I am worried and am putting this out there to see if maybe I'm overreacting. I need some Kos help!

Until recently I was excited about the prospect of watching the Democratic National Convention. Now I am less sure. We all know that the Obama and Clinton camps have come to some sort of an agreement and have decided to enter Hillary’s name into nomination. Then a floor vote will be taken.  Of course Hillary has not yet released her delegates, and some say they need a "catharsis".  Will they in the end support Barack?  Some will, but how many? Will this vote be a sad parenthesis in the proceedings?

I felt on Feb. 5th that we could have a dream team for the Democratic Party. It was pretty exciting at that time to have two great candidates. We know how that went down. And now some kind of terrific team seems less likely.  Who will the V.P. be?  We need someone great. Is someone there in the wings, and did Obama pick him or her?

Okay people.  We may have less than 24 hours before Obama announces his pick.  So let's get something started!  

I want to hear one or two people who you would MOST WANT to be named,

one or two people who your THINK WILL be named, and ESPECIALLY
any new rumor and tidbits (any evidence one way or the other--inside sources, Obama planes being painted), etc.

For me, I think it will be Biden, with an outside chance of Bayh.

I would like Gore, or Clark, or of course Carlos Zambrano (he can truly do it all-- a pitcher hitting .350!)

Take the poll and comment below!

Okay, now that the diary title got your attention (yes, it's complete snark ...though I did vote for Ross once back in my too-dumb-to-know-better days), time for the real point regarding the VP selection.  And I'm sorry if this diary comes off as a sheer rant and something akin to a diary already on the RECed list.  But I've had a terrible day (my beloved pet passed away... one that was abused, abandoned and in terrible shape and I had to nurse back to health... after five years in my care, it was crushing to say "goodbye" today) and I could use a good rant, and something to take my mind off things.  And I've been considering a rant of this sort for the past week or two, amidst all the VP speculation.  So, bear with me below the fold...

Let's forget the political calculus used when picking the Democrat for Vice Presidential pick in 2008. Ignore all the expected traditional election night variables that campaign consultants use when informing the presidential nominee regarding who he selects as his running-mate. The political pundits on camera have been going bat-shit about Obama’s lack of experience and have been expressing this concern by saying how he needs an old white guy with military/foreign-policy experience to balance out his supposedly most visible political weakness.

I've been thinking a lot about why the Obama campaign decided to announce their VP choice through a massive text message, rather than the more traditional campaign event announcement.  Al Giordano already covered the strategic advantage, writing:

With the campaign giving every American that text-messages the letters "VP" to telephone number 62262 (that's touchtone-speak for "O-B-A-M-A") the simultaneous opportunity to be the "first to know" about his choice (and thus gathering a multitude more of voters whose cell phone numbers are in his database and will be contacted with other news, invitations, fund appeals and requests over the coming months), there would be a distinct advantage to holding off on the announcement until during the convention itself.

The difficulty inherent in this strategy is that it puts a huge amount of pressure on Obama to really "wow" his supporters with his VP pick.  Does Obama really have a VP trick up his sleeve, I've wondered?  What's he trying to pull?

Then it hit me: (Click over the fold to read more)

Ok, this will probably get torn to shreds, and my feelings will not be hurt.

The point I hope to make in this diary:
Due to advances in technology and culture no matter who is president their actions will be attacked/and viewed as an impeachable offense by 1/2 the population.

It started with Nixon and has gotten more pronounced as time has gone on.

I doubt it is because the quality of the presidents has gotten any better or worse. I mean they've always been pretty constant, I would think.

<More after the break>

I have to give it to David Schuster. I think the traditional media has been alarmingly tenacious in their need to perpetuate the idea of a close race. I feel NBC, FOX, ABC, CBS have been  involved in trying to manipulate the idea that 1. this race is close. 2. that coverage of Obama negative or positive is the same. 3. there is a significant number of DEMOCRATS opposed to an Obama Presidency.

On my most cynical days I see human kind as nothing more than talking monkeys.  On my hopeful days I acknowledge our opposable thumbs.  Now a week away from the Democratic National Convention, I must admit cynicism seems preferable.  Since the March I have been assured that the Democratic Party would be unified.  The latest measure of unity seems to be a national statement of our division.

The only thing to do during times like this is to pop some popcorn and watch and things flail.

Some people complain that the fact Georgia attacked South Ossettia prompting the escalation doesn't make it into the US news narrative.

To this, I say: So?. The following is a lot of background crap that doesn't make it into our news. First, as usual, is energy:

Can Georgia become a kind of a regional hub for transportation of large volumes of gas and oil through the Black Sea to Europe, in particular to Ukraine?
That is our plan. And all prerequisites are available for that. Today we transport gas and electric power from north to south and from east to west, with all the flows going through Georgia so this is a hub. As you know, the oil and gas corporation of Georgia, together with (Azeri state oil company) SOCAR, Ukrainian, Polish and Lithuanian colleagues, have created a company called Sarmatia to develop a route from Odessa to Brody and then further to Gdansk. This is another alternative direction that can be filled with Kazakh oil.

link

Wonder why Poland and Ukraine are so pissed?

I have looked into my crystal ball and have come up with some future headlines and news stories. You will be shocked and amazed by the accuracy of my predictions. In a few years you'll rememberthis day and think, "that guys was an idiot".

Well - SOMEONE had to do it...

Thank you, David Shuster, for exposing a couple of the PUMA leadership today for what they are - irrational, right-leaning, Democratic Party-subverting, baseless nitwits with no backing and no valid ground to stand on for their raison d'etre.

The claim that "Obama is not the Democratic Party's candidate, but the DNC's candidate - the DNC no longer represents the Democratic Party" were the parting words of Will Bower, co-founder of the massively influential "Just Say No Deal" - and so-called, self-proclaimed Democrat.

Interesting.

I just heard three interviews of PUMA reps in a row. Granted, I've been watching FOX because I'm not really into the Olympics, but I heard at least one on POTUS radio which I usually find refreshingly balanced. For some reason, this Clintonian bullshit unhinges me. It's SO OBVIOUS what they're doing, it's for the most cynical and selfish reasons imaginable, but NOBODY WILL MENTION THAT THE EMPEROR WEARS NO CLOTHES. Why is that? Why have we allowed the Hillary-supporters to cow everyone down to the point where right-minded folks will allow the Clintons to act out their narcissistic psychodrama on the national stage (yet again)--all the while doing unquestionable damage to the party (and therefore, the country itself)--and not say BOO about it!

If you can take a Clinton rant, jump down in the mud with me.

Its seems that daily I see diaries where Obama supporters are taking a part Hillary Clinton, her campaign and her husband, then her supporters come on and defend them and and the fight is on

More after the fold...

I was an Edwards supporter and to this day felt his stances on corporations was the way to go-- but now I realize, even in Edwards, we would not find the perfect candidate.

This won't be long, just a little diary to acknowledge the truth-- in a world where Obama is held back for his name and his race, where Clinton is held back for her gender and Richardson for both his skin and his eloquence (or relative lack), it's a damn shame that the only one of the candidates I thought would be the sure-fire winner, the guy who comes in with no "inherent" weakness and plenty of strength...

Would have failed... because of his own choices.

This race was never ours to win, no matter who the Nominee was going to be. It was always, always going to be a fight.

Alright. I'm fully committed.

Go Obama. Go.

Just went searching around some normal channels to see what was happening, and I am presented with this story on Yahoo titled, "Clinton says she wants Obama to win White House"

Story here

Former Democratic Primary Candidate John Edwards has now confirmed he had an affair with Rielle Hunter & WAS at the Beverly Hills Hilton JUST AS THE NATIONAL ENQUIRER SAID.

LA Times

I want to point out that all the people who said "this is a conspiracy", now seem to be turning into moralistic scolders.  "I'm shocked - shocked I tell you".

But you are all missing the main story ~ did one (or both) major candidate pull a "Primary Colors" on Edwards?

The Suskind story, Rove and Meirs refusal to answer to the law, makes it painfully clear that not only have the last 8 years been a sham for our democracy, but so too were the Clinton years inspired by a hypocritical power of destruction.  The constant implication of the republican party that Clinton was SO dirty for not wanting to testify under oath, and because he tried to use the law to protect himself from this end during the whitewater investigations, is proof of this hypocrisy. I can't get over how any human beings (mcsam-ites) could miss the irony of this. (I am not defending Clinton's behavior) It makes the whole picture so totally clear that the republicans went after Clinton solely for political purposes. Follow me over the fold for a discussion of the disease process that could help us unfold the solutions to preventing our own demise.

Ron Paul is the leader of his supporter rallies.

Clinton supporters plan parade for Denver
The die-hards still hoping for some kind of miracle that results in Hillary Clinton becoming the Democratic nominee for president aren't going away just yet. In fact, they'll be making their presence very much known at the Democratic National Convention in Denver later this month.

http://www.salon.com/...