It's been almost two months since the Primary Wars ended (or at least called a ceasefire) and as a long time poster here (I joined in 2004 under the now frozen account Brit) I've been asked by the British publication Prospect Magazine to write a personal account of the Flame Wars, mainly concentrating DKos and MYDD.

I know, I know, I was clearly an Obama supporter. But this should be a fun and informative feature, focused around incidents and arguments, and being fair to both supporters and their candidates. So I'm calling veterans from all sides and none for their favorite moments, their best loved quips, the recollection of angst in a time  of tranquility.

What do you remember of the Flame Wars?

I've been traveling for a couple of weeks, and see that MYDD is a bit quiet now the primary season is over. But let's hope this is a temporary rest. We need to get our energy back. There's plenty of work to do

Those of us who have survived the primary season, regardless of candidates, have experienced a baptism of fire. Our debating skills are honed. Our troll awareness acute. And in the donjon of our internecine battles, we've probably learned more about ourselves than we intended.

Now it's time to use these virtual combat skills against the republicans

Let's get in some training my fellow MYDD Ninjas

Jimmy Carter is in the UK attending Hay Literary festival. Both Al Gore and Bill Clinton have been there too. Friends of mine met them in the lovely English/Welsh town of Hay which is home to hundreds of second hand bookshops, and one of the most stimulating, and literally intoxicating, literary festivals in the UK.

He had an important statement to make about Hillary's campaign on a UK TV station
 

OK. Let's be blunt. There are two unsayable things I've heard from democrats for the last four months.

1. Americans won't vote for a black candidate
2. If Obama is nominated he will be assassinated.

To be fair, I've heard this from covert Obama supporters as much as overt Obama detractors. Bizarrely, and unfortunately,  this is something I've heard most often from African American friends. They were sceptical Obama would be electable. And now that fear has gone, they are terrified for Obama, and believe he will be killed.

My privileges have been restored recently, but I still miss Bob Johnson on this site. Always cogent, often contentious, whatever your opinion of his opinions, he was a credit to this site. I hope one day soon his posting privileges will also be restored. But in the meantime, with his permission, I'm reproducing his latest diary. I'm sure it will cause some discussion!! Update [2008-5-23 12:2:53 by duende]:Big crow eat: conclusion got curtailed in previous posting

BOB JOHNSON'S DIARY

Frankly, I see far more reasons why Hillary Clinton would make a poor choice as Vice President than I see in her favor:

   * She energizes the Republican fundraising machine in a year when Republicans are down and out, and not particularly overjoyed with their standard bearer, McCain.

   * The revving up of the fundraising and attack machines would help downticket Republicans at the very moment they face crushing losses.

   * She and tag-along Bill undercut Obama's core message of "change" in numerous ways.

   * The brutal campaign has produced hundreds of clips of her undercutting Obama's credentials as presidential material making her a liability on the ticket.

   * But here's the biggie: She and Bill (particularly, his post-presidential years and her campaign fundraising questions) have not been vetted and their baggage is likely to be a target-rich environment for the enemy.

Deep in the British countryside, almost at dial up speed, this British Obama supporter who can't rec or rate wanted to share with you an odd moment.

Arianna Huffington has just posted a front page piece on the Huffington Post about HILLARY'S TRIUMPH in blazing a trail for women and the presidency.

Better sourced, more detailed and more cogently written, it still followed the main thread of my diary from the weekend:Hillary's Quest for Presidency: Blazing the Trail - the first time I've ever been on the rec list here

Arianna also used a phrase about Hillary 'taking over the Clinton brand'. It sounded a bit like a phrase I used - and think I coined. Never expected any credit and lo and beyond... The Huffington Post piece linked referred back to my MYDD diary

No false unity diary below, nor is this any attempt from an Obama supporter to curry favor with Hillary supporters or 'get them on side'. This is just a brief thought piece. I'll still expect flames.

Back in January my fifteen year old daughter was a Hillary supporter. She lives in the UK, so wasn't quite so up on the issues as she would have been in the US, but I guess her primary reason for supporting HRC was that:

She wanted to see a female president

I've never tried to sway her opinions on anything. In fact I love the independence of thought from both my kids. But within a couple of months, largely due to the 'framing strategy' of the Hillary campaign, my daughter shifted allegiance and became an Obama supporter.

To understand the complexities, and moral and political issues in seating and counting the delegates from the DNC disapproved primaries in Florida and Michigan, people have sought all kinds of analogies.

Usually these are sports analogies: Bob Johnson, lately lamented, wrote a great diary using baseball teams. Others have sought metaphors in basketball or football, and the useful analogy usually revolves around changing the rules midway through a contest or at the far extreme shooting the referee.

I'd love more and better analogies. But in the meantime, how about this one?