This is an interesting power play by Hillary (and Bill as well).

They're attempting to put the squeeze on Obama by making Hillary's demand for the Vice Presidency (and that's what it is, despite any pretense that it was raised in private conversations and "coincidentally" by one of her major supporters) public. It's a very clever trap.

If Obama gives in, he'll have demonstrated that he's weak and can be pressured; hardly a good way to start the general election campaign. Not to mention the fact that he'll constantly have to cope with constant attempts to overshadow him and subvert his agenda from both Bill and Hillary!

But if he refuses, Hillary can play the "scorned woman" role. And she'll play it to the hilt. It will be her excuse to give Obama backhanded, unenthusiastic "support" which will effectively sabotage his campaign. Her goal, of course, will be for Obama to lose to McCain, thereby setting her up for (she believes) a triumphant procession to the White House in 2012 - the scenario that she was so sure would happen this year.

Many of her supporters will probably swallow her line (that she "earned" the VP nomination and has been insulted by Obama's refusal) hook, line, and sinker. With Hillary's unoffical but tacit approval, they'll vote for McCain - an utterly inexplicable act for any self-proclaimed feminist or supporter of women's rights – or, at the least, sit out the election.

The resulting McCain Presidency will be utterly devastating for the issues and people that Hillary claims to champion. The war will continue, the gap between rich and poor will continue to expand, our infastructure will continue to decay, and our economy and environment will suffer incalculable damage. Not to mention the impact that McCain's first appointment to the Supreme Court would have on women's rights! Abortion rights would become a state-by-state affair. Hundreds, perhaps thousands of women would likely die every year from botched illegal abortions.

But it's quite clear that none of these issues really matters to Hillary - not compared to her own personal ambition. She'll flush the Democratic Party and the future of our country down the toilet for a chance to be a heartbeat away from the Presidency.

Out of curiousity I went to HillaryClinton.com. She'd asked for feedback from her supporters AND everyone else, and I fall into one of those categories.

I intended to ask her not to take this to the convention floor in an internicine fight that could only enhance the prospects for a McCain Presidency. I planned to ask politely.

That wasn't an option. Want to send Hillary your thoughts? She has already written them out for you:

I'm with you, Hillary, and I am
proud of everything we are
fighting for.

That message cannot be edited or removed. Additional comments can be left, but they are optional.

Optional!

So all Hillary wants is for visitors to her site to parrot back to her exactly what she wants to hear - and nothing more. Oh, and to give her their contact information (required) so she can hit them up for campaign donations. You couldn't ask for a clearer indication of just how much contempt Hillary has for the American people.

What a great leader! Just like Bush and Cheney.

Thanks - it's good to know that there was more behind that already-funny line.

I saw Kung Fu Panda with my wife and little boy over the weekend, and we all loved it. I was particularly surprised, because my opinion of modern animated movies has never been lower; moronic trash like the interminable "Shrek" series (among many, many others) had convinced me that the only people in Hollywood making quality animation for children were Pixar and the inimitable Brad Bird.

I can't understand how such a well-written, well-(voice)-acted movie made its way through the Hollywood machine that has foisted crap like "The Cat In The Hat" on America's innocent children (someone should charge Mike Myers with serial child abuse for that cinematic abortion). And I'm even more amazed that Kung Fu Panda is #1. Did I accidentally slip into an alternate universe over the weekend?

Poor + conservative = rock stupid.

Or masochistic, but I doubt they'd understand that word.

The odds are that the FOX people didn't intend to suggest that Obama and Michelle weren't married. They meant to slander them, of course, but I'd bet that they had no clue of the specific meaning of the term "baby mama".

No, they were just displaying the usual complete cluelessness about black culture that's typical of all the right-wing whites on FOX - though I'm sure none of them have the slightest inkling of the depth of their ignorance.