I don’t believe in clairvoyance.  In fact, I don’t believe in superstition of any kind.  But I think I can see something coming.  I think I can see the grand strategy of the McCain campaign regarding foreign policy.  Listening closely (or maybe not even that closely) I can observe a pattern emerging.  Let me lay out what I think the next couple months of McCain tactics are going to look like after the median.

I used to be, and by all common stereotypes I fit the bill to the Tee.  These are the demographic traits I possess that, if viewed on their own, would suggest to political observers that "this guy has got to be in the GOP."

I:

Am Male (yes, I have a penis)
Am White, and was raised in a very homogenously white area.
Live in a "Red" state (though not for too much longer)
Have a household income of 100K+
Have a large majority of conservative family including in-laws
Fell under the Rush Limbaugh hypnosis at age 14
Once subscribed to National Review
Have been closely observing a Democratic party that can’t nor have ever been able to really coalesce into a unified front
Did not have any major parental or familial influence in liberal philosophy growing up
Thoroughly enjoy a good single malt scotch

Follow me below the fold to see where I’m going with this.  

Now, for starters, I am certainly not calling Hillary supporters right wing nuts.  I believe the vast majority believe in progressive principles and are as liberal as I am if not more so.  The reason I make this comparison is simple:  prominent right wing figures such as Sean Hannity, Rush Limbaugh, and Bill "Barack HUSSEIN Obama" Cunningham have been reading Alegre’s talking points, or vice versa.  What this says about Hillary supporters I will leave up to you to discuss in the comments, but here is my take:

I have to start out by saying that I am a little ashamed and embarrassed by the identity of the ‘low-information’ voter in question.  It is none other than my very own father.  Here’s a brief history to fill in some back story before I get to the details after the fold:

I assume that at least 95 percent of the people at this site are astute enough to notice my screen name and assume it means that at one point I was a member of the right wing.  Some of you may think I am some sort of repub-troll in sheep’s clothing using an ironic screen name to deflect suspicion.  Well I hope I don’t come off that way but please feel free to read my first diary for additional details of my conversion process.  I’m going to move on.

also Submitted to the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster

I am submitting this diary here because I perceive there to be a vibrant segment of Pastafarians here.  I want to reach out with my humble idea about how to use our burgeoning religion for the good of humanity.  I hope this goal isn't anachronistic to those of the Daily Kos community.  If you feel that way, please tell me to shove of with this kind of content and I will do so.  I would invite anyone interested in helping with this plan to voice your opinion at the offical website of the Church linked to above.

If this is something you are not immediately averse to, then, by all means, continue reading below:

No intent to step on ClammyC's toes here.  But I've got a baby story of my own...

My first child was born today.  A Girl.  My life has all new focus and purpose.  This is now the most important thing to me.  

So I got to thinking about a diary for my Daughter.  I started thinking about the things I want for her in her life, and the things she should get from her government and her society as a whole.  What can we help provide to her, and every man woman and especially child in this country so that she can live even better than we do.  I'm not thinking of lavish entitlements. I'm thinking of the basic rights of human beings, and citizens of a prosperous and free nation.

Doesn't She Deserve...

Inspired by Keith O, I’ve compiled a test for a candidate to prove their skills in stealing a nomination.  Enjoy!

I wrote a comment in a similarly themed dairy recently and realized that I had a lot on my mind about this issue and decided to write my own diary about it.  I think the themes and ideas I’m about to lay out have been largely overlooked but have significant relevance to the current "Rev. Wright controversy" as well as the presidential race in general.

I think we liberals have done ourselves a great disservice by allowing to the GOP to frame the debate about patriotism.  In fact, part of our problem in the recent past is that we have allowed the Repubs to frame the debate on many issues to the right of center.  (‘Experience’ and being ‘tough on terror’ come to mind immediately).  

Republicans have done a masterful job of wielding the 9/11 cudgel to their advantage.  They have used it and the fervor of nationalism following the events as a tool to gain widespread acceptance of their definition of patriotism.  This is a large part of the reason we are in Iraq right now.  Hillary Clinton has allowed herself to be bludgeoned into a right of center frame, and Barrack Obama has not.  Let me elaborate below the fold:

I have recently heard talk of this Hillary supporters boycott of this site.  I, for one, am totally in favor of it.  After this diary, I am out of here.  After all, we HRC supporters are far too good to be constantly told we're wrong, and our candidate isn't entitled to be President.  

Women are better than black guys and I don't know why these Obamabot's can't see that.  Just because Obama is making campaign promises he has no intention of keeping, and McCain would be a better choice for president than he would, doesn't mean we have to take this abuse from Obama supporters telling us we're hurting the party.  

How can we be hurting the party when our candidate (as soon as she wins 70% of the vote in the remaining primaries and has all the remaining superdelegates finally realize that Obama can't possibly win the GE and put her over the top) will end the current economic crisis and terrorist threat on day one?  How can it be bad to prevent a possible muslim anti-American hope-monger from destroying our country?

Coming from a perspective of a former GOP dittohead and current proud Obama supporter, I want to offer some tempering to the growing dichotomy of liberal blog rhetoric.  There is an undeniable fact that Daily Ko's has become a strongly pro-Obama blog.  I don't have any problem with that in principle, but let me lay out a case for moderation of a shift in the current tone of discussion.  Being that I am a self admitted Obama fan, I am trying to approach this from a detached and logic based perspective.  

My plea and the rational for it below the fold:

With all the turmoil ebbing and flowing about Obama and his religion; persons affiliated with his church; and the right wing misinformation about him being a one man sleeper cell, I thought I would weigh in on this controversial topic and see if it resonates with anyone.  

Let me set this up and then let it all spill out below the fold.

  In the interest of full disclosure:  I am an athiest.  This is central to my philosophy and would probably be obvious even if I hadn't thrown it out there this early.  I don't want to argue about this necessarily, because it's not a theology blog, but it's important to note that this is the perspective I'm coming from in my opinions.  I also needed to explain that this is the reason I included it in my title, and not because I am trying to start a new rumor about Obama.

This is my first Diary in any blog. Ever.
Please bear with me as I am extremely new to this and am not entirely familiar with the process.

As my user name implies, in my younger days I was a card carrying Neo-Conservative.  There are many factors that contributed to the current reality that I am find myself reading/joining/posting on a liberal blog.  I hope my story will be somewhat influential or at least interesting to a few of you.  I'm going to try to use the common Ko's coloquialism correctly here (you'll have to tell me if this is properly structured):
More after the Jump.