I was watching Obama dance around these questions on Sunday, and I felt the same way as Keller:
Host Bob Schieffer tries repeatedly to get Obama to say whether or not he would support Sen. Ted Kennedy’s call for a cutoff of funding for Pres. Bush’s “surge” in Iraq – e.g. is he willing to put his money where his mouth is on the war. All he gets in return, in my view, is some of the more slippery double-talk I’ve heard in awhile.
It makes John Kerry’s 2004 discourse on the war appear linear and coherent.
lightirissays
go Full Senate Jacket. His prevaricating on Schieffer’s program the other morning was excruciating. Geez, he better sharpen his skills (and grow a spine) or he’ll be toast.
If we call him out for things like this, it may show him that he needs to take real positions. If we give him a pass, we get the sort of candidate we deserve. I’m not saying to denounce him, but I’m also glad to see that people are naming his slipperiness rather than circling our wagons and saying that he’s the great progressive hope before we even know what he stands for.
Obama is a lot of fluff for the most part. His speeches and books contain nothing more than applause line after applause line. I mean it really isn’t that bold to be in favor of the “American Dream.” Like you say, we needn’t denounce Obama just yet, but we should demand some real answers.
I truly believe that Obama’s political career peaked with his 2004 DNC speech, and has been trending downward from there. Which is kind of sad, really…
laurelsays
I agree completely that it is our responsibility to let all candidates know what we expect of them.
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However, it is the responsibility of every candidate to let us know what their stance is on key issues. My guess is that he;s deliberately gaining the maximum amount of charm-induced goodwill before making statements that will invariably annoy one constituency or another. But if he plays that game too long, good luck in convincing anyone that he stands for anything at all.
There was nothing feel good about Sunday’s TV appearance. All I felt was the same frustration that I had when John Kerry talked about Iraq, No Child Left Behind, and a bunch of other issues.
frankskeffingtonsays
I’m not gonna defend his performance on Schieffer, but Obama was out front opposing this war BEFORE the war even started, BEFORE Dean made it an issue and certainly BEFORE the likes of John Edwards, Hillary Clinton, John Kerry and Joe Biden started to regret their votes for the war.
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Sure, let’s nail Obama down on this issue…but this guy had the guts to oppose the war publicly before any of the above mentioned Senators.
jonathan1says
While watching “24” this past weekend, I considered the impact the show would have on Sen. Obama’s candidacy. The current and past “presidents” on the show are black, and I assert that the stronger those presidents carry themselves, the better Obama’s chances will be in the presidential race.
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24 is providing viewers with an opportunity to experience a fantasy black president and, hopefully, become more comfortable with the prospect of a real black president. In earlier seasons, President David Palmer provided strong and ethical leadership on the show, and I imagine that his performance has helped, at least partially, lay the foundation for Obama’s run. I also imagine that the performance of the current president, Wayne Palmer (David’s brother), will have an even greater effect, as this season runs concurrently with Obama’s presidential exploratory efforts.
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Let’s hope that President Wayne Palmer is able to carry the United States through the terrorist crises on this season’s show, so that Obama can gain greater public acceptance for a black president.
Obama spoke against the war from the beginning, when the war was popular and criticizing it was a politically risky thing to do in a state like Illinois.
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In reading Obama’s comments about Kennedy’s resolution, what I saw was a man who thinks it’s more important to keep his eye on his long-range goal — starting to pull troops out of Iraq over the next 4-6 months — instead of concentrating on short-term tactics. If there was a way to somehow “trade” a short-term escalation for getting the troops out of Iraq later this year, I suspect he’d make it. He’s new to the Senate, and I think he’s still trying to see what all the options are for achieving that goal before he commits.
I think he’s still trying to see what all the options are for achieving that goal before he commits If that is the case – if they’re still weighing options (or cuttig deals is more like it), he could have clearly said so. Also, he’s been in the senate for 2 years now. Is that not time enough? Maybe if he had spent less time on the road showcasing himself he might have a better handle on the options (or might be making firm proposals himself).
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It’s ok to like the candidate, but it sounds like you like him so much you’re making excuses for him. He should be able to speak for himself, and he isn’t doing the best job of that so far. Hopefully he will improve. Soon.
jconwaysays
I love it the Dems rejected the ideological purity of Howard Deans simple message on the war, healthcare, and the economy and ditched him for the blithering idiot that was John Kerry with his waffling and wavering. And now the same left that abandoned Dean, exorcized Lieberman from the party and more importantly are now demanding the same purity from Obama they sacrificed to help Kerry.
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Obama is more than a man, he’s a phenomenon and every little detail and nuance of his policy will be dissected by the media, the bloggers, and inevitably the voters before its even 2008 proper. But I saw that man on the convention stage, living in Hyde Park, Chicago right now I have heard from his old State Senate constituents how much of a great down to earth guy he was and still is and how he is that rare politician that not only exudes compassionate charisma like someone else (Clinton) but one who actually cares.
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Of course with blogs, newsmedia, the punditocracy, I could easily see our society destroy the most exciting candidacy since Bobby Kennedy.
johnksays
Hey, no one gets a pass. That’s part of the process, everyone has questions and we need to get answers.
laurelsays
one who actually cares.
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I am giving him the benefit of the doubt for now that he does care. But since you’re stating in fact that “he cares”, care to back that up with anything more than it’s just the impression you got after a stage performance by someone you admit to be charismatic?
[Obama] is the first potential Democratic candidate who’s mustered the charisma, energy and promise of
Bill Clinton, unsurprisingly the last Democrat who won the presidency. He’s an articulate and appealing speaker. He is the only serious contender for the nomination who has had the right position on the most important issue of the day (Iraq) since the very beginning of that conflict (he opposes the war and wants a redeployment of troops). He presents an opportunity to bring ethnic diversity to the White House for the first time. . . .
Is Sen. Obama a flawless candidate? No. Does he share a liberal-progressive’s views on all the important issues of our day? Most likely not. Should he be served the nomination on a silver platter? Absolutely not. But Americans who are on the left of the political spectrum have been complaining for years now about a lack of an exciting alternative to the Republicans come election time. They held their noses as they cast votes for conventional, safe and experienced candidates like Walter Mondale, Michael Dukakis, Al Gore and John Kerry. All of them were decent, qualified men who inspired practically no one. Why not now, just for a moment, bask in the adoration and admiration that Obama manages to generate, and instead of picking him apart, perhaps we should just be glad that he appears to be on our side.
CNN reports on Obama
http://www.cnn.com/P…
http://www.cnn.com/2…
the Obama video about the filing of papers..
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http://www.barackoba…
Moe guts than I would have expected from Ole Bob! Makes me think of the Keller debate.
I was watching Obama dance around these questions on Sunday, and I felt the same way as Keller:
It makes John Kerry’s 2004 discourse on the war appear linear and coherent.
go Full Senate Jacket. His prevaricating on Schieffer’s program the other morning was excruciating. Geez, he better sharpen his skills (and grow a spine) or he’ll be toast.
If we call him out for things like this, it may show him that he needs to take real positions. If we give him a pass, we get the sort of candidate we deserve. I’m not saying to denounce him, but I’m also glad to see that people are naming his slipperiness rather than circling our wagons and saying that he’s the great progressive hope before we even know what he stands for.
Obama is a lot of fluff for the most part. His speeches and books contain nothing more than applause line after applause line. I mean it really isn’t that bold to be in favor of the “American Dream.” Like you say, we needn’t denounce Obama just yet, but we should demand some real answers.
I truly believe that Obama’s political career peaked with his 2004 DNC speech, and has been trending downward from there. Which is kind of sad, really…
I agree completely that it is our responsibility to let all candidates know what we expect of them.
<
p>
However, it is the responsibility of every candidate to let us know what their stance is on key issues. My guess is that he;s deliberately gaining the maximum amount of charm-induced goodwill before making statements that will invariably annoy one constituency or another. But if he plays that game too long, good luck in convincing anyone that he stands for anything at all.
There was nothing feel good about Sunday’s TV appearance. All I felt was the same frustration that I had when John Kerry talked about Iraq, No Child Left Behind, and a bunch of other issues.
I’m not gonna defend his performance on Schieffer, but Obama was out front opposing this war BEFORE the war even started, BEFORE Dean made it an issue and certainly BEFORE the likes of John Edwards, Hillary Clinton, John Kerry and Joe Biden started to regret their votes for the war.
<
p>
Sure, let’s nail Obama down on this issue…but this guy had the guts to oppose the war publicly before any of the above mentioned Senators.
While watching “24” this past weekend, I considered the impact the show would have on Sen. Obama’s candidacy. The current and past “presidents” on the show are black, and I assert that the stronger those presidents carry themselves, the better Obama’s chances will be in the presidential race.
<
p>
24 is providing viewers with an opportunity to experience a fantasy black president and, hopefully, become more comfortable with the prospect of a real black president. In earlier seasons, President David Palmer provided strong and ethical leadership on the show, and I imagine that his performance has helped, at least partially, lay the foundation for Obama’s run. I also imagine that the performance of the current president, Wayne Palmer (David’s brother), will have an even greater effect, as this season runs concurrently with Obama’s presidential exploratory efforts.
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p>
Let’s hope that President Wayne Palmer is able to carry the United States through the terrorist crises on this season’s show, so that Obama can gain greater public acceptance for a black president.
…but then again, I’ve never actually WATCHED ’24’.
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Oddly, it’s a HUGE hit with my most reactionary internet friends.
I’m a huge fan. So is Bruce.
http://seattletimes….
He’s been a big backer of cutting off funding, having a petition on his web site for it.
voted to get us into the Iraq War.
“Just announced by Barbara Walters…”
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You mean they still let her do journalism? More importantly, did she or did she not tell Trump?
Obama spoke against the war from the beginning, when the war was popular and criticizing it was a politically risky thing to do in a state like Illinois.
<
p>
In reading Obama’s comments about Kennedy’s resolution, what I saw was a man who thinks it’s more important to keep his eye on his long-range goal — starting to pull troops out of Iraq over the next 4-6 months — instead of concentrating on short-term tactics. If there was a way to somehow “trade” a short-term escalation for getting the troops out of Iraq later this year, I suspect he’d make it. He’s new to the Senate, and I think he’s still trying to see what all the options are for achieving that goal before he commits.
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p>
(More on Obama in my post here Understanding Barack Obama )
I think he’s still trying to see what all the options are for achieving that goal before he commits If that is the case – if they’re still weighing options (or cuttig deals is more like it), he could have clearly said so. Also, he’s been in the senate for 2 years now. Is that not time enough? Maybe if he had spent less time on the road showcasing himself he might have a better handle on the options (or might be making firm proposals himself).
<
p>
It’s ok to like the candidate, but it sounds like you like him so much you’re making excuses for him. He should be able to speak for himself, and he isn’t doing the best job of that so far. Hopefully he will improve. Soon.
I love it the Dems rejected the ideological purity of Howard Deans simple message on the war, healthcare, and the economy and ditched him for the blithering idiot that was John Kerry with his waffling and wavering. And now the same left that abandoned Dean, exorcized Lieberman from the party and more importantly are now demanding the same purity from Obama they sacrificed to help Kerry.
<
p>
Obama is more than a man, he’s a phenomenon and every little detail and nuance of his policy will be dissected by the media, the bloggers, and inevitably the voters before its even 2008 proper. But I saw that man on the convention stage, living in Hyde Park, Chicago right now I have heard from his old State Senate constituents how much of a great down to earth guy he was and still is and how he is that rare politician that not only exudes compassionate charisma like someone else (Clinton) but one who actually cares.
<
p>
Of course with blogs, newsmedia, the punditocracy, I could easily see our society destroy the most exciting candidacy since Bobby Kennedy.
Hey, no one gets a pass. That’s part of the process, everyone has questions and we need to get answers.
<
p>
I am giving him the benefit of the doubt for now that he does care. But since you’re stating in fact that “he cares”, care to back that up with anything more than it’s just the impression you got after a stage performance by someone you admit to be charismatic?
…without using the words “Iraq” or “Democrat”. As soon as I find out why he’s running, I may get interested.
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via Yahoo News