I think what was meant was that Obama will HANDLE McCain’s smear machine - not that he will go on the smear offensive himself.
I too hope that Obama responds strongly and forcefully to any smear that is sent his way - even by groups that McCain “has nothing to do with”. Letting swiftboaters spread lies and crap with no response just makes you look either weak or guilty.
What are they going to come up with against Obama that hasn’t already been tried by now? If there were any photographs involving a German Shepherd, Hillary would have rooted them out by now. The Reverend Wright thing is dead. Nothing else has really had any legs. Even the “bitter” comment is water under the bridge.
I’ve seen a lot of the Fox News tools trying to placate their audience with the mantra that Obama, who has been vetted within an inch of life over the last several months, “has not yet been vetted.” “He hasn’t seen nothin’ yet,” they aver. “Just wait until the General Election.”
There’s a slight shrillness in their voices when they say this – a creeping hysterical edge – a hint of closing panic. They’re whistling past the graveyard, and when they see heavily Republican districts in the deep south going to Democrats in special elections, they whistle even louder. The auspices are horrific for the Republicans in november. Aside from the advanced cancer that is the Iraq occupation, gas prices are skying like Michael Jordan. $3.25 a gallon now seems like the halcyon days of yesteryear. The economy sucks. Bush’s approval ratings will give you back change for a quarter. If the Republican brand was soda pop, it would be Diet Shit Cola.
All the party loyalists and media toadies have right now is the vain hope that either something truely monstrous will turn up about Obama before November (and I think that if Hillary couldn’t find it, it ain’t there. I get the feeling that Hillary could compile an itemized list of dates and times for every time you ever played with yourself in high school if she wanted to), or that white trash racism will be just intractable enough to prevail over even the most urgent self-interest in that “working class white” demographic that get touted so much.
I fear the latter much more than the former, and I don’t really fear the latter that much. I really feel that Hillary has done Obama a favor. By going after him as hard as she has, she’s effectively defanged a lot of potential GE issues. Nthing new is going to come out about him, and by the Fall, not only will that stuff be old news, but he’ll be able to handle thosee questions in his sleep.
He might have walked onto the field a little soft and out of shape, but she’s really worked that skinny ass out – hammering baseballs at his face from two feet away screaming “catch THAT, bitch,” saying shit about his mama, saying she fucked his wife, going in cleats up when she didn’t even have to slide, making him run laps with her until he drops, then calling him a pussy and kicking him in the ribs.
The idea that Obama’s going to have it any tougher from McCain than what he got from Hillary is the most Pollyanna, wishful thinking on the part of the Pubs. Hillary will haunt his sleep for the rest of his life. McCain is going to seem like a kindly old uncle after that.
Ah. Gotcha. Clear now. Sorry **Phlosphr ** for wondering if you were advocating Obama employ win by any means tactics. 
There’s also the chance of a nuke being set off in a major port. That would be a scary boon to the tough talkers. Better still if the port is in an overwhelmingly blue city like San Francisco so it wouldn’t impact their base much.
Mark this post. There will be at least one terrorist scare between now and November. Between that and race-baiting, I estimate there’s not much else the Republicans have in their quiver to use against Obama.
Don’t forget the rallying-around-the-flag effect, however spotty and transitory, that a Bush attack on Iran would have. Just today the White House was batting down a Washington Post report that a senior U.S. official told the Israelis that we might attack Iran sooner rather than later. It could happen.
No worries! He’ll save his ultra-secret-batman toolbelt for when he really needs it! 
Obama added two more superdelegates this morning: Connecticut Representative Joe Courtney, and Mississippi Democratic Party chair Wayne Dowdy.
The United Mine Workers of America endorsed Obama today.
I gotta tell ya, I was expected more today, or some major news other non-super endorsement.
I think the timing is everything now. Things may be held back until after the Rules Comittee decides how to deal with MI and FL and supers may stay out enough to let the last primaries actually put him over in absolute numbers but avoid having PR do it.
I’m kind of surprised it’s only been two today. I thought there would be another mini gusher like after NC/IN. I guess we’re getting down to the most chickenshit of the chickenshit, though. I think there’s a bunch who are deathly afraid to declare until Hillary gets out.
A lot of people owe a lot of favors to the Democratic leadership. Their reluctance can be attributed to a sense of loyalty or craven cringing. Or both.
The Deathwatch is now at 0.7%.
This one kinda surprises me: I would think that UMWA would be WV territory all the way, Appalachia Central (I say this as a sometimes-proud resident of Appalachia myself), and that this union would be one of the few that would support Clinton. Hell, if I were voting strictly on policy, and if Clinton hadn’t attached herself to that idiotic gas-tax holiday proposal, I’d be supporting Clinton myself.
Any idea about why this union has endorsed Obama? Is their very late endorsement a sign that their leadership favors the overdog? Is this maybe a reluctant endorsement?
And is WV still enough of a mining state that this endorsement will make any difference?
Daniel
It was Edwards that brought them. They had previously endorsed him.
To answer your last question, yes. To answer your first one, they weren’t even considering Clinton. There’s nary a mention of her anywhere in their endorsement. They compared Obama’s policies to McCain’s and came up with Obama as more in line with their goals.
Well, they are coal miners! They are black on the inside!
I dreamed I saw Joe Hillary last night
Alive as you or me…
One thing that gets me among these claims from the Hillary camp is that sexism is the problem in the US in this race and racism isn’t. There is currently only one black person in the US Senate. There are 16 women. There are around 39 black people in congress. There are around 61 women.
It would seem to me that the ism that is the biggest problem isn’t sex, it’s race. To claim otherwise makes it seem obvious that they are searching for a reason other than a lousy campaign that their person lost.
I, too, am leery of the October Surprise. I think the Republicans have been waaay too quiet, like they’re slipping on brass knuckles while appearing to fish for change in their pocket or something. But that’s racin’.
My tinfoil hat fear is that this dirty lame duck administration might “let one through” just to get the GOP back the fraidy-cat vote. Ugh.