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Hundreds of blogs are celebrating Victory in Iraq day today. This site is proud to be among them. Our brave troops freed a nation from tyranny - created a new ally for the U.S. - and brought democracy to the heart of the mid-east.
CONSIDERING that McCain was a very uninspiring candidate to the Republic base - many of his views were similar to Obama's - and that he ran a terrible campaign - he really did quite well, getting 46% of the popular vote.
Many of McCain's views were as Liberal as Obama's. From Ann Coulter:
How could Republicans go after B. Hussein Obama (as he is now known) on planning to bankrupt the coal companies when McCain supports the exact same cap and trade policies and earnestly believes in global warming?
How could we go after Obama for his illegal alien aunt and for supporting driver's licenses for illegal aliens when McCain fanatically pushed amnesty along with his good friend Teddy Kennedy?
How could we go after Obama for Jeremiah Wright when McCain denounced any Republicans who did so?
How could we go after Obama for planning to hike taxes on the "rich," when McCain was the only Republican to vote against both of Bush's tax cuts on the grounds that they were tax cuts for the rich?
McCain led a poorly-managed campaign. Jennifer Rubin has a list of "Top Thirty Errors that Doomed McCain," including:
1. Not pursuing the Reverend Wright connection, as an issue of judgment and then credibility. Even Jerry Nadler knew it was a sign that Barack Obama lacked political courage, i.e., character.
2. Waiting until September to raise Barack Obama's other troubling connections (e.g., Bill Ayers, Rashid Khalidi).
3. Failing to devise a comprehensive economic message until the final weeks of the campaign.
4. Failure to explain the Democrats' role in the financial meltdown.
5. Not enough talk about "friends of Angelo" and Democratic corruption.
6. Wasting his convention speech on "bipartisanship" and biography instead of pounding home a core economic message.
7. Frittering away time and money in Iowa.
8. Losing time in the spring when McCain had sewn up the nomination but Obama had not. An ideal time to begin defining the contrast in messages.
9. Appallingly deficient "oppo" research and timing. Why didn't the "bankrupt the coal industry" tape come out before the final weekend?
10. Going to war with the MSM without an effective plan to use alternate media to get their message out.
11. Cutting off McCain's daily access to the traveling press corps.
12. The frenetic response to the financial meltdown. (Fire Chris Cox! Cancel the debate - no, hold the debate!) All that was missing was juggling knives on a tightrope above a fire pit.
13. The roll-out of Sarah Palin.
14. The internal trashing of Sarah Palin.
15. The failure to put Sarah Palin on every radio and TV outlet they could find in the final two weeks of the campaign.
16. The failure to find a top-flight economic advisor.
17. Shutting down McCain's regular contact with new media outlets.
Yet McCain still got 46% of the popular vote. From an additional article by Jennifer Rubin:
It is no consolation to Republicans who lost to say it could have been worse. But it really could have. This suggests that if the Republicans manage to get their act together, by recruiting better candidates and coming up with a competitive and distinctive message, they can get back in the game. That's what Republicans did between 1976 and 1980 and between 1964 and 1968. And in each of those cases they were even further in the hole than they are now.
Conservatives: it's time to find the next generation of Conservative leaders.
Congrats to all of the readers of this site who voted for Obama. He is a very talented man, and it would be fantastic if he shows himself to be a leader who does great good for this nation.
I had the pleasure of being interviewed this week by Vipul Vyas of Skewz. Skewz is a great site that brings Liberals and Conservatives together, showing articles from both perspectives on a wide variety of subjects. My interview included thoughts on the evolution of the blogosphere, and then focused on the most current arguments against Obama. Links relevant to the subjects discussed are available in the following two posts:
Comprehensive Review of the Most Current, Hard-Hitting Arguments Against Obama
Obama and Odinga: Politico Called it an Unfounded Rumor - But Multiple Reports from 2006 Confirm It
The interview is available currently on the Skewz home page.
On Thursday I posted an article titled, "Comprehensive Review of the Most Current, Hard-Hitting Arguments Against Obama." One of the arguments this article discussed, regarded the Marxist, Raila Odinga, leader of the socialist "Orange Democratic Movement" of Kenya. Odinga is the self-admitted leader of a bloody coup. After his loss in the Presidential election in Kenya in 2007, his followers committed mass murder. My article cited two sources - the Washington Times, and a video available on Canada Free Press - to the effect that Obama had campaigned on behalf of Odinga in 2006. I asked:
American Liberals: given that Obama campaigned on behalf of Odinga - a Marxist, a murderer as the leader of the bloody coup attempt, and a leader of genocide - is it possible that Obama has the same values that you have; has the same goals for America that you have; is it possible that you can vote for such a man?
POLITICO: "NO REAL EVIDENCE" FOR OBAMA-ODINGA REPORTS
It so happened that later that day, Politico posted an article titled, "Cover this! Inside the nastiest '08 rumors." One of the 'rumors' they addressed was Odinga:
A third popular Obama "tip" has to do with Raila Odinga, the Kenyan prime minister and former opposition leader who claimed that Obama was a distant cousin.
The reports surfaced after a political crisis in Kenya in which many international observers believed the vote was stolen from Odinga. As the international community rallied behind the opposition, Obama spoke to Odinga briefly on the telephone.
The media has ignored stories about the relationship between the two men because there's no real evidence that one exists. But the story, which comes in many varieties, suggests that Obama campaigned for Odinga and funneled money to his campaign and that they're close allies.
Was it possible the Washington Times article had it all wrong?
MANY REPORTS CONFIRM THAT OBAMA GAVE SUPPORT TO ODINGA
I spoke to Mark Hyman, author of the Washington Times article, by phone. Hyman stated that Politico must not have done a Lexis/Nexis search to confirm or deny the statements made in Hyman's article, as had they done so, they would have seen reports to confirm the statements made by Hyman in that article.
I do not have a Lexis/Nexis account, so I did a Google news search.
From the Chicago Sun-Times, 8/29/2006:
Obama appeared with opposition leader Raila Odinga -- a Luo running for president -- at stops on Saturday in his father's native district.
From Newsweek: 9/11/2006:
In South Africa, [Obama] scoffed at Health Minister Manto Tshabalala-Msimang's home remedies for AIDS. He blasted Zimbabwe's Robert Mugabe, whose schemes have made a violent mess of his country. And he hit the government in Khartoum for the genocide in Sudan. But his most unrelenting critique was of Kenya. He took the government to task for violating freedom of the press, lectured its citizens on the folly of tribalism and slammed government corruption in a nationally televised speech: "While corruption is a problem we all share, here in Kenya it is a crisis."
Prominent visitors have criticized Kenyan corruption before. But hearing the message from Obama was different. For he was seen not only as a fellow Kenyan standing up to power, but also as a Luo standing up to a Kikuyo--the dominant ethnic group to which President Mwai Kibaki belongs and against which Luo resentment runs deep. And worse, in the government's eyes, at least, he was seen as siding with the opposition--in particular with Raila Odinga, a powerful kingmaker and Luo whose Orange Democratic Movement has been a painful thorn in Kibaki's side. "It is very clear that the senator has been used as a puppet to perpetuate opposition politics," sniffed Kibaki spokesperson Alfred Mutua.
From Investors Business Daily, editorial, 7/18/2008:
Like Obama's father, Odinga was a member of the Luo tribe of Kenya. His son, Raila Odinga, ran for president in 2006. That year, Obama traveled to Kenya and appeared with Odinga at rallies where he criticized the pro-U.S. government Odinga wanted to oust.
When he lost the election the next year, despite Obama's tacit endorsement, angry Odinga supporters crying fraud sparked riots that resulted in some 1,500 deaths. Amid his ancestral country's civil unrest, Obama took time out from the campaign trail to phone Odinga to voice his support.
From The Economist, 9/2/2006 (no link):
Predictably, Kenyan politicians jostled to bathe in Mr Obama's light. The senator did his best to divide time between government and opposition. The embattled president, Mwai Kibaki, had looked forward to being seen at last with a squeaky-clean politician. He was said to be mortified when Mr Obama informed him that Chicago television crews accompanying him had been "shaken down" for hefty bribes at Nairobi airport. And Mr Obama was made into something of a mascot by Raila Odinga, a populist who hopes to succeed Mr Kibaki in next year's elections.
Photos are available from Obama's trip to Kenya, showing Obama lending Odinga the support of his presence:
As confirmed by these multiple sources, Obama did lend the support of his personal presence to campaign appearances made by Odinga.
IS IT REASONABLE TO SAY THAT OBAMA "CAMPAIGNED FOR" ODINGA?
But as quoted above, The Economist states that Obama "did his best to divide time between government and opposition." Could it be that Obama even-handedly gave both sides his support? If that is the case, it would be inaccurate to say Obama "campaigned for" Odinga.
To examine this question, I used the site AllAfrica.com, which permits search and retrieval of articles from a number of local African publications. A subscription is required; I have saved pdf copies of the articles referenced here. These records show that Obama attacked President Kibaki, while working to boost Odinga. On his first full day in Kenya, Obama met with President Kibaki, and slammed Kibaki publicly:
The Nation, Aug. 26, 2006, reporting on events of Aug. 25th, 2006
US senator Barack Obama leaves the Nairobi State House escorted by President Kibaki and Health minister Charity Ngilu after the visiting senator held a meeting with the President yesterday morning.
What Kenya needs, he said, is a transparent government that encourages development and deals with what he described as "ordinary corruption".
"I'm talking about the customs officers having to ask for bribes or the policeman who flags you down or the officer who licenses a business. The mindset has to change so that the creativity and potential of the Kenyan people can pay off," Mr Obama, who also spoke of his joy on returning to Kenya, said.
He added: "I told President Kibaki when he spoke to me about encouraging foreign investors, that corruption was a major impediment."
The East African Standard, Aug. 26, 2006, reporting on events of Aug. 25, 2006
Visiting American Senator Barack Obama believes Kenya does not yet have a transparent government that encourages development and war against corruption.
Speaking to journalists after talks with President Kibaki at State House, the man whose visit has caused a sensation in Nyanza where his father was born and buried, revealed he told the President as much.
"Kenya does not have a transparent government that encourages the fight against corruption. At every level the people have to suffer over corruption perpetuated by government officials."
Obama continued his attacks on the Kibaki government on August 28th. The Nation Aug. 29, 2006, reporting on events of Aug. 28, 2006:
And in a direct challenge to the Kibaki Administration, Mr Obama went on: "We're starting to see the Kenyan people want more than a simple change of the guard, more than piecemeal reforms to a crisis that's crippling their country.
"They are crying out for real change, and whether one voted Orange or Banana in last year's referendum, the message that many Kenyans seemed to be sending was one of dissatisfaction with the pace of reform, and real frustration with continued tolerance of high-level corruption."
In a ringing declaration the senator from Chicago - tipped by many to become the United States' first black president - said: "We have the opportunity to muster the courage to fulfil the promise of our forefathers and lead our great nations towards a better future.
"In today's Kenya - a Kenya more open and less repressive than in my father's day - it is courage that will bring the reform so many of you so desperately want and deserve.
"I wish all of you luck in finding this courage in the days and months to come, and I want you to know that as your ally, your friend and your brother, I will be there to help in any way I can."
In his speech at the Taifa Hall, Mr Obama celebrated the freedom won from British in the 1960s and went on: "The reason I speak of the freedom that you fought so hard to win is because today that freedom is in jeopardy. It is being threatened by corruption.
"But while corruption is a problem we all share, here in Kenya it is a crisis - a crisis that's robbing an honest people of the opportunities they have fought for; the opportunity they deserve. Instead of unifying the country to move forward on solving problems, it divides neighbour from neighbour.
"It is painfully obvious that corruption stifles development it siphons off scarce resources that could improve infrastructure, bolster education systems, and strengthen public health," he added.
Having given the support of his presence to Odinga, and having slammed Kibaki, it appears reasonable to say that Obama "campaigned for" Odinga.
ADDITIONAL EVIDENCE OF A POLITICAL RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN OBAMA AND ODINGA
Politico stated that "there's no real evidence" of a relationship between Obama and Odinga. The assistance Obama gave Odinga, would appear to be a political relationship. Is there any additional evidence of a political relationship between Obama and Odinga?
The Nation, Aug. 16, 2006:
...it is known that Liberal Democratic Party's presidential hopefuls Raila Odinga and Kalonzo Musyoka, and their Kanu colleague in the Orange Democratic Movement, Mr William Ruto, have made trips abroad focusing on the United States in the past few weeks.
...Mr Odinga, who met with Kenyans in the US, also held talks with Senator Barack Obama, who has a Kenyan ancestry. The Lang'ata MP also travelled to Australia recently, where he addressed various groups.
The Nation, Sep. 4, 2006
It was Mr Odinga who persuaded Mr Obama to visit Kenya, and everybody saw how the Senator electrified crowds and unified the country. Forget about misguided people in government who think he should have come here and kept quiet. Never has Kenya been the focus of so much international public attention as in the period when Senator Obama and his family visited the country.
The Nation, Aug. 25, 2006, reporting on events of Aug. 24, 2006:
United States Senator Barack Obama arrived in the country last evening for a six-day visit.
It must have been one of the surreal images in Kenya preceding the visit of Senator Barack Obama - Key opposition leader Raila Odinga returning from a visit to the US, and on arrival at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport proudly displaying a photograph of him posing with the Senator.
If it had been any other US Senator, Mr Odinga probably would not have made much of having been granted an audience and a photo-op. But then because of Mr Obama's Kenyan roots, his name has resonated deeply within Kenya once he became the only serving African-American member of the US Senate.
And it strikes a particularly deep cord in Mr Odinga's political constituency, where Barack Obama's father was from.
And from Time Magazine, January 7, 2008:
In the days since his Iowa victory, Obama has had near-daily conversations with the U.S. Ambassador in Kenya or with opposition leader Raila Odinga. As of late this afternoon, before his rally in Rochester, N.H., Obama was trying to reach Kenyan President Kibaki.
Bear in mind that these "near-daily conversations" came after the mass murders conducted by Odinga's followers.
CONCLUSION
Obama's support for and relationship with Odinga is a well-documented fact. I repeat my conclusion from my original article:
American Liberals: given that Obama campaigned on behalf of Odinga - a Marxist, a murderer as the leader of the bloody coup attempt, and a leader of genocide - is it possible that Obama has the same values that you have; has the same goals for America that you have; is it possible that you can vote for such a man?
POSTSCRIPT
Politico reporters Jim VandeHei and John F. Harris recently admitted that they were biased in favor of Obama, and said, "So what?" The answer to "so what" in this case, appears to be that the bias of Politico led it to inaccurately claim that a well-documented story, damaging to their preferred candidate, was an unfounded rumor.
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