Remarks of President Barack Obama – As Prepared for Delivery
At a Memorial Service for the Victims of the Shooting in Tucson, Arizona
University of Arizona, McKale Memorial Center
Tucson, Arizona
January 12, 2011

As Prepared for Delivery—

To the families of those we’ve lost; to all who called them friends; to the students of this university, the public servants gathered tonight, and the people of Tucson and Arizona:  I have come here tonight as an American who, like all Americans, kneels to pray with you today, and will stand by you tomorrow.

There is nothing I can say that will fill the sudden hole torn in your hearts.  But know this: the hopes of a nation are here tonight.  We mourn with you for the fallen.  We join you in your grief.  And we add our faith to yours that Representative Gabrielle Giffords and the other living victims of this tragedy pull through.

As Scripture tells us:

There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,
the holy place where the Most High dwells.
God is within her, she will not fall;
God will help her at break of day.

On Saturday morning, Gabby, her staff, and many of her constituents gathered outside a supermarket to exercise their right to peaceful assembly and free speech.  They were fulfilling a central tenet of the democracy envisioned by our founders – representatives of the people answering to their constituents, so as to carry their concerns to our nation’s capital.  Gabby called it “Congress on Your Corner” – just an updated version of government of and by and for the people.

That is the quintessentially American scene that was shattered by a gunman’s bullets.  And the six people who lost their lives on Saturday – they too represented what is best in America.

Judge John Roll served our legal system for nearly 40 years.  A graduate of this university and its law school, Judge Roll was recommended for the federal bench by John McCain twenty years ago, appointed by President George H.W. Bush, and rose to become Arizona’s chief federal judge.  His colleagues described him as the hardest-working judge within the Ninth Circuit.  He was on his way back from attending Mass, as he did every day, when he decided to stop by and say hi to his Representative.  John is survived by his loving wife, Maureen, his three sons, and his five grandchildren.

George and Dorothy Morris – “Dot” to her friends – were high school sweethearts who got married and had two daughters.  They did everything together, traveling the open road in their RV, enjoying what their friends called a 50-year honeymoon.  Saturday morning, they went by the Safeway to hear what their Congresswoman had to say.  When gunfire rang out, George, a former Marine, instinctively tried to shield his wife.  Both were shot.  Dot passed away.

A New Jersey native, Phyllis Schneck retired to Tucson to beat the snow. But in the summer, she would return East, where her world revolved around her 3 children, 7 grandchildren, and 2 year-old great-granddaughter.  A gifted quilter, she’d often work under her favorite tree, or sometimes sew aprons with the logos of the Jets and the Giants to give out at the church where she volunteered.  A Republican, she took a liking to Gabby, and wanted to get to know her better.

Dorwan and Mavy Stoddard grew up in Tucson together – about seventy years ago. They moved apart and started their own respective families, but after both were widowed they found their way back here, to, as one of Mavy’s daughters put it, “be boyfriend and girlfriend again.” When they weren’t out on the road in their motor home, you could find them just up the road, helping folks in need at the Mountain Avenue Church of Christ.  A retired construction worker, Dorwan spent his spare time fixing up the church along with their dog, Tux.  His final act of selflessness was to dive on top of his wife, sacrificing his life for hers.

Everything Gabe Zimmerman did, he did with passion – but his true passion was people.  As Gabby’s outreach director, he made the cares of thousands of her constituents his own, seeing to it that seniors got the Medicare benefits they had earned, that veterans got the medals and care they deserved, that government was working for ordinary folks.  He died doing what he loved – talking with people and seeing how he could help.  Gabe is survived by his parents, Ross and Emily, his brother, Ben, and his fiancée, Kelly, who he planned to marry next year.

And then there is nine year-old Christina Taylor Green.  Christina was an A student, a dancer, a gymnast, and a swimmer.  She often proclaimed that she wanted to be the first woman to play in the major leagues, and as the only girl on her Little League team, no one put it past her.  She showed an appreciation for life uncommon for a girl her age, and would remind her mother, “We are so blessed.  We have the best life.”  And she’d pay those blessings back by participating in a charity that helped children who were less fortunate.

Our hearts are broken by their sudden passing.  Our hearts are broken – and yet, our hearts also have reason for fullness.

Our hearts are full of hope and thanks for the 13 Americans who survived the shooting, including the congresswoman many of them went to see on Saturday.   Read the rest of this entry »

THE PRESIDENT:  Hello, Wisconsin!  (Applause.)  Hello!  Hello, Wisconsin!  Thank you.  Thank you.  Thank you so much.  Thank you, everybody.

I am — I don’t know about you, but I’m fired up.  (Applause.)  And I’m ready to go.  (Applause.)

    A couple of people I want to acknowledge — first of all, a great mayor, somebody who’s fighting for working families each and every day, Tom Barrett.  Please give him a big round of applause.  (Applause.)

    Somebody who is one of the consciences of the Senate who’s always independent, doesn’t always agree with me but always agrees with the people of his state and looking out for them, Senator Russ Feingold.  (Applause.)

    One of the most courageous members of Congress that we have, Tammy Baldwin, in the house.  (Applause.)

    I want to thank Madison mayor Dave Cieslewicz — doing a great job.  (Applause.)

    University of Wisconsin System President Kevin Reilly is here.  (Applause.)  University of Wisconsin-Madison Chancellor Biddy Martin is in the house.  (Applause.)

    And I want to thank our terrific musical guests, Ben Harper, The National, and Mama Digdown’s Brass Band.  (Applause.)

    It is good to be back in the state of Wisconsin.  I was mentioning that when I first moved to Chicago — (applause) — I know we’ve got some Chicago folks in the house — (applause) — you know, every once in a while I had some friends who were going to school up here, and I’d drive up to Madison.  (Applause.)  And I had some fun times up here in Madison.  (Applause.)  I can’t give you all the details — (laughter) — but I have good memories here.

    And may I say that you Badgers are looking pretty good this year.  (Applause.)  You delivered quite a beating on Saturday.  (Applause.)  Almost wasn’t fair.  (Laughter.)

    Now, I’m not going to say a word about the Bears and the Packers.  I’m not going to say anything about it.  (Applause and boos.)  My lips are sealed.  I’m not going to say a word about it.  Why spoil this great mood?  (Laughter.)  Because it’s just nice to see that you’re as fired up today as you were on Saturday.  So don’t think about Sunday.  (Laughter.)

    I need you, though, fired up, Badgers.  I need you fired up.  We need you to stay fired up because there is an election on November 2nd that’s going to say a lot about the future –- your future and the future of our country.

    Now, two years ago, you defied the conventional wisdom in Washington.  The message out there was, no, you can’t.  No, you can’t overcome the cynicism of our politics.  No, you can’t overcome the power of special interests in Washington.  No, you can’t make real progress on the big challenges of our time.  No, you can’t elect a skinny guy with a funny name, Barack Hussein Obama.  (Applause.)  They said, no, you can’t.  But what did you say, Wisconsin?

    AUDIENCE:  Yes, we can!

    THE PRESIDENT:  You proved that the power of everyday people going door to door, neighbor to neighbor, friend to friend, was stronger than the forces of the status quo.  It made more difference than PAC money.  It made more difference than all the TV advertising.  You tapped into something that this country hadn’t seen in a very long time.  You did that.

    And every single one of you is a shareholder in that mission of rebuilding our country and reclaiming our future.  And I’m back here today because on November 2nd, we face another test.  And the stakes could not be higher.

    Think about it, when I arrived in Washington 20 months ago, my hope and my expectation was that we could pull together, all of us as Americans — Democrats and Republicans and independents — to confront the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression.  I hoped and expected that we could get beyond some of the old political divides between Democrats and Republicans, blue states and red states, that had prevented us from making progress for so long because although we are proud to be Democrats, we are prouder to be Americans.  (Applause.)

    And this country was confronting a crisis.  Instead, what we found when we arrived in Washington was the rawest kind of politics.  What we confronted was an opposition party that was still stuck on the same failed policies of the past, whose leaders in Congress were determined from the start to let us deal with the mess that they had done so much to create.

    Because their calculation was as simple as it was cynical — they knew that it was going to take a long time to solve the economic challenges we face.  They saw the data.  They were talking to the economists.  They realized that Obama was walking in and we had just lost 4 million jobs in the six months before I was sworn in; 750,000 jobs the month I was sworn in; 600,000 jobs the month after that; 600,000 jobs that month after that.  So before our economic policies could even be put into place, we’d already lost most of the 8 million jobs we would lose.

    And they knew that people would be frustrated.  And they figured, if we just sit on the sidelines and just say no and just throw bombs and let Obama and the Democrats deal with everything, they figured they might be able to prosper at the polls.

    And that’s what they’ve done for the last 20 months.  They have said no to just about every idea and policy I’ve proposed — even ideas that historically, traditionally, they agreed with.  So now the pundits are saying that the base of the Republican Party is mobilized.  The prediction among the pundits is this is going to be a bloodletting for Democrats.  That’s what they’re saying in Washington.

    AUDIENCE:  Boo!

    THE PRESIDENT:  And what they’re saying is — and the basis of their prediction is that all of you who worked so hard in 2008 aren’t going to be as energized, aren’t going to be as engaged.  They say there is an enthusiasm gap and that the same Republicans and the same policies that left our economy in a shambles and the middle class struggling might ride right back into power.

    AUDIENCE:  No!

    THE PRESIDENT:  Now, that’s what they’re saying.  I’m not making this up.  You guys read the papers.  You guys are watching the television.  They’re basically saying that you’re apathetic, you’re disappointed, you’re “oh, well, we’re not sure that we’re going to turn out.”

    Wisconsin, we can’t let that happen.  We cannot sit this one out.  We can’t let this country fall backwards because the rest of us didn’t care enough to fight.  (Applause.)  The stakes are too high for our country and for your future, and I am going to get out there and fight as hard as I can — and I know you are, too — to make sure we keep moving forward.  (Applause.)

    The other side would have you believe this election is a referendum on me or a referendum on the economy, a referendum on anything except them.  But make no mistake.  This election is a choice.  And the choice could not be clearer.

    Understand, for the last decade, the Republicans in Washington subscribed to a very simple philosophy — and I want to be clear, this is the Republican leadership in Washington.  A whole bunch of Republicans out all across America are feeling pretty disaffected, too, by what they saw when the Republicans were in charge.  But the basic theory of the Republican leadership was, you cut taxes mostly for millionaires and billionaires.

    AUDIENCE:  Boo!

    THE PRESIDENT:  You cut regulations for special interests, whether it’s the banks or the oil companies or health insurance companies.  Let them write their own rules.  You cut back on investments in education and clean energy and research and technology.

    So basically the idea was if you just put blind faith in the market, if we let corporations play by their own rules, if we leave everybody else to fend for themselves, then America would automatically grow and prosper.

    But that philosophy failed.  Because in the period when they were in power — understand this, from 2001 to 2009 — job growth was slower than it had been in any decade since World War II.  Between 2001 and 2009, middle-class incomes fell by 5 percent.  The cost of everything from health care to college tuition just kept going up.  And a free-for-all on Wall Street led to the very crisis that right now we’re digging ourselves out of.

    So it’s not like we don’t have a controlled experiment here.  (Laughter.)  We have — they were in charge.  We saw what happened.  (Applause.)  So I’ve got — I’ve had two main jobs since becoming President:  to rescue the economy from this crisis, to clean up after their mess, and to rebuild our economy stronger than it was before.  That’s been my job.  (Applause.)

    And over the last 20 months — over the last 20 months, we’ve made progress on both these fronts.  We’re no longer facing the possibility of a second depression — and I have to say, Wisconsin, that was a very real possibility when I was sworn in.  We had about six months where the economy was teetering on the edge, and we could have plunged into a second depression.

    Now the economy is growing again.  (Applause.)  Now the private sector has created jobs for the last eight months in a row.  (Applause.)  There are about 3 million Americans who wouldn’t be working today if not for the economic plan that we put into place.  Those are facts.  (Applause.)

    By the way, I emphasize those are facts because the other side isn’t always interested in facts.

    AUDIENCE:  Boo!

    THE PRESIDENT:  To rebuild this economy on a stronger foundation, we passed Wall Street reform to make sure that a crisis like this never happens again, so that these reforms are going to end the era of taxpayer-funded bailouts forever –reforms that will stop mortgage lenders from taking advantage of homeowners, reforms that’ll stop credit card companies from hitting you with hidden fees or jacking up your rates without any reason.  (Applause.)

    But we didn’t stop there.  We started investing again in American research and American technology and homegrown American clean energy because I don’t want solar panels and wind turbines and electric cars of the future built in Europe or Asia.  I want them built right here in the United States of America with American workers.  (Applause.)

    To help middle-class families get ahead, we passed a tax cut for 95 percent of working families.  I want to repeat that:  We cut taxes for 95 percent of working families, because if you were listening to the other side, you’d think we raised taxes.

    But, again, we deal in facts.  And the fact is, we cut taxes for 95 percent of working families.  We passed 16 different tax cuts for America’s small business owners, who create the majority of jobs in this country.  We passed health care reform that will stop insurance companies from denying you coverage or dropping your coverage because you’re sick.  (Applause.)

    And by the way, Madison, let me just see a show of hands, how many people are under the age of 26 in this crowd?  (Applause.)  Every single one of you, when you get out of college, if you have not found a job that offers you health care, you’re going to be able to stay on your parents’ health care until you’re 26 years old, so you don’t end up taking the risk of getting sick and being bankrupt.  (Applause.)

    We finally fixed the student loan system so that tens of billions of dollars — tens of billions of dollars of taxpayer subsidies that were going to big banks, they were acting as middlemen, and the student loan programs were going through these financial intermediaries.  They were taking billions of dollars of profits.  We said, well, let’s cut out the middleman.  We’ll give the loans directly to students and that means million more students are going to be able to take advantage of grants and student loans.  (Applause.)

    And by the way, we also kept a promise I made on the day that I announced my candidacy.  We have removed combat troops from Iraq and we have ended our combat mission in Iraq.  (Applause.)

    Now, that’s just some of what we’ve done.  I haven’t even mentioned the fact that we signed into law laws making sure that we enforce equal pay for equal work, because I think my daughters should be treated just like somebody else’s sons.  I haven’t mentioned the fact that we had the largest expansion of national service so that young people can tap into their idealism and start working here in this country and around the world to make people’s lives better.  I haven’t talked about the fact that we made sure that tobacco companies can’t market their products to children.  (Applause.)

    We have made progress over the last 20 months.  And that is the progress that you worked so hard for in 2008.  Now, we didn’t get everything done.  Sometimes people say, well, you know, this item is not done and that idea — well, I’ve only been here two years, guys.  (Laughter.)  If you look at the checklist, we’ve already covered about 70 percent, so I figured I needed to have something to do for the next couple of years.  (Applause.)

    And look, here’s the fact.  Here’s the fact, is that we’re not where we need to be — not even close.  The hole that we’re climbing out of is a deep one.  People, I want you to understand the magnitude of what we’ve gone through.  This is deeper than the last three recessions combined.  Most of the jobs we lost took place before any of our economic policies had a chance to take effect.  And on top of that, the middle class had been struggling for more than a decade and jobs had been getting shipped overseas and millions of families were still treading water.  Millions are still barely able to make their bills or make the mortgage.  I hear their stories every day.  I read them in just heartbreaking letters that I receive each night.

    So I understand that people are frustrated.  I understand people are impatient with the pace of change.  Of course they are.  Look, I’m impatient, but I also know this:  Now is not the time to lose heart.  Now is not the time to give up.  We do not quit.  And we cannot forget that this nation has been through far worse and we have come out stronger from war to depression to the great struggle for equal rights and civil rights.  (Applause.)  We do not quit.

    In every instance, progress took time.  In every instance, progress took sacrifice.  Progress took faith.  You know, the slaves sitting around a fire singing freedom songs, they weren’t sure when slavery would end but they understood it was going to end.  When women were out there marching for the right to vote, they weren’t sure when it was going to happen but they kept on going.  (Applause.)  When workers were organizing for the right to organize and were being intimidated, they weren’t sure when change was going to come but they knew it was going to come.  And I am telling you, Wisconsin, we are bringing about change and progress is going to come — but you’ve got to stick with me.  You can’t lose heart.  (Applause.)

    Change is going to come.  (Applause.)  Change is going to come for this generation — if we work for it, if we fight for it, if we believe in it.  The biggest mistake we could make right now is to let disappointment or frustration lead to apathy and indifference.  That is how the other side wins.  And I want everybody to be clear, make no mistake:  If the other side does win, they will spend the next two years fighting for the very same policies that led to this recession in the first place.  The same policies that left the middle class behind for more than a decade.  The same policies that we fought so hard for to change in 2008.

    Just look at the agenda the other leaders — that the leaders of the other party unveiled last week.  They call this “Pledge to America.”  That’s what they called it.  And in case you’re wondering how serious they are about changing Washington, this pledge was actually written with the help of a former lobbyist for AIG and a former lobbyist for Exxon-Mobil.

    AUDIENCE:  Boo!

    THE PRESIDENT:  You can’t make this stuff up.  (Laughter.)  This is the truth.

    Now, the centerpiece of their pledge, their central economic idea — this is it, this is their main idea for growing the economy and dealing with the $8 million jobs that were lost as a consequence of their earlier policies — their main idea is a $700 billion tax cut for the wealthiest 2 percent of Americans.  Right?

    AUDIENCE:  Boo!

    THE PRESIDENT:  So 98 percent of Americans would never see a dime of the $700 billion.  Now, keep in mind we don’t have $700 billion.  (Laughter.)  So we’d have to borrow it.  And the party that lectures us on fiscal responsibility wants to borrow another $700 billion to give a tax cut worth an average of $100,000 to every millionaire and billionaire in America.

    AUDIENCE:  Boo!

    THE PRESIDENT:  And when you ask them, well, where do they plan to find the $700 billion, where is this money?  Is it laying around?  You didn’t tell us about this.  Where is it?  They don’t have an answer.  But to pay for just a tiny fraction of this tax cut, they want to cut education by 20 percent.

    AUDIENCE:  Boo!

    THE PRESIDENT:  They want to eliminate 200,000 children from an early childhood education program like Head Start.

    AUDIENCE:  Boo!

    THE PRESIDENT:  They want to cut financial aid for 8 million college students, including some of the people who are out here today.

    AUDIENCE:  Boo!

    THE PRESIDENT:  This for a tax cut for folks who don’t need it and weren’t even asking for it.  At a time when the education of a country’s citizens is the biggest predictor of its economic success, they think it’s more important to give another tax break to people who made the Forbes 400 list.  Now, I have to ask my Republican friends a question here:  Do you think that China is cutting back on education?

    AUDIENCE:  No!

    THE PRESIDENT:  Do you think that South Korea is making it harder for their citizens to get a college education?

    AUDIENCE:  No!

    THE PRESIDENT:  These countries aren’t playing for second place.  And let me tell you something, the United States of America doesn’t play for second place, either.  We play for first place, Wisconsin.  We play for first place.  (Applause.)

    This is an economic issue of our generation.  And I will not allow politicians in Washington to sacrifice your future on another round of tax cuts that aren’t paid for, that we don’t need and you can’t afford.  And that’s the choice in this election.  That’s why you need to be involved.  Your future is at stake here.

    Look, we have a different idea about what the next two years should look like.  And it’s an idea rooted in our belief about how this country was built.  We know that government doesn’t have all the answers to our problems.  We don’t believe that government’s main role is to create jobs or prosperity.

    One of the things that the other side has been able to do is to hoodwink a whole bunch of folks all across the country, after we had to take emergency measures to clean up their mess, to say, look, he’s for big government.  The steps we took to make sure that the auto industry didn’t go down the tubes, or the financial system didn’t go down the tubes, was because they weren’t minding the store when they were in charge.

    It’s not because I came in with a big government agenda.  I believe government should be lean and efficient.  And that’s why I’ve proposed a three-year spending freeze.  That’s why I set up a bipartisan fiscal commission to deal with our deficit, but in the words of the first Republican President, Abraham Lincoln, I also believe that government should do for the people what they can’t do better for themselves.  (Applause.)  I believe in a country that rewards hard work and responsibility; a country where we look after one another; a country where I say I’m my brother’s keeper, I’m my sister’s keeper.  (Applause.)

    I believe in an America that gave my grandfather the chance to go to college because of the GI Bill.  (Applause.)  I believe in an America that gave my grandparents the chance to buy a home because of the Federal Housing Authority.  (Applause.)  I believe in an America that gave their children and grandchildren the chance to fulfill our dreams thanks to scholarships and student loans like some of you are on.  (Applause.)  That’s the America I know.  That’s the choice in this election.

    Instead of $700 billion tax breaks for millionaires and billionaires, we want to make permanent the tax cuts for middle-class Americans.  (Applause.)  You deserve a break.  Instead of cutting education and student aid, we want to make permanent our new college tax credit that’s worth $10,000 of tuition relief for each young person going to four years of college.  (Applause.)  We want to make clear that in good times and in bad times, no young American should have to sacrifice the dream of a college education just because they can’t afford it.  That’s what we believe.  That’s the choice in this election.  (Applause.)

    If we let the other side take control of Congress, they’ll spend the next two years fighting to preserve tax breaks for companies that create jobs and profits overseas — billions of dollars in taxpayer subsidies that we lose each year.  Over the last 20 months, we’ve had — we’ve taken the step of closing a lot of these tax loopholes.  And over the next two years, we’re going to fight to give tax breaks to companies that are actually creating jobs here in the United States of America.  (Applause.)  To small businesses.  To clean energy companies.  To American manufacturers.  To entrepreneurs who are researching and investing and innovating right here in the United States.  That’s who we want to help.  And that’s the choice in this election.  (Applause.)

    If the other side takes back Congress, they’ve promised to give back power to the same special interests we’ve been fighting for the last 20 months.  In every state, including right here in Wisconsin, you’ve got millions of dollars pouring in from special interests.  I refuse to let that happen.  I refuse to go back to the days when insurance companies could deny you coverage or drop your coverage just because you’re sick.

    Just the other day I was talking to a woman who did not have health insurance, even though she was working at a school.  Contracted cancer; was not sure whether she was going to have to use the entire college fund that she had saved for her kids in order to get treatment.  Fortunately, because of the health reform we signed, she now has coverage.  (Applause.)  But they would want to roll it back.  They don’t think that makes sense.

    I refuse to go back to the days when credit card companies can jack up your rates without reason.  I refuse to go back to the days where taxpayer-funded Wall Street bailouts end up being necessary.  We can’t allow the special interests to take the reins again.  We’ve got to keep on fighting.  There’s too much at stake right now.

    So Madison, it comes down to this.  And I’m not just talking to Madison, by the way, because there are 200 campuses across the country who are plugged in through web cams and house parties — (laughter) — so I’m speaking to everybody out there.  (Applause.)  Many of the folks in the other party who are running today are the exact same people who spent the last decade driving our economy into the ditch.

    So me and Russ Feingold and Tammy Baldwin, we all went down into the ditch.  And we put on our boots, and it was muddy down there and dirty and dusty and we were sweating and we’re pushing the car out of the ditch.  And every so often, we’d look up and see the Republicans standing there.  They’re just standing there sipping on a Slurpee — (laughter) — and waving at us.  And we’d say, “Well, come on down and help.”  They’d say, “No, no, no, but you should push harder.  You’re not pushing the right way.”
   
    But we understood we had to get the car out of the ditch so we’re pushing and we’re pushing.  Finally — finally — we get it up on level ground.  Finally we get it up on level ground.  And look, let’s face it, it’s a little dented and a little busted and it needs a tune-up and the fenders all need to be hammered out a little bit, new paint job.  But we’re finally on level ground, we’re moving.  Suddenly we get a tap on the shoulder and we look behind us and who is it?  It’s the Republicans.  And they’re asking for the keys back.

    And we’ve got to tell them, you can’t have the keys back.  You don’t know how to drive.  You don’t know how to drive.  (Applause.)  You don’t know how to drive.  You can’t have them back.

    I mean, I hope everybody has noticed when you want to go forward in your car, what do you do?  You put it in “D.”  When you want to go backwards, you put it in “R.”  (Applause.)  Don’t go back into the ditch.  That’s not a coincidence.  (Applause.)  That’s not a coincidence, people.

    So ultimately, whether they get the keys back is up to you.  Look, there is no question the other side is excited.  They have been pumped up to think that Obama is a socialist, and he’s this and he is that, and he’s for big government, and he’s responsible for all the — look, they have been fed a lot of information.

    And there’s some well-meaning people out there who are understandably scared of debt and deficits, and they see what’s going on.  They see jobs being shipped overseas, and they’re not sure what’s happening.  And we are in charge.  And they’re saying, well, why hasn’t change happened faster?

    And so you can persuade them maybe to give the Republicans the keys back if they’re not hearing the other side of the argument.  So a lot of them are fired up.  And thanks to a recent Supreme Court decision, they are being helped along this year, as I said, by special interest groups that are allowed to spend unlimited amounts of money on attack ads.  They don’t even have to disclose who’s behind the ads.  You’ve all seen the ads.  Every one of these groups is run by Republican operatives.  Every single one of them — even though they’re posing as nonprofit groups with names like Americans for Prosperity, or the Committee for Truth in Politics, or Americans for Apple Pie.  (Laughter.)  I made that last one up.  (Laughter.)

    But this is why — look, this is why we’ve got to work even harder in this election.  This is why we’ve got to fight their millions of dollars with millions of our voices, voices who are ready to finish what we started in 2008.  (Applause.)

    Because if everybody who fought for change in 2008 shows up to vote in 2010, we will win.  (Applause.)  We will win.  (Applause.)  The polls say the same thing.  We will win.  (Applause.)

    So what the other side — you know what the other side is counting on this time around?  They’re counting on you staying home.  They’re counting on your silence.  They’re counting on amnesia.  They’re betting on your apathy, especially because a lot of you are young folks.

So Madison, you’ve got to prove them wrong.  (Applause.)  Let’s show Washington one more time, change doesn’t come from the top.  It doesn’t come from millions of dollars of special interest-funded attack ads.  Change happens from the bottom up.  Change happens because of you.  (Applause.)  Change happens because of you.  Change happens because of you.  (Applause.)

    I know times are tough right now.  I know times are tough.  I know a lot of folks are anxious about the future.  And I know that during the campaign, especially after we had already started winning, the feeling was, well, this is just exciting.  You got those nice Hope posters, and then there was the inauguration, and you got Beyoncé singing and Bono.  (Laughter.)

    And I know sometimes it feels a long way from the hope and excitement that we felt on Election Day or the day of the inauguration.  But I’ve got to say, we always knew this was going to take time.  We always knew this was going to be hard.  I said it was going to be hard, remember?  I said I was going to tell you some things you didn’t want to hear.  I said that we were going to have to make some difficult choices.  I said not everybody was going to be happy with every single decision I made.

    You did not elect me to do what was easy.  You didn’t just elect me to read the polls and figure out how to keep myself in office.  Whenever you read the media in Washington, all they’re concerned about is, boy, his polls numbers are down, so that must mean that he didn’t do the right thing.  Just because your poll numbers are down.  That’s how everything is measured.

    But you didn’t elect me to look at the polls.  You elected me to do what was right.  You elected me to do what was right.  (Applause.)  That was change you could believe in — that I was going to do what was right, not what was expedient, not what was convenient.  (Applause.)

    And you got involved.  What was different about this campaign was because you believed this was the moment to solve the challenges that the country had ignored for far too long.

    That involvement can’t end with the vote that you cast in 2008.  That election was not just about putting me in the White House.  It was about building a movement for change that went beyond any one campaign or any one candidate.  It was about remembering that in the United States of America, our destiny is not written for us –- it is written by us.  That is the blessing of this country.  (Applause.)  The power to shape our future lies in our hands –- but only if we’re willing to keep working for it and fighting for it and keep believing that change is possible.  (Applause.)

    So that’s what’s being tested right now.  That’s what’s being tested.  We are being tested here.  The question is, are we going to have the courage to keep moving forward even in the face of difficulty, even in the face of uncertainty?  This election is not about what we’ve done; it’s about the work we have left to do.  It’s what — it’s about what you want this country to look like over the next two years.  It’s about your future.

    So, Madison, get out there and shape it.  Get out there and fight for it.  (Applause.)  I need your help, Madison.  We need you to commit to vote.  We need you to pledge to vote.  We need you to knock on doors.  We need you to talk to neighbors.  We need you to make phone calls.  We need you to bring energy and passion and commitment.  (Applause.)  Because if we do, if you’re willing to step up to the plate and realize that change is not a spectator sport, we will not just win this election — we are going to restore our economy, we are going to rebuild the middle class.  We will reclaim the American Dream for this generation.
   
    Thank you.  God bless you.  God bless the United States of America.  (Applause.)

Click here for full transcript

Progress.

What is he thinking? It’s shocking that Bush would go to Iraq with his GOP talking points thinking that he would be greeted as a liberator.  President George W. Bush also appears to have made history in this unprecedented election year.  Bush is the first President in history to have shoes thrown at him on foreign soil.  In Iraq, throwing a shoe at someone is a sign of contempt for the person.  The incident was followed by a declaration by Bush that “the war is not over.”  It really takes a special kind of arrogance to declare essentially to another sovereign nation, this war is not over until we say its over.  As an American, I find the Iraqi journalist actions deplorable and unseemly.  However, Iraqi’s have a different way of protesting than Americans do so the next time the President holds a press conference in a Muslim nation, perhaps secret service should make sure that all journalists remove their shoes before entering the press room.   The irony is that if the journalist would have done such a thing under a Saddam Hussein regime….well the journalist would have suffered unimaginable consequences.   See full story below.

BAGHDAD (AP) — His legacy forever linked to an unpopular war, President George W. Bush flew under intense security to Iraq on Sunday where he called the nearly six-year conflict hard but necessary to protect the United States and give Iraqis hope. “The war is not over,” he declared.

Bush was reminded of the intense opposition to his policies when a man threw two shoes at him — one after another — during a news conference with Iraq Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki. Bush ducked both throws, and neither man was hit.

“This is a farewell kiss, you dog!” shouted the protester in Arabic, later identified as Muntadar al-Zeidi, a correspondent for Al-Baghdadia television, an Iraqi-owned station based in Cairo, Egypt.

“All I can report is a size 10,” Bush joked. See full story here.

Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas has asked his colleagues on the United States Supreme Court to look at the REDICULOUS petition requesting an emergency stay based on the case Donoforio v. Wells questioning President-Elect Barack Obama’s citizenship……10 days before the Electoral College meets to certify President-elect Barack Obama the 44th president of the United States.  Thomas did so after the petition was rejected by Justice David Souter.  I do believe that that is the last straw folks…..Thomas can no longer redeem himself in the eyes of anyone with a thimble full of brains. This is precisely why many argue that he is unqualified to hold the position that he currently holds on the United States Supreme Court.  See full story below.

(December 3, 2008) – In a highly unusual move, U.S. Associate Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas has asked his colleagues on the court to consider the request of an East Brunswick, N.J. attorney who has filed a lawsuit challenging President-elect Barack Obama’s status as a United States citizen.

Thomas’s action took place after Justice David Souter had rejected a petition known as an application for a stay of writ of certiorari that asked the court to prevent the meeting of the Electoral College on Dec. 15, which will certify Obama as the 44th president of the United States and its first African-American president.

The court has scheduled a Dec. 5 conference on the writ — just 10 days before the Electoral College meets.

The high court’s only African American is bringing the matter to his colleagues as a result of the writ that was filed by attorney Leo Donofrio. Donofrio sued the New Jersey Secretary of State Nina Wells, contending that Obama was not qualified to be on the state’s presidential ballot because of Donofrio’s own questions about Obama citizenship.

Donofrio is a retired lawyer who identifies himself as a “citizen’s advocate.” The AFRO learned that he is a contributor to naturalborncitizen.wordpress.com, a Web site that raises questions about Obama’s citizenship.

Calls made to Donofrio’s residence were not returned to the AFRO by press time.

Donofrio is questioning Obama’s citizenship because the former Illinois senator, whose mom was from Kansas, was born in Hawaii and his father was a Kenyan national. Therefore, Donofrio argues, Obama’s dual citizenship does not make Obama “a natural born citizen” as required by Article II, Section I of the U.S. Constitution, which states:

“No person except a natural born citizen, or a citizen of the United States, at the time of the adoption of this Constitution, shall be eligible to the office of President…”

…to prevent the meeting of the Electoral College on Dec. 15, which
will certify Obama as the 44th president of the United States…

Donofrio had initially tried to remove the names not only of Obama, but also the names of Republican Party presidential nominee John McCain and Socialist Workers’ Party Roger Calero from appearing on the Nov. 4 general election ballot in his home state of New Jersey.

McCain was born in the Panama Canal Zone when it was a U.S. possession. Calero would be ineligible to be president because he was born in Nicaragua.
After his efforts were unsuccessful in the New Jersey court system, he decided to take his case to a higher level.

On Nov. 6, Souter denied the stay. Donofrio, following the rules of the procedure for the Supreme Court, re-submitted the application as an emergency stay in accordance to Rule 22, which states, in part, that an emergency stay can be given to another justice, which is the choice of the petitioner.

Donofrio’s choice was Thomas. He submitted the emergency stay to Thomas’s office on Nov. 14.  Thomas accepted the application on Nov. 19 and on that day, submitted it for consideration by his eight colleagues – known as a conference – and scheduled it for Dec. 5.

On Nov. 26, a supplemental brief was filed by Donofrio to the clerk’s office of the Supreme Court. A letter to the court explaining the reason for the emergency stay was filed on Dec. 1 at the clerk’s office.

Thomas’s actions were rare because, by custom, when a justice rejects a petition from his own circuit, the matter is dead. Even if, as can be the case under Rule 22, the matter can be submitted to another justice for consideration, that justice out of respect, will reject it also, said Trevor Morrison, a professor of law at Columbia University School of Law.

Morrison said that Thomas’s actions are once in a decade.  “When that does happen, the case has to be of an extraordinary nature and this does not fit that circumstance,” he said. “My guess would be that Thomas accepted the case so it would go before the conference where it will likely be denied. If Thomas denied the petition, then Donofrio would be free to go to the other justices for their consideration.  “This way, I would guess, the matter would be done with.  Petitions of Donofrio’s types are hardly ever granted.”

If that is the case, why would Thomas volunteer to be the scapegoat considering that it is a much bigger story because it was done with his pen?  Further, one wonders if  Thomas volunteers to do such favors for his colleagues with every dead end case requested to be viewed by the United States Supreme Court or is this a special case?  Finally, isn’t it amazing that this person approached Thomas first?  More than likely knew that Thomas would have a ready ear. Could it be that Thomas is attempting to make Pres. elect Obama’s inauguration as drama filled as his confirmation hearings as a method of payback that many have accused him of  doing via most of his decisions concerning civil rights and civil liberties while on the United States Supreme Court? Very sad.  Read the rest of this entry »

President-Elect Barack Obama just announced the names of his senior economic advisers.  The group brings a broad range of experience and expertise and are more centrist then left.  Most importantly, they are not cronies but individuals who are business leaders and leading scholars of economics.  The mere mention of Timothy Geithner as Treasury Secretary sent the stock market soaring 500 points on Friday. President Elect Obama made some policy pronouncements and his team in the last few days.  The President-elect will very soon after he takes office, if not done by the Bush administration, pass a massive stimulus plan to confront the current economic crisis.  Pres-Elect Obama announced that we need a big stimulus package “to jolt the economy back into shape.” No tax increase for the wealthy in the January package but will ask Congress to prepare tax-cuts for the low and middle income taxpayers.  The President-elect and his administration plans to hit the ground running on January 20th.  As Rep. Steny Hoyer of Maryland said:

“We expect to have during the first couple of weeks of January a package for the president’s consideration when he takes office.”

The key members of the Obama Economic Dream Team are:

Treasury Secretary – Timothy Geithner
National Economic Council Director – Larry Summers 
Chair Council of Economic Advisers – Christina Romer                                                                                                                                                                         Director of the Domestic Policy Council – Melody Barnes    (Executive Vice President for policy at the Center for American Progress, chief counsel Sen. Ted Kennedy on the Senate Judiciary Committee.  Melody will essentially be the czar of domestic policy in the Obama Administration.

In Pres. Elect Obama’s choice of nominees for his economic team it is clear that he intends to strike a balance between experience and fresh  thinking.  Both Christina Romer and Melody Barnes both represent a fresh, outside-the-beltway, way of thinking in Washington.  While Larry Summers and Timothy Geithner represent experience in the ways of Washington.

PROGRESS

Barack Obama for President

Friday, October 17, 2008

THE NOMINATING process this year produced two unusually talented and qualified presidential candidates. There are few public figures we have respected more over the years than Sen. John McCain. Yet it is without ambivalence that we endorse Sen. Barack Obama for president.

Why Sen. Obama? 

Mr. Obama is a man of supple intelligence, with a nuanced grasp of complex issues and evident skill at conciliation and consensus-building. At home, we believe, he would respond to the economic crisis with a healthy respect for markets tempered by justified dismay over rising inequality and an understanding of the need for focused regulation. Abroad, the best evidence suggests that he would seek to maintain U.S. leadership and engagement, continue the fight against terrorists, and wage vigorous diplomacy on behalf of U.S. values and interests. Mr. Obama has the potential to become a great president. Given the enormous problems he would confront from his first day in office, and the damage wrought over the past eight years, we would settle for very good…..

……Mr. Obama’s temperament is unlike anything we’ve seen on the national stage in many years. He is deliberate but not indecisive; eloquent but a master of substance and detail; preternaturally confident but eager to hear opposing points of view. He has inspired millions of voters of diverse ages and races, no small thing in our often divided and cynical country. We think he is the right man for a perilous moment.

Why not Sen. McCain? 

But the stress of a campaign can reveal some essential truths, and the picture of Mr. McCain that emerged this year is far from reassuring. To pass his party’s tax-cut litmus test, he jettisoned his commitment to balanced budgets. He hasn’t come up with a coherent agenda, and at times he has seemed rash and impulsive. And we find no way to square his professed passion for America’s national security with his choice of a running mate who, no matter what her other strengths, is not prepared to be commander in chief.

The following are quotes from McCain’s fellow republicans with respect to the Arizona senators choosing Gov. Sarah Palin as his running mate. Very interesting.

Alaska’s Republican State Senate President: Palin Not Prepared, Thought Pick Was A Joke. State Senate President Lyda Green said she thought it was a joke when someone called her at 6 a.m. to give her the news.  ‘She’s not prepared to be governor. How can she be prepared to be vice president or president?’ said Green, a Republican from Palin’s hometown of Wasilla. ‘Look at what she’s done to this state. What would she do to the nation?’”  [Anchorage Daily News, 8/29/08]

Alaska’s Republican House Speaker Has Nothing Positive To Say About Palin’s Qualifications.. “State House Speaker John Harris, a Republican from Valdez, was astonished at the news. He didn’t want to get into the issue of her qualifications.  ‘She’s old enough,’ Harris said. ‘She’s a U.S. citizen.’”  [Anchorage Daily News, 8/29/08]

Conservative Rick Rydell: Questionable Vetting. Conservative host Rick Rydell said there are some benefits to the state, but it’s a gamble for McCain to pick an unknown with what he considered ‘questionable vetting.’ ‘It seems almost like a Hail Mary pass at the end of a football game,’ Rydell said in an interview after his show Friday.  Rydell said McCain has destroyed his argument about Barack Obama’s lack of experience.”  [Anchorage Daily News, 8/29/08]

California Republican Delegates Worried About Palin Pick. “California Republican delegates Karen and Robert Bonadio (father and daughter) said they are worried about McCain’s pick for VP. They like her story a lot . . .  But the Bonadios heard that Palin and her family are hunters, actually going out into the countryside to shoot wild creatures that weren’t doing anything to her. That offends the L.A. delegates greatly, and they really don’t want to hear that different parts of the country may have different cultures and views of such things.  The Bonadios don’t know that they want such a smalltown person as vice president. And they intend to make that point clear this week if they get another chance to talk with the senator.”  [LA Times, 8/31/08]

St. Louis Republican Delegate Deeply Concerned With Palin Selection. “Several Republican delegates said they too were shocked by the selection of Ms. Palin and, while they wished her well, were deeply concerned that she did not have the experience in foreign policy or national security to be commander in chief. ‘We’ve been told for the last few months that experience is what matters most in the next White House,’ said John Scates, a delegate from St. Louis. ‘But McCain is picking someone whose experience is little to nothing or, at best, unknown.’” [New York Times, 8/31/08]
 

Conservative Columnist: Palin Pick Near Suicidal. “‘The Palin selection completely undercuts the argument about Obama’s inexperience and readiness to lead’ wrote syndicated conservative columnist Charles Krauthammer. ‘To gratuitously undercut the remarkably successful ‘Is he ready to lead’ line of attack seems near suicidal.’” [Ottawa Citizen, 8/31/08]

Alabama Republican Delegate: Palin Not Qualified. “As they began gathering in Minneapolis-St. Paul for the start of their convention on Monday, some Republican delegates said they were concerned that Ms. Palin did not have the experience in foreign policy or national security to be commander in chief.  ‘We’re in a global war, we’re in a global economy, so it’s less than honest if someone says that this woman is qualified to lead America right now,’ said Todd Burkhalter, a Republican delegate from Mobile, Ala.”  [New York Times, 8/30/08]

Republican Operatives Worry About Palin Pick. ““‘I want to believe this is a game-changer, but when I close my eyes I see New Orleans in 1988,’ said a dumbstruck Republican operative, recalling the convention where Vice President George H.W. Bush tapped Dan Quayle” . .  . ‘Hell, I don’t know anything about her,’ a top Republican fund-raiser sputtered. ‘She may attract some independent women, but I can’t think of a state where she can make a difference.’” [New York Daily News, 8/29/08]

Describe Palin Pick As “Desperate” And Contrary to McCain’s “Country First” Slogan. “Shannen Coffin, a former White House counsel to Dick Cheney, the vice-president, said choosing Palin seemed ‘desperate’ and that it would be difficult to attack Barack Obama, the Democratic nominee, on the grounds of inexperience. ‘It is hard to imagine Palin playing the same sort of role that modern vice-presidents like Gore, Bush, Cheney or Mondale played,’ he said.  “…. [McCain] is one arrogant SOB. McCain is essentially telling the world that he doesn’t really need a Vice President…. Rather, the Office would seem poised to return to the ‘proverbial warm bucket of p***’ category.  “Anti-abortion conservative Republicans applauded the choice as daring and modern, but others criticised her lack of foreign policy expertise and inexperience in a national election.  David Frum, President George W. Bush’s former speech-writer, warned: ‘The McCain campaign’s slogan is ‘country first’. If it were your decision, and you were putting your country first, would you put an untested small-town mayor a heartbeat from the presidency?’”  [TimesOnline, 8/31/08]

Alaskan Republicans Have Reservations About Palin. “[A] growing chorus of Alaskans expressed reservations. ‘She’s not qualified, she doesn’t have the judgment, to be next in line to the president of the United States,’ Larry Persily, who until June worked in the governor’s Washington office as a congressional liaison, said in a phone interview.  A supporter of Palin’s campaign for governor, Jim Whitaker, the Republican mayor of Fairbanks, also questioned Palin’s readiness to serve as vice president.  Whitaker said that while he is ‘still an avid supporter’ of Palin as governor, he will continue to back Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama.”  [Bloomberg, 9/1/08]

Republican Strategist: I’m Perplexed.. “David Marin, a principal at the Podesta Group and a Republican congressional strategist said, “I’m perplexed. Maybe the choice is pure genius. Maybe McCain has energized the base, re-established his maverick credentials, re-emphasized his reform agenda, and added historic new cracks to the odious glass ceiling, all with a single decision. Maybe Palin will amaze us all and be able to stand toe-to-toe with Biden. Maybe she’ll add some much-needed sizzle.  But I thought the McCain campaign was about experience at a time of national crisis. And I thought he understood the outcome will ultimately rest with independents, with ‘post partisans.’ I guess it’s a good thing most people vote for president, not VP, because, right now at least, this has Bentsen-Quayle written all over it.”  [Politico, 9/1/08]

Former McCain Advisor: Palin Pick Suggests Lack of Confidence. “‘It was certainly a surprising pick,’ says Dan Schnur, who served as McCain’s communications director during the Arizona senator’s 2000 presidential campaign. It’s the sort of pick, he says, that you would expect when a candidate is ‘behind 10 or 15 points in the polls.’  But with McCain and Obama running neck and neck, most analysts would anticipate a safer choice. ‘So it seems the senator and his advisers aren’t as confident’ as they might be, Schnur says.”  [NPR.org, 8/29/08]

Pat Local Conservative Blogger: McCain’s Worst Mistake. “Sherry Whitstine, a local [Alaska] conservative blogger, was dumbfounded by Palin’s selection, and not in a good way. Palin is ‘small potatoes,’ said Whitstine, who is still struggling to come to grips with McCain’s decision. ‘[Trying to make Palin] the VP of our country is probably the worst mistake of [McCain's] entire life,’ Whitstine said.”  [Chicago Tribune, 9/1/08]

National Review senior editor Rick Brookhiser.“Either McCain thinks the war on terror isn’t serious, or he thinks the vice-presidency isn’t,” 

Former counsel to Dick Cheney Shannen Coffin“The choice also says a lot about McCain. First, that he is a bit desperate,” Coffin writes on the National Review site The Corner. “Second, that he is one arrogant SOB. McCain is essentially telling the world that he doesn’t really need a Vice President…. Rather, the Office would seem poised to return to the ‘proverbial warm bucket of p***’ category.”

Pat Buchanan Mocks Palin With Joe Scarborough. “On MSNBC on August 29, 2008 (before the announcement), Pat Buchanan had this to say about Sarah Palin:. “You mentioned the word commander in chief. And it is — it is hard to see Sarah Palin as commander in chief within the next year or something like that. I think that’s the real risk that just — this woman, she might be outstanding. She might get women, get conservatives, energize the base. But I think the argument made against her would be that she just is not ready to be commander in chief, and she could be eaten alive in a debate with Joe Biden.”  Buchanan went on to acknowledge that Obama has done more to validate himself, saying “No, you are right. He validated himself, Barack Obama, by beating everybody all the — over 18 months.”  [MSNBC, 8/29/08; YouTube]

Karl Rove: Palin “Risky” Pick. “Before the news of her daughter’s pregnancy broke, Karl Rove told the Maine Republican delegation that Sarah Palin is a “risky” choice for vice president.  [TheAtlantic.com, 9/1/08; PolitickerME.com, 9/1/08]

Washington Post: Republicans Nervous. “S]ome Republicans remained nervous about the party’s ticket, worrying about the potential for more surprises in the days ahead. ‘Palin’s daughter’s pregnancy is probably much ado about nothing — I think,’ one GOP strategist said. ‘If there’s more, it will raise questions about the whole vetting process because she’s such an unknown.’ Another McCain loyalist said he doubts the controversy will last. ‘It came out in the vetting, and if that’s true, then the vetting worked,’ he said. ‘If that’s not true, then I would have concerns.’” [Washington Post, 9/2/08]

Prominent Republican Writer Says Palin Pick Neither Wise Nor Responsible. “Former Bush speechwriter, David Frum, said this about Sarah Palin: “Ms. Palin’s experience in government makes Barack Obama look like George C. Marshall. She served two terms on the city council of Wasilla, Alaska, population 9,000. She served two terms as mayor. In November, 2006, she was elected governor of the state, a job she has held for a little more than 18 months. She has zero foreign policy experience, and no record on national security issues.  All this would matter less, but for this fact: The day that John McCain announced his selection of Sarah Palin was his birthday. His 72nd birthday. . . If anything were to happen to a President McCain, the destiny of the free world would be placed in the hands of a woman who until recently was a small-town mayor.”  He concluded by saying, “Ms. Palin is a bold pick, and probably a shrewd one. It’s not nearly so clear that she is a responsible pick, or a wise one.” [AEI.org, 9/2/08]

Veteran Republican: Palin Pick Reckless.  “Each new fact we learn about Sarah Palin–her reversal on the bridge to nowhere, her disagreements with McCain on issues from windfall profits to global warming, emerging facts about troopergate–contribute to the feeling that this whole Palin thing is being made up as we go along. It may be fun to read about, and it sure is fun to cover, but it also supports the judgment of the Palin pick that I first heard from a Republican veteran shortly after the announcement: ‘Reckless.’”  [Slate, 9/1/08]

Governor Sarah Palin gave a speech last night laced with sarcasm and mocking rhetoric directed at Senator Obama and his wife Michelle.  While Sen. Biden’s speech appealed to the best part of us, Gov. Palin’ speech appealed to the worst part of us.  Still keeping in mind that this race is about John McCain and his judgment because he is the person to whom the buck would stop (one 15-minute VP interview), we feel the need to devote at least one post to Gov. Palin’s speech.  Palin’s speech had the Cheney style smugness that is the hallmark of the current administration.  It wasn’t a surprise when we found out that Dubya’s speechwriter crafted the speech. One wonders how  she will do on her own without the strategists and speechwriters.  If she is the new light of the right…..then put her out there.  There are questionable reports that the teleprompter may have broken during Palin’s speech last night….okay, so Palin can actually memorize a speech after practicing for several days.  What skill!  Anyone who thinks that any part of that speech last night was not scripted is either smoking something or thinks the rest of us are smoking something.  During the day yesterday the McCain campaign portrayed Palin as a victim of sexism, yet as the camera panned the auditorium last night  we saw buttons like ” we have the hottest VP”  and “hot chick.”  The hypocrisy is palatable.  Also, Palin did a good job of not mentioning her extremist views regarding abortion (no abortions even in cases of rape or incest), global warming ( not man made), etc..  The Alaskan governor failed to mention that after being in office for less than 20 months she is already the subject of an ethics investigation.  In addition, she failed to mention that she raised taxes as governor, she coveted pork-barrel projects as mayor, she attempted to ban books at the local library, and she believes the war in Iraq is “a task from God.  Palin also told a number of lies in her speech last night but because she gave a good delivery to the GOP audience the media is spinning it as brilliant. Now it’s time to look at her speech without the beer goggles.  There were gross mischaracterizations of her own history as well as that of Sen. Obama’s.  She said that she told Congress “thanks but no thanks” to the “bridge to nowhere” when she lobbied for and received millions in earmarks ($223 million “bridge to nowhere” funds to be exact).  Also, the “bridge” led to a town of about 50 residents…….that works out to be about 4.5 million per resident…..very fiscally responsible with our tax dollars.  Not to mention that she was for the “bridge to nowhere” before it became politically unpopular in Alaska and then she was against it.  So tell me, how much do you trust someone who in their first national speech to a national audience looks straight into the camera and tells easily refutable lies.  Brazingly, unapolagetically lied in an effort to dupe the public.  That takes balls.  Do you trust that this person will do anything that she promises?  Isn’t that exactly what George Bush and Bill Cheney did when selling the war in Iraq, etc..  Palin described how she had actual responsibilities as mayor and mocked Sen. Obama’s experience as a community organizer even though as a community organizer Sen. Obama was able to get laid off steel workers jobs that had been shipped overseas among his many other accomplishments during that time.  Palin exact quote was the following:  

Before I became governor of the great state of Alaska, I was mayor of my hometown. And since our opponents in this presidential election seem to look down on that experience, let me explain to them what the job involves. I guess a small-town mayor is sort of like a ‘community organizer,’ except that you have actual responsibilities.

Yes Gov. Palin, as a “small-town” mayor you did have responsibilities.  You had the responsibility not to leave your town that boasted a surplus as you entered office but a $20 million deficit as you left.  This is a town with a $6 million dollar budget and 53 employees.  I guess Palin’s motto is spend, spend, spend.  Like the current Bush, Palin’s overconfidence overshadows her incompetence.

Palin also asserted:

“There is much to like and admire about our opponent. But listening to him speak, it’s easy to forget that this is a man who has authored two memoirs but not a single major law or reform _ not even in the state senate.”

Well Gov. Palin, Sen. Obama worked with Republican Sen. Richard Lugar of Indiana ”to pass legislation that expanded efforts to intercept illegal shipments of weapons of mass destruction and to help destroy conventional weapons stockpiles. The legislation became law last year.”  Sen. Obama also successfully co-sponsored major ethics reform legislation.  I will not even go into Sen. Biden’s record.   Exactly what legislation have you written……you didn’t mention that last night.

Further, is the McCain/Palin ticket really taunting itself as change when it is the party currently in office and is responsible for the majority of the problems that our country is mired in. Why are you telling us how bad the opponent is without telling us what your plan is?  There was nothing about how you will be able to improve the lives of the average American.

Sarcasm is not an effective negotiating tool when you’re facing a crisis in Georgia or the Middle East.  Sarcasm is not an effective tool in a sinking economy.  In other words, lots of zingers mixed with sarcasm does not a competent leader make.  Oh…by the way….Sen. Palin….you received 1500 votes to become mayor of Wasilla, Sen Biden received almost 80,000 votes during the primary.

To be clear, this is less about Sarah Palin and all about the judgment of Sen. John McCain.  If McCain had exercised the kind of judgment and conducted the type of thorough investigation befitting a choice of individual for the second most powerful position in the free world, perhaps we would not be having this discussion.   The media has uncovered quite a bit of troubling information about Gov. Palin in the last couple of days simply by conducting a google search.  Judging from the McCain campaign responses, they did not bother to conduct such a search.  When requesting a response from the McCain campaign about the various facts below, McCain surrogates appear befuddled and confused.   As a matter of fact, the McCain campaign is currently engaged in a post-selection vetting process.  Though we are sure that Gov. Palin is a good person, Sen. McCain has demonstrated the kind of rash, reckless, shoot first ask questions last, shoot…ready…aim, invade Iraq then find non-existent WMAs, rush to judgment that is the hallmark of the current Bush administration.  This is the first and most important presidential decision that McCain will make as a candidate for the top spot.  The decision of who will serve in the second most powerful position in the world. How such a decision is made is indicative of a candidate’s style of governing.  After the revelation of the following facts, McCain may have failed his first presidential task.  It appears as if gambler McCain picked up the dice, blew on them, and rolled.  Unfortunately for him, it appears that he may have rolled craps.  The following is information McCain could have easily learned had he bothered to properly vet Gov. Palin.

1. Palin is linked to the Alaskan Secessionist party.   Sarah Palin is linked to and her husband was a member of the Alaska Independence Party.  Palin reportedly attended the AIP convention in 1994.  AIP’s motto is “Alaska First.”  Also, Gov. Palin sent a video message to the 2008 AIP convention telling the group “to keep up the good work.”  The group’s goal is to have a vote on Alaska’s state status on the question of whether the state should secede from the United States.
2. Palin was mayor of the town of Wasilla, population at the time, around 5000, less than the population of most high schools in the U.S.
3. Palin was almost recalled as mayor because of an alleged abuse of power scandal
4. Palin reportedly, as mayor, left the small town of Wasilla $22 million dollars in debt
5. Palin directed fundraising for indicted Ted Stevens 527 group (“bridge to nowhere” Senator)
6. Palin was for the “bridge to nowhere” before she was against it
7. Palin currently being investigated in another abuse of power scandal involving a state trooper
8. Palin called Iraq a war for oil (opposite of McCain’s position)
9. Palin admits that she has “not really focused on Iraq”…huh?
10. Palin admits on Larry King that she is not sure what a Vice President does
11. According to Alaskan National Guard General:  Palin played no role in national defense….as governor of Alaska, she is not even consulted.
12. McCain only recently  sent a dozen communications operatives and lawyers to Alaska to further investigate Palin
13. Even though the McCain campaign is attempting to position Palin as anti-earmark, Palin has lobied for and received millions in earmarks as governor and mayor.
14. The state of Alaska has requested 31 earmarks totaling 197.8 million from next year’s federal budget….this is pivotal considering McCain’s promise to make all politicians who request earmarks famous by vetoing all earmarks that cross his desk if he were to become president.  The reformer label the McCain campaign is pushing Palin as doesn’t fit.
15. Palin’s mother-in-law may vote for Sen. Barack Obama and is not sure what Palin brings to the ticket other than she is a woman and a conservative.
16. That Palins approval rating is not the touted 80% but 67% and sinking.
17. “[A] number of leading [Alaskan] Republican officeholders in the state who mocked Palin’s qualifications. “She’s not prepared to be governor. How can she be prepared to be vice president or president?” said Lyda Green, the president of the State Senate, a Republican from Palin’s hometown of Wasilla. “Look at what she’s done to this state. What would she do to the nation?”
18. Alaska top Republican, John Harris, the speaker of the House, when asked about her qualifications for Veep, replied with this: “She’s old enough. She’s a U.S. citizen.”
19. Daily News-Minerin Fairbanks Alaska:   Most people would acknowledge that, regardless of her charm and good intentions, Palin is not ready for the top job. McCain seems to have put his political interests ahead of the nation’s when he created the possibility that she might fill it.
20. Editorial in the Anchorage Daily News:  Palin joins the ticket with one huge weakness: She’s a total beginner on national and international issues.
21. Palin only obtained a passport one year ago.
22. Palin has never traveled to Russia despite its proximity to Alaska
23. Regarding the “bridge to nowhere” and earmarks, in June Palin gave a speech to the Wasilla Assembly of God, Ms. Palin proclaimed that it is ”God’s will” that the federal government contribute to a $30 billion gas pipeline she wants built in Alaska.

Judgment

Senator John McCain has chosen and unknown, untested, trophy candidate as his vice presidential nominee.  Does anyone really think that Gov. Sarah Palin really is prepared to lead this county in the event of of a national security emergency.  One out of three vice presidents has had to act as president during their tenure.  For those who think that this will not happen in light of McCain’s status as a 72 year-old, four-time cancer survivor, they are deluding themselves. 

For those of you who are comparing Obama to Palin, Sen. Obama has a track record of being right on several of the most important foreign policy decision of this decade.  The Illinois senator has proven that he has the judgment and temperament to be president.  First, Sen. Obama spoke out against the Iraq War, Sen. Obama pushed for a timetable for Iraq (we now have a timetable), Sen. Obama pushed to keep Pakistan in the dark as to our strategy for taking out key members of Al Queda on the Pakistan/Afghanistan border (after doing which we took out a key member of Al Qaeda), Sen. Obama said we should talk to our enemies.  President Bush spoke with North Korea, after Obama had been saying to do so for a year, afterwards North Korea agrees to begin dismanteling its nukes. The Bush administration is now talking to Iran. Not to mention that Sen. Obama has run a 50-state campaign against a formidable candidate and won.  Lastly, Sen. Obama proved himself to the American people, and as a result, the AMERICAN people in their vote of confidence, voted him into his current position as the democratic nominee.  Sen. McCain  put Palin in her position and he hasn’t proven to the American people that we can trust his judgment on anything, let alone choosing a neophyte to become a heartbeat away from the presidency.  This is a irrational and desperate decision that was made by McCain after meeting with the Alaskan governor once….ONCE, before making her the offer to become his running mate.  

Scary Fact: Governor Palin was asked the following question in 2006 about the Pledge of Allegiance:

Q: Are you offended by the phrase “Under God” in the Pledge of Allegiance? Why or why not?

PALIN: Not on your life. If it was good enough for the founding fathers, its good enough for me and I’ll fight in defense of our Pledge of Allegiance

Slight problem, the Pledge of Allegience was not written until 1892, 56 years after the death of the last founding father.  Thus the founding fathers never knew of or said the Pledge of Allegiance.  The Pledge of Allegiance was not made the official Pledge until 1942, six years after Sen. John McCain was born.  Further, Palin was a member of the Alaskan Independence Party.  The AIP has since the 1970s been pushing for a legal vote for Alaskans to decide whether or not residents of the 49th state can SECEDE from the United States.  Are you kidding me?  The motto of AIP is instead of “Country First,” is “Alaskans First, Alaskans Always.”  So she does not know the history of the U.S. and was a member of a group that does not want Alaska to be part of the United States.  Do you think that the McCain campaign could have found out this information if they had bothered to properly vet Palin before choosing her as the VP candidate?  Judgment.  This is the person to whom Sen. McCain would like to entrust the safety and security of the American people. 

Apparently, McCain also does not have confidence in the abilities of his running mate because the campaign has relegated her to fund raising for down ticket candidates.  The McCain campaign said that 80% of Palin’s time will be spent fundraising for donations that the McCain campaign cannot spend after today because the Arizona senator opted for $87 million in public financing.  If Palin is such a great choice and has energized the republican base, why not put her out on the trail as much as possible in order to secure votes?  Why…because Palin is a trophy candidate.

The McCain campaign sites as Palin’s foreign policy experience, the fact that she has a son going to Iraq and the fact that Alaska is close to Russia!  Are you kidding me!!!  McCain’s veep choice decision comes off as rash and erratic.  How else do you explain risking the security of the country in the hands of a governor of a state that boast a population of 685,000?  San Jose, California has a larger population than the whole state of Alaska.  Does that mean that the mayor of San Jose is ready to be president?  Just the city of Chicago is four times the size of the state of Alaska. As for her mayoral experience of presiding over Wasilla, population at the time, about 5000, there are high schools that have more students than Wasilla has residents.  There are a significant number of republican female governors and senators who are at least qualified and many significantly more qualified than Palin.  There are republican female political figures who would have been much more sensible and practical choices for McCain if the Arizona senator had put country first as he claims he will always do.  This is not a “maverick” decision, it is an arbitrary and erratic one, made for obvious political reasons. 

Choosing their running mate is the first presidential decision that each of these candidates had to make. We the voters were able to witness the decision making process of the candidates.  Do they take the time to think through the implications of the decision to the country?  Do they think that if something happens to me, I trust this person to lead the country? Or, do they think, I want to win regardless?  Or, I choose this person because she looks good on the ticket (shock value), regardless of whether she is capable of leading the country?  Is the vice president decision a reasoned decision or a reckless and impulsive one solely for political gains?  You decide.  Another interesting tidbit,  the McCain campain has only as recent as this week sent attorneys to Alaska to more deeply vet Governor Palin.  Shouldn’t this have been done before choosing Gov. Palin for the second most powerful job in the free world.  Judgment.   Sen. Obama took the time and effort to put all of the potential veeps through a vigorous vetting process.  Sen. McCain met with Palin once…..once for 15 minutes, and is only now, after announcing his choice, is deeply vetting the Alaskan governor.  There is a difference between maverick and reckless.  Choosing a neophyte running mate based on one 15 minute meeting leans more towards reckless than maverick. 

This is characteristic of McCain’s methodology when it comes to making decisions. In the Naval Academy, McCain has said that he came very close to flunking out and ended up barely graduating fifth from the bottom of his class, 894 out of 899.   Many of McCain’s long time friends have said of the Arizona senator “if you didn’t want to live on the edge, then don’t hang around with John McCain.”  Living on the edge is one of McCain’s trademarks, boasting actors such as Marlon Brando and James Dean as his heroes.  It’s very interesting how reminiscent his current attitude is in comparison to his attitude as a young adult.  Sen. McCain has himself revealed that during his aviator training that he chose recreational reading “at the expense of learning my flight procedures which I probably should have given a higher priority to” and could not remember how to eject after his plane crashed.  Such antics resulted in a couple of near death experiences for McCain.  Okay, so instead of learning the rules and mechanics of flying a plane in flight school he decided to get in the plane and wing it?   Is this really the safe choice for America in terms of its Commander-in-Chief?  Are Americans actually comfortable with someone who is so easily willing to play chicken when it comes to life and death.  Some may define this as a maverick quality…..this writer defines it as unnecessary risk taking and reckless behavior.  So for those of you who are conned into buying the maverick meme being pandered by the McCain campaign and the main stream media,  I say that this is an erratic, impulsive, and irresponsible decision by someone who proclaims to put country first.

Whose judgment do you trust? 

The McCain campaign excluded several names this morning sending the pundits speculative minds in a tizzy.  Alaskan governor Sarah Palin is a staunch conservative.  It appears as if the McCain decided to roll the dice on this pick. Sarah Palin is a 44 year old first term governor from Alaska and a rookie on the national stage.   She is pro-life and catholic.  The question is can this woman be president of the United States.   Sen. McCain is 72 years old today. 

A couple of unnamed sources close to Sen. John McCain say that he has settled for Mitt Romney as his VP according to Mark Halperin at Time.  

My guess is that the McCain campaign is releasing this information now because it is trying to change the subject from the fact that the Arizona senator is out of touch.   So out of touch that he can’t keep track of the number of houses that he owns and so out of touch that a $3 million dollar income equals middle class. McCains world…party time…Excellent!

Gen. Wesley Clark is the name being chatted about by a few members of the chattering class as Obama’s veep choice.  Apparently, the theme for Wednesday, Aug. 27, the night the vice presidential choice will speak, is being promoted as “Securing America’s Future.”  The coincidence is that it also happens to be the name of Gen. Wesley Clark’s political action committee.  Though the website for Clark’s PAC is www.securingamerica.com, the FEC filing list the the full name which just happens to be the exact same name as Wednesday night’s theme.  Hmmm…curiouser and curiouser

When asked about the coinkydink, a Clark campaign official started laughing hysterically saying that “it’s just because his PAC was named so well!”  Hmmm….a bit of an overreaction considering. Perhaps politicians should leave all the over acting to the waiters and waitresses in Hollywood.

FYI:  The theme for Thursday night, Aug. 28th, and the night that Sen. Obama is speaking is “Change You Can Believe In.”  Hmmm

UPDATE:  Looks like Gen. Clark has decided to raise his media profile a bit more all of a sudden.  See this letter posted today on his SecureAmerica website.

Not Going Away 

A little over a month ago, following my appearance on Face the Nation, the right wing freak machine took me out of context, attacked me, and just wanted me to “hit the road.”

Well, I’m here to tell you: I’m not going away.

We simply have too much to do in these final three months. We have to elect Barack Obama the next president of the United States. And we have to give him a working majority in Congress. So let’s give the right wing what they asked for. I’m ready to “hit the road” and help Democrats across the country!

Contribute to WesPAC’s “Hit The Road Fund!” Help us raise $25,000 by this Friday.

http://securingamerica.com/HitTheRoad

I’m committed to doing everything I can to help Democrats win this November. I’ve opened up my schedule and am ready to hit the campaign trail across the country. That’s why I’m traveling across the country over the coming weeks.

I can only do this if WesPAC has the financial resources to keep me on the road these final three months. That’s why we started the “Hit The Road Fund.” I need your help to make sure I can stay on the campaign trail to help folks like Charlie Brown (CA-4), Eric Massa (NY-29), and Bob Tuke (TN-Sen).

I’ve set a goal of raising $25,000 by this Friday. Make a contribution to our “Hit The Road Fund” today!

http://securingamerica.com/HitTheRoad

When people hit you, you have to hit back. I won’t back away from a fight, and over the years we’ve gotten to know each other, I know you won’t either. Please contribute to our “Hit The Road Fund” today!

http://securingamerica.com/HitTheRoad

Electing the right people this November will be critical to securing America’s future. Thank you for your support.

Sincerely,

Wes Clark

Observation:  The perfect person to call McCain on his “I know how to win wars” bull crap, and who has the military gravitas and background to pull it off.  Not to mention that he was an avid Clinton supporter and Pres. Clinton just happens to be speaking on the same night as the vice presidential candidate (perhaps introducing Gen. Clark). Further, why would you have a veteran theme on the vice president’s night, if the veep choice is not a veteran? If he isn’t a veteran, wouldn’t he/she lack credibility?  Because John Kerry and Republican Chuck Hagel are the only other veterans in contention and they are both out of the question (for obvious reasons), the only realistic and obvious choice would be Clark.

Again……hmmm…and…hmmm

The campaigns released the presidential and vice presidential debates schedule today and guess which network was noticeably absent….sucks for you ABC.  PBS will host the vice presidential and a single presidential debate.  NBC and CBS will moderate the last two presidential debates.

ABC’s absence may be a result of its democratic primary debate hosting gig that many perceived as a “gotcha” style debate  sans substantive issues.  That ABC primary debate was hosted by Charlie Gibson and George Stephanopoulos.

Schedule:

Presidential Debates

Jim Lehrer, Sept. 26, at the University of Mississippi @9pm EST  (foreign policy debate)
Tom Brokaw, Oct. 7, in Nashville at Belmont University @9pm EST   (townhall meeting, questions from the audience)
Bob Schieffer, Oct. 15, at Hofstra University @9pm EST  (domestic policy debate)

Vice Presidential Debate
Gwen Ifill, Oct. 2, at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri @9pm  (domestic and foreign policy)

Don’t ask us how we know but ProgressPolitics has a strong suspicion that Sen. Obama will be announcing his Veep selection on Wednesday.  There are quite a few coinkydinks occuring that gives this site pause.   Now lets get to the who, drumroll please………..and the winner of the Veepstakes is……………..Sen. Evan Bayh of Indiana.  There are too many coincidences with respect to this particular senator which we will not go into now.  But he is a great choice given his status as a non Washington insider and his close association with the now dismantled Clinton campaign.  This is merely a suspicion, but it’s based on facts that will be revealed if the announcement takes place tomorrow.  We could be completely off track but we may not be. If we are right….nice choice.

Update:  We may have been incorrect about the announcement date but stand by the veep choice.  Looks like the decison will not be announced until after Sen: Obama returns from vacation.

Soon after Sen. Brack Obama’s sit-down with Tom Brokaw on Meet the Press last Sunday, speculation about potential veep’s has been running rampant throughout the punditry class.  Sen. Obama said that the characteristics that he is looking for in a vice president is someone who will work hard and will be a change agent ready to shake-up Washington.  The senator went on to say, “I’m going to want somebody with independence — who’s willing to tell me where he thinks, or she thinks, I’m wrong,” he said. “And I’m going to want somebody who shares a vision of the country: where we need to go — that we’ve got to fundamentally change not only our policies, but how politics work, how business is done in Washington.”

Tim Kaine seems to fit the bill.  Politico reports:

As Senator Barack Obama turns to the choice of his running mate, Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine has emerged as one of the campaign’s potential finalists, sources familiar with conversations in Richmond and in Chicago said.

Kaine, an early Obama supporter whose biography nicely dovetails with the Illinois senator’s, “ranks very, very high on the short list,” said a source who has spoken recently to senior Obama aides about Kaine.

Kaine “is getting a critical examination,” the source said.

The 50-year-old Virginia governor is among a handful of logical, and much-discussed, choices to join Obama on the campaign trail. Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius, former Georgia Sen. Sam Nunn and Delaware Senator Joe Biden are among others frequently mentioned.

This writer thinks that Kaine would be a great pick!

Jim Webb allegedly took himself out of consideration for the vice presidential spot of Barack Obama’s presidential candidacy.  In this writer’s opinion, which is total speculation, I don’t think that Webb was seriously being considered because of the series of hot buttons that plagued his senate run in 2006.  If it had not been for George Allen’s “mucaca” moment and youtube I am not sure the Jim Webb would be senator today.  There is the women in the military comment, the affirmative action and confederate flag comments and situation.  These are deal breakers for some folks.  Hillary’s women would not have been happy with a Jim Webb in Obama’s veep slot.  And if the slogan “stop the drama, vote for Obama” holds true, Jim Webb brings way too much unnecessary drama.  The GOP attack machine would have a field day.  This move seems to be a face-saving move by Webb because the main stream media has been talking him up so much.  Good move.  Okay, so the veepstakes is narrowed a little further, Wesley Clark is out, Sam Nunn is out , and now Jim Webb is out……Al Gore anyone?

Senator Jim Webb’s Official Comment 

Last week I communicated to Senator Obama and his presidential campaign my firm intention to remain in the United States Senate, where I believe I am best equipped to serve the people of Virginia and this country. Under no circumstances will I be a candidate for Vice President.”A year and a half ago, the people of Virginia honored me with election to the U.S. Senate. I entered elective politics because of my commitment to strengthen America’s national security posture, to promote economic fairness, and to increase government accountability. I have worked hard to deliver upon that commitment, and I am convinced that my efforts and talents toward those ends are best served in the Senate.

“In this regard, the bipartisan legislative template we were able to put into effect through 18 months of work in order to enact the new, landmark GI Bill will serve as a prototype for my future endeavors in government. This process, wherein we brought 58 Senators from both parties to the table as co-sponsors, along with more than 300 members of the House, gives me renewed confidence that the Congress can indeed work effectively across party lines and address the concerns of our citizens.

“At this time I am also renewing my commitment to work hard to make sure that Senator Obama wins both Virginia and the presidency this November. He is a man who speaks eloquently about our national goals and calls for the practical solutions that must be put into place to obtain them. I will proudly campaign for him.”

Mississippi Republican Senator Thad Cochran recounts a frightening story about John McCain’s negotiation skills.

One of John McCain’s Republican colleagues says he saw the presumed GOP presidential nominee roughly grab an associate of Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega and lift him out of his chair during a diplomatic mission to the Central American nation in 1987.

Are you kidding me???

Cochran said he saw McCain, who has a reputation for being hot tempered, rough up an Ortega associate during a trip to Nicaragua led by former Sen. Bob Dole, R-Kan………

“McCain was down at the end of the table and we were talking to the head of the guerrilla group here at this end of the table and I don’t know what attracted my attention,” Cochran said in an interview with the Sun Herald in Biloxi, Miss. “But I saw some kind of quick movement at the bottom of the table and I looked down there and John had reached over and grabbed this guy by the shirt collar and had snatched him up like he was throwing him up out of the chair to tell him what he thought about him or whatever.  I don’t know what he was telling him but I thought, good grief, everybody around here has got guns and we were there on a diplomatic mission. I don’t know what had happened to provoke John but he obviously got mad at the guy and he just reached over there and snatched him.”

Cochran stands by his story.  When asked about it, the Mississippi senator’s spokesperson responded to the Associated Press: “I think his quotes in the Sun Herald speak on that issue.” This explains Sen. Cochran comment to the Sun Herald.

McCain sought to smooth things over with Cochran this year after the Mississippi senator said the idea of McCain as the GOP presidential nominee sent a “chill down his spine.”

We looked up the exact quote, what Cochran said was, “[t]he thought of his being president sends a cold chill down my spine.”  Though Sen. Cochran may now claim that the incident occurred a while ago and McCain has changed,  Cochran made the statement in 2006! 

I guess my post earlier today was pretty much spot on.  Unbelievable!

President Bush announced this morning that the United States has moved closer to its goal of ridding the world of North Korea as a nuclear threat and dismantling the socialist state’s nuclear programs.  North Korea conducted its first nuclear test in 2006 and has the capability to produce more.  Therefore, the fact that North Korea has handed over documents regarding its nuclear activities is a big step towards the larger goal of nuclear disarmament.  The United States intends to lift sanctions and its designation of North Korea as a terrorist state in 45 days if North Korea follows through with its promises.  Bush says that if North Korea does not follow through with its promises more restrictions will be placed.  Noteworthy Comment:  It is only because Bush changed his policy about direct talks with our enemies that this development took place.  Can you say thanks Sen. Obama.  Apparently the criticism of Obama as being naive is without merit.  This is the third time Bush has changed his position to that of the Illinois senator regarding foreign policy and received successful results.  FYI:  John McCain takes an even harder line against and regarding talking to our enemies than President Bush.  Sen. MCain has called Obama’s policy in this regard inexperienced.  Obama has said that he has better judgement and that experience in Washington does not substitute for such judgement.  Todays development seem to ram forward that point.  Ding, ding, ding,…..another round for Obama.