Something from Maggie Brooks's State of the County address has me perplexed.

Much of the speech was boilerplate: the state of the county is strong, we're working to improve the economy, we're doing some good stuff for the community, the FAIR Plan was a good idea, and so on.

What caught me off guard was who she chose to quote. On Earth Day, during her section on the environment, she chose to quote Richard Nixon. Tricky Dick. Really, Maggie?

This after she led the speech with a quote from legendary civil rights advocate, and Democrat, Bobby Kennedy.

OK, OK. Nixon gave us the EPA, and the first Earth Day. It's tempting to tap into those achievements. But remember Watergate? His legacy of corruption? No politician should quote Nixon in a speech.

In speeches, great thought should be given to whom you quote. It says something about you as a person and as a representative. Or at least it should. Kennedy was a beloved politician with an enduring legacy of good. The Barry Goldwater quote on the free market and environment was a good choice, too. He also left a fine legacy. 

Nixon said he's not a crook, but the public found out he was. Do you really want to associate with that?

Is it time for Obama to get out?

The New York Times editorial page attacked Senator Hillary Clinton with such verve and venom this morning, it read like a phone script for one of Senator Barack Obama's surrogates.

More importantly, it misses the point.

The "E" factor is catching up with Obama.

His experience is coming into question, particularly among large blocs of voters who want to see someone in the White House who knows what the heck they're doing.

And it's going get a whole lot worse.

Obama has promoted change and hope.

Fine, but oil briefly hit $120 a barrel yesterday.

People, even those with means, are getting nervous about the economy. There's a tendency to pull back into a conservative mode during a time like this.

Change is good, as long as it's not an unwanted surprise.

And, after all of this time, Obama is still something of a mystery to many voters.

The man can't close the deal, especially on the big states, even when he is outspending Clinton by millions.

That says something.

The tougher and more resilient Clinton presents herself, the more appealing she becomes to many voters.

She won't take a knockout punch, and it's not as if two or three haven't been delivered.

The news media have not been generous to her. When you add the influence of editorial support - something arguably more credible than the TV ads - direct mail, and phone banks Obama's campaign has launched against her, Clinton comes off even stronger.

The needed double-digit win that was never going to happen just happened, folks.

This woman is a fighter. Call it dirty if you want, but she's not a pretender.

You fight to win elections.

Almost winning is a loss.

For all the talk about whether Clinton should get out of the race, it's long overdue for Democrats to start asking if Obama is really ready to win this election in November.

Based on what we've seen so far, it's becoming increasingly uncertain.