First thoughts: Too much hype

Posted: Thursday, June 26, 2008 9:21 AM by Domenico Montanaro
Filed Under: First Thoughts

From Chuck Todd, Mark Murray, and Domenico Montanaro
*** Too much Clinton-Obama hype? Tonight, Obama huddles in DC with Hillary Clinton and some of her top fundraisers, who are expected to cut checks for the presumptive Democratic nominee. And tomorrow, of course, is the much-awaited joint rally in -- of all places -- Unity, NH. But is there a more over-hyped story than this Obama-Clinton event on Friday? Seriously, does Obama need the Clintons as much the media claims? Or does Obama need to get this Clinton situation behind simply so the press stops covering the story? Considering the bounce Obama's getting in some polls, it's clear that the unity issues in the party with Clinton and Obama are all inside the Amtrak corridor and nowhere else. Also, after reading today’s New York Times piece on Clinton and Obama -- which notes that some in Hillary Land are upset that Obama hasn’t written Clinton a $2,300 check, that his campaign isn’t hiring more of her staff, and that uber-lawyer Bob Barnett is negotiating things like Hillary’s role at the convention -- ask yourself this: Do you think Obama’s folks would be able to make similar complaints/demands, without getting laughed at, had the roles been reversed? Four years ago, remember, the Kerry campaign hired very few Howard Dean people, and no one batted an eyelash. Is this just another example of how Clinton folks continue to shape the campaign narrative, thanks to their personal relationships with media members inside the Amtrak corridor?

VIDEO: A Race for the White House panel talks about Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton campaigning together Friday in Unity, New Hampshire.

*** Hitting Obama and Gordon Smith? McCain senior adviser Steve Schmidt started the morning off -- at 6:45 am ET! -- with a memo contrasting McCain and Obama on the issue of bipartisanship. "There has never been a time when Barack Obama has bucked the party line to lead on an issue of national importance,” Schmidt wrote. “He has never been a part of a bipartisan group that came together to solve a controversial issue. He has never put his career on the line for a cause greater than himself… We don't need to trade Republican partisanship for Democratic partisanship. We need to put our country first and put our politics second. That is what John McCain has done his whole life, and that is what he will do as president." While it's not a memo that says it's designed to be a response to Oregon Sen. Gordon Smith's (R) ad touting his work with Obama across the aisle, it certainly reads that way. Smith did not do McCain any favors with this TV ad, as it ends up rebutting McCain's frequent attacks on Obama that his bipartisan rhetoric is just that -- rhetoric with few actions to back it up. And now Smith's actions are getting national attention and serve as too easy of a rebuttal to Schmidt's memo. Smith's decision in Oregon (a supposed swing state, folks, not just some deep blue state) also counters the national GOP committees here in DC that have been trying to paint Obama as out of touch. The Washington Post reports that House GOP strategists are now backing off their attempts to demonize Obama; clearly some GOP senators running for re-election aren't ready to run against Obama, and that leaves McCain going it alone. Not helpful to the McCain cause

*** The Obama map: Obama manager David Plouffe gave the DC chattering class a lot to chew on yesterday with a PowerPoint presentation on where they see the state of the race. Perhaps the item that will get the most weekend attention will be the non-traditional battleground red states Obama's pledging to contest seriously -- including Alaska, Georgia, Indiana, Montana, North Carolina, and North Dakota. What makes tossing these six states into the supposed battleground category is that all of them are states where McCain will not return the fire. For Obama, four of the six are actually fairly cheap states to target, with only Georgia and North Carolina being truly expensive. It's not dissimilar to what Bush did with California in 2000, when he spent real money and campaign time to see if he could dare Gore to follow suit. Gore didn't and the Bush strategy almost cost him the presidency. As for McCain, the campaign clearly has no choice but to call Obama's bluff in these six states. Obama has the money to mess around; the question is whether Republicans in these states will not hit the panic button and cause McCain extra headaches. California Democrats let Gore call the bluff without too much criticism. Will Indiana Republicans or Georgia Republicans or North Carolina Republicans give McCain similar slack?

*** Is Jim Jones the new Mike Bloomberg? Today, Obama ends his three-week economic tour with a summit on economic competitiveness in Pittsburgh. In attendance will be folks like Steve Case (formerly of America Online), Andy Stern (of the SEIU), G. Richard Wagoner, Jr (of GM), and James Jones (retired Marine general). Yes, that’s right: The same Jim Jones -- whose name was leaked as a possible Obama veep and then who appeared at a McCain event a few weeks ago -- is now attending Obama’s summit today. For those that don't know, Jones and McCain are actually quite close. So considering the Schmidt memo today on bipartisanship, Jones isn't helping his friend very well by providing a bipartisan picture for Obama.

VIDEO: President Bush says he will lift sanctions against North Korea and remove it from the U.S. terrorism blacklist.

*** Breaking with Bush? Per NBC’s John Yang, President Bush got an early start this morning, speaking to reporters in the Rose Garden to welcome North Korea's overnight declaration of its nuclear activities. Mr. Bush said the United States would respond by taking North Korea off the list of state sponsors of terror and lift economic sanctions under the Trading with the Enemy Act. It’s worth watching whether McCain today will break with Bush on this issue. Also worth watching: today’s Supreme Court ruling on the 2nd Amendment and how Obama responds.

*** A different kind of campaign? Hardly: There’s a common theme running in Dan Balz’s column (which notes that the McCain-Obama contest isn’t any different from past campaigns) and James Rainey’s piece (asking why the candidates aren’t getting tough questions on Iraq). The campaigns simply aren’t being challenged -- by the press or the public. And they are acting, well, just like any other modern presidential campaign. Where's the new and different type of campaign so many folks expected?

*** On the trail: McCain holds a town hall in Cincinnati, OH. Obama, as mentioned above, is in Pittsburgh.

*** Spouse watch: Cindy McCain raises money in London. Meanwhile, Michelle Obama -- along with Senate candidate Jeanne Shaheen -- holds a “discussion with New Hampshire Women” in Manchester, NH. Obama then keynotes a Gay and Lesbian Leadership Council (GLLC) Gala in New York City.

*** Veep watch: Hillary Clinton (in the early afternoon) and Bill Richardson (in the evening) address the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO) meeting in DC. And Chuck Hagel, also in DC, speaks to the left-leaning Brookings Institute.

Countdown to Dem convention: 60 days
Countdown to GOP convention: 67 days
Countdown to Election Day 2008: 131 days
Countdown to Inauguration Day 2009: 208 days

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Comments

really McCain, you have put your career on the line for principle instead of politics. when was this in 200 when you ran for presdient because that is not who you are now. You voted aganist the tax cuts, now you are for it. You voted aganist protecting the everglades and other enviornmental issues, now you are a champion of the enviornment. You voted aganist off shore oil drilling, now you are for it. the list continues of the flip flop. please spare me the flip flop and be honest that you want to become president more than you care about standing on principle.

voter (Sent Thursday, June 26, 2008 9:31 AM)

It will be interesting to see how McCain responds to the news regarding North Korea. The "don't talk to our enemies" strategy is falling apart - and that is the basis for McCain's foreign policy.

http://thepajamapundit.com/

the Pajama Pundit (Sent Thursday, June 26, 2008 9:32 AM)

Both Obama and Clinton are playing off the hysterics of the network media. And hysterical is probably too mild of a word to describe how the left wing dominated media in this country reacts. It used to be that media denies its bias. No more. Now they are a wholly owned subsidiaries of the Barack Obama Movement. "Aren't they (hillary/
barack) terrific?" asks the media. Then someone asks what exactly these two have ever done? The media says "Oh, they don't do anything. They're just famous because we say they are". The media has lost its bearings.

Mia Greenburg, Buffalo, NY (Sent Thursday, June 26, 2008 9:34 AM)

one story that has been missing in this Obama-Hillary debate is how it validated Barack's often touted positions on direct engagement for more lasting and solid results of benefit to both parties and that this is what he practices.

See the result of previously close elections where the winner may not have been as deft in direct negotiations:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_presidential_election,_1968 Humphrey RFK McCarthy. Resulted in riots and DNC conventio and loss by Democrats
1976 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_presidential_election,_1976 Ford Reagan - resulted in Ford's loss. At least one electoral vote was even cast for Reagan.

By courting Clinton early - as early as his victory speech in NC - in which he praised her and ceded her Indiana even before it was clear, he laid the groundwork that continued up till requesting a one on one meeting at her place of choosing and her time.

This is also a testament to Hillary's good intention and placing the country and party's interest first.

J. Richter (Sent Thursday, June 26, 2008 9:34 AM)

Also, after reading today’s New York Times piece on Clinton and Obama -- which notes that some in Hillary Land are upset that Obama hasn’t written Clinton a $2,300 check, that his campaign isn’t hiring more of her staff, and that uber-lawyer Bob Barnett is negotiating things like Hillary’s role at the convention -- ask yourself this: Do you think Obama’s folks would be able to make similar complaints/demands, without getting laughed at, had the roles been reversed? Four years ago, remember, the Kerry campaign hired very few Howard Dean people, and no one batted an eyelash. Is this just another example of how Clinton folks continue to shape the campaign narrative, thanks to their personal relationships with media members inside the Amtrak corridor?

---------------------------------------------------

I'm sorry Senator Clinton is supported by so many sore losers. They could learn a lesson or two from Senator Clinton herself who bowed out and then took time to step back so as not to ruffle any feathers.

Earlier in this campaign I thought it was Senator Clinton who had the sense of entitlement. I was wrong...it's everyone around her who has the issue of entitlement.

Get over yourselves.

Pete - Albany, NY (Sent Thursday, June 26, 2008 9:34 AM)

Gordon Smith, Outwit, Outplay, Outlast - he's the new political Survivor:

He can't argue with the 75,000 of potential constituents who attended the rally during the primaries. Whatever anyone says, Obama is the future President and many moderate republicans are figuring it out and falling in step.

Clara Kansas City, MO (Sent Thursday, June 26, 2008 9:34 AM)

i do believe this is hype between the clintons and obama. its not that serious what i wish we would focus on is where they are one the issues thats if we now because mccain keeps flipping his positions

http://sensico.wordpress.com/2008/06/25/mccain-meeting-with-gay-republicans/

tolli (Sent Thursday, June 26, 2008 9:37 AM)

Certainly a little too much hype over the event today, but this entire election has been over-hyped by a bit.

http://www.politivine.com

Polivitine (SC) (Sent Thursday, June 26, 2008 9:39 AM)

Obama does not have to do anything, especially when it comes to his campaign. He has crafted a good campaign and he is very careful when it comes to who he will hire for his staff. How selfish and stupid of anyone to force themselves on or into a campaign.

I do remember reading an article that a few of her campaign staff were secret Obama supporters, but they needed pay, so they worked for Clinton.

The Rethuglicans have no shame for going after Gordon, it furthermore shows how anyone that doens't agree with their failed polices will be exiled. They want to distance themselves from Bush, but not so, because they are using the same tactics. McCain is no maverick, he is pure rethuglican through and through.

Michelle Zee (Sent Thursday, June 26, 2008 9:40 AM)

Mccain's "principles" are about like a fart in a windstorm!

Steve A Jonesboro IN (Sent Thursday, June 26, 2008 9:40 AM)

the pj bandito: It will be interesting to see how McCain responds to the news regarding North Korea. The "don't talk to our enemies" strategy is falling apart - and that is the basis for McCain's foreign policy.

You're really not clear how this works are you? I don't seem to recall President Bush sitting down in one on one talks with Kim Junk-il. But yet these are the talks that Obama says he will hold with ohter world terrorists. Doing so though elevates the status of these dictators both in their eyes, and the worlds. Bush treated Kim Jung-il the way he should treat a dictator and terrorist and never engaged with direct talks with him. We see the results.

And congratulations President Bush. Another member of the Axis of Evil falls.

Whack a Mole then Whack a Liberal (Sent Thursday, June 26, 2008 9:40 AM)

I love the fact that Obama is expanding the electorate map, which is making the GOP sweat!

http://www.politivine.com

Polivitine (SC) (Sent Thursday, June 26, 2008 9:41 AM)

Kim Junk-Il probably got around to viewing the dvd of the hanging of Saddam and got the message.

James Wonderly, Lynn MA (Sent Thursday, June 26, 2008 9:42 AM)

If Obama doesn't just cut the cord to clinton she will continue to be in the media spotlight. he should really just walk away from her.

Otherwise he has no chance. Alot more people hate Clinton than those who like her. (And I know hate is a strong word)

John, MI (Sent Thursday, June 26, 2008 9:42 AM)

Oregon. Where the Republicans are Democrats, and the Democrats proudly fly the hammer and sickle in their front yards.

Red Foreman, Cedar Point, WI (Sent Thursday, June 26, 2008 9:44 AM)

Yep the MSM is making way too much about the Obama Clinton psuedo tiff drama. As always the MSM is trying to make ratings and money by hyping up stories. Too bad the MSM doesn't spend some time reporting on Iraq and Afghanistan and the messes there.

It's really funny that a republican is trying to ride Obama's coattails rather than "Bush Hugger" McCain's. Just goes to show how messed up the repugnant ones are this election cycle.

As usual the MSM is making too much of this James Jones character. I'd say that it's time to ignore this nobody and stop the idiotic talk about him being a VP choice for Obama.

Go Obama 08/12!

Eric, Salinas, CA (Sent Thursday, June 26, 2008 9:45 AM)

As usual The Clintons and company love to surround themselves and immerse themselves in drama. Narcissistic behavior in evidence AGAIN!!!!!

Andrea, New York City (Sent Thursday, June 26, 2008 9:48 AM)

I wholeheartedly agree with your reference to the GOP hitting the panic button in those normally out-of-play states. I actually was a little more harsh and have been referring to it as "shedding tears". I do believe that many panic buttons will be pushed and tears will be shed. Look at how quickly Gordon Smith abandoned ship. There's something about Obama having a 75000+ people rally in your backyard that will cause you to throw Bush, McCain, and the Republican brand in general out of the window. Wait until the senator has a huge 50000+ rally in Atlanta or Charlotte or Indianapolis and see how quickly those panic buttons get punched. I also think that there will be many obscure locations where there will be widespread panic such as the Congressional District that contains Omaha, NE and other places throughout the Midwest and Mountain West. When these normally safe seat politicians see Sen. Obama's groundtroops out and about and then contrast it with the dearth of McCain's organizational abilities there will be panic.

C.K. Steele Fort Lauderdale, FL (Sent Thursday, June 26, 2008 9:49 AM)

Mr. Bush said the United States would respond by taking North Korea off the list of state sponsors of terror and lift economic sanctions under the Trading with the Enemy Act. It’s worth watching whether McCain today will break with Bush on this issue.
---------------------------------------------------

North Korea is one of the few Bush successes in his long string of unmitigated disasters. If McCain breaks with Bush on this, it will show that McCain is not the same as Bush: he's worse.

Houston (Sent Thursday, June 26, 2008 9:49 AM)

Bravo on the entire "Too Much Clinton-Obama Hype" section! I don't say this often but . . .

WELL DONE!

P.S. I do think that unity with Senator Clinton and her supporters is important. However, I would like to move more in the direction of a partnership instead of a leveraged bargaining relationship.

It is ironic that the same Clinton campaign that was willing to go into debt in an attempt to destroy Senator Obama now bemoans the fact that more is not being done by the Obama campaign to help them pay for the attacks. . . only in "Clintonia" - is this logical.

Nashville_fan (Sent Thursday, June 26, 2008 9:50 AM)

Glad you brought up the topic. Yes, the media hype over Barack and Hillary is outrageous. I'm sure I will have to change channels when Chris Matthews and Dan Abrams spend 1/3 of their air time talking about...air. Let is alone...Wait for a real story.

The media talks alot about Bill Clinton being a smart political stragegist. Quite frankly, one of the best political strategists is DAVID PLOUFFE. He mastermined the Obama Iowa victory and the state-by-state victories through-out the primaries. He also predicted with considerable accuracy the states Barack would not win. I understand he is shy and doesn't especially like to be in front of the cameras, but when he talks, people should listen. Yeah, the old BF Hutton commerical.

Ron Indiana (Sent Thursday, June 26, 2008 9:50 AM)

I'm a bit concerned today over Obama's response to the US Sup. Ct.'s 2d Amendment decision to come out today. I am almost certain the court, by a 5-4 vote [all right wingers plus Souter against the remainig 4 progressive right-minded justices], will rule the 2d Amendment provides for an indiviudal's right to carry a gun [albeit, with reasonable gov't regulations]. Obama, well, he may have to cater to a more centrist view and agree with such a decision. UNLESS - the court goes radically to the right and rules the individual right to bear arms cannot be infringed by any kind of law. Then, he should speak out against the ruling.

Pat Huntington NY (Sent Thursday, June 26, 2008 9:51 AM)

"Liberals are the saviors of terrorists and child rapests. When it comes to guns , they like to rewrite the constitution and interpret every thing else to protect perpetrators. Thats why they favor gun control, so even the most independent and selfsuficient must rely on big government to save them.
Larry Muskegon Mi (Sent Wednesday, June 25, 2008 8:19 PM)"

Typical ignorance from Western Michigan. I can speak to this as I, too, live on the lakeshore, Larry. You could not open some people minds here with a crowbar.
*********************************
"Too all here praising this God-forsaken decision; You'll get no sympathy from me if any of your children are ever beaten, raped, and sodomized...
Dave (Sent Wednesday, June 25, 2008 8:48 PM)"

I have known people who were raped as children - have you? The trauma is SO great, it is umimaginable. To put the extra pressure on that child whether or not their relative dies because they came forward...they are already suffering and are scared to come forward. Why make it worse?

Personally, I think death is too good for most criminals. They should suffer worse fates than their victims. Castration is a good option; so is forcing them to look at photos of their victims every day as a reminder of whose live they destroyed. Beating the snot out of them works for me too. Death is WAY too easy.

MI Chick (Sent Thursday, June 26, 2008 9:55 AM)

Find a VP selection among this group
These are the REAL DEMOCRATS
They're the ones defending our civil liberties

From Huff Post:

'...The debate over how the Bush administration has conducted its warrantless wiretapping program seems to be nearing a legislative end.

On Thursday, the United State Senate voted overwhelmingly to advance a legislative compromise on the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, marking the beginning of the end of a fierce battle over civil liberties and national security that has been waged in the halls of Congress for more than three years.

And yet, for all of the political passions the issue engendered, the fight over FISA ended with something of a whimper. The final product -- much to the consternation of the progressive community -- gave the president wide authority to monitor terrorist suspects and collect communications from U.S. citizens without review. It also offered telecommunications companies that helped with the previously illegal program immunity from lawsuits, a hard provision to swallow for the program's opponents.

In the end, only 15 U.S. Senators were willing to resort to procedural tactics as a last ditch effort to hold up the legislation. The list of those who voted against cloture included:

Joseph Biden, DE
Barbara Boxer, CA
Sherrod Brown, OH
Maria Cantwell, WA
Chris Dodd, CT
Dick Durbin, IL
Russ Feingold, WI
Tom Harkin, IA
John Kerry, MA
Frank Lautenberg, NJ
Patrick Leahy, VT
Robert Menendez, NJ
Bernie Sanders, VT
Chuck Schumer, NY
Ron Wyden, OR...'

Where's Obama's name ?
Where's Clinton's name ?

MSierra, SF (Sent Thursday, June 26, 2008 9:55 AM)

right wingers sure are sore about loseing in Nov, barak will be the presaident and you guys need to put America 1st and quit your whinning and sniveling.

thats a fact jack (Sent Thursday, June 26, 2008 9:56 AM)

Yawn...bush has been conned by NK...trust me the next president will soon be claiming how the previous guy cut a deal but wasn't tough enough and he will blah blah blah to them because he is a tough guy

Rick, NC (Sent Thursday, June 26, 2008 9:57 AM)

The Clinton stuff is as you said..inside the beltway stories. The general public doesn't care about scruples regarding Clinton and has largely credited Obama for being gracious and respectful towards her. I don't agree about this being a typical campaign season. Maybe the press is so jaded they can't appreciate the differences btw the two candidates. I think Obama's ideas are very fresh and do not smack of special interest politics. McCain to his credit tries to be bipartisan along the margins even though he has fully adopted Bush policies. Not only that, for the first time in decades you see a Democrat with a sound chance at beating the conservative political mindshare which has dominated since the Reagan era.

CJ (Sent Thursday, June 26, 2008 9:57 AM)

I think you're dead on about the overhyping of the the Obama-Clinton stuff. I hope it ends soon... ;)

On the different kind of campaign, I wasn't really expecting that much because it's a political reality that you can't let false or misleading charges go unanswered. This means hard-hitting on both sides. I guess I was hoping more for a different kind of governing rather than a different type of campaign.

Also, the thing I see different in the campaign is that the large amount of small donors has freed Obama from being handcuffed to the inside the beltway CW. If Obama was relying mostly on big donors, they wouldn't be so quick to let him try the expanding the map strategy with their money.

Marihelen, TX (Sent Thursday, June 26, 2008 10:01 AM)

It's time to take conservative out to the wood shed.

They just don't understand how to serve anymore...

BJ, CA (Sent Thursday, June 26, 2008 10:02 AM)

How do you spell OLD:

Not working weekends

Jonathan Martin has quite a catch, hidden in plain sight:

Since effectively capturing the Republican nomination when Mitt Romney dropped out of the race on Feb. 7, John McCain has held just one public campaign event on a weekend.

That's fairly unusual for a campaign of this velocity.

grace (Sent Thursday, June 26, 2008 10:06 AM)

The Democrats should be worried. The question is not whether John McCain can attract the traditional blue collar, women, elderly Democratic voters. The question you should be asking is whether Obama can attract these voters. Put the two candidates side by side; one a loyal soldier who suffered greatly for his country with a long record of principled public service and bipartisonship, the other a virtual unknown who emerged recently from the fringe elements of left wing politics of Chicago. Which one do you think is the better candidate to be the President?
PLEEEASE.

Stephen Baker (Sent Thursday, June 26, 2008 10:06 AM)

What?! The media push a story that is irrelevant? Check out CNN, one story about Rove's opinion on Obama, and one story about Glenn Beck's opinion on Obama. You don't think they're just trying to have some filler because McCain is a dud, do you?

How about an actual article about Big Oil, the Supreme Court's decision, and how McCain is funded by the energy companies that have taken us to war and prevent legislation to fight global warming? If you won't, I will:

http://infogiant.wordpress.com/?s=mccain

infogiant, austin, tx (Sent Thursday, June 26, 2008 10:06 AM)

Hey everyone, North Korea is no longer a terrorist organization!

Looks like the "Axis of Evil" has been whittled down to Iran and the Bush Administration.

CitizenJ (Sent Thursday, June 26, 2008 10:07 AM)

Too much Clinton-Obama hype? Come on, guys... You're keeping it alive. Every day your web page has at least one Clinton story... EVERY DAY...

It's over! Amen... How about some issues? REAL issues?

Lyn, KCMO (Sent Thursday, June 26, 2008 10:07 AM)

The storyline of Obama's campaign can't be the Clintons. Get the 'unity' event over with and then move on to the core issues where Obama has the edge. www.political-buzz.com

Matt (Sent Thursday, June 26, 2008 10:08 AM)

Yes the Obama/Clinton thing is being way overhyped! Especially when they bring sore loser Bill into the picture. Obama would be very smart to hurry and put HRC behind him. He has proven he is more than able to carry on with or without the support of the almight Clintons. Move on Barack. And yes...the MSM needs to do more reporting from the deserts of Afganistan and Irag. Especially Afganistan...the forgotten war. When will the MSM stop playing tabloid TV and do their jobs...like reporting the 2 wars we have going on right now. Let the campaign play out and stop reporting on every little thing as if it's the news of the world!!

freddie, cleveland (Sent Thursday, June 26, 2008 10:09 AM)

does Obama need the Clintons as much the media claims?..........Great question. Now, what's YOUR answer?

You have our opinions, give us yours. You are a part of the problem if you think the hype is media driven. Why do you think you do it? To bolster ratings? Sheer boredom on your part, now that you don't have anymore primaries to cover? Or???

Perhaps some news could be served up? Now that you have time on your hands. In-depth studies of an issue - no politics just facts. Then the debates can begin, with a more informed electorate.

why ask us? (Sent Thursday, June 26, 2008 10:16 AM)

Whack a Mole then Whack a Liberal,

It seems like YOU are the one who really doesn't get it, my friend (taken from McFossil's EVERY speech).
The ONLY reason the whole deal with North Korea worked was because Bush finally CHANGED his position and allowed someone to talk to North Korea. He had a hard stance on NOT talking to them until now. Obama IS right and HAS been right all along regarding talking to our enemies. McFossil's stance is even more hard line than Bush's on this issue and is wrong, wrong, wrong for our country. I'll put my hopes and dreams in Obama and trust he can make great strides overseas and help American regain the power that has been lost by the Bush Aministration.

Diane from Illinois (Sent Thursday, June 26, 2008 10:17 AM)

Obama/Clinton is way over hyped. Much of it is being driven by Bill Clinton's out sized ego and his inability to relinquish the stage to a successor.

nleath Washington (Sent Thursday, June 26, 2008 10:18 AM)

I recommend a 500 million dollar prize for the first inventor who can come up with a formula that will upgrade beer to fuel our vehicles. I call this project Budweiser. The maverick.

bill, okla (Sent Thursday, June 26, 2008 10:18 AM)

Hey everyone, North Korea is no longer a terrorist organization!

Looks like the "Axis of Evil" has been whittled down to Iran and the Bush Administration.
CitizenJ (Sent Thursday, June 26, 2008 10:07 AM)

----------
You win the award for best post of the day! I loved it!

Pat Huntington NY (Sent Thursday, June 26, 2008 10:19 AM)

"Does Obama need the Clintons as much as the media claims?"

Wait a second, aren't YOU the media?

Damon, Alexandria, Virginia (Sent Thursday, June 26, 2008 10:20 AM)

well since all the obama supporters are against his camp helping Hillary pay off her dept then i think all of her supporters should not donate to obama after all they are saying they don't need us and calling us sore losers so why should we help them let them see if they can win without us

debra1953 (Sent Thursday, June 26, 2008 10:21 AM)

Obama is the nominee not the Clinton's, the MSM should have figured this out by now. It is not their party anymore. Your comments about Kerry not hiring any of Dean's staff should say it all. Also if Barack was in Hillary's place you, the msm would be laughing at him. It is time to move on. We need a democrat in the white house and if the Clinton's believe that they will work hard for Obama if they don't help him win then we can discuss "the Clinton's" once again.

lori Chicago (Sent Thursday, June 26, 2008 10:23 AM)

Let me get this straight...Obama should pesonally write a $2300 check to Clinton to help her with a debt that she continued to run up after knowing she couldn't win. I realize this is coming from Hillary supporters and not Hillary herself but that doesn't make it any less ridiculous. These nutty people need to get over themselves and start putting a Dem victory in November ahead of their own egos.

AP from IL (Sent Thursday, June 26, 2008 10:24 AM)

Those (McCain) who fail to learn the lessons of history (Bush) are condemned to repeat them.

Gregory Peek, Birmingham, Alabama (Sent Thursday, June 26, 2008 10:26 AM)

Senator Obama's effective handling of the "Clinton Situation" clearly demonstrates to me his tactful skills in being diplomatic and firm in his resolve to accomplish his goal- the presidency. The balance of diplomacy and firmness is not easy. I think he does it very well. These are much needed leadership skills in our White House right now.

Obama 08

Senator Obama demonstrates True Leadership Skills (Sent Thursday, June 26, 2008 10:27 AM)

Personally, I think death is too good for most criminals. They should suffer worse fates than their victims. Castration is a good option; so is forcing them to look at photos of their victims every day as a reminder of whose live they destroyed. Beating the snot out of them works for me too. Death is WAY too easy.
MI Chick

No, no, no, no MI Chick. The problem is actually much more simple. Assign these guys to general population in the prison. No protective custody or anything that keeps them away from other prisoners. Total hell on earth for that guy when the gen pop guys catch wind of his crimes. He'd be dead in weeks, may be days. No nodding off to sleep kind of death either.

Todd B., Ohio (Sent Thursday, June 26, 2008 10:38 AM)

I stumbled onto this site thinking it was a site for campaign news. I didn't realize it was a site for Obama lovers to get together and fawn over their candidate. You folks should really take a step back and listen to yourselves. You sound like a bunch of angry children.

Joe (Sent Thursday, June 26, 2008 10:38 AM)

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