Pres Barack Obama awarded Nobel Peace Prize.. too early?

Today the Nobel committee awarded the yearly Peace Prize to President Barack Obama. Of course it's going to set off a firestorm of ridiculous criticism from the right wing harrumphing crowd. But what I'm more interested in is.. why now? Why not award this in a few years after he's proved he can fulfill the promised dream vision with which he won the presidency? Was the Nobel Committee still caught up in the dreamy aura he had in the 6 months or so between the election and the end of his first 100 days in office?

Obama's Nobel seen as "daring" bet on future:

Siv Jensen, the head of Norway's biggest opposition party, said: "In the year he's been president he has not achieved concrete things in peace work. I mean that should be the criterion in handing out the peace prize, not expectations."

... Often Nobels are given as a sort of lifetime achievement award for peace makers, such as former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, who won in 2002, and the 2008 winner, former Finnish president Martti Ahtisaari.

Some likened Obama's prize to the 1978 award shared by Egyptian President Mohammad Anwar Al-Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin, who negotiated peace between their countries which, at the time, provided much hope for security across the Middle East. Such peace still remains elusive.

US media on Obama Nobel award: Curiously concentrates on the media voices that blast this award to Obama. Maybe the BBC thinks the U.S. media consists of the right wing blowhards? I dunno about that but it's really strange that every quote they have blast the decision as being for someone who hasn't achieved any practical results yet but instead has great rhetoric. I tend to agree with that point of view. The voices quoted in the BBC article are more inflammatory than I just put it.

Analysis: Obama's Nobel honors promise, not action: Goes in a similar vein recounting promises and the actual results which were a shadow of the promise. But ends with this:-

And remember that the Nobel prize has a long history of being awarded more for the committee's aspirations than for others' accomplishments — for Mideast peace or a better South Africa, for instance. In some cases, the prize is awarded to encourage those who receive it to see the effort through, sometimes at critical moments.

Nobel committee chairman Thorbjoern Jagland said as much. "Some people say, and I understand it, isn't it premature? Too early?" he said in an interview with The Associated Press. "Well, I'd say then that it could be too late to respond three years from now. It is now that we have the opportunity to respond — all of us."

Obama certainly understands his challenges are too steep to resolve quickly. "It's not going to be easy," the president often says as he sets tasks for the United States.

The Nobel committee, it seems, had the audacity to hope that he'll eventually produce a record worthy of its prize.

Pres. Obama seems to understand this as well, Building a World that "Gives Life to the Promise of Our Founding Documents":

THE PRESIDENT: Good morning. Well, this is not how I expected to wake up this morning. After I received the news, Malia walked in and said, "Daddy, you won the Nobel Peace Prize, and it is Bo's birthday!" And then Sasha added, "Plus, we have a three-day weekend coming up." So it's good to have kids to keep things in perspective.

I am both surprised and deeply humbled by the decision of the Nobel Committee. Let me be clear: I do not view it as a recognition of my own accomplishments, but rather as an affirmation of American leadership on behalf of aspirations held by people in all nations.

To be honest, I do not feel that I deserve to be in the company of so many of the transformative figures who've been honored by this prize -- men and women who've inspired me and inspired the entire world through their courageous pursuit of peace.

But I also know that this prize reflects the kind of world that those men and women, and all Americans, want to build -- a world that gives life to the promise of our founding documents. And I know that throughout history, the Nobel Peace Prize has not just been used to honor specific achievement; it's also been used as a means to give momentum to a set of causes. And that is why I will accept this award as a call to action -- a call for all nations to confront the common challenges of the 21st century.

These challenges can't be met by any one leader or any one nation. And that's why my administration has worked to establish a new era of engagement in which all nations must take responsibility for the world we seek. We cannot tolerate a world in which nuclear weapons spread to more nations and in which the terror of a nuclear holocaust endangers more people. And that's why we've begun to take concrete steps to pursue a world without nuclear weapons, because all nations have the right to pursue peaceful nuclear power, but all nations have the responsibility to demonstrate their peaceful intentions.

We cannot accept the growing threat posed by climate change, which could forever damage the world that we pass on to our children -- sowing conflict and famine; destroying coastlines and emptying cities. And that's why all nations must now accept their share of responsibility for transforming the way that we use energy.

We can't allow the differences between peoples to define the way that we see one another, and that's why we must pursue a new beginning among people of different faiths and races and religions; one based upon mutual interest and mutual respect.

And we must all do our part to resolve those conflicts that have caused so much pain and hardship over so many years, and that effort must include an unwavering commitment that finally realizes that the rights of all Israelis and Palestinians to live in peace and security in nations of their own.

We can't accept a world in which more people are denied opportunity and dignity that all people yearn for -- the ability to get an education and make a decent living; the security that you won't have to live in fear of disease or violence without hope for the future.

And even as we strive to seek a world in which conflicts are resolved peacefully and prosperity is widely shared, we have to confront the world as we know it today. I am the Commander-in-Chief of a country that's responsible for ending a war and working in another theater to confront a ruthless adversary that directly threatens the American people and our allies. I'm also aware that we are dealing with the impact of a global economic crisis that has left millions of Americans looking for work. These are concerns that I confront every day on behalf of the American people.

Some of the work confronting us will not be completed during my presidency. Some, like the elimination of nuclear weapons, may not be completed in my lifetime. But I know these challenges can be met so long as it's recognized that they will not be met by one person or one nation alone. This award is not simply about the efforts of my administration -- it's about the courageous efforts of people around the world.

And that's why this award must be shared with everyone who strives for justice and dignity -- for the young woman who marches silently in the streets on behalf of her right to be heard even in the face of beatings and bullets; for the leader imprisoned in her own home because she refuses to abandon her commitment to democracy; for the soldier who sacrificed through tour after tour of duty on behalf of someone half a world away; and for all those men and women across the world who sacrifice their safety and their freedom and sometime their lives for the cause of peace.

That has always been the cause of America. That's why the world has always looked to America. And that's why I believe America will continue to lead.

Thank you very much.

The Nobel Peace Prize for 2009

The Norwegian Nobel Committee has decided that the Nobel Peace Prize for 2009 is to be awarded to President Barack Obama for his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples. The Committee has attached special importance to Obama's vision of and work for a world without nuclear weapons.

Obama has as President created a new climate in international politics. Multilateral diplomacy has regained a central position, with emphasis on the role that the United Nations and other international institutions can play. Dialogue and negotiations are preferred as instruments for resolving even the most difficult international conflicts. The vision of a world free from nuclear arms has powerfully stimulated disarmament and arms control negotiations. Thanks to Obama's initiative, the USA is now playing a more constructive role in meeting the great climatic challenges the world is confronting. Democracy and human rights are to be strengthened.

Only very rarely has a person to the same extent as Obama captured the world's attention and given its people hope for a better future. His diplomacy is founded in the concept that those who are to lead the world must do so on the basis of values and attitudes that are shared by the majority of the world's population.

For 108 years, the Norwegian Nobel Committee has sought to stimulate precisely that international policy and those attitudes for which Obama is now the world's leading spokesman. The Committee endorses Obama's appeal that "Now is the time for all of us to take our share of responsibility for a global response to global challenges."

Oslo, October 9, 2009

Barack Obama's epic win

Barack Obama's epic win (salon.com) No president since John Kennedy or Harry Truman will come into office facing graver crises....Tuesday was the night that the 1960s -- the divisive decade that defined American politics for 40 years -- finally died.... by defeating Clinton (representing baby boomers) and McCain (representing Vietnam soldiers) ...The raucous Obama victory rally in Grant Park was the capstone of Democratic strength through unity. The riotous antiwar rallies in Grant Park during the 1968 convention and the brutality of the police truncheons accentuated the cultural fault lines in the Democratic Party that contributed to 28 years of GOP control of the White House, from Richard Nixon to George W. Bush....Obama carried all four of the once reliably Republican suburban collar counties surrounding Philadelphia with a victory margin of nearly 200,00 votes. In Ohio, Obama ran up a 90,000-vote majority in Franklin County (Columbus and its close-in suburbs), turning what was until recently tossup country into a solidly blue part of the Democratic base. The Washington suburbs provided Obama with his victory margin in Virginia, a state that last went Democratic in 1964.

Finally, a Thin President OVER the coming days and weeks, there will be many “I never thought I’d see the day” pieces, but none of them will be more overflowing with “I never thought I’d see the day”-ness than this one. I’m black, you see, and I haven’t gained a pound since college. I skip breakfast most days, have maybe half a sandwich for lunch, and sometimes I forget to eat dinner. Just slips my mind. Yesterday morning, I woke up to a new world. America had elected a Skinny Black Guy president....

Perfecting the Union ...For almost eight years, Americans have seen words stripped of meaning, lives sacrificed to confront nonexistent Iraqi weapons and other existences ravaged by serial incompetence on an epic scale....In that four-year span, Obama never got angry. Without breaking a sweat, he took down two of the most ruthless political machines on the planet: first the Clintons and then the Republican Party....An idea has power. John McCain had many things in this campaign, but an idea was not one of them....Obama’s idea, put simply, was that America can be better than it has been. It can reach beyond post-9/11 anger and fear to embody once more what the world still craves from the American idea: hope....

For Obama, a Towering Economic To-Do List Few presidents have entered office with an economy in such turmoil. ... The reasons are myriad: the financial system, though back from the brink, remains deeply troubled. ... Consumers who piled up credit card debt are pulling back, a major concern because their spending helped power economic growth in recent years. ... ECONOMIC STIMULUS: Obama Is Likely to Act Quickly...MORTGAGES: A Pledge to Aid Homeowners...FEDERAL REGULATION: Tighter Reins on Wall Street...AUTO INDUSTRY: In Detroit, No Cash, No Credit, No Time...HEALTH CARE: An Overhaul Will Have to Wait...TECHNOLOGY: To Shape Policy, a Cabinet Voice...ENERGY: An Agenda Faces Possible Delays...TRADE: Cooperation Fades, Protectionism Rises...

For Obama, Long-Term Ills and Short-Term Pain BARACK OBAMA’s victory in Tuesday’s presidential election was in many ways a repeat of Ronald Reagan’s win 28 years ago. His eventual success as president may depend on a willingness to do what Mr. Reagan did: be willing to combat long-term economic problems while accepting short-term pain and the risk of a prolonged slowdown that could damage his popularity. Both men were elected in a year when a recession had severely damaged the popularity of the incumbent. In each race, the incumbent party’s candidate tried to paint the challenger as a dangerous risk. Mr. Reagan was portrayed as a right-wing actor with extremist views; Mr. Obama as an inexperienced liberal who was weak on national defense and had “palled around,” as Gov. Sarah Palin put it, with a terrorist....

Uganda: Diplomats, MPs Celebrate President Obama's Victory ...Speaking at the US Embassy's 2008 Election Night event at Sheraton Hotel in Kampala, Mr Browning welcomed President Obama's historic victory, saying; "It's an important step in our history of Americans for an African -American, a member of the minority to be elected by the majority. It's an accomplishment and I congratulate him for his historic election as our new President of the United States."...At the US Election Night, among the invited guests who turned out to witness Obama's historic victory, were a host of MPs led by Kasilo MP, Okupa Elijah who, like other legislators endlessly praised Obama's election as mammoth success to the black race. "I am extremely happy and I don't regret spending a night here waiting to see Obama, the new president of the United State declared a president. He has indeed made us proud as Africans and we expect a lot from him as a continent," Mr Okupa said. The opposition Peoples Progress Party (PPP) President, Mr Bidandi Ssali was among hundreds who endured the aloofness of the nigh weather conditions to observe Obama's victory. "Obama will change some of the radical policies of George W Bush, double aid to Africa and oversee the donor funds to fight corruption that had dogged African countries for years." The Public Affairs Officer at American Embassy, Ms Lisa Heilbronn, welcomed Obama's election, insisting that any practical policies should emphasise doubling aid to Africa as part of the wider efforts to fight poverty, disease and hunger on the continent....

Blacks see Obama win as path to their healing Barack Obama's win Tuesday night as president of the United States has created a buzz in the black community and has some African-Americans talking about how this moment can reshape how they see themselves and what's possible for their lives....Obama made history -- and fulfilled lifelong dreams for many. And although change won't happen overnight, Metro Detroiters said they believe Obama is the key to bridging the race gap, and has already uplifted their self-image, pride and confidence in the African-American community. ...

Tanzanian Parliament salutes US president-elect The National Assembly in Dodoma yesterday unanimously passed a special resolution congratulating United States President elect, Mr Barack Obama. The Speaker Samwel Sitta told Members of Parliament who are attending the 13 meeting of the House that he will submit the resolution to the Government for forward it to the White House. Mr Obama, the Democratic Party presidential candidate defeated Republican's John McCain to become the first Afro-American president ever in the history of the super-power. The president-elect, Mr Obama, the 47-year-old son of an American mother and Kenyan father, become one of the youngest presidents-elect since independence in 1789. His win has galvanised the world with messages sent from all continents. ...

Congratulations, Barack. Now What? The good news for Barack Obama is also the bad news: He won. With victory comes the responsibility of addressing an economic mess of historic proportion. Obama is not facing the typical post-war recession: This is not a market correction, but a major transformation of our economy that will require going beyond promises to raise taxes on only those making more than $250,000 a year. Instead, the architecture of financial regulation needs to be redesigned, the government must play a larger role in structuring economic activity, labor and community need a stronger voice in the decision-making process, and with the Chinese financing our deficit, the United States will have to find a new place in the global economy. ...

Obama urged to live up to promises British newspapers on Thursday feted US president-elect Barack Obama's victory as a sign of a "transformed" America but warned that the country's first black leader had a monumental task ahead. They said the euphoria triggered by Obama's historic win would soon give way to the hard work of presidential politics, with one paper referring to British prime minister Tony Blair's fall from grace after a landslide victory in 1997. "It was impossible not to feel that the world was a slightly better place -- that civilisation had taken a significant step forward," the Daily Mail newspaper wrote. But it warned that "for a brief honeymoon period, Obama will be given the benefit of the doubt. After that, he will be judged on his actions."

The electorate's great expectations Never let it be said that Americans don't care, passionately, about the state of their government and the power of their role as citizens. This year's contest, historic on so many levels, generated once-in-a-generation levels of enthusiasm. The next question is, what will happen to all of that energy? How can it be harnessed to meet the huge challenges that await us?

Editorial: Lessons for tyrants of the world ...America may have its faults as a nation, and may be hated by all manner of people for all manner of reasons; it is even possible that its electoral system may not be faultless, after all. Nothing is? We take note that African Americans constitute only 15 per cent of the American population. Any system that makes it possible for a representative of such a minority group to offer himself to lead an entire country must be a system which all nations must aspire to emulate....We could, for instance, not fail to be amused by a remark by a Kenyan who called into the BBC yesterday that if Obama had lived in many countries in Africa, he would either have been killed after being seized from his home at dawn by faceless men, or he would have been hounded into exile at his very first attempt. At the very “best”, he would have lived the rest of his life in maximum security prisons, always wearing the tag: “enemy of the people”. This is the work of power-drunk, corrupt megalomanias who have arrived at a point in their lives when they begin to think they have a divine right to rule; African rulers who, once in power, never want to step down, and who, therefore, see every critic as a threat who must be eliminated. This is the lesson the Times draws from the victory of the 44th president of the United States. As African leaders pour congratulations into America, we pray that these lessons are not lost on them.

Michael Moore: What Will It Be Like to Have a Smart President? ...In a nation that was founded on genocide and then built on the backs of slaves, it was an unexpected moment, shocking in its simplicity: Barack Obama, a good man, a black man, said he would bring change to Washington, and the majority of the country liked that idea. The racists were present throughout the campaign and in the voting booth. But they are no longer the majority, and we will see their flame of hate fizzle out in our lifetime....There was another important "first" last night. Never before in our history has an avowed anti-war candidate been elected president during a time of war. I hope President-elect Obama remembers that as he considers expanding the war in Afghanistan. The faith we now have will be lost if he forgets the main issue on which he beat his fellow Dems in the primaries and then a great war hero in the general election: The people of America are tired of war. Sick and tired. And their voice was loud and clear yesterday....

World Wonders If Obama Victory Will Live Up to the Hype As black French civil rights activists and their friends began celebrating US President-elect Barack Obama's election early Wednesday, Nov. 5, in a private club in Paris, one reveler sounded a sobering, and largely unappreciated, note of caution. "Obama is an American politician, and he will govern like an American president," said Cameroonian journalist Paul Heutching. "Let's not jump to unrealistic conclusions just because he looks like us."... "I am afraid that people may be pinning unreasonable hopes on Obama," said French historian Pap Ndiaye, the author of "The Black Condition: An Essay on a French Minority." "He will be working under strict political constraints. The disappointment may be very great."...

Anti-Obama communities in social networking site Within hours of Obama registering a decisive victory over Republican John McCain, about 30 communities were registered in popular social networking site 'Facebook' demanding his impeachment even before he formally assumed office, saying his policy will "destroy" America. About 2,000 people have joined communities like 'Impeach Barack Obama', 'Lets Impeach Barack Hussain Obama Now! and 'Impeach President-Elect Obama', asking people to "wake up" against his "radical Leftist agenda that will destroy America".... A group 'Impeach Barack Obama Now!', says: "Save America now, impeach Obama to save us from his radical Leftist agenda that will destroy America". Another group quipped, "There are a lot of Americans out there who do not fully understand the concept of Socialism or Communism which is why they've elected Obama as President." 'Impeach Barack Obama' with over 1,000 members asks people to "come on board" if they want to impeach Obama if he fails to fulfill his promises as it take "approximately seven seconds for a modern day President to violate oath" they took in accordance with the US constitution....

External Media

Yes we Did?

What a dream come true. An end to the nightmare and the accomplishment of a dream, that's been a long time in the fulfillment. But there's an interesting phrase being used in the celebration: "YES WE DID" riffing on the campaign slogan "YES WE CAN". Its as if they are celebrating having accomplished the goal, and that's all they needed to do was to get their guy into office.

Uh.. There is some seriously deep problems in this country. There are serious problems to fix in this country, serious damage to undo, etc. There is going to be powerful forces arrayed against real change, the real change that we do need.

This cannot stop with this election victory, it has to keep going.

It's a very stirring speech, full of hope, high minded ideas, and a breath of freshness after the 8 years of the Bush Administration darkness. But, it's a speech, it's over in 18 minutes, and then what. Listening to the speech I could only imagine the people in that audience, and thinking about them walking home after that speech and wondering how much of it they will carry home with them and how much their future life will change.

Or.. will the people go back to sleep lulled by the latest from celebrityitis (Paris, J.Lo, etc) or football or whatever other distractions the elite cook up to get the peoples mind off the game.

External Media

The final weeks

MoveOn sent me a letter about my blog and suggested something I could post to it.. basically they're sending out a list of points for us to ponder, so that we don't look at the news about Obama being ahead in the polls and get lazy. As they say anything can happen in the next couple of weeks. Anything.

The polls maybe be wrong? Were the polls wrong in 2004 or 2000? The guy who won both times was behind in the polls so something was amiss. Of course the poll that matters is the one on election day.

Dirty tricks? We're already seeing a ton of them aren't we? Of course those aren't the kind of people we want to have in office but on the other hand similar dirty tricks were pulled in prior elections and sometimes those tactics do work.

October surprise? Aren't we already having it? That is the financial meltdown. But maybe something else could come out.

...etc... It is important to keep up the work for Obama etc. But what's most important is that we not go back to sleep after election day. This is something that happens in election after election, that we the people seem to think our duty is only to vote and then once we've voted there's nothing to do until the next election. Sorry that's not going to work right now.

There are seriously powerful interests in Washington and for Obama to have a chance at actually sticking to his Change promise he's going to need the support of we the people. Further it may well be that Obama doesn't represent the change we want, and it's important for we the people to keep hammering at the change we do want rather than allowing the politicians to push their idea of what needs to be changed.

External Media

Conservatives backing Obama

CNN notes that Buckley leaves National Review after Obama endorsement, that's Christopher Buckley, the son of conservative icon William F. Buckley. He had been writing for the National Review, a paper founded by his father, and had recently endorsed Barack Obama for President. The CNN article also notes other prominent Conservatives who have endorsed Obama.

This is indicitave of something I've been suspecting. The Republicans have managed to turn off Conservatives by acting against Conservative ideals. I'll note in passing that in the late 90's my father, a life-long Conservative & Republican, was overwhelmingly outraged by the destructive politics being practiced by the Republicans. And ever since he had nothing good to say about world events such as the lies and deceit practiced by the Bush Administration.

In the case of Buckley... he wrote a speech for McCain, has known him for years and years, has written favorably about him for a long time. But he says the election process has changed McCain into inauthenticity, an irascible and snarly temperament, changing and incoherent positions, unrealistic promises, goofy tactics, and worst of all is the nomination of Gov. Palin.

Buckley describes himself as "a small-government conservative who clings tenaciously and old-fashionedly to the idea that one ought to have balanced budgets" and not one to adopt Obama's policy proposals. But one to see Obama as a thoughtful, first-class intelligence, first-class temperament, etc, and trusts that Obama will do the right thing and not the stereotypical actions Conservatives present as the potential horror story of what will happen of those hated liberals get into office. Of course Obama is just the President and he has to dance with Congress, and it appears likely the Democratic party will have a full majority in Congress. It's unknown whether Obama as President will be able to rein in a Democratic Congress if the other Democrats decide to veer into actions the Conservatives claim as the horror story.

In a followup column Buckley says "My father in his day endorsed a number of liberal Democrats for high office, including Allard K. Lowenstein and Joe Lieberman", that he was close friends with Liberals, and that he "held to rigorous standards, and if those were met by members of the other side rather than by his own camp, he said as much".

This speaks to an observation I've had for quite awhile.. The behavior of current Conservatives appears to be more like a sports team or an army in battle than it does about promoting a set of beliefs or ideals. The behavior I mean is the hateful spite associated with the word 'Liberal' and the outright shunning of anything associated with Liberalness. If Buckley is right he was shunned out of his job with the National Review in this way, that just because he dared to betray his camp then his camp immediately repudiates and shuns him. This isn't about ideology, this is about pitting one group of combatants against another group of combatants.

Or, as Buckley put it,

While I regret this development, I am not in mourning, for I no longer have any clear idea what, exactly, the modern conservative movement stands for. Eight years of “conservative” government has brought us a doubled national debt, ruinous expansion of entitlement programs, bridges to nowhere, poster boy Jack Abramoff and an ill-premised, ill-waged war conducted by politicians of breathtaking arrogance. As a sideshow, it brought us a truly obscene attempt at federal intervention in the Terry Schiavo case.

So, to paraphrase a real conservative, Ronald Reagan: I haven’t left the Republican Party. It left me.

Here's some more people who are taking the same sort of stand:-

I'm a lifelong conservative activist and I'm backing Barack Obama BY LARRY HUNTER -- "I'm a lifelong Republican - a supply-side conservative. I worked in the Reagan White House. I was the chief economist at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce for five years. In 1994, I helped write the Republican Contract with America. I served on Bob Dole's presidential campaign team and was chief economist for Jack Kemp's Empower America. This November, I'm voting for Barack Obama. "

Growing parade of conservatives backing Obama ... from an article published July 7, indicates this has been going on for awhile. 'Among the reformed righties now hoping for an Obama victory are free-market economist David Friedman, former Reagan aide Douglas Kmiec, Contract With America co-author Larry Hunter and Susan Eisenhower, granddaughter of the former president....Bush's "view of the legitimate power of the executive branch, including the authority to deliberately violate federal law, I find frightening," Friedman..."The untold story of the Bush administration is the deliberate annihilation of the Reaganite, small-government wing of the Republican Party," said Michael Greve, director of the Federalism Project at the American Enterprise Institute...'

Tory MPs abandon Republicans to back Barack Obama Yup, MP means Member of Parliament, as in the British Parliament. "Almost a third of Tory MPs willing to publicly express their preferences in the US presidential election are prepared to jettison their party's historic links with the Republicans and back Democrat Senator Barack Obama. "

A Conservative for Obama "...today it is so-called conservatives who are cemented to political programs when they clearly don't work. The Bush tax cuts--a solution for which there was no real problem and which he refused to end even when the nation went to war--led to huge deficit spending and a $3 trillion growth in the federal debt. Facing this, John McCain pumps his "conservative"- credentials by proposing even bigger tax cuts. Meanwhile, a movement that once fought for limited government has presided over the greatest growth of government in our history. That is not conservatism; it is profligacy using conservatism as a mask....This kind of conservatism, which is not conservative at all, has produced financial mismanagement, the waste of human lives, the loss of moral authority, and the wreckage of our economy that McCain now threatens to make worse...."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Obama_Republican

Republicans and former Republicans endorsing Obama

Fmr. Congressman Jim Leach (R-IA).

Fmr. Senator Lincoln Chafee (R-RI).

Former publisher of National Review, Wick Allison

Jack Antaramian, Florida real estate developer and Bush fundraiser

Fmr. Mayor of Los Angeles Richard Riordan (R-CA).

Susan Eisenhower, granddaughter of Dwight D. Eisenhower and president of the Eisenhower Institute. and Julie Nixon and Susan Eisenhower back Barack Obama and Ike's Granddaughter Calls Obama 'Future of America'

Lilibet Hagel, wife of Senator Chuck Hagel (R-NE)

Rita E. Hauser, Former White House intelligence advisor for George W. Bush

Larry Hunter, Senior Fellow at the Institute for Policy Innovation and Chief Economist for the Free Enterprise Fund, former Reagan policy advisor

Rear Admiral John Hutson, USN (ret.), former Judge Advocate General of the Navy and the current dean and president of Franklin Pierce Law Center.

Legal scholar Douglas Kmiec

Tricia Mosley, former staffer to Senator Strom Thurmond

Paul O'Neill, United States Secretary of the Treasury from 2001-02 under George W. Bush

Frank Schaeffer, pro-life advocate and the son of evangelist Francis Schaeffer.

Mayor Lou Thieblemont of Camp Hill, Penn. Thieblemont switched his party registration from Republican to Democrat so that he could vote for Obama in the Pennsylvania primary.

Fmr. Governor and Senator Lowell Weicker (R-CT).

Fmr. Governor Linwood Holton (R-VA), father-in-law of current Governor Tim Kaine (D-VA)

Support for Obama from scholars, authors and bloggers affiliated with conservatism

Andrew Bacevich, Professor of International Relations at Boston University.

Charles Barkley, Author, former NBA basketball player.

Christopher Buckley, author, son of legendary conservative William F. Buckley, Jr.

Francis Fukuyama, Author, major figure in the rise of neoconservatism.

Christopher Hitchens, Author, journalist, literary critic.

Dorothy King, Archeologist and conservative blogger. and Mr. Right?

Andrew Sullivan, libertarian commentator.

Links: 

Buckley leaves National Review after Obama endorsement

External Media

CBS news getting into sliming Obama

It's been awhile since I posted anything about Obama. It's clear the sliming of him by the mainstream news media is continuing. In the linked article they show a clip of Katie Couric, the controversial CBS Evening News anchor. Controversial? She comes from the fluffy-entertainment side of the industry, not the real journalism side, and this news clip is a good example of the problem.

She repeats an accusation which has been thoroughly discredited .. that during Obama's childhood his mother sent him to a Madrassa school. During that time he and his mother lived in Indonesia, and as that country is heavily Islamic there were plenty of Islamic oriented schools in the area. He was sent to a Christian oriented school for some time, and for another time to an Islamic oriented school. However it's been proved the school in question was emphatically not a Madrassa. The Madrassa's being a specific sort of Islamic school which teaches fundamentalist Islam.

Article Reference: 

Couric's "Notebook" rehashed debunked Obama rumors

Obama launches presidential bid

In the shadow of the Old State Capitol, where Lincoln once called on a divided house to stand together, where common hopes and common dreams still live, I stand before you today to announce my candidacy for president of the United States Barack Obama He spoke to the crowd of his working life in the state over the last 20 years, first as a community worker, then as a civil rights lawyer and finally as a US senator.

..."That is why, in the shadow of the Old State Capitol, where Lincoln once called on a divided house to stand together, where common hopes and common dreams still live, I stand before you today to announce my candidacy for president of the United States," Mr Obama said.

...Though undoubtedly ambitious and charismatic, with relatively little national experience and formidable opponents, including Mrs Clinton, many question whether he can really secure the Democratic nomination, and whether he has the depth of policy to match.

Article Reference: 

Obama launches presidential bid

Obama sees new generation of leadership

Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama (news, bio, voting record), citing the legacy of Abraham Lincoln, pledged on Saturday to bridge the partisan divide in Washington, end the war in Iraq and transform American politics as the first black U.S. president.

Launching his 2008 White House campaign outside the building where Lincoln began his fight against slavery with an 1858 speech declaring "a house divided against itself cannot stand," Obama said it was time to "turn the page" to a new politics.

...Obama's candidacy has intrigued Democrats looking for a fresh face and sparked waves of publicity and grass-roots buzz about the first black presidential candidate seen as having a chance to capture the White House.

...But the freshman senator from Illinois has faced questions and doubts about his relative lack of experience, his policy views and about whether the United States is ready to elect a black man to the White House.

Article Reference: 

Obama sees new generation of leadership

More sliming of Sen. Obama

CNN debunks false report about Obama discusses the truth regarding an allegation that's been circling among the talking heads the last few days. In Sen. Obama's youth he and his family lived for awhile in Indonesia, and while there he attended elementary school. In his books he described that school as "an Islamic school" and for another period he attended a "Catholic" school in Indonesia. Apparently some have decided to call that school a Madrassa, or those schools which teach the fundamentalist Wahabist form of Islam which is more-or-less at the root of the Islamic sects which are driving the anti-Western violence.

CNN sent a reporter to the school in question and found an average every day elementary school that has no bias towards any religion.

CNN Debunks False Obama ‘Madrassa’ Smear

Fox and Friends 'Corrects' Obama Madrassa Claim

On Fox News Sunday, Williams claimed Obama's Muslim father "presents a problem"

The sliming of Barak Obama (Pt. 2)

It's time for another dip into The sliming of Barak Obama. This is a series of articles tracking efforts to slander and slime Sen. Barak Obama.

A couple days ago CNN showed a picture of Osama bin Laden with the caption saying "Where's Obama". This occurred on Wolf Blitzer's Situation Room, which coincidentally is the same program on which other slimings occurred.

CNN apology over Obama name slip at least CNN has issued an apology.

Malice in the Middle: Barack Hussein Obama and the history of bad middle names in politics explains how it's unfortunate, image wise, that Sen. Obama has a middle name of Hussein and a last name that sounds much like U.S. Enemy #1's name. I say this is silly, that people should pay better attention.

Dennis Miller’s Insensitive Message For Obama: Being Vice President Worse Than Racial Disenfranchisement is from News Hounds, the project started by Robert Greenwald, the director of OutFoxed the documentary revealing how Fox News is largely a mouthpiece for the Republican Party. Apparently this Dennis Miller fellow is infamous for slanderous opinion pieces, and this one lays it on really thick slamming both Obama and Sen. Clinton.

Bill O'Reilly Uses Mike Tyson To Smear Barack Obama And the News Hounds also report on Bill O'Reilly joining in the smearing. Mike Tyson was arrested with some drugs, and was let free without even having to post bail. That was then used by Bill O'Reilly as pretext for launching into attacking Sen Obama.

Fox News Battering Obama Over Book's Admissions And the News Hounds are yet again discussing another slander piece on Fox News. During this bit of video someone calls Obama a dope addict. Fox News Alert: George W. Bush Admits Cocaine Habit Covers the same video clip with a different angle. Coverage on FoxNews Obama Admissions on Drug Use Could Signal New Era in Politics. And as a result currently this particular story is making the rounds.

Could Candor About Drug Use Hurt Obama? isn't a slanderous attack, but instead an insightful analysis of the political weight that Sen. Obama is carrying. Clearly the politically active Americans tend to be heavily anti-Drug because there's several decades of anti-Drug propagandizing and hype in this countries recent history. And any admission of Drug use tends to be a kiss of death, affirmed by Pres. Clinton's admission regarding Marijuana. Supposedly he tried it, but did not inhale, and didn't like it. Hmm... I don't know anybody who can believe that story, and in any case drug usage is extremely common among youth in America. The quotes from Sen. Obama's book sound very honest, said truthfully, and accurately portrays the youth culture of any time during the past 40 years. I applaud his honesty.

CNN Puts Obama In Split-Screen With Bin Laden and Hussein shows screen captures of from CNN showing Sen. Obama on the same screen as Osama bin Laden and Iraqi former Pres Saddam Hussein. The question CNN is asking us, what's in a name and I'm wondering why are they making a big deal of the name?

CNN’s Obama Infomercial This is also not a slanderous attack, but it's a strange article nonetheless. Most of the article is a history of racism and civil rights in America, pointing out that it was the Democratic Party who, in 1872, founded the Ku Klux Klan, and the Democratic Party that was very racist through most of its history. He also points out the Texas Republican Party was founded by Black people. Hmm, very interesting, and ought to be worth researching the history of this issue a little more deeply. But what's strange is he describes CNN as running an "infomercial" for Obama, fawning all over him, etc .. is he watching the same CNN the rest of us are watching? If CNN is throwing its hat into the Obama ring, then why is Wolf Blitzer multiple times sliming Obama?

White Guilt, Obamania, And The Reality Of Race is an interesting blog entry examining how Black is Obama. Does that matter? In any case the piece discusses how his upbringing is completely divorced from the typical African-American experience. He is described as a wigger, a word I did not know but which the Wikipedia defines as "a white person who emulates mannerisms, slangs and fashions stereotypically associated with urban African Americans". Obama's parentage is half-white, his father was a Kenyan, not an African-American, so he wasn't exposed to the lineage of Slavery, and he was raised in Indonesia and an area of Hawaii that's extremely culturally diverse. Clearly Obama has little real connection with the culture that, say, Jesse Jackson comes from.

Clinton-Obama Differences Clear In Senate Votes is a refreshing analysis of the issues and policy stances taken by Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. The typical political article just looks at polling data, political strategies, and the current one-up-man-ship. This article discusses the voting history of these two Presidential race front runners.

The sliming of Barak Obama

It's still 2006 but the 2008 national elections have already begun. It seems silly that we're already sizing up the Presidential candidates when we're still 2 years from the election. But here we are. Maybe it's a reflection of the revulsion we have for the Bush years that we just want to get them over, but time ticks at it's own pace and we're left with over 2 years until the inauguration.

The story I'm interested in is the sudden popularity of Sen. Obama, and at the same time the sliming that's coming from the vast right-wing conspiracy, as Hillary Clinton called them. While that phrase was laughed off it's clear there is a right wing who has an evil narrow minded agenda that would lock down the country into fundamentalist Christian ideals, and outlaw anything else. And of course the person who Sen. Obama is would be so far outside the scope of what those people want, that they're going to target this guy and wear him down.

Consider: Obama... Osama

Gimme a break. The worst they can come up with is similarity in names? And in any case The Hussein name is obviously widely used in the middle east. One thing this video clip does show is how much out of touch typical Americans are, if they cannot realize a non-issue when they see it.

Next: CNN Analyzes Barack Obama's Clothing

Because of his choice of clothes they're going to slander him with a connection to the Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. So, uh...?

Next: The swiftboating of Obama begins considers itself with a rather minor land deal with a shady real estate dealer in the Chicago Area. The story is covered in a Washington Post article. The series of events is that a Syrian born businessman, Antoin "Tony" Rezko, whose primary business is running a chain of Panda Express restaurants and real estate developments, and who is politically active serving on some commissions, bought land adjoining a mansion that Sen. Obama bought in 2004. The only suspicious item in the story is that Obama's purchase price was $300,000 below the asking price, which one might consider to be a political favor, or one might consider Sen. Obama a good negotiator, or one might consider that the asking price was inflated.

In any case this story appears to be blown out of proportion with trying to overly connect Obama to Rezko's shady dealings.

Next: Revving Up For 2008, Carl Cameron Files Hit Piece on Barak Obama is a report from NewsHounds, a group founded by Director Greenwald as one of the research arms for his movie Outfoxed: Rupert Murdoch's war on Journalism. This is a group of bloggers who have continued scrutinizing Fox News reporting, documenting all the slanted stories which appear on that network. This posting details a profile by Carl Cameron on Barak Obama, which apparently tried to depict Sen. Obama as disconnected from the people and instead living in the circles of the Elites.

The profile also trotted out this supposedly shady land dealing, and in the same piece reminded the viewers of the Clinton's supposedly shady deal with the White Water group which we were all subjected to in the mid-90's.

Something to watch is their Barak Obama category, as no doubt they'll publish further stories on him.

Next: How Long Will The Right Let Us Love Obama? gives us the question.. how long before the vast right wing conspiracy really lets loose with the cannons and sinks Obama? What of the fate of John Kerry, for whom the Swift Boat campaign was named. John Kerry came to the campaign full of zeal as a Vietnam veteran, but the Swift Boaters unleashed a series of lies which Kerry was unable to counter. And the stench of that sliming operation still clings to Kerry when he should really be honored for almost beating a sitting wartime President.

The article contains an interesting point about psychological manipulation.

And then there's Al Gore. Al Gore is one of the most remarkable leaders our country has had over the past twenty-five years. A Vietnam veteran, Congressman and Senator, Al Gore was visionary on Global Warming and the environment, actually did lead the development of the Internet, was an active Vice President fully participating in the administration that gave this country its finest years of the last forty.

Next, look at the background of Gore's opponent in the 2000 Presidential Election. And imagine that, remarkably, when all was said and done character emerged as the dominant theme of the 2000 campaign and it was Vice President Gore's character that was being called into question!

Just think about that for a minute - consider what kind of psychological manipulation of the public had to happen before that could be the case.

What kind of Character does Al Gore have? Consider his performance following the 2000 election. Rather than lead the country into a constitutional crisis he followed the letter of the law. He has moral standing, moral will, and on and on, far more than Bush and his cronies demonstrate.

So, I agree with that claim, that for it to have been Gore's character quality that was called into question, massive psychological manipulation of the public had to have been perpetrated. Which just calls to my mind the faked scandals of the Clinton era, because it was those scandals which dogged Gore as well. But most of that scandalry was either fake, propped up by false claims, or else so completely minor in comparison to the highly impeachable acts by the Bush Administration. Which is worse, to lie about sex or to lie about the justifications for a war?

Another form of this psychological manipulation, the depiction of the Democratic party as weak on national defense:

Did you know that George McGovern was a World War II bomber pilot? And remember, in the debate on Iraq, we have John Kerry, Jack Murtha, Max Cleland, Joe Sestak, Chris Carney, Patrick Murphy, Richard Holbrooke, Wesley Clark, and more - all veterans. Our party collects war heroes as leaders. Their leaders collect deferments. And yet? They're perceived as the party of National Security. Why? Because they have spent billions telling us that it is so.

He didn't mention Pres. Kennedy and his experiences as a PT Boat captain and his survival of his boat being shot out from under him.

To be sure the Republican party has some honest war heros. Dwight Eisenhower for one, and Pres. G.H.W.Bush (#41) for another. But the current crop of Republican leaders including the whole of the current administration has not one iota of actual military experience.