Senator Clinton did not win the popular vote by any measure that does not have a half dozen caveats and special-case exclusions - this is an easily verified fact. And the Republican's leader, slavishly supported for years by a compliant GOP controlled Congress and still protected by a record number of filibuster threats, President Bush, is more than adequate rebuttal regarding where the Republican candidate's "road" leads America.

Kieth: Is the fact that Senator Obama accepts good ideas, approaches that are good for America and will make the life of my family better, regardless of who comes up with them first a bad thing? That is the cliche' standard of a good and effective leader. Would you prefer the Republican model of stubborn denial of reality and Titanic-like refusal to change course epitomized in President Bush? This isn't a football game where we wave our foam fingers and hope the other side loses; at the end of the day both sides want the best for America (unless you believe the "Bush and his Republican cronies are looting America for Enron/oil speculators/Saudis/telecos/the aliens from Roswell...").

Please stop praising Obama.
This isn't American Idol.
We really need experience

From an article by NY Times yesterday:

Saad Sultan, an official in an Iraqi government ministry, contended that Mr. Obama could give a fresh start to relations between the Arab world and the United States.

Mr. Obama has never practiced Islam; his father, whom he barely knew, was born Muslim, but became a nonbeliever. Mr. Sultan, however, like many Iraqis, feels instinctively close to the senator because he heard that he had Muslim roots.

“Every time I see Obama I say: ‘He’s close to us. Maybe he’ll see us in a different way,’ ” Mr. Sultan said. “I find Obama very close to my heart

It's always fun to see a Republican talk about what Senator Clinton's supporters want, and none of the items are things like a Supreme court that won't overturn Roe v Wade, equal pay rights, a rational healthcare system, a plan to address endemic poverty, help for the unemployeed refugees of offshoring - you know, all the actual policy points that Senator Clinton campaigned up and still strongly supports and fights an obstructionist Republican filibustering block to advance.

jhw - my point is yes, Obama should be farther ahead given this year's political climate but also to dispel the idea that Obama is a strong candidate, that his election is 'inevitable' and will be a 'landslide' as some have commented. Those are irrational expectations. Everything about Obama needs to be brought back down to reality before the election. The man needs to be demystified otherwise, win or lose, too many people are being set up for a rude awakening. That's my concern.

jhw539

So what you're saying is that how a candidate is marketed to the electorate is more important than their policy positions and ideas for the future of our country?

Well, yes, Obama is all marketing and no substance. I just don't think it's the most important factor.

Borrowing ideas from others is fine-once he's elected to somthing, but doesn't he have anything at all of his own? And, of course, he doesn't. Nada. Nothing. Empty space. All he knows about is how to get elected, and he does that by getting his opponents kicked of the ballot. That strategy has worked in every election he's so far "won". I can't wait to see how he gets John McCain kicked off the ballot!

But he'll only have to worry about McCain if he gets past Denver, and he may not. He hasn't managed to get rid of Hillary Clinton completely yet.

Keith: No, that is not at all what I'm saying. Not much point in my saying the same thing over and over if you're just not going to get it. If you actually cared about his substance, you would go and read some of the detailed, specific policy papers he has developed and posted publicly on his site. You don't even bother reading the example I tossed out here (his development and eventual implementation with bipartisan support of videotaping rules in Illinois). There *are* rational disagreements on the substance of his positions (returning to the Clinton-Gingrich era upper tax marginal rates to fund infrastructure and other programs) that are worth debating, but I don't see a reason to waste time arguing if you are just going to mindlessly parrot a talking point ungrounded in reality.

McCain should be glad he's not getting the supposed media coverage that Obama is. Then his many gaffes would be exposed and properly repeated throughout the media every day.

The guy is a walking plunder but the media gives him a pass every time. If Obama said the stuff he says, you'd never hear the end of it.

If Obama is such an intellectual moron as "reason" claims, then why is it that policies and diplomatic strategies that Obama proposed over a year ago now Bush and McCain are trying to claim as there own??

"Reason" is one of those low information voters who voted for Bush because he wanted to have a beer with him!

Why does Obama need a 300-person foreign policy campaign bureaucracy?

After all, last year he said himself,

"Well, actually, my experience in foreign policy is probably more diverse than most others in the field. I mean, I'm somebody who has actually lived overseas, somebody who has studied overseas. You know, I majored in international relations."

Or as Ron Burgundy said,

“I don't know how to put this, but I'm kind of a big deal.”

Can the Clintons stay out of the news the whole time that the presumptive Democratic nominee is out of the country?
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

The Clintons are in the news not beacuse they ask or want to be but because they are both larger-than-life politicians who are idolized and revered in this country and around the world.

This trip by Senator Obama and his entourage is a complete waste of taxpayers money. It is for political pandering and PR only. He has already come up with his positions on Iraq and other foreign countries. He is just show-boating again. Such a dud.

Poor Mary. She was critizing Obama for not going, now she is doing the same when he does go. You really have to feel sorry for someone who is just this mixed up! Or confused!!

This trip is probably paid for from contirbutions to his campaign as for the rich and poor getting him where he is you can't have it both ways I never new a rich person that wasn't republican down to theior last drop of blood look and Liz Hassellhouf, she would vote for the devil if he was on the republican ticket and if the surge was working why are people getting killed in record numbers everyday?????

JHW and KEIth Right Al Gore was and should have been if Flordia had been an honest state highway patrol rosdblocks on the streets that lead to the polls. the whole nine yards of crookedness. Obama can't get rid of Hillary without her he has nothing all of her solutions he stole and called them change

Rick from PA are yoy working, do you have healthcare for yourself and family, are you making your house payments if you can answer yrs to all these questions you are one of the fortunate ones and like more war and vote for MCBUSH