This is the perfect picture to go along with Charles Krauthammer new piece on Obama:
Real change has never been easy. . . . The status quo in Washington will fight. They will fight harder than ever to divide us and distract us with ads and attacks from now until November.
— Barack Obama,
With that, Obama identified the new public enemy: the “distractions” foisted upon a pliable electorate by the malevolent forces of the status quo, i.e., those who might wish to see someone else become president next January. “It’s easy to get caught up in the distractions and the silliness and the tit for tat that consumes our politics” and “trivializes the profound issues” that face our country, he warned sternly. These must be resisted.
Why? Because Obama understands that the real threat to his candidacy is less Hillary Clinton and John McCain than his own character and cultural attitudes. He came out of nowhere with his autobiography already written, then saw it embellished daily by the hagiographic coverage and kid-gloves questioning of a supine press. (Which is why those “Saturday Night Live” parodies were so devastatingly effective.)
Then came the three amigos: Tony Rezko, the indicted fixer; Jeremiah Wright, the racist reverend; William Ayers, the unrepentant terrorist. And then Obama’s own anthropological observation that “bitter” working-class whites cling to guns and religion because they misapprehend their real class interests.
In the now-famous Pennsylvania debate, Obama had extreme difficulty answering questions about these associations and attitudes. The difficulty is understandable. Some of the contradictions are inexplicable. How does one explain campaigning throughout 2007 on a platform of transcending racial divisions, while in that same year contributing $26,000 to a church whose pastor incites race hatred?
From his association with the racist preacher and a corrupt figure like Rezko to his befriending of two terrorists and his statement calling rural folks a bunch of bigots who cling to guns and religion….I think we can all safely say his judgement is called into question. Now that it is he suddenly complains that its all “silliness and the tit for tat.”
Some people say we all associate with those who may not be the best people in the world. True enough. But we are not running for President of the United States.
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Does leadership include voting present instead of taking a stand? If so, he’s more than qualified…
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Is it also good judgment to take a stand without full access to intel briefings and docs? (Infamous anti-Iraq statements as a IL Senator)
And is it further good judgment to take a “that’s my story, and I’m stickin’ to it!” stand when Harmony/ISG docs support that very intelligence that BHO never saw, nor needed to form his opinion?
Looks to me like he’s an impetuous ladder climber who’s taking the easy way out. Parroting what the electorate wants to hear. Can’t have those pesky facts getting in the way of his talking points, or casting shadow on his past.
The man doesn’t do well under pressure. With public approval at his back, he soars. When the winds of disapproval are in his face, he retreats and sulks. This is not a man capable of taking the hard road. i.e. doing the right thing, despite poll numbers and popularity.
Now, it’s a funny thing, but Americans seem to think that a person’s judgment and associations are important when choosing their President. It’s why in spite of the liberals out there screaming that conservatives idolize Bush; many out there had concerns about Bush’s substance abuse back in his younger years. But, here’s the important matter – he changed… He saw the error of his ways, and improved himself. Americans don’t expect perfection, we’re forgiving of those that admit their faults, apologize, and try to make good.
But, in the matter of BHO, his errors in judgment aren’t just matters in the past; they’re squarely in the present, and continuing. Bill Ayers admits that not only does he not regret his terrorist acts back during the Vietnam War, and even wishes he could have done more. BHO hardly having rebuked the man, still maintains that they are still friends, and Ayers has been a consultant to his campaign. Jeremiah Wright is a racist (despite the MSM granted chance to “explain away” what he said), and has spewed his venom in the church that BHO and his family have attended for twenty plus years. BHO has maintained that Wright is like an “uncle” to him, and that he cannot disown him. Now, if he genuinely were an uncle, that’s blood, and you can’t pick your relatives. But, you sure can pick your pastor. BHO has continued to attend and contribute to the church that Wright built, and rather than apologize he spins, trying to put the onus on American society as a whole.
Now, BHO’s latest tactic is to claim that close examinations of his judgment and character by the American public is simply a “distraction” and aren’t fit for discussion. Sorry, but the old banter about “hope” and “change” with no substance behind it isn’t going to cut it anymore. I expect more shrill defenses, justifications for why BHO deserves the nod more than Hillary for the DNC, and to top it all off there will probably be some violent protest in Denver for good measure.
Machiavilli,
Give me a break!!!! You keep bringing up Bill Ayers… Do I need to Point OUT AGAIN that Barrack was 8 years old when Bill Ayers was an activist??? you are really reaching here if you think that a person that is now a respected teacher is a problem for Barrack. You keep bringing up this old crap that is Baseless!!
And I believe we talked about how Wright WAS his pastor.. is not now… but he is the pastor that led Barrack to Christ…
but you continue this right wing SPIN SPIN SPIN….
Oh come on…are you that dense? Really?
Obama’s political coming out party in the 90’s was hosted by none other then Ayers and Dohrn. Both Ayers and Obama took part in a panel discussion put together by Obama’s wife AND Obama and Ayers served together on the board of the Woods Fund for three years which just so happened to be at the time that Ayers made that quote that he despaired not doing more terrorism. That Fund funneled money into the racist pastors church btw.
And to top it all off, the Obama campaign already stated the two have a friendly relationship.
The outcry about his judgement in this case isn’t about when he was a kid, but his association with a man who despairs at not doing more to further his terrorists groups goals to this day.
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Oh, forgot one thing. Obama’s campaign says that Ayers and Dohrn are “respectable” members of the “mainstream” community…seven years after they said they wished they had did more.
Let’s see…Reverend Wright is a racist…why? Because he objects to Blacks being lynched? Because he thinks slavery is an abomination? Because he recognizes the degree to which America remains a virulently racist society? Every decent American should be shouting the very same things the Reverend said.
‘Attack Barak Cause He’s Black’. That would at least be honest from you racist hypocrites who would defend the murderous record of a deserting, drug dealing failure and criminal against humanity. Oh I forgot- W found Jesus (or was it Mickey Mouse?) who told him it’s ok to desecrate the Constitution, to engage in vile acts of terror and torture, to kidnap and detain individuals in perpetuity without trial, to invade countries that pose no threat to anyone.
You all seem so, well, little.
obama is a tool for the far left, i mean the way out there left. he isn’t compitent enough to coordinate a fundraiser let a lone run this country for the next term. he is racist, in reserve, he is an elitist, he is a just plain ugly person. do remember that event he devil can site scripture for his own purpose.
Ah, so many falsehoods, so little time! Thanks for the input Curt, it may be impossible to “change” the minds of the opposition, but we can at least “hope” for some quality debate.
First, the fact that BHO may have been only nine years old when Ayers was being a busy little domestic terrorist doesn’t really matter. The fact is, he embraces him now, when the guy still “wishes he could have done more” bombing of public offices. I wasn’t even born when Ayers was active, and I have the good sense not to hold the man up as a “friend” of mine. Calling Ayers a “respected teacher” is kind of like calling Yassir Arafat a “respected statesman,” though maybe that analogy doesn’t fly with you Sky. Yes, Wright is “retired” from his position as pastor, but that WAS all of a couple months ago… He WAS his pastor for over twenty years, and he WAS the one who has influenced his thoughts and beliefs. The implications these facts have for BHO’s judgment are hardly spin; but you’re free to call it that if you like.
Unmurrikan, the reason most of us here don’t like BHO has absolutely nothing to do with the fact that he’s black. I think all of us would be more than happy to support Colin Powell, Clarence Thomas, Condoleezza Rice, or Michael Steele for high office (are you going to call them “oreos” or some other vile slur like that?). It’s about the character and stances of the person involved. BHO for his part has shown his racist bonafides in his book “Dreams of my Father,” and showed off his elitism to Middle America by calling them “bitter” for “clinging to guns and religion,” and maybe you find his Leninist / Marxist ideology appealing, but I don’t.
Now, I may not believe in Buddhism, or Hinduism, etc., but at least I don’t mock their faith. President Bush has admitted the mistakes of his youth, and makes no pretense to justify them; the same can’t be said of BHO. That’s judgment and character for you.
Closing with an ad hominem – not the mark of a quality argument unmurrikan.
Machiavelli you never cease to amaze me with your “crap”. First of all I have never ever used a slur like you just assumed I would… Secondly you are just to right wing blind to see that most of what you say is baseless.
Curt you slam Obama for serving on the same board as Ayes??? Let’s see does that mean he ascribes the same beliefs as Ayes… NOT!!! If that were so Curt that would also mean that Hillary is a Union hating Republican. Because she once served on a board with Sam Walton… what planet are you right wingers on???
I see you skip over all the other associations Obama has with Ayers and just zone in on the board thing….quite telling. Keep your head in the sand sky.
Sky55110: As the person who came down so hard on a fellow poster on an earlier thread for not accurately reading your post (I can go get the specific quotations if you like), it comes as no small irony that you didn’t bother to read my post accurately; or perhaps as you implied in your reply to the other poster, you need to work on your reading skills.
The portion in which I mused whether or not the come-back would involve the “oreo” slur was directed at Unmurrikan; who had just gone on about how we were a bunch of racists who attacked BHO simply because he was black. I then cited a small list of well known black political figures whom we would gladly support, were they to seek high office. The usual rebuttal from the radical camp is that said individuals are not “genuinely” black, and therefore don’t count. In further irony, during a gubernatorial debate during the 2006 campaign, actual oreo cookies were thrown at Michael Steele by the opposition in the audience. Care to condemn that Sky55110?
As for your second “debating” point, as an ad hominem, it doesn’t exactly help prove the validity of your argument. Please tell me that isn’t the best you can do. We already have enough insult dropping “drive-by” posters here.
You’re barking up a dead tree, Mach…. Said poster you were addressing has already demonstrated she doesn’t read – accurately, or at all.