Obama: 20,000 In Texas

Incredible.

We are all witnessing history.

UPDATE:(2/27/2007) Here is a photo from the Austin event.

Obama's Cleveland Rally Is Booked

Obama is in Cleveland this Monday. I just tried to sign up for tickets, but they are all gone. I hear over ten thousand people will be there. This is happening everywhere Obama goes.
Something is happening here.

Gore Waiting Until September?

Many people have speculated that Gore might be waiting until summer to make a decision on whether or not to run for president. According to the New York Oberver, this specualtion might be accurate:

It's too much to say that Al Gore has decided to run for President in 2008.

But it does seem that he wants to preserve the option.

Certainly, the recent buzz about a possible Gore campaign in 2008 doesn't seem to be spontaneously generated. According to one influential Democratic insider, close associates of the former Vice President have communicated to him and other prominent fund-raisers who are uncommitted to the other '08 candidates that Mr. Gore will consider entering the race--if an opening presents itself--in September.

Let's cross our fingers.

Video: Obama on Iraq, 2002

Obamarama has posted a must-see video of an Obama interview from Novemer of 2002, where he was asked specifically about his position on Iraq:

Obama's Iowa Weekend

It looks like Obama is hot in Iowa:

Barack Obama is off to a stellar start in Iowa.

The Illinois senator had what is likely to be the largest kickoff ever seen for any candidate in the history of the caucuses.

His crowds in Cedar Rapids and Waterloo were huge - two or three thousand per event. In Ames, about 5,000 people were at the Hilton Coliseum. Even a lowly house party in Iowa Falls attracted 200.

Even though Edwards had a strong early showing in Iowa, I think the lead will change hands many times before it is all said and done. After all, the latest polls had Hillary up after her announcement, and I expect Obama to take the lead there after his big media weekend. Also, don't forget that Obama is from a neighboring state, and that eastern Iowa gets Illinois television. So, he is in a really good position right now in Iowa.

How Black?

Obama, not black enough.

Or

Too Black.

What's it going to be? I guess the media will try to make up the country's mind.

The "My.BarackObama.com" Blogs

One of the interesting things that Obama's campaign is doing is giving a personal blog to anyone who wants one. It is a My.BarackObama.com site blog. My concern is that there are already thousands of blogs that have been claimed by god knows who, and god knows what they are saying and what they will say. So, Obama supporters need to get the word out now that these blogs and their views are not endorsed by the campaign. The campaign is allowing its website to be a public repository for thousands of various viewpoints. There are many nasty, tasteless human beings in the country that will say anything without serious consideration, and some of these people might end up posting an entry that could be damaging to Obama if the media covers it as if it came from his campaign site. So, the campaign and his supporters need to be ready for this when it happens, and it will happen.

This from Ben Smith:

I'm biased, just having spent too much time online, toward Obama's approach here, but it'll require the media to report on the site like what it is -- a loosely organized community, not a vehicle for official message. (The Post actually gets it about right today.) MoveOn.org took a very unfair hit when somebody contributed a video comparing Bush to Hitler to an open contest; Obama may do the same.

It strikes me, though, that the appropriate way to cover a site like this is the way you cover a campaign rally. Attendance is voluntary, and one crazy doesn't speak for the campaign. At the same time, it's fair to characterize sentiments that run across the community.

On Obama

From a new Rolling Stone piece about Obama:

You could almost see the wheels turning in the minds of Washington's best and brightest: Go to work for Obama, they were thinking, and you might end up running the world. "You spend your life preparing for Bobby Kennedy to walk in the door," says one D.C. pollster, "and then one day he walks in your door."

That just about says it all, doesn't it?

Obama Website

Barack Obama's website is now up and running. All I have to say is that I have been predicting that it would be an amazing site, and it is.
It offers an extremely comprehensive look at Obama's life in and out of politics, and it is amazingly inclusive for a presidential campaign. It gives supporters the opputnity to create profile pages where they can create and post on their own blogs within the Obama '08 site.
Take a look for yourself, and don't forget 10:55am is the live webcast of the speech in Springfiled.

Attending to Other Projects

I am going to be posting a lot less in the upcoming months. I have been posting more lately out of excitement for Obama's entrance into the primaries, and because I have had the time. However, my time is up. I have to get back to work. I have a novel and a Picasso biography that are awaiting my attention.
The design of the site has changed and the content will probably be as sporadic as my future posting.
I'll continue to post things that are of great importance to me personally, and I might be back in full swing in the fall.

Obama Skipping Nevada Debate?

This from Hotline:

Jon Ralston reports Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) will skip the 2/21 Carson City Dem forum, and will actually be in IA on that date. Obama will be in NV a few days earlier, however, on 2/18.

This is a bold move by Obama's campaign. This could be a great strategy to set him apart from the other candidates, or it could backfire and make him look arrogant or unprepared for big stage scrutiny.

Debate on Feb. 21

I am an admitted political junklie, but even I have to say that a debate this early is insanity.
Here are the committed attendees:
Sens. Hillary Clinton
Sen. Joe Biden
Sen.Chris Dodd
former Gov. Tom Vilsack
Gov. Bill Richardson
former Sen. Mike Gravel

Obama has not yet committed.
Also, where is Clark and Kucinich? Not that I'll miss them, but...

Obama and Public Financing

The stories about Obama's accepting or not accepting public funding have been all over the political blogs the last two days. However, it turns out that Obama has not officially opted out. He has made a request to the FEC to see if he can keep his options open.

This from Ben Smith:

The request lays out the following scenario: Obama's campaign would accept contributions for both the primary and general elections, but then return the general election contributions later if the Republican nominee agreed to accept public financing. The public financing system provides taxpayer dollars to candidates who abide by restrictions on how much they can raise.

It is a smart move, consistent with his theme of unity and public fairness. He is saying that if he wins the primary, he will accept public financing on the condition that his Republican rival does the same. It would be crazy to accept public financing against an opponent that is raising money hand over fist. Your rival would drown out your message in ad time.
This shows that Obama's campaign is on thier toes and thinking ahead. Good.

Unanswered Question

What will Hillary do or say in New Hampshire on Saturday to try and take the spotlight off of Obama?

Obama Hears Concerns of Netroots

There is a great story on Obama from Roger Simon of The Politico. Here is a snippet that I found particularly interesting:

Obama, as do other candidates, wants to use the Internet to connect people and build support. But he also hinted at the possibility of letting such "net-citizens" play a role in running the campaign.

He said that after his DNC speech, he had gone to George Mason University where "these college kids had organized a rally without any involvement by our staff. We figured there would be a couple of hundred people there, and there were 3,500 people. They had just organized it through Facebook on the Internet."

Obama said letting outsiders run some aspects of his campaign might be worth it. "That kind of grassroots efforts can be scary, in that I think it is hard for any campaign to give up any kind of control and there is a tendency to try to do things top down," he said. "But I think we are in a moment where there is a possibility, not a certainty, but a possibility of bottom-up activism that I think could reshape the political landscape."

Obama also said that his years as a community organizer on the far South Side of Chicago taught him that "if you want to lead, you have to be able to listen."

This is wonderful news for those of us who have had questions about Obama's future web presence. It sounds like he and his campaign have received the message. As I have said before, I expect the new website will match the promise of the campaign. I know I will be giving my refresh button a workout this Saturday morning when he officially announces his candidacy.

"Eternal Embrace"

(Enrico Pajello/Handout/Reuters)

This is just an incredible story:

Archaeologists in Italy have discovered a couple buried 5,000 to 6,000 years ago, hugging each other.

"It's an extraordinary case," said Elena Menotti, who led the team on their dig near the northern city of Mantova.

"There has not been a double burial found in the Neolithic period, much less two people hugging -- and they really are hugging."

Let the Fundraising Spin Begin

The battle for big money has grown into spinning your competitors financial expectations:

The front-runner strategy, and the display of force, came as Clinton's aides work in their public statements to suggest her campaign might not raise as much money as Edwards or Democratic Illinois Sen. Barack Obama. Clinton adviser Howard Wolfson has said he expects Edwards to raise $20 million and Obama to raise as much as $40 million this quarter -- his play in the game of setting unattainable expectations for one's rivals, and low ones for oneself.

An aide to Obama, Bill Burton, parried Wolfson's predictions with an expectation of his own for the Clinton campaign. "Whether you call it Bush's fuzzy math or Clinton's Wolfson math, the numbers don't add up," Burton said in an e-mail. "By their account, they should be raising $85 million on top of their supposed 'goal' in the first quarter alone."

I have to say this is a smart strategic tactic that Hillary's campaign is using to try and sink the other campaigns early. Still, no matter how impressives it is tactically, it is despicable ethically. The Hillary camp just continues to alienate me with their arrogant behavior. The actions and the rhetoric remind me too much of the Bush machine.

I will still vote for Hillary over any of the Republicans in a general election, but she is determined to make it difficult for me to support her with anything other than resignation.

Obama Posts Annuncement Schedule

On Obama's website there is a new link that I hadn't seen before. The link shows his announcement schedule. His announcement rollout begins in Springfield at 10am, and then it is off to Iowa for several events on Saturday and Sunday morning. Then he goes back to Chicago for an event Sunday afternoon, and Monday is New Hampshire. It sounds like it is going to be a very busy weekend for Obama fans.

Public Financing is Dead

Opting out:

Obama joins Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY) and former Sen. John Edwards (D-NC), "both of whom recently decided to skip public financing of their campaigns. Edwards and Obama also say they won't accept money from lobbyists or political action committees."

Hillary's Blog Still Dark

For all the talk about Obama's poor web presence, it is hard to really celebrate Hillary's website. She still doesn't have a campaign blog.

John Edwards' site is clearly the best for the moment. However, I am expecting really big things from Obama's team starting late Friday night or early Saturday.

Obama Back to New Hampshire

Its going to be a fun weekend:

Perhaps this is purely a coincidence, but Barack Obama is planning a trip to New Hampshire on Feb. 12 -- one day after Hillary Clinton is scheduled to campaign in the state, the New Hampshire Union Leader says in a story just posted on its Web site. The trip will mark the Illinois senator's second trip to the Granite State in a span of two months.

Obama to Quit Smoking

Chicago Tribune reports that Obama is attempting to quit smoking:

He said in a Monday interview that, although he has never been a heavy smoker, he has quit for periods over the last several years but then slipped back into the habit. On the cusp of a potential presidential bid seemed the right time to quit for good, he said.

"I've never been a heavy smoker," Obama said. "I've quit periodically over the last several years. I've got an ironclad demand from my wife that in the stresses of the campaign I don't succumb. I've been chewing Nicorette strenuously."

I always believed that he would quit before the campaign was in full swing. I know that a campaign must be a stressfull time, and especially tempting for an ex-smoker to resume their bad habit, but I think that the grueling schedule of a presidential run would just be too chaotic for anyone to sneak away for a smoke. It's not like Obama is going to have many quiet, private moments to sneak behind an Iowa high school for a smoke.

(tip to Obamarama)

Hillary and Obama Shun Debates?

Over at Politico, Roger Simon wonders if Hillary and Obama will skip some of this year's democratic debates:

Debate organizers try to make the debates refusal-proof by co-sponsoring them with major media, labor unions, or organizations like the Congressional Black Caucus.

But guess what? Neither Hillary Clinton nor Barack Obama has accepted any debate or forum invitations as of yet.

"The two people who can blow up the debates are those two," an adviser to the Obama campaign told me. "All they have to do is say: 'Debate without me. Go ahead.'

"There will be some accusations that they are being arrogant, but where it is written that you have to debate this early?"

And Obama and Hillary have the perfect excuse for not showing up: They have day jobs.

I, for one, really enjoy the debates and hope that they participate in all of them. I know I'll still watch them no matter who participates.

The Intensity of an Obama Event

Here's an idea of how intense an Obama event gets:

This video was from this past weekend's "Student for Obama" event at George Mason University. Watch the full speech here.

Gore Calls New Hampshire

This could be good news:

"Former Vice-President, and Oscar nominee, Al Gore recently called a high-profile New Hampshire Democrat. The Granite State Democrat said that he and Gore recently had 'a long conversation.' The call took place over the weekend and was initiated by Mr. Gore. This Dem is a hot commodity since questions have arisen has to whom they would support in 2008. Is Gore preparing for a possible run?"

Edwards on Meet the Press

Edwards was very impressive yesterday on Meet the Press. I highly recommend watching the program, which you can do here.

I was amazed at his frankness on tough issues like taxes and health care. Also, I liked how he repeatedly took responsibility for his vote on the Iraq war resolution, and although I'm not not sure I agree with his current Iraq position, it is nice to see that he has one that is easily understood.

Edwards' level of accessibility was the thing I took away from this interview. He seemed to be determined to answer every question honestly, succinctly, and without hedging his bets at every turn.

Obama, Just Getting Started

From the Washington Post:

"For all the buzz about his running, Obama did not enter the race with the conventional weapons of a presidential candidate -- a deep database of donors, a tactical road map for winning primaries or even a sign marking the entrance to his ad hoc campaign headquarters. Obama is only now starting to build a political infrastructure that matches his growing support."

The Obama campaign better have their act together soon. Obama's closest competitors are already in full campaign mode, and he won't offically start until this Saturday, which just happens to coincide with Hillary's first trip to New Hampshire since 1996. Saturday is going to be the first of many days that Hillary and Obama will be wrestling for media attention.

Super Bowl Predictions

Game: Colts win, 31-20

Ads: Big News from Apple. Widescreen iPod? Beatles catalog for iTunes? Maybe some combination of both.

David Sedaris, "The Stadium Pal"

Perfect clip for Super Bowl Sunday when you consider that no one wants to get up during the ads. After all, the ads may be the best part.

This clip is remarkable to me mostly because it is not often that you are going to watch an essay reading on a late night show. That is what makes Sedaris so special, he takes the traditionally drab public reading format to the level of stand-up comedy.

(Thanks to Norm at One Good Move)

Iowa and New Hampshire Polls

American Reseach Group Poll for Iowa(2/3/2007)
Biden 2%
Clark 2%
Clinton 35%
Dodd 1%
Edwards 18%
Gravel -
Kucinich 2%
Obama 14%
Richardson 1%
Vilsack 12%
Undecided 13%

ARG Poll for NH(2/3/2007)
Biden 2%
Clark 2%
Clinton 39%
Dodd 1%
Edwards 13%
Gravel -
Kucinich 1%
Obama 19%
Richardson 2%
Vilsack 1%
Undecided 21%

I think Hillary's recent bump in the polls is mostly due to her major press offensive the past few weeks. One of the ways to see evidence of this is to see if she drops after Obama's official announcement next weekend. If she drops and Obama gains support then we know most of her early support was soft and mostly media manufactured.

However, if Obama announces and does not get much of a bump then he could be in trouble. And even if he does get a bump, where does it come from? We'll need to see his support come from Hillary. I believe a good deal of her support is soft right now and it was smart for Obama to wait a few extra weeks to announce so that he could bite into her early jump.

As far as Edwards is concerened, he seems to have fairly solid numbers in both states. They look consistent in the middle to high teens. So, he has strong, hard support from a small group of voters. However, what can Edwards do to get a bump? We'll see. There is still a long way to go.

Bottom Line: Hillary is growing a sizable lead and it does nothing to hurt her campaign of inevitability. The longer this lead holds, the more the rest of the candidates will fade into the background.

Lieberman Swears Against Another Run

This from Political Wire:

"My days of seeking national office are over."

-- Sen. Joe Lieberman (I), quoted by the Hartford Courant, in a direct question about possibly being Sen. John McCain's (R-AZ) running mate in 2008.

This is good news for those of us that believed that there was a more than fair chance that Lieberman could be the VP choice for the Republican nominee.

However, this quote does not exclude him from speaking at the Republican National Convention.

Hillary Speaks

Here is Hillary Clinton's speech at yesterday's DNC Winter Meeting.

Edwards Speaks

Here is Edwards' speech at the DNC Winter Meeting.

Obama Speaks

Here is a slightly edited version of Obama's speech at the Winter Meeting.

And his speech at George Mason Univeristy that he delivered just hours later.

If I find more clips, I'll post them.

(Thanks to Obamarama for leading me to the videos.)

John Edwards' Emotional Excesses

I have been thinking a lot about Edwards' speech at the DNC Winter Meeting yesterday. The crowd reaction at the event led me to the conclusion that Edwards carried the day, but upon further reflection, I'm not so sure.

There is no question that he moved the crowd, but as I said yesterday his speech felt full of emotional manipulation and shameless pandering. The truth is I like Edwards. I voted for him in the 2004 primary, happily. So, it is not as though I am an anti-Edwards guy. I watched his speech with an open mind, and I actually think it was a pretty well written speech. I just didn't get the feeling that it was delivered with the kind of sincerety that I would expect from the seriousness of the content.

I agree with this assessment of the speech over at Political Insider:

I used to like Edwards a lot. I liked him for crafting creative policies and having a certain talent to connect. I no longer like him very much. He really hasn't worn well for me, and I think the speech is a good example of why. On paper, it might have moved me. On radio, it could have worked. But when I actually see his facial gestures and the coordinated squinting that felt choreographed for every anecdote, it felt far too maudlin--Bill Clinton squared--and I know this is the way he rubs many people.

I truly believe that Edwards believes and cares about the issues that he talks about. I am not questioning the sincerity of his candidacy. I am only saying that his speaking style, which once was considered a major strength for him, may now be a liability. He tries too hard to make an emotional connection and it kind of seems like he is belittling the issues by delivering such an over-the-top dramatic reading. The drama is already present in poverty, energy independence, and the war in Iraq. We don't need a dramatic reading. We just need to hear that you know that they are problems, and how you plan to solve them.

In other words, he is drowning his message in folksiness.

John Edwards on Meet the Press Tomorrow

Meet the Press begins its 2008 "Meet the Candidates" series tomorrow with John Edwards.

You can watch it at its regular air time, or you can watch the podcast on your computer(available at 1:00 pm).

Thoughts on DNC Winter Meeting

Edwards. His speech was memorable, and he probably did the most to help himself today. Of course, his speech was full of emotional manipulation and pandering, but this is politics after all. Still, he went way over his allotted time, which I think is unfair to the other candidates and is just genuinely disrespectful of the constraints that are preset for these events. That being said, I would say he had the best day of the three big candidates.

Obama. He gave a sober speech appealing to hope over cynicism, claiming that cynicism is what America need to overcome in 2008. He also made a case for a clean primary election, which will, as it always does, fall on deaf ears. Also:

Every candidate sans one peppered the crowd with buttons and bumper stickers. But Sen. Barack Obama, befitting his sober speech, had none of that. His display table outside the main ballroom was spare, expcept for a few sign up sheets and photocopied black and white signs. All the candidates sans one entered to music. But Obama had none. Every candidate packed the hall with supporters. Obama didn't do anything in advance.

After reading some thing like that you could say that he was just not ready for the event. I think the opposite is true. I think by coming in without all the bells and whistles and giving an incredibly sober assessment of American polititcs, he has made himself the straight man to everyone else's ticker tape parade. He leaves this event as the serious candidate. "This isn't a game," he said to the audience, and he clearly meant it. His tone and his message made everyone else look like they were wallowing in superficiality.

Hillary. She really didn't do anything new in her speech today. There was a lot of the old inevitability refrain. She kept talking about what she would do when she became president, and what she wouldn't have done if she were president. She repeated the whole, 'I'm in and I'm in to win' junk again. After hearing her in Iowa last weekend and today you might think she had already won the election. Someone needs to tell her that the primary is still a year away, and that there are a lot of people out there that aren't real happy to have her as their candidate. However, It was clear from the reception and reaction she got in the hall, at least from what I could see on C-SPAN, that she is the establishment candidate. They love her. I, for one, am not so crazy about her right now.

I am only going to deal with the top-tier candidates. Until one of the other candidates makes a serious move in the polls I won't be focussing too much on them.

More Gore

Now, Gore has been asked, and has accepted an invitation to testify before the Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Energy and Air Quality, and the Science and Technology Subcommittee on Energy and Environment. The testimony will take place during hearings about climate change.

The media likes the idea of a Gore run as much as anyone. They'll happily assassinate his character at every turn if he does run, but they like the idea of him running. So, this testimony will be all over the 24 hour news channels, especially if Gore walks in to testify fresh off winning an Ocsar.

And speaking of Oscars:

Donna Brazile, who was Gore's campaign manager in 2000, strongly hinted at a recent speaking engagement that Gore could make a "dramatic entrance into the 2008 presidential race" at the Academy Awards next month. "Wait till Oscar night," she told a small audience at Moravian College in Pennsylvania.

I'm convinced that Donna is pushing these rumors just to keep Gore in the conversation. I don't believe that she has any special information about a possible Gore run. As I've said, I'm not even sure if Gore knows if he is going to run.

And as far as the buzz that Gore could announce at the Oscars, I just do not see that happening, and I don't think it would be a good idea.

Dem Leaders Limiting Debates?

According to the AP's Nedra Pickler, some of the top 2008 candidates for the Democratic nomination are worried about too may joint events and forums:

Campaign aides for the leading Democratic presidential candidates have been working together on how to keep their bosses apart, at least for a while.

Representatives for Sens. Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama and 2004 vice presidential nominee John Edwards contacted Democratic National Committee executive direction Tom McMahon to request a meeting. The top advisers to Clinton and Obama then secretly came to McMahon's office together Wednesday and asked him to bring some order to the schedule of joint appearances.

In the next three months, there are two candidate forums scheduled in Nevada, a debate in New Hampshire and a debate in South Carolina. More gatherings are in the works for the year.

The candidates are concerned about fitting all the joint appearances into their schedules, but are afraid to turn down invitations and upset the influential hosts who sponsor the gatherings. They want the party to set the limits so they don't have to, something that DNC officials said they are exploring with the nine candidates.

My feeling is the more events to see all the candidates together, especially in debates, is better for voters.

Landmark Global Warming Study

This from the AP:

Scientists from 113 countries issued a landmark report Friday saying they have little doubt global warming is caused by man, and predicting that hotter temperatures and rises in sea level will "continue for centuries" no matter how much humans control their pollution.

A top U.S. government scientist, Susan Solomon, said "there can be no question that the increase in greenhouse gases are dominated by human activities."

Environmental campaigners urged the United States and other industrial nations to significantly cut their emissions of greenhouse gases in response to the long-awaited report by Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

"It is critical that we look at this report ... as a moment where the focus of attention will shift from whether climate change is linked to human activity, whether the science is sufficient, to what on earth are we going to do about it," said Achim Steiner, the executive director of the U.N. Environment Program.

This seems like old news to those of us who have been sure about global warming for years. The United States is in the unfortunate position of being the world's worst polluter and having a government led by skeptics. So, there is little evidence that this important international report will change the energy policy in this country.

Hillary Playing Hardball

It looks like Hillary and her campaign are playing hardball:

"She's calling all the big-hitter fundraisers and saying, 'I want you to understand: NO money to anybody else. You cannot play both sides of the street,'" in the '08 presidential race, says a longtime Democratic operative who has worked for the Clintons in the past but turned down a role in the current campaign, and is so far sitting this one out.

And what's the reaction been? "People don't like it, but they're afraid of her."

This story is so fascistic that it's hard to believe. I would expect this kind of strong-arming from a Republican, but not from Hillary and not this early. My only hope is that it's not true.

But let's assume that it is true.

It's one thing for her to actually say this to big-money contributors, but for the contributors to be frightened of the possible consequences of not complying is absurd.

She is clearly trying to play herself as the candidate of inevitablility in this primary, and I think if stories like this one keep floating around then the only thing inevitable about her candidacy will be how hard everyone works to see her get crushed in the primaries. She certianly isn't endearing herself to me with this nonsense.

Kos on Gore '08

Kos is an important political figure for many young, left of center individuals. So, when he says something about supporting a potential candidate in the primary it is a big deal. That's why I was so surprised to see this:

One reason I'm not jumping aboard any 2008 bandwagons is that I'll wait as long as necessary to see if Gore will jump in. That's ultimately my guy this cycle. And even though I don't think he'll run, he's really got all the time in the world to make a final decision.

One of the reasons that I was so surprised to see this is that it has seemed to me that in the past kos seemed annoyed that people were so pro-Gore. I guess he was just reiterating that Gore was not running.

Another reason that I am surprised to read about his support for Gore is that he has mantained that he will not endorse a candidate this cycle. Well, now he has married himself to Gore if he gets it. That's perfectly alright with me. I'll be there with him.

As I have said in the past, if the vote were today then Obama has my vote. But the vote isn't today. So, I am still keeping my eyes and ears open to the other candidates, but if Gore were to get in, well, there are no other candidates.

I can already see the campaign signs: Gore/Obama '08.
A guy can dream.

Michelle Obama

Learn a little bit about Barack Obama's wife, Michelle:

Michelle Obama - a striking 5-foot-11, with high cheekbones and a dazzling smile - is a classic beauty in the mold of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis.

But if the stunning 43-year-old and her presidential wannabe husband, Barack Obama, 45, are now America's hottest political couple, she bears a steely poise the shy and diffident Jackie O never exposed.

"There's not a bone of superficiality in her," a former colleague said of the community-affairs executive. "She is the real deal."

It might be hard to find a more flattering camparison than Jackie O. I'm sure she'll take it.

Read the entire profile here.

Obama's Web Presence

There has been some talk recently in the media that Obama is losing the web war to Clinton and Edwards. I will be the first person to acknowledge that I have been disappointed by Obama's website since his announcement on Jan. 16. Nothing has happened on the site. Not one thing has changed, and it has been more than two weeks since he announced.

That being said, Obama seems to me to have been moving his campaign into an extremely high gear, and has down a terrific job with the limited amount of time his campaign had to set up shop:

The Illinois Democrat's success in quickly assembling a staff is remarkable because his decision to enter the 2008 presidential campaign was reached only in the past two months. Other leading Democratic candidates -- including Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York and former Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina -- have been preparing their presidential runs for months, if not years.

I think we should give the guy a break if he takes an extra couple weeks to put together a webpage. I would rather he wait and put up a great site then to have his staff throw up a hapahazard site in a hurry. Besides, unlike Edwards and Hillary, Obama has set his site up as a genuine exploratory committee site. He hasn't offically announced. So, why have an offial "Obama for President" site.

As far as Obama's current lack of a web presence, Robert Gibbs, Obama's communications director, assures Howard Fineman that all of that will change on February 10th, and I hear that it is going to be a pretty impressive site.

Biden on The Daily Show

This is from Biden's appearance last night on "The Daily Show". I thought he did a pretty good job.

This is the flash player provided by Comedy Central. So, let me know if you have any problems with it.

Gore Nominated for Nobel Peace Prize?

This is incredible news. It is hard to imagine Gore having a better year then last year, but certianly this year could top it with an Oscar, and a Nobel Peace Prize(Not that both are equal, though for the sake of media attention the Oscar trumps the Nobel easily).

This from AP:

"The issue of global warming is also very topical and ... it wouldn't be impossible for the Nobel committee to honour a person combatting this threat. In such case, Al Gore ... seems to me to be a possible candidate," said Toennesson.
The former US vice president is currently criss-crossing the globe with his documentary "An Inconvenient Truth", a hard-hitting rallying cry against global environmental catastrophe.