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By MATTHEW LEE, Associated Press Writer Thu May 29, 10:04 AM ET
STOCKHOLM, Sweden - Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on Thursday rejected allegations from a former White House spokesman who says the Bush administration misled the American public into going to war with Iraq.
Rice would not comment specifically on charges made by ex-press secretary Scott McClellan in a new book, but said President Bush was honest and forthright about the reasons for the war. She also said she remained convinced that toppling Saddam Hussein was right and necessary.
"The president was very clear about the reasons for going to war," she told reporters at a news conference with Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt in Stockholm where she is attending an international conference on Iraq.
Chief among those reasons was the belief, shared widely before the war, that Saddam Hussein had or was developing weapons of mass destruction, Rice recalled, suggesting the international community shouldn't have backed harsh sanctions against Iraq if it doubted the threat.
"I am not going to comment on a book that I haven't read," she said, referring to McClellan's scathing memoir, "but what I will say is that the concern about weapons of mass destruction in Saddam Hussein's Iraq was the fundamental reason."
"It was not the United States of America alone that believed that he had weapons of mass destruction that he was hiding," Rice said, dismissing suggestions that the administration knew the intelligence was incorrect.
"The story is there for everyone to see, you can't now transplant yourself into the present and say we should have know what we in fact did not know in 2001 and 2002," she said. "The record on weapons of mass destruction was one that appeared to be very clear."
Those who were skeptical should have spoken up at the time and argued against U.N. sanctions such as the oil-for-food program, she said.
"The threat from Saddam Hussein was well understood," Rice said. "You can agree or disagree about the decision to liberate Iraq in 2003, but I would really ask that if you ... believe he was not a threat to the international community, then why in the world were you allowing the Iraqi people to suffer under the terms of oil-for-food."
McClellan writes that Rice, who was national security adviser earlier in Bush's presidency, "was more interested in figuring out where the president stood and just carrying out his wishes while expending only cursory effort on helping him understand all the considerations and potential consequences" of war. Rice "was somehow able to keep her hands clean, even when the problems related to matters under her direct purview," according to McClellan, but he predicts that "history will likely judge her harshly."
The heart of the McClellan book concerns Bush's decision to go to war in Iraq, a determination McClellan says the president had made by early 2002 — at least a full year before the invasion — if not even earlier.
"He signed off on a strategy for selling the war that was less than candid and honest," McClellan writes in "What Happened: Inside the Bush White House and Washington's Culture of Deception."
However, McClellan wrote that he did not believe Bush or the White House "deliberately or consciously sought to deceive the American people."
McClellan says Bush's main reason for war always was "an ambitious and idealistic post-9/11 vision of transforming the Middle East through the spread of freedom." But Bush and his advisers made "a marketing choice" to downplay this rationale in favor of one focused on increasingly trumped-up portrayals of the threat posed by the weapons of mass destruction.
During the "political propaganda campaign to sell the war to the American people," Bush and his team tried to make the "WMD threat and the Iraqi connection to terrorism appear just a little more certain, a little less questionable than they were." Something else was downplayed as well, McClellan says: any discussion of "the possible unpleasant consequences of war — casualties, economic effects, geopolitical risks, diplomatic repercussions."
The White House responded with surprise at McClellan's book.
"Scott, we now know, is disgruntled about his experience at the White House," said current White House press secretary Dana Perino, a former deputy to McClellan. "We are puzzled. It is sad. This is not the Scott we knew."
WEDNESDAY, May 28, 2008By Tim Gaynor
ALBUQUERQUE, New Mexico (Reuters) -
Republican presidential candidate John McCain sought on Monday to
distance himself from President George W. Bush's handling of the Iraq
war, telling veterans on Memorial Day he was "sick at heart" at
mistakes made in the conflict now in its sixth year.
"As we all know, the American people have grown sick and tired of the war in Iraq," McCain told hundreds of veterans and their families gathered for a ceremony honoring U.S. service members killed in conflicts.
"I understand that, of course. I, too, have been made sick at heart by the many mistakes made by civilian and military commanders and the terrible price we have paid for them," he added.
The war is unpopular with voters, and in anticipation of facing Democratic front-runner Barack Obama in the general election in November, McCain has increasingly sought to disassociate himself from the administration's Iraq policies.
"We have new commanders in Iraq," McCain said to applause.
He continued with a veiled swipe at Bush: "They are following a counterinsurgency strategy that we should have been following from the beginning, which makes the most effective use of our strength and doesn't strengthen the tactics of our enemy."
Obama and Democrat Hillary Clinton have promised to withdraw all 155,000 U.S. troops serving in Iraq as soon as possible.
McCain criticized these plans, saying, "It would strengthen al Qaeda, empower Iran and other hostile powers in the Middle East, unleash a full scale civil war in Iraq that could quite possibly provoke genocide there, and destabilize the entire region as neighboring powers come to the aid of their favored factions."
Earlier this month he said he believed the Iraq war can be won by 2013, leaving a functioning democracy there and allowing most U.S. troops to come home.
McCain last year backed a decision to send a further 30,000 troops to Iraq to halt a slide toward sectarian civil war in Iraq, and said the surge was "succeeding where our previous tactics failed."
He spent much of the holiday weekend at a vacation home in Arizona with three Republicans who have been mentioned as possible vice presidential running mates: former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, Florida Gov. Charlie Crist and Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal.
(Editing by Jackie Frank)
U.S.,
Iran and Arab neighbors to meet on Iraq
By Anna Ringstrom and Susan Cornwell
STOCKHOLM (Reuters) - The United States
will prod Sunni Arab states to offer more support to the Iraqi
government at a conference in Sweden this week as a way of countering
the growing influence of non-Arab Iran in Iraq.
U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki will chair the conference on Thursday, aimed at assessing progress in implementing a plan adopted at a meeting in Egypt last year to help Iraq rebuild after five years of war.
Analysts are watching for any contacts between Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and her Iranian counterpart, Manouchehr Mottaki, who will be attending the meeting, though U.S. officials say none are scheduled in Stockholm.
"If we don't get it right in Iraq, if we leave Iraq prematurely, then we're going to empower Iran," Rice said on Friday in an interview with CNBC's "Closing Bell with Maria Bartiromo.
"We're getting exactly what we had hoped: the emergence of a functioning government in Iraq that is making strides towards democracy and reconciliation, that is providing better security for its people, that is beginning to be integrated again into the region," she added.
Washington accuses Tehran of trying to destabilize the Shi'ite-led Iraqi government by training and arming local militias, a charge Iran denies.
The United States has been pressing Sunni Arab governments to shore up the government of Nuri al-Maliki by forgiving debts and opening diplomatic missions.
No ambassador from any Sunni-led Arab nation has been stationed permanently in Baghdad since 2005. The Sunni-led Arab governments cite security concerns.
VIOLENCE IS DOWN
Figures by the U.S. military released on Saturday indicated that violence in Iraq has fallen to its lowest level in more than four years, though officials say the progress is still reversible.
Analysts say the Iraqi government's reliance on the U.S. and other foreign troops and perceived collusion by the Shi'ite-led Iraqi government with fellow-Shi'ite Iran may also lie behind the reluctance to normalize ties.
Saudi Arabia wants the Maliki government to reach out to the Sunni Muslim minority politically. The main Sunni Arab political bloc quit the national unity government last August, demanding the release of prisoners and more say on security.
Ekaterina Stepanova, project leader at the Armed Conflicts and Conflict Management Program at the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, said it would take a more representative Iraqi government for Arab neighbors to strengthen ties with the country.
"Any lasting solution to this endemic problem of state weakness in Iraq would require full, not just symbolic, Sunni political participation in the government," Stepanova said.
The Maliki government has committed to economic and political reforms under the International Compact with Iraq process, which aims at increasing the international engagement in the reconstruction of Iraq.
The commitments are the quid pro quo for support that the international community has in return committed to.
"Clearly this kind of meeting has some
potential but it probably should not be overstated," said Rick Barton,
a senior adviser at the Center for Strategic and International Studies
in Washington, adding debt relief and distribution of oil funds would
be high on the agenda.
(Editing by Sami Aboudi)
Gallup Poll Shows 62
Percent Say Abortion a Factor in Their Presidential Vote
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- A new Gallup poll
shows abortion hasn't been a huge factor yet in the in the presidential
race, but 62 percent of Americans will use abortion as a factor when
they consider which presidential candidate to support. Abortion is one
issue on which John McCain and Barack Obama or Hillary Clinton have big
differences. The Gallup survey, conducted May 8-11, found 13 percent of
voters say a presidential candidate must share their views on abortion
to get their vote. Another 49 percent say abortion is one of many
factors they will use to determine which candidate to support. Only 37
percent say abortion is not a major issue and two percent said they
have no opinion. As has normally been the case, the abortion issue
favors pro-life candidates as pro-life advocates are more likely to say
they will vote for a candidate based on their abortion position. While
just 11 percent of pro-abortion voters say a candidate must share their
views, 15 percent of pro-life voters say the same thing, giving
pro-life candidates a four percent advantage. Full story at LifeNews.com.
John McCain Continues
Electoral College Lead Over Barack Obama
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- Eventual Republican
presidential candidate John McCain continues to lead Barack Obama in
the electoral college vote. While McCain would defeat Obama in a
general election matchup, he would lose by a significant margin to
Hillary Clinton should she manage to overcome long odds and become the
nominee. Looking at the McCain-Obama matchup, McCain comes in with 279
electoral college votes, nine more than the 270 necessary to capture
the nomination. Obama receives 259 electoral college votes, according
to a LifeNews.com analysis. McCain would win the presidency had the
election occurred today because he holds leads in several of the top
battleground states. A Quinnipiac poll released on Thursday shows
McCain leading Obama 44 to 40 percent in Ohio, and 45 to 41 percent in
Florida. A Rasmussen poll released on Wednesday showed McCain with a
high 10 percent lead in Florida, 50 to 40 percent. In other
battleground states, McCain holds a 51 to 43 percent lead in North
Carolina, a Survey USA poll shows and he leads Obama 48 to 45 percent
in Missouri, Rasmussen has McCain up 46 to 40 in Nevada, and a Virginia
Commonwealth University poll has McCain leading 44 to 36 percent. Obama
has leads in several key states including Pennsylvania, where
Quinnipiac has him up 46 to 40; Virginia, where he leads 49 to 42
percent in a Survey USA poll; Colorado, where Obama leads 48 to 42
percent in a Rasmussen poll; and Minnesota, where he leads by a 51 to
38 percent margin. Full story at LifeNews.com.
Christian Group Says
Barack Obama Would Become the "Abortion President"
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- A
Christian organization is preparing a new educational campaign to
inform voters about Barack Obama's pro-abortion views since it appears
he is more likely to become the Democratic presidential nominee. The
Christian Defense Coalition says Obama would become the "abortion
president." The group told LifeNews.com on Thursday that Obama's views
on abortion would be the most radical and extremist of any president in
history. The CDC says they are completely out of step with the opinions
of mainstream America. "For all his talk on change and social justice,
Senator Obama clings to and embraces archaic and radical pro-abortion
policies that most Americans find appalling," says Rev. Patrick J.
Mahoney, director of the group. "While the majority of Americans are
growing more and more uncomfortable with abortion rights, Senator Obama
wants to radically expand them and even ask people of faith to pay for
abortions," he added. "Senator Obama, this is change we can live
without." Over the next several weeks leading up to the Democratic
convention, the Christian Defense Coalition plans to launch a national
campaign exposing Obama's views. The group hopes to reach both Catholic
and evangelical voters with the message. Full story at LifeNews.com.
Habitat for Humanity
Accused of Helping Planned Parenthood Abortion Center
Sarasota, FL (LifeNews.com) -- The
Christian non-profit housing ministry Habitat for Humanity stands
accused of helping a Florida-based Planned Parenthood overcome a hurdle
to building a new abortion business. A pro-life advocate says Planned
Parenthood would have been stymied in building the new center without
the group's help. Planned Parenthood has been looking to build a new
abortion facility in the Rosemary District north of downtown Sarasota.
However, according to local zoning rules, the abortion business can't
build the new center unless a multi-family housing unit is built on the
back of the lot. According to Jim Sedlak of STOPP International, a
Planned Parenthood watchdog group, the pro-abortion group approached
the local planning board and asked for a five-year extension since it
is not a builder and couldn't find a buyer for the lot. The board
denied the request and insisted Planned Parenthood obtain a building
permit for the residential building. Planned Parenthood came up with a
creative solution and sold the lot to Habitat for Humanity for $10. "So,
Habitat for Humanity, an organization that claims to be a Christian
ministry, is now working with Planned Parenthood," Sedlak told
LifeNews.com. Full story at
LifeNews.com.
President Bush Signs
Pro-Life Bill to Ban Genetic Discrimination Into Law
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) --
On Wednesday, President Bush signed a bill to ban genetic
discrimination into law and satisfied the concerns of pro-life groups.
With the genetic testing of unborn children becoming more common, the
bill helps them receive further protection. The measure bars employers
and health insurers from discriminating against individuals on the
basis of their own or their family members’ genetic information. Health
insurance companies would be prohibited from basing enrollment or
premium decisions on the results of genetic tests and employers
couldn't rely on them to making hiring, assignment or promotion
decisions. "I want to thank the members of Congress who've joined us as
I sign the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act, a piece of
legislation which prohibits health insurers and employers from
discriminating on the basis of genetic information," President Bush
said yesterday afternoon as he signed the bill. "In other words, it
protects our citizens from having genetic information misused, and this
bill does so without undermining the basic premise of the insurance
industry," he added. Pro-life groups say the bill helps protect the
disabled, who can easily become victims of discrimination. Full story at LifeNews.com.
Pro-Life Congressmen
Thwart U.S. Support for UN Abortion Initiative
New York, NY -- Pro-life congressmen, lead
by Chris Smith (R-NJ) and Bart Stupak (D-MI), rescued a congressional
resolution supporting reduction of women’s mortality at home and abroad
from surreptitiously advancing the pro-abortion agenda advanced at the
United Nations. House Resolution 1022, as
now drafted, promotes both “maternal health and child survival” without
a stealth promotion of abortion. The language that was
removed by Smith and Stupak called for funding of "global initiatives"
and the recognition of maternal health as a "human right." Using such
language would have lent U.S. support for a new pro-abortion initiative
launched at a London conference last October called “Women Deliver.” At the
Women Deliver conference pro-abortion advocates launched the
International Initiative on Maternal Mortality and Human Rights that
seeks to link the maternal mortality issue with access to abortion
while furthering development of “soft law” norms that include abortion
as a human right. Full story at LifeNews.com.
Is Abortion a Women's
Issue and Should Men Stay Out of the Debate?
by
Bryan Kemper
I often get e-mails and messages telling me
that I should stay out of the 'abortion issue' because I'm a man. I've
been told that I have no business getting involved since I can never
get pregnant. Some even go so far as to tell me that, if men could get
pregnant, we would make abortion a sacrament. The problem with this
argument is that it's meant to detract from the key issue of
personhood. Most arguments you will hear from the pro-abortion side are
simply rabbit trails meant to steer clear of personhood, the heart of
what we are fighting for. The first mistake is referring to it as the
'abortion issue.' While abortion is the largest part of the personhood
fight, it is still just one part of the culture of death and the
destruction of personhood. This is not just about women either; it's
about everyone involved including the mother, the father and the baby.
To think that the mother of the child being killed is the only one who
has any right to an opinion is absurd. Unfortunately, this argument is
often used by men who call themselves pro-life. They say that, while
they are pro-life, they have no business telling a woman not to kill
her child. Full story at LifeNews.com.
Michigan Abortions Down
Over Three Percent to Lowest Level Since 1979
Lansing, MI (LifeNews.com) -- New statistics released
today from the Michigan Department of Community Health show the number
of abortions dropped in 2007. The number of abortions in Michigan is
now at its lowest level since 1979, when the state health department
first began tracking figures. The report shows 24,683 abortions were
done in Michigan during 2007 compared to 25,636 Michigan abortions in
2006, a drop of 3.7 percent or 953 abortions. Since 1987, there has
been a 49.7 percent decrease in the number of abortions performed in
Michigan annually. That huge drop is thanks in part to pregnancy
centers in the state and the work of groups like Right to Life of
Michigan that have focused on education and run significant media
campaigns helping women find abortion alternatives. Abortions in
Michigan have now dropped three of the last four years. RLM president
told LifeNews.com her group is "extremely grateful for the large
decrease in abortions." "The fact that fewer
women are having abortions in Michigan demonstrates more and more women
are coming to the realization that abortion is not the answer to an
unplanned pregnancy," she said. Full story at
LifeNews.com.
Louisiana Senate
Committee Moves Ban on Human Cloning Funding Forward
Baton Rouge, LA (LifeNews.com) -- The
Senate Committee on Health and Welfare moved a ban on taxpayer funding
of human cloning forward on Wednesday and now it heads to the full
Senate for a debate and vote. There was no opposition to HB 370 in the
committee and the full Senate is expected to sign off on the bill. To
emphasize the grassroots support the measure has, Louisiana Right to
Life officials turned in nearly 14,000 signatures from pro-life
advocates. The bill prohibits using any state funds on either
reproductive or research-based human cloning. State Rep. Cameron Henry,
a Republican who is the main sponsor of the measure, told the panel
that it would not affect the limited federal funding of embryonic stem
cell research nor would it affect funding of adult stem cell research
conducted at LSU or Tulane University. In April, the Louisiana House
approved the bill with a 90-9 bipartisan vote and pro-life Gov. Bobby
Jindal has already indicated he would sign it into law. Dorinda
Bordlee, an attorney with the Bioethics Defense Fund, told LifeNews.com
she also supports the bill. Full story at LifeNews.com.
British Catholic Cardinal
Says More Education Needed to Reduce Abortions
London, England (LifeNews.com) -- A
British Catholic leader is encouraging pro-life advocates after a
disappointing vote against reducing late-term abortions. Cardinal
Cormac Murphy O'Connor released a statement saying more should be done
to educate and persuade Britons to oppose abortion and seek
alternatives. Some pro-life groups had hoped to be able to reduce
abortions from the current 24-week limit to at least 20 or 22 weeks
into pregnancy. A reduction in the abortion limit to 20 weeks would
have saved the lives of 2,500 babies annually, but MPs easily defeated
the effort to limit the abortions. "Many people will have been very
disappointed by the result of last night's votes on the abortion time
limit. But this issue will not go away," Cardinal O'Connor said in a
statement. "While the law affects
attitudes, it does not in itself compel anyone to have an abortion.
Even without a change in the law there is much we can all do to change
the situation," he explained. "For the sake of our
common humanity, and the lives at stake, we must work to foster a new
understanding and approach to relationships, responsibility and mutual
support," he urged. "Even without a change in the law we can and should
work together at least to make abortion much rarer." Full story at LifeNews.com.
And amazing it was. It made it possible for him to stand today on the verge of being the first black person ever nominated for president by a major party.
One could guess the thoughts of the blacks and whites in that crowd: Can you believe that our state — South Carolina, first to secede and first to open fire in the Civil War — is now catapulting a black man to the front of the presidential contest in a year that bodes well for Democrats?
"Race doesn't matter," some began to chant. "Race doesn't matter!"
The cry soon gave way to more familiar chants of "Yes we can," and everyone in the auditorium surely knew that race does still matter in so many ways. But in a pinch-me moment, they seemed to realize that a barrier had been broken with a swiftness and certainty that even they had not foreseen.
Even more astounding, the man vaulting ahead of the universally known former first lady, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, had been a state legislator only four years earlier — a lawyer with no fame, wealth or family connections.
Now, the entire nation and countless foreigners are absorbing a moment that had seemed decades away, if possible at all. Smart strategists and rank-and-file voters ponder how Obama rose so far so fast, and theories abound. Historians will sort it out someday, but Obama's blend of oratory, biography, optimism and cool confidence come to mind most immediately.
It's not just about him, of course. If America can seriously think of putting a black man in the White House, surely it must also profoundly rethink the relevance of race, the power of prejudice, the logic of affirmative action and other societal forces that have evolved slowly through the eras of Jim Crow, desegregation and massive immigration.
Maybe the toughest question is this:
Is Obama, with his incandescent smile and silky oratory, a once-in-a-century phenomenon who will blast open doors only to see them quickly close on less extraordinary blacks?
Or is he the lucky and well-timed beneficiary of racial dynamics that have changed faster than most people realized, a trend that presumably will soon yield more black governors, senators, mayors and council members?
Presidential campaigns have destroyed many bright and capable politicians. But there's ample evidence that Obama is something special, a man who makes difficult tasks look easy, who seems to touch millions of diverse people with a message of hope that somehow doesn't sound Pollyannaish.
Rep. Elijah Cummings, a black Maryland Democrat who endorsed Obama early, says the Illinois senator convinces people of all races that Americans as a society, and as individuals, can achieve higher goals if they try.
"He says we can do better, and his life is the epitome of doing better," says Cummings, noting that Obama was raised by a single mother who sometimes relied on food stamps. "He convinces people that there's a lot of good within them."
And why should they believe such feel-good platitudes? "Because he's real and he has confidence in his own competence," Cummings says.
Without question, Obama is an electrifying speaker. At virtually every key juncture in his trajectory, he has used inspirational oratory to generate excitement, buy time to deal with crises, and force party activists to rethink their assumptions that a black man with an African name cannot seriously vie for the presidency.
A prime-time speech at the Democratic convention in Boston catapulted him to national attention in 2004. When his presidential campaign badly trailed Clinton's high-flying operation, he gave it new life with a timely Iowa speech that outshone her remarks moments earlier on the same stage. And a heavily covered March 18 speech about race relations calmed criticisms about his ties to his former pastor, although Obama had to revisit the matter when the minister restated incendiary remarks about the government.
Obama has a compelling biography, too. The son of a black African father he barely knew, and a white Kansan mother who took him from Hawaii to Indonesia, he was largely raised by his white maternal grandparents. He finished near the top of his Harvard law class, then rejected big firms' salaries to work as a community organizer in Southside Chicago, where he found a church, his wife and a place that felt like home.
But all those attributes don't explain the Obama phenomenon.
Other great orators have fallen short of the presidency, including Daniel Webster and William Jennings Bryan.
Plenty of brilliant people have tried and failed, too. Bill Bradley was a Princeton graduate, basketball star and Rhodes Scholar.
Intriguing biographies aren't enough, either. John Glenn was an astronaut and American hero, but he couldn't get off the presidential launchpad.
Jim Margolis, a veteran campaign strategist now working for Obama, thinks it is his blend of all these traits, wrapped in "authenticity," which makes Obama's message of hope and inclusion seem plausible, not pie in the sky.
Margolis interviewed many of Obama's Harvard classmates for TV ads and documentaries. They told him Obama "was wise beyond his years, and never talked down to people," Margolis said.
"He has this amazing ability to connect with people and understand their problems," he said. "And through it all, there is this optimism."
For a politician with only four years of experience at the federal level, Obama also has spot-on instincts, associates say, and a steely confidence in his convictions, in good times and bad. His roughest patch came after Clinton revived her campaign with wins in Ohio and Pennsylvania, and a renewed uproar over Obama's former pastor threatened to consume his campaign.
Obama rejected advice to criticize Clinton more fiercely, and went back to his themes of political and racial reconciliation. His solid win in North Carolina and near miss in Indiana confirmed his judgment.
Obama and his small core of longtime advisers also outsmarted the vaunted Clinton team by focusing early on small caucus states, where he racked up important wins. His fundraising has been nothing short of astounding, with millions of dollars pouring in via the Internet from people who never gave a politician a dime.
Obama fans often search for words to express their attraction.
"He just really electrifies you when you are listening to him," said Lena Bradley, 78, a beauty salon owner in Washington. "He has something that's leading him."
As ephemeral as "something that's leading him" sounds, it's hard to explain in more clinical terms his impact on people. But it's there.
As recently as June 2006, a lone reporter could travel with Obama in cars and small planes as he campaigned for other Democrats in state after state. On one such visit to Massachusetts and New Jersey, his charm was on full display before crowds of various size, age and ethnic makeup. He made teenagers guffaw by saying people pronounced his name "Yo Mama." He quoted scripture in a black church, and set every head nodding.
On a plane ride he talked with the reporter for an hour, on the record, with barely a hint of the nervousness or hedging that most politicians understandably display to someone with a pen, pad and tape recorder.
Before an audience of 300 people in East Orange, N.J., Obama spotted local resident and famous singer Dionne Warwick. He smiled impishly and sang, "If you see me walking down the street," the opening line of her hit, "Walk on By." The crowd roared its approval of his on-key ad lib.
Some veteran politicians also see "something that's leading" Obama, whether they can explain it or not.
Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., a longtime friend and supporter, said "nothing was ever the same" after Obama's Boston speech.
Durbin recalls pulling Obama into a vacant meeting room in Chicago's Union League Club, where both had spoken on a Friday afternoon in November 2006. He felt it was time for his young colleague to decide whether to run for the White House.
"There are moments in life when you can pick the time," Durbin said he told Obama. "But when it comes to running for president, the time can pick you. You've been picked. This is your moment."
A short time later, Obama launched his
candidacy.
Now for a different kind of treat. Herewith follow the personal reflections of a world-traveling journalist whose particular work and sphere of influence are in the field of Aging. Carole Marks Scott is a self-made wife and mother-turned-businesswoman who is founder and CEO of Focus Communications, Talkers Magazine, and the Talk Radio News Service. She hosts “A Touch of Grey”, a daily one-hour syndicated radio talk show focusing on aging. She is also a credentialed White House correspondent.
Ms. Scott recently returned from a tour of Far East Cities. Click here to read her un-edited comments.
THURSDAY and FRIDAY, May 8 and 9, 2008
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