have been proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt of being the most inept organization of the 21st century.

[PT]

and your guilty by a reasonable doubt for failure to read and appropriately respond to the Obama supporter issues that Davidson presented -- ;-)

[grlpatriot]

Oh, camp Clinton knows it's there, which is why Hillary has been so adamant about being vetted. As one of her supporters, I was getting a little sick of hearing her say "I'm vetted, I'm tested". Then I realized what she was really saying -- Obama's not vetted. So, I decided to do some research of my own on Obama. I began to understand why she was ringing the bell for Democrats. Obama's Rezko ties and "ties to Arab-American money and influence, Iraqi Baathist billionaire money, the PLO, domestic American terrorism" are explosive and bad news for Democrats running against McCain. Hillary's got baggage to be sure, but not this kind.

[homas]

IF Obama's organization can be tough and ruthless enough I feel that there are plenty of skelatons and issues that will stick to McInsane to move most Americans into voting for Obama.

After all Dubya just laid it out that Americans will vote for McWarmonger to KEEP us in Iwreck!

McInsane = 100 years in Iwreck
Obama = Get out of Iwreck

[CaseyBabes]

Obama= Uh, what do we do now?

[dartagnan]

I really believe that in the past eight years Americans have gotten sick and tired of Rove-style smear politics and that if the Repukelicans try it on Obama (which they will, because it's the only thing they know how to do) it will generate a ferocious backlash. But I could be wrong.

[JasonEverettMiller]

You're not wrong. I am just glad they don't seem to understand why it isn't working for Hillary.

[freecasey]

For those interested in the Times of London story: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/us_elections/article3433485.ece?token=null&offset=24

Tell me again why Obama's letter supporting Rezko's attempt to get public financing to help build an apartment building for elderly people is a DAMNING event? Tell me again why a handshake neither person remembers means Obama is a terrorist? This is bullshit. Again, welcome to Amerika.

[hank48188]

All you Obama supporters better read this piece from the Times of London because all this stuff will be coming out next week when Obama's biggest booster and fundraiser, TONY REZKO, begins his Federal Political Corruption Trial in Chicago. He is being prosecuted by Fitzgerald, the same guy that got "Scooter" Libby last year. When the public starts reading about how Rezko helped Obama buy a house he couldn't afford and Rezko connections to the money from the Arab world. the gereral public won't like any of this. And then Obama belongs to a Church that Honored Louis Farrakhan as a Great man and American? Boy, you have to wonder about that.

[Stanley]

How much is real and how much is fabricated? Stir the pot and grin little troll, but we all know that as much manufactured BS that sticks to the wall with any fragment of support with innuendo will be the cud that the right wing radio cows chew and moo on. Since when was Israel the flaming point for American politics? Exactly who is paying you? This seems to be the last ditch efforts of the Clinton/McCain Cabal to extend dynastic rule. This sounds like a cartoon character plot to me just ripe for the rumor mill but with little substance. So you seriously think he has never been vetted until now? Our MSM is so feeble and corrupted, yet your presumption is that now that they are finally working all this juicy material was just waiting to opo out? Like out of the 150 million the Clinton's wasted on a losing campaign, not even a few bucks was spent on dirt digging? Please! As Hillary says, "Let's get real!"

[hank48188]

Why don't you Obama supporters go to the Chicago Tribune and read 10 or 20 of the stories they have listed about Obama and Rezko, wise up, this is all very real!

[ParacleteofKavorka]

No, they're busy at his website that they keep referring us to. Yet, they can rarely say any of his policies in their own words unless they cut and paste from the site. Apparently, they can read it but it doesn't sink in.

Likewise, they listen to his speeches but can't say anything but 'he's inspiring'. I guess it's the sound of his voice and not the actual content of the speeches that they hear.

[CatfishJohn]

...the fine and very ugly line repubs will face and not want to cross is their UNDENIABLE and regreattably undeniable use of "wink and nod" racism as a tactic to win oevr Dumb Bubba and Pickup Truck Patsy since 1968 election...if the repubs see obama as the incarnation of all they, as the party of america's racists, msot detest, will they go overboard in their inevitable use of racism against any dem again and turn this into a grotesquely ugly attack mode, and thereby alienate even more youth votes, indpendents and even soem mdoerate repubs??....electoral strategy indicates they will have to hold onto virgnia, ky, w. va. tenn in order to win in nov. as its is very likely 1 or all 3 of colroado , nevada and new mexico will go Dem with the rapid trending Dem latino voters...are they gonna make the "call me harold" racist innuendo ads theat doomed harold ford in Tennessee look like a kiddy cartoon by comparison in order to "GET" obama...if they do, their may be some serious backlash for this party of vile lee atwater to pay....