Hearing the news of Tim Russert's passing made me think about the moments of watching him on Sunday mornings on Meet the Press.  Though he booked mainly conservative pundits and at times biased against progressive guests, one must admire his dedication to the job.

He really did his research and asked hard hitting questions for those special 'gotcha' moments.  Searching on youtube I found one which is classic Tim Russert.  He had John McCain as a guest discussing the Iraq war and well...roll that footage!

You don't need a decoder ring or a weegie board to decipher Hillary's message to Democratic nominee Barack Obama.

Her campaign is run by top political consultants.  Make no mistake, the message in what was her final campaign speech was based on strategy to spin a certain outcome:

Obama, you better select me as Veep.

Lets examine certain portions of her speech:

Cross posted at MyDD

http://www.mydd.com/...

Call me a cynic, but this reconcilliaton is all a bunch of malarky.

A sham. A mockery.

Shamockery.

These political wounds run deep from attacks of candidate's intelligence, heritage, race, associations, policy platforms, and gaffes.  Many encapsulate this as their surrogates and ardent supporters to prove their point or knock down another's rationale.

And now after this slugfest, I find an instant shaking of hands and pats on the back like we signed the Dayton Peace Accords. Hillary supporters are smart and can see right through this feigned sympathy.

Obama uses Bounce when flung into the dirty laundry of politics.

Hillary has been spin cycling Obama's remarks as 'elitist' and will use them to run a negative tv ad campaign.  

Hoping the static will cause friction and his words 'cling' when voters head to the polls.  

How will this effect the Pennsylvannia Primary?

More below the fold:

Just got off the phone with my buddy Brian who is a staffer for Obama.  He was telling me about what has been happening over the weekend:

A caravan of twenty volunteers from Brooklyn arrived to knock on doors during the weekend.  As a group they combined to knock on over a thousand doors in South Philly.  

This is the one bright spot.  

We then talked about the polls and debate whether Obama can win PA.  He says Obama will win by a squeaker.  I say Hillary 54-46.  At least someone is optimistic.  

Enough on semantics. Now it no longer a weekend, there hasn't been an onslaught of volunteers to meet the need to canvass in South Philly.

Being the netroots activist I am, Brian requested 'a call to arms' to get the word out to send volunteers to Brian's satellite office in South Philly.  

Here is the info:

Where: 1610 South Broad St. Philadelphia, PA 19145
Phone Number: 267-639-6612
Brian's Email: Hessick@Gmail.Com

Thanks for reading and hopefully you or your friends can come by to send Obama one step closer to the White House.

At a town hall meeting in Scranton, PA, Senator Hllary Clinton suprisingly admitted voting in favor a resolution authorizing President Bush to take military action on Iraq was a mistake.  

Here at the Falls Church Office.  As we speak, volunteers are heading out for visiblity along VA metro stops, contacting Obama supporters to mobilize, and planning GOTV operations for the big day on Tuesday.  

A glimpse from the office earlier today:

Quick post on the news of Edwards' departure...

Since Day One I have been in the Edwards camp. Hosted a house party in Upstate NY, passed out buttons at local political events, and signed up volunteers as an Edwards captain. The news of Edwards departure was sad to hear, but not suprising.  John received little coverage being overshadowed by the spotlight placed on Hillary and Obama.  Realizing he has no realistic chance of winning the nomination, he did the gracious act of stepping away.

Where do Edwards supporters go from here?

This is what I know. If there was one candidate who can carry Edwards' message of ending poverty, living wage, bring our troops home, and place the issues of the middle class to the forefront: the choice is clear: Obama

On so many levels Obama can bring so much to the Whitehouse.  Forget race and gender.  Look at the person.  While Hillary campaigns with decisive slander and old hat rhetorical stump speeches, Obama instills us with a message which is positive and self-sustaining:

Hope and change for a better America.

We have a knack on dkos to blog about the negatives: bashing _ for what he said or she said, Iraq never ending, a Congress which failed to live up to expectations, and having the most incompetent, reckless President in history.

The fact of the matter, this is out of our will and control.  There are forces at work greater than you and I.  These plethora of issues will take years or generations for progress to be achieved and to reconcile our elected democracy to a honest, fair, and accountable government.    

   

If the nation is following the current roadmap for peace and stability in Iraq, then now the latest defection shows our urgent need for Mapquest.

From the AP:

Sen. Richard Lugar, a senior Republican and a reliable vote for President Bush on the war, said Monday that Bush's Iraq strategy was not working and that the U.S. should downsize the military's role..."In my judgment, the costs and risks of continuing down the current path outweigh the potential benefits that might be achieved," Lugar, R-Ind., said in a Senate floor speech. "Persisting indefinitely with the surge strategy will delay policy adjustments that have a better chance of protecting our vital interests over the long term."

This is an expanded version of an original post at Rochesterturning.com

From the Rep. Kuhl Town Hall Meeting Invitation:

These are not debates, but information-gathering sessions that are key to the legislative process and thus important to me as your congressman

Hopefully you'll be able to spare some time to attend one of the meetings...

Cross-Posted at MLW

As a netroots activist, it is hard to avoid the meta drama brewing between Kos and MSOC.  I choose not to pick sides because both have their valid reasons and not one comes across as 'right' or 'wrong' in my mind.

There and boisterous supporters on Dkos and I am sure here as well who would tend to categorize a debate into who is the most to blame and should be admonished for their latest actions.

Suffice to say, I have no dog in this fight.  

If you haven't yet Vote Eric Massa for DFA-All Star :

http://www.democracyforamerica.com/...

Remember Congressman Randy Kuhl on his Iraq Exit Strategy

Note to self:

Randy Kuhl thinks he is up for the Nobel Peace Prize, but what are his opinions on domestic policies?

After a recent town hall appearnce, Congressman Randy Kuhl talked about his views on organized laber. My heart flutters in delight when my congressman expresses his deep understanding and knowledge of the life of America's working men and women.  

Now it is down to 3 choices for DFA All-Star - Burner, Brown, and Massa.  Living in NY-29 you can say all us of in upstate ny heavily support Eric Massa for DFA-All Star.

Vote Eric Massa for DFA-All Star:

http://www.democracyforamerica.com/...

You might ask a simple question...

Why?

Simple Answer: Our Congressman Randy Kuhl

Mitt Romney's ego surpassed his mental capacity when he stated his profound knowledge and appreciation for guns and guns rights  

Mitt on his 'love' for guns

"I purchased a gun when I was a young man. I've been a hunter pretty much all my life," he said this week in Keene, N.H., to a man sporting a National Rifle Association cap."

Who is Joakim Noah?

He is the key player of the Florida Gators who stars at Power Forward and Center. He led the team to the championships in 06 and hope to duplicate the feat once again.  The Florida Gators will take on Ohio State tonite in what is expected to be a nail biter of a finish.

I really shouldn't care. My brackets (all 8 of them) are busted. Syracuse was snubbed by the selection committee.  Being a sports addict, I plan to flip back and forth from the game and the high suspense antics of CTU Agent Jack Bauer on '24'.

From Faux News:

Senator Hillary Clinton addressed the nation in a must anticipated live news conference to make the following prepared remarks:

"After four years of a mishandled war which began under false and misleading intelligence of WMDs, I now believe my decision was a mistake to vote for this war in 2002. With this in mind, my responsibility will be to do everything in my power to hold President Bush accountable and bring our brave men and women home from Iraq as soon as possible"

The final vote Roll Call of H.R. 1591 has just been placed on record at the website of the House Clerk.

You can see it for yourself at the following link:
Final Vote Results for Roll Call H.R. 1591

For inquiry minds:

Democrats who voted against the Iraq Supplemental Bill

John Barrow (GA-12)

Boren (OK-2)

Lincoln Davis (Tenn-4)

Kucinich (OH-10)

Lee (CA-9)

John Lewis (GA-5)

Marshall (GA-8)

Matheson (UT-2)

McNulty (NY-21)

Michaud (Maine-2)

Taylor (MS-4)

Waters (CA-35)

Watson (CA-33)

Woolsey (CA-6)