Well, all the hoopla and "O" press has winded down.  Still throughout the week the MSM was talking about the "O" & "O" affect.  From this standpoint, it was a hell of a party, a lot of monies was raised, folks were still talking about it throughout the week, and Obama is Oprah's candidate for her talkshow couch.  Nuff said.

Obama Was Taken to School by Rush and Learned the Hard Way
This is a good article with the viewpoint of Congressman Bobby Rush of Chicago.  Candid, frank, and honest.  Because you can't win them all, but you must learn not to make the same mistakes, again.

The rise of Barack Obama includes one glaring episode of political miscalculation. Even friends told Mr. Obama it was a bad idea when he decided in 1999 to challenge an incumbent congressman and former Black Panther, Bobby L. Rush, whose stronghold on the South Side of Chicago was overwhelmingly black, Democratic and working class.

Mr. Obama was a 38-year-old state senator and University of Chicago lecturer, unknown in much of Mr. Rush's Congressional district. He lived in its most rarefied neighborhood, Hyde Park. He was taking on a local legend, a former alderman and four-term incumbent who had given voters no obvious reason to displace him.

Mr. Rush's name recognition started off at 90 percent, Mr. Obama's at 11. Then Mr. Rush's son was murdered, leading Mr. Obama to put his campaign on hold. Later, while vacationing in Hawaii with his family, he missed a high-profile vote in the Legislature and was pilloried. (One Chicago Tribune editorial began, "What a bunch of gutless sheep.") Then President Clinton endorsed Mr. Rush.

"Campaigns are always, `What's the narrative of the race?' " said Eric Adelstein, a media consultant in Chicago who worked on the Rush campaign. "In a sense, it was `the Black Panther against the professor.' That's not a knock on Obama; but to run from Hyde Park, this little bastion of academia, this white community in the black South Side -- it just seemed odd that he would make that choice as a kind of stepping out."  more

NY Time Gets It Wrong On Obama
Q&A With Samantha Powers
Obama's California Strategy

                                             
                                  clinton, obama univision debate, university of miami

Iraq, Immigration, Univision

The candidates were asked why they supported a wall along the Mexican border _ and not a similar fence along the U.S.-Canadian border _ a question that seemed to catch them somewhat off-guard. Most avoided answering directly, saying simply that they believed security was a key part of comprehensive immigration reform.

"I do favor more security on the border and in some cases a physical border because that has to be part of securing our borders," Clinton said.

Illinois Sen. Barack Obama spoke of his father's experience as an immigrant and noted that he supported the comprehensive immigration bill that passed the U.S. Senate last year.

Richardson, who has opposed the wall, said he would commit to comprehensive reform in the first year.

"If you're going to build a 12 foot wall. You know what's going to happen? A lot of 13-foot ladders."

But there are strong feelings against the Iraq war among Hispanics, so that topic lead the debate, with the moderators noting that two-thirds of Hispanics support a withdrawal from Iraq. Kucinich was loudly applauded for saying he would pull troops out.

Obama aligned himself with Kucinich.

"I was a strong opponent of the war, as Dennis was," Obama said, adding that President Bush is trying to make it appear that the 35,000 troop surge earlier this year has had an impact.  more, Newsday

In Little Havana, Cuba Si, Obama No
Obama to Reboot his Iraq Policy
Obama Scheduled for Iraq Speech in Clinton, Ia

Websites and Blogs

This Week With Barack Obama; Washington State; Obama Dallas; NewYork4Obama; Texans for Obama; Republicans for Obama; Vermont for Obama; Independents for Obama; Seattle for Obama; Idaho for Obama; Asians for Obama; Bay Area for Obama; Sacramento for Obama; Families for Obama; Irish Americans for Obama; D.C. for Obama

                                   
                                                                    clinton, ia

Obama and Iraq
Senator Barack Obama unveiled his Iraq plan in Clinton, Iowa on Wednesday.  It was promoted as a major policy speech and it was.

Obama proposes pulling all combat brigades out of Iraq by the end of next year.  This plan will leave a small amount of troops in Iraq to battle terrorists, continue training Iraq personnel and to watch American interests.  It is an aggressive plan, one that has come under fire, but we all know what that is about, after his Pakistan speech.  A speech which foreign analysts and his contemporaries, in the end sided with Obama.

Speaking in Iowa, Mr. Obama combined an attack on both parties in Washington for having gotten the United States into the war with the outline of an approach for getting out that immediately drew criticism from the left of his party for being too timid and from Republicans as being irresponsible.

"What's at stake is bigger than this war: it's our global leadership," Mr. Obama said. "Now is a time to be bold. We must not stay the course or take the conventional path because the other course is unknown."

There really is no one with the exception of Gravel,Kucinich and possibly Richardson, who can tout and criticize why we are in Iraq.  The left of the party want total out, and who does not?  The right, Republicans, want us to stay the course, or whatever course it is now.  Sorry, that course keeps changing every time President Bush opens his mouth.

"The best way to protect our security and to pressure Iraq's leaders to resolve their civil war is to immediately begin to remove our combat troops," Mr. Obama said. "Not in six months or one year -- now."
In his address, Mr. Obama proposed removing American combat troops at a pace of one or two brigades a month, which is about twice as fast as American commanders in Iraq have deemed prudent. There are currently about 20 combat brigades in Iraq, which General Petraeus has committed to reducing to 15 next summer.

Under the Obama plan, no more than 10 brigades would be in Iraq at that point. Military experts who supported the administration's "surge" strategy called the troop levels proposed by Mr. Obama insufficient.

Well, it would be insufficient, but this is about troop reduction with the eventual, OUT.  This is what Americans want.

Polls suggest that there is considerable public support for the approach outlined by Mr. Obama. In the latest New York Times/CBS News poll, 56 percent of Americans said they favored reducing troops levels in Iraq, but leaving some forces in place to train Iraqi forces, fight terrorists and protect American diplomats.

Twenty-two percent favored a complete withdrawal in the next year, and 20 percent favored keeping the same number of troops "until there is a stable democracy in Iraq."

No matter who you talk with, Americans do understand that we cannot "yank" troops out with an "adios" to Iraq.  We started the mess in the Middle East, though it was under fraudulent means, The United States of America, in the end is responsible.  And the careful getting out, as careless as we were getting in, is very applicable here.  Yes, whether we like it or not.

Full Text of Obama's Iraq Speech
Iraq Plan Specifics
The Anti-War President Now Has a Name:  Obama
Obama Phone Tool on Iraq

                 
                                                                       dubuque, ia

Obama Appearances

September 17, 2007 - Michelle Obama, Anderson, SC
September 18, 2007 - Coundown to Change, Washington, D.C.
September 19, 2007 - Michelle Obama, Dallas, TX
September 20, 2007 - Countdown to Change, Atlanta, GA
September 20, 2007 - Town Hall, Rock Hill, SC
September 25, 2007 - Countdown to Change, Portland, ME
September 25, 2007 - Michelle Obama, Chicago, IL

Obama/Edwards Ticket?  Or Edwards/Obama?
South Carolina Poll, Movement Towards Obama in the African American Community

kos, kerfuffle & misinterpretation
On Thursday, kos, wrote a piece comparing Dodd and Obama.  It is fair, all candidates and positions should be examined, taken apart, and re-examined.  What happened was that a kos based his diary on a misinterpretation by AP writer, Mike Glover.

The article was based on Obama being frank, stating that the Senate does not have the votes to push through legislation, at this time about Iraq.

Despite the Iraq war's unpopularity, Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama said Thursday that Congress lacks the votes to force a timetable for withdrawing U.S. troops and will focus instead on putting a ceiling on the number deployed.

"One way of ending the war would be setting a timetable. We're about 15 votes short. Right now it doesn't look like we're going to get that many votes," Obama said, referring to the number needed to override an expected veto by President Bush.

What is wrong with this?  Let's be real here.  Jonathan Singer on mydd wrote a diary today stating 60 Votes Does Matter.  And guess what?  It does!!  And 67 votes is cause for popping champaign, because you can override a presidential veto.  So, why the kerfuffle?

kos' vent was the question if Obama will stand up and fight for anything?  Well, those that are supporters were livid, and rightfully so.  Then, kos gets the full remarks of what Obama said, EXACTLY, from his campaign.  See, got to have the audio going 24/7, because if you leave it to any reporter, guess what happens?  Your words get skewed.

Well, kos then back peddled and did the right thing, called, a "correction".  And the Obama Campaign must have had some choice words for the AP reporter, Mike Glover, because his article was revised.  So, what did we learn through all of this?

That when you start writing, yes these diaries, you should have more than one article, information, etc., to back up the consensus of what you are writing.  And if you are going verbatim of what a candidate has to say, let's get the full text of what the candidate said.  Why?  Words can be interpreted different ways by people, period.  Go to a play.  At the intermission, just listen to what people have to say about the play, thus far.  You will get different opinions from practically everyone.  So, if we are serious about what these politicians say, exactly, let's write about that, exactly.  kos did the right thing, he knew he was wrong, and he corrected, himself.  I am sure he will not put his foot in his "laptop", again.  And neither, should we.

                                   
                                                                 maquoketa, ia

Announcements

California Women for Obama; LA Controller Co-Chair for California Women for Obama; Congressman Sanford Bishop for Obama; Wisconsin Lawmakers Endorse Obama; California Black Caucus for Obama; Wisconsin Govenor's Son for Obama; Vermont Lawmakers for Obama; Iowa Lawmakers Backing Obama; New Hampshire Veterans Steering Committee; Nebraska Straw Poll For Obama; Obama wins Hamilton County Straw Poll

Official Obama Store
War Critics Question Obama
Clinton/Obama, Debate, For NYC, Only?
Michelle Obama, Part One, Part Two

Fresh Face or Old School Tactician?

He managed to burnish a reformer's reputation while swimming in the muddy waters of special-interest- infested state politics.

He worked on a nice-guy image while practicing the hardball and brawling tactics of Chicago-style politics.

Now, promoting himself as a fresh face on the national political stage, proclaiming his distance from lobbyists and the Washington culture of special interests, Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) has to contend with his own history.

From Chicago to Springfield, his past is filled with decidedly old-school political tactics -- a history of befriending powerful local elders, assisting benefactors and special interests, and neutralizing rivals.

Obama may be packaged as something new among presidential contenders, but in this town where politics is played like a blood sport he fit right in.

"He knows how the game is played," said Jay Stewart, executive director of Better Government Assn., a nonpartisan group that honored Obama for helping overhaul state ethics law. Stewart called Illinois politics "deeply troubled, if not corrupt" at its core.

"It is very difficult to come out of a system that is flawed and walk out unscathed. Sen. Obama has done better than most. But it's not as if he is a babe in the woods," Stewart said.  more

                         
                                                     students for obama, movement

Video/Audio

Women for Obama; Obama on Today Show; Senate Foreign Relations Hearing with General Petreaus; Obama's Iraq Speech, with introduction by Zbigniew Brzezinski (ZBIG); Iowa Changes Ad; NPR, "All Things Considered", Audio; Zbigniew Brzezinski Online News Hour, Audio

Obama Women Listening Tour
Social Networking Election

                               
                                                              davenport, ia

Events
Become a Nevada Precinct Captain Here; Iowa City Fundraiser Event, Sept 20th; Northern California Organization Meeting, Sept 19th (Boulder Creek); Houseparty With General McPeak, Sept 23rd, Gorham, NH; howardpark's dc events; Las Vegas Book Club Meeting, Oct 5th; Register to Vote, Here

Iowa Homepage
Nevada Homepage
New Hampshire Homepage
South Carolina Homepage
Illinois Headquarters Homepage

Tax Loopholes Hurt Misclassified Workers
ViralVoice Got the Skinny on the Harkin Steak Fry
Obama Wooing Voters

                           
                                           harkin steak fry, indianola, ia, september 16th

p.s......Best Two Speeches at Harkin Steak Fry...Edwards & Obama
Click here, no more wondering if Obama is going to vote for more funding of this war.  But better yet, watch part of it below.....
                             
                                               obama @ harkin's steak fry, sept 16th, part one

                             
                                                obama @ harkin's steak fry, sept 16th, part two

Colleges Organizing
University of Wisconsin
Yale University
University of Madison Wisconsin
Kansas University

Quarter Three, Ends September 30th
There were thousands of Countdown for Change Houseparties, Saturday, September 15th, all across this country.  As we are on a quest for real change, one can not disassociate money and running a campaign.  Especially with the primaries for 2008 being frontloaded on February 5th.  This means that The Obama Campaign need the resources to compete, build, recruit volunteers, and have the troops ready for all they need in these early states and the tsunami of Februay 5th.  If you have not given, tip my obama jar.  Five bucks is the minimum.  This goes directly to the Obama Campaign.  If you appreciate the weekly roundup, go on and tip it.  FYI.  I finally got a blog for all "This Week's", in one spot.  I was asked to do this for other sites, since it would be easy for them, to post just one link.  But check it out and bookmark it.  This Week With Barack Obama.

Fired ABC Consultant Who 'Scammed' Obama and Other Interviews Also Linked to Dubious Newspaper Stories
Oregon and Obama
Obama Broadway Bound
Obama: American people solution to problems

icebergslim's last word:   iraq, no "adios"
I did not know what to write about for my last word, this week.  I mean it has been an up and down week for Obama.  As I was drinking my coffee this morning and powered up my laptop, I ran across this diary on Daily Kos, "not only WHEN we leave, but HOW we leave", by teacherken.

I have been extremely critical, angry about what has happened in Iraq.  I have been disappointed in our government, the politicians who voted for the authorization of Iraq, and the lame media (MSM) who were afraid to report, challenge and fight for the truth coming out of Iraq.  I only want to hear to words, GET OUT!

Well, teacherken, put it out there and sadly, he is right.

Mr. Bush is right, though not in the way he intended. The United States must withdraw, that has become evident, but cannot leave the way we left Vietnam, in a paroxysm of self-absorption, political manipulation, escapism and shame, in which the fates of the Vietnamese became simply collateral damage in our struggle with ourselves. The planning for withdrawal must include provisions for the security of Iraqis who put their faith in us, and that means resettling many of them in the United States. We must not make the same mistake again.

For us to just think that we can leave Iraq with no consequences, is looking at this war with rose colored glasses on.  We can't.  It is simple as that.  What the United States of America did was invade a country with no proof of "weapons of mass destruction", dismantled its government, moved over 100K contractors into Iraq, doing god knows what, opened this country up to terrorism, and a continuing mountain of debt being paid by our banker China.

That is the reality of Iraq.  I know and understand, our troops being sacrificed on a plate, diced up by congress, and dying daily, is a horrible option.  The truth is we just cannot pull out, say "adios", "it's been one, Iraq".  No we cannot.  No one is angrier about this war than me.  No one is more untrusting of any politician, than me.  No one is more pissed off after listening to George W. Bush, on Thursday, stating that we will be in Iraq for decades, than me.  But, the reality is that we are responsible for what has happened in the Middle East.  We are.

No presidential candidate running for office can pull out all the troops.  They cannot.  And to promise to do so, would be a fallacy.  We are responsible for over or close to a million Iraqis being killed.  We are responsible for these families being removed from their homes in Iraq, to become refugees.  We are responsible for no schools, medical care, city services, crime, destitution, yes we are.  But more importantly, we are responsible for not listening to the Arab nations who told us "not to invade", and look what it has cost us and this region.

We are not leaving, because these Arab countries cannot afford to let us leave.  Until strong, fervor diplomatic solutions are to partake, we will continue to be in Iraq.  These diplomatic solutions is with everyone at the table, yes, even the "axis of evil" which constitutes other countries and "insurgents", that Bush don't like.  This is not going to happen by the time Bush leaves office, by the time the next president enters office, and may not even conclude the first term of the next president.  This is the reality.

Do I like this?  No.  But the reality is that no presidential candidate can afford all the troops out.  Not a one.  And until we can sit everyone at the table, until all can come to a conclusion, this war will continue.  Just keepin' it real, folks.  

Shoutouts:  the next president's already screwed; 60 votes does matter, johnathan singer; renters taking the squeeze; horizonr's great diary on netroots double standard on edwards and obama; jena 6, you need to know about this; jena got justice; nyceve is again, spot on; housing market a "perfect storm"; jeffrey feldman, correct, on the gop's manuevering of the moveon.org ad; mcjoan; bored now; CPDem81, you need to read this about lobbyists; ocean circulation; pbs apologizes for brooks; recession emminent?; paul hogarth; abc "anti" sicko; a critical, but fair diary by psifighter37; black kos; gop's savior alan keyes, yes him, again; little progress on iraq; moratorium on fast foods; alcopops???; FishOutofWater; iraq must read; meteor blades; iraq body count; not only WHEN we leave, but HOW we leave; clammy c, on it again; a president for all white people?; and tip my obama jar, here

                       
                       fall is right around the corner, can you feel it?  get ready, change is almost here.....

need to contact me, right here:  icebergslim1047@hotmail.com