Thank you for your patience.  As you can tell, I’ve changed the way the recent posts are displayed on the site.  I am using a program called Smooth Gallery, which allows for the last five posts to scroll on your screen without taking up much space.  Let me know what you think about the change.

I’m sorry, I meant to say that he came out of the shadows. In any case, he has now graced us with his presence once again, this time standing behind a podium displaying an Obama sign. Yes folks, Edwards has finally made his decision and has endorsed Barack Obama for President. So what does this mean?

For starters, it ends months of back-room negotiations between Edwards and the Obama and Hillary Clinton camps. We remember a few months back when the media was covering the meetings Edwards had with those two candidates as they sought his endorsement and, more importantly, his pledged delegates. Now these delegates do not have to endorse Obama just because Edwards did, but it is more likely that they will follow his example. And this is a big blow to Clinton, especially since it takes some of the wind out of her sails following her victory in West Virginia last night.  Plus, she needs as many delegates as she can get with time running out.

Unfortunately for Clinton, this is almost a final nail in the coffin regarding her campaign. Unless she can convince the Democratic Party to seat the two outstanding states, she will be sitting on the sidelines come November. But where will Edwards be standing? Beside Obama on election night, waiting for returns to come in to find out if he will be the new Vice President like he did 4 years ago? I’m not ready to put my money on that. I think Edwards doesn’t fit the Obama message, but you never know. Stay tuned!

For some additional reading, check out these sites:
The Kansas City Star – “GOP waits entire hour to point out the downside of Edwards endorsement”
The Baltimore Sun – “Clinton camp: ‘We respect Edwards’ but…”
The Washington Post – “Edwards Announces His Choice: Obama”
The Independent – “Edwards endorses Obama in bid to end clashes among Democrats”
The Street – “John Edwards to Hop on Obama Bandwagon”

For some additional reading across the web, check out these blogs:
Michael Moore – “Edwards backs Obama”
Comments from Left Field – “Breaking: John Edwards Endorses Barack Obama”
Truth Dig – “Edwards backs Obama”
Driftglass – “Edwards Endorses Obama”
Talkleft – “Why Did Edwards Endorse Obama Today? Thread V”

I’m not sure if Hillary Clinton is the “mountain momma” that John Denver was thinking of when he penned those lyrics, but she is definitely looking forward to tomorrow’s primary race in West Virginia. She lost her lead in the superdelegate race over the weekend as Barack Obama picked up a handful following the Indiana and North Carolina races. It is looking more and more likely that Obama will win enough delegates to claim the nomination, but Clinton keeps on fighting. And why should she drop out? West Virginia will easily go for her, as well as Kentucky and Puerto Rico.

So obviously we were predicting Clinton to win West Virginia, but should we start making predictions on if/when Clinton will drop out of the race? With each primary and caucus, it becomes more and more unlikely that she will be able to catch up with Obama by the last contests in June. The only way she can really do it is if more superdelegates start coming to her side and she can make some headway in her argument that Florida and Michigan should have their delegates seated in the manner which the vote totals dictate (which obviously favors Clinton’s totals). I cannot see that happening at this point, but she is not mathematically out of the race yet. By the way, I have a chance of winning the Mega Millions lotto tomorrow!

This isn’t exactly a political topic, but it is a topic that means a lot to me.  A young friend of mine, Emily, has suffered from Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis throughout her life.  While not widely known, kids get arthritis too, and this young gal has shown her family, her friends, and the world that this crippling disease will not stop her.  Not only does she go to school like any ordinary child, as well as play sports, she has also been the spokesperson for the Arthritis Foundation.

So why am I telling you this?  300,000 children are inflicted with some form of juvenile arthritis, on top of the 1,000,000 Americans with Rheumatoid arthritis.  That’s a lot of people, isn’t it?  Well, that’s nothing compared to the 27,000,000 suffering from Osteoarthritis.  With all of these individuals living in pain, it is our call to help the scientists find a cure, and that is where you come in.  Below you will find a link to Emily’s donation page, where she is collecting donations leading up to her participation in the annual Arthritis Walk this month.  Her current goal is $7,500, and she has currently raised $4,090.27 while I write this.  I think we can help her reach her goal, so please take a moment to view her site, read her short introduction, and (if you have the resources available) support her in her quest for a cure.

Thank you in advance for your participation.  If you wish to leave her an encouraging word, please feel free to leave a message below.  I will make sure she receives them.

See Emily in action!  Presentation in Atlanta, along side U.S. Senator Johnny Isakson (link).  You can either wait till about 2.5 minutes into the video, or select her name from the drop-down menu at the bottom of the page. 

Visit Emily’s donation page!  (link)

We here at U.S. Common Sense would like to extend our well wishes and love to all of our mothers out there, for with out them, none of us would be here today. If you haven’t called your mother yet, it isn’t too late. Pick up that phone, dial her up, and let her know how much you love her and appreciate all that she has done for you.