Hillary lost.  She lost not because of sexism but because she deserved to lose. 

Hillary never satisfactorily explained her vote for the war in Iraq.  How could you expect her to beat Obama without doing so?

Hillary has become the poster child for supporting corporate special interests.  Just compare her record in Congress with that of say Paul Wellstone.  How can a Democrat win in 2008 without being an authentic populist?

Hillary speaks as forcefully and eloquently as Obama.  Her speech on Tuesday evening at the Convention was just brilliant ... rhetorically.  But, unlike Obama, Hillary just doesn't ring true.  I find myself comparing her words with her actions and I just can't believe that she really intends to bring about the change we desparately need.

That's why Hillary did not get my vote and why she did not win the nomination. 

So, get over and let's get on with it.  The race is too close to call at this point and we all need to work together.

John McCain is snoring loudly and stirs from his deep sleep. A voice on the line says that his home is being foreclosed and his family will be evicted in the morning. McCain replies, "Hold Please", puches a button, dials a number and says, "George what should I do about this foreclsure mess."

We Americans are not accustomed to failure -- at least when we think of the failure of our government.  During the past eight years our

We Americans are not accustomed to failure -- at least when we think of the failure of our government.  During the past eight years our

We Americans are not accustomed to failure -- at least when we think of the failure of our government.  During the past eight years our

Most of us view the world through dollar glasses. It's perfectly reasonable. Dollars, after all, are the currency we use in daily life. And those lenses, until recently, were distinctly rosy.

When we asked, "How much is that in dollars?," we usually liked the answer.

But it may be time to ask another question: "How much is that in barrels of oil?"

Trust me, others are doing exactly that.

That's when the world starts to look very different. It also looks more than a little scary to the U.S. Today, the net worth of the entire country is equivalent to a mere 400 billion barrels of oil. That's a smidgeon less than the proven reserves of two Middle Eastern countries: Saudi Arabia (264 billion barrels) and Iran (139 billion barrels).

At more than 40 times its 1970 price, oil has outstripped the value created by a full working generation of Americans in a period of dramatic technological change and innovation. During the same time, the value of American business shares, as measured by the S&P 500 Index ($INX), has risen only about 15 times above its 1970 level.

Here is the link

http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com/Investing/Extra/HowMuchOilItdTakeToBuyTheUS.aspx?page=all

Where have the Members and Senators gone?  Where is the leadership in taking on the GOP legacy from the Bush administration.
What will Obama have to say on patriotism?


Here is Lee Iacocca's take on the current administration.  How many of us share his sentiments?

' "Am I the only guy in this country who's fed up with what's happening? Where the hell is our outrage? We should be screaming bloody murder. We've got a gang of clueless bozos steering our ship of state right over a cliff, we've got corporate gangsters stealing us blind, and we can't even clean up after a hurricane much less build a hybrid car. But instead of getting mad, everyone sits around and nods their heads when the politicians say, "Stay the course."

"Stay the course? You've got to be kidding. This is America, not the Titanic. I'll give you a sound bite: Throw the bums out!

"& someone has to speak up. I hardly recognize this country anymore. The President of the United States is given a free pass to ignore the Constitution, tap our phones, and lead us to war on a pack of lies. Congress responds to record deficits by passing a huge tax cut for the wealthy (thanks, but I don't need it). The most famous business leaders are not the innovators but the guys in handcuffs. While we're fiddling in Iraq, the Middle East is burning and nobody seems to know what to do. And the press is waving pom-poms instead of asking hard questions.
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That's not the promise of America my parents and yours traveled across the ocean for. I've had enough. How about you?

"I'll go a step further. You can't call yourself a patriot if you're not outraged. This is a fight I'm ready and willing to have.

"I'm going to speak up because it's my patriotic duty & I'm hoping to strike a nerve in those young folks who say they don't vote because they don't trust politicians to represent their interests. Hey, America, wake up. These guys work for us.

"Why are we in this mess? How did we end up with this crowd in Washington? Well, we voted for them — or at least some of us did. But I'll tell you what we didn't do. We didn't agree to suspend the Constitution. We didn't agree to stop asking questions or demanding answers. Some of us are sick and tired of people who call free speech treason. Where I come from that's a dictatorship, not a democracy.

"And don't tell me it's all the fault of right-wing Republicans or liberal Democrats. That's an intellectually lazy argument, and it's part of the reason we're in this stew. We're not just a nation of factions. We're a people. We share common principles and ideals. And we rise and fall together.

"There was a time in this country when the voices of great leaders lifted us up and made us want to do better. Where have all the leaders gone?

"On September 11, 2001, we needed a strong leader more than any other time in our history. & That was George Bush's moment of truth, and he was paralyzed. And what did he do when he'd regained his composure? He led us down the road to Iraq — a road his own father had considered disastrous when he was President. But Bush didn't listen to Daddy. He listened to a higher father. He prides himself on being faith-based, not reality based. If that doesn't scare the crap out of you, I don't know what will.

"So here's where we stand. We're immersed in a bloody war with no plan for winning and no plan for leaving. We're running the biggest deficit in the history of the country. We're losing the manufacturing edge to Asia, while our once-great companies are getting slaughtered by health care costs. Gas prices are skyrocketing, and nobody in power has a coherent energy policy. Our schools are in trouble. Our borders are like sieves. The middle class is being squeezed every which way. These are times that cry out for leadership. '

' "Am I the only guy in this country who's fed up with what's happening? Where the hell is our outrage? We should be screaming bloody murder. We've got a gang of clueless bozos steering our ship of state right over a cliff, we've got corporate gangsters stealing us blind, and we can't even clean up after a hurricane much less build a hybrid car. But instead of getting mad, everyone sits around and nods their heads when the politicians say, "Stay the course." "Stay the course? You've got to be kidding. This is America, not the Titanic. I'll give you a sound bite: Throw the bums out! "& someone has to speak up. I hardly recognize this country anymore. The President of the United States is given a free pass to ignore the Constitution, tap our phones, and lead us to war on a pack of lies. Congress responds to record deficits by passing a huge tax cut for the wealthy (thanks, but I don't need it). The most famous business leaders are not the innovators but the guys in handcuffs. While we're fiddling in Iraq, the Middle East is burning and nobody seems to know what to do. And the press is waving pom-poms instead of asking hard questions. Advertisement That's not the promise of America my parents and yours traveled across the ocean for. I've had enough. How about you? "I'll go a step further. You can't call yourself a patriot if you're not outraged. This is a fight I'm ready and willing to have. "I'm going to speak up because it's my patriotic duty & I'm hoping to strike a nerve in those young folks who say they don't vote because they don't trust politicians to represent their interests. Hey, America, wake up. These guys work for us. "Why are we in this mess? How did we end up with this crowd in Washington? Well, we voted for them — or at least some of us did. But I'll tell you what we didn't do. We didn't agree to suspend the Constitution. We didn't agree to stop asking questions or demanding answers. Some of us are sick and tired of people who call free speech treason. Where I come from that's a dictatorship, not a democracy. "And don't tell me it's all the fault of right-wing Republicans or liberal Democrats. That's an intellectually lazy argument, and it's part of the reason we're in this stew. We're not just a nation of factions. We're a people. We share common principles and ideals. And we rise and fall together. "There was a time in this country when the voices of great leaders lifted us up and made us want to do better. Where have all the leaders gone? "On September 11, 2001, we needed a strong leader more than any other time in our history. & That was George Bush's moment of truth, and he was paralyzed. And what did he do when he'd regained his composure? He led us down the road to Iraq — a road his own father had considered disastrous when he was President. But Bush didn't listen to Daddy. He listened to a higher father. He prides himself on being faith-based, not reality based. If that doesn't scare the crap out of you, I don't know what will. "So here's where we stand. We're immersed in a bloody war with no plan for winning and no plan for leaving. We're running the biggest deficit in the history of the country. We're losing the manufacturing edge to Asia, while our once-great companies are getting slaughtered by health care costs. Gas prices are skyrocketing, and nobody in power has a coherent energy policy. Our schools are in trouble. Our borders are like sieves. The middle class is being squeezed every which way. These are times that cry out for leadership. '

Yesterday's Supreme Court decision is both a rational interpretation of the Second Amendment and a victory for civil rights.

When the Founding Fathers spoke of a militia, they spoke of ordinary citizens who answered a call to arms during the Revolution.  They were not trained as soldiers and they were given little if any training before being sent into battle -- there was no time to train them in marksmanship.  Their effectiveness depended upon their ability to fire their muskets and hit the enemy.  The Founding Fathers clearly recognized that they could not have raised a militia if the population had not only owned muskets and pistols, but also had developed skill in using firearms safely and effectively.

Despite the fact that we have a National Guard and Reserve today as well as the time and resources to train the soldiers who volunteer to serve in those forces, the effectiveness of the men and women we call into service is enhanced by their prior training.  Training is much easier and the skills developed in training are much higher when the soldiers come into the training with civilian backgrounds that enhance their ability to develop higher skill levels quickly.  Just as experience in driving cars and playing video games helps soldiers learn to control drones and robots and drive trucks more quickly, experience in firearm safety and usage helps the soldiers to improve their firearm safety and marksmanship skills.

The role of firearm ownership in recruiting an effective militia from the general population to resist a foreign invader remains essentially the same as it was at the time the Second Amendment was written and as it was in 1812.  We certainly feel more secure within our borders today but we know that a foreign invasion, though unlikely, remains possible.  In the event of a foreign invasion today, we would have no more time to train citizens for service in a milita than we did during the Revolution.

The Court wisely left open the question of the scope of appropriate regulation of our right to own and use firearms.  Clearly regulation is appropriate.  We must never forget that firearms are tools for killing.  They make killing easier, quicker, more efficient and sadly more remote.  We must drive out the romantic notion of firearm ownership that prevails in the media today and replace it with the sober acknowledgement that a citizen who owns a firearm must be held responsible and accountable for the safe and appropriate storage and use of a lethal weapon.  We must also acknowledge that the right to own, keep and use firearms comes with a terrible price in murder, suicide and fatal accident.  We cannot afford the romantic notion of gun ownerhip that prevails today.

Now that our Supreme Court has wisely settled the basic question, we need to move on to the more important and urgent issues of education and appropriate regulation.

If you haven't read David Brooks' column today, I recommend it:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/24/opinion/24brooks.html?hp

David Brooks is always good at spinning GOP achievements, but today Mr. Brooks has topped his previous best.

In these circumstances, it’s amazing that George Bush decided on the surge. And looking back, one thing is clear: Every personal trait that led Bush to make a hash of the first years of the war led him to make a successful decision when it came to this crucial call.

Bush is a stubborn man. Well, without that stubbornness, that unwillingness to accept defeat on his watch, he never would have bucked the opposition to the surge.

Bush is an outrageously self-confident man. Well, without that self-confidence he never would have overruled his generals.

The thought that sprang to mind as I read his column is:  Even a blind hog will occasionally find a truffle.

Today, our troop level in Iraq remains at the surge level of 150,000.  The Sunni have declared a truce in the  civil war in Iraq.  Sadr is maintaining a low profile.  Provincial elections will be held in the Fall.  And the UN mandate expires in December.  Bush is trying to backdoor Congress with a treaty he styles a "status of forces agreement".  The demand for US troops to police a restless situation has not diminished.  

The fundamental truth about Iraq has not changed. Our military forces serve gallantly and cannot be defeated, but Iraq demands a political solution.  Even victory in battle falls far short of a political solution.  That is the lesson we learned in Vietnam and are struggling to learn again in Iraq.  

Once again we are waist deep in the big muddy and the big fool says, push on.

Frequently we hear that the number one issue in the November elections will the economy.  But, that definition seems too broad, too much a battle of statistics and too abstract.  The central issue of the election will be, and should be, JOBS.

Whenever ordinary Americans voters speak about the weak economy or the economy being in recession they are expressing worry, frustration and insecurity with their JOBS. 

Will they lose their jobs to downsizing or will their jobs be exported?

Have their wages kept up with inflation and will they keep up with inflation in the future?

Will their children have jobs, or will the jobs go to a flood of illegal immigrants?

Voters are awaiting a candidate who can articulate such abstract concepts as "the economy" and "are we in a recession or merely a prolonged slowdown" in terms they can readily understand -- their jobs.  After all, for most of us, our jobs are our personal stake in the great American economy.  When we have job security and when our wages are at least keeping up with inflation, we just know the economy is good and nobody can tell us the economy is unsound. 

But, when we are worried about our jobs and we know our wages are not keeping up with inflation, nobody can tell us that the economy has never been better, or that we must continue the policies that have failed to produce secure, good paying jobs.

This year we are worried about our jobs.  This year, the  Mr. Clinton who ran in 1992 would have a sign in his campaign headquarter that reads, "IT'S THE JOBS --- STUPID".

Apparently Hillary intends to do something Saturday -- who knows just what she intends to do.  One more wrinkle in badly wrinkled plot line.  What can we say.  She's just Hillary, nothing more and nothing less.

Our challenge as we go forward is to avoid both underestimating and undervaluing Hillary.  She is an extraordinary human being and a unique woman.  The Democratic Party needs her drive, intellect and experience.  We can't afford the error of failing to acknowledge her worth or refusing to invite her participation in the campaign.

But we need to be honest.  Hillary has not won the nomination. Obama has won enough delegates to assure nomination.  Hillary, being Hillary, does not come easily to the point of honestly acknowledging her errors.   She shares that character defect with both Bush and McCain. 

I recently saw some footage of Robert Kennedy on PBS that brought home to me just how important such an admission can be to a candidate. 

In the clip, Robert Kennedy was admitting (and explaining) his error in supporting the Vietnam war during his brother's administration.  He was able to make that admission in a strong and forthright manner and his admission came across as courageous and principled.  Kennedy was able to speak so effectively because he had admitted his error to himself and had come to grips with the fact that he had to live with his actions. 

Frankly, I think Hillary, Bush and McCain are unable to admit, either to others or to themselves, their errors in starting and supporting the Iraq war. 

I listened to most of Senator Clinton's speech last night.  She is, of course, an extraordinary Democrat.  But her position seems to be:

1.  All the primaries have been conducted;

2.  I'm a bit short in the delegate count but since I'm long in the popular vote count (at least as devotees of New Math may understand her arithmetic), the delegate count is truly immaterial; and

3.  The race for the Democratic Party's nomination ain't over until Hillary Clinton says it's over.

So, take that Barack Obama.

The prelude to Sen. Clinton's speech was an interview I heard earlier in the day on NPR. 

The announcer kept pressing Terry McAuliffe for the time at which Sen. Clinton would begin campaigning for Obama.  McAuliffe's finally conceded that the Democratic Party needed unity from September forward.  He refused to suggest that Clinton would begin to work with Obama before that date.

Let's see how this plays out.

As Barack Obama steps up as the Democratic nominee, we must step up to the challenge of going all the way to the White House with a young, vigorous man -- a man with the promise to lead in a new direction. In many ways he is a Robert Kennedy figure with charisma and drive.

Robert Kennedy did not become a force for change by working alone. He enjoyed the support of many young people who believed we could make this great country an even better one.

So, when Obama announces that he has wrapped up the nomination, we must ask ourselves, "Can we go all the way?" and we must answer, "Yes we can."

Tuesday's primarys aren't likely to help Obama -- or make any real difference to Hillary Clinton.  The Rules & Bylaws Committee meeting on Saturday will bring delegations from Florida and Michigan into the convention -- but the likely result will not make any real difference to either Obama or Hillary.

So where are we? 

Neither candidate has a clear majority and a substantial portion of the Super-Delegates have gone AWOL --content to watch the festivities from the sidelines.  Obama, believing that he is the likely nominee and that he must avoid alienating Clinton's supporters, stands frozen like a deer in the poacher's spotlight.  Hillary, believing that any Democratic nominee will be elected and that she has nothing to lose but the nomination, is giving new meaning to scorched-earth politics.

The plain truth is that the Super-Delegates will annoint the nominee -- and they should do so soon.  The corrosive combination of Hillary's continued assertions that Obama cannot be elected and Obama's protracted inaction are likely to make Hillary's prophecy of an Obama loss to McCain self-fulfilling -- unless the Super-Delegates realize that the time has come to end the primary season and begin the campaign for the White House.

Although I have taken the position that, if necessary to elect a Democrat, I will pinch my nostrils and vote for Hillary, I am beginning to wonder whether I actually will do so.   The continued inaction of the Super-Delegates convinces me that the elected official considered to be the leaders of the Democratic Party are unable or unwilling to take a stand for one nominee or the other.   

Maybe, just maybe, I'll hold my nose and for the first time in my life vote for a Republican presidential candidate to send the elected leaders of the Democratic Party the message that the time has come to end the era of bitter partisan warfare that delights in electoral politics but despises the principled and reasoned action need to lead and govern effectively.