England for Obama

Roger Walters of Pink Floyd wrote his song ‘The tide is turning’ about Live Aid, but I thought long ago that it would make a great song for Barack Obama’s historic campaign. Unfortunately I never made a video mash-up using this song, but a chap called Bob Cesca also had the same idea and he did. He wrote about it at the Huffington Post, and frankly he did a far better job than I would have done. This is his video:

With accusations flying and tensions rising, it’s good to take a more light-hearted look at the campaign sometimes. However, even political humour is now coming with a serious message, at least from Obama Girl in her latest video.

Hillary Clinton’s campaign team, refusing to answer any questions about her Bosnia trip lies, yesterday once again pushed the the seating of Florida and Michigan delegates, whilst she herself attempted to reopen the race issue. That’s what you do when all eyes are on you and your own failings. But the media, and particularly CBS News who first broadcast video evidence that Senator Clinton wasn’t telling the truth, were having none of it. Instead last night they broadcast a follow up story dismissing claims that this was a one-off error due to lack of sleep, and calling into question her general trustworthiness.

Millions of Americans have already seen this broadcast, but there’s no reason why you shouldn’t too, so here it is:

Having been caught telling a tall story about her Bosnia trip, Hillary Clinton made the fatal mistake most liars make when they are rumbled: she lied again claiming “I was sleep deprived, I misspoke”.

How is that a lie? Well, it didn’t take long to discover that this was no simple error due to lack of sleep, but the fourth time she’s said the same thing. So this is just the latest in a string of similar untruths and that looks very much like a pattern.

Then there’s the small problem of her choice of excuse. This whole thing was an attempt to bolster her contention that she has the experience that she claims Obama lacks. You remember how that first came up? Yes that’s right, it’s that 3am phone call advert. Are we now supposed to believe that President Hillary Clinton would be the best person to take that urgent phone call at 3am, when she makes completely false assertions because she’s “sleep deprived”?

The phrase “when in a hole, stop digging” comes to mind, but this is, as her advert pointed out, serious stuff. There will be 3am phone calls for the next President, and when they come, and you’re feeling a bit “sleep deprived”, it will be that person’s character and judgment which make the difference. Forget Hillary’s lack of judgment in voting for a war without reading the National Intelligence Report beforehand, the worry now is just what she’ll say whilst clearing the sleep from her eyes!

Her campaign team refused to answer reporter’s questions today about this matter. It’s not hard to see why.

Hillary Clinton has made a great deal of her supposed ‘experience’, but first came the forced release of her schedules as First Lady (which didn’t really back up the claim), and now this:

With the cut and thrust of a hard fought campaign it’s sometimes all too easy to forget what it’s all really for. The endorsement of big names like Bill Richardson make headlines, but sometimes, just sometimes, an ordinary voter’s endorsement can remind you that it’s not about power politics, it’s about the people.

The following video endorsement comes from a young man who lives in Philadelphia who has been badgering his brother, Will, endlessly about Barack Obama and apparently demanded that he make this short film (and subtitle it so that he can be understood). He has Downes Syndrome, but as his brother says on his blog, he’s an excellent judge of character.

Dan Drinker Endorses Barack Obama from WDrinker on Vimeo.

Daniel is of course opening himself to the potential ridicule of millions by publicising that endorsement. People can be cruel and spiteful, particularly of people who differ from themselves, but just as most black people sadly have to take racism in their stride, I’m sure Daniel has had to endure his own share of ignorant barbs in his short life. Go Daniel! Go ‘bama!

Sadly, entry to Obama’s rallies are as difficult to get as tickets to the latest pop sensation’s concerts, but we’re starting the campaign right here, right now, to get Daniel a chance to see Barack Obama in the flesh, and maybe even meet Barack, at one of the forthcoming Pennsylvania events.

Oh, and Daniel’s Mum; you’re planning to vote for the wrong person! If we’re successful in getting Daniel tickets to one of Obama’s rallies, can you accompany him please? You need to hear why Daniel, and millions of other ordinary people are backing Barack!

Remember that 3am phone call advert which the Clinton campaign ran, resulting in suggestions that she was using the scare tactics that the Republicans love so much? Remember the image of the little girl sleeping? Well, that was eight year old stock video footage, and the little girl has grown up a bit since then. Her name is Casey Knowles and she’s long since been a volunteer working for Barack Obama. She rejects the politics of fear, and to prove it has made her own advert:

New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, the nation’s only Hispanic governor, today endorsed Sen. Barack Obama for President, calling him a “once-in-a-lifetime leader” who can unite the nation and restore America’s international leadership.

Richardson, who dropped out of the Democratic race in January, appeared with Obama at a campaign event in Portland, Ore., saying:

“I believe he is the kind of once-in-a-lifetime leader that can bring our nation together and restore America’s moral leadership in the world… As a presidential candidate, I know full well Sen. Obama’s unique moral ability to inspire the American people to confront our urgent challenges at home and abroad in a spirit of bipartisanship and reconciliation.”

In a direct appeal to superdelegates to follow his example by backing Barack Obama and ending the race for the nomination he said:

“My great affection and admiration for Senator Clinton and President Bill Clinton will never waver. It is time, however, for Democrats to stop fighting amongst ourselves and prepare for the tough fight we will have against John McCain in the fall.”

A video of his full endorsement speech is above.

It’s Good Friday, the day Christians celebrate the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, but there’s another person being metaphorically crucified on Fox News: His name is Barack Obama, and even their own reporters and anchors are starting to voice their unease with the station’s smears.

The brouhaha over the Rev. Wright’s remarks originated with a false claim that Senator Obama was in church when his pastor made some controversial remarks. Obama’s subsequent speech clarified his position, was widely lauded in the media and elsewhere, but Fox News wasn’t to be put off. In typical fashion, soundbites played in an endless loop whilst presenters asked loaded questions. Then, when that was getting stale, an attempt to link Obama to the New Black Panthers was pushed. Next came the clipping of Obama’s comments to a Philadelphia Radio show, in a clear and sustained attempt to smear Obama as a racist.

This is standard stuff for the propaganda station, but today even (some of) their own presenters interjected in what one called “Obama bashing”.

One anchor tried to add balance, but in the end walked off the show:

Another, later chided the presenters thus:

Fox News has long since been vilified by Democrats, and is heamoraging viewers as America increasingly turns to the Democrats (CNN being the main beneficiary), but when your own presenters start fighting back too, it’s time everybody switched Fox off.

To mark the fifth anniversary of the start of the Iraq war, Barack Obama went to Fayetteville Technical Community College in North Carolina, a short distance from Fort Bragg and Pope Air Force Base, to deliver his second keynote speech in as many days. If his preceding speech on race was largely defensive, this speech was a full frontal attack on President Bush, Sen. John McCain, and Sen. Hillary Clinton.

Of course, as one might expect, all three also made contributions to the debate about Iraq. President Bush claimed that the war was being won and that America needs to keep fighting until it results in final victory. He failed, as he always does, to define what the goal is and therefore what constitutes a victory, which is why two-thirds of his citizens oppose both him and the war.

John McCain, who is currently touring the Middle East and Europe, likes to emphasise his foreign policy experience but marked the day with a huge blunder: Several times he claimed that Iran (a Shiite country) was helping Al Qaeda (a Sunni organization), which is obviously incorrect. In doing so he demonstrated his determination to be the candidate who follows both the policies and the propaganda of George W. Bush.

This wasn’t lost on Barack Obama, who said:

“We heard Sen. McCain confuse Sunni and Shiite, Iran and Al Qaeda… Maybe that is why he voted to go to war with a country that had no Al Qaeda ties. Maybe that is why he completely fails to understand that the war in Iraq has done more to embolden America’s enemies than any strategic choice that we have made in decades.

Hillary Clinton also delivered a speech on Iraq, although for all the notice anybody took it might have been better to save her breath. That’s because yesterday belonged to Obama. Able to demonstrate his superior judgment on this issue, opposing the war from the start, he fired a broadside against his challenger:

“”Ask yourself, who do you trust to end a war: someone who opposed the war from the beginning, or someone who started opposing it when they started preparing a run for president?”

“What we need in our next commander-in-chief is not a stubborn refusal to acknowledge reality or empty rhetoric about 3 a.m. phone calls. What we need is a pragmatic strategy that focuses on fighting our real enemies, rebuilding alliances and renewing our engagement with the world’s people.”

There is little doubt that the Iraq war will play a major part in the Presidential race, and Obama once again demonstrated that Hillary Clinton was not the best candidate to battle McCain on this issue, being vulnerable to the charge that her new found opposition to the war was the result of personal political expediency, rather than principled opposition from the outset.

“This is why the judgment that matters most on Iraq — and on any decision to deploy military force — is the judgment made first”.