In spite of John McCain being a technological Luddite with no apparent computer skills, the McCain Camp had to prove conclusively that their guy is hip and fully in tune with the American mainstream and pop culture.
Does Obama welcome this comparison? It isn't as if Obama doesn't have the flair for the dramatic, as he demonstrated prior to the Texas Primacaucus. He's an 'Urban Cowboy' himself!
vs Dr. No and Barack Obama - coming soon to a theater near you
In Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman, Linda Loman's anguished cry for help -- in which she begs, indeed demands respect and recognition for her dead husband, Willy Loman -- is instructive in how we treat the living amongst us
"I don't say he's a great man. Willy Loman never made a lot of money. His name was never in the paper. He's not the finest character that ever lived. But he's a human being, and a terrible thing is happening to him. So attention must be paid. He's not to be allowed to fall into his grave like an old dog. Attention, attention must finally be paid to such a person. You called him crazy... no, a lot of people think he's lost his... balance. But you don't have to be very smart to know what his trouble is. The man is exhausted. A small man can be just as exhausted as a great man. He works for a company thirty-six years this March, opens up unheard-of territories to their trademark, and now in his old age they take his salary away."
Kipling is the only English writer of our time who has added phrases to the language. The phrases and neologisms which we take over and use without remembering their origin do not always come from writers we admire.
One of Kipling's most famous poems offers lessons to Hillary Clinton on how she ought to conduct herself as this marathon, bruising fight for the 2008 Democratic nomination draws to a close. And the need for party unity becomes paramount to coalesce behind a once-in-a-generation candidate who is poised to succeed in the General Election in November.
The choice is obvious: either we succeed collectively or fail individually -- only to see a continuation of the most destructive domestic and foreign policies in the post-WW II era.
I received an email message from Al Gore a few minutes ago in which he is seeking your help in combating what most people consider to be the urgent issue of our time -- Global Warming.
Al is asking you to join well over 850,000 people who've signed up in a mobilization campaign to bring about the necessary changes in achieving victory over this increasingly dangerous threat.
I was watching 'Countdown with Keith Olbermann' earlier tonight on MSNBC and he was interviewing Dana Milbank, reporter for the Washington Post. They were discussing Hillary Clinton's claim that Barack Obama was unqualified to be President of the United States.
Keith played the video of Obama addressing a crowd in Mississippi earlier today in which he (Obama) essentially mocked Hillary's claim that he was ready to be Vice President but not for the top job, when most people believe that the VP choice should be someone who is ready to be President were something to happen to the serving President.
After playing the video for his guest, Keith looked a bit puzzled and wondered as to how the Clinton Camp could explain this convoluted logic.
Lost in the hoopla and frenzy of the 2008 Presidential Campaign over the past couple of weeks was an overlooked (though important) anniversary in the Peoples Republic of China. In February 1978 -- a year or so after Chairman Mao Zedong's death -- the Chinese communist government lifted a ban on the writings of three of the greatest minds the world has ever seen.
This was a critical development for from their graves, three men long dead -- Aristotle, William Shakespeare, and Charles Dickens -- were finally free to peddle their 'subversive' ideas about the complexity of the human condition.
Aristotle, William Shakespeare, and Charles Dickens
Some people are simply beyond shame. Still, let me count the ways that put me to shame. For starters...
I'm ashamed of mediocrity wrapped in destructiveness inside this self-righteous individual
"There's an old saying in Tennessee — I know it's in Texas, probably in Tennessee — that says, fool me once, shame on — shame on you. Fool me — you can't get fooled again."
Oh... there are plenty of other things that I'm ashamed of.
In the early years of his presidency, Bill Clinton was often compared to Franklin Roosevelt in one respect: both had a great political temperament and were superb politicians. Not unlike what FDR was known for, it was said of Clinton that after meeting him, any visitor would come away from the meeting convinced that the President fully agreed with him or her.
[Oklahoma Congressman Dan] Boren said he and Clinton talked for about 20 minutes on subjects ranging from former Oklahoma Gov. George Nigh to the former president's recent visit to the University of Oklahoma. But the purpose of the call, clearly, was to encourage Boren to support his wife Hillary Rodham Clinton's presidential bid.
"He told me why his wife should be president," Boren said. "I told President Clinton that I thought it was really important that pledged delegates be the deciding factor. And he agreed with me."
Just as trouble was brewing in Fort Sumter, South Carolina -- and consistent with her style to explain complicated issues to the nation and soothe inflamed passions -- President Hillary Clinton made an important announcement from her weekend retreat just across the Patawmack River in the beautiful Ballston section of Arlington County in the State of Virginia.
According to the Disassociated Press
Washington, DC, March 4, 1861 -- After careful deliberations, President Hillary Clinton has concluded that the designation of United States as presently comprised of Northern states, Southern states, and Territories is not what the founding founders of the country intended.
She will address the United States Congress tonight at 9:00pm to give her reasoned, well thought-out, and intellectually coherent speech.
Several surprises are expected. Her supporters are calling it the 'A-House-Divided-Against-Itself-Can-Stand Speech.'
Every student of American History knows that only two serving United States Senators (Warren G. Harding in 1920 and John F. Kennedy in 1960) have ever been elected directly to the Office of President of the United States. Add James Garfield in 1880 as the only serving member from the United States House of Representatives and that's all the serving legislators ever who have gone directly from the national legislature to the White House since 1789.
Barring a major and unexpected surprise, another first will occur in presidential politics in November 2008: for the very first time in our political history, nominees of both major political parties will be serving United States Senators. Mitt Romney's withdrawal from the Republican race today also ensures a first in American politics since the 1960 Election: it's a near certainty that a serving United States Senator will be elected President.
In the intervening forty eight years since JFK's election, dozens of serving Members of Congress had tried, with most of them failing miserably. In fact, only four even became their party's nominee -- Goldwater '64, McGovern '72, Dole '96, and Kerry '04 -- only to lose in the general election.
I get emails every day. Tons of them. Most are from political organizations, newspapers, blogs, pollsters, and, yes, even from presidential candidates asking me for money. Well, just as this story was breaking this afternoon, I received this email from Hillary Clinton herself
Dear JekyllnHyde,
We had a huge night last night -- we won the biggest states and the most votes, and we are ahead in the overall race for delegates. But this race is far from over.
We don't have time to catch our breath -- the next races are just three days away, and there are 10 more contests in February alone.
Let's meet this moment with bold action worthy of those who have put their faith in us. We are setting a big goal for the next three days: raise $3 million to fund our history-making campaign.
Thank you,
Hillary
Something, though, was missing from her email: it's a bit vanilla. And I, like many people, prefer Haagen Daaz' creme brulee flavor.
In the first official results of Super Tuesday per MSNBC's projection just now, Senator Barack Obama has won the Democratic Primary in the State of Georgia. Georgia is the 9th largest state in the country. The last time the state went Democratic in the general election was in 1992, when Bill Clinton defeated George H.W. Bush 43.47% to 42.88%.
I will update as soon as more info becomes available. Feel free to add links from blogs and other media sources.
What I wanna know is this: historically speaking, who's supporting whom? With conflicting signals coming from all over the blogosphere, I have compiled a simple guide for undecided voters so that they can make an informed decision tomorrow aka "The Mother of All Election Days."
No need to read intricate health care proposals. Or, trying to figure out who's for or against granting drivers licenses to undocumented aliens. Or, agonizing over as to who has more experience or better judgment. Or, wasting your precious time listening to talking heads on this or that cable news show. Or, keeping track of which of the numerous Kennedys is for Obama or for Hillary.
Folks, it ain't that difficult to figure all of this out.
Simply read my one-minute guide and I'm hopeful that you'll do the right thing.
On the great Washington Redskins teams of the first Joe Gibbs era, there were many members of the organization who endeared themselves to Redskins fans.
One had to admire the athleticism of quarterback Joe Theismann; the ferocity of running back John Riggins and defensive end Dexter Manley; the sheer brilliance of cornerback Darrell Green; the workmanlike, blue collar ethic of the Hogs (Joe Jacoby, Russ Grimm, Jeff Bostic, Mark May, and George Starke) and the optimism of their offensive line coach, Joe Bugel; the fearlessness of wide receiver Gary Clark; the uncanny ability of General Manager Bobby Beathard to find diamonds in the rough with late-round draft picks; the flamboyance of owner Jack Kent Cooke; and the steady leadership and innovation of head coach Joe Gibbs.
We marveled at the ability of all these people who made us fans and our city proud. But there was one player we all loved and rooted for during every game: wide receiver Art Monk.
Ever since Mad About You and Seinfeld ended their runs almost a decade ago, I must confess I've watched very little, if any, prime time network television. I suspect that's not unusual as many of us changed our viewing habits and became political junkies once cable news channels became widely available by the mid-1990's.
The Virginia and Maryland suburbs had cable television available at least a decade before we here in Washington, DC were introduced to it in the early 1990's. I'm not really sure what the reasons were for the delay. Difficulty in digging ditches in the city to lay cable and the resulting traffic jams, I'm sure, was a major reason. Bureaucracy -- which we specialize in and is found in abundance in the DC city government -- undoubtedly was an impediment too. And you thought the old Soviet Union had a monopoly on centralized bureaucracy? Nope. We even have a Safeway food store here in the DuPont Circle area, one of the few in the immediate neighborhood and one affectionately referred to as the "Soviet Safeway." Residents buy whatever the store offers for sale. Choices are few.
The introduction of cable television in DC did re-acquaint me with some of my favorite shows from years gone by.
In a stunning political development this evening according to the Associated Press, the Florida Supreme Court has intervened in the Florida Republican Primary and declared George W. Bush the winner over Mitt Romney, John McCain, Rudy Giuliani, and Mike Huckabee.
Senator John McCain, ever the patriot and loyal soldier, had this response
I knew in my heart of hearts that I'd never be able to win in a state full of geezers. Even so, I'm delighted that the prize deservedly went to President Bush. In anticipation of this development, I hopped on a plane to Washington, DC and personally congratulated the President. The voters of Florida have chosen wisely.
These past few weeks, I've really enjoyed reading the numerous diaries and comments on this web site. Far more so than at any time since I first wandered on to this wonderful place during the Summer of 2002.
The level of discourse here has never been better. Or higher. So many enlightening diaries, a plethora of insightful comments, and so many of you doing what you do best -- educating all of us every step of the way. For that, I'm eternally grateful.
There were exceptions, of course. Usually, that is the case. So, given my propensity to only read the substantive diaries, I skipped the boring stuff like 'Diary Rescue,' Overnight News Digest,' 'Top Comments,' and jotter's list of 'High Impact Diaries.' Why bother wasting my time?
A list of diaries that I did read and recommend with unrestrained enthusiasm below the fold.
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