That, and the war vote, is what drew me to O's camp. Hillary's 'you'll have to pry the nomination from my cold, dead hands' approach to campaigning is what keeps me there.

But at this point national numbers are meaningless, as much as I'd like to believe them. Show me state-by-state what percentage of people think the nation is on the wrong track, and that'll give you a better indication of where the opportunities are.

Yeah, this is without an energized Republican base flocking to the polls in droves to defeat Hillary, with Rush and Hannity cracking the whips.

And it is just one poll. From the state polls there is every reason to say that Hillary doesn't stand a chance. Just look at the BLUE states she can't come close to winning:

http://thepersonalispolitical.tumblr.com/post/26659785

Paul Krugman has a different point of view.

McCain will absolutely beat HRC. Just throw in the towel if she is the candidate, too much baggage, men tend to really dislike her, not due to being a woman, but HER!

Lots of stories floating around about Bill's sexual escapades since 2000. Add to that mix the donors and the financial scandals and all the baggage of the Clintons. If she gets the nomination, this is what it will be. Non-stop keep Bill out of the White House nonsense. Look for Monica to make the rounds on 20/20 and The View and wherever else.

One thing to think about in terms of Hillary's success this past week is what a good job they've been doing keeping Bill on the back burner. The Republicans would put him front and center in every ad, in every story, they will talk about him nonstop until. Keep your daughters away from the White House!

Obama needs to remind people of the soap opera that will be a Clinton candidacy and presidency.

If he doesn't, independents and even some Democrats will move to McCain. He will win over Clinton. Obviously the right-wing machine will ramp up against Obama, but there won't be that visceral, emotional reaction and recognition of what the politics of the 90's were like.

Spin this one away, Clintoncultists.

I wouldn't calling it cherry-picking. I would call contesting EVERY election. Seems the one "cherry-picking" would be Senator Clinton. What's her latest? See you in Pennsylvania? Problem is there are TWO contest in the next 7 days. And all that cherry-picking has her in a whole.

And frankly, if your opponent knows that you are going to cede SUBSTANTIALLY all of the country and focus on turning one or two states, then you have already lost the game.

50-State Strategy. It makes a difference.

buddhistfist13,
Interesting -- where are you finding your poll data? You're right, I've not seen many of these. I'd need to know the dates when the polls were taken before I could comment. I do note that you've listed mostly blue states -- what about all those red states in which Obama ran up big wins? How's he doing against McCain in ID, UT, ND, AK, NE, AL, GA, SC, LA, KS?

An interesting poll in OH -- it has Obama beating McCain by 1 in a state that he just lost to Hillary by 10????

It would be nice to get a poll that reflects the post-Ohio realities of the campaign.

Somehow I just doubt that things are so rosy for Obama after NAFTA-Gate and the Ohio and Texas loss.

Thanks for that, Greg.

But shouldn't *herself* be *himself* in the following sentence:

"Hillary has argued that Obama will find herself bested on these fronts in a general election with McCain."

JESUS CHRIST WAS A HARD CORE LIBERAL

I am not a religious person, but I have read all 4 gospels. Although Jesus supposedly never wrote a book himself, the accounts of what he had to say are remarkably similar. Here is what he did not say. He did not say that if you do not believe that I died for your sins you will burn in hell fire for all eternity. He did not say that the only correct religion in the eyes of God was Christianity, he himself being a Jew.

Come to think of it, I don’t think I’ve ever met a Jew who believes that his path is the only true way. Maybe that is where Jesus got his universal acceptance of all people from. In fact, nowhere in the gospels does he say that we should make laws against gay people or anyone else that makes us uncomfortable. I seem to recall him instead saying something like, “Judge not that you not be judged” and “Whoever is without sin cast the first stone”.

Yes, as far as I can tell, his message was quite simple. He promoted brotherly love, the realization that whatever you do to anyone you are doing to yourself and to God. Everyone is God’s child, and if you judge or harm any of them, you are doing this to God.

Now, given Christ’s temper when it came to showing up at temples and kicking over the table, I get the impression that Jesus the Christ was a man of passion and principals. I am pretty sure that if he were living today, and turned on Fox News, and saw O’Reilly spewing his hatred and Ann Coulter calling John Edwards a “faggot” that he would probably get up and kick the TV in. What would probably really piss him off are all these televangelists telling us to who hate in his name. Yes, Jerry Falwell’s “Moral Majority” would have been an organization he would have distanced himself from. I also think that whole kicking things over bit he would probably do in the lobby of Pat Robertson’s studios for “The 700 Club”.

Jesus was a hardcore dude. He lived by his principals and constantly told his followers to be tolerant, feed the poor and love each person as you would love yourself. What this nation needs now is a leader with a streak of those qualities in him.

I recently watched a speech on YouTube over and over a few time times. It was given by a man who claims to be a devout Christian himself. This man is constantly being accused of being a Muslim because of his race and his funny name. But apparently he attends this place called “Trinity Church of Christ” and even wrote about it in a book. This man is also, by the way, is running for the Presidency of the United States.

So in this speech, this man said something that at first I wasn’t sure if I agreed with. He said, “I am my brother’s keeper. If my neighbor is suffering, I am suffering. If my neighbor is sick or living I poverty, then I too am sick and living in poverty.”

I thought about Jesus Christ and wondered where he would stand on that. What would he have to say. Would he be “Conservative”? Would he oppose the killing of over 1 million people in Iraq, half of them children? Would he be concerned about the poverty and suffering of other people but then say, “Hey, keep your hands off of my money. That’s their problem. My money is mine. Mine!” Would Jesus say, “I know McCain wants to lead this country into more wars, but I must vote for him because saving money on my taxes is more frankly more important than innocent human lives?” Would Jesus be a conservative?

I say he’d be a bleeding heart Liberal. Yes, that “L” word that a.m. talk radio has trained us all to despise and to think of as wimpy and lame and frankly just uncool.

Somehow I think that the guy who coined the phrase, “Love your neighbor as yourself” would not be able to get behind the Iraq war or the next war that McCain can’t wait to get started. I don’t think he’d like the government or being taxed, but I think he’d put caring for others over caring for his own wad of cash. It seems to me that that was the cornerstone of his teachings. It also seems to me that Barack Obama echoes this in every speech he gives and every piece of legislation he either promotes or votes against.

Would Sean Hannity, Glen Beck, Rush Limbaugh, Bill O’Reilly and Ann Coulter have been Jesus’ disciples? I don’t think they’d have the stomach for it. And what about George W. Bush, the man responsible for the deaths of 1.1 million Iraqis, half of them innocent children? Jesus would certainly accept him unconditionally, but old Dubya wouldn’t have the time or the tolerance for such a bleeding heart liberal. It would get in the way of all his plans.

So when I was watching all of these speeches on YouTube and listening to Barack Obama, I was really struck, seriously it really touched my heart when he said, “There is not a conservative America and a Liberal America. There is not a black America and a White America. There is not a Gay America and a Straight America. There is the United States of America”. I was practically moved to tears. He didn’t have to remind the audience, by the way, that he was giving them any straight talk. He just spoke from his heart.

Here is a man who expects more of us than we expect of ourselves. He seeks to unify instead of divide. He seeks to heal instead of to kill. He represents everything it means to be an American and is, by far, the most “Christ-like” candidate running for President today.

Barack has never gone for the cheap shot. He always takes the high road. Whatever he lacks in experience, like JFK or Roosevelt, he makes up for it in his idealism, in his belief in the goodness of human nature and in his ability unite and inspire. I’m pretty sure that if Jesus Christ were alive in November of this year, he would cast his vote for his committed disciple, for the one who most walks the talk and lives by the values of acceptance and brotherly love. There is no doubt about it, Jesus Christ would vote for Barack Obama.

- Eric Allen Bell

www.WeCanStopMcCain.org

Greg: If the numbers were reversed, would you have taken the time to point out that one candidate's lead is statistically insignificant, since it falls within the polls margin of error?

I suspect you would have.

The Rovian, doublespeak nature of the Hillary camp's talking points these days is truly astounding. To actual believe them requires either extreme idiocy or appalling dishonesty.

There is a candidate who was trumpeted in this race as inevitable and has not been able to close the deal against an upstart threat. Her name is Hillary Rodham Clinton. The whole "why can't inevitable, powerful Barack Obama put away the scrappy underdog Clinton?" meme is pathetically laughable. Classic Rovian projection.

Further, the idea that Obama can't win independents has been clearly disproved over and over again. Its one of his key strengths. I remember much hand-wringing from Clintonistas about how "unfair" it was that Obama was winning these open primaries with cross-over votes from Republicans and Indies, saying only true Democrats should have a say. I guess that is out the window now that Her Majesty has won a couple of open primaries.

As far as the war issue goes, nice try, but there's no there there either. McCain may simply say "that's in the past," but people will not buy it. And I'm sure the candidate who, just like John Kerry, was "for the war before she was against it" will get much more traction in the general.