Hillary And Barack Come To Truce: Better To Boogie Than Bicker

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Possible only because of me, it's the magic of dance that has ended the dislike between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama!

Obama's Rezco Deal Under Scrutiny

Even so, The Chicago Tribune endorsed Barack Obama and had this to say about the two major democratic candidates.

Obama can help this nation move forward. A Tribune profile last May labeled his eight years in Springfield as "a study in complexity, caution and calculation. In the minority party for all but his final two years in the Statehouse, he tempered a progressive agenda with a cold dash of realism, often forging consensus with conservative Republicans when other liberals wanted to crusade."Racial profiling, death penalty reform, recording of criminal interrogations, health care -- when victory was elusive, Obama seized progress. He did so by working fluidly with Republicans and Democrats. He sought out his ideological foes. He listened closely to them. As a result, many Republicans in Illinois have warm words for Barack Obama.Obama's key opponent, U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton, unifies only her foes. Her penchant for gaming every issue -- recall her clumsy dodging when asked in a Philadelphia debate whether illegal immigrants should be licensed to drive -- feeds suspicion of maneuvering that would humble Machiavelli.As this campaign has progressed, Hillary Clinton in moments of crisis hasn't been an ennobling sight. Her reliance on her husband, the less-than-presidential Bill, to trash-talk Obama reaffirms that the Clintons do whatever it takes to prevail. Depicting Obama's record on Iraq as a "fairy tale" is instructive: Think what you will of the war, but Sen. Clinton was an enabler when that was popular. In Kerryspeak, she was for the war before she was against the war.

Maxine Waters Endorses Clinton

Why am I not surprised.

I have a right to my anger, and I don't want anybody telling me I shouldn't be, that it's not nice to be, and that something's wrong with me because I get angry.
Maxine Waters, in Brian Lanker, I Dream a World, 1989

Obama On The Run - Jib Jab Does It Again

Obama on the Run | Funny Jokes at JibJab

A hilarious video by JibJab, noted for their videos on political satire, although if you've looked in the blog-o-rama archives, you would have seen how you can make your own. This is a musical starring Obama, Hillary, and is set to the tune of "Anything You Can Do, I Can Do Better".

Editorial On Illegal Aliens

Okay, so this is only a joke. I actually posted this over a year ago on YouTube and thought it would be appropriate since all of the candidates talk jibberish on this issue, just as I do in this video.

Barack Obama Responds To President Bush's Final State Of The Union Address

Remarks of Senator Barack Obama: Response to the State of the Union
Washington, DC | January 28, 2008
Tonight, for the seventh long year, the American people heard a State of the Union that didn't reflect the America we see, and didn't address the challenges we face. But what it did do was give us an urgent reminder of why it's so important to turn the page on the failed politics and policies of the past, and change the status quo in Washington so we can finally start making progress for ordinary Americans.

Tonight's State of the Union was full of the same empty rhetoric the American people have come to expect from this President. We heard President Bush say he'd do something to cut down on special interest earmarks, but we know these earmarks have skyrocketed under his administration.

We heard the President say he wants to make tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans permanent, when we know that at a time of war and economic hardship, the last thing we need is a permanent tax cut for Americans who don't need them and weren't even asking for them. What we need is a middle class tax cut, and that's exactly what I will provide as President.

We heard the President say he has a stimulus plan to boost our economy, but we know his plan leaves out seniors and fails to expand unemployment insurance, and we know it was George Bush's Washington that let the banks and financial institutions run amok, and take our economy down this dangerous road. What we need to do now is put more money in the pockets of workers and seniors, and expand unemployment insurance for more people and more time. And I have a plan that to do just that.

And finally, tonight we heard President Bush say that the surge in Iraq is working, when we know that's just not true. Yes, our valiant soldiers have helped reduce the violence. Five soldiers gave their lives today in this cause, and we mourn their loss and pray for their families.

But let there be no doubt - the Iraqi government has failed to seize the moment to reach the compromises necessary for an enduring peace. That was what we were told the surge was all about. So the only way we're finally going to pressure the Iraqis to reconcile and take responsibility for their future is to immediately begin the responsible withdrawal of our combat brigades so that we can bring all of our combat troops home.

But another reason we need to begin this withdrawal immediately is because this war has not made us safer. I opposed this war from the start in part because I was concerned that it would take our eye off al Qaeda and distract us from finishing the job in Afghanistan. Sadly, that's what happened. It's time to heed our military commanders by increasing our commitment to Afghanistan, and it's time to protect the American people by taking the fight to al Qaeda.

Tonight was President Bush's last State of the Union, and I do not believe history will judge his administration kindly. But I also believe the failures of the last seven years stem not just from any single policy, but from a broken politics in Washington. A politics that says it's ok to demonize your political opponents when we should be coming together to solve problems. A politics that puts Wall Street ahead of Main Street, ignoring the reality that our fates are intertwined; a politics that accepts lobbyists as part of the system in Washington, instead of recognizing how much they're a part of the problem. And a politics of fear and ideology instead of hope and common sense.

I believe a new kind of politics is possible, and I believe it is necessary. Because the American people can't afford another four years without health care, decent wages, or an end to this war. The woman who's going to college and working the night shift to pay her sister's medical bills can't afford to wait. The Maytag workers who are now competing with their teenagers for $7 an hour jobs at Wall Mart can't afford to wait. And the woman who told me she hasn't been able to breathe since her nephew left for Iraq can't afford to wait.

Each year, as we watch the State of the Union, we see half the chamber rise to applaud the President and half the chamber stay in their seats. We see half the country tune in to watch, but know that much of the country has stopped even listening. Imagine if next year was different. Imagine if next year, the entire nation had a president they could believe in. A president who rallied all Americans around a common purpose. That's the kind of President we need in this country. And with your help in the coming days and weeks, that's the kind of President I will be.

The Kennedys Endorse Obama

From An OpEd In The New York Times is this commentary by Caroline Kennedy:

OVER the years, I’ve been deeply moved by the people who’ve told me they wished they could feel inspired and hopeful about America the way people did when my father was president. This sense is even more profound today. That is why I am supporting a presidential candidate in the Democratic primaries, Barack Obama.

My reasons are patriotic, political and personal, and the three are intertwined. All my life, people have told me that my father changed their lives, that they got involved in public service or politics because he asked them to. And the generation he inspired has passed that spirit on to its children. I meet young people who were born long after John F. Kennedy was president, yet who ask me how to live out his ideals.

Sometimes it takes a while to recognize that someone has a special ability to get us to believe in ourselves, to tie that belief to our highest ideals and imagine that together we can do great things. In those rare moments, when such a person comes along, we need to put aside our plans and reach for what we know is possible.

We have that kind of opportunity with Senator Obama. It isn’t that the other candidates are not experienced or knowledgeable. But this year, that may not be enough. We need a change in the leadership of this country — just as we did in 1960.

Most of us would prefer to base our voting decision on policy differences. However, the candidates’ goals are similar. They have all laid out detailed plans on everything from strengthening our middle class to investing in early childhood education. So qualities of leadership, character and judgment play a larger role than usual.

Senator Obama has demonstrated these qualities throughout his more than two decades of public service, not just in the United States Senate but in Illinois, where he helped turn around struggling communities, taught constitutional law and was an elected state official for eight years. And Senator Obama is showing the same qualities today. He has built a movement that is changing the face of politics in this country, and he has demonstrated a special gift for inspiring young people — known for a willingness to volunteer, but an aversion to politics — to become engaged in the political process.

I have spent the past five years working in the New York City public schools and have three teenage children of my own. There is a generation coming of age that is hopeful, hard-working, innovative and imaginative. But too many of them are also hopeless, defeated and disengaged. As parents, we have a responsibility to help our children to believe in themselves and in their power to shape their future. Senator Obama is inspiring my children, my parents’ grandchildren, with that sense of possibility.

Senator Obama is running a dignified and honest campaign. He has spoken eloquently about the role of faith in his life, and opened a window into his character in two compelling books. And when it comes to judgment, Barack Obama made the right call on the most important issue of our time by opposing the war in Iraq from the beginning.

I want a president who understands that his responsibility is to articulate a vision and encourage others to achieve it; who holds himself, and those around him, to the highest ethical standards; who appeals to the hopes of those who still believe in the American Dream, and those around the world who still believe in the American ideal; and who can lift our spirits, and make us believe again that our country needs every one of us to get involved.

I have never had a president who inspired me the way people tell me that my father inspired them. But for the first time, I believe I have found the man who could be that president — not just for me, but for a new generation of Americans.

Caroline Kennedy is the daughter of President John F. Kennedy.

Famous Presidential Campaign Quotes

I thought I would take a break from all of the campaign rhetoric to take a look at some of the famous comments made by past candidates on their way to winning or losing their presidential nomination.

"I will not make age an issue of this campaign. I am not going to exploit for political purposes my opponent's youth and inexperience."
-President Ronald Reagan in 1984

"When I hear your new ideas, I'm reminded of that ad: 'Where's the beef?' "
-Walter Mondale to Gary Hart in a debate in 1984

"America's present need is not heroics but healing, not nostrums but normalcy, not revolution but restoration."
-Warren G. Harding, coining the word normalcy in a 1920 stump speech.

"I leave it to you, my audience: If I were two-faced, would I be wearing this one?"
-Abraham Lincoln in an 1858 debate against Stephen Douglas

"No man will ever bring out of the presidency the reputation, which carries him into it."
-Thomas Jefferson in 1796 to a member of the electoral college

"These polls that the Republican candidate is putting out are like pills designed to lull the voters into sleeping on Election Day. You ought to call them sleeping polls."
-Harry S. Truman in a 1948 speech during his campaign against Thomas Dewey

"I've looked on a lot of women with lust. I've committed adultery in my heart many times."
-Jimmy Carter in a 1976 Playboy magazine interview

“I've read about foreign policy and studied - I know the number of continents .”

Governor George Wallace during his 1968 presidential campaign

Hillary Clinton Campaigns For Meaningless Primary Votes. Or Are They?

Hillary Clinton will try to rebound from her defeat Saturday by barnstorming a number of states that will vote Feb. 5 before traveling to Florida on Tuesday night to attend what her campaign expects will be a victory party after that state's primary. The Democratic contest is not being recognized by national party officials, and the candidates pledged not to campaign there, but Clinton's campaign is still hoping for a public relations bump from the results in the state.

"I'm running to be the president of our entire country, and hundreds of thousands of people have already voted in Florida, and I want them to know that I will be there on Tuesday to be part of what they have tried to do, to make sure their voices are heard," Clinton said Sunday.


The Democratic National Committee has said it will not seat Florida's delegates to the national convention this summer because the state moved up its primary in violation of party rules, which were established to prevent a mad scramble among states to move up the nominating calendar. Clinton is seeking to have those delegates recognized, along with those of Michigan, which also ignored DNC rules by holding an early primary. She traveled to Sarasota and Miami on Sunday, although for fundraisers, not technically the kind of campaign appearances that all the candidates have promised not to hold.

Clinton's last-minute play for Florida was an audacious move, and one that Obama chose not to answer.

"I know that all the candidates made a pledge that we would campaign in the early states and not campaign in Florida and Michigan," Obama told reporters aboard his campaign plane Sunday en route from Macon, Ga., to Birmingham. "I will abide by the promise I made earlier that I will not campaign in Florida."

It seems that making a pledge must mean nothing to Hillary Clinton. Clinton believes that ultimately, the delegates from Florida wil be allowed at the Democratic Convention.

In other campaign news, Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) will receive the endorsement of Sen. Edward M. Kennedy (D-Mass.) in Washington on Monday.The Kennedy stamp of approval was one of the most sought-after prizes of the Democratic nomination battle, and it represents a coup for the Illinois senator.

Fallback Job For Mitt Romney Perhaps?

Mormon leader Gordon B. Hinckley died Sunday night at age 97, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints announced.


Hinckley served as president of the Salt Lake City-based church since 1995 and has been a member of its top leadership since the 1960s.

Thanks A Million!

This is just a little self congratulations on my part as my YouTube page (http://youtube.com/riesen2b) has just surpassed 1 million video views. I find it amazing to think that this many people would take the time to view videos mostly of my family instead of watching just clips from tv like many of the you tube posters.