Obama faithful gather in statewide parties for speech

Wow....what a response....downsize to one battlegroup in port...hahahaha.....Obama has made it well known he intends to increase the number of troops in Afghanistan! Airport security will never go away - there's too much risk in this day and age, and the government is too heavily invested to walk away. Our NATO and Asian partners are not about to let us just up and pull all our military members stationed overseas back home. Seriously, Ches, you have a computer, so please, please, spend some time doing some research and educating yourself before you continue to embarass yourself through your spouting of misinformation. You owe it to yourself to be properly informed if you wish to have a positive impact on those with which you interact.

You're not listening. Mr. Obama intends to redeploy the troops in Iraq to Afghanistan. No one is discussing pulling out of Afghanistan right now, as the Taliban are still trying to retake that country. As in, the Taliban who trampled women's rights and have made it a fact that most Afghani women don't see a doctor in their entire life, including when they have children. The Taliban who *are* mixed up with al-Qaeda. That part is not in dispute, like the Iraq information was.
You will not find many Americans who are for leaving Afghanistan, nor for gutting our military in order to have more money for domestic social programs. The difference between our military and the domestic programs is that military people work to get their money. It is said that what we reward is what we get more of. I think we already have safety nets in place for the disabled and moms with young children. They can collect welfare for five years. After that, they need a plan. Cheers, MGM

ches37... For what facts are you looking? Fact: The Taliban was harboring Al-Qa'ida and bin Ladin in Afghanistan. Fact: Al-Qa'ida was behind the attacks against the US embassies in Nairobi and Dar es Salam, the Cole and on 9/11. Fact: Obama wants to send ADDITIONAL troops to Afghanistan, not to reduce them and "get us out of this mess in Afgan [sic]." "The threat of force against Iran will be taken off the table." Thank God, because the 'please please please' approach has been SO effective. "end the airport security." Umm, the 9/11 hijackers were successful under the OLD standards. "Minorities have it worse now than anytime in the past 150 years." Have you ever heard of lynching? How about the 15th Amendment to the Constitution? That amendment, passed in 1870, allows all races the right to vote (2008 - 1870 = 138, i.e. less than 150 years). How about Jim Crow laws? I could go on and list many reas

Based on your post I would assume you are a Republican and one of those who wanted revenge after Sept 11th when we still dont have any facts. Obama will get us out of this mess in afgan and iraq and the polls back him. The threat of force against Iran will be taken off the table and we will get all of our troops out of all foreign countries thus commonsense says it is way past time to downsize the military dramatically. We should maintain one carrier and one battlegroup but keep them inport as a safety measure for defensive purposes. We will restore our rights and end the airport security because I think we all get it now. If there really was a threat as Bush claims, they would have gotten us already. There is no bogey man, Obama gets it. That money will be deverted towards programs here, yes at home. Minorities have it worse now than anytime in the past 150 years and that money can help just a little bit toward

Bush briefed Carter as a candidate and as President-elect. He did not brief him as President.

https://www.cia.gov/library/center-for-the-study-of-intelligence/csi-publications/books-and-monographs/cia-briefings-of-presidential-candidates/cia-8.htm

Regardless, so what? What's your point? He briefed Carter and?

"He was also involved in the negotiations for the return of hostages WHILE Carter was President." To which hostages are you referring? If it's the ones the Iranian revolutionaries took in 1979, I seriously doubt it because he was too busy running for President. If you have anything concrete to the contrary, I'd love to hear it.

Tonight, more Americans are out of work and more are working harder for less. More of you have lost your homes and even more are watching your home values plummet. More of you have cars you can't afford to drive, credit card bills you can't afford to pay, and tuition that's beyond your reach.

These challenges are not all of government's making. But the failure to respond is a direct result of a broken politics in Washington and the failed policies of George W. Bush.
America, we are better than these last eight years. We are a better country than this.

Attacking the legacy of baby bush and a senator who supported him 90 percent of the time is not the same as attacking your opponent by linking him to an event when he was eight years old and trying to convince people he is Osama's agent.

Geo. Bush, both as president and president elect

They crawl from out of the wood work spouting genius that only we can spout. It's scary and you wonder what rock they really crawled out from under.

am81430, according to CIA's web site:

George Herbert Walker Bush

TENURE AS DIRECTOR:
30 January 1976–20 January 1977

APPOINTED:
3 November 1975 by President Gerald R. Ford; confirmed by Senate, 27 January 1976; sworn in, 30 January 1976

https://www.cia.gov/library/center-for-the-study-of-intelligence/csi-publications/books-and-monographs/directors-and-deputy-directors-of-central-intelligence/bush.html

I just have to ask, upon what planet do you reside? McCain spent 5 years being tortured and maltreated in a cell in a North Vietnamese POW Camp, not living on easy street in some hospital. The US Military and Police don't have "free" food programs, and every cop I know pays for his or her food. I'd be willing to bet that the vast majority of those supposedly "innocent" folks to whom you referred weren't innocent at all. And a 75% reduction in our defenses? Are you out of your mind? I don't know where you get your information, but you need to do a little research before you go spouting out such lunacy. Alex, Ches will take a clue for $1000....

Good comment, but how do you expect we are going to be able to legislate parents for the parentless minority kids? Just wondering. Cheers, MGM

Just the mere fact that Obama has overcome the relentless racist media that pounded him daily throughout the entire campain without any positive spin towards him like they did daily for Mccain, is a much greater accomplishment then a guy who sat in a Vietnam Hospital for 5 years and then do it while a war was going on (MCcain). Obama is the true American Hero and not someone who puts a uniform on and fights an illegal war (Afgan/Iraq) or puts a uniform on (Police) to shoot innocent African Americans. With Change arriving we can end the bloated Military, stop the free grocery and medical insurance program for our Military and Police. A 75% cut in our military in both hardware and personnel will allow us to spend the money in programs we need badly at home. Minority kids are faced with no parent situations at home which is a true crisis and not one conjured up to scare us like terrorism. Under the new pro

Check your records again. Bush did serve as CIA director under Carter, granted for not for the whole term. He was also involved in the negotiations for the return of hostages WHILE Carter was President. Check out Zapata Oil Company while you are at it too...

"If you don't have a record to run on, then you paint your opponent as someone people should run from." Considering Obama's anemic record of (non) accomplishments in his half term or so in the Senate, attacking Bush and suggesting that McCain would be Bush's third term makes sense.

I know there are those who dismiss such beliefs as happy talk. They claim that our insistence on something larger, something firmer and more honest in our public life is just a Trojan Horse for higher taxes and the abandonment of traditional values. And that's to be expected. Because if you don't have any fresh ideas, then you use stale tactics to scare the voters. If you don't have a record to run on, then you paint your opponent as someone people should run from.

Nice try. George HW Bush was DCI for less than a year, under President Ford. Carter's DCI was Stansfield Turner, who eviscerated CIA's human intelligence (HUMINT) capabilities with Carter's blessing. Lack of HUMINT was one of the major problems identified by the intelligence community (as well as the 9/11 Commission) as a major shortcoming that contributed to us not knowing about thw 9/11 attacks (among many other things, of course).
As for calling me naive... The Iranian Revolutuion did not occur until 1979 and Hizballah did not exist until about 1982, having come about in response to the Israeli invasion of Lebanon. Therefore, GHW Bush's CIA could have dealt with neither.

but do you remember who the head of the CIA was during the Carter administration? GHW Bush. It is really naive to think that dealing with Iran just happened.

You cannot be serious. You do not understand why the federal government supports public education? Or education in general? Really?!

Twomiler2, do YOU remember Iran-Contra? It had nothing to do with the hostages Iran held for 444 days at the American Embassy in Tehran. Iran-Contra came later and had to do with Americans kidnapped by Hizballah.

As I left the Navy Yard a little while ago I noted several bundles of newspapers piled up right by the turnstiles that allow employees into the high security area of the Navy Yard. Usually there is just one box of papers at each gate where you must pay to get the paper. But thanks to the graciousness of the Pilot there were bundles of free papers at each gate.( I counted at least seven at one) Funny thing though, at this time of night and on a holiday weekend it appears that only a small numbers of free papers with the Obama photo op on the front page were even taken during the day. I sure hope they don't have to be disposed of at government expense Maurice! Come on, endorse Obama now before the sale or are you scared it might affect the bottom line? I wonder if this counts as a contribution to Obama. Hopefully, McCain will receive the same courtesy next week.

got the hostages out through illegal acts involving arms, drugs & monies. What, you guys don't remember the Iran-Contra fiasco? Reagan was an okay leader, not great. He was a mediorce actor, governor & his only award worthy performance, was as Commander - In Chief. His trickle down policies are still affecting our nation. It was years before a comparable number of qualified air traffic controllers were back on duty. We have never recovered from the loss of federal inspectors, leading to unsafe bridges, tunnels, rails & highways. I could continue; space is limited.

Typical of a Republican to make a gross assumption. Actually I would like the government to cut spending money on foreign adventures.
I suppose you like the debt the government has amassed?

Republicans want to spend "their Grandchildrens" money while the Democrats after they conceive their children they want to abort them and spend the money on a bunch of give away programs. Demos brought us NAFTA, more welfare programs, higher unemployment, let out sourcing of jobs begin because of higher wages demanded by unions, and they want to blame everyone else for their failures when they are in control of the government. The Peanut Farmer is a prime example as unemployment was almost 12 percent and nothing was done by his Democratic congresses when he was pres and he let our Teheran Embassy people suffer for over 400 days and the only reason they were released was Reagan was elected. He also cut back on expenses for the military which badly damaged our readiness. He got to spend his childrens money and get laughed at when he tries to tell foreign governments to do what he says and to them he is a pure JOKE.

may not be in the original Constitution because education was not thought of as a necessity, by the majority of the powers that be, at that time. Yet Jefferson, gov. of Va. & third president of the USA, thought that education was important for the masses. He even experimented with a type of hybrid, public/private system. He also championed public universities. Many things, in law & government, in the USA, are based on precedent, not necessarily written documents. The exact wording supporting a federal highway system, FDA,FCC,SEC,FBI,CIA,DEA, etc, is not found in most government papers of the same era as the Constitution.

Was beaten & hosed by the authorities of that time, along with friends & family members, on more than 1 occasion. I'm a former law enforcement professional. At my age, I'm still stopped, on occasion, by police, for DWB,WWB, RBWB, SWB, & other such mess. I thank you for your apology & feel, from reading your posts over time, that it is heartfelt. Yet it's not necessary for you to apologize. I forgave the ones guilty years ago. I still forgive the ones guilty of such indignities today. If I hadn't,(& didn't, each time), my life, would never be as fulfilling & blessed as it is. Hope you're doing well.

She is the only person I've seen who has actually stood by her President and her Country in the face of adversity around the world. And speaking of those who love to blame the Bush administration and this "fake war" and "what WMDs?", see this article and decide for yourself if what he did was wrong...or better yet, thank him for doing it When he did, as you're still around to read this. (http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/07/07/iraq.uranium/index.html)
Lastly, to those who wrote that it will be a long 4 years for those of us not prepared for (the lack of) change with Obama, who then wrote we can get back to whining - please forgive us. Forgive us for being people who voicing a legitimate concern for once. I'm glad you're giving us the permission to pick up what you've been doing for the past 8 years...whining.

George wants to increase taxes. You can already send the government all you want. Please dont let us stop you.

Sadly, politics are politics, and nothing is going to change. The reason Obama sounds like a better candidate is because he is telling everyone exactly what they want to hear. He is going to be an excellent puppet for the real powers-that-be if/when he's in the White House, as he's just like Clinton was - a useless person with charismatic speaking ability. To say that people don't have an answer to why McCain is better - there is some truth to that. However, I truly believe he is the lesser of 2 evils, and I hope to God that we don't have a spineless Democrat leader in office with so much world strife in Eastern Europe. Lord knows, I'm more Libertarian than ever. As for the '1st African-American' President possibility - that saddens me to the nth degree. I would respect him 100% more if he (and others) came out and just said "Black American" (the same way Whoopi Goldberg said about herself...as she is

Since McCain has been a senator since 1986 I’m looking for someone to list for me a few of the accomplishments he has made while in the Senate that has helped to protect the middle class. Surely since he has been in the Senate for over 2 decades and he is full of experience and has great judgment listing a few of his accomplishments will not be a hard thing to do. I here a lot of people talk about experience and I need to see some examples of the polices McCain has put into place while he has been in office and policies that he currently would put in place as president that would help protect the struggling middle class

You say you are old enough to have been beaten with batons and sprayed with a fire hose. Does that mean it happened to you or to other black people your age? If it happened to you, this white gal wants to personally apologize (although I was in the north at the time). Cheers, MGM