Accusing Obama of plagiarism, saying he's "just in the speeches business," claiming he's inexperienced... no, it's not the Republicans, it's Hillary. After 10 straight primary losses (okay, 9, but they'll call Hawaii in a few hours and it's almost a gimme for Obama), Hillary is fighting tooth and nail and venom to save her faltering campaign.

My wife put it in a great perspective. Don't recall if she was quoting someone or making her own observation, but she said Hillary really reminded her of the character Tracy Flick from Election.

Like the photo of Tracy Flick and Hillary Clinton? I made it with a press kit shot from Election and a public domain photo of Hillary from Wikimedia Commons. A little manipulation and some hope that you won't notice all the boxes have backward lettering, and voila.

Some choice Tracy Flick quotes I could imagine coming out of Hillary's mouth (with names changed, of course)...

"Dear Lord Jesus, I do not often speak with you and ask for things, but now, I really must insist that you help me win the election tomorrow because I deserve it and Barack Obama doesn't, as you well know."

"He should have just accepted things as they are instead of trying to interfere with destiny. You see, you can't interfere with destiny. That's why it's destiny. And if you try to interfere, the same thing's going to happen anyway, and you'll just suffer."

"I believe in the voters; they understand that elections aren't just popularity contests, they know this country was built by people just like me who work very hard."

Sigh. Hopefully she'll come to her senses soon and let Obama get working on beating McCain instead of having to waste money and energy on a mercy killing for her faltering campaign.

Ever heard of Jim Cooper's health plan? Back in 1993, it was one that would have provided a lot of relief to a lot of Americans and had broad bipartisan support in the House and Senate. Hillary torpedoed it and tried to ruin Cooper for spite.

Read the story of how Hillary Clinton killed a health care reform bill. I've long disliked her because she represents the worst of the Democratic party... the limousine liberalism, the power brokering, the backroom deals... But then, in this story, she shows she is as petty, vindictive, and capable of tunnel vision as Bush/Cheney ever were.

It's not a question of her sex or her politics for me. It's a question of her integrity. After reading stories like this and watching the Clinton attack machine go after Obama, I just cannot support Hillary. The politics of division, the politics of pettiness, the politics of revenge... I've been waiting 8 years to get that OUT of the white house.

I just can't do it. Hillary is Dick Cheney in heels. If she wins the Democratic nomination, I'll back Ron Paul as an independent or take a new look at McCain. I can vote for a woman, but I can't vote for Hillary.

Well, despite my grumblings, Super Tuesday didn't decide a clear front-runner in the Democratic race, meaning that I could go caucus this weekend, make my voice heard, and it would matter. Or so I thought.

I figured I didn't want to get to the caucus location too early, because I was going to have to take my almost-three-year-old and keep him entertained. So we left the house about noon, stopped at a McDonalds on the way to the caucus, had lunch, and made sure to get back on the road by 12:40, giving us 20 minutes to drive the last couple of miles, get parked, and sign in.

When I got to the light for Harbour Pointe Blvd. (we were caucusing at Kamiak High School), the backup in the left turn lane was big enough it took two green arrows before I got to make my turn. And by the middle school (there's a series of schools along the road), traffic was already backed up and that was a mile or more down the road from the high school. I tried to park at the elementary school a couple of blocks away, but it was full up, and by the time I got to the high school, traffic was a nightmare, people were flooding toward the high school in all directions on foot, and the traffic coming from the other direction was backed up for hundreds of yards.

Every church and school parking lot I passed was full, cars lined the side streets, by the time it seemed to thin out enough that I was confident I might find a parking space, I was a mile or more past the high school, it was 8 minutes to 1 p.m. (the official start time), and I was going to have to try to hoof it with a three-year-old. The absolute earliest I'd be getting to that door would be 1:15 or 1:20.

The odds of me getting signed in before it was too late were low, and even if I did, I was probably going to have a very annoyed kid to contend with as I navigated through a huge crowd. I weighed the odds against the potential benefit and decided to keep on along Harbour Pointe until it dumped out at the Mukilteo Speedway and just go home.

So, while I was gratified that my state Democratic party's decision not to caucus or vote on or before Super Tuesday didn't make my vote worthless, I was very unhappy that their stupid caucus system made my vote and my wife's vote worthless because they made it so damn hard to vote.

My wife had to work on Saturday and couldn't attend, and surrogates were only allowed in case of religious observance (a Saturday caucus violates the Sabbath), military service, or disability. And I couldn't attend because having my son with me meant a mile plus walk/jog in the cold, wet, Washington weather wasn't an option. If I'd been warned that large crowds would make parking difficult and I should arrive at noon or earlier, the story might have been different, but in the communications I saw from Obama and the party, that warning didn't appear.

What a clusterf*ck. I am so unhappy and disillusioned with the Washington State Democratic Party, I'm seriously re-considering whether I want to continue being a Democrat. A lot of people in service industry jobs, primarily the poor and minorities, often have to work on Saturday, and that excludes them from caucusing. People with small children, the disabled, and the elderly may find it difficult to get out to the caucus.

With a primary, you can show up at a polling place within a 10-12 hour time frame, or you can request an absentee ballot and vote by mail. In some counties, they've gone to an entirely vote-by-mail system. It allows people who want to participate to do so and does not alienate or disenfranchise voters.

Now, my first thought was that this whole process creates an unconstitutional barrier to voting and I should sue. But since this is a vote to choose a candidate and not to elect someone to office, it seems my voting rights are not technically violated by the party's stupid, exclusionary rules. Still it does mean one thing: while I will donate to Obama's campaign as we head into the convention, and I'll donate more to it if he secures the nomination, the party itself will be told to suck my ass if it wants any money. While I like Obama, I'm pretty disillusioned with my state's incarnation of the party he represents.

So, Chuck Norris has endorsed Mike Huckabee. Arnold Schwarzenegger just endorsed John McCain. The nation excitedly awaits an endorsement announcement from Steven Seagal.

Of course, the Olsen Twins are endorsing Obama, because "black guys are like cool and stuff," Britney Spears is endorsing "woooooo," and Lindsay Lohan is endorsing George W. Bush "because he's like the only guy running who knows what it's like to overcome cocaine and alcohol addiction. What do you mean he isn't running?!"