http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/24/opinio n/24rich.html?_r=1&ref=opinion&o ref=slogin

Clinton fans don't see their standard-bearer's troubles this way. In their view, their highly substantive candidate was unfairly undone by a lightweight showboat who got a free ride from an often misogynist press and from naïve young people who lap up messianic language as if it were Jim Jones's Kool-Aid. Or as Mrs. Clinton frames it, Senator Obama is all about empty words while she is all about action and hard work.

But it's the Clinton strategists, not the Obama voters, who drank the Kool-Aid. The Obama campaign is not a vaporous cult; it's a lean and mean political machine that gets the job done. The Clinton camp has been the slacker in this race, more words than action, and its candidate's message, for all its purported high-mindedness, was and is self-immolating.

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Rich is 100% on point and tells a good story on what exactly happened.  I am sure i will find very few people who will agree, and most will just outright dismiss it, but i do believe the man is very correct.

The campaign was simply run horribly.  Does anyone know why she choose Penn and Wolfson over Begala and Carville?  Do they not want to do campaigns any more?

http://www.decisionanalyst.com/publ_data /2008/obama.dai

Barack Obama has a double digit lead over Hillary Clinton in Texas, according to a statewide survey of 678 registered voters planning to vote in the March 4 Democratic Primary. The survey was conducted February 20 and 21 by Decision Analyst, a major national survey research firm. Decision Analyst projections indicate that if the election were held today Obama would win 57% to 43% over Clinton. The survey�s margin of error is 3 percentage points, plus or minus, at a 90% level of confidence.

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This may prove to be an outlier, but it certainly fits more with what we have been seeing and hearing out of Texas in the past 5 days.  A TX, VT / OH, RI split seems more and more likely now, unless Obama can continue to move in OH which is very possible considering his movement so far.  If this comes to fruition, the race is over on March 4th.

So here according to Rasmussen are three GE states and polling on where states currently see them...

Nevada

McCain: 49 percent
Clinton: 40

Obama: 50 percent
McCain: 38

New Hampshire

Clinton: 43 percent
McCain: 41

Obama: 49 percent
McCain: 36

Colorado

McCain: 49 percent
Clinton: 35

Obama: 46 percent
McCain: 39

Links...

http://rasmussenreports.com/public_conte nt/politics/election_20082/2008_presiden tial_election/nevada/election_2008_nevad a_general
http://rasmussenreports.com/public_conte nt/politics/election_20082/2008_presiden tial_election/new_hampshire/new_hampshir e_2008_presidential_election
http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_c ontent/politics/election_20082/2008_pres idential_election/colorado/colorado_2008 _presidential_election

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Outside of "It's too early for these polls" what is the response from Hillary supporters as to why we would select Hillary if we wanted to win?  It seems to me, that if Hillary wins the nomination, we are fighting the Kerry and Gore Strategy which is basically a 20 or so state strategy, while with Obama we have a much wider canvas to paint with.  Feel free to tear this argument down, i am just curious to see how Hillary supporters feel about this.

http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2 008/02/11/655480.aspx

So was this just a simple cancel due to travel?  Did Edwards cancel because he knows he will support Obama anyway?  Did he cancel because Clinton swayed him and he does not want to hear Obama pitch?  Did Obama cancel because he feels he does not need to pitch to Edwards?

Thoughts, ideas & comments please.

What in the world did Hillary and Edwards meet about last night?

http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/200 8/01/21/clinton-edwards-hold-private-pos t-debate-meeting/

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This just seems really odd, but i guess when you add this to both of them Attacking Obama something must be going on.

I know i personally never believed Clinton/Obama to be a possible ticket, especially with all of Hillary's choices close to her (Clark, Bayh, Vilsack, Strickland), but i am beginning to question that.  Does there come a point where if Clinton reaches the delegates needed to win or comes very close and Obama is hot on her tails after Feb. 5th that she is really forced to pick him?  Is there any scenario where due to his support and standing in the race, she must at least ask him to be VP?

Thoughts?

Barack Obama has won the endorsement of the Sioux City Journal.  Truly a wonderful endorsement which will heavily weigh on the voters minds come January.

http://www.siouxcityjournal.com/endorsem ent/