"Former CTA Head To Step Up Obama Commitment"

Polls don't mean anything this early but money raised and endorsments do and the Dems don't lockstep like the robot Rethuglicans do so I look for them to pick their nominee very late in the game after they have put some thought into it..

"SENATOR OBAMA AND RON PAUL RECEIVE MOST SUPPORT FROM MILITARY"

By Fredreka Schouten, USA TODAY
WASHINGTON — Democrat Barack Obama and Republican Ron Paul have little in common politically, except their opposition to the Iraq war.
Both top a new list of presidential candidates receiving campaign contributions from people who work for the four branches of the military and National Guard, according to a study released Thursday by the non-partisan Center for Responsive Politics.

Obama, an Illinois senator, brought in more donations from this group than any White House contender from either party. The Democrat announced Wednesday his plan to withdraw all U.S. troops from Iraq by the end of 2008.

Paul, a Texas congressman and the only GOP presidential hopeful who supports an immediate troop withdrawal, comes in second.

"Paul and Obama are talking straight to soldiers, and what they are saying is resonating," said Larnell Exum, a retired Army lieutenant colonel, who gave $500 to Obama. Exum, who works for the Army as a congressional liaison, is a Democrat but voted for George Bush in 1992.

The center tallied money from donors who list the Air Force, Army, Marines, Navy and National Guard as an employer. Overall, these donations are miniscule: Obama got 44 contributions worth about $27,000 and Paul 23 for about $19,300. Republican John McCain, an Iraq war supporter and Vietnam prisoner of war, was third with about $18,500 from 32 donors.

In 2004, military personnel contributed $1.2 million to presidential and congressional candidates, the center said. This year, those donations are about $200,000.

The analysis also found that military personnel have shifted their donations. In 2002, the center said Democrats received 23% of contributions from military workers; Republicans got 77%. This year, 40% of their donations have gone to Democrats running for Congress and president. The GOP got 59%.

The donation patterns "would suggest that those who wear the uniform want change," said Joe Davis, spokesman for the Veterans of Foreign Wars.

Bruce Altschuler, a political scientist at the State University of New York at Oswego and a Vietnam veteran, said, "The whole country has been shifting to Democrats, and the military, in some ways, is a microcosm of society."

Spokeswoman Jen Psaki said Obama is pleased to have the support of those "who have sacrificed so much."

Paul spokesman Jesse Benton said the military support makes sense. The congressman "wants to get (troops) out of playing the world's policemen and get them home," he said.

I am sure some DuPage wingnut is going to blast the CTA for this one. They'll be able to make this tenuous connection.

The Republicans are trying to turn America into a fascist state.

GOBAMA08!

And once again, it's time for the annual Red State Darwin Award Nominees.

The Darwins are awarded every year to the red state Republicans who died in the most stupid manner humanly possible, thereby removing themselves from the gene pool (and to think our foreign policy is being dictated by these people....geeeeezzz!).

This years nominees are:

Nominee No. 1: [Hickory Daily Record, North Carolina]:

Ken Charles Barger, 47, accidentally shot himself to death in December in Newton, NC. Awakening to the sound of a ringing telephone beside
his bed, he reached for the phone but grabbed instead a Smith & Wesson 38
Special, which discharged when he drew it to his ear.

Nominee No. 2: [AP, Atlanta]:

Police said a lawyer demonstrating the safety of windows in a downtown Atlanta skyscraper crashed through a pane with his shoulder and plunged 24 floors to his death. A police spokesman said Garry Hoy, 39, fell into
the courtyard of a Bank Tower early Friday evening as he was explaining the strength of the buildings windows to visiting law
students. Hoy previously has conducted demonstrations of window
strength according to police reports. Peter Lawson, managing partner of the firm Holden Day Wilson, told the Atlanta Constitution newspaper that Hoy was "one of the best and brightest" members of the 200-man association.

Nominee No. 3: [The News of the Weird, South Carolina]:

Michael Anderson Godwin made News of the Weird posthumously. He had spent several years awaiting South Carolinas electric chair on a murder conviction before having his sentence reduced to life in prison.
While sitting on a metal toilet in his cell attempting to fix his small TV set, he bit into a wire and was electrocuted.

Nominee No. 4: [Reuters, Jacksonville, Fla. ]:

A man cleaning a bird feeder on the balcony of his condominium apartment slipped and fell 23 stories to his death.
Stefan Macko, 55, was standing on a wheelchair when the accident occurred,
said Inspector Darcy Honer of the State Police. "It appears that the chair moved, and he went over the balcony," Honer said.

Finally, THE WINNER!!!: [Arkansas Democrat Gazette]:

Two local men were injured when their pickup truck left the road and struck a tree near Cotton Patch on State Highway 38 early Monday.
Woodruff County Deputy Dovey Snyder reported the accident shortly after midnight Monday. Thurston Poole, 33, of Des Arc, and Billy Ray Wallis, 38, of
Little Rock, were returning to Des Arc after a frog catching trip. On
an overcast Sunday night, Pooles pickup truck headlights malfunctioned.

The two men concluded that the headlight fuse on the older-model truck had burned out. As a replacement fuse was not available, Wallis noticed
that the .22 caliber bullets from his pistol fit perfectly into the fuse
box next to the steering-wheel column.

Upon inserting the bullet the headlights again began to operate properly, and the two men proceeded on eastbound toward the White River Bridge.

After traveling approximately 20 miles, and just before crossing the river, the bullet apparently overheated, discharged, and struck Poole in the testicles.
The vehicle swerved sharply right, exiting the pavement, and striking a tree.

Poole suffered only minor cuts and abrasions from the accident but will
require extensive surgery to repair the damage to his testicles, which will
never operate as intended.

Wallis sustained a broken clavicle and was treated and released. "Thank God we weren't on that bridge when Thurston shot his balls off, or we might both be dead," stated Wallis "

I've been a trooper for 10 years in this part of the world, but this is a first for me. I can't believe that those two would admit how this accident happened," said Deputy Snyder.

Upon being notified of the wreck, Lavinia ( Poole's wife) asked how many frogs the boys had caught and did anyone get them from the truck?

(Though Poole and Wallis did not die as a result of their misadventure as normally required by Darwin Award Official Rules, it can be argued that Poole did, in fact, effectively remove himself from the gene pool.)

Valerie Who?, already on board the Obama express to nowhere, is stepping up her commitment!

Another earth-shattering Obama announcement headlined by his friends at the Swamp.

With this news,I'm sure Hillary,B.J.and Co. are shaking in their boots.
We all know how powerful a former [head] of the C.T.A. is across America!
C'mon Hillary's lead is only 24% nationally....Valerie Jarrett could be her downfall!
The Swamp,needs to be congratulated on this hard hitting news story about Valerie (who) Jarett.

Paulo

If the Senator himself can't step up and express his resolve to support our troops and condemn all those who would label our brave men and women traitor for putting their lives on the line to defend this country, it doesn't matter if some clout heavy local connection, or TV personality, or whom ever steps up for him.

When I returned from Iraq, I went down and stood up to the swift boat veterans and was assaulted by the right wing. Real leaders need to find the courage to stand up to the far left and declare, with a firm understanding to the far left, that the Carl Rove politics of personnel destruction will not be tolerated within the Democratic Party or by those sympathetic toward their causes. If Sen. Obama believes that he is going to heal this nation by practicing an honorable style of politics, he missed a golden opportunity yesterday by choosing to abdicate his voice of support to all veterans.

He's lost my confidence that he has the judgment to be commander in chief of our armed forces, much less any form of experience or any example of demonstrating the courage to make tough decisions.

A great addition to the Bama campaign.
Jarrett did such a fantastic job of directing the CTA into the efficient, clean, effective
transportation system it continues to be today.

This is actually great news for Hillary. If Jarrett runs her part of the Obama campaign like the CTA we should see the wheels fall off the Obama express anytime now.

Iranian born Valerie was given a "newly created" position on Executive Board with Univ. Of Chicago Hospital just in time for Michelle Obama to also receive a "newly created" position as a VP, making $200,000 more per year...basically doing the same P.R. work she already was? Valerie has somehow been involved somehow in securing Michelle's positions since she hired her for Mayor Daley's assistant. She was on Obama's Senate finance committee at the time as Syrian Antoin Rezko - now convicted on 16 federal charges...I wonder if anyone's investigating her??