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Politics : Liberalism: Do You Agree We've Had Enough of It? -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Kenneth E. Phillipps who wrote (26723)	4/25/2008 9:40:16 PM
From: Ann Corrigan	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 224699

At long last: McCain Taunts Obama April 25, 2008 John McCain taunted Barack Obama Friday for his recent “endorsement” from a Hamas adviser, wearing his own apparent rejection by the terrorist group as a badge of honor and saying that if elected he would be “Hamas’ worst nightmare.” McCain spoke openly about the touchy subject on a conference call with bloggers Friday morning, even as he was fighting with a local Republican Party to take down an ad critical of Obama that he said was harmful to the “respectful” spirit of the race. “I think it is very clear who Hamas wants to be the next president of the United States … I think that the people should understand that I will be Hamas’ worst nightmare,” McCain said when asked about the group’s recent statements about Obama. Campaign spokesman Brian Rogers said the Hamas support “is a legitimate issue for the American people to think about.” Hamas political adviser Ahmed Yousef said two weeks ago in an interview with WABC radio and WorldNetDaily that the terrorist group supports Obama’s foreign policy vision. “Actually, we like Mr. Obama. We hope he will [win] the election" he said. McCain suggested that support stems from Obama’s willingness to have diplomatic talks with nations like Iran. “I never expect for the leader of Hamas … to say that he wants me as president of the United States,” McCain said. “I think it is very clear … why they would not want me to be president of the United States, so if Sen. Obama is favored by Hamas, I think people can make judgments accordingly.” Rogers said plainly that “the reason for Hamas’ praise of Senator Obama’s foreign policy is his commitment to meet unconditionally with Iran … It is not only responsible to raise these critical issues in this election, but it would be the height of irresponsibility not to have this discussion with the American people.” He called Obama’s foreign policy a “radical departure” from current standards of dealing with “rogue regimes.” The Obama campaign fired back and issued a reminder that it already rejected Hamas’ legitimacy. Obama has said he would not negotiate with Hamas unless the group renounces terrorism, recognizes Israel’s right to exist and holds to other agreements. “We want to take Sen. McCain at his word that he wants to run a respectful campaign, but that is becoming increasingly difficult when he continually tries to use the politics of association and makes claims he knows not to be true to advance his campaign,” Obama spokesman Hari Sevugan said in a statement. “This type of politics of division and distraction not only lead to a campaign not worthy of the American people but also has failed to help our families for too long.” Though Yousef does frequent interviews with news outlets, he has not published an official endorsement of any U.S. candidate in the Gaza Strip area, where he lives. McCain later said his comment was simply a “statement of fact.” McCain has recently been selective in choosing which controversies he draws attention to. The McCain campaign last criticized Obama for the Hamas statements a week ago in a fundraising letter, but it’s an issue McCain had previously given a pass in public. According to The American Spectator, McCain also told bloggers Friday morning that Obama should apologize for his association with William Ayers, a college professor who was once part of the violent Weather Underground group. foxnews.com

To: Kenneth E. Phillipps who wrote (26723)	4/25/2008 11:33:02 PM
From: Ann Corrigan	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 224699

Expert opinion:Obama's Revealing 'Distractions' By Charles Krauthammer, April 25 2008 Real change has never been easy. ... The status quo in Washington will fight. They will fight harder than ever to divide us and distract us with ads and attacks from now until November. -- Barack Obama, Pennsylvania primary night speech WASHINGTON -- With that, Obama identified the new public enemy: the "distractions" foisted upon a pliable electorate by the malevolent forces of the status quo, i.e., those who might wish to see someone else become president next January. "It's easy to get caught up in the distractions and the silliness and the tit for tat that consumes our politics" and "trivializes the profound issues" that face our country, he warned sternly. These must be resisted. Why? Because Obama understands that the real threat to his candidacy is less Hillary Clinton and John McCain than his own character and cultural attitudes. He came out of nowhere with his autobiography already written, then saw it embellished daily by the hagiographic coverage and kid-gloves questioning of a supine press. (Which is why those "Saturday Night Live" parodies were so devastatingly effective.) Then came the three amigos: Tony Rezko, the indicted fixer; Jeremiah Wright, the racist reverend; William Ayers, the unrepentant terrorist. And then Obama's own anthropological observation that "bitter" working-class whites cling to guns and religion because they misapprehend their real class interests. In the now-famous Pennsylvania debate, Obama had extreme difficulty answering questions about these associations and attitudes. The difficulty is understandable. Some of the contradictions are inexplicable. How does one explain campaigning throughout 2007 on a platform of transcending racial divisions, while in that same year contributing $26,000 to a church whose pastor incites race hatred? What is Obama to do? Dismiss all such questions about his associations and attitudes as "distractions." And then count on his acolytes in the media to wage jihad against those who have the temerity to raise these questions. As if the character and beliefs of a man who would be president are less important than the "issues." As if some political indecency was committed when Obama was prevented from going through his 21st -- and likely last -- primary debate without being asked about Wright or Ayers or the tribal habits of gun-toting God-loving Pennsylvanians. Take Ayers. Obama makes it sound as if the relationship consists of having run into each other at the DMV. In fact, Obama's political career was launched in a 1995 meeting at Ayers' home. Obama's own campaign says that they maintain "friendly" relations. Obama's defense is that he was 8 when Ayers and his Weather Underground comrades were planting bombs at the Pentagon, the U.S. Capitol and other buildings. True. But Obama was 40 when Ayers said publicly that he doesn't regret setting bombs. Indeed, he said, "I feel we didn't do enough." Would you maintain friendly relations with an unrepentant terrorist? Would you even shake his hand? To ask why Obama does is perfectly legitimate and perfectly relevant to understanding what manner of man he is. Obamaphiles are even more exercised about the debate question regarding the flag pin. Now, I have never worn one. Whether anyone does is a matter of total indifference to me. But apparently not to Obama. He's taken three affirmative steps in regard to flag pins. After 9/11, he began wearing one. At a later point, he stopped wearing it. Then last year he explained why: Because it "became a substitute for, I think, true patriotism, which is speaking out on issues that are of importance to our national security." Apart from the self-congratulatory fatuousness of that statement -- as if in this freest of all countries, political self-expression is somehow scarce or dangerous or a sign of patriotic courage -- to speak of pin-wearing as a sign of inauthentic patriotism is to make an issue of it yourself. For Obamaphiles to now protest the very asking of the question requires a fine mix of cynicism and self-righteousness. But Obama needs to cast out such questions as illegitimate distractions because they are seriously damaging his candidacy. As people begin to learn about this just-arrived pretender, the magic dissipates. He spent six weeks in Pennsylvania. Outspent Hillary more than two to one. Ran close to 10,000 television ads -- spending more than anyone in any race in the history of the state -- and lost by 10 points. And not because he insufficiently demagogued NAFTA or the other "issues." It was because of those "distractions" -- i.e., the things that most reveal character and core beliefs.