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Vermont

[AP] Barack Obama has defeated Hillary Rodham Clinton in the Vermont primary, and the Democratic rivals are dueling in Ohio, Texas and Rhode Island in their race for the party’s presidential nomination. John McCain has won the Republican primary in Vermont as he reaches out to secure the GOP nomination.

The Democratic victory was Obama’s 12th straight over the former first lady, who is desperate to rebound later in the night in the other three states holding elections.

Technorati Tags:
2008 Election, Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, John McCain

Will Huckabee Give Up on Wednesday?

His mathematic possibilities ran out long ago, but the former Arkansas governor has stuck around for unexplainable reasons. Some say he simply wants a voice at the GOP convention. Others claim he’s running for Vice President. Whatever the intentions, all signs point to Sen. John McCain gathering enough delegates tonight to clinch the Republican nomination. This much is clear – Mike Huckabee will have a big decision to make on Wednesday.

Update: Wow, that was quick. Huckabee drops out.

Technorati Tags:
2008 Election, GOP, Huckabee, John McCain, Republicans

T-Minus 1:20 Hours

The polls will close in Ohio soon, and we’ll find out if Hillary was able to pull out a win. Whatever happens, the spin will be mind boggling.

She’s got math problems, for sure. There’s no indication that she’ll pay attention to this though. Here’s my prediction:

Hillary will win Ohio, but lose Texas. She’ll stay in the race with the excuse that voters want the battle for the Democratic nomination to go on. Then we’ll have to wait to see if the party leaders go along with this plan.

Results soon.

Technorati Tags:
2008 Election, Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton

A Close One

I’ve been in planes when they have to ditch a landing. It’s disconcerting to say the least. You’re prepared for the wheels to touch the ground when all of a sudden, the jet engines crank up to full throttle as you head straight back up into the air. Not fun.

On Saturday, a Lufthansa flight carrying 131 passengers tried to land in Germany when the pilot encountered crosswinds 150 mph.

Continue reading →

Pay No Attention To Today’s Rhetoric

The Clinton campaign is in full PR mode today. Lot’s of messages being sent. She’s fighting to win Texas and Ohio tomorrow. She’s got the momentum. She’s looking forward to Pennsylvania. “I’m just getting warmed up.”

What do you think she’d say a day before her D-Day?

I suspect there will be hundreds of emails sent to blackberry’s today emphasizing her chances of winning, her ability to hold off a decisive win by Obama, etc. Don’t believe any of it. Hillary must win and win big tomorrow, both in Texas and Ohio. If she doesn’t, she’ll be on the receiving end of private (and some public) calls for her to end the campaign for the good of the Democratic party. There will be plenty of pressure coming from Hillary’s colleagues in the Congress who’ve become increasingly wary of the effects of her fight with Obama. She’ll get a message calling for unity. She’ll hear how super delegates are standing behind Obama. His path will become clear.

The question is – will Hillary listen?

Technorati Tags:
2008 Election, Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, Super Delegate

Never Meant To See the Light of Day

If you work for a company where email is a primary means of communication, chances are good you’ve read or been involved in conversation that was never meant to be visible to anyone ‘outside the building’. Yet, it’s just too easy to click the ‘forward’ button and push an internal message to someone on the outside.

And it often happens to the big boys.

Through the years, and unintentionally, Microsoft has given the public a peek under their dress. It ain’t pretty.

Todd Bishop over at the Seattle P-I blog highlights the top 5 internal emails at Microsoft. So, voyeurs, head on over and look through the Windows @ microsoft.com.

Technorati Tags:
Microsoft, Internal Communication, Email, Bill Gates, Jim Allchin

Ridiculous

Ann Althouse posts a comment from a reader who noticed that the letters “NIG” appear on the pajamas of the children in Hillary Clinton’s ‘red phone‘ political ad. The commenter asks why the letters are visible, an intimation that racism is afoot. Rather than dismiss the notion outright, Althouse gives legs to the idea that the message could be subliminal and that the campaign is somehow responsible for sending a signal.

To believe this is an intentional move on the part of the Clinton campaign is absurd.

Sometimes bloggers go too far to stir the pot. In this instance, Althouse has her hands on a mighty big spoon.

Technorati Tags:
2008 Election, Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, Racism, Althouse, Bloggers

There’s No ‘There’ There

The silence was deafening.

Hillary Clinton has made a point to highlight what she believes is her superior experience to deal with world crisis. Her recent ad clearly intimated that you won’t even have to worry about your own children if she’s in the White House dealing with a ‘big problem’ (which of course, means Terrorism).

Funny thing though – when a reporter asked her five star political team to name one foreign policy moment in Hillary’s career where she has been tested by crisis, they were caught completely off guard. There was nothing there.

Just as the surrogate for Barack Obama was similarly caught flat footed, both candidates have a vacant record on real foreign policy experience. John McCain could eat them alive on this subject, and you can bet the GOP will be sure to keep foreign policy on the forefront of the general election debate.

Technorati Tags:
2008 Election, Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, Foreign Policy

The Daisy Ad Revisited

This is just soooo 1964. Or even, 1984.

Closing in on the March 4 contests, Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., debuted a campaign ad on Friday with ominous undertones.

“It’s 3:00am and your children are asleep,” a voice over says in the ad. “There’s a phone in the White House, and it’s ringing. Something is happening in the world. Your vote will decide who answers that call.”

“Whether someone knows the world’s leaders, knows the military, someone tested and ready to lead. It’s 3am and your children are safe and asleep. Who do you want answering the phone?” the ad concludes.

Desperate times require desperate measures, and this is a clear desperation move by the Clinton campaign. The delegate math hasn’t been in her favor for weeks now and she knows it. This will be napalm weekend. Watch for it.

Technorati Tags:
2008 Election, Hillary Clinton, Politics, Daisy Ad, Goldwater, Johnson