The Florida Democratic primary today will not select delegates, according to Democratic rules. The candidates did not campaign here or run ads, other than a national ad run by Barack Obama. Howver, all the candidates are on the ballot. It seems likely that the largest number of Democratic voters will cast ballots today in Florida that have voted in any state to date. Indeed, RECORD turnout is forecast. Can these votes be ignored by the Media? The Obama camp seems worried that it will not be:

. . . [O]n a media call that was led off by Sen. John Kerry. Here are quick translations of Kerry's opening remarks, which were directly specifically and near exclusively focused on the Clinton campaign's attempt to claim significance from what happens today in Florida:

"The bottom line is that Florida offers no delegates. It should not become part of some spin campaign. . . . You have a contrast today, a juxtaposition. You have an avoidance of a rule set up by the chair to create something that isn’t supposed to be something. In my judgment, personally, as voters look at the meaning of the Florida primary, the voters are not looking for spin to win the news cycle . . .

More....

Defying the Nattering Nabobs of Negativism, Clinton scores the endorsement of symbolically and substantively potent superdelegate/California Representative Maxine Waters [D-CA).

John McCain and Mitt Romney have been exchanging nasty personal attacks in a divisive Floirda campaign that will end Rudy Giuliani's campaign. The polls have Romney and McCain in a dead heat.

The endorsement of the Republican Governor of Florida Charlie Crist has seemingly given McCain a slight boost but it is hard to say how much. Florida has early voting and reportedly some 1 million early votes, about half of the expected total, have been cast already.

On the Democratic side, Hillary Clinton is trying to get some publicity for her expected big win in the Florida Dem beauty contest. It will be interesting to watch how many Democrats will vote. It is hard to ignore more than a half million voters. Indeed, the Florida Dem primary is likely to have the largest amount of voters of any primary so far.

There is a great irony in Barack Obama's claim to be the anti-Washington candidate. The DC Establishment of course HATE the Clintons and have come to love Barack Obama. But the DC Establishment have always hated the Clintons:

Clinton spent so long as the dominant personality in the Democratic Party that it is easy to forget: Lots of elite Democrats never liked the guy that much. Or, perhaps more precisely, their feelings of admiration were constantly at war with feelings of disdain.

The ferocity of anti-Clinton sentiments heard around Washington in recent days — as even some former Clinton White House aides say they are enjoying the Kennedy endorsement and the implicit rebuke of the Clintons — has reached levels that haven’t been seen for seven years. Clinton’s pardons in the closing hours of his presidency prompted a similar backlash.

One thing to wonder about is whether the DC Establishment take Obama's criticisms of Washington seriously. I submit they do not. And rightly so. These "outsider" appeals are always phony.

Update (TL): 237 comments, this thread is closing.

Speaking for me only

On Saturday, Bill Clinton made remarks about Jesse Jackson and Jackson's wins in South Carolina in 1984 and 1988. The comments seemed to me a blatant attempt to marginalize Obama's win in South Carolina. An attempt to treat Obama as "the black candidate." I thought the comments were out of order. Indeed, despicable. Clinton has been outrageously tarred by the Clinton Hating Media and many irresponsible progressive blogs, for such comments as Obama's record on Iraq being a fairytale (Ted Kennedy was completely wrong in his defense of Obama on this point yesterday - Obama's opposition to the Iraq Debacle did not survive his entry into the Senate), the questioning of Obama's experience and others.

But this comment was indefensible to me. The sad thing of course is that being compared to Jesse Jackson, a great but flawed figure, should NOT be problematic. But in a campaign for the Presidency, it is. It is important to note that Jesse Jackson does not at all agree with me or others criticizing Clinton for his comment:

I don’t read anything negative into Clinton’s observation,” Mr. Jackson said . . . MORE

I've never liked the bail bonds business. It was a big relief for my clients when our federal court went to a refundable cash deposit system some years ago. State courts should follow suit.

But I didn't realize that we are one of the only countries that uses the system -- in other countries, it's a crime to make a profit off of securing someone's release.

The New York Times has a very interesting article on this today, Illegal Globally, Bail for Profit Remains in U.S.

Bail bondspersons have been outlawed in llinois, Kentucky, Oregon and Wisconsin. Why? It's a system that discriminates against the poor. [More...]

Rudy Giuliani's in trouble in Florida. McCain and Romney are likely to beat him. The latest polls show him battling Mike Huckabee for third place.

The LA Times reports on a conversation Rudy had with reporters on his campaign plane Monday. He hinted he would be dropping out if he doesn't win Florida.

In a meeting in the back of his chartered plane en route to St. Petersburg, Fla., a short while ago, the onetime, longtime GOP front-runner told a small group of reporters, including The Times' Louise Roug: "The winner of Florida will win the nomination."

Other papers are predicting doom and gloom for Rudy in Florida tomorrow. I'm keeping my fingers crossed they are correct.

It's the talk of the town:

• Chicago Tribune

Obama stood icily staring at Clinton during this, then turned his back and stepped a few feet away. Kennedy may've wanted to make peace with Clinton but Obama clearly wanted no part of that.

The sense in the press gallery was that Obama didn't cover himself in glory. Someone even used the word "childish." (Not this writer.) Judging by how much conversation there was about this brush off in the press gallery, Americans will be hearing a lot more about this tomorrow and in coming days.

• Associated Press

  Clinton, clad in scarlet, crossed the aisle between their seats on the House floor and reached out a hand to greet Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, the Democratic icon whose endorsement she had courted only to lose it to Obama. Kennedy shook her hand while Obama, wearing a dark suit and standing between the two, turned away.

Here's Barack Obama response and Hillary Clinton's prequel to President Bush's State of the Union Address. From Hillary's:

I assume that all of you know tonight is a red letter night in American history. It is the last time George Bush will give a State of the Union.If we all do our part, next year it’ll be a Democratic President giving the State of the Union.

Let’s be clear, one thing that President Bush has never understood is that the State of the Union is not about a speech in Washington. It is about the state of the lives of the American people. What is happening in our schools, in our hospitals, in our jobs? It is whether or not we have people who feel that they are moving toward the American dream or whether it looks like it’s getting further and further away no matter how hard they work. It is about whether or not people will be able to stay in their homes or if they will lose their homes to foreclosures, thereby really undermining the American dream. It is about whether we as a nation will restore our leadership and our moral authority, bring our Constitution out of cold storage, begin to act like Americans again, solving our problems, working toward a better future, making it possible for us to be proud of our country.

From Obama's: [More...]

The day has finally come for our Imperial President, George W. Bush, to deliver his final State of the Union Address. He's almost gone.

What were the worst moments of his speech? How glad are you he's on his way out?

Let's tally the most egregious policies of his Administration, ones that should forever tarnish his legacy. My list starts with the War in Iraq, Guantanamo Bay, his extremist judges and warrantless NSA electronic eavesdropping.

Attempts and failures count here too, like privatization of social security.

Neither Big Tent Democrat nor I will be live-blogging the speech, but we'll both check in later to read your comments.

Update: Cloture vote fails, 48-45. They are now going on to a vote on the 30 day extension. The President has said he would veto a bill with an extension. The Republicans ask for a vote against cloture on the 30 day extension. Harry Reid is arguing for a 30 day extension. Cloture vote fails.

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The Senate is voting on limiting debate and amendments to a substitute FISA bill. The Intelligence Committee bill provides for retroactive telecom immunity. They are voting now. Both Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama voted "No."

Firedoglake has been live-blogging the hearing all afternoon.