Barring a stunning reversal of fortune, my party is heading into November with a candidate who thinks the GOP is “the party of ideas,” who badmouths socialized medicine, progressive partisans, liberals (and their Chablis-soaked limos), and who says he was “called to serve” by Christ himself.

As Obama’s former friend and mentor recently noted, “he says what he has to say as a politician.”

Sure, I understand that to overtake a more-popular and more-experienced party rival, it’s necessary and appropriate to destroy her and her husband’s reputation via completely fraudulent charges of racism. Sausage ain’t beanbag, as they say.

But was it necessary to piss away this “change year,” this once-in-several-decades opportunity to repudiate the Reagan Revolution, selling a mere façade of change and propagating — as shystee so succinctly put it — “the absolute fabrication that the problem with Washington is excessive partisanship”?

Je répète:

Just where — besides the SCLM, Rightwing radio, and Karl Rove’s lying piehole — did we get the idea that this country naturally tilts to the right?

• In 2000, Al Gore got more votes than Bush
• In 2004, John Kerry came incredibly close (if not closer, given another round of voting improprieties), despite Bush’s 9/11 and “War President” bounces, a massive slime campaign, and possessing the charisma of diet kelp
• In 2006, the Democrats won handily
• On a good week (for him), Bush’s approval rating barely cracks 1/3

So, isn’t it time to stop fearing our own shadow? If not now — with the wounded GOP practically holding our quivering boots to their necks — when will it be time?

When a candidate from your own party betrays your values and — more distressingly — your reality, you kinda start to wonder if he’s ever going to “ask for your vote.”

Et je répète encore:  Read more 

Lambert, I hope you don’t mind me sticking my nose in this, but I just read Sadly, No!’s bashing of your Rameny good post, and I wanted to say a few things in response.  Read more 

Now, tell me. What could I possibly add to this?

First lady Laura Bush on Monday said the United States stands ready to pump more aid into Myanmar to help its recovery from a cyclone so devastating the death toll could top 10,000. But that help is conditioned, she said, on a U.S. disaster response team being allowed into the country.

Mrs. Bush also rebuked Myanmar’s ruling junta on other fronts in a rare appearance at the White House press briefing room. She faulted the junta for proceeding with a May 10 constitutional referendum that she described as a sham, and criticized government leaders for not warning citizens about the storm.

“We know already that they are very inept,” she said.

With these people, sometimes the irony affects the magnetic poles.

From a piece titled “No Hillary Clinton endgame — Democratic hopeful soldiers on despite seemingly hopeless situation”:

Last week, even as the Wright episode was being ceaselessly rehashed, Clinton followed John McCain in proposing a suspension of the federal gasoline tax for the summer. The proposal was aptly described by Newsweek’s Jonathan Alter as “the most irresponsible policy idea of the year.” As Clinton and McCain surely know, a gas-tax holiday would do nothing to address America’s genuine energy problems. It also would not alleviate the country’s economic problems. What it would do is encourage oil consumption—just about the last thing we need. Obama rejected the idea.  Read more 

msnbc.com headline: “Clemens apologizes, but doesn’t say for what”

Repentance. Without all the awful repentance.

I know Mary Hartman thought it all started with the waxy yellow buildup. But something went seriously wrong in this country a little earlier… when America’s Chief Executive was preemptively pardoned.

Someone on DU says he’s an undecided NC voter, and he wants to hear pitches for each candidate.

How would you respond? Here’s what I rattled off…

Hillary:
* Prioritizes social programs
* Wonky, wants to make government work, and she gets down to details
* Committed to Universal Healthcare
* Tough
* Knows who the VRWC is, and she’s pissed
* Proud to be a Democrat
* Despite all the slime thrown at her, unequivocally pledges her support to party unity if she’s not the nominee (and she gets shouted down by Obama fans)
* Has won the big swing states and states that add up to more electoral votes

Obama:  Read more 

“Nixon in a pant suit” is an anti-Hillary meme that Andrew Sullivan, longtime stalwart of Tricky Dick’s party, has successfully propagated. And James Wolcott, with presumably better intentions, has followed, um, suit.

Google this:

hillary pantsuit OR “pant suit” OR “pantsuits” OR “pant suits”

By last count, there are over 300,000 web pages referencing this candidate and garment choice.

What does this fixation with “pant suits” mean?  Read more 

“Obama brings us unity that you just seem to kill.”

Hillary and Obama appeared at a Democratic Party event in North Carolina. Guess whose supporters turned out to be dicks?

Clinton, attempting to show that there will be party unity, said, “If Sen. Obama is the nominee, you better believe I’ll work my heart out for him.”
 Read more 

This week, Bill Kristol wrote one of the MSM’s wisest assessments of the Democratic primaries, and Peggy Noonan’s commentary about Reverend Wright is downright thoughtful.

Allen Funt is dead, so there’s gotta be an Ashton Kutcher in here somewhere!

Once just wasn’t enough, apparently:

Mr. Wee Wee is DOING IT AGAIN: OBAMA PARTY FRIDAY NITE at Wee Wee’s (Wee Wee’s)
Reply to: comm-663802249@craigslist.org
Date: 2008-05-01, 3:20PM EDT

Mr. Wee Wee sez “Yea! You go girl and Vote Obama!”
Mr. Wee Wee cannot wait to be under Barry’s loving commmand. He is sooo cute!

Join Mr. Wee Wee this Friday night for another WEE WEE PARTY FOR OBAMA. It all takes place at WEE WEE’s. Last week was AMAZING and WIGGLE WORM featuring LIL PEENIE are coming back for another DELICIOUS performance. RUGGED BOY and POLE VAULT will be dancing ALL NITE LONG.  Read more 

The Obama camp has the Scandalizer^TM cranked up to 11.

Today’s buzzword is “Mickey Kantor.” Yesterday’s was “Women’s Voices” (and you know how their voices are).

In the spirit of unity, maybe us paranoid holdouts should join the fun.

What Clinton scandal do you feel like making up today?

The Unity Pony is not going to like this:

I’ve never been an Obama supporter. I’ve known him since the very beginning of his political career, which was his campaign for the seat in my state senate district in Chicago. He struck me then as a vacuous opportunist, a good performer with an ear for how to make white liberals like him. I argued at the time that his fundamental political center of gravity, beneath an empty rhetoric of hope and change and new directions, is neoliberal.

Read the whole piece by Prof. Adolph Reed.  Read more 

A group that was outraged about debate #21 (but not, apparently, about the MSNBC snuff debate or the other Hillary grillfests) posts Obama’s responses to their “debate” questions.

Hillary has sneakily dodged this great talking-points e-mailing forum while cowardly waiting for Obama to meet her for a face to face, unmoderated debate in NC.

The document interchange did give Obama the chance to make this important declaration:

“I believe that inserting simplistic tag lines or one-dimensional goals are unlikely to be helpful in meeting this challenge.”

He then proceeded to detail his complex and multidimensional plan to use hope and unity to bring change.

The Obama Rules / Clinton Rules clearly state that Hillary is on the wrong side of everything.

So why is the Congressional Quarterly blog letting facts get in the way?

The mandatory penalties set forth by the Democratic National Committee’s delegate selection rules call for outlaw states like Florida and Michigan to only lose half of their delegates to the national convention. And yet the DNC went beyond its own rules to add further penalties, stripping those states of all delegates.  Read more 

First NAFTA (never mind that she opposed it), and now this:

I’m in receipt of this letter from Micah Qualls, who says she lost her job today (Friday) at a business at the Little Rock airport for holding a Hillary Clinton sign in sight of where John McCain’s plane landed. By her account, the sign drew the attention of Mike Huckabee, who complained to her boss. Huckabee, on Friday night, and the boss, in an interview Saturday, disputed her account.

Click through to read the whole story, updated with various claims and counterclaims about Huckabee’s involvement.

They’re gonna break the mold after this guy leaves. I hope.

Compassionate conservatism in action — destroying your economy, but forgiving you for noticing:

THE PRESIDENT: Americans are concerned about making their mortgage payments and keeping their homes, and I don’t blame them.

More flirting with disaster:  Read more 

Interchanges from Bush’s press conference:

THE PRESIDENT: April.

Q Thank you, Mr. President.

THE PRESIDENT: You’re looking good in yellow.

Q Thank you.

THE PRESIDENT: How’s the baby?

Q She’s good, thank you. You’re trying to get me off, but it’s okay.

THE PRESIDENT: No. Is it true you named her “Georgia”?

Q No. Is that okay with you?

THE PRESIDENT: It’s your baby. (Laughter.)  Read more 

It’s getting mighty crowded here under the bus, but please make yourself t’ home!

In retrospect, you shoulda been a Republican. None of them get tossed down here. Darnedest thing, isn’t it?

From Media Matters, via the Make Them Accountable e-mail newsletter.

… that the Clintons are racists
… that Bill Clinton’s presidency wasn’t a whole lot better than the other ones in the last 40 years
… that old GOP slime is appropriate material for progressives to muck around in
… that Obama will magically make the GOP stop being ruthless, authoritarian, and corrupt — and that today’s problems are equally the fault of bickering, Chablis-drinking liberals
… that swarming abusiveness in the pursuit of unity is no vice
… that we’re all gonna get ponies

For so many of us, feeling like believing these things is what being a Democrat is all about these days.  Read more 

To quote Reverend Lovejoy: “I never thought I’d be doing this again.”

But go read Kos… and a MoveOn.org dude at Huffington Post.

I am as serious as an attack of buyer’s remorse.
 Read more 

[Public Service Announcement: I think this post is the finest example of “I did, so you don’t have to” that I’ve ever seen, and thanks to VastLeft for putting on his waders and working through the complete FUX transcript. Please, everyone, read the whole thing. It will be painful, but very, very instructive. And cue another round of W.O.R.M.—Lambert]

I hope you enjoyed my appearance yesterday on Fox News Sunday (DCOW), via satellite, along with Chris Wallace and Barack Obama. I think they were having audio problems in the studio, since they kept ignoring my questions and comments. I’m sure it was unintentional.

CHRIS WALLACE: Senator Obama, welcome to FOX NEWS SUNDAY.  Read more