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First Read is an analysis of the day's political news, from the NBC News political unit. First Read is updated throughout the day, so check back often.

Chuck Todd, NBC Political Director

Mark Murray, NBC Deputy Political Director

Domenico Montanaro, NBC News Political Reporter



Nebraska senator backs Obama

Posted: Saturday, January 12, 2008 2:13 PM by Domenico Montanaro

From NBC's Domenico Montanaro
Sen. Ben Nelson (D-NE) endorsed Obama today, according to a release by the Obama campaign. Nelson is Obama's third endorsement by a Red State senator or governor in as many days. Gov. Janet Napolitano, Ariz. and Sen. Tim Johnson, S.D., are the other two.

"Those of us on both sides of the aisle who have made it our purpose to set aside partisanship to address some of the important issues of the day want a president that will join the effort, not foil it," Nelson said in a a release by the campaign. "Barack Obama, to me, represents the best hope for our own political reconciliation and a future where the cogs of government are working smoothly for progress instead of being gummed up by partisanship. Barack Obama will be the strongest candidate in the heartland, because he puts solutions and consensus first and he inspires great crossover appeal among Republicans and independents."

Obama on air in CA, AZ
Also of note, Obama has repurposed two ads for the Feb. 5 states of California and Arizona as he campaigns in the West before the Jan. 19 Nevada caucuses. "Mother," which focuses on health care is running in Arizona, while "Quiet," which focuses on reducing dependence on oil, runs in energy/green-conscience California.

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Senators are generally not stupid (exception is WVs Byrd). The smart money is going on Barack.
Congrats to Senator Obama... With Biden, Dodd, Richardson, and Kucinich out of the race, We're sure to see greater support for Obama from his colleagues in the Senate. The way Hillary Clinton has conducted her campaign, going to such lengths as to knock Dr. Martin Luther King, has reminded all of us how badly we need to get off the Bush-Clinton merry-go-round.  

The next best thing to getting a republican senator endorsement for Obama!
Sen.Nelson doesnt want democrats to win this 08 election to support obama.If obama come to 08 nominee,definitely democrats would be missing this chance.He is not qualified,experienced and he is a fresh with two year senate experience.I dont want to loose my vote.If democrats want to win this election,They should and have to vote HILLARY CLINTON.I am so fed up with last seven years with republicans.I want democrats to win thia=s election.So iam going to vote for HILLARY.
Unity, hope, change, real plans and vision. These are the messages that these democratic leaders recognize as well as the nation. A few tears and a show of passion in a debate are going to pale in comparison. Disfranchising voters will only hurt Clinton. Unveiling her economic plan was smart, she needs to stay smart, but my opinion is that it is not going to be enough in the  next week or two.
Obama is showing a remarkable ability to appeal to moderates from both the Democratic and Republican parties. I was a Hillary supporter before all these endorsements. Now I will be proudly voting for Barack Obama here in New York.
me and all my friends
we're all misunderstood
they say we stand for nothing and
there's no way we ever could
now we see everything that's going wrong
with the world and those who lead it
we just feel like we don't have the means
to rise above and beat it

so we keep waiting
waiting on the world to change
we keep on waiting
waiting on the world to change

it's hard to beat the system
when we're standing at a distance
so we keep waiting
waiting on the world to change
now if we had the power
to bring our neighbors home from war
they would have never missed a Christmas
no more ribbons on their door
and when you trust your television
what you get is what you got
cause when they own the information, oh
they can bend it all they want

that's why we're waiting
waiting on the world to change
we keep on waiting
waiting on the world to change

it's not that we don't care,
we just know that the fight ain't fair
so we keep on waiting
waiting on the world to change

and we're still waiting
waiting on the world to change
we keep on waiting waiting on the world to change
one day our generation
is gonna rule the population
so we keep on waiting
waiting on the world to change

we keep on waiting
waiting on the world to change

THE TIME IS NOW!
OBMAMA '08!!!!!!!
I didn't realize the Clintons have so many Senators that are po-ed at them.
3rd time i've tried to post something today. Will this be posted? Stay tuned!!!
Barack Obama is more experienced that Hillary Clinton could ever be in her whole life. She is a complete crook.
For goodness sake, is he ever going to do anything except give motivational speeches?  He needs to announce his policies for open review and comparison to the other candidates by the voters.  How can everyone ignore he is as liberal as they get?  WHAT'S HE GOING TO DO EXCEPT GIVE RABBLE RAISING SPEECHES so he doesn't have to actually say anything!!!  And is my mind deceiving me, or did I hear a trace of a southern accent in his NC appearances?

He voted "Present" in the Illinois legislature and has missed more votes than anyone else in the US senate.  He just got that job and isn't doing it, so how is he going to run the country?  He is rising so fast he isn't learning anything.  

Ask the governor from Arizona if she is going to be his running mate or get a place on his cabinet?  I bet her state, that just reelected her, will be interested in her answer.

John Kerry, how better to stick it to John Edwards?  And anyone who doesn't recognize that is just ignorant.  But he sure can make a mess with his mailing addresses, just to get even for imagined slights.

Do you hate Hillary so much you'll hook on to anything?  Are you so impressional that you can't look past looks to substance.  In 4-8 years he'll probably make a great president, but he'll either lose or finish what Bush started in this countrys rapid advance toward division and recession.  He's not going to know who is supporting him in this race or promoting their own advancement to Washington.  

Please wake up!
John from Chicago - I'll just reiterate my opinion that Clinton would do badly in the general election. And also note that she'd drag other candidates down with her.

This election could be something big for the Democrats, and I'm afraid they would throw all those advantages away by nominating Clinton.
Obama represents the America that the world know which is full of hope, opportunity, reconciliation, and leadership.
With Obama in the white house, not only that democrats and republicans can work together, but also the rest of the world will work with the only leader of the world.
Not only that allies of the US will find his administration refreshing and less poisonous, but the enemies will find it hard to galvanize their population.

My vote goes to Obama
Obama represents the America that the world know which is full of hope, opportunity, reconciliation, and leadership.
With Obama in the white house, not only that democrats and republicans can work together, but also the rest of the world will work with the only leader of the world.
Not only that allies of the US will find his administration refreshing and less poisonous, but the enemies will find it hard to galvanize their population.

My vote goes to Obama
Did anyone see Shelby Steele on Bill Moyers last night?  He is the son of mixed race parents (his father’s African genetics rule in his case) and the author of “The Content of Our Character.”  He has a new book out on Senator Obama.
I doubt these endorsements mean a whole lot however
I do think Integrity, trust and honesty means a lot.
Obama does not have any of these qualities, He is a crooked politician from Chicago who is deeply indebted to an indicted Chicago Slumlord who helped him own a million dollar plus home in exchange for favors that made Rezco millions of bucks. ABC and CNN have reported on it just yesterday.  Obama tells several different stories about Rezco in those pieces.
Watch for this story to get bigger and bigger especially now that Federal District Attorney Fitzgerald is after his ass and has indicted Rezco.
What about Obama's association with Tony Rezco who was indicted on fraud and paying politicians off to get favors?  Brian Ross of ABC investigated it and reported on it just this past week.  It is posted on you tube.  Obama admits the house deal he made with Rezco's wife and quote said he was a "bonehead" to do it. Rezco is a major contributor to Obama's Campaign What about the Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago that he is a member of.  Go to their website.  http://www.tucc.org/home.htm  and also read the newsweek lengthy piece on it.
It is totally black as far as staff goes and primarily the congregation.  Research it for yourself and you will see that they really do not want any whites in that congregation. They are out to destroy the whites and put the blacks in charge.  It is a revenge thing.
What about the real lack of experience from Obama and his Muslim roots?
There is just way too many questions about Obama and in the end Americans won't buy it.  A lot of these issues that I have raised here are coming out in droves all over the internet now.
That guy scares me a lot but he does make good speeches.
The Clintons have to stand against him but the race card is being played against the Clintons by the blacks and that is really unimaginable after all of the support they have given the black community.
I implore each of you Americans to go to you tube and see these Obama interviews regarding Rezco for yourself.  They were done during the past week and the most recent one yesterday, January 11, 2008 by ABC News!!
Obama racks up another endorsement from a pro-war senator.

Good Going, Obama!
Obama can lead us to victory, nest November
He can help us hold and INCREASE our Congressional majorities

Hillary Rotten Clinton will energize the Republicans and the social Conservatives
She would hand the Republicans Congressional majorities,
Especially in the Red states

Obama is electible and can unify and LEAD this nation

Obama/Edwards '08

YES WE CAN
Thank you Senator Nelson!  Love you!!  GO OBAMA 08!!!

John, you say: "He is not qualified,experienced and he is a fresh with two year senate experience.I dont want to loose my vote.If democrats want to win this election,They should and have to vote HILLARY CLINTON.I am so fed up with last seven years with republicans.I want democrats to win thia=s election.So iam going to vote for HILLARY."  
-----------
John, Mr. Obama was the Iowa's State Senator for several years, he is on his 3rd year as U.S. Sentaor.  Hillary has five years as a junior senator...THAT is the only OFFICIAL experience in public office she has. Her years as first lady to the guv of Arkansas and to the US President does not count!  Much as you and the Clintons like to think.  Senator Obama is very intelligent and graduated with honors.(yes, much more than Hillary who was a mediocre student in college and failed her bar exams in DC TWICE).  He has a keen undertstanding of the challenges we are facing and he instinctively knows how to go about resolving them.  He is forwardlooking and self-confident (doesn't keep reinventing himself to suit every different landscape); he has vision,is wise, and has extraordinarily good judgment. He is an expert in  Constitutional Law and taught it when he was a professor at the University of Chicago, thus he WILL uphold our constitution. He has the unique talent of bringing people together for an honored cause, he has the unique gift of expressing him eloquently, yet simply where we all understand what he is saying. Senator Obama has a HEART!  Yes, Senator Obama represents the hornor, vision, hope, and change that America wants,needs, and richly deserves!!!  
You say:  I am so fed up with last seven years with republicans.I want democrats to win thia=s election.So iam going to vote for HILLARY."  Didn't you get tired of the Clinton Presidency with all the scandals Bill and Hillary brought with them?  Didn't you get tired of scandal after scandal, deceit, lies, coverups, investigations, and total disrespect for the office of the Presidency, the White House, and our nation?  Do you remember Bill Clinton coming into the world's livingrooms, pointing and jabbing his finger at us all telling us "I did not have sexual relations with that woman---Monica Lewinsky."? Fortunately, Monica had preserved her blue dress with Bill's DNA (semen) on it!!  Do you remember Hillary coining "The Right Wing Conspiracy" and blaming them and Ken Starr for all of their woes?  Is this what you want for the United States of America and her people???
Oh, by the way, I just saw a clip of Hillary crying (AGAIN) in Reno NV. She thinks it worked so well in New Hampshire she is now making it part of her campaigne.  There we go again, Hillary has reinvented herself again...the weeping female candidate!!!  What a fraud!!!  America, please wake up.  Hillary does not care about the United States, she does not care about our service men and women, you and me. ALL she cares about is Hillary and how to get to the highest office in or country.  Hillary does not have supporters, she has blind followers!!

President Obama, Please use your superb talents, leadership skills, and honor to bring us back to We, The People!!  The people of America support YOU!!
Every woman, old or young should vote for Hillary R. Clinton.
The country might just get on the "right track" again.  
She won in New Hampshire, not because of her tears, but
because we women are sick and tired of  so many men speaking
so condensening to women.  What are they afraid of?????
Women have their children, raise and take care of their children
and in later life, who the hell takes care of a sick man????
A WOMAN, NOBODY ELSE.
\Ladies- just think of that!
VOTE FOR HILLARY-  WE NEED A SMART WOMAN
PRESIDENT AND SHE IS IT.


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