Or so they claim.  How much of this is Keyboardist blustering, and how much of this is an authentic statement of conscience?

I have been pro-choice all my life - but I can totally see how someone whose mindset and value system literally equates abortion with murder, might say this and mean it.  

Following is a look through Wingnutlandia's reactions to news items today that McCain might pick a pro-choice running mate:

Barack Obama has released an in-depth open letter to Americans who are anxious to know that he truly supports gay & lesbian voters and understands our concerns.

Full letter on the flip -

Six of us stayed late last night and began to talk passionately about politics.  We are all Democrats, working at an arts not-for-profit... a mix of Obama voters, Hillary voters, but no one is at each other's throat about it (how unlike the Internet!)

Three of us had been aware of recent statements by Team Clinton that Hillary would do whatever it takes to wrest the nomination -- including (1) pressing the DNC to seat the Michigan and Florida delegates, a reversal of her earlier position, and (2) more alarmingly, pressing the Superdelegates to vote for her even if -- and particularly if -- Obama has won more "real" delegates based on actual primary and caucus voting results across the USA.  

The resulting discussion got quite strong...

Hi.  Live from Boston here.

I just voted!  If you did too, maybe you want to say something about it.  Let's have an open thread for those who want to to share.  Record turnout is expected across Super Tuesday states even despite the bad weather (it is cool and rainy here in MA)

I have a question about MA and ballot position... on my ballot Hillary had a good 2nd position and Obama had an unfortunate bottom one.  See below... anyone know if all ballots in MA are the same candidate order?

I am 40 years old and this is the first time ever in my life that my vote for president will actually MATTER.  In my life experience so far as a native Bostonian, Massachusetts has never had any real power to alter the presidential race (primary or general) until this moment.

A lot of us in Massachusetts are talking about this and, as my friend said the other day - "Stop!  I'm getting goosebumps!"  

Both of our front-running candidates are making a last pitch in Massachusetts today: Hillary is coming to Worcester at 11:30am, and Barack is coming to downtown Boston for what will be a huge rally 8pm tonight at the Seaport/World Trade Center.  His event is poised to eclipse hers as it carries Kennedy, Kerry, Gov. Deval Patrick, and the Boston location, not to mention the time of 8pm (working people can attend).  I'll be there!  

[Update:  Oh WOW.  Top of the Rec List?!  First time ever in 4.5 years!  Thanks!!!]

As my past comments and diaries over 2007 will indicate, I have been leaning toward Hillary Clinton for the nomination.

But my support has increasingly felt hollow over the past month or two.  Much of it was from a starting assumption of her strengths as frontrunner and her command of the issues at hand facing the next president.  But increasingly I have come to feel that all three candidates are quite well versed on the issues, and that Obama and Clinton are equally well funded and endorsed and supported by the voters as they compete for the nomination (and quite likely the Presidency itself).  Meanwhile, the attacks on Obama have started to turn me off in a "gut" way.  And so finally, Bill Clinton's "Jesse Jackson" comment after Obama's historic victory in South Carolina came to serve as the tipping point for me.

We're at this point in the campaign cycle where the dance steps on DailyKos are all too familiar:

"If she's the nominee then I will not vote for her in the general election!"

"But how can you say that?  That's, like, supporting the GOP."

"I don't care.  I hate her that much."

"But McCain is such a strong candidate.  You'll be helping him."

The dance steps go on and will go on for months (assuming Hillary is the nominee, which I'd place at 80% probability right now)... and many on DailyKos will carry on these conversations as if this website is the bubble-universe in which the entire American presidential race is taking place.

But it's not...

Sen. John McCain is enjoying one hell of a bump from his New Hampshire victory, based on this new CNN poll out today -- the first national poll taken after the NH primary results were known.  McCain is up 21 points, now at 34% (up from 13%).  

Interestingly on the Democrats' side, Clinton gets a 9 point bump and Obama a 6 point bump.  Clinton polled at 49% of the vote, vs Obama at 36%.

The poll was last taken in December, well before the Iowa and NH contests.  

We're all floating our thoughts, feelings, opinions, and theories as to what happened last night and why.   Clearly Hillary did much better in NH than in Iowa among women voters.

But I think something else was in play:  namely, Independent NH voters were paying a lot of attention to the polls themselves, and wanted to know which race to cast their votes in -- picking the race that the pollsters told them was in play, rather than sewn up.

More below -

I've done a few of these matchup type diaries before... Clinton v Giuliani, etc... but now it seems Obama will win both NH and SC.  From there, who knows...

Until last Friday I honestly thought Hillary had Super Tuesday in the bag; national and Super Tuesday state polls pre-Iowa just looked too good for her.  But things changed fast: Obama might win this nomination after all if he wins the first 3 contests and is seen as rising up into Super Tuesday.  Obama still faces an uphill fight, but it truly is beginning to look winnable for him, at least to this Democrat who has been leaning toward Hillary.

Meanwhile over on the GOP side, it's a very volatile situation but I agree with many here on DailyKos who foresee McCain as a "last man standing" victor by default.  

So then... Obama v McCain.  Let's start to think about this as a possible matchup.  What are their respective assets and liabilities?  Some thoughts of mine to get it started and I'd welcome your comments...

Repaying Mitt Romney for years of insults about the people of Massachusetts, Boston's two daily newspapers*, the Boston Globe and the Boston Herald, have now both endorsed John McCain.

(*There are other much-smaller newspapers in Boston, but for all intents and purposes it's the Globe & the Herald.)

Globe's McCain endorsement here

Herald's McCain endorsement (today) here

What's notable about the Herald endorsement is that the paper, in stumping for McCain, is breaking

"with its decades-old tradition of endorsing candidates in both the Republican and Democratic primaries. In doing so we also address our words particularly to those millions of independent voters here, in New Hampshire and around the nation who can choose to cast their ballot in either party primary."

More below the fold... including the significance of today's Herald endorsement and why this could be a tipping point for McCain.

I've seen some thoughtful comments lately about the possibility of the GOP facing a brokered convention in 2008.  Googling to find more, I came across a post from today (Dec 18) by Edward Morrissey whose blog, Captain's Quarters, seems at first glance to be one of the more sober and reality-based right-leaning political blogs out there.

He writes:

The two words that will haunt the early primary states are "brokered convention", and we may be heading towards it...
Republican primary voters have sent a very clear message: they have not found their candidate. After a remarkable full-year, full-court press, the top five candidates remain bunched together closely enough to have a serious shot at winning at least one of the early states. No one has broken out of the pack on either a national or state-to-state basis, and all of them have serious obstacles to uniting the conservative coalition, fair or unfair.

Below the fold, a collection of other recent 'Net writings on whether the Brokered Convention scenario is a possibility for the struggling GOP.

I'm curious to ask a question:  Given the dynamics of this primary contest coming up, will Florida's vote outcome have a significant influence on Super Tuesday -- or barely any influence at all?  Or in between?

I ask because a fellow DKos member has disagreed with me a few times now on this (I say significant, he says insignificant) -- it's an entirely civil disagreement -- and it makes me curious to hear what you all think.

To recap the situation with Florida... (jump)

Sniffing around CNN and MSNBC tonight I saw this headline: "Arctic Is Screaming".

"Just last year, two top scientists surprised their colleagues by projecting that the Arctic sea ice was melting so rapidly that it could disappear entirely by the summer of 2040.

This week, after reviewing his own new data, NASA climate scientist Jay Zwally said: "At this rate, the Arctic Ocean could be nearly ice-free at the end of summer by 2012, much faster than previous predictions."

More below...

I have to confess a very strange mix of thoughts and feelings upon seeing today's news that Bush appears to have brokered a an encouraging meeting:

The Israeli and Palestinian leaders agreed on a document that will lay the groundwork for future peace talks and, ultimately, a Palestinian state living peacefully alongside Israel, President Bush announced Tuesday.

Both sides have agreed to "immediately launch" peace talks that they hope to conclude by the end of 2008, Bush said during remarks at the U.S. Naval Academy's Memorial Hall.

The document does not contain specifics about the contentious issues dividing the Israelis and Palestinians, Bush said.

Can someone help me out here?  

I know I posted a GBCW just the other day, but to peek back in here and see all this shit, it's too funny.  As Lyle Lovett sings, "Noo, You Can't Resist It..."

But anyway about Edwama.  Senator Bajohn Edwama.  Man what a flip-flopper...  is he the son of a millworker or the son of an African?  Enquiring minds wanna know.  Also I can't understand what he believes in, really believes in. Other than being the first non-post-menopausal male who is sometimes the son of a poor Southern millworker and sometimes the son of an African, why does he want the job.  I mean, there's a bunch of stuff on his website - err, websites - but I still think he is pandering to us and none of it really says anything.  What does he believe, what are his plans?  Hellooo?  (tap tap tap....) I'm just not hearing it.  Just the way I feel, and I'm truly sorry to have to say it.  

And the non-post-menopausal thing remains a concern to me as a neo-post-feminist male.  I might deign to vote for such a candidate in the general, maybe... but you all will have to beg me.  A lot.

I don't think I can take it any more in here during the Primary Wars.  Love you but the anti-Hillary thing is getting out of hand.  

Way out of hand.

Just wanting to share some of my thoughts on the 2008 election, and to hear yours.  Namely, what I predict, and how I feel about it.

To summarize what's below:

I predict we're looking at Nominee Hillary Clinton.  And then President Hillary Clinton. I feel OK about that, on the whole.

Yet Election Day is more than just the President; I am growing more and more concerned about Congress.  Their dismal, down-in-the-sewer approval rating speaks volumes as to how they are pleasing nobody; this situation only worsened a bit more yesterday re: Mukasey, and it may not bode well for 2008.

More below with poll... I welcome your comments and thoughts.