Just got off a teleconference with Barack Obama. He was talking about his new plan to help rural Nevada with things like health care, development and reforming mining laws. Not a lot of news on the surface. It was pretty rich in pandering to those people who are likely to show up at the caucus in January. I didn't really hear any big ideas, other than he supports universal health care.

He took only four questions, so I didn't get to ask anything. And all four questions were about mining. Yes, mining is important to Nevada, but couldn't someone ask him about health care? Wildfires? Alternative energy?

I had two questions for the senator. The first dealt with his rural Nevada plan for wildfires, which seems to ignore the problems we have with horribly overgrown forests and no money to thin them out and make this less prone to catastrophic wildfires.

The second question I was reserving in case the talk ventured away from Nevada issues. I wanted to get into the issue of how President Bush has the Dems over a barrel on funding for the war. He will veto anything that doesn't give him exactly what he wants, and the Democrats refuse to call his bluff.

I wanted to ask Obama if he would force the president's hand and block any funding bill that doesn't include a withdrawal timetable, and filibuster if necessary.

Until the Democrats learn to stand up to the bully Bush, he will always make them look weak.

Barak Obama has been accused of not being tough enough to stand up and fight with the other side. Take a look at this video and see if it changes that perception: