On Thursday, when he hosts a Seder at the White House, Obama will not only be fulfilling that hope shared during his campaign, he will also become the first sitting president to attend, let alone host, the Jewish ritual feast at the executive mansion.

“To break Matzo, so to speak, in the official White House dining room is historic,” said William Daroff, the director of the Washington office of United Jewish Community.

Campaigning for Obama, Sen. Clinton tells Philly Jewish Community Center crowd that “the middle class is invisible to this president.” She adds: “we are in a financial crisis born and bred in the last eight years of failed policies of George Bush and John McCain.”

Later on, at historic farm in Horsham, she offers Democrats’ response to Republicans’ “Drill, baby, drill”: “Jobs, baby, jobs.”

To this task, we pledge our hands, our hearts, our devoted service.
We pray this day, for the safety of the valiant men and women of our armed forces
And for the recovery of body and mind of those who have been injured.
And to the families of those who have fallen, in service to our country,
We say, in the traditional Hebrew phrase:
Zichronam livrocha:
May their memory be for an everlasting blessing.

Grant your spirit to these proceedings,
To the delegates gathered here tonight,
And to the millions of viewers and listeners, that they may be stirred to work for a better world.

We pray for America,
That it may ever be a light unto the nations,
A beacon of freedom,
Human rights,
And economic opportunity; the protector of this precious Earth,
Which you have entrusted to our care;
The guardian of Dr. King's dream of equality for all,
Proclaimed 45 years ago this day.

As this election proceeds,
May your name be invoked only to inspire and unify our nation,
But never to divide it.
In that spirit,
We ask your blessing on all the leaders and public servants of our nation,
Of whatever political party,
That they may lead wisely and, with civility, work together for the common good.

And we ask especially that you be with that mighty guardian of the contemporary American conscience, Edward Kennedy.
We ask that you send your blessing on Joseph Biden.

And now, on this historic day, upon Barack Obama,
As he is charged with such urgent responsibilities as candidate for the highest political office in our nation.
Guide him that he may ever be a champion for justice.
These things we ask of you, eternal God, in the light of renewed hope.

May we go forward with confidence,
Inspired by America’s wondrous achievements,
Undaunted by the challenges before us,
Secure in the knowledge that we can be the shapers of a brighter future,
Committed that the torch of hope shall pass from hand to hand,
From heart to heart,
Until the radiance of peace and righteousness for all God's children shines to the ends of the earth.

Amen.

Today, American influence abroad wanes. Our advice is not sought. Our warnings are not heeded. Our standing in the world is at an all-time low. For seven long years, America has paid a dear price for the national security mistakes of President Bush and John McCain.

We entered into an unnecessary war and remain bogged down in Iraq, as Afghanistan backslides, and the architects of Sept. 11 remain free. On Bush and McCain’s watch, we have witnessed the growing influence of a belligerent Iran that has destabilized the Middle East and threatens our ally, Israel.

Americans have a clear choice in November. John McCain offers more of the same failed policies that endanger America and Israel. Barack Obama offers the change we need. Barack Obama will responsibly end the war in Iraq, prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons, and turn our focus back to defeating al Qaeda. And he will bring to the White House an unshakeable commitment to Israel’s security.

In his heart, in his gut, Barack Obama stands with Israel. Not only his words, but his deeds, bear testament to this fact. Barack Obama, not John McCain, led the fight in the Senate by introducing divestment legislation that would deliver powerful economic sanctions against Iran.

Barack Obama has seen, with his own eyes, the genuine threats faced by Israelis every day. He recently traveled to Sderot, along the Gaza border, and met young families who want nothing more than to go about their lives in security and peace. Instead, as they go to work, as they take their children to school, they have suffered under the daily terror of rocket attacks.

Barack Obama understands the threats Israel faces from Hamas, Hezbollah and Iran. And as president, Barack Obama will strongly support Israel’s right and capability to defend itself, and finally make progress toward the goal of a two-state solution that preserves Israel’s security as a Jewish state.

During his recent trip to Israel, Barack visited Yad Vashem, Jerusalem’s Holocaust memorial, where he recommitted himself to combating anti-Semitism and ending the genocide in Darfur. Because Barack Obama knows that the words “never again” must have real meaning in our time.

That’s the leadership we need to keep America strong and allies like Israel secure. Leadership that restores our strength and America’s global standing under the next great President of the United States, Barack Obama.

"I am very honored by Pastor John Hagee's endorsement..."

And later said -

"I was pleased to have the endorsement of Pastor John Hagee..."

Talking Points Memo provided nearly six minutes of John Hagee's greatest hits. So what exactly is John McCain "proud of"?

"Our nation has lost a great public servant with the passing of Representative Tom Lantos. In serving his constituents and his country, Tom never forgot the Democratic Party's ideals of freedom, fairness, and opportunity for all. As Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, he was an authority on foreign policy issues and a voice for the oppressed. The only Holocaust survivor in Congress, he was a forceful and passionate advocate for civil liberties and human rights. Today, I join with countless others across the country in offering my thoughts and prayers to Rep. Lantos' family and friends as we honor his life and legacy."

Religion will play an important role in today's South Carolina Democratic primary, just as it did in last week's South Carolina Republican primary. The difference is that we'll learn less about how religion affects today's vote than we learned about how it influenced last week's contest.

Last week, thanks to exit polls, we understood the religious breakdown, how often voters attended religious services, whether they considered themselves born-again or evangelical Christians, whether they said the candidates' religious beliefs mattered and what they thought about abortion. And the polls helped to shape the news coverage, so we saw headlines such as: "Evangelical Republicans Drive S.C. Primary" and "Ideology, Religion Important in S.C."

If previous exit polls this cycle are any indicator, religion will be much less central to the exit polls today. At most, Democrats have been asked which religion they identify with and how often they go to church. In Iowa and Michigan, Democrats weren't asked about religion at all. And that, in turn, has shaped the news coverage, making it appear that one party has a monopoly on religion in this race.

I'm chief of staff of the Democratic National Committee and CEO of the 2008 Democratic Convention. I'm also an ordained Pentecostal minister. So I've been encouraged by the growing attention paid to the role of religion in politics as we go about the important task of electing our next president. I've been disappointed, however, with the focus of the discussion so far.

Democrats have been, are and will continue to be people of faith. My own support for the party stems from my sense that it is most emblematic of gospel values. Democrats believe in equal opportunity for all Americans, that no child should go to bed hungry or go without health care, that we should be good stewards of the earth, that we shouldn't pass on debt to our children, and that people who work hard should be able to earn a living wage so they can support their families.

As a "big tent" party, we embrace and represent people from a number of faith traditions. The religious diversity of our party reflects the rich religious diversity of our nation -- and this includes those who don't identify with a religious tradition.

But, for too long, we allowed the other side to define us and our values. Some Democrats were reluctant to talk about faith on the campaign trail. While strong, our faith was a personal, not partisan, matter.

Following the 2004 election, it became clear that Republicans used religion to create a divide. And, as people of faith and as Democrats, we had a responsibility to speak out. That's what we're doing now. The DNC has been actively engaging people of faith who share the core values and principles of the Democratic Party. We've assembled a team of religious leaders -- including pastors, theologians and organizational leaders -- to open a dialogue and build coalitions around our shared values. And America has seen the Democratic presidential candidates sharing their own faith journeys, talking about how faith informs their politics.

We know the support is there -- and growing. In fact, Democrats narrowed the Republican advantage among weekly churchgoers in the 2006 election, and a recent Pew survey found that the number of young evangelicals who identified themselves as Republican dropped by 15 percentage points, from 55 percent in 2001 to 40 percent today.

Yet the exit polls and the media reports and the pundits have largely missed this story. They often fail to acknowledge that people of faith are and can be Democrats.

To be sure, exit-poll questions asking Republicans if they are born-again or evangelical Christians may be trying to approximate questions in years past about identification with the "Religious Right." But this is an outdated script that leaves the impression that religion and faith matter only to Republicans.

Religion will continue to play a prominent role in the Democratic nominating process as well. And pollsters and pundits and all the media would do well to examine this interesting and important dynamic.

The writer is chief of staff of the Democratic Party and CEO of the Democratic Convention in Denver.

Dean issued the following statement: 

"Ann Coulter's brand of hateful, intolerant rhetoric has no place in America's national discourse. The Republican Party and its presidential candidates ought to denounce Coulter and refuse to participate in or support events at which she is a speaker. Coulter's prejudiced rant is only the latest example in a pattern of hate speech that has also targeted Gays, Latinos, African Americans, and Muslims, among others, in the past. Americans may disagree from time to time, but at our core we are a tolerant nation. Anyone seeking to lead our nation should stand up and denounce intolerance and hatred as un-American. As the Republican Presidential candidates prepare to address the RJC, they owe it to the American people to use the opportunity to take a stand on this critical matter."

###

Today, in his latest flip-flop, Giuliani strained to justify his support for escalation in Iraq by saying it was a mistake for Israel to pull out of Gaza. Watch it below:

Having trouble? Download the file here.

But when Giuliani visited Israel in 2005, he praised Ariel Sharon for his plan to pull out of Gaza, saying "Sharon did things that were necessary, even when they hurt him politically or crossed his party’s ideological line." [New York Post, 9/23/05]

If Tommy Thompson's presidential run isn't over, it should be.

And this has nothing to do with his relatively light campaign chest. His remarks about Jewish people and tradition Monday revealed him simply to be ill-suited to the presidency.

Speaking to the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism in Washington, D.C., Thompson said, "I'm in the private sector, and for the first time in my life I'm earning money. You know, that's sort of part of the Jewish tradition, and I do not find anything wrong with that."

"Today marks the start of Hanukkah, often called the festival of lights. Over the next eight nights, Jews all over the world will join together in lighting the Hanukkah menorah symbolizing the rededication of the Temple in Jerusalem and the survival of the Jewish religion.

"During this time, we reaffirm our faith and rededicate ourselves to creating peace in the world through our actions. We also mark this season by expressing our deep gratitude to the brave men and women of all faiths in uniform, their families and our veterans for the sacrifices that they make on our behalf.

"Tonight, as my family and I light the first candle of the menorah, we ask for a renewed sense of purpose and strength. We wish all a meaningful holiday season and a happy Hanukkah."

"Sundown on Sunday marks the start of Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the year for Jews around the world.

"This High Holiday is a time to seek forgiveness and ask for divine guidance for self-improvement through repentance, prayer and fasting.

"On Yom Kippur, Jews will honor and remember loved ones who have passed, work to rekindle and rebuild relationships and seek means to improve the communities in which they live.

"My family and I ask all to join with the Jewish people to use this time as the beginning of a new era of peace and security."