I cannot see now or ever forgiving Obama for being complicit with his campaign's smearing of the Clintons. Competing with Hillary is one thing. Trying to destroy her is another. This one has just been too dirty for me, too dishonorable. How can I vote for someone for whom I have practically no regard?

I'm afraid I see Obama as being out for Obama alone, a man with no real concern or regard for the people of this country, just another resume builder on the make, a man who will trample anybody who gets in his way. Odd how this has become the take on Hillary Clinton, when in reality, it's the other way around.

Look, I've read a fair amount about this guy and the more I read, the more I distrust him. Look at his (short) history in Illinois politics. What has he ever done for anyone that wasn't convenient window dressing, that wasn't a calculated move to build toward running for office? I get zero sense from Obama that he has any feeling at all for others. None, zero, zip, zilch. You call this a progressive?

Yah, I'm not happy about the Democratic party screwing up so badly (again), but I haven't lost the courage of my convictions. I count that as a win.

Simply are not good candidates and there are many, many of us out here who cannot believe that Hillary Clinton has ended up where she has. To us, she's clearly head and shoulders above the other two, and she obviously believes this herself. Sen. Clinton cares deeply about this country and may well have serious qualms about either Obama or McCain taking over the Oval Office. Deep enough to keep her in the race until she's completely out of money and time.

p.s. Any chance that salon can cut back on the Obama wallpaper? Seeing his face day after day after day on nearly every page (not just on this site) is getting really old. I can't be the only one experiencing severe Obama face fatigue.

"I don't like Hillary, and I don't think Obama can beat McCain."

I agree with half of what you've said, the part about Obama not being able to beat McCain. The far left, which includes far too many who don't just dislike Hillary but would prefer to disembowel her (preferably in public), absolutely refuses to acknowledge the concept of patriotism, something as foreign to them as going to mass thrice daily or sending schmaltzy Hallmark cards.

But guess what? A great many Americans do. And John McCain, the war hero, scores very, very high on the red white & blue. He's the guy who spent, what, five years in a bamboo cage as a POW and has a withered arm as a daily reminder? Contrast this with Barack Obama, married to a woman who thinks this country is downright mean and nasty (even though she's done very, very well for herself). Obama himself hasn't exactly been high on America, past or present (including Bill Clinton's years in the White House, and that surely does take some arrogance).

So, guess who the patriots are going to go for? There's nothing in the Constitution that says you have to be alive upon taking office, is there? On the patriotism front alone, an enbalmed McCain could probably beat Obama hands down.

So, what did the memo say? Something about making nice to angry Clintonites to prompt them to unite around Obama now that the slice and dice phase is presumably over? It can't be coincidence that there are suddenly so many messages popping up on the Net to the effect that, well, gosh, Hillary really isn't all that bad (but she still needs to go away).

The vitriol towards Hillary and her supporters in the past months here on salon at times has left me almost breathless. We're not talking about strong disagreement, but verbal onslaughts so nasty they've made my eyes swim. Well, no matter: the smearing of the Clintons as race mongers (among so many other things) is not going to go away, now or ever. Nor are all the really sexist diatribes. Admittedly, not all Obamaites have sunk to such depths. But enough have, such that this whole primary season has left a rather bitter (there's that word) taste in many mouths.

By the way, my previous post was hardly espousing right wing talking points, as some of you have claimed; it was pretty clearly a look at how Obama is going to fare among voters on the issue of pride in country, one of his many weaknesses as a candidate. And I did not bring up the MO 'pride' speech. I instead referred to her statement to the effect that this is a mean, nasty country. And she did say something very close to this. Her further meaning was (as it has often been), that only her husband could save us from ourselves (oh, please). Is there really any use in denying that this is the kind of thing that sticks in the minds of voters - and turns them off?

"Kiss my ass" "You sound so vapid"

Maybe the memo was limited to, "Only make nice in the following circumstances..."