...at the 2007 Democratic Winter Meeting

I believe. [applause] I believe in an America that lives not in fear but with confidence. And draws its inspiration, not just from past glories, but from knowing that we have the power to realize our greatest hopes and dreams if only we're true to our own values.

Years from now this war in Iraq is going to be over and there will be a time to build a memorial to the fallen. The architects and the artists will design a great monument. It will have solemn beauty and deep emotion. And every year the bands will play and the wreaths will be laid and the politicians will speak about the soldiers and their sacrifice.

For me those words of sacrifice were spoken long ago, by one of our great military leaders, General of the Army Douglas MacArthur. I don't agree with his politics. I don't agree with everything he did. But I'll tell you this, he put it in words for those of us who went to West Point, who were still there in his last speech. He came and told the Corps of Cadets speaking of the sacrifice of American soldiers, he said, "I don't know the dignity of the birth but I know the glory of their death. They died unquestioning, uncomplaining, with faith in their hearts and on their lips the hope we would go on to victory. Always for them - Duty, Honor, and Country. Always their blood, and sweat, and tears as they saw the way and the light."

This year, as we struggle in Iraq, let's remember who we are as Americans and the ideals we represent. Let's commit to building the only memorial that can match the sacrifice that so many of our men and women have made - that's a stronger, safer, and more just America. [applause]

Somewhere between the politics of smear and spin there are still common solutions to our challenges. Working together we can build that better America.

It won't be easy but we've got to have the courage to begin.

That's our Duty.

That's our call.

For our Honor. For our Country. For those that sacrifice so much so that we can be here today in Freedom and Liberty. Thank you.

The truth will set you free. But first, it will piss you off. ~Gloria Steinem

...said this.....

Several years ago, I was at a Washington dinner with James Carville, and we were just having a casual conversation. I said, "James, how are we going to, how are we going to convince the American people that just because we're in a time of war that they don't have to vote Republican? How are we going to get them to understand that Democrats have a pretty good national security record?" He said, "You'll never get the American people to believe that Democrats will defend them until Democrats stand up and defend each other."

...at the Netroots Nation, I don't think anyone in the audience saw the irony when they cheered.

Personally, I think that it was one of two subtle digs, he snuck in. The other was was mentioning he won a a state that wasn't his own.
Good for Wes.

Why have Obama and the New Democratic Party chose to rehabilitate the Republican Party at a time when it and conservatism has proven to be such a failure? Answer: "Because that's where the money is."

I received the following e-mail from Progress Ohio. I can't believe they are actually considering this bill. Talk about turning the clock back to the 1950's....

Will the Ohio General Assembly Give Men the Final Decision about a Woman's Reproductive Health Care Choices?

One year ago, State Rep. John Adams (R-Sidney) introduced one of the most outrageous pieces of legislation we have ever seen.

House Bill 287 would require a woman to have the written informed consent of the prospective father of her fetus before being allowed to have an abortion.

That's right...If the man says "No," there will be no abortion. Period!

This bill may actually be scheduled for hearings in the coming weeks.

To raise awareness about this offensive bill, Planned Parenthood Affiliates of Ohio is partnering with ProgressOhio, an outreach organization that builds awareness of legislative issues.

Please click here to help us stop this bill!

You're not going to believe this...
HB 287 also requires that, if the identity of the prospective father is unknown, a paternity test must be performed to determine his identity so that his consent could be obtained prior to performing the abortion.

What is left unsaid is that prenatal paternity testing:

o cannot be performed until at least the 10th week of pregnancy, near the end of the first trimester,

o is an invasive procedure using a long needle through the abdomen to collect fetal cells,

o is expensive - up to $2,000 per test, and

o poses a potential medical risk.

The practical effect of the paternity test requirement would prevent some women from obtaining an abortion during the first trimester.

Once paternity is established, if the man says "No," there will be no abortion.

Please make a secure contribution to help us say "No!" to this outrageous bill!

Even worse...

o If the pregnancy resulted from rape, the woman would be required to provide a police report proving it.

o If the pregnancy resulted from incest, the woman would be required to provide a paternity test or a police report.

o If the woman chooses not to identify the prospective father (perhaps out of fear for her own physical well-being), her only recourse would be to continue the pregnancy against her wishes or have an illegal abortion, a first degree misdemeanor.

Speak out! Help ProgressOhio and Planned Parenthood "veto" this bill now!

We Can't Let Them Get Away with This!
Here's what you can do to help us fight this outrageous legislation:

o Click here to make a secure contribution to the PPAO Action Fund to support our efforts to fight this legislation and to support pro-choice candidates.

o Sign our petition against HB 287.

Visit the web address below to tell your friends about HB 287, the Abortion Veto Bill.

Tell-a-friend!

Brian Rothenberg
Executive Director
ProgressOhio.org

The truth will set you free. But first, it will piss you off. ~Gloria Steinem

Some of us saw this from the frackin' get go..

Throughout the left-wing blogosphere, the cry has come: Barack Obama is moving away from them, and to the center. . . . But all this outrage ignores the obvious: Throughout his career, Obama has consistently framed himself as a post-partisan centrist. He’s been a bridge-builder all his life, first between black and white, and now between left and right.

Obama positioned himself to the right of the Democratic primary pack on virtually every issue except Iraq. . . . [T]he founder of the centrist (and historically Clinton-boosting) DLC, Al From, now sees a kindred spirit: “This general election, more than most we have seen, is going to be a battle for the center. ... The more we learn about Sen. Obama's policies, the more we will see some of the policies the DLC has championed for years.”

How many times did we point this out and how many times were we told that he was only saying this stuff win and that he would magically transform himself into a Progressive once elected?

BTD thinks he can be pressured...

For those interested in actual issues and policy change, they should realize by now that Obama needs his feet held to the fire on every issue. He will not do anything that is in any way bold or progressive without being pressured to do it. In many ways, he is the most typical of pols - acting only when forced to by political exigencies. The task now is to pressure him to pander to what you want.

I think he's fooling himself. Obama is waaaay too arrogant to be swayed by a bunch of dirty hippies.

And in a moment of utter candor, and of course too little too late...BTD now sees the light...

This is an election......any Dem could have won. At this point, my argument that Obama was the most electable one looks utterly wrong.

We are going to be stuck with the status quo no matter who wins the WH.

And the Village will be partying like it's 1929

Why have Obama and the New Democratic Party chose to rehabilitate the Republican Party at a time when it and conservatism has proven to be such a failure? Answer: "Because that's where the money is."

So McStain never goes anywhere without Lieberman for Lieberman, and Obama is travelling with Chuck "I won my seat by owning the voting machines" Hagel. Interestingly, Obama spends very little time lately with Democrats who might actually make good VP choices - almost as if he doesn't think there are any. One can hope this is just theater, but it's not encouraging that so far pretty much everyone he's rumored to be considering for the job is either a Republican or someone who might as well be one. Evan Bayh, for example, a man who rose to fame on the coattails of a father who was a good, old-fashioned liberal with real credibility for progressive Democrats, has been sullying the family name ever since he followed those footsteps to Washington. (You realize, don't you, that the only person who has been talked about who did not vote for the 2005 bankruptcy bill is Hillary Clinton?) Wouldn't it be nice if Obama looked like he was a little bit interested in someone who didn't vote for some of the worst Republican excesses? Instead of an actual Republican who voted for every single one of them? So what is Obama doing that makes Hagel think he might get the job?

http://sideshow.me.uk/sjul08.htm#07201328

My emphasis

Why have Obama and the New Democratic Party chose to rehabilitate the Republican Party at a time when it and conservatism has proven to be such a failure? Answer: "Because that's where the money is."

Still, even as the issue of his speech's location has now been settled, a number of politicians in Berlin are still dissatisfied with the site. The Siegessäule -- or Victory Column -- was erected in memory of Prussia's victories over Denmark (1864), Austria (1866) and France (1870/71). The column originally stood in front of the Reichstag, Germany's parliament building, but was moved by Adolf Hitler to its current location in 1939 to make way for his planned transformation of Berlin into the Nazi capital "Germania."

"The Siegessäule in Berlin was moved to where it is now by Adolf Hitler. He saw it as a symbol of German superiority and of the victorious wars against Denmark, Austria and France," the deputy leader of the Free Democrats, Rainer Brüderle, told Bild am Sonntag. He raised the question as to "whether Barack Obama was advised correctly in his choice of the Siegessäule as the site to hold a speech on his vision for a more cooperative world."

http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/0,1518,566920,00.html

Why have Obama and the New Democratic Party chose to rehabilitate the Republican Party at a time when it and conservatism has proven to be such a failure? Answer: "Because that's where the money is."

Next, on Air America, (XM) David Binder's "Politically Direct" :

Gen. Wesley Clark (after commercial break)