Midday Open Thread

• Microsoft has officially given up its attempt to buy Yahoo!
• Although celebrity endorsements do little to influence opinion, Tom Hanks took the unusual step of endorsing Barack Obama via his MySpace page and on YouTube.  Agree or disagree with the endorsement, it's a well thought out statement.
• Howard Dean made an appearance on Fox News this morning and told Chris Wallace exactly why Democrats have been avoiding Fox Noise:

  DEAN: No, I think it was the right thing to do, because there are some things in the news department that have really been shockingly biased and I think that's wrong and I just say so right up front.

  He then followed with some serious pandering to Chris Wallace and Fox viewers, but not before he explained that Republicans use "hate" and "race-baiting" to win elections. All in all, a solid appearance by Dean.

• The Boston Herald investigates how Iraq contractor, KBR, has avoided hundreds of millions of dollars in Medicare and Social Security taxes by using offshore shell companies to hire employees. Let it be said again.....you simply cannot trust Republicans with your money.

•  Efficient Use of Motor Fuels

  A driver is stuck in a traffic jam on  US I-95, just outside of Washington DC.  Nothing is moving North or South.  

  Suddenly, a man knocks on his window.  The driver rolls down his window and asks, "What happened? What's the hold-up?"  

  "Terrorists have kidnapped President Bush, Vice President Cheney, Bill O'Reilly, Bill Kristol, Rush Limbaugh, and Anne Coulter.  They are demanding a $100 million ransom.  Otherwise, they are going to douse them with gasoline and set them on fire.

  We are going from car to car, taking up a collection."  

  The driver asks, "On average, how much is everyone giving??"  

  "About a gallon," comes the reply.  

  by xxdr zombiexx on Sun May 04, 2008 at 10:25:03 AM PDT

  •  Not funny, not in the least because nobody should

    be driving (at least driving should be minimal) in and just outside Washington, DC.

    We've got a fine mass transit system in the DC Metro Area.

    Possibly second only to New York in the United States (although San Francisco and Chicago may be better; certainly it's at the very worst the 5th best)

    by DemocraticLuntz on Sun May 04, 2008 at 10:29:48 AM PDT

    •  I'd like to see a fine mass transit system.

      Not sure I know what one is.

      Hell....being an almost in-shape human being, I'd settle for extra-large non-motor-zed vehicle lanes/glorified sidewalks. I'd get a killer bike.

      by xxdr zombiexx on Sun May 04, 2008 at 10:33:45 AM PDT

  •  If only! nt

    by MingPicket on Sun May 04, 2008 at 10:31:30 AM PDT

  •  RODLMAO! n/t

    by llamaRCA on Sun May 04, 2008 at 10:35:27 AM PDT

  •  I thought it was funny.

    Even without the mass transit angle.

    by JaciCee on Sun May 04, 2008 at 10:42:35 AM PDT

  •  lol, good one. nt

    by vertexoflife on Sun May 04, 2008 at 10:49:10 AM PDT

  •  Hardy Har Har

    Not very funny.  Bad Taste.

    by Trial Lawyer Richard on Sun May 04, 2008 at 11:01:02 AM PDT

    •  Sue me.

      by xxdr zombiexx on Sun May 04, 2008 at 11:20:08 AM PDT

•  Obama is going to lose to McCain

  I guarantee it.

  by kingsbridge77 on Sun May 04, 2008 at 10:25:32 AM PDT

  •  Well look on the Bright Side Why Don't Ya ...

    Geez...

    by Kdoug on Sun May 04, 2008 at 10:27:09 AM PDT

    •  P.S.

      I disagree.

       

      McCain's tired old shattered coalition of religious conservatives and neocons, along with his attachment to the most unpopular President ever, will be no match for the millions and millions of fired up and brand new voters Senator Obama will bring to the polls next November.

      by Kdoug on Sun May 04, 2008 at 10:34:54 AM PDT

  •  You'll vote for Obama, though, right?

    by DemocraticLuntz on Sun May 04, 2008 at 10:27:35 AM PDT

  •  you guarantee it?

    Is there something you know that gives your "guarantee" some real weight?

    by SottoVoce on Sun May 04, 2008 at 10:27:37 AM PDT

  •  What else is you magic 8-ball telling you?

    I hope it's given you some hot stock picks so I can sell them short when the market opens tomorrow.

    by Dump Terry McAuliffe on Sun May 04, 2008 at 10:29:51 AM PDT

    •  You Have Money Coming

      :P

      by xxdr zombiexx on Sun May 04, 2008 at 10:51:03 AM PDT

  •  Is too is too

    is not is not

    is too is too

    is not is not.

    Neener neener neener.

    The essence of the candidate debate at this moment in Time.

    by xxdr zombiexx on Sun May 04, 2008 at 10:30:06 AM PDT

  •  And monkeys will fly

    out of Mark Penn's butt.

    by kay dub on Sun May 04, 2008 at 10:32:25 AM PDT

  •  Well Gosh Kingbridge, how could I ever doubt the

    word of someone who's written diaries with titles like these:

    Jesse Jackson is scared of black people

    Obama got his church in deep shit. Good judgment?

    Obama supporters love anonymous sources (NAFTA)

    Pro-Obama blogosphere cooking up a storm over voting machines

    Dowd gets it wrong. No surprise there
    by kingsbridge77 [Subscribe]

    Wed Apr 23, 2008 at 04:06:19 AM GMT

    Maureen Dowd has predictably authored yet another anti-Hillary piece today, although she's also been recently practicing her anti-Obama talking points to be used against the likely Democratic nominee in the summer/fall

    How? How?

    Answer: very easily
    

    by notquitedelilah on Sun May 04, 2008 at 10:37:47 AM PDT

  •  Troll. n/t

    by JeffW on Sun May 04, 2008 at 10:50:33 AM PDT

  •  Obama will beat McCain because

    McCain will be hog-tied to Bush and a five-year unpopular war, multi-pronged economic crisis, huge loss of U.S. jobs, people losing their homes, more and more without health care, rampant corruption, soaring gas prices, food problems (prices and safety), mushrooming debt owed to China ... I could go on, but you get the point ... it ain't pretty.
    What you see now with McCain isn't close to the real picture. It will come out once the Democrats turn their full attention to him.

    by Rosemary on Sun May 04, 2008 at 11:15:31 AM PDT

  •  How much do you have on it?

    If you genuinely believe that statement, then I suggest you put the farm on it at intrade.com.  Obama is trading a little better than 43, while McCain is under 40 even with the nomination wrapped up.  Plus, the value of the Democrats winning the White House is just under 60, while the Republicans, like McCain, are at 40. So, if you place your bets down right, you could make $2.50 on the $1.00, which is pretty damn good.

    How much have you invested in this claim?    

    by blank on Sun May 04, 2008 at 12:33:19 PM PDT

•  Dean on Fox

  He made a few mild points, but it's not enough.  Fox News loves to talk about Fox News, it's pretty much all they do, so Dean should take it directly to them -- he should've directly called out Hack Wallace for perpetuating the stories that the American people don't care about.

  He should call Fox News a republican operation that does a disservice to the discourse.

  Telling Wallace he wasn't biased five minutes after Wallace asked how come the DNC was "lying" about John McCain's statement about staying in Iraq, is ridiculous.

  I love Dean, and he goes further than most in calling out the naked emperor to its face, but we must go even further.

  by WinSmith on Sun May 04, 2008 at 10:26:30 AM PDT

  •  But But But

    Howard Dean just legitimized Fox News as a news source, shouldn't the blgosphere be getting the vapors right now?

    Kos? Your criticism?

    by jaslusher on Sun May 04, 2008 at 10:45:18 AM PDT

•  Fran Townsend Joins Tony Snow on CNN

  President Bush's former homeland security adviser and current intelligence advisory board member Fran Townsend is following in Tony Snow's footsteps and joining CNN as a contributor.

  For the details, see:
  "Townsend Joins Snow on Conservative News Network (CNN)."

  by Avenging Angel on Sun May 04, 2008 at 10:26:52 AM PDT

  •  It's kind of funny

    that CNN is trying to be FOX news when the FOX ratings are dropping.

    by llamaRCA on Sun May 04, 2008 at 10:37:51 AM PDT

    •  In a depressing way, yeah

      Why is Glenn Beck still on the air?  Why is Ann Coulter still getting airtime?

      Why do I bother to ask?

      by Tara the Antisocial Social Worker on Sun May 04, 2008 at 11:44:56 AM PDT

•  Endorsements only matter if you are a super.

  Oh, maybe John Edwards would've mattered. Maybe.

  by DemocraticLuntz on Sun May 04, 2008 at 10:27:08 AM PDT

  •  "Would've."

    by Kdoug on Sun May 04, 2008 at 10:27:50 AM PDT

•  CNN had a front page article touting

  Elizabeth Taylor's endorsement of Clinton this weekend.

  I'm sure Tom Hanks will get the same treatment...

  by Stroszek on Sun May 04, 2008 at 10:28:05 AM PDT

  •  Too bad the UK doesn't have a primary

    Hillary also has Elton John's endorsement. I'm not sure whether the Spice Girls have endorsed anyone yet.

    by Dump Terry McAuliffe on Sun May 04, 2008 at 10:31:36 AM PDT

    •  Now that's the funniest thing

      I have read all weekend.

      Thanks!

      by JaciCee on Sun May 04, 2008 at 10:45:11 AM PDT

    •  Roger Waters (Pink Floyd) has endorsed

      Obama and advertises for Obama in the song "Pigs" with obama graffiti on the underneath.

      by vertexoflife on Sun May 04, 2008 at 10:55:43 AM PDT

•  One... more... final.........

  this semester has been almost as brutal as this primary. (And, in fact, it has been going on almost exactly as long.)

  I just want them both to be over.

  by jackbauer8393 on Sun May 04, 2008 at 10:28:23 AM PDT

  •  With Dog as my Witness

    I shall never go to school again.

    Unless I land a teaching gig....

    by xxdr zombiexx on Sun May 04, 2008 at 10:36:22 AM PDT

    •  I feel EXACTLY the same way.

      UGH.  I cannot imagine dredging up the enthusiasm for studying all day long every day ever again.

      by llamaRCA on Sun May 04, 2008 at 10:42:05 AM PDT

      •  Hey!

        Get your own feelings.

        I'm using these... thanks.

        ;)

        by xxdr zombiexx on Sun May 04, 2008 at 10:50:14 AM PDT

  •  I know what you feel like...

    I still have a ten page paper left to do and a final test. Ugh.

    by vertexoflife on Sun May 04, 2008 at 10:54:08 AM PDT

  •  For months after I graduated

    I would wake up thinking I had a paper to write.  The concept of a weekend without homework just seemed so weird.

    by Tara the Antisocial Social Worker on Sun May 04, 2008 at 11:47:06 AM PDT

    •  exam dream

      I still have the final exam dream and the "I have a term paper due when?" dream at least once every few months--that's 30 years since my BA and more than 20 years since I've routinely been on the student side of the podium.

      by Econaut on Sun May 04, 2008 at 07:40:50 PM PDT

•  The biggest problems in the last few elections

  Is the media control of the narrative.  The media sold Bush.  They undercut Kerry and are trying to undercut Obama.

  by Robinswing on Sun May 04, 2008 at 10:28:35 AM PDT

  •  2006

    would indicate that they have lost a lot of clout.

    by kitebro on Sun May 04, 2008 at 01:20:54 PM PDT

•  KBR

  Taxes are by definition bad.  Therefore, avoiding them is good, right?
  

  by kay dub on Sun May 04, 2008 at 10:30:25 AM PDT

  •  Yes

    Republicans look at that statistic and say "Good for them, that's what they should be doing."

    by AndrewMC on Sun May 04, 2008 at 10:37:28 AM PDT

•  I'm a maverick...

  

  or a least I'm next to one!

  by blueyedace2 on Sun May 04, 2008 at 10:33:17 AM PDT

  •  That's your 2nd one, right?

    Wasn't it you that had the photo with Russ, an outdoor shot, I think.
    Good for you!

    by donnamarie on Sun May 04, 2008 at 11:25:26 AM PDT

•  England swings like a pendulum do....

  and they are watching this election more than many Americans.  Obama is very popular here.  No, I don't live in London...just visiting for a few days.  I admit I miss the fat Sunday American newspapers--but the coffee is just as good.

  by bloomer 101 on Sun May 04, 2008 at 10:34:18 AM PDT

•  I was a bit disappointed

  with Jon Stewart this week. (Glad that Dean did well with Wallace. Although, personally, I would prefer if they wouldn't go on Faux)

  1. TDS ran a montage of clips that showed only the moments from the Wright speech at the NAACP that showed him looking silly, when taken out of context.

  2. Stewart was tough on Dean in regards to the way the party selects it's candidate.

  3. This the night after allowing Newt Gingrich to ramble on about the 'hot button' non-issues that the RW likes to push on their media outlets.

  by Hedwig on Sun May 04, 2008 at 10:34:27 AM PDT

  •  Jon has said time and time

    again that he isn't carrying water for any political cause or group. His main goal is laughs.

    by llamaRCA on Sun May 04, 2008 at 10:39:48 AM PDT

    •  But he's definitely a democrat, regardless

      but he still needs to appeal to a broad audience.

      by vertexoflife on Sun May 04, 2008 at 10:53:28 AM PDT

    •  I am not

      suggesting bailing on him. Actually, the first two wouldn't have annoyed me if had just turned to Newt while he was rattling off #@(* at the end of the interview and told him to shut the hell up. In comparison, it was annoying.

      by Hedwig on Sun May 04, 2008 at 11:02:37 AM PDT

  •  I FINALLY heard some excerpts of "the Speech".

    And to make it really sweeet the excerpts were on the Micheal Savage Show that some dipshit at work elected to listen to. I am sure they were the fireyist (most firey?) parts.

    And as usual, I had to ask myself rheotorically - is this what all the fuss was about?

    Americans make me hang my head in a sense of defeat too often.

    Savage feigned such offense that he had to play "Dixie" (!) just to make himself "feel better".

    White America, in a lot of ways, cannot understand "the black perspective" or experience. It's a cliched comment but nonetheless still true.

    I found nothing to disagree with.

    The man's a preacher... lots of them talk like that. They yell. They hop up and down. They sweat. It's a show. Fire and brimstone...sun yellow, sky blue.

    It reminds me of when America was "scared witless" by the "Blair Witch Project".

    I succumbed to the hype, went to see it and at the end I bolted out of seat and said "That's IT??!"

    America was scared by THIS?

    Sometimes I think most of america is made of wilted lettuce.

    by xxdr zombiexx on Sun May 04, 2008 at 10:47:20 AM PDT

  •  I can't watch Stewart or Colbert

    until this Hillary mess is over. It just ain't funny. Same with KO and Maher.

    by kitebro on Sun May 04, 2008 at 01:23:10 PM PDT

•  Hanks endorsement meaningless

  Most people have already decided and this is the same guy drinking government kook aid on the JFK assassination.

  by formernadervoter on Sun May 04, 2008 at 10:36:00 AM PDT

  •  I love the typo in your post

    You wrote "kook aid" instead of "kool aid". You might have coined a phrase.

    by Dump Terry McAuliffe on Sun May 04, 2008 at 10:41:03 AM PDT

    •  Kook ale maybe

      now with more extremism!

      by vertexoflife on Sun May 04, 2008 at 10:52:47 AM PDT

      •  Sounds like a very bitter ale

        Don't serve it to Hillary next time she downs a shot and a beer in front of the camera crews.

        by Dump Terry McAuliffe on Sun May 04, 2008 at 11:01:22 AM PDT

  •  Well ... I mean ...

    Insofar as ANY celebrity endorsement is pretty unimportant -- yeah, I'd agree.  It's also late enough in the game that it's pretty well blunted.

    On the other hand, he was one of several Hollywood powerbrokers that jumped on the Hillary Express a bit too quickly.  His endorsement signals the others that it's okay, so I suspect you'll be seeing less fundage from that quarter.  

    It's also a step toward getting everyone on the same page.

    by RavinDave on Sun May 04, 2008 at 10:44:07 AM PDT

  •  I disagree!

    Tom Hanks is cool and he has a lot of integrity. It makes me feel great knowing we both (you know, Tom and I :-) feel the same way about Obama.

    by bethcf4p on Sun May 04, 2008 at 05:15:38 PM PDT

•  I just got ANOTHER call from Hillary asking if

  they can count on my vote in Oregon.  I politely told him the same thing I told the caller on Friday - that my husband and I have voted and that we are 100% for OBAMA!

  by Molly M on Sun May 04, 2008 at 10:36:02 AM PDT

  •  I predict...

    Oregon won't matter because it's not a "big State" or some other purely logical excuse from Wolfson.

    by blueyedace2 on Sun May 04, 2008 at 10:40:23 AM PDT

  •  Good for you! :)

    Hillary is demanding that we drink the Kool-Aid.  But thanks to Bush - oddly enough - many of us have developed an immunity.

    by BA BarackUS on Sun May 04, 2008 at 10:41:02 AM PDT

•  The KBR piece points to a serious problem

  with federal spending. It used to be that federal spending returned into the economy and thus acted as a true stimulis rather than a drain. The offshore hiring not only loses the dollar amount directly but also the impact it would have had everytime it changed hands if retained in the domestic economy. It's the loss of turnover or "velocity" that really does the damage.

  by java4every1 on Sun May 04, 2008 at 10:37:24 AM PDT

  •  Same W Upper Class Tax Cuts

    If there is investment in business, it's done offshore. So we lose the tax and the jobs.

    by Gooserock on Sun May 04, 2008 at 11:28:27 AM PDT

•  War on al-Qaeda not going so well

  This is the GWOT under this admin.

  All suspects in USS Cole Bombing are now free to plan another.

  by The Hindsight Times on Sun May 04, 2008 at 10:38:03 AM PDT

•  Midday Shameless Self-Promotion

  My little diary from the wee hours: The Impunity Index.

  by srkp23 on Sun May 04, 2008 at 10:38:04 AM PDT

•  in case you were not here earlier

  my diary today is entitled Two essential truths about Guantanamo and examines columns by Nicholas Kristof and Joan Vennochi, but goes much further.

  Peace.

  by teacherken on Sun May 04, 2008 at 10:39:25 AM PDT

•  The Hanks endorsement is pretty inspiring.

  Nice to see.

  by notquitedelilah on Sun May 04, 2008 at 10:39:29 AM PDT

  •  Very inspiring and heart-warming.

    by bethcf4p on Sun May 04, 2008 at 05:16:13 PM PDT

•  Microsoft's decision not to buy Yahoo is GREAT

  I didn't know if this was actually going to be apart of a thread but I'm glad it is.  I live in the Bay Area, the home of the startups and most of the online advertising companies in the U.S.  Yahoo may be struggling right now compared to Google but had it been bought by Microsoft, there would be almost unfair competition.  

  by pipsorcle on Sun May 04, 2008 at 10:42:06 AM PDT

  •  It's better because

    If MSFT has bought Yahoo, then it would have been a threat to Google, which is bad, because Google is on the side of us Linux users against MSFT, donating and giving us a ton of help and free marketing. To us, MSFT is the evil empire. =P

    by vertexoflife on Sun May 04, 2008 at 10:51:53 AM PDT

  •  If they were ever serious in the first place.

    Cringley had some interesting thoughts.

    by RavinDave on Sun May 04, 2008 at 10:52:45 AM PDT

  •  I can't help but think

    it was a smart move for Yahoo; maybe one of the few times they haven't played it pretty much by the short-term profit-taking book.

    The problem with Microsoft is that in spite of their vast resources, they are now best known for flabby, floppy software that's almost universally criticized, intrusive services and an aura of corporate untrustworthiness. For Yahoo to accept Microsoft's bid would have placed their service front and center in the struggle for market share with Google. This would have highlighted, I suspect, precisely those characteristics of Yahoo's services that are weakest.

    Instead, Yahoo has elected to avoid that war and keep doing what they do, which is provide clunky internet "public space" and infrastructure. Still beats the hell out of MSN, though.

    by Joseph Hale on Sun May 04, 2008 at 10:55:42 AM PDT

    •  Yes

      Microsoft has been cocky as of lately and from what I understand, they STILL have not improved Windows Vista, even after many complaints.  I even tried using the newest version of Microsoft Word on Vista and it is CRAP!  The interface is completely different from the previous versions of the program, not to mention I cannot format text very well to my advantage.  I suppose Microsoft wanted to make its new version of Word user friendly but to me it's a pain in the ass.

      Most people (like me) and businesses in America prefer Windows XP and do not want Microsoft to stop selling it in June.  It took a whole petition and hundreds, thousands of letters to Microsoft to get them to reconsider.  

      I think it's also CEO Steve Ballmer who annoys me.  He says that while Microsoft may reconsider its decision to stop selling Windows XP in June, he insists the following...

      "most people who buy PCs today buy them with Vista.  That's the statistical truth"

      No kidding!  That's because most of the PCs have Vista installed in them!  You look at most of the catalogs are PCs, they all have Vista installed.  Furthermore, NO companies I know use Vista.  They ALL use XP.  

      http://www.time.com/...

      So this is the same CEO who wants Microsoft to buy Yahoo?

      by pipsorcle on Sun May 04, 2008 at 11:39:44 AM PDT

      •  What I have heard

        is that public backlash against Vista convinced them, halfway through public testing, to put a lot of their competent teams on producing a new update to XP.

        As Ubuntu makes inroads with computer manufacturers, though, and as game developers diversify their platforms, Microsoft's position weakens even further and almost inevitably. I think that the wisdom of Yahoo's decision will soon be apparent to others in the industry.

        Moreover, I predict that sometime in the next five years, Microsoft will downsize, restructure and invest heavily in rebranding.

        by Joseph Hale on Sun May 04, 2008 at 01:45:13 PM PDT

        •  Yes, Microsoft has become out of touch

          Honestly, I think Apple is the company, not Microsoft, that is having more of the edge these days.  I may be compelled to by a Mac Notebook only because I know for a fact Apple has not done major operating system version changes in the way Microsoft has.  When I say this, I'm talking more about layout than actual efficiency.  If you look at the Mac operating systems, they may improve overtime but you never hear users complaining about how they got screwed because all of a sudden the platform had a whole bunch of bugs and weirdness with the applications.  

          The way it stands right now, Microsoft has a stranglehold on the majority of companies in the U.S.  Most of them use PCs, which obviously use Windows operating systems.  If Microsoft will downsize, as you say, then this gives Apple an opening and a chance for Steve Jobs to really go for the innovation unlike he's ever done before.  

          It also is a great thing that Apple is based in Silicon Valley.  :)

          by pipsorcle on Sun May 04, 2008 at 06:18:41 PM PDT

        •  asdf

          Ubuntu isn't the only Linux distribution out there you know. :-)

          The real danger is monoculture. I'm more than happy for Windows to stick around for the people who want it, so long as MSFT doesn't have the power to bend others to its will. Look at what's happening with IE8 and the W3C: IE8 is actually going to be (mostly) standards-compliant. Why? IE is losing marketshare rapidly to Firefox.

          by quotemstr on Sun May 04, 2008 at 08:30:46 PM PDT

          •  Monoculture is absolutely the real danger.

            n/t

            by Joseph Hale on Sun May 04, 2008 at 09:47:50 PM PDT

  •  Now all we have to worry about is eBay buying up

    craigslist.

    by FoundingFatherDAR on Sun May 04, 2008 at 04:48:17 PM PDT

    •  Not going to happen

      As long as Craig Newmark is running things, Craigslist is going to be independent for a VERY long time.  Newmark is one of the most progressive CEOs out there.  I doubt he'd cave in.

      by pipsorcle on Sun May 04, 2008 at 06:07:56 PM PDT

      •  He won't cave, but are you aware of the lawsuit?

        http://www.sfgate.com/...

        Last week, eBay sued the popular San Francisco online classified site in Delaware Chancery Court, charging that Craigslist's two primary shareholders, founder Craig Newmark and Chief Executive Officer Jim Buckmaster, underhandedly altered Craigslist's shares and corporate rules to weaken eBay's share in the company.

        by FoundingFatherDAR on Mon May 05, 2008 at 08:53:29 AM PDT

•  CORRECTION NEEDED

  The contractor investigative rpt was by the Boston Globe, not the Herald.

  by varney on Sun May 04, 2008 at 10:42:39 AM PDT

  •  JINX! n/t

    by litho on Sun May 04, 2008 at 10:57:41 AM PDT

•  That expose on KBR

  was in the Boston Globe, not the Herald.

  Unless, that is, someone surreptitiously changed my dead tree subscription...

  by litho on Sun May 04, 2008 at 10:42:39 AM PDT

•  Geez, The SEIGLMANN case is getting bad!

  BruinKid Diary

  I just re-watched the Mississippi Burning.  This is white on white but otherwise looking like a bad memory from the past.

  by Maaarrrk on Sun May 04, 2008 at 10:42:43 AM PDT

•  Water park proposed during Georgia drought...

  Stupid is as stupid does...

  A proposal for a new water park in Buford, Ga., will be given consideration despite the state's ongoing drought.

  "This is a time when we should be focusing on protecting our natural water resources and not using massive amounts of water to replicate some water park in ... an area that has a water crisis," said Sally Bethea of the Georgia water protection group Upper Chattahoochee Riverkeeper.

  The Journal-Constitution reported that an official news release regarding the proposed park is due in a couple weeks from the real estate group.

  Source

  by Mr SeeMore on Sun May 04, 2008 at 10:45:35 AM PDT

•  Hillary riding Fred's red truck...

  

  by soros on Sun May 04, 2008 at 10:47:23 AM PDT

  •  Fred's red truck

    Hardly ever used. Start worrying if she starts using the Golf Cart.

    by JML9999 on Sun May 04, 2008 at 10:54:47 AM PDT

  •  It's a joke, son! n/t

    by JeffW on Sun May 04, 2008 at 10:55:20 AM PDT

•  It's OK If You're Howard Dean

  by Feanor on Sun May 04, 2008 at 10:53:38 AM PDT

•  Governor Ritter suffers two minor setbacks...

  This and much more on Colorado politics at Squarestate.net.

  by Makesmeralph on Sun May 04, 2008 at 10:54:08 AM PDT

•  Zoby daily tracker has Obama 2% IN, 9% NC

  Zogby got PA exactly right plus I want to believe the results ;)

  Obama wins NC and ties in IN is a big win for Obama. If Obama wins both, it's over besides victory laps in OR, MT and SD.

  Obama has shown great political resilience with all the crap about lapel pin "patriotism", supporters irrelevant odd views (Wright and Ayers).

  I think a lot of that is fading and Obama is bouncing back and the Zogby daily tracking poll is showing that. Real issues are coming back.  Jobs and the Magnequench issue in Indiana. Iraq war is back in the headlines. Gas tax issue has been a plus for Obama as Clinton and McCain have been hammered for pandering.

  by Tuscany on Sun May 04, 2008 at 10:55:56 AM PDT

  •  I want to believe you...

    but I don't think this will end until June 3rd when all the supers have to decide.

    by vertexoflife on Sun May 04, 2008 at 10:57:19 AM PDT

    •  Agree: Supers won't crown Obama until June3rd.

      But if Zogby is right and Obama wins IN and NC, Obama has won it.  

      Just a solid 10% NC win pretty much runs out the clock leaving Obama ahead by 150 delegates and 500,000 votes and no way for Clinton to make it up.

      Supers won't make Obama the nominee unless Clinton withdraws, otherwise, no matter what the math, they will let her run it out so they can say Obama won it fairly.

      by Tuscany on Sun May 04, 2008 at 11:41:56 AM PDT

  •  Real issues?

    Like whether your flag pin eats arugala?

    Seriously, I hope you're right.  The collective media amnesia around Iraq is bizzarre.

    by Tara the Antisocial Social Worker on Sun May 04, 2008 at 11:50:47 AM PDT

•  Is this Bob Dole Syndrome:President McCain?

  http://blog.washingtonpost.com/...

  The ad focuses on Sen. John McCain's health care proposals, including "straight talk to provide portable, affordable health care" and requiring "millionaires to get off prescription drug subsidies." More conspicuously, the ad begins with a banner on the left side of the screen that says President McCain, while a video of McCain walking is shown beside it.

  by JML9999 on Sun May 04, 2008 at 11:00:16 AM PDT

•  OK, time to diary pimp

  I recently posted a diary on Somalia and foreign policy. You don't have to read or rec the diary. I was just hoping to get some more discussion going in the comments section on these subjects. (Of course, if you want to read it, that would be fine, too!)

  by patrickz on Sun May 04, 2008 at 11:00:16 AM PDT

•  ...

  I don't know if this has been around..

  by Dopeman on Sun May 04, 2008 at 11:03:46 AM PDT

  •  nice

    thanks for posting.  That video is great.  I hope it goes viral.

    by dehydratedcracker on Sun May 04, 2008 at 03:58:20 PM PDT

•  McSame has some COMPETITION

  And it's not Ron Paul!

  Kinko for President!
  On tour until November 4, 2008
  As the 2008 presidential election draws near, the American people demand a new kind of leader. With "Kinko for President," the Bindlestiff Family Cirkus offers the big-top solution!

  
  (L) Mistress Philomena (R) Kinko
  AKA Bindlestiff Family Cirkus

  Kinko the Clown stands for change...spare change.
  He's willing to do whatever it takes to bamboozle the public. And when it comes to throwing his hat in the ring, Kinko can't be beat--from hat tricks to juggling hats, this clown is your candidate!

  Bindlestiff Family Cirkus's newest production is a full-force spectacle, where the circus meets the media circus, sideshow marvels meet campaign carnivals, and the audience meets one of this country's oldest traditions--the variety arts.

  Like all political campaigns, Kinko's campaign will include sleight of hand, tightrope acts, death-defying feats, slapstick comedy, and more. It's time to put a real clown in the White House -- Kinko for President!
  So if you have a bit of spare change and can help Kinko get the word out to the people, send us your support. Contributions of $3 (includes one dollar for shipping) to $2300 (maximum campaign contribution allowed), with a specific note that states "Kinko for President" will receive a "Kinko for President" campaign button.

  by MT Spaces on Sun May 04, 2008 at 11:10:12 AM PDT

  •  God I hate clowns. n/t

    by bythesea on Sun May 04, 2008 at 11:38:03 AM PDT

  •  You like Philomena?

    Yes?
    Too bad -- she likes Kinko!

    (Clowns need love too.)

    by MT Spaces on Sun May 04, 2008 at 07:58:52 PM PDT

•  MAKE AN AD OUT OF THESE!!

  Somebody should compile these all into one ad and then say - can you really trust this guy?

  by CapitolDragoon on Sun May 04, 2008 at 11:30:45 AM PDT

•  Diary Pimping - Please Rec

  May 4, 1970: Four dead in Ohio

  by SarahLee on Sun May 04, 2008 at 11:30:53 AM PDT

•  "Tax and Spend" vs. "Tax and Send Offshore"?

  At least, Dems spend on infrastructure, public projects.......

  Republicans take the money, borrow even more money, then run with it...far, far away........

  by LNK on Sun May 04, 2008 at 11:58:45 AM PDT

•  Annie Oakley is back

  Link

  I know that dKos is committed to putting Dems in office, but I will write in Obama in the GE if this fool steals the nomination. And it will be unapologetically.

  by JackieandFritz on Sun May 04, 2008 at 12:44:08 PM PDT

•  Keep hope alive.

  I really poured my heart, soul, and guts into this diary.

  I need some love.

  Growing up white in GA--What Obama means to me

  by Dragon5616 on Sun May 04, 2008 at 01:44:45 PM PDT

•  Boston Globe NOT the Herald

  The Herald has its days, but today wasn't one of them.  Boston Globe - home of Charlie Savage.

  by klondike on Sun May 04, 2008 at 01:47:41 PM PDT

•  Hillaryis44.com

  Has anyone looked at this site lately?

  I just browsed the top stories today (May 4) and couldn't believe the vitriol aimed at Obama.

  Makes me wonder if this is really a Republican sock-puppet website.

  To paraphrase Jerry Seinfeld:

  "Who arrrrre these people?"

  by rdbaker43 on Sun May 04, 2008 at 02:04:48 PM PDT

•  Who owns the term "gay?"

  Is it public domain? How about "Lesiban? Do theLesbians of Lesbos, who are straight, own the name Lesbian and can they prevent female homosexuals from using the term?

  ...and if this is actually the case, why haven't they done this years ago?

  by YoursTruly on Sun May 04, 2008 at 03:03:56 PM PDT

•  OK Why did I lose my TU status?

  And how come when I lose it I cannot even see that comment?

  by penguinsong on Sun May 04, 2008 at 04:33:27 PM PDT

•  Candidate Live Blogging right now at

  Doug Denneny D VA 11 Candidate is live blogging right now.  I look forward to your questions.  I'll be up from 8-9 pm e.s.t.
  I live blog here every Sunday night. Take a look and thanks, - Doug

  by Doug Denneny for Congress VA 11th on Sun May 04, 2008 at 05:07:47 PM PDT

•  when HRC digs a hole stand back and

  let Hillary keep on digging;

  GulfNews
  Clinton dismisses "elite" economists on gas tax plan
  Reuters - 1 hour ago

  by pollwatch on Sun May 04, 2008 at 05:44:18 PM PDT

•  NC-Sen: JIM NEAL for SENATE

  Please support Jim Neal for US Senate on May 6th in North Carolina...

  http://www.dailykos.com/...

  by spnj889 on Sun May 04, 2008 at 06:05:17 PM PDT

•  just playin

  liked the Kos colors on this obama graph.

  by Danny Boy on Sun May 04, 2008 at 06:27:49 PM PDT