Is Senator Obama a new kind of politician, delivering change we can believe in, or is he just yet another partisan politician, delivering politics as usual?
There are a few stories circulating about Senator Barack Obama, and you've probably heard at least one of them. Perhaps you've received a few via email.…
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126 - RJ Elliott
Clavos,
Hey, I got my oil changed today as well.
What are the odds? 0_o
127 - RJ Elliott
Phillip,
No thanks. However, I may cast my vote for Bob Barr, assuming Florida looks like it will safely go for McCain on Election Day.
128 - Andy Marsh
Sorry it took so long to get back on this string...yeah, like you guys care...
I read what you had to say on the matter of Obamas birth cert, but what about this...
"A child born abroad on or after December 24, 1952 and before November 14, 1986 to one U.S. citizen parent and one non-citizen parent can acquire U.S. citizenship at birth if the U.S. citizen parent can demonstrate that he or she was physically present in the United States for a minimum of ten years, at least five of which were after the age of fourteen, prior to the birth of the child."
And as I read yesterday, since Obamas' mom had him when she was 18, she would not meet the requirements set forth in this requirement for citizenship.
Like I said yesterday. I'm not saying that Obama isn't a legite US citizen, what I'm saying is, why are his people perpetuating this by not releasing the right info?
And Wesley Clark can kiss my ass! As far as I'm concerned John McCain showed is leadership abilities while a guest of the Hanoi Hilton by his actions. Specifically in his refusal to leave unless they let all his buddies leave with him.
I suspect that REMF (MCH) will be along shortly to let me know all about ole' Wes's military credentials...but it doesn't matter, he can still kiss my ass.
129 - Cindy D
Dr.D,
There's no law that says you have to put your hand over your heart and trying to portray someone as unpatriotic for not doing so is, quite frankly, pathetic.
Oh that's not what patriotism is all about? I thought it was, that and lapel flag pins.
130 - Clavos
"Oh that's not what patriotism is all about? I thought it was, that and lapel flag pins."
Especially the cheap, chinese-made ones. You get extra Patriot Points (PPs) for them.
131 - Andy Marsh
You know, you're both right, there's no law that says you have to put your hand over your heart or take your hat off or any of that stuff, but...
Politicians know the things that piss people off and to try and pretend that Barry doesn't know this is just plain bullshit.
So, it doesn't upset you that he won't put his hand on his heart for the anthem, but you know and he knows that it does upset some people. So, basically, what he's telling those people that it does upset is...go fuck yourself.
I could give two shits if he puts his hand on his heart, but I know why I do it. Apparently, Senator Obama could care less.
It's part of something bigger...it goes along with the church he sat in for twenty years, his wife's fucked up attitude about being proud for the first time in her life, the other assholes he hangs out with...it's all part of the picture.
I wear a lapel pin...I have for 12 years now, I didn't need one before that because I wore a uniform and didn't own a suit, I couldn't afford one. And I put my hand over my heart when the anthem is played...and if any of you don't like it, you can kiss MY ass!!!!
132 - Dave Nalle
I like to put my hand over my wallet when I pledge allegiance because that's the part of me the government seems most interested in. Fortunately when I wear a jacket for formal occasions my wallet is in the pocket over my heart so no one can tell.
Dave
133 - bliffle
What is it about truculent BC posters that they constantly want their *ss kissed?
134 - Andy Marsh
I got your truculent right here...and you can kiss that too!
135 - Dr Dreadful
Well, somebody didn't have their coffee this morning.
That, or Andy has been taking lessons on how to control his inner beast from... Doug!
:-)
136 - bliffle
Somebody isn't getting something he needs at home.
137 - Andy Marsh
I figured if I was gonna be called truculent, I should at least act like it!
Probably to much coffee...
i'm getting what I need at home...but not at work!
138 - bliffle
IMO Wes Clark was right: being a POW does not endow one with any special leadership capabilities. Unless one has organized a communications system or some kind of silent revolt, ala Lloyd Bucher of the Pueblo.
What McCain demonstrated as a POW was stoicism, not heroism. Nothing special about that. Also, most servicemen I've known had low opinions of pilots in general. YMMV, but they didn't look at them as real soldiers.
Nevertheless I like McCain and hoped he'd win it all in 2000. But IMO he hasn't improved in the last 8 years. Events have moved past him, and it looks to me like he's sacrificed some of his independence to ambition.
139 - Andy Marsh
You really think that's all it takes to survive 5 plus years in an enemy prison camp, constantly tortured to the point where you're almost dead...nothing but a little stoicism?
Stoicism is how you manage to make a career out of the military, not how you spend more than 5 years getting the shit beat out of you on a regular basis!!!
You're absolutely right...nothing special about it...wonder why people are all upset about the humane treatment the pow's are getting at guantanamo??? guess those muslims don't know about stoicism...
And as far as your friends and their high opinion of pilots...I'm sure they felt the same way about sailors as well...and they can kiss my ass too!
140 - Baronius
The Democrats disparaged Eisenhower as stupid, as if they could have defeated Hitler without him. But it wasn't until the mid-1960's that the Dems started to look down on all military. (Remember "war is too important to be left to the generals"?) There was only one blip in the consistent Democratic disregard for the military, when John "Reporting for Duty" Kerry ran against Dan Rather's nemesis. All of a sudden, for three months there was nothing more important to the party than uniformed service. Now we're back again, as a doddering old military man runs against a guy who shows his patriotism with actions that would have gotten me kicked out of Boy Scouts.
141 - Clavos
"What McCain demonstrated as a POW was stoicism, not heroism."
Well, it's to his credit that he did resist them, whatever you want to call it.
In his place, I wouldn't have, so I respect him for it
142 - STM
I'd say what he exhibited was a bit of both.
He's eminently qualified in more areas than that though to serve as the next president of the US.
The US needs another elder statesman, not another young turk.
Granted, Obama's a different kettle of fish ... but look what happened last time.
143 - bliffle
I'm not sure McCain resisted the VC. For one thing, I think modern soldiers are taught NOT to resist. They are simply given no information so that they have nothing important to reveal. For another, there are many accounts by other POWs that McCain cooperated with his interrogators. In fact, there are scandalous accounts of his activities by other POWs.
Frankly, I don't care. And I don't think it's relevant. If I were in his shoes I probably would have signed confessions and told stories about aircraft flight times and names of colleagues, trusting that the Command would make it all irrelevant anyhow.
If I had been a POW would that have qualified me to be president? Is every other POW qualified to be president?
Frankly, I wish that McCain and the McCain campaign would stop pushing his war experiences at us. He's been doing this for decades. get over it. If someone else braces him on his POW experience they are justified.
144 - Andy Marsh
"If I had been a POW would that have qualified me to be president? Is every other POW qualified to be president?"
Yes- but you'd probably run as a democrat, so no one would believe your military record!
145 - bliffle
STM,
I think you're wrong on all 3 counts. McCain did nothing heroic, that I've heard of, he's done nothing statesmanlike, and we don't need an elder statesman or we'd re-elect Carter.
McCain has NOT done anything heroic. He never lead men into battle or made a heroic lone assault. He simply survived. If you want a hero google Lloyd Bucher and the Pueblo.
McCain has never done anything statesmanlike. A statesman would have negotiated a peace between IRA and England or Israel and Egypt, or something like that which occurs outside HIS personal ambition and is done for the benefit of states.
We don't need a president selected on the basis of age.
Another thing about McCains 'heroism': if he were heroic he wouldn't have let GWB kick him around like that in 2000. I remember the confrontation on TV (Larry King, IIRC), when McC told GWB "those things your guys said about me were not true, George" and GWB backed him down with "nobody can call me a liar" and McC let him get away with it! What a wuus! A hero would have beeen right back in his face! Instead, McC chose to kiss ass for the next 8 years.
So now we get to wonder if Pres. McCain will back down so easily when confronted by belligerent foreign enemies. And backstage saber-rattling is worthless.
But I'd be happy to vote for McCain if he'd drop the constant references to his POW years and run on his record of 26 years in congress. And what is that record? What distinguishes McCain? What statesmanlike initiatives has he created?
On separate occasions he's admitted that (1) foreign policy is not his strong point, and (2) economics is not his strong point. Well, what can he do for the USA in this year when Economy and a Foreign War are tops in everyones minds? What ARE his strong points? Persevering? Grunting through todays horrors to face another tomorrow?
146 - Jamal
Again people are trying to force Obama to play by the white man's rules. The white medis tells us McCain was a prisoner so he is more qualified to be president. What about the 1,000,000 brothers in US jails? Why cant they be qualified to be president? Why because the rules are written by white rich people and designed to keep the "negros" in there place!
Obama understands Black Liberation Theology and the teachings of the great Lous Farakan..once he is in office the world will see the black man in his righful place of power!
Jamal
147 - Clavos
Good morning, JOM...
148 - bliffle
The Obama campaign is starting to take on the stench of the Rahm Emmanuel and DLC factions that lost every campaign they've captained in the past 8 years. The 2006 midterm election was the result of a revolt by repubs, not a victory for dems.
The dems started with a big lead a few months ago but they could blow it by following the Rahm/DLC formula.
149 - Jamal
To quote Obama from his book "Dreams of My Father";
"Ill never emulate white men and brown men whose fates didn't speak to my own. It was into my father's image, the black man, son of Africa, that I'd packed all the attributes I sought in myself, the attributes of Martin and Malcolm, DuBois and Mandela."
Thats the real deal!
Jamal
150 - The Obnoxious American
only if it were true. it isn't.
151 - Clavos
Hey, JOM,
Back in the liberry again?
152 - RJ Elliott
Here's a column that is relevant to both Phillip's article, and my comments thereon. An excerpt:
In the past few weeks, Obama has broken two pledges (to take public financing in the general election and to filibuster legal immunity for telecoms that cooperated with the government in terrorist surveillance); has belittled his own rhetoric during the primary campaign (saying it could get “overheated and amplified” on the issue of trade); redefined his promise to meet without preconditions with the leaders of hostile states until it’s basically meaningless; endorsed a Supreme Court decision striking down a Washington, D.C., gun ban his campaign had previously said he supported; and made muddy, centrist-sounding statements about his positions on Iraq and abortion that he had to go back and try to clarify.
Has there ever in recent political memory been so much calculation and bad faith by a politician who has made so much of eschewing both? We now know that Barack Obama is not naive, but his ardent supporters are. Obama exhorted them to “believe” " one of his favorite words " in him and his virtue above all, and as soon as they gave him the nomination he wanted, he showed how foolishly credulous they had been. When it comes to triangulating, he’s Hillary Clinton without the baggage.
Forget the debate about whether Obama is “American enough.” He’s that great American archetype, the audacious salesman with an eye on the main chance. Nothing in his utterly orthodox left-wing record ever suggested he was a transformationally unifying figure, but he sold himself as that to the audience he needed in the Democratic primaries. Nothing in his record suggests he’s a sensible centrist, but he’s going to sell himself as one to the audience he needs in the general election, whatever contortions it takes. In his current TV ad, he touts his support for welfare reform when he actually opposed it.
But how many of the voters, lulled to sleep by the mantra of HOPE and CHANGE, will wake up between now and Election Day?
153 - Clavos
RJ,
Good excerpt (and article). A suggestion for you:
Next time you have something longer than three lines you want to publish in a comment, instead of italicizing it, which makes it a little harder to read, especially for eyes like mine, blockqoute it, without italics.
154 - Duane Barlow
Great article Phillip!
155 - Duane Barlow
What do you make of his first 100 days?
156 - Phillip Winn
I know this is an inconsequential comment, but thanks!
157 - Phillip Winn
@Duane,
I think Obama had a decent first 100 days, but at the same time, definitely demonstrated that my central thesis here was 100% true. A new kind of politician he is most definitely not. A good old kind of politician he is.