Clinton runs right in ‘hillbilly firewall’ - Examiner.com

Clinton runs right in ‘hillbilly firewall’ - Examiner.com: "WASHINGTON (Map, News) - Hillary Clinton, whose liberal voting record is almost indistinguishable from Barack Obama’s, is now running to the right of him by reaching out to conservatives while her husband courts rural white moderates.

Bill Clinton has taken to calling himself Hillary’s “rural hit man” as he campaigns in the Appalachian regions of states that will soon hold primaries, including Pennsylvania and Kentucky — what Examiner columnist Chris Stirewalt dubbed Hillary's “hillbilly firewall.”"
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Yee haw. This is amazing. In the year 2000, Hillary Clinton pretended to be a New York Yankees fan, despite growing up in the Chicago area and living most of her adult life in Arkansas and Washington, DC. Now she is going for the redneck vote despite being a wealthy liberal feminist. What next? Will she drive around in a pickup truck wearing a "Git 'er done!" tee shirt, spitting tobacco juice out the window while Trace Adkins plays on the 8-track?

Clinton Insists Democratic Race Is ‘Long Way’ From Over, Looks Toward Convention - America’s Election HQ

Clinton Insists Democratic Race Is ‘Long Way’ From Over, Looks Toward Convention - America’s Election HQ: "“You know, you can always go to the convention. That’s what credential fights are for,” she said. “Let’s have the Democratic party go on record against seating the Michigan and Florida delegations three months before the general election? I don’t think that will happen. I think they will be seated. So that’s where we’re headed if we don’t get this worked out.”"
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That's Hillary Clinton speaking to Greta Van Sustern. She says she is going all the way to the convention where she will force a fight over seating the Michigan and Florida delegations. You may recall that these states were not contested by Obama and Clinton because the DNC said they were not going to be seated, as a result of holding their primaries too early in violation of DNC rules. Obama wasn't even on the ballot in Michigan. So she is now trying to scarf up those delegates, when there was no real campaigning in either state. And she intends to take that fight all the way to the convention, by which time she apparently hopes Obama will have been destroyed as a viable general election candidate.

Big Phat Liar - March 26, 2008

Big Phat Liar - March 26, 2008: "Last week's bombshell Los Angeles Times report claiming that the 1994 shooting of Tupac Shakur in the lobby of a Manhattan recording studio was carried out by associates of Sean 'Diddy' Combs and that the rap impresario knew of the plot beforehand was based largely on fabricated FBI reports, The Smoking Gun has learned."
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Once again a weblog has busted a major media powerhouse. Back in 2004 CBS ran a story about George Bush's National Guard service that was based on documents that were obvious forgeries. That was proven by the website "Little Green Footballs." Now The Smoking Gun busts the Los Angeles Times. And the Times has now run a big fat apology after being threated with a massive libel suit by Combs' attorney.

For years these media bigshots have been making disparaging remarks about bloggers. But it turns out that bloggers are providing a much-needed check on the arrogance and sloppiness and agenda-driven journalism of the media elites.

US: Saddam Paid for Lawmakers' Iraq Trip

Democrat Congressmen David Bonior, Jim McDermott, and Mike Thompson went to Baghdad at Saddam's expense???: "WASHINGTON (AP) - Saddam Hussein's intelligence agency secretly financed a trip to Iraq for three U.S. lawmakers during the run-up to the U.S.-led invasion, federal prosecutors said Wednesday. The three anti-war Democrats made the trip in October 2002, while the Bush administration was trying to persuade Congress to authorize military action against Iraq. While traveling, they called for a diplomatic solution. Prosecutors say that trip was arranged by Muthanna Al-Hanooti, a Michigan charity official, who was charged Wednesday with setting up the junket at the behest of Saddam's regime. Iraqi intelligence officials allegedly paid for the trip through an intermediary and rewarded Al-Hanooti with 2 million barrels of Iraqi oil. The lawmakers are not named in the indictment but the dates correspond to a trip by Democratic Reps. Jim McDermott of Washington, David Bonior of Michigan and Mike Thompson of California. None was charged and Justice Department spokesman Dean Boyd said investigators 'have no information whatsoever' any of them knew the trip was underwritten by Saddam."
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The only person charges is Al-Hanooti. These three members of Congress used the trip as an occasion to argue against the use of force to oust Saddam. So if Saddam paid for the trip it doesn't look good.

Obama Warms to Wrapping Up Contest - The Caucus - Politics - New York Times Blog

Obama Warms to Wrapping Up Contest - The Caucus - Politics - New York Times Blog: "Senator Barack Obama this evening called Tennessee Gov. Phil Bredesen’s proposal of resolving the Democratic nomination contest in June “a good one” – although Mr. Obama seemed to be endorsing a June wrap-up more than the governor’s specific plan to let superdelegates caucus to choose either Mr. Obama or Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton."
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So the Dems are thinking about changing the rules in mid-campaign. Instead of waiting until the convention to let the delegates vote, the superdelegates would have a caucus of their own in June and cast their votes early. Interesting.

Who should drop out?

Rasmussen Reports™: Who should drop out?: "Forty-seven percent (47%) of Obama supporters think Clinton should drop out. Thirty-eight percent (38%) of Clinton supporters say Obama should drop out. Those who remain undecided are a bit more likely to suggest that Obama should leave. But, it’s worth noting that less than half of Obama supporters say Clinton should withdraw, less than half of Clinton supporters say Obama should withdraw, and less than half of undecided voters say either should withdraw at this time. Clinton leads Obama in Pennsylvania while Obama leads Clinton in North Carolina. New polling released today show that both candidates have lost ground in Missouri to Republican John McCain over the past month."
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Well, that certainly clears things up. Not. I think we are nowhere near the end of this. Which, it seems, gives McCain some help.

If McCain vs. Obama, 28% of Clinton Backers Go for McCain

If McCain vs. Obama, 28% of Clinton Backers Go for McCain: "A sizable proportion of Democrats would vote for John McCain next November if he is matched against the candidate they do not support for the Democratic nomination. This is particularly true for Hillary Clinton supporters, more than a quarter of whom currently say they would vote for McCain if Barack Obama is the Democratic nominee."
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And 19% of Obama supporters say they would vote for McCain if Clinton got the nomination. The other problem is the additional number of people who will stay home.

New Home Sales Fall, Factory Orders Drop: Financial News - Yahoo! Finance

New Home Sales Fall, Factory Orders Drop: Financial News - Yahoo! Finance: "WASHINGTON (AP) -- Sales of new homes fell in February for the fourth straight month, pushing activity down to a 13-year low as the steep slump in housing continued. The Commerce Department reported Wednesday that new home sales dropped 1.8 percent last month to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 590,000 units, the slowest sales pace since February 1995. The decline was slightly worse than expected.he median price of a home sold last month dropped to $244,100, down 2.7 percent from the level of a year ago. The prolonged slump in housing has dragged down overall economic activity. Many analysts believe the slump could combine with a multitude of other problems including a severe credit crunch, soaring energy prices and plunging consumer confidence, to push the country into a full-blown recession."
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Slowest sales pace since February 1995--that is grim. The prosecution was presenting its case in the OJ Simpson case then. And the economy was growing so fast the Fed was trying to slow it down. The Fed had been raising interest rates from February 1994 to February 1995 to slow it down. Here's a summary from Prof. J. Robert Gillette:
"In 1995 the United States economy moved well into its fifth year of economic expansion since the last recession ending March 1991 and experienced the much publicized "soft landing." The Federal Reserve (Fed) engineered this "soft landing" with a series of interest rate hikes from February 1994 to February 1995. The "soft landing" refers to the slowing down of an overheating economy on the verge of driving up inflation, to an economy growing near its full-employment growth rate with low inflation. The delicate balance of slowing the economy without also causing a recession (a "hard landing") appeared in jeopardy in the second quarter of 1995 when the economy stumbled, and many wondered whether the Fed had over-tightened monetary policy."

Jeremiah Wright is an advocate of reparations

Conference to discuss 'rebuilding a social structure' | Philadelphia Daily News | Find Articles at BNET.com: "Tonight, a fiery supporter of reparations for black enslavement, the Rev. Dr. Jeremiah A. Wright, the Chicago pastor of presidential candidate Barack Obama, will deliver the keynote speech for the 18th annual N'COBRA conference at 7 p.m. at First District Plaza Ballroom, 3801 Market St."
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I wonder if this will become an issue in the presidential campaign.

Is Hillary exercising the "Tonya Harding" option?

Political Punch: The Tonya Harding option?: "I just spoke with an official of the Democratic National Committee, who asked for anonymity so as to speak candidly, who said we in the media are all missing the point of this Democratic fight. The delegate math is difficult for Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-NY, the official said. But it's not a question of CAN she achieve it. Of course she can, the official said. The question is -- what will Clinton have to do in order to achieve it? What will she have to do to Sen. Barack Obama, D-Illinois, in order to eke out her improbable victory? She will have to 'break his back,' the official said. She will have to destroy Obama, make Obama completely unacceptable."
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I wonder who this DNC official was. In any event s/he has it figured out and refers to it as the "Tonya Harding" strategy. For those who don't remember the Tonya Harding incident, she was an Olympic-caliber ice skater who (allegedly) plotted to kneecap her top competitor, Nancy Kerrigan, so Harding would have a clear path to Olympic glory. The end result was that neither of them won the gold medal. Read the whole thing from Wikipedia:

"Harding became notorious for allegedly conspiring to harm competitor Nancy Kerrigan in an attack, which occurred on January 6, 1994 at a practice session during the 1994 U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Detroit. Harding's ex-husband Jeff Gillooly and Shawn Eckhardt hired Shane Stant to strike Kerrigan on the knee. Harding won that event, while Kerrigan's injury forced her withdrawal. After Harding admitted to helping to cover up the attack, the USFSA and United States Olympic Committee initiated proceedings to remove her from the 1994 Olympic team, but Harding retained her place after threatening legal action. She finished eighth while Kerrigan, recovered from her injuries, finished second."