I think they only like frontrunners so they can take them down.  Think Dean.

If you want things to get better, be prepared to deal with change.

Great piece Steven. I can't help believing that this insight, "a weighty baritone" like Obama's would have helped Edwards considerably.

But as it stands, this is a race to take down Clinton as much as it is about electing another candidate. Edwards, Obama, it doesn't matter. What matters is not letting the Clinton's give us another four, eight years of Republican Lite, triangulation, appeasement of the right wing, in order to keep in office. Populism is today the antedote to government by the rich and corporations, and no candidate who defends corporate funding of elections is going to go far. Bill Clinton may be the best politician of our generation, according to Gingrich, but that estimate may only be the result of the fact that Gingrich fell, while Clinton was left standing after the Louwinski affair. Stealing Republican positions, whether that be corporatism or Neocon foreign policy, is not what the country needs right now, and Hillary needs to be taken down for that reason alone by anyone.

It's all about access. They  can't afford to piss Obama off -- at least not at the beginning.

I expect most of the press eventually will fall in line behind the Obama bandwagon. They're not stupid, despite evidence to the contrary.

Yet another sign that he's probably going to win this thing.

"If Adolph Hitler flew in today, they'd send a limousine anyway" -- Joe Strummer

Well that seals it for me. If the right wing is in love with him now too it can only mean one thing. He's the AntiChrist :oP

Green Grass and High Tides Forever

What better way to say "I am not a racist?"  

Those big tent republicans are such nice people!

What scares me is the constant comparison to John Kennedy, Robert Kennedy, and Martin Luther King.

And not FDR.

Is it not strange the only comparisons are with leaders who were assassinated?

The media pundits have issued invitations to an assasination before - most notably during the Clinton administration. "Fortunately the plane hit here.  Had it hit up there it would have gone into the First Family's residence." NBC while pointing to the windows of the residence.  And there are other MSM incidents from that same period in which the subtext was assassination.

Did I say that I don't trust the MSM when they praise someone?

50 states, 210 media market, 435 Congressional Districts, 3080 counties, 192,480 precincts

It's a wonder the whole nation doesn't have a severe case of whiplash--we've gone from Clintonian inevitability to Obamian cheerleading practically overnight.

I think it's lots of things. I've read about people who leave Obama's packed rallies crying. Well, damn--that would affect me, too. I do think for some, they are honestly astounded/pleased/excited/relieved by it. For others, the convincing win in Iowa made the idea that he could win more real.

Now certainly others like the odious hypocrite, Bill Bennett, are basically damning with faint praise. They are a lot of things, but stupid ain't one: the see how he connects, know he's smart, know he's organized. They know they have to hit back and will have to use dogwhistle racial smears but have no clue as to how--for now.

Republicans in Washington view Obama's "post-partisan" political appeal with a mixture of skepticism and fear. They are skeptical, they say, because the first-term senator's thin record has shown virtually no sign of bipartisanship. They are fearful because his appeal just might work.

"It's clear he is a phenomenon," said Rep. Patrick McHenry (R-N.C.), a conservative scrapper who revels in Washington's partisan warfare. "He will use style and grace to achieve liberal goals, which is absolutely politically brilliant but intellectually dishonest."

(Heh...or payback for the "grandfatherly" Reagan. Karma, ya know.)

I think for many other pundits, they are absolutely in love with the thought of President Obama. Whether they want concrete proof that our county is better than what it has shown for 7 years, or that we're not racist, or that we've made progress on race, the idea of him is as good as gold. And moves product.

Can't hear ya, Peach!

You can't possibly meaen that "you wonder"?
If the O man gets the nomination the shit will hit hit the fan like no one has ever seen before. When scum like bennett continues to use the O mans' middle name, everyone knows that that fat piece of shit is race baiting. And do you think that the drug addict will suddenly not double or triple his racist innuendoes-Puleeeeze!
Nope, this will be remembered historically as the start of the destruction of the USA! We are in the crapper allready and they will conciously flush that crapper! I will go so far as to say that they are willing to egg on the nutcases until you know what is at least attempted!

You think he doesn't know that. If you have ever looked at his history, instead of just opening your fool mouth, you would know he has fought that since he got into politics.

The Chicago Sun-Times has ripped him every day since he got in.

You think running for Senator in Illinois did not come with attacks.  Let me clue you in. Illinois is not a fully Dem state.   In fact, when Harold Washington ran to be the first black mayor in Chicago, the Dems all became Republicans to stop him.

The man appeared at anti-war rallies when the vast majority of Americans were for the war.  He knew it was not a popular move.  Bet you would respect him if he was as stupid as Edwards and supported the war.

I really think the blogosphere is becoming an idiot conclave.  Obama doesn't care about your paranoia. As in his entire life, he follows his guts, unlike flip-flop Edwards.

Patriotism and religion, like whiskey, is best used in moderation. Mark Twain

just one problem: as was the case with the iraq war and the danger of appearing unpatriotic so as not to upset the WH and majority party, the media will hesitate so as not to upset the people-- the overwhelming majority of people esp. college age kids (like my son) and the indies who have seen the media fuck up for the past 7 years.

It won't SELL. And market share is everything.