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June 30, 2008

Exclusive: Monday, June 30

Presidential Watch

See "Freedom" - narrated by Sen. Fred Thompson GO HERE.

Watch video responding to DNC "You can't have Alex" commercial! GO HERE.

Just Say No Deal Coalition issues the following statement regarding Senator Hillary Clinton and Senator Barack Obama. GO HERE.

Faked certificate suggests that Obama may not be "natural born" US citizen

Reuven Koret, Israel Insider

It is now a certainty that the "birth certificate" claimed by the Barack Obama campaign as authentic is a photoshopped fake.

The image, purporting to come from the Hawaii Department of Health, has been the subject of intense skepticism in the blogosphere in the past two weeks. But now the senior spokesman of that Department has confirmed to Israel Insider what are the required features of a certified birth document -- features that Obama's purported "birth certificate" clearly lack.

The image became increasingly suspect with Israel Insider's revelation that variations of the certificate image were posted on the Photobucket image aggregation website -- including one listing the location of Obama's birth as Antarctica, one with the certificate supposedly issued by the government of North Korea, and another including a purported photo of baby Barack -- one of which has a "photo taken" time-stamp just two minutes before the article and accompanying image was posted on the left-wing Daily Kos blog. Read article.

Obama stumbles, says "UH" 144 times in 11 minutes

Blogs for John McCain.com

Barack Obama, the golden-tongued orator, is a totally different person when he cannot read a speech someone wrote for him from a teleprompter. Hot Air.com posted a link to a CNN video of Obama making a statement and answering questions. A sharp Hot Air.com commenter posted the following about the video:

I watched the whole 11:09. I don't remember a thing he said. All I heard was uh, uh, uh, uh, and uh.

He talks for 4 minutes. I counted 55 uhs.

Then he takes questions.

First answer: 10 uhs

Second answer: 27 uhs

Third answer: 16 uhs

Fourth answer: 7 uhs

Final answer: 29 uhs

144 uhs in 11 minutes. Articulate, Uh-bama!

Follow the link and you will see it is absolutely painful to listen to. The truth is, Obama is a total lightweight that is an empty suit. He does great in the stadium pep rally speech setting, but get him away from that where he must think on his feet, and the Obamamessiah just disappears. If John McCain said "uhh" 144 times in 11 minutes, the press corps would be saying he has Alzheimer's disease. But with Obama, nary a word about it. In time, Obama the lighweight, is going to reveal himself for all the world to see. We just have to hope it is BEFORE November 4 so the American people will not make a truly terrible mistake. Read article.

Obama Accused of 'Distorting' Bible

Eric Gorski, AOL News.com

As Barack Obama broadens his outreach to evangelical voters, one of the movement's biggest names, James Dobson, accuses the likely Democratic presidential nominee of distorting the Bible and pushing a "fruitcake interpretation" of the Constitution.

The criticism, to be aired Tuesday on Dobson's Focus on the Family radio program, comes shortly after an Obama aide suggested a meeting at the organization's headquarters here, said Tom Minnery, senior vice president for government and public policy at Focus on the Family.

James C. Dobson, founder of Focus on the Family says Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama "is dragging biblical understanding through the gutter."

The conservative Christian group provided The Associated Press with an advance copy of the pre-taped radio segment, which runs 18 minutes and highlights excerpts of a speech Obama gave in June 2006 to the liberal Christian group Call to Renewal. Obama mentions Dobson in the speech.

"Even if we did have only Christians in our midst, if we expelled every non-Christian from the United States of America, whose Christianity would we teach in the schools?" Obama said. "Would we go with James Dobson's or Al Sharpton's?" referring to the civil rights leader.

Dobson took aim at examples Obama cited in asking which Biblical passages should guide public policy - chapters like Leviticus, which Obama said suggests slavery is OK and eating shellfish is an abomination, or Jesus' Sermon on the Mount, "a passage that is so radical that it's doubtful that our own Defense Department would survive its application." Read article.

The Descent of St. Barack

Paul Greenberg, Townhall.com

The Hon. Barack Obama hasn't yet reached Clintonesque levels of slickness, but this presidential campaign is still young and a whole summer of broken promises and general disenchantment with the Saint of Hyde Park has begun to set in.

For all its smooth, Internetted aspects, the Obama campaign begins to develop overtones of George McGovern's crack-up in the summer of 1972. Sen. McGovern was the beneficiary that year of the Democrats' newly rigged nominating system, which remains much the same. This year it allowed Barack Obama to cinch his party's nomination even as his rival was sweeping the popular vote in the big states.

When a trusted adviser who was going to vet his choice for vice president isn't adequately vetted himself, that says something less than assuring about what an Obama administration would be like.

Sen. Obama's reversal when it comes to accepting public financing for his campaign was announced in the true spirit of our new Bobo - i.e., Bourgeois Bohemian - elite.

Some of us can hardly wait for St. Barack's next sly descent to the nether regions of politics, which of course will be described as but the next phase in his Holy Ascension.

If this is change and hope in American presidential politics, what, pray tell, would be steady disillusion? The country may find out soon enough. The long, slow McGovern summer of B. Obama could be just beginning. Read article.

Obama's Arrogance Born Of Insecurity?

Hy Science.com

Jennifer Rubin offers that while she's no psychiatrist, perhaps all the arrogance which Barack Obama displays is born from intellectual insecurity. He can give a great speech, but is he capable of more rigorous intellectual rigor than that required to reiterate words written by others (displayed on a teleprompter) - noting that his impromptu performances in pressers and debates ranged from mediocre to horrible:

[...] outside of his verbal acuity in prepared and controlled settings, he has yet to dazzle with his insightful analysis or original thinking. Couple that with a non-existent national political record and one wonders how and why he should be so impressed with himself. (Other than the fact that crowds and the media genuflect before him.) I can understand why he would be so touchy about John McCain not recognizing his "achievements."

More importantly, whether the issue is intellectual or emotional, this seems to be a very problematic quality for a President. Is this a good thing for a potential President -- to operate only controlled circumstances where he is sheltered and protected from potential harm? One can only imagine if the Republican candidate demonstrated the same reticence to operate outside his media cocoon.

As Ron Fournier points out, there's a line that smart politicians shouldn't cross. It lies somewhere between "I'm qualified to be president" and "I'm born to be president." Senator Obama crossed that line way early in the primary, and the media has helped him perpetuate it.

So just how arrogant is Obama? Read article.

Obama: Guilty By Association

Burt Prelutsky, Townhall.com

Seeing how thrilled so many of my fellow Americans are that a black man -- even a half-black man -- is going to be on the presidential ballot in November I can't help wishing I were one of them. It's as if there's a great big party taking place and I'm stuck outside with my nose pressed against a window. But, frankly, I don't know what the hoop-de-do is all about.

I mean, it's always nice to be reminded that America is the place where anyone is free to achieve his dreams, although perhaps not quite yet her dreams.

To me, Barack Obama seems like nothing more than the end result of affirmative action run amok.

His fans insist that it's unfair to question his qualifications or judge him by his associations. That makes sense because if I were a fan of his, I sure wouldn't want anyone scratching beneath the surface of a pleasant smile and a soothing voice. And, believe me, if he were auditioning for a job as a TV announcer, I'd hire him.

The Obamans insist that mentioning any of the man's disreputable friends and religious mentors is a no-no that smacks of McCarthyism. This is an odd complaint because, one, McCarthy was right when he pointed out that the folks who associated with other people at Communist cell meetings were in fact Communists, and, two, every child is told that he's going to be judged by the company he keeps. So, let's face facts -- John Dillinger ran with a nicer crowd than this guy. Read article.

It's All About Obama

Karl Rove, Online WSJ.com

Many candidates have measured the Oval Office drapes prematurely. But Barack Obama is the first to redesign the presidential seal before the election.

His seal featured an eagle emblazoned with his logo, and included a Latin version of his campaign slogan. This was an attempt by Sen. Obama to make himself appear more presidential. But most people saw in the seal something else - chutzpah - and he's stopped using it. Such arrogance - even self-centeredness - have featured often in the Obama campaign.

Consider his treatment of Jeremiah Wright. After Rev. Wright repeated his anti-American slurs at the National Press Club, Mr. Obama said their relationship was forever changed - but not because of what he'd said about America. Instead, Mr. Obama complained, "I don't think he showed much concern for me."

Translation: Rev. Wright is an impediment to my ambitions. So, as it turns out, are some of Mr. Obama's previous pledges.

For example............ Read article.

Oy-bama!

Michael Freund, Jerusalem Post.com

Is American Jewry finally waking up from its love affair with the Democratic Party? That, at least, is the question that comes to mind when one considers some very interesting polling data that emerged recently. As odd as it may sound, Republican presidential candidate John McCain may just be poised to capture a significant percentage of the Jewish vote.

Early last month, you'll recall, headlines blared in the US and Israeli press trumpeting the results of a Gallup survey conducted back in April which found that American Jews preferred Democratic hopeful Barack Obama by a margin of 61 to 32 over his GOP rival.

For many observers, it seemed to confirm the time-honored tradition that American Jews continue to remain solidly in the Democratic camp. After all, a two-to-one margin represents a fairly compelling advantage.

But here's something the mainstream media has not, and likely will not, tell you: Obama's support among US Jewry is on the decline.

This became apparent in another, more recent Gallup poll published on June 5, which showed that the race for support among American Jews has begun to tighten, with Obama now leading McCain by a margin of 57 to 35.

That represents a narrowing of the gap from 29 to 22 points in just one month. And it comes despite the free ride, and the fawning coverage, that Obama has been getting from much of the American press.

Moreover, this latest poll was conducted after it had become clear that Obama was set to be the Democratic nominee, whereas the previous survey took place when Hillary Clinton was still very much in the race as well.

In other words, now that American Jews are confronted with the stark choice between Obama and McCain, a noticeable shift has begun to take place towards the Republican contender. Read article.

The GOP made Obama do it

Debra J. Saunders, SF Gate.com

It was no surprise when Barack Obama flipped on public financing last week. When it suited his goals last year, he pledged, "If I am the Democratic nominee, I will aggressively pursue an agreement with the Republican nominee to preserve a publicly financed general election." When it didn't suit his goals, he ditched the pledge. And get this: Apparently he did it because the Republicans made him do it.

Obama has raised an impressive $296 million to date - dwarfing John McCain's $122 million. He stands to raise a lot of money - certainly more than the $84 million he would have received from the federal presidential public financing system - for the nine weeks following the Democratic convention. So forget "change we can believe in."

I cannot get as indignant as some critics seem to be. After all, public financing never was about reforming politics. It always was about helping Democrats get into the White House - which is why so many alleged reformers have not only accepted Obama's flip-flop, but praised it. Even the goo-goo Center for Responsive Politics Web site featured an opinion piece that suggested that the $1.2 million per day of public financing "just might not be enough" for a presidential candidate. Read article.

"Big Oil" and Your Vote

William "Bill" Phillips, Harrold.org

What the US government also does not tell you is that it is the leaseholder and royalty recipient of most oil production, and receives 25% of the gross oil sales before we pay for electricity to lift the oil, and propane to keep the oil-water separators from freezing in the winters. We pay a pumper to visit each well everyday plus we have equipment failures all the time. We pay for that out of our 75% of gross sales. The government does not share in any expenses to run any production well. So, if the Big Oil Companies are making record profits, then so is the federal government from it's 25% tax on every molecule of oil sold to a refinery in this country. Why isn't the government on the stand for "record" profits? What you don't see is this 25% of the sales price of crude oil being siphoned away by the government. That money, plus the road taxes, state taxes, etc., amounts to over $1 per gallon of gasoline you are buying while the governments only admit to about 50 cents per gallon.

To all you Democrats, when you go vote for your candidate, a blazing liberal like Barrack Hussein Obama or Hillary Clinton, just keep in mind that their liberal spending habits will further decrease the value of the American dollar on the world market and your gasoline costs will hike even higher. As they introduce more give-away programs, raise taxes on everyone to pay people not to produce or work, your dollar will continue to dwindle on the world market and you will be paying $10.00 per gallon at the next election. Cheap hydrocarbon fuel is all over. Enjoy! Enjoy the fruits of your decision to elect these folks when you are there in that voting booth and you stab your pin through a Democrat's name. Read article.

McCain for America - and Israel

Morris J. Amitay, JPost.com

With both parties' presumptive nominees identified, the choice for the pro-Israel community is clear - John McCain is the one. I only wish my conclusion was shared by more of my co-religionists, a strong majority of whom invariably support Democratic candidates, more out of habit than conviction.

This majority fails to appreciate the growing menace of Islamic extremism both to the United States and to Israel. For too many Jewish Americans, ensuring our own safety and security and that of Israel appears to be a lower priority than certain domestic issues, such as preserving abortion rights. One has to wonder why the well-educated 50ish year-old woman I encountered recently would rank her absolute right to an abortion as the most important issue facing our nation, when the chances of her being killed by a terrorist act are infinitely greater than her having to deal with an unwanted pregnancy.

This baffling ordering of priorities would perhaps have more validity if McCain had made the abortion issue a prominent feature of his entire public life. Instead, his prime concern has been national security. Why do so many Jews with memories of the Holocaust still fresh consider the bloodcurdling statements by Islamist extremists as mere rhetoric, while at the same time taking at face value Obama's calls for "change we can believe in" and slogans such as "we are the ones we've been waiting for"? Read article.

Obama: Bad for the Jews?

Ed Lasky, Pajamas Media.com

Barack Obama says he's a solid friend of Israel and its American supporters. But his actions and associates suggest otherwise.

The presidential campaign of Barack Obama has generated heat regarding his relationship with the Jewish community and his views towards Israel. There exists much skepticism regarding the level of support he will extend to the American-Israeli relationship should he become president.

These concerns are valid and worthy of debate; they cannot just be dismissed by his supporters and by his campaign as "smears." Scrutiny of Barack Obama's history, foreign policy advisers, and own statements and plans should generate concern among American Jews.

By now, everyone know that Barack Obama was, for 20 years, a member of Trinity United Church of Christ - a church headed by Pastor Jeremiah Wright and a man whom he has described in his own words as a "moral compass," "sounding board," and "confidant." Wright is also an anti-Israel activist who has used his pulpit to fulminate against Israel and has called for the ending of American support for our most dependable Middle East ally. Read article.

Answering Alex's Mom

Jeff Jacoby, Boston.com

"Hi, John McCain. This is Alex. And he's my first. So far his talents include trying any new food and chasing after our dog. That and making my heart pound every time I look at him. And so, John McCain, when you say you would stay in Iraq for 100 years, were you counting on Alex? Because if you were, you can't have him."

(Script for a TV ad being aired by MoveOn.org and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees.)

HI, ALEX'S mom - John McCain here. Your boy is adorable, and I don't blame you for being crazy about him. Believe me, I know just how you feel. I have been blessed with seven children - Doug, Andrew, Sidney, Meghan, Jack, Jim, and Bridget - and I can tell you from experience that the intense bond you feel now is only going to get stronger with time. Even after Alex has grown into a young man, your love for him will pull at your heartstrings. Few things will give you greater peace of mind than the knowledge that your child is happy and well - and should anything threaten or hurt him, you will ache with distress and yearn to protect him.

So I understand why you might be wary and indignant if you've been told that I support an endless and unwinnable war in Iraq.

But I am not such a politician! The last thing I want is to see our country mired in a war it is doomed to lose.

I could never be blithely indifferent about placing in harm's way the brave Americans - among them my two youngest sons - who wear their nation's uniform and volunteer to defend its security and freedom.

And who knows? Perhaps your baby boy will grow up to be one of those brave Americans himself. The world will still be a dangerous place, and we will still need young men and women to stand guard against those who would harm us. If Alex chooses to step forward, he will have the support and esteem of a grateful nation. And, I feel quite sure, of his proud and loving mother. Read article.

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