The ostrich removes his head from the sand

I've tried to stay out of the Clinton vs. Obama battle as much as I could. But lately, I've felt like Woodrow Wilson in 1916 or John Adams in 1798: I'm being pulled inexorably into the fray despite all my attempts to remain neutral. As an Edwards supporter prior to the Florida primary and an Edwards voter in it, I have always said since his withdrawal that I didn't have a horse in the current race. And I still don't know whether I can be like Wilson (who finally entered WWI) or Adams (who ultimately kept America out of the war between France and England).

However, Sen. Clinton's campaign shenanigans are making it increasingly difficult for me to support her, even in a tepid way.

[Desperation] is the world's most foul-smelling cologne. Watching HRC try to spin her bitterness at the temerity of BHO's challenge into electoral gold makes my head hurt and my tummy churn. On Friday, over a few tumblers of scotch, I told a friend, "I'm starting to understand why people hated the Clintons." No, not the "Hillary murdered Vince Foster" or "Bill ran drugs out of the [Arkansas] governor's mansion" type nonsense. No, more their general sleaziness and disingenuousness. As Kurt Anderson says:

Maybe we can handle some truth. Maybe the reality-based fractions of red and blue America are reaching a sort of consensus: Just as Republicans are beginning to get why George Bush makes so many Americans want to rip their hair out, a lot of Democrats have finally, viscerally come to understand Clinton-loathing. Mutual, symmetrical disillusionment; it’s a start.

Then I remembered that in comments, Mark C. had pointed out that HRC has been emailing around bits by (of all people) Grover Norquist to bolster her case that BHO has to go. Ugh.

Today on the radio, I told Sinfonian that in the darkest days after the 2004 election, I really hoped our people would learn to fight as down and dirty as Republicans did. But I never imagined that they'd use such newfound mad fighting skillz on their fellow Dems.

Grover Fucking Norquist?!? What in the fuck is Clinton trying to do here? I know how much she hearts her pal Huggy Bear, but openly taking pages from the Norquist-Rove Book of Dirty Tricks is beyond the pale.

It's really as basic as this: Hillary Clinton and her supporters (see, e.g., Mark Penn, James Carville, et al.) remain convinced that she is entitled to be the nominee because of some wrong(s) perpetrated against her in the past. But the presidency doesn't go to whomever is most entitled (2000 proved that), but to whomever is most qualified and, in short, whomever earns the most votes. I'm not even sure where the whole idea of "entitlement" comes from ... but I do know it's making me fucking sick.

I put it a little more bluntly in my comment over at Rising Hegemon:

The problem I have with the whole situation, especially as a Floridian, is that the primary debacle has made the Clinton campaign (and her supporters) even more craven and unabashedly political (in the bad sense) than ever before.

The only reason they want the Michigan and Florida votes counted is because HRC won both states so handily. But, IMO, the only reason she won so handily is because she had no competition. IOW, it wasn't a fair gauge of what those states' Democrats really wanted.

I wanted a revote, but obviously that's not going to happen. Why? Because it's HRC partisans who are calling the shots in both states. They'd rather fuck the Party and, ultimately, the country than submit to a revote that might show just how much support Obama really has.

I haven't endorsed Obama just yet (I voted for Edwards in the Fla. primary), but every day brings me closer to doing so. Especially when I see the shit that HRC has to pull to prop up her failing campaign.

Come on, Sen. Clinton. Just stop it. If you want to be president, run on your merits (which are many) and against the Republican opponent (who is a fucktard). Stop tearing apart the Party and risking more of the shit we've seen for the last seven years just to satisfy your ego. Please. For America.

Hell, if you can do that, I might even consider endorsing you ... after all, I haven't said "no" just yet. ;)