The End Of An Error

When elected president, Barack Obama said one of the first things he wants to do is ensure the constitutionality of all the laws and executive orders passed while Republican President George W. Bush has been in office.

Those that don’t pass muster will be overturned, he said.

During a fund-raiser in Denver, Obama — a former constitutional law professor at the University of Chicago Law School — was asked what he hoped to accomplish during his first 100 days in office.

“I would call my attorney general in and review every single executive order issued by George Bush and overturn those laws or executive decisions that I feel violate the constitution,” said Obama

This is good news. If we can get him to promise to make all this stuff public it would be even better news.

I have no doubt that we will see a much more transparent and open administration. But part of the new transparency must be telling the public the atrocities done in their name.

Republicans For Obama

Barack Obama elicits laughs from audiences at his political rallies by telling them about Republicans who approach him and whisper their support.

But for the GOP, it’s no joke. Disillusioned with President Bush and unimpressed with presumptive nominee John McCain, many young Republicans and former Reaganites alike have gravitated toward the charismatic Obama, despite his liberal voting record. They are attracted by his promise to change the way government works and to end years of political divisiveness.

“I think everybody has different reasons but I think he’s seen as a fresh start for this county, and people like what they see,” said Susan Eisenhower, who endorsed Obama in February despite being a lifelong Republican and the granddaughter of GOP President Dwight D. Eisenhower.

“There are many other Republicans [who support Obama],” Eisenhower said. “I’ve just heard from a ton of them.”

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Barack Obama Official Website

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The amazement was on their faces.

Hundreds waited for Barack Obama on that evening in South Carolina, 15 weeks ago, to claim victory — a surprising victory, surprisingly large.

And amazing it was.

It made it possible for him to stand today on the verge of being the first black person ever nominated for president by a major party.

One could guess the thoughts of the blacks and whites in that crowd: Can you believe that our state — South Carolina, first to secede and first to open fire in the Civil War — is now catapulting a black man to the front of the presidential contest in a year that bodes well for Democrats?

"Race doesn't matter," some began to chant. "Race doesn't matter!"

The cry soon gave way to more familiar chants of "Yes we can," and everyone in the auditorium surely knew that race does still matter in so many ways. But in a pinch-me moment, they seemed to realize that a barrier had been broken with a swiftness and certainty that even they had not foreseen.

Even more astounding, the man vaulting ahead of the universally known former first lady, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, had been a state legislator only four years earlier — a lawyer with no fame, wealth or family connections.

Now, the entire nation and countless foreigners are absorbing a moment that had seemed decades away, if possible at all. Smart strategists and rank-and-file voters ponder how Obama rose so far so fast, and theories abound. Historians will sort it out someday, but Obama's blend of oratory, biography, optimism and cool confidence come to mind most immediately.

It's not just about him, of course. If America can seriously think of putting a black man in the White House, surely it must also profoundly rethink the relevance of race, the power of prejudice, the logic of affirmative action and other societal forces that have evolved slowly through the eras of Jim Crow, desegregation and massive immigration.

Maybe the toughest question is this:

Is Obama, with his incandescent smile and silky oratory, a once-in-a-century phenomenon who will blast open doors only to see them quickly close on less extraordinary blacks?

Or is he the lucky and well-timed beneficiary of racial dynamics that have changed faster than most people realized, a trend that presumably will soon yield more black governors, senators, mayors and council members?

Presidential campaigns have destroyed many bright and capable politicians. But there's ample evidence that Obama is something special, a man who makes difficult tasks look easy, who seems to touch millions of diverse people with a message of hope that somehow doesn't sound Pollyannaish.

Rep. Elijah Cummings, a black Maryland Democrat who endorsed Obama early, says the Illinois senator convinces people of all races that Americans as a society, and as individuals, can achieve higher goals if they try.

TO ME, a Fed Up American, that WAS the American Way before bush took office!

Read the article in its entirety here.

A Bitter Pill

Apparently on the campaign trail Obama made a mistake in telling the truth.

Imagine, saying that Americans are "bitter" about the economy.

And that stupid cunt Hillary is calling him an elitist about it along with her republicunt colleagues.

Strip down what Obama was saying: He addressed the trouble his campaign of hope and change was having in "places where people feel most cynical about government."

While he has tried to speak concretely about the conditions of peoples' lives, his campaign continues to have trouble making inroads among white working class voters, and "old economy" voters whose idea of change isn't hope but rather losing a job or a pension. Yet he is narrowing the margins.

In Muncie, Indiana Saturday morning, Obama was counterpunching, as he should be-- explaining and expanding on his remarks:

The problem is our politics doesn't let the American people get heard. People know that it's not easy solving some of these problems but they want to feel like at least someone is fighting for them.

It's interesting. Lately there has been a little typical sort of political flare up because I said something that everybody knows is true which is that there are a whole bunch of folks in small towns in Pennsylvania, in towns right here in Indiana, in my hometown in Illinois who are bitter.

They are angry.

They are Fed Up American's!

They feel like they have been left behind. They feel like nobody is paying attention to what they're going through.

So I said well you know when you're bitter you turn to what you can count on. So people they vote about guns, or they take comfort from their faith and their family and their community.

And they get mad about illegal immigrants who are coming over to this country or they get frustrated about how things are changing.

That's a natural response.

But what is absolutely true is that people don't feel like they are being listened to.

What we need is a government that is actually paying attention. A government that is fighting for working people day in and day out making sure that we are trying to allow them to live out the American dream.

At a time when 81% of the country thinks we're heading in the wrong direction (aren't these people bitter?) , isn't it pretty clear that our economy has not performed well for most people for at least a generation, and is now heading into what everyone sentient would agree are likely to be some very tough times.

Recovery from this recession is also likely to be even slower than the essentially jobless recovery from the last. The traditional means of jump-starting the economy -- dropping interest rates, or boosting consumer spending -- have been substantially exhausted, and their pell-mell unregulated pursuit is a large part of what got us into our current mess.

The political discontent is obvious--and Obama is trying to speak to that.

Americans are fed up with government's failure to do anything much for them, or that they're proud of being part of. " Here's how it is," he said in his April 6 remarks. " In a lot of these communities in big industrial states like Ohio and Pennsylvania people have been beaten down for so long. They feel so betrayed by government that when they hear a pitch that is premised on not being cynical about government, then a part of them just doesn't buy it." Here's where the Right's generation-long attack on government has done real damage to citizen confidence in government. We see it all around us everyday. But. surely the other critical source of citizen doubt is that government has in fact done little recently to measurably improve their lives and give them a sense of national purpose. After all, Bill Clinton, long considered the master politician of his age, was basically in the business of lowering expectations of government even faster than they were disappointed. Obama is trying to amp up expectations which the Right and Clintonism have tamped down.

The right wing is clearly desperate. ready to seize on anything to change the subject and hide how out of touch they are with an America in financial pain. But how cynical of the Clinton campaign to claim Obama was condescending to the people of Pennsylvania.

She perhaps is the most desperate.

The kitchen sink is quickly emptying.

The Vice President

It may or may not be a bit premature to look at possible running mates for the democratic candidates for president, but I've compiled a list of the possible choices facing Obama and Clinton.

Barack Obama:

Delaware Senator Joe Biden

Pro: He has a long record on national security and foreign policy and is a member of a key demographic group—Catholics. His attacks on Rudy Giuliani proved he can be an affable attack dog, a rare skill.

Con: Gaffe-prone and perhaps too fond of the klieg lights. He’s not accustomed to being anybody's
number two. Besides, he already has a good job.

New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson

Pro: He carries Cabinet-level and national security experience. As the governor of a battleground state and a member of key demographic group—Hispanics—Richardson brings much to the ticket. Then there is his important recent endorsement, delivered at a crucial time.

Con: Prone to sloppy speech. At times, he’s been a weak debater. And questions about his '04 "vetting" remain.

New York Mayor Mike Bloomberg

Pro: Executive and private sector experience. As a former Republican, he might make the ticket appear more ideologically balanced. Best of all, he brings infinite resources.

Con: Very liberal on social issues. Paired with Obama, he creates the Archie Bunker nightmare ticket: African-American and Jew. Obama doesn't need
the money.

Former Indiana Rep. Tim Roemer

Pro: A former six-term House member, he served on the 9/11 Commission. Pro-life.

Con: Pro-life.

Former Georgia Senator Sam Nunn

Pro: He has a solid national security record and a reputation as a moderate who can work across the aisle. Also, he’s a Southerner with gravitas.

Con: He's 70 and disliked by gay rights groups.

Virginia Governor Tim Kaine

Pro: He is comfortable talking about faith and has youth and energy on his side. An early Obama backer from a battleground state.

Con: Looks even younger than he is. No national security experience.

Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano

Pro: Executive experience and a proven statewide winner. A Westerner from McCain's home state, she could boost the ticket there.

Con: No national security experience.

Retired General Colin Powell

Pro: National security credentials.

Con: Backed and promoted Iraq war.

Former Virginia Governor Mark Warner

Pro: Private sector and executive experience in a key state. Shares Obama's message of change and has won votes in rural areas.

Con: Currently running for Senate. No national security experience.

Virginia Senator Jim Webb

Pro: A decorated war veteran and former Republican from a key state, he looks perfect on paper.

Con: Blunt and unpredictable, he might be a reluctant campaigner.

Former South Dakota Senator Tom Daschle

Pro: A key Obama advisor from the start of his campaign, he is a veteran Washington insider who knows how to win in a red state environment.

Con: He is a veteran Washington insider who is now a lobbyist. Not cut out to be an attack dog.

New York Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton

Pro: Smart, tough, vetted. Could bring her own alienated supporters back to Obama and unite the party.

Con: As divisive a pol as exists in American politics. There is bad blood between the candidates, in no small part because she has suggested Obama is unready to lead.


Hillary Rodham Clinton:

Ohio Governor Ted Strickland

Pro: A popular figure in a key state, he helped deliver Ohio for Clinton. His Christian ministerial background could bridge God gap for Democrats.

Con: No national security experience.

Former Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack

Pro: A Midwesterner with a compelling personal story.

Con: Not an electric speaker. Might not be able to deliver Iowa.

Indiana Senator Evan Bayh

Pro: VP from central casting. He can point to executive and foreign policy experience.

Con: Indiana’s not a swing state. He’s a bit bland, not to mention inexperienced as an attack dog.

Illinois Senator Barack Obama

Pro: Could bring young and African-American backers, who are angry at Clinton, back into the fold. Popular with independents.

Con: They've said nasty things about each other. Any path to the nomination runs right through him.

Florida Senator Bill Nelson

Pro: A folksy moderate from a key electoral battleground.

Con: Not well-known outside his home state, which isn't well-regarded nationally after recent election debacles.

Retired General Wes Clark

Pro: Military experience. A tireless campaigner for Clinton who is familiar with the rigors of the presidential campaign trail.

Con: Ran a rocky 2004 campaign.

Hey, here's something rather interesting. Another possible choice for Hillary's VP could be Bill Clinton. There is no laws that I know that would prevent this from happening. Better yet, Obama and Bill as the democratic tag team.

Yeah right.

A Look At Barack Obama

In just a few years, Barack Obama has gone from little-known state senator to promising presidential candidate. His meteoric rise has made Obama one of the most closely watched candidates in the race.

Obama was born Aug. 4, 1961, in Hawaii. His parents, who met while at the University of Hawaii, came from two very different worlds. Obama's mother, Ann Dunham, was from Kansas. His father, Barack Obama Sr., was born and raised in Kenya. However, the marriage and Obama's relationship with his father, were broken soon after he was born.

When Obama was only 2 years old, his father left to study at Harvard. Eventually, Obama Sr. returned to Kenya, leaving his wife and family behind in Hawaii.

"He was somebody who genuinely loved his wife, but was also somebody who was more interested in his career and pursuing his ambitions, than he was caring for a family," Obama said. " My mother could have been bitter, but she didn't communicate that to me. She would talk about how smart he was, and how generous he was, and how charismatic he was, and for a little boy, that's actually a good thing."

Still, Obama concedes that his father's absence left a lasting mark on his life.

"Some of my drive comes from wanting to prove that he should have stuck around, that I was worthy of his attentions," Obama said.

At the age of 6, Obama, known as "Barry" at the time, moved to Indonesia after his mother married Lolo Soetoro, an Indonesian oil manager.

"I have wonderful memories of the place, but there's no doubt that, at some level, I understood that I was different," Obama said. "It meant that I was, maybe, not part of the community as much as I might have been, otherwise. On the other hand, it also gave me an appreciation of what it means to be an American."

Even though Obama lacked familial stability, and struggled to fit in with his peers as a child, he now views his diversity as one of his greatest assets.

"What's interesting is how deeply American I feel, considering this exotic background. Some of it is the Midwestern roots of my grandparents, my mother, and the values that they reflect," Obama said. "But some of it is also a deep abiding sense that what is quintessentially American, is all these different threads coming together to make a single quilt. And I feel very much like I'm one of those threads that belong in this quilt — that I'm a product of all of these different forces — black, white, Asian, Hispanic, Native American. That, somehow, all this amalgam is part of who I am, and that's part of the reason I love this country so much."

A few years later, that marriage fell apart, and his mother placed her two young children in the care of their grandparents in Hawaii. From grades 5-12, Obama attended a prestigious private day school in Honolulu. He admits to losing his way a bit in high school, when he experimented with drinking and drugs.

"I don't want to romanticize it. I mean, it was a 15- or 16-year-old kid getting high. It was just a young man who didn't have a good sense of what was important in life," Obama said. "I think that if I had both parents in the house, and I was guided by a constant and steady hand all the time, that I probably wouldn't have made some of those mistakes."

Eventually, Obama grew out of his rebellious streak and focused on his studies. He graduated from Columbia University, but instead of going directly to law school, he decided to spend a few years in Chicago as a community activist, where he tried to improve living conditions in poor and crime-ridden neighborhoods.

"The idea of being part of a community, and helping build that community, was very appealing to me, and very attractive to me," Obama said. "I think that being part of an African-American community was also important to me, because I think that I felt there was a strong gravitational pull, given I had graduated from an Ivy League school to go into a rarefied world in which I wouldn't really be rooted in a particular community. And that was something I wanted to avoid."

Obama went on to Harvard Law School, where he became the first African-American editor of the prestigious Harvard Law Review. After practicing civil rights law for a few years, Obama won a seat in the Illinois state Senate, and in 2004, became a freshman senator for the U.S. Senate.

During that time, Obama married Michelle Robinson, and together, they now have two daughters, Malia and Sasha. Obama says his strained relationship with his father — with whom Obama only met one time after he left — has served as an object lesson for how he treats his own family.

"I think that, both consciously and unconsciously, it's been helpful for me to understand the mistakes that my father made," Obama said. "I think a lot about trying to spend enough time with my kids. I think a lot about not being too heavy-handed with my children. I think about the importance of showing respect to my wife as part of showing love and regard for my kids."

While Obama's sights are set squarely on the White House, he says his priorities have changed in the last few years.

"The approval that I desire now is the approval of my kids," Obama said. "It's an interesting turn in my life, where I'm much more concerned about whether my 9-year-old and 6-year-old think I'm a good dad, than that a crowd of 5,000 people are cheering me on."

The Fall Guy

The political calendar indicates that in one more year – on Jan. 20, 2009 – the presidency of bush will come to an end.

However, the worst consequences of his disastrous reign, including the Iraq War, may be nowhere near ending.

Today’s presidential frontrunners, John McCain and Hillary Clinton, were early prominent supporters of the Iraq War and appear to have suffered little political damage for lining up behind Bush in 2002 when he was at the peak of his power.

For his part, McCain – who campaigns with neoconservative independent Sen. Joe Lieberman – has no plan to end the U.S. occupation of Iraq, indeed talks about keeping U.S. troops there for centuries. Clinton, who was a late convert to an anti-war position, now vows to “start withdrawing” U.S. troops by early spring 2009.

So, it seems a sure bet that a McCain presidency would continue Bush’s Iraq policies indefinitely. And it looks like a gamble whether Clinton would press ahead with her “hope” of bringing “nearly all the troops out by the end of” 2009 – or revert to the neocon-lite position that she embraced from 2002 until the start of the Democratic campaign in 2007.

Might Hillary Clinton be to George W. Bush on Iraq what Richard Nixon was to Lyndon Johnson on Vietnam, a President who continued a war for years while gradually moving to wind it down?

Ironically, the politician taking the most heat on the Iraq War today is Barack Obama, who opposed the war resolution in 2002. In recent days, he has come under harsh criticism from former President Bill Clinton and Sen. Clinton for not consistently joining with the staunchest war opponents in the Senate.

Bill Clinton has called Obama’s anti-war position a “fairy tale,” and Sen. Clinton, who helped make the Iraq War possible, has attacked Obama for not immediately supporting a cutoff of funds for the war when he entered the Senate in 2005, even though that was a position he shared with Clinton.

Amazingly, it looks like – if any politician is going to be held accountable on the Iraq War – it may be Obama, who was an early and vocal opponent.