Tuesday, September 05, 2006

Hillary In The White House, Bill At The UN In 2010



Bill Clinton is young, he has been doing global work. Talented politicians like him come one in a generation, one or two. If this white boy from Arkansas can move from Arkansas to the larger American stage, he can move from America to the world. He must. He is not done yet. The show is not over. His global work post presidency has been amazing. He is wildly popular across the globe.

Reorganized UN, Proposed Constitution, Methods (May 30, 2005)

I am right now rooting for an Indian to take over the helm at the UN. I am rooting for India to become the sixth veto power, and Hindi the sixth UN language. I am rooting for the US and the other four to no longer be veto wielding powers.

The veto has to go. It is outdated. World War II has long been over.

The only way Bill Clinton can become Secretary General of the United Nations is if the veto is abolished. Abolish the veto.

The globalized world has global problems. You need a non stop talker like Bill, a relentless coalition builder to solve the world's problems. Bush's hammer does not work. It has caused over 100,000 deaths in Iraq alone. Bush has beat Saddam in the number of Iraqis he has killed.

Bring the guy back.

Americans talk of spreading democracy in other countries. They should have the guts to talk not just of rule of law within nations, but also of rule of law between nations. That would be democratic thinking, that would be the language of equality. The reigning American thought that belittles the UN is white supremacist thinking.

A reorganized UN will be the hope of a globalized, relentlessly interconnected world.

Bill Clinton has the empathy to feel the pain of the world. He has the skill to deliver. He can articulate. He can lead. He can bring prosperity. He can spread peace. He can get people talking. He could take another crack at Middle East peace, this time for good. He sits atop an enormous reservoir of goodwill.

The guy has lived a little over half of his life. He is young.

Recently there were a few Bill Clinton sightings, and the UFO has landed. The guy also is great at kicking up the tabloid sales. POTUS: William Jefferson Clinton

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Bill Clinton Has Left The Building

On The Web

William J. Clinton
Wikipedia: Bill Clinton
Clinton Foundation
The "Unofficial" Bill Clinton
The American President: Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton News - The New York Times
Clinton Presidential Materials Project
William Jefferson Clinton
American Presidents: Life Portraits
President Bill Clinton - The Dark Side
William J. Clinton Presidential Library & Museum
Bill Clinton (I)
POTUS: William Jefferson Clinton
MY LIFE by Bill Clinton
Republicans for Bill Clinton
Amazon.ca: My Life: Books: Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton Meets The Shrinks
Bill Clinton
The History Place - Impeachment: Bill Clinton
Clinton says Iraq invasion was a big mistake | Jerusalem Post
Bill Clinton: Biography and Much More From Answers.com
Bill Clinton's Morality
TAP: Vol 14, Iss. 10. The Clinton Formula. Michael Tomasky.
Amazon.com: My Life: Books: Bill Clinton
President Bill Clinton photos pictures desktop wallpapers lewinsky ...
Georgetown University Protocol and Events | President Clinton ...
CJ Burke's Bill Clinton Joke-of-the-Day
Executive Order 12949
Bartleby.com: Bill Clinton, First Inaugural Address
CNN.com - Bill Clinton on Bush uranium line: 'Everybody makes ...
FT.com / US / Ports - Bill Clinton helped Dubai on ports deal
Letter to President Clinton on Iraq
Sincerely, Bill
Bill Clinton - Wikiquote
Salon Newsreal | The mysteries of Bill Clinton
Journalism.org - Reports & Surveys - The Clinton-Lewinsky Scandal ...
The Blog | Arianna Huffington: Bill Clinton, Suck-Up-in-Chief ...
KLTV 7 Tyler-Longview-Jacksonville, TX: Clinton Sounds Off on ...
Amazon.com: First In His Class : A Biography Of Bill Clinton ...
FT.com / World - Interview transcript: Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton - Free Online Library
Bill Clinton - Stupid Quotes and Statements
Clinton Impeachment
Transcript: President Bill Clinton - Aug. 17, 1998
TIME.com: Bill Clinton & George HW Bush -- May 8, 2006 -- Page 1
Bill Clinton, Beyond the White House
Guardian Unlimited | Special reports | United States of America ...
Bill Clinton Takes Spot On Global Stage
MSN Encarta: Clinton, Bill
How We Ended Welfare, Together - New York Times
Infoplease: Clinton, Bill
Bill Clinton, Aggressor
Bill Clinton's Post-Presidency - A Plan for World Domination
TIME.com: Bill Clinton's Second Act -- Page 1
Vail Daily News for Vail and Beaver Creek Colorado - News
BREITBART.COM - Clinton Links GOP Policies to More Storms
Coulter Comes Out Against Gay Clinton Marriage - Wonkette
ABC News: EXCLUSIVE: Clinton on Politics of Terror
ABC News: Bill Clinton Turns 60
Bartleby.com: Bill Clinton, Second Inaugural Address
Bill Clinton - Wikipedia
Byron York on Bill Clinton & No-Warrant Searches on National ...
Encyclopedia Americana: Bill Clinton
USATODAY.com - Bill Clinton decries 'divisive' politics
Impeachment of Bill Clinton - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Bill Clinton says US must stay in Iraq
Captain's Quarters
Bill Clinton - 41st President of the United States
Counterfeit Bill Productions - Bill Clinton, Hillary Clinton ...
Bill Clinton was right
Clinton Global Initiative
Bill Clinton - Wikipedia
The Worst Thing Bill Clinton Has Done - 97.03
CNN.com - Transcripts
Bill Clinton Jokes - Clinton Humor and Clinton Jokes
City Newspaper: News & Opinion: Columns: Missing (Bill) Clinton
Think Progress » VIDEO: Bill Clinton Calls Lieberman’s Iraq Stance ...
Clinton to Dems: Don't Fear Tough Issues
Journal Inquirer - Bill Clinton to campaign for Lieberman in Waterbury
Clinton's Draft Avoidance
Clinton, Bill (Harpers.org)
William Jefferson Clinton - SourceWatch
VoIP Watch: Clinton in Redmond..Is Ballmer Stepping Aside
Bill Clinton: 'I'm in the Support Business'
Former President Clinton Addresses Mideast 'Prosperity' Conference ...
Bill Clinton Quotes - The Quotations Page
Rest Easy, Bill Clinton: Milosevic Can't Talk Anymore - by Jeremy ...
FAIR: Bill Clinton
Interview: Sarah Baxter talks to Bill Clinton - Sunday Times ...
US Prepares for “First Gentleman” Bill Clinton: Angus Reid Consultants
CBS News: 60 Minutes: Bill Clinton, His Life
The Atlantic | Feb 2001 | Bill Clinton and His Consequences

In The News

Janet Jackson Thinks Hillary Clinton Should Become President Post Chronicle
When Bush wanted to blast Clinton’s library to smithereens! South Asian Women's Forum, India
Sidney Blumenthal's irony deficiency American Thinker
'Ms. President' in US? 'Stay tuned', Hillary Clinton says
China Post, Taiwan
Friends of Hillary hint she may pull out of presidential race The Sunday Times
£700,000 — this is what Clinton will Mumbai Mirror, India
Britain would benefit from Clinton's tough love The Observer, UK
Bill Clinton says he'll support wife's decision Buffalo News, United States
Upstate tour shows voters are warming to Clinton Buffalo News, United States
Bill Clinton Personally Attempts to Get ABC's Path to 9/11 Mini ... RushLimbaugh.com (subscription), CA

Visitors

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Monday, September 04, 2006

Where Is Da Contract?


I thought the Democrats were supposed to come up with a Contract for the big push. Where is it? Or maybe they will unleash it right before they go for the recess. They have one more month of drama in DC, and then off they go into the horizon to snatch victory.

Things are looking good. The House will be taken for sure. The Senate also is within striking distance. If you can create enough of a momentum, you are golden.

The message is not hard to come up with.

Who could argue against balancing the budget again? Who could argue for the mess in Iraq? You spend $100,000 a minute for years to ignite a civil war in Iraq. How smart is that? Is that what will make America safe? Not only did they go to war as the weapon of first resort, they fundamentally mismanaged it. Hurricane Katrina you can blame on Mother Nature, and perhaps global warming that neocons deny even exists. But Iraq is so totally Bush' doing. The boy has lost it, let's face it.

And there are bedrock issues of education and health care. In a more globalized world where jobs fly around, those two have become even more important as issues. People will take up the challenge of the new reality, but they need help getting equipped. They need leadership.

I think the Dems already got the message. As have the people. Now is the time to hear the drumbeats. Now is show time. This is road show time. Get out and soak in the people. Go shake hands. Go party. Time for face time. Time for rubber to hit the road.

Democrats have to fight the security plank. You don't counter wrong foreign policy with no foreign policy. Strong on domestic policy, strong on foreign policy. The neocons might have bled the budget in the name of security, but they have not made America more secure. They have thrown gozilla money on the problem, but the problem remains.

When they talk security, slap them with Iraq.

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Can't Take Back Congress Without Strong On Defense
Nancy Pelosi, Speaker

In The News

Democrats think ahead to victory in fall elections Youngstown Vindicator If Democrats win one or both houses of Congress in November's elections, as polls suggest is increasingly likely, President Bush's Washington will change dramatically..... Democrats will press to get out of Iraq. They'll mount investigations into the Bush administration's record that could rival those of President Nixon in Watergate and President Clinton in the Monica Lewinsky affair. They'll push a boatload of social-welfare legislation, such as raising the minimum wage, that reflects their pent-up priorities, while blocking the Republican agenda on social issues such as gay marriage, abortion and religion. ..... National polls strongly suggest that they could ride widespread voter discontent with the war in Iraq and Bush into control of one or both houses of Congress for the first time since 1994. ..... the next speaker will be Rep. Nancy Pelosi, a liberal feminist from San Francisco who decries virtually everything Bush does. ...... Issue one would be the war.
Congress Returns for Prelude to Election Forbes
Democrats on a roll in battle for US Congress Reuters "I don't think the question any longer is can Democrats win control of Congress ..... All 435 House seats, 34 of 100 Senate seats and 36 governorships are at stake .... Democrats needing to pick up 15 House seats and six Senate seats to reclaim majorities...... the final two-month push to the November 7 election .... About 40 House districts and a dozen Senate seats will be the key battlegrounds ..... the House .... where nearly every endangered incumbent is Republican....... the Cook Report lists 17 House seats as toss-ups -- all Republican ..... In the Senate, Democrats are expected to pick up seats. But to win control they will need to bump off at least five Republican incumbents -- difficult but not impossible even under favorable conditions...... In recent polls, Democratic challengers led Republican incumbents Rick Santorum in Pennsylvania, Conrad Burns in Montana and Mike DeWine in Ohio. Jim Talent in Missouri, Lincoln Chafee in Rhode Island and George Allen in Virginia also face re-election struggles. The open Tennessee seat of retiring Republican Senate Leader Bill Frist is also on the endangered list for Republicans.
Congress returns for prelude to November battle International Herald Tribune, France
Congress readies for "Security September" Seattle Times, United States the Republican majorities in both chambers at risk .... After a five-week summer break, the centerpiece of the House schedule for the coming week is a bill to toughen rules against horse-slaughtering. .... Republican leaders hope to complete a defense-spending bill, a defense-policy bill, legislation to give Congress' blessing to the National Security Agency's (NSA) warrantless-wiretapping program and to bring the president's military tribunals into constitutional compliance, and a port-security overhaul...... . "This will be a test of ideas on military security and homeland security." .... Democrats will counter with a push for a vote of no confidence in Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and with multiple calls to fully implement the recommendations of the bipartisan commission that investigated the Sept. 11 attacks. ...... Nancy Pelosi.. "They have weakened our military, hurt our position in the world, spent away our children's future and again not made America safer." ........ Democrats think the national-security theme will not have the sting it had in 2002 and 2004. .... "It depends on events"
National security battle awaits Capitol Hill as elections loom Boston Globe, United States
GOP's Hold on House Shakier Los Angeles Times, CA .... she wants to vote for a Democrat in this year's midterm election. Any Democrat. ..... "I don't think I've ever before been willing to vote for someone just because of their party affiliation" .... Democrats... also have narrowed Republicans' traditional advantage in fundraising. ..... The winds are blowing so strongly against the GOP that it raises a new question: If Democrats cannot win control of Congress under these circumstances, when will they? ...... the strength of the political machine the GOP has built ...... The party's agenda is tailored to mobilize its base, and its campaign machinery has made a fine art of getting Republican voters to the polls. ...... Republicans are trying to keep the focus on individual candidates and local issues, while Democrats are trying to turn the election into a broad national referendum on one-party rule in Washington, the war in Iraq and Bush. ..... voters are as restive as they were in 1994 ..... The trickiest campaign issue for members of both parties is Iraq. ..... "I don't think anything rivals Iraq as an issue that shapes the political environment in district after district." ......
Democratic Congress no longer a long shot San Francisco Chronicle, USA Nine weeks before election day, Democrats are poised to make their biggest gains since the post-Watergate elections more than three decades ago. .... The experts give Democrats a shot at winning control of the Senate, a possibility that was regarded as unthinkable when the summer began, and say the party's prospects of taking over more than half of the nation's governorships are near certain. ..... the political system today has been fortified to withstand big partisan waves or demands for change. .... Sophisticated redistricting, strengthened party loyalty and the advantages of incumbency are so powerful that even in a year when voters seem to be hollering for change, most strategists regard just 1 in 3 Senate seats and 1 in 8 House seats as being competitive. ....... phrases like "tidal wave'' and "Category 5 hurricane'' are being used to describe the Democratic surge ...... the campaign is shaping up as a clash between a potent call for change and a system designed to prevent it. ...... between 25 and 50 truly competitive House seats, and anywhere from six to 12 competitive Senate seats. ..... Of the 36 most competitive districts identified by analyst Charlie Cook, who publishes another nonpartisan political newsletter, 14 are in the New England states, New York, New Jersey or Pennsylvania. Another 12 are in the Midwest. ...... Democrats have a good shot at winning GOP seats in Pennsylvania, Montana, Ohio, Rhode Island and Missouri. But to win the majority, Democrats must win a sixth Republican seat in a less politically hospitable state such as Tennessee, Virginia or Arizona, as well as hold onto their own vulnerable seats in places like Minnesota and New Jersey. ..... "wrong track" leading by a 2-to-1 margin .... A Fox News poll conducted this week found just 24 percent of respondents approve of the job Congress is doing, compared with 61 percent who disapprove. ..... Republicans having raised $454 million for House and Senate campaigns, compared with $434 million for Democrats. ...... In 1994, 53 House Democrats represented districts in which President Clinton had lost.
More GOP Districts Counted as Vulnerable Washington Post, United States fighting to preserve at best a slim majority in the Senate ..... Over the summer, the political battlefield has expanded well beyond the roughly 20 GOP House seats originally thought to be vulnerable. Now some Republicans concede there may be almost twice as many districts ....... finger-pointing has begun as Republicans here and around the country blame the White House and the GOP congressional leadership ...... a superior Republican get-out-the-vote operation, a coming barrage of negative ads aimed at their challenger candidates, and a sizable cash-on-hand disparity between the Republican National Committee and the Democratic National Committee. ...... It's not just Iraq. It's also that most people don't feel better off economically." ..... All predict one of the most negative midterm elections in memory, with virtually no positive advertising from the national GOP committees or individual GOP candidates....... Republicans have financial and organizational assets to deploy ..... over the next 30 days, GOP candidates will attempt to convert the elections from a referendum on the president and congressional Republicans to a choice between competing philosophies on fighting terrorism and growing the economy. ...... six years of the Bush presidency have given the nation "an endless occupation and a wage-less recovery." The GOP message, he added, offers nothing beyond "fear." ...... Republicans' failure over the past few months to narrow the battlefield by using television ads to discredit little-known Democratic challengers. ...... Governors' races often move independently of national trends ..... prospects for Democratic takeovers are brightest in New York, Ohio and Massachusetts ..... this appears to be an unusual election in which incumbent-held districts are as vulnerable as open seats. ...... Republicans face potential losses in every section of the country, but the area that concerns strategists most is the arc of states running from the Northeast across the Midwest. There are three GOP incumbents at risk in Connecticut and four districts in Pennsylvania that could flip in November. In New York, Republicans worry that Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D) and likely Democratic gubernatorial nominee Eliot Spitzer will roll up such large margins that several GOP-held districts could be caught in the undertow......... Ohio is another state where Republicans are braced for losses. GOP gubernatorial nominee J. Kenneth Blackwell, Ohio's secretary of state, is running far behind the Democratic nominee, Rep. Ted Strickland, and the unpopularity of Republican Gov. Bob Taft and the president have put several incumbents at risk, including Rep. Deborah Pryce, a member of the House leadership. ...... The reversal of fortune is particularly striking in Ohio and Indiana ...... But organization is less effective with depressed morale. ...... "but on September 1, 2004, John Kerry would have been elected president." .... the ability of the White House and the Republican National Committee to dominate the final days of any campaign ...... Donna Brazile..: "September 11 shifted something inside the American people, and there are some lingering doubts [about Democrats' stance on terrorism] Republicans know how to exploit." ....... millions of dollars' worth of negative GOP ads. .... Normally, incumbents wait until the final weeks of their campaigns to launch their attacks ...... "I don't know of a single target race... where the Republican candidate .... has spent more than 20 percent of what they intend to spend. .......
November Elections -- the Great War of '06 Los Angeles Times, CA the best way to understand them is to understand World War I. ...... Despite being called a "world" war, the vast majority of fighting from 1914-1918 took place in a relatively limited space. The same is true of the 2006 elections. ...... Gerrymandering is an ancient art, but the technology used to create districts has grown so sophisticated that both parties — but especially Republicans — have learned to use it with less shame and more sophistication. ...... would expose the administration to congressional investigations, which under Republican control have been rare and toothless. Want to know why Bill Clinton was plagued by constant scandals while his successor has been mostly scandal-free? It's not because Bush is a saint. It's because Clinton faced a hostile Congress, while Bush enjoyed a compliant one controlled by his allies........ Germany maintained the geographic advantage, with defensive lines established deep into enemy territory. Yet its morale and resources had been sapped, and its capacity to continue the fight was lagging. The Republicans are in a similar position........ Democrats are not putting forward a positive agenda ..... I would say that the key issue in November is accountability......... Bush has never been a popular president, yet he has been enormously influential both at home and overseas — in most ways, to the country's detriment....... our entire political system is premised on the idea that the executive and legislative branches will clash...... Partisan discipline has trumped everything, and the whole notion of checks and balances has fallen by the wayside....... Democrats .. aren't going to be able to stop the war in Iraq
Hill Set To Debate Security Issues Washington Post, United States
Wariness About Alternative Tempers Vote ABC News
Wariness About Alternative Tempers Vote Forbes
Wariness about alternative tempers US electorate's vote-for-change ... International Herald Tribune, France
Risky business--GOP touts national security U.S. News & World Report, DC
Bush Sets Republican Agenda for Congressional Elections Voice of America Bush is campaigning hard ..... he is still popular among members of his own party ..... he is using many of the same themes that won him re-election two years ago. ...... Ours is a party that is willing to confront challenges, instead of passing them on to future generations." ..... Bush says the most important challenge is securing the nation against another terrorist attack....... arguing some of his critics do not understand the depth of the terrorist threat....... nearly two-thirds of Republicans still approve of the way President Bush is handling the war in Iraq...... Bush says the security of the civilized world is at stake in Iraq. .... many Democrats say they would use control of the Senate to investigate the president's handling of the war in Iraq.
GOP lags in key Senate races USA Today Polls in five key states show Democrats poised to gain Senate seats but facing an uphill battle to regain control.
Why Senate Will Be Tougher For Democrats to Take Back Wall Street Journal (subscription), NY few go so far as to predict Democrats will seize the Senate.
Democrats to Sweep US Polls: Analysts Islam Online, Qatar For the third time in less than a year, Bush launched on Thursday, August 31, a new campaign to sell the Iraq war to a skeptical electorate.... Democrats have argued that the nearly 300 billion dollars and other resources spent on the war so far could have been put to better use.
Tough election road seen for Republicans Political Gateway, FL
Congress needs new focus on branch’s duty Lawrence Journal World, KS
Congress returns for prelude to November battle KPLC-TV, LA
Several themes in play for 2006 midterm elections Toledo Blade, OH
GOP faces tough midterm election News & Observer, NC
GOP faces expanded House fight Fort Worth Star Telegram, TX
Political clashes loom as Congress returns Canton Repository (subscription), OH
Democrats look north for victory Fort Wayne Journal Gazette, IN One key to the Republican takeover of the House under Newt Gingrich was the completion of a long-term realignment to the GOP in the South....... a quiet counter-realignment has been under way in the Northeast and Midwest. .... longtime Republican suburban bastions in Pennsylvania, Illinois, Michigan, Ohio, New York and New Jersey were moving the Democrats’ way........ winning the bulk of these Lincoln-state seats would be the linchpin of any Democratic victory...... the Southernization of the GOP leadership – from President Bush of Texas and Gingrich of Georgia to Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist of Tennessee and, earlier, Dick Armey and Tom DeLay, both Texans. The rise of the Dixiepublicans and their brand of conservatism has pushed moderates in the North in the Democrats’ direction........ Rendell says flatly: “In 10 years, we could wind up being a second-rate economic power if we don’t improve our competitiveness.” ...... The realignment of the South has been more important than any other factor in the rise of the Republican Party to majority status in Congress. It would be one of history’s ironies if that majority were imperiled by the reassertion of the Lincoln states.
Security likely to be topic of the month in Congress Kentucky.com, KY Increasingly confident Democrats say: Bring it on. ... when the Senate convenes, its first order of business will be the $453 billion defense appropriations bill. ..... "Security September" will provide Republicans with opportunities for an endless flurry of press releases, news conferences and floor speeches..... they seek to portray critics as naive appeasers of a murderous enemy......
Editorial | Midterm Elections Philadelphia Inquirer, PA
Little action expected Centre Daily Times, PA
GOP's Hold on House Shakier ktla 5, CA

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Saturday, September 02, 2006

Obama In Africa


American Rhetoric: Barack Obama -- 2004 Democratic National ...

Thank you so much. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you so much. Thank you so much. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you, Dick Durbin. You make us all proud.

On behalf of the great state of Illinois, crossroads of a nation, Land of Lincoln, let me express my deepest gratitude for the privilege of addressing this convention.

Tonight is a particular honor for me because, let’s face it, my presence on this stage is pretty unlikely. My father was a foreign student, born and raised in a small village in Kenya. He grew up herding goats, went to school in a tin-roof shack. His father -- my grandfather -- was a cook, a domestic servant to the British.

But my grandfather had larger dreams for his son. Through hard work and perseverance my father got a scholarship to study in a magical place, America, that shone as a beacon of freedom and opportunity to so many who had come before.

While studying here, my father met my mother. She was born in a town on the other side of the world, in Kansas. Her father worked on oil rigs and farms through most of the Depression. The day after Pearl Harbor my grandfather signed up for duty; joined Patton’s army, marched across Europe. Back home, my grandmother raised a baby and went to work on a bomber assembly line. After the war, they studied on the G.I. Bill, bought a house through F.H.A., and later moved west all the way to Hawaii in search of opportunity.

And they, too, had big dreams for their daughter. A common dream, born of two continents.

My parents shared not only an improbable love, they shared an abiding faith in the possibilities of this nation. They would give me an African name, Barack, or ”blessed,” believing that in a tolerant America your name is no barrier to success. They imagined -- They imagined me going to the best schools in the land, even though they weren’t rich, because in a generous America you don’t have to be rich to achieve your potential.

They're both passed away now. And yet, I know that on this night they look down on me with great pride.

They stand here -- And I stand here today, grateful for the diversity of my heritage, aware that my parents’ dreams live on in my two precious daughters. I stand here knowing that my story is part of the larger American story, that I owe a debt to all of those who came before me, and that, in no other country on earth, is my story even possible.

Tonight, we gather to affirm the greatness of our Nation — not because of the height of our skyscrapers, or the power of our military, or the size of our economy. Our pride is based on a very simple premise, summed up in a declaration made over two hundred years ago:

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

That is the true genius of America, a faith -- a faith in simple dreams, an insistence on small miracles; that we can tuck in our children at night and know that they are fed and clothed and safe from harm; that we can say what we think, write what we think, without hearing a sudden knock on the door; that we can have an idea and start our own business without paying a bribe; that we can participate in the political process without fear of retribution, and that our votes will be counted -- at least most of the time.

This year, in this election we are called to reaffirm our values and our commitments, to hold them against a hard reality and see how we're measuring up to the legacy of our forbearers and the promise of future generations.

And fellow Americans, Democrats, Republicans, Independents, I say to you tonight: We have more work to do -- more work to do for the workers I met in Galesburg, Illinois, who are losing their union jobs at the Maytag plant that’s moving to Mexico, and now are having to compete with their own children for jobs that pay seven bucks an hour; more to do for the father that I met who was losing his job and choking back the tears, wondering how he would pay 4500 dollars a month for the drugs his son needs without the health benefits that he counted on; more to do for the young woman in East St. Louis, and thousands more like her, who has the grades, has the drive, has the will, but doesn’t have the money to go to college.

Now, don’t get me wrong. The people I meet -- in small towns and big cities, in diners and office parks -- they don’t expect government to solve all their problems. They know they have to work hard to get ahead, and they want to. Go into the collar counties around Chicago, and people will tell you they don’t want their tax money wasted, by a welfare agency or by the Pentagon. Go in -- Go into any inner city neighborhood, and folks will tell you that government alone can’t teach our kids to learn; they know that parents have to teach, that children can’t achieve unless we raise their expectations and turn off the television sets and eradicate the slander that says a black youth with a book is acting white. They know those things.

People don’t expect -- People don't expect government to solve all their problems. But they sense, deep in their bones, that with just a slight change in priorities, we can make sure that every child in America has a decent shot at life, and that the doors of opportunity remain open to all.

They know we can do better. And they want that choice.

In this election, we offer that choice. Our Party has chosen a man to lead us who embodies the best this country has to offer. And that man is John Kerry.

John Kerry understands the ideals of community, faith, and service because they’ve defined his life. From his heroic service to Vietnam, to his years as a prosecutor and lieutenant governor, through two decades in the United States Senate, he's devoted himself to this country. Again and again, we’ve seen him make tough choices when easier ones were available.

His values and his record and affirm what is best in us. John Kerry believes in an America where hard work is rewarded; so instead of offering tax breaks to companies shipping jobs overseas, he offers them to companies creating jobs here at home.

John Kerry believes in an America where all Americans can afford the same health coverage our politicians in Washington have for themselves.

John Kerry believes in energy independence, so we aren’t held hostage to the profits of oil companies, or the sabotage of foreign oil fields.

John Kerry believes in the Constitutional freedoms that have made our country the envy of the world, and he will never sacrifice our basic liberties, nor use faith as a wedge to divide us.

And John Kerry believes that in a dangerous world war must be an option sometimes, but it should never be the first option.

You know, a while back -- awhile back I met a young man named Shamus in a V.F.W. Hall in East Moline, Illinois. He was a good-looking kid -- six two, six three, clear eyed, with an easy smile. He told me he’d joined the Marines and was heading to Iraq the following week. And as I listened to him explain why he’d enlisted, the absolute faith he had in our country and its leaders, his devotion to duty and service, I thought this young man was all that any of us might ever hope for in a child.

But then I asked myself, "Are we serving Shamus as well as he is serving us?"

I thought of the 900 men and women -- sons and daughters, husbands and wives, friends and neighbors, who won’t be returning to their own hometowns. I thought of the families I’ve met who were struggling to get by without a loved one’s full income, or whose loved ones had returned with a limb missing or nerves shattered, but still lacked long-term health benefits because they were Reservists.

When we send our young men and women into harm’s way, we have a solemn obligation not to fudge the numbers or shade the truth about why they’re going, to care for their families while they’re gone, to tend to the soldiers upon their return, and to never ever go to war without enough troops to win the war, secure the peace, and earn the respect of the world.

Now -- Now let me be clear. Let me be clear. We have real enemies in the world. These enemies must be found. They must be pursued. And they must be defeated. John Kerry knows this. And just as Lieutenant Kerry did not hesitate to risk his life to protect the men who served with him in Vietnam, President Kerry will not hesitate one moment to use our military might to keep America safe and secure.

John Kerry believes in America. And he knows that it’s not enough for just some of us to prosper -- for alongside our famous individualism, there’s another ingredient in the American saga, a belief that we’re all connected as one people. If there is a child on the south side of Chicago who can’t read, that matters to me, even if it’s not my child. If there is a senior citizen somewhere who can’t pay for their prescription drugs, and having to choose between medicine and the rent, that makes my life poorer, even if it’s not my grandparent. If there’s an Arab American family being rounded up without benefit of an attorney or due process, that threatens my civil liberties.

It is that fundamental belief -- It is that fundamental belief: I am my brother’s keeper. I am my sister’s keeper that makes this country work. It’s what allows us to pursue our individual dreams and yet still come together as one American family.

E pluribus unum: "Out of many, one."

Now even as we speak, there are those who are preparing to divide us -- the spin masters, the negative ad peddlers who embrace the politics of "anything goes." Well, I say to them tonight, there is not a liberal America and a conservative America -- there is the United States of America. There is not a Black America and a White America and Latino America and Asian America -- there’s the United States of America.

The pundits, the pundits like to slice-and-dice our country into Red States and Blue States; Red States for Republicans, Blue States for Democrats. But I’ve got news for them, too. We worship an "awesome God" in the Blue States, and we don’t like federal agents poking around in our libraries in the Red States. We coach Little League in the Blue States and yes, we’ve got some gay friends in the Red States. There are patriots who opposed the war in Iraq and there are patriots who supported the war in Iraq. We are one people, all of us pledging allegiance to the stars and stripes, all of us defending the United States of America.

In the end -- In the end -- In the end, that’s what this election is about. Do we participate in a politics of cynicism or do we participate in a politics of hope?

John Kerry calls on us to hope. John Edwards calls on us to hope.

I’m not talking about blind optimism here -- the almost willful ignorance that thinks unemployment will go away if we just don’t think about it, or the health care crisis will solve itself if we just ignore it. That’s not what I’m talking about. I’m talking about something more substantial. It’s the hope of slaves sitting around a fire singing freedom songs; the hope of immigrants setting out for distant shores; the hope of a young naval lieutenant bravely patrolling the Mekong Delta; the hope of a millworker’s son who dares to defy the odds; the hope of a skinny kid with a funny name who believes that America has a place for him, too.

Hope -- Hope in the face of difficulty. Hope in the face of uncertainty. The audacity of hope!

In the end, that is God’s greatest gift to us, the bedrock of this nation. A belief in things not seen. A belief that there are better days ahead.

I believe that we can give our middle class relief and provide working families with a road to opportunity.

I believe we can provide jobs to the jobless, homes to the homeless, and reclaim young people in cities across America from violence and despair.

I believe that we have a righteous wind at our backs and that as we stand on the crossroads of history, we can make the right choices, and meet the challenges that face us.

America! Tonight, if you feel the same energy that I do, if you feel the same urgency that I do, if you feel the same passion that I do, if you feel the same hopefulness that I do -- if we do what we must do, then I have no doubt that all across the country, from Florida to Oregon, from Washington to Maine, the people will rise up in November, and John Kerry will be sworn in as President, and John Edwards will be sworn in as Vice President, and this country will reclaim its promise, and out of this long political darkness a brighter day will come.

Thank you very much everybody. God bless you. Thank you.

In The News

Kenya: Envoy Hits At Obama Over Graft Remark AllAfrica.com, Washington
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OBAMA GOES TO AFRICA, DEFENDS AMERICAN PROTECTIONISM Yahoo! News
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Sen. Barack Obama electrifies Kenyans Houston Chronicle, United States all wanted to see the man they consider a local kid made good...... He was telling all Kenyans, and especially our youth, that the sky is really the limit ...... one man who declared: "Obama is the first Luo-American senator," referring to Obama's father's tribe. ..... Residents of Nyangoma-Kogelo told local television stations they expected Obama to help them build more classrooms in the local high school _ named Sen. Barack Obama Kogelo Secondary School _ as well as to build clinics and pave the village's dirt roads. ...... They cheered as he railed against their country's high-level corruption and injustice. ..... Obama made a policy speech at the state-run University of Nairobi, it was aired live on television
Sen. Barack Obama Electrifies Kenyans Guardian Unlimited, UK
Barack Obama Ends African Tour in Kenya OhmyNews International, South Korea
Obama Visits Flood-Displaced Ethiopians Washington Post, United States
Sen. Barack Obama electrifies Kenyans Ely Times, USA
What Barack Obama Can Do For Africa — and Vice Versa TIME the Illinois Senator, and possible future U.S. President ...... The first time Barack Obama came home to his father's village of Kogelo in western Kenya, it was exploring his family roots. In 1987, he and half-sister Auma rode a dilapidated old bus from Kisumu, the provincial capital, 60 miles away. As they lurched along dirt roads, a couple of chickens nestled in Obama's lap and mothers passed wet babies back and forth to the two young visitors....... as a 26-year-old backpackerHis visit has been front-page news for days, and at each stop crowds of hundreds, sometimes thousands, gather to cheer him, a stark contrast to South Africa, which he toured earlier in this trip and where most people have never heard the name Obama........ more than just a homecoming. Obama is using his Africa trip — after South Africa he will visit Darfurian refugees in camps in Chad — to strengthen his foreign policy credentials......... the Senator often remarks in speeches that his constituents are in Illinois and that his first loyalty is to them........ In a modest, tin-roofed house in a nearby clearing dotted with mango trees, Obama, 45, and his wife and daughters, Malia and Sasha, visited Sarah — "Granny" — and other relatives and shared a quick meal of chicken, porridge and cabbage. Obama told reporters gathered outside the house that he had apologized to his grandmother for all the attention she had received "because of me." .......
Sen. Barack Obama meets Kenyan president Houston Chronicle, United States
Barack Obama Cites Corruption as Greatest Threat to Kenya's Future Voice of America vowed to become a strong voice in Congress for the future development of Africa ..... Kenya is not looking for handouts and neither is Africa ...... "What they are looking for is partnership with the United States and I will do my part to shape an intelligent foreign policy that promotes peace and prosperity." ........ Obama said that if Kenya is to encourage development it has to strive towards transparency in government and to reject politics based on ethnicity and patronage. ...... when western nations talk about corruption they should make sure they are also cleaning their own house. ..... corruption has been the major factor behind slow economic growth and is why many of Kenya's brightest and best educated feel they need to move to the West to prosper. ......
Notebook: Scenes from Barack Obama's Africa visit St. Louis Post-Dispatch, United States In his hotel room in Nairobi, Obama was having trouble with the wi-fi he needed to link to the world outside of Africa. ....... Maybe it has to do with the high cost of gas, but Africans seem to keep very little of it in their tank. That was true late one night in Johannesburg when a van carrying a dozen reporters home from dinner sputtered to a halt in a strange, dark place....... Reporters complained mightily, as they do about most anything. But with no alternative, they pushed the van a quarter-mile or so to a filling station...... As reporters who cover politics and popes know, you never, ever get separated from a motorcade. Motorcade vehicles have certain advantages in traffic, namely police escorts, no speed limits and no stop signs.......... Obama said before landing in Kenya that he was worried that politicians jockeying for power might use his visit to "enhance their profile." ..... Obama noted that Kenya needs to make the transition from tribal politics evidenced in the profusion of political parties to a system in which the parties are rooted in ideals and principals........ Obama acknowledged to reporters that coming from Chicago, he knows something about patronage and corruption. ...... His best-selling book, "Dreams of My Father," gave Obama newfound wealth when it led to a $1.9 million contract for more books. ....... Obama’s mother, Ann Dunham ..... "He was black as pitch; she was white as milk" ...... the senator has his father’s voice. "He was a tall man, like his son, and he was very courteous. He would also say, ‘you need to speak good English’. And I remember him driving in his green pick-up" ....... Naboth recalled Obama’s father as being equally good with words and numbers, overseeing the country’s budget for a period and also writing speeches for the president until he was shunned because of his politics. ...... "This Barack, he is articulate just like his father"
Barack Obama Is Rock-Star Popular on First African Trip in 14 ... About - News & Issues, NY Obama, presently the only African-American member of the Senate, is a member of the Senate Foreign Relations subcommittee on Africa. ..... a "group of Kenyan women age 50 and older who have adopted children suffering from AIDS and are making a success of it with the help of a microcredit program supported by his personal funds from a children's book deal. " ...... last trip to Africa was 14 years ago as a recent Harvard Law graduate ..... "he is going to be wildly received... They realize that he is truly a son of Africa and his election means something to them personally." ....... Barack Obama Visits Poorest Part of Nairobi CBS2 Chicago, IL in the worst big-city slum in Africa ..... Obama got another wild welcome. ...... the heart of Kibera, notoriously the poorest part of Nairobi -- a place that sometimes literally stinks, lacking sewers, clean water and other basic needs. ..... "I want everyone to know the next time I come back to Kenya, this is where I'm going to come again. Because I love this area" ...... Obama met with dozens of slum-dwellers, who have started small businesses helped by loans as small as $5 -- financed by the U.S. government and others, including $1 million donated by Shore Bank from Chicago's South Side........ Obama believes so-called micro-lending is one key way to end extreme poverty plaguing the Third World. ...... give them access to capital, they'll figure out ways to make it into money ...... the impact he is already having on the AIDS epidemic in Kenya.
KENYANS SWARM BARACK OBAMA: Senator’s Sa... Eurweb.com, CA
Barack Obama Takes HIV Test With Wife During Trip CBS2 Chicago, IL
Barack Obama's Kenyan Test Grows Our Love Queerty, NY
Nigeria: Barack Obama: The "Great Black Hope" AllAfrica.com, Washington South Africa, Kenya, Djibouti, Chad and Sudan. ..... This is Africa's first look at black America's rising star. ..... "one of the messages I'm going to send is that, ultimately, Africa is responsible for helping itself". ...... Obama attended New York's, Columbia University, graduating in 1983 .... was given a personal tour of Robben Island by one of South Africa's most decorated struggle figures Ahmed Kathrada. However, his grandmother, Mama Sarah Obama has assured him to expect no such fuss when he makes his next stop in his ancestral homeland of Kenya and visits his father's village of Kogelo, saying, "I don't see why the heavens should come down just because Barack is coming to Kenya". ....... Obama has recently made a habit of stopping the presses and grabbing the headlines... much of the hype surrounding his African tour is orchestrated, it does belie the fast growing perception that Mr Obama may be "the real deal": a potential future President of the United States. His growing band of supporters posits that 2012 is their year. Many Africans leaders find the idea of an African American President an intoxicating prospect........ the "Great Black Hope". ..... "democracy demands that the religiously motivated translate their concerns into universal, rather than religion-specific, values" ....... For someone so inexperienced, and whose policies are so ill-defined Mr Obama is remarkably popular. ..... Members of the Congressional Black Caucus spend spades of time in Africa rediscovering their "roots" and making promises, on which they are in no position to deliver, to every African leader naïve enough to listen to them........ Jackson remains a hugely popular figure and influential within the Congressional Black Caucus, but hasn't dared run again....... To run a successful Presidential campaign in the US the key ingredient is money and lots of it. This means winning over the single most important constituency in electoral America, "Big Business". And these generous donors make for jealous lovers, who expect absolute loyalty to their interests.
Sen. Barack Obama Returning to Africa CBS News, New York
Sen. Barack Obama Returning to Africa Guardian Unlimited, UK
Barack Obama to take public HIV test at Kenyan clinic to promote ... Boston Herald, United States
Sen. Barack Obama, his family arrive in Kenya Belleville News-Democrat, IL
Barack Obama returns to Africa as a celebrity Belleville News-Democrat, IL
Barack Obama Cancels Congo Visit at Request of US Embassy WREX-TV, IL
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Senator Barack Obama on two-week trip to Africa KESQ, CA
Barack Obama to meet survivors of 1998 US embassy bombing in Kenya GG2.net, UK