Memo to the G.O.P.: Step Lightly Folks….

The question is…. Will it work?

The Story: GOP sees Rev. Wright as pathway to victory (Via Politico.com)

Quote:

For months, Republican party officials have watched with increasing trepidation as Barack Obama has shattered fundraising records, packed arena after arena with shrieking fans and pulled in significant Republican and independent votes.

Now, with the emergence of the notorious video showing the Rev. Jeremiah Wright damning the country, criticizing Israel, faulting U.S. policy for the Sept. 11 attacks and generally lashing out against white America, GOP strategists believe they’ve finally found an antidote to Obamamania.

In their view, the inflammatory sermons by Obama’s pastor offer the party a pathway to victory if Obama emerges as the Democratic nominee. Not only will the video clips enable some elements of the party to define him as unpatriotic, they will also serve as a powerful motivating force for the conservative base.

The G.O.P. has indeed been looking for some ammo to use against Obama.

The real question is, will it work? At first blush, one would say "yes, absolutely!” However, thinking about it more, it could come back to haunt the G.O.P, some Liberal 527 group could come along and attempt to paint an attack of that sort as a racial attack against Obama and try to paint the G.O.P. as utterly racist.

If I were the G.O.P., I would be very, very, very, careful in how I approached this, because handled the wrong way, could and possibly would, come back to haunt the G.O.P, in November and would only serve to strengthen the Democrats and Obama’s Campaign.

So, as the title of this entry says… Step Lightly folks, or it could backfire on you.

Just a thought.

Others: Commentary, Sweetness & Light, Washington Post, Chicago Tribune, No More Mister Nice Blog, Political Punch, Newsday, Riehl World View, culturekitchen, Reason Magazine, NO QUARTER, The Mahablog, Patterico’s Pontifications, Real Clear Politics, Shakesville, Comments from Left Field, Booman Tribune, American Power and Weekly Standard Blog — More via Memeorandum

Playbook TV from Politico

Here’s today’s edition of Playbook TV from Politico.com, while I attempt to wake up, read my e-mails, and generally figure out what the heck I want to Blog about…

Keith Olbermann's Worst Persons in The World

Here’s the Worst persons:

Bronze: Himself (Keith, that is) for blaming the New York Times Editor for hiring William Kristol, because of his writing about Obama with bad facts from NewsMax (I bet that was an interesting phone call! "What the hell you blaming me for? I didn’t hire the idiot!)

Silver: Rupert Murdock for royally screwing his 99 year old Mom. (Beware, that site is quite slow.)

Gold: Republican Presidential John McCain’s Now infamous Gaffe.

Obama's Speech

Here is the Video, a link to the transcript and my personal reaction.

Here it is:

Transcript is available at TPM Election Central

Okay here is my official reaction. I watched the entire speech. At first, I thought, "Oh Boy, here he goes into his regular talking points." However, as I continued to watch, he began to discuss the current situation, and I feel he addressed them as best he could, given the situation that he is in.

I am however, quite dismayed of the reaction among the conservatives within the Blogging community. They are just downright dismissive, and that, frankly bothers me, how is it, that the party that was, during it's formative years, the party of Anti-Slavery, is dismissive of a man, who is in one of the most unique of circumstances? How can they be so vile and hateful towards a man, that is doing his utter damnedest to calm down a situation, that was not of his own doing, you know who you are, You are Bastards! All of you! You should hang your God-forsaken heads in shame! You are doing absolutely nothing to further the discourse of the discussion of this election, instead, you are retreating to the cowardly corners of your Political Ideologies. May the Almighty God be your Judge! Again, I say, you ALL know who you are!

Anyhow, that's my reaction, I like it, I did feel, however, that he could have went a bit further, however, one must realize, that he is walking a tightrope, between not alienating himself from the black community, all elements of it, and not alienating the rest of America as well. It is not an easy thing to do.

Hopefully, this speech will quell the nonsense within the media. At least it is a start on Obama's part.

Other Bloggers on this, Left and Right and everything in between: The New Republic, Washington Post, Gateway Pundit, PressThink, Transterrestrial Musings, The Huffington Post, New York Times, TownHall Blog, protein wisdom, Real Clear Politics, The Corner, Confederate Yankee, Sister Toldjah, Wall Street Journal, Commentary, Fox News, No More Mister Nice Blog, All Spin Zone, Group News Blog, Hot Air, The Caucus, MSNBC, Pam’s House Blend, ABCNEWS, Weekly Standard Blog, Marc Ambinder, Power Line, TPM Election Central, NYCweboy, OPENERS, Outside The Beltway, The Moderate Voice, MyDD, michellemalkin.com, Rocky Mountain News, Redstate, Patterico’s Pontifications, Ablogistan, The Jawa Report, Done With Mirrors, The Agonist, Brave New Films blog, THE LIBERAL JOURNAL, The Washington Note, Eunomia, Jules Crittenden, The Washington Independent, Will Wilkinson, Wake up America, Neptunus Lex, The Reaction, TPMCafe, Lean Left, Pajamas Media, Left in the West, The Sundries Shack, Don Surber, Harry’s Place, CNN, < a href="http://dickpolman.blogspot.com/2008/03/coming-soon-to-this-blog.html">Dick Polman’s American Debate, Lynn Sweet, The Carpetbagger Report, The Strata-Sphere, TalkLeft, This ain’t Hell …, Jack and Jill Politics, Right Wing Nut House — More via Memeorandum

Breaking News: Gov. David Paterson and wife Admit to extramarital affairs

Freaking Jesus Already, can’t the married people in New York keep it in their pants? WOW!

The Story: Newly Elected Governor David Paterson Admits to affair (via New York Daily News)

Quote:

The thunderous applause was still ringing in his ears when the state’s new governor, David Paterson, told the Daily News that he and his wife had extramarital affairs.

In a stunning revelation, both Paterson, 53, and his wife, Michelle, 46, acknowledged in a joint interview they each had intimate relationships with others during a rocky period in their marriage several years ago.

In the course of several interviews in the past few days, Paterson said he maintained a relationship for two or three years with "a woman other than my wife," beginning in 1999.

Man, this is crazy, first a Governor resigns over buying hookers, and now the newly minted admits that he had an affair??!?!? What is it with New Yorkers and out of control sex? Holy Cow!

Are these people taking cues from the Mayor of Detroit or what?

It just keeps getting interesting by the minute.

Other Bloggers covering this: Talking Points Memo, TownHall Blog, protein wisdom, Little Green Footballs, Gawker, Gothamist, Wonkette, michellemalkin.com, Ben Smith’s Blogs, Scared Monkeys, New York Magazine, TPM Election Central, THE ASTUTE BLOGGERS, Gateway Pundit

Too Little….Too Late….

Sorry say it. But………………..

The Story: Obama plans major race speech tomorrow (Via Politico.com)

Barack Obama will give a major speech on "the larger issue of race in this campaign," he told reporters in Monaca, PA just now.

He was pressed there, as he has been at recent appearances, on statements by his former pastor, Jeremiah Wright.

"I am going to be talking about not just Reverend Wright, but the larger issue of race in this campaign," he said.

He added that he would "talk about how some of these issues are perceived from within the black church issue for example," he said.

He also briefly defended Wright from the image that has come through in a handful of repeatedly televised clips from recent Wright sermons.

"The caricature that’s being painted of him is not accurate," he said.

The speech could offer Obama an opportunity to move past the controversy over his pastor, and to turn the conversation to a topic he’d rather focus on: his Christian faith. But the speech also guarantees that the Wright story will continue to dominate political headlines.

Mitt Romney’s attempt directly to address his Mormonism last year never decisively put the issue to rest for some voters.

Obama’s schedule puts him in Philadelphia tomorrow.

Sorry to say it, But I think that it is basically too little, too late. The damage is done. He may try and distance himself from his Pastor, But the fact remains, But Jeremiah Wright is his Pastor.

Judging from the polls, his popularity is gone.

Should have thought about that preacher thing before running, Barry.

Others: Marc Ambinder, The Swamp, The New Republic, Ankle Biting Pundits, Wonkette, Donklephant, Classical Values, Gateway Pundit, QandO, Hot Air, PunditGuy and Macsmind (H/T Memeorandum)

Then why in the heck did he even bother to run?????

Good grief, the more I hear about this stupid story, the more I wonder about Obama’s Judgement Ability.

The story: The Rev. Jeremiah Wright was an early concern, Obama aide admits (via LATIMES)

Quote:

After he moved to Chicago in the mid-1980s to work as a community organizer, Barack Obama forged close ties with the Rev. Jeremiah Wright — joining the pastor’s Trinity United Church of Christ in 1988 and using the topic of a Wright sermon, "the audacity of hope," as the title of his most recent best-selling book.

But more than a year ago — long before some of Wright’s more incendiary sermons became hot-button videos on YouTube, forcing Obama to publicly renounce his pastor last week — the Obama campaign had a sense that Wright’s sharp tongue might spell trouble for the Illinois senator. (For a sermon sample, click on the Read more line below.)

That was the word anyway Sunday from Obama’s chief strategist, David Axelrod, who acknowledged during a conference call with reporters that Wright was disinvited …

from Obama’s official candidacy announcement on Feb. 10, 2007, in the shadow of the Old State Capitol in Springfield, Ill.

Wright had been expected to lead an invocation of some kind, but never appeared.

“There was no doubt that there was controversy surrounding him,” Axelrod said Sunday. “And we didn’t want to expose him … [or] make him the target and a distraction on a day when Sen. Obama was going to announce his candidacy.”

My question is, if Obama was keenly aware of this man’s hateful rhetoric, then why the heck did he even bother running for President? I mean, to be quite honest with you, from what I’m reading across the Blogs, people are becoming quite concerned with his campaign.

I, Indeed, have some worries about his ability to lead the country, if he cannot make judgement calls, as simple as that one.

A Very Funny Song and Video

At least, I think so anyway…

Via Huffpo:

Kiss The Ring

There’s a space at the table for everyone
From the crackpot fringe to the favorite sons, bring them in
Bow down and kiss the ring
Cozy up to the zealots and disown their quotes
From the hellfire preachers to the talk show hosts bickering
Kiss kiss, kiss the ring

Sign all the checks to the bottom of the deck
if it deals you a hand you can win
And I know it’s just as well that a special place in hell
it can wait if they can help you get in
The purple hearts and silver stars that got you where you are
No they won’t add up to a thing
‘Cause all the guards on patrol in the circles that you roll
Will never ever let you make it anywhere unless you kiss the ring
Kiss the ring

Peeling off the cover of the old façade
If you can’t beat them then give them a job, yes it’s odd
The very same thugs that did you in
There’s a reputation that you might’ve once deserved
Before the Straight Talk Express hit Dead Man’s Curve
Even though I never agreed with you on much of anything

Put the bus in reverse as your principles disperse
And let the big games begin
Say goodbye to your code as you move on down the road
It won’t do shit for you from here on in
The purple hearts and silver stars that got you where you are
No they won’t add up to a thing
So Senator, it’s time, let them kick you down the line
I hope that you don’t mind the taste of metal ’cause it’s time to kiss the ring
Kiss the wrong

I’m crossing your name off the list of people I respect but still disagree
If you expand your ranks to the likes of them it’ll never include the likes of m
Of course I want you to lose, but maybe just maybe with some dignity
But it don’t matter much how you do it, as long as you do
It’ll be just fine with me

Sign all the checks to the bottom of the deck
if it deals you a hand you can win
And I know it’s just as well that a special place in hell
it can wait if they can help you get in
The purple hearts and silver stars that got you where you are
No they won’t add up to a thing
‘Cause all the guards on patrol in the circles that you roll
Will never ever let you make it anywhere unless you kiss the ring
Kiss the ring

I’m right of center, and I think that’s downright funny. Rolling on the floor

It has been Five Years…..

That’s right folks, Five years since this War began…. Unreal.

Looking Back at Five Years in Iraq (via New York Times)

FIVE years on, it seems positively surreal.

On the evening of March 19, 2003, a small group of Western journalists had grandstand seats for the big event in Baghdad, the start of the full-scale American bombing of strategic targets in the Iraqi capital. We had forced a way through a bolted door at the top of an emergency staircase leading to the 21st-story roof of the Palestine Hotel, with a panoramic view of Saddam Hussein’s command complex across the Tigris River.

It has been five years it hardly seems conceivable. However, unfortunately, for the American people, it is a harsh reality of life. It has been five whole years, since the Bush Administration launched a preemptive strike against the sovereign nation of Iraq. This Strike, based upon bad, if not, outright false CIA intelligence. It was termed a “Slam Dunk,” by the then CIA Director George J. Tenet. Tenet resigned when this “Slam Dunk” turned out to be nothing more than a foul ball.

The thing that amazes me is the fact that the Bush Administration continues, to this day, to attempt to move the goalposts in regards to this so-called “War on Terror.” This is really, in all honesty, a case study exercise in fear mongering and Neo-Conservative Propaganda. Just ask Senator Barack Obama; he has been the victim of the fear mongering, and Republican Propaganda, all because of his racial and religious backgrounds. This information was mostly gleaned from white nationalist websites. This information was recycled, and revised to make it sound believable. It was and continues to be distributed by well meaning and very loyal people within the Republican Party and Conservatives who, quite frankly, just do not know any better.

The war however, is dragged on, all but forgotten by the mainstream media, because, I believe, they realized that people were just tired of hearing about the blood and carnage. The right wing camp, says that we are winning the war and that George W. Bush’s “Surge” is working. The reality is, that violence levels are back to down to what they were, before the civil war broke out between the two factions in Iraq. The Republicans call it progress, the rest of us that are still in touch with reality call it returning to pre-civil war levels. Some call it semantics; I prefer to call it a realist observation.

The toll of this war has been more than just physical, more than just dead bodies, although, that is a great part of it, lives ruined, lives lost, families devastated, it is quite the sad affair. However, there is a greater loss, our nation’s economy. A good friend of mine, Matt Gacht, is an auto mechanic; he specializes in working on Hummers. Since this war started, business has been bad, horribly bad. He also has a side business; he does electrical wiring in racecars. Since this war started, the cost of electrical wire has skyrocketed. It does cut into his profit margin. He would raise his rates, but if he does that, he cannot remain competitive. He is not the only person in this business. There are others in the business, people that have much more capital that he does, so, he has to be able to keep up with the big people. Sometimes, Matt Says, he feels like banging his head against the wall, because he feels like he is trapped in a difficult situation. It is tough, but his customers like him, because he takes pride in his work and he is almost disturbingly thorough.

Because I am a balanced person, I can also make this observation. The plain fact of reality is this, if this country pulls out of Iraq too fast. The country will, in fact, fall into chaos. The far left adamantly refuses to believe or accept this and it is quite sad. However, I do not believe that continuing the President’s policy and course will be a wise decision. There needs to be a change, as to what kind of a change? That will have to be decided and hashed out. There will have to be some very tough decisions made. I just hope and yes, I do pray, that there will be some wisdom used, that decisions made based upon facts on the ground and not based upon political ideologies.

Others on this: The Belmont Club and THE ASTUTE BLOGGERS and more via memeorandum

You see, this is what happens when you don't play the Neo-Con Game with Bush.

You get tied up and blindfolded like an animal.

Read the story over at the New York Times:

The Baiji refinery, with its distillation towers rising against the Hamrin Mountains, may be the most important industrial site in the Sunni Arab-dominated regions of Iraq. On a good day, 500 tanker trucks will leave the refinery filled with fuel with a street value of $10 million.

The sea of oil under Iraq is supposed to rebuild the nation, then make it prosper. But at least one-third, and possibly much more, of the fuel from Iraq’s largest refinery here is diverted to the black market, according to American military officials. Tankers are hijacked, drivers are bribed, papers are forged and meters are manipulated — and some of the earnings go to insurgents who are still killing more than 100 Iraqis a week.

“It’s the money pit of the insurgency,” said Capt. Joe Da Silva, who commands several platoons stationed at the refinery.

Five years after the war in Iraq began, the insurgency remains a lethal force. The steady flow of cash is one reason, even as the American troop buildup and the recruitment of former insurgents to American-backed militias have helped push the number of attacks down to 2005 levels.

In fact, money, far more than jihadist ideology, is a crucial motivation for a majority of Sunni insurgents, according to American officers in some Sunni provinces and other military officials in Iraq who have reviewed detainee surveys and other intelligence on the insurgency.

Yeah, them Neo-Conservative, Rockefeller-type, Republicans wouldn’t want those pesky jihadists tapping into their oil profits.

You see, we went into that country, based on totally false intelligence, and now the people that don’t think we belong there. The jihadists, who want to defend their land, is now getting their money supply cut off. Do I defend the one’s who blow up our troops? Hell No. But I am realist, that says, if we’d attacked the RIGHT DAMN COUNTRY IN THE FIRST FUCKING PLACE, we wouldn’t be in this situation.

In case anyone forgot, there was a report this week, that said, despite what the feckless, idiot, bastards on the far right want to believe, that there were NO OPERATIONAL ties between Saddam and Al-Qaeda.

Like I’ve said before, we need change, badly. November 2008 cannot came fast enough for me.