Here's a fun post for you Obama fans who can't get enough of your guy by a local photojournalist. I don't know if this is the same SF fundraiser where he made the "Bitter" comments. He did several that day.

There is a totally Hot! picture of Obama from the rear I think it is in the "seven things about Obama I never knew before" link for more photos near the bottom of the page. Chris Matthews might get a woody looking at it.

http://www.zombietime.com/obama_visits_billionaires_row/
   

For those wondering how the Rezko trial will affect Obama, here’s a worrysome analysis on CBS News site from NRO’s Stephen Spruiell:

 

 

This corruption, should it become an issue in the campaign, could cause problems for Obama when people start to wonder how he could have made it through “the combine” without getting involved in the overlapping networks of patronage and influence. Peraica, for one, argues that he didn’t. 

 

“Senator Barack Obama is an integral part and a product of this corrupt system,” Peraica says. “Senator Obama has endorsed Todd Stroger for Cook County board president, Mayor [Richard M.] Daley for mayor of Chicago, Dorothy Tillman for re-election as an alderman, and other epitomes of bad government throughout his career in order to promote himself politically, at the expense of, I would argue, principles and morals and good government.” 

 

Obama’s relationship with Allison Davis -- the alleged go-between in Rezko’s scheme to shake down Tom Rosenberg -- could pose another problem for him. Obama worked for Davis at the law firm of Davis Miner Barnhill. Later, when Obama sat on the board of a charity called the Woods Fund, he voted to invest $1 million in a partnership operated by Davis, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. 

 

Levine’s testimony in the Rezko trial puts Davis in the middle of an attempted quid pro quo, making him yet another associate Obama might be pressured to disown. And the trial could stretch well into May, at which point a Rezko conviction could lead to even more headaches for the candidate. If Rezko is looking at a long prison sentence and decides to start talking, who knows what he might say? 

 

All the more reason that Obama might be tempted to try to address this metastasizing problem with a single bold gesture. Obama made a big speech about race to distract from his ties to one unsavory Chicago character, but distancing himself from an entire network of them might prove to be a tougher task. After all, Obama was able to claim the middle ground in his defense of Wright, denouncing Wright’s most radical views while excusing his run-of-the-mill resentments as being a not-atypical part of the black experience. 

 

But America will have a harder time swallowing excuses for corruption as being a run-of-the-mill aspect of the Illinois political experience -- particularly not from a candidate that has promised a new kind of politics. To succeed, Obama would have to denounce the behavior of some of his closest allies and demonstrate a candor about his own experience in state government that’s been missing from his campaign thus far. In the Rezko trial, Obama might have finally encountered a problem that a speech alone won’t solve.

 

Read the whole tale. ( note: I erred earlier in comments saying the trial was still in recess, apparently they were back all last week with Levine spilling his sorry guts.)

 

   http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/04/04/opinion/main3994002.shtml

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dHDWo2LNIaM


What was that he said about Michelle?

From Politico:
They allege Obama has a penchant for blaming his staff for gaffes ranging from missing a union event in New Hampshire to circulating opposition research highlighting the Clintons’ ties to India and Indian-Americans to underestimating the amount of cash bundled for his campaigns by his former fundraiser, indicted businessman Antoin “Tony” Rezko.

And the questionnaires play into storylines pushed by both Republicans and Clinton suggesting Obama has altered his views to appeal to differing audiences.

That suggestion is galling to many members of IVI-IPO, some of whom have relationships with Obama that date back nearly 15 years. The group had endorsed Obama in every race he’d run — including his failed long-shot 2000 primary challenge to U.S. Rep. Bobby Rush (D-Ill.) — until now.

The group’s 37-member board of directors, meeting last year soon after Obama distanced himself from the first questionnaire, stalemated in its vote over an endorsement in the Democratic presidential primary. Forty percent supported Obama, 40 percent sided with Clinton and 20 percent voted for other candidates or not to endorse.

“One big issue was: Does he or does he not believe the stuff he told us in 1996?” said Aviva Patt, who has been involved with the IVI-IPO since 1990 and is now the group’s treasurer. She volunteered for Obama’s 2004 Senate campaign, but voted to endorse the since-aborted presidential campaign of Rep. Dennis J. Kucinich (D-Ohio) and professed disappointment over Obama’s retreat from ownership of the questionnaire.

“I always believed those to be his views,” she said, adding some members of the board argued that Obama’s 1996 answers were “what he really believes in, and he’s tailoring it now to make himself more palatable as a nationwide candidate.” CONTINUE ON PAGE  1    2    3 var str=location.href; for (i=1;i  " + i + "  ")} else {document.write("  " + i + "  ")} } else { var DynPage="9269.html"; if (CurrentFileName.toUpperCase() == DynPage.toUpperCase()) {document.write("  " + i + "  ")} else {document.write("  " + i + "  ")} } }//for /*var str=location.href; for (i=1;i  " + i + "  ")} else { //if this is first page and this page is selected, dont' show link if (i==1 && aPositionPage1>0) {document.write("  " + i + "  ")} else { //if this is NOT first page and this page is selected, show link to Firstpage if (i==1) {document.write("  " + i + "  ")} //if this is NOT first page and this page is selected, show link to Other pages else {document.write("  " + i + "  ")} }//else }//else }//for */

Dear Madam Speaker,


Yesterday I stood next to my longtime neighbor, and eco-warrior, Rob, “Birdlegs” Caughlan, just a few feet away from you, as you so graciously supported the brilliant mathematician, and wind engineer, Jerry Mc Nearney (CA-11) at his fundraiser in San Jose. Rob was his spokesman in ’06 and encouraged my support of this fine person as well as the true American hero, Charlie Brown in CA-04.

My heart was bursting with pride as I stood near my congresswoman, Anna Eshoo, and was reminded by you that our California delegation has a majority women, and that the number of women in that delegation is larger than some states entire delegation. You all magnificently represent all the best in modern California as you lead our nation in these very difficult times.

Because you are such a hero to me, and were actually standing in the same room. I allowed myself the indulgence to imagine what I would have said had we had a moment to chat.

I also have a family that is very excited and energized at a chance for an Obama presidency.  I understand all the reasons why. However, I have been a longtime supporter of Hillary and feel that it is she who is better able to get the work done that has “ the fierce urgency of now”.

My son, came home from Boston at spring break, which led to many discussions a day with all our family and friends.  His new city and state went for Hillary as did our own. He said that he was struck at how shallow the Obama kids understanding of Hillary was. He’s studying communication for a career in public service. When he filled them in, they opened their hearts to her. He never had to say anything about Obama to get this shift in his friend’s perceptions, he just told them about her. My son did a report on Bill in fourth grade, during the impeachment. (I tried to steer him to a less contovertial choice but he loves Bill) He endured humiliation then from classmates whose parents spoke ill of the president at home, but he held firm to his support based on his own research. It was amazing to watch at the time, I'm sure it helped him in the college dorms successfully present a favorable view of Hillary.

It reminded me of a functional MRI study written about in the NY Times late last year. It showed a unique appeal that only Hillary had. In the study of independents and partisan voters who had strong views of the current candidates, when people who didn’t “like” her actually watch her make a presentation, their brains lit up only for her in an area that suggests empathetic analysis and processing of a disconnect between previous perceptions and what they are seeing right before their eyes. After actually seeing her for who she is, they open up to viewing her more favorably. 

If the eloquent and persuasive Obama were on her ticket as VP,  and helping America see the real Hillary, rather than joining that tired old chorus of Clinton attacks, they would be unstoppable.

Karl Rove knew this about Hillary instinctively. I believe that is why the Republican attack machine suddenly became faced with blonde women when they went after her. Smoke and mirrors to retard her progress towards universal health care, and so much else.
We can’t let that false view of Hillary take her down. 

My family and I agree  that a Clinton/Obama ticket would  also be the way to erase the doubts about his readiness to serve in such an important office at such an important time for our nation and our world. We think it is the traditional role of the VP to be the spokesman for the administration’s plan. Their plans are so similar. How could Democrats have a better spokesman than Obama? 

Al Gore and Obama’s cousin, Dick Cheney, have made the office of the VP much more important. I believe Hillary would give him many opportunities to shine on his own. We would all require that from her. My son agrees that he’s “man enough” to take the number two spot behind her - after all -  he’s married to Michelle, and she’s a powerful woman.  There will be no doubts about Obama when he runs as an incumbent on the top of the ticket in 2016 for another eight years of Democrats in the White House. I believe he has the potential, like Hillary, to be a truly great president.

I urge you to find a way, as I believe you can, to bring together both halves of our wonderful Party, after all the votes are cast, assuming they each have roughly half the party's support as they do now, and let this talented duo turn to the important work of switching more congressional districts red-to-blue like CA-11 and CA-04.
 


Yours Truly
Carol S.

"Obama's story keeps changing"

Klaus Marre @ The HIll has a troubling piece on Obama's state senate records and Judicial Watch's attempts to search them.

 “nobody knows where they are, if they exist at all” and claimed that “Obama’s story keeps changing.”

here's the zinger:
“It appears that Obama never kept records of his time in the Illinois state legislature, or he discarded them,” Fitton stated. “Either way, he clearly intended to leave no paper trail.”


Judicial watch is a self described conservative watchdog, they also went after Bush/Cheney tho.

Obama will need a better answer to this problem to avoid looking like Bush and his National Guard records.

Axelrod knows that each of these characteristics has its flip side — optimism can be read as naïveté, independence as ideological unmooredness, unjadedness for a lack of experience and bipartisanship as an instinct to avoid necessary combat.


This is Axelrod's anticipation of some of Obama's problems way back when (4/1/07).......

The piece also supports my thoughts about how much Obama's candidacy, via Axelrod,  is tied to the revival of the Chicago "political machine". I view his candidacy, in many ways, as a move by that same Chicago machine, to take back their former power position in the Democratic party from the Clinton/Arkansas "machine", which has dominated for 16 yrs.

Very poignant 3rd reason to read it is the story near the end about how much Hillary did personally, at the height of the Monica scandal, for Susan and David Axelrod's foundation on epilepsy and how his campaign for Obama is another "Judas" move against Hillary.

h/t eriposte @ left coaster

Here's Barack Obama writing in 1990 on Political Power of Black Churches.

He says their traditional role includes "supporting candidates for office".  Isn't that a violation of IRS rules?


Is he gonna have to run from these words?
http://www.edwoj.com/Alinsky/AlinskyObamaChapter1990.htm