God, I'm loving this.

You know how Obama is always saying that if he were President he'd reject the kind of hardline tactics that George Bush has used and, instead, sit down and talk with the foreign leaders that oppose us?

Well, we're getting a taste of his sit down and talk policy as his campaign takes a hardline stance regarding Michigan's disputed early primary:

If Michigan lawmakers don't pass a plan for a new Democratic primary by Thursday, then the state's 157 delegates might not have a say in selecting their party's presidential nominee...

A top Michigan Democrat expressed frustration Wednesday with Obama for not embracing the state's proposal.

"The Obama people are blocking it in the Legislature," said the Democratic source, who has not backed either candidate.

The source also said negotiators repeatedly and unsuccessfully have reached out to the campaign for input and cooperation.

The source said that Obama's campaign has been asked to craft an alternative or to meet with the Clinton camp to work out an acceptable compromise, but that those requests have been met with silence.

Wake up, Obama-Zombies. Your candidate is just one more politician.

I also like how he's taking the poor-little-me position now regarding Jeremiah Wright:

"In some ways, this controversy has actually shaken me up a little bit and gotten me back into remembering that the odds of me getting elected have always been lower than some of the other conventional candidates," the Illinois senator told CNN's Anderson Cooper in an exclusive one-on-one interview.

Is it just me or is that a subtle play of the race card?

God, I feel so stupid! Little more than two months ago I was blogging about how much I liked the guy! What was I thinking?? He's just one more politician, one more been-there-done-that-liberal, just one more fake.

In short, he's just one more Clinton.

Speaking of Clintons, Hillary really wants control of those early primary votes, but there's no reason to believe that re-votes will help her:

As the Democratic imbroglio continues over what to do about the out-of-bounds Michigan and Florida primaries, a recent poll offers a reminder of how tantalizing a true, fully engaged faceoff between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama in those two states would be.

The survey, sponsored in part by the St. Petersburg Times, asked Floridians a number of questions -- some strictly local -- on Saturday, Sunday and Monday. But the one that caught our interest focused on the two Democratic presidential candidates. It found Clinton ahead, with 46%, but Obama within shouting distance, at 37%.

Even more intriguing, 16% said they were undecided -- meaning an aggressive, persuasive campaign could make all the difference in determining a victor.

Also, the figures represent slippage for Clinton since she won Florida's Jan. 29 primary -- the one the Democratic National Committee ruled wouldn't count and the one that, as a result, preceded without the candidates actually pitching for support. In that contest, she received 50% of the vote, to 33% for Obama and 14% for John Edwards (still an active candidate at the time).

If nothing else, this whole debacle is really giving the nation a a chance to see what these two are all about.

Meanwhile, John McCain is behaving like ... well, like a President:

Republican John McCain spent Wednesday in Israel, where he toured a war-battered town.

McCain said he understands Israel’s tough response to Palestinian rocket fire, adding that there is no point in negotiating with the Gaza Strip’s Islamic Hamas regime.

His visit is billed as routine congressional business, although the trip appeared aimed at burnishing McCain’s leadership credentials and courting Jewish voters for the November election. McCain told reporters that because he was on a congressional fact-finding tour, it was not the time to discuss his campaign.

Still, in an interview in the Jerusalem Post, McCain said he would “personally be engaged” in peace talks if elected and “give it my highest priority.”

It's all pretty funny; and the punchline is that no matter how irresponsible, transparent and empty both Clinton and Obama clearly are at this point, there are still enough stupid people in America to give either of them a damn good shot at the White House.

Labels: News, Obama Watch, Politics