There they go again...

The political pundits are zeroing in on specific words of Democrats and accusing them (they are probably using John McCain's talking points memo) of pointing out John McCain's 'age' by using them.

Tonight Chris Matthews jumped on the word CONFUSED.  Many Obama supporters used the word to describe McCain after his comment about it "not being important" whether troops come home or not.

Most people were pointing out how McCain was confused about who was fighting whom in Iraq (Sunni or Shia).  McCain claimed that all the troops that were sent to Iraq for the 'surge' were now back home, when they clearly are not.  On one hand McCain jumps down Mitt Romney's case for even 'thinking' about a possible withdraw date from Iraq, on the other hand during his May speech he announced that 'he' would withdraw (have most of the combat troops home) by 2013.  Then yesterday he says it 'doesn't matter' when they come home as long as they're not being killed.

I would say that anybody, no matter the age, sounds pretty darn CONFUSED about what he/she really wants as their Iraq policy -- if they keep switching (flip flopping) their beliefs or knowledge about the issue on a weekly basis.

I sincerely hope the political pundits won't go down the same path they went with the Bush administration by constantly using Karl Rove's talking points as their issue of the day.

Remember when Republican Presidential nominee,Senator John McCain, promised Americans they would see Iraq combat over, and U.S. troops home before 2013?  He made this speech back on May 15, 2008 in Ohio.

In the speech he talk about a specific date for when he saw American military involvement to be over in Iraq.

It was January 2013. By then, he says, American combat involvement will be over and most U.S. troops back home.

Do you also remember when McCain attacking Gov. Mitt Romney for even 'implying' that he'd have a timetable for troops withdrawals?  McCain said it would be a sign of surrender and a date the enemy would just wait for.

Well, John McCain has Flip-Flopped again. 

Sen. John McCain appeared on the Today Show this morning and continued to promote his idea of a long occupation in Iraq. But whatever merits there may be for his message, his delivery is once again promising to get him into trouble.

When asked if he knew when American troops could start to return home, McCain responded:

"No, but that's not too important. What's important is the casualties in Iraq."

I'm sorry but John McCain needs to STAY ON MESSAGE if he expects to win in November. 

First he tell American's that giving a withdraw DATE would embolden the enemy, that they'd just wait till we left and it was a sign of surrender, then he tells us he'll get us out of Iraq by a DATE of 2013.  Last but not least, he tells us it's not too important when we get out (gives no DATE).

The man is either very confused or he's trying to pander to ALL voters by sending mixed messages.

It appears that Obama is doing just fine now that Hillary is out of the campaign:

Barack Obama’s recent gains in general-election polling against John McCain have come in part from a widening advantage among women. Obama now leads McCain by 51% to 38% among women overall, and has overtaken McCain among older women, a core Clinton constituency.
Gallup.poll

Illinois Sen. Barack Obama, the likely Democratic presidential nominee, has pulled even among white voters with Arizona Sen. John McCain, the likely Republican contender, and now tops Sen. McCain 50 - 36 percent in New York State, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released today.

Sen. Obama gets 42 percent of white votes, to 43 percent for Sen. McCain. Black voters back the Democrat 87 - 6 percent. Obama leads 59 - 29 percent among voters under age 45 and 45 - 40 among voters over 45; 45 - 40 percent among men and 53 - 32 percent among women.

This compares to a 47 - 39 percent Obama lead over McCain in an April 18 poll by the independent Quinnipiac (KWIN-uh-pe-ack) University, when New York Sen. Hillary Clinton still was in the race. In that survey, white voters backed McCain 48 - 38 percent.

While it was a tight race between two 'very well liked' Democrats, it's an entirely different story when you put a Democrat up against a Republican.

McCain, as you know, offered awhile back to go with Obama on a trip to Iraq.  Well, back on May 27th I wrote to Obama telling him he should offer to take McCain on a trip across America: I posted it on DailyKos.  http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2008/5/27/104647/032

Think maybe he read my diary?

THE FOLLOWING IS WHAT OBAMA SAID IN HIS FINAL PRIMARY NIGHT SPEECH:

John McCain has spent a lot of time talking about trips to Iraq in the last few weeks, but maybe if he spent some time taking trips to the cities and towns that have been hardest hit by this economy � cities in Michigan, and Ohio, and right here in Minnesota � he'd understand the kind of change that people are looking for.

Maybe if he went to Iowa and met the student who works the night shift after a full day of class and still can't pay the medical bills for a sister who's ill, he'd understand that she can't afford four more years of a health care plan that only takes care of the healthy and wealthy. She needs us to pass health care plan that guarantees insurance to every American who wants it and brings down premiums for every family who needs it. That's the change we need.

Maybe if he went to Pennsylvania and met the man who lost his job but can't even afford the gas to drive around and look for a new one, he'd understand that we can't afford four more years of our addiction to oil from dictators. That man needs us to pass an energy policy that works with automakers to raise fuel standards, and makes corporations pay for their pollution, and oil companies invest their record profits in a clean energy future � an energy policy that will create millions of new jobs that pay well and can't be outsourced. That's the change we need.

And maybe if he spent some time in the schools of South Carolina or St. Paul or where he spoke tonight in New Orleans, he'd understand that we can't afford to leave the money behind for No Child Left Behind; that we owe it to our children to invest in early childhood education; to recruit an army of new teachers and give them better pay and more support; to finally decide that in this global economy, the chance to get a college education should not be a privilege for the wealthy few, but the birthright of every American. That's the change we need in America. That's why I'm running for President.

I think Barack Obama should be repeating these comments at each speech he makes or at least some of them. 

They show that he realizes that American's are suffering and that McCain won't help them; but he will.

This is what our Constitution says about Impeachment:

"The President, Vice President and all civil Officers of the United States, shall be removed from Office on Impeachment for, and Conviction of, Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors."

"The House of Representatives . . . shall have the sole Power of Impeachment."

The Senate shall have the sole Power to try all Impeachments. When sitting for that Purpose, they shall be on Oath or Affirmation. When the President of the United States is tried, the Chief Justice shall preside: And no Person shall be convicted without the Concurrence of two thirds of the Members present."

"Judgment in Cases of Impeachment shall not extend further than to removal from Office, and disqualification to hold and enjoy any Office of honor, Trust or Profit under the United States: but the Party convicted shall nevertheless be liable and subject to Indictment, Trial,. Judgment and Punishment, according to law."

It doesn’t matter that the president only has about 7 months left in office.  During those 7 months, anything could happen, including him sending our men and women to war in Iran.  Not to mention the two wars we are currently in – the Generals follow the ‘Commander-n-Chief’s’ orders. 

Always’ keep in mind what happened after President Bush’s first 8 months in office – we were attacked by terrorists on 9/11.  Timing should never be an issue.  The security of our nation should be the only factor on when to impeach a President or Vice President.

While I personally believe the President and Vice President should have had articles of impeachment brought against them years ago, it’s never too late to make sure our nation is safe from any more harm they might bring upon us.

If any or all of the articles of impeachment that Rep. Dennis Kucinich put forth yesterday in Congress are true, then President George W. Bush should be impeached.  The same goes for the Vice President and the articles that Rep. Kucinich put forth against him.

I’m sure most American’s would agree that if not for the recent impeachment trial of William Jefferson Clinton, our current president and vice president would have been impeached long ago. 

Never in our history have two men committed more harm to our nation than these two men and their administrations.

 

 

Did any of you just watch the Verdict with Dan Abrams on MSNBC?

They were discussing whether Barack Obama should ask Hillary Clinton to be his Vice President or not.  Dan Abrams showed where polls say Hillary supporters want her to be his VP.

Well, Maria Cardona, a senior advisor to Hillary Clinton's campaign, said something to the effect that maybe Hillary doesn't even want the VP slot...."she was already the VP during the Clinton years ya know."

I wish I had the transcript but it's not listed yet.

Anyway, I thought this comment was rude and  insulting of Al Gore's Vice Presidency.  Do you agree?

Is this really the way Hillary feels about her time in the White House as First Lady?  Did she really consider herself the Vice President?

I believe Hillary Clinton has successfully convinced the political pundits, future generations and historians that she lost her campaign simply because she was a woman.  She’s also convinced them that her supporters voted for her ‘because’ she is a woman.  Lastly, but more importantly, she’s convinced them that she’s made history. 

She’s also reminded American’s how her husband also made history.

Why else would she be saying, "Although we weren’t able to shatter that highest, hardest glass ceiling this time, thanks to you, it’s got about 18 million cracks in it. And the light is shining through like never before, filling us all with the hope and the sure knowledge that the path will be a little easier next time." Or when she said, "Could a woman really serve as Commander-in-Chief? Well, I think we answered that one."

She’s put her race for the Democratic Party’s nominee in 2008 in the same category as "suffragists who gathered at Seneca Falls in 1848 and those who kept fighting until women could cast their votes. Think of the abolitionists who struggled and died to see the end of slavery. Think of the civil rights heroes and foot-soldiers who marched, protested and risked their lives to bring about the end to segregation and Jim Crow."

The goal of Hillary Clinton’s speech yesterday, and many in the past, was to put herself in the history books.  She’s claiming to be one not only to have made history, but to have changed history.

While her campaign, getting as close as it did to winning the Democratic Party’s nomination for president (not the presidency) is history making; it’s not the entire story.

If historians tell the whole story, they will remind their readers that Hillary Clinton’s husband was the very beloved, and recent, former President William Jefferson Clinton and that she was America’s First Lady. Without those facts – I truly believe the Senator Hillary Clinton from New York, would not have gotten as far as she did. Instead, she would have been on the same page as Senator Barack Obama from Illinois -- a relatively unknown to Americans as a whole.

Now ‘that’ would have been a meaningful historical race.

Hillary’s ‘name’ was very well known from the beginning.  Millions across our world knew her name when it was mentioned in the media.  Political pundits and members of the GOP were predicting that she would run for president way back in 2000 when her husband left office.
 
Hillary had very high disapproval poll ratings; but because former President Bill Clinton, her husband, on the other hand had low disapproval ratings.

This is what Hillary wants the history books to say, "Let us resolve and work toward achieving some very simple propositions: There are no acceptable limits and there are no acceptable prejudices in the twenty-first century.  You can be so proud that, from now on, it will be unremarkable for a woman to win primary state victories, unremarkable to have a woman in a close race to be our nominee, unremarkable to think that a woman can be the President of the United States. And that is truly remarkable."

She’s implying that she reached that goal of a woman being a President of the United States.
 
Folks, while Hillary came very close to winning the Democratic Party’s nomination, I would like to remind you, she did not run in a General Election for the President of these United States.  And as I previously mentioned, it’s questionable if she would have gotten as far as she did, without her famous husband’s name.

As a side note, Hillary’s campaign is also claiming that she won the popular vote during this primary election.  She does this by including votes she received in the Michigan primary – one that the DNC said would count for nothing and one that her name was the only one on the ballot.  Barack Obama and all other candidates had removed their names from the ballot.

I appreciate that Hillary is now supporting Barack Obama for president and that she has asked that her supporters do the same.  However, I truly believe that now that she is no longer an option for voters, the majority of them will indeed support Obama with or without her endorsement.  If they truly believe in Democratic values they will.

Don’t get me wrong, Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama did indeed make history.  They were able to out maneuver many other well knowns that ran for the nomination.
 
In the end however, it was Barack Obama, a relatively unknown Senator from Illinois, an African American, which was able to out maneuver the very well known and politically established, Hillary Clinton, for the Democratic Party’s nomination for President.  It was ‘he’ that truly made history in 2008.

Let us watch with enthusiasm to see if he can reach another milestone by winning the General Election against an American POW hero, another widely known and established politician, Senator John McCain.