Bill Ayers denounces attempts to link him to Obama

I'm sorry he waited until after the election, but I understand why he did. This is an interesting clip.

President-elect Obama's first press conference 11/7/08

It's not too early to analyze the election even though it's the day before

So yeah, it's only Monday, but here's a chance fto start overanalyzing what the candidates (depending on who you think will win) did right and did wrong. And if it turns out we're wrong Tuesday ... oh well ...

Here's my take: I think McCain blew it from the get-go. He threw his political history as a "maverick" into the trash by pandering to the right and letting the Republican Party get down and dirty with Wright, Ayers and everything else they tried to dredge up. The people weren't listening, but they kept on it anyway. If he'd have been more genial and less attack dog, a little more self-deprecating and relaxed and less looking so serious (Dole's big mistake), he might have had a chance. Palin, however, was the big nail in the coffin, as was the economic meltdown.

Obama had a plan from before the convention and stuck with it. Even when the polls showed him down, he never panicked (though many of us did). He knew his target audience. He knew young people would support him overwhelmingly. He knew minorities would. He had to convince the white middle class voters. And he did that by staying calm and being the voice of reason. Of course, the economic crisis certainly helped. I think, though, he would have pulled through regardless. His hammering of the "CHANGE" litany got through. Also, his prompt response to the slurs helped a lot. He made Jerome Corsi's book irrelevant and punchless by responding to it quickly and forcefully. If he made any mistakes, it was not completely supporting Jeremiah Wright, who, IMO, did nothing wrong. And his decision not to take public financing may have repercussions for him and other Dems in the future. (Great opinion piece in the SF Chronicle yesterday about that at this link: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.c ... 01&sc=1000.)

There I said it.

Can't say it much better than this

If Opie, Andy and the Fonz think Obama's ok, well ...

See more Ron Howard videos at Funny or Die

A very funny video posted by Ron Howard (with a little help from some friends) on Funny or Die. This is even better than Paris Hilton's efforts.

Some observations with about 30 days to go ...

-- John McCain seems to have gotten the message and is toning the hateful rhetoric down, but too many Americans, I think, are disgusted by all this and will vote for Obama no matter what.

-- We know someone who was doing some phone bank work for Obama yesterday. One lady, age 92, said she wouldn't be voting because she was blind. They asked who she would vote for if she could. Her answer: "the white guy." No matter how much the polls show Obama in the lead, we don't know how this racial element will play out. This is new ground we're treading. The next couple of weeks will be quite interesting. If Obama is smart -- and he is -- he won't take anything for granted.

-- And we wish people would stop with all the nonsense about being crticial of the Clintons not getting more involved with the campaign until now. Understand this: Bill and Hillary Clinton on the campaign trail now has a bigger impact than it would have if they'd had been there all along. The smart folks at the Obama campaign know that. And don't think this wasn't planned.

Generals are on Obama's side - a spectacular argument for supporting him

Did McCain say an expletive during the debate?

ATTN: Keith Olbermann! Just this past March, Jerome Corsi linked McCain to Al Qaeda!!

Here's the link:

http://wnd.com/index.php?pageId=57678

Here's the headline:

WND Exclusive ELECTION 2008
Group tied to al-Qaida backs McCain for prez
'They will do all they can to turn Kosovo into a jihadist camp in the heart of Europe'
Posted: March 02, 2008
9:07 pm Eastern

By Jerome R. Corsi
© 2008 WorldNetDaily

And the first paragraph:

Presumptive Republican presidential nominee John McCain has enjoyed strong support from a lobbyist group that backs the Kosovo Liberation Army despite allegations the KLA is a Muslim terrorist group with ties to criminal drug networks and al-Qaida.

You think the Republicans will continue to support this jerk?

WORLD EXCLUSIVE -- John McCain's vice presidential pick revealed!

We've learned from some knowledgable inside sources at the McCain camp that McCain, who wants to insure a victory this November, has chosen for his vice president ....





Barack Obama!


McCain, we're told, is certain he can't win without him on the ticket. Either that or it shows how far gone he is.

You read it here first!

Jeremiah Wright is not all wrong

As the Jeremiah Wright "controversy" resurfaced over the weekend and the drive-by attacks from the GOP-shrouded Fox News Channel started up again, you can only wonder how this situation got to where it did.

Part of the problem is the media's reliance on quick hits. Five-second soundbytes. Of course, that is a product of the times. USA Today started it all years ago with its quick hits summary of the day's news.

Newspapers picked up on that like lemmings. The paper I once worked for, the San Jose Mercury News, had endless meetings to discuss how to present the news more concisely and quickly for its commuting public.

Of course, what happens is quotes are taken out of context. Details are omitted. Anything to save time.

This has become the new standard in too much of the media. Get it done quick. Doesn't matter if it isn't all there.

That has been the big gap in the Wright story. Anyone who has taken the time to listen to Wright's sermons in full will find he is not the diehard racist Fox News and the GOP spinmeisters love to tout.

Listen to his sermons: "The Audacity of Hope", the "God Damn America" sermon and the 9/11 sermon. No one who hears these sermons and listens to them will come out with the interpretation foisted off on us in some parts of the media, especially Fox News.

Wright is actually a very very good speaker. I don't believe in his conspiracy theories, but his words expounding hope are good to hear.
There's a lesson to be learned in all this: Hearing words are one thing. Listening to what's being said is something else.

The latest Republican "strategy"

Those geniuses at the RNC have really been working overtime. Check out this link. You can send Republican Valentine greetings with your favorite Dems on them.

Wonder if anyone at the RNC can spell desperation?

Obama snags the heavyweight endorsement

OK, so Schwarzenneger is endorsing John McCain. Chuck Norris is endorsing Mike Huckabee. But the endorsement all the candidates wanted went to Barack Obama. That's right -- Hulk Hogan. The Hulkster told Jimmy Kimmel he believed Barack Obama was the ‘choice,’ and that he hoped Barack Obama would win the presidency, according to PoliJam.
What you gonna do, Hillary?

The election ain't over till it's over

Funny how so many commentators thought the election was basically over after the Iowa caucuses.
Guess what? It's a long way 'till November, folks.
And though we think there won't be any change in the strong candidates, don't look for a Bill Clinton-type shift between now and the conventions. What you see is what you'll get.
There's also a long way to go.

Bill O'Reilly in dustup at Obama rally

A story only Bill O'Reilly could make.
The Associated Press reports O'Reilly was involved in what can be described as an altercation with a Barack Obama staff member at a New Hampshire rally. When the staff member, who stands at Obama's side at all times, blocked a camera shot O'Reilly's crew was trying to get, O'Reilly yelled at him to get out of the way.
"Then he grabbed me with both of his arms and tried to push me out of the way," the staffer, Marvin Nicholson, was quoted by the AP.
Nicholson told him, "I told him, 'Sir, I would appreciate it if you wouldn't shove me anymore.' Reilly called him "low class."
Nicholson, who worked as Sen. John Kerry's personal aide in the 2004 presidential campaign, also said, "I've never seen a member of the press lay hands on a staffer before," he said.
Obama said he would consider going on O'Reilly's show after the primaries.
What we want to know is why O'Reilly wasn't arrested for assault. This isn't the first time O'Reilly's been involved in a scrape with the law. Who doesn't forget the sexual harrassment suit against him and his falafel comment that will live in infamy?
That wasn't all. He also showed up at a Hillary Clinton rally and, according to an interview on Fox News, actually had a good-natured banter with Sen. Clinton. We're sure he was disappointed it was nothing he could exploit.
And it's no surprise that O'Reilly plans to show the tape of the dustup on his show Monday. Nothing like exploiting it for ratings, Bill-0.

On to New Hampshire

Barack Obama and Mike Huckabee are big fans of Iowa after this week's caucuses.
But neither of them should get comfortable. There's still a long road ahead.
On the Democratic side, Hillary Clinton may have finished a surprising third, but she'll surely bounce back. With Bill Clinton's help, if need be.
As for the Republicans, the evangelical support Huckabee received in Iowa won't be there as strongly in New Hampshire. John McCain should do better. He has to. So should Rudy Giuliani.
It's still a long way to November. Both sides have a lot of work to do. It's only just begun.

CNN resorts to Fox News tactics: CNN's highly speculative story, "If Clinton wins, would Justice Clinton be far behind?," is unusual for CNN. It's the type of story you'd see on the Fox News Channel or their gossip-laden Fox News Channel website.
But then, CNN has been trying to get back to ratings supremacy over Fox News since the Rupert Murdoch monster took CNN's once top spot.
Highly speculative stories shouldn't be the realm of CNN. Let Fox News have the gossip channel.
Stick with the news, CNN.

Some words everyone should hear ...

If you didn't see it last night, listen to Barack Obama's victory speech in Iowa last night. His words inspire. He evokes the spirit of some of the greats of the past. Whether he wins the presidency or not, we sure can use that spirit now.