Some Evocative Words From Obama

Sometimes, it's good to just appreciate a good speech for what it is.

Check out this kicker to today's endorsement thank-you for Ted Kennedy. Mr. Obama is referring to his father.

“I barely knew him, but when, after his death, I finally took my first trip to his tiny village in Kenya and asked my grandmother if there was anything left from him, she opened a trunk and took out a stack of letters, which she handed to me.

There were more than thirty of them, all handwritten by my father, all addressed to colleges and universities across America, all filled with the hope of a young man who dreamed of more for his life. And his prayer was answered when he was brought over to study in this country.

But what I learned much later is that part of what made it possible for him to come here was an effort by the young Senator from Massachusetts at the time, John F. Kennedy, and by a grant from the Kennedy Foundation to help Kenyan students pay for travel. So it is partly because of their generosity that my father came to this country, and because he did, I stand before you today – inspired by America’s past, filled with hope for America’s future, and determined to do my part in writing our next great chapter.”

Comments

how many ways can I spin the fact that I just got elected in 2005, have missed most of my votes, and haven't convened my foreign relations subcommittee on European affairs?

Oh.. and don't forget.. in an effort to out hispander Billary, I am now in favor of drivers licenses for ilegal aliens (in california only.. not in SC.. that wouldn't have worked)

I'm a part of the say anything to get elected.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/01/28/MNH1UL57Q.DTL&type=politics

Posted by barryO | January 28, 2008 3:40 PM

HYPE.. HYPE... and MORE HYPE!

Obama is little substance, all hype. The key to his success: a freshness, a lack of record to run on, the constant repetition of simple feel-good platitudes that lull listeners into a sense of trust and induce in them a yearning to believe. No wonder Barack Obama is so popular among denizens of Hollywood like Oprah: they certainly have an eye for those who can create an image, can generate a buzz that compels others to suspend their disbelief, and who can induce a trance-like stargazing. But the fact is that Barack Obama does have a record to run on and its a record of vote dodging and triangulation. Barack Obama talks about the audacity of hope... but how about the audacity to show up and vote.. and not criticize others over resolutions you conveniently missed while campaigning

I was elected yesterday, Obama said. I have never set foot in the U.S. Senate. Ive never worked in Washington. And the notion that somehow Im immediately going to start running for higher office just doesnt make sense. So look, I can unequivocally say I will not be running for national office in four years, and my entire focus is making sure that Im the best possible senator on behalf of the people of Illinois. He further elaborated: Look, Im a state senator who hasnt even been sworn in yet. My understanding is that I will be ranked 99th in seniority. Im going to be spending the first several months of my career in the U.S. Senate looking for the washroom and trying to figure out how the phones work.

So, in four years, Obama went from figuring out how to use the telephones and finding bathrooms, to becoming a foreign policy expert, while missing 1/3 of his votes and failing to hold a single hearing as the CHAIR of Senate Foreign Relations committee. Right?

Chris Dodd, Joe Biden, and Hillary Clinton have all been much better senators than Barack Obama. They have been serious, substantive lawmakers who have worked effectively across party lines. Obama has some accomplishments under his belt, but many of his colleagues believe that he has not bothered to master the intricacies of legislation or the maze of Senate rules. He talks about independence, but he has never quite bucked liberal orthodoxy or party discipline. When you consider two candidates for one job, you compare their resumes and weigh their latest experiences most heavily. Whoever distinguishes themselsves with their work ethic and garners respect amongst their colleagues is probably the best qualified for the job they seek. If Obama's colleagues feel he is an opportunist who is more about using his present job to build his resume rather than to actually work for substantive change, then he is just hype, and he is underqualified for the Presidency.

Posted by obamaoverrated | January 28, 2008 3:54 PM

Apparently, not all of Obama's Senate colleagues are as disappointed in him as you seem to be, overrated, as quite a number of them have endorsed his candidacy.

Posted by THS | January 28, 2008 4:06 PM

another link to the Kennedys, this one to RFK.

RFK, Jr. tells the story of visiting Kenya after the assassination of his father. he was taken in by a new young tribal leader in Kenya, who showed him what life was like there, and the efforts he was making to bring change. tragically, a year later this brave young leader was assassinated as well, and RFK, Jr. went from accepting condolences to offering them.

the tribe that this Kenyan leader was from was the same as Barack Obama's father.

Posted by charles | January 28, 2008 4:11 PM

Chris Dodd, Biden, McCain might be better Senators. But that doesn't mean they are better leaders or have better ideas.

If Obama were an opportunist, why wouldn't he have gone for a higher paying job out of Harvard?

Listen to what Obama plans to do and compare it to other people's plans. Compare whether you believe Obama or another candidate more. I believe that he's looking to bring the country together around a great plan.

Posted by Brian-Obama-supporter | January 28, 2008 4:12 PM

And by the way, don't you dare mention clinton as not just building a resume. She is on both sides of every issue, "just in case." And what about this stupid stimulus package as an example. She is all about rhetoric and meaningless words for stupid people to eat. She was out ahead on the stimulus package because it was politically expedient. Same thing with the iraq war. She was for it then; she's against it now. She claims it wasn't a vote for war back then. Either she was stupid or she was lying. And one more thing- I was for the war, but am inspired by Obama. He predicted exactly what would happen, so he deserves credit. Moving forward, I think he will do the best job.

Posted by Brian-Obama-supporter | January 28, 2008 4:17 PM

If Obama's Dad sent all those letters to American universities, what were they doing at home, in a box, years later? Did he take photocopies? I'm just asking...

Posted by Sir Winston | January 28, 2008 4:44 PM

That gave me chills, too. Unfortunately, I was watching on Fox (from London) and they cut away right before he said that. I tuned into the CNN stream just as he got into it.

The other irony in all this is the fact that Hillary, as a young Goldwater Girl, worked to overthrow the Kennedy election in 1960.

Imagine if they'd succeeded... There'd be no heirs of Camelot to endorse today.

Posted by KathyF | January 28, 2008 4:54 PM

if he was so proud of his judgment, why'd he take the speech of his website. I forgot though that its racist to mention that.

Posted by johnbenet | January 28, 2008 5:12 PM

Found an awesome article on this topic on the BlogZine SAVAGE POLITICS.

http://savagepolitics.com

It’s called "Rubber Stamps R' Us".
Here is an excerpt: "Political endorsements have been a part of American Politics for more than a Century. They have been used to both consolidate a particular ideological position within a Party and/or to advocate the split from one imposing social current to another. They have also played a role in every subterranean aspect of our Nation’s history, because we have been socially conditioned to give weight to any and all forms of patronization. In the old days, a Party Boss would expect the endorsement of a high ranking official within his organization before he would openly lend his support to any particular candidate or figure. At other times, specially at the beginning of the 18th Century, it was the actual Party Boss who would make sure that certain officials got endorsed above others, all in the name of flagrant economic favoritism (also read SP article Slaves, Democrats, and “Honest Abe”). To the detriment of the public interest, many of these “rubber stamps” have served candidates to prove their undying loyalty to the Party’s (and eventually the National) Establishment interests. How negative is this archaic practice when juxtapositioned against the 21st Century?..." Get the rest of the article at http://savagepolitics.com/?p=61

Posted by Elsylee | January 28, 2008 7:34 PM

johnbenet:

Do you even stop to think about how ridiculous this attack is?

Let's examine what is implied here: Obama opposed the war in 2002 before it began, but later around 2004 he changed his mind. So you're saying that in 2002 he opposed it because it was an unnecessary war, that Saddam was not a real threat to the US or its allies, that it would take an undetermined amount of time, money and lives, that it was based on passion and politics instead of principles and reason. So now flash forward to around 2004. Are we supposed to believe that his views on this changed after all rationales for war had been proven false and everything he said about why it was a bad idea in 2002 had been proven true?

It just makes no sense and is insulting to the intellect of the voters.

Posted by bwaage | January 28, 2008 8:55 PM

Barack Obama always opposed the Iraq War. I am from Illinois, and I witnessed his opposition in its early days.
Don't believe the Clinton spin.
Check the facts
http://factcheck.barackobama.com/

Posted by Katie | January 28, 2008 11:31 PM

Obama has always opposed the Iraq war. Obama has more elective experience than Hillary Clinton and more significant legislative accomplishments.

Posted by Ni | January 29, 2008 12:11 AM

Sir Winston,

In the days before xerox machines, computers and even carbon paper, it was just as important to keep a record of one's correspondence -- it just took a bit more effort in the past than it does now. After my great grandmother died in 1980, we found a box full of hand written copies of letters she'd sent to President Roosevelt! These are very precious to us -- as much so as Obama Sr.'s letters are to his mother and his son.

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