OlderBarack Obama Picks Joe Biden For VP
Democratic presidential hopeful Sen. Barack Obama has chosen Delaware Sen. Joe Biden to be his running mate, reports CNN.
Biden, 65, is chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. He has four children, one of whom is deceased. Background info via Wiki: In 1966, while in law school, Biden married Neilia Hunter. They had three children, Joseph R. “Beau” Biden III, Robert Hunter, and Naomi. His wife and infant daughter died in a car accident shortly after he was first elected to the U.S. Senate in 1972. His two young sons, Beau and Hunter, were seriously injured in the accident, but both eventually made full recoveries. In 1977, Biden married Jill Tracy Jacobs. They have one daughter, Ashley.
Obama and Biden will face off in the November 4 presidential election against Republican John McCain, who has not yet announced his choice for VP candidate.
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121 Comments
Bad choice. *thumbs down*
Great choice. Joe is a straight shooter who will tell it like it is. Look forward to the VP debate. Change is in the air. Obama ‘08 !!!!
It’s not yet confirmed. How about you wait until it’s actually confirmed before putting it up as a given?
what the heck happend with HILARY OBAMA?!
OBAMA 08!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
please, another republican is just gunna make america even worse! so vote obama!
Good pick
Now let’s see who McCain will pick
I’m betting on Romney, which would be a way to please Conservatives
shoots, i was hoping he’d pick hillery. I won’t be voting for him, now!
Hillary Loser lovers, He would never pick Hillary you delusional idiots!
She was not even on the short list.
BIDEN IS A GRRREEAAAATTTT Choice!
OBAMA/BIDEN 08!
suck it McCain!
Hillary Loser lovers, He would never pick Hillary you delusional idiots!
She was not even on the short list.
BIDEN IS A GRRREEAAAATTTT Choice!
OBAMA/BIDEN 08!
suck it McCain!
OH NOOOOOOOOOOOOO
what happened to Caroline Kennedy ????????????
DRAG
Smart choice. I thought he would do that.
it’s simple; obama and hilary hate each other. so why would he want to choose her for his vp candidate. he wants someone he likes; someone he wants to work with. not someone he can’t even stand to be in the same room with
faraday @ 08/23/2008 at 1:19 am
It’s not yet confirmed. How about you wait until it’s actually confirmed before putting it up as a given?
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Do you watch the news at all? It is confirmed.
M, you need to take your medicine. Obama is a Christian, I daresay, he is more devout in his Christian faith than McCain. However, it is sad that you are religiously intolerant.
obama 08 ya’ll !!
now obama has no chance of winning.
i mean the only way he would of had a good chance of winning would of been by getting hilary, which we all kno wasn’t gonna happen.
ohh well say hello to prez Mc Cain
this country is in for some deeper ****.
he will lose and its still going to be a Republican Pres. America is not ready for a black Pres.
Personally, I’m not surprised at the Biden pick, he’s been on the top of the list for a while now. I’m also really glad he didn’t choose Hillary. Not that I have anything against Hillary, but as #12 said, Obama and Hillary aren’t on good terms and it is best that they keep their distance from one another.
happy @ #18 STFU
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Either people are very young here or they have not studied history.
Kennedy and Johnson hated each other. Despite his many flaws, Kennedy had the guts to pick the best VP candidate.
Luckily for many in this country, Johnson became the president that Kennedy never could have been.
Biden is a terrible choice. He has always been the egotistical & vain high school jock type. He is not even close to brilliant - not even in the ballpark. I await his first embarrassing gaffe on the campaign trail. Perhaps he’ll reiterate how “clean and articulate” Obama is. Or perhaps he’ll remind everyone that you need an Indian accent to go into 7/11s. My this is going to be rich.
Obama made over 4 mil dollars in the last two years and gave $26,000 to Rev Wrights Church, but leaves his half brother living in a shack without electricity or water, what kind of person does that.?..one who is all about himself….even staff members who work with him call him OBAME. Joe Biden is the poorest member of the Senate with a net worth of minus -$300,000…yep, that is who I want to listen to on the economy and money matters
No matter how many houses the McCains own, I am sure it is less than John Kerry
Obama is very weak on most matters of State
@ #24
Obama’s half brother’s mother doesn’t even know where he is, how would Obama of someone he doesn’t know.
While were are on the topic of family, CINDY McCAIN inherited her fathers multimillion dollar beer empire and acts like an only child. But her father had a daughter before Cindy and she was “NOT GIVEN A PENNY” and Cindy continuously claims she is an only child.
When her dad died, Cindy cut off all of her sister’s credit cards.
Look it up.. McCain and his wife are greedier than we originally thought!
Eff yeah!!
Obama/Biden ‘08
Obama/Biden will lose in November and I will work hard to ensure it. I am no longer a Democrat after tonight.
FLUSH THE OBAMA MOVEMENT!
im loving all this info on all the canidates life and stories, wow ppl u really do ur research
Joe Biden is a great choice. OBAMA ‘08
@ #23
The problem is that Hillary isn’t the best VP candidate, no offence but get real.
Sure she’ll bring him the votes that would insure him a victory but in the long-run, the woman is no good.
Wow, many factual claims are made but where is the PROOF. If you can’t even provide a credible link to wikipedia with these allegations then why do you bother to post.
And yes, a factual claim (his brother lives in a shack, his wife cut off her half sisters allowance etc etc ) are claims. Quite different to stating your opinion - for e.g. I don’t think Hilary isn’t the best VP even if you have NO reasons to back up your opinion.
YEAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! THANK GOD IT IS NOT HILLARY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Wow, he has proven to Hillary she is not the end all be all. He cna
make his own decisions Hillary, win or lose, he did not pick YOU. How dare she and her supporters put pressure on him to pick her? Go Barack. I love your choice. ObamaBiden ‘08!!!!!!!
Great choice, Obama needs a man with experience on his side and the Dem party have all had their say and they have chosen Biden. His a ‘jock’???? nearly the whole american population are ‘jocks’ so it’s not like you can’t identify with him. He has just as much experience as McCain, and people won’t die of BOREDOM when he opens his mouth.
#24 Obama owes nothing to his half brother if it really is his brother, his father probably fathered kids from here to timbuktu does Barack have to be responsible for all of them??/?? HIS NOT THEIR FATHER!
People have to have a little faith and work damn hard for change it takes time, patience and commitment. If you just want to quit and give up the fight for change for a better America then VOTE MCCAIN and have yourself 12 YEARS OF BUSH oh sorry McCain. The Rebulicans way of politics won’t change with McCain if you believe that, you also believe pigs really do fly and your sh*t really doesn’t stink.
VOTE OBAMA 08!!!!!!
GIVE CHANGE A CHANCE, HELL THE WORLD NEEDS IT!
So the first minority presidential candidate shuns the first woman candidate for a………….drum roll……..another white man. There’s ‘change’ for you. HIllary’s supporters will ensure he loses for this ego driven choice…….didn’t want to share the limelight…no wonder Bill hates him. Obama has an ego the size of texas. I don’t care what the haters think of HIllary, she deserved the nod. I’m a liberal, but GO MCCAIN.
Did you people really think that Hillary was in the running to be VP?!?! She didn’t want it anymore than Obama did. This is best for all.
Hillary would have been a great President, but she would be stifled as Vice President. She didn’t want the VP position — she wanted President. In the absence of that, all agree that Senator is a great place for her.
As Senator, she can affect the nation on foreign as well as domestic matters, and bring experience to the table on important committees. There are many people who have been great statesmen and helped the country who could not be President — Henry Clay, Bob Dole, and even Ted Kennedy can do wonders from the legislative branch. That is Hillary’s role.
Choosing a middle of the road man with foreign policy experience is a good idea. Especially one who can deal with Republicans as well as Democrats.
Change is what we need, but you need to convince people. Obama has the rhetoric, but Biden can bridge the gap to the Congress. It does no good to speak well if you don’t get the Congress to follow you. He needed someone who had been around and built relationships there to do that.
Biden shouds stir things up a bit, :)
He will stand up to McCain and not take any cr*p from the republicans,
Biden is like a cheaper version of McCain. How can you advertise a emssage of change and then pick a guy who’s as ‘washington’ as they come.
Barack, you a dumbass. And this is coming from a European.
McCain cannot be trusted. He will say and do whatever works for him at the moment, whether it’s in shady deals or in campaigning, or voting on bills.
When you can smear Max Cleland, who is a decorated war hero who lost three limbs appear to be less patriotic than a lying weasel like **** Cheney, Bush, Rumsfeld, etc, and sleep at night, you are evil, and that is who McCain is in bed with.
Here is the link showing the false stories used to bury McCain, who later grew to love his attackers for expediency’s sake (can he be trusted?):
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dave-johnson/john-mccain-2000-the-swi_b_30654.html
For a decorated war hero who came back and devoted his life, with only one limb remaining, to continuing to serve this country, this passage is from sourcewatch.com, a bipartisan database correcting false claims on both sides. It describes what Max Cleland suffered, which McCain protested, then thought the guys doing it were great because they could win doing it, so let’s go join them!:
Political Slanderings
Max Cleland lost the 2002 general election to Republican Saxby Chambliss. A key element in that loss was a negative ad that challenged Cleland’s votes in Congress on the formation of the Department of Homeland Security.
The text of the ad is as follows:
“As America faces terrorists and extremist dictators, Max Cleland runs television ads claiming he has the courage to lead.
“He says he supports President Bush at every opportunity, but that’s not the truth.”
“Since July, Max Cleland voted against President Bush’s vital homeland security efforts 11 times.”
“But the record proves, Max Cleland is just misleading.”
The issue in 2002 was civil service protections for Homeland Security employees, which Bush opposed and Cleland supported. The ad failed to point out that Cleland supported the creation of a Department of Homeland Security before Bush did. Cleland originally co-sponsored the enabling legislation and eventually supported it, but as the bill moved through Congress, he cast a number of votes against it in hopes of getting a better bill. The Republican attack ads made it look as though Cleland was voting against Homeland Security itself, and one TV ad morphed Cleland’s face into Saddam Hussein’s while suggesting that Cleland was indifferent to the safety of the American people. This ad was so disgusting that Republican Sens. Hagel and McCain both protested it]
In February 2004, “vitriolic right-wing ideologue” Ann Coulter wrote that Cleland should not be referred to as a war hero, as he had lost his limbs in a routine non-combat misssion. Regardless of the exact circumstances of the explosion, or its non-relation to the prior battles for which the stars were given, it is worth noting that Cleland was awarded a Silver Star “for gallantry in action” at the battle of Khe Sanh.
Caroline Kennedy was never a candidate for the VP slot. I read that she would be chosen as the ambassador of the US to the UK. I think Obama’s choice is good and I’m glad he didn’t let all of the media get to him by picking Hilary Clinton. He made his own decision. Just because he’s the first black man running doesn’t mean that he’s obligated to put a woman as his VP; he needs who he feels can help him improve the country.
Oh and Obama does have a half brother. I think CNN did an interview with him and he lives in Africa but I don’t think it is necessary for Obama to help him out (nor am I saying he shouldn’t) because his brother even stated that they have only met twice and that meeting Barack was like meeting a complete stranger.
Obama is a communist. I do not want to live in a communist country without freedoms. He along with Pelosi and Reid will destroy America
So much for change….
Its hilarious to read from posters that Biden is a great choice. Obama picked someone just like McCain. Biden and McCain are both old, both have been in the Senate a long time, both supported the beginning of the war, both are experienced in foreign policy. McCain should be proud. This is a lesson for the young people. In politics there is no such thing as change. Obama will say anything just to get the young votes. I hope McCain wins.
idiot, do you have proof he’s a communist? your just throwing random accusations out like that. and obama is a CHRISTIAN. why do you think there was so much hype around his extremeist REVEREND?! People need to think before you post.
Don’t you see, guys? Obama had no choice but NOT to pic Hillary. I mean, all of her gaffes, and the one outstanding one during the primaries where she practically called for his assassination, sealed the deal and made it impossible for him to choose her. Besides that, her and Bill’s behavior, right up until last week where she insisted on making it all about her in having a night practically to herself and forcing this ridiculous symbollic roll call, rather than going with the flow like a REAL Democrat and wholeheartedly supporting the nominee, even though it’s not you, made Obama’s choice for him.
Also, let’s not forget how The Clintons roll — or I guess I should say “steamroll.” If Obama made the mistake of chosing her, she and Slick Willy would undermine every frickin’ plan, idea, or utterance that came out of his mouth, to ensure that he was embarassed by the American people. Bottom line is, The Clintons, they’ve shown, by showing their asses all through the primaries and up until now, CANNOT be trusted.
So, I say, if you bat$hit crazy Hillary for President or Vice President or Nothing people feel the need to vote for McCain instead, go ahead. You’ll just continue to feel the consequences that we as a country are feeling already after 8 years of Bush. And you won’t be considered REAL Democrats — just crazy Hillary supporters who don’t know when to say “when.” Go ahead and cut off your noses to spite your faces. And then I for one don’t want to hear a damn thing about how rough it is and how many soldiers are still coming back from Iraq and Afghanistan maimed or dead. Don’t want to hear any more about the high price of gas. Don’t want to hear any more about the bad economy or the embarassing image of our leader abroad. Just will turn a deaf ear to it because of ya’lls inflexibility, and predjudice, and yes, racism. I will turn a deaf ear to those complaints because YOU will have contributed to all of that with your McCain pick. So go ahead and do that, Dummys. And suffer the consequences.
Obama ‘08 !! Obama ‘08 !! Obama ‘08 !! Obama ‘08 !! Obama ‘08 !!!!!!!
Dutch @ 08/23/2008 at 8:10 am
Biden is like a cheaper version of McCain. How can you advertise a emssage of change and then pick a guy who’s as ‘washington’ as they come.
Barack, you a dumbass. And this is coming from a European.
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It’s called “balance,” Dumb-Dumb.
Obama ‘08 !! Obama ‘08 !! Obama ‘08 !! Obama ‘08 !! Obama ‘08 !!!!!!!
Look into his background and he is a communist with communist mentors. His speeches of change come from the Communist manifesto. Why would people want him to change this nation so drastically.? He is for taxing the heck out of people and large government. He believes in the collective not the individual. Just this week he was talking about how wonderful China’s communist society is. He constantly trashes America. Look into universal health care and what it really means. He knows nothing about how to protect us. Please just consider this as we will be affected.
hm @ 08/23/2008 at 1:53 am
M, you need to take your medicine. Obama is a Christian, I daresay, he is more devout in his Christian faith than McCain. However, it is sad that you are religiously intolerant.
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And racist, I might add.
Obama ‘08 !! Obama ‘08 !! Obama ‘08 !! Obama ‘08 !! Obama ‘08 !!!!!!!
ok so kennedy and johnson hated each other. was it a good thing for the united states of america. i don’t think so. johson became the president that kennedy never was?? please that man embroiled the united states of america in a war in vietnam. a war we had no business fighting. that was a good thing for america?? the opposition to the vietnam war within the ranks of the democratic party, among other things, forced johnson to resign.
in any case, i want a president and vice president who like each other and will work together as a team. not two people who hate each other. those days are over.
oh and as for johson being a great president; i’ll tell you what. you go to the vietnam war memorial. find the names of all those men whose names are on that wall between the years of 1964 and 1968. look up some of those men and ask them what they thought of johnson as president. you can’t find them can you. that’s because all the men whose names are on that wall are dead. they died over in vietnam.
Jared.. finally a few intelligent people decided to visit your website and lave a few meaningful comments. You should learn from that because 99% of your other treads are visited by imbeciles.
Anyway…. # 47, 23 and a few others - I can’t agree more with you!
#33
It is so sad that you claim you “are a liberal, but go Mccain.”
If you are a true liberal then you would never in a million years let Mccain take over and repeat the same old story in Washington.
We are never going to like every single detail of anyone, but Obama is the clearest choice for change in America. Think realistically what you are doing to the country if you change your “liberal” vote just because your ego is bruised that he didn’t choose Hillary. Come on, don’t be silly here….our country’s prosperity and future depends on CHANGE! NOT Mccain!
I am a TRUE Liberal!……Vote OBAMA/BIDEN ‘08
I hate Obama and his wife as far as their radical crap. Why do you people want to lose your freedom and be taxed to death?? I don’t understand
For all you people talking about not voting for Obama because of Hilliary, get ready! You would rather have another Republican be in office instead of this black man (1/2 african american). Well get ready because gas and food prices will continue to go up and we will be in recession for many years to come. Say good by to the young kids out there when they initiate the DRAFT!!!! Say hello to more body bags! McCain is war hungry. Iran is ready for McCain after his little comment. He will be much worst than Bush!!!!! Laugh now but get ready for all the tears to come up under another Bush policy. Idiots!!!!!! America’s true colors!!!! Idiots!!!! By the way Hiliary supporters can all you guys afford another Bush policy? Know this, not all Barack supporters will suffer at the hands of McCain. LOL!!!! Idiots
Bad bad choice. Are you kidding?? Did he really pick the loser Biden that everyone dislikes and can’t trust. Bad choice Mr. Obama.
YEAH!!!
OBAMA 08
kae @ 08/23/2008 at 11:16 am—- DITTO!!!!
groundcontrol @ 08/23/2008 at 3:06 am
Kennedy and Johnson hated each other. Despite his many flaws, Kennedy had the guts to pick the best VP candidate.
*****************************************************************************
I remember the 1960 campaign very well. Kennedy picked Johnson because his team advised him he had to pick a southerner to balance the ticket. Once Kennedy was elected, he practically ignored Johnson while Johnson was VP.
Anybody who thinks Hillary would help Obama get elected is deluding themselves. I like Hillary a lot; she’s the senator from my state and she’s a damn good one, but there are too many voters out there who absolutely hate her for some reason or another. They would vote for McCain just to vote against Hillary.
For those of you are afraid of universal health care - it is the one of the most compasionate things to do. Just look at England and most european countries - they live longer and thrive from universal healthcare. Only those of you who have never had a problem and not able to afford to go to a doctor or take your kids or get medicine are against this. Congress and all the armed forces have universal health care - why not extend it to the rest of the country. There is always the option of paying privately if you don’t want or like the care. As it stands now those who have some form of health care and mostly inadequate, pay out of there own pockets either right from the paycheck for insurance or send a check to some company each month. How is that different than the national health system in England where money is taken out of the paycheck for health services? Only in england everyone gets help when they need it and that’s the way it should be. If we can’t, don’t and won’t take care of our own then we have no right being in other countries taking care of them. Charity begins at home.
GREAT CHOICE. OBAMA/BIDEN!!!!!!!
This guy looks like he’s meant to appeal to the ‘more right-wing’ democrat audience. He even kind of looks like John McCain.
YEAHHHHHHHHH GO OBAMA!
I definitely dont like how the economy has been socked by high fuel prices which in turn has affected the world economy.. But, I have seen an economy under Jimmy Carter where we really did have issues… 17% home interest rates, 10% unemployment, I was young but it was an awful time for my family.
The war has taken its toll on our national debt, but, other than that how as the economy been so bad over the past 8 years?
I am by the way a Clinton supporter.
OBAMA BIN la DEN
Basically, Obama picked someone, who’s not going to get any spotlight at all.
Very poor choice, I’m not voting for him now for 100%.
xyz @ 08/23/2008 at 1:31 am shoots, i was hoping he’d pick hillery. I won’t be voting for him, now!
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Ditto. Obama just lost my vote.
GO McCain!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Will be interesting to see who McCain picks.
Romney or Condaleeza Rice…………
Vanessa @ 08/23/2008 at 1:22 am
what the heck happend with HILARY OBAMA?!
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Contrary to popular belief there wasn’t a chance for the Obama/Hilary ticket to happen. The word is that there were no overtures made to her for the job. Obama gets enough flack for his lack of experience already,. Hilary wouldn’t up that experience as VP. If he was desperate he might have gone with Hilary. No knock against Hilary but I can’t imagine her being VP. She wants the Presidency lol. Her and Obama would clash all the time.
Obama will now really lose. I thought after his “coronation” in Europe by the press (not by the people I must emphasize, and I live in germany) Biden is a rotten selection. He has a loose mouth and is
just as liberal as Obama. It will be MCcain in November I can
just feel the change in the air….even after the mightiest efforts on
behalf of almost all the media!!!!
I’m SO disappointed! Joe Biden is a fine man, but he’s a man. And an old white man to boot. I hope to see a woman in - or near - the White House before I die, and the clock’s ticking!
Well, all this talk is great honestly and it is terrific to read some really informed comments from posters, BUT I hope you ALL are planning on VOTING in the election. We will never make a difference if we don’t vote!
VOTE VOTE VOTE>>>get informed, pick your candidate and VOTE!
I know I will.
VOTE ‘08
A lot of people are down on Biden, in your comments can you be specific about policies and things he has done to form the opinion you have of him; other than the fact that he’s a MAN, he’s a bad choice , he has a loose mouth and other such comments. Those don’t really help in understand your resistance to him.
If the choice for VP is going to change your vote for Obama, then you really weren’t a supporter of Obama. Nothing about Obama has changed. If you’re willing to risk 4 more years of what we’ve had in the past 8, by all means be spiteful and vote for McCain. Afterall it’s YOUR choice. Just don’t complain about it for the next 4 years.
ObamaFan @ 08/23/2008 at 9:53 am
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
I amLOVING you right now!!!! Love your post. So true, to the point and intelligent. Yeah!!! I am so happy today. I loev the Hilalry supporters who says she did nto want VP. YEAH RIGHT!!!!! Hahahahaha. Her pundits, Bill and everyone has said how she should be VP. Thank God Obama stood up to them. How dare they pressure him? How dare she? Hillary: It’s over . Bubuye!! No matter what happens in November, Barack has shown his character by not picking that awful combative Hillary. Obama-Biden ‘08!
TERRIBLE CHOICE!
GO HILLARY
hahahahaha. that makes me laugh since biden himself said awhile back that obama isn’t prepared to be president and doesn’t have enough experience. i hope that bites them both in the ass.
Oh come on, guys. Some of you need to get over the whole Hillary thing. I can’t believe I’m seeing posts saying “Go Hillary!”. She’s not in the race. Period. Concentrate on the actual candidates.
And for those of you saying “Obama just lost my vote” just because he picked Biden, get a friggin’ grip. Don’t get me wrong now, I don’t want anyone thinking that I’m telling them who they should vote for. But would you rather see Obama/Biden in the White House, or McCain and his VP? I don’t know about you, but even if I DIDN’T like Biden, I’d still vote for Obama, because I do NOT want to see another Bush in the White House, which is exactly what McCain is….another Bush.
And for the record, I think Biden is a great choice.
Wow. People here are idiots.
to groundcontrol @ 08/23/2008 at 10:34 am
As for the Viet Nam war, many lay that on Johnson but it was Kennedy who escalated the war in Vietnam.
In his inaugural address Kennedy made a vow to pay any price to help Allies resist any foe to assure the survival of liberty. Of note is that Kennedy was interested in using Special Forces for counterinsurgency in third world countries threatened by communist insurgences.
History bears witness to what happened afterwards.. With the failure of the Bay of Pigs (huge mistake), the construction of the Berlin Wall and the agreement between Laos and the communist movement Kennedy was desperate to curtail the spread of communist. He felt another failure would damage the credibility of the U.S. with it’s Allies and his own reputation. He was determined to take a strong stand against communist forces and felt Vietnam would be the perfect place.
Kennedy increased the U.S. presence in Vietnam. Kennedy was of the opinion that the Vietnam people would fight their own war, but this did not happen because of the poor quality of the military and corruption, leading to more insurgency.
Eventually some in the CIA and others in the military realized the President Diem could not overturn the insurgency and plotted to have him killed. He along with his brother was executed without Kennedy’s knowledge or permission.
With the country now in chaos, Kennedy increased U.S. presence yet again to16,000 military ‘advisers’ to cope with rising guerrilla actives. Seeing that wasn’t working, Kennedy tried to turn to winning the hearts of the Vietnam people. The military leadership in the U.S. was opposed to anything other than the U.S. training the Vietnam troops. As in Iraq and Iran, the U.S. had little practical knowledge of the insurgency.
Kennedy had sent helicopters to Vietnam and formed the joint-U.S. South Vietnam Air Force, he also had sent in the Green Berets. By this time the U.S. were hip deep in the war. Kennedy soon tried to find a way to get out of the war, but didn’t know how. He even sought the advise of Canadian Prime Minister Pearson.
So it was Kennedy who escalated the war in Viet Nam. Yet people still think of him as a great President. He was a likable President, but not great. Johnson continued his support of the war because he really didn’t think that Vietnam was a priority. He continued to send troops to Vietnam. But he could hardly just pack up and leave as we see with the war today.
Still Johnson made many strides for the American People. While Kennedy lived long enough to get us into one of the worse wars of our time, Johnson lived long enough to make many reforms in civil rights and education. He was a champion of the space program, Medicare, Medicaid and the war on poverty.
based on what i’ve seen during the primaries i would NOT have voted for a Obama-Clinton ticket. i WILL vote for Obama-Biden with some reservations but i will be voting, nonetheless
Obama-Biden 2008!!!
oh and i am a WOMAN of color
Go Obama-Biden!
just exactly how is this man a communist? contrary to what you may
believe; being a liberal and having genuine concern for the well-being
of american citizens who are not as fortunate as others does make him the man a communist. His speeches of change are exactly what america needs. you ask why americans want him to change america drastically? well, let’s see we have millions of people who have no access to the health care; either because they make too much money to qualify for government help or they had to choose between health care premiums and a roof over their heads.
we have a man in the white house who lied about there being weapons of mass destruction in iraq in order to justify his sending american troops into that country to be killed. we have other nations who have lost all respect for the united states of america. we have americans who are putting canadian, australian, british, etc flags on their luggage; almost any flag other than our own. why? because
people in other countries are so angry with us it’s easier to let them believe we are not americans.
as to what universal health care means, well i’ll tell you i live in canada right now. i pay 37.00 a month for my health care. i need to go to the hospital i just show them my health care number. when i’m finished i leave; no paying out any money. if i have a heart attack health care covers it. i don’t have to pay thousand of dollars out of my own pocket. is canada’s health care system perfect; not hardly. but i will take it over the health care system i lived under when my husband and i were living back home.
hillary 2012
Most you who are commenting here are ******* and blatant racists. Because he did not pick Hillary you will vote for another party. You want to dictate to him who to pick because he is black. I found your comments very patronising, you will never dictate who to pick if it were a white candidate in the place of Obama. I thought America is a democratic country, people have freedom of choice etc, but a lot of you sound like bloody racists to me. During the campaign Hillary did everything in her power and beyond politics to run Obama out of the race. She constantly attacked him personally, all the name calling and leaking of inaccurate personal information to humilate him. She never attacked other candidates with same ferocity, now you all want him to pick someone who will not only undermine him in office but will want to hijack the President Office as her own and ridicule him at every opportunity. You’re all idiots. If you don’t want to vote for him because he is black at least be bold to say so than being a coward. You can bloody vote for whoever you like but don’t come here and leave your racist comments. I found them offensive! And some of you should commenting need to go back to school because your english are bad.
Most you who are commenting here are ******* and blatant racists. Because he did not pick Hillary you will vote for another party. You want to dictate to him who to pick because he is black. I found your comments very patronising, you will never dictate who to pick if it were a white candidate in the place of Obama. I thought America is a democratic country, people have freedom of choice etc, but a lot of you sound like bloody racists to me. During the campaign Hillary did everything in her power and beyond politics to run Obama out of the race. She constantly attacked him personally, all the name calling and leaking of inaccurate personal information to humilate him. She never attacked other candidates with same ferocity, now you all want him to pick someone who will not only undermine him in office but will want to hijack the President Office as her own and ridicule him at every opportunity. You’re all idiots. If you don’t want to vote for him because he is black at least be bold to say so than being a coward. You can bloody vote for whoever you like but don’t come here and leave your racist comments. I found them offensive! And some of you commenting need to go back to school because your english are bad.
Betty @ 08/23/2008 at 1:09 pm
Dina @ 08/23/2008 at 1:12 pm
john @ 08/23/2008 at 2:41 pm
?? @ 08/23/2008 at 11:11 am
Spiegel @ 08/23/2008 at 8:59 am
Paulie @ 08/23/2008 at 3:43 am
Sunny @ 08/23/2008 at 1:37 am
NOTHING TO SEE HERE FOLKS! JUST KEEP ON ABOUT YOUR BUSINESS!
I think he went with an obvious choice. He needs someone with a lot of foreign policy experience. Heck he needs just needs someone with experience.
Just grateful it’s not John Edwards!
so you think johnson was a great president? like someone said before; go to the vietnam war memorial. find the years 1964 through to 1968. look up some of the men on that wallask them what they thought of president johnson. you won’t be able to because they are all dead. they died in a war that was esclated under the leadership of president johnson.
he continued to send troops to vietnam. under that man’s leadership thousands of american men died and countless number of vietnam vets continue to suffer from injuries they got in that war. a great president would have done everything necessary to put an end to that war. johnson did not; instead he sent more men to their deaths.
Change what happen to the new Washington …Bidens been around for 36years (six more than McCain)…Obama just confirmed everyones doubts … hes not ready and lacks experience…if he really wanted to show that he had good judgement (to win)he would have picked Hillary (even though I CANT stand her) Thanks OB you just handed the election to McCain!!!!!!
to 76 @ 08/23/2008 at 5:42 pm
I didn’t say Johnson was a great president. I was responding to the statement that he was responsible for the Vietnam war and listing what he DID accomplish during his administration. That’s for history to judge as to whether he was great, not me. The fact is if Kennedy had not set on Vietnam as some way to save face we wouldn’t have lost all of those soldiers. You might say that our fate was sealed on that decision.
You expected Johnson to accomplish what President Kennedy couldn’t , getting out of the war. If Kennedy had lived we would have still had the same outcome that is Vietnam, maybe worse. The conspiracy theories regarding his death my not have been all that far fetched. If you think Kennedy had a plan to get out, you are wrong. When he asked the Prime Minister of Canada what to do, he said ‘get out. Kennedy told him he knew that, but HOW? How could he and save face? He would have continued sending troops in too.
They knew less then about Foreign Affairs and insurgency than we do today. We still got ourselves in the mess that is Iraq. Again they underestimated the enemy. Now it’s left up to someone else to try to clean it up or end up the fall guy.
I would appreciate it if you are going to address a comment to me to at least use your screen name.
Team Lara Croft @ 08/23/2008 at 2:39 pm ObamaFan @ 08/23/2008 at 9:53 am
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
I amLOVING you right now!!!! Love your post. So true, to the point and intelligent. Yeah!!! I am so happy today. I loev the Hilalry supporters who says she did nto want VP. YEAH RIGHT!!!!! Hahahahaha. Her pundits, Bill and everyone has said how she should be VP. Thank God Obama stood up to them. How dare they pressure him? How dare she? Hillary: It’s over . Bubuye!! No matter what happens in November, Barack has shown his character by not picking that awful combative Hillary. Obama-Biden ‘08!
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Thanks Team Lara Croft. At least someone out there understands.
:-)
Of course, Obama got Biden to run by his side for VP. Biden is more experienced than Obama in many ways. So, it was no surprise that he would pick someone that has more experience than him. Obama is going to be relying on Biden for everything.
If Hillary had won for the democratic nomination, she probably would have hired a black woman, like Rice, to be her VP…. or maybe another minority, male or female.
Given some of the clueless comments I’m still reading on here, I think this is worthy of a repeat:
Don’t you see, guys? Obama had no choice but NOT to pic Hillary. I mean, all of her gaffes, and the one outstanding one during the primaries where she practically called for his assassination, sealed the deal and made it impossible for him to choose her. Besides that, her and Bill’s behavior, right up until last week where she insisted on making it all about her in having a night practically to herself and forcing this ridiculous symbollic roll call, rather than going with the flow like a REAL Democrat and wholeheartedly supporting the nominee, even though it’s not you, made Obama’s choice for him.
Also, let’s not forget how The Clintons roll — or I guess I should say “steamroll.” If Obama made the mistake of chosing her, she and Slick Willy would undermine every frickin’ plan, idea, or utterance that came out of his mouth, to ensure that he was embarassed by the American people. Bottom line is, The Clintons, they’ve shown, by showing their asses all through the primaries and up until now, CANNOT be trusted.
So, I say, if you bat$hit crazy Hillary for President or Vice President or Nothing people feel the need to vote for McCain instead, go ahead. You’ll just continue to feel the consequences that we as a country are feeling already after 8 years of Bush. And you won’t be considered REAL Democrats — just crazy Hillary supporters who don’t know when to say “when.” Go ahead and cut off your noses to spite your faces. And then I for one don’t want to hear a damn thing about how rough it is and how many soldiers are still coming back from Iraq and Afghanistan maimed or dead. Don’t want to hear any more about the high price of gas. Don’t want to hear any more about the bad economy or the embarassing image of our leader abroad. Just will turn a deaf ear to it because of ya’lls inflexibility, and predjudice, and yes, racism. I will turn a deaf ear to those complaints because YOU will have contributed to all of that with your McCain pick. So go ahead and do that, Dummys. And suffer the consequences.
Obama ‘08 !! Obama ‘08 !! Obama ‘08 !! Obama ‘08 !! Obama ‘08 !!!!!!!
I am all for John McCain. I am a Hillary supporter. If McCain wins, then Hillary for 2012. Go Hillary! Go McCain!
Those over 18 million who voted for Hillary … where will all her votes go? McCain is the name.
Some people don’t see quality and blessed fortune on behalf of all Americans even when it looks them straight in the face! Haters will never change and, yet, most profess to be conservative “Christians”. Most Republicans I have known throughout the years are the most narrow-minded , selfish, and uptight people on the Planet. Just look at those who work at Fox News.
With having picked a powerful team mate such as Senator Biden, I am even more deeply committed to casting my vote on behalf Senator Obama.
Although I voted for Senator Clinton in California, the media would have ripped she and President Clinton to shreds with the Democratic Party going down the tubes in November had Senator Obama placed her on the ticket. Being an intelligent and thoughtful politician, he has made the right decision!
Obama-Biden ‘08!!!!
ok jaye, you want my screen name here it is. you say ” fact is if Kennedy had not set on Vietnam as some way to save face we wouldn’t have lost all of those soldiers. You might say that our fate was sealed on that decision. ” that is a complete cop out and allows president johnson to escape responsibility for his actions. he was and is directly responsible for what took place in vietnam after he became president. johson had the power, as commander in chief, to order home all the military troops/advisers; he did not.
in 1962 kennedy sent 4,000 troops to vietnam; later he sent he expanded the number of advisors from 15,000 to 16,000. however, in 1966 president johnson sent more than 200,000 troops to vietnam. and as well know, it esclated from there. the vietnam issue may have started with kennedy but president johnson was responsible for the escalation.
what ever good he may have done at home is negated by his escalation of the war and his failure to end it. the men who died in vietnam under his presidency is testament to that.
It may be for naught. Obama is being sued in Philadelphia District Court for inelligiblity to be President. Seems there are issues with where he was really born and if he has always remained a US Citizen given what school records in Indonesia say regarding him (namely, Barry Soetoro, Indonesian Citizen and Muslim). The rumor about his birth place is that he was really born in Kenya (as his grandmother on his dad’s side and two half-siblings say). If so, his mother was too young when he was born to transfer “natural born” citizen status to him making him inelligible. Ought to be an interesting convention! Hillary fans, don’t lose hope. There may be a change!
Annie, you obviously don’t watch Fox. It isn’t News any more. It is more National Enquirer TV, and most of its anchors are moderate to liberal.
Joe Biden is a good choice and he will make a good VP. Hillary lovers: this is a lot bigger than one person…this is about the future of our planet. Do you really want 4 more years of the Bush policies?
Hillary Clinton is a great senator and she can continue to do an enormous amount of worthwhile work in the senate. She might actually be more productive in the senate. As president, you know she would have been stymied by the Republicans at every turn.
Support Obama/Biden!!! They will make a fantastic leadership team for America!!!!!! The whole world is rooting for them!!!!
Thanks to Jaye for her accurate posts about Vietnam. Earlier today I wrote a long post responding to “to groundcontrol” but I did something with a finger and it all went up in internet smoke. I HATE when that happens.
As for me, as someone who fought long and hard to get us out of Vietnam I don’t need to be lectured on the fact that many, many died in that worthless cause. I probably personally know more names on that wall than most here. I worked to get doves elected and hawks defeated. Nothing made me prouder than working on Charles Goodell’s NY Senate campaign and he was - gasp - a republican. But he was an incredible man and a true dove. Those were different days.
Our involvement in Vietnam started during Truman’s years and was continued and escalated by each president thereafter. I have no reason to believe that Kennedy would have handled it any different than Johnson did. Kennedy was very much a hawk and not very courageous politically.
But despite my vehement opposition to the war I cannot deny the greatness of President Johnson on domestic issues. There is no way that Kennedy would have ever gotten all that landmark legislation passed. Kennedy neither had the savvy, the experiece, nor frankly the will to do it. He and Bobby were too worried about winning re-election. Despite the mythology that has arisen since their deaths, neither did very much for the civil rights movement during the Kennedy Administration. They were, in my opinion, both moral cowards.
Johnson actually cared very much about the poor and minorities. His history is replete with his work on their behalf. Perhaps it was because he came from a dirt poor background. If you are really interested then read some of Robert Caro’s books on LBJ - particularly the first one. Johnson used every trick he could to get life saving and life affirming laws enacted - he cajoled, he weedled, he twisted arms, he probably even blackmailed legislators, to get them to vote for legislation - especially the racist Southerners - they never dreamed they would agree to support.
As for the war, it was still very popular among the American people while LBJ was in office. Heck, it was still popular in 1969 during the moratorium. Despite someone’s earlier inaccuracy in this thread, LBJ was never forced to resign by the democratic party. Aren’t they teaching history anymore in high school? That’s a laughable assertion. The Dems were beside themselves with panic when LBJ chose not to run in 1968. It was a foregone conclusion that he would have won. But LBJ to his credit decided that he needed to start to resolve the war and did not want anyone to be able to say that his actions and negotiations with the Viet Cong were politically motivated because of the presidential campaign. Least of all the Viet Cong. It was an incredible sacrifice because LBJ loved power. He loved being president. It must have killed him to make that decision.
In any event the whole point of my earlier post was that healing a party takes putting your own ego and personal dislikes aside. Kennedy did it with Johnson. Reagan did it with Bush. Obama should have done it will Clinton. It is clear now form the reports that he never considered her for one minute. She was not even vetted. Perhaps that is the most disturbing aspect to the 50% plus of the Democratic party that voted in the primaries. It doesn’t surprise me though.
When I was a lobbyist my committees were the 4 foreign affairs related ones. Senate For Relations, For Affairs in the House and the 2 Appropriations Subcomtes - For Ops. I watched and worked with Biden’s office close up for years. He is not the genius he thinks he is. He does have an enormous ego that doesn’t serve him well. And even though I could count on his staff to normally get his vote for our issues, I never liked him. As far as I’m concerned he’s just a blowhard who is in the pocket of the Credit Card companies who are the scum of the earth.
So in my opinion, it’s a bad choice. But given their egos and their behavior they are a perfect match.
Unlike some here, I have seen no evidence and I have no faith that Obama with his lack of real experience and his ever changing positions can resolve our problems in Iraq or our problems with the economy. As Biden has already said earlier int he campaign, Obama’s not ready to be president.
Not a fun election for me at all. Unless Biden again challenges someone to a sophomoric battle of the IQs. Now that would be worth a laugh.
sunny @ 08/23/2008 at 9:33 pm …
Hillary Clinton … might actually be more productive in the senate. As president, you know she would have been stymied by the Republicans at every turn.
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What does this even mean? Do you realize that the Democrats control both the House and the Senate. The Dems will probably even pick up seats in both chambers in the upcoming elections. Why in the world would Hillary have a problem with the republicans that any other Democratic president wouldn’t also have? At least Hillary has shown that she can win bipartisan support in the Senate - which is amazing since they were set to hate her and they ended up working with her and respecting her. Just like Hillary won over the more conservative and republican upstate New York.
See this is the problem. People who don’t even understand how the government works somehow think that magically Obama will be a good president. Are there specifics you can point to besides that he reads a speech well? He sure isn’t very good in debates which is why he avoided them like the plague. I predict we’ll not see much debating in the general election either.
Jill @ 08/23/2008 at 11:35 am .
Anybody who thinks Hillary would help Obama get elected is deluding themselves. I like Hillary a lot; she’s the senator from my state and she’s a damn good one, but there are too many voters out there who absolutely hate her for some reason or another. They would vote for McCain just to vote against Hillary.
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Jill, I thought you might be interested in this item.
It’s from June 2007, when Biden was still running for President:
Senator Hillary Clinton (D) now has the highest level of base support among the major candidates running for President. Twenty-nine percent (29%) say they would definitely vote for the former First Lady if she’s on the ballot in 2008. However, Clinton is also just one point below the highest level of core opposition this month–46% say they would definitely vote against her.
On that count, only Senator Joe Biden (D) scores higher (47% would definitely vote against Biden).
http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_ … te_for_her
Now this, of course, was before Hillary started to gain in popularity in the primaries. I have always thought that the negatives on Hillary were outdated and media driven. Just like the misogyny.
But there you have it, another argument against Hillary up in a poof of smoke.
Peace.
I love it! Obama picks someone, who mere months ago says “Obama isn’t ready to be president. It’s not a position to get on-the-job-training.” Ah good times.
Hi groundcontrol,
enjoyed all of your posts…I think you put closure on some things that I had suspicions about re: Biden.
Thanks
Annie @ 08/23/2008 at 8:05 pm
Some people don’t see quality and blessed fortune on behalf of all Americans even when it looks them straight in the face! Haters will never change and, yet, most profess to be conservative “Christians”. Most Republicans I have known throughout the years are the most narrow-minded , selfish, and uptight people on the Planet. Just look at those who work at Fox News.
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ITA with you, Annie. In fact, that sounds just like that damn, sniffiling, whiny Elisabeth Hasselback on “The View,” who thinks her misguided Fox views are much more important than ANY opposing view, and cries on cue every time she gets read and is told about herself on the air. I’m so sick of that B*tch. She’s obnoxious. I wish they’d replace her at least with a more even-minded Independent.
Great choice! Obama/Biden 08!!!!!!
hhmmm…….i think mccain can match that by picking a BLACK GUY for VP……COLLIN POWELL ANYONE?….i like collin powell, i wish he is the one running for resident ……but mccain’s running mate isn’t tht bad….MCCAIN/POWELL for 2008!…lol
Obama/Biden ‘08
The Winning Ticket!
I notice alotta ppl bringing up Barack being a Communist, and how he’s gonna bring Communism into America.
Lol Americans again … luv u guys, but u must admit u are pretty funny and think in some strange ways ….
No jobs, a widening economic gap, soaring fuel prices, Muslim fundamentalist attacks, a trade deficit, and a war that has plunged the country into major debt … and ppl are still frightened of Communism, of all things.
I just think … that is pretty funny.
And really ****** dumb.
to ground control
that president johnson cared very much for the poor and minorities is not even in question. nor his is record on race relations in question. if that was total sum of his legacy all would be well and good. what is at issue is president johnson’s conduct of the vietnam war between the years of 1964 and 1968; when he was commander in chief. no matter how hard you may try you cannot separate the vietnam war from president johnson’s legacy. as truman famously said “the buck stops here” (or words to that affect. )
as for jack and john kennedy being moral cowards; gosh i don’t know. i think they both proved themselves during the october crisis when they stared down the russians over cuba; and won. since my dad was in the united states airforce at the time and i was not even born yet i am more than grateful. but you are right they did seem to be pre-occupied with getting re-elected a good deal of the time. but in all fairness, it’s hard to say what president kennedy would have done on the issue of race relations etc. if he had lived. or for that matter what bobby kennedy would have done as president if he had lived. i suppose one could make reasonable assumptions but that’s all they would be.
as for johnson being forced to resign; well as we both know historical events even those in the not distant past are open to interpretation.
After the Tet offensive of January 1968, his presidency was dominated by the Vietnam War more than ever. As casualties mounted and success seemed further away than ever, Johnson’s popularity fell. oppositon to the war increased. i think you can agree with this assessment. i also think, although i admit i could be wrong, that a large part of the problem was that the american public was not used to fighting a war we were not winning. there was not clear sign that the enemy was being defeated.
On March 12, 1968 McCarthy won 42% of the primary vote to Johnson’s 49%, an amazingly strong showing for such a challenger. Four days later, Sen. Robert F. Kennedy of New York entered the race. Internal polling by Johnson’s campaign in Wisconsin, the next state to hold a primary election, showed the President trailing badly. Johnson did not leave the White House to campaign. Johnson had lost control of the Democratic Party, which was splitting into four factions, each of which hated the other three.
The first comprised Johnson (and Humphrey), labor unions, and local party bosses (led by Chicago Mayor Richard J. Daley). The second group comprised students and intellectuals who were vociferously against the war, and rallied behind McCarthy. The third group comprised Catholics and african americans; they rallied behind Robert Kennedy. The fourth group was traditional white Southerners, who rallied behind George C. Wallace and his third party. Vietnam was one of many issues that splintered the party and i don’t think Johnson could see any way to unite the party long enough for him to win reelection. also, i think johnson believe that he might not make it through to another term. so for the good of the party; he felt he had no choice but to leave. circumstances left him no choice.
@Vanessa @5:17pm, 08/23/08 #12
I am a die heart Hillary supporter. I disagree with you saying that Obama hates Hillary, the press have made you people believe that bull. The two people were in a primary and bidding for the same job. I went all the way with Hillary and she came up short and now I do support Obama and the democratic party. I am so excited about him picking Biden as his Vice Presidential choice. I still love Hillary and wished she had won. Hillary was a Republican in 1964 and she was in charge of Barry Goldwater’s campaign and she did a good job but she was not happy with that party and she became a Democrate and the Democrates welcomed her with open arms and she does remember that. Hillary will not be bitter and she will always be a total Democrate and will see to it that the democrates will forever be the party of the people.
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# 423 onmyown @ 08/23/2008 at 7:12 pm # 405 dina #1 @ 08/23/2008 at 4:37 pm
You miss the train called logic.
I am not talking about his religion or for that matter his upbringing. If Obama didn’t want to be identified as a Muslim, all he had to say is this: I am a Christian, a product of a Christian mother, and a Muslim father. PERIOD.
YOU CAN CHANGE YOUR RELIGION GAZILLION TIMES, BUT YOUR HERITAGE IS PERMANENT - regardless of the suit he wears, Ungaro or Walmart.
Instead, he went out of his way to declare an open hostility towards Muslim voters. Most reasonable US voters will accept him as he is - an intelligent African American with Muslim descent. PERIOD. IN FACT, the poll is overwhelmingly in favor of this historic event. - an African American with Islamic descent ! And no matter how you spin his heritage, he is the product of a White Christian mother, and a Muslim father. His step father is also a Muslim, and while his grandparents on his mother side are Christians, his genetic bearings on his father side are hundred generations of MUSLIM - that you cannot SPIN.
That Obama chose to be a Christian is his every right, but that does not erase his genetic bearing of Muslim origin, on the father side. That he chose an admirable and equally intelligent woman, Michelle Obama, is to his credit.
That your friend married a Muslim, is even more wonderful. These are NOT the thrust of my argument.
But these are:
To openly embarrass Muslim American voters by throwing them out of his rallies and putting them all the way back where they cannot be seen is UN AMERICAN. IT ONLY FUEL THE NOTION THAT HE HAS A HIDDEN AGENDA. Or at worst, an open invitation and an excuse for another attack and fueling Anti-Muslim sentiments, thereby PANDERING anti Muslim voters. Why aggravate the situation ? These insensitive acts are marginalizing 1.6 billion Muslim. There are over 1.2 million eligible Muslim voters. Why would Obama openly disparage these voters who are so willing to attend and rally for you ?
9/11 is not his burden to carry. We know the root cause of the evil act are radical Al Qaeda. Most Muslim do not identify with these terrorist group. Terrorism grows out of being marginalized. Obama is just too intelligent to have missed that point.
He could have used his heritage if he wanted to, and build bridges between “them and us” Instead - he openly declare that Muslims are neither welcome nor a part of his campaign.
If Obama can sell 1.6 billion Muslim and pander their integrity for the Office of the President of the United States, then what makes you think he will not sell you for a “Piece of Gold” ?
Is it really worth it ?
If he can sell an entire culture of which he is genetically a part of, I have no doubt, he will sell USA down the river towards Putin’s Russia.
FOR OIL.
OPEC WATCH: REDUCE OIL PRODUCTION AND RAISE OIL PRICES AGAINST USA.
marilyn @ 08/24/2008 at 5:37 pm
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Marilyn, thanks for your thoughtful and interesting take on events back in the day. You make some good points.
In those days primary wins were usually not tied to delegates. Delegates were chosen separately usually by party leaders so there really wasn’t much doubt that LBJ would still have ended up with the nomination. It really didn‘t matter what percentages McCarthy, got he wasn’t going to get the nomination. Neither probably was Bobby. I don’t quite agree with your take on the party splits and what they meant in reality for the nomination tough. Johnson never lost power with the party leaders and that’s what counted in those days. But I do think that Johnson sensed that the war was going to become even more divisive and that he couldn’t do both at the same time - campaign for the presidency and work on resolving the war.
Though he obviously didn’t resolve the war, he did make the supreme political sacrifice in an effort to do so. I also think that you can separate domestic and war policies when assessing an administration. Historians do it all the time. Many presidents accomplish very little if anything. That is what I was referring to when I felt that LBJ ended up with a great legacy. LBJ changed so many lives for the better with his programs and legislation. It was truly a revolutionary time and despite my youthful protests against the government I can still appreciate that the Johnson administration’s efforts truly changed this country for the better.
I am reminded that my boyfriend and I had a huge fight over the Chicago convention. He sided with the police ( and I guess Mayor Daley) and he wasn’t in the minority. The majority of voters and people in general thought the protestors were awful. I almost broke up with him because of it.
By the way, I was also a military brat. Army. Living in Florida during the Cuban missile crisis as my parents waited for the word whether my dad was going to have to leave for Washington while we could hear SAC nuclear armed aircraft constantly in the air. Scary times but my parents always made us feel safe. In a childlike way I had complete confidence in my dad and I think in turn that made me have confidence that the US could handle any threat. I was never afraid of the Russians - I had read that they didn’t even know how to make washing machines properly so I figured how could they possibly produce effective missiles. Anyway, my father and I were quite at odds over my rather vocal opposition to the war. At times our disagreements broke my heart.
Thanks again for your input.
Peace.
To #’s 41, 65 & 73.
Fox news is not biased to certain candidates. They are truthful and criticize all candidates equally.
Obama was crazy for picking Biden and the only reason he picked Biden is because he is trying to counter balance Bidens experience with his inexperience. Biden even said before that Obama wasn’t ready. Hillary is not my favorite at all, but she received over 18 million votes and Biden only received a couple of thousand. It’s common sense.
What McCain needs to do is appoint Condaleeza Rice that will take care of those votes. She is awesome and takes no crap off of no one. Please quit with the racist card that is such bull. Every Candidate is criticized, it has nothing to do with his color that is ignorant.
Obamafan @9:53 @#42
You are a fake Obama fan and not a Hillary fan You are saying that Hillary Practically called for his assination that is why he had no other choice but to pick someone else, that is such bull. So if something bad should happen to Obama we all should point the finger at the Clintons again. Is that where you are going with this statement.. Hillary did not want to be Vice President she said it herself. I love you Republican always telling Democrats what is best for them and who would be best for the party. I dont see the Democrates telling Republican who to pick for their Vice President. The press constantly ask those so-called Republican talking heads what they thinks the dem should do. I am waiting for the press to let the demo tell the rep what they should do and ask them what they think their biggest mistake will be.
I have to congratulate Mr. Obama for his Vice president selection of Sen. Joe Biden.
As a Greek-American I follow the events especially now we have the problem with Skopje. But Greeks have to make a stronger lobby in Washington.
Mr. Obama is very close to Greek origin Illinois State Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias.
Our Greek born famous opera composer Panagiotis Karousos requests from Greek-American people to vote for Barack Obama because he supports Greek issues especially in the conflict with FUROM for the name of Macedonia.
Mr. Karousos send a message to John McCain: “if you want votes from Greeks you have to remove Randall Scheunemann from the position of your foreign-policy aide”.
Randall Scheunemann is the coordinator of the opposition to the “Greek lobby” and of the promotion of Skopje’s propaganda, through ORION Strategies.
Mr. Karousos did a sensational presentation of his opera Alexander the Great in Illinois
May 2008 and many Obama supporters were there among with Greeks involved at his presidential campaign. Karousos strong influenced voice want more respect at the Greek issues from Americans, “Greece gave democracy, culture and freedom to humankind, together we will work for the best of all” said Panayoti Karousos.
Right, America is not ready to have a “African American” President. I would vote for him if I were living in Africa or something….
GREAT CHOICE!!!! I’M SO READY FOR NOVEMBER
another lost for the DNC. Both suck big time.
Hillary Clinton was never on the short list for VP, so suck it up and let’s unite to put our two canidates in the White House. Remember that it’s not about gender or color but it’s about the economy, housing crisis, education, health care, the future of our children and the love of our country!
We all better wake up…what was that slip on Obama’s part about introducing Biden as the next “President.” I am worried Obama is simply a “Face” for Biden, perhaps Obama never had original plans to run for president, but somehow the Kennedy’s became involved and thought it a good way for their long time friend Biden to get into office…not a good choice!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Then again, neither is McCain. One only has to do a google search for Kenndy and Biden and see all the “good old boy” sites that come up…YUCK!!
If you want to have a decent home to retire in make sure you vote for the right man. Look at Obamas grandmothers conditions - the poverty she lives in and he never tried to help her … What is really wrong with him? Does America know this African son?
Firstly congradulations Mc Cain for your debate win.
Obama should have seen to his grandmothers poverty first (years ago) before he tried to clean up Americas back yard.
Why is his grandmother still living in such abject poverty if Obama is the hero he makes out to be?
It would have taken just a few of his American dollars to help her build a better shack
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omg n0oor kjbfdnisdskdfjsko fnsldfsndbjkxf kl;f I LOVE ARMANDO
I LOVE DAMIEN
FREDDY STOP TEXTING IN DETENTION.
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