One key I believe to Barack Obama's victory in Iowa was the time spent in the state touring around on a chartered bus speaking with average Iowans and letting them get to know him. What we know from the polls is that Hillary Clinton always begins with a rather large lead in most states but as Barack spends time in these states the lead either decreases significantly or evaporates in its entirety. So with this in mind, I emailed the Obama campaign two weeks ago to suggest they repeat the Iowa strategy.

Today I am incredibly angry. I try not to write in anger because strong emotions often lead to statements that are either unintended or of a magnitude much greater than intended.  So it is with great disappointment that today I will leave the Democratic party.  It is not a decision I take lightly but the lack of leadership at the highest levels in this party is very disturbing.  Only individuals lacking in personal and political courage could allow the intra-party fight to reach the level that it has at this point. This brings me to the title of this diary.

In what is a surprising to move to those of us at least who do not live in NY, The New York Observer has written a rather eloquent endorsement of Barack Obama. Like most, I anticipted most of the NY papers would endorse their own junior senator for president. What is more interesting is not that they opted not to endorse senator Clinton but their rather elegant endorsement for Obama. I have read a fair number of endorsements for several candidates recently and rarely have I read one that achieves quite this level of inspiration. It is not an indictment of Clinton but a series of strong arguments for the necessity of Barack Obama's candidacy at this time in history.

Like most, I will not say that I was not disappointed by the events of last night. That said, I am ready for the fight that will ensue and I strongly believe that the Obama campaign is as well. The race is not a coronation. It never should have been characterized as such and I hope that the punditry will not return to this false hypothesis. Like most here, I am going to be involved in this campaign until the nomination speech and as I still strongly believe, his acceptance speech.

The more important questions now are about what happens next. To this end I am very encouraged by some of the information I have come across
while perusing the political blogs this morning. I think there has been a general belief that Edwards and Obama cancel each other out and therefore split an anti-Clinton vote. It appears this is not supported by the evidence. Thus I hope we can put an end to some of the sniping about who should exit the race.

From where I stand, I suspect this will be tough fight for whomever the nominee is until Feb 5th, by which time at least, a significant portion of the country will have had their say and will have at the least, offered some clarity.

I had planned to make a nice quiet exit from dKos this past week. I had tired of the internal fights and my response to them. Unfortunately, I find myself drawn back in for one last discussion regarding this issue of the gospel tour in South Carolina. I must admit to being less than informed on Donnie McClurkin's views on gays until this matter became public and yes, I have enjoyed his music [does this mean that I too am supporting a bigot and thus am one myself?] because according to the logic that has been put forth by bloggers such as Earl Ofari-Hutchinson, that is the arc of reasoning that we must all follow. I would argue by this logic that anyone who has ever purchased a Rolling Stones cd has thus supported drug use and at least some degree of misogyny, as Keith and Mick have been through enough drugs and women to last a life time or two but I digress and more so, I really like the Stones.

I think I speak for a lot of Democrats who have wanted to give John Edwards a fair shake and reconsideration of his campaign and forget about 2004. However, the contradictions in his campaign make that very difficult. This is not about the costs of his haircuts. I thought he and his staff dropped the ball by charging this to the campaign when the focus of his campaign is about equality for all Americans regardless of economic status. It was not very good politics but not the end of the world. Neither was I particularly concerned about the cost of his new home, although having lived in Durham, NC for several years I can tell you that 5-6 million will get you a lot of house in this part of the country.
That said, this piece on the front page of the WashPo is very disappointing. First, I had wondered what he had been doing with himself since he left the Senate in 04. I was suprised to find that he had gone to work as a consultant for a 30B hedge-fund (Fortress Investments) that was immersed in creating off-shore tax shelters for the wealthiest of Americans (typically for millionaires). He apparently left just in time to start running fo president.