Dems prepare for the 2008 in customary fashion

An long, costly, bloody, badly run, unpopular war (which war wouldn’t be, after the first 4 qualifiers) 8 years of Republican rule in the White House, after which the out party usually has the upper hand (unless you’re running against Dukakis, which they may be this year) an extremely unpopular president, latest poll numbers at 28%, dropping below the basement 30% of hard-core Republican stalwarts (although I don’t see it as justified, and I believe most people like him personally) and an economy that is perceived as, even if its not actually, going South.
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I hate cigarettes and applaud efforts to keep them out of my face and encouraging smokers to quit, but there is a line where government starts to impinge in individual rights, de facto outlawing, or making overly expensive, a habit millions enjoy and which is not illegal.

If you are a true libertarian, you should feel uncomfortable with onerous smoking regulations and taxes, even if you don’t smoke yourself. Next time it could be your ox getting gored and all that:
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Time for Another Obama Speech

or
Obama explains to San Francisco liberals why racist, gun-humping Jesus jumpers in fly-over country are too stupid to vote their own interest

UPDATE: According to Jennifer Rubin, the press, for several reasons, isn’t letting Obama off the hook. My guess is that they just love to build up and tear down. Beatify you this week, crucify you next week, resurrect you the following week etc. I think Obama is going to be so hurt this time – “his cross was rather bloody, he could hardly roll his stone.”
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.., 33% Hillary, 0% McCain supporters found

The comments are the hilarious part of this piece by ABC news hack Martha Raddatz: Surprising Political Endorsements By U.S. Troops in which she searches throughout Iraq and finds 2 Obama backers, 1 Hillary supporter, and one guy who says he likes the Republicans because they have been paying his paycheck, and that’s likely to continue, being the warmongers they are, so he wouldn’t be against them continuing.
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In a year where Democrats hold all the obvious cards: an unpopular 2 term Republican in the Whitehouse; an long war, that, even though it seems to have plateaued, remains unpopular; a faltering economy; the continuing avalanche of bad press for Republicans; the supposed rift between McCain and the conservative Republican base; the phenomenal fundraising and enthusiasm generated by the Obama campaign; the new voters supposedly brought in by the prospect of the first woman or the first black president; the cheerleading and softballing of Dems by the press while they excoriate McCain constantly- all these factors should add up to negative numbers for the Republican in the race.
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Jennifer Rubin at Commentary asks

Obama seems to be an intelligent and decent person. Yet when he says this sort of thing, you wonder what in heaven’s name is wrong with him. What would it have taken for Obama to leave Wright’s church? Or speak out publicly against these statements?

Easy. Because he can’t without alienating his base.
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It will be interesting to see how quickly the wind goes out of Obama’s campaign now that the death stroke of Jeremiah Wright’s very racist rhetoric, tacitly supported by Obama for 20 years, has hit the news.
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…Never get in the way of your opponent destroying himself

This is really all you need to know about the Church in which Obama sits every Sunday for the last 20 years, in which he was married, which baptized his kids, and through which he claims informs his campaign and his life spiritually.

In a set of “talking points” on the church’s Web site, Wright proclaims himself an exponent of “black liberation theology.” He cites James Cone, a distinguished professor at New York’s Union Theological Seminary, whom he credits for having “systematized” this strain of Christianity.

Here is a quote from Cone, explaining black liberation theology:

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