This video made it's debut around here sometime around March/April.  The primaries were beginning to heat up and people around here were starting to think that maybe Obama was the real deal.  The kool-aid was flowing but there was/is always the hesistancy, always the doubt and this video spoke to that.

It just debuted on "Race for the White House" I can't find the video but it goes something like this:

Edited w/ video

So, the rumor mill was abuzz this weekend that McCain would announce his vp choice tomorrow.  You would think he would actually give more notice but it'd be a good way for McCain to start off a new week.  The McCain camp could dominate the headlines for the rest of the week.

On Sunday, McCain hosts a group of political allies and major fundraisers at his ranch in Sedona, AZ.  That's a fact. The rumor is that he's going to use the event to introduce his vice presidential choice to his inner circle, and then, on Monday, introduce the choice to the world.

Nothing could really hurt after living one campaign disaster after another for the past two weeks.  Their new desperate tactics tend to belie some underlying panic in the McCain camp.  

So why not jump ahead of Obama and ahead of the Olympics and announce his Veep  now.  Link

Mark Halperin, GOP hack-extraordinaire just telegraphed on Morning Joke his fellow colleagues plans to come at you at this morning's press conference.  It's an ambush.  We had a hint of it during Hardball, Andrea Mitchell's bitter face was in full glow as she recounted how the military was controlling the media access during a official congressional delegation controlled by the military!!  Who would have thunk it?  She's never seen anything like it in presidential history?  She's pissed that you didn't give her an interview and she out for some Obama ass!  

Ralph Nader, I hardly knew ye.  

There's only one thing different about Barack Obama when it comes to being a Democratic presidential candidate. He's half African-American," Nader said. "Whether that will make any difference, I don't know. I haven't heard him have a strong crackdown on economic exploitation in the ghettos. Payday loans, predatory lending, asbestos, lead. What's keeping him from doing that? Is it because he wants to talk white? He doesn't want to appear like Jesse Jackson? We'll see all that play out in the next few months and if he gets elected afterwards."

Link

The Obama campaign just announced a remarkable feat on Facebook.

I think this is news being reported by the NYT

FLINT, Mich. – Former Vice President Al Gore will appear in Detroit tonight for his debut campaign appearance with Senator Barack Obama, extending an endorsement and urging all Democrats to rally behind the party’s fall ticket.
"A few hours from now I will step on stage in Detroit, Michigan to announce my support for Senator Barack Obama," Mr. Gore said in an e-mail sent to his supporters. "From now through Election Day, I intend to do whatever I can to make sure he is elected President of the United States."
Throughout the long Democratic primary, Mr. Gore talked frequently to Mr. Obama. But tonight’s rally at the Joe Louis Arena in downtown Detroit marks the first time they will appear together on the same stage. The endorsement was announced – on Mr. Gore’s terms – to supporters on his vast e-mail list.

An interesting article from the AP just came up.  It shows how even strong Black republicans are feeling the pull of history and may end up voting for a Democrat for the first time in their lives.  

Black conservative talk show host Armstrong Williams has never voted for a Democrat for president. That could change this year with Barack Obama as the Democratic Party's nominee.

Armstrong Williams?

I hope they share a glass of wine.  
Haha.  Obama put the press on the plane to take off to Chicago.  They took off without Obama on the PLANE!!  Nice move, Mr. Obama.   Chuck Todd said that MSNBC reporter quickly blackberried them before he lost service in the air that something was up!!!

Wow, someone said in comments that they would love to be a fly on the wall.  These two GIANTS in American political history, after one person biggest victory and anothers enormous defeat.  I give Hillary credit for being ready for this meeting right now.  Even though I despise her speech from Tuesday, it must be hard to confront the reality face to face.  How long did it take Edwards to have his meetings.  It'll be interesting to get any reports from the meeting.  

This is being reported by Chuck Todd at MSNBC on Dan Abrams Show.  Obama will not be at her event on Saturday

Link

This one had me in tears!  He better not tear up tonight!  Don't do it Barack :)

It's another whopper from the woman who brought us the "Bitter" comments.  This citizen journalist knows how to get the juicy quotes.

From President Bill Clinton:

It's part of the national media's attempt to nail Hillary for Obama. It's the most biased press coverage in history. It's another way of helping Obama. They had all these people standing up in this church cheering, calling Hillary a white racist, and he didn't do anything about it. The first day he said 'Ah, ah, ah well.' Because that's what they do-- he gets other people to slime her. So then they saw the movie they thought this is a great ad for John McCain-- maybe I better quit the church. It's all politics. It's all about the bias of the media for Obama. Don't think anything about it."

"But I'm telling ya, all it's doing is driving her supporters further and further away-- because they know exactly what it is-- this has been the most rigged coverage in modern history-- and the guy ought to be ashamed of himself. But he has no shame. It isn't the first dishonest piece he's written about me or her."

Link

Hillary won't concede until the Denver.  I'm not saying there will be a floor fight at the convention or that she will attack Obama from here to the convention.  But she won't concede.  

Hillary is our Ron Paul.  She's going to wage an under the radar campaign with the superdelegates from here to the convention.  Why?  I'm not quite sure but my strongest feeling is that she just doesn't know how to lose.  It's not in her DNA.  This has been her dream and goal for decades and she can't let it go.  

I hope I'm wrong.  I didn't believe it until I read this tonight.  Here's her plan:Politico

OK, I started out all Obama/Clark, then I went Obama/Hagel, now I'm back to Obama/Clark.  I guess I like military guys!

I know people like Obama/Webb but Webb hasn't been on the national scene very long and when he was previously on the scene it was as a republican.  I express some of my hesitations about him earlier.  Most disagreed with my assessment, and if Obama disagrees, I'll pick up his new book and get to know him.  But I don't think right now is the right time for Webb.  

I read a good point against Hagel today, the best one I've seen articulated which is picking a pro-life Republican while trying to woo back Hillary supporters back into the fold isn't the best idea.  There is no way around that one.  I think Hagel will have a strong position in an Obama administration.  I expect to see him endorse Obama this year.

"If we're punished in any way by the rules committee, I would be in favor of going to the floor," he said. Levin said he might accept a delegate mix other than what Michigan has proposed, but vowed to fight any attempt to cut the total delegate count or reduce their voting power. He said he would fight regardless of whether Clinton has conceded the nomination -- meaning Michigan could sit at the center of a divisive battle over the party's nominee.

I don't get it.  Is there no respect for the DNC by Clinton supporters.  Do they not understand that there would be chaos in future election years if the rules are disregarded on the whims of ambitious states?  Or this apart of Clinton supporters threat to bring down the party if their chosen one is not given all that she wants.  Link

Obama/Webb?  Not gonna happen...

Some said Webb didn't like to campaign, he's too much of a renegade.  Well I hadn't followed him that closely and only knew he was relatively conservative, wrote an interesting book, and beat "Macaca" Allen

So unlike Hagel who is auditioning by bashing McCain, Webb decided to pscychoanalyze the Appalacian White vote:

We shouldn't be surprised at the way they are voting right now. This is the result of how affirmative action, which was basically a justifiable concept when it applied to African-Americans, expanded to every single ethnic group in America that was not white. And these were the people who had not received benefits and were not getting anything out of it. .... The fact that they would line up and vote this way is not so much a comment on Barack. ... I think Barack Obama is saying a lot of good things that will appeal to this cultural group in time."

http://marcambinder.theatlantic.com/

I'm watching the townhall meeting on with the Latino community in Florida.  I've watched on two separate occasions while men behind McCain, during a question period whispered answers in his ear!

Some Sunday fun.

A collaboration by Idle Warship(Talib Kweli & Res) and Chester French.

In a gently direct message to Sen. Clinton, Hip-Hop's talent tell Hillary to wake up and fall back and don't spoil the party!

Video of Obama's Press Conference

Please spend 23:41 minutes to witness the brillance of Obama.  The last 8 years have been painful for anyone with brain cells and took a history class in high school.  To watch President Bush and his cronies raise spin and manipulation of the media to an art-form and the media become willing transcribers of their idiocy, you often wonder if our country could recover.

Yesterday they saw that an Obama administration would end the circus seen in presidential press conferences and White House press briefing.  Obama answered questions directly, honestly, forcefully, pushing his own vision while re-educating the press who have lived in the dark for the past 8 years.