For the past five months, as caucus after primary came and went, we've become more and more polarized with respect to our two sides here.  With last night's results from North Carolina and Indiana being digested, we are all doing a bit more soul searching and a bit more reassessing to figure out what is going on now. There are many calls for unity and for a less confrontational dialogue with Clinton supporters on this site and on the numerous other blogs and newspaper comment threads throughout the country.

However, I'm not ready to forgive and forget, yet.

I was perusing the news this morning when I came upon this article in the New York Times with some clarifying quotes from Governor Dean.

There is a front page story on this article now by DHinMI about the political ramifications.  I'm writing about the winning delegate and popular vote margins he's suggested.

I have been flabbergasted and irked by Senator Clinton's decision to weigh in on the Pastor Wright issue, personally.  Up until now, it's been her campaign spurring things on.  But now, after a few days of having that Bosnia video by JedReport do the rounds on the internet and now on the daily news circuit, Senator Clinton has decided to deflect attention from herself (something a presidential candidate short of money rarely does, unless she's in trouble) and onto an issue that has been faithfully dealt with by Senator Obama.

We've all heard the back and forth between Senators Obama and McCain for the past few days.  It seems like the Republican Party strategy every election year is to dumb-down the electorate as they try to convince voters that 2+2=3.85.  But not this year... we have the money, we have the energy, we have the volunteers on the ground in all 50 states, and we have the high ground on every issue from health care to the environment and national defense.  After so many heartbreaking elections, we need to find some answers to these attacks.

I voted for Obama on Tsunami Tuesday, and I've commented here and there and tried to advocate my choice for the Democratic nominee, oftentimes having punching matches with others who post here whom I know are only trying to help our party grow.  I'm confident that whomever comes out of the nominating fight, I will support their candidacy and also vote for them.  But this diary is about a subconscious fear that I no longer have... a fear that concerns McCain quickly marching to the nomination while Obama and Clinton continue in what will be a long, protracted battle for our nomination.

Does your disdain for Clinton prevent you from voting Democratic?  How far does your contempt for the Senator travel?  Does it extend all the way down to municipal elections so that you won't vote for any Democratic candidate if they support Clinton?

The U.S. House has just passed H.R. 928, a bill designed to strengthen to power of Inspectors General and protect them from political backlash whenever they report information that is unsavory to the Executive Branch, or in this case, to King George The Just Idiotic.  With its knee-jerk reactions intact, the White House has threatened to veto the bill.

I sent this letter through Senator Reid's online comment form.  I will send a similar one to my two senators, Boxer and Feinstein, but if you have anything else I should add, let me know.  Perhaps it can turn into something for our whole Senate family to ponder over during their final few days of August recess.

Remember back then, when we were hearing about the dire war costs spiraling into the high 50 billion dollars range.  Wow, how things have changed four, long frickin' years later... .

This little slip of the tongue by our Secretary of State shows how far back this Administration's foreign policies are and what the mindset of the people in charge happens to be.  Secretary Rice is an expert in the foreign policy that was relevant 15 years ago.

The GOP has shown that they are willing to absolve themselves of their Congressional responsibility, both as the majority party and now as the minority party, on every single issue of substance to the American people. Oversight investigations are just skimming the surface of GOP negligence over the past twelve years.  Now, with the debate over the Iraq Supplemental bill all but finished as the bill moves out of Conference, we see just how much, or how little Congressional Republicans will do for their constituents.

This goes beyond being ridiculous to being extremely dangerous, but I think we have come to expect this type of chicanery from the Bush Administration.  With half their mouths speaking to the American public about the need to isolate North Korea, one of the original Axis of Evil partners, they secretly allowed an arms shipment from North Korea to Ethiopia.  Check out the sordid details below the fold.

The uneasy coexistence of President Bush and the Democratic Congress is over.  They are now officially at war with one another.

President Bush has sung in our ears about how the military will suffer if his artificial April 15th deadline for passing a supplemental spending bill passes without the necessary funds available.  Perhaps he should have consulted the Pentagon and the Defense Department before setting that date.

One thing that this "administration" is good at is feinting.  More specifically, while they mislead about Attorneys General being fired, they try to get the mainstream media to switch over to some other topic.  This past weekend, the topic was Middle East peace, with Secretary Rice "negotiating" with the Palestinians and Israelis about the prospects for peace.  The outcome... just about the same as before the negotiations, which is nothing except a commitment to talk again.  I can secure such an endorsement and there is no need to send the Secretary of State to do something an assistant can perform.