Does military experience or experience as a P.O.W. qualify one to be President of the United States?

I dunno.  Maybe to a small degree.

Do impulse control and the ability to lead effective diplomacy qualify one to be President of the United States?

No.

But, if you don't have impulse control and can't be an effective diplomat, you're automatically disqualified from the office.

Senator McCain, you're not fit for office.

Yep, John McCain, not content to become Bush's third Term, has decided to make his campaign all about him being the next Dick Cheney.

From Fortune Magazine
, via
Media Matters we get the first atrocity.

Read below, if you dare.

Once again folks on the Netroots are being played for chumps.

Last time, it was the stupid Moveon advertisement nontroversy.

This time, folks are taking the eye off the ball.  They're neglecting the easily confused weasel, John McCain, for a transparent p.r. stunt.  

The details below the fold.

It's tempting to think of two separate contests a week from today.  In reality, there is only one contest--the quest for the Democratic nomination.  And on May 6, there will be a loser and there will be a winner.

How will we know who won or lost?  Well, to figure that out, we need to define 'victory'--something McLame et al still haven't managed regarding Iraq.

A guide by the numbers to picking a winner and loser on Super Tuesday III below the fold.

(UPDATE):  Pennsylvania is NOT a winner take all state.  It is proportional representation, which means every vote counts.  There is NO excuse to not do what you can to help him get as many votes as possible there.

Once again we see Obamanation getting their expectations out of whack.  Talk about a narrow, 3-7 point margin of victory for Clinton is starting to take hold as the consensus for tomorrow.

This is bunk.  The numbers are clear.  Just as they were in Nevada.  Just as they were in Texas and Ohio.

Obama will not break 45% on Tuesday.  He may not break 43%.

The real math, not Howard Wolfson's spin, below the fold.

Currently, the race to the bottom amongst the few remaining pro-Clinton blogs is between Larry Johnson's NO QUARTER (now receiving an influx of traffic from places like Free Republic) and, in a bit of an upset, Jeralyn Merritt of Talk Left, who used to be a principled, progressive blogger.

The rightwing Neocon smear below the fold.

One of the most notable pro-Clinton bloggers--Larry C. Johnson--has today outed himself as a David Duke-style white supremacist.

He is considered one of the good guys and a progressives by sites/bloggers such as Jeralyn Merritt of TalkLeft, Taylor Marsh, and the larger community of Mydd.

The choice is clear.  These bloggers MUST denounce, reject, and delink Larry Johnson and his blog.  

Or, they must be considered complicit in his toxic racist agenda.

The nuts and bolts below.

This diary is the first of a series to review the book, chapter by chapter.

Note:  any graphics in this diary may be borrowed or used by folks who enjoy them

Of course, the Clinton campaign has denied pushing the Obama=Muslim plant smear.

Despite the words of Clinton endorser Bob "Secular Madrassa" Kerrey.

Despite the fact that multiple Clinton volunteer coordinators in Iowa were busted spreading it via email.  

Despite "As far as I know."

Despite the fact that somehow the email traffic of this rumor tracks very closely with the primary schedule.

There's smoke, and then there's fire.

Now, I find it entirely plausible that the Clinton campaign doesn't willfully push the madrassa rumor (as opposed to Farrakhan, Jesse Jackson, Jeremiah Wright, terrorist sympathizer, Rezko, etc etc).  But, there is no doubt that there is an organic movement within Clinton's own supporter base to push these racist smears and to use the campaign-funded website to do it.

We all know about Geraldine Ferraro's first stab at race-baiting:

If Obama was a white man, he would not be in this position. And if he was a woman (of any color) he would not be in this position. He happens to be very lucky to be who he is. And the country is caught up in the concept.

We also know that the Clinton campaign has refused to even reject her remarks or separate her from the campaign, instead opting for a meek expression of mere disagreement.

Well, Geraldine has decided to fan the flames even further.  

In a turn of phrase no doubt authored by the poison Penn, Hillary Clinton is now peddling bull manure packaged inside more bull manure with bull manure labeling.

And, she's doing everything she can to get John McCain elected.

The pro-McCain talking points below the fold.

"Four years into the Iraq war, Americans are still living with the consequences of this White House's efforts to quell dissent. This commutation sends the clear signal that in this Administration, cronyism and ideology trump competence and justice."

Statement of Senator Hillary Clinton on President Bush's commutation of the prison term for I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby.

The Scooter Libby commutation is a microcosm of the Culture of Corruption, a key issue in the Democratic party's takeover of Congress in 2006.  It shows the disregard for judicial norms, the corruption, and the abuse of office that have come to characterize the Bush Era.

Unfortunately, Hillary Clinton is not a credible critic of this Culture of Corruption, and certainly not of this episode.#  

In 2008, we need someone with credibility on the issue of corruption and abuse of office if we are to take on St. John McCain, whose reputation for ethical behavior is overstated, but whose track record still outshines that of the Clintons.

The full vetting below the fold.

Well, 2004 Bill Clinton says that.  It's unclear whether 2008 Bill Clinton would remain intellectually honest or whether he would evasively microparse his way out of it.

(That was a joke, of course).

Bill's 2004 endorsement of Barack Obama over Hillary Clinton below the fold.

Congratulations, Senator Clinton.

At long last, after much complaining from you, the media is launching rightwing smear attacks against Barack Obama, the likely Democratic nominee in the fall.

Senator Clinton's great contribution to our chances in the fall below the fold:

You think I'm kidding?  

It's a caucus.  It's his home state.  Done deal, right?

Wrong, wrong, wrong.  

First off, let me congratulate Eddie in ME, who was completely right and schooled me on the Maine caucuses.  Either I underestimated Obama's field organization and the enthusiasm of his supporters, or I overestimated the strength of Clinton's support and the value of the local political machine.  The fact that Clinton did not have her own organization working here is directly tied to the theme of this piece.

Ladies and gentlemen, the Joe Biden Test:

"My dad used to say, don’t tell me what you value, show me your budget. I will tell you what you value,’’ Biden said.

Applying this test to Hillary Clinton's campaign reveals that her winning the nomination would be the death of the 50-state strategy.

Somehow, over the past few weeks, David Obey and Christine Gregoire have lost their damn minds.

They clearly have become brainwashed automatons, worshipping hype and ignoring a plain lack of substance.

Their statements of adoration for a David Koresh-type figure below the fold.

Kumbayah.

Why can't we all get along.

Going along to get along.

This kind of b.s. has been thrown at Barack Obama for over a year now by his critics (when they're not complaining that he's fighting dirty, unfair, or is being a big ol' meanie).

Barack Obama is not afraid to get in the face of Republicans.  He actually seems to enjoy it.  He regularly jokes about undocumented workers on Mitt Romney's lawn.

And he's certainly not afraid to mix it up with St. John McCain.