Former Republican Congressman Jim Leach (R-IA), who represented Iowa in the House for 30 years until Dave Loebsack's upset victory in 2006, is endorsing Barack Obama this morning.

White House Announces Bush Administration to Leave a Record Budget Deficit of $482 Billion.

Since January when we began our campaign for the 5th District seat in the US Congress, I've consistently stressed that my biggest concern is the fiscal mess that has happened in Washington.  This week, White House officials admitted the Bush administration would leave office in January 2009 with a record budget deficit sitting on the books of $482 BILLION.   This record $482 billion deficit is coupled with a record debt of $9.5 trillion.  

On January 20th, 2001, when George W. Bush was sworn in to his first term in office and the Republican Party had control of both houses of Congress, the United States government had a record budget surplus, our economy was in a period of record expansion and the national debt was being paid down.  In fact, if the Bush administration would have continued the fiscally responsible polices from the 90's by continuing to grow the surplus and pay down the debt, the federal debt could have been retired by 2013.

Democracy For America is a great organization that really had a presence in Austin, Texas for Netroots Nation. They have supported some great candidates and people this year. DFA has endorsed many New Yorkers, including SD-51 Democratic candidate Don Barber, NY-25 Democratic candidate Dan Maffei and NY-29 Democratic candidate Eric Massa, just to name a few.

They also are, thanks to all of your votes and support, responsible for paying my way in Austin. Thanks to the DFA/Netroots Nation scholarship, I was able to attend Netroots Nation with my registration and hotel paid for. Next year, I hope to assist DFA in their efforts to get more scholarship winners to Pittsburgh.

Reviewing Politico and a few other sites I noticed several articles referencing several Flag Officers endorsing John McCain.

Something caught my eye as I perused the list. As the spouse of a former senior Naval Officer I've met a significant number of flag officers and I could have sworn I'd seen one of those names before in connection with McCain.

This list provided included:

We all remember when Tom Buffenbarger, the head of my Union (The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers) from when he launched into this memorable rant that ended up on national TV:

Channeling Howard Beale from the movie "Network," he yelled into the microphone, "Give me a break! I've got news for all the latte-drinking, Prius- driving, Birkenstock-wearing, trust fund babies crowding in to hear him speak! This guy won't last a round against the Republican attack machine. He's a poet, not a fighter."
MSNBC

Well Buffenbarger is at it again. This comes from an on-line letter to IAM members explaining why the Machinists Vote 'Present' in AFL-CIO Endorsement of Obama.

In the Machinists Union, a predominantly blue-collar union, the impression continues to grow that Senator Barack Obama could care less about folks like us.

PDF File

Condoleezza Rice's editorial in today's WSJ defends the administration's use of diplomacy with North Korea.

She writes: "We have no permanent enemies."

Nevermind that this may go down as the biggest Bush administration flip-flop since H.W.'s "no new taxes"...

Nevermind that Cheney is probably planning an invasion anyway...

Does Condi's stance suggest a tacit endorsement of Obama? I argue why it might after the break...

The breaking is a little tongue in cheek, and I'm not sure if he's come out before tonight, but tonight was REM's last stop on their US tour, in Atlanta, and Michael Stipe gave a great nod to Obama during the encore.  The opening band was "The National" and apparently they have a song called "Mr. November" which is about Barack.  The merch stand was selling t-shirts with Obama's likeness that said Mr. November as a caption.  

AND, it's not because they're both AA!

His articulate reasoning is presented in this article...

At least 14 Republican members of Congress have refused to endorse or publicly support Sen. John McCain for president, and more than a dozen others declined to answer whether they back the Arizona senator.

Many of the recalcitrant GOP members declined to detail their reasons for withholding support, but Rep. John Peterson (R-Pa.) expressed major concerns about McCain's energy policies and Rep. Walter Jones (R-N.C.) cited the Iraq war.

http://thehill.com/...

What a surprise in the print version of the Washington Post (Former Ally Of Gilmore To Endorse Warner by Tim Craig) this morning.

Fairfax County Republican Vincent F. Callahan Jr., former chariman of the Virginia House Appropriations Committee and onetime ally of James S. Gilmore III, said he would announce Monday that he is supporting Democrat Mark R. Warner in the state's U.S. Senate Race.

And so this primary season ends. I'll get to the actual speech and endorsement of Obama in a moment. First though, I must speak of the heavy heart I have this morning for my mother and the women of her generation (in fact, women of all generations). They wanted, with every fiber of their being, to see the first woman president. I know full well that this loss hurts more than any other political loss, that it's very personal, and that it feels like the ultimate punch in the gut...

"This isn’t the party I planned but I sure like the company," Hillary said as she opened her concession speech at the National Building Museum in Washington, DC.

Speaking to the "18 million...from all walks of life," who voted for her, Hillary congratulated and endorsed Barack Obama, stating:

"The way, the way to continue our fight now, to accomplish the goals for which we stand is to take our energy, our passions, our strengths and do all we can to help elect Barack Obama, the next president of the United States."

Despite a brief wave of unwarranted hysteria here last week, General Wesley Clark (ret.) endorsed Barack Obama today.  

For the next few days and week I'm sure we will see more news of this happening. This is a good sign and I welcome the Clinton supporters to Barack Obama. We are all Dems hoping to get a Democratic President in the White House. Here are signs that we are coming back together.

http://www.startribune.com/...

WASHINGTON - Some of Hillary Rodham Clinton's biggest backers from New York rallied around Barack Obama Thursday as she signaled her candidacy was ending. The likely Democratic nominee said he won't be hurried into a decision on whether to make her his running mate.

Some of Clinton's closest supporters — the nearly two dozen House Democrats from her home state of New York — switched their endorsements to Obama Thursday.

The public announcement from the 23 New York followed two days of private phone calls weighing her options.

DCCC Chair Rep. Chris Van Hollen (MD) for Obama

"Now is the time for all of us to come together. I enthusiastically support Senator Obama. He will be our nominee, and now it's very important that we all unite behind his candidacy. He has energized millions of new voters, and if we can sustain that momentum by coming together, he will be the next president of the United States."

And Nancy Pelosi crowns the Nominee

It's pretty exciting, a great expansion of participation from young people, from women, from minorities, people in minority communities. And now we have a nominee, and that's pretty exciting. The campaign of Sen. Clinton is one that will go down in the history books as a great one for our country, breaking what I call the marble ceiling, what they call the glass ceiling. Glass is easy compared to the ceiling that she broke. And I couldn't be prouder of her eloquence, her knowledge, her judgment, the stamina that it took to have this campaign. And so I salute her and all of her supporters.

Be careful what you wish for.  After enduring day after day of superdelegates dripping out for Obama, today is the day we finally get the flood.  It's hard to keep up, but in a good way.  Since BoBo2020's diary was getting long, I thought it was time for a later afternoon/early evening superdelegate Open Thread.  

It is now official!  House Majority Whip James Clyburn (D-SC) has finally endorsed Barack Obama!

Updates throughout the day as more of the Supers announce!

XPosted on MyDesert.com and on Calitics.com

Greg Pettis, a Cathedral City Councilman for more than 14 years, a former Mayor Pro-Tem of Cathedral City, and Democratic candidate for the 80th Assembly District to replace the termed out, thank God, Bonnie Garcia (R), has long demonstrated his commitment to the environment and considered growth.  In its endorsement, The Desert Sun, stated:

Pettis has been in office 14 years as a Cathedral City councilman. He knows the Coachella Valley best. He has strong relationships with local officials and understands local issues.

He has built a solid record of achievement while on the council, and we believe he is electable and will be effective in Sacramento...

...He plans to focus on...expanding incentives for green and renewable energy sources.

More below the flip...