I received an embargoed copy of the speech in advance and decided there was no need to tune in. As read, it was a boring mash-up of the Obama speech template.
Frankly, I don’t want to hear about the “end of the combat mission in Iraq.” Instead, I want to hear that all of our brave men and women in uniform are coming home, now.
Iraqis were being terrorized when we got there. They will be terrorized long after we turn off the lights.
And at some point, we will turn off the lights. When we do, we will have absolutely nothing to show for the thousands of American lives lost.
President George W. Bush’s justifications for going to war were to wipe out the mythical “weapons of mass destruction” and this whopper:
We fight them over there, so we don’t have to fight them over here.
It’s Election Day in Pennsylvania, where voters will decide whether Democrat-turned-Republican-turned Democrat Sen. Arlen Specter stays or, as expected, gets the boot.
Specter’s primary opponent, Rep. Joe Sestak, hammered him for voting against Elena Kagan’s nomination as Solicitor General of the United States.
I have gone to really great lengths to find out about Dean Kagan’s approach to the law and approach to the job of Solicitor General and to get some of her ideas on the law because she’s in a critical public policy making position… We had an extensive hearing where I questioned her at some length. Written questions were submitted and she responded to them. I was not satisfied with the answers which were given and when her name came before the Committee, I passed.
[…]
I have no illusion that the issues that I have raised will prevail. I think it is pretty plain that Dean Kagan will be confirmed. But I do not articulate this as a protest vote or a protest position but really one of institutional prerogatives that we ought to know more about these nominees; we ought to take their confirmation process very seriously.
As a Supreme Court justice, Kagan would be in an even more critical public policy making position. Indeed, TV One’s Roland Martin observed, “Appointed for life, these justices can have a lasting impact on this and future generations.”
So African American leaders are taking the confirmation process very seriously and asking questions.
Some of the most pointed questions are being asked by black women who say they “have to have more information before we know whether we’re for or against her.”
During an appearance on “Washington Watch,” Melanie Campbell, the convener of the Black Women’s Roundtable, said:
First and foremost, this is not about being against the President. That’s the first thing. It’s about doing …our due diligence as leaders. For the last two years, even before the President was elected, it was, “He’s not going to be the African American president. He is the President of these United States…If that’s the case, then you have a right to ask questions. You have the right to probe.
Barbara Arnwine, the executive director of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, added:
There are questions about where was she on affirmative action. There are these issues that have to be sorted out and we just want answers. We want information. Our duty as civil rights groups is to look at the complete record.
Let’s be clear: Black civil rights and political leaders harbor no illusion that Kagan’s nomination will be derailed.
Instead, what’s at stake is the “delicate dance” between African Americans and President Obama.
Martin, the host of “Washington Watch,” recently wrote:
I’ve been told countless times by folks on both sides that Obama can’t be seen as favoring African-Americans over others, and his White House has been especially scared of touching anything dealing with race. As a result, black civil rights leaders and prominent Democrats have largely bitten their tongue, unwilling to publicly take on the president and some of his decisions. Instead, they quietly fume, mumbling under their breath and offering their critiques in measured tones.
Yet I have gotten the sense that black civil rights and political leaders may stop the racial solidarity and stand up for the principles they have long fought for. I’ve been expressly told that some have no interest in working hard or raising money in the fall on behalf of Democrats to hold on to the House and Senate.
Midterm elections are about mobilizing the base. In 2006, the last midterm election, black voter turnout was 41 percent. Black women participated at a higher rate than black men.
There’s no dancing around the fact that Obama and congressional Democrats need black women to show up in November.
The question then becomes: If you don’t respect us, why do you expect us on Election Day?
AIDS remains the leading cause of death among black women between 25-34 years and the second leading cause of death in black men between 35-44 years.
Blacks make up 13 percent of the U.S. population, but account for nearly half the people living with HIV.
More African Americans are living with HIV than seven of the 15 countries targeted for assistance under the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief initiated by former President George W. Bush.
More than one million people are living with HIV or AIDS, 25 percent of whom do not know it, according to estimates from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
HIV/AIDS is a worsening public health crisis among African Americans and other people of color. Although the federal government is giving this epidemic more attention than it has received in years, it is critical that this event be more successful than ever.
Fields added:
We are issuing a national call to action in response to the alarming data that has come out about HIV/AIDS in the United States.
I want to salute our brave “soldier boys” (and girls) for their sacrifice and love of country. They are true heroes who should be shown love in “any port or foreign shore.”
Indeed, a Rasmussen poll found that 79 percent of Americans have a favorable opinion of the military. Forty-five percent of respondents say Veterans Day is "one of the nation’s most important holidays.”
So, forget about that trip to the mall and go hug a veteran.
With the situation becoming more precarious by the day, I faced a choice: To step in with dramatic government action, or to stand back and allow the irresponsible actions of some to undermine the financial security of all.
In his primetime address, Bush made no mention of the predatory lending practices or lax federal regulation that “set off a domino effect across our economy”:
I'm a strong believer in free enterprise. So my natural instinct is to oppose government intervention. I believe companies that make bad decisions should be allowed to go out of business. Under normal circumstances, I would have followed this course. But these are not normal circumstances. The market is not functioning properly. There's been a widespread loss of confidence. And major sectors of America's financial system are at risk of shutting down.
So, Bush’s solution is to stick every man, woman and child with a $2,333 tab to bail out greedy Wall Street fat cats.
A Los Angeles Times/Bloomberg poll found that 55 percent of Americans “said they did not believe the government should be responsible for funding a bailout plan”:
Most Americans don't believe the government has responsibility for bailing out financial firms with taxpayer money, a core part of the rescue plan Congress is considering to halt the near-meltdown of the nation's financial markets.
During his monologue, Jay Leno gave his assessment of Bush’s bailout scheme:
When you screw up, you pay. When they screw up, you pay.
Bush’s brazen hypocrisy is no joke. The Congressional Black Caucus prides itself on being the “conscience of the Congress.” Now is the time for the CBC to stand up and say, WTF?!
The CBC must ask: What’s in it for Main Street? And why now?
McCain moved quickly to distance himself from Bush. In addition to visiting Mississippi, he scaled back the convention schedule. In a conference call with reporters, Campaign Manager Rick Davis outlined efforts to raise funds for charitable organizations in the five Gulf states, Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas.
The McCain campaign has established the Affected States Working Group to regularly brief delegates and coordinate assistance to the Gulf Coast.
A hurricane relief center has been set up inside the Xcel Center. Delegates and convention volunteers will assemble and send 80,000
“comfort packages” to affected residents.
Within hours of the briefing, McCain probably could have used a shot of Southern Comfort. Sarah Palin’s fairy tale entrance on the national stage is turning into a soap opera.
