The people who show up to see the Obamas and the Bidens are the nicest people. I have never had so much fun with a quarter million people.



Finding our way...

Ha! Gergen

Hi DU,

I don't usually post but thanks to mntsnake post:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discu...
I decided to peck out a post (I'm no typist!)
I came into this election cycle a major Clarkie. General Clark's testimony to congress in the run up to the Iraq war inspired me to the draft Clark movement. I was disappointed he decided not to attempt a second run. I was left with no real connection to the committed candidates. So I just sat on the side lines for a while.

Being from the Chicago suburbs with all Republican relatives and in-laws I have spent over a decade defending President Clinton. I did it proudly with no regret.I have always referred to the Clinton-Gore Administration as the "salad days". My husband and I made our way in the nineties with our young family after the Regan years had forced my husband to join the military to find work. If it wasn't for those "salad days" we would not be where we are today. I wish my children had the same opportunity (G-DAMN George Bush). So I have a soft spot for the Clinton's and the Gore family. I was able to see the Clinton Library in '04 and left in tears at how much they accomplished and how much the current resident destroyed.(G-DAMN George Bush)

Well I had heard a bit about Obama being my State Senator and then my new Senator, loved the speech at the convention. Appreciated the speech before the war, but other than that I didn't know too much. I never payed to much attention to local politics coming from moving about as an Army wife. Then Wes Clark endorsed Hillary so I figured that's where I would concentrate my attention. I studied her positions and accomplishments and admire her for being so tough. I decided to commit to advocating for her as our nominee. This put me on the defensive 95% of the time. I felt it was really unfair. I would just mention her and people would immediately have a negative reaction. Republican and Democrat alike. "Why..what is your reason for feeling this way?" I would ask. The majority of the time there would be no substantial reason. Most of it had to do with Bill and the clenis if I was speaking to a Republican and Democrats and those in between really had no good reason for the negativity. I thought Hillary was getting a really bad rap for no reason. Frustrating....she didn't deserve it.

I am a huge fan of Senator Durbin. He really is the best. He is a true public servant. He has personally helped my husband and I in a battle with the military which had my husband career and freedom at stake (long crazy story). We had contacted all our elected officials and Senator Durbin was not only the only one to respond but personally saw through the whole matter till it was quickly resolved. So when Senator Durbin has something to say he has my attention. I listened to what he had to say about Senator Obama. I didn't realize Senator Durbin was instrumental in convincing Barak to run until I saw this:
http://video.aol.com/video-detail/sen-durb...

Here was one of the most liberal politicians and a much loved political hero, how could I not listen. Then I was floored to hear that one of our most popular Republican State Senators, Kirk Dillard, was being raked over the right wing coals for endorsing Obama in the primaries and even appearing in spots for Obama in Iowa:
http://illinoisreview.typepad.com/illinois...

Being so sick and tired of the blinding divisions in our country this peaked my interest. While still defending Hillary and trying to be true to my other hero, General Clark, I started to listen to the message of Barak Obama.

My family and in-laws are from the south side of Chicago. I was raised in a racially charged environment. My relatives migrated here from Norway and Sweden, in-laws are Eastern Europe and england by way of Kansas. Many settled in the Roseland community on the South Side. The civil rights movement found deepening divisions in Chicago and politicians answer to these divides made things worse. The expansion of Caprini Green and other "projects" on the south side cemented the anger and bitterness for generations. My relatives began the "white flight" south suburb migration as the housing towers went up, the business closed and the grass disappeared. The blame was misplaced. The loss of community was wrongly blamed on the black families forced into these concrete prisons that where anything but "green". Then to compound these issues for the next generation and cement the divisions and bad feelings between the communities, politicians decided to force desegregation by mandatory busing. There was no building understanding between the two worlds. Hearts and minds were not opened...just slammed shut. My relatives felt communities they built again, the brand new high school they just opened up would all be taken over again by poverty, crime and concrete. It was wrong to feel that way but that's all they knew, it happened before. That is why they are Republicans. Racism makes them republicans. No communication and no understanding makes them republicans. Fear makes them republicans.

I've given up on some and some I just pity. My mother-in-law sits in her south suburban kitchen and counts the increasing number of black people who walk by. Her husband just retired and with the fixed income refuses her requests to move from the house they have long paid off. The fear she holds onto is deep seeded from her parents who moved her from Roseland. The fear is not a result from the problem but one of the root causes.
And in the bigger picture of what our beloved country has become under republican rule is the fear and bigotry. This country can never prosper again until it heals. This country can never address the atrocities perpetrated by these republicans with any credibility until we address the fear and bigotry that divides us on our own soil. Whether it's race, gender or social or religious, until the people of the United States of America can stop seeing the world through this divided prism of bigotry, hate, and fear, we will destroy ourselves from within. I feel the next generation is ready. I am ready.
But how did it all go so wrong, so fast? Bush could not have done it alone. Dividing the country for them was easy because of the fear and bigotry had already been there and as bad as Bush has been for ALL of us, it has not been a cure for republican rule. People in this country will continue to vote against their best interest because of fear and bigotry. You can see it all around us. I feel as though the time is right to unite but we need that communication. We need a new message to pass on to the next generation. The current political climate must change.
I listened to Senator Clinton as she spoke of horrible policies of the Bush administration and the need for change. That is a message we democrats are way past waiting for. It feels like forever. I think she could help our image in the world community because of the regard for Bill Clinton. Though, I have to ask myself how long that would last if we don't address the issues of division and fear that keep the republicans in power.
The reality is the Clintons are divisive and polarizing and I am saddened by this because I don't believe it to be their fault. I defended her. I really feel the attacks on her (and Bill) in the past are disgusting. But it is what it is. Then her message changed and I knew it had to be. She was behind and had to attack on whatever weak points her campaign perceived. But the politics used to win were those of division and fear, the 3:00 am call, cozying up to McCain, "as far as I know" comment, ect..and in the desperation to be seen as experienced, the Bosnia embellishments. Well it was then I knew the inspiration I was looking for to unite us was not going to come from her.
Then Reverend Wright. What a true lesson that was for me. Senator Obama's speech addressed the very issue that I felt was one of the core issues facing this country. The fear and bigotry I grew up with. The reasons that reasonable people would act so unreasonable as to vote in fear against their best interest. Communication and leadership is what we crave. Inspiration to see things from both sides. I can understand where Reverend Wright is coming from but we have to move beyond. I can understand where my mother-in-law is coming from but we have to move beyond. Senator Obama said this so eloquently. I was inspired. Can my liberal Senator Dick Durbin and my Republican State Senator Kirk Dillard be right? Can a President Obama inspire us to move beyond the fear and bigotry and unite as a country again? How can I not be inspired to hope!

PS..
Be nice.... I've been pecking for hours!

http://blog.pennlive.com/lvbreakingnews/20...


Bill and Hillary Clinton began the presidential primary campaign by trying to characterize Barack Obama's position against the Iraq war as "a fairy tale". But the record clearly shows that on October 2, 2002 at the Federal Plaza in Chicago Barack Obama delivered a powerful speech against the US starting a war in Iraq, while later that same month both Senators Hillary Clinton and John McCain voted for the funds requested by President Bush to authorize the beginning of US military action in Iraq.
After being severely criticized for totally misrepresenting Obama's position on the Iraq war, the Clintons dropped that accusation and instead began saying that Barack Obama was simply too young and inexperienced to be president. Both Hillary Clinton and John McCain have tried to convince voters that because Barack Obama is younger than they are that he therefore must be too young and inexperienced to be president. But the facts suggest otherwise.
Senator John McCain is 71 years old, Senator Hillary Clinton is age 60 and Senator Barak Obama is 46 years of age. Previously America has had both younger and older individuals who have become president and served with great distinction such as Theodore Roosevelt who became president at age 42, John Kennedy who assumed the presidency at age 43, and Ronald Regan who was sworn in as the Commander in Chief on January 20, 1981 at age 69.
Before Abraham Lincoln took the oath of office in 1860 to become our 16th president he had previously served 8 years as an Illinois state legislator and 4 years in the U.S. Congress, which happens to be precisely Barack Obama's experience. Bill Clinton became president at age 46 after having served 12 years as the governor of Arkansas, but without having had any prior experience whatsoever in Washington or as a state legislator.
How do Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton actually compare in terms of their individual experience?
Barack Obama graduated from Harvard Law School Magna Cum Laude in 1991 and served as the President of the Harvard Law Review. Given those credentials he could have joined any number of prestigious law firms but instead felt compelled to give back to his local community, so he returned to his home in Chicago to direct a voter registration drive and work as an attorney representing community organizers working on voting rights and civil rights cases. In 1993 he became a lecturer of Constitutional Law at the University of Chicago Law School and in 1996 was elected to the Illinois State Senate where he served 8 years prior to his landslide election to the US Senate in November 2004. With his combined service as an Illinois State Senator and US Senator, 46 year old Senator Barack Obama is currently is serving his 12th year as an elected legislator accountable to voters.
Hillary Clinton graduated from Yale law school in 1973 and subsequently worked as a lawyer at the Rose Law Firm in Little Rock, Arkansas and has been a very active spouse, first as the wife of the governor of Arkansas and then as the First lady of the United States. In her own right she was elected to the US Senate from her adopted state of New York in 2000, and she is currently serving her 8th year as an elected legislator accountable to voters.
The latest charges being leveled against Barack Obama by Bill and Hillary Clinton are that Barack Obama is unpatriotic and doesn't love America and is not qualified to be commander in chief of our military forces, despite Barack Obama's latest book published in 2006, The Audacity of Hope, which clearly and unmistakably shows how much Senator Barack Obama deeply loves, appreciates, and respects our great country.
Barack Obama's opponents are trying to pretend that his former pastor's anger and bitterness and sometimes over the top 1960's type radical incendiary rhetoric that Barack Obama has repeatedly denounced and has totally rejected are actually the feelings and words of Barack Obama himself rather than those of Rev. Jeremiah Wright Jr.
But again the facts don't support such erroneous conclusions and the current tactics being used by the Clinton's to denigrate Barack Obama are not working any better than previous ones because on March 12, 2008 10 distinguished retired Generals and Admirals of the United States Army, Air Force and Navy unconditionally endorsed Barack Obama for President of the United States and to become the Commander in Chief of all United States Military Forces.
On October 2, 2002, Barack Obama's judgment told him that starting a war in Iraq would be a big mistake and he forcefully said so. Much to the contrary, later that same month both Senators Hillary Clinton and John McCain voted for funds authorizing President Bush to begin the Iraq war.
When Barack Obama decided to run for president, unlike Hillary Clinton and John McCain, he made the significant decision that he would not accept campaign contributions from lobbyists, special interests, and political action committees for his presidential campaign. It was Barack Obama's judgment that it would be preferable if the next President of the United States were elected without being beholden to money peddlers in Washington or anywhere else.
Barack Obama's belief that together ordinary Americans can do extraordinary things has been ridiculed by his opponents as "just high sounding words" and "big talk from a pied piper". But when 1 million ordinary Americans use their credit cards and each gives $25-50 dollars with the click of a mouse to raise $25-50 million dollars for Obama's campaign without the help of special interests, political action committees, lobbyists, $1000 a plate dinners, or huge contributions from American billionaires most of us think that's pretty extraordinary.
Suppose Barack Obama becomes the Democratic nominee for president at the Democratic National Convention in August, and suppose on November 4, 2008 the majority of Americans decide to vote for Barack Obama, the presidential candidate who among many other things has refused to accept campaign contributions from special interests, political action committees, and lobbyists but has financed his campaign solely from the contributions of people to whom he is accountable, people like you and me.
Furthermore, suppose this idea of raising money for political campaigns directly from the voters to whom the candidate is accountable sits so well with the American people that they come to expect that future presidential candidates as well as candidates for other offices such for the US Senate and House of Representatives will do as Barack Obama has done. What if candidates who continue to accept campaign contributions from special interests, political action committees, and lobbyists find it increasingly difficult to get elected? Would that help or hurt democracy in America?
That's the kind of change that Barack Obama represents which concerns so many in Washington who aren't very eager for the American people to reclaim their democracy from the influence of money peddlers, individuals who currently make arrangements to provide huge amounts of financial support to political candidates whom they believe have a good chance of winning and whom they can then "work with" later on.
Don't let fear and hate mongers, talk radio hosts, smooth talking politicians, or anyone else do your thinking for you. We are at a historic moment in America. Barack Obama is a very special candidate for president who can bring about significant changes in Washington and help ordinary Americans begin reclaiming their democracy. Pennsylvania Senator Bob Casey Jr. knows this and has recently endorsed Senator Barack Obama, recognizing Obama's integrity, intelligence, and the strong leadership he can provide as president. It is time for voters in Pennsylvania and in the remaining states that will soon vote in the presidential primary election to stand up and be counted. It's time for ordinary Americans to begin the process of reclaiming America.

Do you really know who they were and who they are now...... and why???





Full interview here:LA FREE PRESS

Send in the clowns cause your surge is a joke

Who will be the last man to die for a lie.
If I could chose, I would chose who lied.....


But I'm just a soccer mom who never really cared about politics........... till you.

I went from suburban car pools... to thirty hour bus trips to see a fool.


I stood in front of the house you have occupied to tell you to stop the killing,
all those graves you are filling.


Then you've come to my town on your million dollar photo ops.
All expensive stupid flops.


I have screamed at your massive limos on parade and your deafening chopper brigade.


Do you hear me? I'm one of millions and billions world wide.




Will I make a difference?
I alone you won't hear. But I have friends I know really care and do try.
We all want it to stop, the killing, the lies.
...


With alarming urgency, this man, my friend, speaks out cause it's right.
His love for this country is his only fight.

He's been talking to you, Bush, for years now it seems, and he's asking for all my friends to work as a team.
Can we stop this madness, or is it in vane. Can we squash the surge, or are you just insane.

My friend is insistent, time is running out. We don't have two years to bring change about.
We must act now and do what we can. Will you lend this soccer mom and her friend a hand?


Will you join me again, we have to try............ before the next soldier dies.
.http://ga4.org/campaign/stopthesurge

http://www.dailyherald.com/news/dupagestor...

Aurora plant the backdrop for science spending push

By Lisa Smith
Daily Herald Staff Writer

snip>>>>>
President Bush’s Chicago visit Friday included a tour of an Aurora technology plant, where he thanked hometown U.S. Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert for supporting his plan to double the federal government’s research budget “to help companies like this stay on the leading edge of change.”


snip>>>>>
More than a dozen protesters were among the throng of onlookers gathered outside the plant, shouting anti-Bush and anti-Hastert messages at drivers passing through the Meridian Business Park on the city’s far east side.

Holding up a sign identifying herself as a “Naperville soccer mom against Bush,” Wendy Danrich said she wanted to send this message to the commander in chief: He doesn’t enjoy blanket support in middle America.

“Mainstream America is feeling frustrated with this administration,” Danrich said, adding that she disagrees with the president’s policies on health care, Social Security and the Iraq war.

A few feet away, Anna Wills of Plainfield hoisted a navy blue Bush-Cheney sign into the air. She said she supports the president.

“It’s difficult to take a country to war,” Wills said. “War is difficult for everybody. It’s important that we be a little more united, a little more patriotic.”

BITE ME ANNA !!

Albania
The Skanderbeg Medal
Argentina
Order of Merit
Belgium
The Grand Cordon of the Order of Leopold
Bulgaria
Order of the Madara Horseman, First Class with Swords
Canada
The Meritorious Service Cross
Croatia
Grade of Prince Branimir with Ribbon and Star
Czech Republic
Cross of Merit of the Minister of Defense First Class
England
Honorary Knight Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire
Estonia
Order of the Cross of the Eagle
France
Commander of the Legion of Honor
Germany
Grand Cross of the Order of Merit
Hungary
Order of Merit of the Hungarian Republic
Italy
Grand Officer of the Order of Merit
Lithuania
First Class Order of Lithuanian Grand Duke Gediminas
Luxembourg
Grand Officer of the Order of Merit of the Grand Duchy
Morocco
Grand Cordon of the Ouissam Alaoui
Netherlands
Knight Grand Cross in the Order of Orange-Nassau, with Swords
Poland
The Commander's Cross with Star of the Order of Merit
Portugal
Grand Cross of the Medal of Military Merit
Slovakia
Commemorative Medal of the Minister of Defence of the Slovak Republic First Class
Slovenia
Commander's Cross, The Silver Order of Freedom
Spain
Grand Medal of Military Merit (White Band)

Republic of Vietnam VIETNAM
Republic of Vietnam Combat Medal

This is International Awards. There are many more civilian and military awards like this:

Defense Distinguished Service Medal (with 4 Oak Leaf Clusters)


The Defense Distinguished Service Medal (DDSM) is a United States military award presented for exceptionally distinguished performance of duty contributing to national security or defense of the United States. The decoration is awarded only at the highest levels of the military while assigned to a joint activity. The DDSM may also be awarded to other senior officers whose direct and individual contributions to national security or defense are recognized as being so exceptional in scope and value as to be equivalent to contributions normally associated with positions encompassing broader responsibilities. General Clark received this award on five separate occasions.

It is the United States's highest peacetime defense award.

The Wes Clark websight, securingamerica.com, has been completely updated, looks beautiful! I found a link to all his awards, all five pages!There is complete decriptions of the awards and the circumstances in witch they were awarded.:
http://securingamerica.com/taxonomy/term/7...
His latest was May 25 from Latvia

Can you imagine having such a honored and esteemed person as our President?
Well a girl can dream, right?


Edit to add:
(One of the most highly decorated military officers since General Dwight D. Eisenhower)
I reduced it in subject to fit but this is factual correct.

This land is my land

This land is OUR land

I am a lurker since Oct '03. I don't post to much cause I tend to be long winded on what I feel passionate about. Then the thread is gone! But your post spoke to me .
I was at a yearly "kick-off"conferrence in Malta for the global company my husband works for. It was the week "shock and awe" began. We were with people from offices all over the world and we represented the first North American office. I cannot begin to describe the shame I felt for being an American. I never want to feel that way again. So I started searching for someone I could be proud to represent me as an American.
I was surprised but so thankfull to find what I was looking for in Wes Clark. I have been a complete supporter since I first reseached him as a candidate in Sept. '03. Everything I learned seemed to be too good to be true and I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop. Well it's been two years and still waiting. He continues to impress me as an intelligent, compassionate, humble leader that truely wants to serve his country.
I have seen him numerous times and one thing that has always struck me was how Bush's war in Iraq has effected him. You can see and hear the anguish he feels when he speaks about this ill conceived war he told congress not to wage and it's effects on our military, our country, and the world.
After being wounded in Vietnam, Wes Clark as a Rhodes Scholar and first at West Point, had many opportunities before him. But after seeing the devastating effects of the draft and the Vietnam war he felt he could best serve his country by working to restore the all volunteer Armed Services. I believe with the lifetime of hard work and dedication Wes Clark and other military leaders had achieved this goal. I was a military wife for the first six years of my marriage from 86' to 92' and I can attest to this.
He is a true patriot that has fought hard for the ideals and values this country was founded on. The America that the majority of us know and love and feel we have lost. He has fought for the soldier and his family and now he wants to fight for us.
But you don't have to take my word for it. You can research for yourself.
www.securingamerica.com