For those who haven’t yet noticed, Obama has been swift-boated.  One of Obama’s greatest strengths is the sense of optimism and hope he brings to many people.  This is a huge threat to the GOP death machine, and so of course it is being taken on directly much like the war hero status of the previous Democratic nominee John Kerry was attacked.

Proving once again that Obama is not someone you could have a beer with, it was revealed by the Washington Post that Obama was able to obtain a better than average rate on a home mortgage.  As if his above average IQ is not enough the newly anointed democratic candidate for president now thumbs his nose at the rest of America by maintaining good credit and using it to his advantage in obtaining a home loan.

Ok, next time some self-important Republican like McCain gets up and berates "socialized medicine" why don’t we ask him/her why the fuck do they think they are entitled to excellent government health care while millions of other Americans have no coverage whatsoever?  How about we get these assholes sign over their benefits to someone who needs the health care and save us all the preachy bullshit.

With the global warming crisis upon us, it is time for BIG thinking.  One interesting point is that we need to transform the United States (and other countries) to a zero carbon spewing state as soon as possible, yet few seem to discuss how the mechanics of this would work.  I think that one approach that would have a huge impact is to change zoning laws to introduce a zero carbon factor.  More below the fold:

Wow, remember four years ago?  Dean was way ahead, then came in 3rd in Iowa and wound up withdrawing after a terrible finish in Wisconsin.  This time around Clinton was way ahead came in 3rd in Iowa and says that Texas and Ohio will bring her back up in the delegate race for the Democratic nomination.

UPDATE: Some of the latest in Wisconsin detailed in this AP article: Clinton Makes Fresh Push in Wisconsin

Ok, I'm not talking about drugs here but instead the very real problem that Obama has with convincing a good part of the Democratic primary voters that he has the substance to deserve our votes.  I, like so many of the folks I know here in liberal Madison, Wisconsin am an Edwards supporter who is now faced with the dilemma of picking between Clinton and Obama, and in this diary I will share some of those thoughts.

UPDATED: Thank you all for your comments.  Despite the occasional insults and accusations of trollism, many readers of this diary seemed to understand that I am actually trying to advance dialog beyond the current "my candidate is better than yours, BTW yours is running out of money" stuff that has taken over this board.  The funniest part of some of these flames is that being part of the group "formerly known as Edwards supporters" I find myself leaning more towards Obama sometimes and defending him, yet by exploring his weakenesses I get accused of all kinds of stuff.  Whatever.  

For those who wish to explore the reasons that we still have two viable Democratic candidates, I suggest the following NYT piece that supports exactly the points made in this diary (below the fold).

He would never say where she came from
Yesterday don’t matter if it’s gone
While the sun is bright...

We keep hearing the vapid talking heads on television describe how Congress is "in a bind" and really has few choices but to agree to whatever the GOP’s endless war demands from us all next.  Not-so-fast you blubbering, amost-always wrong pundits and politicians.  There are many things Congress could do to bring us closer to protecting our troops and getting us out of Iraq even if Bush follows through on his promise to veto the funding of the troops in Iraq because he doesn’t like the "strings".  More, after the fold...

As this piece entitled "Karl Rove on Election Eve" By Hugh Hewitt reminds us, on the eve of the 2006 November elections Karl Rove remained upbeat despite overwhelming evidence that a Democrat wave was about to wipe out Republican majorities in both the House and Senate.

More after the fold...

As reported by Catherine Spude, a former National Park Employee in an editorial to the Santa Fe New Mexican back in 2005, the Bush Administration now requires all new mid-level managers of the National Park Service to swear a loyalty oath to the administration currently in power.

all new mid-level managers of the National Park Service will have to swear a fealty oath to the  administration currently in power. In other words, in order to get promoted beyond a "worker bee," employees will be approved by a political appointee, promising to be a "yes person."

More after the break...

The larger problem with whole Justice Department scandals is that President Bush, and the GOP in general have un-American views that contend that the Justice Department belongs not to the American people, but to George Bush.

This disturbing viewpoint, that is finally working it's way into the genius minds of the MSM explains everything about the current sorry state of affairs at the Justice Department.  We don't need to dig very deep to discover this either, Bush himself has confessed to it by referred to the United States Justice Department as

"my Justice Department"

when asked a question regarding the Enron collapse by John King, CNN SR. White House Correspondent on February 5, 2002.

During the build-up to the Iraq war, idiot pundits like George Will criticized the "wacky left" for suggesting that oil was the real motive for attacking Iraq.

Now of course we have articles like the one Peter Baker wrote in the Washington Post on November 5 entitled:

Bush Says U.S. Pullout Would Let Iraq Radicals Use Oil as a Weapon

By Peter Baker
Staff Writer
Sunday, November 5, 2006; Page A06
GREELEY, Colo., Nov. 4 -- During the run-up to the invasion of Iraq, President Bush and his aides sternly dismissed suggestions that the war was all about oil. "Nonsense," Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld declared. "This is not about that," said White House spokesman Ari Fleischer.
Now, more than 3 1/2 years later, someone else is asserting that the war is about oil -- President Bush."

I must be a Crazy Moonbat and now I feel so foolish because like so many others that frequent this blog I believed:

1. That Bush and the GOP would be a disaster for this country, as they would refuse to check the powers of the President as they are mandated to do by our form of government.

2. Invading Iraq would be a total mistake, something like a repeat of Vietnam.

3. The tax cuts for the rich would not magically generate more income as promised by the GOP, and in fact would plunge the country deeply into debt.

On July 20th, 1787 James Madison spoke to the Federal Convention on the Subject of Executive Impeachment.  Mr. Madison felt strongly that the newly forming government of the United States should have some provision for "defending the Community agst the incapacity, negligence or perfidy of the chief Magistrate."

It seems ridiculous to think that any Democratic Senator might vote for the architect of the 1984ish NSA spying on every American program, but this week we heard from at least one Democratic Senator that she would support General Hayden to head the CIA.  Here's some friendly advise, get a f***ing clue.  As Democrats we know we are a big party and there are going to be some elected leaders that do things and vote for things we don't agree with.  That is fine.  But there are also some things we expect you to do and not to do if you wish to call yourself a Democrat...

Fox News likes to wrap itself in the American flag, claiming some sort of American Patriotism while denouncing those who disagree with them. But the truth is this outfit is actually owned by a foreign billionaire. Think about it, a foreign-owned enterprise, posing as some sort of American institution is trashing American voices that they don't agree with!!

Time Magazine is now taking suggestions for the person of the year.

Dear Senator:
It is now public record that Supreme Court nominee Alito wrote the following in 1985:

I am particularly proud of my contributions in recent cases in which the government has argued in the Supreme Court that racial and ethnic quotas should not be allowed and that the Constitution does not protect a right to abortion.

Given Alito's extreme positions, it is only reasonable to believe that if he were to get onto the U.S. Supreme Court, at his earliest opportunity, he would vote to overturn the 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling.