about this alleged tape, he has to behave himself whether the tape exists or not. If the media starts asking him about it, the alleged tape does it's damage whether the event is for real or not.

I wonder if and when the Reverend Farrakhan will be asked about this and how he will handle it.

CNN apparently reported that Clinton called Obama. Although it is from Gloria Borger so giant grain of salt. I read elsewhere (can't remember where or I'd link) that Clinton will make one more push for SD support this week. Then, if the miracle doesn't happen, my guess is she's decided to throw her support behind Obama and has told him so.

No need to smear her now, she's going to quit.

So now we can have Unity. Because the contest is over and Obama won and so that automatically brings Unity, right? He doesn't have to do anything other than win. The party doesn't have to do anything other than ensure he win (as Saturday made clear, they think simply picking Obama will be enough, they don't have to actually make decisions to reach out to non-Obama supporters or legitimize his selection).

It doesn't matter that he's insulted voters, kicked half the party in the teeth repeatedly (even when there was little to politically gain), or stole votes (again, even when there was little to politically gain), once he's won everyone in the party will unify behind him. That's what UNITY means. That's why it was so important for the stupid bitch to quit. Because just by winning, Obama will unify the party.*

If you don't believe that's Obama and the Party's theory, then you weren't paying attention on Saturday. Because the DNC and Obama supporters were pretty clear - it is not its job or Obama's job to unify the party. It's Hillary Clinton's job. So if Obama loses, it's not his or the party elite's fault, it's Hillary Clinton's because she couldn't convince enough voters to vote for Obama.

As I said at Talk Left, it appears the one thing the Democratic Party learned from 2000 is that it is the job of the losing candidate who got the most votes to unify the party/country and not of the "winning" candidate selected by the media and political elite. All he has to do is declare victory. Of all the lessons the party could've learned from that debacle, that would not have been the one I picked.

the only part of the rove playbook

that obama's rodent, david axelrod, hasn't used yet is

sex.

maybe they're saving that one for mccain and the g.e.

that should be front page.

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Good night and good riddance!

She needs to give the Party one last chance to avoid disaster in Denver and they must resolve MI fairly (Without MI, it is mathematically impossible for Obama to win the WH).

Please, Sen. Clinton, just suspend your campaign. Please.

If anyone is interested in what an utter fraud Obama's nomination is, check out this TL post about primaries and caucuses. I no longer think it's hyperbole to believe that nominating Obama will be the destruction of the Democratic Party. I cannot believe how high the stakes are for the Party, our country, and women (and girls).

But if she doesn't have the votes this week and Obaam does, I think she will step back. She's not going to overtly take this to the convention. She will probably hang around and see if something happens this summer, but publicly she's going to back the presumptive nominee, if for no other reason than if he goes down in November she doesn't want to be seen to blame. Sure, she will be seen that way by some who are trying to escape their own culpability, but she's going to want to be viable in 2012 and not be seen by most voters as culpable.

As for her rally, my guess is she's going to thank them and tell them to support the nominee (even if she hasn't said it's going to be Obama yet). But I'm also hopeful that she's going to figure out how to use this new, much expanded political base she's got, beyond trying to throw it behind Obama. He seems pretty desperate not to have to ask her to be VP, surely she can use that somehow to her advantage.

You might want to read Daily Howler today for more FITH material.

You see, it doesn't really stop, you just need to know where to find it.

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Good night and good riddance!

Just give me what I want, and no one gets hurt.

BDBlue, I agree.

Obama is going to be the nominee, that is certain. It is certainly fucked up, but it is still certain. So what next? What next for those of us with no faith in Obama? Those who will have to (as Lambert graphically alludes) choke back the bile if we would pull the lever for him?

Fuck VP. For several reasons, first (and most importantly) it's not going to happen anyway, Obama is way too petty and way too insecure to make that kind of move. Second, he is going down in November. Why tie on to a sinking ship? Third, even if he does win, Hillary would completely side-lined.

Now Majority Leader, that is the only meaningful prize. That is guaranteed power and influence, plus, it doesn't hurt poor little Obambi's feewings because it has nothing to do with him. She certainly would be the most legitimate Senate Majority Leader ever chosen after winning the majority of voters across the entire country in a presidential campaign.
Apparently (as per BDBlue's earlier comment), the DNC and Obama think they can just unite by winning. The polling is going to tell them something very different and they should pay heed to the fact that the last nominee who lost the popular vote was named George McGovern, and we remember how well his stiff-arming Humphrey went.

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Good night and good riddance!

The media and the Obama campaign, with the party's full support, have agreed that it's Hillary's job to unify the party and if she fails to do it, then any disaster in November will be her fault.

If she wants to be viable in 2012 if Obama loses or get other party leadership positions, she's going to have to do everything she can to ensure the party unifies behind Obama before August. She has to throw her support behind him if he gets the votes. She will not be allowed to do what Jesse Jackson or Jerry Brown did because 1) she's Hillary Clinton and 2) unlike the other two she's a real threat to the party leaders and Obama.

Now she might hedge her language and say she's suspending because she anticipates Obama will be the nominee and say that she's going to do everything she can to help Obama beat McCain and urge her supporters to do the same. But she's going to have to walk a very fine verbal line.

Hillary is a good Democrat. If she thinks Obama has the nomination sewn up (at least from now), I think she's going to encourage her supporters to rally 'round him. Now, I don't think that means she won't also be watching and waiting, but she'll do that privately, not publicly.

in the primaries, as candidates, campaign workers, supporters, voters; acknowledge a hard-fought primary season that's ended in a draw. Give everyone permission to step back, take a deep breath, and reconvene in August to make the final choice.

There are lots of ways for her to "support" Obama before August without completely caving. I overstated in my comment what I think she will do. I tend to agree with Bringiton in another thread, that she's not going to do very much campaigning with Obama. I don't think she'll endorse him so much as talk about the need to rally around the nominee and not openly dispute he's the presumptive nominee. So when I say rally around him, I really mean rally around Democrats. She can do that by working for other democratic candidates, raising money for the party, and attacking McCain, but she's not going to keep running publicly until August. At least I don't think she will. She won't want SDs to harden against her for that.

She's going to want to keep her options open. But she's just going have to do it very carefully.

I believe nothing I read in the press at all -- it's all a mindfuck, and much of it bought and paid for. And why read the A list when I can just read Drudge?

Remember: This election, nobody knows anything. So, until the lady in the pantsuit sings, all the speculation means nothing. Nor do any of the leaks. Though it is quiet, the nature of quiet is that anything can be projected onto it.

What would I like to see her do? Start barnstorming the country on platform issues. More boring bullet points about policy!

[x] Any (D) in the general. [ ] ?????. [ ] Any mullah-sucking billionaire-teabagging torture-loving pus-encrusted spawn of Cthulhu, bless his (R) heart.

After digging deeper into that whole Larry Johnson thing, I watched the Fox(Geraldo) clip of Roger Stone bringing up the mystery tape...

he does manage to imply that it's the Clinton campaign that is trying to find/expose it.

So if the tape IS real...Clinton will take the hit for it.(true or not? Not)

As soon as McCain names his VP he will broaden his appeal. I think the voters are looking for a reasonable excuse to crossover. If it is Jindal, and I know little about him, his appeal will be youth, a Catholic, an exotic narrative with Indian parents, a newly elected governor of LA. That might be enough of a push for those disenchanted with Obama to bolt.

I will never vote for Obama and am reserving my vote in November with how the polls appear. My state will more than likely go Dem since it is one of the most liberal in the country and I may not have to waste my vote on either one of them. But the idea of "unity" no longer sticks. I am now a P.U.M.A. for all intents and purposes and the Dems can go to hell for destroying the candidacy of the one person who could beat back the Repubs.

of which have evaporated. Obama's celebration parties never happened. Hillary dropping out - over and over again - never happened. Just like the alledged Michelle Obama tape, I'll wait until I see HRC concede and I don't think she has any intention of doing this. It's more of the WWTSBQ.

I love this job!

Was Hillary for Beta before she was for VHS???

to attack Hillary or do anything at all--they're simply waiting for Tuesday night so they can coronate him.

They're not even attacking McCain at all today or anything, let alone Hillary.

Over at Talk Left there's a post about Clark as a possible VP candidate. I was out to dinner and when I saw the post comments were closed, so I'm picking up the idea here.

I don't see the point of Clinton or a Clinton surrogate as VP. Unless Obama is going to give his VP the power that Cheney has, what's the point?

I, as a voter, am not at all persuaded by any VP choice that Obama would make. I don't trust him one iota, why would his VP choice influence me?

Dean, Brazille, Reid, and Pelosi in addition to Obama are responsible for the state of the party today, not Hillary or her supporters.

I have no hope for the Democratic Party. This is a 69 yo lifetime Democrat talking, a Democrat descended from at least two generations of Democrats. I never thought I would find myself in this position.

My only hope is that a Phoenix will rise out of the ashes.

"Dean, Brazille, Reid, and Pelosi in addition to Obama are responsible for the state of the party today, not Hillary or her supporters."

No matter what else happens, at least three out of these four should be put to pasture. All four would be better, but I've heard "compromise" is this week's word.

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Good night and good riddance!