At one point in the speech... I cannot remember offhand which line, some in the crowd did invoke the chant "yes we can" briefly and you could also hear chants of "Obama!"

Of course the acoustics from TV are different from where you were in the crowd.

A great report and loved the reference to schnell imbiss -- remembering one of my family favorite diversions when we lived in Germany -- well, back in the last century.... Thanks for the report... and the memories...

Posted at July 24, 2008 10:59 PM in response to back from obama speech in berlin -- part 1

The very idea that Chuck Todd suggested that John McCain could have made that speech is appalling...

Is the very reason Chuck Todd will not be the new host of Meet the Press.

Posted at July 24, 2008 10:48 PM in response to UGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!

It was the Randy Newman reference that suckered me in... being on the vertically-challenged side, I started out hating that song only for it to become an anthem.

Aside from that, I have nothing of substance or on point to add. Sell long, sell short....

Posted at July 23, 2008 11:34 PM in response to Short people got no reason to live

Ms. Sklar should be well aware that email is not private, even private email.

As a journo-blogger, she should also be aware that she is not obligated to "correspond" with every person who writes to her. She could have merely trashed your initial email and not responded.

Whether or not you identified yourself as a journalist -- active, retired or otherwise -- is immaterial. Consider the contrary, she could have published your email to her. Also, you never asked for the exchange to be off the record in exchange for her candor.

The substance of this exchange is nothing different than what often occurs within the pages of HuffPo and indeed Ms. Sklar "column," where she and others have similarly spirited on the record discussions. There was nothing anyone would consider necessary to be said under a veil of secrecy.

In fact, I'd argue that if Ms. Sklar knew within the first sentence of your email you were a journalist, she was obligated to take her remarks off the record BEFORE they were made and not after. Arguing "What I just said is off-the-record," rarely if ever holds up. The standard is to state BEFORE you blab the sensitive info, that what you are ABOUT TO SAY is off the record AND secure the agreement of the reporter that it will be off the record before you spill the beans.

Looks like Ripper ripped her.

Posted at July 22, 2008 7:39 PM in response to Rachel Sklar's Answer to My TPM Post

On the whole, I think it will be better for the country, because we will finally continue some serious dialog that has been suspended for at least 40 years. And we won't be able to "whitewash" it -- paint over the bad parts and make things look cosmetically good, while they are rotten underneath.

Rec'd.

Posted at July 22, 2008 7:20 PM in response to Could an Obama presidency actually worsen race relations in America?

Definition of trolling thickwit = Mandy

Posted at July 22, 2008 7:16 PM in response to Could an Obama presidency actually worsen race relations in America?

you're missing something.

Why do you need to make the accusation of misogyny? Based on what evidence?

Posted at July 22, 2008 4:31 PM in response to Man Crush: the Bitchification of Barack Obama

Actually, if you like cartoons, it already did: think:

Watch as McCain wipes the bomb,bomb,bomb soot off his face.

Posted at July 21, 2008 10:50 PM in response to Will Iraqi's Agreeing With Obama - Backfire?

Iraq is a sovereign government. It was a sovereign government before we invaded. It will be a sovereign government whenever we get the hell out.

As long as McCain isn't listening to what the sovereign government of Iraq wants, he is on the losing side of this issue.

Who gives a sh*t if the surge worked? What McCain calls "victory" the sane among us call "endless occupation."

Posted at July 21, 2008 10:44 PM in response to Will Iraqi's Agreeing With Obama - Backfire?

I'm sure there would be some who would cry foul. Or should that be "fowl" as in "hot chicks?"

But TPM is hardly exclusive as to its content. It is not all political. It is not all serious. There are posts of imaginary parties, spam posts about video games, posts about nothing (Blog Post Title), posts about trolls, who is and who isn't, posts about loons and recipes responding to trolls, posts about the sucky TPM interface, posts about other posts. So with all of that, somehow this post "inappropriate?" And with all due respect, if one of the hot chicks on the list of 100 sexiest babes was Hillary or Barbara Boxer, politicians, you'd probably be writing posts about the 25 best cougars bars in DC.

You (generic "you" employed here) see fit to comment on a wide variety of topics, some of which relate to race, race relations, race in politics. You comment appropriateness of the N-word, Reverend Wright (imagine the outrage if he had appeared on the list), Jesse Jackson, Michelle Obama. You comment on who is or is not arrogant, elitist, uppity, out of touch, but you don't want to know who is "cool" according to one black magazine? You rant and rail about affirmative action, reverse discrimination, the problems in black America, but this post -- which could have spurred a different conversation -- is the "sheet ov dee bool?"

I see.

Posted at July 21, 2008 10:36 PM in response to The Dearth of the Cool