Best. Campaign. Twofer. Ever.

Blending the names of a twosome, whether celebrity couple or political running mates has become a big trend.

Now that Obama is the nominee and has chosen his Veep, the Twofers are starting.

On Letterman Monday night they came up with some ideas for the Democratic ticket. "This is a CBS News Election '08 Update. In a new CBS Poll, voters were asked which nickname they preferred for the Democratic ticket of Obama-Biden.

In second place is ‘Obiden,' with 39%.

In last place with 3%, ‘Jidenamackojoba.' " (I have no clue what that means).

Then, tonight, after Obama's rock 'em, sock 'em speech, Tom Brokaw made a classic slip of the tongue, saying again: OBiden.

But I have to say again, especially in this town, the hands down winner by a country mile:

Politicians' Infidelity - Playing with Power

"He who controls others may be powerful, but he who has mastered himself is mightier still." Lao Tzu

I don't want to talk about John and Elizabeth Edwards. They have enough on their plates. They don't need anything from me that feeds the beast. But I have something to say about an already well-fed beast, our very own Bubba, and his already well-documented infidelities, specifically with Monica Letmeinsky.

The Clinton-Lewinsky affair is an object lesson for all politicians.

Infidelity among us common folk is about a lot of things, mostly dissatisfaction with a marriage. Not the same dynamic in celebrity circles. Movie stars, rock stars, we know all about their groupies and the Cult of Celebrity. Getting behind the velvet rope. 'I'm with the band.'

There's an even different, I'd say more seductive dynamic among political groupies. A sprecial breed. Getting behind the rope line. 'I'm with the Man.'

My checkered career includes working in politics from the State House to the White House. I've seen firsthand how enticing Political Power can be. And how willingly young women (maybe these days young men too) offer themselves sexually to their powerful superiors.

Power is an incredible aphrodisiac. During the act, yes, but even more important to the less powerful, after the fact. Think about it. What did Monica Lewinsky get out of the sex or 'relationship' with Bill Clinton? A cigar? Sheesh. No cigar. A recycled book of poetry? Please. She was the one on her knees. She did the work, sex-wise, not the other way around. She was totally turned on by the fact she was, ohmigod, doing the President of the United States.

There's another aspect about the whole mess that's just plain wrong. It's bad enough Republican hypocrits used the Clinton-Lewinsky affair to further their own agendas at the country's expense. I got almost as sick and tired of liberal feminist bleating about Bill Clinton's sexual harassment of a poor little intern. It. Didn't. Happen.

Their affair wasn't about sexual harassment, it was about sexual dalliance. And the pull of power. She was more than a willing participant, she was an instigator. What, the president just looked around, their eyes met across a crowded room... and... give me a break. She put herself in his path. Probably climbed over others to get there.

L'affair Lewinsky was inappropriate behavior by the president, but not harassment. Monica Lewinsky wasn't seduced. Her job was never in jeopardy. Her reputation was ... ironically at her own hand.

Bill Clinton certainly rocked his marriage, but the only person who damaged Ms. Lewinsky was Ms. Lewinsky, with her inability to keep her mouth shut, on and off the job. She couldn't keep the details of the affair discretely to herself.

She had to brag. They all have to brag. There's no fun in having sex with a powerful politician if you can't tell your friends about it. Revel in their envy and awe. That's the draw. The telling, not the doing.

For those who've got real power it's tough to resist when attractive people throw themselves in your lap. It's tough to resist reaching out for whatever you want. Including low hanging forbidden fruit. That's the fatal flaw in many of our political protagonists. The ego and sheer guts it took them to get to the top makes them believe they're invincible. Untouchable.

Many are untouchable. Except by willing sex partners. And that's what inevitably brings them down.

Picture Terror

AP

"The terrorist yelled, 'God is great.' I grabbed Oron's handgun and fired three bullets. As soon as I was sure he was dead I lifted the gun so as not to hurt passersby." Israel Policeman Eli Mizrahi

Picture yourself on vacation, sleeping peacefully in a hotel bed. Maybe you're having a nice dream. Perhaps your partner is snuggled up to you, making you sweat a little in the summer heat but adding even more peace to your last moments of sleep.

You wake up, get dressed, have breakfast, prepare for the day's schedule of site-seeing, shopping, whatever. You find the right bus, jam into it with locals and other tourists like you --well, they're tackier than you, but still, fellow tourists-- and hope like hell the bus has air conditioning.

Picture the noisy streets, crowded, clogged with traffic, especially in the heart of town, around the old bus depot where construction workers are building a shiny new train station. Also, you notice with a smidgen of interest, it's near the central headquarters for local broadcasting stations.

Now picture you're feeling a little annoyed, all that equipment blocking the way, making traffic a nightmare. Resigned to a long wait, you gaze out the window apathetically.

Then you notice the bulldozer. It's driving away from the construction site, moving against traffic. Cars are crashing, horns blaring. Finally, unbelievably, you realize it's heading directly at your bus.

Picture terror.

The bulldozer plows into your bus, knocking it over onto its side like a bowling pin. Like more pins, passengers and debris are flying everywhere. In the process a small Toyota is flattened, it's female driver killed instantly. Other cars have been hit. Pedestrians too.

Picture a horrifying scene of carnage, blood, broken bodies, crumpled metal, destruction. Picture an elite police terror squad as they climb onto the bulldozer and kill the terrorist driver at point blank range.

Then, picture this: ordinary citizens rushing toward the scene, giving all the aid and comfort they can as ambulance sirens wail closer. Jerusalem is now under an official state of emergency.

Picture too, that an event like this is so commonplace my niece called this morning from Jerusalem to apologize she couldn't pick up the special tee shirt for my son because the store she'd planned to visit was in the heart of the chaos. But, she assured me, she'd try another area of the city not prone to attack.

This is my family. This is where they live. This is where I am now. Safe and sound. But only because my family lives in the right place. So far.

Picture the real truth. In America and most of the Western world, terrorism is a political issue. In the Middle East it's the real deal.

It's been quiet in Israel recently with hope focused on the proposed peace talks. But as every Israeli knows, quiet is relative here. Today one crazed, fanatical criminal took peace into his own hands and shattered it. Tomorrow it could be dozens, hundreds, thousands.

I want to hear from Barack Obama and John McCain what they're going to do about protecting Israel. No more tap dancing, dammit. I want a clear picture.

Hillary. Oh Hillary

"Politics is the art of the possible; creativity is the art of the impossible." Ben Okri

I watched. I choked up. I was uplifted. I was, as usual, impressed. The rest is about grief. Denial, anger, bargaining, acceptance.

I am one of those "older women" who feel so robbed. And it's not just a philosophical issue to me, I've worked in politics at the highest levels. I know how far women have traveled, and yet when it comes to choosing between a man and a woman, we are still Second Class. In the eyes of the White Male Politicians who still run the show and who believe in their guts women and minorities are all equally second class citizens, it appears even a man of color was deemed preferable to a woman.

I first felt she shouldn't be VP but now I'm not so sure. As for those who worry about comfort level between Barack and Hillary, there's a parallel to be drawn: JFK and Johnson. The youthful purveyor of hope and the tough, savvy warhorse. They hated each other but look what they accomplished. If not for that historic partnership, Barack Obama might not be where he is today.

It could work. I just hope and pray all Hillary's history hasn't been written yet.

Enough said.

Obama's Pyrrhic Victory

"Politics, as a practice, whatever its professions, has always been the systematic organization of hatreds." Henry Brooks Adams

Let's face it, Barack Obama didn't so much win as Hillary Clinton lost. Just as Obama will lose to McCain. That's (almost) all I have to say. I've said so much already, it's just air. Until it becomes reality.

I hope I'm wrong. But I fear that white people will, in the privacy of the voting booth, vote their personal prejudice, not our supposed national conscience. And I believe there are many, many women who will vote for McCain because they feel Hillary was robbed, and patronized in the bargain.

This is the 21st Century, this is America, how absurd to celebrate "the first Black presidential candidate." It shouldn't be an issue. Skin color and gender shouldn't matter. I hate that they still do. It degrades us as a people, and as a country.

In a way, singling the candidates out as "historic" is an insult not only to Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, but to all people of color and all women.

These two candidates stand out on their own, for their intelligence, education, abilities, public service and passionate commitment to rights and freedoms for all people. Not because of their color or gender.

Politically, we are the most backward country in the civilized world. And when we elect John McCain president next November we should hang our heads in shame.

DNC Follies

Stephen Crowley/The New York Times

"This body of 30 individuals has decided that they're going to substitute their judgment for 600,000 [Michigan] voters." Harold Ickes

I tried hard to watch the DNC rules committee hearing. Really I did. I know many of the players. I have a personal, pro-Hillary, pro-Democratic Party stake in the outcome. But I knew what it would be, what deals were made, how the die was already cast.

The hearing on CNN: Ponderous pomposity. Transparent toadying. Boring bullsh*t.

The ruling: No surprise. As it has so many, many times, the DNC let us down.

Why has this country suffered almost eight long years of incompetent, indifferent, criminal behavior from the Bush administration? Not because George W. Bush won two elections ... but because the Democrats threw them away.

And now we're about to do it again. Have we learned NOTHING? Count the votes. Count all the votes. All. And let the people speak. Yeah, right, like that'll ever happen.

I'll tell you this: I don't give a damn any more about He Said, She Said. I'm tired of opinions pro this or anti that. Woulda coulda shoulda. I just want to win! What is there left to say?

(Okay, that's it, burnout has officially commenced).

FL Jews vs Obama or the New York Times?

Eric Thayer for The New York Times

Shirley Weitz, right, talking to Ruth Grossman in Boynton Beach, Fla. The Jews she knows will not vote for Senator Barack Obama, Ms. Weitz said, because of “his attitude toward Israel.”

There's an article in The New York Times on the ambivalence many Florida Jews feel about voting for Barack Obama. It's a serious article about an important issue. But somebody at the Times didn't pay attention to some decidedly unserious gaffes.

Let's start with Mrs. Weitz of Boynton Beach, pictured above in the article's cover photo. Styled dark hair, expert make-up, trim figure, trendy clothes. I see similar lovely ladies when I visit my parents in nearby Boca Raton.

Not one of those women would ever choose to be identified in the New York Times by her age, except possibly in her obituary.



Okay, maybe a small thing. But let's move on to Ms. Grossman, literally outed by the Times on race and her voting preference.



I think the cat's out of the bag now, Ms. Grossman. Unless none of your neighbors read the Times.

Then there's the sidebar photo. Unintentionally hilarious. Oh, don't give me a hard time about fat-bashing. I don't care what you look like as long as you're healthy. But I'm guessing the lady pictured isn't too thrilled with the offer to um, further enlarge her image.



Finally I have to ask Rabbi New how he thinks his senior constituents will respond when they read his highlighted Times quote as he mused about "The fate of the world for the next four years."



Oy.

Hillary's Last Stand?

HillaryClinton.com - Action

"A quitter never wins and a winner never quits. To quit while losing is to lose while quitting." Napoleon Hill

Here's the latest email from Hillary. It's called Florida and Michigan. Here's what it says:

Millions of voters in Florida and Michigan are depending on you to help make sure they have a voice in this race. Will you stand up for them today?

Thanks to your efforts, thanks to the hundreds of thousands of people who have already spoken out, the DNC's Rules and Bylaws Committee is meeting May 31 to make a decision about whether or not the votes in Michigan and Florida will count.

Now I need you to urge the DNC to make the right decision on May 31. I need you to remind them that in the Democratic Party, we count every vote.

Tell the Democratic National Committee to count the votes of Florida and Michigan.

On May 31, the DNC has a chance to make it clear that the people of Florida and Michigan have a voice in our party. The decision is especially critical given the important role these states will play in November.

And your voice could make the difference for the millions of people who went to the polls in those two states to make their choice for president.

Stand with me today and tell the DNC to count the votes in Florida and Michigan.

I have consistently said that every vote must count. It is such an important principle in our party. I really appreciate you standing up for the values we share.

Thank you,

Hillary Rodham Clinton

What do you think I did?

Right. I clicked on the link and I signed up and I wrote what I truly believe. Everybody who voted for Hillary Clinton should see their votes count. Not just in Florida and Michigan, but everywhere.

I'm not a quitter. I want my vote to count too. I chose my candidate because I believe in her and I think she can win. I'm with her to the bitter end. I don't bail without a damn good reason. And I haven't heard one yet.

I don't make pompous, regal endorsements in favor of one candidate, not because I like him or his positions but because, personally, I can't stand her. Kennedy? Kerry? Are you kidding me??

I don't endorse the candidate who seems to be winning so I can seem to be on the winning team. How unbelievably shallow can you get? NARAL? Are you kidding me??

I don't endorse the presumptive best shot to secure myself a cabinet post or who knows what else. John Edwards? Are you kidding me??

I don't jump on a bandwagon just because it looks like the cool kids are there. That bandwagon was created by the so-called cool kids. Who are so very often so very wrong.

I have a position, an ideology, a belief system, a candidate ... and I stand firm until it's really over.

Here's what I told the DNC:

The DNC rules are arbitrary and wrong. It's bad enough our party has been unable to stand up effectively against all the judicial rulings made in favor of Republicans over many elections ... we should not now turn against our own. All the Democratic voters in America should be heard, not just the endorsing-for-gain politicians and other opportunists. Too many convention battles in the past have shown us that it's not over until it's over.

Why did I say that?

Because it's true. And because I don't give up when it seems to become more fashionable to support the other guy. Especially since I don't think the other guy can win.

The Democratic Party has become a joke compared to the Republican Machine. Florida and Michigan are hugely pivotal states in the general election. They represent a pattern that predicts a Clinton win over McCain in November.

If we disallow those voters a real voice and allow nouveau uber liberal guilt to become our clarion call ... it will instead become our swan song.

When are we going to get over ourselves and play to win?

Gore and Kerry and Clinton, Oh My

"All people are born alike - except Republicans and Democrats." Groucho Marx

In the democratic process, it's not over til it's over.

In the Democratic Party, it's over when somebody is publicly excoriated, humiliated and undermined by lies, innuendo and personal agendas.

In the Republican Party, it's only over for the Other Guy, after a rousing game of dig up the dirt, spin dross into dirt, throw the dirt, buy some soulless ditch diggers, say a lot of self-serving prayers and bury the Democratic opposition.

In a perfect world, Gore should have learned that from Ducacus, Kerry from Ducacus and Gore, Hillary from Ducacus, Kerry and Gore. But it's not a perfect world.

All four ran campaigns more imperfect than for any Eighth Grade Treasurer (Pick Me! Pick Me!). When attacked, the first three ignored, refused to defend or cry foul, engaged in massive denial. At least Hillary Clinton kept plugging, explored every avenue, attempted to Go the Distance.

Too little too late, especially combined with betrayal after betrayal by fellow Democrats with nothing to gain or lose, no ideological difference save personal animus for Bill or Hillary or both.

And unbelievably, Hillary chose equally arrogant, ineffectual advisers as her predecessors. (And ignored the best, brightest advice available). All those advisers allowed the candidates to run the campaigns. To make major strategic decisions. Big mistake. Really. Really. Big.

Political marketing has been a science for decades. Now in the 21st Century, and especially at the presidential level, it's become astrophysics. Mastering that particular skill isn't in the candidate's job description. Nor is it a role we want him or her to fill.

In smart campaigns, the candidate determines policies, positions, goals, visions. Schmoozes the big money. Appeals to smaller donors too. Does his/her homework and shows up ready to rumble.

It's up to the political pros to stage the right rumble, set the right stage, brainstorm and execute the best strategies to get the message out and the candidate in.

Winning campaigns are poised from day one to read the country's mind, locate the sweet spot, fill the money pot, have fallbacks and Hail Mary's at the ready, know the big stuff from the small stuff and never appear to sweat either.

It's pretty clear the Obama campaign figured that out from the jump. As did the McCain team, though that's no surprise ... Republicans have made political campaigning an atomic art form.

It's very clear Team Hillary got it wrong. (My former pol colleagues and I have been making these same points to each other for months. Hats off to Karen Tumulty of Time for getting it right).

No matter what happens before or during the Democratic National Convention this summer, I fear much of the country will look back in dismay next November and for years to come, wondering how a war-mongering Republican became President of the United States. Again.

Still, it's not over til it's over.

GenX vs Baby Boomers?

"A nation which has forgotten the quality of courage which in the past has been brought to public life is not as likely to insist upon or regard that quality in its chosen leaders today - and in fact we have forgotten." John Fitzgerald Kennedy

Hillary Clinton took Pa by double digits after all and is still in the race. You didn't really expect her to bail, did you? If you've learned anything about committed Baby Boomers, you should know that only the zonked-out aging stoners among us are anywhere near ready to quit.

My GenX galpal Amy Z. Quinn, aka Citizen Mom, aka Confetti Betty, summed up the PA Primary with some pithy comments about the disconnect between GenXers and Baby Boomers vis a vis Obama and Clinton.

Putting things in prospective earlier this month, a lot of what she posits is the real deal.

As for the rest, well. Where to begin. First, I feel old, disenfranchised and just generally dissed by my GenX counterparts. It might surprise you to learn that not all of us burned our bras, some Boomers really did effect meaningful change.

We helped create, then joined and served in the Peace Corps for example... no small achievement. We boycotted not only stocks but products too. Think Chavez and grapes/lettuce. Dow Chemical. The Draft.

We didn't simply join hands, sing Kumbaya and march for Civil Rights legislation, the oldest of us helped write many of those laws. Not to mention the late great ERA for women. And hello? Rove V Wade is in our column. I could go on, but jeez, maybe I'm losing my memory.

GenX Obama-mania has had the unfortunate effect of framing all Boomers, including Hillary Clinton, as tired old gasbags whose claims of past glory and victory are vain and empty. Not freakin true, no matter how obnoxiously visible the ubiquitous shillings of aging celebs like the Ms's Keaton and Efron.

GenX, hell, Barack Obama himself, owes a large part of the current campaign--and your Freedom to Bitch and Moan--to the liberating efforts of your Boomer elders.

So instead of wailing on us, maybe some of you could review our former--and potential--achievements, challenges and resulting contributions before you consign us to useless Old Fogeydom.

Let's remember something else the Baby Boomer Generation accomplished: We. Stopped. A. War. And. We. Brought. Down. A. President. So I suggest GenXers stop making fun of us and check out a few pages from our playbook.

Every generation thinks it's reinventing the wheel. Baby Boomers actually crafted a better one. If it's getting a bit creaky, now's the time for both groups to buff it up and roll it together into the future.

Hillary. Clinton. PA and Beyond

"In politics, if you want anything said, ask a man. If you want anything done, ask a woman." Margaret Thatcher

It's come down to good old PA, just as I predicted it would. Please, people, pay attention: the focus has GOT to be on who can win in November. And who can get the job done after that.

Barack Obama might sound like Dr. King but he's not Dr. King. At least not yet. When is somebody going to point out that stirring oratory doesn't equal gravitas?

Certainly not the news media, who have let the public, the country and their profession down in a way that makes me want to smack them all upside their smarmy, self-important, empty heads.

My own head is going to explode if this nonsense doesn't end soon. Read. My. Lips. ... Obama. Can't. Win.

Barack Obama's smart as a whip but not seasoned or savvy. He takes things personally. He's prickly, thin-skinned, defensive. These are not qualities we want in a president. Just look at how well they've played for the current one.

As the going's gotten tougher toward the PA primary, Obama's been over-reacting, over-slamming, over-stepping, over-spending. He claims to be above Politics As Usual but his campaign is using all the old tricks, and then some.

They have to. The only way to rise above Politics As Usual is to embrace them, do what's needed to win, then change the game once you're in charge. If only Barack Obama would admit that's exactly what he's trying to do.

Instead he talks the High Road while playing the Campaign Game. Negative opposition ads. Sniping comments. Misleading personal ads. Targeted pockets of voters. Leaked polls. Phone banks and corporate dollars in the bank.

Nobody can get elected in this country without corporate money. Not even Barack Obama and his legions of loyal college kids can change the world without accepting the reality of who runs it.

Money talks. We need a president who knows how to talk back. Manage. Maneuver. Manipulate. Win.

That person is not Barack Obama. Big rallies, big promises, big dreams ... too much sizzle, not enough steak. I know he's charismatic and exciting. But. He. Won't. Win.

Nobody who runs for elected office is perfect. Nobody. The very act of putting yourself, your family and your privacy on the line takes a cast iron ego. Nobody builds that kind of ego without getting his or her hands dirty along the way.

It's all a matter of degree. And in the voting booth, it's a matter of practicality.

A vote for Barack Obama in the Pennsylvania Primary today will help elect John McCain President of the United States next November. And insure 100 more years of war.

Hillary. Clinton.

Obama's Slick Oil Ad

"The charm of history and its enigmatic lesson consist in the fact that, from age to age, nothing changes and yet everything is completely different." Aldous Huxley

The more things change, the more they remain the same. Barack Obama supporters say he's a fresh face with a whole different view of politics. Not. So. Fast.

Obama's latest and most ubiquitous ad, in which he declaims self-righteously, "I don't take money from oil companies," isn't exactly correct, according to FactCheck.org and the Center for Responsive Politics.

In fact it's illegal for any federal candidate to take corporate money. So Hillary Clinton and John McCain don't take money from oil companies either.

Except they do. And so does Barack Obama.

How? The old fashioned way -- through individuals who work for oil companies. And with the help of their campaign "bundlers" who gather large contributions from groups of corporate fat cats.

Ahem. Politics as usual.

It's all here FactCheck.org: Obama's Oil Spill.

I have a news flash for those who get all high and mighty about Obama as New Breed of Politician: Nothing. Has. Changed.

Gerry Ferraro Speaks Straight

"In all honesty, do you think that if he were a white male, there would be a reason for the black community to get excited for a historic first? Am I pointing out something that doesn't exist?" Geraldine Ferraro

The 2008 presidential primary campaign is turning out to be historic because of its two Democratic candidates' gender and race ... for all the wrong reasons.

Everything's fair game, especially the obvious. Did Hillary really cry and if so, are women too emotional? If Barack's middle name is Hussien, does that make him a Muslim? Who's lying to women? Who's pandering to blacks? Whose husband, wife, mother, staffer said this, that or the other?

JAYZUS!

Issues, people! Issues! What do the candidates represent and how do they characterize each other? Neither candidate is responsible for what other people posit, even on his or her behalf.

And Geraldine Ferraro, herself a history-maker as well as a person of substance, merely said out loud what most of us think, if only subliminally. Not because we're racists, because we're Realists.

The Obama machine--oh yes, he has a fully operational Machine, complete with seasoned political attack-dog advisers--saw their chance to make campaign hay and pounced. Their self-righteous bellowing --Racist! Racist!-- is just too canned and canny.

Obama's campaign manager David Axelrod is equally responsible of name-calling when he suggests there's an "insidious pattern" of racial remarks by Clinton supporters. There's the proof, right from the horse's mouth. Play the race card on your own behalf.

Gerry Ferraro is entitled to her opinions, frank and to the point as ever. When the opposition and the media started a firestorm, she replied succinctly and very well:

Dear Hillary --

I am stepping down from your finance committee so I can speak for myself and you can continue to speak for yourself about what is at stake in this campaign.

The Obama campaign is attacking me to hurt you.

I won't let that happen.

Thank you for everything you have done and continue to do to make this a better world for my children and grandchildren.

You have my deep admiration and respect.

Gerry

Geraldine Ferraro has my deep admiration and respect too.

If Clinton and Obama can't or won't control their handlers, they might as well be the same two white guys conducting political campaign business as usual ... crying foul at every opportunity to undermine the competition.

Which only undermines their own credibility, not only as historic trail blazers, but as potential leaders of our country.

Silda Wall Spitzer

"I don't think that it's the [First Lady] label that counts so much, it's really what gets done. And in my professional life, I've been working the last 10 years to get children and youth involved in civic engagement and giving back to the community through volunteering, and so this is a moment when I could give back in my civic capacity. So I feel that it's important." Silda Wall Spitzer

Governor Eliot Spitzer resigned today, even though his wife Silda urged him to stay in office. As did I.

New York's (former) first lady is a class act. Don't feel sorry for her. Don't fight her battles. Don't tell her what to do or where to stand or how to feel. It's insulting and demeaning to assume she's a helpless victim.

Silda Spitzer is very, very smart. She knows her husband far better than we do. Don't think for a minute she was in the dark about his randy behavior. And who knows, maybe it suited her just fine. In the end, it's none of our business.

So Governor Eliot Spitzer's got feet of clay, especially when it comes to sex. So what? Show me a man--especially one in power--who doesn't. (Okay, W's an exception).

If Spitzer's wife doesn't care, why should we? I still say Spitzer's got the right stuff. The value-add of his ability, brains, knowledge, dedication and honesty in government far outweighs the downside doings in his personal life.

We are SO freakin naive and hypocritical about sex in this country -- Right Wingnuts most of all. We love to talk about sex, hint about it, titillate ourselves with glimpses of it. And we love even more to take potshots at those who participate in any unfettered version of it.

I'm not talking about pedophile priests or congressional sexual harassers, who should be castrated ... but instead are given protection and pensions. I'm talking about a powerful guy who used a high priced call girl. Heavens to Betsy!

And really, $80,000 pales in comparison to the billions of dollars looted from our government coffers by Cheney's pals.

It's our loss that Eliot Spitzer was forced to resign--over his own wife's objections--by petty people with venal minds. And all the while the real crooks and liars are stealing us blind.

Spitzer: Show Spine, Don't Resign

"When written in Chinese, the word "crisis" is composed of two characters-one represents danger, and the other represents opportunity." John Fitzgerald Kennedy

Note to those currently salivating over the Spitzer scandal: you're all wet. We need leaders like Eliot Spitzer. He's one of the Good Guys. Most of whom, by the way, history has shown to have healthy sexual appetites.

So what?!

We're in a WAR, a recession, a nationwide health, education and welfare crisis. Americans are losing their jobs, their homes, their pensions, their children, their future. Not to mention their Human Rights ... a joke under our current administration.

Cities are exploding in violence. Schools are under growing threats of the same. Our country faces potential terrorist activities every day.

Yet somehow the FBI has time for a sex sting? Oh please. Just the place for our dwindling tax dollars - an evangelical witch hunt. Why not focus on the real evil-doers, the thieves, pedophiles, embezzlers, torturers, war-mongering profiteers?

They're the ones pointing their crooked fingers at Spitzer with hypocritical glee. And they're the ones who should read the US Constitution-and their bibles--more closely.

Eliot Spitzer was set up, his rights trampled and his privacy invaded in a political, personal and professional vendetta. Yes, he broke the law, banal and archaic though it be. His actions pale in comparison to the inalienable rights and laws broken in the quest to bring him down.

I don't care which prostitutes he paid for, how many times and in which hotels. You shouldn't either. The only people affected by his behavior are other consenting adults and members of his family.

Who did Eliot Spitzer hurt? Not innocent civilians. Not overwhelmed taxpayers. Not brave service men and women. Not children, the unemployed, the homeless, the helpless. Can W and his minions say the same?

Take your pick: sex or death? Payment for personal dalliance or political pork? From the president to the vice president to members of Congress, Republicans have made a mockery of our constitution, our country, our future. And WE have paid the price.

That any Republican would dare call for Spitzer's resignation is beyond hypocrisy. The list of Republican law-breakers still in office is long and disgraceful. The list of those who have never answered for their crimes is endless.

Eliot Spitzer should stay in office and fight the abuse of his constitutional rights. The Democratic party should champion his distinguished career of political decency, honor and accomplishment.

I don't care if he threw his white hat on a call girl's bedpost. I want to see it back on his head where it belongs.

Another Sane Voice for Hillary

"The campaign is going very well. Very, very well. Why, what have you heard?" Hillary Clinton on SNL

I'm still a one-armed bandit. If I ever typed with one hand in the 90's (no jokes please), that skill is long gone now. So I'm grateful my galpal Cynthia Johnston offered to give her spin and voice to my own thoughts on Hillary.

HEAD OVER HEELS OVER HILL

Today I'm going over to Hillary HQ to make some calls into Ohio and Texas. The more I think about drinking the Kool-Aide and going for that Fabulous Obama Feeling, the more my heart tells me to stick with Hillary. Her Saturday Night Live appearance clinched it. One, Tina Fey is one of my super heroes. A FUNNY WOMAN. My whole life, funny women have been my salvation. All my best friends are funny as hell. I LOVE FUNNY WOMEN. And what a revelation. Hillary Clinton is a funny woman! She GETS funny women. She's not afraid to laugh at herself.

Set aside for a minute the fact that she's a super-wonk, with a preternatural grasp of policy details. She also has a sweet sense of humor. Not only would I feel more than secure with her at the helm, I would feel happy. How silly of me to want that. But I do. With all my heart. So today I'm setting aside a mountain of deadlines and heading over the bridge to Virginia. Why stop believing in miracles now? It's gone way beyond politics. At this point the feeling I have in my heart for Hillary Rodham Clinton is love, pure and simple. I love her and I want her to be MY President.

But before I post this little love letter I want to tell you one more reason I support her. It's because of the people who hate her. My father was a spy. When he died, most of his friends were retired CIA agents. Crusty old coots, with a world of hate in their hearts. After my dad died, I went to McDonald's in McLean, Virginia, where a gaggle of old spooks go every morning for breakfast. I asked to join them for a goodbye breakfast, knowing I'd never have a reason to see them again. There was no love lost among us, although I had a modicum of respect for them as my father's colleagues.

As I left the table to go get my breakfast I heard one of them say behind my back, I wonder if SHE inhales. I went back with my food and listened to them grouse about "Billary." They hated her guts. They hated her because she was a feminist. They hated her most of all because she included her maiden name in her married name. The "Rodham" part made them absolutely livid. They hated Bill because of Hillary. They hated him because she was a feminist. I was dumbstruck by the visceral quality of their hatred. It had no basis in anything but misogyny. It was clear to me how much these cold war relics hated women and I secretly reveled in the fact that I would have the last revenge: I would outlive the bastards.

I said my farewells as I stood up to go. Just before I turned to leave I said to them, "Oh, and don't forget to inhale. Or you'll DIE."

I left there a confirmed supporter of Hillary Clinton. I love her for the way she makes me feel and I love her even more for the way she makes a bunch of misogynistic old sons of bitches feel.

More power to Hillary RODHAM Clinton.

And my deepest thanks to Tina Fey and Amy Poehler and the rest of the good people at SNL for waking up the world to the fact that the media, especially Campbell Brown, who should know better, are on a par with a bunch of woman-hating cold-war relics. At last, at this eleventh hour, they're acting more like journalists and less like pathetic, starstruck Obama worshippers.

Vote for Hillary and don't forget to inhale.

Thanks, Cindy Lou. A lot.

One last thought from me: I so fear for our future if the Obama Eloi continue to follow the Media Morlocks blithely without using their heads.

Open Letter to MoveOn.org

"I do not believe that any political campaign justifies the declaration of a moratorium on ordinary common sense." Dwight David Eisenhower

The old cliche is true: no good deed goes unpunished. I've been a vocal supporter of MoveOn.org from day one, giving money, time and ink. Recruiting friends and strangers to join this century's most effective mobilization of resources to support progressive causes.

Not to mention to bring an end to the disastrous policies and actions of the Right Wing Congress and of course, the Bush administration.

Then MoveOn turns my praise to ashes by endorsing Barack Obama fully 7 months before the nominating convention. Not to mention 3-6 months before some of the biggest primary contests in the country.

Don't tell me "our members chose him." You sponsored an ill-conceived and divisive contest between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama long before all the facts were gathered, debates held and primary votes counted.

Now you're in the same category as all the "special interests" you claim to abhor. You're raising money for a candidate not yet chosen by Democratic voters. And by the way, had your kangaroo vote endorsed Hillary Clinton, I would be just as furious and disappointed.

You've had a series of impressive successes as a progressive political action group dedicated to protecting all citizens. In your own words, "The MoveOn family of organizations brings real Americans back into the political process." Really?

What about all the undecided voters, those not yet registered or supporting Hillary Clinton? It's still primary season--the Democrat's biggest contest in recent history--and instead of opening MoveOn's political doors to more Americans, you've shut a large segment of them out.

You're cutting your base apart instead of growing and uniting it.

In this critical presidential election MoveOn's most valuable contribution should be--and could have been--to increase the number and commitment of liberal voters and to unite Democrats behind the nominated candidate so we can Throw The Bush Party Out.

Instead, MoveOn sold out. Your pandering support of the Barack Obama Message Machine does a great disservice to your current and future constituency -- and to the Democratic party.

What happens if Hillary Clinton becomes the nominee? MoveOn will have severely damaged its credibility just when it's needed most -- to defeat the dangerously viable candidacy of John McCain.

I'll still be volunteering, donating and voting for liberal candidates and issues, but not through MoveOn.org. Please don't send me another piece of mail about Barack Obama, any other candidates or legislative issues.

I can no longer trust MoveOn.org's judgement and actions. Especially not your commitment to me and to the future of progressive causes.

Joe Wilson's Case For Hillary

thesituationist.files.wordpress.com

"Contrary to the myth of [Obama's] campaign, 2008 is not the year for transcendental transformation." former ambassador Joseph Wilson

Joe Wilson, who's been there done that (think Plamegate), goes on:

The task for the next administration will be to repair the damage done by eight years of radical rule. And the choice for Americans is clear: four more years of corrupt Republican rule, senseless wars, evisceration of the Constitution, emptying of the national treasury -- or rebuilding our government and our national reputation, piece by piece. Obama's overtures to Republicans, or "Obamacans" as the Senator calls them, is a substitute for true national unity based on a substantive program. His marginal appeals have marginally helped him in caucuses in Republican states that Democrats won't win in the general election. But his vapid rhetoric will not withstand the winds of November. His efforts will be correctly seen by the Republican leadership as a sign of weakness to be exploited. While disaffected Democrats may long for comity in our politics after years of being harangued and belittled by the right wing echo chamber, the Rovians currently promoting Obama are looking to destroy him should he become the nominee. Obama's claim to float uniquely above the fray and avoid polarization will be short-lived. He is no less mortal than any other Democrat -- Michael Dukakis, Al Gore, John Kerry -- all untouched at the beginning of their campaigns and all mauled by the end. We should never forget recent history.

Wilson makes a far more informed and cogent case than I ever could.

Read the full piece. Please. And tell me you agree. Joseph C. Wilson: Battle-Tested - Politics on The Huffington Post

If you disagree, tell me why. I don't want slogans. I don't want pie-in-the-sky rhetoric. Or empty promises. Or bullsh*t about Bill.

I want facts. Details. A defense of Obama stripped of hype and meaningless buzz-phrases about hope and change and dreams.Take Wilson's reasoning apart and show me where he's wrong.

You can't. Because he's not.

Super Tuesday - Not A Game

HillaryClinton.com - Welcome

"I will fight against the division politics of revenge and retribution. If you put me to work for you, I will work to lift people up, not put them down." Hillary Clinton

Almost eight years ago, millions of Americans heard a clarion call from a new candidate with a strong voice, a different message, fresh perspective. They believed he would provide a clean departure from "politics as usual." That he would change their world for the better.

Those voters were Republicans, evangelical Christians and Right Wing radicals who sincerely thought George W. Bush was their next best hope.

Democrats and Independents must not make that same mistake about Barack Obama.

Barack Obama and George W. Bush are light years apart politically. But the downside risk of their leadership is the same.

Mr. Bush had a vision for change, but he didn't have a plan. His political inexperience seemed a plus, but he didn't have a clue. Yes he overcame a bad-boy past, but he continues to display a rash streak of immaturity. He's thin-skinned, bad tempered and lacking in objectivity, taking far too many global issues personally.

Mr. Obama raises expectations with his charismatic message, his near evangelical zeal. He can raise the roof with his oratory. But style does not equal substance. Barack Obama has bold ideas but no realistic plans. He has a stirring message but no real clue. He is brash, prickly, unsteady, unsure, untested.

Eerily reminiscent of George W. Bush. Which worries me a lot.

Unlike Bush, Obama is genuinely smart, even gifted, he just needs time. He has vast potential, will likely become a great leader one day. He seems destined to be, but not yet, not now.

Barack Obama's greatest gift to the 2008 Presidential Campaign, and to the country, is his passionate call to young people to get involved in the process. It's a critical message and will make our country and our future stronger.

But let's remember that while youthful excitement is easily created, commitment is less easily maintained. Anyone who has or knows kids between 18 and 25 can attest to how ephemeral their judgement is, how the very idea of dissent can be appealing for its own sake.

America's college students and 20-somethings work hard, play hard, think and reason, make good choices and bad. There's nothing wrong with that, it's how they amass experience, achieve growth and maturity.

What's bothers me is the so-called high-minded Obama campaign's cynical manipulation of celebrities and youthful supporters to generate media boost and momentum. Oprah, okay, I get that.

But the Kennedys! They're no better than the Bush possee. Self-serving, self-aggrandising, selfish. Senator Ted lost his chance to become president and hates Bill Clinton -- what a great reason to choose Obama as his surrogate

Obama-worship has gotten out of hand, it's affecting those of my generation who think they can regain their own youth and enthusiasm by joining the parade.

We adults can't let jingoism, a sudden sense of the seductive group dynamic and infatuation with a youthful, cool standard-bearer deflect us from the goal of electing the right grown up for the right grown up reasons. Not to mention a Democrat.

America needs a solid, mature adult in the White House. We need to be certain that the President/Commander in Chief/Leader of the Free World knows what to do and how to do it under any situation. We need to be sure our president can handle pressure, evaluate, prioritize and get the job done.

Hillary Clinton is the smartest, surest, most able, definitely the most tested person in the room. She's hard working, self-confident, tough and seasoned by time, circumstance, experience and humility.

We need her strength, her resilience, her intelligence, her world view, her contacts, her credentials, her decisive capability to listen, review, negotiate, determine a course of action and lead.

And we need her ability to defeat the Republican nominee. Unless we want President McCain in the White House.

Barack Obama Kennedy?

Gerald Martineau -- The Washington Post

"There must be a Camelot, a hidden Utopia where we can rest from our personal campaigns. Fantasy opens our eyes to a better place, a shining city we do not yet know." Bryan Davis

I'm a serious, full time Hillary Clinton supporter. All this Kennedy furor initially just got on my nerves. But then, somehow it got into my head and shook me up for about a day. Had I made an error in judgement? Was I backing the wrong candidate? Making a bad choice?

NO, no and no! What, all of a sudden I'm taking my cue from Ted Kennedy? I. Don't. Think. So.

As for Caroline, I don't get it. She has to know by now all about the dirty rotten scoundrels who were her grandfather, father and uncles. She can't possibly still buy into the Kennedy Camelot myth herself? Can she?

Apparently so. I was a kid during Jack Kennedy's presidency. I got progressively older during Bobby and Teddy's time in the spotlight. So did she. It might tarnish my Boomer Halo but I have to say I was never a fan of any of them. Except maybe Caroline.

But I'm all grown up now and even though I still enjoy a good fairy tale, we've put up with Bush and his Naughty Boys long enough. I want to see an actual grown up in the White House.

Sorry, Caroline, but Barack Obama isn't the one, no matter what your family wants us to believe. On the other hand, he's in the right place at the right time to rewrite Kennedy history. (I was going to say "whitewash" but thought better of it...)

Obama is the perfect choice to reincarnate Camelot, sans the Mafia, Marilyn Monroe, Chappaquiddick, Chicago vote fraud, Bay of Pigs ... the list is dizzying and endless. Who better than a black and white, made-to-order political foil to wipe the slate clean?

All the good old liberal buzzwords wrapped up in one neat, clean, intelligent package -- with only a brief (and I don't get it, but somehow "acceptable") drug history and a current ciggie habit, virtually a push in this day and age. If only he had a Boston accent.

A slightly rocky family story with just enough skeletons in the closet for a dash of reality. Smart, pretty, fashionable, activist wife, pure perfection. Not enough kids for a good touch football game, but hey, it's all about Wii now anyway.

We Kennedys. Us and Them mentality. And finally, after all these years, someone to replicate and redeem Us just enough to fool Them.

Sorry, no matter Caroline's articulate and passionate plea, no matter Senator Ted's elder statesman bluster, no matter the media's fascination with the play, it's just the Kennedys doing what they always do. They're trying to own the cycle and the cyclist.

Not to mention knock the Hicks from Little Rock off the road to the White House.