So what do you say if you are the President of the United States...

upon greeting a Pope at the White House for only the second time in History and hearing the Pope's words to the nation: (after applauding you approach the Pope grasp his hands and say)
"Duh, that was an awesome speech!" Heck while you're at it throw in a 'Dude' or two.

Unless you are not an idiot, then you might say something different.

I am bitter--

Just read the title of this Blog.

I am bitter, and I am frustrated that my government does not act in a way that represents me in matters of war and peace and economic justice and matters of moral credibility.

I do not cling to guns or isolationist attitudes- but I know people who do. And some of those who do would not say that they are bitter. In fact, if they are bitter it is unlikely to be about the issues I mentioned above.

Anyone who does not recognize, within themselves, at least a small sense of frustration or anger or'bitterness' about the way our government has been behaving, or about the way our government has been ignoring the concerns of its own people (Remember Dick Cheney's reaction to the polls against the Iraq war "So?") is simply being either dishonest or out-of touch.

So I am bitter about the way our country is being run. I also am feeling a sense of disconnectedness about that - after all, what can we really do?

And so I turn to my own sphere of influence- that area where I can make a difference and empower others to do the same. Some may go so far as to say I am clinging to religion.

Religious organizations, when they function at their best, can and do perform many functions that government cannot and probably should not do. They also perform functions in our society that government chooses not to do.

Obama may have been lazy in his choice of words but when I heard and read his comments they did ring true.

A New Approach to Abortion?

This Article from MSNBC highlights how two anti-abortion Democrats are supporting Barrack Obama and suggests that there is a change in the air regarding this issue. The article suggests that both Democratic candidates for president are looking to difuse the hostility on the issue and focus more on finding the common ground that will successfully reduce the number of abortions.Asked last night at a nationally televised forum on religious and moral values if there can be "common ground" on abortion, Obama said that "people of good will can exist on both sides." With Casey watching from the audience at Messiah College outside Harrisburg, Pa., he added that while there will always be irreconcilable differences between opponents and supporters of abortion rights, "we can take some of the edge off the debate." (Robert Casey is a pro-life Democrat from Pennsylvania).

But Clinton has also sought to break from party policy, as she, too, made clear last night. She said that "I will continue to do what I can to reduce the number" of abortions, so whoever wins the nomination, Democrats are likely to try to defuse the issue in the general election. Clinton co-wrote, with Senate Majority Leader Harry M. Reid (D-Nev.), a significant abortion-prevention bill in January 2005; Obama signed on early as a co-sponsor.

So, it would appear that both of the Democratic candidates have demonstrated a willingness to enter into a new dialogue about the issue.

Unfortunately, the other side is less likely to engage in such conversation. Already several conservative talking points are being circulated among pro-life groups that Obama is ' the most pro-abortion candidate ever to run for president.'

If that sounds familiar it should. They have used that line since Michael Dukakis ran in 1988 and probably before.

Before it gets more blown out of proportion

in the news--- Obama said this in California at a fundraiser- to a group of people he wanted to receive money from.

The context apparently is that he is explaining the challenges faced by the campaign. He is not grousing about people -as has been suggested by one of his challengers. Nor is he apparently 'out-of touch' with the working class as was suggested by the other. My take on it is that he has pretty accurately described a very real situation.

He says, in part:

"Our challenge is to get people persuaded that we can make progress when there's not evidence of that in their daily lives. You go into some of these small towns in Pennsylvania, and like a lot of small towns in the Midwest, the jobs have been gone now for 25 years and nothing's replaced them. And they fell through the Clinton administration, and the Bush administration, and each successive administration has said that somehow these communities are gonna regenerate and they have not. And it's not surprising then they get bitter, they cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren't like them or anti-immigrant sentiment or anti-trade sentiment as a way to explain their frustrations."

"Now these are in some communities, you know, I think what you'll find is, is that people of every background -- there are gonna be a mix of people, you can go in the toughest neighborhoods, you know working-class lunch-pail folks, you'll find Obama enthusiasts. And you can go into places where you think I'd be very strong and people will just be skeptical."

I think dissecting this in a way that tries to make Obama out to be aloof or elitist is utter nonsense.

Hillary Clinton has Problems

The attached article shows how Hillary is losing her lead in Pennsylvania.

Yesterday, the news in the morning opened with Hillary Clinton explaining to a crow that she has a disadvantage to her male counterparts in the campaign because she has to spend more time 'putting on her face.'

I didn't post about this yesterday because there were so many ways to go and I couldn't decide.

On the one hand there is the all to easy crack about having two to choose from. On the other there is the parody you can see being prepared by SNL about having to put the 3 AM phone call on hold while she puts on her face.

But the most obvious one is the continued playing of the victim card. How is it possible that this person can keep reminding us of how hard it is for a woman to run and at the same time, sometimes in the same breath, scream that she is not being treated fairly? It is getting annoying.

An April fool

Norm Coleman

Thank You Amy Klobuchar !!!!

On February 12th I sent this letter to Amy Klobuchar:

Dear Senator Klobuchar,I am a long-time supporter. I appreciated your words regarding remaining silent at this time in the super delegate process as we continue in what is shaping up to be a very exciting Presidential race for our nation and for our party.As you consider your position I hope you will consider the overwhelming support Senator Obama has received by the people of our state.I am a regular party active and have never before seen such crowds at a caucus.In my particular precinct 78% went for Obama. I asked several why and discovered that there were many first timers who turned up for Obama.These first-timers and the youth of Minnesota are energized about the possibility of casting their votes this fall for a Minnesota ballot that is headed by Barack Obama for President and Al Franken in the senate race.Like you, I hope this matter clears itself up long before you need to cast your super delegate vote. But if not, I hope you will give strong consideration to the opinion of the people you serve.Thanks for all you do.

Today, my favorite Senator from the Great State of Minnesota pledged her support for Barack Obama along with the entire congressional delegation from the state of North Carolina.

She was completely within her rights to do otherwise, but I for one am grateful that in this contentious time in the life of the Democratic Party she has chosen to follow the direction of the citizens of her home state.

I must confess that Amy Klobuchar was not my first choice when she first decided to run for senate, but her excellent work and her remarkable abilities and judgement have made me an avid supporter.

Imagine the work she and Franken will be able to do together for the good of Minnesota and the whole nation.

I do not Shop at Walmart

This story is one more reason why you should not shop there either. Pay the extra $1 per $20 to shop anywhere else.

My favorite Clinton

On Tuesday at Butler College in Indiana, Chelsea Clinton got a question.

The school's mascot is a bulldog, so the hyper-controlling campaign probably should have expected that the last question for Miss Chelsea would be about whether her mother's credibility had been, er, damaged by her response to dad's dalliance.

Chelsea Clinton's response:

"Wow, you're the first person actually that's ever asked me that question in the, I don't know maybe, 70 college campuses I've now been to, and..." then she paused for dramatic effect before concluding, "I do not think that is any of your business."

The 200 students applauded.

Clinton then showed all the poise of an old campaigner by saying, "And I don't think that should be the last question." She then ably handled an inquiry about global warming.

And that was that.

Perhaps, now, the Clinton campaign will decide that Chelsea Clinton -- who at this point is the only member of the family who has not embarrassed herself on the campaign trail -- can and should be treated as an adult.

But that won't happen -- not because the Clinton camp actually fears tough questions but because it easier to control the message by maintaining the "Chelsea's a kid" line. So they will.
And her mother and father will continue stepping in it while the most competent Clinton continues to campaign with training wheels rather than as the able adult that she is.

This is me being politically incorrect!!!

This is the latest "so-called" news story to distract us from important world events- like say, I don't know- THE WAR.

The pregnant man story is redicullous. I don't care what people do with their private lives. I really don't. However, a woman who chooses to have cosmetic surgery in order to make herself look like a manwho retains her female reproductive parts is still a woman. Her chromosomes will tell the story. Her existing and functioning female parts will tell the story.

Cosmetics aside, this person is still a woman.

What this person along with this person's mate choose to do reproductively is their business. I do not find the story socially redeeming. I do not find it to provide any particular advance to science (for good or ill). I do think it demonstrates a very creepy detail about the lives of two (or arguably three) people that makes me want to run away covering my ears shouting "La la la- I can't hear you!!"

I did not need to know. I think that at least one of these three people will regret the current media hype at some point. I also think that GLBT groups who are touting this as some kind of 'success' are missing - not making- a broader point.

What kind of a man- who sees themselves as 'trapped in a female body' would want to change the physical appearance but not the functions that make him definitionally female? A more cynical person, if such a person exists, might suggest that this man/woman is a publicity seeker.

I find the headlines deceptive and damaging. I find the apparent glee in reporting this story disturbing. But mostly, I just find it creepy.

I suppose that people will continue to stay glued to this story the way gawkers slow down at car accidents or train wrecks but I think the better course of action would be to impose on these people the privacy that they themselves are not wise enough to seek.

5 Years, 4000 dead, over 29,000 injured

and countless civilians dead and wounded in Iraq. and Dick Cheney says "so?"

They still say it was worth it.

Anderson Cooper Dissects Reverend Wright's Comments

If you click the link above, you will find that the most shocking comments were not actually Jeremiah Wright. He was quoting a former US diplomat to Iraq.

Anderson Cooper, who apparently deserves more attention from me than he has been given in the past sets the record clear on the whole sermon.

It is actually a pretty outstanding commentary on pour culture and government from a Christian perspective.

The other sermon- the one that the news and the right wingers keep trying to conflate with this one ( with the G-D America! declaration) is not part of this text. It was given, apparently much later and in a completely different context. I am eager to see the context of that one as well.

Richardson Endorses Obama-

There is no doubt in my mind that Barack Obama has the judgment and courage we need in a commander in chief when our nation's security is on the line. He showed this judgment by opposing the Iraq war from the start, and he has show it during this campaign by standing up for a new era in American leadership internationally," Richardson said.

Obama said he was "deeply honored" to have Richardson's support. "Whether it's fighting to end the Iraq war or stop the genocide in Darfur or prevent nuclear weapons from falling into the hands of terrorists, Gov. Richardson has been a powerful voice on issues of global security, peace and justice, earning five Nobel Peace Prize nominations," Obama said in a statement.

Barack Obama as Commander -in- Chief

Click link above to see a 2:20 video clip or follow the link to read the whole awesome text of his second spectaular speech in two days. And before anyone accuses me of a bias against Hillary- give me examples of such speeches from her and I will gladly make them available.

What Am I still waiting to hear?

All day long, we have been hearing that after five years in Iraq the American people are more concerned about the economy. I doubt that is true. But to the extent that it is, I am looking for a candidate to make this connection.

Five years after we invaded Iraq in an ill-conceived, poorly planned, discretionary war- the situation there is less stable than it was when we went in, 4000 American live and hundreds of thousands of innocents have been killed or injured, the most conservative estimates are that this war has cost $three trillion and upwards.

We have never been asked as a people to make any kind of sacrifice for this effort- except to go spend money-

The Iraqi war and the economy are inextricably linked. In order to solve the economy problems we need to solve the Iraqi conflict. We need someone to say so.