Friday, June 27, 2008

Can Obama make the Clintons look scrupulous?

First, the beginning of Charles Krauthammer’s column today; then my comments below the star line.

Krauthammer begins - - -

"To be clear: Barack will support a filibuster of any bill that includes retroactive immunity for telecommunications companies."

-- Obama spokesman Bill Burton, Oct. 24, 2007


That was then: Democratic primaries to be won, netroot lefties to be seduced. With all that (and Hillary Clinton) out of the way, Obama now says he'll vote in favor of the new FISA bill that gives the telecom companies blanket immunity for post-Sept. 11 eavesdropping.

Back then, in the yesteryear of primary season, he thoroughly trashed the North American Free Trade Agreement, pledging to force a renegotiation, take "the hammer" to Canada and Mexico and threaten unilateral abrogation.

Today the hammer is holstered. Obama calls his previous NAFTA rhetoric "overheated" and essentially endorses what one of his senior economic advisers privately told the Canadians: The anti-trade stuff was nothing more than populist posturing.

Nor is there much left of his primary season pledge to meet "without preconditions" with Iran's Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. There will be "preparations," you see, which are being spun by his aides into the functional equivalent of preconditions.

Obama's long march to the center has begun.

The rest of Krauthammer’s column is here.

****************************************************************

Comments:


Senator Obama’s supporters seem to be taking his contradictions and reversals of things he’s previously said in stride. It’s as if they expect him to be duplicitous even on some of the most important matters in his life and in public governance.

So they’re not upset he said he could no more disown Rev. Wright than he could “disown the black community” just a few weeks before he disowned Wright. Not even the black community’s upset.

Obamaites who a few months ago hailed Obama’s pledge to use public financing of his presidential campaign so he wouldn’t be beholding to special interests now cheer Obama’s decision to take hundreds of millions from those special interests.
And on it goes.

Obama’s supporters remind me of those Duke professors who supported for more than a year Mike Nifong and his transparent frame-up attempt.

Like Obama’s supporters , each time Nifong flip-flopped his supporters continued to cheer him on. DNA would prove who was guilty and who was innocent. But wait! That was last week. This week its “they used condoms.” Well, whatever it takes to keep Mike going.

It’s the same with Obama.

Krauthammer ends his column with:

Not a flinch. Not a flicker. Not a hint of shame. By the time he's finished, Obama will have made the Clintons look scrupulous.
Make the Clintons look scrupulous?

A year ago – even three months ago – I wouldn’t have believed that possible.

But now? Who knows?

They say Obama can do things no other Chicago politician’s ever done.

If Obama can sit in Wright’s church for 20 years without hearing Wright’s racism and anti-Americanism, maybe he really can make the Clintons look scrupulous.

What do Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton think? And are they next in line for makeovers?

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

Shameful. I pray that voters are able to see through the transparent Obama before November. If not, I will pray for America. Steve in New Mexico

Anonymous said...

Hi , this is off topic, but I wanted to let you know about this article in the Boston Globe about NC license plates.

http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2008/06/27/what_the__nc_offers_license_plate_replacement/

What the ...? NC offers license plate replacement.

RALEIGH, N.C.—Thanks to some text message-savvy grandchildren, North Carolina drivers whose license plates have the potentially offensive "WTF" letter combination can replace the tags for free.

The News & Observer of Raleigh reported Tuesday the state Division of Motor Vehicles has notified nearly 10,000 holders of license plates with the letter combination. Officials learned last year the common acronym stands for a vulgar phrase in e-mail and cell phone text messages.

But this week, the DMV officials got another surprise when they learned the same letters appeared on the agency's own Web site on a sample personalized plate.

"I can't believe it," DMV Commissioner Bill Gore said Monday when told about the online glitch. "Obviously, I didn't know it was there."

Officials are working to remove the sample plate.

Anonymous said...

Conservatives just can’t relate to Obama’s daily flip-flops. McClatchy's J-Nots understands him perfectly, and call him,‘Senator Nuance.’ McClatchy's writers are deceptively misleading, using 'nuanced' for, ‘Liar, liar, pants on fire!’
-------------------------------
McClatchy Writer Describes Obama Flip-Flops as 'Nuanced'
By P.J. Gladnick
(Newsbusters.org)

…according to the liberals when a Democrat flip-flops it is really a matter of perception. He hasn't really changed his views since they are "nuanced." And if we think he has flip-flopped that is only because we yahoos just aren't enlightened enough to understand the complicated "nuance."

This word has been resurrected again by McClatchy writer, Margaret Talev, to explain Barack Obama's recent flip-flops, with the disclaimer that he really hasn't shifted positions, we misunderstood his original positions, or merit-based decisions that Obama had never ruled out.

Anonymous said...

"It’s as if they expect him to be duplicitous even on some of the most important matters in his life and in public governance"

That's because most liberals are duplicitous in their public and private lives. Look around.

Anonymous said...

John,
I read ‘Lucianne.com’ a conservative news compendium. There are some clever headline people there.

Clinton, Obama: So happy together
[In a bizarre twist on a political shot-gun wedding…]

Sadly, today there is also an Eve Carson article.
-Warrants: Carson kidnapped, then slain-
Athens Banner-Herald, by Joe Johnson

Anonymous said...

JinC,

I’ve been reading your blog ever since the Duke Lacrosse Frame began. I’ve enjoyed many of your posts over the past 2+ years...I especially enjoyed your skewering of Melanie Sill on the N&O Editor’s Blog, before she hightailed it to Sacramento.

I have vehemently defended the Duke lacrosse team on various message boards ever since the story first broke. Also...I’m voting for Barack Obama in the upcoming election. To compare me (an Obama supporter) to the Gang of 88 professors makes absolutely no sense. Last I heard, KC Johnson (you know, the guy who singlehandedly exposed the Gang of 88 as the frauds they are) is supporting Barack Obama in the upcoming election, too. To compare KC Johnson to the Gang of 88 stretches your readers’ credulity.

As you know, but may refuse to admit, John McCain has flip-flopped on MANY issues over the years. Using your logic, McCain supporters are no different than the Gang of 88ers, either. I guess that makes us all radical liberals, according to your post.

Thanks for your time,

~krddurham

JWM said...

To krddurham,

Thank you for your nice words about some of my posts.

I recall with admiration your comments here and at other blogs in support of due process for the lacrosse players.

Also, if I'm recalling correctly, you were one of those who early on figured out it was a frame-up attempt.

As to my post which has drawn your comment here, l said Obamaites who hailed the Senator for positions he held but a few months ago and now, when he switches on those positions, hail him for the switch remind me of those Duke professors who hailed Nifong as he switched from one position to another.

They do so remind me.

But I didn’t say Obamaites are the same as the Group of 88 and I certainly didn’t, as you say, “compare KC Johnson to the Gang of 88 [and thereby stretch] readers’ credulity.”

You overstate and misstate what I said.

John

Anonymous said...

Perfect response.

Anonymous said...

A perfect flip-flop response.

No wonder John thinks about Obama so much.