Does Obama Know Who He Is Running Against?

Listen to Obama's speeches. You will be amazed at the number of times he mentions George W. Bush. Does he think he's running against Bush? Does he think voters are stupid enough to think he's running against Bush? Actually there's a good reason for him to keep bringing up Bush. Bush is easier to beat than McCain.

The truth of the matter, if you check the Congressional Record, is that McCain's voting record is closer to Hillary Clinton's than it is to Bush. In fact, McCain's voting record is closer to Clinton's than Obama's is. That's the fact Obama wants voters to miss. That Hillary supporters have more in common with McCain than they do him.

McCain and Clinton both actively try to work across party lines, where Obama prefers to stay rigidly to the left. He is, after all, rated as the most liberal senator. But he's going to have to work harder now. Everyone who drank the kool aid came out in the primaries, and it still took him all 50 states to win the nomination. If he expects to appeal to the mainstream voter, Obama will have to get his act together and remember he's no longer preaching to the choir.

On The Anniversary Of 9/11

September 11, 2001 was the New York primary elections, or it would have been had events not unfolded as they did. As a political consultant, I was working with several political campaigns in Brooklyn, NY that day. As with most election days, my day had started at 3:30 a.m. with a last minute push to make sure our signs had not been vandalized, and an inspection of the voting sites. I was shepherding a young candidate on his first campaign for City Council.

He watched as I worked on another campaign in addition to his. A smaller, yet much nastier campaign for State Committee. The incumbent, who I was working against, had been arrested for beating his wife. Political organizations not affiliated with the campaign had posted his mug shot all over the district. We were accused of mudslinging, despite having nothing to do with the postings. All in all, it was the ugliest campaign I had been involved in.

When this young candidate saw this campaign, and heard the things being said against us, he asked why we keep putting ourselves through this. I told him two quotes that I have always remembered. The first was from Thomas Jefferson, "the price of freedom is eternal vigilance." The second was "all that is needed for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing." This conversation was around 8:30 a.m.

Having been working for 5 hours already, we decided it would be a good time to grab something to eat. We piled into a car and headed for a local McDonald's when the candidate asked if he could stop at his home for a minute. He was having a problem with his contact lenses and wanted to replace them. He ran in while we waited in the car. He came out in a panic. The television had been on in his house and they were announcing the first plane hitting the World Trade Center.

By the time we reached McDonald's, the second tower and the Pentagon had been hit. We tried to call for information but it was impossible to get through to anyone. We sat over breakfast, debating whether we should concede the election and send everyone home. The primaries had not been officially canceled at that point, but we decided that too many of our workers had friends and family in the towers. We pulled everyone out and got them home.

By the time I returned home the second tower had fallen. My wife, who was unable to get a hold of me was in a panic. We desperately manned the phones until every friend and family member was accounted for.

Now, six years later I am appalled at what I see. Conspiracy theorists with no knowledge spout that we blew up the towers ourselves. As the bells tolled at the moment the second tower was hit, The Today Show couldn't be bothered to break away from their story on how women can find husbands to show the ceremony. The Clinton administration made mistakes that allowed 9/11 to happen. They can't admit it. The Bush administration made mistakes that allowed 9/11 to happen. They can't admit it.

For too brief a moment after the attacks, this country was united. We need to unite again.

Bush Bashing Becomes National Sport

It seems that bashing George W. Bush has become the national pastime. Over the past few days, Jimmy Carter took potshots at him, Al Gore has published a book taking aim at the president, and Hillary Clinton couldn't help but get her own few words in.

Jimmy Carter, who the White House has called "irrelevant" in response to his comments, started this round in interviews with the BBC and the Arkansas Democrat Gazette. He stated, "I think as far as the adverse impact on the nation around the world, this administration has been the worst in history." He later backtracked when the story was picked up, saying he was only referring to foreign policy, not the administration in general. Even that boggles the imagination. How does the man who allowed Iran to run roughshod over this country for 444 days believe himself to be a credible critic of someone else's foreign policy? He showed his ignorance more recently by publishing a book attempting to revise the history of the Israeli/Palestinian conflict to make the Palestinians out to be victims, this as the headlines show them trying to kill themselves because they can't even resolve internal differences peacefully.

When asked about Carter's comments, Hillary Clinton stated, "I've had a lot of criticism of the Bush administration as well, and have used some strong descriptions," Clinton said. "I am going to continue to criticize the President. I think it is the duty of every American to speak out when you feel strongly that your president is heading in the wrong direction. I think we need a debate in this country, and I think that's what is going on ... I welcome everyone for that."

It is the inalienable right of everybody in this country to speak up if they feel something is wrong. Having Hillary Clinton say this, however, as she refuses to take phone calls from reporters who have criticized her husband is simply hypocrisy. It's all or nothing. Either every president can be criticized or none of them can.

Meanwhile, Al Gore has published his new book, "The Assault on Reason: How the Politics of Fear, Secrecy, and Blind Faith Subvert Wise Decision Making, Degrade Our Democracy, and Put Our Country and Our World in Peril. It's his latest salvo in his campaign to not run for president. This is a man who backed Howard Dean for president and has scientists that worked with him on "An Inconvenient Truth" pointing out that the movie was an exaggeration. He criticizes the way Bush has responded to crises, although his track record isn't any better. As part of the Clinton administration, he has to take some responsibility for letting Osama bin Laden walk away after the bombing of the USS Cole. It is well documented that the Clinton administration knew where he was, and chose not to get him.

The problem with all of this isn't the criticism. It's the fact that none of it is constructive criticism. You don't like the way a situation has been handled? Fine. Come up with a better solution. Don't just complain that you don't like what was done. If you don't offer a feasible solution, then it's just another rant.

The Week That Was: April 28 - May 4

Microsoft eyes Yahoo takeover

Microsoft announced it was in talks to buy internet giant Yahoo. Frustrated with its inability to compete with Google, Microsoft is looking for an acquisition that will keep it relevant on the internet. While the deal is an excellent one for Microsoft, it can only spell disaster for Yahoo. Microsoft's continuing stumbles outside of the operating system and its office suite will overwhelm Yahoo's properties and propel Google further. The move smells of desperation, which is never a good way to make business decisions.

Digging its own grave

News site Digg was overwhelmed by DRM opponents posting the latest discovery on how to break copy-protected HD-DVDs. Digg received a cease-and-desist order from the HD-DVD consortium, which it tried to comply with. Digg's audience overwhelmed the company's ability to remove posts until it finally gave up. The incident showcases why user-controlled news sites are unreliable. Digg users weren't interested in news, just stealing content. Newsflash: despite being repeated ad nauseum, information doesn't "want" to be free. People (and companies) who create intellectual property have the right to license just the uses they feel like licensing. Spending $20 on a movie doesn't mean you can do anything you want with it. While some of the DRM systems out there impose draconian conditions on their use, and the RIAA has apparently gone lawsuit happy, that doesn't make this right either.

Bush vetoes war funding bill

Just as he promised, President Bush vetoed the war spending bill that Democrats tied into withdrawal terms. Congress and the President will go head to head until the war is funded. However, Democrats in Congress are losing credibility by the minute as they try to micro manage the war. Speaker Nancy Pelosi blew off war briefings this week, claiming she didn't have time for them. If you're going to make decisions about the war, you need to know what's actually going on.

Imus not finished yet

Embattled radio personality Don Imus is striking back with a lawsuit against CBS. Suing for breach of contract, CBS has encouraged Imus to push the line in the past and therefore can't then fire him for doing what they expected. Past the lawsuit, Imus is expected to take the summer off and return to the airwaves, either on broadcast or satellite, before too long.

And that was the week that was.