6/5 News

Obama takes control of DNC fundraising

Barack Obama has been the presumptive Democratic nominee for two days but is already changing the party from within. He has instructed the committee to accept his proposal of denying funds from PACs and lobbyists, among growing insider concern about the DNC’s lackluster fundraising. The move not only unifies Obama’s policy with the party but stabs at McCain’s lobbyist ties.

The Republican National Committee has raised twice as the DNC’s 77.6 million this year, and has ten times more than the DNC’s 4.4 million on-hand cash. Leaders hope Obama’s fundraising knack will translate for more funds for the Convention in August.

News Observer

Obama prepared to help Clinton with debt

Barack Obama and second-place finisher Hillary Clinton appear to be reconciling after a bloody 16-month primary season. An Obama campaign advisor says Obama will help Clinton pay back the $20 million dollar campaign debt, including 11.4 million she owes herself.

According to the 2002 McCain-Feingold campaign finance law, Clinton must pay the loan back by the Democratic Convention or she’ll only be able to repay a fraction. Though Obama can’t directly donate from his fund experts predict they will both reach out to Obama’s maxed out donors.

Bloomberg news

Clinton to end her bid

At the same time, a Clinton campaign issued a statement last night announcing that Hillary will voice her support for Obama and end her bid on Saturday. Aides say she originally wanted to wait but by Thursday had been convinced to back down.

“Senator Clinton will be hosting an event in Washington, D.C., to thank her supporters and express her support for Senator Obama and party unity,” said a chief strategist.

The tide turned as Obama declared himself the nominee Tuesday night and soon created a three person vice-president selection group, including longtime supporter Caroline Kennedy. Many Clinton supporters like former Vice President Walter Mondale expressed support for Obama after Tuesdays primaries, which may have prompted her exit.

NY Times

It’s finally over

The exhausting, drawn-out Democratic Presidential primary has come to an end. After 54 contests and 35,000,000 votes, we finally have an unofficial candidate.

I say unofficial because Clinton hasn’t dropped out yet. What do you expect? A candidate this stubborn and egotistical doesn’t admit defeat easily. Sure, she will. But it’ll take some time, just like it took her time to realize the primary election wasn’t going to be a cakewalk.

The funny thing is that Obama was mathematically guaranteed the nomination by early March. But it kept going. Reverend Wright was brought up. Hillary slammed him to talking about “guns and religion.” Of course, Hillary and her husband haven’t exactly been grassroots for the past sixteen years.

Well now it’s assured. Every time she lost a front, she changed it. First it depended on delegates, then superdelegates, then popular vote. Every time she lost, she changed the goal post. Now Obama has won every front, and there’s nothing she can do.

I don’t think he’ll pick her as vice-president. There are a lot of people that don’t like Hillary Clinton. The kind of people that don’t like Barack Obama wouldn’t vote for him just because he has Clinton on his ticket. During this season, when one candidate loses, his supporters say they won’t support the other candidate. They always do.

So Barack Obama, don’t pick Hillary. Pick Bill Richardson. He’s a governor of a Hispanic state and Hispanic himself, he’s older, and has been Governor, UN Ambassador, Energy Secretary and Representative.

No one can top a beard like that.

Another pick, I think, is Chuck Hagel. Obama could fulfill his promise of reaching across the aisle by picking this Vietnam vet, former VA secretary under Raegan and Nebraska Senator. Hagel has said this will be his last term as Senator.

I think I’ll also plot my candidate support.
Q2 2007: Obama (Thought he was cool)
Q3 2007: Kucinich (Starting Digging)
Q4 2007: Paul (Kucinich can’t win)
Q1 2008: Obama (Paul can’t win)

And here I am. As you can see, I don’t care if they’re Democrats or GOP. Iraq war opposition, good economic policy and stricter foreign policy is what I care about.

Now that all liberals have a common opponent it’s time to throw our weight around. For years pundits have been saying that only a Democrat can win this year. They’re right. He leads in every poll.

YES WE CAN.

6/3 News

Senator Clinton to concede tonight

Senator Hillary Clinton will concede tonight that her rival for the Democratic presidential nomination, Senator Barack Obama, has enough delegates to secure the nomination according to some anonymous senior campaign officials. Obama is currently about 40 delegates short of the nomination but is expected to secure the 2,118 delegates needed through the South Dakota and Montana primaries today in addition to superdelegates, which have been flocking to the Illinois senator.

However, the campaign officials said she will stop short of formally ending her campaign, in order to leverage other options for Clinton like the vice-presidential nod. She also wants to pressure him to polish his platform, especially when it comes to her signature issue, healthcare.

Huffington Post

Phoenix Probe stumbles across ice

NASA scientists say the Phoenix Probe has discovered a small ice patch on Mars. The discovery is a big step for the mission, which is to find ice that can be tested for organic compounds, or “life on Mars.”

When the probe landed last week, its thrusters may have blown away some surface dirt. Scientists just discovered the picture of one of the legs resting on what appears to be ice.

The scientists are confident about bringing the ice back. “We were worried that it may be 30-, 40-, 50-centimeters deep, which would be a lot of work. Now we are fairly certain that we can easily get down to the ice table,” said project chief Peter Smith. A robotic arm will scoop ice samples and deposit it in ovens, where the samples will turn into gases to be tested upon return.

Daily Mail

5/26 News

Carter leaks Israeli nuke count

Former president Jimmy Carter said yesterday that Israel has 150 nuclear weapons and that the US should start talking to Iran about it’s nuclear program. It’s surprising because Israel, nor any US official has ever admitted that Israel has nukes.

Carter has been very involved in Israel-Palestine relations since he left office and has criticized Israeli settlers on the West Bank and Israel’s refusal to talk to Hamas.

Fox analyst jokes about Obama assassination

Hillary Clinton is not the only one taking flak for her Obama assassination comment. Sunday journalist Liz Trotta appeared on Fox News and made this comment:
Trotta: “And now we have what some are reading as a suggestion that
somebody knock off Osama, uh Obama. Well, both, if we could.”
Not only is this unbelievable after Clinton’s massive damage control regarding RFK, but Trotta went so far as to not only confuse Obama with Osama, but actually suggest that Obama be assassinated.

She apologized this morning:
“Yes, I am so sorry about what happened yesterday and the lame attempt at humor. I
feel all over myself, making it appear that I wished Barack Obama harm or any other
candidate, for that matter, and I sincerely regret it and apologize to anybody I have
offended. It is a very colorful political season, and many of us are making mistakes
and saying things we wish we had not said.”

McCain returns to immigration reform

John McCain has attracted his share of criticism for changing his beliefs, but apparently hasn’t had enough. Before the election heated up, McCain was the forerunner of bipartisan immigration reform. By November of last year, he tried to please unsold conservatives by abandoning his own bill. Now that he has the nomination wrapped up, he appears to be going to “maverick” McCain.

“I believe we have to secure our borders, and I think most Americans agree with that,
because it’s a matter of national security. But we must enact comprehensive immigration
reform. We must make it a top agenda item if we don’t do it before, and we probably
won’t, a little straight talk, as of January 2009.”

Minister fights Bush library

A Methodist minister is launching a campaign to fight the construction of George Bush’s presidential library on Southern Methodist University’s campus. The minister says the agendas the Republican think tank will promote like interrogation conflict with Methodist teachings.

Jimmy Carter
Obama assassination
McCain immigration
Library