Biden Calls It

Apologies for the long silence here - nothing had quite gotten me incensed enough to write for a while. But President Bush has managed (it was only a matter of time). The portion of his Knesset speech yesterday which equates diplomacy with appeasement was a shameful display of Karl Rovian-style politics at its worst, and just goes to show just how far off the rails this administration has driven America's foreign policy.

This is, of course, just the sort of straw-man attack that we are going to have to expect will be leveled against Barack Obama over the course of the rest of this campaign. But for the president of the United States to go overseas and fling this shovel-ful of political b.s. is nothing short of outrageous.

First, it must be made clear that discussion, dialogue and negotiation are not appeasement (as a right-wing radio moron learned to his stammering dismay yesterday afternoon courtesy of a bloviating but in-this-case-correct Chris Matthews). Second, no one is suggesting that any terrorist organization be granted concessions of any sort. Here's what Obama told David Brooks this week:

"The debate we’re going to be having with John McCain is how do we understand the blend of military action to diplomatic action that we are going to undertake. I constantly reject this notion that any hint of strategies involving diplomacy are somehow soft or indicate surrender or means that you are not going to crack down on terrorism. Those are the terms of debate that have led to blunder after blunder."

Never negotiate out of fear, but never fear to negotiate (JFK). He was right then, and the quote still applies. Of course appeasement is out of the question, but trying our damnedest to find peaceful solutions to the world's problems sure shouldn't be.

On the State of Things

Well, the campaign continues. Back in January, I never would have thought that the Obama-Clinton race would have gone on this long. Iowa was a mere eight weeks ago, and there are now about six and a half weeks left before the next big contest in Pennsylvania on 22 April. Seems unbelievable when it's put like that, doesn't it?

My discomfort with the Clinton campaign continues to grow more intense. Their "kitchen sink" strategy against Senator Obama is disheartening, and their particularly devious new tactics (floating the "dream ticket" idea and denigrating Obama's qualifications in very offensive ways) are extremely troubling.

This week Hillary Clinton began using a very dangerous line: "Senator McCain has a lifetime of experience, I have a lifetime of experience, Senator Obama has one speech in 2002" and various derivations of the same. Video here. She continued: "I think that since we now know Sen. (John) McCain will be the nominee for the Republican Party, national security will be front and center in this election. We all know that. And I think it’s imperative that each of us be able to demonstrate we can cross the commander-in-chief threshold. I believe that I’ve done that. Certainly, Sen. McCain has done that and you’ll have to ask Sen. Obama with respect to his candidacy."

To completely dismiss Senator Obama's entire career in that way is, frankly, beneath even the dignity of a Clinton. Somehow Hillary Clinton gets away with claiming "35 years of experience" (that's everything since she was 25 years old) when in reality she has been in the Senate since 2001 and before that spent eight years as First Lady (where her one attempt at policy-making failed in legendarily spectacular fashion). Given the choice, I would much rather have someone with Obama's life experiences and track record in the White House.

This line of attack is not only dishonest and unfair, it also doesn't jive with the "dream ticket" theory Bill and Hillary Clinton have been pushing hard in Mississippi - if they don't believe Senator Obama is qualified to be president, they certainly wouldn't (or shouldn't) want him on the ticket as vice president. And by all traditional calculations it makes no sense to put Clinton and Obama together anyway (two liberal senators, both non-white-males, both from safe Democratic states ... it's a recipe for disaster). The Clintons know this - the line is just a tactic to try and winnow off potential Obama supporters, and I hope the voters in Mississippi and other states will see right through it and vote to put Obama at the top of the ticket.

The other totally specious argument being made by the Clinton campaign and its surrogates is the "big state" line. Yes, Senator Clinton won the primaries in California, Ohio, New York (her current home state), Florida (where they didn't campaign), Michigan (where Obama's name wasn't on the ballot) and is currently ahead in Pennsylvania. But obviously Obama would be just as competitive in those states in November, and probably more so through his demonstrated ability to draw Republicans (like me) and independents who might be (also like me) disinclined to support Clinton under any circumstances.

We've got a long way to go, and there's much campaigning left to endure. But I say to all voters in states where contests have yet to be held (and, I guess, all super-delegates too), think about what you're doing. Think seriously about these questions: Which candidate will be able to bring the country together instead of ripping it apart? Who will be most able to run a respectable, honest and uplifting campaign against Senator McCain? Who will be able to make the most states competitive in the fall? Who will be able to inspire a new generation of voters and get them to the polls? Who will be able to offer a new way forward instead of the same old song?

Quick Thoughts

- Romney's last campaign speech was his best. It was classy (or at the very least intelligent) of him to read the handwriting on the wall and realize that it was a mathematical impossibility for him to gain the nomination. His withdrawal positions him well for future involvement in the conservative movement.

- There's word today that former RI Republican Senator Linc Chafee, now an unaffiliated voter, may vote for Senator Obama in the 4 March Rhode Island Democratic primary. People are, for some reason, surprised at this. I'm not (perhaps because if I voted in an open-primary state I would have done the same thing). Chafee did not vote for President Bush's reelection in 2004 (he wrote in George H.W. Bush), and has been an outspoken critic of the handling of the war in Iraq (he was the only Republican to vote against the use of force in 2002) and against the rightward lurches the GOP has taken. Good for Chafee, I say.

- New polls bear out what I've been saying for quite a while: Obama is the stronger Democratic nominee against John McCain than Hillary Clinton. The reason is simple: "independents tilt toward McCain when he is matched up against Clinton But they tilt toward Obama when he is matched up against the Illinois Senator."

Worth the Wait

Last night some friends and I stood in line for three and a half hours, outside, in Boston, on a chilly February night. Why? To hear Barack Obama. The candidate held an election-eve rally at the city's World Trade Center last evening - it was supposed to start around 8:30, but we didn't even get through the doors until nearly 10:30 (or home to bed until nearly 1 a.m.).

When we got off the T and took our place in line, the queue was probably already a quarter of a mile long or more (two hours before the event was scheduled to begin). Within a half hour or so, the line behind us snaked for blocks (I have no idea how many people there were, but it was pretty incredible to see). We finally began inching forward as the Secret Service herded small groups of folks through metal detectors - and by inching, I mean inching.

It was cold, it was dark, it was getting closer and closer to bedtime, and still we stood on the sidewalk - not knowing if we were going to by among those who actually got into the venue or would be among the unlucky who simply wouldn't fit inside. And yet people were happy, excited, talking amongst themselves and to their neighbors about the shared experience. We stood in front of a couple who had brought their 7-year old out to see her first political rally - and I have to say, of all of us in the vicinity I think she was the only one who never said a word about being cold or wanting to go home. The crowd skewed very young, which impressed me (now they've just got to get out there and vote today!).

Eventually I guess the Secret Service gave up, as we were all allowed to enter the hall through a side entrance. The room didn't offer an optimal speaking arrangement (not very many people could see the speakers), but the crowd stayed fired up and excited as the hour of the main event finally drew near. Governor Patrick, then Senators Kerry and Kennedy spoke briefly before Obama took the stage - Kennedy roared out a big old "HELLO BOSTON!" and really wound up the crowd in anticipation of the candidate. Obama, clearly exhausted, gave a slightly modified version of his stump speech - I was surprised his voice was hanging in there after the last few days, but he sounded good, sounded positive and sounded ready to see what today's results bring.

When we left to head homeward last night, my legs were tired, my mouth was dry, I wanted to sleep (and knew full well that the alarm wasn't going to sound too friendly at 6 this morning). But then I thought of Senator Obama and knew that whatever my complaints, they could be nothing compared to the stresses and strains he's faced over the last few weeks and will continue to face as we move forward. He and the other candidates put themselves through hell to ask for our support - the least we can do is go hear them when we have the chance.

Was it worth it? You bet. It's not every day that one has the opportunity to hear (and spottily see) the governor, two senators, a presidential candidate and 10,000 friends, all ready for a new kind of politics, a new way of doing things, and a new vision for America.

Super Tuesday Endorsements

Any regular readers (if I still have any) will almost certainly not be surprised that I'm endorsing John McCain and Barack Obama in their respective contests tomorrow. These are the only two politicians who have ever truly inspired me (McCain eight years ago, Obama now), and while I have policy disagreements with each, I would be happy with either of them in the White House.*

McCain's counterparts in the Republican race do nothing for me, and the tactics used by the Clinton campaign during recent weeks have done little to suggest to me that she can offer this country the change that we so sorely need. There's a reason this election is drawing more young voters than any in recent memory - we want change, we're hungry for inspiration, and we are ready to find our voice. We are sick of "That Can't Be Done" - it's time, at long last, for "Yes, We Can." McCain and Obama offer a hope for practical solutions to the problems America faces, rather than just more of the same.


*If the election were held today and I had to choose between the two, I would vote for Obama in the general election. And I hope I have that chance in November. But I will always respect and admire Senator McCain, and it was for him that I cast my (absentee) primary ballot. Tonight, however, I'll be joining umpteen thousand others at Obama's rally here in Boston.

"Yes, We Can"

Check it out.

Obama's SC Speech

Barack Obama is almost always a good speaker. But his South Carolina victory speech gave me chills. Watch it. Or read it.

"... This election is about the past vs. the future. It's about whether we settle for the same divisions and distractions and drama that passes for politics today or whether we reach for a politics of common sense and innovation, a politics of shared sacrifice and shared prosperity.

There are those who will continue to tell us that we can't do this, that we can't have what we're looking for, that we can't have what we want, that we're peddling false hopes. But here is what I know. I know that when people say we can't overcome all the big money and influence in Washington, I think of that elderly woman who sent me a contribution the other day, an envelope that had a money order for $3.01 along with a verse of scripture tucked inside the envelope. So don't tell us change isn't possible. That woman knows change is possible.

When I hear the cynical talk that blacks and whites and Latinos can't join together and work together, I'm reminded of the Latino brothers and sisters I organized with and stood with and fought with side by side for jobs and justice on the streets of Chicago. So don't tell us change can't happen.

When I hear that we'll never overcome the racial divide in our politics, I think about that Republican woman who used to work for Strom Thurmond, who is now devoted to educating inner city-children and who went out into the streets of South Carolina and knocked on doors for this campaign. Don't tell me we can't change.

Yes, we can. Yes, we can change. Yes, we can.

Yes, we can heal this nation. Yes, we can seize our future. And as we leave this great state with a new wind at our backs and we take this journey across this great country, a country we love, with the message we carry from the plains of Iowa to the hills of New Hampshire, from the Nevada desert to the South Carolina coast, the same message we had when we were up and when we were down, that out of many, we are one; that while we breath, we will hope.

And where we are met with cynicism and doubt and fear and those who tell us that we can't, we will respond with that timeless creed that sums up the spirit of the American people in three simple words -- yes, we can."