Dem Rivals Hit Campaign Home Stretch

Clinton In Puerto Rico, Where She Is Favored To Win; Obama Tells Vets In N.M. "I Will Not Let You Down"

(CBS/AP)  Sen. Hillary Clinton ended a three-day campaign swing across Puerto Rico the same way many Americans mark Memorial Day - with family, friends and a salute to the sacrifices of military men and women.

Clinton, who is trying despite the odds against her to catch up to Barack Obama in the race for the Democratic presidential nomination, visited with Laura Santiago Suarez and Carlos Rivera Figueroa. Residents of a public housing project in Bayamon, the couple talked about their 21-year-old son, Jonathan, a soldier awaiting redeployment for another tour in Iraq.

Sitting in the living room of their apartment, Clinton said that once she is president she will end the war so "you will not have to worry about him going back to Iraq." She also talked about the high cost of electricity and gas in Puerto Rico, and said she wanted to see the island use solar and wind energy.

Hillary Clinton and her husband, former President Clinton, also reunited with a family that received federal aid after Hurricane Georges in 1998. As first lady, Hillary Clinton had visited them to see how the storm affected Puerto Ricans.

It is the Clintons' long history with Puerto Rico - and Hispanic voters in general - that gives Clinton a decided edge in the island's presidential primary on June 1, not to mention that her home state of New York has approximately 1 million Puerto Ricans.

But Clinton needs something approaching a mathematical miracle to catch Obama in the contest for the Democratic presidential nomination. Puerto Rico has 55 delegates at stake in its primary, but Obama had a total of 1,969 to Clinton's 1,774, according to the latest CBS News tally. He was just 57 delegates short of the 2,026 needed to clinch the nomination.

"Hillary Clinton has a slight, a very slight chance to win, but almost negligible at this point," said David Mark, senior editor of Politico.com.

It's practically zip because under no circumstances do the numbers add up in her favor, reports CBS News correspondent Thalia Assuras. So the Clinton campaign is appealing to superdelegates who don't vote until the convention.

As Clinton wrapped up her Puerto Rican swing, Obama marked Memorial Day in New Mexico, a battleground state in the general election.

Obama told a group of veterans that he cannot know what it's like to walk into battle or lose a child in combat, since he has experienced neither, but he said he is committed to strengthening the military and improving veterans' services.

"As president of the United States, I will not let you down," he promised.

Obama said President Bush is asking the troops to do too much with too little, such as interacting with civilians without the necessary translators and handling nation-building tasks that could be done by the State Department and other agencies.

"We're asking them to be teachers, social workers, engineers, diplomats. That's not what they're trained to do," the Illinois senator said during a town hall-style meeting at the Farm & Ranch Heritage Museum in Las Cruces.

Heavy use of private contractors, such as Blackwater, also hurts troops, Obama said. Contractors are paid many times what U.S. personnel make, but they aren't subject to the same rules and their misconduct inflames anti-American sentiment, he said. And when troops return home, the Bush administration doesn't do enough to help those suffering from combat stress or to help them get civilian jobs, Obama said.

After his town hall event, Obama and New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson laid wreaths at a memorial to the state's fallen soldiers. The wind knocked over the wreaths, scattering the flowers, and Obama and Richardson propped the wreaths against the monument and gathered the stray flowers.

They shook hands with onlookers, including a color guard of veterans, and Obama thanked them for their service.

In Puerto Rico, Clinton also spoke at a rally of union members from AFSCME, the American Federation of Teachers and the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers.

"Puerto Rico should support Hillary because she understands you better," Bill Clinton told the crowd. The former president and the couple's daughter, Chelsea, will remain in Puerto Rico while Hillary Clinton heads to South Dakota and Montana, which hold the final primaries a week from Tuesday.

She ended her trip in San Juan at a ceremony to add names to a dark marble monument for Puerto Ricans who died fighting in the U.S. military.

The memorial, she told the crowd, shows why Puerto Ricans should be allowed a greater voice in the U.S. government. Puerto Ricans cannot vote in the general election for president.

"That is an injustice and an insult to the thousands and thousands of Puerto Ricans who have served America with heroism and honor," Clinton said.

Not all Puerto Ricans were happy with Clinton's visit.

Jorge Pedroza, president of the Council of Vietnam Veterans of Puerto Rico, said he was upset that she waited until the third day of her campaign swing to meet with veterans. He noted that Obama's first stop during his appearance Saturday was to visit with veterans.

"If she's here honoring the dead, what about the living?" Pedroza said.

[fmrdem]

After losing the 2008 election by the biggest landslide in history, Obama retires from public life and moves to a small town in Pennslyvania. Becoming bitter and bored, with lots of idle time on his hands, he goes on to invent:
The horn that sucks instead of blows
The radio that "listens" and
The fabulous flashlight that casts shadows

[minnick8-2009]

HILLARY - STAY IN THE RACE !!!! YOU CAN DO IT.....at least stay in until the Convention in August...please keep tearing each other to shreds and continue doing the Republican''''s dirty work...thus giving Republican''''s 6 months to campaign and the Democrats barely 60 days....LOL!!!...Guess what party doesn''''t even have a candidate with 6 months left in a major presidential election ?
Posted by JoeCoolSwat

You have said it well, JoeCool

[minnick8-2009]

IT IS TIME NOW FOR ALL BLACKS TO RISE ABOVE THE WHITE RACE --- LETS DO THIS !!!
Posted by eatmochicke1

Newsflash: Obama has a white mother and a black father. That makes him 50 percent white.

[eddynewhope]

Posted by eatmochicke1 at 04:35 PM

Awe TracyMorgan - that''s cute. Back with a new handle I see. What did you do to get banned? LOL Dumbazz.

[fmrdem]

I voted for Bill Clinton in 1992 and 1996 and thought that he did a terrific job during both terms. Now, however, the DNC have turned their backs on them both. Hillary is treated with disgust and Bill is a butt of DNC jokes. That is why, I and many other Dems have left the party. The same thing will happen to Obama when he loses. Kick ''em to the curb and send them off into obscurity. Thanks for the great service!

[lindaredtail]

Hillary has been finished for a while. She just doesn''t know it. Hopefully she will drop out before she does any more harm. Time for the campaign to begin in earnest.

[joecoolswat]

HILLARY - STAY IN THE RACE !!!! YOU CAN DO IT.....at least stay in until the Convention in August...please keep tearing each other to shreds and continue doing the Republican''s dirty work...thus giving Republican''s 6 months to campaign and the Democrats barely 60 days....LOL!!!...Guess what party doesn''t even have a candidate with 6 months left in a major presidential election ?

[obamaslady]

"Sitting in the living room of their apartment, Clinton said . . . Phucke ''em! LET ME GET THE HELL OUT OF THIS NASTY DISGUSTING PLACE - IT IS NOTHING LIKE MY MANSIONS! I need time to compose myself after I purge their stench from my nostrils and try telling these poor pitiful b*stards that I REALLY ''AM WINNING'' and IF THEY WILL CONTINUE TO [WASTE THEIR] VOTES FOR ME, I SWEAR I WILL ALLIENATE THEM JUST AS I HAVE THE BLACK COMMUNITY AND THAT ''IS'' A PROMISE I WILL KEEP!

[walker1209]

This is Black female Democrat who will cast her vote in November for Senator John Sidney McCain or write in the name of Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton.

I hate the way the media has treated Senator Clinton and think that Senator McCain is more qualified to be POTUS than Senator Obama. Leaving off the so called "rock star" status of Senator Obama and his ability to draw large crowds to events, where is the substance to his candidacy? I have yet to see it. This is the first time I will be forced to cross party lines in a Presidental election, but I will surely cross before I vote for this empty suit! I will also look a little closer at the Democrats running for re-election in my state; they will no longer get a free pass from me or the loyalty vote. Very few of the party elders showed any respect to Senator Clinton and I will do the same to them. Watch out Senator Obama - most of the SUPERS who are you new best friends were once staunch supporters of Senator Clinton. They are not loyal and will drop you like a hot potato at the first sign of trouble; but then if you do get elected, you won''t be running things anyway will you? (just as "W").

[sayso2]

H.R.Clint-done.

[txgrouch2004]

Some pundits are saying Hillary will spend the remainder of her term in the Senate retaliating against the other senators who supported Obama.

That will make it REALLY, REALLY hard for her to win ANY election when her current term expires.

[txgrouch2004]

The ONLY reason Hillary has a political career AT ALL is that she rode her husband''s coattails into the Senate.

Now she has WORN THOSE COATTAILS OFF. She will have a tough time even winning re-election to the Senate after this.

[txgrouch2004]

Saw another news item about Hillary facing barriers due to sexism in her campaign. What rubbish!

SEXISM IS A BENEFIT, NOT A BARRIER for Hillary Clinton. Much of her support is coming from women who are voting for her just because she''s a woman. THAT''S SEXISM.

Without sexism, Hillary wouldn''t be in the race.

Well, sexism and the RACISM of white voters who are voting AGAINST OBAMA because of his race.

So, the deck is stacked in Hillary''s favor in TWO WAYS.

And yet, SHE STILL CAN''T CLOSE THE DEAL. It''s just the opposite. Most credible opinions are that she has no chance of winning, barring an assassination (oops, that RFK remark sure was a Freudian slip...)

The fact that Hillary IS FACING NEAR-CERTAIN DEFEAT in spite of a double dose of discrimination IN HER FAVOR shows her true qualities as a candidate. SHE HAS NONE!!

[torocaca]

go to this web site and read your heart out.

http://blogs.phillyburbs.com/blo
g.php/?p=27101&cat=0

Posted by agog2 at 04:49 AM : May 27, 20



The last comment at the above site sums it all up:

"There is no love lost for Obama in the right-wing punditry, and characters like Coulter, Hannity, Drudge, and Limbaugh have no qualms about spreading malicious gossip. That can only mean one thing. The source of the gossip has so little credibility that he%u2019s all but radioactive. Given what we already know about Sinclair (and I would bet there is more to come) I just don%u2019t see it getting any better for him. If Obama loses the election, you can bet your bottom dollar that it won%u2019t be because of Larry Sinclair."

[smirk5]

Just think. Hillary Clinton, the first woman President of the United States. Here''s how it can happen in Clinton''s own words. "The sky will open, the light will come down, celestial choirs will be singing and everyone will know we should do the right thing and the world will be perfect"

[torocaca]

Very interesting article at this URL. It will make you think twice about Obama.

http://advanceindiana.blogspot.com/2008/04/will-obamas-indiana-truth-squad-address.html

Here''s part of it:

"To be sure, Sinclair has had many problems in his life which are enough to give any serious investigative reporter pause. He had a troubled childhood and admits to running away from home. He%u2019s used drugs. He%u2019s trafficked in drugs. He has a criminal record. He changed his legal name three times. He has a host of medical problems too lengthy to discuss here which have rendered him disabled. And if that isn%u2019t enough, Sinclair consented to a polygraph examination offered by Whitehouse.com in consideration for $20,000. The reported results didn%u2019t help Sinclair%u2019s cause, with inconclusive results or deception indicated, depending on whose interpretation you choose to rely. Given the sheer weight of his baggage, it would be easy enough for the Obama campaign simply to ignore Sinclair%u2019s existence. But it has not, at least according to Sinclair."

And this:

"It all sounds crazy, doesn%u2019t it? ... If the New York Times can devote a lengthy, front-page story in late February discussing Sen. John McCain%u2019s supposed romantic link to a female D.C. lobbyist based on innuendo and speculation by anonymous sources, surely it can find some column space to get to the bottom of the Larry Sinclair story."

They should, just to clear the air...

[vet_sk]

Sinclair''s brother even said his brother was a liar and publisity hound. ...but here we are. Apparently still waiting for Hillary to drop out the race but she won''t drop out of the race because she is waiting for Obama to be assinated. Sad sack Hillary. And now the Hillary campaign is saying that that too is Obama''s fault. At this rate, Hillary won''t even be reelected to US Senate.

[realpatriot1]

Agog2,

I don''t believe Sinclair for one minute, but for the sake of argument let''s say his allegations are true. So what?

McCain seems poised to put Governor Crist of Florida a heartbeat away from the Presidency. There are even more allegations about the Governor being a gay Aemrican. Do you have the same problem with that?

[galloglaigh]

whitehouse.com PAID Sinclair for the information and then turned around and PROVED that he was lying.

Posted by fake-id at 04:13 AM : May 27, 2008
____________________

Not quite. Sinclair made his own tapes and posted them on YouTube.

whitehouse.com, a now defunct porn site, paid Sinclair to take a polygraph test, which he failed. The polygraph was administered by a prominent polygraph expert.

"Obama Accuser Larry Sinclair Fails Polygraph Test"
http://hyerstandard.com/obama-accuser-larry-sinclair-fails-polygraph-test/

Sinclair is a nutjob. But sadly, people hear what they want to hear and disregard the truth.

In fact, most people hear what they want to hear and don''t bother looking for the truth.

[fake-id-2009]

It is physically impossible for the claims made by Larry Sinclair to be true.

Larry Sinclair was a patient confined to a mental hospital at the time that Larry Sinclair claims to have had *** with Barack Obama in the back of a limousine.

Larry Sinclair was suffering from severe psychosis due to Schizophrenia.

Larry Sinclair also suffers from Delusional Misidentification caused by a brain tumor that Larry Sinclair has.

In addition to that, Larry Sinclair has multiple Criminal Convictions for Fraud.

To all of those people out there who are entertaiining themselves with Larry Sinclairs''s claims - those claims have not only been proven to be false beyond a shadow of a doubt, those claims have also been proven to be physically impossible.

To all of Larry Sinclair''s fans I say: have a nice day because you have BLOWN IT BIG TIME. (pun intended)