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barack obama's berlin, germany speech
The week that will be remembered....the spiral downward of John McCain...at least for now...
I remember, clearly, when Barack Obama announced that he was the ‘Presumptive Nominee’, the first thing that came out of John McCain’s mouth was town hall meetings. Ten weekly town hall meetings to be exact.
Many said this would be wonderful, on the scale and scope of the Lincoln-Douglass debates. Many said this would bring democracy back to the process, let the voters see these candidates undressed, real. Well, it isn’t happening.
I was against such posturing from the beginning, primarily because it would give candidate John McCain a chance to stand on the stage with Barack Obama, size him up while sizing and shoring 'John McCain' up. After last week’s tour through the Middle East and Europe, we can comfortably state, the town hall meetings will not happen.
Through this week I saw two different campaigns.
The Obama Campaign. Senator Obama dealt directly with dignitaries of Iraq and Afghanistan, with Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki endorsing the Obama Timeline for getting U.S. Troops out of Iraq. Then the trip to Afghanistan. Obama met with the President and witnessed firsthand the need of more U.S.Troops on the ground there and not in Iraq. The big crux of all this was the look of Barack Obama. He looked presidential, he looked like a leader. The most astounding thing is that all the heads of state, important diplomatic dignitaries wanted to meet and speak with Barack Obama. But the most startling thing of this whole trip was the blunt and direct ignoring of the Bush Administration by all of these countries and looking to Barack Obama as the new face of diplomacy from the United States of America, not John McCain. John McCain, nor George W. Bush will ever be met in Europe like Barack Obama was greeted. The waving of U.S. flags, excitement of the over 200,000 Germans in Berlin sealed the Bush Administration's fate, and McCain's fate to a point.
All of this unhinged the McCain Campaign. Why? I don’t know. It was John McCain and the RNC who kept a clock ticker about Obama not visiting Iraq and never have gone to Afghanistan. It was their daring that put Barack on this worldwide tour. And now they had to sit back and take it. The McCain Campaign had to watch major U.S. Media and International Media follow Obama’s every step and report on it.
McCain whined about unfair media coverage, along with unloading very disingenuous ads that were just straight up lies. Why he did this is beyond me? But, knowing politics, you don’t go negative unless you must and something in the weeds has to be alarming for the McCain Campaign to go this route.
Which brings me to a comment that sums up the McCain Campaign:
Phil Gramm used the right word on the wrong:
target: it should be John McWhiner McCain. I've never heard a politician whine so publicly about the attention he ISN'T getting.
And the strange thing is, all he's doing is calling more attention to his raggedy-ass, message-less campaign and his inability to manage it.
That sums up what is going on in the McCain Campaign and why we don't need to get involved in any town hall meetings.
Lastly, while McCain complained about the Obama Tour, we must remember that McCain, post becoming the presumptive nominee, have been to every single country as Obama.
"It's hard for me to understand Sen. McCain's argument. He was telling me I was supposed to take this trip. He suggested it, thought it was a good idea," the senator told reporters, some of whom were seated on the ground in front of him and or standing on the sidewalk across.
"John McCain has visited every one of these countries post-primary that I have. He has given speeches in Canada, in Colombia, Mexico," he continued. "So it doesn't strike me that we've done anything different than the McCain campaign has done, which is to recognize that part of the job of the next president and commander-in-chief is to forge effective relationships with our allies."
So for all those who are still rallying for town hall meetings, the question is why? Who stand to gain from these town hall meetings? Who needs free media because their campaign is sucking an egg? Who gains to be seen with the most popular and important politician right now? Surely not Obama, but McCain.
Let’s wait for the official debates. Let’s get our vice-presidential nominee. Let’s finish our convention. Let’s work hard to elect Barack Obama the 44th President of the United States of America. And surely, let’s forget about any town hall meetings in the very near future.
Barack in Afghanistan and Kuwait
Audio/Video of the Week
Obama's appearance on Meet the Press; Obama at the U.S. Embassy; Press Conference in Jordan; Press Conference in Israel; NBC's Brian Willams' Interview with Obama in Berlin, Germany; CBS's Katie Couric's Interview with Obama in Jordan, with all excerpts; Obama's Press Conference with President Nicholas Sarkozy in Paris; Obama interview on Face the Nation with Lara Logan in Afghanistan; Chuck Hagel on Face the Nation criticizing John McCain; Obama at Yad Vashem, Israel; Obama's London Press Conference; How Did Obama Do In Europe?; Open Up The Vice Presidential Selection Process; Obama Wraps Up Worldwide Trip; 'It's All Politics': NPR's Weekly News Roundup; Obama Addresses U.S. Image Abroad; Obama Returns Home After Foreign Tour
obama on meet the press from london, england
Al Rodgers
Why a singular shoutout? Because Al Rodgers is da BOMB!!! And because you need to look at his pictures and videos...that's why....
BREAKING: 10 Days That Shook The World - Obama in Iraq; 3,000 GIs MOB Barack in Baghdad; MSM HAMMERS McSame !!!; USA! USA! USA! USA! USA! USA! USA! USA! USA! USA! USA! USA! USA! USA! USA!; BREAKING: Barack SURGING (Plus 9)
Barack in Iraq & Kuwait
Polls
PPP Ohio; UNH New Hampshire Poll; Rasmussen Georgia and Alaska Poll; Detroit News Michigan Poll; Rasmussen Ohio Poll; EPI/MRA Michigan Poll; ARG Florida and New Hampshire Poll; Monmouth New Jersey Poll; PPP Virginia Poll; Rasmussen Florida Poll; WSJ/NBC National Poll; Rasmussen Minnesota Poll; Quinnipac Colorado, Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin Poll; Pew Hispanic Poll; FOX News National Poll; Rasmussen New Hampshire Poll; Research 2000 Mississippi Poll; Rasmussen Pennsylvania Poll; Research 2000 North Dakota Poll; Frederick Colorado Poll; Rasmuseen New Mexico Poll; Critical Insights Maine Poll; Rasmussen and Gallup National Poll; Research 2000 South Carolina Poll; Rasmussen California Poll
obama addresses the UNITY Convention for Journalists of Color
Photo Blogs, All Pictures, All the Time
Netroots Nation photoblog -- live from the Hilton by casperr; Netroots Nation 2008: The 5 Ws by the awful truth; My NetrootsNation08 Recap EXTREMELY PHOTO HEAVY!! by by navajo; Campaign Slideshow of Obama in Jordan; Netroots Nation 2008: a spider's-eye view (PHOTOS GALORE) by hekebolos; I Flew to Berlin This Morning! (with pictures) by Fairy Tale; Campaign Slideshow, Jerusalem to Berlin Photos; Obama in Afghanistan and Kuwait (UPDATED WITH PICTURES and VIDEO) by icebergslim; Obama Western Wall Visit, Old Jerusalem Pictures by icebergslim; Obama Germany Pictures by icebergslim; Obama is BIG NOISE. DAMN RIGHT....German Pictures; Obama Paris Pictures by icebergslim; Obama in London Pictures by icebergslim; Campaign Slideshow Obama in Jordan; A Panoramic View from Obama in Berlin; Campaign Slideshow Obama in London
Chicago, Unity Convention for Journalists of Color
Obama in Iraq, Jordan, Israel and Palestine
icebergslim’s last word: no time for complacency
Ok, there are enough links and slides in this diary for any Obama picture/video fixation or just a roadmap to what the past week has been for everyone to devour. We are proud of our Democratic Nominee, he did something that many thought he could not, and he looked and acted presidential. This world tour, this past week has stopped all the talking points of can Obama handle the world stage. We saw the images and videos, the answer is a resounding, YES!!
Now it is time to get ready for the convention but more importantly, post convention. This is where the real fighting will commence.
Already John McCain has put up two negative ads against Obama while he was away. One, which blames Obama for the high gas prices, which is just laughable. Believe me, the cable desk clerks were laughing at this one. The second ad called “Troops” is about Obama not visiting our wounded troops in Germany, instead playing hoops or working out. Another lie of an ad, as the German visit was cancelled by the Pentagon because Obama was travelling with his campaign, versus his senate detail as he was in Iraq and Afghanistan.
This is just the beginning of the McCain running the Hillary Clinton Campaign. Folks, he is. It is called muddy up the waters, lie if necessary and throw the kitchen sink and hopes something sticks. That is what he is doing.
The Obama Campaign need to have a boatload of surrogates, on all the news shows, to tear this concept of McCain’s down to a shred. Believe me, it is easy because McCain has practically switched on every major point and the latest “Troop” ad even has Obama shooting hoops with troops, while the ad is stating he is not spending anytime with the troops. Go figure.
It is crap like this that will be out in force. Why so early? Well, August 8, 2008, the Olympics start. Many news channels will be focused on the Olympics and the results. Stories of unbelievable “this, that or the other” will be shown, thus politics are on the back burner. So, now it is time for McCain to attempt to become relevant. He shot himself in the foot by daring Obama to go overseas. Obama went overseas and McCain bitched the whole week about the media, thus negative ads appeared. Time is of the essence here, again, even though we have 99 days until the election a whole month will be detoured for the Olympics and both conventions start late in August, into September. Again, not much time.
Obama’s full focus should be on the economy. He has put the experience issue, military issue, looking commander in chief issue to bed by this trip. Now, go to those states Ohio, Michigan, Pennsylvania, etc., that are devastated by the economy and hammer home your plan from now until November 4, 2008.
This election will be about the economy, gas prices, homeowner loss, banks going down, jobs, lack of health care, tuition for college, the environment, climate change, all issues that affect people directly, not indirectly. Win on this issue, you will win the election. Simple as that.
Shoutouts, stuff you should read...
Kennedy, Reagan, Obama in Berlin by Devilstower; McCain's Campaign: So Dumb, We Had to Check to Make Sure It Was Real by DHinMI; Post-Berlin Polls: Success 55% approve w/ Berlin Bounce +5% & Gallup 4% Move Overnight to +6 by Hope Reborn; We're Nowhere Near A Bottom in Housing by bonddad; What Barack Obama Needs to Win by poblano; This should Settle the Question of Hillary as VP by The Christian Progressive Liberal; Sorry Senator Obama, Even Your Prayers Are ‘Public Domain’ by rikyrah; ABC News Officially Endorses John McCain For President by JedReport; We don't buy our own hype - NY Times Interview with Obama by Tax problems; How Close Is The Election Really? by Chris Bowers; The week John McCain's campaign ended by Clem Guttata; Frank Rich: How Obama Became Acting President. by Nuisance Industry; Fox News caught fixing video for McCain by zenbowl; Confirmed: State Department screwed Obama by VirginiaDem; We can't let America elect another unhinged raving lunatic by clammyc; NY Times' Herbert: Media bias indeed; favoring McCain by LaughingPlanet; Massachusetts homeowner commits suicide before foreclosure by litho; McCain Responds to Gaffe; A Surge before THE Surge after Canceling Pres Avail by Hope Reborn; "The World's Most Popular Politician" by DanK Is Back; McCain Would Rather Lose His Honor In Order To Win a Political Campaign by BarbinMD; Military Support for Barack Obama by noweasels
Berlin, Nuff Said....
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well, this has been one hell of a week, both politically and definately visually. our nominee knocked it out of the park, and then some. today is a visual diary, back in the saddle next sunday, but after vacation and barack's week i am pooped!!! below is my slideshow from germany, france and england. we have a fight on our hands, time is of the essence and thinking it is in the bag, is a no, no. as always, remember to focus on obama and not the drama....peace...
Berlin, Paris, London and Home...
and Obama's staff in London:
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Tip the Obama Jar, Here
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Get Involved Here
For Inspiration: Yes.We.Can!!!
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icebergslim1047 (at) gmail (dot) com
cross-posted @ Daily Kos
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