The Goldberg Variation

"Give me a break?" Is that the best you can do about the birth records? Why don't you give me a break and admit that they should be released?

But more on the issue of Khalidi, as I said earlier, the question remains about the relationship of Khalidi and of Ayers. Lets see the tape and put the matter to rest. Why hide anything?

After all, we are not talking about the president of a garden club here.

Yes, the issue is honesty.

And John McCain should be honest enough to explain why the guy he once handed half-a-million bucks is now suddenly a neo-Nazi terrorist.

He wasn't when McCain gave him the grant? But suddenly is because there's a MYSTERIOUS TAPE out there?

The birth certificate issue? Give me a break.

The thing about McCainiacs...they demand to know everything about Obama/Ayers...and even when everything is revealed...they think there's still something he's hiding. Which gives them the chance to ask again: WHO IS THE REAL OBAMA???? (cue the eerie music here)

You have had two years of hearing who Obama is.

For those who try to obscure the issue by mentioning the fact that McCain was involved in a half million donation to Khalidi's organization, you need to know this:
The issue is about honesty. If Obama says he supports Israel and has no relationship with Ayers, then the tape might be able to shed light on his true feelings and relatiosnhips, for better or worse.
And on his birth certificate, why any resistance at all to all birth records being released? Just release all records(not just the certificate) and put an end to it. McCain did.

Why doesn't John McCain - while criticizing the Obama/Khalidi relationship - explain why he oversaw grants of half-a-million dollars to the same guy he calls a neo-Nazi?

And why aren't any reporters asking him how he can be so hypocritical?

From what I read, Khalidi was born and raised in America, is a citizen, is a univeristy professor, and is not a terrorist and does not support terrorism.

Believe me, there must be nothing on the tape, and the Rovians know that, but they really don't want the Times to release it, because a 'mysterious and unreleased' tape is of more value to their innuendo-laden smear campaign.

MLA...I'm a Democrat voting for McCain. And I have actually done my own research. You obviously haven't done yours. By the way, I was one of the callers. Records should be made public. Obama has not been forthcoming. Everybody in Springfield knows he has done zero.

"RL in Illinois," do you actually think for yourself, or do you just believe whatever the dishonest blowhards on talk radio tell you? News organizations here in the real world have investigated those things.

Or could it be that the actual answers are too simple and non-controversial? It's better, I guess, for the wingnuts to pretend Obama is "hiding" everything.

ddc 6:48:36...That was said today on St. Louis radio-about Obama. He's never released ANYTHING about ANYTHING...Birth...Baptismal...school...college...medical...legislative(claims he didn't have a secretary)...close friends. How he got into Harvard-Khalid Al Masour? Don't forget business dealings. Isn't it odd that noone from his past at any age has been interviewed?

so they can tint it blue, cut the sound and play scary music

Maybe the LA Times should bargain with the McCain camp: They'll release the tape when McCain releases: 1) his military records; 2) his mental health records; 3) his POW records; 4) his wife's entire tax return; 5) THOSE 20,000+ JACK ABRAMOFF RECORDS THAT HE HAD SEALED AWAY AT NARA TO PROTECT HIS FELLOW MEMBERS OF CONGRESS (LIKE HEATHER WILSON) AVOID PROSECUTION; and 6)Palin's medical records....etc.

Everytime McCain opens his mouth he puts his foot in it he sat on board that gave $448,000 to the group that this professor belonged to.He is not the knight in shining armor,he even forgot to pickup his friend Joe the plumber.McCain has friends like Charles Keating that he is still getting funds from and G.Gordon Liddy he has not looked out for the elderly instead he helped take money away from them and cause them to lose everything they owned.And why has he not helped the vets that have been coming home from the war and not getting the help they need?McCain just keeps finding ways to dodge the economy issues his campaign has been very divisive because that is the only way they can try to win this race.

"I find it outrageous that this sorts of inuendo about Arab Americans is left unexamined (this is the point Poewl made in his endorsement is it not?)"

What in the world is that supposed to mean? If you mean that it's just more slander against Muslims, which Powell spoke so eloquently about in his endorsement, I agree with you. I just still don't get why the militia crowd is so proud that we have spent trillions of dollars to build a Sharia government in Iraq - which is an awwful lot like the Sharia government in Iran - but they are worried because Obama might have eaten cake with a Muslim. Haven't we been working really closely with Muslims for the past 7 years? And aren't some of the ones we've been working with really, really scary? And haven't we sacrificed our schools, our roads, our bridges, our economy to do it?

The LAT should go to its source and press him to give permission to release the tape.

Barring that, the LAT should provide further blow-by blow details of the tape in print narrative form. ALTERNATIVELY, the Times could represent that its editorial board has again reviewed the video tape, that there is nothing on the tape that would change minds.

Last, releasing the tape does not reveal a source—so I do not see a violation of the reporter shield law.

Who cares who ate cake with Obama in 1998? You people have the strangest priorities. I am almost starting to feel sorry for Wallsten - who used the bottom feeder of the blogosphere as his source for this story. What is it supposed to prove? That Obama clapped? The real source of this story is a lunatic who called Jill Carroll "unAmerican and pro-Arab" one day after she had been released as a hostage in Iraq. She had been held for months. She wasn't exactly "pro-Arab" at that point, since she had been afraid for her life. This is a credible source? The story is pointless - it is literally about a dinner party.

McCain's efforts to tie Obama to Khalidi show that he does not have the judgment to lead us. This is the same Khalidi that received over $500,000 from McCain in grants from the International Republican Institute. Now I have to conclude that either MCCAIN FUNDS TERRORISTS, which is far more dangerous than any associations that Obama might have, or that he is once again using desperate tricks so that we will not remember that McCain's policies helped get us into this economic mess.

LA Times is in a tough spot. They're being accused of political bias towards Obama, but if they release the tape it will obviously be cut up and quickly used for McCain's political purposes, probably in an add that stretches the truth just a wee bit.

I don't see why the LA Times should give McCain a late-in-the-game assist any more than they should be protecting Obama.

Also, they aren't really hiding it. The original LA Times report is the only reason anyone knows about the tape in the first place.

John McCain is a real expert on Insurgency because he was in Viet Nam for 7 YEARS !!
In a 12 x 12 room for 7 years.
and he doesn't even know the difference between Sunni's and Shia's and Al Quida in Iraq and Iran.
Yea, Right!
He's Going Down the "Joe the Plumber" Toilet !!

The problem is for the LA Times. If they release the tape, they lose a source. If they don't release it, it will get out at some point in the future and if the information really is damming for Obama, the LA Times will never be trusted again. Since respect for the media is plunging, it is to the Times advantage to hold on to respect.

I'd release it and let America judge for themselves now. If Obama is as far ahead as his supporters claim, the tape won't change it. If the tape can change that, then what is on it is too important to the nation to withhold it.

Release it.

It would be to Obama's advantage to play the tape according to what is said to be on there-it is more damging to say the mean LA times won't release it. Rovian tactic. Therefore, who leaked it? A GOP operative.

"Why do you think people in Gaza are so excited about Obama?"

I picture Hamas handing out sweets to the children on November 5th if Obama wins, you know, just like they did on 9/11...

It is clear that Obama would have said something in support of Palestine during the event, so thats why La times is hiding it.

It is no secret to those who studied Obama's career earlier that he has surrounded himself with Palestinian activists.

Why do you think people in Gaza are so excited about Obama?

Despite the Dem spin to the contrary and Obama's attempt to remake his image as Pro-Israel, the facts are very clear.