I might be movin' to Montana soon/
Gonna be a Dental Floss tycoon...

Yippy-ty-o-ty-ay!

Posted at July 4, 2008 5:32 PM in response to Obama Courting Montana Voters Today

Read the case before citing it.

Or at least skim the Cliff Notes version on Wikipedia:

Current Status

The status of the Burdick decision is in question as a result of the decision of President Clinton to grant a full and unconditional pardon to Henry Ossian Flipper.  Flipper, the first African-American graduate of the United States Military Academy, did not accept the pardon, as he had been dead for over 50 years.  In addition, the pardon was considered to be an act that cleared his good name.  It did not constitute an admission of guilt.  Flipper's clemency application also noted the Supreme Court made it clear, in 1974, that the "requirement of consent was a legal fiction at best".

This article summarizes the 1974 Schick v. Reed decision:

In Schick v. Reed, the Supreme Court ruled that limits to the president's power to pardon can be set only by constitutional amendment.

Of course, the Burdick argument just seems silly to observers of semi-recent history who note that Nixon's pardon involved no admission of guilt, and who note numerous other cases where a person's good name was considered to have been restored by executive pardon.

Posted at July 4, 2008 4:09 PM in response to Story Of Anti-FISA Group On Obama's Web Site Goes National

Three cheers from Paul Krugman in his column today, Rove's Third Term...

In the end, the Clark affair may have strengthened the Obama campaign.

Some of the MSM appear to have been chastened by their misrepresentation of Clark's remarks. Also, Obama seems to be backing away from having overly backed away from those remarks.

This may have been the week he [Obama] rediscovered the virtues of standing tall.

Something so many of us hope is true.

David Brooks is off today.

Literally true today, whereas on the days he does write, it's only figuratively true.

Posted at July 4, 2008 2:48 PM in response to Election Central July 4th Roundup

With John Elway opening, followed by Stan, Kyle, Cartman and Kenny!

Posted at July 4, 2008 12:25 PM in response to Report: Obama Camp Considering Football Stadium For Acceptance Speech

Nixon ran on the promise that we would be out of Vietnam in eighteen months.  If his [Obama's] credibility gets into Nixon territory he is through.

I wouldn't worry overmuch.  A lot can happen between now and November... 2012!

Posted at July 4, 2008 12:04 PM in response to Election Central July 4th Roundup

Charles Krauthammer... has a remarkably dishonest column this morning...

There's nothing remarkable about Krauty's dishonesty.

I wish it were remarkable that this bozo gets any air time, but the MSM, alas...

Posted at July 4, 2008 11:54 AM in response to Election Central July 4th Roundup

What does it say that they had a 2 1/2 month head start, and is still getting his act together.

In part is says, Thank You, Hillary, for keeping the spotlight on the Dem candidates and denying McSame a whole lot of column-inches.

Now I see why he ... has a six figure debt on his credit cards.

It's been reported that AmEx is charging no interest on that balance. Hey, with that deal, I'd run it up, too.

But why doesn't that get the same coverage as BigO getting slightly favorable terms on his mortgage? Cynics like me think we can make a pretty good guess.

Posted at July 2, 2008 2:36 PM in response to Shake Up At Top Of McCain Campaign

I am hard pressed to believe that Obama will lose many (any?) votes because of this anti-FISA pressure group...

Probably right, but I was thinking about campaign contributions.

BigO's FISA reversal could lead to a noticeable slowing of contributions to his campaign from the netroots.  Feelings about this issue run a lot higher among his contributors than among the general electorate.

Hmmm.  Could it be that by joining this group, his contributors are getting to blow off a little bit of steam?  Might that lead to them resuming their campaign contributions sooner?  Dunno.

From another perspective, a lot of people support Obama because of their weariness with Democratic triangulators.  Just because he's locked up the nomination is no reason for them to start embracing (what they see as) this Mark Penn style of panderation.  When it appears that Obama is doing just that, how could anyone expect them to do anything but howl?

Posted at July 2, 2008 1:34 PM in response to Story Of Anti-FISA Group On Obama's Web Site Goes National

In order to accept a pardon, you have to admit there was a crime.

Bzzzt!  Wrong answer!

Pardons don't have to be accepted.  Richard Nixon never "accepted" his or ever admitted anything.

George Steinbrenner was convicted of felony extortion for squeezing Republican campaign contributions out of his employees.  Ronald Reagan pardoned him on his last day in office.  Steinbrenner never admitted anything.

Wanna bet Dubya is gonna throw that pardon blanket as far and wide as he can on his last day?  It sucks, I know, but that's the way it is.

Posted at July 2, 2008 1:01 PM in response to Story Of Anti-FISA Group On Obama's Web Site Goes National

I'm jonesin' for my Obama anti-FISA group update fix!

At 9:35 a.m. PDT, membership was at 10,705.  During the next five minutes, 20 new members joined.

Posted at July 2, 2008 12:47 PM in response to Story Of Anti-FISA Group On Obama's Web Site Goes National