In a press conference this week, Joe Biden called Afghanistan the forgotten war, and Pakistan the neglected frontier. Yesterday, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, intent on insuring the new opportunities resulting from post-election Pakistan are not neglected, questioned Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte on the Bush administration's plans for working with the newly elected Pakistan parliament.

As Senator Kerry noted:

"We have seen elections where nothing happens after the fact... We made certain that what we heard from President Musharraf, that his commitment to help Pakistan return to civilian rule remains genuine. An election alone does not make for real democracy, let alone a functioning government."

Of course, the future Pakistan is largely in the hands of the new parliament, and the election results are a hopeful sign, as well as a real opportunity for the US to forge a new relationship with what we all hope will be a real functioning democracy. The senators urged that we seize upon this chance to significantly increase non-military aid in addition to refocusing on the training and support of the Pakistan military to deal with militant extremists and the various indigenous insurgencies.

There is, of course, the Senator's original plan with respect to the Taliban and Al-Qaeda to 'talk them to death', but that would require a whole lot more Senators, so probably best to go with plan 'B'.

Senator Biden started the press conference yesterday by referring to the situation in Afghanistan as "the forgotten war". Senator Kerry warned that Pakistan and Afghanistan are "the most strategically vital region in our struggle against terrorists," each country capable of destabilizing the other.

We've written here several times about the tenuous situation in both countries. Senator Kerry, Senator Biden and others on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee have called attention, time and again, to the fragile state of these two nations and the threat that's posed by our inattention, and again yesterday the Senators underscored the need to refocus.

Kerry and Biden recently returned from the Middle East and the two Democratic senators described what they observed during their visit.

It's kind of fascinating watching stump speeches this primary season. Each of the candidates has a unique style, as do their surrogates. There is, of course, Barack Obama's ringing oratory, which has become something of a trademark. It will be so good to hear him for the next eight years after the ear-beating we've taken these past seven. Hillary knows her stuff, no doubt about that, but her speaking style comes off as scolding. If you're a mom who has ever sent her kid to her room without dinner, I think you might find a bit of yourself in Sen. Clinton, and not in a good way. Bill, of course, is a wonderful speaker. He's had a lot of practice, and it's served him well. Even when he screws up, there's something you've got to love about the man. John McCain is probably the worst speaker I have ever heard. Dull as dishwater and wrong on the facts. I've never made it all the way through a John McCain speech, but what I've heard is both snore-inducing in it's delivery and hide-under-the-bed terrifying in it's content.

The speeches have been fascinating, both in style and substance. I'm sure we'll hear plenty more before it's all over, and maybe I'll make it through a McCain speech all the way through. I do have a favorite speaker, though, and he was in Texas last weekend, on the campaign trail for Barack Obama.

I ever needed someone to argue on my behalf, I'd pick this guy.

I always come away with the one thought after hearing the Senator speak. I've heard him many times, not for as many years as some, but I've managed a few. And after each time I find myself thinking that if everyone in America had listened to him speak back before the '04 election, just one time, we'd be looking at a very different country today.

What I like about Senator Kerry's speeches, especially those like this one from Saturday at Galveston's University of Texas Medical Branch, is that you can expect certain things. I've never dissected one before, but it struck me watching this one that even when the themes change, the construct is pretty consistent. First, you're going to get a story. About how his mom sparked his interest in the environment, or about being stranded in the mountains of Afghanistan or a about riding his bike in the hills of Pittsburgh. They are personal stories, and he tends to scatter them through speeches and draw the audience into the conversation. Second, there's a history lesson. About Vietnam, or about the early days of the environmental movement or about the Constitution and the early days of our country. There are the facts, of course. In this case, the facts about Barack Obama's experience and qualifications. And then, there's the call to action and consequences of inaction. John Kerry the senator will always be John Kerry the activist.

But it ain't nothing.

Senator Kerry says that Barack Obama will be a transformational President. I believe that. I also believe that after the past eight years there is nothing this country needs more than someone who can unify us as Americans and restore our moral authority in the world. There's not a whole lot of difference in policy or experience or intelligence in our two candidates. For all the talk, it really comes down to the politics of cynicism and division or the politics of unity and hope. Some may mock it and say that it doesn't matter. But it does matter, and it's exactly what we need.

We've found two videos whose creativity and scope underline Obama's capacity to unite and transform. The first is a well-edited compilation of clips and pictures of Barack's political life.

The second video is a new collective effort that's being developed and you can be part of it. It's based on this video from Dipdive which is amazing all by itself. Check out the new creative collective video here.

Friendly tip:  Click on where it says 'Explore Now' and then run your cursor over the images as the video plays. You'll see something cool.

 
-- Faith and Violet

I guess Senator Kerry likes his job a lot. He'd have to, I suppose, to finish up a week in Pakistan, India, Afghanistan and Turkey with a trip to Texas to talk about a veterans' hospital and to campaign for Obama. Personally, if I were stranded in the mountains of Afghanistan, I'd have to take a week off to recover when I got home.

I don't think the Senator will be doing that, though. The Senate is back this week, and he's got whales to save and an administration to battle. And several interesting hearings. Finance looks good on Tuesday, and the SFRC is meeting on Thursday to discuss Pakistan's elections. A couple hearings on 2009 budgets scattered throughout the week, too, which might be a good time for a nap if it weren't for the ever-present eye of C-SPAN.

Lots of news this week. Enjoy.

I'm not going to post the video of Senator Clinton's attack on Barack Obama yesterday. In my opinion, it was a very low moment for her, and I like Senator Clinton. But her disingenuous rant about some old mailers (that if she didn't know about them prior to yesterday, shame on her) deserves a response.

Here's one.

The mailers in question were about NAFTA, which she did support, and mandates on health care, which she does support. They were not an attack on her, on Democrats or on anyone else. They were the truth, whether she likes it or not. The fact is that Senator Clinton has also sent mailers attacking Obama's health care plan. It's what candidates do when they're running for office, and it's expected. What's not true, and what's seriously disturbing, is her likening some political mailers about candidates' positions on the issues to Karl Rove's tactics.

Not fair, Hillary. And not true. Shame on you.

I think Senator Kerry likes whales. I know he likes polar bears, as we've noted in previous posts, but he really seems to like whales a lot. I'm not really sure if he prefers one over the other, but it's a good question. I'll have to research that and get back to you. Maybe he just likes saving things, like people and animals that need his help. Right now, it's whales.

Last month, he joined forces with Heroes star Hayden Panettiere at a rally in DC to 'Save the Whales Again'.

This is not a new cause for Senator Kerry, who introduced the North Atlantic Right Whale Recovery Act in 2001. At the time, the population of the North Atlantic Right Whale was 350. Currently, the estimate is 300.

"Right whales are at risk of extinction from a number of sources. These include, ship strikes, the number one source of known right whale fatalities, entanglement in fishing gear, coastal pollution, habitat degradation, ocean noise and climate change."

Last August, Senator Kerry wrote to President Bush about the danger to whales of ship strikes. We reported it here at KV, but difficult as it is to believe, I don't think the President reads KV.  I'll try not to take that personally.

"We call on the Administration to take immediate action to finalize a ship strike reduction rule that will slow ships to protect right whales based on the best available scientific evidence. We also ask that the Administration brief our staff on the expected timeline for implementation, as well as the Administration’s plans for the enforcement and monitoring of new provisions."

I wouldn't be surprised if Bush didn't read that, either. If he did, he certainly didn't do anything about it. It was a good try by the Senator, but since the letter failed to get the President's attention, Senator Kerry has introduced legislation this week to help save the whales from ship strikes.

Senator John Kerry today introduced legislation that would help protect critically endangered North Atlantic right whales from injury and death due to ship strikes. The Ship Strike Reduction Act of 2008 would require the Bush Administration to finalize a rule establishing speed limits for specified vessels in migratory paths of North Atlantic right whales. The federal rule enforcing the speed limits, known as "the Ship Strike Rule," was first proposed in February, 2007, but the rule has been buried in the regulatory process for over a year.

His ship strike legislation isn't the Senator's only attempt to save the whale from extinction. Last November, he and several other Senators wrote to Japanese Ambassador Kato, calling for a halt to whale hunting expeditions disguised as scientific studies.

... we join the growing chorus of world leaders and environmental experts in asking Japan to reconsider its decision to conduct this hunt,or, at a minimum, significantly scale back its scope. We also ask that Japan immediately cease the killing of both humpback and fin whales, and only employ non-lethal techniques for studying these populations. By pursuing these actions, Japan can continue to make significant scientific contributions, while conserving and protecting these important species.

You know, maybe it's not 'just' about saving bears or whales or hampsters or even individual people at all. Maybe it has something to do with looking beyond one's self and doing the right thing, living by a rule that guides some people to 'do unto others', and applying that rule in a very inclusive way. Maybe it's not a decision at all, but something inherent in a person's individual makeup that compels some people to look at the plight of the helpless and act to make a difference. Whatever it is that makes people like Senator Kerry and Hayden Panettiere and Pierce Brosnan, who appear to have little else in common but a cause, use their influence and celebrity to save the whales from extinction, it's the right thing to do. But as important as it is to save the whales, it's bigger than that. It's about the next generation who will look to the influence of past activists and be emboldened to fight for future causes, when the fight may be for their own survival.

- - - - - - - - - - - - -

photo credit: CelebrityMound
photo credit: Wikimedia Commons
photo credit: Wikimedia Commons

“No one was injured, everyone is safe,” is how Kerry spokesman David Wade announced the news.

Thank you, David.

If you've ever broken news to someone, potentially really bad news that ended much better than it might have, that's a really good way to do it. A really bad way is to splash the face of the person in question on one of the TV news channels with a map of the Middle East and some news crawl about an emergency helicopter landing, which is how most of us learned of the Senators' Afghanistan adventure.

Senators Kerry, Joe Biden and Chuck Hagel, traveling together in the Middle East this week, made an unexpected stop in the mountains of Afghanistan yesterday when their helicopter was forced to make an emergency landing due to a snowstorm.

From the Boston Globe:

"The weather closed in on us," the Associated Press quoted Kerry as saying. "It went pretty blind, pretty fast and we were around some pretty dangerous ridges. So the pilot exercised his judgment that we were better off putting down there, and we all agreed."

Scary. But thankfully, a happy ending, if you can call an emergency landing in the mountains of Afghanistan in a snowstorm happy. What's important, as Mr. Wade notes, is that everyone is OK.

Although early accounts had phones ringing and email flying among my friends and coworkers, later reports, like the AP story and this from CNN's Brianna Keilar were much more balanced.

The Washington Post reported the lighter side of the story.

Kerry said the lawmakers were lucky because there happened to be a road nearby.

"We sat up there and traded stories," Kerry joked. "We were going to send Biden out to fight the Taliban with snowballs, but we didn't have to do it."

Added Kerry: "Other than getting a little cold, it was fine."

Safe journey home, Senators.

Bittersweet.

There was a lot of hope back in the summer of 2004. It was a time that gave us the right man for the right job, but at a time when too much of the country was blinded by fear -- some real and some manufactured -- and not ready to accept the change we so desperately needed. It was an uncertain time that would allow the campaign of George W. Bush to drown out our hope with a series of strategically timed attacks and a trumped up message of terror and hopelessness that would effectively rob the country of a better future. But Senator Kerry gave us an opportunity for change in 2004 that we wouldn't realize until years later. One that even the right wing couldn't take from us despite their fear mongering, terror alerts and swift boat lies.

"Out of this long political darkness, a brighter day will come."

Well, it looks like the good guys won! Fidel finally decides it is time to resign. We shall see how far his arm may still reach in the coming months.

On the other side of the world in Pakistan, the parliamentary elections were successful and the ruling party of Pakistan's Pervez Musharraf admitted defeat with only 38 seats.

The previously ousted Nawaz Sharif whose Pakistan Muslim League-N party won 67 seats, was one of the winners and only The Pakistan People's Party of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto won more national assembly seats -- 92.

KerryVision did say that we might never see any video of Senator Kerry's visit to Pakistan to oversee its elections, but we are happy to be proven wrong. Yesterday, CNN asked our guy to weigh in on the latest breaking news - Fidel Castro's resignation, and the parliamentary elections he had overseen on Monday.

The Senator expressed cautious optimism about the Castro news, cautioning that while Fidel would not run again, his brother would take his place, so the US couldn't expect too much of a transition happening. While not advocating a complete change of stance towards the new regime in Cuba, Kerry did allow for some relaxation of the strict and rigid way the US has dealt with the communist nation up until now.

Moving on to Pakistan, Senator Kerry expressed disappointment about the violence on the day prior to the election, but stated that the election itself had been fair and successful. He praised the Pakistani people for their willingness to go out and take a risk because they believed their vote would be counted.

For even more on Senator Kerry's visit to Pakistan, watch this excellent slideshow. There are some pictures of the Super Tuesday Boston rally, as well. We are treated to Teddy, Teresa, and Barack, who - speaking of good guys winning - had a clearcut victory in Wisconsin and a landslide in Hawaii.

The audacity of hope.

That was the best of the American spirit, I thought -- having the audacity to believe despite all the evidence to the contrary that we could restore a sense of community to a nation torn by conflict; the gall to believe that despite personal setbacks, the loss of a job or an illness in the family or a childhood mired in poverty, we had some control -- and therefore responsibility - over our own fate.

It was that audacity, I thought, that joined us as one people. It was that pervasive spirit of hope that tied my own family's story to the larger American story, and my own story to those of the voters I sought to represent.

From Barack Obama's "The Audacity of Hope"

Charlie Rose spoke with Barack Obama about his book "The Audacity of Hope" in October, 2006, shortly after the book's release. I'm just reading it, and it confirms for me what I've heard in his speeches and seen in interviews. It's a moving and honest look at what Barack Obama wants for our country, filled with the common sense thoughts of someone who is an unapologetic Democrat, but who also looks to include all Americans in a future where we can learn to hope again. This interview runs just under an hour.

Senator Obama has been attacked for his belief in the power of hope, for his refusal to succumb to cynicism, and for his attempts to promote an America where inclusion is preferable to division. But despite his critics, he continues to call on us to help break with the politics of 'more of the same', to accept one another and unite around our common goals.

And the people are listening.

Half a world away, Senator Kerry observed the elections in Pakistan yesterday and commented on the need for people of that nation to come together around a common purpose.

Kerry said it is important the rights of Pakistanis are protected and to have a government that will bring them together to solve their problems, the state-run Associated Press of Pakistan reported.

"We will like to see these elections to be the new opportunity for the government to restore stability, either through coalition or majority," he was quoted as saying, adding, "We have enormous respect for the sovereignty, history and culture of the Pakistani people."

Four countries in three days. I'm not sure if Sen. Kerry is still in Pakistan, or if he's moved on to India or Afghanistan or Turkey, but it doesn't sound like a fun trip. Maybe I should hook him up with my travel guy, I'm sure he could have found him a nice cruise deal.

Although we're not likely to see coverage of the Pakistan elections in the US media, I was able to catch a bit on IBN and French TV. You know, when I vote, the scariest part is crossing the street from where I park and I've yet to see anyone outside my polling location toting a machine gun. But the people of Pakistan appear to be voting, despite the fear of violence and the shooting death today of one of the candidates.

In addition to the trip to the Middle East, the Senator spoke at a climate change conference at Rice university and questioned Condi Rice at a Foreign Relations Committee hearing. He introduced legislation to provide low-cost health coverage to Massachusetts fishermen, wrote to SBA Administrator Preston about providing access to capital for small businesses, and wrote a diary for Daily Kos in addition to four TV interviews and a conference call with Chuck Hagel prior to their leaving for Pakistan. And he sold his car.

Not a bad week's work. Enjoy the news.

"The most important thing we can do right now is to reengage the American people in the process of government, to get them excited and interested again."

"Don't tell me words don't matter."

As Senator Obama explained last night at the Democratic Party of Wisconsin's Founder's Day Gala, words matter. He addressed the Clinton campaign's recent attacks on his strong message of hope with an even stronger message of hope. Words matter when you're trying to inspire a country that's been cursed for the past eight years with a president who couldn't string words together into a coherent sentence. We need a president who can inspire with words, and use words to bring together the American people to focus on the goals of this country. We need new policies, new jobs, new solutions to the problems we face as a nation. These things all start with words.

"I have a dream."

Just words?

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal."

Just words?

"We have nothing to fear but fear itself."

Just words?

Senator Kerry spent yesterday traveling to the Middle East, where he will visit Pakistan to observe the elections, and Afghanistan, India and Turkey to talk to leaders there about the problems that face us globally. He will use words, no doubt, to do that.

Just words.

Most of us have been paying an awful lot of attention these days to the Democratic primary race here at home, but there's another big election coming up, and Senators Kerry, Biden and Hagel will travel to Pakistan to observe, along with about a thousand other international visitors, the election of Pakistani parliament members. Tens of thousands of Pakistani citizens will be monitoring as well.

Senator Kerry commented on the upcoming elections where there is fear not only of election irregularities, but the potential for violence.

"The stakes are very high here," Sen. John Kerry, a Massachusetts Democrat and former presidential nominee who is among three senior U.S. lawmakers traveling to Pakistan to observe the vote, told reporters.

"I hope the government understands that merely clinging to power meets nobody's objectives because it will wind up actually playing into the hands of the radicals and of the instability not only of the country, but of the region."

The Senator also commented on his trip in an update to a DailyKos diary.

A few of you have asked – and I want to underscore - that our trip to Pakistan isn’t legally permitted to be a “monitoring” exercise - it’s an observation group – but I’ve done these for years going back to Marcos/Phillipines – and I do believe having senior American presence there on the ground talking to people in real time matters; it sends a signal that we’re serious enough to fly across the globe to see for ourselves whether the elections are – as promised - free, fair, and transparent - I think having senior members of the Foreign Relations Committee on the ground how seriously we take these elections.

Despite the concern, there's also some effort among the youth of Pakistan to encourage citizens to make an informed choice in Monday's election. A group called Future Leaders of Pakistan has launched 'Parliament Watch', a website and discussion board where citizens are able to learn about the candidates. Although I know nothing about the organization other than what's on their site and what I could find via 'the google', their mission seems to be progressive, they appear not to endorse any candidate, and their goal with respect to the election is open discussion and a commitment to transparency. It's a good place to start.

From all accounts, things are looking pretty tenuous. Musharraf's job approval rating is even lower than Bush's, believe it or not, and the results of the election might not bode well for his future. Observers and citizen poll watchers have an important role to play. Personally, I'll be happy when it's Tuesday.

Eat your vegetables.

This hearing -- and I like hearings -- was about as exciting as the title of this post. I tried to jazz up the title a bit, but it's pretty representative of the three hours of statements and testimony the way it is. As a friend who watched the hearing with me later said, it's like eating your vegetables. I guess you gotta. Besides, if you were looking for a hearing with pizzazz, the Roger Clemens steroid fib-fest was happening at the same time. You may have seen that one, it was live on every cable news channel.

Don't get me wrong. It was an important three hours. We're talking about a $39.5 billion dollar budget for things like counter-insurgency, reconstruction, humanitarian aid, and other projects related to our relations with the rest of the world. And I will apologize to the Senators and Sec. Rice in advance for this because I know it's gotta be done, but the best description I heard of this hearing was 'substantive'. It was. That means dull, by the way.

Really, we should thank the SFRC members for actually sitting through this stuff. As the Senator notes, several of the committee members didn't, and left during questioning. I feel their pain.

Maybe I'm just used to fiery JK speeches about dissent and patriotism and taking on the status quo, and not sitting through hours of Senators talking to Condi Rice about how much money we need for this or that project in Afganistan. It just seems unusual to have Condi testify to the SFRC and not blast her on Bush's failed policies and out of control spending. But as much as I liked watching the SFRC hold this administration's feet to the fire, I won't miss Condi and her pals when they're gone.

Let me just say this about that.

The Democratic nominee is not going to be decided arbitrarily by superdelegates. Despite the media raising apprehension among Democratic voters about votes being irrelevant and party big-wigs picking a candidate, that just won't happen.

The reason it won't is that if this comes down to the convention and our nominee is decided by the 20% unpledged delegates, or Superdelegates, we might as well just hand the keys of the White House over to McCain. There is no way the volunteers, door knockers, phone bankers, and Democratic activists, bloggers and VOTERS, who have spent the last several months supporting our candidates, are going to allow the whims of fewer than 800 party leaders to make our choice for us. And they know it.

Really, it won't come to that. I think a lot of the talk of a brokered convention and superdelegates is the media looking for some new way to stir up controversy. One of our candidates is going to pull away with this soon. Either that, or we'll come up with a good democratic solution, since the last thing any of us wants is to see the party ripped apart and our country in the hands of John McCain.

As Senator/Superdelegate Kerry says very bluntly in an interview with CNN's Wolf Blitzer, "... it would be a mistake on either side, whether it's Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama, for a superdelegate to come in and say, 'To hell with you the people'."

Pick your candidate. Vote your conscience and know that your vote will help decide our nominee and the next President.

The people will decide.

I would! Heck, there may be copies of speeches tucked under the seat or something. A plan to end the war in the glove box. Maybe a couple signed Springsteen CDs in the disc changer.

You never know.

John Kerry's SUV Hybrid Sitting On Used Car Lot

If you're in the market for a hybrid SUV once owned by a famous, environmentally friendly politician, Sen. John Kerry's (D-Mass.) 2006 Ford Escape Hybrid is for sale for about $26,000.
...

But what is Kerry, Mr. Saving the Planet Jr. (Al Gore is Senior), doing getting rid of his hybrid? Is he going back to a gas-guzzling, ozone-destroying emissions way of the past?

Never, says Kerry's deputy chief of staff, David Wade. In fact, his boss decided to trade in his two-year-old Ford Escape Hybrid for a shiny new Chevy Tahoe Hybrid -- which won the 2008 Green Car of the Year award, he'll have you know. (Wade says it's a 40 percent increase in fuel efficiency.)

"Senator Kerry has already done two things this year to help fight global warming and reduce greenhouse gas emissions: he bought a new hybrid car and he's giving shorter speeches," Wade quipped.

Wade cracks me up.

Anyway, I looked up the Kelley Blue Book value, just to see what kind of deal I'd be getting. I'm guessing it's loaded, and in excellent shape (like the previous owner). Looks like it's worth about $28K, so a bargain at 26 Gs. I'm not sure how good a driver he is, and there are no studies, to my knowledge, comparing legislative ability to driving habits. So I'd have to ask about any repaired dings or scratches. Even so, no big. I'm guessing I'd have to move the seat up a bit, but that's easy enough.

If I bought John Kerry's car and put a John Kerry bumper sticker on it, would that be redundant? I might have to go with this one,

since a bumper sticker that says "Hey, guess what? I'm driving John Kerry's car" would be, well, just a little strange.

During this primary season, it's difficult even for folks in the same party to get along. But we've found an issue that the left, the right, and all of us in between can agree on.

And Senator Kerry is leading the way.

Senators John Kerry (D-Mass.) and John Ensign (R-Nev.) led a bipartisan group of legislators today to introduce a bill that would expedite the adoption of electronic prescribing technology in every doctor’s office in America. Prescribing electronically instead of by-hand has been proven to save lives and cut costs on a massive scale.

As a result of prescription errors, American hospital patients are hit with 1.5 million injuries each year, according to the Institute of Medicine. Medication errors will kill at least 7,000 Americans in 2007. Of the more than three billion prescriptions written each year, doctors report nearly one billion require a follow-up between providers and pharmacies for clarification. The health-care system costs are in the billions.

Kerry’s bill would foster the adoption of e-prescribing by providing permanent Medicare funding for payment bonuses to physicians who acquire e-prescribing technology. In addition, for every Medicare prescription a doctor writes electronically, they will be paid an extra 1% bonus. Starting in 2011, Medicare physicians who are not electronically prescribing would face financial penalties.

Let's see...

The Senator was in Texas to give the keynote speech at a climate conference, he was in Massachusetts, Connecticut and Maine for Obama, and he was in DC for a Finance Committee hearing, to introduce three new Afghanistan studies, fight for small business and to vote on the stimulus package which included his small business tax relief provision. I don't envy his schedule, but man, I wish I had his frequent flyer miles. It must cost a bundle in offsets to travel like that, but it's clear that the work he's doing to effect change far outweighs the negative impact of travel.

He wrote to President Bush about the Mass National Guard, and pushed for an investigation into the quality of Kevlar helmets. And there's the new GI bill he's sponsoring with Rep. Peter King. We should hear lots more on that, as Bill O'Reilly has decided to make it a cause. Hey, O'Reilly can be a real jerk, but this time he's decided to join the good guys so I'll try not to trash him until after the bill is passed.

All that and much, much more this week. Enjoy the news.

The very definition of democracy, from its Greek origins demos-kratia is that "the people rule". Although it very often feels as though we're sitting on the sidelines, it doesn't have to be that way. Yesterday, we saw people from Nebraska, Washington, Louisiana and the Virgin Islands bring home a sweeping victory for Barack Obama in caucuses and primaries, but what we didn't see was the legion of volunteers who helped make that happen from their homes all across America.

Personally, I like phone banking. The first time I did was in 2004 for Senator Kerry, calling from the Steelworkers building in Pittsburgh. In 2006, I spent evenings after work calling for Bob Casey, and ran a phone bank on election day. It was fun, and I found that after a time or two, I looked forward to making the calls and talking to people I had never met about people and ideas that matter to me.

Yesterday, I tried something just a little different. Sen. Obama's campaign has an online phone bank that let me participate from my home, calling people in Louisiana. I was amazed at how simple it was and how it allowed me to feel part of the victory from a thousand miles away. And not only that, but it let me connect with people and hear the voices of others who are excited to participate in this historic election. Even before the returns came in from Louisiana, I knew Obama was going to win, and win big. The people told me, without my even asking, that they are ready for change.

The online Obama team is calling Maine today. I've never been there, but I think I'll pick up the phone and see what's on the minds of the good folks of the Pine Tree State.

Senator Obama was in Virginia at the Jefferson-Jackson dinner last night, speaking to cheering crowds of the need for change in this country. We need to make it happen, and we can. And you can help just by picking up the phone.

While all eyes were on the primaries and caucuses yesterday, Senator Kerry was in Texas, speaking at Rice University's conference Beyond Science:The Economics and Politics of Responding to Climate Change about one of the most serious issues facing our country and our planet today. We'll try to find more on that in the coming days. For now, though, I've got a couple hundred Mainers to talk to.

In a new Time poll, Senator Barack Obama fared better than Hillary Clinton in a matchup against the presumptive Republican nominee, John McCain. Obama can beat McCain because people, not just Democrats, but Independents and even some Republicans who wouldn't vote for Hillary if she were the only name on the ballot, will vote for Obama. Barack has proven he can with in the south, and in the red states of the heartland.

At rallys, Obama jokes about people he meets who whisper to them that they are Republicans but they support him.

"Barack," they say in hushed voices, "I'm a Republican, but I support you."

"Thank you," he whispers back. "Why are we whispering?"

Obama captured 48% of the vote in the theoretical match-up against McCain's 41%, the TIME poll reported, while Clinton and McCain would deadlock at 46% of the vote each.

In November, Senator Kerry, chair of the Commerce Subcommittee on Science, Technology and Innovation, held a hearing on carbon sequestration and introduced S.2323 The Carbon Capture and Storage Technology Act of 2007 which funds technology to reduce the impact of carbon emissions and slow the growing threat of global climate change. Although the ultimate solution lies in renewables, coal as a source of energy is not going away any time soon, and the need to address the negative effect of coal-fired power plants is urgent.

“If the United States continues to turn a blind eye to dangerous emissions, we will be forced to climb an even steeper hill in battling global climate change,” said Senator John Kerry. “Carbon capture and storage technologies hold enormous potential to reduce our emissions as we power our economy. This legislation and today’s hearing offer a chance to embrace smart solutions the American way: by harnessing technology to help combat the climate change threat.”

Here's the CRS summary of the bill:

Sen. Kerry spoke with MSNBC's Andrea Mitchell and CNN's Tony Harris yesterday about Barack Obama's momentum and his great, inspirational campaign. He also discussed with Andrea the terrible tragedy in the aftermath of Tuesday night's devastation in Tennessee, Arkansas, Kentucky, Mississippi and Alabama, and the impacts of climate change on weather events. But one topic they didn't cover was Hillary Clinton's money problems. Perhaps because nobody knew she's in trouble except Sen. Clinton and the people who haven't been paid. It seems the Clinton campaign is broke and that Sen. Clinton had to loan herself money to make it through Super Tuesday.

It takes a lot of money to run a campaign. It's a sad fact, but it's true. And while Obama doesn't seem to be having much trouble raising and managing cash, the same can't be said for his opponent. In fact, Barack raised $32 million in January to Clinton's 13.5 million. And yesterday, contributions to the Obama campaign poured in totaling a stunning $5.8 million in 24 hours.

Of course, a campaign shouldn't be about money. But the fact is that, until there is some meaningful campaign finance reform, you just can't win without it. And if a candidate can't manage her campaign budget, well, that just doesn't inspire much confidence that she'll be able to manage the country's and bring down our massive debt.

Speaking of budgets, the Senate Finance Committee held a hearing on the HHS budget yesterday, and Senator Kerry questioned HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt on e-prescriptions, cuts to Medicare and the budgeting process. E-prescriptions were one point where I think everyone can agree, but the cuts to necessary medical services to the elderly, not so much. Apparently, the Bush administration is slashing Medicare, the CDC budget and funding for the rural poor, another fine example of compassionate conservative 'values'.

O-mentum. He's got it, and in the coming weeks and months, it's what's going to put Barack Obama over the top. Just weeks ago, Barack was hovering around 20% in Massachusetts, and although he didn't do as well there as some polls indicated he might, he nearly doubled his numbers in a couple short weeks. In California, where Sen. Clinton had a huge lead in early voting, Obama made huge gains yesterday. Not enough to overcome the votes already cast, but it showed a significant movement toward Barack.

Looking at yesterday's results, a number of things are clear. First and foremost, it proved that polls are pretty meaningless in this race. It's also clear that the race isn't about race, Obama having won overwhelmingly in middle America. And in this tight race for the Democratic nomination, Obama has O-mentum going into the second half of the primaries, and it's going to make all the difference. He's won more states, and he's got a lot more to win. We've got the big mo going for us. Can we do it?

Yes, we can.

Senator Kerry was on the trail for Barack yesterday, and spoke with Norah O'Donnell on MSNBC about Obama's amazing momentum going into yesterday's contest.

Senator Kerry was also interviewed on a number of radio programs yesterday, speaking with Tom Finneran and cohost Wendy Murphy on WRKO's Finneran's Forum, and on local TV, like this from MyFoxLA, and this interview from KRON4.

I don't think the Senator was really in several places at once last week. I'm pretty sure it just seemed like it. In the Senate, he spoke on the climate, the economy, and the need to re-focus on Afghanistan. On the campaign trail for Sen. Obama, the Senator hit the east coast, the west coast, and several of the major television and radio talk shows. Sen. Kerry spoke this week about Rice and sushi and the State of the Union. He urged increased funding for the Massachusetts National Guard, and had small business legislation passed for veterans. He was named Small Business Champion by Staples and is again championing the cause of polar bears. And whales.

There was more, actually, but I'm afraid I just couldn't keep up. I also couldn't keep the news to five minutes, so enjoy the extended newsreel.

Maybe he'll slow down a bit this week, but I wouldn't count on it.

Hello KV,

When John and I were researching our book, This Moment on Earth, we spoke with hundreds of people across the country who are forming the modern core of today’s environmentalism. One of these was Cheryl Osimo, of the Silent Spring Institute (a non-profit scientific research organization in Massachusetts dedicated to identifying the links between the environment and women's health, especially breast cancer).

Cheryl became an environmental activist for a very personal reason: she was diagnosed with breast cancer and she started to look for answers. Their ground-breaking work found a link between estrogen-mimicking compounds in pesticides and higher incidences of breast cancer.

I’ve worked on environmental issues for over 25 years, and I’ve learned time and again about the nexus between our environmental crisis and our own health. From the warming of our planet to the toxic chemicals in our homes, the state of our environment is affecting us and our health more and more every day.

One of the recurring topics in the current Presidential race and probably the most serious problem our country is facing today is our flagging economy. The Fed's rapid-fire rate cuts are an attempt to stop the bleeding. Congress and the administration have proposed an economic stimulus package to the same end. Some argue that this is all just an attempt to throw a bucket of cold cash on the raging flames of this administration's economic failures. Probably true, but I don't think it's the wrong thing to do. Perhaps at this point, it's the only thing to do. If it's done it the right way.

Now I'm no expert, but even someone like me who has trouble keeping her checkbook balanced can see that if the point is to infuse the economy with cash, the key to making the stimulus work is to get the money to those who are likely to spend it. That's why it makes sense to include low income workers and seniors, who are likely to put the money immediately back into the economy. But simply handing out cash to folks so they can pay a few bills and buy more Chinese made stuff is putting a band-aid on a gaping wound. So the Senate is attempting to tackle the problem a bit more holistically, and is focusing not just on cash rebates, but help with the more deep rooted issues. One of those, perhaps the biggest and nastiest, is subprime loans. That's where the Kerry-Smith plan hopes to make a real difference. If people can afford their mortgages, they'll pay them, boost the economy, and keep their homes, something that's much more likely to reverse our downward economic spiral and improve the lives of low income families than a $600 check.

The Senate Finance Committee agrees that we have to include more in the stimulus than rebates, and the Kerry-Smith plan passed the committee with strong bipartisan support. The full hearing is available at C-SPAN's video library.

It's true. John McCain, despite the the common wisdom, is the very definition of a flip-flopping Republican candidate. Almost as bad as Mitt Romney, if that's possible. But the public perception and media spin about McCain has somehow been ingrained, and it's going to take someone with a record of consistency to counter that in the general election. As Senator Kerry explains to Andrea Mitchell, that person is Barack Obama.

"The Bushification of John McCain" started in 2004, just two short years after President Bush swiftboated the Senator mercilessly, and since then, his record of enabling the administration, from his 100 years war to his flip-flop on taxes, religion and womens' rights, to his birthday party with the President while the Gulf coast was drowning is proof that this John McCain is no maverick. What he is, on the contrary, is Bush III.

Master of the bad joke, McCain has demonstrated that he's equally capable making fun of children and of making a mockery of our foreign relations. I wonder how he thinks that will play in the Middle East?

It's not that John McCain has no sense of what the President's war has cost the American people in blood and treasure and moral authority. It's that he doesn't have the will to stop it. He continues to mislead the American people a la GW by insisting we have Al-Qaeda on the run when everyone knows they're just as strong as ever in Afghanistan.

What we need to counter the Republicans this fall is a nominee who has opposed the policy of Bush-McCain from the start. We need someone who has distinguished himself from the failed policies of this administration by opposing the George Bush's war from the start, not someone who still refuses to admit the mistake of trusting this administration with the authority to go to war in Iraq.

Can we put that person over the top this Tuesday?

Yes. We. Can.