EVENING UPDATE:  APRIL 14, 2008

Posted at 7:51 p.m. ET

THE OBAMA WATCH

This morning we quoted the excellent piece by Carrie Budoff Brown in The Politico about the less attractive sides of Barack Obama.  That piece is now joined by another, in The Wall Street Journal, which extends the thought:

This has been a long Presidential campaign, but often usefully so. The Democratic Party fight is helping us learn that there's more to Barack Obama than the eloquent, post-partisan, disciplined purveyor of "hope" that he typically projects.

Yes, there are uses to long campaigns.  I'm glad someone finally said it.  The column goes on to reflect on Mr. Obama's San Francisco remarks:

As political psychoanalysis, this is what they believe in Cambridge and Hyde Park. Guns and God are the opiate of the masses, who are being gulled by Karl Rove and rich Republicans. If only they embraced their true economic self-interest, these pure saps wouldn't need religion and they wouldn't dislike non-white immigrants.

Mr. Obama's unreflective condescension is reminiscent of the famous 1993 Washington Post article that described evangelical Christians as "poor, undereducated and easy to command." And the fact that he said it so naturally in front of a San Francisco crowd suggests that this is what he may truly believe. This is Mr. Obama's inner Mike Dukakis.

Well stated.  By the way, Hyde Park is the area around the University of Chicago, which I attended.  It is well known for its fashionable leftism.  The university itself, where Michelle Obama works and where Barack Obama sometimes teaches, was sometimes called, in the 1950s, the "little red schoolhouse."  That was somewhat exaggerated as it was also home to Milton Friedman and the "Chicago economists."

The article goes on:

Mr. Obama's comments are a gift to Hillary Clinton, who pounced on his "demeaning remarks," presenting herself as more in tune with Pennsylvania values – even reminiscing about how her father taught her to shoot a gun. Mrs. Clinton may have earned an "F" from the National Rifle Association for her Senate voting record, but she'll take any opening she can.

Senator Obama has had a mostly charmed Presidential run, but the truth is there's much that Americans still don't know about him or what he believes.

The charm is fading.

April 14, 2008.      Permalink          

MY FAIR BARACK

Oh, this is good.

Do you know "My Fair Lady"?  I suspect most of you do.  There's a song in the musical, sung originally by Rex Harrison, called "A Hymn to Him."  It's about the supposed glories of being male.  Reader Ken Braithwaite refers me to his website, INCORRECTIONS, on which he's posted his own version, sung presumably by a certain political candidate who's now in hot water:

Obama sings Lerner and Loewe

Yes... Why can't a red state be more like a blue?
Blues are so honest, they so deeply care;
Eternally noble, historic'ly fair;
Who, when they vote, will vote straight Democrat.
Well, why can't a red state be like that?

Why do Pennsylvanians do what the gun nuts do?
Can't Ohio learn to use its head?
Why do they do everything their bigots do?
Why don't they grow up - like Pastor Wright instead?

Why can't a red state take after a blue?
Blues are so pleasant, so easy to please;
Whenever you're in them, you're always at ease.

They don't cling to hate the way the red states do.
Why is thinking something red states never do?
Why is logic never even tried?
Straight'ning up their church is all they ever do.
Why don't they straighten up the mess that's inside?

Why can't a red state behave like a blue?
It's a mystery.
Why can't a Pennsylvanian be like me?

Well done.

April 14, 2008.      Permalink          

ITALY VOTES

Lost amidst our domestic political combat is the fact that Italy has just voted, and pro-American former Premier Silvio Berlusconi was returned to power:

ROME (Reuters) - Italy's centre left lost power on Monday but gloomy supporters like Giuseppe Pelladone will tell you the worst is yet to come.

"The real nightmare is ahead of us," the 22-year-old student said. "We have five more years of Silvio Berlusconi".

Berlusconi is the nemesis of the left. The conservative billionaire, who is returning to power for a third time, has proved he has a rare ability in Italy to serve a full five-year term as prime minister. He did so from 2001 to 2006.

The centre left's fear is that he could do it again, as he promised in his first comments after the election.

That concern deepened the gloom at the centre-left Democratic Party's headquarters on Monday evening.

In a country where governments since World War Two have on average survived for only about one year, the centre left fears remaining in the political wilderness until 2013.

Goody.

So let's see:  Germany has a pro-American leader.  France has a pro-American leader.  Italy again has a pro-American leader. 

This guy Bush, he really wrecked our relations with our allies.

April 14, 2008.       Permalink          

MORE ON AMERICAN SOLDIERS

This morning we reprinted a tribute to American soldiers by an Australian serving in Iraq. I've now received, from reader Joseph J. Gallick, a letter written in 2006 by the grieving father of a Canadian soldier.  He wrote it to the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, in response to an essay he'd read on the paper's website.  Here is what the Canadian father wrote.  Please read it:

I have no idea who I am writing to. I was just searching the Internet, desperately trying to find information on the four Canadian soldiers who were killed on April 22, and I came upon your Web site. I started to read and couldn't stop.
 
Assuming I am writing to Americans, I want to share something with you.
 
My son Paul joined the Canadian Forces in January 1998 and deployed to BosniaHerzegovina in 2000 and 2001.
 
On Jan. 23 of this year, I was in Winnipeg, Canada, seeing Paul off to Afghanistan. He was with B Company attached to the 1st Battalion Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry on Operation Archer in Kandahar.
 
I had taken a red-eye flight from Nova Scotia to Winnipeg and surprised him by showing up at the military airstrip in the morning just before he and his comrades arrived to prepare to leave for their mission.
 
He was joking and smiling with his buddies, no different than if they were a hockey team preparing to go on the ice.
 
While standing with him and all his comrades in the hangar at the airport, I noticed a small insignia U.S. flag on his boots. Jokingly, I kicked his ankle and said, "Paul, what's that? ..."
 
His comrades, hearing me, continued joking, "Yeah, Davis, you better cut that tag off. ..."
 
Paul's warm smile suddenly turned serious for the  moment.
 
"No, we train with these guys and we fight alongside with them. If we get in trouble over there, they will be the first to come to our aid," he said.
 
As he started toward the line to board the plane and as I started toward my taxi, we turned to look at each other and made eye contact for the last time.
 
On March 2, Cpl. Paul James Davis of Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry was killed. The first to arrive at the scene was a United States Black Hawk helicopter.
 
I thank you from the bottom of my heart.
 
-- Jim Davis  Nova Scotia, Canada

Remember that.

Be back tomorrow, or later tonight if events warrant.

April 14, 2008.      Permalink          

SECOND AFTERNOON POSTING:  APRIL 14,  2008

Posted at 5:41 p.m.  ET

THE VOLUNTEER

Jimmah Carter has now announced his readiness to make one more sacrifice for peace:

AIRPORT CITY, Israel (AP) - Former President Jimmy Carter said Monday he hoped to help open talks between Hamas and U.S. leaders, saying Washington's policy of not meeting with people it labeled terrorists was counterproductive.

Carter angered Israelis with his plans to meet in Syria this week with the leader of the Islamist group, which rules Gaza and is largely responsible for rocket fire against Israeli towns. Hamas has killed some 250 Israelis in suicide bombings and has been blacklisted by the U.S. and Israel as a terrorist organization.

Speaking at an event organized by an Israeli financial newspaper, Carter said he wanted to become a "communicator" between Hamas and the U.S.

"I hope then the Israeli government will deign to meet with me—they have so far refused," he said.

State Department spokesman Tom Casey told reporters that the U.S. has "made clear our views that we did not think now is the moment for him or anyone to be talking with Hamas."

Casey said any meeting with Hamas officials is "something we've counseled against. But he is a private citizen, and it certainly is his decision."

Will someone please sit down with Mr. Carter and explain that not everything in this world is about him?  Both the U.S. and Israel have made clear that they don't welcome his barging into this delicate situation, but all he can say is, "I hope then the Israeli government will deign to meet with me - they have so far refused."

Gee, I wonder why they refused?  Could it be Carter's relentless anti-Israel history?  Could it be the millions he's taken from Arab sources for the Carter center, and God knows for what else?  Could it be that he constantly interferes in American foreign policy, making it awkward for any ally to meet with him?  Will someone explain this to the former (voted out 28 years ago) president?

I have an idea:  Why doesn't the State Department agree to back his trip if he will agree to go before a bank of microphones and read the entire Hamas charter to the American people?

I don't think we'll be hearing that performance.  Hate can be so grating.

Come home, Jimmah.  Or, better still, go to Norway and meet with the folks who gave you that prize.  They love you, Jimmah.  Absolutely adore you.

April 14, 2008.      Permalink          

AFTERNOON POSTING:  APRIL 14,  2008

Posted at 3:56 p.m. ET

POLLS

I have absolutely no idea what to make of the poll, being cited on Drudge, that Hillary is now up 20 points over Obama in Pennsylvania.  It's an American Research Group poll, the same one that had the two tied eight or nine days ago.  I'd wait for some other pollsters to confirm this before making comment.

National trackers show the same split we've been seeing in recent days.  Rasmussen has McCain up seven over Obama.  McCain has gained in this poll since the Obama flap.  But Gallup still has Obama up two over McCain.  Both companies polled through yesterday, two full days after the Obama flap flapped.

Rasmussen has McCain up four over Clinton, which means Clinton does better than Obama, at least in the Ras poll.  But Gallup has Obama up one over McCain. 

So, again, we have the Rasmussen-Gallup split.  Take your choice.  It's 2008, so choose whichever poll makes you feel good about yourself, and makes you feel that you've become a better person.

April 14, 2008.      Permalink          

MONDAY:  APRIL 14,  2008

Posted at 6:56 a.m. ET

THE FULL OBAMA

You mean there's a downside to Barack Obama?  You'd certainly never know it reading much of the mainstream media, or listening to the choral fawning on TV.  But in an excellent piece of journalism, Carrie Budoff Brown of The Politico examines the different sides of this candidate, some of which are not appealing:

Barack Obama’s remarks on small town America were an off-key note from a politician who has rocketed to the top by being brilliantly on-key.

At the same time, the comments were not a total departure: On the campaign trail, Obama can reveal moments of aloofness or tone deaf reactions that belie his image as the epitome of polished.

At 46, Obama carries a political persona that draws on many origins. He is the son of a single mother who grew up middle class in Hawaii and worked as a community organizer in the poorest neighborhoods of Chicago. But he is also the Harvard Law Review president who knows well — occasionally too well — that he is smart and successful.

Ouch. 

And Brown reveals this about Obama's now-famous appearance in San Francisco, where he made his "small town America" comments:

Obama fielded almost identical questions from the donors in San Francisco as he does from voters across the country. Yet his answers in the more intimate — and in his view, off the record — gathering were a bit more revealing.

Asked what he would seek in a running mate, Obama said despite the conventional wisdom, he wouldn’t need somebody with military expertise because “foreign policy is the area where I am probably most confident that I know more and understand the world better than Sen. Clinton or Sen. McCain.”

Really?  He knows more about foreign policy than John McCain?  Is that a serious comment?  If it is, we're in real trouble should this man become president.  He has shown a simplistic, bookish view of foreign policy almost entirely detached from the real world. 

And then there's this:

At a New Hampshire roundtable in December, Obama betrayed little emotion as one participant sobbed while describing her situation: She lost her job on her 65th birthday, struggles to afford her $2,900 monthly prescription drug costs, and lives in 30-year-old trailer where the thermostat is set at 64 degrees.

At the same event, he later mentioned how the success of his book had allowed him to buy a big house. He was making a point about inequities in the tax system, but the story felt misplaced in the midst of such dire tales.

You know, I'm almost nostalgic for the guy who felt our pain.  Oh, his wife is running, isn't she?

Question:  Why haven't we had a journalistic report like this before?  Read the whole thing.  It's excellent...and disturbing.  And I fear that much of what it reveals will be covered up by the mainstream media in the months ahead.

April 14, 2008.      Permalink           

BULLETIN

Jimmy Carter has announced that he will not endorse a presidential candidate until the convention.   I know this is a crushing disappointment to you, but talk to friends, clergymen, people who'll show you that life is still worth living:

ABC News' Mary Bruce Reports: Former President Jimmy Carter confirmed in an exclusive "This Week" interview with George Stephanopoulos that he will not be endorsing any time soon. "The only thing I know is that, I have not made an endorsement, and don't intend to, until the time of the convention."

Despite previously dropping hints in favor of Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., Carter said "I'll let you make your own judgment...about my inclinations. I've told you what I -- as much as I intend to reveal."

I don't know how he can hold us in such suspense.  The whole world is watching.

April 14, 2008.      Permalink           

NOT A LOVE LETTER

Carl Bernstein, once of Woodward and Bernstein, has written on what a Clinton presidency would be like.  This will not get him a date with Hillary Clinton, assuming she might have been so inclined:

What will a Hillary Clinton presidency look like?

The answer by now seems obvious: It will look like her presidential campaign, which in turn looks increasingly like the first Clinton presidency.

Which is to say, high-minded ideals, lowered execution, half truths, outright lies (and imaginary flights), take-no prisoners politics, some very good policy ideas, a presidential spouse given to wallowing in anger and self-pity, and a succession of aides and surrogates pushed under the bus when things don’t go right. Which is to say, often.

I'd make that movie.  It goes on:

The latest transmutation of leadership in the campaign of Hillary Clinton for president –- Mark Penn’s departure or non-departure, be it window dressing or window cleaning –- is perhaps the best index we have of the more absurd aspects of her candidacy and evidence of its increasing bankruptcy.

And...

In fact, the demotion of Penn –- like the departure of Hillary’s acolyte Patty Solis Doyle as campaign manager –- is a confession that, for all her claims of “experience” and leadership abilities, Hillary Clinton has now presided over two disastrous national enterprises, the most important professional undertakings of her adult life, both of which she began with ample wind at her back: the healthcare reform of her husband’s presidency, and now her own campaign for the White House. These two failures -– and the demonizing of her opponents in both instances –- may be the best indication of the kind of President she would be, especially when confronted (inevitably) by unanticipated difficulty and/or entrenched opposition to her ideas and programs.

Oh my, oh my.  And I thought she was such a sweet thing.

Now, a caution:  Some of Bernstein's piece contains the usual "rest assured, I'm a liberal" boilerplate of leftist journalists, and the spiritually required Bush-bashing.  But it's worth reading for its critique of Ms. Hillary.

One thing about her, though:  If it came to taking on a foreign enemy, I think she'd actually do it, if only to make herself into Joan of Arc.  As for Obama, I'm afraid he'd have his Jack Benny moment and announce, "I'm thinking about it."

April 14, 2008.      Permalink          

THE REAL WORLD

While Jimmah Carter travels through the Middle East this week, some local residents are having their say, and reminding us what our worldwide struggle is all about.  The Palestine Liberation Organization's main man in Lebanon reiterated, without a blush, that the PLO's ultimate aim is to drive the Israelis out of "Palestine" - not a great basis for peace talks.

But even worse, a Muslim cleric who moonlights as a Hamas official, has eyes for other lands:

And in a sermon televised on Friday, Yunis al-Astal, a Hamas MP and cleric, told worshipers that Islam would soon conquer Rome, "the capital of the Catholics, or the Crusader capital, which has declared its hostility to Islam, and which has planted the brothers of apes and pigs in Palestine in order to prevent the reawakening of Islam," just as Constantinople was.

Rome, he said, would become "an advanced post for the Islamic conquests which will spread through Europe in its entirety, and then will turn to the two Americas, and even Eastern Europe."

In his address aired on Hamas's Al-Aksa TV and also translated by MEMRI, Astal told his audience: "Allah has chosen you for himself and for his religion, so that you will serve as the engine pulling this nation to the phase of succession, security, and consolidation of power, and even to conquests through da'wa [preaching] and military conquests of the capitals of the entire world."

I love the language of diplomacy, don't you?

But don't worry.  Barack Obama will sit down with the chap, tell him some stories about life in small-town America, and charm the guy into peace. 

That's right, isn't it?  I mean, a high-school kid told me.

April 14, 2008.      Permalink          

FOR YOUR MORALE

Finally, I urge you to read this item, for it will make your day.  The superb Michael Ledeen, whose writings on Iran should be required study for every policy maker, has posted excerpts from a letter home, written by an Australian soldier in Iraq to his father.  Just read this:

Before I came over here I thought we (the Australian Army) were pretty…hot….. was I ever wrong!….The Yanks (I hope you don’t mind me using that word) are so professional from the top to the bottom that it is almost embarrassing to be in their company, and to call yourself a soldier….don’t get me wrong, we are good at what we do but the Yanks are so much better…..they are complete at what they do, how they do it and their attitude is awesome….they don’t complain they just get on with the job and they do it right…..I carry a Minimi (SAW) so I am not real worried about a confrontation but I tell you I feel safer just knowing that the US Army is close by….If we got into trouble I know that our boys would come running and we could deal with it but they would probably be passed by a load of Hummers. No questions asked, no glory sought, the Americans would just fight with us and for us because that is their nature, to protect those in need of protection…..We use the American Mess so you could say that we are fed by the Americans…..they have every right to be pissed at that but they don’t bitch about that they just make us feel as welcome as possible….what gets to me is that the Yanks don’t walk around with a “we are better than you attitude” and they could because they are, they treat us as equals and as brothers in arms. If nothing else, coming here has taught me that the Americans are a truly great Nation and a truly great bunch of people…..Let’s face it they don’t HAVE to be here, they could stay in America and beat the shit out of anyone who threatened them, BUT THEY ARE HERE because they believe they should be here, and the Iraqis would be screwed if they weren’t here…..When I come home, you and I we are going to the US, we will buy some bikes and we are going riding….

As Michael Ledeen says about the letter:  "It shows that our military guys are appreciated—loved, even—by at least some of their peers. There’s so much snarling out there, I thought you’d appreciate this bit of moral uplift, which I think accurately describes most of our guys in uniform."

We do appreciate it, and appreciate them. 

Be back later.

April 14, 2008.      Permalink