One of the tests of a good leader is how he/she talks about the opponents in the wake of a heady victory. Barack Obama scored full marks in his speech delivered after his triumph in Montana primary. Now he stands poised to win the Democratic Party nomination to take on Senator John McCain in the US presidential polls. I listened to the Obama speech live...its was oratory at … [Read more...] about Barack Obama: Chivalrous & Magnanimous In Victory
Can Obama Make the
American Dream Come True?
.... "Can Obama Make the American Dream Come True?", asks Britain's The Times.
while The Independent (also from Britain) asks, "Where Did Hillary Go Wrong?"
Australia's Sydney Morning Herald is having fun with "Out of the Gutter, Into the Whitehouse" (not for the seriously minded!)
Spiegel of Germany is running an interview with a man they assert could be an … [Read more...] about Can Obama Make the
American Dream Come True?
Beware of Republican Suggestions for the Democratic Ticket
My much more politically savvy TMV co-contributors are doing a great job of reporting on and analyzing the amazing--yes, historical--events of this unbelievable day and night in American politics. I will thus refrain from making any in-depth, or even semi-in-depth, comments about it. With one exception, and I am sure that even this perhaps shallow observation has not gone … [Read more...] about Beware of Republican Suggestions for the Democratic Ticket
Why Did Barack Obama Win?
In the summer of 1968, at the Republican National Convention in Miami, having been governor of California, the only elected office he'd ever held, since January, 1967, Ronald Reagan announced that he was a candidate for his party's presidential nomination. Although Richard Nixon won the nomination and the election, Reagan, who hadn't entered a single one of the year's thirteen … [Read more...] about Why Did Barack Obama Win?
YES WE CAN!
The words I've been waiting to type for the last several months can now be typed. We will now have a candidate I can enthusiastically say I will be voting for, rather than simply against his opponent. That moment is now: Sen. Barack Obama has clinched the Democratic nomination tonight. As expected, the speech I am hearing on the radio is every bit as worthy as his 2004 … [Read more...] about YES WE CAN!
Now bring on McCain: ‘Epic struggle ends with victory for Obama’
All evening long, WORLDMEETS.US will be posting global coverage of Barack Obama's historic victory over Hillary Clinton for the Democratic nomination. As usual, the British and the Australians are the first out of the gate with commentary on Obama's historic victory. Rupert Cornwell and David Usborne write for the Telegraph of Great Britain: "After an epic five-month … [Read more...] about Now bring on McCain: ‘Epic struggle ends with victory for Obama’
Obama Wins Montana
The final primary is over and the networks have all called Montana in favor of Senator/Nominee in Waiting Obama. No firm numbers yet but based on exit polls he will get around 55% or so. He did very well with male voters (63%) but not so well with women (47%). … [Read more...] about Obama Wins Montana
Clinton Wins South Dakota
Update: She just missed her cue to deliver her 'victory' speech in New York, a perfect symbol of a failed campaign. She delivered the closest she will get to a quasi concession but she aint going quietly Not that it really matters that much but it looks like Senator Clinton has won South Dakota. Early returns show her leading by a 57-43 margin but based on the data from … [Read more...] about Clinton Wins South Dakota
Why Did Hillary Clinton Lose?
First, there was the mountain. Hillary Clinton entered the race for the Democratic presidential nomination sixteen months ago with higher negative ratings and lower approval ratings than any major candidate in history. While hardcore Democrats liked the former First Lady, other Americans were more wary. Or even hostile. They were represented to me by the legion of … [Read more...] about Why Did Hillary Clinton Lose?
Nunn: it might be time to take another look at ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’
Former Georgia senator Sam Nunn was a major player foiling President Bill Clinton's effort to lift the ban on gays in the military in 1993. He helped push through the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" law that lesbian and gay servicemembers have suffered under since. As a consequence, he is universally reviled in the gay community. Times change. Today in Atlanta: “I think [when] 15 … [Read more...] about Nunn: it might be time to take another look at ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’
Giving Credit Where Credit Is Due
I must admit from the start to not being a big fan of Senator Obama. For reasons I will discuss in future posts I am quite concerned about his qualifications to be President. I also question whether his motives and personality are truly as noble and pure as some of his supporters allege. Indeed, just as I wonder about the so called Bush Derangement Syndrome, I also … [Read more...] about Giving Credit Where Credit Is Due
California Primaries
Although it has been somewhat lost in the shuffle of the Democratic primary contest we are having a number of primaries and contests in California. Somewhat ironically, we used to have our Presidential voting in June but the powers that be decided to move things to February so we would have more of an impact. Had we kept things the way it used to be, California would be … [Read more...] about California Primaries
Obama and Clinton Supporters: Fifteen Psychological Factors of Coming Together
My doctorate is in the study of group behavior, tribal and ethnic, racial and corporate, amongst others. I wrote protocol for following how groups come apart and come back together again. It’s time-tested these many years later. I witnessed it again when I covered the Libertarian National Convention last week. There, ‘the coming together after heavy battle’ began to meld … [Read more...] about Obama and Clinton Supporters: Fifteen Psychological Factors of Coming Together
Whistle-Blowing MSM Doesn’t Hear
Behind the media popcorn of Scott McClellan's revelations, relatively unnoticed is a new book by the former American commander in Iraq that should be red meat for historians. This week's Time has an excerpt from "Wiser in Battle: A Soldier's Story" by Gen. Ricardo Sanchez that nails his Pentagon boss Don Rumsfeld, along with the rest of the Bush Administration, for "gross … [Read more...] about Whistle-Blowing MSM Doesn’t Hear
Sen. Clinton Open to Being Sen. Obama’s VP Candidate
msnbc.com - BREAKING NEWS: Clinton tells N.Y. lawmakers she's open to being Obama's VP candidate WASHINGTON - Hillary Clinton has told congressional colleagues she would be open to becoming Barack Obama's vice presidential nominee, saying she would consider it if it would help Democrats win the White House. Clinton, a New York senator, made the comment on a conference … [Read more...] about Sen. Clinton Open to Being Sen. Obama’s VP Candidate
Next Stop Iran?
New rumors swirl about an American attack on Iran, including a particularly worrying report in the Jerusalem Post. … [Read more...] about Next Stop Iran?
Race, reason, and the Democrats in the 2008 primary season
Salon convened a podcast round table discussion to ask "one uncomfortable, unavoidable, and inexhaustible" question: What role did race play in the voting behavior of white Democrats in 2008? It's a terrific read. The panel -- Sean Wilentz, a Princeton historian; Ruy Teixeira of the Center for American Progress and the Brookings Institution; and Tom Schaller of the … [Read more...] about Race, reason, and the Democrats in the 2008 primary season
‘Poor’ Germans Invade New York
Why is New York being invaded by German tourists like 'Troy by the Greeks?' According to Die Zeit's New York Correspondent Eva Schweitzer, they come to the 'Big Apple' for Apples - the computer kind ... but the hardships that they endure are nothing compared to the bind that American find themselves in. Schweitzer writes: … [Read more...] about ‘Poor’ Germans Invade New York
AP: Numbers Show Obama Has Now Clinched Democratic Party Presidential Nomination
The Associated Press has added up the numbers and has announced that Democratic Senator Barack Obama has now effectively won the 2008 Democratic party Presidential nomination: Barack Obama has effectively clinched the Democratic presidential nomination, based on an Associated Press tally of convention delegates. The tally put Obama over the top Tuesday, ahead of the … [Read more...] about AP: Numbers Show Obama Has Now Clinched Democratic Party Presidential Nomination
Waxman Demanding FBI White House Interviews
(Via Memeorandum.) A report from ThinkProgress indicates that Congressman Henry Waxman (D - Calif 110) in his position as chairman of the Congressional Committee on Oversight and Government Reform has issued a letter to Atty. General Mukasey requesting that he turn over transcripts of interviews conducted by the FBI with President Bush and Vice President Cheney. The interviews … [Read more...] about Waxman Demanding FBI White House Interviews