"The government gives them the drugs, builds bigger prisons, passes a three-strike law and then wants us to sing 'God Bless America.' No, no, no, God damn America, that's in the Bible for killing innocent people. God damn America for treating our citizens as less than human. God damn America for as long as she acts like she is God and she is supreme."

B. Hussein Obama will never publicly himself denounce these comments by his minister and will most likely do a press release by his campaign managers repudiating the ministers garbage but again I would be very surprised if he will comment at all. Whether people think about it or not, this is the kind of rhetoric that Obama was raised in and he is very influenced by it. The ministers comments are very much not any different than you would hear from a Muslim Cleric. Michelle Obama herself speaks the same kind of nonsense by referring to America as a "mean" country and she is only just now "proud of America for the first time in her adult life." The Democrat Party and people in general better start wising up fast. Hillary doesn't look so bad now. The Democrats are going to blow this election for the White House-------again.

take a look at the polls.

Oh its very possible indeed. At this point in the 1988 election Dukakis was leading Bush 41 by a pretty good margin in the polls---until he decided to pose for a picture in a tank with that silly looking helmet on. I guess people just couldn't buy into a Ultra-Liberal Democrat trying to look like Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces. And Carter was leading Reagan in the months leading up to the general election till Reagan trounced him in the debates and Carter ended up looking like the sissy weakling he actually was. Anyone remember John Kerry in that ridiculous picture of him wind surfing. But I guess you could say he got Swift Boated seeing he was only in Vietnam long enough to snap a few pictures for his future presidential run. The next part of Kerrys plan was to marry a woman with a lot of some other mans money---which he did twice.Also he was leading in the polls a few weeks before the election. Even Al Gore went over there---- as a journalist. Snapped a few pictures and got out. Well anyway I kinda got off the subject matter but I guess my point is this---give Obama or Hillary time and they will blow it. At this point in the game the polls could be---and I will say again---could be misleading.

Why don't you get your facts straight before you post lies? John Kerry had two tours of duty in Vietnam for a total of 11 months. That's a little longer than just being there for a publicity stunt! I know you don't like Democrats but you should learn to tell the truth.

John Kerry earned three purple hearts in the Vietnam War. Dick Cheney and George Bush spent how many months in Vietnam? The Swift boat lies thing proves two points: One, the Republicans are very good at taking what would be a strong point for a candidate (in this case Kerry's service to his country) and turning it against that candidate. Second, it proves that the Democrats have no backbone to stand-up to the rhetoric of the Republicans. George Bush did not have to focus on the issues...He was able to run a campaign on junk like this.

We have reached a low point in society when one's service to his/her country is viewed as praiseworthy or a lie simply based on which party he/she affilates with. While George Bush was swatting down Mexican mosquitoes in the National Guard (a get out of Vietnam free card in those days) Kerry was in southeast Asia fighting for his country.

Democrat Clinton managed to withstand the onslaught from the Republicans and that is why Hillary would make the best Democrat candidate and is the better of the three people trying to become president.

but will happen if Obama is nominated. I think McCain and his potential VP running mate Romney shred Obama.

I think Hillary is the more polarizing figure and will give McCain the best chance to raise alot of money and regain the white house for the republicans because it will rally the right behind him. That will help him since he is a centrist candidate anyway. Obama has alot of support from independents and that also happens to be where McCain draws alot of his support from which is not good for McCain. I think it will be tougher for him to beat Obama than for him to beat Hillary. It will help him a great deal either way though if he does choose Romney as VP. I wouldn't be shocked though if McCain asked Lieberman to be his VP.

but wouldn't it be wise if you were McCain to choose Huck as a vp considering he is more conservative than McCain. Now I would also think Hillary/Obama or Obama/Hillary would be a wise choice for the Democrats but I doubt we will see it.

I will just tell you, I have no idea what to do. I'm completely stuck. If Hillary doesn't get the nomination (who knows what will happen) then I have no idea what I'm going to do. I don't like Obama and I haven't for a very long time, I don't like McCain either, for obvious reasons. His views are absolutely opposite of mine in every way possible. If I don't vote, then I feel like I don't have a reason to complain about anything.

What to do?!?? Maybe once they pick VP positions I MIGHT consider one of them. Who knows...I have no idea what to do...

I don't like Obama but I will probably vote for him as it would be a vote agains McCain as he seems to want to pattern himself after G.W. I don't believe our country or economy could stand four more years of that.

I agree, I can't bring myself to vote for another Bush. It's not in me, I have protested so hard against that man, it would be stupid for me to vote for his clone. I can't do it.

If Obama gets it, and I agree with his running mate (not just if it's Hillary either) then maybe I will feel a little bit more comfortable voting for this man. But I still don't know if I can or not with all this preacher stuff coming to surface.

to think he may have endured years of indoctrination with crap such as what that preacher said. I know he has publicly denounced it, but Amy this is what happens when the country as a whole is so sick of the status quo and their plans. You know that the younger generation 18 to 25 who did not vote in the past has come out in droves this go around just for a primary. This group as a whole usually does not even vote in elections let alone in a primary. I believe the Republicans have got this country's attention. It was a while back they said Hillary and Obama already broke records with their votes in primaries and caucuses, they each had more than any other candidate in history way before the race is over. If that is not attention I don't know what is. That is why I told No Spin I didn't think his last sentence was possible.

I know, it's people like me and you that completely do not agree with Obama's people and what they say, but then we are just so sick and disgusted with Bush's administration that we are just torn apart. I seriously don't know what I'm going to do. What do you think? any advice?

my opinion.

You speak about the young voters in that age group 18-25 coming out in droves just for a primary and for the Democrats, well that age group is what makes up our college campuses in the U.S. and everybody knows that those campuses are very far left and anti-American and that any conservative voice at all is silenced. Thats the group that B. Hussein Obama is appealing to----the far left liberal college kids that hate Americas way of life and are brain washed by their college professors into thinking that America is a bad place to live and that America deserved the attacks of 9-11 and I cant believe that you LEO of all people would even consider voting for someone who is as Anti-American as you can get and whose wife was only just recently proud of her country just because you hate George Bush so much.Thats not giving John McCain a fair shake in the deal.
B. Hussein Obama is a product of that type of brainwashing and the church he goes to only rectified in his mind the "injustices" of America. Obama is blowing a lot of smoke up peoples rear ends and they are buying into it because they are so fanatical in their hatred of W. Bush. Hussein Obama is counting on this and thats why he gets almost no negative coverage in the liberal media and will never have to be held accountable for anything he says or does. If McCain had gone to a church whose pastor spewed racist remarks about blacks, he would have been drummed out of the country and forced to withdraw from the campaign. Double standard when it comes to Democrat candidates.
But I think nobody really gets it right. I mean after all Bill Clinton, a draft dodger defeated 2 decorated WWII veterans en route to his romps in the White House and I just know that someone will mention W. Bush defeating John Kerry even though Kerry was actually in Vietnam although we are not exactly sure what he did before he came home and disgraced himself by protesting and whining.

Many college students embrace traditional conservative values and true Christian principles. They just don't happen to be coming out in droves for candidates like McCain because his record and platform don't necessarily reflect those ideals.

"This is the first time in over a hundred years that monetary policy has been discussed in a Presidential campaign. At the universities, where I get large crowds, we get a large number of young people coming out, interested in the money issue. We had over 4,000 show up the other night at the University of Minnesota. The issue of money is one of the most interesting subjects for these young people, because when I talk about the monetizing of debt, the printing of money, the endless devaluation of our currency and how important it is, it gets one of the loudest applauses because young people understand that money is a very important issue; they understand that the Constitution is explicit."
-Dr. Ron Paul at the Conservative Political Action Conference 02/07/08

We are interested, we listen, and we understand because we know the burden of today's economic mistakes will fall on our shoulders. Hopefully more people will wake up and listen before our economy tanks.

tell you whats odd about the minister talking his talk.. this seems to be the "centiment" of a lot of african americans across this county.. most people just do not want to admitt it.. some people will say thats not true.. but just wait if he gets elected.. we will hear echoes from the past.. OJ's trial... "We won",,, Think about it.

It is possible that Obama could be a good thing for the country. Him being president might help the Blacks and Whites realize that we are all the same (humans). We are just different flavors like ice cream cones. Who knows! LOL!

Paul is someone I didn't bother to explore at all. I am starting to believe our country is getting ever closer to the emergence of a true third party with the internet and it's usage getting stronger every day it is a real possibility. It has already had an impact on this election and I think it will gain more and more ground as our young adults grow.

he lost out now my second is Hillary. If left with a choice between Obama and McCain I will not vote for McCain. Now I can remember being bashed on here in the past because I used to think McCain was a good fella(he is in the middle not on the right), and I still wouldn't have a problem with him if he hadn't jumped on the WAR bandwagon with G.W. I will support which ever candidate will end the war and focus on our economy and OUR citizens not people on the other side of the planet. I have said this before if we had spent the 9 trillion dollars we have invested in this war on securing our own borders and homeland security we wouldn't be facing a terrorist problem because they couldn't get in, and that doesn't address the lives lost. N.S. we will probably never agree on politics, the main issue I do think we both love our country and have high hopes for it's future. I can remember working and supporting my family under the Clinton's and I lived just fine on a lot less than I make today, now what I make today goes no farther than what I made 10 years ago. I really don't understand how some who are less fortunate than some of us make it day to day. Now can you quote me an accomplishment of G.W. besides the war, it's not like they have abolished abortion or gay rights. Of course they will beat the drums of abortion and gays when it comes election time as they have for years. I answered your question, but we could talk about these issues all day and all night. I would rather not it depresses me.

if your issue was the war then obama should be your first choice among the three top democrats who ran. hillary and edwards were both on that bandwagon at the same time if not before mccain. they just both decided they would be against it because they saw public sentiment shift a little and figured they wouldn't have much chance being elected president if they didn't change their position. very simple how all the stuff works. when the going gets tough some people face the music and some people act like they didn't hear the band.

Obama does have atleast one thing right: hillary will do anything to get elected. she will change her position to whatever it needs to be at a given time and she will say whatever she needs to say. power hungry is the best way to describe it.

we can vote for more of the same or vote for a change. The answer to that is pretty simple to me. I am not going to be led by false hopes. I really don't get why anyone would want the current economic trend to continue. I understand Conservative Christians position on abortion and gay marriage, I agree with these issues as most do around here. The thing is it is like a carrot being used to lead a horse, you would think after a while the horse would quit following that carrot and realize it will not get to eat it. If you take these two moral issues off the table then why would you vote for more of the same, and don't say terrorism(I fully understand it is a real threat). The war in Iraq has cost 9 trillion so far, do we have to bankrupt our country and slide into a full blown recession before we wake up and smell the coffee, I hope not. It is a shame to think of what 9 trillion dollars could have done for securing our borders and making us safer and we wouldn't have to build a country for a bunch of people who hate us anyway no matter what we do for them. Our focus needs to be here at home not on the other side of the planet. Was it Jerry Clower who said shoot up in this tree one of us has got to have some relief? I am not sure but I am sure we need some relief!

I'm not sure where you got your numbers, but the war has cost $600 billion. The U.S. spends approximately $10 billion per month. $9 trillion is quite a stretch, don't you think?

Actually the war cost is around $503 Billion right now. Check this site, it keeps up with to the second. www.costofwar.com

Funny how Democrats seem to keep jacking up the numbers on everything when they get hysterical about the war. I guess the next thing they will say is 70,000 soldiers were killed.

I think L.E.O. just confused our total Iraq War expenditures with our growing $9 trillion national debt. He wasn't deliberately being misleading.

$500 billion is no small sum either. Factor in costs that are more difficult to quantify such as long term healthcare for our war vets and the numbers start getting even bigger.

I once was and neither are my eyes. I read the deficit/national debt, which was by the way going down the day G.W. took office.

If you started counting right now using Lisa's number it would take roughly 20 years counting without a break to reach 600 billion. Taking into account you count one second at a time.

if so many Democrats (not all) didnt support abortion and gay rights,and gun control ect ,i wouldnt have a problem with there platform, i am not a republican , but Morals do count for something, but being led around with false hope is all Barrack HUSSIAN Obama has to offer,no doubt if obama is elected we will be out of the war in iraq , he will want to protect his intrest in the mid east the muslum nations will want to befriend our leaders, while still hating the american people ,world peace i think not. and no bush and this war has not been good but then again neither was 911.

Democrats views together. If that is the case how can we call Rudy or McCain or the toe tapper a Republican? It is a two way street, both partys have their faults and I am no Obama fan been saying it since he came into the spotlight. I really don't think we have been given a good candidate to vote for by either party but we have what we have and like I said before it is depressing. We all need to vote, for who ever we chose it is just slim pickens this time around in my opinion.

the intel received by congress and all the rest of us was apparently flawed prior to the war. Some were against it anyway, others believed what they were told which is fine, it was intelligence. Now take into consideration who is responsible for that intel? Even if your for the war why would you want to spend all that money to rebuild Iraq. If you agree with the rebuilding why? What purpose could it serve? I mean those folks hate us and will continue to hate us and Israel until the end of time. Now who do you hold accountable for this action? Hillary, Obama, McCain or Bush. Now I would love to see this endeavor be a success to honor the fallen heros and our country, not for the Iraqis. I just don't believe we have enough money here or in CHINA to finance it.JMO

That's what I like about discussing subjects such as these. You make some good points. I don't everyone can agree on everything all of the time but I agree with alot of what you are saying. Iraq has been costly(lives and money) and very questionable as to whether it was worth it or not...at the same time hindsight is 20/20 and I think alot of people including most democrats believed at the time it was the best thing to do. Tough call all the way around.

If we are placing blame then some must fall onto McCain and Hillary, they did vote for the authorazation. Obama gets a free pass and gets to use it to his advantage. Of course he was against it from the beginning.

I don't understand your argument though that Congress believed what they where told by the Administration. Do you honestly think that the Senate had no intelligence reports or briefings, they just went on what the President told them? Hillary was on the Armed Services Committee, I am pretty sure she, and most members of the Senate, had access to much more intelligence then just the President telling them what was going on.

are in the spotlight. I like you have no idea who to blame for this failure and we never will, because it is such a great failure. I think that is a fair assumption considering the cost.

I agree that mistakes where made. I am sure that EVERYONE involved would love to go back in time and change things, but that is war. You can never predict or prepare for every possible scenario. If we could do that then wars would be easy, but we know that is not the case.

You didn't answer my question. Do you think the Senate only had the intelligence that the administration told them?

Not Bush or Chenney they made billions of dollars.

conspiracy theories. I just think when you make a mistake of this magnitude some person/group is responsible for the error. Our society has moved away from holding anyone accountable for their actions, which is an alarming trend.

"the far left liberal college kids that hate Americas way of life and are brain washed by their college professors into thinking that America is a bad place to live and that America deserved the attacks of 9-11"

Love for one's country is not measured by wearing a flag pin, a support the troops car magnet, or any other superficial display of "patriotism" contrary to what some members of the media (or the pin and magnet makers ) would lead us to believe. I would argue that the love for one's country may be reflected in the investment one makes in it. Certainly our military service personnel make a huge investment, but are there others who do it in different ways? Across the nation, college and high school students are turning to community service and volunteerism in greater numbers than ever before, regardless of their political beliefs. They are investing their time, energy, and talents into helping their communities and their fellow Americans and by doing so they are helping create a brighter future for our country.

If you want to go further than love of country and consider true patriotism, one could argue that it's reflected by actual respect for the rule of law and the Constitution. Many who consider themselves patriotic today are not so by that definition.

Furthermore, there is a difference between saying that America deserved the attacks of Sept. 11 and attributing the cause to our foreign policy. To suggest that we deserved it would require giving validation to the terrorists behind the attacks either by indicating they were justified in doing it or that it was good for them to do it.

That's distinctly different from establishing a causal relationship between suicide terrorism and our foreign policy maneuvers. The 9-11 commission report, FBI, CIA, and the world's leading experts on suicide terrorism all clearly state that the attacks we have endured are blowback from our activities in the Middle East.

To say that we experience blowback is a statement of fact. We can then go on to place value judgment on this fact and say that our foreign policy is misguided and should be changed. Neither of those are equivocal with hating America or saying that America deserved 9-11 by any stretch of the imagination.

We can educate ourselves to understand why people are compelled to turn to suicide terrorism, but that does not mean we agree with it or believe that it is the right thing to do. I don't feel that way and I can't name a single other person I personally know who does and I have some very liberal colleagues.

how could any christain vote for obama after hearing the tape???????

what tape are you referring to? the one from his former pastor?

yes that is the tape read it on fox news after a friend informed me

I have no plans to vote for Obama, but that's because because of his policies and voting record, not because of his race or what a minister says. I don't buy into Clintonian or racial fear-mongering.

I've sat through a few sermons where ministers said some pretty ridiculous things that don't reflect my beliefs and aren't biblical. I'm not defined by that. We should be above the mindless mudslinging and measure people by their own actions, their own words (in context), and their own beliefs.

If we want to logically engage in a debate of policy, we might start by discussing how:

1) how entitlement programs like those supported by Mr. Obama and Mrs. Clinton lock people down into a cycle of poverty that's very difficult to break free from

2) how the New Deal added all these concepts of things that we believe we have a right to and that if we don't have those things then they should be handed out by the government

3) how reducing the tax burden would make healthcare more affordable and instead of government programs, allow religious institutions to pick up the slack like they once did

4) how socialized healthcare is failing in other nations like the UK where doctors recently said that the system can only continue caring for patients if they stop treating smokers, heavy drinkers, and the elderly

5) how borrowing and printing more and more money is sending our economy into a tailspin

6) how the federal department of education and no child left behind act have actually done more harm than good by forcing teachers to teach to a test rather than actually educating their students and how college instructors are seeing a negative difference in the critical thinking skills and writing ability of students subjected to these testing programs

7) whether the federal reserve system is unconstitutional

8) how the authority to declare war rests solely with Congress

9) how a policy of pre-emptive war violates hundreds of years of American tradition/values as well as the Christian Just War theory

etc.

etc.

uou do not mind that in his sermon he said "dam america" now i am worried

Mattp you can't be logical with someone who's too stupid to realize you agree with them about Obama just for different reasons

That may be my favorite of all your posts...you've had some good ones before but this one touches on the real issues that matter. I agree with everything you said and I do mean everything. I too have sat through some sermons where I was like "what in the world did he just say"?...things that could've been considered offensive to certain audiences...but I still shook his hand and still went back for future sermons. Didn't mean I agreed with his views on every single thing. I've been to sermons in this area where ministers FROM DICKENSON COUNTY slammed the government of the United States and talked about how we were being led down a path similar to sodom & gemhorra by liberal policies. Did they make some good points? Yes. Did I agree with them completely? NO WAY and wouldn't want to be associated with those views in any way shape or form especially if I were a presidential candidate!...but I respected the minister all the same.

As for what you said about entitlement programs? Right on the money and I wish everyone could see it that way. I'm all about helping a fellow citizen in need but the ideaology of socialism has gone way to far in this country and has put us in the shape we're in today. Too many people out there not pulling their own weight. We all know it. I would like to see more people recognize it but instead many just want to put more strain on the government to give more and more and it's just like a rubber band pretty soon it's gonna snap.

Just one more thing that Matt mentioned of which is very important: Religious and faith based charities. That used to account for what is now known as welfare. What happened to this idea? Religious charities are willing, able and in most cases ready to pick up the slack. I believe this is the key to welfare reform but has largely been overlooked because liberals in gov't are on a different page and have differing value sets with the religious community.

Thanks Jamie. I really appreciate your responses.

The hurdle with entitlements is convincing people who have been indoctrinated to depend on the government that there probably are better alternatives. Under our current system, even people who WANT to work often find it more economical to depend on government assistance instead of finding a job. That's messed up. I don't think that's the dream of America that our founding fathers had.

Unfortunately, when you start talking about eliminating entitlement programs, it can be difficult to educate people that there IS an alternative and they CAN enjoy more prosperity.

Understandably, many people get nervous when you start talking about changing a system that has supported them for a long time. Of course that's assuming you can even get that message out to people in today's entertainment driven news that leaves people more familiar with the intimate details of Britney Spears' escapades than what Ben Bernanke's job is. Even the Presidential debates are mostly filled with empty sound bytes.

As for religious institutions picking up the slack, Glenn Beck gave Ron Paul a really good interview that covered that topic back in December. The idea is that if we eliminate the tax burden, scrap the programs that keep people locked into poverty, and cut all the unnecessary government red tape surrounding our healthcare system to reduce overall costs, the result will be a statistically low % of people left who need assistance and can be covered by charity.

As Dr. Paul points out, obviously we can't kick everyone off of government assistance immediately because charities would be overwhelmed and it would be inhumane. However, if we follow a transitional plan as Paul has laid out, it does seem reasonable that we can achieve that goal.

Granted, healthcare and the associated costs have changed a lot since churches ran most of the hospitals 100 years ago, so I'd have to see all the numbers before I could give this my full support.

now if we could just get the people running for office to recognize them we might get somewhere. It is the status quo I am afraid of almost anything else will suit me. We can always vote them out if they don't do a good job.

I don't really see where it is America Hating. I am not talking about flag burning or anything detrimental to our country. I think I could safely say we all love our country we just view it's future and how to mold that future in a different light. By the way thanks for pointing out where my error was.