[Ninong]

High Noon


I'm waiting for you to take me with you, Sheriff Barack. I can't go on without you.

Will he take her back after everything she has said about him over the past year? What about her ranch? Will he give her enough money to save her ranch from the evil mortgage bankers?

Be sure to tune in for the next episode of "High Noon," today at, uh, high noon.

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Hillary Showed Up 45 Minutes Late For Her Concession Speech

I guess we're all supposed to be grateful she showed up at all. Believe it or not, when she gave her non-concession speech last Tuesday night, she was expecting to take the next two weeks to decide on what her next move should be. She had no intention of endorsing Barack this soon. As of last Tuesday night, she still harbored thoughts of taking her fight to the floor of the convention for two reasons: she hoped to persuade the credentials committee to seat all of the Florida and Michigan delegates with a full vote each (instead of just a half vote) and she hoped that something would come up between now and the convention to hurt Obama's electability. Had something come up, Hillary hoped to persuade most of Obama's superdelegates to switch to her at the convention. I think she and Bubba are still looking for that non-existent tape of Michelle Obama using the word "whitey" to describe white people.

To say that the Democratic party's leadership was disappointed with Hillary's position following her Tuesday night speech declaring that she would be making "no decisions tonight" is an understatement. Rep. Jim Clyburn (D-SC), the Majority Whip in the House and the highest ranking African-American in Congress, endorsed Barack Obama during the day before Hillary's "no decisions tonight" speech. He was tired of waiting for her to surrender to the obvious. And he was still fuming over some of the comments Bill Clinton had made earlier on the campaign trail, comparing Obama to Jesse Jackson and on one occasion calling Barack a "kid." As a fellow black congressman told Clyburn at the time, "why didn't he just say 'boy' and get it over with." Clyburn is a long-time friend of the Clintons.

Hillary began to realize that she didn't have two weeks to think about her situation after she started receiving phone calls from her closest supporters, including Rep. Charlie Rangel (D-NY), telling her that they were not willing to wait two more weeks. They would give her another 48 hours to give her endorsement speech or they were switching their support to Obama publicly with or without her public concession. When a reporter asked Rangel the day after Hillary's Tuesday night non-concession speech what was taking her so long to reach a decision, he replied, "I have no idea." Rangel told her last Wednesday that the entire New York congressional delegation was about to desert her for Obama and that they were not willing to wait another two weeks or even another week for her to think things over.

Hillary gave a good concession speech Saturday. She endorsed Barack and the endorsement, belated as it was, seemed genuine. The next test of her loyalty to the Democratic party will be how well she does in persuading her disappointed female fans to vote for Obama in November. I don't expect Barack to choose her as his veep but her surrogates are pushing that idea very hard right now. I can think of several reasons why adding Billary to the ticket would be a bad idea. Three people is one too many to have on the ticket. Bill is a loose cannon and there is no telling what might come up with him between now and November if Hillary was in the VP spot.

Barack needs a white male veep. Preferably from a Southern state. And preferably one who would make a big difference in carrying his home state. That automatically rules out John Edwards, who can't even carry his home state. Mark Warner of Virginia would fit that requirement perfectly. He's a very popular former governor of Virginia who is now running for the Senate to replace the retiring John Warner. Sen. Jim Webb (D-VA) is another possibility but Webb just barely beat Sen. George "Macaca" Allen in November 2006. And Webb was too recently a Republican. Warner on the ticket would just about guarantee that the Democrats win Virginia, a state they haven't carried in decades since 1964.

I still love the idea of Barack choosing someone with unimpeachable national security credentials, like retired Marine Corps General Tony Zinni for instance. Zinni is a former CENTCOM commander who has been an outspoken critic of the Bush administration's Middle East policy from the very beginning. He's not only opposed to the way the Iraq war was managed, he was opposed to going in in the first place. He said it was unnecessary because our previous policy of containment was working just fine. He was against the war from the very start and he would drive McCain nuts on the campaign trail. Barack could concentrate on hammering McCain on the economy and Zinni could handle the national security questions and explain why we should withdraw from Iraq, a country we should never have invaded in the first place.

We have already seen how McCain intends to handle Barack when it comes to Iraq. McCain reminds us that he was tortured for his country and therefore he doesn't need to take criticism from someone who chose not to serve in the military. Captain McCain will have a much harder time using that response on a 4-star Marine Corps general.

P.S. -- McCain retired from the Navy as a Captain on April 1, 1981 to move to Arizona with his new rich trophy wife and run for congress there. Some people wonder why McCain still draws $58,000 a year tax-free disability payment from the Navy. He was definitely disabled when he returned from Vietnam in early 1973 but, following more than a year of physical therapy, he passed the very strict physical and was reinstated to full flight status. The fact that he draws disability pay now seems to upset some veterans who are having a hard time qualifying for benefits themselves. McCain tells them that if we offer them too much in the way of benfits, they'll all decide they're better off leaving the military. According to McCain, if we agree to cover all of their college expenses after only three years of service, no one would reenlist. According to a Defense Department study, the number of reenlistments would fall by 16%. However, according to that same study, the number of new enlistments would increase by 16%. McCain quotes only the part about the drop of 16% in reenlistments. He ignores the offsetting 16% increase in new enlistments. McCain's disability obviously includes dementia.

[Ninong]

Some People Are More Disappointed Than Others...

...that Hillary Clinton will not be the nominee.

If this site is for real, and I think it is, then we can see just how exciting a Clinton nomination might have been.

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FOX News Calls Michelle Obama "Obama's Baby Mama"

That's how FOX News (aka GOP TV) refers to the wife of United States Senator and presumptive Democratic party presidential candidate, Barack Obama. They displayed it several times at the bottom of the screen: "Obama's baby mama." They also refer to her as "Obama's bitter half." Here.

This is the sort of garbage FOX "News" is famous for.

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Tim Russert Is Dead: Heart Attack

NBC's Washington Bureau Chief and the moderator of Meet the Press is dead of a heart attack at age 58. That's kinda young to die of a heart attack.

[Ninong]

Latest Newsweek Poll Shows Huge Lead For Obama

In the most recent Newsweek Poll, Obama leads McCain by 15 points (51-36) among registered voters nationwide. That's due entirely to a gigantic 39-point lead (66-27) among voters 18-39. Obama and McCain are virtually tied among voters 40 and over.

[Ninong]

Guess Who's Coming to Dinner the Barbecue?

Not McCain!

WASHINGTON (AP) - People would rather barbecue burgers with Barack Obama than with John McCain.

While many are still deciding who should be president, by 52 percent to 45 percent they would prefer having Obama than McCain to their summer cookout, according to an Associated Press-Yahoo News poll released Wednesday.

Having Obama to a barbecue would be like a relaxed family gathering, while inviting McCain "would be more like a retirement party than something fun," said Wesley Welbourne, 38, a systems engineer from Washington, D.C. (That can't be a real name, can it?)

One in six people saying they'd vote for McCain prefer Obama as their barbecue guest; just one in 20 Obama backers would invite McCain.

P.S. -- Maybe they would change their minds if they knew McCain's wife is the biggest beer distributor in the state of Arizona? And she just might be able to fix you up with some Percocets, too.

[Ninong]

What did Jesse Jackson say?

Jesse Jackson, who can't believe that Barack Obama is about to become the nominee of the Democratic party, put his foot into his mouth again. This time it was while waiting to appear live on a FOX "News" program. What the heck is Jesse doing going on FOX in the first place? Anyway, Jesse is of the opinion that Barack shouldn't be lecturing black men about "individual responsibility." Jesse still belongs to the school that believes all the problems in the black community are the result of discrimination and therefore the black community is not to blame for <fill in the blank>.

While waiting to come on live, Jesse whispered something to the black FOX commentator seated next to him. Jesse evidently didn't realize his mic was open. Jesse accused Barack of "talking down" to black audiences by telling them they have to accept individual responsibility for their actions. Jesse said it makes him so mad he would like to "cut off his n***".

Check out how the various TV news anchors tried to report what Jesse said: Video clip.

Thank you, Jesse! Thank you so much! Nothing you can say will affect the black vote, which Barack will win by at least 95% but you have just increased his chances of carrying what Hillary calls the "hard-working Americans, white Americans." Now please go away for the next four months and stay away from any microphones.

[Ninong]

Obama Leads McCain By 24 Points In California

From SF Chronicle, July 16, 2008:

California Democrats and independent voters who backed Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton have gravitated in huge numbers to Sen. Barack Obama - a consolidation of support that has boosted him to a commanding 24-point lead over Republican rival John McCain in the nation's most populous state, the latest Field Poll shows. Putting an end to fears that Clinton's supporters might hold out - or tip to McCain - in the general election after a contentious Democratic primary, the poll shows that the New York senator's former backers now prefer Obama to McCain, 80 to 8 percent, and the Illinois senator now holds a 2-to-1 lead among California's likely female voters.

P.S. -- In case you forgot, Hillary won California in the Democratic primary. Barack won San Francisco and most of the Bay Area counties but Hillary carried the state.

[Ninong]

Obama Will Speak at the Siegessäule in Berlin

Looks like the Obama Campaign has decided to avoid controversy by speaking at a place acceptable to Angela Merkel and George W. Bush. The Bush administration was really upset at the possibility that he might give his major European address in front of the Brandenburg Gate.

Merkel expressed her opposition to the Brandenburg Gate as a possible site but the choice of location in Berlin wasn't up to her, it was up to the Berlin city council, headed by Mayor Klaus Wowereit. Wowereit and Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier thought the Brandenburg Gate would make an excellent backdrop for Obama's speech. Both are Social Democrats. Merkel is a Christian Democrat. Think of the Christian Democrats as Republicans and the Social Democrats as Democrats and you get the idea. Merkel heads a coalition government that includes many Social Democrats.

Anyway, according to this article, which I babelfished into English, Obama will be speaking next Thursday in front of the Siegessäule, or "Berlin Victory Column." Apparently this was one of the few sites acceptable to Angela Merkel and her masseur, GeeDubya. So Obama gets to speak in front of a monument to German war victories. According to Wikipedia, the French vandalized it in 1945 and removed all the sections bragging about German victories over the French. Then in 1987, the French government returned some of the sections their troops removed in 1945 but not quite all of them.

It won't matter where he gives his speech, Obama will go over BIG in Berlin. VERY BIG!!! McCain, by comparison, will look like a nobody.



P.S. -- It's a good thing McCain is not running for president of Germany. The most recent poll shows Obama favored over McCain by three-fourths of Germans. Merkel has a fine line to walk next week. She doesn't want to upset the Bush administration by appearing too friendly to Obama but she knows that public opinion in her country is very anti-Bush right now and very pro-Obama. McCain, as far as the Germans are concerned, is just another member of the same political party as George W. Bush.

Merkel will meet with Obama and be photographed with him at a photo-op but I don't expect her to appear in public with him. The Social Democrats, on the other hand, will be falling all over each other to be seen in public with Obama.

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McCain Worried About Obama's European Tour

John McCain is really worried about Obama's stops in Berlin, Paris and London next week. He's referring to Obama's visits as "political rallies." That's hilarious coming from the man who held a London fundraiser at a British lord's mansion on his last official congressional fact-finding trip to Europe.

Sen. John McCain plans at least one campaign event on his week-long congressional trip to Europe and the Middle East: a March 20 fundraiser in London. An invitation sent out by the campaign says the luncheon will be held at Spencer House, St. James's Place, "by kind permission of Lord Rothschild OM GBE and the Hon Nathaniel Rothschild." Tickets to the invitation-only event cost $1,000 to $2,300. Attire is listed as "lounge suits."

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Iraq PM wants troops out 'as soon as possible'

Prolonging their stay 'would cause problems,' al-Maliki says in interview

BAGHDAD - Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki says U.S. troops should leave Iraq "as soon as possible," according to a magazine report in which he also called presidential candidate Barack Obama's suggestion of 16 months "the right timeframe for a withdrawal."

In an interview with Germany's Der Spiegel magazine released Saturday, al-Maliki said he was not seeking to endorse Obama. The Illinois senator and likely Democratic nominee has pledged to withdraw combat troops from Iraq within 16 months if he is elected.

"That, we think, would be the right timeframe for a withdrawal, with the possibility of slight changes," al-Maliki was quoted as saying. "Those who operate on the premise of short time periods in Iraq today are being more realistic. Artificially prolonging the tenure of U.S. troops in Iraq would cause problems."

Asked when U.S. forces would leave Iraq, he responded, "As soon as possible, as far as we're concerned."

You can read the full article here.

P.S. -- Sen. Obama, Sen. Hagel and Sen. Reed are in Afghanistan today. They are expected to visit Iraq next.

[Ninong]

My Fearless Prediction #3725

Next week is shaping up to be one of the worst weeks yet for the McCain Campaign and one of the best yet for the Obama Campaign. Obama will surge in the polls. His lead over McCain could easily double from what it is right now.

Obama is in Afghanistan today visiting with U.S. troops and commanders. He brought along Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-NE) and Sen. Jack Reed (D-RI). Both are anti-war veterans. Reed is a West Point graduate. Having Chuck Hagel along for the ride lends an air of bipartisanship to the trip. Hagel has been against the war for a long time now. Sen. Gordon Smith (R-OR) is a recent anti-war convert but he 'got religion' only after he realized his state was firmly anti-war and he was up for re-election this November.

Everything Obama wants to do in Afghanistan is exactly what Hamid Karzai has been asking for. Karzai wants U.S. troops to do more in the border area with Pakistan where al-Qaida's leadership has been given sanctuary by Pakistan and this is what Obama has been calling for. Obama wants to move at least two combat brigades from Iraq to Afghanistan as soon as possible. That would be after January 20, 2009 unless Bush decides to do it on his own before he leaves office.

After Obama leaves Afghanistan, where he will be warmly welcomed by Pres. Hamid Karzai who will agree with everything Obama has to say, he will travel to Baghdad, where Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki will agree with everything he has to say. Al-Maliki has already said that Obama's plan to withdraw most troops within 16 months is "the right timeframe for a withdrawal." Not exactly what McCain has been preaching with his call to keep troops in Iraq indefinitely.

Following Obama's warm welcome in Kabul and Baghdad, he will travel to Jordan and Israel for quick visits before heading to Berlin, where he will give a major European policy address outdoors in front of the Berlin Victory Column with the Brandenburg Gate in the far background. That address is scheduled for next Thursday. My prediction is that he will be greeted as a rock star. There will be enormous crowds everywhere he goes. It will be as if Elvis and JFK had combined into one. He will call upon our NATO allies to do more in Afghanistan. This is a dig at Germany, whose troops aren't allowed into any areas where actual fighting is taking place. Think of it as an "Ask not what the U.S. can do for you, ask what you can do for the U.S." sort of speech.

Besides asking for more help in Afghanistan, he will no doubt ask for more intense efforts to solve the other outstanding problems in the entire Middle East, including the Palestinian question and the Iranian uranium enrichment program. He will receive a very warm welcome by the German public and the Social Democrats. Angela Merkel and the Christian Democrats will try to tone things down as much as possible.

Obama will then travel to Paris and London, where he will be warmly received by adoring crowds. It's gonna be a great week for the Obama Campaign!

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Der Spiegel Article Quoting Maliki's Support For Obama's Withdrawal Plan

This is hilarious. It was the White House press office that accidentally sent this article to the entire White House press corps this morning. It was supposed to be internal only.

McCain's campaign freaked out and the Bush administration had al-Maliki issue a clarification saying that what he really meant was that any withdrawal of troops should depend on conditions on the ground. Of course, he's on tape with Der Spiegel saying that he thinks Obama's timeframe is the right one and that as far as his government is concerned, coalition troops should withdraw as soon as possible.

Obama Campaign Senior National Security Advisor, Dr. Susan Rice, in response to Prime Minister Maliki's support for Senator Obama's Iraq plan.

"Senator Obama welcomes Prime Minister Maliki's support for a 16 month timeline for the redeployment of U.S combat brigades. This presents an important opportunity to transition to Iraqi responsibility, while restoring our military and increasing our commitment to finish the fight in Afghanistan."

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Transcript of Maliki Interview With Der Spiegel

SPIEGEL: Would you hazard a prediction as to when most of the US troops will finally leave Iraq?

Maliki: As soon as possible, as far as we're concerned. U.S. presidential candidate Barack Obama talks about 16 months. That, we think, would be the right timeframe for a withdrawal, with the possibility of slight changes.

SPIEGEL: Is this an endorsement for the US presidential election in November? Does Obama, who has no military background, ultimately have a better understanding of Iraq than war hero John McCain?

Maliki: Those who operate on the premise of short time periods in Iraq today are being more realistic. Artificially prolonging the tenure of US troops in Iraq would cause problems. Of course, this is by no means an election endorsement. Who they choose as their president is the Americans' business. But it's the business of Iraqis to say what they want. And that's where the people and the government are in general agreement: The tenure of the coalition troops in Iraq should be limited.

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Barack Obama With U.S. Troops in Kuwait

Five-minute video clip.

Early in the clip, Barack takes a shot from the 3-point line and it's nothing but net. That concludes his basketball clinic because, as Barack put it, there's no reason to go on because "it would be all downhill from here."

Later, towards the end of his visit, he is challenged to repeat his lucky shot. Barack takes another shot from the 3-point line and it's nothing but net again! What are the odds of that happening! Let's see WALNUTS! top that.

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April 22, 2004: McCain Address to Council on Foreign Relations

PETERSON: Let me give you a hypothetical, senator. What would or should we do if, in the post-June 30th period, a so-called sovereign Iraqi government asks us to leave, even if we are unhappy about the security situation there? I understand it's a hypothetical, but it's at least possible.

McCAIN: Well, if that scenario evolves, then I think it's obvious that we would have to leave because— if it was an elected government of Iraq— and we've been asked to leave other places in the world. If it were an extremist government, then I think we would have other challenges, but I don't see how we could stay when our whole emphasis and policy has been based on turning the Iraqi government over to the Iraqi people.

PETERSON: A second and final question from me. As you know—

McCAIN: By the way, could I— if we do it right, that's not going to happen, but we will be there militarily for a long, long, long time.

John McCain very clearly stated that "we would have to leave" if asked to do so by "an elected government of Iraq."

Maliki: As soon as possible, as far as we're concerned. U.S. presidential candidate Barack Obama talks about 16 months. That, we think, would be the right timeframe for a withdrawal, with the possibility of slight changes.

John McCain said "we will be there militarily for a long, long, long time."... "Maybe a hundred years!"

Maliki: Those who operate on the premise of short time periods in Iraq today are being more realistic. Artificially prolonging the tenure of US troops in Iraq would cause problems. Of course, this is by no means an election endorsement. Who they choose as their president is the Americans' business. But it's the business of Iraqis to say what they want. And that's where the people and the government are in general agreement: The tenure of the coalition troops in Iraq should be limited.

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Barack Obama Meets With Hamid Karzai in Kabul

He made no public comment after the meeting, but said in a written statement that his main purpose was to see U.S troops, thank them for their "extraordinary service" and let them know the United States is proud of them.

Obama said he and his colleagues were talking to military and diplomatic leaders, and Afghanistan's leaders about whether the U.S. has the right strategy and resources to defeat the Taliban and al-Qaida.

"Our message to the Afghan government is this: We want a strong partnership based on 'more for more' — more resources from the United States and NATO, and more action from the Afghan government to improve the lives of the Afghan people," Obama and Sens. Chuck Hagel, R-Neb., and Jack Reed, D-R.I., said in a joint statement. "We need a sense of urgency and determination.

"We need urgency because the threat from the Taliban and al-Qaida is growing and we must act; we need determination because it will take time to prevail," they said. "But with the right strategy and the resources to back it up, we will get the job done."

The Afghan presidency said Obama's message was positive.

"Sen. Obama conveyed ... that he is committed to supporting Afghanistan and to continue the war against terrorism with vigor," said Humayun Hamidzada, Karzai's spokesman. He said Democrats and Republicans "are friends of Afghanistan and no matter who wins the U.S. elections, Afghanistan will have a very strong partner in the United States."

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Bush Administration Pushing Maliki For Retraction 'Clarification'

This is hilarious! First of all, it was someone in the office of the White House Press Secretary who forwarded a link to the Spiegel.com online article to the entire White House press corps. Apparently that was in error. Then, after the U.S. media widely reported that al-Maliki agreed with Obama's plan for withdrawal of troops from Iraq, the White House freaked out and called Maliki's office for 'clarification' Saturday.

Then al-Maliki's spokesman announced that the prime minister's remarks had been "misunderstood" and that they had been "mistranslated." This is where it gets really good. The interpreter for the interview was al-Maliki's guy. Der Spiegel did not provide their own interpreter. However, both Der Spiegel and al-Maliki's office have tapes of the interview.

Der Spiegel has forwarded audio tapes of the interview to The New York Times and they agree that the original translation is accurate in all significant respects. The interview was given in Arabic and interpreted into German simultaneously by al-Maliki's interpreter. Then the German transcript was translated into English when Der Spiegel published its English version online. Originally they published an article on the interview that included excerpts from the interview but then, within hours, they published the full verbatim transcript of the interview. That was probably in response to criticism that they had misstated al-Maliki's remarks.

Remember this, al-Maliki never said he endorsed Barack Obama for the U.S. presidency. The Republicans are trying to set this up as a straw man so that they can have al-Maliki refute it. He specifically said he agreed with the timeframe for withdrawal put forth by Obama and that those who want to leave Iraq quicker have a better assessment of the situation in Iraq.

It was al-Maliki himself who brought up Obama's name, not Der Spiegel's interviewer.

Here is a literal translation of the Arabic directly to English by The New York Times:

MALIKI: "Obama’s remarks that — if he takes office — in 16 months he would withdraw the forces, we think that this period could increase or decrease a little, but that it could be suitable to end the presence of the forces in Iraq."

He continued: "Who wants to exit in a quicker way has a better assessment of the situation in Iraq."

That's the critical part of the interview. Al-Maliki stated clearly that he agrees with Barack Obama's timeframe for withdrawal of troops from Iraq and that those (like Obama) who want to exit in a quicker way have a better assessment of the situation in Iraq (than those like McCain who want to "be there militarily for a long, long, long time").

Al-Maliki went on to say that he was not making a presidential endorsement, just expressing the will of the people and the government of Iraq that "the tenure of the coalition troops in Iraq should be limited."

[Ninong]

The Tide Is Turning In Florida

Democratic voter registration in Florida increased by 106,508 from January through May, compared with 16,686 for the Republicans.