Let's play let's pretend 

I know, I know, everyone including me should be slipping into Barack-is-presumptive-nominee mode now. Any other scenario is pure dynamite and will put me in the market for a new party. But, sorry, the Clinton spinners get me so angry I have to say something about their tactics.

Just saw Howard Wolffson on Morning Joe where he mentioned again that Obama forces are smearing Hillary. Who's he talking to? Not superdelegates, the audience for most of their "we're more electable" spin. I think it's voters in the upcoming primary races, who may have just started paying attention to the details of the campaign. The Clinton team is pretending their campaign has been more pure.

Doesn't it almost seem as though their polling and other ears to the ground have told them that many millions of voters like me can't stomach Hillary's way of winning and may not be able to support her as the nominee -- so they thought they'd try pretending that it's in fact the other way around?

Similarly, Hillary tried last week to pretend she's running to the left of Obama on the war in Iraq by saying she would get the troops out faster. A closer look at the whole of Obama's foreign relations positions (and his very biography) predicts better relations with the world community and a start to changing our awful image in the world from brutal bullies back to reasonable friends.

The "let's pretend" approach reveals a basic disrepect for the intelligence of the citizenry, and it's a very Republican way of operating. (i.e. "Believe us when we tell you the GOP is a better deal for working folks, because I have this flag pin right here, never mind about those oil and pharmaceutical tax breaks, and if you do mind about them, think ''trickle down" and also -- see? -- we have this flag right here.")

People who have not been paying close attention won't read this, so I guess I'm talking to people who know people who have not been paying attention. Fill them in. Not that a few more votes for Hillary will make a difference.