Clinton’s strategy at DNC convention on shaky ground

The Politico has written yet another stellar piece in which they examine the political reality and accurately conclude that Senator Clinton cannot win the nomination at the Democratic National Convention in Denver this August. It notes that if Clinton presses for Florida and Michigan to have their delegates seated, the DNC’s Credentials Committee will not allow them to be seated. However, the article also notes that the Credentials Committee, as well as other aspects of the convention have had only ceremonial duties since 1980 and as a result, the rules are somewhat murky regarding the minutiae of convention rules.

Lou Dobbs almost calls Secretary Rice a “cotton picker”

On Friday’s The Situation Room, Lou Dobbs responded to Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice’s comments that America has a “birth defect” when it comes to race. Dobbs, comes very close to calling her a cotton picker, but stammers after he says cotton.

Polls show Clinton has credibility issues

Two polls show that Senator Clinton has some problems. A Pew Research poll has found that 29% of Americans find that Senator Clinton is “phony” while Senators Obama and McCain score 15% and 12% respectively. In an NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll, Clinton is viewed very negatively by 29% of the poll’s respondents, while Senator Obama is seen that way by half that number at 14%.

This chart from NBC News/Wall Street Journal shows Senator Clinton’s slip in the polls.

Bosnia angered at Clinton’s sniper story

According to The New York Post, Bosnia is not happy about Senator Clinton’s story about being in “imminent danger” from sniper fire, when she visited US troops in Bosnia. Bosnia’s former acting President Ejup Ganic said, “It’s an exaggeration. No one was firing. There were no shots fired.” Below are some quotes from Bosnians interviewed for the article:

It was a horrible lie. It was a low blow. She did it to gain sensational publicity.

Why is she so stupid? It doesn’t portray her as a real leader.

One Bosnian went so far as to say that the Clinton name, which was “untouchable” in Bosnia, has been tarnished forever.

Prominent feminist says Obama like Mandela and Martin Luther King

Alice Walker, a prominent author and feminist, published an article in The Guardian that praises Senator Obama as the best choice to be the 44th President of the United States. Some excerpts:

I am a supporter of Barack Obama because I believe he is the right person to lead the United States at this time. He offers a rare opportunity for the country and the world to do better. It is a deep sadness to me that many of my feminist white women friends cannot see him, cannot hear the fresh choices toward movement he offers. That they can believe that millions of Americans choose Obama over Clinton only because he is a man, and black, feels tragic to me.

[snip]

If Obama were in any sense mediocre, he would be forgotten by now. He is, in fact, a remarkable human being, not perfect but humanly stunning, like King was and like Mandela is. He is the change America has been trying desperately and for centuries to hide, ignore, kill.

[snip]

I can easily imagine Obama sitting down and talking to any leader – or any person – in the world, with no baggage of past servitude or race supremacy to mar their talks. I cannot see the same scenario with Clinton, who would drag into 21st-century US leadership the same image of white privilege and distance from others’ lives that has so marred the country’s contacts with the rest of the world.

Clinton accuses Obama of wanting to stop voting

Today, Senator Clinton accused Senator Obama of wanting to stop people from voting because of how she has been urged to drop out of the race by Obama supporters. In an interview with CBS affiliate KTVQ of Billings, Montana, Clinton said:

My take on it is a lot of Senator Obama’s supporters want to end this race because they don’t want people to keep voting. That’s just the opposite of what I believe. We want people to vote. I want the people of Montana to vote, don’t you?

The Obama campaign responded by saying that Senator Clinton’s assertions were “completely laughable.” However, one can only think that if Clinton and Obama were to swap the number of pledged delegates, states won and popular vote they have, Senator Clinton would not mind an end to voting before all the primaries have been held.

Obama decries executives receiving bonuses for failure

NRCC pays off huge debt

The NRCC has paid off its $18 million debt according to its chairman, Rep. Tom Cole.

Obama maintains lead in new poll

In a new Gallup poll, Barack Obama leads Hillary Clinton 51% to 43% in the battle for the Democratic nomination.

Clinton spokesman: Our cash flow is good, bills are being paid

Amid reports that Hillary Clinton’s campaign owes a significant amount of money to vendors and is neglecting to pay bills, the Clinton campaign’s communications director, Howard Wolfson, said on MSNBC today:

“Our cash flow is good. Bills are being paid. We are continuing to raise a considerable amount of money. We had the best fundraising month in the campaign’s history last month. We are continuing to do well this month. The support that we’re receiving over the Internet especially is very, very strong.”

Wolfson made similar statements at the end of February 2008, when the first reports of the Clinton campaign having money troubles paying bills emerged. Clinton subsequently raised $35 million, but has yet to pay off her debts, in favor of making more expensive media buys.

Clinton to do Leno Thursday

Hillary Clinton will appear on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno on Thursday.

Obama appears to win big in Texas delegates

While Hillary Clinton was declared the winner of Texas, Barack Obama has won more pledged delegates because of the Texas caucuses, which were held in conjunction with the Texas primary.

NFL blocks for McCain

The NFL will open the 2008 regular season on Thursday, September 4th, the same night that John McCain will accept the GOP nomination at the Republican National Convention, in a game featuring the Washington Redskins and the Super Bowl champion New York Giants. However, the original kickoff time was scheduled for the moment McCain was supposed to begin his address to the convention. In order to keep both Washington football fans and McCain supporters happy, the NFL has moved the start time of the game to be 90 minutes earlier.

Evidence that the nomination is secured: 50 Cent switches support to Obama

In lighter campaign news, the rapper 50 Cent has changed his support from Senator Clinton to Senator Obama. Both to the relief and dismay of Clinton and Obama, 50 Cent does not hold superdelegate status.

Update: 50 Cent has now changed to undecided. The Clinton and Obama campaigns have already placed their plans for the upcoming week on hold and sent top surrogates to court his vital support.

Bill Clinton tells dems to “chill out”

Rendell calls Fox “most objective” news network

Governor Ed Rendell of Pennsylvania, a major Clinton supporter, went on Fox News and said that they were the “most objective” of the news networks.

Congressman to introduce “Blogger Protection Act of 2008″

According to FishBowlDC, Congressman Jeb Hensarling (R-TX) plans to introduce the Blogger Protection Act of 2008 this week. There are no details on what the bill actually contains.

Senior McCain aide to leave campaign if Obama wins nomination

Mark McKinnon, who was the top media strategist for President Bush’s 2000 and 2004 presidential campaigns and now holds the same position in John McCain’s campaign, has confirmed reports that he would resign from the McCain campaign if Barack Obama wins the Democratic presidential nomination.

In an interview with the National Journal, McKinnon said:

Well, this goes back to a memo that I wrote to the campaign when I came aboard more than a year and a half ago, and I simply let them know that I had spent time with Obama and read his book and I like the guy. I think he has strong character and a fascinating life story, and I disagree with him fundamentally on issues like Iraq and trade and a number of others. But I just flashed forward to the improbable scenario, at that time seemingly improbable, that John McCain and Barack Obama might face off against one other. And I just told them at the time that I thought that I would be uncomfortable being on the front lines — being as aggressive as you need to be in a presidential campaign — and not only that I would be uncomfortable, but that it would be bad for the campaign, and that if that circumstance were to come to be, that I would just take a step to the sidelines and continue to support John McCain 100 percent and be No. 1 fan and cheerleader. But just kind of take myself out of the front lines.

Poll: Obama up big in North Carolina

In an ARG poll, Senator Obama has a commanding lead in North Carolina, whose primary is May 6. Obama leads Clinton 51 % to 38%. Among Democrats, Obama is ahead 49% to 40%, while Obama has gigantic lead with unaffiliated voters 59% to 31%.

NRCC attacks Rep. Gabrielle Giffords in ad

In an attempt to pick up the seat held by Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ), the National Republican Congressional Committee is running this ad against her. It tries to smear her as breaking her promise “to reach across the aisle” to do the right thing. Additionally, it claims that Giffords’ position on the FISA law has made the country less safe and that she sides with terrorists and lawyers who donated to her campaign over the American people.