THE REAL JOHN SIDNEY MC CAIN, III, BIGOT ADMIRER

h/t NYProgressive: http://irregulartimes.com/index.php

MC CAIN HONORED TO HAVE THE ENDORSEMENT OF RIGHT WING BIGOT, JOHN HAGEE

In the last debate between Senators Clinton and Obama, Timmeh Russert asked Senator Obama very carefully if he accepted the endorsement of Louis Farrakhan, and Obama made it clear that he did not.

Now comes the crazy, rightwing bigot John Hagee, who passes himself off as a pastor. A pastor!

He's a bona fide asshole and idiot who somehow has found a home in the heart and minds of the Christian right. Here are some of his crazed rantings that presidential candidate John Sidney McCain, III, is so pleased to have on his side:

"All Muslims are programmed to kill and we can thus never negotiate with any of them. From an NPR interview Hagee gave to Terry Gross in 2006.

JH: All hurricanes are acts of God, because God controls the heavens. I believe that New Orleans had a level of sin that was offensive to God, and they were recipients of the judgment of God for that. "

...a confrontation with Iran is a necessary precondition for Armageddon (which will mean the death of most Jews, in his eyes) and the Second Coming of Christ."

And Hagee's opinion of the Catholic Church:

'The Great Whore,' an 'apostate church,' the 'anti-Christ,' and a 'false cult system' . . . "

And the Jewish Religion:

"Jews had been responsible for their persecution throughout history because of a failure to properly accept God."

Harry Potter books:

"The whole purpose of the Potter books is to desensitize readers and introduce them to the occult."

The conservatives have no problem with the demented rantings of a seriously deranged lunatic.

I wonder if Timmeh will ask John Sidney McCain, III, about this most illustrious endorsement that he has received from the raving maniac, Hagee.

He has defamed two of America's religious institutions. Why has no one come out and asked John Sidney McCain, III, how he in good conscience can accept the endorsement of a Catholic and Jew hater.

WHO ARE THESE NINETEEN PERCENTERS?????

Yes, he's still the president - but America doesn't have to like it. Last week the American Research Group released its latest poll results, and found that George W. Bush's overall job approval rating is currently... wait for it...

19%

Bush has now beaten his father's anemic 29%, Richard Nixon's resignation-eve 24%, and Harry Truman's all-time-low of 23%. Yes, Our Great Leader is truly sprinting to the finish line - but only to escape the angry mob who are in hot pursuit.

http://journals.democraticunderground.com/top10/326

HOW THE SLIMES ON THE RIGHT HOPE TO RUN A CAMPAIGN AGAINST SENATOR OBAMA

HALPERIN’S TAKE:
Things McCain Can Do to Try to Beat Obama That Clinton Cannot
by Mark Halperin, TIME Magazine




Things McCain can do when running against Obama that Clinton has been unable to do well or at all:

1. Play the national security card without hesitation.

2. Talk about the Iraq War without apologies or perceived contradiction.

3. Go at Obama unambiguously from the right.

4. Encourage interest groups, bloggers, and right-leaning media to explore Obama’s past.

5. Make an issue of Obama’s acknowledged drug use.

6. Allow some supporters to risk being accused of using the race card when criticizing Obama.

7. Exploit Michelle Obama’s mistakes and address her controversial remarks with unrestricted censure.

8. Play dirty without alienating his party.

9. Dismiss Obama’s brief national tenure from his own lofty platform of decades in the Senate – there will be no ambiguity about who has more experience as conventionally defined.

10. Use his sterling war record to reinforce his image of patriotism and valor – and contrast it with his opponent’s.

11. Emphasize Barack Hussein Obama’s unusual name and exotic background through a Manchurian Candidate prism.

12. Employ third party groups like the NRA to hit Obama on issues that might turn off general election voters. Perhaps an ad such as this will run in Ohio: “So, what do you really know about Barack Obama? Did you know he supports meeting with the head of terrorist states? Do you know he wants to get rid of your right to own a handgun? Do you know he is calling for the repeal of the law preventing gay marriage? Do you know he is for a trillion-dollar tax increase? What do you really know about Barack Obama?”

13. Face an electorate less consumed with “change change change” (the main priority for Democratic voters) and keenly interested in “ready from day one” as an equally important ideal.

14. Link biography (experience/courage) and leadership (straight talk) to a vision animated by detail – accentuating Obama’s relative lack of specificity.

15. Give Obama his first real race against a credible Republican. (Clinton has always asserted that Obama would wilt before a fierce Republican assault.)

16. Confront Obama with a united, focused campaign absent of second-guessing, which hits the same themes and message every day.

Barack Obama's Accomplishments as Illinois State and US Senator

UPDATE, Feb. 25, 2008

The redoubtable Neponset from Atrios' comments at Eschaton has this to add:

"What's Obama done? Just this:As a member of the Democratic minority in the 109th Congress, he co-sponsored bipartisan legislation for controlling conventional weapons and for promoting greater public accountability in the use of federal funds. He also made official trips to Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. In the current 110th Congress, he has sponsored legislation on lobbying and electoral fraud, climate change, nuclear terrorism, and care for returned U.S. military personnel. As of February 21, 2008, Obama had sponsored or co-sponsored 570 bills in the 109th and 110th Congress, of which 15 have become lawEnough. --Neponset 02.25.08 - 12:32 pm"


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Original post:

I'm tired of hearing the lazies ask what has Barack Obama accomplished.

Even the melon-headed Tweety of Hardball is too lazy to find out for himself, so he played "gotcha" with an unsuspecting Texas state legislator.

What has Barack Obama accomplished? For those of you too busy to look for yourselves, see below.

From Democratic Underground:

What has Barack Obama ever accomplished?

"Some Say" that those who support Obama do so without a clue, and do so because of a "Svengali" effect his has on his "cult".I say that it is unfortunate, in this age of the Internet, that folks aren’t able to inform themselves, yet are able to post on a Political blog to have a say.I have done my research on Sen. Obama, and so have many of the others who support him. Maybe that is why he is attracting the most educated progressives in this nation; maybe it is because they do their homework, and do not rely on name recognition to determine whom to vote for.So to inform you, please note the following articles that sum up some of what Barack has “done” in his last 11 years in public office.

Considering that Obama may be the Democratic Nominee, I believe that it is important for you, as a public voice, to be informed:His bold legislative work on the Illinois Death Penalty, and how he made a difference between life and death:http://www.icadp.org/page236.html http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/11/12/obama.death.penalty.ap /

His sponsorship of a bill that brought health insurance to 150,000, including 70,000 uninsured Children, again, during his time serving in the Illinois Statehouse: http://factcheck.barackobama.com/factcheck/2007/12/14/fact_check_on_milbanks_claim_t.php http://mediamatters.org/items/200712170003

His work on both the Immigration bill during his time in the US senate and his sponsorship of Ethics legislation (something he did both while in the State House, and in the Senate) that called for some of the most impactful reform regarding lobbyists since Watergate (as he likes to term it):http://factcheck.barackobama.com/factcheck/2007/12/14/fact_check_on_milbanks_claim_t.php http://feingold.senate.gov/~feingold/releases/07/01/200...

And the rest is here:

ANOTHER WIN FOR OBAMA! THAT'S 11 STRAIGHT!

Obama wins global primary

By STEPHEN OHLEMACHER

Associated Press WASHINGTON

February 21, 2008

Barack Obama won the Democrats Abroad global primary in results announced Thursday, giving him 11 straight victories in the race for the Democratic presidential nomination.

The Illinois senator won the primary in which Democrats living in other countries voted by Internet, mail and in person.
Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton has not won a nominating contest since Super Tuesday, more than two weeks ago.

More than 20,000 U.S. citizens living abroad voted in the primary, which ran from Feb. 5 to Feb. 12. Obama won about 65 percent of the vote, according to results released by the Democrats Abroad, an organization sanctioned by the national party.

Voters living in 164 countries cast votes online, while expatriates voted in person in more than 30 countries, at hotels in Australia and Costa Rica, at a pub in Ireland and at a Starbucks in Thailand. The results took about a week to tabulate as local committees around the globe gathered ballots.

"This really gives Americans an opportunity to participate," said Christine Schon Marques, the international chair of Democrats Abroad.
There is no comparable primary among Republicans, though the GOP has several contests this weekend in U.S. territories, including party caucuses in Puerto Rico Sunday.

Obama's win comes just two days after he defeated Clinton in a primary in Wisconsin and caucuses in Hawaii. He leads Clinton 1,351 delegates to 1,262 delegates, not including the 7 delegates yet to be awarded based on the global primary voting results.

OBAMA WINS BIG IN WISCONSIN! ON TO TEXAS!

By John Whitesides

Political Correspondent

MILWAUKEE (Reuters) - Democrat Barack Obama easily beat rival Hillary Clinton in Wisconsin on Tuesday, extending his U.S. presidential winning streak and putting pressure on Clinton to win next month in Ohio and Texas to salvage her campaign.

The Obama win in Wisconsin pushed his hot streak to nine straight victories in Democratic nominating contests. Democrats in Hawaii, where Obama was born and is a heavy favorite, also were voting on Tuesday.

As the results rolled in, both Democrats already were looking ahead to March 4 showdowns in two of the biggest states, Texas and Ohio, which have a rich lode of 334 convention delegates at stake and where Clinton needs wins to stay alive.

"The change we seek is still months and miles away, and we need the good people of Texas to help get us there," Obama said at a rally in Houston after noting his win in Wisconsin.

Up for grabs in Wisconsin and Hawaii were a combined 94 delegates to the August convention that selects the Democratic presidential nominee in November's election. Obama has a slight lead in pledged delegates won in state presidential contests.

COULTER SPEAKS

Coulter explains why she is "trying to associate [Obama] with Saddam Hussein?": "Because I think it's funny"

On Hannity & Colmes, Alan Colmes asked Ann Coulter, "Why do you keep emphasizing his [Sen. Barack Obama's] middle name as if you're trying to associate him with Saddam Hussein?" Coulter replied, "Because I think it's funny." During the interview, Coulter referred to Obama as "B. Hussein Obama" twice and injected: "Get ready for President Hussein, and let's start planning for the next president."

Hey, Coulter! I think it's funny to associate you with Asshole.

Very funny. A.=Asshole Coulter. Get ready for Asshole on all the cable chatter shows and let's start planning to laugh at it.

ON TO WISCONSIN!

MADISON, WI – Wisconsin Governor Jim Doyle today endorsed Barack Obama for President, citing his ability to build a coalition of Democrats, independents, and Republicans that will win in November, and finally deal with big challenges like delivering affordable health care for all Americans, expanding access to education, and bringing fiscal responsibility to Washington.

“As a Governor, I am impressed that Barack Obama has shown leadership qualities throughout his 20 years in public service that are essential for an effective executive,” said Governor Jim Doyle. “Obama listens to competing points of view, but makes strong decisions; he identifies problems, and builds coalitions to confront them; and he inspires people to come together behind a vision of change. He has campaigned like he will govern, by bringing people together and inspiring average Americans to participate in the political process so that we can take on the special interests and the great challenges we face.”

Governor Doyle also called Obama the Democrat who gives the party the best chance to win back the White House: “Obama is in the strongest position to win battleground states like Wisconsin in November and to boost the Democratic majority because he puts problem solving ahead of partisan squabbling.”

“When Washington produced gridlock instead of providing affordable health care coverage and expanding access to education, Governor Doyle delivered in Wisconsin,” said Senator Obama. “Faced with a budget crisis and a tough economic climate, Jim Doyle united Democrats and Republicans to get things done. I’m grateful for Governor Doyle’s endorsement -- he knows what it takes to win, and to unite Americans to govern effectively in a nation that has been divided for too long.”

First elected in 2002, Jim Doyle is serving his second term as the Governor of Wisconsin. Doyle inherited the largest budget deficit in Wisconsin history – a $3.2 billion hole, and he balanced the budget as he worked to make education more affordable and expand health care coverage. By expanding Wisconsin’s BadgerCare program, Doyle’s plan will make affordable health insurance available to 98 percent of all Wisconsin residents, the highest rate in the nation.
In the 2004 presidential election, Wisconsin went Democratic by .4% of the vote, the smallest margin of any state. Governor Doyle was reelected in 2006 with more votes than any Governor in Wisconsin history.

MC CAIN BACKS TORTURE!

Pass the popcorn! All the radical right-wing, radio talk ninnies are out for John McCain's head. As are their faithful followers. They detest McCain because he wants to reach across the aisle for consensus so that we can get this country back on its feet after 8 years of Bush incompetence and national shame. And the goopers hate him for that.

But wait! This just in! McCain backed legislation that says torture is okay! So maybe the goopers will embrace him now that he has done a major flip-flop on a fundamental issue--torture. Torture of all things. Shame on McCain!

Senator McCain, as a former POW, is particularly sensitive to the issue of detention and interrogation of detainees from the War on Terror. On October 3, 2005, Senator McCain introduced the McCain Detainee Amendment to the Defense Appropriations bill for 2005. On October 5, 2005, the United States Senate voted 90-9 to support the amendment.

This amendment would establish the US Army Field Manual on Interrogation as the standard for interrogation of all detainees held in Department of Defense custody, including those held by the Central Intelligence Agency. The amendment would prohibit cruel, inhumane, and degrading treatment and follow sections of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

The Amendment was initially opposed by the Bush administration, particularly Vice-President Dick Cheney. Before the vote supporting the amendment, the White House threatened to veto any language limiting the use of torture on suspected terrorists. However, due to the size of the majority voting in favor, this was not an option. The White House then sought alternative language which would exempt CIA operatives from the torture ban. The Senate refused the compromise.

On December 15, President Bush announced that he accepted McCain's terms and will "make it clear to the world that this government does not torture and that we adhere to the international convention of torture, whether it be here at home or abroad." Nevertheless, President Bush can interpret the law "in a manner consistent with his own constitutional authority." In his signing statement, or interpretation of the law, President Bush reserves what he interprets to be his constitutional right to torture in order to avoid further terrorist attacks.

Senator McCain's Newsweek Article: "Torture's Terrible Toll".

Terror detainee treatment legislation
In September 2006, McCain drew attention when he joined with fellow Republicans John Warner (R-Va.) and Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) to oppose legislation backed by the Bush Administration that would have given the government wide freedoms in the treatment, interrogation and prosecution of terror detainees. In addition, the legislation would have included a reinterpretation of the U.S. duties under the Geneva convention. The three senators proposed their own, more moderate legislation dealing with the same issue.

On September 21, the three dissenting senators reached a compromise with the White House which included many of the provisions from the administration's initial bill, but eliminated the use of secret evidence unavailable to the defense during terror trials and any explicit reinterpretation of the Geneva Convention.

Source: http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=John_McCain

But:

With his "no" vote yesterday on the Senate bill to ban waterboarding by the CIA, John McCain caved in the face of yet another betrayal by George W. Bush. President Bush, after all, stabbed McCain in the back with a 2005 signing statement that defanged the Detainee Treatment Act the now-presumptive GOP presidential nominee championed in the Senate. But in his never-ending quest to appease his party's conservative base, McCain revealed that no humiliation at the hands of George Bush is too great.

By a 51-45 vote, the Senate approved an intelligence bill that would restrict the CIA in its interrogation techniques, banning waterboarding and limiting the agency to 19 less aggressive tactics outlined in the U.S. Army Field Manual. But after the House passed similar legislation in December, the White House predictably promised a veto, arguing the bill "would prevent the United States from conducting lawful interrogations of senior al Qaeda terrorists to obtain intelligence needed to protect Americans from attack."

Just as predictably, John McCain kowtowed to the White House in just his latest affirmation of a de facto Bush third term. As the Washington Post noted:
But McCain sided with the Bush administration yesterday on the waterboarding ban passed by the Senate, saying in a statement that the measure goes too far by applying military standards to intelligence agencies. He also said current laws already forbid waterboarding, and he urged the administration to declare it illegal.

"Staging a mock execution by inducing the misperception of drowning is a clear violation" of laws and treaties, McCain said.

Source: http://www.perrspectives.com/blog/archives/000936.htm

AWESOME!!

Anne Davies

Washington

February 13, 2008

DEMOCRAT presidential hopeful Barack Obama begins his assault on the next round of states with momentum on his side after massive wins in the Potomac primaries, which catapulted him to the lead on the delegate count and showed he was winning over Senator Hillary Clinton's support base.

Polls were kept open for an extra hour in the District of Columbia and Maryland after snow and icy conditions made roads treacherous. But even before they reported, it was clear that Senator Obama was heading for thumping victories.
In Virginia, expected to be Senator Clinton's strongest state, he outpolled her by 63% of the vote to 36%.

Democratic analyst Donna Brazile said the Obama campaign had been expecting to win about 20 delegates in Virginia, but would now be closer to 30.
There is now no doubt that Senator Obama is ahead on delegates won at primaries, and he may even be ahead on the overall delegate count, which includes superdelegates — governors, party officials and former presidents who make up roughly 20% of the votes at the convention.

Some of these are yet to declare their hand.

But the most worrying signs for Senator Clinton were in the details of exit polls from Virginia. It has a much smaller African-American population than DC or Maryland — only about 20% — and so was seen as Senator Clinton's best chance.

But Senator Obama achieved his win with a significant white vote and a majority of the female vote, until now Senator Clinton's two strongest demographics.

According to CNN, Senator Obama got 48% of the white vote to Senator Clinton's 51%. Women in Virginia voted for him 58% to 42%, and he topped up his vote by winning 90% of African Americans.

In Maryland, Senator Obama won with 68% of the vote, while in DC, which has a majority African-American population, he won with 76%, making it eight wins in a row.

"This is what change looks like when it happens from the bottom up," he told roaring supporters in a huge rally in Madison, Wisconsin, where he is already campaigning. "This is the new American majority."

Ms Brazile said this showed Senator Obama was now a "transcendent" candidate.

More Wins for Obama!

Barack Obama wins big! Nebraska, Washington and Louisiana!

On to Virginia!