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3 A.M.
It may all be academic at this point -- what with Time Magazine running the slight risk of a "Dewey Wins" headline by proclaiming Barack Obama the choice of the "Dumb-O-Crats" based on him winning a state he should have won anyway in North Carolina and narrowly losing a "home" game in Indiana -- but the whole "phone call at three in the morning" thing deserves a deeper look.
Ask yourself: Is it really all about who is answering the call at 3 a.m. or who the president is then calling next, at 3:01 a.m.?
Wouldn't you want the person endorsed by more than 30 generals and admirals, including the likes of Gen. Wesley Clark and current Congressman Joe Sestak, on the phone with some of those same military experts and strategists who were X-ed out of the current White House's strategy sessions between deferment cases?
Just put that in your pipe and smoke it before getting high on the fumes of Obama's Teflon coat.
Ask yourself: Is it really all about who is answering the call at 3 a.m. or who the president is then calling next, at 3:01 a.m.?
Wouldn't you want the person endorsed by more than 30 generals and admirals, including the likes of Gen. Wesley Clark and current Congressman Joe Sestak, on the phone with some of those same military experts and strategists who were X-ed out of the current White House's strategy sessions between deferment cases?
Just put that in your pipe and smoke it before getting high on the fumes of Obama's Teflon coat.
posted by Gordon Glantz at
11:26 AM
36 Comments:
Well, come to think of it Sestak will have more time on his hands after November. Now, exactly what are the other Generals doing after the election,that can not be shared with President Obama. Are they not US Military Men? Where did they receive all their training? If they can only work for the Clinton Administration, they really can not be called experts. Let's interview Gen. Wesley Clark and ask him, if he would be willing to share his military experience with a President. Politics in the Military has gone too far if they are not willing to consider the whole United States and the well-being of the citizens.
Anony--There's no way in the world that Sestak loses in November. That doesn't mean he's done as good a job as he should have with the war or with getting to know his district (Pat Murphy in the 8th is better on both counts, and he'll have a much tougher reelection fight -- go figure.)
Now GG -- just what the heck is your problem when it comes to Sen. Obama? Who is it that has your ear -- it can't be Huskey, you're smarter than that. Maybe the Hillary lovers over at the House of Groen? You need to let this sink in: Hillary is not going to be the nominee -- Barack is. And your choice will be between an aging, confused, Bush-rubber-stamping, war-mongering John McCain and an inspiring, uniting, intelligent and, yes, charismatic Barack Obama. If you want a demonstration of his ability, just compare the positive, effective campaign he has directed in the primary vs. the negative, crisis-plagued, poor managed campaign that Hillary Clinton has run. There's no question in my mind which of these two would run the White House more effectively.
And if you continue to berate and belittle his candidacy, and McCain becomes President, you will have to live with the consequences: more death in Iraq; more financial ruin here at home; and a Supreme Court that is even more loaded with activist Conservatives who will continue to erode your freedoms.
You need to come to grips with what you're doing, Gordon, and quit with the pro-Hillary, anti-Obama rhetoric and propaganda. It does not reflect well on you.
Indeed Gordon. It's time to drink the Kool Aid.
Resistance is futile.
You are right Sestak is not too good with multi-tasking and of course that is showing here in Montgomery County. Military, yes he has that down pat, but of course that's what we paid him for. Now, Craig Williams has already been out and about - check him out before you vote. Sestak could be used somewhere else - in the Military arena perhaps. Obama will probably review his resume and all military personnel, plus personnel that served under many Governors/Presidents. Balance is what he will be after. If Sestak wants to continue to serve "OUR COUNTRY" he needs to get over Hil and concentrate on the very large picture.
I guess that Kool-Aid would be a different flavor than the Wacky
Wingnut variety you've been swigging for years, eh Lisa?
Montco PA Dem---
Gordon has legitimate concerns about Obama, which he has articulated in his column and on these posts--Concerns, coincidentally, we happen to agree upon. You are the one who is calling for him to abandon his reservations and jump on the Hope and Change express, merely for the sake of party unity. If only the party matters and not the candidate, why bother with these tiresome primaries?
Oh, and I drink the yummy yummy cherry Kool Aid which is far less bitter than the stuff you guys have been swigging. I heartily recommend it to anyone suffering from Bush Derangement Syndrome.
Lisa, you're no longer just a Republican Shill, you're a Hillary Shillary, too. I love it. Who'd have ever thought we'd find you and GG singing in harmony? Ain't life grand!
And as far as I can tell, those "legitimate concerns" aren't about Sen. Obama at all. Gordon seems pretty hung up over this Rev. Wright guy, who -- last time I looked -- isn't on the ballot. Then next, I'm sure you're going to bring up the Ayers (non-)connection, which is similarly bogus and more of the McCarthyite "fellow traveler" nonsense that your side loves to spout.
Then I'll shout Haggee. And you'll shout Obama Doesn't Wear a Flag Pin. And I'll shout Keating Five.
And it will go on like this until November.
Or we can talk about the issues.
Just one last note to GG: Doesnt' the fact that you and Lisa are on the same side open your eyes a little bit on the whole Hillary thing, Gordon?
MPD:
Actually, I am more concerned with his 130 "present" votes in the Illinois Senate, his confusion as to how many states are in the Union (he thinks there are 57--or 48 plus Alaska and Hawaii, depending upon what day it is) He wants to give us the nightmare of socialized medicine, he wants to negotiate with our enemies and bomb our allies.
Forgive me for questioning this "new kind of politician" who's top fund raiser was Tony Rezko (now under indictment) and with whom he transacted a somewhat less than above-board real estate transaction when he bought his six million dollar house.
And forgive me for questioning his quick rise in the dirty Chicago political machine thanks to the aforementioned Tony Rezko and Mayor Daley.
And yes, I have questions about a man who has spent 20 years in a Black Liberation Theology church because I think we need to know how this church's doctrines, which have their roots in the socialist revolution movement in South America (hence the Che Guevara posters in Obama headquarters are no surprise) have influenced his views about America, Democracy and the World.
Oh, and by the way, it's very easy to run a positive, effective campaign when the media is completely in love with you.
These are all legitimate issues that we in the Republican party are going to POUND the Democrats with in the fall, and Gordon knows it.
But by all means, keep hammering away at those empty hope and change platitudes as a reason to vote for him. I'm not sure who you think he's going to "unite" and "inspire" since it sure doesn't look like he's going to come anywhere close to uniting us Republicans under his socialist policies. And as for those bitter, Bible clinging gun-toters, well, I think they are somewhat less inspired by him than you are.
Bible Clinging - Gun Totering individuals in PA are not Dem. unless they are in the "Wild West" known as Philadelphia.
Really Anon? Who was it that voted for Hillary in the PA Primary last month?
You know, Pennsylvania doesn't stop at the Montgomery/Berks County line.
Moaning Lisa --
One can almost see the flop sweat breaking out in your 2:33 diatribe. You must really fear the wave that's going break over the Repubs this fall to start with the monster lies so early.
Shall we take them in order? Good, here goes:
-- Sen. Obama's 130 "present" votes in the Illinois Senate. Per his peers in the Illinois Senate:
Obama’s former colleagues who still serve in the Illinois Capitol say that the attacks are off-base and that either Obama’s opponents don’t understand how things work in Springfield or they are deliberately distorting his record.
http://www.stateline.org/live/details/story?contentId=274863
We can review it vote for vote if you like, the facts are there. Let's review McCain's votes too, though -- the ones that sent us into senseless, bankrupting war for no reason, and that led to the disastrous economy we're slogging through today. Would that he had voted "present" instead of "yea" on those.
-- He thinks what? If that's shorthand for some kind of insider, freeper attack, you'll need to spell it out. Obviously, Sen. Obama knows how many states there are, since he won primaries in the vast majority of them.
-- "..the nightmare of socialized medicine." Mmmm, universal medical care (something the rest of the civilized world adopted decades ago), so much scarier than sick kids and the working poor who can't afford to see a doctor until they get so sick that they die or linger and we taxpayers pay 100 times more for their care than it would have cost for a simple office visit. It's time to shine some light on that "socialized medicine" boogeyman of yours, Lisa.
-- "he wants to negotiate with our enemies and bomb our allies." Talking is not negotiating, and talking is something nobody -- not even the fear-mongering Repubs -- should be afraid of. "Let us never negotiate out of fear, but let us never fear to negotiate." Guess Kennedy was a wimp, too, eh Lisa? As for "bombing our allies"...um, yeah. Sure. I can't even begin to guess where that distortion came from.
-- Rezko. Another dog that won't hunt. Rezko raised money for Obama's run for State Senate in Illinois, a full two years before there was any indication that the man would face legal trouble. When Rezko was indicted, Obama contributed the $10,000 that Rezko gave his state campaign to charity.
Obama's Presidential campaign has not taken a dime from Rezko, who faces charges having absolutely nothing to do with Obama or Obama's past or present campaigns. Another attempt to smear by proximity instead of facts.
http://www.suntimes.com/news/watchdogs/757340,CST-NWS-watchdog24.article
-- The whole paragraph that somehow links Obama with socialism and Che Guevara is a prime example of extended Repub scare tactics. If you can find something in print that shows the United Church of Christ (the worldwide and predominantly white church to which Obama belongs) is ruled by this "Black Liberation Theology", I'd love to see it. Now, if you're again referring to the personal beliefs of Rev. Wright, the retired pastor of Obama's church in Chicago, I think that's an issue between you and Rev. Wright. Just as I wouldn't accuse any Catholic candidate of supporting pedophiles just because he happened to be sitting in the pews for 20 years while his priest was diddling little boys.
-- The media in love with Obama? Where were you when they were running the Rev. Wright (3 months to 7 years old) video clips 24/7 for four weeks straight before the PA vote. When they harped for a week about his not wearing an American Flag pin on his lapel and how that supposedly translated into some kind of anti-patriotism. When they ran for a week or two with an outright lie about him supposedly attending an Islamic school (he didn't) when he was a boy in Indonesia. No, he's had more than his fair share of horrible media "gotchas" to overcome -- it's just that he has overcome them, unlike his Democratic opponent.
Sorry for the long-winded response, but I think the only way to overcome the easy lies of the right is to supply the truth.
Truth, you see, is powerful. And I trust that we'll find out just how powerful it is this November.
I'm really looking forward to it. It'll be such a refreshing change.
MPD:
Well allow me to retort:
We criticize Obama’s “present” votes because we just “don’t understand how things work in Springfield”? So not voting yes or no on critical issues such as abortion and crime is “just the way things work in Springfield”? That sounds like Change I Can Believe In! Sign me up!
Google “Obama 57 states”. Let me know how many hits you get. And be sure to watch the video. If McCain had made this gaffe, you guys would be shouting “Alzheimer’s!”
Long lines of waiting for routine office visits, if you can get in at all. Bringing your own bed linens to the hospital with you (h/t Stan). Waiting months for surgeries. Canadians crossing the borders just to have babies. Basically, all the stuff Michael Moore left out of “Sicko”. Oh, socialized medicine sounds like utopia! Please, MPD, enthrall me with your acumen: elaborate on the differences between Hillary’s socialized medical plan and Obama’s and explain why Obama’s is so much better than Hillary’s. (Actually, McCain has the better plan, but check out Stan’s column today for a nice argument on that.)
August 1, 2007: Obama said if elected in November 2008 he would be willing to attack inside Pakistan with or without approval from the Pakistani government, a move that would likely cause anxiety in the already troubled region. "If we have actionable intelligence about high-value terrorist targets and President Musharraf won't act, we will," Obama said. (Reuters)
November 2, 2007 Sen. Barack Obama said that as president he would personally negotiate with Iran, offering economic incentives and a chance for peaceful relations if Iranian leaders would forego pursuit of nuclear weapons and support of terrorists. "I'm not afraid of negotiating with anybody. I fear no man. Or woman." Obama said. (Fox News)
“In his victory speech after the North Carolina primary, Sen. Barack Obama...[defended] his stated intent to meet with America’s enemies without preconditions: ‘I trust the American people to understand that it is not weakness, but wisdom to talk not just to our friends, but to our enemies, like Roosevelt did, and Kennedy did, and Truman did.’ That he made this statement, and that it passed without comment by the journalists covering his speech indicates either breathtaking ignorance of history on the part of both, or deceit.”–Jack Kelly
So Obama’s past involvement with Tony Rezko and quick rise in Chicago politics has nothing whatsoever to do with his campaign for president? Hmmm… you may be right, at least for Democrats, who have famously cried “But it doesn’t effect his ability to govern!” to excuse all manor of unseemly behavior in their elected officials. How ‘bout we let the American people decide whether character counts or not?
Hide your head in the sand about Reverend Wright, his church and his teachings if you want. Reverend Wright has repeatedly quoted and referenced the Reverend Cone as his inspiration and Wright’s church has been cited as an ideal embodiment of same. Black Liberation Theology is something you should research, since you clearly haven’t. Ignore this at your own peril, just as you ignore his connections with Chicago machine politics and his connections with pro-Palestinian organizations.
Let’s let the voters decide if these issues matter. Where my problem is with you is in chiding Gordon over supporting Hillary at the expense of party unity. Clearly, if Mr. Glantz has problems with him now, wait until the Republicans start digging up these blatant anti-Semitic ties, stories about which are already making the rounds in many Jewish publications. Let’s see how the rest of the country reacts when we start talking about how Obama is the most radical pro-abortion, pro-death candidate ever. Let’s see the reaction when we start forcing him to talk about how much he’s going to raise our taxes to pay for the $660 billion in new funding for these great feel good programs he proposes. Is this all just more “Republican scare tactics” or the “truth” you claim you revere?
And far be it for me to carry Gordon’s water for him, but you should be concerned that these deep reservations about Obama exist within your own party. Telling people to “get on board” by simply dismissing those concerns as false when there is a plethora of information available to the contrary is naïve. “Truth” is a funny thing, MPD, and often in the eye of the beholder.
As a conservative, I have deep reservations myself about a McCain presidency, however, I will vote for him in the fall simply because an Obama or Clinton presidency would be catastrophic for this country. Don’t think you’re going to raise my ire by attacking him, since basically, I don’t put McCain on a pedestal like you guys do with Obama. All politicians have feet of clay, and if you think Obama is an exception, then truly you are in for a rude awakening someday.
And please, don’t flatter yourself. Breaking out into a “flop sweat” indeed. Rebutting an Obamaniac hardly qualifies as heavy lifting. The only reason I didn’t answer you last night is because I went to see Iron Man.
Trixie --
Iron Man, eh? I guess you ran out to Speed Racer when it opened on Thursday. At any rate, it's good to hear you're supporting my kindred brothers & sisters on the, ahem, Left Coast. They keep putting out those great union-made products, don't they?
(Isn't it funny how Hollywood produces what is possibly the quintessential American product, adored worldwide and a huge economic and capitalistic success -- and yet conservatives spend huge amounts of time trashing the values contained in the films and the political views of the people who make them? There's just no winning with you people...)
But I digress. There is a feast of misinformation in your latest post, so pardon if I don't get to all of it (or even most) immediately. All in due time, I assure you. But it does get tiresome going over the same ground time after time. Smearing a man is no longer the last desparate tactic for you folks, but the thing you seem to do first and foremost. You've not only ruined the economy and our position in the world, you've
Swift-boated politics right into the gutter, too.
And please don't misrepresent what I'm saying to GG. I'm not asking him to go all Obama Girl over our nominee -- just to recognize that the Clinton campaign is over. Even Hillary seems to realize that and has cooled her rhetoric. And I'd like our host here to realize how he is being played by you, Rush Limbaugh and the whole VRWC crowd that has had a field day in trying to divide Democrats. Hillary (who'd have lost Indiana without the votes of Rushbo's Operation Chaos zombie voters) has been only too happy to oblige and encourage this division, something that greatly disappoints me.
I believe that once he has had a chance to reflect on what this November's election will mean, Gordon will discover that Obama is, in fact, the real deal that we have been saying he is. He will defend and protect the values that Gordon (and I) feel most strongly about; John McCain will not. In the end, it is that basic.
It's not a matter of him being the ideal -- I agree, no one is perfect or even close -- it is just that he is head and shoulders above his challengers.
MPD:
YAWN. I'm bored with this already.
There is no common ground here. Responding point by point to your ridiculous rebuttal is not worth my time--and don't take that the wrong way. You will never see my point of view and your point of view is completely and utterly alien to me (That whole diatribe at the beginning about Hollywood? What's up with that?)
And if you think my opinion influences the host of this blog even a little bit, then you are far more misguided than I originally thought. In fact, our host has very strong opinions about this matter, but chooses to sit on the sidelines and watch me make his case for him rather than jump in the fray.
It's not a conspiracy, MPD. It's not the Republicans. It's not "smear" tactics. It's that some people in your party (and ALL people in my party) have very big reservations about YOUR candidate. Whining that people are picking on Obama or treating him unfairly is not going to convince people he's the Messiah you seem to think he is.
And no, I didn't see Speed Racer yet, though Iron Man was awesome: explosions, weapons and killing terrorists: what's not to like?
OK, Trixie. Whatever you say. Remember, it's a movie and the union made it strong. And as long as it's a fantasy, you're more than welcome to enjoy it and relish the blow-ups and the terrorist killings.
It's when it becomes reality, and we start having 4,000 real-live Americans die for absolutely, positively nothing that I get upset.
Of course, John McCain doesn't mind. He wants 100 more years of it. Yeah, let's elect him.
zzzzzzzzzzzzzz
Wake me up when you have something original to say.
Good. So now that we're done with her, GG it's back to you.
And I know you will make the choice that is:
-- A strong voice against our Iraq presence;
-- Ready to actually hunt down and stop Osama Bin Laden;
-- A supporter of the middle class instead of the ultra-rich;
-- Eager to roll back Bush's corporate welfare for oil companies;
-- Ready to move America toward energy independence and away from
blind support of oil-rich corporations and Arab states;
-- A strong voice for women's rights and for pro-choice protection;
-- A leader who will appoint supreme court justices who aren't right-wing activists;
-- A voice for unity and harmony, versus partisan hatemongering;
-- A supporter of the Geneva Convention, and a foe of any American who supports torture;
-- A strong, positive candidate that will help America regain its place in world opinion, as a bastion of good and a defender of liberty.
Just reading this list, you can grieve for all we've lost in the last eight years. Now, we have a chance to turn that around, but it will only happen if we're united behind that candidate who will make it happen.
It's time to stop sniping against each other and turn our sights on the real problem -- John McCain and his try for a third Bush term.
Lisa,
What is it to you if Rev. Wright is anti-Semitic? Mossie doesn't sound like a Jewish name to me. We all know GLANTZ has an alternative agenda, but why you? We don't need the Jewish vote anyway. Ask James Baker. Remember what he said? You and Gordon have both come together because Obama is black and you don't like it. I love it. No way a black man wins a general election and the great thing is that we don't need the black or Jewish vote to do it. Talk about Special Interest groups. Those are the two largest. Heaven-forbid you talk bad about Israel. I think GLANTZ is just jealous that a black guy might get there faster than a Jewish guy.
Get lost, bigot!
Anonymous Wimp,
I didn't say Reverend Wright was anti-Semitic, I said Obama was, (though Rev Wright is too, but that matters less to me than Obama). I happen to support Israel and think racism of any kind is heinous. I knew it would only be a matter of time on this blog before brain dead idiot played the race card. Did you actually READ any of the arguments I presented above, or are you too intellectually challenged to pay attention for that long? Were the words I used to big?
Obama is a weak vessel, an empty suit. I really could care less what color he is. I think your comment is probably the most disgusting I have ever read on this blog. And that's really saying something.
OK, one thing in common Trixie: the thought that Anonymous 6:57 is a piece of human garbage.
But you couldn't let it rest there, could you? No, you had to slip in the easy damnable lie about Barack Obama, the lie du jour of Republicans McCain, Boehner, Cantor and, of course, you, their local echo chamber.
Do me a favor, will you? Don't try to peddle that crap where there are people who can read. It might work on glib wingnut radio or Faux News, where they shovel it at you before the mind can label it and filter it out as the twisted nonsense it is.
Read Obama's interview in The Atlantic, all of it and not just the half dozen words lifted for the Boehner-Cantor smear, then come back and tell me Obama is an anti-Semite.
Here's the link: http://jeffreygoldberg.theatlantic.com/archives/2008/05/obama_on_zionism_and_hamas.php
I encourage everyone to read this, it's not only revealing about Obama's history with Jewish voters and Israel, it's educational about the overall state of Israeli-US relations.
Obama an anti-Semite? Only in the funhouse-mirror smear-tactic world of Repub politics these days.
Now go back to sleep.
The link to the article in The Atlantic got mutilated by this nifty Blogger software.
Let's try again:
Click here for the article
MPD, I thought I was clear? We are done. Obama has ties to pro-Palestinian groups and anti-Semitic groups. No article you can link is going to change my mind about that, least of all an interview with Obama in Obama's own words.
I prefer to read between the lines at http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article6619.shtml.
I like you so much better when you're asleep, Trixie. It's the only time you're not spouting lies.
So your link leads to a long article by an Arab-American who's pissed at Obama because...Obama's too pro-Israel! And this is supposed to prove Obama is anti-Semitic?
Pardon me while my head explodes.
Better we should explore that horrid anti-Semitic website www.jews4obama.com and read former Mideast advisor Aaron David Miller saying Obama "would be the president who could best help Israel and her Arab neighbors negotiate peace. Senator Obama has the capacity, intellect and temperament to best handle the kind of diplomacy needed for this extraordinarily tough job."
You can find that by clicking here.
MPD's exploding head = Mission accomplished.
MPD's exploding head=still smarter than Trixie
Easy on the attack there, sister. We're all bigots in our own way, Lisa. You should know that. Liberals hide it better but they may be worse than we are. Don't get me wrong. I have nothing against Jewish or black people. My point is that they are special interest groups, just like any other, and elections can be won without pandering to them. I'm sure the Dems think elections can be won without pandering to evangelicals,
CNN's Financial Guest today stated...If the Democrats win the Presidential Election the Congress must be Republican or Wall Street will suffer. Did you pick up on that? So, let the good times roll, for now.
Anonymous wimp 9:21,
Reverend Wright is to Jews what David Duke is to blacks. Obama spent 20 years learning at the knee of Jeremiah Wright. I think it's a valid question to ask Obama exactly how much has Reverend Wright's bigotry influenced him and further, I think we can agree that bigotry has no place in the highest office in the land.
As far as everyone being bigoted, please don't presume to speak for anyone but yourself.
And Lisa Mossie is to logic what a crack ho is to a convent!
Oh sure Sestak is trying to be everything to all people. We need to keep businesses here in Montgomery County and his area of that County needs much attention. Don't count on him if a call comes in at 3 A.M. because his phone/"E" mail says we will get back to you in a timely manner -- months. Now, back to who will take the second chair if Obama wins-- Richardson or Edwards . He needs to make sure these two are on the top line.
Another Country:
You've been honing that retort for over a week now, haven't you?
Well, Moaning Lisa, I try. There is only one Gordon Glantz!
Another country:
Ooooh! SNAP!
Your rapier wit is equal only to your dizzying intellect.
Lisa - it's another "county" (as in Chester, where I happily reside) not "country" (like USA, where we under the rule of Neo-Cons). You, on the other hand, like on another planet.
Snap!
Excuse Me, Moaning Lisa. You LIVE on another planet. You probably LIKE it there too.
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