Congressman Bill Delahunt of Massachusetts today made an amazingly outrageous comment during a House hearing. Watch the clip below:

"I'm glad they finally have a chance to see you?" That would be Al Qaeda? Making matters worse, Delahunt offered an embarrassing effort to clean up his mess, saying he meant that he was happy to see Addington. Seriously.

"I'm sure they are watching. I'm glad they finally have a chance to see you, Mr. Addington, given your penchant for being unobtrusive."

Not much room for interpretation there Congressman.

There's a new candidate for president chanting "Den-ver! Den-ver!" Independent presidential candidate and, some say, Al Gore spoiler Ralph Nader has a bone to pick with the DNC's heir apparent, Barack Obama, and plans to take them to task at August's Democratic National Convention. From The Rocky Mountain News:

"He wants to show that he is not a threatening . . . another politically threatening African-American politician," Nader said. "He wants to appeal to white guilt. You appeal to white guilt not by coming on as black is beautiful, black is powerful. Basically he's coming on as someone who is not going to threaten the white power structure, whether it's corporate or whether it's simply oligarchic. And they love it. Whites just eat it up."

Earlier in the interview, he asks why Obama isn't pressing certain issues, saying, "Is it because he wants to talk white? He doesn't want to appear like Jesse Jackson?

The interviewer asked him to clarify that he was saying that Obama does try to "talk white," and Nader's reply was, "Of course."

The interweb is abuzz with headlines of the "gaffe" (is this really going to hurt Nader's chances?), so I thought I would give the Nader campaign a call and see what they had to say for themselves. A lot, it turns out.

Update: The Obama campaign released this statement last night, via email:

"Barack Obama welcomes a debate about terrorism with John McCain, who has fully supported the Bush policies that have taken our eye off of al Qaeda, failed to bring Osama bin Laden to justice, and made us less safe. The fact that John McCain's top advisor says that a terrorist attack on American soil would be a 'big advantage' for their political campaign is a complete disgrace, and is exactly the kind of politics that needs to change. Barack Obama will turn the page on these failed policies and this cynical and divisive brand of politics so that we can unite this nation around a common purpose to finish the fight against al Qaeda," said Obama campaign spokesman Bill Burton.

The Obama campaign holds a conference call with 9/11 Commission member Richard Ben-Veniste today to discuss Black's remarks.

John McCain is doing damage control today after campaign adviser Charlie Black told Fortune magazine that a major terrorist attack on the U.S. could benefit his candidate. From Reuters/AOL News:

Fortune Magazine said Black, in discussing how national security is McCain's strong suit, had said when asked about another terrorist attack on U.S. soil that, "Certainly it would be a big advantage to him."

McCain quickly denounced the remarks, and, of course, wondered about the context:

"If he said that -- and I do not know the context -- I strenuously disagree," McCain told reporters at a news conference in Fresno.

"I cannot imagine why he would say it. It's not true," McCain said, adding that he has worked hard since the September 11 attack to prevent another such attack.

What's really eerie is that McCain and I are in agreement here. I had planned to write a story today about McCain's dimming electoral chances, and the headline I thought of yesterday morning was, "Even an Orange Alert Can't Save McCain."

Ben Smith at Politico is reporting that two Muslim women wearing headscarves at an Obama rally in Detroit Monday were barred from sitting behind the podium - in full view of TV cameras and photographers - by campaign volunteers.

Big 'oops.'

The campaign has apologized to the two Obama supporters who said they felt betrayed. Michigan is home to one of the largest Arab and Muslim populations in the U.S.

"I was coming to support him, and I felt like I was discriminated against by the very person who was supposed to be bringing this change, who I could really relate to," said Hebba Aref, a 25-year-old lawyer who lives in a Detroit suburb, reports Politico. "The message that I thought was delivered to us was that they do not want him associated with Muslims or Muslim supporters."

Campaign spokesman Bill Burton said it's not the policy of the campaign to discriminate who sits where during these events, saying, "it is offensive and counter to Obama's commitment to bring Americans together and simply not the kind of campaign we run." The campaign's advance director called one of the women to apologize.

During a "Virtual Town Hall Meeting" on Saturday, John McCain was asked a tongue-in-cheek question, but took it seriously, channeling a little Michelle Obama in his response. From Politico:

The questioner noted that he had been educated at Princeton and Harvard and made more than $300,000 a year.

"How can I be proud of my country?" he asked.

"I'll admit to you that it's tough, it's tough in some respects," McCain said, seeming to lend credence to Michelle Obama's observation.

McCain said America needed to be "more humble, more inclusive."

This flies in the face of current political orthodoxy, which states that everything America does is perfect, and that to say otherwise is tantamount to treason.

Good for John McCain for showing an appreciation of nuance, when most other Republicans think it is a wine region in France. Unfortunately, the GOP nominee doesn't apply the same filter to incoming communications.

Terrorist fist jabs and now Obama Baby Mama?

Fox News Channel's "Fair and Balanced" moniker has always been open to interpretation. It's widely recognized that they have a decidedly right tilt since it's inception - a antidote to the left-wing media. And they have a huge audience...

Fox's coverage of the Democratic primary campaign was a study in funny. Hillary Clinton, the most hated female in Democratic politics since Eleanor Roosevelt, became a conservative darling while Barack Obama was consistently portrayed in the worst light possible. Every scurrilous rumor and chain email was duly reported 24/7. Hillary supporters flocked to Fox in droves. Sean Hannity inadvertently became the Clinton campaign's best friend.

Just this past week or so, we could see that the general election coverage will be going in roughly the same direction. Fox's E.D. Hill, in reaction to the fist bump that Barack and Michelle Obama shared before his victory speech last Tuesday, came out with this teaser, "A fist bump? A pound? A terrorist fist jab? The gesture everyone seems to interpret differently. We'll show you some interesting body communication and find out what it really says."

Liberal media watchdog group, Media Matters, issued a "Call to Action" to write, call and sign a petition. Hill later apologized. Interestingly enough, this came on the heels of E.D.'s show being canceled. She'll continue with Fox "in a capacity to be determined".

After the jump, Fox News tries to talk "street" and get it all wrong..

John McCain wasted no time responding to Barack Obama's firing of a key vetter for his Vice Presidential pick:

"Jim Johnson's resignation raises serious questions about Barack Obama's judgment. Selecting the vice presidential nominee is the most important decision a presidential candidate can make and one even Barack Obama has said will 'signal how I want to operate my presidency.' By entrusting this process to a man who has now been forced to step down because of questionable loans, the American people have reason to question the judgment of a candidate who has shown he will only make the right call when under pressure from the news media. America can't afford a president who flip-flops on key questions in the course of 24 hours. That's not change we can believe in." -McCain spokesman Tucker Bounds

"We're going to go through a process in the vice-presidential search where I look at a whole range of options. This is one of the most important decisions I can make, and I think I'll signal how I want to operate my presidency." (Barack Obama, Interview With NBC's Brian Williams, 6/4/08)

As Andrew Sullivan points out, this isn't a gaffe. Like the president, John McCain wants a long-term military presence in Iraq. Something on the order of Korea. That's why bringing the troops home "is not too important." Have a look at the video that's circling the blogosphere:



A programming note, I'll be off for a couple of weeks on a much needed family vacation. Be well, gentle readers.

Boy does this sting. After my piece on how the purported Michelle Obama "Whitey" video was nothing but an idiotic rumor started by a bunch of hacks, some intrepid soul actually went out and tracked the hateful performance down. Still working on getting all the egg off my face. So here it is. Brace yourselves, it's bad. Really bad:

"Help me, Obi-Ron Paulobi, you're my only hope!" – Satirical Construct of John McCain and Princess Leia

Aside from the fact that Hillary Clinton just can't let a guy have his moment, one other thing is clear from last night's speeches: John McCain is in deep doo-doo. If he doesn't figure out a way to counter Barack Obama's historic momentum, far superior platform, and unparalleled political skills, he may as well take a nap so he can be fresh for the Early Bird Special on Election Day.

Lucky for McCain, he has me to give him advice. Lucky for America, there is no chance he will take it. Of course, any of you Mac Backers out there who know how to use the internet, feel free to email him this article so he can at least have a fighting chance.

With or without Hillary Clinton, last night made it clear that McCain is badly outgunned against Obama. I'm going to assume Hillary will be the VP, because only a complete moron would pass that ticket up. McCain's only prayer is to make Ron Paul his VP