In recent weeks, I've been so preoccupied with the ongoings in the presidential race that I've neglected the central issue of this site- that being the ongoing atrocity in Iraq.

Well, while the right-wing echo chamber is pretty empty these days, they have been consistent in trumpeting how well things are going in Iraq to anyone who stumbles into their blogs after one too many Budweisers.

Lemme be honest with ya'll: part of me wants to believe that indeed, the surge is working fine and dandy. However- that same part of me is easily suckered- it also wants to believe that fairy godmothers are real, and that the Jerry Springer Show isn't scripted.

The fact of the matter is that after a three-month slump in US casualties, the death toll is again rising- 41 dead, this month alone- at the current rate, 45-50 more US servicepeople will be dead in Iraq, by the end of this month- a 100% increase, since last month.

The conflict between the PKK (Kurdish nationalist militia seeking refuge in northern Iraq) and the armed forces of Turkey has graduated from isolated skirmishes into a border war that claims lives on a daily basis. Turkish forces now routinely cross the border, and diplomacy has degenerated into both sides hurling accusations.

I fail to see much hope, here...

The problem is that so many americans are in such dire economic circumstances, that they're too busy trying to keep their heads above water, to even be bothered with the war. Now- I'm not venturing into Alex Jones territory, when I say this state of affairs pleases the Bush Bowl to no end (for more information, read Orwell's 1984.)

Thank goodness we only have another 10 months of this crap- let us hope and pray that Bill Kristol is so busy at the New York Times, that he doesn't have time to whisper more idiocy into Bush's ear about invading Iran...

(click for full-size)

And a long, boring diatribe directed towards Ralph Nader, that no one should bother to read:

HEY RALPH!

I voted for you in 2000, and since my state went to Gore, I can't feel any guilt over my vote. I don't buy into the oft-repeated media canard that you deprived Gore of a victory in Florida- he was cheated out of it by the usual suspects. Furthermore, I totally agree with you that in the end, Gore ran a fundamentally flawed campaign, from day one- and had he run a proper campaign- he would have trounced Bush by 20 points.

I have nothing but admiration for you- you are without a doubt one of the most influential americans of the past century- alive or dead.

It only follows that I fundamentally respect your right to seek office, and I'm not gonna begrudge your candidacy this time around, because, well- in the end, I know that you're running to make a point, rather than gain office.

I relate the following, not to shame you, or cast aspersions upon your upcoming campaign- I'm just letting you know what's up, here...

When you ran in 2000, you received 2.8 million votes- and it was an inspiring, wonderful campaign. In contrast to Idiot Boy and Gore (whose entire strategy was to somehow "dumb down" his message to match Bush's,) it was refreshing to see someone stand there and take the time to explore the issues, in depth...

However, your votes came from young folks, early-model gen-X-ers like myself, and old hippies- I know that sounds like a generalization, but it's consistent with my experiences. The one local Nader event I attended was exclusively kids in hoodies with nose rings, and three elderly people who used walkers to get around. (I also watched every one of your super-rallies on C-Span, which is hardly a partisan media organization.)

In 2004, the Nader youth had long since soured on your political legacy, leaving you with about 405,000 votes, and a sizeable caucus at that year's Burning Man.

In 2008- Ralph- lemme tell ya- you've lost the youth vote, entirely. Obama has them in his corner, and these kids are motivated like I've never seen. Back in 2000, you were polling a solid 6% on election day, and less than half of that 6% came out to vote for you.

You were great at getting kids "hip" with politics- but Obama's successful at getting the same age group to actually participate, and most importantly- VOTE.

This time around , you're going to be quite lucky if you can score a quarter-million votes. These quarter-million votes will not be much of a factor, as I am confident that (barring an unforeseen catastrophe,) Obama will win over McCain by a landslide that will make Reagan's victory in 1980 look like a close call.

All that having been said , I wish you well, and hope that your message doesn't fall on deaf ears, and has a chance to be heard on a media that's still solidly in corporate hands.

Further, I hope Obama appoints you as secretary of the interior, or labor, or- hell- just about anything...

Tonight, Barack Obama became the next president of the United States.

Yes- there are primaries and caucuses yet to come. Tens of thousands of volunteers will be thrown about like clubs by the respective campaigns. Millions are yet to be raised, and are certain to be spent on advertisements that 90% of us will never see...

But despite all of this effort, it's statistically over, for the Clinton campaign.

Clinton was all set to give up Wisconsin, in favor of Texas, until last week's coup within her staff. The victorious faction pulled her back to Wisconsin, only to lose in the end, while Obama pulled even with her in Texas.

Hillary will need to lead by 65% in just about every state left to come out on top in terms of elected delegates to the convention- and that possibility has been shrinking. The superdelegates have been under such intense media scrutiny in past weeks, that they will never be swayed to overturn the elected delegates- there would be a riot on the convention floor, if that was attempted..

Even if snap caucuses in Florida and Michigan were called for the convention, it's unlikely that a solid Clinton win in both could overcome Obama's lead in delegates.

To the Clinton campaign, I offer a nod of respect- you fought well, and hope you'll join us, after the convention.

Tonight, I gave 100 dollars to the Obama campaign, on behalf of the folks who joined in our whimsical and TOTALLY mature contest:

PEN AN ODE TO McCAIN'S NECK...

I couldn't find a fave, of the bunch, so I'll include them all, here...

1: Sure ya heard it already... but i seriously think it could b BOTOX!

2: Like a turkey he has wattles.

3: The ugly taffy-stretch occurred after many high officials Tea-Bagged the Sub-Dominant wannabe War monger at the Bohemian Grove last year. John McCain got in line for the annual "PeePee-Water boarding" torture way too many times. The resulting spongy skin and wang flavor has helped John McCain take on his new evil persona, that of Batman's enemy Clayface.

4: "Pretorianemia", named after the character Dr. Pretorius from that shameful
interpretation of Lovecraft's "From Beyond" back in the 80's.

5: The word is "Flap." Defined to be the audible result of a flip flop.

6: John McCain is clearly inhabited by a giant space cockroach, not unlike Vincent D'Onofrio as the farmer, Edgar in Men In Black.

7: You may not know this, but the soul resides on that side of the head. John McCain's soul, while not completely gone, is like a grape that has been dried through many years of being a psychotic shill. All the sweet (or, more likely, sour) juices that were once there were sucked out by a lust for power and a hatred of "gooks." It's unfortunate because while he still would have been nuttier than squirrel turds with a soul, he's a neat package of General Ripper and that crazy uncle you don't want to invite to Thanksgiving without one.

8: Poor Animatronics.

So, on behalf of the authors of these pearls of grand and genteel comedy written in the spirit of unity and change, Bushflash gave 100$ to Obama's campaign, which was promptly matched by a donor, bringing it to 200$! (if your entry wasn't quoted above, I apologize- lotsa stuff going on...)

100$ will go out to the homeless vets, tomorrow...

I'm feelin' good, tonight.

Tonight, Barack Obama became the next president of the United States.

Yes- there are primaries and caucuses yet to come. Tens of thousands of volunteers will be thrown about like clubs by the respective campaigns. Millions are yet to be raised, and are certain to be spent on advertisements that 90% of us will never see...

But despite all of this effort, it's statistically over, for the Clinton campaign.

Clinton was all set to give up Wisconsin, in favor of Texas, until last week's coup within her staff. The victorious faction pulled her back to Wisconsin, only to lose in the end, while Obama pulled even with her in Texas.

Hillary will need to lead by 65% in just about every state left to come out on top in terms of elected delegates to the convention- and that possibility has been shrinking. The superdelegates have been under such intense media scrutiny in past weeks, that they will never be swayed to overturn the elected delegates- there would be a riot on the convention floor, if that was attempted..

Even if snap caucuses in Florida and Michigan were called for the convention, it's unlikely that a solid Clinton win in both could overcome Obama's lead in delegates.

To the Clinton campaign, I offer a nod of respect- you fought well, and hope you'll join us, after the convention.

Tonight, I gave 100 dollars to the Obama campaign, on behalf of the folks who joined in our whimsical and TOTALLY mature contest:

PEN AN ODE TO McCAIN'S NECK...

I couldn't find a fave, of the bunch, so I'll include them all, here...

1: Sure ya heard it already... but i seriously think it could b BOTOX!

2: Like a turkey he has wattles.

3: The ugly taffy-stretch occurred after many high officials Tea-Bagged the Sub-Dominant wannabe War monger at the Bohemian Grove last year. John McCain got in line for the annual "PeePee-Water boarding" torture way too many times. The resulting spongy skin and wang flavor has helped John McCain take on his new evil persona, that of Batman's enemy Clayface.

4: "Pretorianemia", named after the character Dr. Pretorius from that shameful
interpretation of Lovecraft's "From Beyond" back in the 80's.

5: The word is "Flap." Defined to be the audible result of a flip flop.

6: John McCain is clearly inhabited by a giant space cockroach, not unlike Vincent D'Onofrio as the farmer, Edgar in Men In Black.

7: You may not know this, but the soul resides on that side of the head. John McCain's soul, while not completely gone, is like a grape that has been dried through many years of being a psychotic shill. All the sweet (or, more likely, sour) juices that were once there were sucked out by a lust for power and a hatred of "gooks." It's unfortunate because while he still would have been nuttier than squirrel turds with a soul, he's a neat package of General Ripper and that crazy uncle you don't want to invite to Thanksgiving without one.

8: Poor Animatronics.

So, on behalf of the authors of these pearls of grand and genteel comedy written in the spirit of unity and change, Bushflash gave 100$ to Obama's campaign, which was promptly matched by a donor, bringing it to 200$! (if your entry wasn't quoted above, I apologize- lotsa stuff going on...)

100$ will go out to the homeless vets, tomorrow...

I'm feelin' good, tonight.

This was just too durned tasty to just stick in the media gallery...

I'm pretty sure ya'll have seen the "Yes, we can" video that's become such a hit on YouTube. Since It launched, the various mirror postings have racked up a good 10 million views. In the wake of this success, it was only a matter of time before someone in the Hillary campaign decided that it would be a keen thing to compete in the world of Viral Video, and produced one for Hill...

Now, to appreciate the full depth of failure inculcated within this video, you need to view it beside Barack's video...

Watch them, left to right...

I've watched Hillary's video about a dozen times now, and I'm still trying to figure out what demographic this is supposed to appeal to.

The music would have made a really cool theme song for a mid-70's family diner chain, or the soundtrack a white-bread christian evangelical promotional video. However, I can't think of anyone who goes to Denny's to listen to the music, and anyone who orders those holy roller videos isn't exactly in Hillary's base. In actuality, the song is just new lyrics to an old jingle:

(Original)

Your cell-phone's out of range,
And you know it's time for a change.

(Hillary revamp)

Our goals are out of range,
So we know it's time for a change.

Next, we come to the dancing...

Far be it from me, as a white guy, to determine an individual's claim to racial identity, but I have to put my cards on the table here: that guy at 28 seconds in has formally renounced his claim to being "black", by moving like that. Similarly, the white male dancers have surrendered their right to carry testicles, and should be forced to hand them over to the nearest organ bank ('cause heaven knows there are cancer survivors who will treat them with more dignity.)

Now, on plain craftsmanship, the video editing is akin to that one would find in an infomercial airing on the local cable outlet at 2:00 AM in between reruns of "Seinfeld." One of my current jobs is producing informational videos about Panasonic vacuum cleaners, and they're far more slick than this dreck. You'd figure a campaign with 38 million in the bank could do better- but I fear that this was how the higher-ups at the campaign thought "indie video" looks like. They would be right, if this was 1988, but alas- it's 2008- and the average 16-year-old YouTube AMV creator can do better than this.

In the hours following this video's release, Hill's headquarters were innundated with calls from news organizations, asking if they were the ones who had shat this bolus of fail into the media culture. Of course, they vehemently denied it, and disabled comments on the youtube page.

It has since become an internet phenomenon, for the exact opposite reason behind "Yes We Can's" success...

To paraphrase Barack:

"Nothing can stand in the way of the power of millions of voices calling for changing the station"

Where she will follow Rudy Giulliani's grand strategy of spending all of her resources on one state, while her competitor racks up Wisconsin and Hawaii.

But she ain't out for the count- Hillary could still pull out a win in Texas and Ohio, but she'll have to get at least 60% in both, to come out on top. I contributed 20 bucks to Obama, last night- if you have a dollar or two to send, please do.

And before I crash, I just wanna say:

I will contribute 100$ to Barack Obama's campaign, and 100$ to help New Jersey's homeless, in the name of the person who can come up with a word to describe what's so horrifically wrong with the left side of John McCain's neck. It sorta looks like a loose curtain made out of chewing gum and pork rinds, to me.

WHY BUSHFLASH HAS SUCKED, FOR THE PAST FEW MONTHS:

It's because I'm working between three to four jobs in any given week, and have barely enough time to put in six hours of sleep a night, hell- I haven't had a full day off in well onto four months.

The CMS deadline came and gone, and I'm very, very dissapointed that it has yet to come any closer to completion.

I'll update, when I can.

Oh, but one last thing:

On this last sunday, an internet group calling themselves "Anonymous" was able to get 10,000 people into the streets of cities all over the world to picket the "church" of scientology. Their ranks are young, and very few of them had ever engaged in street action, before- nonetheless, they pulled it off.

When the event was in planning, a lot of people wondered if a bunch of young internet junkies could be bothered to roll out of bed on a cold sunday morning- but they did so, worldwide. They staged successful peaceful street demonstrations in hundreds of towns and cities, and did it through rules and methods arrived at through common consensus, without leaders, a headquarters, or even anything that could be described as "central authority."

I think the kids are gonna be alright...

Bushflash salutes Anonymous- and let the Scientologists fear the Ides of March.

And dismiss McCain as Reagan part 2- but understand that McCain has a 56% approval rating by the general public, and Hillary's negatives have now surged to 48%

All told, McCain has an 8-point lead on Hillary as far as favorability goes, and while some might love an underdog, her negative rating of 48% lacks the wriggle room needed for a "Seabiscuit" scenario. McCain's overall popularity has remained steadilly high with the population at large, despite the bitchiness of the extreme right over his virtual coronation, today.

HELP RAISE 5 MILLION TO COUNTER HILLARY'S PERSONAL CHECK!

BUT BEFORE I GET INTO MY USUAL BULLPLOP...

I just wanna say: I'm not one to give free advertising to the vampires that masquerade as pharmaceutical companies, but Chantix is a freaking awesome drug.

Now, before my more bohemian readers speed-dial their dealers, I wanna point out that Chantix is a drug to assist in smoking cessation, and lemme tell you: it does what it's supposed to do.

If you had told me a month ago that I'd be able to go a week without smoking, and suffer no pangs of withdrawal aside from an occasional urge (which occurs less and less, each day,) I'd have been incredulous. I've been sucking on cigarettes for almost half of my life, and the habit- the smell- the deep inhalations of carcinogens and asbestos were something that I had come to assume were things that I could not live without.

I am too scarred with shame from my previous failed attempts to claim victory this early- but after a week of chantix, I decided to exercise a little will power, and went from 17 cigarettes a day, to 13, then 10, then 7, then 3, and finally, I went a whole day with only one cigarette. Then, I started increasing the days between each cigarette. First one day, then two, then three, and so on.

The last cigarette I had was on saturday, and it tasted as if Ann Coulter had taken a steamy dump in my mouth, and after two drags on the damned thing, it felt like someone had punched me in the chest. I will have another cigarette on Saturday (putting six days between the two), and then, seven days later, I will have my last cigarette, and be done, forever.

And ya know what the sickest part is? Since I began my quit, I've felt better than I have, in my entire adult life. I'm going to the local YMCA daily for 90 minutes of heavy sweating and lifting, and have more energy than I have ever had. I no longer spend a half-hour, each morning, coughing my lungs out. My appetite has returned, food tastes wonderful, and while new Jersey has never been easy on anyone's nostrils, it has been an interesting experience to go into a restaurant, and actually smell the food, instead of the residue of your wracked lungs. Heck- my teeth are already getting whiter, and losing their brownish hue...

And despite all of the benefits- I still feel that urge to smoke- how screwed up is that? After speaking with folks who have quit for 20-plus years, I've had to confront an ugly fact:

That urge will never go away. But it's all about realizing you have free will...

I dunno if you've ever read Kurt Vonnegut's memoir/novel "Timequake," so to those who have, and those who haven't, I'll reveal the novel's central theme (and I know Kurt wouldn't mind the copyright infringement..)

For reasons wholly unknown, and mostly unexplained, the planet earth got caught in a "timequake," and every human being on planet earth was jerked ten years back in time, condemned to live that decade, again. For most people, the novelty of the situation wore off after that second job loss, death in the family, or other such sundry pain of life. All of humanity resigned itself to sit through a rerun of things they would rather forget.

When subjective experiences finally caught up with the moment at which the timequake occurred, people had become mental couch potatoes, ignoring what they were experiencing, and what was all around them, because, well- they had seen it all before...

When the timequake's effects had been nullified, and every last person on earth was suddenly put back in control of what was going on, things go straight to hell. Humans had been so accustomed to running on autopilot that they were at a loss as to what to do, when they found themselves back in the driver's seat. Many people who were walking fell flat on their faces, because their right leg was unprepared to accept the weight of a step that the left leg had taken, ten years ago. Bus drivers, train conductors, airline pilots (among many others) suddenly found themselves back in control, and it's an understatement to say that many accidents ensued.

In the few minutes immediately following the return to normality, Vonnegut's irrepressible schmuck Kilgore Trout is on a mission to spread the news:

"FREE WILL, FREE WILL, FREE WILL!"

When Kilgore encounters the confused- those who are unaware of exactly what just occurred, he lays it out plainly, in what is now known generally as Kilgore's Creed:

"You were sick, but now you're well again, and there's work to do."

Now, it's getting late, and hope I don't have to draw the paralells, for any of you.

Sorry for the sucky update, but I'm having to deal with- well- life right now. Will have CMS news, tomorrow.

Find out where to vote, and how you can help out, now.

Folks- lemme be square with ya'll...

I don't expect that Barack will win a majority of the states, tomorrow- Much ballyhoo will spread across the media about how many states fell into this camp, or that, and the hyperbole will be used by certain media outlets to tell us that this or that candidate may be out of the running...

But let it be clear: even if Barack Obama, or Hillary Clinton, or Mike Gravel gets 100% of the vote in every one of the super tuesday states, they would fall short of the delegates required to gain the nomination of the party.

The margin in victory between Hillary and Barack, in all but a few Super Tuesday states, will be in the single digits. It is likely that Hillary will walk away claiming a two or five point victory in a majority of states, but emerge with but a scant advantage of delegates to the convention.

As we see some states fall into Hillary's corner by a few percentage points this eve, it is important to remember that she held a 20-plus-point lead over any competitor, just a scant week ago.

Take heart in what is to follow, and get involved!

 

Tonight, I could rant about the ongoing atrocities in Iraq...

I could spend hours recanting the litany of the Bush Bowl's disregard for our laws, our constitution, and our personal liberties.

I could show you an animation about the horrors of the war in Iraq- complete with a heart-tugging soundtrack, and many pictures of dead children and grieving families..

I could do such, tonight. However-I cannot.

On any other night in any of the past seven years, the evocation of our collective moral outrage against this sham of an administration might well have sufficed as an update...

But not tonight.

I'd rather spend this short time I have with you to tell you that there's something that you can do to fix things.

Sunday, and Monday, I ask that you help me to get out the vote for Barack Obama.

Moveon.org, along with a number of other organizations have sites where you can set up your own private phone bank- I'll be making calls sunday, and monday.

If you don't have the time to do cold calling, talk with your friends and family- every vote counts towards delegates.

If you have a dollar to spare, contribute to the campaign.

Lastly- if, like me, you live in one of the super tuesday states- roust your lazy butt, and vote.

Barack Obama is the only candidate who can win this election for the dems, and- I believe- fundamentally change this country for the better.

Politics, as it has been so famously observed, is the subtle art of compromise. I am sure I am not alone when I admit that John Kerry was far from my ideal choice in '04, but after his nomination, I fell into line, as did many others.

Such pragmatism is not limited to us on the left- in every political season, both sides are forced to compromise in order to toss their support behind their party's eventual nominee. This practice is one of the more unfortunate elements to a two-party system.

Whomever winds up succeeding Bush II- republican or democratic- we'll be better off. It is inconceivable that any human walking the planet today could screw things up worse than Bush has. Myself, I would prefer that the successor in question be a democrat, and as I have seen my preferred candidates drop out- first Dennis Kucinich, and now, John Edwards, I've been watching the two frontrunners- and as I have oft stated, my one criterion for support is whomever has the best chance of winning against a republican candidate, come the general election.

You see, if the democratic party cannot win the white house in the wake of a presidency as patently disastrous as Bush's, they they might as well accept being permanently out of power, and look forward to complete irrelevancy, within the next generation.

Such will be the case, if the party nominates Hillary Clinton. I have repeated the broader reasons for this, time and again, and shall not bore you by repeating them, once again.

However, I will tell you why I cannot personally support her.

1: Political legacies are the antithesis of the american ideal. I am absolutely certain that if Hillary's name were anything other than Clinton, she would have floundered in the first weeks of the campaign, and wouldn't have even made it to New Hampshire.

In the months following George Bush's nomination in 1999, I asked some republican associates of mine why their party had gone with such a patently incompetent candidate. They replied: "If his name had been anything other than 'Bush', he wouldn't have had a chance.."

We have seen what legacies can wreak, in the "presidency" of George W. Bush, and we cannot afford to let another person attain the white house, simply by virtue of their name.

2: Hillary voted to surrender congressional authority to declare and wage war against Iraq to George W. Bush, and refuses to acknowledge that such was a mistake, let alone an egregious lapse in both judgment and character.

3: She compounded this error by recently voting for Kyle/Lieberman, which again, gave George W Bush exclusive authority to go to war- this time, against Iran.

4: Every year, there's an "idiot test" in congress: Some yahoo introduces legislation to amend the constitution to ban flag burning, and anyone who votes for it, automatically becomes an idiot. Well, this time around, not only did Hillary vote for the flag-burning amendment, she was a sponsor of the senate bill.

5: She has consistently advocated censorship as a panacea for societal problems. She has joined Joe Lieberman in blaming movie and videogame producers for society's ills. This is patently insane, and something I'd expect from the likes of Trent Lott, rather than from a democrat.

If you want to battle the ills of society- fight against poverty, poor education, and unemployment- don't waste your time warbling on about "Grand Theft Auto."

6: She is the preferred candidate of the right-wing Democratic Leadership Council, whose goal is to transform the democratic party into a mirror image of the republican party.

Now- I could go on. There are dozens of further reasons why I cannot support Hillary, aside from the above and her incapacity to win come November.

I am not so much anti-Hillary, as I am pro-Obama...

I have had my issues with Barack Obama- he voted to confirm both Alberto Gonzales to the position of Attorney General, and the hapless Condoleeza Rice to Secretary of state.

These votes and his objectionable middle name aside, he lacks the poisonous legacy that has been left in the wake of Hillary Clinton's term in the senate. Some might argue that this is a result of his relatively short time in the senate, and, had he spent another four years in that body, he'd have an equally shameful record.

GOOD...

"Had he spent another four years..."

He hasn't. He's fresh, and has yet to be totally corrupted by the vile and out-of-touch political borg that runs washington.

Hillary embraces her corruption, and claims it as an asset- Barack is running away from it- and, personally, that's enough to sway me- but I shall continue...

On the issues, I have visited both the Hillary and Obama websites, and reviewed their positions.

While I find Obama's plans and positions subtly superior to Hillary's, I'm a pragmatist, at heart, and not one prone to split hairs- because, as anyone who has followed the fortunes of those who have gained power know all to well: campaign positions and promises are just rhetoric.

Should Obama, or any other candidate gain office, the positions that they stake out in the primaries will have very short half-lives. (Can you remember Bill Clinton waving that national health care card, during his first state of the union address? That was a great idea, until Hillary decided to oversee the universal health care negotiations with the same transparency that has become a hallmark of Dick Cheney's negotiations with big oil...)

Leaving aside, for now, the historical paralells between the previous Clinton administration and the non-existant hope of a second, I'm sure we all recognize that these official positions mean jack-all, in the glare of realpolitik...

So, in such a cynical, incestuous political climate- what makes me support Obama?

Because he gives me hope.

In a nation that is reviled around the world, in a nation in which the gap between rich and poor is growing wider by the day, in a nation in which poverty runs rampant, in a nation that allowed poor people to drown in the streets of New Orleans, and destroy the lives of over a million innocent Iraqis...

He gives me hope- and feeling that emotion, once again, has been invigorating.

Over the past five years, while I've been running this site, and rubbing my face in the most horrific atrocities of this administration, I lost that most precious quantity of hope, and felt so powerless.

I felt stained- corrupted, and violated by the government that purported to act in my name, and I wondered, in the darkest times, whether injustice would triumph eternally over justice, and whether the future held any promise.

How the hell could I hold my head high, knowing that the government of my country was so damned corrupt and murderous?

Barack makes me believe that there is a chance for us, yet, to live up to what we can be.

In the wake of George W. Bush, and the cynicism, angst, and hopelessness that he has sown within the heart of every american, we need someone who can make us believe once again...

Not just in our country, but in ourselves, and the uniquely american ideal that we, you, and I can make a true difference...

However, before I am accused of falling prey to Obama's "star power," I must clarify:

Barack is far from perfect, and I'm sure a quick google search will fulfill anyone's desires to find fault with him, and his campaign (mostly via the Drudge Report and Fox "news"). There are other candidates from third parties who hold positions closer to mine, on many substantiative issues.

However, we have to be pragmatic: There is only one candidate for president that has a chance of defeating the republicans, and that candidate is a democrat- and his name is Barack Obama.

I believe in him, and I believe in us...

Obama for President!

-More very soon...

( I will move on to Iraq issues, when next I update- I hadda get this off of my chest.)

It was always a mystery to me- the blind, vitriolic, irrational hatred of Hillary Clinton that dwelt so close to the heart of every republican. Whenever you tried to coax an explanation for such out of one of these individuals, they would respond with little more than a shower of expletives and cartoonish labels that were parroted from that week's Rush Limbaugh show.

I figured it was one of those things about conservative america that I'd never understand- sorta like NASCAR- but as I watched the most recent democratic debate, it all became clear.

I, too, cannot stand Hillary Clinton.

Whether it be her crocodile tears and whining that fooled enough gullible idiots into voting for her in New Hampshire , or her shrill, overbearing, obnoxious performance in the aforementioned debate, she has succeeded in changing my hostile indifference into conscious disgust.

So- this is her plan: When she's in danger of losing:

1: Cry for the cameras, demonstrating how she's just so vulnerable, and is only guilty of CARING TOO MUCH (sob!)

2: When her opponents fail to defer completely to her in the wake of her "frail flower" performance, she goes so insanely negative that she starts to sound like Chris Benoit after shooting up a half-gallon of 'roids, thereby becoming a walking canned contradiction at best, or a dangerous schizophrenic at worst.

3: When the previous two fail, just get your husband to stir up irrelevant crap, in hopes of distracting the voters.

Yeah, I have no doubt that she might come up with more strategies in coming months, but considering the quality of what's passed before, I fail to see hope for much improvement, in times to come.

Hillary's campaign strategy, for dummies:

"I will say anything, do anything, lie about anything, and misrepresent anything to get the nomination. I want to have my cake, and anyone who gets in my way of eating it too, will have to deal with my husband, first."

And oy- Bill...

Bill- you get my kudos for being the best republican president we've ever had- and yes- in comparison to the two utterly disastrous Bush administrations that served as bookends to your presidency, you come out looking pretty clean. However- in your current role as your wife's mudslinger- you're doing yourself and your party a huge disservice.

You've taken it upon yourself to prance around in front of the media, making absurd statements about Obama and Edwards, knowing full well that regardless of the dishonesty of your statements, they'll be so outrageous, that the media will have no choice but to air them. While Obama and Edwards are busy countering your idiocy, Hillary is free to take the higher ground.

That's swiftboating, Bill- and you know it. It was reprehensible when the republicans did it- but we expect such from them. It's far more reprehensible to see you doing it.

And Hillary: You have a hard time looking like a strong, independent woman, when you're hiding behind your husband. Your half-assed, passive-aggressive style of feminism is jaw-droppingly hypocritical, and to be quite honest- insulting to the intelligence.

I feel the spirit moving me to give a shout-out to the poor, deluded people who are voting for this trainwreck:

BUSH'S PRESIDENCY HAS BEEN HARD ON ALL OF US- BUT HAVE YOU CRACKED UNDER THE PRESSURE, AND GONE COMPLETELY INSANE?

What the HELL do you think you're doing? Wasn't it humiliating enough to have two good democratic candidates beaten in the past two presidential elections by a mouth-breathing moron with the mental capacity of a kumquat? Are you masochists, and just can't wait for yet another ass-kicking by a republican party that's decided to marry the cheerful religiosity of the Taliban with the indifference towards suffering that made Marie Antoinette so famous?

The democrats in the states who have yet to cast their primary ballots- particularly those who vote on Super Tuesday must realize the obvious: That Hillary is the only democratic candidate in the race who can lose the election in November.

"Oh- but Eric- you said John McCain was dead in the water- goes to show how much YOU know."

Okay- you've got me there- I'm guilty of arriving at the same conclusion that every other pollster and pundit did, in that situation. However, while being wrong about that particular apple, I'm absolutely dead-on about the orange we're discussing, right now.

Just as I predicted a few months back, a recent USA Today/Gallup poll showed the number of americans who have a negative opinion about Hillary has jumped from 43% to 46%, in the opening weeks of this campaign. McCain, on the other hand, enjoys a 52% favorable rating, with only 26% viewing him with disfavor. This indicates two irrefutable facts:

1: The more people get to know her, the less they like her.

2: Come november, providing that her negatives haven't passed the 50% threshold, Hillary will have to garner the vote of every american who doesn't overtly despise her to eke out a razor-thin victory- and we all know that a few diebold machines can toss things any which way, when things get dicey...

How's that for inspiring confidence, come November?

BTW- as piss-poor as this article and update was, it's my first comprehensive one since I quit smoking- it has now been three weeks since I bought a pack, and while I've had my slip-ups, they are getting fewer and farther between. It hasn't been easy, and I have been shying away from updating, as running Bushflash has always been my #1 trigger, and I was afraid I'd slip.

However- I wanna be 100% honest with ya'll and say that, besides my own health concerns, my #2 inspiration in quitting smoking has been Barack Obama. As tough as it is for a loser in Jersey to quit, with the minimal stresses I encounter every day, I can only imagine how much of a trial it has been for a guy that has to be 100% on his game, 24/7.

The CMS will go live, in two weeks- the deadline has been set in stone.

Change is coming.