Why anyone with aspirations for the presidency would connect with Rezko, Ayers, Wright, et al, is simply beyond me.

Why would he think that would fly?

....it becomes increasingly difficult to argue you're more electable than your opponent when you're outspending her and she still manages to prevent you making in-roads into her core demographics while taking nibbles (even bites!) out of yours.

But this......this is a real "hope and a prayer."

Hail Mary

Smart of HRC to lay off Wright (for now) and other Obama cluster bombs he dropped on the terrain.

some are asking the same questions we are.

They aren't happy with Obama.  The latest article is "Four Years of Irrelevance."

The article points out, rightly, that Obama never once was asked by the AA community to promise anything.

This is a hard-nosed AA activist group, and they aren't swooning.  They know...politicians are politicians.  You get your promises up front or not at all.

His own behavior indicates he "hoped" AA's would understand that he had to distance himself from them while still raking in 90% of the votes.

I will always say that he blew it, really, in SC.  When he played the race card, he behaved just like Wright does from the pulpit.  He used fear as his weapon.  Michelle is less savvy, so she actually spelled it out.  Then the stories of how he got Hillary's AA SDs to jump came out, complete with tales of harassment.

I said right then:  Stupid move.  He only had to show he was viable, and he would have gotten those votes without the club.  Now, he's turned himself into the AA candidate, with all that could bring in the future.

When Hillary won New Hamshire and So. Carolina was next, Barack had to run as the Black candidate to stop Hillary's momentum.  The outcome of the nomination was decided in So. Carolina.

I take my cue from Lanny Davis who, last night on CNN, went out of his way to say how much he respected Obama, but feels that Hillary is the stronger candidate.

Just because the pro-Obama bloggers appear to exhibit much disdain for those who don't share their views, doesn't we we who support Hillary should stoop to their level.

Seriously, he's trying to cut into the amount of time the media is featuring Wright, trying to push the Easley endorsement off the "front page," perhaps following some of Rove's advice, even.

What he has no control over, though, is how the various outlets will cut and paste his presser with audio and video of everything else that is going on - welcome to Hillary's world!

I'm sure the SUSA poll, along with their own internal numbers, have the entire staff in panic mode, and I think they are unprepared for it; they have to know that if Obama does not win NC, or wins in the low single digits, that it may be close to being over for him - all his arguments go out the window, and I have to think at least some number of SD's who have already announced for Obama may be edging toward the door.  Once that starts, I think it could be a stampede.

Ultimately I don't think that either has a real effect...but both are prety good at claiming success regardless of whether or not there was anything to claim in the first place.

Plus, in straight-ticket states -- Wisconsin is not one -- it's important to see if there are other races on the ballot that keep Repubs on their side. I think I read that there are on the NC ballot.

Frankly, he's outspending her again there....3 to 1.

And she's got to spread her shoe leather between Indiana and NC.

I did see that she's pulling in great crowds, and Bill is doing great at covering the rural bases again.