I have been reading the recent entries about Obama about how the liberals are supposed to get his back and how it is of utmost (and only) importance to win back the White House etc. etc. And I think I might agree with one of them (the winning part) 100%. One think, though, stands out to me is the gradual thinning of line of difference between HRC and BHO.

More after the Jump..

On Friday, Charlie Rose interviewed Adam Nagourney from the NYT and Clinton insider Paul Begala, who reacted to the Hillary/Barack rally in Unity, NH.

To my great pleasure and surprise, Begala was very charitable toward Obama and offered some hopeful predictions about the future cooperative behavior of the former president in a party no longer under his complete control.

The video of the show is not yet available, but you can follow the link here: Charlie Rose, 6/26/08.

More after the jump...

I saw Bud McFarlane (Reagan's National Security Advisor) on a cable network speaking about how Barak’s limited experience in world affairs was behind his strategy of speaking to nations such as Iran and N. Korea.  His conclusion was John McCain was the man with the experience and hardliner credentials to keep us safe by not speaking with these groups.

I was just watching CNN and heard some Hillary supporters in New Hampshire formed a democratic group to vote for McCain. Are they serious? It sounds like they want to cut off their nose to spite their face! I can understand being upset if your candidate didn't get the nomination, but to switch parties seems completely absurd.

I'm still not completely convinced that idea isn't just a Rethuglican conspiracy to make some Hillary supporters think there's actually such a movement. Who knows with all the spin these days eh? I watch the news quite a bit, but it doesn't take long for me to tire of the talking heads, whether for or against my beliefs.

I just know that it would be completely idiotic for me to believe McCain is different from Bush. Yea right! I mean, I once had some respect for him because of his military experience yadi yadi yadi, but really, that was when I didn't know much about politics anyway. I voted for Bush the first time because I was young, dumb and full of c...er thought he was a great guy. However, it didn't take long to see how much of an arrogant idiot he turned out to be.

During one of his debates with Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama stated that at some point during every election year "silly season" begins.

I've decided, for my own personal amusement and because some of these are just too obvious to be left unremarked upon and not pointed out, to compile a brief list of how you can recognize when "silly season" has begun.

Apparently you weren't paying attention.  The party politics, or 'choose a side' is the problem.  (response from my last diary entry).

One of the main reasons I supported Obama over HRC is because of the good judgement I believe he showed voting AGAINST Iraq. That, coupled with HIllary's support of the war and her subsequent unwillingness to acknowledge it as a mistake, solidified my belief that Obama had better judgement and was a more intellectually honest candidate.

Now, with his support of the FISA compromise, I am starting to wonder if I was wrong. True, the obvious and tangible effects of signing off on war are not the same as giving amnesty to the Telcos.

However, at one point does 'POLITICAL PRAGMATISM' turn into 'POLITICAL OPPORTUNISM?'

And how can folks who still unconditionally support Obama distinguish between HIS political maneuvering here and what Hillary did before the runup to the Iraq war?

Maverick, my ass.  I cannot believe that Walnuts would hire Rove to advise him on his campaign.  

We've all seen that photo.  2000 So Carolina, according to Rove & W, Walnuts was a misgenerating, heathen, hateful, atheist, asshole, ...

But now Rove sez Maverick's okay.  Rove works for FOX.  It is his insight they (we) crave.  But it is ultimately Walnuts he works for & who he'd prefer to see elected.

Is it possible that what passes for our common knowledge about our chances
for having a future just does not compute when it comes to the average voter.

Most of us have been absorbing facts like the list of 35 counts of impeachment Dennis read off the other night for years.

We know the facts about the wars in Iraq, and Afganistan, the covert actions elsewhere, the war crimes, neglect of global warming, peak oil, alternative energy, healthcare, social security, education, we have researched the corruption, the facts on the interfearence with elections and voting, the facts about the appointment of right wing, judges, attorneys and staff, the disemination of pro war propaganda, the warrentless wiretaping, kidnapping, torture, murder and holding without rendition.

What would happen if the media had made available those facts to be used in the decision making process of the average voter.

Yesterday was my sisters annual 29th birthday... Happy 29th b-day again Sis!

So, as the family gathered for pizza and cake my Mom says to me... I suppose you wanted "that Obama" to win didnt you?

I have to admit, the psychos over at hillaryis44.org do a decent job of making themselves seem relevant.  Every post gets hundreds of comments and you begin to think they have a real community over there.  I had wondered about this myself, so I threw together a quick script to count the commenters that participate in the site.  As it turns out...it's even more of a fringe group than you had suspected.

Were there sexist slurs thrown against Hillary?
Yes.
But there was plenty of racism thrown Obama's way, too.

So how come Obama hasn't complained?

There still is one way McCain can win:  scare the hell out of Americans and use Barack Obama's desire to run a decent, campaign (with no fear-mongering) against him.

So yesterday Hillary endorsed Obama in an extraordinary speech that made me applaud equally as much for Hillary as for Obama (something I didn't think I had in me).  Anyways, I am fortunate enough to live in DC and be a part of this event.  I attended the speech with family and all of us were glad that we went.  I decided to wear my Obama shirt as a sign of solidarity and unity going forward with the election.  I knew that this would be misinterpreted, but I didn't care.  The Democratic Party will have to face this lukewarm reunion sooner or later and I felt that "sooner" was better than "later".  Indeed, there probably wasn't a "sooner" moment than to be there at the cusp of when the Clinton and Obama campaigns effectively merged as one.

The NYT today ran a large op-ed titled What Went Wrong? listing an array of reasons why Hillary failed. Likewise, every news outlet from our dear friends at FOX to the dominating posts right here at dkos have been obsessed with the question "why Hillary lost?" Not only do I find the "Hillary lost it" narrative inaccurate, but I find it strategically unwise as a frame. The "Hillary choked" frame vastly overlooks the extent to which Obama's refreshing message, extraordinary organization, and unique style won this election. Below are a few reasons why Obama won and why, regardless, the "Hillary lost it" narrative is unwise.

"What's the difference?" you ask. In reality, Obama is the nominee because of a mixture of his strengths and her weaknesses, but the language used to frame the primary results has vast implications for the fall (i.e. tax relief and tax cuts are the same, but evoke different responses). We should stop framing this how Republicans would have it – as a Clinton choke – and start recognizing it as a strong and vigorous Clinton campaign facing the most unique, appealing message and well run campaign in a long time.

For loyal supporters, Sen. Hillary Clinton's speech on Saturday was a sad ending to a long and trying campaign.  Rivalry between followers of two very strong candidates led to intense animosity between hard-core Clintonista's and the legions of Obamabots, as evidenced by bitter arguments on DKos and elsewhere. Clinton's speech went a long way toward healing the rift for Sen. Obama's supporters. Now, we move on to the main event, the Fall campaign for POTUS; and, a critical issue is how many of Hillary's supporters will support and vote for their former mortal enemy, Barack Obama. While Clinton supporters are being welcomed onto DKos with graciousness and open arms, their support for Obama remains to be seen. This poll examines the initial effect of her strong endorsement of Obama in the speech.  Disclaimer: This poll is unscientific and has no general validity.  Also, as the poll isn't for Obama supporters, I am using the first comment to offer Obamabots a response option.   But first, a salute to Hillary Clinton.

I have always been on the cusp.  My birthday is in January, on the cusp of Capricorn and Aquarius, so I'm an idealistic pragmatist (or a pragmatic idealist).  I was born in the second half of the baby boom, so I'm a Joneser (learned that this year), who was a little too young for the "fun" part of 60s, but identify strongly with the movements of my generation.  I'm a feminist who was neither a pioneer nor a real beneficiary of their sacrifices.

Follow me over the cusp.

Note: DO NOT RESPOND unless you read what I had to say, from a few respondees it's clear they aren't seeing my point here, and yes there is time, I am only asking 10 days of what is only 10% of people here, not all 145.

I The purpose for my first diary here is concerning not just the manner in which we--as  either Obama or Hillary supporters--treat each other, but the way they treat themselves. This is not an attack towards any one side to either support or welcome the other unconditionally, as it's been clear that since Tuesday and increasingly more so the "unity" mantra has been resonating and doing so effectively. What were once avid Obama supporters who were only a week ago angry at anything related to Hillary's campaign I now see people apologizing to her supporters and offering an olive branch. Similarly, I see what were once staunchly on Hillary's side conceding a tough primary and are happily--albeit with a temporary slightly sad aura--voicing their desire and efforts to ensure Obama wins in November.