US electioneering theme

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Brilliant!

Making McCain more interesting

Hat tip to Alex Hilton. Making John McCain seem interesting is a difficult task, but some are trying their level best to do just that, sa these YouTube videos demonstrate. Pity McCain isn't up to speed with this whole interwebby thing, really.

Barack Obama is Welsh

Breaking genealogical news: Obama is an Anglesey lad

Blagging the US elections

Hat tip to Dizzy

And here's another classic from The Onion posted on YouTube today: Bush Tours America To Survey Damage Caused By His Presidency

Obama camp's strategy

Obama’s campaign chief, David Plouffe, outlines his strategy [Via]

Bill backs Barack

Former US president Bill Clinton has finally made public that he's backing Obama. He didn't announce this himself, mind, Instead he got his spokesman Matt McKenna to do it for him.

"President Clinton is obviously committed to doing whatever he can and is asked to do to ensure Senator Obama is the next president of the United States," McKenna told Reuters in a one-sentence e-mail.

Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton will appear together this Friday in a unity rally in New Hampshire. Bill won't be there, but he has a pretty good excuse: he'll be in London for Nelson Mandela's birthday party.

Relations between Bill and Barack have been tense in recent months, especially after the former Democratic president described Obama's opposition to the war in Iraq as a "fairy tale" as well as accusing him of "playing the race card".

All water under the bridge? We'll see soon enough.

Cusack on McCain

Morning Pickings

The Independent: McCain wastes no time in turning negative

Despite promises to stay on the higher ground, Mr McCain's commercial uses imagery to suggest that Mr Obama is a friend of America's enemies. It shows an apparently badly shaven Mr Obama looking across at the bearded face of the Iranian President, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

It is a far cry from the candidate's pledge in April for a campaign that is more akin to a discussion among friends than a bitter clash of ideological rivals.

If it looks and smells like an intellectual pygmy, then it probably is an intellectual pygmy...

The Herald: Angiolini opposes Brown on terror arrests

Scotland's chief legal officer, the Lord Advocate Elish Angiolini, who is in charge of all prosecutions in Scotland, has come out firmly against the proposal on extending pre-charge detention to 42 days:

Under the bill, a bid for such an extension has to be underpinned by a report from a chief constable and supported by the Lord Advocate; in England, it has to be supported by the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), currently Sir Ken Macdonald.

Already, Sir Ken has come out strongly against the 42-day proposal, insisting the current limit is "effective". Asked again last week following publication of the UK Government's concessions, the DPP reiterated his opposition to an extension, saying: "If you think something isn't needed, the means of delivering it are probably rather irrelevant."

Last night, the Lord Advocate supported her legal colleague, telling The Herald: "While there has been a limited number of cases in Scotland which were investigated in terms of the Terrorism Act 2000, I am not aware of any case where an extension of the period beyond 28 days would have been required.

I wouldn't be surprised if future Prime Ministers end up refering to Brown's premiership as "The Scottish Play". Don't say his name in Parliament...

The Telegraph: House sales fall worst in 30 years, says RICS

Tim Edmonds, an estate agent and RICS member, said: "Transactions have virtually halted. Where sales have been agreed, it is very difficult to get them through to exchange."

Neil Hunt, a Derbyshire-based estate agent, said: "Demand has plummeted to a crisis point with sales at their lowest May level in memory.

"An avalanche of job losses in the housing industry is beginning to materialise which could make current media stories look like the good old days."

The Guardian: Oil prices: Europe threatened with summer of discontent over rising cost of fuel

Concerns were growing last night over a summer of coordinated European fuel protests after tens of thousands of Spanish truckers blocked roads and the French border, sparking similar action in Portugal and France, while unions across Europe prepared fresh action over the rising price of petrol and diesel.

Spanish hauliers began an indefinite strike, demanding a government aid package to offset the effect of record oil prices. Lorry drivers blocked motorways at the border with France and caused 12-mile tailbacks around Madrid and Barcelona. Long queues formed at Spanish and Portuguese supermarkets after truckers said shops could run out of fresh food in days. Even before the strike began thousands of people formed long lines outside petrol stations and supermarkets.

Just remember: there is no recession.

Hillary backs Barack

Hillary Clinton has endorsed Barack Obama's bid for the White House, causing desperation among Republicans. The Obama camp is grateful.

Meanwhile the McCain camp is experiencing some difficulties.

Morning Pickings

The Scotsman: Labour fears Cameron could deliver Scotland to the SNP

SCOTTISH Labour MPs have given a stark warning that the country will become independent within a few years unless the party wakes up to the threat of a Conservative government at Westminster.
They fear a General Election win for David Cameron could drive voters into the SNP's hands as the Nationalists would be seen as the "lesser of two evils".

SNP figures admit privately that a Tory victory would be good for their cause, allowing them to accuse Mr Cameron of having no mandate to govern in Scotland, where the Tories admit they are unlikely to add many – if any – seats. There is only one Tory MP in Scotland at present.

We've heard this before, and as Ive stated previously such a scenario was inevitable in the long run both in Scotland and in Wales, where the article's title would be "Cameron delivers Wales to the devolutionists".

This seems a little premature though, unless Labour is expecting a general election somewhat sooner than 2010. This tactic seeks to turn the general election into a kind of practice run for a Scottish referendum on independence. The general election results in Scotland will therefore be very interesting indeed.

The Herald: Scots MEP admits to £120,000 payments to own firm

More Tory sleaze in Brussels. I like the irony of the fact that members of the most eurosceptic mainstream party in the UK -the party most likely to criticise how public money is mishandled on an EU level- are the ones being caught out for doing just that. This is also another example of bent politicians being exposed by a blogger, namely Guido Fawkes.

The Times: Church attacks Labour for betraying Christians

The policies of Tony Blair and Gordon Brown have helped to generate a spiritual, civic and economic crisis in Britain, according to an important Church of England report.

Labour is failing society and lacks the vision to restore a sense of British identity, the report says in the Church’s strongest attack on the Government for decades. It accuses the Government of “deep religious illiteracy” and of having “no convincing moral direction”.

Damning stuff, if indeed you can give a flying toss about what the Church of England thinks. However, the Church's real motives for discontent are exposed in the next paragraph:

The report, commissioned for the Church of England and to be published on Monday, accuses the Government of discriminating against the Christian Churches in favour of other faiths, including Islam. It calls for the appointment of a “Minister for Religion”, who would act as the Prime Minister’s personal “faith envoy” and who would recognise the contribution of faith communities to Britain across every government department.

Thank God goodness the Church was disestablished in Wales eight decades ago.

The Telegraph: US threatens Britain with legal action over airline taxes

Gordon Brown has put his foot in it again and may face another major climbdown with the US threatening legal action against the proposed plans for new airline taxes.

The Guardian: Clinton and Obama 'laughing' after secret late-night meeting

Today is of course the day when Hillary will concede defeat and give her backing to Obama. I doubt somehow that her speech will be as straightforward as that though. Analysts will be scrutinising whatever she says in search for hints regarding the Vice Presidency or at least a cabinet post. Not that they'll be that hard to find, mind.

The Financial Times: Oil surges to biggest single-day advance

Oil prices recorded their biggest one-day advance to hit a record of more than $139 a barrel on Friday, as an unexpectedly bad US employment report upset the calculations of energy traders and triggered frenzied buying.

Not good. Least of all for the Brown & Darling comedy act.

The Parliament: MEP accuses Irish government of ‘complacency’ in EU treaty campaign

Irish MEP Jim Higgins has hit out at the Irish government for not moving sooner on the yes campaign, and welcomed the results of a recent poll as a “wake-up call”.

The results of an Irish Times/tns mrbi poll released Friday show that the no camp has gained 17 points, effectively doubling its supporters to take 35 per cent of the vote. The yes side, says the paper, dropped five points to 30 per cent.

The blame game begins, even before any votes have been cast.

I would have liked to have included something from the Welsh press, but as I'm sure you're all aware, they not exactly up to speed at updating their websites.

08 could be 68

Translation of Adam Price's Golwg column:

On the one hand, it's a pity we now have to accept that Hillary rodham Clinton won't get the chance to claim the prize of being the first woman elected to the White House, and the first of Welsh descent since Calvin Coolidge. Nonetheless, it's very hard not to share the enthusiasm that has opened up with Barack Obama's candidacy.

Fourty years ago, 1968 was a big year too - a spring of optimism on the streets of Paris and Prague that turned into a tragedy, with idealists being killed (literally then) in the East and the West. With an unpopular war being fought in the background and race a central issue, the similarity between the Summer of 1968 and today is clear. At least now Obama has security guards - a change introduced only in the wake of the shooting of Robert F. Kennedy.

The Democratic Convention of that year was one of the most contentious ever - until the one this year, perhaps. And that is what worries me, making me think that this year will be 1968 once again and not 1960. Fourty years ago Richard Milhouse Nixon won the leadership and he went on to intensify America's efforts in Vietnam. John McCain is following the same policy now in Iraq - and it's likely in Iran too.

McCain has criticised Obama recently for his willingness to talk to Cuba's leaders. McCain wants to persevere with the sanctions which, over the last half century, have tried to kill the island's economy. Ironically, McCain favoured normalizing relations with his former torturers in Vietnam which like Cuba remains a Communist country. Perhaps this has more to do with votes in Florida than any principle.

There are things worthy of praise in Cuba - the education and health systems for example - and things to be criticised like the travel restrictions. Now, with Cuba having signed the United Nations' declaration of Human Rights there is an important movement underway in the right direction, and the big mistakes of the past - such as the oppression of gays for example - have been personally aknowledged by Fidel Castro. Would China have changed for the better had Nixon not gone to Beijing? And how many more Americans would have died in vain without Henry Kissinger's controversial trip to Hanoi?

There is a new generation that deserves a voice, hope and guidance - in Havana, in America and the world. For man's sake, I hope that dream isn't killed this time. The The implications are frightening.

Obama begins general election campaign

Barack Obama begins his general election campaign with a speech at the AIPAC conference.

Hillary Clinton will endorse Barack Obama on Saturday. Her decision came after Democrats urged her Wednesday to leave the race and allow the party to coalesce around Mr. Obama.

That awful speech

See for yourself just how bad that speech by John McCain was last night. The speech has been universally slammed in the US.

The use of the internet has been causing McCain some problems.

"I will be the Democratic nominee"

Obama wins historic victory

Barack Obama has won the Democrat nomination for the White House, becoming the first Afro-American to do so, 200 years after the slave trade became outlawed. Hillary seemed on the point of conceding defeat, congratulating Barack and calling him "my friend", but instead reminded her audience that she had won the popular vote and adding that she that she "will make no decision tonight", despite the fact that Obama has gone over the number of delegates needed to secure the nomination.

It's all over.

Whoever becomes the 44th US President next January, at least it will be a man with an IQ in triple digits and the ability to string a sentence together correctly.

I suspect that Obama will win in November, becoming the first black president in US history. At the moment the lead he has on McCain in the polls is a small one, but having just watched and listened to a quite awful speech by McCain in Louisiana I imagine that the gap between Obama and McCain will widen over the summer.





McCain seems an intelligent and sincere man, but he lacks the 'wow factor' and his repetative use of the phrase "That's not change you can believe in" spells doom for his campaign, not only because it is a negative message but also because McCain is useless at delivering spin.

Clinton ready to be Obama's running mate

Hillary Clinton has told New York lawmakers she is open to being the running mate of Barack Obama:

Charles Rangel, a senior member of the New York Democratic delegation, also told CNN, "I have reason to believe she is open to the [vice president] slot."

One of the sources added that former President Clinton has been privately pushing for a couple of weeks for his wife to be No. 2 on the ticket.

On Monday night, a close friend and advisor of the former first lady told CNN that Clinton will say tonight "that she will do whatever it takes" to put a Democrat in the White House. Barack Obama insiders saw that as an indication she would accept an offer to be his running mate if asked

Clinton is expected by many to concede defeat today.

Obama offers Clinton a dignified exit

Hillary Clinton is to be offered a post on Obama's cabinet as a "dignified exit" from the contest for the Democrat nomination:

The former First Lady would get the chance to pilot Mr Obama’s reforms of the American healthcare system if she agrees to clear the path to his nomination as Democratic presidential candidate.

Senior figures in the Obama camp have told Democrat colleagues that the offer to Mrs Clinton of a cabinet post as health secretary or to steer new legislation through the Senate will be a central element of their peace overtures to the New York senator.

Barack Obama believes he will have secured the support of enough delegates to ensure the Democrat nomination by the end of this week.

Yesterday the Democratic National Committee's rules and bylaws committee reinstated all of Florida and Michigan's delegates to its party convention, with each getting a half-vote to penalize the states for moving their primaries earlier than the party had approved.

Obama received 67 pledged delegates from Florida and 59 from Michigan, casting a total of 63 votes, leaving Obama ahead by the equivalent of 178 delegates and only 42 short of securing the nomination. Even if each delegate had been granted a full vote, Clinton would still have trailed Obama.

Europeans back Obama

A poll by The Telegraph shows majority support for Barack Obama across Europe, specifically in the UK, France, Germany, Italy and Russia:

He is especially popular in Italy, where a remarkable 70 per cent would vote for him if they could.

In France, historically the European country with the strongest anti-American sentiment, 65 per cent would back Mr Obama. In Germany, the Democratic Senator would get 67 per cent of the vote - while Mr McCain would receive a derisory six per cent.

Mr Obama appears to have made less of an impact in Britain than elsewhere in Europe. A relatively modest 49 per cent of Britons would vote for him, while 14 per cent would back Mr McCain - twice the totals favouring the Republican candidate in Germany or France.

The only country where Mr McCain can rival his opponent’s popularity is in Russia, where anti-American feeling is strongest. The Republican appears to have made a striking impression on Russians, with 24 per cent saying they would vote for him if they could - a mere seven points behind Mr Obama.

This research, commissioned by Telegraph.co.uk, was carried out online between May 23 and 29 by YouGov plc. The total sample was 6,256 (broken down into Britain 2,241; France 1,005; Russia 1,001; Italy 1,004; Germany 1,005).

Hillary's hope

It looks like Hillary Clinton is pinning her presidential hopes on Barack Obama being assassinated next month. You couldn't make it up.

Obama Crosses The Threshold

Despite Hillary Clinton's landslide victory in Kentucky, Barack Obama has won a majority of pledged delegates in the race for the Democratic nomination.

Clinton won Kentucky by more than 30 points, but Obama's share of the state's 51 delegates was enough put him over the threshold.

Obama is expected to pick up at least 14 delegates in Kentucky, and that will give him 1,627 of the 3,253 pledged delegates at stake in all of primaries and caucuses.

Obama will also pick up a win in Oregon, giving him the larger share of the state's 52 delegates.

Obama's top strategist, David Axelrod, said getting the pledged delegate majority was an "important milestone," but not the end of the trail.

Neither candidate is expected to reach the 2,026 delegates needed to win the Democratic nomination.

That means the race is likely to be settled by "superdelegates" -- party leaders and officials who will cast votes at the Democratic convention in August.

Speaking in Iowa, where he won the first-in-the-nation caucuses, Obama told supporters, "it was in this great state where we took the first steps of an unlikely journey to change America."