Re: Oh hell

1

Maybe Edwards dropped out because he wants to track Rudy down and punch him out, and he wouldn't feel right doing that while he still had his presidential candidate badge and gun.


Posted by: Beefo Meaty | Link to this comment | 01-30-08 7:55 AM
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John Shaft Edwards: above the law.


Posted by: FL | Link to this comment | 01-30-08 7:57 AM
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"Tea"? You beatniks and your slang.


Posted by: oudemia | Link to this comment | 01-30-08 7:57 AM
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That's sad but I really can't blame Senator Edwards or his family for any decision they make. My best wishes, particularly, to EE.


Posted by: SomeCallMeTim | Link to this comment | 01-30-08 7:59 AM
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That link is a goddamn lie. The monks have shit to do with your fuckin' tea, FL.


Posted by: strasmangelo jones | Link to this comment | 01-30-08 8:00 AM
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Obama and Hillary may now get down on their knees and beg for my vote.

Don't take me for granted, guys!


Posted by: John Emerson | Link to this comment | 01-30-08 8:01 AM
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I think I'll vote for Edwards in the primary even if he does drop out.


Posted by: md 20/400 | Link to this comment | 01-30-08 8:04 AM
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7: I don't think there's much of an "even if" about it.


Posted by: Brock Landers | Link to this comment | 01-30-08 8:05 AM
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Maybe Edwards dropped out because he wants to track Rudy down and punch him out drive a stake through his heart.


Posted by: Populuxe | Link to this comment | 01-30-08 8:08 AM
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Well, it's made it much easier for me to choose whom to vote for.


Posted by: Bostoniangirl | Link to this comment | 01-30-08 8:08 AM
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Well, crap.


Posted by: apostropher | Link to this comment | 01-30-08 8:08 AM
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It kinda makes me wonder whether EE's health has taken a turn for the worse.


Posted by: apostropher | Link to this comment | 01-30-08 8:09 AM
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Stras, what are you mad about now?


Posted by: FL | Link to this comment | 01-30-08 8:09 AM
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12: I'm wondering that, too. He's scheduled to announce at 1:00 pm.


Posted by: sam k | Link to this comment | 01-30-08 8:10 AM
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I gotta say, this is depressing. After volunteering for Edwards in South Carolina, I like the other candidates so much less.


Posted by: sam k | Link to this comment | 01-30-08 8:12 AM
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I'm mad about those opportunistic fuckin' monks, FL.


Posted by: strasmangelo jones | Link to this comment | 01-30-08 8:12 AM
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I'd be sadder about Edwards, but I'm drawing this really cool octopus right now, and it's hard for my mind to get a grip on serious shit when I'm doing that. This will all hit me later.


Posted by: strasmangelo jones | Link to this comment | 01-30-08 8:13 AM
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Have some tea, Stras. It'll keep you going through the hard times.


Posted by: FL | Link to this comment | 01-30-08 8:16 AM
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So who do I vote for now, in my sure-to-be-meaningless primary? Oi.


Posted by: FL | Link to this comment | 01-30-08 8:16 AM
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Oh, I'll have some tea. But I'll have good, hard-working American tea - not this pinko-ass Buddhist shit of yours.


Posted by: strasmangelo jones | Link to this comment | 01-30-08 8:17 AM
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I want some tea. But I'm in jury duty, trapped in the Brooklyn Supreme Court.


Posted by: A White Bear | Link to this comment | 01-30-08 8:19 AM
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20: Loook fooor the union laaaabel ...


Posted by: politicalfootball | Link to this comment | 01-30-08 8:20 AM
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20: Loook fooor the union laaaabel ...


Posted by: politicalfootball | Link to this comment | 01-30-08 8:20 AM
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I have the misfortune of a February 12th primary. If Super Tuesday decides the race, I'll vote for Edwards. Otherwise, Obama.


Posted by: Minivet | Link to this comment | 01-30-08 8:22 AM
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21: With wifi, your spirit roams free!


Posted by: Minivet | Link to this comment | 01-30-08 8:22 AM
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I hadn't realised that tea plants looked so much like normal shrubbery.


Posted by: Jackmormon | Link to this comment | 01-30-08 8:23 AM
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21: A few simple words ("Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill 'em all! Wu Tang! Woof woof woof!") will fix that.


Posted by: Flippanter | Link to this comment | 01-30-08 8:24 AM
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If asked whether you subscribe to a particular religion, say you're down with the clown.


Posted by: Cryptic Ned | Link to this comment | 01-30-08 8:25 AM
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At least now I can follow the exhortations of those enthusiastic Obama supporters who were waving signs yesterday at my subway station. They made me smile.


Posted by: Bave Dee | Link to this comment | 01-30-08 8:26 AM
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I hope you're making enough tentacle porn for all of us, stras.

On a more cheerful note, I can't resist linking to the following remarks: Josh Trevino on why Romney really won Florida (which includes the awesome paragraph explaining that "Mitt Romney won the Republican Party's idea of itself ... white, Protestant, anti-abortion, go to church on Sundays, think well of the President, want lower taxes, hate terrorists, make a good living, want to do something about immigration, and live in Florida ...") and Pejman Yousefzadeh's belief that any Republican nominee needs Megan McArdle to advise him.


Posted by: Populuxe | Link to this comment | 01-30-08 8:27 AM
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I suppose I'm voting for Obama, then. Good thing I have a week to get fully psyched for it.


Posted by: LizardBreath | Link to this comment | 01-30-08 8:27 AM
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my sure-to-be-meaningless primary

Only six states vote later than NC, and one of them (Puerto Rico) isn't even a state.


Posted by: apostropher | Link to this comment | 01-30-08 8:28 AM
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Want more bad news this Wednesday morning? The surge ain't over, folks, not by a long ways.


Posted by: Bave Dee | Link to this comment | 01-30-08 8:28 AM
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Want to learn some of the songs, LB? Also we can do the face paint and the straw boater and the big paper cutout and the foam finger and the Oh! I'm so excited for you!


Posted by: Beefo Meaty | Link to this comment | 01-30-08 8:29 AM
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Ten Ren is good for green tea, and Pu-Erh. But their best is $100/lb. I would love to find a mail-order US distributer with equivalent quality. Alan MacFarlane's tea book was interesting and warm, I thought


Posted by: lw | Link to this comment | 01-30-08 8:30 AM
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27. She would still be in court. Just a different part of it.


Posted by: OneFatEnglishman | Link to this comment | 01-30-08 8:31 AM
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33: What is that? They were saying a year ago that the surge was time-limited because there weren't soldiers to keep it going: I read that article and couldn't figure out what had changed.


Posted by: LizardBreath | Link to this comment | 01-30-08 8:31 AM
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33: there's a big surprise.


Posted by: Beefo Meaty | Link to this comment | 01-30-08 8:31 AM
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37: nothing has, but they're going to keepit going anyhow; extended deployments, more tours; whatever works.


Posted by: Beefo Meaty | Link to this comment | 01-30-08 8:32 AM
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Only six states vote later than NC

Sorry, neighbor.


Posted by: Populuxe | Link to this comment | 01-30-08 8:34 AM
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I read that article and couldn't figure out what had changed.

I think it's dawned on Bush (although he must have been aware of this earlier) that when you draw down troop levels, violence in Iraq will increase, putting the war on more front pages and hurting the Republicans in the election.

That said, I have no idea how effectively the Pentagon can push back against Bush's political imperative here. The troop constraint does seem hard to get around.


Posted by: Bave Dee | Link to this comment | 01-30-08 8:35 AM
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The surge is like the Bush tax cuts that were supposed to expire after x number of years -- once it's in place, you can blackmail your opponents into extending it. "If you're against the surge you're against victory."


Posted by: Bave Dee | Link to this comment | 01-30-08 8:37 AM
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From the article:

But officials said Mr. Bush's primary concern was not letting military gains in Iraq slip away, a warning he issued in his State of the Union address.

Posted by: Bave Dee | Link to this comment | 01-30-08 8:38 AM
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If asked whether you subscribe to a particular religion, say you're down with the clown.

I got jury duty ... and I didn't want to go, so my friend said, "You should write something really really racist on the form when you return it. Like, you should put 'I hate chinks'." And I said, "I'm not going to put that on there just to get out of jury duty. I don't want people to think that about me." So instead I wrote, "I love chinks." And who doesn't?


Posted by: Sarah Silverman | Link to this comment | 01-30-08 8:39 AM
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31: I'm right there with you, LB.


Posted by: oudemia | Link to this comment | 01-30-08 8:40 AM
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I just really want someone to explain what the constraints were, as seen from last spring's perspective, and whether (a) something's changed or it wasn't true in the first place, and there are no such constraints; (b) the constraints were real, but can be avoided by doing some X that was previously thought to be unacceptable (and the likely consequences of X); or (c) the constraints are real and unavoidable, and the surge is going to end on schedule -- this article is nonsense.

What's Spackerman doing this week? Isn't this his area of expertise? And does he take writing assignments from the Unfogged comments?


Posted by: LizardBreath | Link to this comment | 01-30-08 8:41 AM
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Hmmm, in case anyone was wondering about the latest significant endorsement...


Posted by: Cryptic Ned | Link to this comment | 01-30-08 8:41 AM
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46: I imagine it's (b), but don't really know.


Posted by: Beefo Meaty | Link to this comment | 01-30-08 8:44 AM
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I've been meaning to try Ten Ren as a tea source.


Posted by: FL | Link to this comment | 01-30-08 8:44 AM
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48: Yeah, that's my first guess too. But it means I really want to know what X is.


Posted by: LizardBreath | Link to this comment | 01-30-08 8:45 AM
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I second 46.

I suspect some combination of b and c, but I'd really like to know.


Posted by: Witt | Link to this comment | 01-30-08 8:46 AM
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46, I gotchoo covered. I'm filing a story at 6 pm today for the Washington Independent that touches on something similar. But I'll have more for you on this imminently.


Posted by: spackerman | Link to this comment | 01-30-08 8:46 AM
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God, I love the internet. Thanks, Spackerman!


Posted by: LizardBreath | Link to this comment | 01-30-08 8:48 AM
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Unfogged: the new Mickey's Assignment Desk?


Posted by: Knecht Ruprecht | Link to this comment | 01-30-08 8:50 AM
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And I would like to inform everyone that I've just remembered the word 'bailiwick'. The original version of 46 referred to Spackerman's bailiwick, except that as I was typing, I lost it, and have spent the ensuing ten minutes thinking 'bibelot? bijou?" Bailiwick bailiwick bailiwick.


Posted by: LizardBreath | Link to this comment | 01-30-08 8:53 AM
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55: See, in that situation I would have just gone for "purview".


Posted by: Cryptic Ned | Link to this comment | 01-30-08 8:54 AM
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"beat"


Posted by: JRoth | Link to this comment | 01-30-08 8:55 AM
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"domain"
"metier"
"oeuvre"
"remit"
"stomping ground"


Posted by: Knecht Ruprecht | Link to this comment | 01-30-08 8:58 AM
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"boudoir"


Posted by: Standpipe Bridgeplate | Link to this comment | 01-30-08 9:01 AM
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"intercrural"


Posted by: Bave Dee | Link to this comment | 01-30-08 9:02 AM
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"back pocket"


Posted by: apostropher | Link to this comment | 01-30-08 9:03 AM
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61 pwned by 60.


Posted by: apostropher | Link to this comment | 01-30-08 9:03 AM
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"chasse gardée"


Posted by: Knecht Ruprecht | Link to this comment | 01-30-08 9:03 AM
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62: No, you just have to notate them differently.


Posted by: Bave Dee | Link to this comment | 01-30-08 9:04 AM
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"idiom" !


Posted by: politicalfootball | Link to this comment | 01-30-08 9:05 AM
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Only six states vote later than NC

Mine's one of them. Poop.

The monks have shit to do with your fuckin' tea, FL.

And there's no cute little sleepy bear on the package.
:(


Posted by: Jesus McQueen | Link to this comment | 01-30-08 9:06 AM
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33- This is what happens when the general becomes commander-in-chief. Tell me one instance where a general said either 'Things aren't going so well and we can't win this thing' or 'Nah, don't send more soldiers. We don't need them'.

"My attitude is, if he didn't want to continue the drawdown, that's fine with me, in order to make sure we succeed, see," Mr. Bush said then. "I said to the general, if you want to slow her down, fine, it's up to you.""My attitude is, if he didn't want to continue the drawdown, that's fine with me, in order to make sure we succeed, see," Mr. Bush said then. "I said to the general, if you want to slow her down, fine, it's up to you."

Posted by: asl | Link to this comment | 01-30-08 9:07 AM
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67: Those statements by Bush are thoroughly disingenuous.


Posted by: Bave Dee | Link to this comment | 01-30-08 9:10 AM
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67: aren't generals supposed to be more in touch with the state of their forces and have a better sense of when they are strained to the limit?

I thought the generals were supposed to play the Scotty "I can't give ya any more power, captain!" role.


Posted by: rob helpy-chalk | Link to this comment | 01-30-08 9:12 AM
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67: The generals have always been Bush's sock puppets, or they've been out of a job.


Posted by: politicalfootball | Link to this comment | 01-30-08 9:14 AM
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(Damn ya started a new thread while I was writing this comment, and already 69 comments in front. I'm X-posting, because I don't my legions of fans here to miss my insights)

Bummer about Edwards, of course. My guess is that his internal polls didn't show him above double-digits in the Super Tuesday states.

A real bummer. No, I have no clear idea to whom his delegates or superdelegates will go, or how this will effect Super Tuesday. I would guess the Edwards campaign does have better information, and is dropping out now with a purpose.

405:If [Edwards] does endorse Obama, will McManus shut up?

I am not a follower. If Obama gets the nomination or clearly looks like he will get the nomination, I will then stop criticizing Obama (to the extent I have been criticizing Obama, which is much less than what is reputed to me), and then perhaps begin again after inauguration. Although there will be little point, because Obama would have a juggernaut honeymoon. I might attempt to illuminate some of the adverse consequences of his initiatives, like FICA tax increases and mandateless Health Care.

But, again, won't be much point.


Posted by: bob mcmanus | Link to this comment | 01-30-08 9:15 AM
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70:I said around these parts that I think Bush is semi-retired, and letting the subordinates make the calls. If you think Petraeus is a closet Iraq dove, you are wrong.


Posted by: bob mcmanus | Link to this comment | 01-30-08 9:23 AM
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70- Oh yeah, no question. My point is that Bush isn't holding himself accountable.


Posted by: asl | Link to this comment | 01-30-08 9:24 AM
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Bummer, indeed. I wonder if Edwards just handed Clinton the nomination.


Posted by: David Weman | Link to this comment | 01-30-08 9:29 AM
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74:I wonder if Edwards just handed Clinton the nomination.

We will find out in a week. If Obama has the amazing organization some have mentioned, the polls may not show enough. I have seen analysis of where Edwards constituency goes that says to Clinton, to Obama, to each roughly equally.

It did cross my mind that if Edwards thinks his support would go to Clinton, he could endorse Obama and have chances in both administrations.

But I am betting he is out of politics for a while.


Posted by: bob mcmanus | Link to this comment | 01-30-08 9:40 AM
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52: FWIW, the local paper here ran a story a few days ago quoting Lt. Gen. Mixon, who just came back from commanding a chunk of northern Iraq to take over as CG of USARPAC, to the effect that the strategy has to change because they don't have enough bodies. I'd e-mail it to Spackerman directly but I can't find an address with a quick search and I need to go take a shower and get my kid to school and me to work.


Posted by: Not Prince Hamlet | Link to this comment | 01-30-08 9:52 AM
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73: Gee, there's a surprise.


Posted by: soup biscuit | Link to this comment | 01-30-08 9:53 AM
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Ingrid Robeyns of the Pierik-Robeyns family has a story about how her kids each ended up with two different surnames, one for Belgium and one for the whole rest of the world.


Posted by: John Emerson | Link to this comment | 01-30-08 10:05 AM
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Chuck Todd says that Edwards' intention and expectation is to help Obama, based on what people in Edwards's camp are saying. We'll see if it plays out that way.


Posted by: Wry Cooter | Link to this comment | 01-30-08 10:05 AM
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"Its all about the delegates.

Unless the dymamics of the race significantly changes now that its head to head, the analysis below from a poster on TPM, gives the best analysis of impact:

It's not a question of how Edwards' voters will split - they're likely to back Obama by at least a small margin. The real blow comes in all of the CDs that Hillary will win on February 5. Edwards drew almost no votes in heavily black areas, meaning that he didn't pull delegates from the CDs where Obama runs most strongly. But he was often cracking 15% in lily-white, relatively poor districts, and every time he did, he effectively pulled one delegate away from Hillary. Translated to a national scale, it probably meant 50-100 fewer Super Tuesday delegates for the Clinton campaign, but perhaps a dozen fewer for Obama.

The upshot: this hurts Obama, and it hurts bad. Even an Edwards endorsement probably won't fully compensate for the damage it does to Obama's viability, although that would somewhat cushion the blow. Tough to see Obama coming out ahead anymore in the Super Tuesday delegate count.

...and more...

If 15% of the voters in a given district were going to vote for Edwards, and every single one switches his vote to Obama, that's not necessarily a good thing for the Obama camp. In many cases, instead of splitting 5 delegates 2-2-1, putting all of Edwards' votes on Obama's ballot line results in a 3-2 split in favor of Hillary.

Of course, not all Edwards voters will gravitate to Obama. But even if they did, this would still hurt his campaign. He did better with Edwards cracking 15% in Hillary's core districts than he possibly can by doing 10-15% better himself in those very same CDs. That's the bottom line here, not some impossible-to-resolve debate about which way Edwards' backers will split." ...anonymous at Ezra's


Posted by: bob mcmanus | Link to this comment | 01-30-08 10:08 AM
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last sunday i've been to the ny public library and saw the scroll of on the road
sooo great!
the feeling was same when i've been to the nagoya tokugawa museum and expected to see the scroll of the genji monogatari, but unfortunately it was not there, they said the scroll was transferred to tokyo for restoration or maintenance something, so i saw only replica, pity
http://www.swannteas.com/abouttea5.html
what we drink, i mean nationwide, may be you can try if you are interested
but we add milk and salt


Posted by: read | Link to this comment | 01-30-08 10:13 AM
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Salt? Not much salt, I hope.


Posted by: LizardBreath | Link to this comment | 01-30-08 10:15 AM
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some drink pretty salty almost like soup, especially in gobi
some not much, i drink without, but it's tasteless without salt


Posted by: read | Link to this comment | 01-30-08 10:20 AM
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Milk, salt, and in Tibet at least, clarified butter and barley.

Every time I go to a hippy-dippy chai place I ask when they're going to start serving Tibertan tea.


Posted by: John Emerson | Link to this comment | 01-30-08 10:20 AM
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yeah, tibetan tea, that's almost like soup
very similar to what we call xiitstei tsai, which means something added to tea, like butter or rice with xoninu suul, good for cold and dry climate i guess to keep you warm and hydrated
i bet you would never guess what is that :)


Posted by: read | Link to this comment | 01-30-08 10:25 AM
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There's a Tibetan place in Cambridge that serves it, but I haven't quite had any yet.


Posted by: Beefo Meaty | Link to this comment | 01-30-08 10:27 AM
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Is it really true that Obama does better among poor whites? My sense was that, campaign rhetoric aside, he actually has done better among better off whites.


Posted by: Wry Cooter | Link to this comment | 01-30-08 10:28 AM
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this hurts Obama, and it hurts bad

I'm inclined to think that Edward's departure could help the Clintons more than Obama, but I'm also inclined to think that A) Edwards must be aware of that, too, and B) that Edwards has no particular reason to want to help them. So is there something else I don't know about? I'll wait and see.


Posted by: Populuxe | Link to this comment | 01-30-08 10:32 AM
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So is there something else I don't know about?

Yes.


Posted by: Beefo Meaty | Link to this comment | 01-30-08 10:36 AM
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How insane is it that I learn this news from Unfogged? I just hope that Elizabeth Edwards is okay. "I want to spend more time with family" is actually meaningful in this case.

Also: I have no idea if this good of bad for Obama or Clinton. But I suspect that it's bad for me, as BHO and HRC can now tack further to the center and use proxies like Kennedy to establish their liberal street cred. I'm going to miss Edwards.


Posted by: Ari | Link to this comment | 01-30-08 10:38 AM
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#89. Really? That fills me with fear and trembling.


Posted by: Populuxe | Link to this comment | 01-30-08 10:39 AM
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I think we should get back to the tea portion of this thread. I am finding this fascinating.


Posted by: CJB | Link to this comment | 01-30-08 10:45 AM
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I hadn't realised that tea plants looked so much like normal shrubbery.

They're camellias!


Posted by: Jesus McQueen | Link to this comment | 01-30-08 10:48 AM
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I think it helps Obama more than Clinton. Everyone in the whole damn country has an opinion on Clinton. If they liked her, they already liked her. I think Edwardsy people were voting based on his platform, and that they'll see Obama as the next best.


Posted by: heebie-geebie | Link to this comment | 01-30-08 10:49 AM
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One thing I hate about Mellow Monk is his anti-thermometer prejudice. I'm a big believer in being precise about the water temperature.


Posted by: FL | Link to this comment | 01-30-08 10:51 AM
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At least one commenter was born on a tea plantation.


Posted by: Abraham Lincoln | Link to this comment | 01-30-08 10:51 AM
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One thing I hate about Mellow Monk is his anti-thermometer prejudice. I'm a big believer in being precise about the water temperature.

I believe you'll find the methodology if the tea from the Anal Apothecary quite pleasant, then.


Posted by: heebie-geebie | Link to this comment | 01-30-08 10:56 AM
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Fleet of foot and of enema is our Heebie.


Posted by: FL | Link to this comment | 01-30-08 10:58 AM
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MacFarlane's fist chapter is his mother's reminescences about life on a tea plantation; she failed to get the colonial bosses interested in schools and clinics for the plantation kids. He goes into some detail about the Brits bringing Tea to Assam and Sri Lanka; just because they won the Opium war didn't mean that a more cost-effective source for tea wasn't appealing.

While learning the chinese characters for various types of tea is obviously useful, it's much harder than basic menu chinese.


Posted by: lw | Link to this comment | 01-30-08 11:00 AM
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born in Georgia?
so no guesses, pity
that was a sheep tail's fat, sliced thinly and roasted with rice before adding water, tea leaves powder and milk to boil at 100 degrees of celsius
good to be served on rainy day at home and with some good read, cozy!
especially if mother made it


Posted by: read | Link to this comment | 01-30-08 11:05 AM
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it was the 100th! i like the round numerals


Posted by: read | Link to this comment | 01-30-08 11:06 AM
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read,
If you are going to use lower-case "read" as a handle, you might want to think through possible alternate intepretations of a sentence like: good to be served on rainy day at home and with some good read, cozy!

.. or perhaps that was your intent.


Posted by: JP Stormcrow | Link to this comment | 01-30-08 11:24 AM
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JP, low-hanging fruit has never been picked so delicately.


Posted by: Jesus McQueen | Link to this comment | 01-30-08 11:27 AM
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'read' was meant simply to be a thick novel like Sigrid Unset's or Bulgakov for example
what intent! and alternate interpretations, for shame!
i'm not Beefo Meaty, a chameleon


Posted by: read | Link to this comment | 01-30-08 11:34 AM
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104 was a good read. But perhaps not a good comment.


Posted by: Auto-banned | Link to this comment | 01-30-08 11:36 AM
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Edwards' withdrawal speech is in video on the front page of the Washington Post. Tear-making.


Posted by: jackie | Link to this comment | 01-30-08 11:40 AM
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chameleons are beautiful creatures fyi
so that one wouldn't be tempted to take it as an insult
just wanted to say that i mean always what i say only and mean no other meanings


Posted by: read | Link to this comment | 01-30-08 11:42 AM
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Yes, but what exactly do you mean by that?


Posted by: LizardBreath | Link to this comment | 01-30-08 11:43 AM
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I don't think you really meant `chameleon' then, read. Fox maybe. But that would be a double entendre of its own: Calamity!


Posted by: soup biscuit | Link to this comment | 01-30-08 11:46 AM
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i have to explain what i meant about chameleon?
i can't explain, just something like can't be trusted = chameleon
his own words
i shouldn't bring actual people into my comments though
it was rude perhaps, sorry


Posted by: read | Link to this comment | 01-30-08 11:57 AM
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Chameleons look like their surroundings --- not an apt analogy for hidden/layered meaning.


Posted by: soup biscuit | Link to this comment | 01-30-08 12:03 PM
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but i'm reading in too much to this, probably.


Posted by: soup biscuit | Link to this comment | 01-30-08 12:03 PM
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||
Damn, Edwards had me crying like a child. A lifelong Tarheel, I look forward to word of where his campaign goes when he comes home. (Which may lead to gossip.)

As to the speech: the Senator wound up pretty slowly at first (over-edited) and went around in a circle before closing, but hey, I'm a Southerner, right? We go for that.

I can see the value of an "Edwards primary". And I love that he steals the thunder from Rudy's news cycle. Shame he'll be missing the next debate, though!

|>


Posted by: Rah | Link to this comment | 01-30-08 12:05 PM
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111 apt, not apt
i was thinking not about the ability of chameleons to change their colour according to their surroundings, but about my perception of them, you think it's red when it turns out to be green something



Posted by: read | Link to this comment | 01-30-08 12:44 PM
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so, Fontana, you big gay, what do you use to brew your tea?


Posted by: Michael | Link to this comment | 01-30-08 1:01 PM
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What time did this post go up? I learned about Edwards' decision from the director of the museum where I work this morning, in the elevator. She's his neighbor, and apparently in the know, and she said he'd be announcing at 1:00 this afternoon. So I'm feeling pretty insidery myself when I come here and everybody already knows about it. How deflating. I've always been an Edwards supporter.

She also mentioned that he might be getting the VP nod from Obama, which strikes me as entirely plausible. I expect an Obama-Edwards ticket, and I think it's a winner, so I'm cool with that.


Posted by: wrenae | Link to this comment | 01-30-08 1:30 PM
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She also mentioned that he might be getting the VP nod from Obama, which strikes me as entirely plausible.

Now that's the kind of thing that means something coming from an insider.

Keep up the good work, Wrenæ.


Posted by: Cryptic Ned | Link to this comment | 01-30-08 1:39 PM
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Michael, I'll ease you out of the closet by mentioning my brown betty.


Posted by: FL | Link to this comment | 01-30-08 1:40 PM
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She also mentioned that he might be getting the VP nod from Obama, which strikes me as entirely plausible.

Now, that would be insidery. Or was it speculative?


Posted by: asl | Link to this comment | 01-30-08 1:44 PM
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119 mostly pwned by 117. Question outstanding as to whether the comment was speculative, though.


Posted by: asl | Link to this comment | 01-30-08 1:46 PM
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I'm not really sure if it was speculative; it was one of those quick elevator conversations, and she wasn't actually talking to me, but to my boss. She's close with some state-level politicians as well--we're right across the street from the legislature--so it's most likely a relay from one of them. So it could still be speculative, but I don't think she was the one doing the speculatin'. I'll probe my boss for more details, if there are any to be had.


Posted by: wrenae | Link to this comment | 01-30-08 1:52 PM
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Here's a wonderful thing about this campaign: since it has brought the contest into states where primaries had never before been decisive, and because the candidates are so interesting, it's really stretching the boundaries of conventional wisdom. Rural whites won't vote for Obama? They did so in Nevada (and Iowa). Young people turned out for Obama in Iowa but not in New Hampshire. 'Moderates': for Clinton (NH) or Obama (NV)? Wealthy voters, for Obama or Clinton? Southern whites, Mountain state whites, young black people, old black people... we really have no idea where the fault lines lie at the moment. And Edwards' withdrawal no doubt fractures it ever more elaborately.

In other words, I don't think we can make many predictions about this exceptional race. There will be a lot of state-by-state volatility.


Posted by: CG | Link to this comment | 01-30-08 2:02 PM
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Further to 121:
Scuttlebutt from my boss is that she probably got the idea from a specific local liberal congressman. If Edwards throws his support to Obama, then we'll know he's gotten the offer, obviously. But Boss couldn't be sure if it was speculative on the congressman's part or not.

I also learned that my boss used to ride the elevator with Caroline Kennedy when they both worked at the Met in NYC. /irrelevant minutia


Posted by: Wrenae | Link to this comment | 01-30-08 2:13 PM
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Two times a VP nominee, never a bride?


Posted by: Jackmormon | Link to this comment | 01-30-08 2:43 PM
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Damn, wrenae, you go with your insidery self!

Edwards said on NPR a couple-few weeks ago that he would not accept a VP role from anyone but I'd like to think that if Obama called on him that Elizabeth would whack him upside the head until he said yes.


Posted by: Robust McManlyPants | Link to this comment | 01-30-08 2:49 PM
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Edwards said on NPR a couple-few weeks ago that he would not accept a VP role from anyone

Don't candidates generally have to say that while they're still in the race?


Posted by: Brock Landers | Link to this comment | 01-30-08 2:52 PM
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Yes, Brock, but among the varied output of my bottomless well of naive beliefs is a desire that candidates I otherwise mostly really like only say things they mean. Also, my drag name is "Virginia."


Posted by: Robust McManlyPants | Link to this comment | 01-30-08 2:55 PM
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Murdoch's NYPost endorses Obama over Clinton in the Dem. primary, despite all we'd read about the relationship the Clintons were cultivating with Murdoch. I await mcmanus's calm reaction.


Posted by: washerdreyer | Link to this comment | 01-30-08 2:58 PM
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Don't candidates generally have to say that while they're still in the race?

That's what Slate tells me every four years, right before somebody drops out.


Posted by: Flippanter | Link to this comment | 01-30-08 3:02 PM
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I await mcmanus's calm reaction.

A quiet satisfaction in being useful to so many here.


Posted by: bob mcmanus | Link to this comment | 01-30-08 3:35 PM
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130: Well said.

But in other news:
DO NOT WANT


Posted by: JP Stormcrow | Link to this comment | 01-30-08 3:48 PM
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Could someone explain what happens now to Edwards' delegates? Does he get to toss them to the candidate he likes best?


Posted by: jms | Link to this comment | 01-30-08 4:11 PM
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131: Eh, send him out first to soften up Putin. He can be picador to Obama's matador. And I'll shout ole! when he gets gored.


Posted by: Not Prince Hamlet | Link to this comment | 01-30-08 4:26 PM
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I expect an Obama-Edwards ticket, and I think it's a winner, so I'm cool with that.

I like Edwards, and particularly EE, but (a) I think HRC's going to take the nomination, and (b) I would really, really prefer that Obama put a woman on the ticket if he gets the nomination.


Posted by: SomeCallMeTim | Link to this comment | 01-30-08 4:40 PM
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I would really, really prefer that Obama put a woman on the ticket

Which woman?


Posted by: apostropher | Link to this comment | 01-30-08 4:47 PM
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Sibileus, I guess. I didn't see the response that everyone hated, but it wouldn't much change my mind. If there are others out there (I understand Napolitano's out for possible sexual choice reasons, and Granholm for not being American-born), they should be checked out as well.


Posted by: SomeCallMeTim | Link to this comment | 01-30-08 4:50 PM
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He could put Hillary on the ticket.


Posted by: Brock Landers | Link to this comment | 01-30-08 4:57 PM
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Nobody puts Hillary in the corner on the ticket.


Posted by: washerdreyer | Link to this comment | 01-30-08 5:12 PM
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||
Things I learned today:
1) I rock the shit out of case interviews.
2) Apparently all that matters in the first round is the "initial assessment" exam, out of which I do not rock the shit. We shall see.
3) All women who apply for consulting positions are 5'8'', leggy, and have straight hair, except me.
|>

Then I get home and find Edwards drops out. Goddammit.


Posted by: Cala | Link to this comment | 01-30-08 5:37 PM
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Cala, you might not have seen it embedded in the 1000+ closed comment thread, but I invited you to send me an email. You need not read the thread to do so.

former name at gee-mail dot com


Posted by: Nápi | Link to this comment | 01-30-08 5:47 PM
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Cala, if you don't get the job, Obama still hasn't picked a VP, so you've got a safety plan.


Posted by: Cryptic Ned | Link to this comment | 01-30-08 6:14 PM
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I love Sebelius, and I don't care if she was wooden, but Ogged says "no way Obama picks a woman," and I figure Ogged knows best how the people of color think.

So did Edwards endorse anyone? I just got home.


Posted by: bitchphd | Link to this comment | 01-30-08 7:12 PM
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Nope.


Posted by: Nápi | Link to this comment | 01-30-08 7:13 PM
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Not all people of color are alike. Ogged is in the demographic that dominates California and hates black candidates.


Posted by: Cryptic Ned | Link to this comment | 01-30-08 7:17 PM
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The suspense is killing me. I want to know what kind of horse trading is going on with Edwards.


Posted by: Jesus McQueen | Link to this comment | 01-30-08 7:27 PM
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Could someone explain what happens now to Edwards' delegates? Does he get to toss them to the candidate he likes best?

They're not legally bound to anyone now, but Edwards could encourage them to support a specific candidate. Presumably, that would have some effect.

Also: Pew Research guy on NPR this evening said among Edwards supporters second-choice votes were Obama (44%) and Hillary (31%). But that was a week ago. Also: Edwards one notable core demographic = white males.


Posted by: Stanley | Link to this comment | 01-30-08 8:05 PM
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New numbers from Massachusetts, where earlier polls had given HRC an enormous lead: Clinton 43, Obama 37, Edwards 11. Collected before Edwards dropped out, obviously.


Posted by: apostropher | Link to this comment | 01-30-08 8:42 PM
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The more I tihnk about this the better 10 looks. I was upset at first, but now I think it's for the best.


Posted by: Brock Landers | Link to this comment | 01-30-08 8:46 PM
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So, y'all my vote's up for grabs. Convince me.


Posted by: bitchphd | Link to this comment | 01-30-08 8:50 PM
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Ron Paul is really awesome, B.


Posted by: Stanley | Link to this comment | 01-30-08 8:53 PM
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149: Bloomberg's more electable than Nader.


Posted by: apostropher | Link to this comment | 01-30-08 8:54 PM
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Jeb Bush has a lot of free time right now.


Posted by: Stanley | Link to this comment | 01-30-08 9:06 PM
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Ron Paul is really awesome, I have to say. If it weren't for all his crazy ideas, I'd definitely vote for him. Even with his crazy ideas I'd happily vote for him in the R. primary, were I voting in the R. primary.


Posted by: Brock Landers | Link to this comment | 01-30-08 9:09 PM
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I haven't exactly been following the Repub debates, but from what I've seen, it's Paul who gets the big applause when talk turns to Iraq. That, and the obvious contempt he gets from schmucks like Romney and Giuliani, almost makes me like the guy. Nuts, though.


Posted by: Jesus McQueen | Link to this comment | 01-30-08 9:16 PM
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149: Consider the Republican exit polls in Florida that had the majority of the Republicans who said they were anti-Iraq war and/or pro-choice going for McCain. There have got to be a lot of confused Republican voters out there without a whole lot more than tribal affiliation holding them to their party. A candidate they didn't already hate, who told them soothingly that he respects their concerns and has just the solutions for them, could come out with a hell of a mandate. That's what Obama's working toward and it's looking plausible.


Posted by: Not Prince Hamlet | Link to this comment | 01-30-08 10:20 PM
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What with the Super Bowl on Sunday and Super Duper Tuesday on Tuesday, and Barry O's $32,000,000 fund raising month, why doesn't he drop a Super Bowl commercial?


Posted by: washerdreyer | Link to this comment | 01-31-08 10:56 AM
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