Political Punch

Would like to send message to my very favorite person - George Stefanopolous

Why are you not reporting the ACORN mess?

Certainly Obama wasn't able to take time off from battling Clinton to visit Iraq, but one of his closest advisors, Mark Lippert, was stationed in Iraq so it's not as if he hasn't had some trusted input:

Meanwhile, start estimating the crowds Obama will attract in the UK, France and Germany. Clue: whatever you estimate, you'll be low.

kdbono

well you have said it all, and said it very well.
what you have written today, is some of what many of us had been saying for Months.
obama is not all he claims, even with all of the grooming he has received.

it is horrible for my black community to have THIS black guy as the first black president.
because he is not ready. and it will eventually plain to black people because of his ineptness, it will be a long time before we have a black candidate again.

obama is not the one.

the dems will lose.

It is no accident that Obama has refused to visit Iraq until now - only after he has sidelined Hillary. And it is the reason he needed to dispose of her quickly -- to allow ample time to flip and regain favor with the far left well in advance of November. Predictably, Obama will rush to the center and likely adopt Hillary's pragmatic views on this critical issue -- just as he has on every other.

Obama's strategy is obvious: he will make his belated tour of the Middle East and proclaim to have seen "new facts" on the ground, which necessitate change of policy. He will explain that based on these "new facts" (to which he has thus far been wilfully blind), he must modify his views and distance himself from the position that allowed him to woo the left and destroy Hillary. He has not been to Iraq in over 2 years -- and he rejected McCain's invitation to make a joint trip. Yet he will go now (one wonders how he has all this time after being in such a rush to start fighting against McCain) -- notably, after the primary (in order to avoid shifting policy with Hillary still in contention) and long enough before the general to convince MoveOn.org et al to forgive and forget all his flips. According to Clark - there are oodles of time before the Democratic convention for Obama to travel to 7 nations and get his CIC training - training that even by Clark's admission Obama cannot get on the job in November.

That's funny -- I thought the whole reason he had to bounce Hillary and compel unity ASAP was because there is so little time to fight McCain over the summer. Guess what he meant to say is that he needed all the time he could get between June and August to rush to the center, turn his [proclaimed]progressive policies on their head, travel abroad and learn how to be CIC --- all with enough time left over to woo back all the supporters he ticked off along the way.

This strategy has been painfully obvious to all those who cared to pay attention months ago. Obama could not beat Hillary on the merits - so he had to adopt far left positions to capture the wing of the party that wanted the Clintons gone. The far left's claimed disappointment in Obama's rush to center would be gratifying, if the consequences of his triangulation were not so depressing. It does not feel good to say "I told you so" when we all pay the price for his falsity. As it stands, no one can ever know where the man really stands on any issue -- all we know is that he is willing to do and say anything to win.

Iraq will be no different. Obama is not the anti-war hero he portrayed himself to be.

One thing should be patently clear at this juncture: the only "fierce urgency" Barack Obama ever had was the urgency to advance his own career.

It's Colombia - with two o's - not a u. That's Barry O's school in NYC.

the only good thing that would come from BHO as pres is we could get rid of affirmative action LOL can't wait.

McCain has the perfect balance on the war "Invade more, maim more, kill more" Right on!

McCain has the perfect balance on the energy crisis and high gas prices. "Produce more, conserve more, invent more". Right on!

See Libs like playing both sides, they cry we need to get off dependency of Foreign oil but then they yell we can not drill here, we can not build nuclear, we can not build refineries, we can not build windmills, Like Dr. No aka Obama they say no to everything.

The minute we start drilling the cost of a barrel of oil will drop 40$ instantly, ytou ask why, it is a futures market, if more oil is coming on line then the future price will go down!! Did you notice the minute Pres. Bush gave his speech on opening ANWAR just by the speech oil dropped 5$, then the libs in Congress put a hold on it and it went back up!

We have enough oil here to last us 80 tears at full consumption for us.

The liberals are going to bankrupt this country and kill millions here, the same as they done in Africa and Soviet Union and other places!!

Obama is using his mind conditioning again. If he tells people he is patroitic enough times they will believe him.

He is so Pathetic.

He is the nastiest, eviliest meaniest campaigner ever to enter the presidential race. His smear campaigns on Hillary and others were the lowest you could get. Then he pretends he is mr nice guy. What nerve.

His Chicago style politics shows he is as corrupt as the rest in chicago.

Probably why he move half the DNC there, to work on them and control their minds and teach them how to be the dirtiest and meanest and lie and run a smear campiagn like the professional. Mr Eliminator knows his stuff, and it is nothing to be proud of.

Can't you just hear him singing Rock Star

I Think all of this has gone to his head.

Energy? This is one where all the blind men have a piece of the elephant aptly described but badly named.

1. We need petroleum for things other than gas, eg, fertilizer. We don't have to drive. We do have to eat.

2. It will be a combination of efforts that will reduce dependency on foreign suppliers but today that means dependency on Canada where we get most of our imports. Reducing demand can help at least shorten the pipeline but we will still be dependent.

3. We still need to drill and build refineries. See 1 and 4. If we start now, we'll be just about ready when the real crunch hits. Today's crunch is manipulated. The next wave will be a real supply problem not a demand problem. If it takes ten years, c'est la vie. It's time to get truckin'.

4. High gas prices are here to stay. We hate it but we can adapt. The upside is they are forcing the needed change in our consumption habits and they are reversing globalization.

Ask yourselves who globalization actually helps in terms of profits? While this can't be entirely reversed, transportation costs go up proportional to distance roughly and China is a very long haul. Jobs are returning to America first in a trickle but soon in a steady pour.

Debate various issues, but until the two parties issue their platforms, we've not much meat in this salad that can't be taken away at the chef's whim. Once the party platforms and VP choices are on the table, we'll have something real to chew.

jmc663, YES I would approve of building an oil refinery in my back yard.

Now then you wrote: "...drilling isn't the answer. Breaking our dependance on foreign oil is."

There are only two ways to end our dependence on foreign oil. We either increase our supply of domestic oil AND/OR decrease the demand for oil (using alternative fuels). I have already said that it will take us 22 years for the demand for alternative fuels to pass the demand for oil. But without increasing our domestic supply of oil, we would still be purchasing as much foreign oil as we purchase right now. THE QUICKEST way to end our dependence of foreign oil is to do BOTH: Drill here and drill now (and increase our capacity for producing gasoline); AND producing alternative fuels.

@kat and jmc:

There is a famous quote from Kennedy about being the man who accompanied Jackie to France. DeGaulle was besotted with her. She was the jewel in the crown of an otherwise deeply flawed man who's leadership grew but never came to fruition. He had a lot of deficits in a time when the press was good at hiding them. He had a lot of good qualities but remember when he went to Dallas it was because it was apparent he was heading for a defeat in 1964. In the myth of camelot, we tend to forget just how negative his numbers had become.

Putin might defend Iran but he might not. The CIA has said for some time that Russia has more to fear from Muslim extremism than the west. Putin can and has been a lot more draconian about holding this in check. Today Russia has lots of oil but getting to warm water ports is still desirable. The middle east remains a double edged sword for all of its sponsors.

But the point was to say that comparisons to JFK feel better now in the rosy glow of hindsight than the reality at the time. Obama needs an image and one is being created for him. The rough feeling of safety vs threat as the election draws nearer will be the determinant of which candidate is a better bet given a lack of firm convictions or qualifications.

Obama needs Clinton. It's a hard sell but only because of arrogance in the Obama camp. Even then, I'm not sure it's enough. I just know I would feel a lot better about an Obama administration with her in it. I don't know if that is good for her. I know it is good for the country. We've rough sledding ahead and we need our best dogs at the front of pack.

michelle does not speak french.
Posted by: w | Jun 30, 2008 1:44:21 PM
********

And your point is? Have you ever been to France? FYI - most people in Europe speak English and Spanish and Italian and Japanese. To name a few.

Out education system is pathetic.

jmc663, then don't complain about the high price of gas!

Posted by: James Danley | Jun 30, 2008 1:24:36 PM
*****

First of all you didn;t answer my question....can we have YOUR backyard?

Second, drilling isn't the answer. Breaking our dependance on foreign oil is.

Had the US taken this seriously in the 70's we would be closer to a solution now. But we got lazy and complacent.

Bhrandon, even Sen. Obama recognizes that it will take 22 years for the demand of natural renewable resources to overtake the demand of oil. Not eliminate the demand for oil, but be above 50% of the total demand for all energy sources. Be prepared to pay $15-$20 a gallon for gasoline! Even if you are one of the lucky ones who is able to avoid paying another cent to the oil companies during the next 22 years, you -- like the rest of us -- will be paying 25%-50% more for your (our) groceries, electronic products, appliances and personal products.

michelle does not speak french.

I don't like making mistakes. Retraction: Jackie Kennedy did speak fluent French!!

James danley

Get over oil, im not going to make the oil companies any more money, they cant have my coasts

lets look into natural renewable resources