North Carolina was expected to go for Sen. Obama, and it did in a resounding fashion, 56% - 42%. Indiana was expected to go for Sen. Clinton by several percent, and it is basically tied. We’re talking about a delegate or two between them in Indiana. Sen. Obama has effectively washed out Sen. Clinton’s gains from Pennsylvania.

A lot of folks are now expecting Sen. Clinton to step out of the race this week, but I think I’m just a little more cynical. I don’t see her stepping aside when she has a basically guaranteed win in West Virginia. I think she stays in at least through that contest and hopes for an Obama gaffe, or that the media latches on to another lapel pin or Wright non-issue. She’s out of money — barring a huge fundraising announcement from April — but I just don’t think she’ll suddenly decide she can’t win and step aside. A clear Clinton victory has been a long shot for some time. She has been “moving the goal posts” for quite a while, with Michigan, Florida, “more votes by people who have voted,” the legitimacy of caucuses versus primaries, etc. With a win (however minor) in Indiana, I can’t see her stepping aside. I am hoping I am wrong because every day she is in this race is a distraction from the attention that should be being paid to going after McCain. He’s currently getting a free pass.

Here’s a good article from The Huffington Post, before I come off too much like a hater: It’s Not About Hating Hillary

And can I just say how much I love this picture?

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Here’s an excerpt:

Much nonsense has been written about how Hillary Clinton is “toughening up” Barack Obama so he’ll be tough enough to withstand Republican attacks. Sorry, we don’t need a president who is tough enough to withstand the lies of his opponents. We need a president who is tough enough to tell the truth to the American people. Any one of the candidates can answer the Red Phone at 3 a.m. in the White House bedroom. I’m voting for the one who can talk straight to the American people on national TV — at 8 p.m. — from the White House East Room.

Who will tell the people? We are not who we think we are. We are living on borrowed time and borrowed dimes. We still have all the potential for greatness, but only if we get back to work on our country.

(emphasis mine)

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One of Clinton’s laws of politics is, if one candidate is trying to scare you, and the other one is trying to make you think, if one candidate’s appealing to your fears, and the other one’s appealing to your hopes,” he said. “You better vote for the person who wants you to think and hope.

~ William Jefferson Clinton, while campaigning for John Kerry in 2004

And a bit of happy reminding for Obama supporters: Hillary Clinton, Fairy Princess

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The Clinton campaign is already trying to do damage control on this one, claiming she said “God blessed us” which is clearly not the case.

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I wish we had an Obama in every Senate and House seat, and in the White House. Where are the leaders that tell it like it is instead of playing to our fears, playing to our ignorances or pretending we’re ignorant, and pandering to the lowest common denominator?

What we need are real leaders with real solutions for real change. Not just at the top office, but everywhere through our government.

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A chinese factory prints “Free Tibet” flags.

A clear difference between pandering and leadership prioritized over what is politically expedient. Senators Clinton and McCain for removing the federal excise tax on gasoline for the summer (the one that pays for road and bridge repairs, etc.), Sen. Obama understanding that it won’t actually do anything. Maybe Senators Clinton and McCain are on to something. I mean, we don’t really need to make bridge repairs. Sen. Clinton wants to offset it by raising taxes on the oil companies, which then would pass the cost on to the consumer making the legislation effectively useless and not changing prices at all. But hey, whatever makes your stump speech exciting, right?

DCist has a neat map of some wonderful possible changes to Metro that would be just awesome.

Sen. McCain flip-flops on yet another issue. Perhaps senility has set in?

Here’s a gem from Overheard in New York:

Mid-western mother to suit crossing against light: Excuse me, sir?
Suit, in mid-intersection: Yes?
Mother: You’re setting a bad example for my daughter -crossing against the light.
Suit, continuing on his way: Yes, I am.

–45th & 5th

The White House and more revisionist history and definition changes. They’ve heard about the internet, and video cassette recorders, right?

True Sports(wo)manship.

And finally, Boomerangs in space.

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Anyway, first I’ll tackle hockey. The Capitals were eliminated in Game 7 of Round 1 to the Flyers. I was saying for months that I felt like making the playoffs at all would be gravy on a magnificent season. Still, it’s disappointing the team isn’t still playing. I still believe this team is capable of beating any other team in the league in a seven game series. The bounces didn’t go our way and we didn’t get it done. We’ll get them next year. Alexander Ovechkin has the Art Ross and Maurice “Rocket” Richard trophies locked up already, with the Hart a virtual lock along with the Pearson being a strong possibility. Backstrom is a finalist for the Calder trophy and is certainly deserving, though it likely will not go his way. Finalists haven’t yet been announced for the Jack Adams coach of the year award, but it would surprise no one if was awarded to Bruce Boudreau. The team’s best players are it’s young players, and they are only going to get better.

All in all it was a phenomenal year for Washington Capitals hockey. The team has awoken DC as a possible future hockey town. Season ticket sales are way up and it is looking like hockey won’t be the forgotten stepchild in Washington, DC sports much longer.

Moving on.

(more…)

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The Caps played a dominating game on Saturday and pushed the series out to Game 6. They play tonight at Wachovia Center in front of an orange-clad crowd that would like nothing better than for their team to win this thing at home.

The Flyers have got to be hearing the footsteps after completely physically dominating the Caps through two games only to awaken the beast and be matched in that area in game four, which can fairly be said to have swung on a bad bench minor putting the Caps in the box for two not once, but twice.

They don’t want Game 7 in front of the roaring sea of red at Verizon Center and will come out raging in the first. The Caps will surely match that effort. I’m predicting a hard fight tonight but beyond that I’m not predicitng the outcome. Suffice it to say that the Caps have been playing must-win games for two months. They won seven in a row to make the playoffs and there isn’t a team in the league more capable of pulling off three in a row to advance.

Puck drops at 7. Go Caps!

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The Washington Capitals have gone from dead last in the NHL to a 3rd-seed playoff berth as the Southeast Division Champions! They will face the Philadelphia Flyers in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Game 1 looks like it will be at Verizon Center on Friday, with Game 2 on Sunday.

Provided my ticket rep(s) did what he(they) were supposed to do, I’ll be at both games. Looks like playoff tickets are already sold out, but I got in under the wire.

LET’S GO CAPS!

Nothing beats playoff hockey.

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It features this photo, reminiscent of President Bush’s binoculars-with-the-caps-on picture, and another one of the same phone theme.

Pretty embarassing, says the folks who will find any reason to dislike and/or mock the man, but here’s the real photo.

I expect much more of this.

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