Humor is what separates us from Neo-Conservatives. Yes, she does seem like a good senator. I do think it is too early to talk about vice presidency.

On this:

•  “….their calculations are based on the government’s continuing obligation to provide medical care and disability payments for the thousands of wounded Iraqi and Afghanistani veterans over the coming decades.”..

One can only wonder how much it will cost if the government actually begins to FULFILL this obligation. So far, it hasn’t come close.

•  Instead of accounting honestly for the war’s costs and requesting the necessary funds to pay for them, the White House has routinely used “emergency” supplemental requests as a device to hide the truth. The emergency process prevents the Office of Management and Budget as well as congressional staff from thoroughly reviewing the data. Inevitably, they explain, this lack of transparency and competence has resulted in waste, fraud and corruption in payments to contractors, most of them politically wired, while essential equipment and veteran care remain underfunded.

And, there it is. These ‘emergency’ funds are NEVER requested as part of the budget. And yep, it’s ROUTINE.  $70 billion here, $102 billion there, then another few $70 billion dollar requests, (they don’t even bother to change that much any more).

Meantime, there’s Walter Reed, and a thousand other VA facilities just like it. (decaying and leaving our vets -  our loved ones, to rot)  Vets are homeless and walking around with permanent cases of untreated PTSD. Recently, we discovered that the ‘lucky ones’ are being treated with the recreational drug “Ecstasy” .

Medical professionals/technicians have left the Veterans Administration in DROVES since 2000, having been ‘outsourced’ to contractors, or otherwise scared off.

How does one Cabal do this much damage to an entire nation, and do it for this long? Hitler and Stalin didn’t even get away with this, and surely not for as long.

•  “Politicians like McCain who have cooperated in this outrage should tell us why they still call themselves “conservative.”

They should tell us why they still call themselves HUMAN!

Nevermind, we don’t care. We know they aren’t. And this guy actually thinks we are crazy enough to elect him to continue the damage? We’ll never last that long. There isn’t that much money in the world.

“…the real risk is that this race will eventually lead to neither of the final contestants being the most experienced or the most qualified to run the country.”

Here we go with the old time rhetoric again. When…please tell me…was the last time the most experience or qualified ‘contestant’ (Is it a beauty contest? –  I prefer candidate) was elected to run the country?

This experience argument is getting really old, because experience doesn’t equate to leadership skills, or the ability to effectively and EFFICIENTLY utilize human and other resources. It doesn’t measure judgment, or any other jurisprudential skills. It doesn’t measure knowledge, or the ability to use it.

More than anything, this ‘experienced/qualified’ stuff is just broad, vague, and tired old rhetoric.

It also speaks to a ‘ruler’ or one-person leadership operation, and there’s no way in hell that one person can ‘run the country’. One person just needs to know how to use the best help that there is to be had. That means having the good judgment to choose the right help, and organize them to the greatest degree of efficiency. That means choosing help based on efficiency and capabilities, not ideologies.

In this case, one ‘ideology’ fits all. That would be democracy, based on the rule of law. That’s the basic qualifying ideology.

Bill, is that you?  You must have something better to do…weren’t you subconsciously torpedoing your wife’s campaign?  Its always someone else’s fault, isn’t it, Bill?  First there was the vast right wing conspiracy and now its the much feared left wing conspiracy…and the media, who could forget?

Bill, i used to date a girl who’s mother was a paranoid schizophrenic.  So let me offer you some advice.  If your troubles are consistently the fault of “they”, you might have a problem.  Listen, if “they” manage to get past your six deadbolts (changed monthly) and the 2x4 holding the door closed and the 120 lb. Rotweiller just to get some cheese out of the back of the refrigerator…please get some help.

On the other hand, just because you’re paranoid doesn’t mean that everyone isn’t out to get you…it probably depends on your definition of “isn’t”.

I see the point, and i don’t disagree with it.  The subtle positive comes from people being more engaged in the political process; it could lead to people starting to pay attention to what is currently happening in DC.  Though it could also distract people from the activities of our current representatives as well.

I do, however, worry that the only recourse left to Sen Clinton is to extremely negative.  There’s nothing wrong with a little sparring in the primaries, but she has begun to take it a little far…and i fear that she’s willing to take it much further.  (Though i do find myself chuckling throughout the day when i think of a Clinton slinging accusations of base corruption…)

This week’s “Economist” has an excellent “Lexington” (why i have to wait until Wednesday for my Saturday paper is beyond me) that discusses the growing demographic of “independents”.  This election cycle may be showing that we are tired of being held hostage to the ideological rigidity of the two major parties.  This, of course, does not mean that we will get what we wish for…only that the “third party” in American politics (which is actually bigger than the Republican and roughly the same size as the Democratic) is beginning to make its voice heard*.

*I think that this is what’s angering so many Democrats who tend to be Clinton supporters.  We’re not supposed to be involved beyond going out and voting for the lesser of two evils every 4 years.  Perhaps we’re waking up to the fact the lesser of two evils is still evil.  Baby steps, but the journey of a thousand miles begins with one foot put in front of the other.

Have a mirror handy?

leefeller, the Hillary negativity is made up by the press ai hope she doesn’t go down quietly. Hard to beat a svengali tho.
You tube (larrysinclair0926)  SO far all the gays who have come forward have told the truth. Lie detector tests.

lib in and Aegrus

I can’t tell if you are taking my point so I’ll restate it:  Ms McKaskill demonstrated the same sort of cool and forthrightedness that Obama does.  She listened to her daughter rather than ignore her.  She explained her reasons for her votes instead of taking umbrage. As Bill pointed out, her honesty is to be appreciated not scoffed at, unless of course you’re some sort of closet republicate.

The democrats primary system absolutely stinks. They “who ever they is” couldn’t have a more jumbled up mess.  Then big headlines candidates spent a 100
trillion dollars.  They have to spend that, the system makes them if they want to go anywhere.

re: I live in the wrong part of the country.  Did any one see the texas state senator Watson last night when Mathews ask him to name any accomplishments for Senator OBAMA.  He couldn’t name a thing but my point is, that really is the type of government we have in texas.  They just get in front of the camera no matter what and are so stupid it is embarrassing.  The Democrats and Republicans are the SAME!!  Good Ole Boys club.  We need to trot out a chimpanze, I would vote for that.  They really are terribly smart.

Claire will have to ask her 17 year old daughter if she can run !!!!

Not only the media ,although that maybe what is driving the hatred the posts are worse, I can’t believe people can be so vicious.

Louise, on this…

” “I agree with him on getting out of Vietnam immediately.”

“I also agree, and I’m sure even John McCain would agree, that we should not be in Vietnam right now.”

The sad statistics are that something like 3 million Americans are suffering the symptoms of Alzheimer’s. (and that’s just the ones who have actually been diagnosed!)

Those who are likely to agree with John McCain, about getting out of VIETNAM immediately, or that we shouldn’t be in VIETNAM ‘right now’, might be among them. John McCain probably DOES agree with this, but then hell, so do I, and I’m not even afflicted. (at least not with that).

John McCain though…I wonder.

Bill Boyarsky must know that many of us feel burned / betrayed by a broken election system that allowed Bush to prevail twice, the first time with a minority of votes and an appointment by the Supreme Court, the second through Rove forces stealing it in Ohio.

Even in this primary season, we have seen Florida and Michigan Democrat voters disenfranchised by a petty squabble between the DNC and those states. We see individual states with idiotic rules for election (Washington psychosis with caucuses and primaries that don’t count), winner-take-all Florida for Republicans.

To top that off we have easily-hacked voting machines, corrupt politicians running elections (Ohio in 2004 and Florida 2000), and winner-take-all elector votes.

Based on the Bush corruption, voters can be pardoned for fearing authoritarian superdelegates and ruthless and amoral Republicans.

Are you saying his support won’t matter because Hill-The Boss-Clinton will just override popular vote and delegate counts with her political machine? Yeah, that’s of some concern, but I’m not too worried.

Re Daley, no wonder you “need a reminder” if you are to dumb to remember yourself, uhh….....

By the way, that IS exactly where the Dems are headed again if The Ring takes over.

Just because you are in love with BO won’t make any difference.

D.C.——-

Once again your comments are discerning, as they are eloquent.  As for a Clinton/Obama ticket, it is fading and an Obama/Clinton ticket is highly unlikely.  Obama will select a VP who can only strengthen his candidacy and anyway the Democrats have a mighty advantage over McCain.

As we know no candidate has ever been elected on a war platform not Wilson, not Roosevelt——they both campaigned against war though we now know they thought different.  McCain is outspoken in his zeal for continued military action and you have to admire his honesty, but it is a losing tact when there is no threat against the US.

Of course should some significant international disturbance occur before the election, then all bets are off.

This is not “winning”, Expat. All it equates to is receiving the acclaim of a few more delegates in a few conventions. That is still neither achieving the nomination nor winning the election.

People need to redefine the meaning and the application of the word “winning”. So far, it is quite childishly applied and in ways that are not entirely beneficial to the country…....

Oh my goodness! I could not possibly disagree more!!!

We’re not having that lame ‘dream ticket’ nonsense. Period.

I think she’s a slave to her daughter. Go for it! };>

Bill Boyarsky: “Audiences for election coverage on all-news cable channels CNN, Fox and MSNBC are way up, and much of the gain comes from young viewers….. Do you think these new political fans, especially the young, would be turned off by a showdown on television? No. They would be fascinated…”

Well obviously this campaign IS about the media and half a billion dollars wasted or lost already in candidates on both sides attacking each other in some ludicrous gladitorial contest - all for the sake of jaded wrestling and boxing fans seeking a “convention fight” night, one presumes.

But what Boyarsky misleadingly declares is “old thinking” is just his being dismissive of one very real scenario so that he can posit another, equally valid as it may be. He then goes on to tell us that “This presidential campaign is something new” as if we all didn’t already know, uhh.

This is still so sadly typical of current American thinking in that something or someone has to be knocked over in order that another view can be acknowledged. It is this lack of inclusiveness which is also dogging the Democrats’ nomination process this time. It all gets down to rudeness.

But in a country where people can’t imagine their leaders or any politicians being polite to each other, the real risk is that this race will eventually lead to neither of the final contestants being the most experienced or the most qualified to run the country.

In the quest for media ratings and sheer puerile entertainment, the reality of what is happening is still eluding most people. Thus the kind of “change” they expect might not be the kind of change they eventually get. A course of wrong thought and action inevitably leads to wrong results.

For the Democrats, they are in an undecided position with no vice-presidential candidates being nominated for either Obama or Clinton. In other words, they are running behind the Rpg’s and are hopelessly lost in battling each other instead of addressing the real campaign.

They could still lose as a result. Being so preoccupied is only giving the opportunistic media more mileage. Now it not a clear outcome for either candidate. Again, that is eating away at the possibility of ever having a Clinton/Obama or Obama/Clinton joint ticket as neither candidate is any longer partial towards the other and their respective camps are now increasingly hostile.

The outcome is that it will most probably be either Hillary or Obama with an unknown vice-presidential candidate on their ticket. Only one of those will have the strength to win in a final election and that is also being obscured in the contest so far. What is more likely, though, is that neither will necessarily have the ability to win alone.

Whatever, it is certainly less of an ideal situation for the Democrats than if they had both Clinton and Obama together at the final election. Having “the most experienced and most qualified” as well as the “most popular” would have guaranteed a win as well as the best team for running the country.  Now, you most probably have neither.

in Boyarski’s hope that this could turn out to be a good thing.  Still, if, there’s that word again, change is going to occur we won’t be seeing it over night and short term.  This change is going to take work from all of us and patience, too.  But I don’t mind staying interested and seeing what will come of all this involvement.  BTW, what do you think of Clair Mckaskill for an OBama running mate?

Well it might behoove the Clinton’s, since we are voting for both of them now, to learn something called integrity to even find the high road.

”...his face partially covered by a beard that seems to fit his Latino and Southwestern heritage.”

That particular statement is somewhat out of place in an otherwise provocative article.

I commend Boyarsky for bringing up the Daley years as it is important to remember Democrats can do evil as well as the Republicans can. Daley represented party politics to the extreme. We need this kind of reminder.

Bill Richardson is a good politician by the large. He just didn’t have the message this year to go all the way. His idea about the convention isn’t really “unconventional wisdom” so much as it is a pragmatic and logical understanding of today’s media. The more positive and intuitive media focus we can shine on the Democratic party throughout the year, the less chance John McCain will be anything other than a puff of smoke.

This media attention is why I’m upset at Hillary Clinton for using suspicious and underhanded tactics. She needs to start taking the high road and work to improve her campaign instead of just trying to focus on the win. I know it is difficult for any politician to not be overly competitive and ambitious, but Hillary Clinton and/or Bill Clinton could become the Daley family of our age. I would call for them to re-evaluate their priorities.

America First.

Boyarsky is RIGHT. The only way this mess will be solved is to go to the convention and fight it out in an “orderly” fashion. I don’t know what other solution there is. Howard Dean’s idea is good but it will not work unfortunately.

You old guys, that is fine and dandy cyrena if we have enough YOUNGSERS to lead.  College students now days aren’t the kind of college students they were in my day.  They studied hard to graduate and get a good paying job. 

The Democratic party is already split.  Unbelievable # are saying the same as I, vote for mccain but fill the senate and house with Democrats to keep mccain in line.

To me this election seems like 2000 & 2004 where no matter how many lies, arrogance, behavior like GW Bush people followed the pied piper. I am really sadden by the way this has gone. History repeating it’s self. NO one cares.

The remarkable things are the huge margins that Obama is winning by.  He’s not just squeaking by; he’s trashing Hillary by double digit percentages.  This article, well spoken, may be moot after the 4th.

Oh thanks guys.

Leefeller, cyrena, Maani, Brad W ...

It’s like there’s a tiger in the room who has just attacked and killed a few people and is now content to lick and chew. But the media has to get around the satiated tiger to get over to the real story in the room. Those two in the corner arguing over semantics!

The thrill of the day, listening to teenagers debate the Constitution. Listening to kids argue the merits of leaving Iraq. Listening to pre-teens discuss Bush policies! I guess if nothing else, we can thank Bush for giving all those clever kids fodder to debate and create really nifty stuff to flash back and forth to each other on the internet! Naw. Lets just give credit to the internet and those really nifty kids!

Great and truly observant observations!

And, Brad W,
“I agree with him on getting out of Vietnam immediately.”

“I also agree, and I’m sure even John McCain would agree, that we should not be in Vietnam right now.”

***

So funny! Thanks!

McCain, not knowing who to trash, does have it’‘s merits for those going to be trashed.  Just hope we can heal the negativity sponsored by Hillary the sinking ship.  Somehow I do not think she is going to go down quietly.

I agree with Bill on the ‘old thinking’, though I still see some of it.

That’s old thinking. This presidential campaign is something new. Interest is high, driven by the historic candidacies of a woman and an African-American and by the drama of the up-from-the-grave campaign of McCain, the Vietnam POW survivor.

I disagree that these are the issues that anyone other than the media is making that big of a deal out of though. Yes, it’s interesting that we have a woman and an African-American candidate both in the race at the same time, for the FIRST time. It’s also incredibly embarrassing, as Bill Maher pointed out, though he didn’t say ‘embarrassing’. That’s my interpretation.

Still, it IS disgusting that it’s taken 200 plus years to get to this ‘first’ for either one of them. And it’s equally annoying that so much of the media keeps writing and reporting as if this is the only thing that has created these huge and unprecedented numbers in voter turnouts.

BECAUSE, these are NOT the primary reasons, and it’s insulting to the intelligence of the American population, to keep going on and on about it. At worse, it just draws attention to the fact that we are so flippin backwards, as to never have even considered a woman or an African-American for the job.

It also passes off the war as just ‘one other thing’ that Americans are concerned about, when the larger concern is the economy and health care. HELLO. How about the war being a big ass reason for the tanked out economy? How about nobody having jobs because of the policies of the established corporate oligarchy (Bush-Clinton-Bush)?

And Bill, where were YOU on February 15th, 2003, when the LARGEST ANTI-WAR demonstration/movement showed its presence world wide, and right here at home as well. MILLIONS of people turned out for that…far more than anything that happened in the days of Vietnam, and the US press FAILED to cover it!! 

That was to say to those who were planning to initiate an illegal war of aggression, that we DID NOT WANT IT? So do we figure that just because the gangsters in DC didn’t CARE about that, and were gonna do it anyway, and just because the press didn’t bother to cover it, that it didn’t HAPPEN?

And why does anybody see John McCain’s showing as some sort of a ‘comeback’? He just didn’t have any flippin’ competition from within his OWN PARTY!! I mean come on. How do you call it a ‘comeback campaign’ when there was no way to tell how ANY of them were gonna do before the people started voting in primaries? I don’t get how John McCain’s ‘showing’ is all that much of a surprise. Who the hell else were Repugs gonna choose, unless they’re ALL crazy religious fanatics or isolationists/separatists? I don’t think that’s the case.  I won’t deny that John McCain has pretty much lost his own marbles, but he’s still the best of the lot for repug choices in this race.

Meantime, there’s far more than just the race/gender thing on the Democratic side of the pew, that has created this unprecedented turnout and participation of citizens in the political process. It’s called the WAR, and it’s also the fact that at least one current candidate, Barack Obama, has given the population a reason to participate.

You old guys are gonna have to quit blowing off the fact that there are at least 3 new generations since you started doing this stuff Bill. Because you’re right about that much…some NEW thinking needs to catch up with a different population, and different overall world conditions.

This ain’t 1968.

Boyarsky is correct.  But he leaves out another reason why it works in the Democrats favor to draw it out until the end (as long as the end is not bitter): it leaves the GOP unsure which of its attack scenarios to use, and will leave McCain without a clear opponent.  And while some would argue that this is bad because it gives McCain time free and clear to make his case and build support, the fact is that his platform is older and tireder than he is, and is simply rejected by most Americans: continuing the war in Iraq, making permanent the Bush tax cuts, bringing back a watered-down version of Reaganomics, etc.

I say let it play out and let the chips fall where they may, as long as everyone plays nice in the sandbox once they get there.

Peace.

“I agree with him on getting out of Vietnam immediately.”

I also agree, and I’m sure even John McCain would agree, that we should not be in Vietnam right now.