1 /10/09 reprint of 1995 Le Monde newspaper article (English version). En Français.
"Ma priorité est de ramener les valeurs publiques ou collectives au centre du débat," said President-elect Barack Obama in an interview running in today's Le Monde newspaper.Mr. Obama was not speaking in French; his words had been translated. And in fact he hadn't uttered them in more than 12 years.The French newspaper Le Monde on Saturday took the Obama team by surprise by publishing an interview with Barack and Michelle Obama from 1996 in which the two spoke at length about their marriage, only four years after they were wed, and two years before their oldest daughter Malia was born.
Many themes will not surprise those who know or follow the Obamas. Sitting down to talk about their future the same year Obama eventually ended up running for state senate (and winning), his wife Michelle in the interview expresses reservations about whether a life in politics is what they want. And while her husband is less uncertain of his calling, he wonders aloud about his ability to maintain a balance between private and public life. He also sounds out some notes about restoring civility in discourse to public life and the notion that we're all in this together, themes that have stayed with him throughout his career up through this week.The interview, entitled "An Intimate Conversation with Michelle and Barack Obama," was conducted for a book about American marriages and was never published before today. The story was noticed in Le Monde by Tom McCarthy at the ABC News desk and translated from the French by Maeva Bambuck and Jean Fievet in ABC News' London bureau. (When assessing the precise accuracy of the quotes below, keep in mind they have now been translated from English to French to English.)"If You Look Deep Into Her Eyes, There's a Certain Vulnerability"President-elect Obama, who turned 35 that year, describes growing up with a single mother and absent father, and says, "I think that in a certain way, I’ve tried all my life to fabricate a family through stories, memories, friends or ideas. Michelle’s family life was different, very stable with two parents, a stay-at-home mom, a brother, a dog, that kind of thing. They’ve lived in the same house all their lives. And I think that in a certain way we complement each other, we represent two common models of family life in this country. One very stable and strong, another that frees itself from the constraint of a traditional family, travels, separates, is very mobile.""A part of me was wondering what a strong, reassuring family life would look like," he says, "while Michelle in a way, wanted to break from that model. In a way only, because she’s very attached to family values, but I think she sometimes sees in me a more adventurous way of life, more exotic, and in that respect, we’re complementary."Describing Michelle as "alluring" and with "a strong personality," the future President says, "if you look deep into her eyes, there’s a certain vulnerability. In any case, I see it even if most don’t realize it: she goes through life tall, beautiful, confident, very able…There’s a part of her that is fragile, young, sometimes scared, and I think these are contradictions that attracted me to her. And she makes me very happy. She is very familiar to me and so I can be myself around her, she knows me well, I completely trust her, but at the same time in certain respects she remains a mystery to me.""Sometimes, when we’re lying together," he says, "I look at her and I feel dizzy with the realization that here is another distinct person from me, who has memories, origins, thoughts, feelings that are different from my own. That tension between familiarity and mystery meshes something strong between us. Even if one builds a life together based on trust, attentiveness and mutual support, I think that’s it’s important that a partner continues to surprise.""I Was Thinking, 'He's Probably an Idiot, Whatever'" "It was strange, that excitement over this first-year student," then-32-year-old Michelle Obama recalls when describing the buzz about a new summer associate at the law firm Sidley and Austin. "So smart, so good-looking, so intelligent, everyone was talking about Barack. I’m more of the skeptical kind, I was thinking, 'Yeah, he’s probably an idiot, whatever.'"Why was she skeptical? "Because I always thought that when lawyers rave about someone, they always neglect the relational qualities," Michelle says, "so I told myself, 'He might be brilliant, but he’s probably very ordinary.' And then on the first day, he showed up late. He was late because it’d been raining! And then he walked into the office and we got along right away because he was charming and very good-looking, at least I found him good-looking. I think we were attracted to one another because we didn’t take ourselves too seriously, like some others did. He liked my dry humor and my sarcastic comments. I thought he was a good man, interesting, and I was fascinated by his personal story, so different from mine."The first lady-in-waiting clearly liked the fact that he was different and perhaps even a bit exotic. "It’s not every day that a girl from the South Side of Chicago meets someone who speaks Indonesian, who has traveled and has seen many fascinating things," she says. "It gave him a rather rare dimension in my higher middle-class work environment. Usually, these people are all cast from the same mold, but he came from elsewhere. He had a high level of conversation, while still remaining an average guy. He had an impressive curriculum, but was very down to earth and liked playing basketball. That’s what I found attractive in him. Our relationship was first a friendship. It took off from there.""There's a strong possibility Barack will pursue a career in politics"Asked how she envisions her future with her husband, Michelle says, "there’s a strong possibility that Barack will pursue a career in politics, although it’s not very clear yet. It’s an interesting challenge, the Illinois senate, although we’ve had disagreements on that topic. Once you’re involved in politics, your life becomes public and the people who scrutinize it are not always well-intentioned. I’m rather secretive and I like to surround myself with people I care about and who’s loyalty I trust.""When you start in politics, you have to confide in all sorts of people," she continues. "We may go in that direction, even though I also want to have children, travel, and spend time with my family and friends. It’s not certain that we will succeed. But we’re going to be very busy with a number of different things, and it’s going to be interesting to see what life has to offer to us. We’re ready to take on that adventure for various reasons, for instance, for the opportunities it can open to us."Her husband was clearly leading her down the path."Barack helped my overcome my shyness, take on risks, and try a less traditional path, just to see how it would go, because that’s how he was raised," she says."I’m the more traditional in the couple and he’s the more audacious. I’m more cautious. I think it shows in photographs. He’s more extroverted, more expansive, me I’m more ‘let’s wait and see how things present themselves and how it can benefit us.’"Mr. Obama seems more sure that he will, in fact, enter politics."What concerns me the most are children and the way they are treated," he says about why he will pursue a career in public office. "As an African-American, I am very concerned about children from poor neighborhoods, the problems they deal with, the total lack of a stable environment to enable them to grow and develop. It depends a lot on the economy, the opportunities they are given, their own selves and their parents. It also depends on values, for instance on the kind of family values that get talked about a lot, especially by politicians."He continues, saying, "values don’t just belong to individuals, they are also collective. Children are exposed to the values around them, and if they come to believe that the lives of their parents and their community cannot be rewarded, if their schools and homes are crumbling, how can they come to believe in their own values when they don’t have any to begin with? My priority is to return social values to public debate, because we are all one big family, transcending racial or class differences. We have obligations and responsibilities towards one another."He says, "perhaps that’s where the private and public spheres meet, when it comes to couples, relationships, families or tribes. What’s important is empathy, an understanding of shared responsibilities, the ability to put yourself in other people’s shoes. That’s why my marriage to Michelle is vibrant, because we are able to imagine the hopes, the pains, the personal battles of other people, and the challenge for everyone is to transfer that ability (for empathy) from the family sphere to the public sphere.""The Issue Will Be Finding a Balance Between Public Life and Private Life"Describing his father, Mr. Obama said "he studied economy in the United States, at the University of Hawaii and at Harvard. He wanted to contribute to development of Kenya but in the end, he was disappointed, he found himself implicated in political rivalries and the government blacklisted him because he’d protested against nepotism and tribalism. He had a bitter life and died young. Michelle’s father also had to overcome challenges and was stricken by multiple sclerosis. He too died young, but I think he had a steadier and more established life."Speaking of his mother's death just months before, Mr. Obama says, "she was only 53 years old. And when you have a small family, where every relative is very close to you…it was a difficult time for me. I have a sister on my mother’s side, she is half Indonesian like my mother’s second husband, and I also have brothers and sisters on the Kenyan side. They are very scattered, some live in Germany, others in Kenya, some here in the U.S."Mr. Obama says that for him and his wife, "kids are an important priority. We really look forward to having them. I think that the issue will be finding a balance between public life and private life, which will mean finding a balance between my temperament that leans towards risk-taking and ambition, and Michelle’s instinct for stability, family and strong values. The way we go about dealing with these issues will be crucial."- jpt
NPR Weekend Edition Sunday, 1/11/09
Barack Obama's election has already had a palpable impact in Europe: it is giving Europe's millions of minorities a new sense of pride and empowerment.
Guest host David Greene talks to NPR's Senior European Correspondent Sylvia Poggioli about her three-part series on minorities and racism in Europe, which airs on Morning Edition this week.
Series Overview: Race And Politics In Europe Today
Most Europeans were thrilled when Democrat Barack Obama was elected president of the United States because he promised to sweep away policies that Europeans found odious. But more than that, he represented hope, renewal and proof that the barriers of age, class and race can be transcended.
But Obama's victory also prompted soul-searching in Europe: Could his success be replicated there? Could a person of color ever become the leader of Germany? Italy? France?
Europeans know about America's segregationist past and the strains of racism that persist in the United States to this day. Many Europeans regard themselves as more enlightened than Americans in matters of race.
But when Europeans ask themselves, "Could a member of one of our own minorities be elected head of state?", the honest answer is: "Not any time soon."
NPR's Sylvia Poggioli explains why that's so in a three-part series, reported from Germany, Italy and France.
Part 1: In Germany, there are half a million people of African descent and 3 million people of Turkish descent. Many of them say they are treated like foreigners or ignored, even though their families may have lived in Germany for generations. There is no national debate on racism. To paraphrase one Afro-German: White Germans do not perceive themselves as racist. They act as if there are no other races in Germany. They perceive Germany as a monoracial country and conclude "we can't be racist." Another observer says, "The German concept of identity is based on exclusion."
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=99189265
Part 2: In Italy, immigrants make up about 7 percent of the population. But suspicion toward immigrants is pervasive and reflected in some of the West's most restrictive citizenship laws. Not far from Naples, 6,000 to 8,000 black people live in a town now referred to as "Little Africa." Most survive, barely, in a gray economy controlled by the local Mafia. To the north, in a town called Citadella, "The Citadel," ordinances are so restrictive that most immigrants could never afford to live there. "Yes, we're raising the drawbridge," the mayor concedes. Italian media and Italian politicians often exploit public fears about "the Other."
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=99255579
Part 3: The constitution of France enshrines the notion of egalitarianism. France was once a haven for black Americans, such as writers Richard Wright and James Baldwin. France's colonies were represented in the French assembly. "Negritude," a black pride movement spearheaded by the Senegalese poet and statesman Leopold Senghor, was once embraced as part of French cultural identity. But French society turned "white" again, one scholar observes, when the colonies sought independence in the 1960s. Today, millions of immigrants from Africa live in banlieue, large, rundown housing projects outside the big cities. Unemployment is high. Hope is low. But in the wake of Obama's election, French President Nicolas Sarkozy has announced new measures to increase diversity in the civil service, politics and the media, and, for the first time, concepts such as racism and discrimination are entering the national debate.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=99298290
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Par Barack Obama, président élu des Etats Unis. "Si jamais quelqu'un doute encore que l'Amérique est un endroit où tout est possible, qui se demande si le rêve de nos pères fondateurs est encore vivant, qui doute encore du pouvoir de notre démocratie, la réponse lui est donnée ce soir.
C'est la réponse dictée par les files d'attente devant les écoles et les églises, d'une ampleur que le pays n'a jamais connue, par les personnes qui ont attendu trois à quatre heures, la plupart pour la première fois de leur vie, parce qu'elles croyaient que ce moment devait être différent, et que leur voix pouvait être cette différence.
C'est la réponse que donnent jeunes et vieux, riches et pauvres, démocrates et républicains, Noirs, Blancs, Latinos, Asiatiques, Indiens, gays, hétéros, handicapés et non handicapés– des Américains qui ont signifié au monde que nous n'avons jamais été un assemblage d'Etats rouges et bleus, mais que nous serons toujours les Etats-Unis d'Amérique.
Cette réponse conduit ceux qui ont été décrits comme des personnes pétries de cynisme, qui craignaient et qui doutaient de ce que nous pouvions faire, à diriger le cours de l'histoire vers l'espoir de jours meilleurs. Il a fallu longtemps. Mais ce soir, grâce à ce que nous avons accompli aujourd'hui et pendant cette élection, en ce moment historique, le changement est arrivé en Amérique.
Je viens juste de recevoir un appel courtois du Sénateur McCain. Il a mené une dure et longue bataille, d'autant plus dure et longue qu'il adore ce pays. Il a enduré des sacrifices pour l'Amérique que la plupart d'entre nous ne peut même pas imaginer. Nos vies ont été améliorées grâce aux services rendus par ce dirigeant courageux et désintéressé . Je le félicite lui et le Gouverneur Palin pour ce qu'ils ont accompli, et je suis impatient de travailler avec eux pour renouveler ce pays dans les mois à venir.
Je voudrais remercier mon partenaire dans ce voyage, un homme qui a fait campagne avec son coeur et qui a parlé pour les hommes et les femmes avec qui il a grandi dans les rues de Scranton, et avec qui il a pris le train pour rentrer dans le Delaware, le Vice-président des Etats-Unis, Joe Biden.
Je ne serais jamais là ce soir sans le soutien indéfectible de celle qui est ma meilleure amie depuis les seize dernières années, le pilier de notre famille et l'amour de ma vie, la prochaine Première dame de notre nation : Michelle Obama. Sasha et Malia, je vous aime et vous avez gagné un nouveau chiot qui viendra avec nous à la Maison Blanche. Et même si elle n'est plus avec nous, je sais que ma grand-mère est présente, tout comme la famille qui a fait de moi ce que je suis. Ils me manquent ce soir et je sais que ma dette envers eux est incommensurable.
A mon directeur de campagne David Plouffe, à mon conseiller en stratégie David Axelrod, et à la meilleure équipe jamais réunie dans l'histoire de la politique – vous avez fait en sorte que cela arrive et je vous suis redevable pour toujours des sacrifices que vous avez concédés pour y arriver.
Mais avant tout, je n'oublierai jamais que cette victoire vous appartient. Je n'étais pas le candidat le plus évident pour ce poste. Nous n'avons pas commencé avec beaucoup d'argent ni avec beaucoup d'appuis. Notre campagne n'a pas éclos dans les halls de Washington – elle a commencé dans les arrière-cours de DesMoines, dans les salons de Concorde et sur les porches de Charleston.
Cette campagne a été menée par des travailleurs et des travailleuses qui ont pioché dans le peu d'économies qu'ils avaient pour donner cinq, dix, vingt dollars pour cette cause. Elle a gagné en force grâce aux jeunes qui ont rejeté le mythe de l'apathie de leur génération, qui ont quitté leurs maisons et leurs familles pour des emplois qui leur offraient peu d'argent et peu de sommeil, grâce aux personnes pas si jeunes qui ont défié le froid et la chaleur pour frapper aux portes de parfaits inconnus, grâce aux millions d'Américains volontaires qui se sont organisés et qui ont prouvé que plus de deux siècles plus tard , le gouvernement pour le peuple et par le peuple n'a pas péri. C'est votre victoire.
Je sais que vous ne l'avez pas fait juste pour gagner une élection.
Vous l'avez fait car vous comprenez l'immensité de la tâche qui nous attend. Parce qu'à l'heure où nous célébrons la victoire ce soir, nous savons que les défis de demain sont les plus importants de notre existence - deux guerres, une planète en péril, la plus grave crise financière depuis un siècle. En ce moment même, nous savons qu'il y a de courageux Américains qui se réveillent dans les déserts d' Irak et dans les montagnes d'Afghanistan pour risquer leurs vies pour nous. Il y a des pères et des mères qui passent des nuits blanches après avoir couché leurs enfants et qui se demandent comment ils pourront payer leur emprunt, les honoraires du médecin, ou comment ils pourront économiser assez pour les études. Il y a une nouvelle énergie à exploiter et de nouveaux emplois à créer, de nouvelles écoles à construire, de nouvelles menaces auxquelles il faudra faire face et des alliances à reconstruire.
La route sera longue. Le chemin sera escarpé. Nous n'atteindrons peut-être pas notre but en un an ou même en un mandat, mais il n'y a jamais eu autant d'espoir que ce soir, et le peuple américain y arrivera. Il y aura des revers et des faux départs. Nombreux sont ceux qui ne seront pas d'accord avec chaque décision que je prendrai en tant que président et nous savons que le gouvernement ne peut résoudre tous les problèmes. Mais je serai toujours honnête avec vous quant aux défis auxquels nous sommes confrontés. Je vous écouterai, particulièrement lorsque nous serons en désaccord. Et par-dessus tout, je vous demanderai de me rejoindre pour reconstruire cette nation de la seule manière possible en Amérique depuis 221 ans : bloc par bloc, brique par brique, avec nos mains calleuses.
Ce qui a commencé il y a 21 mois dans les profondeurs de l'hiver ne doit pas s'achever durant cette nuit d'automne. Cette seule victoire n'est pas ce que nous cherchons – c'est notre seule opportunité pour créer ce changement. Et cela ne peut pas arriver si nous retournons en arrière. Cela ne pourra pas arriver sans vous.
Alors faisons appel à un nouvel esprit de patriotisme, de service et de responsabilité où chacun d'entre nous s'attèlera à travailler dur et à s'occuper non seulement de sa personne, mais aussi des autres. Rappelons nous que si cette crise financière nous a bien appris une chose, c'est que Wall Street ne peux pas s'enrichir pendant que d'autres souffrent – dans ce pays, nous nous élevons et nous tombons comme une seule nation, comme un seul peuple.
Résistons à la tentation de retomber dans le même esprit partisan, mesquin et immature qui a empoisonné notre vie politique pendant si longtemps. Rappelons-nous qu'il y avait un homme de cet Etat qui a d'abord porté les couleurs du Parti républicain à la Maison Blanche - un parti fondé sur les valeurs d'indépendance, de liberté individuelle, et d'unité nationale. Ce sont des valeurs que nous partageons et tandis que le Parti démocrate a remporté une grande victoire ce soir, nous y sommes parvenus grâce à une bonne dose d'humilité et de détermination pour mettre fin aux divisions qui ont retardé notre progrès. Comme Lincoln le disait à une nation bien plus divisée que la nôtre : "Nous ne sommes pas ennemis, mais amis… La colère a affaibli nos liens d'affection, mais elle ne doit pas les rompre". A tous ces Américains dont je n'ai pas encore le soutien, je n'ai peut-être pas remporté votre vote, mais je vous entends, j'ai besoin de votre aide, et je serai également votre président.
Et à tous ceux qui nous regardent par delà nos côtes, depuis des parlements et des palaces, à ceux qui sont rassemblés autour de radios dans les coins perdus de notre monde – nos histoires sont particulières, mais notre destin est partagé et l'aube d'une nouvelle direction américaine est à portée de main. A ceux qui veulent démolir ce monde : nous vous vaincrons. Et à ceux qui se demandent si le phare de l'Amérique brille toujours, ce soir nous vous prouvons une fois encore que la force de notre nation ne vient pas de la puissance de nos armes ou de l'étendue de notre richesse, mais du pouvoirs de nos idées: la démocratie, la liberté, l'opportunité et l' espoir inflexible. C'est là qu'est le vraie génie de l'Amérique et c'est pour cela que le pays peut changer. Notre Union peut être parfaite. Et ce que nous avons déjà accompli nous donne l'espoir nécessaire pour ce que nous avons à accomplir demain.
Cette élection est faite de plusieurs histoires qui seront racontées durant des générations. Ce soir, je pense à cette femme qui a voté à Atlanta. Elle ressemble beaucoup aux millions d'autres qui ont fait la queue pour faire entendre leur voix dans cette élection à un point près - Ann Nixon Cooper a 106 ans. Elle est d'une génération née juste après l'esclavage. A une époque où quelqu'un comme elle ne pouvait pas voter pour deux raisons : parce que c'était une femme et à cause de la couleur de sa peau. Et ce soir je pense à tout ce qu'elle a vu à travers le siècle aux Etats-Unis – la douleur et l'espoir, la lutte et le progrès, les moments où on nous disait que nous n'y pouvions rien, et les personnes qui ont persévéré avec ce crédo : Oui nous le pouvons.
Un homme a touché la lune, un mur est tombé à Berlin, il y a eu un lien entre la science et l'imagination. Et cette année, lors de cette élection, elle a touché du doigt un écran et a voté, parce qu'après 106 ans en Amérique, après les meilleurs moments et les heures les plus noires, elle sait que l'Amérique peut changer. Oui nous pouvons.
Amérique, nous sommes allés si loin. Nous avons vu tant de choses. Mais il y a encore tant à faire. Alors ce soir demandons-nous – si nos enfants devaient vivre le siècle prochain, si mes filles étaient assez chanceuses pour vivre aussi longtemps qu'Ann Nixon Cooper, quels changements verraient-elles ? Quels progrès aurons nous accompli ?
Nous avons l'opportunité de répondre à cette question. C'est notre moment. Le temps est venu de remettre les personnes au travail et d'ouvrir les portes de l'opportunité pour nos enfants, de rétablir la prospérité et d'encourager la paix, de se réapproprier le rêve américain et de réaffirmer la vérité fondamentale : nous ne sommes qu'un, tandis que nous respirons, nous espérons et quand nous ferons face au cynisme, au doute et à ceux qui nous disent que nous ne pouvons pas, nous répondrons avec ce crédo intemporel qui résume l'esprit du peuple : Oui nous pouvons.
Merci, Dieu vous bénisse, Dieu bénisse les Etats-Unis d'Amérique."
Dunia SENDWEemail : dunia@sendwe.beblog : cdfafrique.afrikblog.com
Merci à tous pour votre soutien durant cette très longue campagne
Obama team you did it, congratulations, we can finally start turning the page on the disastrous Bush era.
And the people around the world are happy we can move forward once more. So fellow citizens of the world let's thank all the people who worked and voted for Barack Obama.
THANK YOU AMERICA FOR CHOISING OBAMA
Let's collect a whole lot of thank yous from around the world, upload your thank you picture at http://www.globalthankyou.com/
Peace out
Soirée GRATUITE de soutien à Barack OBAMAProjection en Direct sur Écran Géant Animations diverses gratuites
Mardi 4 novembre 2008De 22h00 à l'aube
ESPACE MATONGÉ78, chaussée de Wavre à 1050 BruxellesMétro : Porte de NamurBus : 71 - 54
Apportez Boissons & NourritureVenez Nombreux / Max 500 personnesBonne Ambiance et Bonne Humeur
Programme : Nous attendrons les résultats de l'Élection Présidentielle Américaine en Direct sur Écran Géant. La Soirée est entièrement GRATUITE ! Apportez vos Boissons et Nourriture
FAITES SUIVRE LE MESSAGE SVP, NOUS VOUS REMERCIONS D'AVANCE
Organisatrices : Sylvie MAYENGA et Dunia SENDWE
Just a word to say that I know Mc Cain.
He's a famous deep-frozen food's merchant in France, making delicious oven-baked potatoes, and he have to stay...
So please vote for Obama and let us keep our French fries, thanks !
Retrospectively history has manifested that the loosing team can do anything, just about anything to confuse the electorate if that is what it takes to win an election. While such tactics may be beneficial to the proponents, it is nevertheless myopic, dogmatic, archaic and inimical to the patriotic sentiments and idealism of being a citizen of the country.
In the 90’s if you may recall the Clinton’s were called all sorts of names including and not limited to being murderers. That in my opinion is taking the low road to the highest office in the 20th century. What however amazes me most is the fact that in the 21st century America some of these sentimental and maliciously influenced and intolerant fellows can go as far as calling a fellow citizen who has crossed all scrutiny to become a senator at the federal level in this country a terrorist!
PBS has an online poll posted asking if Sarah Palin is qualified.Apparently the right wing knew about this in advance and are floodingthe voting with YES votes.The poll will be reported on PBS and picked up by mainstream media. Itcan influence undecided voters in swing states.Please do two things -- takes 20 seconds.1) Click on link and vote yourself.Here's the link:http://www.pbs.org/now/polls/poll-435.html2) Then pass it on.The last thing we need is PBS saying their viewers think Sarah Palin isqualified.
Thank you,
Olivier
The former diplomats and ambassadors signed the statement before the Friday debate between Obama and Republican nominee John McCain.
"We are supporting Senator Barack Obama because of his judgment, experience, and ability to inspire people to come together around a common purpose," the letter said. "Senator Obama's talents offer an historic opportunity; for the sake of America's security and standing in the world, we must seize it."
The letter, signed by officials from both major political parties, said the foreign policies of the Bush administration have diminished America's alliances abroad.
"As former diplomats, we believe it is past time that we had a President with the judgment and confidence -- in himself, our diplomatic corps, and our values -- to talk directly to America's adversaries with due preparation but without preconditions," the letter said.
The signatories include former secretaries of state Madeleine Albright and Warren Christopher, former National Security Adviser Richard Clarke and former U.S. Ambassador to Israel Martin Indyk.
Let’s assume for a moment that “The Surge” did work. This gives rise to the next logical question, but at what initial cost? If a person spills milk on the floor and then wipes it up, that person corrected a mistake. The problem here is that we are not talking about spilled milk. We are talking about spilled American blood and lost American lives and treasure.
Should the erratic McCain hit the "Panic Button" intentionally or un-intentionally we are all just as dead. (1) How do we bring back over 4,000 lives or make the injuries of the 30,000 plus soldiers disappear? (2) How do we get back the 10 billion plus missing tax dollars that disappeared in Iraq? (3) How do we recover the 600-700 billion dollars that we have already spent in Iraq?
We make mistakes because this is what human beings do best. Am I saying that all human beings are by nature flawed? No. I am saying that most human minds are by nature flawed. So what do we do now, get a lobotomy? No. We learn how to think correctly. Most of us probably think that we already know how to think correctly. No problem.
Then we should go ahead and act on all that we know. But notice that we have been doing this since time began and look at what shape the world is in. Clearly, we’ve missed something.
New thought is our only chance,The GSV Team-------------------------------------------------------"We can either fear that human culture is falling apart or we can hold the vision that we are awakening. Either way, each of us must consciously choose between these two futures.” (James Redfield) -------------------------------------------------------http://my.barackobama.com/page/group/GLOBALSYMBOLICVOTESFOROBAMAhttp://www.global-symbolic-votes.org
http://www.economist.com/vote2008/?a=true&cid=169&v=true
take a minute!
Participate in the World - Wide Vote!
http://digg.com/2008_us_elections/Economist_McCain_s_Campaign_Lying_cynical_Divisive
The presidential election
Sep 18th 2008From The Economist print edition
AS RECENTLY as a few months ago, it seemed possible to hope that this year’s presidential election would be a civilised affair. Barack Obama and John McCain both represent much that is best about their respective parties. Mr Obama is intelligent, inspiring and appears by instinct to be a consensus-seeking pragmatist. John McCain has always stood for limited, principled government, and has distanced himself throughout his career from the religious ideologues that have warped Republicanism. An intelligent debate about issues of the utmost importance—how America should rebuild its standing in the world, how more Americans could share in the proceeds of growth—seemed an attainable proposition.
It doesn’t seem so now. In the past two weeks, while banks have tottered and markets reeled, the contending Democrats and Republicans have squabbled and lied rather than debated. Mr McCain’s team has been nastier, accusing Mr Obama of sexism for calling the Republican vice-presidential candidate a pig, when he clearly did no such thing. Much nastier has been the assertion that Mr Obama once backed a bill that would give kindergarten children comprehensive sex education. Again, this was a distortion: the bill Mr Obama backed provided for age-appropriate sex education, and was intended to protect children from sex offenders.
These kinds of slurs seem much more personal, and therefore unpleasant, than the more routine distortions seen on both sides. Team McCain accuses Mr Obama of planning to raise taxes for middle-income Americans (in fact, the Democrat’s plan raises them only for those earning more than $250,000); Mr Obama claims Mr McCain wants to fight in Iraq for 100 years (when the Republican merely agreed that he would gladly keep bases there for that long to help preserve the peace, as in Germany) and caricatures him far too readily as a Bush toady (when Mr McCain’s record as an independent senator has been anything but that).
The decision to descend into tactics such as the kindergarten slur shows that America is back in the territory of the “culture wars”, where the battle will be less about policy than about values and moral character. That is partly because Mr Obama’s campaign, perhaps foolishly, chose to make such a big deal of the virtues of their candidate’s character. Most people are more concerned about the alarming state of the economy than anything else; yet the Democrats spent far more time in Denver talking about Mr Obama’s family than his economic policy. The Republicans leapt in, partly because they have a candidate with a still more heroic life story; partly because economics is not Mr McCain’s strongest suit and his fiscal plan is pretty similar to Mr Bush’s; but mostly because painting Mr Obama as an arrogant, elitist, east-coast liberal is an easy way of revving up the Republican Party’s base and what Richard Nixon called the “silent majority” (seearticle).
The decision to play this election, like that of 2004, as a fresh instalment of the culture wars is disappointing to those who thought Mr McCain was more principled than that. By choosing Sarah Palin as his running-mate he made a cynical tryst with a party base that he has never much liked and that has never much liked him. Mr McCain’s whole candidacy rests on his assertion that these are perilous times that require a strong and experienced commander-in-chief; but he has chosen, as the person who may be a 72-year-old heartbeat away from the presidency, someone who demonstrably knows very little about international affairs or the economy.
What Mrs Palin does do, as a committed pro-lifer, is to ensure that the evangelical wing of the Republican party will turn out in their multitudes. Mr McCain has thus placed abortion, the most divisive cultural issue in America, at the centre of his campaign. His defenders claim that it is too big an issue to be ignored, that he has always opposed abortion, that culture wars are an inevitable part of American elections, and that it was only when he appointed Mrs Palin that the American public started to listen to him. All this is true: but the old Mr McCain, who derided the religious right as “agents of intolerance”, would not have stooped to that.
By DAVID STRINGER, Associated Press WriterWed Sep 10, 6:20 AM ET
Britain's Gordon Brown has praised Sen. Barack Obama in a commentary published Wednesday, seemingly breaching protocols that prevent world leaders from endorsing candidates in foreign elections.
Brown hailed Obama's proposals for a mortgage foreclosure prevention fund and said he believed the Democratic Party is the organization offering policies to help people through the current economic woes.
"In the electrifying U.S. presidential campaign, it is the Democrats who are generating the ideas to help people through more difficult times," Brown wrote in Parliamentary Monitor magazine.
"To help prevent people from losing their home, Barack Obama has proposed a foreclosure prevention fund to increase emergency pre-foreclosure counseling, and help families facing repossession."
Brown's Labour Party is traditionally allied to Obama's Democrats — but under international conventions, foreign leaders refrain from intervening in ballots overseas.
In meetings with both Obama and Republican presidential candidate John McCain, Brown has gone to great lengths to appear impartial.
During separate visits to London by the candidates, Brown refused to greet the men on the doorstep of his official residence — an honor reserved only for elected heads of government.
Brown's Downing Street office denied Wednesday that the article amounted to an endorsement of Obama.
"The prime minister is not endorsing a candidate, and never would," said a spokesman, on condition of anonymity in line with policy.
But Britain's main opposition Conservative Party said Brown was guilty of a serious gaffe.
"A responsible British prime minister needs to be ready to work with either presidential candidate after the U.S. election, and should neither take sides nor be seen to be taking sides," said Conservative lawmaker William Hague.
McCain's spokesman Michael Goldfarb dismissed the apparent backing for Obama in a snippy Web posting titled "The Coveted Gordon Brown Endorsement." He said that in praising Obama's housing strategy, Brown had in fact highlighted a policy that Obama appears to have recently dropped.
"Whether this will cause Prime Minister Brown to rethink his support for Sen. Obama remains unclear," Goldfarb wrote.
Republican Senator Thad. Cochran from Mississippi, who has known John McCain for more than 30 years, said, The thought of him being president sends a cold chill down my spine. He is erratic, he is hot tempered, and he worries me.”
by David Le Vine, from Vail Colorado Daily newpaper:
http://www.vaildaily.com/article/20080909/LETTER/809099937/1065/SPECIALA16&parentprofile=-1
Retired Major General Paul Eaton (who was responsible for training the Iraqi military) said, “I like McCain. I respect McCain. But I’m a little worried about his knee-jerk response factor. I think it is a little scary. I think this guy’s first reactions are not necessarily the best reactions. I believe that he acts on impulse.”Retired Air Force Major General Scott Gration said, “It is all about character. Who can motivate willing followers? Who has the vision? Who can inspire people? I have tremendous respect for John McCain, but I would not follow him.” His fellow Republican Senator Peter Dominici from New Mexico said, “I decided I didn’t want this guy’s finger anywhere near the trigger.”Mr. McCain has made it clear that his priority is being a “man of action” and a bold commander in chief rather than being a thoughtful president of the United States. Furthermore, he is an impetuous, short-tempered old man who should not have his finger anywhere near the trigger! He is a man who will likely continue George Bush’s legacy of confrontations and war. And even worst, he is a man who could well lead us into a nuclear holocaust. No, that is not a prediction, but it is a real concern.
Our Regional Field Director with Americans Abroad for Obama, Christine Houben is looking for volunteers to help out at the DAF Phone Bank.
Can you commit to helping us win this election?Reaching out to voters is the keystone to our success in November.Although much of our campaign efforts are directed at finding and registering new voters, this shouldn't distract us from the importance of securing 100% confirmation of registration all our members – those Americans who are most easily within our reach. A Phone Banking session will take place at the home of Lois Grjebine in Paris VIeme arrondissement this Thursday, September 11th from 7PM to 10PM. Please email Christine at houbenc@dnc.org to volunteer. - What is Phone Banking? It is reaching out to each and every DAF member to make sure they have registered to vote. - What are the goals of Phone Banking?· To secure 100% confirmed voter registration for all our members.· To confirm that they will be voting for Barack Obama.· To sign up new volunteers for the campaign from within our membership.· To confirm contact details for all our members.· To answer any other questions they may have about Democrats Abroad or about this election.Email Christine at houbenc@dnc.org for more information on our Phone Banking Campaign. -- Where in the world will you vote?http://votefromabroad.org/5Absentee Ballots for American Citizenshttp://votefromabroad.org/5--
Wonderful new bridge photos have been posted from Phnom Penh, Cambodia; Manilla in the Philippines;and Calgary, Canada!http://www.flickr.com/groups/bridgesforobama/We're doing a bridge shoot in Toulouse on Sept. 14th--so the beat goes on. If you happen to have friends in Toulouse, France, be sure to tell them about it!
We're encouraging Obama supporters in the States to take part too. Hawaii, California and Minnesota have already done Obama Bridge photos. Why not your home town??
You can download a high quality version of the Obama Bridge slideshow (it takes some time) here:https://www.yousendit.com/download/bVlBdFdRNDQ3N0IzZUE9PQ(This link will only be good for one week or 100 downloads.)Once downloaded you can burn a DVD and show it to your fellow Obama supporters.There are two versions of the video available on YouTube (though the picture compression doesn't do the photos justice). It will show you what it's all about.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RbBzEkXyu4ohttp://fr.youtube.com/watch?v=EReWYQrtnkcYou can also look through ALL the bridge photos on our Flikr site: http://www.flickr.com/groups/bridgesforobama/pool/ .(Some arrived too late for inclusion in the videos, though we're trying toupdate the video.)Over 40 nations are represented and some, like France, Austria, Germany and Canada have done multiple bridges--so over 75 bridges are pictured on 5 continents.Know anyone in Antarctica near a bridge? (That would take care of that last continent....)Yes, we SPAN ;-)Meredith WheelerObama Bridge ProjectFrance
