The reason why Obama can be elected if nominated (which is dicey at best), is that we have already had a black president and it wasn’t that pasty-assed white boy from Hope! It was President David Palmer!

And Nancy, you may be correct about Hillary’s chances if she’d “quietly dumped him in the second term.” But by putting the discussion in terms of her reacting to “the attacks” you are missing the point, as are most Hillary supporters. I agree with you that the attacks against Bill were nutty and shameless and aimed at her. That has nothing to do with Bill and what he did.

You know, I’m not an old Republican, but I’ve thought the same. I like Obama. I just wish he was conservative.

Edit: The one thought that scares me about an Obama presidency is the chance that some crazy SOB would try to assassinate him. That could tear this nation apart.

Del, John did not say what you think he said. He said he did not want to see what is sure to be one ways in which the story of Hillary’s loss would be covered. I agree. It would be a total misread of the situation to ascribe a Hillary loss of the nomination to the nation not being ready for a woman president.

Hey, I’m a conservative and I’ve always been ready for a woman president and a black president. I’d like to nominate Condelezza Rice.

I hear old Republicans saying they could support him and it’s about fucking time and maybe he’ll heal the nation.

President Clinton sure as hell has been ‘touching’ it (so to speak!). The most obscene thing ever said about Bill Clinton was that he was America’s “first black president”. (if any white man has any such claim – and none do – it sure as hell ain’t WJC) After Iowa, when WJC decided enough was enough, he said that he (WJC) was the best politician in the country in 1988, but it wasn’t his turn yet, and so he waited; and Obama was being impatient and (in essence) jumping in line and going out of turn.

Now to me, that sounded like he was calling him “uppity” – which is ridiculous on its face, and especially coming from a white southerner from Arkansas…and then referring to the Obama “fairy tale”, and then the Jessie Jackson remark – all point to the vaunted Clinton Attack Machine being set to full “personal destruction” mode.

But whatever. I agree with Obama that it will be lots easier for him to win over a much larger share of former supporters of HRC (if he wins the nomination), than it will be for HRC to win over (or keep energized) a large share of former Obama supporters.

Barack Obama’s campaign message reaches right out and touches old Republicans like me, and young folks (who traditionally tend not to show up on election day), and women (he frequently bests or blunts any edge HRC has with women voters in the primaries), and now establishment Democrats like the Kennedys (will this mean some help from Ahnold Schwarzenegger – the Kennedy in-law – out in California next week?) and Senator Kerry.

Honestly, I think whoever the Democrats nominate will win the presidency in November. I think if Obama (or HRC) picks a white-bread running mate like Senator Bayh…or Senator Kerry….or Senator Edwards….they win.

I think McCain might pick someone mildly exciting, like SecState Rice….but he looks like Bob Dole 1996 – aka too old; especially versus such an energetic, can-do, all-inclusive sunny optimist like Obama.

The only possible joker in the deck, in my opinion, is Sammy bin Laden (et al), and his lunatic minions of for-the-hell-of-it anarchists. If they – for example – destroy two or three NYC subway trains in October (ala Spain and the UK) – that might propel an old warrior – who has “seen the elephant” like McCain into the White House. More would be the pity