It’s 3 a.m. Do you know where your President is?

The Hillary Clinton campaign has a new attack ad designed to scare the hell out of anyone considering voting for Barack Obama.

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"It's 3 am and your children are safely asleep, but there’s a phone in the White House that’s ringing. Soemthing’s happening in the world. Your vote will decide who answers that call. Who do you want answering the phone?"

We see that Hillary is still in her pants suit and "I'm burning the midnight oil" reading glasses at her desk at three in the morning to take the call. God knows where Obama would be.

The message is clear: Vote for Obama and the terrorists win.

Obama responded in a speech today.

"We've had a red phone moment. It was the decision to invade Iraq. And Senator Clinton gave the wrong answer. George Bush gave the wrong answer. John McCain gave the wrong answer."

The same theme was echoed in an Obama campaign ad responding to the Clinton 3 a.m. phone call spot.

If this sounds familiar, you have a good memory. Walter Mondale used a similar ad against Gary Hart in 1984.

Forget hope. Be afraid. Be very afraid.

A few days ago Clinton criticized Obama mimicking Karl Rove, the man George W. Bush called the architect of his winning election campaigns.

“Enough with the speeches and the big rallies and then using tactics that are right out of Karl Rove's playbook. This is wrong and every Democrat should be outraged."

Who’s using tactics from the Rove playbook now?

If it’s News, It’s News to the President

Remember when we found out that the first President Bush had no idea how much a gallon of milk cost?

After all he got his for free, courtesy of us the taxpayers so why should he give a damn.

If he was paying for it himself, the household staff would deal with it. Even if it was $100 a gallon, no problem, he’s rich.

Alas, the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree in the Bush clan.

During his press conference today, the president seemed startled that some industry analysts say it’s possible we could soon be paying $4 a gallon for gas.


QUESTION: What's your advice to the average American who is hurting now — facing the prospect of $4 a gallon gasoline, a lot of people facing...

BUSH: Wait a minute. What did you just say? You're predicting $4 a gallon gas?

QUESTION: A number of analysts are predicting $4 a gallon gasoline this spring when they reformulate.

BUSH: That's interesting. I hadn't heard that.

I just did a google news search for “$4 gas.” 3040 news stories, and yet the President had no clue.

Now that he knows, what advice does he have for struggling consumers?

A. Make tax cuts for billionaires permanent

B. Keep tax brakes worth $18 billion for oil companies making record profits

C. Drill for oil in ANWAR

D. All of the Above

E. There is no E


OK, he did talk about renewable sources of energy after a while, but he still lives in a bubble.

Many President suffer from this disconnect from the reality that dominates the lives of most people.

Hopefully the person who takes over from the George W. Bush will remember all the sad stories they’ve heard from people while they are campaigning do a better job of paying attention to everyday issues like how much it costs to live if you don’t have all your expenses paid as a fringe benefit of your job.

Dodd Hops on Obama Band Wagon: “Can I be Treasury Secretary Please?

Politicians with a firm grasp of the obvious, including those with long standing ties to the Clinton, are deserting Billary hoping to score some Brownie points with Barack Obama.

"He's ready to be president and I am ready to support him in this campaign" said Connecticut Senator Chris Dodd at a joint news conference with Obama.

Dodd called off his campaign after getting crushed in the Iowa caucuses, despite the fact that he and his family had moved to the state.

Clinton and Obama have both tried to gain the support of the other democratic candidates who have dropped out of the race.

Dodd had a thinly veiled reference that Clinton’s flailing before she goes under for the last time threatens to take the Democratic party down with her.

"I don't want a campaign that is divisive here, and there's a danger in that,” Dodd said. “Now is the hour to come together.”

In cold political terms, it’s a tough call figuring out when to bust a move. Depending on what happens on March 4 in Texas or Ohio, does your limited clout increase in value or is it rendered worthless? Chris Dodd clearly thinks earlier is better. I wouldn’t be surprised if we see some others who would like high profile jobs in an Obama administration to follow suit.

Maybe Dodd’s endorsement it came with a copy of Doris Kearns Goodwin’s “Team of Rivals,” a book about how Abraham Lincoln signed up his former political opponents to work for him.