Breaking: Obama in Fargo Thursday

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Meet the Press noted Obama is slated to appear in North Dakota Thursday, then 4th of July in Montana. New — Obama will appear in Fargo. Details pending. Brace yerself, Chuck Todd, we may have a surprise in store for you come November.
UPDATE: Obama's appearance reported as an invitation-only gathering with military and families at Yunker Children's Farm, near the airport mid-day. Will Obama's 50-state strategy mean more than 50 minutes on the ground in ND for this visit?

Clark Tells Truth

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Retired General Wesley Clark spoke truth Sunday on Face the Nation, but the Vapid Vapors Media are in full handwringing mode, doubtless much to the delight of the McCain campaign. Their minions in the media are performing right on cue.

Well, here's my word on Wesley. You go, General. Keep on a-talkin'. No, being shot down and held as a prisoner of war does not qualify one to be president.

Arguably years of service in the Senate on military-related committees would be a notch of qualification, but let's face facts. The McCain campaign isn't talkin' about that, isn't tear-jerkin' about that in their teevee advertising. [Sorry, Bob Shieffer, Andrea Mitchell, Jake Tapper, Rick Sanchez...I know, facts are such troubling things when you've got a good spin cycle going.]

They're showing McCain, the p.o.w.

And that seems to be pretty much the sum total of what they're sellin'.

Nobody dishonors McCain's service except those who are exploiting it now to try to insure the Third Term of Bush. That's dishonor.
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Kiss My Arse

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Sources say that Bill Clinton stays bitter about Obama, telling close confidantes that Obama will have to "kiss my ass" to get Bill Clinton's support.

Well, Bill, as one of millions of Americans who stood by you while you made a jerk of yourself over a cheap thrill in the Oval Office. One who joined in urging the country to MoveOn. One who voted for you twice... Kiss my ass.

Your shoddy race-card tactics may have served you well getting elected in Arkansas or in the Old South in the 20th Century. But the country's grown past you. You are an ex-president.

Your petulance is unbecoming.

Especially because it's patently obvious this has a lot less to do with whether or not Hillary won the nomination, and a whole lot more to do with the reality that you are not the top dog any more.

So you can sit on the sidelines in your own poo, petulant and pouting, or you can suck it up and act presidential. Post-presidential.

Because whether or not Obama wins in November—and I'll be working with millions of other Americans to try to assure that he does—the Clinton Era is over.

And good riddance.
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Too-of-a-kind Coincidental

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Ever notice how sometimes things happen like a duet and it just doesn’t seem possible that it’s a coincidence? I had one of those experiences today, see what you think.

Driving to the tall timber this morning, once the Fargo stations faded away, we switched to the Park Rapids radio station―notable because its owner makes the astronaut radio station owner in Northern Exposure seem like a leftwing hippie.

So owner Ed Delahunt is in control of the microphone for his daily coffeetime call-in show which virtually never gets any calls. And with the patented reichwing tactic of prefacing his reading with “I don’t know this to be true, I don’t know if I believe this, but….” Delahunt launches into reading selected quotes from Michelle Obama’s Princeton paper and right-from-the-Rove- playbook-style editorial comments attacking Michelle Obama.

The whole litany read to me like the booga-booga scare tactic of Michelle Obama in the White House is gonna get you, white woodtick northern neighbors of mine.

Guess Ed decided not to heed the “lay off my wife” memo.

Now Ed’s not exactly known for his intellectual curiosity around these parts, and word around here is Clear Channel has a hand in his operation these days, so my red-flag radar went off. Just where did Ed get this stuff? The McCain campaign? A surrogate McCain group?

Hmmmmm.

And then this evening, since it was still dripping from the thunderstorm outside, we were watching Countdown, and Keith Olbermann’s top story #3 was all about Grover Norquist and his “John Kerry with a tan” comment to the L.A. Times. Keith and his guest talked about whether Norquist was the designated hitter to launch the race card―was this a “trial balloon”?

Forget race card. I think today signaled the McCain campaign and the Usual Republican Suspects have decided to drop the whole damned deck. Little fluttery race cards spilling out all over the country, in environments large―like Los Angeles. And small―like Park Rapids, Minnesota.

So what’s the candidate who pledges to run a campaign of honor because he’s a man of integrity have to say about the conduct of his surrogates?

And did the Rethuglicans decide to shift their attack against Michelle Obama to the same kind of under-the-radar tactics used against McCain in South Carolina about his adopted daughter?

Like I say, it could all be coincidence, happening on this same day. Yep. Coincidence. That’s what it must be. Or not.

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Something's Gotta Give

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Michael Kinsley issues an invitation this morning on Huffington Post, with a link to his new website conversation about Creative Capitalism. Taking the structural selfishness of capitalism and turning it to a greater good.

Bill Gates is about to do that full time. With the same zeal he put into becoming arguably the world's most important capitalist ever, he's about to step full time from businessman to philanthropist.

We worry about the cost of gas at the pump and what's happened to the 401K with yesterday's 350 point drop in the market. Oil is up over $140 a barrel. We're killing people in Iraq for Bush and his cronies' oil profits. Sorry sorry times indeed.

We wring our hands. What can we do. Our leaders blow us off as advocates while they "lead."

We can vote. In November. But for now, let's get to work. Or for starters, get to know the problems, so we can be part of the solution.

Yesterday, while making my carefully charted out route of errands [no backtracking!], mindful of my carbon footprint, I heard a report on Minnesota Public Radio about the state of nonprofits in rural counties and communities.

It's not good.

The high price of oil, the rising prices of everything that oil goes into—transporting food, anyone?—are not only reducing grants and personal contributions to charities and nonprofits, they're cutting down volunteer hours. Volunteers can't afford to drive the long distances in rural areas. They're going back to work, or working longer hours, just to pay their own price at the pump.

Looks like a rainy weekend coming up in Prairie Country, I'll be learning more about this Creative Capitalism business, because it seems to me there's a whole new mindset in this that could affect not only philanthropy, but also the way we all live on this planet together.

Because plainly, something's gotta give...
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Meet the Pres

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Wednesday's press conference with Barack Obama was a perfect example of a campaign team at the top of its game.

Consider if you will, a president who gives thoughtful, reasoned answers to difficult questions.
.....Barbeque sauce, sir, hot and tangy or original recipe?

Or a president who does not hide behind a press secretary whose sole function is to obfuscate and obliterate those oh-so-nuisance questions and answers while he Deciderates with his gut and the chip on his shoulder.
.....Iraq or Iran, sir, one bomb-bomb-bom...or two?

Yes, just imagine.

Which I imagine those people who saw even a portion of Obama's meet with the press yesterday, an extended press conference [carried live on CNN...] on challenging issues, not always giving the answers I would have hoped for, but yet.... responding in detail to reporters' questions on wide-ranging topics from the economy to urban crime thru the lens of cities like Chicago to the war. Thoughtful answers, reasoned, and with a comfort factor that the country will be in good hands led by Obama.

I can see this guy as the Pres.

Expect to see a regular series of these news conferences in upcoming months, because that's really what Wednesday's press event was all about.
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"Dodd's Speech"

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Remember when Senators stood up on principle and said "enough"?

Nope, me neither, unless I happen to stumble across an ol' uncolorized Jimmy Stewart in Mr. Smith Goes to Washington.

Well, brace yerself and take a look at this. Because Connecticut Senator Chris Dodd has taken the floor to remind his colleagues and all of us what Democracy is supposed to look like.

Christy has commentary at Firedoglake, you'll find links there to other bloggers as well. Because reporting on the vote on FISA and telco immunity—for actions to peek into every American's privacy that began before 9/11 and have continued for years...without warrants and in defiance of the Constitution— is too important to trust to the Very Self-Important Media and its all infauxtainment alla time.
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