Hello All,
I've recently posted 2 suggestions on the new Change.gov feature:
The first is related to Education:
http://citizensbriefingbook.change.gov/ideas/viewIdea.apexp?id=087800000004uWU
The second is proposing reform in Medicare
http://citizensbriefingbook.change.gov/ideas/viewIdea.apexp?id=087800000004t3F
I'm asking people to vote on the two proposals and post a comment.
Thanks for your time and your generosity.
Bryan in Miami
Hello everyone,
Just an update. Mr. Obama's Christmas/New Year's address is now available in our bilingual format in Spanish, Tagalog, Korean, and Japanese at these addresses:
We're moving to providing one Quicktime file with all languages available as a subtitle. Then with an iPhone/iPod you can select the language appropriate to the situation. Or just two files on YouTube, where you select the language you want. Stay tuned for news on his inaugural address as well, now in your language, in his voice.
Best,
Michael Novak
Captionedmediaforobama.com
mnovak@tertia.us
At least the are two guys who are trying to organize a rally against Obama on day ONE.
This two TRAITORS are manipulating the LATINO community with false pretenses about the delicate issue of immigration.
It seems to me very strange this innocents creatures are telling us the good news if LATINOS go for a rally in day ONE.
It's my opinion these two craps a re-pug infiltrated in this blog.
Percy H Florez
Early Voting for the entire state of Florida has just been extended.
Every Early Vote location in Florida will now be every day from 7am-7pm up through November 2.
Please pass along this great news to everyone you know who will be voting in Florida. Click here to find your nearest early vote location.
Here's the release:
GOVERNOR CRIST EXTENDS EARLY VOTING HOURS ~~ ~Ensures maximum number of Floridians can exercise right to vote~ ~~October 28, 2008Contact:GOVERNOR'S PRESS OFFICE(850) 488-5394TALLAHASSEE - Governor Charlie Crist today signed Executive Order 08-217, extending the hours for early voting during the current General Election. Effective immediately, early voting sites will be open from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., through Friday, October 31, 2008, and for a total of 12 hours between 7:00 a.m. on Saturday, November 1, and 7:00 p.m. on Sunday, November 2, 2008. "I have spoken with the Secretary of State and members of the Florida Legislature and have concluded that it is always the right thing to do to give voters every opportunity to cast a ballot," Governor Crist said. "I have a responsibility to the voters of our state to ensure that the maximum number of citizens can participate in the electoral process, and that every person can exercise the right to vote." Prior to the 2008 General Election, Florida has seen historic numbers of Floridians registering to vote for the first time. In addition, record numbers of voters have chosen to cast a ballot during early voting. Early voting began on October 20 and runs through November 2. Current Florida law allows for early voting to be conducted eight hours per day on each weekday, and for a total of eight hours during both weekends during the early voting period. Floridians can contact their county's Supervisor of Elections for dates, times and locations of early voting. Florida voters can also request absentee ballots to be mailed to them until October 29. Please see the attached Executive Order 08-217. STATE OF FLORIDA OFFICE OF THE GOVERNOR EXECUTIVE ORDER NUMBER 08-217 WHEREAS, early voting is scheduled to end November 2, 2008; and WHEREAS, early voting turnout has already reached record levels and is forecast to continue with record turnout. There are only 267 early voting sites throughout the state and long lines have formed at many of the early voting sites; and WHEREAS, a historic number of Floridians have registered to vote for the first time in this election; and WHEREAS, new voting equipment is being used in 15 Florida counties; WHEREAS, as a result of this unique combination of circumstances resulting from the historic voter turnout in this election, there is a possibility that election officials will be unable to conduct an orderly election, and thus residents in our state could be deprived of a meaningful opportunity to vote; andWHEREAS, because of the existing and continuing possibility of an emergency occurring before or during the regularly scheduled election, and in order to ensure maximum citizen participation in the electoral process, and provide a safe and orderly procedure for persons seeking to exercise their right to vote;NOW, THEREFORE, I, CHARLIE CRIST, as Governor of Florida, by virtue of the authority vested in me by Article IV, Section 1(a) of the Florida Constitution, by the Florida Elections Emergency Act, and by all other applicable laws, issue the following Executive Order, to take immediate effect:I hereby declare that, based on the above-described conditions, a state of emergency exists. It is hereby found and declared to be necessary to extend the voting hours during early voting. Accordingly, I order the Supervisors of Elections to open early voting sites from 7 a.m. and close at 7 p.m. through October 31, 2008 and open early voting sites for a total of twelve (12) hours between 7 a.m. November 1, 2008 and 7 p.m. November 2, 2008.IN TESTIMONY WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the Great Seal of the State of Florida to be affixed, at Tallahassee, the Capitol, this 28th day of October, 2008. GOVERNORATTEST:SECRETARY OF STATE
GOVERNOR CRIST EXTENDS EARLY VOTING HOURS
~~ ~Ensures maximum number of Floridians can exercise right to vote~ ~~
October 28, 2008
Contact:
GOVERNOR'S PRESS OFFICE(850) 488-5394
TALLAHASSEE - Governor Charlie Crist today signed Executive Order 08-217, extending the hours for early voting during the current General Election. Effective immediately, early voting sites will be open from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., through Friday, October 31, 2008, and for a total of 12 hours between 7:00 a.m. on Saturday, November 1, and 7:00 p.m. on Sunday, November 2, 2008.
"I have spoken with the Secretary of State and members of the Florida Legislature and have concluded that it is always the right thing to do to give voters every opportunity to cast a ballot," Governor Crist said. "I have a responsibility to the voters of our state to ensure that the maximum number of citizens can participate in the electoral process, and that every person can exercise the right to vote."
Prior to the 2008 General Election, Florida has seen historic numbers of Floridians registering to vote for the first time. In addition, record numbers of voters have chosen to cast a ballot during early voting.
Early voting began on October 20 and runs through November 2. Current Florida law allows for early voting to be conducted eight hours per day on each weekday, and for a total of eight hours during both weekends during the early voting period. Floridians can contact their county's Supervisor of Elections for dates, times and locations of early voting.
Florida voters can also request absentee ballots to be mailed to them until October 29.
Please see the attached Executive Order 08-217.
STATE OF FLORIDA
OFFICE OF THE GOVERNOR
EXECUTIVE ORDER NUMBER 08-217
WHEREAS, early voting is scheduled to end November 2, 2008; and
WHEREAS, early voting turnout has already reached record levels and is forecast to continue with record turnout. There are only 267 early voting sites throughout the state and long lines have formed at many of the early voting sites; and
WHEREAS, a historic number of Floridians have registered to vote for the first time in this election; and
WHEREAS, new voting equipment is being used in 15 Florida counties;
WHEREAS, as a result of this unique combination of circumstances resulting from the historic voter turnout in this election, there is a possibility that election officials will be unable to conduct an orderly election, and thus residents in our state could be deprived of a meaningful opportunity to vote; and
WHEREAS, because of the existing and continuing possibility of an emergency occurring before or during the regularly scheduled election, and in order to ensure maximum citizen participation in the electoral process, and provide a safe and orderly procedure for persons seeking to exercise their right to vote;
NOW, THEREFORE, I, CHARLIE CRIST, as Governor of Florida, by virtue of the authority vested in me by Article IV, Section 1(a) of the Florida Constitution, by the Florida Elections Emergency Act, and by all other applicable laws, issue the following Executive Order, to take immediate effect:
I hereby declare that, based on the above-described conditions, a state of emergency exists. It is hereby found and declared to be necessary to extend the voting hours during early voting. Accordingly, I order the Supervisors of Elections to open early voting sites from 7 a.m. and close at 7 p.m. through October 31, 2008 and open early voting sites for a total of twelve (12) hours between 7 a.m. November 1, 2008 and 7 p.m. November 2, 2008.
IN TESTIMONY WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the Great Seal of the State of Florida to be affixed, at Tallahassee, the Capitol, this 28th day of October, 2008.
GOVERNOR
ATTEST:
SECRETARY OF STATE
"This is a 51/49 country, not a 60/40 country... If you want to elect Barack Obama, go to Florida, go to Ohio. Go to the battleground states."
Obama supporters are more confident now than at any time this year. (Who even remembers the depressing days right after Sen. McCain chose Gov. Palin?) The media echo chamber is largely reinforcing this confidence, just as they have in months past. The powerful endorsement by Colin Powell today on Meet the Press will likely dominate press coverage for a day or two, with only two weeks and two days left to election day. That is huge.
But we should keep our eye on the ball! Lets focus our attention on the battleground states, because if Obama wins only one of these, we likely win the whole ballgame: Florida, Colorado, Ohio. And the single thing that will tip the balance is a significant move by older voters, particularly in places like Florida, Pennsylvania and Ohio.
The Great Schlep
Sarah Silverman gives a funny take on our mission: go to your grandparents, your parents, your friends and family in these toss-up states, and make sure they are on board. It would be great to win North Carolina or Virginia, but it is essential that we will our share of toss-ups.
Fair warning: this humorous video does contain expletives.
http://www.thegreatschlep.com/
Conservatives sing the praises of Barack Obama
"I sense in this guy a first-class mind who might just do smart things." --Christopher Buckley
"Barack Obama is the sharpest knife in the [Democratic] drawer." --Rush Limbaugh
Colin Powell is now endorsing Barack Obama on Meet the Press.
"I have gone back and forth between someone I have the highest regard for, John McCain, and someone I have been getting to know, Barack Obama." Both candidates would be good presidents.
However, Barack Obama displays "intellectual vigor, intellectual curiosity", and he is surrounding himself with people that will give him the advice that he needs. "I think he is a transformational figure... I will be voting for him."
While Powell continues to love and admire John McCain, who he has known for more than 20 years, he is very concerned about the rightward direction of the Republican Party. "We must stop polarizing our country. John McCain is an non-polarizing as anyone I know, but there is a polarizing element in the Republican Party."
The effort by the McCain campaign to tie Obama to terrorism (via his relationship to Bill Ayers) is a "terrible stretch, its demogogary" and its further evidence that the McCain campaign has been "narrow, ... too narrow for America." Powell tells a compelling story about a young man who was 14 at the time of 9-11. This young man was born in New Jersey, and waited until he was of age to join the military and serve his country. That young man was killed in combat, and is buried in Arlington Cemetary. His gravestone has the star and crecent of his Muslim faith, just as others there have a cross or a Star of David. The McCain campaign effort to tar Obama as Muslim (despite the fact that it is not true) insults the memory of this young man, and the millions of American Muslims who should be able to aspire to serve this country, and yes to become President of the United States.
Barack Obama will electrify this country, and the world. He has established himself as the right candidate. At this point in history, we need a president who will be transformational, a generational change. That is Barack Obama.
I was sent today a great GOTV music video.
Enjoy!
http://es.youtube.com/watch?v=-ycu0sy5RW8
I know it's tempting, but we can't afford to watch the polls. This is still a 50:50 country, and a 50:50 state. If Barack wins on November 4th, it's not going to be because we "hope" or "are confident." It's going to be because we work our butts off, calling, canvassing and Getting Out The Vote. Democrats have been prettty casual about turnout. I, for one, don't want to be sitting around watching McCain innaugerated and knowing I could have done more, but it is too late.
We are really gearing up. Please call your local office to volunteer.
(CBS) Political Players is a continuing conversation with the leaders, consultants and activists who shape American politics. This week, CBS News’ Brian Goldsmith talked with Republican political strategist Alex Castellanos about his party’s outlook in November. CBSNews.com: We see tracking polls that show this race anywhere from a one point Obama lead to a 12 point Obama lead. What's your view of where the campaign stands today? Alex Castellanos: I think this campaign was tightening up until a couple of weeks ago. And I think at that point it kind of knocked the Republican brand back quite a bit. You can see that it's not only affected the McCain campaign, but you're seeing Senate races, congressional races all around the country where Republicans have dropped four or five points. So my guess today is that McCain is probably four or five points behind. CBSNews.com: Do you get the sense that there may be some tightening over the last couple of days? Or do you think that's just a natural fluctuation? Alex Castellanos: I think that’s a little bit of a fluctuation. I think a lot of America voted last week. And I don't mean that physically, but a lot of people I think reached a decision point last week. We've seen some hardening of the vote. You look at the Republican vote and nearly 90 percent say that they're for McCain and not moving, and likewise for the Democratic vote. I think there's a sense now, for those voters who have decided to go for Obama, the election is over. And I think we're actually going to go through a little period of buyer's remorse where people take one more look at Obama and ask, is this what I really want to do? So I would expect it to tighten again a little bit. But Obama has a lead. And I think McCain needs a comeback strategy. CBSNews.com: Many Republicans, as you know, are alarmed that this campaign is now being played out almost entirely on President Bush's turf from 2000 and 2004. The Kerry and Gore states seem mostly locked for Obama. So what do you think a McCain comeback strategy should look like? Alex Castellanos: I think it's got several steps. The first thing is you start the race at the line, not the finish line. Tell voters where you are. Hey look, we've had an economic crisis. And it's happened on the Republicans' watch. And that's affected everyone with an R next to their name, certainly affected this campaign. And we're in a tough spot. Step two is embrace the challenge and say, look we've got a tough economic situation. And if you'll think in the life of our country and your own life, these are the moments that have made us who we are. These are the moments that have brought out our best. And, you know, I know what it's like being tested. And so does this country. And this will bring out our best. And here's where we go from there. And then step three is leading, offering a long-term solution. I think Americans want somebody to lift their eyes from their shoes, look over the horizon a little bit, and say, "Look, there's a new global economy out there, a new global economic frontier, tremendously competitive and frightening but also tremendously promising." And America can succeed there. We can compete and win. That's the answer, that's going to lift us. And that's what I had hoped McCain would do [at the debate] and I think he has yet to do. CBSNews.com: We heard earlier this week some pretty surprising on-the-record quotes from McCain operatives essentially saying, if we're talking about the economic crisis, we lose. We need to shift the debate to Barack Obama's vulnerabilities. Do you think that’s a mistake? Alex Castellanos: Well, I think there's very little in politics that's secret. And one of the least secret things is strategy because you communicate it by what you do. But nevertheless, I don't think you are quite that obvious with it. The problem is, this is shoveling back the tide. There's a limit to the ability of a political campaign to make people think, when the house is burning down, that a cold meal is the problem. When a wave is this big, you either ride the wave or you get swamped by the wave. CBSNews.com: So--to be clear about the metaphor--it's not even possible, in your view, to change the subject from the economy. Alex Castellanos: I think, on occasion, politics reflects real life. Who knew? And this is one of those moments. I think it's incumbent on Republicans not to display a lack of confidence in our ability to deal with the real challenges that confront the country and especially economic challenges. I mean, McCain's actually got a great story to tell there. Raise taxes now, you can pull the economy over a precipice. Put a Democratic Congress and a Democratic President in there to spend, to regulate and tax, you know, you're gonna have a car with two accelerators and no brake pedal when the country is on the edge of an economic crisis. CBSNews.com: Are you surprised McCain hasn't made the divided government argument? Alex Castellanos: Well, I think as we get closer to the finish line, I would expect that that'll become a bigger concern. CBSNews.com: A lot of the commentary about the debate this week shared the view that McCain lost by not decisively winning, that he had to shake things up and he didn’t. Do you agree with that? Alex Castellanos: I think when the other team is ahead and nothing changes, that's probably a good thing for the team that's ahead. The third quarter's now over. We're going into the fourth quarter. And I think Obama has an advantage. So, yeah, I think the next debate it's going to be important to gain some ground. CBSNews.com: Can you explain what you think the strategy of the McCain campaign is to win this election? Alex Castellanos: Well, I think the McCain strategy has been, we have to disqualify Obama to win. And that's true. They do. He is the alternative to a Republican brand that has taken a beaten lately. But saying that that's something you have to do does not mean that's the only thing you have to do. And when the Obama people certainly have more than enough resources and political talent to disqualify McCain, you're back to parity in a year where the Democratic brand has an advantage. The generic ballot tilts their way. So why vote for John McCain? And I think they had that message for a couple of weeks. And the McCain/Palin brand was, we're outsider populists. We're going to change Washington and strengthen the country. And all of a sudden, it wasn't that Washington's on the wrong track, it's that the economy's on the wrong track. And their brand -- that kind of campaign -- got shoved to the sidelines. CBSNews.com: Now obviously, they've gotten no shortage of suggestions for how to improve their strategy. Newt Gingrich wrote that John McCain is facing the crisis of his career, that he risks losing unless he breaks more dramatically from he called Bush/Paulson economics. Do you think that's a wise move? Alex Castellanos: I don't think it's as important that he break from Bush/Paulson as it is that he lay out his own economic vision to take the country forward. And, by design, I think that would offer sufficient contrast with the Bush administration which hasn't really focused on that. CBSNews.com: I know that there's disagreement even within McCain's team about this, but do you think that John McCain should use Jeremiah Wright in the campaign? Alex Castellanos: Well, I'll tell you, that was kind of litigated in front of the entire nation on every news media outlet for weeks. America knows about that. When you paint the wall the same color, America doesn't really notice a big change. CBSNews.com: Now, you famously worked for Jesse Helms when he ran against Harvey Gantt, an African-American Democrat, in 1990. How do you think McCain deals with Obama's race? Does he ignore it? Does he have to attack him more carefully as a result of it? How does it change what the McCain campaign has to think about? Alex Castellanos: If they're thinking about that, then they're not thinking about what they need to be to win. In politics, I have a thing called the law of the fireman. When your house is on fire, you don't care whether your fireman is male or female, tall, short, one faith or color, or what his last name is. You want him to put the fire out. And right now, I think, looking at the small insignificant divisions that aren't central to putting out the fire, and moving the country forward, trivialize the campaign. CBSNews.com: Do you think Sarah Palin was a smart choice as McCain’s running mate? Alex Castellanos: I think Sarah Palin did something for the McCain campaign that most running mates don't do -- she gave the McCain campaign about three good weeks of lift. But more than that, she gave them a message. Until Sarah Palin came along, most Republicans, most Americans didn't know what the McCain campaign was about, what it was going to do. And with her choice, McCain sent a signal that this campaign is about changing Washington because sometimes, you know, Washington's not going to change itself.
By Brian Goldsmith© MMVII, CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved.
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/10/10/politics/politicalplayers/main4513343.shtml
Hi everyone,
We just posted two videos that you might want to use. They are available both on our website at www.captionedmediaforobama.com, and also on Youtube Channel captionedforobama.
Last night Sarah Palin had the audacity to belittle and make fun of my profession and life's work. In her own quest for power, she insulted a whole group of people that everyday for little pay dedicate their lives to helping others. For us, success is not measured by the size of a salary. It is measured by the difference made in the lives of others. It is not a glamorous job, we go into all the neighborhoods everyone else avoids and work with the people everyone wants to forget. Community organizers, do not advertise nor market our profession because it is not about us, it is about the people whose lives we hope to better one person at a time, one child at a time, one community at a time. I am PROUD being a social worker, a community organizer, an advocate for those who need a voice, and of my MSW in Community Organizing Management and Planning from Boston University, the alma mater of another community organizer Martin Luther King Jr. I am proud of my daughter who has decided to continue the tradition by also becoming a social worker focusing on helping those suffering from addictions, and yesterday began her MSW at Boston College. I am proud of the work that I do everyday for the children and families of Manatee County Public Schools, I am proud of the work that I do to register new voters to participate in our democracy and take ownership of their future. Community Organizers do more than just talk, we act to make the world a better place.
It seems that Sarah Palin knows no more what a community organizer does than what a vice-president does, Maybe then it's something not to take personally since before being selected, on CNBC she told Larry Kudlow "what does a VP do anyway?" She is obviously ignorant, but it is sad that hords of Republicans are also ignorant and cheered her put-down.
Here is a video of famous community organizers that have made a difference and impacted history. Pass it on to those who do not know a community organizer, do not know what a community organizer does, nor the contributions they have made to make this world a better place. It seems that WE need to speak up for ourselves and set the record straight.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FVkhtMY2io4
Hi friends, I address you in English because we have a lot of members that speak that language only, although this board is for all "puertorriqueños". But today I would like to share my thoughts with the entire World.
It's official, Barack sent out the email this morning, did you get it?
Friend --I have some important news that I want to make official.I've chosen Joe Biden to be my running mate. Joe and I will appear for the first time as running mates this afternoon in Springfield, Illinois -- the same place this campaign began more than 19 months ago.I'm excited about hitting the campaign trail with Joe, but the two of us can't do this alone. We need your help to keep building this movement for change.Please let Joe know that you're glad he's part of our team. Share your personal welcome note and we'll make sure he gets it:Welcome Joe Thanks for your support,Barack
I have some important news that I want to make official.
I've chosen Joe Biden to be my running mate.
Joe and I will appear for the first time as running mates this afternoon in Springfield, Illinois -- the same place this campaign began more than 19 months ago.
I'm excited about hitting the campaign trail with Joe, but the two of us can't do this alone. We need your help to keep building this movement for change.
Please let Joe know that you're glad he's part of our team. Share your personal welcome note and we'll make sure he gets it:
Welcome Joe
Thanks for your support,
Barack
Send Joe a note! Welcome Joe!
Make sure to turn on your TV at 3:00 p.m. to join Obama and Biden in Springfield, Illinois. Or, watch online at http://www.BarackObama.com.
I was watching with a local organizer-volunteer, Stephanie, mother, black female, Christian, veteran, who got a text msg from a fellow black female student who had not committed to vote until then - saying she will now definitely vote for Barack, and volunteer too, after seeing Barack at Saddleback.
At this rate I'll be writing anew installment everyday. Keep it up Grampy!
After getting the timeline in Iraq completely wrong with regards to the surge and the Anbar Awakening, John McCain's campaign attempted to re-shape reality yet again, in a way that perhaps was too much of a stretch even for the likes of the republican Empire.
Even after the timeline error had been documented by several progressive news site and programs, the McCain campaign pushed their version of reality as if nothing had gone wrong. Citing Colonel Sean Mac Farland's work with Sunni Sheik Abdul Sattar Abu Risha in encouraging the Anbar Awakening, McCain campaign spokesman Tucker Bounds was quoted by CNN:
"Democrats can debate whether the Awakening would have survived without the surge, or whether the Shiite militias would have unilaterally disarmed without US troops and our Iraqi allies disarming them by force, but that is a transparent effort to minimize the role of our commanders and our troops in defeating the enemy, because to credit them would be to disparage the judgment of Barack Obama and praise the leadership of John McCain. If Barack Obama had had his way, the Sheiks who started the Awakening would have been murdered at the hands of al Qaeda, and US forces would have already left Iraq in defeat."
The biggest problem with this statement? The Sheik in question . . . IS dead and HAS BEEN dead since September 2007.
So, if (as some of my more sober friends have begun to suggest) there is no conspiracy empire-like attempt by the republican party to completely re-write history for their own benefit. . . how many more free passes is John McCain expecting to get before someone taps him on the shoulder and asks him to go home?
And CBS covers for him!
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3036677/#25805843
Frankly, this isn't a shock to me, as it has been my perception that Katie Couric has been less than friendly toward Obama and more than courteous towards John McCain.
Katie Couric's contributions to the coverage of the presidential campaign have included the following:
1) puff pieces about John McCain and his mommy
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/07/09/eveningnews/main4246539.shtml
http://svmomblog.typepad.com/nyc_moms/2008/05/post-1.html
2) carrying water for the idea that Obama is a muslim
http://www.insightmag.com/ME2/dirmod.asp?sid=5D3B38F8A2584DB5A77BA05660C6045C&nm=Free+Access&type=Publishing&mod=Publications%3A%3AArticle&mid=8F3A7027421841978F18BE895F87F791&tier=4&id=3B028AAAA0664EC4BA9D22D2592F3046
3) accusing the media of biased, misogynistic coverage against Hillary Clinton without also acknowledging how racial biases also had a role in the democratic primary.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/06/12/keith-olbermann-names-kat_n_106689.html
On this link is the John McCain Op-Ed not published by the New York Times:
http://elections.foxnews.com/2008/07/21/the-mccain-op-ed-the-new-york-times-wouldnt-publish/
Some highlights, and some commentary from those of us in the reality-based community:
Progress has been due primarily to an increase in the number of troops and a change in their strategy. I was an early advocate of the surge at a time when it had few supporters in Washington.
What is never mentioned by the surge proponents is that while the surge was going on, there was also substantial ethnic cleansing in Iraq. When Saddam Hussein was in power, there were churches and synagogues in the heart of Baghdad. Those are gone. Due to this violence there are over 5 million Iraqis displaced- some within more homogenous areas of the country, and some in neighboring countries- and another million-plus dead. With that many fewer people in the area to manage, the job is undoubtedly easier. Never mind for now that the purpose of the surge was not simply to calm violence, but we’ll get back to that.
Senator Barack Obama was an equally vocal opponent. "I am not persuaded that 20,000 additional troops in Iraq is going to solve the sectarian violence there," he said on January 10, 2007. "In fact, I think it will do the reverse."
Given that the Pentagon has had to bribe multiple factions in Iraq (including Muqtada Al Sadr’s Militia), and that a fierce internal battle between the Militia and the Iraqi Army was negotiated into a cease-fire by IRAN, one could conclude that Obama was correct; there was indeed a surge in violence before things calmed back down to the threshold level of misery that was present before the surge in troops.
Now Senator Obama has been forced to acknowledge that "our troops have performed brilliantly in lowering the level of violence." But he still denies that any political progress has resulted.
Anyone who thinks Obama doesn’t think our troops have fulfilled their responsibilities beautifully can feel free to read the introduction of the Iraq War De-Escalation Act of 2006.
Perhaps he is unaware that the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad has recently certified that, as one news article put it, "Iraq has met all but three of 18 original benchmarks set by Congress last year to measure security, political and economic progress." Even more heartening has been progress that's not measured by the benchmarks. More than 90,000 Iraqis, many of them Sunnis who once fought against the government, have signed up as Sons of Iraq to fight against the terrorists. Nor do they measure Prime Minister Nouri al Maliki's new-found willingness to crack down on Shiite extremists in Basra and Sadr City--actions that have done much to dispel suspicions of sectarianism.
Anyone out there that believes any genuine political reconciliation has ocurred (READ: clearing of benchmarks) can feel free to read the latest report by the Center for American Progress, Here:
http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/2008/04/hazy_benchmarks.html
The reality is that McCain’s glowing declaration of cleared benchmarks is exactly backwards, and everything he "knows" about Iraq is pretty much wrong. The reality of the Republicans and Iraq is this: They wanted a war in Iraq, because they wanted permanent bases in Iraq, which could be used to launch attacks on any oil-producing country that doesn't do as we say. This is the agenda of Project for the New American Century, of which John McCain was an ideological founder through the New Citizenship Project.
But then, McCain is the representative of an empire, complete with its own media mouthpiece. And as we know, empires determine what the facts are and write the past, present and future.
Until of course we ordinary people in the reality-based community decide we’re fed up and decide not to tolerate the garbage. Kudos to the New York Times for not publishing this garbage, and kudos to all of you out there for continuing to support an America worth fighting for.
Ron Suskind once wrote in the New York Times about an interview he had with a Senior Bush Adviser soon after he wrote a harsh but factual piece on Bush Communications Director Karen Hughes. In this piece, the aide gave him a piece of information that basically described the paradigm from which all Bush policies emerge:
The aide said that guys like me were ''in what we call the reality-based community,'' which he defined as people who ''believe that solutions emerge from your judicious study of discernible reality.'' I nodded and murmured something about enlightenment principles and empiricism. He cut me off. ''That's not the way the world really works anymore,'' he continued. ''We're an empire now, and when we act, we create our own reality. And while you're studying that reality -- judiciously, as you will -- we'll act again, creating other new realities, which you can study too, and that's how things will sort out. We're history's actors . . . and you, all of you, will be left to just study what we do.''
So if we follow this logic, when you become rich enough and powerful enough, you gain the god-given right to recreate facts and history to suit your present needs. So, if you want to invade an oil producing country that didn’t attack you, you can accuse them of having Weapons of ass Destruction, attack them while outside, “reality-based” people continue to look for those weapons, and then site a different reason for why you did what you did when the reality-based community starts to scratch its head over the original reason.
A little hard to follow when you put it on paper, isn’t it? But apparently it works strikingly well when the masses are in the right state, by which I mean a state of fear. The American people were afraid to the point of jumping at the sight of their own shadows during the buildup to the Iraq war. The strategy is being employed now by conservatives to hype up the case for off-shore drilling. The cheerleaders for this cause have promised energy independence and cheap gas for everybody if we allow the government to hand more public lands to oil companies. Never mind that our energy usage far outperforms our ability to produce energy, and opening every last inch of land to drilling wont change that. The cheerleaders repeatedly claim that our drilling operations are so advanced that we lost no oil rigs during the Hurricanes of 2005, nor was a drop of oil spill. Both, of course, are a lie, but we deal in the reality-based community, so our perspective might need some re-calibration.
And so it goes with the presidential campaign of John McCain. John McCain is attempting to re-draw the lines of the world and the opinions of foreign leaders. He has repeated multiple times (without anyone correcting him) that its important to protect the interests of Czechoslovakia (which hasn’t existed in about 15 years). He has insisted today on Good Morning America that we have a lot of work to do on the border of Iraq and Pakistan (the two nations don’t share a border). He also recently dismissed Iraqi PM Nouri Al-Maliki’s support for Senator Obama’s troop withdrawal plan by denying the Iraqi government has made any such statement, and then by saying that HE knows what the Iraqi people want, which is to win (whatever THAT means). He has tried to build up a case for war with Iran by asserting (falsely) that the Shiite nation of Iran is training members of the Sunni extremist group Al Qaeda. Not even having Joe Leiberman correct him on this issue in front of news reporters would stop McCain from repeating the claim several more times. The Main Stream Corporate Media could have corrected this, but a reality-based community’s only appropriate response to the actions of an empire’s new figurehead is sort out the new reality from the old one and study what the empire does.
Aside from reinventing foreign policy, John McCain has tried his hand at altering the reality-based community’s perception of Barack Obama’s candidacy. He’s attempted to paint Obama as an appeaser on par with Neville Chamberlain without providing evidence. When it politically expedient, he and the MSCM asserted (falsely) that Obama was calling for an attack of Pakistan while attempting to, “embrace” Iranian president Ahmedinejad, when what Obama has actually proposed regarding each country are policies that have been validated over the last few months. John McCain has painted Obama as a politician who would raise taxes across the board for all americans, when the reality is that anyone making less than $250k per year would do better under Obama’s plan. He’s painted Obama as one who wants to, “lose” in Iraq, when our president declared victory there several years ago. The list goes on.
It’s worth pointing out that a few media outlets in the MSCM have done a good job of pointing out different pieces of McCain’s disconnect between his perceptions and those of the reality-based community, albeit in a manner that is so disjointed and piecemeal that it makes it very difficult for anyone to gather the information in a way that makes sense. Unfortunately when the MSCM is part of the conservative empire, the situation is to be expected.
You don't need to do much research to determine that the Main Stream Corporate Media (MSCM) has a crush on McCain. After months where he confused Sunni and Shia, joked about killing Iranians with cigarettes, bashed the very premise of Social Security (while still cashing his SS check), had his financial advisor deny the looming economic crisis and called us a nation of whiners, and was caught with his pants down in a simple question about birth control and health insurance, McCain is still neck and neck with Senator Obama in the National Polls. It bears to remind people that a disturbing number of democratic candidates in the past 6 years have been destroyed by the MSCM for much less, like a scream that was magnified over a special mic for example.
For all that help from the MSCM though, it certainly helps to have friends in a variety of places. For John McCain, one of his most useful and powerful allies is ironically one of the most, "liberal" figures in modern American politics; Ralph Nader. A cruise through his current campaign website features a litany of attacks against democrats in general and Barack Obama specifically, with hardly a mention of the Republican Party or John McCain. Some of the taglines that can I found on his website include, "Swap the Donkey for a Weasel," "Nader responds to Obama," "Nader Challenges Obama on AIPAC," "Obama Steers Clear of Michigan Muslims," "Old Obama, New Obama," "Hillary Won" and a pair of Blogs trying to draw Obama supporters to their side over the FISA vote.
John McCain, relatively speaking, is virtually absent from the campaign site's news & analysis.
One might consider this a coincidence until you do some research. In May 2006 TIME Magazine published a special called, "Leaders and Revolutionaries" and featured a wide variety of significant public figures from around the world. In this special was an essay about John McCain, written by Ralph Nader.
some highlights:
"As the clear and active frontrunner for 2008, McCain is not just a conservative. Otherwise why would he be so controversial among the party's base?" -never mind Ralph that he has been a rank-and-file republican for his entire senate career, reaching across party lines only when the issue was publicly popular and politically expedient, and has only become more pro-Bush as November draws closer.
"He favors . . . campaign-finance reform" and has survived in this primary season by skirting those rules, as well as possibly breaking them.
"He passed an anti-torture bill widely seen as a rebuke to George W. Bush." - and then promptly flipped by voting against an anti-torture amendment to a recent intelligence authorization bill.
"McCain opposed the Bush Tax Cuts in 2001 and '02 as unfairly tilted to the wealthy and reckless at a time of large deficits." - and is now running on a platform of making those tax cuts 100% permanent, along with granting even more tax cuts to the top 2-3%
I must admit that I was once a big fan of Ralph Nader. This man was the first person I ever voted for in a presidential campaign. Unfortunately, it seems to me that the man who was once a champion of the public interest is now a slave to both personal and Republican interests. His attacks on Obama- his assertions that Obama is abandoning his black side, accusing Obama of being a slave to corporations, etc- do little to help his campaign; his polling numbers are even lower now than they were in 2000. His behavior does however create more cynicism in the electorate and prompts people to either stay home or vote McCain. It’s time that Obama supporters and democrats stop being afraid to engage Nader supporters on issues, and especially on the motives.
