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Unfortunately, when you're Prez .. every word counts ..

The LTE writer is either lying or uninformed. Neither is helpful:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EGjR81pFJI4

No scheming detractors left out a word. There were two speeches and she left it out herself. Or didn't use "really" because she decided it was not appropriate for her statement/audience (reference Mr. Obama's bitter-cling-to-guns speech). That's the part that we as American's get to interpret and decide on.

Her secondary problem is her long-time church's fascinating rhetoric and the context it provides. To quote her husband and our future president, "Don’t tell me words don’t matter."

To some it won't, but I'd bet nothing would matter to them. Well, one thing.

Roger

Who said they were promiment people?

“…church's fascinating rhetoric.” It’s interesting to see the people who are still fixated on TUCC and its ideology. Jeremiah Wright, I think, tried his best to uplift the African American members of his church. He did this by trying to instill in them that they were intelligent, hard working and worthy people. I don’t think that his message got lost in translation. But, his message was taken by those outside of the church to be anti American in tone. A lot of the violence in Greensboro’s predominantly African American neighborhoods could be alleviated if the local African American churches were led by men like Jeremiah Wright. A lot of what Bill Cosby is saying is reflected in the words of Jeremiah Wright. The difference is in the delivery. Cosby is seen by most whites as being palatable. Wright is seen as angry. And we know that once whites label African Americans as angry, that stench is hard to wash off. Just ask Michelle Obama.

I guess to me there is a big difference between what McCain says and what Michelle Obama says.

He is stating that he didn't know really know how much he loved America until he was serving our military in another country. Upon seeing how things were in other countries, he realized just how great America was.

(At least that's my interpretation).

I wasn't so offended by what Ms. Obama said as I was trying to figure out why NOW she is proud of her country. What is different about NOW? The only thing I could figure out is that her husband was doing good in the polls and people were talking about hope and change. Seems kind of shallow to me.

No big deal. People say stupid things all the time and my vote for President won't be swayed by this.

Cosby says people need to take responsibility for themselves and their children. Wrights screams that others are to blame for our predicament.

I don't think they are anything alike.

And it's again introduced into a discussion it had nothing to do with.

"Well, one thing" was more prescient than I thought. "Fixated" also being an interesting return.

Conundrum, you have a good point with the message being lost in delivery, though. And isn't that part of the beauty of the political process? I don't have to worry about divining Obama's beliefs or his preacher's meanings or how useful Wright would be as a Greensboro community organizer, physician, or now-unemployed Head Hen Plucker at Pilgrim Pride. I don't have to try to understand the subtleties of his KKK references or why he believes one candidate is better than the other because he's been called some stupid word by people that aren't me. I can, however, make a decision based on the length of their association and things that were definitely said, same as I can do with McCain's 100 years in Iraq and his crossing-the-aisle attack on the First Amendment, and the same as I did yesterday when the Supreme Court released their ruling on the Second. All things are a sum of their parts. Don't tell me words don't matter. They're just as important as sunlight washing out a teleprompter or the ground clearance under a bus.

A good rule of thumb:
If you find yourself rationalizing something you're doing, it's probably not something you should be doing.

Roger

Earnestine said "Cosby says people need to take responsibility for themselves and their children. Wrights screams that others are to blame for our predicament." Though I agree with a lot of what Dr. Cosby is saying, I also understand that he is speaking from the perspective of a millionaire. If I am not mistaken, when he was growing up, Cosby's family was on government assistance at one point. So, he shouldn't be so harsh on those who aren't as swift to accept responsibility. That charge could have been leveled at his parents.

Your use of the word "scream" tells me that you are not familar with the oratory style of most African American preachers. And that tells me that this "Angry Michelle Obama/Jeremiah Wright" issue is largely one of different cultural perspectives (white vs. black).

Conundrum,
There are quite a number of 'uninformed' statements in this thread, the least of which are from Earnestine.

For Roger Benet:
Six words for you, Mr. know it all:

"BOMB, BOMB, BOMB. BOMB, BOMB IRAN"

conundrum, have you read Shelby Steele's book "A Bound Man"? If not please do and let me know what you think.

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On the contrary, Mr. Herman! It is when candidates are speaking "off the cuff" and when they are "tired" that we get the "real deal."

Would you have us believe that their precisely "wordsmithed" orations that have been practiced with carefully orchestrated mannerisms before delicately selected audiences with the aid of an easy-to-read teleprompter are the sources of true insight?

I think not.

An old aphorism states, "In vino, veritas." The translation: In wine, truth. The point is that when one's inhibitions are allayed, one tends to speak from the heart. I think the same case can be made for "off the cuff" and "fatigue induced" remarks by politicians. That is PRECISELY when you'll hear what they really think.

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Dan, I've not read any Shelby Steele. I've been too busy catching up on my black liberation theology reading list. I've read several of Thomas Sowell's books, but, he lost me years ago. I'll pick up Steele's book and give it a shot.

Please do conundrum, it's worth reading. Shelby Steele is like Obama, born of a black father and with mother. If you read the book, pay close attention to the "bargainers" and the "challengers". Should I take the BLT reading list in jest?

Typo alert, not with mother, rather white mother. We are all born with mother :)

"The point is that when one's inhibitions are allayed, one tends to speak from the heart. I think the same case can be made for "off the cuff" and "fatigue induced" remarks by politicians. That is PRECISELY when you'll hear what they really think."

You could be right, Jack:

"What I was referring to was this. When that storm came by, a lot of people said we dodged a bullet. When that storm came through at first people said 'Whew". There was a sense of relaxation and that's what I was referring too and I myself though we had dodged a bullet and you know why? 'cause I was listening to people, probably over the airways, say, "the bullet has been dodged", and that was what I was referring to.

"Of course there were plans in case the levee had been breached. There was a sense of relaxation at a critical moment, and thank you for giving me a chance to clarify that."

"I knew that big storm was coming on Monday, that's why I spoke to the country on Monday morning about it. I said there's a big storm coming.

"I had pre-signed emergency declarations in anticipation of a big storm coming, which is by the way extraordinary; most emergencies the president signs after the storm has hit. It's a rare occasion for a president to anticipate the severity of the storm and sign the document prior to the storm hitting so we anticipated a serious storm coming but as the man's question you know said basically implied you know, wasn't there a moment where everybody said, well gosh we dodged the bullet and yet the bullet hadn't been dodged."

A BOUND MAN: WHY WE ARE EXCITED ABOUT OBAMA AND WHY HE CAN'T WIN

I often wonder what these prognosticators do when proven wrong?

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btw - I'm sorta pulling for McCain, although the SC stack truely concerns me. The main good from Obama winning will be elevated voices coming from behind closed doors at #1 First Street as Hillary debates Scalia.

That's the weird thing in the book JDR, Steele never argued why Obama can't win. Did you read it?

Why are you pulling for McCain? Obama wants to go after your nemesis; eeeeeeevvvvvviiiiiillllllllll corporations :)

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Notice, if you will, that I did not limit my remarks to any particular person, party or political conviction. They apply equally to all politicians ... and, for that matter, to all people.

Thanks again, Jamesy Boy, for reinforcing my point admirably.

Rockie, you're doing a heck of a job!

Mary

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