As we prepare to begin the Memorial Day weekend, it is important for each of us to pause for a moment and reflect on the meaning for the day.
While it can be viewed as the unofficial start of summer and a chance to enjoy a family picnic, we all should recognize Memorial Day is truly a day for remembering those who made the ultimate sacrifice to make our Nation free.
Our brave, selfless, and devoted men and women have fought and died to protect the rights and freedoms we all enjoy every day. This is our opportunity to honor them.
As a Americans and a Democrats, we should set an example and educate our children and grandchildren the true meaning of Memorial Day and remind them of the tremendous privileges we Americans enjoy thanks to the valiant service of our Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines, and Coast Guardsmen.
As you enjoy the long weekend with friends and family, I ask you to remember the ideals that make our country great and those who have sacrificed to protect those ideals.Attend one of the many memorial services across the state. Proudly display the Flag. If you see a veteran or person currently serving our Nation in the Armed Forces, tell them "thank you," because we owe a debt to them that can never fully be repaid. And say a prayer for all those currently serving our Nation in harm's way.
Happy Memorial Day and may God continue to bless Virginia and the United States!
Esam Omeish
Dr. Esam Omeish is running for the House of Delegates in Virginia's 35th District here in Fairfax County. He is also the Chief of Surgery at INOVA Alexandria Hospital, a first generation immigrant, a father of four, a community leader, and a long time advocate for quality healthcare and job creation. Please come help us get this amazing leader elected!
Call it a sign of the times. Despite his stellar record in the community as both a physician and activist for the needy, there is a vocal minority with extreme views in the blogosphere and media who want to distort and tarnish the good name of Dr. Esam Omeish. Read below a few direct comments made by a variety of well-respected community leaders and professionals about Dr. Esam Omeish as they defend his character: Virginia's Governor Tim Kaine: "Dr. Omeish is a respected physician and community leader." Father Jerry Creeden, : "Words of support from the Faith community, the Commonwealth (of Virginia) is for all of us." Rabbi J. Moline: "I am sorry that the juggernaut of prejudice" "I would welcome your defense. This is an extended hand from my community, let us do something together." Attorney Vic Glasberg: "You have handled with grace the indignity visited upon you. What you said was understandable and suitable for its context, and its misuse is regrettable and an injury to us all." Kate Hanley, Virginia Secretary of State: "Dr. Omeish is one of two elected from his peers from among more than 300 physicians, and he was the recipient of the "Outstanding Physician of the Year Award" for 2007 in Alexandria Hospital". Many doctors, nurses, hospital administrators, and patients who know Dr. Omeish personally also felt compelled to write their words of support for him. Below is just a couple of statements exemplifying how strongly his colleagues support him. Dr. L. Kerness: "I have known you (Dr. Omeish) as a caring and skilled surgeon, a gentleman, and a family man. It is hard to imagine you as anything other that a pacifist. Rest assured that I, and all those I have spoken to, have not waivered in our support of you as a person and a surgeon, and are not swayed by media hype and political propaganda. I wish you and your family peace during this stressful time, and remember that this too shall pass." E. Bushmiller, RN, CNOR, B. Engler, BSN, CNOR, C. Hortman, RN: "The one thing we would like to make clear is the commitment Dr. Omeish has to democracy and more importantly peace. He is a committed family man, hard working and capable surgeon, and a good person. He is knowledgeable in basic tenets of the three Abrahimic religions and points to areas where they intersect, always searching for common ground. We are upset and disheartened with what has happened to Dr. Omeish. We wish to speak up on his behalf." As the Chief of General Surgery at Alexandria Hospital, Dr. Esam Omeish has earned the highest praise from his colleagues and patients because of his tireless and unconditional advocacy for the highest quality patient care, regardless of a patient's financial status. With your assistance, Dr. Esam Omeish will represent Virginia's 35th District with the same passion as a healthcare advocate at it's General Assembly. He will bring to Richmond his same caring ethical standards and proven leadership skills that have led Dr. Omeish to winning the "Outstanding Physician of the Year Award" in 2007. We must be able to compete and deliver our winning message of building on the successes of Governors Mark Warner and Tim Kaine. The time to make a much-needed investment in our campaign is now.Even a small contribution of $10 or $20 makes a real difference.DonateOver the past few days, Esam has withstood attacks and has continued to focus on talking to voters about his fresh ideas, chairing his comprehensive plans for Accessible quality healthcare, improve NoVA transportaion, Conscientious environmental stewardship, and Continued excellence in education. With just less than one month to go, we need your help to make sure Esam can be heard over the chorus of attacks, and spread his positive message throughout the 35th District.To take a stand with Esam, please make a contribution today.Let's give Dr. Omeish the opportunity to be the same role model for Virginians for which he has already been awarded by his medical peers at Alexandria Hospital. Help Dr. Omeish to give excellence in healthcare to all Virginians.
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Together We Can!
I realize that Virginians are facing the toughest economic times since The Great Depression. Because the nation's economic downturn has taken it's toll on Virginia's workers, I support President Barack Obama's recently passed Stimulus Package (Congress' American Recovery and Reinvestment Act). I support it because it provides Virginians with $4 billion to improve it's state infrastructure while it puts more Virginians back to work. The bill also allows for $125 million in assistance to extend insurance benefits and provide retraining assistance to unemployed Virginians. Given the opportunity to serve Virginia as the 35th District Delegate, I would not elect to send the Stimulus funds back to Washington. Instead I would support Gov. Tim Kaine's statement that an additional $4.50 per worker annually is manageable for Virginia's employers.This is particularly true since the additional $4.50 per worker would only be paid for those Virginians still unemployed 2 years after the Stimulus funds have taken their effect on Virginia's economy. This is a relatively small price to pay to avoid a worsening middle class economic meltdown that would otherwise translate into more suffering for our Virginia neighbors across the board. I would instead seek to provide immediate relief for unemployed Virginian workers to help them manage their financial affairs during what is the worst economic crisis they have suffered since The Great Depression.Looking ahead, I see Virginia's 35th District as a vibrant, diverse, and progressive community with much untapped economic potential. I would seek to help generate more "green" jobs to lead Virginia towards a renewable energy economy while we respect and protect Virginia's natural beauty and environment. I would also seek to invest more funds for providing greater internet access to further develop Virginia's electronic infrastructure. Additionally, I would support more research and development funding for Virginia's universities. This would encourage a Virginia economy based on "the best and the brightest" it has to offer it's citizens. Expanded funding for small business and entrepreneurship programs will also help Virginia continue as a national leader in job innovation.With your help, I will be able to help Virginia's citizens heal their economy as I represent it's 35th Delegate District. I will work to have Virginia's General Assembly consider policies that will encourage even greater opportunities and prosperity for Virginia's businesses and workers as we strive for a complete and full economic recovery. Help me be Virginia's next 35th District DelegateTo GET INVOLVED! To Contribute
Together, we can!Esam
When I came to the United States as an ESL student, I chose to apply myself academically in order to meet my personal goals in life. I realized that to make my dreams of being both a doctor and a public servant in America come true, I would need to work extra hard to learn English as well as all other required high school subjects. Despite the great language challenges that I faced, I was able to excel at school. I graduated from Fairfax County's J.E.B. Stuart High with honors and a perfect 4.0 grade point average.I have appreciated from an early age the opportunities that hard work combined with a quality education can provide to anyone living in America. I pursued my education with a double major in Biology and Government at Georgetown University, making the Dean's List each year. I then completed my schooling at The Georgetown School of Medicine. With the support of my nearby parents and siblings, I was proud to become the first doctor ever in the Omeish family.I am now raising the next Omeish generation as students of the same Fairfax County public school system that I attended. As the beneficiary of a system nurturing academic excellence, I would like my children to have the same quality education I was fortunate enough to have available growing up. I will work hard to preserve the same high standard of education I benefited from as a Fairfax County student for my own children as well as for all of the students of Virginia.With your help, I would like to represent Virginia's citizens on education issues as Virginia's 35th District Delegate. I will work to have Virginia's General Assembly consider policies that will encourage even greater opportunities for our next generation of students. I know that the brightest future possible for Virginians will only be through a Virginia education system that provides our youth with a solid foundation critical for it's success.
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Today, as Virginians and residents of the 35th District celebrate Earth Day, it’s a great opportunity to take this time and reflect where we are and where we are going in terms of responsible, renewable green energy that both protects our environment and provides jobs for the Commonwealth. As we look to the future of our families, community and Commonwealth, we can all agree that strengthening Virginia’s economy, protecting our precious natural resources and building an exciting, renewable energy future will be the key to ensuring a healthier community in which to live and work. The future of our environment is an issue which transcends politics. However, as delegate it would be my responsibility to fight for policies which protect our environment, strengthen our economy and compliments the efforts people make on a daily basis to make Virginia a better place. According to a recent poll, 76% of Virginians think that global warming is real and will adversely affect our environment. Capitalizing on alternative energy sources and investing in smart, green technology that taps into local talents and resources will help ensure Virginia becomes and remains a leader in the stewardship for a better community for us all.
The campaign could use your help so please sign up today to volunteer! Any amount of time will help us reach our goal. After all, TOGETHER WE CAN!
Esam
Click here to sign up with Esam Omeish For Delegate Click here to contribute.
Special political guests who came to congratulate Dr. Esam Omeish included Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Chairwoman Sharon Bulova, State Senator of VA 39th District George Barker, Drainesville District Board of Supervisors John Foust, and Maryland State Delegate Saqib Ali.
Click here to see photo gallery
One of the questions making the rounds today is “Obama won…now what?” Quite simply the economy is in shambles and likely to get worse before it gets better. Moreover, much of the agenda outlined by the new President-Elect during the campaign will have to be tabled for at least a little while. Obama even admitted as much himself, and not just in the past few days either. He said so as early as mid-September, when he was interviewed by 60 Minutes.
Happy are those who have seen what many generations past have desired but never opportune to see.
Happy are we that have live in this generation and witness the tearing down of the wall of inimical and detrimental dogmatism that have plague us and make us suspicious of one another.
Happy are those of us who have lived to be part and parcel of this historic moment in the annals of the United States of America.
Rejoice and be glad America and Americans for unto us have been given a reborn conscience and heart in which tolerance, objectivity, broadmindedness and above all love has triumphed over hatred and unity over division.
Rejoice and be glad all those who took the giant steps to forgo the past and instead help engineer by far the unthinkable and unimaginable by helping to elect Sen. Obama as the 44th President of the United States of America.
Indeed, it suffice to note that Obama was handsomely rewarded by the youths of our time who saw in him the values that are fundamental to the basic idealism of the country and its foundation- unity in diversity, land of opportunity and the abode of hope and haven for humanity.
Mothers have come out massively to help tilt victory on his side, recognizing the necessity of our time and also appreciating the need for a new direction.
Words are not enough to comprehensively enumerate or describe how enormous this victory has been for America, Americans and the world at large. It will amount to a miniaturization of the reality and gravity of the 2008 presidential election outcome to claim that Obama’s victory is kudos to the African- American community! On the contrary and within the horizon of realism, what we are seeing today is a result of consensus building, the fierce urgency to work together as a people and above all the necessity of treasuring the values of our diversities and the potentials it brings to the nation.
I am dumbfounded, surprised astonished and yet to recover from the decision that majority of Americans have made in deciding who should lead as the commander in chief. We are surely on the path to a pragmatic healing, reconciliation and reclamation of the country we all love so much and willing to protect its corporate existence and integrity.
To God is the glory. Amen
God bless USA
God bless Obama & Biden
Back in January before the Virginia primary -- what seems like years ago now -- I posted a blog with translations of "Yes We Can". Since the primary, I have gotten a few additional translations. Now almost on the eve of this historic election, when we will all get to proudly cast our ballots for Barack Obama, it is time to post an updated version. I wish I also had translations of "Yes We Will" to add and then on Wednesday that I could add "Yes We Did!" translations, but we'll have to do that after November 4.
If you want to see the updated translations, here's the link --
http://my.barackobama.com/page/community/post/kevinvincent/CjTS
I have been so proud to be part of this amazing movement for Change and Hope. And like you, I can't wait to see Barack in the White House.
Thank you so much for everything you all have done for the past two years, and for everything else I know you will do during the next three days, to make this dream for all of us come true. We still have much work to do, but I know that --
Yes We Can!
Yes We Will!
Kevin Vincent, Coordinator
Arlingtonians for Obama
The following is an essay that was submitted by Ms. Angela Threatt, a marvelously talented writer who lives in the Tidewater area of Virginia. For those of us who live in Virginia, we know that our state is one of the major "battlegrounds" for the 2008 presidential campaign. We are increasingly aware that the Tidewater area is the epicenter of the Virginia battleground. Please enjoy reading Ms Threatt's essay on the Obama experience that is so common to many of us.
--Michael
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Obamamania----
I understand now that I am experiencing - Obamamania. As I mentioned earlier, when I heard on Tuesday that Obama was in Norfolk, I was in jammies and slippers. As transcendent as the experience in Newport News (NN) was, I could not bring myself to hurriedly dress and get over there, hoping I could get in. In just a few weeks, things had changed. It was cold outside. Getting dark earlier. And I am a hermit who likes to be as snug as a bug in a rug. How pitiful, I thought, that you won't go out and see that man again, after he has inspired you and so many others so. And he outside talking to people in the dark and in the rain. Ya'll know ya'll saw him on t.v. with the rain running down his face. Obama is working some imagery. He likes an outdoor rally and McCain likes an indoor rally. When McCain/Palin came to Va Beach (VB) recently, they were indoors, at the Convention Center. Obama was at the VA Beach amphitheatre. Outside. Come rain or snow is the unstated message, I'm out here with you. How smart. McCain is coming to NN Saturday. Indoors, to CNU. Obama was outside with us, in the sunshine.So I tried to convince myself to get dressed again and drive to Norfolk. I mean really, how many chances like this in a lifetime come along? This whole experience of having candidates in the state so much is new, b/c VA has never been a swing state in my life. And Obama been round here so much I was starting to wonder if he had a timeshare at the Beach. I respect his grind, and the opportunity to watch history in the making. Still, I weighed the options. Venture out in the cold to Harbor Park, not knowing what parking was like, park on Granby Street (walker friendly) and walk all the way over there by myself in the dark, or park on Tidewater Drive (not walker friendly) and feel uncomfortable, or stay home in my jammies. Hmmmm...but this is history, I thought. Yes, but it's also dark and cold, I've never been to Harbor Park (it's all about sports) and don't know what parking is like, but I do know I don't want to park and walk on Tidewater Drive by myself at night. Even though I felt guilty for being a wuss, my thoughts took me back to the Newport News rally...It was a bright and sunny Indian summer day in early October. We were literally breaking a sweat walking over, and during the speech, bottles of water were thrown into the crowd. A few people had to be escorted out b/c of the heat. The sun glinted off the James River, where a NN Fire Dept. boat floated up close to the crowd. Sailboats passed. The huge carrier, the George W. Bush, was parked at the shipyard, almost as a staged backdrop for the secret service men & women and the stage. It was great.I told myself, you're not being a wuss, it's just going to be impossible to top that day. So I stayed home. But when I heard Obama would be back in 2 days, I said, even if I can't make it out of the office at 4, which I'll need to to even remotely have a chance of making it, I'm going over there to check out the crowd.But I was ambivalent about going to this particular rally for other reasons. I thought it a good idea to hold it at the amphitheater, as it could certainly hold the crowd, but the venue didn't have the appeal to me that the NN venue did. That NN experience was transcendent b/c there were so many different types of people descending on a part of town that I believe one day will truly be revitalized, that symbolizes to me the type of communities that I believe will benefit from an Obama presidency. I didn't even care if I got in that day; I just wanted to see all those people in downtown Newport News. The way Obama has brought people together excites me, and I believe that one day the blighted inner city area of NN will be revitalized with a rainbow coalition of residents, sort of like Brookland in D.C., but maybe even better. The amphitheater I thought, was great for parking, but what symbolism would it have? I expected it would feel much like any experience driving to a concert there. There is no nearby neighborhood to park in and no need to - you're just one car in a sea of cars, typical of suburban Hampton Roads, and especially of VB. You sit in traffic on the big suburban highway as you approach the entrance, you turn in, the attendants direct you to the next empty spot on the grass. It's all very neat and ordered, just like most of VB. Manicured. Once on the lawn, you might have a transcendent, groovy, experience, but getting there is not a part of it.Back to the office. When 4:05 rolled around, things had settled down activity wise, but I wasn't feeling settled about what I'd accomplished for the day. I needed time to decompress and think about what I might have overlooked. I told myself, traffic is going to be horrendous, you're going to feel rushed and thinking about work. Stay here and tie up loose ends. I piddled around a bit, pulled out some paperwork. Couldn't concentrate. 4:30. It's too late now, you might as well forget it. 5:00. I'm going anyway. I packed my stuff and hit the road. Pulled out of the lot at 5:12. Office park traffic. Jumped off I-64 to avoid HRBT backup. Got back on at Hampton U. and inched toward the tunnel. Normal rush hour traffic. No way I'll make it before the event starts, but maybe I'll be able to be a part of the crowd in some way. Curious as to exactly where traffic would back up and I'd know this is it, this is the Obama traffic. Pitiful, I know. What's exciting about Obama traffic? But I just wanted to be a part in some way.I figured I'd make it to the 264 interchange and there would be a slight backup and I could keep going to the Indian River exit. Not. I got to the interchange, saw the people entering and traffic coming to a complete halt. I figured ok, this is it. This is the Obama traffic. This is like the 26th street exit when Obama was in NN. It's like Gandalf saying "You shall not pass!" Just like I got off then at Terminal Ave to go the back way, I got off at Newtown Rd. and started the long trek, stoplight to stoplight, down Princess Anne Rd.Bumper to bumper until I actually got close to the venue. When I got to Concert Dr., I was puzzled at how few cars were turning. Surely there were other late people expecting to be turned away? They were probably all still trapped at that interchange. At the next turn, there was only one other car going in with me. He'd gotten off at that Newtown exit with me. I parked, got out, and a few minutes later saw people walking out. It was over. Obama was on a tight schedule, not like that Saturday in early October where the event started at 10 and he spoke at 12 or 1. He was in FL in the morning, VB in the early evening, and scheduled to be in MO later tonight. So I guess he spoke and rolled out. So now it was time for Plan B - people watching. I was glad to see the huge turnout. When I first pulled in, I wished I could be above it all, so I could see the sea of cars. Once you're in it, you can't really see it. The people watching was disappointing. The people trickled out, not like the stream of us that walked back from the NN rally over the bridge from downtown NN to East End together, some still holding up signs. The atmosphere was just different. It was dark and cold. People carried signs and flyers, but the way you carry trinkets from the fair, balled up in your hands. On the way back from the NN rally people were holding up their signs in the air like the news was still taping. This was just as I expected; it felt like the dismissal of any amphitheater concert. All the fun was had inside. Even the diversity was predictable. A white couple carrying an Asian child. Two black women with an elderly white woman walking between them her arms linked through theirs. Now these were sweet sights, but my overall feeling was not excitement, b/c I've already been impressed by the diversity you can see at the amphitheater, like at the Earth, Wind, & Fire and Chicago concert. Young and old, black, white, & more. Oh well. So I sat there with everybody else for 45 minutes waiting to be let out. Finally, the huge parking lot spit us back out onto the street.Gridlock on Princess Anne again. Ambulances on the other side of the median speed past. Out of the corner of my eye, a police car speeds along the *sidewalk*, past the gridlock on our side. I sit there contemplating the skill it takes to drive that fast w/out running your tires off the curb on one side or into the fire hydrants and light posts on the other side.Took me an hour total to drive the 35 miles there. 40 minutes of that was just getting from exit to exit, and I didn't even make it to the Indian River exit. On the way back, it took me a little over 20 minutes to get from the Indian River exit all the way home. Pretty cool. So it was a fun drive.There was an image that stuck with me, that made the trip worthwhile. When you cross the water from Hampton to Norfolk, you can see the sailboats and buildings of Fort Monroe in Hampton to your left, and the ships and carriers at the Norfolk Navy Yard ahead and to your right. After I got out of the tunnel and was about to cross into Norfolk, I saw 2 helicopters above the water, just off the shore of the Naval yard. They caught my eye, b/c I seldom see copters. Planes, yes, all the time, from Langley in Hampton and Oceana in VB. When I was at Botanical Gardens a few weeks ago, I heard commercial flights taking off from the Norfolk airport next door. But copters? A rare sight. I knew it was rare, b/c I did a doubletake - the water was swirling underneath the copter, a striking and unfamiliar sight I had to figure out. It finally hit me that b/c the copter was low, the blades were making the water swirl that way, in a circular vortex. I had never seen that before. I wondered if the copters had anything to do with Obama being in town, but figured it was a weird coincidence, b/c the navy yard is pretty far from the amphitheater. Still, I enjoyed the image. I flashed back to how I began to value the military and its presence here when 9-11 happened. Later, when I arrived at the amphitheater, I watched a lone helicopter circle above and realized, yes, those are for Obama. That was it for me. That was the moment that made the drive worthwhile, but I didn't realize it until I was at home in bed, still restless, just coming to terms with my Obamamania. Thinking of those copters made me proud. Proud of our country. Proud of our region. Proud of Obama. I just know our ancestors are smiling down on us. This man is bringing people together in a way I haven't been privileged to see before in my lifetime. We are about to make history, or not, and I realize that I have crossed the line...A few weeks or months ago, a friend queried: what will we do if he loses? I answered that I for one am prepared for McCain to win. I won't be surprised at all, I said. I can't believe I said that. My cynicism has been burned away. I've been infected with hope. It's like that moment in a relationship when you realize you're not just dating anymore. Your feelings are involved. You're going to be devastated if this ends. It's like that with me and Obama. But it's not just me and Obama. It's every single person out there that I sat with for 45 minutes waiting to get out of the amphitheatre. Obama's bringing us together already. He has the power to inspire and unite. He's intelligent - imagine that, an intelligent president, after 8 years! His ideas are cohesive and progressive. Go green and maybe we can stop fighting over oil and crying over prices. Imagine that. I'm going to be devastated if this relationship ends. But you know what, I have a funny feeling that regardless of the turnout, it won't end. Just like that old standby, it's better to have loved and lost than never to have...what does that mean but that love is a cataclysmic experience that changes us, and we are never the same. And whether this experience turns out to be a poignant memory or hand-holding into old age, I think this journey has changed us all. Obama's journey has been our journey. We are forever changed.
The otehr day my mom sent me the following email. I just wanted to know if someone could confirm or deny the information in it. I apologize in advance for the formatting, I just did not have time to fix it.
Thanks!
It is Thursday and 5 days to go. Watching the updates on the early voting. It is showing the students and young people and those newly registered are not getting to the polls yet.
On Neighbor to Neighbor, I am calling the under 20 year old folks first. Yes, I am mostly getting the answering machine or students away at college. Hope all these young people's enthusiasm reverts into voting by November 4.
I am like your Grandmother and the furture is in your hands. It is your future. Get involved NOW. Don't waste yourself by not voting.
Close your eyes, listen to the Obama songs on You Tube and get to the polls.
Barack needs your vorte and so does America.
ROCK THE VOTE
Listen
From ABC News:
October 29, 2008 10:35 AM
Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., did a live interview with Radio Mambi in Miami this morning in which he went after Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., for his connections to a “PLO spokesman.”
McCain was referring to Rashid Khalidi, who, five years ago, Obama toasted at a going-away party before Khalidi headed off to New York City to become a professor at Columbia University.
In April, the Los Angeles Times’s Peter Wallsten wrote about the toast, saying a “special tribute came from Khalidi's friend and frequent dinner companion, the young state Sen. Barack Obama. Speaking to the crowd, Obama reminisced about meals prepared by Khalidi's wife, Mona, and conversations that had challenged his thinking.
“His many talks with the Khalidis, Obama said, had been ‘consistent reminders to me of my own blind spots and my own biases...It's for that reason that I'm hoping that, for many years to come, we continue that conversation -- a conversation that is necessary, not just around Mona and Rashid's dinner table,’ but around ‘this entire world.’”
Wrote Wallsten: “In the 1970s, when Khalidi taught at a university in Beirut, he often spoke to reporters on behalf of Yasser Arafat's Palestine Liberation Organization. In the early 1990s, he advised the Palestinian delegation during peace negotiations. Khalidi now occupies a prestigious professorship of Arab studies at Columbia.
“He is seen as a moderate in Palestinian circles, having decried suicide bombings against civilians as a ‘war crime’ and criticized the conduct of Hamas and other Palestinian leaders. Still, many of Khalidi's opinions are troubling to pro-Israel activists, such as his defense of Palestinians' right to resist Israeli occupation and his critique of U.S. policy as biased toward Israel.”
Wallsten had a videotape of the Khalidi party, which conservatives and, as of today Sen. McCain, are calling upon him to release.
"The Los Angeles Times did not publish the videotape because it was provided to us by a confidential source who did so on the condition that we not release it," Russ Stanton, editor of the LA Times, has said. "The Times keeps its promises to sources."
McCain today said, “The Los Angeles Times refuses to make that videotape public...I’m not in the business of talking about media bias...but what if there was a tape of John McCain with a neo-Nazi outfit...I think the treatment of the issue would be slightly different.”
But McCain has his own connection to Khalidi.
In 1993, McCain became chairman of the International Republican Institute. He still chairs that respected organization.
That same year, Khalidi helped found the Center for Palestine Research and Studies, self-described as “an independent academic research and policy analysis institution” created to meet “the need for active Palestinian scholarship on issues related to Palestine.” (Its archived Web site is HERE.)
Khalidi was on the board of trustees through 1999.
According to tax returns, the McCain-chaired IRI funded the organization Khalidi founded and served on to the tune of $448,873 in 1998 (click HERE to see the tax return)* as first reported by Seth Couter Walls at HuffPo.
The IRI continued to give money to the CPRS after Khalidi left the group as well.
Asked to respond to this seeming contradiction, McCain-Palin spokesman Michael Goldfarb writes, “It's long been clear that Obama and Khalidi have a close relationship -- that they were frequent dinner companions. It is another in a series of questionable associations, but it is not the focus of our request that the LA Times release this tape. It's clear from the Times story that the evening featured speeches that were anti-Semitic in tone and anti-Israel in nature. As our initial statement said, 'This campaign wants to know how Barack Obama responded to that hate-speech, whether he was mingling with Ayers, who he once described as 'just a guy in my neighborhood,' and anything else that might be of interest to voters now deciding who to support in this election.'”
(Goldfarb is referring to two speakers at Khalidi's 2003 farewell party: "a young Palestinian American (who) recited a poem accusing the Israeli government of terrorism in its treatment of Palestinians and sharply criticizing U.S. support of Israel. If Palestinians cannot secure their own land, she said, 'then you will never see a day of peace,'" and another who "likened 'Zionist settlers on the West Bank' to Osama bin Laden, saying both had been 'blinded by ideology.'")
Continued Goldfarb: “Why would the media withhold information that might be damaging to a presidential candidate? It is certainly a luxury that you and your colleagues have never afforded this campaign.”
For his part, Obama was asked about his relationship with Khalidi in May at an event with Jewish voters in Boca Raton, Fla.
“I do know him because I taught at the University of Chicago,” Obama said. “And he is Palestinian. And I do know him and I have had conversations. He is not one of my advisors; he’s not one of my foreign policy people. His kids went to the Lab school where my kids go as well. He is a respected scholar, although he vehemently disagrees with a lot of Israel’s policy.
“To pluck out one person who I know and who I’ve had a conversation with who has very different views than 900 of my friends and then to suggest that somehow that shows that maybe I’m not sufficiently pro-Israel, I think, is a very problematic stand to take," Obama said. "So, we gotta be careful about guilt by association.”
- jpt
The nation was ready for a change.
It had been through a depression, a war, and sixteen years of government by the same political party. The incumbent was an unpopular man who had been a "last choice" pick four years earlier for the Vice-Presidency. The challenger was an intelligent, charismatic, well-spoken and experienced governor of a major state who had been nominated once before and whose time had finally come. Everything was in place, the polls looked great, and on election night, the media was so certain of the challenger's imminent victory that a major American newspaper reported that he won before all the votes had come in.And then Thomas Dewey lost. The great hope of the Republican Party failed to take the presidency away from Harry Truman, a man who inherited the office in the shadow of Franklin Roosevelt.Fast forward sixty years, and we Obama supporters find ourselves in a similarly dangerous situation. The polls look great, and our opponent looks like a beaten man who made a bad choice for a running mate, and can't seem to do much of anything right. Our guy looks presidential, and no one can deny he has the charisma of a classic American leader. The whole world wants him to be elected. But just as in 1948, the only thing that matters is the final vote count. Not polls, not charisma, not clever slogans. And if we do not work every day to until November 4th to win this election, as if we were the ones who were ten points behind, we could well find ourselves mourning a numbing loss of the White House the next day.If you're young, it's so easy to feel over-confident about all of this. Hell, even if you're old it's easy. It's so obvious that Obama is the best choice for the job, right? How could anyone not see that? But many don't, and many won't, and you and I will never understand why they won't, because we just don't think that way. What I'm trying to say to everyone who reads this is that we can lose this election. The only way to prevent that is to resist the temptation to believe that we have already won it. The media is singing into our ears about how great our campaign is, how well-funded and well-organized we are. How naturally presidential Obama looks and sounds. Don't believe it. Work as if we have nothing and need to gain everything. Speak passionately but patiently to people who are not yet convinced that Obama is the right choice to lead the nation. We need them to join us if they can. If you are living in a part of your state where our victory is very clearly assured, then consider going to another part of your state where it's an uphill battle, and your help is desperately needed. This election symbolizes deep change on many levels, but only one of them has to do with the election. We are at a point of cultural and generational change in this nation that will take place no matter what the result of the election may be. The people who remember the Great Depression are now all near 80 or older. The youthful generation of the 1960s that we still see in films and television shows, the ones who are often seen as eternally youthful hippies; they are now all near or over 60. So change is going to come; the question for us is will we get the political leadership we want to steward us through those other kinds of inevitable changes.Time has done its part; it's up to us to do the rest. As Barack Obama has said from the very beginning, it's not about him, it's about us. He can do nothing unless we make him the next President.Let's get out there and make the change we want.
Andrew Hammer is a writer, speaker and activist with over fifteen years of experience as a consultant on faith and politics to progressive political parties throughout the world.
