Actually, saying that we won't meet in the first year (which was a damage control addendum to Senator Clinton's earlier ridiculing of Obama's "ready to engage" commitment) is not in any way different from the George Bush doctrine.

Global events do not keep a first year, second year schedule. Protecting and advancing America's global interests is a Day One and all-term assignment; it can't wait for a year.

What happens if some development occurs in the world within the first week or month or year that requires that the President meet with any of these leaders? And the President says: no, I'm still in my first year and I can't meet because I promised not to meet this or that leader in my first year? That's not only naive, it is beyond ridiculous as well.

Obviously Senator Clinton will take all that back if she has to, but as stated, it is right off a page from the Bush axes-of-evil manual.

It's hard to see how stating so twists the facts. Whether it is the strongest selling point for the Obama campaign right now is a different matter altogether.

"But this argument does not extend to Clinton endorsing Bush go-it-alone-ism."

True, except for that pesky vote to authorize the go-it-alone-ism into Iraq?

If logic takes me there Plouffe is being more effective by saying less?

Maybe it is just me.

mr plouffe's comments aren't saying "clinton = mccain", you
are and you're right. i believe he's saying both senator mccain
and clinton's campaigns only aspire to be "a little better"
than their opponent and continue the "dead ender" political
tactics of the worst executive administration in u.s. history.

March 21, 2008
Freelance Writer
Pensacola, Florida
leonwalker@cox.net

“Evil Genius?”
The Republican Party has me absolutely paralyzed with confusion. Perhaps being a lifelong Democrat I am just simply not supposed to understand.
Being a supporter if Senator Obama I will not cheapen his accedemic accomplishments by making comparisons to those of our current President or his probable future opponnent, Senator John McCain. That would simply be unfair. This all came to mind for me as I recently watched a TV biography of Mr. McCain’s life. The college years I found more than slightly humorous, but also strikingly similar to the college story of George W. Bush. Seemingly both men were accedemically, well… challenged.
Amid the news clips of preachers, passports and prostitutes this week, there was also Senator McCain stumbling through diplomatic misstatements with repeated and consistent ineptitude. There are those who are suggesting that this was contrived. I almost bit on that, until his “Halloween” comment in Israel. That was the clincher! So as we approach the stretch in the run for the White House, the pride of the Republican Party is providing a telling glimpse ahead.
Again, I don’t claim to get it, but let me attempt to explain what has me scratching my head. What I see is the Republican party polishing their strategy and preparing for what they hope will be a hard fought contest in November. This, while Senator McCain repeatedly makes an international fool of himself. With an opportunity to look “Presidential” on the world stage, he is singularly cultivating the image of a nervous unprepared student who is unexpectedly called upon to answer a question in class. Then there is poor Joe Lieberman, and playing the part of “Monkey In The Middle”. He is like the symathetic friend who finally whispers the correct answer, unable to see his friend suffer in embarassed confusion any longer. Most of the time Senator McCain looks like he could use a nap. Campaigning at this level must certainly be absolutely grueling, and the final contest has yet to begin. At this rate, come November, they will probably have take his straight jacket off just before they drag him out in front of a microphone to utter a few slobbering syllables.
I don’t have anything against Senator McCain, and given he is an old sailor like me, I can stomach him better than most (dare I say “typical”) Republicans. I’m actually starting to feel some measure of sympathy for the man. As in truth, I predict that he will ultimately face Senator Obama, and that he will lose by the greatest margin in history. Remember you heard it here first.
Truthfully however, I am genuinely haunted by the following core questions. How does the primary process let this happen? Is this a smoke screen of sorts or is this really the best that the Republicans have to offer? Has the Republican Party become a cheap seedy Oriental Resturant where the only entrée on the menu is “somedumbguy”. Is there a secret Republican Party “Affirmative Action Program” ongoing that provides for letting the stupidest politician among them represent their party from time to time?
If it were not for the primary elections process I would be envisioning the Republican Party leadership with their ties loosened, drunk out of their skulls in some hotel suite. Then, someone in their group piping up and saying: “let’s give it to McCain” and they all roar in uncontrollable laughter. Then someone says: “Remember Bush” and the all drop to their knees and roll on the floor in breathless hysterics.
Perhaps it possible that the power brokers are intentionally financing and positioning their candidates on the basis of control and future influence? Is it possible that such intellectually and cognitively challenged persons are more easily controlled and manipulated by the Republican Party and its power brokers should they reach the White House?
I don’t get it and I am convinced that I am not supposed to. But am I the only person who is seeing this? Is this just simply my illusion?
Or is it Republican “evil genius”?
L. A. Walker
© Leon A. Walker, March 2008

what worries me is our (Democrats) evil genius, the one that we have for voting for the wrong guy in the primary. We continuously vote with our idealistic blinders on instead of voting what is politically going to get us the white house .In fact we have such a penchants for this ,that we had to invent super delegates! Take the case of Barrack Obama . He gives absolutely great speech, and while all are kicking back smoking our post- obama cigarette, Some of us see how the last thing we need is another arrogant learn-as-you-go man in the white house. Especialy,one that brings the pitfalls of racial divide sweeping into the white house on his coattails. Yes, I agree that a true discussion on race is long over due in this country , but we are in serious trouble here and this is not the election to make that a #1 priority. With barrack in the white house there will be so much focus on race very little will get done . We do not need radical change at a time like this , we do not need the pendulum to swing radically wide , we just need a nice big nudge to the center until we can get this country up on its feet, and then by all means usher in the progressives. Barrack Obama claims he is a uniter yet so far he has done more to tear apart race relations then anyone I can think of . he has torn apart the Democratic party , and given the chance to go on to the national . he will tear apart this country. So much for a uniter . The problem here is that so many of us in America have wanted to prove our openness. Geraldine Ferraro was right about that fact, Obama is where he is because he is black . If he were a white man with the exact same policies and experience he would have gone the way of John Edwards. It is his Blackness that liberal white America is in love with . It is his blackness that black America is in love with. and if anyone doubts that when is the last time you have seen a candidate get away with so much without the press saying a word. this is a man that cannot win a primary unless the state has a black majority he wins caucuses because he has his "obamanites" harass and emotionally blackmail people with the now all to familiar refrain "why are you voting for Hillary are you RACIST?" and he is about to hold the democratic party hostage with the same refrain. Plus the extra added intimidation of blacks won't vote at the very least, and at worst might even riot . so the super Delegates are caught in a P.C. trap of their own making .They know Obama will never be able to beat McCain. But then that's what us Dem's do best find a way to blow off the best chances that America has had to beat the republicans in eight years. and if the supers Don't do something quick we will be giving the supreme court to the religious right for the next two generations this is to important to vote with the blinders on.

i find it hard to believe that anyone who has been following the 'long and winding road' of this primary could arrive at deluded conclusion that barack obama is the one who introduced race into this campaign.

the first primary[iowa,] in an almost exclusively white state that voted overwhelmingly for obama; race was not an issue.

it was not until nh with hillary in serious trouble that the race AND gender cards were played... this by the clintons not obama.

on the heels of nh we had the sc debacle, i.e.,the jesse jackson lookalike comment by bill.

it seems to me that what was the pure, clean, and decent campaign of obama has been sullied by the divisive, racist, scorched earth campaign waged by the clintons.

they appear to care only for their own ambitions, not about their party, their country, nor the voters.

power corrupts.

in response to the assertion that david plouffe is 'over the top' in asserting that clinton= mccain... it appears that bill clinton would appear to agree with plouffe:

'The former president made the comments while speculating about a general election between his wife and Republican John McCain.'

"I think it would be a great thing if we had an election year where you had two people who loved this country and were devoted to the interest of this country," said Clinton, who was speaking to a group of veterans Friday in Charlotte, N.C. "And people could actually ask themselves who is right on these issues, instead of all this other stuff that always seems to intrude itself on our politics."

http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D8VIB4QO0&show_article=1

this is a man that cannot win a primary unless the state has a black majority he wins caucuses because he has his "obamanites" harass and emotionally blackmail people...
posted by llittlemeyer

You are right about voting with blinders on, but it looks like you have fallen for more Clinton spin this election cycle and it is you who has the blinders on. It is time for you to face up to the fact that your candidate is losing and that Obama will be the nominee. He has tried to run a clean camaign from the get go and when it became clear that he would win handily on merits, your candidate began the mudslinging. This was supposed to be about two great candidates going for the nomination and now it has turned into ONE great candidate, and ONE incredibly sore loser and supporters who would rather forsake their democratic values in November and vote for McCain than to suck it up and vote for Obama. I would vote for either candidate in November to stop the Republicans from four more years of control. As for your copied comments above, you ought to be ashamed to even post such drivel in light of the past week's events. If you cannot come up with something a little more educated in tone, than please, stay off line or go to foxnews.com and they would welcome your stupidity and moron sense of humanity. By the way, as for Obama not winning any primary unless the state has a black majority, have you ever heard of Connecticut?? Maine?? Minnesota?? Missouri?? Ok, I'll give you Missouri with St. Louis and Kansas City MAYBE, North Dakota?? Vermont?? Washington?? and Wisconsin?? And don't say that most of those states don't matter because that's exactly why your candidate is losing in this primary process right now. Only after she got her @$$ kicked in Feb. did she actually give a S**T about any other state in the union. Every State, Every Delegate Matters. That is why Barack Obama will be the Democratic Presidential Nominee. So stay at home in November, if you like, and you will have no one to blame but yourself for the Democrats losing in November, because remember, It is about the Democrats and not about the candidates and about a shift in policy for our nation and not a vote out of spite. You need to think long and hard before November and ask yourself if you are a true Democrat!!

In response to: llittlemeyer - You couldn't have expressed what I believe any clearer. Sometimes there's so much crap in the articles as well as in the comments - It's encouraging to see what you write. Thank you.
I too hope the delegates will finally see it -
Collea-Devi

In response to: llittlemeyer - You couldn't have expressed what I believe any clearer. Sometimes there's so much crap in the articles as well as in the comments - It's encouraging to see what you write. Thank you.
I too hope the delegates will finally see it -
Collea-Devi

It was Clinton herself who connected herself to McCain in the first place by saying they were both more qualified than Obama in terms of experience.

I guess it's only convenient when it's helpful to her campaign? Personally, it's abhorrent for any Democrat to say we'd be better off voting Republican than for their DEMOCRATIC opponent.

The campaign director of Obama worked on the gubernatorial campaign of African-American governor Patrick of Massachusetts. This campaign director wields the race issue deftly. That's his job. That's what he's paid for. That people think that racist comments were being initiated by other candidates or their surrogates simply attests to Axelrod's consummate skill. Don't get "axel-railroaded" into making the wrong decision. Take the time to take a long look at the candidates.

"They know Obama will never be able to beat McCain. But then that's what us Dem's do best find a way to blow off the best chances that America has had to beat the republicans in eight years"

llittlemeyer I don't believe that you are a Democrat. Hillary keeps going on about her "experience"; well the Repubs have about 15 years of experience campaigning against her. They have 15 years experience besmirching Clintons. There is no way she is more electable than Obama.

I truly suspect that you are one of those "patriotic" Repubs who wants to see this election be between your candidate and the most beatable opponent; rather than between the two best candidates. A true patriot who loves this country would want to see the best possible candidate win in November, not just their party. All these Repubs coming out to vote for Hillary in the primary show their disdain for fair-play, and that they put their party above their country.

Truthfully from the beginning the Republicans were clearly most afraid of a Clinton ticket (to beat)....that was clear. Hillary has the experience to take on the Republicans (once again) and they know it. It will be a strong fight once the Dem nominated comes forward to face the Republicans - so we have to hope that camp is ready for it as we desparately need a new perspective in the white house....there are so many fronts that need addressing after the ravaging govern of this administration to it's own country! Whoever wins the Dem nod needs full support from us all....all that is... who are sick of the way things have been (mis)managed, "ruled", stolen or broken...during this adminstration's reign!

If Obama wins, watching another guy spend four years drowning us in his own inadequacy is just going to be excruciating. ugghhh.