It's All Over But The Crying

By now, it's apparent to anyone outside the circle of Hillary Clinton's most devoted supporters that Barack Obama will be the Democratic Party nominee for president. Clinton soldiers on for reasons known only to her at this point. As her attacks on Obama become shriller and shriller, Obama adds to his tally of superdelegates. That her remark questioning Obama's support among "hard-working Americans, white Americans" has been met with a relatively muted response only highlights her situation: No one is listening any more.

Think for a moment about the magnitude of Obama's achievement. An African-American community organizer from South Chicago rose to the United States Senate and now is about to defeat the most recognizable name in the Democratic party for the presidential nomination. It is by any definition an historic accomplishment, perhaps unmatched in American politics. And yet Hillary Clinton would have us believe that Obama cannot defeat John McCain in the fall.

But what do we care anyway? Everything's great right now (click to enlarge):

(For more surreal inanity, see www.zippythepinhead.com)

If you want to be moved and touched, don't miss Aaron Neville's reflections on the 2008 JazzFest. (Thanks to Ned Sublette for calling this to my attention. If you haven't read my review of Ned's excellent book, The World That Made New Orleans, it's here.)

Until the end of this month, Seattle's Davidson Gallery has a wonderful show of work by print-maker Artemio Rodriguez. If you live in the area, don't miss it. Here's a sample of Rodriguez's amazing work: