The Trail: A Daily Diary of Campaign 2008

wanderingwill, you want a free and open campaign? Clinton's organization is by far the most padlocked. Hillary says she wants open conversation, yet she held virtually no press conferences during her Senatorial campaign and tenure in the Senate, and frequently refuses to appear on the Sunday political programs where serious issues are debated by political leaders. Someone who only answers scripted questions with pre-digested answers is hardly engaging in 'two-way' communication with the people.

Hillary Clinton's experience is mired in controversy, ranging from:

1) turning $1,000 into $100,000 in cattle futures while working for the Rose law firm. She received tips from James B. Blair who was outside counsel for Tyson Foods in Arkansas. In one day she made over $10,000 on day trading which would point to insider knowledge from within Tyson Foods.

Washington Post (please check my references if you like)

2) to Whitewater, a 1980s land deal that went bad and revealed that 1) Bill Clinton exerted pressure on an Arkansas businessman, David Hale, to make an illegal loan that would benefit him and the owners of Madison Guaranty; and 2) that an Arkansas bank had concealed transactions involving Clinton's gubernatorial campaign in 1990.

3) to Travelgate, the 1993 firing of seven longtime employees of the travel office, which handles travel arrangements for reporters and television crews covering the president. Hillary Rodham Clinton, who is alleged to have pressured White House lawyers into dismissing the travel office staff and bringing in the FBI to investigate them, so that friends of the First Family could enjoy the office's patronage spoils.

Columbia Journalism Review/New York Observer

4) In the aftermath of the apparent suicide (yes, it gets ugly!) of her former partner and closest confidant, White House Deputy Counsel Vincent Foster, Hillary Clinton ordered the overturn of an agreement to allow the Justice Department to examine the files in the dead man's office. Her closest friends and aides, under oath, have been blatantly disremembering this likely obstruction of justice, and may have to pay for supporting Hillary's lie with jail terms.

New York Times

5) In August 2000, during her first Senate run, Clinton met with the Hasidic community in New Square, where many members were working to obtain clemency for four members of their community who had been convicted of stealing tens of millions of dollars from the state and federal government.
She refused to talk about the controversial pardons of the four New York Hasidic Jews by her husband. New Square voted 1359-10 for the first lady - although other nearby Hasidic enclaves voted 3480-152 for Clinton's GOP opponent, former Rep. Rick Lazio.

New York Times

6) Hillary Clinton's brother Hugh Rodham , was paid approximately $200,000 from Almon Glenn Braswell, whom President Clinton pardoned for mail fraud and perjury, as was Carlos Vignali, whose sentence for cocaine trafficking was commuted. News of his involvement in the pardon controversy prompted an outrage in Washington, D.C.

"I knew nothing about my brother's involvement in these pardons," Sen. Clinton said at the time. "I knew nothing about his taking money for his involvement."

The Clintons asked Hugh Rodham to return the cash, which he did.

Time Magazine

7) Hillary Clinton's brother Tony Rodham was paid $244,769 over 2½ years by a carnival company, United Shows of America, owned by Edgar and Vonna Jo Gregory. The Gregorys had been convicted of bank fraud and were seeking pardons. Tony Rodham has said he mentioned their pardon application to his brother-in-law, who ultimately granted the Gregorys a pardon. But Rodham said he was not paid for anything having to do with the pardon.

Boston Globe

8) Peter Paul has business relationship with Clintons that goes bad. Clintons steal one of his clients and he retaliates turning Clinton in for violating campaign regulations during a fundraiser he held for her to the tune of $1 million. The FEC formally determined that Hillary Clinton's Senate campaign treasurer, Andrew Grossman is legally responsible for the three false FEC reports that Hillary's finance director, David Rosen, was criminally charged and tried for in mid-2005. Mr. Grossman signed a "Conciliation Agreement" with the FEC on December 13, 2005, admitting his culpability, and agreeing to pay a civil fine and amend his false reports to reflect the $721,000 that he failed to report since October, 2000.

Wall Street Journal

9) Pastor Got $1.5 Million in Clinton Earmarks Before Endorsement

Widely reported

10) Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton gives large earmarks of $1 billion in government-backed financing for a development project called Destiny. Robert Congel, the owner of Destiny, then turned around and financed and campaigned for her.

Robert J. Congel, his family and associates affiliated with his development have donated $40,000 to Clinton's state and national campaigns since she first ran for office in 1999.

Congel co-hosted a Syracuse fundraiser for her, an event said to have raised an additional $50,000. Lobbying firms hired by Congel in connection with Destiny and other ventures also donated more than $200,000 to various Clinton campaign funds, records show.

LA Times

11) New School in New York City, which received $1.6 million in earmarks in this year's defense budget and $6 million previously, is particularly well-connected. Its president, former Sen. Bob Kerrey (D-Neb.), campaigned for Clinton in Iowa. Three school trustees are among Clinton's most prominent backers, having each raised at least $100,000 for her campaign. A former trustee is Norman Hsu, who was indicted on fraud charges. After Hsu's criminal past was revealed last summer, Clinton returned $850,000 he raised for her.

LA Times

12) to falsely attacking Obama as a pro-life candidate for voting "present" in New Hampshire.

13) Her husband Bill Clinton says he consulted her on every major decision. Does that include Rwanda, and his decision to stand by and watch genocide kill hundreds of thousands of people? She is firmly entrenched with Bill and the establishment, at best a dirty politician who knows everything there is to know about our political system. A vote for her is a vote for the status quo. The Republicans are so sure she is the next Democratic nominee that there's even a movie set to release.

14) http://www.hillarythemovie.com/

15) btw Bill Clinton is an experienced sexual predator with at least half a dozen rapes or assaults on women reported.

On April 14, 2007, Obama's campaign staff prevented me from attending a rally for him at Georgia Tech because I was carrying a peace sign that read "Peace Is Good" on one side, and on the other side, "War No More". His staff told me that if they let me in with the sign, they'd have to let Nazis in with their signs. But the campaign did allow people to enter the rally who carried one of the official Obama signs and American flags. Why couldn't I carry a sign a sign that calls for specific change in the U.S. war policy?

http://publicplease.org/2008/01/29/obamas-campaign-of-old-politics-and-political-censorship/

Kenya, where Barack Obama's father came from is in chaos. There is an ethnic cleansing going everywhere and dead people litters the street. Why is Obama very silent about what is happening in Kenya? He should at least try to mediate a peace agreement between the warring tribes. As a candidate for President of the United States of America, his voice carry much weight and possibly help end the bloodshed.

Are you voting for CHANGE?

watch the video here

http://exposure.cbc.ca/video/change-pause-colour-bars-let-load or http://www.cbc.ca/exposure/node/892

Dave_Whal(Post #4)
Quit trying to distort reality and report the facts of the article. Obama praised Rumsfeld on January 17, 2001...so what? The praise was given before September 11, 2001 and before war declared on Afganistan and Iraq. Typical Clinton nonsense.

I really liked Edward's statements regarding labor, corporate lobbyists and poverty in his campaign. He seemed to actually address some of this society's most pressing and long ignored issues. I also like Obama and I would like to see them together as Pres/VP or Pres/cabinet member. I hope Edwards endorses Obama so as not to seem to be tacitly endorsing Clinton.

What happens in America matters across the world, Africa, Asia, Europe, Middle East etc. The whole World is watching, expecting to see a fundamental shift/change and i hope Americans will vote for change. I believe Barak Obama will deliver. Americans shouldn't miss the chance to have this fine, intelligent man as their next president.

I like senator Edwards.
I like his style, his attitude, his overall demeanour. This is all probably because I like his oratory.
he has a fine outstanding message of substance and his virtues as a southern gentleman come across refinedly well. His arguments are solid and his insights and life experiences profound.

Now, I'm an Obabma man. America does'nt need more policy, it needs huge sweeping change
and the political status quo dealt to. it's that horrific and toxic status quo that produced the likes of J Edgar Hoover, McCarthy, Nixon and Bush. terrible neo cons who invaded and destroyed lives and families. and basically with unproven cliches. Right up till now. More than anything else at this present time America needs change from the clear and present danger within its borders.

My hope is that is that America will indeed vote for Obama and that in turn Obama will invite senator Edwards as his VP. This will present two great healthy and long needed iniatives to the White House. A representative of black America and a representative of southern America. The south needs representation in a big way and not only that but the south is becoming a united voice
like no time since the civil war. John Edwards defends the Stars and Bars and talks of two Americas. Two Americas are a reality and the north created the civil war because it feared the south and wanted it stopped. Recently in the last few years there has developed a renaissance
in the south and the people have revived their pride and heritage and are taking steps to voice themselves very substantially over the next two years. For senator Edwards to voice his loyalties so unashamedly in the public arena is a signal he has a supported confidence. If the south itself becomes aware of his bold verbal affirmations at a time they are regenarating their culture there is no reason in the next few months to see a surge that could well put Edwards and Obama in the white House.

Have you noticed how well they get on together even in the debates. The suggestion that Hillary
and Edwards are colluding is I think a red herring. The communication between himself and Obama seems more tangible. their communication continues after the debates whereas Hillaries doesn't.

Barack Obama's praise of Edwards is most sincere. It is backed up by his experience on the streets of Chicago where Obama worked with the poorest and most hopeless to give them opportunity and a chance to better their lives, by his days on the picket lines with workers paid so little that they lived in poverty, and by his healthcare bill for children passed in Illinois. Barack Obama, doesn't just just talk the praise of Edwards, like a pandering politician, he walks the praise of Edwards like a compatriot and statesman.

John Edwards would make an excellent Attorney General in the Obama administration.

Clearly the democrats have a hard choice to make, do we vote for the first black president or the first vampire candidate? What a hard choice, one is a charismatic, brilliant young politician and the other is a blood thirsty harpee from which there is no escape..... oooh that's tough....

Obama praised Rumsfeld in 2001...

http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpunch/2008/01/obama-in-2001-r.html

I hope that Sen. John Edwards will choose to support Sen. Obama. I think that they have similiar arguments and a concern for those who do not have much. If he supported Clinton I would be very surprised. I know that she has done alot for the community as well, but I think it was to add something to her resume and not because she cares. I liked Edwards alot since he ran in 2004. I am so sad that he did not get the coverage that he needed. I am an Obama supporter, and I feel guilty for leaving him (Sen. Edwards)out after hoping in 2004 that he would run for President. I wish him,his family, and his supports the best of luck during this election year! And I will be following his work in senate still.God Bless his wife too.

Dont know how many others are as incensed as I am about these chain emails being sent to religious groups and others that question Sen. Barack Obamas patriotism and religious beliefs. (See press link to last weeks open letter from Jewish groups being bombarded with these emails: http://www.adl.org/internet/Letter_obama.asp)

The use of the Internet to spread false information about a political candidate--- and thus to affect the outcome of an election--- is particularly abhorrent to me.

We cannot regress to old-style dirty tricks. In the public interest, we need to get behind these emails---and identify who originated them.

If you have received such an email, please forward it to me.

negemail53@gmail.com

Alhough I am not a southerner by birth, I can't imagine anything more insulting down here than this notion that white voters are going to vote a certain way that would be different than any other section of the country. If either Obama or Clinton wind up with the lion's share of Edwards support, it will be on the merits and not because of skin color or gender.