MICHAEL O. ALLEN

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michael o. allen

Their true colors

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(Mark Lennihan/Associated Press) The New York Post’s Wednesday morning headline.

I do not want to waste any more breath on that beautiful dream (before the winks and nods to racist tactics, the say-anything-do-anything strategy to win) that was the Hillary Rodham Clinton campaign for the Democratic Party nomination for president of the United States.

By all rational measures, she is now finished, “toast,” in the inimitable word of the New York Post. Just try telling that to her, or that hidebound husband of hers, Bill Clinton.

“I’m staying in this race until there is a nominee,” HRC proclaimed on Wednesday.

Some wonder why she does not put the good of the party before her own ambition. Why would she want to damage the almost certain nominee, Sen. Barack Obama, and swing the race to Sen. John McCain by persisting? Some see keeping Obama from the presidency is keeping the way clear so she could run again in 2012.
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May 8, 2008
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Victory in the Carolinas

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Transcript
Senator Obama’s Remarks in N.C., May 6, 2008

The following is the transcript of Barack Obama’s speech in North Carolina, as provided by CQ Transcriptions, Inc.

You know, there are those who were saying that North Carolina would be a game-changer in this election. But today what North Carolina decided is that the only game that needs changing is the one in Washington, D.C.

(APPLAUSE)

I want to start by congratulating Senator Clinton on what appears to be her victory in the great state of Indiana. I want to thank all the people — I want to thank all the wonderful people of Indiana who worked so hard on our behalf.

(APPLAUSE)

The people in Indiana could not be finer. They worked tirelessly, and I will always be grateful to them.

I want to thank, of course, the people of North Carolina.

(APPLAUSE)

I want to thank them for giving us a victory in a big state…

(APPLAUSE)

… in a swing state, in a state where we will compete to win if I am the Democratic nominee for president of the United States.

(APPLAUSE)

You know, when this campaign began, Washington didn’t give us too much of a chance. But because you came out in the bitter cold, and knocked on doors, and enlisted your friends and neighbors in this cause, because you stood up to the cynics and the doubters and the naysayers, when we were up and when we were down, because you still believe that this is our moment and our time to change America, tonight we stand less than 200 delegates away from securing the Democratic nomination for president of the United States.

(APPLAUSE)

More importantly, because of you, we’ve seen that it’s possible to overcome the politics of division and the politics of distraction, that it’s possible to overcome the same, old negative attacks that are always about scoring points and never about solving our problems.

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May 7, 2008
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Toast*

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Not too long ago, my opponent made a prediction. He said I would probably win Pennsylvania, he would win North Carolina, and Indiana would be the tiebreaker.

Well, tonight we’ve come from behind, we’ve broken the tie, and, thanks to you, it’s full speed onto the White House.

–Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, after getting shellacked in North Carolina but winning the Indiana primary in a squeaker.

I think most people know to verify every word that comes out of Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton’s mouth but, what is she smoking? Onto the White House? Not as the Democratic Party nominee, she doesn’t. Maybe she is planning a third party bid, which I won’t put past her.

May 7, 2008
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What groove?

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How Bill Clinton Got His Groove Back says the headline to an Adam Nagourney piece of hagiography on the website of The New York Times (I don’t know if it ran in the paper, or is slated to run tomorrow). My question is this: Did the former president get his groove back, or is the Times news pages continue a pattern of trying to prop up the Hillary Rodham Clinton campaign by overstating things?

I cannot really say when it started but, recently, the news pages has been turning itself into pretzel spinning any news development into something positive for HRC.

They’ve, meanwhile, done the opposite for Sen. Barack Obama, covering his campaign as a constant crisis.

Just when the paper’s editorial pages was beginning to recognize its error in backing HRC and beginning to take a more even-handed tack to the campaign, the news pages has gone in the opposite direction by becoming more subjective.

This primary battle will end one day. The Times, as it almost always does, will regain its bearings. I cannot wait for either day.

May 5, 2008
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