Obama has political nonsense speak down pat...great :(

[digno dave]

Saw him on This Week with Snuphalopagus this morning. Gee, he can't answer a question straight to save his freaking life. He wouldn't even go out on a ledge and answer whether or not Brown needed to be FIRED. Imagine a repug toeing the line about such a question if this occurred in a democratic administration and he were asked the same question about a democratic appointed FEMA boob that goofed like "Brownie" did. I thought people gave him a bad wrap initially here when he played it toward the middle right after getting elected, but if he can't call it for what it is after Katrina then when will he?
I don't know, maybe he is trying to not be a partisan hack, which are just as worse as those that won't go out and speak their mind.

[raysr]

1. I absolutely

agree. He's an opportunist and I bet will jump parties unless the dems take back congress in '06.

[Carolab]

2. I don't like him and didn't get all the hype in the first place.

Obama is out for Obama.

[Eric J in MN]

6. Most over-rated US Senator.

I never understood the hype, either.

[firefox]

3. He gives good speeches

He has his talents, but stopping the empiring fascists is not one of them. He has been assimalated by the Borg.

[Redstone]

4. Another idealist who has succumbed to the siren call

of political power.

What a shame. I had hope for this one.

Redstone

[bluedawg12]

5. Not our man for '08 n/t

[FreedomAngel82]

19. When was he???

He's a new senator and needs more experience. Same with Hillary. :eyes:

[tx_dem41]

7. Tearing down another Democrat....

We're great at that here at DU.

It's "politics" people. What exactly did you expect?

[Mr_Spock]

9. Yeah, some here feel better about bashing anyone

Even a Democrat if he's smart enough to know when to hold and when to fold. Politics is not a game for the weak or reactionary...

[tx_dem41]

10. The key lesson for DU being "or reactionary"....

...thanks.

[digno dave]

11. maybe he is just avoiding the gang bang style that is prevalent these days

but how could he not express his TRUE feelings about Brown? Who is he afraid he'll piss off and not be able to gain favors from in the future? The Arabian Horse Ass.? Oh wait, they called Brown out too.

[Mr_Spock]

14. He can be calm because the Senate can actually do something

about the problems created by political hacks like Brown, but he'll need allies on the other side or he'll get nowhere. The minority has to play a different game - it's tough for us Dems to realize this, but we better get used to it until we can take back congress...

[linazelle]

17. Don't they always? Some join the feeding frenzy like piranha. n/t

[charlie]

8. Shame, innit?

When he's on, he's ON. His talents as a politician are considerable, he's from a state that grants him a good margin of latitude to be a Dem partisan, yet since attaining office... he's been muted. It's like watching Paganini take up the banjo to quell anticipated charges of devilry.

[I_Make_Mistakes]

12. At least he speaks English and I think is about as smooth a

speaker as Blair. Those are both qualities that are lacking (not all, but many) in the US political arena today. I bet he didn't even have to screen any questions.

I actually thought he did a good job. He was able to understand the minority position and communicate it appropriately, without patronization. He was also able to express concepts, not just one-line blurbs. He is the new guy and treading slowly, in his new position. I always hold back in a new position, till I have a firm handle on the situation. One misplaced statement, can be a career killer, look at Dean. (Who, I voted for in the primaries, after Kerry was selected!). I still wanted my voice to be heard.

[CantGetFooledAgain]

13. I don't know the first thing about Obama

...but I do know that a FEMA head so obviously unqualified as "Brownie" needs to be fired as he should never have been hired in the first place. Even "give him a chance" doesn't apply, he's had his opportunity, he has failed.

Ergo, the obvious answer to "should he be fired" is "YES". And any politician, of any party, who does not supply this answer when asked, is a "politician" in the worst sense of the word: playing the angles, being cautious, seeing which way the wind blows, etc. etc.

Is this typical political behavior? Of course. Is it what we need to rescue this country? Hell no.

I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm looking for a LEADER, not a politician, at this point in time.

[digno dave]

15. Those were my thoughts

tap dance around otehr stuff if you want, but call a boob a boob, for cryin' out loud.

[ShaneGR]

16. Oh noes! A Democrat with broad appeal!

We can never have someone like that! MUST SPEW VENOM AT ALL TIMES!

[applegrove]

18. I believe in these times - the senior members of the Senate & Congress

should be the ones to put themselves on the line and get attacked. Obama has a long career ahead of him. He needs to learn much. He should not be sacrificed.

[incapsulated]

20. Do you really believe...

Saying Brown should be fired is a risky proposition? That some potential repuke rival could use a defense of Brown to ANY advantage? That someone other than Limpballs would defend this guy?

At this point, defending Brown is the politically stupid thing to do. Even Repukes know this. That's why they don't mention his name, they go after the local Dems instead.

If he is so cautious about such a low level "risk", I don't expect much from him when the chips are really down. Not now or in the future.

I had great expectations for Obama and cut him slack when others started writing him off. He's intelligent, charismatic and is a great speaker. But he's done little to impress me, not when it counts.

[applegrove]

22. That question was asked and answered by Pelosi. See what she got?

The Dems have done a great deal by sober speeches to keep Bush from making himself look like a victim in all of this. And still Bush searches for his scapegoat.

And still he searches.

[incapsulated]

24. What? What did she get?

Challenged by some chick on CNN? Insulted by wingnuts? Had the repukes try to make some hay, to no avail?

And this is different from any other day, how?

Anytime a Dem speaks up on ANYTHING this will happen. In this case she has the majority of the people in agreement with her. What she said needed to be said at that time. What harm was done to her or the party? None at all that I can tell.

Saying Brown should go is almost an afterthought at this point. Most of the media have been calling for his head indirectly for a week, ripping up his resume and Bush had to take him out of the field.

I mean, if we don't have the balls to say the obvious, this guy is an total fuck-up and everyone knows it, then it's really hopeless.

[applegrove]

25. No - the Dems are not getting sucked in to giving bush a way to play

the victim. Bush is still searching for a scapegoat. He cannot find one other than the victims themselves or the local politicians. Dems should keep on keeping on. Yes they need to speak the truth to power. And they have spoken up about investigations and Big Oil, the environment, Brown should be fired.

But keeping silent for the most part keeps Bush from being able to make himself out as the victim to his followers.

Bush is being attacked for his actions by the victims, the witnesses and the experts. Now the public. There will come a time when all the facts are in that the Dems can attack him. But why would they do that now? Why would they make themselves the story? There are people out there who have questions. This comes from the people. And Bush cannot attack the messenger and he cannot make himself out to be the victim and he cannot scapegoat the victims, the witnesses, the experts or the public.

I say the Dems are doing a good job of letting the truth come out.

[incapsulated]

27. This is about a simple question put to Obama:

"Should Brown be fired?" It's not even about an overall strategy, just that question.

The man is still the head of FEMA. If another disaster comes along, and it will, I don't think anyone in their right mind wants this guy at the controls. He is a public menace and should never have gotten the job to begin with, he is totally unqualified.

All Obama had to say was: "How many Americans want to be facing down a major storm with Brown still as head of FEMA? Even the President had to remove him from the field and replace him. He is unqualified for his position and has proven himself incapable of dealing with a major crisis."

It's the truth and what's more, most people would agree with it.

Bush will not fire anyone unless forced to do so, we know this about him. For him to get away with keeping this useless crony in such a position after what happened is unacceptable. Now that he has him hidden from public view he is hoping everyone will forget about it and THEY WILL, until the next emergency, when it's too late.

[applegrove]

28. Anyone asking the question knows the answer to that.

[incapsulated]

30. So do the majority listening

Which is my point. This isn't a "risk".

[applegrove]

26. What Pelosi got was: being made into the story for one cycle. Now the

news is back to Katrina.

[incapsulated]

29. So?

I think the people of NOLA and the Party are better served by a news cycle of Pelosi telling the obvious truth than silence from the Dems and spin from the Repukes.

[applegrove]

32. No - I think the people of NO are better served if Bush cannot make

himself a victim and cannot find a scapegoat & has to take responsibility himself.

I think the people of the whole world are better served if Bush just has to answer the questions himself. Without any fog whatsoever. Will he fire Brown? Will he? Or will he give him a medal?

Well as long as the Dems keep relatively quiet on this - Bush will have to make the decision in plain sight of the whole world. Does he admit a mistake and thus mistaken policy. Or does it lie.

[applegrove]

33. Bush himself needs to answer that question. Should Brown be fired.

Nobody should get in his way.

What's it going to be Bush - yes or no?

[garybeck]

21. Obama is all hype.

I could smell it when democrats started suggesting he run in 08.

Heard him interviewed by Randi Rhodes a few days after the election. She asked him about the election being stolen and he gave the idea no credence whatsoever. He's a good speaker, but he's an opportunist.

[wmills551]

31. That idea has no credence

good for him.

[Behind the Aegis]

23. Not impressed.

He doesn't impress me. If Shrub had a "mandate" with a slim 51%, then Obama should have a damn "declaration to kick ass" with his margin (72%, I think). I can understand being 'diplomatic,' but his responses on a number of things have been very bad, and that is being nice.

[applegrove]

34. Don't we think that Bush needs to answer the question about firing

Brown himself?

[Judi Lynn]

35. I think he's great. I know he's a newcomer in Washington.

He's only been there part of a year.

Why is he obligated to provide a target for the _Bush administration to attack? Hack them off, they attack the person. Their public forgets the issue. Period. So how far ahead does that get the Democrats?



Remember the MEpub. "Purple Heart" attack
campaign on John Kerry at their convention?
This crowd is hungry. They haven't had a truly powerful black man to hate 24/7 since Martin Luther King, Jr. Why indulge them? They all need to wake the hell up, and start acting like men and women, not a horde of escaped lunatics.

[wmills551]

36. Well said!

[applegrove]

37. I agree.