McCain accused of affair with lobbyist

The title says it all…The times has apparently been investigating this for months.  They have not only alleged a relationship between Senator McCain and Vicki Iseman, a Washington lobbyist, but also pointed to instances of impropriety.

The Politics of Personal Destruction, brought to you by Hillary Clinton

Remember this from the Democratic debate in Las Vegas in November?

I don’t mind taking hits on my record, on issues, but when somebody starts throwing mud, at least we can hope that it’s both accurate and not right out of the Republican play book

Yesterday in Youngstown, Ohio, where Senator Clinton spoke after losing the Wisconsin primary, Tom Buffenbarger, president of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, introduced the Senator with some perennial lines straight out of the Guide to Being a Good Republican:

Buffenbarger called Obama a “thespian,” and he sarcastically referred to the junior senator from Illinois as a “wunderkind.” He compared Obama to “Janus, the two-faced Roman god of ancient times.” And he pleaded with the crowd to boo Obama’s labor record. Early in his speech, Buffenbarger asked, “So now we have a decision to make. Will we rely on the Harvard Law Review editor? The silver-tongued orator from Kansas, Hawaii and Illinois? The man in love with the microphone?” But it was Obama supporters for whom Buffenbarger saved his most vitriolic contempt, and he proved that the Democratic Party’s coalition is nothing if not fragile. Channeling Howard Beale from the movie “Network,” he yelled into the microphone, “Give me a break! I’ve got news for all the latte-drinking, Prius-driving, Birkenstock-wearing, trust fund babies crowding in to hear him speak! This guy won’t last a round against the Republican attack machine. He’s a poet, not a fighter.”

If I didn’t know that this was a Hillary Clinton event, I would’ve just turned off the TV, thinking it was the CPAC convention, or FOX news, or even a McCain rally.  Seriously, the Clinton campaign vetted this guy’s introduction? No, they didn’t just give the green light on this closet Republican; they encouraged it and came out looking like total hypocrites in the process. If Hillary Clinton has to start pulling lines from Ann Coulter then you know she’s not feeling too swell about her chances of winning the nomination. If she goes down in this fight, she won’t be missed at all if she continues running the campaign of a sore loser.

Latest Zogby Poll: Obama leads Clinton nationally by 14%

In the latest Reuters/Zogby Poll, Obama has pulled ahead nationally by 14% against Clinton.  Furthermore, in a hypothetical presidential matchup, Obama leads McCain by 7%, while Hillary trails McCain by 12%.   I guarantee that the superdelegates are looking at this poll, realizing full well that Obama is the best chance for the Democratic party come November.  Remember that some superdelegates are up for reelection this Fall, and it looks to me like having Obama’s name on their ticket will be far more beneficial to their chances than the alternative.

Stats of the night

Mostly according to CNN exit polls done in Wisconsin, with some other stats intertwined:

• Obama captured 66% of the male vote and closed the gap in the female vote with 48% of that demographic
• Most likely to win the general election: Obama: 63%, Clinton: 37%
• Voters with no college education: Obama 54%, Clinton: 45%
• Total numer of Democratic votes in Wisconsin: 1,110,702
• Total number of Republican votes in Wisconsin: 409, 078
• John McCain’s age: 71
• Number of times Hillary mentioned Obama’s name in her speech: Zero
• Length of Obama’s speech: 44 mins.

According to Gallup, Obama now leads nationally among Latinos

How did voters view Clinton’s attacks on Obama’s credibility?

54% of Wisconsin voters thought she was unfair in her attacks, while only 34% thought the same of Obama.