What a straw man. Obama didn't start with 90% of the AA vote; he earned it through 2007, and then into Iowa and New Hampshire. And let's not forget he far superior ground game in SC.

Posted at April 15, 2008 9:21 AM in response to Billionaire Bob Johnson cites race in Obama surge

Pate Brisee (Short Crust Pastry):
1 1/4 cups (175 grams) all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon (14 grams) granulated white sugar
1/2 cup (113 grams) unsalted butter, chilled, and cut into 1 inch (2.54 cm) pieces
1/8 to 1/4 cup (30 - 60 ml) ice water
Pecan and Gingersnap Layer: (optional)
1/4 cup (25 grams) pecans, toasted and ground
1/4 cup (25 grams) crushed gingersnap cookies
Pumpkin Filling:
3 large eggs
2 cups fresh pumpkin puree or 1 - 15 ounce can (425 grams) pure pumpkin
1/2 cup (120 ml) heavy whipping cream
1/2 cup (110 grams) light brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon salt
Maple Whipped Cream:
1 cup (240 ml) heavy whipping cream
1 1/2 tablespoons pure maple syrup

Pate Brisee: In a food processor, place the flour, salt, and sugar and process until combined. Add the butter and process until the mixture resembles coarse meal (about 15 seconds). Pour 1/8 cup (30 ml) water in a slow, steady stream, through the feed tube until the dough just holds together when pinched. If necessary, add more water. Do not process more than 30 seconds.
Turn the dough onto your work surface and gather into a ball. Flatten into a disk, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 30 minutes to one hour before using. This will chill the butter and relax the gluten in the flour.
After the dough has chilled sufficiently, place on a lightly floured surface, and roll into a 13 inch (33 cm) circle. (To prevent the pastry from sticking to the counter and to ensure uniform thickness, keep lifting up and turning the pastry a quarter turn as you roll (always roll from the center of the pastry outwards).) Fold the dough in half and gently transfer to a 9 inch (23 cm) pie pan. Brush off any excess flour and tuck the overhanging pastry under itself. Use a fork to make a decorative border. Alternatively, you can trim the pastry to the edge of the pie pan. With the remaining pastry make decorative cut-outs (leaves, pumpkins, etc.) and with a little water, attach them around the lip of the pie pan. Refrigerate the pastry, covered with plastic wrap, for about 30 minutes before pouring in the filling.
Pecan and Gingersnap Layer: Toast pecans in a 350 degree F (180 degree C) oven for 8 minutes or until lightly browned and aromatic. Cool and then place the pecans in a food processor and process until finely ground. Combine the ground pecans with the crushed gingersnap cookies. Press this mixture evenly onto the bottom and up the sides of the unbaked pie crust. Cover and return the pastry to the refrigerator while you make the pumpkin filling.
Increase the oven temperature to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) and place rack in bottom third of the oven.
Make the Pumpkin Filling: In a large bowl lightly whisk the eggs. Add the remaining ingredients and stir to combine. Pour the mixture into the prepared pie shell and place on a large baking pan to catch any spills. Bake the pie for about 45 to 55 minutes or until the filling is set and the crust has browned (the center will still look wet). (A knife inserted about 1 inch (2.54 cm) from side of pan will come out almost clean.)
Place the baked pie on a wire rack to cool. Serve at room temperature with maple whipped cream. Store any leftovers in the refrigerator.
Makes one 9 inch (23 cm) pie.
Make the Maple Whipped Cream:
Place the heavy whipping cream and maple syrup in bowl of your electric mixer. With the whisk attachment, whip the cream until soft peaks form.
Adapted from Martha Stewart's Pies and Tarts

Posted at March 18, 2008 11:25 AM in response to Obama's Race Speech Born Of Sense That He'd Failed To Explain Relationship To Wright

Clinton Rules, people: IOKIYAC

Posted at March 4, 2008 11:37 AM in response to

Rodham is her maiden name: Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton.

OTOH, when it comes to sitting presidents, the middle name is sometimes common, sometimes not. William Jefferson Clinton and George Herbert Walker Bush seem common, but Ronald Wilson Reagan and James Earl Carter don't.

I suspect if Obama does make it the White House, no one will have a problem with the middle name, especially when he overseas in places like Indonesia, etc.

Posted at February 28, 2008 12:47 PM in response to What's in a name when the name is Hussein?

The joke is that there are only up to six degrees of separation from Obama to any bigot, terrorist, demagogue, or otherwise hateful character anywhere in the world. Using Russert Logic (TM), Obama has an obligation to denounce them all. Using Clinton Logic, he needs to reject them as well.

Posted at February 28, 2008 12:01 AM in response to Texas, A Perplexing And Complex State, Is Anybody's Ball Game

BTW, I really liked your title. Awesome!!

I may be an Obama fan, but even I can see it sucks that female politicians in the US are held to different standards than, say, are Thatcher, Helen Clark, Merkel, etc.

Posted at February 25, 2008 3:53 PM in response to 0 to Bitch in 6.3 Seconds

He didn't vote against Iraq AUMF because he wasn't in the Senate. He spoke out against at an anti-war rally in Chicago.

His absence from the Kyl-Lieberman is more complicated. He fully intended to vote against it and was in the Chamber on the day. Unfortunately, the vote didn't happen that day, and Harry Reid tabled it, saying it wouldn't happen "in the near future." Obama understood that to mean he could keep a campaign appointment the next day in NH, so he flew off that night. The next morning (10am), Reid announced that the vote would go ahead after all, and gave Senators two hours to get to the Senate.

Stuck in NH, there was nothing Obama could do except issue a statement saying he would have voted if he had been there:

http://www.politico.com/blogs/bensmith/0907/Obama_No_on_KylLieberman.html

Of course, this doesn't look good on the surface, but I think his opponents haven't hit on this because they understand it was out of his hands.

Posted at February 25, 2008 3:40 PM in response to 0 to Bitch in 6.3 Seconds

"We've had nothing but men so far and they sure haven't proved to be particularly gifted at fighting, or winning elections."

Yeah, JFK, LBJ, Truman, Roosevelt, Bill Clinton -- all terrible at winning elections.

Seriously, are you saying choosing women for president would be better simply because they're not men?

Posted at February 25, 2008 3:33 PM in response to 0 to Bitch in 6.3 Seconds

I've said it before and I'll say it again. This photo has the potential to be picked up by the same nasty crew *cough* Ann Coulter *cough* who talk about B. Hussein Obama. If you don't see that, then you're already in a post-racial world and I bow to your wisdom.

Posted at February 25, 2008 1:50 PM in response to Clinton Spokesperson: "I Don't Know" If A Hillary Staffer Sent Out Obama Somali Photo Or Not

I'm not as sanguine as Carol, but I do think they may be misreading the feeling from Obama's crowds. One thing I've heard people do at his events is chant U-S-A! U-S-A! And his rhetoric is pretty damn patriotic at times. So, it's possible he's inoculated himself against this attack.

Posted at February 25, 2008 12:17 PM in response to Tomorrow's Right Wing Attack On Obama -- Today!