Can you spell F-I-A-S-C-O (with Obama for President logo), I knew you could. Graphic Credit: Edmund Jenks (MAXINE) 2008
It's Official - Obama Is The Democrat Party Candidate
A month ago, Barack Obama held a 15 point lead in the national polls while he was the "presumptive nominee" for the Democrat Political Party to be their candidate for President of the United States.
This afternoon, with Barack Obama and running-mate Joseph Biden holding down a 2 point deficit (that is a 17 point downturn) in the national polls made history while they became the official nominees for the Democrat Political Party to be their candidates for President, and Vice-President of the United States.
Hillary Clinton put an end to the roll-call vote procedure by having the process move to make the junior Senator from Illinois, Barack Obama, be made the nominee by Acclamation!
This from NowPublic -
Obama is NOMINATED! By Acclamation! by politisite August 27, 2008 at 03:24 pm
Obama is NOMINATED! By Acclamation! Obama will accept publicly Thursday.
This is History, Many folks are being interviewed who suffered as people of color are in tears and never thought a moment like this would occur in their lifetime. An African-American has been nominated to a major Democratic party. I must note here that Cynthia McKinney, an African-American woman was nominated to the Green party earlier. 2008 will be remembered as a historical date in the history books.
Update: 5:30 pm ET - Hillary Clinton has just been put into nomination and seconded. They then went on to Nominate Barack Obama by using a Iraq War Veteran Republican Medic who said that he wants a President that will consult with his enemies.
Update: 5:35 pm ET - Ken Salazar of Colorado has risen to Second the motion to nominate Barack Obama for President, says that Bush has truned his back on America and McCain will do the same.
Update 5:39 pm ET - Congresswoman Rep. Wasserman-Schultz of FL seconds the second. Says not to believe McCains ads. He will continue the failed policies of Bush. She reminds delegates that McCain wants to overturn Row v. Wade and who voted against the Equal Pay for woman (note he votes against any bill that has earmarks)
Update 5:44 pm ET- US Rep. Artur Davis of Alabama seconds, the seconds, second tp place Obama nomination.
Update 5:48 pm ET - Pelosi: "We will now proceed to the roll call of the states." Roll call will continue untill they have a nominee.
Update 5:50 o ET Alabama - 48 Obama 5 Clinton
Alaska 3 Clinton 15 Obama
American Somoa - 9 votes Obama
Arizona - 40 Obama, 27 Clinton
Arkansas - 47 Obama
California- Passes
Colorado - 55 Obama, 15 Clinton
CT - 38 Obama, 21 Clinton
DE-23 votes Obama
Abroad 2/12 votes for Clinton, 8 1/2 Obama
Note: the reason that California passed is that it did not want Clinton to lead Obama at any time and thus they passed so that would not occur
DC - Wants equal representation, 33 Obama, 7 Clinton
FL - 136 Obama, Clinton 51, 1 abstain
Barack Obama has currently a total of 452.5 votes (Clinton has 131.5). A total of 2,210 are needed for the nomination.
GA- 18 Clinton, 82 Obama
GUAM 4 Obama, 3 Clinton
HI - 26 Obama, 1 Clinton
ID - 3 Clinton, 20 Obama
IL- Passes - probably to be the last to push Obama over the needed delegates
IN- 75 Obama, Clinton 6
IA - 48 Obama, 9 Clinton
KS - 6 Clinton, 34 Obama
KY- 24 Clinton, 36 Obama
LA- 43 Obama, 7 Clinton
ME- 24 Obama, 7 Clinton
Barack Obama has currently a total of 844.5 votes (Clinton has 216.5). A total of 2,210 are needed for the nomination.
MD- 94 Obama, 6 Clinton
MA- 52 Clinton, 65 Obama
MI- 27 Clinton, 125 Obama
MN - 8 Clinton, 78 Obama
MS- 8 Clinton, 33 Obama
MO- 6 Clinton, 82 Obama
Barack Obama has currently a total of 1,321.5 votes (Clinton has 323.5). A total of 2,210 are needed for the nomination
MT- 7 Clinton, 18 Obama
NB- 31 votes 3 Clinton 28
NV - 8 Clinton, 25 Obama
NH- 30 Obama
NJ-127 Obama
NM- Yelded to IL
IL- Yelded to NY
NY- Clinton is on the floor will motion to end the vote, there needs to be a second, and an I vote, Obama is nomintated! by Acclimation.
Obama has accepted the nomination and will give his acceptance speech Thursday. Hillary really moved the audience to tears and cheers. She concluded this in such a classy manner. It appears that it will bring the party together as they concluded in a great way.
The first African American EVER nominated by a Major party. Reference Here>>
This all happened on a day that news about the connection of Barack Obama to the American Terrorist William Ayers was beginning to come out.
This on a day when pictures of the stage that Barack Obama plans to make his acception speech tomorrow at Invesco Field in front of an estimated 70,000 people. The backdrop features a larger than life Greek Architecture Acropolis type of structure and it causes a pause to many who see it ... is it over the top?
"The Barapolis" - Obama Stage Setup At Invesco To Resemble An Ancient Greek Temple - Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama’s big speech on Thursday night will be delivered from an elaborate columned stage resembling a miniature Greek temple. /// The stage, similar to structures used for rock concerts, has been set up at the 50-yard-line, the midpoint of Invesco Field, the stadium where the Denver Broncos’ National Football League team plays. Image Credit: Edmund Jenks (MAXINE) 2008
Will this type of event have Obama and Biden connect with the middle America fly-over conservative Democrats or will this venue have the same effect as Barack Obama's trip to Europe which caused much of the decline of his popularity in the polls?
Here, at Mr. Obama's neighborhood in the Democrat Party ... Can you spell F-I-A-S-C-O?
The podium stage of the Democratic National Convention at the Pepsi Center basketball arena in Denver. Image Credit: DNC
Face Plant At The DNC In Denver
The first night of the Democratic National Convention being held at the Pepsi Center in Denver, where the Democrat Party faithful gather to pick a candidate team and form an action platform to run on in the election of the leader of our nation come November, did little to put forward a clear message of what changes to our present situation they plan to pursue.
Very little substance on the current policies was discussed very little mention of the campaign they will be competing in against, and very little in the way of issues confronted or defined by those who took to the podium to address the gathered crowd.
What did happen was that several people who were not on the presidential ticket gained a bunch of facetime during a primetime broadcast moment. The biggest highlights of the evening came upon the appearances by Senator Ted Kennedy, who is suffering from and battling case of brain cancer, and Michelle Obama, who suffers from a perception of a series of speeches that left the impression that she did not like life in America.
Both appearances were successful in that they helped to pull at the emotions of the people who were in the hall and those viewing on broadcast television and the major cable news outlets.
Senator Edward Kennedy speaks at the Democratic National Convention on August 25, 2008. Image Credit: Jackson Solway
Senator Ted Kennedy at, 76, has been at every Democratic convention but two in the past 48 years, was introduced by his niece, Carolyn Kennedy Schlossberg who gave in her introduction a video tribute to the life and accomplishments of her uncle and brother to the late John F. Kennedy. The video tribute was well produced but it always puzzles us, here at MAXINE, why anything associated with Ted Kennedy always tend to feature backgrounds and scenes of water.
The Senator mentioned his work on healthcare and reviewed other legislative agendas he was involved in over his years while serving in the Senate … he reaffirmed his support of Barack Obama, but to be truthful, little was accomplished to affirm the specifics of the “Change” and “Hope” the Democrat Party appears to be putting forward as their campaign message. There was no message.
Michelle Obama, wife of the presumptive candidate of the Democrat Party for President of the United States also appeared at the podium and after her presentation, was later joined on stage with her two daughters and via video feed, Barack Obama himself. All very touching.
Barack Obama greets his family via on stage at the Democratic National Convention after Michelle Obama addressed delegates August 25, 2008. Image Credit: DemConvention
By all accounts, Barack’s wife gave an awfully good speech at the Democratic National Convention here Monday night. While Senator Obama can sometimes soar off into the clouds, Michelle tended to keep things down to earth. She still has some trouble convincing those who have listened to her speeches that she loves America as it is.
Michelle said, “Barack stood up that day, and spoke words that have stayed with me ever since. He talked about "The world as it is" and "The world as it should be." And he said that all too often, we accept the distance between the two, and settle for the world as it is — even when it doesn't reflect our values and aspirations.”
What values and aspirations are those? Are they the values put forth in the founding documents of our country, or are they values and aspirations of a different archtypes found elsewhere in the world?
Michelle went on, “But he reminded us that we know what our world should look like. We know what fairness and justice and opportunity look like. And he urged us to believe in ourselves — to find the strength within ourselves to strive for the world as it should be. And isn't that the great American story?
It's the story of men and women gathered in churches and union halls, in town squares and high school gyms — people who stood up and marched and risked everything they had — refusing to settle, determined to mold our future into the shape of our ideals.”
To be truthful, they were fighting for American ideals laid out in the Constitution back then … but what are the ideals you (and Barack) wanting to mold America into now?
“And as I tuck that little girl and her little sister into bed at night, I think about how one day, they'll have families of their own. And one day, they — and your sons and daughters — will tell their own children about what we did together in this election. ---- How this time, in this great country — where a girl from the South Side of Chicago can go to college and law school, and the son of a single mother from Hawaii can go all the way to the White House — we committed ourselves to building the world as it should be.” Reference Here>>
What ... an angry socialist paradise?
The first of four nights of the Democrat National Convention was a parade of faces in the review of a Cult-Of-Personality.
If the George Soros led wing of the Democrat Party were trying to frame the party platform, brush up and polish the political brand as one that we should vote for, they failed.
Basically, what the Democrat Party was able to pull off last night was a primetime “Face Plant!” ... and we all thought the Beijing Olympics were over.
The Big Bear Grizzly front page declaring support to Ryan Hall in his pursuit of Olympic competition. Image Credit: Edmund Jenks (MAXINE) 2008
America's Mountain High Marathon Hope - Ryan Hall
It was right there in the headline of the local paper here in Big Bear Lake – "Run Ryan Run To Beijing". The Grizzly, a paper published for those interested in the San Bernardino mountain village of Big Bear Lake, California, and the surrounding Big Bear Valley communities, was calling attention to the fact that Ryan Hall is going to be given a proper community send-off as America’s best hope running in the iconic event of the Olympics to be held in Beijing, China which begins with the opening ceremonies August 8, 2008.
There have been other residents who have blessed this mountain area with notoriety (cartoon voice artist, Mel Blanc, the acting and television couple of Shirley Jones and Marty Ingles, famed Olympic and professional boxer Oscar De La Hoya to mention a few) located about 100 miles East of downtown Los Angeles but none were born, raised and educated here.
Ryan Hall as he enters the area on the North Shore formally known as "Moon Camp". Image Credit: CBN 700 Club Video
Ryan's story is as simple as the environment in which he was raised – a place that, for Southern California, uniquely boasts four seasons.
At the age of fourteen, he thought to himself, "what a magnificent challenge it would be to run, without stopping, all of the way around Big Bear Lake". The lake is situated at about 6,800 feet of elevation in the San Bernardino National Forest and lays out roughly in an east-to-west fashion and measures seven miles long and about one mile wide at its widest point. The run around the lake is approximately 15 miles … a good challenge for anyone, especially a fourteen year old.
One might wonder how one moves himself from just musing about a decent running challenge to representing the United States in the iconic athletic event of the modern day Olympics.
The Faith of Olympic Runner Ryan Hall - CBN.com
This excerpted and edited from transcripts published by the 700 Club – Olympic Runner Ryan Hall (a 700 Club interview)
Ryan's been running since he was 14 years old. Time has taught him that seeking to please God is the ultimate goal. By Will Dawson, The700 Club – July 29, 2008
Ryan Hall represents the United States in this year’s summer games in Beijing in the marathon event.
In the words of Ryan Hall:
Ryan says his desire to run comes from God. “God kind of grabbed my heart just one day when I was driving around this lake right here and he really just put it on my heart to run around it. It’s 15 miles around the lake and I was 14-years-old. It’s not something that most 14-year-olds try and do or have a desire to do. He really put it on my heart to give it a shot and it was that day that I decided I wanted to act on this vision that God had given me. That’s what hooked me and I’ve been running ever since.”
Athleticism runs in the Hall family. Ryan’s dad, Mickey, played minor league baseball and his younger brother, Chad, won the cross-country national championship his senior year in high school.
Ryan Hall training on the North Shore of Big Bear Lake with the solar Observatory in the background. Image Credit: CBN 700 Club Video
Ryan’s senior season proved successful as well, as he took home the California state track title in both the two-mile and 1600-meter events. While his performance earned him a scholarship at Stanford, Ryan says the Olympics was always his goal.
"Ever since I was a little kid I wanted to be an Olympian. What does it take to be an Olympian? I was dreaming about the Olympics. I was dreaming about competing against the best guys in the world. I was just a dreamer. I had big aspirations going into college.” ----- Ryan’s run toward Olympic gold hasn’t always been paved with promise. While at Stanford, Ryan suffered leg injuries which hampered his performance. “I was really frustrated with the way running was going. My identity had kind of been caught up in my running. I remember I’d wake up in the morning and the first thing I’d think about was, ‘how’s my running going?’ I’d be like, ‘oh it’s not going well,’ and the rest of my day wouldn’t be very enjoyable ---- “I’m sitting there in church and the guy who is speaking calls me up, tells me to stand up and gives me this Bible verse. It comes from Psalms 20 and it says that He will give you the desires of your heart and that we will sing for joy about your victory and that we will wave our banners high. So he’s giving me this prophecy at the very worst moment in my running and my training. It’s hard to have the faith to believe that was actually going to happen.”
Ryan Hall returns to run at Stanford University. Image Credit: CBN 700 Club Video
Ryan returned to Stanford and competed well in his junior and senior seasons. This time, he focused on his relationship with God. ---- Three years later, in 2007, came Ryan’s crowning achievement. He set an American trials record at the New York City Olympic time trials. That made him the fastest American-born marathon runner in history. And yes, that qualified him for his first Olympic games.
Ryan Hall setting the record as the fastest American-born marathoner in history at the November 3, 2007 New York City Olympic time trials. Image Credit: CBN 700 Club Video
“What unfolded on November third at the Olympic trials blew my mind away. I just felt amazing during that race. I just felt like I was floating out there. The best way for me to describe it is when David danced before the Lord with all his might - unashamedly.
That’s kind of what I was doing out there. I was just praising God. It was a very special moment for me; one that I’ll always remember. More so because I know what God took me through to get me to that time.” ---- “I know that I can live without a gold medal, but at the same time it would be very exciting to win the gold medal and my goal is simply to praise God with every step I take. God says my grace is sufficient for you. My power is made perfect in your weakness.”
“What I’ve experienced is that He gives me enough strength to get me through each and every race I’ve competed in and to get me through those tough moments when you’re hurting. One of my favorite verses comes from Proverbs. It says, ‘though a righteous man falls seven times he rises again.’
That describes my journey, just falling and getting back up. It’s a big part of marathon running. It’s a big part of our spiritual walk. It’s a big part of life - just learning to get back up.” Reference Here>>
Tomorrow evening, August 4, Big Bear Lake (and the United States) gathers to give a send-off to Ryan Hall as he leaves to represent our country in the Beijing Olympics.
Ryan Hall London Marathon Workout - Big Bear Lake – Olympian
This excerpted from The Grizzly –
The Community Send-off is Monday, Aug. 4, at Big Bear Middle School. The event is a collaborative effort between The Lighthouse Project, Bear Valley Unified School District and the city of Big Bear Lake.
There is no charge to attend and provides everyone in the community the opportunity to cheer on Ryan as well as local students who have logged miles for the campaign. It will be a brief, upbeat and historic opportunity for the community to come together for such a great cause.
Born, raised, and educated "one mile closer to heaven's door" in Big Bear Lake, Ryan Hall looks to his inspiration as he sets a record time for any American-born citizen in the 26 miles of the iconic event of the Olympic movement - The Marathon. Image Credit: CBN 700 Club Video
Gates open at 4:30 p.m. and the event starts at 5:30 p.m. Parking at the facility is extremely limited, so MARTA has agreed to provide special trolley service to get people to and from the event easily. The trolley leaves from the Bartlett Parking Lot stop in the Village at 4 p.m. and drops riders at the middle school. The trolley then makes a stop near Vons at 4:20 p.m. and drops the riders back at the school. It will make the loop again at Bartlett and Vons, with the last pickup at Vons at 5 p.m.
The trolley makes all scheduled stops between the parking lots and middle school. The fare is $1 each way, seniors 60 and older ride for half price and children under 6 ride free. “We really hope the whole community will come out and enjoy this special event." Reference Here>>
UPDATE - August 4, 2008:
Ryan Hall takes a second lap around the Minder Field track that surrounds the football field where the Big Bear Bears compete in the fall season. Ryan, in the middle of the frame, is being photographed by news crews while carrying an Olympic flag. Members of his family surround him while wearing blue shirts and red "Run, Ryan Run" ball caps. His wife, Sara, also in blue and no cap, is tracking along his side in the right of the frame. Image Credit: Edmund Jenks (MAXINE) 2008
And the whole community did just that ... about 2,000 people showed up (a total of approximately 6,000 residents live in the Big Bear Valley) along with camera crews from some of the major broadcast media outlets in Los Angeles (KNBC 4 comes to mind), students from the local schools (today was the first day of the fall semester), citizens, and vacationeers from around Southern California.
One of the featured moments was when Ryan Hall's father, Mickey Hall led the gathering in a heartfelt prayer to ask for God's blessing for the travel to China and the events to come.
UPDATE - August 22, 2008:
The Bear in Beijing! KBHR's Rick Herrick will be bringing you live updates on the Summer Olympics from Beijing--so be sure to keep your radio tuned to KBHR 93.3 FM through the weekend. Image Credit: KBHR 93.3 FM
This notice found at the KBHR 93.3 FM website -
Ryan Hall Readies for Olympic Marathon; Community Viewing Party at the Convention Center on Saturday
We've received word from Ryan Hall, who says that training for the Olympic marathon in Beijing has been going really well. The 25-year-old runner reports his days since arriving have been filled with training, icing, stretching and therapy as he prepares for Sunday morning's marathon race which, again, airs in Big Bear on Saturday, with NBC television coverage on the Olympic marathon starting at 6:30pm.
Ryan and Sara Hall on their final lap of Minder Field before departing for Beijing, China for the Olympics. Image Credit: Edmund Jenks (MAXINE) 2008
The community viewing party to cheer on our local Olympian takes place at the Big Bear Convention Center, and doors open at 2pm for the free event, which will also include children's activities, live entertainment, and food and drinks for purchase. All proceeds from this event on Saturday afternoon will benefit the Big Bear High School athletics department, so there's one more reason to join your friends and neighbors to cheer “run Ryan run!”
And while watching coverage of the Olympic marathon, be sure to look for the Run Ryan Run banners, including the million mile one that the Lighthouse Project presented to Hall during the August 4 community send-off, which has since been signed by members of our community and traveled to Beijing with Hall's parents Mickey and Susie.
Image Credit: Edmund Jenks (MAXINE) 2008
UPDATE August 23, 2008:
What air problem? Marathon runners ready to go By LISA DILLMAN Tribune Olympic Bureau - 6:44 PM CDT, August 22, 2008 BEIJING
Forget disturbing weather forecasts and pollution-index numbers.
That's so yesterday.
The choked, clogged air of Week 1 seemed like a distant memory on the eve of the men's Olympic marathon. Blue skies and sun have been the norm in the latter stages of the Olympic Games, and the forecast is for the low 70s when the race starts at 7:30 a.m. (Beijing time) at Tiananmen Square on Sunday.
The view from the hall window next to Phil Hersh's Beijing hotel room at 12:30 p.m. Aug. 23. Phil says, "Hot, very humid with a pale blue sky." Image Credit: Phil Hersh, Chicago Tribune / August 23, 2008 ---- Lel and his countryman Samuel Wanjiru of Kenya would be considered favorites based on their credentials, but the Olympic marathon is often wildly unpredictable.
Four years ago in Athens, Vanderlei de Lima of Brazil was leading about four miles from the finish when a protester, who was wearing a kilt and a beret, inexplicably attacked him and pushed him to the side of the course. Stefano Baldini of Italy ended up winning and Meb Keflezighi of the United States took the silver and the luckless de Lima the bronze.
The U.S. entrants are trials winner and first-time Olympian Ryan Hall, who grew up in Big Bear and trains at Mammoth Lakes, Brian Sell of Rochester Hills, Mich., and Dathan Ritzenhein of Rockford, Mich. Hall, whose personal best of 2:06.17 came this year in the London Marathon, arrived in China a couple of weeks early to get adjusted and detailed taking his first run in Beijing.
"I have never sweat so much in my entire life," Hall wrote in his own blog. "By the end of the 30-minute easy run I was dripping in sweat. I was glad that I was there 2 ½ weeks early to get used to the humidity.
"I had practiced in warm temperatures and over-dressed in practice, but there was nothing I could have done to totally prepare for this level of humidity besides getting over here early to make the adjustment." Reference Here>>
Final UPDATE - Sunday, August 24, 2008: Top Mettle: Ryan Hall Places 10th in His Olympic Marathon Debut! Story By KBHR 93.3 FM
Next Stops: Spain, Chicago, Zambia With his family including wife Sara with him in China, Ryan Hall made his Olympic debut in the August 24 Olympic marathon in Beijing--while, back home in Big Bear, red hats and cheers of “Run Ryan Run!” filled the packed Convention Center for the community viewing party to watch 2001 Big Bear High School graduate Hall compete in only his fourth marathon ever.
Hall received much media coverage during the televised event, including a profile piece (which also featured dad and coach Mickey training with Ryan here in Big Bear), as the 25-year-old runner ran the 26.2 mile race, working his way up from 30something to 10 in a field of over 90 runners. Hall ultimately placed an impressive 10th at 2:12:33 in the Olympic marathon, just six minutes and a second behind gold medal winner Samuel Wansiru of Kenya, who set a new Olympic record with his time of 2:06:32.
So what's next for Hall, now that he has realized his personal dream of competing in the Olympics? Prior to leaving for Beijing, Hall said that he plans to accompany his wife to a running competition in Spain before the two attend the Chicago marathon, on behalf of Team World Vision, on October 12.
Though Ryan has said, “I really love my life and there's nothing I'd rather do than train hard and keep focused,” the Halls are planning an October visit to Zambia as well. There, they will participate in a community water project using proceeds from the Chicago marathon. Adds Hall, “Sara and I, our goal is to feed God's children.”
CNN is reporting through a source which CNN says that they can not reveal that Joseph Biden was offered the Vice-President slot on the ticket by Barack Obama and that he, Biden accepted. Image Credit: Richards/Getty
Empty Suit Embraces Gas Bag To Form Democrat Ticket!
Was there ever a better Democrat Party marriage made in heaven?
What a ticket – Barack Obama who was against going into Iraq as a front on the war on terror when HE had nothing on the line (he had NO vote and no position of power on the issue) has picked as a Vice Presidential partner,
a longtime Senator (35 years) who argued and voted for our involvement in Iraq,
was in complete agreement with his Senator friend, John McCain, on pursuing a Surge strategy in order to put down the build up of al Qaida terrorist forces and former Baathists in Iraq,
and even stated that he would make a good VP choice for the presumptive Republican Party nominee for President, Senator John McCain if Senator McCain wanted to cross political parties for a dramatic choice to fill out the ticket!
That person is the very senior Senator from Delaware (near Pennsylvania) – Joe Biden.
So now we will all be treated to a doubling down of the Gaffe factor what with an inexperienced junior Senator from Illinois who should be saying less away from a teleprompter is teamed up with a speech plagiarizing (1988) egomaniac who should talk less when he is asked a question … Biden is the type of person who, when asked “what time is it?” is inclined to tell you how to build the watch, how he helped with some of the original watch makers on construct of their designs, how he made a suggestion on the type font used to form the numbers on the face of the watch, that there should be many types of watches like ones for a pocket, a broach, put a strap on one so that it can be worn on a wrist, make watches that would appeal to different genders, and call it a timepiece – all very helpful stuff. Joe Biden has NEVER held an executive, leadership position … he has always been a legislator.
Sound the gun, ring the bell, and let the alarm begin the Democrat race for President of the United States and let us hear how we can become citizens of the world out of the mouths of;
1.) an empty suit with little in the way of accomplishment at the top of the ticket and,
2.) a world champion policy wonk, gas bag at the bottom of the ticket.
By March or April 2008, the 6000 gold, silver and bronze medals for Beijing 2008 were ready. China Banknote Printing and Minting Corporation in Shanghai, China, was the maker of the medals. /// The raw materials for creating the medals came from BHP’s mines in Chile and Australia. Escondida mine in Chile provides the copper concentrate which contains gold for the gold medals. Spence mining operation, also in Chile, supplies copper cathode which can turn into bronze medals. Cannington mine in Queensland, Australia, supplies silver and lead for crafting silver medals. Image Credit: beijingolympicsfan.com
The Audacity Of Liberal Defeatist Attitudes
In an op-ed piece written by New York Times columnist, Nicholas D. Kristof, we are treated to a world view of praise for the potential growth of China as a country that will own the successes found in the advancement of humanity for the 21st Century.
He sites as part of his arguments … the flexibility of this centralized, totalitarian rule which by its very nature, is inflexible.
Ask the people who traveled to Beijing to see the Olympics … who hold their faith and the book that helps to inform them of their faith in high regard, how flexible the Government of China is after the flexible Government of China stripped them of their Bibles.
He goes on to extol the virtues of a winning China in the Olympics and then lectures us Americans to “Get Used To It”!
The trouble Mr. Kristof has with his analogies and trek through the history of man and his societies is the recognition of the power of the very real flexibility of a government system based on human rights and personal freedom.
Further, he ignores the conservative and competitive spirit of Americans who never assume that they are in the game … any game, to play for Bronze, or Silver – we all play for Gold.
We, at MAXINE just love it when we are lectured by liberals to just accept a future world view that does not have the United States continuing to win … and win big.
"Tank man" blocks a column of tanks heading east on Beijing's Chang'an Boulevard (Avenue of Eternal Peace) near Tiananmen Square during the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989. Image Credit: Jeff Widener - 1989 (The Associated Press)
This excerpted and edited from the New York Times -
China’s Rise Goes Beyond Gold Medals By NICHOLAS D. KRISTOF - Published: August 20, 2008
China is on track to displace the United States as the winner of the most Olympic gold medals this year. Get used to it.
Today, it’s the athletic surge that dazzles us, but China will leave a similar outsize footprint in the arts, in business, in science, in education.
The world we are familiar with, dominated by America and Europe, is a historical anomaly. Until the 1400s, the largest economies in the world were China and India, and forecasters then might have assumed that they would be the ones to colonize the Americas — meaning that by all rights this newspaper should be printed in Chinese or perhaps Hindi. ---- Now the world is reverting to its normal state — a powerful Asia — and we will have to adjust. Just as many Americans know their red wines and easily distinguish a Manet from a Monet, our children will become connoisseurs of pu-er tea and will know the difference between guanxi and Guangxi, the Qin and the Qing. When angry, they may even insult each other as “turtle’s eggs.” ---- This transition to Chinese dominance will be a difficult process for the entire international community, made more so by China’s prickly nationalism. China still sees the world through the prism of guochi, or national humiliation, and among some young Chinese success sometimes seems to have produced not so much national self-confidence as cockiness.
China’s intelligence agencies are becoming more aggressive in targeting America, including corporate secrets, and the Chinese military is busily funding new efforts to poke holes in American military pre-eminence. ---- Mr. Bush should have spoken out more forcefully on behalf of human rights, including urging Beijing to stop shipping the weapons used for genocide in Darfur.
It’s a difficult balance to get right, but China’s determination to top the gold medal charts — bespeaks a larger desire for international respect and legitimacy. We can use that desire also to shame and coax better behavior out of China’s leaders.
When the Chinese government sentences two frail women in their late 70s to labor camp because they applied to hold a legal protest during the Olympics, as it just has, then that is an outrage to be addressed not by “silent diplomacy” but by pointing it out. ---- On this visit, I dropped by the home of Bao Tong, a former senior Communist Party official who spent seven years in prison for challenging the hard-liners during the Tiananmen democracy movement. The guards who monitor him 24/7 let me through when I showed my Olympic press credentials.
Mr. Bao noted that Communist leaders used to actually believe in Communism; now they simply believe in Communist Party rule. He recalled that hard-liners used to fret about the danger of “peaceful evolution,” meaning a gradual shift to a Western-style political and economic system. “Now, in fact, what we have is peaceful evolution,” he noted.
That flexibility is one of China’s great strengths, and it’s one reason that the most important thing going on in the world today is the rise of China — in the Olympics and in almost every other facet of life. Reference Here>>
It is funny how being able to show “guards who monitor him 24/7 let me through when I showed my Olympic press credentials” as being a sign of Communist flexibility when this Communist (Bao Tong) Mr. Kristof is visiting is still under guard (house arrest) in his own country for speaking out about the lack of freedom and the adoption of Western style democracy and human-rights since 1989!
The economic base of China may be shifting to one more closely based on Capitalism (this does not mean we'll be seeing a similar outsize footprint in the arts, in science, in education) but the Government is still a central-rule Communist government where basic human-rights do not exist ... where is the outsized argument/demand for this "flexibility"?
Get Smart’s “Cone Of Silence” - Although there’s no working system described in any articles I can find about this, the patent application that goes with this is filed on behalf of NASA, so it might not be total vaporware. Caption and Image Credit: Get Smart via hojohnlee.com
Cone Of Silence vs The Idiocy Of Pay-Grade
The Main Stream Media is at a loss as to how to defend the lackluster performance of the Junior Senator from Illinois, Barack Obama at the Saddleback Church’s Civic Forum held Saturday night August 16, 2008.
So, if one can not attack the superior nature of the answers given to obvious questions asked of both candidates for leader of the free world … a very high pay-grade in itself … then why not attack the process.
The questions in themselves were absolute “Christian Forum 101”, from abortion to human rights, from self-reliance to the freedom of process on how religious and civic organizations participate in the giving of aid services, from vouchers and home schooling to merit pay and competition in the judgment of teachers and schools in the education infrastructure – even “Why do you want to become President of the United States?" – really basic fare.
Nothing new in the nature of the questions and nothing that should surprise anyone who aspires to lead. The questioning process was not "gotcha politics" made famous by the Fourth Estate or brain surgery.
So now we are treated to this exercise in insinuation from the New York Times.
This excerpted from the New York Times -
Despite Assurances, McCain Wasn’t in a ‘Cone of Silence’ By KATHARINE Q. SEELYE - Published: August 17, 2008
ORLANDO, Fla. — Senator John McCain was not in a so-called cone of silence on Saturday night while his rival, Senator Barack Obama, was being interviewed at the Saddleback Church in California.
The McCain campaign, which flew here Sunday from California, said Mr. McCain was in his motorcade on the way to the church as Mr. Obama was being interviewed by the Rev. Rick Warren.
The matter is of interest because Mr. McCain, who followed Mr. Obama’s hourlong appearance in the forum, was asked virtually the same questions as Mr. Obama. Mr. McCain’s performance was well received, raising speculation among some viewers, especially supporters of Mr. Obama, that he was not as isolated during the Obama interview as Mr. Warren implied.
Mr. Warren, pastor of Saddleback, had assured the audience while he was interviewing Mr. Obama that “we have safely placed Senator McCain in a cone of silence” and that he could not hear the questions. ---- Interviewed Sunday on CNN, Mr. Warren seemed surprised to learn that Mr. McCain was not in the building during the Obama interview. A spokeswoman for Mr. McCain said he was en route to the church.
Nicolle Wallace, a spokeswoman for Mr. McCain, said on Sunday night that Mr. McCain had not heard the broadcast of the event while in his motorcade and heard none of the questions. “The insinuation from the Obama campaign that John McCain, a former prisoner of war, cheated is outrageous,” Ms. Wallace said. Reference Here>>
Simple, clear, direct, and philosophically informed answers bespeak LEADERSHIP in the best way.
The simple, clear, direct and philosophically informed winner was ...
... the Senior Senator from Arizona, John McCain.
Definately NOT the Junior Senator from Illinois, Barack Obama.
Even if somehow Senator Barack Obama managed to win the election come November 3, 2008, the office of the President of the United States would still be above Barack Obama's "pay-grade"!
The Democratic National Convention Committee 2008 Logo - Image Credit: DNCC
Obama’s Folly - A Triple Play For The Clinton Democrats In Denver
The political convention for the Democrat Party is to be held in Denver starting August 25-28, 2008. Given recent concessions by Barack Obama in the negotiations for scheduled speakers and events, appears to be an exercise in Clinton political power.
This convention is supposed to be constructed to place the best face on the Democrat Party and highlight the characteristics of their nominee for President of the United States in order to build momentum with the voters across the nation to win the election.
If these negotiations were a pitch in baseball and the presumptive nominee Barack Obama were the batter … Obama just WHIFFED!
The way the schedule is set (for now), Barack Obama has allowed the Clinton’s to be an instrumental part of the main three days that the four day convention will be held with primetime speaking and presentation opportunities. The participation will end on Thursday when Hillary Clinton’s name will be placed into nomination so that delegates pledged to her can stand up and raise their voice.
This gesture is intended to be symbolic as the Democrats officially make Barack Obama their nominee at the Denver gathering … but we, at MAXINE, wonder how strong of a showing will this represent when the Democrat faithful on the convention floor will have been treated in each preceding day with a potential stirring speech by former president Bill Clinton, a Hollywood produced review presentation of the Clinton years as president and Hillary’s historic run for the nomination and to have Hillary be introduced in a speech to be delivered by Bill and Hillary’s daughter, Chelsea.
The way the schedule is set on Tuesday night Senator Hillary Clinton, who is a champion for working families and one of the most effective and empathetic voices in the country today, will be the headline prime-time speaker on Tuesday August 26th. Chelsea Clinton is expected to introduce her with a small speech after a video production put together by the Hollywood producers Linda Bloodworth-Thomason and Harry Thomason. Then on Wednesday, the leadoff primtime slot on the third night, Former President Bill Clinton, "will speak on Barack Obama’s commitment to a stronger and safer America, as well as the history of Democrats making positive change in the lives of all Americans." Lastly, on the fourth night, Hillary Clinton will be mentioned over and over again during the roll-call delegate vote before the assumed outcome of Barack Obama being nominated.
Who thinks this is a great way to introduce a candidate that has NO RECORD of accomplishment that would qualify him to become President of the United States?
Not Dick Morris!
This excerpted from the New York Post -
HILLARY PUSHES WAY ONTO STAGE NAME TO BE PUT INTO NOMINATION AT CONVENTION By MAGGIE HABERMAN - Last updated: 6:12 am - August 15, 2008 - Posted: 4:02 am - August 15, 2008
Hillary Rodham Clinton has muscled her way into formal recognition at the Democratic National Convention by successfully pressing Barack Obama to allow her name to be placed into nomination, officials said yesterday. ---- The announcement came after weeks of wrangling between the two sides over Clinton's role at the four-day event beginning Aug. 25.
The deal was finalized after several furious Clinton boosters pushed for formal recognition of her campaign, in which she came closer than any woman has to becoming a major party nominee.
"I am convinced that honoring Senator Clinton's historic campaign in this way will help us celebrate this defining moment in our history and bring the party together in a strong, united fashion," Obama said in a joint statement with Clinton.
"With every voice heard and the party strongly united, we will elect Senator Obama president of the United States and put our nation on the path to peace and prosperity once again." ---- Several of those Clinton supporters had said they planned to use the convention to make their case while hordes of media were on hand.
Democrats hoped yesterday's agreement would help avert that.
"I think it allows Hillary Clinton's supporters" to feel she's being honored, said Democratic pollster Doug Schoen, predicting, "We end up with a more unified party." ---- But some Democrats privately expressed surprise that Clinton had agreed to have her name entered into nomination, and said she and husband Bill risk overshadowing Obama.
"John McCain's got to be loving this," said one longtime Democratic operative, noting that Clinton and Obama have done a slow and somewhat pained dance toward unity.
"This is a mistake," said another party operative who backs Obama, arguing that a roll-call vote would highlight the fault lines between the two campaigns. The method for the roll call is still being negotiated. ---- Both Bill and Hillary Clinton now have prime-time speaking slots during the convention, meaning that the former first couple will be a major fixture at a gala that Obama boosters had considered to be the end of the Clinton era.
Obama held a 364-delegate lead over Clinton when the primaries ended, according to an Associated Press count. A candidate needs 2,118 to win the nomination, and Obama had 2,254 after the last votes on June 3. With Post Wire Services Reference Here>>
Wake us here at MAXINE when its over and tell us that Senator Hillary Clinton actually received more roll call votes than socialist and Junior Senator Barack Obama … then we will all know that GOD really likes the Clintons.
Feeling blue...the Watercube will change the face of sports architecture. /// Known officially as the National Aquatics Center, the Watercube has been dubbed the "cool" building of the Games. /// The building's design and its translucent, blue-toned outer skin make it look like a cube of bubbles - like "bubble wrap." Caption and Image Credit: dailymail.co.uk
Beijing Olympics – A Four By One-Hundred Relay For The Ages
Small dreams die hard for anyone who ever swam in competition as part of a team.
From Left to Right - Cullen Jones, Jason Lezak, Michael Phelps, Garrett Weber-Gale of the United States prepare for the Men's 4 x 100m Freestyle Relay held at the National Aquatics Center on Day 3 of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games on August 11, 2008 in Beijing, China. The United States finished the race in first place in a time of 3:08.24 and wins the gold medal and set a new World Record. Caption & Image Credit: Jamie Squire/Getty Images
Competitive swimming, by its very nature, is a sport of singular and personal pursuit. To draw a parallel, being a swimmer on a team is like being a golfer on a team … one is really by themselves with their own talent and thoughts. There is no place as in, say Rugby, for the members of the team to join arms in a scrum and through the force and effort of the whole … the team becomes the force of one.
The outside and inside skin is made of a Teflon-like material - ETFE (ethylene-tetrafluoroethylene). Composed of two layers, it's separated by an interior passage that allows the building to breathe like a greenhouse. Caption and Image Credit: dailymail.co.uk
What happened in the “Watercube” watersports stadium at the Beijing edition of the summer Olympics was a relay race for the ages. By any measure, all of the teams that had gathered for the finals of the Olympic competition were the very best to ever gather at any time in the history of humankind.
The proof of this statement was bared out when after the race had been held, all five teams broke the previous world record … and the Gold Metal winner, the team from the United States, bested the record by 3.99 seconds … an eternity of margin in the annals of swimming competition of the 4 X 100 meter Freestyle Relay, where timing margins are measured in one-hundredth's of a second.
The small dream that was vicariously brought to reality is the one lived out by the person who had to swim the anchor leg (the final swimmer of the team) of the race. The Walter Middy moment of the race held on August 11, 2008 came at the turn after the first of two fifty meter legs in the pool ... the final leg.
This is a tale of two stories.
Jason Lezak of the United States poses with the gold medal during the medal ceremony for the Men's 4 x 100m Freestyle Relay held at the National Aquatics Center on Day 3 of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games on August 11, 2008 in Beijing, China. (Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)
This from Yahoo! Sports -
Lezak lifts U.S. in ‘best ever’ relay By Charles Robinson, Yahoo! Sports - 13 hours, 27 minutes ago
Jason Lezak churned like an unstoppable nuclear submarine, redlining to complete an impossible mission.
He pummeled the last 50 meters of water, dilating fans’ pupils and scorching their veins with adrenaline and sucking their torsos forward in their seats. He churned straight for Garrett Weber-Gale, who was cursing and howling and pounding on the starting blocks. He charged toward Cullen Jones, who jumped so frantically that he almost slipped and fell into the pool. And he roared past U.S. coach Eddie Reese, who was being squeezed nearly to death by one of his assistants.
And in the last meter of the greatest relay race in the history of the Olympics, Lezak grazed his outstretched fingertip on the wall just ahead of France’s Alain Bernard, who last week boasted of “smashing” the Americans in this event. When Reese tried to capture the moment later, he thought for a second and shook his head.
“It would have to be in the unbelievable category,” he said. “That’s the biggest word I know.” ---- But this one had the feel of a Hollywood script – the kind that would never make it to the movie screen simply because it bent reality too far. From Phelps’ second gold hanging in the balance, to Bernard’s pre-race boast, to the United States struggling to regain supremacy in an event it once owned, this one had the makings of greatness before the swimmers took to the starting blocks.
And just when it seemed it couldn’t get any better, the Americans and French dueled in an epic final 100 meters. A final leg that pitted Lezak – who was the anchor on America’s disappointing 2000 and 2004 4x100-meter freestyle relay teams – against Bernard, who was the world-record holder in the 100-meter freestyle going into the event. Bernard lost that record in the first 100 of the race when Australia’s Eamon Sullivan opened with a 47.24 leg, grabbing Bernard’s record. ---- United States fell behind in the third 100 meters, with Cullen Jones touching the wall over six-tenths of a second behind the French. By the time Lezak made his final turn, that gap had grown to .82 seconds, a virtual eternity in a 50-meter sprint. But just when the race appeared to be over – NBC commentator Rowdy Gaines actually called the race for the French with about 60 meters left – Lezak pulled off the fastest 100-meter split in the history of the games: 46.06 seconds.
“It had to be the best ever and it was the best ever,” Reese said. “That’s the kind of anchor you dream of. … When you put the world-record holder in on the end of a relay and you go into the pool behind him, the chance of you beating him is slim and none. There’s never been (a 50 meters like that) in my memory – not running down somebody that holds a world record and that’s on their game. That was incredible.”
(L-R) Matt Targett of Australia, Jason Lezak of the United States and Alain Bernard of France compete in the final leg of the Men's 4 x 100m Freestyle Relay Final held at the National Aquatics Center on Day 3 of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games on August 11, 2008 in Beijing, China. The United States finished the race in first place in a time of 3:08.24 and wins the gold medal and set a new World Record. Eamon Sullivan of Australia set a time of 47.24 in the first leg, a new World Record. Caption & Image Credit: Adam Pretty/Getty Images ---- And when it came down to the last 50 meters, and Lezak had to do the unthinkable and make up a half-body length, Weber-Gale could only think the Americans had found the right person in the right moment.
“I was just thinking to myself, if there’s anyone on this team or in the world that is going to do it, it was going to be Jason,” he said.
Yet for a split second, when Lezak made his final turn and saw Bernard so far ahead, he said he briefly thought “there’s no way,” before deciding to just blow out his remaining energy and hope for the best. He pulled his body as close as possible to Bernard’s lane, drafting behind him for 25 meters, and then swiftly made up the last few inches, digging and kicking and reaching for the wall. And when it was over, the team exploded in unison, flexing and leaping and exorcising eight years of – as Reese put it – getting “spanked” in freestyle relays. Reference Here>>
Did the French choke? By Chris Chase - Monday, Aug 11, 2008 2:22 am EDT
After weeks of bluster, world record holder Alain Bernard had a chance to back up his bravado in the pool this morning in Beijing. Instead, the Frenchman collapsed in the final meters of the 4x100-meter freestyle relay, enabling the United States to win one of the most thrilling swimming races in Olympic history. Did Bernard choke? Yes, but that's not the only reason he lost. ---- There were two main factors in the American's come-from-behind victory.
First, Jason Lezak swam the fastest relay leg of all-time. This is not to be overlooked or underappreciated. Without Lezak (and, for that matter, Michael Phelps, Garett Weber-Gale and Cullen Jones), Bernard would have been so far ahead he couldn't have given up the lead even if he was Greg Norman.
Secondly, Bernard swam a poor mental race. Call it whatever you'd like, but it had all the hallmarks of a choke.
It's impossible to know whether Bernard was nervous or overconfident during the race, but it's safe to say he was foolish. After swimming the fastest first 50 meters of any of the 32 competitors, Bernard came back with one of the slowest. By the 70-meter mark, he had slowed considerably.
At that point, Lezak began catching up, and Bernard made mistake #2. Instead of keeping a steady stroke, Bernard increased his turnover, which caused him to break his rhythm and led to the tightness that Rowdy Gaines described on NBC's broadcast.
To his credit, Bernard was gracious in defeat, clapping when the Americans received their gold medals and shaking the hand of Michael Phelps after the ceremony. Or maybe that was just his way of surrendering. The French are pretty good at that one too. Reference Here>>
This was a small dream held by this swimmer, here at MAXINE, that was vicariously brought to reality by Jason Lezak and the rest of the Team USA four by one-hundred freestyle relay leg swimmers.
Small dreams can come true … and in a big way, Walter Middy lives.
Barack Obama is still on the market for a running mate today after veep speculators talked up a surprise announcement in Indiana today. The rumors were rampant because Obama was introduced by Evan Bayh, who is Indiana’s second term U.S. Senator, the state’s former governor, and allegedly on Obama’s shortlist for veep. Image Credit: Bonney Kapp – Fox News
Barack O’Bummer – The Pied Piper Of Contempt
The level of dislike for America and its basic construct by Barack Obama has no boundaries. Factually, he insults us all … and most of all, the Democrat party who deserves a better standard-bearer.
Yesterday, at Concord High School in Elkhart, Indiana, a seven-year-old girl asked Barack Obama in a townhall setting, why does he want to be President (?).
Instead of giving an answer that would actually come from hope and change ... he told her that America has gone downhill … that it isn’t the country it used to be.
Man, what a “Bummer”.
This excerpted from Hot Air –
Obama: “America is no longer what it once was” posted at 11:25 am on August 7, 2008 by Ed Morrissey
[said the junior Senator from Illinois, Barack Obama]
“America is …, uh, is no longer, uh … what it could be, what it once was."
“America is …, uh, is no longer, uh … what it could be, what it once was."
Definitely not the country that sacrificed itself twice in world wars to save the free nations of the world from domination by powers that pursued genocide in the name of purity.
“America is …, uh, is no longer, uh … what it could be, what it once was."
Not the country that provides more in drugs and money than any other country to educate and curb the effects of AIDS.
“America is …, uh, is no longer, uh … what it could be, what it once was."
Not the country all other countries look to for economic leadership and innovation and that foreign born citizens break laws in order to experience the freedoms that exist here.
“America is …, uh, is no longer, uh … what it could be, what it once was."
Maybe he wants to go back to the America that openly pursued segregation or the one before that one, where slavery was a part of the agricultural economic structure.
What country would allow any minority to be able to be freely brought through a democratic process to the highest elected office of leadership?
Maybe he is expecting an America that should be one of entitlement to a group of elite folks and that HE is the top pick of that bunch of people ... as opposed to the broad range of Democrats that have put him into the position he finds himself at this moment before the convention in Denver.
To be honest, we, at MAXINE, liked the concept of the “Audacity Of Hope” ... it almost felt business-like, in that, it came from a place where it had the attitude that we had a good “BRAND” but we could make this “BRAND” better.
What we witnessed yesterday, at Concord High School in Elkhart, Indiana, in an answer given to a seven-year-old girl from Barack O’Bummer, in this latest of unguarded and un-telepromptered statements, is an “Audacity Of Contempt”.
Democratic presidential candidate, Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., reacts to cheering supporters during a town hall-style meeting in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Thursday, July 31, 2008. Image Credit: AP Photo/Jae C. Hong
The Insulting Posture Of Barack Obama
It all began with the campaign for Barack Obama and the Democrat Party stating that the junior Senator from Illinois represented the first “Post-Racial” candidate for President of the United States.
Then in March, Barack Obama recites a story about his grandmother ("a typical WHITE person") and her reaction to walking alone on a city street.
“The point I was making was not that my grandmother harbors any racial animosity, but that she is a typical white person. If she sees somebody on the street that she doesn’t know (pause) there’s a reaction in her that doesn’t go away and it comes out in the wrong way.” - Barack Obama, March 20, 2008 - AM610 WIP
Then in June, we have Barack Obama giving a townhall talk where he muses that … “THEY” are going to tell you that I have a funny name, and did you know that I’m Black? (who is the THEY?)
This week, in another townhall type of gathering, Mr. Obama continued with his push to make sure that we know that RACE is an issue with him and his campaign for President. THEY will tell you I look funny … (that he) "doesn't look like all those other presidents on the dollar bills."
I am sorry, but I find this tact (or lack thereof) taken by Senator Barack Obama to be an insult to my intelligence. It is as if the voting public does not have any eyes and do not know from the top that Barack Obama is a human being with African DNA markers in his genetic make-up. It is as plain as the insulting suggestion that by talking about, and making this one fact a voting issue for discussion, no other issue about the election is important.
And just WHO is making this fact an issue for discussion … well, the Junior Senator from Illinois, Barack Obama himself and the insult comes when he tries to paint his competition as the faction that is making this (one’s genetic make-up) the issue.
It is just this point of order that the campaign for Senator John McCain for President of the United States finally felt the need to respond. After the improper suggestion, in speech after speech by Barack Obama, it was time to push back and call the Junior Senator out on his insulting tactic of injecting RACE into, and making it the major issue in the discourse of the campaign process.
Barack Obama, “Post-Racial”? Yea, riiiiight!
This excerpted and edited by the Associated Press –
Who started it? McCain, Obama camps trade barbs By DOUGLASS K. DANIEL, Associated Press Writer - 54 minutes ago
McCain has accused Obama of playing politics with race for predicting that the likely Republican nominee and others in the GOP would try to scare voters by saying the Democrat "doesn't look like all those other presidents on the dollar bills." Obama's spokesmen denied he was referring to being black, although all the presidents on U.S. currency are white.
Obama senior strategist David Axelrod said Friday that race became an issue only when the McCain campaign cast a racial slant on Obama's remarks, which were made at a campaign swing Wednesday in rural Missouri.
The next day, McCain campaign manager Rick Davis issued a statement claiming that Obama had played "the race card" and calling the remarks "divisive, negative, shameful and wrong."
"We are not going to let anybody paint John McCain, who has fought his entire life for equal rights for everyone, to be able to be painted as racist," Davis said Friday on "Today" on NBC. "We've seen this happen before and we're not going to let it happen to us." ---- Axelrod rejected the charge and repeated the assertion that Obama was talking about his status as a young, relative newcomer to Washington politics. ---- As far as who was responsible for the campaign's negative tone, Davis said on NBC: "We didn't draw first blood. I mean, this campaign has been rough and tumble since the day Barack Obama got his nomination, and we've withered under the attacks of the Obama campaign on a daily basis." Reference Here>>
The plane of U.S. Democratic presidential candidate Senator Barack Obama lands at Berlin's Tegel airport July 24, 2008. Obama is on a foreign tour he hopes will boost his election chances. He will give an outdoor speech in Berlin on transatlantic ties that is likely to draw thousands. Image Credit: REUTERS
A man of the people has a newly, refurbished Boeing 757 campaign plane upon which to transport the adoring members of the fourth estate.
The "North American" campaign plane before the Obama campaign remake. Image Credit: XDTalk Forums
The most interesting change from Barack Obama’s previous campaign plane set-up was the removal of the American flag that flew on the tail in favor of the Obama campaign stylized “O” logo. The previous plane’s graphics actually never mentioned the United States choosing to highlight the phrase “North American” … the plane’s leasing operator.
Image Credit: Fox News
That is just plain weird. A man who wishes to become the leader of the free world and the most powerful nation on Earth … doesn’t care to have the mention on his plane The United States of America.
We, here at MAXINE, have another suggestion for a graphic on the tail of the North American Airlines leasing operated Boeing 757 …
NObama campaign graphic for lawn signs, bumper stickers and … airplane tails. Graphic Credit: Edmund Jenks (2008)
Sally, a nickname bestowed upon Barack Obama’s chartered 757 by some in the traveling press, has returned to service after undergoing a month-long makeover for the general election. ---- There are 69 passengers on board, including 38 members of the press, Secret Service agents, and Obama staffers, including several of Obama’s top foreign policy advisors.
The North American jet that flew Obama and his traveling crew around for much of the primary season was refurbished with new seats and power for each passenger a must on the campaign trail. And the plane that once had an American flag on its tail now sports the Obama “O.” “Change We Can Believe In” and the candidate’s website are splayed across both sides of the fuselage, making this 757 anything but inconspicuous.
Also new to the plane: mesh curtains that divide the press and Secret Service from the staff and candidate’s parts of the plane. While Obama and his staff get first class seating, press and agents are relegated to standard 3 seats-per-row seating. But, staffers advise us that some rows were taken out of the plane to give us more leg room.
Obama staff first class section in the new "O"-Force One Obama campaign plane. Image Credit: Fox News
Prior to getting refurbished, the plane sported hundreds of photographs documenting life on the campaign trail. While her walls are bare now, expect a more personal cabin after the press get reacquainted with the plane on this 14-hour journey to the Middle East.Check out some photos of the new and improved 757 below.
First Class for Staff. Beyond the silver curtain is where Obama will sit. The section has just four Lay-Z-Boy style seats, at least one of which is embroidered with the Obama ‘08 logo in its headrest. The roomy section has just one other feature - a table for four. Reference Here>>
Side panel graphics display on the Obama campaign Boeing 757. Image Credit: Fox News
And this excerpted from WELT ONLINE -
Obama arrives in Germany amid high expectations U.S. Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama arrived in Berlin Thursday, kicking off the European leg of his overseas trip amid high expectations. WELT ONLINE - Europe Tour - 24. Juli 2008, 12:22 Uhr
The German capital is the first stop on a whirlwind tour that will take Obama to Germany, France and Britain in an effort to burnish his foreign credentials as he campaigns against Republican Sen. John McCain for the U.S. presidency. While in Berlin, Obama will meet with German leaders, including Chancellor Angela Merkel and Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier.
He will cap his day with an open-air speech before an expected crowd of at least 100,000 that his campaign has described as a "substantive address on U.S.-European relations.“ The address has symbolic value because several U.S. presidents – including John F. Kennedy, Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton – made significant addresses in Berlin. Former German President Richard von Weizsaecker said that the Obama event could help pave the way for a new trans-Atlantic relationship, according to a newspaper report. "Kennedy said the famous sentence: ’Ich bin ein Berliner’ – Obama could send the Berlin signal: America is counting on Europe for its future,“ he was quoted as saying by the Bild newspaper Thursday.
"We have long believed that nobody in America is interested in our continent any more,“ he said in further quotes attributed to him. "The appearance and the speech of Barack Obama are evidence that this preconception is false.“
After landing at Tegel Airport, his aircraft taxied beside the soon-to-depart plane of Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, who visited Berlin this week for talks aimed at luring German companies to invest in his country.
Obama met with al-Maliki in Baghdad earlier this week during the Middle East part of his tour. Reference Here>>
Can you spell F-I-A-S-C-O (with Obama for President logo), I knew you could. Graphic Credit: Edmund Jenks (MAXINE) 2008
"The Barapolis" - Obama Stage Setup At Invesco To Resemble An Ancient Greek Temple - Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama’s big speech on Thursday night will be delivered from an elaborate columned stage resembling a miniature Greek temple. /// The stage, similar to structures used for rock concerts, has been set up at the 50-yard-line, the midpoint of Invesco Field, the stadium where the Denver Broncos’ National Football League team plays. Image Credit: Edmund Jenks (MAXINE) 2008
