'I think Hillary & her supporters needs to reach out to Obama, and put aside their anger...'

He has the right to call the shots as a nominee? Without yet coming close to securing the election in November? He has everything to lose by not courting voters...the voters have nothing PERSONAL to lose NOT voting for him. Don't confuse who needs whom. And taking another pot shot at Bill Clinton ain't making it any better.

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Hillary is now speaking at AIPAC. She's labelled our relationship with Israel a 'special relationship'...I guess the UK has been downgraded.

She's just quickly defended Obama, saying Israel wouldn't have a better friend than him.

So you got that Obama supporters? She's closing her primary campaign, so quit the bloody ranting...she's going out on her terms, and she has the right to do so.

Obtuse?

You are the one claiming to be paying for my tax refund.

You know, money I paid over to the government, that wasn't actually owed, that I got back.

Taxes should be used for current expenses only! Full stop! Government-sponsored Social Welfare projects should be kept separate, with separate funding programs!

-- red_gti20000

In other words, you're supporting John McCain because he supports your ideas about government, not because you hate Obama. Truthfully, I would rather spend my tax dollars on (call it social welfare projects) education and helping the disabled and children with healthcare than three trillion dollars and counting for a war in Iraq. You do know that wars cost more AFTER they are over than while we are paying for them? (Disability costs for soldiers can extend over a lifetime...) So the longer we delay ending what is already one of America's longest wars (four more years=how many more dollars? deaths? disabilities?), the more you and I will pay in tax dollars, I don't care what tax bracket we are in.

sheesh. Why do people still believe Republicans when they talk about lower government spending when we've watched the current administration put the whole country in the hole...do Republicans only belief in the social welfare of Iraq (if you want to call it that--which actually I don't) and not of our own country? I don't get it, honestly I don't. (And I think that the fact that we don't invest enough money in education is going to contribute to more economic problems ahead...you can count on it!)

I blame the Jews. As if you weren't going to anyway.

That is like saying your salary should only pay for food, water and a roof over your head.

A certain amount has to go towards expanding on what you have got - and building up a safety fund to ensure that when the shit hits the fan (For example, in New Orleans with Katrina) you don't have to borrow money or raise taxes to cover it.

Is giving the sort of speech she should have been giving throughout the campaign from the snatches of it I have caught.

This is not the thread to argue about taxation, but if you ask any expert on the subject he will agree that the laws and regulations of the US tax system have become so bloated that it is unmanageable and cannot be understood completely except by a team of highly-paid lawyers (erm, your calling, Taliesan?). And we know the only who can afford them -- the ultra-rich. Why do you think they pay the least, from a tax-rate perspective?

The only remedy is to cut the whole tax system up into smaller pieces and simplify, with strict oversight by an independent body. This will result in a more transparent and fairer system. I may end up paying even more, who knows? The point is that if it is transparent then it will not become an instrument for winning votes (e.g., political corruption), paying $250 million to build a bridge to a 50-person island in Alaska or $800 for a toilet seat in the Pentagon.

And I would definitely support that.

Obama wins the nomination, an historic achievement of immense proportion, and in the Salon article 6 of the 9 paragraphs are about the loser, Clinton?

If Clinton wants "respect," she first has to give it. A simple lesson one should learn before the age of 12.

A vote for McCain is a vote for WAR with Iran.

A vote for Obama is a vote for WAR with Iran.

A vote for Clinton is a vote for WAR with Iran.

If this is democracy, where is a vote for no WAR with Iran?

"While pundits keep saying Obama needs to reach out to her and her supporters, I believe the opposite is true. I think Hillary & her supporters needs to reach out to Obama, and put aside their anger."

Are you a Republican troll or are you completely ignorant about human nature? Angry people rarely simply choose to set aside their anger and reach out to help the person who made them angry. They expect the other person to reach out. I realize that you don't see why any of us should be angry, but we are, and we do have power... our vote. We can grant it or withhold it. Individually, it's not much, but when you recognize that about half of the Democratic base is represented by those votes, it is significant. A lot will vote for Obama reflexively, because they want a Democrat in power. Some won't. How many? 1/3 said they wouldn't. I won't bet that the numbers are that high. Maybe 5-10%, which is enough to make this the most lopsided election since Reagan/Mondale.

I wish I could express to you the visceral reaction I have when I see Obama. It's going to take a miracle to get my vote, but there are some who will be convinced if he actually makes an effort to reach them. Praising Clinton last night was a good start, but it isn't enough to give token respect to an opponent you have been lying about for months. Obama has destroyed his "nice guy" image among Clinton supporter's. The Democrats are assuming that time will heal the wounds. I'm saying that time sometimes doesn't do enough - you have to actually do something substantial to start the healing process.