I did not see this posted anywhere , and if I am mistaken , let me know (kindly) and if the other diary is better, I will delete this one.

As you all know , Michelle Obama was taken out of context when she spoke to us in Wisconsin and expressed that for the first time in her life, she had never been more proud of her country.

We all know Michelle was talking about the unprecedented engagement of the American people and it's true. We have not been this active as a whole in decades. But the Media wanted to make it about Patriotism. I wonder if the same applies to John M Cain

Columnist Steve Chapman in the Chicago Tribute points to another example of press hypocrisy and the double standard held for the Obama campaign; while right wing racist Sean Hannity gets to smear Obama, through Clinton hack George Stephanopolis, for Obama's connection to former Weather Underground member Bill Ayers, Chapman points out the obvious, noting, that McCain

has his own Bill Ayers—in the form of G. Gordon Liddy. Now a conservative radio talk-show host, Liddy spent more than 4 years in prison for his role in the 1972 Watergate burglary. That was just one element of what Liddy did, and proposed to do, in a secret White House effort to subvert the Constitution. Far from repudiating him, McCain has embraced him.

This is in response to the story that broke yesterday, and is an example, in my opinion, of Hillary playing the "victim-card".  This was written about here, and perhaps in other places, but I had a slightly different take that I wanted to share about her misuse in claiming a double standard.

To start, I'll firmly state that I believe sexism exists, and that at times Senator Clinton has been a victim to it (anybody remember the iron my shirt guy). But what isn't helpful to her or to those concerned about sexism, is when Hillary uses it as an excuse where it is not applicable.  (Remember this is the same campaign, who's surrogate [Geraldine Ferraro] accused the Obama campaign of crying racism any time Obama is criticized). Having said that, let's take a look at Hillary's response to an interviewer's question.

9 April 2008

Hillary's not a feminist.  Hillary is the bearer of the the double standard, not the victim.  Feminism never was, and isn't now, a battle of the sexes.  Feminism challenges entrenched power and byzantine obligations.    

Alright, alright . . . I know this is supposed to be the new touchy-feely, 'why can't we all just get along' dKos, but I think the title of this diary is apt.

Sen. Clinton has quite a few positive attributes.  One of them would probably be her tenacity.  However, at some point there becomes a place of diminishing returns where your greatest strength turns into your biggest weakness.  In Sen. Clinton's case, it's driving tenaciously forward, in full blinders mode, so much that she has become totally divorced from reality.

She is the campaign equivalent of our policy in Iraq; a never-ending series of shifting rationales and goal post movements.

I'm really getting upset over all the uproar and outrage over Barack Obama's relationship with his pastor.

How many times have each of us (as "Liberals" or "Progressives") heard a racial innuendo, or even an obvious, racist slur accompanied by a whopping obvious belly-laugh, and done absolutely nothing about it?     THE Answer: many times.  

But only because there just aren’t enough hours in the day to do what each of us needs to do to make a living AND root-out the scourge of racism in our country.  Like Obama with both Wright and his grandmother, we have all developed some level of tolerance for racist or unfair remarks; otherwise WE’D NEVER GET ANYTHING ELSE DONE!

But THE FAIRER QUESTION is this:

How many times has a Patrick Buchanan, a Joe Scarborough, a Sean Hannity, or a Rush Limbaugh heard a racist remark and responded with a sweet smile or even a Big Belly-Laugh, instead of The Strong Condemnations They are All Demanding of Obama?  

THE ANSWER: Almost ALWAYS. Hell, we have seen them with our own eyes, either sweetly smile at racial innuendos or boldly delivering such remarks themselves.

As a voting public we cannot forgive former governor Eliot Spitzer for wrecking his personal life; but we can forgive a president for wrecking his nation. Is there something wrong with this picture?

Now what would a feminist think if they heard a man refer to a woman using outdated sexist words?  We have heard "Iron MY Shirt", and other comments (from hecklers) but where is the outrage today when an actual sexist comment was made by a Democrat?

I hope this Diary will serve as a discussion, about sexist comments.  Not even coded, but why is this given a free pass?  Where is Gloria?

Also this may not have been directed at just one woman, this could have been directed at ALL women.

Personal I believe this sexist attack was directed at one woman and all women as well.

I've been reading some of the comments on a recently recommended diary here and I've been left feeling more frustrated than ever about Hillary Clinton's run for presidency.  The diary was a lovely entry about how much the person respected and admired Hillary Clinton, and was inspired by her.  I'm happy for the diarist, and for any young woman who has been inspired by Clinton, but I don't think, like many of the comments I read, that she's been able to 'blaze a trail' at all....

I see commentary like this everywhere among Hillary supporters.  Using this line of thinking you could hardly blame Obama for losing his temper, if he ever did, if someone criticized his child or his wife.  Furthermore, using this same rational, you could hardly blame Bill Clinton for reacting as violently as he did towards Barack Obama when Obama ran a better campaign than the both of them have done.  I mean, after all, we shouldn't blame people for losing their tempers when they prove themselves human and protective of those they love, right?  Well, maybe.  If that applied all the way around, you might have a point.

The sexist attitudes apparent in the misogynist attitudes that led to the public reprimand of at least one MSNBC talking head, David Shuster, and in the conduct of many others show us both how far we have come and how far we have to go as regards equal rights based on gender and the breaking of the so-called glass ceiling. If I felt as though sexism alone was responsible for Clinton's communication breakdown with voters, I might be more sympathetic.

by Jessica Vozel/North Star Writers Group

In the days following 28-year-old Heath Ledger’s tragic, too-young death on Tuesday, possibly the result of an overdose – as suggested by the prescription medications scattered around his body – I hope that the media will start to loosen their grip on the similarly troubled young females in Hollywood.  

There are a plethora of lessons to be learned from a familiar face losing his or her life to preventable causes, as seems to be the case in Ledger’s death. And granted, many of these lessons are more pressing than the amount of attention given to each gender in the media.

But it seems relevant to explore why the media salivate over the drug use, drunk driving and other mental instabilities of blonde, troubled young women, but tend to give males of similar celebrity a free pass. Did anyone know that Heath even had a drug problem? A close friend of Ledger told US Magazine, "To tell you the truth . . . we saw it coming. Heath has gone though a rough road of trying to get sober."  

Read more here: http://www.northstarwriters.com/...

Ahh, the old double standard--military personnel are prohibitied from appearing in uniform at political campaign events UNLESS it's for a republican.

From the Boston Globe:

Seven on-duty Army personnel participated in a campaign event for Senator John McCain earlier this month in Londonderry, New Hampshire, in an apparent violation of a Pentagon directive against partisan political activity, two military officials confirmed this week.

More after the jump...

(Attention Minnesotans, Kentuckians and Arizonans - but not JUST for you :-)
If you live in the state of any of the Republican senators who are up for re-election in 2008, you can put (legitimate) pressure on them today by calling or e-mailing your local newspaper and urging them to get a straight answer from the senator on why Larry Craig should resign but David Vitter shouldn't.

First, let me start out by saying that dog fighting is cruel and reprehensible and it should be illegal.  That said, the selective moral outrage of  everyone from John Kerry, to ex klansman Robert Byrd, to people who post on this very site, is absolutley repugnant.

I'm linking here to a diary called "Tony Soprano’s White House" which appears in today's Smirking Chimp and which raises the (perhaps not so) the following hypothetical scenario:  Imagine the Clinton White House had sent henchmen in to Janet Reno's bedside in the intensive care unit had she, like Ashcroft, been recuperating from surgery, because the Clinton White House had wanted to get Reno's signature on some constitutionally flimsy policy (such as, an order to enable the president to conduct unconstitutional and illegal wiretapping of thousands of American citizens). As author Jerome Doolittle suggests, "plainly this story would have sent the Republican Party and the American press into a foaming, frothing frenzy of calls for Clinton’s immediate impeachment."

Rap music must be destroyed.  I suppose it's alright with me, I don't really care much for rap.  I've bought two rap records in my life, with a small scattering of other songs downloaded.  So I won't miss it that much, personally.

But rap music must be destroyed.  You see, recently, there was a big news story I've decided not to repeat for the 6 thousandth time.  But this news story consisted of a certain radio personality saying something very nasty.  The response to this nasty statement was, by many, for some reason, "rap music must be detroyed."  Sure that nasty man said a nasty thing--seemingly the subject at hand.  Nope.  I was wrong.  The real subject was "rap music must be destroyed."  You see, this incident, though having nothing at all do with this musical style in any conceivable way, was in fact our Trojan Horse into the deepest caves of hip hop, to destroy it.  Because that, in the end, is the issue.  (more)

To begin with, I don't post diaries but once in a blue moon, so I hope you enjoy. :) As many, I clearly do not have a frontrunner candidate at this time. My wife continues to tell me that she would have no problem seeing John Edwards' face plastered all over the place for years, but for practical purposes, it's too early. I've only supported one Presidential candidate with pure enthusiasm, and that was Bill Bradley before the media blew up health issues that paled in comparison to McCain.

What I continue to see on the Kos and elsewhere is a double standard when it comes to Hillary Rodham Clinton. I'm a major proponent of seeing a woman President, but Mrs. Clinton is among the least of any candidate that I'd like to see as President. What I don't seem to understand is this absurd double standard of Bush being unqualified and becoming President because of Daddy, but many refuse to make the same argument with Mrs. Clinton.