Tim Russert Measures Up

> 35

Barack will carry more than 35 states next fall. I see signs.

Tim Russert Remedies

I just watched online the hour long interview of Barack by Russert. The first thing I noticed was it was an hour. Otherwise he has people on for half an hour. Hillary got half hour, so did all the other Dems and Repubs who went on the show in the 2008 series. This more than makes up for the mistake of basically ignoring Obama at one of the debates that he hosted. (Tim Russert: Bill O'Reilly's Lower Case Cousin)

I also thought the inteview was extremely well done. It was not one of those gotcha ones that Fox specializes in. And it was definitely not an easy one. He asked all the tough questions anyone could think of to ask Obama. As an ardent supporter of Barack, I would rather Barack face the tough questions early rather than late.

But the interview almost had a Charlie Rose quality to it. Neither looked like they were in a hurry. From the beginning it felt like Russert will cover all bases, as he proceeded to do.

At the end it felt to me like this is what a great, professional journalist would do to a would be president. His job is to inform the people and he did plenty of that. He was thorough, he was grilling and inquisitive. He brought answers out of the candidate. Russert dug with much skill.

I also think it is symbolic that Barack is the last Dem candidate to appear on the program. That means the program thinks he is the one who will get the nomination.

Barack just got immunized.

Meet The Press with Tim Russert - Video, Podcasts, News and ...
About Meet the Press - Meet the Press, online at MSNBC- msnbc.com
Tim Russert - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia was chief of staff to Democratic Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan from 1977 to 1982. An avid fan of the American Football team the Buffalo Bills, Russert usually closes Sunday broadcasts during the football season with some type of pro-Bills comment. ........ During NBC's coverage of the 2000 US Presidential Election he calculated possible electoral college outcomes on a marker board on the air, accurately predicting in advance that the election would hinge on "Florida, Florida, Florida." Four years later, Russert would again accurately predict the final battleground of the presidential elections: "Ohio, Ohio, Ohio." ........ On MSNBC's show "Tucker," Russert predicted that the battleground states of the 2008 presidential election would be New Mexico, Colorado, Arizona, and Nevada working-class neighborhood in South Buffalo ....... , saying "If democrats can win three of those four, they can lose Ohio and Florida, and win the presidency." ...... growing up in a predominantly IrishOne concert that Tim booked was headlined by a then-unknown singer, Bruce Springsteen, who charged $2,500 for the concert appearance.
Open Letter To Tim Russert
How to beat Tim Russert. - By Jack Shafer - Slate Magazine
Tim Russert: Discussion on Politics, Entertainment, The Media and ...
Crooks and Liars » Hannity’s new BFF is Tim Russert…
tim-russert - The Huffington Post
Tim Russert, on The Uncomfortable Side of a Question ... the "Meet the Press" inquisitor -- the man who puts all those quotations up on the screen and presses politicians about contradictions and evasions -- found himself on the receiving end of a tough cross-examination. ....... a case study in the importance of controlling the microphone ....... His apparent strategy was to remain low-key, regardless of the provocation ...... Russert used the occasion to deliver a journalism lecture on the "chilling effect" of subpoenas ....... Russert, who always tries to get a rise out of his guests, gave the attorney precious little to work with.

In The News

Human Error Cited in California Oil Spill New York Times they collided with a fixed object ...... sideswiped a support on the bridge, leaving a gash of nearly 100 feet on the side of the 926-foot vessel ...... most of the spilled oil would never be captured and eventually will dissolve into the water. Globules of it could remain for months
Daughters of Rival Drug Kings Unite New York Times Francine Lucas says she thought her father was in the candy business. ..... were archrivals three decades ago in Harlem’s cutthroat heroin trade. ...... “By the time we were old enough to understand what he had done, we had so many positive experiences with him.”
California's first female Episcopal bishop ordained in Saratoga San Jose Mercury News
India calm in face of turmoil in Pakistan National Post
Thousands March in Malaysia to Demand Electoral Changes New York Times one of the biggest anti-government rallies in nearly a decade. ...... Bersih, a coalition of 26 opposition parties and nongovernmental groups ....... rigged elections, judicial corruption and widespread corruption in the dominant political parties. ..... 500 protesters .... 2,000 protesters, mainly teenagers wearing yellow T-shirts emblazoned with the slogan “Bersih,” or “Clean” in Malay ..... They chanted “Reformasi,” a reform demand that was the rallying cry of 1998 opposition protests.
Georgian Says Emergency Rule to Last as Needed New York Times an important oil pipeline from the Caspian basin through Georgia and Turkey that serves world markets. ...... Also on Saturday, Mr. Patarkatsishvili announced his candidacy for president in a statement, though he has fled the country.
US and Germany vow to pursue diplomacy on Iran CNN
Sprint’s WiMax plans come undone Kansas City Star scuttled talks aimed at producing a joint effort in building a new nationwide WiMax network. ...... Sprint executives on Friday vowed to push ahead with the project on a more limited basis. ...... “We are on track for soft launch late this year in the Chicago and Baltimore/Washington markets and commercial launch in 2008” ...... Sprint is going through a period of significant change with a focus on simplifying its business ....... The WiMax challenges are layered atop other issues Sprint is experiencing with its partners in the cable-television industry. ...... Sprint, the Kansas City area’s largest corporate employer, also has heard renewed speculation that it could once again become a possible acquisition target. ....... the stock market still values Sprint at about $46.4 billion.
WiMax Anticlimax: Sprint, Clearwire Ditch Plans TechNewsWorld neither plans to abandon WiMax itself nor the possibility of working together in the future .... the deal was too complex to carry out properly ....... "This doesn't look good for WiMax, as it makes it look like Sprint is walking away from the entire thing because they need to focus on its core business, which has been under-performing of late" ...... Xohm -- the brand Sprint has used to tout its WiMax vision -- remain large ........ Beyond just laptops, the vision of Xohm is to empower PMPs (portable media players), video cameras, MP3s and more with Internet access ....... "We recently completed the first Xohm market-to-market WiMax data session between Chicago and Washington, D.C., using ecosystem devices and the same commercial network customers will access next year, as a preview of coming attractions" .... "We have 10,000 sites readied for deployment, plus 1,750 base stations and 20,000 antennas ordered. There are a lot of moving parts involved in a rapid build of the new network"
Despite Sprint-Clearwire Divorce, Intel Says WiMax Is Not Dead Yet InformationWeek Intel says laptops and mobile devices powered by WiMax-capable silicon will appear in the first half of 2008. ...... major backers like Intel ...... the first half of 2008 will see laptops and mobile devices powered by WiMax-capable silicon. ........ Sprint reaffirmed its commitment to an end-of-year lighting-up of WiMax networks in several U.S. cities, including Chicago and the Washington/Baltimore area ........ One possibility: a spin-off of the WiMax unit, dubbed Xohm. ...... Xohm might actually fare better as an independent company, not chained to the dying beast that is Sprint's core cellular service. ....... a heavier blow to Clearwire, which lost a quarter of its market value on the news ........ with the participation of Intel and other high-tech warhorses like Google, WiMax may simply have too much momentum and money behind it now to be derailed even if Clearwire falters and Sprint bows out of the business ...... Revenue from the WiMax equipment market will grow to more than $3.3 billion, according to Gartner, with 48 million connections worldwide by 2010. ....... The technology is growing rapidly overseas, particularly in developing countries that lack legacy infrastructure. Last month the International Telecommunication Union, a United Nations agency, endorsed WiMax as the mobile technology of choice for wireless broadband.
Another Path to a Billion Motley Fool Entrepreneurship remains the surest path to riches. ...... most notable is the northward march of the Google twins. Sergey Brin and Larry Page are now ranked fifth and sixth, respectively ..... Real estate mogul Sheldon Adelson, whose fortune is comprised mostly of stock in Las Vegas Sands, remains in third. ....... Venture capitalist and Sun Microsystems co-founder Vinod Khosla is 317th with $1.5 billion. ...... as rich as Gates is, the bulk of his wealth comes from staying invested in the company that brought him to the billionaires' ball. Why? Because anyone with a brokerage account could have enjoyed similar percentage gains. ........ A $1,000 investment in Mr. Softy at the dawn of 1990, four years after his debut on the Nasdaq, would be worth roughly $65,000 today.
Security Pro Admits to Hijacking PCs for Profit Washington Post infecting more than a quarter million computers with malicious software and installing spyware that was used to steal personal data and serve victims with online advertisements. ....... $1.75 million in fines and nearly 60 years in prison. ....... On at least 137,000 of those infected systems, Schiefer and his cohorts installed programs that allowed them to control the machines remotely. The malicious "bot" programs also allowed the attackers to steal any user names and passwords that victims had saved in Internet Explorer. ...... a "botnet" -- the term for a large grouping of hacked, remotely controlled computers ...... Internet relay chat(IRC) forums, a vast sea of text-based communications networks that predates instant-messaging software ...... IRC channels have traditionally been among the most popular means of controlling botnets. ..... spread the bot programs mainly over AOL Instant Messenger (AIM) ....... Schiefer and his co-conspirators spammed out messages inviting recipients to click on a link. Anyone who took the bait had a "Trojan horse" program downloaded to their machine, an invader that then tried to fetch the malicious bot program. ........ used several hijacked PayPal accounts to purchase Web hosting that helped facilitate the spreading of their bot programs. ...... DefCon, a massive hacker and security research conference held annually in Las Vegas. ...... Schiefer was a member of Defonic, a hacker group ...... Another member of Defonic --- Cameron "cam0" LaCroix -- earned his reputation after breaking into Paris Hilton's cell phone account and later leading the group in breaching data giant LexisNexis, a stunt in which cam0 and several others pulled sensitive records on more than 310,000 people, including a number of Hollywood celebrities. ......... "I don't think anyone should feel sorry for me," Schiefer said. "What I was doing was wrong [and] stupid, and I got caught."

Oprah Needs To Hit The Campaign Trail

Howard University--Dr. Oprah Winfrey Speaks

Beating Hillary Clinton May Take Act of God -- or Oprah TheStreet.com At summer's end, Clinton is several lengths ahead of her Democratic peers, Obama seems stuck in second place ... she has millions of loyal viewers in an important demographic -- women in their 20s to 50s -- a demographic that's crucial for Clinton. Her support could propel Obama. George W. Bush got the Oprah boost in 2000 to after appearing on her show -- a bounce of about 12 points in national polls. ....... Al Gore .... He has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Price, which will be announced on Oct. 12

If Oprah really wants to help Barack Obama, a fundraiser is not going to cut it. She has to hit the campaign trail. She has to crisscross the country. She has to travel the South.

It is time for the blacks and Hispanics in America to stop acting like it is not a big deal that Barack is about to become President Of The United States. If the black community misses this chance, it might be decades before another opportunity knocks on the door. The time is now.

Hillary Clinton becoming president breaks the glass ceiling. Barack Obama becoming president breaks the concrete ceiling.

After Oprah hits the trail, Hillary's double digit national leads turn into single digit ones. That is the power of Oprah, to be unleashed.


Barack The Glass Walls, Ceilings, Smash 'Em

Pig In The Barn, Ailes At Fox News
Fox, Barack, Islam
Wolf Hitler, I mean Bitler, Blitler, Whatever
Bill O'Reilly, Bill O'Rama, Whatever The F___ His Name Is
Barack, Fox, MLK, Mandela

Oprah Winfrey - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia The Oprah Winfrey Show, the highest rated talk show in television history ..... the richest African American of the 20th century .... the most philanthropic African American of all time, and the world's only black billionaire for three straight years ..... the most influential woman in the world .... parents were unmarried teenagers ..... spent her first six years living in rural poverty with her grandmother ..... At age six, Winfrey moved to an inner city ghetto in Milwaukee, Wisconsin with her mother ...... was molested by her cousin, uncle, and a family friend, starting when she was nine ...... Like many teenagers at the end of the 1960s, Winfrey rebelled, ran away from home and ran the streets. When she was 14, she became pregnant, but lost the baby shortly after birth. ...... placed second in the nation in dramatic interpretation .... At age 18, Winfrey won the Miss Black Tennessee beauty pageant. ..... the youngest news anchor and the first black female news anchor at Nashville's WLAC-TV. ....... What she lacks in journalistic toughness, she makes up for in plainspoken curiosity, robust humor and, above all empathy. ...... talk show as a group therapy session ..... a fond but realistic assessment of her own cultural and religious roots ...... In 1993 Winfrey hosted a rare prime-time interview with Michael Jackson which became the fourth most watched event in American television history as well as the most watched interview ever, with an audience of one hundred million. ....... Winfrey co-founded the women's cable television network Oxygen. ...... Winfrey experienced a 24-hour simulation of the experience of slavery, which included being tied up and blindfolded and left alone in the woods. ...... at the announcement of her future weight loss book (to be co-authored with her personal trainer Bob Greene), it was said that her undisclosed advance fee had broken the record for the world's highest book advance fee, previously held by former U.S. President Bill Clinton for his autobiography My Life ....... In 2002 Fortune called O, the Oprah Magazine the most successful start-up ever in the industry ...... Oprah.com averages more than 68 million page views, more than four million users per month, and receives approximately 20,000 e-mails each week ...... Winfrey initiated “Oprah’s Child Predator Watch List,” through her show and website, to help track down accused child molesters. Within the first 48 hours, two of the featured men were captured. ...... a $55 million, three-year contract with XM Satellite Radio ..... her 42 acre (170,000 m²) ocean and mountain view estate ..... Winfrey was at a party the previous owners were throwing and fell so in love with the estate that she was reported to have purchased it by writing a personal check for $50,000,000 USD, although it was not for sale. ....... Winfrey and her partner Stedman Graham have been together for over 20 years. ..... I never had children, never even thought I would have children. ..... Winfrey, who will teach a class at the school via satellite, plans to spend much of her retirement in a house she is building on the campus where she plans to use the same dishes, sheets, and curtains that the students do. ...... Oprah told Lisa Marie that her grandmother's last name was also Presley .... Her genetic make up was determined to be 89% Sub-Saharan African. She is part Native American (about 8% according to the test) and East Asian (about 3% according to the test). ....... Prior to meeting Graham, Winfrey's love life was a lot less stable. A self-described promiscuous teen who was a victim of sexual abuse ...... In 1995 Winfrey herself confessed to drug use. ..... I did things in my 20s that I was ashamed of, I did things I felt guilty about ....... “I always felt that the drug itself is not the problem but that I was addicted to the man.” ....... Otey recalled. “She told me she was breaking up with me because she didn't have time for a relationship. We both sat there and cried. ..... Winfrey's promiscuous and rebellious past ..... That man was the most fun romance I ever had ..... I'd had a relationship with a man for four years. I wasn't living with him. I'd never lived with anyone—and I thought I was worthless without him. The more he rejected me, the more I wanted him. I felt depleted, powerless. At the end I was down on the floor on my knees groveling and pleading with him ....... on September 8, 1981, she wrote a suicide note to best friend Gayle King instructing King to water her plants ....... such emotional ups and downs gradually led to a weight problem ....... I needed everyone to like me, because I didn't like myself much. So I'd end up with these cruel self-absorbed guys who'd tell me how selfish I was, and I'd say “Oh thank you, you're so right” and be grateful to them. ....... “I've told nearly everything there is to tell. All my stuff is out there. People think I'd be so ashamed of being gay that I wouldn't admit it? Oh, please.” ...... Born in rural poverty, then raised by a mother on welfare in the ghetto, Winfrey became a millionaire at age 32 when her talk show went national. ..... By 1994 the show's ratings were still thriving and Winfrey negotiated a contract that earned her nine figures a year. ..... the first black woman billionaire in world history ...... Winfrey is worth over $1.5 billion, as of September, 2006 ..... has overtaken Ebay CEO Meg Whitman as the richest self-made woman in America ...... In July of 2007, it was reported that Winfrey was the highest paid TV entertainer in the United States during the past year. She earned an estimated $260 million during the year. ....... one of the 100 people who most influenced the 20th century, as well as one of the 100 most influential people of 2004, 2005, 2006, and again in 2007. ....... the only person in the world to have made all five lists. ..... both the most influential woman and the most influential black person of her generation ..... "America's most powerful woman" .... In 2003 Winfrey edged out both Superman and Elvis Presley to be named the greatest pop culture icon of all time by VH1. ...... the world's most powerful celebrity in both 2005 and 2007 ...... She is the top alpha female in this country. She has more credibility than the president. Other successful women, such as Hillary Clinton and Martha Stewart, had to be publicly slapped down before they could move forward. Even Condi has had to play the protegé with Bush. None of this happened to Oprah — she is a straight ahead success story. ...... Oprah Winfrey arguably has more influence on the culture than any university president, politician, or religious leader, except perhaps the Pope. ...... the most powerful woman in the world .... anybody who goes on her program immediately benefits through the roof. ..... As a woman, she has wielded an unprecedented amount of influence over the American culture and psyche…There has been no other person in the 20th century whose convictions and values have impacted the American public in such a significant way. ...... she has the power to cause enormous market swings and radical price changes with a single comment. ..... In 2005 Winfrey was named the greatest woman in American history as part of a public poll as part of The Greatest American. She was ranked #9 overall on the list of greatest Americans. ...... 49 million U.S. viewers see her talk show weekly ...... airs in 117 countries ..... the warmth, intimacy and personal confession ...... in the 1980s where for the entire hour, members of the studio audience stood up one by one, gave their name and announced that they were gay. Also in the 1980s Winfrey took her show to West Virginia to confront a town gripped by AIDS paranoia because a gay man living in the town had HIV. ........ "You know what I'm tired of", replied Winfrey, "heterosexual males raping and sodomizing young girls. That's what I'm tired of." ...... early 21st century gays coming out of the closet younger and younger and gay suicide rates plummeting ....... Winfrey's "therapeutic" hosting style ...... public confession as a form of therapy ..... "Today, no truly epochal moment in the history of the Republic occurs unless it is validated by her presence. ....... By confessing intimate details about her weight problems, tumultuous love life, and sexual abuse, and crying alongside her guests, Time magazine credits Winfrey with creating a new form of media communication known as "rapport talk" as distinguished from the "report talk" ....... "Oprahfication" of politics by noting "Oprah-style debates" and Bill Clinton's empathetic speaking style ....... the man who brought Oprah-style psychobabble and misty confessions to politics ....... Winfrey made fat sexy, elegant — damned near gorgeous - with her drop-dead wardrobe, easy body language, and cheerful sensuality ..... Being recognized by Winfrey often means a million additional book sales for an author. ..... Oprah's Book Club is so influential that, when she selected his memoir Night in 2006, just a few months later Time magazine named author Elie Wiesel as one of the 100 most influential people on the planet. ........ more than 22 million mostly female viewers, she has become a postmodern priestess—an icon of church-free spirituality ...... a thousand years from now, a religion known as "Oprahism" exists. ..... audience is 75% female ..... "What would Oprah do?" ..... MBC 4, an Arab satellite channel, centered its entire programming around reruns of her show because it was drawing record numbers of female viewers in Saudi Arabia ...... In 2006, Nathanial S. Trotter, a man from Denver, started a campaign to make Oprah, Queen of America. .... behind the scenes Winfrey personally donates more of her own money to charity than any other show-business celebrity in America ...... In 2005 she became the first black person listed by Business Week as one of America's top 50 most generous philanthropists, having given an estimated $303 million ..... put 250 African-American men through college ...... took her staff and their families (1065 people in total) on vacation to Hawaii in the summer of 2006 ..... Winfrey invested $40 million and much of her time establishing the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls near Johannesburg in South Africa. ...... I once did a show titled Is War the Only Answer? In the history of my career, I've never received more hate mail-like 'Go back to Africa' hate mail. I was accused of being un-American for even raising the question." ........ A February 2003 series Winfrey did in which she showed clips from people all over the world asking America not to go to war was interrupted in several east coast markets by network broadcasts of a press conference in which President George W. Bush, joined by Colin Powell, summarized the case for war. An article in Buzzflash.com argued that the press conference was a deliberate attempt to stop Winfrey’s show from airing. ...... “I know the difference between a store that is closed and a store that is closed to me,” explained Winfrey. ...... On December 1, 2005, Winfrey appeared on The Late Show with David Letterman .... helped Letterman attract his largest audience in more than 11 years: 13.45 million viewers ....... Winfrey responded by saying that she's opposed to rap lyrics that "marginalize women" ...... Winfrey insists that beautiful surroundings will inspire greatness in the future leaders of Africa ...... "It doesn't matter who you are, where you come from. The ability to triumph begins with you — always."
Oprah Winfrey - TIME In South Africa, the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls will educate a new generation of women leaders.

Oprah's Cut with Barack Obama his 16-hour workday ..... "I don't consider myself political and I seldom interview politicians. So when I decided to talk with you [Barack], people around me were like, 'What's happened to you?' I said, 'I think this is beyond and above politics.' It feels like something new." — Oprah .... Listen in.
Barack Obama on the Tough Questions
Oprah Endorses Obama - The Caucus - Politics - New York Times Blog
Obama-Oprah ’08? Probably Not - The Caucus - Politics - New York ...
Keeping Hope Alive: Senator Barack Obama
AlterNet: Can Oprah Help Get Obama into the White House?
Think Progress » New Fox Show: Obama Is Not The First ‘Clean ... Sen. Joe Biden’s (D-DE) racially-insensitive claim that Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) is “the first mainstream African-American who is articulate and bright and clean.”

In The News

Oprah throws house party to aid Obama bid Independent, UK
The Magic Touch? Washington Post
Oprah Mulls 'Broader' Obama Campaign Role Post Chronicle
Beating Hillary Clinton May Take Act of God -- or Oprah TheStreet.com
Oprah's Couch For Obama Only Washington Post, United States
Can Oprah Make Obama President? DiversityInc.com (subscription)
Fund-Raising: Oprah's Obama Blowout Newsweek The most powerful woman in show business is about to do Barack Obama a big favor. ..... Winfrey will throw the flashiest fund-raiser of the 2008 cycle when she welcomes about 1,500 guests to her Montecito, Calif., home .... at $2,300 each .... Will Smith, John Travolta, Jamie Foxx and Halle Berry .... Stevie Wonder ... BeBe Winans ... Oprah bonded with the Illinois senator in 2005 when the pair flew from Chicago to Houston together to visit Hurricane Katrina refugees. "I think Oprah got to see the genuine side of Obama ... and was just blown away" ..... Younger actors and executives in black Hollywood tend to support Obama; older figures support Hillary Clinton. ...... "Are you kidding?" says actress Holly Robinson Peete. "If she invites you somewhere, you go."

Obama Draws Clinton Contrast Washington Post he would be in a better position to actually enact universal health care ..... "We will convene an open process which the American people will be watching" ..... "What the president can do is shine a spotlight on the process and (involve) the American people and keep the pressure on and that is something that didn't happen. In many ways it didn't happen in '93." ..... "It was a closed process and not everybody understood what was taking place, so when the insurance companies and the drug companies started running those 'Harry and Louise' ads, nobody really knew what was what. That's why the American people have to be involved."
Obama says he won't make the same mistakes as Clinton on health ... WQAD he'd announce outlines of a health care reform package in his first 100 days as president, then convene a bipartisan commission to draft details.
Oprah mulls ‘broader’ Obama campaign role United Press International Oprah Winfrey is reportedly in talks about taking a “broader role” in the presidential campaign of U.S. Sen. Barack Obama ...... Winfrey, whose daily TV show is produced in Chicago, endorsed Obama in May for the Democratic presidential nomination. She is in discussions with his advisers on the possibility of acting as a surrogate on the campaign trail ..... the wealthiest African-American ..... her first-ever presidential fundraiser at her 42-acre estate in Montecito, Calif. ..... the idea of her appearing in commercials for Obama is “very much in play ...... her celebrity would be a more valuable commodity than money
Clinton tried twisting labor arms on Labor Day Baltimore Sun Clinton phoned United Steelworkers of America boss Leo Gerard "repeatedly" over the weekend -- three or four times, trying to convince him to back her instead of the labor-friendly former North Carolina senator
The Clinton Spouse on Tour New York Times “Giving: How Each of Us Can Change the World” ...... Tucked within his answers was a veiled swipe at Senator Barack Obama ..... one of the reasons that I was effective as president when I came in is that I was the senior governor in America ..... they often use (Vice) President Cheney and Rumsfeld and they say, “Well, if experience counted” — you know, they say this to Democratic audiences, but that’s like saying that because all malpractice is committed by doctors, the next time you need surgery you should go to an auto mechanic or someone else. ........ I think she’ll have a more difficult time winning the primary. ...... when I was nominated — on June the 2nd, 1992, I was running third in the polls. Six weeks later I was first and never lost the lead. ...... she’s ahead in many states that Senator Kerry and Vice President Gore lost ...... When they asked the people in Iowa, “Who do you like?” she ranked fourth out of four candidates. ........ for 15 years, has been regularly hit by the swiftboat tactics of the Republicans ........ something they’ve been preconditioned to think about by 17, 16 years of attacks ..... she carried 58 of the 62 counties, 36 of the 40 counties President Bush carried in 2004, with 60 percent of the vote. .... a personal matter, a challenge for Senator Craig and his family

Jerry Lewis sorry for anti-gay slur Toronto Star
Oprah's Couch For Obama Only Washington Post she'll raise $3 million for him when she holds a fundraiser at her California estate on Saturday. ..... she'll be wading into the political world as never before ...... This year, she says, Obama will be the lone presidential candidate to grace her studio. "If everybody knows I'm for Barack it would be really disingenuous of me to be sitting up there interviewing other people as though... pretending to be objective. So I won't be doing anybody because of that, on my show."
Obama, Clinton Air "Change" Ads Atlantic Online
Change vs. Change in Clinton, Obama Spots New York Times
Dell Aims to Overtake NEC as Top PC Vendor in Japan (Update1) Bloomberg
Report: Actress Halle Berry is 3 months pregnant International Herald Tribune hunky Canadian model dad-to-be Gabriel Aubrey met in 2005 while starring in the same ad campaign ...... especially since her relationship with Gabriel bloomed after they met while shooting a Versace ad campaign in 2005. ..... "I realised I need more to get me up in the morning, more than going to a new movie set... I need something even more profound... And that's children," she admitted. "I need that like the air I breathe and I’m ready. I'm at a point where I'm really, really ready."
Palm Suddenly Cancels Foleo Mini-Laptop FOX News
I love my past: Amitabh Bachchan Sify
Russian Cities To Be Equipped With WiMax By Alvarion InformationWeek
WiMAX Helping Asia's Farmers BusinessWeek
Asia's thirst for WiMax a worry for 3G operators Reuters
Google Applies For 'GPay' Mobile Payments Patent InformationWeek
‘India will emerge among top 3 economic powers in 25 yrs’ Hindu Business Line
Bihar flood scene improves, death toll crosses 600 Hindu

GOP Warns on Early Contests New York Times
Clinton vs. Obama, A Difference With a Distinction? Washington Post a remarkable amount of convergence between Clinton and Obama. Whole paragraphs from Obama's could be inserted into Clinton's -- and vice versa -- without jarring interruption. ....... Clinton on Sunday accused the administration of putting "cronyism above competence," while Obama on Monday called the administration's record "triumph of...cronyism over competence." ....... a debate -- and a choice -- that will rapidly intensify. ...... "From my time in the White House and in the Senate, I have learned that you bring change by working in the system established in our Constitution," she said. "You cannot pretend that the system doesn't exist." ....... the hard work of developing consensus, building coalitions and passing legislation ...... His fundraising, his crowds and the enthusiasm of his supporters shows the potential for a candidate preaching change and reconciliation ...... his work as a community organizer, state senator, constitutional law professor and a boyhood spent in part overseas
Obama Tones Foreign-Policy Muscle Wall Street Journal the burgeoning brain trust -- now over 150 advisers and counting -- to help flesh out an almost wonkishly detailed set of statements, on the Iraq war, on Iran, U.S. counterterrorism strategy, the future of the U.S. military, even Cuba. Coming up next, his advisers say, will be more on China, U.S. energy security, the plight of Iraqi refugees, and how much to reduce the U.S. nuclear stockpile. ...... the makeup of Mr. Obama's team -- heavy on onetime aides to President Clinton ...... Obama has racked up a slew of converts from the Clinton camp, especially among a younger crowd of ex-Clintonites who say they want a fresher approach to new challenges than those offered by Mrs. Clinton. Many of these advisers, like Mr. Obama himself, are in their 40s. ...... "a generational tussle within the Democratic Party." ...... the big difference between the two is mainly in style and tone. ..... Mrs. Clinton considers her foreign views largely set -- one reason why she has such a small squad of advisers. ...... While Mrs. Clinton's team emphasizes tactical edge over sweeping solutions, Mr. Obama's camp is consciously in search of big concepts and grand strategies. ...... the U.S. needs to engage in a sweeping reassessment of its stance in the world -- "a grand strategy" ...... Mr. Obama's eagerness to lay out a comprehensive foreign policy -- unusual for a candidate at this stage in a campaign -- has made him in some ways the prime mover in the Democratic debates. ........ the Clinton campaign struggled for months to land a chief foreign-policy coordinator. Lee Feinstein, a former Albright adviser who originally flirted with the Obama camp, signed on with Sen. Clinton in late July.
In Turmoil of ’68, Clinton Found a New Voice New York Times
Clintons make the talk show rounds Los Angeles Times Bill Clinton and Hillary Rodham Clinton don't have to scramble for national publicity; it flows to them. ..... the eternal questions about how the marriage works ..... "I'll come home late at night and he'll be rearranging the bookshelves or cleaning up the kitchen. He's pretty handy to have around, actually." ....... the Clintons were capitalizing on the public's fascination with them ..... "They are still America's first family," he said. "They have lived a kind of serial program that has been on the air, without repeats, for nearly 20 years -- and the American public intends to keep tuning in." ..... With a large lead in the national polls, Hillary Rodham Clinton is dictating the terms of her public appearances. Unlike other presidential candidates, she does not typically take questions from reporters when she appears in public. ...... As the 48-hour whirl of TV appearances illustrates, she can reach a national audience without having to run the risk of an uncertain answer to an unanticipated question. ..... the former president said he would sometimes read his wife's speeches and offer advice, "particularly if it's something I know a lot about." ...... From time to time, he said, she'll call him from the campaign trail and say things like, "Do you realize I'm 15 years older than you were when you did this?" And Clinton said he tells her: "Well, nobody made you run, girl."
Bill Clinton: Glad Hillary Is Running and Not Me NewsMax.com
Florida, Michigan Democrats stoke primary defiance Concord Monitor
States Poised to Flout GOP Primary Rules Forbes Michigan officially crashed the early primary party on Tuesday, setting up showdowns with both political parties and likely pushing the presidential nomination calendar closer to 2007...... Gov. Jennifer Granholm signed a bill moving both of Michigan's presidential primaries to Jan. 15. Michigan's move threatens to set off a chain reaction that could force Iowa and New Hampshire to reschedule ...... "While political maneuvering will no doubt continue, our move to January 15 is final," Granholm said in a statement. ...... Michigan was among at least seven states signaling their intention to flout Republican rules by scheduling presidential primaries or caucuses before Feb. 5. ........ "What the national parties do in Washington is not relevant to what happens in Florida," Crist said.

Old Media Is The Reason Obama Is Lagging In The Polls

Americans favour Obama over Clinton as Prez: Poll Times of India The poll, conducted by the New York Times, CBS News and MTV , found that 43 per cent of the respondents between the ages of 17 and 29 have unfavourable view of Clinton compared with only 19 per cent for Obama. .... the tide resistance she faces among voters nationwide. .... More than half of the respondents-- 54 per cent—said they intend to vote for a Democrat for president in 2008. .... By a 52 to 36 margin, young Americans say that Democrats, rather than Republicans, come closer to sharing their moral values, while 58 percent said they had a favourable view of the Democratic Party, while 38 per cent said they had a favourable view of Republicans. .... by overwhelming margins believed that the nation was prepared to elect as president a woman, a black or someone who admitted to having used marijuana.

Barack Obama won the last debate. He lead Hillary by one point in one Gallup poll. Then he went down again. Why?

How can a candidate who leads in fundraising - twice as many donors than Hillary during the first quarter - and leads in grassroots operations be lagging behind in the polls by double digits?

Remember when not only Fox but also CNN was pairing the Obama name with the Osama name? Then they let go because they realized that was not awfully popular. They went under the radar but they did not change. Those white boys have continued to play dirty. Namecalling did not work, so they are now going to black him out, whitewash him, act like he is not in the room. He is going to give him less media coverage. And that is the number one reason Obama has been lagging behind in the polls.

Jupiter And Obama
Pig In The Barn, Ailes At Fox News
Race, Gender
JFK, Obama Parallels: Catholic, Black
Fox, Barack, Islam
Rush Limbaugh: Idiot
Advice To Keith Olbermann
Keith Olbermann
Media Smear On Obama's Name
Wolf Hitler, I mean Bitler, Blitler, Whatever
Bill O'Reilly, Bill O'Rama, Whatever The F___ His Name Is
Barack, Fox, MLK, Mandela
Bill O'Reilly: A Right Wing Gadfly

How do you counter that?

We Have To Become Our Own Media

It is called New Media. It is called blogging. It is called taking pictures and uploading pictures online. But first and foremost it is called videoblogging. We have been taking on the political establishment. Hillary has most of the endorsements because the Clinton name echoes from the 1990s to the officeholders. But the grassroots have been a whole different ballgame. Those who get to know Obama like him, but 40% of America has never heard of him before.

Do Events, Blog Events

I think the campaign should arrange to extensively videoblog all of Barack and Michelle events.
You get some professionals to capture the events on video, do some editing, piece them together, and put a few hours of video online for each event on Google Video where hosting is free. The idea should be that if you show up for a Barack/Michelle event, likely you end up in the same video as them.

Next you know, people will be emailing links to the videos to family, friends, relatives, colleagues. Check this out. There is Barack and there is me at minute 21.

10 Hour Long Biographical Video Of Barack

Send film crews to Kenya, to Indonesia, to Hawaii. Send them to Columbia, to Harvard. Send them to South Side Chicago, to DC. Offer all the sights and sounds of Obama growing up, and growing up some more. Put it in 10 parts on Google Video. Bill O'Reilly and other idiots will dehumanize Barack. We have to counter. We have to humanize him, present him like he is, an everyman, more gifted than most, but an everyman.

You do this for the hard core supporters, people like me who will watch all 10 hours, and if you will put 20, we will watch all 20. I personally know of at least 50 individuals in NYC who will watch that. These are hard core people who work for free. They put in many long hours. There is only one precondition: they want victory. We are not trying to make a statement. We want victory, nothing less.

The Video Volunteers

It has to be video. Video has the emotional impact that other forms of media just don't. And it is so easy to do. Many people own video cameras already. If you got a video camera, and broadband, you are set.

Videoblog everything. All Obama events you do, videoblog it. All the strategy sessions. All MeetUps. Everything. The walks. Spending time at the local Farmers' Market. You could videoblog you. What is your story? Who are you? Why do you support Obama?

We are not going to take it anymore. We are going to give Old Media pound for pound and some more. We are going to do that by becoming our own media.

The Price Of Not Videoblogging

If you do events, but don't videoblog them, it is like you never did them in the first place. But if you do events and videoblog events, you are suddenly elevating yourself and reaching a national audience, and really helping out our fellow supporters in small towns and states out there that are less warm to Obama as is today.

We got to reach out. We got to videoblog.

Let there be at least one designated videoblogger at every event we do. Quality is that we are there, and Obama is there, in person or in spirit, depending. Quantity matters. Don't edit stuff out. Put everything and upload.

Let Bill O'Reilly and other media bandits lose sleep.

This Campaign Is About The People, Barack Is But A Vehicle

Go talk to people. Random people. Neighbors. Strangers. Friends. Long lost friends. Say hello. And ask a few questions and listen.

Have you heard of Barack Obama? Do you like him? Why? Why not? What are the issues that concern you the most? How do you feel about them? How do you feel about the future of the country, the world? Will you tell me about you? What is your story?

Get all that on video if you can. But don't worry if you can't. Just have a conversation. Do it on the subway, do it on the sidewalk, do it at the mall, do it at church, do it when you are changing your car's oil.

In The News

Q-Poll: Clinton Clear Democratic Favorite In Swing States Hartford Courant Florida, Ohio and Pennsylvania .... the three states, which since 1964 have largely determined the outcome of the general election. ..... Clinton's support has been "as steady and reliable as a Swiss watch
Giuliani Slams Bill Clinton on Terrorism ABC News accused former President Clinton of not responding forcefully enough to the 1993 World Trade Center bombing or later terrorist attacks ...... criticized Democrats, accusing them of weakness and naivete in dealing with terrorism. ..... "Islamic terrorists killed more than 500 Americans before Sept. 11. .... Giuliani argued that Clinton treated the World Trade Center bombing as a criminal act instead of a terrorist attack, calling it "a big mistake" that emboldened other strikes ...... "(Osama) bin Laden declared war on us. We didn't hear it." ..... the terrorists the Islamic fanatics who came here and killed us and want to come here again and do it
Campaign Cash: Clinton’s Expectations New York Times the Clinton campaign would raise roughly $27 million this quarter ..... Clinton’s advisers continued to insist this week that there was zero chance they would beat her main fundraising rival, Senator Barack Obama .... “she’s a real bargain and I’m a bargain hunter”

UTL gets Nepal nod to start VOIP service Economic Times a technology that is expected to slash international long distance (ILD) call costs .... UTL will need to invest about NRS 150 million (Over $2 million) to implement the new technology ..... NTA also authorised the state agency, Nepal Telecom, to operate VOIP technology. .... Though Internet calls - routing ILD calls through computers by adding a voice card and other modifications - is illegal in Nepal, as in India, phone booths and cyber cafes in both countries thrive on it, causing the government as well as telecom service providers a loss of billions.
Liberated Paris under siege Melbourne Herald Sun
Obama Finds It Pays to Woo Small Donors Washington Post a recent downtown fundraiser that cost only $100. ..... About 1,000 people paid $100 to see Obama earlier this month at a downtown Chicago train station and 2,000 people paid that amount to see him in Florida in April. ....... She'd like the chance to see Clinton in person, too. "If she comes down in price," Zafiriades said. ..... When campaigns hold cheap fundraisers, they're looking for something besides money ..... "They always come back for more, but the more doesn't have to be money" ...... The "more" is usually a volunteer commitment to help campaigns build local networks of people ..... go door-to-door for Obama ..... Osei was among about 1,000 people who attended Obama's late-night fundraiser in the main hall of Chicago's Union Station. The event was geared toward young professionals, but attracted a wide range of ages. Called "GenBO After-Hours" _ short for "Generation Barack Obama" _ it was the campaign's first such event in Chicago ....... Johnson said the $100 he forked over to hear Obama firsthand was worth it compared to the ramifications of making the wrong choice for president. "The wrong person could cost you an extra five to 10 grand a year" in taxes, Johnson said.
Obama Swipes at Clinton's Experience Washington Post
Republican leader scorches Dillard for doing Obama ad Chicago Tribune
Oh-eight (D): Battling for Buffett MSNBC Buffett has NOT endorsed Clinton. “But he has already donated the maximum $4,600 allowed by an individual to Clinton's presidential campaign. Buffett called Clinton ‘the person to run the country.’ He has not donated to any other candidate, according to public records, although he has said he would also support Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) in a similar event.” ..... "I've known her for a long time. I've admired her brains. I've admired her energy. I've admired the way she has carried out her job in the Senate. I think she would make an absolutely first class president. When she asked me if I would participate in an event like this, I jumped at the chance." ...... supposed (more like push-pollingmessage testing) from the Clinton campaign via pollster Mark Penn, noting examples in Iowa that tested negative messages against Obama and in New Hampshire that tested Edwards negatives. ...... “‘For people who say that Barack Obama is not experienced … I can't wrap my head around that,’ Michelle Obama told hundreds of people crowded into the offices of the nonprofit Our Children's Foundation in Harlem. ‘Yes, he's ready to lead,’ she said. ‘The question is: Are you ready? … Will you move out of fear, or will you move out of possibility?’” Michelle Obama added, “’What they are counting on is for us not caring . . . [and that voters will] stay at home.’” ........ The GOP state senator who appears in Obama's first TV ads is getting a cold reception from some Illinois GOPers
Buffett, at Clinton Fund-Raiser, Says Congress Favors the Rich Bloomberg Congress had been his ``tax planner,'' rigging the system so the rich paid less of their income than their employees and servants. ....... in a Manhattan hotel ballroom .... attracted media investment banker Steven Rattner, venture capitalist Alan Patricof, Morgan Stanley Chairman and Chief Executive John Mack, among others and comes at a time of intense competition with U.S. Senator Barack Obama to get donations. Buffett, a Democrat, has said he likes both candidates and has offered to help both. ........ Buffett, the son of a Republican U.S. Congressman from Nebraska, said Republicans were more likely to think, ``I'm making $80 million a year, God must have intended me to have a lower tax rate.'' .... built the Omaha, Nebraska-based company over four decades, transforming a failing textile manufacturer into a $168.4 billion holding company by buying out-of-favor stocks and companies.

Poll: GOP support for Iraq war beginning to waver CNN International
GOP Senator Splits With Bush Over Iraq Policy New York Times
GOP Skepticism On Iraq Growing Washington Post
Giuliani Slams Bill Clinton on Terrorism ABC News
Immigration Bill Clears Test Vote in Senate New York Times
'Live Free or Die Hard' Los Angeles Times
Obama, in Houston, bringing out first-time donors Houston Chronicle
Campaigns Scramble for Cash as Deadline Nears ABC News
Buffett helps put on Clinton fundraiser Seattle Post Intelligencer
The Business Primary: Buffett casts an early vote for Clinton USA Today
Torture still rampant in Nepal Times of India "Though the power of the military to detain civilians has been curtailed, the Nepal Army still arrests and detains civilians and inflicts torture upon them"
Immigration bill survives Senate vote Chicago Tribune
US Immigration Reform Bill Survives Test Vote in Senate Voice of America
US House Republicans reject immigration bill Raw Story
How Big a Setback for McCain-Feingold? TIME
Court eases TV ad election curbs BBC News
When campaign money can't talk Christian Science Monitor
Taiwan Eyes Role as WiMax Epicenter BusinessWeek
Google Is Watching You
Where to Rent Cheap
Microsoft's Latest, Best Hope in Search In recent months, Microsoft has been spending money to boost its efforts in what's known as vertical search, those niche markets where Netizens go when they're looking for specialized information. .... vertical search may prove more strategic ..... such vertical markets as job openings, comparison shopping, classified advertising, travel information .... proven staying power and a cash pile of $28 billion
Dell: Color It Competitive?
Dell turns to colorful designs in attempt to boost sales Houston Chronicle
Dell Thinks Pink Forbes
Dell tries eight flavours to grab consumer PC share New Zealand Herald
Dell debuts laptops in pink, yellow Chicago Tribune
Hilton leaves jail, sheriff cites suicide fears Monsters and Critics.com Hilton, who has vowed to change her party-going ways and give new meaning to her life, was set to give her first post-jail interview on Wednesday on CNN's 'Larry King Live.'
Take Two: Paris Hilton Is Released New York Times the 26-year-old woman .... a collect call to Barbara Walters .... “by far the hardest thing I have ever done.” ..... “She also said ‘my face is very dry. There’s no cream here. But it doesn’t matter. I am not that superficial girl. I haven’t looked in a mirror since I got here.’” ...... she did more time than most people do in similar situations. ..... point out who plays the final role in the Paris Hilton jail drama: all of us, for being so fascinated.
Live Free or Die Hard Houston Chronicle, United States but since 1995 he's been busy with other things: going bald, giving up smoking, learning to remove a certain 12-letter hyphenate from his vocabulary and spying on his dating daughter. ...... Die Hard — picked by Entertainment Weekly recently as "the Greatest Action Movie of All Time" ..... As McClane says, it's always about stealing money. ..... the action, stunts and visual effects are over the moon, though the biggest one — involving an 18-wheeler and a fighter plane



Poll: GOP support for Iraq war beginning to waver CNN International
GOP Senator Splits With Bush Over Iraq Policy New York Times
GOP Skepticism On Iraq Growing Washington Post
Giuliani Slams Bill Clinton on Terrorism ABC News
Immigration Bill Clears Test Vote in Senate New York Times
'Live Free or Die Hard' Los Angeles Times
Obama, in Houston, bringing out first-time donors Houston Chronicle
Campaigns Scramble for Cash as Deadline Nears ABC News
Buffett helps put on Clinton fundraiser Seattle Post Intelligencer
The Business Primary: Buffett casts an early vote for Clinton USA Today
Torture still rampant in Nepal Times of India "Though the power of the military to detain civilians has been curtailed, the Nepal Army still arrests and detains civilians and inflicts torture upon them"
Immigration bill survives Senate vote Chicago Tribune
US Immigration Reform Bill Survives Test Vote in Senate Voice of America
US House Republicans reject immigration bill Raw Story
How Big a Setback for McCain-Feingold? TIME
Court eases TV ad election curbs BBC News
When campaign money can't talk Christian Science Monitor
Taiwan Eyes Role as WiMax Epicenter BusinessWeek
Google Is Watching You
Where to Rent Cheap
Microsoft's Latest, Best Hope in Search
Dell: Color It Competitive?
Dell turns to colorful designs in attempt to boost sales Houston Chronicle
Dell Thinks Pink Forbes
Dell tries eight flavours to grab consumer PC share New Zealand Herald
Dell debuts laptops in pink, yellow Chicago Tribune
Hilton leaves jail, sheriff cites suicide fears Monsters and Critics.com Hilton, who has vowed to change her party-going ways and give new meaning to her life, was set to give her first post-jail interview on Wednesday on CNN's 'Larry King Live.'
Take Two: Paris Hilton Is Released New York Times the 26-year-old woman .... a collect call to Barbara Walters .... “by far the hardest thing I have ever done.” ..... “She also said ‘my face is very dry. There’s no cream here. But it doesn’t matter. I am not that superficial girl. I haven’t looked in a mirror since I got here.’” ...... she did more time than most people do in similar situations. ..... point out who plays the final role in the Paris Hilton jail drama: all of us, for being so fascinated.
Live Free or Die Hard Houston Chronicle, United States but since 1995 he's been busy with other things: going bald, giving up smoking, learning to remove a certain 12-letter hyphenate from his vocabulary and spying on his dating daughter. ...... Die Hard — picked by Entertainment Weekly recently as "the Greatest Action Movie of All Time" ..... As McClane says, it's always about stealing money. ..... the action, stunts and visual effects are over the moon, though the biggest one — involving an 18-wheeler and a fighter plane