Expect a split decision on Tuesday, but a delegate win for Obama. Unlikely to be enough to end it, unfortunately.

In the meantime, there's this:

This is the sort of thing that makes this year different. Is it enough? No, not by itself, but it speaks volumes.

- dave.i.am //

When John McCain attempts to inoculate himself against the kinds of things that are besetting him now with his self-serving admissions that he's a "flawed" servant in humble service to his nation, I'm reminded of this notion of the "tragic flaw" in Greek tragedy.

The Greek word of origin is "hamartia," which has come to be (mis-)translated as "tragic flaw," as if to say that tragic figures such as Oedipus or Agamemnon had flaws in their characters that, because of their lack of self-knowledge and their inability to correct their ways, precipitated their doom. These characterological, psycho-analytic notions were actually alien to the Greeks themselves. "Hamartia" really means something more akin to "a missing of the mark"--that is, not seeing things right and as a result making all-too-human errors at critical moments. The idea is that the events of the world present opportunities to make choices, and because of the limited ability of mere mortals to discern what's really at work in the harsh reality of a universe run by capricious and deeply mysterious gods, their own native blindness is what causes them to trip up. The fault is really a generic kind, and has little if anything to do with personal or individual failings.

In the modern age, post Freud, we tend to see things in terms of the inner dramas that punctuate and inform our psyches--thus, the "tragic flaw" meme--leading us to make good choices one moment, and poor choices at another. However you want to look at what's unfolding in the arc of the McCain "hero" story, you can't help but marvel at the inner and outer forces at work that have put him in such a compromised position.

Because of the choices he's made along the way, we can rightly call him to account for his errors in judgment that undermine the self-aggrandizing, sanctimonious narrative he wants us all to buy into. (This is fundamentally why I think this is very much a big deal and is unlikely to go away anytime soon.) We can also take a wider view and recognize that McCain, like many politicians, is also a product of a fundamentally corrupt--dare I say, flawed--system that rewards money and the power it represents with undue influence over our political process.

Do I think that Barack Obama is the anti-McCain who can save us all from ourselves? No, not really. But I do believe that, of anyone I've seen on the national political scene in a long, long time, he stands the best chance to restore some integrity to a broken system, where the power of lobbyists and moneyed interests is so completely intertwined with the business of governing, that even a supposedly reform-minded "maverick" can't tell where the line of propriety is drawn and, with his errant actions, keeps tripping over his mismatched rhetoric. The fact that he has missed the mark repeatedly tells us a lot about who he is, but given the fact that he's still standing and even has a shot at the Presidency, it also tells us something about ourselves and how cynical we've become, that all this somehow seems like "business as usual," that to many should be seen as "no big deal."

I disagree that it's not a big deal. Enough already. It's time to clean house.

- dave //

Hillary has lately been getting plenty of payback for the deals she's done with the devil over the years, with her "inevitability" shattered since February's onset and her campaign now in tatters.

O'Reilly now seems to be self-destructing, as his "lynching" comment just might be the straw that broke the big bigot's back.

And then McCain, whatever you may think about the nature of his relationships with shady characters like Keating and other lobbyists who did business with his committee, may have finally gone a hypocritical bridge too far.

Add to all that a lunar eclipse tonight, and you just have to wonder: What ever could be next on the horizon?

- dave //

So here I am, minding my own business, procrastinating a bit when I should be working on ... well, work, and checking out some blogs. And this comes across my pixelized field of vision: McCain Bombshell. And now look over here, too. I find this observation really wild from the former:

For what it's worth, my first thought upon reading this was: "Blaire Hull" and "Jack Ryan." In addition to being a phenomenally talented politician, is it possible that Obama's the luckiest man in the history of civilization?

I'm not usually the kind to pass these kinds of posts along--makes me feel just a little bit unclean and part of the dirty politics machine I want to vanquish--but you must admit, this is just too rich.

First, consider the idea that Senator John "Ethics" McCain has apparently had a very hard time observing proper political and moral boundaries when it comes to his ties with lobbyists. We knew about his Keating Five involvement all those years ago, and now we hear of this questionable relationship with an attractive, strangely Cindy-like woman 30 or so years his junior who had regular business before his committee...

Second, add to this the report (or rather, rumor, to be fair?) that his marriage to his proud patriot of a wife is a sham built on a pretense of propriety...

Third, paint both against a backdrop of McCain's reputation as a young man with a penchant for hard-drinking and fast women, and his occasional high-profile lapses in judgment as a man of experience and influence, and you can begin to see a picture emerging of a man who is, to say the least, "conflicted."

And lastly, how can our jaws not drop in utter incredulity at the converging storyline of our man Obama, whose path to power has been paved with the political carcasses of opponents (how about that for alliteration?) who self-destructed, whether justly or no, over allegations of sexual misconduct? Men who were, in the very least, guilty of making bone-headed decisions and looking like the hypocritical, self-serving, self-absorbed asses they surely were?

Seriously, you cannot make this stuff up. Here I was worrying about how Obama was going to get past Hillary's own brand of self-delusion and denial (reinforced by that band of sycophants of hers seemingly so hell-bent on taking their hybristic vision to its ultimate, destructive conclusion)... and now this drops out of the sky as if to say, "you know that nasty, belligerent old man who lives just down the road from here? You know, the guy who did the deal with the 'W' back at the crossroads of 2000? Who's never met a lobbyist he didn't like in private? The one who keeps calling you a naive whelp and an upstart to your face, and a closet Muslim and Jihadist-enabler behind your back? Well, don't you worry too much about him; we've got your back--just like before."

What an election year. I just have to laugh; I know the gods are.

- dave //

Now, I've already told you why I'm motivated by the Obama candidacy; I've hit on some of the developments in the campaign as fancy has struck; I've also reported on my experience of the Washington state democratic caucuses. I'm reading blogs and following the news almost obsessively now, the truth be told. Many signs point to an Obama nomination after his blow-out victories on the Potomac, but I admit I'm practically holding my breath waiting for the other shoe to drop: some unexpected resurgence of the Clinton candidacy that somehow throws it all into doubt. Aye, she's a wily one.

Sometimes, however, I can't help but let my imagination run wild. The thought occurs to me, for example: what would happen if Obama actually won the Presidency? How would we react as a nation? How would the world respond? Just think of the symbolic impact of an Obama inauguration: new, fresh face; new agenda; a reinvigorated body politic; a chance to "begin anew"; an end to the quasi-tyranny of the Bush years; the strong potential for a salutary correction to the extremes of the past 20-30 or more years; the very embodiment of MLK's dream in a person of remarkable intellectual, political, and rhetorical gifts. (And what a speech he would give!)

An idea begins to take shape in my head that I'm working hard to suppress (no no: can't go there yet; can't put the cart in front of the horse--it's just CRAZY!).... What the hell, why not indulge in a little fantasy among friends?

Here's the thought. What if we found a way to signal as a community--however large we can make it--our celebration of the event? What if, for example, we managed to get everyone, at an appointed hour to turn on their car headlights and honk their horns for 5, maybe 10, minutes? What if we managed to get churches everywhere to ring their bells? What if we somehow managed to enlist the world in such a celebration? Hmmmm. Can you just picture what that would be like? How that would feel?

Forgive me my moment of self-indulgence, here; I'll think about it some more. In the meantime, we still have a nomination to win and months to go before we can even think about how we might celebrate "our moment."

- dave //

Well, I'll be damned. Al Giordano is back! Guess reports of his demise (from the man himself) were greatly exaggerated.

- dave //

Obama has been calling from the Mountaintop; many of us have heard that call and have been moved quite deeply by his messages of national unity and healing. His soaring rhetoric has opened him to the criticism that he's all talk, no action; light on specifics; inspirational, hopeful, but lacking in the pragmatic and hard-nosed sensibilities needed to get things done in Washington. This has been and continues to be the specious argument of the Clintons and their surrogates, as they scramble and sputter in a to-the-death nomination battle they never expected to have to fight.

Obama has done a decent job of countering this view, stating, for example, with his inimitable lyricism that "in the unlikely story that is America, there has never been anything false about hope." It's worth noting, however, that he's beginning to tack now toward a more pragmatic appeal, with a harder edge that puts the lie to the notion that he's somehow "too nice" to win and drive real change. This is good and necessary; there's no mistaking the strategic and tactical gifts of this candidate. He's putting together a message, bit by bit, state by state, that's making a stronger and stronger case for his candidacy on multiple levels, as he introduces himself to new audiences, while carrying along and keeping energized those he had won over long ago.

He won me over a little over a month ago; seems like it's been ages already.

- dave //

The experience today in the trenches was unforgettable and exhilarating.

I helped organize a team of captains over the past month that numbered at our height (today) about 30, to cover 97 precincts and 11 caucus sites. I'd like to think that our efforts helped deliver Ballard to Barack; in fact, I'm sure it did: the dedication and passion I saw in our team was the very embodiment of the Obama message that "we are the change we've been waiting for." Whether our efforts had that much to do with it or not, some 3-4 times the number of expected caucus-goers showed up. The facility I was in, Adams Elementary (about a block up from where I live), was overwhelmed.

An interesting and emblematic observation: Clinton supporters showed up and out-postered us by 10-1 and then were nowhere to be seen; we stayed, connected the best we could with the streams of people coming through the school doors, explained to them politely and clearly what they needed to do and where they needed to go, and let the process work. We stepped in as needed for points of clarification, offered what help we could, and supplied extra voter registration forms and sign-in sheets to the Democratic Party officials who were running the show when their supplies ran out. I know of some captains who stepped up to become caucus chairs, tally clerks, or secretaries, and who were able to do so because they had adequate preparation and a stunning and life-affirming will just to try. We came to realize that where we were short on posters and swag, we could make the difference with our people. In the end, it was all about the people; and in the end the margin of victory at my caucus site was something like 3 or 4-1.

Across Ballard, the story was much the same, as my captains reported in to me spontaneously throughout the afternoon: victories on the order of what I experienced at Adams.  Even where we had to improvise, the outpouring of interest and enthusiasm for Senator Obama was irrepressible and the efforts of Ballard caucus site and precinct captains were instrumental in channeling it and helping the community determine its consensus.

To be clear, I don't claim credit for what happened today, and I know my team doesn't claim credit for it; but I do know that we all felt like we made a difference, because we cared and because we understood fundamentally the "fierce urgency of now." True credit belongs to the thousands of people who heard the call and cared enough to show up, stand up, and be heard today.

- dave //

Al Giordano, sadly, unfortunately, goes back to his day job. I was just getting to know him and his perspectives on the campaign, looking forward eagerly to his next post for some insightful comment or bit of news. I feel like we were just starting to date, things were looking promising, and then--bam! out of nowhere--he tells me he just can't give me the attention I need and he has to let me go. Sigh. Sometimes everything seems like dating.

Stability in the blogosphere there ain't.

- dave //

Came across this post on how "Obama is not Jesus."

I think it's worth bearing in mind that we don't need to be saved by anyone; we need to save ourselves if anything. This is how I understand Barack's position, anyway, that "we are the ones we've been waiting for."

It's not about him, ultimately; it's about us and what we choose to do for each other and, by extension, for our country.

Just my 2c.

dave //

This morning, after precious few hours of sleep, I got up and brewed the first of 3 pots of coffee for the canvassing teams due to show up at 10:00.

Sometime late last night, I was wondering why the hell I was doing all this stuff for the campaign, fighting with the Votebuilder tool, cutting up turf, and printing up the coveted "walk lists." I just wanted to get to bed (but it's just as well I didn't bother, since I was still quite jacked on caffeine).

Then it came at 1 am. A mail on one of the Obama listservs:

YES WE CAN!
And this new video by the lead singer of Black Eyed Peas is unbelievable!!!
EVERYONE, PLEASE WATCH THIS VIDEO AND SEND IT TO EVERYONE YOU KNOW! It's inspired by Barack's speech in New Hampshire.
Please get this video to go viral
Link
YES WE CAN!!!

I must've watched it five times, the printer making that shook-shook-whiz sound in the background all the while.

And it suddenly didn't matter how late it was, it didn't matter that I got my car into a freakin' wreck in the afternoon, and it didn't matter that I had to break off a great getting-to-know you conversation with a beautiful young woman earlier in the evening because I had to go get the canvass materials ready.

So what do you think this is about? Just another political fad that will dissipate in a month or two?

Yes, YOU can, too.

- dave //

Hard to read the tea leaves of national and other polls, even harder it is to put much faith in wishful thinking on the part of lots of pro-Obama analysts and bloggers. Nonetheless, the Hillary camp must be worried at trends that show Obama taking off with endorsements, donations, a persuasive debate performance, and traction in key "Tsunami Tuesday" states and constituencies (like the Hispanic vote). Nonetheless, much as in any sport (like baseball), momentum can very easily shift and the back and forth, up and down of it could continue for quite some time. Risk there is a protracted struggle can play into the hands of the GOP, which appears to be gelling around McCain. Watch out for how the "superdelegates" break after Tuesday.

And indeed, what about Gore?

- dave //