Hillary Clinton - Desperate Final Attempts to Smear Barack Obama and Stave off Defeat

[stevenleser]

http://www.opednews.com/articles/opedne_steven_l_080218_hillary_clinton___de.htm


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
February 18, 2008

Hillary Clinton - Desperate Final Attempts to Smear Barack Obama and Stave off Defeat

By Steven Leser


When I wrote my November 9, 2006 article http://www.opednews.com/articles/opedne_steven_l_061109_election_2006__96_afte.htm that deconstructed the results of the election that featured the Democratic takeover of congress, I had this to say about how the Republicans behaved in the run-up to that election:

When you see likely defeat coming around the corner in politics, you can go one of three ways, you can give up, which I don't recommend, you can fight harder using the best of what you have, or you can fight harder using the worst you have to offer. With the impending blue tsunami that was election 2006, too many Republicans chose to fight with the worst they had to offer.

Race baiting, general bigotry, attacking spouses, lying about opponents records, robo-calling, denigrating someone with a debilitating illness all of these and much more was employed by one or more Republicans in an all out effort to eke out a victory. If your party was going to surrender control after 11 years in the majority, is this the last thing you would want people to remember about your party's days in power?

When you talk about character, one of the things that stand out about a person's character is how they behave when things are not going their way. Anyone can be a great guy when success is around every corner. But when you are facing defeat right in the eye, that is the test of character. In Election 2006, Republicans failed this test badly.


------------------------------------------------------------------


Hillary and her campaign seem to be taking their cues directly from the GOP's failed attempts to hold onto the congress in 2006. They are hurling so much mud at Barack Obama; I don't see how anyone in Hillary's campaign has the time to do anything else. This was one of my main fears about Hillary from the beginning and one of several reasons why I chose to endorse Barack Obama. As I said in my endorsement article, http://www.opednews.com/articles/opedne_steven_l_080202_obama_endorsement__96_.htm :


Hillary's negative ratings by voters have consistently been so high that it would be an uphill battle from day one to try to get her elected. In order for her to have a chance at getting elected, she and her husband would have to wage the most negative campaign in history to try to raise the negative ratings of her opponent. I don't want to be a part of that kind of campaign.

----------------------------------------------------------
When I wrote that, I was thinking that she would wage the most negative campaign in history if and when she was matched against the Republican nominee. It never occurred to me that she would also do this against opponents for the Democratic nomination but she has surprised me by doing just that. It is not a nice surprise.


The problem for Hillary is that this is not the 90's when Bill ran for President. The internet has matured into a resource where any statement by a candidate can be researched and vetted within seconds of the last syllable leaving their lips. The many accusations levied by Hillary and her campaign against Obama have to a word all been debunked and shown to be if not distortions or exaggerations then outright fabrications.


Take the home purchase by Obama. The Clinton campaign accused Obama of obtaining a sweetheart deal for the home through the intervention of now disgraced and indicted real estate mogul Antonin Rezko. Bloomberg (the news agency, not the mayor of New York), researched the accusations and found them to be complete fabrications. See this article in Bloomberg

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601103&sid=a_9sOMpy91Js&refer=us to wit:


The couple who sold Barack Obama his Chicago home said the Illinois senator's $1.65 million bid ''was the best offer'' and they didn't cut their asking price because a campaign donor bought their adjacent land


Factcheck.org is all over the recent mailers put out by Hillary's campaign essentially calling every statement and accusation made in them distortions of Obama's record. See http://www.factcheck.org/elections-2008/youve_got_mailers.html


Washington Post fact-checkers have now debunked the entire Exelon nuclear issue; see click here awarding Hillary and her campaign two "Pinocchio's" for the story. Hillary's accusations vis-à-vis Exelon have backfired so badly, two sitting Democratic senators, Barbara Boxer (CA), and Richard Durbin (IL), are both on record as "scoffing" at Hillary's accusations according to the Washington Post. Even worse, the Post shows that Hillary Clinton herself hailed the bill when it was introduced and issued a press release to that effect http://www.senate.gov/~clinton/news/statements/record.cfm?id=262953 . So we have a press release of Hillary's debunking her own accusations.


This is all so much worse for Hillary that she is doing this now that she is losing. I remember John Edwards' words in the New Hampshire debate. "Hillary wasn't saying any of this when she was winning". It makes these actions look like tactics born of desperation and a scorched earth policy.





Hillary's supporters are all over the Liberal blogs trying to take the enthusiasm out of Obama supporters by calling their support of Obama "cult like" or outright accusing the campaign of being a cult. When Hillary's supporters aren't doing that, they are accusing every point brought up against Hillary of being sexism or gender bias, that even includes a question by Obama supporters concerning why Hillary hasn't released her tax forms. We Obama supporters are still trying to figure out how that request is sexist in nature.


As I said about the Republicans in 2006, is this really how Hillary wants to be remembered, particularly if she loses? And if she wins, does she think she can unite the party and bring a large percentage of Obama supporters into the fold after running this kind of a campaign against him? To say nothing of her attempts to change the rules after the game and go back on her word and seek the seating of the Michigan and Florida delegates. Every human being learned in kindergarten that changing the rules in the middle of a game or afterwards so that your side wins is cheating. Even if you discount how Obama supporters would feel about that, does Hillary and her campaign want to start the race against John McCain having handed him and his campaign such a delicious talking point?


I guess that is another component to all of this. Not only is this all dirty and sleazy, it isn't smart. It isn't working and it isn't going to work. It is only going to demean the process and everyone involved on all sides and make us weaker when we have to face McCain in the general election and that is what really concerns me. We are getting to the end of the Democratic nomination process. Both candidates should be focusing on winning by illustrating the best they have to offer and trying to make themselves look the best on their own, not by making the opponent look like the worst there is and suggesting they are better in comparison.





Hillary and her campaign don't have a whole lot of time to turn this around and I am not talking about the quest for the nomination, I'm talking about how she is going to be perceived afterwards but the two interests almost certainly coincide. Negativity and attacks are not going to do it for her; at this point in the process, they are only going to seem desperate.





Authors Bio: Steven Leser specializes in Politics, Science & Health, and Entertainment topics. He has held positions within the Democratic Party including District Chair and Public Relations Chair within county organizations. Steven Leser writes for www.opednews.com, an internet only media site that has grown to become one of the highest traffic news sites in America, reaching more traffic, according to alexa.com, than all but the thirty largest daily newspapers in the US. Mr. Leser is one of the 500+ liberal pundits who, each month, are published in what has become one of the top five Liberal/progressive media sites in the US.

[Bodhi BloodWave]

1. An informative and interesting read so thanks for posting it

:headbang:

[CorpGovActivist]

48. .

[Rageneau]

2. This screed is nothing but the writer's corrosive opinion, and opinions are like assholes...

Everybody has one.

And when assholes gets blocked -- get constipated by mindless hatred -- their owners swell up, becoming all full of themselves.

Which, when you note how much of this guy's post is about HIMSELF, explains a lot.

[stevenleser]

3. Well, I included pieces of two former articles, and here is why I did it...

1. Because I saw such a strong parallel to how Republican congresspeople conducted themselves in the waning months of the 2006 election to how Hillary and her campaign are conducting themselves now, and I thought that my perceived parallel would be of interest to my readers.

and

2. I thought it was important to show that Hillary was conducting just as vicious a campaign against Obama as one would expect she would wage against a Republican. I dont think that is a good thing.

So, yes, I used my own words from prior articles to make the point. Thanks for expressing an opinion. Oh, wait, what did you say about opinions?

[OPERATIONMINDCRIME]

9. Yeah, It Is Pretty Arrogant. Pretty Empty Opinion Too. But He Uses A Lot Of Words! I Mean, That's

just GOTTA make it good right?

:rofl:

[stillcool]

12. Do you think he is alone?

........or do words like "I'm sorry" not matter? .............

Clinton Surrogate Compares Obama Ad to Nazi March
http://news.yahoo.com/s/thenation/20080201/cm_thenation/45278988_1
Fri Feb 1, 2:23 PM ET

The Nation -- On a media conference call organized by the Hillary Clinton campaign today, Clinton surrogate Len Nichols compared an Obama health care ad to Nazis. The ad features a couple at a kitchen table, which some Clinton supporters said was reminiscent of "the famous insurance-industry-financed 'Harry and Louise' ads against the original Clinton plan," as The Politico reports, and Mr. Nichols said it "personally outraged" him.

Accusing political opponents of Nazism is an outrageous smear. Raising the specter of a Nazi march in response to a health care mailer that evokes the insurance industry is so absurd, it would be hard to take the attack seriously, were it not launched from a high profile national campaign conference call in this crucial stretch of the presidential race. And political observers know, of course, that the Clinton Campaign regularly arranges opportunities for surrogates to launch these kind of smears, which are later followed up with apologies. (See: Bob Johnson, Bill Shaheen, Bob Kerrey, and Francine Torge, to name the most recent offenders.) For his part, Nichols did not immediately return a call requesting further comment.
-------------------------
Len Nichols, Director of New America's Health Policy Program, stated, "For nearly 17 years I have worked tirelessly to reform our nation's struggling health system. Today my passion overwhelmed me. I chose an analogy that was wholly inappropriate. I am deeply sorry for any offense that my unfortunate comments may have caused. I made unfortunate comments that do not accurately reflect my bipartisan conviction, political philosophy, or most importantly, my opinions about Senator Obama and his historic campaign for the United States presidency."

Clinton adviser steps down after drug use comments
Earlier Thursday, Clinton personally apologized to rival Obama for Shaheen's remarks.
Obama accepted her apology, according to David Axelrod, the top political strategist for the Obama campaign.
http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/12/13/clinton.obama/index.html

January 6, 2008, 5:18 pm
Edwards: No Conscience in Clinton Campaign
http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/01/06/edwards-no-conscience-in-clinton-campaign/
By Julie Bosman
KEENE, N.H. – John Edwards angrily took on Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton at two news conferences in a row on Sunday, saying that her campaign “doesn’t seem to have a conscience.”

COMPTON, Calif. (AP) — Hillary Rodham Clinton and her campaign tried to mend ties to black voters Thursday when a key supporter apologized to her chief rival, Barack Obama, for comments that hinted at Obama's drug use as a teenager. The candidate herself, meanwhile, praised the Rev. Martin Luther King and promised to assist with the rebirth of this troubled, largely black city.

Bob Johnson, the founder of Black Entertainment Television, apologized for comments he made at a Clinton campaign rally in South Carolina on Sunday that hinted at Obama's use of drugs as a teenager.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/politics/election2008/2008-01-17-johnson-apology_N.htm?csp=34

Hillary: Sorry for Any Offense Campaign (Bill) Has Caused
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FB65wJ6Rcfs

Bill Clinton Asks for a Second Chance
By Liz Halloran
Posted February 11, 2008

The morning after his wife, Hillary, was routed in three state contests by Sen. Barack Obama in their dead-heat battle for the Democratic nomination, former President Bill Clinton made his case for her before a packed Sunday service at one of the largest black churches in Washington, D.C.
But first he offered an apology of sorts for racially tinged comments he made about Obama and his candidacy that have triggered a backlash in the black community and among many other Democrats.

Clinton invoked his "worship of a God of second chances" in pronouncing himself glad to be at the Temple of Praise, which claims nearly 15,000 members. His invocation of second chances echoed comments he made early last week at black churches in California, where he campaigned for his wife before that state's Super Tuesday primary, which she won.
http://www.usnews.com/articles/news/campaign-2008/2008/02/11/bill-clinton-asks-for-a-second-chance.html

Bill Clinton To Apologize At LA Black Churches
Once again, Bill Clinton is ready to repent.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/02/02/bill-clinton-to-apologize_n_84573.html
On Sunday the former president is scheduled to visit black churches in South Central Los Angeles, where he's expected to offer a mea culpa to those who "dearly loved him" when he was their president, Rep. Diane Watson (D-Calif.) says.

Watson, a member of the Congressional Black Caucus who has endorsed Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.), tells us she'll usher the former president to more than half a dozen churches in her district where she says he needs to "renew his relationship" with congregants who were turned off by his racially tinged comments in the days leading up to and following the South Carolina primary. (Such as when Clinton compared Sen. Barack Obama's landslide victory to Jesse Jackson's wins in 1984 and 1988.)

December 10, 2007
Third Clinton Volunteer Knew Of Smear E-Mail

A third volunteer for Hillary Clinton's campaign was aware of a propaganda e-mail alleging that Barack Obama is a Muslim who plans on "destroying the U.S. from the inside out."

"Let us all remain alert concerning Obama's expected presidential Candidacy," the email reads. "Please forward to everyone you know. The Muslims have said they Plan on destroying the U.S. from the inside out, what better way to start than at The highest level."

Two Clinton volunteers, Linda Olson and Judy Rose, have already been asked to resign from the campaign for their roles in forwarding the e-mail. The AP reported yesterday that Olson, a volunteer coordinator in Iowa County, sent a version of the e-mail to 11 people, including Ben Young, a regional field director for Chris Dodd's campaign. Young passed it on to the AP.
http://tpmelectioncentral.talkingpointsmemo.com/2008/02/hillary_adviser_harold_ickes_t.php

.... I never did figure out what this story was all about. Maybe you could help me out...

Clintons' InfoUSA Ties Scrutinized
by Peter Overby

Last year, New York Sen. Hillary Clinton took the unusual step of renting out some of her lists. The transaction once again highlights the Clintons' connections to a businessman who now faces questions from the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Reports from Clinton's campaign show that on Dec. 3, it collected payment for renting out three mailing lists, the sale of which netted them $8,225.

It was an unusual transaction, according to Roger Craver, a liberal guru of the political direct-mail industry.
.............
According to one direct-mail professional, $800,000 would have seemed like a more plausible price for a quality list...

Vin Gupta has a long history of giving and raising campaign money for the Clintons, and gave $1 million for the 2000 Millennium Celebration, a New Year's Party thrown by the Clintons.
----------------------
After the Clintons left the White House, Gupta hired Bill Clinton as a consultant. It's one of two continuing business relationships he has had since leaving office, and it has been worth $3.3 million, in addition to the options on 100,000 shares of stock.
----------------------------
The corporate spending on behalf of the Clintons helped fuel a shareholder lawsuit against Gupta and 10 corporate directors.

THE Name’s THE Game How infoUSA Chairman Vinod Gupta brings people together
BY HENRY CANADAY AND GERHARD GSCHWANDTNER
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=18...



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[karynnj]

35. He defends his position very well and it is extremely insightful

your post describes you better than it does him - and you refute none of what was said. The Clinton campaign, via Wolfson had signaled as early as 2005 that the lesson they gained in 2004 was that swiftboating worked. Like the OP, I had naively assumed that meant against the Republicans - and hated that. I feared she would get the nomination and a nation sick of the ugliness of those attacks would turn on the swiftboaters, as they should have in 2004. (In 2006, this actually seemed to be what was happening as the vets who the Republicans tried to swiftboat were all winners.)

The post was about the OP's reasons and values. It was an opinion piece, but it made a very good logical case. Nearly EVERY post on DU is an opinion piece - few are as well thought out and argued.

[stevenleser]

4. Sorry All, the WAPO Exelon link didnt post properly, here it is:

http://blog.washingtonpost.com/fact-checker/2008/02/obamas_backroom_deal.html

[K Gardner]

5. Very informative and very good foresight on your part.. here is what spoke to me -

"When I wrote that, I was thinking that she would wage the most negative campaign in history if and when she was matched against the Republican nominee. It never occurred to me that she would also do this against opponents for the Democratic nomination but she has surprised me by doing just that. It is not a nice surprise."

I supported Hillary when she first announced her run. When things started turning dirty against Obama, I did a WHOA NELLIE.. went with Biden, then Edwards, and am now happily supporting Obama. Even during my "tenure" with Biden and Edwards, I spent most of my time on DU Defending OBAMA against scurrulous attacks by Clinton supporters. It has been eye-opening, to be sure. The days of the negative, nasty and backward-thinking Clinton Machine cannot come to an end soon enough. She is truly willing to tear apart anyone, even her own party, in her quest for power.

[stevenleser]

7. Yes, sickening, isn't it?

I keep telling Hillary supporters, is this who you want to be? Do you want to conduct a campaign and talk about issues and how you want the country to be, or do you want to call the other person names?

[Faygo Kid]

6. This pretty much sums up what's happening now. Very ugly stuff.

From the article:

"Hillary's supporters are all over the Liberal blogs trying to take the enthusiasm out of Obama supporters by calling their support of Obama "cult like" or outright accusing the campaign of being a cult. . ."

Gee, you don't think that's ever happened here, do you?

[OPERATIONMINDCRIME]

8. Such Poor Writing And Logic. Sign Of An Amateur.

Thankfully, there are lots and lots of people around that don't know how to think for themselves all that well, so I'm sure you'll get your empty accolades.

[tabasco]

11. You're one of the people you're talking about.

Your posts make you look like a stupid, bitter person.

You post insults and smilies and then call other people's posts insubstantial.

That's a real laugher.

[OPERATIONMINDCRIME]

14. Blah Blah Blah Can't You Dolts Come Up With Anything New Yet? That's All Like, Sooooo Old Now.

It's boring to read now. I know you can come up with better personal attack than that, can't you? Is all you've got using the same cliche attack OMC stuff of yesteryear????

:boring:

[Alexander]

28. Will your desperate name-calling and attacks continue when Obama's nominated?

Because I have a hunch the owners of this site won't like it.

Something about supporting the Democratic nominee. :eyes:

[RiverStone]

45. Your hunch is correct!

March 5th will hopefully be the calm after the storm.

Hillary will be out of any math to save her sinking ship.

Then begins the re-unification of our party to fight the puke machine.

And Obama will sweep in BIG majorities in the House and Senate the fall, along with his WIN!

[stevenleser]

47. Boy do I hope you are right...

and this party that Hillary and her supporters are slicing into a dozen pieces can be put back together again enough to accomplish that.

[stevenleser]

15. I was just thinking...

for all the things you say about the article being empty, no logic, no impact, you have felt compelled to post two responses already in its thread. Why would you do that if you thought it had no impact and no threat to your candidate?

Yeah, I thought so

[Alexander]

29. Make that 3. OMC really cares about this "empty" article for some reason.

It must have touched a nerve.

[stevenleser]

30. Yes, funny how someone's actions can completely contradict the words they type...

... but, then again, OMC accused me of not being smart so what do I know? ;-)

[AZBlue]

10. k/r

[thoughtcrime1984]

13. Hillary= constant negative attacks

Haven't we had enough negativity and BS the last 7 years?? Keep attacking, Hurricane Hillary.

[Major Hogwash]

16. Good analysis, steve.

I really like to read thoughtful analytical posts like this one.
Keep up the good work.

[stevenleser]

17. Thank you very much!

Your comments are MUCH appreciated!!!!!!

[Window]

18. K/R

Peace:thumbsup:

[stevenleser]

19. I guess we can add Plagiarism and attacks on Michelle Obama to the Hillary wall of shame

shame on Hillary and her supporters that are spreading this B.S.

[stevenleser]

33. Another addition "Afraid to Debate"...

I'm just thinking about a number of sports analogies to this. Its like if either Muhammad Ali or Joe Frazier came out today and said about the other "I always knew he was afraid to fight me" or if tennis legends Pete Sampras or Andre Agassi said about the other "I always knew he was afraid to play me". Or, maybe if Tony Romo and the Cowboys or Tom Brady and the Patriots said of the Giants, they must be afraid to play us, otherwise they would agree to a doover of our playoff or Superbowl games next week.

Who knows, maybe the 1000+ post members of DU are afraid to post new posts on DU.

What is this stupid suggestion by Hillary's campaign? After 18 debates, you guys are suggesting that Obama is afraid to debate? Do those of you who are doing this have any idea how stupid that sounds? I am a political junkie and am burned out on these debates already. I'm so sick of political debates that I am not sure I can muster any enthusiasm for debates in the general election. This has to be the dumbest thing that has come out of any of the campaigns this year.

[PretzelWarrior]

20. K&R!!!! way to go!

[stevenleser]

21. Thank you!

:hi:

[AtomicKitten]

22. She has run an awful campaign and now her desperation is breathtaking.

It's like a car crash you can't turn away from.

[stevenleser]

24. Its like I told a friend who is trying to remain neutral...

Hillarys campaign seems determined to come up with any possible new angle on which to attack Obama. Yesterday, I counted at least five new attacks, two of them on Michelle Obama alone. None of them had anything to do with issues or how one would run the country. This is a completely screwed up way to try to win a nomination.

[AtomicKitten]

25. I think some Democrats are grinding their teeth.

The petty, pointless, and baseless attacks on Obama are far outside any semblance of reason and decency. I must say after the gut-wrenching coup d'etat of 2000, this isn't how I imagined 2008 would go down.

[stevenleser]

32. I'm not sure how any good Democrat would be happy with any of this...

... this is, as someone in this thread said (maybe even you), a train wreck for our party. All of these attacks have got to be hurting our General Election chances. The question is, do the people engaging in the vast majority of the attacks (i.e. Hillary Clinton and her campaign) care about any of that or is their attempt to win much more important than such considerations. Every Democrat is going to have to decide for themselves what the answer is to that question and what it means.

[casus belli]

23. I agree with many of your points, however...

..was it really necessary to include your resume' with the content? By injecting yourself so frequently into the writing, some of your points lose their impact. It ends up coming off as a little narcissistic, if not maybe a little desperate. Let the arguments stand on their own merit. They shouldn't need a bio to prop them up.

[stevenleser]

26. The bio is part of an effort to draw attention to OpEd News, not me...

I normally cross post articles to DU and Kos and when I do I almost always leave out the bio that accompanies my articles as posted on OpEdNews (in fact, I think this is the first time I included my bio in cross posts out of around 50-100 cross posted articles just in the last 12-18 months). There is a new effort to draw attention to how big OpEdNews has grown, several press releases going out now about that and to help I have changed my bio to include some of the stats. I'm just trying to help out the organization that has tried to help me. ;-)

[casus belli]

27. Fair enough. n/t

[workinclasszero]

31. A damning indictment of Hillary's dirty war against Obama

The author has Hillary pegged 100%.

[Perry Logan]

34. The Obamites think Hillary's campaign is dirty. But normal people don't.

[stevenleser]

36. What "Normal People" ???

As soon as you point out what they are doing, people start retching...

[Dogmudgeon]

37. Most of Obama's online supporters have VERY thin skin

And as for dirty, vicious campaigns, this is one of the most genteel I can recall.

--p!

[alteredstate]

38. Kicked and recommended! n/t

[Scurrilous]

39. K & R

:thumbsup:

[CorpGovActivist]

40. If Hillary had her own fragrance, it would be DESPERATION.

[Unbowed]

41. This is going to play bad for Hillary, I'm afraid.

It may have not even have come from her personally, but it came from her campaign. Democrats aren't going to stand for this. We've had enough Republican smears, making huge issues out of molehills (in order to divert us from the issues that matter) and taking every possible word a Democrat says and taking it in the worst possible context for political gain. Bad move to mirror this in a Democratic campaign.

And it does show desperation. The fact that the Clinton campaign chose to make a stink over what was a tiny faux pas at best is a desperate move. This really stinks of, "I'm behind and I can't catch up." (Disclaimer: paraphrasing here of popular commercial.)

The publicity over this is going to make people go out and vote for Obama. It is going to backfire on HRC because the American people aren't as stupid as she thinks we are.

I'm really sorry that the HRC campaign has chosen this route. It diminishes the admiration that many of us had held for the Clintons for many years. In all honesty, they probably want to show that Hillary is tough and will be a match for Republicans in the general. However, it isn't playing that way. You don't show how tough you are by picking on a member of your own family. And that's what we are supposed to be in the Democratic Party. A family.

[Quixote1818]

43. It smells of desperation. People are picking up on it instantly

and it will likely backfire and damage her campaign.

[Unbowed]

44. Did you just plagerize, "Smells Like Teen Spirit?"

:rofl:

[sloppyjoe25s]

42. The level of Desperation in Mrs. Clinton's campaign is Sad

I had hoped she would at least maintain some dignity.

As a result - she is really undermining what is left of the Clinton legacy. There are still a few good parts, and it is in both of their long term interests not to let Mark Penn and this campaign erase the last shreds of positive feeling towards Mr. and Mrs. Clinton.

A good first step would be fact checking. THings like the "plagarism" claim - when she herself is daily using Obama lines - and even lines like "Take Back America" - which are from Pat Buchanan - are really the absolute nadir of desperation.

[PretzelWarrior]

46. Great post. and Kicked for OBAMA