Hillary Clinton...not proud of slick Willy?

Did she say orange?

Intriguing, that!

At the Democratic National Convention last night in Denver, Hillary noted in her much-anticipated speech - which tripped trillingly off the tongue - that she was a proud mother, proud Democrat, and proud American.

But, there was no mention of being a proud "wife".

Is slick Willy currently in the dog house?

News at 11!

Bloggers...under "big tent" at Democratic National Convention!

Blogger keyboards at the ready...

Some have been grumbling at the Democratic National Convention that bloggers don't get any respect.

But, you've come a long way, newbie!

At the convention in 2004, those who loved to "post-it" in the blogosphere were issued press credentials, granted.

And, allowed to mingle with the elite in the mainstream media.

But, the relations were strained a tad.

At the Dems' big bash this year, illustrious bloggers have not only been given the "green light" for access to all the relevant (and not so relevant) political events, but given asylum - if you will - under a "big tent".

The grandiose digs herald a new dawn for Internet pundits who have gained momentum and power in recent days on the political landscape.

Just ask Obama and Clinton - who are still stinging from a spiteful blogger's word-stalking - on the campaign trail in recent days.

Although blogsters were required to cough up one hundred bucks for their credentials, the joyride include wi-fi access, free burritos, and never-ending kegs of beer to wash the high-protein snack down with.

Heh, they're making out like bandits in Denver.

I'd better hop on a plane, pronto, and join the fray!

But, there have been some glitches in communication - in spite of the state-of-the-art presence of gizmos provided by two generous sponsors - Google and Digg.

When MSNBC tried to hand over the reigns to a newsie in-the-field for coverage on the blog presence at the Democratic Convention this morning, a number of technical difficulties delayed broadcast of the reports.

The anchor man joked,

"This is all the way from the Bloggers' camp in the Ukraine, so the feed is slow."

In view of the way some of the legit high-powered media types treat 'em, they may as well be!

All kidding aside, the bloggers appear to be happy as clams in their comfy digs.

One web writer noted on-camera that the free-standing canvas facility provided an independent base for their cerebral musings to emanate freely from.

No, sir!

This savvy blogster didn't intend to be influenced - nor did he plan to kow-tow to - the Democratic machine spinning their own wheels just outside the tent flaps.

Google and Digg sponsored the 8,000 square foot facility which includes a theatre, lots of leading-edge gizmos, and all the blogger interaction you could imagine in your wildest web-surfing dreams.

But, what will the talking heads produce, I wonder.

I'll be cruising the net this evening to take a gander.

Let's hope what Barbara Ehrenreich once opined is not true:

"We who officially value freedom of speech above life itself seem to have nothing to talk about but the weather."

Democratic National Convention...100 protesters arrested!

Depending on who you talk to, a melee that erupted last night in Denver which resulted in one hundred arrests, was due to either overzealous cops or unruly mobs who would not disperse.

The protesters allege that an angry battalion of police officers approached their peaceful perch at a park just a hop-and-a-skip from the Sheraton Hotel in downtown Denver, exploded tear gas in their midst, and hauled them away for simply exercising their right to free speech.

Law Enforcement issued a statement to the contrary.

Denver cops alleged that they were responding to tips from intelligence reports - that protesters planned to disrupt fundraising events at a handful of the local Hotels - with the express purpose of throwing a damper on the Democrat's premier party underway at the Democratic National Convention.

Although approximately one hundred protestors were originally placed in cuffs and carted off to the County Jail, thirty were later released without incident.

The balance of the protestors were released on bond and face charges stemming from alleged unruly assembly, failing to disperse, and possibly resisting arrest.

Originally, hundreds of thousands of protesters were expected to attend the rally.

Cynics on the sidelines chided that at last count the numbers tallied in the "hundreds of hundreds".

The protesters are expected to gather again later today.

Some wonder aloud,

Will the ranks swell in view of last night's outrageous show of force by the Denver pigs?

News at 11!

Bill Clinton...will he go for it at Democratic National Convention?

Sh** on again...
According to inside sources in the Clinton camp, former president - Bill Clinton - was not thrilled to be limited to the topic of the country's National Security in a speech he is scheduled to give at tonight's Democratic National Convention in Denver.

The charismatic speaker was allegedly miffed when he was tethered to a short leash - especially in view of the fact - former presidents are generally given carte blanche to waxing eloquently on whatever subject they wish.

A right they've earned - out of respect, at least - I expect.

Grumblers in the shadows hinted that slick Willy would prefer to elucidate on high-profile subjects such as defense and foreign policy when he charges the stage tonight.

But, I expect those topics have been left for the top dogs to expound on in their keynote speeches at the zenith of the convention later in the week.

For Bill, there is a a glimmer of hope, though.

If Barack is to be taken at his word, that is.

On the campaign trail, when asked about the delicate issue, Barack assured a reporter that Hillary's hubby could talk about whatever he wished.

"Bill Clinton knows a little about trying to yank an economy out of the doldrums and helping middle-class Americans. And it wouldn't make sense for me to edit his remarks to prevent him from making a strong case about why we need fundamental economic change in this country," Obama allegedly noted for the record.

Well, there it is.

Will Bill seize the day?

As Frank Scully once said,

Why not go out on a limb? Isn't that where the fruit is?

Bill Clinton...e-mails an invite to moi to attend the Democratic National Convention...for 5 bucks!

I'll be third on the left behind Bill...



Gosh - I thought I put a block on e-mails from wily Hillary and slick Willy after they went down with the good ship lollipop - with the express intent of zapping all future communications into the spam mail box.

Well, maybe it slipped my mind. Or - just maybe the Clinton's have powerful Voo-Doo powers way beyond Yahoo's protective arm - that I am unfamiliar with.

You guessed it.

The persistent duo landed in my Yahoo mail box later this afternoon with an invitation for me to put in my face at the Democratic National Convention next week in Denver.

Get this! All I have to do is pay a paltry five bucks.

Is Barack aware of the cheapie party the Clinton's are tossing beneath his presumptive nose?

In the communication - addressed quite simply to "Dear Julian" - Bill starts off methodically by noting that he has done a lot of role-playing - um - played so many roles at so many of the Dem Conventions over the years.

Yeah, he's been a puppet, a pauper, a pirate and - oh, that was Frank Sinatra - wasn't it?

I'll let him use his own choice words,

"I've been there as a campaign worker, a governor, a keynote speaker, a nominee, a president, and a former president."

Then, he goes on to tease me a little,

"But no convention is quite like your first. There is nothing like seeing for the first time so many people in one place working toward one common purpose: electing the next Democratic president. It's an inspiration and you don't want to miss it if you have a chance."

I'll hop right to it, Bill.

So, what's the catch?

For starters, Bill urges that I act right away.

"Take Hillary up on her offer and contribute by midnight tonight for a chance to attend the Denver convention in person. You'll get to see Hillary speak on Tuesday, and Barack Obama - the next president (?) of the United States - on Thursday."

But, what about that McCain guy? 'Ya know, the wrinkly old dude that Paris Hilton is always fussing over?

He's of no consequence, I guess.

Besides, there's a bonus for me if I jump on the bandwagon tonight.

Bill notes Hillary will take time out of her busy schedule (!) to have a one-on-one chat with moi.

Fireside, I wonder?

Guess what? Bill also assures me he'll saunter by to say hello, too.

I must jot down a reminder on my "to do" list not to forget my miniature video cam.

But, I have to act fast; after all, the instructions - er - invitation is quite specific:

"Enter (?) before midnight tonight for a chance to see me, Hillary, and Barack Obama at the convention in Denver next week!"

If I don't respond by twelve on the dot, what will happen?

Will I turn into a pumpkin or - eghads - a full-fledged republican, do 'ya think?

Do you take pay pal?

Mayor Villaraigosa...LA TIMES quote of the day!

I never even read the book on Obama...


When Mayor Villaraigosa was passed over to speak next week at the Democratic National Convention, many shook their head in puzzlement at the apparent snub.

A few political pundits have since theorized that because Barack is under the impression that he has "California" in his back pack, that a gracious walk-on by the Los Angeles Mayor is not necessary.

But a writer at the LA TIMES - Phil Willon - uttered up the quote of the day when he speculated as to why the Big Orange's top politico was not invited.

"Maybe they thought it was easier to pronounce "Richardson" than "Villaraigosa".

Ouch!

Life's a beach...

Hillary Clinton...subtle push out the door! VP dream fades into oblivion...

The shadow knows...

If Hillary can't read the writing on the wall, then maybe she needs to stop in to a local gypsy to get a load of the score.

Pundits are snidely noting behind her back that there are ominous signs the VP ticket has most assuredly eluded her grasp. In fact, many are speculating that Obama's dream team is about to subtly usher the former Presidential hopeful out the back door.

Former Clinton aides have confirmed that Bill's better half is tentatively scheduled to speak on the second night of the Democratic National Convention, for instance.

Ouch!

Talk about a stake in the heart!

In the best case scenario a potential running mate is normally slated to rev up the Dems at a glittering gala on "opening night".

Notwithstanding the obvious, there are other potent signs that she's getting the "heave ho".

The Obama campaign has not asked Hillary to furnish financial records or personal background materials normally requested to single out potential Vice Presidential nominees.

Well, there could be two reasons for the latter.

They know Hillary is "broke", for one. Hapless Hill went bust trying to break bread with the "old boys network", if you recall.

On the other hand, maybe they've opted to forgo on that formality; after all, they'd want 'em in the near future, not around "doomsday".

No matter how you slice it, looks like Senator Clinton will be eating humble pie come fall!