Quote of the Day

An intriguing comparison of Civil War generals Joseph E. Johnston and John Bell Hood with today's presidential candidates includes the following quote, from famous boxer Billy Conn:

What's the use of being Irish if you can't be thick?

Thick, of course, is British slang for stupid or dim-witted. Yep, that's me to a T.

Read the post linked above. Ever since the run-up to the Second Iraq War, I've been endlessly struck by the many parallels between the Civil War era and today, especially politically, and all the lessons we've already learned and forgotten.

The most striking parallel: Both the elections of 1864 and 2004 had unpopular wartime presidents running for re-election against former soldiers who ran as anti-war Democrats.

A Question on the Democratic Convention

For those of you who still sometimes come by, I have a question.

What is the rule for how delegates to the Democratic Convention in Denver this year are held to the candidate they are pledged to? In other words, are delegates held to their candidate until the candidate themself releases them, or is there some releasing mechanism like, say after the first or second round of voting, they can vote their conscience?

I've searched various convention and Democratic sites but can't find a specific rule on it. And I'm not asking about superdelegates.

I ask because I'm curious if the Clintons are staying in the primary race until the convention, hoping to be able to arm-twist released delegates and thereby secure the party's nomination. It's a frightening thought but very Clintonian.

Thanks!