It was revealed late yesterday on NPR and on MSNBC (1:10 into the clip) today that Hillary Clinton may have in fact lost Texas, if you go by delegate count.

In the Texas primary Clinton took 51% to Obama’s 47%, which translates into 65 delegates for Clinton and 61 for Obama. A four delegate advantage. Certainly the stunning victory that Clinton claimed (insert sarcasm here).

As for the Texas caucus, with 41% of the votes counted, the state Democratic Party estimates Clinton with 30 delegates to Obama’s 37, and the Party is pretty certain those numbers will hold.

That gives Obama a total of 98 to Clinton’s 95. If that’s the case, Obama netted a 3 delegate lead in Texas, ultimately winning the state.

Unfortunately, it’s going to be an uphill battle for Obama to claim victory with the media reporting otherwise for the past 3 days. Keith Oberman mentioned it this evening on MSNBC this evening so hopefully it will gain some traction in the daily news cycle.

And as for Clinton, her campaign is threatening legal action.

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I have long said that I will vigorously support whomever becomes the Democratic nominee for President. When the race came down to Hillary and Obama, I saw nothing but a win-win!

Now I am having second thoughts…

In the days leading up to today’s primary, a number of events (some covered by the media, some not so much) have given me pause. I have been reluctant to point out any negatives, but feel compelled to do so now.

1. Hillary praises McCain over Obama
2. Clinton attacks Obama’s Foreign Policy Committee experience, what about her own?
3. Clinton on 60 Minutes, parsing language on whether Obama is a Muslim, or is she really saying “He’s not Muslim, as far as I know…”
4. The infamous 3AM ad, a positively Rovian tactic if there ever was one
5. Hillary, at first, fails to reject supporters comments on Obama

It is becoming clear to me that she will do anything to get back in the race, and unfortunately is revealing cracks in her character. I am really disappointed she would campaign in this way. For me, it even brings the sincerity of that infamous tear into question.

And Hillary goes on and on about experience. She relies heavily on her time in the White House, despite not having much in the way of a security clearance. If that phone rings in the White House and it’s 3am… I hope the phone is on Bill’s side, not hers. And when comparing her record in the Senate to Obama’s, there are no substantive differences. And based on history, I think it is appropriate for Obama to draw the line between judgement, and experience.

So now I am desperately seeking Hillary, the Hillary before the acts of desperation. Considering her current standings in the polls and delegate count, I wonder if she should have saved that tear for Texas?

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While not as strong as the previous video, a moving effort none-the-less.

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A good friend of mine, who always has a lot of interesting things to say (and should frankly have a blog of his own), was kind of enough to share this with me this morning.

You can view the original video at YesWeCan.com

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I usually hate painting with broad swathes of color. But this contemptible, steaming pile of excrement leaves me little choice. Listen to this audio clip of John Gibson on his Fox radio show which aired yesterday.

While not typically an advocate of violence, there’s nothing I’d like to do more than throw this SOB under the bus. And while we’re at it, let’s throw Bill O’Reilly, and Sean Hannity, and Anne Coulter, and Chris Wallace, and Bill Kristol under the bus too… Sure… I could go on… there’s an endless parade of hypocrites that deserve to be wedged between the tire treads, but frankly… we’d need a bigger bus.

And while not much of a fan of censorship.. I’d love to muzzle Fox News. Ban them from the airwaves. And throw Rupert Murdoch in jail (I might have to manufacture a charge, but Bill O’Reilly does that all the time. Perhaps I can ask him for help, no wait a minute… he’s still under the bus). And gleefully I will watch the hypocrisy dissipate from the airwaves as Fox News fades into a distant memory.

Perhaps then, and only then… will those who call themselves viewers begin to think for themselves, and perhaps.. maybe.. stop voting against their best interests. And finally, awaken from that long dream where Ronald Reagan saved the world and made America great again. (Well I can wish.. can I?)

But perhaps it is me living in a dream. So please… let me wake up.

Good bye Heath. We’ll miss ya. Godspeed.

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To many you, I am sure that has long been obvious. I’ve decided tonight however to make it official. I’ve done a little house re-dressing in honor of the political season as I am sure you have already noticed. While I typically air on the side of subtlety, I’m throwing all caution to the wind (please forgive the cliche). It’s odd to me that I am more interested in the primaries than I am MacWorld 08. Yes. Perhaps I should see a doctor.

In case you were under a rock this evening, Obama and Huckabee won in Iowa tonight. While I am still undecided on who to throw my support behind, I find myself easing in one direction. I’ve posted their victory speeches below.

Get Flash to see this player. Obama

Get Flash to see this player. Huckabee

After watching Huckabee’s speech, I hear more of the same. The same we’ve been hearing the past 7 years. With Obama, I hear echoes of Robert Kennedy, and frankly that’s what I’d rather hear.

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I’d like to wish each and every one of you a wonderfully merry Christmas and marvelous new year! As I look back on 2007 one of the things I will most remember is the renewing of old friendships, just as others seem to be drifting apart. I hope that 2008 will be a time of restoring bonds with those who make our lives so much fuller and richer simply by being near.

Much love to my partner, parents and friends. And to all, be safe this holiday season.

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When I began this website nearly 4 years ago, I did so in the midst of an 18 month wasteland of unemployment. It was a tough go. The economy was still reeling from 9/11 and the air had been sucked out of Silicon Valley’s sails. Sure there was the odd job here and there, but nothing permanent, or remotely secure.

Now we are hitting the end of 2007 and Christmas is nearly upon us. It is a time of merriment and good cheer, of spending time with family and friends. It also happens to be a popular time to lay people off.

Unfortunately the company I worked at for over two years sent me packing last week. It didn’t completely surprise me… there had been a gradually decreasing amount of work and an uncertain recovery from a failed merger several months before. But I suspect like most people I find that the timing really pisses me off. How about we move the end of the fiscal year til spring? That way any need to compensate for year-end losses will fall long after the holiday season is over. Sounds sensible to me. Who do I call?

In any event the job quest begins anew. For now the wasteland is no where to be seen. But I suspect it sits just over the horizon. Just out of view.

Until next time…

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After watching the Democratic Debate last week I thought it was Biden who made the most of what little time he was given. His foreign policy remarks were dead on, and considering today’s events in Pakistan, all the more relevant. Below are two clips from the debate regarding Pakistan, followed by the first few paragraphs from a BBC news report on today’s events in Pakistan… Scary.

“Pakistan’s President Pervez Musharraf has declared emergency rule and suspended the country’s constitution.

He defended his actions in a national address, saying he was curbing a rise in extremism in Pakistan.

Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry has been replaced and the Supreme Court surrounded by troops, who also entered state-run TV and radio stations.

The moves come as the Supreme Court was due to rule on the legality of Gen Musharraf’s October election victory.”

More from the BBC…

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Tonight we saw Michael Clayton, an excellent but mildly predictable drama with great performances by George Clooney and Tom Wilkinson. Check it out before it leaves your local cineplex.

Prior to the movie we got to watch the lovely little piece of propaganda below:

Created as a promotional piece for the National Guard (note the logo in the lower right), this slick, big-budget music video with Hollywood production values is currently playing at movie theaters everywhere, and is obviously targeting those who spend the most time at the movies… teenage males. The piece reeked of MTV and video games, and not in a good way. The video frequently cuts back and forth between natural disasters, the Revolutionary War, and what appears to be Iraq, and throws in a 9/11 reference for good measure. What a surprise that was. Well, not really. I expected to see it 15 seconds in.

For the record I support the troops. I will always support the troops that serve honorably here and abroad. And in part this little diddy pays tribute to those who have served, or at least I think so. But I certainly question the timing, the method of execution and the intentions behind it. War is a dirty business. Not some video game. Not an episode of American Idol. And this war in Irag is made even dirtier by those who were hell bent on going to war since arriving in office. Granted propaganda has been around as long as man has taken up arms. But in a war worth fighting (WW II comes to mind) the propaganda then seems somehow more palatable (if not always pleasant or right).

I hope teens (who I hope are smarter than I sometimes give them credit for) will see this video for what it is. A slick sales pitch designed to glamorize war, and suck them into the quagmire that is Iraq.

Wars are only glamorous (and profitable) to those who wage them, not to those who fight them.

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