When the expression "I got your back" hit politics, I never expected it to mean you actually run and grab a shotgun, but lo and behold, that's become one of the major qualifications for Vice President. (To be fair, Spiro Agnew didn't need a shotgun, he was dangerous all by his lonesome).

And then when a governor went out an bought a ranch so he could act like another governor-turned-president, I thought, "That'll never work", but boy was I wrong. This year's fashion is Snowcats and free (taxpayer) public ranch. (Sans drilling rights, of course). We're just skimming the surface of the new non-ownership. (Are there grazing rights as well?)

And then there's that "It's gotta have a twang thang, It's gotta bend a heart strang" thang. We've been electing folksy speakers ever since, well, Richard Nixon. And note that George Wallace was the last independent to win electoral votes (if he hadn't of run with some NORAD bomber squadron nuclear war advocate, he'd have gotten more). If Lyndon Johnson had only thought about it, he would have realized war or no war, he was a shoo-in being the only major candidate with a twang.

So I don't know - Americans have a painful choice. I suppose a beer brewery owning candidate is kinda close to "who I'd rather have a beer with", but what will they do when we run out of Snuffy Smith and have to choose between and old uptight geezer and a none too loose law prof? It's one thing to betray the Consitution and give in on financial restraint, but it's another to give up your principles. What will we do?

I simply love surprises.

And everyone's been promising me one for quite some time. (Actually they promised one for October 2004, but I don't recall it happening).

Anyway, I'm hoping for something really scrumpdillyicious, something even better than a $700 billion bailout. What could it be? Is it under the TV? Behind the curtain? Where oh where could it be hiding? Or will it come special delivery? Well, mustn't be impatient - 30 days for it to show up. Must be prepared - maybe I'll get a manicure.

Forget it. In fact forget about significant health care reform. With Obama supporting the bailout, and $700 billion about to leave the deck, there will not be cash nor political support for doing anything about health care. And it's long not a priority. We will be tightening our belts for the next 4 years. Oh well, it was a nice thought while it lasted.

Okay, not swinging for the home run - swinging for those sitting on the fence. And doing a good job of it.

I decided not to pile on the "Bill is killing the party" post yesterday that of course rose to the top of TPM's most recommended. Sigh, nothing is guaranteed to get more approval around here than attacking the Clintons. But here goes, with the transcript provided by Genghis as reference:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26927711/page/4/

If people were into Obama as someone really great, they'd already be voting for him. Period.

Bill's coming along and saying, "I don't really know this guy, only really had a sit-down with him once, and he's got a limited track record. But he's on the right path, the right stance on the issues, the right vision for what we need. He just keeps getting better, and I expect that will continue as President". In short, it's a convincing argument for the fence-sitters.

What about McCain? "I'm a friend of his, I respect him, he's a good man. But he's not on the track that Obama is on. I won't call Obama great yet, but I full expect he will be."

Palin? "I know some people identify with her, including many who supported Hillary, who are disaffected because of gender issues. But at the end of the day, I think they'll break for Obama, because she's too conservative, too much of a traditional Republican on so many issues that matter. The Obama-Biden ticket has them beat on the issues hands-down."

Yes, this is a convincing way of putting it for those who aren't enamoured with Obama. And those are the ones Obama needs to win, not the Democratic faithful. Bill has come up with a narrative. For those who like Bill and aren't sure about Obama, it's much more believable than gushing over Obama and saying he's the greatest. Or trashing McCain along the way.

You see, many people do like McCain and Palin. Teling them they're stupid for liking them is not going to convince them to vote for Obama. For some, Bill's approach will work, for others Hillary's approach will work. Between the two of them, they're doing more for Obama's chances than anyone else short of Obama himself, and sometimes I question Obama.

So Rec this up if you understand that politics is not just puppy love, and that strategy sometimes means tough love and realistic statements to persuade the skeptics and doubters. Or just that TPM can do something in these "post-partisan times" besides cheering as someone bashes the Clinton. Imagine a sensible post promoting party unity and appreciating all the efforts rising to the top of the pack.