Obama evokes the spirit of Lincoln

[Filthy]

Lincoln was the US's greatest President IMHO. Bush is by far the worse and his legacy will take decades to repair internationally. Michael Gawenda's article is journalistic excellence (someone send it to Dolt and say this is how its done).

Obama invokes the spirit of Lincoln

Michael Gawenda, Washington
February 12, 2007

AS BARACK Obama acknowledged his lack of experience and talked about how humbled he felt by the crowd that turned up in the biting cold to hear him officially launch his presidential campaign, it became clear he is not unduly modest.

Nor was there anything humble about the theatre surrounding this launch, which was carried live by every US cable television network from the square in front of the Old State Capital in Springfield, Illinois, where Abraham Lincoln, considered by many to have been America's greatest president, served for eight years in the state legislature.

It is doubtful any other presidential candidate could get away with invoking the spirit of Lincoln — most would be laughed at — but Senator Obama suggested he was an heir of Lincoln.

Just as Lincoln saved the union, fighting a bloody civil war, so America would need an inspirational leader after George Bush's presidency — and Barack Obama was that man, he said.

Perhaps the most famous of Lincoln's speeches in this place where Senator Obama talked about his presidential ambitions was the "divided house" speech in 1858, two years before he ran for the presidency.

Lincoln warned that "the union cannot endure permanently half slave and half free".

Senator Obama alluded to that speech and to Lincoln's legacy of freeing the slaves when he told the crowd at the weekend that the great task of his generation was to build "a more perfect union" in which all Americans felt included and respected.

It was significant how many times the senator, who at 45 is the youngest declared candidate in the presidential race, referred to "this generation" — the post-baby boom generation — in his 24-minute speech.

This was a message to Americans that Hillary Clinton, his main rival for the Democratic Party nomination, represented the old establishment politics and those old Washington politicians who had made a mess of things. For example, Senator Obama, who has opposed the war in Iraq from the start, has introduced legislation to begin withdrawing US troops no later than May 1.

At his launch he said it was time for a new generation to offer answers to America's challenges.

"Each and every time, a new generation has risen up and done what's needed to be done," he said. "Today we are called once more, and it is time for our generation to answer that call."

This could have sounded like just another political cliche, but Barak Obama is not just another politician with presidential ambitions. He is the first black man with a serious chance of winning the nomination of his party and, if he manages that, of becoming the first black president in US history.

He knows that his is a historic campaign and that, in part, explains the excitement he generates — excitement many observers say they have not seen since the Kennedy years almost a half-century ago.

He is a brilliant, instinctive politician and perhaps the best political orator in the country.

There is an easiness about his interaction with crowds and small groups of people that has not been seen in US politics since the then largely unknown Bill Clinton began his campaign for the presidency in 1991.

All that was on display in front of that historic building where some people thought the ghost of Lincoln was hovering. Some commentators even speculated whether Lincoln would have offered his fellow politician from Illinois his support. They all agreed he would have.

It was a great performance by Senator Obama, the best of this presidential season by far. Yes, it was short on specific policies and long on rhetoric, but rhetoric was all that was needed on this day.

Policies are important in presidential campaigns, and Senator Obama is yet to meet the challenge of setting out his. And he is yet to show that he has the stamina and the ambition to put up with the two gruelling years of campaigning and scrutiny that lie ahead.

But above all, Americans want to like their president. They want almost an intimate relationship with the president.

Senator Obama is liked, to say the least. He is personable and attractive and clearly smart.

Hillary Clinton was campaigning in New Hampshire when he was announcing his bid in Springfield. No doubt she and her team would have been impressed by his performance.

And no doubt the planning to foil his bid has well and truly begun.

THE OBAMA CV

BIRTH DATE August 4, 1961.
HOME Chicago.

OCCUPATION First-term Democratic senator.

EXPERIENCE US senator, 2005-present; Illinois state senator, 1997-2004; constitutional law professor, University of Chicago.

EDUCATION Law degree, Harvard University; bachelor degree in political science, Columbia University.

FAMILY Wife Michelle and two daughters.

[Madden]

Filth, can you just start posting links instead of full text?

Anyway, I'm a big Obama fan. I have a feeling he will probably take the Dem Nom off Hilary. He's a star - so much so that Howard has criticized him overnight. He has really got the conservatives on the run, all over the world it would seem....

[Filthy]

Filth, can you just start posting links instead of full text?

Anyway, I'm a big Obama fan. I have a feeling he will probably take the Dem Nom off Hilary. He's a star - so much so that Howard has criticized him overnight. He has really got the conservatives on the run, all over the world it would seem....

I'll do both Staggy!!

[swoodley]

Filth, can you just start posting links instead of full text?

Anyway, I'm a big Obama fan. I have a feeling he will probably take the Dem Nom off Hilary. He's a star - so much so that Howard has criticized him overnight. He has really got the conservatives on the run, all over the world it would seem....

Saw a story on the news last night that said he needs to raise a cool $50million just to compete with Hilary.

It's still 20-21 months before their election and the hype is starting to ramp up.

No wonder so few Americans vote...it must shit them to tears having to put up with this stuff for so long. Most people here complain about a 4-6 week pre-election campaign period. Imagine having to put up with it for nearly two years

[Sismis]

I like the sound of him, But Hill is going to romp it in.

[Crowny]

Sounds like the guy is pretty smart (he was a professor at a university) and has a lot of ability. However like Swoodley said he will need to raise a lot of campaign funds just to compete with Hillary let alone whatever the Republicans come up with.

Who are the Republican front-runners anyway? At one stage I heard they were thinking of throwing Bush's brothers name in there. Three terms of Bushes would be a scary prospect I reckon

[spikefan]

Obama is nothing short of brilliant. He is incredibly smart and can carry an audience with an articulated vision like few politicians can. He does not seem afraid to think out of the box which is refreshing.

http://usliberals.about.com/od/extraord ... maAIDS.htm

IMHO Obama is backed by the same people that back Hillary so he is some sort of backup. There is a worry in the US that while Hillary is incredibly smart she lacks warmth (unlike Bill) and she is just one step too clever to be electable; If she does not change this image and Obama continues getting top reviews, the backup will prevail. In this case money will not be an issue.

After six years of criminal incompetence by Bush Jr, the next election is for the democrats to loose. I think 70 % of American agree that Bush is a total failure and even the republicans start ignoring him.


The two front runners on the Republican side are John McCain (Arizona Senator.) and Rudy Giuliani (Ex NYC mayor). They are both "centrist" and far superior intellectually to Bush - McCain was once offered the Vice president spot by his friend John Kerry and declined - but in order to win the primaries where only the committed republican vote they are moving quickly to the right.

Anyone with the last name Bush is unelectable in the current mood.

[Crowny]

After six years of criminal incompetence by Bush Jr, the next election is for the democrats to loose. I think 70 % of American agree that Bush is a total failure and even the republicans start ignoring him.

Anyone with the last name Bush is unelectable in the current mood.

I hope you are right there spikefan. One thing, I reckon Obama would be a lot more potent candidate than John Kerry was in 2004. I agree with you about Hillary, not sure whether she would have the widespread appeal voters to be electable. Sounds like she is a bit of a divisive figure.

[temporary stevo]

must have been a slow day for Gawenda, that article reads like "Obama is a nice guy, Americans like nice guys".

[spikefan]

I disagree I thought it was good journalism. Written in plain language but to the point.

I think the message was not so simplistic but more: Americans want someone who is no fool, who has charisma and who is humble enough they can trust him. Not your average nice guy, few of the recent presidents fit the description.

[BenDoolan]

Obama appears to be quite a visionary. I fail to see one prediction that has failed to eventuate from comments he made about Iraq in 2002.....

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/st ... 83,00.html

What worries me though, is the poll at the bottom of the page in the link. We obviously have too many zombies in this country that put all their trust and faith into garbage like national 9 news. I wish people would get a real perspective on world news by watching serious programs on SBS......

[F111]

Sounds like the guy is pretty smart (he was a professor at a university) and has a lot of ability.

He has an impressive academic CV and seems a smart cookie.

A professor in the US is similar to a Uni lecturer here though. They hold a different status. A professor here is a much higher academic post. Presumably, you've still got to be reasonably smart to lecture.

Smart enough to scare "the other side" already and invoke responses.

Still, the election is a long, long way off, and you know what they say..."a day is a long time in ....."

[F111]

Obama appears to be quite a visionary. I fail to see one prediction that has failed to eventuate from comments he made about Iraq in 2002.....

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/st ... 83,00.html

What worries me though, is the poll at the bottom of the page in the link. We obviously have too many zombies in this country that put all their trust and faith into garbage like national 9 news. I wish people would get a real perspective on world news by watching serious programs on SBS......

Surprised by those numbers myself

A National Nine News poll last night:

Should Prime Minister John Howard have criticised Barack Obama?

YES: 130,037
NO: 20,803

[Filthy]

Obama appears to be quite a visionary. I fail to see one prediction that has failed to eventuate from comments he made about Iraq in 2002.....

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/st ... 83,00.html

What worries me though, is the poll at the bottom of the page in the link. We obviously have too many zombies in this country that put all their trust and faith into garbage like national 9 news. I wish people would get a real perspective on world news by watching serious programs on SBS......

Surprised by those numbers myself

A National Nine News poll last night:

Should Prime Minister John Howard have criticised Barack Obama?

YES: 130,037
NO: 20,803

And isn't it frightening the number of people who derive their "news" from that pathetic source? So many rednecks out there!!!

Yet the Age runs a similar poll and you get?

http://www.theage.com.au/polls/results.html

[spikefan]

This is really frightening Filth


Interestingly the information why Howard (and Bush) are wrong was printed in the link Benny provided i.e. the same Murdoch paper that reported this shocking channel nine poll and the source is a good American conservative (albeit from the reasonable and educated kind).

"Ronald Reagan's National Security Agency director William Odom, in The Washington Post, on the myths of the new US war aims:

1) We must continue the war to prevent the terrible aftermath that will occur if our forces are withdrawn soon.

Reflect on the double-think of this formulation. We are now fighting to prevent what our invasion made inevitable! Undoubtedly we will leave a mess -- the mess we created, which has become worse each year we have remained. Lawmakers gravely proclaim their opposition to the war, but in the next breath express fear that quitting it will leave a bloodbath, a civil war, a terrorist haven, a "failed state", or some other horror. But this "aftermath" is already upon us; a prolonged US occupation cannot prevent what already exists.

2) We must continue the war to prevent Iran's influence from growing in Iraq.

This is another absurd notion. One of the President's initial war aims, the creation of a democracy in Iraq, ensured increased Iranian influence both in Iraq and the region. Electoral democracy, predictably, would put Shia groups in power: groups supported by Iran since Saddam Hussein repressed them in 1991. Why are so many members of Congress swallowing the claim that prolonging the war is now supposed to prevent precisely what starting the war inexorably and predictably caused?

3) We must prevent the emergence of a new haven for al-Qa'ida in Iraq.

But it was the US invasion that opened Iraq's doors to al-Qa'ida. The longer US forces have remained there, the stronger al-Qa'ida has become. Meanwhile, continuing the war will not push al-Qa'ida outside Iraq. On the contrary, the American presence is the glue that holds al-Qa'ida there now. "

===

Howard is wrong if the US leaves, alqaida in Irack will be exterminated by the Iran backed Shiite, the problem is that many moderate Sunnis will be killed also at the same time.

The problem is then the US (and the West in general) will completely lose face among the moderate sunnis which comprise most of the moslem world and this could leave a dangerous vacuum. Therefore the US must leave without losing face and without allowing the shiites to take a bloody revenge on the sunnis. This will take a US president with a little bit more capability than Dubya.


Incompetence whether it is from the right or from the left is dangerous Mr. Howard. By blindly supporting a misguided effort you are making the world more dangerous.

[billyduckworth]

Has anyone noticed how close Obama and Osama are as names? Spooky.