John Adams on Thomas Jefferson: “[He has] a mind, soured, yet seeking for popularity, and eaten to a honeycomb with ambition, yet weak, confused, uninformed, and ignorant.”

Thomas Jefferson on Adams: “[He is] distrustful, obstinate, excessively vain, and takes no counsel from anyone.”

I could look deeper and find worse. The point is: even the greatest men (and women) who have run for President in this country have had to draw sharp, and cutting, contrasts with their opponents, and have had to fight in the mud for delegates. Check out Reason magazine's page on the "10 Dirtiest Political Races in US History":

http://www.reason.com/news/show/38381.html

Here's how the 1800 campaign is described:

"1800: In the country's first contested presidential election, supporters of Thomas Jefferson claimed incumbent John Adams wanted to marry off his son to the daughter of King George III, creating an American dynasty under British rule. Jefferson haters called the challenger a fraud, a coward, a thief, and 'a mean-spirited, low-lived fellow, the son of a half-breed Indian squaw, sired by a Virginia mulatto father.' Jefferson won."

By comparison, what went on on the stage last night was like kittens playing with sheathed claws in a sunny field!

"Another reason I'm voting for the Republican nominee if she is the Democratic one."

That tells you all you need to hear....

Hillary said something mean about Obama on MLK day so you'll maybe vote for John McCain, who voted *against* the MLK holiday. Smart move!

OK, here's the Chicago Tribune on Obama's relationship with "slumlord" Rezco. You have to admit that Obama's explanation during the debate was pretty lame in light of this (he referred to Rezco vaguely as "that individual" and implied his only relationship was billing 5 hours at a law firm). I especially like the shades of Whitewater in this saga!

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chicago/chi-0611010273nov01,1,2852476.story

A fun excerpt (here's classic Obama trying to defend himself):

"I don't recall exactly what our conversations were or where I first learned, and I am not clear what the circumstances were where he made a decision that he was interested in the property," Obama said.

"I may have mentioned to him the name of [a developer and] he may at that point have contacted that person. I'm not clear about that," Obama said.

Additional fun coverage:

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/politics/chi-rezko_both_20jan20,0,7876083.story?coll=chi_tab01_layout

http://www.suntimes.com/news/politics/425305,CST-NWS-obama13.article

The point is, I will vote for Obama anyway if he gets the Dem nomination, but he is not Polly Purebread and the sun doesn't shine out of his hiney.

This is a Republican script--Dems bloodying each other, will kill them in the general--when all that's going on is the sometimes sharp back-and-forth of a primary season. I mean, go back and read what Howard Dean said about some of his Democratic competitors in 2004 (who he implied weren't even Democrats), or what sainted Al Gore and his supporters said about Bill Bradley in 2000. Nothing that went on on that stage last night can compare with some of the savagery McCain and Bush shot at each other in 2000. Let's stop being so touchy, okay? Unless, that is, we feel our favored candidate has a glass jaw and can't take the shots--in which case, I'd be rethinking my candidate if I were you.

Which debate were you listening to, Joe? I think he was talking about closed textile mills in South Carolina. But hey, why let mere facts stand in the way of a warm fuzzy story about your hero? Already you're writing the history books!

Great post, Jim, and I agree. But I wouldn't write off a Clinton-Obama ticket. Both of them are egocentric, shrewd, and incredibly ambitious--if each thought it was to their political advantage to unite for the November election, they'd bury the hatchet in a heartbeat. Remember: Reagan (Barack's BFF) picked George H.W. Bush as his running mate even after that "voodoo economics" crack.

Yes, he has a realistic shot at winning in November! Thinking people, unite!

Why did he even say what your quoted? It was dumb. Edwards lambasted him for it too. How about praising Democratic presidents and Democratic ideas? Would that be so hard?

That was a lovely and inspiring little sermon. I am really sorry from the scrambles I have left this country in.

You are just so cool and super, and I love you, and you are flawless, and Hillary is evil, and I love you, and you WON last night, you made her so MAD, and you're cool and handsome and speak so lovely--please be my only bestest friend.

Tell us. Why? He is a liberal Democrat. Is he fooling you somehow?

You are so sweet and smart and beautiful, and a total genius, and Hillary is the DEVIL, she drinks children's blood, but you are PURE, and I LOVE you, you make me weak with joy, please WIN WIN WIN and stop the EVIL Clintons! She picked on you last night but you sure showed her with your calm courage and dignity and did I mention total genius and sweetness and BEAUTIFULNESS!

Don't pay any attention to all that stuff about how your health care plan leaves 15 million people out, or how you voted present 130 times and now attack your rivals for their up-or-down votes, or how you had a cozy decades-long relationship with a sketchy Chicago real estate mogul now under indictment, or how you're just a freshman Senator whose only competitive election was beating Alan Keyes in 2004 and a mannequin in a clown suit could have beaten Alan Keyes. Those are just sour grapes from cruel EVIL blood-drinking Hillbots who worship the devil and secretly envy Bill O'Reilly's Loofah.

You, Barack, are a GOD, you stride across the landscape like a titan, mere mortals fall before you. Oh Barack, you're really really CUTE!!!!! Please send me a facebook poke. :))