Obama: We CAN Change Washington

hillary's argument: you can't change washington so you may as well choose someone who can play the washington game.
yes we can.
obama: "i am in this race not to play this game better. i am in this race to put an end to the game playing"

Obama's Truth Squad

obama has set up a "truth squad" in indiana to forcefully defend against flying kitchen sinks. you know it's coming (unless the democratic elders berated her into silence). clinton must have an obama sex tape or photos of obama smoking in a dimly-lit bar (you know she's probably been dying for one of those)
here's the team:

south bend tribune: The "Truth Squad" includes former U.S. Rep. Tim Roemer, who represented South Bend from 1991 to 2003; state Sen. Earline Rogers, D-Gary; state House Majority Leader Russ Stilwell, D-Boonville; and former aides to former Gov. Joe Kernan, former Indianapolis Mayor Bart Peterson and three attorneys general.

obama had a truth squad in south carolina too.

Obama Camp Memo: Stick to the Issues

from the obama campaign:

The Clinton campaign has publicly admitted that the only way they can still win this election is by tearing Barack Obama down. They have called their attacks the “kitchen sink strategy,” and Senator Clinton herself has referred to it as “the fun part” of the campaign. The result has been a constant barrage of attacks about Senator Obama’s record that they know full well aren’t true. And yet they repeat them, over and over again, day after day, in an attempt to deceive the American people just so that they can win this election.

This may be fun for the Clinton campaign, but this is exactly why people don’t trust their leaders anymore. This is exactly why so many people are so cynical about the political process. And it’s exactly what Barack Obama is running to change.

There is no more serious issue than the war in Iraq. 150,000 American troops are risking their lives every day in a conflict that this President and John McCain have no intention of ending anytime soon. It’s a conflict that’s cost us thousands of lives, billions of dollars, stretched our military and taxed their families, and has seriously undermined our national security, our moral standing, and our ability to go after Osama bin Laden and the core leadership of al Qaeda and finish the job against the Taliban in Afghanistan.

Barack Obama had the judgment to oppose this war before it began for these exact reasons. Senator Clinton voted for this war, and yet she continues to tell the American people that her vote was for diplomacy even though the resolution was titled, “Joint Resolution to Authorize the use of Military Force Against Iraq.”

When Senator Obama arrived in the Senate, he called for a phased withdrawal before Senator Clinton did. He also introduced comprehensive legislation in the Senate to begin removing combat troops at a pace of 1-2 brigades a month, with an end date for completing that drawdown – legislation that became the basis for the Senate Democrats’ plan to end the war.

Barack Obama has said, repeatedly, that when he is President, his first act will be to convene the Joint Chiefs of Staff and ask them to immediately put in place his plan for withdrawal. He’s also said, as he did recently on 60 Minutes, that as Commander-in-Chief he would retain the flexibility to implement this withdrawal in a way that ensures the safety and security of our troops. But there has never been a doubt about the purpose of his policy – ending this war and bringing our troops home on a timetable for withdrawal.

The Clinton campaign knows full well that this is Senator Obama’s position, and they know full well that this flexibility is what his former advisor was referring to. They know it because preserving flexibility for the Commander-in-Chief has also been Senator Clinton’s position – or at least it was until she made the judgment that attacking Barack Obama on this issue is more politically beneficial to her campaign.

Washington has played too much politics with the issue of war. It’s what got us into Iraq in the first place. It’s why so many brave Americans have lost their lives. And it’s why the real Commander-in-Chief test in this election isn’t about some TV ad, it’s about whether the American people will be able to trust in the judgment and the honesty of their next President.

If the Clinton campaign wants to have a serious debate about who opposed the war in Iraq and who’s more committed to ending it, we’re more than happy to have that debate. But they should stop playing politics with war, and they should stop telling the American people things that they know aren’t true. We will not let this campaign be about who can tear each other down. We owe it to the American people to try and lift this country up.

beware clinton tactics. watch out for the kitchen sink. clinton scheme. why her "big states" argument doesn't fly.

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Obama Needs To Stick to His Politics

as much as i want obama to give clinton a big sock in the nose, i jest, and as much as i want to shake her supporters and say: wake up? can't you see? what's wrong with you? (i know they feel the same about shaking me), what i really want is obama's style of politics, not clinton's.
it's the reason i support him and i wouldn't want him to go flying off of his game now.
clinton is obviously desperate. she knows what she's up against. sure, some people will fall for the kitchen sink. but how many? i think we're getting smarter. obama has gotten this far because he's offering something different. he's offering a new way of getting things done that isn't petty and maniacal.
do we want obama to win at all costs? or do we want to see him on day one intact?
bob herbert at NYT argues:

Whatever anger and frustration he may be feeling, he should stick to the high road. He can’t win wrestling in the mud with Hillary Clinton. That will not put Barack Obama in the White House.

Mr. Obama’s strength was his message of hope and healing, the idea that he could bring disparate groups together to work on the nation’s toughest problems. That has gotten him this far, which is much further than almost anyone expected.

He now needs an added dimension. He needs to articulate a vision. He needs to spell out to voters where he wants to take this country over the next few years, how he will alleviate the suffering of millions trapped in vicious economic circumstances and what he will do to restore the honor and prestige of the U.S. around the world. NYT

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