Barack Obama!

wayneL said:

Doris,

There is a considered change of mind over a wrong position, then there is cynical political expediency.

If you'll notice Kennedy et al changed their position over time, Obama flipped overnight.

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We had a dove that was going to change the world not 6 weeks ago. Now we have a foreign affairs hawk who wants to push the agenda way past Bush. WTF?

Who the hell are we going to have if he gets into power? Attila the Hun?

http://www.cnsnews.com/ViewPolitics.asp?Page=/Politics/archive/200807/POL20080703d.html

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Obama: Service To Be A Cornerstone of Presidency

Obama said the quiet following Friday's Independence Day celebrations would be a good time to consider how to contribute "to our most pressing national challenges," whether in the military, overseas or just next door.

"I hope that you take a moment to think about what you can do to shape a country we love, shape its future," Obama said. "Loving your country shouldn't just mean watching fireworks on the Fourth of July."

...the focus on service was meant... to reach back to President John F. Kennedy's generation-captivating "ask not what your country can do for you" inaugural address or President Clinton's creation of AmeriCorps.

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Obama talked in almost achingly intimate terms about the impact service had on him, as a boy who "spent much of my childhood adrift" and often had little idea "who I was or where I was going" because of his father's absence. But early in college, he said, values like hard work and empathy instilled by his mother and grandparents resurfaced "after a long hibernation." He eventually found himself working as a community organizer in a devastated South Side Chicago neighborhood, and said he was transformed.

One new piece announced Wednesday would create a new "Green Vet Initiative" offering counseling, job placement and mediation with industry for veterans wanting to enter the rapidly expanding renewable energy field.

Other highlights include: increasing the all-volunteer military, expanding AmeriCorps, doubling the size of the Peace Corps, expanding service programs involving retired people, and creating a tax credit making the first $4,000 of college tuition free for students who conduct 100 hours of public service a year.

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St. Louis: Obama celebrated "active faith" as an obligation of religious Americans and a chief agent of societal change while speaking Saturday to a nearly all-black roomful of churchgoers, but hoping to reach far beyond them.

He preached individual responsibility, saying he knew he risked criticism for "blaming the victim" by talking of the need for parents to help children with homework and turn off the TV, to pass on a healthy self-image to daughters, and teach boys both to respect women and "realize that responsibility does not end at conception."

But Obama's main message was the government's duty to address what he said are "moral problems" — such as war, poverty, joblessness, homelessness, violent streets and crumbling schools — and to employ religious institutions to do it.

"As long as we're not doing everything in our individual and collective power to solve the challenges we face, the conscience of our nation cannot rest," he said.

"We are not constrained by the accident of birth but can make of our lives what we will," Obama said.

He was greeted when he arrived in the vast hall by the most thunderous cheering, waving and screaming that he has heard all week.

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Doris said:

What are you on about?
Not taking public money for his campaign? He's not a woman but he can change his mind!



What are you on?

From your article:



Did you misinterpret the concept of 'service'?
Do you think he meant to rapidly increase the size of the armed forces to plunder and pillage foreign soils?

This was a continuation of his theme in his address to the college graduation when he replaced Ted Kennedy. See #548



I realize I don't proactively look for faults but he's more like the Pied Piper than Attila.

Attila was cruel and rapacious. Do you really see Obama with these latent traits?
Would he have checked on and spoken to, at the site, the policeman who crashed his motorbike during that motorcade?

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Superfly said:

Vietnam was a defeat ( which is was not )... rah rah rah from the left....

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Superfly said:

Whooooo... descent... careful... OBAMUNISM is strong on this thread, even with his promised troop withdrawl for Iraq, when pressed he will not say 100% that he is going actually to do that withdrawl. So Barack is just taking, telling the left what they want to hear, very dangerous. Barack makes a good first impression, but if one really listens to him for a while he doesn't really have much substance, little like, but not as bad a Kevin Rudd.

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Obama said what he learns from military commanders on his upcoming trip (to Iraq) will refine his policy, but "not the 16-month timetable" for withdrawing U.S. troops from combat in Iraq. He said what he learns could affect how many residual troops might be needed to train the Iraqi army and police.

"I have said throughout this campaign that this war was ill-conceived, that it was a strategic blunder and that it needs to come to an end," he said. "I have also said I would be deliberate and careful about how we get out. That position has not changed. I am not searching for maneuvering room with respect to that position."

He promised to summon the Joint Chiefs of Staff on his first day in office "and I will give them a new mission and that is to end this war, responsibly and deliberately, but decisively."

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Doris said:

Perhaps you should watch and really listen to his speeches!

Check out his policy stands on his website.

Read my post on #678:

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Boggo said:

Relevant (or irrelevant joke)

A man goes to a public golf course. He approaches the man behind the counter in the pro shop and says, "I would like 18 holes of golf and a caddie."

The man behind the counter says, "The 18 holes of golf is no problem, but all of the caddies are out on the course. What I will do for you is this: we just received 8 brand new robot golf caddies. If you're willing to take one with you out on the course and come back and tell me how well it works, your round of golf is on me today." The golfer obviously accepted the man's offer.

He approached the first tee, looked at the fairway and said to himself, "I think my driver will do the job." The robot caddie turned to the man and said, "No sir. Use your 3 wood. A driver is far too much club for this hole."

Hesitantly, the golfer pulled out his 3 wood, made good contact with the ball, and the ball landed about 10 feet to the right front of the hole on the green. The golfer, delighted, turned to the robot and thanked him for his assistance.

As the golfer pulled out his putter he said, "I think this green is gonna break left to right." The robot then again spoke up and said, "No sir. I do believe this green will break right to left". Thinking about the last time the robot corrected his prediction, he decided again to listen to the machine. He made his putt and birdied the hole thanks to the robot and his advice.

But his luck didn't end there. His entire game was the best game he ever played, thanks to the assistance of the new robot golf caddie.

Upon returning to the clubhouse, the man behind the counter asked, "How was your game?" The golfer stated, "It was, by far, the BEST game I ever played. Thank you very much for letting me take one of your robots. See you next week."

A week passed, and excited, the golfer returned to the pro shop. Upon entering, he turned to the man behind the counter and said, "I would like 18 holes of golf and one of those robot golf caddies, please."

The gentleman from behind the counter turned to the man and said, "Well the 18 holes is no problem. However, we had to get rid of the robots. We had too many complaints." Confused, the golfer cried, "COMPLAINTS? Who in the heck could've complained about those robots? They were incredible" The man sighed and said, "Well, it wasn't their performance. It was that they were made of shiny silver metal, and the sun reflecting off them was blinding to other golfers on the fare way."

The golfer said, "So then why didn't you just paint them black?" The man nodded sadly and replied, "We did. Then four of 'em didn't show up for work, two filed for welfare, one of them robbed the pro shop, and the other is running for the Presidency of the United States."

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Superfly said:

LOL.... Gold ...

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2020hindsight said:

odds on an Obama win keep tightening

http://www.easyodds.com/compareodds/specials/Politics/m/51363-234-3.html
President:-
Obama 1/2 = $1.50 (in from $1.55)
McCain 7/4 = $2.65

Winning Party :-
Democrats 9/20 = $1.45
GOP (sic) 2/1 = $3.00

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McCain hoped for a better week
Instead, a series of fumbles handed opportunities to Barack Obama.
By Cathleen Decker and Maeve Reston, Los Angeles Times Staff Writers
July 12, 2008
HUDSON, WIS. -- This was supposed to be the week John McCain unveiled his new campaign, more disciplined and acutely focused on the economy. The goal proved elusive: The presumptive Republican nominee spent the week cleaning up after controversial statements by himself and his surrogates, and trying to counter any impression that he overlooks the pain of struggling Americans.

McCain seemed to call Social Security a "disgrace," was struck wordless on video when asked whether insurance companies should have to pay for birth control and, perhaps most damagingly, had to deny his own advisor's assertion that, when it comes to the economy, America has become "a nation of whiners."

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All candidates, including Obama, have had worse weeks. But, behind in the polls, the Arizona senator can hardly afford such diversion. His campaign remains frustrated by its central conundrum: Free-wheeling, unscripted events show McCain at his best, but are also most likely to spin off-kilter.

At a time when a candidate -- like a telemarketer -- must relentlessly repeat his theme in order to clinch the deal, McCain's message has been erratic.

"He can still fix it, but it appears that given his temperament and his personality it's hard for him to fix these problems," said Linda Fowler, a Dartmouth College government professor who is closely watching the presidential contest. "The spontaneity of what he says, the fact that he's unscripted -- at some point that begins to work against him in a general election where discipline is important."

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Suspicions about Obama's true motives have been building during the past few weeks, but not until today have the bloggers called him out for betraying the Democratic Party's losing tradition.

"Increasingly, Barack Obama's message is becoming more accessible, appealing and, yes, potentially successful.
Any Democrat who voted for Dukakis, Mondale or Kerry should regard this as a betrayal."

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McCain had pushed for Russia to be excluded from last week's G-8 summit in Japan, saying membership should be limited to countries that "believe in free and open'' economies, societies and elections.

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"It would be a mistake," Obama said. "The amount of loose nuclear material that is floating around in the former Soviet Union, the amount of technical know-how that is in countries that used to be behind the Iron Curtain would pose a greater threat without Russia's cooperation," Obama said.

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There are 'a lot of problems' with Afghan President Hamid Karzai's administration.
"I think the Karzai government has not gotten out of the bunker and helped to organize Afghanistan, and the government, the judiciary, police forces, in ways that would give people confidence,'' Obama said.

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Doris said:

Obama Says Forcing Russia to Leave the G-8 Would Be a `Mistake'

I welcome your comments Wayne!

Obama's penchant for opportunities of 'conversation' is evidenced IMO.

CNN, 3 hours ago, released some transcripts of an interview they will air tomorrow:

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wayneL said:

Obama will be pleased to know that I agree with him on this point.

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All three senators share similar views – critical ones – of the administration’s Iraq policy.

“Senator Hagel and Senator Reed may be coming with us. Look, they are both experts on foreign policy. They reflect, I think, a traditional bipartisan wisdom when it comes to foreign policy,” he said. “Neither of them are ideologues but try to get the facts right and make a determination about what’s best for U.S. interests – and they’re good guys.”

He said he was going to Iraq not to promote withdrawal but to gather facts.

“We have one president at a time, so I’m not going to be traveling to negotiate anything or make promises,” Mr. Obama said.
“I am there to listen, but there is no doubt that my core position, which is that we need a timetable for withdrawal, not only to relieve pressure on our military but also to deal with the deteriorating situation in Afghanistan and to put more pressure on the Iraqi government, is now a position that is also held by the Iraqi government itself.”

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"Americans need to recognize that there is a problem when more than a half of African American children are growing up without a father in the house".

Obama’s tough love message to African American fathers came most notably in a Fathers Day speech last month in which he told fathers that “any ol' fool” could conceive a child –- but it takes a man to be father.

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“My argument is simply that it’s not an 'either-or' proposition, it’s a 'both-and' proposition," Obama said. "The government and society as a whole has an obligation to deal with poverty, particularly poverty that’s deep-rooted not just in the inner cities, but in rural communities all across America.”

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Barack Obama is overwhelmingly Britain's choice to be the next US president, five times more popular than his Republican rival, John McCain, a Guardian/ICM poll shows today. Carried out ahead of the Democratic candidate's visit to Britain next week, the poll reveals that 53% feel certain he would make the best president, with only 11% favouring McCain; 36% declined to express an opinion.

Overall enthusiasm for an Obama presidency is solid across people of all ages and backgrounds.

Obama will soon set off on a marathon trip that will take in Iraq, Afghanistan, Israel, Jordan, Germany, France and, lastly, Britain. The exact timing of the visit to Iraq and Afghanistan is being kept under wraps for security reasons, but he is expected in Britain on July 25 or 26.

According to an adviser, he is also likely to call on Germany and France to play a bigger military role in Afghanistan.

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wayneL said:

Oooops!

The New Yorker kicked over a Wasp's nest with this cover:

LOLLL!

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