Just an FYI, I will be changing Election Geek over to a new server this weekend so there is a possibility for downtime. I’ve been having a good deal of problems including e-mail and downtime so if I haven’t responded to you, I may not have gotten your message, sorry.

Updates might also be slow while I change over.

Hollywood has been turning out for Barack Obama and a new music video by Will.i.a, packs the stars in pretty tight. Most important for the male 18-35 Internets crowd? Yes friends, Obama has the support of, the Alba! I don’t have a clue what “we are the ones” means, I know it refers to the “we are the change we have been waiting for” but I have no idea what that means either, but again, the Alba.

Charles Gibson gives a rare look inside Senator Obama’s campaign headquarters in downtown Chicago.

John McCain has faced a mounting backlash from conservative media icons who fear he is too “liberal”, the above YouTube clip catching the Senator calling himself a “proud liberal Republican” probably won’t help. To his credit McCain caught his slip-up instantly and rebounded with a joke, but it still wasn’t the best thing for him.

photo credit: desi.italy

photo credit: pasotraspaso

Good morning Geeks.

President Bush Takes on Obama

During this weeks Democratic debate Senator Obama took on a question about the potential of al Qaeda securing a base in Iraq after a US departure. The Senator said if the terrorist organization “was successful” in created a stronghold in the nation, he would consider sending troops back in. John McCain jumped on the remarks and yesterday during a press conference the President did as well.

“That’s an interesting comment,” Bush said at press conference Thursday. “‘If al Qaeda is securing an al Qaeda base — then yes?’ Well, that’s exactly what they’ve been trying to do for the past four years…. That’s one of the challenges we face, is denying al Qaeda a safe haven anywhere.”

MEANWHILE…. Mike Huckabee discussed the Senator’s spending plans:

“If we were doing the Master Card commercial we’d simply say we know what some of the costs are. Some of the items on his agenda? Priceless.”

Secret NAFTA Meeting?
The Internets are abuzz with rumors that Senator Obama held a secret meeting with Canada assuring them not to worry about his anti-NAFTA Rhetoric. It was reported on a Canadian TV broadcast but the Obama campaign denies the meeting took place in the following statement:

“The news reports on Obama’s position on NAFTA are inaccurate and in no way represent Senator Obama’s consistent position on trade. When Senator Obama says that he will forcefully act to make NAFTA a better deal for American workers, he means it. Both Canada and Mexico should know that, as president, Barack Obama will do what it takes to create and protect American jobs and strengthen the American economy — that includes amending NAFTA to include labor and environmental standards. We are currently reaching out to the Canadian embassy to correct this inaccuracy.”

The Canadians deny it too.

Even with the denials John McCain has decided to make it an issue.

Quick Roundup
- The Joint Chiefs chairman Admiral Mullen rebuked Senator Obama & Clinton’s Iraq strategies saying an immediate withdrawal would create a “chaotic situation” and would “turnaround the gains we have achieved, and struggled to achieve, and turn them around overnight.”

- This weeks Democratic debate gave MSNBC its largest audience EVER!.

- Senator Clinton brought in $35 Million for the month of February, Obama people haven’t come out with a total yet but say it is “considerably more”, most believe it is beyond $50 Million. Just recently the campaign hit over 1,000,000 donors.

- Michelle Obama says using her husbands middle name is a Fear bomb.

- Marc Ambinder asks How many delegates does Senator Clinton need to win?

- Rahm Emanuel (D-Ill) believes Democrats will face a suck punch on taxes.

Where Are They Today?
Clinton, Obama & McCain are all in Texas

For those that Twitter, USofA said:

“Torrenting the Democratic Debates S01 Ep20. I’m seeding forever.”

FUNNY.

For those who don’t get it, move along.

photo credit: grenade

The Clinton camp announced $35 Million raised for the month of February. Obama campaign says they will “do better” though released no dollar figure. With that said many observers predict a figure higher than $50 million for the Illinois Senator’s campaign.

photo credit: P/UL

In recent days the use of Senator Obama’s middle name Hussein has become an issue as the Tennessee GOP and radio talk show host Bill Cunningham, appearing at a McCain event, have used it to link Obama to radical Islam in the mind of voters. Michelle Obama, who has repeatedly said this use is part of a ‘fear bomb’ related the idea again yesterday.

From The Swamp:

“They threw in the obvious, ultimate fear bomb,” Obama said today of her husband’s 2004 Senate race. “We’re even hearing [that] now. … ‘When all else fails, be afraid of his name, and what that could stand for, because it’s different.’”

The senator’s wife said that rivals use innuendo to play on fears. “Just as they’re saying it now,” she said.

My thought is this. Obviously the use of his middle name in these and other situations is with negative intent, with that said, it is his middle name. The campaign continue to run away from the simple fact that the candidates name is Hussein, plain and simple. The Senator should have embraced it long ago and dealt with the consequences. The more the Obama people hide from it, the more they declare anyone who uses it is somehow attempting to slander him, the more power they give to the negative attacks.

photo credit: jwalsh

Good morning fellow Geeks! Hope you are enjoying your morning coffee, yes I am doing this late so that cup is probably empty by now. Meanwhile I hope you were born within the strict confines of America’s 50 states. You wearn’t? Well the New York Times thinks you might not be able to run for president, sorry, how about dog-catcher? They are probably wrong, but be forwarned, the paper who claimed an affair for McCain with no evidence now says he might not be able to be president.

Anyway, onto the news.

- As I noted the New York Times published a piece questioning John McCain’s ability to be president because the constitution says, “natural born citizen”. John McCain’s father had the inconvenient task of serving his country at the time of the Senator’s birth, his son was delivered at a military base in the Panama canal zone. The piece gives little definitive on the subject and most seem to agree he can probably run. Still the headline.

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Yesterday a video started circulating of Senator Barack Obama making some pretty basic but still somewhat eyebrow raising declarations in his bid for the candidacy.

photo credit: michelhrv

“I am the only major candidate who opposed this war from the beginning, as president I will end it. Secondly I will cut tens of billions of dollars of wasteful spending, I will cut investments in unproven missile defense systems, I will not weaponize space, I will slow our development of future combat systems and I will institute an Independent Defense Priorities Board to ensure that the Quadrennial Defense Review is not used to justify unnecessary spending. Third, I will set a goal of a world without nuclear weapons, to seek that goal I will not develop new nuclear weapons, I will seek a global ban on fissile material, I will negotiate with Russia to take our ICBM’s off hair trigger alert and to achieve deep cut in our government arsenals.”

The video was made for the organization Caucus4Priorities whose stated mission is to “redirect 15% of the Pentagon’s discretionary budget away from obsolete Cold War weapons towards education, healthcare, job training, alternative energy development, world hunger, deficit reduction. This 15% cut, or $60 billion dollars, on obsolete weapons systems and the further proliferation of nuclear weapons does not include the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and in no way impacts homeland security or our defense.”

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