If this continues, it looks like Kerry will have been my last democrat. I don't think I could be any more disgusted with Obama.

Leading a fighter group . . . .

I'm going to keep asking this question until someone answers: What/which "fighter group" did McCain lead? For that matter what "fighter" squadron was McCain ever attached to?

And please, no VA-174 answers.

Would be nice to see a little spine in our candidate.

This is a very sterile and ultimately counterproductive line of attack, which is why your beloved leader has backed off of it faster than to his criticism of NAFTA.

Here is what The Los Angeles Times wrote about it, warts and all:

McCain surprised his doctors by making a dramatic comeback. With a ferocious determination to fly again and a tough physical therapy regimen, he got his wings back and not long after was awarded command of the Navy's largest aviation squadron, VA-174, at Cecil Field in Florida. Blue-chip connections in the Nixon administration helped.(...) A review of Navy records and interviews with more than a dozen of his former colleagues paint a picture of a commander who was lionized by his troops as a war hero and respected by aviators as a fair and effective manager. He had rugged good looks and a common touch, and was fiercely loyal to those who worked for him, his former colleagues say.

But those Navy records also cast some doubt on the importance of a claim McCain makes in his autobiography -- that he took bold steps to improve the readiness of the squadron. Some of McCain's contemporaries don't recall key parts of a management initiative that he describes in that book. And although the squadron was well-run under McCain, it appeared to be no better managed than before he arrived or after he left, according to interviews and records.

But there's no doubt it was a big job. Running the squadron, with its 1,000 personnel and fleet of 75 jets, was like managing a small corporation.

"It speaks for itself," McCain said in a recent interview. "You implement the principles of leadership. You address issues. You work hard. You try to inspire the people under your command. It is not any different from any other leadership role. It all boils down to treating people the way you would want to be treated yourself. It is one of the essentials of leadership."
So OK, neither of the candidates is exactly Michael Bloomberg, but McCain has at least managed something relatively big.

While there may be some truth to Clark's remarks, Obama is smart to distance himself from them. There's nothing to gain by questioning the value of McCain's war service.

I am worried, however, about the new tack Obama's campaign seems to have taken since the primary victory. There are two things that bother me: (1) his rightward drift on certain important issues like FISA and(2) his attempt to recast himself as Mr. Whitebread (by giving speeches on patriotism, for instance). Obama's appeal is that he is different. Now he's trying to be the same. I don't see how that helps him. If Americans want more of the same, they'll vote for McCain. Americans are attracted to Obama because he seems so unlike other politicians--so much more thoughtful, so much more honest. Now he's trying to obscure his differences and, in doing so, he seems more trivial and more calculating--more like all the other politicians we're sick of. I think that will cost him in the long run. I hope he snaps out of this soon or I fear his fate will be similar to Kerry's.

I was disappointed to hear on public television last evening that Obama is more than willing to listen and take advice from past political hacks -Warren Christopher, Madeline Albright, and Athony Lake and supposedly pushing aside the more progressive foreign affairs advisors. And what's with this pandering to the Christian Right (although, they are going through some interesting transitions on some of the issues).

As many celebrated Obama's appeal among independents and his ability to turn Colorado and Virginia blue, there must have been some understanding that this would not occur were his platform catered to the fine electorate of Berkeley.

The thorn under Krugman's skin is nevertheless justifiable. Every factoid about 2008 assured a Democratic victory even with a liberal platform. Obama will deny Krugman the liberal vindication to which his life is dedicated. Nothing will be more bitter to Mr Krugman than Obama's reconcilation of the left with the right.