Obama considering run for president

[Remington788]

All I have to say is

Obama acknowledges he's considering run for president in 2008
Last Updated 10/22/2006 11:45:21 AM


WASHINGTON (AP) - Sen. Barack Obama acknowledged Sunday he was considering a run for president in 2008, backing off previous statements that he would not do so.

The Illinois Democrat said he could no longer stand by the statements he made after his 2004 election and earlier this year that he would serve a full six-year term in Congress. He said he would not make a decision until after the Nov. 7 elections.

"That was how I was thinking at that time," said Obama, when asked on NBC's "Meet the Press" about his previous statements.

"Given the response I've been getting the last several months, I have thought about the possibility" although not with any seriousness or depth, he said. "My focus is on '06. ... After November 7, I'll sit down and consider it."

Obama was largely unknown outside Illinois when he burst onto the national scene with a widely acclaimed address at the 2004 Democratic National Convention.

In recent weeks, his political stock has been rising as a potentially viable centrist candidate for president in 2008 after former Virginia Gov. Mark Warner announced earlier this month that he was bowing out of the race.

In a recent issue of Time magazine, Obama's face fills the cover next to the headline, "Why Barack Obama Could Be The Next President." He is currently on a tour promoting his latest book, "The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream."

On Sunday, Obama dismissed notions that he might not be ready to run for president because of his limited experience in national politics. He agreed the job requires a "certain soberness and seriousness" and "can't be something you pursue on the basis of vanity and ambition."

"I'm not sure anyone is ready to be president before they're president," Obama said. "I trust the judgment of the American people.

"We have a long and vigorous process. Should I decide to run, if I ever decide to, I'll be confident that I'll be run through the paces pretty well," Obama said.

 

[aspen1964]

..he wanted to run at least as early as when he gave his 'highly touted' speech at the last DNC ...shocking! ...'vanity & ambition'?...then he must ask Hillary to withdraw for those reasons!!!!

 

[aspen1964]

..but what are his true politics of the issues..who cares if he speaks with flattering words(the trait that a good con-man must posess..right?)

 

[River Wraith]

He's a socialist. He's not fit to be a citizen of the United States, much less its president.

 

[Nitrogen]

PS River, I love hearing people comment on who is and who isn't fit to be a citizen of the United States.
Such talk makes me furious, this country is for EVERYONE, EVEN those we disagree with.

Before anyone says anything else:
Barak Obama From Ontheissues.org:

Ban semi-automatics, and more possession restrictions

* Principles that Obama supports on gun issues:Ban the sale or transfer of all forms of semi-automatic weapons.
* Increase state restrictions on the purchase and possession of firearms.
* Require manufacturers to provide child-safety locks with firearms.

Source: 1998 IL State Legislative National Political Awareness Test Jul 2, 1998

Voted NO on prohibiting lawsuits against gun manufacturers.
A bill to prohibit civil liability actions from being brought or continued against manufacturers, distributors, dealers, or importers of firearms or ammunition for damages, injunctive or other relief resulting from the misuse of their products by others. Voting YES would:

* Exempt lawsuits brought against individuals who knowingly transfer a firearm that will be used to commit a violent or drug-trafficking crime
* Exempt lawsuits against actions that result in death, physical injury or property damage due solely to a product defect
* Call for the dismissal of all qualified civil liability actions pending on the date of enactment by the court in which the action was brought
* Prohibit the manufacture, import, sale or delivery of armor piercing ammunition, and sets a minimum prison term of 15 years for violations
* Require all licensed importers, manufacturers and dealers who engage in the transfer of handguns to provide secure gun storage or safety devices

Now, Hillary:

Keep guns away from people who shouldn’t have them
We need to stand firm on behalf of sensible gun control legislation. We have to enact laws that will keep guns out of the hand of children and criminals and mentally unbalanced persons. Congress should have acted before our children started going back to school. I realize the NRA is a formidable political group; but I believe the American people are ready to come together as a nation and do whatever it takes to keep guns away from people who shouldn’t have them.
Source: www.hillary2000.org, “Gun Safety” Sep 9, 2000

Limit access to weapons; look for early warning signs
We have to make sure that our schools are safe. Our schools need more help from parents and from communities, and we also need more social workers and counselors who are trained to see the early warning signs. No school security system or metal detector can keep out the culture of violence that dominates the lives of so many of our children. We have to address issues of culture, and we have to ensure that young people do not have easy access to weapons; not only firearms but bomb making material.
Source: www.hillary2000.org, “Safe Schools” Sep 9, 2000

License and register all handgun sales
Hillary Rodham Clinton offered her support for a legislative proposal to license hand guns. The legislation, sponsored by Sen. Charles Schumer, would require anyone who wants to purchase a gun to obtain a state-issued photo gun license. “I stand in support of this common sense legislation to license everyone who wishes to purchase a gun,” Clinton said. “I also believe that every new handgun sale or transfer should be registered in a national registry, such as Chuck is proposing.”
Source: CNN.com Jun 2, 2000

Tough gun control keeps guns out of wrong hands
I think it does once again urge us to think hard about what we can do to make sure that we keep guns out of the hands of children and criminals and mentally unbalanced people. I hope we will come together as a nation and do whatever it takes to keep guns away from people who have no business with them.
Source: Press Release Jul 31, 1999

Gun control protects our children
We will not make progress on a sensible gun control agenda unless the entire American public gets behind it. It is really important for each of you [kids] to make sure you stay away from guns. If you have guns in your home, tell your parents to keep them away from you and your friends and your little brothers and sisters.
Source: Forum at South Side Middle School in Nassau County Jul 15, 1999

Don’t water down sensible gun control legislation
We have to do everything possible to keep guns out of the hands of children, and we need to stand firm on behalf of the sensible gun control legislation that passed the Senate and then was watered down in the House. It does not make sense for us at this point in our history to turn our backs on the reality that there are too many guns and too many children have access to those guns-and we have to act to prevent that.
Source: Remarks to NEA in Orlando, Florida Jul 5, 1999

Lock up guns; store ammo separately
If you own a gun... make sure it’s locked up and stored without the ammunition. In fact, make it stored where the ammunition is stored separately. We’ve made some progress in the last several years with the Brady Bill and some of the bans on assault weapons, but we have a lot of work to do.
Source: ABC’s “Good Morning America” Jun 4, 1999

Ban kids’ unsupervised access to guns
Q: What actions can students take to help gun control further? A: Young people, especially teenagers, [should pledge] to not give any child unsupervised access to a firearm; not to go into homes, or let your younger siblings go into homes where you know guns are and are not safely stored and taken care of. You guys are going to a party, make sure there are no guns around. If you own a gun or you know people who do, make sure it’s locked up and stored without the ammunition.
Source: ABC’s “Good Morning America” Jun 4, 1999

Voted NO on prohibiting lawsuits against gun manufacturers.
A bill to prohibit civil liability actions from being brought or continued against manufacturers, distributors, dealers, or importers of firearms or ammunition for damages, injunctive or other relief resulting from the misuse of their products by others. Voting YES would:

* Exempt lawsuits brought against individuals who knowingly transfer a firearm that will be used to commit a violent or drug-trafficking crime
* Exempt lawsuits against actions that result in death, physical injury or property damage due solely to a product defect
* Call for the dismissal of all qualified civil liability actions pending on the date of enactment by the court in which the action was brought
* Prohibit the manufacture, import, sale or delivery of armor piercing ammunition, and sets a minimum prison term of 15 years for violations
* Require all licensed importers, manufacturers and dealers who engage in the transfer of handguns to provide secure gun storage or safety devices

Reference: Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act; Bill S 397 ; vote number 2005-219 on Jul 29, 2005

Voted NO on banning lawsuits against gun manufacturers for gun violence.
Vote to pass a bill that would block certain civil lawsuits against manufacturers, distributors, dealers and importers of firearms and ammunition, mainly those lawsuits aimed at making them liable for gun violence. In this bill, trade groups would also be protected The bill would call for the dismissal of pending lawsuits against the gun industry. The exception would be lawsuits regarding a defect in a weapon or ammunition. It also would provide a 10-year reauthorization of the assault weapons ban which is set to expire in September 2004. The bill would increase the penalties for gun-related violent or drug trafficking crimes which have not resulted in death, to a minimum of 15 years imprisonment. The bill calls for criminal background checks on all firearm transactions at gun shows where at least 75 guns are sold. Exemptions would be made available for dealers selling guns from their homes as well as members-only gun swaps and meets carried out by nonprofit hunting clubs.

Now, neither of them are good, but Hilary is "better"
jeez, I feel like I need a shower with a wire brush.

 

[Steelcore]

Osama Obama + Hitlery
Perfect Democratic ticket.The Republicans could nominate Viagra Bob Dole and win agianst those two.

 

[longeyes]

I wouldn't rule him out, not in these times. The kid's got game.

 

[Malone LaVeigh]

He's a socialist. He's not fit to be a citizen of the United States, much less its president.

Who are you to say who's fit to be a citizen? If you ask me, a statement like that makes you a pretty poor excuse for an American.

 

[River Wraith]

I don't much care what you think, since I put you in about the same category.

 

[SomeKid]

Wow, we need to fight them harder. a full third of Obamas wants are fulfilled already.

* Principles that Obama supports on gun issues:Ban the sale or transfer of all forms of semi-automatic weapons.
* Increase state restrictions on the purchase and possession of firearms.
* Require manufacturers to provide child-safety locks with firearms.

 

[real_name]

Please don't use the name Hitler so lightly, regardless of anyone's present political affiliations it is beyond poor taste to compare anyone in the USA to Adolf Hitler.
Even Donald Rumsfeld's photocopied signature on letters of condolence to families of troops lost in Iraq wasn't Hitleresque.

 

[aspen1964]

...I haven't researched what Bambi stands for yet...my gut feeling intially tells me he has the wrong politics for the good of America...the evidence will bear that out or pursuade me otherwise...beacuse the Democrats have degenerated so much it is hard for me to see voting for one of their chosen..and the Replublicans need to cleanse their party of a fair amount of scum and grime trying to pass themselves off as decent, moral conservatives..and as to oprah?...I haven't seen a show in many years nor do I care to...I place modern celebrities near the bottom of the scum pond...filthy rich scum but still scum...

 

[Kingcreek]

In recent weeks, his political stock has been rising as a potentially viable centrist candidate...

Centrist? he is not.
He is very liberal, very charismatic, and the darling of the Democratic liberal wing. He is much more "electable" than Hillary because he doesn't have the baggage.
I have met him and heard him speak and he scares the hell out of me.
A million dollar smile, he oozes folksy charm, and he is smart enough to win a debate with almost anyone. especially our current crop of mealy-mouthed republican pseudo-conservatives.
I'm not usually the one saying the sky is falling, but we should be very worried.

 

[ArmedBear]

Please don't use the name Hitler so lightly, regardless of anyone's present political affiliations it is beyond poor taste to compare anyone in the USA to Adolf Hitler.

My entire ancestry including both parents suffered under Hitler's regime, greatly. I take such comparisons VERY seriously.

However, I think your post is unadulterated crap. The comparison can be legitimate, and it can be useful, especially if we want to prevent Hitler's political objectives from happening here.

Barak Obama isn't Hitler, though. He's an empty suit.

Just my 2 cents.

 

[real_name]

He is very liberal, very charismatic, and the darling of the Democratic liberal wing.

You might think he is but in reality he is viewed with suspicion.
Read these comments from Huffington Post regarding their lead story about his possible candidacy for '08.

Link to page, not censored for swearing.

My entire ancestry including both parents suffered under Hitler's regime, greatly.

Mine too,which is why I take exception at using the name as a term of abuse for Mrs. Clinton.
Even Dick Cheney isn't as bad as Hitler.

 

[Cosmoline]

Hillary learned her lesson about overt socialism in her husband's first term. She's pulled back her rhetoric and has tried hard to appear to be more "moderate." But she hasn't changed. It's just a new song and dance. Obama is getting lots of press because he's light skinned enough to be acceptable to Democrats.

 

[longeyes]

Barak Obama isn't Hitler, though. He's an empty suit.

I wouldn't call him an empty suit. Just the contrary. A perfect "GQ" candidate.

The ultra-Left isn't keen on him because they want a socialist matriarchy and figure Obama might wake up one day and have a hankering for a good 1911.

 

[hillbilly]

In a lot of ways, Barak is the PERFECT leftist Dem candidate.

He's all image.

He doesn't have the substance, the weight, "the lead" if you will (the heavy soft metal used in the bullets, not the word pronounced 'leed') to really be president.

In that way, he's perfect for the leftist Dems.....who really do think that all they have to do is find a better way to package their message.

They don't realize that the problem IS their message.

He's a freshman congresscritter, who's claim to fame is that he gave a good speech.....once.

You can TRY to make the same comparison to Slick Willy Clinton if you want, but it falls apart.

Even Slick Willy Clinton had several years of experience serving in an executive branch position (gov. of Arkansas) and had even lost the gov's race once before he chose to run for President.

Obama is nothing but image and style.

He has no weight whatsoever.

hillbilly

 

[nico]

I realize this is off topic, but I just had to point out this gem in Real_Name's link:

2008 Democratic National Convention Schedule

7:00 P.M. Opening flag burning.

7:15 P.M. Pledge of Allegiance to the United Nations.

7:30 PM. Ted Kennedy proposes a toast.

7:30 till 8:00 P.M. Nonreligious prayer and worship: Jessie Jackson and Al Sharpton.

8:00 P.M. Ted Kennedy proposes a toast.

8:05 P.M Ceremonial tree hugging.

8:15- 8:30 P.M. Gay Wedding: Barney Frank, presiding.

8:30 P.M. Ted Kennedy proposes a toast.

8:35 P.M. Free Saddam Rally: Cindy Sheehan, Susan Sarandon.

9:00 P.M. Keynote speech: "The Proper Etiquette for Surrender" French President Jacques Chirac.

9:15 P.M. Ted Kennedy proposes a toast.

9:20 P.M. Collection to benefit Osama Bin Laden Kidney Transplant Fund.

9:30 P.M. Unveiling of plan to free freedom fighters from Guantanamo Bay: Sean Penn.

9:40 P.M. Why I hate the Military: A short talk by William Jefferson Clinton.

9:45 P.M. Ted Kennedy proposes a toast.

9:50 P.M. Dan Rather receives "Truth in Broadcasting" award, presented by Michael Moore.

9:55 P.M., Ted Kennedy proposes a toast.

10:00 P.M. Presentation: "How George Bush and Donald Rumsfeld brought down the World Trade Center Towers", by Howard Dean.

10:30 P.M. Nomination of Hillary Rodham Clinton for President by Mahmud Ahnadinejad.

11:00 P.M. Ted Kennedy proposes a toast.

11:05 P.M. Sen. Obama nominated for VP.

11:15 P.M. "Our Troops are War Criminals", presented by John Kerry.

11:30 P.M Coronation of Mrs. Hillary Rodham Clinton.

12:00 AM. Ted Kennedy proposes a toast.

12:05 A.M Bill asks Ted to drive Hillary home.

I know I risk being misinterpreted by saying this, but I think there's a significant number of people who wouldn't vote for Obama purely because he's black. I think this is an absurd reason to vote against someone, but it could work in our favor.

 

[44Brent]

In Illinois he voted against gun owners at every opportunity. Among the bills he voted against was the "Hagel DeMar" bill. This was the bill that would protect gun owners who were charged with violating local handgun bans, in the event that the person who owned the handgun used the handgun to protect themselves in their homes against home invasions.

When he was elected to the U.S. Senate, he made a pronouncement that he was going to "protect" the people in Illinois from people who carried guns in other states. In other words, this was his way of saying that he was going to try to find a way to kill right-to-carry at a national level.

 

[1 old 0311]

Liberal? Democrat? Chicago? Named 'OBAMA?' Try to sell that to mainstream America.

 

[aspen1964]

...if what I am seeing is true, any chance of all of me voting for him is fast diminshing...

 

[CAPTAIN MIKE]

Here's How to Win an Election

Whatever your true politics, if you really want to be President of the United States, you must:

1. "Capture the Center". If you appear to the general electoral public to have captured the moderate center of the political spectrum, you have a good chance of winning.

2. "Paint the Other Guy as Extreme". If you come across to the general electoral public as being "Reasonable" and you make the opponent(s) look like extremists who can't mind their tempers or their manners, you have a good chance of winning.

3. "Charisma and Charm Count". In an era where "gotcha" politics gets personal with loud name-calling and finger-pointing, coming across with class (and humor) will give you a good chance of wining. For example during a Presidential Debate with then Vice-President Walter Mondale, Ronald Reagan (the oldest man ever to run for the office) was asked whether his age and physical health might be an impediment to his serving as President. The Great Communicator simply smiled and said into microphone "Well.....I'm not going to hold the youth and inexperience of my opponent against him." Reagan, Mondale and everyone watching all cracked up.

Winning the Presidence is unlike winning any other office. Americans look to the President to have qualities of charisma, charm, wit, and most of all a sense of leadership and decisiveness (without coming across as pompous and arrogant). Obama is a walking United Nations in terms of his background and experience. His politics reflect the core values of the Democratic Party. He and Hilary would be a very formidable ticket and should not be under-estimated.

That said, I'm still hoping to see Elizabeth Dole or Dr. Condoleeza Rice in the race. Maybe my long-revered Republican party will pull a good one out of the hat, but so far no one I see really impresses me as having what it takes to actually WIN the Presidency in 2008.

 

[Glockfan.45]

Liberal? Democrat? Chicago? Named 'OBAMA?' Try to sell that to mainstream America

Yes the name alone will make some flinch at the polls. Barak Obama doesnt sound very American, sounds almost like a name you would hear on a terrorist watch list. Plus the obvious that only one person has stated thus far, he is black. No reason not to vote for somebody but people are fickle. Remember the majority of voters are older folks. Can you honestly see Grandma or Grandpa voting for a black man named Obama?

 

[Edmond]

I know I risk being misinterpreted by saying this, but I think there's a significant number of people who wouldn't vote for Obama purely because he's black. I think this is an absurd reason to vote against someone, but it could work in our favor.

No misinterpretation by me. In fact, that's the way a lot of black folks think in the Crook County area. One of the papers recently did a pool on who they would vote for in the Crook County Presidential race. Despite having less experience, having been placed in his position and being the son of John Stroger, most blacks said they would vote for Todd Stroger against Peraica.