Obama Makes Intel Announcements

It really is a campaign of hate on here against Obama . .. mostly name calling, bad mouthing . . . and little of substance. Just attempts to denigrate the man.

We know who left the country in the current mess.

I wish the new President well in what looks like a very difficult task ahead, and it may actually take some patience and effort on our parts.

Not just cheapshot badmouthing.

"Hey they have great healthcare... right? Well... only according to Michael Moore and thank God he is such a reliable source of unbiased information... right?"

That's true.

Cuba's healthcare system is ranked #39 by the WHO.

The United States which spends more money on healthcare than any other nation is ranked #37.

"As of January 21st he will own any mistakes derived from HIS poor choices. You can no longer blame the Republicans>

I think Obama should be responsible for his actions and I feel he will take that responsibility.

It would be a refreshing change from the Republican way of blaming others for their mistakes.

"Present is just a cowardly way of not taking a stand because it might be controversial."

A present vote counts as a no vote for all the right wing amateur experts on IL legislative procedure.

William- I wouldn't take what you read too seriously here. This is just an extension of the world of Disney.

You haters wear thin quickly. The man has not even been inaugurated yet and you are ready to wipe him out.

"MISTAKES are the usual bridge between INEXPERIENCE and WISDOM"...Sofer

The next 4 years will either prove this statement correct or incorrect. I am betting on Sofer

I read it carefully the first time, and you were clearly stating that Obama's inexperience would validate Sofer's statement. Rather than hoping for and being willing to work towards a better future, you apparently were resigned to hoping for failure. And I would say that both you and I are reading and arguing over ABC blogs too much, instead of being out there making a constructive difference. Thanks for the clarification.

"Unfortunately, Bush was a worse president over the eight year term than he was a governor."

Yeah, empty-grin figureheads get WORSE as they rise, because there are more people watching.

Obama IS Bush, and the guys calling the shots, the Clinton administration against which He railed so prettily as a candidate, are of His parents' generation.

Oh, and Ted Cole, if you knew so much about Obama's vote why did you lie and say he voted present "most of the time"?

"As of January 21st he will own any mistakes derived from HIS poor choices."

Not if his former Chicago comrades knock Him out of the box FIRST.

Where's Rahm Emanuel?

Ted Cole: Yes those are the bills. D

id you happen to look into the constitutional concerns about how they were implemented? Or the good government concerns about passing a law that sounds good but simply replicates protections already on the books? Or whether Obama's present vote provided cover for a couple one-the-line senators to also vote present and allow the bill to pass?

Demagogy is easy, why don't you look into the details a bit more?

"There are probably 20,000 people in the US or are current or former State Senators."

That's quite a stretch. Hyperbole aside and in respect to accuracy, Obama served 3 terms in the Illinois Senate from 1997 to 2004, then was elected as a US Senator from 2005-2008, His predecessor was elected as governor of Texas with no previous political offices. In Texas the Railroad Commissioner, who is a major force in gas and oil regulation, is actually considered a more powerful executive. Unfortunately, Bush was a worse president over the eight year term than he was a governor.

"Obama voted 'present'"

Now, he's voted 'present' on Gaza. Unamazingly, The CHANGEling's last actual vote was for the corporate "bailout".

No guts, no glory, no change, no hope.

How is hiring tired, old Clintonites and supplementing them with incompetent Bush lackeys, constitute "Change?" Anyone... anyone??? Bueller... Bueller....

Kat...Rabbi Sofer. Please try to be a little more "progressive" and read the words carefully..Mistakes will be made and are being made with inexperienced choices, just as every President that has preceded Obama. Obama should take a page out of history, and the Bush administration is history, and learn from those mistakes. As of January 21st he will own any mistakes derived from HIS poor choices. You can no longer blame the Republicans, if you do you are only denying a Obama Presidency as legitimate. I am discovering that the old liberal is nothing more than the new "old foggey." Try to keep up, broaden your horizons and read something besides ABC Blog sites.

Oops jhw539... look the facts got in the way once again.

You are pathetic!!!

jhw539: You sir are very uninformed... do you know some of the bills that he voted "present" on?

We aren't talking about a "present" vote on whether to name a state office building after a deceased state official, but rather about votes that reflect an officeholder's core values.

For example, in 1997, Obama voted "present" on two bills (HB 382 and SB 230) that would have prohibited a procedure often referred to as partial birth abortion. He also voted "present" on SB 71, which lowered the first offense of carrying a concealed weapon from a felony to a misdemeanor and raised the penalty of subsequent offenses.

In 1999, Obama voted "present" on SB 759, a bill that required mandatory adult prosecution for firing a gun on or near school grounds. The bill passed the state Senate 52-1. Also in 1999, Obama voted "present" on HB 854 that protected the privacy of sex-abuse victims by allowing petitions to have the trial records sealed. He was the only member to not support the bill.

In 2001, Obama voted "present" on two parental notification abortion bills (HB 1900 and SB 562), and he voted "present" on a series of bills (SB 1093, 1094, 1095) that sought to protect a child if it survived a failed abortion. In his book, the Audacity of Hope, on page 132, Obama explained his problems with the "born alive" bills, specifically arguing that they would overturn Roe v. Wade. But he failed to mention that he only felt strongly enough to vote "present" on the bills instead of "no."

And finally in 2001, Obama voted "present" on SB 609, a bill prohibiting strip clubs and other adult establishments from being within 1,000 feet of schools, churches, and daycares.

"Obama had two terms as a state senator before being elected as a federal senator."

Yeah, those are two completely different things.

There are probably 20,000 people in the US or are current or former State Senators.

jhw539: When he wasn't voting present 130 odd times he was voting as liberal or socialistic as he could the other 2870!!!

Thanks for proving my point.

Too bad he didn't have the courage to actually vote on the difficult subjects. Present is just a cowardly way of not taking a stand because it might be controversial.

Hey... he is yours for the next four years... that's plenty of time to institute the beginning of socialism.

I wonder if he will get any money from Blago trying to sell his Senate seat?

Oh... I am sorry... we must talk about Dear Leader like that.

"Obama had two terms as a state senator before being elected as a federal senator."

Oooo. "Had" 2 terms is right.