Daily Archives: August 19, 2008

Politics, Uncategorized, Whiners

Is Obama Stuck On Stupid? Voters Want Substance

Using page two from the Democratic playbook, Obama is whining about McCain questioning his patriotism to the VFW today.

Democrat Barack Obama challenged his Republican opponent John McCain on Tuesday to stop questioning his “character and patriotism.” Addressing the Veterans of Foreign Wars convention, Obama reaffirmed his early opposition to the U.S. invasion of Iraq and said the so-called “surge” strategy of sending 30,000 additional troops to Iraq last year had not produced the political reconciliation necessary to achieve lasting peace in the country. McCain supported the Iraq invasion and was an early champion of the surge.

If Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) thinks that by McCain repeating Obama’s views and policies on the war is questioning his character and patriotism, all I can say is, if the shoe fits, wear it. He, like his fellow Democrats, seems all too eager to put it on.

For a lawyer, well let me change that. For an educated person to say the surge strategy ‘had not produced the political reconciliation necessary to achieve lasting peace in the country’ is like expecting kids in Washington D.C., or anywhere else for that matter, to be smart because they receive the highest amount of dollars per student in the country. D.C., like most urban centers, has a dismal graduation rate. Using Obama’s strategy, we should cut education funding since the students obviously don’t want to learn. In Iraq, political solutions must come from Iraqi politicians, the same way smart students must come from smart teachers who know how to teach, coupled with school administrations that focus on the students instead of their union.

The Obama campaign is turning out to be one of the most shallow of campaigns ever. Far surpassing John Kerry’s for saying nothing. I want to hear how he is going to stimulate the economy by raising taxes, and how inflating my tires, which are already at the correct pressure, will equate to all the oil drilling possible, making it unnecessary to drill at all. I want to hear him say how taxing our oil companies by 18 billion dollars and more will bring down the cost of gas at the pump. Come on Barack, voters want substance.

related links:

Obama hits back at McCain over Iraq war | Obama And Democrats Demand That The Shoe Fits

2008 Election, Judiciary, Politics, Supreme Court

Saddleback Forum And Obama's Words, Just Words

The political forum hosted by minister Rick Warren Saturday night gave us a view of both candidates that none of the previous so-called debates produced. Avoiding campaign talking points, the questions Warren asked exposed the belief systems, character, and motivations of both men. And the country was better off for it.

I came away feeling like Sen. John McCain did the best that I’ve ever seen him do. Judging from reviews of others, this seems to be the overall assessment. Even from Democrats. And Obama’s performance was replete with indecision, obfuscation, and inexperience.

We all know that words mean things. And no one knows that better than Sen. Barack Obama, who made a big deal about it in a stump speech somewhere. Remember ‘Words, Just Words?‘

McCain came across decisive and confident. Obama, on the other hand, came across as indecisive and less confident, to the point of floundering for a way to end his sentence. Chuck Todd, NBC Political Director characterized Obama’s performance as ‘trying to impress Warren (or to put another away) not offend Warren.’ I saw it as Obama trying not to offend his base.

Two answers that Obama gave were especially revealing about his character and belief system.

On the subject of Christianity. Warren asked ‘What does it mean to you to trust in Christ and what does it mean on a daily basis? I mean, what does that really look like?’ Obama sets the stage with this quite acceptable answer.

But what it also means, I think, is a sense of obligation to embrace not just words but through deeds the expectations that God has for us. And that means thinking about the least of these. It means acting – well, acting justly and loving mercy and walking humbly with our God.

Next question, about abortion.’At what point does a baby get human rights in your view?

McCain answered it in five words, ‘at the point of conception.’ By contrast, Obama said ‘. . . answering that question with specificity, you know, is above my pay grade.’ Just a minute earlier, he was saying how he was thinking about the very least. What, the unborn, the absolute very least, don’t count? Words, just words?

He then said he is in favor of limits on late-term abortions. Well, except for the fact that he voted against a bill that would allow a live-birth aborted baby, a failed abortion, to live. What happened to the very least among us? Words, just words?

The next subject was about the Supreme Court. ‘Which existing Supreme Court Justice would you not have nominated?’ He caught himself in saying that Justice Thomas was inexperienced, which would have virtually undermined his own candidacy. But he started off with Justice Clarence Thomas. His response . . .

I don’t think that he. I don’t think that he was a strong enough jurist or legal thinker at the time for that elevation. Setting aside the fact that I profoundly disagree with his interpretation of a lot of Constitution.

Then, Barack Obama, the constitutional lawyer, said he does not like the way Justice Thomas operates. He explained himself this way . . .

One of the most important jobs of I believe the Supreme Court is to guard against the encroachment of the Executive branch on the power of the other branches and I think that he has been a little bit too willing and too eager to give an administration whether it’s mine or George Bush’s more power than I think the Constitution originally intended.

Here is another case where the party line trumps reality. Or in this case, the Constitution. There is only one job of a Supreme Court Justice, and by default is the most important one. That is, to decide cases based on the Constitution. Period. End of story. End of job description. The separation of powers was designed so that no branch, including the Judiciary, could do exactly what Obama expects it to do. It all comes back to the ideology of the liberal Democrats, which is, to use the Supreme Court to make laws that the Legislative branch cannot.

Related links: MCCAIN’S BACK IN THE SADDLEBACK | Transcript: Saddleback Civil Forum on the Presidency