Does it matter that Obama admitted to cocaine use in his youth? What about the shady land deals?

[Herman Munster]

Frankly, with Hillary, she has been investigated for years. There's nothing she hasn't been accused of from lesbian affairs to ordering the "hit" on vince foster. Most people listen and tune it all out cause they've heard it all before.

Obama on the otherhand is being built up by the media as the great black hope and the media loves nothing else than to build someone up only to knock them down.

Anything could come up and bite him in the ass from his past. Two years ago the man was debating license tag fees in the Illionis legislature. If you saw what the republicans did to Harold Ford in Tennessee, you will see what depths they will go to destroy a good man's character and use racial prejudice to suit their political purposes.

[xultar]

1. DING DING DING! Great post.

[WI_DEM]

2. I love the way we tear our own down around here

Gee didn't somebody name Bush have a big cocaine and drinking problem? Obama seems more in touch with reality than him. I'm not sure I know about this land deal thing, but Bill Clinton withstood the same type of assault. I think they'll dig up dirt on whoever we put up--or invent it.

[AbbyR]

22. I've been thinking that with MANY threads today

It doesn't seem to matter who we like, some of our friendly Du folk are going to come along and trash him or her. It's a wonder we can find anyone to support.

[Cessna Invesco Palin]

23. I'm thinking I'm going to avoid DU...

...during the height of the primary season. This much vitriol this far out is ridiculous. I can only imagine what kind of savage hell will break loose when we get close to the primaries.

[tuvor]

3. Who's saying he did coke?

[Lautremont]

8. "Some."

It's like you might read on certain other websites: vague insinuations that Obama's a shady coked-out political neophyte, all succinctly accounted for in this one post. As a bonus, we get some dirt on Hillary.

[Herman Munster]

14. not certain other websites

ABC News, what is considered mainstream media.

[tuvor]

16. I did some checking of my own.

Apparently admitted in one of his own books.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

4. Exactly why he already admitted it.

What was you point again?

[riderinthestorm]

5. Land deal singular and it's not really that shady although I will admit Rezko is bad

The deal itself though doesn't ring my alarm bells, particularly for Illinois politics - if this is the worst of it for Obama (and I'm not saying it's everything but still) then this is nuttin' as they say around here.

And honesty about past youthful drug use isn't such a big deal anymore - I just think we're beyond the shock value anymore aren't we?

I believe they will work very hard to bring down Obama but one thing's for sure, he is a hell of a better candidate (imho) than Ford.

[whistle]

6. No shit.....well let him disclose this to America early and let the chips fall where they may

[Name removed]

7. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Herman Munster]

10. you don't know what the hell you are talking about

This all came from ABC News

http://abcnews.go.com/WNT/Politics/story?id=2714830&page=1&CMP=OTC-RSSFeeds0312

But there is much voters do not know about Obama beyond his charisma and message of national unity. And the process through which the American people may learn more about Obama — his relatively unstudied state legislative voting record, his teenage cocaine use, questions about a land deal he entered into with a questionable character — may be unpleasant. And new.

[UTUSN]

9. The bar has been set so low with Shrub, ANYBODY can run, win, whatever n/t

[Monkeyman]

11. Yep did coke at Camp David drink till he passed out

[Freeusfromthechurch]

12. If he does run

Everyone will see how racist the right is.
My racist test question for my people here in the South Carolina.

Would you let your daughter marry a black man?

or

Do you have a problem with interracial marriages?

If you have a problem with either question, your a racist. Period

And in my 35 years, 80% of the people have a problem with both questions. Racism is alive and well in the south.

[H2O Man]

13. He had an over-due library book, too.

And failed to come to a complete stop at a flashing red light in 1987.

[tuvor]

15. McKinley and Grant snorted, too.

As well as bush, of course.

http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4158/is_20060302/ai_n16204634

[Spider Jerusalem]

25. Actually I think Grant and McKinley drank "coca wine".

Vin Mariani, it was called.

[tuvor]

26. I defer to your recollection.

In the context of what I had looked up, it was ambiguous whether it was snorted or drunk.

My apologies; I should not have been so sloppy.

[AtomicKitten]

17. I have seen him admit to marijuana but not cocaine use.

Did I miss it? I realize it is internet lore.

I doubt any other politico has the resources to make going AWOL and drug arrests disappear like Bunnypants, but I think Obama's honesty is disarming.

[Crunchy Frog]

18. The American people never seemed to mind that W did it.

At least Obama is man enough to admit it. Most people in that generation did some drug experimentation and it doesn't bother me as long he's well past it now.

There is nobody we could possibly run who won't get nasty, underhanded attacks. We might as well just throw in the towel and concede right now if that's going to be the deciding factor.

[mohinoaklawnillinois]

19. First of all, can you please cite a credible source for this

so-called cocaine use in his youth?

I'm from Illinois, Cook County to be more exact and believe me if there were any truth to this, it would've come out during his run both in primary in March 2004 and during the general election in 2004. Like Alan Keyes, wingnut that he is, wouldn't have used this accusation against him during the general election in 2004? Give me a break..

Also there is nothing shady about his land deal with Tony Rezko. Senator Obama bought a piece of his property and paid Mr. Rezko a fair market price for it. I mean if there was anything untoward about this transaction, I'm quite sure it would be plastered all over the front pages of both the Chicago Tribune and the Chicago Sun-Times and that hasn't happened.

As for his inexperience: "Two years ago the man was debating license tag fees in the Illionis legislature." What real experience did C+Augustus bring with him in 2000?

Nice try but you're way off base here. The next thing someone will be saying something about his wife and her job with the University of Chicago Hospital.

[liberalpragmatist]

27. He said it in his first book

http://www.mapinc.org/newsnorml/v03/n1786/a06.html

"I had learned not to care... I blew a few smoke rings, remembering those years. Pot had helped, and booze; maybe a little blow when you could afford it. Not smack, though.

...

"Junkie. Pothead. That's where I'd been headed: the final, fatal role of the young would-be black man. Except the highs hadn't been about that, me trying to prove what a down brother I was. Not by then, anyway. I got high for just the opposite effect, something that could push questions of who I was out of my mind, something that could flatten out the landscape of my heart, blur the edges of my memory. I had discovered that it didn't make any difference whether you smoked reefer in the white classmate's sparkling new van, or in the dorm room of some brother you'd met down at the gym, or on the beach with a couple of Hawaiian kids who had dropped out of school and now spent most of their time looking for an excuse to brawl. ... You might just be bored, or alone. Everybody was welcome into the club of disaffection."

[Herman Munster]

28. Read post #10

It was in an article from ABC News.

[cwydro]

20. No one cared about Bush

being a cokehead and a drunk...however, his saving grace (pun intended) may be that he claimed to be "born again". Seems as if the masses will forgive anything as long as one is "born again".

[MrCoffee]

21. You're doing a fine job smearing him...we don't need the MSM, we've got you

[Left Is Write]

24. Frankly, within the next few years it will be difficult to find a young politician...

who has NOT experimented with some type of recreational drug. This is a different generation from those politicians of the past. Bill Clinton was the first Baby Boomer president, and we're ushering in Gen X up-and-comers.

Besides, Dubya's cocaine use doesn't seem to be bothering his loyalists.

[Radical Activist]

29. It won't be a scandal because Obama is the one who told us about it.

People can handle someone who made mistakes in their past. In fact, they'll admire a man who owns up to them instead of lying about them. It will probably gain support from people who have made their own mistakes, and from people who appreciate his honesty.

The land deal looks bad but it isn't serious enough to stop his campaign. He bought some land from a guy connected with some campaign finance scandals. Guess what, no one cares!

[riderinthestorm]

33. And Rezko (the land deal playa) is also connected to as many Rethugs as Dems.

Any connections to Rezko are going to be a wash (Rezko's even been involved with Bu$h) but even if someone wants to try to do it, Obama's connection is that he's Rezko's neighbor and purchased an additional 10 feet of land from Rezko (at fair market value IIRC) to enable the Obamas to build a fence per code.

Yes, one COULD get all hinky that the Obamas and Rezkos purchased the land at the same time (at fair market value), and that they are neighbors, and that the Obamas bought some additional piece of the Rezko parcel to put up a fence. But I'm guessing it's more a matter of timing, business dealing, an acquaintance of an acquaintance (since they move in the same political circles) putting them onto a great real estate deal....

I mean, come on, this is Chicaaaawgo - you can't be a political playa without knowing all the playas, knowwhudimean? This is not a scandal. I can't believe anyone wants to elevate this into some kind of serious obstacle.

And the drugs are just nothing. At this stage of America's political evolution, "I didn't inhale" is just bullshit folks. Surely we are beyond this?!

[treestar]

30. If he admitted it rather than having it scooped out against him

later, that's much better. Besides, are we getting past that? Most baby boomers tried something as youth. Are we really still thinking experimental use of recreational drugs in youth disqualifies one for office decades later?

[baldguy]

31. Compared to who's in now, Barack is a Boy Scout.

[Hekate]

32. Don't "youthful indiscretions" get a pass these days? or only for Repubs?

Barack Obama does come across as squeaky clean. I like him so far. He could be the one.

I have not read his autobiography so I don't know what he's "confessed" to, but if he himself is the one who is letting his past be known, more power to him. These days it's best to just get things out on the table pre-emptively, rather than having to play damage control when some muck-raker decides to play dirty.

Hekate