So what? It's over. "McCain is already in mid-August matching and sometimes besting Obama in the polls. It should not have been so. Gas prices, the economy, Iraq, Bush Derangement Syndrome, lack of energy production, Republican scandals in Congress, out-of-control spending, the Bush dunce appointments like Scott McClellan and the Texas crowd, all this and more created a sort of perfect storm for conservatives."--Victor Davis Hanson. I know, some will attack the source again, but in this case Hanson is correct. The Repubs haven't even gone on full attack mode yet, and when they do the junior senator from Illinois will be toast.

It'll be 2004 all over again. Why go for Bush-lite when you can get the real thing? Obama just doesn't cut it as Mr. Depend-on-me, attack everybody tough guy. Wes Clark would just highlight this deficiency, which is why the Obama campaign hes been shunning him. Obama should have traveled a completely different road, but it's too late now.

Don -- I appreciate your view of things now...but I've seen a lot of zigs and zags in campaigns and it's never a good idea to give up. I don't believe that this presidential race is anywhere near over, or decided.

I'm waiting to see who the VP pick is tomorrow/Saturday to dial up or down my own level of enthusiasm. There's so much in Obama I can support, but I need to see some benchmarks that make it easier for the "radical centrist" crowd to stand with him.

best, steve clemons

Thanks for this sharing this! Your instincts on this are right on! :) At least some good news from netroots action showing that the Obama campaign aren't totally tone deaf to the blogosphere and its activists, the overwhelming MAJORITY of whom applauded and recognized General Clark for his contributions, significance and leadership for the Democratic Party towards "Securing America"!

Obama/Clark 2008!

We can still believe in real leadership for our country! O'Wes We Can!! :)

Thank you very much Steve for standing up and speaking out.

At this time our country needs our best and brightest to be part of the conversation. Gen. Clark is a team player. Let us hope that Obama can welcome Gen. Clark rather than leave him on the bench.

Thanks again.

Obama desperately needs the likes of Clark to counter McCain's military creds. Clark is not afraid to call McCain's command judgement into question, as he already did and, unfortunately, got rebuffed.

"He made clear through his staff that he would work around a tight schedule of board of directors meetings that week to appear at the Convention if asked."

Wow, that IS really big of him! Imagine the level of commitment!

Not such a modest win... a significant contriubution to Obama making a smart move and showing some respect for a great Dem...

It simple. Wes Clark should be at the top of the Democratic ticket,
and I suspect Obama knows it. Clark is more qualified to be
president, period.

Dinger,
I've supported Clark and even became a Democrat in 2004 so I could vote for him in the primary but I don't think he "is more qualified to be president." Sen. Obama has proven very successful in the political arena and being president is a political role. He is very qualified in many ways but a president needs to prove adept at winning political campaigns in order to accomplish his agenda and so far Clark has not done that as well as Obama.
Clark is my first choice for Vice President though.

Proven to be more successfuly = losing a majority of primaries.

New agers, new math. It's still fuzzy math.

Mr. Murder,
You aren't a serious person. You know as well as I that the agreed upon system is the system and therefore the winner under those rules is the winner. Gen. Clark or Sen. Clinton did not "actually" win if they didn't win under the agreed upon rules.

Rules, like broadcast ads in Florida?

Care to see if his fourth column of questionable finance, ACORN, helped send any money to the abstained vote campaign in Michigan?
Inform me more of these 'rules' you claim to uphold.

Rules, shmules. The O campaign was whining & complaining about superdelegates -- until they broke his way. The O campaign was whining & complaining about union money -- until it starting coming his way.

The O campaign did a bang-up job at gaming the primary caucus system -- to the eventual detriment of this country that we love.

Mr. Murder,
You said, "Inform me more of these 'rules' you claim to uphold."

As I said before, you are not a serious person.
I was not a party to defining or accepting any rules in the primary for presidential delegate votes therefore I am not upholding them or even defending them. The are what they are - previously agreed upon. The candidates and the Democratic Party decide those issues. They are the ones who declared an official winner.

I'll wait and see what kind of role the Obama campaign gives Wes, although I'm not very optimistic about it at this time.

Having him come in and sweep up the floor after everybody else is done would not be acceptable.

Although it's not surprising to see Clark take the High Road, it's
heartening to see the netroots and others insist that it's absurd,
ridiculous, and costly for Obama to fail to recognize, consult, and
learn from Clark's expertise.

This wouldn't have happened in 2000. And it didn't happen in
2004. This is progress.

I wonder what would have happened if the netroots didn't raise
hell? And I think the 3:00 a.m. text was a little ol' FU to Hillary,
and Clark got a little ol' FU with Wednesday night being Securing
America's Future, Vet night, and Tammy Duckworth before the VP
speech thing. I won't forget that. Of course Clark takes the high
road, he always does.

Dinger...thank you for calling my attention to the 3 a.m. thing...I didn't bother to read the email bcause it was on the tube...you're exactly right... it was an FU to Hillary...now I'm reeeeeeeeeeeeely pissed. he's been using her lines in his stump speeches tooo... and not inviting Wes to Securing America is another slap...just as asking Bill Clinton to Speak on the Veep night, when it isn't Hillary....as I've mentioned before...if you look at the footage of Teddy endorsing O'bambino you will see that in your face, mocking tone.....Illinois is Hillary's home state tooo

The Democraps lost their soul in Chicago... they've been zombies for Teddy ever since.....Teddy is why McCarthy and Nader left the party...you can't play unless you're willing to sell your soul.....

Katherine, why so snarky? I'm not sure what I'm going to do in
November, but in my state, we can write the candidate of our
choice, and it will count for that candidate. I need time.

Dinger... you can write in a candidate, but unless that candidate has filed an affidavit with the Secretary of State, declaring his candidacy and has filed a slate of presidential electors pledged to him/her, they won't count your vote...

Why so snarky? BO didn't want "unity"... he wanted submission and he wanted the Clintons to be vanguished... well you got it, BO..., now live it...and while you're brushing off your shoulders and telling people they're likable enough, go F yourself, if you still know how. oh yeah, being a woman I "periodically'" get testy. and now before I decide if you're black enough, I'll have to check out your dance moves...something tells me you're doing the honky two step....

Don't get me wrong Kathleen, I'm not happy with Obama at all. In
fact, he scares me a little.

Dinger... I don't get you wrong..I know exactly why you might want to write in someone else...I just want to make sure you do it for someone whose votes will be counted....BO doesn't scare me so much as bore me... and when he lapses into his faux MLK accent, it irks me....if BO wants my support he's gonna have to sweat a little for it now... that's the price for his snot nosed snarky shit...maybe sweat a lot, come to think of it....he got my long fuse on that move...