Well done mashup - it’s like the Yes, We Can video for semi-middle-aged rock fans! Cesca says…

The song and the speech compelled me to take a break from the snark to assemble this mash-up as a tribute to everyone who has endured this seven-year-long dark ride; and to everyone who hopes that America can and will change for the better

Until recently, I honestly didn’t think it was possible. And even though it’s only the beginning, Senator Obama’s campaign is clearly our best shot to, at the very least, turn the tide against this seemingly interminable darkness.

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I was waiting for Susie Bright to comment on the Eliot Spitzer thing and she didn’t disappoint - with a couple of great posts in the past two days. Something totally unexpected, though, was a really interesting conversation with a Spanish reporter about the ’standing at the podium with your wife’ tradition - something he says just never happens in Spain.

The whole thing is worth reading but here’s a random interesting thing that Susie said that jumped out at me. Never thought of it before.

Lands in the US that were originally colonized by the Spanish have profoundly different property laws, regarding gender, than the areas colonized by the English.

According to traditional Spanish law, a woman comes into a marriage with her own property, and if something should happen to that marriage, her property stays with her. She could have land in her own name— this was not thought of as “feminist,” but merely matrilineal. Women’s families counted for something, their historical line.

What this meant in modern American life, is that when the US became independent, the divorce laws followed the tradition set by the original settlers. In California— where I live— because the Spanish tradition is so profound, the divorce laws ALWAYS gave women half of everything earned in the marriage, plus their own property they brought with them into the marriage. Hence, Spanish-tradition states like California were clearly favored by wives, in breakups.

Susie Bright’s Journal

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And here’s a really great and great sounding in studio recording of the same song - Rich Man’s War…

Jimmy joined the army ‘cause he had no place to go
There ain’t nobody hirin’
‘round here since all the jobs went
down to Mexico
Reckoned that he’d learn himself a trade maybe see the world
Move to the city someday and marry a black haired girl
Somebody somewhere had another plan
Now he’s got a rifle in his hand
Rollin’ into Baghdad wonderin’ how he got this far
Just another poor boy off to fight a rich man’s war

Bobby had an eagle and a flag tattooed on his arm
Red white and blue to the bone when he landed in Kandahar
Left behind a pretty young wife and a baby girl
A stack of overdue bills and went off to save the world
Been a year now and he’s still there
Chasin’ ghosts in the thin dry air
Meanwhile back at home the finance company took his car
Just another poor boy off to fight a rich man’s war

When will we ever learn
When will we ever see
We stand up and take our turn
And keep tellin’ ourselves we’re free

Ali was the second son of a second son
Grew up in Gaza throwing bottles and rocks when the tanks would come
Ain’t nothin’ else to do around here just a game children play
Somethin’ ‘bout livin’ in fear all your life makes you hard that way

He answered when he got the call
Wrapped himself in death and praised Allah
A fat man in a new Mercedes drove him to the door
Just another poor boy off to fight a rich man’s war

Sarangel Music (ASCAP)

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Daily Kos: Clinton campaign making Obama “blacker”

And as Troutnut said…

Make of that what you will. I think it’s more likely to be incidental than the color changes: they squished it to fit in exactly one half of a wide screen. They could have just cropped it rather than distorting it, though, and they didn’t.

I’m not accusing Hillary of technically being a racist. But she is cynically exploiting racism to further her personal ambition, and it’s part of a pattern. She’s doing it to a fellow Democrat who’s virtually certain to be the nominee.

Daily Kos: [UPDATE w/campaign response]

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The polls all show things too close to call, but it’s early Tuesday morning and my guess is as good as anyone…so here goes; I’m hereby predict that Obama will do better the polls are showing right now and will win Vermont, Texas, Ohio and may take Rhode Island.

He’s beaten the polls in the past few races and I think Obama voters are more motivated then Hillary voters - this may be especially important in places like Cleveland where the weather is supposed to be horrible today. Texas should be a comfortable win, Ohio and Rhode Island would be squeakers.

Either way, I don’t see Hillary leaving the race any time soon no matter what happens today.

What do you think?

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And the very first comment at TalkingPointsMemo sum up my feeling exactly…

Honestly, I’d rather have a president who was calm, collected, and had good judgment, as opposed to a president who has a history of poor judgment, and generally gets angry and erratic when the pressure is on. On, and I wouldn’t want a president who would pick up the phone and blame the media for everything.

TPM Election Central | Talking Points Memo |

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So far - and it’s very very early - that’s the mainstream media’s take. They are buying into the right wing talking points about the New York Times, and buying into the sex angle - which is the least interesting part of this.

But Litbrit has an article worth reading that concludes…

No, it is a big deal. Because at the very least–and I’m being charitable because the degrees of influence and sums of money in question are, at this point, fuzzy quantities–this behavior presents a dramatically different narrative from that which the Powerful Politician, the one whose sights, I’ll remind you, are currently set on the highest office in the land, has all this time been proffering to the voters: My friends, I’m a different animal; I’m a straight-talker; I’m all about campaign finance reform–not for me the whole DC business-as-usual tack.

litbrit: On Gods, Monsters, and Smoking Guns

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“It is unfortunate that rumor and gossip enter into political campaigns,” said the statement from Jill Hazelbaker, the campaign’s communications director. “John McCain has a 24-year record of serving this country with honor and integrity. He has never violated the public trust, never done favors for special interests or lobbyists, and he will not allow a smear campaign to distract from the important issues facing our country.”

McCain Says Allegations That He Did Favors for D.C. Lobbyist Are Untrue

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My wife asked ‘Is there any way Mike Huckabee knew about this?’ Seems like it’s possible.

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