Benj. I have to admit to having a tough time placing “Oh”. The books don’t have the snap of a manifesto, nor the clear vision of say a contract with America. They weren’t supposed to do that. They left me with an empty, fast food kind of feeling, sans grease.

For all the change he keeps promising, I don’t see any indication of the high minded thought process you indicate is at work actually producing. And I worry that the crowd in charge at the DNC is anything but democratic, these days as well the bunch of friends “Oh” has collected. There is a great and deep divide withing the ranks of the Dem party, and a deeper broader divide in the nation.
I cannot claim to see other than in my imagination, “Oh” having either the wile or the guile to make a difference, and his treatments of Wright and Ayers both are examples of the kinds of poor judgment that the guy continues to display. Nice speech though.

I will have to admit to being unable to cast a vote for “Oh” and Joe, even if I were inclined to do so, purely on the basis of Joe’s conduct in the Senate in 1974. In no uncertain terms have I ever nor will I ever support any of the SOB’s that screwed the world in SE Asia. I will actively oppose anyone doing the same in the current engagement with Islamist terror. Again, I do not see the wisdom of “Oh” standing us in good stead. I do not know why he has taken the stance he has nor concluded what he has concluded other than it is a means of gaining the support of the Dems. If his blindness in Iraq and to the challenges in Afghanistan and Pakistan are more than political finesse, we are in for a very rough row no matter who is elected President.

I will submit that the greater test for “Oh” would be to redefine the Dems as a party. That would be a deed and a test of sincerity that I would appreciate and a deed that could nearly guarantee his elevation to high office. I do not see that today, I do not see that in the way he has handled his party. If I were a Democrat I would have to vote against him because of it.

As for Governor Palin, she was damned if she did and damned if she didn’t ethics wise. The report lead with power punch, missed and petered out. I’d leave it alone unless you really support spousal abuse, and the kinds of abuse of power that allows such acts to continue.

I also think that the Dems are at odds with themselves on this issue, given the whole gambit of bedroom rights. Some of the issues just naturally conflict with others. You guys gotta decide which way your going to go.