That's it - the final straw - I'm with Obama now

Despite all my misgivings, despite all my fears, I've had it with the rest and I'm going to go for Obama. I don't think he's progressive, I don't think he's competent and I don't think he'll live up to his hype - but this story has pushed me over the edge.

The Clinton camp have tried to "smear" Obama through distributing this picture (right) of Obama in suspiciously Islamic looking clothing to the Drudge Report. Clinton's dirty tricks unit are not only indulging in Obama-bating they're playing the race card at the same time.

They are fighting a dirty campaign, and now they are playing on the fact that Obama is un-American. More precisely I think they are trying to say that he's un-white American. She should stand down right now and stop wasting everyone's time. This kind of thing shouldn't be tolerated in any part of society, let alone the Democrats who draw more of the African American vote than any other party.

Nader has already pissed me off by standing without appearing to give any particular consideration as to why he's doing it, who he's taking with him and what's going to come out of it. After all, what has come out of his previous two attempts? Very little and there is a law of ever diminishing returns at work here. Pointless.

Sod 'em.

Is the US ready for a black President, no matter how flawed or overspun? Well, there seems to one way to make it ready - and that's to elect one. It's the only way to show it's ready to overcome the racist legacy of the States that still leaves its deep and bloody paw prints on American society today.

Race isn't a new strategy to play in the hope of getting an extra vote or two - this kind of thing can have serious repercussions. Anything that increases the ethnic divisions inside of the USA is a bad thing in a bad place - if Democrat supporters don't make it clear they are unimpressed then they should give up their little pretence of liberalism.

What makes this all the more stupid is that Clinton's campaign has been at its strongest when Hilary has been modest, friendly and human. Her fortunes looked like they had improved when she conceded the idea that she might not win and said that it was a privilege to be at the final stages with Obama - she's destroyed her remaining hopes of becoming the Democratic Presidential candidate and we need to prepare for the big McCain Obama show down.

Now I know McCain has a rep for being a bit of a liberal on the home front and he's made great play of the fact that the Bush camp don't like him - but a McCain Presidency would be bloody in the extreme - his foreign policy seems to be bomb now ask questions later. If McCain's strategy relies upon the attacking Obama's credentials as a "patriot" I think the left have to unpick that and be ready to defend Obama on difficult terrain.