Beware The Ides of June

Hillary Clinton may have revealed her real strategy yesterday when she attempted to justify her perseverance in the presidential campaign, despite the virtual mathematical certainty that she cannot get enough delegates to win:

"My husband did not wrap up the nomination in 1992 until he won the California Primary somewhere in the middle of June, right? We all remember Bobby Kennedy was assassinated in June in California. "

This remark was not well received. There was a furious round of outrage by the Obama camp. Later in the day, Hillary sort of apologized - to those who chose to misconstrue her remark.

When I first heard this quote, I wondered, what's the fuss? She is just saying "It ain't over until the real votes are counted."

Naive me. After listening to the nuance police on TV, now I realize that this was actually a very subtle RFP for a hired hit job on Barak. People who hate the Clintons believe them to be capable of any, I repeat any, act, however ruthless, in order to fulfill their ambitions. Imus calls Hillary Satan. And Bill has already proven that he would risk everything for Oval Office blowjobs from a talkative young intern.

I did not initially find Hillary's statements to be inflammatory because I had already heard the same rationale from more than one talking head using the Bobby Kennedy example: Stuff happens, they say. It may be unseemly for her to make the point, but the context was in answer to a question during a round table discussion, not a rhetorical call-for-action in a stump speech.

Logic has no authority in this matter. The jar is open, and whether she meant it or not, the spectre of political assassination is floating in the air. Now she (and we) will have to endure another month of shukking and jiving in the spotlight about what-she-said and what-she-meant. Conspiracy lovers will have a(nother) field day.

The naive among us think that political assassinations are events that happen in other, primitive societies. The realists among us realize that it can (and did) happen here. The darkly imaginative anti-Clintonistas among us might be thinking: first strike.

No Country for Old Men

Why is every primary hyped by the media as "crucial"? Does anyone really think that the Indiana popularity contest between Obama and Clinton will settle anything?
The answer, of course, is: No.

The media creates issues to keep us interested, but, personally, I am zoning-out, the way you do when you have heard a radio commercial 100 times.

The conservative radio talk show guys are predictable and devious. They keep up their anti-Obama rants, hoping that Clinton will pull-off the nomination. They don't want to run against the Obama phenomena. They believe that Republicrat McCain - can beat Hillary in the general election.
Conservatives fear that Obama is "too liberal." Somehow, he will imperially decide to turn us all into godless communists or worse - to cancel the Bush tax cuts!

Maybe they are afraid that he is inclined to nominate Jesse Jackson or Al Sharpton to the supreme court. Maybe Oprah as his Secretary of State. Mya Angelou as Poet Laureate and head of the CIA. Issue a presidential decree to guarantee reparations to all descendants of slaves... scary stuff, indeed.

This deeply rooted fear of the unknown scares the bejesus out of them. The TV guys keep running old clips of the pro-black pastor, as if he was running for office. Fact is, all three are unknowns: senators who don't have real jobs and who have never run anything.

The problem for the anti Obama republicans, is that they have a candidate who is said to be a nice guy (when he is not flying in a PTS rage), but who really cannot be counted upon to stick to any platform or agenda. Once a formidable man (who I voted for during the 2000 primaries), he is helpless without cue-cards and handlers these days. Watch him is one on one interviews, he is like a robot. He is being handled and managed by a team of lobbyists who make the trilateral commission look like a comic book invention. He gives me no confidence as a leader.

Undoubtedly, McCain will be swift-boated (remember the Keating 5?), skewered and battered. The Democrat nominee will destroy him in free for all debates. By the time we get to November, I think he would lose to either Hillary or Barak.

The presidency may be a power trip, but it sucks the life out of those who serve. Compare the pictures of past presidents on inauguration day and then a few years later, if you don't believe me.

At age 72, this guy is just too old and tired to be up to the job. John, we salute you for your service. Now it is time to get thee to the beach and stay there.

The only chance for Repubs to win in November is to have McCain bow-out for health reasons and for him to hand the torch to Romney.