http://blog.pennlive.com/lvbreakingnews/2008/03/crowd_awaits_obama_in_allentow.htmlBill and Hillary Clinton began the presidential primary campaign by trying to characterize Barack Obama's position against the Iraq war as "a fairy tale". But the record clearly shows that on October 2, 2002 at the Federal Plaza in Chicago Barack Obama delivered a powerful speech against the US starting a war in Iraq, while later that same month both Senators Hillary Clinton and John McCain voted for the funds requested by President Bush to authorize the beginning of US military action in Iraq.
After being severely criticized for totally misrepresenting Obama's position on the Iraq war, the Clintons dropped that accusation and instead began saying that Barack Obama was simply too young and inexperienced to be president. Both Hillary Clinton and John McCain have tried to convince voters that because Barack Obama is younger than they are that he therefore must be too young and inexperienced to be president. But the facts suggest otherwise.
Senator John McCain is 71 years old, Senator Hillary Clinton is age 60 and Senator Barak Obama is 46 years of age. Previously America has had both younger and older individuals who have become president and served with great distinction such as Theodore Roosevelt who became president at age 42, John Kennedy who assumed the presidency at age 43, and Ronald Regan who was sworn in as the Commander in Chief on January 20, 1981 at age 69.
Before Abraham Lincoln took the oath of office in 1860 to become our 16th president he had previously served 8 years as an Illinois state legislator and 4 years in the U.S. Congress, which happens to be precisely Barack Obama's experience. Bill Clinton became president at age 46 after having served 12 years as the governor of Arkansas, but without having had any prior experience whatsoever in Washington or as a state legislator.
How do Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton actually compare in terms of their individual experience?
Barack Obama graduated from Harvard Law School Magna Cum Laude in 1991 and served as the President of the Harvard Law Review. Given those credentials he could have joined any number of prestigious law firms but instead felt compelled to give back to his local community, so he returned to his home in Chicago to direct a voter registration drive and work as an attorney representing community organizers working on voting rights and civil rights cases. In 1993 he became a lecturer of Constitutional Law at the University of Chicago Law School and in 1996 was elected to the Illinois State Senate where he served 8 years prior to his landslide election to the US Senate in November 2004. With his combined service as an Illinois State Senator and US Senator, 46 year old Senator Barack Obama is currently is serving his 12th year as an elected legislator accountable to voters.
Hillary Clinton graduated from Yale law school in 1973 and subsequently worked as a lawyer at the Rose Law Firm in Little Rock, Arkansas and has been a very active spouse, first as the wife of the governor of Arkansas and then as the First lady of the United States. In her own right she was elected to the US Senate from her adopted state of New York in 2000, and she is currently serving her 8th year as an elected legislator accountable to voters.
The latest charges being leveled against Barack Obama by Bill and Hillary Clinton are that Barack Obama is unpatriotic and doesn't love America and is not qualified to be commander in chief of our military forces, despite Barack Obama's latest book published in 2006, The Audacity of Hope, which clearly and unmistakably shows how much Senator Barack Obama deeply loves, appreciates, and respects our great country.
Barack Obama's opponents are trying to pretend that his former pastor's anger and bitterness and sometimes over the top 1960's type radical incendiary rhetoric that Barack Obama has repeatedly denounced and has totally rejected are actually the feelings and words of Barack Obama himself rather than those of Rev. Jeremiah Wright Jr.
But again the facts don't support such erroneous conclusions and the current tactics being used by the Clinton's to denigrate Barack Obama are not working any better than previous ones because on March 12, 2008 10 distinguished retired Generals and Admirals of the United States Army, Air Force and Navy unconditionally endorsed Barack Obama for President of the United States and to become the Commander in Chief of all United States Military Forces.
On October 2, 2002, Barack Obama's judgment told him that starting a war in Iraq would be a big mistake and he forcefully said so. Much to the contrary, later that same month both Senators Hillary Clinton and John McCain voted for funds authorizing President Bush to begin the Iraq war.
When Barack Obama decided to run for president, unlike Hillary Clinton and John McCain, he made the significant decision that he would not accept campaign contributions from lobbyists, special interests, and political action committees for his presidential campaign. It was Barack Obama's judgment that it would be preferable if the next President of the United States were elected without being beholden to money peddlers in Washington or anywhere else.
Barack Obama's belief that together ordinary Americans can do extraordinary things has been ridiculed by his opponents as "just high sounding words" and "big talk from a pied piper". But when 1 million ordinary Americans use their credit cards and each gives $25-50 dollars with the click of a mouse to raise $25-50 million dollars for Obama's campaign without the help of special interests, political action committees, lobbyists, $1000 a plate dinners, or huge contributions from American billionaires most of us think that's pretty extraordinary.
Suppose Barack Obama becomes the Democratic nominee for president at the Democratic National Convention in August, and suppose on November 4, 2008 the majority of Americans decide to vote for Barack Obama, the presidential candidate who among many other things has refused to accept campaign contributions from special interests, political action committees, and lobbyists but has financed his campaign solely from the contributions of people to whom he is accountable, people like you and me.
Furthermore, suppose this idea of raising money for political campaigns directly from the voters to whom the candidate is accountable sits so well with the American people that they come to expect that future presidential candidates as well as candidates for other offices such for the US Senate and House of Representatives will do as Barack Obama has done. What if candidates who continue to accept campaign contributions from special interests, political action committees, and lobbyists find it increasingly difficult to get elected? Would that help or hurt democracy in America?
That's the kind of change that Barack Obama represents which concerns so many in Washington who aren't very eager for the American people to reclaim their democracy from the influence of money peddlers, individuals who currently make arrangements to provide huge amounts of financial support to political candidates whom they believe have a good chance of winning and whom they can then "work with" later on.
Don't let fear and hate mongers, talk radio hosts, smooth talking politicians, or anyone else do your thinking for you. We are at a historic moment in America. Barack Obama is a very special candidate for president who can bring about significant changes in Washington and help ordinary Americans begin reclaiming their democracy. Pennsylvania Senator Bob Casey Jr. knows this and has recently endorsed Senator Barack Obama, recognizing Obama's integrity, intelligence, and the strong leadership he can provide as president. It is time for voters in Pennsylvania and in the remaining states that will soon vote in the presidential primary election to stand up and be counted. It's time for ordinary Americans to begin the process of reclaiming America.
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