Obama Supporters in Spain

Abraham Lincoln Would Definitely Be Proud of his Country Today

Charles Penny — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 07:49:13 EST

A year ago, on this blog I have been so privileged to participate in, I posted an entry posing the question, ‘Wouldn’t Abraham Lincoln be proud today?’ Now, on this February 12, 2009, the bicentennial of Lincoln’s birth, we can say that, indeed, he would.

If Lincoln could return to visit us, what he would find most surprising about Barack Obama’s election to the highest office in the land would most likely be the capital ‘D’ next to his name. In Lincoln’s day, ‘Republican’ and ‘Democrat’ meant something very different from what they do today. The G.O.P. was initially sparked and founded by the anti-slavery movement, as many amateur political historian readers will be aware. It was long after Lincoln was called ‘Home’, precipitated by an assassin’s bullet, that the Democratic Party came to represent the down-trodden and others who in so many ways have been marginalized, disadvantaged or neglected by the larger society. Yet, on this date in 1809, the nation's first Republican president was born to, let's face it, a poor family in a backwoods Kentucky log cabin.

In all fairness to history, Lincoln might also be initially shocked by Barack Obama’s skin color as a President of the United States. Lincoln was, after all, a man of his time. At the outset of the Civil War, his prime objective was to hold the Union together. Only later, amid all the fraternal bloodletting of that conflict did he see the fundamental need to take his country to a higher place and emancipate the slaves throughout the land. But, it wouldn’t take sharp-minded Lincoln long to convert that shock into amazed delight. I would add that it might also, in his case, give him a sense of great humility that his own quest to create a more perfect union could result in a man who would have been held in chains in the Confederacy now occupying the seat of the leader of the United States of America that Lincoln saved. In fact, I contend that it is in that very humility combined with an extraordinary compassion cited by those who knew him and can be seen so clearly in the face that stares back at us from the portrait photos we have of Lincoln that the true greatness of ‘Honest Abe’ lies.

As a supporter of Barack Obama before the Iowa caucuses and even before he took to the same steps of the Old State House in Springfield, Illinois to declare his candidacy for President of the United States where Lincoln began his own long journey to the White House, I feel honored to be a witness to the service of a President Obama during our historic time we all share today.

Abraham Lincoln would be proud of his country today, yet, at the same time, humbled by his own significant role in charting its course to come closer to fulfilling the promises contained in the creed put to paper by the Founding Fathers. Furthermore, like President Obama is now from the same office Lincoln held nearly 150 years ago, he would be well aware of the many great tasks, unfinished and yet-to-be-begun, that lie ahead.

Expanded Obama Bridge Video now posted

Meredith — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 13:36:43 EST

Hi friends,

A re-edited LONGER version of the Obama Bridge video, including 29 MORE bridges is here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kndtPZHITYU&feature=channel

Be sure to click on "watch in high quality" (just below volume control).

The new expanded video is being put on a digital picture frame as an inaugural gift
for Barack Obama on the occasion of his inauguration.

You'll see that this new version also includes the bridges done in the STATES by our counterparts
back home, inspired by the global effort. (This includes the fantastic Sarasota bridge where over 7000 people showed up.)

Take a look, leave a comment and tell your friends.

Cheers,
Meredith (who will be going to D.C. to witness the inauguration!)

Bridges newly included:

Angkor Wat
Phnom Phen
Manila
Melbourne
Bavaria
Frankfurt
Marseille
Toulouse
Guatemala
Peru
Argentina

In Canada:
Calgary
Yellowknife
Windsor
Toronto
Victoria Park
Hamilton
Ottawa

In the USA:
Hawaii (2) (Kauai)
Ojai, CA
Evergreen, Colorado
MinoWisconsin
Ohio--Colombusl Eastmore, North Worthington, Licking County, Bexley
Sarasota & Sebastian FL

Meredith Wheeler
Obama Bridge Project Co-ordinator
France
__._,_.___

World says thank you Obama voters

Unknown user — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 12:00:08 EST

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

Election Night Victory Party!

Rachel Yingling — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 11:54:07 EDT

Where will you be the night of November 4th, when Obama wins the race to become the 44th President of the United States of America? We hope you will celebrate his victory with Democrats Abroad at the Círculo de Bellas Artes in Madrid! We'll start the night off with a cocktail at 11pm, then enjoy live music featuring Guns 'N' Butter, Amelia Ray, and Doghouse. We'll also be tuned in to CNN to watch LIVE election returns! Bring your friends, and dress up like Sarah Palin! A flier is attached to distribute to your friends and/or proudly display at your home, school, or place of work. Please continue reading below for ticket information.

Pre-sale tickets to US Citizens by Democrats Abroad cost only €10 – with all proceeds going to help fund chapter activities in the upcoming year. Sales to non-US Citizens at the Círculo de Bellas Artes Box Office cost €15 until November 1st and €20 after that, including sales to US citizens and non-US citizens at the door on the night of the party.

Buy your tickets in advance from DA -- save money and help finance the future of our organization! DNC regulations allow us to collect money from US Citizens only (and permanent US residents/green card holders). Each US citizen can buy a maximum of two guest tickets (and may NOT be reimbursed by non-Americans).

There are three simple ways to buy your tickets in advance:

1. In person at upcoming DA Events: Tuesday, October 28, Young Democrats Abroad and Wednesday, October 29, DA Tertulia with guest speaker Pierre Schori, place TBA.

2. In person Monday to Friday from 10am to 4pm at English Systems, c/Alberto Alcocer, 32 1º, Madrid (tel. 91 457 9222).

3. By bank transfer, send payment to DA Madrid treasurer: Dean Walter Jannone BANKINTER - account number 0128/0051/22/010.0029603 Make sure to put the name of purchaser on the transfer form where it says concepto. Then pick up your tickets at the Democrats Abroad desk at the door on the night of the party.

A limited number of VIP TICKETS will also be available for purchase for €100 with profits going to fund future Democrats Abroad events. These special tickets allow access to the President's Chambers and the chance to mix with other Dems and dozens of Spanish VIPs invited by the president of Círculo de Bellas Artes. The group catering the VIP room at has prepared a menu that is absolutely top rate. An exquisite array of delectables, together with an all-night open bar makes the VIP "lounge" at Bellas Artes THE "IN" PLACE to be on Nov. 4th. At €l00 per person it is a real bargain for you and a friend. But hurry. Tickets are limited and we are sure they are going to go fast. Don´t miss this once in a lifetime opportunity! Once again, DNC rules permit sales only to US Citizens. To purchase VIP tickets or obtain more information contact Leslie Freschet by email and put "VIP TICKETS" in the subject line: lfreschet@hotmail.com

FINAL Obama-McCain Debate!

Rachel Yingling — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 13:05:39 EDT

When will the gloves come off?? John McCain and Barack Obama mix it up in the third and final Presidential Debate on hot topics such as the failing economy, immigration, climate change, and education.

Join us for a special screening of this historic event, followed by live analysis from a panel of Democratic and Republican pundits.

Thursday, October 16 from 8-11pm
Auditorium of the Casa de América
Plaza Cibeles, Madrid
(C/ Marqués del Duero entrance)

Come early! Last time we had an audience of nearly 500 people and standing room only. Following the debate screening (pre-recorded in the early hours of the morning) a live panel of pundits moderated by US Embassy Political Officer William Duncan will analyze how the candidates performed and what to expect on Election Day. Representing Democrats Abroad will be Obama's Madrid campaign organizers Sean Carroll and Rachel Yingling. Representing
Republicans Abroad will be former international president Paris de L'Etraz and spokeswoman Adriana de Riva.

Voting Absentee

Adam Lang — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 03:28:47 EDT

Yesterday I sent in my ballot for Obama. My county clerk sent me the forms by email and I filled it in and sent it by certified mail. 5.1 Euros. Anybody else got their ballots off yet?

Video: Palin-Biden Debate Screening

Rachel Yingling — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 12:44:00 EDT

Missed the screening of the Palin-Biden debate? See how it went:

http://es.youtube.com/watch?v=lN2Gb-VwGO4

Video from Saturday's Rally!

Rachel Yingling — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 10:53:19 EDT

Check out the video an Obama supporter put together from the Rally and Mail-In!

Obama Rally Madrid

www.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3D-UGNV2rd1lY

FedEx your ballot

Tracy Madrid — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 17:54:57 EDT

Worried that the Spanish Correos won't get your ballot in on time?

Speedy transport of your ballot via the Express Your Vote initiative of Overseas Vote Foundation (supported by FedEx Express). Between15 September and 29 October, overseas voters in 89 countries can take advantage of reduced rates for FedEx courier service of their ballots, including track and trace capabilities and proactive proof of delivery through OVF. For full details see: www.overseasvotefoundation.org.

October 4th Rally! UPDATE

Rachel Yingling — Sun, 21 Sep 2008 11:35:05 EDT

Be sure to sign up on the event list!
COME OUT FOR A FESTIVE CAMPAIGN RALLY AND MAIL-IN ON SATURDAY AT NOON

October 4 is the last day in many states that letters requesting absentee ballots need to be posted. So the idea is for as many of us as possible to gather together in a media-attractive campaign rally just one month before the big November 4 Election Tuesday.

We will meet at 12 at the Puerta de Alcalá, on the Retiro Park corner. Everyone is welcome so bring the kids and invite your Spanish friends and anybody else who wants to come and shout and celebrate the end of eight years of blood, sweat and tears! We will end up in front of Correos in Cibeles for some speeches and music. If you have your absentee ballots already, bring them to post, and if you haven't requested your absentee ballot yet, come and we'll help you do that! Also feel free to bring any other letters you might want to post to participate in the mail-in! Try to dress with red, white and blue colors (or at least in Democratic blue!), wear your OBAMA gear, and bring paraphernalia like horns and noise makers. Also come with some good slogans we can chant -- Obama is going to win this election and let's begin the celebration! ManiFIESTAte por Obama! PASS THE WORD: Send this rally announcement to at least 3 people who might not know about it (American, Spanish, or otherwise!), especially to those who might not be registered to vote or have not yet requested their absentee ballots, as this may be their last opportunity to do so! See you all on Saturday!

Fundraising in Spain

Rachel Yingling — Sat, 20 Sep 2008 05:45:22 EDT

I've set up a fundraising page for Americans in Spain for Obama. If you want your donation to get credited to our group, go to http://my.barackobama.com/page/outreach/view/maingroup/AmericansinSpainforObama or go to the group page, scroll down to the fundraising announcement, and click on "view".

PLEASE NOTE: If you use the "Donate Now" button from our group's site, we will NOT get credited for your donation.

Don't forget to request your absentee ballot!

Rachel Yingling — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 11:11:07 EDT

We've got just two weeks left to register to vote and request our absentee ballots -- have you and everyone you know taken care of it yet?

If not, go to www.votefromabroad.org/6. And spread the word!

Kauai Bridge shoot success

Meredith — Sat, 16 Aug 2008 18:02:13 EDT

The Obama Bridge Project arrived in Hawaii, just as Barack returned to his home-state for a holiday.

While he was resting on Oahu, on Kauai over 100 Americans--residents and tourists--gathered at one of the island's most historic bridges, Hanalei, for a giant photo op.

To see the final pix, visit our Flikr site: http://www.flickr.com/photos/23556339@N05/

[Somebody tell me how to embed photos on this blog !!] :-/

The Hawaii group has posted over 50 pix of their event on Bridges for Obama Yahoo site in the Kauai Photo Album:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/obamasbridges/

Local radio & TV covered the story--plus an article with color photo made the front page of the newspaper, which reportedly was handed to Barack Obama with his breakfast the next day.

http://www.khnl.com/Global/story.asp?s=8829758

Aloha, Barack--happy birthday from Hawaii!

Hawaii isn't the first state to do their own Obama Bridge Shoot--Minnesota and California also have done photos but none approaching the scale of Kauai.

Bravo Kauai for Obama OBAMA committee!

http://my.barackobama.com/page/group/KauaiforObama

One of the organizers wrote:

We're very pleased with many things about our event. We attracted many media persons, got a radio interview and a TV photo. We had over 100 attendees which is great considering our tiny population here on Kauai....We hung out for about an hour, got lots of attention from honking cars, and walkers and river kayakers. It was really, really fun.

Please join the grassroots initiative--wherever you live!

Lets see Obama Bridge shoots from the Golden Gate to the Brooklyn Bridge!

It's a great way to energize Obama groups, attract new members, create media buzz.

Yes, we span!

BTW, Hamilton, Canada has a bridge shoot set for tomorrow! This will be Canada's 4th bridge shoot.If you have friends in Hamilton, tell them to contact Ken Sherman: k_e_sherman@yahoo.ca.

Still no news from the convention team about whether they will use the photos in Denver or not.

Meredith Wheeler

Obama Bridge Project
Yes, we SPAN!

Now on 5 continents, 37 nations, 76 bridges.

View new Dems Abroad video (with Gwyneth Paltrow)

Meredith — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 12:26:25 EDT

Please pass the word about this new DA video aimed at persuading U.S. citizens abroad--especially the younger contingent--to register to vote.

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=amukRM9SSoo

Academy-award-winning actress, Gwyneth Paltrow, (based in London) is one of the many Americans in the clip encouraging American abroad to register for their absentee ballot.

DA is asking ALL Democrats everywhere to pass on this video (viral marketing) and to BLOG about it.

On the first day, over 150,000 people viewed it.

More importantly, in 24 hours we registered voters in 87 different countries, voting in 45 different states.

Please FORWARD this to your friends and family.

Barack receives the DVD of the Bridge Project

Meredith — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 18:25:44 EDT

Barack Obama was handed a DVD of the Obama Bridge Project today at his birthday party in Boston.

Connie Borde, Executive Vice Chair of Democrats Abroad in France put the DVD into his hands.

She phoned me from the party immediately afterwards (it was almost midnight in France) to say

he GOT it!

Hurrah! Yes We Span!

MORE cities are doing Obama Bridge shoots.

Why not in your neighborhood?

Mexican Obama Bridge shoot Sunday Aug 3, 3pm in Chapala

Meredith — Sat, 02 Aug 2008 03:35:24 EDT

Dems Abroad in Chapala, Mexico will be doing an Obama Bridge shoot at 3pm this Sunday, August 3rd.

If you have friends or family in that area who might be interested, please tell them to contact

Sandra Loridans at sotouch@prodigy.net.mx.

Si, se puede !

This project got going in April 2008. Since then, over 75 bridges with Obama supporters have been photographed in 37 countries around the world.

Keep it going! Spread the word.

PHOTOS in this series:
http://www.flickr.com/groups/bridgesforobama/pool/

New York Times Political Blog on this project:
http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/05/01/democrats-abroad-say-yes-we-span/

The Washington Post Political Blog on this project:
http://blog.washingtonpost.com/the-trail/2008/05/14/obams_international_following.html

Obama Campaign Official Blog, by Amy Hamblin:
http://my.barackobama.com/page/community/post/amyhamblin/gGxymS/commentary#

MAP with participating bridges plotted:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/23556339@N05/map?&fLat=13.5819&fLon=52.7343&zl=16

LIST of bridges taking part:
http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=pvmab7tp2AwW8csp8_uASQA

Barack in Berlin: My reaction: America needs let go of Europe.

ESLaPorte — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 14:24:57 EDT

I thought that the speech given by Barack Obama was an important history lesson in the Cold War, the defeat of communism was also an achievement of Europeans, including Pope John Paul II. However, this is just that, history. The defeat of communism in Europe and around the globe was not just an American feat.

What Barack pointed out to Berliners and Europeans is the role of immigrants and minorities and their struggles and contributions. From the opening, Barack opened up by pointing out that his father was a Kenyan goat keeper and there was a wonderful African cheer from the crowd. What made this spectacular and pointed – was this was in the backdrop of what is currently occurring in Europe – the harsh "Return" Directive which would allow EU Member States to lock up undocumented immigrants for 18 months and then ban them from the European Continent for five years. What is missing in Europe is that people do not choose to undertake the dangers and struggles to migrate from Africa and South America to Europe for freedom, but for a better life and to feed their families. Barack included this stoy about his father in the backdrop the building of Fortress Europe and the coming of harsh immigration policies sweeping the continent.

Barack mentioned a partnership between Europe and America. American needs partnership that are real partnership, where America is willing to give something, not just take, and to listen to partners, not just arrogantly dictate terms. These partnerships include other nations and regions of the world, not just Europe. This includes the idea that America accepts criticism of its policies from others, including the so-called “war on terrorism” and “Guantanamo Bay” and the death penalty, poverty in America and torture, among others.

I was disappointed in that Barack continued with the same ol’ “what America did for Europe,” without what Europe has done for itself and the achievements of the European Union. Again, Europe and European nations must be free to decide their own security, defense and foreign policy apart from the dictates of Washington. Barack’s speech was again full of messages that “America rules Europe” and failed to acknowledge the achievements of Europeans in the name of their own peace and security – and the creation of the greatest project of human kind, the European project, the European Union. Europe must be "allowed" to continue in its own path, which will take it away from "American leadership." America must accept that the future will be without America “leading Europe” – but an independent European superpower.

Another note: My father took part in the Berlin Airlift and served in the military all over Europe in the Cold War.

E-mail trouble and my responses to Foreign policy list

ESLaPorte — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 16:27:19 EDT

Nice to meet you all!

There seems to be something going on with the e-mails to the Obama lists. I keep getting my mails returned to me...so I will have to post from this blog until this is resolved...

People were introducing themselves. so, I'm a European security "wonk." I am two courses away from my Master's in European security studies, which I'm taking from a distance learning course.

With regard to Africa, I do know about the EU mission to the Congo and Chad, but I don't keep up on the all the details. Part of this is an expression of European security identity and cooperation, but another part is that a lot of the migrants to Europe are coming from Africa. The EU wants to open up migration to especially skilled workers from Africa, but this might produce a "brain drain" from African societies...

Erin LaPorte

My response :
First of all, what I meant by "realism" is the international-relations, theoretical perspective, such as Structural Realism, which has its origins with Thomas Hobbs.

Second of all, that was 1949 and the Cold War. There was a real threat from Soviet communism in the aftermath of WWII. NATO was also an answer with what to do with the Western half of Germany. Granted, there was a place for America after WWII, but America had to be coaxed into the negotiations that lead to the North Atlantic Treaty. During the Cold War, Europeans and (North) Americans were in agreement as to the common Soviet enemy, armed for nuclear and conventional warfare. That was then - his is now - and Europe has a different perspective, which it has the right to have.

The argument that you make is the notion that because Europe had security assurances from the US during the Cold War now justifies chaining Europe to NATO and not allowing Europeans to realize their aspirations APART from NATO. The "we saved you butts" is an immoral argument. It is also wrong to have Washington dictate what European common security and defense identity should look like, as well as trying to chain it to NATO.

What we have today as the European Union is a creation by and for Europeans. The Coal and Steel Community was had the purpose of tying especially Germany and France's means to wage war. Cutting European defense free from the NATO ball and chain and "allowing" Europe to create its own defense organization, perhaps with a North Atlantic Council-like structure, is a legitimate viewpoint and one of self determination. Structural realists would argue that European nations would go back to the old power game, but this viewpoint neglects the role of the European Union. The creation of a European defense identity that guarantees European security and especially ties Germany, France, Britain-big powers, along with minor powers like Poland and Spain, is the culmination of the European project and in the spirit of the Schuman Declaration. It is my view that the final touches on the European project will not be in place unless ESDI is built by European and for Europeans.

The Europeans have recognized that terrorism from religious extremeness is, indeed and issue, but believe that it has other causes other than a hypothetical "military conflict." European certainly are not "soft on terrorism," especially in France, which called out it military in the streets after bombings in the 1990's by an Algerian group. The Europeans had fought back against "red" terrorist groups in the Cold War, managed to do it without destroying freedoms, and therefore have vastly more experience with terrorism than Americans do. A good example of two European nations, Greece and Britain, cooperating to crack a terrorist group is the 2002 cracking of the 17 November "red" terrorist group, which had a 27 year run in Greece.

European and security and defense identity is working out very well for Europeans, as is cross boarder cooperation on counter-terrorism. Treating terrorism as a military-only problem is probably useless, unless the terrorism is being sponsored by a nation. Treating terrorism as an international criminal problem requiring international police cooperation (which is what Europeans believe) is an appropriate and legitimate viewpoint. America DOES have a role to play in international police cooperation with the EU with regard to combating terrorism and international crime. However, America must respect European laws and standards, including data protection and human rights.

Hillary Blog Removes Obama Put-Downs!

Carole@www.Americans-Away-From-Home.com — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 12:36:06 EDT

Hillary blog remove Obama slams

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/2008/07/02/2008-07-02_hillary_clinton_removes_barack_obama_sla.html

New Discussion Group for Americans Out of the US

Carole@www.Americans-Away-From-Home.com — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 12:50:13 EDT

Hi!!

Do you know about the new discussion group for people around the world?

Democrats_Worldwide - has members in Afghanistan, Thailand, Serbia, Korea, England, France....Virgin Islands, etc.

If you are an American away from the U.S., please come talk.

This is not a typical chatlist. It's for intelligent conversation with Democrats. No personal attacks are allowed. Not too many messages, we have 57 members.

Democrats_Worldwide-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

If you are outside the U.S., please come talk to other Democrats out of the U.S.

Democrats_Worldwide-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

Looking forward to meeting you!

Carole

www.Americans-Away-From-Home.com

Doubts about the Campaign Financing Decision

Charles Penny — Sat, 21 Jun 2008 07:11:56 EDT

Today, I made my first contribution to the Obama campaign since the end of the primaries. I had been planning to do so for some time, and decided to do so now... in spite of the decision to opt out of public financing. I have to say, I felt like I was biting the bullet for the first time since I started making contributions to the campaign with an initial $100 on New Year’s Day as a Resolution to do something constructive to create a better world.

When I set up my profile on my.barackobama.com , I hesitated to tick the ethics box in the list of issues that I care about. With so much else going on – illegal and immoral wars started by a country I love, a long-since unkept promise to provide all Americans with health care coverage, a dismally deficient education system in which America is falling behind its competitors, a “challenge of our time” to actually make the hard choices that will be necessary to tackle global warming instead of our leaders burying their heads in the sand – there almost seemed to be little room to be passionate about ethics and campaign finance reform. I remain as concerned as ever about the other issues, but have found myself increasingly concerned about these last two as this truly historic campaign year of 2008 unfolds. Today I ticked the “electoral reform” box in the long list of issues I care about, adding that to “good government / ethics” and all the others I ticked off a long time ago.

I watched Obama’s video about his decision and was left just convinced enough to bite that bullet and give another $50, added to the other contributions I’ve made. I’m one of those hundreds of thousands of Americans who give money in dribs and drabs, but as much as we can afford. Living in Madrid, Spain, I have had a somewhat different experience from most Americans, but there have been campaign events here, too, in support of Obama, which I have attended. Also, Obama’s candidacy more than anything else prompted me to join Democrats Abroad and vote in their global primary back in February. I’ve made an approximately $50 contribution to that organization with gratitude for organizing the primary which made it so much easier for us voters overseas to participate in the primary process, and now, through events like the Obama Bridge Span project, in the challenge presented by John McCain and the need to bring real Change to Washington, our country and our world.

I have been an enthusiastic supporter of Barack Obama and hope to continue to be through November and beyond to an Obama administration starting on January 20, 2009. As someone living abroad, take it from me – the world can hardly wait for that glorious day to come – to put the lies, corruption and flat-out wrong-headed policies of Bush/Cheney into the history books as a lesson we must never repeat.

All that being said, I am troubled by Barack Obama’s decision to jump the public financing ship. I post my concerns here today in the hopes that other folks will express their opinions and that some of them will satisfy my doubts about the decision Barack Obama has taken on this issue. As bad as the policies of the Bush Administration have been for America and America’s role in the world, the outright deceit of the American people may stand as it’s worst legacy. I still believe Barack Obama when he says he wants to change Washington, but his reneging on his commitment to follow the public financing rules or at least to come to some agreement about how to proceed with John McCain raises a red flag for me as an Obama supporter. I’ve tuned into various sources and heard a range of opinions, but to give you just one of those sources, I refer you to the discussion between Mark Shields and David Brooks on the Online News Hour ( http://www.pbs.org/newshour/ ) as one example.

Please, if you read this article and have an opinion about the Obama campaign’s decision to opt out of public financing, take a moment to share your views and respond. I really want to know what other Obama supporters think, and to know if they have the same doubts I do. I still want Barack Obama’s candidacy and, hopefully, presidency, to be “CHANGE WE CAN BELIEVE IN”.

W. regrets almost nothing By Maureen Dowd, New York Times

Edie "Hussein" M. Ph.D. — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 17:14:36 EDT

W. regrets almost nothing

By MAUREEN DOWD

Published: June 15, 2008

PARIS -- In the French imagination, Barack Obama is already the president.

To the French, the Democratic primary was the general election.

The word "elite" is not a pejorative here; it's a compliment. It does not occur to Parisians that Americans will choose the old, white-haired one if they can have the cool, skinny one with the Ray-Bans, John le Carre novels, chic wife and secret cigarettes.

Newsstands carry a whole magazine devoted to "La revolution OBAMA." The papers are avidly following Obama's post-Hillary quest to "cherche les femmes," and on Friday, Le Figaro led with the headline that he had widened his lead over his "rival republicain."

There was nothing on Le Figaro's front page about that other American guy who was over here, munching on langoustines at the Elysee Palace with Sarko and the seductress Carla (animated and dazzling with a midnight blue dress and a hopelessly long, thin cigarette).

"You kind of wrote my political obituary tonight," W. teased the French president after Sarko's toast Friday night, adding that he still has six months left and a lot of work to do.

In Old Europe, they've moved on, assuming that the American president has done all the damage that he can do. The blazing hostility toward W. has faded to indifference and a sort of fatigued perplexity about how les imbeciles de regime cowboy got into office, and how America could have put the world through all this craziness.

Read the Full Article Here:

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/15/opinion/15dowd.html?scp=1&sq=W.+regrets+almost+nothing&st=nyt

Sundays won't be the same without Tim Russert

Charles Penny — Sun, 15 Jun 2008 18:04:57 EDT

I was very saddened by the news of Tim Russert’s sudden passing away on Friday, June 13. Russert was an exceptional journalist who put his heart and soul into getting the truth from people in leadership roles in politics and carefully analyzing political events as they developed.

Most American viewers of ‘Meet the Press’, moderated by Russert over the past 17 years, see this program on their TVs on Sunday mornings. As an American abroad in Spain and with Spain being 6 hours ahead of Eastern Standard Time, I wait with anticipation until Sunday evening each week to see the netcast of this always insightful program. It has been my best cure for the end-of-the weekend blues that can come in gearing up for the work week ahead. ‘Meet the Press’ will go on, but it won’t be the same without Russert at the helm.

In addition to ‘Meet the Press’, I also looked to Tim Russert first for his analysis of ongoing developments in politics and, especially, of this historic election of 2008. Living abroad, I got great comfort from being connected by Russert to events and people back home who have been part of this election all through the primary season. As Barack Obama said in his observations on Friday upon hearing of Russert’s sudden death, “Tim is irreplaceable.” I hope that the role he played as a “standard-bearer” of high-quality, balanced and ethical journalism will be heeded by those who survive him in reporting political news. I notice that many of my fellow Obama supporters are also fans of Russert, given the more than 1000 responses here on this website to Barack Obama's statement on our common loss of Russert's presence.

We could always count on Russert to get to the bottom of the issues and provide well-researched analysis. Furthermore, his own family background, coming from a blue-collar background of modest means is a great example of American Dream come true. The way Russert lived serves as an inspiration to do our best and put the same kind of enthusiastic energy into our own pursuits as he did into his. Above all, in everything he did and the down-to-earth way he presented himself, Russert's viewers always saw what a fine and decent human being on and off camera he was.

As Obama shifts gear from the primaries to the general election campaign, I am grateful for having had Russert’s reporting on the events in this election which I could see his genuine enthusiasm for in ‘Meet the Press’ and the debates he moderated, and the day-to-day political analysis he gave. Tim Russert will be sorely missed and never forgotten. My deepest condolences go out to his family, friends and colleagues.

Obama Leads in Battle for Latino Vote By Peter Wallsten, Los Angeles Times

Edie "Hussein" M. Ph.D. — Sat, 07 Jun 2008 21:34:22 EDT

"A new Gallop Poll summary of surveys taken in May shows Obama winning 62% of Latino registered voters nationwide, compared with just 29% for McCain. Others have found a wide gap as well. The pro-Democratic group Democracy Corps compiled surveys from March through May that showed Obama with a 19-point lead among Latinos. And a Times poll published last month showed Obama leading McCain among California Latinos by 14 points.

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/politics/la-na-latinos6-2008jun06,0,176151.story

In Memoriam - Robert F. Kennedy

Charles Penny — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 17:56:48 EDT

This week, we observe a solemn anniversary in which 40 years have passed since the hopes and dreams of a generation were suspended. With his very real relevancy to the remarkable candidacy of Barack Obama, I wish to recall Robert F. Kennedy, his legacy, and the promise, 40 years after his life was so tragically cut short, of a return to ideals he believed in with the Movement for Change Barack Obama inspires.

In this 40th anniversary year of the tragic end to RFK’s life, I’m sure many will remember the eulogy given by his brother, Senator Ted Kennedy, on June 8, 1968 in St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City, which is surely one of the finest and most touching public addresses in American history (http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/ekennedytributetorfk.html). In speaking about RFK’s ideals, his surviving brother said, “[he] saw wrong and tried to right it, saw suffering and tried to heal it, and saw war and tried to stop it.” These words provide a context to consider the life and legacy of Robert F. Kennedy and the potential we have now in this watershed year of 2008 for making true progress in returning to and reaching towards RFK’s ideals.

He Saw Wrong and Tried to Right It

Robert F. Kennedy became a champion for civil rights in the administration of his brother John F. Kennedy, and beyond. As Attorney General of the United States, Bobby Kennedy saw that desegregation laws correcting wrongs of the past were enforced. As Attorney General, U.S. Senator for the state of New York, and candidate for President of the United States, Kennedy worked tirelessly to see the enactment of legislation further advancing the cause of guaranteeing that all Americans be given equal rights and that human rights be recognized and respected elsewhere around the world, such as when he called for an end to apartheid with his visit to South Africa in 1966.

He Saw Suffering and Tried to Heal It

In the mid-1960s, the United States was supposed to be fighting a “War on Poverty”, but as a member of the Senate committee reviewing this effort, Robert Kennedy was disappointed by what he saw in urban areas across the country and in rural Appalachia. He made addressing poverty a focal point of his 1968 presidential campaign. Funds which could have been going to address the needs of the “disaffected”, “the impoverished” and “the excluded” Americans in Lyndon Johnson’s “Great Society” had been increasingly consumed by an unpopular war of the traditional kind in a far-away land.

He Saw War and Tried to Stop It

One of the prime motivations for Robert F. Kennedy to enter the 1968 presidential race was the “perilous course” he saw the country on by persisting in fighting a far-away foreign war which was taking American lives by the thousands and draining resources from the growing needs of the country at home. The Vietnam War would cost more than 50,000 American lives and without John F. Kennedy to prevent from sending ground troops in the first place and Robert F. Kennedy to stop it, the war dragged on and was even expanded to Laos and Cambodia with little to show for it, apart from the higher death toll on all sides and a weakened America which had effectively abandoned its war on poverty and other promising initiatives.

The RFK Legacy in Barack Obama

The cause of Civil Rights which Robert F. Kennedy championed so vigorously in the 1960s has resulted in the opportunity for a Barack Obama to be on his way to being the first African-American President in American history. Obama’s very success up to now and in the months to come will take the Civil Rights Movement to the highest office in the land. Imagine how pleased RFK would be. We indeed appear to be on our way to creating “a more perfect union”, not only as represented by Barack Obama’s candidacy, but Hillary Clinton’s, too. However, issues raised by their candidacies also show the work yet to be done to assure that race and gender and the other categories for dividing people are overcome and that all Americans truly have equal rights as one people.

As Obama has traveled the country in his historic campaign, he has seen the suffering of many Americans and proposed common-sense solutions to alleviate it. Contrary to his Republican opponent, he proposes action to help Americans keep their homes in the wake of a crisis caused by lax regulation allowing lending which concealed the dangers hidden in the fine print of mortgages. He calls on supporting innovative companies which create “green jobs”, and rewarding them for tapping into American ingenuity. With a united Democratic Party which no longer depends on money from lobbyists and the influence it buys, Obama will also finally be able to deliver on the promise of health care coverage for all Americans by responding directly to that long-standing need.

Part of the cost of these initiatives will be paid for by ending “a war which should have never been authorized and should never have been waged”. Getting out of Iraq won’t be so quick and easy as the blunder that getting in was, but Obama’s very commitment to do so will allow the U.S. to refocus it’s foreign policy priorities and be the agent for peace in the world Robert F. Kennedy wanted it to be as he campaigned for the presidency in 1968 and that his brother John F. Kennedy toiled to achieve in his all-too-brief presidency with RFK at his side. Ending the war in Iraq and making the U.S. a force for peace in our increasingly complex world with tough, principled diplomacy will restore America’s moral standing in the world and also restore the kind of courage RFK demanded of himself and believed in for his country.

Barack Obama gives our nation the best chance to restore the ideals Robert F. Kennedy had 40 years ago – to end unnecessary war, to constructively address the serious economic issues of our time, and to see a commitment to a common purpose in which all Americans have the same opportunity to live the American Dream. Perhaps more like RFK than on any one issue, however, Obama inspires American people to believe in themselves and in the great potential of Americans as individuals and as a nation to create a better country and contribute to a making better world.

By his very candidacy, but more importantly, by the vision he presents now as a candidate and will provide as President, Barack Obama calls upon us all to live out the promise contained in one of Robert F. Kennedy’s favorite philosophies, as originally stated by George Bernard Shaw: some people see things as they are and ask ‘why’; I dream of things that never were and say, ‘why not’.

(This article solely reflects the opinion of its author as a supporter of the candidacy of Barack Obama. In no way does it purport to represent the official position taken by Barack Obama, the Democratic Party or the Obama campaign organization. As a blog article, I welcome any and all comments.)

American security policy toward Europe

ESLaPorte — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 11:10:51 EDT

The Cold War is over…and we must adjust to this reality. This includes America's policy towards Europe. At the time NATO's treaty was created, Americans and Europeans shared the same interests and threats, mainly from the Soviet Union and security dilemma related to Germany.

Yes -now that the Cold War is long over, it is time for Europe and the European Union to be independent from American control and influence. Europeans and Americans have different views on how to meet challenges such as from terrorism and achieving peace. To Europeans, there is no such thing as a "war on terrorism," as terrorism is a tactic and not an army or nation. It also appears that "what Europe needs" in terms of its own security and defense needs is often defined in and dictated from Washington. Europe and European nations should be allowed to determine what their nations' defense and security needs are that are NOT dictated from Washington.

America should stop demanding that Europeans "spend more on defense" and drop the demand that Europe "not duplicate what is in NATO." America should support and not hinder the drive for an independent-from-NATO European security and defense organization, Eurocorps. The European Union and European nations will, naturally, do what is best for their national security first, and Europe second.

Obama Bridge Project--Lots more Photos!

Meredith — Thu, 29 May 2008 07:42:42 EDT

Hi Obama People!

Support the BRIDGE PROJECT!

This is a grassroots initiative--the only worldwide effort--to show support for Barack Obama from Americans abroad and all their friends and family.

There are a lot of great new bridge photos posted on our Flikr site, including a fabulous
shot from Chennai (Madras).

Spain is now on our map with Madrid and Barcelona. Germany & France joined forces over the Rhine, meanwhile in Paris, another bridge over the Seine was photographed.
A relatively new DA committee in Denmark did a stunning shot showing the long bridge that connects Denmark to Sweden.

Coming up soon: Cairo, Stockholm, Frankfurt, Tel Aviv, Bahrain (!!!), Amsterdam and yet another bridge from Austria (they have done 6--but FRANCE beats them with 7 Bridges for Obama!). Also CHINA, Jerusalem and THAILAND!

If you have FRIENDS in any of these places, TELL THEM about the Bridge Photo Op coming up.

You can see more info (with contact names & emails) on upcoming bridges here
http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=pvmab7tp2AwW8csp8_uASQA

A new video is up on YouTube showing the Millennium Bridge Project Photo Op in London:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fDpRArlIo68
Thanks to David Balfour who made it.

Commemorative BOOK --a GIFT for Barack & Michelle Obama

In addition to the video montage (which ultimately will go up on YouTube after being
screened (WE HOPE) in Denver at the convention) we are turning the photos into a commemorative book, as a gift to Barack & Michelle Obama, showing them the worldwide support for his campaign and his message.

Finally, if you missed it, see the children on the Pont des Arts in Paris singing
their Obama version of Frere Jacques:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uGgfIvzJrwI

Yes, WE SPAN!

To see the LATEST photos, visit our Flikr site:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/23556339@N05/?donelayout=1

New York Times Political Blog on this project (& reader reactions):
http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/05/01/democrats-abroad-say-yes-we-span/

Map w/bridges plotted:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/23556339@N05/map?&fLat=13.5819&fLon=52.7343&zl=16

Spreadsheet--all bridges enrolled:
http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=pvmab7tp2AwW8csp8_uASQA

Berlin video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tgRJ1cf7wK0

xMeredith

New bridges, new videos--Yes, WE SPAN!

Meredith — Sun, 25 May 2008 17:12:07 EDT

Despite the recent troubles in Lebanon, members of Democrats Abroad there managed
to get a great bridge shot in the Bekaa Valley this weekend.

Also pictured is Democrats Abroad Lebanese-based Obama delegate, David Munir Nabti, sporting the first official YES WE SPAN t-shirt!

http://www.flickr.com/groups/bridgesforobama/pool/

Meanwhile the Paris group who did yesterday's bridge shot on the Pont Des Arts have posted
their video of the children's chorale singing, to the tune of Frere Jacques, Barack Obama...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uGgfIvzJrwI

Barack Obama, Barack Obama
Yes We Can, Yes We Can,
Change we can believe in,
Change we can believe in,
Obama, Obama

More bridge photos are coming up: Greece, Israel, Egypt and Bahrain!

Yes, WE SPAN!

Meredith Wheeler
Bridges for Obama

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/obamasbridges/

www.VoteFromAbroad.org

Obama Bridge Shoots TOMORROW--Paris, Madrid, Strasbourg

Meredith — Fri, 23 May 2008 07:41:22 EDT

Tomorrow (Saturday, May 24th) there are bridge shoots in:
Paris (11am, Pont des Arts; contact: aroffi@orange.fr);
Strasbourg (2pm, the Passerelle Mimran; contact: svaillant@evc.net);
Madrid (12 noon, Calle Bailen bridge; contact: Sean Carroll: scarroll.madrid@gmail.com).

If you don't live close enough to attend, SUPPORT these shoots by TELLING any friends or family in these cities about them. FORWARD this email!

Shoots are also coming up soon in South Africa, Israel, Holland and Bahrain too.

YES, WE SPAN!

To see photos already done in this series, visit:
http://www.flickr.com/groups/bridgesforobama/pool/

To see a map with the participating bridges plotted on it:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/23556339@N05/map?&fLat=13.5819&fLon=52.7343&zl=16

To see The NY Times Political Blog on this story & reader reactions:
http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/05/01/democrats-abroad-say-yes-we-span/

To see The Washington Post Political Blog mention of this project:
http://blog.washingtonpost.com/the-trail/2008/05/14/obams_international_following.html

To see the spreadsheet listing all the bridges taking part:
http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=pvmab7tp2AwW8csp8_uASQA

Bridges/cities represented so far:

Pont Neuf, Paris
Westminster Bridge, London
Burrard Bridge, Vancouver
Rainbow Bridge, Niagara Falls
Nelson Mandala Bridge, Johannesberg
Bosphorus Bridge, Istanbul
Sant'Angelo Bridge, Rome
Bridge of Sighs, Cambridge UK
Ha'Penny Bridge, Dublin
Marienbrucke, Vienna
Schwedenbrucke, Vienna
Reichsbruecke, Vienna
Aspernbrucke, Vienna
Zollamtssteg, Vienna
Pont d'Avignon, Avignon, France
Lavardin Bridge, France
Batavia Drawbridge, Jakarta
Ponte Vecchio, Florence
Sidney Harbour Bridge, Australia
Oberbaum Brucke, Berlin
Athpula Bridge, New Delhi
The Grund, Luxembourg
Viaduct of Millau, France
Pont-Vieux, Saint-Affrique, France
Kiev Bridge, Ukraine
Ponte Estaiada Octavio Frias de Oliveira, Sao Paulo, Brazil
Nijubashi Bridge, Japan
Millennium Bridge, London
Nagoya Castle Garden Bridge, Japan
Chennai (Madras)
Bridge on Calle Bailen, Madrid
Rambla de Mar, Barcelona
Foot bridge in Gustav Vidgeland Park, Oslo
Charles Bridge, Prague
Mimran footbridge, linking France & Germany (May 24th)
Keizerinnedreefbrug, Park van Tervuren, Tervuren, Belgium
Marolles/Palaise Justice Bridge, Brussels
Quaibrüke and Munsterbrüke, Zurich

More info on the Project Yahoo site:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/obamasbridges/

Bridges for Obama Barcelona Photo!

Adam Lang — Wed, 14 May 2008 06:12:05 EDT

Obama supporters in Barcelona are invited to attend a group photo as part of the international Bridges for Obama Project.

Sunday May 18th

12 noon to 1230

At the Rambla de Mar Bridge

How to arrive: from the Ramblas walk down to the Columbus Statue and keep walking towards the water, you should see the bridge from there. We will meet at the green metal post at the start of the bridge and have coffee afterwards. (this is the bridge that connects the waterfront near the ramblas to the Maremagnum shopping center) The closest metro stop is Drassanes (green/line3).

A picture of the bridge is at http://seaofchicago.org/

To confirm or for any doubts, please email Adam Lang at admlang@gmail.com

To join the Obama/Barcelona mailing list and receive emails about other Obama events, please send an email with your name to OBAMABCN@gmail.com

DISTURBING Clinton campaign literature

Meredith — Mon, 05 May 2008 12:34:39 EDT

The Clinton campaign has put out a really disturbing piece of campaign literature
with a gun pointing towards Obama's head.

What is the subliminal message they are trying to impart??

Don't believe it? Look for yourself:

http://www.politico.com/blogs/bensmith/0508/Clinton_mail_attacks_Obama_on_guns.html

I wrote to the Clinton campaign to complain about it--and if you too
find it objectionable, I urge you to write and TELL them.

http://www.hillaryclinton.com/help/contact/

Obama Bridge Project makes NYTimes Political Blog

Meredith — Thu, 01 May 2008 18:39:41 EDT

The Obama Bridge Project makes it onto The New York Times
Politics blog:

http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/author/aalexovich/

You can leave a comment on the NYTimes site.

Yes, WE SPAN :-) !!!!

To see all the bridge photos so far:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/23556339@N05/?donelayout=1

Join us and shoot your bridge! Spread the word! Yes, we can!

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/obamasbridges/

MSM: What is to be done?

! ! ! ! ! Matthew McGovern !!!!! — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 19:41:29 EDT

MSM: What is to be done?

Matthew McGovern

http://www.matthewmcgovern.blogspot.com/

The.McGovern.Minute@gmail.com

The Indiana and North Carolina contests are almost upon us, and how can I express my excitement and anticipation, over the finding out of who will win. Will it be Sen. Clinton, and her 35 years of super-First Lady Experience? Or, could it possible turn out to be the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, with all his over-and-over again played clips, calling out certain issues that might face America?

Beyond all the excitement however, there seemed to be something missing. Something, that no matter how hard I looked at these two über candidates, I could not put my finger on. Then it hit me, that thing that seemed to be so elusive to me, and which had also turned out to be so elusive to the Main Stream Media, was that it wasn’t Rev. Wright that was running against the Clinton/McCain machine. And to make me feel even more out of touch with what was more important to America, it turned out that it was this other guy.

It was actually some guy named Sen. Barack Obama. I vaguely remember this guy from the news media. There seemed to be some question about whether he was a Muslim, or was it a Muslim who converted to Christianity, so that he then could take over America.

Or, maybe it wasn’t that, but that it was that I should question this guy Obama’s intentions because his middle name was Hussein. Hell, even his last name rhymes with that guy that brought us into the war on terror, that guy Saddam. No, that wasn’t it; it was this cave dwelling guy with bad kidneys, Osama. Yea, that was the guy. I even think they said on Faux News that they are distant cousins. Or, was that a guy named Cheney?

The media, with whom the Clinton administration had complained and whined about, until the MSM did away with any semblance of parity and went full tilt toward Reverend Wright and his former parishioner, has no complaint these days. They are quite happy to march lock step with the McCain camp, in both actions and silence while never standing up in defense of her fellow Democratic Party members, when the Johnny Mac and GOP attacks come a flyin’.

Now, with the never disappearing Rev. Wright, and his recent self-centered and egotistical publicity rounds, the MSM feels even more emboldened to keep the focus on the non-issue banter going. In all honesty, why shouldn’t they? It really is our own fault. How long have we allowed, hell trusted, the media to keep us informed on what is going on? What are the important things to focus on, and even what the important things that the general public should focus on? How long have we sold our souls for the convenience of the easy thought?

What does the Main Stream Media tell us currently is important? Listen to them, to them all. They tell us that Sen. Obama was a member of this guy Wright’s Church. That he was Sen. Obama’s pastor. That he spent 20 years sitting in the pews. Of course, we have all seen the 15 seconds or so contained in the 3 most played video clips, but what the hey, we all get the idea. Obama cannot be allowed to be the POTUS of the future, due to Rev. Wright, and those 15 seconds.

When the Main Stream Media, (ABC, NBC, CBS, MSNBC, CNN, Faux News) decides to look upon an associate of a political candidate that is one thing. But, when the same media comes to the end of whatever it was that made it a newsworthy story in the first place, and then continues to keep the subject of such an inquiry alive in the media when the only new aspect of the story is whatever it is that the MSM themselves has introduced, then there is within the media a problem.

Did he ever lie about the length of time that Rev. Wright was his pastor? Did Obama ever lie to the American public about Bosnia, in an attempt to bolster his perception of toughness and world experience, only to remake such a history into a misstatement? To admit that he knew that he intentionally told what he knew was not true. No, of course it was not Sen. Obama that said such things; it was Sen. Clinton. How long did that story stay in the media? Maybe that would have made journalism something that it isn’t these days.

How can they justify the continuation of such a news inquiry? Sen. Obama has addressed the issue of Rev. Wright, yet due to the media attention that the Reverend has sought, and been given, the story is still front and center. “He sat in the pew for 20 years”, I can hear them say over and over. The simple answer is that they cannot justify such behavior, and they cannot continue to call what they pretend to do journalism; for it is better known as yellow journalism.

Bill Moyers Interview with Rev Wright..link to Vid

John From Cape Cod. Ma — Sat, 26 Apr 2008 22:09:26 EDT

Link to Vid and Page with Interview

http://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/04252008/watch.html

Speech in Evansville Indiana Tonight --April 23rd, 2008

! ! ! ! ! Matthew McGovern !!!!! — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 00:01:16 EDT

"I want to start by congratulating Senator Clinton on her
victory tonight, and I want to thank the hundreds of
thousands of Pennsylvanians who stood with our campaign
today.

"There were a lot of folks who didn't think we could make
this a close race when it started. But we worked hard, and
we traveled across the state to big cities and small towns,
to factory floors and VFW halls. And now, six weeks later,
we closed the gap. We rallied people of every age and race
and background to our cause. And whether they were inspired
for the first time or for the first time in a long time, we
registered a record number of voters who will lead our
party to victory in November.

"These Americans cast their ballot for the same reason you
came here tonight; for the same reason that millions of
Americans have gone door-to-door and given whatever small
amount they can to this campaign; for the same reason that
we began this journey just a few hundred miles from here on
a cold February morning in Springfield - because we believe
that the challenges we face are bigger than the smallness
of our politics, and we know that this election is our
chance to change it.

"After fourteen long months, it's easy to forget this from
time to time - to lose sight of the fierce urgency of this
moment. It's easy to get caught up in the distractions and
the silliness and the tit-for-tat that consumes our
politics; the bickering that none of us are immune to, and
that trivializes the profound issues - two wars, an economy
in recession, a planet in peril.

"But that kind of politics is not why we're here. It's not
why I'm here and it's not why you're here.

"We're here because of the more than one hundred workers in
Logansport, Indiana who just found out that their company
has decided to move its entire factory to Taiwan.

"We're here because of the young man I met in Youngsville,
North Carolina who almost lost his home because he has
three children with cystic fibrosis and couldn't pay their
medical bills; who still doesn't have health insurance for
himself or his wife and lives in fear that a single illness
could cost them everything.

"We're here because there are families all across this
country who are sitting around the kitchen table right now
trying to figure out how to pay their insurance premiums,
and their kids' tuition, and still make the mortgage so
they're not the next ones in the neighborhood to put a For
Sale sign in the front yard; who will lay awake tonight
wondering if next week's paycheck will cover next month's
bills.

"We're not here to talk about change for change's sake, but
because our families, our communities, and our country
desperately need it. We're here because we can't afford to
keep doing what we've been doing for another four years. We
can't afford to play the same Washington games with the
same Washington players and expect a different result. Not
this time. Not now.

"We already know what we're getting from the other party's
nominee. John McCain has offered this country a lifetime of
service, and we respect that, but what he's not offering is
any meaningful change from the policies of George W. Bush.

"John McCain believes that George Bush's Iraq policy is a
success, so he's offering four more years of a war with no
exit strategy; a war that's sending our troops on their
third tour, and fourth tour, and fifth tour of duty; a war
that's costing us billions of dollars a month and hasn't
made us any safer.

"John McCain said that George Bush's economic policies have
led to "great progress" over the last seven years, and so
he's promising four more years of tax cuts for CEOs and
corporations who didn't need them and weren't asking for
them; tax cuts that he once voted against because he said
they "offended his conscience."

"Well they may have stopped offending John McCain's
conscience somewhere along the road to the White House, but
George Bush's economic policies still offend ours. Because
I don't think that the 232,000 Americans who've lost their
jobs this year are seeing the great progress that John
McCain has seen. I don't think the millions of Americans
losing their homes have seen that progress. I don't think
the families without health care and the workers without
pensions have seen that progress. And if we continue down
the same reckless path, I don't think that future
generations who'll be saddled with debt will see these as
years of progress.

"We already know that John McCain offers more of the same.
The question is not whether the other party will bring
about change in Washington - the question is, will we?

"Because the truth is, the challenges we face are not just
the fault of one man or one party. How many years - how
many decades - have we been talking about solving our
health care crisis? How many Presidents have promised to
end our dependence on foreign oil? How many jobs have gone
overseas in the 70s, and the 80s, and the 90s? And we still
haven't done anything about it. And we know why.

"In every election, politicians come to your cities and
your towns, and they tell you what you want to hear, and
they make big promises, and they lay out all these plans
and policies. But then they go back to Washington when the
campaign's over. Lobbyists spend millions of dollars to get
their way. The status quo sets in. And instead of fighting
for health care or jobs, Washington ends up fighting over
the latest distraction of the week. It happens year after
year after year.

"Well this is your chance to say "Not this year." This is
your chance to say "Not this time." We have a choice in
this election.

"We can be a party that says there's no problem with taking
money from Washington lobbyists - from oil lobbyists and
drug lobbyists and insurance lobbyists. We can pretend that
they represent real Americans and look the other way when
they use their money and influence to stop us from
reforming health care or investing in renewable energy for
yet another four years.

"Or this time, we can recognize that you can't be the
champion of working Americans if you're funded by the
lobbyists who drown out their voices. We can do what we've
done in this campaign, and say that we won't take a dime of
their money. We can do what I did in Illinois, and in
Washington, and bring both parties together to rein in
their power so we can take our government back. It's our
choice.

"We can be a party that thinks the only way to look tough
on national security is to talk, and act, and vote like
George Bush and John McCain. We can use fear as a tactic,
and the threat of terrorism to scare up votes.

"Or we can decide that real strength is asking the tough
questions before we send our troops to fight. We can see
the threats we face for what they are - a call to rally all
Americans and all the world against the common challenges
of the 21st century - terrorism and nuclear weapons;
climate change and poverty; genocide and disease. That's
what it takes to keep us safe in the world. That's the real
legacy of Roosevelt and Kennedy and Truman.

"We can be a party that says and does whatever it takes to
win the next election. We can calculate and poll-test our
positions and tell everyone exactly what they want to hear.

"Or we can be the party that doesn't just focus on how to
win but why we should. We can tell everyone what they need
to hear about the challenges we face. We can seek to regain
not just an office, but the trust of the American people
that their leaders in Washington will tell them the truth.
That's the choice in this election.

"We can be a party of those who only think like we do and
only agree with all our positions. We can continue to slice
and dice this country into Red States and Blue States. We
can exploit the divisions that exist in our country for
pure political gain.

"Or this time, we can build on the movement we've started
in this campaign - a movement that's united Democrats,
Independents, and Republicans; a movement of young and old,
rich and poor; white, black, Hispanic, Asian, and Native
American. Because one thing I know from traveling to
forty-six states this campaign season is that we're not as
divided as our politics suggests. We may have different
stories and different backgrounds, but we hold common hopes
for the future of this country.

"In the end, this election is still our best chance to
solve the problems we've been talking about for decades -
as one nation; as one people. Fourteen months later, that
is still what this election is about.

"Millions of Americans who believe we can do better - that
we must do better - have put us in a position to bring
about real change. Now it's up to you, Indiana. You can
decide whether we're going to travel the same worn path, or
whether we chart a new course that offers real hope for the
future.

"During the course of this campaign, we've all learned what
my wife reminds me of all the time - that I am not a
perfect man. And I will not be a perfect President. And so
while I will always listen to you, and be honest with you,
and fight for you every single day for the next for years,
I will also ask you to be a part of the change that we
need. Because in my two decades of public service to this
country, I have seen time and time again that real change
doesn't begin in the halls of Washington, but on the
streets of America. It doesn't happen from the top-down, it
happens from the bottom-up.

"I also know that real change has never been easy, and it
won't be easy this time either. The status quo in
Washington will fight harder than they ever have to divide
us and distract us with ads and attacks from now until
November.

"But don't ever forget that you have the power to change
this country.

"You can make this election about how we're going to help
those workers in Logansport; how we're going to re-train
them, and educate them, and make our workforce competitive
in a global economy.

"You can make this election about how we're going to make
health care affordable for that family in North Carolina;
how we're going to help those families sitting around the
kitchen table tonight pay their bills and stay in their
homes.

"You can make this election about how we plan to leave our
children and all children a planet that's safer and a world
that still sees America the same way my father saw it from
across the ocean - as a beacon of all that is good and all
that is possible for all mankind.

"It is now our turn to follow in the footsteps of all those
generations who sacrificed and struggled and faced down the
greatest odds to perfect our improbable union. And if we're
willing to do what they did; if we're willing to shed our
cynicism and our doubts and our fears; if we're willing to
believe in what's possible again; then I believe that we
won't just win this primary election, we won't just win
this election in November, we will change this country, and
keep this country's promise alive in the twenty-first
century. Thank you, and may God Bless the United States of
America."

Time to Donate!

! ! ! ! ! Matthew McGovern !!!!! — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 22:40:20 EDT

Time to Donate!

It looks like we will fall short of the outright victory tonight. But we still have lost very little ground in our march to the White House. There is one thing we can be certain about when we hear the Clinton campaign try and make tonight the victory of all victories. She will tout the money she has raised overnight.

She needs to be able to tell the super delegates in the morning that she had received X amount of donations after her victory. She can only win with the help of the super delegates, and her fundraising is a big question on their minds. She has sent out a mass email asking for $5 donations, not just to get a cash influx, but also by asking for a small amount she will get more numbers when it comes to people donating. She needs a large number to flash the super delegates with.

We need to counter this ploy from the Hillary campaign. We need to show the same support for the good Sen. Obama, and donate tonight. We need numbers to counter whatever she has to say in the morning. If the super delegates see that even in defeat we are not defeated, then her win in Pennsylvania will be like her words; empty, shallow, and vain.

Do it now. Anything! 5, 10, 15, 20 25, 50, 100. Whatever the amount, we need to get our day after number up.

Think of it this way; can you, after 8 years of hearing the voice of George Bush, spend 4 years listening to the voice of a president Hillary Clinton?

Do it tonight! Donate Now!

Let us fight the good fight, and show the super delegates that we will not let the shillary continue.

Your comrade in thought and deed!

Matthew McGovern

News from Pittsburgh

Meredith — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 07:51:02 EDT

Those of us in Europe are waiting tensely to hear the result of PA voting today, which probably won't come til the wee hours of tomorrow morning....

The polls give contradictory reports.

Outcome hinges on the turnout of various demographic groups, with Obama needing Philly and the affluent main line suburbs to show strongly and young people to turn up and VOTE.

I was encouraged to read this comment from a blog called THE STUMP on The New Republic site.

http://blogs.tnr.com/tnr/blogs/the_stump/archive/2008/04/21/what-to-look-for-in-the-pa-exit-polls.aspx

matthawk wrote:

In terms of the mood of the campaign, a few notes from tonight's Obama rally in Pittsburgh....

Obama’s speech was scheduled to start at 9:30 pm. I arrived at the Petersen Center at 7:00. There was a huge line that easily extended for a mile. The Center holds 14,000 people and it was pretty much full except for those areas that were sealed off by the Secret Service.

There were vendors all over the place selling T-shirts, buttons, bumper stickers and hats. I knew one of the vendors. He works both Hillary and Obama rallies. He was at the Hillary rally this morning in downtown Pittsburgh. He said that they sealed off a small area for the rally and were still unable to fill it. He also said that while he was sold out of Obama buttons he is taking a loss on Hillary buttons because they simply aren’t moving as fast.

The audience was a mix of ages, but mostly consisted of young people (in their 20s and 30s). They broke into enthusiastic chants of “Yes We Can” as the Obama video featuring the Black eyed Peas played on the large screen.

Theresa Heinz, Michelle Obama, and Sen. Bob Casey spoke briefly; then Casey introduced Obama. Obama spoke for about 45 mins hitting familiar themes: true patriotism is being true to the spirit of the founders of the nation; change doesn’t come from the top down, but from the bottom up; change (for civil rights, women’s rights, and the right for labor to organize) came from the grassroots; we can’t afford to wait – there is the “fierce urgency of now”; we have to end the politics of division and change the political culture in Washington.

He also addressed Hillary’s recent television ad which features Osama Bin Laden by saying that it reflects a legitimate concern, which is why he opposed the war in Iraq in the first place and believes we should focus our forces on hunting down Al Quida.

Throughout the event his organizers were steadily signing up volunteers to work the polls and turn out the vote tomorrow. I’ve seen many political campaigns, but I’ve never seen one as well organized at the grassroots level as this one is. It is worthy of careful study.

Obama Bridge Photo Ops this weekend in Turkey, France, Canada

Meredith — Sat, 19 Apr 2008 14:45:18 EDT

Three wonderful bridges are the locales for photo ops by Obama supporters around the world this weekend in Canada, Turkey and France.

JOIN the Obama Bridge Project: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/obamasbridges/

Tomorrow there are photos being done at the Rainbow Bridge in Canada, the bridge across the Bosphoros in
Turkey and the Pont d'Avignon in southern France!!

If you KNOW people around Avignon, Istanbul or Toronto who might like to take part in their shoot--TELL THEM! Everyone is welcome!

Read on for the details of each event:

Today's Zaman
4.19.08

Democrats in Turkey to gather at Bosporus Bridge

American expat supporters of the Democratic Party living in Turkey will gather in Ortaköy this afternoon to register to vote in the upcoming US presidential elections and take group pictures in front of the Bosporus Bridge as part of the Span the Bridge Turkey project.

The large numbers of Americans living in Turkey expected to turn out will be able get a great view from Ortaköy Square and gather for family fun and picture taking from 2-4 p.m., a press release issued by Democrats Abroad Turkey (DA Turkey) on Thursday said.
The Span the Bridge Turkey project began as a way "to symbolize the bridging over the political, religious, racial and economic divisions in America by the Barack Obama presidential campaign," according to Bill Bache, a retired Army officer and chair of the DA Turkey Kadiköy chapter.

"We saw the 'Span the Bridge' campaign as a good way to bring all Americans together, regardless of which candidates they support. First, we are going to take a picture of everybody in front of the Bosporus Bridge and then separate pictures of the Obama and [Hillary] Clinton supporters," Bache said.

"We work together now and we will continue to work together after the Denver convention, regardless of who wins the nomination," said Stephanie Holtman, a schoolteacher in İstanbul and the vice chair of DA Turkey. "Families are making their own posters showing support for the Democratic Party, Obama and Hillary to bring to the event. This is going to be fun and all are welcome," she said.

Local member and DA Turkey Secretary Garrett Gilmore said he believed the event was "all about exercising our right to vote -- and to keep democracy alive in America." He added, noting that those people unable to make the event can always register to vote at www.VoteFromAbroad.org The picture taking will take place from 2-3 p.m. in Ortaköy Square, using the Bosporus Bridge as a backdrop. After pictures the group will gather at the nearby Bodrum restaurant (Eski Vapur İskelesi, Sağlık Sokak No: 4) to exchange information about the current US political situation and register Americans to vote online.

http://www.todayszaman.com/tz-web/detaylar.do?load=detay&link=139443

--------------

Here are the details in their French press release:
Communiqué de Presse
Avignon Chapter, Democrats Abroad

LA CAMPAGNE AMERICAINE ARRIVE A AVIGNON/The American Campaign Arrives in Avignon

Les Américains de la région Avignonnaise, de conviction Parti Démocrat, vont rassembler le dimanche, 20 avril à Avignon.

Après une réunion avec pique nique, les partisans du candidat présidentiel Barack Obama se trouveront à coté du Pont Saint Bénezet à 15h30 pour soutenir leur candidat. Cela fait partie d’une promotion mondiale « les ponts pour Obama ».   Les supporteurs seront photographiés, avec banderoles, placards, et autre objets de campagne, à coté des ponts les plus célèbres du monde, pour insister sur le thème du candidat « combler les ravines, et rejoindre les peuples des cotés différents ». Les photos seront mises en collage avec musique et utilisés partout dans la campagne.

Ce club local des Démocrats est le dernier-né de l’organisme « Democrats Abroad France », qui ramasse plus de 4000 Américains vivant en France. Pour la première fois, ces expatriés auront quelques délégués à la convention national des Démocrats en août, qui choisira définitivement leur candidat pour l’élection générale en novembre.

Contact/ Jack Turbiville
19 Avenue les Lierres
Avignon
Téléphone 04 90 86 20 64

jack.turbiville@numericable.fr

----------------------------------------

Elected Democratic Party Convention Delegates
from Canada (Democrats Abroad)
and WNY (26,27,28 Congressional Districts)
Rally on Rainbow Bridge in Niagara Falls

Date: Sunday, April 20, 2008
Time: 10 AM
Meeting Place: Rainbow Bridge, Niagara Falls, New York side
Further Information: Ken Sherman, 905-524-2898, 716-523-3980

   Elected delegates and supporters from southern Ontario and Western New York are gathering on the Rainbow Bridge, Niagara Falls (US side) this Sunday, 10 AM to show their enthusiasm for the Illinois Senator Barack Obama for President before many leave for Erie, Pennsylvania to canvass door to door in advance of next Tuesday’s primary.

   Participating elected delegates pledged to Barack Obama include Toby Condliffe, a super delegate, Democrats Abroad, International Vice Chair from Toronto; Kenneth Sherman, delegate at large from Hamilton, Democrats Abroad Canada, vice-chair; Yvonne Downes, delegate, 27th Congressional District from Hamburg; Joseph Davis and Debbie Major, delegates, 26th Congressional Districts from Amherst.

   The Obama delegates and supporters will be posing for a group photograph on one of the world’s best known bridges as part of a global photographic campaign. Bridges have been selected as the ideal symbol for the candidate who seems most capable of bringing together all constituencies--young and old, black and white, wealthy and blue collar, even Republicans.

   Bridges where Obama enthusiasts are being photographed Sunday include the Pont d’Avignon in France and the Bosphoros in Turkey in addition to the Rainbow Bridge.   Other bridges in the project include the Pont Neuf in Paris, the Millenium bridge in London, the Ponte Vecchio in Florence, the Rialto in Venice, the Nelson Mandala bridge in Johannesburg, the Mostar Bridge in Bosnia, the Sydney Harbour Bridge in Austria, the Burrard bridge in Vancouver, and the Ha'Penny footbridge in Dublin.

   "US citizens living in the States and Abroad are sick of the divisive politics of the Bush years. What is so attractive about Obama is his capacity to inspire Americans worldwide and bridge us to a better vision of the future," said Toby Condliffe, International Vice Chair of Democrats Abroad and a super delegate from Toronto. “President Obama will be our bridge to peace in Iraq, and our bridge to affordable health care for all US citizens,” he concluded.

   The bridge project is being spear-headed by Obama voters within Democrats Abroad, the official wing of the Democratic Party for U.S. citizens living abroad. The primary goal of Democrats Abroad is to help U.S. citizens abroad register to vote in U.S. elections. www.VoteFromAbroad.org. For a complete list of bridges featured in the project, visit:
http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=pvmab7tp2AwW8csp8_uASQA

#30#

Life-size Obama cardboard cut out

Meredith — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 09:46:28 EDT

I've just located a company making nice cardbaord cutouts of Barack Obama which would be fun for rallies and photo ops!

The good news is that they only cost about $32.
The bad news is that they charge $80 for shipping abroad.

This is the company:

www.advancedgraphics.com

To see a sample of Obama:

http://www.advancedgraphics.com/store/pc/viewPrd.asp?idcategory=75&idproduct=510

I'm hoping to get mine by May 11th for our YES WE SPAN photo op at the Millau Viaduct

in southern France, part of the Obama Bridge Project.

Life-size Obama cardboard cut out

Meredith — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 09:45:16 EDT

I've just located a company making nice cardbaord cutouts of Barack Obama which would be fun for rallies and photo ops!

I'm hoping to get mine by May 11th for our YES WE SPAN photo op at the Millau Viaduct

in southern France, part of the Obama Bridge Project.

Yes We Span--Obama Bridge project takes off!

Meredith — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 05:31:37 EDT

Obama supporters around the world are taking photos of rallies on famous or scenic bridges--the bridge being the ideal symbol for his candidacy.

In Vancouver during the recent international gathering of Democrats Abroad, Obama supporters trooped out to Burrand Bridge with a fantastic Obama banner signed to Barack and Michelle while kayakers paddled far below with their own Obama posters reading "Kayakers for Obama"!

To see the pix and join the effort:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/obamasbridges/

and more Vancouver rally pix at:

http://picasaweb.google.de/MichaelSteltzer/ObamaBridgeWalkVancouver2008/photo#5190014301374461938

Other bridges where rallies have already been photographed include the Nelson Mandela Bridge in Johannesburg, the San Angelo bridge in Rome and various bridges over the Danube in Vienna and over the Thames in London.

Coming up this weekend in Istanbul is the Bosphorus Bridge. Sidney Habour bridge in Australia is set for May 3rd and the viaduct at Millau in southern France on May 11th. To see the current list of bridges and Obama groups around the world have targeted, visit: http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=pvmab7tp2AwW8csp8_uASQA

Yes we SPAN!

You can participate in this project by organizing a bridge photo in your home town!

Visit our site for further info!

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/obamasbridges/

Obama Says Real-Life Experience Trumps Rivals’ Foreign Policy Credits

! ! ! ! ! Matthew McGovern !!!!! — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 14:54:01 EDT

Obama Says Real-Life Experience Trumps Rivals’ Foreign Policy Credits

Ruth Fremson/The New York Times

Senator Barack Obama at a public forum on Wednesday at Harry S. Truman High School in Levittown, Pa., near Philadelphia.

By LARRY ROHTERPublished: April 10, 2008

To counter opponents’ accusations that he lacks experience in foreign policy, Senator Barack Obama of Illinois often cites his ties to relatives in poor villages in Kenya and the years he spent growing up in Indonesia. Now he has added a new personal detail to that résumé: a trip to Pakistan while a college student.

Mr. Obama, the front-runner in the race for the Democratic presidential nomination, made the disclosure Sunday night while speaking to supporters at a fund-raiser in San Francisco. His remarks, in which he poked fun at the utility of traditional foreign policy qualifications like government officials traveling abroad on fact-finding missions, were recorded and were quickly placed on the Web.

With the war in Iraq and Islamic terrorism among the top issues in the campaign, all three of the presidential contenders have sought to emphasize the value of their very different foreign policy credentials. Senator John McCain, the presumptive Republican nominee, has often pointed to his military and combat experience, while Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton has emphasized her involvement in international and national security issues as both first lady and a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee.

But Mr. Obama has argued that his rivals’ longer official record is no substitute for his real-life grass-roots experience. “Foreign policy is the area where I am probably most confident that I know more and understand the world better than Senator Clinton and Senator McCain,” he said in his remarks in San Francisco.

“Experience in Washington is not knowledge of the world,” he continued, provoking laughter among those present. “This I know. When Senator Clinton brags, ‘I’ve met leaders from 80 countries,’ I know what those trips are like. I’ve been on them. You go from the airport to the embassy. There’s a group of children who do a native dance. You meet with the C.I.A. station chief and the embassy and they give you a briefing. You go take a tour of plant that” with “the assistance of Usaid has started something. And then, you go.”

During the speech, Mr. Obama also spoke about having traveled to Pakistan in the early 1980s. Because of that trip, which he did not mention in either of his autobiographical books, “I knew what Sunni and Shia was before I joined the Senate Foreign Relations Committee,” he said.

Over all, Mr. Obama’s remarks seemed directed primarily at his Democratic rival, Mrs. Clinton. But some of his digs, including the one about distinguishing Shias from Sunnis, also apply to Mr. McCain, whose campaign offered a sharp, mocking response to Mr. Obama’s claim to expertise.

“When John McCain travels on official business, he meets with presidents, prime ministers, foreign and defense ministers, members of parliament, human rights leaders, N.G.O.’s, business leaders and journalists so that he acquires a full understanding of the country he visits and the issues at stake in our relations,” said Mark Salter, a senior adviser to Mr. McCain. “Oh, and as Senator Obama may know, he has actually spent some time living abroad as well.”

Even more than a gap on specific policies, Mr. Obama and Mr. McCain’s respective positions represent a fundamental philosophical difference. Mr. Obama’s advisers argue that “there are multiple aspects to experience, each of which can be relevant.” Mr. Obama’s experience “provides a different kind of insight” than the traditional résumé, said Susan E. Rice, a former assistant secretary of state for African affairs and a National Security Council official who is one of Mr. Obama’s foreign policy advisers.

“At a time when our foreign policy and national security have so obviously suffered from a simplistic, black-and-white interpretation,” Ms. Rice added, having “an American president who spent part of his formative years and young adulthood living in a poor country under a dictatorship brings an understanding of the complexity of things that others may not have. I’m not saying that official travels and Congressional delegations are without value, but there are limits to what you can glean from that.”

Mr. Obama’s advisers acknowledge that there are gaps in his experience — he has never traveled to Latin America, for instance — but they maintain that the sound judgment they say he has demonstrated on foreign policy issues, like Iraq and Pakistan, where he wants the United States to distance itself from Gen. Pervez Musharraf, more than compensates for any such shortcomings.

According to his campaign staff, Mr. Obama visited Pakistan in 1981, on the way back from Indonesia, where his mother and half-sister, Maya Soetoro-Ng, were living. He spent “about three weeks” there, Mr. Obama’s press secretary, Bill Burton, said, staying in Karachi with the family of a college friend, Mohammed Hasan Chandoo, but also traveling to Hyderabad, in India.

Mr. Obama appears not to have previously cited his travel in Pakistan in speeches during the campaign. In “Dreams from My Father,” he talks of having a Pakistani roommate when he moved to New York, a man he calls Sadik who “had overstayed his tourist visa and now made a living in New York’s high-turnover, illegal immigrant work force, waiting on tables.”

Mr. Obama, the campaign and his publisher have not provided any details about the identity of Sadik.

During his years at Occidental College, Mr. Obama also befriended Wahid Hamid, a fellow student who was an immigrant from Pakistan and traveled with Mr. Obama there, the Obama campaign said. Mr. Hamid is now a vice president at Pepsico in New York, and according to public records, has donated the maximum $2,300 to the Obama campaign and is listed as a fund-raiser for it.

Mr. Chandoo is now a self-employed financial consultant, living in Armonk, N.Y. He has also donated the maximum, $2,300, to Mr. Obama’s primary campaign and an additional $309 for the general election, campaign finance records show.

Barack Morning Buzz -- 4/10/08

! ! ! ! ! Matthew McGovern !!!!! — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 10:46:34 EDT

Barack Morning Buzz 4/10/08
On to Victory in November

(1) Obama Urges Bush to Boycott Opening Ceremonies for Olympic Games in Beijing
Associated Press
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5gFoMtSF-HqsXYoZqN41MK-mHtKPAD8VUNO1G0

(2) Obama Poised to Turn Down Public Financing
Brian Montopoli-CBS News
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/04/09/politics/main4004908.shtml

(3) Obama Touts Change in Bristol Township, Pennsylvania
Brian Scheid-The Intelligencer
http://www.phillyburbs.com/pb-dyn/news/113-04102008-1516664.html

(4) Hundreds Wait in Line for Hours for Obama Tickets in Muncie, Indiana
Keith Roysdon-TheStarPress.com
http://www.thestarpress.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080410/NEWS01/804100359/1002

(5) Obama Says Real Life Experience Trumps Rivals' Foreign Policy Credits
Larry Rohter - New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/10/us/politics/10obama.html?ref=us

(6) Obama and Clinton See a Way for U.S. to Exit Iraq
Sacramento Bee-Editorial
http://www.sacbee.com/110/story/850543.html

(7) Obama Says Repeal of "Don't Ask-Don't Tell" Possible
Nedra Pickler-Associated Press
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5hMYVcX059oZR7YRqBU-8kZ098naQD8VUUE800

(8) Obama Education Gap Extends to General Election-Leads McCain by a Significant Margin among Voters with Most Education
Gallup Poll
http://www.gallup.com/poll/106381/Obama-Education-Gap-Extends-General-Election.aspx

(9) Obama California Supporters Left with Sour Taste-Hundreds of Delegate Wannabes Won't Be Going to Democratic National Convention
Kurtis Alexander-Santa Cruz Sentinel
http://origin.mercurynews.com/centralcoast/ci_8867828

(10) House Speaker Nancy Pelosi Says Obama-Clinton Ticket is Impossible
Danielle Meister-GW Hatchet
http://media.www.gwhatchet.com/media/storage/paper332/news/2008/04/10/News/Pelosi.Democrats.Need.Unity-3316049.shtml

Comments or article suggestions for the Barack Morning Buzz, please email me at Matthew.McGovern@gmail.com

Ten things to know about Senator John McCain

funkfresh01 — Sat, 05 Apr 2008 22:54:51 EDT

For all the coverage this week of Senator John McCain's background, you will not learn some important things about him from the TV networks. His carefully crafted positive image relies on people not knowing this stuff—and some of it might surprise you.

Please check out the list below, and then forward it to your friends, family, and coworkers. We cannot rely on the media to tell folks about the real John McCain—but if we all pass this along, we can reach as many people as CNN Headline News does on a good night.

Click here to tell us how many people you can pass it on to—and to see our progress nationally:

http://pol.moveon.org/mccain10/?id=12407-5077189-XKR_ot&t=231

Ten things you should know about John McCain.

1. John McCain voted against establishing a national holiday in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Now he says his position has "evolved," yet he has continued to oppose key civil rights laws.1

2. According to Bloomberg News, McCain is more hawkish than Bush on Iraq, Russia and China. Conservative columnist Pat Buchanan says McCain "will make Cheney look like Gandhi."2

3. His reputation is built on his opposition to torture, but McCain voted against a bill to ban Waterboarding, and then applauded President Bush for vetoing that ban.3

4. McCain opposes a woman's right to choose. He said, "I do not support Roe versus Wade. It should be overturned."4

5. The Children's Defense Fund rated McCain as the worst senator in Congress for children. He voted against the children's health care bill last year, then defended Bush's veto of the bill.5

6. He is one of the richest people in a Senate filled with millionaires. The Associated Press reports he and his wife own at least eight homes! Yet McCain says the solution to the housing crisis is for people facing foreclosure to get a "second job" and skip their vacations.6

7. Many of McCain's fellow Republican senators say he is too reckless to be commander in chief. One Republican senator said: "The thought of his being president sends a cold chill down my spine. He is erratic. He is hotheaded. He loses his temper and he worries me."7

8. McCain talks a lot about taking on special interests, but his campaign manager and top advisers are actually lobbyists. The government watchdog group Public Citizen says McCain has 59 lobbyists raising money for his campaign, more than McCain has any of the other presidential candidates.8

9. McCain has sought closer ties to the extreme religious right in recent years. The pastor McCain calls his "spiritual guide," Rod Parsley, believes America's founding mission is to destroy Islam, which he calls a "false religion." McCain sought the political support of right-wing preacher John Hagee, who believes Hurricane Katrina was God's punishment for gay rights and called the Catholic Church "the Antichrist" and a "false cult."9

10. He positions himself as pro-environment, but he scored a zero—yes, zero—from the League of Conservation Voters last year.10

John McCain is not who the Washington press corps make him out to be. Please help get the word out—forward this email to your personal network. And if you want us to keep you posted on MoveOn's work to get the truth out about John McCain, sign up here:

http://pol.moveon.org/mccaintruth/?id=12407-5077189-XKR_ot&t=232

Thank you for all you do.

–Eli, Justin, Noah, Laura, and the MoveOn.org Political Action Team

Saturday, April 5th, 2008

Sources:

1. "The Complicated History of John McCain and MLK Day," ABC News, April 3, 2008

http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpunch/2008/04/the-complicated.html

"McCain Facts," ColorOfChange.org, April 4, 2008

http://colorofchange.org/mccain_facts/

2. "McCain More Hawkish Than Bush on Russia, China, Iraq," Bloomberg News, March 12, 2008

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601103&sid=aF28rSCtk0ZM&refer=us

"Buchanan: John McCain 'Will Make Cheney Look Like Gandhi,'" ThinkProgress, February 6, 2008

http://thinkprogress.org/2008/02/06/buchanan-gandhi-mccain/

3. "McCain Sides with Bush on Torture Again, Supports Veto of Anti-Waterboarding Bill," ThinkProgress, February 20, 2008

http://thinkprogress.org/2008/02/20/mccain-torture-veto/

4. "McCain says Roe v. Wade should be overturned," MSNBC, February 18, 2007

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17222147/

5. "2007 Children's Defense Fund Action Council® Nonpartisan Congressional Scorecard," February 2008

http://www.childrensdefense.org/site/PageServer?pagename=act_learn_scorecard2007

"McCain: Bush right to veto kids health insurance expansion," CNN, October 3, 2007

http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/10/03/mccain.interview/

6. "Beer Executive Could Be Next First Lady," Associated Press, April 3, 2008

http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5h-S1sWHm0tchtdMP5LcLywg5ZtMgD8VQ86M80

"McCain Says Bank Bailout Should End `Systemic Risk,'" Bloomberg News, March 25, 2008

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=aHMiDVYaXZFM&refer=home

7. "Will McCain's Temper Be a Liability?," Associated Press, February 16, 2008

http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory?id=4301022

"Famed McCain temper is tamed," Boston Globe, January 27, 2008

http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2008/01/27/famed_mccain_temper_is_tamed/

8. "Black Claims McCain's Campaign Is Above Lobbyist Influence: 'I Don't Know What the Criticism Is,'" ThinkProgress, April 2, 2008

http://thinkprogress.org/2008/04/02/mccain-black-lobbyist/

"McCain's Lobbyist Friends Rally 'Round Their Man," ABC News, January 29, 2008

http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/story?id=4210251

9. "McCain's Spiritual Guide: Destroy Islam," Mother Jones Magazine, March 12, 2008

http://www.motherjones.com/washington_dispatch/2008/03/john-mccain-rod-parsley-spiritual-guide.html

"Will McCain Specifically 'Repudiate' Hagee's Anti-Gay Comments?," ThinkProgress, March 12, 2008

http://thinkprogress.org/2008/03/12/mccain-hagee-anti-gay/

"McCain 'Very Honored' By Support Of Pastor Preaching 'End-Time Confrontation With Iran,'" ThinkProgress, February 28, 2008

http://thinkprogress.org/2008/02/28/hagee-mccain-endorsement/

10. "John McCain Gets a Zero Rating for His Environmental Record," Sierra Club, February 28, 2008

http://www.alternet.org/blogs/environment/77913/

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The List !!!

! ! ! ! ! Matthew McGovern !!!!! — Sun, 23 Mar 2008 23:04:19 EDT

1. George Washington, 1789-1797

2. John Adams, 1797-1801

3. Thomas Jefferson, 1801-1809

4. James Madison, 1809-1817

5. James Monroe, 1817-1825

6. John Quincy Adams, 1825-1829

7. Andrew Jackson, 1829-1837

8. Martin Van Buren, 1837-1841

9. William Henry Harrison, 1841

10. John Tyler, 1841-1845

11. James Knox Polk, 1845-1849

12. Zachary Taylor, 1849-1850

13. Millard Fillmore, 1850-1853

14. Franklin Pierce, 1853-1857

15. James Buchanan, 1857-1861

16. Abraham Lincoln, 1861-1865

17. Andrew Johnson, 1865-1869

18. Ulysses Simpson Grant, 1869-1877

19. Rutherford Birchard Hayes, 1877-1881

20. James Abram Garfield, 1881

21. Chester Alan Arthur, 1881-1885

22. Grover Cleveland, 1885-1889

23. Benjamin Harrison, 1889-1893

24. Grover Cleveland, 1893-1897

25. William McKinley, 1897-1901

26. Theodore Roosevelt, 1901-1909

27. William Howard Taft, 1909-1913

28. Woodrow Wilson, 1913-1921

29. Warren Gamaliel Harding, 1921-1923

30. Calvin Coolidge, 1923-1929

31. Herbert Clark Hoover, 1929-1933

32. Franklin Delano Roosevelt, 1933-1945

33. Harry S. Truman, 1945-1953

34. Dwight David Eisenhower 1953-1961

35. John Fitzgerald Kennedy, 1961-1963

36. Lyndon Baines Johnson, 1963-1969

37. Richard Milhous Nixon, 1969-1974

38. Gerald Rudolph Ford, 1974-1977

39. James Earl Carter, Jr., 1977-1981

40. Ronald Wilson Reagan, 1981-1989

41. George Herbert Walker Bush, 1989-1993

42. William Jefferson Clinton, 1993-2001

43. Records Sealed or Missing, 2001-2008

44. Barack Hussein Obama, 2008-

FYI: Clinton Remained Silent As Wal-Mart Fought Unions

! ! ! ! ! Matthew McGovern !!!!! — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 23:32:02 EDT

Clinton Remained Silent As Wal-Mart Fought UnionsTapes Reviewed by ABC News Show Clinton As a Loyal Company Woman(ABC News) More Photos By BRIAN ROSS, MADDY SAUER and RHONDA SCHWARTZ
Jan. 31, 2008

In six years as a member of the Wal-Mart board of directors, between 1986 and 1992, Hillary Clinton remained silent as the world's largest retailer waged a major campaign against labor unions seeking to represent store workers.

Photos Clinton Was Silent As Wal-Mart Railed Against Unions

Clinton has been endorsed for president by more than a dozen unions, according to her campaign Web site, which omits any reference to her role at Wal-Mart in its detailed biography of her.

Wal-Mart's anti-union efforts were headed by one of Clinton's fellow board members, John Tate, a Wal-Mart executive vice president who also served on the board with Clinton for four of her six years.

Tate was fond of repeating, as he did at a managers meeting in 2004 after his retirement, what he said was his favorite phrase, "Labor unions are nothing but blood-sucking parasites living off the productive labor of people who work for a living."

Wal-Mart says Tate's comments "were his own and do not reflect Wal-Mart's views."

But Wal-Mart founder Sam Walton and other company officials often recounted how they relied on Tate to lead the company's successful anti-union efforts.

An ABC News analysis of the videotapes of at least four stockholder meetings where Clinton appeared shows she never once rose to defend the role of American labor unions.

The tapes, broadcast this morning on "Good Morning America," were provided to ABC News from the archives of Flagler Productions, a Lenexa, Kan., company hired by Wal-Mart to record its meetings and events.

A former board member told ABCNews.com that he had no recollection of Clinton defending unions during more than 20 board meetings held in private.

Video Clinton's Corporate Side

The tapes show Clinton in the role of a loyal company woman. "I'm always proud of Wal-Mart and what we do and the way we do it better than anybody else," she said at a June 1990 stockholders meeting.

Clinton would not agree to be interviewed on the subject but now says she no longer shares Wal-Mart's values and believes unions "have been essential to our nation's success."

The videotapes do show that Clinton used her role to push for more environmentally friendly policies and better treatment of women.

"We've got a very strong-willed young woman on our board now; her name is Hillary," said Wal-Mart founder Sam Walton at a 1987 stockholders meeting in describing Clinton's role in pushing for more women to be hired in management positions.

Critics say Clinton's efforts produced few tangible results, and Wal-Mart is now defending itself in a lawsuit brought by 16 current and former female employees.

"I don't doubt the sincerity of her efforts, but we don't see much evidence that conditions for women at Wal-Mart changed much during the late 1980s and early 1990s," said Joe Sellers, one of the lawyers suing Wal-Mart on behalf of the women.

Wal-Mart declined to comment to ABC News about the lawsuit, but the company has said previously that it is confident it did not discriminate against female employees.

Sen. Clinton has recently sought to distance herself from Wal-Mart.

In a campaign speech last year in New Hampshire, Sen. Clinton said, "Now I know that Wal-Mart's policies do not reflect the best way of doing business and the values that I think are important in America."

Her Senate campaign returned a $5,000 contribution from a Wal-Mart Political Action Committee, although ABCNews.com discovered another $20,000 in contributions from Wal-Mart executives and lobbyists.

Clinton spokesperson Howard Wolfson said, "There is no basis to return" the money.

According to the New York Times, Sen. Clinton "maintains close ties to Wal-Mart executives through the Democratic Party and the tightly knit Arkansas business community." The May 20, 2007 article also reported that her husband, former President Clinton, "speaks frequently to Wal-Mart's current chief executive, H. Lee Scott Jr." and held a private dinner at the Clinton's New York home in July 2006 for him.

President Clinton defended his wife's role on the Wal-Mart board last week after the issue was raised by Sen. Barack Obama in a CNN debate.

His wife did not try to change the company's minds about unions, the former Arkansas governor said.

"We lived in a state that had a very weak labor movement, where I always had the endorsement of the labor movement because I did what I could do to make it stronger. She knew there was no way she could change that, not with it headquartered in Arkansas, and she agreed to serve," President Clinton said.

In a written statement, Clinton spokesperson Wolfson said, "As President, she will fight alongside labor to promote the economic growth of America's middle class." He said Clinton strongly believes Wal-Mart workers should be able to unionize and bargain collectively.

He did not directly respond when asked why she did not quit the board over the conpany's anti-union efforts. "Wal-Mart was Arkansas's largest employer when Sam Walton asked Sen. Clinton to join the board," he said. "As the first woman to join Wal-Mart's board, she worked hard to make it a better corporate citizen."

In its statement, Wal-Mart described Sen. Clinton as "a valuable contributor" who "pushed us to be a better company."

Click Here for the Investigative Homepage.

Fired up for Obama. Ready to go all the way to the White House!

! ! ! ! ! Matthew McGovern !!!!! — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 09:59:26 EDT

Yes We Can!

Dear Friends,

When we won Iowa, the Clinton campaign said it's not the number of states you win, it's "a contest for delegates."
When we won a significant lead in delegates, they said it's really about which states you win.
When we won South Carolina, they discounted the votes of African-Americans.
When we won predominantly white, rural states like Idaho, Utah, and Nebraska, they said those didn't count because they won't be competitive in the general election.
When we won in Washington State, Wisconsin, and Missouri -- general election battlegrounds where polls show Barack is a stronger candidate against John McCain -- the Clinton campaign attacked those voters as "latte-sipping" elitists.

And now that we've won more than twice as many states, the Clinton spin is that only certain states really count.

But the facts are clear.

For all their attempts to discount, distract, and distort, we have won more delegates, more states, and more votes.

Meanwhile, more than half of the votes that Senator Clinton has won so far have come from just five states. And in four of these five states, polls show that Barack would be a stronger general election candidate against McCain than Clinton.

We're ready to take on John McCain. But we also need to build operations in places like Pennsylvania, Indiana, North Carolina, and Oregon that will hold their primaries in April and May.

Barack Obama needs your support to fight this two-front battle. Please make a donation of $25 right now:

With our overwhelming victory in the Mississippi primary yesterday, our lead in earned delegates is now wider than it was on March 3rd, before the contests in Ohio and Texas.

And thanks to your help, we have dramatically increased our support among so-called "superdelegates" -- Governors, Members of Congress, and party officials who have a vote at the Democratic National Convention in August.

As the number of remaining delegates dwindles, Hillary Clinton's path to the nomination seems less and less plausible.

Now that Mississippi is behind us, we move on to the next ten contests. The Clinton campaign would like to focus your attention only on Pennsylvania -- a state in which they have already declared that they are "unbeatable."

But Pennsylvania is only one of those 10 remaining contests, each important in terms of allocating delegates and ultimately deciding who our nominee will be.

We have activated our volunteer networks in each of these upcoming battlegrounds. We're putting staff on the ground and building our organization everywhere.

The key to victory is not who wins the states that the Clinton campaign thinks are important. The key to victory is realizing that every vote and every voter matters.

Throughout this entire process, the Clinton campaign has cherry-picked states, diminished caucuses, and moved the goal posts to create a shifting, twisted rationale for why they should win the nomination despite winning fewer primaries, fewer states, fewer delegates, and fewer votes.

We must stand up to the same-old Washington politics. Barack has won twice as many states, large and small, in every region of the country -- many by landslide margins. And this movement is expanding the base of the Democratic Party by attracting new voters in record numbers and bringing those who had lost hope back into the political process.

Push back against the spin and help build the operation to win more delegates in these upcoming contests:

Barack Obama, along with myself and millions of others, are committed to changing the political process by building a campaign built on a broad base of support from ordinary Americans.

- Obama Campaign

I've set my own personal fundraising goal for the campaign, which you can see in the thermometer to the right. I understand that in these fiscally lean times and making donations is sometimes a hard thing to do. However, with the possibility that we could be stuck with the same type of special interest politics that has gotten us into such a political morass, now more then ever is the time to give.

We cannot let this chance to move forward the future of our political system, slip through our hands. We cannot allow those who expect, and count on our political apathy, to continue with their attitudes of entitlement.

To create a sense of inclusion among the American people, and not a feeling of futility that has been the style and substance of the politics of old, please donate to our cause. Will you make a donation to help us all reach this goal? Any amount you can give, $1, $5, $10, $25, $50 or more is much needed and well deserved.

Thank you for all you can do!

Matthew

For more information on the issues click this link here.

Register to Vote here:

Sen. Obama's main website

Plan to Change Washington

“I am in this race to tell the corporate lobbyists that their days of setting the agenda in Washington are over. I have done more than any other candidate in this race to take on lobbyists — and won. They have not funded my campaign, they will not get a job in my White House, and they will not drown out the voices of the American people when I am president.”

— Barack Obama, Speech in Des Moines, IA, November 10, 2007

Barack Obama's Plan for Universal Voluntary Public Service

“Your own story and the American story are not separate — they are shared. And they will both be enriched if we stand up together, and answer a new call to service to meet the challenges of our new century … I won't just ask for your vote as a candidate; I will ask for your service and your active citizenship when I am president of the United States. This will not be a call issued in one speech or program; this will be a cause of my presidency.”

— Barack Obama, Speech in Mt. Vernon, Iowa, December 5, 2007

Fired up for Obama. Ready to go all the way to the White House!

EMEA Obama Fundraising Workshop delegates/electors/attendees -

Adam Lang — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 20:22:35 EDT

Hi, for any of you all going to Brussels, we hope to see you bright and early before all the caucus action starts for a fundraising workshop!

Dear All,

If you are an Obama supporter who is planning to attend the Brussels EMEA caucus, we would like to invite you to an informal Obama to discuss fundraising ideas, on Saturday morning, before the Caucus. The purpose of the meeting would be to give us an opportunity to discuss what has worked well for us in our different countries, as well as sharing some thoughts on fundraising direct from the campaign (via Daniel Dozier) and putting together some initial thoughts for raising money as a group in the next 5 months until the convention and discussing how we can best work together.

This meeting would be a totally unofficial "side meeting" to the main event, but we felt that the opportunity of sharing our collective knowledge was too good to pass up.

Proposed Time: 7:30AM Saturday, 15 March (we'll try to keep it to a tight 1 hour and conduct further discussions online)
Proposed Location: Let's meet in the lobby of the Crown Plaza, where the Caucus will be held.
Proposed Agenda:

1) Fundraising: the Basics (summary of Obama University presentation)
2) Best Practice: What has worked in your countries so far?
3) Forward Planning: Brainstorm of proposed fundraising activities for the next 5 months (until the Convention)
4) Working Together: Devise protocols for pan-European communications and cooperation

If you would be interested in joining us for this knowledge share and brainstorming session, could I ask you to reply to this e-mail? karinjr@hotmail.com

If there are others from your countries who you think would be interested in joining us, please by all means forward it along to them.

Although the focus in Brussels will obviously, and appropriately, be on our delegate selection and platform processes, I don't think we can afford to pass up the rare opportunity of having our pan European supporter group in one place. Hopefully this will serve as the start of a larger conversation that we can continue when we are back in our countries. I hope that you can join us!

All best wishes,

Karin Robinson

What is a Democrat?

Arnaud from Alameda, CA — Sun, 02 Mar 2008 13:38:47 EST

Existencial question as I setup this blog...

What is a Democrat, from a US perspective?
What is a GOOD Democrat, from the perspective of the primary race for the 2008 nomination?

Here are the questions I will be seeking answers to between now and the Nov election (at least, and most likely further on!).

As a new citizen naturalized last Dec 2007, this will be my first presidential election (as the Coneheads would have said, I come from France, originally) and this is my first involvement into the political process.

First there is the understand of the ELECTION SYSTEM itself, one of probably the most complex yet most democratic processes in the world -among those I know, at least.

In a next post intented to details seekers like me, I will try to get info on caucuses, primaries and such.

Until then, check out the info from BOTH sides and I mean therefore all 3 contenders still in the race (add the lastest addition of R. Nader as the 4th, I guess, to be exhaustive).

Un saludo de Madrid, Spain.

The Time to End the Embargo on Cuba Has Come (a Long Time Ago)

Charles Penny — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 07:17:26 EST

Americans wake up this morning to a New Day, a day without (Fidel) Castro as leader of Cuba. It’s downright revolutionary. I suppose there will be few readers old enough to remember Cuba without Fidel Castro. For those who do remember, it was a Cuba quite different from the Cuba which Americans see from afar today, wasn’t it? Oh, yes, many solid American-built cars built way back when can still be seen on the streets of Havana today thanks to the embargo the US has imposed and enforced on the island.

How did this remarkable event of Castro leaving power come to pass? Did the embargo imposed by the United States on Cuba finally work? Well, unfortunately not. Old age merely took its toll on Fidel and he now goes into what will surely be a short-lived retirement on a tropical island, all without having to leave home.

For those who need a little refresher on just how long Castro held on to power in Cuba, he became its leader back in January of 1959, under the Eisenhower Administration (remember them good ol’ days; I don’t). He ruled Cuba through Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon, Ford, Carter (yes, it would seem that I know my chronology of US presidents pretty well, but am I forgetting anyone?). Oh, yes, that’s right, then there were the two terms of Reagan, followed by one of Bush I, the Clintons (both of them for 2 terms), and most of Bush II’s sad-to-say two terms, as well. All of that amounts to nearly fifty long years of suffering for the Cuban people above all.

I like these blogs because they make it easy for a person to express his or her opinion and for readers to reply, whether in agreement or disagreement, or totally off the subject if they like. So, please do. I’m at a loss here. Is there anyone out there who can explain what the purpose of the economic embargo on Cuba is? Is it to make Fidel and his cohorts in power suffer personally? If so, I doubt that has been achieved. Is it (now I should say “Was it”) to oust Fidel from power? If that is the rationale for it, is there anyone out there who can tell me with a straight face that it has worked?

Nothing seems to have worked. Even exploding cigars and a whole slew of other clandestine tactics couldn’t do the job. Worse than the other measures taken to provoke regime change in Cuba, I would contend that America’s less-than-legal embargo on Cuba effectively maintained Fidel Castro as Cuba’s dictator rather than dislodged him.

Apart from wide-spread suffering on Cuba itself, one mustn’t underestimate the importance the embargo and hostile US policy toward the island have had on US and world history in the long years it’s been in place. After all, as just one memorable example illustrates, it all came down the Cuban-exile community bitterly wanting to get back at the Clintons and the Democrats for an apparently “soft” policy on Cuba with the Attorney General having ruled that the boy Elian Gonzalez had to be sent back to the island that ensured (if, indeed, the results were what we’ve been told they were) that George W. Bush “won” in Florida, the state on which the whole 2000 election hinged. By then, though, it all should have been a mute point. How could the fate of one little boy have such a huge impact on history? Perhaps it is because America's policies with respect to Cuba were and still are misguided in the first place.

Between the infamous 2000 election and George W. Bush taking the reigns of power in Washington, I was tempted to write a letter as an FOB (that’s “Friend of Bill” if you don’t remember or are too young to) encouraging Clinton to lift the embargo then and there, as by that point, there was nothing left to lose. I wonder if he might have paid any attention to such a letter. Dunno. But, I can imagine he got others along the same lines from other concerned Americans and nothing changed.

The tiny, but enormously influential Cuban-exile community in Miami has held American foreign policy hostage long enough. Fortunately, Barack Obama doesn’t seem to owe it anything, especially as the agreement of ALL of the Democratic candidates was that the votes of Florida’s delegates to the Democratic Convention won’t be counted because Florida (and Michigan, too) violated Democratic Party rules for the 2008 nominee selection process. Also, with Obama’s Movement for Change sweeping America, it’s highly unlikely that the General Election results will all come down to Florida this time around (and, by the time Obama could implement his program for change, he’ll have already taken the oath and given the Inaugural Address anyway – ah, what a glorious day that will be!).

The time to lift the economic embargo on Cuba has come and, in fact, came a long time ago. The embargo has only resulted in deprivation for the vast majority of the Cuban people (the Castros and other high officials of the regime excluded, of course), and the raising of the Cuban people’s ire and that of many peoples throughout Latin America against the US and its policies. If the embargo was ever legal or even if it ever made any sense (both of which I believe is, at best, dubious), it would have been during the Cold War, which supposedly ended nearly twenty years ago.

Barack Obama would seem to understand better than most the folly of the US embargo on Cuba, given his public statements on the issue, as reported by the Washington Post in its article “Obama Calls for Easing Cuba Embargo” on August 21, 2007. Obama may not be in favor of the evidently “radical” concept of lifting the embargo entirely and restoring full diplomatic relations with Cuba as might best enable it to become the free, democratic nation Americans would like to see it become, but he goes farther than any of the other candidates, Republican or Democrat, be they has-beens or in the race now. As the Post article states, “None of the other top presidential candidates have sought to ease the restrictions.” Come to think of it, though, Bill Richardson has also publicly encouraged rethinking on the Cuba question (see his article, “A New Realism”, in the January/February 2008 issue of Foreign Affairs), and, if I recall correctly, Mike Huckabee even talked favorably of easing restrictions (although he has since changed his mind because his previous thoughts on the issue were based on supporting rice growers in his home state of Arkansas, and now that he's on the national stage, such a posture wouldn't be appropriate in the Republican party). Well, it would seem that others have been jumping on Obama’s bandwagon, whatever their motives … and who says we don’t know where Obama stands on the issues?

To lift the embargo on Cuba or at least “ease the restrictions” fits hand-in-glove with Barack Obama’s aim (and the aim of his supporters like me) to rebuild America’s moral standing in the world. Such an action could also amount to wresting a major and all-too-long-running US foreign policy decision from a small special interest group and replacing it with one rooted in common sense and benefiting Americans at-large, the people of Cuba and America’s relations with its Latin American neighbors, in general.

Please, if you have an opinion en favor or en contra of what I am saying here, or otherwise, I would welcome it. Most of all, I desire an answer to the fundamental questions of this issue. What is the purpose of the embargo on Cuba? And, if that purpose was to dislodge Castro’s Communist regime, what evidence is there that the embargo has been effective? And, what are the implications of insisting upon a failed embargo policy for the post-Fidel Cuba and America’s relations with Latin America?

The time to fundamentally change America’s relationship with its island neighbor 90 miles south of Florida has finally come. Better late than never, I suppose.

Go OBAMA ’08!

An Alliance of Civilizations Could Make Friends for Obama's America

Charles Penny — Fri, 01 Feb 2008 11:20:44 EST

The article below originally appeared on Barack Obama’s website as “Friends Waiting to Be Made in an Alliance of Civilizations” on January 22, 2008. I am re-publishing it now especially to share it with my compatriots in Spain, such as those in “Obama Supporters in Spain”, a group of friends of Barack’s which I joined today, 1st February 2008.

As this re-release of “Friends Waiting to Be Made in an Alliance of Civilizations” is aimed at readers who may be more familiar with Spanish politics, I should also provide the caveat beforehand that I have serious reservations about the Zapatero Government’s apparent willingness to negotiate with groups which use violence and vandalism in an attempt to achieve their objectives and its fuelling the flames of independence-seeking movements within Spain, a country I love almost as much as my own. Furthermore, I question the warm relations Zapatero’s Spain has sought with regimes like Castro’s Cuba and Chavez’s Venezuela, relations which are already bearing bitter fruit for Spain. However, I strongly support the Alliance of Civilizations as an initiative to promote peaceful relations between countries and peoples. I encourage US policy-makers like Barack Obama and those Israeli policy-makers inclined towards peaceful relations with their Palestinian neighbors to engage in the Alliance and other initiatives which aspire to create a more peaceful world.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The American foreign policy I have known and loved is one in which war is a last resort. Sadly, in recent years, a very different policy has emerged in the current culture of fear propagated by America’s own leaders. Regarding one of the conflicts in which the US is currently mired in particular, Barack Obama says, “…the war in Iraq should never have been authorized, and it should never have been waged.” (1) With the truth better known about the Bush Administration’s real motives for the invasion of Iraq as opposed to what the public and even high-ranking officials in the Administration were told in the build-up to the war, it is now even more clear that precious US credibility was lost precisely at a time when it was most needed.

Barack Obama offers a fresh change of course for innovative leadership to restore America’s standing in the world and enable the US to once again be the protagonist for peace in the Middle East it has been when peace in this region was at least in sight, if not in reach. As an American residing in Spain, the Alliance of Civilizations (AoC), a United Nations initiative underway since 2004, sounds as tailor-made for Barack Obama as those trendy gray suits he wears. US participation in the Alliance or in some other similar peace initiative, led by an Obama Administration, could result in peace and understanding winning out over war and extremism.

Spain has had many centuries of experience with Muslim countries and peoples. Its record is most certainly a mixed one of being a bridge between Europe and Africa for finding common ground, but more often, of confrontation led by religious zealotry on both sides of the Straits of Gibraltar. From its history and geographic position on the planet, Spain is a place where Christians, Jews and Muslims have, in its better moments, lived together in harmony, and in its worst, clashed in confrontation. However, in today’s tumultuous world, Spain would seem to have learned from its own experience.

Spain’s version of 9/11 was 3/11, that tragic day in March, 2004 when 192 innocent lives were taken by terrorist bombers on early-morning commuter trains in Madrid. Instead of lurching to the right and pursuing a policy of war in a culture of fear as might have been expected, the Spanish people rose up and swept a progressive new president, José Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, into power. He has taken a markedly different approach to addressing the fundamental issues dividing people in our world.

On September 21, 2004, Zapatero presented a proposal for an Alliance of Civilizations at the 59th General Assembly of the United Nations. According to the Mission Statement for this innovative organization, “The Alliance of Civilizations (AoC) aims to improve understanding and cooperative relations among nations and peoples across cultures and religions and, in the process, to help counter the forces that fuel polarization and extremism.” (2)

The Alliance of Civilizations fits hand-in-glove with Barack Obama’s goals to fundamentally change the approach of American foreign policy. At a speech to the Chicago Council on Global Affairs in April, 2007, Obama stated, “In today's globalized world, the security of the American people is inextricably linked to the security of all people.” In the same speech, he provides five ways in considerable detail “…to let the world know that we are committed to our common security, invested in our common humanity, and still a beacon of freedom and justice for the world.” One of these five measures in summary is “…to invest in our common humanity - to ensure that those who live in fear and want today can live with dignity and opportunity tomorrow.” (3)

This approach represents the America which in its best moments has been a proactive positive force for international relations based on peace and shared prosperity for all peoples. The Alliance of Civilizations has already been putting machinery in place to constructively work towards the goals and vision presented by Barack Obama. Notably-absent US and Israeli membership and participation in the Alliance are crucial if its good intentions are to be converted into potentially dramatic progress towards a common security rooted in our common humanity. US leadership and dialogue between warring nations is essential if there is to be peace in the Middle East. Sadly, the absence of that US proactive and positive intervention in recent years has created a void in which extremist elements have won out over more moderate ones and conflict has spread like a wildfire in that critical region.

Nobel-Peace-Prize-winner Archbishop Desmond Tutu says, “An enemy is a friend waiting to be made.” (4) Barack Obama understands that talking to so-called or even self-proclaimed enemies is essential if there is going to be any chance for peaceful resolution of conflicts. Some individual representatives of nations may speak of other nations being sworn enemies and of wiping them off the map (often for domestic political consumption), but without US dialogue to “give peace a chance”, those flames are only fanned further and there is little if any chance for cooler heads to prevail.

In addition to concrete on-the-ground steps for fostering understanding and cooperative relations among nations, such as those taken at the Alliance of Civilizations Forum in Madrid on January 15-16, 2008 (5), the AoC provides a setting in which constructive dialogue can take place. However, US involvement to bring all parties to the table and US pressure on all sides to bring them to agreement will be needed to settle long-running disputes.

I wonder what has happened to US leadership as a problem solver. Barack Obama’s insight gives me hope that the US will once again take its place as a confident leader to make real progress on issues like world development and world peace, two issues which both Obama and the Alliance of Civilizations program recognize as intimately related. A strong US role is needed in the AoC or some other similar initiative which can offer some hope for Middle East peace. Barack Obama offers the vision we need to lead again and for peaceful resolution of conflicts in the world to be paramount to US foreign policy.

1 Remarks of Senator Barack Obama: “Lessons from Iraq”; De Moines, Iowa; October 12, 2007 (available on www.barackobama.com)

2 Alliance of Civilizations Mission Statement; AoC website, www.unaoc.org

3 Barack Obama speech, “The American Moment: Remarks to the Chicago Council on Global Affairs”; Chicago, Illinois; April 23, 2007 (available on www.barackobama.com)

4 Comments by Archbishop Despond Tutu; video interview; Alliance of Civilizations website, www.unaoc.org

5 Major Outcomes of the Alliance of Civilizations Forum; AoC website, www.unaoc.org

Barcelona for Obama Call In

Adam Lang — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 08:32:53 EST

20 people from the environs of Barcelona gathered in the center of Barcelona for the Obama Abroad call in last night. With 15 confirmations, it's always nice to have more people show up! We listened to Dr. Brezinski speak about why he is supporting Barack and he fielded some questions about foreign policy. Groups from Madrid, Barcelona, Mallorca, Rome, Milan, Paris and London (and others) were on the call, with Paris claiming 80 attendees!

Extra points to Dr. Brezinski for including the word "Haberdasher" and the expression "Conclusively Concluded"

Barcelona Call changed to 9PM!!!!

Adam Lang — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 10:02:50 EST

HOOK UP WITH THE OBAMA CAMPAIGN IN BARCELONA!
International telephone conference with members of Obama Campaign Leadership

Jan. 29 at 9 PM

Stein Group Offices

Rambla Catalunya 85, Principal 1ª

(next door to Häagen Dazs, close to calle Mallorca)

Please arrive 10 minutes early, to not disrupt the call.

RSVP Adam Lang in Barcelona at 61 5316999 OR Email admlng@gmail.com

For logistical assistance, please contact either Elizabeth Breedlove at 658 036 922 or Judy Wyatt at 649 919 379.

-- get the inside story of the South Carolina primary victory
-- Be a Get Out the Vote "activator" for OBAMA

Participate in the Democrats Abroad Global Primary
on February 5th by joining Democrats Abroad Spain today!
Register to vote today:

www VoteFromAbroad.org

-- Learn how to hold a "piso party" for BARACK
-- Become a member of the OBAMA - Spain, Finance Committee

Organize for Change

OBAMA '08

YOUR VOTE, YOUR VOICE, YOUR CHOICE!

Obama Supporters in Spain

Abraham Lincoln Would Definitely Be Proud of his Country Today

Expanded Obama Bridge Video now posted

World says thank you Obama voters

Election Night Victory Party!

FINAL Obama-McCain Debate!

Voting Absentee

Video: Palin-Biden Debate Screening

Video from Saturday's Rally!

FedEx your ballot

October 4th Rally! ***UPDATE***

Fundraising in Spain

Don't forget to request your absentee ballot!

Kauai Bridge shoot success

View new Dems Abroad video (with Gwyneth Paltrow)

Barack receives the DVD of the Bridge Project

Mexican Obama Bridge shoot Sunday Aug 3, 3pm in Chapala

Barack in Berlin: My reaction: America needs let go of Europe.

E-mail trouble and my responses to Foreign policy list

Hillary Blog Removes Obama Put-Downs!

New Discussion Group for Americans Out of the US

Doubts about the Campaign Financing Decision

W. regrets almost nothing By Maureen Dowd, New York Times

Sundays won't be the same without Tim Russert

Obama Leads in Battle for Latino Vote By Peter Wallsten, Los Angeles Times

In Memoriam - Robert F. Kennedy

American security policy toward Europe

Obama Bridge Project--Lots more Photos!

New bridges, new videos--Yes, WE SPAN!

Obama Bridge Shoots TOMORROW--Paris, Madrid, Strasbourg

Bridges for Obama Barcelona Photo!

DISTURBING Clinton campaign literature

Obama Bridge Project makes NYTimes Political Blog

MSM: What is to be done?

Bill Moyers Interview with Rev Wright..link to Vid

Speech in Evansville Indiana Tonight --April 23rd, 2008

Time to Donate!

News from Pittsburgh

Obama Bridge Photo Ops this weekend in Turkey, France, Canada

Life-size Obama cardboard cut out

Life-size Obama cardboard cut out

Yes We Span--Obama Bridge project takes off!

Obama Says Real-Life Experience Trumps Rivals’ Foreign Policy Credits

Barack Morning Buzz -- 4/10/08

Ten things to know about Senator John McCain

The List !!!

FYI: Clinton Remained Silent As Wal-Mart Fought Unions

Fired up for Obama. Ready to go all the way to the White House!

EMEA Obama Fundraising Workshop delegates/electors/attendees -

What is a Democrat?

The Time to End the Embargo on Cuba Has Come (a Long Time Ago)

An Alliance of Civilizations Could Make Friends for Obama's America

Barcelona for Obama Call In

Barcelona Call changed to 9PM!!!!

October 4th Rally! UPDATE