At long last, it seems like the end is in sight. Clinton finally fell prey to her own expectations game. After weeks of hammering Obama from all sides, he not only won, he won big, and he did it against all expectations and against all odds.

But if we've learned one thing, it's that Hillary Clinton is nothing if not tenacious, determined, and hungry for the Presidency. Others have analyzed her possible attempts to take this all the way to the convention in August, a desperate last resort that may yet happen. But what if that's not the worst that can happen?

Let's talk about "scorched earth."

Remember when only the bad guys used torture?

That's still true.

Many of you are probably familiar with the Net Neutrality issue. For those that aren't, I recommend the excellent SaveTheInternet.com for some background.

We're all excited about the Pennsylvania primary tomorrow, and certainly I'm not one to understate its importance. But tomorrow is also notable in that the Commerce Committee of the US Senate is holding hearings on Net Neutrality.

For those of us in the Netroots, especially, this issue is of critical importance. We know that the entire movement relies on equal access to the internet. But is that equal access protected?

The shoddy debate tonight has been blogged into oblivion, I'm sure. From lapel pins to "bittergate," we're all sick of the trivial questions. And from the Iraq war to economics and torture memos, the substantive political questions have been asked, and asked well, by smarter folk than I, right here on DKos and dozens of other excellent blogs.

So I'm tuning out of the politics for a bit and asking you guys for help with a REALLY deep question. Philosophically inclined folks, intellectually curious people, and those of you who have read literally everything else to read on the site (it's happened to me at 4 AM :lol:), feel free to follow me below the fold as I begin the first in a series of rather deeper question and (hopefully) answer sessions.

The Olympic opening ceremonies.

Despite protests from Tibet and Darfur activists, they proceed with great fanfare and elaborate ritual. The conspicuously absent teams - England, Canada, Switzerland, most of NATO - hearken back to the Cold War era. A defiant Chinese team proudly and enthusiastically takes to the track in their gleaming, modern uniforms. They are followed by resurgent Russia and a majority of the world's nations.

And then, the US flag appears. A shockingly small delegation - the captain of each US  relay team, running, swimming and the rest - marching subdued but proud, the Stars and Strips streaming behind them as they, one by one, hand off the relay baton that each of them will be competing with to the next in line.

As they reach the middle of the track, the final runner receives the baton, and as if on command, the entire team stops at attention as this last runner trots over to the audience and hands the baton up to President Barack Obama, who stands up and says, first in English and then in his native Bahasa Indonesian:

We're all fully aware of what's been going on with Mukasey's statement and the implications therein. Where we sometimes lack, I feel, is in our outreach to the "regular world." This is a critical component for us. Part of breaking the MSM's monopoly definitely lies in getting more people into the blogosphere, yes - but another part also lies in getting our additional information into the public access in our own right.

Last time I argued for the power of humour and slogans for conveying that information. Tonight I'm going to share a post I made in a non-political journal I keep on a social networking site for ravers. It's a post designed to bring the less informed and probably less enthusiastic up to speed on what happened, break down the implications, and hopefully send a few shivers - and a little steel - down their spines. And it's written informally but aggressively - it's a social networking post, but it gets the point across.

I encourage you to look into the opportunity to pursue similar ways of getting our message and beliefs and, most importantly, information out there. People don't realize how important politics can be to their day to day lives - but we do. Consequently, it is up to us to be the educators.

Article below the fold.

Pop quiz: which of the following statements are you most likely to remember tomorrow?

A) "John McCain has cited his foreign policy experience extensively, but just recently he confused Shi'ite Iran with Sunni Al-Quaida - again."

B) "John McCain has voted against environmental legislation again and again in his Senatorial career."

C)"John McCain - winning the war on nature!"

So I have a question for my fellow Kossacks.

I work at Spencer's Gifts, a store that prides itself on being fairly humourous and "edgy." We sell a shirt there that shows portrait shots Hillary and Obama side by side, seperated by the words "Bros before Hoes."

Full disclosure - I immediately purchased one even before we put them up for general sale on the floor, literally as soon as they came into our building. I thought (and think) they are hilarious.

We've all been following the polls fairly closely to see what, if any, reaction there might be to the Wright controversy and to Obama's compelling response. And as it turns out, the response was as reasonable as could be expected - a dip in the polls following the controversy, and a gain following the speech, such that net movement worked out to just about zero (as reported right here on DKos).

But what about Clinton's numbers? Have they moved at all?

A new poll from NBC/WSJ shows that they have.

Ok, so the title may be a little over the top. But you know what? For all that the Obama candidacy isn't a cult, it is most assuredly about faith - in ourselves, in our nation, and yes, in our leader.

And like so many other faiths, we sometimes fall short in the expression of our principles.

So here's the challenge, Obama supporters (and I count myself in that group) - can we live up to the ideals our chosen candidate espouses and expresses? Can we work to uplift our entire nation, Republican and Democrat, black and white, Clinton supporter and Obama supporter alike? Can we walk that high road together?

There is one thing about Barack Obama's candidacy that has really set it apart from his opponents' campaigns, both Democrats and Republicans. It is an intangible quality, to be sure, but it is real nonetheless. That quality is hope; it is inspiration; it is passion.

Has any of that changed?

As reported in the Chicago Tribune's online political blog, "The Swamp," Clinton staffers and volunteers manning phone banks to place calls to Ohio voters are calling Obama "Osama bin Laden," then claiming it's a "slip of the tongue."

Sure you can!

I've been quite sick lately and lack the motivation to put together any serious work. So, instead, below the fold you'll find some of my favourite tunes. Hope you enjoy them as much as I do.

As one explores the various political blogs over the course of this election season, it's easy to get caught up in the "echo chamber" and thus get a false impression of how the race is actually going. Consequently, I found myself exploring the blog on Hillary Clinton's own website just moments ago. And a curious difference between her blog and Obama's showed up.

I've been reading science fiction for decades - my second grade teacher gave me a copy of "Flight to the Mushroom Planet" and the first story I ever wrote, in kindergarten and with crayons, was "Space Kitty" - and I've been following politics for almost as long. So naturally, I was overjoyed to pick up "Empire," a science fiction look at near-future America written by one of the paragons of the genre, Orsen Scott Card. The back leaf held a promising synopsis for an entertaining science fiction story with a powerful political message.

It was only half true.

I am just optimistic enough to believe the Obama is going to wrap this election up handily come March 4th. With that in mind - how do we go about welcoming Hillary's supporters back into the fold?

As the candidates debate tonight with CNN and the Congressional Black Caucus  Institute, the topic has turned - time and again, and as is only to be expected - to race.

As the candidates themselves waste no time in pointing out, this field of Democratic candidates is historic. A woman and a black man (and poor John Edwards), standing together to compete for the highest office in the land. And not just standing to compete - indeed, they've both got a very decent chance of going all the way. On this Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, and again, as they are all eager to remind us, it is truly the epitome of Dr. King's vision.

... or is it?

Let me ask you this - which candidate up there best represents the fulfillment of Dr. King's dream?

Is it the African American who speaks in tones so reminiscent of the doctor himself?

Is it the woman, breaking what she calls the "highest glass ceiling"?

Is it the southerner looking to fight for the poorest among us?

The answer, of course, is none of the above.

Before I go any further, let me preface this with a little background.

When I was quite young, I fell into a BBS (yes, this is before the internet) about Neo-Nazi thought. I quickly fell prey to the ideas therein (painfully seductive to an isolated youngster who wanted desperately to feel superior to what I perceived to be the inferior hicks around me) and began to delve into history and politics with a fervor - in particular, World War II.

It should come as no surprise that, upon reaching voting age in 2000, I registered Republican and voted for Bush.