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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



McCain also picks UNC

Posted: Thursday, March 20, 2008 12:11 PM by Mark Murray

From MSNBC's Adam Verdugo
McCain has also released his NCAA brackets. His Final Four picks: UNC, Kansas, Memphis, and UConn.

His championship game is UNC vs. UConn, and -- like Obama did -- he has UNC winning the game.

Also worth noting: McCain picked 10-seed Arizona over 7-seed West Virginia in the first round. But he has his home state Wildcats losing to Duke in the second round.

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I have no idea what you just said LOL
Dumb, dumb, dumb, dumb, dumb McCain
IS IT POSSIBLE TO DISCUSS THE ECONOMY??
HEALTHCARE??  THE WAR??  US FOREIGN POLICY??

Oh no, I may need to vote for HRC afterall...

(LOL, Go Huskies)

Obama 08
Here's hoping McCain can identify his basketball teams better than America's enemies. Is Lieberman with him to help?
Hey - WHY has no one covered Obama's speech today linking the war and the Economy???

I think that is an issue about which voters would like to hear.
And who cares what that old man picked.  He is senile
And who cares what that old man picked.  He is senile
UConn?  Really, Obviously, he is either putting Lieberman on the ticket or he has no clue about College Basketball much like the Sunni's and Shiites.  
Also worth noting: McCain picked 10-seed Arizona over 7-seed West Virginia in the first round. But he has his home state Wildcats losing to Duke in the second round.

Does that mean he will lose Arizona in the general?
McCain's brackets show McCain and Hillary in the finals also. Then it's a McCain win in a rout.

Let's see just how judgement vs. experience plays out in what really matters! This just in: Hillary Clinton's bracket will be released after the Championship game.
As if I could like Obama any more, he goes and supports the Tarheels.  I may not be Tarheel born but I'm Tarheel bred and when I die I'll be Tarheel dead!

Go Heels and Obama!
ok I didn't comment when there was one topic on the brackets on a political blog. But two?  And, then, as usual, when one tries to submit a thoughtful, non-hate but sincere statement of oppostion to Obama I guess you don't have time to do that. You'd rather people think about his picks for a basketball game instead of the "science" he might have employed picking his pastor.
UConn? UConn? That's as bad as thinking al Qaeda is a bunch of Shi'ites.
Releasing tax returns is one thing, but releasing brackets as well? Are we supposed to understand the picks as politically motivated? Does Obama want to bolster his support in the North Carolina primary? Shouldn't McCain go with Notre Dame and more middle-America teams to shore up the religious conservative vote (or maybe his UNC pick shows his support of the military)?  Is McCain's wavering support for Arizona reflective of his refusal to scare up pork for his home state--or, worse yet, does it show that he will pander to the East Coast liberal elitism that Duke represents? Should we be impressed or dismayed that both McCain and Obama go with conventional wisdom and pick Carolina? I'm so confused!
Speaking of brackets...john mcshame will need some draft lottery brackets to force some of those fine republican boys and girls to go fight...they just aren't volunteering to serve at the same volume that they cheerlead the war...I don't get it
He wouldn't last ten minutes in my tourny pool!
'...There is something stomach-turning about the
Clintonian strategy for winning the nomination...'


'...precisely the sort of cynical paranoid post-modern
solipsism of people who will say anything whatsoever
to get what they want and then act stung when called
on it. It borders on sociopathy...'

'...Every day, one is struck by the (one-sided)
viciousness in this fight...'


'...Huffington Post

Character as Destiny: The Clintonian Narcissism of
2008

There is something stomach-turning about the
Clintonian strategy for winning the nomination.
Underneath that which is so disgusting, however, there
are little passion plays playing out -- about the
state of the nation, and the state of its soul-sick
psyche. While there is no overt reason to conclude
that they are racists, (if that sentence seems
luke-warm, take a look at Hillary's own concession
that Obama is not a Muslim), there is every possible
reason to label the Clintons opportunists of the very
first order. Bill Clinton was not a racist when he
mouthed off in South Carolina; he was a desperate
power-monger, flailing. Bob Johnson from BET doesn't
really think Obama is a drug fiend -- it was just "an
opportunity". Albeit a rather disgusting one. Howard
Wolfson doesn't really think that Obama is like Ken
Starr; it was just the sort of blind ad hominem
news-cycle nonsense likely to distract from the
actual, the real, the true; in other words -- it was
opportunism. That is their true, true heartfelt
religion. "Campaign" in Florida and then deny it?
Fine: It's all fair game. Or the cynical suggestion by
Senator Clinton that Obama would be a fine VP while at
the same time declaring how unready he is seems to me
precisely the sort of cynical paranoid post-modern
solipsism of people who will say anything whatsoever
to get what they want and then act stung when called
on it. It borders on sociopathy. And like all
opportunists those in Camp Clinton have reached the
conclusion that even a scorched earth campaign which
devastates the party, vulgarizes the discourse even
more than it already is vulgarized, and alienates
millions of people who actually have come to hope for
real change in this country, is worth the cost of a
possible win. Personally, I find it far more likely
that the only beneficiary of the Clintonian ugliness
will of course be none other than that half-mad
proponent of hundred-year wars, John McCain of
Arizona, swooping in to the circular firing squad
after the smoke and blood have cleared, so as to
snatch a victory because the Dems cleverly snatched
defeat.

Speaking of half-mad, speaking of snatching defeat --
the Clinton surrogacy of Geraldine Ferraro devolved in
to an angry whine on the Today Show this morning. Ms
Ferraro seems to think that Senator Obama has been the
beneficiary of some sort of post-radical-chic
"free-ride", a notion so laughable that it flies in
the face of every last bit of information we have
about what it means to not be white in America. Every
single bit. She doesn't seem like a racist either,
actually; merely an embittered ex-candidate and an old
school feminist warrior whose legitimate passion has
hardened into blindness and bile. (How did the Obama
camp play "the race card" when it was she who launched
into a dismissal of Senator Obama as "lucky" to be
African-American.) I found myself telling the TV that
Obama is where he is today in spite of being
African-American. Still, Hillary Clinton's campaign
seems to tap into something very real in this country
-- the anger that many women carry over the costs
incurred in the fight for gender equality for the last
forty years.

Every day, one is struck by the (one-sided)
viciousness in this fight. Six bloody weeks of it to
go? Six weeks of coarsening opportunistic soulless
nastiness. And the effect? Hillary Clinton's
unfavorable rating amongst Obama supporters continues
to rise according to the Wall Street Journal/MSNBC
poll released tonight. The reverse is not true. And
her coalition of white women and white blue-collar
workers is unlikely to surge the way that young people
and African-Americans are surging towards Obama. Those
Americans -- the African-Americans who have been
turned off by politics as usual and by total
exclusion, the young who have been so disgusted by
war-mongering and corruption so evident in the smug
faces of those in power -- finally see in Obama
something of the best in themselves, and something to
aspire to: Idealism, dignity, hope, matched by
strength and stoicism. Matched by a very keen sense of
how to work the system.

In the meantime, the country itself needs to be
repaired from inside out. Anti-intellectual,
increasingly amoral, broke, and self-obsessed, a land
of crumbling roads, crumbling dreams, and crumbling
visions of how to care for the needy. A nation filled
with invective and rudeness. (Have you ever seen how
unmannerly the comments on HuffPost can be? If that is
a reflection of how people are brought up today, then
what is the point?) At the heart of how to repair a
nation -- there is one essential ingredient to
examine; and that, of course, is character. Over the
next six weeks until Pennsylvania, we must think about
that; the character of our leaders, of our nation.
Because as Heraclites stated with total clarity --
character IS destiny.

Even McCain knows to bet on Obama...
They're all wrong Indiana is going to shock the world.

(I've been saying that every year since 1987)
Thanks Wilson in Seattle.  You made me laugh and you hit Hillary right on.  
UConn?  Did he realize he was picking the MEN's bracket and not the WOMEN's bracket (Uconn favorite in the women's bracket obviously).  

This guy doesn't know the difference between the Sunnis and Shias and isn't even smart enough to get one of his college interns to fill out his bracket.  
Hillary is going to say that UNC, Kansas, Memphis, and UCLA are all her favorite teams.  Mark Penn will issue some BS memo explaining her "roots" in all four areas.
Hey Lieberman (aka Deputy Dog),

Tell your man that the team from your state that's GOOD this year is the WOMEN.
At least Senator's Obama and McCain submitted their picks.  Hillary will sign a pledge to not submit, and then demand a re-do after the first four rounds.
I am sure Liberman helped old Mc Cain with his picks.  Seems Liberman is helping him with everything else.  Mc Cains senility is showing.
At least Senator's Obama and McCain submitted their picks.  Hillary will sign a pledge to not submit, and then demand a re-do after the first four rounds.

P.S.- And blame Obama
From the LA Times:


How did the problem arise?

The Democratic National Committee warned Florida and Michigan that they would be punished if they moved their presidential primaries from March to January. The states thought that having earlier elections would give them a greater role in picking the presidential candidates so they went ahead and moved the primaries anyway.

What did the national political parties do?

The national Democratic and Republican parties punished the states by stripping them of delegates. The Republicans sharply cut the number of delegates at stake while the Democrats stripped away all of the pledged delegates, 210 in Florida and 156 in Michigan.

Were the primaries held?

Yes. Michigan voted on Jan. 15 and Florida on Jan. 29.

What was the Republican outcome?

Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney won Michigan, giving his campaign a small boost since he was a native son. Arizona Sen. John McCain won Florida after he was endorsed by the popular governor, Charlie Crist. The victory helped McCain build momentum and he is now the presumptive GOP nominee.

What was the Democratic outcome?

Even though Democratic candidates agreed not to campaign, there were results. New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton won more than 55% of the vote in Michigan, though Illinois Sen. Barack Obama's name didn't appear on the ballot. In Florida, Clinton won with more than 50% of the vote to Obama's 33%. Neither result counted in the awarding of delegates.

If everyone knew the results wouldn't count, why is there a dispute?

There are two reasons, both political. The first involves arithmetic.

Obama is more than 100 delegate votes ahead of Clinton, according to the Associated Press, though there are other counts with different numbers. With fewer than a dozen contests remaining, it is unclear if Clinton can catch Obama since they have been running neck-and-neck and delegates are awarded on a proportional basis. Strong showings in Florida and Michigan would help Clinton close the gap.

The second reason is that the Democratic nominee will need to win in Michigan and especially in Florida in November. Preventing the states from having a role in picking the nominee could hurt in the general election....'


Any questions ?
Sorry, Hillary..... YOU LOSE !!
Bravo Wilson.  It's funny 'cause it's true.

And then Mark Penn will issue a memo explaining that she really picked the winner in January but she had been too busy campaigning to release her bracket; something along the lines of  "she's been working the night shift for the American people..."
Deputy Dog???

good one!
Deputy Dog???

good one!
U





C





L





A





UCLA, FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT!
Hillary's got Penn State all the way!
Gotta agree with the Sheriff on the UConn women.

And hush, Lieberman, our Senator, has not been seen in the State for awhile and we all know why!
Hillary's got Penn State all the way!
Hillary isn't playing March Madness this year. She's protesting the Nittany Lion's disenfranchisement from the tournament, and is preparing a lawsuit to reverse the selection committee's decision. Her rationale is that game points shouldn't matter, and all Division 1 teams from big states should be invited.
The 9/11 report talks about iranian operatives training al queda in iran.

Iran trains lots of sunnis.  Iran has trained taliban fighters in camps in iran.  They have given them explosively charged projectiles tracked by to Iran.

Iran has trained thousands of hamas and islamic jihad fighters.  They are both sunnis.  Iran has advisors in gaza equipping hamas and helping with firing rockets.

Hezbollah and hamas are close one shiite one is sunni.

McCain just had a son come back from serving in Iraq.

McCain has been breifed constantly on Iraq.  

McCain has visited Iraq 8 times.

McCain has talked about shiite fighters JAM training in iran and going back to iraq in senate hearings.

McCain hasn't slept in a week.  He was going back and forth to vote in the senate last week, fundraisers, events, and now has been flying all over the middle east.




Obama said he would call the president of canada.  Canada has no president.  But you posters on here are silent on that.

Obama said 10,000 people died in a tornado in Kansas.  You posters are silent on that.

Obama contradicts himself constantly on Rezko you posters are silent on that.

Hillary said Musharraf's name was on the ballot after Bhutto assasination.  You posters are silent on that.

Hillary was against the michigan vote before she was for it.  In New Hamsphire in October on NPR she said the vote shouldn't count and it doesn't make a difference if my name is on the ballot.  Now she said she has always been for it.

Hillary flip flops constantly.  She said voted only for inspections when she is on tape being for the invasion and she was for the war for years.

Enough already you posters are such liberal partisan hacks.
A quick summary on Senator McCain:

1) He doesn't know the difference between Sunni and Shia
2) He doesn't know the difference between Men and Women (the Uconn Men's team this year is terrible, it's the Women who he should be picking)
who cares!?
2008 Presidential Election Weekly Poll
http://www.votenic.com

Our Poll is Reset Every Week to Give You The Most Accurate, Up-to-Date Poll Possible!
Obama said he would talk to the president of Canada.
Obama said 10,000 people died in a tornada in Kansas.

His gaffes are fair game now.
Obama said he would talk to the president of Canada.
Obama said 10,000 people died in a tornada in Kansas.

His gaffes are fair game now.
If Obama was smart we would have picked PITT !!!!
Hilary is busy gloating that she is ahead now to pick.
McCain it doesn't matter, he already has the nomination. Besides I think PITT will win anyway.  I live in CT but ever since some of the boys team got caught stealing labtops (and I think one of them still plays for them) I lost respect for the coach and the program. Dixon on the other hand is a class act and would be nice if his team won.
Hillary isn't playing March Madness this year. She's protesting the Nittany Lion's disenfranchisement from the tournament, and is preparing a lawsuit to reverse the selection committee's decision. Her rationale is that game points shouldn't matter, and all Division 1 teams from big states should be invited.
Paul Miller, Woodbridge, VA (Sent Thursday, March 20, 2008 1:25 PM)

=====

hahaha

You forgot to add, she may decide to play March Madness after it's already over, by demanding a rematch of the Nittany Lions against all top 16 teams.
this just in obama no denies ever picking unc after paster tells him their best player is a white boy
Love the humor here!  It's a delightful change!  I think we needed this  :-)
omg,  now judgement is a matter of basketball picks
http://twocanpete.blogspot.com/
McCain will be lucky to remember who he picked when it's all done.


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