Monday, October 15, 2007

Why Is There Secret Service Protection For White Male Presidents?










I am absolutely sick and tired of white guy reporters asking Barack and Michelle if they feel safe running for the White House. Two prominent progressive white guys along with MLK got mowed down in the 1960s. A conservative white guy took a bullet in the 1980s. Why make this a race thing?

And if it is a race thing, why do white male presidents need secret service protection? They should be able to say, don't bother with all those details, I am fine, I am white.

They were asking this question last year. And Barack just got asked this question on national television yesterday. This is so out of line.

Guys like Barack need secret service protection for the same reason gals like Madonna or Hillary need secret service protection. When you become visible, when you become a public figure, you tend to attract all sorts of attention. And so a protective layer becomes necessary. Otherwise it is going to become impossible to do public events.

And if there is a race angle to protecting Barack, I am sure the secret service people are all over it. They are professionals. They work very hard at what they do. They are methodical. They are into it. And they know history for their particular line of work more than we do.

I mean, one of those reporters could get struck by lightning. Is there secret service protection for that? I don't think so.

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Media Smear On Obama's Name
Wolf Hitler, I mean Bitler, Blitler, Whatever
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Bill O'Reilly: A Right Wing Gadfly

Pig In The Barn, Ailes At Fox News

In The News

Laura Bush plans six-day tour of the Middle East
USA Today United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Jordan ....... men and women who are beyond childhood years may not mingle in public, unless they are family or close relatives. Mutawwa may ask to see proof that a couple is married or related. Women who are arrested for socializing with a man who is not a relative may be charged with prostitution. Some restaurants, particularly fast-food outlets, have refused to serve women who are not accompanied by a close male relative.
Rice touts 'most serious' Mideast peace efforts in years CNN International it's time for the establishment of a Palestinian state and it's time for Israel to live in the security that is going to come with a peaceful and democratic neighbor ....... a "serious, substantive and concrete" framework for a November peace conference in Annapolis, Maryland. ...... Jerusalem, borders, settlements and refugees.
Rice: Now Is Time for Palestinian State ABC News The Israelis and Palestinians are trying to work out an outline for a final peace deal ahead of the Annapolis conference, but tensions arose on Sunday when Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert told his Cabinet that he did not regard that outline as a prerequisite for the meeting to take place. The Palestinians said that without such a document, they would not attend. Israel has been pushing for a vaguely worded document while the Palestinians want a detailed outline, complete with a timetable for establishing a Palestinian state. .... the conference might be postponed because of the gaps between the two sides.
UN envoy says Myanmar arrests must stop Reuters Canada
Pelosi says she'll press on with Armenian 'genocide' resolution
CNN International
Obama: I Don't Believe In Polls
CBS News
2008: Giuliani’s New York on a National Stage
New York Times his tale of transforming a dour, Democrat-filled Gotham ...... personal responsibility, low taxes and the right balance of civil liberties and security ....... A boy at an Exeter, N.H., town hall meeting asked him “if (there’s) something living on another planet, and it’s bad and it comes over here, what would you do?” ........ gives Mr. Thompson points for rolling out the most concrete plan to alleviate the Social Security deficit—a topic on which his fellow candidates, both Republican and Democrat, are reluctant to be specific. ....... Senator Clinton plans to spend part of this week wooing women voters, beginning with a lunch today in New York. ....... the Illinois senator said God has entrusted humans with the responsibility of caring for the earth, and “we are not acting as good stewards of God’s earth when our bottom line puts the size of our profits before the future of our planet.” .......... Barack Obama neither owns a Prada suit nor knows what a “suppressed waist” is ......... The candidates’ third-quarter campaign finance filings — chock full of detail — are about to become public. Who’s spending, on what, how much and from where.
China Congress a Test for Hu's Strength The Associated Press
China assures neighbours it will not indulge in expansion Times of India
Hu outlines blueprint for China Aljazeera.net
China’s Leader Closes Door to Reform at Meeting
New York Times
Castro And Chavez Memorialize Che
CBS News
Jaya Bachchan thanks Dev Anand for 'rejecting Zanjeer'
Hindu Legendary actor Dev Anand, who's amazing acting enthralled the viewers over half-a-century, has come in praise for "rejecting a role", which later kickstarted the career of megastar Amitabh Bachchan. ........ which was then offered to a struggling Amitabh Bachchan, her husband. ...... the 'evergreen actor' .... Eighty-four year-old Dev Anand ..... played by Amitabh, who was preparing to pack up his bags and return to his native Allahabad if the film failed. ......... Jaya Bachchan said her mother was a huge admirer of the actor. ...... My entire family and entire Bollywood loves you, the ever-green hero." ...... in those days Raj Kapoor, Dilip Kumar and Dev Anand were the leading stars and Dev Anand was the heart-throb of women. ....... Dev Anand narrated the struggle he had undergone for two-and-a-half years after he shifted from Lahore to Mumbai in 1943, with just Rs 30 in his pockets. "I was always waiting for a special ray of sunshine to fall on me. Once I got my break I never looked back," he said. ........ 'Hum Ek Hain (1946)', 'Aandhiyan (1952)', 'Rahi (1953)', 'Hum Dono (1961)', 'Guide (1965)', 'Jewel Thief (1967)', 'Hare Rama Hare Krishna (1971)'
Cisco Wants WiMax TheStreet.com
Uganda/Ghana: Soccer Legend Pele to Visit Uganda
AllAfrica.com Pele is arguably Africa's most decorated and honoured soccer player ever.
Porn Spammers Get Five Years PC World
Searches in Inquiry Into Death of Model
New York Times

Keeping the momentum on Burma International Herald Tribune, France
India's identity crisis in Burma Boston Globe India's shameful collaboration with the military junta in Burma ...... Is India betraying its democratic values for the sake of its great-power ambitions? ........ because Indian policy makers are obsessed by their strategic competition with China. ....... India had once been Suu Kyi's most ardent supporter. .... "a vast array of military hardware" India has supplied to the junta, including artillery, aircraft, tanks, and helicopters for use against minority ethnic groups in border areas and citizen protesters.
Burma stages big pro-junta march BBC News
Opposition in plea to Burma junta The Press Association the country's national airline announced it was halting most of its flights amid a dramatic downturn in visitors caused by the weeks of unrest.
Junta rounds up 'all' Burma activists Bangkok Post
Burma's military maintains hard line Sydney Morning Herald
Brown seeking pressure on Burma BBC News, UK
Burma seizes top democracy activist Financial Times, UK
Burma arrests four more protest leaders Bangkok Post
Saving Burma the right way Los Angeles Times, CA 1974, and thousands of students and Buddhist monks had taken to the streets, angered by the military government's handling of burial arrangements for my grandfather, U Thant, the former United Nations secretary-general. ........ When the next, much bigger uprising took place in 1988, I was 22. These protests too were crushed, with even greater violence; hundreds, perhaps thousands, were left dead. I'm now 41, and as I watched the recent demonstrations by Buddhist monks on television, I couldn't help but feel a certain inevitability about the way things were going to turn out. ........ in the 1960s, Beijing backed a massive new communist rebellion. .... By 1962, the army took over entirely. At its head was Gen. Ne Win, tyrant, playboy, numerologist and onetime post office clerk, a tough-talking, Japanese-trained soldier who would wield absolute power for the next 30 years. ........ He nationalized all industries, banned international trade and investment, expelled nearly half a million ethnic Indians and stopped accepting foreign aid. ........ ......tapping into Burmese nationalism's more xenophobic strains. ........ two-thirds of the people are Burmese BuddhistsIn Burma, the army has become the state -- there is little else. And yet the present officer corps, having grown up in international isolation, has little sense of the alternatives and remains deeply distrustful of the outside world. ........ an acceptance that long-distance condemnation and Western economic sanctions don't mean much to the half-century-old military regime, a regime that has long been comfortable in isolation and needs only a modicum of money and trade from the outside world ....... whether the Burmese become equal partners of China and India or merely the providers of cheap labor and raw materials. ..... fresh, results-oriented policies
UN Envoy to Myanmar Heads Back to Asia The Associated Press
Ahern to raise Burma fears at EU summit Irish Times, Ireland
Burma's Military Government Announces Death of Hardline Prime Minister Voice of America Soe Win's death is not likely to mean any changes in the leadership's policy. ...... Also on Friday, Burma's government said it regrets a statement issued by the United Nations Security Council deploring the crackdown on protesters and calling for the release of political prisoners. In statements issued through state media, the government said it would continue to cooperate with the U.N.
Burma's PM dies after long illness ABC Online
Myanmar's late PM linked to Suu Kyi attack Reuters India

State of Emergency After 29-Vehicle Pileup ABC News Schwarzenegger declared a state of emergency in Los Angeles County today after a freeway pile-up blazed for hours, killed at least three people and shut down a major traffic artery. ....... in a tunnel on Interstate 5 at the Antelope Valley Freeway north of Los Angeles. It's one of the nation's busiest highways, a major route connecting northern and southern California as well as a major commuting road for Los Angeles. ........ six big-rig trucks. ...... trucks were reduced to charred skeletons. The vehicles burned at an estimated 1,400 degrees Fahrenheit for six hours. ........ 550-foot-long underpass.
Kremlin says Putin told of plan to kill him Reuters Canada a possible plot to assassinate him during a visit to Tehran this week ...... Iran denies nuclear arms ambitions and is building a nuclear reactor with Russian help. ....... Putin, who will be the first Kremlin chief to visit Iran since Soviet dictator Josef Stalin went in 1943, will formally be in Tehran for a summit of Caspian Sea states. ....... could give him a chance to seek a peaceful compromise over Tehran's nuclear programme and to demonstrate his independence from Washington on Middle East issues. ....... Russia says engaging Tehran is a more effective way of tackling Iran's nuclear programme than isolating it. It sells weapons to Iran, in defiance of U.S. concerns, and is building a nuclear power station for Iran at Bushehr, on the Persian Gulf.
Howard calls election as Australian voters desert him Guardian Unlimited polls showed him heading for a landslide defeat after nearly 11 years in office. ...... Howard argued that his strength and experience trumped those of his youthful challenger ......... Mr Rudd, a 50-year-old former diplomat who speaks Mandarin ...... a serious, policy-driven politician ...... a government that's lost touch, and a government that's gone stale ...... Australia's 1,500 troops in and around Iraq ....... Mr Rudd has promised to withdraw from Iraq.
Amitabh Bachchan brings in a quiet birthday Sify brought in his birthday quietly - with his mother in hospital. ..... wife Jaya was down with a bout of flu. ..... a critically ill mother. ....... Being with his mother gave him an inner strength and tranquillity ....... politely refused to do interviews. ..... What's there to say? ..... scores of fans and media personnel gathered outside his house. There was chaos when he came out to greet them. The guards tried to control the crowds, failed and then called the police in.
Fox Business era dawns Variety The dawn of Fox Business today opens up a new competitive period in the business of televised business news. ........ FNC, which launched in 1996 and matched CNN in the ratings within four years. ........ "Viewers have a way of finding programming worth watching -- ...... Fox Business is launching with some pretty heavy advertising support, including Ameritrade, MasterCard, Southwest Airlines, Nasdaq and United Airlines. ....... Last week the net announced a raft of new talent signings, including former HP chief Carly Fiorina and veterans poached from Bloomberg TV, Forbes magazine and various local TV stations. ........ challenge CNBC in the ratings. .... The average net worth of CNBC's viewership -- both securities and real estate -- is $1.7 million according to Mendelsohn; at Bloomberg TV, it's $2.4 million.
New Fox channel to focus on 'sexy' Wall Street Telegraph.co.uk set to spark a bitter battle with established rival CNBC. ....... to be available in 30m homes across the US – aims to bring business news to the "Average Joe" ...... coverage will be geared to real people rather than financiers and traders ....... "Wall Street has become Main Street. It's ubiquitous in our culture and our discussions. It has become sexy in and of itself, owing nothing to the tick-by-tick movements of the market," said Mr Cavuto, who is also the main business anchor on Fox News. ........ Carly Fiorina, former boss of Hewlett Packard, who has been hired as a talking head to discuss various issues. ....... CNBC currently has an exclusive contract with Dow Jones and the Wall Street Journal to provide it with business information. .... Analysts expect News Corp will attempt to extract itself from this contract in the next 12 months, allowing Dow Jones and the Journal to channel their news into Fox Business.
Fox Business to chase Everyman -- a futile pursuit? MarketWatch The small-businessman character says he's got no corner office, no yacht and doesn't go out for $400 business lunches. But he says he could use some practical advice on how to more efficiently make cupcakes. ...... financial news coverage could be in for a massive overhaul. ....... Never one to shy away from shaking up the status quo, Murdoch ....... his highly successful Fox News Channel -- which tapped into a huge, built-in conservative audience with pent-up demand for its style of news coverage .......... the kind of advertising dollars that rivals capture by catering to more well-to-do viewers. ........ the average household income of CNBC watchers is $184,000. Bloomberg's is $199,000. ......... CNBC has averaged 210,000 viewers throughout the day thus far this year. CNBC officials say that in the 25-54 age group, the network is averaging 85,000 viewers. ....... affluent advertisers willing to pay more to cater to the business channel's small, but powerful viewing group. ....... CNBC is seen in 90 million cable-connected homes, while Bloomberg is in 50 million homes. ....... "I think when Fox News started out, it was just in [network president] Roger [Ailes'] home" ....... Ailes, who is overseeing the inauguration of Fox Business. Leckey says there is sure to be heated competition, particularly with the combative Ailes in the mix. ....... "He will find ways to make fun of them and taunt them." ....... Murdoch is offering a healthy supply of cash to give the new channel time to grow, and perhaps, eventually overtake his rivals in viewership the way his Fox News Channel eclipsed CNN. ......... inadequate financing by CNN, a Time Warner Inc. unit, that contributed to the downfall of its CNN-fn, a defunct financial news channel. .......... Alexis Glick, another CNBC alumnus, and a former trader at Morgan Stanley. ......... Some, however, have initiated their own blogs, an apparent effort to personalize business news. ........ how women in Manhattan commonly spend $500 on a pair of shoes or $1,000 for a purse ...... "solar dimming" as opposed to global warming. ...... Televised business news sorely lacks information on how, say, a merger deal is pertinent to average readers .... "There are millions of people out there who need that information"
Judgment day in soccer coach sex trial Canada.com Anderson, 23, is on trial for an alleged improper relationship with a 15-year-old member of her team in 2006. ...... Anderson, who was in a position of authority, took advantage of a vulnerable younger person. ...... The girl told police at first she and Anderson, at the time 21, hung around together and exchanged e-mails "as friends." ....... During one trip, she said, Anderson tickled her on a hotel bed. ...... At one point, a lawyer representing Anderson had the girl sign an order to stay away from her. ...... That fall and into January of this year the nature of the contact between two evolved from kissing and hugging to sex, she testified. ....... She said the girl had tried to kiss her on at least three occasions, and had confided in her about being a lesbian.
Dell Hands Control of Desktops to IT Departments PC World On-Demand Desktop Streaming, a server-based software, hardware and services offering that streams the OS, applications and data to diskless desktop clients over a Gigabit Ethernet network. ...... Dell also introduced an online IT Simplification Self-Assessment tool, which determines the complexity and efficiency of a company's IT environment at different levels.
Researchers On Verge of Blood Test For Alzheimer's Disease Voice of America
Fearful looks get brain's attention fast: study
Reuters
FDA to examine claim that lipstick lead levels unsafe
Seattle Times
Elizabeth's Lusterless Golden Age
TIME
'Clayton' creator breaks away from 'Bourne'
CNN "The Bourne Identity." Gilroy also wrote or co-wrote the other two, "The Bourne Supremacy" and "The Bourne Ultimatum." He describes the overall process as "an odyssey." ....... a "parallel-universe thriller," with scenes of ethical uncertainty that are usually left out of conventional thrillers. ....... "George said, 'I love the script, and I'd really like to direct it maybe, but I don't want to work with a first-time director and I don't want to meet him.' ....... Tony Gilroy compares his father's influence to "living over the store," he says. "That seemed normal to me, to make money with your imagination." ...... All the time Gilroy was working "weird jobs," and he's thankful for the experience: "It turned out that all the things I had done ... they all seemed to be informative to this compost-y kind of [first screenwriting] job." ....... a story he heard about a stray document that could have turned a major case upside-down. ...... "I've been in my room for 20 years, so I'm very happy to get out," he says.
Castro calls Chavez on broadcast he sang revolutionary hymns to Castro and called him "father of all revolutionaries." ....... Castro said he was moved by Chavez's singing and went on to praise Ernesto "Che" Guevara as a "sower of the conscience." ...... "There is electricity in the air," Chavez said, obviously pleased with Castro's call. ...... Chavez also gave Castro a painting he said he made while imprisoned in the early 1990s after leading a failed coup. .... Castro told him he needed to sign his work. "No one knows the merit that this has, that you did this." ....... Chavez toured the museum below the towering statue of Guevara, which also contains a mausoleum housing Guevara's remains. ....... Wearing the red, white and blue track suit that has become his typical dress during his convalescence, Castro looks pale and serious ...... Castro's already sparse gray beard seems to have thinned considerably. ..... Chavez has come to visit Castro several times since the Cuban leader underwent emergency intestinal surgery in late July 2006 and ceded authority to his younger brother, Raul. ........ Castro has not appeared in public in the 14 months since he fell ill. He called into one of Chavez's programs broadcast from Venezuela in February, and the pair chatted for more than a half-hour.

Obama says "I am the man" to address climate change
Radio Iowa, IA
'So where's the inevitability?'
Chicago Sun-Times, United States narrative developing in the U.S. national political press over the last few days -- the "inevitability" that Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton ....... on National Public Radio's "All Things Considered" aired Saturday, he was the most blunt yet in drawing the difference between himself and the front-runner ....... Only U.S. citizens and lawfully admitted permanent residents can contribute to U.S. federal campaigns. ..... asking for passport numbers, Social Security numbers or permanent resident ID numbers of all donors. .. asking contributors to reveal who referred them to the event -- information needed to identify their "bundlers" and useful in vetting donors. ....... a "tiered" event at the Landmark Hotel, where the price of being labeled a "host" is $23,000. ...... $100 per ticket -- but that's just for the 8 p.m. ballroom event for the masses; students can get in for $50. .... A $2,300 donation buys entree to the "sponsors" and main reception; $1,000 is the cost for the 7 p.m. "main" reception.
2008: Muslims, Mormons and Misunderstandings New York Times “Barack Hussein Obama has joined the United Church of Christ in an attempt to downplay his Muslim background,” warns an e-mail titled “Who Is Barack Obama,” that was circulating in South Carolina political circles this summer and sent to Politico by a South Carolina Democrat. “The Muslims have said they plan on destroying the U.S. from the inside out; what better way to start than at the highest level?” “Please forward to everyone you know,” it ended. ......... Romney, who is, indeed, Mormon, does face potential discrimination because of his faith ....... a testy memo sent to political reporters by the Edwards campaign, seeking to dispel two of the common narratives about the candidate: that his populism in the context of his wealth makes him a hypocrite, and that he must win Iowa. ......... a plan for Iraq that would divide the country into three semi-autonomous regions ...... “Why would he run for president when he can be a demigod?” said Representative Rahm Emanuel
Obama opens Carson City campaign office Nevada Appeal, NV the Illinois senator's strong convictions - especially his stance on the Iraq War. ...... "Five years ago, he had the courage, had the judgment ....... the campaign's seventh office in the state ..... campaign staff and volunteers are already working to build support in the capital. ..... door-to-door canvassing ..... phone-banking .... house meetings ...... Obama now has more than 50 staff and hundreds of volunteers working in Nevada. ..... "We are covering every precinct in the state" ...... grassroots campaigning. ..... "Knocking on doors." ...... a space were people can congregate, discuss the issues and work on the campaign. ...... the nationally known Iowa caucuses were actually begun in part to heighten Democratic support for efforts to get the United States out of another unpopular war - Vietnam.
Obama Blows It With "Kingdom on Earth" Comment OpEdNews, PA at an evangelical church in South Carolina: "I am confident we can create a Kingdom right here on Earth." ..... the Republicans don't have a monopoly on religiosity.

Wrestling with Change in China Voice of America The Communist Party Congresses that convene every five years have historically been occasions of intense political rivalry, purges and major policy shifts. This year, the congress is expected to be a tame affair politically. ...... a host of problems brought about by the country's rapid economic growth. ....... Income disparity, widespread corruption and environmental degradation ...... have hit China's poor majority the hardest ....... the rural heartland has been largely left behind. ...... more than 100-million farmers left the countryside last year to work in the cities ..... local officials have their own agendas and sometimes administer their cities or towns like fiefdoms. Abuses of power and corruption are widespread. ....... local officials hide problems from the central government by using force and intimidation to prevent citizens from reporting ...... the party fired several high-profile officials, including the Shanghai party boss, for alleged corruption ....... a general perception that the bulk of the rich people earned their wealth by corrupt practices rather than by entrepreneurship ...... 73-million-strong Communist Party ...... a truly independent agency that can investigate and punish
No Guarantees With Nearly Three Months to First Primary Votes FOX News more than half of all voters in the early primary states have not yet formed their final opinions. ...... "In 1994, Mitt Romney accomplished what people had long thought was impossible — he ran for Senate to the left of Ted Kennedy. ......... when he ran against Ted Kennedy, he said he didn't want to return to the days of Reagan-Bush. ..... line-item veto ...... 43 out of 50 governors have, and all of them say it's an essential tool ..... an American Research Group poll of 600 Democratic voters who say they will definitely vote in their caucus or primary ...... Clinton leads nationally over Barack Obama 34 to 31 percent with John Edwards at 15 percent. ..... 14 percent of those surveyed between Oct. 9-12 said they were undecided. ....... among the narrowest of polling lately on the Democratic side, where Clinton-slayers are trying desperately to demonstrate her weaknesses, particularly on foreign policy relating to Iran and Iraq. .......... some of Senator Clinton's advisers are saying that her vote on Iran was part of her moving from primary mode to general election mode. We don't need a candidate who has a primary mode and a general election mode — we need a candidate whose only mode is truth telling. ........ In 2003, three men led in most polls: Joe Lieberman, Wesley Clark and Howard Dean. Sen. John Kerry, the eventual Democratic nominee, was weak throughout most of 2003.
China will not bring in 'Western' democracy Independent insisting that the party will never mimic the Western political model ...... the 73-million member party and the country of 1.3 billion people. ..... the elite Politburo ..... the opaque black box which runs the world's most populous country and its fourth largest economy has 23 members. ...... the "fifth generation" of the Chinese Communist Party. ..... prominent dissidents have been rounded up and either warned to stay quiet for the duration of the week-long talks, kicked out of the city or placed under house arrest.

Nobel Prize renews calls of 'Run, Al, run' Christian Science Monitor
Democrats compete for African-American vote Chicago Tribune
Pelosi Vows to Push Ahead With Genocide Vote
New York Times
Obama not ‘black enough’ for White House?
East African
Obama Takes Yet ANOTHER Subtle Shot At Clinton MSNBC Biden ..... a forceful speech on the rights of African-American prisoners. ...... the two political supernovas, who were both received with deafening cheers and a flurry of flashbulbs. ...... "If you want something done," she said, "ask a busy woman to do it." ...... "I'm not going to win just by being the most calculating politician in this race," he said.
Obama Links Faith and Enviro Protection The Associated Press
Clinton Ignores Debate Over Experience The Associated Press
Obama Knocks on Doors in Iowa
The Associated Press
Edwards Questions Clinton's Sincerity
The Associated Press
Clinton, Romney Lead in New Hampshire, New Poll Shows (Update1)
Bloomberg
Clinton Leads in Nevada, Poll Says The Associated Press Hillary Rodham Clinton, 39 percent. Barack Obama, 21 percent. ....... Clinton does not fare well in a hypothetical general-election matchup against any of the top three Republicans. Against Giuliani, the former New York mayor would win 51 percent to 44 percent. The poll also showed former Tennessee Sen. Thompson ahead of Clinton, 50 percent to 44 percent. Republican voters' third preference, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, also bested Clinton, 49 percent to 43 percent.
Gore sees no hope of beating Clinton Sydney Morning Herald has told friends he is reluctant to take on her formidable political organisation. ........ at one point she pauses in the mud to speak to a man in a wheelchair and a young family - she appears a diminutive, school-marmish figure in her dark blue trouser suit. ....... During a run through New Hampshire last week, Senator Clinton and her team appeared paralysed by caution. She made a speech to 800 students and other voters in Plymouth, followed by a "barn party" in rural Canterbury, complete with bluegrass music, where she took questions from voters but not from the press. ....... her poll lead may merely reflect name recognition. Many voters, even in election-savvy New Hampshire, are only just tuning in to the election - such as the man in Plymouth who was still oblivious to the fact that Senator Obama is black, a subject that has preoccupied the media for months.
Al Gore believes Hillary Clinton is unstoppable Telegraph.co.uk her remarkable political renaissance. ...... The American Conservative magazine last week chronicled how websites and lobbying groups that once needed only utter her name to open Republican wallets are now struggling to raise campaign cash. ....... despite having the name, the money and the organisation, questions remain. ....... bumper stickers that read "Bill 4 1st Man" - though the former president himself prefers the more rakish "first laddie" - and she peppers her speech with references to "my husband". ........ a speaking style that is more pedagogue than demagogue, Mrs Clinton condemns inherited wealth for "undermining the meritocracy" and pledges to "get rid of all this cronyism" in Washington ....... If she wins, America will by 2012 have had a Bush or a Clinton as president or vice-president for 32 years - the kind of dynastic power not seen in Britain for 200 years. ........ She patently lacks his charisma, despite her efforts to emote: telling her audience that after hearing a student's hard luck story, "I got tears in my eyes", or declaring apple orchards "very close to my heart". ....... her command of detail and her competence, with no mention of the passion that inspires Obama supporters. ....... "She speaks fast, coherently, articulately and to the point. She's very intelligent. Because of all the controversy she has got the name recognition and she has persevered." ....... they have all the angles covered. They're very professional." ....... know how to bend with the prevailing wind ...... "There lies the beauty, not just of Clinton on free trade but of the Clinton candidacy itself: she has no principles. Her liberalism is redeemed by her ambition; her ideology is subordinate to her political needs." ....... the strength of her position has induced almost pathological caution, refusing even in informal settings to talk to reporters who are not approved by her handlers. ....... I like her but she's not inevitable." ...... "All it takes is one little scream."

Obama blasts "quasi-incumbent" Clinton Yahoo! News The campaigns of Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton traded barbs in dueling memos on Friday, in a sharp exchange prompted by Obama's decision to single out Clinton for the first time in his stump speech on Iraq. "Leading Democrats - including Senator Clinton - echoed the erroneous line that there was a connection between Saddam Hussein and Al Qaeda," Obama told a crowd in Des Moines, Iowa. ....... tries to marginalize Obama's argument as the maneuver of a campaign in free-fall .... assailing Clinton as a "quasi-incumbent" and criticizing her "changing positions" on torture, Iraq, social security and diplomacy. It also tried to significantly raise expectations for Clinton's campaign ...... Clinton and her campaign have abandoned the politics of "let's have a conversation," in favor of purely tactical posturing ..... The Obama campaign is pushing reporters, (the main audience for these memos), to go beyond saying she's "inevitable" and to start saying she's unbeatable -- and thus has to "win every contest."



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