President-elect Obama

What an interesting group of Transition Team members who have made their way to Senator Obama's camp.

As you watch the movement of media folks interviewing ex-Clinton Adminsitration aids, as they move efforlessly about DC in an affected fashion that says to all, yet no one in particular " I am important, I am soon to be in power" please remember that power is an elusive thing.

In his book "Arrogance of Power" Anthony Summers borrows and summarizes a quote that says, in effect: You only have power as long as others THINK you have power.

So these final two weeks will see sashshaying about DC and TV by a bunch of folks who think they have (or will have) power. Young (and middle age), social climbers who often worry about things we in the hinterlands never even give much of a moment's notice to: Sushi and such, social standing and invitations to certain key dinners, being seen on Capitol Hill - being self important and self-absorbed.

Thomas Dewey's name may mean little to those young (and older) self-important media reporters, staffers and Hill rats...but Harry Truman knew his name...and it wasn't President-elect Dewey.

John McCain watches and remembers the torture and hell of his years in POW captivity (of course noted by the young polticos of the left with an "Isn't he a great hero and patriot, but hell no to him in the White House...). he remembers Thomas Dewey's rage against Truman. He was alive then.

Unpopular Harry Truman won.... and John McCain will win.

He will out-last these folks, because regular people see him for who he is and support him.

And like Dewey on the morning after the election Obama will rise to the voices of reporters being stopped by those young (and old) Obama aids telling the press, "The President-Elect has not awakened yet"...only to be told by some Fox News reporter: "Tell the President-Elect that he just had the 2nd shortest Administration in history, behind Thomas Dewey..."

Watch and see.

Den

Comments

[James John]

Congratulations Mr. Obama, US President Elect.

I hope that you may look the world affairs through a different lens
contrary to the conventional route followed by your predecessors and foreign policy drafted in a clean slate so as to protect the human race from the perilous path now traversing by those who control the destiny of worldly life of human race. In that context I hope that the contents of my E-publication under www.itisme.in may be helpful to view the worldly affairs through a different mirror. Entire world is looking upon you as a worthy world savior and the world is now passing through a very difficult phase of its existence.

[Believer]

I also am a vet, a disabled one at that. I served during the first Gulf War. And by the way, my medical records are no one's business but my own. Nobody, no matter whether I run for political office or not has a right to know what is contained in these very confidential records. For a candidate to refuse to release something that is confidential does not mean that he is hiding something. You are jumping to a conclusion there. I won't do the same, because he has the RIGHT not to release them. Do you know the reason that McCain voted down veteran's bills? Could it possibly be that the bills contained so much pork that it was unpalatable even to an ex-POW? I believe Mrs. Palin said that she could influence policy as the President of the Senate, which is accurate. But then again, when talking to 3rd graders, you tend to make your answers as simple and easy to understand as possible (as any parent knows.) The un-American comment I don't understand the reference, therefore will not comment upon. Mr. McCain did not make the tax system, however, if you check your economics, you would understand that overtaxing business actually represses the economy even further. And the employees end up taking it in the shorts in the form of lower wages and fewer benefits. If we removed the larger companies that have sites in areas external to the US, we would lose all the taxes on the revenues of the products they make and sell here. That doesn't seem very smart economically when our economy is struggling so bad already. And as far as NAFTA, in my experience, people who shout the loudest about fairness usually are upset because they aren't getting the better end of the deal, not that the deal isn't fair. I'm sure if you spoke with a Canadian or Mexican, they would feel that the US was definitely getting the best end of the deal. And removing our troops from Iraq would cause an already unstable region to become even more destabilized which in turn would require intervention on a larger scale and more deaths than the mess in which we currently find ourselves. The national debt is not just Mr. Bush's fault (and by the way, I am no supporter of President Bush--I never voted for him.) The national debt is a reflection of our nation's obsession with instant gratification as well as some quick fix antics of previous presidents. Look at Social Security being dropped back into the general fund and removed from its own trust account. Sure, lessened the deficit at the time, but has put a major strain on the general fund now that Baby Boomers are tapping into money that they rigthly deserve (and that was done by a Democrat, not a Republican president.) Now that you have provided a bash on McCain....How about you explain what exactly your candidate is going to do about all of these issues? I have heard about the the change he intends to bring about, but exactly how is he going to do that? And with what money? How much more are we going to borrow on the backs of our children, grandchildren, etc.? You tell me...

[FormerSpud]

I’ve been reading the comments here in “Huckleberries” for quite sometime to keep up on things in N. ID where I was once a resident and as a veteran of this country during the Viet Nam conflict, I feel that I have all of your indulgence’s to spout off my take on this election and what I’ve been reading here about it. I will be voting for Obama, I wonder if you staunch, hard core McCain supporters can answer me some of the questions below that bear on the issues, qualifications and records of your candidate.

First of all, I categorically DO NOT consider his surviving being a POW in the same conflict I was in, a valid qualification for President.

Since Mr. McCain likes to dig things up out of the past, what about his graduating in the bottom 1% of his Naval Academy class and his crashing 5 aircraft during his naval career?

How come McCain and Palin aren’t releasing their entire medical records as their opponents have done? What doesn’t he want voters to know about his melanoma problem?

What about McCain’s record in the Senate for voting down bills that would have followed, monetarily, the progressing number of veterans needing help when they return to the U.S. with funds for the VA hospitals?

What’s this about Ms. Palin telling a third grader recently, that as President of the Senate – a duty of the U.S. VP - she could make changes in U.S. policy? (Read the Constitution people.)

Since when is it un-America if you were brought up a Muslim or Shinto, Buddhist, or even a Native American? Who will be un-American next? Again - read the Constitution people – the second paragraph to be exact. And by the way, isn’t there something in the Christian bible about “render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar’s and unto God the things that are God’s”(Mat. 12:21)

The original intent of the U.S. tax system was to tax by a graduated system. So why is there a big to-do about legislating wealthy companies and individuals to hold to the idea and pay their fair share? It’s not “socialism” or some kind of “spread the wealth”, it’s called “shouldering the load” and “All for One and One for All.”

Do you like NAFTA? You know, that little deal negotiated by Pres. George H. Bush in the 80’s and supported by the same Sen. McCain who today still supports it and is against any attempt by Mr. Obama to re-negotiate the terms so it’s fairer to the U.S.’s interests.

How about we have all the major companies in the U.S. that have facilities in and sell their products in the ‘hinterlands’ (GM, Ford, GE, Xerox, Hewlett Packard, Microsoft, Kellogg’s, Safeway, MacDonald’s, Johnson & Johnson, Amana, Coors & Coca Cola to name a few) move out of the “real America” and let everyone that’s left get along on their own with “un-American” stuff?

Is it right for our service people to stay in Iraq to die when the headquarters of the terrorist organization that created 9/11 aren’t there? If Roosevelt, in the ‘40s, would have used the logic that McCain supports, the U.S. would have launched all out attacks into South America!

With Mr. McCain supporting the present administration 90% of the time with his vote, one that saw the U.S. national debt soar, is it realistic to think that he is going to change now? Can this country stand it any further? Are you curious to see what his support has caused? Try a Google search with “U.S. National Debt” and find out for yourself.

I’m eager to read your responses and if you need proof of what I ask or the basis of the questions, I’ll be glad to provide and back up.

[Andrew Rampenthal]

I pray to God your right and thats how it will unfold. Does seem like the Dems are becoming quite arrogant.