Priorities

There's much of interest for the clear-eyed in this Washington Post front-page story on Obama's big-dollar fundraising. But this bit was grimly amusing:

The Chicago contingent also includes James Crown, a director of General Dynamics, the military contractor in which his family holds a large stake. The company has been the beneficiary of at least one Obama earmark, a request to spend $8 million on a high-explosive technology program for the Army's Bradley Fighting Vehicle. The program got $1.3 million.
...
Crown said he and Obama never discussed General Dynamics, which, with its focus on Army programs, is a defense contractor that has benefited directly from the Iraq war. Obama's opposition to the war never meant that he wanted the armed forces to be poorly equipped, Crown said.

"I stand in agreement with what he has said [about the Iraq war.] Those who work in the defense industry are extremely focused on the national defense," he said. "That doesn't mean we want to be fighting wars."

Just as long as the money keeps rolling in.

Ward bosses in Philadelphia don't need to read the Post article to know that their candidate is not hurting for cash, and are ticked off that his campaign has no plans to take part in the tradition of street money for get-out-the-vote efforts. If they stick to the high road, the campaign could lose a few wards to Clinton.

Festivals of democracy at both ends of the most unequal society this side of Brazil...