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EVENTS FORETOLD
“Anyone wondering when Sen. Barack Obama was going to throw Rev. Jeremiah Wright under the bus doesn’t have to wait any longer,” reports Susan Davis. “In a press conference today, Obama condemned his former pastor in the harshest terms yet.” This wouldn’t have come as a surprise to Rev. Wright:
“If Barack gets past the primary, he might have to publicly distance himself from me,” Mr. Wright said with a shrug. “I said it to Barack personally, and he said yeah, that might have to happen.”
Wright said that last year. Instapundit has more on these latest Obamic caperings.
UPDATE. Not a good day for the Senator:
Have you seen this pig? It’s huge, inflatable, features the word “Obama” and it has lost its way in the California desert.
UPDATE II. Also losing her way is the Age’s Anne Davies:
Just when Democrat frontrunner Barack Obama needs voters and the Democratic Party to think about something other than whether the US is too racially divided to vote for him, his controversial pastor, Reverend Jeremiah Wright, has reignited debate about how far America is from true reconciliation.
Killer intro, Anne.
Just when [Obama] might have hoped that the divisions lurking beneath the surface of polite American society — and which appeared to have cost him the primary in Pennsylvania — had again been papered over, they are back in the public domain.
Obama loses = racism.
They will feed a frenzy of attacks from the right-wing media, which will ask again: how is it that Obama could countenance a preacher with such views?
The “right-wing media”? Name names, Anne.
That could again drive a wave of uncertain blue-collar white voters back into Hillary Clinton’s camp before the crucial Indiana primary next week.
Because only whites could be offended by Rev. Wright. Who’s the racist here?
The comments that will cause most problems for the Obama campaign are likely to be Wright’s defence of Louis Farrakhan, the head of the Nation of Islam.
They will unsettle some in the Jewish community — a pillar of the Democratic Party — who rightly or wrongly will ask why Obama would listen to such a man.
Incredible. (Via Cuckoo)
UPDATE III. Maureen Dowd on Obama’s dilemma:
He’s back on the tricky path he faced as a child, navigating between two racial cultures.
Actually, he’s navigating between political cultures.
What is it about the US political system that results in the choosing of such terrible candidates for President? Both Obama and Hillary would be disasterous, and McCain only slightly better. Before that was GWB and first Gore then Kerry. Before that was Clinton and Dole. Why don’t people like Romney or Thompson succeed on the GOP side, or Lieberman or Bradley on the Dem side? Has anyone read a good analysis of this?
Posted by bobzorunkle on 2008 04 29 at 11:00 PM • permalinkThe Age’s Anne Davies is spinning like crazy over this. She passes over Wright’s craziest antics, and downplays the ones which she guesses her readers have already heard about. Wright’s loony AIDS claim is for her merely “controversial”. Like all the liberal establishment, she’s rehearsing the line which will be used if Obama loses: that he was defeated by “the racial divide”, not his own weakness as a candidate. For Anne, the only real problem about Wright is that he gives fuel to “right wing media”.
I like the missing pig, all the anti-capitalist crap on it and what happens when it drifts off unexpectedly?
“..Waters, who told the crowd “that’s my pig” as it drifted off into the night, closed out the three-day festival…”
All property is theft mannnn… chill and have another toke Waters dude.
/stoner off.Posted by thefrollickingmole on 2008 04 29 at 11:24 PM • permalink“What is it about the US political system that results in the choosing of such terrible candidates for President?”
Abraham Lincoln. FDR. Thomas Jefferson. Harry Truman. George Washington. Andrew Jackson. Teddy Roosevelt. Ronald Reagan. Giants, one and all. The system produced them.
Yeah, we had our share of duds, too: Woodrow Wilson. Jimmy Carter. Bill Clinton. Richard Nixon. And yes, the picking have been a little slim lately. But somehow, when we need one, a leader appears. As for McCain, I’m beginning to suspect that there’s a lot more there than I once thought.
Posted by Urbs in Horto on 2008 04 29 at 11:28 PM • permalink#2 #5 The MSM likes the present system, so there will not be a change soon. McCain is so far has only been seen as the MSM present him.
#3 Anne Davies followed the Secord script in NSW.
#4 Code Red, or is that Code Pink, for balloon pig full of Obama gas.Posted by stackja1945 on 2008 04 29 at 11:38 PM • permalink#5 A look at your list of the best suggests they had one thing in common - they were men of honour, courage, duty, all the other qualities needed for greatness.
I believe McCain’s record indicates he has these characterqualities in sufficent amount to gualify him for the job.His rivals…..one a superb orator with NOTHING to say, and who would be a total disaster for civilisation….the other, well, a female Nixon perhaps, who might be competent, but would more likely to do a Watergate than a trip to Mao -as it were.
The Episcopal Church in the USA used to be called the Republican Party at prayer. These days, it’s not much more than - to quote Steyn - “a cult for upscale Western sodomites and a few attendant fetishists” headed up by a Gaia-worshipping-spork-in-your-pocket-oven-mitt-wearing high priestess.
Nevertheless, the Episcopal church of old has had its prayers answered. And as usual God is Wright .
Stick a spork in Obama. He’s done.
Of course Obama threw Wright under the bus. He’s a Democrat, after all.
Posted by The_Real_JeffS on 2008 04 29 at 11:52 PM • permalinkFor some reason what ive read about Obamas mother reminds me of another famous Australian lady.
Rabiah Hutchinson, the main difference being, Obamas mammas “god” was her leftist politics. Either way women who fling their fannies at their “saviours” based on what they are against.Posted by thefrollickingmole on 2008 04 30 at 12:23 AM • permalinkAs for safety concerns, Rondan speculated, “Because it’s inflatable, as it loses air it becomes less and less dangerous.”
Loses air? If it’s full of air, how does it float?
Bloke must be a climate scientist.
Posted by mr creosote on 2008 04 30 at 12:41 AM • permalinkI keep hearing Wright/Obama supporters complaining that the good Rev’s quotes were taken “out of context”, yet they never provide the context. Well, finally, one did. I was reading Greg Easterbrook’s “Tuesday Morning Quarterback” post-NFL draft column (he’s smart on football, fencepost-dumb on politics), and he offered this explanation:
Example of context: attack ads show Wright saying only “God damn America.” Deleted is the full quote, “God damn America for treating its citizens as less than human.”
Well, there ya go. Here we all thought “God damn America” was a grotesque imprecation against the United States, when in fact the full context reveals it was a grotesque imprecation against the United States because it’s so goddamn evil. Don’t we all feel silly now?
#5, Urbs - You gotta admit it’s been a long time since we had a great choice for President. Since Reagan, I’d say, although you could argue that Clinton or Bush II were pretty good.
“But somehow, when we need one, a leader appears.”
We could use one now, and the choices blow. As far as McCain having more there… the more McCain I see the less I like.
Posted by Matt Moore on 2008 04 30 at 01:03 AM • permalinkMy local broadsheet, The Age, never ceases to find ways to become even more of a joke that has long since ceased to become funny. I watch it in the same way that I watch Phatty Adams - in a state of disbelief that somebody could actually write or believe such drivel, and not have sticks covered in poo jabbed at him to keep him away from normal people.
Incidentally, can anybody tell me who Phillip Adams actually is - although born in Australia, I lived abroad and have only been back 10 years, and apart from writing ridiculous columns in “The Australian” he appears to be known only for being the editor of joke books for children. I am not sure why this qualifies him to be an opinion writer in The Aussie, but I guess it probably over-qualifies him to be at the 2020 summit.#15
His only claim to fame is producing the greatest Australian movie of all time, but since then a member of the landed gentry and total bore
Bohemond
“..and not have sticks covered in poo jabbed at him to keep him away from normal people..”
Dont tell Phil, he still thinks its chocolate on the ends of the sticks.
Pickles: Dont forget his snoozefest of a radio show, which has been keeping him in public funds for decades now.
Posted by thefrollickingmole on 2008 04 30 at 01:45 AM • permalink#20 - I am sure that he will claim that on the strength of this he was the founder, innovator and artistic impresario of the Australian Film Industry, which flourished under the enlighted Gough and Keating until destroyed by Howard, leaving him to scrape a living by spouting drivel that as far as I can tell consists of pointing out that if you can think of any despotic dictator he will be able to tell you that at least they are not as bad as Bush/Howard.
And editing children’s joke books. Which you can buy from the remainder bin.#25 Phatty might have been associated with the ‘Life - be in it’ campaign, which was actually rather good, and had a very catchy jingle. He was definitely involved in the rather more sinister ‘Wake up, Australia’ campaign, designed to turn us from a nation of slack, she’ll-be-righters into gung-ho world’s-best-practisers. This, I think, evolved into the ‘Near enough isn’t good enough’ campaign. No, I am not making any of this up.
Obama has another problem with friends. Oprah Winfrey is now endorsing a crazy German named Eckhart Tolle. Words like sect and Messiah have been bandied around in connection with Tolle.
It will be interesting to see how many people who were attracted to Obama by Winfrey’s endorsement will now be wondering about her judgement. You can’t support two cult figures, can you?
Let me put this in simple terms. I’m against racism. In any form, including that held by African-Americans against other races including Caucasians. Wright—er, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright—is a black racist. By his decision not to leave a church he attended for twenty years, it leaves open the question as to whether Obama is also a black racist.
Posted by wronwright on 2008 04 30 at 06:24 AM • permalinkRaining Political Cultures
An academic who says this might be remembering that in Victoria some Christian preachers were prosecuted under regressive laws that limited their free speech, even when they were quoting the Koran. Or is he? Perhaps he could state his position on that. (Not holding breath)
You can look at our laws that have enabled children to be held in detention, our laws of limited free speech in the media and a number of other areas, our anti-terror laws which go even further than those in the US and the UK. And even areas like mandatory sentencing that led to apparently high levels of incarceration of Indigenous people.
Which academic? Go to bottom of page.
He could also explain how a Bill of Rights would remedy such Orwellian pig-speak.#25 Rod C. You make some good points. I worked for MOJO for a number of years when Phatty was there and he wandered around in his black then. He sloped through the creative department dispensing wisdom as was his way.
A few decades in that game taught me a bit about life. In part, that the advertising industry attracted some leading minds. Some arseholes, some failed government workers/teachers and some sensationally lovely people and that’s not an understatement after working in that industry in two continents.
But it is a juicy observation that Phatty made his money from the capitalist system that he now decries.
For what it’s worth, many of the advertising creative leaders from that period were and are now closet pinkoes and multi squillionaires. Of course they can afford to be so pure of thought.
When Obama first began to run, I thought here at last is a man who can run for president by putting our divisions behind us and silence America’s critics. He has only managed to make things worse. The disappointment is bitter.
And the choices this time around are bitter, but really, there is no real choice. John McCain ‘08.
#5 Urbs—You better be right.
As for Obama, you know, I can almost believe he really didn’t know this about this chicken-eatin’ preacher Wright. I can well imagine that he was sitting through every sermon with his eyes closed, thinking, “Someday all those Hallelujahs will be for me, Daddy…”
Posted by richard mcenroe on 2008 04 30 at 10:29 AM • permalinkRichard,
I think it’s more a case of African-Americans (if that’s what Obama is, at least today) hearing other African-Americans espousing racist hate speech and thinking nothing of it. What’s the problem? He’s just riffing. It’s a black thing. If you don’t agree, you’re a racist.
For many African-Americans a racist can only be in one shade: white.
Posted by wronwright on 2008 04 30 at 11:04 AM • permalinkIf you want to know why Hillary does so well with working class whites, you need look no further than the Clinton’s billionare friend Ron Burkle, who owns the blue collar bible, the National Enquirer, and look at the hatchet job that paper has been doing on McCain and Obama at supermarket counters everywhere. Recent headlines not available on the Web “Obama’s terrorist ties” “Witness who uncovered McCain corruption murdered”
A man who spearheads a congressional act that abridges the freedom of speech (McCain-Feingold) does not have courage or principle or integrity or honor. I would not be surprised to see American blogs come under fire because of McCain-Feingold in the month or two before the election…and its because of the very man who is running for President this time around.
A man who spearheads a backroom deal with other Marxist/Socialist Democrats to give amnesty to those who cross our borders ILLEGALLY (McCain-Kennedy) does not have honor, or integrity, or courage, or principle.
Those two actions alone nullified any credentials he achieved as a veteran of our military. How does one go from swearing an oath to give one’s life in defense of our country to swearing an oath to defend our country’s Constitution and the turn around and do everything in his power to abrogate and tear it down? The man is an arrogant self-serving jerk…and I’m writing in someone else’s name come November. Yeah, I know Im ‘throwing away’ my vote, but that would only be true if I dont vote at all. I WILL vote…just not for the jerks that the MSM/Leftards tell me to vote for.
Posted by Sharon Ferguson on 2008 04 30 at 12:41 PM • permalinkHmmmm.
All I can think of right now is that I want a job as a column title editor.
Flying pig lost in a desert?
“Drifting inflatable pig give anal toots of fond farewell”
I’m a natural!
Posted by memomachine on 2008 04 30 at 04:15 PM • permalink#40, Sharon Ferguson, I would agree with you, EXCEPT:
Republicans and moderate Democrats who want to get reelected won’t let him get away with it (McCain-Feingold), and illegal migration is a true hot-button issue that the American people won’t let him get away with (McCain-Kennedy). All politicians do stupid things. They usually try to undo them if they think it’s going to hurt them.
Addendum to #42: The stupid things McCain might do don’t hold a candle to the stupid things Billary or Barry would probably do.
All of the “I’m sitting home in protest” crowd need to look up the ages of the Justices of the Supreme Court.
They’re the ones who run the country. You want two or three more Ruth Bader Ginsbergs in there for life? Then stay home. Stock up on gauze bandages to staunch the bleeding from where your nose used to be.
I’m not ecstatic about McCain either, but given the limited selection (McCain, Obama or Hillary), it’s McCain.
Yeah, he has effed up several times. Fine, I can live with that. My expectations will be lower, but that’s infinitely better than having either of the two Dhimmicrat contenders occupy the White House.
Posted by The_Real_JeffS on 2008 04 30 at 10:53 PM • permalinkIf Obama loses either the nomination or the general election, it won’t be because of anything that happened during the campaign, but because of the fateful decision he made twenty odd years ago when, rather than doing the hard yards in building up his own support base, he took a shortcut and threw his hat in with a separatist snake oil selling simonist.
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I DON’T KNOW HOW TO LOSE HIM
I don’t know how to lose him,
Why’d I go? Why’d I choose him?
He’s a sham, he’s just a sham,
And I’ve pulled so many shams before, in very many ways,
He’s just one more.
Do I go along, shout “kill whitey!” out?
Do I cut him lose, tear those pages out?
I never thought I’d come to this!
How’d I get caught out?
So, you think it’s rather funny,
I’ve been been caught, screws are tightened.
It’s too late, the race I’d bait,
Won’t offer white guilt, anymore, no matter what I say,
I’ve blown the score…
—Barack Ovbama, Superstar
(Richard McEnroe)