Twilight of the Spitzer administration

I sure picked the right day to be in Albany.

I happened to make a rare trip there on Monday, March 10th, 2008 to have dinner at with the writer Jim Kunstler, who has a novel coming out next week from Atlantic Monthly Press. We met at Jack's Oyster House, the classic  Albany eatery/watering hole which fairly reeks of sleazy politics, despite the impeccable service.

Now, Albany's one of my less favorite places. The city's rich and sordid glory years can be best understood from the less-than-subtle yet entertaining novels of Bill (Ironweed) Kennedy. Then, in the second half of the 20th century, much like New Haven, Connecticut and Hudson, New York, the City of Albany made just about every bad urban planning decision possible—from cutting the population off from its riverfront with highways, to building a forbidding Brutal ist plaza out of the worst nightmares of Jane Jacobs.

But here I was waiting at the bar at Jack's, with one eye on the televised apologies of our once-crusading  (and soon-to-be-former) Governor, and the other on a silver-haired pol in a pinstripe suit, buying drink after drink on his platinum card for a busty young woman easily 35 years his junior—who were much less than shocked by the news coming over the television.

Some who (like me) donated time and money to Spitzer (on the premise that he really meant to reform Albany and set a higher standard) are eager to make excuses for him, and to see a Siegelman-esque Rovian plot to entrap him, I can't make a single excuse for him—click here for that.

Before heading to Jack's (parking was impossible, more due to the Siena basketball game that night than the legislators and aides staying in town after 5 pm on the off-chance a new governor was sworn in), I headed over to the Capitol to take some photos of the twilight of the Spitzer administration, which follow below:

Reality rains on Hillary's parade

While Hillary Clinton is already talking about Barack Obama as nothing more than a potential vice presidential running-mate, the bleary results from last night are belatedly coming into focus, and not entirely to her benefit. Consider the following:

1. The indispensible Burnt Orange Report out of Texas finds that Obama, not Clinton, won more delegates in the Lone Star State -- by as much as five (by the Obama campaign's count) or no less than three (by Burnt Orange's count);
2. Chuck Todd of MSNBC points out that mathematically, with the big states of Ohio and Texas out of the way, Clinton now can't catch Obama in the pledged delegate race;
3. Regular Daily Kos poster thereisnospoon notes the myriad ways in which Obama remains far ahead of Clinton in the overall race -- winning 27 states to her 14, winning the overall popular vote, winning more pledged delegates, performing better against McCain in national polls, et al.
4. Jonathan Alter of Newsweek crunches the numbers and shows that Clinton is how farther behind than the last time he ran them on Monday.

Now, there is little question in my mind that the Obama campaign has been coasting a bit too much, and playing it a little bit too safely. And there is no reason for Obama partisans to be overconfident, given that Clinton has demonstrated her willingness to stay in the race no matter what the mathematical realities and no matter how much her words benefit John McCain.

I just don't think things are half so bleak for Obama as the media coverage last night might have led one to believe.

And of course, 24 hours after the results came in, NAFTAgate turns out to have been a hoax. Nice timing.

EARLY EXIT POLL: Big time turnout by independents

According to the Associated Press, tons of independent voters are participating in today's four contests. This article indicates that as of late Tuesday afternoon, voters without party affiliations constitute:

* 20% of voters in Ohio;

* 25% of voters voters in Texas;

* 33% of voters in Rhode Island; and

* 40% of voters in Vermont.
In the primaries and caucuses thus far, independent voters have swung decisively to Obama, so this might appear to be good news for his campaign.

I'm tracking release of exit polls using this link to Google Blogsearch.

<b>UPDATE</b>: Al Giordano reports, via Fox News (strange bedfellows!) the following:

Fox News just reported the exit poll responses to the question of which candidate could better defeat the Republican in November:

Among Ohio voters:

    Obama: 52 percent
    Clinton: 44

Among Texas voters:

    Obama: 52 percent
    Clinton: 41

I take Hillary at her word that she is not a Republican

For some time now, I've been concerned that Hillary Clinton might really be a Republican.

I know, I know. She says that she's a registered Democrat. Now, I've never actually seen her registration card. But I have no reason to doubt that she is really a Democrat, just like she says.

Well, actually, to be honest maybe I do have a couple of reasons to doubt it...

First, I heard somewhere that her father was a Republican, and that she was raised in a Republican household. That was the first time that alarm bells started to go off in my head.

Next, I read about how in the 1960s she was a big fan of Barry Goldwater, the godfather of the conservative movement. That's weird, I thought, for someone who now describes herself as a Democrat.

Then, when she voted to authorize George Bush to use military force in Iraq, the thought flashed through my mind -- isn't that something a Republican would do?

Same thing when she voted for the Kyl/Lieberman amendment. Or when she talked about how Iran is a growing threat to our nation. Or when Rupert Murdoch talked about how much he admires her. Each time, just a hint of doubt entered my mind.

I confess that I've also seen some photographs which also made me slightly troubled. Pictures of her laughing and smiling with Bush, for example. Pictures of her speaking at Wal-Mart board meetings. Little things like that.

And then there was that email I received, which noted that her campaign guru, Mark Penn, is business partners with John McCain's campaign guru. That seemed a little funny to me. I also found it odd how Clinton is always saying how she's "ready on day one" to be President, when McCain's website also says he's "ready to lead on day one."

Similarly, when Hillary talks one day of being proud to be in the same contest as Barack, and then the next days says "Shame on him," I am reminded of how Republicans so often say one thing Sunday, and do the opposite on Monday.

But Hillary says she's a Democrat, and that ought to be good enough for me. Yes, I take Hillary Clinton at her word that she is not a Republican.

As far as I know.