Good old Senator Chafee...The only Republican to vote against the war. I hope he tries to stay in public service.

"I will also ask him how given his background as a horse farrier, he became such an excellent, realist-tilting foreign policy expert. Lessons learned might be valuable given some of our political choices ahead"

Never heard of "horse-sense", eh Steve? There was an old boy Texan that used to lease Paramount Ranch in Aqoura, California, by the name of Dee Cooper. Paramount Ranch was the old western studio town and acreage where alot of the older westerns were shot. It was also, in the early seventies the site of the infamous "Southern Renaissance Faire". If you hadn't attended that fair at least once, you had no legitimate claim to early 70's hippiehood.

(In fact, it was directly caddy-corner from Ronald Reagan's Aqoura Ranch on Los Virgenes road. Comical really, the Reagan's didn't live there full time, and had a full time english wrangler and caretaker that was the spitting image of "Higgins" on "Magnum PI". Guy by the name of "Vince". Even wore khakis all the time.)

Anyway, whenever 'ol Dee would finish a task or chore, or solve a problem, he'd mumble out loud "It doesn't take me all day to look at a horseshoe". It didn't, either. I once watched him, over a period of about three weeks time, show Johnny Rivers the exact same buckskin gelding, groomed different, three separate times, upping the price each time. Rivers, convinced each time that it was a different horse, ended up buying the horse for $2500, when the same horse was originally offered to him for $500.

I am a registered democrat but one republican I respected and admired in the senate was Sen Chaffee. I watched him at different senate hearings and I knew, he put RIGHT above WRONG no matter what his party affiliation. Even though a democrat won his seat, it was a real disappointment for me because I wanted him back in the senate. If Sen Obama wins, I hope, he will have a major role in his administration.

I think the Senator makes an excellent point about the essential
requirement of truthfulness. The current McCain/Palin campaign is
riddled with lies. If they're already lying, why should we expect
their administration to be any more truthful than Bush/Cheney?
Obama should hit them hard on this point.

I think it is interesting to ask ourselves why it is that a polite, mild mannered, cautious, observant individual such as Lincoln Chaffee would unhesitatingly refer to Sarah Palin as a "cocky wacko".

I know we are all a bit obsessed with Palin these days -- and why not? Regardless of what might be a best strategy to deflate and defeat this truly unserious candidacy, we are after all talking about a nominee for vice president of the United States, not some far lesser post in which case resume and personal characteristics might be more easily glossed over.

So why is it that Chaffee can call a spade a spade and most all of the media combined can't find one honest note to sing?

Chaffee no doubt feels liberated to speak truth, as he sees it, more openly. But what about virtually the entire media who insist on taking the nomination seriously, or at least not cynically, even as Karl Rove and surrogates have put it out there cynically. Are they afraid of ripping the mask off McCain's charade? Afraid of being called not serious themselves? Or have they just plain forgotten about what a trust and responsibility it is the media holds in a "free" society?

Good for Chaffee.

If you saw the name "Lincoln Chafee" in print, you'd say to yourself, "With a name like that, that guy could be a Senator from Rhode Island." If there was a picture attached, you'd say, "Wow, I bet that guy's a Senator from Rhode Island." If there was also audio, you'd say, "I will wager a year's pay that that guy is a Senator from Rhode Island."

Chafee helped launch Republicans for Obama along with philanthropist and former Bush 2000 campaign New York co-chair Rita Hauser and former Congressman Jim Leach."

I have said it before, but I just don't get Rita Hauser. Lincoln Chafee I get. He's a genuine progressive who abandoned the Republican Party to become an independent. Supporting Obama is a no brainer for him. Jim Leach I also get. He was always a relatively liberal republican who lost his seat in the Democratic landslide of 2004. Even though he is still nominally a Republican, his loss freed him to support whomever he wants and he supports Obama.

I even get Chuck Hagel. He's a maverick Republican who, in his heart of hearts, supports Obama, but doesn't have the guts to endorse him or won't out of loyalty to his friend McCain.

But how can anyone explain Rita Hauser?

Sure, she was Yasser Arafat's personal lawyer at Strook, Strook and Levan and she represented the PLO for years. But she and her husband have spent a life time supporting the most reactionary Republicans around.

She and her husband Gustave maxed out on contributions to George W. Bush both times he ran and the first time he ran she was a major bundler for him. Other Republicans she has donated to include: Lamar Alexander, John Isakson, Pete Wilson, Chuck Hagel, John Warner, Bill Weld, John McCain (Senate Race) and Mitch McConnell.

She and Gustave have made numerous contributions to the Republican Senatorial Campaign Committee and collectively they have given $40,000 to the Republican National Committee since 1999.

I think it's great that she is supporting Obama. I just can't get my head around it. How do you support Mitch McConnell and John Isacson one year and Barack Obama the next?

The only explanation I can come up with is that she must have had some kind of epiphany.

Perhaps she saw a light shine down from above. The light fell upon her and she knew she had to vote for Barack.

I can't imagine any other explanation for this positive but otherwise inexplicable change of heart.

I know Steve thinks Rita Hauser is a "bridge builder" and I am sure he is right. But her political behavior seems really bizarre.

Katrina Hearings apologist? Wasn't ACORN's HQ there? Didn't that group help push for immigration reform at his office and the burnback lost Chaffee his seat?

He punted judicial nominations so AWOL could resume his usual appointment tactic?

This isn't pure shining epiphanies we are talking about. Everything in DC has a price....

WHY CAN'T POLITICIANS CAMPAIGN ABOUT WHAT THEY WILL DO GOOD FOR AMERICA INSTEAD OF SHOWING THEIR IGNORANCE BY DOGGING THE OTHER POLITICIANS. I WOULD LIKE CHAFEE TO CORRESPOND WITH ME ABOUT THIS.

Mike -- I think Lincoln Chafee's talk was very thoughtful, earnest,
balanced, serious -- and deep. He confessed a lot about positions
with which he was uncomfortable. He had an exchange with the
public. He has stood by what he said.

I wish you had been there -- but one can't say that he didn't give
us a clear portal to hear his thoughts, which I have posted here,
and that he didn't engage the public -- which he surely did.

Thanks for your post.

Steve Clemons