Obama is no John Kerry, as he demonstrated out of the general election gate today. He is much more charismatic, articulate, and, frankly, more combative than Kerry. Despite all the talk of Hillary's losing "balls," Obama is going to take the gloves off now, and do exactly what both the Democratic base and a large majority of independents disgusted with Bush have longed for for years: He's going to pummel Bush relentlessly, and McCain with him.

And this is not 2004. After four more years of futility in the most unpopular war in American history (much more unpopular with "the silent majority" than Vietnam), the American public is absolutely fed up with Bush and the Republicans, as they just demonstrated in the belly of the scarlet beast, Mississippi. Hillary caught fire too late when she started expressing the fighting rage especially felt by "Reagan Democrats," who've seen their kids killed and maimed in Iraq in vain.

Add to this four more years of economic decline for the "Reagan Democrats," and gas that may be heading for $5 at the pump by November, and you've got the basis for a popular revolt that has not been seen in this country since '32. The Bush administration is seen by the "Reagan Democrats" above all as the most disastrous for their families' interests since Hoover. They truly GET this this time, and neither race-baiting, nor gay-baiting, nor even Michelle-baiting will distract them from what their rage will drive them to do in November. Bush has simply botched everything too badly for "culture" and "elitism" to win it this time.

Finally, McCain is a poor speaker (as bumbling and awkward as Bush) who simply looks like a stiff, bumbling old man at the lectern on nightly TV. He makes Gerald Ford look like Colin Farrell. He's the greatest gift to SNL, The Daily Show, Comedy Central, and Letterman in the history of modern presidential politics. If Obama picks Jim Webb as his running-mate--a much greater hero in Vietnam than McCain, the most decorated Marine of the war, and a potential "maverick" attack dog for the Dems who can make Spiro Agnew look like a diplomat from the UN--we'll see who looks more "virile" and capable of giving this country powerful leadership in a dangerous world by November.

One of the most interesting things about the Obama campaign has been the way it has split Jewish America. Jews who've remained true over the years to their liberal roots, their Civil Rights roots, have naturally and enthusiastically tended to go with Obama, and supported his inspiring, King-like pursuit of "a more perfect union" and a more racially just, ultimately postracial society of "black and white (and Jew) together." Most of the friends of my Jewish girlfriend, 62 and a resident of the Upper East Side, are wealthy, highly sophisticated Jews, and almost all of them strongly favor Obama.

On the other hand, wealthy AIPAC Jews, essentially one-issue voters for Israel, have formed the hardest, never say die, Masada core, even harder than the feminists, around Hillary Clinton, because of long friendship grounded on Clinton family political financial dependency on these people which guarantees that Hillary, like Bill before her, would never do anything in the MIddle East not vetted by Israel. As much as her calculated need to establish the strength of her "testicular lockbox" with the hawkish male vote, it was clearly her AIPAC Jewish donors who led her, ironically in the event, ultimately to lose Iowa and the nomination because of her vote to support the disastrous and counterproductive war designed by Wolfowitz and the other neo-cons, supposedly to protect Israel by taking out Iraq and intimidating Syria and Iran. The AIPAC Jews hate Obama as much as the liberals love him, because Obama's brilliantly and unprecedentedly effective Internet fundraising efforts have made him, alone among all serious modern candidates of both parties, independent of Jewish donors. So Obama's a wild card whose Middle East policy is literally beyond the reach of Israel. This doesn't bother the liberal Jews, who trust Obama to work for a just peace in the Middle East in the same way he will work for a just society in America. But it means that the Hillary Jews will presumably mostly jump ship to McCain in the fall, since he's as controlled financially by AIPAC as the Clintons have been, and thus as reliable for Israel.

The Hillary Jews have been so determined to elect Hillary at all cost to protect Israel that the life and death end, in their eyes, may have justified some unfortunate means. It's hard to believe that some of these Jews, for instance, have not been involved with the attempt to smear Obama with the McCarthyite campaign about his nefarious, anti-American, anti-Israel "associations," with Wright, Ayres, and even Farrakhan; as well as the smear that associates "Hussein" with radical Islam, sympathies with Hamas and Iran, and the rest--all designed to frighten Jewish and Appalachian working-class whites alike. It's also hard to believe that it wasn't an AIPAC dirty trick which sent the mole who followed Obama around until she could record some stray remarks with which she could "out" him in cyberspace, as she did by turning over her Bittergate recording to The Huffington Post. Lee Atwater is smiling somewhere.

It's my understanding that AIPAC has said that all three candidates are acceptable on Israel. And why not? The nonsensical smears of Obama for his name, for Wright, and even for Farrakhan, not to mention the lurking shadow of Jesse Jackson and "hymie town" in the background should be tossed on the same ash heap of history as redneck racist smears. I can see how the smear campaign could have confused Jewish voters, especially older ones. But it's time for the party to unite and fight the smears, along with McCain, together, to build a more perfect union.