Obama i SAD (2008-2016)

[jeza u ledja]

OFF TO THE RACES
Number Soup
by Charlie Cook
National Journal

Tue. May 20, 2008




Whether you look at the averages of all the major national polls on realclearpolitics.com or pollster.com's trend estimates based on most recent polling, presumptive Republican nominee Sen. John McCain of Arizona very narrowly trails Democratic Sens. Barack Obama of Illinois and Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York by 2 to 3 points.

The fact that there is minimal overall difference between Obama and McCain and Clinton and McCain suggests some stability in the numbers. The closeness of the gap suggests an election consistent with the last two. The 2000 election came down to a 537-vote margin in Florida out of almost 6 million votes cast, and 2004 was decided in Ohio, where there was a difference of just 118,599 out of almost 5.6 million votes cast.

Add in that Democrats need to win the popular vote nationwide by somewhere between a half point and 1.5 points to overcome the more efficient allocation of Republican electoral votes (Republicans only "waste" a lot of extra votes in Texas; Democrats do it in California, Illinois and New York) and that points to a particularly close fall general election.

A new survey conducted for National Public Radio by two of the most respected Democratic and Republican pollsters in the business does a great job of setting the stage for a fascinating election. The survey, conducted by Democrat Stan Greenberg of Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research and Republican Glen Bolger of Public Opinion Strategies, portrays a very sour electorate, with just 16 percent saying the country was headed in the right direction and a whopping 80 percent saying it was off on the wrong track. In January, right direction was at 23 percent, wrong track at 68 percent.

President Bush's 33 percent job approval rating was no surprise, but only 12 percent strongly approved his performance, while a jaw-dropping 51 percent strongly disapproved his handling of the job.

Congress' overall approval numbers were worse, with 23 percent approving and 73 percent disapproving. Only 3 percent strongly approved, while 44 percent strongly disapproved.

But, the interesting thing is there is virtually no difference in the view of Congress between Republicans, Democrats and independents. Among Republicans, 23 percent approved, 74 percent disapproved; among Democrats 22 percent approved, 72 percent disapproved; among independents, 20 percent approved, 77 percent disapproved.

In the presidential race, Obama led McCain 48 percent to 43 percent. Against Clinton, McCain had 46 percent to her 45 percent, well within the poll's 3.5-point error margin. The difference largely came among independent voters. In this poll, McCain ran much stronger than Clinton among independents, 48 percent to 36 percent, but trailed Obama among the same group, getting 37 percent to Obama's 44 percent.

The survey of 800 likely voters, conducted May 7-10, pointed clearly to several of McCain's weak spots. Asked which candidate would do the best job of handling the economy, the problem the survey had identified as most important to voters, Obama edged McCain by 4 points, 47 to 43 percent; Clinton beat McCain by 8 points, 48 to 40 percent.

When asked whether each candidate has a plan to fix the economy, 45 percent of voters thought McCain did have a plan, while 46 percent said he did not. For Obama, 57 percent said he did, 36 percent said he did not and 59 percent thought Clinton had a plan, while 36 percent said she did not.

On handling the mortgage foreclosure crisis, 38 percent thought Clinton had a plan to deal with it and 34 percent thought Obama had a plan, but just 23 percent said McCain did.

On the question of which "does or does not have a plan to lower gas prices," another white-hot voter concern, 42 percent said Clinton had a plan, 34 percent thought Obama had a plan, just 25 percent thought McCain did.

How about having a plan to "keep healthcare costs under control?" Fifty-nine percent thought Clinton had a plan, 52 percent thought Obama had a plan and just 32 percent thought McCain had a plan.

What about who does or does not "have a plan to make America's economy more competitive?" Fifty-two percent said Clinton had a plan, 50 percent thought Obama had a plan but just 41 percent thought McCain did.

Finally, what about the age-old Republican strength -- taxes? When asked which candidate does or does not have a plan "to provide tax relief for the middle class, 50 percent thought Obama had a plan, 49 percent thought Clinton had a plan, but just 31 percent thought McCain had a plan.

Looking at these numbers, one could legitimately conclude that the only reason McCain is keeping this race competitive at all is the national security issue, that on bread-and-butter domestic concerns he's getting clobbered even on his party's traditional strength -- taxes.

[hik--meta]

WASHINGTON (AFP) - Republican John McCain leads Barack Obama in two presidential swing states, as some of Hillary Clinton's core supporters shun the Democratic front-runner, polls showed Thursday.

The Quinnipiac University surveys had McCain up 45 to 41 percent on the Illinois senator in Florida, the epicenter of the 2000 recount drama, which also helped President George W. Bush back to the White House in 2004.

In Ohio, another vital battleground that narrowly went for Bush last time around, McCain leads Obama 44 percent to 40 percent.

Obama however leads McCain in Pennsylvania, by 46 to 40 percent. The state is a must-win for Democrats eyeing the White House.

The poll also appeared to bolster Clinton's arguments that she and not Obama is the best bet for Democrats to take on McCain in states likely to shape the outcome in November's general election.

She led Arizona Senator McCain in all three states, in which she also won in primary votes against Obama. The former first lady led 48 to 41 percent in both Florida and Ohio and by 50-37 percent in Pennsylvania.

The poll showed that between 26 and 36 percent of Clinton supporters in primaries in the three states would switch to McCain if Obama, vying to become the first black US president, becomes the Democratic nominee.

Only 10 to 18 percent of Obama supporters would shun Clinton for McCain, the data suggested.

Such polls are however only a snapshot of the race more than five months before Americans vote for their next president, and before the general election battle, most likely between McCain and Obama, has properly begun.

[jeza u ledja]

Sve je to tacno, ali te iste drzave (Florida i Ohio) su pripale Bushu prije 4 godine. S druge strane, Obama vodi u Coloradu u odnosu na McCaina za 5%, dok Clinton gubi za 10.2%. U New Mexicu, koji je isto dobio Bush Obama dobija vise boba od McCaina, dok Clinton gubi. U Iowi, takodje Busheva drzava, Obama vodi za 5.6%, dok Clinton gubi 2.7% i pazi sad u Michiganu, koji Clintonova toliko istice, ona gubi protiv McCaina za 3%, dok Obama vodi protiv McCaina za 0.6%. U Wisconsinu Clinton gubi protiv McCaina 3.4%, dok Obama vodi 1.6%. I Michigan i Wisonsin je uzeo Kerry 2004-e.

Michigan, Colorado, New Mexico, Wisconsin i Iowa nose 48 elektorskih boba, dok Ohio i Florida nose 47 boba.

Ali treba napomenuti da Obama ima vise sansi u Virginiji, North i South Carolini od Clintonove. Sve su ovo izrazito republikanske drzave. Da Obama iznenadi u jednoj to bi bila ogromna prednost.

Ne usudjujem se spominjati Texas, gdje su ankete mnogo interesantnije nego sto se misli.

[jeza u ledja]

I na nivou cijele zemlje, Obama vodi za 4.5% protiv McCaina, dok Clintonova protiv McCaina vodi samo 1.1%.

Evo ti ovdje pa sabiraj.

[ahuseino]

Obama neki dan u Portlandu skupio 80,000 dusa.

Kol'ko li je tu Bosanaca...?

[jeza u ledja]

Hillary kao VP?

As race wanes, talk of Clinton as VP grows
Friends say her husband is one of those contemplating that outcome



By Patrick Healy and Jeff Zeleny

updated 12:07 a.m. CT, Fri., May. 23, 2008

While Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton and her advisers insist that she is determined to win the Democratic nomination, friends of the couple say that former President Bill Clinton , for one, has begun privately contemplating a different outcome for her: As Senator Barack Obama ’s running mate.

The reports about Mr. Clinton’s musings surface as the Obama camp has quietly begun the process of searching for a partner on the Democratic ticket.

The prospect of an Obama-Clinton ticket has been fodder for political gossip for months, with some Democratic leaders pushing the idea as a way to unify the party. The Obama and Clinton campaigns have consistently shrugged off the idea, however, and Mrs. Clinton has been adamant that she is only interested in the presidency.

Yet anyone who knows the Clintons is well aware that, at times, they come to politics with different motivations. Both of them want to return to the White House; Mrs. Clinton, of New York, also enjoys being a senator, while Mr. Clinton, according to associates, sees the vice presidency as perhaps her best path to becoming president someday if she loses the nominating fight. And Mr. Clinton has his own ideas about his wife’s best interests — even if she sometimes does not share them.

A spokesman for Mrs. Clinton’s campaign said Thursday that Mr. Clinton had not had private conversations in which he was pushing her for the vice presidency or arguing that she deserved it, and that he believed the choice of a running mate was a personal one for the nominee.

Friends of the former president say his musings have been more casual: He believes that an Obama-Clinton ticket could help unify the party, and he thinks she has earned a meeting with Mr. Obama to discuss the possibility.

According to these friends, who spoke on condition of anonymity so as not to be identified revealing private talks, Mr. Clinton believes that his wife’s victories in major primary battles, like Ohio and Pennsylvania, and the 16 million votes cast for her candidacy make her the proper choice for Mr. Obama.

"If she’s not going to be the nominee, then he wants her in the second spot," said one friend of the Clintons. "In the long run, it’s the best way for her to run again in 2016."

Time magazine first reported Mr. Clinton’s interest in the No. 2 slot for Mrs. Clinton on Thursday.

Clinton advisers were emphatic that neither Mr. Clinton nor anyone else in the campaign had given up on Mrs. Clinton’s candidacy, and they emphasized that no efforts were being made to position Mrs. Clinton to be the running mate with the Illinois senator.

"Senator Clinton is solely focused on being the Democratic nominee," said Howard Wolfson , the Clinton campaign’s communications director. "I have seen no interest on her part in being vice president."

The chief strategist for the Obama campaign, David Axelrod, said Thursday that no overtures had been made by Mr. Clinton or any prominent supporters to place Mrs. Clinton on the ticket.

"There have been no contacts between the campaigns, and no one is looking for a deal of any kind," Mr. Axelrod said in an interview. "She’s running for the nomination for president, as we are. We’re focusing on closing out the nominating fight. We’ll deal with vice presidential questions in sequence."

Mr. Obama has asked a tight circle of advisers to set up a confidential search for prospective running mates, with a goal of having an early list of names to begin sifting through shortly after the final two primaries on June 3.

With the Democratic National Convention three months away, Mr. Obama is already about two months behind the period when preliminary vetting would normally have begun. The search will be guided by Jim Johnson, a longtime Democratic hand in Washington.

Mr. Johnson, who is a vice chairman of the Obama campaign, led the vice presidential searches for Senator John Kerry , Democrat of Massachusetts, in 2004 and for Walter F. Mondale in 1984. In recent weeks, officials said, he started to compile information — largely biographical and political — for a list of potential running mates.

Democratic officials on Thursday discussed Mr. Johnson’s role on condition of anonymity because Mr. Obama had demanded that the process be kept secret and they did not want him to know they were talking about it. Advisers to Mr. Obama declined to discuss the search or any elements of the process.

Mr. Obama declined on Thursday to discuss the role Mr. Johnson would be playing.

"I haven’t hired him," Mr. Obama told reporters at the Capitol. "He’s not on retainer. I’m not paying him any money. He is a friend of mine. I know him. I am not commenting on vice presidential matters because I have not won this nomination."

Mr. Obama, who this week crossed the threshold of winning a majority of pledged delegates, intends to wait until next month before declaring victory in the Democratic nominating fight.

A wide array of Democrats — from Congress, governor’s offices, the military and the private sector — will be included on an early list of possible ticket mates. Mr. Obama has told his associates that he wants to keep an open mind and to cast a wide net, even possibly including independents or Republicans.

The growing discussion about a ticket of Mr. Obama and Mrs. Clinton is largely being fueled by Clinton supporters, although it is a suggestion that Obama supporters do not dismiss. Also expected to be included on a list will be most of the former Democratic presidential candidates — Gov. Bill Richardson of New Mexico, former Senator John Edwards of North Carolina and Senators Joseph R. Biden Jr. of Delaware and Christopher J. Dodd of Connecticut.

Prominent supporters of Mrs. Clinton also are sure to be included, like Senator Evan Bayh of Indiana and Gov. Ted Strickland of Ohio.

Jerry Crawford, a Des Moines lawyer who is the Midwest co-chairman of the Clinton campaign, said in an interview Thursday that he supported the notion of Mrs. Clinton serving as a vice presidential candidate for Mr. Obama should he become the nominee. Mr. Crawford said he was "freelancing" and had not spoken with the Clintons about it, but he called the partnership "more of an irresistible force than either of them alone."

Some Democratic supporters of Mrs. Clinton said Thursday that it was premature to talk about slotting her as Mr. Obama’s running mate.

"I can see it happening, though I still like the idea of Clinton-Obama much more," said Denny Farrell, a New York assemblyman who is a convention superdelegate .

The idea of an Obama-Clinton ticket is on the minds of some voters, too.

At the end of a meeting with voters Thursday in Boca Raton, Fla., a man asked whether Mr. Obama would consider picking any candidate, even someone who might be challenging to him.

"Two weeks from now, we will know who wins the Democratic nomination," Mr. Obama replied. "I don’t want to jump the gun. I will tell you though that my goal is to have the best possible government — and that means me winning. So I am very practical-minded guy."

------------------------------------------------------------------------


Sha mislite? Da li bi to bio dobar potez Obame? Mozda je to jedini nacin da se ujedini partija i radni nOarod?

[omar little]

Hillary kao VP?

As race wanes, talk of Clinton as VP grows
Friends say her husband is one of those contemplating that outcome



By Patrick Healy and Jeff Zeleny

updated 12:07 a.m. CT, Fri., May. 23, 2008

While Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton and her advisers insist that she is determined to win the Democratic nomination, friends of the couple say that former President Bill Clinton , for one, has begun privately contemplating a different outcome for her: As Senator Barack Obama ’s running mate.

The reports about Mr. Clinton’s musings surface as the Obama camp has quietly begun the process of searching for a partner on the Democratic ticket.

The prospect of an Obama-Clinton ticket has been fodder for political gossip for months, with some Democratic leaders pushing the idea as a way to unify the party. The Obama and Clinton campaigns have consistently shrugged off the idea, however, and Mrs. Clinton has been adamant that she is only interested in the presidency.

Yet anyone who knows the Clintons is well aware that, at times, they come to politics with different motivations. Both of them want to return to the White House; Mrs. Clinton, of New York, also enjoys being a senator, while Mr. Clinton, according to associates, sees the vice presidency as perhaps her best path to becoming president someday if she loses the nominating fight. And Mr. Clinton has his own ideas about his wife’s best interests — even if she sometimes does not share them.

A spokesman for Mrs. Clinton’s campaign said Thursday that Mr. Clinton had not had private conversations in which he was pushing her for the vice presidency or arguing that she deserved it, and that he believed the choice of a running mate was a personal one for the nominee.

Friends of the former president say his musings have been more casual: He believes that an Obama-Clinton ticket could help unify the party, and he thinks she has earned a meeting with Mr. Obama to discuss the possibility.

According to these friends, who spoke on condition of anonymity so as not to be identified revealing private talks, Mr. Clinton believes that his wife’s victories in major primary battles, like Ohio and Pennsylvania, and the 16 million votes cast for her candidacy make her the proper choice for Mr. Obama.

"If she’s not going to be the nominee, then he wants her in the second spot," said one friend of the Clintons. "In the long run, it’s the best way for her to run again in 2016."

Time magazine first reported Mr. Clinton’s interest in the No. 2 slot for Mrs. Clinton on Thursday.

Clinton advisers were emphatic that neither Mr. Clinton nor anyone else in the campaign had given up on Mrs. Clinton’s candidacy, and they emphasized that no efforts were being made to position Mrs. Clinton to be the running mate with the Illinois senator.

"Senator Clinton is solely focused on being the Democratic nominee," said Howard Wolfson , the Clinton campaign’s communications director. "I have seen no interest on her part in being vice president."

The chief strategist for the Obama campaign, David Axelrod, said Thursday that no overtures had been made by Mr. Clinton or any prominent supporters to place Mrs. Clinton on the ticket.

"There have been no contacts between the campaigns, and no one is looking for a deal of any kind," Mr. Axelrod said in an interview. "She’s running for the nomination for president, as we are. We’re focusing on closing out the nominating fight. We’ll deal with vice presidential questions in sequence."

Mr. Obama has asked a tight circle of advisers to set up a confidential search for prospective running mates, with a goal of having an early list of names to begin sifting through shortly after the final two primaries on June 3.

With the Democratic National Convention three months away, Mr. Obama is already about two months behind the period when preliminary vetting would normally have begun. The search will be guided by Jim Johnson, a longtime Democratic hand in Washington.

Mr. Johnson, who is a vice chairman of the Obama campaign, led the vice presidential searches for Senator John Kerry , Democrat of Massachusetts, in 2004 and for Walter F. Mondale in 1984. In recent weeks, officials said, he started to compile information — largely biographical and political — for a list of potential running mates.

Democratic officials on Thursday discussed Mr. Johnson’s role on condition of anonymity because Mr. Obama had demanded that the process be kept secret and they did not want him to know they were talking about it. Advisers to Mr. Obama declined to discuss the search or any elements of the process.

Mr. Obama declined on Thursday to discuss the role Mr. Johnson would be playing.

"I haven’t hired him," Mr. Obama told reporters at the Capitol. "He’s not on retainer. I’m not paying him any money. He is a friend of mine. I know him. I am not commenting on vice presidential matters because I have not won this nomination."

Mr. Obama, who this week crossed the threshold of winning a majority of pledged delegates, intends to wait until next month before declaring victory in the Democratic nominating fight.

A wide array of Democrats — from Congress, governor’s offices, the military and the private sector — will be included on an early list of possible ticket mates. Mr. Obama has told his associates that he wants to keep an open mind and to cast a wide net, even possibly including independents or Republicans.

The growing discussion about a ticket of Mr. Obama and Mrs. Clinton is largely being fueled by Clinton supporters, although it is a suggestion that Obama supporters do not dismiss. Also expected to be included on a list will be most of the former Democratic presidential candidates — Gov. Bill Richardson of New Mexico, former Senator John Edwards of North Carolina and Senators Joseph R. Biden Jr. of Delaware and Christopher J. Dodd of Connecticut.

Prominent supporters of Mrs. Clinton also are sure to be included, like Senator Evan Bayh of Indiana and Gov. Ted Strickland of Ohio.

Jerry Crawford, a Des Moines lawyer who is the Midwest co-chairman of the Clinton campaign, said in an interview Thursday that he supported the notion of Mrs. Clinton serving as a vice presidential candidate for Mr. Obama should he become the nominee. Mr. Crawford said he was "freelancing" and had not spoken with the Clintons about it, but he called the partnership "more of an irresistible force than either of them alone."

Some Democratic supporters of Mrs. Clinton said Thursday that it was premature to talk about slotting her as Mr. Obama’s running mate.

"I can see it happening, though I still like the idea of Clinton-Obama much more," said Denny Farrell, a New York assemblyman who is a convention superdelegate .

The idea of an Obama-Clinton ticket is on the minds of some voters, too.

At the end of a meeting with voters Thursday in Boca Raton, Fla., a man asked whether Mr. Obama would consider picking any candidate, even someone who might be challenging to him.

"Two weeks from now, we will know who wins the Democratic nomination," Mr. Obama replied. "I don’t want to jump the gun. I will tell you though that my goal is to have the best possible government — and that means me winning. So I am very practical-minded guy."

------------------------------------------------------------------------


Sha mislite? Da li bi to bio dobar potez Obame? Mozda je to jedini nacin da se ujedini partija i radni nOarod?

ej ja jutros to procitala i mislim si kako cu popodne postat' na temu

Razumijem logiku ali mi se ne svidja ideja. Obama je svoju cijelu kampanju bazirao na promjeni vodjenja politike i funkcioniranja Washington-a, tako da bi ukljucivanjem Hillary (koja je olicenje bas toga) narusio svoj kredibilitet. Znam, i vec smo razgovarali, o vaznosti VP-a ili (ne)utjecaju koji taj kandidat ili kandidatkinja ima na kampanju ali mislim da bi se dosta Obaminih glasaca, a posebno onih "independent" razocarali takvim potezom. Demokrate bi mozda i presle preko takve odluke i dali im glas na izborima, ali ja se brinem za "independent" glasace, koji da su htjeli Hillary i njen nacin vodjenja politike, dali bi joj glas u prvom krugu. Mislim da bi najpametnije bilo da nadju nekog drugog.

[jeza u ledja]

Da, ali postoji bruka ovih konzervativnih Demokrata, a i Republikanaca kojima je mozda redoslijed: 1) Clinton, 2) McCain i tek 3) Obama.

Ja bih bio razocaran samo utoliko sto znam da je tako 'moralo' da bude, u smislu pravljenja neke koalicije.

[ahuseino]

Mislim da bi Edwards ispunio sve uslove zbog kojih bi nam trebala Hilka za VP. Cak sta vise, prosao bi puno bolje na jugu i mid west-u.

[pitt]

Mislim da bi Edwards ispunio sve uslove zbog kojih bi nam trebala Hilka za VP. Cak sta vise, prosao bi puno bolje na jugu i mid west-u.

kakva ba vjestica

Lexington

Why not both?
May 15th 2008
From The Economist print edition

The dubious case for a Democratic dream team



BACK in March Barack Obama compared the Democratic primary to a “good movie” that has lasted “half an hour too long”. The movie has long since gone bad, and half an hour has dragged into an eternity. Surely it is high time to roll out the Hollywood ending.

And what could be more Hollywood than a dream ticket? This has the support of plenty of senior Democrats such as Mario Cuomo, the former governor of New York, and Ed Rendell, the governor of Pennsylvania. Why stop at having a nominee who has the support of 51% of Democrats, the argument goes, when we could have a dream ticket that has won 100%? A couple of months ago Hillary Clinton signalled that she would be willing to have Mr Obama as her vice-president. Perhaps it is time for her to swallow her pride and take the second spot.

The “dream ticket” would reunite a party that has fractured along lines of race and class. Mrs Clinton would boost her chances of getting the presidency some day (a third of all vice-presidents have gone on to the top job). And Mr Obama would acquire a street-fighter with a proven record of appealing to voters that he finds hard to connect with. There are plenty of examples, including the Kennedy-Johnson ticket in 1960 and the Reagan-Bush ticket in 1980, of bitter rivals turning themselves into successful allies.

The trouble with this argument is that it overstates the benefits of an Obama-Clinton partnership and understates the costs. Mrs Clinton certainly has genuine appeal to female voters, particularly the older and less educated women who were moved by her tears in New Hampshire and have since been enthused by her dogged determination. But most of these voters are hard-core Democrats who are unlikely to defect to John McCain in November. The Democrats' biggest problem is not with white women but with white men—particularly with white working-class men—who have been drifting to the Republican Party for decades. No less than 62% of white men voted for George Bush in 2004. John McCain, a war hero and man's man, has an obvious appeal to this group; that appeal might prove irresistible if the Democrats pair a black man with a white woman.

The Democratic Party has plenty of people who have more genuine appeal to the white working classes than a faux populist such as the Wellesley- and Yale-educated former first lady. Ted Strickland, the governor of Ohio, is a former Methodist minister who might help Mr Obama connect with religious voters. The same can be said of Tim Kaine, the governor of Virginia and a former missionary. Mr Rendell, the governor of Pennsylvania, goes down well with the beer-and-football crowd (he moonlights as a commentator for football matches). Unlike Mrs Clinton, these men represent vital swing states. Or there is John Edwards, who has run for veep before, and who has just endorsed Mr Obama.

There are also several others who might do much more than Mrs Clinton to make up for another of Mr Obama's potential weaknesses—his lack of foreign policy and defence experience. Wesley Clark, Jim Webb and Chuck Hagel are all former Vietnam war heroes. Mr Clark is a retired four-star general who once commanded NATO. Mr Hagel, a Republican senator for Nebraska and a former best buddy of Mr McCain, has been one of the most outspoken critics of the Iraq war. Mr Webb, a Democratic senator for Virginia, was secretary of the navy under Ronald Reagan. Why choose an armchair warrior who has been reduced to inventing stories about dodging sniper fire in Bosnia when you can choose a genuine warrior instead?

Then there is the downside of the dream ticket. Mr Obama's best selling-point is that he represents “change” and “hope”—a chance to break with the old politics of partisan division and personal destruction and to bring a new spirit of reconciliation to Washington, DC. The Clintons are not only living reminders of the noxious politics of the 1990s. Exit polls in Indiana and North Carolina showed that almost half of voters in the Democratic primary did not regard Mrs Clinton as trustworthy. They also bring a menagerie of old-timers in their wake, from high-paid lobbyists such as Mark Penn, to perennial bloviators like Paul Begala and James Carville.

How not to do it
The dream ticket would also be a formula for a dysfunctional administration. It is hard to imagine Mrs Clinton contenting herself with a purely symbolic role, any more than Dick Cheney has. She spent the early 1990s turning the position of first lady into a virtual co-presidency. She is married to a former president who has lost none of his self-regard. Team Clinton is full of people who have made it clear that they regard the Obamaites as uppity whippersnappers.

Does America really want the vice-president's office to become—or rather remain—a rival power centre to the Oval Office? That could mean going back to the 1990s, when the White House was consumed by palace intrigue between rival factions, each determined to advance their own agendas and do down their rivals. The presidency is difficult enough to run at the best of times, without installing a former first lady and an ex-president in the vice-president's residence.

Mr Obama will find it hard to resist pressure for a shotgun marriage to Mrs Clinton. His terrible result in West Virginia this week underlines once again his weakness with the white working-class. And Mr Obama cannot win the nomination without the support of superdelegates, who are desperate to reunite a divided party. But putting Mrs Clinton on the ticket would produce few benefits that could not be replicated with a carefully chosen alternative vice-president. And at worst it could lay the foundations of a failed presidency.

[ahuseino]

Ona apsolutno nema ni 1% shanse da bude VP, i to zna; zato jos uvijek i 'trci'.

Nisu toliko ni 'hurt feelings' koliko potential rivalry in post election. Ovo naravno povrh svih ostalih issues like - personality, likeability, trustworthiness, change, etc...

[ahuseino]

Danas Deduki - physical exam, medicinski, u stvari nije exam koliko interview media sa njegovim doktorima.... da mu vidimo rektalnu sliku, da se uvjerimo da je zdrav i da nece odma' - na postelju past'.

Sve je to Romney smislio ...

[omar little]

Vidi ovo

Clinton Calls V.P. Chatter ‘Completely Untrue’
By Katharine Q. Seelye

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. — Senator Hillary Clinton just adamantly denied all reports that she has contacted Senator Barack Obama or his campaign about her exit from the race or about her joining his ticket as vice president.
“It’s flatly, completely untrue,” she told the editorial board of the Argus Leader newspaper here. She said there had been “no discussions at all. At all. I can’t speak for the 17 million people who voted for me and I have a lot of supporters,” she said, in what may have been a loophole reference to, say, her husband or other supporters, but, she added: “It’s not anything I’m entertaining, nothing I have planned, nothing I’m prepared to engaged in.”
More to come shortly.

[omar little]

Danas Deduki - physical exam, medicinski, u stvari nije exam koliko interview media sa njegovim doktorima.... da mu vidimo rektalnu sliku, da se uvjerimo da je zdrav i da nece odma' - na postelju past'.

Sve je to Romney smislio ...

I to sam citala danas...A isto sam citala da dedo sa Romney razgovara o potencijalnoj VP poziciji...ne do Bog

McCain’s Health Records
By Kate Phillips

The status of Senator John McCain’s health over the course of the last eight years or so will be a primary topic of discussion today, as some of his medical records have been made available for the media to review.
Mr. McCain, at 71, would be the oldest president to assume office were he elected; his history of melanoma, a serious form of skin cancer, and degenerative arthritis are two major illnesses that emerge from the documents. (He is reportedly cancer-free now.)
And inasmuch as the details are likely to dominate today’s news cycle, the timing window is interesting, given that attention will likely shift suddenly to Mr. McCain’s weekend plans. He’s hanging out on his ranch with a few prominent Republicans whose names are being bandied about as possible vice presidential picks.
The Times and other media have been seeking full access to his medical records for some time now. Neither Senator Barack Obama or Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton have released theirs.
This set follows the reams of paper Senator McCain’s campaign released during his presidential bid in 2000, in part because of a shadowy set of rumors about the psychological damage he might have suffered during his years as a P.O.W. The records showed no lasting effects.
The Associated Press was given advance access for hours last night, and its reporters pored through documents listing the senator’s bouts with melanoma. The most recent examinations show no new cancer recurrence.
The campaign has posted a summary of the records on its Web site.
The records also indicate a doctor’s admiration for his cardiovascular health after a series of stress tests. His cholesterol’s not great, though.
Senator McCain’s campaign is making the documents available in a limited way (they cannot be copied or taken out of a room at a resort in Phoenix; and only certain media organizations — not The Times — were allowed in as pool reporters). And they can only be reviewed for a few hours today. The campaign does intend to make summaries of these records available on its Web site.
Elisabeth Bumiller and Dr. Larry Altman of The Times reported today on the tight controls imposed by the campaign on access to the records.
The campaign says it organized this format for review to prevent wide dissemination.
Later today, the campaign has organized a conference call with Mr. McCain’s doctors to discuss the records. Our colleagues will be updating developments as they occur today.

[ahuseino]

On je takav sleezebag... mislim Romney...

[pitt]

pa nije dzaba uspio od consultinga napraviti private equity mashinu
Sve nastranu, sto se tice kandidata, niko mu primirisati ne moze sto se tice biznisa i ekonomije.

[ahuseino]

pa nije dzaba uspio od consultinga napraviti private equity mashinu
Sve nastranu, sto se tice kandidata, niko mu primirisati ne moze sto se tice biznisa i ekonomije.

Sve ima svoju cijenu.

U Massachusettsu je poukidao sve socijalne programe... dok ga nisu dropnuli...

Drzava MA je jedna od najrazvijenijih po svakom osnovu, pare nisu bile potrebne po tu cijenu. Kapitalista je do srzi...

[pitt]

pa nije dzaba uspio od consultinga napraviti private equity mashinu
Sve nastranu, sto se tice kandidata, niko mu primirisati ne moze sto se tice biznisa i ekonomije.

Sve ima svoju cijenu.

U Massachusettsu je poukidao sve socijalne programe... dok ga nisu dropnuli...

Drzava MA je jedna od najrazvijenijih po svakom osnovu, pare nisu bile potrebne po tu cijenu. Kapitalista je do srzi...

to mu jedino i valja

[jeza u ledja]

Opet Economist.

U tom clanku nista, ama bas nista novo nije receno. Pa valjda se ocekuje od jedne dobre novine da nam iznese nesto pametnije od palamudjenja talking heads po CNNu i MSNBCu.

Ted Strickland, Ed Rendell, Tim Kaine, Jim Webb, sve sam ih spominjao ranije. Edwards? Sve je to fino ali on ima ogromnu falinku, a to je da je vec jednom bio u toj poziciji i nije apsolutno nimalo doprinjeo Kerryju , cak sta vise, tj. manje.

Strickland i Rendell, to je vec druga prica. Ja kad sam spomenuo ovog potonjeg pitt rece joj nemoj njega. Webb, on je malo ozbiljniji lik i neki dan barem po njegovoj prici on apsolutno ne razmislja o VP poziciji. Rekao je nesto tipa 'I would advise Obama and Clinton not to even think about me as a VP'.

Problem s tim ljudima je sljedeci - ko je cuo za njih? Do izbora je ostalo jos 5 mjeseci, do tada Amerika treba da se upozna sa nekim izrazitim lokalcima koji maltene nemaju nikakvog iskustva u spoljnjoj politici, cak manje i od Obame.

Chuck Hagel. On je jedan od najljucih protivnika Bushove politike u Iraku, ali NEMA SANSE da jedan Republikanac ide zajedno na ticket sa jednim Demokratom. To nema sanse da se dogodi. (Hagel je inace mnogo pametan i pozitivan lik)

Wesley Clark...on mi je bio favorit prije 4 godine, ali taj covjek nema nikakvu politicku moc, nesto poput Colin Powella.

Postoje neki drugi ljudi koji se spominju kao moguci kandidati. Medju njima Kathleen Sebelius, guvernerka Kansasa. Cak u zadnje vrijeme od vecine analiticara se ona spominje kao jedan od glavnih favorita za VP. Ja nesto nisam cuo puno od nje i u vezi nje, osim onog 'democratic response' za State of the Union address prije pola godine, koji je bio nako slab pravo.

Tako da ta prica kako bi drugi doprinjeli vise od Clintonove ne znam bas je li tacna.

Dalje, kao sto sam jednom davno na ovom topicu spomenuo, nije poenta u tome za koga ce glasaci glasati, vec da li ce uopste izaci na izbore. Ako na iste izlazi samo oko 60% glasackog tijela, znaci ostaje jedan ogroman broj ljudi koji sjede kucama. Ko pokrene barem dio njih da izadju i glasaju taj dobija izbore. Tako recimo imate grupu glasaca koji su vasa baza, evo recimo sad Obama - crnce i omladince. On dobija glasove tako sto veliki procenat crnaca i omladinaca biva enerdzajzd i izadju da glasaju. Da je neko drugi kandidat, mozda bi ga isti ovi ljudi podrzavali, ali mnogi od njih ne bi izasli na izbore, jednostavno ne razmisljaju puno o tome. Ali, ako ih uspijes animirati, kako je to uradio Obama onda imas ogroman izvor novih glasaca. Tako je Bush dobijao izbore, jer je Rove pokrenuo veliki postotak novih evangelistickih glasaca, koji ce ovaj put, garantovano, barem djelimicno prekociti izbore.
Eh, takav je slucaj sa Hillary. Ona pokrece zene. Matore, neobrazovane, kakve god da su, ali cinjenica je da je veliki broj zena glasao za nju upravo samo zato sto je zena. Nije bitno sta je i kako je, samo nek je zemsko. To je valjda i razumljivo kad se desava jednom u 200 godina.
Te zene bi Obami mogle donjeti prednost. Apsolutno se ne slazem sa konstatacijom iz Economista da ce one svakako glasati za Demokratu, ko god da je kandidat. To je netacno. Kazem, mnoge od tih zena glasaju za nju samo zato sto je zena, inace ili bi glasale za McCaina ili, sto je vjerovatnije, ne bi glasale nikako.
Plus da se tome dodaju svi koji svrsavaju za Billom i koji glasaju za nju samo zbog radi njega.

Tacno, Obama bi imao velikih problema da vlada suvereno i ja u potpunosti shvatam sto on, siguran sam, najmanje zeli da ima njih u Bijeloj Kuci. Ali ovdje vec dolazimo do pitanja stvaranja koalicije, nije vise pitanje da li nesto treba ili ne, vec sta se moze, a sta ne. Siguran sam da ima Obaminih glasaca koji bi bili razocarani takvom odlukom, pogotovo u drzavama poput Colorada, New Mexica, Iowe, ali zato sa Hillary bi uzeo Ohio i Floridu, sto znaci 100% pobjeda na izborima.

U stvari, svodi se na ovo - sa Hillary Obama bi 90% postao predsjednik, ali bi mu predsjednikovanje islo tesko. Bez Hillary Obama bi opet vjerovatno postao predsjednik, ali bi mu sanse bile mozda 55-60%. Ovo je poput stvaranja koalicija u svakoj zemlji, samo sto je ovdje u pitanju jedna stranka. Zaboravite sve drugo, the very fact da je Hillary uzela 49% boba govori o njenoj podrsci. Koliko god je mi ne podnosili, to je tako.

Ne znam, do njih je. Obamini ljudi su do sada fantasticno odradjivali kampanju, nadmudrili su i Billa, i sve Republikance zajedno. Siguran sam da sta god izaberu da ce biti najbolja moguca odluka. Ovo je otprilike trenutak u kojem se svaki politicar nadje - da li napraviti politicki pametnu odluku ili pucati na rizik.

PS: Jos bih rekao i ovo. Ako Clinton ima toliku podrsku demokratskih kongresmena zar ne mislite da bi mozda onda i Obama kao 'samostalan' (i vjerovatno vrlo liberalan) predsjednik, koji ne mora da odgovara nikome, negdje tamo down the road imao velikih problema sa demokratskim Senatom i HoP?

[jeza u ledja]

Evo sad citam opet neke nebuloze od Clintonove. Sad spominje kako je Bobby Kennedy ubijen u junu na kraju svojeg prajmaria.

A izgleda i ove spekulacije o VP dolaze iskljucivo od njenih ljudi, mada glavne face to poricu.

Sa CNNa:

But some Clinton camp insiders and close friends are actively floating three scenarios which they believe will influence whether or how the two teams merge.

The first scenario is if Obama ignores Clinton and her supporters and makes the vice presidential offer to someone else.

One insider said: "This would be a total dismissal of her and totally unacceptable."

"This could mean open civil war within the party," another said. "A rupture in the party. If he doesn't offer at all, you've got a breakdown. A real resentment there."

Another source said it would not mean Clinton would refuse to campaign for Obama. But she would do so the way Bill Clinton campaigned for Al Gore, which the source characterized as "aloof."

Another source said it would affect the willingness of some women's groups to raise money for Obama.

The second scenario they foresee is for Obama to publicly offer Clinton the vice-presidential spot, with the understanding she would turn it down. But several Clinton friends say "the problem is the two sides do not trust each other" to follow through on this.

The third scenario they envision would be trying to get both the candidates to sit down face-to-face and work out an agreement suitable to both parties. Some Clinton insiders say some points to consider would be how to help pay off the Clinton campaign debt -- roughly $30 million -- or whether he would offer support for a possible Clinton effort to become Senate majority leader.

Clinton insiders say Hillary Clinton is aware some of her supporters are pushing for her to get an offer to join the ticket, but they say she has not thought about whether she wants the VP slot, because she's still campaigning for the top job.

There is a real split in the Clinton camp over whether Clinton should even accept an offer to join the ticket, if it were to ever materialize.

Pazi sto se kurce!? Ili je to do samih Clintonovih, ili ovi koji vode njenu kampanju (McAuliffe, Ickes) su totalno ludi. Ovaj Ickes je neki dan mrtav ladan izjavio kako se izbori u Michiganu trebaju brojati i to tako da Obama dobije nula delegata, a Clintonova ono sto je 'osvojila'. Kao za onih 44% 'uncomitted' u MI eto ne zna se jesu li stvarno glasali za Obamu ili ne. Mos mislit lopova! Uf.

[omar little]

Ja gledam BBC world news prije sat vremena, i najavljuju vijesti a za ovu o Hillary njena slika i tekst OPEN MOUTH - INSERT FOOT

[jeza u ledja]

U stvari nakon ovog danas sto je izjavila Hillary mislim da opcija da ona bude VP vise ne postoji.

Objasnjavajuci zasto je jos uvijek u utrci izjavila je nesto tipa eto znate i Robert Kennedy je ubijen u demokratskim prajmariz 1968-e u junu.

Ispade da aludira na to, poput nase hik-mete 'svasta se moze desiti'....Obami.

Robert Kennedy je brat JFKa koji se 1968-e u demokratskim prajmariz takmicio protiv Huberta Humphreya koji je do tada vodio, da bi nakon velike pobjede u Californiji kada je izgledalo da ce Kennedy stici Humphreyja ovaj ubijen. Nakon toga je na poznatoj nacionalnoj konvenciji Demokrata doslo do velikih demonstracija (izmedju Kennedyjevih anti-ratnih navijaca i ovih koji su podrzali Humphreyja), Humphrey je postao kandidat i na kraju resko izgubio od republikanskog kandidata Nixona. Neki dan je treci brat Kennedyja, senator Ted Kennedy, koji je senator vise od 40 godina i podrzava Obamu, zavrsio u bolnici sa dijagnozom malignog tumora na mozgu, sto ce vjerovatno zavrsiti njegovu karijeru.
Nakon svih ovih ubistava, i nakon ubistava crnackih lidera MLKa i Malcolma Xa danas neki ljudi strahuju da ce se isto desiti i Obami, naravno o tome se ne prica u medijima.
Imajuci to sve u vidu, danas Hillary izjavljuje ovako nesto.

Ovo moze ne samo okoncati njenu kampanju, eliminisati opciju VPa, vec ce ozbiljno narusiti njenu politicku karijeru i uopste nasljedje Clintonovih.

[Fair Life]

Eh... da su je stigli snajperi pred kojima je bjezala na tuzlanskom aerodromu danas ne bi imala priliku sratt Billu u tanjir.

Utece hudnjica...

[ahuseino]

U stvari nakon ovog danas sto je izjavila Hillary mislim da opcija da ona bude VP vise ne postoji.

Objasnjavajuci zasto je jos uvijek u utrci izjavila je nesto tipa eto znate i Robert Kennedy je ubijen u demokratskim prajmariz 1968-e u junu.

Ispade da aludira na to, poput nase hik-mete 'svasta se moze desiti'....Obami.

Robert Kennedy je brat JFKa koji se 1968-e u demokratskim prajmariz takmicio protiv Huberta Humphreya koji je do tada vodio, da bi nakon velike pobjede u Californiji kada je izgledalo da ce Kennedy stici Humphreyja ovaj ubijen. Nakon toga je na poznatoj nacionalnoj konvenciji Demokrata doslo do velikih demonstracija (izmedju Kennedyjevih anti-ratnih navijaca i ovih koji su podrzali Humphreyja), Humphrey je postao kandidat i na kraju resko izgubio od republikanskog kandidata Nixona. Neki dan je treci brat Kennedyja, senator Ted Kennedy, koji je senator vise od 40 godina i podrzava Obamu, zavrsio u bolnici sa dijagnozom malignog tumora na mozgu, sto ce vjerovatno zavrsiti njegovu karijeru.
Nakon svih ovih ubistava, i nakon ubistava crnackih lidera MLKa i Malcolma Xa danas neki ljudi strahuju da ce se isto desiti i Obami, naravno o tome se ne prica u medijima.
Imajuci to sve u vidu, danas Hillary izjavljuje ovako nesto.

Ovo moze ne samo okoncati njenu kampanju, eliminisati opciju VPa, vec ce ozbiljno narusiti njenu politicku karijeru i uopste nasljedje Clintonovih.

Fakat, sta li je mislila onom glavom.

Desperation...

[hik--meta]

nije nista rekla sto je frapantno. i ja samo cekam da mu se nesto desi, a da li, kada i kako ce se desiti - vidjet cemo.
mislim ipak da ce husu mccain potuci do nogu pa ce huso izvuci zivu glavu ni ne sluteci da mu je izborni poraz spasio zivot.