A few years ago, Kwame Kilpatrick represented the hip-hop generation coming of age and taking responsibility in an important way.

Now, Kilpatrick is in danger of stereotyping an important segment of the population-young African Americans interested in politics, and also bringing down Obama and the Democratic Party with him.

http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/03/24/k ilpatrick.investigation/index.html

Shows the initial charges of corruption.  Of lying and obstructing justice.  Of marital infidelity and official misconduct.

Recently, more charges have been added:

http://www.canada.com/calgaryherald/news /story.html?id=966a7371-3491-4e2e-b9bf-1 d0c062e46ea

and as politico is reporting, there is increasing  "racial" tension between Detroit and it's suburbs:

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/080 8/12433.html

3. Michigan's in play for McCain. In the year of the downturn, the hard-hit upper Midwest should be prime Obama country. Instead it's a potential minefield. Obama is still ahead by two to five points there -- similar to margins of victory enjoyed by Gore and Kerry in the last two presidential contests -- but McCain has quietly crept up over the past month and could vault ahead if he anoints ex-Gov. Mitt Romney as his running mate. Simmering tensions between predominantly black Detroit and its white suburbs could hurt Obama. And McCain's surrogates were handed a gift in the jailing of Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, an Obama supporter. "Watch Michigan -- the Democrats think they've got it but they don't," says Quinnipiac's Peter Brown, a longtime Michigan observer. "Obama should be killing [McCain] there, but there's a lot more racial tension in Michigan than in other states."
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Currently Obama has about a 3 point lead, and is under 50% in Michigan.

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/ 2008/president/mi/michigan_mccain_vs_oba ma-553.html

Since I think a fair analysis of this election is:

The country wants a Democrat, but is Obama acceptable?

Barack Obama must bring REAL CHANGE to the Democratic Party and to the country.

This could and should come in the form of making sure people take personal responsibility for their actions in real and concrete ways.

The Detroit Mayor should be told to resign by Obama!

Obama should pressure the Michigan governor to remove him.  She has that power.

Obama needs to show the country that Bush type loyalty and party politics will not be tolerated in an Obama administration.

That can start with him setting the tone as the leader of our party.

We don't need to wait around for trials and long-drawn out processes to know from what is stipulated and admitted to on the record should force Kilpatrick to resign.

Spitzer resigned and he should have.
William Jefferson hasn't resigned and he should.
John Edwards should have never ran
Kwama Kilpatrick should resign also.

For the politics, we don't want to get in the Republican mode of covering up for bad actors.

But I'm arguing for a real standard of morality regardless of the politics.

Democrats should stand for honesty in government, and good family people.

We can define standards that demand that people at least be honest in their public statements, and be accountable for their actions in a way that matters: their job and money.

Obama is in danger of being grouped with people like Kilpatrick in Michigan and it might cost him the state.

If Obama makes it clear, America comes first, good government comes first, then he won't be liable for every supporters' or colleagues misstep.  

But if he is associated with them, and responds to gross bad behavior in a normal political way, then many American people will judge him to be just like the rest of them.

Obama needs to take a vacation from vacationing and

stand against Edwards
stand against Kilpatrick

and

get on offense in the POTUS race and stop playing defense.

Craig Farmer
making the word "liberal" safe again!