Brilliant Politics

Farm in southern Indiana (Photo/serendipitypeace2007)

Thanks to Talking Points Memo for providing highlights of Barack Obama’s interview with Chris Wallace on Fox News today.

The Democratic National Committee has a new ad out asking voters to think about what it would mean for America to be in Iraq for 100 years, as John McCain has suggested.

Who looks like they are in a better position to compete in the general election? Keep in mind that a Democrat, whether it is Obama or Clinton, will without a doubt win in California, New York, and Massachusetts. When you see it with your own eyes, it is obvious. The map is courtesy of the Obama website, with thanks to Andrew Sullivan for the tip.

We spend billions of dollars every week in Iraq on an unnecessary war and an indefinite occupation. The video below, made by the father of a soldier who returned from a 15-month deployment in Afghanistan, shows the deplorable living conditions in the soldiers’ barracks at Fort Bragg, near Fayetteville, North Carolina. Why is this considered acceptable for American soldiers? The video lasts about 8 minutes, but it is worth your time to see it.
-Doc Pierson

Barack Obama should make a major speech this week in order to set the agenda for the media to follow and make Clinton respond to him.  I would like to see that speech be on the Clean Green Economy and how that will provode millions of new high-paying jobs.

Over at Talking Points Memo, Josh Marshall sees the big picture:

In our reader blogs, TPM Reader GC has a post up entitled “Where is Barack Obama” which he kicks off by writing “These last few weeks, he seems to be missing. Not literally, but his presence in the national dialogue has receded.” As I wrote in the comments section, that’s been my sense too. His voice seems silent and has for a few weeks. Of course, he’s out in the field campaigning, not focusing on national media and catering to political junkies around the country. But what I really think this is is that he’s not controlling the agenda. Hillary’s controlling the agenda, defining the race at the moment. And that’s made him recede into the background, even as he’s a constant topic of conversation.

-Doc Pierson

Obama is much better off with the strategy in this ad, which highlights breaking the hold of lobbyists on the federal government. He should avoid the negative trench warfare with Clinton and refocus his campaign on how he will change the country for ordinary people. -Doc Pierson

James Clyburn (D-South Carolina) clarifies the consequences for the Clintons if they continue to poison the well for Obama and ignore the importance of black voters. Clyburn is the third ranking Democrat in the House. Turning away black voters, turning off young voters, and losing the election to McCain are real possibilities if Hillary and Bill Clinton continue their scorched earth approach to seeking the Democratic nomination. The devastation for Democrats could be staggering, and it could last for a generation.  If Hillary Clinton wants a civil war in the Democratic Party, it looks like she is about to get it:

South Carolina Democratic Rep. James Clyburn warned today that if the heated Clinton-Obama contest continues on its present course it could have dire consequences for African American support of Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, should she win the Democratic nomination, and on African American faith in the Democratic Party even if she does not.”I may not know a lot about what drives some voters, but I know a little bit about African American voters,” he said, in an interview with The Trail. “And if they feel as if they’re being used, they’ll stay away. They just won’t engage in the process.”

Rush Limbaugh has suggested it would be great if there were riots in Denver during the Democratic National Convention in August.  How many dittoheads will take Rush up on his suggestion? Will John McCain reject and renounce Rush Limbaugh?

Smoky Mountains, North Carolina (Photo/d.patton)