I might have been more impressed with Obama's speech if it were given six months or a year ago. I'm not saying that he doesn't believe some or most of what was written for him in this speech but it is a political calculation given for damage control.

Let me say here I'm for any democrat and I go back and forth between the two. I want no part of McCain.

However I believe this issue will be toxic for Obama in the GE.

Fade In: Video of the twin towers being struck by airplanes, the towers crumbling, people looking at the walls of pictures of the missing and rescue workers searching through the rubble.

All the while interspersed is video and audio of the Reverend talking about how we Americans deserved 9/11 while the buildings are still smoking and workers were still pulling people from the rubble. Video of the congregation jumping up and down and cheering. Video of Obama and his family sitting in the church. Fade Out.

After all this time 9/11 still brings up strong emotions in people. I still get angry when I see those towers fall.

This will be devastating to Obama. If he gets the nomination it will be another Ducacus and we will have four more years.

You belong back on the fringe with the rest of them. That's democracy. Sometimes you just don't fit. Change or die. Adapt or become extinct. Moderate your politics. There is nothing moderate about your politics. Or Lieberman's or McCain's.

-- L.W.M.

trying to figure out if they actually stand for anything at all. They have that RWA cult thing going on, but they have prostituted everything conservatives pretended to believe in to support their zero...err hero. (Maybe I had it right the first time)

"Puh-lease! This Letters thread is like just about all message threads at all of those sites. It isn't possible to go more than three or four entries without encountering an attack on the "criminal" Bush administration, etc. The left isn't about policy disagreements anymore. ..."

OK, so there are people like you on both (or all?) sides of any issue, but the noise doesn't prevent meaningful discussion. It just makes it a little harder to find.

I wonder if Clinton will go on record as saying the same.

Bill's Secretary of State has already said it for her. Both Wellesley Women, they are, so they must believe the same things, no?

Two words:

Harry, and

Louise.

Is there new polling data there that gives us some sense on what affect this controversy has had on people's willingness to vote for Obama in the general election?

I'm skeptical that the Obama compaign can survive this, and that makes me sad on so many levels. Soundbites and quips run this world, not substance. ugh...that sucks so much.

Can anyone give me good reasons to feel otherwise? I'd rather be optimistic.

If Obama does go down in flames because of this, I hope he goes down fighting and making big speeches. I hope he makes a point to remind people that the black, distrustful, disenfrachised, people ARE Americans. And the people out there who are seething over the recent American government's foreign policy ARE ALSO Americans. Just like the troops. Just like the members of congress. Just like the douchbags on Fox News. It is possible to be an American and also hate the actions of the collective.

Because of the bravery and power of his speech today, unless Hillary pulls a miracle in Pennsylvania and I predict she won't win many more pledged delegates than Obama, enough Superdelegates after Pennsylvania will announce for Obama that Barack will be the nominee. The deal with Michigan and Florida will be settled by then so there will be no significant advantage to either Barack or Hillary. Enough Superdelegates will not want to do any more damage to the party by continuing on to the convention as the M$M wants. That will give Obama enough time to take on McCain/Bush and win.

I do agree with you about the muslim issue, and tend to forget that Obama has so many minefields to cross...

I've posted this link before, but I think its a unique window into Obama that I haven't really seen anywhere else. If you're really curious about Obama's views regarding Israel, this would be a place to start. ..written by Ali Abunimah last year, based on his encounters with Obama over the years. Examines Obama's evolution on the Palestine issue since he became a viable candidate for the big leagues...

here it is

http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article6619.shtml

trying to figure out if they actually stand for anything at all. They have that RWA cult thing going on, but they have prostituted everything conservatives pretended to believe in to support their zero...err hero. (Maybe I had it right the first time)

Mr. Conservative (Barry Goldwater) himself wouldn't vote Republican today. Too extremist. That tells you all you need to know.

I have no idea whether or not the United States will get beyond race in this coming Presidential election. I know my area (the San Francisco Bay area) will vote for Obama over McCain. I believe the state of California will vote in the same way but I've lived here too long to have any idea how the rest of the country thinks.

I assume the Democrats will make it clear in the coming election a vote for McCain is a vote for the continuation of the Bush legacy and I have to believe that's an enormous advantage but I also suspect we're all going to learn a whole lot more than we know right now about race in America come November. Nobody said it would be easy or the stakes wouldn’t be high.

Maybe this is a stupid reason, but here goes: I think John McCain is interested in running the type of campaign that Obama is calling for. Mind you, I don't think the GOP is interested, but McCain strikes me as someone who is cognizant of the historic nature of Obama's candidacy and doesn't want his own legacy tainted by whatever underhanded race-baiting tactics might otherwise be used to destroy Obama. I could be completely wrong about this, but McCain doesn't strike me as someone who will do absolutely *anything* to win. Say what you want about him, but he seems to have a scintilla of integrity. He's already shown us there's certain lines he won't cross (as when someone introducing him referred to Obama as "Barack HUSSEIN Obama"). I think he might actually take up Obama's challenge to have a general election campaign that aspires to a higher standard of national discourse.