It’s easy to miss, but if you happen to catch this video floating around, unassumingly, on YouTube, you will witness a marvel of the modern age.
This development alone is more heroic than anything Obama has done in two years with the most powerful position in the world.
Pop quiz: What do Rod Blagojevich, Forrest Claypool, Samantha Power, Jim Johnson, Louis Farrakhan, Bernadine Dohrn, William Ayers, Tony Rezko, Trinity United Church of Christ, Father Michael Pfleger, Reverend Jeremiah Wright, Alice Palmer, and the Armenians all have in common?
Give up?
Answer: Barack Obama has thrown them all under the bus at some point.
Hey, Charles Rangel: welcome to the party, pal!
Look out for that bus! Read Post »
NYTimes.com has an article about, the Obama election notwithstanding, Americans’ hysterical reactions to racial issues. There have been many articles and blog postings lately about whether or not this is “post-racial America.” I think the furor over Shirley Sherrod’s speech is a clear indication that race is as much a current issue as ever. This really should come as no surprise. Race has always been a government issue in the USA. From the state-sponsored slave trade through to affirmative action, in America, race and the state have always been intimately intertwined. Considering this, it is hardly a surprise that people “never get past it.” You might as well say “why haven’t we gotten past war?”
“Getting Past” Race Read Post »
As is almost always the case when politicians speak the truth, it’s purely by accident. Barton was correct to note the injustice against BP in the Obama administration’s shakedown for 20 billion. But it is exceedingly unlikely that Barton actually cared about the issue beyond the potential for scoring some political points and whipping up some good political theatre for himself. As soon as he saw that his plan backfired, he backed down immediately.
This is the behavior of a person without principles, which Barton clearly is. Barton claimed to be “ashamed” of the way BP was treated. Was Barton “ashamed” when the Bush administration shook down the taxpayers for untold billions for the GOP’s prescription drug benefit? Was Barton “ashamed” when the GOP doubled federal spending and ran the deficit up to $10 trillion? I seriously doubt it. Has Barton ever opposed massive government intrusion into the lives of private citizens when it served the political purposes of the GOP? Did he oppose the PATRIOT ACT?
In fact, Barton’s web site gushes over how great the prescription drug benefit is. Barton has voted to expand government spying rights on numerous occasions, and has otherwise supported the gutting of the Bill of Rights. He has a staunch record of expanding White House powers at the expense of Congress and the taxpayers. Indeed, Barton helped provide the Obama White House with the sort of power it used to shake BP down, by giving unchecked power to the Bush White House. In other words, Barton is the typical Republican: He’s against big government except when he’s not.
Note: Barton did vote against the 2008 bailout, which was hardly courageous since about 80 percent of his constituents no doubt opposed the bailout.
Why Barton apologized (the second time) Read Post »
