The Russians Are Coming

When Dopey Joe Biden suggested that electing Barack could be dangerous, he suggested a challenge coming from an outside foe, similar to how the Russians went after JFK, sensing weakness, in the Cuban Missile Crisis.

Barack Obama did not have to wait long before his leadership as incoming president was challenged.

And Joe promised that he knew what he was talking about. Which just might be a first.

"Watch. We're going to have an international crisis, a generated crisis, to test the mettle of this guy.

"And he's going to need help . . . to stand with him. Because it's not going to be apparent initially; it's not going to be apparent that we're right."

On Barack's first day as President-elect, guess what - The Russians Are Coming!

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev not only did not publicly congratulate Obama today, he did not mention Obama by name during his first annual address to the Russian people. But, he did announce plans for a new missile system to counter the planned U.S. missile defense installations in Eastern Europe.

Medvedev also accused the U.S. of triggering the world financial crisis and said selfish American foreign policy sparked the war between Russia and Georgia in August. He added, "We hope that our partners — the new U.S. administration — will make a choice in favor of fully-fledged relations with Russia."

Is it possible that Joe did know what he was talking about?

The Dream isn't Over

The Dream is over
What can I say?
The dream is over
Yesterday

What if the dream isn't over? With the powerful forum Hillary has been granted at the convention, activists known as PUMA, People United Means Action, are thinking maybe the Democratic Party's big mistake can still be corrected. Obama's weakness on the Clintons has given them hope.

If he can't face down the Pumas, how will he ever face down Putin? That question may have been in the back of a few Democratic minds last week, but Hillary Clinton's fans were all smiles over their success in rolling a possible president-to-be before he ever takes office.

How happy were the Hillary Hardliners over news that the convention would include a full night of Hillary, plus a speech by Bill on a second night?

"We're very happy with the news," Darragh Murphy, executive director of PumaPAC, tells us.

The opportunity to put the stronger candidate up on the stage for all to see keeps the hope alive that somehow, in the magic of the moment, the great wrong of primary season can be righted - that Change can happen.

Ms. Murphy happily acknowledges hosting "secret" strategy sessions in a northern Virginia hotel last weekend, shielded from infiltrators she calls "Obama Bots." But she says any protests in Denver are intended to be peaceful. "Who knows what will happen on the convention floor? Many of our members hope there will be a spark of some kind."

It would take a miracle, of course, for Machine Obama to crash in Denver. But the resentment of Hillary supporters runs deep, and Barack appears comfortable with the idea of using the convention as the place to pull things together.

"Fall in line, get on the Obama train, go to the Obama indoctrination session and don't mention Hillary Clinton" is the message Ms. Murphy says the DNC leadership is pushing. "The Obama campaign has become a movement of transcendence that is practically religious, with a wave of money and religious fervor taking over the party."

And when Barack is ordained in Denver as planned, who will PUMA be rooting for?

And so dear friends,
You just have to carry on,
The dream is over.