Barack Obama coming to Birmingham

[bojack34 2]

Why would I be interested in going to see another racist, black panther who wants to rid the USA of white people. OBAMA=OSAMA

That might be the most ignorant and unfounded statement I've read on this board in a long time. Unless you can find ANYTHING to back up your babbling, I'd suggest you take those comments elsewhere.

Seconded. I'm not planning on voting for Obama unless he were to beat out Hillary and the GOP put a complete and utter boob up against him, but bojack's statement is moronic. Or maybe bojack's an ignorant, backwoods, white-trash, sheet-wearing, n****r lynching KKK member. You know...as long as we're going to exaggerate viewpoints and/or make stuff up about people for the hell of it.

I must apologize for not supplying a link so here it is.osamaOh yeah, TT show me where in my statement that I made a racist remark where on the other hand you went on a rant attacking me as a racist. Maybe I should'nt have labeled him a black panther but if the shoe were on the other foot and a white church would'nt allow a black to join don't you think they would be ridiculed in the media. ANY organization that discriminates based on race is no diffrent than the K.K.K or the black panthers. Notice what Billary's camp thinks about him. osama

[bojack34 2]

Why would I be interested in going to see another racist, black panther who wants to rid the USA of white people. OBAMA=OSAMA

==================

That might be the most ignorant and unfounded statement I've read on this board in a long time. Unless you can find ANYTHING to back up your babbling, I'd suggest you take those comments elsewhere.

Biracial heritage has caused identity crisis

As I imagined myself following Malcolm X's call, one line in his book stayed me. He spoke of his wish that the white blood that ran through him, there by an act of violence, might somehow be expunged.

link

[TitanTiger 20,510]

I must apologize for not supplying a link so here it is.osamaOh yeah, TT show me where in my statement that I made a racist remark where on the other hand you went on a rant attacking me as a racist. Maybe I should'nt have labeled him a black panther but if the shoe were on the other foot and a white church would'nt allow a black to join don't you think they would be ridiculed in the media. ANY organization that discriminates based on race is no diffrent than the K.K.K or the black panthers. Notice what Billary's camp thinks about him. osama

You quoted a lot of people in those links, but not Barack Obama.

Now, time for you to get a clue: I wasn't calling you a racist. I was pointing out that you were making assumptions and making up things about someone by doing the same thing to you. I mean, I had at least as much to go on as you did. Didn't like it? Good. Don't do it to other people and someone won't have to come along give you a demonstration that will hit home.

Oh, and Snopes debunked that "Obama is a closet Muslim" claptrap a while back: http://www.snopes.com/politics/obama/muslim.asp

And why would you trust anything Billary said about anyone, much less someone they're competing against? Don't you realize by now that woman will say or do anything for power?

[TitanTiger 20,510]

Why would I be interested in going to see another racist, black panther who wants to rid the USA of white people. OBAMA=OSAMA

==================

That might be the most ignorant and unfounded statement I've read on this board in a long time. Unless you can find ANYTHING to back up your babbling, I'd suggest you take those comments elsewhere.

Biracial heritage has caused identity crisis

As I imagined myself following Malcolm X's call, one line in his book stayed me. He spoke of his wish that the white blood that ran through him, there by an act of violence, might somehow be expunged.

link

Two things:

1. I hope that in raising the bogey man of Malcolm X, you realize that he was a much different man by the end of his life than that angry racist he was when he first joined the Nation of Islam. In fact, that change and his relinquishment of hatred toward white people is one of the reasons he was murdered.

2. That quote doesn't say what you think it does. Obama isn't echoing the young Malcolm X's sentiment that his white blood be removed from him. He's saying the line struck him and that he knew that would never happen with him and he couldn't imagine where that would leave his white mother in the grand scheme of things. Here's the full quote:

As I imagined myself following Malcolm X's call, one line in his book stayed me. He spoke of his wish that the white blood that ran through him, there by an act of violence, might somehow be expunged. I knew that, for Malcolm, that wish would never be incidental. I knew as well that traveling down the road to self-respect my own white blood would never recede into mere abstraction. I was left to wonder what else I would be severing if and when I left my mother at some uncharted border.

Source: Dreams from My Father, by Barack Obama, p. 80 Aug 1, 1996

Also, if you had read the very next paragraph after the one you only partially quoted, you would have seen what I said about Malcolm X as well as Barack's own sentiments on race:

If Malcolm X's discovery toward the end of his life, that some whites might live beside him as brothers in Islam, seemed to offer some hope of eventual reconciliation, that hope appeared in a distant future, in a far-off land. In the meantime, I looked to see where the people would come from who were willing to work toward this future and populate this new world.

[RunInRed 16,486]

Why would I be interested in going to see another racist, black panther who wants to rid the USA of white people. OBAMA=OSAMA

==================

That might be the most ignorant and unfounded statement I've read on this board in a long time. Unless you can find ANYTHING to back up your babbling, I'd suggest you take those comments elsewhere.

Biracial heritage has caused identity crisis

As I imagined myself following Malcolm X's call, one line in his book stayed me. He spoke of his wish that the white blood that ran through him, there by an act of violence, might somehow be expunged.

link

Two things:

1. I hope that in raising the bogey man of Malcolm X, you realize that he was a much different man by the end of his life than that angry racist he was when he first joined the Nation of Islam. In fact, that change and his relinquishment of hatred toward white people is one of the reasons he was murdered.

2. That quote doesn't say what you think it does. Obama isn't echoing the young Malcolm X's sentiment that his white blood be removed from him. He's saying the line struck him and that he knew that would never happen with him and he couldn't imagine where that would leave his white mother in the grand scheme of things. Here's the full quote:

As I imagined myself following Malcolm X's call, one line in his book stayed me. He spoke of his wish that the white blood that ran through him, there by an act of violence, might somehow be expunged. I knew that, for Malcolm, that wish would never be incidental. I knew as well that traveling down the road to self-respect my own white blood would never recede into mere abstraction. I was left to wonder what else I would be severing if and when I left my mother at some uncharted border.

Source: Dreams from My Father, by Barack Obama, p. 80 Aug 1, 1996

Also, if you had read the very next paragraph after the one you only partially quoted, you would have seen what I said about Malcolm X as well as Barack's own sentiments on race:

If Malcolm X's discovery toward the end of his life, that some whites might live beside him as brothers in Islam, seemed to offer some hope of eventual reconciliation, that hope appeared in a distant future, in a far-off land. In the meantime, I looked to see where the people would come from who were willing to work toward this future and populate this new world.

As usual, well done TitanTiger. Keep up the good fight.

[bojack34 2]

I must apologize for not supplying a link so here it is.osamaOh yeah, TT show me where in my statement that I made a racist remark where on the other hand you went on a rant attacking me as a racist. Maybe I should'nt have labeled him a black panther but if the shoe were on the other foot and a white church would'nt allow a black to join don't you think they would be ridiculed in the media. ANY organization that discriminates based on race is no diffrent than the K.K.K or the black panthers. Notice what Billary's camp thinks about him. osama

You quoted a lot of people in those links, but not Barack Obama.

I got two little girls who are less sensitive than you. Yet you go off ranting and calling people names like a grade schooler.

Now, time for you to get a clue: I wasn't calling you a racist. I was pointing out that you were making assumptions and making up things about someone by doing the same thing to you. I mean, I had at least as much to go on as you did. Didn't like it? Good. Don't do it to other people and someone won't have to come along give you a demonstration that will hit home.

Or maybe bojack's an ignorant, backwoods, white-trash, sheet-wearing, n****r lynching KKK member. You know...as long as we're going to exaggerate viewpoints and/or make stuff up about people for the hell of it.

First of all I am proud of being a backwoods boy. White trash? What do you consider to be white trash? Please do tell! Sheet-wearing? Nice one! N****r lynching KKK member? Yeah, coming to a town near you! You sound just like the Rev. Jesse Jackson going on a rant. KUDOS!

[TitanTiger 20,510]

First of all I am proud of being a backwoods boy. White trash? What do you consider to be white trash? Please do tell! Sheet-wearing? Nice one! N****r lynching KKK member? Yeah, coming to a town near you! You sound just like the Rev. Jesse Jackson going on a rant. KUDOS!

Once again, you utterly miss the point.

And one other thing...learn to use the damn quote function properly.

[bojack34 2]

First of all I am proud of being a backwoods boy. White trash? What do you consider to be white trash? Please do tell! Sheet-wearing? Nice one! N****r lynching KKK member? Yeah, coming to a town near you! You sound just like the Rev. Jesse Jackson going on a rant. KUDOS!

Once again, you utterly miss the point.

And one other thing...learn to use the damn quote function properly.

Yes sir Mr. Administrator. You can't miss whats not there.

[DonCorleone 0]

lol That was funny bojack you still gave no reason for calling obama racist and then got mad because someone called you racist and was joking about it, did you switch sides after 2002 from the dirt road alumni?

[TitanTiger 20,510]

First of all I am proud of being a backwoods boy. White trash? What do you consider to be white trash? Please do tell! Sheet-wearing? Nice one! N****r lynching KKK member? Yeah, coming to a town near you! You sound just like the Rev. Jesse Jackson going on a rant. KUDOS!

Once again, you utterly miss the point.

And one other thing...learn to use the damn quote function properly.

Yes sir Mr. Administrator. You can't miss whats not there.

Oh, you missed it alright. And apparently you're the only one not in on the joke.

[bojack34 2]

First of all I am proud of being a backwoods boy. White trash? What do you consider to be white trash? Please do tell! Sheet-wearing? Nice one! N****r lynching KKK member? Yeah, coming to a town near you! You sound just like the Rev. Jesse Jackson going on a rant. KUDOS!

Once again, you utterly miss the point.

And one other thing...learn to use the damn quote function properly.

Yes sir Mr. Administrator. You can't miss whats not there.

Oh, you missed it alright. And apparently you're the only one not in on the joke.

I provided you with a link backing up my opinion which is more than you can say.

[TitanTiger 20,510]

First of all I am proud of being a backwoods boy. White trash? What do you consider to be white trash? Please do tell! Sheet-wearing? Nice one! N****r lynching KKK member? Yeah, coming to a town near you! You sound just like the Rev. Jesse Jackson going on a rant. KUDOS!

Once again, you utterly miss the point.

And one other thing...learn to use the damn quote function properly.

Yes sir Mr. Administrator. You can't miss whats not there.

Oh, you missed it alright. And apparently you're the only one not in on the joke.

I provided you with a link backing up my opinion which is more than you can say.

And I shredded every link you provided because you haven't yet paired "comprehension" with "reading."

[AU alum 2]

If anyone is interested:

Link

Why would I be interested in going to see another racist, black panther who wants to rid the USA of white people. OBAMA=OSAMA

Because we (Republicans and many Americans) want him to beat Hillary.

[GalensGhost 0]

Lost in all this foolish rhetoric is the fact that Obama is an empty suit with nothing new or insightful to say. runinred is all up his ass, and that's his preorgative, but it would be a good idea for voters who intend to go to the polls to pay more attention to what the candidates have to say and less to their image. This guy has nothing to say.

As for the racial angle, you can't ignore it.

If he were a white guy, he'd be getting zero publicity and would have less than zero credibility. If he were a white guy he wouldn't be in the race at all. He's trading on his blackness to get votes and then expects race not to be an issue. It's the worst kind of double standard in the world. Don't mention his race, but by all means use whatever political currency it provides.

The democratic party has two novelty acts going now. Vote for Shrillary for the novelty of voting for a "woman" (or shrew, dog, horse if you're into electing animals). Vote for this guy for the novelty of voting for a black person so you can prove that you're not a racist.

[RunInRed 16,486]

Lost in all this foolish rhetoric is the fact that Obama is an empty suit with nothing new or insightful to say. runinred is all up his ass, and that's his preorgative, but it would be a good idea for voters who intend to go to the polls to pay more attention to what the candidates have to say and less to their image. This guy has nothing to say.

As for the racial angle, you can't ignore it.

If he were a white guy, he'd be getting zero publicity and would have less than zero credibility. If he were a white guy he wouldn't be in the race at all. He's trading on his blackness to get votes and then expects race not to be an issue. It's the worst kind of double standard in the world. Don't mention his race, but by all means use whatever political currency it provides.

The democratic party has two novelty acts going now. Vote for Shrillary for the novelty of voting for a "woman" (or shrew, dog, horse if you're into electing animals). Vote for this guy for the novelty of voting for a black person so you can prove that you're not a racist.

I’m not even sure where to start with this one. Calling Obama an “empty suit” and saying all of his support is because he is a black candidate is pretty ill-informed if you ask me. For the record, I am an independent, clear-thinking, objective American who is willing to give all candidates a look. Do I like what I see so far out of Obama? You betcha. So according to you, I’m only into him because he is some novelty item…..haha. I’m not sure what “full suit” you are in favor of but let’s examine Obama’s experience, his ideas and his visions:

Experience: As noted in this thread already, he has “two years in the U.S. Senate, seven years in the Illinois Senate., one loss in a primary election for the U.S. House of Representatives, one stirring keynote address at a Democratic National Convention, and two best-selling books." So he’s not a Washington insider – ever thought perhaps that’s some of his appeal? Further, let me remind you that the only three people alive that have executive experience are George H. Bush, Bill Clinton and George W. Bush. Learning on the job is a fact for any President. Look back through history at candidates who won office without a lengthy Washington resume (Lincoln, Roosevelt, heck – even your boy Bush was only a 2 term Governor) and you’ll see your “no experience” argument is laughable

Ideas/Vision: End the War in Iraq (only candidate running who had the insight to see what a bad idea this was from the get go), End the corruption in Washington (can we all say together – closed door energy policy meetings), National Energy Policy, Universal Healthcare, Reconciling Faith and Politics …. I could go on and on – so don’t tell me he has no ideas, no vision and no plans. If you are truly interested in being objective and learning about him – why don’t you do a little research instead of spouting off the usual radical right talking points.

Educate Yourself

Obama is a guy who has dedicated his life to public service, fighting for issues that matter – and for you to come on this board and try to brand his supporters like the talking heads of Fox News try to do only really means one thing: deep down you know what you say is not true. Barack is a guy that is smart, articulate, well-educated, seasoned and some one who I believe truly has the inspiration, motivation, insight, and what it takes to move this country forward. That my friend, is why he has created this buzz, raised the millions and have people like me interested in his candidacy. But for you just to recklessly call Barack and his supporters names really speaks to the flaws in your character and your inability to view politics and the current state of this country through a realistic prism.

[RunInRed 16,486]

For those that still don't understand all the hype and appeal to BO, this article sums it up pretty well:

Race for '08: Obama banks on charisma, ability to motivate

Sacramento Bee | July 09, 2007

By Margaret Talev

Running first in fundraising and second nationally among Democratic presidential contenders, Barack Obama is asking voters to take a leap of faith and embrace the promise of his charismatic leadership to change America.

He's betting that voters will rally behind his motivational style and personal appeal despite his relatively thin national credentials, that they'll choose him as a clean slate for the future rather than restore a Clinton political dynasty, and that they'll embrace his idealistic if vague vision of a unified, post-racial America.

"There is this narrow window that doesn't come around that often -- maybe once a generation -- where we have the opportunity to put our shoulder into the wheel and move history in a better direction," Obama told about 1,000 people Tuesday evening.

They were gathered around a gazebo in the old-fashioned town square in Fairfield, Iowa, where residents are known for their interests in meditation and environmental consciousness.

"That's the moment we're in," Obama exhorted, his voice building steam. "But we've got to seize it.

"If we seize it together," he said, allowing the last word to linger, "we are going to transform the United States of America. It's a matter of who can ignite the American people to build a movement for change."

That's the soul of Obama's message. Many Democrats find it electrifying.

In campaign stops during a two-day swing through southeast Iowa last week, the 45-year-old Illinois senator didn't try to compete with the strengths of his two main rivals who are ahead of him in polls here, the first state to vote in next year's nomination contests.

Obama's depth of experience is no match for Hillary Rodham Clinton's years of national political training. Her eight years as first lady and second-term service as a senator from New York trump his background as a Harvard-trained lawyer, Chicago community organizer, Illinois legislator and freshman U.S. senator.

Nor can he equal the amount of time that John Edwards has invested in cultivating Iowa Democrats. Edwards has all but lived here for the past 18 months.

Even Obama's policy applause lines aren't much different from theirs: Get U.S. troops out of Iraq, make health care coverage universal, mandate more fuel-efficient cars.

But he uses the "shoulder into the wheel" imagery at nearly every stop. He speaks of a "politics of hope," a "hunger" for change and a philosophy that individual fates are interconnected, "that I am my brother's keeper, my sister's keeper."

And when the African American candidate speaks of his implicit promise to lead America beyond race, his cues are evocative, but indirect. He doesn't talk about the challenges he's faced of straddling black and white America, of how he grew up with a white American mother and an African father who left when he was young.

Instead, he talks of being raised by a single mother -- and mentions a grandmother still in Africa. He talks of America having survived harder times, and of moving past eras of war, slavery, segregation, even the civil rights movement.

In a brief interview, moving among fans at a July Fourth baseball game in Des Moines, Obama acknowledged the racial subtext of his stump speech.

"I think that's one division that needs to be bridged. But it's one of many. I also think I've got the capacity to build bridges between Republicans and Democrats, the division between the secular and the religious."

Bridge-builder. Transformer. A new leader for a new era. That's his pitch.

The people who came to see Obama -- at an elementary school in Keokuk, a coffeehouse in Oskaloosa, a backyard in Pella, a July Fourth picnic in a Des Moines park -- covered the spectrum: Democrats, independents, past Bush supporters who regret the war. Most were white.

In any setting, Obama seems to relish the moments after a speech, when adults and children swarm to shake his hand, have a photo snapped or collect an autograph. Some just want to confide in him.

In one receiving line at a backyard gathering in Mount Pleasant, Eleanor Longfield, a modest, gray-haired woman, told Obama that her 37-year-old son, an Army major with three children, was about to be deployed to Iraq for a third time.

She was scared.

Obama placed both hands on the retired nurse's shoulders. He held her gaze and told her he wants to bring the troops home. "I'll pray for you," he said.

As tears welled in her eyes, he hugged her close.

Shaking, Longfield ducked out to compose herself. She headed to a table of lemonade and cookies under a shade tree.

"It's between Obama and Edwards," she said, "but after today I'm leaning toward Obama."

Obama's energy feeds off the crowds.

Before small audiences, he sometimes comes across as professorial, his words and gestures measured. His left index finger jabs the air, his head tilts to one side when he makes a point.

He also can be disarmingly goofy.

In the middle of one speech outdoors, he started coughing uncontrollably, then admitted, laughing, that he'd just swallowed a gnat. He tried to continue but the coughing overtook him.

"Don't film that!" he pleaded to a camera crew, as the audience chuckled. "That's all right. I hadn't had lunch yet -- protein." An aide brought him a drink and he picked up where he left off.

Many here said they didn't expect to settle on any one candidate for months.

Bob Owens, 52, a factory worker in Pella, left an event at a neighbor's home still unsure whether the first-term senator is experienced enough to be president, but he was "very impressed" by his manner and message.

"I thought he came across as very personable, down to earth, family-oriented, well-educated."

[bojack34 2]

For those that still don't understand all the hype and appeal to BO, this article sums it up pretty well:

Race for '08: Obama banks on charisma, ability to motivate

Sacramento Bee | July 09, 2007

By Margaret Talev

Running first in fundraising and second nationally among Democratic presidential contenders, Barack Obama is asking voters to take a leap of faith and embrace the promise of his charismatic leadership to change America.

He's betting that voters will rally behind his motivational style and personal appeal despite his relatively thin national credentials, that they'll choose him as a clean slate for the future rather than restore a Clinton political dynasty, and that they'll embrace his idealistic if vague vision of a unified, post-racial America.

"There is this narrow window that doesn't come around that often -- maybe once a generation -- where we have the opportunity to put our shoulder into the wheel and move history in a better direction," Obama told about 1,000 people Tuesday evening.

They were gathered around a gazebo in the old-fashioned town square in Fairfield, Iowa, where residents are known for their interests in meditation and environmental consciousness.

"That's the moment we're in," Obama exhorted, his voice building steam. "But we've got to seize it.

"If we seize it together," he said, allowing the last word to linger, "we are going to transform the United States of America. It's a matter of who can ignite the American people to build a movement for change."

That's the soul of Obama's message. Many Democrats find it electrifying.

In campaign stops during a two-day swing through southeast Iowa last week, the 45-year-old Illinois senator didn't try to compete with the strengths of his two main rivals who are ahead of him in polls here, the first state to vote in next year's nomination contests.

Obama's depth of experience is no match for Hillary Rodham Clinton's years of national political training. Her eight years as first lady and second-term service as a senator from New York trump his background as a Harvard-trained lawyer, Chicago community organizer, Illinois legislator and freshman U.S. senator.

Nor can he equal the amount of time that John Edwards has invested in cultivating Iowa Democrats. Edwards has all but lived here for the past 18 months.

Even Obama's policy applause lines aren't much different from theirs: Get U.S. troops out of Iraq, make health care coverage universal, mandate more fuel-efficient cars.

But he uses the "shoulder into the wheel" imagery at nearly every stop. He speaks of a "politics of hope," a "hunger" for change and a philosophy that individual fates are interconnected, "that I am my brother's keeper, my sister's keeper."

And when the African American candidate speaks of his implicit promise to lead America beyond race, his cues are evocative, but indirect. He doesn't talk about the challenges he's faced of straddling black and white America, of how he grew up with a white American mother and an African father who left when he was young.

Instead, he talks of being raised by a single mother -- and mentions a grandmother still in Africa. He talks of America having survived harder times, and of moving past eras of war, slavery, segregation, even the civil rights movement.

In a brief interview, moving among fans at a July Fourth baseball game in Des Moines, Obama acknowledged the racial subtext of his stump speech.

"I think that's one division that needs to be bridged. But it's one of many. I also think I've got the capacity to build bridges between Republicans and Democrats, the division between the secular and the religious."

Bridge-builder. Transformer. A new leader for a new era. That's his pitch.

The people who came to see Obama -- at an elementary school in Keokuk, a coffeehouse in Oskaloosa, a backyard in Pella, a July Fourth picnic in a Des Moines park -- covered the spectrum: Democrats, independents, past Bush supporters who regret the war. Most were white.

In any setting, Obama seems to relish the moments after a speech, when adults and children swarm to shake his hand, have a photo snapped or collect an autograph. Some just want to confide in him.

In one receiving line at a backyard gathering in Mount Pleasant, Eleanor Longfield, a modest, gray-haired woman, told Obama that her 37-year-old son, an Army major with three children, was about to be deployed to Iraq for a third time.

She was scared.

Obama placed both hands on the retired nurse's shoulders. He held her gaze and told her he wants to bring the troops home. "I'll pray for you," he said.

As tears welled in her eyes, he hugged her close.

Shaking, Longfield ducked out to compose herself. She headed to a table of lemonade and cookies under a shade tree.

"It's between Obama and Edwards," she said, "but after today I'm leaning toward Obama."

Obama's energy feeds off the crowds.

Before small audiences, he sometimes comes across as professorial, his words and gestures measured. His left index finger jabs the air, his head tilts to one side when he makes a point.

He also can be disarmingly goofy.

In the middle of one speech outdoors, he started coughing uncontrollably, then admitted, laughing, that he'd just swallowed a gnat. He tried to continue but the coughing overtook him.

"Don't film that!" he pleaded to a camera crew, as the audience chuckled. "That's all right. I hadn't had lunch yet -- protein." An aide brought him a drink and he picked up where he left off.

Many here said they didn't expect to settle on any one candidate for months.

Bob Owens, 52, a factory worker in Pella, left an event at a neighbor's home still unsure whether the first-term senator is experienced enough to be president, but he was "very impressed" by his manner and message.

"I thought he came across as very personable, down to earth, family-oriented, well-educated."

I will not argue the fact that he is educated, charasmatic etc., but so what. So was Bill Clinton and we see how that went. The man will do nothing to stop the overwhelming inflow of illegal immigrants. Believe me I realize that Dubya has done nothing either so you don't have to go there. I'm ready for a man like Fred Thompson or Duncan Hunter to take office and put a stop to this mess. We are slowly becoming a third world country thanks to our lack of border control and to me and most Americans that is the number one issue.

[channonc 466]

As far as the hype goes - all I can say is he appears to have the "it" factor - this is a guy who can energize a political lanscape in ways we haven't seen since JFK. He's packing 20k plus for his appearances, raising ridiculous amounts of money (without taking special interest or PAC dollars) and simply put, beating the odds. Not bad for a candidate who's political resume can basically be summed up in "two years in the U.S. Senate, seven years in the Illinois Senate., one loss in a primary election for the U.S. House of Representatives, one stirring keynote address at a Democratic National Convention, and two best-selling books."

Does the hype about Obama have a racial component? Yes. But it is shortsighted to ignore his intellectual ability and charisma. His lack of federal government experience should not be a barrier to him becoming president. Learning on the job is the fact of life for any president, just look at Bush. Also, think about ARNOLD? What political experience did he have before taking over as governor? None. Yet, he will likely win reelection.

My point is that there is no constitutional requirement that Obama spend a specific number of years in the Senate before he can run for and effectively serve as president. At this point, we need someone who really understands the responsibility of president and who is a quick study. Obama seems to have those qualifications.

As far as his age goes, "John F. Kennedy was 43 when he was elected and Theodore Roosevelt was 42 when he was sworn in after the assassination of William McKinley. Obama also wouldn't be the least experienced nominee or president. Wendell Wilkie had never been elected to any office before he became the Republican presidential nominee in 1940. Woodrow Wilson had been New Jersey's governor for two years when he was elected in 1912. George W. Bush served just six years as Texas governor before being elected president."

Lincoln's federal experience was a single two-year term in Congress. His other political experience was in the Illinois state house.

As of next year, Ted Stevens will have been in the Senate for 40 years. He's currently being investigated by a federal grand jury.

An idiot or a crook with political experience is worse than a highly skilled person with limited political experience. If Obama is still standing a year from now, that will be a feat. Right now, though, polls don't matter much. Drawing 20K to an appearance at a time when relatively few voters are paying attention, though, stands out. He has charisma and was well-liked by Dem and Repub legislators in Springfield. If he can stand up to the scrutiny once it really starts, then he may truly have something special.

Ted Stevens should be imprisoned for the Bridge to Nowhere.

That was actually a Don Young provision in the SAFETEA-LU bill in 2005--- it was not a Ted Stevens provision, it was negotiated as a "house provision."

I didn't know that. Why then did Ted Stevens catch all the flack for it?

Probably because he didn't vote "against it" in conference. There were TONS of Member projects in the highway bill, some of them ok, some of them totally absurd. This provison ranked somewhere in the middle and was accepted as a trade for other Members getting their projects.

[TitanTiger 20,510]

I will not argue the fact that he is educated, charasmatic etc., but so what. So was Bill Clinton and we see how that went. The man will do nothing to stop the overwhelming inflow of illegal immigrants. Believe me I realize that Dubya has done nothing either so you don't have to go there. I'm ready for a man like Fred Thompson or Duncan Hunter to take office and put a stop to this mess. We are slowly becoming a third world country thanks to our lack of border control and to me and most Americans that is the number one issue.

Actually, according to the very reliable Rasmussen Reports polling, immigration issues are a distant third and only 7 points above global warming in fourth.

Situation in Iraq 42%

Economy 26%

Immigration 18%

Global Warming 11%

http://rasmussenreports.com/public_content...nomy_top_issues

That's not to say it's unimportant. All of these issues (well, minus the global warming scam) are important. But when you rank them, it falls far down the list.

[bojack34 2]

First of all I am proud of being a backwoods boy. White trash? What do you consider to be white trash? Please do tell! Sheet-wearing? Nice one! N****r lynching KKK member? Yeah, coming to a town near you! You sound just like the Rev. Jesse Jackson going on a rant. KUDOS!

Once again, you utterly miss the point.

And one other thing...learn to use the damn quote function properly.

Yes sir Mr. Administrator. You can't miss whats not there.

Oh, you missed it alright. And apparently you're the only one not in on the joke.

I provided you with a link backing up my opinion which is more than you can say.

And you have yet to provide one single link. Oh yeah just a little note: Snopes was partially wrong. They do sometimes get it wrong you know.Muslim influences

And I shredded every link you provided because you haven't yet paired "comprehension" with "reading."

[RunInRed 16,486]

I will not argue the fact that he is educated, charasmatic etc., but so what. So was Bill Clinton and we see how that went. The man will do nothing to stop the overwhelming inflow of illegal immigrants. Believe me I realize that Dubya has done nothing either so you don't have to go there. I'm ready for a man like Fred Thompson or Duncan Hunter to take office and put a stop to this mess. We are slowly becoming a third world country thanks to our lack of border control and to me and most Americans that is the number one issue.

Actually, according to the very reliable Rasmussen Reports polling, immigration issues are a distant third and only 7 points above global warming in fourth.

Situation in Iraq 42%

Economy 26%

Immigration 18%

Global Warming 11%

http://rasmussenreports.com/public_content...nomy_top_issues

That's not to say it's unimportant. All of these issues (well, minus the global warming scam) are important. But when you rank them, it falls far down the list.

At least he stated an issue that was important to him and made a reasonable statement about which candidates he favors without all the name calling and trash of his previous posts. I can respect that.

Although I will point out, the next administration is going to have to address immigration as it is interconnected with all the areas besides global warming.

[bojack34 2]

I will not argue the fact that he is educated, charasmatic etc., but so what. So was Bill Clinton and we see how that went. The man will do nothing to stop the overwhelming inflow of illegal immigrants. Believe me I realize that Dubya has done nothing either so you don't have to go there. I'm ready for a man like Fred Thompson or Duncan Hunter to take office and put a stop to this mess. We are slowly becoming a third world country thanks to our lack of border control and to me and most Americans that is the number one issue.

Actually, according to the very reliable Rasmussen Reports polling, immigration issues are a distant third and only 7 points above global warming in fourth.

Situation in Iraq 42%

Economy 26%

Immigration 18%

Global Warming 11%

http://rasmussenreports.com/public_content...nomy_top_issues

That's not to say it's unimportant. All of these issues (well, minus the global warming scam) are important. But when you rank them, it falls far down the list.

I would like to know who these people are they are polling. If you talk to the majority of people whose neighborhoods have been greatly affected by illegal immigration it is right up there with the war in Iraq. There is a simple solution to both problems. Bring the troops back home and put them on the borders until we can, a) get enough border control men trained, get the fence we were promised by congress finished.

[TitanTiger 20,510]

And you have yet to provide one single link.

Because I'm not the one making the assertion, you are. This is Logic 101. You put forth the positive claim, it is your responsibility to back it up. You don't get to assert something then cast the burden of proof on me to find links to disprove it. How old are you?

Oh yeah just a little note: Snopes was partially wrong. They do sometimes get it wrong you know.Muslim influences

Well, they didn't this time. Nothing in that article disproves even one iota of what Snopes reported.

JAKARTA, Indonesia (CNN) -- Allegations that Sen. Barack Obama was educated in a radical Muslim school known as a "madrassa" are not accurate, according to CNN reporting.

Insight Magazine, which is owned by the same company as The Washington Times, reported on its Web site last week that associates of Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-New York, had unearthed information the Illinois Democrat and likely presidential candidate attended a Muslim religious school known for teaching the most fundamentalist form of Islam.

Obama lived in Indonesia as a child, from 1967 to 1971, with his mother and stepfather and has acknowledged attending a Muslim school, but an aide said it was not a madrassa.

Insight attributed the information in its article to an unnamed source, who said it was discovered by "researchers connected to Senator Clinton." A spokesman for Clinton, who is also weighing a White House bid, denied that the campaign was the source of the Obama claim.

He called the story "an obvious right-wing hit job."

Insight stood by its story in a response posted on its Web site Monday afternoon.

The Insight article was cited several times Friday on Fox News and was also referenced by the New York Post, The Glenn Beck program on CNN Headline News and a number of political blogs. (Watch how the Obama "gossip" spread )

But reporting by CNN in Jakarta, Indonesia and Washington, D.C., shows the allegations that Obama attended a madrassa to be false. CNN dispatched Senior International Correspondent John Vause to Jakarta to investigate.

He visited the Basuki school, which Obama attended from 1969 to 1971.

"This is a public school. We don't focus on religion," Hardi Priyono, deputy headmaster of the Basuki school, told Vause. "In our daily lives, we try to respect religion, but we don't give preferential treatment."

Vause reported he saw boys and girls dressed in neat school uniforms playing outside the school, while teachers were dressed in Western-style clothes.

"I came here to Barack Obama's elementary school in Jakarta looking for what some are calling an Islamic madrassa ... like the ones that teach hate and violence in Pakistan and Afghanistan," Vause said on the "Situation Room" Monday. "I've been to those madrassas in Pakistan ... this school is nothing like that."

Vause also interviewed one of Obama's Basuki classmates, Bandug Winadijanto, who claims that not a lot has changed at the school since the two men were pupils. Insight reported that Obama's political opponents believed the school promoted Wahhabism, a fundamentalist form of Islam, "and are seeking to prove it."

"It's not (an) Islamic school. It's general," Winadijanto said. "There is a lot of Christians, Buddhists, also Confucian. ... So that's a mixed school."

The Obama aide described Fox News' broadcasting of the Insight story "appallingly irresponsible."

Fox News executive Bill Shine told CNN "Reliable Sources" anchor Howard Kurtz that some of the network's hosts were simply expressing their opinions and repeatedly cited Insight as the source of the allegations.

Obama has noted in his two books, "Dreams From My Father" and "The Audacity of Hope," that he spent two years in a Muslim school and another two years in a Catholic school while living in Indonesia from age 6 to 10.

http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/01/22/oba...assa/index.html

A separate Associated Press report backs up the facts in the CNN report.

And do you read anything you link to or do you just look for random keywords regardless of what order they are in or what they say? You've once again linked to an article that does not prove whatever point you think you're making. That article was about how Muslims view someone that attended a madrassa (which Obama did not) then converted to Christianity.

Give up while you're behind. I'm embarrassed for you.

[bojack34 2]

And you have yet to provide one single link.

Because I'm not the one making the assertion, you are. This is Logic 101. You put forth the positive claim, it is your responsibility to back it up. You don't get to assert something then cast the burden of proof on me to find links to disprove it. How old are you?

Oh yeah just a little note: Snopes was partially wrong. They do sometimes get it wrong you know.Muslim influences

Well, they didn't this time. Nothing in that article disproves even one iota of what Snopes reported.

JAKARTA, Indonesia (CNN) -- Allegations that Sen. Barack Obama was educated in a radical Muslim school known as a "madrassa" are not accurate, according to CNN reporting.

Insight Magazine, which is owned by the same company as The Washington Times, reported on its Web site last week that associates of Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-New York, had unearthed information the Illinois Democrat and likely presidential candidate attended a Muslim religious school known for teaching the most fundamentalist form of Islam.

Obama lived in Indonesia as a child, from 1967 to 1971, with his mother and stepfather and has acknowledged attending a Muslim school, but an aide said it was not a madrassa.

Insight attributed the information in its article to an unnamed source, who said it was discovered by "researchers connected to Senator Clinton." A spokesman for Clinton, who is also weighing a White House bid, denied that the campaign was the source of the Obama claim.

He called the story "an obvious right-wing hit job."

Insight stood by its story in a response posted on its Web site Monday afternoon.

The Insight article was cited several times Friday on Fox News and was also referenced by the New York Post, The Glenn Beck program on CNN Headline News and a number of political blogs. (Watch how the Obama "gossip" spread )

But reporting by CNN in Jakarta, Indonesia and Washington, D.C., shows the allegations that Obama attended a madrassa to be false. CNN dispatched Senior International Correspondent John Vause to Jakarta to investigate.

He visited the Basuki school, which Obama attended from 1969 to 1971.

"This is a public school. We don't focus on religion," Hardi Priyono, deputy headmaster of the Basuki school, told Vause. "In our daily lives, we try to respect religion, but we don't give preferential treatment."

Vause reported he saw boys and girls dressed in neat school uniforms playing outside the school, while teachers were dressed in Western-style clothes.

"I came here to Barack Obama's elementary school in Jakarta looking for what some are calling an Islamic madrassa ... like the ones that teach hate and violence in Pakistan and Afghanistan," Vause said on the "Situation Room" Monday. "I've been to those madrassas in Pakistan ... this school is nothing like that."

Vause also interviewed one of Obama's Basuki classmates, Bandug Winadijanto, who claims that not a lot has changed at the school since the two men were pupils. Insight reported that Obama's political opponents believed the school promoted Wahhabism, a fundamentalist form of Islam, "and are seeking to prove it."

"It's not (an) Islamic school. It's general," Winadijanto said. "There is a lot of Christians, Buddhists, also Confucian. ... So that's a mixed school."

The Obama aide described Fox News' broadcasting of the Insight story "appallingly irresponsible."

Fox News executive Bill Shine told CNN "Reliable Sources" anchor Howard Kurtz that some of the network's hosts were simply expressing their opinions and repeatedly cited Insight as the source of the allegations.

Obama has noted in his two books, "Dreams From My Father" and "The Audacity of Hope," that he spent two years in a Muslim school and another two years in a Catholic school while living in Indonesia from age 6 to 10.

http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/01/22/oba...assa/index.html

A separate Associated Press report backs up the facts in the CNN report.

And do you read anything you link to or do you just look for random keywords regardless of what order they are in or what they say? You've once again linked to an article that does not prove whatever point you think you're making. That article was about how Muslims view someone that attended a madrassa (which Obama did not) then converted to Christianity.

Give up while you're behind. I'm embarrassed for you.

Did you read my post? I did'nt say he was a Muslim. I just noted he had Muslim influences. He even has a Muslim name, it was taken straight from the Koran.

I did'nt ask you to provide a link to dissprove what I said about Obama but what you said about me being a white trash, Klansman. Maybe instead of going straight to Logic 101 you should have paid more attention.

[TitanTiger 20,510]

I will not argue the fact that he is educated, charasmatic etc., but so what. So was Bill Clinton and we see how that went. The man will do nothing to stop the overwhelming inflow of illegal immigrants. Believe me I realize that Dubya has done nothing either so you don't have to go there. I'm ready for a man like Fred Thompson or Duncan Hunter to take office and put a stop to this mess. We are slowly becoming a third world country thanks to our lack of border control and to me and most Americans that is the number one issue.

Actually, according to the very reliable Rasmussen Reports polling, immigration issues are a distant third and only 7 points above global warming in fourth.

Situation in Iraq 42%

Economy 26%

Immigration 18%

Global Warming 11%

http://rasmussenreports.com/public_content...nomy_top_issues

That's not to say it's unimportant. All of these issues (well, minus the global warming scam) are important. But when you rank them, it falls far down the list.

I would like to know who these people are they are polling. If you talk to the majority of people whose neighborhoods have been greatly affected by illegal immigration it is right up there with the war in Iraq. There is a simple solution to both problems. Bring the troops back home and put them on the borders until we can, a) get enough border control men trained, get the fence we were promised by congress finished.

Given that Rasmussen's record of accuracy (they were the most accurate of all the national polling services, coming within half a percentage point of both Bush and Kerry's final vote tallies in the 2004 election), I'd say they are polling a statistically accurate sample of the American people.

I'm sure if you limit your polling to certain areas, the immigration issue might be much higher, just as if you poll an area where a bunch of factories and other businesses have recently closed, the economy would rate much higher. Poll near a major Army base and the Iraq war is probably foremost on their minds.

But if you understand how to poll using truly random samples you get a composite of the American people overall and they rank immigration much lower.