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POPSMultilateralism Comes With A Price We must work with our allies, but we also must recognize that multilateralism comes with a price. Coalitions can dilute effectiveness. The European concept of multilateralism is Washington's obeisance to European positions. Western Europe exists in a bubble of stability and affluence, unable to fathom how dangerous extremist ideology in Tehran and Pyongyang can be. Multilateral organizations are not the answer; at best, they are ineffective soap boxes, at worst cesspools of venality. Rose petals and well-digging have never stopped bombs, racism or genocide. A strong military has. Obama says, "Let us remember this history." Let us hope he first learns it. Leadership is about more than rhetoric.
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POPSObama's View On Landstuhl: Pentagon's Policy The view from the Pentagon "As a sitting United States senator, Obama obviously has an official interest in the well being of our service members and how the wounded are being treated," Whitman said, adding:"He is welcome to visit a military medical center any time that he wants to. As you all know, we do have certain policy guidelines for political campaigns and elections and what is appropriate and what's not appropriate in those situations," Whitman said. "The Pentagon did not tell the senator that he could not visit Landstuhl." "If you are both a sitting senator and a political candidate when you are doing things like a visit to Landstuhl, you need to do it in your capacity as a sitting senator or you have to do it with the restrictions that apply," Whitman added. Those restrictions include the law that campaign events may not be conducted on a military installation.
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POPSShould Barack Obama Have Skipped Europe And Gone Home? Yes, he was treated as an equal by a world leader. t was great theatre but the Frenchman came off as - how can I put this delicately - a complete clown. We'll see what happens in London but it'll be Gordon Brown hoping a little bit of the Obama magic rubs off rather than the other way round. And then there was the unseemly dispute with the Pentagon over Obama's abandoned plan to visit wounded American troops - something he could have done without. Perhaps the Illinois senator - who drew giggles from the assembled press when he had to point out in Paris that he was not the US president - should have flown back direct from Israel. The Presumptive - and Presumptuous - Nominee By Toby Harnden http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2008/07/the_presumptive_and_presumptuo.html
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POPSObama's Foreign Contributions And The F.E.C. Here, for example are the tabulations for how much a Karen Olsen, a free lance interpreter from Geneva contributed to Obama's campaign, and how much a Canadian management consultant from Toronto named Ronald Hickel got away with. In a way, Mr. Hickel's misdeeds were even more brazen, as he did it in a number of days and it is listed on contiguous entries on the FEC files. Amazing. Wildly amazing that it would not attract any attention: one would think the goverment would have computers that would sound alarms on stuff like this. There is another aspect of all of this, and is is vaguely reminiscent of a ponzi scheme. The federal government is never actually in possession of this money. It stays with the campaigns. In effect, from the day of receipt until the day the money is spent, it is in control of the Obama campaign, totally without interest. And, if it is refunded, it is without interest.
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POPSSen. Obama Scrapped Plans To Visit Landstuhl Medical Center Obama had been planning to go to Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany before a flight to Paris. Gibbs said the stop was canceled because Obama decided "it would be inappropriate to make a stop to visit troops at a U.S. military facility as part of a trip funded by the campaign." Watch video: 4:05
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POPSObama's Idol Status Overseas Many in Washington were scratching their heads while he (McCain) was traipsing through the jungles of Colombia last month. But then came the freeing of hostages held by the FARC Colombian rebels, and McCain looked, well, presidential. And really, that’s the whole point of these “fact-finding” missions – looking good for the cameras. Perhaps these work vacations by politicians are more sophisticated than they first appear. Maybe Americans appreciate the fact that their presidential candidates are traveling beyond the confines of America and seeing the world firsthand. Perhaps, but do not be deceived. These are trips staged to the finest detail, with little left to chance and happenstance. Obama and McCain know this, and they have treated it as such – an extension of their political campaigns. Why do you think the network anchors are along for the ride? It is surely not because of the news quotient that the “surge” is working.
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POPSThe Democrats' Fairy Tale
And the improvements in Anbar could never have been sustained without aggressive American military efforts — efforts that were more effective in 2007 than they had been in 2006, due in part to the addition of the surge forces. Last year’s success, in Anbar and elsewhere, was made possible by confidence among Iraqis that U.S. troops would stay and help protect them, that the U.S. would not abandon them to their enemies. Because the U.S. sent more troops instead of withdrawing — because, in other words, President Bush won his battles in 2007 with the Democratic Congress — we have been able to turn around the situation in Iraq. And now Iraq’s Parliament has passed a de-Baathification law — one of the so-called benchmarks Congress established for political reconciliation. For much of 2007, Democrats were able to deprecate the military progress and political reconciliation taking place on the ground by harping on the failure of the Iraqi government to pass the benchmark legislation
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POPSAbout Obama’s Comments At The Holocaust Memorial And Museum continued; going without at home to help the fighting men overseas. Words matter. Perhaps my words in the post, Obama: WWII won by speaking out as one voice, were not adequate to portray the betrayal of America’s–and the worlds–greatest generation. Perhaps I am simply making too much of nothing. Sure, Obama will say, it was just a euphemism; of course he honors the sacrifices, blah blah blah. But I do not believe this is the truth. I believe that his words do mean something. His words assault the reality and remove the sacrifices. His words turn my grandparents and great uncles and great aunts into nothing, pushed aside in favor of modern liberal rhetoric with no goal beyond winning an election. Our greatest generation did not speak out. They fought; they sacrificed; they died; and, ultimately, they saved the world.
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POPSA USAF Captain’s Observation Of Obama’s Visit To Afghanistan So really he was just here to make a showing for the Americans back home that he is their candidate for President. I think that if you are going to make an effort to come all the way over here you would thank those that are providing the freedom that they are providing for you. I swear we got more thanks from the NBA Basketball Players or the Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders than from one of the Senators, who wants to be the President of the United States . I just don’t understand how anyone would want him to be our Commander-in-Chief. It was almost that he was scared to be around those that provide the freedom for him and our great country. If this is blunt and to the point I am sorry but I wanted you all to know what kind of caliber of person he really is. What you see in the news is all fake. In service, CPT J Bagram, Afghanistan
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POPSMessiah Lies About His Senate Committee Assignment John explains the rest: But Obama is not a member of the Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee. Obama just made that up so he could count the committee's action as one of "my deeds." If committed by a Republican, this would be a gaffe of historic proportions. Even a Senator as inattentive to his duties as Obama certainly knows what committees he serves on. For him to fabricate the claim, out of whole cloth, that the Senate Banking Committee is " committee," strikes me as another sign of Obama's megalomania. That, plus more evidence that he is totally at sea without a teleprompter. Illinois Senator's Record Of Inaction Leaves Him Discredited WASHINGTON, July 14 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The following is being issued by the Republican National Committee: As Chairman Of The Subcommittee With NATO Oversight, Obama Has Failed To Hold Any Hearings On Afghanistan:
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POPSMedia "Obamathon" Couric Showcases Obama Over McCain The Media Is In Love With Barack It's pretty obvious that the media has a bizarre fascination with Barack Obama. Some may even say it's a love affair. Watch the video 2:56 http://www.johnmccain.com/ It has been an Obamathon ever since the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee touched down in Afghanistan. At today's press conference in Amman, a throng of reporters recorded his every move. In total, 200 journalists requested seats on “Air Obama” -- 40 of them were accepted. The bill for the trip? About $20,000 each.
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POPSThis Is So Much More "Changier" I mean Barack H. Obama is doing some pretty wacky things on this tour. Sitting in Head of state chairs, negotiating foreign policy, utilizing terrorist organizations for security, issuing dress code to the paparazzi, I mean media, hehe, speaking from historic monuments in Germany, all as if he were the actual POTUS? But this must be the best (Worst) thing yet! Of course I hedge that bet as we are only into day two, so we do have some more fun in store I'm sure. That being said, it seems our Jr Senator has decided to remove the US flag and insignia from the US aircraft he is using and opted instead for the logo for his 08 campaign? Maybe this wouldn't be such a big deal if it were not for the fact that he is on a US taxpayer excursion!
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POPSAfghanistan: Obama Sees Problems; McCain Sees A solution The differences are not small ones, and reflect a distinction between the kind of staff-driven, laundry-list mush that sees the immensity of a problem and a leader-driven set of priorities that sees a solution. It is the distinction between Obama's opposition to the Iraq surge and McCain's support for it: not just the courage to make the tough choice, but the clarity to follow the right course. It's also the distinction between winning the war and simply ending it. Thomas Donnelly is the Resident Fellow in Foreign & Defense Policy Studies at the American Enterprise Institute.
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POPSMaliki's Bet Mr. Obama, he is also placing one on Mr. McCain, which is that in the event the Republican is elected, he will place principle and the national interest over politics and petty vindictiveness. For our part we see the emergence of an Iraq making its own choices in these matters rather than having them dictated by the American ambassador or American generals as yet another sign of victory in the Battle of Iraq. The Iraqis want America as their friends whether Mr. Obama or Mr. McCain is president. For all the talk by critics of how the Iraq War supposedly alienated America from the world, here is an administration in Baghdad maneuvering for a friend in the White House.
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POPSSupport Of Obama Shaped By Ahmad Chalabi Advice security decisions of Iraq's army to forward a Shiite confessional agenda. The role of Mr. Chalabi, whose party failed to gain any seats in the 2005 federal parliamentary elections, should be of interest to close watchers of the Bush administration. While Mr. Chalabi has clashed with both the American embassy and at times with Mr. Maliki, he nonetheless is still regarded among the Shiite political class as knowledgeable of American politics from his days lobbying for the Iraq Liberation Act in Washington. At the time, in the late 1990s, Senator McCain was one of Mr. Chalabi's biggest supporters. Mr. Brooke yesterday pointed out that Mr. Chalabi was appointed in 2007 by Mr. Maliki to chair a special committee aimed at restoring basic services to the citizens of Baghdad. "Maliki was number two in the Debaathification commission from the beginning when it was started in 2003. He has been in constant contact with Dr. Chalabi since that time," Mr. Brooke said.
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POPSGeneral Obama Calls For Shift Of U.S. Forces To Afghanistan Obama, who has made his opposition to the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq five years ago a centerpiece of his campaign, was in Baghdad to assess security in Iraq, where violence has fallen to its lowest level since early 2004. Iraqi government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh said Obama did not mention his pledge to remove U.S. combat troops within 16 months if he takes office in talks with Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki. But in comments suggesting Iraq and Obama are not far apart on the timeframe, Dabbagh said Baghdad's goal was for foreign combat forces to leave by the end of 2010 if security conditions allowed. Dabbagh has floated a similar timeframe before. "We cannot give any timetables or dates but the Iraqi government believes the end of 2010 is the appropriate time for the withdrawal of the forces," Dabbagh told reporters. http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080721/pl_nm/iraq_dc
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POPSBarack Obama Will Do The Unthinkable In London This Week With the world as his stage, Obama, 46, hopes to persuade Americans that he is ready to become commander-in-chief. His minders are determined there will be no pictures of him in a flak-jacket or tank looking wimpish — the cause of Michael Dukakis’s downfall in the 1988 White House race. A poll in The Washington Post last week showed that 72% of Americans thought McCain, a Vietnam war hero, would make a good commander-in-chief; only 48% felt the same way about Obama. Yet the global coming of the Obamessiah is manna for critics who claim the Illinois senator has embarked on a humourless cult of personality. Exhibit A last week was his po-faced reaction to a satirical cartoon on the cover of The New Yorker showing Obama as a turban-wearing Muslim and his wife Michelle with a black-power Afro, wearing military fatigues. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/us_elections/article4363044.ece
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POPSTerrorists' Assignment: Protect Barack Obama The Israeli Defense Forces, working with U.S. security coordinators, will protect the main West Bank highway Obama's convoy will use to approach Ramallah. Security for Obama will be largely turned over to the Palestinians once he enters Ramallah, although security plans are being heavily coordinated with the U.S.
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POPSObama's Youth: Hope, Change And Snappy Uniforms 50 hours a year. 100 hours for college students, provided their type of service is deemed acceptable by a sprawling new Federal bureaucracy. Oh, and Obama's going to double the size of the Peace Corps while quadrupling AmeriCorps. I'm curious if anyone will be left to fill all the newly vacated private sector jobs. St. Barack concluded his speech with this gem: "Loving your country must mean accepting your responsibility to do your part to change it." But what if I love my country the way it is? Throwing more kerosene on the mob's torches, Obama is moving his nomination acceptance speech to Denver's 75,000-seat outdoor stadium. And is thinking about a speech at Berlin's Brandenburg Gate. Odd that he didn't choose Nuremberg. We've talked a lot about Liberal Fascism. Apparently, it wasn't a moment too soon. UPDATE: A Lizard invasion? Thanks for the LGF link, Charles!
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POPSPolitical Theater al-Maliki Style As the security situation has improved, Iraqis increasingly are calling for the drawdown of American troops, and it probably will be a top issue in the provincial elections. Maliki has tried to balance voters’ preference for the departure of foreign forces with the Bush administration’s opposition to a timeline. In an interview with Germany’s Der Spiegel magazine this week, Maliki seemed to endorse Obama’s troop-withdrawal proposal, drawing the ire of the White House. The prime minister's office later backed away from the interview. But Monday’s statement by Maliki’s spokesman suggested that he's speaking with an audience different from the White House in mind: Iraqi voters.
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POPSDinosaur Media March Deeper Into The Tar Pit Barry O is on his preemptive victory lap around the world and he steadfastly refuses to take questions from the foreign press. I wonder why? it's not like he isn't great reading off a prompter ?off the cuff?answering tough questions right? What would our media say if it was the Maverick dodging tough questions? I kinda doubt they would let it slide, but the Obama slinks along unmolested by any serious scrutiny from our self-selected watchdogs of the Fourth Estate. It is refreshing as a member of the newest type of new media to know that every day the solons of the liberal e-light who make up the dinosaur media march ever deeper into the tar pit.
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POPSAnti-Obama Movie On The Way: Citizens United One prominent Citizens United movie is “Celsius 41.11,” which says it tells the “truth behind the lies” of the Michael Moore movie “Fahrenheit 9/11.” Other Citizens United movies are critical of the United Nations, illegal immigration, and the American Civil Liberties Union, while one movie promotes Newt Gingrich and his ideas. The conservative group is also looking to the U.S. Supreme Court for help in advertising the anti-Hillary movie. It is opposing a federal regulation, under the McCain-Feingold Act, requiring that a disclaimer that identifies the group be placed at the end of television ads promoting the movie and criticizing Mrs. Clinton. It is also arguing that it should not have to disclose how much it spent to produce the movie and the ads, nor who contributed to it. The Supreme Court is scheduled to decide next week whether it will hear the case.
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POPSEurope's Governments Immune To Obama-Fever BERLIN (Reuters) - European fans will cheer on U.S. presidential candidate Barack Obama as he visits Berlin, Paris and London this week, but governments wary of his inexperience and evolving policies fear the euphoria is overdone. Largely an unknown quantity in Europe, the Democratic contender is due to land here on Thursday, kicking off the second part of a foreign tour that began in the Middle East with a speech on trans-Atlantic relations in the German capital.
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POPSMiddle East Minefield For Barack Obama But Israeli officials - with whom he's reportedly meeting on Tuesday - will press him to define his policies about nuclear power and Iran, experts said. "The Israelis are going to have real questions about Iran, and about how he views taking out nuclear facilities there - if they haven't done it already themselves by the time Bush leaves," said Larry Sabato, director of the University of Virginia's Center for Politics. "That topic will come up, on both sides. He'll get asked about it," said former State Department Mideast analyst Graeme Bannerman. "He's got to remember he's speaking to Americans - he's in a campaign, after all - even if that means he has to say things that make the locals very nervous."
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POPSDemocrats And Gasoline that they must have some gall to criticize creationism when they in fact subscribe to its economic equivalent. But as I wrote last week, I don't really think they are this ignorant. They're providing a rhetorical distraction to the fact that they want high gas prices, probably higher ones than we have right now. Meanwhile, in order to deflect and even harness consumer anger in the political arena, they can send out Chuck Schumer to put on this dog-and-pony show about the phantoms that are secretly directing the economy from behind closed doors. It's a smokescreen. As an energy consumer, you should be a lot more concerned about what Democrats are doing in the open Senate chamber. The gas crisis finally hit Capitol Hill with full fury this week, and Senate Democrats have launched a plan that sounds ambitious: Take on Wall Street speculators, OPEC, price gougers and Big Oil. http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0408/9967.html
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POPSIch Bin Ein Beginner....er,.....Berliner German leader casts doubt over Obama's grand Berlin entrance "It is unusual to do electioneering abroad," spokesman Thomas Steg said. "It is unusual to hold election rallies abroad. No German candidate for high office would even think of using the National Mall (in Washington) or Red Square in Moscow for a rally because it would not be seen as appropriate." Speaking from Japan, where Mrs Merkel is taking part in the G8 meeting, Mr Steg said it was up to Senator Obama to decide what was "in good taste" but added that the Chancellor found the idea "a bit odd".
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POPSObama Now Supports The Bush Policy?...And How 'Bout The Worshipping Media The press isn’t just acting like Obama is already president - they’re exceeding the sort of international coverage they have given the sitting president, who could barely buy a headline while in Africa and whose recent trip to Japan - which occurred during his birthday - went widely unnoted. But that’s the honest, balanced, unbiased mediating intelligence” of the modern day mainstream media. You do realize, don’t you, that if a GOP candidate with weak foreign policy was doing the same thing - making a “world tour” with dramatic backdrops - the press would be sneering about how the whole thing is a “stunt” meant to “deflect his inexperience.” I know you know it, but I had to say it, anyway. But hey, no bias here.
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POPSMcCain Hits Obama On Iraq, Outlines Afghanistan Plan some of whose members have national restrictions on where their troops can go and what they can do. This is no way to run a war.” The Arizona senator touted the Afghan army as a “great success story” and said it needs to be expanded. He added that the global community should share the cost of doubling the size of the Afghan army. “We must convince Pakistanis that this is their war as much as it is ours. And we must empower the new civilian government of Pakistan to defeat radicalism with greater support for development, health and education,” McCain said. “Sen. Obama has spoken in public about taking unilateral military action in Pakistan. In trying to sound tough, he has made it harder for the people whose support we most need to provide it,” he added. “I will not bluster, and I will not make idle threats. But understand this: When I am commander in chief, there will be nowhere the terrorists can run, and nowhere they can hide.”
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POPSObama’s $50 Billion AIDS Bill Up For Vote However, the United Nations over the years has greatly exaggerated the number of those with HIV/AIDS and it is still difficult to get accurate estimates of the problem. Richard Darling of the FAIR Foundation told AIM on Friday that federal funding for most diseases is being cut back while spending on AIDS is continuing to rise. fairfoundation.org/ On Friday, the Senate voted 65-3 to proceed to floor action on the bill, with many members absent or not voting. Those voting to invoke cloture and proceed included Senate Republican Leader McConnell. However, this does not mean that all of those voting to bring the bill to the Senate floor will support it when a final vote on the actual legislation is taken. Some lawmakers have been intimidated by AIDS activists coming to Washington to deliver funeral wreaths to those standing in the way of the passage of the legislation. Opponents of the bill have been labeled as “Global AIDS Super villains” by the homosexual lobby.
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POPSBravo For Bush And Bravo For The Traders Well, if Congress moves to seal the deal, oil prices will probably keep on falling. That’s the way traders work. They discount the future. Psychology and expectations can turn on a dime. The congressional ban on offshore drilling expires September 30, so that becomes a key date. A new report from Wall Street research house Sanford C. Bernstein says that California actually could start producing new oil within one year if the moratorium were lifted. The California oil is under shallow water and already has been explored. Drilling platforms have been in place since before the moratorium. They’re talking about 10 billion barrels worth off the coast of California. There’s also a “gang of 10” in the Senate, five Republicans and five Democrats, that is trying to work a compromise deal on lifting the moratorium. So it’s possible a lot of action on this front could occur much sooner than people seem to think. Deregulate, decontrol, and unleash the American energy industry.
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POPSAre Facts Obsolete? Thomas Sowell now that he has gotten their votes in the Democratic primaries and needs the votes of others in the coming general election. The question of how to raise more revenue may be the economic issue but the political issue is whether socking it to “the rich” in the name of “fairness” gains more votes. What matters politically is the image of coming out on the side of “the people” against “the privileged.” When ABC's Charles Gibson reminded him of the well-documented fact that lower tax rates on capital gains had produced more actual revenue collected from that tax than the higher tax rates had, Obama was unmoved.
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POPSObama's Berlin Speech At Brandenburg Gate Controversy Obama, a first term Illinois senator, is planning a trip to Europe and the Mideast this summer to bolster his foreign policy credentials -- one of the strong points of his Republican opponent, John McCain, in the November election. The German government has denied that Washington put pressure on Merkel to block the proposed Obama speech. German newspapers reported Bush administration officials had signaled their reservations about Obama speaking at the landmark. A focal point of Cold War tensions, West Berlin was kept free during a Soviet blockade six decades ago by a U.S.-led Air Lift. Since then, American leaders from John Kennedy to Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton have delivered major speeches in Berlin.
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POPSNot All Democrats Want To Ride Obama's Coattails historically Republican House seat, "hasn't had time to be concerned with presidential politics" and won't be going to the Democratic convention, his spokesman said. But there may be more than busy schedules involved in some Democrats' reluctance to be associated with Sen. Obama. eing an Obama cheerleader may not be an asset," Mr. Gonzales said. In Georgia, Democrat Jim Marshall represents a solidly Republican rural district and typically neither endorses his party's candidate nor attends its conventions. Sen. Obama's coattails could be helpful to challenger Jim Himes in the Democratic-leaning Greenwich, Conn., district represented by Christopher Shays, a Republican. Political oddsmakers call the race a toss-up. Among the most vulnerable are 26 freshman Democrats and one freshman Republican. A few of those Democrats facing tough races already have signaled their ambivalence toward Sen. Obama, the Democratic candidate.
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POPSMAKING IT: How Chicago Shaped Obama. There was also a more general belief that, after Obama won the 2004 United States Senate primary, he ignored his South Side base. Preckwinkle said, “My view is you have to bring your constituency along with you. Granted, you have to make some tough decisions. Granted, sometimes you have to make decisions that people won’t understand or like. But it’s your obligation to explain yourself and try to do your supporters the courtesy of treating them with respect.” Ivory Mitchell, who for twenty years has been the chairman of the local ward organization in Obama’s neighborhood—considered the most important Democratic organization on the South Side—was one of Obama’s earliest backers. Today, he says, “All the work we did to help him get where he finally ended up, he didn’t seem too appreciative.” A year ago, Mitchell became a delegate for Hillary Clinton. http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2008/07/21/080721fa_fact_lizza?printable=true
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