Obama '08?

Jeez, I know it wasn't his words. IMO some things he says are more assinine than funny, that's all. And I know my opinion isn't shared here.
"It's just Dys - he's just a'funnin'".

I'll try to get on through the home website, as you suggest.

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Let's get to work!

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Wow, Soz - it's really happening. Unbelievable. I'm deeply moved.

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Transcript of Sen. Obama's presidential campaign announcement speech today:

http://www.foxnews.com/printer_friendly_story/0,3566,251292,00.html

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I think Chris Matthews is in love. I watched CNN, Fox, and MSNBC after the speech. Matthews was, by far, the most enthusiastic about what he was witnessing.

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the obama website must be flooded (I hope). I can't sign on. Looking for the video link......

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I am too, snood. Tears a few times. I thought he handled the whole thing fantastically well. Great combination of gravitas (looking and sounding presidential) and charm.

I particularly liked the part about how it's not about just him, that he's not about making promises and then letting them lapse once he's in office... well, easier to just cut and paste his own words (thanks for the link, Butrflynet):

Quote:

I know there are those who don't believe we can do all these things. I understand the skepticism. After all, every four years, candidates from both parties make similar promises, and I expect this year will be no different. All of us running for president will travel around the country offering ten-point plans and making grand speeches; all of us will trumpet those qualities we believe make us uniquely qualified to lead the country. But too many times, after the election is over, and the confetti is swept away, all those promises fade from memory, and the lobbyists and the special interests move in, and people turn away, disappointed as before, left to struggle on their own.

That is why this campaign can't only be about me. It must be about us ?- it must be about what we can do together. This campaign must be the occasion, the vehicle, of your hopes, and your dreams. It will take your time, your energy, and your advice ?- to push us forward when we're doing right, and to let us know when we're not. This campaign has to be about reclaiming the meaning of citizenship, restoring our sense of common purpose, and realizing that few obstacles can withstand the power of millions of voices calling for change.

From the more objective political junkie perspective (as opposed to Obama-fan perspective) I also think that the whole "let us be the generation..." thing was inspired. All kinds of stuff there, about youth, freshness, responsibility, hope, etc. Also differentiates him from the rest of the field (youngest, only [?] post-baby-boomer, etc.)

I also really liked the Lincoln parallels -- nice, very nice.

I didn't see "Let's get to work!" at the end of the transcript -- I think he ad-libbed that.

Tiny moment I loved -- when the family paused just before going in the the building at the end, and Sasha (the younger daughter) stood there waving and waving with a big grin after everyone else had stopped and started to go in, and her mom smiled fondly and put her hand on her head with a "You're loving this, aren't you?" expression before gently guiding her inside.

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Try this Lil'k.

http://capitolconnection.sitestream.com/obamaforamerica/livewebcast.htm

That's the popup window that comes up on Obama's site when you click to view the video.

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Someone on one of the blogs on the Obama campaign site warned Obama that he really needed to make an appearance on Oprah's show and make his announcement, that to not do so would alienate him from a lot of her fans after having semi-agreed to do so on his last appearance when he responded "Oprah, you're my girl!" when she asked him to make his announcement first on her show.

I really hope he does not do that. One of the things that attracts me to him is that he isn't doing all the usual one-hand-washes-the-other crap.

He's also not joined at the hip with all the democrat beauty contestants this weekend when all the contenders are getting together to glad hand supporters.

I like that about him, that he is taking an entirely different path and not beholding to the old ways because everyone else is. I like his independence.

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Quote:

I didn't see "Let's get to work!" at the end of the transcript -- I think he ad-libbed that.

...he also threw in an "I love you!" that I thought was very affecting.

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Buterflynet - Thanks, I got it!

Snood, I loved the I love you! How many presidential hopefuls would tell an audience they love them - and sound like they mean it?

Woohooo! I love that guy. There's an article in the feb 22, 2007 rolling stones mag about him.

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So refreshing from "I'm a uniter, not a divider."

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http://www.flickr.com/photos/barackobamadotcom/

Photos from his announcement speech. I especially like the ones on the second page of his meetings with the Students for Obama group. They've got over 34,000 members of their group already.

His campaign site has so much traffic right now that they're having to periodically lock down the site to all the groups and blogs.

Here are some of the comments that were left in the early morning hours on the site before he even made his announcement speech:

Quote:

By WBdogs1 Feb 10th 2007 at 1:15 am EST
I have never been prouder to be an American than today. The journey to regain our country for every American begins in about ten hours. May God watch over Senator Obama and his family. We owe him our loyalty; we share in his dreams; we walk with him toward the future.

By Rob Feb 10th 2007 at 1:44 am EST
How long has it been since America had a true leader emerge in the political field? There have been some good presidents in the last 50 years, but the potential of this campaign, no, the necessity of this campaign to re-unite the country is well timed, well planned, and so far (judging by this site) being very well executed.

Awesome...

By User from Sugar Land, TX Feb 10th 2007 at 9:12 am EST
I am embarassed to say that I am a conservative after what George Bush has done to this country....that being said, I am backing Obama to get this country back on track. Stay positive Obama....there are many more closet republicans out there that WILL vote for you and your positive message of hope....oh yeah, you also happen to be the only one willing and able to get us out of this disastrous war. OBAMA 08'!

By JMK from Indiana Feb 10th 2007 at 10:30 am EST
At age 51, I have voted in a few elections, but never been politically involved or excited about a person running for office. With the exception of Jimmy Carter, I have never been impressed by any candidates. But I am genuinely moved by Obama. The first time I saw him in an Illinois campaign commercial I took notice. And the more I learn about him the more I like him. Amongst his numbersous postive qualities, his integrity and values are outstanding and he with his intelligence and finesse he will make the difference this country needs!

I even bought a Obama T-shirt and will proudly wear it. Pretty drastic difference for someone who avoided talking politics and never supported any campaign before!

Kudos to the website designer!

By Hope 6 minutes ago
Mr. Obama is a fresh breath of fresh air in the political arena today. His objective thus far seems to be the people he works for. He seems to genuinely care about the people and meets them where they are. I appreciate this value in him. It works within the ethical principles I hold as a Social Worker. Rock On, Obama!!!!!!!!

Hope

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This is annoying.

The NYT article about the announcement repeats stuff about lack of specifics, etc., and quotes him as saying this:

Quote:

"There are those who don't believe in talking about hope: they say, well, we want specifics, we want details, we want white papers, we want plans," he said then. "We've had a lot of plans, Democrats. What we've had is a shortage of hope."

Immediately following it up with this:

Quote:

But some Democrats were scornful. "That's nonsense," Mr. Hart said. "It posits that it's either-or. Who's saying you can't talk about hope? I'm not talking about white papers: I'm talking about one big speech about ?'How I view the world.' "

How about one big 375-page book with an 11-page index about "How I view the world"????

(Honestly, have any of these people READ the "The Audacity of Hope"?)

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The post-announcement discussion yesterday focussed, in part, on how he's intentionally separating himself from mainstream Democrats and how he's a non-political politician. The comments related to how he better be careful how many sitting Democratic Senators he alienates if he wants any of his initiatives to go anywhere. As much as I wish it was not so, when it comes to getting anything accomplished in Congress, how well one plays the game of politics is very important. He might be a breath of fresh air to the American public, but the other 99 good-'ole-boys (Hillary included) are used to playing by a different script.

I was thinking about next year's IL primary. Granted, I have a ton of time to think about it, but the thought occurred to me that I'm better off voting in the Republican primary than the Democrat one (all voters get to choose one party in the primary elections here). The chance of Obama losing in IL is slim and none. My primary vote might do more good on the Republican side.

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Kristol: Obama Is ?'The Opposite Of Lincoln,' Would Have Been Pro-Slavery
Yesterday, Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) announced his candidacy for president in Springfield, IL, where Abraham Lincoln delivered his famous "House Divided" address. In his speech, Obama reiterated his call to redeploy U.S. forces out of Iraq by March 2008.

This morning on Fox News Sunday, Weekly Standard editor William Kristol attacked Obama's Iraq policy, saying he wants to appease terrorists like pro-slavery politician Stephen Douglas tried to appease slave-owners. Kristol said, "Obama's speech is a ?'can't we get along' speech ?- sort of the opposite of Lincoln. He would have been with Stephen Douglas in 1858."

Watch it: http://thinkprogress.org/2007/02/11/obama-slavery/

Stephen Douglas supported the Dred Scott Supreme Court decision of 1857, and took the pro-slavery position that each territory should decide whether or not to allow slave-owning.

Digg It!

Transcript:

KRISTOL: We're electing a war president in 2008. If I can go back to Obama and Lincoln for just one second, Lincoln's "house divided" speech in 1858 was a speech saying we cannot live as a house divided on slavery. And he implicitly says we'll have to fight a civil war if necessary on this.

Obama's speech is a "can't we get along" speech ?- sort of the opposite of Lincoln. He would have been with Stephen Douglas in 1858. Let's paper over these differences, rise above politics and all get along. That's not Giuliani's mode. And I think in a war context, social conservatives want to win the war against Islamic jihadism.

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Australia's prime minister: Al-Qaeda 'prays' Obama, Dems win; Obama spokesman dismisses 'cowboy rhetoric' RAW STORY
Published: Sunday February 11, 2007

(Update: Obama lashes back at 'Bush ally's bunch of empty rhetoric')

Australian Prime Minister John Howard has involved himself in the US presidential race by stating that Al-Qaeda is "praying" that Senator Barack Obama (D-IL), and the Democrats in general, will win in 2008. An Obama spokesman dismissed the criticism as "cowboy rhetoric."

Howard has been a staunch supporter of President Bush's war in Iraq, and has faced tremendous criticism in his homeland for his unwavering stance.

"Mr Howard's stinging attack against the popular Democrat, who formally launched his bid for the Democratic candidacy overnight, also appears to commit Australian troops to staying in Iraq well into 2008," an Australian news agency reports. "Only days after saying Australia's alliance with the US was about more than his personal friendship with US President George W Bush, Mr Howard warned that an Obama victory would be a boost for the terrorists."

"I think that would just encourage those who wanted completely to destabilise and destroy Iraq, and create chaos and victory for the terrorists to hang on and hope for (an) Obama victory," Howard said. "If I was running al-Qaeda in Iraq, I would put a circle around March 2008, and pray, as many times as possible, for a victory not only for Obama, but also for the Democrats."

The Associated Press reports that there's already "been a quick reaction from the Obama campaign."

"A spokesman called the Australian leader's comments, 'cowboy rhetoric,'" according to the AP article. "He said the U.S. has sacrificed thousands of lives and billions of dollars, only to become mired in the middle of a civil war."

Obama: 'Bunch of empty rhetoric'
"US presidential hopeful Barack Obama has blasted as 'empty rhetoric' Australian Prime Minister John Howard's attack on Obama's plan to bring US troops home from Iraq," the Sydney Morning Herald reports.

Excerpts from article:

#
The 45-year-old senator waded into a major foreign policy row just one day after formally announcing his candidacy, telling Mr Howard he should dispatch 20,000 Australians to Iraq if he wanted to back up his comments.

"I think it's flattering that one of George Bush's allies on the other side of the world started attacking me the day after I announced," Mr Obama told reporters in the mid-western US state of Iowa.

"I would also note that we have close to 140,000 troops in Iraq, and my understanding is Mr Howard has deployed 1,400, so if he is ... to fight the good fight in Iraq, I would suggest that he calls up another 20,000 Australians and sends them to Iraq.

"Otherwise it's just a bunch of empty rhetoric."

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blueflame1 wrote:

Australia's prime minister: Al-Qaeda 'prays' Obama, Dems win; Obama spokesman dismisses 'cowboy rhetoric' RAW STORY
Published: Sunday February 11, 2007

(Update: Obama lashes back at 'Bush ally's bunch of empty rhetoric')

Australian Prime Minister John Howard has involved himself in the US presidential race by stating that Al-Qaeda is "praying" that Senator Barack Obama (D-IL), and the Democrats in general, will win in 2008. An Obama spokesman dismissed the criticism as "cowboy rhetoric."

Howard has been a staunch supporter of President Bush's war in Iraq, and has faced tremendous criticism in his homeland for his unwavering stance.

"Mr Howard's stinging attack against the popular Democrat, who formally launched his bid for the Democratic candidacy overnight, also appears to commit Australian troops to staying in Iraq well into 2008," an Australian news agency reports. "Only days after saying Australia's alliance with the US was about more than his personal friendship with US President George W Bush, Mr Howard warned that an Obama victory would be a boost for the terrorists."

"I think that would just encourage those who wanted completely to destabilise and destroy Iraq, and create chaos and victory for the terrorists to hang on and hope for (an) Obama victory," Howard said. "If I was running al-Qaeda in Iraq, I would put a circle around March 2008, and pray, as many times as possible, for a victory not only for Obama, but also for the Democrats."

The Associated Press reports that there's already "been a quick reaction from the Obama campaign."

"A spokesman called the Australian leader's comments, 'cowboy rhetoric,'" according to the AP article. "He said the U.S. has sacrificed thousands of lives and billions of dollars, only to become mired in the middle of a civil war."

Obama: 'Bunch of empty rhetoric'
"US presidential hopeful Barack Obama has blasted as 'empty rhetoric' Australian Prime Minister John Howard's attack on Obama's plan to bring US troops home from Iraq," the Sydney Morning Herald reports.

Excerpts from article:

#
The 45-year-old senator waded into a major foreign policy row just one day after formally announcing his candidacy, telling Mr Howard he should dispatch 20,000 Australians to Iraq if he wanted to back up his comments.

"I think it's flattering that one of George Bush's allies on the other side of the world started attacking me the day after I announced," Mr Obama told reporters in the mid-western US state of Iowa.

"I would also note that we have close to 140,000 troops in Iraq, and my understanding is Mr Howard has deployed 1,400, so if he is ... to fight the good fight in Iraq, I would suggest that he calls up another 20,000 Australians and sends them to Iraq.

"Otherwise it's just a bunch of empty rhetoric."

Yay! Well said by Obama!!!

I wondered if this would get picked up in the US at all.

Bush similarly made an utterly inappropriate attempt to influence the last Australian Federal election...and I see Howard, true to form, has made a similar gesture for his mate.

Howard is being lambasted by the Opposition for this inappropriate step, but I think Obama has made the perfect response.

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Yep, I liked that response.

Meanwhile, today's Doonesbury:

http://images.ucomics.com/comics/db/2007/db070212.gif

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Transcript of 60 Minutes interview -- I started to cut and paste stuff I liked but it was getting ridiculous (a LOT of it!). I'll single out the education stuff, though, how many times have I said variations of that?

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/02/11/60minutes/main2458530.shtml

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