From an article in Wednesday's Guardian, columnist Jonathan Freedland offers a different perspective on Obama and the Middle East, beginning with this nice opening metaphor:

It's lucky Barack Obama has people to carry his bags these days, because when he arrived in Israel last night he brought with him a whole lot of baggage.

Jump the fold with me to read more.

In a press release today (July 2), the Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty responded to Obama's speech on faith-based initiatives.

No matter which side of this you are on, you probably think you know what the BJC said. Jump the fold to see if you're right.

Last Friday night I attended the Jefferson-Jackson Dinner. This dinner happens the night before the state Democratic convention, and usually consists of your standard political speeches: lots of jokes about Republicans, lots of calls for hard work and unity, and lots of cheerleading. The usual rubber-chicken fare.

This time, though, Congressman John Yarmuth -- former independent newspaper publisher and long-time editorial writer not afraid to speak his mind -- decided to skip the empty calories of political rhetoric and lay out a banquet course rarely seen in such settings: a speech on Democrats and race, served with passion and purpose.

When he started, you could feel the tension build. You could almost hear the 1,000-plus attendees thinking, "This wasn't on the menu." And then, "... oh my, he's really going to talk about it."

John Yarmuth called out the elephant in the room, and it wasn't the Republicans. Ignoring the silence one could cut with a knife, he kept going.

You keep going over the fold, and I'll share how it turned out.

I haven't written a meta diary in a long time.

They used to be popular around here -- I can remember some spectacular ones, and some really good ones. (Not always one and the same thing.) Lately, though, we seem to worry less about internal things like how the community is working and how we are treating one another, and more about external events and causes. Which, for the most part, is a good thing; if you follow the "Forming, Norming, Storming, Performing" model of team building, it probably means we've grown up some and are well focused on our mission.

However ...

In light of some news stories from earlier today (noted below the fold), I feel the need to throw a meta diary into the mix. I think the mix is going to need it.

My dad was a journalist.

He was a number of other things as well: son of a preacher, high-school boxer, WWII volunteer, medic during the war, concentration camp liberator. Journalism student at U of Missouri. Reporter, columnist, editor.

But above all, he was a journalist -- a "newspaperman," as he liked to be called. An old-fashioned, get-it-right newspaperman.

And on this Memorial Day, as I watch the Liz Trotta clip, I'm thinking of him and what he would say.

(author's note: This was originally titled "Barack Obama Is A Wuss," but apparently some readers were unable to scroll down past the title -- a bug in Firefox, perhaps -- so I've taken the word out of the title. Please jump the fold; otherwise, you will miss the real point. Thanks!)

I have watched Barack Obama speak at a local rally. I have watched his speeches on television, viewed clips on YouTube, and even read his speeches from venues with no video.

Most significantly, I have listened to his speech on race, his recent response to the Wright spectacle, and his post-primary speeches. And after observing both his words and his actions throughout all of these, I have come to one conclusion:

Barack Obama is a wuss.

I was thrilled to see Ben Chandler step up a few weeks ago and endorse Barack Obama. It was a strong step, considering both the conservative district Ben represents and the fact that Clinton will surely win Kentucky going away. And, I was equally excited to see the support that Ben got from all us Kossacks.

BUT ...

Let's not forget that OTHER Kentucky superdelegate who ALSO stepped up and endorsed Obama -- three months ago!! Jump the fold to jog your memory and see why we need to throw some love his way as well!

Somehow, between doing taxes and working 60-hour weeks, I missed the initial news tsunami about Obama's remark about the voters in Pennsylvania being "bitter." Having done some catch-up reading and reflection, I have only one thing to say:

As the president of a local Democratic club, I have to stay officially neutral during the primary season. I'm also personally undecided (as I have noted before on DailyKos here and on my own web site here.)

I just returned from my Legislative District convention here in The Ville. It was an interesting experience, and revealed to me why Obama is (a) doing so well, and (b) is going to win the nomination and the election.

Jump the fold and I'll tell you what I saw.

It is February 16th -- and I haven't made up my mind. Obama, or Hillary?

The choice is obvious to many of my friends. Most of them long ago chose one or the other. I, on the other hand, still struggle to choose. Here is why:

It's a beautiful morning in The Ville. Fall colors are everywhere; the weather is just crisp enough for sweaters, but not for the heavy coats; all around me are people enjoying a relaxed Sunday brunch of bagels, coffee, and conversation. I, too, am in my sweater and jeans, coffee at my side, bagel already eaten, quietly using the free wifi and relaxing. Life is good, and I should be content.

But this morning, all I can think of is how much we have lost.

Apparently, at least one newly-elected Democrat realizes why he's there.

John Yarmuth, the freshman Dem from KY-03, has started handing out buttons on the floor of the House that contain only the words "Article 1." As noted in The Caucus, the NYT's political blog:

The way Representative John Yarmuth of Kentucky sees it, lawmakers on Capitol Hill and Americans everywhere have forgotten who the Founding Fathers really intended to run the country –- not the President who was more of a Constitutional after-thought but the Congress, the people’s elected representatives.

For more on the button, what it means, and who's wearing them, make the jump.

A quick diary in response both to David Brooks and to some of the comments in thereisnospoon's diary on Hillary -- would someone explain to me how the following positions, which I believe most Kossacks and netroots folks in general would support, are too far left for America and Americans?

Even more -- can someone identify the ones that would cause us to lose the 2008 election?

Jump the fold and help me understand.

According to a Truthout Special Report just posted, Rahm Emanuel actively recruited conservative Democrats, even former Republicans, for House races in 2006. In other words, the DCCC stepped into PRIMARIES to fight against progressives and liberals, especially ones who were against the Iraq war.

I want all Senators and Representatives to read this, then look me in the eye and say that we should give Bush another $200 billion and a free pass to stay in Iraq:

Jeff Hubbard fought back tears as he talked about his boy -- a "great, great young man" who was killed last week in Iraq in a helicopter crash. It's the second time he's had to bury a son killed in the Iraq war.

This time, it was made even more tragic. His third son, also a soldier in Iraq, was immediately on scene of last week's helicopter crash and watched as soldiers carried the remains of his brother, 21-year-old Army Cpl. Nathan Hubbard, from the crash site.

In response to the growing popularity of dailyKos, and in anticipation of the even greater traffic expected as we move into next year's election, the dKos support staff has recently installed new site software. Jump below the fold for a list of some of the features added to the site.

I'm not a career politician. I haven't worked in Washington, haven't sat in the caucus meetings, haven't even been a lowly staffer for even the youngest and newest representative. So perhaps I just don't understand.

But would someone please explain to me, in simple words, WHY Reid and Pelosi didn't hold a press conference before the FISA vote and say,

I'm reading through the transcript of the Moyers interview, and I just came across a really important point, that I think is worthy of its own diary. Here's the point --

Impeachment is not a Constitutional crisis.

Jump below the fold for why ...