I watched this clip of Bill Clinton last night on Hardball and had my first vision that the Democratic nominee, who ever he or she might be, might not win in 08′. As even these third rate hack pundits were able to grasp, the Obama-Clinton spat comes out in the favor of Hillary, not at all because of the substance of their differences, but simply because third rate hack pundits keep repeating it. It’s what they do.

2004. People, come on. Kerry made Dukakis seem like a Kennedy, or as I’ve heard it, “I wasn’t voting my conscience, just attempting to counter an ongoing evil with the blunt instrument of mediocrity.” And how did it come to be that Kerry, a blue blood, Establishment insider received the nomination instead of someone more worthy, like say Clark or Edwards? Because no one wanted to mix it up.

The pundits are going to wag their tongues. Its all they exist for in the first place. But I’m glad to see that Obama has the guts to differentiate himself from Hillary in the foreign policy arena. I’m heartened to see that Edwards has the sense to fight back against the media’s memes about his image. I want a nominee that has a backbone for once. I don’t want another Kerry; waiting until it’s to late to squash the swiftboating.

Via Cliff Schecter:

A man walked up to Dick Cheney, calmly told him he thought his Iraq policy was reprehensible, and walked away. A few minutes later he was arrested by the Secret Service, in front of his 8-year-old son, for “assault”.

When he asked what would happen to his child, the Secret Service said, “He can be sent to Child Services.” Luckily, the boy found his mother and was safe.

But the citizen who practiced his free speech spent a few hours in jail before he was released.

The Declaration of Independence: The Want, Will, and Hopes of the People

In every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A Prince, whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.

Why only 15?

Edwards & Dodd respectively on…

CNN’s Jack Cafferty’s post debate question: Is Dennis Kucinich right that the Congress should end the Iraq war by not funding it?

My response (didn’t make the air…):

Representative Kucinich is absolutely right. The Democrats have failed in their mission to end the Iraq War and have used the issue as nothing but political theater for the run-up to the 2008 election year, last week’s weak kneed confrontation of the Republican filibuster is case in point.

“The only thing worse than a soldier dying in vain…ITS MORE SOLDIERS DYING IN VAIN!!!” - Mike Gravel

“Specializations and markings of individuals everywhere abound in such profusion that major idiosyncracies can be properly ascribed to the mass. Traces of nobility, gentleness and courage persist in all people, do what we will to stamp out the trend. So, too, do those characteristics which are ugly. It is just unfortunate that in the clumsy hands of a cartoonist all traits become ridiculous, leading to a certain amount of self-conscious expostulation and the desire to join battle.

“There is no need to sally forth, for it remains true that those things which make us human are, curiously enough, always close at hand. Resolve then, that on this very ground, with small flags waving and tinny blast on tiny trumpets, we shall meet the enemy, and not only may he be ours, he may be us.

“Forward!”

Our favorite neighborhood specter of the spectacle observed recently, “I am ‘the enemy’.” He’s right. Besides being an Atheist, it’s not like I have to worry about being oppressed or anything. Yet I can’t help be less than fucking inspired with this clusterfuck on Capitol Hill….observe:

Via Think Progress:Feingold to introduce censure resolutions against Bush.

Reaction?

Shorter Harry Reid:

Sure, Bush is the worst President evar, ya, but he doesn’t deserve censure.

I’m guessing Harry Reid and the gang haven’t seen that last clip…

Navyswan asks us, “What would it take in this country for someone to truly stand up and do whatever it takes to get their message heard and to recruit people to their movement?” I say it doesn’t matter what anyone says. The era of mass movements is over–just like the concept of the album. I wish I could say otherwise, but political consciousness is all but dead in the country. Yes we had a slight reawakening, the periodic rise from the everyday stumbling stupor, in 06′. The fat, arrogant, self absorbed zombie masses–due to some reoccurring glitch in the matrix–actually made it into the voting booths at a rate a couple of percentage points higher than usual.

Big deal.

The people learned their lesson when the leaders of yesterday were struck down. Everyone knows who I’m talking about. And now, even their memory can’t sustain us.

See also: “This is America. This is one big Think-Free Zone over here.”