Modo has a secret crush on Obama and is sooooooooo sooperdooper jealous at the way he interacts with Michelle.

Compared to the string of elitist sissyboys she's tried on for size, Obama is the dangerous "other" whose attraction she counters by trying to convince herself that he's not really all that.....

Posted at July 17, 2008 9:56 PM in response to In which Maureen Dowd continues to obsess about Obama's food choices

oty, littleman.

Facts are hard things.

I consider it a badge of honor when you and others of your rightwing ilk freak out when confronted with them.

:>)

Posted at July 17, 2008 9:35 PM in response to Watching A Country Mourn its War Dead

The negotiations for the return of Goldwasswer and Regev began several days after Israel started it's bombardment of Lebanon. Hezbollah was on board.

The Israeli government put a halt to the proceedings. Evidently, the captured soldiers were more valuable as a casus belli for continuing the stupid summer war of '06 and were more valuable as pawns in a "terrible and cruel tableau upon which" [Israel] "has played its own domestic and international politics".

As per usual, the fact that Israel is responsible for prolonging the agony for the reservists' families and that of those mourning their own dead in Lebanon, is completely ignored by Israel's fabulous "friends".

Jo Ann. The war began ON THE DAY OF THE CAPTURE unless you don't count massive IAF bombardments as "war".

I see you are also doing your part to help the Olmert government in it's worldwide campaign:

"Israel yesterday launched an international media campaign against Hezbollah. The Prime Minister's Office's public relations unit is handling the information, which includes an Internet film for YouTube about Samir Kuntar, portraying him as a murderer who crushed a four-year-old girl's skull.

Israeli envoys abroad and the Foreign Ministry are telling international and Arab media that Kuntar is "no freedom fighter but an abominable murderer." The campaign, which emphasizes Israel's moral values compared with its enemies, is also intended to prevent the possibility of international recognition and legitimization of Hezbollah.

Another message is that the soldiers were abducted on a mission on Israeli territory while Kuntar came from Lebanon to attack civilians."
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1002774.html

Too damn late, fools. Hezbollah is a permanent part of the Lebanese polity because, they are LEBANESE first and foremost, not some imported band of terrorist refugees from Iran. Israel's serial invasions and occupations of Lebanon gave birth to them and provided decades of succor for the military wing of the party. The sectarian marginalization of Lebanon's Shiites gave Hezbollah the wide-open opportunities to provide for their own people as is their tradition; the rest is history.

Hezbollah is an integral part of the warp and weft of Lebanon and the top Lebanese politicians from all sectors hailed the swap as solidifying Lebanese unity. Other world leaders also see this swap as a positive sign for the stability in the region.

PS. Just in case anyone has the mistaken impression that Sami Kuntar is a Hezbollah "terrorist"....he belongs to the Druze.

Posted at July 17, 2008 6:23 PM in response to Watching A Country Mourn its War Dead

Fran's Huff post link reiterates THE recent and pervasive GOP meme that has been circulating througout the elitist opinionators for weeks and is now emerging from the dem strategerist class ie:

"Why o' WHY? isn't Obama stronger (in national polling) against the Bush-huggin' old fart?

The underlying presumption being that of course, he should be waaaaaaaaay ahead by some never-stated mysterious metric. Nevermind that the Newsweek polling showing a 15% lead was widely dismissed by the same people bemoaning Obama's perceived weakness.

Judging from how the Obama campaign ran the primary, I suspect their focus is on how the balls are bouncing in individual states rather than kvetch and rend combovers about polling questions designed to elicit pre-determined results.

Greg Sargent and Eric Kleefeld did a great job of showing comparisons of polling questions re Iraq here;
http://tpmelectioncentral.talkingpointsmemo.com/2008/07/polls_public_divided_on_iraq_b.php

Could the Obama camp do a better job of memewatch? Hell yes. They should assign staffers to each MSM teevee outlet, their corporate print partners and their online auxilliaries. I watch MSNBC and the patterns are predictable with the "Morning Joe" show offering the first look at the meme du jour.

For instance, today's theme is based on a poll showing how weak McCain is among AA voters (DUH) and what he can do to change that equation? Obviously the answer is not-a-fucking-thing but the bogus questions allows endless coverage of McCain's speech to the NAACP with snips of his praise of Obama.

AA voters are not the target here. The aim is to enhance the maverick brave good guy myth and change the discussion away from Afghanistan and other touchy subjects that show McCain's weakness on his supposedly strongest suit(s).

How the Obama camp counter what is a daily theme set by McCain's PR operatives and network functionaries and reiterated throughout their coverage during the day?

Does Obama have operatives with the same kind of insider connections/clout as the GOP and the Clintons do? In general, judging by the usually minimal exposure of the Obama camp's counterpoints, I'm guessing they don't. Also, at some point, it may be beyond their control as demonstrated by MSNBC's stable of obscure "editorial writers" who are called on to pontificate ignorantly and on script during their daytime coverage.

Only the headliners with their own shows have the option to pick and choose analysts with POVs and expertise they want.

Campaign surrogates are a mixed bag and I have no bloody idea how they are picked by the campaign and/or the networks . To my sometimes paranoid eyes, the most effective talkers for "our" side appear to be sidelined unless they are campaign officials or campaign designated politicians.

The latter group is also of uneven quality.

Posted at July 16, 2008 5:19 PM in response to Going on Offence 101: Can Obama Control the Message?

@aa.

With luck, we won't hear the details re Afghanistan you demand from Obama anytime soon.

When the people who have a clue about the place AND the "Anbar Awakening" AND COIN theory/practice are unsure of what will work, I don't want Obama making premature statements about military strategy in that most difficult theatre of them all.

There's been a very informed discussion going on among military/thinkanker types focusing on strategies, etc et al at the abu muqawama blog that is must reading for those concerned with such things.

Here's what one of the main contributers, Charlie (a woman, btw) has to say about McCain's transfer-the-surge notion:

"Ok, this is six kinds of interesting. Charlie would love to know which specific "strategy" has been nominated for export....and whether it was based on any assessment of, you know, Afghanistan. There are some basic COIN best practices that might improve the situation in Afg (one word: sanctuary), but the broader population centric approach would require significant changes to be successfully applied there. And if McCain's crew think they can blindly transfer "lessons" from the Anbar Awakening to the assorted tribes in Afg (and NWFP?) then we're gonna have some real fireworks."
http://abumuqawama.blogspot.com/

As with any excellent blog of this nature, the informed commenters add immeasurably to the quality of the discussions spurred by the content provided by the highly experienced "anon" headliners.

Thanks to them, I learned that one of Obama's key advisors, Richard Danzig, is a regular reader of abumuqawama and that:

"Phil Carter from Inteldump.com just got to be his veteran advisor ;-)"

Skip the Kristoff's et al. Reading them is akin to tasting some gravy and thinking it's the prime rib.

Posted at July 15, 2008 5:29 PM in response to Obama's Hagel-Brzezinski Plan for Iraq

What about branding posts that refer to this/these specific endeavors with SCAAMd in the title for quick reference?

Posted at July 14, 2008 2:07 AM in response to Mission Statement: Tools to Counter the MSM Distortions

@Larry.

None of the people in these particular activist web circles would dream of voting for Obama and stating a preference for McCain seems completely non-controversial. Heidi Li is a moderate in that respect; she blogged about getting crap for NOT voting for McCain from some of her "post campaign friends" . A subset of these folks are dead set against Hillary for VP as they see it as demeaning to her and/or a potential roadblock for her re-run in 2012 if things break that way.

The common enemies list includes Obama, Dean, the DNC, Pelosi.....The good Professor from Georgetown Law School and resident of DC, is working hard to support Ed O'Reilly's run at Kerry's seat in Mass. Good Boston connections(?).

Somewhere along the line, Larry Johnson (who was so well-schooled at this Cafe) interviewed the creepy Ms Heidi Li Feldman and her Denver Group co-founder adman Marc Rubin on his very own No Quarter radioshow.

"HLF" (blog forum nic) proudly and loudly proclaims to be a "Progressive" ......

The Prog tent is THAT big?

Do tell.

Posted at July 14, 2008 1:42 AM in response to Whining Crybaby Clintonite Losers

Bruce.

Professor Feldman and others involved in the Denver Group aren't "fringe" unless you think being involved in numerous conference calls and being invited to the smaller extra special events held after special events is "fringe". Ms Feldman has a direct lines of communication with the campaign as she frequently recounts on her blog. Aside from the Denver convention, she's been working her heart out to retire Hillary's debts. Her efforts to get Mark Penn to forgive any part of that debt have been unsuccessful and she resents the hell out him.

The goal of the Denver Group is to get Hillary's name on the nomination ballot and with luck overturn the results as they presently stand:

"Senator Clinton's delegates have been coordinating on their own, however, which they have every right to do. They are supporting one another and attempting to prepare a nominating petition to be used at the convention if the usual rules apply. Of course none of Senator Clinton's delegates want to put her in an awkward position, either during the current negotiations or at the party convention itself.

Throughout the day, the Clinton delegates have been preparing a petition, which requires the collection of a certain number of delegate signatures from different state delegations. Then, they need a safe place to send their signatures. It is with real honor that I tell readers of this space that the delegates have asked me to consider accepting their signatures and to keep the paperwork safe until the time when it might be used to aid Senator Clinton. The delegates know I will guard that paperwork with my life."
http://heidilipotpourri.blogspot.com/

As I've noted throughout the primary, Hillary's campaign has been very quick to hook up with the very well organized supporters who go viral in an instant to acheive whatever ends they address at the time. From the Heidi Li's blog, I learned that some of the conference calls with supporters involve 3,000 plus participants. These anti-Obama activist groups are not stand alone in that they work hard to promote and coordinate with eachother.

IMO, they have done a much better job of making the supporters of Hillary feel personally involved.

BTW, Professor Feldman will simply leave the top spot on the ballot blank rather than vote for either McCain or Obama.

Posted at July 13, 2008 9:13 PM in response to Whining Crybaby Clintonite Losers

Heidi Li Feldman, one of the Denver Pac founders has enough clout to be included in a recent conference call w/McCauliff and Clinton National Finance Director Jonathan Mantz and "top donors" from the midatlantic region. Astute readers will note that the campaign is encouraging that any GE efforts be funneled through specific Hillary events in order to "empower" her. Lots more here:

"Now to the rest of the call's substance: Rest assured, neither Terry nor Jonathan nor any of the people who spoke on the call (including me) are happy with the D.N.C.'s treatment of Senator Clinton. However as always on calls like this, Jonathan started by thanking us for our help and for being on the call today; he and Terry noted major goals achieved during the past eighteen months. And then they opened the call to questions.

This is when things got as intense as I have heard on almost any phone call I have participated on in my life, professional or personal.

Many commented that Senator Obama had not said a word to stop the abusive treatment she received during this campaign season. Much bigger fish than I who were on the call explained that neither they nor their "networks" would contribute a dime to the D.N.C. any time soon and nobody I heard was stepping up to raise money for Senator Obama. Speaker after speaker made it crystal clear that they and their contacts simply will not accept the current state of affairs regarding the D.N.C. and Senator Obama's treatment of Senator Clinton.

As always, Terry and Jonathan really listened. Terry McAuliffe himself said that he has never seen a major candidate treated so disgracefully - "like dirt" - by the media, and he is well aware that Howard Dean, Nancy Pelosi, and Senator Obama did not raise a finger to object.

Terry encouraged those of us still willing to work to put a Democrat in the White House to work "with and through" Senator Clinton, to stick with her. He and Jonathan put no pressure on people not to work with PACs or even with McCain, but they made it clear that if one's priority is to empower Senator Clinton than anything one does for the general election should be done via events she will sponsor."

snip]..........

"As for what may come, it is clear that much is up in the air. Senator Clinton is NOT releasing her delegates. She and Senator Obama have not broached the topic of the vice-presidency; indeed, the two campaigns have just begun trying to find a time to schedule a joint appearance by Senator Obama and Senator Clinton. There will be such a joint appearance.

Senator Clinton does remain firm in her conviction that it is best for the country and best for her politically to have a Democrat in the White House. She will act on that conviction. Furthermore, she will campaign for downstream Democrats who supported her during the primary season. Of these measures, all I can say is that I would expect nothing less from a person of Senator Clinton's integrity, grace, and loyalty."
http://heidilipotpourri.blogspot.com/2008/06/possibly-most-intense-phone-call-i-have.html

Interesting side note, one of the commenters on Heidi's thread said Hillaryclinton.com was censoring them.

Posted at July 13, 2008 5:16 PM in response to Whining Crybaby Clintonite Losers

Pat Buchanan's reaction to Obama's Dr Phil moment was that it was exactly the way Reagan would have responded. It's just silly to extrapolate that the American downtrodden would be in a snit about it.

Somewhere, someplace, AP writers do have email addresses. So do their editors altho shindig is correct that the AP doesn't care what bloggers think. Neither does the rest of the MSM for that matter unless it's Hugh Hewitt, townhall or Powerline and the like.

AP is definitely up to something of late....including their baseless threats to sue anybody quoting their stories w/out paying for the content. Murdoch's now on their board which went under some sort of reorganization in April.

The AP would be a good topic for The Muckracker to take on.

Reporters love McCain and his campaign vets those traveling with him. No kissyface? No access. The only way to short sheet this crap is by "encouraging" the news orgs to rotate their reporters covering campaigns before said journos "go native".

Posted at July 13, 2008 3:45 PM in response to The Death of the Associated Press