TRANSCRIPT: Obama Promised one year ago Today NOT to run for President in 2008!
Submitted by Mitch Dworkin on January 22, 2007 - 2:23pm.
Democratic politics
Hello Everyone:
Today is exactly one year to the day (1/22/06) when Obama made his second definite promise NOT to run for President or Vice President in 2008! I wonder why the media is not talking about that?
Right below is the Meet The Press transcript from 10/22/06 where Obama tried as tactfully as he could to get out of his past two promises NOT to run for President or VP in 2008 as well as to serve his entire 6 year Senate term which started in January of 2005.
Below that is the Meet The Press transcript from 1/22/06 (exactly one year ago from today) where Obama made his second definite promise NOT to run for President or Vice President in 2008 as well as to serve out his entire Senate term when he said:
SEN. OBAMA: "I will serve out my full six-year term. You know, Tim, if you get asked enough, sooner or later you get weary and you start looking for new ways of saying things. But my thinking has not changed.
MR. RUSSERT: So you will not run for president or vice president in 2008?
SEN. OBAMA: I will not."
Finally below that is the Meet The Press transcript from 11/7/04 where Obama promised to serve his "full six-year term as U.S. senator from Illinois:"
MR. RUSSERT: "Before you go, you know there's been enormous speculation about your political future. Will you serve your full six-year term as U.S. senator from Illinois?
SEN.-ELECT OBAMA: Absolutely. You know, a little--some of this hype's been a little overblown. It's flattering, but I have to remind people that I haven't been sworn in yet. I don't know where the rest rooms are in the Senate. I'm going to have to figure out how to work the phones, answer constituent mail. I expect to be in the Senate for quite some time, and hopefully I'll build up my seniority from my current position, which I believe is 99th out of 100."
The media should be all over his broken promises now because Obama is on clearly on record as saying this!
If I was able to directly question Obama, I would ask him "If you broke your promises NOT to run for President or VP in 2008 and to serve out your full 6 year Senate term, then how can anyone know for sure that you will keep any future promises that you make?
I would also ask Obama "what significant thing changed in 9 months from 1/22/06 when you firmly promised to serve out your full 6 year Senate term and promised NOT to run for President or VP in 2008 to 10/22/06 when you felt that you had to break those definite promises that you made?"
Also look at this other flip-flop from Obama where at first was "very noncommittal" about "a cap in the troops" and then "within minutes, within minutes of Hillary Clinton coming out with her proposal. We got a press release from Barack Obama. He too supports capping the number of troops in Iraq:"
http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0701/21/tww.01.html
THIS WEEK AT WAR
Week's War Activities Recounted
Aired January 21, 2007 - 13:00 ET
ROBERTS: "Dana, some of these Democrats are being very careful about making sure that they're not boxing themselves in. When you look at Hillary Clinton's proposal as I talked about with her, she puts a cap on the troops, but doesn't touch that third rail of funding for them. Are they being very careful about what they say?
BASH: They're being very careful on the money issue, because that is just a political danger zone, as you said, the third rail of Iraq politics, but there is such intense jockeying. You know, we always knew this was going to be the place to watch because there's so many Democrats in the Senate, Republicans, too, but especially Democrats, running for president and just this week, I mean, what you saw, especially between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. We knew Hillary Clinton was going to come out with her legislation in the morning. The same day she did, I saw Barack Obama in the hallway and I said, are you going to be for a cap in the troops? Are you going to have your own bill and he was very noncommittal, saying well, I don't know. We have to wait and see, within minutes, within minutes of Hillary Clinton coming out with her proposal. We got a press release from Barack Obama. He too supports capping the number of troops in Iraq. So, they are so watching each other and really circling each other. And we are so far away from when this really gets intense. It's going to be quite a place to watch up here with people."
Obama looks like he is blowing with the political wind and tide right now. Is this a person who we know for sure has what it takes to inherit the huge foreign policy mess that Bush will leave behind on 1/20/09?
I would not risk that for a moment when we know for sure what we are getting in Gen. Clark based on his solid record of foreign policy, national security, and military experience:
http://securingamerica.com/ccn/node/10194
VIDEOS: How serious our foreign policy problems are & why we need Clark in 2008!
Submitted by Mitch Dworkin on December 22, 2006 - 6:07am.
http://securingamerica.com/ccn/node/10194#comment-165234
Look at how consistent that Gen. Clark HAS ALWAYS BEEN on Iraq!
Submitted by Mitch Dworkin on December 22, 2006 - 6:11am.
When will journalists ask Obama "some hard questions about his record and lack of experience" as Howard Kurtz asks and when is it "going to change" that Obama "is now the rock star. He can do no wrong" as Gloria Borger mentions?
http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0701/21/rs.01.html
CNN RELIABLE SOURCES
Aired January 21, 2007 - 11:00 ET
HOWARD KURTZ, HOST (voice over): "And will journalists continue to swoon over Barack Obama or finally ask some hard questions about his record and lack of experience?"
GLORIA BORGER, CBS NEWS: "And you know what happens to front-runners. We like to get them up to where they're front-runners, and then we knock them down. And so that's what's going to happen with Hillary.
And it could also happen with Barack Obama, because he is now the rock star. He can do no wrong. And that's going to change."
This is absolutely ridiculous when so much is at stake in the next election because the next President will have to inherit and fix the huge foreign policy mess in Iraq (and possibly even in Iran) that Bush leaves behind to his successor on 1/20/09!
Here is where I ask more tough questions about Obama:
http://securingamerica.com/ccn/node/10547
Obama to explore 2008 White House run; EXPERIENCE MATTERS: Look at Bush in 2000!
Submitted by Mitch Dworkin on January 16, 2007 - 5:38pm.
The bottom line is that Gen. Clark can easily match or beat Obama on any domestic issue while Obama is not even in the same category as Gen. Clark is when it comes to foreign policy experience which is what election 2008 is going to mainly focus on. Gen. Clark also keeps the promises that he makes!
Obama is an excellent Senator for IL and that is where he needs to stay for now to keep the promises that he made and to get the experience that he needs to run for President in the future in my opinion!
This is what I definitely think that Clark supporters should be talking about now to other Democrats, to Independent voters as well as to disillusioned Republicans, and especially to the media!
Mitch Dworkin
http://www.securingamerica.com/
http://securingamerica.com/ccn/node/9331
OPEd: USA TODAY: Next move in Iraq?
Submitted by Wes Clark on November 21, 2006
http://www.securingamerica.com/ccn/node/7191
Listen to Gen. Wes Clark fight for Dems on Sean Hannity's radio program: An excellent example for all of us to follow and what we all need to be doing to help fight back against extreme right wing Neocon smear propaganda!
--------------------
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15304689/page/3/
Meet The Press Transcript for Oct. 22, 2006
MR. RUSSERT: You’ve been a United States senator less than two years, you don’t have any executive experience. Are you ready to be president?
SEN. OBAMA: Well, I’m not sure anybody is ready to be president before they’re president. You know, ultimately, I trust the judgment of the American people that, in, in any election, they sort it through. And that’s, you know, we have a long and rigorous process, and, you know, should I decide to run, if I ever did decide to run, I’m confident that I’d be run through the paces pretty good, including on MEET THE PRESS.
MR. RUSSERT: Well, nine months ago, you were on this program and I asked you about running for president. And let’s watch and come back and talk about it.
(Videotape, January 22, 2006):
MR. RUSSERT: When we talked back in November of ‘04, after your election, I said, “There’s been enormous speculation about your political future. Will you serve your full six-year term as a United States senator from Illinois?” Obama: “Absolutely.”
SEN. OBAMA: I will serve out my full six-year term. You know, Tim, if you get asked enough, sooner or later you get weary and you start looking for new ways of saying things, but my thinking has not changed.
MR. RUSSERT: But, but—so you will not run for president or vice president in 2008?
SEN. OBAMA: I will not.
(End videotape)
MR. RUSSERT: You will not.
SEN. OBAMA: Well, the—that was how I was thinking at that time. And, and, you know, I don’t want to be coy about this, given the responses that I’ve been getting over the last several months, I have thought about the possibility. But I have not thought it—about it with the seriousness and depth that I think is required. My main focus right now is in the ‘06 and making sure that we retake the Congress. After oh—after November 7, I’ll sit down and, and consider, and if at some point, I change my mind, I will make a public announcement and everybody will be able to go at me.
MR. RUSSERT: But it’s fair to say you’re thinking about running for president in 2008?
SEN. OBAMA: It’s fair, yes.
MR. RUSSERT: And so when you said to me in January, “I will not,” that statement is no longer operative.
SEN. OBAMA: The—I would say that I am still at the point where I have not made a decision to, to pursue higher office, but it is true that I have thought about it over the last several months.
MR. RUSSERT: So, it sounds as if the door has opened a bit.
SEN. OBAMA: A bit.
MR. RUSSERT: Senator Barack Obama, we’ll be watching. Thanks for joining us.
SEN. OBAMA: It was my pleasure, Tim. Thank you.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10909406/
Meet The Press Transcript for January 22, 2006
Barack Obama, James Carville, Paul Begala & Mary Matalin
MR. RUSSERT: There’s been enormous speculation about your political future, Senator. The man you succeeded in the Senate, Peter Fitzgerald, a Republican, said this recently. “I think there’s a very good chance that Senator Obama is on the Democratic ticket in 2008 as the vice presidential nominee.” Do you agree?
SEN. OBAMA: No. You know, I can’t speculate on those kinds of things. What I have said is that, you know, I’m not focused on running for higher office, I’m focused on doing the job that the people of Illinois just sent me to do.
MR. RUSSERT: But there seems to be an evolution in your thinking. This is what you told the Chicago Tribune last month: “Have you ruled out running for another office before your term is up?” Obama answer: “It’s not something I anticipate doing.” But when we talked back in November of ‘04 after your election I said, “There’s been enormous speculation about your political future. Will you serve your six-year term as United States senator from Illinois?” Obama: “Absolutely.”
SEN. OBAMA: I will serve out my full six-year term. You know, Tim, if you get asked enough, sooner or later you get weary and you start looking for new ways of saying things. But my thinking has not changed.
MR. RUSSERT: So you will not run for president or vice president in 2008?
SEN. OBAMA: I will not.
MR. RUSSERT: Senator, thank you very much for your candor and for joining us and sharing your views.
SEN. OBAMA: Had a great time, Tim. Thank you.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6430019/
Meet The Press Transcript for November 7, 2004
Guests: Karl Rove, senior advisor to the president; Senator-elect Barak Obama, D-Ill.; Maureen Dowd, columnist, New York Times; William Safire, columnist, New York Times
MR. RUSSERT: Before you go, you know there's been enormous speculation about your political future. Will you serve your full six-year term as U.S. senator from Illinois?
SEN.-ELECT OBAMA: Absolutely. You know, a little--some of this hype's been a little overblown. It's flattering, but I have to remind people that I haven't been sworn in yet. I don't know where the rest rooms are in the Senate. I'm going to have to figure out how to work the phones, answer constituent mail. I expect to be in the Senate for quite some time, and hopefully I'll build up my seniority from my current position, which I believe is 99th out of 100.
MR. RUSSERT: Barack Obama, we thank you for sharing your views.
SEN.-ELECT OBAMA: Thank you so much.
has Obama done to show that he is able to fight back against Rush Limbaugh and the extreme right wing attack machine? They are already noting his lack of experience as is shown in the Limbaugh transcript below!
This "Parody Song" from Limbaugh mocking Obama lasts for about 90 seconds:
Parody Song: Kennedy Sings Obama Osama 
While I definitely think that a 2008 Obama Presidential candidacy is a joke because of his lack of experience and because of his previous promises NOT to run in 2008, it is very low to compare Obama with Osama Bin Laden!
I would really like to see the media go after Rush Limbaugh again for this kind of stuff like how they did when he mocked Michael J. Fox!
Gen. Clark has already shown that he can fight back when he does not take any crap on FOX News from Sean Hannity, Bill O'Reilly, and Neil Cavuto and when he actually called in to Sean Hannity's radio program to defend Democrats and their patriotism:
http://www.securingamerica.com/ccn/node/7191
Listen to Gen. Wes Clark fight for Dems on Sean Hannity's radio program: An excellent example for all of us to follow and what we all need to be doing to help fight back against extreme right wing Neocon smear propaganda!
But the questions that still have to be asked are what will Obama do about this? Is he tough enough to deal with this or will he sit back, take this kind of crap, and just let this idiot define him like how he did to John Kerry in 2004 which helped to cost him the election?
http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/home/today.guest.html
Parody Song: Kennedy Sings Obama Osama
http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/home/daily/site_121406/content/truth_detector.guest.html
MoDo and Barack Hussein Odumbo
December 14, 2006
BEGIN TRANSCRIPT 
RUSH: Here we go with Barack Obama. As you know, he was up in New Hampshire -- do you know, by the way, TV ads for Barack Obama are going to start airing this weekend? Presidential ads for Barack Obama in New Hampshire start airing this weekend. Hillary, I think, is starting to get panicked because she's called up all of Bubba's old buddies, Carville and Begala and Joe Lockhart, she had them over to dinner to discuss what to do about this. Her team wasn't there. They're all one team, of course, but publicly Carville and Begala have said, (paraphrasing) "Well, we'll help, but we're not officially on the team." That allows them to have more movement and latitude under the radar. Anyway, Obama up in New Hampshire being treated like a god making a speech. Now, apparently before he made the speech, Maureen Dowd had written something about his big ears. Obama, after the speech, made a beeline for Maureen Dowd who was in the audience to tell her that he didn't appreciate her writing about his big ears. Now, there's a lot of noise here and it's very muddy. I'll translate it for you, but here's how it sounded.
OBAMA (off mic): You talked about my ears, and I just want to put you on notice: I'm very sensitive about -- What I told them was, ''I was teased relentlessly when I was a kid about my big ears.'"
DOWD (purring): We're trying to toughen you up
RUSH: "We're just trying to toughen you up." Here is what Barack Obama said."You talked about my ears, and I just want to put you on notice: I'm very sensitive about -- What at I told them was, 'I was teased relentlessly when I was a kid about my big ears.'" Now, there are many aspects of this, folks, that we need to delve into and explore. For one thing, I mean you know me, if the guy's sensitive about his big ears, we need to give him a new name, like Dumbo. But that doesn't quite get it. How about Barack Obama Hussein Odumbo. Well, if he's sensitive -- stop to think about this. This is a man being lauded as the savior of the country, a presidential candidate ready to be anointed, and he can't handle being teased about his big ears? He goes out to Maureen Dowd and says, I am putting you on notice? Is that a threat? I want to put you on notice?
Can you imagine, like I said yesterday, let's say something about me -- I'm very sensitive about whatever it is, X, and the papers write about it and make fun of it. Can you imagine if I sought out Maureen Dowd or anybody and said, "You know, I'm going to put you on notice. I've been teased about that ever since I was a kid, and I don't like it." That would be the whole column the next day about how thin-skinned I am, how I can't take it, this and that, and I am a complainer and a whiner and I was trying to influence objective journalists and so forth. But instead, Mo Do says, "We're just trying to toughen you up." But this is revealing at a lot of levels. It is an overt threat to go out and say, "I'm putting you on notice." I wonder what would happen if McCain did that. McCain, "You don't say that about me! I'm putting you on notice, you hear, sister, you hear?"
Can you imagine what the reaction would be if any Republican went up or any conservative went up to a member of the media and said, "I'm putting you on notice right now." How bullied can the Drive-By Media be by this candidates? Of course, Hillary has her testicle lockbox, and it works. She gets kid-glove treatment, softball questions wherever she goes. We've already attributed this to the testicle lockbox that she has. But here's the next thing, and this is something that everybody seems to be deaf about. He seems fragile. This guy actually seems fragile. He is expecting not to be teased about -- what are the editorial cartoonists going to do with this now? (interruption) Oh some of them will, Mr. Snerdley, some of them will. You know, you were wrong yesterday, and you're going to be wrong today. I bet you yesterday that this Tehran "Holocaust didn't happen" convention would blossom and leave Iran -- and it has -- people seriously debating this now in little oddball corners of the world.
I've already seen editorial cartoons, maybe on conservative websites that are parodying -- that's what editorial cartoonists do, they exaggerate the slightest physical characteristic. But, at any rate, how fragile can he be? He has been given uncritical -- not only uncritical, but fawning positive press coverage for a couple of years now, then one liberal columnist quips about his ears, his ears, and he's fretting about it, and he can't wait to go put her on notice and tell her he doesn't like it because he's been made fun of about it ever since he was a kid. If he's so sensitive about his ears, imagine how his tent will fold when he gets deep into a campaign. Wait 'til Hillary pulls out the testicle lockbox for him in the middle of a campaign, wait 'til Hillary Clinton really gets down and dirty and the guns start blazing, what's this guy going to do? We may have discovered an Achilles' heel. He's not tough enough for this.
I mean, really, I'm not overestimating this, nor am I exaggerating this. I mean, to go out there and say, "I was teased relentlessly when I was a kid about my big ears, I'm very sensitive about it." "We're just trying to toughen you up." That alone means that they know he needs toughening up and that they're going to try to help him along with it. There's a lot to learn in this one little episode. And nobody but us, nobody but me is playing this audio for the very reasons that you and I have discussed. Plus it's tough to hear because it's so muddled.
BREAK TRANSCRIPT
During the break Snerdley continued to argue with me that editorial cartoonists nor anybody else will make fun of Obama over his long-held sensitivity since childhood over his Dumbo-type ears, his elephant ears. Snerdley says, "You don't understand how this is going to play out. His whole method here is to portray himself as just an average guy, and when he goes out there and actually admits that he's sensitive and he was made fun of as a child, well, everybody can relate to that." Yes, but that's not how you deal with crisis. You don't deal with adversity by basically, (crying) "You hurt my feelings! Stop it." You know, you can be Oprah Winfrey and you can be a star on the Oprah show, but you cannot be elected president with that kind of behavior.
Barack Hussein Odumbo, by the way, did not go public with this ear sensitivity thing. He sought MoDo out in the audience, and nobody aired that. Well, I guess it was on C-SPAN, but nobody's picked it up from C-SPAN except, of course, I. He didn't know the microphone was still on when this happened. He thought he was in a private moment with her. So he hasn't gone out there and tried to build this bridge, this bond of relatability with average schlubs. Do you think that's going to play well at union headquarters? I mean, how many of those guys out there are worrying about things they were made fun of? They just smash people that made fun of them. They just get rid of them. Jimmy Hoffa, concrete, Giants Stadium, six feet under. (interruption) Every woman with a child what? Will relate to it? Oh, well, fine, then we stop women from voting in '06 or '08. Don't be silly in there.
END TRANSCRIPT
Read the Background Material...
(Sexy Rock Star Obama Whines About His Ears - 12.13.06)
(UL: Granite Status: More than one Dem eyeing 2008 Senate primary)
(CST: Hamp-sure? NH seems to love Obama)
*Note: Links to content outside RushLimbaugh.com usually become inactive over time.
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http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/home/daily/site_012207/content/truth_detector.guest.html
Obama Madrassa Story Raises Media Hackles
January 22, 2007
BEGIN TRANSCRIPT
RUSH: "Insight, a magazine [last week] owned by the Washington Times, cited unnamed sources in saying that young Barack attended a madrassah, or Muslim religious school, in Indonesia. In his 1995 autobiography, Obama said his Indonesian stepfather had sent him to a 'predominantly Muslim school' in Jakarta, after two years in a Catholic school -- but Insight goes further in saying it was a madrassah and that Obama was raised as a Muslim."
We mentioned this on the program, I guess it was Thursday or Friday. Fox News spent a lot of time on Friday talking about it, and this has led Howard Kurtz to write a piece all about: Gee, this is horrible! This is horrible! They used unnamed sources! They used one source who said this -- and I thought this is just nuts. I love Howard Kurtz. I have no quarrel with Howard, except sometimes he takes me out of context with his audio sound bites because of the need for brevity on his TV show on CNN. Still, here we have the media, the Drive-By Media worried about publishing something without documentation? Ha-ha-ha! Dan Rather, anybody? Unnamed sources are used all the time in the Drive-By Media! Mike Nifong, Duke lacrosse case, any of these unnamed sources close to the investigation? This happens all the time! How about these leaks that come from the Pentagon and state department, they're one-sourced. Now this is horrible. Why, this is terrible! Why, we've gotta get to the bottom of this! We can't allow this to happen! Why, this is not good. Meanwhile, Insight magazine said it was a Clinton opposition research op that came up with this news about Obama, and New York Newsday today has the story, Glenn Thrush in their Washington bureau. (Warshington, for those of you in Rio Linda.)
Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton's pollster "fired an opening salvo at Senator Barack Obama and John Edwards yesterday claiming their campaigns are stalled or falling, suggesting that Obama isn't tough enough to withstand Republican attacks in 2008." Sure he is! Anybody can withstand a Republican attack! Republicans don't attack anybody, not elected Republicans and candidates. They don't attack anybody. They don't get ideological. If Obama is not tough enough to withstand any "attacks," it's going to be the attacks that come from the Hillary camp! "The day after Clinton announced that she would run for president and win, her campaign's chief strategerist Mark Penn sent a memo to reporters intended to offset an avalanche of articles emphasizing Clinton's high disapproval rating and questioning her electability." She gets 41% of the vote out there among Democrats, and that's gotta be shockingly low to them. When you get right down to it, it's gotta be shockingly low given they think they were anointed, that they are entitled, that this is not a cakewalk, but this is something that the country -- not just Democrats, the country -- is supposed to understand what Hillary Clinton has done.
This is her turn! It is her time!
END TRANSCRIPT
Read the Background Material...
(Hillary, Obama and Anonymous Sources)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/blog/2007/01/22/BL2007012200260.html
(Clinton's camp fires first salvo)
http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/nation/ny-ushill0122,0,6959744.story
*Note: Links to content outside RushLimbaugh.com usually become inactive over time.
This is absolutely crazy in my opinion and is NOT the kind of criteria that should be used to pick the next President who will inherit and have to fix the huge foreign policy mess in Iraq (and possibly Iran) that Bush will leave behind to his successor on 1/20/09!
http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0701/22/sitroom.03.html
THE SITUATION ROOM
Are Iraqi Insurgents Moving Beyond Bombings?; Debunking Rumors About Senator Obama
Aired January 22, 2007 - 19:00 ET
HOWARD KURTZ, HOST, "RELIABLE SOURCES": Wolf, the first media controversy of the 2008 presidential campaign has erupted and is raising questions about journalistic behavior.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SEN. BARACK OBAMA (D), ILLINOIS: As many of you know...
KURTZ (voice over): From the moment Barack Obama began talking about running for president, he's drawn an increasingly loud drumbeat of positive coverage.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Barack Obama, the rising rock star.
BILL PRESS, RADIO TALK SHOW HOST: It's about Barack Obama, the rock star.
TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: His rock star popularity...
SEAN HANNITY, FOX NEWS: Barack Obama treated like a rock star.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Huge crowds, literally. They would make a rock star envious.
Didn't Bill Clinton make the exact same promise one year before he ran for president? It is not news that politicians lie. This one is so common that it is not even in the same category with "I did not have sexual relations with that woman." much less "I am not a crook."
In addition I would not want to be bashing ANY Democrats at this point. You never know who might get the nomination, and I'll take any Democrat who's likely to run over any Republican who's running.
am concerned!
2 wrongs (Obama lying about serving out his full Senate term + Bill Clinton lying) do NOT = 1 right!
I am also NOT "bashing," I am just bringing up what I believe is a legitimate point. If I can see this, then you can probably count on the RNC and the eventual GOP nominee also seeing this if Obama ever gets the Democratic nomination!
If Obama knew that this might have been a problem for him, then he should have thought about it more before deciding to break his previous promises not to run in 2008!
Obama still has until Feb. 10 (when he will announce his final decision) to withdraw from the race so that this will not be an issue!
The Democratic primaries are the time for tough questions like this one to be asked because it is much better to find out NOW that this (or anything else such as his obvious lack of foreign policy experience) is a problem as opposed to finding out AFTER he might be nominated when it might be too late to make a change!
Obama is also taking a huge risk by running now in my opinion. If he runs and loses, then this issue can easily be used against him by any serious GOP opponent when he is up for re-election to the Senate in 2010!
that Obama shouldn't run, but if we eliminate every politician who changed their mind about a promise not to run we might not have anyone left to run except Wes.
Which might not be a bad idea, at least for the presidential.
Seriously, I don't see why the Republicans could get any more traction out of this point about Obama than they got out of making the same point about Clinton. He'll just say he changed his mind, that's all. It will be gone by next year, let alone the Senate race of 2010.
I cannot think of anyone running now who promised not to run in 2008 except for Obama!
Hillary promised in her 2000 Senate campaign not to run in 2004 and she kept that promise. She did not make that same promise again for 2008 when she ran for re-election in 2006!
Who are the other politicians running for President now "who changed their mind about a promise not to run?" I honestly do not know who they are!
I do know that Bill Clinton broke a promise not to run in 1992. I also know that I didn't care and I don't know a lot of other people who cared. He wasn't impeached for that lie. What bothers me about Obama is that people don't know him very well and he is inexperienced and he will lose. Hillary, on the other hand, is too well known. She probably has the highest negatives in politics. She will lose.
I'm not just for Wes because he's most qualified, I'm for Wes because he is the only Democrat who can win this time around.
Obama had better learn very quickly how to deal with and respond to extreme right swing "swiftboat" attacks like this that are "not fair" because that is how dirty these kind of people play ball:
http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0701/22/sitroom.03.html
THE SITUATION ROOM
Are Iraqi Insurgents Moving Beyond Bombings?; Debunking Rumors About Senator Obama
Aired January 22, 2007 - 19:00 ET
BLITZER: I'm Wolf Blitzer. You're in THE SITUATION ROOM.
Now to a CNN exclusive. There's been a smear circulating on the Internet and at some conservative news media aimed at Democratic Senator Barack Obama, claims that as a young boy in Indonesia, he was educated in a Muslim religious school of the type that often educates extremists. CNN did what any serious news organization should do in a case like this. We conducted a first-hand investigation and we went right to Indonesia to check out the school that Obama attended as a little boy.
We sent in our correspondent John Vause -- John.
JOHN VAUSE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, I came here to Barack Obama's elementary school in Jakarta looking for what some have been calling an Islamic madrassa, like those that teach violence and hate in Pakistan and Afghanistan. Well, Wolf, I've been to madrassas in Pakistan and this school is nothing like that.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE (voice-over): In the quadrangle of this elementary school, boys and girls age from 6 to 12 neatly dressed in uniform playing together, just as a young Barack Obama would have done almost 40 years ago.
(CROSSTALK)
VAUSE: Here they're taught science and math and practice traditional Indonesian dance. Besuki Elementary follows a national curriculum, just like it did in the '60s and '70s. Take a look at Obama's teachers, women and men, all in Western style dress. There are religion classes once a week. Most of the 450 students are Muslim and are taught about Islam. The handful of Christians learn that Jesus is the son of God. The deputy headmaster tells me he's unaware that his school has been labeled an Islamic madrassas by some in the United States and bristles at the thought.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
VAUSE: This is a public school. We don't focus on religion, he told me. In our daily lives we try to respect religion, but we don't give preference to one or the other." Bandung Winadijanto attended Besuki with Obama. Back then was known as Barry. They were in Boy Scouts together. And he says in all these years, not a lot has changed at his old elementary.
BANDUNG WINADIJANTO, BESUKI ALUMNI: No, it's not an Islamic school. It is common -- I mean, it's general, because there's also a lot of Christian students, Buddhist -- Buddhism students, also Confucian students.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: In fact, Besuki Elementary is typical of almost every school here in Indonesia, except it's in probably one of the wealthiest neighborhoods in Jakarta, not far from the U.S. and ambassadors residence -- Wolf?
BLITZER: John, you say you have been to madrassas, these Islamic religious schools in Pakistan. You've clearly visited this school in Jakarta. Give us a little sense of the difference.
VAUSE: Well, Wolf, this school is just like an elementary school anywhere in the western world in many ways. Right now, moms and dads are dropping their sons and daughters off for another day at school. They'll return and pick them up in the afternoon.
This school was established in 1934 by the Dutch. It has a very broad education. It doesn't folks on religion. It has a very famous alumni. For example, the grandchildren of Indonesia's second president attended this school. The current CEO of Garuda Airlines in Indonesia's national carrier, was also a former student at Besuki Elementary. So this is just a normal elementary school, and there's a good deal of confusion here how it could be confused as being an Islamic madrassa, Wolf.
BLITZER: And I've been to some of those madrassas in Pakistan myself, and when you go in, you oftentimes just see these little boys studying, memorizing the Koran in Arabic even though a lot of them have no clue what they're reading.
VAUSE: Yes, there's no learning of the Koran, no ongoing religious lessons every hour of every day. These kids get a very well-round education. They only go to religion classes once a week. So the religion is taught, as it is in every school run here in Indonesia run by the government. Indonesia, is, after all, a Muslim country, so the government says that Islamic studies are required as part of that curriculum. But also Christian studies as well, as there are Christian kids at this school. Also studies on Buddhism and other religions as well. So there's no one focus on Islam like you would find at a madrassa in Pakistan or Afghanistan.
BLITZER: John Vause doing excellent some reporting for us from the scene. John, thanks very much. It's already Tuesday morning in Jakarta.
And let's get now some background on the anatomy of the smear against Barack Obama. Howard Kurtz of CNN's "RELIABLE SOURCES" takes a closer look at the rumor and the repercussions -- Howie?
HOWARD KURTZ, HOST, "RELIABLE SOURCES": Wolf, the first media controversy of the 2008 presidential campaign has erupted and is raising questions about journalistic behavior.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SEN. BARACK OBAMA (D), ILLINOIS: As many of you know...
KURTZ (voice over): From the moment Barack Obama began talking about running for president, he's drawn an increasingly loud drumbeat of positive coverage.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Barack Obama, the rising rock star.
BILL PRESS, RADIO TALK SHOW HOST: It's about Barack Obama, the rock star.
TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: His rock star popularity...
SEAN HANNITY, FOX NEWS: Barack Obama treated like a rock star.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Huge crowds, literally. They would make a rock star envious.
KURTZ: But in recent days the Illinois senator has had to cope with a rumor pushed by a little-known conservative magazine and amplified by an echo chamber on the right. And the unsubstantiated article tries to blame the whole thing on Hillary Clinton.
"Insight" magazine, which is owned by the conservative "Washington Times," says Obama went to a madrassa, the type of Muslim religious school often associated with teaching the most fundamentalist form of Islam. The article also accused him of supposedly hiding that he was raised as Muslim.
An Obama spokesman calls the story, based entirely on unnamed sources, trash and completely false.
Obama has already revealed in his two autobiographies that he spent two years at a predominantly Muslim school. This, by the way, when he was just 6 years old. The senator today is a Christian who belongs to a Chicago church.
"Insight" also claims the madrassa allegation has been spread by researchers "connected to Senator Clinton." Again, without a single named source or document. A Clinton spokesman calls the piece an obvious right-wing hit job.
The allegations got a big boost from Rupert Murdoch's media empire, with "The New York Post" running this headline: "'Osama' Mud Flies at Obama." And Murdoch's FOX News Channel touted the claims on two programs.
JOHN GIBSON, FOX NEWS: The gloves are off. Hillary Clinton reported to be already digging up the dirt on Barack Obama. The New York senator has reportedly outed Obama's madrassa past.
KURTZ: But as we now know, there is no madrassa past. Obama spokesman Robert Gibbs, who called FOX's broadcasting of the madrassa tale "appallingly irresponsible," says she didn't think much of a clarification carried this morning on the program "FOX and Friends."
FOX News executive Bill Shein says some of the network's hosts were simply expressing their opinions and repeatedly cited "Insight" as the source of the allegations. Some conservatives say Obama should expect his personal life to come under journalistic scrutiny.
JONAH GOLDBERG, EDITOR, "NATIONAL REVIEW ONLINE": I think the background on Obama, when all he's running on is his background, is fair game. If this thing is a lie or a smear, then it needs to be denounced and pelted from the public sphere for being an unfair and untrue allegation.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KURTZ: This, unfortunately, is how the media food chain works. A bogus charge appears in some magazine or on some Web site and works its way up to bigger news outlets, all based on little or no evidence.
What makes the madrassa story unusual is that the false allegations are about a candidate's elementary school nearly 40 years ago, and the attempt to blame this rumor mongering on the rival campaign of Hillary Clinton -- Wolf.
BLITZER: All right Howard, thanks very much -- Howard Kurtz reporting.
And by the way, "Insight" magazine which initially published this rumor, says the story was not thinly sourced. On their Web site, they also say their reporters sources were close to the Clinton opposition, research war room and they confirmed the truth of the story. They're standing by this story right now.
Divide and conquer is the repugs method.
It is stupid to attack Obama when we should be attacking the repugs and the crap they do.
Clark has not declared.. yet.. so we will have people choosing sides early but that does not mean they will stay if Clark declares.
We need to focus on the rethugs, the wars and possible war and our domestic issues.. Not Other Democratic candidates.
This is silly.
Kevin
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rather I am bringing up valid points about him that need to be brought up right NOW during the Democratic primary process!
I am also doing the same thing to Edwards and Hillary as well because they along with Obama are all potential rivals to Gen. Clark if he announces!
If there are any valid points to make about a candidate which can be credibly proven to be true that may come up in the general election, then right NOW is the time to bring them up because once a person is nominated, then it will be too late to make a change without a lot of embarrassment!
I also do NOT think that Obama is qualified to be President and I have the right to express that point of view!
You are completely free to agree or disagree with me BUT I will continue to produce credible opposition research on any serious Democratic candidate who would be a potential rival to Gen. Clark if he announces!
I hope you have noticed that I am also doing credible opposition research on the GOP and their "top tier" candidates Giuliani, Romney, and McCain!
I would vote for almost anybody to be president over ANY neo-con rethug Especially if they are like gdub or connected with gdub.
Kevin
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I don't think it's "attacking" to point out why some people are frankly unsuitable to be President at this point in time. Candidates are applicants seeking a job, and just "wanting" the job and having a fan club backing you are not sufficient qualifications. It's not a popularity contest, it's a very demanding job and it's not a stretch to say that millions of lives depend on the ability of the office holder to perform satisfactorily in the position.
First and foremost, it is a high level management position, and entry level wannabe executives shouldn't be applying in the first place without first availing themselves of some approprriate experience.
I'm getting damned sick of hearing that we have to be nice and all hold hands and "unite" and not point out a candidate's glaring deficiencies, JUST because he happens to be a Democrat. As if one Democrat is as good as any other, and if you've seen one, you've seen them all. I'll throw up if one more person parrots the line that "Democrats have an embarassment of riches" this time around. Manure is "rich" and grows nice vegetables. Embarassing isn't the word for it.
That is not the point. It is not about be all nicey. It is about focusing on attacking "them" not us. When and if Clark declares then I can see valid arguments for showing the differences between candidates and why Clark is more qualified. But... why do we tear down everyone who is not "our" candidate? Makes no sense.
Sometimes I swear we (meaning a lot of people on the left) dig up the dirt and do the attacking so much that the rethugs sit back and laugh.
Kevin
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can be obtained by anybody with half a brain and certainly falls into the category of "common knowledge." To say this stuff is "bashing" is quite a stretch. It PALES in comparison to the hits any of the candidates will take once the nominees are set. The pukes have no morals, standards, or ethical guidelines except, "get elected at any cost."
IMHO, this statement alone is enough to disqualify Obama:
"SEN.-ELECT OBAMA: Absolutely. You know, a little--some of this hype's been a little overblown. It's flattering, but I have to remind people that I haven't been sworn in yet. I don't know where the rest rooms are in the Senate. I'm going to have to figure out how to work the phones, answer constituent mail. I expect to be in the Senate for quite some time, and hopefully I'll build up my seniority from my current position, which I believe is 99th out of 100."
To me, O has fallen for his own hype; I hope the rest of the country discovers this before it's too late. He's NOT ready for prime time. Maybe some day, but not now.
Wes 08
By stating that it is "common knowledge" (or did the info come from newsmax or fauxnews) then that makes it OK to spin it and "swift" it?
What have people here said about what Kos and Chris Bowers have had to say regarding things that were "common knowledge" or should be known? What about when people take the "common knowledge" of things Clark said or did in the recent or distant past and use it to spin against him?
Do we only see things one way?
Kevin
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The info provided here came directly from a transcript of an interview with Obama and was not subject to interpretation. A promise is a god-damned promise. What does that have to do with anything else? As for any political candidate: "If you can't take the heat, then stay out of the kitchen."
Wes 08
I don't view "them" and "us" in the same terms you do, apparently. It's not just D's vs. R's. It's about qualifications and competence. The person who comes out on top in the primaries should be the last man standing because he COULD withstand everything that was thrown at him--not somebody who was coddled to keep his weaknesses under wraps.
But reality does not always work that way.
Read my other response. We all have weaknesses but I believe this is the time that the Democrats should be pushing the positives about their candidate and attacking the rethugs. Clark has not declared but I believe we need to keep pushing his name, what he IS doing and his qualifications.
I do believe it is a "them" and "us" thing right now. There is not one rethug I could or would vote for, they are all guilty of the crimes of the bush regime. I certainly think and know that not all democrats are how I wish them to be but I would have to say that they are all better then these neo-con criminals.
Kevin
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http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,256502,00.html
Congressman Charles Rangel on 'FOX News
Sunday' Sunday, March 04, 2007
WALLACE: Let me move to another subject. Two of New York's top African-American politicians ripped Senator Clinton this week for her attack or the camp's attack on Barack Obama.
And they suggested that may be the reason that Obama has surged ahead of Clinton among black voters in at least one poll. Congressman, are they right?
RANGEL: I read that. I can't speculate as to why there would be an increase in the support, black support, that the senator would be getting. But I think it's good. I think it's healthy.
And voters are fickle and have different reasons for supporting or not supporting candidates. I think it's exciting.
WALLACE: When you say it's exciting, as a New Yorker, are you committed to Hillary Clinton? And wouldn't it be tough for you to sit out the most serious candidacy ever by an African-American politician, and certainly the one with the most serious chance of winning? Wouldn't it be tough for you to sit that one out, sir?
RANGEL: I will not be sitting this one out, so I don't know where you got that idea.
WALLACE: Well, I meant not supporting him.
RANGEL: That's not sitting out an election. Senator Clinton probably will be the favorite daughter of New York state. I am the dean of the New York State Democratic delegation and so there's no question that we will be coordinating a campaign for Senator Clinton.
I have to admit that I did encourage Senator Barack to actually get involved in the campaign. He's young. He's dynamic. And if he doesn't succeed, he gets another opportunity to run for it. But I told him that if he didn't run, he would hate himself for not testing the waters.
WALLACE: Congressman Rangel, we want to thank you so much for coming in and talking with us. And please come back, sir.
RANGEL: Thank you so much.
http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0701/21/rs.01.html
CNN RELIABLE SOURCES
Aired January 21, 2007 - 11:00 ET
KURTZ: I'm going to engage in the same sneaky trick with Clarence Page.
I'm going to read you from your column...
PAGE: Oh, good.
KURTZ: ... on Obama. Among other things, you wrote, "Can he take the heat? Does he have enough experience? Will he be hurt by his middle name, Hussein? Will he quit smoking?"
Why those questions?
PAGE: Did I say that? My goodness. I'm always amazed by what I have to say.
You say why those questions?
KURTZ: And particularly why the question of smoking. Does that hurt him?
PAGE: You know, it's funny. The buzz around is that the smoking charge is going to hurt him worse than anything else, because all the other stuff -- you know, he couldn't help his middle name -- not that it's any dishonor to have the middle name "Hussein."
And at the same time, all the stories about marijuana smoking as a teenager. Who cares? But being a current smoker, my own e-mails in response to that column were running three to one against him smoking and saying that it's going to hurt in this campaign if he doesn't quit.
I remember Bill Bennett had to quit when he became drug czar. Same kind of thing.
KURTZ: Give us a reality check here. Why does Barack Obama, who's been a senator for all of two years, gets this glowing coverage in the media, which continued this week after his announcement?
GOLDBERG: Because he's new. And that's the greatest advantage that he has, the advantage, in many ways, that JFK had.
Senators that hang around too long get stale, they start talking about how they co-sponsored some omnibus piece of this or that, get really boring. He's exciting, he's interesting, he's exotic. He's in many way the anti-Hillary.
I mean, whether fair or not, whether that baggage should be covered, how it's covered, all the rest about Hillary, the American people don't want to have those fights anymore. The right feels about Hillary and Bill the way the left feels about Bush. And what Obama provides is this way out, a way out to start a new conversation.
KURTZ: He's exciting, he's interesting, he's exotic.
GOLDBERG: Yes.
KURTZ: And that's all it takes to dazzle journalists? What happened to our...
GOLDBERG: Where have you been, Howard?
KURTZ: What happened to our innate skepticism to ask questions about, is this guy...
(CROSSTALK)
GOLDBERG: I think he's the Howard Dean of 2008...
KURTZ: Well, here's my take. Obama is an impressive guy, but some of the coverage has just been embarrassing.
In fact, there was a columnist in the "Chicago Tribune" who likened -- the journalist that covered it -- to the shrieks of young girls watching the Beatles in the 1960s. This has created -- this has created an uneven playing field for Hillary Clinton, because the coverage of Obama is so positive, the coverage of Hillary is so, shall we say, skeptical.
But I think that will change on the Obama honeymoon. It can't last forever. That's the way journalists are.
Let's get a break. When we come back, some conservative news outlets are touting a new anti-Obama spin. Is it just a smear?...
KURTZ: Are some conservative journalists smearing Barack Obama? "Insight" magazine, owned by "The Washington Times," said last week that Obama was educated in a Muslim school called a madrassa and has not been forthcoming about his Muslim heritage.
First, Obama is a Christian. Second, he was 6 years old at the time. More important, he writes in his autobiography that he spent two years at a Muslim school in Indonesia. But here's where it gets interesting.
"Insight" magazine claims without citing evidence that Hillary Clinton's camp is spreading these stories. FOX News jumped on the subject, with morning show host Steve Doocy saying that madrassas teach hate -- students to hate the West, that is, and questioning whether that was the curriculum 40 years ago when little Barack was there.
FOX anchor John Gibson picked up the Hillary angle.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOHN GIBSON, FOX NEWS: The gloves are off. Hillary Clinton reported to be already digging up the dirt on Barack Obama. The New York senator has reportedly outed Obama's madrassa past.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KURTZ: Clarence Page, John Gibson said "reportedly." That means that he hasn't done the firsthand reporting. I don't know whether it's true, you don't know whether it's true. And the "Insight" magazine piece cites, you know, just a couple of unnamed sources.
PAGE: I know it's not true. He didn't go to a madrassa. He went to a school that had a predominance of Muslim students in it.
KURTZ: Which he has already acknowledged.
PAGE: Yes. And it's easy to make a call to his office to find this out. That "Insight" story had no named sources. None of these stories that are floating around the Web and through the e-mail -- and I've been getting them in my e-mail box -- none of them are sourced to anybody. But the denials are sourced because it's very easy to find people who can tell you it's not true. But, you know, I mean...
KURTZ: Well, when you say that you know it's not true, how do you know that it's not true?
PAGE: Because I believe -- well, you know, I've got my Chicago skepticism, right? If your mother says she loves you, check it out. And I've checked it out. And it's obvious there's nothing to back up -- there's no evidence that he went to a madrassa, but there's plenty of evidence to deny that he went to a madrassa.
KURTZ: The Obama campaign calls those allegations completely ludicrous.
Is this fair game for the media, what this Muslim school in Indonesia taught Obama when he was 6 years old?
GOLDBERG: Oh, I think it's -- we do these backgrounds, we hear all these stories about Bill Clinton standing up to his stepfather and all that. I think the background on Obama, when all he's running on is his background, is fair game.
If this thing is a lie or smear, then it needs to be denounced and pelted from the public sphere for being an unfair and untrue allegation. But talking about his childhood and all that, he's written two books talking about his childhood and all that. How is that not an issue?
KURTZ: Gloria Borger, on that John Gibson show on FOX News, former Bush spokesman Terry Holt said this could be a despicable act by an absolutely ruthless Clinton political machine if it was true. And he said if it's not true, Hillary should disavow it.
Is that a responsible commentary?
BORGER: No...