Your characterization of the Dowd articles is precisely on target. I believe the attacks are purely to sell her column. The last article made so little actual sense that I sent her an e-mail indicating how awful I thought her rantings were and how tacky. My home is in Illinois and I have observed Senator Obama since I heard about his 600 job offers when he left Harvard. It was astonishing to me that he returned to Chicago. Then he organized a campaign that registered 150,000 new voters. He was an outstanding IL State Senator. I recently retired and my former Secretary knew Senator Obama personally which I didn't know until he ran for the US Senate. She is a marvelous and totally honest woman who says that "we should only be so lucky" to have him as our President. It is my guess that Maureen Dowd has never met either Senator Obama nor his incredible wife. Thank-you for your article.

You go, Maureen! My sentiments exactly! Michelle's latest comments-- something about Obambi being "stinky" among other things I'd just as soon she'd keep to herself, coupled with his pathetic attempt to get votes by saying the he has to get elected in '08 because his wife won't let him run again, cause my hackles to rise. As much as I don't want Obama for President (and I so wanted there to be a competent black candidate!), I seriously don't want That Woman for First Lady.

But then again, when I look at my voting options in the First Lady category, there's no doubt in my mind that Bill gets my vote! Of the front-runners, he's the only one who is gracous and doesn't come across as a complete shrew.

Maureen who?

Ahh..yers...Maureen Dowd....the red headed old hag who still thinks she's sexy.
Uggh...no more please.

Ah yes, here we go again. Idiots like Dowd and Fineman are going to try to "define" the candidates for all of us unwashed masses like they did with Gore and Bush in 2000 and on and on. It cracks me up that these people are called "liberals", when all they can do is to draw attenrtion to themselves by putting down good people.
The thing is after 6 years of her choice for 2000, and with the country on the very edge of the cliff of economic and military destruction, she thinks that she is still somehow credible?
I got news for her and the rest of the idiot "punditry" and so called political "reporters" like Judith Miller. The jig is up on all of you people. You aren't incharge of defining our candidates for us anymore. Because of the Internet we are now in charge of our own impressions because we have the ability to fact check on our own.
Maureen Dowd is entertainment in a tabloid way only. She is no longer relevant in the age of the Internet.

Dowd is just trying to spice up her dead career as a has-been columnist. But why is Obama's wife saying he's stinky? What if he said that about her?

I believe that the majority of Americans no longer trust nor hold highly the rantings and ravings of political pundits and newspaper columnist. After all, they failed to do their most basic job as journalist/reporters in the follow up to this current war/mess in Iraq.
As they (journalist) lose their relevancy in our country, thinking people are flocking to the internet to do their own research and form their own opinions regarding politics and news.
Unfortunately, Americans on a whole are a bit lazy and self centered when it comes to world news and events. They have trusted the news media far too long and as a result we have the seen the impact on not only our political system, but also our economy and evirnoment.
If more Americans sought out the facts (which can be found) and discuss world events perhaps we wouldn't be in such a mess now.
Information is power, knowledge is power and the sooner the American population begins to recognize that they need to become more involved, the sooner we will find some solutions to our problems.

The pundits were wrong on the lead up to the Iraq War. Where were the pundits when torture became part of the powers of the President?

These writers sell papers as part of the corporate profits race. They do not shape public opinion and they do not define candidates for voters.

Thanks to the Internet, candidates can define themselves. Barack Obama supporters read his web site when they want to know how he stands on the issues.

For those of us who do not live on the East Coast, Maureen Dowd is a virtually unknown writer. I would expect the New York papers to support candidates from New York. Barack is from Chicago were Oprah rules the media world.

Oprah has far much more influence than Maureen so that's why Dowd is bristling.

What the heck.
There are three categories of people.

Those who love Obama are unmoved, unshaken and undetered by negativity.

Those who are undecided will not seek information about him from Maureen Dowd and will certainly not be turned off by his wife honesty.

Those who hate him will continue to post comments to every negative story on the internet, claiming that they just switched their vote from Obama. LOL.

Face it. There's NO WAY another Clinton will be elected president in 2008. Please join Obama today. Let's make America great again.

"Let's make America great again"

American is STILL great; it's too bad liberals are always selling America short. That's why there will still be a Republican president in 2009 whether you liberals like it or not. Get used to saying President Guiliani.

People read Maureen Dowd?

Ms. Dowd is the same moron that said Al Gore was too wooden and too intellectual. Read the current issue of Vanity Fair. She and the other NY Times columnist were all too enamored with Bush's folkiness in 2000. Thank you for Bush. I will never listen to her. Ms. Dowd's columns should be used to line bird cages.

We should care what Maureen Dowd thinks? ha ha ha She lost her cred a long, long time ago. Bye, Mo.

First of all I doubt if I am going to vote Obama, but that could change.
Obama has not lit my fire. The rhetoric of hope really has no clothes.
Just because you are not what is wrong does not make you what is right.
I agree completely with Ms. Maureen, and I thank her for staying on point, that any Dem, but especially Obama because he has the greatest potential, needs to show there's a little fire in the belly, and that means showing that and why he is different from Hillary - who will NEVER get my vote.
I read Ms. Maureen precisely for her unique boldness and penchant for clarity beyond what the rest of the so-called pundits are putting out.
And, as I see Obama positioning himself so squarely in the center that he almost completely overlaps Hillary, I see the country moving in the wrong direction.
Like she said, SHOW me that he is something more than the hype of the cameras, mirrors and magazine covers.
Show me. Don't tell me.
Mo! Mo! Mo!

HAS ANYONE ELSE NOTICED THAT MAUREEN DOWD REFUSES TO WRITE A NEGATIVE WORD AB OUT GIULIANI ??

Dowd's opposition to Obama is still quite puzzling.

He is exactly the type whom her Dowdiness would ordain with "Absolute Moral Authority."
Let's see......
"The moderate >, well-educated, very articulate African-American who can break through party barriers as The New Hope." or some other tripe like that >