Exclusive: Tuesday, May 20

by PRESIDENTIAL WATCH May 20, 2008

Obama: The Perfect Candidate for the Sally Field Party

Seth Swirsky, Political Mavens.com

Actress Sally Field won an Oscar in 1979 for playing a union organizer in "Norma Rae." Six years later, she won the same prized-award for her role in "Places in the Heart," her acceptance speech earning its own special place in sound-bite history:

".I've wanted more than anything to have your respect. The first time I didn't feel it, but this time I feel it, and I can't deny the fact that you like me, right now, you like me!"

That about sums up what the Democratic party strives for - likeability. They fervently believe that if an American leader is "liked," then "the world" will like us. And if the world likes us, the possibility of war is diminished.

Sally Fields' impromptu phrase explains the phenomenon that is Barack Obama. On the face of it, his resume is not befitting that of a President in these complex times. Experience-wise, years of "community organizing"- his longest held "position"- is ridiculously insufficient.

His long personal associations with the blame-America-first: terrorist William Ayers, Pastor Jeremiah Wright, and wife Michelle - not to mention his close association with the Chicago real estate "fixer" Tony Rezko - would have already brought down 99 percent of any other presidential aspirant.

So if it's not experience or sound judgment or unsavory associations that have elevated Senator Obama to the status of Presumptive Nominee of the Democratic Party, what has?

It's his likeability, the political asset that trumps all others in Left-world. Succinctly, the Left is dying for America to be liked again!

When European articles are written with titles such as "Obamamania! Europe Can't Get Enough!" it's confirmation to the Left that they have the right candidate. Hillary Clinton could have had 20 years in the Senate, and crafted important legislation, but she still

wouldn't have had the style, looks, charm or "cool" the Left yearns for in its candidates. Read article.

Rookie mistakes again: Obama owns appeasement

Ed Morrissey, Hot Air.com

George Bush seems to have really rattled Barack Obama and the Democratic Party with his speech yesterday in the Israeli Knesset. Rather than ignoring Bush's argument against appeasement, or adopting it, Barack Obama has declared that Bush intended his denunciation of appeasement as an attack on his campaign, even though Bush never even mentioned the nationality of modern appeasers in his speech.

Obama lashed out in a speech today, calling Bush's rhetoric "appalling." But Bush never mentioned any specific person in his speech today, and didn't even specify that he was referring to Americans.

Obviously, Bush wasn't referring to American politicians in this passage, but instead politicians in Europe and elsewhere who have either an animus towards Israel or appreciation for dhimmitude. Nothing - and I mean nothing - in this speech points to any candidate or the Democratic Party, unless they identify themselves as the reference. Read article.

Iran, Al Qaeda & Liberal Denial

Daniel Mandel, NY Post.com

Liberals continue to slam Sen. John McCain for his supposed misstatement, back in March, that Iran is aiding al Qaeda terrorists in Iraq. In fact, there's plenty of evidence of just that.

This week, Robert Naiman at the Huffington Post accused McCain of making this "totally unsubstantiated allegation." In recent weeks, McCain's been attacked on the same ground time and again - in the pages of the Los Angeles Times, the Washington Post, The New Republic and the British Guardian, to name a few.

McCain retracted the claim before the end of the press conference where he made it - which has lead the anti-conservative Media Matters for America to describe it as an "admittedly false claim."

In fact, McCain was right the first time. Iran has helped al Qaeda, inside and outside Iraq, considerably - and still does.

Indeed, a source that Democrats generally deem unimpeachable, the 9/11 Commission, pointed to the al-Qaeda/Iran connection as dating back to at least '92. Read article.

Why Isn't Obama Bothered By Terrorist Support?

Steve Gill, Pajamas Media.com

The fact that receiving Hamas support does not appear to disturb Obama should worry us even more than the fact that terrorists see something in him that they really like.

The 2008 Presidential campaign has already seen a number of outlandish, and patently false, attacks. The idea that Islamic terrorists are picking a side in selection of an American president might seem to be yet another for the list.if it didn't have its basis in truth.

A few weeks ago, Ahmed Yousef, a top political adviser for terrorist group Hamas, said in an interview on WABC radio in New York that the group supports Obama.

So what have Barack's Hamas friends been up to lately? Well, on the very day President Bush arrived in Israel to mark the nation's 60th anniversary and to renew his push for a Palestinian state as part of elusive Israeli-Palestinian peace process Barack's buddies fired a rocket into an Israeli shopping mall. The mall was devastated, and 14 innocent civilians were seriously injured.

The Hamas endorsement of Obama is even more interesting when viewed against the backdrop of the group's aggressive promotion of violence among young Palestinians in Gaza and in the context of a recent Al-Jazeera story about how young Palestinians in Gaza have banded together to call American voters at random asking them to vote for Obama. Rockets by night, Obama phone banks by day? Read article.

Obama on Zionism and Hamas

Jeffrey Goldberg, The Atlantic.com

The Hamas leader Ahmed Yousef did Barack Obama no favor recently when he said: "We like Mr. Obama and we hope that he will win the election." John McCain jumped on this statement, calling it a "legitimate point of discussion," and tied it to Obama's putative softness on Iran, whose ever-charming president last week called Israel a "stinking corpse" and predicted its "annihilation."

The Hamas episode won't help Obama's attempts to win over Jewish voters, particularly those in such places as -- to pull an example from the air -- Palm Beach County, Florida, whose Jewish residents tend to appreciate robust American support for Israel, and worry about whether presidential candidates feel the importance of Israel in their kishkes, or guts.

Obama and I spoke over the weekend about Hamas, about Jimmy Carter, and about the future of Jewish settlements on the West Bank. He seemed eager to talk about his ties to the Jewish community, and about the influence Jews have had on his life. Among other things, he told me that he learned the art of moral anguish from Jews. We spoke as well about my Atlantic cover story on Israel's future. He mentioned his interest in the opinions of the writer David Grossman, who is featured in the article. "I remember reading The Yellow Wind when it came out, and reading about Grossman now is powerful, painful stuff." And, speaking in a kind of code Jews readily understand, Obama also made sure to mention that he was fond of the writer Leon Uris, the author of Exodus. Read article.

Obama Helped Supporters Get Millions in Illinois State Business -

John Rogers, Whose Business Obama Helped as a State Senator, Is Now One of Obama's Chief Fundraisers

ABC News.com

In a speech to the Urban League last July, Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., boasted of his efforts in 2001 to help a handful of African American-owned investment firms in Chicago get a larger share of business with Illinois state pension funds. "And in six months, they got about a half-billion dollars' worth of business simply on their excellence," Obama said.

What he did not say in his speech was that the owner of one of the investment firms, John Rogers of Ariel Capital, is a principal campaign fundraiser. Nor did he reveal that employees of the firms he helped have since contributed to or helped to raise more than $765,000 for his campaigns, according to campaign documents. Nor did he mention that two of the firms have allowed him to use their private jets. Nor did he mention that two of the firms have since been dismissed by the state pension fund for "underperformance." Read article.

McCain outlines vision of Iraq victory

Glen Johnson, Brietbart.com

John McCain, looking through a crystal ball to 2013 and the end of a prospective first term, sees "spasmodic" but reduced violence in Iraq and Afghanistan, Osama bin Laden dead or captured and government spending curbed by his ready veto pen.

The Republican presidential contender also envisions April's annual angst replaced with the option of a simpler flat tax, illegal immigrants living humanely under a temporary worker program, and political partisanship driven by weekly news conferences and British- style question periods with joint meetings of Congress.

In a speech Thursday, McCain conceded he cannot make the changes alone, but he wanted to outline a specific governing style to show the accomplishments it can achieve. He backed up his remarks with a Web ad featuring similar content.

"I'm not interested in partisanship that serves no other purpose than to gain a temporary advantage over our opponents. This mindless, paralyzing rancor must come to an end. We belong to different parties, not different countries," McCain told several hundred in the capital city of Ohio, a general election battleground. "There is a time to campaign, and a time to govern. If I'm elected president, the era of the permanent campaign will end; the era of problem-solving will begin." Read article.

McCain's Embarrassing Climate Speech

Steven Milloy, Junk Science.com

While no one knows who first uttered the sentiment, "It's better to say nothing and seem a fool, than to open your mouth and remove all doubt," Republican presidential hopeful John McCain's speech this week on climate change certainly supports the phrase's validity.

McCain spoke at the facilities of Vestas Wind Technology, an Oregon-based firm that manufactures wind power systems. The irony of the setting was rich given McCain's outspoken opposition to pork-barrel spending. He even risked his presidential hopes by criticizing ethanol subsidies ahead of the all-important Iowa caucuses.

Next to solar power, however, wind power is the most heavily subsidized form of energy. Taxpayers cough up an astounding $23.37 per megawatt hour of electricity produced, according to the Wall Street Journal. In contrast, coal and natural gas are only subsidized to a tune of $0.44 and $0.25, respectively.

McCain lauded wind as a "predictable source of energy." He must have missed this Feb. 27 headline from Reuters "Loss of wind causes Texas power grid emergency." The electric grid operator was forced to curtail 1,100 megawatts of power to customers within 10 minutes.

"Our economy depends upon clean and affordable alternatives to fossil fuels," McCain stated. What he's talking about is not quite clear since our current economy is about 75 percent dependent on fossil fuels and will remain that way for at least the next 25 years, as solar and wind technologies remain only marginal sources of energy. Read article.

The Goner - Meaning of Mississippi

Rich Lowry, NY Post.com

For Republicans, Mississippi should be a "fire bell in the night," as Thomas Jefferson said of a sectional flare-up prior to the Civil War. The National Republican Congressional Committee spent $3 million on the special elections, about 40 percent of its cash-on-hand as of March. Fundraising will be hurt by the losses, with business donors scrambling to curry favor with the ascendant Democrats.

As The Politico reports, freshman Democrats in traditional GOP districts who were thought ripe for the picking during a presumed GOP '08 rebound aren't facing serious challenge.

All this before Republicans face a financial onslaught in the fall from Democratic independent expenditures, left-wing 527s, the Obama campaign and the Democratic National Committee. If Republicans lose another 20 seats in the House, they'll be down roughly 70 overall, and if Obama wins the presidency on top of it, as the NBC political tipsheet "First Read" has noted, "it will be the biggest mandate any Democrat has had for governing since LBJ in '64."

For now, they'll have to hope that John McCain finds a way to distance himself from his party and pick up independents while not losing his own base. Philippe Petit, who famously did a high-wire walk between the World Trade Center towers, had a less treacherous course. Read article.

Florida, Michigan Cannot Save Clinton

Nedra Pickler, NY Post.com

Michigan and Florida alone can't save Hillary Rodham Clinton's campaign.

Interviews with those considering how to handle the two states' banished convention delegates found little interest in the former first lady's best-case scenario. Her position, part of a formidable comeback challenge, is that all the delegates be seated in accordance with their disputed primaries.

Even if they were, it wouldn't erase Barack Obama's growing lead in delegates.

Clinton has been arguing for full reinstatement, which would boost her standing. She won both states, even though they didn't count toward the nomination and neither candidate campaigned in them. Obama even had his name pulled from Michigan's ballot.

The Associated Press interviewed a third of the panel members and several other Democrats involved in the negotiations and found widespread agreement that the states must be punished for stepping out of line. If not, many members say, other states will do the same thing in four years. Read article.

Chris Matthews: West Virginians Decided Decades Ago to Oppose Obama

Scott Whitlock, NewsBusters.com

Guest hosting on Tuesday's "Morning Joe," MSNBC anchor Chris Matthews assigned dark motives to the voters of West Virginia and repeatedly reaffirmed that nobody should be surprised if Barack Obama loses the May 13 primary to Hillary Clinton. According to Matthews, "You could have predicted West Virginia 20 years ago on this one." Making his racial overtones more clear, Matthews derided, "These people made up their mind in '57." [audio available here]

This was all too much for fellow guest host Pat Buchanan. One of the few conservatives on MSNBC, he first laughed and then alluded to the fact that West Virginia has been almost exclusively controlled by Democrats: "What an indictment! What an indictment of your party, Chris!" Matthews snidely responded by claiming his remarks indicated "a suggestion of understanding the geography of America." Read article.

How Hillary Can Still Win It

Roger Aronoff, AIM.org

The problem for the Democrats and the media stars that love them is that Hillary has emerged as the stronger candidate with wider appeal, but only after the media had abandoned her for the "Rock Star" Obama.

It now seems clear that Senator Clinton intends to be in it to the end, and that she has a strategy to take the Democratic presidential nomination away from Obama. This will make for exciting media coverage.

It is now apparent that Obama has serious weaknesses on policy matters, like the reason for and effect of raising capital gains taxes, and his willingness to meet unconditionally at the presidential level with some of the world's worst tyrants.

Just as important, perhaps, are his links to and handling of the situations with his controversial former minister Jeremiah Wright and the unrepentant terrorist and former Weatherman William Ayers. These have hurt him in immeasurable ways. The exit polls in West Virginia showed that 50% of the voters believe that Obama shares Jeremiah Wright's views to some degree, and nearly half of those who voted for Hillary said that if Obama is their party's nominee, they won't vote for him. His radical ties are showing, and his efforts to distance himself without seeming to repudiate his past have been unconvincing. Read article.

Sweetie, How Dare You Criticize Obama?

Bridget Johnson, Pajamas Media.com

Calling your beloved "sweetie" is a term of endearment. A greasy guy draped in gold chains driving a red sports car calling a woman on the street "sweetie" is disrespectful and just creepy.Calling a reporter on the campaign trail "sweetie" could definitely be misogyny - as would be the first and only reaction of the left - but in Barack Obama's case is more aptly filed under another sign of his disturbing pattern of arrogance.

Got that, cookie?

"Hold on one second, sweetie. We'll do a press avail, thanks," he said to reporter Peggy Agar of Detroit's WXYZ-TV while touring a Chrysler plant last week. Agar had asked the senator what he'd do to help American autoworkers - you know, normal campaign-trail queries.

"I felt more offended that he didn't answer the question," Agar later said when asked if she was offended by Obama calling her "sweetie."

Obama left a message on her answering machine saying he was "duly chastened" and giving the excuse that it's "a bad habit of mine. I do it sometimes with all kinds of people."

The stamp of forgiveness from Whoopi Goldberg and other talking heads was swift. If John McCain had called a reporter "sweetie," though, he'd be castigated as a dirty old man hurling sexist remarks. The earlier allegations of indiscretion with the female lobbyist would be resurrected, and Cindy McCain would be sentenced to another arduous term on "The View" as the co-hosts assailed the senator for disrespecting a woman so. Mac's penance would be long and painful. Read article.