Her Royal Highness Leslie Tripathy spotted in bangalore

the royal blue-eyed princess leslie tripathy was spotted on the strrets of commercial street in it-hub capital,bangalore.majestic as ever in her black flowing dress,her long brown gorgeous hair was envied by many and those eyes,watch them and you get lost in them.

so it explains she's hobnobbing places,away from paparazzo,and ever hounding media,wishing the princess happy times.

i fell in love with this photograph,where Her Royal Highness Princess Leslie was spotted spending time with physically challenged kids in dumb,deaf school.

Hats off to this Young Royalty Leslie Tripathy

Does Hannah Montana Star Miley Cyrus Want Billy Ray to Butt Out?

Miley Cyrus has never been shy about being a daddy's girl, all the way down to her Hannah Montana star status but is all that about to change? "He's been there for me every step of the way," the 16 year old has said of her father. But now she just wants Billy Ray to get out of the way for a little romance and a report this week cites sources that tell Star that Miley is pushing him out of her life - and it's all over a guy.
Does Hannah Montana Star Miley Cyrus Want Billy Ray to Butt Out? The report notes that although Billy Ray once called Miley's 20 year old boyfriend of two months, Justin Gaston, "a good kid," insiders cited by the magazine say he's starting to have doubts about his place in the family and feels he's too old for his daughter. "He also thinks Justin is a bit of a mooch and doesn't want him taking advantage of Miley," an insider says. "He worries his whole good guy image is just an act and that he's conning them all."
***Uh-oh, is there trouble in paradise? Justin himself has suggested he isn't in it for Miley's heart. "Oh, just a family friend," he said of the teen queen at the CMA Awards on Nov. 12. He explained that his main goal was "just to kind of break into the music business."But the report claims that recently, when Billy Ray confronted Miley about dumping the dud, it ended with Miley in tears and Billy Ray in the doghouse. And his meddling is pushing Miley away. "Miley told her dad to back off," an insider says. "She is sick of him trying to hold her down, and feels she is old enough to make her own decisions." For now, that means staying with Justin. "She's totally crazy about him and isn't letting him go anywhere."

Leslie Tripathy voices the Indian Rural woman's issues

Leslie Tripathy voices the Indian Rural woman's issues
Originally uploaded by Bollywood teen Actress Leslie Tripathy

Bollywood Beauty Leslie Tripathy,Voice of todays Rural Woman

Leslie Tripathy is the voice of Women today,she is their ambassador,she always wanted to work for the empowerment of the vilage ,rural women of India,today the teenage British-Indian Sensation is glad and says feels blessed to work hard to empower and advance the position of women in the rural belts of India especially Orissa.

Crazy fan stalks Bollywood teenage Actress Leslie Tripathy

Bhubaneswar: Even as the police probe into the judo coach Biranchi Das murder is moving at snail's pace with the accused Sandeep Acharya alias Raja still managing to elude the police dragnet, a new CD available with a section of the media confirms the suspicion that Raja is Das's killer.
An earlier CD telecast by a channel had claimed that the gangster was innocent and that a conspiracy had been hatched by some powerful people to nail him.
But with the surfacing of the new CD, which records Raja's phone conversations with music album artiste Bidusmita, a close friend of another actress Leslie Tripathy, it seems obvious that Raja was planning to eliminate Das for preventing him from continuing an affair with Leslie. Moreover, Raja also has in mind to try to eliminate a senior IAS officer, Priyabrata Patnaik, because he, along with Das and some others, was also allegedly warning him to keep off Leslie. The CD is also available with the police.
In the recorded tape, Raja told Bidusmita that Priyabrata Patnaik and Biranchi Das had called him to the judo hall and threatened him to stay away from Leslie. "What does Leslie think of herself? She does not know how dangerous I can be. She is indulging in power play. But what Priyabarata can do? I can barge into Bhubaneswar Club and blow him up and Biranchi in judo hall. There are 150 IAS officers, but there are only four top gangsters in Orissa but I am the don," bragged Raja to Bidusmita. Sources said it is obvious the other three are Hyder, Tito and Suleman.
Police sources said when Bidusmita and her brother Bulu had gone to the police station to lodge a complaint against Raja before Biranchi's murder, he had called them up on their cell phones and threatened them of dire consequences, which has been confirmed by the police. The police have traced the calls to have been made from some telephone numbers in the city and Puri.
However, the tape, which is presently in police possession, can be used as evidence in the long run if it is proved that it is authentic.
Meanwhile, the present developments including the reshuffle of top police officials indicate that their might be an encounter, if Raja does not surrender before the joining of new DCP Himanshu Lal who has a no -nonsense approach and does not flinch to shoot at sight.

God bless Britney spears

I don’t like what’s happening in the life of Britney Spears now. She has been into a lot of issues and controversies. I hope everything will turn out fine. She needs enlightenment. She needs someone to get her out in the darkness. I am just so sad. You know Britney I am one of your fan.

I hope you are okay now. Please don’t ruin your life and your name. If you need help, call HIM. He is always there for us. Nothing is impossible. Please….a lot of people are looking up at you. You used to be their model but right now, I really don’t know. Please….don’t worry, I will always pray for you. I love you Britney!

Absolutely ridiculous story update,''Questions We Hope Get Answered in Palin's $7 Million Book''

While George W. Bush is still without an offer for his presidential memoirs, literary insiders say the bidding for Sarah Palin's story could reach $7 million. Proving, once and for all, that the public is more interested in designer eyeglasses and short skirts than the highly controversial guy who has spent the last eight years actually running the country.At Asylum, we're as guilty as the rest of the media in obsessing over the Alaska governor and all of her comings and goings. But is it wise it to spend so much on a subject whose life is already such an open book?According to an unnamed literary insider, "Sarah brings something different to the table -- there is so much curiosity surrounding her and her life. If they move fast and get this thing on shelves, then a $7 million advance could be worth it."Whatever the publishers decide to pay for this tome, we do have a number of unanswered questions we hope Sarah Palin's ghostwriter poses to the Arctic sensation:- Isn't it true you only went along with that embarrassing Nicolas Sarkozy prank because the last time you thought you were being targeted by an impersonator it turned out it really was John McCain and he really was offering you the VP slot?- During the VP debate, how distracted were you by the glare off Joe Biden's freshly Botoxed forehead?- Can you prove you talked the way you do now before the movie "Fargo" came out?- Is it more embarrassing to lose an election to someone you insinuated was a terrorist, or to have helped make Katie Couric look like a serious journalist?- You have attributed your surprise election as Alaska governor to the blessings of an African witch hunter. Where was Pastor Thomas Muthee during the campaign, and does his absence prove you are saving his mystical electoral powers for 2012? - As a rugged individualist who named her children Track, Bristol, Willow, Piper and Trig, how much does it irk you that our President-elect -- who the kids like to claim is "cool" -- gave in to yuppiedom and named his daughters Malia and Sasha?- Explain to us exactly why you are as much, if not more, of a babe than Tina Fey. (And just relaying how Alec Baldwin whispered this to you backstage at "SNL" doesn't count as an explanation.)

Titanic nearly ruined Leonardo DiCaprio

Hollywood actor Leonardo DiCaprio insists he was too young to handle international fame after starring in blockbuster hit "Titanic" at the age of 23.
The 34-year-old became a heartthrob all over the world after landing the lead role in the 1997 film alongside Kate Winslet.
But DiCaprio admits he was not mature enough to cope with turning into a major Hollywood star overnight, reports contactmusic.com.
'Titanic began a period of rebellion for me. As soon as people give you enough compliments and you suddenly have more power than you've ever had in your entire life. It's not that you become arrogant and rude to people, but you get a false sense of your own importance," he said.
"You're treading in dangerous territory when you begin thinking you've altered the course of history. It was like a runaway train. I didn't understand what was happening to me.'

Scarlett Johansson confused over Lohan's remarks

Hollywood actress Scarlett Johansson is still shocked over the vulgar remarks Lindsay Lohan allegedly scribbled about her on a New York City bathroom stall in 2006.
Lohan wrote an offensive remark with a permanent marker before making her exit during a night out.
According to contactmusic.com, Johansson is still baffled by the graffiti, since the two actresses have only met a handful of times.
'I don't know what the motivation was. I remember it was something really vulgar. I mean shockingly so, like, Whoa, what, who are you? I don't really know that person (Lohan). I only met her, like, three times,' Johansson told Allure magazine.

idiots writing bullshit against Obama

Yes! Finally, the McCain-Palin ticket is coming out swinging. I may only be an undifferentiated mass of cellular tissue, but even I could predict that as November got closer, they were finally going to go on the offensive, and boy oh boy, they did not disappoint me! For the last week, Palin has gone ballistic about Barack Hussein and his connections to crazed bomber 60s radicals.

All right! Now that’s the Republican party I know and love!

What’s the matter, liberals? Does what I’m saying upset you? Think that just because I'm a fetus that means I can’t play hardball with the big boys, is that it? Well guess what, blue-state donkeys? I can say anything I want and there's nothing you can do about it, because I haven’t been born yet, and as a member of the unborn, I am more important than everything else on Earth.

Hell, even a retarded fetus is more important than any other concern you can name—lack of experience, lack of knowledge, a pronounced inability to answer simple questions.

Still don’t like what I’m saying? Well, how about you try sucking it up, jerkwads! After all, what else can you really do?

Come on, I dare you! I double dare you! Yeah, that's right, I didn’t think you had the guts.

Man, being a fetus fucking rules.

Obama Warns He May Cease To Exist Unless America Believes In Him

Unless citizens throughout America keep him in their thoughts, say his name to themselves over and over, and otherwise believe in him with all their might, Barack Obama may cease to exist, the candidate warned supporters Thursday.

"My fellow Americans, I am currently very strong and very, very real," Sen. Obama told a cheering crowd of 12,000 at the Indiana State Fairgrounds. "Even here in Hoosier country, a traditional Republican stronghold, your faith has kept me from growing faint, becoming transparent, and slowly fading from view."

"But please, don't stop now," Obama added. "Unless you continue to believe in me, I'll completely disappear. You have to keep me in your thoughts at all times!"

Deputy campaign manager Steve Hilde- brand, who has been tasked with making sure volunteers are chanting Obama's name with their hands clasped and their eyes shut tight, said that the candidate has nearly faded out at several points during the long campaign. Early in the primaries, when Hillary Clinton was up in the polls, Obama's typically solid composition began to waver and his voice became a distant echo. Currently the Democratic nominee is a blurred and vague outline in the state of West Virginia, where he trails McCain by almost 12 points. In Tennessee, Alabama, and Georgia, Obama is already a waning dream to some people, while in Texas, he is nothing more than a gentle wind, rustling through the trees—a ghostly visitor soon departed.

"During these last few days, I call on all Americans to keep thinking happy thoughts," Obama said. "Otherwise our dream of turning this country around will vanish, as I vanish, leaving nothing behind but a wisp of my memory and a few faint strains of my voice, forever whispering, 'Yes, we can…. Yes, we can…. Yes, we can.'"

Return to theonion.com for live, all-day election coverage on November 4th and 5th.
More News Briefs

Does Palin's maverick label still stick?

A loyal Democrat, Kenny Powers never shared Sarah Palin's conservative politics. But the United Way organizer confesses a fondness for the governor who paired a folksy charm with scorn for Alaska's Republican old guard.

"She was such a breath of fresh air," he says.

That was then. Nearing the end of a bruising campaign, the Republican vice presidential candidate has seen her appeal to her party's conservative base feed speculation about a future national campaign at the same time increasing numbers of others recoil from her.

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"She changed her personality," Powers, 55, said at a downtown espresso shop, where the front window features a Palin portrait over the boldface word "Hype."

"It makes me wonder whether I knew her."

Palin introduced herself to a nation as a conventional homemaker eager to shatter convention — the hockey mom roughing up the power brokers, a reformer with a bipartisan streak. But that maverick image — along with her poll numbers — has been scuffed, if not reshaped.

The designer eyeglasses are the same, but it's clear many voters outside the Republican base are looking at her through a changed lens. A woman who ascended to power in Alaska by challenging the Republican establishment now represents it on the national ticket. In her coming-out convention speech, Palin said, "I took on the old politics as usual," but in two months on the national political stage she has encountered questions about expenses and trips charged to taxpayers, as well as her account of actions she took as governor.

Duke University political scientist David Rohde says Palin has alienated independents at the very time the Republican ticket needs to attract votes from the political center.

"They first saw her as refreshing," Rohde said, referring to unaffiliated voters, a crucial swing group. Now, "more see her as a typical politician."

Among the revelations, Palin charged the state more than $21,000 for her daughters' commercial flights, including events where they weren't invited, and later ordered their expense forms amended to specify official state business. She billed the state for expenses, usually collected for travel, while she was at home, and her administration used private e-mail accounts to conduct state business.

Her scalding attacks on Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama filled a traditional vice presidential nominee's role, but they also eroded her bipartisan credentials. In Alaska, her administration, once known for openness, developed a reputation for insularity. A legislative probe found she abused her power as governor.

She claimed she told Congress to cancel the "bridge to nowhere," but it turned out that she had supported it until it became an embarrassment. Disclosures that the Republican Party spent $150,000 for designer clothes, hairstyling and accessories and $36,000 to have celebrity makeup artist Amy Strozzi travel with her undermined Palin's homespun image and her professed preference for thrift shops.

And questions about her qualifications, ratcheted up by her often cringe-worthy answers during television interviews, haunted her candidacy

Vice presidential candidates rarely affect the presidential vote, but recent polling suggests Palin could be a drag on John McCain's chances.

She attracts raucous, standing-room only crowds on the stump, but national polls in recent days indicate her popularity is shaky.

AP-Yahoo News polling found Palin's unfavorable rating jumped as voters learned more about her. In a survey conducted soon after McCain picked her, 42 percent of likely voters rated her favorably, 25 percent unfavorably and 33 percent didn't know enough to say. In a survey completed this week, the poll showed 43 percent of likely voters viewed her favorably and an equal 43 percent unfavorably, with 13 percent not knowing enough to say.

Independent likely voters started out a bit more sour and have grown increasingly negative — 35 percent gave her an unfavorable rating in early September, 47 percent in late October.

In a New York Times-CBS News poll completed this week, 59 percent of registered voters said Palin was not prepared to be vice president, up nine percentage points since the beginning of October. Almost a third of those polled said the vice-presidential selection would be a major influence on their vote for president, and those voters broadly favored Obama.

Some unflattering impressions of Palin might be the fault of McCain's own campaign. Sen. John Ensign, R-Nev., chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, on Thursday criticized the way the governor was introduced to voters. In her first weeks on the national stage, she became viewed as "just an empty suit" because she spent too much time repeating the same speech, Ensign told the Las Vegas television news program NewsONE.

Pollster Ivan Moore, who tracks Alaska politics, said Palin will remain popular among Republicans, but Democrats and independents "don't like the pitbull-with-lipstick persona at all."

In Alaska "she really governed in a fairly populist way, which led to her high approval ratings," Moore said. As a vice-presidential candidate "she completely ruined the kind of bipartisanship she built up."

Her Alaska supporters blame the media for biased coverage or dismiss questions about expenses or trips as distractions.

Sharon Balsky, 70, an Anchorage retiree, has no problems with Palin's maverick credentials. The national media "doesn't go after Obama and (Democratic vice presidential candidate Joe) Biden the way they go after Palin," she said.

Palin appears to be asserting some independence from the McCain campaign. She spoke out against the campaign's decision to abandon Michigan and lamented its use of robocalls; she has defied her handlers in order to engage reporters more frequently. These moves generated reports some McCain operatives believe she is trying to position herself for a future campaign.

"She is a maverick. She took on the establishment up here," said Carol Milkman, 52, a hospital worker from Eagle River who volunteered to help Palin's campaign for governor. "I think she would make a good candidate for president."

'I Haven't Always Just Toed the Line'

Cape Girardeau, Missouri

Ask Sarah Palin what she has found most surprising about her campaign experience and she replies, with more than a touch of humility, "the enthusiasm." She's got a point.

Wending my way through the traffic and crowds around the Palin event in this small river city on Thursday morning, I began to wonder if the whole state hadn't shown up. Walking the cold half-hour from the nearest parking space, I passed mobs of disappointed voters who had already been turned away for lack of space. Inside the city's Show Me Center, thousands of roaring, stomping, sign-waving Palin fans were practically hanging from the rafters. It felt like, well . . . an Obama rally.

Terry Shoffner

And there you have the paradox of Sarah Palin. The press has brutalized the Alaska governor, playing gotcha with her record, digging through her family life. The liberal intelligentsia has declared her unfit for office, a rube, a right-wing maniac. The conservative intelligentsia has accused her of being a lightweight, of "anti-intellectualism." Polls suggest a significant number of voters believe she is not up for the job.

Yet her supporters idolize her -- all the more because of the criticism. Mrs. Palin has, for millions of Americans, become a symbol of a reformist average Jane, a working mom, ready to take on the Washington they detest. Talking to Missourians before the event, I heard little mention of flashpoint issues like her religious views, or her experience. I was instead repeatedly, and vociferously, informed that a Vice President Palin would "fix that place" and "shape up the GOP." I also heard a lot about how she would accomplish all this because she was a "real" person.

The governor is one of those politicians with the gift of connecting with her audience, a trait that surely has helped with her quick political rise. "I'm so glad you're here!" she said as I walked in to the holding room, with such warmth I wondered if she might actually mean it. As in her staged events, she comes across in person as confident.

The tasks of "fixing" Washington and "shaping up" the GOP are no small things, whether from inside the West Wing, or depending on Tuesday, from some future role as a party leader. And so, after a firm handshake and an introduction to First Dude Todd, I ask the governor if we could forgo the stump speech and talk about her contribution to this ticket, and the future of the party. Why, exactly, are Republicans as a whole struggling so badly? Are the liberal pundits right that modern conservatism has run its course?

"The planks in the Republican platform are good, they are strong. Economically speaking, Republicans support a uniquely American system that rewards hard work and empowers the entrepreneurial spirit that made this country the greatest country on earth. And on the national security front . . . it is about strength through power, it is about diplomacy across this world, allowing America to lead us toward a more peaceful world. On those planks -- economic and national security -- the Republican Party has the right agenda."

The problem, she explains, is a failure to deliver. "We must prove to the American people that we will live out the ideals and the values articulated in that platform." She says that "in too many cases" the GOP has let voters down, in particular on spending and with the abuse of earmarking. She argues the most effective way to revamp the party is from the top, by putting her ticket in the Oval Office, where it will enforce discipline. "We have a track record that proves we can reform government. And ultimately, that will reform the Republican Party."

I probe a little bit more on this word "reform" -- a favorite of Gov. Palin's, though it isn't always clear what she means. What exactly will she reform? "It's reform of the abuse of the earmark process. There's nothing wrong with governors and mayors and members asking for a share of the federal budget, in order to help a community, but it is the abuse of that process that has got to be reformed. It's reform of federal government spending; they've run up a $10 trillion debt that we're expected to hand off to our children. . . . It's about, ultimately, putting government back on the side of the people. Not to make Americans believe that they have to work for government, but that their government needs to be working for them. . . . This is their government. It's of the people, by the people, for the people."

She also explains that what distinguishes a new generation of reformers in the party -- people like her, or Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal -- is a willingness to learn from Republican failures or successes of the past, and apply them to current concerns, say health care. "We have the luxury of looking back with 20-20 hindsight." She mentions Ronald Reagan, his ability "to win the Cold War without firing a shot" and his focus on pro-growth policies, as examples of those successes. But she also notes that today's global economy and global threats have combined to demand more from leaders.

"It used to be you could choose the president based on one or two things, on strength on national security, or on a view on the economy. Today, everything is interwoven. With globalization and with how quickly the world has changed, we need a president with the experience and leadership capability and the good judgment to handle both." She flags energy, saying that today it is both an imperative for domestic economic prosperity as well as a question of national security.

The vice-presidential nominee took heat recently for talking about the values of "real America" -- a comment some took as an implication that red-state America is more patriotic than other parts of the country. I ask her if the GOP doesn't in fact have a perception problem, that it is no longer viewed as a big tent? What does it need to do to reach out and once again become competitive in places like New Jersey or Connecticut, or the suburbs?

Mrs. Palin, again, suggests that implementing reform is the best way for the party to connect with the broader electorate. This was her approach in Alaska, where she at one point boasted 90% approval ratings. "My concentration is on bettering our country. I've never been known as an obsessive partisan. In fact, I've taken on my own party. I've run against members of my own party in order to reform at a local level and a state level. And on a national level I'd do the same thing and so will John McCain. And McCain, he's got the scars to prove that independent streak, that comes from making the right decisions for the people he was serving, putting country first. So my concentration is on how do we make this country as a whole better, stronger, safer."

The governor herself has also been attempting to retool the GOP's message to broaden the party's appeal with key voting groups. In a largely unnoticed policy speech in Nevada last week, Mrs. Palin pitched to women. Flanked by feminists -- including Democrats and members of the National Organization for Women -- the governor argued that the GOP's free-market policies were particularly important to women. Women need changes in rigid 40-hour-a-week labor laws to obtain more flexible work schedules; women own millions of small businesses that would be hurt by tax hikes; women need entitlement reform to provide security for their long retirement years.

"Every woman that I know works so hard, because they have a couple of extra hurdles, obviously, that they have to jump over in order to succeed. . . . Of course we want and deserve equal pay for equal work. But we also want to be able to afford good health care for our families. John McCain's plan for the $5,000 tax credit will allow us to make our own decisions, to be able to afford health care, to erase these state lines that prohibit a competitive environment to purchase a good health-care package. . . . That's an issue that is important to women."

All of this, says Mrs. Palin, undermines suggestions by conservative critics that she represents an us-versus-them streak in the party. She bluntly suggests they are missing the point. "I think those who would criticize what I believe I represent -- and that is, everyday, hardworking American families who desire and deserve reform of government -- I think they are out of touch with what the rest of the nation is talking about today. It's a reflection of some elitism that assumes that the best and the brightest of this country are all assembled in Washington, D.C., and I beg to differ. You can walk out in the rally that we are going to attend in a minute, and you talk to anyone there, and I believe you will hear the same thing. Enough of that arrogance. Enough of that assumption that unless you are a part of that Washington elite that you aren't worthy of serving this great country."

She is equally blunt in her retort to those who say she's not up to the job. "I'll tell you, some within the party who have criticized me -- or John McCain's pick of me -- I think some of this underlying criticism is again coming from the hierarchy. It is because I haven't always just toed the line in the party. I'm not wired to do that. I want reform of our party, I want to be able to prove that our party is worthy of leading this country. And I'm not going to just go along to get along. I've never been able to do that. It bodes well for someone's character, I believe, and is a strength."

I ask if she's already discussed with Mr. McCain what her portfolio would be as vice president, and she enthusiastically ticks off her responsibilities: "Energy independence -- and that is just key to our national security and our economic prosperity. Reform of government -- put us back on the sides of the people. And helping families who have children with special needs -- ultimately, allowing every family to know that they have a friend and advocate in the White House, but specifically families who have worked so hard to make our nation a more welcoming place for children with special needs."

Related

Main Street: Palin Shows How to Transcend the Culture Wars
A society should be judged by how it treats its weakest members.
By William McGurn

Mrs. Palin doesn't mention her youngest child here, who was born earlier this year with Down syndrome -- but she doesn't need to. It's clear this is a subject on which she feels passionate. "They are special. We will elevate this whole issue, letting families know that children with autism, Down syndrome, with physical disabilities, these are special citizens of the United States of the America and they will be made to feel that way, not excluded, but included and provided equal opportunity."

As we wrap up I thank the governor and she asks a few questions about me. Then I am whisked out to the rally. Within a few minutes, the speakers start to blare Dolly Parton's "9 to 5," and Mrs. Palin steps out on to the stage. Listening to the crowd go bonkers, it's hard not to think that -- whatever happens Tuesday -- Mrs. Palin may yet have a long political future.

Ms. Strassel writes the Journal's Potomac Watch column.

tactful palin

Anchorage, Alaska - When he faces off against Sarah Palin Thursday night, Joe Biden will have his hands full.

I should know. I've debated Governor Palin more than two dozen times. And she's a master, not of facts, figures, or insightful policy recommendations, but at the fine art of the nonanswer, the glittering generality. Against such charms there is little Senator Biden, or anyone, can do.

On paper, of course, the debate appears to be a mismatch.

In 2000, Palin was the mayor of an Alaskan town of 5,500 people, while Biden was serving his 28th year as a United States senator. Her major public policy concern was building a local ice rink and sports center. His major public policy concern was the State Department's decision to grant an export license to allow sales of heavy-lift helicopters to Turkey, during tense UN-sponsored Cyprus peace talks.

On paper, the difference in experience on both domestic and foreign policy is like the difference between shooting a bullet and throwing a bullet. Unfortunately for Biden, if recent history is an indicator, experience or a grasp of the issues won't matter when it comes to debating Palin.

On April 17, 2006, Palin and I participated in a debate at the University of Alaska in Fairbanks on agriculture issues. The next day, the Fairbanks Daily News Miner published this excerpt:

"Andrew Halcro, a declared independent candidate from Anchorage, came armed with statistics on agricultural productivity. Sarah Palin, a Republican from Wasilla, said the Matanuska Valley provides a positive example for other communities interested in agriculture to study."

On April 18, 2006, Palin and I sat together in a hotel coffee shop comparing campaign trail notes. As we talked about the debates, Palin made a comment that highlights the phenomenon that Biden is up against.

"Andrew, I watch you at these debates with no notes, no papers, and yet when asked questions, you spout off facts, figures, and policies, and I'm amazed. But then I look out into the audience and I ask myself, 'Does any of this really matter?' " Palin said.

While policy wonks such as Biden might cringe, it seemed to me that Palin was simply vocalizing her strength without realizing it. During the campaign, Palin's knowledge on public policy issues never matured – because it didn't have to. Her ability to fill the debate halls with her presence and her gift of the glittering generality made it possible for her to rely on populism instead of policy.

Palin is a master of the nonanswer. She can turn a 60-second response to a query about her specific solutions to healthcare challenges into a folksy story about how she's met people on the campaign trail who face healthcare challenges. All without uttering a word about her public-policy solutions to healthcare challenges.

In one debate, a moderator asked the candidates to name a bill the legislature had recently passed that we didn't like. I named one. Democratic candidate Tony Knowles named one. But Sarah Palin instead used her allotted time to criticize the incumbent governor, Frank Murkowski. Asked to name a bill we did like, the same pattern emerged: Palin didn't name a bill.

And when she does answer the actual question asked, she has a canny ability to connect with the audience on a personal level. For example, asked to name a major issue that had been ignored during the campaign, I discussed the health of local communities, Mr. Knowles talked about affordable healthcare, and Palin talked about ... the need to protect hunting and fishing rights.

So what does that mean for Biden? With shorter question-and-answer times and limited interaction between the two, he should simply ignore Palin in a respectful manner on the stage and answer the questions as though he were alone. Any attempt to flex his public-policy knowledge and show Palin is not ready for prime time will inevitably cast him in the role of the bully.

On the other side of the stage, if Palin is to be successful, she needs to do what she does best: fill the room with her presence and stick to the scripted sound bites.

• Andrew Halcro served two terms as a Republican member of the Alaska State House of Representatives. He ran for governor as an Independent in 2006, debating Sarah Palin more than two dozen times. He blogs at www.andrewhalcro.com .

Sarah Palin-holy shit

It’s an inescapable conclusion that this woman has, in 6 short weeks, single-handedly destroyed the Republican party. Certainly George Bush may share some of the blame; but we conservatives must remember how our hopes were buoyed by his impressive bloodlines and Yale degree before we realized his excursion to Texas had caused him to “go native.” But la Palin offers true conservatives no such extenuating graces. I mean, my God, this woman is simply awful; the elided vowels, the beauty pageantry, the guns, the crude non-Episcopal protestantism, the embarrassing porchload of children with horrifying hillbilly names, the white after Labor Day. As fellow conservative commentator Andrew Sullivan quipped to me the other day outside a Martha’s Vineyard antique shop, it’s gratifying to know the Gipper isn’t alive to see what has become of his party.

But it’s not just American conservatives who are appalled. Just last week conservative New York Times columnist David Brooks and I were enjoying an apres-badminton apertif at the family weekend house in Montauk with my good friend Viscount Klaus-Maria Von Wallensheim, the conservative EU Agricultural Pricing Minister with whom I shared an Alpine chalet and manservant during our years as classmates at a Swiss boarding school. “Kloonkie” (my old school appellation for the Viscount) reported the growing dismay of the Continental Right over Palin’s embarrassing enthusiasm for childbirth and Israel.

“Coddsie, old chap,” he warned, “You know I’ve always been America’s biggest defender in Monaco. But if you elect this ill-bred charwoman, I will be forced to move anchor to St. Tropez out of pure shame.”

Such ballderdashery should never be tolerated, my good chappies.

People fear Obama Assassination; It's Time to Pray

evelation by Federal authorities in Tennessee, USA last Monday that they had arrested two white supremacists who were allegedly planning a killing spree that would end with the assassination of Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama, ought to have sent shock waves around the world.

Interestingly though, the arrest of Daniel Cowart, 20, of Bells, Tennessee and Paul Schlesselman, 18, of West Helena, Arkansas didn't lift too many eyebrows. If the killers that be could kill John Fitzgerald (J.F.) Kennedy, who remains arguably one of the most loved American presidents besides the likes of Abraham Lincoln (16th President, 1861-1865), they should have no qualms trying out their luck on the son of a Kenyan immigrant who is trying and is on the verge of becoming US President.

Little wonder that Secret Service agents began protecting Obama on May 3, 2007, less than three months after he announced he was running for the Democratic nomination-- the earliest that such protection has been authorised for a candidate in US history. As we speak, he is also easily the most protected candidate there has ever been in US history.

When the race began, with the primaries, personally I made up my mind that it would be perfectly okay if Obama or Hillary Clinton became President. Being a black man, Obama's victory would signal a victory of the US over the racial divide that has haunted it for a long time, since the days of the slave trade. My support for Obama was not just blind support. The man is good! His charisma, charm and oratorical skills cut him out as a cross between Martin Luther King Jr, the great black American who championed the black peoples' cause in the US and Kennedy, the 35th US President (1961-1963).

If Hillary won, it would be a victory not necessarily for women, but for gender equality. It would be a vote of confidence in the women; evidence that they too can do anything including running the world. My wish had been that Hillary would pick Obama as her running mate and subsequent Vice President. I had hoped also that she would serve five years and then make way for Obama to take over as President. But since Obama carried the primaries, I threw my vote behind him. The kindness he exudes, the sincerity with which he speaks, the leadership qualities he has demonstrated and the symbolism his victory would carry cut him out as the man for the White House.

His clean lead in the opinion polls suggests he will win, but one wonders whether at the critical moment of decision, some of the white folks, just about to cast their ballot, won't develop cold feet and opt for one of their own. The moment of decision carries its own pressures which make even the penultimately loyal voter change his or her mind at the very last.

There is one other disturbing similarity between Martin Luther King and J.F. Kennedy; both were assassinated. King on April 4, 1968 in Memphis, Tennessee on a second floor balcony of the Lorraine Motel and Kennedy five years earlier, on November 22, 1963 in Dallas, Texas.

If Obama is assassinated, it could plunge the US and indeed the whole world into chaos the kind that will make riots that followed the Martin Luther King assassination look like a tea party. Ultimately of course, Obama's security will depend on the Lord (I am a very spiritual person). Like David the Psalmist said, unless the Lord keepeth a city, those that keep it are wasting their time. Spiritual power will be as important as the guns guarding Obama.

The billions who believe in peace, equality and goodwill among people should uphold Obama and America in prayer until their knees are sore that this heinous intent is not actualised.

A beautiful Article for Obama by Gary Younge

Barack Obama is greeted by supporters in Springfield, Illinois in February 2007 as he formally announces that he running for president. Photograph: Tannen Maury/EPA

The day we brought my new-born son home to our Brooklyn apartment, an article in the New York Times pointed out that "a black male who drops out of high school [in the US] is 60 times more likely to find himself in prison than one with a bachelor's degree". These are the kind of statistics I often quote in my work. But this time it was personal. Looking down at him as he snoozed in the brand new car seat, I thought: "Those are not great odds. I'd better buy some more children's books."

Over the next few weeks, as we fumbled with the nappies, pram, barfing and burping, a new, previously unthinkable option for black American males emerged: the presidency of the United States. Osceola was born on the weekend Barack Obama declared his candidacy. This prompted conversations that I would not have had otherwise. His success, I was told, would signify great things for my son. Osceola would grow up with an assumption that the highest office in the land was open to him. That the future could be his. That there was, I was told, nothing that this child could not achieve.

Back in February 2007, when Obama announced his candidacy, this never made much sense to me. The fact that my son suddenly has a tiny theoretical chance of getting to the White House is less important than the more real chance of his ending up behind bars (one in three black American boys born in 2001 will do so) or dead (three black kids are shot every day). I wanted a president who could change the odds for the many rather than raise the stakes for a few. I didn't care what they looked like. It wasn't that I didn't understand the symbolic importance of his bid. I just did not want to mistake it for substance.

On a political level, I have always thought he was interesting. Obama's announcement came 18 months after hurricane Katrina put black America's collective deprivation and individual success clearly on display. One man can rise to the presidency and a whole community can sink into the Gulf of Mexico: anything, I thought, really is possible. And with three days to go before election day, it looks like the US stands on the verge of making the historic decision to put a black man in the White House.

This was no reflection on Obama. Everything I'd heard about him - not least his opposition to the Iraq war at a time when such a position was unpopular - was impressive. But his two years in the Senate suggested he was pretty mainstream and even, at times, a little suspect. He'd supported Joseph Lieberman (a Democrat who is now supporting John McCain) in his primary Senate campaign against an anti-war campaigner. And he voted to confirm Condoleezza Rice as secretary of state. It wasn't obvious to me that he would be any better than some other generic Democrat with different pigmentation. The idea that his presidency would mean anything for Osceola's life never really crossed my mind.

To express such scepticism before many Obama supporters was to be accused of cynicism. The true believers do not just want you to drink the Kool Aid. They demand that you chug it.

The people my scepticism vexed most were white liberals. Obama had become prey to the soft bigotry of unreasonable expectations. Describing the crowd's reaction to him in Rockford, Illinois, Time's Joe Klein noted: "The African Americans tend to be fairly reserved ... The white people, by contrast, are out of control." They had found a black politician they felt comfortable with, and wanted him to be everything: Martin Luther King, John F Kennedy, a griot, president, vice-president, motherhood and apple pie. They prattled on about a post-racial America as though the Jena Six never happened and Sean Bell, a unarmed black man from Queens who was riddled with bullets on his wedding day, was still alive.

My wife, who is African American, shared my reservations about Obama, but saw things differently. She remembers the thrill of being a young girl when the black Democrat Harold Washington was elected in her hometown, Chicago. She liked him because her parents liked him. She could see it was important, but she didn't know why.

"My dad grew up being told a black person couldn't be a pilot, and my son is growing up knowing that a black person can be president," she said. "It's not that racism is gone, it's just that it's not about the idea that all black people are excluded on the basis of their race from any part of society or any particular job. That was the racism my parents grew up with and that is now one generation removed from Osceola." Her dad became a pilot, as did her brother.

Of course, Obama isn't standing for Osceola's benefit - which is just as well, because if Osceola could vote he would most likely support Elmo for mayor of Sesame Street. But in a sense these projections lie at the heart of any thoughtful appraisal of the racial dynamics underpinning Obama's candidacy. The desire to believe we are in a paradigm-shifting moment must be set against the fact that not every historic first changes the course of history. Changing our understanding of what is possible doesn't, in itself, create new possibilities.

I watched Obama accept the Democratic nomination with my mother-in-law, Janet, in a cinema on the southside of Chicago. Janet was raised in the South with the laws that put her at the back of the bus. As a teenager she went with her mother to see Martin Luther King speak in Philadelphia, listening in the overflow in the vestry because there were too many people in the church.

She was the one who first told me about Obama in 2003. She got involved in his primary campaign for the Senate when he didn't have a prayer, after she'd seen him on the local public channel, when he was a state senator. "He seemed like a bright guy," she says. "He reasoned his way through things and was always very impressive." She particularly liked his stance on the war. When he said he was running for Senate, she signed up as a volunteer.

And now, here we were just five years later seeing him clinch the deal in Denver on the big screen. At one point, when he recalled his anti-war speech in 2002, she punched my arm. "I was there." As she drove me to my hotel, she would occasionally say to no one in particular: "I just don't believe it."

Whether Osceola would ever be able to relate to what a momentous time this is for Janet remains to be seen. But her response made me think that the late comedian George Carlin was wrong. Symbols are too important to be left to the symbol-minded. By that time, my thinking on Obama had evolved. Not so much because of the man, but the moment. The atmosphere during this campaign has been unlike anything I've ever seen in a western country. To see so many people - particularly young people - engaged and hopeful about their political future after eight depressing years is inspiring. The last time I saw it was in South Africa's first democratic elections in 1994.

Walking down Sumter Street during Charleston's Martin Luther King day parade, watching white volunteers chant: "Obama '08! We're ready. Why wait?" gave political voice to an America I never doubted existed, but had yet to see. Among them was a young man who was "so depressed" after Obama's New Hampshire defeat that he had dropped everything he had been doing in Guatemala and flown back to help out. Local African Americans lined the sidewalks, cheering encouragement. Obama's victory in Iowa had proved that a black candidacy was not a pipe dream.

It was a moment. Fleeting and maybe even fatuous. But nonetheless a political moment that produced hopeful human engagement. Within half an hour it had evaporated. The white volunteers went back to the office and black people went back to their homes in the poorest parts of town and waited for change. But that didn't mean it didn't happen or that it couldn't happen again. Nor was there anyone else who could make it happen.

A couple months later came Obama's race speech in Philadelphia in response to the attacks on his pastor, Jeremiah Wright, in which he addressed black alienation and white disadvantage, set them both in a historical context, and then called on people to rise above it. It was a tall order. He pulled it off.

That weekend, a friend invited us to brunch with a group of other black people to discuss the fallout. There were nine of us (10 if you include Osceola, who yanked a blind from the window). It was a typical boho (black bohemian) Brooklyn crowd of voluntary sector workers, teachers and the like. Most, like me, had been ambivalent about Obama at the outset. But his candidacy was becoming a vehicle for something bigger: a teachable moment about the potential of anti-racist discourse.

A year before, Hillary Clinton's chief strategist, Mark Penn, laid out a plan of attack against Obama. "All of these articles about his boyhood in Indonesia and his life in Hawaii are geared towards showing his background is diverse, multicultural and putting that in a new light. Save it for 2050. It also exposes a strong weakness for him - his roots to basic American values and culture are at best limited. I cannot imagine America electing a president during a time of war who is not at his centre fundamentally American in his thinking and in his values ... Let's explicitly own 'American' in our programmes, the speeches and the values. He doesn't ... Let's use our logo to make some flags we can give out. Let's add flag symbols to the backgrounds."

Clinton rejected Penn's advice, but McCain pretty much adopted it. And at this point it appears to have failed. This time Republicans have misread white America's appetite for divisive racial rhetoric and overestimated its fear of the other. The fears and division are still there. But whatever the result on Tuesday, they are clearly no longer the decisive mobilising force they once were.

If there is promise in here for my son, it is not so much that he is capable of doing anything he wants - I am his father and it's my responsibility to teach him that - but that white people won't necessarily stop him. What that does for his odds of finishing high school or going to jail remains to be seen. In the meantime, I'm off to the bookshop.

Campaign attack ads by Mccain n' Obama

John McCain vs. Barack Obama. The candidates will debate for the first time this Friday, but they've been throwing barbs back and forth for several months now. Some of the hardest hits have been in their campaign ads.
In case you missed them, here are some of the highlights and lowlights from a rough-and-tumble campaign season:Initially, each man set out to define himself. John McCain went with a trippy time-lapse ad.Meanwhile, Barack Obama introduced himself to America, accompanied by acoustic guitar.McCain soon followed with a James Bond parody.But the 1960s groovy graphics might have seemed a bad idea when viral videos about "things younger than McCain" appeared.The first Obama ad that took off was unofficial — this now famous music video. It took the "Celeb" ad to give the McCain campaign its first home run.The Obama folks counterpunched, as did Paris Hilton.While the celeb theme got headlines, this Web-only ad is in fact the most-searched-for McCain ad.On the other side of the aisle, this attack ad against McCain is the most-searched-for offering from the Obama campaign.McCain paired Obama with blond starlets, while Obama has made much of McCain's connection to a certain unpopular president, like in this ad. All seem to feature the two men hugging.What issue will star in the next round of ads? If Obama's new ad and this McCain ad released Monday are any clue, it may turn out to be this.

Poll: Barack Obama Could Lose Six Percentage Points on Election Day for Being Black

Six percentage points is the price Barack Obama could pay on election day for being black.
That disturbing calculation was found in a groundbreaking new Associated Press-Yahoo News poll conducted with Stanford University which probes the effect of the Democratic presidential candidate's race on his historic campaign for the White House."There's a penalty for prejudice, and it's not trivial," Stanford University political scientist Paul Sniderman told the AP.
In a close contest, racism "might be enough to tip the election," Sniderman said.
Still, the Illinois senator seems to be making some headway even with white Americans who don't have much good to say about African-Americans.
Among the white Democrats who think blacks are lazy, or violent, or boastful, two-thirds said they will vote for Obama over Sen. John McCain, a white Republican.
The poll of 2,227 adults was conducted Aug. 27-Sept. 5, and was designed to probe people's racial attitudes and how those attitudes affect voting.
It shows that when it comes to race, there has been some progress in America: Most white people have positive things to say about black people.
Still, pollsters found that a substantial portion of white Americans have very little contact with African-Americans - and many still harbor negative feelings toward them.
Whites also have a rosier view of race relations than blacks. When asked "how much discrimination against blacks" exists, 10% of whites said "a lot" while 57% of blacks said "a lot."
Asked how much of the nation's racial tension is created by blacks, more than a third of whites said "most" or "all."
Meanhile, nearly three-fouths of the blacks polled said while people have too much influence in U.S. politics.
Also, the perception that voters in their 20s and 30s might go for Obama because they're less racially biased than their parents might be wrong.
The survey found no meaningful differences in the way younger and older whites viewed black people. But older whites were more likely to say when they really think of blacks than the younger generations.
Not surprisingly, racial prejudice tends to be lowest among college-educated whites living outside the South, the pollsters found.

Palin to Meet With World Leaders, Bono at UN

Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin may have little experience in foreign policy, but she's about to get a two-day crash course.
The first-term Alaska governor plans to meet seven world leaders and former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger in New York City this week, where the U.N. General Assembly is convening. The meetings might help her answer critics who say she is not ready to handle world affairs. Palin obtained her first passport last year.
On Tuesday she will meet separately with Kissinger, Colombian President Alvaro Uribe and Afghan President Hamid Karzai. On Wednesday she is to meet jointly with Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili and Ukrainian President Viktor Yuschenko. She then will meet separately with Iraqi President Jalal Talabani, Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
Palin also will sit down with rock star and humanitarian activist Bono.
Her discussions are certain to touch on some of the globe's most sensitive and troubled areas. Kissinger, who was secretary of state under presidents Nixon and Ford, writes and counsels clients on a range of world topics. Uribe is seeking a free-trade agreement that Congress has yet to approve.
Pakistan has been roiled by violence and political upheaval, and its relations with India remain testy. Georgia just fought a brief war with Russia over a contested province. Afghanistan's government is struggling against resurgent Taliban forces, and thousands of U.S. troops continue to fight in Iraq.

Ronald Reagan's tactices and secrets

If you love Ronald Reagan – or just enjoy laughing – you need to get Newsmax.com’s special audio program "Ronald Reagan’s Greatest Laughs."
This unique program brings together Ronald Reagan's best jokes, one-liners and funny stories.
Reagan often used humor to inform, and you'll share in his insights.
No other President in modern times has used humor to capture the attention of the American people like Ronald Reagan did.
During several decades of public service Ronald Reagan used his gift of humor as a tool and a weapon against his adversaries, unlike a lot of politicians who memorize stunt jokes to lighten up and entertain the crowd.
Reagan had true wit and used humor in both public and private occasions. He was a funny man.
Laughter was his way of creating a special warmth, like an electric arc between him and his audience. There’s a lot we can learn from Reagan’s humor.
For those who believe that Ronald Reagan was an icon, this audio program will bring back great memories. For those of you who want to know what Reagan really believed, you’ll find that out also.
In "Ronald Reagan's Greatest Laughs" you'll laugh as the Gipper uses wit:
to expose big government
to defeat the Evil Empire
to take the Democrats to task
to learn from children
to make light of his deficiencies and weaknesses
to take on the liberal press like Sam Donaldson
to make light of fellow conservatives
to live a happier, smarter life
and much, much more.
And for students of communication, you’ll learn from the Great Communicator himself just how to use humor, make a point, deflect criticism, defang an enemy, win friends and elections, and influence people worldwide.
So sit back, relax, laugh, and enjoy "Ronald Reagan's Greatest Laughs."

Bill Clinton says,''Hillary never wanted to b Obama's v.p''

Former President Bill Clinton, appearing on ABC’s “The View” Monday morning, admitted wife Hillary Clinton, D-NY, never wanted to be Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama’s vice president and that he likes both Obama and Republican rival John McCain.
"Not really. No, she didn't," Clinton said when asked if Hillary really wanted to be chosen as Obama’s running mate after loosing out to the senator from Illinois during the Democratic Party’s presidential primaries.
Clinton, however, did say Hillary would have agreed to run on Obama's ticket had Obama asked her, but that never happened.
"She said that 'if [Obama] asks I'll do it, because it's my duty.' And I had no real opinion. I think it's very important, once a party gets a nominee, it's a very personal decision who should be vice president. I like Senator [Joe] Biden a lot,” Clinton said, referring to whom Obama ultimately chose for his running mate. “He was a good choice."
But Hillary would've been the better choice, Clinton conceded.
"[Hillary] would have been the best [choice] politically, at least in the short run, because of her enormous support in the country," he said.
"She loves being a senator from New York and she has more freedom to develop her positions on the issues and her things."
Barbara Walters, host of “The View asked Clinton if he thought Obama didn't want Hillary because "he didn't want you in the bargain."
"I don't know the answer to that," Clinton said. "I think he felt more comfortable with another choice. And you have to respect that."
"Was it because he didn't want you along?" Walters said, pressing the issue.
"I have no idea. If anybody thought that, they were just reading the political press and believing it," Clinton said.
Clinton maintains that Obama will win the presidency, but also spoke admiringly of McCain, whom he said was instrumental in his administration’s normalizing of relations with Vietnam, where McCain spent five years as a prisoner of war.
"The American people, for good and sufficient reasons, admire him," Clinton said of McCain. "He's given something in life the rest of us can't match."
Clinton also called Obama a "good man" and "smart candidate. I'll be surprised if he doesn't [win.]"

Republicans are so self destructive

Conservatives have a type of chronic mind-blindness which often leads them to conclusions that are completely and catastrophically wrong. I learned this long ago and learned how to profit from it. As an example, immediately after G.W. Bush became President I exchanged all my US cash holdings (many millions) into Euro and also the Pound Sterling, and within a few years they increased in value more than 50%. Currency experts had advised me otherwise, but rather than drown in the data, as they had, my decision was based upon a few simple proven observations.However, the people who hate America do not care to learn why Republicans are so self-destructive - they merely rejoice when American voters elect them.

Once upon a time in Europe lived a generous hearted Mighty King William,he was famous for his graciousness,amicability,kind-heartedness.He was a Just ruler,people loved him and respected him.He had the knack of handling any situation be it tense or negative with his gentleness.He refrained from warfare.Men wanted to be like him,they emulated his morals,principals and women always sighed cursing their fateover the loss of the noble King to the Queen Nicola.The King loved her dearly,they had a lovely daughter whom they named Phoebe.
Once out hunting the King realised he had left his entourage somewhere behind,while chasing a golden deer.Now he couldnot find the deer nor could he find the right way out.It was getting darker,because of severe thunder and lightening.He tried shouting and calling his entourage but found his voice getting drowned by the fierce lightenings.So dismayed at chasing an elusion,he was deeply upset with himself,but not the one to brood over his mistake and cry,he decided God had plans for him maybe.He tried to stay positive,suddenly it occured to him he heard voices somewhere around him,a little far maybe though they were getting drowned by the downpour,yet he had a radar for things.Unafraid,he went forward bemused in the direction of the voices,his streak for adventure didnt let him down,though his mind alerted him there could be danger,what if it could be a trap,but still not the one to let his curiosity get away so easily,he had a feeling of positivity.He was amazed to see a flock of kids around shouting and dancing.He was astonished to see so many kids there,he went in and was shocked to see the kids were affected by leprosy.But the kids never seemed to have been bothered by thet,they were busy jigging,jiving around in joy.The King didnt know how to get in

Barack Obama and his alter ego

In the wake of the fascinating forum hosted by Pastor Rick Warren at his Saddleback Church in Orange County, everyone is focusing on the contrasts between presidential candidates John McCain and Barack Obama. More interesting are the contrasts between the intellectual-theologian Obama and the political Obama. "Does evil exist?" Warren asked Obama. "And if it does, do we ignore it, do we negotiate with it, do we contain it or do we defeat it?"Obama the moral philosopher replied, accurately, that evil is everywhere, in Darfur, in our city streets, in our own hearts. We cannot "erase evil from the world. That is God's task. But we can be soldiers in that process, and we can confront [evil] when we see it." (Imagine the reaction if President Bush called himself a soldier of God in the battle against evil.) When asked what America's greatest moral failing was, theological Obama said it was our collective failure to "abide by that basic precept in [the Book of] Matthew that whatever you do for the least of my brothers, you do for me." For Obama the politician, such scriptural quotations often serve as an all-inclusive writ to impose his religious views on others when it comes to fighting poverty, global warming, racism, etc. But when the question turns to abortion, political Obama insists on a policy of moral agnosticism and political laissez faire. Asked directly when life begins as a legal matter, he punted, insisting the answer was "above my pay grade." Obama, commendably, told Warren that he wants to reduce the number of abortions. After all, he observed gravely, "we've had a president who is opposed to abortions over the last eight years, and abortions have not gone down." Unfortunately, Obama wasn't telling the truth: The number of abortions in the U.S. are down, from 1.31 million in 2000 to 1.21 million in 2005, according to the Guttmacher Institute. The abortion rate per 1,000 women age 15 to 44 is the lowest it's been since 1974, partly because of pro-life policies under Bush, but also thanks to those implemented at the state level since the 1990s. At Saddleback, Obama offered the ritualistic support for Roe vs. Wade expected of all Democratic politicians, "not because I'm pro-abortion" but because women "wrestle with these things in profound ways." Now, this is surely true in a great many instances. But political Obama isn't inclined to explain why "wrestling" with a serious moral question is an adequate substitute for deciding it correctly. People wrestle with all sorts of moral quandaries in "profound ways," but that is not enough. Many slave owners wrestled with whether they should free their slaves, but that did not obviate the need for the Emancipation Proclamation.Alas, when it comes to abortion, it's probably silly to expect anything but rote fealty to ideological pieties from a Democrat, just as it's naive to expect anything but the appropriate pro-life talking points from a Republican. But for a self-styled champion of nuance, political Obama's rigidity is spectacular to behold.In 2003, as chairman of the Illinois Senate Health and Human Services Committee, Obama received a statement from Jill Stanek, a registered nurse at Christ Hospital in Oak Lawn, Ill. She testified that at her Chicago-area hospital, she'd seen a baby accidentally delivered alive during an abortion and then "taken to the Soiled Utility Room and left alone to die." I'm no expert on the Christian Gospel, but something tells me that Matthew might consider these wailing creatures the least of our brothers.Alas, the abandonment of babies to suffer and die on the modern equivalent of a Spartan cliff did not require confronting evil. Indeed, Obama led the battle to defeat Illinois' version of the federal Born-Alive Infants Protection Act, which would have treated babies living, albeit briefly, outside the womb as, well, babies. He opposed the bill in 2003 (as he had a similar one in 2001), saying it would undermine Roe vs. Wade. But even after Roe-neutral language was included -- wording good enough that it won support for the federal version of the bill from abortion-rights stalwart Sen. Barbara Boxer -- Obama remained unmoved. Until this week, Obama denied that he ever took such a position. His campaign has now admitted that he was, in effect, lying when he said pro-lifers were lying about his record. But simultaneously, Obama defends a position that comes dismayingly close to the layman's understanding of infanticide while claiming any other position would require him to play God."A lot of evil has been perpetrated based on the claim that we were trying to confront evil," intellectual-theologian Obama said at Saddleback. And "just because we think our intentions are good doesn't always mean that we're going to be doing good."Perhaps that theological Obama should wrestle a bit more with political Obama.

The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream

"A government that truly represents these Americans--that truly serves these Americans--will require a different kind of politics. That politics will need to reflect our lives as they are actually lived. It won’t be pre-packaged, ready to pull off the shelf. It will have to be constructed from the best of our traditions and will have to account for the darker aspects of our past. We will need to understand just how we got to this place, this land of warring factions and tribal hatreds. And we’ll need to remind ourselves, despite all our differences, just how much we share: common hopes, common dreams, a bond that will not break." from The Audacity of Hope
In July 2004, Barack Obama electrified the Democratic National Convention with an address that spoke to Americans across the political spectrum. One phrase in particular anchored itself in listeners’ minds, a reminder that for all the discord and struggle to be found in our history as a nation, we have always been guided by a dogged optimism in the future, or what Senator Obama called "the audacity of hope."
Now, in The Audacity of Hope, Senator Obama calls for a different brand of politics -- a politics for those weary of bitter partisanship and alienated by the "endless clash of armies" we see in congress and on the campaign trail; a politics rooted in the faith, inclusiveness, and nobility of spirit at the heart of "our improbable experiment in democracy." He explores those forces -- from the fear of losing to the perpetual need to raise money to the power of the media -- that can stifle even the best-intentioned politician. He also writes, with surprising intimacy and self-deprecating humor, about settling in as a senator, seeking to balance the demands of public service and family life, and his own deepening religious commitment.
At the heart of this book is Senator Obama’s vision of how we can move beyond our divisions to tackle concrete problems. He examines the growing economic insecurity of American families, the racial and religious tensions within the body politic, and the transnational threats -- from terrorism to pandemic -- that gather beyond our shores. And he grapples with the role that faith plays in a democracy -- where it is vital and where it must never intrude. Underlying his stories about family, friends, members of the Senate, even the president, is a vigorous search for connection: the foundation for a radically hopeful political consensus.
A senator and a lawyer, a professor and a father, a Christian and a skeptic, and above all a student of history and human nature, Senator Obama has written a book of transforming power. Only by returning to the principles that gave birth to our Constitution, he says, can Americans repair a political process that is broken, and restore to working order a government that has fallen dangerously out of touch with millions of ordinary Americans. Those Americans are out there, he writes --- "waiting for Republicans and Democrats to catch up with them."

The McCain camp is in a death spiral

Chill, guys. The McCain camp is in a death spiral.
Like many Obama supporters, I’ve been in a poll-induced funk recently. So I went to the Obama HQ in downtown Orlando looking for a t-shirt, a bumper sticker, something, anything, to make myself not feel so damn worried. Here’s what I found:
1. A brisk campaign operation staffed mostly by 25-35 year olds, all at computers, all analyzing data on GOTV operations.
2. After speaking with my precinct captain who was present, she told me that since August 1, the downtown HQ has registered 80,000 new voters. Let that number sink in. In the last 40 days or so, they’ve registered an average of 2,000 voters per day.
I know they probably won’t keep up that pace, but even half that is good.
3. Consider that Florida was won by Bush in 2004 by 380,000 votes. Nader got 33,000 votes. I don’t even think he’s on the ballot in Florida this year. Assume that most of those go to Obama. The margin, to beat the Bush turnout in 2004, is 350,000 (give or take 50,000 votes.)
4. To win Florida, Obama needs everything Kerry got plus 400,000 votes.
5. Of those 80,000 newly registered voters (whose info won’t be available for pollsters for weeks, if not ever, before the election), the campaign has identified over 80% as Obama supporters. That’s 64,000 new Obama votes since Aug 1.
6. Assume they decrease their registration by 50% in September, and 50% in October. After all, there are only so many people not registered to vote. That would be another 60,000 voters, with approximately 48,000 new Obama votes, who can’t be polled. All together, that’s 112,000 new Obama votes. In Central Florida alone. Since Aug 1. 25% of the 400k to get Florida’s 27 electoral votes. Since Aug 1.
7. Of course, you have to get people to the polls. However, the precinct captain said that the 80% support of the newly registered voters has a built-in no-show formula.
8. I mentioned my worry over the polls. Without condescension, without a dirty look, or a snide quip, she said, calmly as possible, “we aren’t running the Florida campaign based on polls, we’re running it based on votes. There are so many people who have signed up to vote that pollsters can’t even reach, that the only thing the campaign is looking at right now is the GOTV operation and their own internal polls which are run much more specifically than, for instance, the state Mason-Dixon polls commissioned by the Florida newspapers.”
Patience and steel.

Why Young People Like Obama

Obama is creating a mass following of net-generation teen, pre-teen and millennial young people. Many parents ask me: Why do teens and young people love Obama? Here are the reasons I think that Obama strikes a strong chord with our generation.
**Please note, this is not an endorsement of Obama, just an explanation of this trend–I prefer to keep my own political opinions out of this blog, but thought it is an important issue to talk about!
1) Obama is young
We like Obama because he does not feel as far away from our own reality as many of the other candidates. He feels young, he feels fresh and therefore he is relatable to us.
2) Obama lets youth feel important
Talk about a grass roots campaign! Obama asks us, begs us, and gives incentives to youth for speaking out on his behalf because he tells us we matter! Many of my friends are practically begging to campaign for him and he makes us feel great about helping him. He thanks us and reinforces the importance of the young vote—we love feeling important.
3) Obama pushes change, which feels like a challenge, which feels exciting
Obama constantly talks about change, new beginnings and his untainted background. We love be a part of something that is new, exciting and a little counter-revolutionary or daring, so we jump on his band wagon!
4) Obama loves net-generation tools (the internet)
Obama is all over the web, he has YouTube videos, online platforms, chat rooms and a blog. Many other candidates have these as well, but Obama focused his campaign on the online community early and with full force. We love tackling and reading all of his online aspects and feel he is speaking to us in our language.
5) Obama is good looking
Isn’t there some research done that the most attractive candidate always wins? Well, Obama has grasped the votes and hearts of many young women. Obama girl flaunts her crush on Obama and has a following of her own.

updates on barack obama

Some people (Arianna Huffington, say) may be wanting Barack Obama to “release his righteous rage” at all the lies, smears and negative campaigning of the Republicans - but one reader wrote into Andrew Sullivan’s blog with the following very important point (includes Sullivan’s comment):“A Reader Gets It
This is all Rove has left:
‘Speaking of getting into Obama’s head, always remember this. This is what all this is about period. It’s all they got:
The most readily identified, most easily stereotyped, and most quickly dismissed figure is an angry black man.’
That’s what that tool Rove and his acolytes are trying to do. It’s the only card they have left. Obama must not let them get their way. If he doesn’t, he doesn’t just win. We have a chance now to defeat the forces of evil that Obama has smoked out of their cubicles.”
Very true. And not only is Obama avoiding falling into this Rovian trap by not getting angry; he may not even have to in order to win. At the rate they’re currently going, I wouldn’t be surprised if John McCain and Sarah Palin hang themselves with their own rope*.
*This is, of course, a metaphor, in the same way that ‘lipstick on a pig’ is.
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Tags: andrew sullivan, arianna huffington, campaign, comment, John McCain, karl rove, Opinion, racsim, Sarah PalinPosted in Opinion, Press Coverage, Strategy No Comments »
Sixty Six Million Dollars!September 14th, 2008 by e4o
The campaign of US Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama today announced it had raised a record $66m in August with the help of more than half a million new donors.
Full story at the Guardian

Lindsay,Pamela condemn Palin

Celebrities aren’t going to change the way Americans vote. Who cares, right?
Even so… I found these two celebrity assessments on Sarah Palin amusing:
Lindsay Lohan and her girlfriend, Sam Ronson, posted their thoughts on Sarah Palin, the Republican vp nominee, on her myspace page. Here is an extract:
“I find it quite interesting that a woman who now is running to be second in command of the United States, only 4 years ago had aspirations to be a television anchor. Which is probably all she is qualified to be… Also interesting that she got her passport in 2006.. And that she is not fond of environmental protection considering she’s FOR drilling for oil in some of our protected land…. Well hey, if she wants to drill for oil, she should DO IT IN HER OWN backyard. This really shows me her complete lack of real preparation to become the second most powerful person in this country…Is our country so divided that the Republicans best hope is a narrow minded, media obsessed homophobe?”
And they added “Don’t pose for anymore tabloid covers, you’re not a celebrity, you’re running for office to represent our, your, MY country.”
Great, since Obama has been criticized by the McCain campaign for being nothing more than a celebrity like Britney Spears and Paris Hilton. (Remember the marvellous Paris Hilton video?)

Angelina found giving birth funny

Angelina found giving birth funny27 Jun 2007
First, the must-do celebrity trend when it came to giving birth was to attempt to do it in silence, thanks to Scientologist Katie Holmes, but now it appears that laughing your way through, a la Angelina Jolie is the thing to do.The Tomb Raider star said she couldn't stop giggling all the way through the caesarean birth of her and Brad Pitt's daughter Shiloh, nor could she stop when she was feeding her baby half an hour later."They were trying to put the IV in me and I began laughing so hard, with tears rolling down my face. I was out of my mind," she grinned, adding that Ocean's 13 star Brad had managed to capture the whole thing on video camera.It appears that her cheerful disposition was down to the fact that the hospital staff had administered the actress with a morphine injection, giving her a slightly high feeling.Even Shiloh's grandmother was in on the act, according to Angelina: "I was on the phone with my mom, who was also in the hospital. We were laughing because we were both under the same assumed name and we both had been given a dose of morphine."This report of Angelina giving birth contrasts wildly with an interview she gave people magazine shortly after the event, in which she admitted she was "terrified" throughout the caesarean procedure.