By Denise Ross

It’s hard to imagine coverage of politics without Tim Russert. What a shock.

Read more here.

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By Denise Ross

The world got a peak at how the presidential campaign will go through November - lightning fast, biting and featuring SD’s own Sen. John Thune.

After Republican John McCain said on the Today show that “it doesn’t matter” when US troops leave Iraq, the Obama campaign quickly set up a conference call to blast McCain.

Here’s the video:

Not to be outdone, the McCain campaign quickly set up their own conference call featuring Thune and Democrat and hawk Joe Leiberman.

Said Thune:

(He)called the criticism of McCain “a deliberate distortion… The Democrats are trying to blow this up as an issue because they don’t want to talk about the successes of the surge… It’s been 885 days since Sen. Obama has visited Iraq and he hasn’t had a meeting with Gen. Petraeus….” And to suggest that McCain doesn’t understand the sacrifices our troops are making, Thune said, “is just absurd.”

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By Denise Ross

While I was on SD public radio’s Midday program Monday, a caller suggested what seems to be a brilliant suggestion for Hillary Clinton’s future - a seat on the US Supreme Court.

Not only would such a move by a President Obama put the third woman in history on the court, it would give Clinton the trifecta. She has served in the White House, in the US Senate and would then serve on the court. Talk about historic.

I can’t imagine a better brokered deal, a deal that ought to entice Sen. Clinton more than the vice presidency. What do you think?

Here’s a link to the public radio page - doesn’t look like the audio has been posted quite yet.

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By Denise Ross

So most of the SD blogosphere is aware of the little wager I made with my former Mount Blogmore fellows Kevin Woster and Bill Harlan. It was so long ago, but I remember us all standing in the RC Journal newsroom discussing the upcoming presidential primaries.

They were certain Hillary Clinton would clinch the Democratic nomination and most likely the White House. I was just as certain that, once voters got involved, Hillary would implode in spectacular Mitt Romney fashion - barely winning one or two states, stalling out just above 40 percent in a series of other states and dropping out long before several other contenders.

While technically I won the wager and will dine at Botticelli’s in the company of my dear friends - as all I gambled on was that Hillary would not secure her party’s nomination - my broader prediction did not come anywhere close to true. Had the Democrats employed the GOP’s winner-take-all system, I would have months ago purchased a fine dining experiene for Harlan, Woster and their better halves.

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By Denise Ross

Here’s the official version of Ida Fast Wolf’s introduction of Barack Obama in Rapid City on Saturday, from the official Obama YouTube channel, as the Hoghouse video isn’t going to work.

Fast Wolf, who lives in Rapid City, talks about how she had realized her dream of teaching on the reservation (8th graders at Porcupine), but now high gas prices will force her to end the 1 hour, 45 minute commute. Which means she quit her job and is in search of a new one, making her unemployed.

I cannot afford to do that anymore. I worry every day how to make ends meet. I know I’m not alone in this situation. …

I support Obama because I know in my heart he will fight for people like me and you, regular people.

No matter who you support on this primary day, Ida is a refreshing dose of candor. She’s compelling without being brash or pompous. Maybe Obama should put her on the ticket.

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From the comments:

In the Gordo v. Gordo GOP primary for District 30 state Senate, Rep. Gordon Howie says that Rep. Gordon Pederson is running deceptive last-minute ads against him.

I haven’t heard the ads, but I do recall Howie’s bold (and ultimately unsuccessful) proposal at a major rewrite of South Dakota’s tax structure. Howie posted this comment to a pretty old post noting the race. I decided to give it some better placement here.

Howie wrote:

In an apparent attempt to avoid legitimate debate, and misrepresent the issues, Gordon Pederson has initiated a last minute advertising blitz.

The ad suggests that Gordon Howie introduced a bill to raise sales tax by 2 % on everything, including food. The attempt is clearly to give voters only a small bit of information that would lead them to a negative conclusion.

Here are the facts:

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By Denise Ross

We had hoped to bring you video of Ida Fast Wolf’s introduction of Barack Obama in Rapid City Saturday. But so far the video and YouTube gods aren’t cooperating. Which is too bad, because Ida was so compelling that she almost stole the show.

In the meantime, here’s video of Obama taking on McCain, showing he’s eager to begin the general election fight.

The name George W. Bush will not be on the ballot. That’s for sure. That doesn’t mean George Bush’s policies won’t be on the ballot.

The fact is, McCain is running for Bush’s third term, and we can’t afford another four years of George Bush’s policies.

Obama goes on to hit McCain for saying troops in Iraq are down to pre-surge levels, when really they aren’t just yet. That’s where, quite frankly, he looked quite unpresedential, in my view.

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