No No, THIS is Appeasement

President Bush last week made a veiled accusation that Barack Obama would attempt to appease Iran by holding diplomatic talks. Conversely he's doing the same with a government that is as equally if not more reprehensible.

From the WaPo:

Bush Straddles His Hard Line in Engaging Sudan

Sometime in the next few weeks, a special envoy of President Bush plans to meet with Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir, whose government sheltered Osama bin Laden and pursued a scorched-earth policy in southern Sudan that resulted in more than 2 million deaths.

Bashir's government has been accused by Bush of participating in a "genocide" in Darfur, the only U.S. government use of such a strong accusation. Yet Richard S. Williamson's visit to Khartoum follows a series of direct contacts by senior Bush administration officials with the Sudanese president, including Secretaries of State Colin L. Powell and Condoleezza Rice, Rice's deputies, and several special presidential envoys.

Bush has spoken to or exchanged letters with Bashir on numerous occasions, underscoring how White House policy has departed from his pointed public call to shun talks with radical tyrants and dictators. His appointees have also pursued aggressive diplomacy with North Korea and Libya and have even conducted limited business with Cuba, Syria and Iran.

In the case of Sudan, experts are deeply divided about how much the administration's engagement has improved conditions in a country beset for decades by mass violence and famine. It has at least provoked charges of hypocrisy, because Bush recently accused those advocating talks with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and other radical figures of "appeasement."
...

Bush's Sudan policy has relied more heavily on diplomacy than that of the Clinton administration, which tried to isolate Sudan because of its ties to Osama bin Laden, imposed stiff sanctions against the government and placed it on the official list of state sponsors of terrorism.

My definition of appeasement is "all carrot, no stick"and that pretty much sums up this administration's policies towards Sudan.

Bush administration officials have acknowledged in the past that they have offered to restore full diplomatic ties, lift economic sanctions and remove Sudan from the American list of state sponsors of terrorism in exchange for concessions on Darfur.

Yet each Sudan failed to make any meaningful progress in ending the genocide did we up the sanction or call propose international sanctions via the UN security council? Contrast the crimes of Syria. Yes they actively support several terrorist groups but does the combined body of those groups come close to those murdered by the Janjaweed and Sudan's own military?Nope. So given the difference between the severity of their crimes why is one given the cold shoulder and the other treated with kid gloves? I have no good answer. All I can say is that I'm tired of the appeasement and the hypocrisy. Its high time for either some stick or some consistency.

Memorial Day

And when the wind in the tree-tops roared,
The soldier asked from the deep dark grave:
"Did the banner flutter then?"
"Not so, my hero," the wind replied.
"The fight is done, but the banner won,
Thy comrades of old have borne it hence,
Have borne it in triumph hence."
Then the soldier spake from the deep dark grave:
"I am content."

Then he heareth the lovers laughing pass,
and the soldier asks once more:
"Are these not the voices of them that love,
That love--and remember me?"
"Not so, my hero," the lovers say,
"We are those that remember not;
For the spring has come and the earth has smiled,
And the dead must be forgot."
Then the soldier spake from the deep dark grave:
"I am content."

Blogger Food Drive Week 3 Update

Week three continued the double digit donor trend which has been this drive's saving grace. As we move into the final stretch I'm hoping for a few last minute donations. Towards that end this week I'll donate one pound of rice for every person that donates to the drive.We're at seventy two pounds so far and it'll only fourteen one dollar donations to make it an even hundred pounds.

This week I'd like to that Progressive Conservative from The Big Stick for his generous donation.

And as per the rules here's the receipt for my five pounds:

TGIF

Sticking with the theme...

Five for Fighting

Obama Enters the Veepstakes

Looks like he's not going to let McCain get ahead of him in the Veep hunt...

From the AP:

Obama has asked former Fannie Mae CEO Jim Johnson to begin vetting potential vice presidential picks, Democratic officials said Thursday. Johnson did the same job for Democratic nominees John Kerry in 2004 and Walter Mondale in 1984.

Obama refused to acknowledge Johnson's role when The Associated Press asked the Illinois senator about it in the Captiol Thursday.

"I haven't hired him. He's not on retainer. I'm not paying him any money. He is a friend of mine. I know him," Obama said. "I am not commenting on vice presidential matters because I have not won this nomination."

The Democratic officials spoke on a condition of anonymity about a process that the campaign wants to keep quiet.

Vice presidential searches are usually closely held secrets, but Obama campaign officials say the effort is being handled by a particularly tight circle of advisers.

Additionally Obama spoke about building a Lincolnesque "Team of Rivals" in Louisiana today.

I can tell you this. My goal is to have the best possible government. And that means me winning. So, I'm very practical in my thinking. I'm a practical guy. One of my heroes is Abraham Lincoln. Awhile back, there was a wonderful book written by Doris Kearns Goodwin called 'Team of Rivals,' in which she talked about how Lincoln basically pulled all the people he'd been running against into his Cabinet. Because whatever personal feelings there were, the issue was, 'How can we get the country through this time of crisis?' I think that has to be the approach one takes to the vice president and the Cabinet.

That makes a certain amount of sense considering that he was running against some highly experienced political players like Biden and Richards. Both of them have much to bring to the table. However I don't see either of them as Veep. Biden lacks lacks energy and charisma. Richardson has those but is America really ready for an all minority presidential package? Sadly enough I don't think so. But both of them are ideal for cabinet positions. Ultimately Obama needs someone that can carry a state for him, debates well, is a little older, has more experience, and can get a crowd on its feet.

Got any suggestions?

McCain to Interview Potential Veeps

McCain is scheduled to hold meetings with Mitt Romney, former Florida governor Charlie Crist, and Governer Bobby Jindal of Louisiana this weekend.

From the NY Times:

Senator John McCain is planning to meet this weekend with at least three potential Republican running mates at a gathering at his ranch in Arizona, suggesting that he is stepping up his search for a vice president now that the Democratic contest appears basically decided, according to Republicans familiar with Mr. McCain’s plans.

Gov. Charlie Crist of Florida, Gov. Bobby Jindal of Louisiana and Mitt Romney, the former governor of Massachusetts and a one-time rival for the Republican nomination, have all accepted invitations to visit with Mr. McCain at his ranch in Sedona, these Republicans said.

After a week of campaigning, Mr. McCain is heading home on Friday for three days without a public schedule. His campaign described this as a social weekend that would include a number of couples, and — as has been its policy it declined to discuss any aspect of the vice presidential search.

“We don’t talk about the V.P. selection process,” said Steve Schmidt a senior adviser.

Of the three Romney makes the least sense. Sure he'd help assuage the base but against Obama he'd do noting to rake in the independents. Crist is well liked in Florida and did get some good common sense legislation passed so while he'd probably cement the state for McCain unless he debates really well he may again not pull in enough support from outside the party to ensure a victory. Jindal however being a Catholic of Indian descent would help McCain against Obama but his being a proponent of Intelligent Design could work strongly against him. Plus there is always the possibility that he'd be viewed as McCain's equivalent of Dan Quayle.

I'm thinking that McCain has to be wishing that The Governator wasn't intelligible for the job. After all he's well known, white yet ethnic, and could potentially carry California for McCain. Personally I'm surprised that Mark Warner wasn't invited as well. He'd do a lot more to show that McCain isn't W the Second than anyone else with the possible exception of Chuck Hagel (whose anti-Iraq war position excludes him from consideration). Sometimes its tough to be the presumptive nominee.

*Updated*
Over at The Gun Toting Liberal GTL states that he has an inside source that says McCain prefers Jindal but isn't picking him for fear of appearing to have caved in to the Far Right and in particular Rush Limbaugh.

Quote of the Day

"Hey, the concepts of fiscal restraint and minimal interference by the government in the lives of its citizens have a lot of value. Too bad that we don't have any political parties that believe in that." - Me

Dear Mr Pesident

Back when you were originally running for president you said that you'd make charitable donations a deduction on the 1040EZ. When exactly is that going to happen?

Sincerely,

Dyre42

Expected Results

Clinton won Kentucky and Obama won Oregon. While it appears that Clinton cut into Obama's pledged delegate lead she failed to drop him below a triple digit lead. Meanwhile superdelegates continue to defect to Obama's camp. Will Clinton capitulate? Nope, she going to fight to the bloody end unless she gets what she wants. Over at Stubborn Facts Tully explains:

That internal division of power and perks applies even if the nominee loses the general election. With the party looking to be in control of both houses of Congress for the immediate future, the rewards are enormous.

As point person for the DLC/Centrist faction, there is no real reason at all for Clinton to concede at this point even if she knows she won’t win the nomination. Unless the party leaders and the opposition faction agree to give HER faction some outsized influence at the convention, the power play for Clinton and for the DLC/Centrist faction is to continue fighting, to grab more sway and more delegates for the control-of-the-party intramural scrimmage coming up...a series of negotiations where close really DOES count.

In other words it ain't about probabilities. Its about power. And to think some folks don't understand why Clinton has such high negatives.

Finally

Over the course of my blogging career I've had a few major technical setbacks. The first is when Real Clear Politics' Buzztracker moved to Fox News they dropped my blog from their rolls which resulted in a 50% decrease in traffic. The second being that Technorati quit indexing my blog for about a year resulting in further loss of traffic (I really was blogging about Ron Paul because he and his followers were interesting and not just trying to suck in extra traffic). While the former was eventually fixed it didn't matter as it appears that RCP Buzztracker lost a lot of traffic due to the move. The latter however was finally fixed Technorati began spidering my blog as of today and that means that all links here now count towards your Technorati authority. The downside is I lost fifty points of authority in the process. Frankly I'd rather have the extra traffic and be able to help those that I link to gain a little authorotai.

So enjoy the link love folks. You deserve it.

Buffett Backs Obama

Warren Buffet defected from the Clinton camp citing economic reasons....

From the AFP:

Warren Buffett, the world's richest man, is backing Barak Obama for US president and thinks current US economic policy will push the dollar lower against other global currencies

Buffett told a press conference here Monday he had offered support to both Obama and Democratic rival Hillary Clinton but that since it appeared Obama would win the party's nomination, "I will be very happy if he is elected president.

"He is my choice," Buffett said.

Commenting on the US economy, the 77-year-old investor who is known as the "Sage of Omaha," stressed that fiscal, monetary and trade policies were of great importance.

"I think that the US has followed and is following policies which will cause the US dollar to weaken over a long period of time," he said.

I'm surprised that he endorsed Obama for the reasons cited. Obama has a good idea or two regarding the economy I don't see anything truly amazing about it. While this has to be a blow to Clinton I don't see where its going to change many minds nationally save for a few fiscally conservative Dems and Independents that are Buffett fans. However if Buffet actually fund raises on Obama's behalf McCain may seriously feel the pain. The real question is since Buffet has reconsidered how many superdelegates are going to follow him just to stay close to his money?

H/T to Memeorandum

Obama Has Double Digit Lead in National Polls

But fares less well against McCain than Clinton.

From Gallup Polls:

PRINCETON, NJ -- Gallup Poll Daily tracking finds Barack Obama with his largest advantage over Hillary Clinton in Democratic voters' nomination preferences thus far, 55% to 39%. Obama's previous largest lead was 11 percentage points, in May 15-17 and April 12-14 polling. His widening lead over Clinton has been evident in each of the last three days of tracking, after the two had been more closely matched earlier in the month.

Despite her growing deficit to Obama in the Democratic race, Clinton continues to poll slightly better than Obama in matchups for the general presidential election vs. John McCain. The latest tracking results, based on May 14-18 polling, shows Clinton with a 48% to 44% lead over McCain among registered voters nationwide, while Obama has just a 1-point edge (46% to 45%) over the likely Republican nominee. -- Jeff Jones

I'm curious as to whether or not the feuding between the Obama and Clinton camps has worked in McCain's favor. Obama previously enjoyed a much larger lead over McCain in the national polls. McCain has largely been doing an interesting mix of Town Hall meetings and appearing on TV shows occasionally popping up in the press to take a pot shots. It definitely appears that this strategy isn't hurting him at all. After all he's pretty good on TV for a politician ( despite being very blinky) and I give his sense of comedic timing good marks. Take this weekend for example:



With a month left in the Dem primaries anyone willing to bet that McCain is actually up a point or two in the national polls by their end at the rate the Dems are going?

Tired of the Primaries?

Then head on over to Happy News where there is no primary coverage whatsoever just all the good news you care to read.

Blogger Food Drive Week 2 Update

Week two of the blogger food drive was even better than week one largely due to another double digit donor. At current prices we raised enough to donate fifty two pounds of food. And now its time to thank everyone who donated this week:

Thanks to Gilded Pages for opting to be our largest donor to date. Your generosity is greatly appreciated.

As promised here's another five pounds from me:

TGIF

I think I'll get a theme going for a few weeks...

Three Doors Down

Sweetie-gate?

Oh please.

The fuss over Barack Obama calling a female reporter "sweetie" and his subsequent apology is non-issue. In fact I wouldn't bother mentioning it save that I think that in some regards it points to differences between rural/urban America as well as cultural the cultural divide that exists between the north/south . Having lived in the South my entire life I can honestly say that I've been called sweetie, hon, or sugar at least once a week for as long as I can remember normally by women I barely knew. Now I'm fairly certain that their intent wasn't to demean me. In fact I gave this matter a little thought a few years ago and came to the conclusion that those who use such terms lightly are generally speaking favorably inclined towards you and either don't know or have forgotten your name.

Maybe its a sign of the times that people would would rather look for offense rather than give someone the benefit of the doubt.

Pinups for Vets

Aspiring actress and model Gina Elise has been making period pinup photos of herself and donating the proceeds of her calender sales to California VA Hospitals.

From Pin Ups for Vets:

I came up with the idea to recreate a nostalgic pin-up calendar that would serve three purposes:

1. The calendars would be sold to raise funds for our hospitalized Veterans.

2. The calendars would be delivered as gifts to our ill and injured Veterans with messages of appreciation from the donors.

3. The calendars would be sent to our deployed troops to help boost morale and to let them know that Americans back home are thinking of them.

Long term readers of this blog might wonder why I occasionally blog about pin up calenders and the answer is simple. I'm a subscriber to the theory that less is more in this instance meaning that a photo of a naked female has no mystery. Additionally those that modeled for period pin up photos frequently had proportions that were much more representative of average females which by the standards of todays men's magazines would be unacceptable (Jessica Alba is a good example). Additionally they approached their subject matter in a lighthearted and often campy way which has a certain appeal to me. Plus pin ups are something of a largely forgotten and under appreciated pop-art form.

Anyhoo take some time to drop by and see check out her site. As for me I think I finally found the right calender to hang up in my workshop as per the tradition.

H/T to OTB

Edwards Endorses Obama

Talk about a day late and a dollar short...

From The Political Radar:

Former Sen. John Edwards is endorsing Sen. Barack Obama's presidential candidacy Wednesday evening, in a dramatic attempt by the Obama campaign to answer concerns regarding Obama's appeal to working-class voters, several senior Democratic sources tell ABC News.

The Obama campaign confirms Edwards will endorse Obama at a campaign rally in Grand Rapids, Michigan Wednesday. The event was originally scheduled to start at 7pmET, but was moved up to 6:20pmET, presumably to have the announcement make the evening news.

Edwards, who ran for president on a platform of eradicating poverty, plans to appear alongside Obama for the announcement. The event comes one day after Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton defeated Obama by 41 points in the West Virginia primary, and Edwards' endorsement will give Obama a key establishment stamp of approval as he attempts to close out the nominating process.

While I'm sure that Obama appreciates the endorsement I don't think he's to happy about the timing of it. It would have benefited him more prior to the PA primary. The fact that Edwards waited to endorse until after after Obama had a lead in both pledged delegates and superdelegates just makes him look opportunistic. After all the vast majority of the race is over. That does however invalidate the rumor that Edwards was promised the AG position by Obama in return for his endorsement. At this point the Edwards endorsement may hasten the current exodus of of superdelegates fleeing Clinton's camp for Obama's banner. In that light if Edwards late endorsement allows the Dems to avoid a brokered convention it may prove to be worth its weight in gold if only to the DNC.

Clinton Wins West Virginia

Not that anyone expected anything different given the demographics...

From the AP:

As expected, roughly 95 percent of West Virginia Democratic primary voters were white. Half of voters were from rural areas.

It was one of the oldest electorates among 31 Democratic primaries with exit polls to date, with four in 10 over age 60. The only other states with somewhat similar numbers were Arkansas, Arizona, New Mexico and Oklahoma — and Hillary Clinton won all four states.

It also was the electorate with the highest proportion — just about seven in 10 — of people who lack a college degree thus far this primary season. The same held true for whites without a college degree — again, historically a strong Clinton group.

According to CNN Clinton picked up nine pledged delegates. Which still leaves Obama with a triple digit lead. Whats more telling is that Obama now has a nine superdelegate lead over Clinton which means all totalled he has a 168 delegate lead over Clinton and if you've been reading Donklephant you'd know that Clinton is starting to hemorrhage superdelegates. Should that trend continue all of the hoopla over Clinton's big win tonight will prove to be nothing more than sound and fury.

Meanwhile McCain is using the extended Dem primary race to rally support via Townhall meetings. Clinton's refusal to capitulate is only buying McCain more time to build up grassroot support and that may very well be the deciding factor once election season starts.

Clinton Campaign Deep in Debt

to the tune of twenty million dollars.

From the WaPo:

Clinton Team Acknowledges $20 Million Debt

CLARKSBURG, W.Va., May 11 -- With her campaign falling ever deeper into debt, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton spent a rainy Mother's Day seeking votes ahead of Tuesday's primary here, turning a deaf ear to calls for her to leave a Democratic presidential contest she has little hope of winning.

Clinton aides continued to insist that she will remain in the race even while confirming that she is $20 million in debt. "The voters are going to decide this," senior adviser Howard Wolfson said on "Fox News Sunday," acknowledging the $20 million figure. "There is no reason for her not to continue this process." Wolfson said he has seen "no evidence of her interest" in pursuing the second-place spot on the Democratic ticket, contrary to rumors that she is staying in the race to leverage a bid for the vice presidential nomination.

In part this shows exactly how badly she wants the nomination. But in my mind I'm left wondering,"If she can't balance her own campaign's budget what is she going to do to America's budget?". However her campaigns debt may be one reason why she hasn't dropped out. After all if you gone twenty mill in debt on one thing wouldn't you ride that horse till it dropped?

Meanwhile over at The Politico Ben Smith offers a few possible exit strategies for Clinton. Of the those listed the one that could conceivably get Clinton to bow out is Hillary Clinton as Secretary of Health. Whats your take?

Another Sign of The Apocalypse

Nancy Pelosi and New Gingrich publicly agreeing on something...



Of course the final sign of the Apocalypse is Tom Delay and Jane Fonda publicly agreeing on anything or (Jeb Bush becoming president which is slightly more likely).

Blogger Food Drive Week 1 Update

Week one got off to a slow start. Not that I expected a landslide of support mind you. After all my target is only a dollar from every feed subscriber and reader of this blog rounded up to an even number.

And now its time to thank everyone that contributed this week..

Thanks to One Fly from Outta the Corn Field for being our first donor.

A special thanks goes out to Doug Woodall for being the first double digit donor. Doug runs the site Spyware Biz which both rates and sells spyware protection. Additionally he blogs at The Spyware Biz blog where he covers computer and internet security related issues and news.

Also thanks to Short Woman for promoting the blogger food drive on her blog.

As promised five pounds per week donated by me:

Just a Reminder

Today is the National Association of Letter Carriers' annual food drive. That means you can donate to your local food bank just by sticking a few edible odds and ends into a bag and putting them out by your mailbox. Its a great way to get rid of that commercially packaged fruitcake and that dusty old can of beets. Just make sure you beat the mailman to the mailbox.

And now a related message from The Harlem Globetrotters

TGIF

I've had this song stuck in my head all day.

Clinton Clinches Indiana But Obama Gains Ground

As expected Clinton won Indiana and Obama pulled in a double digit win in North Carolina. However the Indiana primary proved to much closer than anticipated with Clinton winning by only two percentage points. The net result according to CNN is that Obama widened his lead by eleven pledged delegates this week (twelve if you include Guam). Pretty impressive if you consider that Obama managed that with the Rev. Wright albatross around his neck.

But here is the cold hard truth for Clinton:

Even if she managed to get Florida and Michigan's delegates seated Obama would still have a triple digit lead over her. After all 40% of Michigan's Dems opted to vote for "Undecided".

More Than Just Pretty Words?

It looks like Obama's supporters are doing more than buying into his "Change begins with you." meme. It would appear that they are implementing it. Over at Donors Choose, a site that lets teachers post their projects and donors choose which ones they want to fund, Obama supporters have donated more funds than anyone else and funded five times more projects than Clinton's supporters.

Challenge	Donated	Donors	Students Reached
Give in honor of Barack Obama	$159,347	2327	34446
Give in honor of Hillary Clinton	$29,220	327	10097

How much have John McCain's supporters donated? Less than ten bucks.

I'm curious as to what the total charitable contributions of Obama's supporters are. Unfortunately there know way of calculating that.

In Defense of the Elite

I've been seeing a lot of criticism of "elites" lately. And it seems to me like there is some sort of concerted effort to redefine the word. Its current definition is this...

1.	(often used with a plural verb) the choice or best of anything considered collectively, as of a group or class of persons.

2.	(used with a plural verb) persons of the highest class: Only the elite were there.

3.	a group of persons exercising the major share of authority or influence within a larger group: the power elite of a major political party.

4.	a type, approximately 10-point in printing-type size, widely used in typewriters and having 12 characters to the inch. Compare pica1.

–adjective

5.	representing the most choice or select; best: an elite group of authors.

So by definition Green Berets, Navy Seals, Pulitzer prize winners, and Nobel Prize winners are all elite in that they are the best in their field. By definition two the Rockerfellers, the Kennedys, and the Vanderbilts are elite due to their wealth and social class. By definition three Howard Dean and Mike Duncan are elite. We'll skip four.By definition five The Travelling Wilbury's, The Union of Concerned Scientists, MENSA members, and all of Denise Richards' current and ex boyfriends and husbands are elite.

At first I thought there was some confusion between the word elites and the term elitist But over the course of time the current working definition of elite in newspapers, magazines, blogs, and political sound bytes seems to be:

A person that has access to a public forum who has a either a title or an uncommon job, possesses four or more years of education, who wrote or did something that I don't like, and happens to be of a different political persuasion than I.

This definition is meant to be a slur to infer that the person accused is disconnected from the American public and thus foolish. But here is the rub, the vast majority of those who truly excel in their field are disconnected from the general public either by their talent, skill, vision, or dedication. In fact without the true elite this country would have never gotten off of the ground. Washington, Madison, Jefferson, and Monroe were far from being Joe Schmoe. They were highly educated, wealthy, and influential. Most of the original signers of the Declaration of Independence were the colonial cream of the crop. Conversely most of those being branded as elite today seem to be the chaff in the process of seperating themselves from the wheat.

In my opinion the current anti-elite screed seems to have more to do with partisanship and a resentment of those who were fortunate enough to be afforded better educations than most than it has to do with any rational and objective view of their overall contribution to society. And if the many continue to villainize those who exceed how can we hope to compete in an increasingly competitive global market in which our competitors strive to produce as many true elites as possible?

Clinton a Little Confused?

Because when one week Hillary Clinton is talking about a gas tax holiday and the next week she's talking about suing OPEC at the WTO for being a monopoly...

"We’re going to go right at OPEC," she said. "They can no longer be a cartel, a monopoly that get together once every couple of months in some conference room in some plush place in the world, they decide how much oil they’re going to produce and what price they’re going to put it at," she told a crowd at a firehouse in Merrillville, IN.

"That’s not a market. That’s a monopoly," she said, saying she'd use anti-trust law and the World Trade Organization to take on OPEC.

She's either confused, misinformed, or pandering. After all Russia has the second largest oil reserves of any nation in the world, Venezuela's oil reserves aren't anything to sneeze at, and America produces a considerable amount of oil in its own right. Given those facts how can OPEC have a monopoly? I'm willing to bet that if she pursued such a course of action a few members of OPEC would begin performing "refinery maintenance" resulting in diminished supply just in time to rain on her gas tax holiday parade.

She's either confused about the definition of monopoly, not listening to the experts again, or pandering. Given the fact that she is a lawyer I'm pretty sure she knows what a monopoly is and given her intelligence, her education, and the nature of her job I highly doubt that she's quite that ill informed. So that seems to leave only one possibility.

Portents and Omens

Earlier this week:

Speaking at her Louisville, KY campaign headquarters, Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., told a crowd of supporters Thursday that she is pulling for the filly, Eight Bells, for the upcoming Kentucky Derby.

In selecting Eight Bells, Clinton picked the only girl horse in the race. Perhaps the most fitting move for the woman vying to bethe nation's first woman elected president.

Eight Bells finished the race second and had to be put down. Hopefully Hillary Clinton can escape the latter fate should the former occur.

H/T to OTB

TGIF

And now a man that has turned his questionable tastes into a career:

Richard Cheese

When Marriage Mirrors Politics

My tiny wife and I finally sat down to discuss the brass tacks of merging our finances tonight. She had a simple plan in which my money was deposited into a joint account and she took what was needed from the household and moved it to her account to pay all of our bills with. Now I trust her implicitly. But I couldn't help raise the point that there was no fairness or accountability in her system. Under her system she could be skimming money to buy designer platform shoes that she only wore at work and I'd be none the wiser. (If find that using amusing hypotheticals in really serious discussions helps to keep the tension levels lower.)

So we hammered out a system that promoted both fairness and accountability. My pay gets deposited into the joint account, she takes out a fixed amount to pay our bills with, I have a set amount of spending money per week, and everything left over gets deposited to a joint savings account. Additionally any extra expenses accrued by me that exceed my weekly budget (mostly new shoes, winter coats, software, hardware, and my son's plane tickets) are charged to my one credit card and are paid for out of the savings account at the end of the month.

I didn't make this argument because I distrust mt my wife. She's more honest than I am. But it was the principle that mattered most to me. And the fact that she came up with a plan that was both fair and accountable in the blink of an eye speaks volumes about her. After all only those who don't have your best interests in mind would argue against a just, equitable, and balanced budget.

Of Note

I've been listed on The Best of the Web's blog directory for free under the category "Moderate"! It may not be an award but its the next best thing and it puts me in good company.

Fighting Back (Gas Prices Edition)

Well we did it. We went out and bought a brand new car. After hours of research half a dozen test drives and two weekends spent shopping for cars we finally bought a 2008 Nissan Versa hatchback for me to drive.

We weren't planning on buying a new car quite this soon but my 1998 Ford Taurus' transmission started slipping (only if you gunned it) and rather than spend 700 to 1000$ repairing it when it finally crapped out we opted to trade it in for 700$ (fair market value IMO). We got a good rate of 4.9% due to my wife's superior credit score and monthly payment of 305$ for a 17,000$ car (including extended warranty).

We picked it primarily because it was the most fuel efficient vehicle in its class getting 33 MPG on average (38 MPG possible driving 65, on a flat interstate, with one passenger of average weight, with cruise control on, and the car being well maintained.) was highly recommended by Consumer Reports, and had the most bells and whistles of any car in its class including ABS, key less ignition, built in alarm system, variable speed transmission, power everything (except seats), and a six disk in dash CD changer with bluetooth and Ipod port.

Also of great import is that my tiny wife can see over the steering wheel if the seat is fully jacked up without having any major height oriented blind spots.

Unfortunately the only 2008 model we could find was a light gray without the spoiler and so its a really bland looking car. Especially considering that its major competitors were the Pontiac Vibe:











and the Toyota Matrix














which all were rated well but the Versa beat them out on mileage, power, safety (with ABS), and gizmos. But there isn't a speck of me in the car. I mean my first car was a new 1998 gray Ford Escort. But I chose that car. This one was decided on by consensus, need, and functionality. I assuage myself knowing that I've decreased my gas consumption by 33% which in turn saves me some money, reduces the amount of carbon dioxide I spew into the air, reduced the amount of money that governments that support terrorism receive, and if we use it to run errands on the weekend we'll save another ten bucks a week. But part of me would be much happier if the car reflected an iota of my personality rather than screaming entry level accountant. How American is that?

Who knows, once I slap a " Cthulu in 2008 Why vote for the lesser of two evils?" bumper sticker on it, add a NWF and a Coalition for Darfur window decal to it, and hang up a tacky air freshener I'll feel better about it. Until then at least I can take a little pride knowing that I'm making a tiny sacrifice for my family, my nation, and my world. After all don't the needs of the many outweigh the needs of a few or the one?

Introducing TGIF

I don't post often on Fridays. Largely because I want to spend as much time as possible with my family. I used to do a quick post about Darfur on Fridays but after a while it became apparent that our policy on Darfur wouldn't change until someone else was in office. I feel kind of bad for not posting at least five days a week and so I'm introducing TGIF. Essentially I'll be posting a song or video on Fridays until we get a new administration. After that I'll probably be posting Darfur updates and TGIF. After all reports on Darfur can be pretty grim and you may need something to lift your spirits afterwards.

So with no further aplomb I present the first installment of TGIF:

An anthem for the little guy..



Yes, that is Steve Burns from Blue's Clues with his band aka The Flaming Lips. He's due to have a second album coming out soon.

Blame It On The Grain

If you're currently blaming biofuels for the rise in food prices there's good news and bad news. First the good news. You're right. The bad news is you're mostly wrong. Over at the NY Times Roger Cohen points to the major culprits involved in higher food prices...

Hundreds of millions of people have moved from poverty into the global economy over the past decade in Asia. They’re eating twice a day, instead of once, and propelling rapid urbanization. Their demand for food staples and once unthinkable luxuries like meat is pushing up prices.

At the same time, the rising price of commodities over the past year has largely tracked the declining parity of the beleaguered dollar. Rice prices have shot up in dollar terms, far less against the euro. Countries like China are offloading depreciating dollar reserves to hoard stores of value like commodities.

Food price increases are also tied to oil being nearly $120 a barrel. Fossil fuels are an important input in everything from fertilizer to diesel for tractors.

Over at The Glittering Eye Dave Schuler comes to a similar conclusion:

Factors in rising food prices include:

• Increased demand.
• Rising oil prices (the cost of oil accounts for something like 25% of the cost of grain production).
• Bad government policies.
• Speculation.
• Use of food crops for fuel production.

probably in about that order.

He, like me, is also of the opinion that diverting food to be processed into biofuel is a bad idea. We should be using marginal lands for farming grasses to convert to biofuel, converting agricultural waste to biofuel, and farming algae. The problem is that our subsidization of current biofuels is distorting the market demand for investment in these areas in addition to contributing to higher food prices. Unfortunately since these subsidies are helping prop up many American farmers the reality is that it would currently be political suicide for any member of the House or Senate to take up arms against them. And until food prices become high enough that subsidizing ethanol becomes impractical (as its one of the few things on Mr Schuler's list we can actually control), a large enough breakthrough in the biofuel sources I've mentioned occurs therefore rendering subsidies irrelevant, or there is a major public outcry we're stuck with them.

Of course if the price of beer keeps going up the latter may happen sooner than either of the former.

H/T to The Daily Show for the title

Having a Bad Day?

It could be worse. At least you weren't saved from a lynching by being arrested for being part of a penis stealing ring.

Apparently truth is still stranger than fiction.

Fighting Higher Gas Prices

With some people paying 100$ to fill up their tanks it time to repost my list of gas saving tips...

gasbuddy.com tracks prices all over America on a station by station basis. They have websites for most major cities (insert city name)gasprices.com so for me its sanantoniogasprices.com

Also make sure your tires are properly inflated normally thats 35 on the little meter thingy for most cars and light trucks. Under inflated tires can cost ya 2 mpg.

Remove any dead bodies from your trunk, move that dashboard altar inside, and limit yourself to 1 gun and 2 magazines per car. 100 additional pounds = 1 mpg

Time for that tune up and/or oil change that you've been putting off = up to 5 mpg (if you're bad about maintenance, request platinum plugs, they last for 3 years)

Other maintenance Air Filter (you CAN do this yourself in 5 minutes), PCV valve (costs 5$ and is as easy to change as an air filter), Fuel filter (these suckers vary wildly in price and ease of installation ask your mechanic about it when you get your tune up)

And ya may wanna run a gas treatment through your car next fill up. (I use Marvel Mystery Oil twice a year. I'd tell you why but it'd make a for longer potentially boring post.)

Sam's Club and Costco have the cheapest gas in town if you already have a membership. But don't go buying a 35 to 50$ membership just to save a dime per gallon on gas. However if you start buying you're gas, milk, potty paper, trash bags, water filters, pet food, laundry detergent and Vaseline there you'll save money in the long run. (Note: Costco is usually cheaper than Sam's. Costco caps its profit margin at 20% Sam's doesn't AND Costco's often have liquor stores in them. Always a plus.)

Plus in the event we are ever besieged by Zombies having to pull over to forage for gas as little as possible becomes really important.

Clinton Clinches Pennsylvania Primary

By an impressive 10% margin. The problem is that she only picked up roughly a dozen pledged delegates. As the number crunchers point out she'd have to win by 80% in the remaining races to catch up to Obama. With Obama predicted to win Oregon and North Carolina thats not going to happen. That brings us to the real question:

So super delegates, who is it going to be?

We Interrupt This Primary...

To kvetch about gas prices...

Its official. The weekly cost of gasoline for my family exceeded 100$ this week. That makes it the highest weekly expense right behind food. If current trends continue it'll become the absolute highest weekly expense in about three months. In order to combat this ever growing expense I'm going to see if I can't get my schedule changed so that I go to work two hours earlier so my tiny wife and I can carpool. Additionally she is interviewing to teach at a school closer to home and either I'll be interviewing with an ISP nearby or we'll be buying a car that gets 30 MPG to help offset the cost of me commuting (additionally both of our vehicles are 10+ years old so having a new car has additional benefits.)

Of course it occurs to me now that this would be the prefect time to make an argument for getting a motorcycle. After all they do get better gas mileage than most cars and as long as you aren't insisting on a Harley they cost less than a small car.

Seriously though if we, as a text book middle class family, are looking at making major changes to our lives due to the cost of gas how is this affecting people of similiar means who live in states where the cost of gas is even higher than Texas? Let alone those with lower means and older cars?

McCain Won't Back The New GI Bill

But he is crafting a similar version of his own...

From The Daily Press:

Sen. John McCain, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, has suggested he would oppose a bipartisan measure by Virginia Sen. Jim Webb to expand college tuition benefits for military veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan.

McCain told reporters Monday he was working on alternative legislation aimed at ensuring that troops do not leave the military earlier than planned to go to college.

"We are working on proposals of our own," McCain said on his campaign plane, according to ABC News. "I'm a consistent supporter of educational benefits for the men and women of the military. I want to make sure that we have incentives for people to remain in the military, as well as for people to join the military."

McCain's new move comes as a blow to Webb, a freshman Democrat and former Navy secretary who had been quietly building bipartisan support for months.

Webb's GI Bill, a centerpiece of his 2006 campaign, would pay the college tuition of many military veterans who have served since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. The amount of tuition paid would not exceed the cost of the most expensive state school in a veteran's home state, in most cases.

The current Montgomery GI Bill pays only a small fraction of the cost of college today.

Why won't he just support the current bill? Odds are given the administration's resistance to it because it could conceivably reduce retention goals McCain may sense a veto on the horizon. Although I find the retention argument against this bill to be weak. In my opinion those that want to leave the military will and the additional few that might leave solely to go to go to college because of this bill will be offset by the few that join the military during war time to solely go to college. Should W veto the bill in its current form McCain's will make an excellent plan B to ensure that our servicemen get the quality education they deserve however the logic behind W's and McCain's reticence to support the bill in its current form escapes me.

Clinton Still Leading In Pennsylvania Polls?

Depending on who you listen to she got a six to seven point advantage over Obama ...or not

Zogby:

UTICA, New York—The final weekend before tomorrow's important primary election in Pennsylvania was good for New York's Hillary Clinton, as she made a definitive move toward victory over rival Illinois' Barack Obama, a fresh Newsmax/Zogby daily telephone tracking poll shows.

She gained two points over the past 24 hours as Obama lost one point, and she now leads 48% to 42%, the latest polling shows. Meanwhile, the undecideds dropped by two points. Her edge was three points yesterday but had wobbled within a tight margin. Clinton's advantage is still within the margin of error, but she is close to getting beyond it as Election Day looms.

Gallup:

PRINCETON, NJ -- The peeling away of national Democratic support for Barack Obama seen this past week may have run its course. After trailing Hillary Clinton by one percentage point in Saturday's Gallup Poll Daily tracking report, Obama now leads Clinton by two points, 47% to 45%.

If we assume that Zogby is right even if the margin for error goes in Clinton's favor its not going to gain her a enough delegates to drop Obama's lead below the triple digits. This is the last chance Clinton has to do that and I don't see it happening. That means that after this its all up to the super delegates and how that is going to turn out is anyone's guess at this point in time.

Things I Have Learned

You can have your cake and eat it too. However, its really gross.

The New Shadow War

Against Scientology...



Fifteen protests across the globe and counting. More here.

Hat tip to The Poligazette

Clinton Pulls No Punches in Pennsylvania

It seems that the general consensus is that Clinton won tonights debate. It seems that the moderators put Obama on the hot seat when he was having an off night (again) and this time he didn't have Edwards there to pick up his slack. Marc Ambinder theorizes that the roughing that Obama took might actually come back to bite Clinton in the butt.

But Hillary Clinton has a Reverse-Teflon problem: her negatives are up, and when she's perceived as the attacker, the attacks never seem to settle on Obama and always seem to boomerang back on her. So it would be unwise to declare that Hillary "won" the debate in the dynamic sense just yet. (How much money will Obama raise off this debate? $3m million? $4 million?)

If thats true how much will the fact that Clinton's campaign is currently running 100% negative ads in most PA markets hurt her?

Here's a glimpse into Hillary's ad strategy in the final stretch of the Pennsylvania primary:

In most of Pennsylvania's markets, the only TV ad Hillary is running right now is a negative one -- the spot hitting Obama over his "small town" comments, a political ad buyer who tracks buys in Pennsylvania tells me.

The buyer says that as of this morning, that ad -- and no positive spots -- are running in the Pittsburgh, Erie, Johnstown/Altoona, and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton markets.

Given how tired many are of Rovian style politics nationally could Clinton win PA and by doing so lose the nomination?

What, Me Worry?

About the event of a Zombie attack? Nah. Because all you really need is a good hidey hole, a machete or crowbar, and of course this:



HT To The Daily Dish

Things I Have Learned

If you go to Wal-Mart and buy a six pack of beer, a shop vac, some personal lubricant, a bottle of Wesson oil, and one of those shiny silver emergency blankets the cashier will not only look at you funny, they'll also go out of their way to avoid touching you when they give you your change.

Modernizing the G.I. Bill

Looks like McCain hasn't signed on yet...

From the LA Times:

McCain must lead the charge

A new GI Bill needs his support, yet the war-hero candidate appears reluctant.

By Wesley K. Clark and Jon Soltz
April 10, 2008

Sen. John McCain served his nation with honor in Vietnam, and he is right to be proud of his service. But by hedging on whether he will support a "GI Bill for the 21st Century," he is casting doubt on his own commitment to the newest generation of American heroes.

The Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act, sponsored by Sens. Jim Webb (D-Va.) and Chuck Hagel (R-Neb.), will restore the promise of a cost-free education to those who serve in the military. The original GI Bill transformed American history, providing education for returning soldiers. The GI Bill not only recognized our nation's moral duty for the enormous sacrifices of our World War II veterans, but it helped create America's middle class and spurred decades of economic growth for our country. Economists estimate that the original bill returned anywhere between $5 and $13 for every dollar we spent on it. But the original GI Bill has become woefully outdated, to the point where the average benefit doesn't even cover half the cost of an in-state student's education at a public college.

The Post-9/11 Veterans Act, which has an estimated cost between $2.5 billion and $4 billion, is common-sense legislation. With 53 cosponsors, including nine Republicans, the three other Vietnam War veterans in the Senate and former Secretary of the Navy John Warner, the bill simply updates what the late historian Stephen Ambrose called "the best piece of legislation ever passed by the U.S. Congress." Yet, faced with unprecedented filibusters, it needs 60 cosponsors. As de facto leader of the party, McCain could signal to other Republicans to sign on to the bill and assure passage.

Instead, McCain has said he hasn't had time to read the bill and isn't sure if he could support it. It's hard to believe that neither he nor anyone on his staff has had time to read such an important bill, which has been around since before he started running for president. But, even if true, McCain must do the right thing now.

Frankly I'm surprised he hasn't taken a position on this bill. It seems right up his alley after all. One could could argue that its too expensive right now. In my opinion that would be a short sighted point of view. Given the difference in wages between high school grads and college grads we are effectively enabling people to pay more taxes when the nation invests in their education.

One thing I'm certain of is that if McCain either fails to vote for this bill or votes against the Dem's 527s will be reminding us of it repeatedly once election season officially starts.

Then there's this gem...

The White House has voiced concern on the bill, arguing that if returning troops are offered a good education, they will choose college over extending their service.

And thats wrong in what way? The GI bill is more or less a quid pro quo arrangement. They agree to take care of America in return for us agreeing to take care of them. Once the military appears to be unable to take care of their end of the bargain then suddenly Job Corps starts looking like a better alternative to military service for those seeking money for college.

Of course all of these retention, recruitment, and education issues would be a moot point if we paid our soldiers the same as their private contractor counterparts.

H/T to OTB

Thanks to The Political Cat for linking to this post

U.S. Starts "Manhattan Project" on Cyber Security (Finally)

And it only took the resignation of four Cyber-Security Czars for them to get around to taking the threat seriously...

From Wired:

U.S. Has Launched a Cyber Security 'Manhattan Project,'
Homeland Security Chief Claims

SAN FRANCISCO -- The federal government has launched a cyber security "Manhattan Project," U.S. homeland security secretary Michael Chertoff said Tuesday, because online attacks can be a form of "devastating warfare", and equivalent in damage to "physical destruction of the worst kind."

Speaking to hundreds of security professionals at the RSA security conference, Chertoff cited last year's denial-of-service attacks against Estonia, and hypothetical hack attacks on financial networks and air traffic control systems, as proof that a federal strategy was needed.

"Imagine, if you will, a sophisticated attack on our financial systems that caused them to be paralyzed," Chertoff said. "It would shake the foundation of trust on which our financial system works."

...

The Bush administration's Cyber Initiative has gotten $150 million in funding for this year, and the administration is requesting $192 million for 2009.

Chertoff hopes that the government's new cyber security efforts will lead to technology breakthroughs that it can share with the private sector. Silicon Valley entrepreneur Rod Beckstrom was recently named to head that effort.

In fact, Chertoff imagines the government's cyber security center will transform its current intrusion detection system, named Einstein, into a pre-computer crime detector.

"We might have the ability to understand the signature of an attack before it is launched," Chertoff said. "I think it could become an early warning system that might be able to detect an attack before it is coming. Giving an adversary one bite at the apple before we understand the attack's meta data, or the code, is one bite too many."

One side-benefit of better cyber security is less identity and intellectual property theft...

I've been harping about the need for this for a long time. Its good to see DHS and the administration taking this seriously. The attack on Estonia as well as increased hacking by China into govt and private networks probably greatly contributed to the DHS finally taking network security seriously. I just wish that they had been more proactive in implementing this initiative. Given the amount of time it'll take the R&D people to come up with solutions our networks will continue to be vulnerable for a long while. In theory had we taken up a similar initiative shortly after 9/11 we could have already had security solutions in place by now.

However internet security tends to be reactive rather than proactive. So while I'm glad to see them finally getting the ball rolling on this I'm hoping they'll get everything up and running before the Zombies get us all.

The Other Beginning of the End

Looks like my preferred title is already in use today on another topic.

From Computerworld:

Open source 3D printer copies itself

Based in the Waitakeres, in West Auckland, software developer and artist Vik Olliver is part of a team developing an open-source, self-copying 3D printer. The RepRap (Replicating Rapid-prototyper) printer can replicate and update itself. It can print its own parts, including updates, says Olliver, who is one of the core members of the RepRap team.

New features include, for example, heads that can be changed for different kinds of plastic. A head that deposits low melting-point metal is in development, he says. The metal melts at a lower temperature than that at which plastic melts, which means the metal can be put inside plastic, says Olliver. “That means, in theory, we could build structures like motors.”

Now all someone has to do is incorporate one of these printers into a combat robot and the stage will be set for the eventual enslavement of humanity.

And now a word from our sponsor:

Obama Courting Pro-Gun Voters in PA

A smart play on his part if he's hoping to close the gap with Clinton.

From The Politico:

Barack Obama did not hunt or fish as a child. He lives in a big city. And as an Illinois state legislator and a U.S. senator, he consistently backed gun control legislation.

But he is nevertheless making a play for pro-gun voters in rural Pennsylvania.

By highlighting his background in constitutional law and downplaying his voting record, Obama is engaging in a quiet but targeted drive to win over an important constituency that on the surface might seem hostile to his views.

The need to craft a strategy aimed at pro-gun voters underscores the potency of the issue in Pennsylvania, which claims one of the nation’s highest per capita membership rates in the National Rifle Association.

It also could provide clues as to whether Obama, as one of the Senate’s more liberal members, can position himself as an acceptable choice to a conservative-minded demographic in later primary contests and in the general election.
...
The campaign has asked gun rights advocates like state Rep. Dan Surra, a Democrat from rural Elk County with an “A+” rating from the NRA, to form a coalition of supporters who can vouch for Obama.

“It is clear out there that I am for Obama, and they have reached out to me as a sportsman and a gun owner,” Surra said Thursday. “There has been an outreach to pro-gun legislators, pro-gun people who are sympathetic to Obama’s message.”

The campaign sent an e-mail this week to the Pennsylvania Federation of Sportsmen’s Clubs, saying it would “appreciate all sportsmen taking time to learn the facts: Our candidate strongly supports the right and traditions of sportsmen throughout Pennsylvania and the United States of America.”

And with an endorsement last month from Sen. Bob Casey Jr., Obama got a boost within a community that the Pennsylvania Democrat has courted assiduously. As part of an initiative to move beyond his party’s traditional bases during the 2006 Senate campaign, Casey visited stock car races, demolition derbies and gun clubs. Campaign operatives to both senators are now working closely together.

Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton does not appear to be making the same level of effort. She has reminded audiences in the last few months that she learned to shoot a gun during childhood vacations in Scranton and bagged a duck as an adult. But neither the state Federation of Sportsmen’s Clubs nor her pro-gun Democratic supporters have heard of any specific campaign outreach.

Additionally CNN reports that he's outspending Clinton 3:1 on PA and that he's managed to close the gap between them to seven points. Thats important because Obama doesn't have to win PA to stay in the game. All he has to do is not lose by much. After all if he can go to the convention with a triple digit lead over Clinton he'll seem to be the stronger candidate.

However The Politico article does shine light onto what could prove to his Achilles heel in the general election.

Obama has long backed gun-control measures, including a ban on semiautomatic weapons and concealed weapons, and a limit on handgun purchases to one a month. He has declined to take a stance on the legality of the handgun prohibition in Washington, D.C., which the U.S. Supreme Court is reviewing, although Obama has voiced support for the right of state and local governments to regulate guns.

Simply put McCain's voting record on gun rights is better than Obama's. If Obama stands by his voting record he risks losing pro-gun moderates. If he states that his current position differs from his voting record it'll appear opportunistic and risk looking like any other politician which will cost him moderates who are truly looking for an "agent of change". Its a bit of a catch-22 but how well Obama handles the issue may be a prime indicator of what to expect from him as president.

Things I Have Learned

Never ask a lady,"When is the baby due?" without having prior confirmation that a baby is actually on the way.

Rough Week

So far this week my laptop's hard drive crashed, my slippers gave up the ghost, my favorite hat was mauled by the washer, both of the catfish died, my car's rear driver side wheel has started making a metallic rubbing noise which causes the car to vibrate at interstate speeds (two weeks after shelling out 420$ to have the rear brakes fixed), I caught a cold, and I'm working mandatory overtime every day this week.

Of Note

Over at Right Wing Nut House Rick Moran has a well written and solid post entitled America's Shame in which he expresses dismay over America's use of torture from a conservative point of view. Here's an excerpt:

But for me and many others on the right, the issue of torture defines America in a way that does not weigh comfortably on our consciences or on our self image as citizens of this country. I am saddened beyond words to be associated with a country that willingly gives up its traditions and adherence to the rule of law for the easy way, the short cut around the law, while giving in to the basest instincts we posses because we are afraid.

Drop by and read it. It'll probably be the best post you read today.

Chuck Hagel on The Daily Show

Stewart raises an interesting point around 4:50

Things I Have Learned

Writing fake news is harder than blogging.

Pennsylvania Primaries Postponed

Looks like a significant portion of their voting machines are on the fritz...

From Fox News:

April 1 2008 -Philadelphia- Pennsylvania secretary of the commonwealth Pedro Cortes announced that thousands of voting machines were malfunctioning. In a press conference late Tuesday evening he stated,"Simply put, they (the voting machines) won't start up. We are working closely with the manufacturer Diebold to solve this problem. However, due to the large number of machines affected we are forced to postpone the Democratic primaries until all volunteers are trained to process paper ballots or all of the machines are repaired whichever happens first."
...
"All voting machines will be repaired as soon as possible however the cost of retraining volunteers would have to be covered by the Pennsylvania Democratic Party."
...
Following an emergency meeting party chairman T.J Rooney issued the following statement," The costs of retraining exceeds the amount of funds we have on hand. We have, however, brought this matter to the attention of party's national leadership and expect it to be resolved soon. Rest assured that we will do everything possible to ensure that all Democrats can vote in a timely manner."
...
A spokesperson for Diebold could not be reached for comment.

That means the primary season lull will be even longer. I've spoken before on the dangers electronic voting machines and the problem in PA only serves to highlight my previous points. Simply put when it comes to something as complicated as voting follow the K.I.S.S. rule. Keep it simple stupid. However this situation greatly works on Obama's favor. Since he is the underdog in PA it will allow him more time to stump around the state and drum up support. That may make this a very close race. Ironically it may work out so that Diebold's error may ultimately prove to have more to do with Clinton's undoing than any of Obama's fine rhetoric.

h/t Memeorandum