The Clintons and their people no longer deserve the benefit of the doubt with regard to putting their loyalty to the party above their pursuit of personal legacy. Two evenings ago, Tony Rodham and others met with...

Geez, it looks like I wasn't a concern troll after all.

Barack Obama has reached rarified political air and the precipice of greatness by standing for something. For his staunch and uncompromising ethical commitment to progressive ideals, his promise to pursue them with integrity and his raison d'être of bringing substantive change to a broken country and a political system on life support. That is what inspired an almost hysterical adulation, motivated legions of fervent progressive supporters and enabled him to defeat the Clinton machine in the primaries. It was not pandering to moderate conservatives. Yet this is what Obama, Plouffe and Axelrod have inexplicably decided to do.

And that's why as an Obama supporter, I'll be extremely disappointed in him.  You'll recall that she changed course on a dime and was the good soldier, telling her supporters to get behind Obama.  

If it turns out the announcement is that Hillary was picked as VP, then who's to say that he told her so way back when to get her to stop her attacking the validity of his nominating victory?  Is it possible that word wouldn't have leaked that the fix was in since that time.  Frankly, I haven't heard much talk about this being the arrangement, but of course Obama could have made the offer contingent on it remaining a secret.  

I am not saying that there is going to be upheaval or that we need to be upset.
I am pointing out in this diary that some troubling signs are popping up and  we need to be aware and vigilant.

Last night I read an article on the strong arm tactics by some former Clinton supporters towards the delegates going to the convention next week.
Today, on Political wire I read about Hillary's brother and some former backers meeting with McCain's aide, Fiorina.

http://politicalwire.com/...

http://www.commercialappeal.com/...

I removed it, most of you infants can now get back to sleep with your pacifiers.

I thought I would get a mature response with some criticism, but you guys, sheesh...you give the word "intolerant" a new meaning, is there a special uniform you wear or something?

Carly Fiorina, known best for reassuring ex-Clinton backers that John McCain voted for Ginsburg/Souter/et cetra's confirmation even while McCain says he'd never appoint them, while also hinting that McCain won't give a preference to viagra over contraceptives when it comes to medical coverage(actually, he does!), has met privately with the brother of Hillary Rodham Clinton in Pennsylvania.  I am not kidding you.   Hillary Clinton's own brother is planning to vote Republican after supporting her in the primaries.

Wasn't Clinton suppose to reach out to these people?  Per the Times Tribune of Scranton, Pennsylvania;

I know many of you guys will say, polls don't mean anything but in case anybody hasn't noticed, John McCain has managed to shore up the conservative base and will surely pick up a hard right neoconservative to run with him.  While Obama has tried to move more toward the center and gather some of the middle vote, McCain has gone hard right while still portraying himself as a leader of change when it comes to alternative energy as well as a proponet of domestic drilling.  Attacking Obama's strengths and going negative has also projected McCain into a 5% national lead (and you guys still want to play nice) and allowed McCain to trump what should be our biggest card, the economy..

Now that Hillary has put her name back in play and full voting rights have been restored to Michigan and Florida, a chorus of critics have suddenly emerged attacking Obama from within the Democratic Party. Many of the folks giving interviews to newspapers, like Ted Strickland, are well known Clinton allies. What is their real agenda? As a Democrat I am embarrassed at the way these folks, who have not spent one moment plugging Obama, are now excitedly tearing him down and calling him weak.
Could it be that Hillary is putting her name in nomination as another threat and show of force towards Obama? Is she still hoping to secure the nomination or at the very least, the vice presidency? Are there political strategists still locked in a dark room smoking Hillary cigars thinking, "We can still pull this off!"
Here is another scenario: The PUMAs and company are using the roll call to align their forces. They are planning a parade and demonstrations in Hillary's honor as I write. They are angry, militant and determined that the way to respect Hillary is to put her on the ticket. Are they winking to Obama that any other choice will unleash a Pandora's box of trouble at the convention, similar to what went down at the DNC meeting?

The fair and balanced FOX news has created a new affiliate that they're calling FOCKS news.  I have been hired as their new investigative journalist.

For my first FOCKS report, I have been doing some investigative work into where our great hero, John McCain, stands on the issues.

I was surprised to find, despite his being a former POW, that he is really a radical liberal who wants socialized medicine.

You know, Count Orlok.

Enough with this Hillary nonsense.

We all know what Obama's real problems are versus McCain:

Age.

Experience.

Sheer calculating evil, without the capacity for feeling mercy for man or beast.

Obama's choice is going to be Nosferatu.  Trust me.  You know it.  I know it.  Vegetable lasagna knows it (has that reference become "obscure" yet?).

So let's stop fucking around and plan for keeping the blood banks open 24/7 in Denver.

(more)

After a flirtation with Wes Clark, I'm comfortably settled on Sebelius as my most-hoped-for VP pick. A scan of the press/blog CW finds that the most common knock on Sebelius is that it will alienate Clinton supporters, who will be angry that Obama picked a woman other than Hillary.

Now, this is a plausible-enough-sounding talking point, but really turn this one over in your head.

The Biden comments today are the tip off.  All the talk of Biden and the others were the smoke screen; Obama is going to name Hillary as his VP.

There has been a lot of handwringing around here about polls.  Let me tell you Obama is polling well giving the amount of negativity directed towards him.

Obama is leading polls nationally because the times have changed.  McCain has consolidated his base and yet despite a 10 percent consolidation advantage still trails.

Ok, I will admit it, I like Maureen Dowd, there I said it!  I'm not sure if I like her because of the light or heat, but I like her.  

Edit: I'm not suggesting, advocating or supporting that the story linked is accurate factually, only the practical impact.  

Today (tomorrow), her piece titled "Two Against The One" strikes truths others would not speak.  The only issue I have is her title, it should read 3 plus the media.  The media likes to admonish itself for the heavy coverage of Obama but ignores that disproportionate volume of that coverage is negative.  We actually had a network ask,

"Is Obama the Anti Christ?"

this week, kinda like the "How long ago did you stop beating your wife?" question.  I'm not naive, I know her history, for whom she worked and her opinions but it's ok she's cuts deep and I like her.  I'm convinced that Dowd first and foremost enjoys calling people on crap, anyone but particularly the press.  

(Cross-posted from "Bayh-Bayh-Bayhden.org")

    Some say Obama chose a VP already.
    Well, maybe it's time to un-choose.

    While this diary resembles my previous di on similar topics, there's a lot more to say:


JOE BIDEN

1. Biden is a plagiarist. Even if it was 2 decades ago.

    Actually, more than a plagiarist; just peep the Wik,

(look out below)

With the campaign stuck in summer doldrums, and the speculation about Barack's vice-president at a fever-pitch, all signs point to a surprise so startling, and utterly unexpected, that announcing it Friday evening would drive up interest and coverage for a week!

That's right--the Vice President will be Hillary Clinton.

And for what it's worth, even Ralph Nader seems to believe it.

Most of us hated Bayh.

Some of us hated Kaine.

Still others disliked Biden as the choice for Vice President.

All three were the subject of significant trial balloons over the last three weeks, with the most significant being the possibility of Biden over the past 36 hours.

But with the developments today, I am now convinced Barack Obama has decided to pick....