Barack Obama Rejects Roland Burris, but he Should have Rejected him Long ago

On Tuesday, Roland Burris - the man chosen by Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich to succeed Barack Obama in the US Senate - proclaimed that Mr. Blagojevich is "innocent until proven guilty".

One would assume that only an individual like Mr. Burris with a seemingly untainted resume is capable of issuing such an altruistic statement like that.

Presumably, Barack Obama must have sensed these fine qualities in Mr. Burris when he endorsed his candidacy for Illinois governor in 2002.

Obama even praised Mr. Burris on Tuesday, calling him "a good man and a fine public servant", but adding that - like his Democratic colleagues in the senate - he could not possibly accept Mr. Burris' appointment to the senate, since his appointment was made by Gov. Blagojevich, who allegedly tried to sell Barack Obama's senate seat.

However, it should be noted that Mr. Burris' integrity is now coming under scrutiny in light of the fact that as Illinois Attorney General - in 1992 - he sought the death penalty for a completely innocent man:

From Pro Publica:

While state attorney general in 1992, [Roland] Burris aggressively sought the death penalty for Rolando Cruz, who twice was convicted of raping and murdering a 10-year-old girl in the Chicago suburb of Naperville. The crime took place in 1983.

But by 1992, another man had confessed to the crime, and Burris’ own deputy attorney general was pleading with Burris to drop the case, then on appeal before the Illinois Supreme Court.

Burris refused. He was running for governor.

"Anybody who understood this case wouldn’t have voted for Burris," Rob Warden, executive director of the Center on Wrongful Convictions, told ProPublica. Indeed, Burris lost that race, and three other attempts to become governor.

Burris’ role in the Cruz case was "indefensible and in defiance of common sense and common decency," Warden said. "There was obvious evidence that [Cruz] was innocent."

Deputy attorney general Mary Brigid Kenney agreed, and eventually resigned rather than continue to prosecute Cruz.

Once Burris assigned Kenney to the case in 1991, she became convinced that Cruz was innocent, a victim of what she believed was prosecutorial misconduct. She sent Burris a memo reporting that the jury convicted Cruz without knowing that Brian Dugan, a repeat sex offender and murderer, had confessed to the crime. Burris never met with Kenney to discuss a new trial for Cruz, Kenney told ProPublica.

"This is something the attorney general should have been concerned about," Kenney, now an assistant public guardian in Cook County, said in an interview. "I knew the prosecutor’s job was not merely to secure conviction but to ensure justice was done."

Kenney was not alone in her beliefs. Prior to Cruz’ 1985 trial, the lead detective in the case resigned in protest over prosecutors handling of the case...

And rather than argue Burris’ case before the state supreme court, Kenney also stepped down.

"What I took away was that [Burris] wasn’t going to do anything to seem soft on crime," Kenney said. "He didn’t have the guts."

In her resignation letter, Kenney claimed Burris had "seen fit to ignore the evidence in this case."

"I cannot sit idly by as this office continues to pursue the unjust prosecution of Rolando Cruz," she wrote. "I realized that I was being asked to help execute an innocent man"...

State prosecutors carried on with the prosecution, even after DNA evidence in 1995 excluded Cruz as the victim's rapist and linked somebody else—sex offender Brian Dugan–to the crime.

Eventually, prosecutors’ case hit a wall. The Illinois Supreme Court reversed Cruz's conviction and granted him a third trial. (The court declared that the trial judge in the case had improperly excluded Dugan’s confession, and thus compromised Cruz's defense.) In the new trial, Cruz was acquitted....

In late 1995, Cruz finally walked free after serving 11 years on death row for a crime he did not commit... Dugan is scheduled to stand trial for the crime next year, 26 years after it was committed.

Mr. Burris willingly sent an innocent man to death row in order to further his own political ambitions, but this did not deter Barack Obama from endorsing Mr. Burris' candidacy for governor of Illinois.

But now that Mr. Blagojevich has appointed Roland Burris to fill Obama's vacant senate seat, suddenly, Barack Obama refuses to endorse him.

Question: Why is Barack Obama rejecting Mr. Burris' senate bid on the account of Rod Blogajevich's alleged misconduct when Mr. Burris' own misconduct did not deter Obama from endorsing him in 2002?

Mr. Blagojevich may be guilty as hell, but he never sent an innocent man to death row!

Rezko Attorney Listed as Owner and Taxpayer for Obama Home

Excerpted from WND:

William Miceli, an attorney for convicted fundraiser Tony Rezko is listed as the owner and taxpayer for Barack Obama's Chicago mansion, according to records obtained by WND.

Miceli is a lawyer at the Chicago law firm Miner, Barnhill & Galland, which also formerly employed Obama...

Miner, Barnhill & Galland was Obama's employer when he did extensive legal work for Tony Rezko, who awaits sentencing after he was convicted in June of fraud, money laundering and bribery-related counts...

WND confirmed the tax bill for the Obama home is mailed to Miceli, not to Obama or the Northern Trust account through which Obama has claimed the home was purchased.

Records from the Cook County Treasurer's Office give the PIN number for the Obama property as 20-11-115-037-0000 and list Miceli as the person who receives Obama's property tax invoice by mail.

Eric Herman, a spokesman for the Cook County assessor, confirmed to WND that the Treasurer's Office records were correct and that Miceli did receive the Obama property tax invoice by mail.

Miceli did not return a call WND placed to him at Miner, Barnhill & Galland....

Valerie Jarrett, an Innocent Bystander? Or Guilty as Hell?

An internal review released by the Obama transition team Tuesday concluded that conversations between the Obama team and Rod Blogajevich's office did not involve any kind of deal with regards to Barack Obama's vacant senate seat.

In other words, the Obama team was oblivious to any wrongdoing on the part of the governor. Now, if you honestly believe that, then I'd be more than happy to sell you the Brooklyn bridge - at half the going price.

However, what's even more troubling than that bit of nonsense is how the memo portrays Valerie Jarrett as an innocent bystander in the governor's pay-to-play scheme:

On November 7, 2008 - at a time when she was still a potential candidate for the Senate seat - [Valerie] Jarrett spoke with Mr. Tom Balanoff, the head of the Illinois chapter of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU). Mr. Balanoff is not a member of the Governor’s staff and did not purport to speak for the Governor on that occasion. Mr. Balanoff told Ms. Jarrett that he had spoken to the Governor [Rod Blagojevich] about the possibility of selecting Valerie Jarrett to replace the President-Elect...

Ms. Jarrett recalls that Mr. Balanoff also told her that the Governor had raised with him the question of whether the Governor might be considered as a possible candidate to head up the Department of Health and Human Services in the new administration. Mr. Balanoff told Ms. Jarrett that he told the Governor that it would never happen. Jarrett concurred.

Mr. Balanoff did not suggest that the Governor, in talking about HHS, was linking a position for himself in the Obama cabinet to the selection of the President-Elect’s successor in the Senate, and Ms. Jarrett did not understand the conversation to suggest that the Governor wanted the cabinet seat as a quid pro quo for selecting any specific candidate to be the President-Elect’s replacement. At no time did Balanoff say anything to her about offering Blagojevich a union position.

Now, let's examine the FBI affidavit and see if Ms. Jarrett is really the innocent bystander that she claims to be. Please note that I would have preferred to present the following subject matter in a more concise and lucid manner, but due to the late hour, I'll have to quote the affidavit as is. [well, almost as is]:

In the federal [FBI] affidavit, [Link-PDF file][Text Link, with some material omitted] Mr. Blagojevich is quoted as saying that he'd be willing to “trade” the Senate seat to Senate Candidate 1 [if you read through the affidavit, you'll see that that Senate Candidate 1 is Valerie Jarrett] in exchange for the position of Secretary of Health and Human Services in the President-elect’s cabinet.

On November 7 [which just happened to be the same day that Mr. Balanoff, spoke to Valerei Jarett], Mr. Blagojevich is quoted as saying that he'd be willing to take a high-paying position with an organization called “Change to Win,” which is connected to the 'Service Employees International Union' [SEIU]. And John Harris, the governor's former chief of staff, goes on to suggest that an SEIU Official make Rod Blagojevich the head of 'Change to Win', and, in exchange, the President-elect could help 'Change to Win' with its legislative agenda on a national level....

Harris says that a three-way deal like the one discussed would give the President-elect a “buffer so there is no obvious quid pro quo for Senate Candidate 1 [Valerie Jarret]...

On November 12, 2008, the governor spoke with [an] SEIU Official, who was in Washington, D.C. Prior intercepted phone conversations indicate that approximately a week before this call, the governor met with [the] SEIU Official to discuss the vacant Senate seat, and the governor understood that [the] SEIU Official was an emissary to discuss Senate Candidate 1’s [Valerie Jarrett's] interest in the Senate seat.

During the conversation with [the] SEIU Official - on November 12, 2008 - Mr. Blagojevich informed [the] SEIU Official that he had heard the President-elect wanted persons other than Senate Candidate 1 [Jarrett] to be considered for the Senate seat. [The] SEIU Official stated that he would find out if Senate Candidate 1 [Jarrett] wanted [the] SEIU Official to keep pushing her for Senator with Rod Blagojevich. (Note the words, "keep pushing her", suggests that Valerie Jarrett was behind the pushing and that the SEIU official was indeed, her emissary)

Mr. Blagojevich told the SEIU official that “one thing I’d be interested in” is a 501(c)(4) organization. The governor explained the 501(c)(4) idea to SEIU Official and said that the 501(c)(4) could help “our new Senator [Senate Candidate 1](Valerie Jarrett).” The SEIU Official agreed to “put that flag up and see where it goes.”

In a discussion with an adviser on November 12, 2008, Mr. Blagojevich mentioned that he had told the SEIU Official, “I said go back to Senate Candidate 1 [Valerie Jarrett], and say, hey, look, if you still want to be a Senator don’t rule this out and then broach the idea of this 501(c)(4) with her.”

So let's get this straight: On November 7 [coincidentally, the same day that Ms. Jarrett spoke to Mr. Balanoff], Mr. Blagojevich is quoted as saying that he'd be willing to take a high-paying job with “Change to Win,” which is connected to the SEIU. On November 12, the governor spoke with an SEIU official [who he'd met in person a week earlier with the understanding that he was an emissary of Valerie Jarrett] to discuss the vacant Senate seat . The SEIU official told the governor that he "would find out if Valerie Jarrett wanted him to keep pushing her for Senator with [the governor]". (Note once again that the words, "Keep pushing her" suggests that Valerie Jarrett was behind the pushing, or at least aware of it.) Blagovavich told the SEIU official to go back to Valerie Jarrett "and say hey, look, if you still want to be a Senator don’t rule this out and then broach the idea of this 501(c)(4) with her.”

However, according to the newly released memo, an SEIU official just happened to meet with an unsuspecting and gullible Valerie Jarrett [On November 7, the same day that the governor expressed interest in snagging a high-paying position with “Change to Win,” which is connected to the SEIU] and confided in her that the governor was interested in a cabinet post. And of course, it never dawned upon Valerie Jarrett that the Governor wanted the cabinet seat as part of a quid pro quo arrangement.

Sounds like a fib to me. But of course, knowing Patrick Fitzgerald, he'll let this pass. Afterall, no one messes around with the Messiah! Not even the great Patrick Fitzgerald!

The New York Times Gets Punked

The New York Times on Monday published a letter purportedly written by Bertrand Delanoë, the mayor of Paris, sharply criticizing Caroline Kennedy's bid to take over Hillary Clinton's senate seat.

"As mayor of Paris," the letter goes on to say, "I find Caroline Kennedy’s bid for the seat of Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton both surprising and not very democratic, to say the least. What title has Ms. Kennedy to pretend to Hillary Clinton’s seat? We French can only see a dynastic move of the vanishing Kennedy clan in the very country of the Bill of Rights. It is both surprising and appalling..."

However, the Grey Lady later issued an apology, saying the letter was fake and that sadly, the Times had been punked.

"This letter was a fake. It should not have been published. Doing so violated both our standards and our procedures in publishing signed letters from our readers... It is Times procedure to verify the authenticity of every letter... We did not do that. Without that verification, the letter should never have been printed..."

If only this would have been the Grey Lady's only sin, but truth be told, this incident pales in comparison to some of the more serious crimes which the Times has perpetrated against humanity, and to which it has never shown any remorse.

Sorry, Grey Lady, apology not accepted.

China Unblocks NY Times Website

I just happened to come across this strange news item in the New York Times:

The Chinese government unblocked the Web site of The New York Times on Monday, allowing users on the mainland to view it. Chinese authorities began blocking it Thursday without explanation. The government usually blocks access to Web sites that it deems challenge the official line. During the Olympic Games in August, the government lifted bans on some sites. It later reimposed the bans, then lifted them again last week. Government employees reached by telephone on Monday said they did not know why The Times’s site had been blocked.

Apparently, the New York Times can't understand why the Chinese government blocked its website. Afterall, Chinese authorities only block access to websites that "challenge their official line", not to 'Autocratic' friendly websites like the New York Times! Ahem.......

And speaking of the Grey Lady, some are predicting that she'll croak in 2009.

I'll miss her dearly.

Rick Warren Sells his Soul to Obama

Question: Is it worthwhile to try and appease the Left?

Answer: No, because ultimately, you'll end up sacrificing your own beliefs in a futile and an obsequious attempt to win their affection.

Case in point: Rick Warren of the Saddleback Church.

From LGF:

Rick Warren, the Saddleback Church pastor chosen by Barack Obama to deliver the invocation at the presidential inauguration, has been getting a lot of media attention because he’s a very vocal opponent of gay marriage. Panda’s Thumb points out that Warren is also a creationist: Creationist to Give Invocation at Inauguration.

Oddly enough, the FAQ page at the Saddleback Church that contained their policy statements on dinosaurs, evolution, and homosexuality (among other subjects) has suddenly been wiped clean: Saddleback Church: Small Group Information.

But Google’s cache has a copy as it appeared on December 16, 2008.

So, apparently, instead of heeding Rev. Thomas J. Euteneuer's advice that he reconsider his participation in the upcoming inaugural ceremonies, Rick Warren has chosen to sell his soul to Barack Obama and the Left-Wing.

Good luck, Mr. Warren.

Unfortunately, Barack Obama is no one's fool. He's a shrewd politician and a cunning strategist - about as shrewd and cunning as they come......

Obama turning into a real 'Basket Case'!

Excerpted from WND - h/t RBO:

Hamas is putting all its eggs in the basket of President-elect Barack Obama, according to former president Jimmy Carter, who met with the chiefs of the terror group in Syria last week.

"Like the Syrians, they (Hamas) are patient, relatively satisfied with the status quo, and putting all their eggs in Obama's basket...," Carter wrote in a first-person report posted on his Carter Center website.

Carter recounted how on the anniversary of Hamas' founding, he met last week in Damascus with Hamas chieftain Khaled Meshaal "and his fellow Hamas politburo members, all of whom are scientists, medical doctors, or engineers – none trained in religion."

A senior Israeli security official who was made aware of Carter's description of Meshaal and other top Hamas members as "scientists, medical doctors, or engineers," said such descriptions were "simply outrageous apologies for evil."...

Carter continued by stating that he discussed with Meshaal "items on my agenda that included an extension of the cease-fire in Gaza." About an hour after he met with Carter last Sunday, Meshaal announced at a press conference that Hamas would not renew the cease-fre...

Last month, a top Hamas official in Gaza sparked controversy after he claimed Hamas held a meeting in the Gaza Strip several months ago with aides to Obama. He claimed the terror group was asked to keep the contacts secret until after last month's elections. The charge was strongly denied by Obama's transition team.

Ahmed Yousef, Hamas' chief political adviser in Gaza, claimed to the leading Al-Hayat Arabic-language newspaper Hamas maintained regular communication with Obama aides that even continued during the past week.

"We were in contact with a number of Obama's aides through the Internet, and later met with some of them in Gaza, but they advised us not to come out with any statements, as they may have a negative effect on his election campaign and be used by Republican candidate John McCain (to attack Obama)," Yousuf told Al-Hayat...

In April, Yousef stated he hoped Obama would become president, comparing the Illinois senator to President John F. Kennedy.

"We like Mr. Obama, and we hope that he will win the election," Yousef told WND at the time...

'The Obama Report' Denies MSM Allegations

I noticed the following headline on several of the mainstream media websites:

"Obama Report to Explain Staff Contact with Gov".

Now, let me make this perfectly clear: These rumors are completely false! "The Obama Report" has no intention of trying to explain any contacts that the Obama team might have had with Governor Blagojevich.

Besides, the Politico website is reporting that "e-mails and other records [belonging to the Obama team] that could be key to understanding those contacts [between the Obama team and Blagojevich]... may never see the light of day, thanks to a gap in government records disclosure laws that allows presidential transition teams to keep their documents - even those prepared using taxpayer dollars - out of the public record."

So, as long as those records remain under wraps, the president-elect [by default] is in the clear and there's not much left for me or "The Obama Report" to explain..........

Oprah Wants To Be Second Lady

From the Perez Hilton blog:

Oprah Winfrey is such a big fan of Obama that she wants to move in next door to him!

The Queen of the Universe is considering blessing Washington, D.C. with her goddess presence.

She's reportedly looking into a 9-bedroom mansion in Georgetown with a price tag of $50 million.

According to an insider, the Queen O has yet to see the home in person because, as the source said The Queen O knows and sees all.

But if you're not as powerful as Oprah, you can check out her potential future digs here.

At least Oprah won't be needing any financial assistance from Tony Rezko to purchase her home.......

Rick Warren Challenged to Reconsider Participation in Inaugural Ceremonies

Excerpted from Life Site News:

The Rev. Thomas J. Euteneuer, STL, president of Human Life International (HLI), today challenged Pastor Rick Warren of Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, CA to reconsider his participation in the upcoming inaugural ceremonies for President-elect Barack Obama...

President-elect Obama has promised to sign into law the Freedom of Choice Act (FOCA), a massive assault on the dignity of life. He is also widely expected to reverse President George W. Bush's executive order reinstating the Mexico City Policy..., which prevents funding to the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) which, among other anti-life activities, has been demonstrated to support coercive "family planning" measures in China, including forced abortions and sterilizations.

"President-elect Obama has given every indication that he has no respect for the lives of the unborn, and whenever given the opportunity, has promised to enforce the most extreme demands of anti-life groups," said Father Euteneuer. "This extremist agenda should not be seen to have the endorsement of pro-life leaders such as Pastor Warren."...

"The first thing I'd do as president is sign the Freedom of Choice Act. That's the first thing I'd do."
Barack Obama, in a speech to 'Planned Parenthood', in 2007

As state senator in Illinois, Barack Obama refused to support the Born Alive Infant Protection Act.

Conclusion: The unborn fetuses of the world are praying that Mr. Warren will choose not to participate in this year's inaugural ceremonies. Hopefully, he will not let them down.

Barack Obama is Time Magazine's "Person of the Year"!

Time Magazine on Wednesday named US president-elect Barack Obama its 2008 "Person of the Year."

Why did he receive the coveted award?

According to the newsweekly: "For having the confidence to sketch an ambitious future in a gloomy hour, and for showing the competence that makes Americans hopeful he might pull it off".

Now, that's the most ridiculous line of reasoning I've ever heard! But what's even more pathetic than that: Time Magazine is not even embarrassed to issue such an asinine statement like that!

Raghuveer Nayak Update

On Sunday I noted that Barack Obama had received $10,000 in campaign contributions for his 2004 US senate primary run from Mr. Raghuveer Nayak, an Illinois businessman now caught up in the federal investigation of Illinois Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich. [For additional information on the Obama-Nayak connection and Mr. Nayak's ties to Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich, click here.] I then went on to say that Mr. Nayak's $10,000 campaign contribution had exceeded the maximum amount permitted by law. However, after re-examining the matter, I now acknowledge that I was mistaken.

Under the “millionaire’s amendment” - which was written into the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002 - Barack Obama was permitted to accept up to $12,000 in campaign donations [per donor] since his opponent, Blair Hull, a wealthy investor, had poured $28 million of his own money into the campaign.The “millionaire’s amendment” was overturned by the Supreme Court earlier this year, however, in 2004 it still had not been overturned.

Now, it is well known that in this year's presidential race, Barack Obama received campaign contributions that were well over the legal limit. It is also well known that some of Obama's donations came from abroad and that his website had intentionally disabled all the basic credit-card-processing security checks, thereby enabling multiple contributions from donors with fake names.

The blogosphere has already written about Obama's deceptive and slimy fund-raising techniques ad nauseum. No need to elaborate on that right now. However, as far as Mr. Nayak's $10,000 in campaign contributions are concerned, the president-elect is in the clear. I stand corrected and my earlier post is now officially deleted.

Why is Muntader al-Zaidi so Revered by the Liberal Blogosphere?

As would be expected, Muntader al-Zaidi, the Iraqi journalist who threw his shoes at President Bush during a press conference in Iraq on Sunday, is being extolled as a hero by the Leftwing blogosphere.

However, it should be noted that Mr. al-Zaidi was once head of the student union under Saddam Hussein. [He was also a fellow Baathist] Another individual to head the National Students Union in Iraq was a fellow by the name of Umar Sabawi Ibrahim al-Hasan al-Tikriti. Mr. al-Tikriti, who was also the head of Saddam Hussein's Fedayeen, allegedly provided support for the Iraqi insurgency. A warrant for his arrest was issued by the Central Criminal Court of Iraq in March of 2005.

What's more, Mr. Al-Zaidi - the notorious shoe thrower - had previously been detained in November of 2007 for two weeks after videotaping the scene of an improvised explosive device that targeted an American Humvee. Why they released him from detention is anyone's guess.

Nevertheless, in spite of Mr. al-Zaidi's appaling resume, the Liberal blogosphere is celebrating his shoe throwing heroics. Because in the eyes of the Liberal blogosphere, it is not the American troops fighting in Iraq who are the true heroes, but rather the Saddam Hussein loyalists and those who murder our troops, who are the real heroes.

Surprise, surprise, surprise................

Accessory to the Crime? Probably not

Yesterday, I suggested that the Obama team - by not telling the feds about Rod Blagojevich's pay-to-play scheme - might have become accessories to the crime [if they were aware of it, which they apparently were] even if they didn't actually play along with the scheme.

However, it should be noted that in order to become an accessory to a crime [through concealment of the the crime] or to be found guilty of misprision of felony, which also involves the failure to report a crime, one would have to actually take affirmative steps to facilitate the concealment of the crime.

Now, while it may be true that Obama and his cohorts failed to inform the feds about the governor's misconduct, I don't think that's the same thing as taking affirmative steps to conceal that misconduct. [this is just my own layman's opinion, I could be mistaken] However, if the Obama team ultimately speaks to feds and denies having had any knowledge of the scheme, well, that's a whole different ball game altogether.

Of course, even if Obama and his minions aren't [by defintion] 'accessories to the crime', that doesn't make their silence on the matter any less reprehensible. But ultimately, until someone can prove that they actually played along with Blagojevich's scheme, I'm afraid these scoundrels are off the hook - once again.

Nevertheless, the question remains: Why didn't Obama and company bother to report this scheme to the feds? I mean, we're not talking about your average, run-of-the-mill senate seat over here. We're talking about the Messiah's senate seat! Why wasn't the Obama team troubled by the governor's efforts to sell that senate seat? Were they trying to hide something?

Your guess is as good as mine.

P.S. Of course, it's also possible that they were reluctant to rat out Blagojevich - a fellow Democrat and an an associate of the Messiah - because they felt it would ultimately taint both Barack Obama and the Dems.

Obama, an Accessory to Blagojevich's Crime?

CBS News addresses a question to Barack Obama [a question that I had asked on Tuesday]:

“Did you or anyone close to you contact the FBI or U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald about Blagojevich’s alleged efforts to sell your Senate seat to the highest bidder?”

"Blagojevich seems to believe that Obama’s team was aware of – and had rejected – his offers, telling Harris in a wiretapped Nov. 11 conversation that Obama was “not willing to give (Blagojevich) anything except appreciation” for picking Jarrett. If Blagojevich contacted anyone on Obama’s team even hinting at a possible pay-for-play arrangement, it seems they would have been obligated to report that to law enforcement."

As I wrote on Tuesday:

Prosecutors allege that in exchange for appointing Valerie Jarrett - a close friend of Obama - to the Senate seat, Blagojevich sought appointment as secretary of Health and Human Services or wanted an ambassadorship in the new Obama administration. It seems highly unlikely that the president-elect was unaware of this. And if he did have knowledge that Blagojevich was seeking to sell his senate seat and chose to remain mum about it, well, that would seemingly be grounds for impeachment.

Mr. Fitzgerald, please be fair and upright about this investigation and treat the Messiah just as you would any other US citizen. If you're going to hound Rod Blagojevich over his alleged crime, then it behooves you to go after the accessories of this crime too. Nowhere in the bible - or even the constitution - does it say that a Messiah is exempt from following the letter of the law - even a Messiah as exalted as Barack Obama.

From Wikipedia:

An accessory must generally have knowledge that a crime is being, or will be committed. A person with such knowledge may become an accessory by helping or encouraging the criminal in some way, or simply by failing to report the crime to the proper authority.

I would, however, take this one step further than CBS and suggest that even if the Obama team wasn't contacted by Blagojevich about a play-for-play arrangement, merely possessing knowledge of the crime and failing to report it to the proper authorities, would be enough to make Obama an accessory to the crime.

Jimmy Carter: The Terrorists Don't Want to Meet with Me!

Despite an overwhelming desire on the part of Liberal politicians to meet with some of the world's worst heinous and rogue terrorists, the terrorists have absolutely no desire to meet with them, according to former President, Jimmy Carter.

During a visit to Lebanon that began on Tuesday, the former President requested a meeting with leaders of Hezbollah, but according to Jimmy Carter's spokesman, Rick Jafculca, the terrorists refused to meet with him!

Perhaps, if Mr. Carter would take his cue from Barack Obama and offer to meet the terrorists without preconditions, it would help. Then again, the terrorists aren't exactly pining to meet with Obama either.

You know something, I really feel bad for Barack Obama and Jimmy Carter. It's not their fault they were born so naive. What a pity, I feel so sad for them.

Blagojevich's Crimes, Obama's Silence; Grounds for Impeachment?

Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich was arrested on Tuesday on federal corruption charges that included attempts to sell the U.S. Senate seat vacated by President-elect Barack Obama.

Shortly after the arrest, Obama was asked by a reporter if he had been aware that Blagojevich was seeking to sell his senate seat.

"I had no contact with the governor or his office," Obama replied, "and so we were not -- I was not aware of what was happening."

However, Prosecutors allege that in exchange for appointing Valerie Jarrett - a close friend of Obama - to the Senate seat, Blagojevich sought appointment as secretary of Health and Human Services or wanted an ambassadorship in the new Obama administration. It seems highly unlikely that the president-elect was unaware of this. And if he did have knowledge that Blagojevich was seeking to sell his senate seat and chose to remain mum about it, well, that would seemingly be grounds for impeachment.

Thus, if U.S. Atty. Patrick Fitzgerald is the upright and honest prosecutor he purports to be, he definitely should include Barack Obama in his investigation.

But I have a feeling that when it comes to the "Messiah", Mr. Fitzgerald - like many others before him - will simply fold like a cheap suit.

Obama's Naive Understanding Of Global Terrorism

Shortly after the 9/11 attacks, Barack Obama issued the following statement:

"Even as I hope for some measure of peace and comfort to the bereaved families, I must also hope that we as a nation draw some measure of wisdom from this tragedy.... Such a failure of empathy [on the part of the terrorists]... is not... unique to a particular culture, religion, or ethnicity. Most often,... it grows out of a climate of poverty and ignorance, helplessness and despair... We will have to devote far more attention to the monumental task of raising the hopes and prospects of embittered children across the globe—children not just in the Middle East, but also in Africa, Asia, Latin America, Eastern Europe and within our own shores."

With these words we can better understand why Barack Obama felt so at ease in the company of Bill Ayers. We can also comprehend how he managed to listen to the virulent diatribes of Rev. Jeremiah Wright for over 20 years without batting an eyelash, and why he seems so willing to meet with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

In Barack Obama's view, terrorists perpetrate attacks against the US for the following reasons:

Out of hopelessness and despair.
They have legitimate grievances against the US.
They feel that the US is encroaching upon their sovereignty.

Thus, Bill Ayers' violent attacks were committed out of a feeling of helplessness and despair over his inability to stem the putative atrocities which the US was perpetrating in Vietnam and other parts of the globe. Yes, Bill Ayers was a terrorist, but nonetheless, he was acting in good conscience.

But even worse than that, Mr. Obama views global terrorism in the same vein. Rather than seeing global terrorism for what it is, a sinister and evil ideology, Barack Obama sees it as a vehicle used by terrorists to fend off American imperialist aggression.

Simply promise the Iranian regime that American troops will soon be withdrawn from Iraq - far away from Iran's borders - and that America will never attempt to affect "Regime Change" in Iran, and the Iranian theocracy will return to its docile ways.

Unfortunately, as a result of Barack Obama's naivety and his shallow understanding of global terrorism, America may soon find itself sliding down the slippery slope of self destruction

Iranian President, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad once proclaimed:

"Is there art that is more beautiful, more divine, and more eternal than the art of martyrdom?.... The message of the (Islamic) Revolution is global... and it will move forward. Have no doubt... Allah willing, Islam will conquer what? It will conquer all the mountain tops of the world."

Nevertheless, Barack Obama plans to enlist the help of the Iranians to bring stability to both Afghanistan and Iraq, despite the 9/11 commission report detailing Iran's collaboration with Al Aqeida and other indications that Iran worked in Unison with Al Qaeida, and despite Iran's overall aggression and support of terror.

Sadly, Barack Obama fails to comprehend the true nature of global terrorism and its sponsors.

But even sadder than that is the fact that many Americans fail to understand just how naive Barack Obama really is.

Bill Ayers: A Terrorist in Denial

In an op-ed in Friday's New York Times, Bill Ayers, the unrepentant Weather Underground terrorist, attempts to whitewash his heinous past by insisting that he had never sought to "kill and injure people indiscriminately" or to spread "fear and suffering for political ends".

"For the past 40 years," he states pretentiously, "I’ve been teaching and writing about the unique value and potential of every human life".

However, let's examine his past and see what kind of value he placed on human life - h/t Nice Deb and Wikipedia:

In March of 1970, the Weather Underground conspired to plant a bomb at an officers dance at the Fort Dix army base. While the bomb was being constructed - in a Greenwich Village safe house - it accidentally went off, killing several members of Ayers' terrorist clique, including Diana Oughton, then-girlfriend of Mr. Ayers.

An FBI report later stated that the group had possessed sufficient amounts of explosive to "level ... both sides of the street". Harvey Klehr, professor of politics and history at Emory University in Atlanta, asserted that "the only reason" the Weather Underground was "not guilty of mass murder" was due to "mere incompetence".

However, Mr. Ayers, casually glosses over this event in his op-ed:

"In 1970, I co-founded the Weather Underground, an organization that was created after an accidental explosion that claimed the lives of three of our comrades in GreenwichVillage."

In truth, the Weather Underground was founded in 1969 [when the group split from the Students for a Democratic Society, however, it wasn't until 1970 that it began to formally use the name "Weather Underground"], but Ayers, in an attempt to distance himself from the the planned attack on Fort Dix and the Greenwich Village incident, simply altered the facts.

Larry Grathwohl, an FBI mole within the Weathermen, connected Mr. Ayers and his wife, Bernadine, to the planning and execution of a police station bombing in San Francisco [in February 1970] that killed one officer and injured two others.

In his memoir "Fugitive Days", Ayers, quoting from an editorial of an old socialist magazine, writes:

"Stuff several pounds of [dynamite] into a… gas or water pipe... insert a cap with a fuse attached, place this in the immediate vicinity of a lot of rich loafers... and light the fuse. A most cheerful and gratifying result will follow..."

Ayers once summed up the Weather Underground's political ideology as follows:

"Kill all the rich people... Bring the revolution home, Kill your parents. That's where it's really at."

As far as Barack Obama's ties to Mr. Ayers is concerned, suffice it to say that in 1995, Mr. Obama held a political fundraiser in this unrepentant terrorist's home - something, I believe, most people running for political office would never contemplate doing.

What's more - as I noted several weeks ago - the Obama campaign [in October] released a memorandum, entitled, "Will the McCain Camp be Challenged on their Lies?":

The memorandum went on to state that the McCain campaign was lying when it said that Barack Obama held a fundraiser in Mr. Ayers' home:

LIE: Senator Obama's political career was launched at a fundraiser hosted by Ayers.
FACT:....As the New York Times [10/3/08] confirmed, previous coffees had been hosted for Obama's State Senate campaign. State Senator Alice Palmer, Obama's predecessor, introduced some of her longtime supporters to Obama at Ayers home. That's it. It wasn't even a fundraiser.

However, In a new afterword to his 2001 book ["Fugitive Days"], Mr. Ayers, clearly acknowledges that the event was a fundraiser:

“We had served together on the board of a foundation, knew one another as neighbors and family friends, held an initial fund-raiser at my house, where I’d made a small donation to his earliest political campaign.

Bottom Line: Bill Ayers and Barack Obama can deny the truth all they want, they can even use the New York Times to cover their tracks, but the facts speak for themselves - and the facts never lie.

Kerry and Rev. Wright, Thrown Under the Obama Bus

Excerpted from the Boston Globe - h/t - The Real Barack Obama:

If you're Sen. John F. Kerry, you've got to be feeling a bit like the Rev. Jeremiah Wright - thrown under the Obama bus, while ex-rivals climb merrily aboard.

The Massachusetts senator helped to launch Obama on the national stage. As his party's presidential nominee, Kerry chose Obama as the keynote speaker for the 2004 Democratic National Convention. Ever since then, Kerry did everything right by Obama.

He walked away from his own presidential dreams and embraced Obama's. He helped with fund-raising... He also delivered a powerful speech when Democrats gathered in Denver to nominate Obama.

Both Kerry and Senator Edward M. Kennedy endorsed the Illinois senator at a critical point in his primary battle. Back in Massachusetts, Kerry took most of the heat for the Obama endorsement. An enraged contingent of Bay State women for Clinton badgered Kerry for his failure to back their candidate...

It was the natural political reaction to the widespread buzz that Kerry expected to be offered "something big" in an Obama administration.

However, soon after Election Day, Kerry went from being an alleged top contender for a Cabinet position to nowhere........

Don Surber comments :

President Obama rewards "John Kerry for his loyal service by… making him the 'Inspector General of the Undercarriage of the Bus'."

What's next? Rev. Wright as 'Spiritual Director of the Undercarriage of the Bus'?

Obama 'High' on Xavier Becerra?

Representative Xavier Becerra, a California Democrat, has been offered the job of President-elect Barack Obama's top trade official, two Democrats close to the transition office said. - Source Miami Herald

In 2000, Beccera played a key role in the pardoning of a big time cocaine dealer, Carlos Vignali, by then-President Bill Clinton.

Vignali's family had made $15,000 in political donations to the Becerra and hired Clinton's brother-in-law for $200,000 to help free him.

Becerra was a candidate for mayor of Los Angeles in early 2001 when it came to light that he and several other politicians and prominent public figures wrote letters supportive of Vignali, who was accused of shipping 800 pounds of cocaine — worth about $5 million then — from Los Angeles to Minneapolis.

The federal judge who sentenced Vignali later complained that the commutation was inappropriate.

"Vignali was not a low-level operator in the conspiracy," said U.S. District Judge David S. Doty. "He played a major role in the financing, transport and procurement of the drugs."

Vignali's father spent six years and $160,000 in political donations, and paid $200,000 to Hugh Rodham to free his son. Hugh Rodham is the brother of then-first lady Hillary Rodham Clinton, whom Obama has selected to become secretary of state. Carlos Vignali was less than halfway through a 14 1/2-year prison term when President Clinton let him out.

At the request of a Los Angeles businessman, Horacio Vignali, Becerra wrote to Bill Clinton on Nov. 21, 2000, asking him to evaluate the case. Carlos Vignali was 22 when convicted of conspiring to sell 800 pounds of cocaine.

Horacio Vignali contributed more than $15,000 to Becerra's campaigns and his political action committee, and hosted a fundraiser for his mayoral campaign seven months before Carlos Vignali was freed from prison, according to campaign finance records. - Source - AP

Becerra helped get out out the Latino vote for Obama. And apparently, Mr. Becerra is getting his due reward - despite his previous ties to a big time drug dealer....

Several weeks ago, Obama tapped Eric Holder to be his attorney General. Holder was Deputy Attorney General in Bill Clinton's Administration, and played a key role in the pardoning of 8 members of a notorious Puerto Rican terrorist group [FALN]. The group claimed responsibility for over 130 bombings and incendiary attacks in the U.S. and Puerto Rico between 1974 and 1983, killing six and wounding many others.

Barack Obama, Living the Life of Luxury, Just Like his Wealthy Donors!

"A spokesman for top Italian designer Giovanni Bosco has confirmed that President-Elect Barack Obama is looking to purchase a $30,000 Harmony ring made of rhodium and encrusted with diamonds as a thank you gift to his wife Michelle....One of the world's rarest and most precious metals, only about 25 tons of rhodium are mined each year, setting the price at over $7,660 per ounce -- or about ten times the cost of gold. The ring may be uncharacteristically extravagant for Mrs. Obama, but we're sure she'll find a way to wear it with all her usual grace and confidence."
Luxist.com

"I know that as a consequence of my fund-raising I became more like the wealthy donors I met, in the very particular sense that I spent more and more of my time above the fray, outside the world of immediate hunger, disappointment, fear, irrationality, and frequent hardship of the other 99 percent of the population - that is, the people I’d entered public life to serve."
Barack Obama - The Audacity of Hope

"Obama Wins Over The Hearts and Minds of the KKK" - Parody

Egyptians Getting 'High' on Obama!

Excerpted from the Huffington Post:

Barack Obama's popularity in Egypt reached a new 'high', with the introduction of a narcotic to the market bearing the President-elect's name.

According to [one] Egyptian blogger..., dealers in the Mediterranean town of Marsa Martrouh are peddling an Obama brand hashish:

"A new brand of (presumably black Moroccan) hashish has appeared in the Egyptian town of Marsa Matrouh, called 'Obama'!

"I recall in 2003 , a quite popular brand of hash that appeared in Cairo was named 'Saddam' coz it was 'stronger than chemical weapons.'"

Another blogger, also based in Egypt, further comments:

"By the hash-o-meter, Barack Obama may be the most popular foreign leader in Egypt since Saddam Hussein."

Hmmm..........

Iran to US: We Refuse to Meet with you 'Without Preconditions'!

Barack Obama has said that he'd be willing to meet with Iranian leaders without preconditions. But apparently, the Iranians do not share that same sentiment.

According to recent news reports coming out of Tehran, lawmakers in congress have put forward a request for initiating parliamentary dialogue between the US and Iran.

While attending the annual meeting of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank in October, Iranian officials reportedly received a letter from lawmakers in Washington, asking for a meeting.

However, Huseyn Ibrahimi, a member of the National Security Commission of the Iranian parliament, says "not so fast"!

Ibrahimi said that Iranian officials will agree "to hold discussions with the US" only “if Iran’s demands are fulfilled".

In other words, no dialogue can take place unless the US agrees to certain preconditions.

Now, that's a judicious fellow! Who in their right mind would agree to meet with a sworn enemy without preconditions? Hmmm?

The Huffington Post, Fred Harman, and the Devil

The Huffington Post has secured $25 million in venture capital from Oak Investment Partners to help expand its Liberal media agenda. Fred Harman, managing partner of Oak Investment, will join the Huffington Post's board.

Mr. Harman donated $2,300 to Mitt Romney's Presidential campaign in January of 2007.

So why has he suddenly decided to hook up with the Liberal Huffington Post? Well, perhaps he's planning on using his financial clout to transform the HuffPo into a semi-conservative blog. Or, he's simply decided to sell out his soul to the devil for financial gain.

I have a feeling it's the latter........

Update: Apparently, Mr. Harman contributed $4,600 to Barack Obama in February of 2007 [or June of 2007]. $2,300 was eventually refunded to Mr. Harman by the Obama campaign. So who knows? Maybe Mr. Harman is one of those undecided voters who can't make up his mind whether to vote Republican or Democrat.

Hey, I'm not Mr. Harman's Psychologist. You'll have to ask him why he switched parties. As Scott Ott, the conservative satirist, is wont to say, "we report, you decipher." And besides, does any of this really make a difference anyway?

Clinton, Gates & Jones - Just What the Doctor Ordered!

Liberals in America are currently in a state of mourning now that they've learned that Hillary Clinton and Robert Gates will soon be an integral part of Barack Obama's administration. And Conservatives, well, they're absolutely ecstatic!

Suddenly, Robert Gates, whose Iraq Study Group in 2007 recommended that the United States begin withdrawing virtually all of its combat forces from Iraq, and consummate the withdrawal by early 2008 - has become a hawk in the eyes of many Liberals and Conservatives - whose memory banks [apparently] are incapable of retaining more than a few months of information at a time. Had President Bush listened to Mr. Gates' Iraq Study group, the war in Iraq would have long been lost to the insurgency.

Gates also supports direct negotiations between the US and the Mullahs of Iran. Nevertheless, the pundits insist that Robert Gates is a veritable Hawk! Hmmm......

And apparently, Hillary Clinton has also shed her Liberal credentials ever since she voted in favor of going to war with Iraq, despite the fact that almost every other Democrat in Congress voted the same way. Sen. Clinton even had the audacity to support a senate resolution labeling a renowned terrorist entity, the Iranian Revolutionary guards, as a terrorist organization! Can there be any doubt then that Sen. Clinton is anything but a true-blooded hawk?!

And how about retired Marine General James Jones, the fellow Obama tapped to be his National Security adviser? Jones - enamored with the way UN forces have been able to prevent Hezbollah terrorists from rearming and gaining undue influence inside Lebanon [ahem....] - recommended that an international force be deployed in the West Bank, instead of Israeli Defense Forces. Another hawk? Apparently so.

However, Peter Beinart of Time magazine sees things a little differently. According to Beinart [whose sentiment is also echoed by the Chicago Tribune's Steve Chapman], Jones, Gates and Clinton's foreign policy positions aren't really that much different than Obama's. It's just that their positions are perceived to be different, and more hawkish. Thus, "what distinguishes Gates, Jones and Clinton isn't their desire to shift Obama's policies to the right; it's their ability to persuade the right to give Obama's policies a chance."

"It's precisely because Obama intends to pursue a genuinely progressive foreign policy," says Beinart, "that he's surrounding himself with people who can guard his right flank at home. When George W. Bush wanted to sell the Iraq war, he trotted out Colin Powell--because Powell was nobody's idea of a hawk. Now Obama may be preparing to do the reverse. To give himself cover for a withdrawal from Iraq and a diplomatic push with Iran, he's surrounding himself with people like Gates, Clinton and Jones", who are perceived [naively] to be to the right of Obama.

And so my fellow Democrats, no need to feel dejected. Obama has clearly elucidated his self-destructive foreign policy agenda throughout the Presidential campaign, and I can assure you, he will not disappoint you anytime soon. Likewise, my fellow Conservatives, no need for you to gloat, Obama has you exactly where he wants - tucked away securely, and snugly, in his back pocket...........

Libs Waited till after Election to Express Concern About Obama

Several weeks ago, Charlie Rose had Tom Brokaw on his show. They both seemed a bit confounded by how little they really know about Barack Obama. Naturally, this drew a few laughs from conservative talk-radio host, Rush Limbaugh:



John Meacham & Evan Thomas of Newsweek Magazine appeared on the Charlie Rose program on Nov. 5 - the day after the presidential election. They both seemed to exude a bit of anxiety about Obama. Mr. Limbaugh noted at the time that only now after they got Obama into office are the Libs starting to express their fears about him. "Look at all they hid," he said. "Look at all that they refused to report. They had plenty of chances to write editorials at Newsweek magazine, and they didn't write one reflective of what they really saw and know and fear about Obama."

The 'Evil Empire' Urges Obama: Normalize Relations With Iran

Russia has consistently ignored international pleas that it cease delivering nuclear technology to Iran. And now the "evil empire" is calling on Barack Obama to normalize relations with Iran:

Russian officials are in contact with the incoming Obama administration, urging it to normalize relations with Iran and reach an agreement over its disputed nuclear program...

Bypassing the outgoing Bush administration, Russian officials have approached aides to Obama... “We are doing it through our embassy in Washington D.C. and our contacts with people who are around Barack Obama,” said Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov...

World powers have offered an incentive package to Iran with economic benefits such as wider trade and investment if it freezes enrichment and opens its program to international scrutiny. Iran has so far rebuffed the proposal...

The Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency, the UN nuclear watchdog, said Nov. 19 that Iran has produced 630 kilograms of low-enriched uranium, enough for a power station or for a weapon if the uranium were converted to bomb grade.

“Seems to me this would be a good time to send, no strings attached, a check for $200 million to Iran.”
Joe Biden shortly after 9/11

Apparently, the Russians are already drooling over the prospects of working with these pacifist clowns. But they're not about to wait till 2009 to deal with them. By bypassing the outgoing Bush administration in favor of these inept losers, the Russians may actually create "Change" sooner than any of us had expected!

Good grief.......

Raul Castro, Not So Sure He Wants to Meet with Obama

Barack Obama has said that he would be willing to meet with the leaders of Cuba, Venezuela and Iran without preconditions. But apparently, they are not so eager to meet with him...........

Actor Sean Penn recently conducted an interview with Cuban President Raul Castro on behalf of the left-wing, liberal mouthpiece, "The Nation".

"You asked if I would accept to meet with (Obama) in Washington. I would have to think about it. I would discuss it with all my comrades in the leadership," Castro tells Penn in the interview for a December 15 issue published on its website.

So Barack, it seems you have little choice but to goad Raul into meeting with you. And hopefully, you will not squander this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to meet with this most magnificent and magnanimous leader.

Oh, and by the way Barack, if Raul - out of the goodness of his heart - accepts your offer to meet with him, I beg of you, please do not discuss Al Qaeda with him.

You see, Raul's brother, Fidel, recently suggested that the U.S. government was promoting "Americans' fears about al-Qaeda" and "fabricating enemies to justify its plans for world domination". Now, I'm not sure whether you agree with his point of view or not, but it would be best not to talk with him about Al Qaeda.

However, if for some reason, Al Qaeda does come up in your conversations, tell him you agree with his point of view, namely, that the Al Qaeda terrorist organization is tiny compared to the United States - and that they don't pose a serious threat to us the way, let's say for example, John McCain and George Bush do.............

Good luck, Barack, and please bring back some Cuban cigars for me. No joy in the world is comparable to the sheer ecstasy one experiences when smoking a fine Cuban cigar, except, perhaps, the joy one feels when smoking a fine Persian cigar. But we'll save that for a later date - Ahmadinejad willing................

P.S. It seems that Raul Castro had agreed to meet with Obama, but insisted they meet in a neutral location, like Guantanamo, instead of Washington. "I think it would not be fair that I be the first to visit," he said, "because it is always the Latin American presidents who go to the United States first." So maybe he won't have to be goaded into meeting with Obama after all. Hey, what wouldn't he do for a fellow comrade! And besides, while the two are meeting in Guantanamo, Obama may be able to pull some of those suspected terrorists out of jail. It's a win-win situation! Neat!

Obama Tacitly Concedes: The Surge Was a Success

From the New York Times:

President-elect Barack Obama has decided to keep Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates in his post... [It] will be the first time a Pentagon chief has been carried over from a president of a different party...

Some advisers worried that the decision to turn to a Republican appointee... would reinforce the notion that Democrats could not manage the military. “It makes them look like they’re too wimpy to be trusted to run the building,” said one adviser who asked not to be named.

Keeping Mr. Gates after a polarizing campaign on the war also seemed incongruous to some. “I really can’t begin to understand from a political point of view how Barack Obama, a person who got the nomination because he ran against the Iraq war, can keep around the guy who’s been in charge of it for the last two years,” said Loren B. Thompson, head of the Lexington Institute, a research organization.

However, Pejman Yousefzadeh sees things a little differently:

I have to believe that if Barack Obama did not actually believe that the surge overseen by Secretary Gates really has been successful, he would not have consented to keep the Secretary on. By agreeing to retain Secretary Gates at the Pentagon, the President-elect has not-too-subtly endorsed the very surge and counterinsurgency efforts he spent time denouncing on the campaign trail.

One wishes that he would finally admit as much.... I think it is finally safe for him to say that when it came to figuring out what to do in Iraq, President Bush, Secretary Gates, General Petraeus and Senator McCain were right . . . and Barack Obama was wrong.

Barring such a verbal admission, I suppose that we will have to take this reappointment of Secretary Gates to constitute the closest thing to an admission of error the President-elect can bring himself to offer the rest of the country....

Obama: "Don't Worry Mom, I'm a Well-mannered Young Black Man!"

From the Times Online:

Early on in his book, Dreams From My Father, Mr Obama tries to reassure his mother during his senior year in high school when his grades were slipping and he was falling into what seemed to her bad company:

“I had given her a reassuring smile and patted her hand and told her not to worry, I wouldn’t do anything stupid. It was usually an effective tactic, another one of those tricks I had learned: people were satisfied so long as you were courteous and smiled and made no sudden moves. They were more than satisfied – they were relieved – such a pleasant surprise to find a well-mannered young black man who didn’t seem angry all the time".

Neat trick! I'm sure Obama's bigoted mother must have been pleasantly surprised, indeed!

Obama/Ahmadinejad Peace Talks

NPR Analyst: If Obama Is satisfied, I suppose We Must All Be!

On NPR's 'Weekend Edition' on Saturday, host Scott Simon asked NPR senior news analyst Daniel Schorr if there was a conflict of interest between Bill Clinton's foreign connections and Hillary Clinton's duties as secretary of State:

SCOTT SIMON: Does Bill Clinton become a complicating factor? Because he not only has financial interests all over the world one way or another, but in some ways, he's been conducting his own foreign policy campaign.

SCHORR: Well, somewhat. Well, he could be a problem but apparently he has satisfied Mr. Obama that he will not be a problem. He has surfaced everything that he got in the way of money from Arab and other countries for his library and for himself. He apparently has given a promise that in the future, he will not do anything in his own travels around the world that will interfere with his wife as secretary of state. And if the president-elect is satisfied, I suppose we must all be.

Audio

H/T Newsbusters

Eddie Izzard, UK Citizen, Admits He Contributed Money to Obama Campaign

Watch the following YouTube video as renowned British comedian, Eddie Izzard, tells CNN that he made a donation to Barack Obama's Presidential campaign. Izzard says that as a citizen of the UK he couldn't vote for Obama, so he supported his candidacy by making a donation to his campaign.



According to the FEC's records, Mr. Izzard donated $2,300 to Obama's campaign - under an LA address.

Now, Mr. Izzard may be a stand-up comedian, but a $2,300 foreign contribution to Obama is no laughing matter - and neither are the countless other foreign donations that Obama received.

Obama, Iran, Al Qaeda, and Castro

Reuters recently reported as follows:

President-elect Barack Obama plans to try a more regional approach to the war in Afghanistan including possible talks with Iran....

Iran, on Afghanistan's western border, has been kept at arm's length by the Bush administration, but should be considered in formulating a new Afghanistan strategy, a senior U.S. military official was cited as saying.

Unfortunately, Barack Obama fails to comprehend [or doesn't want to comprehend] that Iran is working in cahoots with Al Qaeda.

From today's Telegraph:

Fresh links between Iran's Revolutionary Guards and al-Qaeda have been uncovered following interception of a letter from the terrorist leadership that hails Tehran's support for a recent attack on the American embassy in Yemen, which killed 16 people.

Delivery of the letter exposed the rising role of Saad bin Laden, son of the al-Qaeda leader, Osama as an intermediary between the organization and Iran. Saad bin Laden has been living in Iran since the fall of the Taliban in Afghanistan in 2001...

The letter, which was signed by Ayman al-Zawahiri, al-Qaeda's second in command, was written after the American embassy in Yemen was attacked by simultaneous suicide car bombs in September.

Western security officials said the missive thanked the leadership of Iran's Revolutionary Guards for providing assistance to al-Qaeda to set up its terrorist network in Yemen, which has suffered ten al-Qaeda-related terror attacks in the past year, including two bomb attacks against the American embassy.

In the letter al-Qaeda's leadership pays tribute to Iran's generosity, stating that without its "monetary and infrastructure assistance" it would have not been possible for the group to carry out the terror attacks. It also thanked Iran for having the "vision" to help the terror organization establish new bases in Yemen after al-Qaeda was forced to abandon much of its terrorist infrastructure in Iraq and Saudi Arabia.

There has been intense speculation about the level of Iranian support for al-Qaeda since the 9/11 Commission report into al-Qaeda's terror attacks against the U.S. in 2001 concluded that Iran had provided safe passage for many of the 9/11 hijackers traveling between Afghanistan and Saudi Arabia prior to the attacks.

Scores of senior al Qaeda activists - including Saad bin Laden - sought sanctuary in Iran following the overthrow of the Taliban, and have remained in Tehran ever since. The activities of Saad bin Laden, 29, have been a source of Western concern despite Tehran's assurances that he is under official confinement.

But Iran was a key transit route for al Qaeda loyalists moving between battlefields in the Middle East and Asia. Western security officials have also concluded Iran's Revolutionary Guards have supported al-Qaeda terror cells, despite religious divisions between Iran's Shia Muslim revolutionaries and the Sunni Muslim terrorists.

Iran is active in Yemen, Osama bin Laden's ancestral homeland. The country has been a focal point for al-Qaeda, which has found relatively easy targets in its lawless environment. "Yemen is now a key strategic base for al-Qaeda's operations, as well as being fertile recruitment territory," said a senior Western security official. "Iran's Revolutionary Guards have provided important support in helping al-Qaeda to turn Yemen into a major center of operations...."

During the Presidential primaries, Joe Biden vehemently assailed lawmakers for supporting a senate resolution that labeled the Iranian Revolutionary Guards a terrorist organization. Apparently, Barack Obama and Mr. Biden plan to enlist the help of the Iranians to stabilize both Afghanistan and Iraq. If that is so, I would like to wish Barack Obama, Joe Biden and their beloved allies, the Iranian Revolutionary guards and Al Qaeda the best of luck. They're gonna need it! And so will we........

Oh! I almost forgot to mention what Fidel Castro said today.

From USA Today:

Fidel Castro suggested Sunday that the U.S. government has promoted Americans' fears about al-Qaeda and other terrorist groups to justify its plans for world domination....

He said the terrorist group was "a typical example of an enemy that the hegemonic power dangles in a place of its choosing where it needs to justify its actions, as it has done throughout its history, fabricating enemies and attacks destined to strengthen its plans of domination."...

Barack Obama has indicated that he would like to meet with Fidel Castro and hopefully reestablish ties with Cuba. And I assume that Mr. Castro will soon be working together with Barack Obama, the Iranian regime and Al Qaeda's finest to secure the war torn countries of Afghanistan and Iraq.

My fellow Americans, this is the 'change' we had all hoped for. Thank heaven, it has finally arrived......

Hillary Clinton & the "Emoluments Clause"

A new roadblock for Hillary?

Excerpted from the Washington Post:

Even if the vetting problems involving former president Bill Clinton's finances can be resolved, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton may face another roadblock on her way to the secretary of state's chair.

It's called the Constitution of the United States, specifically, Article One, Section Six, also known as the emoluments clause. ("Emoluments" means things like salaries.) It says that no member of Congress, during the term for which he was elected, shall be named to any office "the emoluments whereof shall have been increased during his term." This applies, we're advised, whether the member actually voted on the raises or not.

In Clinton's case, during her current term in the Senate, which began in January 2007, cabinet salaries were increased from $186,600 to $191,300. This situation has arisen before, most famously in the case called "The Saxbe Fix," but it involves a controversial, somewhat tortured reading of the Sacred Document.

That "fix" came in 1973, when President Nixon nominated Ohio Sen. William Saxbe (R) to be attorney general...Saxbe was in the Senate in 1969 when the AG's pay was raised...President George H.W. Bush... approved a Saxbe fix so that Treasury Secretary Lloyded Bentsen could move from the Senate to take that job.

But Democrats in the past have inveighed against this sleight-of-hand. In the Saxbe case, 10 senators, all Democrats, voted against the ploy on constitutional grounds. Sen. Robert C. Byrd (D-W.Va.), the only one of them who remains in the Senate, said at the time that the Constitution was explicit and "we should not delude the American people into thinking a way can be found around the constitutional obstacle."

Call it the Hillary Amendment?

H/T - Law Professors' Blog

I wonder who it is that reminded the Washington Post about this piece of legislation. Hmmm....

Hillary Clinton, Sec. of State - Part II

On Friday I remarked how mind-boggling it was to see someone like Barack Obama - who's received numerous campaign contributions from abroad - make such a fuss over the foreign donations that Bill Clinton received for his private foundation and library. And I wondered if Obama was simply looking for a pretext to deny Hillary Clinton the position of Secretary of State.

Now, I'm not denying that there's a conflict of interest between the hundreds of millions of dollars that Bill Clinton received from foreign sources - including a $10 million gift from the Saudi royal family - and the duties that Hillary Clinton's will perform as Secretary of State. But it still seemed a bit ironic [and hypocritical] that Barack Obama would vet Bill Clinton's international funds when he himself received numerous campaign contributions from abroad.

Hence, I suggested that Barack Obama was simply looking for a pretext to deny Hillary Clinton the top job in the State Dept. And although I posited the aforementioned theory with a bit of skepticism, it seems there are some in the Clinton camp who believe this to be true.

From the Telegraph:

Those in Mrs Clinton’s camp who wanted her to take the [Sec. of State] job wanted the financial issue [Bill Clinton's international funds] off the table believing Mr Obama would find any excuse not to give her the job.

I suppose we'll never really know what happened. However, suffice it to say that while Barack Obama may be the smoothest and shrewdest politician in modern times, Bill Clinton is certainly no slouch himself. And this time around [by agreeing to disclose the names of thousands of his past donors and offering to submit his future business and charitable activities to ethics reviews], he might have beaten the king of foxes at his own game.

P.S. On a side note, Mr. Clinton has also agreed to distance himself from his own foundation - whatever that's supposed to mean:

To clear a path for his wife's appointment, Bill Clinton agreed to several concessions: He gave the Obama team the names of more than 200,000 donors to his foundation and library; he agreed to clear any future paid speeches with the White House and State Department; and he said he would distance himself from his foundation.

Hmmm........

Hillary Clinton to be Secretary of State

From Fox News:

Sen. Hillary Clinton has accepted the position of secretary of state in the Obama administration, FOX News has confirmed...

One transition aide told FOX News that the two camps have worked out financial disclosure issues involving Clinton's husband, former President Bill Clinton, and the complicated international funding of his foundation that operates in 27 countries...

It's mind-boggling to see someone like Barack Obama - who's received countless campaign contributions from abroad - make such a fuss over Bill Clinton's foreign donations.

Was Obama simply looking for a pretext to keep Hillary out of the picture? I don't know. But if that was his plan, it failed miserably. Hillary Clinton is now Obama's Secretary of State - for better or for worse......

Patrick Gaspard Joins Obama Team

From the Washington Post:

Patrick Gaspard, a longtime labor operative, will be the White House political director for President-elect Barack Obama, sources with knowledge of the negotiations confirmed today. Gaspard served as national political director for much of Obama's general election campaign...

Gaspard was the national field director for 'America Coming Together' [ACT] during the 2004 cycle. In October of 2004, St. Louis County Board of Election Commissioners trashed hundreds of faulty voter registrations, most of them collected by voter drive groups like ACT. Many voters registered twice by using variations of their names.

In 2004, the AP reported that ACT under Gaspard had paid convicted felons to canvass homes and solicit private information (including Social Security numbers) from voters as part of its "Get out the vote effort".

In 2007, ACT was fined $750,000 by the FEC for violating election finance rules.

Before joining the Obama campaign, Gaspard had been a registered and current lobbyist for 1199 SEIU United Healthcare Workers East - as well as being its Executive Vice President.

H /T - Red State

"Lobbyists Won’t Find a Job in My White House!"

Eric Holder, Renowned Terrorist Sympathizer, named new Attorney General

Seeking to distance himself from the Bush administration's discriminatory and anti-terrorist policies, Barack Obama on Tuesday tapped terrorist sympathizer, Eric Holder as his attorney general.

In 1999, Mr. Holder, then-Deputy Attorney General in the Clinton Administration, played a key role in the pardoning of a notorious Puerto Rican terrorist group - responsible for several deaths here in the US., including the demise of a Mr. Frank Connor:

From Frank Connor's son, Joseph F. Connor - Excerpted from a Human Events article - Aug. 20, 2008:

As an “ordinary American,” I sincerely question whether Barack Obama has the judgment to be president. His lack of judgment in choosing Eric Holder as a top adviser on his campaign -- the man partly responsible for pardoning terrorists who proudly claimed responsibility for my father’s murder -- serves as primary evidence supporting that judgment...

Mr. Holder, formerly the No. 2 official in former President Bill Clinton’s Justice Department, often is mentioned as a potential attorney general in an Obama administration. This is the same man who was a driving force behind President Clinton’s pardons of members of the notorious Puerto Rican terrorist group, the Armed Forces for National Liberation (FALN).

The FALN was one of the most prolific terrorist organizations ever to wage war against the American people. They proudly claimed responsibility for over 130 bombings and incendiary attacks in the U.S. and Puerto Rico between 1974 and 1983, killing six and wounding scores.

Among these vicious, cold-blooded attacks was the Jan. 24, 1975, lunchtime bombing at New York City’s historic Fraunces Tavern. Four innocent men were murdered that day, and one of them was my 33-year-old father, Frank Connor....

Eight of these FALN terrorists later would receive pardons from President Clinton, even though they remained unrepentant...

[Unrepentant? Where have I heard that one before?... Oh that's right! Bill Ayers, the "unrepentant" terrorist.]

How does this outrageous and tragic story reflect on Barack Obama’s judgment? Holder played a central role in freeing these terrorists. As the deputy attorney general, he was responsible for signing off on all clemency matters forwarded to the President, and in this case he recommended that clemency be granted -- despite vehement opposition from the FBI, the Bureau of Prisons, and his own Justice Department...

Yet, according to Edward Lewine of the New York Daily News, despite this opposition, “Deputy Attorney General Eric Holder, the Justice Department official most involved with this issue, reportedly supported clemency..."

The Connor family was shattered on Jan. 24, 1975. Eventually, some healing began. While not a day goes by without us thinking of him, my mom got remarried to a good man. My brother and I graduated college and established families of our own. Regrettably, Frank Connor would never get to hug his four beautiful grandchildren...

Releasing the terrorists placed the American people in danger. When I helped introduce the Pardon Attorney Reform and Integrity Act in February 2000, I warned about “the encouragement would-be terrorists must have received by the” FALN clemency grants. Unfortunately, that warning proved prophetic, and Sept. 11, 2001, took the life of my father’s 41-year-old godson, Steve Schlag, and 3,000 other innocent lives as my brother and I watched in horror from our downtown offices.

As Obama declares America needs his presidency because “ordinary Americans are hurting,” I recall the pain - which one of his top advisers and a potential attorney general was an accomplice to - that was inflicted on at least one “ordinary American” family. And then I am reminded how Holder’s actions also helped place America in harm’s way. When he elevated Holder to such a senior campaign position, did Obama reflect the kind of judgment we need in a president? Absolutely not.

Sadly, I recall reading a similar story written by an individual whose father was the target of a firebomb explosion set off by the Weather Underground. [Fortunately, both father and son survived the explosion.] However, if President-elect Obama is going to bring about the kind of change he envisions for this country, he'll need the assistance of each and every terrorist-sympathizer he can possibly find - and that includes the likes of Eric Holder, Gregory Craig, Jeremiah Wright - and yes, Bill Ayers too.

Mr. Connor, I'm sorry to have to tell you this, but we are all going to have make some kind of sacrifice in order to facilitate Barack Obama's grandiose vision of change. To quote the sagacious Sen. Joe Biden: 'You need to be a little bit more patriotic.' Sacrificing your father's life for both the good of this country and the benefit of global terrorism is the least you can do to show your true patriotism and love of country.