Posts with the tag 'Barack Obama'
Jeremiah Wright’s ‘Trumpet’ by Stanley Kurtz of the Weekly Standard informs readers that Trinity Church’s church newsletter (created by Wright) entitled ‘Trumpet’ shows that Reverend Wright based the church’s doctrine around his extreme leftist and Anti-American beliefs. Thus questioning how it’s possible that Senator Obama or any attendee could claim ignorance of the radical teachings of the church.
To the question of the moment–What did Barack Obama know and when did he know it?–I answer, Obama knew everything, and he’s known it for ages. Far from succumbing to surprise and shock after Jeremiah Wright’s disastrous performance at the National Press Club, Barack Obama must have long been aware of his pastor’s political radicalism. A careful reading of nearly a year’s worth of Trumpet Newsmagazine, Wright’s glossy national “lifestyle magazine for the socially conscious,” makes it next to impossible to conclude otherwise.
Wright founded Trumpet Newsmagazine in 1982 as a “church newspaper”–primarily for his own congregation, one gathers–to “preach a message of social justice to those who might not hear it in worship service.” So Obama’s presence at sermons is not the only measure of his knowledge of Wright’s views. Glance through even a single issue of Trumpet, and Wright’s radical politics are everywhere–in the pictures, the headlines, the highlighted quotations, and above all in the articles themselves. It seems inconceivable that, in 20 years, Obama would never have picked up a copy of Trumpet. In fact, Obama himself graced the cover at least once.
Even some of Wright’s famed “good works,” and his moving “Audacity to Hope” sermon, are placed in a disturbing new light by a reading of Trumpet.
Reverend Wright further muddies the water by stating that he sees no line between religion and politics…
[T]here was no separation Biblically and historically and there is no separation contemporaneously between ‘religion and politics.’ . . . The Word of God has everything to do with racism, sexism, militarism, social justice and the world in which we live daily.
Wright views the United States as a criminal nation. Here is a typical passage: “Do you see God as a God who approves of Americans taking other people’s countries? Taking other people’s women? Raping teenage girls and calling it love (as in Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemmings)?” Anyone who does think this way, Wright suggests, should revise his notion of God. Implicitly drawing on Marxist “dependency theory,” Wright blames Africa’s troubles on capitalist exploitation by the West, and also on inadequate American aid: “Some analysts would go so far as to even call what [the United States, the G-8, and multinational corporations] are doing [in Africa] genocide!”
Full Article Jeremiah Wright’s ‘Trumpet’
Tags: audacity of hope, Barack Obama, black liberation theology, church newspaper, Jeremiah Wright, leftist, marxist, Obama, radical, religion politics, reverend wright, team hope, trumpet, trumpet magazine
May 12th, 2008
In the New York Times latest Pro-Obama advocacy piece, high ranking Hoper and Obama foreign policy adviser Susan Rice decided to finally shed some light on a topic that has caused much discussion on this and many other sites.
Recently, we’ve had a spirited debate about whether or not Barack Obama’s plan to meet madmen without preconditions was a wise idea. It has been one of the more controversial aspects of Obama’s plan to bring the New Hope, with even his Democratic opponents lukewarm at best to the idea.
Well, as it turns out, the whole debate was pointless because Barack Obama… never said that?
Susan E. Rice, a former State Department and National Security Council official who is a foreign policy adviser to the Democratic candidate, said that “for political purposes, Senator Obama’s opponents on the right have distorted and reframed” his views. Mr. McCain and his surrogates have repeatedly stated that Mr. Obama would be willing to meet “unconditionally” with Mr. Ahmadinejad. But Dr. Rice said that this was not the case for Iran or any other so-called “rogue” state. Mr. Obama believes “that engagement at the presidential level, at the appropriate time and with the appropriate preparation, can be used to leverage the change we need,” Dr. Rice said. “But nobody said he would initiate contacts at the presidential level; that requires due preparation and advance work.”
Oh.
Well, that makes me feel a lot better.
And since I’m in a good mood, I won’t call Barack Obama and his campaign a pack of habitual liars. I’ll just post the following without comment.
CHICAGO, Oct. 31 — Senator Barack Obama said he would “engage in aggressive personal diplomacy” with Iran if elected president, and would offer economic inducements and a possible promise not to seek “regime change” if Iran stopped meddling in Iraq and cooperated on terrorism and nuclear issues.
Making clear that he planned to talk to Iran without preconditions, Mr. Obama emphasized further that “changes in behavior” by Iran could possibly be rewarded with membership in the World Trade Organization, other economic benefits and security guarantees.
Mr. Obama’s willingness to conduct talks at the highest level with Iran also differs significantly from the Bush administration.
I will also post this video and transcript without using the “l word”
QUESTION: In 1982, Anwar Sadat traveled to Israel, a trip that resulted in a peace agreement that has lasted ever since.
In the spirit of that type of bold leadership, would you be willing to meet separately, without precondition, during the first year of your administration, in Washington or anywhere else, with the leaders of Iran, Syria, Venezuela, Cuba and North Korea, in order to bridge the gap that divides our countries?
COOPER: I should also point out that Stephen is in the crowd tonight.
Senator Obama?
OBAMA: I would. And the reason is this, that the notion that somehow not talking to countries is punishment to them — which has been the guiding diplomatic principle of this administration — is ridiculous.
Finally, I will relay this excerpt from Barack Obama’s Presidential Campaign Website.
Like I said, I will not accuse Barack Obama and his advisers of deliberately misleading the American public. I know how that irks some of you.
I’ll let the candidate’s own statements speak for themselves.
Tags: Barack Obama, change, foreign policy, politics
May 10th, 2008
Earlier today on CNN, Barack Obama essentially called John McCain a loony old man for mentioning that Hamas has endorsed Barack Obama.
Now, of course, Howard Dean and the DNC have said that they won’t make Senator McCain’s age an issue, but we’ve already seen the “ethical bar” that Dean and Obama have, so it isn’t a shock that Senator Obama would try this. It became clear that Barack Obama’s “new politics” are little more than old style Chicago sewer politics.
Anyway, Senator McCain’s Chief of Staff Mark Salter responded with this letter.
To: Interested Parties
From: Mark Salter, Senior Advisor
Date: May 8, 2008
Re: Senator Obama’s Attack Today
First, let us be clear about the nature of Senator Obama’s attack today: He used the words ‘losing his bearings’ intentionally, a not particularly clever way of raising John McCain’s age as an issue. This is typical of the Obama style of campaigning.
We have all become familiar with Senator Obama’s new brand of politics. First, you demand civility from your opponent, then you attack him, distort his record and send out surrogates to question his integrity. It is called hypocrisy, and it is the oldest kind of politics there is.
It is important to focus on what Senator Obama is attempting to do here: He is trying desperately to delegitimize the discussion of issues that raise legitimate questions about his judgment and preparedness to be President of the United States.
Through their actions and words, Senator Obama and his supporters have made clear that ANY criticism on ANY issue — from his desire to raise taxes on millions of small investors to his radical plans to sit down face-to-face with Iranian President Ahmadinejad – constitute negative, personal attacks.
Senator Obama is hopeful that the media will continue to form a protective barrier around him, declaring serious limits to the questions, discussion and debate in this race.
Senator Obama has good reason to think this plan will succeed, as serious journalists have written of the need for ‘de-tox’ to cure ’swooning’ over Senator Obama, and others have admitted to losing their objectivity while with him on the campaign trail.
Today, Senator Obama is complaining about comments John McCain made about a senior Hamas advisor stating that Hamas would welcome Senator Obama’s election as president. Indeed, on April 13th, senior Hamas political advisor Ahmed Yousef said, ‘We don’t mind – actually we like Mr. Obama. We hope he will (win) the election and I do believe he is like John Kennedy, great man with great principle, and he has a vision to change America to make it in a position to lead the world community but not with domination and arrogance.’
The McCain campaign has never suggested that Senator Obama supports Hamas’ agenda, but it is more than fair to raise this quote about Senator Obama because it speaks to the policy implications of his judgment.
Just today, the president of Iran, whom Senator Obama wants to meet with unconditionally, called the state of Israel a ’stinking corpse.’ Iran is the paymaster and state sponsor of Hamas.
In his victory speech this week, Senator Obama stated that ‘wisdom’ is meeting with our enemies, including Iran’s Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, North Korea’s Kim Jong Il, Venezuela’s Hugo Chavez and Cuba’s Raul Castro. John McCain couldn’t disagree more. Rather than giving tyrants and dictators the prestige of meeting with an American president, John McCain will instead meet with the champions of human freedom around the world and opposition leaders fighting for liberty .
We understand why Senator Obama doesn’t want to engage in a debate over leadership and judgment with John McCain, but the American people demand that debate take place.
These are serious times that call for a serious debate on the profound issues facing our future. John McCain is ready for that debate and we hope Senator Obama will one day get serious and join it.
Team Hope fired back with their usual line about Hope and Change or something. I see no reason to post it, I’m sure you can all recite it off without having to read it.
Tags: age, Barack Obama, DNC, John McCain, mccain, Obama
May 9th, 2008
This of course, was said by Senator Barack Obama last Friday in an effort to assure voters that he and his wife are not .
One of two things has happened. Either the United States has suddenly become a country of millionaire Ivy League educated lawyers in the last couple of weeks, or Barack Obama has fallen back on his old stand by.
Lying.
My upbringing was much more reflective of what working class black and whites go through than John McCain’s background being raised as the son of an admiral in boarding schools or Hillary Clinton out in the suburbs of Park Ridge.
(John McCain, Jr, did not become a Rear Admiral until 1958, the year Senator McCain graduated from the Naval Academy. So no, Senator McCain did not grow up the son of an Admiral, but that’s neither here nor there.)
I can only assume he is referring to that brutal time when he was raised by a bank vice president (the typical white racist) and attended an elite prep school in Hawaii.
Oh the humanity of it all.
Barack Obama. He’s just like YOU!
Except for all the money and elite education.
The funny thing is, I don’t even know why Barack Obama is lying about this particular topic. I don’t exactly think positioning yourself as the most hard off of three millionaires is exactly going to endear yourself to the people fighting to pay the bills. Nor do I think Barack Obama really wants to get into a battle with John McCain over who has had a harder life. I think John McCain wins that one pretty easily.
Tags: Barack Obama, elitism, John McCain, mccain
May 6th, 2008
Barack Obama thinks Ayers and Dohrn are mainstream and respectable.
Mr. Murtagh respectfully disagrees.
In February 1970, my father, a New York State Supreme Court justice, was presiding over the trial of the so-called “Panther 21,” members of the Black Panther Party indicted in a plot to bomb New York landmarks and department stores. Early on the morning of February 21, as my family slept, three gasoline-filled firebombs exploded at our home on the northern tip of Manhattan, two at the front door and the third tucked neatly under the gas tank of the family car. (Today, of course, we’d call that a car bomb.) A neighbor heard the first two blasts and, with the remains of a snowman I had built a few days earlier, managed to douse the flames beneath the car. That was an act whose courage I fully appreciated only as an adult, an act that doubtless saved multiple lives that night.
I still recall, as though it were a dream, thinking that someone was lifting and dropping my bed as the explosions jolted me awake, and I remember my mother’s pulling me from the tangle of sheets and running to the kitchen where my father stood. Through the large windows overlooking the yard, all we could see was the bright glow of flames below. We didn’t leave our burning house for fear of who might be waiting outside. The same night, bombs were thrown at a police car in Manhattan and two military recruiting stations in Brooklyn. Sunlight, the next morning, revealed three sentences of blood-red graffiti on our sidewalk: FREE THE PANTHER 21; THE VIET CONG HAVE WON; KILL THE PIGS.
Though no one was ever caught or tried for the attempt on my family’s life, there was never any doubt who was behind it. Only a few weeks after the attack, the New York contingent of the Weathermen blew themselves up making more bombs in a Greenwich Village townhouse. The same cell had bombed my house, writes Ron Jacobs in The Way the Wind Blew: A History of the Weather Underground. And in late November that year, a letter to the Associated Press signed by Bernardine Dohrn, Ayers’s wife, promised more bombings.
Senator Obama considers these people mainstream. Barack Obama served on a board with Bill Ayers. Barack Obama saw no problem with kissing the rings of Dohrn and Ayers for the benefit of his own political career
Barack Obama. Judgment to Lead.
Tags: Barack Obama, judgment, weather underground
May 1st, 2008
Red State and Hot Air have the story.
Hugo Chavez of course sponsors terrorism in Columbia, but Senator Obama is keeping their playdate on his Mad Man World Tour because he meets Senator Obama’s bizarre Head of State exemption for terrorism enablers (see: Ahmadinejad, Mahmoud)
This isn’t exactly a huge shock or anything, but it is further confirmation of the type of people around the world that would love to see this country vote against John McCain and for Barack Obama this November.
Tags: Barack Obama, Bill Richardson, FARC, Hugo Chavez, John McCain, mccain, terrorism
April 30th, 2008
Barack Obama’s total lack of experience or legislative accomplishment has forced him to run a very different kind of Presidential campaign, mainly using abstract concepts like hope and change. When he was finally pressed to campaign on something concrete, Senator Obama decided to campaign on his “judgment” which seems to begin and end with a speech he gave in 2002. But that’s not the point. Senator Obama has the Judgment to Lead! He even puts it on spiffy banners!
Now, you would think that if a candidate wants to run on his judgment, the thinks he says, does, lies about and the company he keeps would all be valid topics of discussion.
You’d be wrong, of course.
According to Team Hope, anything pertaining to Obama’s friends, pastor, lifestyle, wife, or even his own actions and comments have nothing to do with Barack Obama’s judgment. No, they are manufactured distractions, that distract from the real issues, which is apparently Barack Obama’s judgment that one time and not all the other times.
It makes no sense to me, and Theo Caldwell agrees.
The bumper-sticker slogan “dissent is patriotic” has for decades been employed to legitimize any insult to America, no matter how hateful or moronic. But Americans understand that their president’s instinct ought to be to defend the nation against unfair invective, not embrace those who purvey it — or, in the case of Ayers, seek to blow it up altogether.
With his demonstrable view of America, and considering his cohorts, Obama would be wise to make himself very comfortable in the Senate.
Barack Obama can continue to dismiss any criticism as a distraction. I certainly hope he does. When January comes around, he can stew over all these distractions with Michelle, Bill and Jeremiah while John McCain takes the Oath of Office.
Tags: Barack Obama, change, experience, hope, John McCain, mccain, president, Senator Obama
April 22nd, 2008
Wall Street Journal has an editorial on President Jimmy Carter’s trip, including this quote he gave over the weekend.
In a democracy, I realize you don’t need to talk to the top leader to know how the country feels,” he said over the weekend, responding to a question from an Israeli journalist who noted that Mr. Carter had been snubbed by most of Israel’s top leadership and reprimanded by its president, Shimon Peres. “When I go to a dictatorship, I only have to talk to one person and that’s the dictator, because he speaks for all the people
Oh good.
At least we finally know why Senator Obama is so gosh darn eager to have tea with Raul Castro. He’s the voice of the people, at least in the eyes of the extreme left wing of the Democratic Party in America, of which Carter and Obama are both card carrying members.
If I was an undecided voter, this issue alone would cause me to vote for John McCain. McCain lives in the real world. Carter, Obama, and the Democratic elite live in the world where its okay to chit chat with every mad man on earth because they represent the will of the people.
Tags: Barack Obama, dictators, foreign policy, Jimmy Carter, John McCain, mccain
April 15th, 2008
In the days since Senator Barack Obama’s remarks at a San Francisco fund raiser have become widely known, Senator Obama and his surrogates have been fiercely trying to spin the Leader of the New Hope’s latest example of what he considers the “politics of hope.”
Unsurprisingly, Team Hope has focussed largely on the word ‘bitter’ and tried their very best to make everyone forget about the troubling snobbishness and elitism of the full statement, one I’m sure Senator Obama never thought the general public would ever hear.
Jake Tapper at the Political Punch writes about this and the Obama Campaign’s attempt to convince us that he said something other than what he actually said.
A robo-call on behalf of the Obama campaign from Mayor John Brenner of York, Pa., says that, “Barack Obama understands us. He’s got it right, we are frustrated — frustrated with polices that enable businesses to leave our community, pensions to be stripped, health care benefits to be taken away and homes foreclosed. Unlike his opponents, who have been part of the Washington establishment that are out of touch with us, Barack Obama will change Washington. It is policies that hurt us. He will take on the special interests and fight for us.”
On Obama’s Web site, a public letter from 21 Pennsylvania “elected officials and community leaders from small towns and rural areas throughout Pennsylvania” defend him, saying, “What Sen. Obama said is that over the last 25-30 years, working class people in places like Pennsylvania have been falling behind, and that politicians in Washington haven’t been looking out for them. He also said that, as a result, many people have become frustrated, angry and even bitter about all the broken promises. He was right.”
No mention of the “cling”-ing to guns or religion.
If Barack Obama, his campaign, and his surrogates really think that they can gloss over and whitewash his comments, and expect he American public to just forget that these condescending comments, where he accuses religious voters of “clinging” to religion, he has another thing coming.
Frankly, if Obama and his campaign and The Audacity of Hope is just too good to accept these voters, I’m sure John McCain will gladly take them, warts, bitter religiousness and all.
Tags: Barack Obama, bitter, Campaign Issues, elitism, hope, John McCain, mccain, politics, spin
April 14th, 2008
Senator Obama is excellent at avoiding a topic by speaking in general terms when the issue is specific. His response to his statements about small town PA completely ignores the fact that his comments were belittling people’s lifestyle, beliefs, and faith. His statement, “they cling to guns or religion or antipathy toward people who aren’t like them or anti-immigrant sentiment or anti-trade sentiment as a way to explain their frustrations” flies in the face of his rhetoric about unifying the country. At some point he’ll have to explain himself instead of trying to deflect criticism to his opponents.
Tags: anti-immigrant, antipathy, Barack Obama, change, cling to their guns, Obama, religion, religious intollerance, response, sentiment, small town usa, social views, unity
April 11th, 2008
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