Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

"Why I Am Opposed to the War in Vietnam"

Quote of the Day

Atlanta Journal-Constitution:

With former President Bill Clinton standing not 20 feet in front of her, Atlanta mayor Shirley Franklin took what appeared to be a political shot at the former president's comments about Barack Obama's candidacy.

Speaking at the 40th annual MLK commemorative service at Ebenezer Baptist Church, Franklin said the country is on the "cusp of turning the impossible into reality. Yes this is reality, not fantasy or fairy tales."

IL-14: Oh, How The Mighty Has Fallen

Former Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert has left Congress and failed to finish this two year commitment to the people of Illinois 14th Congressional District, but that has not stopped him in continuing his commitment to the Republican Party.

Dennis Hastert is running unopposed for precinct committeeman for Little Rock Precinct No. 8.

Shortly after submitting his resignation last month after serving 21 years as the 14th District's congressman, the former speaker of the U.S. House signed up to run for a third term in the office of Republican precinct committeeman for Little Rock Precinct No. 8.

No one is challenging his candidacy.

It gets worst.

Now, Dennis Hastert dropped to a new low by endorsing formerly failed GOP Senate and Governor Candidate Jim Oberweis as this successor.

As expected, former House Speaker Dennis Hastert endorsed Aurora businessman Jim Oberweis as his successor Thursday morning.

Speaking briefly at a press conference at the Hampton Inn and Suites in Aurora, Hastert said that while the slate of candidates hoping to succeed him in the 14th Congressional District is a good one, "for me, the choice is clear."

Hastert praised Oberweis' integrity and conservative philosophy, and said that the dairy magnate's successful business shows he "knows how to lead."

It’s very clear. The NRCC wants candidates who can self-finance a congressional run and Jim Oberweis is always willing to spend his own personal wealth in his campaigns. So, Dennis Hastert did the most logical thing and endorsed the candidate with the greatest prosperity in order to help the cash strapped NRCC.

Citing "cold, hard analysis" of his Republican bid for Congress, Burns pulled out of the 14th Congressional District race Thursday for a combination of reasons.

Those included limited resources -- the campaign raised approximately $60,000 according to finance reports -- but not because of anything Hastert said or did, Burns said.

"It's not just the endorsement," he said, referring to Hastert's announcement of support for dairy owner Jim Oberweis in the 14th District race. "I'm certainly not going go into personal debt for a campaign."

Back in 2004 Dennis Hastert was the Speaker of the House and had no trouble criticizing Oberweis’s campaign. Now, he has to praise Oberweis.

Oh, how the mighty has fallen.

Quote of the Day

Senator Joe Biden:

And the irony is, Rudy Giuliani, probably the most under qualified person since George Bush to seek the presidency, is here - talking about any of the people here. Rudy Giuliani. I mean think about it, Rudy Giuliani, there’s only three things he mentions in a sentence — a noun and a verb and 9/11 and I mean, there’s nothing else. There’s nothing else.

Quote of the Day

Paul Krugman :

I’m just a liberal, living in a radicalizing time.

Camp Clinton Disingenuous Rhetoric

Yes, disingenuous is the right word for it.

Not straightforward or candid; insincere or calculating.

In a pervious diary, I pointed out the Clinton campaign lead by campaign spokesman Howard Wolfson continues to twist the meaning of Senator Obama ‘politics of hope’ into one should not dare to criticize anyone, especially Senator Clinton, if you believe in new kind of politics. Once again, Senator Obama emphasizes a contrast in between himself and Senator Clinton and the Camp Clinton drag out their standard reply.

It's unfortunate that Sen. Obama is abandoning the politics of hope and embracing the same old attack politics as his support stagnates.

I have to credit the Clinton campaign; they are winning the language battle.

The most remarkable political triumph of this campaign was the Clinton campaign effectively defining Barack Obama's "new politics" as "not attacking Hillary Clinton by name." Obama, of course, could have defined the new politics however he wanted, from a focus on transformative policy to a willingness to call out the DC establishment. Instead, he let the Clinton camp define his message in a way advantageous to them.

It’s still very disingenuous, rather than having an actual debate the Clinton campaign continues use Karl Rove type rhetoric to avoid criticism. I don’t fault the Clinton campaign; this is common campaign tactic. I fully except Howard Wolfson to issue their standard reply to Senator Obama new ad.

A Dying Cubs Fan's Last Request

Steve Goodman

Do they still play the blues in Chicago
When baseball season rolls around
When the snow melts away,
Do the Cubbies still play
In their ivy-covered burial ground
When I was a boy they were my pride and joy
But now they only bring fatigue
To the home of the brave
The land of the free
And the doormat of the National League