Republicans rule, rather than govern, when they are in power by imposing their authoritarian conservative philosophy on everyone, as their answer for everything. This works for them because their interest is in power, and in what it can do for those who think as they do. Ruling, of course, must be distinguished from governing, which is a more nuanced process that entails give-and-take and the kind of compromises that are often necessary to find a consensus and solutions that will best serve the interests of all Americans.
Republicans' authoritarian rule can also be characterized by its striking incivility and intolerance toward those who do not view the world as Republicans do. Their insufferable attitude is not dangerous in itself, but it is employed to accomplish what they want, which it to take care of themselves and those who work to keep them in power.
Authoritarian conservatives are primarily anti-government, except where they believe the government can be useful to impose moral or social order (for example, with respect to matters like abortion, prayer in schools, or prohibiting sexually-explicit information from public view). Similarly, Republicans' limited-government attitude does not apply regarding national security, where they feel there can never be too much government activity - nor are the rights and liberties of individuals respected when national security is involved. Authoritarian Republicans do oppose the government interfering with markets and the economy, however -- and generally oppose the government's doing anything to help anyone they feel should be able to help themselves.
In my book Broken Government: How Republican Rule Destroyed the Legislative, Executive and Judicial Branches, I set forth the facts regarding the consequences of the Republicans' controlling government for too many years. No Republican -- nor anyone else, for that matter -- has refuted these facts, and for good reason: They are irrefutable.
The McCain/Palin Ticket Perfectly Fits the Authoritarian Conservative Mold
During the 2008 presidential campaign, Senator John McCain and Governor Sarah Palin, the Republican candidates, have shown themselves to be unapologetic and archetypical authoritarian conservatives. Indeed, their campaign has warmed the hearts of fellow authoritarians, who applaud them for their negativity, nastiness, and dishonest ploys and only criticize them for not offering more of the same.
The McCain/Palin campaign has assumed a typical authoritarian posture: The candidates provide no true, specific proposals to address America's needs. Rather, they simply ask voters to "trust us" and suggest that their opponents - Senators Barack Obama and Joe Biden - are not "real Americans" like McCain, Palin, and the voters they are seeking to court. Accordingly, McCain and Plain have called Obama "a socialist," "a redistributionist," "a Marxist," and "a communist" - without a shred of evidence to support their name-calling, for these terms are pejorative, rather than in any manner descriptive. This is the way authoritarian leaders operate.
In my book Conservatives Without Conscience, I set forth the traits of authoritarian leaders and followers, which have been distilled from a half-century of empirical research, during which thousands of people have voluntarily been interviewed by social scientists. The touch points in these somewhat-overlapping lists of character traits provide a clear picture of the characters of both John McCain and Sarah Palin.
McCain, especially, fits perfectly as an authoritarian leader. Such leaders possess most, if not all, of these traits:
* dominating
* opposes equality
* desirous of personal power
* amoral
* intimidating and bullying
* faintly hedonistic
* vengeful
* pitiless
* exploitive
* manipulative
* dishonest
* cheats to win
* highly prejudiced (racist, sexist, homophobic)
* mean-spirited
* militant
* nationalistic
* tells others what they want to hear
* takes advantage of "suckers"
* specializes in creating false images to sell self
* may or may not be religious
* usually politically and economically conservative/Republican
Incidentally, George W. Bush and Dick Cheney also can be described by these well-defined and typical traits -- which is why a McCain presidency is so likely to be nearly identical to a Bush presidency.
Clearly, Sarah Palin also has some qualities typical of authoritarian leaders, not to mention almost all of the traits found among authoritarian followers. Specifically, such followers can be described as follows:
* submissive to authority
* aggressive on behalf of authority
* highly conventional in their behavior
* highly religious
* possessing moderate to little education
* trusting of untrustworthy authorities
* prejudiced (particularly against homosexuals and followers of religions other than their own)
* narrow-minded
* intolerant
* bullying
* zealous
* dogmatic
* uncritical toward chosen authority
* hypocritical
* inconsistent and contradictory
* prone to panic easily
* highly self-righteous
* moralistic
* strict disciplinarians
* severely punitive
* demanding loyalty and returning it
* possessing little self-awareness
The leading authority on right-wing authoritarianism, a man who devoted his career to developing hard empirical data about these people and their beliefs, is Robert Altemeyer. Altemeyer, a social scientist based in Canada, flushed out these typical character traits in decades of testing.
Altemeyer believes about 25 percent of the adult population in the United States is solidly authoritarian (with that group mostly composed of followers, and a small percentage of potential leaders). It is in these ranks of some 70 million that we find the core of the McCain/Palin supporters. They are people who are, in Altemeyer's words, are "so self-righteous, so ill-informed, and so dogmatic that nothing you can say or do will change their minds."
The Problem with Electing Authoritarian Conservatives
What is wrong with being an authoritarian conservative? Well, if you want to take the country where they do, nothing. "They would march America into a dictatorship and probably feel that things had improved as a result," Altemeyer told me. "The problem is that these authoritarian followers are much more active than the rest of the country. They have the mentality of 'old-time religion' on a crusade, and they generously give money, time and effort to the cause. They proselytize; they lick stamps; they put pressure on loved ones; and they revel in being loyal to a cohesive group of like thinkers. And they are so submissive to their leaders that they will believe and do virtually anything they are told. They are not going to let up and they are not going to go away."
I would nominate McCain's "Joe the Plumber" as a new poster-boy of the authoritarian followers. He is a believer, and he has signed on. On November 4, 2008, we will learn how many more Americans will join the ranks of the authoritarians.
Frankly, the fact that the pre-election polls are close - after eight years of authoritarian leadership from Bush and Cheney, and given its disastrous results -- shows that many Americans either do not realize where a McCain/Palin presidency might take us, or they are happy to go there. Frankly, it scares the hell out of me, for there is only one way to deal with these conservative zealots: Keep them out of power.
This election should be a slam dunk for Barack Obama, who has run a masterful campaign. It was no small undertaking winning the nomination from Hillary Clinton, and in doing so, he has shown without any doubt (in my mind anyway) that he is not only qualified to be president, but that he might be a once-in-a-lifetime leader who can forever change the nation and the world for the better.
If Obama is rejected on November 4th for another authoritarian conservative like McCain, I must ask if Americans are sufficiently intelligent to competently govern themselves. I can understand authoritarian conservatives voting for McCain, for they know no better. It is well-understood that most everyone votes with his or her heart, not his or her head. Polls show that 81 percent of Americans "feel" (in their hearts and their heads) that our country is going the wrong way. How could anyone with such thoughts and feelings vote for more authoritarian conservatism, which has done so much to take the nation in the wrong direction?
We will all find out on (or about) November 5th.
John W. Dean, a FindLaw columnist, is a former counsel to the president.
To all the Obama supporters out there---
I am convinced Barack Obama will be an outstanding president not just for our time, but an outstanding president of historic significance. I expect that if you are reading this, you share this sense of the importance of this election. But, for that to happen, he has to win the election!
The Republican candidate in the past few weeks has left his own stance of a campaign focused on the issues, and allowed his campaign to become one whose main message is "fear"---of each other, of our government, of our economy, of the world. And the Republican candidate has made Pennsylvania a "must win" state for his team.
Barack Obama has set and stood firm behind a higher standard for himself. And he has asked us believe in ourselves --- to remember that a lot of little voices together can raise a noise loud enough to bring about positive, constructive change.
Now is the time! We each need to do our part to carry Pennsylvania for Obama! We each need to use our voice --- and to encourage others to use their voice --- in the most effective way possible----to VOTE!
PA Women for Obama Invite You to CHANGE ROCKS A Very Special Acoustic Appearance By: Bruce Springsteen Saturday October 4th, 2008 Benjamin Franklin Parkway between 20th and 22nd Streets Philadelphia, PA Gates open: 2:00 p.m. Program starts: 3:30 p.m. FREE AND OPEN TO PENNSYLVANIA RESIDENTS & STUDENTS For ticket info, visit: http://PA.barackobama.com/Springsteen
Consider that John McCain has chosen an unexpected, unknown and inexperienced VP candidate. He followed that stunt with the pronouncement that the head of the SEC should be fired immediately. Most recently, he suspended his campaign and threatened to boycott the first Presidential debate.
These erratic behaviors took place over a period of less than 2 months. How many crazy moves could we expect from him as President?
I shudder to think!
Attended and worked the event last night and it was awesome! Joe Biden is so passionate and well-spoken; he is truly one of "us"! So proud of the efforts of this campaign. We need to work even harder. The Republican machine is in full swing and we need to beat them at their own game.
Time to step up! If you haven't done anything to help, do it now! There is no time to waste and our country needs us! YES WE CAN!
We have a good ol' fashion shoot-em out underway. Who you gonna put your money on? The new guy or the shoot-em-up Cowboy team? McCain and Palin have staked out the ground of "Maverick". It is compelling. He is a Maverick in Washington. She is a Maverick in Alaska.
Lets talk archetypes for a minute. A Maverick is a symbol for the Wild West Cowboy - the symbol of America. The Cowboy represents pioneering, independence, strength and ambition. In the book "The Culture Code" by Clotaire Rapaille documents how important this image is to the American pysche. He discovered through a structured set of psychological tests that the American "code" for the automobile was "horse". As a result, he made design recommendations to his Jeep clents and the sales of the Jeep surged ahead.
This kind of thinking is actually not thinking. It is appealing to one's gut instincts. Many pyschologists recognize that our most powerful impulses resonate at this gut instinct level... embedded in the ancient reptilian part of our brain.
Pretty powerful stuff!
So how do you fight it?
Its a tall order...
I am a Democrat and I've never been prouder.
This week, I watched as Hillary Clinton was officially entered into the books as the woman who has come closest to the American presidency, the first serious woman candidate of a major political party. If you think we haven't come that far where sexism is concerned, you might remember the tone of the dialogue years ago, when Geraldine Ferraro was selected as the VP pick for Mondale. (Comments like "I don't want someone with PMS to be second in line to the nuclear button" -- and worse -- were commonplace.) But Senator Clinton was taken seriously as a candidate because she had the credentials. And I am proud of that and I am proud that my party was able to smash that glass ceiling. Or at least bash a very large crack in it.
I also watched last night as Barack Obama was officially named the Democratic nominee for president. I've made no secret of my admiration for Obama, but even if he's not your first choice, please celebrate with me that our country, or at least one major political party, has nominated a person of color for president. Less than two centuries ago, people of color were officially considered less than human (3/5 of a human, to be precise), pieces of property, disposable things rather than human beings with rights and dignity. (By the way, women were also considered chattel, without equal rights to men and they had to wait fifty more years to get the vote and an extra ten years for their civil rights movement. But I digress.) Last night, we saw a barrier break open and I will tell you that it brought tears to my eyes.
There's still a lot of nastyness out there -- racism, sexism, homophobia, and so on -- but today I'm basking in the glow of a dream at least partially realized:
I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal." I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia, the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood. I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice. I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.
What if everyone sat down for 5 minutes, and wrote out a note or card of about 5 sentences telling Sen. Obama how much he means to us, how he inspires us, how he has changed our lives and how we are counting on him to win this election, and mailed it to his campaign headquarters? It’d be nice if we could also include a check for five bucks or a five-dollar bill in it. If you aren’t comfortable writing, you could have your kids draw a picture or even copy a quotation that you find inspiring. Just reach out to the Senator and share some of your hope and inspiration with him.
I was really moved as a child by the scene in “Miracle on 34th Street” when the guys from the post office bring in all the mail for Kris Kringle and shower it on the judge’s bench. There is something very tangible about writing a note or card that you lose with the email process. That’s why I think it’d be nice to do it via postal mail. Imagine if Obama’s staffers brought him a steady stream of inspiring, handwritten notes from the heart for him to see – wouldn’t that help pump him up?
This will work best if it goes viral - so please pass on this link:
http://fiveforbarack.blogspot.com/
which contains the mailing address, details and a link to print out a donor form if you care to include a monetary contribution. But this isn't about the money -- it's about the hope. Let's give some back.
Dear Senator Obama,
I'm an old football player and I well remember how important momentum was during a contest, regardless of the score. It is the reason why a score just before half-time is more important than in the first quarter. It is the reason why an on-side kick, a double reverse or a Hail Mary pass can rock the game and change a season.
It is time to change the game in this campaign. We have spent too much time responding to our opponents "politics as usual" attacks and not enough time setting the agenda ourselves. Your speech here my hometown of Philadelphia on Race was an example of how you can set the agenda. It was a difficult topic and you stepped into it with courage and sparked a conversation that will affect us for generations to come.
But we need more - and we need follow-through. Here are some ideas to get the ball rolling. I invite my community of fellow Obama supporters to jump in with other ideas on "Game Changers".
1) Read Karl Rove's advice to you and consider it carefully. You could capture the headlines by appointing a couple of key Republicans to your cabinet NOW!
2) Use US to make change happen now. I've seen Obama groups cleaning streets in Philadelphia, helping in communities. If you picked a topic that could help TODAY - with the economy for example, and your ground-forces responded in a way that made a difference, you can make the case that this is just a fore-shadowing of the kind of change America can see. Send us into the heartland - not to campaign, but to fix problems, to help people out of work, to provide rides for people and reduce energy costs... compute the impact and make the case to the Press that change is happening now. Show that your movement has teeth! We are ready!
3) COme up with your own analysis of polls and super-delegates that makes the point that people who have worked with you and your opponent (i.e. Senators) are lining up behind you. Others who are repaying political debts, like Governor Rendell of Pa or Mayor Nutter of Philadelphia are supporting your opponent
What other ideas - or embellishment on #2 do people have? Lets get our own "Flea Flicker" play going - and change the tone of this race in ways that our opponents can't touch... and then embrace them - and bring them along with us. Lets start solving problems now!
Quick note to say that I am predicting an upset. I predict that Obama wins by 1-2 % points in Pa and here is my reasoning.
1) I've heard from many conservative family members and friends who found Senator Obama to be a real statesman in the debate - stepping above the fray and refusing to engage with the food-fight of the politics of personal destruction. I think this will swing many undecideds
2) THE POLLS ARE MISSING MANY COLLEGE STUDENTS! Given that pollsters don't call cell phones - and students are mostly living ONLY with cell phones - and students break 4-1 for Obama, this could be a hidden jewel!
What do you think? What is your prediction for Tuesday?
Hi everyone,My name is Sumi, and I am a volunteer supporter of Barack Obama for President. I am helping to spread the word about Senator Obama's policies to help working families in these difficult economic times.This is the first post featuring Senator Obama’s policies. These issues are incredibly important as Pennsylvania gets ready for its big primary on April 22, and there will be many posts to come.But I need your help! Simply, we can't reach every Democrat in Pennsylvania without your help. This is a grass-roots campaign that relies on person-to-person contact for its success, so your involvement is critically important.Please send the attached Raising Wages document to EVERYONE you know in Pennsylvania. Share them with friends, family, co-workers, union brothers and sisters, and anyone else you may know in the state. Then, ask your contacts to pass them along to their contacts in Pennsylvania. Ask them to send them to their email distribution lists, post them on the bulletin board at the union hall, school, place of worship, and workplace, and otherwise distribute them as widely as they can. We want these documents spread as widely across Pennsylvania as possible.We hope you will read this information and put it in the hands of as many people as you can. You can make the difference — you can help Barack Obama win the Democratic nomination for President!Thank you, and please email me with any questions.-Sumi
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BARACK OBAMA’S PLAN TO RAISE WORKERS’ INCOMES Background: America’s Workers and Pennsylvania’s Workers Deserve a Raise Most Americans haven’t gotten a meaningful pay increase since President George W. Bush entered the White House. Since 2000, men’s real wages have increased only about 1 percent. Women’s wages have increased barely 5 percent over the past eight years, but their wages declined slightly during the last four years. In fact, the last four years have been grim for the large majority of workers who live from paycheck to paycheck. Real wages have gone down for middle and low-wage workers, while only the very highest paid workers — the top 5 percent — have seen significant pay raises. As a result, working families’ incomes are falling.1 Working families in Pennsylvania also need a raise. Since 2001, Pennsylvania’s workers at every wage level — except the very highest paid — have seen their real wages go down.2 Workers are doing their share, but they aren’t getting a fair share in return. Workers’ productivity has increased almost 20 percent since 2000 and 5 percent over the last four years. Meanwhile, the economy has been growing until recently, and employers have reported record profits. American workers are getting paid less even though they are producing more. Without a raise, working families have been forced to go deeper into debt by borrowing against their homes and their credit cards. But credit is getting tighter and personal bankruptcies and foreclosures have skyrocketed. It’s not just a personal tragedy for the families that are falling out of the middle class. Consumer spending is two-thirds of the American economy. Without money coming in, working families can’t spend and keep our economy growing. America’s wage stagnation is a serious threat to family economics, but it is an equally serious threat to our nation’s economic well-being. That’s why we need to elect Barack Obama. We need a president who is committed to restoring the American Dream by expanding and securing the middle class. We need Barack Obama’s leadership to enact a plan to raise workers’ incomes.
BARACK OBAMA’S PLAN TO RAISE WORKERS’ INCOME Invest in Creating High-Paying Manufacturing Jobs: Obama will invest in America’s highly-skilled manufacturing workforce and manufacturing centers to ensure that American workers have the skills and tools they need to pioneer the first wave of green technologies that will be in high demand throughout the world. Obama will also provide tax assistance and loan guarantees to the domestic auto industry to ensure that new fuel-efficient cars and trucks are build in the U.S. with American workers. Create More High-Paying Construction and Green Energy Jobs: Obama will invest $150 billion over 10 years to advance the next generation of biofuels and fuel infrastructure, accelerate the commercialization of plug-in hybrids, promote development of commercial scale renewable energy, invest in low emissions coal plants, and begin transition to a new digital electricity grid. Obama will also invest in rebuilding our nation’s infrastructure by creating a National Infrastructure Reinvestment Bank with an infusion of $60 billion in federal funds over 10 years to expand and enhance, not supplant, existing federal transportation investments. Together, these investments will create millions of new jobs and stimulate economic growth. Fight for Fair Trade: Obama’s trade policy will open up foreign markets to support good American jobs and negotiate trade agreements that benefit Americans workers and spread strong and enforceable labor and environmental standards around the world. In particular, Obama will work with the leaders of Mexico and Canada to amend NAFTA. Obama will take trade enforcement seriously by making enforcement the top priority of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) Office and increasing resources for USTR to carry out its responsibility to protect American interests. He will also pressure the World Trade Organization to enforce trade agreements and stop countries from continuing unfair government subsidies to foreign exporters and nontariff barriers on U.S. exports. Obama will fight for stronger protections for U.S. intellectual property, and – in the case of China in particular – an end to an artificially devalued currency that puts U.S. companies at a perpetual disadvantage. Change the Tax Code to Create High-Paying American Jobs: Obama will close tax loopholes that give companies billions of dollars in tax deductions for moving their operations overseas. Obama introduced the Patriot Employer Act of 2007 with Senators Richard Durbin (D-IL) and Sherrod Brown (D-OH) to reward companies that create good jobs with good benefits for American workers. The legislation would provide a tax credit to companies that maintain or increase the number of full-time workers in America relative to those outside the US; maintain their corporate headquarters in America; pay decent wages; prepare workers for retirement; provide health insurance; and support employees who serve in the military. Support Worker Organizing: Unionized workers earn more and are more likely to have pensions and health insurance than non-union workers. Obama supports and, as president will sign, the Employee Free Choice Act, a bipartisan effort to assure that workers can exercise their right to organize and secure initial agreements with their employers. He will also fight to restore collective bargaining rights to nurses and other workers excluded as “supervisors,” and to ban employers’ practice of permanently replacing striking workers. Obama also supports, and as president will sign, the Public Safety Employer-Employee Cooperation Act to assure public safety workers who put their lives on the line every day their right to bargain collectively. Raise the Minimum Wage: Obama will fight to further increase the minimum wage to $9.50 an hour by 2011 and index it to inflation. Provide Universal Health Care: Obama is committed to signing universal health legislation by the end of his first term in office that ensures all Americans have high-quality, affordable health care. His plan will save a typical American family up to $2,500 a year on medical expenditures. Expand and Increase the Earned Income Tax Credit: Obama will reward work by increasing the number of working parents eligible for Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) benefits, increasing the benefit available to parents who support their children through child support payments, increasing the benefit for families with three or more children and reducing the EITC marriage penalty. Provide a Tax Cut for Working Families: Barack Obama will restore fairness to the tax code and provide 150 million workers the tax relief they deserve. Obama will create a new “Making Work Pay” tax credit of up to $500 per person, or $1,000 per working family. The “Making Work Pay” tax credit will completely eliminate income taxes for 10 million Americans. Expand the Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit: Obama will reform the Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit by making it refundable and allowing low-income families to receive up to a 50 percent credit for their child care expenses. Increase Investments in Job Training: Obama will increase funding for federal workforce training programs and direct these programs to incorporate green technologies training, such as advanced manufacturing and weatherization training, to prepare Americans for the stable, high-paying green energy jobs of the future. Obama will also expand and fund apprenticeship programs to help workers get credentials and skills in crafts with middle-class incomes and benefits. Make College Affordable for All Americans: Obama’s American Opportunity Tax Credit, a fully refundable credit, will ensure that the first $4,000 of a college education is completely free for most Americans and will cover two-thirds of the cost of tuition at the average public college or university. Students claiming this credit will be required to conduct 100 hours of public service a year, either during the school year or over the summer months. Help Dislocated Workers to Stay in the Middle Class: Obama will modernize and expand trade adjustment assistance to include all affected workers — including those in the service sector and those losing jobs going to countries with which we do not have trade agreements such as China and India. Obama also supports unemployment insurance reform that assured benefits for more unemployed workers and provides extended benefits for those who need them. Obama will create flexible education accounts that workers can use to retrain, provide retraining assistance for workers in sectors of the economy vulnerable to dislocation before they lose their jobs, and provide additional assistance for workers to afford health care. As president, he will sign an updated WARN Act that requires large employers to notify employees of a layoff 90 days before a plant closing – an increase of 30 days from today's standard. 1 Jared Bernstein & Lawrence Mishel, Economy’s Gains Fail to Reach Most Workers’ Paychecks, EPI Briefing Paper #195 (Sept. 3, 2007).
2 Keystone Research Center, The State of Working Pennsylvania 2007, www.stateofworkingpa.com.
Paid for by Obama for America
I saw Michael Dyson on CNN the other day and jotted down what he said about the Reverand Wright controversy. I thought it was eloquent and heart-felt.
"It does no good to fan the flames of disunity. She (Hillary) said 'Look, you can't choose your grandmother, but you can choose your pastor' and one might say 'Yes, Mrs. Clinton. You can't choose your grandmother, you can choose your pastor and you can choose your husband. You stayed with your husband through thick and thin. You showed a tenacity of fidelity that was exemplary. So Barack Obama stays with the man who took him to the cross. You stuck with a man who took you to the altar, under the cross. Do it in grace. Forgive each other and move forward."
What do you think?
Another mash up video. Very nicely done, inspiring, and poignant.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/bob-cesca/the-tide-is-turning_b_93391.html
I attended a recent organizational meeting and the Obama campaign is highly organized. HIGHLY organized. But for the organization to work, help is needed from all of us. Key volunteer roles need to be filled, phone calls need to be made, doors need to be knocked on. The next three weeks are critical. Contact your local office and find out what needs to be done. No matter how much time you can give, there's a job you can do. The campaign has lists of TARGETED doors that need to be knocked on so they can gather much needed voter data. Calls need to be made. Join me and others this weekend and get started. Sen. Obama MUST win PA and he CAN win PA if we all work together in a concerted manner. The way to do that is to call your local HQ; the folks there will gladly tell you what's needed and help you volunteer. You can find the HQ contact info on this Web site; just click the states link and select Pennsylvania. Get fired up!
YES, WE CAN!
"Good afternoon. Let me begin by saying that although this has been billed as an anti-war rally, I stand before you as someone who is not opposed to war in all circumstances. The Civil War was one of the bloodiest in history, and yet it was only through the crucible of the sword, the sacrifice of multitudes, that we could begin to perfect this union, and drive the scourge of slavery from our soil. I don't oppose all wars.
"My grandfather signed up for a war the day after Pearl Harbor was bombed, fought in Patton's army. He saw the dead and dying across the fields of Europe; he heard the stories of fellow troops who first entered Auschwitz and Treblinka. He fought in the name of a larger freedom, part of that arsenal of democracy that triumphed over evil, and he did not fight in vain.
"I don't oppose all wars. After September 11th, after witnessing the carnage and destruction, the dust and the tears, I supported this administration's pledge to hunt down and root out those who would slaughter innocents in the name of intolerance, and I would willingly take up arms myself to prevent such tragedy from happening again. I don't oppose all wars. And I know that in this crowd today, there is no shortage of patriots, or of patriotism.
"What I am opposed to is a dumb war. What I am opposed to is a rash war. What I am opposed to is the cynical attempt by Richard Perle and Paul Wolfowitz and other armchair, weekend warriors in this administration to shove their own ideological agendas down our throats, irrespective of the costs in lives lost and in hardships borne.
"What I am opposed to is the attempt by political hacks like Karl Rove to distract us from a rise in the uninsured, a rise in the poverty rate, a drop in the median income - to distract us from corporate scandals and a stock market that has just gone through the worst month since the Great Depression. That's what I'm opposed to. A dumb war. A rash war. A war based not on reason but on passion, not on principle but on politics.
"Now let me be clear - I suffer no illusions about Saddam Hussein. He is a brutal man. A ruthless man. A man who butchers his own people to secure his own power. He has repeatedly defied UN resolutions, thwarted UN inspection teams, developed chemical and biological weapons, and coveted nuclear capacity. He's a bad guy. The world, and the Iraqi people, would be better off without him.
"But I also know that Saddam poses no imminent and direct threat to the United States, or to his neighbors, that the Iraqi economy is in shambles, that the Iraqi military a fraction of its former strength, and that in concert with the international community he can be contained until, in the way of all petty dictators, he falls away into the dustbin of history. I know that even a successful war against Iraq will require a US occupation of undetermined length, at undetermined cost, with undetermined consequences. I know that an invasion of Iraq without a clear rationale and without strong international support will only fan the flames of the Middle East, and encourage the worst, rather than best, impulses of the Arab world, and strengthen the recruitment arm of Al Qaeda.
"I am not opposed to all wars. I'm opposed to dumb wars.
"So for those of us who seek a more just and secure world for our children, let us send a clear message to the President today. You want a fight, President Bush? Let's finish the fight with Bin Laden and Al Qaeda, through effective, coordinated intelligence, and a shutting down of the financial networks that support terrorism, and a homeland security program that involves more than color-coded warnings.
"You want a fight, President Bush? Let's fight to make sure that the UN inspectors can do their work, and that we vigorously enforce a non-proliferation treaty, and that former enemies and current allies like Russia safeguard and ultimately eliminate their stores of nuclear material, and that nations like Pakistan and India never use the terrible weapons already in their possession, and that the arms merchants in our own country stop feeding the countless wars that rage across the globe.
"You want a fight, President Bush? Let's fight to make sure our so-called allies in the Middle East, the Saudis and the Egyptians, stop oppressing their own people, and suppressing dissent, and tolerating corruption and inequality, and mismanaging their economies so that their youth grow up without education, without prospects, without hope, the ready recruits of terrorist cells.
"You want a fight, President Bush? Let's fight to wean ourselves off Middle East oil, through an energy policy that doesn't simply serve the interests of Exxon and Mobil. Those are the battles that we need to fight. Those are the battles that we willingly join. The battles against ignorance and intolerance. Corruption and greed. Poverty and despair.
"The consequences of war are dire, the sacrifices immeasurable. We may have occasion in our lifetime to once again rise up in defense of our freedom, and pay the wages of war. But we ought not -- we will not -- travel down that hellish path blindly. Nor should we allow those who would march off and pay the ultimate sacrifice, who would prove the full measure of devotion with their blood, to make such an awful sacrifice in vain."
The thing that most impresses me about Sen. Obama's appropriately named, A More Perfect Union, speech is the leadership he demonstrated. In a campaign, it would be easy to throw the Rev. Wright under the church bus. But he didn't. Presidents rarely face black and white (no pun intended) issues; there are always shades of grey. This was a true ethical dilemma for Sen. Obama. In this speech he expanded the discussion of race in America in a way not seen in decades. He showed that he could address uncomfortable issues, even when he is running for President and the conventional wisdom suggests otherwise! A lesser candidate would not have given that speech yesterday in Philadelphia. Sen. Obama showed real leadership; the kind of leadership our nation NEEDS NOW.
Can he lead on day one? Yes, he can.
