Two things (Betty)

I'm Betty and my site is Thomas Friedman is a Great Man. I'm filling in for Ruth tonight because, at my site, I do chapters revolving around Betinna, a young woman drugged and tricked into being Thomas Friedman's wife. I work from an outline and I try to pull things in the news into the chapters but sometimes it is not easy.

There are two topics I wanted to address and I doubt I could fit them in so thank you to Ruth for letting me grab her site tonight.

1) Hopefully you've already read C.I.'s "Other Items" from this morning. If not, my father's mentioned. He will pick up the phone to call C.I. about anything. That's Dad. And I'm not slamming him for it. But he was right about something -- and he usually is right -- and it's also a point I made at Third Estate Sunday Review. I should probably explain that Dad is a deacon at our church. It is a Black church. (And, in case you don't know, I'm Black.)

Barack Obama trashed Jeremiah Wright yesterday and this morning the media found a Black pastor to put on TV who stated Wright's remarks were offensive. Wright's remarks were offensive. They are offensive. And it was also offensive to see the media, prior to Barack's stunt yesterday, try to act like they weren't offensive, to act as if "Oh that's just what those crazy Blacks do when they're in church!" We do not go to churches where pastors stimulate sex in the middle of sermons by thrusting their hips. We do not go to churches where "s**t" and other words are tossed around from the pulpit by our pastors.

I am the mother of three small children and you can be sure that were my pastor ever to start cursing in church, I would rise, tell them to follow me and we would immediately walk out. My children are not allowed to speak like that and I cannot take part in a church that would encourage that. How would I ever tell them, "Don't say that, it's not a polite word?" They would immediately respond that they heard it in church.

The thing that bothered me about the media also bothered me about some would-be Black 'leaders' because the media didn't invent the narrative by themselves, they were assisted with a lot of disgusting people who came forward to 'vouch' for Wright.

You'll note I haven't even touched on Wright's crackpot theories or his damning of the United States. It never would have gotten that far for me. The minute he either started cursing in a sermon or thrusting his hips, I would have been out the door. The only way I would have taken my children back to that church would be if I were told he had been replaced. That is not acceptable behavior. It is shameful behavior.

And it shameful that the NAACP elected to treat Wright as someone the Black community 'needed' to hear from by staging an event for him over the weekend.

Now Barack's tossed Wright aside and he should have done that a long time ago. His judgement is very, very poor. That he allowed his children to be raised in that church is frightening and there's no excuse for it. The children may or may not have been present during the sermons. It doesn't matter. Children talk and they listen. Most children at Wright's church had a good idea of exactly how smutty he was working the pulpit.

It was NEVER acceptable. Wright's behavior and remarks were offensive before Barack 'disowned' him. And they should have been called out from the start. By Barack, to be sure. But also by the media. The smearing of the Black community with "That's how those crazy Black folks act in church" was offensive and that was always the subtext.

Michelle Obama wants America to 'move on.' I don't think so. She and her husband need to apologize because it took them both a very long time to hold Wright accountable (in fact, I haven't heard Michelle disown Wright's remarks) and they inflicted him upon the nation. In addition, they allowed the Black Churches to be smeared for Barack's campaign. It's not time to 'move on,' it's time for both of them to apologize for not breaking with Wright sooner and to apologize specifically to the Black community for trying to involve us in the sorry spectacle that was their pastor.

2) Black women need to wise up and I say that as a Black woman who frequently has been tricked. There is a newspaper in Texas called African-American News & Issues. No link. Search it if you want, I believe it's PDF online. My father was faxed a column in it by Bud Johnson entitled "The 'Condi' Factor: Could Rice split the Black vote?" Bud Johnson is writing about the rumors that Condi might be John McCain's running mate. In the course of writing about that and wondering what it would mean for the Black vote, he writes: "Black and proud aside, in spite of Black Dem's prpensity to condemn Black Republicans, sisterhood overrides Black pride and/or party loyalty."

That should be offensive to most Black women. We're always 'suspect.' We might not prop up that poor Black man always under assault. Do you believe that nonsense?

If Black men are under assault, what are we? Because we don't just do our jobs, we often have to do their jobs as well. Absentee fathers (by choice or circumstances) means we're carrying more of the burden. (Believe me, I know all about that.) And certainly Black women are supposed to come to the call of 'Black' Barack (he's bi-racial). I'm a Black woman supporting Hillary so I'm used to the 'traitor!' e-mails. But for anyone not grasping it, if you're a Black woman, you're always suspect.

It's always play the violins for the Black men. Now the prison rate is shocking but let's not pretend everyone got set up or everyone took part in a victimless crime. Throughout history, the Black woman has not only had to do her job and others, she's also had to avoid calling attention to that because, oh my, Black men are under assault!

I'm really to the point where I don't offer excuses anymore. I'm not denying racism, it exists. It is very real. I'm talking about the constant whining about the Black man. While Black women have time and again tried to improve their children's lives, I'm real tired of this historical nonsense about the Black man. You can be sure if Barack was Barbara, there wouldn't be the big push to support her.

And reading Bud Johnson's little slam about my loyalties (about all Black women's loyalities) just reminded me yet again of how 'suspect' we're always made to be. The reality is the Black woman can pretty much do anything. She faces racism and sexism and other barriers. She rarely gets credit for her accomplishments. But she can do it and the reason she can is because far too often she's had to.

And the thanks for that is to be considered 'suspect.'

Bud Johnson may say he was quoting someone else. The statement has a quote mark at the end of it but not at the start. The whole thing's printed badly on the page and if he's quoting someone, it's not clear. But, if he is quoting, he chose to quote. It's an offensive quote (or statement by Johnson) and it's yet another slam at the Black woman.

I'm really sorry that Black men are often stereotyped as "shiftless" and I'm real sorry about the rate of prison incarceration. But the reality is that some are "shiftless" (and I'm sure many more White men are shiftless) and that not everyone in prison is a victim. At some point, people have to not only recognize discrimination but also take responsibility. Instead, it's slam the Black woman again. It's getting really old and it's been going on for centuries.

The most oppressed person in the Black community is and always will be the Black child. Male or female, that is the most oppressed. I say that because, like all children, they see no barriers. Society has a way of pointing them out. Our focus should be on the children not on boo-hooing the problems of the Black male which, in some cases, they've added to on their own.

When Bud Johnson writes or quotes a slam on Black women, when he questions our Blackness, you better believe Black women have every right to scream, "Enough!" And we should. We're the ones holding the Black community together. And the thanks we get for that is cheap little smears. Our mothers, our grandmothers, our great-grandmothers and on and on got the same thing as well. We haven't had the luxury of 'dropping out' of the larger culture to avoid discrimination. We've faced discrimination in our communities, faced abuse in our own families. We've overcome very real odds and still have a long, long way to go. But we don't get thanked for that. Instead we get questioned.

It's tired, it's old (centuries old) and it needs to stop.

Thank you again to Ruth for letting me fill in. In case anyone wants to send hate mail, leave Ruth out of it, my e-mail address is thomasfriedmanisagreat@yahoo.com.

Here's C.I.'s "Iraq snapshot:"

Wednesday, April 30, 2008. Chaos and violence continue, the US military announces more deaths, figures for April refute claims of a slow-down in violence, Robert Gates tries to happy talk it, and more.


Starting with war resistance. Iraq War resister Ehren Watada will be the topic Friday at Carleton College (1 North College Street, Northfield, MN). Esther Pak (Carleton News) reports:

Dr. Vijay Prashad will present a convocation entitled "Watada's Election: Asian Americans and These Asian Wars" on Friday, May 2 at 10:50 a.m. in the Skinner Memorial Chapel. Prashad's presentation will examine Asian Americans, the Iraq War, and the upcoming election, with reference to Hawaii-born First Lieutenant Ehren Watada, who was the first commissioned officer to publicly refuse deployment to the Iraq War and occupation. Following the convocation, Prashad will sign copies of his books, which will also be available for purchase at the event at a 15% discount. Prashad's appearance is free and open to the public.

The presentation is scheduled to last one hour. In February 2007, Watada was court-martialed and Judge Toilet (aka John Head) ruled a mistrial over defense objection as the defense was about to present their side (Watada was taking the stand and suddenly Head felt a stipulation both the defense and the prosecution had agreed to, one Head has not only signed off on but explained to the jury, was 'prolbematic,' Watada was prepared to testify, Head stopped the trial). Due to Judge Toilet's ruling, the Constitution's provision against double-jeopardy should have kicked in. Judge Toilet immediately announced a new court-martial would take place in March (2007) but, of course, it didn't. A civilian court found (in November) the double-jeopardy argument compelling and Watada's legal status is currently in limbo. He continues to report for duty on base despite the fact that his service contract expired in December 2006. It's long past time for the military to stop their persecution of Watada and discharge him.

While he waits, so do US war resisters in Canada who are hoping to be granted safe harbor status and the Canadian Parliament will debate a measure this month on that issue. You can make your voice heard. Three e-mails addresses to focus on are: Prime Minister Stephen Harper (pm@pm.gc.ca -- that's pm at gc.ca) who is with the Conservative party and these two Liberals, Stephane Dion (Dion.S@parl.gc.ca -- that's Dion.S at parl.gc.ca) who is the leader of the Liberal Party and Maurizio Bevilacqua (Bevilacqua.M@parl.gc.ca -- that's Bevilacqua.M at parl.gc.ca) who is the Liberal Party's Critic for Citizenship and Immigration. A few more can be found here at War Resisters Support Campaign. For those in the US, Courage to Resist has an online form that's very easy to use.
There is a growing movement of resistance within the US military which includes Matt Mishler, Josh Randall, Robby Keller, Justiniano Rodrigues, Chuck Wiley, James Stepp, Rodney Watson, Michael Espinal, Matthew Lowell, Derek Hess, Diedra Cobb, Brad McCall, Justin Cliburn, Timothy Richard, Robert Weiss, Phil McDowell, Steve Yoczik, Ross Spears, Peter Brown, Bethany "Skylar" James, Zamesha Dominique, Chrisopther Scott Magaoay, Jared Hood, James Burmeister, Jose Vasquez, Eli Israel, Joshua Key, Ehren Watada, Terri Johnson, Clara Gomez, Luke Kamunen, Leif Kamunen, Leo Kamunen, Camilo Mejia, Kimberly Rivera, Dean Walcott, Linjamin Mull, Agustin Aguayo, Justin Colby, Marc Train, Abdullah Webster, Robert Zabala, Darrell Anderson, Kyle Snyder, Corey Glass, Jeremy Hinzman, Kevin Lee, Mark Wilkerson, Patrick Hart, Ricky Clousing, Ivan Brobeck, Aidan Delgado, Pablo Paredes, Carl Webb, Stephen Funk, Blake LeMoine, Clifton Hicks, David Sanders, Dan Felushko, Brandon Hughey, Logan Laituri, Jason Marek, Clifford Cornell, Joshua Despain, Joshua Casteel, Katherine Jashinski, Dale Bartell, Chris Teske, Matt Lowell, Jimmy Massey, Chris Capps, Tim Richard, Hart Viges, Michael Blake, Christopher Mogwai, Christian Kjar, Kyle Huwer, Wilfredo Torres, Michael Sudbury, Ghanim Khalil, Vincent La Volpa, DeShawn Reed and Kevin Benderman. In total, at least fifty US war resisters in Canada have applied for asylum.
Information on war resistance within the military can be found at The Objector, The G.I. Rights Hotline [(877) 447-4487], Iraq Veterans Against the War and the War Resisters Support Campaign. Courage to Resist offers information on all public war resisters. Tom Joad maintains a list of known war resisters. In addition, VETWOW is an organization that assists those suffering from MST (Military Sexual Trauma).


In Iraq, the assault on Sadr City, a Baghdad neighborhood, continues. AFP reports that the central (puppet) government in Baghdad is pleased: "'There were 925 martyrs in Sadr City and 2,605 others have been wounded,' in the firefights that began on March 25 and are still continuing, said Tehseen Sheikhly, a spokesman for the government's Baghdad security plan." Prior to the press conference, outlets, such as the BBC, were going with 400 for the death toll. CBS and AP note: "Previous Interior Ministry casualty figures for the past month had indicated that less than 400 people had perished. It was not immediately possible to reconcile the conflicting figures. Officials at the Baghdad military operations center said they could not confirm al-Sheikhly's count." Al Jazeera notees Sadr City residents testimonies that they were attacked by an air assault today and the US military's claim that "only rockets" were used because "a sandstorm had grounded US helicopters." For those who've forgotten the assault on Sadr City was supposed to be the sideshow. The main story was supposed to be the assault on Basra and the world was supposed to watch in awe of the awesome powers of Nouri al-Maliki -- the puppet installed by the US as prime minister in the spring of 2006 who has done nothing to ease tensions (let alone violence) in Iraq. al-Maliki was seen as puppet and an ineffective one at that having failed to offer up anything save for the never-ending "crackdowns" that began in June of 2006 when the Green Zone was almost breached. As two years of 'leadership' was being reached, the assault on Basra was supposed to be a for-show measure that would instill global faith in al-Maliki.

It was Easter Weekend -- Bully Boy declared in March 22nd radio address that it was a "special and holy time" -- and what better way to 'celebrate' than beef up the assault on civilians? Monday, March 24th, at the White House, Dana Perino, White House flack, was insisting that the "vast majority" of relatives who'd lost loved ones were insisting that the White House continue the Iraq War and, with the 4,000 mark having been passed, that wasn't going down as easy with the press as it had before. Helen Thomas had questioned that assertion and asked how Perino could make that claim "with certainty?" Perino's answer was that the Bully Boy had "said that repeatedly" so, apparently, it must be true.Thomas then asked if "he takes responsibility for a war that he started without provocation that led to 4,000 deaths and 30,000 dramatically injured for life?" Perinos shoved that question aside and, pressed by Thomas, stated, "I think that he knew that the war was going to require sacrifices and that --"


Helen Thomas: By who?

Dana Perino: Well, of course by our soldiers.

Helen Thomas: There's nobody in his family or this administration in this war.

Dana Perino: Helen, these are all questions we have dealt with before. I've given you an answer in the President's reaction to the 4,000 and I'm going to move on.

While Perino was 'moving on,' al-Maliki was making headlines for going to Basra in a for-show role that was supposed to convince the world that he was leading the assault on Basra. Basra, like Sadr City, is seen as a strong-hold of support for cleric Moqtada al-Sadr and many believe that the assaults were also intended to prevent al-Sadr's bloc from coming to power in the (currently) scheduled elections on October 1st. As al-Maliki has seen his support within the Iraqi Parliament crumble, al-Sadr's support has appeared to increase. If it wasn't increasing, the assault certainly made sure it did as al-Sadr became the public voice in Iraq against the assault on Iraqi civilians. It was a disaster in every way for the US puppet, it was a disaster in lives lost, it was a disaster in the attempts to build up al-Maliki's image and it made al-Sadr (who had been laying low and had renewed a cease-fire/truce with the US) even more popular.

On April 8th, The Petraeus and Crocker Variety Hour began their two days of testimony to the US Congress. They opened at the US Armed Services Committee where chair Carl Levin was asking serious questions about Basra, including whether it was correct that US was not informed ahead of time about the planned assault on Basra (which led to uprising in Sadr City, hence the assault on Sadr City)? "It is, Senator," Petraeus had declared, "We had a Friday night heads up." That would be Friday, March 21st. Petraeus went on to state that they were informed more of the assault (that would begin Sunday) at a meeting on Saturday. Levin: "It was not something that you recommended?" "No," Petraeus had replied. He went on to speak of concerns he stated he had about utilizing resources and appeared to indicate that there was a US plan for Basra but that al-Maliki had jumped the gun.

US Senator Hillary Clinton noted, "In response to a question by Senator Levin regarding when you knew of Prime Minister Maliki's plan to go into Basra, and I was struck by it so I wrote it down." Clinton was referring to the fact that Basra had been under British control until recently and that Petraeus' comments were vague. "What did you mean," she asked, "by the resources you were planning to deploy and over what length of time?" Petraeus' remarks cleared up any ambiguity on the subject. "A plan was being developed," he admitted, but instead of waiting to develop it, al-Malik was "moving up the time table and compressing . . . the resources."

This was April 8th and already the illusion that al-Maliki was leading the assault and that Iraqi troops were on the front lines had falled apart. Senator Susan Collins questioned "why should America combat troops continue to take the lead" considering all the time and money already provided since March of 2003? Petraeus tried to manuever his response by noting that the "US didn't take the lead in Basra." No, al-Maliki did. And al-Maliki failed. And Iraqi troops defected and deserted (two different categories) so US troops who were supposed to be present in only a supportive role were now on the front lines. The same was true of Sadr City and has only become more true.

Taking Petraeus at his guarded word, al-Maliki basically grabbed a US plan, ignored the timeline, rushed it into operation, did so when Iraqi troops were far from ready, hustled down to Basra for what he hoped would be his defining photo-ops and all this was done to shore up his weak image as an ineffective puppet. As a result of al-Maliki's actions, the US is now on the front lines backing up what his big mouth couldn't. Amit R. Paley (Washington Post) reported today that US forces and Sadr City residents engaged in "[a] four-hour battle" yesterday that resulted in the deaths of "28 Iraqis" leading to "one of the bloodiest days in a month of sustained street fighting. The clashes underscored how deeply U.S. forces have been drawn into heavy combat in the huge Shiite district since Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki unexpectedly launched an offensive in southern Iraq last month against Shiite militias, primarily the Mahdi Army of anti-American cleric Moqtada al-Sadr. Until Maliki's push into the southern city of Basra, U.S. troops were not intensely engaged in Sadr City, a Baghdad neighborhood of roughly 3 million people that was among the most treacherous areas for U.S. forces early in the war." Today's assault on Sadr City, risking the lives of so many Iraqis and so many US service members, is nothing but the result of al-Maliki's photo-op that backfired. His attempts to prove he wasn't 'weak' is why the dying in Sadr City continues. In the April 8th hearing, Clinton noted that among al-Maliki's critics were General David Petraeus himself and referenced Cameron W. Barr's "Petraeus: Iraqi Leaders Not Making 'Sufficient Progress'" (Washington Post). In the Senate Foreign Relations Committee the same day (April 8th), chair Joe Biden would note that the 'surge' was not working and had not been working (a point that many senators and representatives would make throughout the two days of testimony from Petraeus and Crocker) and he raised the issue of how there was no government and what was happening was the US was 'taking sides' -- supporting the 'leadership' of al-Maliki. That's a lot of deaths for one person's 'leadership' --- consider the puppet to be just like his puppet master in the White House. As Howard La Franchi (Christian Science Monitor) observes, "The American military's participation in the war declared by Iraqi authorities on Moqtada al-Sadr's Shiite militia -- a fight that in recent weeks has been carried out through intense street battles -- has led to an uptick in US deaths." Along with shoring up the puppet, the assault was also supposed to shore up the Bully Boy and his plans for continued war. The assault was timed to take place before the for-show testimonies to Congress by Petraeus and Crocker that were supposed to convince the American public that the so-called 'surge' was working and deserved more time. Mark Kukis and Abigail Hauslohner (Time magazine) report, "The shell-shocked Shi'ite neighborhood of Sadr City in east Baghdad epitomizes the tragedy and terror that continue to grip Iraq five years after the fall of Saddam Hussein. Around 2 million people cluster in homes often shared by as many as six families, caught in the crossfire of an ongoing confrontation between the Mahdi Army of Moqtada al-Sadr and U.S. and Iraqi forces, streets cluttered with garbage and the rubble of recent battles." They also note that people are fleeing their homes (which will increase the number of Iraqis who are internally and externally displaced).

It's the end of the month and a number of outlets will be looking back. CNN notes: "The number of Iraqi civilians killed and wounded nationwide continued to increase during April. According to Iraq's Interior Ministry, 969 civilians died and 1,750 were wounded during April. In March, the total was 923 civilians killed and 1,358 wounded -- a sharp increase over February, when 633 died and 701 were wounded." Those are the puppet government's official figures and the actual figures are probably much higher. Meanwhile, US Secretary of Defense Robert Gates is in spin mode. Nancy A. Youssef (McClatchy Newspapers) reports, "U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates on Tuesday acknowledged that a seven-month lull in U.S. troops deaths in Iraq has come to an end and blamed the bloodshed on Shiite Muslim militiamen who have bombarded the Green Zone and key parts of Baghdad with rockets and mortar rounds." Gates was speaking in Mexico, transcript here. Gates rejected the notion that things were "getting worse" in Iraq. He claimed that the "spectacular act" always catches attention. Apparently nothing -- including losing an illegal war -- catches the White House's attention. Asked about the US being drawn into the middle of a war of "two Shi'a factions," Gates responded that the conflict was "between the Iraqi government and lawless elements" -- echoing al-Maliki's line -- and further claimed that the 'elements' did not want to be "part of the political process." That would be "part of the puppet process." He stated that it has been "made clear" that al-Sadr's supporters are welcome in the political process and that's a falsehood because al-Maliki has threatened them with being barred from participating in the October elections. Further spinning, Gates claimed al-Maliki had "the vocal support of virtually all elements of the government." While he has the support of those on his payroll, his own cabinet is not full and members of the Iraqi Parliament participated in Sunday demonstratrations against the continued assault in Sadr City. Gates ignored that in his reply. He claimed that assaulting Iraqi civilians (that's what's happening in Sadr City) was creating "an Iraqi government more unified". He claimed al Qaeda in Iraq and the Sadrists were the enemies and it was pointed out to him that the White House continues to say that al Qaeda in Iraq is weaker. [al Qaeda in Iraq is largely non-existant.] Gates noted al-Sadr's cease-fire but avoided noting that al-Maliki's actions had overturned it. He began gas bagging at length -- and couldn't get his dates correct ("you will probably recall in either early March or late February, sometime in there") -- and stayed with the issue of al-Sadr. He never addressed the issue of why the White House continues to say al Qaeda in Iraq is a threat and responsible for the violence while also stating that al Qaeda in Iraq is on the decrease. Confronted with that inconsistency, Gates elected to ignore it. He did state that al-Maliki would make decisions regarding Sadr City which is suprising since it is US forces patrolling -- US troops held hostage by policy was a point senators made throughout Crocker and Petraeus' testimonies earlier this month and Gates, unwittingly, appears to be validating their point.

Turning to some of today's reported violence . . .

Bombings?

Sahar Issa (McClatchy Newspapers) reports a mortar attack on the Green Zone, a Baghdad mortar attacks that wounded eight people, a Diyala Province roadside bombing wounded six women and a Hawija roadside bombing claimed 2 lives and left two more wounded (all Iraqi security forces).

Shootings?

Sahar Issa (McClatchy Newspapers) reports the "[p]ronounced presence of gunmen in al-Amin and al-Mashtal . . . forced the schools to send the students home." Reuters notes a home invasion in Kut that claimed the life of 1 woman.

Corpses?

Sahar Issa (McClatchy Newspapers) reports 4 corpses discovered in Baghdad today (2 found in Tikrit last night).


Today the US military announces: "A Multi-National Division -- Baghdad Soldier was killed from wounds sustained when he was attacked with small-arms fire by insurgents at approximately 8:50 p.m. April 29 in northwestern Baghdad." And they announced: "A Multi-National Division -- Baghdad Soldier was killed after the vehicle he was riding in was struck by an improvised explosive device at approximately 10:15 p.m. in northwestern Baghdad April 29." And, PDF format warning, they announced: "A Multi-National Division - North Soldier was killed as a result of an explosion occurring near the Soldier's patrol in Ninewah Province, April 30." And they announced: "Two Multi-National Division - Baghdad soldiers were killed when their patrol was struck by an improvised explosive device in southern Baghdad at approximately 4:15 p.m. April 30." And they announced: "A Multi-National Division – Baghdad soldier was killed from wounds sustained by an improvised explosive device during a dismounted patrol in northern Baghdad at approximately 1 a.m. April 30."
The number of US service members killed in Iraq since the start of the illegal war is 4063, the number of deaths announced this month so far is 51 which makes April the deadliest month since September when 65 deaths were announced. More deaths for April may or may not be noted over the next few days.

Turning to the US presidential race, this morning on NBC's Today Show, Andrea Mitchell reported on Barack Obama's speech and remarks yesterday on his mentor, friend, and pastor of 20 years Jeremiah Wright. Mitchell noted the changes in tone throughout Obama's remarks on Wright since Barack declared his intent to run for the Democratic presidential nomination and noted, "Critis say he should known better" regarding Wright. On CBS' The Early Show, Bob Schieffer explained, "The question now is will people him?" Him is Barack. Schieffer listed the questions people would be asking such as, "Why didn't he know about all this before? Why didn't he stop going to the church?"; and wondered, "Will this be enough?" Meanwhile Carol Marin (Chicago Sun-Times) noted of Barack, "And he still had nothing new to say, just what he'd said before, that some of Wright's comments 'offended me, and I understand why they have offended the American people'." Marin observed:This isn't the first time the campaign has waited out a problem, declining to take a controversy by the horns. It took a relentless chorus of Chicago media almost a year to finally get Obama and his people to deliver long-asked-for documents and answer what were, at best, incompletely answered questions about his former friend and now-indicted fund-raiser, Tony Rezko. He finally did so in March. There are judgment questions, fair ones, to be asked about Obama's past dealings with controversial people. Barack spoke out against Wright only because he was tanking in the polls over Wright and because he was offended by what Wright said of him:

What I had heard was that he had given a performance. And I thought at the time that it would be sufficient simply to reiterate what I had said in Philadelphia. Upon watching it, what became clear to me was that it was more than just a -- it was more than just him defending himself. What became clear to me was that he was presenting a world view that -- that -- that contradicts who I am and what I stand for. And what I think particularly angered me was his suggestion somehow that my previous denunciation of his remarks were somehow political posturing. Anybody who knows me and anybody who knows what I'm about knows that -- that I am about trying to bridge gaps and that I see the -- the commonality in all people.

Desperado (Houston Chronicle) notes that unanswered questions and the "many different versions of answer" that Barack has provided, before declaring: "A focal point is Wright being "uninvited" to the announcement of Obama's presidential candidacy. In an interview with the New York Times, Wright had this recollection of the disinvitation, from RealClearPolitics:
'Mr. Wright said that in the phone conversation in which Mr. Obama disinvited him from a role in the announcement, Mr. Obama cited an article in Rolling Stone, "The Radical Roots of Barack Obama." According to the pastor, Mr. Obama then told him, 'You can get kind of rough in the sermons, so what we've decided is that it's best for you not to be out there in public'." The Rolling Stone article was from the February 22. 2007 issue and was entitled 'The Radical Roots of Barack Obama', a title later changed to 'Destiny's Child'". Dan Balz (Washington Post, link has text and video) notes that US Senator Evan Bayh (Hillary supporter) has warned that the Republicans would try to make an issue of Wright in the general election. Of course they will. Last week North Carolina's GOP began running ads on Wright. John McCain, the presumed GOP nominee, may or may not call for the ads to cease but North Carolina ignored him (as is their right) and others will as well. The damage isn't just to the top of the ticket if Obama is the Democratic nominee. The North Carolina GOP targeted Obama supporters. That will take place across the country in a general election should Obama be the nominee. The people he has brought in from outside the Democratic Party have proven repeatedly that at least 30% of them are unwilling to vote in other Democratic races -- they show up, vote for him and leave the rest of the ballot blank. That's bad news for every Democratic race in November 2008. That's before others are smeared for Barack's lack of proper judgement. (To put it mildly.) He is a drag on the entire ticket, he runs off the base and his nomination risks the Democratic control of Congress and Democratic state and local offices across the country. A new CBS News - New York Times poll finds Obama's negatives on the rise and Hillary faring better in a match-up against John McCain. In 2004, Dems just knew they'd reclaim the White House. They didn't. Having reclaimed control of both houses of Congress in 2006, they party needs to smarten up and realize what a drag on the ticket Barack will be. Wright is not going away, not during the Democratic primary and not, were Barack the nominee, during the primary. The only way to put the matter to rest is to back the candidate Democrats are overwhelming backing, Hillary Clinton. CBS and AP report (text and video):

Clinton also reiterated her previous remarks about Wright that she would not have stayed in the church after hearing the comments. She said it was up to voters to decide how the controversy over Wright impacts the campaign. O'Reilly asked Clinton to describe how she felt "when you hear a fellow American citizen say that kind of stuff about America." "Well, I take offense," Clinton said. "I think it's offensive and outrageous. I'm going to express my opinion, others can express theirs. It is part of just, you know, an atmosphere we're in today." Meanwhile, Obama was scrambling on Wednesday to put his presidential bid back on track a day after a public denouncing of Wright and both Democratic candidates pushed onward in a nomination struggle that appears to be dividing the party.
Here's Howard Wolfson's "HUBdate: Making Trade Work" (HillaryClinton.com):

Previewing Today: This morning, Hillary commuted to work with a sheet metal worker, stopping to fill up at a South Bend gas station. Later today, she highlights her trade agenda at events throughout Indiana.
Easley for Hillary: Yesterday, "North Carolina Gov. [Mike] Easley endorse[d] Clinton for president"...."'There's a lot of 'yes, we can' and 'yes, we should' going around' Easley said. 'Hillary Clinton is ready to deliver. That's the difference. She's ready to deliver today. Immediately.'" Read more and more.
Superdelegate Watch: Superdelegate and Representative Ike Skelton of Missouri endorsed Hillary yesterday "because of her support in rural America, her commitment to national security, and her dedication to U.S. troops." Read more.
By the Numbers: A new Gallup poll shows Hillary now leading Sen. Obama nationally (47-46). "This situation marks a loss for Obama, who had generally been in the lead over [Hillary] for the last month." Read more.
Real Solutions for Fort Bragg: The front page of the Fayetteville Observer reports that Hillary is calling for a congressional hearing into reports of poor living conditions at Fort Bragg. "Something went terribly wrong here…We've asked these young soldiers to risk their lives and bear brutal living conditions... and when they return home, the least we can do is offer them decent, clean living conditions." Read more.
Gas Tax Holiday: Yesterday, Hillary "toured the Miller Veneers wood manufacturing company in Indianapolis and said a lot of people in Indiana would benefit from a gas tax holiday...Clinton said it may not mean much to Obama, but it means a lot to people who are struggling." Read more.
On the Air: In a new Indiana ad, Hillary tells viewers, "My father served in the Navy and ran a small business. My mother taught Sunday school and took care of us... I carry with me not just their dreams but the dreams of people like them all across our county, people who embrace hard work and opportunity... who never stop believing in the promise of America. It's a promise I intend to keep." Watch here and Read more.
"Hillary Thrills Hobart" Last night, Hillary met with Johnnie Parker, "an organizer with the Sheetmetal Workers Union Local 20, and his family for a hourlong kitchen table discussion on the economy." Parker called Hillary "down-to-earth and upfront about economic issues facing Americans." Read more.
"Where's Our Debate?" In the past five days, over 5,000 Oregonians have signed an online petition calling on Sen. Obama to join Hillary in Oregon for a debate. "Sen. Obama is currently spending millions of television ads across our state. Certainly he can spare a day or two to let Oregonians know what he believes beyond his 30-second ads." 6,200 North Carolinians have signed a similar petition for a debate in their state. Read more.
On Tap: Tomorrow, Hillary holds a town hall in Jeffersonville, IN and a rally in Terre Haute, IN.
If You Watch One Thing Today: Clinton appears on Bill O'Reilly's "The O'Reilly Factor" tonight.

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The 'big' speech

I wish I had taken notes of Senator Barack Obama's latest big speech. However, I was not aware it was coming. From the reports, he said something like, "The person that I saw yesterday was not the person that I had come to know over 20 years."

Since Senator Obama's performance during General David Petraeus and U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Ryan Crocker's testimonies to the Senate Foreign Relation Committee, with C.I. pointing the "Uh . . . uh . . . uh" manner of speaking Senator Obama utilizes, it has really stood out. He stumbled and repeated "uh" over and over today.

He did not strike me as genuine, leader-like, or even compentent.

Today he disowns Jeremiah Wright's words. Again.

It was really embarrassing to watch. After I got over the embarrassment, I was left to wonder, "Why did it take him twenty years?" Are we supposed to believe that Jeremiah Wright suddenly transformed? It was just a month ago that he was praising the man. Now the senator wants to claim he 'sees'? Where is that superior judgement he allegedly has? Twenty years seems an awfully long time to catch on to someone. He is aware that the presidency is a four-year term, right? He is not expecting that, if he were elected, he would have twenty years just to evaluate, is he?

This is Howard Wolfson's "HUBdate: NC Gov. Mike Easley Endorses Hillary" (HillaryClinton.com) for today:

NC Gov. Mike Easley Endorses Hillary: This morning, Hillary received the endorsement of North Carolina Governor and superdelegate Mike Easley. Read more.
Stronger Against McCain: In a new poll released by AP-Ipsos, Hillary leads Sen. McCain by 9 points (50-41) while Sens. Obama and McCain are statistically tied (46-44). The poll also shows Hillary faring better than Sen. Obama against McCain among independents (50-39) and has sizeable leads among seniors and Catholic voters. Clinton also pulls 2/3 of voters under 30 versus McCain, which is better than Obama does with that group. Read more.
Addressing Soaring Prices at the Pump: Hillary unveiled an aggressive plan yesterday to address the problem of skyrocketing gas prices. "Record oil prices are contributing to higher energy prices, food prices and a squeeze that is making many middle class families feel like they are falling further behind. American families are hurting now. They need a President who will focus every day on ensuring that they can make ends meet." Read more and more.
If You Read One Thing Today: "As Clinton Seeks Gas Tax Break for Summer, Obama Says No." "'At the heart of my approach is a simple belief,' Mrs. Clinton said. ‘Middle-class families are paying too much and oil companies aren’t paying their fair share to help us solve the problems at the pump.'" Read More.
Jobs, Jobs, Jobs: "Hillary Clinton's economic leadership has been key to her victories in Ohio and Pennsylvania and will be the focus of her campaign in the run-up to the Indiana and North Carolina primaries. As [yesterday's] New York Times reports, Senator Clinton is demonstrating her leadership on core economic issues by laying out the boldest and most specific plan to help create jobs of any candidate in this race - and she is the only candidate with comprehensive proposals to reduce our dependence on foreign fuels in the long run and provide relief for consumers in the short term." Read more..
"Clinton Accepts Missoula Debate Offer" Meanwhile, "Obama [is] still mulling [the] offer." Read more.
Charming Charlotte: In Charlotte, Hillary "got a star's welcome" from "more than 4,000 supporters" at the Time Warner Cable Arena yesterday "as she entered to a darkened arena with spotlights dancing over a crowd cheering and waving signs." Read More.
Mellencamp in Indiana: Hoosiers for Hillary announced yesterday that legendary Hoosier singer and songwriter John Mellencamp will perform on stage at an event with Hillary in Indianapolis on Saturday, May 3.

This is C.I.'s "Iraq snapshot" for today:


Tuesday, April 29, 2008. Chaos and violence continue, the refugee crisis continues, guess who got tossed under the bus, and more.


Starting with war resistance. Iraq War veteran Agustin Aguayo is a war resister whom the US military resisted/refused to give CO status to although he clearly met the conditions for it. Aguayo took his case to the civilian courts and it was winding through them when he was informed he was being sent back for another tour of Iraq. Aguayo self-checked out to demonstrate how serious he was. Though he turned himself in and did so in less than thirty days, the US military elected to court-martial him for desertion. Aguayo is cureently appealing to the Supreme Court on his CO status. He and his wife Helga Aguayo spoke with the International Socialist Review (no writer credited by the magazine for the article in the March/April Issue).

In it, Agustin Aguayo explains, "When I first went to prison, people started to know who I was because they had read the newspapers, but I didn't want to give myself too much importance at the time. I was really focused on getting out. I got a few letters from active-duty soldiers being very supportive. One person in my unit who was recovering from health problems contacted me. He said that he was told that he would be redeployed again soon and that he wasn't ready, so he decided to go to Canada. I'm not going to say that I completely inspired him to make his decision, but I think he thought about what I went through." Helga Aguayo shares, "It reached outside the peace movement. We got letters from lieutenants saying that they too were fighting -- but they were doing it quietly. There are a lot of soldiers, lieutenants, and captains fighting across the board. I think the most touching one was from a wife. She said that her husband had just had a heart attack and that they still wanted to deploy him. And she said, 'We didn't know it was possible to resist'." It's a very strong interview (and Helga's response to a question right after the section we excerpted is a must-read).


Meanwhile, in Canada, many US war resisters are currently hoping to be granted safe harbor status and the Canadian Parliament will debate a measure this month on that issue. You can make your voice heard. Three e-mails addresses to focus on are: Prime Minister Stephen Harper (http://us.f366.mail.yahoo.com/ym/Compose?To=pm@pm.gc.ca -- that's pm at gc.ca) who is with the Conservative party and these two Liberals, Stephane Dion (http://us.f366.mail.yahoo.com/ym/Compose?To=Dion.S@parl.gc.ca -- that's Dion.S at parl.gc.ca) who is the leader of the Liberal Party and Maurizio Bevilacqua (http://us.f366.mail.yahoo.com/ym/Compose?To=Bevilacqua.M@parl.gc.ca -- that's Bevilacqua.M at parl.gc.ca) who is the Liberal Party's Critic for Citizenship and Immigration. A few more can be found here at War Resisters Support Campaign. For those in the US, Courage to Resist has an online form that's very easy to use.
There is a growing movement of resistance within the US military which includes Matt Mishler, Josh Randall, Robby Keller, Justiniano Rodrigues, Chuck Wiley, James Stepp, Rodney Watson, Michael Espinal, Matthew Lowell, Derek Hess, Diedra Cobb, Brad McCall, Justin Cliburn, Timothy Richard, Robert Weiss, Phil McDowell, Steve Yoczik, Ross Spears, Peter Brown, Bethany "Skylar" James, Zamesha Dominique, Chrisopther Scott Magaoay, Jared Hood, James Burmeister, Jose Vasquez, Eli Israel, Joshua Key, Ehren Watada, Terri Johnson, Clara Gomez, Luke Kamunen, Leif Kamunen, Leo Kamunen, Camilo Mejia, Kimberly Rivera, Dean Walcott, Linjamin Mull, Agustin Aguayo, Justin Colby, Marc Train, Abdullah Webster, Robert Zabala, Darrell Anderson, Kyle Snyder, Corey Glass, Jeremy Hinzman, Kevin Lee, Mark Wilkerson, Patrick Hart, Ricky Clousing, Ivan Brobeck, Aidan Delgado, Pablo Paredes, Carl Webb, Stephen Funk, Blake LeMoine, Clifton Hicks, David Sanders, Dan Felushko, Brandon Hughey, Logan Laituri, Jason Marek, Clifford Cornell, Joshua Despain, Joshua Casteel, Katherine Jashinski, Dale Bartell, Chris Teske, Matt Lowell, Jimmy Massey, Chris Capps, Tim Richard, Hart Viges, Michael Blake, Christopher Mogwai, Christian Kjar, Kyle Huwer, Wilfredo Torres, Michael Sudbury, Ghanim Khalil, Vincent La Volpa, DeShawn Reed and Kevin Benderman. In total, at least fifty US war resisters in Canada have applied for asylum.
Information on war resistance within the military can be found at The Objector, The G.I. Rights Hotline [(877) 447-4487], Iraq Veterans Against the War and the War Resisters Support Campaign. Courage to Resist offers information on all public war resisters. Tom Joad maintains a list of known war resisters. In addition, VETWOW is an organization that assists those suffering from MST (Military Sexual Trauma).


Ann Wright, with Susan Dixon, is the author of DISSENT: Voices of Conscience. She is also retired US State Dept (she resigned over the illegal war) and retired military (Army Col.) At ZNet, Wright explores the realities for many women in the service: "The Department of Defense statistics are alarming -- one in three women who join the US military will be sexually assaulted or raped by men in the military. The warnings to women should begin above the doors of the military recruiting stations, as that is where assaults on women in the military begin -- before they are even recruited. But, now, even more alarming, are deaths of women soldiers in Iraq and in the United States following rape. The military has characterized each death of women who were first sexually assaulted as deaths from 'noncombat related injuries,' and then added 'suicide.' Yet, the families of the women whom the military has declared to have committed suicide strongly dispute the findings and are calling for further investigations into the deaths of their daughters. Specific US Army units and certain US military bases in Iraq have an inordinate number of women soldiers who have died of 'noncombat related injuries,' with several identified as 'suicides.' Ninety-four US military women have died in Iraq or during Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF). Twelve US civilian women have been killed in OIF. . . . Of the 94 US military women who died in Iraq or in OIF, the military says 36 died from noncombat related injuries, which included vehicle accidents, illness, death by 'natural causes' and self-inflicted gunshot wounds, or suicide."

Turning to the subject of Iraqi refugees. In Geneva today, Jennifer Pagonis, the spokesperson for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugee, explained the UNHCR's latest survey of Iraqi refugees living in Syria found "that 95 percent had fled their homeland because of direct threats or general insecurity and that only 4 percent currently had plans to return to Iraq. . . . The survey revealed that of all those interviewed, only 39 out of 994 people -- or four percent -- are planning to return to Iraq. Of the 39 people, 31 percent plan to return with the next 12 months and the remainder have not set a date." That's Syria. IRIN notes, "A study published in March by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) on the mental state of Iraqis in Jordan and Lebanon has pointed to mounting social and economic problems as the cause of increased domestic violence." IRIN makes clear tha the half a million in Jordan are facing few job prospects which is a problem since "middle class" Iraqis were more apt to settle in Jordan and the money is gone or going. This comes over a week after the UNCHR pointed out that Bulgaria appears to be making it more difficult for Iraqi refugees to receive status. AAP reports a problem for being granted citizenship in Australia is a fear of "failing Australian's citizenship test test is stopping refugees from applying to become citizens" and "the fail rates" for Iraqis have been "up to 20 per cent, compared to 5 per cent fail rates overall." The UNHCR notes there are 4.7 million Iraqi refugees -- 2 million living outside of Iraq and 2.7 million living within Iraq." Of those outside of the country, the UN notes that 44% of them left "between 2003 and 2006, while 54 per cent left after 2006." It should also be noted that puppet of the occupation, Nouri al-Maliki, has gone out of his way to avoid paying assistance to the neighboring countries that have taken in Iraqi refugees. With Serbia writing off $3 billion in Iraqi debt, it'll be interesting to watch al-Maliki come up with his next excuse for not giving aid to those neighboring countries taking in Iraqi refugees. Meanwhile England's Banner Theatre stages a multi-media musical entitled "The get free mobiles . . . don't they?" Keith McKenna (Great Britain's Socialist Worker) reviews the musical and explains, "It is a story of refugees fleeing communities disrupted by the West, told in a series of exciting songs and humorous sketches. These frame filmed interviews with people who have arrived in Brimingham from Zimbabwe, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Iraq. The show systematically demolishes the myths about asylum seekers."

In Iraq, the assault on Sadr City continues. Tina Susman (Los Angeles Times) reports, "A four-hour firefight between U.S. forces and militiamen today near the Shiite militia stronghold of Sadr City left at least 28 people dead, bringing to 73 the number of gunment the U.S. military said it had killed in three days." AFP puts the Sadr City death toll at 37 for today and notes the armed clash Susman describes, adding that four US service members were injured "in the fighting." BBC notes, "Doctors in the area's two hospitals said on Tuesday that they had received a stream of casualties throughout the day, the BBC's Patrick Howse reported from Baghdad. More than 50 people had been injured in the fighting, the doctors said." CBS and AP explain, "AP Television News footage showed men helping women cross the street and children running for cover behind blast walls amid gunshots. Men helped carry several blood-soaked injured people onto stretchers to a local emergency hospital. Outside the hospital, the dead were placed inside plain wooden coffins." Raviya H. Ismail and Shashank Bengali (McClatchy Newspapers) report: "Residents said that the American rocket attacks leveled three houses. Eyewitnesses reported seeing body parts scattered atop the smoldering rubble. Officials at Al Sadr Hospital, one of the main hospitals in the slum, said that 43 injured victims were brought in Tuesday afternoon, including six children and four women. 'In addition (there are) many victims we cannot reach because of the bad security situation,' said a hospital emergency worker who identified himself only as Mohammed. Another hospital official, who asked not to be identified because of security concerns, said that 1,190 injured victims have arrived at the hospital since March 25."

In some of today's other reported violence . . .

Bombings?

Laith Hammoudi (McClatchy Newspapers) reports Baghdad mortar and rocket attacks claimed 2 lives and left ten people wounded, a Baquba bombing attack on the "Awakening" Council in which a woman detonated a bomb killing herself and claiming the live of 1 "Awakening" Council member and wounded five others, a Baquba roadside bombing that wounded three Iraqi soldiers, a Sadiyah bombing that wounded Samir Al Sadi ("director of Sadiyah town"), claiming the life of 1 of his bodyguards and wounded two more people, a Mosul truck bombing that claimed the life of the trucker and left and Iraqi solider wounded and a Mosul car bombing that claimed the life of 1 Iraqi soldier and left five more wounded. AFP notes two Kirkuk bombings -- one in an Iraqi military equipment store calimed 3 lives and left seven people wounded while another claimed the life of 1 person as well as leaving eight injured.

Shootings?

Laith Hammoudi (McClatchy Newspapers) reports Dheya al Jodi ("director of the projects in the ministry of labour and social affairs") was shot dead in Baghdad (3 people shot dead in Baquba). (Reuters states he did in a Baghdad roadside bombing.)

Corpses?

Laith Hammoudi (McClatchy Newspapers) reports 6 corpses discovered in to the "east of Baquba". Reuters notes 2 corpses discovered "just outside Kirkuk".

Yesterday's snapshot included this: "Zachary Coile (San Francisco Chronicle) reports that House Democrats are tacking on items to the Iraq war spending bill which would indicate there's not going to be an effort to cut off funding. Colie notes it 'is expected to fund the war through the end of the Bush presidency and for nearly six months into the next president's term'." Today Deidre Walsh (CNN) reports that in addition to adding to the war spending bill, a timeline for withdrawal may be added: "Another Democratic aide said the House could probably pass a bill with a timeline and funding for the other domestic items, but the Senate would likely strip out most of them." So, at best, a wash is what's being described. Gordon Trowbridge (The Detroit News) reports on the war budget in terms of the other house of Congress, "The Pentagon will rescind part of a $610 million request for Iraq reconstruction spending that Sen. Carl Levin had described as "unacceptable," Levin's office announced Tuesday. In a letter to Levin, D-Mich., chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said the department would withdraw a request to spend $171 million of the money on construction of Iraqi police stations. Gates said he would ask the Iraqi government to pay for the police stations."

Turning to US presidential politics. Jeremiah Wright's publicity tour continues to draw attention. Alessandra Stanley (New York Times) observes, "Mr. Wright's demystification process began on PBS on Friday. Bill Moyers, the host who knows and obviously admires Mr. Wright, gave the pastor every chance to elaborate on his bona fides . . . Mostly, he gave his guest a chance to show his softer side". Howard Kurtz (Washington Post) points out, "Moyers's question after this diatribe: 'When people saw the sound bites from it this year, they thought you were blaming America. Did you somehow fail to communicate?' Thought he was blaming America? Where did anyone get that idea? 'You cannot do terrorism on other people and not expect it to come back on you,' Wright said yesterday. For good measure, he also defended Louis Farrakhan. I sure wish Moyers had found time during his hour to ask Wright why he's pushing the lie that the government created the AID virus to kill blacks." [Ava and I address the nonsense of Wright & Moyers here.] Dana Milbank (Washington Post) covers Wright's speech to the National Press Club yesterday (link has text and video):

From the moment he entered the room, Wright seemed to be looking to stir controversy; he was escorted by Jamil Muhammad, a leader of the Nation of Islam, which contributed to the minister's prominent security detail. Speaking before an audience that included Marion Barry, Cornel West, the New Black Panther Party's Malik Zulu Shabazz and Nation of Islam protocol director Claudette Muhammad, Wright praised Louis Farrakhan, defended the view that Zionism is racism, accused the United States of terrorism, repeated his belief that the government created AIDS to extinguish racial minorities, and stood by his suggestion that "G** damn America."

Deliah Boyd (A Scriverner's Lament) traces the Sunday-Monday evolution of Barack Obama from some of the comments by Wright have offended him to Barack's refusal to "look reporters in the eye and defend" Wright while he spoke. Andrea Mitchell's report on NBC's Today this morning (link is just video) demonstrates how Barack refused to make contact and spent the bulk of the time while speaking staring at the ground. Frank James (Baltimore Sun) reminds, "The problem for Obama is that he has already said that he can't or won't disown Wright. In his race speech in Philadelphia, he essentially said he could no more break with Wright than he could African-Americans generally" -- or his own 'White grandmother' -- "After such declarative statements, Obama is pretty much stuck with a Wright who has already absolved himself of any further damage he may do to his former congregant. Wright basically was announcing his conscience will be clear." ABC News' Jake Tapper noted this morning, "Democratic sources tell ABC News that Wright is unquestionably worrying superdelegates about Obama's electability." And CNN's Eliott C. McLaughling explained this morning, "Wright, who performed Obama's marriage and baptized both of his children, appears unremorseful about the fiery sermons that made their way on to YouTube and led to his ouster from an advisory committee the Obama campaign."

This morning? Barack Obama, eye on the White House, held a press conference today where he declared that was "outraged" by Wright's remarks and attempted to claim, "The person I saw yesterday was not the person that I met 20 years ago. His comments were not only divisive and destructive" blah blah blah. His comments yesterday (what Milbank covered) were no different than his comments in the clips ABC's Good Morning America aired last month. The ones that led Mr. Pretty Words to give his big speech in Philadelphia about love-love-hope-hope. And yet now they're offensive? He sat through those remarks for 20 years. How stupid does he think (hope?) voters are? Larry Johnson (No Quarter) is terming it "Barack's triple back flip". Taylor Marsh breaks it down: "So today, Obama in a press conference stated he was "shocked" about Rev. Wright's statements yesterday. Is Senator Obama really saying that he didn't realize that Wright was spewing anti-American sentiments all this time? That he was unaware of Wright's political leanings from the pulpit? It defies credibility." VastLeft (Corrente) keeps it simple, "Welcome, Reverend Wright!" (implying Wright should join all the others Barack's thrown under the bus).

The other Democratic candidate, Hillary Clinton is in the news as well. Fernando Suarez (CBS News) notes that North Carolina Governor Mike Easley endorsed her today and stated, "I never, never thought the United States of America could get in as much trouble as we have over the last seven or eight years. It's going to take someobdy special. Somebody smart, somebody who understands it, somebody who has experience to get in there, turn it around immediately and she can do that." Meanwhile Jo Mannies (St. Louis Post-Dispatch) reports that "U.S. Rep Ike Skelton, D-Lexington" has endorsed Hillary as well. Skelton is the chair of the House Armed Services Committee. Meanwhile Mike Glover and Beth Fouhy (AP) report:

Democrat Barack Obama dismissed his rivals' calls for national gas tax holiday as a political ploy that won't help struggling consumers. Hillary Rodham Clinton said his stance shows he's out of touch with the economic realities faced by ordinary citizens.
[. . .]
Clinton, who toured the Miller Veneers wood manufacturing company in Indianapolis, said "there are a lot of people in Indiana who would really benefit from a gas tax holiday.
"That might not mean much to my opponent, but I think it means a lot to people who are struggling here, people who commute a long way to work, farmers and truckers," Clinton said. She has called for a windfall tax on oil companies to pay for a gas tax holiday.
"Senator Obama won't provide relief, while Senator McCain won't pay for it," Clinton said. "I'm the only candidate who will provide immediate relief at the pump, with a plan."

Clinton's exactly right and it's one more sign of how Barack doesn't get rural or Small Town voters -- the bulk of whom have to drive elsewhere to work (or drive elsewhere as part of their work -- whether taking cattle to auction, driving a truck, what have you). Hillary details her plan here. At her campaign site, Jamie Radice interviews Jim Stammerman to find out why he's supporting Hillary:

Q: Where did you grow up?
A: I'm from Louisville, born and raised. I grew up in a blue-collar family where politics was always discussed. I went to Bellarmine College and then University of Kentucky for graduate school. I actually ended up being Vice President of the Jefferson County Young Democratic club. One of my most prized possessions is an autograph from JFK.
Q: So is everyone in your family interested in politics:
A: I'm actually a third generation precinct captain. My older brother Bill was the County Co-Chairman for Hillary in Dallas County, Iowa. I actually went out to Iowa in January and helped him volunteer. My other brother Ken served 27 years in the U.S. Foreign Service.
Q: What's the first campaign you volunteered on?
A: Kennedy. We actually chased the Kennedy caravan down Forth Street (laughter). There was a big parade and he spoke in front of the County Courthouse to about 25,000 people. We made signs, wore JFK hats and buttons, it was exciting.
Q: Why are you a Democratic?
A: I think the Democratic Party does more for the common good. I think a lot of the things that are really great about America came out of the Democratic Party leadership: social security, medicare, wage protection.
Q: Why are you supporting Hillary?
A: I think she's a very intelligent person, a very experienced person. There is no doubt in my mind that she'll make a great leader.
Q: What's a typical day like volunteering?
A: There really isn't a typical day. I like meeting people so this works well for me. However, we have all sorts of things for volunteers to do, make signs, call voters, there really is something for everyone.
Q: Why do you think the people of Kentucky should vote for Hillary?
A: Hillary shares the same values as most of the people of Kentucky. For example, Hillary is very involved in education and Kentucky needs a good education President. I worked in higher education for more than 30 years so this has always been an important issue for me.

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tina susmanthe los angeles times
zachary coilethe san francisco chronicle
mcclatchy newspapersthe socialist worker
the new york timesalessandra stanleyhoward kurtzthe washington postdana milbank

Dana Miblbank explains reality, AP hides

This is Isaiah's The World Today Just Nuts "Working Class Barack"

Working class Barack . . . talking about his manicures. I thought that was very funny.

This is AP on Jeremaih Wright:

The Rev. Jeremiah Wright is going after his critics on an incendiary tour that is doing his one-time congregant, Barack Obama, little good.
After weeks of staying out of the public eye while critics lambasted his sermons, Wright made three public appearances in four days to defend himself. The former pastor of Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago has been combative, providing colorful commentary and feeding the story Obama had hoped was dying down.
"This is not an attack on Jeremiah Wright," Wright told the Washington press corps Monday. "It has nothing to do with Senator Obama. It is an attack on the black church launched by people who know nothing about the African-American religious tradition."

I have no interest in attacking any church. I do not know the church members. My critique is of Jeremiah Wright and his homophobic remarks to Bill Moyers last Friday as well as his ignorance on what Jews, and I am one, believe and what they do not. My critique is based on the fact that he uses terms like "garlic noses" to describe Italians. My critique is based upon the fact that Natalee Holloway never did a thing to him. Finally, my critique is based upon the fact that, as the head of a church, he cursed the United States, he damned it.

The AP article goes on to note that currently nationally polling puts Senator Hillary Clinton at 43%, Senator John McCaina t 40%, and Senator Barack Obama at 38%.

The AP story soft sells the story. This is from Dana Milbank's "Still More Lamentations From Jeremiah" (Washington Post):

From the moment he entered the room, Wright seemed to be looking to stir controversy; he was escorted by Jamil Muhammad, a leader of the Nation of Islam, which contributed to the minister's prominent security detail. Speaking before an audience that included Marion Barry, Cornel West, the New Black Panther Party's Malik Zulu Shabazz and Nation of Islam protocol director Claudette Muhammad, Wright praised Louis Farrakhan, defended the view that Zionism is racism, accused the United States of terrorism, repeated his belief that the government created AIDS to extinguish racial minorities, and stood by his suggestion that "God damn America."
Far from softening his provocative words, he held himself out as a spokesman for millions of churchgoing African Americans. "This is not an attack on Jeremiah Wright," he argued. "It is an attack on the black church launched by people who know nothing about the African American religious tradition." He added: "If you think I'm going to let you talk about my mama and her religious tradition . . . you got another thing coming."

This is Howard Woflson's "MEMO: Economic Leadership = Jobs, Jobs, Jobs" (HillaryClinton.com):

Hillary Clinton's economic leadership has been key to her victories in Ohio and Pennsylvania and will be the focus of her campaign in the run-up to the Indiana and North Carolina primaries.
As today's New York Times reports, Senator Clinton is demonstrating her leadership on core economic issues by laying out the boldest and most specific plan to help create jobs of any candidate in this race -- and she is the only candidate with comprehensive proposals to reduce our dependence on foreign fuels in the long run and provide relief for consumers in the short term.
Today, she will unveil a plan to suspend the gas tax paid for out of oil company profits in order to give drivers price relief during the upcoming peak driving months of summer. Unlike Senator McCain, Senator Clinton's plan is paid for and will not raid the highway trust fund. Senator Clinton also has the most detailed, comprehensive trade agenda to ensure that trade is not a race to the bottom and has a bold housing agenda that would freeze foreclosures and create a moratorium on subprime resets. And she would take away $55 billion in special interest tax breaks and put that money back in the pockets of middle class Americans.
While Senator Obama retools his stump speech to reach middle and working class voters, Senator Clinton is going to continue doing what she has successfully done in Ohio and Pennsylvania -- reach out to those Americans who work hard for a living and need a champion in the White House to help them in this difficult economy.
In Pennsylvania, 55% of voters identified the economy as their number one issue -- Senator Clinton won that group 59-41. In Ohio, 40% of voters said the economy was poor -- Senator Clinton won that group by 16 points. Senator Clinton's specific economic plans -- on green collar jobs, on tax relief, on reducing fuel costs for consumers and taking on the oil industry -- has clearly resonated with the voters most concerned about the state of the economy.
By contrast, Senator Obama continues to perform poorly with blue collar voters, raising serious concerns about his ability to successfully compete in key industrial swing states like Ohio, Pennsylvania and Michigan. He does do well with those voters who say the economy is good (7% of the electorate in Pennsylvania) or those who are not at all worried about the state of the economy (12% in Texas), but as the economy worsens that group will likely continue to diminish.
Indeed, it is the leadership that Senator Clinton demonstrates on this critical issue that accounts in part for her consistent success in winning over those voters who decided in the last 3 days of the campaign (18 point margins with those voters in both Pennsylvania and Texas). As voters consider the serious challenges facing the nation and the next President in the closing days of these contests, they are choosing the candidate they believe can best be the steward of our economy in rocky times.
As this campaign continues, Senator Clinton will continue to stress the economy in her stump speech and will make clear that, unlike Senator Obama, she knows consumers need relief from gas taxes and deserve a President who has consistently been willing to take on big oil as opposed to awarding it billions in giveaways -- as Senator Obama did when he voted for the Bush-Cheney energy bill.

And this is C.I.'s "Iraq snapshot" for today:

Monday, April 28, 2008. Chaos and violence continue, the US military announces more deaths, the assault on Sadr City continues, and more.

Starting with war resisters. On Friday Leif Kamunen was arrested. Who? The Kamunen brothers first show in the June 4th 2007 snapshot. Randy Furst (Minneapolis Star Tribune) reported on Luke Kamunen who "began to wonder if he'd made a mistake the moment he arrived for basic training" as did his brother Leif and "Jan. 2, the twins, age 21, and their brother Leo, 20, went AWOL from the Army. All three failed to return to basic training after Christmas break in northern Minnesota." Luke had been arrested, "jailed in Carlton Country for a week and then flown to Fort Knox, KY., where he was given an 'other than honorable discharge'." Joel Bleifuss (In These Times) observed then, "For the Kamunens, blood is thicker than oil. And they are not alone in knowing that living at home beats dying in Iraq." From the June 13th snapshot:

Kim Johnson, Duluth's WDIO, reports on Luke Kamunen who, like his two twin brothers Leo and Leif, self-checked out of the US military on the Christmas break and notes, "The brothers' story is not an isolated one. In fact, the Department of Defense reports desertions have risen 35 percent in the past two years -- from more than 2,400 in 2004 to about 3,300 in 2006" and notes that Luke Kamunen "was surprised" to encounter many others who had done the same "when he was detained by the military".

Now you may be noting MSM outlets plus Joel Bleifuss and that's correct. Dropping back to the November 9, 2007 snapshot:

It's also worth noting that many other resisters went public in the wake of Watada: Darrell Anderson, Agustin Augyo, Kyle Snyder, Mark Wilcox, Ricky Clousing and . . . stop there. Stop there and don't continue because that's how All Things Media Big and Small, with every few exceptions, have treated 2007's crop of war resisters. Despite the fact that 2007 is set to be a record year -- according to the military's own official numbers -- for war resistance, emerging war resisters fell off the media map. James Burmeister was the strongest example. Either you followed Canadian media or you caught NOW with David Brancaccio or you didn't have a clue. Too bad for everyone because the last week of September "kill teams" (US service members setting out equpiment as traps to shoot Iraqis) would become a huge story but Burmeister was telling the story when he went public in June of 2007. Eli Israel would remain "Eli Who?" to All Things Media Big and Small despite the fact that he became the first war resister resisting publicly while stationed in Iraq. The Kamunen brothers? In These Times could find them when no one else in independent media could or would. The mainstream media showed some interest because three brothers -- Leo, Leif and Luke -- all electing to self-checkout over the same Christmas 2006 holiday was news . . . to some.

That was true then and it's true now. War resisters going public in 2007 (Class of 2007) were completely ignored by Panhandle Media and that hasn't changed a bit -- not even when they try to sell a really bad 'book' (just out this month, and already stinking up shelves) that claims how much they care about "standing up" and covering war resisters. Yeah, we're talking Amy Goodman and today's program continues her long, long silence on the Kamunen brothers. Will the silence be unbroken, Amy, will the silence be unbroken? It takes a lot of nerve to hype your cut and paste 'book' on the backs of war resisters when you refused to cover anyone emerging in months. (It starts with Ivan Brobeck -- see "The Full Brobeck" -- who turned himself in on election day 2006 and Goody had no time for her. She would later interview Kyle Snyder -- on the run at the time -- but Snyder had already been discussed on the program, by an attorney, before The Full Brobeck.) Since November 2006, Amy Goodman has not introduced any new war resister to her audience (and, let's be clear, that's not due to the fact that she's been chatting non-stop with Ehren Watada -- she's not been. In fact, she 'covered' Watada's Feb. 2007 court-martial by broadcasting a video report made by Truthout and posted at Truthout. Goody's had other things to do. So she misses Eli Israel (the first service member to publicly resist while stationed in Iraq), James Burmeister (who remember has turned himself in), Skylar James, Ross Spears, Brad McCall . . . It's a long, long list. War resistance didn't stop -- only the coverage did.

Over the weekend (Friday, 11:29 p.m.), Randy Furst (Minnesota Star Tribune) reported that
Leif was arrested "when he and his girlfriend pulled out of the Cartlon driveway on Friday morning in her grandfather's red Tacoma pickup truck. His girlfriend, Angela Martini, said that Leif, 22, had gotten wind the military was after him and was planning to turn himself in to an Army office in Duluth after being AWOL for nearly 16 months." AP notes: "Leif Kamunen's girlfriend, Angela Martini, told the Star Tribune of Minneapolis on Friday that Leif had assumed that the Army would not have him arrested. She said he had spoken with someone in the Army last year who told him there was nothing in the Army computer about him and he should just go about living his life."

Meanwhile, in Canada, many US war resisters are currently hoping to be granted safe harbor status and the Canadian Parliament will debate a measure this month on that issue. You can make your voice heard. Three e-mails addresses to focus on are: Prime Minister Stephen Harper (http://us.f366.mail.yahoo.com/ym/Compose?To=pm@pm.gc.ca -- that's pm at gc.ca) who is with the Conservative party and these two Liberals, Stephane Dion (http://us.f366.mail.yahoo.com/ym/Compose?To=Dion.S@parl.gc.ca -- that's Dion.S at parl.gc.ca) who is the leader of the Liberal Party and Maurizio Bevilacqua (http://us.f366.mail.yahoo.com/ym/Compose?To=Bevilacqua.M@parl.gc.ca -- that's Bevilacqua.M at parl.gc.ca) who is the Liberal Party's Critic for Citizenship and Immigration. A few more can be found here at War Resisters Support Campaign. For those in the US, Courage to Resist has an online form that's very easy to use.
There is a growing movement of resistance within the US military which includes Matt Mishler, Josh Randall, Robby Keller, Justiniano Rodrigues, Chuck Wiley, James Stepp, Rodney Watson, Michael Espinal, Matthew Lowell, Derek Hess, Diedra Cobb, Brad McCall, Justin Cliburn, Timothy Richard, Robert Weiss, Phil McDowell, Steve Yoczik, Ross Spears, Peter Brown, Bethany "Skylar" James, Zamesha Dominique, Chrisopther Scott Magaoay, Jared Hood, James Burmeister, Jose Vasquez, Eli Israel, Joshua Key, Ehren Watada, Terri Johnson, Clara Gomez, Luke Kamunen, Leif Kamunen, Leo Kamunen, Camilo Mejia, Kimberly Rivera, Dean Walcott, Linjamin Mull, Agustin Aguayo, Justin Colby, Marc Train, Abdullah Webster, Robert Zabala, Darrell Anderson, Kyle Snyder, Corey Glass, Jeremy Hinzman, Kevin Lee, Mark Wilkerson, Patrick Hart, Ricky Clousing, Ivan Brobeck, Aidan Delgado, Pablo Paredes, Carl Webb, Stephen Funk, Blake LeMoine, Clifton Hicks, David Sanders, Dan Felushko, Brandon Hughey, Logan Laituri, Jason Marek, Clifford Cornell, Joshua Despain, Joshua Casteel, Katherine Jashinski, Dale Bartell, Chris Teske, Matt Lowell, Jimmy Massey, Chris Capps, Tim Richard, Hart Viges, Michael Blake, Christopher Mogwai, Christian Kjar, Kyle Huwer, Wilfredo Torres, Michael Sudbury, Ghanim Khalil, Vincent La Volpa, DeShawn Reed and Kevin Benderman. In total, at least fifty US war resisters in Canada have applied for asylum.
Information on war resistance within the military can be found at The Objector, The G.I. Rights Hotline [(877) 447-4487], Iraq Veterans Against the War and the War Resisters Support Campaign. Courage to Resist offers information on all public war resisters. Tom Joad maintains a list of known war resisters. In addition, VETWOW is an organization that assists those suffering from MST (Military Sexual Trauma).

In Iraq, the assault on Sadr City continues. CNN notes 8 deaths and twenty-eight injured from Friday night to Saturday morning. CNN notes the US military claims 7 Iraqis killed from Saturday night to Sunday morning. Today Alexandra Zavis (Los Angeles Times) reports that the US military states ("since Sunday") they have killed 38 people in Sadr city while officials in Sadr City state "they have received 24 dead and more than 100 wounded since 8 a.m. Sunday. The victims included women and children, they said." AFP notes the number dead has risen to 45. CNN notes that Sadiq al-Rikabi ("adviser to Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki") has stated the assault on Sadr City will continue: "the militias must hand in all heavy and medium weapons; hand over people wanted for arrest; and keep out of the affairs of Iraqi security forces, government institutions and reconstruction projects." Alissa J. Rubin and Erica Goode (New York Times) report that Qassim Atta ("an aide to Mr. Sadr in Najaf") stated the central government in Baghdad was attempting "to resolve political differences by force." Sunday saw people power and natural forces. On the latter, Sholnn Freeman (Washington Post) reported "a sandstorm blanketed Baghdad on Sunday" and, despite US claims that attacks on the Green Zone were "nearly eliminated," the cover of the sandstorm allowed mulitple mortar attacks to be launched on the Green Zone while Slobodan Lekic (AP) observes, "The near-daily shelling of the Green Zone has become acutely embarrassing for both Iraqi authorities and the U.S. military." . On the former, Hussein Kadhim and Raviya H. Ismail (McClatchy Newspapers) reported, "About 50 leaders representing a variety of Iraqi political blocs took to Baghdad's Sadr City on Sunday, a stronghold of firey religious leader Muqtada al Sadr, to protest the U.S.-led siege of that area" and quoted Nassar al Rubaie explaining, "We have a delegation meeting with Maliki to let him know the real situation going on in the city. We have lawmakers from different blocs and parties to come and watch the situation on the ground." Rubin and Goode quote Azzad Barbani ("a member of Parliament from the Kurdistan Democratic Party") explaining, "What is different about this delegation is that it is composed of all kinds of Iraqis" and the reporters note, "At stake is the outcome of October provincial elections in which other Shiite parties in the government stand to lose seats to Mr. Sadr's supporters." And that wasn't the only gathering taking place on Sunday. Farah Stockman (Boston Globe) reports that, in Helsinki, behind closed doors, "a group of rival members of Iraq's parliament and tribale leaders" met throughout the weekend "for the first time for a futher round of talks that they hope will lay the foundation for peace in their troubled country." Reuters notes the following participants at the Helsinki meeting: "Minister of Dialogue and National Reconciliation Akram al-Hakim, chairman of the Constitutional Review Committee Sheikh Humam Hamoudi, Fouad Maasoom of the Kurdistan Patriotic Union (PUK), Shi'ite Dawa Party parliamentary leader Ali al-Adeeb and Osama al-Tikriti from the Sunni Arab Iraqi Islamic Party". Colin O'Carroll (Belfast News Letter) explains that the group was "advised on peace-making by former sworn enemies Jeffrey Donaldson and Martin McGuinness."

Another continue action is the fighting between the PKK in northern Iraq and the Turkish military. Reuters notes, "Turkish air strikes on Kurdish rebels in northern Iraq are 'unfortunate' and will do little to address Ankara's concerns about security, Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister Barham Salih said on Monday." Hurriyet reports, "Turkey expects an increase in the contacts with the Kurdish administration of northern Iraq in the coming days, Turkey's foreign minister said on Monday. Foreign Minister Ali Babacan added such contacts could occur at various diplomatic levels and are important for fighting terrorists and for Iraq as a whole. Babacan's remarks signalled a softening of the Turkish stance towards Iraqi Kurds." AFP points out how long the Turkish military's attacks have been going on and notes tensions lowered following Jalal Talabani (Iraq's President) visiting Ankara and stating he would join Turkey in rooting out the PKK, "But Turkey's ties with the administration of northern Iraq, led by Massud Barzamo, remain chilly and the United States has often called on both sides to mend fences. The PKK has been fighting for self-rule in Turkey's mainly Kurdish southeast since 1984. The conflict has claimed more than 37,000 lives." In the midst of this ("amid Iraq's highest mountains between the Iranian and Turkish borders"), Sam Dagher (Christian Science Monitor) reports on Kurdish Taha Barwari ["minister of sports and youth for the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG)"] who hopes the creation of "33 recreational centers around the region" will ease some of the tensions within the Kurdish region of northern Iraq. Ghassan Charbel (Dar Al Hayat) offers this analysis of Turkey's interests: "Turkey looks at the region and becomes anxious. Its Iraqi neighbor wallows in the midst of a bloody storm; occupation, terrorism, resistance and sectarian conflict. Any permanent disintegration in Iraq would carry the Kurdish fires into the Turkish house. Iraq's unity controls the liminits of federalism and curbs Iran's ability to pull the strings in Iraq. This is why Turkey has an interest in a united and democratic Iraq with no room on its territories for a small independent Kurdish state or for the tiny state of al-Zawahiri."

Turning to some of today's reported violence . . .

Bombings?

Hussein Kadhim (McClatchy Newspapers) reports Baghdad mortar attacks wounded ten people today, a US air bombing in Baghdad that wounded two people, a Baghdad motor cycle bombing that claimed 1 life and left three people wounded, 3 Baghdad raodside bombings that wounded ten people.

Shootings?

Hussein Kadhim (McClatchy Newspapers) reports an armed clash in Diyala Province that claimed the lives of 5 "Awakening" Council members while "a Sadrist leader" was shot dead in Basra and his wife was wounded.

Corpses?

Hussein Kadhim (McClatchy Newspapers) reports 6 corpses discovered in Baghdad.
is no longer available online. Today the US military notes that the corpses of 2 Iraqi police officers "were discovered in Tikrit, April 27. The two policemen were reportedly off-duty traveling in a privately-owned vehicle when they were fired upon by another vehicle." Aseel Kami (The Scotscman) reports 50 corpses were discovered in Diyala Province Sunday.

CBS and AP report: "The U.S. military says three American soldiers have been killed in a rocket or mortar attack in eastern Baghdad." AP adds, "A fourth U.S. soldier was killed by a shell in western Baghdad, the military said." That brings the total number of US service members killed in Iraq since the start of the illegal war to 4056 with 44 for the month so far making it the deadiest month for US service members since last September.


Turning to the US, Zachary Coile (San Francisco Chronicle) reports that House Democrats are tacking on items to the Iraq war spending bill which would indicate there's not going to be an effort to cut off funding. Colie notes it "is expected to fund the war through the end of the Bush presidency and for nearly six months into the next president's term." Noting press reports, Team Nader writes, "Nader-Gonzalez would set a six-month deadline to get out of Iraq. McCain/Clinton/Obama would not. This past weekend, Ralph Nader toured Hillary Clinton's home state of New York. From Buffalo to Syracuse to the north country, Nader made the point -- time to get out of Iraq. Nader is in Connecticut today, and then on to Vermont. As Ralph Nader continues his 50-state peace campaign, our supporters are working to get Nader-Gonzalez on ballots all across this country. From Maine to California, and Florida to Alaska. Come November, we hope to give the citizens of the United States a choice." At the end of March, Team Nader took on independent media. They have also taken to task others including Medea Benjamin who chose to respond and Nader's 2004 running mate Peter Camejo has responded to Benjamin:

I was stunned to see Medea Benjamin complaining to the Nader/Gonzalez campaign because the campaign had used the word "shameful" in referring to "progressive" Democrats who had supported the pro-war, pro-Patriot Act, anti-labor, and anti-environmental candidate John Kerry in 2004.
I have great personal admiration for Medea Benjamin for many of the stands and actions she has taken through the years. But her capitulation to the Democratic Party has been truly disappointing.
Medea Benjamin eventually joined the "progressive" Democrats and has become an active supporter of the Democratic Party.
Without the Democratic Party's support, Bush's war policies could never have been implemented. The Democrats voted in Congress a resolution that included the phrase, "unequivocal support for George Bush's conduct of the war in Iraq."

Turning to an idiot. Natalee Holloway (not the idiot) is a young woman who disappeared in Aruba and has never been found. Her parents are hopeful that she'll be found. Keep that in mind while you read this: "One 18-year-old white girl from Alabama gets drunk on a graduation trip to Aruba, goess off and 'gives it up' while in a foreign country, and that stays in the news for months! Maybe I am missing something!" The brains to butt the hell out of a tragedy instead of using it for your own cheap gain, instead of talking smutty and thinking you're cute. That trash being quoted? Jeremiah Wright. He is trash and he owes the Holloway family a public apology. And Barack Obama needs to condemn very loudly this nonsense. But he won't. He never does. It's why he keeps being asked about Wright. Bill Moyers was happy to gloss over facts while sitting down with Wright last week. As Ava and I noted, Natalee's name wasn't once raised by Bill Moyers. "Garlic noses" wasn't raised by Bill either. Nor did Moyers explore Wright's claim that AIDS was a government plot to destroy African-Americans. We did get to find out that Wright and Moyers are both idiots who believe the Jewish faith includes the New Testament. We did get to hear Wright express disgust of sodomy. We got to hear the allegedly 'educated' man reject a slogan that doesn't exist ("My government right or wrong" -- he meant "My country right or wrong"), It was all a lot of nonsense. Joan Walsh (Salon) addresses the damning of America here as well as Wright's comparing the attacks on 9-11 to a slave rebellion. On the program and in the near constant press since, Wright's described himself as lynched, crucified, and just about everything you can think of. To buy any of that, you'd have to believe the greatest victim of Wright's trashy and hateful mouth is Jeremiah Wright. William Branigin (Washington Post) reports that Wright appears to now be questioning Dick Cheney's patriotism. While the president of vice is greedy, questioning his patriotism hardly seems the way to win people over to your side. Dana Milbank (Washington Post) evaluates today's performance at the National Press Club, "It seemed as if Wright, jokingly offering himself as Obama's vice president, was actually trying to doom Obama; a member of the head table, American Urban Radio's April Ryan, confirmed that Wright's security was provided by bodyguards from Farrakhan's Nation of Islam" and Milbank picks that performance as the one people may point back to "months from now" if Obama's campaign tanks. Milbank also notes that Wright "renewed his belief that the government created AIDS as a means of genocide against people of color". Larry Johnson (No Quarter) weighs in on Wright here. Obama has his other problems including stabbing every supporter in the back on Fox "News" yesterday. The best take on that is also the funniest, VastLeft (Corrente) has transcribed the conversation with editorial comments.

Former President Bill Clinton is on the campaign trail of Senator Hillary Clinton. Scott Zumwalt (HillaryClinton.com) notes Bill Clinton's trip to Oregon resulted in over 10,000 Oregonians turning out. Toby Harnden (Telegraph of London) quotes Bill Clinton on why Barack Obama refuses to debate her, "I think I know the answer to the question why only one candidate wants to debate, because I saw the debate in Pennsylvania. And afterwards, 41 per cent of the voters watched it, and by 52 per cent to 22 per cent they said Hillary won." Lexi Cribbs has a photo essay of Hillary campaigning in Jacksonville, North Carolina. We'll close with this from Howard Wolfson's "MEMO: Economic Leadership = Jobs, Jobs, Jobs:"

Hillary Clinton's economic leadership has been key to her victories in Ohio and Pennsylvania and will be the focus of her campaign in the run-up to the Indiana and North Carolina primaries.
As today's New York Times reports, Senator Clinton is demonstrating her leadership on core economic issues by laying out the boldest and most specific plan to help create jobs of any candidate in this race -- and she is the only candidate with comprehensive proposals to reduce our dependence on foreign fuels in the long run and provide relief for consumers in the short term.
Today, she will unveil a plan to suspend the gas tax paid for out of oil company profits in order to give drivers price relief during the upcoming peak driving months of summer. Unlike Senator McCain, Senator Clinton's plan is paid for and will not raid the highway trust fund. Senator Clinton also has the most detailed, comprehensive trade agenda to ensure that trade is not a race to the bottom and has a bold housing agenda that would freeze foreclosures and create a moratorium on subprime resets. And she would take away $55 billion in special interest tax breaks and put that money back in the pockets of middle class Americans.
While Senator Obama retools his stump speech to reach middle and working class voters, Senator Clinton is going to continue doing what she has successfully done in Ohio and Pennsylvania -- reach out to those Americans who work hard for a living and need a champion in the White House to help them in this difficult economy.

Actually, one more thing. NOW on PBS has won the 3008 Edward R. Murrow Award for Best TV Documentary for their investigative report "Child Brides: Stolen Lives" which was reported by Senior Correspondent Maria Hinojosa. The episode can be viewed online here. So congratulations to NOW on PBS, Hinojosa and everyone else working on the half-hour program which airs on Friday nights on most PBS stations (check local listings).

iraq
randy furstleif kamunenleo kamunenluke kamunen
joel bleifuss
sholnn freemanthe washington postthe new york timesalissa j. rubinerica goodefarah stockmanthe boston globe
alexandra zavisthe los angeles timeszachary coilethe san francisco chronicle
now on pbs