we are most likely doomed...that is!!

No because they would select Dean, and he would somehow manage to get himself disqualified, leaving us with Gravel.

An all-powerful party leader who dictates the nominee. Throw out the primaries like a month old banana.

I've posted that on DU for at least 5 years. No one agrees but at least it provides credibility for supporting Hillary, and elevation via super delegates. No one can say I always wanted to rely on the will of the people. And super delegates are apparently the closest we'll ever get.

I've lived in Las Vegas for 20+ years. Public handicapping is inept. Whenever there's a dispute between public opinion and the choice of a superior handicapper(s), give me the later every time. Sportsbooks lose to local sharps but win from the general public. And that axiom holds up in more pronounced fashion in the highest profile events. The public thrills to mangle what they think they know best.

But no, we're not screwed. The big picture tends to prevail and 2008 always figured as a slight Democratic edge via open race with an incumbent president with hopeless approval ratings and reputation. But certainly there isn't the margin for error like '06, a second term midterm. The netroots is confident of Obama because they think they magically caused '06, not the incredibly favorable situation. They may get away with it again, due to the economy and Bush at 30%, and still have no clue they aren't as powerful as they imagine.

I actually heard a deranged commentor suggest that at Obsidian Wings earlier.  Kind of a funny thought.

Its all be a complicated master plan, see he's also behind Global Warming (had to build up the credit to run again) and he's spent the last 5 years in his undersea lair planning his revenge, will know that its on when Nader is found dead in a vintage Corvair, bludgenoed with the last remaining stack of unused Butterfly ballots. Watch out Florida you're on the list too!

Ma West never worked for Enron !!

You don't see how Obama getting taken out (especially on this issue) would cripple any chance Hillary would have?  Seriously, there's already talks of Blackouts, and if he goes down on what is essentially not too far out of the mainstream African American theology (note: this is also Tiger Woods, Michael Jordan, and Oprah's church, basically the three most mainstream AA figures in America), there is no way she doesn't suffer from low turnout (on the upside the Green Party might make the 5% threshold in Mckinney gets the nod, and Hillary is the Dem choice).

As much as I respect you, and have enjoyed your posts all these long months, I feel that Obama's national security platform is his strongest appeal and is a coherent and well conceived solution for the global conundrum in which we now find ourselves.  Funny, isn't it?

I seriously, I mean very seriously think we should gather concerned bloggers and supporters from all over the internet and try to help make this reality. Bring back the websites, petitions, make news. I truly think he is our only way out and surefire thing. This idea isn't just confined to you and me. The chance of this going to a 2nd ballot is very high.

which he won, against a stiff opponent, whom he was losing to as early as 1997, which was before Monica http://www.cnn.com/ALLPOLITICS/1997/09/1 2/poll/ And 2000 was a political environment favorable to the GOP. Now it is almost impossible for them to win, only it is very possible we lose. Gore would landslide anyone on the GOP side. He is now even more respected by everyone around the world, got and Oscar, Emmy, Nobel Prize, and now its time get Re-Elected. We need him to appoint judges, as he will do it with a vengeance too

It's a shame you think of it that way. Because if he wins the nom and loses to McCain, that will be far worse then being VP and winning. And then he will have the chance to run again after her. As it is, losing to McCain as well as his promise to never run again kind of knocks out the chance of us seeing him as POTUS. And most (not all of course) do want to see him there one day.

Fair enough, and you'll understand that the Hillary stuff isn't about gender, a lot of us just don't think she has any set positions and is a habitual liar.

In fairness a lot of us 2nd choice Obama people have been saying a person with 50%+ negatives before a ballot is even cast is a doomed choice, and thus weren't goign to hop on the SS Clintanic

Yeah, and Hillary Clinton beat Rick Freakin Lazio in a state even more liberal than Illinois.