Imagining Obama As Vice President

The first time I ever heard Terry McAuliffe speak in person was at a DL21C event. And there he said something that at some level did not surprise me at all, but I was also very impressed he said it so frankly. McAuliffe, of course, is chair of Hillary 2008. He is top gun. He is a great political talent in his own right.

What he said was that he was going to do the very best he can to make sure Hillary is the next president, but should it happen that Obama bests her in the nomination battle, the very next day he was going to be behind Obama, full force. That was his way of saying Hillary would love to be on the same ticket if she does not win the nomination.

That was at a time when Hillary 2008 was totally taken aback by how well Obama was doing in terms of raising money. After the first quarter numbers came in, Bill Clinton arranged to attend some nonprofit organization fundraiser with Obama in NYC. The champ was recognizing the newcomer.

As a progressive, I of course admire McAuliffe, I admire the Clintons. Of course. And I have a mirror thing to McAuliffe to say. We are going to do the very best we can to make sure Obama is the nominee, but should we fail to do so, the very following day, we are going to be behind Hillary with heartfelt enthusiasm. Under those circumstances, of course it will be great to have Obama on the ticket. Of course. That is a nobrainer.

I think this is going to be such a close race that Hillary and Obama are pretty much stuck with each other. One will be president, another will be vice president. At this point we don't know who will be who. The nominee will not be able to ignore the second place person and go get someone else to be running mate. For the sake of party unity, the second place person will have to be brought onto the ticket.

It helps that the two genuinely like each other.

A lot could and will happen between now and February 5. But it is obvious Hillary and Barack both are showing strength.

Terry Alligator McAuliffe, May 9
Terry McAuliffe: E=mc^2
DL21C Annual Summer Bash: Barack Won The Straw Poll

In The News

Analysis: Clinton Extending Lead The Associated Press 46 percent to 25 percent. ...... Only Clinton and Obama have the deep financial resources to compete in the early contests and in the crush of big states holding primaries Feb. 5. ....... Clinton has worked hard to convince voters that she is not the brittle, calculating figure she long has been portrayed. While she does not have the intuitive campaign skills of her husband, voters say she has impressed them with her warmth, ready smile and willingness to spend hours taking questions, chatting and shaking hands. A bona fide celebrity, Clinton never tires of posing for cell-phone photos with starry-eyed fans. ............ she must win or come in a close second in Iowa; otherwise, her sense of inevitability will vanish. ....... the lingering concern among many voters that he lacks the experience necessary to govern in a dangerous world ..... He can be somewhat remote and chilly as a campaigner, making an intellectual connection with voters rather than an emotional one. He has been known to cut off voters when their questions go on too long and can appear weary of the endless glad-handing and other rituals of retail politics. ........ Elizabeth Edwards has said Clinton is too polarizing to be elected and would not be a strong champion for women in the White House. ..... He has little campaign infrastructure outside Iowa and his candidacy probably cannot survive a defeat there. ...... Biden and Dodd have recently directed their limited campaign resources almost entirely to Iowa, where they are hoping for one of the front-runners to slip and allow an opening.
Obama: War Blocking Domestic Progress The Associated Press the war now costs between $10 billion and $12 billion a month. ...... warned the union crowd that "we're not going to stop globalization in its tracks." ...... He called for updating the North American Free Trade Agreement with Mexico and Canada to guarantee workers have the right to organize and that they get training for new jobs when their old ones are eliminated.
Obama Criticizes Private Iraq Guards Guardian Unlimited, UK
Obama Explores Abortion Issue New York Times, United States there is a moral implication to these issues, but that the women involved are in the best position to make that determination. ...... If you believe that life begins at conception, then I can’t change your mind.
Barack Obama, Social Networking King Washington Post, United States grew up in Hawaii and Indonesia and has lived in New York and Chicago ...... Back in 2004, the strategy was, get them to your Web site. ..... online you have to go where the audience is

Obama Remains 1st In Iowa Staff Primary, But Not In Endorsements MSNBC yard signs do not a ground game make. ...... Organization on the ground is key in a state as large (99 counties and just shy of 56,000 square miles) and as purple as Iowa (Gore won the state in 2000; Bush won in 2004.) ........ Even the most charismatic candidate can't turn out the vote without dedicated staffers to organize canvassing drives, phone banks, candidate visits, and town hall meetings. .... Obama's staff is the largest, with an estimated 200 paid operatives in the state. That number is likely to increase in light of Obama's post-third-quarter organizational push. ........ boasts a whopping 31 offices, some in counties with populations less than 20,000. The Clinton field operation encompasses 21 offices ....... When former Iowa Democratic Party Chairman Gordon Fischer endorsed Barack Obama, he candidly told reporters that his main asset as a supporter will be his connections within the state party. ....... Hillary Clinton weighs in with 16 endorsements from state senators and representatives; Obama and Biden share the silver medal at ten apiece. ....... There's no metric of organization that can truly calculate the political magic that will make Iowans bundle up and decide to go talk politics for a few hours on a cold January night.

Obama Criticizes Private Iraq Guards ABC News

Burma: Than Shwe Is Going To The Hague

Dialogue? What dialogue?

Than Shwe has to totally and unconditionally surrender. Suu Kyi forms a multi-party interim government that will hold elections to a constituent assembly within a year. That is the road map.

Than Shwe is a criminal. He has to disappear from Burma's national scene forever. He has to be brought to justice at The Hague for the 3,000 Burmese he butchered in 1988, and the hundreds he has butchered this year, and the thousands in between.

Than Shwe is a war criminal. He has to be charged with crimes against humanity. An international force has to be sent into Burma to capture him and hand over to the International Court Of Justice.

Than Shwe has to be totally and utterly deposed by people power.

This is the time for the international community to decide. Either you are with the people of Burma, or you are not. There is no neutral ground available.

Britain Is Betraying Burma
Burma: Time For All Out Sanctions By All Powers
Burma: Momentum Is Key To Victory
Shame On The Top Politicians Of The World: Burma Asks For More
In Solidarity With The Burmese People

Getting Involved

It has not been at all hard to get hold of the email addresses of the top Burma democracy groups in the world.

In The News

London supporters march for Burma BBC News, UK
British PM Calls for Tougher Sanctions on Burma Voice of America
Monks lead London's Burma protestBBC News
UK's Gordon Brown: Britain wants further EU sanctions against Burma International Herald Tribune
Canadians demonstrate against Burma crackdown CTV.ca, Canada
world’s Operation Burma: Let’s just watch them die New Europe
Burma protest movement 'remains strong' Bangkok Post Burma's underground opposition intends to launch a campaign of civil disobedience to maintain the pressure for change on the military junta. .......... Last week's brutal crackdown on protests in Burma will not stop the growing movement for reform in the pariah state, pro-democracy leaders in exile said Friday in Bangkok. ........ "A movement that brought out 1 million people willing to defy bullets cannot easily disappear." ..... "People in the communities always give food to the monks, but now the people have started to go to the monks to ask them for food" ...... rejected the commonly held idea that the military junta is deaf to international criticism. "If you don't read Burmese, you may think that," he said. "But the Burmese media, which are run by the regime, they are reacting all the time to what the US says, the EU, the UN. They do care about international opinion, and it is important to pressure them."
Burma activists plan next stage of protests Telegraph.co.uk, United Kingdom Moving daily between safe houses, the Burmese pro-democracy activists and monks who co-ordinated last month's protests are planning the next stage of their fight against the ruling generals while on the run from the ongoing crackdown. ....... The activists, many of whom are veterans of the 1988 student uprising, believe this is the best opportunity in two decades to oust Senior General Than Shwe and the clique of ageing officers who run Burma. ....... appealed for greater international pressure on the regime. ...... "International assistance is needed urgently," he said, speaking by a smuggled satellite phone from his hiding place in Burma to supporters in New York. "We welcome the world's reaction but we would like the international community to be more active and effective as the junta is trying to keep power by the most violent means. Please continue all your efforts to help us." ......... "There are about half a dozen leaders from the 1988 generation who are still hiding in and around Rangoon" ...... "Both sides know that this is like the lull between battles in a war. ........ Peaceful protests against the regime are already beginning as people gather at major pagodas, lighting candles and praying together. ..... "It's a clever way to protest because Buddhists always go to pagodas and monasteries to light candles and pray. ....... more ambitious plans for civil disobedience are emerging. "People are calling for non-co-operation with the regime and for non-attendance of factories and offices" ......... up to 10,000, including thousands of monks, have been detained and at least 200 killed. ...... 2,400 monks and nuns had been arrested across the country ...... The latest raids occurred on Thursday in South Okkalapa township where the Ngwe Kyar Kan monastery witnessed the bloodiest crackdown on monks the previous week. In the latest sweeps, all remaining monks and lay people were removed from two other near-empty monasteries which the military is now expected to fill with pro-regime clergy. ......... Few Burmese exiles are placing much hope in the prospect of meaningful negotiations. ...... activists believe that the chance of change are greater now. "The violent crackdown is the same, but the world can see what is happening which is different," said Mr Kyi. "That's why so many activists don't want to go abroad. They want to stay and continue their work. People know it's risky, but the 1988 generation were beaten and tortured and imprisoned and we're still carrying on."
Monks Who Fled Burma say They are Returning to Keep up Pro ... Voice of America Traffic across the Thai-Burma border is normal. ..... There are also people crossing the border with belongings on their heads. It is hard to tell which ones are fleeing the violence. Among those who have been coming are monks who have come all the way from Rangoon. .......They describe a very difficult journey to this border, often under disguise, evading police, evading soldiers at the checkpoints they say have been established, or are operating between Burma's main city, Rangoon, and the Thai border. ....... they told me they intend to go back. Their response was that change can only come from inside, they've come here to obtain goods, money, support, and then head back into the country to continue protesting.
Silence in Burma Wall Street Journal
PM pledges £1m to Burma aid fund The Press Association
200 march in city for Burma Melbourne Herald Sun
Monks Return to Burma to Continue Protest Voice of America
The Burma question Toronto Star, Canada
Canadians rally across Canada in support of Myanmar dissidents The Canadian Press
Aussie crowds march in support for Burma The West Australian
Burma: General Command TIME The rulers of the world's pariah states are usually recognizable personalities. Kim Jong Il with his electrified hairdo, Muammar Gaddafi with his aviator sunglasses, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad with his penchant for windbreakers. But Burma? No one dictator comes to mind, only a coterie of faceless generals — 12, if one wants to be exact. .......... one of the world's longest-standing military dictatorships. ..... constitutional guidelines passed last month bar anyone without army experience from holding high office ....... In the past two decades, Burma's generals have doubled the army's size to 450,000 soldiers, making it one of the largest military forces in the world. More than one-third of the nation's budget is spent on this massive establishment. ....... Despite scattered reports of soldiers refusing to shoot against Buddhist monk–led demonstrators last week, most of the wide-eyed recruits obeyed orders. ...... Formerly a ragtag band of freedom fighters, the military helped the country free itself from British colonialism. Aung San, the father of democracy activist Suu Kyi, is revered both as an independence hero and as the founder of Burma's army. .......... Burma is composed of more than 100 ethnic groups ...... back in 1990 — as many as 20 ethnically based political parties contested the polls. ....... "Than Shwe grew up under colonial occupation by the British and the Japanese ........ killer diseases like malaria and tuberculosis run rampant, and roughly half a million people are infected with HIV. Nearly one-third of children under five years of age are malnourished; of those who are healthy, some rural youngsters are forced to toil as child labor. ......... Burma's generals may be faceless, but they have outlasted most of the world's better-known dictators.
India needs Burma Times of India, India Aung San Suu Kyi, the woman who has replaced Nelson Mandela as the living Mahatma ..... an India that has too much on its own plate. ..... just 70 years ago Burma was an integral part of India. ..... In 1937, India shared land borders with Persia (Iran), Afghanistan and Russia in the west and China, Tibet, Siam (Thailand), French Indo-China (Laos and Vietnam) and Malaya in the east. Ceylon lay just across the Palk Straits and the emirates in the Persian Gulf constituted a sphere of Indian influence, controlled by an India-appointed resident in Bushehr. Successive viceroys exchanged angry notes with London demanding a similar arrangement in Teheran and Baghdad. ..... Already hamstrung by Partition, India vacated the Asian space to China, Russia and the US. A series of disastrous economic turns reduced India to a bit player, scarcely able to look beyond Pakistan. India suffered a reduction of stature, responsibilities and ambition. It is only in the past decade - with the recovery of economic composure - that the recovery of a lost inheritance has begun. ...... India abdicated its responsibilities and allowed Beijing to become the dominant influence in Burma. Today, China lurks over India from Pakistan, Tibet, Nepal and Burma. Its shadow has encroached into the Bay of Bengal and the Andaman islands. ..... For India, the upsurge in Burma is an opportunity to turn the clock back. But before that happens, Burma must return to our mental map. India needs Burma more than Burma needs it.
Washington demonstrators rally to 'free Burma' SI.com
Ethnic Minorities Key to Burma's Future Newsweek “the union of Burma” consisted of seven “divisions” inhabited by Burmans plus seven “states” occupied by ethnic peoples. ..... The current junta has been battling them with disproportionate ferocity, killing thousands in the jungle, far from the public eye. ...... They advocate a power-sharing arrangement involving them, the generals and Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy. Some even say they might have forced the junta to negotiate during the recent demonstrations if the international community had offered material help rather than just expressions of outrage and support. ....... Muang Muang, general secretary of the National Council of the Union of Burma, a liberal, pro-federal resistance group founded in 1992. “They had their own vision, their own perspective on how things should be run. That’s my frustration. We could have caused the regime to come to the table.” He leaves no doubt that he had envisioned a strategy of wider civil resistance during the recent mass protests. “They [the government] were shooting in the city. We could have had operations on the outskirts of Rangoon; blocked it up. They don’t have the guts to beat up people in small places.” .......... “Sympathy will not solve the problem. Action is needed,” says Dr. Lian H. Sakhong, general secretary of the Ethnic National Council, an umbrella ethnic congress. ...... He called for tough sanctions, especially by regional governments, an insistence that the generals release all political prisoners and a U.N. inquiry into the recent uprising. ..... The pro-democracy movement, he added, should receive direct funding, and he noted that monks and their supporters were “marching on hearts and water.” ........ sent at least 1 million refugees into Thailand ...... there have been 227 protests openly defying the regime; 1 million people took to the streets in 26 cities and towns across Burma on Sept. 24 and demonstrations have occurred in 66 cities and towns across the country, in all 14 states and divisions. .......... “If the military is guaranteed there will be no trials against them if they share power [they would consider it] because they fear trials” ...... The league won the last democratic election in 1990, garnering 395 seats in parliament. The ethnic minorities’ umbrella party won 67 seats and the military’s National Unity Party won 10.
Burma: Rebels Plan Next Steps
After Protests, Rebels Plot Comeback
Activists Plan for Nationwide Strike protestors have still been taking to the streets of Rangoon in what he calls "guerilla demonstrations," with small groups melting away when challenged by the military and then reappearing elsewhere. ........ several big demonstrations took place around the country on Saturday, even as the regime seemed to be finishing off its crackdown on the monks in Rangoon. He says that he's struck by the extent to which his compatriots have been overcoming their own fear in recent weeks: "More and more people are willing to talk with outside media." ....... a distinct sense of unfinished business: "The underlying sources of grievance haven't been addressed." ..... rumors of a split within the ruling military. Some say that lower- and mid-level officers increasingly resent their superiors' ever-more-obvious corruption and indiscriminate use of force to keep the country under control.
Satellites Watch the Crackdown