Command Sergeant Major Michele S. Jones endorses Obama

Steve Benen calls our attention to yet another unnoticed convention star, CSM Michelle Jones, the first female Command Sergeant Major of the U.S. Army Reserve.

I was proud to serve my country as a noncommissioned officer in the greatest army in the world. And for the last five of those years, I served as the Ninth Command Sergeant Major of the Army Reserve, representing all enlisted men and women in the Army Reserve and their families within the Department of the Army and Department of Defense, and before Congress and the media.

It is without hesitation, and with much conviction, that I endorse Senator Barack Obama for President of the United States of America. I am endorsing Senator Obama because I believe he is the best, most qualified and able candidate to serve as my commander-in-chief. He is the type of commander-in-chief that America’s soldiers need and deserve. Barack Obama will bring America the change we need.

(More after the jump.)

Senator Obama’s record speaks for itself, supporting America’s soldiers and families in every stage of their service. And he’ll continue to make sure that the men and women risking their lives for us in Iraq, Afghanistan, around the world and here at home have the equipment, training and resources they need to accomplish their mission.

Senator Obama understands veterans and our needs—all veterans, active and reserve—and knows the differences between the two. He’ll fully fund the VA, so all our returning heroes get the quality care they deserve. And when it comes to the national shame of too many homeless veterans, Barack Obama has one simple policy: Zero tolerance.

Senator Obama truly exemplifies what a commander-in-chief should be: a leader who understands the threats we face and who cares for every young man and woman under his command.

I first became impressed with Senator Obama when he took the time to call a young soldier who was unable to complete his initial training, not because he was injured but because he was terminally ill with brain cancer. Senator Obama did not do it for the publicity or a photo op.

He did it because I asked, and he did it because he cared.

America’s service men and women need a president and a commander-in-chief with the courage to serve, the gift to lead and the ability to get things done. That president is Barack Obama.

I can't find a usable embed code on the DNCC's video site, and I'm not sure this link will work, but no one's got her speech in a better format yet. If you find one, please leave the link in comments.

Cross-posted at Blue in the Bluegrass.

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Red Meat for Real Democrats

The best things come in small packages, and the Democratic Convention speech that did what party speeches are supposed to do was delivered by power-packed munchkin Dennis Kucinich.



As the Rude Pundit says, it should have been the keynote.

Cross-posted at Blue in the Bluegrass.

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Republican Officials Who Love Obama and the Media Who Ignore Them

Steve Benen at Political Animal calls our attention to an early Monday convention speaker who should have been the lead story all last night, this morning and all day today.

Last night, DDay asked a very reasonable question: "If a 30-year Democrat spoke at the RNC, excoriated his former party, and endorsed the Presidential candidate of the opposite party, would the media cover it?"

DDay was referring, of course, to former Rep. Jim Leach of Iowa, a respected, long-time Republican lawmaker who not only endorsed Barack Obama, but appeared at the Democratic convention last night to urge others to follow his lead.

This development barely generated any attention at all. When Zell Miller appeared at the Republican convention, it was a key development. When Joe Lieberman, who isn't even a Democrat anymore, announced his own appearance at the GOP convention, this was a major story. Some former Democratic delegate in Wisconsin moved inexplicably from supporting Clinton to backing McCain, and her switch is treated as exceedingly important.

Leach, however, is getting the short shrift. He's a credible, serious guy, who was part of the House Republican caucus for decades, and this year, Leach concluded that Obama is the leader the nation needs.

"As a Republican, I stand before you with deep respect for the history and traditions of my political party. But it is clear to all Americans that something is out of kilter in our great republic.... Seldom has the case for an inspiring new political ethic been more compelling. And seldom has an emerging leader so matched the needs of the moment.... I stand before you proud of my party's contributions to American history but, as a citizen, proud as well of the good judgment of good people in this good party, in nominating a transcending candidate, an individual whom I am convinced will recapture the American dream and be a truly great president: the senator from Abraham Lincoln's state -- Barack Obama.... This is not a time for politics as usual.... Obama will recapture the American dream and be a truly great president."

Watch the video.

Cross-posted at Blue in the Bluegrass.

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Oh, to be in Moneygall when the Convention starts

For your pre-Convention enjoyment, a video from last January, when a bunch of blue-collar ethnic types celebrated the Iowa caucuses in a pub 5,000 miles away.



Hard to remember now what a fluke Obama's Iowa victory seemed then, how everyone thought it was just his 15 minutes in the spotlight before the Hillary juggernaut buried him, how very naive these Moneygall partisans seemed with their "He proved his electability," and "Why can't he go all the way to the White House?" and "I'm sure he'll be the next president."

Tiny Moneygall had it right. Here's to you, Moneygall, and your emigrant son whose descendant we'll soon call Mr. President.

Cross-posted at Blue in the Bluegrass.

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The answer to the Clinton and Obama nomination issue

[x-posted on The 2 Dollar Bill]

The round table discussion threw out the obvious solution on Meet the Press this morning when they suggested the following:

1. this is the history-shattering ticket, either singularly or combined.
   


2. both candidates have now received more primary votes than any other democratic candidate ever.
   


3. however, the votes are so close that it means only half the party (despite record numbers) has chosen either candidate. (Why does it seem like we've been through this before?). That is a lot of votes to lose if half of the democratic-leaning electorate isn't happy.
   


4. Glen Ifill mentioned that the Clinton campaign thinks that Clinton supporters are more likely to support Obama... than Obama supporters backing Clinton... pointing toward a stronger reason for Hillary to get the nod of last minute deciding super delegates.
   


5. if you drop Hillary from the ticket, what happens to the older generation female voters that are backing Clinton in large numbers? Do they go to McCain rather than Obama?
   


6. if you drop Obama from the ticket, what happens to the younger generation or independent voters who were exciting about a fresh start in government (the change voters)? Do they even vote at all?
   


7. Sam Brownstein said during an interview on the National Review Radio Show, Governor Ed Rendell (D-PA) suggested that the race
   
   

"is so close that whoever wins should have to offer the Vice-Presidency to the loser and the Party should pressure the loser to take it."

Here's my $2 worth:

this is the obvious answer. To maintain stability and progressive solutions in the Democratic party, the Party MUST combine the ticket.

The Party MUST pressure the runner-up to take the Vice Presidential nomination.

And the runner-up MUST play ball and take the consolation prize.

Besides, doesn't that set the stage... not just for 4 or 8 years of Democratic leadership... but perhaps 8, 12 or 16? Seems like a smart move either way.

There can be no mistakes with this ticket. Or else it will be back to square one if McCain takes the Oval Office.

You can watch the very interesting and thoughful conversation between Governor Rendell and Senator Tom Daschle (D-SD) below:

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Eleanor gee I’m Swellanor about Gore

Eleanor Clift earns her McLaughlin Group moniker with her hankering for Al Gore to get the nod of a knotted-up, brokered Democratic presidential convention.

Is it possible? Well, Clift notes the party’s “good conscience” rule for delegates could supply the necessary latitude:

We have the Ted Kennedy forces to thank for the freedom of choice that all delegates enjoy, not just the supers. In 1980, Kennedy argued for an open convention, while President Carter was determined to keep convention delegates bound. With a 600-delegate margin over Kennedy, Carter prevailed. As a result, any delegate voting against the candidate he or she was elected to represent could be replaced by an alternate and thrown off the convention floor. The rule was strict and enforceable. Kennedy couldn't dislodge any of the Carter delegates. Two years later, after Carter lost the election, the phrase “in all good conscience” was inserted into the rule, belatedly giving delegates the latitude Kennedy had sought.

Clift advises the Clinton campaign has already been eyeballing the rule, but doubts she’ll get traction with it, in what must qualify as the punditry understatement of the week if not the month.

My take? The only real possibility for this is if Obama doesn’t have the nomination bagged on elected delegates alone, especially if he winds up needing half or more of the superdelegates to get the nomination.

If we get to that point, by the time we get there, supers will probably have a long-lasting distaste for Clinton in their mouths. But, they will know we have gotten to that point because Obama has feet of clay or a glass jaw, choose your metaphor.

Now, if that happens, does Gore want it? He will get targeted not only for the stuff that came up in 2000, but comments about his McMansion making him a hypocrite on global warming, and a challenge to say just what he will do about global warming if he thinks it’s so serious.

The flip side is, he’s been bloodied, he is “looser” now, and he could flip the hypocrisy by demonstrating that he could run a “green” day-to-day campaign, relatively speaking. And, he’s even more free of Slick Willie entanglement than eight years ago.

The flip side to that is, he’s won the Nobel Peace Prize. Does he want to come down off the mountain?

Right now, if the Clift scenario threatened to play out the way it would have to, I would rate the chance of Gore accepting a draft as 20-80 percent against.

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At the End of the Day

Guess who? That's right, until Apollo is back in fine fettle, you're left at my dyslexic mercies. Where is your dog now?!

• This is not really political, but it is an example of some of the worst kind of corporate chicanery you can imagine. No lives lost (as far as I know) but millions upon millions of investor and consumer dollars (and yen, and euros, etc.) have been consumed by the HD DVD/Blu Ray format war.

HD DVD, the beloved format of Toshiba and three Hollywood studios, died Friday after a brief illness. The cause of death was determined to be the decision by Wal-Mart to stock only high-definition DVDs and players using the Blu-ray format.

I've not had the misfortune of investing in either format, so I'm not fanboy of either. But, like the years ago format war between Betamax and VHS, it would seem that once again, the better format lost out (ironically, this time, Sony was the purveyor of the inferior format). As one pundit noted, regarding the whole mishegas, HD DVD is a product, Blu Ray is a theory. But, $$$ talks.

Sony was between a rock and a hard place, if they lost the Blu-Ray fight the PS3 would have been collateral damage and the impact on Sony financially might have been terminal. This means that Sony, much like anyone fighting for their life, was willing to do almost anything to ensure they didn’t fail.

As in, Sony bribed the living hell out of every studio in Hollywood.

• Here we go, ever so much closer to $100 per barrel.

World oil prices advanced on Friday towards 100 dollars per barrel, briefly topping 96 dollars, as geopolitical jitters stemming from Nigeria and Venezuela stoked global supply concerns, traders said.

Those market fears overshadowed a gloomy warning from Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke, who predicted "a period of sluggish growth" ahead for the energy-hungry US economy.

New York's main contract, light sweet crude for delivery in March, won 43 cents to 95.89 dollars a barrel, after rising as high as 96.05 dollars -- which was last seen on January 9.

Stand down, Al. We're doin' just fine.

Al Gore on the second ballot: A scenario that a few weeks ago seemed preposterous is beginning to look plausible to some nervous Democrats looking for a way out of the deadlock between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. It goes like this: We love them both, but neither is a sure bet when it comes to electability. It's not about gender and race, each has more mundane vulnerabilities. Hillary's negatives will drive white men to John McCain; Obama's inexperience will require a gut check on the part of voters. What if the super delegates decide not to decide, denying either candidate the requisite number of delegates to secure the party's nomination. Democrats want to win. The new rallying cry: Gore on the second ballot.

Oh, and Eleanor? Shut the hell up, already. We're all so very tired of ye creatures of the noise machine, no matter where on the political spectrum you may fall.

• February's halfway over, and now I don't think I mind I missed my flu shot this year.

Nationwide, 4.6 percent of flu samples tested have shown signs of drug resistance this season, said officials with the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In previous years, resistance to the drug hovered below 1 percent of all cases.

"We have seen this before, though not at this level," said Dr. Joe Bresee, chief of epidemiology and prevention in the CDC's influenza division.

The worry among some experts is that flu strains could develop resistance to more than one drug, leaving doctors with few options for treating severely ill patients. One way that could happen would be for patients to get infected with two flu strains at once, each with resistance to a different type of anti-viral medication.

Have a good weekend. Don't take any sub-prime nickels.

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The Most Important Moment of the SC Debate

My husband - liberal Republican if there is such a thing - sat with me, intently watching the Democratic debate in South Carolina. There were many opinions and many "shushes" while we listened.

I tried to describe positions that he already knew, but we both felt the most important moment came after the final comment offered by Hillary Clinton. It wasn't what she said. It was what followed ...

A commercial for Obama for President - airing in Florida!

[keep reading if you want to find out how Obama thumbed his nose at the DNC]


It was a shocker - I almost leapt off my couch! A Democratic campaign ad airing in Florida. After all, weren't we exiled after Florida moved their primary date to Jan. 29? Didn't we have all our delegates stripped? Didn't each of the candidates still in the race agree to NOT campaign here?

No Hillary! No Edwards! No Obama aura!

Yet, here was an Obama ad - replete with his Professor from Harvard Law wondering why Obama gave up such a promising career to battle for the less fortunate among us - airing not once, but three times, in less than 2 hours on CNN after a Democratic candidate debate. Yes, that's what marketing calls "product placement."

I have opined to anyone who will listen that it is a disservice to Democratic voters that we have been deprived of the Democratic debate. This seems especially true with such a qualified group of Democrats who are running. Even if you're a Republican, you only have to be reasonably intelligent to realize that the three folks on the stage tonight far exceed any of the Republican candidates (personal swipe acknowledged).

Yet, I can't help but feel that Obama snuck one up. Believe me, based on all my conversations, we'd most expect this of Hillary. I don't mind that Obama thumbed his nose. In fact, I think all Dems are operating under a stupid and senseless ruling by the DNC. That said, do you play by the rules (such as they are) or not? Do you support the agreement you made or not?

One ad is a mistake. Three ads are not, especially not in Florida.

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At the end of today

Democratic Michigan primary results: CNN with 97% of the precincts reporting -- Clinton 55%, Uncommitted 40%, Kucinich 4%, Dodd 1%, Gravel 0%. Gender breakout of Dem voters -- 57% female, 43% male. GOP results at the CNN link. Liveblogging the Democratic debate, see Kevin Drum. Video clips and commentary at Taylor Marsh.

Missed last night: Ed Kilgore recommended a blog -- 2008 Democratic Convention Watch -- to track superdelegates. So far, how they line up.

Steve Benen summed up the hatred of McCain by conservative bloggers and Repub activists. McCain said, “I believe my party has gone astray…. I think the Democratic Party is a fine party, and I have no problems with it, in their views and their philosophy.” Hmm, how many Dem voters foolish enough to vote for K Street McCain? Too many!

Religious Right alert! Pulitzer prize-winning Chris Hodges warns about H. Res. 888, which "seeks to rewrite American history, turning the founding fathers into Christian fundamentalists." The full text of the bill contains 7 references to "Christian" or "Christianity," 22 to the "Bible," and 4 Biblical verses. Ahem! As Blue Girl reminded, "Lest you all forget, the war isn't on Christmas... ...The war is on Science..."

Back in the Senate, former presidential candidate and a real Democrat Sen. Chris Dodd (D-CT) returns to "play a key role in [Democratic] plans to make the economy a dominant issue this year." Via Roll Call.

Joint Chiefs chairman, Adm. Mike Mullen, said he'd like to see Gitmo shut down "because he believes negative publicity worldwide about treatment of terrorist suspects has been 'pretty damaging' to the image of the United States." Ya think?! (h/t Nicole)

Lawmakers are mad as hell over the DOJ's "[mis]handling of rape and sexual assault cases involving American women in Iraq." Dropping the ball there, AG Mukasey? Oh, yeah.

On the media front, Editor&Publisher editor Greg Mitchell covered Bill Kristol vs. the NYTimes op-ed page. Of course, Kristol is wrong. Again and again... about as often as Andrew Sullivan suffers from Clinton Derangement Syndrome.

Can't explain why I chuckled at this headline: FDA Says Clones Are Safe For Food. Wheeeee-oooo!

[That's all...no more after the jump.]

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