Here is a link to an interesting Wall Street Journal opinion piece:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB12053667 7319031953.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

I rarely read the conservative editorial pages of the Journal (only the excellent reporting on the front pages). But this one has an interesting argument. Basically, it says Obama uses his race as a shield against tough criticism. If the criticism is very effective, we see an Obama surrogate claiming racism. The piece points out New Hampshire - where the Clintons used very effective arguments against Obama - 'It takes a President' and 'Obama´s Iraq stance is a fairy tale'. Obama's camp, after reeling from his New Hampshire loss, claimed that these were racist talking points. It also points out that when the 3 AM ad that was deemed to be effective - Obama supporter Paterson called the ad racist in a NYT editorial.

I have been seeing that Obama uses the race card to muzzle any serious discussion of the limits of his qualifications. It is a truly divisive strategy. And effective in the Democratic Primary. It is like one of those super shields you get in those video games that protect you against any direct hits. But, as seen by the Wall Street Journal piece, the conservatives are on to this race shield. And they are ready for it.

My anger at Obama's supporters (and David Axelrod's) use of the race shield has made me blind to the fact that any discussion of race will help Obama in the primary. Because, it mutes any discussion of real issues. Like:

1. Obama´s recent foriegn policy expert, Samantha Powers, assertion that Obama talk about a withdrawl from Iraq is just talk, and that he will not withdraw from Iraq on his timetable.

2.  We should be discussing his true stance about NAFTA, and how it affects Pennsylvania.

3. How his dealings with Rezco could reflect on his possible Presidency, with hundreds of billions of dollars of Federal Government contracts at his disposal.

4. Obama's honesty. And the fact that he is lied about his NAFTA contact with the Candians. That he quite possibly is lying about his Iraq intentions.

5. The fact that Obama ignored his own voters in his district that did not have heat in a Chicago winter. That his financial benefactor, Rezco, was given in millions of taxpayer dollars to refurbish these houses. But Rezco pocketed the millions instead of fixing up the houses. And let the houses go onto foreclosure. This was in Obama's own district. And Obama said nothing.

Finally, about Hillary, we should point out that she does in fact have some incredibly experience to bring to the presidency. That Bill Clinton is an incredibly asset. And that his presidency was very positive for the majority of Americans. These are the reall issues facing us today.

Both Michigan and Florida had primaries in January. Florida will hold a new primary in June. Michigan should be allowed a new primary as well. All of its voters should be allowed to vote in a primary: servicemen overseas, full time working moms and dads, the elderly, and the disabled who can not make it to a caucus.

To pay for this primary will be easy. The Michigan Democratic Committee can set up a special fund to pay for the new primary. People who have already donated their maximum $2,300 amount to a candidate, should be allowed to donate to this fund - we should check with election law to be accurate. Remember, the Democrats raised nearly $100 million in February alone.

Any posturing for a Michigan caucus is just that: posturing. If Michigan raises the funds for a primary, and holds one like Florida, their votes will be accepted. The same exact arguments for a new Florida Primary hold for a new Michigan Primary in June.

Harvard University rule on Academic Integrity.

(Plagiarism is the theft of someone else's ideas and work. Whether a student copies verbatim or simply rephrases the ideas of another without properly acknowledging the source, the theft is the same.)  

Obama lifted an entire paragraph word for word

Obama would have been expelled from Harvard for this conduct yet in a Presidential race this is just explained away as being silly.

Yeah right!

If Obama did that while he was at Harvard ... plagerising an entire paragraph word for word ...he would have been expelled!!!

Just silly...try telling telling that to the Dean!

Both wrote two books:

JFK = Why England Slept and  Profiles of Courage
      Subject Matter:  Patriotism and Courage

BO  = Dreams of My Father and The Audacity of Hope
      Subject Matter:  Shameless Self Promotion

Both had dealings with the MOB

JFK = Senate Hearings taking on the Mob (with brother Bobby)

BO  = Real Estate deal taking money from the Mob (Rezko)

Both delivered great speeches

JFK = Wrote his own speeches quoting from memory according to his  
      secretary and and had help of Sorenson

BO  = Teleprompted other speeches with help of Duvall/Axelrod
      (The Duvall incident is tip of plagerism iceberg)

Hillary is by far out best General Election candidate. I have a feeling most of the Obama supporters know this. Why else would Obama have such huge GOP support. She is the only candidate that will win Ohio and Florida in the general election.

Hillary gives real hope for real problems facing our country. Her health care plan is from her experience. Her experience with the economy is fantastic. Every survey of Historians place Bill Clinton on the top 4 presidents with regard to the economy. The 90's were years of prosperity for the US. I look back at them and wonder what could have gone so badly the last 8 years. Why would any Democrat not want to return to those years of prosperity? Especially, since Hillary will be able to get her agenda across this time. She is experienced to take charge on day one. And the economy, not Iraq, is the number one problem facing America.

By the way, I noticed a lot of Obama cultist recently on MYDD. Their central claim is that the last Democratic President to serve two terms since FDR was bad. That the 90's, which all Americans wages were raised, the budget was balanced and left with surpluses, was bad. What they really mean was that a Democrat could actually win two times as President was bad. Lets be real, these guys are not Democrats. But they are Republican's and Naderites trying to keep us from this site. They recently attacked Taylor Marsh. And now they are attacking MYDD.

A solution to Howard Dean's disenfranchisement of more Democrats than George and Jeb Bush in 2000, is to have new primaries in Florida and Michigan. Not caucuses, but democratic primaries, where all people with full time jobs can vote. There is time for these primaries this summer. By this time Obama will have been vetted by his fawning media and GOP supporters. The GOP usually starts its attacks during the summer (ala the swift boats). The Democrats will be more informed at this time of who has the best chance of winning the presidency for real.

This is the best solution. The Obama camp may argue that we would should follow the GOP with regard to Florida and Michigan, and have only half their votes counted. This overlooks the fact that we are the Democratic party, not the GOP. Remember Florida 2000. Also this forgets that Florida played a big part in giving momentum to the GOP candidates going into Super Tuesday. This badly needed momentum was denied to Hillary. We don't need a bad candidate selected by April. We need a great candidate selected by the convention. To paraphrase Obama: the important thing is to get this right.

We can reverse this affront to Democracy, and give Florida and Michigan their votes back. Those primaries received record turnout. They were denied thier rightful place in the media spotlight that would have influenced Super Tuesday: giving momentum back to Clinton after South Carolina. At the very least these voters should have what all of us take for granted: the right to have our vote counted.

Where is Bill?

Bill won New Hampshire for Hillary. He won Nevada for Hillary. South Carolina was Obama's base. However, Hillary's new base is with the women, Latinos and other minorities. These voters love Hillary and Bill. Bill needs to come back out and show his magic.

New Hampshire and Nevada showed there is an incredible love out there for Bill Clinton in the the Democratic party. Despite the incredible bias pro-Obama media reporting, Hillary still won these states. The talk about Nevada was all about Bill Clinton. And this is a good thing.

Hillary's base does not care about the race issues, the anti-Clinton rhetoric. They care about what the Clinton's have done for them in the past. And what the Clinton's will do for them in the future. To this extent, Bill is absolutely invaluable to play to these groups. Bill should focus on the Latinos, women and other parts of the core Democratic base that love Bill Clinton right now. Nowhere is this more true than in California.

Just a note, I was talking with an Indian American women. She was for Hillary. But her husband was for Obama. Her husband loved Bill Clinton, but thought that Hillary would not listed to him in the White House. She had argued that Bill would be involved in the government, a two for the price of one argument. In other words, one of Hillary's greatest strength with the diverse base of the Democratic party is their love of Bill Clinton.

So Bill needs to get out there and remind us all that he is still here. And will be helping Hillary throughout the campaign and her presidency. He has to do is remind people what good economic times we had in the 1990's.