Coming up against Sarah Palin the Obama campaign seems to be making the same mistakes the Clinton campaign made when it came up against a rock star challenging its front runner status.  Obamaville has strayed off message and allowed itself to be drawn into a battle it cannot win.  If it continues with this strategy Obama-ites may well learn what it is to be a true Democrat.  Understanding that Obamaville is built on the vague foundation of "yes, you can" it is now time to find out about a few "no, you can'ts".

You can't send Senator Biden out to exhort the Republican Party to embrace stem cell research as part of a program for special needs children and not have it seen as a subtle attack on Governor Palin and her special needs child.  Baby Trig is - and should be - off limits in even the most generic of contexts.  Yes, Governor Palin is going to bring it up but that's just how it is.  He is her son, she made a life choice I could never make and I applaud her for living her beliefs.  If the Dems want to talk about stem cell research it should be done by laying out a positive program that does not in any way draw on the experience of the Palin family.

You can't get all upset and turn it into something racial when someone compliments Senator Obama on being articulate and then call foul when the McCain/Palin campaign says BO's "lipstick on a pig" comment was sexist.  It wasn't but it was a gaffe and the best idea is to let it get out of the news cycle as quickly as possible.

You can't hold fundraisers with entertainment provided by multi-million dollar superstars and then get all bent out of shape because Governor Palin charged the state per diem when she was staying in her own home.  Trust me, if you go over the books of the Obama campaign - or any campaign or business for that matter - you're going to find some bologna sandwich business lunches and some stays at the Hotel My Home.

You can't manufacture another TrooperGate when your own candidate bought his house with the aid of a convicted felon (yeah, yeah, I know, it was a serendipitous happenstance that the Rezkos wanted a piece of side yard next to the house the Obamas bought).  Come to think of it, if you're going to get all upset about abuse of the political process maybe you should have a look at the way Senator Obama got his Democratic opponents bounced from the ticket in his first race.

The two pronged central message of Project Obama has always been change and sainthood.  At the moment Senator McCain has stolen the former from you so you don't need to cede the latter (even though it is an impossible mantle to carry).  There are 55 days left until Election Day - it's yours to lose (although since you're Democrats, saying that is kind of redundant).