Elizabeth Edwards said not a word about endorsements at any time, yet the fact that she didn't appear with John at the Obama rally is thrown about as "significant." Based on what? Then, she writes in to Politico and that nest of political gossips and right-wing Drudge types. No, she never said she would "endorse." She's made statements that are supportive of Hillary's health plan -- really, the Edwards plan -- as she should. Nobody has given me a convincing reason why Obama wimps out on this issue. However, she, and I, will gladly support the nominee, and I bet she will be still urging at least for the Edwards plan, and maybe better -- single payer. This is the way adults commit politics, see?

Meanwhile, the Huffington Post highlights the (non-factual) refusal to endorse HILLARY. Well, she's not endorsing Obama, either, see? She's satisfied with the choice of the people, and meanwhile will lobby for health care reform that really deserves the name.

The first time I heard that refrain, from nearly every corner, was on the Huffington Post last summer, and it went, "Waah! If Hillary wins, I'll vote for McCain/the Republican/I won't vote!" It was incessant.

When your person is losing, you say some stupid things you don't mean.

And polls? Polls are just excuses that people have for saying they're experts.

I figure it cancelled out. The race card was played repeatedly by the Obama campaign itself, in its worst moments -- that is, pointing the finger at something like the RFK reference, or taking the word of Drudge that "Hillary" gave him the picture of Obama that the AP Online was selling, or that the only possible reason why Hillary could have won New Hampshire, or Texas, or Ohio, was because of subtle racial codes -- so subtle as to be invisible to anybody sane. At some point the Geraldine Ferraro button was pushed. So, net zero.

Notice to white pundits: it's the white working class that's still with the Clintons. That's the unfashionable term for what you call "cracker hillbilly racists." That's a problem for the Obama camp and his white elitist supporters, isn't it? Ugh. Working class? Didn't they all die, and weren't they replaced by web designers and bloggers long ago? You mean, the people who don't listen to rap at Starbucks?

Go home and wash my shirt.

They can only be regarded as psychos nursing a fashionable mental disease. They're no more worth paying attention to than the guy talking to the pebbles in the park. Dowd: Democratic men are pansies. Democratic women are men. End of story. Matthews' master narrative is harder to diagnose, but it has its uses: after all, he makes about $10 million a year by being obsessed and sexually diseased about the Clintons. What WILL he do now?

Somerby is writing a fantastic series these days about how the so-called punditry lies, knows they lie, and yet never does a thing about it. It seems to be a purely cultish affectation now: the gossip of "your crowd" is what you repeat, and you do it to get invited to the right dinner parties. Of course it's a lie, and everybody knows it.

Out of respect, I won't say negative things about Russert. I will criticize the very idea that eulogies must start building up the sainthood of an individual. The funeral of Reagan was such an occasion. I heard more bull during the endless week of Reagan-fluffing than I care to hear for the rest of my life. Here's my tribute to Reagan: Bush made him look good. About Russert's personal life, his personality offstage? I hope he was a nice guy. On stage, the multimillionaire wasn't that hot.

A bad idea AND a political fantasy.