Every morning, after my cup a joe, I sit down at my computer and visit news.google.com for a look at the day's news (google doesn't write the stories, they simply report stories from media both large and small). My hope during this morning interlude is that strides will have been made in the fight on global warming, that the economy will have somehow improved (or at least curbed its free fall) and that Obama will have found even more fans (both large and small). On far too many mornings, however, I am greeted by yet another appalling report on the shenanigans of Hill and Bill.

Today's beauties:

1. Christopher Hitchens reports in Vanity Fair that during Bill Clinton's presidency, Hillary insisted that Bill back off his promise of U.S. aid for the masses caught in the crossfire in Bosnia. Why? If Bill's move was a miscue, it might give Congress fodder to back away from her health care initiative. Bill followed Hill's orders and over the next four years, over 250,000 people proceeded to die in the Bosnian debacle.

How does Hillary sleep at night? This story, from the well-sourced and well-respected Hitchens, made me absolutely sick.

2. The San Francisco Chronicle reports that Bill Clinton gave a stern talking-to to a gathering of California's superdelegates over the weekend. In a nutshell, he went ballistic when a Hillary supporter told him she was sorry that James Carville had called Bill Richardson "Judas" because he had shifted his support from Hillary to Barack. The former president is said to have turned beet red and screamed that Richardson had promised him FIVE times that he'd support Hill. (Richardson is on the record as saying that no such guarantee was ever given.)

I guess Bill C. forgot that Bill R. said in his endorsement of Obama that Barack's moving speech on race, delivered only days earlier, was the key factor in his endorsement. It wasn't all about Bill or Hill for Richardson, it was about what Richardson felt was his truth at the end of the day. Looks like Bill was struggling with the truth in that room full of superdelegates.

I tell my six-year-old all the time that's it's not all about him and it's not all about me. It's an important lesson -- and one that the Clintons, clearly, have never gotten.

Here in Pittsburgh, roughly 5,000 attended a march this past weekend in support of Iraq Veterans Against the War. It was a spirited rally -- and I know we can turn out many, many more folks at the March for Obama on Sunday, April 20th. The March is a great opportunity to invite friends and family who support Hillary or are uncommitted. Let them feel the energy and hear what we have to say. It could be the change they've been waiting for!

Something else to consider: if every person attending the March brought one friend or family member over 60 years of age, it could make a HUGE difference. This is the group (especially here in PA) that most needs to hear the REAL Obama story, not the dumbed-down, distorted version promoted by various members of the right-wing media and Clinton's inner circle...and then there's the fear-mongering, as epitomized by the ad about the 3 a.m. phone call. The candidate of HOPE has no reason to FEAR a ringing phone day or night, and that's a good thing for people of all ages to know.

I recently learned that Pennsylvania has the third largest percentage of residents over 65 years of age, after Florida and West Virginia. I'm okay with multi-generational living and feel it's my duty to give senior citizens good information on a variety of issues, everything from where to find the best price on milk to who would make a good President. I call that multi-generational winning. It's sad to see Obama's opponents working hard to accomplish the exact opposite.

What is it about Obama that makes me want to stop what I'm doing and listen every time I hear his voice? Is it that the sound of his voice, and what he has to say, taps something deep within me that inspires me to pay attention, makes me feel hopeful, fills me with a vision of "what can be," encourages me to become involved? Is it because he writes his own speeches and thus I get a sense of his sincerity and wisdom?

I don't know about others, but I have a very difficult time listening to (or watching) President Bush. I try... I really try to have a open mind and to actually sit through one of his talks but I find I can only take a few minutes before I'm so turned off, I need to leave the room. I don't like that about myself. I don't like the fact that I feel the way I do about the leader of our country. I want to once again be able to be inspired when I listen to the president deliver a State of the Union Address or any other talk. I want to feel a sense of pride in our president that he or she is intelligent, wise, truthful, compassionate and trustworthy. These are some of the things that have been missing for me when I think about the past 8 years of the Bush presidency.

So some of the criteria I've set for myself to determine which candidate I will support is: (1) the person I most enjoy listening to and watching, (2) who instills in me with a sense of trust and (3) who inspires me to be a better person and to contribute in some way to making our world a better place. Hillary, unfortunately, doesn't pass the test. Her talks feel "canned", manipulative, insincere, disingenuous and sometimes vindictive. Her truthfulness has also been called into question on a number of occasions. After these long months of campaigning, I truly don't feel I know the REAL Hillary -- only the Hillary who delivers the speeches that are written for her and delivered like an actor playing a role with the appropriate facial expressions and hand motions. Even though I would desperately love to see a woman in the White House, I do NOT feel in my heart she is the right woman for the job.

When I envision Obama in the White House, I am filled with a happy anticipation that I will once again WANT to listen to what our president has to say, to benefit from his wisdom and to be inspired to do my part, whatever that may be, to contribute to the greatness of this country and the betterment of the world.

Carol Hansen Grey
http://carolhansengrey.com

The following post by Cynda Jones appears on the BarackObama.com community blog and gives an in depth comparison of the Obama-Clinton Record.

Let's take a closer look at who's really qualified and or who's really working for the good of all of us in the Senate. Obama or Clinton. Records of these two candidates should be scrutinized in order to make an informed decision.

Senator Clinton, who has served only one full term - 6yrs. - and another year campaigning, has managed to author and pass into law - 20 - twenty pieces of legislation in her first six years
These bills can be found on the website of the Library of Congress www.thom.loc.gov, but to save you trouble, I'll post them here for you.
1. Establish the Kate Mullany National Historic Site.
2. Support the goals and ideals of Better Hearing and Speech Month.
3. Recognize the Ellis Island Medal of Honor.
4. Name courthouse after Thurgood Marshall.
5. Name courthouse after James L. Watson.
6. Name post office after Jonn A. O'Shea.
7. Designate Aug 7, 2003, as National Purple Heart Recognition Day.
8. Support the goals and ideals of National Purple Heart Recognition Day.
9. Honor the life and legacy of Alexander Hamilton on the bicentennial of his death.
10. Congratulate the Syracuse Univ. Orange Men's Lacrosse Team on winning the championship.
11. Congratulate the Le Moyne College Dolphins Men's Lacrosse Team on winning the championship.
12. Establish the 225th Anniversary of the American Revolution Commemorative Program.
13. Name post office after Sergeant Riayan A. Tejeda.
14. Honor Shirley Chisholm for her service to the nation and express condolences on her death.
15. Honor John J Downing, Brian Fahey, and Harry Ford, firefighters who lost their lives on duty.

Only five of Clinton's bills are, more substantive.
16. Extend period of unemployment assistance to victims of 9/11.
17. Pay for city projects in response to 9/11
18. Assist land mine victims in other countries.
19. Assist family caregivers in accessing affordable respite care.
20. Designate part of the National Forest System in Puerto Rico as protected in the wilderness preservation system.

There you have it, the fact's straight from the Senate Record.

Now, I would post those of Obama's, but the list is too substantive, so
I'll mainly categorize.
During the first - 8 - eight years of his elected service he sponsored over 820 bills.
He introduced
233 regarding health care reform,
125 on poverty and public assistance,
112 crime fighting bills,
97 economic bills,
60 human rights and anti-discrimination bills,
21 ethics reform bills,
15 gun control,
6 veterans affairs and many others./PAN>

His first year in the U.S. Senate, he authored 152 bills and co-sponsored another 427.
These inculded:

The Coburn-Obama Government Transparency Act of 2006 - became law,
The Lugar-Obama Nuclear Non-proliferation and Conventional Weapons Threat Reduction Act, - became law,
The Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act, passed the Senate,
The 2007 Government Ethics Bill, - became law,
The Protection Against Excessive Executive Compensation Bill, In committee,
and many more.

In all, since entering the U.S. Senate, Senator Obama has written 890 bills and co-sponsored another 1096. An impressive record, for someone who supposedly has no record according to some who would prefer that this comparison not be made public.

There's a lot of talk in this election cycle about which Presidential candidate has the most experience. John McCain says it's him, Hillary Clinton says "no, it's ME ME ME!" and Barack Obama says, well, he has good judgment.

The truth is, none of them has a whole lot of experience being in charge of something as big as our country. Not much gets done in the Senate -- at least not in the last twenty years or so. John McCain went from warrior to Senator, Hillary Clinton went from wife to Senator and Barack Obama went from activist to Senator. The Big Three are still looking to put a CEO-type job on their resume.

Then there's George W. Bush. He DID have experience -- he was the Governor of Texas, one of the largest and most populous states in the nation, for many years. He was effectively the CEO of one very big operation. And what did all this EXPERIENCE get us? A train wreck of epic proportions.

I am so done with experience.

A teacher friend recently told me that thanks to President Bush's No Child Left Behind mandate, by the time a child graduates from high school, he will have spent the equivalent of ONE ENTIRE SCHOOL YEAR taking tests. That equals a lot of school days when no real teaching was being done -- and no real learning taking place. I thought we were sending our kids to school so they could learn, not so they could validate the Bush administration's ill-conceived attempt to strengthen education.

It seems to me that No Child Left Behind needs to be left behind in the dustbin of failed Bush administration policies. I trust that Barack Obama agrees.

Barack Obama has a steady hand. How else to explain his grace under fire from Senator Clinton and her Pelosi-bashing cronies? He refuses to sling mud at this band of one-armed bandits. I respect that.

Senator Obama also knows how to extend a hand. He has crossed the aisle with many a colleague to get the job done. Senator Clinton's biggest chance to get the job done was her effort to establish universal health care for Americans during her husband's administration -- and what did she do? Instead of extending a hand, she said "my way or the highway." Her opponents balked and nothing got done.

It's equally inspiring to see Senator Obama hand out praise. He finds the good in most everyone and every situation. Pelted mercilessly on the Rev. Wright issue, he found it within himself to have a frank discussion on race with the American public. He can even see some good in Sen. Clinton sticking it out in the Democratic race, though I don't agree with his perspective (that the party will ultimately unite -- I see endless division).

Hands down, Barack Obama is the #1 choice for President of the United States of America.

A "March for Obama" is being organized in the five most populous cities in Pennsylvania -- Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Reading, Erie and Allentown. The date for the marches is Sunday, April 20th, or two days before the Pennsylvania primary. Interest is strong already, as well it should be.

I'm wonderfully energized at the thought of a get-together with engaged, passionate folk committed to the betterment of our country. Let's spread the word!

Sen. Bob Casey of Pennsylvania, a first-term senator, endorsed Barack Obama today. Yay! A Pennsylvania politico not a part of the political machine. His remarks this morning at the Soldiers & Sailors Hall near the UPitt campus in Pittsburgh sound straight from the heart -- no calculation, no back-scratching. I knew I liked this guy.

Note to parents: these tips are, as MasterCard would say, priceless. And hey, once you simplify your life, you'll have more time to work on getting Obama elected!