https://www.conservapedia.com/api.php?action=feedcontributions&feedformat=atom&user=DerekSmalls 2026-11-13T00:18:46Z User contributions MediaWiki 1.35.14 https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Colbert_Report_Viewers&diff=729205 2009-12-11T03:56:45Z

<p>DerekSmalls: /* Open letter to Conservapedia */</p> <hr /> <div>== FAQ ==<br /> ''This section will be expanded as it becomes apparent what our new audience wishes to know.''<br /> ::''See also : [[Conservapedia:How_Conservapedia_Differs_from_Wikipedia|How Conservapedia Differs from Wikipedia]]''<br /> <br /> <br /> === '''Why is registration necessary?''' ===<br /> <br /> Conservapedia discourages anonymous contribution, preferring to lend accountability to our articles by requiring users contribute with an account, based on their real name (first name, last initial).<br /> <br /> <br /> === '''Does Conservapedia have a conservative bias?''' ===<br /> <br /> Conservapedia is up front about our beliefs and our politics - obviously. Despite this, some might say we have a bias towards the truth. To those who have gone to public schools and been inundated with mainstream media their whole life, this may seem like a strong conservative bias.<br /> <br /> <br /> == WELCOME COLBERT REPORT VIEWERS ==<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> === Please comment or ask questions here: ===<br /> '''Please sign all comments with &quot;&lt;nowiki&gt;~~~~&lt;/nowiki&gt;&quot;. Thank you.'''<br /> <br /> &quot;To those who have gone to public schools and been inundated with mainstream media their whole life, this may seem like a strong conservative bias.&quot;<br /> Not to forget those who have ever read a book and the ones that did not grow up in a cave.<br /> <br /> <br /> I'm a wakkkkkkyyyyyyyy dem haha so everything I see on this site are such lies. It's apparent to me that you run your whole site off of lies and brainwash of the general public. So I have a question how do you sleeep at night if I wad you I'd just huddle in my bed sucking my thumb yelling for my momy. This site makes me wonder do you have a mom or a sole for that matter or did you just spawn out of the mud one day. The sad part is, I'm 15 and I see through your lies. Who ever reads this should tell me what you think at www.myspace.com/brenton_lemay &quot;Brenton&quot;.<br /> <br /> hi, i am a Canadian and even i can see that you use facts that have more holes than swiss cheese and are backed up by so called 'experts' that don't even have degrees in the subjects they talk about.<br /> <br /> I'll start. How are we supposed to do that when you haven't opened this page up to editing by users who aren't registered? Whoops!<br /> <br /> :By registering, I'd say. --[[User:BenjaminS|Ben]] &lt;sub&gt;[[User Talk:BenjaminS|Talk]]&lt;/sub&gt; 23:39, 8 December 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> Doesn't that seem needlessly insular to you? While registering is simplistic, this also seems heavily uninviting to new visitors.<br /> <br /> :Well ultimately, we're about building an useful educational resource. Anyone who wouldn't even bother registering probably isn't really interested in making substantive contributions. --[[User:BenjaminS|Ben]] &lt;sub&gt;[[User Talk:BenjaminS|Talk]]&lt;/sub&gt; 23:45, 8 December 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> I'd forgotten how full of himself Colbert is. Unbelievable. It's a good thing O'Reilly is a rerun tonight, or I don't think I could take this.--[[User:Gonzo55|Gonzo55]] 07:07, 9 December 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> The one night Colbert might have some honest, conservative viewers, and he gives half his show over to this Marxist nutcase.--[[User:Gonzo55|Gonzo55]] 07:08, 9 December 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> Haha. Colberts the man. People anyone who has a problem with colbert caz hes full of himself?! Thats an act... COlberts the man!!!! bill o reilly is a hypocrit nut job along with glenn beck and all of his fox news hypocritical bias friends. u might as well delete this because you don't agree with me, bias BS.<br /> 00:48, 9 December 2009 (EST)00:48, 9 December 2009 (EST)00:48, 9 December 2009 (EST)~~<br /> <br /> So, if you look at the entry on Global Warming here on Conservapedia it's blatantly obvious that there is extreme conservative bias. The first paragraph is nothing more than a subtle attack on the subject from a right wing point of view. A non bias entry would give a definition and only state the evidence for and against it and nothing else. An objective viewpoint sits in the middle and draws no conclusions. Anything that disagrees with the values of Conservapedia is immediately deemed &quot;liberal.&quot; Here is the first paragraph from the Global Warming entry: ''The Global warming theory asserts that human activity causes dangerous increases in temperatures, despite studies showing the the Earth has been in a cooling pattern since 1998. Liberal scientists have insisted that man-made pollution has caused dangerous warming, but all of their computer models failed to predict cooling that the Earth is experiencing. [1] By pushing their liberal bias, they are misinforming citizens. In November 2009, emails were publicly released that demonstrated wrongful manipulation and concealment of data by scientists who have insisted that there is dangerous man-made global warming.''<br /> <br /> Conservapedia, it's great that your publishing the ultra-conservative point of view. Just don't try to claim that it is objective. It's not. [[User:DaveGBx|DaveGBx]] 09:49, 10 December 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> I heard about this on the colbert report. I haven't had much time to explore the site, but being a senior in a public high school that was raised in an extremely conservative household, I think it's great that someone would take the time to put something like this together. Having just done a paper on organic foods, I also think it's good to see a mass media source that dares to show the conservative side of the argument and not a bunch of liberal bs about how great a starving, communist society would be.[[User:Desertdog|Desertdog]]<br /> <br /> I'm a big Colbert and Jon Stewart fan. So obviously I was hesitant to come to this website after the interview on the Report. But I did, mostly because the guest told Colbert that this is a non-liberal-biased website. Now, to me (and my stupid little non-conservative brain), that meant that this website would try and steer clear of any bias because it claims to present the truth. I read some pages. And now I want to throw up. Thank you all for cementing my political and personal beliefs by creating a website that is the antithesis to it all. I know now why we'll never reach an understanding; your beliefs are based on false &quot;facts&quot; and ignorance, mine aren't. I guess we'll just have to agree to disagree. God only knows that you'll probably start a war on me though. Oh well.<br /> <br /> <br /> Wow - reading this site I can't tell if you people are insane, ignorant, malicious or a combination of the above. I don't consider myself a liberal by any means but good heavens you just HAVE to know that most of your articles are outright lies. None of the articles I've read are not at all suitable for research and some contain almost no truth. I also find your complete idiocy regarding the e.coli experiment unfathomable. It makes me physically ill to see people so uneducated, so superstitious and so ideologically poisoned affecting young minds. I understand now why this site is such a laughing stock. Most of your views are for comic reasons. I know the colbert nation is going to find this quite amusing. I hope you grow up one day and give up the lie your living on conservapedia. [[User:Hryden|Hryden]] 00:49, 9 December 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> I can't wait to watch the interview. Also, I'm actually Hojimachong. Hi Andy and TK and other assorted admins! I'm sincerely looking forward to acquiring a copy of this conservative Bible. Godspeed! -[[User:DavidCarlson|DavidCarlson]] 00:44, 9 December 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> I'm a little new here, but isn't most of this website in violation of Commandment #6: &quot;Do not post personal opinion on an encyclopedia entry.&quot;?<br /> :You're joking right? This entire site is opinion - I mean they do have an article here that claims dinosaurs may still be among us ... [[User:Hryden|Hryden]] 00:54, 9 December 2009 (EST)<br /> Yeah I was kidding, actually I originally thought that Colbert's team had made this site up a some sort of joke.<br /> <br /> In response to the comment about Colbert &quot;wasting&quot; half his show - he has guests from all over the political spectrum. I respect that a lot, despite disagreeing with several of his guests. And though it's masked in comedy, he does give enough speaking time to let the guest get a point across. It's a good way to complete complete one-sidedness. And on that note, just because this site can boast of not having a liberal bias, doesn't mean it is superior. Any bias at all provides only partial information; so don't think a conservative bias is something to brag about.<br /> <br /> : Liberal/conservative is not symmetric with respect to the truth. Conservative approaches give priority to original intent and the truth. Liberal approaches give priority to an &quot;evolving&quot; Constitution and holding government power. Conservatives don't care much about government titles; liberals care everything about government titles, at the expense of the truth. The liberal Hillary Clinton, for example, will never say anything that might interfere with her political ambitions, regardless of what the truth is. And I don't mean to single her out; her approach is typical for liberals.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 01:05, 9 December 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> :Society evolves. You don't think the rules by which society lives should evolve to match that? Either way, only giving the arguments for one side of the story isn't a good thing, no matter which side of the fence you're on. Even the most specific statistics can be skewed, and unless you're giving only raw facts, and ALL raw facts, you're not giving the entire story. Is that really possible in the media? No. But deliberately giving only half the information available is essentially a lie of omission.<br /> ::Though I don't know your name since you didn't sign your comment, I like where you're going when you mentioned, &quot;only giving the arguments for one side of the story isn't a good thing, no matter which side of the fence you're on,&quot; because that's exactly what you see and what you get from [[Wikipedia]]. It's what sets [[Conservapedia]] apart from the [[liberal bias]] and [[censorship]] practices used by the [[MSM]] and the [[liberal]] Wikipedia. Unlike Wikipedia, Conservapedia understands and knows that, as Andy Schlafly said, <br /> ::{{cquote|Liberal/conservative is not symmetric with respect to the truth. [[Conservative]] approaches give priority to original intent and the truth. Liberal approaches give priority to an &quot;evolving&quot; Constitution and holding government power. Conservatives don't care much about government titles; liberals care everything about government titles, at the expense of the truth.}}<br /> ::And that's the truth. [[User:DerekE|DerekE]] 04:12, 9 December 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> :::Actually, Derek, it's a circular argument. Conservatism cannot lay claim to the truth any more than liberalism can. Despite what Andy would have you believe, there is nothing inherent in conservatism that makes it rely more heavily on objective truth. Both ideologies respond to truth and morality as they see it. Liberal extremists are just as convinced that their beliefs are based on the world as it is, as opposed by the conservative desire to blindly maintain the status quo. Only a truly egocentric person would believe either of these extreme viewpoints. [[User:Insufficient|Insufficient]] 21:26, 9 December 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> ::::Insufficient, I think you missed the primary argument regarding the [[Conservapedia:How_Conservapedia_Differs_from_Wikipedia|differences between Conservapedia and Wikipedia]]. Two major differences include: (A) Conservapedia does not allow liberal censorship of conservative facts. Wikipedia editors who are far more liberal than the American public frequently censor factual information. Conservapedia does not censor any facts that comport with the basic rules. (B) Conservapedia allows original, properly labeled works, while Wikipedia does not. This promotes a more intellectual atmosphere on Conservapedia. On Wikipedia, observations based on personal experience and interviews have been dismissed as &quot;original research.&quot; Conservapedia does not restrict research for articles in that manner. Wikipedia, however, restricts research to that of mostly opinion articles written by journalists who are mostly or always liberal; and thus, censor facts because of their personal ideology. [[User:DerekE|DerekE]] 00:41, 10 December 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> :::::No, I did read the primary argument regarding the difference. I just happen to think that it's silly. At best, you've replaced liberal censorship of conservative facts with conservative censorship of liberal facts. I think that if that were simply the case and if it were done at the same level of Wikipedia, most people would be fine with this site (though still disagree). In fact, that's what people expect when they visit the site. However, the reason that so many people are opposed to Conservapedia is that you take the issues of Wikipedia and multiply them tenfold. You replace minor biases in wording with complete lies. You replace fringe sections of ideological dissent with complete removal of disagreement. You literally mock those who disagree rather than actually trying to prove them wrong (see Evolution Syndrome). Believe me, nothing about the articles on this site is more &quot;intellectual.&quot; As one of those &quot;educated liberals&quot; that Andy dislikes so much, I can say that with confidence. It promotes a more emotional atmosphere, which is an entirely different thing. [[User:Insufficient|Insufficient]] 12:41, 10 December 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> ::::::I'm sorry you feel that way. Sometimes the truth can be disheartening to others and may cause some to lash out. The only consideration I can think of at the moment is that, in retrospect, I suppose it reaches a point where, after some individuals refuse to admit or believe the truth and at the same time omit the truth, there's no other reaction left from dissenters except to mock the opponent for their sincere foolishness. Here's a great example, regarding John Holdren telling Congress that the Earth could be reaching a Global Warming ‘tipping point’ that would be followed by a dramatic rise in sea level. I'm sure his false comments strike fear in some people, as it is intended to; however, since [[Climategate]] revealed the facts about these fraudulent claims of [[Global Warming]], it reaches to a point where this will occur:<br /> ::::::{{cquote|Milloy said the models used by climate scientists, especially those who contributed to the most recent United Nations IPCC report, do not take account of some huge factors -- including the sun and clouds. “The models exclude that big yellow ball in the sky and they also exclude those white fluffy things that float by,” Milloy mocked. “Both of those have dramatic effects on climate on a daily basis.”[http://www.cnsnews.com/news/article/58316]}} <br /> ::::::Sure, you could simply ignore what Milloy is saying in spite of its truthfulness; or, contrarily, you could refuse to admit truth and throw up a smoke n' mirrors fit about how Milloy mocked Holdren for making such ridiculous claims. [[User:DerekE|DerekE]] 13:36, 10 December 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> : You failed to grasp the point I was making. I'm not defending Wikipedia. I'm simply saying that it's hypocritical of you to condemn Wikipedia for being biased, and then proudly proclaim your own bias. I've said twice now, all that means is that you're boasting of a lie of omission. Just because we agree that a liberal bias is a bad thing, doesn't mean you're better because you're biased to the conservative side instead. And if you agree with where I was going that it's wrong either way, then you agree that you are just as wrong with your conservative bias as many other &quot;sources&quot; are with their liberal bias. That's all I'm saying. [[User:KatieCol|KatieCol]] 11:14, 9 December 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> ::Also, BOTH sides have basis in truth. It's a matter of to what extent they ignore other truths that don't support their opinion that the factual basis they start out with builds up to falsehoods. And both sides are guilty of that. Not to mention, many things hotly debated in politics are either matters of perspective (i.e. moral issues, where there really is no clear-cut right and wrong, as everyone reaches their own set of values through their own life experiences), or matters of educated guessing (i.e. economic issues, where you can look at how it's worked historically and look at the various ways you &lt;i&gt;think&lt;/i&gt; things will pan out, but you won't know exactly how an economic policy will affect the economy at any specific time or under any specific circumstances until it's been enacted). (Holy run-on sentence, Batman. Sorry about that. Having trouble articulating myself today.) Even for other issues, like environmental issues, it comes down to realizing there is some truth in both arguments. I guess my frustration is how dogmatic you are about conservatism, and I can't help but wonder how you can see that as a good thing. [[User:KatieCol|KatieCol]] 11:36, 9 December 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> :::The problem with your logic is that you're assuming the only difference between Wikipedia and Conservapedia is strictly political. It's not. It's also the academic resources that are allowed in Conservapedia but not Wikipedia. The fact is that Wikipedia allows opinions of journalists to be repeated there as though they are facts. Instead, Conservapedia requires authoritative support. Wikipedia presents as facts numerous assertions that are based merely on journalists' biased opinion. [[User:DerekE|DerekE]] 00:54, 10 December 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> We're not HIDING a liberal view. This is CONSERVAPEDIA - if somebody wants to hear the liberal side of an issue, they're not going to come here. They go to wikipedia or metapedia or a site of vandals and troublemakers or some other liberal wiki. We exist to provide a conservative resource, and we fill that role very well. [[User:JacobB|JacobB]] 01:10, 9 December 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> :Yes, but in admitting that, you are admitting to the aforementioned lie of omission, which is essentially the entire basis for the site. Not something to brag on. So if there's going to be an argument about how terrible a thing liberal bias is, it would by hypocritical not to acknowledge that you are doing the exact same thing with the other end of the political spectrum and thus are, by your own definitions, equally wrong.<br /> <br /> Not really. Wikipedia claims to have a neutral point of view; Conservapedia can hardly be accused of the same thing. But before you accuse us of being one-sided, I encourage you to be a little more open-minded and read some of our articles. You'll be surprised how often a straightforward and honest presentation of facts will come off as conservative - there's a good reason for this. Conservative thought is based on facts and reason, so it's no surprise that in being honest and accurate, we're accused of having a strong bias by people who don't realize this.<br /> Also, please sign your comments with 4 tildes. [[User:JacobB|JacobB]] 01:17, 9 December 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> :A lot of places &quot;claim&quot; to be neutral. But true neutrality is impossible; even if all you give is facts, the &lt;i&gt;selection&lt;/i&gt; of facts will still present a bias. Basic knowledge of mass communications tells you that. And anyone who has had enough experience with rhetoric and propaganda can pick up on things like that. [[User:KatieCol|KatieCol]] 01:19, 9 December 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> :A question, while yes Colbert reminded of this website, I do remember coming here a few years and it saddens me to see you are now &quot;trustworthy.&quot; Doesn't seem like anywhere is truly &quot;trusworthy&quot; anymore :-( [[User:Stjimmy33|Stjimmy33]] 01:27, 9 December 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> It's probably worth noting that Colbert's &quot;full of himself&quot; act is an intentional parody of various right-wing political commentators (particularly Bill O'Reilly). I did find it funny when Andy discussed the number of viewers that this site receives. I'm sure that there are lots of people who prefer Conservapedia because it reinforces their worldview (woe to the poor youth that are brought up to think of it as unbiased alternative to Wikipedia), but I think that Andy seriously underestimates (or chooses to ignore) the large number of people who visit this site for personal amusement. Conservapedia was personally recommended to me as a &quot;hilarious way to waste time&quot; between meetings, and that is how all of my colleagues view it. Some of it's assertions are so extreme and hypocritical that many people believe it to be a satire in itself, comparable to Stephen's Colbert's act. Overall, the interview began relatively uninteresting, but improved when Stephen brought up the fact that a select few individuals get to decide on the &quot;truth&quot; of this website. Those who disagree get banned. What Andy described (i.e., individuals monitoring each other to ensure authenticity) does exist; it's called Wikipedia. It's true that Wikipedia is vulnerable to vandalism, but that is the price of having access to a wide breadth of knowledge with the benefit of self-monitoring. You can't have it both ways. [[User:Insufficient|Insufficient]] 01:33, 9 December 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> :Insufficient, it's true that we block a lot more often than Wikipedia, and we don't give vandals 3 or 4 chances as Wikipedia does. However, for every vandal Wikipedia receives, there are a dozen legitimate users just waiting to undo the vandalism. Here, we have comparitively few editors trying to hold back a tide of vandalism, many of it quite shocking and disgusting, on this site, which is designed to be family-friendly. We ban users for vandalism, and we get a lot of it. But we do not ban because somebody disagrees with us, and I can prove it. <br /> :A user, BMcP, has done tremendous work contributing to our astronomy articles, but repeatedly put old-Earth viewpoints in. He wasn't banned, though! Instead, he and I reached an amicable agreement where we would treat old-Earth and young-Earth views in seperate sections, and that is how it is done now. Conservapedia is full of examples of conflict resolution and fair treatment of users just like that. [[User:JacobB|JacobB]] 01:39, 9 December 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> ::But, for a counter-example, look at the entire relativity talk pages. A handful of technically competent editors (including RSchlafly, who appears to be a solid contributor to the site, have been shouted down by one person: ASchlafly. The relativity page is not &quot;the best of the public&quot; but rather the personal (and scientifically incorrect!) opinion of ASchlafly. --[[User:WLink|WLink]] 10:30, 9 December 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> :''&quot;..but improved when Stephen brought up the fact that a select few individuals get to decide on the &quot;truth&quot; of this website. Those who disagree get banned.&quot;'' Insufficient, that remark of yours sounded exactly like the emails from CRU. [[User:Karajou|Karajou]] 01:42, 9 December 2009 (EST)<br /> ::''Best. Response. Ever.'' And so true! I think he'd fit right in with the [[Climategate]] scientists. [[User:DerekE|DerekE]] 12:30, 10 December 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> If that is the case Jacob, why does the article on evolution seem to neglect the vast abundance of supportive evidence in its favour? It certainly isn't hard to find someone that is able to make a valid argument for evolution, and yet the page not only makes no reference to it, but often falsely denies its existence. That page alone fully disproves Andy's claim that conservatism gives priority to truth. In the place of real facts, we get denial and an irrelevant picture of Hitler to ensure that everyone gets the idea (whether consciously or unconsciously) that evolution is evil. This is in spite of the fact that social darwinism (a misnomer) is actually not part of natural selection. I'm not saying that the effects of social darwinism should be brushed under the rug, but throwing an image of Hitler into an article about evolution is ridiculous and is fully intended to evoke emotion rather than thought. I could just as easily throw up an image of Osama Bin Laden in an article on the evils of religious faith, but that would be lazy. Once you have your facts about evolution, THEN you can worry about discussing it's social misunderstandings. [[User:Insufficient|Insufficient]] 02:11, 9 December 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> :First of all, that's not Andy's claim, that's what conservative MEANS. Second, there are no valid arguments for evolution. If you wish to deny that social darwinism came from regular darwinism, go do it on Wikipedia. Finally, throwing UBL on a page on relgiious extremism would be silly - there are many fundamentalist Islamic clerics who, despite whatever other shortcomings they may have, are not terrorists. [[User:JacobB|JacobB]] 02:19, 9 December 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> That's exactly my point. There are even more evolutionists that, &quot;despite whatever shortcomings they may have,&quot; aren't Hitler, thus making his picture silly. As for valid arguments for evolution, there are many...they're not hard to find either. Despite what this site would have you believe, there is fossil evidence to support it, it follows naturally from what we already know (beyond doubt) from animal domestication, and it's been shown experimentally in the lab with bacteria (some of the only lifeforms with short enough lifespans that we can observe it occur). Even if an individual chooses to ignore all of this evidence, which is fully within their right to do, it is still far more support than exists for any opposing argument. Yet it's all noticeably missing from the article on evolution...and I have a feeling that if I added it, it would quickly disappear. [[User:Insufficient|Insufficient]] 02:35, 9 December 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> :All your supposed arguments are wrong, just as any argument supporting a &quot;flat earth&quot; are wrong, because they draw a false conclusion. We don't put falsehoods into the encyclopedia. Hitler practiced the theory of evolution; any evolutionist who does not support Hitler may be morally admirable but lacks the courage of their convictions. Terrorism is not the practice of religious fundamentalism, it is the practice of a very specific kind of Islamic fundamentalism - there is a difference. [[User:JacobB|JacobB]] 02:50, 9 December 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> Your arguments just keep further proving the point I'm trying to make. Yes, there is a difference between religion and terrorism, just as there is a difference between evolution and eugenics. You don't get to hand pick your facts in order to support your conclusion while denying others. Hitler didn't practice &quot;the theory of evolution,&quot; he practiced eugenics. It's possible to believe in evolution and be morally opposed to eugenics, just as it is possible to be a religious fundamentalist and oppose terrorism. There is nothing inherent in the theory of evolution that promotes eugenics, just as there is nothing inherent in religion that promotes terrorism. Yet in each case, the two occasionally coexist. Also, claiming that all my arguments are wrong without giving any clear reason doesn't actually refute the arguments. I could just as easily claim that the earth doesn't revolve around the sun because all of the evidence in support of it draws a &quot;false conclusion&quot; (this argument can be made for ANY theory). However, I can deny it until I'm blue in the face, but at the end of the day, the evidence does exist, and the heliocentric theory of the solar system is in plenty of encyclopedias, along with evolution. Scientific theories are never &quot;proven.&quot; They are only supported or refuted. In the case of evolution, there is strong support--far more than for any alternative explanations. If support for evolution draws a false conclusion, it is impossible to argue that support for creationism is any different. [[User:Insufficient|Insufficient]] 03:35, 9 December 2009 (EST)<br /> ::No, Insufficient, it is your argument that proves our point. You're basically stating that evolution is a fact based on &quot;support&quot;. What kind of &quot;support&quot;? Scientific consensus? A lot of people agreeing that it's true? Where's the proof? All I've been seeing is Mr. Scientist ''saying'' that animal-A evolved into animal-B - he's ''saying'' it is true; he's not ''proving'' it's true. As to your argument that it was settled in the lab with bacteria or the animal farm with domestication, well, that involves the interference of man in the results. Sorry to break your bubble, but your explanations are just insufficient. [[User:Karajou|Karajou]] 11:17, 9 December 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> No, actually I didn't claim that evolution was a &quot;fact,&quot; and saying so is blatantly misrepresenting my argument. I'm saying that it is a scientific theory that has ample evidence to support it...moreso than is necessary for a theory to be generally accepted by the scientific community. That is the definition of a good scientific theory. Any theory that doesn't have any evidence to support it isn't worth anyone's time. I don't actually care whether you or anyone else believes in evolution, but when you (or anyone) outright lies about facts, I'm going to call you on it. Whether you want to admit it or not, there is evidence to support it, and by discrediting evolution for &quot;lack of evidence,&quot; you are actually doing even greater harm to the theory of creationism, which has significantly less (arguably none, but I will humour you and pretend there is some). That is why there is no scientific debate about the existence of evolution. Is it a fact? Like any scientific theory, we can never say yes, but it is likely beyond reasonable doubt. As for the interference of humans, that doesn't actually matter as much as you like to believe. Whether humans interfered or not, animal domestication has proven that the heritability of traits can lead to huge changes in animal appearance and behaviour, so that after many generations, it becomes generally unrecognizable. How does this shaping occur? By utilizing natural processes: to breed an animal in favour of a particular trait, you select animals that have that trait and allow them to spread their genes. That isn't evolution; that's genetics, and we already know that it occurs from something as basic as family resemblance (for the record, this is what inspired Hitler, not evolution). The theory of natural selection merely takes what we already know about genetics and takes it to the next logical step. Why wouldn't the same rules that apply to a domesticated animal also apply in nature? If an animal has some advantage that allows it to spread its genes more than others, why wouldn't it follow the same laws? If they are in fact God's laws, you're accusing Him of inconsistency without any clear justification. And with regard to Andy's argument about &quot;evolution syndrome,&quot; that's just called a lazy argument. I could just as easily claim the existence of a &quot;creationist syndrome,&quot; with the exact same symptoms, but I should hope that if I was that desperate for an argument, someone would call me on it. If my explanations are insufficient (using a self-disparaging username for a pun isn't nearly as clever as you might think...), then I recommend making some of your own. Perhaps you should educate me on what a good argument with solid, logical conclusions would look like. Because so far it has all been denial, straw man arguments, and ad hominem attacks. [[User:Insufficient|Insufficient]] 13:32, 9 December 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> :::What rubbish. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yj_lNQerUJ4 What is &quot;wrong&quot; about this? What doesn't make sense of the theory of evolution? Where are you saying &quot;that's impossible&quot;? Your, or my, inability to comprehend a theory doesn't make it lies. 13:22, 9 December 2009 (EST) {{unsigned|Rutger}}<br /> ::::You don't have proof that Evolution is fact. --[[User:Jpatt|Jpatt]] 13:36, 9 December 2009 (EST)<br /> :::::No I don't as unlike many conservapedia regulars I don't claim to be an expert on every subject rather I defer to people who are and who do have evidence which you can continue to deny. I noticed you failed to answer to the questions though (you want to wait for Andy's script so you don't get anything wrong?) and now that Andy is trying to pretend this isn't a dictatorship those who dare question your fragile world view aren't being immediatly banned. How inconvienient for you. [[User:Rutger|Rutger]] 00:41, 10 December 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> I'd just like to ask here for the opinions of some of the people here: Do you believe that the best place to learn about a topic is an encyclopedia that has bias but doesn't admit it, that has bias and admits it, or that has no bias whatsoever? [[User:LucyJ|LucyJ]] 07:35, 9 December 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> Just watched the show and I was surprised that Colbert didn't go as hard on Mr. Schlafly as I expected. For instance, Schlafly claimed that Conservapedia is a site where the best of the common people make their contributions and the correct information 'bubbles to the top.' However, it's hard to see how this can happen if articles like Evolution (&quot;ARTICLE OF THE YEAR EDITION&quot;) are completely locked down. Granted, I understand the administrators have a legitimate need to prevent vandalism - Wikipedia has the same problem sometimes - but the article is basically cemented in a controversial, inaccurate, and poorly written form. For instance, the first paragraph includes the sentence -- &quot;Since World War II a majority of the most prominent and vocal defenders of the evolutionary position which employs methodological naturalism have been atheists.&quot; This has nothing to do with the rest of the paragraph, doesn't transition into the next paragraph, and just feels like a cheap attempt to take a shot at the theory within a poor thesis statement. And seriously guys, the pictures of Hitler and Stalin are laughable. Did they also get slapped into the articles on socialism, homosexuality, and Islam? - Montag<br /> <br /> : We keep as many articles open for general editing as often as possible. Even when an article is &quot;locked&quot;, it is still open for editing by frequent contributors who have earned additional privileges. Unfortunately, there is a characteristic known as [[evolution syndrome]] that will obsessively rant and rave about the topic, deny clear factual truths, and never stop until all criticism of evolution and its adherents is censored. Wikipedia is a home for that approach, but not here.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 09:20, 9 December 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> public school education: i am a loyal fan of Colbert and would like to say a couple of things. 1) i am half republican and have democrat (my dad is republican and my mom is a democrat and i like different ideas from both groups.)2)i have gone to a private school my entire life and i have never gone to the office once. i have never been punished and i have received straight A's since i was in fifth grade. therefore by you guys saying that every Colbert nation member has been public school educated and are all rebellious is not only overly general but obviously not true. you undermine any true statement that you make by obviously making up information.<br /> <br /> : Private school students are less than 10% of the population, so you're the exception rather than the rule.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 12:09, 9 December 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> ::have you actually taken a scientific survey or are you making up information that would suit your argument. How sad because no doubt some of the things that you say are true but by being intellectually dishonest you blur any positive potential education of your viewers. if however, your statistic is correct (please share with me the citation) that doesn't mean that only 10% of the Colbert Report viewers are privately educated. <br /> <br /> ::The article on [[evolution]] is a keeper! Don't change a bit: I love reading sentences like ''19th century European naturalists were wrong about ant behavior. The Bible was correct about ant behavior'' (according to the source, both were partly right, partly wrong) [[User:ComedyFan|ComedyFan]] 12:02, 9 December 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> :::You'll like our entry on [[evolution syndrome]] even better. In fact, maybe you can prove first-person examples!--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 12:09, 9 December 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> Yes, you've managed to completely ignore a school of thought without having to rely on a single fact (though I'm sure that you believe otherwise). Congratulations. If your strongest arguments against evolution are ad hominem attacks, I can live with that. I have no vested interest in the theory of evolution, and I don't make a nickel for each person that I &quot;convert.&quot; At the end of the day, you can believe whatever you want. In fact, if you want to believe that there is insufficient evidence for evolution, I am even fine with that (though I disagree), but don't outright lie and say that it doesn't exist. That doesn't fool anyone that has actually done the slightest bit of research. Just be aware that it is extremely inconsistent to argue that there is &quot;insufficient&quot; evidence for evolution and that people who believe in it are fools, yet argue that creationism is somehow founded on sound logic and conclusions. It's called hypocrisy and it seriously undermines your arguments. If your belief is based on faith, that is fine, but don't try to present it as something else. Don't pretend that the entire group of evolutionists can be summarized as closed-minded, because in addition to being gossip, it neither argues against our belief nor in favour of yours. By all means, disagree, but don't use lies to try and discredit others. Also, why is the burden of responsibility on evolutionists in order to prove themselves? Creationists are under the same obligation to rationalize their beliefs, and their arguments have to be held up to the same standards. So far, that isn't what I've seen on this site. [[User:Insufficient|Insufficient]] 19:14, 9 December 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> ::::Wow, the article is great, too! You should add some other syndromes, while you are at it: relativism syndrome? [[User:ComedyFan|ComedyFan]] 12:16, 9 December 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> If evolution is undeniable fact, how come we never evolved a third set of teeth? Since you cannot observe evolution, and you can observe many things that would be different were evolution true, it seems to me the sensible starting point is to assume that evolution didn't happen, and wait to be proven wrong. As that has not happened yet, I'll continue to believe evolution is just an justification for social Darwinism and policies like the Nazis enacted.--[[User:Gonzo55|Gonzo55]] 18:38, 9 December 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> A third set of teeth? I'm not sure who taught you the theory of evolution, but just know that you are WAY off the mark. I'm starting to think that disbelief in evolution comes from a complete misunderstanding of anything about it. [[User:Insufficient|Insufficient]] 19:18, 9 December 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> Exactly. Before you discount something, actually know what you are talking about. However, if people on here knew what they were talking about, most of this website, if not all of it, would not exist. As for your example, if you knew anything about evolution, you would know that we don't have a third set of teeth because we don't need one. If it benefitted people, then if and when the mutation took place in our genes, that person would thrive and have more offspring than other people, promoting this gene in future generations. I can see why evolution might confuse you if you think that it &quot;just happens.&quot;<br /> <br /> :But it would benefit people; that's unambiguous. Teeth go rotten, get cavities, fall out. Only recently has it become commonplace for people to keep their teeth into middle age and beyond. You need teeth to eat, see how long a chimpanzee lasts in the wild with no teeth, so I would think someone who can regrow teeth as an adult would be at a huge advantage relative to those who couldn't. Plus a full set of teeth is more attractive to the opposite sex than not, no? My argument is precisely that it does benefit us, and so the fact that it hasn't caught on is proof that evolution doesn't exist. Your problem is your mind is closed to ideas that you don't already have. I concur with Andy that you might find the article on [[evolution syndrome]] useful.--[[User:Gonzo55|Gonzo55]] 22:54, 9 December 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> Only recently has it become commonplace for people to '''live''' into middle age and beyond.[[User:Captain2obvious|Captain2obvious]] 00:07, 10 December 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> :All the more reason why a third set of teeth would benefit humans. Can anyone here over the age of 25 really claim that getting fresh teeth would not be nice?--[[User:Gonzo55|Gonzo55]] 00:11, 10 December 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> ::Captain2obvious- It's only common place for liberals who want to enact global warming legislation. Liberals want everyone to live in huts of straw and forfeit the modern ages which is bad bad bad for the Earth.--[[User:Jpatt|Jpatt]] 00:15, 10 December 2009 (EST)<br /> :::That's what's called a strawman. If your arguement has no merit please continue to use them and think you're superiour. [[User:Rutger|Rutger]] 00:41, 10 December 2009 (EST)<br /> Two things: First a question. HUH?; Secondly, I am not a &quot;liberal&quot;, as you are so implying.[[User:Captain2obvious|Captain2obvious]] 00:21, 10 December 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> :Why do people who state &quot;I am not a liberal&quot; never state what they actually call themselves? [[User:Jinxmchue|Jinx McHue]] 00:25, 10 December 2009 (EST)<br /> The simplest reason would be that until I came to this site I considered myself a Conservative.[[User:Captain2obvious|Captain2obvious]] 00:28, 10 December 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> ::Oopsy, I read your reply wrong (middle ages / middle age). I never said you were liberal, just misinterpreted your remark.--[[User:Jpatt|Jpatt]] 00:28, 10 December 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> Perfectly understandable Jpatt, its not the first misunderstanding that's occurred on the Internet.[[User:Captain2obvious|Captain2obvious]] 00:35, 10 December 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> &quot;until I came to this site I considered myself a Conservative&quot; Forgive me for my conflicted feelings between seriously asking exactly what that means and being simply baffled by the silliness of such a statement. Split the difference: what does that mean and how in the world could a brief visit to a single website change what you consider yourself to be? Also, you still haven't stated exactly what you consider yourself. [[User:Jinxmchue|Jinx McHue]] 00:41, 10 December 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> Let me clarify a bit then. Visiting the site has not in not the slightest changed the way I think about myself. I still consider myself Conservative. However in my &quot;brief&quot; time visiting this website, and after reading several of the articles and discussions, has made me question whether other people would classify me as such.[[User:Captain2obvious|Captain2obvious]] 00:50, 10 December 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> And I repeat, Gonzo: your understanding of natural selection is incorrect. With all due respect, it completely undermines your attempt to discredit natural selection when you don't know what you're arguing against. Evolutionists don't argue that humans (or any other species) are currently at their &quot;peak&quot; of evolution. People have this inflated self-view about the world revolving around them, but aside from a more advanced central nervous system, we're just another spec on the evolutionary time line. Your argument assumes that we are done evolving, which isn't the case at all (nor have I ever heard an evolutionist make this claim). That is partly why your &quot;why aren't we the absolute best that we can be?&quot; straw man argument doesn't work. Second, you are assuming that just because something is beneficial, that means that it will naturally occur through evolution. This is also not the position of modern evolutionists. If that were the case, beavers would have naturally evolved with chainsaws and gazelles would be able jump over rivers to escape predators. We don't automatically evolve everything that would be useful. We evolve based on the genes that are available in the gene pool. Several factors come into play here (minor random mutations, sexual selection, genetic drift...things that we know occur through research unrelated to evolution), but what is important is that evolution has to work with the genes that are available. Those that are beneficial will tend to spread, while those that are detrimental will tend to recede (though not necessarily disappear). Once again, this is fully in line with what I already described earlier with animal domestication. You can't breed a dog to fly, but you can create a lot of variability based on the existing gene pool. Finally, even if a gene does appear in the gene pool, it is more difficult to determine usefulness than you seem to think. For example, suppose that a gene did arise for an extra set of teeth (might as well work with the argument you've given). Who knows, maybe this gene does exist, did at some point, or some day will. However, it's not just a simple matter of extra teeth = good. These teeth have to come from somewhere. Your body needs to find the resources to create them. This can mean less calcium available for other sets of teeth (thus resulting in an overall reduction in a person's tooth quality), less calcium for bone production, an increased necessity for nutritious resources, etc. Everything costs something, and teeth aren't free. Every modification becomes part of a complex equation of costs versus benefits. And that, my friend, is a simplified explanation for why you can't just make up random hypothetical creatures (e.g., people with extra teeth) in order to discredit evolution. NOTHING about evolution requires (or even asserts) that those hypothetical animals need to exist. Then again, I'm sure that this lengthy explanation will be brushed off as an &quot;obsessive rant,&quot; because that is easier than taking it seriously... [[User:Insufficient|Insufficient]] 12:06, 10 December 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> :''&quot;And that, my friend, is a simplified explanation for why you can't just make up random hypothetical creatures (e.g., people with extra teeth) in order to discredit evolution.&quot;'' - Insufficient. &quot;Simplified?&quot; Not so much. [[Liberal wordiness|Wordiness]] is what comes to mind. On the subject of [[evolution]], do you believe evolution happens because of ''environment'' or because of a ''need'', or is it simply a random gene mutation? ''Why does the Panda bear have a thumb?'' ;-) ...I think philosophical debates can be fun, but in many cases it doesn't prove or disprove anything, because there's usually a counter-argument to an argument. But it can bring up interesting debate topics. [[User:DerekE|DerekE]] 16:06, 10 December 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> ::::I apologize that it takes WORDS to explain a complicated process like evolution. You demand that I answer your questions, but then complain that it can't be done in two sentences or less? I'm sorry that the world isn't that simple. Believe me, what I gave was a simplified answer to Gonzo's question. You keep asking for more questions to be answered, yet you make it clear that the answers are above your head...which is it? I wouldn't be so judgemental of your position if you yourself even knew what (or why) it is. Instead you lure with baited questions, yet you have no interest in whatever answer you get. As I've stated before, I have no problem with someone disagreeing with evolution on the grounds of faith, but at least admit it to yourself. Don't pretend to be intellectual by faking interest in the other position. Don't outright lie about the facts and demonize those who choose to take a non-faith based search for the truth. If someone says that 2+2=4, don't argue that it's because of &quot;human interference.&quot; I know that I could take you by the hand through each step of evolution and it wouldn't change your mind. One of creationism's central arguments is that it is infallibly true. I personally dislike circular arguments, so I choose to find my own path to the truth, but that is a personal choice. Even if evolution turned out to be a big hoax (I bet Andy would host a parade), at least I can say that I believed in what seemed like the most rational answer to an unbelievably complex question. I understood and questioned what I believed because I would rather LEARN that I am wrong than be TOLD that I am right. I didn't limit my knowledge by trying to keep it simple (i.e., I wasn't afraid of words). Suppose that all of this was true and evolution was finally removed from the history books...would this really help your position for creationism? Not according to the unrealistic (and silly) standards that you've a set for evolutionists. Your demand for &quot;proof&quot; has always been doubly harmful to creationism. But who knows? With all of that objective truth that you claim to have on your side, I imagine that you guys must be hoarding a ton of undeniable scientific evidence. In fact, with all of this ample evidence that you have (because not having it would, of course, make you a hypocrite), why would you even worry about evolution? Show us the truth. [[User:Insufficient|Insufficient]] 21:07, 10 December 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> ::: I believe that that was a simplified version of evelotion. Books upon books have been written on the subject. It can be summed up in a few sentences, but then it is lacking in the crucial details you all demand.<br /> <br /> ::Exactly. And I'll point out that unlike my friends in the secular left, I don't pretend that I'm smart enough to know all of the mysteries of creation. I'm merely pointing out that it's hard to get my head around evolution when there's so many adaptations that would have been useful that we don't have, like extra teeth or the eradication of homosexuality and other deviant behaviors. But you're exactly right, I'm not smart enough or knowledgeable to understand everything about how the world works. That's why we have science, why we have the bible, indeed why we have this site, and it's all of our job to ask questions like I'm doing.--[[User:Gonzo55|Gonzo55]] 17:38, 10 December 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> :::So...you admit that you don't know the answer to these questions, but you smugly ask them with a clear answer in mind, denying any evidence to the contrary? I just wanted to make sure that I properly interpreted what you said. It's a bit tricky, given that I have to reconcile it with your previous comments. I agree, most people aren't scientists and don't have direct access to the evidence, but ignorance isn't a argument against evolution. Scientists do agree on evolution based on the understanding that they DO have. It sounds like you would believe in evolution if you practiced what you preached. You are also correct that science grows out asking questions...but what's the point if you don't intend to stay to hear the answer? [[User:Insufficient|Insufficient]] 21:27, 10 December 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> ::::Well, I've done my best to ascertain what the scientific community has to say about evolution. There are some who are in favor of evolution, there are some who are against it. My personal assessment is that secular humanist scientists are relatively more likely to let their own views distort their research, and I anyway find the creationist perspective more persuasive based on the facts. You should peruse our [[evolution]] entry. I certainly don't know everything, but my point was that people on the left are so sure of evolution that it might as well be some other, inaccurate religion.--[[User:Gonzo55|Gonzo55]] 21:32, 10 December 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> :::::With all due respect, it doesn't seem like you want to hear what the &quot;scientific community has to say about evolution.&quot; I'm not a biologist and certainly not an expert, but it is a side interest of mine, and I have been surrounded by scientists for several years now. Also, it is not difficult to find tons of information on evolution. Although I am not biologist, I am in a discipline that works closely with biology. In all of my years at multiple universities, I have personally never met a scientist that didn't believe in evolution. I don't deny that they exist, but they are actually relatively rare. What scientists DO sometimes disagree upon is the micro-level causes for it. There is ample evidence that animals changed over time and we know a great deal about genetics as it is, but there is still more to learn. This is exactly how scientific theories emerge and it is not in any way atypical. First, the scientific community learns that a process occurs (e.g., the earth revolves around the sun), and then disputes the reasons WHY this is the case. The same controversy emerged when the aforementioned earth-sun controversy arose, and it proved that the church isn't always right on matters of science. Despite what Conservapedia would have you believe, scientists are no more stubborn than are creationists. They're both equally stubborn, but for different reasons. Scientists are stubborn because everything that creationists say is in opposition to what we see from historical evidence. Creationists are stubborn because the infallibility of their argument is one of its central tenants. I am aware of the viewpoint of evolution as another form of religion, but I would argue that it is no more a religion than is believing that the earth revolves around the sun. By that logic, believing in anything would qualify as a religion, at which point the argument becomes meaningless. [[User:Insufficient|Insufficient]] 22:21, 10 December 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> ::::::&quot;Insufficient&quot;, you need to get out more if you've never met a scientist who doesn't believe in evolution. And you need to respect logic more if you think consensus establishes truth. Better yet, I urge you to give equal time to the Bible, the most logical book ever written. Based on your postings, I bet you don't spend even 5% of your spare time reading or analyzing the Bible. Am I right?--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 22:35, 10 December 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> It's nice to finally have all of the fallacy, racism, sexism, and homophobia in one easily accessible place. I think my favorite thing about Conservapedia is the use of the Bible in what seems like every article (I haven't read every article so perhaps this is a gross generalization. But when it comes to, say, immigration is the Bible really the best source?) I will probably be using this website when I have to write papers on current situations. It will be a lot easier to just come here than to have to seek out the few religious right wingers I know for a quote. {{unsigned|Writerfish}}<br /> <br /> : Try taking our [[Essay:Quantifying Open-Mindedness|open-mindedness test]]. You might break the record for the lowest score!--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 18:30, 10 December 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> It seems that this website is full of contradictions. An encyclopedia with an admitted bias, but says its trustworthy? Bias is inherent in everything but if we say that it is okay even good then there is no attempt to actually reach the unbiased truth. Bias is not good but shouldn't we be trying to move away from it and not embracing it. If this website says something that is completely at odds with what the rest of the world believed it wouldn't matter because there is an inherent interest in providing one side. That tends to come at the expense of truth. This website seems to dislike the MSM but if they so something with obvious bias someone can call them on it. If this website does something with obvious bias that's fine. If journalists are all biased in the main stream media then how do you get information? There are plenty of right wing commentators but you can't create facts out of commentary. People have to actually report the information. Why are there adults making fun of people who don't agree with them? I would also like to take issue with what truth is thought of as. Taking original intent in your view of the constitution and reducing government power does not make your political ideology any more truthful. Just as trying to make the government more powerful and interpreting the constitution more broadly does not make a political ideology any more truthful. I am mystified how believing these things adds to truth. Truth is what is actual reality. Neither changing government power or interpreting a piece of writing really leads to truth. --[[User:johnsm]]21:30, 10 December 2009 (est)<br /> <br /> ==Registration==<br /> You don't make it easy for a place that wants people to edit, do you? I tried after the show last night, couldn't figure it out, but managed to stumble upon one of your (stupider, and rather well hidden) policies on user names. I was able to register this morning, but if it hadn't worked, you probably would have lost a contributor forever. [[User:JTutone|JTutone]] 13:11, 9 December 2009 (EST)<br /> :Welcome. I don't believe stupider is an actual word.--[[User:Jpatt|Jpatt]] 13:14, 9 December 2009 (EST)<br /> ::It isn't, but it fits the flow of what I wrote better than &quot;more stupid&quot; which is more correct. My word is truthier. --[[User:JTutone|JTutone]] 13:22, 9 December 2009 (EST)<br /> :Perhaps now is a good time for me to re-suggest the [http://conservapedia.com/Wiki/conservapedia Welcome Banner], as discussed on the [[New Welcome Banner proposal]] page. [[User:DerekE|DerekE]] 15:42, 9 December 2009 (EST)<br /> :Wow. Could you guys stop whining about registration already? I'd rather not be associated with people who can't pass the rigors of user-name creation. --[[User:Montag|Montag]] 21:24, 9 December 2009 (EST)<br /> ::The argument I'm making from the New Welcome Banner has more to do with creating a more welcoming entrance to the site, but also improving ease of navigation to pages that are valuable to newcomers. At one point or another every one of us was a wiki-newbie. While the easiest way to learn is through trial and error, I see no harm in facilitating the learning process by allowing new-comers to be more cognizant of the encyclopedia's rules, guidelines, how-to's, and other salient information that more advanced members already know about. [[User:DerekE|DerekE]] 21:59, 9 December 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> ==Open letter to Conservapedia==<br /> Steech, December 10, 2009.......................................................<br /> <br /> I've known about Conservapedia for months. I've been fascinated with it since my initial introduction (when the special project to reform Jesus's &quot;groovy liberal&quot; image was anounced on a news site).<br /> <br /> There's some equivocating concerning the obvious bias (I think the device of substituting the word &quot;truth&quot; for &quot;bias&quot; is entertaining), but the corporation does not actually conceal its mission. Conservapedia is candid with the following facts: It represents the conservative socio-political viewpoint, it is alligned with fundamentalist Protestant Christianity, and it is hostile to opposing viewpoints. I note the distinction between this candor and react differently to Conservapedia than I do to a corporation like News Corp (Fox News), who boasts fairness and balance. Remember: Conservapedia does not promise balance. Yet Conservapedia is predominantly fair.<br /> <br /> Despite an open allignment with fundamentalist Protestant Christianity, Conservapedia is not contemptuous of other forms of Christianity, or even other religions. They dutifully note the basic interpretations of other scriptures like the Q'aran and Torah and tell the stories respectfully. They also include other denominations' interpretations of Biblical text without condemning them. Conservapedia articles suggest outside doctrine is foolhardy, but stops short of actually calling adherents fools.<br /> <br /> What Conservapedia actually does is compile the conservative viewpoint in a way that incorporates most of the world's features and topics (from science to history to theology) in such a way that has the potential to reconcile problems (such as science versus ideology) and unify conservatives into a more cohesive bloc than was possible before technology of this scale. It is also a reference for non-conservatives to understand their fellow countrymen better. In my opinion, both functions have a benefit - even if I am an apostate by Conservapedia's rigid measure.<br /> <br /> The only problem I see with Conservapedia is its deliberate mission to be more concise than its rival (and source of inspiration and design), Wikipedia. Some topics are completely sterile and do not admit any sort of bias (gravity, for example). Yet a comparison of the topics on the two &quot;'pedias&quot; returns a discrepancy in depth and length. Wikipedia's longer articles may merely be the result of more popularity and the work of accretion. However, Conservapedia probably actively seeks to limit the length of its articles to conform with its mission. If the latter is true, Conservapedia has turned the clock back on the encyclopedia as reference source to the days of the hopelessly out of date set of World Books that were the staple of every suburban home in the 60s and 70s. Good for identifying major breeds of dogs, but inadequate for much else.<br /> <br /> My advice to the Colbert Nation (an informal society of which I am also a citizen) is to use Conservapedia to understand what you perceive to be mass delusion, even an institutionalized national evil. Conservatives are often our parents and grandparents, co-workers and countrymen. They are not evil men and women. They just seem to have a pathological inability to make good decisions on a large scale. If one's mission is truly to correct this pattern of civic behavior, the progressive must respect and understand his/her opponent. Never before has there been such a big picture window into the soul of the opposition. <br /> <br /> Respectfully, Steech, December 10, 2009..............................................<br /> <br /> :''&quot;Yet a comparison of the topics on the two &quot;'pedias&quot; returns a discrepancy in depth and length. Wikipedia's longer articles may merely be the result of more popularity and the work of accretion.&quot;'' Interesting observation. My take is that it has more to do with the number of editors using Conservapedia versus the much larger number using Wikipedia. At the very start of Wikipedia, I can all but imagine its article were similarly lacking depth and/or length. But over time this will be fixed, as a result of more information becoming available and from an increase in the number of editors using Conservapedia. Conservapedia is still relatively new, despite its early success. [[User:DerekE|DerekE]] 13:17, 10 December 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> :Steech, your open letter displays the high word-to-substance ratio common to liberal thought. It is the anathema to conciseness, so it's obvious you don't like Conservapedia's rule to be concise. We've had that rule since the very beginning and it is essential to quality learning. Wikipedia is a like a 3rd grade essay contest that gives points for more words. Here, we focus on learning and teaching, which is why we've helped hundreds of teenagers get into top colleges while I don't think Wikipedia has helped anyone do so.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 17:05, 10 December 2009 (EST)<br /> ::''we've helped hundreds of teenagers get into top colleges'' That's really impressive - at least, if you can give some corroboration for this claim... [[User:ComedyFan|ComedyFan]] 17:13, 10 December 2009 (EST)<br /> ::BTW, on your user-page, you state ''My students have typically been admitted to their first choices in colleges '', followed by a list of fifty colleges. Do you think that all of these are top colleges? Only sixteen are linked to an article here at conservapedia, I suppose that these are the best. OTOH, you say that ''at least 6 students [were] admitted'' at ''Grove City College'', so taking this as an upper bound for admissions, I'd say that less than 100 students of you were helped by you into a top college. So, which other programs here at conservapedia are responsible for the next 100 successful applications?<br /> ::Otherwise: Shouldn't you leave such hyperbole to the liberals? <br /> ::[[User:ComedyFan|ComedyFan]] 17:28, 10 December 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> :::ComedyFan, based on your assumption and opinion, let's say the teaching and education provided by Andy Schlafly and Conservapedia helped 100 students get into the college of their choice. That's 100 more students who benefited from the use and information from Conservapedia than what Wikipedia can claim. Conservapedia has assisted in educating 100% more students than Wikipedia - that's quite the accomplishment if you ask me. In fact, if I remember correctly, there was a story awhile back about a kid who used Wikipedia as a reference for a paper - and failed the assignment for it. Yikes. If only Wikipedia held itself accountable for the quality of its articles... [[User:DerekE|DerekE]] 17:40, 10 December 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> I benefit from information on wikipedia...I mean, it would be foolish to use it for a project, but anyone with an open mind who intends on doing more research, or just needs some tiny fact on an ovbscure subject (history of video gaming), than its good. [[User:DerekSmalls|DerekSmalls]] 22:56, 10 December 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> :::ComedyFan, I've personally taught nearly 200 teenagers, and 10 or 100 times as many have benefited from our materials here. Take a look at the page views on my lectures. They are in the many thousands ''for each lecture''.<br /> <br /> :::I didn't add that many of my students have won scholarships, and even graduated from college in 3 years.<br /> <br /> :::How many lectures does Wikipedia have? Zero. How many model answers? Zero.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 17:59, 10 December 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> :::Wikipedia isn't supposed to have lectures and model answers for one. Its an open encyclopedia that anyone can edit. Unlike this one, which is used as a tool for teaching homeschool kids. Wikipedia isnt out to change the world into something conservative or liberal, its there to be a quick look up for random information. DerekE, If a student used wikipedia as a reference in one of my classes i would fail them too. Same if they used conservapedia...or metapedia or any other wiki type thing. They are not good sources, if you want to cite something use the original source.--[[User:JAiken|JAiken]] 18:22, 10 December 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> ::::That's simply false. Wikipedia ''is'' propagating liberal falsehoods and censoring conservative truths, as illustrated by [[Bias in Wikipedia]]. One of the entries on that list discusses how Wikipedia editors have been 6 times more liberal than the general public.<br /> <br /> ::::If Wikipedia were designed to help people as Conservapedia does, it would be very different indeed. Instead, I know of no evidence that Wikipedia has helped a single student in any meaningful way.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 18:28, 10 December 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> :::::Andy, just because Wikipedia doesn't set out to &quot;help(?)&quot; individual students, it is still a place of information. I'm sure that plenty of people who might otherwise no have access to information have benefited from it.[[User:Captain2obvious|Captain2obvious]] 21:29, 10 December 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> :::::The ''National Enquirer'' &quot;is still a place of information,&quot; so you can't be serious in proposing that as the test. Verbose gossip and/or liberal distortions may cause more harm than good, particularly for students.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 21:28, 10 December 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> :::: You may be right on that fact. Conservapedia is a place of &quot;information,&quot; but &quot;conservative&quot; distortions may cause more harm than good, particularly for the easily manipulated.[[User:Captain2obvious|Captain2obvious]] 21:33, 10 December 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> ::::You're long on rants, but awfully short on specifics ... because you have none.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 21:34, 10 December 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> If you still want evidence that Wikipedia helps students, it has certainly helped me. And before you say that all it does is teach liberal bias, I'd like to see how you bias math. In fact, Andrew used math as an example of objective truth in the interview. Wikipedia has numerous and detailed articles on numerous math topics and is an invaluable resource on learning things that the public education system never teaches. <br /> I have been unable to find any similar math articles on Conservapedia by the way.[[User:EdmundG|EdmundG]] 21:36, 10 December 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> :::::The National Enquirer is in no way a reputable source of information. Nor is Wikipedia, unless you only use it for the primary sources it lists in the citations section. 6 times as liberal? Pray tell. How do you quantify liberality? Is it just some litmus test you randomly developed on this site or is there some sort of physical test? Tell me, if I support evolution, oppose gun control, and think Obama is a traitor, how many times more liberal am I than you? Would that number change if I was believed that evolution was false? What about if I wanted to burn all the books dealing with relativity because it distracts from reading the bible? --[[User:JAiken|JAiken]] 21:40, 10 December 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> :: I can give an example of a conservative distortions being used to cause harm, Uganda. --[[User:JAiken|JAiken]] 21:40, 10 December 2009 (EST)</div>

DerekSmalls https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Censorship&diff=728502 2009-12-09T23:11:37Z

<p>DerekSmalls: </p> <hr /> <div>'''Censorship''' is the suppression of statements or information for ideological reasons. Current examples include:<br /> <br /> *the banning of [[prayer]] in the classroom&lt;ref&gt;See, e.g., [[classroom prayer]].&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> *the rejection of [[pro-life]] advertisements&lt;ref&gt;See, e.g., &quot;[[Canadian]] City Backpedals on Decision to Censor [[Pro-life]] Bus-shelter Ads.&quot; [http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2008/jun/08060506.html]&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> *the banning of mention of [[intelligent design]] in school.&lt;ref&gt;See, e.g., [[Expelled:No Intelligence Allowed]].&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> *Censorship can also take the form of ostracizing students for expressing [[pro-life]] or other [[conservative]] views.&lt;ref&gt; See, e.g., [[liberals and friendship]].&lt;/ref&gt; <br /> *protesting and disrupting invited conservative speakers on campuses.&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.nysun.com/new-york/at-columbia-students-attack-minuteman-founder/41020/ At Columbia, Students Attack Minuteman Founder] Ny Sun, October 5, 2006&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> *Censorship is sometimes based on a misuse of [[copyright]], as in the unsuccessful attempt to censor the movie [[Expelled:No Intelligence Allowed]] about [[intelligent design]].&lt;ref&gt;http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/7432860.stm&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> *the destruction of [[conservative]] newspapers on college campuses.&lt;ref&gt;http://www.thebulletin.us/site/index.cfm?newsid=19383118&amp;BRD=2737&amp;PAG=461&amp;dept_id=576361&amp;rfi=8&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> *Censorship of [[conservative]] [[talk radio]] via the [[Fairness Doctrine]]<br /> <br /> *[[Internet censorship]] employed by a country, which can include such things as the filtering of anti-government sites in [[China]] or the censoring of [[women's rights]] or anti-[[Islam]] sites in [[Middle East|Middle Eastern]] countries<br /> <br /> *Schools banning books from their Libraries. see [http://www.cs.cmu.edu/afs/cs/misc/mosaic/common/omega/Web/People/spok/most-banned.html/ List of banned books]<br /> <br /> Political censorship involves a government preventing information from reaching its citizens. Perhaps the most well-known contemporary example of this is China's censorship of the [[Google]] search engine, known as the &quot;Golden Shield Project&quot;, which prevents Google from displaying search results of some human rights websites, websites promoting Tibetan independence, references to the 1989 Tianamen Square protests, and others. A famous example in fiction is George Orwell's novel ''[[Nineteen Eighty-Four]]'', in which the main character works as a civil servant in the department responsible for altering or destroying historical information which the government wishes to keep secret. The rationale behind political censorship is that the political party in power can protect itself from revolution if the public is kept uninformed. <br /> <br /> The term '''censorship''' derives from ''censor'', the title of the Roman official who conducted the census and supervised public morality.<br /> <br /> ==The First Amendment and censorship in the U. S.==<br /> In the United States, the [[First Amendment]] states that &quot;Congress shall make no law... abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.&quot; Broadly speaking, the First Amendment is designed to prevent the government from exercising censorship. However, the government sometimes censors political and religious speech anyway.<br /> <br /> More specifically, the government should not exercise &quot;prior restraint.&quot; That is, a citizen should not need advance permission from the government in order to publish something, unless it threatens [[national security]]. This does not mean that publication may not have consequences: a citizen can be sued for publishing [[libel]], or incarcerated for disclosing military secrets, but the consequences typically occur ''after'' publication, not before.<br /> <br /> Censorship is sometimes applied to prohibit obscenity that goes against common standards of public [[morality]]; under US law the first amendment does not protect material considered legally obscene. The definition of obscenity has and continues to vary, with the current Supreme Court definition being the [[Miller test]]. In practical terms, this allows harmful material such as pornography to be criminalized without violating the first amendment.<br /> <br /> Censorship may also be directed at religious ideas, as in the Saudi Arabia prohibition on preaching Christianity, liberal restrictions on public expressions of religion or the Roman Catholic Church's now-recinded ''Index Librorum Prohibitorum''.<br /> <br /> Certain language and images that may have been censored in the past are typically common fare in the American media today. On the other hand, while nudity, for example, may be acceptable on mainstream French television, that is much less likely to be accepted in American television and even less acceptable in conservative Muslim countries.<br /> <br /> == Quotes ==<br /> *''All censorships exist to prevent anyone from challenging current conceptions and existing institutions. All progress is initiated by challenging current conceptions, and executed by supplanting existing institutions. Consequently the first condition of progress is the removal of censorship.'' '''[[George Bernard Shaw]]&lt;ref&gt;&quot;The Author's Apology, preface to &quot;Mrs. Warren's Profession&quot;.&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> ==See also==<br /> *[[Fairness Doctrine]]<br /> *[[Liberal censorship]]<br /> <br /> == References ==<br /> <br /> &lt;references/&gt;<br /> <br /> [[Category:Law]]<br /> [[Category:Political Terms]]<br /> [[Category:Liberal Traits]]</div>

DerekSmalls https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=User:DerekSmalls/Obama_draft&diff=669768 2009-06-03T02:13:18Z

<p>DerekSmalls: </p> <hr /> <div>work in progress, the original Obama Article is here so I can edit it<br /> {{President<br /> |image=President Barack Obama.jpg<br /> |seq=44<br /> |term_start=January 20, 2009<br /> |term_end=January 20, 2013<br /> |party=Democrat<br /> |vp=Joe Biden<br /> |previous=George W. Bush<br /> |next=<br /> |birth_date=August 4, 1961<br /> |age={{age|1961|8|4}}<br /> |birth_place=<br /> |death_date=<br /> |death_place=<br /> |spouse=Michelle LaVaughn Robinson Obama<br /> |spouse2=<br /> |religion=Described in this entry<br /> }}<br /> '''Barack Hussein Obama II''' (allegedly&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.worldnetdaily.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&amp;pageId=82033]&lt;/ref&gt;&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.factcheck.org/UploadedFiles/birth_certificate_5.jpg Large, high-resolution picture of his birth certificate]&lt;/ref&gt;&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.kitv.com/politics/17860890/detail.html?rss=hon&amp;psp=news KITV Honolulu report]&lt;/ref&gt;&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.newsmax.com/farber/Obama_birth_certificate/2009/04/06/200320.html]&lt;/ref&gt;&lt;ref&gt;Obama's [[African]] grandmother Sarah Hussein Obama says Barack was born in her presence in Kenya.[http://www.israelnationalnews.com/Blogs/Message.aspx/3074 Obama Born In Kenya? His Grandmother Says Yes, Israali News, October 12, 2008][http://www.worldnetdaily.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&amp;pageId=78931 Democrat: Obama's grandma confirms Kenyan birth, WND, October 23, 2008][http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=b58_1225645143 Audio Conversation Link]&lt;/ref&gt; born in [[Honolulu]] Aug. 4, 1961) is the 44th president of the [[United States]], <br /> and previously served as a first-term [[Democratic party|Democratic]] [[Senator]] from [[Illinois]] (2004-2008). Obama and his running mate [[Senator Joseph Biden]] won the presidential election&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.newsmax.com/insidecover/obama_wins_presidency/2008/11/04/147788.html?utm_medium=RSS]&lt;/ref&gt; after 23 months of campaigning that spent over $700 million,&lt;ref&gt;http://www.opensecrets.org/pres08/summary.php?cid=N00009638&lt;/ref&gt; most of it raised from undisclosed donors. <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> __TOC__ &lt;!--Do not remove this. We want to keep the insights on the first screen of viewing--&gt;<br /> <br /> ==Early life and education==<br /> Barack Hussein Obama II claims to have been born in [[Honolulu]], [[Hawaii]] to Barack Sr. and Ann Dunham in 1961, but there is evidence that he may have actually been born in Kenya. In 1967, he moved with his mother and new stepfather to Jakarta, [[Indonesia]]. He attended a [[Catholic]] elementary school for two years, followed by an Indonesian public school for two years. Media scrutiny in the light of Obama's campaign for President revealed that the Indonesia public school was not a madrassa, teaching Islam. His days off of school in observance of Islamic holidays were spent praying in a Mosque with his stepfather. &lt;ref&gt;[http://www.newsmax.com/insidecover/pipes_obama_muslim/2008/10/09/138898.html Obama 'Lying' About Muslim Past, Expert Says] NewsMax, October 9, 2008&lt;/ref&gt; After Indonesia, he returned to the United States with his mother where he attended the Punahou School, the leading private preparatory school in [[Hawaii]], until he graduated in 1979.<br /> <br /> For college, Obama initially attended Occidental College in Los Angeles, [[California]], before transferring to [[Columbia University]] in New York, [[New York]] and graduating without honors with a Bachelor of Arts degree, majoring in political science. Obama refuses to describe his academic performance at Columbia despite commenting about New York during this period and despite disclosures of the academic record for all other major-party presidential candidates since at least 2000.&lt;ref&gt;http://www.nysun.com/new-york/obamas-years-at-columbia-are-a-mystery/85015/&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> After working as a community organizer in New York City and Chicago, Illinois, Obama enrolled at [[Harvard]] Law School. He became a member of the ''Harvard Law Review'', which uses racial quotas, in 1989. He was then elected by popular vote as its first African American president in 1990, a story that was immediately promoted in the [[New York Times]].&lt;ref&gt;http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C0CE2DC1631F935A35751C0A966958260&amp;scp=3&amp;sq=Obama%201990&amp;st=cse&lt;/ref&gt; He graduated ''magna cum laude'' with his J.D. in 1991, but did not serve in a clerkship. Federal clerkships are the typical post-graduate position for top law students.<br /> <br /> Obama has described himself as a constitutional law professor at the University of Chicago.&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2007/03/30/politics/p132303D74.DTL&amp;type=politics]&lt;/ref&gt; He held the position of Lecturer, an adjunct position, from 1992 to 1996.&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.law.uchicago.edu/media/index.html]&lt;/ref&gt; He held the position of Senior Lecturer from 1996 until his election to the senate in 2004.&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.law.uchicago.edu/media/index.html]&lt;/ref&gt; Dan Ronayne, a spokesman for the Republican National Committee, has pointed that Obama was only a senior lecturer and not a full professor. &lt;ref&gt;[http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2007/03/30/politics/p132303D74.DTL&amp;type=politics]&lt;/ref&gt;The University states that Senior Lecturers are regarded as professors, although not full-time or tenure track.&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.law.uchicago.edu/media/index.html]&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> == Religious Affiliation ==<br /> Obama and his wife (raised a Baptist) were members of the Trinity [[United Church of Christ]]&lt;ref&gt;http://www.tucc.org/about.htm&lt;/ref&gt; in Chicago. The church embraces [[black liberation theology]] and its emphasis on empowering oppressed groups against establishment forces. This denomination was the first in America to ordain gays, women and blacks as ministers.&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.mcclatchydc.com/227/story/31079.html], http://www.mcclatchydc.com/227/story/31079.html, Obama's church pushes controversial doctrines, March 20, 2008&lt;/ref&gt; According to his sister, Obama was baptized at this church the same year.&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/04/30/america/30obama.php?page=2 http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/04/30/america/30obama.php?page=2]&lt;/ref&gt; Obama describes his conversion in ''The Audacity of Hope''. The title of this book is taken from one of Pastor Wright's sermons. <br /> In April 2008, Obama disavowed Pastor Wright's views. In May 2008, Obama left his church. His response blamed the media &lt;ref&gt;[http://elections.foxnews.com/2008/05/31/obama-resigns-church-membership-in-chicago/], Obama Drops Church Membership in Chicago, may 31, 2008&lt;/ref&gt;, stating “It’s not fair to the other members of the church who seek to worship in peace...&quot;, and called Wright's rhetoric &quot;&quot;a bunch of rants that aren't grounded in the truth.&quot;&lt;ref&gt;USA TODAY, ''Obama breaks with former pastor, Candidate cites rants on U.S. role in terror, AIDS'', by Kathy Kiely and David Jackson [http://www.usatoday.com/printedition/news/20080430/1a_offlede30_dom.art.htm]&lt;/ref&gt;&lt;ref&gt;''Obama Says He Is Outraged By Wright's &quot;Rants&quot;''[http://www.usnews.com/usnews/politics/bulletin/bulletin_080430.htm]&lt;/ref&gt; Wright had been making inflammatory comments and posting his sermons online for sale. These include the statements &quot;G-d damn America&quot; and describing the September 11th attacks, he said &quot;We have supported state terrorism against the Palestinians and black South Africans, and now we are indignant because the stuff we have done overseas is now brought right back to our own front yards. America's chickens are coming home to roost.&quot;&lt;ref&gt;[ http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/Story?id=4443788 Obama's Pastor: G-d Damn America, U.S. to Blame for 9/11]&lt;/ref&gt; In addition, Rev. Wright blamed America saying &quot;We supported Zionism shamelessly while ignoring the Palestinians and branding anybody who spoke out against it as being anti-Semitic.&quot; <br /> <br /> [[Image:Barack Obama Jeremiah Wright.jpg|thumb|Barack Obama and Jeremiah Wright.]]<br /> <br /> [[Daniel Pipes]] claims that Obama was raised a [[Muslim]] because he attended classes on the Koran while attending a Muslim school.&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.danielpipes.org/article/5286 Was Barack Obama a Muslim&lt;/ref&gt; Obama did attend a school administrated by Muslims but [[CNN]] reports that it was a non-religious public school attended by students of many faiths, not a [[madrassa]].&lt;ref&gt;http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/01/22/obama.madrassa/&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> {{QuoteBox|In Indonesia, I'd spent 2 years at a Muslim school, 2 years at a Catholic school. In the Muslim school, the teacher wrote to tell mother I made faces during Koranic studies. In the Catholic school, when it came time to pray, I'd pretend to close my eyes, then peek around the room. Nothing happened. No angels descended. Just a parched old nun and 30 brown children, muttering words. Sometimes the nun would catch me, and her stern look would force my lids back shut. But that didn't change how I felt inside.&quot;}}&lt;ref&gt;Dreams from My Father, by Barack Obama, p.142 Aug 1, 1996 &lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> Obama has described his upbringing as occurring in a non-religious environment. <br /> <br /> {{QuoteBox|In sum, my mother viewed religion through the eyes of the anthropologist that she would become; it was a phenomenon to be treated with a suitable respect, but with a suitable detachment as well. Moreover, as a child I rarely came in contact with those who might offer a substantially different view of faith. My father was almost entirely absent from my childhood, having been divorced from my mother when I was 2 years old; in any event, although my father had been raised a Muslim, by the time he met my mother he was a confirmed atheist, thinking religion to be so much superstition.<br /> <br /> And yet for all her professed secularism, my mother was in many ways the most spiritually awakened person that I've ever known. She had an unswerving instinct for kindness, charity, and love, and spent much of her life acting on that instinct, sometimes to her detriment. Without the help of religious texts or outside authorities, she worked mightily to instill in me the values that many Americans learn in Sunday school: honesty, empathy, discipline, delayed gratification, and hard work. She raged at poverty and injustice.}}&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1546579-4,00.html My Spiritual Journey] Time Magazine, October 2006&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> Much evidence supports the claims that Obama is a Muslim. Firstly, Obama's background, education, and outlook are [[Muslim]], and fewer than 1% of Muslims convert to Christianity.&lt;ref&gt;http://www.religionnewsblog.com/17736/barack-obama-2&lt;/ref&gt;&lt;ref&gt;http://www.faithfreedom.org/oped/sina31103.htm. During the third and fourth grades, Obama learned about Islam for two hours each week in religion class, according to the LATimes. [http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/nation/bal-te.obama16mar16,0,1634059,print.story?coll=bal_news_nation_promo Campaign downplays his connection during boyhood in Indonesia, Baltimore Sun, March 16, 2007]&lt;/ref&gt;. Another Important peice of evidence is Obama's middle name (Hussein)which references '''Husayn''', who was the grandson of [[Muhammad]],&lt;ref&gt; Oxford Dictionary of First Names, 2nd edition (2007).[http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/277459/al-Husayn-ibn-Ali].&lt;/ref&gt; which most Christians would not retain.&lt;ref&gt;Only after Obama became politically ambitious did he declare himself to be a [[Christian]], yet he never replaced his [[Muslim]] name &quot;Hussein&quot; with a Christian one as most do when they undergo a religious conversion. For example, when the Italian journalist Magdi Allam recently converted to Christianity, he took a new name: &quot;Cristiano&quot;.[http://www.catholic.org/international/international_story.php?id=30814] When Saul became a Christian, he changed his name to &quot;Paul&quot;; when the famous boxer Cassius Clay converted to [[Islam]], he took the Muslim name of [[Muhammad Ali]]. &quot;It is common for those converting to a new religion to change their name on conversion&quot;[http://www.ukdp.co.uk/pages/religiousconversion.php] or adopt a Christian name at [[baptism]].[http://www.answers.com/topic/christian-name]&lt;/ref&gt;. <br /> <br /> Obama has given many praises of Islam. He has said that &quot;Islam can be compatible with the modern world.&quot;&lt;ref&gt; [http://www.newsweek.com/id/145971 Barack Obama's Christian Journey | Newsweek Politics: Campaign 2008]&lt;/ref&gt; and that the Muslim call to prayer is &quot;one of the prettiest sounds on Earth at sunset,&quot; and recited &quot;with a first-class [[Arabic]] accent&quot; the opening lines: Allah is Supreme! ... I witness that there is no god but Allah ....&quot;&lt;ref&gt;http://www.wnd.com/index.php?pageId=78309&lt;/ref&gt;. Obama has also stated that the autobiography of Malcolm X, a Nation of Islam leader who became a Muslim, inspired him in his youth.&lt;ref&gt;For example, Obama writes in his own autobiography, &quot;Only Malcolm X's autobiography seemed to offer something different. His repeated acts of self-creation spoke to me. The blunt poetry of his words, his unadorned insistence on respect, promised a new and uncompromising order, martial in its discipline, forged through sheer force of will. ... [E]ven as I imagine myself following Malcolm's call, one line in the book stayed with me. He spoke of a wish he'd once had, the wish that the white blood that ran through him, there by an act of violence, might somehow be expunged.&quot;[http://www.americanthinker.com/2008/04/does_obama_know_america.html]&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> Obama has many Muslim connections. Among them; Obama raised nearly $1 million and campaigned for a [[Kenyan]] presidential candidate who had a written agreement with [[Muslim]] leaders promising to convert Kenya to an Islamic state that bans Christianity.&lt;ref&gt; [http://www.worldnetdaily.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&amp;pageId=78324] Text of the agreement, as three images: [http://www.worldnetdaily.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&amp;pageId=78323]&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> Obama has admitted to not being a particularly good Christian. Obama's claims of conversion to Christianity arose after he became politically ambitious, lacking a date of conversion or baptism.&lt;ref&gt;In his book, Obama oddly claims to have been baptized without giving his age or date, and later gave a date that postdates his political ambition (1992).&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> *On the campaign trail, Obama was reading &quot;The Post-American World&quot; by [[Fareed Zakaria]],&lt;ref&gt;http://www.canada.com/topics/news/world/story.html?id=fa8cf1bf-2cc8-4d6e-b72d-a07d406e19ff&lt;/ref&gt; which is written from a Muslim point-of-view.&lt;ref&gt;http://www.villagevoice.com/2005-08-09/news/the-interpreter/&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> *Contrary to [[Christianity]], the Islamic doctrine of [[taqiyya]] encourages adherents to deny they are Muslim if it advances the cause of Islam.<br /> *Obama uses the Muslim Pakistani pronunciation for &quot;Pakistan&quot; rather than the common American one.&lt;ref&gt;Obama repeatedly pronounced &quot;Pakistan&quot; as &quot;Pokiston&quot; in the first presidential debate.&lt;/ref&gt; <br /> *Obama was thoroughly exposed to Christianity as an adult in Chicago prior to attending law school, yet no one at law school saw him display any interest in converting. Obama unabashedly explained how he became &quot;churched&quot; in a 2007 speech: &quot;It's around that time [while working as an organizer for the Developing Communities Project (DCP) of the Calumet Community Religious Conference (CCRC) in Chicago] that some pastors I was working with came around and asked if I was a member of a church. 'If you're organizing churches,' they said, 'it might be helpful if you went to a church once in a while.' And I thought, 'I guess that makes sense.'&quot;&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.speroforum.com/site/article.asp?id=15363 Obama, ACORN, and the churches] SperoNews, October 7, 2008&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> *Obama is mentioned as helping to organize the 1995 million man march led by black [[Muslim]] leader [[Louis Farrakhan]] from the [[Nation of Islam]]. &lt;ref&gt;[http://www.biography.com/search/article.do?id=9291850 Louis Farrakhan Biography] Biography.com&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> *Obama has chosen the [[Secret Service]] code name &quot;Renegade&quot;. &quot;Renegade&quot; conventionally describes someone who goes against normal conventions of behavior, but its first usage was to describe someone who has turned from their religion. It is a word derived from the [[Spanish]] ''renegado'', meaning &quot;Christian turned Muslim.&quot;&lt;ref&gt;http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/barackobama/3452281/Renegade-and-Renaissance-Obama-to-replace-Trailblazer-and-Tempo-Bush-in-the-White-House.html&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> *Obama enjoyed a bigger increase in voter support in 2008 (compared to 2004) by Muslims than by any other voting group, including blacks;&lt;ref&gt;http://www.altmuslim.com/a/a/a/2873/&lt;/ref&gt; &quot;Muslim turnout in the U.S. elections reached 95 percent, the highest Muslim turnout in U.S. history.&quot;&lt;ref&gt;http://newsweek.washingtonpost.com/postglobal/islamsadvance/2008/11/is_obama_the_muslim_worlds_sup.html&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> *&quot;President-elect [[Barack Obama]] has yet to attend [Sunday] church services since winning the [[White House]] earlier ..., a departure from the example of his two immediate predecessors.&quot;&lt;ref&gt;http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1108/15902.html&lt;/ref&gt;&lt;ref&gt;http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/washingtondc/la-na-obama-religion26-2008dec26,0,1910913.story&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> *Obama used his Muslim middle name when sworn in as President.&lt;ref&gt;http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/ET_Cetera/Obama_to_take_oath_using_middle_name_/articleshow/3813120.cms&lt;/ref&gt;&lt;ref&gt;http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/12/10/politics/main4660590.shtml?source=RSSattr=Politics_4660590&lt;/ref&gt; <br /> *Obama botched his public oath of office in which he placed his hand on a Bible, then chose not to use the Bible for his real, private oath.<br /> [[Image:Obamabow.jpg|thumb|right|President Obama bowing to the King of Saudi Arabia - April 2009]]<br /> *'''At the G20 summit in April 2009, Obama bowed deeply to Saudi King Abdullah, a Muslim who is also the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques.'''&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LEUif1--r38&amp;feature=player_embedded Video of Obama bowing almost to King's waist]&lt;/ref&gt; Never before in the history of the U.S. has a president displayed such shocking deference to a foreign official and Obama has not bowed to any other royal leaders. Obama later stated, &quot;We have to change our behavior in showing the Muslim world greater respect.&quot;&lt;ref&gt;http://washingtontimes.com/news/2009/apr/07/barack-takes-a-bow/&lt;/ref&gt; Obama's spin doctors and left-wing apologists dismissed the obviousness of the bow. One anonymous aide stated, &quot;It wasn't a bow. He grasped his hand with two hands, and he's taller than King Abdullah.&quot;&lt;ref&gt;http://www.onenewsnow.com/Blog/Default.aspx?id=483326&lt;/ref&gt; However, in video of the incident, Obama's left hand can clearly be seen staying at his side until after he had finished his bow.&lt;ref&gt;http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9WlqW6UCeaY&lt;/ref&gt; Additionally, Obama also met with Queen Elizabeth, who is much shorter than King Abdullah, but he did not bow when he shook her hand and neither he nor the queen appeared to have any difficulty.&lt;ref&gt;http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=71N34K9EVLU&lt;/ref&gt; (Many liberals and even a handful of conservatives have proposed that President Bush also bowed before King Abdullah.&lt;ref&gt;http://littlegreenfootballs.com/article/33289_Bush_Bowed_Too&lt;/ref&gt; However, there is a vast, inexorable difference between bending down to receive a medal as Bush did and bowing in deference to a foreign leader as Obama did.)<br /> *Obama required that a religiously affiliated college take the extraordinary action of concealing with wood the monogram &quot;IHS&quot;, which represents the name of Jesus, during a speech by Obama there&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.foxnews.com/politics/first100days/2009/04/16/georgetown-university-hid-religious-symbols-white-house-request/ Georgetown hides Jesus' name at request of Obama's White House]&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> Obama tries to downplay his [[Islamic]] background by claiming that his [[Kenya|Kenyan]] [[Muslim]] father was a &quot;confirmed [[atheist]]&quot; before Obama was born, but in fact less than 1% of Kenyans are atheists, agnostics, or non-religious.&lt;ref&gt;http://www.adherents.com/Na/Na_14.html&lt;/ref&gt; There is apparently no evidence of any Christian activities or local church participation by Obama while he was in Massachusetts from 1988 to 1991, nor of Barack Obama's joining of a Mosque (The Islamic house of worship) at any time in his life. Finally, Obama abruptly left his radical Christian church in Chicago in 2008, when it became politically controversial, without first finding another church to join. On April 7, 2009, Obama visited a mosque in Istanbul, Turkey.&lt;ref&gt;http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=CNG.c2e3700ab4e271bc32827b0fccfe560b.421&amp;show_article=1&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> ==Obama and Elitism and Ayers==<br /> <br /> Obama has consistently shown himself to be an elitist who looks down on &quot;ordinary&quot; Americans. Asked to explain why working-class [[Democrats]] do not support him while campaigning for the [[Pennsylvania]] primary, Obama replied &quot;it's not surprising, then, they get bitter, they cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren't like them or anti-immigrant sentiment or anti-trade sentiment as a way to explain their frustrations.&quot;&lt;ref&gt;http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7344532.stm&lt;/ref&gt; In response to outrage when his remarks were unexpectedly publicized, Obama did not recount his statement but instead replied, I &quot;didn't say it as well as I should have.&quot;&lt;ref&gt;http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7344532.stm&lt;/ref&gt; Although many rural counties went for McCain, Obama carried the state with 54.6% of the vote, compared to 44.3% for John McCain.&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.electionreturns.state.pa.us/ElectionsInformation.aspx?FunctionID=13&amp;ElectionID=28&amp;OfficeID=1]&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> In an attempt counter the view by many that Obama is an elitist, he began running campaign ads claiming that he &quot;worked his way through college and Harvard Law.&quot; This claim is at best an exaggeration, as Obama only held summer jobs while in college and law school&lt;ref&gt;http://www.factcheck.org/elections-2008/obamas_work_claim.html&lt;/ref&gt;, and he would have likely benefited from special scholarships not available to most students.<br /> <br /> Obama almost always reads from prepared text on a [[teleprompter]] and rarely allows tough questions.&lt;ref&gt;After one debate against [[Hillary Clinton]] in Philadelphia, the Obama campaign announced that the questions were too difficult and that Obama would not agree to future debates with her.&lt;/ref&gt;&lt;ref name=&quot;teleprompter&quot;&gt;The Daily Standard, ''Obama Unplugged Lost without a Teleprompter'', by Dean Barnett, 02/12/2008[http://www.weeklystandard.com/content/public/articles/000/000/014/728ofzey.asp]&lt;/ref&gt; Indeed, when unable to read from prepared text he often fails at articulating his positions and is caught tripping over his own feet.&lt;ref&gt;This was first displayed in the Saddleback Forum, and has occurred subsequently also.&lt;/ref&gt; His most recent debate performances illustrate that he may have been extensively coached over the course of 2008, although he still repeatedly fumbles at moments where he moves off his memorized remarks.<br /> <br /> Obama refers to America in the third person, as a foreigner would. In his first television interview after becoming president, Obama declared that &quot;all too often the United States starts by dictating.&quot; Earlier, when Obama gave his acceptance speech, he said &quot;We may not get there in one year or even one term, but America - I have never been more hopeful than I am tonight that we will get there.&quot;&lt;ref&gt;[http://news.yahoo.com/s/ynews/ynews_pl135]&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> President Obama is the first person having ties to a known former terrorist to gain control over America's nuclear weapons.&lt;ref&gt;http://www.clevelandleader.com/node/7127&lt;/ref&gt;&lt;ref&gt;http://elections.foxnews.com/2008/08/26/obama-associate-bill-ayers-unrepentant-for-acts-of-terror/&lt;/ref&gt; Author and blogger Jack Cashill requisitioned a comparison of the writing style of Bill Ayers' 2001 memoir, ''Fugitive Days'', with Barack Obama's earlier 1995 book, ''Dreams From My Father'', and came to the conclusion that Ayres may have ghostwritten Dreams.&lt;ref&gt;www.cashill.com, ''Who Wrote “Dreams From My Father&quot;?'', by Jack Cashill, October 9, 2008, retrieved on 10/16/2008 [http://www.cashill.com/natl_general/who_wrote_dreams_from.htm] Cashill states that a computer comparison of Obama's so-called autobiography with that of the terrorist Bill Ayers, supports the theory that Ayers actually wrote parts of Obama's book; also he wrote &quot;None of this, of course, proves Ayers' authorship conclusively, but the evidence makes him a much more likely candidate than Obama to have written the best parts of Dreams&quot;. &quot;In assessing the signature of sample passages from Dreams,&quot; the experienced analyst found &quot;a very strong match to all of the Ayers samples&quot; that he processed. He did not address the possibility that Ayers had plagiarized from Obama's earlier book. A philosophy professor from England disagreed.[http://wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&amp;pageId=77815]&lt;/ref&gt; Ayers admitted that he was &quot;guilty as hell&quot; in planting bombs in the 1970s, and that he has no regrets and felt he &quot;should have done more.&quot;&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.clevelandleader.com/node/7127]&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> ==Insights==<br /> <br /> Obama displayed ignorance about American history when he said, &quot;Throughout our history, America's confronted constantly evolving danger, from the oppression of an empire, to the lawlessness of the frontier, '''from the bomb that fell on Pearl Harbor''', to the threat of nuclear annihilation.&quot;&lt;ref&gt;http://www.weeklystandard.com/weblogs/TWSFP/2008/07/obama_ignorance_watch_1.asp&lt;/ref&gt; <br /> <br /> Obama has described himself as a constitutional law professor at the University of Chicago.&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2007/03/30/politics/p132303D74.DTL&amp;type=politics]&lt;/ref&gt; He held the position of Lecturer, an adjunct position, from 1992 to 1996.&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.law.uchicago.edu/media/index.html]&lt;/ref&gt; He held the position of Senior Lecturer from 1996 until his election to the senate in 2004.&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.law.uchicago.edu/media/index.html]&lt;/ref&gt; Dan Ronayne, a spokesman for the Republican National Committee, has pointed that Obama was only a senior lecturer and not a full professor. &lt;ref&gt;[http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2007/03/30/politics/p132303D74.DTL&amp;type=politics]&lt;/ref&gt;The University states that Senior Lecturers are regarded as professors, although not full-time or tenure track.&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.law.uchicago.edu/media/index.html]&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> In his 1995 memoir, ''Dreams from My Father'', Obama admitted using illegal drugs, including cocaine and marijuana, which he referred to as &quot;blow&quot; and &quot;pot&quot; respectively, in his high school years and into his college years, before claiming to choose a different path in life.&lt;ref&gt;http://www.nbc5.com/politics/3444371/detail.html&lt;/ref&gt;&lt;ref&gt;http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2008/02/26/obamas_senate_foreign_relations_work/&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> Obama wore an American flag lapel pin after [[9/11]], but later stopped wearing it without adequate explanation.&lt;ref&gt;http://www.swamppolitics.com/news/politics/blog/2007/10/when_did_obama_stop_wearing_a.html&lt;/ref&gt; Presumably it would have hurt him with anti-military campaign donors.&lt;ref&gt;In 2007, at critical moments in his campaign for the nomination, Obama had difficulties securing the support of anti-war activists. [http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/04/04/politics/main2645861.shtml]&lt;/ref&gt; Recently, he has begun wearing one again for reasons that are likely political pandering.<br /> <br /> In his memoirs, Obama claimed a ''[[Life]]'' magazine article about a man who had become ill after trying to lighten his skin color by chemical means had a major impact on him. In fact, ''Life'' never published any such article.&lt;ref&gt;http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/03/26/AR2007032601583.html&lt;/ref&gt;&lt;ref&gt;&quot;Then there's the copy of Life magazine that Obama presents as his racial awakening at age 9. In it, he wrote, was an article and two accompanying photographs of an African-American man physically and mentally scarred by his efforts to lighten his skin. In fact, the Life article and the photographs don't exist, say the magazine's own historians.&quot; [http://newsbusters.org/node/11641]&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> Obama said that &quot;[t]here was something stirring across the country because of what happened in Selma, [[Alabama]], because some folks are willing to march across a bridge. So they got together and Barack Obama Jr. was born.&quot; In fact, Obama was born in 1961 and the Selma march took place in 1965.&lt;ref&gt;http://michellemalkin.com/2008/05/21/barack-obama-gaffe-machine/&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> Obama states that he has consistently opposed the [[Iraq War]] since 2002, a claim and position that former President [[Bill Clinton]] criticized as &quot;the biggest fairy tale I've ever seen.&quot;&lt;ref&gt;http://www.reuters.com/article/politicsNews/idUSN1131516320080111&lt;/ref&gt; In his famous 2002 speech&lt;ref&gt;http://www.barackobama.com/2002/10/02/remarks_of_illinois_state_sen.php&lt;/ref&gt; at an anti-war rally, Obama said that he was against &quot;dumb wars&quot; and expressed some reservations about the Iraq War because he disagrees with the ideological agendas of the Bush administration, but he did not explicitly oppose the war. In his 2004 Democrat Convention speech, Obama said that he did not know how he would have voted on the Iraq War.<br /> <br /> Obama's campaign &quot;is proud to be actively participating in over 60 local and state wide [[homosexual]] Pride events over the summer.&quot;&lt;ref&gt;http://my.barackobama.com/page/community/post/jcitron/gG5VLs&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> Obama claimed to have visited 57 states while campaigning for President of the United States.&lt;ref&gt; [http://www.mediaresearch.org/BozellColumns/newscolumn/2008/col20080528.asp Barack Potatoe Obama?]&lt;/ref&gt; &lt;ref&gt;http://www.stoptheaclu.com/archives/2008/05/12/obamas-freudian-slip-there-are-57-islamic-states/&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> ==Charitable Giving==<br /> <br /> In the years 2000 through 2004, before becoming a United States Senator and being in the public spotlight, Obama gave 1% of his earnings to charity even though he made $250,000 per year. Since becoming a national figure, that amount has jumped to 6%.&lt;ref&gt;http://patterico.com/2008/10/31/obama-and-bidens-charitable-giving-they-dont-want-to-spread-their-own-wealth-around/&lt;/ref&gt; Obama's small donations are consistent with atheism and were perhaps influenced by his nonbelieving mother. According to a study by the Barna Group, atheists give less per capita in donations than religious Americans &lt;ref&gt;http://www.barna.org/FlexPage.aspx?Page=BarnaUpdateNarrow&amp;BarnaUpdateID=272 The Barna Update, 2007&lt;/ref&gt;.<br /> <br /> ==Aunt is in the United States Illegally==<br /> At the end of October 2008 it came to light that Obama's aunt is in the United States illegally and has been since 2004 when her request for asylum was turned down. She has been living in public tax payer funded housing in Boston. This may have some bearing on Obama's immigration policy given that a member of his own family is in violation of current US immigration law. There are also questions about how much Obama knew about this.&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27481680 Obama's Aunt Living in US Illegally]&lt;/ref&gt; The Obama campaign issued a statement to the effect that they had no knowledge of this situation and returned the donation she made to his campaign; in the United States it is illegal to accept campaign contributions from people who are not currently citizens or legal residents of the United States. &lt;ref&gt;http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/11/01/obama.aunt/index.html&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> ==Statements==<br /> Obama has been noted by several independent sources as misquoting historical events and statements by famous persons. A notable example came after Obama's win in the [[North Carolina]] democratic primary. Obama was quoted as saying, &quot;I trust the American people to understand that it is not weakness, but wisdom to talk not just to our friends, but to our enemies as Roosevelt did, and Kennedy did, and Truman did.&quot; (Franklin Delano) Roosevelt spoke with none of the [[Axis]] or [[Japanese]] leaders and the the only communication that was sent to them was unconditional surrender. (President) [[Harry Truman]] took over for FDR and continued his unconditional surrender philosophy as well as ending [[World War II]] with an atomic bomb.&lt;ref&gt;http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2008/05/obama_needs_to_study_history_b.html&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> ==Legal career==<br /> Following law school, Obama continued his work as a community organizer in Chicago as the director of Illinois Project Vote. In 1993 he was hired as an associate at the Chicago law firm Miner, Barnhill &amp; Galland, P.C., and began lecturing in Constitutional Law at the University of Chicago Law School. He remains on the faculty on leave of absence through today. During this time he wrote his first book, ''Dreams from My Father'', detailing his background, his youth, and his education. ''Dreams'' was published in 1995.<br /> <br /> ==Senate career==<br /> [[Image:obama.jpg|thumb|right|Senator Barack Obama]]<br /> Obama was elected to the Illinois State Senate for the first time in 1996 and served there for the next eight years. <br /> <br /> October 2008 crimes against Academy Award winner Jennifer Hudson's family highlighted Obama's record against law and order, as he voted against making it a crime in Illinois &quot;for convicts on probation or on bail to have contact with a street gang&quot;.&lt;ref&gt;[http://thehill.com/leading-the-news/obamas-crime-votes-are-fodder-for-rivals-2007-03-13.html]&lt;/ref&gt;&lt;ref&gt;The person of interest in the murders of Hudson's mother, brother, and 7-year-old nephew is the estranged husband of Hudson's sister and a convicted felon who had violated his parole conditions.[http://www.chicagotribune.com/chi-julian-king-autopsy-1029,0,2752431.story]&lt;/ref&gt; &quot;'We've got 75,000 gang members - that's almost six gang members to one police officer,'&quot; in Obama's hometown of Chicago.&lt;ref&gt;&quot;More people have been murdered in Chicago this year than in New York - even though New York's population is three times greater. When Hudson's mother, brother and nephew were killed last month, they pushed the city's homicide total for the year to 436 and counting. New York has had 430 homicides.&quot; [http://www.nydailynews.com/news/us_world/2008/11/01/2008-11-01_chicago_buried_in_murders.html]&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> Following a failed campaign for the House of Representatives, Obama ran for the open Senate seat from Illinois in 2004. Obama delivered the keynote address at the 2004 Democratic National Convention. He won a seat in the [[U.S. Senate]] after [[liberals]] obtained the release of confidential and personally embarrassing divorce records of his opponent, Jack Ryan, forcing him to resign from the race and be replaced by the out-of-state candidate [[Alan Keyes]].<br /> <br /> A March 16th, 2005 AP article puts Senator Obama on record to ban oil drilling in the Alaska frontier known as ANWR &lt;ref&gt;http://www.commondreams.org/headlines05/0316-13.htm&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> His 2007 voting record in the U.S. [[Senate]] makes him as its most [[liberal]] member. Among fellow Senate Democrats, he was further left than liberals like [[Ted Kennedy]], [[John Kerry]], [[Dianne Feinstein]], [[Charles Schumer]], [[Russ Feingold]], [[Carl Levin]], [[Joseph Biden]] and [[Harry Reid]].&lt;ref&gt;[http://nationaljournal.com/voteratings/sen/lib_cons.htm?o1=lib_composite&amp;o2=desc]&lt;/ref&gt; He has grown steadily more liberal since arriving at the Senate: the same analysis assessed him as 10th most liberal in 2006&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.nationaljournal.com/members/news/2007/voteratings/sen/lib_cons.htm?o1=lib_composite&amp;o2=desc]&lt;/ref&gt; and 16th most liberal in 2005.&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.nationaljournal.com/members/news/2007/voteratings/sen/lib_cons.htm?o1=lib_composite&amp;o2=desc]&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> In late 2006, Obama's second book, ''The Audacity of Hope'', was published. Its title was supplied by the Rev. Jeremiah A. Wright Jr., a minister who has stated that &quot;racism is how this country was founded and how this country was run .... We believe in white supremacy and black inferiority and believe it more than we believe in God.&quot;&lt;ref&gt;http://blog.washingtonpost.com/the-trail/2008/03/14/obama_condemns_pastors_remarks.html&lt;/ref&gt; The book contains more of Senator Obama's personal story including the roles of both family and politics. ''Audacity'' spent 30 weeks on the ''New York Times'' Nonfiction Best Sellers list.&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/27/books/bestseller/0527besthardnonfiction.html?_r=1&amp;oref=slogin New York Times Best Sellers Non Fiction]&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> Senator Obama is the chairman of an important subcommittee that has oversight of our efforts in Afghanistan. He has not held a single hearing on Afghanistan even though American forces are risking their lives in a theatre of war. Since joining Foreign Relations, Obama has missed three meetings on a &quot;new strategy&quot; in [[Afghanistan]], a country he only visited in 2008.&lt;ref&gt;[http://thehill.com/leading-the-news/obama-absent-at-afghanistan-hearings-2008-03-01.html&lt;/ref&gt; Barack Obama clinched his party's nomination for President after 16 straight months of campaigning.<br /> <br /> In June 2008, Obama voted with the Democratic party to kill the sunset provision of the [[Bush]] tax cuts. By letting these tax cuts expire, single mothers with two kids will pay an additional $1,800 annually. Married couples with incomes of $50,000 will pay an additional $2,180 annually. Elderly couples will pay an additional $2,000 annually and a family of four will pay 191% more per year in taxes. Barack Obama often claims to be for taxing the rich their fair share. By voting to eliminate the Bush tax cuts, Obama is taxing most middle class and blue collar families.<br /> <br /> Obama and the Democratic-led Congress has voted for the upgraded GI Bill despite the opposition from the President, the Secretary of Defense, the Pentagon, the generals in combat zones and the GOP Presidential nominee. It was crafted to increase veteran benefits. Yet, the strain on our military is great.&lt;ref&gt;[http://marcambinder.theatlantic.com/archives/2008/05/mccain_to_obama_dont_demagogue.php] http://marcambinder.theatlantic.com/archives/2008/05/mccain_to_obama_dont_demagogue.php , McCain To Obama: Don't Demagogue The GI Bill, May 22, 2008&lt;/ref&gt; The bill would cost $2.8 to $4 billion per month. Some argue that this bill depletes the US's volunteer military personnel by enticing them to leave service rather than be re-deployed.<br /> <br /> As senator, Obama has requested nearly $936 million in earmarks which averages to $500,000. per day over four years, &lt;ref&gt;[http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122108935141721343.html?mod=googlenews_wsj Obama Can't Win Against Palin] Wall Street Journal, September 11, 2008&lt;/ref&gt; for which the Council for Citizens Against Government Waste has given him a rating of 10% in 2007 (18% lifetime).&lt;ref&gt;[http://councilfor.cagw.org/site/DocServer/2007_Senate_Ratings_Final.pdf?docID=3242 2007 Senate Scorecard]&lt;/ref&gt; A score of 100% represents voting against all pork, and 0% represents voting ''for'' all pork. Democrats averaged 5% in 2007, whereas Republicans averaged 60%. &lt;ref&gt;[http://councilfor.cagw.org/site/News2?abbr=CCAGW_&amp;page=NewsArticle&amp;id=11590 CCAGW Releases ''2007 Congressional Ratings'']&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> According to a Fox News report on October 5th, Obama has taken more than $126,000. in campaign contribution from [[Fannie Mae]] in a little over three years. This ranks him second, only Chris Dodd has received more campaign contribution dollars from Fannie Mae.<br /> <br /> === Bills co-sponsored ===<br /> Obama's principal legislation was S. 2433, which was an attempt to force the U.S. to increase its foreign aid by hundreds of billions of dollars under the guise of reducing global poverty, which was subsequently blocked by [[conservatives]].&lt;ref&gt;http://www.cnsnews.com/ViewPolitics.asp?Page=/Politics/archive/200802/POL20080225a.html&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> Obama did support and co-sponsor a bill championed by [[Tom Coburn]] and known as the Coburn-Obama Government Transparency Act of 2006, which was signed into law by President [[George W. Bush]] on Sept. 9, 2006. This law created a website that will list the federal government's grants and contracts.&lt;ref&gt; http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2006/09/20060926.html&lt;/ref&gt; <br /> <br /> Between Jan 13, 2007 and March 13, 2008, Sen. Obama has sponsored 120 mostly [[liberal]] resolutions and bills in the Senate.&lt;ref&gt;http://thomas.loc.gov/&lt;/ref&gt; His supporters cite the following less liberal examples, but this list is not representative:<br /> <br /> *S.117 : A bill to amend titles 10 and 38, United States Code, to improve benefits and services for members of the Armed Forces, veterans of the Global War on Terrorism, and other veterans, to require reports on the effects of the Global War on Terrorism, and for other purposes.<br /> <br /> *S.133 : A bill to promote the national security and stability of the economy of the United States by reducing the dependence of the United States on oil through the use of alternative fuels and new technology, and for other purposes.<br /> <br /> *S.453 : A bill to prohibit deceptive practices in Federal elections.<br /> <br /> *S.713 : A bill to ensure dignity in care for members of the Armed Forces recovering from injuries.<br /> <br /> === Accomplishments while serving on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee ===<br /> <br /> In February 2008, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee approved Obama's proposal on a new strategy to reduce poverty throughout the world.<br /> <br /> Obama worked with Sen. Lugar writing legislation aimed at improving conventional and nuclear non-proliferation efforts. This legislation was signed by [[George W. Bush|President Bush]] in January 2008.<br /> <br /> In June 2007 the Senate passed his resolution condemning violence by the [[Zimbabwe]] government. It also passed legislation co-sponsored by Obama that financed a Special Court for Sierra Leone to prosecute former [[Liberia | Liberian]] President [[Charles Taylor]]. &lt;ref&gt; http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2008/02/26/obamas_senate_foreign_relations_work/ &lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> Barack Obama continued to collect money for a 2010 Senate re-election campaign as late as June 2008, and has filed reports recently indicating that money is still pouring into this fund. This is especially notable because it is an efficient way of sidetracking donations from his Presidential race. The website&lt;obamasenate2010.gov&gt; is now defunct.<br /> <br /> ==Presidential campaign==<br /> [[Image:Democrat Obama during the Pledge.jpg|325px|thumb|right|Obama, on the campaign trail, stands with folded hands while [[Bill Richardson]] and [[Hillary Clinton]] honor the flag by placing their hands over their heart during the [[National Anthem]]. [http://rawstory.com/news/2007/Obama_doesnt_put_hand_over_heart_1022.html See Video] ]]<br /> Senator Obama began his candidacy for President of the United States on February 10, 2007, in Springfield, Illinois. His announcement speech largely avoided specific campaign issues and focused on his general political message of hope for the future. It also attempted to strongly invoke the memory of Abraham Lincoln and his &quot;House Divided&quot; speech.&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/02/10/obama.president/index.html &quot;Obama declares he's running for President&quot;] 11 February 2007, www.CNN.com &lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> Obama's campaign has been financed largely by [[leftist]] donors opposed to the war and to the [[American]] military in general. Obama has encouraged this by refusing to wear the customary flag on his lapel during appearances (asserting that he would prefer his patriotism to be represented through his actions rather than an arbitrary symbol) and by other less-than-patriotic gestures and symbols, such as declining to put his hand over his heart during a patriotic recitation. In an appearance on May 16 where he addressed President Bush's statements that some politicians would prefer appeasing terrorists through negotiations, Senator Obama once again wore the flag pin as he did following 9-11. <br /> <br /> By early April 2007, his campaign generated over $25 million from over 100,000 contributors. $23.5 million of that money will be available for the Democratic Primary.&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/05/us/politics/05obama.html Obama Shows His Strength in a Fund-Raising Feat on Par With Clinton], 4 April 2007, Jeff Zeleny and Patrick Healy,'' The New York Times''&lt;/ref&gt; After the first Democratic presidential debate in Columbia, South Carolina, Obama's image as an &quot;articulate&quot; spokesman came into question after his failure to state right away that he would retaliate in case of further terrorist strikes against the United States.&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/27/AR2007042702162.html?hpid=moreheadlines Clinton Campaign Tries to Keep Heat on Obama Over Debate Response], Dan Balz, ''Washington Post'' April 28, 2007.&lt;/ref&gt;&lt;ref&gt;Chicago Sun-Times, <br /> [http://www.suntimes.com/news/sweet/362269,CST-NWS-sweet29.article 'I was a little nervous' at debate'], Lynn Sweet, <br /> April 29, 2007,&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> During a fund raising event in Virginia in May 2007 Obama told donors,<br /> {{Cquote|This week there was a tragedy in Kansas. Ten thousand people died. An entire town destroyed.&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,271357,00.html Transcript: 'Special Report with Brit Hume,' May 9, 2007], retrieved from ''FOX News'', 06/13/07.&lt;/ref&gt;}}<br /> <br /> In reality, the tornado which touched down in Kansas cost the lives of nine people in the town of Greensburg, and twelve overall in Kansas.<br /> <br /> Speaking regarding his knowledge of the Afghanistan conflict, Obama points the finger at U.S. troops and American policy &quot;...just airraiding villages and killing civilians, which is causing enormous problems there.&quot; &lt;ref&gt;[http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,293365,00.html Barack Obama Caught on Tape Accusing U.S. Troops of 'Killing Civilians'] Fox News, August 15, 2007&lt;/ref&gt; [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wrW4fOGIMVY See Video]<br /> <br /> By August it appeared Obama was running to be left off the ticket completely rather than the much ballyhooed Hillary/Obama ticket the [[mainstream media]] was pushing. After a series of ill-advised foreign policy statements, Obama was openly criticized as a lightweight even by liberals, in much the same vein as [[John Edwards]] and [[Dan Quayle]] had been depicted. First, Obama said he would have face-to-face meetings with two of Florida's most feared enemies, [[Fidel Castro]] and [[Hugo Chavez]]. Florida is a key state to any presidential ambitions. Then Obama claimed that he would be willing to invade the sovereign territory of a U.S. ally without prior consultation. Finally, Obama broke the cardinal rule of declaring he would not use nuclear weapons, removing the element of bluff U.S. Presidents had vitally depended upon throughout the [[Cold War]] era. The incidents all added up to a picture of a candidate ill-prepared and ill-advised, lacking in a basic understanding of the office of the Presidency, and failing to surround himself with appointees able to make up for his deficiencies. However, Obama won the Iowa Democratic caucuses, pushing [[Hillary Clinton]] into third place, and went on to become the unofficial Democratic nominee.<br /> <br /> At a campaign event in Elkhart, Indiana, a seven-year-old girl asked Barack Obama why he wants to be President. He replies, <br /> '''&quot;America is …, uh, is no longer, uh … what it could be, what it once was. And I say to myself, I don’t want that future for my children.&quot;''' &lt;ref&gt;[http://newsbusters.org/blogs/tom-blumer/2008/08/09/mostly-mia-obamas-downer-america-delivered-7-year-old Media Mostly MIA on Obama's 'America No Longer What It Once Was' Downer Delivered to 7 Year-Old] Newsbusters.org, August 9, 2008&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> Obama became the presumptive Democratic nominee on June 3rd after receiving a majority of pledged delegates and superdelegates. His only remaining primary opponent, [[Hillary Clinton]], conceded the race on June 7th. On August 23, Joe Biden was announced as Obama's vice-presidential nominee. Obama became the official Democratic nominee on August 27 at the Democratic National Convention, when Hillary Clinton's motion to end the roll call vote of the states and select Obama by acclamation was passed.<br /> <br /> On June 5th, Obama spoke at Briston, Virginia- Healthcare Town Hall forum regarding Political Action Committees and his campaign. &quot;Well, we’re here today because we know that if we’re going to make real progress, this time must be different. Throughout my career, in Illinois and the United States senate, I’ve worked to reduce the power of the special interests by leading the fight for ethics reform. I’ve sent a strong signal in this campaign by refusing the contributions of registered federal lobbyists and PACs. And today, I’m announcing that going forward, the Democratic National Committee will uphold the same standard and won’t take another dime from Washington lobbyists or special interest PACs. They do not fund my campaign. They will not fund our party. And they will not drown out the voices of the American people when I’m President of the United States.&quot; <br /> <br /> On June 6th, an [[AP]] article &lt;ref&gt;[http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/D/DEMOCRATS_MONEY?SITE=KING&amp;SECTION=HOME&amp;TEMPLATE=DEFAULT Transcript: 'Democratic Party returns lobbyist, PAC money ,' June 6, 2008]&lt;/ref&gt; presented the rules for lobbyist donations to the DNC and for the Presidential nominee. Obama does accept money from lobbyists who do not do business with the federal government and he also accepts money from spouses and family members of lobbyists. And the DNC ban is also not retroactive, which means the DNC will keep lobbyist and PAC contributions it received earlier in the election cycle. Retroactive period being the date Barack Obama started his campaign, February 10, 2007. The DNC possibly the day after the November 2006 Congressional elections until June 5th, 2008. In addition, Barack Obama's ban does not apply to the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee nor to the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. Unlike [[John McCain]], Barack Obama has not disclosed the lobbyists working in his campaign.<br /> <br /> Senator Obama visited U.S. troops in Iraq in 2006&lt;ref&gt;[http://abclocal.go.com/wls/story?section=news/local&amp;id=3794382 Obama visits troops in Iraq]&lt;/ref&gt; and in Afghanistan and Kuwait in 2008&lt;ref&gt;[http://abclocal.go.com/wls/story?section=news/local&amp;id=3794382 Obama visits troops and officials in Afghanistan and Kuwait]&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> Obama's tax plan calls for increasing taxes on the wealthiest 1% of Americans, while cutting taxes for the middle class. According to the non-partisan [[Tax Policy Center]], most Americans would pay less taxes than under Senator McCain's plan.&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/publications/url.cfm?ID=411749 An Updated Analysis of the 2008 Presidential Candidates' Tax Plans: Updated September 12, 2008]&lt;/ref&gt; According to another non-partisan group, Americans for Tax Reform, tax-payers would clearly be burdened by an Obama Presidency.&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.atr.org/content/html/2008/june/0616-obama_mccaintaxes.html McCain vs. Obama on Taxes] Americans For Tax Reform, June 2008&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> During the campaign Obama repeatedly claimed he would “cut taxes for no less than 95% of &quot;working families.&quot;”. The Wall Street Journal asked, “how does he conjure this miracle, especially since more than a third of all Americans already pay no income taxes at all?” &lt;ref&gt;http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122385651698727257.html&lt;/ref&gt; In truth, Obama was calling government handouts “tax credits” and counting those as tax cuts. The Wall Street Journal wondered why McCain “allowed Mr. Obama's 95% illusion to go unanswered”.<br /> <br /> ===Campaign financing=== <br /> Obama is the first presidential candidate to reject public financing. He broke his promise to accept it in the hope that his powerful fund-raising machine would generate far more money than the $84.1 million McCain is getting in public funding. Indeed, on August 14th, the Obama campaign announced it had received donations from 2 million individuals, setting new records. Obama raised $272 million for the primaries and expects to raise $300 million for the general election. However the Republican National Committee has been raising much more than the Democratic National Committee and each candidate had about $100 million in cash on September 1. Each expects to spend about $300 million by November. However, Obama is obliged to devote much of his time to fund raising among supporters rather than campaigning among undecided voters.&lt;ref&gt; see [http://blog.newsweek.com/blogs/stumper/archive/2008/09/09/was-obama-right-to-opt-out-of-public-financing.aspx Andrew Romano, &quot;Was Obama Right to Opt Out of Public Financing?,&quot; ''Newsweek'' (Sept. 9, 2008) online]&lt;/ref&gt; Among his backers is homosexual pornography baron [[Terrence Bean]].<br /> <br /> ===Secrecy=== <br /> <br /> The Democratic party feels it necessary to keep all questions about Obama at a safe distance. It is an unprecedented move to keep secrets about a presidential candidate. The following questions remain sealed from the public. &lt;ref&gt;[http://obamawtf.blogspot.com/2008/08/who-sent-obama-why-has-he-refused-to.html Who sent Obama? Why has he refused to release these basic documents?] ObamaWTF.blogspot.com&lt;/ref&gt; <br /> <br /> # Certified Copy of original Birth certificate(see certificate controversy below)<br /> # Columbia College records<br /> # Columbia Thesis paper<br /> # Campaign donor analysis requested by 7 major watchdog groups<br /> # [[Harvard]] College records<br /> # Illinois State Senate records<br /> # [[Illinois]] State Senate schedule<br /> # [[Law]] practice client list and billing records/summary<br /> # Locations and names of all half-siblings and step-mothers<br /> # Medical records (only the one page summary released so far)<br /> # Occidental College records<br /> # Parent's [[Marriage]] Certificate<br /> # Record of baptism<br /> # Selective Service Registration<br /> # Trips schedules for trips outside of the United States before 2007<br /> # Scholarly articles<br /> # Access to his Grandmother (Obama's Grandmother has since passed away from cancer [http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5g3m4YaeYwDHXS6hHdZJi8pm6cZdAD947RJKO0])<br /> # List of all campaign workers that are lobbyists<br /> <br /> Obama keeps donations secret by exploiting a loophole that allows campaigns to refuse to divulge donations under $200.00. This is useful to the candidate because many of his contributions are from dubious foreign or illegal sources. It is described as the &quot;largest pool of unidentified money that has ever flooded into the U.S. election system, before or after the McCain-Feingold campaign finance reforms of 2002.&quot; &lt;ref&gt;http://www.newsmax.com/timmerman/Obama_fundraising_illegal/2008/09/29/135718.html&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> ===Tone===<br /> <br /> Many observers have criticized Obama's campaign for its incivility. For instance, John McCain's wife Cindy noted that Obama is running &quot;the dirtiest campaign in American history.&quot; <br /> <br /> Obama's smears usually fall into two categories: race-baiting and distortions. On October 10, 2008, Obama surrogate Rep. John Lewis (D-GA) typified the campaign by comparing Sen. McCain to racial segregationists and Klansmen. &quot;Sen. McCain and Gov. Palin are sowing the seeds of hatred and division,&quot; Lewis exclaimed before comparing Sen. McCain to segregationist Democrat George Wallace, further noting that he, &quot;...never fired a gun, but he created the climate and the conditions that encouraged [the attacks in which] four little girls were killed on Sunday morning when a church was bombed in Birmingham, Alabama.&quot; &lt;ref&gt;http://edition.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/10/11/mccain.lewis/index.html?eref=rss_politics&lt;/ref&gt; This is particularly harsh to Sen. McCain because he fondly admires Lewis. &lt;ref&gt;http://www.rickwarrennews.com/transcript/civil_forum_transcript-04.txt&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> As for the distortions and personal attacks, Obama mocks Sen. McCain's for his age and Gov. Palin for being a woman and outsider. For instance, Obama responded with a subtle reference to Alzheimer's disease when Sen. McCain criticized his foreign policy in May 2008, alleging that Sen. McCain &quot;lost his bearings&quot; &lt;ref&gt;http://www.politico.com/blogs/bensmith/0508/Obama_McCain_offensive_losing_his_bearings.html&lt;/ref&gt;. Senior Adviser Mark Salter noted, &quot;He used the words 'losing his bearings' intentionally, a not particularly clever way of raising John McCain's age as an issue. This is typical of the Obama style of campaigning.&quot; &lt;ref&gt;http://marcambinder.theatlantic.com/archives/2008/05/salter_obama_attacked_mccains.php&lt;/ref&gt;. In reference to Gov. Palin, Obama was caught for his quiet hiring of Winner &amp; Associates to disseminate a sexist smear video against her. &lt;ref&gt;http://mypetjawa.mu.nu/archives/194057.php&lt;/ref&gt; Some argue this is a FEC violation because it lacked obligatory label denoting it was sponsored by the Obama Campaign (Ethan Winner has made a claim that he alone produced the video) &lt;ref&gt;http://eclipseweb.blogspot.com/2008/09/vicious-anti-sarah-palin-smear-campaign.html&lt;/ref&gt; &lt;ref&gt;http://mypetjawa.mu.nu/archives/194180.php&lt;/ref&gt;One of the biggest distortions by Obama is that 95% of all taxpayers will get a tax cut. &lt;ref&gt;[http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122385651698727257.html?mod=googlenews_wsj Obama's 95% Illusion] Wall Steet Journal, October 13, 2008&lt;/ref&gt; Without the distortion, Obama is proposing income re-distribution because those families that pay no taxes, one-third, will get money from the wealthy top 5%.<br /> <br /> Another feature of the Obama campaign is the unruly audience. CNN reported in October of 2008 &lt;ref&gt;http://www.findinternettv.com/Video,item,3565842635.aspx&lt;/ref&gt;, that people are calling John McCain a terrorist at these events. According to Sen. McCain, &quot;I've heard the [label terrorist], unfortunately, at Senator Obama's rallies being said about me. There's always a fringe element.&quot; Other eyewitness reports are harsher.<br /> <br /> ==Election==<br /> <br /> Senator Obama won the 2008 Presidential election, with over 52% of the popular vote. He carried every state that [[John Kerry]] won in 2004, in addition to Iowa, North Carolina, Ohio, Virginia, Colorado, New Mexico, Nevada, Florida, and Indiana. Of the 127 million votes cast, Obama beat John McCain by 8 million total votes.&lt;ref&gt;http://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS/&lt;/ref&gt; [http://images.newsmax.com/misc/2008_Election_Map.jpg See county breakdown map] &lt;ref&gt;[www.cnn.com/election]&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> == Positions and Qualifications ==<br /> Obama is [[pro-abortion]]. The leading abortion providers and PAC supporters have wholeheartedly endorsed Barack Obama. The National Abortion Rights Action League [[NARAL]] has given Barack a 100% rating for his efforts in Congress 2005, 2006 and 2007 &lt;ref&gt;http://www.prochoiceamerica.org/elections/statements/obama.html&lt;/ref&gt;. EMILY's List, a political action committee that funds female candidates who support abortion rights backs Barack Obama&lt;ref&gt; [http://www.boston.com/news/politics/politicalintelligence/2008/06/emilys_list_bac.html],EMILY's List backs Obama, June 6,2008&lt;/ref&gt;. The nation's largest abortion business, Planned Parenthood has begun the process necessary to endorse pro-abortion presidential candidate Barack Obama. &lt;ref&gt;[http://www.lifenews.com/nat3971.html], http://www.lifenews.com/nat3971.html, Planned Parenthood Begins Process to Endorse Pro-Abortion Barack Obama, June 10,2008&lt;/ref&gt;The board of directors of the pro-abortion group's political operation met on Friday June 6, 2008 and unanimously voted to recommend an endorsement for Obama. Obama has steadfastly advocated support for partial birth abortion as an Illinois legislator. Barack's wife, Michelle Obama, wrote a fundraising letter&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.prolifeblogs.com/articles/archives/2006/10/post_5.php], http://www.prolifeblogs.com/articles/archives/2006/10/post_5.php, February 17,2004&lt;/ref&gt; in support of partial birth abortion and against the proposed ban. Barack voted against the Born Alive Infant Protection Act to give a child who survived an abortion procedure life support healthcare. Obama wanted the life terminated even if he or she survived outside the mother's womb.&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.citizenlink.org/content/A000007034.cfm], http://www.citizenlink.org/content/A000007034.cfm, Obama Blocked Born Alive Infant Protection Act&lt;/ref&gt; With Obama no longer in the state Senate, the Born Alive legislation passed in 2005.<br /> <br /> In the context of sex, he quipped about his daughters, &lt;ref&gt;http://michellemalkin.com/2008/03/30/sunday-meditation-obama-and-the-punishment-of-unborn-life/&lt;/ref&gt;{{QuoteBox|&quot;If they make a mistake, I don't want them punished with a baby.&quot;}} Obama makes it clear if his daughters had an unplanned pregnancy, he would support terminating the life of his grandchild and it is undeniable that Michelle Obama agrees with that decision.<br /> [[Image:Features ayers1.jpg|175px|thumb|right|[[Weather Underground]] co-founder Bill Ayers&lt;ref&gt;http://foia.fbi.gov/weather/weath1a.pdf&lt;/ref&gt; stomps on the American flag in this 2001 pose for Chicago Magazine.]]<br /> <br /> Obama, having been asked about his associations with [[William Ayers]], an unrepentant [[terrorist]],&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.chicagomag.com/Chicago-Magazine/August-2001/No-Regrets/]&lt;/ref&gt; he explained that the views of his associates are not necessarily his own. Ayers and his wife, [[Bernardine Dohrn]], hosted a fundraiser for Obama in their home in 1995 at the start of Obama's political career. Obama compares his friendship with Ayers whose actions led to the loss of a life to his friendship with pro-life doctor and representative Tom Coburn&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.lifenews.com/nat3894.html]http://www.lifenews.com/nat3894.html, LifeNews.com, April 25,2008&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> Obama explained that his friendship with Ayers, shouldn't be construed as implying he endorsed the terrorist-like tactics Ayers used to drive home his political point. Barack Obama brought up the pro-life colleague to make the dubious comparison that he's friends with other people who take &quot;extreme&quot; positions or would use terrorist tactics.<br /> &quot;The fact is, is that I'm also friendly with Tom Coburn, one of the most conservative Republicans in the United States Senate, who during his campaign once said that it might be appropriate to apply the death penalty to those who carried out abortions&quot; <br /> <br /> Obama has no military or executive experience and little foreign policy experience.&lt;ref&gt;&quot;Fresh doubts over Barack Obama's foreign policy credentials were expressed on both sides of the Atlantic last night, after it emerged that he had made only one brief official visit to London – and none elsewhere in Western Europe or Latin America. ... Mr. Obama had failed to convene a single policy meeting of the Senate European subcommittee, of which he is chairman.&quot;[http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/article3080794.ece]&lt;/ref&gt; Yet he is the favorite of the leftist attack site &quot;MoveOn.org&quot; for the [[Democratic]] nomination for [[President of the United States]] in the [[2008 Presidential Election|2008 election]],&lt;ref&gt;MoveOn.org reportedly favored Obama by 70-30% over Clinton. [http://www.swamppolitics.com/news/politics/blog/2008/02/moveonorg_obama.html]&lt;/ref&gt; campaigning to the left of [[Hillary Clinton]].&lt;ref&gt;For example, Obama promised not to use nuclear weapons against terrorists, a promise Hillary Clinton refused to make. [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/08/02/AR2007080202288.html]&lt;/ref&gt; <br /> <br /> He has no clear personal achievement that cannot be explained as the likely result of [[affirmative action]]. Some examples border on the absurd: Obama has no background in [[physics]], yet it is claimed that &quot;Obama analyzed and integrated [[Albert Einstein|Einstein]]'s [[theory of relativity]], the [[Heisenberg uncertainty principle]], as well as the concept of curved space as an alternative to [[gravity]], for a Law Review article that Tribe, for whom Obama worked as a research assistant, wrote titled, 'The Curvature of Constitutional Space'.&quot; &lt;ref&gt;http://cbs2chicago.com/politics/barack.obama.harvard.2.334825.html&lt;/ref&gt; Obama's &quot;research&quot; for Constitutional Law Professor Tribe on this article also raises issues about preferences, as Obama had not yet even completed any law school courses&lt;ref&gt;Obama did not start his second year of law school until September 1989, the earliest he could have taken constitutional law, yet this article must have been written, submitted and accepted prior to that time to be published in the November 1989 issue of the Law Review.&lt;/ref&gt; on the [[Constitution]].&lt;ref&gt;The liberal Professor Tribe saw the best law students for several decades, yet insisted that Obama was the &quot;best student I ever had&quot; and the &quot;most exciting research assistant.&quot; [http://www.cmonitor.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071114/NEWS01/711140429/1217/NEWS98]&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> Throughout his career, Obama repeatedly ducked controversial stands in a transparent attempt to make it easier to be elected to higher office. In example, as a state senator in [[Illinois]], he voted &quot;present&quot; rather than &quot;aye&quot; or &quot;nay&quot; nearly an astounding 130 times.&lt;ref&gt;http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/20/us/politics/20obama.html&lt;/ref&gt; During that same period, he was planning to run for the [[House of Representatives]], which was unsuccessful, and then for [[U.S. Senate]], which was successful after his opponent Jack Ryan, a millionaire school teacher, was smeared with a court-ordered disclosure of confidential divorce records that both he and his ex-wife wanted to remain sealed. A newspaper that favored Obama took the unusual step of suing to force the confidential divorce information to become public, and a California judge opened the records at a pivotal time in the campaign.&lt;ref&gt;http://www.nbc5.com/politics/2898641/detail.html&lt;/ref&gt;&lt;ref&gt;http://www.nbc5.com/news/3289561/detail.html&lt;/ref&gt;&lt;ref&gt;http://www.nbc5.com/politics/3444371/detail.html&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> Barack Obama is often praised for his speeches, except when he is not able to read them from a [[teleprompter]]. &quot;Shorn of his Teleprompter, we saw a different Obama. His delivery was halting and unsure. ... The prepared text for his remarks, as released on his website, sounded a lot like a typical Obama speech. ... [But with] no Teleprompter signaling the prepared text, Obama failed to deliver the speech in his characteristically flawless fashion.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;teleprompter&quot; /&gt; The [[New York Times]] noted that &quot;Mr. Obama excels at inspirational speeches read from a teleprompter before television cameras, critics have noted, but many of his other speeches on the campaign trail have failed to electrify.&quot;&lt;ref&gt;http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/20/fashion/20speechwriter.html?_r=2&amp;ex=1358485200&amp;en=bb179297e5f61acb&amp;ei=5090&amp;partner=rssuserland&amp;emc=rss&amp;oref=slogin&amp;oref=slogin&lt;/ref&gt; When Obama ridiculed [[Hillary Clinton]] for being like [[Annie Oakley]], it is apparent that he was not writing his own speeches.&lt;ref&gt;&quot;Some Obama adviser probably earned his or her dollars for that cut,&quot; the USA Today wrote. [http://www.usatoday.com/news/opinion/columnist/raasch/2008-04-17-2008-04-17-raasch_N.htm]&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> Obama often makes reference to his &quot;two decades of experience&quot; in public service work. During most of that time he claims experience, he was either going to school, working for a law firm, writing a book, or organizing community events.<br /> <br /> == Political views ==<br /> Obama's political views have been subjected to controversy even before he put himself forward as a presidential candidate. Former House majority leader [[Tom DeLay]] has described Obama's record in the Illinois Senate as that of a [[Communism|“Marxist leftist&quot;.]]&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/home/daily/site_121306/content/stop_the_tape.guest.html|Sexy Rock Star Obama Whines About His Ears], RushLimbaugh.com, December 13 2006&lt;/ref&gt; Which matches the fact that during his campaign, his staff were discovered on numerous occasions to have Cuban flags bearing the face of Marxist guerrilla/murderer [[Che Guevara]].&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.moonbattery.com/archives/2008/02/obama_workers_c.html Obama Workers' Che Guevara Poster Was No Fluke] from Moonbattery&lt;/ref&gt; Former presidential candidate [[Alan Keyes]] calls Obama a &quot;radical communist.&quot; &lt;ref&gt;[http://www.newsmax.com/insidecover/keyes_obama_destroy_US/2009/02/23/184503.html Alan Keyes: Obama Will Destroy U.S.] NewsMax, February 23, 2009&lt;/ref&gt; <br /> <br /> In May 2007, Obama (and Sen. Hillary Clinton) voted against funding the Iraq War for the first time.&lt;ref&gt;[http://uspolitics.about.com/od/legislatio1/a/HR2206.htm HR 2206 - Emergency Appropriations], Kathy Gill, Your Guide to U.S. Politics: Current Events. May 26 2007.&lt;/ref&gt;&lt;ref&gt;[http://more.gov.mtopgroup.com/2007/05/votes-hr-2206-iraq-supplemental.html Votes - H.R. 2206: Iraq Supplemental], May 28, 2007. Retrieved from Deeper Inside the Mountain, June 4, 2007.&lt;/ref&gt; <br /> <br /> Obama's views on [[gun control]] are focused on an opinion article in the [[Wall Street Journal]]:&lt;ref&gt;David Kopel, &quot;The Democrats and Gun Control,&quot; Wall St.J., Page A19, April 17, 2008 [http://online.wsj.com/article_email/SB120839466717921537-lMyQjAxMDI4MDE4NzMxOTc0Wj.html]&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> :As a state senate candidate in 1996, Mr. Obama endorsed a complete ban on all handguns in a questionnaire. The Obama campaign has claimed he &quot;never saw or approved the questionnaire,&quot; and that an aide filled it out incorrectly. But a few weeks ago, Politico.com found an amended version of the questionnaire. It included material added in Mr. Obama's handwriting.<br /> <br /> After [[D.C. v. Heller]], Obama claimed to support Second Amendment rights.<br /> <br /> Obama has said, &quot;Doing the Lord's work is a thread that runs through our politics since the very beginning,&quot; and &quot;it puts the lie to the notion that [[separation of church and state]] in America means somehow that faith should have no role in public life.&quot;&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.siouxcityjournal.com/articles/2007/06/17/news/iowa/8db7c1a17d2b51f9862572fd000fc9f4.txt Obama says religion has place in politics], By Todd Dorman, ''Sioux City Journal'', June 18, 2007.&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> He believes children should be taught sex education in kindergarten, although in what he refers to as &quot;an age-appropriate manner&quot;.&lt;ref&gt;&quot;Barack Obama reaffirmed to [[Planned Parenthood]] this week that he believes elements of sex education should begin in kindergarten.&quot; [http://abcnews.go.com/print?id=3395856 (ABC News)] July 20, 2007 &lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> Obama spoke at the May 1, 2006, illegal immigration march in Chicago.&lt;ref&gt;http://nomoreblather.com/barack-obama-and-the-immigration-marches Immigration marches&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> ::''We are hungry for change!'' S.C. January 26, 2008.<br /> <br /> Barack Obama, in his short stint as Senator of Illinois, has made clear his opposition to the [[U.S. Military]] in policy and in rhetoric. Obama has spent much energy to argue that the Iraq War should have never been waged and that we should not be there at all, in any way. In 2002, as an unknown Chicago representative to the state of Illinois, he declared his opposition to &quot;dumb wars&quot;. At the time, America was united in the stance against terrorism and the prospects of a rogue enemy with WMD worried the United States. Obama, has said that he does not know whether he would have voted for or against the Iraq War. Since elected to Congress, he voted against the Emergency War Supplemental. Obama did not oppose his party debating the bill long past the timeframe requested. This action directly affects troop deployment in combat zones. Obama has repeatedly called for the return of troops in Iraq. Barack Obama has a no confidence vote for the 'Surge' before the measure was put forth by General Petraeus to Congress. Obama would not denounce MoveOn.org's slander NY Times advertising against the General.<br /> <br /> Senator Obama often refers to the office that he seeks, without the proper respect of those that came before him. When talking of the President, he frequently refuses to call him [[George W. Bush|President George Bush]] or even Mr. George Bush. Obama has also disrespectfully called him 'George Bush'. Oddly, when Bill Clinton spoke with Obama on September 11th, 2008 predicting he would win handily, Obama responded, &quot;There you go, you can take it from the President of the United States.&quot;&lt;ref&gt;http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/09/11/campaign.wrap/index.html&lt;/ref&gt; It appears Obama will use the term for a former President, but will not do the same for the actual President. Examples of Obama's treatment of our current President: <br /> * &quot;I am happy to have a debate with John McCain and George Bush about foreign policy,&quot; Obama said &lt;ref&gt;[http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/05/16/obama.bush.mccain/], CNN Obama blasts Bush McCain, May 16, 2008&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> * &quot;For all his talk about independence, the centerpiece of John McCain's economic plan amounts to a full-throated endorsement of George Bush's policies,&quot; &lt;ref&gt;[http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2008/06/10/obama_takes_the_offensive_vs_mcca)n/]`Boston Globe Obama takes offensive vs. McCain, June 10, 2008&lt;/ref&gt; <br /> * &quot;George Bush knows that I have never supported engagement with terrorists.&quot; &lt;ref&gt;[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7403386.stm], BBC Obama attacks Bush over Iran , May 15, 2008&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> * Obama called the U.S. economy a disaster thanks to &quot;John McCain's President, George W. Bush&quot; &lt;ref&gt;[http://www.newsmax.com/insidecover/obama_mccain/2008/08/18/122924.html No More Hugs: Obama Tears Into McCain] AP, August 18, 2008&lt;/ref&gt; Side note, George W. Bush is also Barack Obama's President.<br /> <br /> Obama is for a one-world government unaccountable to the American people, a threat to U.S. sovereignty and independence. He said &quot;for all nations in the world to come together to build a stronger, global regime&quot;&lt;ref&gt;[http://worldnetdaily.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&amp;pageId=94380]&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> == Foreign policy experience ==<br /> In his presidential campaign, Obama stated&lt;ref&gt;http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mayhill-fowler/obama-says-no-to-foreign_b_95357.html&lt;/ref&gt; that &quot;foreign policy is the area where I am probably most confident&quot; and then cited &quot;having lived in Indonesia for four years, having family that is impoverished in small villages in Africa&quot;. He lived in Indonesia from age 6 to 10, and he later discovered that his father had some other children in Africa.<br /> <br /> While campaigning, he has visited several foreign countries. In [[Russia]] and the former Soviet republics, he met with representatives of the International Republican Institute and National Democratic Institute to discuss democracy in the former Soviet republics. He also met with Russian military officials and visited several nuclear and biological weapons destruction sites in Russia, [[Ukraine]], and [[Azerbaijan]] with Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Richard Lugar (R-IN). On the same tour, he visited London, UK, and met with [[Tony Blair]], sitting UK Prime Minister.&lt;ref&gt;http://obama.senate.gov/press/050823-obama_to_visit/&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> Obama visited South Africa, Kenya, Ethiopia, Djibouti, and Chad; he discussed his tour of Robben Island prison, met with U.S. troops, and visited refugee camps of the people fleeing Darfur. He also addressed Africa's growing [[AIDS]] epidemic. &lt;ref&gt;http://obama.senate.gov/podcast/060906-090606_africa_t/&lt;/ref&gt; <br /> <br /> During a ten-day-long tour of the Middle East, he talked with government leaders in Qatar, Kuwait, Iraq, Jordan, and Israel. &lt;ref&gt; http://obama.senate.gov/news/060113-obama_wraps_up/&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> == Books ==<br /> <br /> * ''Dreams from My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance.'' (B. Obama and, allegedly, William Ayers) ISBN 0307383415<br /> * ''The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream.'' (B. Obama) ISBN 0307455874<br /> * ''Barack Obama in His Own Words.'' (B. Obama and Lisa Rogak) ISBN 0786720573<br /> * ''Change We Can Believe In. Barack Obama's Plan to Renew America's Promise.'' (B. Obama)<br /> * ''The Case Against Barack Obama. The Unlikely Rise and Unexamined Agenda of the Media's Favorite Candidate. '' (David Freddso) ISBN 1596985666 <br /> * ''The Obama Nation. Leftist Politics and the Cult of Personality.'' (Jerome R. Corsi) ISBN 1416598065 <br /> * ''Obama Unmasked. Did Slick Hollywood Handlers Create the Perfect Candidate?'' (Floyd Brown and Lee Trexler) ISBN 0936783591 <br /> * ''Obama: The Man Behind The Mask.'' (Andy Martin) ISBN 0965781240 <br /> * ''The Audacity of Deceit. Barack Obama's War on American Values.'' (Brad O'Leary) ISBN 1935071025<br /> <br /> ==Published criticism==<br /> On April 11, 2007, staff writers of ''The Boston Globe'' reported the criticisms of several black commentators regarding Obama's apparent hesitation to join the race to condemn acclaimed radio personality [[Don Imus]],&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2007/04/11/obamas_silence_on_imus_alarms_some_blacks/ Obama's silence on Imus alarms some blacks], Rick Klein and Joseph Williams, ''The Boston Globe'', April 11, 2007.&lt;/ref&gt; who made a racially insensitive remark&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.reuters.com/article/industryNews/idUSN1237895620070412|title=Furor over Imus puts heat on other broadcasters], Daniel Trotta, Reuters, 2007-04-12.&lt;/ref&gt; on the air during the April 4 broadcast. Obama did not comment on Imus's remarks until well after prominent civil rights leaders [[Al Sharpton]] and [[Jesse Jackson]] had called Imus to account and after Imus was suspended by MSNBC and CBS Radio. Obama later weighed in on April 10 by saying, &quot;The comments of Don Imus were divisive, hurtful, and offensive to Americans of all backgrounds.&quot; &lt;br /&gt; <br /> <br /> The ''Globe'' reported that Obama's perceived delay in addressing Don Imus's remarks was described by Melissa Harris Lacewell, a professor of politics and African-American studies at Princeton University, as &quot;miss[ing] an opportunity to prove himself to blacks and white liberals who would have wanted Obama take the lead in denouncing Imus.&quot;&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2007/04/11/obamas_silence_on_imus_alarms_some_blacks/ Obama's silence on Imus alarms some blacks], Rick Klein and Joseph Williams, ''The Boston Globe'', April 11, 2007.&lt;/ref&gt;&lt;ref&gt;[http://time-blog.com/real_clear_politics/2007/04/obama_race_and_the_election.html Obama, Race, and The Election,] ''Real Clear Politics.com''&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> In June 2007 the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' reported Obama had actually received nearly three times more campaign cash from indicted slum landlord Tony Rezko&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.suntimes.com/news/metro/353829,CST-NWS-rez23.article Barack Obama and his slumlord patron], Tim Novak, Chicago Sun-Times, April 23, 2007.&lt;/ref&gt; and his associates than Obama has publicly acknowledged.&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.suntimes.com/news/politics/432197,CST-NWS-obama18.article Rezko cash triple what Obama says], Chris Fusco and Tim Novak, ''Chicago Sun-Times'', June 18, 2007.&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> Executive vice president Wayne LaPierre of the [[NRA]] accuses Barack Obama of &quot;mouthing pro-Second amendment words and pandering to gun owners&quot; on the campaign trail.&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.gopusa.com/news/2008/may/0514_nra_mccain.shtml], http://www.gopusa.com/news/2008/may/0514_nra_mccain.shtml, NRA chief stresses common ground with McCain, Associated Press, May 14, 2008&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> [[McCain]] Aide Says Obama Has Sept. 10 Mind-Set &quot;an extremely dangerous and extremely naive approach toward terrorism&quot; &lt;ref&gt;[http://www.newsmax.com/politics/mccain_obama/2008/06/17/105265.html], AP McCain Aide Says Obama Has Sept. 10 Mind-Set, June 17, 2008&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> ===Birth Certificate Controversy===<br /> During the democratic primaries the Clinton Campaign lead a smear campaign against the validity of Barack Obama's Hawaii Birth certificate, claiming that it is false and that he is ineligible for Presidency. &lt;ref&gt;[http://campaignspot.nationalreview.com/post/?q=ZTgxZmIwNTg0OWVhMWJkODNmZjI4ZjY4Mjg2OWRmNzI= http://campaignspot.nationalreview.com/post/?q=ZTgxZmIwNTg0OWVhMWJkODNmZjI4ZjY4Mjg2OWRmNzI=]&lt;/ref&gt; After initially refusing to produce a birth certificate in response to such rumors, the Obama campaign eventually endorsed a document posted on the Daily Kos as <br /> authentic.&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2008/6/12/11012/6168/320/534616 Obama's Birth Certificate]&lt;/ref&gt; The response is split regarding the birth certificate. Some commentators, such as those at the National Review, are satisfied with the document.&lt;ref&gt;[http://campaignspot.nationalreview.com/post/?q=NWVjN2I1MjlhM2ZjZjRjYzBkODAxZjZkZGQyYWNkMDk= http://campaignspot.nationalreview.com/post/?q=NWVjN2I1MjlhM2ZjZjRjYzBkODAxZjZkZGQyYWNkMDk=]&lt;/ref&gt; However, some analysts claim that the birth certificate is false.&lt;ref&gt;[http://web.israelinsider.com/Articles/Politics/12939.htm http://web.israelinsider.com/Articles/Politics/12939.htm]&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> On August 21st, 2008, Factcheck.org published an article regarding the controversy.&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.factcheck.org/elections-2008/born_in_the_usa.html Born in the U.S.A.]&lt;/ref&gt; The site stated, &quot;FactCheck.org staffers have now seen, touched, examined and photographed the original birth certificate. We conclude that it meets all of the requirements from the State Department for proving U.S. citizenship.&quot; In addition, the site posted high-resolution photographs of the birth certificate, which clearly showed the raised seal, stamp of Hawaii state registrar Alvin T. Onaka, and certificate number. The birth date corresponds to a birth announcement published in the ''Honolulu Advertiser '' on Sunday, August 13, 1961. &lt;ref&gt;http://texasdarlin.wordpress.com/2008/07/23/obama-was-born-in-hawaii-wrong-can-of-worms/&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> A Philadelphia attorney, Phillip Berg, has filed a lawsuit against the DNC and Barack Obama. Berg maintains that Sen. Obama is not a natural born U.S. citizen or that, if he ever was, he lost his citizenship when he was adopted in Indonesia. Berg also cites what he calls &quot;dual loyalties&quot; due to his citizenship and ties with Kenya and Indonesia. The &quot;dual loyalties&quot; which have not been shown to exist do not violate any constitutional or legal precedents and would make Sen. Obama a poor choice for President, not an invalid choice.<br /> <br /> Obama website Fight The Smears has confirmed that Obama was once a Kenyan citizen until 1982. Attorney Philips Berg's lawsuit is being challenged by the Obama Campaign. Instead of producing the original birth certificate in court and paying a number of legal fees and taking several days out of his busy campaigning schedule the Obama campaign had the case dropped on the grounds that it lacked any supporting evidence. &lt;ref&gt;http://neighbors.denverpost.com/viewtopic.php?t=10815605&lt;/ref&gt; The fact that Mr. Berg's dual arguments were mutually contradictory may also have contributed.<br /> <br /> The state of Hawaii announced that the &quot;Certification of Live Birth&quot; document is legitimate and official. Since the state of Hawaii is the issuing body, they have ultimate authority with regards to the matter.&lt;ref&gt;http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/20081031/BREAKING01/81031064/0/BREAKING04&lt;/ref&gt; Critics rightfully point out such documents actually were issued for children not born in the state.<br /> <br /> Adding fuel to the fire is Obama's persistent refusal to release documents that could provide answers. While his supporters cite an online version of a &quot;Certification of Live Birth&quot; from Hawaii. &lt;ref&gt;[http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&amp;pageId=92810 Justice, Supremes confirm getting eligibility challenge] WND, March 24, 2009&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> [[Bob Schultz]] with the [[We The People Foundation]] said: <br /> <br /> &quot;In the end, there is no practical reason why Obama refuses to produce his original birth certificate. He... has a duty to provide evidence that he meets the explicit requirements established by the Constitution.&quot; <br /> <br /> [[Nancy Salvato]] with [[BasicsProject|BasicsProject.org]] perhaps put it best: <br /> <br /> &quot;What perturbs the rest of us is that President Obama has failed to produce a legitimate birth certificate. He has a team of lawyers who are opposing the examination of his sealed records in Hawaii. What he produced was a certificate of live birth... not a birth certificate. The rest of us are appalled at the lack of media examination surrounding the fact that there is no law requiring that a candidate for the highest office in our land produce an authentic birth certificate which proves natural citizenship.&quot;<br /> <br /> ==Quotes==<br /> * Early in his campaign for president in 2007, Obama declared in an interview with the [[Chicago Tribune]], &quot;I'm a [[Christian]]. And so, although I try not to have my religious beliefs dominate or determine my political views on this issue ... my religious beliefs say that [[marriage]] is something sanctified between a man and a woman.&quot;&lt;ref&gt;http://thehill.com/cheri-jacobus/obama-and-miss-california-2009-04-23.html&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> ==See also==<br /> *[[Previous Breaking News/Barack Obama|Articles about '''Barack Obama''' from previous &quot;Breaking News&quot;]]<br /> *[[Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN)]]<br /> *[[Birthplace of Barack Obama]]<br /> *[[Essay:Born Outside the U.S.A.!]]<br /> *[[Essay: The Special Interests Candidate]]<br /> *[[Lobbyists ties to the Obama administration]]<br /> *[[New Party]]<br /> *[[Obama Administration‎]]<br /> *[[Obama birth certificate lawsuits]]<br /> *[[Obama doublespeak]]<br /> *[[Obama inauguration]]<br /> *[[Religion of Barack Hussein Obama]]<br /> *[[The Honorable James David Manning]]<br /> <br /> ==Further reading==<br /> *[[Peter Hitchens|Hitchens, Peter]] [http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/worldnews.html?in_article_id=511901&amp;in_page_id=1811 ''The Black Kennedy: But does anyone know the real Barack Obama?''] [[Daily Mail]]. Accessed 4 February 2008.<br /> <br /> ==Sources==<br /> &lt;small&gt;<br /> *[http://www.barackobama.com/ Offical Obama for President Website]<br /> *[http://www.opensecrets.org/pfds/pfd2005/N00009638_2005.pdf Barack Obama Personal Financial Disclosures Summary: 2005], retrieved from opensecrets.org 17 June 2007.<br /> *[http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=O000167 Biographical Directory of the United States Congress]<br /> *[http://www.law.uchicago.edu/faculty/obama/cv.html University of Chicago Law School] Faculty Listing<br /> *[http://www.biography.com/search/article.do?id=12782369 Barack Obama Biography] from Biography.com<br /> *[http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/o/barack_obama/index.html?inline=nyt-per New York Times Topics, Barack Obama]<br /> *[http://youtube.com/watch?v=zUdjhKbImwE Documentary on Barack Hussein Obama]<br /> *[http://www.votesmart.org/voting_category.php?can_id=9490 Voting Record of Barack Hussein Obama]&lt;/small&gt;<br /> <br /> ==References==<br /> {{reflist|3}}<br /> <br /> ==External Links==<br /> *[http://www.antiobama.net/ Anti Obama.net]<br /> *[http://www.dontvoteobama.net/ Dont Vote For Obama.net]<br /> *[http://nobamanetwork.com/ Nobama Network]<br /> *[http://www.audacityofhypocrisy.com/ Audacity Of Hypocrisy]<br /> *[http://therealbarackobama.wordpress.com/ The Real Barack Obama]<br /> *[http://www.spiked-online.com/index.php?/site/article/6130/ The New Cult of Personality]<br /> *[http://www.survivingobamunism.com/index.html Surviving Obamunism T-shirts]<br /> *[http://www.barackobamaantichrist.blogspot.com/ Barack Obama the Anti-Christ ?]<br /> *[http://www.noquarterusa.net/blog/2008/06/23/che-obama-and-the-revolutionary-agenda/ Che, Obama, and the Revolutionary Agenda]</div>

DerekSmalls https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=User:DerekSmalls/Obama_draft&diff=669763 2009-06-03T02:07:27Z

<p>DerekSmalls: /* Obama is likely the first Muslim President */</p> <hr /> <div>work in progress, the original Obama Article is here so I can edit it<br /> {{President<br /> |image=President Barack Obama.jpg<br /> |seq=44<br /> |term_start=January 20, 2009<br /> |term_end=January 20, 2013<br /> |party=Democrat<br /> |vp=Joe Biden<br /> |previous=George W. Bush<br /> |next=<br /> |birth_date=August 4, 1961<br /> |age={{age|1961|8|4}}<br /> |birth_place=<br /> |death_date=<br /> |death_place=<br /> |spouse=Michelle LaVaughn Robinson Obama<br /> |spouse2=<br /> |religion=Described in this entry<br /> }}<br /> '''Barack Hussein Obama II''' (allegedly&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.worldnetdaily.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&amp;pageId=82033]&lt;/ref&gt;&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.factcheck.org/UploadedFiles/birth_certificate_5.jpg Large, high-resolution picture of his birth certificate]&lt;/ref&gt;&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.kitv.com/politics/17860890/detail.html?rss=hon&amp;psp=news KITV Honolulu report]&lt;/ref&gt;&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.newsmax.com/farber/Obama_birth_certificate/2009/04/06/200320.html]&lt;/ref&gt;&lt;ref&gt;Obama's [[African]] grandmother Sarah Hussein Obama says Barack was born in her presence in Kenya.[http://www.israelnationalnews.com/Blogs/Message.aspx/3074 Obama Born In Kenya? His Grandmother Says Yes, Israali News, October 12, 2008][http://www.worldnetdaily.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&amp;pageId=78931 Democrat: Obama's grandma confirms Kenyan birth, WND, October 23, 2008][http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=b58_1225645143 Audio Conversation Link]&lt;/ref&gt; born in [[Honolulu]] Aug. 4, 1961) is the 44th president of the [[United States]], <br /> and previously served as a first-term [[Democratic party|Democratic]] [[Senator]] from [[Illinois]] (2004-2008). Obama and his running mate [[Senator Joseph Biden]] won the presidential election&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.newsmax.com/insidecover/obama_wins_presidency/2008/11/04/147788.html?utm_medium=RSS]&lt;/ref&gt; after 23 months of campaigning that spent over $700 million,&lt;ref&gt;http://www.opensecrets.org/pres08/summary.php?cid=N00009638&lt;/ref&gt; most of it raised from undisclosed donors. <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> __TOC__ &lt;!--Do not remove this. We want to keep the insights on the first screen of viewing--&gt;<br /> <br /> ==Early life and education==<br /> Barack Hussein Obama II claims to have been born in [[Honolulu]], [[Hawaii]] to Barack Sr. and Ann Dunham in 1961, but there is evidence that he may have actually been born in Kenya. In 1967, he moved with his mother and new stepfather to Jakarta, [[Indonesia]]. He attended a [[Catholic]] elementary school for two years, followed by an Indonesian public school for two years. Media scrutiny in the light of Obama's campaign for President revealed that the Indonesia public school was not a madrassa, teaching Islam. His days off of school in observance of Islamic holidays were spent praying in a Mosque with his stepfather. &lt;ref&gt;[http://www.newsmax.com/insidecover/pipes_obama_muslim/2008/10/09/138898.html Obama 'Lying' About Muslim Past, Expert Says] NewsMax, October 9, 2008&lt;/ref&gt; After Indonesia, he returned to the United States with his mother where he attended the Punahou School, the leading private preparatory school in [[Hawaii]], until he graduated in 1979.<br /> <br /> For college, Obama initially attended Occidental College in Los Angeles, [[California]], before transferring to [[Columbia University]] in New York, [[New York]] and graduating without honors with a Bachelor of Arts degree, majoring in political science. Obama refuses to describe his academic performance at Columbia despite commenting about New York during this period and despite disclosures of the academic record for all other major-party presidential candidates since at least 2000.&lt;ref&gt;http://www.nysun.com/new-york/obamas-years-at-columbia-are-a-mystery/85015/&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> After working as a community organizer in New York City and Chicago, Illinois, Obama enrolled at [[Harvard]] Law School. He became a member of the ''Harvard Law Review'', which uses racial quotas, in 1989. He was then elected by popular vote as its first African American president in 1990, a story that was immediately promoted in the [[New York Times]].&lt;ref&gt;http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C0CE2DC1631F935A35751C0A966958260&amp;scp=3&amp;sq=Obama%201990&amp;st=cse&lt;/ref&gt; He graduated ''magna cum laude'' with his J.D. in 1991, but did not serve in a clerkship. Federal clerkships are the typical post-graduate position for top law students.<br /> <br /> Obama has described himself as a constitutional law professor at the University of Chicago.&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2007/03/30/politics/p132303D74.DTL&amp;type=politics]&lt;/ref&gt; He held the position of Lecturer, an adjunct position, from 1992 to 1996.&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.law.uchicago.edu/media/index.html]&lt;/ref&gt; He held the position of Senior Lecturer from 1996 until his election to the senate in 2004.&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.law.uchicago.edu/media/index.html]&lt;/ref&gt; Dan Ronayne, a spokesman for the Republican National Committee, has pointed that Obama was only a senior lecturer and not a full professor. &lt;ref&gt;[http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2007/03/30/politics/p132303D74.DTL&amp;type=politics]&lt;/ref&gt;The University states that Senior Lecturers are regarded as professors, although not full-time or tenure track.&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.law.uchicago.edu/media/index.html]&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> == Religious Affiliation ==<br /> Obama and his wife (raised a Baptist) were members of the Trinity [[United Church of Christ]]&lt;ref&gt;http://www.tucc.org/about.htm&lt;/ref&gt; in Chicago. The church embraces [[black liberation theology]] and its emphasis on empowering oppressed groups against establishment forces. This denomination was the first in America to ordain gays, women and blacks as ministers.&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.mcclatchydc.com/227/story/31079.html], http://www.mcclatchydc.com/227/story/31079.html, Obama's church pushes controversial doctrines, March 20, 2008&lt;/ref&gt; According to his sister, Obama was baptized at this church the same year.&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/04/30/america/30obama.php?page=2 http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/04/30/america/30obama.php?page=2]&lt;/ref&gt; Obama describes his conversion in ''The Audacity of Hope''. The title of this book is taken from one of Pastor Wright's sermons. <br /> In April 2008, Obama disavowed Pastor Wright's views. In May 2008, Obama left his church. His response blamed the media &lt;ref&gt;[http://elections.foxnews.com/2008/05/31/obama-resigns-church-membership-in-chicago/], Obama Drops Church Membership in Chicago, may 31, 2008&lt;/ref&gt;, stating “It’s not fair to the other members of the church who seek to worship in peace...&quot;, and called Wright's rhetoric &quot;&quot;a bunch of rants that aren't grounded in the truth.&quot;&lt;ref&gt;USA TODAY, ''Obama breaks with former pastor, Candidate cites rants on U.S. role in terror, AIDS'', by Kathy Kiely and David Jackson [http://www.usatoday.com/printedition/news/20080430/1a_offlede30_dom.art.htm]&lt;/ref&gt;&lt;ref&gt;''Obama Says He Is Outraged By Wright's &quot;Rants&quot;''[http://www.usnews.com/usnews/politics/bulletin/bulletin_080430.htm]&lt;/ref&gt; Wright had been making inflammatory comments and posting his sermons online for sale. These include the statements &quot;G-d damn America&quot; and describing the September 11th attacks, he said &quot;We have supported state terrorism against the Palestinians and black South Africans, and now we are indignant because the stuff we have done overseas is now brought right back to our own front yards. America's chickens are coming home to roost.&quot;&lt;ref&gt;[ http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/Story?id=4443788 Obama's Pastor: G-d Damn America, U.S. to Blame for 9/11]&lt;/ref&gt; In addition, Rev. Wright blamed America saying &quot;We supported Zionism shamelessly while ignoring the Palestinians and branding anybody who spoke out against it as being anti-Semitic.&quot; <br /> <br /> [[Image:Barack Obama Jeremiah Wright.jpg|thumb|Barack Obama and Jeremiah Wright.]]<br /> <br /> [[Daniel Pipes]] claims that Obama was raised a [[Muslim]] because he attended classes on the Koran while attending a Muslim school.&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.danielpipes.org/article/5286 Was Barack Obama a Muslim&lt;/ref&gt; Obama did attend a school administrated by Muslims but [[CNN]] reports that it was a non-religious public school attended by students of many faiths, not a [[madrassa]].&lt;ref&gt;http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/01/22/obama.madrassa/&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> {{QuoteBox|In Indonesia, I'd spent 2 years at a Muslim school, 2 years at a Catholic school. In the Muslim school, the teacher wrote to tell mother I made faces during Koranic studies. In the Catholic school, when it came time to pray, I'd pretend to close my eyes, then peek around the room. Nothing happened. No angels descended. Just a parched old nun and 30 brown children, muttering words. Sometimes the nun would catch me, and her stern look would force my lids back shut. But that didn't change how I felt inside.&quot;}}&lt;ref&gt;Dreams from My Father, by Barack Obama, p.142 Aug 1, 1996 &lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> Obama has described his upbringing as occurring in a non-religious environment. <br /> <br /> {{QuoteBox|In sum, my mother viewed religion through the eyes of the anthropologist that she would become; it was a phenomenon to be treated with a suitable respect, but with a suitable detachment as well. Moreover, as a child I rarely came in contact with those who might offer a substantially different view of faith. My father was almost entirely absent from my childhood, having been divorced from my mother when I was 2 years old; in any event, although my father had been raised a Muslim, by the time he met my mother he was a confirmed atheist, thinking religion to be so much superstition.<br /> <br /> And yet for all her professed secularism, my mother was in many ways the most spiritually awakened person that I've ever known. She had an unswerving instinct for kindness, charity, and love, and spent much of her life acting on that instinct, sometimes to her detriment. Without the help of religious texts or outside authorities, she worked mightily to instill in me the values that many Americans learn in Sunday school: honesty, empathy, discipline, delayed gratification, and hard work. She raged at poverty and injustice.}}&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1546579-4,00.html My Spiritual Journey] Time Magazine, October 2006&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> Much evidence supports the claims that Obama is a Muslim<br /> <br /> ==Obama and Elitism and Ayers==<br /> <br /> Obama has consistently shown himself to be an elitist who looks down on &quot;ordinary&quot; Americans. Asked to explain why working-class [[Democrats]] do not support him while campaigning for the [[Pennsylvania]] primary, Obama replied &quot;it's not surprising, then, they get bitter, they cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren't like them or anti-immigrant sentiment or anti-trade sentiment as a way to explain their frustrations.&quot;&lt;ref&gt;http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7344532.stm&lt;/ref&gt; In response to outrage when his remarks were unexpectedly publicized, Obama did not recount his statement but instead replied, I &quot;didn't say it as well as I should have.&quot;&lt;ref&gt;http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7344532.stm&lt;/ref&gt; Although many rural counties went for McCain, Obama carried the state with 54.6% of the vote, compared to 44.3% for John McCain.&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.electionreturns.state.pa.us/ElectionsInformation.aspx?FunctionID=13&amp;ElectionID=28&amp;OfficeID=1]&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> In an attempt counter the view by many that Obama is an elitist, he began running campaign ads claiming that he &quot;worked his way through college and Harvard Law.&quot; This claim is at best an exaggeration, as Obama only held summer jobs while in college and law school&lt;ref&gt;http://www.factcheck.org/elections-2008/obamas_work_claim.html&lt;/ref&gt;, and he would have likely benefited from special scholarships not available to most students.<br /> <br /> Obama almost always reads from prepared text on a [[teleprompter]] and rarely allows tough questions.&lt;ref&gt;After one debate against [[Hillary Clinton]] in Philadelphia, the Obama campaign announced that the questions were too difficult and that Obama would not agree to future debates with her.&lt;/ref&gt;&lt;ref name=&quot;teleprompter&quot;&gt;The Daily Standard, ''Obama Unplugged Lost without a Teleprompter'', by Dean Barnett, 02/12/2008[http://www.weeklystandard.com/content/public/articles/000/000/014/728ofzey.asp]&lt;/ref&gt; Indeed, when unable to read from prepared text he often fails at articulating his positions and is caught tripping over his own feet.&lt;ref&gt;This was first displayed in the Saddleback Forum, and has occurred subsequently also.&lt;/ref&gt; His most recent debate performances illustrate that he may have been extensively coached over the course of 2008, although he still repeatedly fumbles at moments where he moves off his memorized remarks.<br /> <br /> Obama refers to America in the third person, as a foreigner would. In his first television interview after becoming president, Obama declared that &quot;all too often the United States starts by dictating.&quot; Earlier, when Obama gave his acceptance speech, he said &quot;We may not get there in one year or even one term, but America - I have never been more hopeful than I am tonight that we will get there.&quot;&lt;ref&gt;[http://news.yahoo.com/s/ynews/ynews_pl135]&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> President Obama is the first person having ties to a known former terrorist to gain control over America's nuclear weapons.&lt;ref&gt;http://www.clevelandleader.com/node/7127&lt;/ref&gt;&lt;ref&gt;http://elections.foxnews.com/2008/08/26/obama-associate-bill-ayers-unrepentant-for-acts-of-terror/&lt;/ref&gt; Author and blogger Jack Cashill requisitioned a comparison of the writing style of Bill Ayers' 2001 memoir, ''Fugitive Days'', with Barack Obama's earlier 1995 book, ''Dreams From My Father'', and came to the conclusion that Ayres may have ghostwritten Dreams.&lt;ref&gt;www.cashill.com, ''Who Wrote “Dreams From My Father&quot;?'', by Jack Cashill, October 9, 2008, retrieved on 10/16/2008 [http://www.cashill.com/natl_general/who_wrote_dreams_from.htm] Cashill states that a computer comparison of Obama's so-called autobiography with that of the terrorist Bill Ayers, supports the theory that Ayers actually wrote parts of Obama's book; also he wrote &quot;None of this, of course, proves Ayers' authorship conclusively, but the evidence makes him a much more likely candidate than Obama to have written the best parts of Dreams&quot;. &quot;In assessing the signature of sample passages from Dreams,&quot; the experienced analyst found &quot;a very strong match to all of the Ayers samples&quot; that he processed. He did not address the possibility that Ayers had plagiarized from Obama's earlier book. A philosophy professor from England disagreed.[http://wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&amp;pageId=77815]&lt;/ref&gt; Ayers admitted that he was &quot;guilty as hell&quot; in planting bombs in the 1970s, and that he has no regrets and felt he &quot;should have done more.&quot;&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.clevelandleader.com/node/7127]&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> ==Insights==<br /> <br /> Obama displayed ignorance about American history when he said, &quot;Throughout our history, America's confronted constantly evolving danger, from the oppression of an empire, to the lawlessness of the frontier, '''from the bomb that fell on Pearl Harbor''', to the threat of nuclear annihilation.&quot;&lt;ref&gt;http://www.weeklystandard.com/weblogs/TWSFP/2008/07/obama_ignorance_watch_1.asp&lt;/ref&gt; <br /> <br /> Obama has described himself as a constitutional law professor at the University of Chicago.&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2007/03/30/politics/p132303D74.DTL&amp;type=politics]&lt;/ref&gt; He held the position of Lecturer, an adjunct position, from 1992 to 1996.&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.law.uchicago.edu/media/index.html]&lt;/ref&gt; He held the position of Senior Lecturer from 1996 until his election to the senate in 2004.&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.law.uchicago.edu/media/index.html]&lt;/ref&gt; Dan Ronayne, a spokesman for the Republican National Committee, has pointed that Obama was only a senior lecturer and not a full professor. &lt;ref&gt;[http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2007/03/30/politics/p132303D74.DTL&amp;type=politics]&lt;/ref&gt;The University states that Senior Lecturers are regarded as professors, although not full-time or tenure track.&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.law.uchicago.edu/media/index.html]&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> In his 1995 memoir, ''Dreams from My Father'', Obama admitted using illegal drugs, including cocaine and marijuana, which he referred to as &quot;blow&quot; and &quot;pot&quot; respectively, in his high school years and into his college years, before claiming to choose a different path in life.&lt;ref&gt;http://www.nbc5.com/politics/3444371/detail.html&lt;/ref&gt;&lt;ref&gt;http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2008/02/26/obamas_senate_foreign_relations_work/&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> Obama wore an American flag lapel pin after [[9/11]], but later stopped wearing it without adequate explanation.&lt;ref&gt;http://www.swamppolitics.com/news/politics/blog/2007/10/when_did_obama_stop_wearing_a.html&lt;/ref&gt; Presumably it would have hurt him with anti-military campaign donors.&lt;ref&gt;In 2007, at critical moments in his campaign for the nomination, Obama had difficulties securing the support of anti-war activists. [http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/04/04/politics/main2645861.shtml]&lt;/ref&gt; Recently, he has begun wearing one again for reasons that are likely political pandering.<br /> <br /> In his memoirs, Obama claimed a ''[[Life]]'' magazine article about a man who had become ill after trying to lighten his skin color by chemical means had a major impact on him. In fact, ''Life'' never published any such article.&lt;ref&gt;http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/03/26/AR2007032601583.html&lt;/ref&gt;&lt;ref&gt;&quot;Then there's the copy of Life magazine that Obama presents as his racial awakening at age 9. In it, he wrote, was an article and two accompanying photographs of an African-American man physically and mentally scarred by his efforts to lighten his skin. In fact, the Life article and the photographs don't exist, say the magazine's own historians.&quot; [http://newsbusters.org/node/11641]&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> Obama said that &quot;[t]here was something stirring across the country because of what happened in Selma, [[Alabama]], because some folks are willing to march across a bridge. So they got together and Barack Obama Jr. was born.&quot; In fact, Obama was born in 1961 and the Selma march took place in 1965.&lt;ref&gt;http://michellemalkin.com/2008/05/21/barack-obama-gaffe-machine/&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> Obama states that he has consistently opposed the [[Iraq War]] since 2002, a claim and position that former President [[Bill Clinton]] criticized as &quot;the biggest fairy tale I've ever seen.&quot;&lt;ref&gt;http://www.reuters.com/article/politicsNews/idUSN1131516320080111&lt;/ref&gt; In his famous 2002 speech&lt;ref&gt;http://www.barackobama.com/2002/10/02/remarks_of_illinois_state_sen.php&lt;/ref&gt; at an anti-war rally, Obama said that he was against &quot;dumb wars&quot; and expressed some reservations about the Iraq War because he disagrees with the ideological agendas of the Bush administration, but he did not explicitly oppose the war. In his 2004 Democrat Convention speech, Obama said that he did not know how he would have voted on the Iraq War.<br /> <br /> Obama's campaign &quot;is proud to be actively participating in over 60 local and state wide [[homosexual]] Pride events over the summer.&quot;&lt;ref&gt;http://my.barackobama.com/page/community/post/jcitron/gG5VLs&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> Obama claimed to have visited 57 states while campaigning for President of the United States.&lt;ref&gt; [http://www.mediaresearch.org/BozellColumns/newscolumn/2008/col20080528.asp Barack Potatoe Obama?]&lt;/ref&gt; &lt;ref&gt;http://www.stoptheaclu.com/archives/2008/05/12/obamas-freudian-slip-there-are-57-islamic-states/&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> ==Charitable Giving==<br /> <br /> In the years 2000 through 2004, before becoming a United States Senator and being in the public spotlight, Obama gave 1% of his earnings to charity even though he made $250,000 per year. Since becoming a national figure, that amount has jumped to 6%.&lt;ref&gt;http://patterico.com/2008/10/31/obama-and-bidens-charitable-giving-they-dont-want-to-spread-their-own-wealth-around/&lt;/ref&gt; Obama's small donations are consistent with atheism and were perhaps influenced by his nonbelieving mother. According to a study by the Barna Group, atheists give less per capita in donations than religious Americans &lt;ref&gt;http://www.barna.org/FlexPage.aspx?Page=BarnaUpdateNarrow&amp;BarnaUpdateID=272 The Barna Update, 2007&lt;/ref&gt;.<br /> <br /> ==Aunt is in the United States Illegally==<br /> At the end of October 2008 it came to light that Obama's aunt is in the United States illegally and has been since 2004 when her request for asylum was turned down. She has been living in public tax payer funded housing in Boston. This may have some bearing on Obama's immigration policy given that a member of his own family is in violation of current US immigration law. There are also questions about how much Obama knew about this.&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27481680 Obama's Aunt Living in US Illegally]&lt;/ref&gt; The Obama campaign issued a statement to the effect that they had no knowledge of this situation and returned the donation she made to his campaign; in the United States it is illegal to accept campaign contributions from people who are not currently citizens or legal residents of the United States. &lt;ref&gt;http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/11/01/obama.aunt/index.html&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> ==Statements==<br /> Obama has been noted by several independent sources as misquoting historical events and statements by famous persons. A notable example came after Obama's win in the [[North Carolina]] democratic primary. Obama was quoted as saying, &quot;I trust the American people to understand that it is not weakness, but wisdom to talk not just to our friends, but to our enemies as Roosevelt did, and Kennedy did, and Truman did.&quot; (Franklin Delano) Roosevelt spoke with none of the [[Axis]] or [[Japanese]] leaders and the the only communication that was sent to them was unconditional surrender. (President) [[Harry Truman]] took over for FDR and continued his unconditional surrender philosophy as well as ending [[World War II]] with an atomic bomb.&lt;ref&gt;http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2008/05/obama_needs_to_study_history_b.html&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> ==Legal career==<br /> Following law school, Obama continued his work as a community organizer in Chicago as the director of Illinois Project Vote. In 1993 he was hired as an associate at the Chicago law firm Miner, Barnhill &amp; Galland, P.C., and began lecturing in Constitutional Law at the University of Chicago Law School. He remains on the faculty on leave of absence through today. During this time he wrote his first book, ''Dreams from My Father'', detailing his background, his youth, and his education. ''Dreams'' was published in 1995.<br /> <br /> ==Senate career==<br /> [[Image:obama.jpg|thumb|right|Senator Barack Obama]]<br /> Obama was elected to the Illinois State Senate for the first time in 1996 and served there for the next eight years. <br /> <br /> October 2008 crimes against Academy Award winner Jennifer Hudson's family highlighted Obama's record against law and order, as he voted against making it a crime in Illinois &quot;for convicts on probation or on bail to have contact with a street gang&quot;.&lt;ref&gt;[http://thehill.com/leading-the-news/obamas-crime-votes-are-fodder-for-rivals-2007-03-13.html]&lt;/ref&gt;&lt;ref&gt;The person of interest in the murders of Hudson's mother, brother, and 7-year-old nephew is the estranged husband of Hudson's sister and a convicted felon who had violated his parole conditions.[http://www.chicagotribune.com/chi-julian-king-autopsy-1029,0,2752431.story]&lt;/ref&gt; &quot;'We've got 75,000 gang members - that's almost six gang members to one police officer,'&quot; in Obama's hometown of Chicago.&lt;ref&gt;&quot;More people have been murdered in Chicago this year than in New York - even though New York's population is three times greater. When Hudson's mother, brother and nephew were killed last month, they pushed the city's homicide total for the year to 436 and counting. New York has had 430 homicides.&quot; [http://www.nydailynews.com/news/us_world/2008/11/01/2008-11-01_chicago_buried_in_murders.html]&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> Following a failed campaign for the House of Representatives, Obama ran for the open Senate seat from Illinois in 2004. Obama delivered the keynote address at the 2004 Democratic National Convention. He won a seat in the [[U.S. Senate]] after [[liberals]] obtained the release of confidential and personally embarrassing divorce records of his opponent, Jack Ryan, forcing him to resign from the race and be replaced by the out-of-state candidate [[Alan Keyes]].<br /> <br /> A March 16th, 2005 AP article puts Senator Obama on record to ban oil drilling in the Alaska frontier known as ANWR &lt;ref&gt;http://www.commondreams.org/headlines05/0316-13.htm&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> His 2007 voting record in the U.S. [[Senate]] makes him as its most [[liberal]] member. Among fellow Senate Democrats, he was further left than liberals like [[Ted Kennedy]], [[John Kerry]], [[Dianne Feinstein]], [[Charles Schumer]], [[Russ Feingold]], [[Carl Levin]], [[Joseph Biden]] and [[Harry Reid]].&lt;ref&gt;[http://nationaljournal.com/voteratings/sen/lib_cons.htm?o1=lib_composite&amp;o2=desc]&lt;/ref&gt; He has grown steadily more liberal since arriving at the Senate: the same analysis assessed him as 10th most liberal in 2006&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.nationaljournal.com/members/news/2007/voteratings/sen/lib_cons.htm?o1=lib_composite&amp;o2=desc]&lt;/ref&gt; and 16th most liberal in 2005.&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.nationaljournal.com/members/news/2007/voteratings/sen/lib_cons.htm?o1=lib_composite&amp;o2=desc]&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> In late 2006, Obama's second book, ''The Audacity of Hope'', was published. Its title was supplied by the Rev. Jeremiah A. Wright Jr., a minister who has stated that &quot;racism is how this country was founded and how this country was run .... We believe in white supremacy and black inferiority and believe it more than we believe in God.&quot;&lt;ref&gt;http://blog.washingtonpost.com/the-trail/2008/03/14/obama_condemns_pastors_remarks.html&lt;/ref&gt; The book contains more of Senator Obama's personal story including the roles of both family and politics. ''Audacity'' spent 30 weeks on the ''New York Times'' Nonfiction Best Sellers list.&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/27/books/bestseller/0527besthardnonfiction.html?_r=1&amp;oref=slogin New York Times Best Sellers Non Fiction]&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> Senator Obama is the chairman of an important subcommittee that has oversight of our efforts in Afghanistan. He has not held a single hearing on Afghanistan even though American forces are risking their lives in a theatre of war. Since joining Foreign Relations, Obama has missed three meetings on a &quot;new strategy&quot; in [[Afghanistan]], a country he only visited in 2008.&lt;ref&gt;[http://thehill.com/leading-the-news/obama-absent-at-afghanistan-hearings-2008-03-01.html&lt;/ref&gt; Barack Obama clinched his party's nomination for President after 16 straight months of campaigning.<br /> <br /> In June 2008, Obama voted with the Democratic party to kill the sunset provision of the [[Bush]] tax cuts. By letting these tax cuts expire, single mothers with two kids will pay an additional $1,800 annually. Married couples with incomes of $50,000 will pay an additional $2,180 annually. Elderly couples will pay an additional $2,000 annually and a family of four will pay 191% more per year in taxes. Barack Obama often claims to be for taxing the rich their fair share. By voting to eliminate the Bush tax cuts, Obama is taxing most middle class and blue collar families.<br /> <br /> Obama and the Democratic-led Congress has voted for the upgraded GI Bill despite the opposition from the President, the Secretary of Defense, the Pentagon, the generals in combat zones and the GOP Presidential nominee. It was crafted to increase veteran benefits. Yet, the strain on our military is great.&lt;ref&gt;[http://marcambinder.theatlantic.com/archives/2008/05/mccain_to_obama_dont_demagogue.php] http://marcambinder.theatlantic.com/archives/2008/05/mccain_to_obama_dont_demagogue.php , McCain To Obama: Don't Demagogue The GI Bill, May 22, 2008&lt;/ref&gt; The bill would cost $2.8 to $4 billion per month. Some argue that this bill depletes the US's volunteer military personnel by enticing them to leave service rather than be re-deployed.<br /> <br /> As senator, Obama has requested nearly $936 million in earmarks which averages to $500,000. per day over four years, &lt;ref&gt;[http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122108935141721343.html?mod=googlenews_wsj Obama Can't Win Against Palin] Wall Street Journal, September 11, 2008&lt;/ref&gt; for which the Council for Citizens Against Government Waste has given him a rating of 10% in 2007 (18% lifetime).&lt;ref&gt;[http://councilfor.cagw.org/site/DocServer/2007_Senate_Ratings_Final.pdf?docID=3242 2007 Senate Scorecard]&lt;/ref&gt; A score of 100% represents voting against all pork, and 0% represents voting ''for'' all pork. Democrats averaged 5% in 2007, whereas Republicans averaged 60%. &lt;ref&gt;[http://councilfor.cagw.org/site/News2?abbr=CCAGW_&amp;page=NewsArticle&amp;id=11590 CCAGW Releases ''2007 Congressional Ratings'']&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> According to a Fox News report on October 5th, Obama has taken more than $126,000. in campaign contribution from [[Fannie Mae]] in a little over three years. This ranks him second, only Chris Dodd has received more campaign contribution dollars from Fannie Mae.<br /> <br /> === Bills co-sponsored ===<br /> Obama's principal legislation was S. 2433, which was an attempt to force the U.S. to increase its foreign aid by hundreds of billions of dollars under the guise of reducing global poverty, which was subsequently blocked by [[conservatives]].&lt;ref&gt;http://www.cnsnews.com/ViewPolitics.asp?Page=/Politics/archive/200802/POL20080225a.html&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> Obama did support and co-sponsor a bill championed by [[Tom Coburn]] and known as the Coburn-Obama Government Transparency Act of 2006, which was signed into law by President [[George W. Bush]] on Sept. 9, 2006. This law created a website that will list the federal government's grants and contracts.&lt;ref&gt; http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2006/09/20060926.html&lt;/ref&gt; <br /> <br /> Between Jan 13, 2007 and March 13, 2008, Sen. Obama has sponsored 120 mostly [[liberal]] resolutions and bills in the Senate.&lt;ref&gt;http://thomas.loc.gov/&lt;/ref&gt; His supporters cite the following less liberal examples, but this list is not representative:<br /> <br /> *S.117 : A bill to amend titles 10 and 38, United States Code, to improve benefits and services for members of the Armed Forces, veterans of the Global War on Terrorism, and other veterans, to require reports on the effects of the Global War on Terrorism, and for other purposes.<br /> <br /> *S.133 : A bill to promote the national security and stability of the economy of the United States by reducing the dependence of the United States on oil through the use of alternative fuels and new technology, and for other purposes.<br /> <br /> *S.453 : A bill to prohibit deceptive practices in Federal elections.<br /> <br /> *S.713 : A bill to ensure dignity in care for members of the Armed Forces recovering from injuries.<br /> <br /> === Accomplishments while serving on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee ===<br /> <br /> In February 2008, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee approved Obama's proposal on a new strategy to reduce poverty throughout the world.<br /> <br /> Obama worked with Sen. Lugar writing legislation aimed at improving conventional and nuclear non-proliferation efforts. This legislation was signed by [[George W. Bush|President Bush]] in January 2008.<br /> <br /> In June 2007 the Senate passed his resolution condemning violence by the [[Zimbabwe]] government. It also passed legislation co-sponsored by Obama that financed a Special Court for Sierra Leone to prosecute former [[Liberia | Liberian]] President [[Charles Taylor]]. &lt;ref&gt; http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2008/02/26/obamas_senate_foreign_relations_work/ &lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> Barack Obama continued to collect money for a 2010 Senate re-election campaign as late as June 2008, and has filed reports recently indicating that money is still pouring into this fund. This is especially notable because it is an efficient way of sidetracking donations from his Presidential race. The website&lt;obamasenate2010.gov&gt; is now defunct.<br /> <br /> ==Presidential campaign==<br /> [[Image:Democrat Obama during the Pledge.jpg|325px|thumb|right|Obama, on the campaign trail, stands with folded hands while [[Bill Richardson]] and [[Hillary Clinton]] honor the flag by placing their hands over their heart during the [[National Anthem]]. [http://rawstory.com/news/2007/Obama_doesnt_put_hand_over_heart_1022.html See Video] ]]<br /> Senator Obama began his candidacy for President of the United States on February 10, 2007, in Springfield, Illinois. His announcement speech largely avoided specific campaign issues and focused on his general political message of hope for the future. It also attempted to strongly invoke the memory of Abraham Lincoln and his &quot;House Divided&quot; speech.&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/02/10/obama.president/index.html &quot;Obama declares he's running for President&quot;] 11 February 2007, www.CNN.com &lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> Obama's campaign has been financed largely by [[leftist]] donors opposed to the war and to the [[American]] military in general. Obama has encouraged this by refusing to wear the customary flag on his lapel during appearances (asserting that he would prefer his patriotism to be represented through his actions rather than an arbitrary symbol) and by other less-than-patriotic gestures and symbols, such as declining to put his hand over his heart during a patriotic recitation. In an appearance on May 16 where he addressed President Bush's statements that some politicians would prefer appeasing terrorists through negotiations, Senator Obama once again wore the flag pin as he did following 9-11. <br /> <br /> By early April 2007, his campaign generated over $25 million from over 100,000 contributors. $23.5 million of that money will be available for the Democratic Primary.&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/05/us/politics/05obama.html Obama Shows His Strength in a Fund-Raising Feat on Par With Clinton], 4 April 2007, Jeff Zeleny and Patrick Healy,'' The New York Times''&lt;/ref&gt; After the first Democratic presidential debate in Columbia, South Carolina, Obama's image as an &quot;articulate&quot; spokesman came into question after his failure to state right away that he would retaliate in case of further terrorist strikes against the United States.&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/27/AR2007042702162.html?hpid=moreheadlines Clinton Campaign Tries to Keep Heat on Obama Over Debate Response], Dan Balz, ''Washington Post'' April 28, 2007.&lt;/ref&gt;&lt;ref&gt;Chicago Sun-Times, <br /> [http://www.suntimes.com/news/sweet/362269,CST-NWS-sweet29.article 'I was a little nervous' at debate'], Lynn Sweet, <br /> April 29, 2007,&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> During a fund raising event in Virginia in May 2007 Obama told donors,<br /> {{Cquote|This week there was a tragedy in Kansas. Ten thousand people died. An entire town destroyed.&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,271357,00.html Transcript: 'Special Report with Brit Hume,' May 9, 2007], retrieved from ''FOX News'', 06/13/07.&lt;/ref&gt;}}<br /> <br /> In reality, the tornado which touched down in Kansas cost the lives of nine people in the town of Greensburg, and twelve overall in Kansas.<br /> <br /> Speaking regarding his knowledge of the Afghanistan conflict, Obama points the finger at U.S. troops and American policy &quot;...just airraiding villages and killing civilians, which is causing enormous problems there.&quot; &lt;ref&gt;[http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,293365,00.html Barack Obama Caught on Tape Accusing U.S. Troops of 'Killing Civilians'] Fox News, August 15, 2007&lt;/ref&gt; [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wrW4fOGIMVY See Video]<br /> <br /> By August it appeared Obama was running to be left off the ticket completely rather than the much ballyhooed Hillary/Obama ticket the [[mainstream media]] was pushing. After a series of ill-advised foreign policy statements, Obama was openly criticized as a lightweight even by liberals, in much the same vein as [[John Edwards]] and [[Dan Quayle]] had been depicted. First, Obama said he would have face-to-face meetings with two of Florida's most feared enemies, [[Fidel Castro]] and [[Hugo Chavez]]. Florida is a key state to any presidential ambitions. Then Obama claimed that he would be willing to invade the sovereign territory of a U.S. ally without prior consultation. Finally, Obama broke the cardinal rule of declaring he would not use nuclear weapons, removing the element of bluff U.S. Presidents had vitally depended upon throughout the [[Cold War]] era. The incidents all added up to a picture of a candidate ill-prepared and ill-advised, lacking in a basic understanding of the office of the Presidency, and failing to surround himself with appointees able to make up for his deficiencies. However, Obama won the Iowa Democratic caucuses, pushing [[Hillary Clinton]] into third place, and went on to become the unofficial Democratic nominee.<br /> <br /> At a campaign event in Elkhart, Indiana, a seven-year-old girl asked Barack Obama why he wants to be President. He replies, <br /> '''&quot;America is …, uh, is no longer, uh … what it could be, what it once was. And I say to myself, I don’t want that future for my children.&quot;''' &lt;ref&gt;[http://newsbusters.org/blogs/tom-blumer/2008/08/09/mostly-mia-obamas-downer-america-delivered-7-year-old Media Mostly MIA on Obama's 'America No Longer What It Once Was' Downer Delivered to 7 Year-Old] Newsbusters.org, August 9, 2008&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> Obama became the presumptive Democratic nominee on June 3rd after receiving a majority of pledged delegates and superdelegates. His only remaining primary opponent, [[Hillary Clinton]], conceded the race on June 7th. On August 23, Joe Biden was announced as Obama's vice-presidential nominee. Obama became the official Democratic nominee on August 27 at the Democratic National Convention, when Hillary Clinton's motion to end the roll call vote of the states and select Obama by acclamation was passed.<br /> <br /> On June 5th, Obama spoke at Briston, Virginia- Healthcare Town Hall forum regarding Political Action Committees and his campaign. &quot;Well, we’re here today because we know that if we’re going to make real progress, this time must be different. Throughout my career, in Illinois and the United States senate, I’ve worked to reduce the power of the special interests by leading the fight for ethics reform. I’ve sent a strong signal in this campaign by refusing the contributions of registered federal lobbyists and PACs. And today, I’m announcing that going forward, the Democratic National Committee will uphold the same standard and won’t take another dime from Washington lobbyists or special interest PACs. They do not fund my campaign. They will not fund our party. And they will not drown out the voices of the American people when I’m President of the United States.&quot; <br /> <br /> On June 6th, an [[AP]] article &lt;ref&gt;[http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/D/DEMOCRATS_MONEY?SITE=KING&amp;SECTION=HOME&amp;TEMPLATE=DEFAULT Transcript: 'Democratic Party returns lobbyist, PAC money ,' June 6, 2008]&lt;/ref&gt; presented the rules for lobbyist donations to the DNC and for the Presidential nominee. Obama does accept money from lobbyists who do not do business with the federal government and he also accepts money from spouses and family members of lobbyists. And the DNC ban is also not retroactive, which means the DNC will keep lobbyist and PAC contributions it received earlier in the election cycle. Retroactive period being the date Barack Obama started his campaign, February 10, 2007. The DNC possibly the day after the November 2006 Congressional elections until June 5th, 2008. In addition, Barack Obama's ban does not apply to the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee nor to the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. Unlike [[John McCain]], Barack Obama has not disclosed the lobbyists working in his campaign.<br /> <br /> Senator Obama visited U.S. troops in Iraq in 2006&lt;ref&gt;[http://abclocal.go.com/wls/story?section=news/local&amp;id=3794382 Obama visits troops in Iraq]&lt;/ref&gt; and in Afghanistan and Kuwait in 2008&lt;ref&gt;[http://abclocal.go.com/wls/story?section=news/local&amp;id=3794382 Obama visits troops and officials in Afghanistan and Kuwait]&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> Obama's tax plan calls for increasing taxes on the wealthiest 1% of Americans, while cutting taxes for the middle class. According to the non-partisan [[Tax Policy Center]], most Americans would pay less taxes than under Senator McCain's plan.&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/publications/url.cfm?ID=411749 An Updated Analysis of the 2008 Presidential Candidates' Tax Plans: Updated September 12, 2008]&lt;/ref&gt; According to another non-partisan group, Americans for Tax Reform, tax-payers would clearly be burdened by an Obama Presidency.&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.atr.org/content/html/2008/june/0616-obama_mccaintaxes.html McCain vs. Obama on Taxes] Americans For Tax Reform, June 2008&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> During the campaign Obama repeatedly claimed he would “cut taxes for no less than 95% of &quot;working families.&quot;”. The Wall Street Journal asked, “how does he conjure this miracle, especially since more than a third of all Americans already pay no income taxes at all?” &lt;ref&gt;http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122385651698727257.html&lt;/ref&gt; In truth, Obama was calling government handouts “tax credits” and counting those as tax cuts. The Wall Street Journal wondered why McCain “allowed Mr. Obama's 95% illusion to go unanswered”.<br /> <br /> ===Campaign financing=== <br /> Obama is the first presidential candidate to reject public financing. He broke his promise to accept it in the hope that his powerful fund-raising machine would generate far more money than the $84.1 million McCain is getting in public funding. Indeed, on August 14th, the Obama campaign announced it had received donations from 2 million individuals, setting new records. Obama raised $272 million for the primaries and expects to raise $300 million for the general election. However the Republican National Committee has been raising much more than the Democratic National Committee and each candidate had about $100 million in cash on September 1. Each expects to spend about $300 million by November. However, Obama is obliged to devote much of his time to fund raising among supporters rather than campaigning among undecided voters.&lt;ref&gt; see [http://blog.newsweek.com/blogs/stumper/archive/2008/09/09/was-obama-right-to-opt-out-of-public-financing.aspx Andrew Romano, &quot;Was Obama Right to Opt Out of Public Financing?,&quot; ''Newsweek'' (Sept. 9, 2008) online]&lt;/ref&gt; Among his backers is homosexual pornography baron [[Terrence Bean]].<br /> <br /> ===Secrecy=== <br /> <br /> The Democratic party feels it necessary to keep all questions about Obama at a safe distance. It is an unprecedented move to keep secrets about a presidential candidate. The following questions remain sealed from the public. &lt;ref&gt;[http://obamawtf.blogspot.com/2008/08/who-sent-obama-why-has-he-refused-to.html Who sent Obama? Why has he refused to release these basic documents?] ObamaWTF.blogspot.com&lt;/ref&gt; <br /> <br /> # Certified Copy of original Birth certificate(see certificate controversy below)<br /> # Columbia College records<br /> # Columbia Thesis paper<br /> # Campaign donor analysis requested by 7 major watchdog groups<br /> # [[Harvard]] College records<br /> # Illinois State Senate records<br /> # [[Illinois]] State Senate schedule<br /> # [[Law]] practice client list and billing records/summary<br /> # Locations and names of all half-siblings and step-mothers<br /> # Medical records (only the one page summary released so far)<br /> # Occidental College records<br /> # Parent's [[Marriage]] Certificate<br /> # Record of baptism<br /> # Selective Service Registration<br /> # Trips schedules for trips outside of the United States before 2007<br /> # Scholarly articles<br /> # Access to his Grandmother (Obama's Grandmother has since passed away from cancer [http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5g3m4YaeYwDHXS6hHdZJi8pm6cZdAD947RJKO0])<br /> # List of all campaign workers that are lobbyists<br /> <br /> Obama keeps donations secret by exploiting a loophole that allows campaigns to refuse to divulge donations under $200.00. This is useful to the candidate because many of his contributions are from dubious foreign or illegal sources. It is described as the &quot;largest pool of unidentified money that has ever flooded into the U.S. election system, before or after the McCain-Feingold campaign finance reforms of 2002.&quot; &lt;ref&gt;http://www.newsmax.com/timmerman/Obama_fundraising_illegal/2008/09/29/135718.html&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> ===Tone===<br /> <br /> Many observers have criticized Obama's campaign for its incivility. For instance, John McCain's wife Cindy noted that Obama is running &quot;the dirtiest campaign in American history.&quot; <br /> <br /> Obama's smears usually fall into two categories: race-baiting and distortions. On October 10, 2008, Obama surrogate Rep. John Lewis (D-GA) typified the campaign by comparing Sen. McCain to racial segregationists and Klansmen. &quot;Sen. McCain and Gov. Palin are sowing the seeds of hatred and division,&quot; Lewis exclaimed before comparing Sen. McCain to segregationist Democrat George Wallace, further noting that he, &quot;...never fired a gun, but he created the climate and the conditions that encouraged [the attacks in which] four little girls were killed on Sunday morning when a church was bombed in Birmingham, Alabama.&quot; &lt;ref&gt;http://edition.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/10/11/mccain.lewis/index.html?eref=rss_politics&lt;/ref&gt; This is particularly harsh to Sen. McCain because he fondly admires Lewis. &lt;ref&gt;http://www.rickwarrennews.com/transcript/civil_forum_transcript-04.txt&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> As for the distortions and personal attacks, Obama mocks Sen. McCain's for his age and Gov. Palin for being a woman and outsider. For instance, Obama responded with a subtle reference to Alzheimer's disease when Sen. McCain criticized his foreign policy in May 2008, alleging that Sen. McCain &quot;lost his bearings&quot; &lt;ref&gt;http://www.politico.com/blogs/bensmith/0508/Obama_McCain_offensive_losing_his_bearings.html&lt;/ref&gt;. Senior Adviser Mark Salter noted, &quot;He used the words 'losing his bearings' intentionally, a not particularly clever way of raising John McCain's age as an issue. This is typical of the Obama style of campaigning.&quot; &lt;ref&gt;http://marcambinder.theatlantic.com/archives/2008/05/salter_obama_attacked_mccains.php&lt;/ref&gt;. In reference to Gov. Palin, Obama was caught for his quiet hiring of Winner &amp; Associates to disseminate a sexist smear video against her. &lt;ref&gt;http://mypetjawa.mu.nu/archives/194057.php&lt;/ref&gt; Some argue this is a FEC violation because it lacked obligatory label denoting it was sponsored by the Obama Campaign (Ethan Winner has made a claim that he alone produced the video) &lt;ref&gt;http://eclipseweb.blogspot.com/2008/09/vicious-anti-sarah-palin-smear-campaign.html&lt;/ref&gt; &lt;ref&gt;http://mypetjawa.mu.nu/archives/194180.php&lt;/ref&gt;One of the biggest distortions by Obama is that 95% of all taxpayers will get a tax cut. &lt;ref&gt;[http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122385651698727257.html?mod=googlenews_wsj Obama's 95% Illusion] Wall Steet Journal, October 13, 2008&lt;/ref&gt; Without the distortion, Obama is proposing income re-distribution because those families that pay no taxes, one-third, will get money from the wealthy top 5%.<br /> <br /> Another feature of the Obama campaign is the unruly audience. CNN reported in October of 2008 &lt;ref&gt;http://www.findinternettv.com/Video,item,3565842635.aspx&lt;/ref&gt;, that people are calling John McCain a terrorist at these events. According to Sen. McCain, &quot;I've heard the [label terrorist], unfortunately, at Senator Obama's rallies being said about me. There's always a fringe element.&quot; Other eyewitness reports are harsher.<br /> <br /> ==Election==<br /> <br /> Senator Obama won the 2008 Presidential election, with over 52% of the popular vote. He carried every state that [[John Kerry]] won in 2004, in addition to Iowa, North Carolina, Ohio, Virginia, Colorado, New Mexico, Nevada, Florida, and Indiana. Of the 127 million votes cast, Obama beat John McCain by 8 million total votes.&lt;ref&gt;http://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS/&lt;/ref&gt; [http://images.newsmax.com/misc/2008_Election_Map.jpg See county breakdown map] &lt;ref&gt;[www.cnn.com/election]&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> == Positions and Qualifications ==<br /> Obama is [[pro-abortion]]. The leading abortion providers and PAC supporters have wholeheartedly endorsed Barack Obama. The National Abortion Rights Action League [[NARAL]] has given Barack a 100% rating for his efforts in Congress 2005, 2006 and 2007 &lt;ref&gt;http://www.prochoiceamerica.org/elections/statements/obama.html&lt;/ref&gt;. EMILY's List, a political action committee that funds female candidates who support abortion rights backs Barack Obama&lt;ref&gt; [http://www.boston.com/news/politics/politicalintelligence/2008/06/emilys_list_bac.html],EMILY's List backs Obama, June 6,2008&lt;/ref&gt;. The nation's largest abortion business, Planned Parenthood has begun the process necessary to endorse pro-abortion presidential candidate Barack Obama. &lt;ref&gt;[http://www.lifenews.com/nat3971.html], http://www.lifenews.com/nat3971.html, Planned Parenthood Begins Process to Endorse Pro-Abortion Barack Obama, June 10,2008&lt;/ref&gt;The board of directors of the pro-abortion group's political operation met on Friday June 6, 2008 and unanimously voted to recommend an endorsement for Obama. Obama has steadfastly advocated support for partial birth abortion as an Illinois legislator. Barack's wife, Michelle Obama, wrote a fundraising letter&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.prolifeblogs.com/articles/archives/2006/10/post_5.php], http://www.prolifeblogs.com/articles/archives/2006/10/post_5.php, February 17,2004&lt;/ref&gt; in support of partial birth abortion and against the proposed ban. Barack voted against the Born Alive Infant Protection Act to give a child who survived an abortion procedure life support healthcare. Obama wanted the life terminated even if he or she survived outside the mother's womb.&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.citizenlink.org/content/A000007034.cfm], http://www.citizenlink.org/content/A000007034.cfm, Obama Blocked Born Alive Infant Protection Act&lt;/ref&gt; With Obama no longer in the state Senate, the Born Alive legislation passed in 2005.<br /> <br /> In the context of sex, he quipped about his daughters, &lt;ref&gt;http://michellemalkin.com/2008/03/30/sunday-meditation-obama-and-the-punishment-of-unborn-life/&lt;/ref&gt;{{QuoteBox|&quot;If they make a mistake, I don't want them punished with a baby.&quot;}} Obama makes it clear if his daughters had an unplanned pregnancy, he would support terminating the life of his grandchild and it is undeniable that Michelle Obama agrees with that decision.<br /> [[Image:Features ayers1.jpg|175px|thumb|right|[[Weather Underground]] co-founder Bill Ayers&lt;ref&gt;http://foia.fbi.gov/weather/weath1a.pdf&lt;/ref&gt; stomps on the American flag in this 2001 pose for Chicago Magazine.]]<br /> <br /> Obama, having been asked about his associations with [[William Ayers]], an unrepentant [[terrorist]],&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.chicagomag.com/Chicago-Magazine/August-2001/No-Regrets/]&lt;/ref&gt; he explained that the views of his associates are not necessarily his own. Ayers and his wife, [[Bernardine Dohrn]], hosted a fundraiser for Obama in their home in 1995 at the start of Obama's political career. Obama compares his friendship with Ayers whose actions led to the loss of a life to his friendship with pro-life doctor and representative Tom Coburn&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.lifenews.com/nat3894.html]http://www.lifenews.com/nat3894.html, LifeNews.com, April 25,2008&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> Obama explained that his friendship with Ayers, shouldn't be construed as implying he endorsed the terrorist-like tactics Ayers used to drive home his political point. Barack Obama brought up the pro-life colleague to make the dubious comparison that he's friends with other people who take &quot;extreme&quot; positions or would use terrorist tactics.<br /> &quot;The fact is, is that I'm also friendly with Tom Coburn, one of the most conservative Republicans in the United States Senate, who during his campaign once said that it might be appropriate to apply the death penalty to those who carried out abortions&quot; <br /> <br /> Obama has no military or executive experience and little foreign policy experience.&lt;ref&gt;&quot;Fresh doubts over Barack Obama's foreign policy credentials were expressed on both sides of the Atlantic last night, after it emerged that he had made only one brief official visit to London – and none elsewhere in Western Europe or Latin America. ... Mr. Obama had failed to convene a single policy meeting of the Senate European subcommittee, of which he is chairman.&quot;[http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/article3080794.ece]&lt;/ref&gt; Yet he is the favorite of the leftist attack site &quot;MoveOn.org&quot; for the [[Democratic]] nomination for [[President of the United States]] in the [[2008 Presidential Election|2008 election]],&lt;ref&gt;MoveOn.org reportedly favored Obama by 70-30% over Clinton. [http://www.swamppolitics.com/news/politics/blog/2008/02/moveonorg_obama.html]&lt;/ref&gt; campaigning to the left of [[Hillary Clinton]].&lt;ref&gt;For example, Obama promised not to use nuclear weapons against terrorists, a promise Hillary Clinton refused to make. [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/08/02/AR2007080202288.html]&lt;/ref&gt; <br /> <br /> He has no clear personal achievement that cannot be explained as the likely result of [[affirmative action]]. Some examples border on the absurd: Obama has no background in [[physics]], yet it is claimed that &quot;Obama analyzed and integrated [[Albert Einstein|Einstein]]'s [[theory of relativity]], the [[Heisenberg uncertainty principle]], as well as the concept of curved space as an alternative to [[gravity]], for a Law Review article that Tribe, for whom Obama worked as a research assistant, wrote titled, 'The Curvature of Constitutional Space'.&quot; &lt;ref&gt;http://cbs2chicago.com/politics/barack.obama.harvard.2.334825.html&lt;/ref&gt; Obama's &quot;research&quot; for Constitutional Law Professor Tribe on this article also raises issues about preferences, as Obama had not yet even completed any law school courses&lt;ref&gt;Obama did not start his second year of law school until September 1989, the earliest he could have taken constitutional law, yet this article must have been written, submitted and accepted prior to that time to be published in the November 1989 issue of the Law Review.&lt;/ref&gt; on the [[Constitution]].&lt;ref&gt;The liberal Professor Tribe saw the best law students for several decades, yet insisted that Obama was the &quot;best student I ever had&quot; and the &quot;most exciting research assistant.&quot; [http://www.cmonitor.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071114/NEWS01/711140429/1217/NEWS98]&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> Throughout his career, Obama repeatedly ducked controversial stands in a transparent attempt to make it easier to be elected to higher office. In example, as a state senator in [[Illinois]], he voted &quot;present&quot; rather than &quot;aye&quot; or &quot;nay&quot; nearly an astounding 130 times.&lt;ref&gt;http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/20/us/politics/20obama.html&lt;/ref&gt; During that same period, he was planning to run for the [[House of Representatives]], which was unsuccessful, and then for [[U.S. Senate]], which was successful after his opponent Jack Ryan, a millionaire school teacher, was smeared with a court-ordered disclosure of confidential divorce records that both he and his ex-wife wanted to remain sealed. A newspaper that favored Obama took the unusual step of suing to force the confidential divorce information to become public, and a California judge opened the records at a pivotal time in the campaign.&lt;ref&gt;http://www.nbc5.com/politics/2898641/detail.html&lt;/ref&gt;&lt;ref&gt;http://www.nbc5.com/news/3289561/detail.html&lt;/ref&gt;&lt;ref&gt;http://www.nbc5.com/politics/3444371/detail.html&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> Barack Obama is often praised for his speeches, except when he is not able to read them from a [[teleprompter]]. &quot;Shorn of his Teleprompter, we saw a different Obama. His delivery was halting and unsure. ... The prepared text for his remarks, as released on his website, sounded a lot like a typical Obama speech. ... [But with] no Teleprompter signaling the prepared text, Obama failed to deliver the speech in his characteristically flawless fashion.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;teleprompter&quot; /&gt; The [[New York Times]] noted that &quot;Mr. Obama excels at inspirational speeches read from a teleprompter before television cameras, critics have noted, but many of his other speeches on the campaign trail have failed to electrify.&quot;&lt;ref&gt;http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/20/fashion/20speechwriter.html?_r=2&amp;ex=1358485200&amp;en=bb179297e5f61acb&amp;ei=5090&amp;partner=rssuserland&amp;emc=rss&amp;oref=slogin&amp;oref=slogin&lt;/ref&gt; When Obama ridiculed [[Hillary Clinton]] for being like [[Annie Oakley]], it is apparent that he was not writing his own speeches.&lt;ref&gt;&quot;Some Obama adviser probably earned his or her dollars for that cut,&quot; the USA Today wrote. [http://www.usatoday.com/news/opinion/columnist/raasch/2008-04-17-2008-04-17-raasch_N.htm]&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> Obama often makes reference to his &quot;two decades of experience&quot; in public service work. During most of that time he claims experience, he was either going to school, working for a law firm, writing a book, or organizing community events.<br /> <br /> == Political views ==<br /> Obama's political views have been subjected to controversy even before he put himself forward as a presidential candidate. Former House majority leader [[Tom DeLay]] has described Obama's record in the Illinois Senate as that of a [[Communism|“Marxist leftist&quot;.]]&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/home/daily/site_121306/content/stop_the_tape.guest.html|Sexy Rock Star Obama Whines About His Ears], RushLimbaugh.com, December 13 2006&lt;/ref&gt; Which matches the fact that during his campaign, his staff were discovered on numerous occasions to have Cuban flags bearing the face of Marxist guerrilla/murderer [[Che Guevara]].&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.moonbattery.com/archives/2008/02/obama_workers_c.html Obama Workers' Che Guevara Poster Was No Fluke] from Moonbattery&lt;/ref&gt; Former presidential candidate [[Alan Keyes]] calls Obama a &quot;radical communist.&quot; &lt;ref&gt;[http://www.newsmax.com/insidecover/keyes_obama_destroy_US/2009/02/23/184503.html Alan Keyes: Obama Will Destroy U.S.] NewsMax, February 23, 2009&lt;/ref&gt; <br /> <br /> In May 2007, Obama (and Sen. Hillary Clinton) voted against funding the Iraq War for the first time.&lt;ref&gt;[http://uspolitics.about.com/od/legislatio1/a/HR2206.htm HR 2206 - Emergency Appropriations], Kathy Gill, Your Guide to U.S. Politics: Current Events. May 26 2007.&lt;/ref&gt;&lt;ref&gt;[http://more.gov.mtopgroup.com/2007/05/votes-hr-2206-iraq-supplemental.html Votes - H.R. 2206: Iraq Supplemental], May 28, 2007. Retrieved from Deeper Inside the Mountain, June 4, 2007.&lt;/ref&gt; <br /> <br /> Obama's views on [[gun control]] are focused on an opinion article in the [[Wall Street Journal]]:&lt;ref&gt;David Kopel, &quot;The Democrats and Gun Control,&quot; Wall St.J., Page A19, April 17, 2008 [http://online.wsj.com/article_email/SB120839466717921537-lMyQjAxMDI4MDE4NzMxOTc0Wj.html]&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> :As a state senate candidate in 1996, Mr. Obama endorsed a complete ban on all handguns in a questionnaire. The Obama campaign has claimed he &quot;never saw or approved the questionnaire,&quot; and that an aide filled it out incorrectly. But a few weeks ago, Politico.com found an amended version of the questionnaire. It included material added in Mr. Obama's handwriting.<br /> <br /> After [[D.C. v. Heller]], Obama claimed to support Second Amendment rights.<br /> <br /> Obama has said, &quot;Doing the Lord's work is a thread that runs through our politics since the very beginning,&quot; and &quot;it puts the lie to the notion that [[separation of church and state]] in America means somehow that faith should have no role in public life.&quot;&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.siouxcityjournal.com/articles/2007/06/17/news/iowa/8db7c1a17d2b51f9862572fd000fc9f4.txt Obama says religion has place in politics], By Todd Dorman, ''Sioux City Journal'', June 18, 2007.&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> He believes children should be taught sex education in kindergarten, although in what he refers to as &quot;an age-appropriate manner&quot;.&lt;ref&gt;&quot;Barack Obama reaffirmed to [[Planned Parenthood]] this week that he believes elements of sex education should begin in kindergarten.&quot; [http://abcnews.go.com/print?id=3395856 (ABC News)] July 20, 2007 &lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> Obama spoke at the May 1, 2006, illegal immigration march in Chicago.&lt;ref&gt;http://nomoreblather.com/barack-obama-and-the-immigration-marches Immigration marches&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> ::''We are hungry for change!'' S.C. January 26, 2008.<br /> <br /> Barack Obama, in his short stint as Senator of Illinois, has made clear his opposition to the [[U.S. Military]] in policy and in rhetoric. Obama has spent much energy to argue that the Iraq War should have never been waged and that we should not be there at all, in any way. In 2002, as an unknown Chicago representative to the state of Illinois, he declared his opposition to &quot;dumb wars&quot;. At the time, America was united in the stance against terrorism and the prospects of a rogue enemy with WMD worried the United States. Obama, has said that he does not know whether he would have voted for or against the Iraq War. Since elected to Congress, he voted against the Emergency War Supplemental. Obama did not oppose his party debating the bill long past the timeframe requested. This action directly affects troop deployment in combat zones. Obama has repeatedly called for the return of troops in Iraq. Barack Obama has a no confidence vote for the 'Surge' before the measure was put forth by General Petraeus to Congress. Obama would not denounce MoveOn.org's slander NY Times advertising against the General.<br /> <br /> Senator Obama often refers to the office that he seeks, without the proper respect of those that came before him. When talking of the President, he frequently refuses to call him [[George W. Bush|President George Bush]] or even Mr. George Bush. Obama has also disrespectfully called him 'George Bush'. Oddly, when Bill Clinton spoke with Obama on September 11th, 2008 predicting he would win handily, Obama responded, &quot;There you go, you can take it from the President of the United States.&quot;&lt;ref&gt;http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/09/11/campaign.wrap/index.html&lt;/ref&gt; It appears Obama will use the term for a former President, but will not do the same for the actual President. Examples of Obama's treatment of our current President: <br /> * &quot;I am happy to have a debate with John McCain and George Bush about foreign policy,&quot; Obama said &lt;ref&gt;[http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/05/16/obama.bush.mccain/], CNN Obama blasts Bush McCain, May 16, 2008&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> * &quot;For all his talk about independence, the centerpiece of John McCain's economic plan amounts to a full-throated endorsement of George Bush's policies,&quot; &lt;ref&gt;[http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2008/06/10/obama_takes_the_offensive_vs_mcca)n/]`Boston Globe Obama takes offensive vs. McCain, June 10, 2008&lt;/ref&gt; <br /> * &quot;George Bush knows that I have never supported engagement with terrorists.&quot; &lt;ref&gt;[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7403386.stm], BBC Obama attacks Bush over Iran , May 15, 2008&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> * Obama called the U.S. economy a disaster thanks to &quot;John McCain's President, George W. Bush&quot; &lt;ref&gt;[http://www.newsmax.com/insidecover/obama_mccain/2008/08/18/122924.html No More Hugs: Obama Tears Into McCain] AP, August 18, 2008&lt;/ref&gt; Side note, George W. Bush is also Barack Obama's President.<br /> <br /> Obama is for a one-world government unaccountable to the American people, a threat to U.S. sovereignty and independence. He said &quot;for all nations in the world to come together to build a stronger, global regime&quot;&lt;ref&gt;[http://worldnetdaily.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&amp;pageId=94380]&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> == Foreign policy experience ==<br /> In his presidential campaign, Obama stated&lt;ref&gt;http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mayhill-fowler/obama-says-no-to-foreign_b_95357.html&lt;/ref&gt; that &quot;foreign policy is the area where I am probably most confident&quot; and then cited &quot;having lived in Indonesia for four years, having family that is impoverished in small villages in Africa&quot;. He lived in Indonesia from age 6 to 10, and he later discovered that his father had some other children in Africa.<br /> <br /> While campaigning, he has visited several foreign countries. In [[Russia]] and the former Soviet republics, he met with representatives of the International Republican Institute and National Democratic Institute to discuss democracy in the former Soviet republics. He also met with Russian military officials and visited several nuclear and biological weapons destruction sites in Russia, [[Ukraine]], and [[Azerbaijan]] with Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Richard Lugar (R-IN). On the same tour, he visited London, UK, and met with [[Tony Blair]], sitting UK Prime Minister.&lt;ref&gt;http://obama.senate.gov/press/050823-obama_to_visit/&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> Obama visited South Africa, Kenya, Ethiopia, Djibouti, and Chad; he discussed his tour of Robben Island prison, met with U.S. troops, and visited refugee camps of the people fleeing Darfur. He also addressed Africa's growing [[AIDS]] epidemic. &lt;ref&gt;http://obama.senate.gov/podcast/060906-090606_africa_t/&lt;/ref&gt; <br /> <br /> During a ten-day-long tour of the Middle East, he talked with government leaders in Qatar, Kuwait, Iraq, Jordan, and Israel. &lt;ref&gt; http://obama.senate.gov/news/060113-obama_wraps_up/&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> == Books ==<br /> <br /> * ''Dreams from My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance.'' (B. Obama and, allegedly, William Ayers) ISBN 0307383415<br /> * ''The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream.'' (B. Obama) ISBN 0307455874<br /> * ''Barack Obama in His Own Words.'' (B. Obama and Lisa Rogak) ISBN 0786720573<br /> * ''Change We Can Believe In. Barack Obama's Plan to Renew America's Promise.'' (B. Obama)<br /> * ''The Case Against Barack Obama. The Unlikely Rise and Unexamined Agenda of the Media's Favorite Candidate. '' (David Freddso) ISBN 1596985666 <br /> * ''The Obama Nation. Leftist Politics and the Cult of Personality.'' (Jerome R. Corsi) ISBN 1416598065 <br /> * ''Obama Unmasked. Did Slick Hollywood Handlers Create the Perfect Candidate?'' (Floyd Brown and Lee Trexler) ISBN 0936783591 <br /> * ''Obama: The Man Behind The Mask.'' (Andy Martin) ISBN 0965781240 <br /> * ''The Audacity of Deceit. Barack Obama's War on American Values.'' (Brad O'Leary) ISBN 1935071025<br /> <br /> ==Published criticism==<br /> On April 11, 2007, staff writers of ''The Boston Globe'' reported the criticisms of several black commentators regarding Obama's apparent hesitation to join the race to condemn acclaimed radio personality [[Don Imus]],&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2007/04/11/obamas_silence_on_imus_alarms_some_blacks/ Obama's silence on Imus alarms some blacks], Rick Klein and Joseph Williams, ''The Boston Globe'', April 11, 2007.&lt;/ref&gt; who made a racially insensitive remark&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.reuters.com/article/industryNews/idUSN1237895620070412|title=Furor over Imus puts heat on other broadcasters], Daniel Trotta, Reuters, 2007-04-12.&lt;/ref&gt; on the air during the April 4 broadcast. Obama did not comment on Imus's remarks until well after prominent civil rights leaders [[Al Sharpton]] and [[Jesse Jackson]] had called Imus to account and after Imus was suspended by MSNBC and CBS Radio. Obama later weighed in on April 10 by saying, &quot;The comments of Don Imus were divisive, hurtful, and offensive to Americans of all backgrounds.&quot; &lt;br /&gt; <br /> <br /> The ''Globe'' reported that Obama's perceived delay in addressing Don Imus's remarks was described by Melissa Harris Lacewell, a professor of politics and African-American studies at Princeton University, as &quot;miss[ing] an opportunity to prove himself to blacks and white liberals who would have wanted Obama take the lead in denouncing Imus.&quot;&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2007/04/11/obamas_silence_on_imus_alarms_some_blacks/ Obama's silence on Imus alarms some blacks], Rick Klein and Joseph Williams, ''The Boston Globe'', April 11, 2007.&lt;/ref&gt;&lt;ref&gt;[http://time-blog.com/real_clear_politics/2007/04/obama_race_and_the_election.html Obama, Race, and The Election,] ''Real Clear Politics.com''&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> In June 2007 the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' reported Obama had actually received nearly three times more campaign cash from indicted slum landlord Tony Rezko&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.suntimes.com/news/metro/353829,CST-NWS-rez23.article Barack Obama and his slumlord patron], Tim Novak, Chicago Sun-Times, April 23, 2007.&lt;/ref&gt; and his associates than Obama has publicly acknowledged.&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.suntimes.com/news/politics/432197,CST-NWS-obama18.article Rezko cash triple what Obama says], Chris Fusco and Tim Novak, ''Chicago Sun-Times'', June 18, 2007.&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> Executive vice president Wayne LaPierre of the [[NRA]] accuses Barack Obama of &quot;mouthing pro-Second amendment words and pandering to gun owners&quot; on the campaign trail.&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.gopusa.com/news/2008/may/0514_nra_mccain.shtml], http://www.gopusa.com/news/2008/may/0514_nra_mccain.shtml, NRA chief stresses common ground with McCain, Associated Press, May 14, 2008&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> [[McCain]] Aide Says Obama Has Sept. 10 Mind-Set &quot;an extremely dangerous and extremely naive approach toward terrorism&quot; &lt;ref&gt;[http://www.newsmax.com/politics/mccain_obama/2008/06/17/105265.html], AP McCain Aide Says Obama Has Sept. 10 Mind-Set, June 17, 2008&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> ===Birth Certificate Controversy===<br /> During the democratic primaries the Clinton Campaign lead a smear campaign against the validity of Barack Obama's Hawaii Birth certificate, claiming that it is false and that he is ineligible for Presidency. &lt;ref&gt;[http://campaignspot.nationalreview.com/post/?q=ZTgxZmIwNTg0OWVhMWJkODNmZjI4ZjY4Mjg2OWRmNzI= http://campaignspot.nationalreview.com/post/?q=ZTgxZmIwNTg0OWVhMWJkODNmZjI4ZjY4Mjg2OWRmNzI=]&lt;/ref&gt; After initially refusing to produce a birth certificate in response to such rumors, the Obama campaign eventually endorsed a document posted on the Daily Kos as <br /> authentic.&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2008/6/12/11012/6168/320/534616 Obama's Birth Certificate]&lt;/ref&gt; The response is split regarding the birth certificate. Some commentators, such as those at the National Review, are satisfied with the document.&lt;ref&gt;[http://campaignspot.nationalreview.com/post/?q=NWVjN2I1MjlhM2ZjZjRjYzBkODAxZjZkZGQyYWNkMDk= http://campaignspot.nationalreview.com/post/?q=NWVjN2I1MjlhM2ZjZjRjYzBkODAxZjZkZGQyYWNkMDk=]&lt;/ref&gt; However, some analysts claim that the birth certificate is false.&lt;ref&gt;[http://web.israelinsider.com/Articles/Politics/12939.htm http://web.israelinsider.com/Articles/Politics/12939.htm]&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> On August 21st, 2008, Factcheck.org published an article regarding the controversy.&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.factcheck.org/elections-2008/born_in_the_usa.html Born in the U.S.A.]&lt;/ref&gt; The site stated, &quot;FactCheck.org staffers have now seen, touched, examined and photographed the original birth certificate. We conclude that it meets all of the requirements from the State Department for proving U.S. citizenship.&quot; In addition, the site posted high-resolution photographs of the birth certificate, which clearly showed the raised seal, stamp of Hawaii state registrar Alvin T. Onaka, and certificate number. The birth date corresponds to a birth announcement published in the ''Honolulu Advertiser '' on Sunday, August 13, 1961. &lt;ref&gt;http://texasdarlin.wordpress.com/2008/07/23/obama-was-born-in-hawaii-wrong-can-of-worms/&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> A Philadelphia attorney, Phillip Berg, has filed a lawsuit against the DNC and Barack Obama. Berg maintains that Sen. Obama is not a natural born U.S. citizen or that, if he ever was, he lost his citizenship when he was adopted in Indonesia. Berg also cites what he calls &quot;dual loyalties&quot; due to his citizenship and ties with Kenya and Indonesia. The &quot;dual loyalties&quot; which have not been shown to exist do not violate any constitutional or legal precedents and would make Sen. Obama a poor choice for President, not an invalid choice.<br /> <br /> Obama website Fight The Smears has confirmed that Obama was once a Kenyan citizen until 1982. Attorney Philips Berg's lawsuit is being challenged by the Obama Campaign. Instead of producing the original birth certificate in court and paying a number of legal fees and taking several days out of his busy campaigning schedule the Obama campaign had the case dropped on the grounds that it lacked any supporting evidence. &lt;ref&gt;http://neighbors.denverpost.com/viewtopic.php?t=10815605&lt;/ref&gt; The fact that Mr. Berg's dual arguments were mutually contradictory may also have contributed.<br /> <br /> The state of Hawaii announced that the &quot;Certification of Live Birth&quot; document is legitimate and official. Since the state of Hawaii is the issuing body, they have ultimate authority with regards to the matter.&lt;ref&gt;http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/20081031/BREAKING01/81031064/0/BREAKING04&lt;/ref&gt; Critics rightfully point out such documents actually were issued for children not born in the state.<br /> <br /> Adding fuel to the fire is Obama's persistent refusal to release documents that could provide answers. While his supporters cite an online version of a &quot;Certification of Live Birth&quot; from Hawaii. &lt;ref&gt;[http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&amp;pageId=92810 Justice, Supremes confirm getting eligibility challenge] WND, March 24, 2009&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> [[Bob Schultz]] with the [[We The People Foundation]] said: <br /> <br /> &quot;In the end, there is no practical reason why Obama refuses to produce his original birth certificate. He... has a duty to provide evidence that he meets the explicit requirements established by the Constitution.&quot; <br /> <br /> [[Nancy Salvato]] with [[BasicsProject|BasicsProject.org]] perhaps put it best: <br /> <br /> &quot;What perturbs the rest of us is that President Obama has failed to produce a legitimate birth certificate. He has a team of lawyers who are opposing the examination of his sealed records in Hawaii. What he produced was a certificate of live birth... not a birth certificate. The rest of us are appalled at the lack of media examination surrounding the fact that there is no law requiring that a candidate for the highest office in our land produce an authentic birth certificate which proves natural citizenship.&quot;<br /> <br /> ==Quotes==<br /> * Early in his campaign for president in 2007, Obama declared in an interview with the [[Chicago Tribune]], &quot;I'm a [[Christian]]. And so, although I try not to have my religious beliefs dominate or determine my political views on this issue ... my religious beliefs say that [[marriage]] is something sanctified between a man and a woman.&quot;&lt;ref&gt;http://thehill.com/cheri-jacobus/obama-and-miss-california-2009-04-23.html&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> ==See also==<br /> *[[Previous Breaking News/Barack Obama|Articles about '''Barack Obama''' from previous &quot;Breaking News&quot;]]<br /> *[[Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN)]]<br /> *[[Birthplace of Barack Obama]]<br /> *[[Essay:Born Outside the U.S.A.!]]<br /> *[[Essay: The Special Interests Candidate]]<br /> *[[Lobbyists ties to the Obama administration]]<br /> *[[New Party]]<br /> *[[Obama Administration‎]]<br /> *[[Obama birth certificate lawsuits]]<br /> *[[Obama doublespeak]]<br /> *[[Obama inauguration]]<br /> *[[Religion of Barack Hussein Obama]]<br /> *[[The Honorable James David Manning]]<br /> <br /> ==Further reading==<br /> *[[Peter Hitchens|Hitchens, Peter]] [http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/worldnews.html?in_article_id=511901&amp;in_page_id=1811 ''The Black Kennedy: But does anyone know the real Barack Obama?''] [[Daily Mail]]. Accessed 4 February 2008.<br /> <br /> ==Sources==<br /> &lt;small&gt;<br /> *[http://www.barackobama.com/ Offical Obama for President Website]<br /> *[http://www.opensecrets.org/pfds/pfd2005/N00009638_2005.pdf Barack Obama Personal Financial Disclosures Summary: 2005], retrieved from opensecrets.org 17 June 2007.<br /> *[http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=O000167 Biographical Directory of the United States Congress]<br /> *[http://www.law.uchicago.edu/faculty/obama/cv.html University of Chicago Law School] Faculty Listing<br /> *[http://www.biography.com/search/article.do?id=12782369 Barack Obama Biography] from Biography.com<br /> *[http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/o/barack_obama/index.html?inline=nyt-per New York Times Topics, Barack Obama]<br /> *[http://youtube.com/watch?v=zUdjhKbImwE Documentary on Barack Hussein Obama]<br /> *[http://www.votesmart.org/voting_category.php?can_id=9490 Voting Record of Barack Hussein Obama]&lt;/small&gt;<br /> <br /> ==References==<br /> {{reflist|3}}<br /> <br /> ==External Links==<br /> *[http://www.antiobama.net/ Anti Obama.net]<br /> *[http://www.dontvoteobama.net/ Dont Vote For Obama.net]<br /> *[http://nobamanetwork.com/ Nobama Network]<br /> *[http://www.audacityofhypocrisy.com/ Audacity Of Hypocrisy]<br /> *[http://therealbarackobama.wordpress.com/ The Real Barack Obama]<br /> *[http://www.spiked-online.com/index.php?/site/article/6130/ The New Cult of Personality]<br /> *[http://www.survivingobamunism.com/index.html Surviving Obamunism T-shirts]<br /> *[http://www.barackobamaantichrist.blogspot.com/ Barack Obama the Anti-Christ ?]<br /> *[http://www.noquarterusa.net/blog/2008/06/23/che-obama-and-the-revolutionary-agenda/ Che, Obama, and the Revolutionary Agenda]</div>

DerekSmalls https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=User:DerekSmalls/Obama_draft&diff=669762 2009-06-03T02:06:35Z

<p>DerekSmalls: /* Religious Affiliation */</p> <hr /> <div>work in progress, the original Obama Article is here so I can edit it<br /> {{President<br /> |image=President Barack Obama.jpg<br /> |seq=44<br /> |term_start=January 20, 2009<br /> |term_end=January 20, 2013<br /> |party=Democrat<br /> |vp=Joe Biden<br /> |previous=George W. Bush<br /> |next=<br /> |birth_date=August 4, 1961<br /> |age={{age|1961|8|4}}<br /> |birth_place=<br /> |death_date=<br /> |death_place=<br /> |spouse=Michelle LaVaughn Robinson Obama<br /> |spouse2=<br /> |religion=Described in this entry<br /> }}<br /> '''Barack Hussein Obama II''' (allegedly&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.worldnetdaily.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&amp;pageId=82033]&lt;/ref&gt;&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.factcheck.org/UploadedFiles/birth_certificate_5.jpg Large, high-resolution picture of his birth certificate]&lt;/ref&gt;&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.kitv.com/politics/17860890/detail.html?rss=hon&amp;psp=news KITV Honolulu report]&lt;/ref&gt;&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.newsmax.com/farber/Obama_birth_certificate/2009/04/06/200320.html]&lt;/ref&gt;&lt;ref&gt;Obama's [[African]] grandmother Sarah Hussein Obama says Barack was born in her presence in Kenya.[http://www.israelnationalnews.com/Blogs/Message.aspx/3074 Obama Born In Kenya? His Grandmother Says Yes, Israali News, October 12, 2008][http://www.worldnetdaily.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&amp;pageId=78931 Democrat: Obama's grandma confirms Kenyan birth, WND, October 23, 2008][http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=b58_1225645143 Audio Conversation Link]&lt;/ref&gt; born in [[Honolulu]] Aug. 4, 1961) is the 44th president of the [[United States]], <br /> and previously served as a first-term [[Democratic party|Democratic]] [[Senator]] from [[Illinois]] (2004-2008). Obama and his running mate [[Senator Joseph Biden]] won the presidential election&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.newsmax.com/insidecover/obama_wins_presidency/2008/11/04/147788.html?utm_medium=RSS]&lt;/ref&gt; after 23 months of campaigning that spent over $700 million,&lt;ref&gt;http://www.opensecrets.org/pres08/summary.php?cid=N00009638&lt;/ref&gt; most of it raised from undisclosed donors. <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> ==Obama is likely the first Muslim President==<br /> [[Image:OBAMA MUSULMAN.jpg|left|thumb|President-Elect Obama wearing traditional African garb, a gift from his hosts while visiting Kenya&lt;ref&gt;[http://sweetness-light.com/archive/obama-wore-muslim-gear-during-kenya-trip]&lt;/ref&gt;]]<br /> The argument that Obama is a Muslim includes:<br /> <br /> *Obama declared in prepared remarks, &quot;The United States has been enriched by Muslim Americans. Many other Americans have Muslims in their families or have lived in a Muslim-majority country - I know, because '''I am one of them'''.&quot;&lt;ref&gt;http://apnews.myway.com/article/20090406/D97D32C00.html&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> *Obama's background, education, and outlook are [[Muslim]], and fewer than 1% of Muslims convert to Christianity.&lt;ref&gt;http://www.religionnewsblog.com/17736/barack-obama-2&lt;/ref&gt;&lt;ref&gt;http://www.faithfreedom.org/oped/sina31103.htm. During the third and fourth grades, Obama learned about Islam for two hours each week in religion class, according to the LATimes. [http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/nation/bal-te.obama16mar16,0,1634059,print.story?coll=bal_news_nation_promo Campaign downplays his connection during boyhood in Indonesia, Baltimore Sun, March 16, 2007]&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> *Obama's middle name (Hussein) references '''Husayn''', who was the grandson of [[Muhammad]],&lt;ref&gt; Oxford Dictionary of First Names, 2nd edition (2007).[http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/277459/al-Husayn-ibn-Ali].&lt;/ref&gt; which most Christians would not retain.&lt;ref&gt;Only after Obama became politically ambitious did he declare himself to be a [[Christian]], yet he never replaced his [[Muslim]] name &quot;Hussein&quot; with a Christian one as most do when they undergo a religious conversion. For example, when the Italian journalist Magdi Allam recently converted to Christianity, he took a new name: &quot;Cristiano&quot;.[http://www.catholic.org/international/international_story.php?id=30814] When Saul became a Christian, he changed his name to &quot;Paul&quot;; when the famous boxer Cassius Clay converted to [[Islam]], he took the Muslim name of [[Muhammad Ali]]. &quot;It is common for those converting to a new religion to change their name on conversion&quot;[http://www.ukdp.co.uk/pages/religiousconversion.php] or adopt a Christian name at [[baptism]].[http://www.answers.com/topic/christian-name]&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> *Obama recently mentioned his religion as &quot;[[my Muslim faith]].&quot;&lt;ref&gt;Obama declared, &quot;John McCain has not talked about my Muslim faith.&quot;[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iQqIpdBOg6I]&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> *He has said that &quot;Islam can be compatible with the modern world.&quot;&lt;ref&gt; [http://www.newsweek.com/id/145971 Barack Obama's Christian Journey | Newsweek Politics: Campaign 2008]&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> *Obama said the Muslim call to prayer is &quot;one of the prettiest sounds on Earth at sunset,&quot; and recited &quot;with a first-class [[Arabic]] accent&quot; the opening lines: Allah is Supreme! ... I witness that there is no god but Allah ....&quot;&lt;ref&gt;http://www.wnd.com/index.php?pageId=78309&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> *Obama stated that the autobiography of Malcolm X, a Nation of Islam leader who became a Muslim, inspired him in his youth.&lt;ref&gt;For example, Obama writes in his own autobiography, &quot;Only Malcolm X's autobiography seemed to offer something different. His repeated acts of self-creation spoke to me. The blunt poetry of his words, his unadorned insistence on respect, promised a new and uncompromising order, martial in its discipline, forged through sheer force of will. ... [E]ven as I imagine myself following Malcolm's call, one line in the book stayed with me. He spoke of a wish he'd once had, the wish that the white blood that ran through him, there by an act of violence, might somehow be expunged.&quot;[http://www.americanthinker.com/2008/04/does_obama_know_america.html]&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> *Obama raised nearly $1 million and campaigned for a [[Kenyan]] presidential candidate who had a written agreement with [[Muslim]] leaders promising to convert Kenya to an Islamic state that bans Christianity.&lt;ref&gt; [http://www.worldnetdaily.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&amp;pageId=78324] Text of the agreement, as three images: [http://www.worldnetdaily.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&amp;pageId=78323]&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> *Obama's claims of conversion to Christianity arose after he became politically ambitious, lacking a date of conversion or baptism.&lt;ref&gt;In his book, Obama oddly claims to have been baptized without giving his age or date, and later gave a date that postdates his political ambition (1992).&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> *On the campaign trail, Obama was reading &quot;The Post-American World&quot; by [[Fareed Zakaria]],&lt;ref&gt;http://www.canada.com/topics/news/world/story.html?id=fa8cf1bf-2cc8-4d6e-b72d-a07d406e19ff&lt;/ref&gt; which is written from a Muslim point-of-view.&lt;ref&gt;http://www.villagevoice.com/2005-08-09/news/the-interpreter/&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> *Contrary to [[Christianity]], the Islamic doctrine of [[taqiyya]] encourages adherents to deny they are Muslim if it advances the cause of Islam.<br /> *Obama uses the Muslim Pakistani pronunciation for &quot;Pakistan&quot; rather than the common American one.&lt;ref&gt;Obama repeatedly pronounced &quot;Pakistan&quot; as &quot;Pokiston&quot; in the first presidential debate.&lt;/ref&gt; <br /> *Obama was thoroughly exposed to Christianity as an adult in Chicago prior to attending law school, yet no one at law school saw him display any interest in converting. Obama unabashedly explained how he became &quot;churched&quot; in a 2007 speech: &quot;It's around that time [while working as an organizer for the Developing Communities Project (DCP) of the Calumet Community Religious Conference (CCRC) in Chicago] that some pastors I was working with came around and asked if I was a member of a church. 'If you're organizing churches,' they said, 'it might be helpful if you went to a church once in a while.' And I thought, 'I guess that makes sense.'&quot;&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.speroforum.com/site/article.asp?id=15363 Obama, ACORN, and the churches] SperoNews, October 7, 2008&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> *Obama is mentioned as helping to organize the 1995 million man march led by black [[Muslim]] leader [[Louis Farrakhan]] from the [[Nation of Islam]]. &lt;ref&gt;[http://www.biography.com/search/article.do?id=9291850 Louis Farrakhan Biography] Biography.com&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> *Obama has chosen the [[Secret Service]] code name &quot;Renegade&quot;. &quot;Renegade&quot; conventionally describes someone who goes against normal conventions of behavior, but its first usage was to describe someone who has turned from their religion. It is a word derived from the [[Spanish]] ''renegado'', meaning &quot;Christian turned Muslim.&quot;&lt;ref&gt;http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/barackobama/3452281/Renegade-and-Renaissance-Obama-to-replace-Trailblazer-and-Tempo-Bush-in-the-White-House.html&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> *Obama enjoyed a bigger increase in voter support in 2008 (compared to 2004) by Muslims than by any other voting group, including blacks;&lt;ref&gt;http://www.altmuslim.com/a/a/a/2873/&lt;/ref&gt; &quot;Muslim turnout in the U.S. elections reached 95 percent, the highest Muslim turnout in U.S. history.&quot;&lt;ref&gt;http://newsweek.washingtonpost.com/postglobal/islamsadvance/2008/11/is_obama_the_muslim_worlds_sup.html&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> *&quot;President-elect [[Barack Obama]] has yet to attend [Sunday] church services since winning the [[White House]] earlier ..., a departure from the example of his two immediate predecessors.&quot;&lt;ref&gt;http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1108/15902.html&lt;/ref&gt;&lt;ref&gt;http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/washingtondc/la-na-obama-religion26-2008dec26,0,1910913.story&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> *Obama used his Muslim middle name when sworn in as President.&lt;ref&gt;http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/ET_Cetera/Obama_to_take_oath_using_middle_name_/articleshow/3813120.cms&lt;/ref&gt;&lt;ref&gt;http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/12/10/politics/main4660590.shtml?source=RSSattr=Politics_4660590&lt;/ref&gt; <br /> *Obama botched his public oath of office in which he placed his hand on a Bible, then chose not to use the Bible for his real, private oath.<br /> [[Image:Obamabow.jpg|thumb|right|President Obama bowing to the King of Saudi Arabia - April 2009]]<br /> *'''At the G20 summit in April 2009, Obama bowed deeply to Saudi King Abdullah, a Muslim who is also the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques.'''&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LEUif1--r38&amp;feature=player_embedded Video of Obama bowing almost to King's waist]&lt;/ref&gt; Never before in the history of the U.S. has a president displayed such shocking deference to a foreign official and Obama has not bowed to any other royal leaders. Obama later stated, &quot;We have to change our behavior in showing the Muslim world greater respect.&quot;&lt;ref&gt;http://washingtontimes.com/news/2009/apr/07/barack-takes-a-bow/&lt;/ref&gt; Obama's spin doctors and left-wing apologists dismissed the obviousness of the bow. One anonymous aide stated, &quot;It wasn't a bow. He grasped his hand with two hands, and he's taller than King Abdullah.&quot;&lt;ref&gt;http://www.onenewsnow.com/Blog/Default.aspx?id=483326&lt;/ref&gt; However, in video of the incident, Obama's left hand can clearly be seen staying at his side until after he had finished his bow.&lt;ref&gt;http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9WlqW6UCeaY&lt;/ref&gt; Additionally, Obama also met with Queen Elizabeth, who is much shorter than King Abdullah, but he did not bow when he shook her hand and neither he nor the queen appeared to have any difficulty.&lt;ref&gt;http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=71N34K9EVLU&lt;/ref&gt; (Many liberals and even a handful of conservatives have proposed that President Bush also bowed before King Abdullah.&lt;ref&gt;http://littlegreenfootballs.com/article/33289_Bush_Bowed_Too&lt;/ref&gt; However, there is a vast, inexorable difference between bending down to receive a medal as Bush did and bowing in deference to a foreign leader as Obama did.)<br /> *Obama required that a religiously affiliated college take the extraordinary action of concealing with wood the monogram &quot;IHS&quot;, which represents the name of Jesus, during a speech by Obama there&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.foxnews.com/politics/first100days/2009/04/16/georgetown-university-hid-religious-symbols-white-house-request/ Georgetown hides Jesus' name at request of Obama's White House]&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> Obama tries to downplay his [[Islamic]] background by claiming that his [[Kenya|Kenyan]] [[Muslim]] father was a &quot;confirmed [[atheist]]&quot; before Obama was born, but in fact less than 1% of Kenyans are atheists, agnostics, or non-religious.&lt;ref&gt;http://www.adherents.com/Na/Na_14.html&lt;/ref&gt; There is apparently no evidence of any Christian activities or local church participation by Obama while he was in Massachusetts from 1988 to 1991, nor of Barack Obama's joining of a Mosque (The Islamic house of worship) at any time in his life. Finally, Obama abruptly left his radical Christian church in Chicago in 2008, when it became politically controversial, without first finding another church to join. On April 7, 2009, Obama visited a mosque in Istanbul, Turkey.&lt;ref&gt;http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=CNG.c2e3700ab4e271bc32827b0fccfe560b.421&amp;show_article=1&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> __TOC__ &lt;!--Do not remove this. We want to keep the insights on the first screen of viewing--&gt;<br /> <br /> ==Early life and education==<br /> Barack Hussein Obama II claims to have been born in [[Honolulu]], [[Hawaii]] to Barack Sr. and Ann Dunham in 1961, but there is evidence that he may have actually been born in Kenya. In 1967, he moved with his mother and new stepfather to Jakarta, [[Indonesia]]. He attended a [[Catholic]] elementary school for two years, followed by an Indonesian public school for two years. Media scrutiny in the light of Obama's campaign for President revealed that the Indonesia public school was not a madrassa, teaching Islam. His days off of school in observance of Islamic holidays were spent praying in a Mosque with his stepfather. &lt;ref&gt;[http://www.newsmax.com/insidecover/pipes_obama_muslim/2008/10/09/138898.html Obama 'Lying' About Muslim Past, Expert Says] NewsMax, October 9, 2008&lt;/ref&gt; After Indonesia, he returned to the United States with his mother where he attended the Punahou School, the leading private preparatory school in [[Hawaii]], until he graduated in 1979.<br /> <br /> For college, Obama initially attended Occidental College in Los Angeles, [[California]], before transferring to [[Columbia University]] in New York, [[New York]] and graduating without honors with a Bachelor of Arts degree, majoring in political science. Obama refuses to describe his academic performance at Columbia despite commenting about New York during this period and despite disclosures of the academic record for all other major-party presidential candidates since at least 2000.&lt;ref&gt;http://www.nysun.com/new-york/obamas-years-at-columbia-are-a-mystery/85015/&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> After working as a community organizer in New York City and Chicago, Illinois, Obama enrolled at [[Harvard]] Law School. He became a member of the ''Harvard Law Review'', which uses racial quotas, in 1989. He was then elected by popular vote as its first African American president in 1990, a story that was immediately promoted in the [[New York Times]].&lt;ref&gt;http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C0CE2DC1631F935A35751C0A966958260&amp;scp=3&amp;sq=Obama%201990&amp;st=cse&lt;/ref&gt; He graduated ''magna cum laude'' with his J.D. in 1991, but did not serve in a clerkship. Federal clerkships are the typical post-graduate position for top law students.<br /> <br /> Obama has described himself as a constitutional law professor at the University of Chicago.&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2007/03/30/politics/p132303D74.DTL&amp;type=politics]&lt;/ref&gt; He held the position of Lecturer, an adjunct position, from 1992 to 1996.&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.law.uchicago.edu/media/index.html]&lt;/ref&gt; He held the position of Senior Lecturer from 1996 until his election to the senate in 2004.&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.law.uchicago.edu/media/index.html]&lt;/ref&gt; Dan Ronayne, a spokesman for the Republican National Committee, has pointed that Obama was only a senior lecturer and not a full professor. &lt;ref&gt;[http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2007/03/30/politics/p132303D74.DTL&amp;type=politics]&lt;/ref&gt;The University states that Senior Lecturers are regarded as professors, although not full-time or tenure track.&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.law.uchicago.edu/media/index.html]&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> == Religious Affiliation ==<br /> Obama and his wife (raised a Baptist) were members of the Trinity [[United Church of Christ]]&lt;ref&gt;http://www.tucc.org/about.htm&lt;/ref&gt; in Chicago. The church embraces [[black liberation theology]] and its emphasis on empowering oppressed groups against establishment forces. This denomination was the first in America to ordain gays, women and blacks as ministers.&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.mcclatchydc.com/227/story/31079.html], http://www.mcclatchydc.com/227/story/31079.html, Obama's church pushes controversial doctrines, March 20, 2008&lt;/ref&gt; According to his sister, Obama was baptized at this church the same year.&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/04/30/america/30obama.php?page=2 http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/04/30/america/30obama.php?page=2]&lt;/ref&gt; Obama describes his conversion in ''The Audacity of Hope''. The title of this book is taken from one of Pastor Wright's sermons. <br /> In April 2008, Obama disavowed Pastor Wright's views. In May 2008, Obama left his church. His response blamed the media &lt;ref&gt;[http://elections.foxnews.com/2008/05/31/obama-resigns-church-membership-in-chicago/], Obama Drops Church Membership in Chicago, may 31, 2008&lt;/ref&gt;, stating “It’s not fair to the other members of the church who seek to worship in peace...&quot;, and called Wright's rhetoric &quot;&quot;a bunch of rants that aren't grounded in the truth.&quot;&lt;ref&gt;USA TODAY, ''Obama breaks with former pastor, Candidate cites rants on U.S. role in terror, AIDS'', by Kathy Kiely and David Jackson [http://www.usatoday.com/printedition/news/20080430/1a_offlede30_dom.art.htm]&lt;/ref&gt;&lt;ref&gt;''Obama Says He Is Outraged By Wright's &quot;Rants&quot;''[http://www.usnews.com/usnews/politics/bulletin/bulletin_080430.htm]&lt;/ref&gt; Wright had been making inflammatory comments and posting his sermons online for sale. These include the statements &quot;G-d damn America&quot; and describing the September 11th attacks, he said &quot;We have supported state terrorism against the Palestinians and black South Africans, and now we are indignant because the stuff we have done overseas is now brought right back to our own front yards. America's chickens are coming home to roost.&quot;&lt;ref&gt;[ http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/Story?id=4443788 Obama's Pastor: G-d Damn America, U.S. to Blame for 9/11]&lt;/ref&gt; In addition, Rev. Wright blamed America saying &quot;We supported Zionism shamelessly while ignoring the Palestinians and branding anybody who spoke out against it as being anti-Semitic.&quot; <br /> <br /> [[Image:Barack Obama Jeremiah Wright.jpg|thumb|Barack Obama and Jeremiah Wright.]]<br /> <br /> [[Daniel Pipes]] claims that Obama was raised a [[Muslim]] because he attended classes on the Koran while attending a Muslim school.&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.danielpipes.org/article/5286 Was Barack Obama a Muslim&lt;/ref&gt; Obama did attend a school administrated by Muslims but [[CNN]] reports that it was a non-religious public school attended by students of many faiths, not a [[madrassa]].&lt;ref&gt;http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/01/22/obama.madrassa/&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> {{QuoteBox|In Indonesia, I'd spent 2 years at a Muslim school, 2 years at a Catholic school. In the Muslim school, the teacher wrote to tell mother I made faces during Koranic studies. In the Catholic school, when it came time to pray, I'd pretend to close my eyes, then peek around the room. Nothing happened. No angels descended. Just a parched old nun and 30 brown children, muttering words. Sometimes the nun would catch me, and her stern look would force my lids back shut. But that didn't change how I felt inside.&quot;}}&lt;ref&gt;Dreams from My Father, by Barack Obama, p.142 Aug 1, 1996 &lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> Obama has described his upbringing as occurring in a non-religious environment. <br /> <br /> {{QuoteBox|In sum, my mother viewed religion through the eyes of the anthropologist that she would become; it was a phenomenon to be treated with a suitable respect, but with a suitable detachment as well. Moreover, as a child I rarely came in contact with those who might offer a substantially different view of faith. My father was almost entirely absent from my childhood, having been divorced from my mother when I was 2 years old; in any event, although my father had been raised a Muslim, by the time he met my mother he was a confirmed atheist, thinking religion to be so much superstition.<br /> <br /> And yet for all her professed secularism, my mother was in many ways the most spiritually awakened person that I've ever known. She had an unswerving instinct for kindness, charity, and love, and spent much of her life acting on that instinct, sometimes to her detriment. Without the help of religious texts or outside authorities, she worked mightily to instill in me the values that many Americans learn in Sunday school: honesty, empathy, discipline, delayed gratification, and hard work. She raged at poverty and injustice.}}&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1546579-4,00.html My Spiritual Journey] Time Magazine, October 2006&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> Much evidence supports the claims that Obama is a Muslim<br /> <br /> ==Obama and Elitism and Ayers==<br /> <br /> Obama has consistently shown himself to be an elitist who looks down on &quot;ordinary&quot; Americans. Asked to explain why working-class [[Democrats]] do not support him while campaigning for the [[Pennsylvania]] primary, Obama replied &quot;it's not surprising, then, they get bitter, they cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren't like them or anti-immigrant sentiment or anti-trade sentiment as a way to explain their frustrations.&quot;&lt;ref&gt;http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7344532.stm&lt;/ref&gt; In response to outrage when his remarks were unexpectedly publicized, Obama did not recount his statement but instead replied, I &quot;didn't say it as well as I should have.&quot;&lt;ref&gt;http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7344532.stm&lt;/ref&gt; Although many rural counties went for McCain, Obama carried the state with 54.6% of the vote, compared to 44.3% for John McCain.&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.electionreturns.state.pa.us/ElectionsInformation.aspx?FunctionID=13&amp;ElectionID=28&amp;OfficeID=1]&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> In an attempt counter the view by many that Obama is an elitist, he began running campaign ads claiming that he &quot;worked his way through college and Harvard Law.&quot; This claim is at best an exaggeration, as Obama only held summer jobs while in college and law school&lt;ref&gt;http://www.factcheck.org/elections-2008/obamas_work_claim.html&lt;/ref&gt;, and he would have likely benefited from special scholarships not available to most students.<br /> <br /> Obama almost always reads from prepared text on a [[teleprompter]] and rarely allows tough questions.&lt;ref&gt;After one debate against [[Hillary Clinton]] in Philadelphia, the Obama campaign announced that the questions were too difficult and that Obama would not agree to future debates with her.&lt;/ref&gt;&lt;ref name=&quot;teleprompter&quot;&gt;The Daily Standard, ''Obama Unplugged Lost without a Teleprompter'', by Dean Barnett, 02/12/2008[http://www.weeklystandard.com/content/public/articles/000/000/014/728ofzey.asp]&lt;/ref&gt; Indeed, when unable to read from prepared text he often fails at articulating his positions and is caught tripping over his own feet.&lt;ref&gt;This was first displayed in the Saddleback Forum, and has occurred subsequently also.&lt;/ref&gt; His most recent debate performances illustrate that he may have been extensively coached over the course of 2008, although he still repeatedly fumbles at moments where he moves off his memorized remarks.<br /> <br /> Obama refers to America in the third person, as a foreigner would. In his first television interview after becoming president, Obama declared that &quot;all too often the United States starts by dictating.&quot; Earlier, when Obama gave his acceptance speech, he said &quot;We may not get there in one year or even one term, but America - I have never been more hopeful than I am tonight that we will get there.&quot;&lt;ref&gt;[http://news.yahoo.com/s/ynews/ynews_pl135]&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> President Obama is the first person having ties to a known former terrorist to gain control over America's nuclear weapons.&lt;ref&gt;http://www.clevelandleader.com/node/7127&lt;/ref&gt;&lt;ref&gt;http://elections.foxnews.com/2008/08/26/obama-associate-bill-ayers-unrepentant-for-acts-of-terror/&lt;/ref&gt; Author and blogger Jack Cashill requisitioned a comparison of the writing style of Bill Ayers' 2001 memoir, ''Fugitive Days'', with Barack Obama's earlier 1995 book, ''Dreams From My Father'', and came to the conclusion that Ayres may have ghostwritten Dreams.&lt;ref&gt;www.cashill.com, ''Who Wrote “Dreams From My Father&quot;?'', by Jack Cashill, October 9, 2008, retrieved on 10/16/2008 [http://www.cashill.com/natl_general/who_wrote_dreams_from.htm] Cashill states that a computer comparison of Obama's so-called autobiography with that of the terrorist Bill Ayers, supports the theory that Ayers actually wrote parts of Obama's book; also he wrote &quot;None of this, of course, proves Ayers' authorship conclusively, but the evidence makes him a much more likely candidate than Obama to have written the best parts of Dreams&quot;. &quot;In assessing the signature of sample passages from Dreams,&quot; the experienced analyst found &quot;a very strong match to all of the Ayers samples&quot; that he processed. He did not address the possibility that Ayers had plagiarized from Obama's earlier book. A philosophy professor from England disagreed.[http://wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&amp;pageId=77815]&lt;/ref&gt; Ayers admitted that he was &quot;guilty as hell&quot; in planting bombs in the 1970s, and that he has no regrets and felt he &quot;should have done more.&quot;&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.clevelandleader.com/node/7127]&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> ==Insights==<br /> <br /> Obama displayed ignorance about American history when he said, &quot;Throughout our history, America's confronted constantly evolving danger, from the oppression of an empire, to the lawlessness of the frontier, '''from the bomb that fell on Pearl Harbor''', to the threat of nuclear annihilation.&quot;&lt;ref&gt;http://www.weeklystandard.com/weblogs/TWSFP/2008/07/obama_ignorance_watch_1.asp&lt;/ref&gt; <br /> <br /> Obama has described himself as a constitutional law professor at the University of Chicago.&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2007/03/30/politics/p132303D74.DTL&amp;type=politics]&lt;/ref&gt; He held the position of Lecturer, an adjunct position, from 1992 to 1996.&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.law.uchicago.edu/media/index.html]&lt;/ref&gt; He held the position of Senior Lecturer from 1996 until his election to the senate in 2004.&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.law.uchicago.edu/media/index.html]&lt;/ref&gt; Dan Ronayne, a spokesman for the Republican National Committee, has pointed that Obama was only a senior lecturer and not a full professor. &lt;ref&gt;[http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2007/03/30/politics/p132303D74.DTL&amp;type=politics]&lt;/ref&gt;The University states that Senior Lecturers are regarded as professors, although not full-time or tenure track.&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.law.uchicago.edu/media/index.html]&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> In his 1995 memoir, ''Dreams from My Father'', Obama admitted using illegal drugs, including cocaine and marijuana, which he referred to as &quot;blow&quot; and &quot;pot&quot; respectively, in his high school years and into his college years, before claiming to choose a different path in life.&lt;ref&gt;http://www.nbc5.com/politics/3444371/detail.html&lt;/ref&gt;&lt;ref&gt;http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2008/02/26/obamas_senate_foreign_relations_work/&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> Obama wore an American flag lapel pin after [[9/11]], but later stopped wearing it without adequate explanation.&lt;ref&gt;http://www.swamppolitics.com/news/politics/blog/2007/10/when_did_obama_stop_wearing_a.html&lt;/ref&gt; Presumably it would have hurt him with anti-military campaign donors.&lt;ref&gt;In 2007, at critical moments in his campaign for the nomination, Obama had difficulties securing the support of anti-war activists. [http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/04/04/politics/main2645861.shtml]&lt;/ref&gt; Recently, he has begun wearing one again for reasons that are likely political pandering.<br /> <br /> In his memoirs, Obama claimed a ''[[Life]]'' magazine article about a man who had become ill after trying to lighten his skin color by chemical means had a major impact on him. In fact, ''Life'' never published any such article.&lt;ref&gt;http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/03/26/AR2007032601583.html&lt;/ref&gt;&lt;ref&gt;&quot;Then there's the copy of Life magazine that Obama presents as his racial awakening at age 9. In it, he wrote, was an article and two accompanying photographs of an African-American man physically and mentally scarred by his efforts to lighten his skin. In fact, the Life article and the photographs don't exist, say the magazine's own historians.&quot; [http://newsbusters.org/node/11641]&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> Obama said that &quot;[t]here was something stirring across the country because of what happened in Selma, [[Alabama]], because some folks are willing to march across a bridge. So they got together and Barack Obama Jr. was born.&quot; In fact, Obama was born in 1961 and the Selma march took place in 1965.&lt;ref&gt;http://michellemalkin.com/2008/05/21/barack-obama-gaffe-machine/&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> Obama states that he has consistently opposed the [[Iraq War]] since 2002, a claim and position that former President [[Bill Clinton]] criticized as &quot;the biggest fairy tale I've ever seen.&quot;&lt;ref&gt;http://www.reuters.com/article/politicsNews/idUSN1131516320080111&lt;/ref&gt; In his famous 2002 speech&lt;ref&gt;http://www.barackobama.com/2002/10/02/remarks_of_illinois_state_sen.php&lt;/ref&gt; at an anti-war rally, Obama said that he was against &quot;dumb wars&quot; and expressed some reservations about the Iraq War because he disagrees with the ideological agendas of the Bush administration, but he did not explicitly oppose the war. In his 2004 Democrat Convention speech, Obama said that he did not know how he would have voted on the Iraq War.<br /> <br /> Obama's campaign &quot;is proud to be actively participating in over 60 local and state wide [[homosexual]] Pride events over the summer.&quot;&lt;ref&gt;http://my.barackobama.com/page/community/post/jcitron/gG5VLs&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> Obama claimed to have visited 57 states while campaigning for President of the United States.&lt;ref&gt; [http://www.mediaresearch.org/BozellColumns/newscolumn/2008/col20080528.asp Barack Potatoe Obama?]&lt;/ref&gt; &lt;ref&gt;http://www.stoptheaclu.com/archives/2008/05/12/obamas-freudian-slip-there-are-57-islamic-states/&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> ==Charitable Giving==<br /> <br /> In the years 2000 through 2004, before becoming a United States Senator and being in the public spotlight, Obama gave 1% of his earnings to charity even though he made $250,000 per year. Since becoming a national figure, that amount has jumped to 6%.&lt;ref&gt;http://patterico.com/2008/10/31/obama-and-bidens-charitable-giving-they-dont-want-to-spread-their-own-wealth-around/&lt;/ref&gt; Obama's small donations are consistent with atheism and were perhaps influenced by his nonbelieving mother. According to a study by the Barna Group, atheists give less per capita in donations than religious Americans &lt;ref&gt;http://www.barna.org/FlexPage.aspx?Page=BarnaUpdateNarrow&amp;BarnaUpdateID=272 The Barna Update, 2007&lt;/ref&gt;.<br /> <br /> ==Aunt is in the United States Illegally==<br /> At the end of October 2008 it came to light that Obama's aunt is in the United States illegally and has been since 2004 when her request for asylum was turned down. She has been living in public tax payer funded housing in Boston. This may have some bearing on Obama's immigration policy given that a member of his own family is in violation of current US immigration law. There are also questions about how much Obama knew about this.&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27481680 Obama's Aunt Living in US Illegally]&lt;/ref&gt; The Obama campaign issued a statement to the effect that they had no knowledge of this situation and returned the donation she made to his campaign; in the United States it is illegal to accept campaign contributions from people who are not currently citizens or legal residents of the United States. &lt;ref&gt;http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/11/01/obama.aunt/index.html&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> ==Statements==<br /> Obama has been noted by several independent sources as misquoting historical events and statements by famous persons. A notable example came after Obama's win in the [[North Carolina]] democratic primary. Obama was quoted as saying, &quot;I trust the American people to understand that it is not weakness, but wisdom to talk not just to our friends, but to our enemies as Roosevelt did, and Kennedy did, and Truman did.&quot; (Franklin Delano) Roosevelt spoke with none of the [[Axis]] or [[Japanese]] leaders and the the only communication that was sent to them was unconditional surrender. (President) [[Harry Truman]] took over for FDR and continued his unconditional surrender philosophy as well as ending [[World War II]] with an atomic bomb.&lt;ref&gt;http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2008/05/obama_needs_to_study_history_b.html&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> ==Legal career==<br /> Following law school, Obama continued his work as a community organizer in Chicago as the director of Illinois Project Vote. In 1993 he was hired as an associate at the Chicago law firm Miner, Barnhill &amp; Galland, P.C., and began lecturing in Constitutional Law at the University of Chicago Law School. He remains on the faculty on leave of absence through today. During this time he wrote his first book, ''Dreams from My Father'', detailing his background, his youth, and his education. ''Dreams'' was published in 1995.<br /> <br /> ==Senate career==<br /> [[Image:obama.jpg|thumb|right|Senator Barack Obama]]<br /> Obama was elected to the Illinois State Senate for the first time in 1996 and served there for the next eight years. <br /> <br /> October 2008 crimes against Academy Award winner Jennifer Hudson's family highlighted Obama's record against law and order, as he voted against making it a crime in Illinois &quot;for convicts on probation or on bail to have contact with a street gang&quot;.&lt;ref&gt;[http://thehill.com/leading-the-news/obamas-crime-votes-are-fodder-for-rivals-2007-03-13.html]&lt;/ref&gt;&lt;ref&gt;The person of interest in the murders of Hudson's mother, brother, and 7-year-old nephew is the estranged husband of Hudson's sister and a convicted felon who had violated his parole conditions.[http://www.chicagotribune.com/chi-julian-king-autopsy-1029,0,2752431.story]&lt;/ref&gt; &quot;'We've got 75,000 gang members - that's almost six gang members to one police officer,'&quot; in Obama's hometown of Chicago.&lt;ref&gt;&quot;More people have been murdered in Chicago this year than in New York - even though New York's population is three times greater. When Hudson's mother, brother and nephew were killed last month, they pushed the city's homicide total for the year to 436 and counting. New York has had 430 homicides.&quot; [http://www.nydailynews.com/news/us_world/2008/11/01/2008-11-01_chicago_buried_in_murders.html]&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> Following a failed campaign for the House of Representatives, Obama ran for the open Senate seat from Illinois in 2004. Obama delivered the keynote address at the 2004 Democratic National Convention. He won a seat in the [[U.S. Senate]] after [[liberals]] obtained the release of confidential and personally embarrassing divorce records of his opponent, Jack Ryan, forcing him to resign from the race and be replaced by the out-of-state candidate [[Alan Keyes]].<br /> <br /> A March 16th, 2005 AP article puts Senator Obama on record to ban oil drilling in the Alaska frontier known as ANWR &lt;ref&gt;http://www.commondreams.org/headlines05/0316-13.htm&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> His 2007 voting record in the U.S. [[Senate]] makes him as its most [[liberal]] member. Among fellow Senate Democrats, he was further left than liberals like [[Ted Kennedy]], [[John Kerry]], [[Dianne Feinstein]], [[Charles Schumer]], [[Russ Feingold]], [[Carl Levin]], [[Joseph Biden]] and [[Harry Reid]].&lt;ref&gt;[http://nationaljournal.com/voteratings/sen/lib_cons.htm?o1=lib_composite&amp;o2=desc]&lt;/ref&gt; He has grown steadily more liberal since arriving at the Senate: the same analysis assessed him as 10th most liberal in 2006&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.nationaljournal.com/members/news/2007/voteratings/sen/lib_cons.htm?o1=lib_composite&amp;o2=desc]&lt;/ref&gt; and 16th most liberal in 2005.&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.nationaljournal.com/members/news/2007/voteratings/sen/lib_cons.htm?o1=lib_composite&amp;o2=desc]&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> In late 2006, Obama's second book, ''The Audacity of Hope'', was published. Its title was supplied by the Rev. Jeremiah A. Wright Jr., a minister who has stated that &quot;racism is how this country was founded and how this country was run .... We believe in white supremacy and black inferiority and believe it more than we believe in God.&quot;&lt;ref&gt;http://blog.washingtonpost.com/the-trail/2008/03/14/obama_condemns_pastors_remarks.html&lt;/ref&gt; The book contains more of Senator Obama's personal story including the roles of both family and politics. ''Audacity'' spent 30 weeks on the ''New York Times'' Nonfiction Best Sellers list.&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/27/books/bestseller/0527besthardnonfiction.html?_r=1&amp;oref=slogin New York Times Best Sellers Non Fiction]&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> Senator Obama is the chairman of an important subcommittee that has oversight of our efforts in Afghanistan. He has not held a single hearing on Afghanistan even though American forces are risking their lives in a theatre of war. Since joining Foreign Relations, Obama has missed three meetings on a &quot;new strategy&quot; in [[Afghanistan]], a country he only visited in 2008.&lt;ref&gt;[http://thehill.com/leading-the-news/obama-absent-at-afghanistan-hearings-2008-03-01.html&lt;/ref&gt; Barack Obama clinched his party's nomination for President after 16 straight months of campaigning.<br /> <br /> In June 2008, Obama voted with the Democratic party to kill the sunset provision of the [[Bush]] tax cuts. By letting these tax cuts expire, single mothers with two kids will pay an additional $1,800 annually. Married couples with incomes of $50,000 will pay an additional $2,180 annually. Elderly couples will pay an additional $2,000 annually and a family of four will pay 191% more per year in taxes. Barack Obama often claims to be for taxing the rich their fair share. By voting to eliminate the Bush tax cuts, Obama is taxing most middle class and blue collar families.<br /> <br /> Obama and the Democratic-led Congress has voted for the upgraded GI Bill despite the opposition from the President, the Secretary of Defense, the Pentagon, the generals in combat zones and the GOP Presidential nominee. It was crafted to increase veteran benefits. Yet, the strain on our military is great.&lt;ref&gt;[http://marcambinder.theatlantic.com/archives/2008/05/mccain_to_obama_dont_demagogue.php] http://marcambinder.theatlantic.com/archives/2008/05/mccain_to_obama_dont_demagogue.php , McCain To Obama: Don't Demagogue The GI Bill, May 22, 2008&lt;/ref&gt; The bill would cost $2.8 to $4 billion per month. Some argue that this bill depletes the US's volunteer military personnel by enticing them to leave service rather than be re-deployed.<br /> <br /> As senator, Obama has requested nearly $936 million in earmarks which averages to $500,000. per day over four years, &lt;ref&gt;[http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122108935141721343.html?mod=googlenews_wsj Obama Can't Win Against Palin] Wall Street Journal, September 11, 2008&lt;/ref&gt; for which the Council for Citizens Against Government Waste has given him a rating of 10% in 2007 (18% lifetime).&lt;ref&gt;[http://councilfor.cagw.org/site/DocServer/2007_Senate_Ratings_Final.pdf?docID=3242 2007 Senate Scorecard]&lt;/ref&gt; A score of 100% represents voting against all pork, and 0% represents voting ''for'' all pork. Democrats averaged 5% in 2007, whereas Republicans averaged 60%. &lt;ref&gt;[http://councilfor.cagw.org/site/News2?abbr=CCAGW_&amp;page=NewsArticle&amp;id=11590 CCAGW Releases ''2007 Congressional Ratings'']&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> According to a Fox News report on October 5th, Obama has taken more than $126,000. in campaign contribution from [[Fannie Mae]] in a little over three years. This ranks him second, only Chris Dodd has received more campaign contribution dollars from Fannie Mae.<br /> <br /> === Bills co-sponsored ===<br /> Obama's principal legislation was S. 2433, which was an attempt to force the U.S. to increase its foreign aid by hundreds of billions of dollars under the guise of reducing global poverty, which was subsequently blocked by [[conservatives]].&lt;ref&gt;http://www.cnsnews.com/ViewPolitics.asp?Page=/Politics/archive/200802/POL20080225a.html&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> Obama did support and co-sponsor a bill championed by [[Tom Coburn]] and known as the Coburn-Obama Government Transparency Act of 2006, which was signed into law by President [[George W. Bush]] on Sept. 9, 2006. This law created a website that will list the federal government's grants and contracts.&lt;ref&gt; http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2006/09/20060926.html&lt;/ref&gt; <br /> <br /> Between Jan 13, 2007 and March 13, 2008, Sen. Obama has sponsored 120 mostly [[liberal]] resolutions and bills in the Senate.&lt;ref&gt;http://thomas.loc.gov/&lt;/ref&gt; His supporters cite the following less liberal examples, but this list is not representative:<br /> <br /> *S.117 : A bill to amend titles 10 and 38, United States Code, to improve benefits and services for members of the Armed Forces, veterans of the Global War on Terrorism, and other veterans, to require reports on the effects of the Global War on Terrorism, and for other purposes.<br /> <br /> *S.133 : A bill to promote the national security and stability of the economy of the United States by reducing the dependence of the United States on oil through the use of alternative fuels and new technology, and for other purposes.<br /> <br /> *S.453 : A bill to prohibit deceptive practices in Federal elections.<br /> <br /> *S.713 : A bill to ensure dignity in care for members of the Armed Forces recovering from injuries.<br /> <br /> === Accomplishments while serving on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee ===<br /> <br /> In February 2008, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee approved Obama's proposal on a new strategy to reduce poverty throughout the world.<br /> <br /> Obama worked with Sen. Lugar writing legislation aimed at improving conventional and nuclear non-proliferation efforts. This legislation was signed by [[George W. Bush|President Bush]] in January 2008.<br /> <br /> In June 2007 the Senate passed his resolution condemning violence by the [[Zimbabwe]] government. It also passed legislation co-sponsored by Obama that financed a Special Court for Sierra Leone to prosecute former [[Liberia | Liberian]] President [[Charles Taylor]]. &lt;ref&gt; http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2008/02/26/obamas_senate_foreign_relations_work/ &lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> Barack Obama continued to collect money for a 2010 Senate re-election campaign as late as June 2008, and has filed reports recently indicating that money is still pouring into this fund. This is especially notable because it is an efficient way of sidetracking donations from his Presidential race. The website&lt;obamasenate2010.gov&gt; is now defunct.<br /> <br /> ==Presidential campaign==<br /> [[Image:Democrat Obama during the Pledge.jpg|325px|thumb|right|Obama, on the campaign trail, stands with folded hands while [[Bill Richardson]] and [[Hillary Clinton]] honor the flag by placing their hands over their heart during the [[National Anthem]]. [http://rawstory.com/news/2007/Obama_doesnt_put_hand_over_heart_1022.html See Video] ]]<br /> Senator Obama began his candidacy for President of the United States on February 10, 2007, in Springfield, Illinois. His announcement speech largely avoided specific campaign issues and focused on his general political message of hope for the future. It also attempted to strongly invoke the memory of Abraham Lincoln and his &quot;House Divided&quot; speech.&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/02/10/obama.president/index.html &quot;Obama declares he's running for President&quot;] 11 February 2007, www.CNN.com &lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> Obama's campaign has been financed largely by [[leftist]] donors opposed to the war and to the [[American]] military in general. Obama has encouraged this by refusing to wear the customary flag on his lapel during appearances (asserting that he would prefer his patriotism to be represented through his actions rather than an arbitrary symbol) and by other less-than-patriotic gestures and symbols, such as declining to put his hand over his heart during a patriotic recitation. In an appearance on May 16 where he addressed President Bush's statements that some politicians would prefer appeasing terrorists through negotiations, Senator Obama once again wore the flag pin as he did following 9-11. <br /> <br /> By early April 2007, his campaign generated over $25 million from over 100,000 contributors. $23.5 million of that money will be available for the Democratic Primary.&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/05/us/politics/05obama.html Obama Shows His Strength in a Fund-Raising Feat on Par With Clinton], 4 April 2007, Jeff Zeleny and Patrick Healy,'' The New York Times''&lt;/ref&gt; After the first Democratic presidential debate in Columbia, South Carolina, Obama's image as an &quot;articulate&quot; spokesman came into question after his failure to state right away that he would retaliate in case of further terrorist strikes against the United States.&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/27/AR2007042702162.html?hpid=moreheadlines Clinton Campaign Tries to Keep Heat on Obama Over Debate Response], Dan Balz, ''Washington Post'' April 28, 2007.&lt;/ref&gt;&lt;ref&gt;Chicago Sun-Times, <br /> [http://www.suntimes.com/news/sweet/362269,CST-NWS-sweet29.article 'I was a little nervous' at debate'], Lynn Sweet, <br /> April 29, 2007,&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> During a fund raising event in Virginia in May 2007 Obama told donors,<br /> {{Cquote|This week there was a tragedy in Kansas. Ten thousand people died. An entire town destroyed.&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,271357,00.html Transcript: 'Special Report with Brit Hume,' May 9, 2007], retrieved from ''FOX News'', 06/13/07.&lt;/ref&gt;}}<br /> <br /> In reality, the tornado which touched down in Kansas cost the lives of nine people in the town of Greensburg, and twelve overall in Kansas.<br /> <br /> Speaking regarding his knowledge of the Afghanistan conflict, Obama points the finger at U.S. troops and American policy &quot;...just airraiding villages and killing civilians, which is causing enormous problems there.&quot; &lt;ref&gt;[http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,293365,00.html Barack Obama Caught on Tape Accusing U.S. Troops of 'Killing Civilians'] Fox News, August 15, 2007&lt;/ref&gt; [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wrW4fOGIMVY See Video]<br /> <br /> By August it appeared Obama was running to be left off the ticket completely rather than the much ballyhooed Hillary/Obama ticket the [[mainstream media]] was pushing. After a series of ill-advised foreign policy statements, Obama was openly criticized as a lightweight even by liberals, in much the same vein as [[John Edwards]] and [[Dan Quayle]] had been depicted. First, Obama said he would have face-to-face meetings with two of Florida's most feared enemies, [[Fidel Castro]] and [[Hugo Chavez]]. Florida is a key state to any presidential ambitions. Then Obama claimed that he would be willing to invade the sovereign territory of a U.S. ally without prior consultation. Finally, Obama broke the cardinal rule of declaring he would not use nuclear weapons, removing the element of bluff U.S. Presidents had vitally depended upon throughout the [[Cold War]] era. The incidents all added up to a picture of a candidate ill-prepared and ill-advised, lacking in a basic understanding of the office of the Presidency, and failing to surround himself with appointees able to make up for his deficiencies. However, Obama won the Iowa Democratic caucuses, pushing [[Hillary Clinton]] into third place, and went on to become the unofficial Democratic nominee.<br /> <br /> At a campaign event in Elkhart, Indiana, a seven-year-old girl asked Barack Obama why he wants to be President. He replies, <br /> '''&quot;America is …, uh, is no longer, uh … what it could be, what it once was. And I say to myself, I don’t want that future for my children.&quot;''' &lt;ref&gt;[http://newsbusters.org/blogs/tom-blumer/2008/08/09/mostly-mia-obamas-downer-america-delivered-7-year-old Media Mostly MIA on Obama's 'America No Longer What It Once Was' Downer Delivered to 7 Year-Old] Newsbusters.org, August 9, 2008&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> Obama became the presumptive Democratic nominee on June 3rd after receiving a majority of pledged delegates and superdelegates. His only remaining primary opponent, [[Hillary Clinton]], conceded the race on June 7th. On August 23, Joe Biden was announced as Obama's vice-presidential nominee. Obama became the official Democratic nominee on August 27 at the Democratic National Convention, when Hillary Clinton's motion to end the roll call vote of the states and select Obama by acclamation was passed.<br /> <br /> On June 5th, Obama spoke at Briston, Virginia- Healthcare Town Hall forum regarding Political Action Committees and his campaign. &quot;Well, we’re here today because we know that if we’re going to make real progress, this time must be different. Throughout my career, in Illinois and the United States senate, I’ve worked to reduce the power of the special interests by leading the fight for ethics reform. I’ve sent a strong signal in this campaign by refusing the contributions of registered federal lobbyists and PACs. And today, I’m announcing that going forward, the Democratic National Committee will uphold the same standard and won’t take another dime from Washington lobbyists or special interest PACs. They do not fund my campaign. They will not fund our party. And they will not drown out the voices of the American people when I’m President of the United States.&quot; <br /> <br /> On June 6th, an [[AP]] article &lt;ref&gt;[http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/D/DEMOCRATS_MONEY?SITE=KING&amp;SECTION=HOME&amp;TEMPLATE=DEFAULT Transcript: 'Democratic Party returns lobbyist, PAC money ,' June 6, 2008]&lt;/ref&gt; presented the rules for lobbyist donations to the DNC and for the Presidential nominee. Obama does accept money from lobbyists who do not do business with the federal government and he also accepts money from spouses and family members of lobbyists. And the DNC ban is also not retroactive, which means the DNC will keep lobbyist and PAC contributions it received earlier in the election cycle. Retroactive period being the date Barack Obama started his campaign, February 10, 2007. The DNC possibly the day after the November 2006 Congressional elections until June 5th, 2008. In addition, Barack Obama's ban does not apply to the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee nor to the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. Unlike [[John McCain]], Barack Obama has not disclosed the lobbyists working in his campaign.<br /> <br /> Senator Obama visited U.S. troops in Iraq in 2006&lt;ref&gt;[http://abclocal.go.com/wls/story?section=news/local&amp;id=3794382 Obama visits troops in Iraq]&lt;/ref&gt; and in Afghanistan and Kuwait in 2008&lt;ref&gt;[http://abclocal.go.com/wls/story?section=news/local&amp;id=3794382 Obama visits troops and officials in Afghanistan and Kuwait]&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> Obama's tax plan calls for increasing taxes on the wealthiest 1% of Americans, while cutting taxes for the middle class. According to the non-partisan [[Tax Policy Center]], most Americans would pay less taxes than under Senator McCain's plan.&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/publications/url.cfm?ID=411749 An Updated Analysis of the 2008 Presidential Candidates' Tax Plans: Updated September 12, 2008]&lt;/ref&gt; According to another non-partisan group, Americans for Tax Reform, tax-payers would clearly be burdened by an Obama Presidency.&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.atr.org/content/html/2008/june/0616-obama_mccaintaxes.html McCain vs. Obama on Taxes] Americans For Tax Reform, June 2008&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> During the campaign Obama repeatedly claimed he would “cut taxes for no less than 95% of &quot;working families.&quot;”. The Wall Street Journal asked, “how does he conjure this miracle, especially since more than a third of all Americans already pay no income taxes at all?” &lt;ref&gt;http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122385651698727257.html&lt;/ref&gt; In truth, Obama was calling government handouts “tax credits” and counting those as tax cuts. The Wall Street Journal wondered why McCain “allowed Mr. Obama's 95% illusion to go unanswered”.<br /> <br /> ===Campaign financing=== <br /> Obama is the first presidential candidate to reject public financing. He broke his promise to accept it in the hope that his powerful fund-raising machine would generate far more money than the $84.1 million McCain is getting in public funding. Indeed, on August 14th, the Obama campaign announced it had received donations from 2 million individuals, setting new records. Obama raised $272 million for the primaries and expects to raise $300 million for the general election. However the Republican National Committee has been raising much more than the Democratic National Committee and each candidate had about $100 million in cash on September 1. Each expects to spend about $300 million by November. However, Obama is obliged to devote much of his time to fund raising among supporters rather than campaigning among undecided voters.&lt;ref&gt; see [http://blog.newsweek.com/blogs/stumper/archive/2008/09/09/was-obama-right-to-opt-out-of-public-financing.aspx Andrew Romano, &quot;Was Obama Right to Opt Out of Public Financing?,&quot; ''Newsweek'' (Sept. 9, 2008) online]&lt;/ref&gt; Among his backers is homosexual pornography baron [[Terrence Bean]].<br /> <br /> ===Secrecy=== <br /> <br /> The Democratic party feels it necessary to keep all questions about Obama at a safe distance. It is an unprecedented move to keep secrets about a presidential candidate. The following questions remain sealed from the public. &lt;ref&gt;[http://obamawtf.blogspot.com/2008/08/who-sent-obama-why-has-he-refused-to.html Who sent Obama? Why has he refused to release these basic documents?] ObamaWTF.blogspot.com&lt;/ref&gt; <br /> <br /> # Certified Copy of original Birth certificate(see certificate controversy below)<br /> # Columbia College records<br /> # Columbia Thesis paper<br /> # Campaign donor analysis requested by 7 major watchdog groups<br /> # [[Harvard]] College records<br /> # Illinois State Senate records<br /> # [[Illinois]] State Senate schedule<br /> # [[Law]] practice client list and billing records/summary<br /> # Locations and names of all half-siblings and step-mothers<br /> # Medical records (only the one page summary released so far)<br /> # Occidental College records<br /> # Parent's [[Marriage]] Certificate<br /> # Record of baptism<br /> # Selective Service Registration<br /> # Trips schedules for trips outside of the United States before 2007<br /> # Scholarly articles<br /> # Access to his Grandmother (Obama's Grandmother has since passed away from cancer [http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5g3m4YaeYwDHXS6hHdZJi8pm6cZdAD947RJKO0])<br /> # List of all campaign workers that are lobbyists<br /> <br /> Obama keeps donations secret by exploiting a loophole that allows campaigns to refuse to divulge donations under $200.00. This is useful to the candidate because many of his contributions are from dubious foreign or illegal sources. It is described as the &quot;largest pool of unidentified money that has ever flooded into the U.S. election system, before or after the McCain-Feingold campaign finance reforms of 2002.&quot; &lt;ref&gt;http://www.newsmax.com/timmerman/Obama_fundraising_illegal/2008/09/29/135718.html&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> ===Tone===<br /> <br /> Many observers have criticized Obama's campaign for its incivility. For instance, John McCain's wife Cindy noted that Obama is running &quot;the dirtiest campaign in American history.&quot; <br /> <br /> Obama's smears usually fall into two categories: race-baiting and distortions. On October 10, 2008, Obama surrogate Rep. John Lewis (D-GA) typified the campaign by comparing Sen. McCain to racial segregationists and Klansmen. &quot;Sen. McCain and Gov. Palin are sowing the seeds of hatred and division,&quot; Lewis exclaimed before comparing Sen. McCain to segregationist Democrat George Wallace, further noting that he, &quot;...never fired a gun, but he created the climate and the conditions that encouraged [the attacks in which] four little girls were killed on Sunday morning when a church was bombed in Birmingham, Alabama.&quot; &lt;ref&gt;http://edition.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/10/11/mccain.lewis/index.html?eref=rss_politics&lt;/ref&gt; This is particularly harsh to Sen. McCain because he fondly admires Lewis. &lt;ref&gt;http://www.rickwarrennews.com/transcript/civil_forum_transcript-04.txt&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> As for the distortions and personal attacks, Obama mocks Sen. McCain's for his age and Gov. Palin for being a woman and outsider. For instance, Obama responded with a subtle reference to Alzheimer's disease when Sen. McCain criticized his foreign policy in May 2008, alleging that Sen. McCain &quot;lost his bearings&quot; &lt;ref&gt;http://www.politico.com/blogs/bensmith/0508/Obama_McCain_offensive_losing_his_bearings.html&lt;/ref&gt;. Senior Adviser Mark Salter noted, &quot;He used the words 'losing his bearings' intentionally, a not particularly clever way of raising John McCain's age as an issue. This is typical of the Obama style of campaigning.&quot; &lt;ref&gt;http://marcambinder.theatlantic.com/archives/2008/05/salter_obama_attacked_mccains.php&lt;/ref&gt;. In reference to Gov. Palin, Obama was caught for his quiet hiring of Winner &amp; Associates to disseminate a sexist smear video against her. &lt;ref&gt;http://mypetjawa.mu.nu/archives/194057.php&lt;/ref&gt; Some argue this is a FEC violation because it lacked obligatory label denoting it was sponsored by the Obama Campaign (Ethan Winner has made a claim that he alone produced the video) &lt;ref&gt;http://eclipseweb.blogspot.com/2008/09/vicious-anti-sarah-palin-smear-campaign.html&lt;/ref&gt; &lt;ref&gt;http://mypetjawa.mu.nu/archives/194180.php&lt;/ref&gt;One of the biggest distortions by Obama is that 95% of all taxpayers will get a tax cut. &lt;ref&gt;[http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122385651698727257.html?mod=googlenews_wsj Obama's 95% Illusion] Wall Steet Journal, October 13, 2008&lt;/ref&gt; Without the distortion, Obama is proposing income re-distribution because those families that pay no taxes, one-third, will get money from the wealthy top 5%.<br /> <br /> Another feature of the Obama campaign is the unruly audience. CNN reported in October of 2008 &lt;ref&gt;http://www.findinternettv.com/Video,item,3565842635.aspx&lt;/ref&gt;, that people are calling John McCain a terrorist at these events. According to Sen. McCain, &quot;I've heard the [label terrorist], unfortunately, at Senator Obama's rallies being said about me. There's always a fringe element.&quot; Other eyewitness reports are harsher.<br /> <br /> ==Election==<br /> <br /> Senator Obama won the 2008 Presidential election, with over 52% of the popular vote. He carried every state that [[John Kerry]] won in 2004, in addition to Iowa, North Carolina, Ohio, Virginia, Colorado, New Mexico, Nevada, Florida, and Indiana. Of the 127 million votes cast, Obama beat John McCain by 8 million total votes.&lt;ref&gt;http://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS/&lt;/ref&gt; [http://images.newsmax.com/misc/2008_Election_Map.jpg See county breakdown map] &lt;ref&gt;[www.cnn.com/election]&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> == Positions and Qualifications ==<br /> Obama is [[pro-abortion]]. The leading abortion providers and PAC supporters have wholeheartedly endorsed Barack Obama. The National Abortion Rights Action League [[NARAL]] has given Barack a 100% rating for his efforts in Congress 2005, 2006 and 2007 &lt;ref&gt;http://www.prochoiceamerica.org/elections/statements/obama.html&lt;/ref&gt;. EMILY's List, a political action committee that funds female candidates who support abortion rights backs Barack Obama&lt;ref&gt; [http://www.boston.com/news/politics/politicalintelligence/2008/06/emilys_list_bac.html],EMILY's List backs Obama, June 6,2008&lt;/ref&gt;. The nation's largest abortion business, Planned Parenthood has begun the process necessary to endorse pro-abortion presidential candidate Barack Obama. &lt;ref&gt;[http://www.lifenews.com/nat3971.html], http://www.lifenews.com/nat3971.html, Planned Parenthood Begins Process to Endorse Pro-Abortion Barack Obama, June 10,2008&lt;/ref&gt;The board of directors of the pro-abortion group's political operation met on Friday June 6, 2008 and unanimously voted to recommend an endorsement for Obama. Obama has steadfastly advocated support for partial birth abortion as an Illinois legislator. Barack's wife, Michelle Obama, wrote a fundraising letter&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.prolifeblogs.com/articles/archives/2006/10/post_5.php], http://www.prolifeblogs.com/articles/archives/2006/10/post_5.php, February 17,2004&lt;/ref&gt; in support of partial birth abortion and against the proposed ban. Barack voted against the Born Alive Infant Protection Act to give a child who survived an abortion procedure life support healthcare. Obama wanted the life terminated even if he or she survived outside the mother's womb.&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.citizenlink.org/content/A000007034.cfm], http://www.citizenlink.org/content/A000007034.cfm, Obama Blocked Born Alive Infant Protection Act&lt;/ref&gt; With Obama no longer in the state Senate, the Born Alive legislation passed in 2005.<br /> <br /> In the context of sex, he quipped about his daughters, &lt;ref&gt;http://michellemalkin.com/2008/03/30/sunday-meditation-obama-and-the-punishment-of-unborn-life/&lt;/ref&gt;{{QuoteBox|&quot;If they make a mistake, I don't want them punished with a baby.&quot;}} Obama makes it clear if his daughters had an unplanned pregnancy, he would support terminating the life of his grandchild and it is undeniable that Michelle Obama agrees with that decision.<br /> [[Image:Features ayers1.jpg|175px|thumb|right|[[Weather Underground]] co-founder Bill Ayers&lt;ref&gt;http://foia.fbi.gov/weather/weath1a.pdf&lt;/ref&gt; stomps on the American flag in this 2001 pose for Chicago Magazine.]]<br /> <br /> Obama, having been asked about his associations with [[William Ayers]], an unrepentant [[terrorist]],&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.chicagomag.com/Chicago-Magazine/August-2001/No-Regrets/]&lt;/ref&gt; he explained that the views of his associates are not necessarily his own. Ayers and his wife, [[Bernardine Dohrn]], hosted a fundraiser for Obama in their home in 1995 at the start of Obama's political career. Obama compares his friendship with Ayers whose actions led to the loss of a life to his friendship with pro-life doctor and representative Tom Coburn&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.lifenews.com/nat3894.html]http://www.lifenews.com/nat3894.html, LifeNews.com, April 25,2008&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> Obama explained that his friendship with Ayers, shouldn't be construed as implying he endorsed the terrorist-like tactics Ayers used to drive home his political point. Barack Obama brought up the pro-life colleague to make the dubious comparison that he's friends with other people who take &quot;extreme&quot; positions or would use terrorist tactics.<br /> &quot;The fact is, is that I'm also friendly with Tom Coburn, one of the most conservative Republicans in the United States Senate, who during his campaign once said that it might be appropriate to apply the death penalty to those who carried out abortions&quot; <br /> <br /> Obama has no military or executive experience and little foreign policy experience.&lt;ref&gt;&quot;Fresh doubts over Barack Obama's foreign policy credentials were expressed on both sides of the Atlantic last night, after it emerged that he had made only one brief official visit to London – and none elsewhere in Western Europe or Latin America. ... Mr. Obama had failed to convene a single policy meeting of the Senate European subcommittee, of which he is chairman.&quot;[http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/article3080794.ece]&lt;/ref&gt; Yet he is the favorite of the leftist attack site &quot;MoveOn.org&quot; for the [[Democratic]] nomination for [[President of the United States]] in the [[2008 Presidential Election|2008 election]],&lt;ref&gt;MoveOn.org reportedly favored Obama by 70-30% over Clinton. [http://www.swamppolitics.com/news/politics/blog/2008/02/moveonorg_obama.html]&lt;/ref&gt; campaigning to the left of [[Hillary Clinton]].&lt;ref&gt;For example, Obama promised not to use nuclear weapons against terrorists, a promise Hillary Clinton refused to make. [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/08/02/AR2007080202288.html]&lt;/ref&gt; <br /> <br /> He has no clear personal achievement that cannot be explained as the likely result of [[affirmative action]]. Some examples border on the absurd: Obama has no background in [[physics]], yet it is claimed that &quot;Obama analyzed and integrated [[Albert Einstein|Einstein]]'s [[theory of relativity]], the [[Heisenberg uncertainty principle]], as well as the concept of curved space as an alternative to [[gravity]], for a Law Review article that Tribe, for whom Obama worked as a research assistant, wrote titled, 'The Curvature of Constitutional Space'.&quot; &lt;ref&gt;http://cbs2chicago.com/politics/barack.obama.harvard.2.334825.html&lt;/ref&gt; Obama's &quot;research&quot; for Constitutional Law Professor Tribe on this article also raises issues about preferences, as Obama had not yet even completed any law school courses&lt;ref&gt;Obama did not start his second year of law school until September 1989, the earliest he could have taken constitutional law, yet this article must have been written, submitted and accepted prior to that time to be published in the November 1989 issue of the Law Review.&lt;/ref&gt; on the [[Constitution]].&lt;ref&gt;The liberal Professor Tribe saw the best law students for several decades, yet insisted that Obama was the &quot;best student I ever had&quot; and the &quot;most exciting research assistant.&quot; [http://www.cmonitor.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071114/NEWS01/711140429/1217/NEWS98]&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> Throughout his career, Obama repeatedly ducked controversial stands in a transparent attempt to make it easier to be elected to higher office. In example, as a state senator in [[Illinois]], he voted &quot;present&quot; rather than &quot;aye&quot; or &quot;nay&quot; nearly an astounding 130 times.&lt;ref&gt;http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/20/us/politics/20obama.html&lt;/ref&gt; During that same period, he was planning to run for the [[House of Representatives]], which was unsuccessful, and then for [[U.S. Senate]], which was successful after his opponent Jack Ryan, a millionaire school teacher, was smeared with a court-ordered disclosure of confidential divorce records that both he and his ex-wife wanted to remain sealed. A newspaper that favored Obama took the unusual step of suing to force the confidential divorce information to become public, and a California judge opened the records at a pivotal time in the campaign.&lt;ref&gt;http://www.nbc5.com/politics/2898641/detail.html&lt;/ref&gt;&lt;ref&gt;http://www.nbc5.com/news/3289561/detail.html&lt;/ref&gt;&lt;ref&gt;http://www.nbc5.com/politics/3444371/detail.html&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> Barack Obama is often praised for his speeches, except when he is not able to read them from a [[teleprompter]]. &quot;Shorn of his Teleprompter, we saw a different Obama. His delivery was halting and unsure. ... The prepared text for his remarks, as released on his website, sounded a lot like a typical Obama speech. ... [But with] no Teleprompter signaling the prepared text, Obama failed to deliver the speech in his characteristically flawless fashion.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;teleprompter&quot; /&gt; The [[New York Times]] noted that &quot;Mr. Obama excels at inspirational speeches read from a teleprompter before television cameras, critics have noted, but many of his other speeches on the campaign trail have failed to electrify.&quot;&lt;ref&gt;http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/20/fashion/20speechwriter.html?_r=2&amp;ex=1358485200&amp;en=bb179297e5f61acb&amp;ei=5090&amp;partner=rssuserland&amp;emc=rss&amp;oref=slogin&amp;oref=slogin&lt;/ref&gt; When Obama ridiculed [[Hillary Clinton]] for being like [[Annie Oakley]], it is apparent that he was not writing his own speeches.&lt;ref&gt;&quot;Some Obama adviser probably earned his or her dollars for that cut,&quot; the USA Today wrote. [http://www.usatoday.com/news/opinion/columnist/raasch/2008-04-17-2008-04-17-raasch_N.htm]&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> Obama often makes reference to his &quot;two decades of experience&quot; in public service work. During most of that time he claims experience, he was either going to school, working for a law firm, writing a book, or organizing community events.<br /> <br /> == Political views ==<br /> Obama's political views have been subjected to controversy even before he put himself forward as a presidential candidate. Former House majority leader [[Tom DeLay]] has described Obama's record in the Illinois Senate as that of a [[Communism|“Marxist leftist&quot;.]]&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/home/daily/site_121306/content/stop_the_tape.guest.html|Sexy Rock Star Obama Whines About His Ears], RushLimbaugh.com, December 13 2006&lt;/ref&gt; Which matches the fact that during his campaign, his staff were discovered on numerous occasions to have Cuban flags bearing the face of Marxist guerrilla/murderer [[Che Guevara]].&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.moonbattery.com/archives/2008/02/obama_workers_c.html Obama Workers' Che Guevara Poster Was No Fluke] from Moonbattery&lt;/ref&gt; Former presidential candidate [[Alan Keyes]] calls Obama a &quot;radical communist.&quot; &lt;ref&gt;[http://www.newsmax.com/insidecover/keyes_obama_destroy_US/2009/02/23/184503.html Alan Keyes: Obama Will Destroy U.S.] NewsMax, February 23, 2009&lt;/ref&gt; <br /> <br /> In May 2007, Obama (and Sen. Hillary Clinton) voted against funding the Iraq War for the first time.&lt;ref&gt;[http://uspolitics.about.com/od/legislatio1/a/HR2206.htm HR 2206 - Emergency Appropriations], Kathy Gill, Your Guide to U.S. Politics: Current Events. May 26 2007.&lt;/ref&gt;&lt;ref&gt;[http://more.gov.mtopgroup.com/2007/05/votes-hr-2206-iraq-supplemental.html Votes - H.R. 2206: Iraq Supplemental], May 28, 2007. Retrieved from Deeper Inside the Mountain, June 4, 2007.&lt;/ref&gt; <br /> <br /> Obama's views on [[gun control]] are focused on an opinion article in the [[Wall Street Journal]]:&lt;ref&gt;David Kopel, &quot;The Democrats and Gun Control,&quot; Wall St.J., Page A19, April 17, 2008 [http://online.wsj.com/article_email/SB120839466717921537-lMyQjAxMDI4MDE4NzMxOTc0Wj.html]&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> :As a state senate candidate in 1996, Mr. Obama endorsed a complete ban on all handguns in a questionnaire. The Obama campaign has claimed he &quot;never saw or approved the questionnaire,&quot; and that an aide filled it out incorrectly. But a few weeks ago, Politico.com found an amended version of the questionnaire. It included material added in Mr. Obama's handwriting.<br /> <br /> After [[D.C. v. Heller]], Obama claimed to support Second Amendment rights.<br /> <br /> Obama has said, &quot;Doing the Lord's work is a thread that runs through our politics since the very beginning,&quot; and &quot;it puts the lie to the notion that [[separation of church and state]] in America means somehow that faith should have no role in public life.&quot;&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.siouxcityjournal.com/articles/2007/06/17/news/iowa/8db7c1a17d2b51f9862572fd000fc9f4.txt Obama says religion has place in politics], By Todd Dorman, ''Sioux City Journal'', June 18, 2007.&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> He believes children should be taught sex education in kindergarten, although in what he refers to as &quot;an age-appropriate manner&quot;.&lt;ref&gt;&quot;Barack Obama reaffirmed to [[Planned Parenthood]] this week that he believes elements of sex education should begin in kindergarten.&quot; [http://abcnews.go.com/print?id=3395856 (ABC News)] July 20, 2007 &lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> Obama spoke at the May 1, 2006, illegal immigration march in Chicago.&lt;ref&gt;http://nomoreblather.com/barack-obama-and-the-immigration-marches Immigration marches&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> ::''We are hungry for change!'' S.C. January 26, 2008.<br /> <br /> Barack Obama, in his short stint as Senator of Illinois, has made clear his opposition to the [[U.S. Military]] in policy and in rhetoric. Obama has spent much energy to argue that the Iraq War should have never been waged and that we should not be there at all, in any way. In 2002, as an unknown Chicago representative to the state of Illinois, he declared his opposition to &quot;dumb wars&quot;. At the time, America was united in the stance against terrorism and the prospects of a rogue enemy with WMD worried the United States. Obama, has said that he does not know whether he would have voted for or against the Iraq War. Since elected to Congress, he voted against the Emergency War Supplemental. Obama did not oppose his party debating the bill long past the timeframe requested. This action directly affects troop deployment in combat zones. Obama has repeatedly called for the return of troops in Iraq. Barack Obama has a no confidence vote for the 'Surge' before the measure was put forth by General Petraeus to Congress. Obama would not denounce MoveOn.org's slander NY Times advertising against the General.<br /> <br /> Senator Obama often refers to the office that he seeks, without the proper respect of those that came before him. When talking of the President, he frequently refuses to call him [[George W. Bush|President George Bush]] or even Mr. George Bush. Obama has also disrespectfully called him 'George Bush'. Oddly, when Bill Clinton spoke with Obama on September 11th, 2008 predicting he would win handily, Obama responded, &quot;There you go, you can take it from the President of the United States.&quot;&lt;ref&gt;http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/09/11/campaign.wrap/index.html&lt;/ref&gt; It appears Obama will use the term for a former President, but will not do the same for the actual President. Examples of Obama's treatment of our current President: <br /> * &quot;I am happy to have a debate with John McCain and George Bush about foreign policy,&quot; Obama said &lt;ref&gt;[http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/05/16/obama.bush.mccain/], CNN Obama blasts Bush McCain, May 16, 2008&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> * &quot;For all his talk about independence, the centerpiece of John McCain's economic plan amounts to a full-throated endorsement of George Bush's policies,&quot; &lt;ref&gt;[http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2008/06/10/obama_takes_the_offensive_vs_mcca)n/]`Boston Globe Obama takes offensive vs. McCain, June 10, 2008&lt;/ref&gt; <br /> * &quot;George Bush knows that I have never supported engagement with terrorists.&quot; &lt;ref&gt;[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7403386.stm], BBC Obama attacks Bush over Iran , May 15, 2008&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> * Obama called the U.S. economy a disaster thanks to &quot;John McCain's President, George W. Bush&quot; &lt;ref&gt;[http://www.newsmax.com/insidecover/obama_mccain/2008/08/18/122924.html No More Hugs: Obama Tears Into McCain] AP, August 18, 2008&lt;/ref&gt; Side note, George W. Bush is also Barack Obama's President.<br /> <br /> Obama is for a one-world government unaccountable to the American people, a threat to U.S. sovereignty and independence. He said &quot;for all nations in the world to come together to build a stronger, global regime&quot;&lt;ref&gt;[http://worldnetdaily.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&amp;pageId=94380]&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> == Foreign policy experience ==<br /> In his presidential campaign, Obama stated&lt;ref&gt;http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mayhill-fowler/obama-says-no-to-foreign_b_95357.html&lt;/ref&gt; that &quot;foreign policy is the area where I am probably most confident&quot; and then cited &quot;having lived in Indonesia for four years, having family that is impoverished in small villages in Africa&quot;. He lived in Indonesia from age 6 to 10, and he later discovered that his father had some other children in Africa.<br /> <br /> While campaigning, he has visited several foreign countries. In [[Russia]] and the former Soviet republics, he met with representatives of the International Republican Institute and National Democratic Institute to discuss democracy in the former Soviet republics. He also met with Russian military officials and visited several nuclear and biological weapons destruction sites in Russia, [[Ukraine]], and [[Azerbaijan]] with Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Richard Lugar (R-IN). On the same tour, he visited London, UK, and met with [[Tony Blair]], sitting UK Prime Minister.&lt;ref&gt;http://obama.senate.gov/press/050823-obama_to_visit/&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> Obama visited South Africa, Kenya, Ethiopia, Djibouti, and Chad; he discussed his tour of Robben Island prison, met with U.S. troops, and visited refugee camps of the people fleeing Darfur. He also addressed Africa's growing [[AIDS]] epidemic. &lt;ref&gt;http://obama.senate.gov/podcast/060906-090606_africa_t/&lt;/ref&gt; <br /> <br /> During a ten-day-long tour of the Middle East, he talked with government leaders in Qatar, Kuwait, Iraq, Jordan, and Israel. &lt;ref&gt; http://obama.senate.gov/news/060113-obama_wraps_up/&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> == Books ==<br /> <br /> * ''Dreams from My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance.'' (B. Obama and, allegedly, William Ayers) ISBN 0307383415<br /> * ''The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream.'' (B. Obama) ISBN 0307455874<br /> * ''Barack Obama in His Own Words.'' (B. Obama and Lisa Rogak) ISBN 0786720573<br /> * ''Change We Can Believe In. Barack Obama's Plan to Renew America's Promise.'' (B. Obama)<br /> * ''The Case Against Barack Obama. The Unlikely Rise and Unexamined Agenda of the Media's Favorite Candidate. '' (David Freddso) ISBN 1596985666 <br /> * ''The Obama Nation. Leftist Politics and the Cult of Personality.'' (Jerome R. Corsi) ISBN 1416598065 <br /> * ''Obama Unmasked. Did Slick Hollywood Handlers Create the Perfect Candidate?'' (Floyd Brown and Lee Trexler) ISBN 0936783591 <br /> * ''Obama: The Man Behind The Mask.'' (Andy Martin) ISBN 0965781240 <br /> * ''The Audacity of Deceit. Barack Obama's War on American Values.'' (Brad O'Leary) ISBN 1935071025<br /> <br /> ==Published criticism==<br /> On April 11, 2007, staff writers of ''The Boston Globe'' reported the criticisms of several black commentators regarding Obama's apparent hesitation to join the race to condemn acclaimed radio personality [[Don Imus]],&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2007/04/11/obamas_silence_on_imus_alarms_some_blacks/ Obama's silence on Imus alarms some blacks], Rick Klein and Joseph Williams, ''The Boston Globe'', April 11, 2007.&lt;/ref&gt; who made a racially insensitive remark&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.reuters.com/article/industryNews/idUSN1237895620070412|title=Furor over Imus puts heat on other broadcasters], Daniel Trotta, Reuters, 2007-04-12.&lt;/ref&gt; on the air during the April 4 broadcast. Obama did not comment on Imus's remarks until well after prominent civil rights leaders [[Al Sharpton]] and [[Jesse Jackson]] had called Imus to account and after Imus was suspended by MSNBC and CBS Radio. Obama later weighed in on April 10 by saying, &quot;The comments of Don Imus were divisive, hurtful, and offensive to Americans of all backgrounds.&quot; &lt;br /&gt; <br /> <br /> The ''Globe'' reported that Obama's perceived delay in addressing Don Imus's remarks was described by Melissa Harris Lacewell, a professor of politics and African-American studies at Princeton University, as &quot;miss[ing] an opportunity to prove himself to blacks and white liberals who would have wanted Obama take the lead in denouncing Imus.&quot;&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2007/04/11/obamas_silence_on_imus_alarms_some_blacks/ Obama's silence on Imus alarms some blacks], Rick Klein and Joseph Williams, ''The Boston Globe'', April 11, 2007.&lt;/ref&gt;&lt;ref&gt;[http://time-blog.com/real_clear_politics/2007/04/obama_race_and_the_election.html Obama, Race, and The Election,] ''Real Clear Politics.com''&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> In June 2007 the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' reported Obama had actually received nearly three times more campaign cash from indicted slum landlord Tony Rezko&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.suntimes.com/news/metro/353829,CST-NWS-rez23.article Barack Obama and his slumlord patron], Tim Novak, Chicago Sun-Times, April 23, 2007.&lt;/ref&gt; and his associates than Obama has publicly acknowledged.&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.suntimes.com/news/politics/432197,CST-NWS-obama18.article Rezko cash triple what Obama says], Chris Fusco and Tim Novak, ''Chicago Sun-Times'', June 18, 2007.&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> Executive vice president Wayne LaPierre of the [[NRA]] accuses Barack Obama of &quot;mouthing pro-Second amendment words and pandering to gun owners&quot; on the campaign trail.&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.gopusa.com/news/2008/may/0514_nra_mccain.shtml], http://www.gopusa.com/news/2008/may/0514_nra_mccain.shtml, NRA chief stresses common ground with McCain, Associated Press, May 14, 2008&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> [[McCain]] Aide Says Obama Has Sept. 10 Mind-Set &quot;an extremely dangerous and extremely naive approach toward terrorism&quot; &lt;ref&gt;[http://www.newsmax.com/politics/mccain_obama/2008/06/17/105265.html], AP McCain Aide Says Obama Has Sept. 10 Mind-Set, June 17, 2008&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> ===Birth Certificate Controversy===<br /> During the democratic primaries the Clinton Campaign lead a smear campaign against the validity of Barack Obama's Hawaii Birth certificate, claiming that it is false and that he is ineligible for Presidency. &lt;ref&gt;[http://campaignspot.nationalreview.com/post/?q=ZTgxZmIwNTg0OWVhMWJkODNmZjI4ZjY4Mjg2OWRmNzI= http://campaignspot.nationalreview.com/post/?q=ZTgxZmIwNTg0OWVhMWJkODNmZjI4ZjY4Mjg2OWRmNzI=]&lt;/ref&gt; After initially refusing to produce a birth certificate in response to such rumors, the Obama campaign eventually endorsed a document posted on the Daily Kos as <br /> authentic.&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2008/6/12/11012/6168/320/534616 Obama's Birth Certificate]&lt;/ref&gt; The response is split regarding the birth certificate. Some commentators, such as those at the National Review, are satisfied with the document.&lt;ref&gt;[http://campaignspot.nationalreview.com/post/?q=NWVjN2I1MjlhM2ZjZjRjYzBkODAxZjZkZGQyYWNkMDk= http://campaignspot.nationalreview.com/post/?q=NWVjN2I1MjlhM2ZjZjRjYzBkODAxZjZkZGQyYWNkMDk=]&lt;/ref&gt; However, some analysts claim that the birth certificate is false.&lt;ref&gt;[http://web.israelinsider.com/Articles/Politics/12939.htm http://web.israelinsider.com/Articles/Politics/12939.htm]&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> On August 21st, 2008, Factcheck.org published an article regarding the controversy.&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.factcheck.org/elections-2008/born_in_the_usa.html Born in the U.S.A.]&lt;/ref&gt; The site stated, &quot;FactCheck.org staffers have now seen, touched, examined and photographed the original birth certificate. We conclude that it meets all of the requirements from the State Department for proving U.S. citizenship.&quot; In addition, the site posted high-resolution photographs of the birth certificate, which clearly showed the raised seal, stamp of Hawaii state registrar Alvin T. Onaka, and certificate number. The birth date corresponds to a birth announcement published in the ''Honolulu Advertiser '' on Sunday, August 13, 1961. &lt;ref&gt;http://texasdarlin.wordpress.com/2008/07/23/obama-was-born-in-hawaii-wrong-can-of-worms/&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> A Philadelphia attorney, Phillip Berg, has filed a lawsuit against the DNC and Barack Obama. Berg maintains that Sen. Obama is not a natural born U.S. citizen or that, if he ever was, he lost his citizenship when he was adopted in Indonesia. Berg also cites what he calls &quot;dual loyalties&quot; due to his citizenship and ties with Kenya and Indonesia. The &quot;dual loyalties&quot; which have not been shown to exist do not violate any constitutional or legal precedents and would make Sen. Obama a poor choice for President, not an invalid choice.<br /> <br /> Obama website Fight The Smears has confirmed that Obama was once a Kenyan citizen until 1982. Attorney Philips Berg's lawsuit is being challenged by the Obama Campaign. Instead of producing the original birth certificate in court and paying a number of legal fees and taking several days out of his busy campaigning schedule the Obama campaign had the case dropped on the grounds that it lacked any supporting evidence. &lt;ref&gt;http://neighbors.denverpost.com/viewtopic.php?t=10815605&lt;/ref&gt; The fact that Mr. Berg's dual arguments were mutually contradictory may also have contributed.<br /> <br /> The state of Hawaii announced that the &quot;Certification of Live Birth&quot; document is legitimate and official. Since the state of Hawaii is the issuing body, they have ultimate authority with regards to the matter.&lt;ref&gt;http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/20081031/BREAKING01/81031064/0/BREAKING04&lt;/ref&gt; Critics rightfully point out such documents actually were issued for children not born in the state.<br /> <br /> Adding fuel to the fire is Obama's persistent refusal to release documents that could provide answers. While his supporters cite an online version of a &quot;Certification of Live Birth&quot; from Hawaii. &lt;ref&gt;[http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&amp;pageId=92810 Justice, Supremes confirm getting eligibility challenge] WND, March 24, 2009&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> [[Bob Schultz]] with the [[We The People Foundation]] said: <br /> <br /> &quot;In the end, there is no practical reason why Obama refuses to produce his original birth certificate. He... has a duty to provide evidence that he meets the explicit requirements established by the Constitution.&quot; <br /> <br /> [[Nancy Salvato]] with [[BasicsProject|BasicsProject.org]] perhaps put it best: <br /> <br /> &quot;What perturbs the rest of us is that President Obama has failed to produce a legitimate birth certificate. He has a team of lawyers who are opposing the examination of his sealed records in Hawaii. What he produced was a certificate of live birth... not a birth certificate. The rest of us are appalled at the lack of media examination surrounding the fact that there is no law requiring that a candidate for the highest office in our land produce an authentic birth certificate which proves natural citizenship.&quot;<br /> <br /> ==Quotes==<br /> * Early in his campaign for president in 2007, Obama declared in an interview with the [[Chicago Tribune]], &quot;I'm a [[Christian]]. And so, although I try not to have my religious beliefs dominate or determine my political views on this issue ... my religious beliefs say that [[marriage]] is something sanctified between a man and a woman.&quot;&lt;ref&gt;http://thehill.com/cheri-jacobus/obama-and-miss-california-2009-04-23.html&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> ==See also==<br /> *[[Previous Breaking News/Barack Obama|Articles about '''Barack Obama''' from previous &quot;Breaking News&quot;]]<br /> *[[Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN)]]<br /> *[[Birthplace of Barack Obama]]<br /> *[[Essay:Born Outside the U.S.A.!]]<br /> *[[Essay: The Special Interests Candidate]]<br /> *[[Lobbyists ties to the Obama administration]]<br /> *[[New Party]]<br /> *[[Obama Administration‎]]<br /> *[[Obama birth certificate lawsuits]]<br /> *[[Obama doublespeak]]<br /> *[[Obama inauguration]]<br /> *[[Religion of Barack Hussein Obama]]<br /> *[[The Honorable James David Manning]]<br /> <br /> ==Further reading==<br /> *[[Peter Hitchens|Hitchens, Peter]] [http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/worldnews.html?in_article_id=511901&amp;in_page_id=1811 ''The Black Kennedy: But does anyone know the real Barack Obama?''] [[Daily Mail]]. Accessed 4 February 2008.<br /> <br /> ==Sources==<br /> &lt;small&gt;<br /> *[http://www.barackobama.com/ Offical Obama for President Website]<br /> *[http://www.opensecrets.org/pfds/pfd2005/N00009638_2005.pdf Barack Obama Personal Financial Disclosures Summary: 2005], retrieved from opensecrets.org 17 June 2007.<br /> *[http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=O000167 Biographical Directory of the United States Congress]<br /> *[http://www.law.uchicago.edu/faculty/obama/cv.html University of Chicago Law School] Faculty Listing<br /> *[http://www.biography.com/search/article.do?id=12782369 Barack Obama Biography] from Biography.com<br /> *[http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/o/barack_obama/index.html?inline=nyt-per New York Times Topics, Barack Obama]<br /> *[http://youtube.com/watch?v=zUdjhKbImwE Documentary on Barack Hussein Obama]<br /> *[http://www.votesmart.org/voting_category.php?can_id=9490 Voting Record of Barack Hussein Obama]&lt;/small&gt;<br /> <br /> ==References==<br /> {{reflist|3}}<br /> <br /> ==External Links==<br /> *[http://www.antiobama.net/ Anti Obama.net]<br /> *[http://www.dontvoteobama.net/ Dont Vote For Obama.net]<br /> *[http://nobamanetwork.com/ Nobama Network]<br /> *[http://www.audacityofhypocrisy.com/ Audacity Of Hypocrisy]<br /> *[http://therealbarackobama.wordpress.com/ The Real Barack Obama]<br /> *[http://www.spiked-online.com/index.php?/site/article/6130/ The New Cult of Personality]<br /> *[http://www.survivingobamunism.com/index.html Surviving Obamunism T-shirts]<br /> *[http://www.barackobamaantichrist.blogspot.com/ Barack Obama the Anti-Christ ?]<br /> *[http://www.noquarterusa.net/blog/2008/06/23/che-obama-and-the-revolutionary-agenda/ Che, Obama, and the Revolutionary Agenda]</div>

DerekSmalls https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=User:DerekSmalls/Obama_draft&diff=669761 2009-06-03T02:05:37Z

<p>DerekSmalls: /* Religious Affiliation */</p> <hr /> <div>work in progress, the original Obama Article is here so I can edit it<br /> {{President<br /> |image=President Barack Obama.jpg<br /> |seq=44<br /> |term_start=January 20, 2009<br /> |term_end=January 20, 2013<br /> |party=Democrat<br /> |vp=Joe Biden<br /> |previous=George W. Bush<br /> |next=<br /> |birth_date=August 4, 1961<br /> |age={{age|1961|8|4}}<br /> |birth_place=<br /> |death_date=<br /> |death_place=<br /> |spouse=Michelle LaVaughn Robinson Obama<br /> |spouse2=<br /> |religion=Described in this entry<br /> }}<br /> '''Barack Hussein Obama II''' (allegedly&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.worldnetdaily.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&amp;pageId=82033]&lt;/ref&gt;&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.factcheck.org/UploadedFiles/birth_certificate_5.jpg Large, high-resolution picture of his birth certificate]&lt;/ref&gt;&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.kitv.com/politics/17860890/detail.html?rss=hon&amp;psp=news KITV Honolulu report]&lt;/ref&gt;&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.newsmax.com/farber/Obama_birth_certificate/2009/04/06/200320.html]&lt;/ref&gt;&lt;ref&gt;Obama's [[African]] grandmother Sarah Hussein Obama says Barack was born in her presence in Kenya.[http://www.israelnationalnews.com/Blogs/Message.aspx/3074 Obama Born In Kenya? His Grandmother Says Yes, Israali News, October 12, 2008][http://www.worldnetdaily.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&amp;pageId=78931 Democrat: Obama's grandma confirms Kenyan birth, WND, October 23, 2008][http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=b58_1225645143 Audio Conversation Link]&lt;/ref&gt; born in [[Honolulu]] Aug. 4, 1961) is the 44th president of the [[United States]], <br /> and previously served as a first-term [[Democratic party|Democratic]] [[Senator]] from [[Illinois]] (2004-2008). Obama and his running mate [[Senator Joseph Biden]] won the presidential election&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.newsmax.com/insidecover/obama_wins_presidency/2008/11/04/147788.html?utm_medium=RSS]&lt;/ref&gt; after 23 months of campaigning that spent over $700 million,&lt;ref&gt;http://www.opensecrets.org/pres08/summary.php?cid=N00009638&lt;/ref&gt; most of it raised from undisclosed donors. <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> ==Obama is likely the first Muslim President==<br /> [[Image:OBAMA MUSULMAN.jpg|left|thumb|President-Elect Obama wearing traditional African garb, a gift from his hosts while visiting Kenya&lt;ref&gt;[http://sweetness-light.com/archive/obama-wore-muslim-gear-during-kenya-trip]&lt;/ref&gt;]]<br /> The argument that Obama is a Muslim includes:<br /> <br /> *Obama declared in prepared remarks, &quot;The United States has been enriched by Muslim Americans. Many other Americans have Muslims in their families or have lived in a Muslim-majority country - I know, because '''I am one of them'''.&quot;&lt;ref&gt;http://apnews.myway.com/article/20090406/D97D32C00.html&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> *Obama's background, education, and outlook are [[Muslim]], and fewer than 1% of Muslims convert to Christianity.&lt;ref&gt;http://www.religionnewsblog.com/17736/barack-obama-2&lt;/ref&gt;&lt;ref&gt;http://www.faithfreedom.org/oped/sina31103.htm. During the third and fourth grades, Obama learned about Islam for two hours each week in religion class, according to the LATimes. [http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/nation/bal-te.obama16mar16,0,1634059,print.story?coll=bal_news_nation_promo Campaign downplays his connection during boyhood in Indonesia, Baltimore Sun, March 16, 2007]&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> *Obama's middle name (Hussein) references '''Husayn''', who was the grandson of [[Muhammad]],&lt;ref&gt; Oxford Dictionary of First Names, 2nd edition (2007).[http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/277459/al-Husayn-ibn-Ali].&lt;/ref&gt; which most Christians would not retain.&lt;ref&gt;Only after Obama became politically ambitious did he declare himself to be a [[Christian]], yet he never replaced his [[Muslim]] name &quot;Hussein&quot; with a Christian one as most do when they undergo a religious conversion. For example, when the Italian journalist Magdi Allam recently converted to Christianity, he took a new name: &quot;Cristiano&quot;.[http://www.catholic.org/international/international_story.php?id=30814] When Saul became a Christian, he changed his name to &quot;Paul&quot;; when the famous boxer Cassius Clay converted to [[Islam]], he took the Muslim name of [[Muhammad Ali]]. &quot;It is common for those converting to a new religion to change their name on conversion&quot;[http://www.ukdp.co.uk/pages/religiousconversion.php] or adopt a Christian name at [[baptism]].[http://www.answers.com/topic/christian-name]&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> *Obama recently mentioned his religion as &quot;[[my Muslim faith]].&quot;&lt;ref&gt;Obama declared, &quot;John McCain has not talked about my Muslim faith.&quot;[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iQqIpdBOg6I]&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> *He has said that &quot;Islam can be compatible with the modern world.&quot;&lt;ref&gt; [http://www.newsweek.com/id/145971 Barack Obama's Christian Journey | Newsweek Politics: Campaign 2008]&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> *Obama said the Muslim call to prayer is &quot;one of the prettiest sounds on Earth at sunset,&quot; and recited &quot;with a first-class [[Arabic]] accent&quot; the opening lines: Allah is Supreme! ... I witness that there is no god but Allah ....&quot;&lt;ref&gt;http://www.wnd.com/index.php?pageId=78309&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> *Obama stated that the autobiography of Malcolm X, a Nation of Islam leader who became a Muslim, inspired him in his youth.&lt;ref&gt;For example, Obama writes in his own autobiography, &quot;Only Malcolm X's autobiography seemed to offer something different. His repeated acts of self-creation spoke to me. The blunt poetry of his words, his unadorned insistence on respect, promised a new and uncompromising order, martial in its discipline, forged through sheer force of will. ... [E]ven as I imagine myself following Malcolm's call, one line in the book stayed with me. He spoke of a wish he'd once had, the wish that the white blood that ran through him, there by an act of violence, might somehow be expunged.&quot;[http://www.americanthinker.com/2008/04/does_obama_know_america.html]&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> *Obama raised nearly $1 million and campaigned for a [[Kenyan]] presidential candidate who had a written agreement with [[Muslim]] leaders promising to convert Kenya to an Islamic state that bans Christianity.&lt;ref&gt; [http://www.worldnetdaily.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&amp;pageId=78324] Text of the agreement, as three images: [http://www.worldnetdaily.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&amp;pageId=78323]&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> *Obama's claims of conversion to Christianity arose after he became politically ambitious, lacking a date of conversion or baptism.&lt;ref&gt;In his book, Obama oddly claims to have been baptized without giving his age or date, and later gave a date that postdates his political ambition (1992).&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> *On the campaign trail, Obama was reading &quot;The Post-American World&quot; by [[Fareed Zakaria]],&lt;ref&gt;http://www.canada.com/topics/news/world/story.html?id=fa8cf1bf-2cc8-4d6e-b72d-a07d406e19ff&lt;/ref&gt; which is written from a Muslim point-of-view.&lt;ref&gt;http://www.villagevoice.com/2005-08-09/news/the-interpreter/&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> *Contrary to [[Christianity]], the Islamic doctrine of [[taqiyya]] encourages adherents to deny they are Muslim if it advances the cause of Islam.<br /> *Obama uses the Muslim Pakistani pronunciation for &quot;Pakistan&quot; rather than the common American one.&lt;ref&gt;Obama repeatedly pronounced &quot;Pakistan&quot; as &quot;Pokiston&quot; in the first presidential debate.&lt;/ref&gt; <br /> *Obama was thoroughly exposed to Christianity as an adult in Chicago prior to attending law school, yet no one at law school saw him display any interest in converting. Obama unabashedly explained how he became &quot;churched&quot; in a 2007 speech: &quot;It's around that time [while working as an organizer for the Developing Communities Project (DCP) of the Calumet Community Religious Conference (CCRC) in Chicago] that some pastors I was working with came around and asked if I was a member of a church. 'If you're organizing churches,' they said, 'it might be helpful if you went to a church once in a while.' And I thought, 'I guess that makes sense.'&quot;&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.speroforum.com/site/article.asp?id=15363 Obama, ACORN, and the churches] SperoNews, October 7, 2008&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> *Obama is mentioned as helping to organize the 1995 million man march led by black [[Muslim]] leader [[Louis Farrakhan]] from the [[Nation of Islam]]. &lt;ref&gt;[http://www.biography.com/search/article.do?id=9291850 Louis Farrakhan Biography] Biography.com&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> *Obama has chosen the [[Secret Service]] code name &quot;Renegade&quot;. &quot;Renegade&quot; conventionally describes someone who goes against normal conventions of behavior, but its first usage was to describe someone who has turned from their religion. It is a word derived from the [[Spanish]] ''renegado'', meaning &quot;Christian turned Muslim.&quot;&lt;ref&gt;http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/barackobama/3452281/Renegade-and-Renaissance-Obama-to-replace-Trailblazer-and-Tempo-Bush-in-the-White-House.html&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> *Obama enjoyed a bigger increase in voter support in 2008 (compared to 2004) by Muslims than by any other voting group, including blacks;&lt;ref&gt;http://www.altmuslim.com/a/a/a/2873/&lt;/ref&gt; &quot;Muslim turnout in the U.S. elections reached 95 percent, the highest Muslim turnout in U.S. history.&quot;&lt;ref&gt;http://newsweek.washingtonpost.com/postglobal/islamsadvance/2008/11/is_obama_the_muslim_worlds_sup.html&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> *&quot;President-elect [[Barack Obama]] has yet to attend [Sunday] church services since winning the [[White House]] earlier ..., a departure from the example of his two immediate predecessors.&quot;&lt;ref&gt;http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1108/15902.html&lt;/ref&gt;&lt;ref&gt;http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/washingtondc/la-na-obama-religion26-2008dec26,0,1910913.story&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> *Obama used his Muslim middle name when sworn in as President.&lt;ref&gt;http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/ET_Cetera/Obama_to_take_oath_using_middle_name_/articleshow/3813120.cms&lt;/ref&gt;&lt;ref&gt;http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/12/10/politics/main4660590.shtml?source=RSSattr=Politics_4660590&lt;/ref&gt; <br /> *Obama botched his public oath of office in which he placed his hand on a Bible, then chose not to use the Bible for his real, private oath.<br /> [[Image:Obamabow.jpg|thumb|right|President Obama bowing to the King of Saudi Arabia - April 2009]]<br /> *'''At the G20 summit in April 2009, Obama bowed deeply to Saudi King Abdullah, a Muslim who is also the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques.'''&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LEUif1--r38&amp;feature=player_embedded Video of Obama bowing almost to King's waist]&lt;/ref&gt; Never before in the history of the U.S. has a president displayed such shocking deference to a foreign official and Obama has not bowed to any other royal leaders. Obama later stated, &quot;We have to change our behavior in showing the Muslim world greater respect.&quot;&lt;ref&gt;http://washingtontimes.com/news/2009/apr/07/barack-takes-a-bow/&lt;/ref&gt; Obama's spin doctors and left-wing apologists dismissed the obviousness of the bow. One anonymous aide stated, &quot;It wasn't a bow. He grasped his hand with two hands, and he's taller than King Abdullah.&quot;&lt;ref&gt;http://www.onenewsnow.com/Blog/Default.aspx?id=483326&lt;/ref&gt; However, in video of the incident, Obama's left hand can clearly be seen staying at his side until after he had finished his bow.&lt;ref&gt;http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9WlqW6UCeaY&lt;/ref&gt; Additionally, Obama also met with Queen Elizabeth, who is much shorter than King Abdullah, but he did not bow when he shook her hand and neither he nor the queen appeared to have any difficulty.&lt;ref&gt;http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=71N34K9EVLU&lt;/ref&gt; (Many liberals and even a handful of conservatives have proposed that President Bush also bowed before King Abdullah.&lt;ref&gt;http://littlegreenfootballs.com/article/33289_Bush_Bowed_Too&lt;/ref&gt; However, there is a vast, inexorable difference between bending down to receive a medal as Bush did and bowing in deference to a foreign leader as Obama did.)<br /> *Obama required that a religiously affiliated college take the extraordinary action of concealing with wood the monogram &quot;IHS&quot;, which represents the name of Jesus, during a speech by Obama there&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.foxnews.com/politics/first100days/2009/04/16/georgetown-university-hid-religious-symbols-white-house-request/ Georgetown hides Jesus' name at request of Obama's White House]&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> Obama tries to downplay his [[Islamic]] background by claiming that his [[Kenya|Kenyan]] [[Muslim]] father was a &quot;confirmed [[atheist]]&quot; before Obama was born, but in fact less than 1% of Kenyans are atheists, agnostics, or non-religious.&lt;ref&gt;http://www.adherents.com/Na/Na_14.html&lt;/ref&gt; There is apparently no evidence of any Christian activities or local church participation by Obama while he was in Massachusetts from 1988 to 1991, nor of Barack Obama's joining of a Mosque (The Islamic house of worship) at any time in his life. Finally, Obama abruptly left his radical Christian church in Chicago in 2008, when it became politically controversial, without first finding another church to join. On April 7, 2009, Obama visited a mosque in Istanbul, Turkey.&lt;ref&gt;http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=CNG.c2e3700ab4e271bc32827b0fccfe560b.421&amp;show_article=1&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> __TOC__ &lt;!--Do not remove this. We want to keep the insights on the first screen of viewing--&gt;<br /> <br /> ==Early life and education==<br /> Barack Hussein Obama II claims to have been born in [[Honolulu]], [[Hawaii]] to Barack Sr. and Ann Dunham in 1961, but there is evidence that he may have actually been born in Kenya. In 1967, he moved with his mother and new stepfather to Jakarta, [[Indonesia]]. He attended a [[Catholic]] elementary school for two years, followed by an Indonesian public school for two years. Media scrutiny in the light of Obama's campaign for President revealed that the Indonesia public school was not a madrassa, teaching Islam. His days off of school in observance of Islamic holidays were spent praying in a Mosque with his stepfather. &lt;ref&gt;[http://www.newsmax.com/insidecover/pipes_obama_muslim/2008/10/09/138898.html Obama 'Lying' About Muslim Past, Expert Says] NewsMax, October 9, 2008&lt;/ref&gt; After Indonesia, he returned to the United States with his mother where he attended the Punahou School, the leading private preparatory school in [[Hawaii]], until he graduated in 1979.<br /> <br /> For college, Obama initially attended Occidental College in Los Angeles, [[California]], before transferring to [[Columbia University]] in New York, [[New York]] and graduating without honors with a Bachelor of Arts degree, majoring in political science. Obama refuses to describe his academic performance at Columbia despite commenting about New York during this period and despite disclosures of the academic record for all other major-party presidential candidates since at least 2000.&lt;ref&gt;http://www.nysun.com/new-york/obamas-years-at-columbia-are-a-mystery/85015/&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> After working as a community organizer in New York City and Chicago, Illinois, Obama enrolled at [[Harvard]] Law School. He became a member of the ''Harvard Law Review'', which uses racial quotas, in 1989. He was then elected by popular vote as its first African American president in 1990, a story that was immediately promoted in the [[New York Times]].&lt;ref&gt;http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C0CE2DC1631F935A35751C0A966958260&amp;scp=3&amp;sq=Obama%201990&amp;st=cse&lt;/ref&gt; He graduated ''magna cum laude'' with his J.D. in 1991, but did not serve in a clerkship. Federal clerkships are the typical post-graduate position for top law students.<br /> <br /> Obama has described himself as a constitutional law professor at the University of Chicago.&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2007/03/30/politics/p132303D74.DTL&amp;type=politics]&lt;/ref&gt; He held the position of Lecturer, an adjunct position, from 1992 to 1996.&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.law.uchicago.edu/media/index.html]&lt;/ref&gt; He held the position of Senior Lecturer from 1996 until his election to the senate in 2004.&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.law.uchicago.edu/media/index.html]&lt;/ref&gt; Dan Ronayne, a spokesman for the Republican National Committee, has pointed that Obama was only a senior lecturer and not a full professor. &lt;ref&gt;[http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2007/03/30/politics/p132303D74.DTL&amp;type=politics]&lt;/ref&gt;The University states that Senior Lecturers are regarded as professors, although not full-time or tenure track.&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.law.uchicago.edu/media/index.html]&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> == Religious Affiliation ==<br /> Obama and his wife (raised a Baptist) were members of the Trinity [[United Church of Christ]]&lt;ref&gt;http://www.tucc.org/about.htm&lt;/ref&gt; in Chicago. The church embraces [[black liberation theology]] and its emphasis on empowering oppressed groups against establishment forces. This denomination was the first in America to ordain gays, women and blacks as ministers.&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.mcclatchydc.com/227/story/31079.html], http://www.mcclatchydc.com/227/story/31079.html, Obama's church pushes controversial doctrines, March 20, 2008&lt;/ref&gt; According to his sister, Obama was baptized at this church the same year.&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/04/30/america/30obama.php?page=2 http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/04/30/america/30obama.php?page=2]&lt;/ref&gt; Obama describes his conversion in ''The Audacity of Hope''. The title of this book is taken from one of Pastor Wright's sermons. <br /> In April 2008, Obama disavowed Pastor Wright's views. In May 2008, Obama left his church. His response blamed the media &lt;ref&gt;[http://elections.foxnews.com/2008/05/31/obama-resigns-church-membership-in-chicago/], Obama Drops Church Membership in Chicago, may 31, 2008&lt;/ref&gt;, stating “It’s not fair to the other members of the church who seek to worship in peace...&quot;, and called Wright's rhetoric &quot;&quot;a bunch of rants that aren't grounded in the truth.&quot;&lt;ref&gt;USA TODAY, ''Obama breaks with former pastor, Candidate cites rants on U.S. role in terror, AIDS'', by Kathy Kiely and David Jackson [http://www.usatoday.com/printedition/news/20080430/1a_offlede30_dom.art.htm]&lt;/ref&gt;&lt;ref&gt;''Obama Says He Is Outraged By Wright's &quot;Rants&quot;''[http://www.usnews.com/usnews/politics/bulletin/bulletin_080430.htm]&lt;/ref&gt; Wright had been making inflammatory comments and posting his sermons online for sale. These include the statements &quot;G-d damn America&quot; and describing the September 11th attacks, he said &quot;We have supported state terrorism against the Palestinians and black South Africans, and now we are indignant because the stuff we have done overseas is now brought right back to our own front yards. America's chickens are coming home to roost.&quot;&lt;ref&gt;[ http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/Story?id=4443788 Obama's Pastor: G-d Damn America, U.S. to Blame for 9/11]&lt;/ref&gt; In addition, Rev. Wright blamed America saying &quot;We supported Zionism shamelessly while ignoring the Palestinians and branding anybody who spoke out against it as being anti-Semitic.&quot; <br /> <br /> [[Image:Barack Obama Jeremiah Wright.jpg|thumb|Barack Obama and Jeremiah Wright.]]<br /> <br /> [[Daniel Pipes]] claims that Obama was raised a [[Muslim]] because he attended classes on the Koran while attending a Muslim school.&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.danielpipes.org/article/5286 Was Barack Obama a Muslim&lt;/ref&gt; Obama did attend a school administrated by Muslims but [[CNN]] reports that it was a non-religious public school attended by students of many faiths, not a [[madrassa]].&lt;ref&gt;http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/01/22/obama.madrassa/&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> {{QuoteBox|In Indonesia, I'd spent 2 years at a Muslim school, 2 years at a Catholic school. In the Muslim school, the teacher wrote to tell mother I made faces during Koranic studies. In the Catholic school, when it came time to pray, I'd pretend to close my eyes, then peek around the room. Nothing happened. No angels descended. Just a parched old nun and 30 brown children, muttering words. Sometimes the nun would catch me, and her stern look would force my lids back shut. But that didn't change how I felt inside.&quot;}}&lt;ref&gt;Dreams from My Father, by Barack Obama, p.142 Aug 1, 1996 &lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> Obama has described his upbringing as occurring in a non-religious environment. <br /> <br /> {{QuoteBox|In sum, my mother viewed religion through the eyes of the anthropologist that she would become; it was a phenomenon to be treated with a suitable respect, but with a suitable detachment as well. Moreover, as a child I rarely came in contact with those who might offer a substantially different view of faith. My father was almost entirely absent from my childhood, having been divorced from my mother when I was 2 years old; in any event, although my father had been raised a Muslim, by the time he met my mother he was a confirmed atheist, thinking religion to be so much superstition.<br /> <br /> And yet for all her professed secularism, my mother was in many ways the most spiritually awakened person that I've ever known. She had an unswerving instinct for kindness, charity, and love, and spent much of her life acting on that instinct, sometimes to her detriment. Without the help of religious texts or outside authorities, she worked mightily to instill in me the values that many Americans learn in Sunday school: honesty, empathy, discipline, delayed gratification, and hard work. She raged at poverty and injustice.}}&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1546579-4,00.html My Spiritual Journey] Time Magazine, October 2006&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> ==Obama and Elitism and Ayers==<br /> <br /> Obama has consistently shown himself to be an elitist who looks down on &quot;ordinary&quot; Americans. Asked to explain why working-class [[Democrats]] do not support him while campaigning for the [[Pennsylvania]] primary, Obama replied &quot;it's not surprising, then, they get bitter, they cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren't like them or anti-immigrant sentiment or anti-trade sentiment as a way to explain their frustrations.&quot;&lt;ref&gt;http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7344532.stm&lt;/ref&gt; In response to outrage when his remarks were unexpectedly publicized, Obama did not recount his statement but instead replied, I &quot;didn't say it as well as I should have.&quot;&lt;ref&gt;http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7344532.stm&lt;/ref&gt; Although many rural counties went for McCain, Obama carried the state with 54.6% of the vote, compared to 44.3% for John McCain.&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.electionreturns.state.pa.us/ElectionsInformation.aspx?FunctionID=13&amp;ElectionID=28&amp;OfficeID=1]&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> In an attempt counter the view by many that Obama is an elitist, he began running campaign ads claiming that he &quot;worked his way through college and Harvard Law.&quot; This claim is at best an exaggeration, as Obama only held summer jobs while in college and law school&lt;ref&gt;http://www.factcheck.org/elections-2008/obamas_work_claim.html&lt;/ref&gt;, and he would have likely benefited from special scholarships not available to most students.<br /> <br /> Obama almost always reads from prepared text on a [[teleprompter]] and rarely allows tough questions.&lt;ref&gt;After one debate against [[Hillary Clinton]] in Philadelphia, the Obama campaign announced that the questions were too difficult and that Obama would not agree to future debates with her.&lt;/ref&gt;&lt;ref name=&quot;teleprompter&quot;&gt;The Daily Standard, ''Obama Unplugged Lost without a Teleprompter'', by Dean Barnett, 02/12/2008[http://www.weeklystandard.com/content/public/articles/000/000/014/728ofzey.asp]&lt;/ref&gt; Indeed, when unable to read from prepared text he often fails at articulating his positions and is caught tripping over his own feet.&lt;ref&gt;This was first displayed in the Saddleback Forum, and has occurred subsequently also.&lt;/ref&gt; His most recent debate performances illustrate that he may have been extensively coached over the course of 2008, although he still repeatedly fumbles at moments where he moves off his memorized remarks.<br /> <br /> Obama refers to America in the third person, as a foreigner would. In his first television interview after becoming president, Obama declared that &quot;all too often the United States starts by dictating.&quot; Earlier, when Obama gave his acceptance speech, he said &quot;We may not get there in one year or even one term, but America - I have never been more hopeful than I am tonight that we will get there.&quot;&lt;ref&gt;[http://news.yahoo.com/s/ynews/ynews_pl135]&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> President Obama is the first person having ties to a known former terrorist to gain control over America's nuclear weapons.&lt;ref&gt;http://www.clevelandleader.com/node/7127&lt;/ref&gt;&lt;ref&gt;http://elections.foxnews.com/2008/08/26/obama-associate-bill-ayers-unrepentant-for-acts-of-terror/&lt;/ref&gt; Author and blogger Jack Cashill requisitioned a comparison of the writing style of Bill Ayers' 2001 memoir, ''Fugitive Days'', with Barack Obama's earlier 1995 book, ''Dreams From My Father'', and came to the conclusion that Ayres may have ghostwritten Dreams.&lt;ref&gt;www.cashill.com, ''Who Wrote “Dreams From My Father&quot;?'', by Jack Cashill, October 9, 2008, retrieved on 10/16/2008 [http://www.cashill.com/natl_general/who_wrote_dreams_from.htm] Cashill states that a computer comparison of Obama's so-called autobiography with that of the terrorist Bill Ayers, supports the theory that Ayers actually wrote parts of Obama's book; also he wrote &quot;None of this, of course, proves Ayers' authorship conclusively, but the evidence makes him a much more likely candidate than Obama to have written the best parts of Dreams&quot;. &quot;In assessing the signature of sample passages from Dreams,&quot; the experienced analyst found &quot;a very strong match to all of the Ayers samples&quot; that he processed. He did not address the possibility that Ayers had plagiarized from Obama's earlier book. A philosophy professor from England disagreed.[http://wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&amp;pageId=77815]&lt;/ref&gt; Ayers admitted that he was &quot;guilty as hell&quot; in planting bombs in the 1970s, and that he has no regrets and felt he &quot;should have done more.&quot;&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.clevelandleader.com/node/7127]&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> ==Insights==<br /> <br /> Obama displayed ignorance about American history when he said, &quot;Throughout our history, America's confronted constantly evolving danger, from the oppression of an empire, to the lawlessness of the frontier, '''from the bomb that fell on Pearl Harbor''', to the threat of nuclear annihilation.&quot;&lt;ref&gt;http://www.weeklystandard.com/weblogs/TWSFP/2008/07/obama_ignorance_watch_1.asp&lt;/ref&gt; <br /> <br /> Obama has described himself as a constitutional law professor at the University of Chicago.&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2007/03/30/politics/p132303D74.DTL&amp;type=politics]&lt;/ref&gt; He held the position of Lecturer, an adjunct position, from 1992 to 1996.&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.law.uchicago.edu/media/index.html]&lt;/ref&gt; He held the position of Senior Lecturer from 1996 until his election to the senate in 2004.&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.law.uchicago.edu/media/index.html]&lt;/ref&gt; Dan Ronayne, a spokesman for the Republican National Committee, has pointed that Obama was only a senior lecturer and not a full professor. &lt;ref&gt;[http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2007/03/30/politics/p132303D74.DTL&amp;type=politics]&lt;/ref&gt;The University states that Senior Lecturers are regarded as professors, although not full-time or tenure track.&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.law.uchicago.edu/media/index.html]&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> In his 1995 memoir, ''Dreams from My Father'', Obama admitted using illegal drugs, including cocaine and marijuana, which he referred to as &quot;blow&quot; and &quot;pot&quot; respectively, in his high school years and into his college years, before claiming to choose a different path in life.&lt;ref&gt;http://www.nbc5.com/politics/3444371/detail.html&lt;/ref&gt;&lt;ref&gt;http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2008/02/26/obamas_senate_foreign_relations_work/&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> Obama wore an American flag lapel pin after [[9/11]], but later stopped wearing it without adequate explanation.&lt;ref&gt;http://www.swamppolitics.com/news/politics/blog/2007/10/when_did_obama_stop_wearing_a.html&lt;/ref&gt; Presumably it would have hurt him with anti-military campaign donors.&lt;ref&gt;In 2007, at critical moments in his campaign for the nomination, Obama had difficulties securing the support of anti-war activists. [http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/04/04/politics/main2645861.shtml]&lt;/ref&gt; Recently, he has begun wearing one again for reasons that are likely political pandering.<br /> <br /> In his memoirs, Obama claimed a ''[[Life]]'' magazine article about a man who had become ill after trying to lighten his skin color by chemical means had a major impact on him. In fact, ''Life'' never published any such article.&lt;ref&gt;http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/03/26/AR2007032601583.html&lt;/ref&gt;&lt;ref&gt;&quot;Then there's the copy of Life magazine that Obama presents as his racial awakening at age 9. In it, he wrote, was an article and two accompanying photographs of an African-American man physically and mentally scarred by his efforts to lighten his skin. In fact, the Life article and the photographs don't exist, say the magazine's own historians.&quot; [http://newsbusters.org/node/11641]&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> Obama said that &quot;[t]here was something stirring across the country because of what happened in Selma, [[Alabama]], because some folks are willing to march across a bridge. So they got together and Barack Obama Jr. was born.&quot; In fact, Obama was born in 1961 and the Selma march took place in 1965.&lt;ref&gt;http://michellemalkin.com/2008/05/21/barack-obama-gaffe-machine/&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> Obama states that he has consistently opposed the [[Iraq War]] since 2002, a claim and position that former President [[Bill Clinton]] criticized as &quot;the biggest fairy tale I've ever seen.&quot;&lt;ref&gt;http://www.reuters.com/article/politicsNews/idUSN1131516320080111&lt;/ref&gt; In his famous 2002 speech&lt;ref&gt;http://www.barackobama.com/2002/10/02/remarks_of_illinois_state_sen.php&lt;/ref&gt; at an anti-war rally, Obama said that he was against &quot;dumb wars&quot; and expressed some reservations about the Iraq War because he disagrees with the ideological agendas of the Bush administration, but he did not explicitly oppose the war. In his 2004 Democrat Convention speech, Obama said that he did not know how he would have voted on the Iraq War.<br /> <br /> Obama's campaign &quot;is proud to be actively participating in over 60 local and state wide [[homosexual]] Pride events over the summer.&quot;&lt;ref&gt;http://my.barackobama.com/page/community/post/jcitron/gG5VLs&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> Obama claimed to have visited 57 states while campaigning for President of the United States.&lt;ref&gt; [http://www.mediaresearch.org/BozellColumns/newscolumn/2008/col20080528.asp Barack Potatoe Obama?]&lt;/ref&gt; &lt;ref&gt;http://www.stoptheaclu.com/archives/2008/05/12/obamas-freudian-slip-there-are-57-islamic-states/&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> ==Charitable Giving==<br /> <br /> In the years 2000 through 2004, before becoming a United States Senator and being in the public spotlight, Obama gave 1% of his earnings to charity even though he made $250,000 per year. Since becoming a national figure, that amount has jumped to 6%.&lt;ref&gt;http://patterico.com/2008/10/31/obama-and-bidens-charitable-giving-they-dont-want-to-spread-their-own-wealth-around/&lt;/ref&gt; Obama's small donations are consistent with atheism and were perhaps influenced by his nonbelieving mother. According to a study by the Barna Group, atheists give less per capita in donations than religious Americans &lt;ref&gt;http://www.barna.org/FlexPage.aspx?Page=BarnaUpdateNarrow&amp;BarnaUpdateID=272 The Barna Update, 2007&lt;/ref&gt;.<br /> <br /> ==Aunt is in the United States Illegally==<br /> At the end of October 2008 it came to light that Obama's aunt is in the United States illegally and has been since 2004 when her request for asylum was turned down. She has been living in public tax payer funded housing in Boston. This may have some bearing on Obama's immigration policy given that a member of his own family is in violation of current US immigration law. There are also questions about how much Obama knew about this.&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27481680 Obama's Aunt Living in US Illegally]&lt;/ref&gt; The Obama campaign issued a statement to the effect that they had no knowledge of this situation and returned the donation she made to his campaign; in the United States it is illegal to accept campaign contributions from people who are not currently citizens or legal residents of the United States. &lt;ref&gt;http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/11/01/obama.aunt/index.html&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> ==Statements==<br /> Obama has been noted by several independent sources as misquoting historical events and statements by famous persons. A notable example came after Obama's win in the [[North Carolina]] democratic primary. Obama was quoted as saying, &quot;I trust the American people to understand that it is not weakness, but wisdom to talk not just to our friends, but to our enemies as Roosevelt did, and Kennedy did, and Truman did.&quot; (Franklin Delano) Roosevelt spoke with none of the [[Axis]] or [[Japanese]] leaders and the the only communication that was sent to them was unconditional surrender. (President) [[Harry Truman]] took over for FDR and continued his unconditional surrender philosophy as well as ending [[World War II]] with an atomic bomb.&lt;ref&gt;http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2008/05/obama_needs_to_study_history_b.html&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> ==Legal career==<br /> Following law school, Obama continued his work as a community organizer in Chicago as the director of Illinois Project Vote. In 1993 he was hired as an associate at the Chicago law firm Miner, Barnhill &amp; Galland, P.C., and began lecturing in Constitutional Law at the University of Chicago Law School. He remains on the faculty on leave of absence through today. During this time he wrote his first book, ''Dreams from My Father'', detailing his background, his youth, and his education. ''Dreams'' was published in 1995.<br /> <br /> ==Senate career==<br /> [[Image:obama.jpg|thumb|right|Senator Barack Obama]]<br /> Obama was elected to the Illinois State Senate for the first time in 1996 and served there for the next eight years. <br /> <br /> October 2008 crimes against Academy Award winner Jennifer Hudson's family highlighted Obama's record against law and order, as he voted against making it a crime in Illinois &quot;for convicts on probation or on bail to have contact with a street gang&quot;.&lt;ref&gt;[http://thehill.com/leading-the-news/obamas-crime-votes-are-fodder-for-rivals-2007-03-13.html]&lt;/ref&gt;&lt;ref&gt;The person of interest in the murders of Hudson's mother, brother, and 7-year-old nephew is the estranged husband of Hudson's sister and a convicted felon who had violated his parole conditions.[http://www.chicagotribune.com/chi-julian-king-autopsy-1029,0,2752431.story]&lt;/ref&gt; &quot;'We've got 75,000 gang members - that's almost six gang members to one police officer,'&quot; in Obama's hometown of Chicago.&lt;ref&gt;&quot;More people have been murdered in Chicago this year than in New York - even though New York's population is three times greater. When Hudson's mother, brother and nephew were killed last month, they pushed the city's homicide total for the year to 436 and counting. New York has had 430 homicides.&quot; [http://www.nydailynews.com/news/us_world/2008/11/01/2008-11-01_chicago_buried_in_murders.html]&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> Following a failed campaign for the House of Representatives, Obama ran for the open Senate seat from Illinois in 2004. Obama delivered the keynote address at the 2004 Democratic National Convention. He won a seat in the [[U.S. Senate]] after [[liberals]] obtained the release of confidential and personally embarrassing divorce records of his opponent, Jack Ryan, forcing him to resign from the race and be replaced by the out-of-state candidate [[Alan Keyes]].<br /> <br /> A March 16th, 2005 AP article puts Senator Obama on record to ban oil drilling in the Alaska frontier known as ANWR &lt;ref&gt;http://www.commondreams.org/headlines05/0316-13.htm&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> His 2007 voting record in the U.S. [[Senate]] makes him as its most [[liberal]] member. Among fellow Senate Democrats, he was further left than liberals like [[Ted Kennedy]], [[John Kerry]], [[Dianne Feinstein]], [[Charles Schumer]], [[Russ Feingold]], [[Carl Levin]], [[Joseph Biden]] and [[Harry Reid]].&lt;ref&gt;[http://nationaljournal.com/voteratings/sen/lib_cons.htm?o1=lib_composite&amp;o2=desc]&lt;/ref&gt; He has grown steadily more liberal since arriving at the Senate: the same analysis assessed him as 10th most liberal in 2006&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.nationaljournal.com/members/news/2007/voteratings/sen/lib_cons.htm?o1=lib_composite&amp;o2=desc]&lt;/ref&gt; and 16th most liberal in 2005.&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.nationaljournal.com/members/news/2007/voteratings/sen/lib_cons.htm?o1=lib_composite&amp;o2=desc]&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> In late 2006, Obama's second book, ''The Audacity of Hope'', was published. Its title was supplied by the Rev. Jeremiah A. Wright Jr., a minister who has stated that &quot;racism is how this country was founded and how this country was run .... We believe in white supremacy and black inferiority and believe it more than we believe in God.&quot;&lt;ref&gt;http://blog.washingtonpost.com/the-trail/2008/03/14/obama_condemns_pastors_remarks.html&lt;/ref&gt; The book contains more of Senator Obama's personal story including the roles of both family and politics. ''Audacity'' spent 30 weeks on the ''New York Times'' Nonfiction Best Sellers list.&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/27/books/bestseller/0527besthardnonfiction.html?_r=1&amp;oref=slogin New York Times Best Sellers Non Fiction]&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> Senator Obama is the chairman of an important subcommittee that has oversight of our efforts in Afghanistan. He has not held a single hearing on Afghanistan even though American forces are risking their lives in a theatre of war. Since joining Foreign Relations, Obama has missed three meetings on a &quot;new strategy&quot; in [[Afghanistan]], a country he only visited in 2008.&lt;ref&gt;[http://thehill.com/leading-the-news/obama-absent-at-afghanistan-hearings-2008-03-01.html&lt;/ref&gt; Barack Obama clinched his party's nomination for President after 16 straight months of campaigning.<br /> <br /> In June 2008, Obama voted with the Democratic party to kill the sunset provision of the [[Bush]] tax cuts. By letting these tax cuts expire, single mothers with two kids will pay an additional $1,800 annually. Married couples with incomes of $50,000 will pay an additional $2,180 annually. Elderly couples will pay an additional $2,000 annually and a family of four will pay 191% more per year in taxes. Barack Obama often claims to be for taxing the rich their fair share. By voting to eliminate the Bush tax cuts, Obama is taxing most middle class and blue collar families.<br /> <br /> Obama and the Democratic-led Congress has voted for the upgraded GI Bill despite the opposition from the President, the Secretary of Defense, the Pentagon, the generals in combat zones and the GOP Presidential nominee. It was crafted to increase veteran benefits. Yet, the strain on our military is great.&lt;ref&gt;[http://marcambinder.theatlantic.com/archives/2008/05/mccain_to_obama_dont_demagogue.php] http://marcambinder.theatlantic.com/archives/2008/05/mccain_to_obama_dont_demagogue.php , McCain To Obama: Don't Demagogue The GI Bill, May 22, 2008&lt;/ref&gt; The bill would cost $2.8 to $4 billion per month. Some argue that this bill depletes the US's volunteer military personnel by enticing them to leave service rather than be re-deployed.<br /> <br /> As senator, Obama has requested nearly $936 million in earmarks which averages to $500,000. per day over four years, &lt;ref&gt;[http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122108935141721343.html?mod=googlenews_wsj Obama Can't Win Against Palin] Wall Street Journal, September 11, 2008&lt;/ref&gt; for which the Council for Citizens Against Government Waste has given him a rating of 10% in 2007 (18% lifetime).&lt;ref&gt;[http://councilfor.cagw.org/site/DocServer/2007_Senate_Ratings_Final.pdf?docID=3242 2007 Senate Scorecard]&lt;/ref&gt; A score of 100% represents voting against all pork, and 0% represents voting ''for'' all pork. Democrats averaged 5% in 2007, whereas Republicans averaged 60%. &lt;ref&gt;[http://councilfor.cagw.org/site/News2?abbr=CCAGW_&amp;page=NewsArticle&amp;id=11590 CCAGW Releases ''2007 Congressional Ratings'']&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> According to a Fox News report on October 5th, Obama has taken more than $126,000. in campaign contribution from [[Fannie Mae]] in a little over three years. This ranks him second, only Chris Dodd has received more campaign contribution dollars from Fannie Mae.<br /> <br /> === Bills co-sponsored ===<br /> Obama's principal legislation was S. 2433, which was an attempt to force the U.S. to increase its foreign aid by hundreds of billions of dollars under the guise of reducing global poverty, which was subsequently blocked by [[conservatives]].&lt;ref&gt;http://www.cnsnews.com/ViewPolitics.asp?Page=/Politics/archive/200802/POL20080225a.html&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> Obama did support and co-sponsor a bill championed by [[Tom Coburn]] and known as the Coburn-Obama Government Transparency Act of 2006, which was signed into law by President [[George W. Bush]] on Sept. 9, 2006. This law created a website that will list the federal government's grants and contracts.&lt;ref&gt; http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2006/09/20060926.html&lt;/ref&gt; <br /> <br /> Between Jan 13, 2007 and March 13, 2008, Sen. Obama has sponsored 120 mostly [[liberal]] resolutions and bills in the Senate.&lt;ref&gt;http://thomas.loc.gov/&lt;/ref&gt; His supporters cite the following less liberal examples, but this list is not representative:<br /> <br /> *S.117 : A bill to amend titles 10 and 38, United States Code, to improve benefits and services for members of the Armed Forces, veterans of the Global War on Terrorism, and other veterans, to require reports on the effects of the Global War on Terrorism, and for other purposes.<br /> <br /> *S.133 : A bill to promote the national security and stability of the economy of the United States by reducing the dependence of the United States on oil through the use of alternative fuels and new technology, and for other purposes.<br /> <br /> *S.453 : A bill to prohibit deceptive practices in Federal elections.<br /> <br /> *S.713 : A bill to ensure dignity in care for members of the Armed Forces recovering from injuries.<br /> <br /> === Accomplishments while serving on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee ===<br /> <br /> In February 2008, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee approved Obama's proposal on a new strategy to reduce poverty throughout the world.<br /> <br /> Obama worked with Sen. Lugar writing legislation aimed at improving conventional and nuclear non-proliferation efforts. This legislation was signed by [[George W. Bush|President Bush]] in January 2008.<br /> <br /> In June 2007 the Senate passed his resolution condemning violence by the [[Zimbabwe]] government. It also passed legislation co-sponsored by Obama that financed a Special Court for Sierra Leone to prosecute former [[Liberia | Liberian]] President [[Charles Taylor]]. &lt;ref&gt; http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2008/02/26/obamas_senate_foreign_relations_work/ &lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> Barack Obama continued to collect money for a 2010 Senate re-election campaign as late as June 2008, and has filed reports recently indicating that money is still pouring into this fund. This is especially notable because it is an efficient way of sidetracking donations from his Presidential race. The website&lt;obamasenate2010.gov&gt; is now defunct.<br /> <br /> ==Presidential campaign==<br /> [[Image:Democrat Obama during the Pledge.jpg|325px|thumb|right|Obama, on the campaign trail, stands with folded hands while [[Bill Richardson]] and [[Hillary Clinton]] honor the flag by placing their hands over their heart during the [[National Anthem]]. [http://rawstory.com/news/2007/Obama_doesnt_put_hand_over_heart_1022.html See Video] ]]<br /> Senator Obama began his candidacy for President of the United States on February 10, 2007, in Springfield, Illinois. His announcement speech largely avoided specific campaign issues and focused on his general political message of hope for the future. It also attempted to strongly invoke the memory of Abraham Lincoln and his &quot;House Divided&quot; speech.&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/02/10/obama.president/index.html &quot;Obama declares he's running for President&quot;] 11 February 2007, www.CNN.com &lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> Obama's campaign has been financed largely by [[leftist]] donors opposed to the war and to the [[American]] military in general. Obama has encouraged this by refusing to wear the customary flag on his lapel during appearances (asserting that he would prefer his patriotism to be represented through his actions rather than an arbitrary symbol) and by other less-than-patriotic gestures and symbols, such as declining to put his hand over his heart during a patriotic recitation. In an appearance on May 16 where he addressed President Bush's statements that some politicians would prefer appeasing terrorists through negotiations, Senator Obama once again wore the flag pin as he did following 9-11. <br /> <br /> By early April 2007, his campaign generated over $25 million from over 100,000 contributors. $23.5 million of that money will be available for the Democratic Primary.&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/05/us/politics/05obama.html Obama Shows His Strength in a Fund-Raising Feat on Par With Clinton], 4 April 2007, Jeff Zeleny and Patrick Healy,'' The New York Times''&lt;/ref&gt; After the first Democratic presidential debate in Columbia, South Carolina, Obama's image as an &quot;articulate&quot; spokesman came into question after his failure to state right away that he would retaliate in case of further terrorist strikes against the United States.&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/27/AR2007042702162.html?hpid=moreheadlines Clinton Campaign Tries to Keep Heat on Obama Over Debate Response], Dan Balz, ''Washington Post'' April 28, 2007.&lt;/ref&gt;&lt;ref&gt;Chicago Sun-Times, <br /> [http://www.suntimes.com/news/sweet/362269,CST-NWS-sweet29.article 'I was a little nervous' at debate'], Lynn Sweet, <br /> April 29, 2007,&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> During a fund raising event in Virginia in May 2007 Obama told donors,<br /> {{Cquote|This week there was a tragedy in Kansas. Ten thousand people died. An entire town destroyed.&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,271357,00.html Transcript: 'Special Report with Brit Hume,' May 9, 2007], retrieved from ''FOX News'', 06/13/07.&lt;/ref&gt;}}<br /> <br /> In reality, the tornado which touched down in Kansas cost the lives of nine people in the town of Greensburg, and twelve overall in Kansas.<br /> <br /> Speaking regarding his knowledge of the Afghanistan conflict, Obama points the finger at U.S. troops and American policy &quot;...just airraiding villages and killing civilians, which is causing enormous problems there.&quot; &lt;ref&gt;[http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,293365,00.html Barack Obama Caught on Tape Accusing U.S. Troops of 'Killing Civilians'] Fox News, August 15, 2007&lt;/ref&gt; [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wrW4fOGIMVY See Video]<br /> <br /> By August it appeared Obama was running to be left off the ticket completely rather than the much ballyhooed Hillary/Obama ticket the [[mainstream media]] was pushing. After a series of ill-advised foreign policy statements, Obama was openly criticized as a lightweight even by liberals, in much the same vein as [[John Edwards]] and [[Dan Quayle]] had been depicted. First, Obama said he would have face-to-face meetings with two of Florida's most feared enemies, [[Fidel Castro]] and [[Hugo Chavez]]. Florida is a key state to any presidential ambitions. Then Obama claimed that he would be willing to invade the sovereign territory of a U.S. ally without prior consultation. Finally, Obama broke the cardinal rule of declaring he would not use nuclear weapons, removing the element of bluff U.S. Presidents had vitally depended upon throughout the [[Cold War]] era. The incidents all added up to a picture of a candidate ill-prepared and ill-advised, lacking in a basic understanding of the office of the Presidency, and failing to surround himself with appointees able to make up for his deficiencies. However, Obama won the Iowa Democratic caucuses, pushing [[Hillary Clinton]] into third place, and went on to become the unofficial Democratic nominee.<br /> <br /> At a campaign event in Elkhart, Indiana, a seven-year-old girl asked Barack Obama why he wants to be President. He replies, <br /> '''&quot;America is …, uh, is no longer, uh … what it could be, what it once was. And I say to myself, I don’t want that future for my children.&quot;''' &lt;ref&gt;[http://newsbusters.org/blogs/tom-blumer/2008/08/09/mostly-mia-obamas-downer-america-delivered-7-year-old Media Mostly MIA on Obama's 'America No Longer What It Once Was' Downer Delivered to 7 Year-Old] Newsbusters.org, August 9, 2008&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> Obama became the presumptive Democratic nominee on June 3rd after receiving a majority of pledged delegates and superdelegates. His only remaining primary opponent, [[Hillary Clinton]], conceded the race on June 7th. On August 23, Joe Biden was announced as Obama's vice-presidential nominee. Obama became the official Democratic nominee on August 27 at the Democratic National Convention, when Hillary Clinton's motion to end the roll call vote of the states and select Obama by acclamation was passed.<br /> <br /> On June 5th, Obama spoke at Briston, Virginia- Healthcare Town Hall forum regarding Political Action Committees and his campaign. &quot;Well, we’re here today because we know that if we’re going to make real progress, this time must be different. Throughout my career, in Illinois and the United States senate, I’ve worked to reduce the power of the special interests by leading the fight for ethics reform. I’ve sent a strong signal in this campaign by refusing the contributions of registered federal lobbyists and PACs. And today, I’m announcing that going forward, the Democratic National Committee will uphold the same standard and won’t take another dime from Washington lobbyists or special interest PACs. They do not fund my campaign. They will not fund our party. And they will not drown out the voices of the American people when I’m President of the United States.&quot; <br /> <br /> On June 6th, an [[AP]] article &lt;ref&gt;[http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/D/DEMOCRATS_MONEY?SITE=KING&amp;SECTION=HOME&amp;TEMPLATE=DEFAULT Transcript: 'Democratic Party returns lobbyist, PAC money ,' June 6, 2008]&lt;/ref&gt; presented the rules for lobbyist donations to the DNC and for the Presidential nominee. Obama does accept money from lobbyists who do not do business with the federal government and he also accepts money from spouses and family members of lobbyists. And the DNC ban is also not retroactive, which means the DNC will keep lobbyist and PAC contributions it received earlier in the election cycle. Retroactive period being the date Barack Obama started his campaign, February 10, 2007. The DNC possibly the day after the November 2006 Congressional elections until June 5th, 2008. In addition, Barack Obama's ban does not apply to the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee nor to the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. Unlike [[John McCain]], Barack Obama has not disclosed the lobbyists working in his campaign.<br /> <br /> Senator Obama visited U.S. troops in Iraq in 2006&lt;ref&gt;[http://abclocal.go.com/wls/story?section=news/local&amp;id=3794382 Obama visits troops in Iraq]&lt;/ref&gt; and in Afghanistan and Kuwait in 2008&lt;ref&gt;[http://abclocal.go.com/wls/story?section=news/local&amp;id=3794382 Obama visits troops and officials in Afghanistan and Kuwait]&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> Obama's tax plan calls for increasing taxes on the wealthiest 1% of Americans, while cutting taxes for the middle class. According to the non-partisan [[Tax Policy Center]], most Americans would pay less taxes than under Senator McCain's plan.&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/publications/url.cfm?ID=411749 An Updated Analysis of the 2008 Presidential Candidates' Tax Plans: Updated September 12, 2008]&lt;/ref&gt; According to another non-partisan group, Americans for Tax Reform, tax-payers would clearly be burdened by an Obama Presidency.&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.atr.org/content/html/2008/june/0616-obama_mccaintaxes.html McCain vs. Obama on Taxes] Americans For Tax Reform, June 2008&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> During the campaign Obama repeatedly claimed he would “cut taxes for no less than 95% of &quot;working families.&quot;”. The Wall Street Journal asked, “how does he conjure this miracle, especially since more than a third of all Americans already pay no income taxes at all?” &lt;ref&gt;http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122385651698727257.html&lt;/ref&gt; In truth, Obama was calling government handouts “tax credits” and counting those as tax cuts. The Wall Street Journal wondered why McCain “allowed Mr. Obama's 95% illusion to go unanswered”.<br /> <br /> ===Campaign financing=== <br /> Obama is the first presidential candidate to reject public financing. He broke his promise to accept it in the hope that his powerful fund-raising machine would generate far more money than the $84.1 million McCain is getting in public funding. Indeed, on August 14th, the Obama campaign announced it had received donations from 2 million individuals, setting new records. Obama raised $272 million for the primaries and expects to raise $300 million for the general election. However the Republican National Committee has been raising much more than the Democratic National Committee and each candidate had about $100 million in cash on September 1. Each expects to spend about $300 million by November. However, Obama is obliged to devote much of his time to fund raising among supporters rather than campaigning among undecided voters.&lt;ref&gt; see [http://blog.newsweek.com/blogs/stumper/archive/2008/09/09/was-obama-right-to-opt-out-of-public-financing.aspx Andrew Romano, &quot;Was Obama Right to Opt Out of Public Financing?,&quot; ''Newsweek'' (Sept. 9, 2008) online]&lt;/ref&gt; Among his backers is homosexual pornography baron [[Terrence Bean]].<br /> <br /> ===Secrecy=== <br /> <br /> The Democratic party feels it necessary to keep all questions about Obama at a safe distance. It is an unprecedented move to keep secrets about a presidential candidate. The following questions remain sealed from the public. &lt;ref&gt;[http://obamawtf.blogspot.com/2008/08/who-sent-obama-why-has-he-refused-to.html Who sent Obama? Why has he refused to release these basic documents?] ObamaWTF.blogspot.com&lt;/ref&gt; <br /> <br /> # Certified Copy of original Birth certificate(see certificate controversy below)<br /> # Columbia College records<br /> # Columbia Thesis paper<br /> # Campaign donor analysis requested by 7 major watchdog groups<br /> # [[Harvard]] College records<br /> # Illinois State Senate records<br /> # [[Illinois]] State Senate schedule<br /> # [[Law]] practice client list and billing records/summary<br /> # Locations and names of all half-siblings and step-mothers<br /> # Medical records (only the one page summary released so far)<br /> # Occidental College records<br /> # Parent's [[Marriage]] Certificate<br /> # Record of baptism<br /> # Selective Service Registration<br /> # Trips schedules for trips outside of the United States before 2007<br /> # Scholarly articles<br /> # Access to his Grandmother (Obama's Grandmother has since passed away from cancer [http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5g3m4YaeYwDHXS6hHdZJi8pm6cZdAD947RJKO0])<br /> # List of all campaign workers that are lobbyists<br /> <br /> Obama keeps donations secret by exploiting a loophole that allows campaigns to refuse to divulge donations under $200.00. This is useful to the candidate because many of his contributions are from dubious foreign or illegal sources. It is described as the &quot;largest pool of unidentified money that has ever flooded into the U.S. election system, before or after the McCain-Feingold campaign finance reforms of 2002.&quot; &lt;ref&gt;http://www.newsmax.com/timmerman/Obama_fundraising_illegal/2008/09/29/135718.html&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> ===Tone===<br /> <br /> Many observers have criticized Obama's campaign for its incivility. For instance, John McCain's wife Cindy noted that Obama is running &quot;the dirtiest campaign in American history.&quot; <br /> <br /> Obama's smears usually fall into two categories: race-baiting and distortions. On October 10, 2008, Obama surrogate Rep. John Lewis (D-GA) typified the campaign by comparing Sen. McCain to racial segregationists and Klansmen. &quot;Sen. McCain and Gov. Palin are sowing the seeds of hatred and division,&quot; Lewis exclaimed before comparing Sen. McCain to segregationist Democrat George Wallace, further noting that he, &quot;...never fired a gun, but he created the climate and the conditions that encouraged [the attacks in which] four little girls were killed on Sunday morning when a church was bombed in Birmingham, Alabama.&quot; &lt;ref&gt;http://edition.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/10/11/mccain.lewis/index.html?eref=rss_politics&lt;/ref&gt; This is particularly harsh to Sen. McCain because he fondly admires Lewis. &lt;ref&gt;http://www.rickwarrennews.com/transcript/civil_forum_transcript-04.txt&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> As for the distortions and personal attacks, Obama mocks Sen. McCain's for his age and Gov. Palin for being a woman and outsider. For instance, Obama responded with a subtle reference to Alzheimer's disease when Sen. McCain criticized his foreign policy in May 2008, alleging that Sen. McCain &quot;lost his bearings&quot; &lt;ref&gt;http://www.politico.com/blogs/bensmith/0508/Obama_McCain_offensive_losing_his_bearings.html&lt;/ref&gt;. Senior Adviser Mark Salter noted, &quot;He used the words 'losing his bearings' intentionally, a not particularly clever way of raising John McCain's age as an issue. This is typical of the Obama style of campaigning.&quot; &lt;ref&gt;http://marcambinder.theatlantic.com/archives/2008/05/salter_obama_attacked_mccains.php&lt;/ref&gt;. In reference to Gov. Palin, Obama was caught for his quiet hiring of Winner &amp; Associates to disseminate a sexist smear video against her. &lt;ref&gt;http://mypetjawa.mu.nu/archives/194057.php&lt;/ref&gt; Some argue this is a FEC violation because it lacked obligatory label denoting it was sponsored by the Obama Campaign (Ethan Winner has made a claim that he alone produced the video) &lt;ref&gt;http://eclipseweb.blogspot.com/2008/09/vicious-anti-sarah-palin-smear-campaign.html&lt;/ref&gt; &lt;ref&gt;http://mypetjawa.mu.nu/archives/194180.php&lt;/ref&gt;One of the biggest distortions by Obama is that 95% of all taxpayers will get a tax cut. &lt;ref&gt;[http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122385651698727257.html?mod=googlenews_wsj Obama's 95% Illusion] Wall Steet Journal, October 13, 2008&lt;/ref&gt; Without the distortion, Obama is proposing income re-distribution because those families that pay no taxes, one-third, will get money from the wealthy top 5%.<br /> <br /> Another feature of the Obama campaign is the unruly audience. CNN reported in October of 2008 &lt;ref&gt;http://www.findinternettv.com/Video,item,3565842635.aspx&lt;/ref&gt;, that people are calling John McCain a terrorist at these events. According to Sen. McCain, &quot;I've heard the [label terrorist], unfortunately, at Senator Obama's rallies being said about me. There's always a fringe element.&quot; Other eyewitness reports are harsher.<br /> <br /> ==Election==<br /> <br /> Senator Obama won the 2008 Presidential election, with over 52% of the popular vote. He carried every state that [[John Kerry]] won in 2004, in addition to Iowa, North Carolina, Ohio, Virginia, Colorado, New Mexico, Nevada, Florida, and Indiana. Of the 127 million votes cast, Obama beat John McCain by 8 million total votes.&lt;ref&gt;http://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS/&lt;/ref&gt; [http://images.newsmax.com/misc/2008_Election_Map.jpg See county breakdown map] &lt;ref&gt;[www.cnn.com/election]&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> == Positions and Qualifications ==<br /> Obama is [[pro-abortion]]. The leading abortion providers and PAC supporters have wholeheartedly endorsed Barack Obama. The National Abortion Rights Action League [[NARAL]] has given Barack a 100% rating for his efforts in Congress 2005, 2006 and 2007 &lt;ref&gt;http://www.prochoiceamerica.org/elections/statements/obama.html&lt;/ref&gt;. EMILY's List, a political action committee that funds female candidates who support abortion rights backs Barack Obama&lt;ref&gt; [http://www.boston.com/news/politics/politicalintelligence/2008/06/emilys_list_bac.html],EMILY's List backs Obama, June 6,2008&lt;/ref&gt;. The nation's largest abortion business, Planned Parenthood has begun the process necessary to endorse pro-abortion presidential candidate Barack Obama. &lt;ref&gt;[http://www.lifenews.com/nat3971.html], http://www.lifenews.com/nat3971.html, Planned Parenthood Begins Process to Endorse Pro-Abortion Barack Obama, June 10,2008&lt;/ref&gt;The board of directors of the pro-abortion group's political operation met on Friday June 6, 2008 and unanimously voted to recommend an endorsement for Obama. Obama has steadfastly advocated support for partial birth abortion as an Illinois legislator. Barack's wife, Michelle Obama, wrote a fundraising letter&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.prolifeblogs.com/articles/archives/2006/10/post_5.php], http://www.prolifeblogs.com/articles/archives/2006/10/post_5.php, February 17,2004&lt;/ref&gt; in support of partial birth abortion and against the proposed ban. Barack voted against the Born Alive Infant Protection Act to give a child who survived an abortion procedure life support healthcare. Obama wanted the life terminated even if he or she survived outside the mother's womb.&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.citizenlink.org/content/A000007034.cfm], http://www.citizenlink.org/content/A000007034.cfm, Obama Blocked Born Alive Infant Protection Act&lt;/ref&gt; With Obama no longer in the state Senate, the Born Alive legislation passed in 2005.<br /> <br /> In the context of sex, he quipped about his daughters, &lt;ref&gt;http://michellemalkin.com/2008/03/30/sunday-meditation-obama-and-the-punishment-of-unborn-life/&lt;/ref&gt;{{QuoteBox|&quot;If they make a mistake, I don't want them punished with a baby.&quot;}} Obama makes it clear if his daughters had an unplanned pregnancy, he would support terminating the life of his grandchild and it is undeniable that Michelle Obama agrees with that decision.<br /> [[Image:Features ayers1.jpg|175px|thumb|right|[[Weather Underground]] co-founder Bill Ayers&lt;ref&gt;http://foia.fbi.gov/weather/weath1a.pdf&lt;/ref&gt; stomps on the American flag in this 2001 pose for Chicago Magazine.]]<br /> <br /> Obama, having been asked about his associations with [[William Ayers]], an unrepentant [[terrorist]],&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.chicagomag.com/Chicago-Magazine/August-2001/No-Regrets/]&lt;/ref&gt; he explained that the views of his associates are not necessarily his own. Ayers and his wife, [[Bernardine Dohrn]], hosted a fundraiser for Obama in their home in 1995 at the start of Obama's political career. Obama compares his friendship with Ayers whose actions led to the loss of a life to his friendship with pro-life doctor and representative Tom Coburn&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.lifenews.com/nat3894.html]http://www.lifenews.com/nat3894.html, LifeNews.com, April 25,2008&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> Obama explained that his friendship with Ayers, shouldn't be construed as implying he endorsed the terrorist-like tactics Ayers used to drive home his political point. Barack Obama brought up the pro-life colleague to make the dubious comparison that he's friends with other people who take &quot;extreme&quot; positions or would use terrorist tactics.<br /> &quot;The fact is, is that I'm also friendly with Tom Coburn, one of the most conservative Republicans in the United States Senate, who during his campaign once said that it might be appropriate to apply the death penalty to those who carried out abortions&quot; <br /> <br /> Obama has no military or executive experience and little foreign policy experience.&lt;ref&gt;&quot;Fresh doubts over Barack Obama's foreign policy credentials were expressed on both sides of the Atlantic last night, after it emerged that he had made only one brief official visit to London – and none elsewhere in Western Europe or Latin America. ... Mr. Obama had failed to convene a single policy meeting of the Senate European subcommittee, of which he is chairman.&quot;[http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/article3080794.ece]&lt;/ref&gt; Yet he is the favorite of the leftist attack site &quot;MoveOn.org&quot; for the [[Democratic]] nomination for [[President of the United States]] in the [[2008 Presidential Election|2008 election]],&lt;ref&gt;MoveOn.org reportedly favored Obama by 70-30% over Clinton. [http://www.swamppolitics.com/news/politics/blog/2008/02/moveonorg_obama.html]&lt;/ref&gt; campaigning to the left of [[Hillary Clinton]].&lt;ref&gt;For example, Obama promised not to use nuclear weapons against terrorists, a promise Hillary Clinton refused to make. [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/08/02/AR2007080202288.html]&lt;/ref&gt; <br /> <br /> He has no clear personal achievement that cannot be explained as the likely result of [[affirmative action]]. Some examples border on the absurd: Obama has no background in [[physics]], yet it is claimed that &quot;Obama analyzed and integrated [[Albert Einstein|Einstein]]'s [[theory of relativity]], the [[Heisenberg uncertainty principle]], as well as the concept of curved space as an alternative to [[gravity]], for a Law Review article that Tribe, for whom Obama worked as a research assistant, wrote titled, 'The Curvature of Constitutional Space'.&quot; &lt;ref&gt;http://cbs2chicago.com/politics/barack.obama.harvard.2.334825.html&lt;/ref&gt; Obama's &quot;research&quot; for Constitutional Law Professor Tribe on this article also raises issues about preferences, as Obama had not yet even completed any law school courses&lt;ref&gt;Obama did not start his second year of law school until September 1989, the earliest he could have taken constitutional law, yet this article must have been written, submitted and accepted prior to that time to be published in the November 1989 issue of the Law Review.&lt;/ref&gt; on the [[Constitution]].&lt;ref&gt;The liberal Professor Tribe saw the best law students for several decades, yet insisted that Obama was the &quot;best student I ever had&quot; and the &quot;most exciting research assistant.&quot; [http://www.cmonitor.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071114/NEWS01/711140429/1217/NEWS98]&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> Throughout his career, Obama repeatedly ducked controversial stands in a transparent attempt to make it easier to be elected to higher office. In example, as a state senator in [[Illinois]], he voted &quot;present&quot; rather than &quot;aye&quot; or &quot;nay&quot; nearly an astounding 130 times.&lt;ref&gt;http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/20/us/politics/20obama.html&lt;/ref&gt; During that same period, he was planning to run for the [[House of Representatives]], which was unsuccessful, and then for [[U.S. Senate]], which was successful after his opponent Jack Ryan, a millionaire school teacher, was smeared with a court-ordered disclosure of confidential divorce records that both he and his ex-wife wanted to remain sealed. A newspaper that favored Obama took the unusual step of suing to force the confidential divorce information to become public, and a California judge opened the records at a pivotal time in the campaign.&lt;ref&gt;http://www.nbc5.com/politics/2898641/detail.html&lt;/ref&gt;&lt;ref&gt;http://www.nbc5.com/news/3289561/detail.html&lt;/ref&gt;&lt;ref&gt;http://www.nbc5.com/politics/3444371/detail.html&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> Barack Obama is often praised for his speeches, except when he is not able to read them from a [[teleprompter]]. &quot;Shorn of his Teleprompter, we saw a different Obama. His delivery was halting and unsure. ... The prepared text for his remarks, as released on his website, sounded a lot like a typical Obama speech. ... [But with] no Teleprompter signaling the prepared text, Obama failed to deliver the speech in his characteristically flawless fashion.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;teleprompter&quot; /&gt; The [[New York Times]] noted that &quot;Mr. Obama excels at inspirational speeches read from a teleprompter before television cameras, critics have noted, but many of his other speeches on the campaign trail have failed to electrify.&quot;&lt;ref&gt;http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/20/fashion/20speechwriter.html?_r=2&amp;ex=1358485200&amp;en=bb179297e5f61acb&amp;ei=5090&amp;partner=rssuserland&amp;emc=rss&amp;oref=slogin&amp;oref=slogin&lt;/ref&gt; When Obama ridiculed [[Hillary Clinton]] for being like [[Annie Oakley]], it is apparent that he was not writing his own speeches.&lt;ref&gt;&quot;Some Obama adviser probably earned his or her dollars for that cut,&quot; the USA Today wrote. [http://www.usatoday.com/news/opinion/columnist/raasch/2008-04-17-2008-04-17-raasch_N.htm]&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> Obama often makes reference to his &quot;two decades of experience&quot; in public service work. During most of that time he claims experience, he was either going to school, working for a law firm, writing a book, or organizing community events.<br /> <br /> == Political views ==<br /> Obama's political views have been subjected to controversy even before he put himself forward as a presidential candidate. Former House majority leader [[Tom DeLay]] has described Obama's record in the Illinois Senate as that of a [[Communism|“Marxist leftist&quot;.]]&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/home/daily/site_121306/content/stop_the_tape.guest.html|Sexy Rock Star Obama Whines About His Ears], RushLimbaugh.com, December 13 2006&lt;/ref&gt; Which matches the fact that during his campaign, his staff were discovered on numerous occasions to have Cuban flags bearing the face of Marxist guerrilla/murderer [[Che Guevara]].&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.moonbattery.com/archives/2008/02/obama_workers_c.html Obama Workers' Che Guevara Poster Was No Fluke] from Moonbattery&lt;/ref&gt; Former presidential candidate [[Alan Keyes]] calls Obama a &quot;radical communist.&quot; &lt;ref&gt;[http://www.newsmax.com/insidecover/keyes_obama_destroy_US/2009/02/23/184503.html Alan Keyes: Obama Will Destroy U.S.] NewsMax, February 23, 2009&lt;/ref&gt; <br /> <br /> In May 2007, Obama (and Sen. Hillary Clinton) voted against funding the Iraq War for the first time.&lt;ref&gt;[http://uspolitics.about.com/od/legislatio1/a/HR2206.htm HR 2206 - Emergency Appropriations], Kathy Gill, Your Guide to U.S. Politics: Current Events. May 26 2007.&lt;/ref&gt;&lt;ref&gt;[http://more.gov.mtopgroup.com/2007/05/votes-hr-2206-iraq-supplemental.html Votes - H.R. 2206: Iraq Supplemental], May 28, 2007. Retrieved from Deeper Inside the Mountain, June 4, 2007.&lt;/ref&gt; <br /> <br /> Obama's views on [[gun control]] are focused on an opinion article in the [[Wall Street Journal]]:&lt;ref&gt;David Kopel, &quot;The Democrats and Gun Control,&quot; Wall St.J., Page A19, April 17, 2008 [http://online.wsj.com/article_email/SB120839466717921537-lMyQjAxMDI4MDE4NzMxOTc0Wj.html]&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> :As a state senate candidate in 1996, Mr. Obama endorsed a complete ban on all handguns in a questionnaire. The Obama campaign has claimed he &quot;never saw or approved the questionnaire,&quot; and that an aide filled it out incorrectly. But a few weeks ago, Politico.com found an amended version of the questionnaire. It included material added in Mr. Obama's handwriting.<br /> <br /> After [[D.C. v. Heller]], Obama claimed to support Second Amendment rights.<br /> <br /> Obama has said, &quot;Doing the Lord's work is a thread that runs through our politics since the very beginning,&quot; and &quot;it puts the lie to the notion that [[separation of church and state]] in America means somehow that faith should have no role in public life.&quot;&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.siouxcityjournal.com/articles/2007/06/17/news/iowa/8db7c1a17d2b51f9862572fd000fc9f4.txt Obama says religion has place in politics], By Todd Dorman, ''Sioux City Journal'', June 18, 2007.&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> He believes children should be taught sex education in kindergarten, although in what he refers to as &quot;an age-appropriate manner&quot;.&lt;ref&gt;&quot;Barack Obama reaffirmed to [[Planned Parenthood]] this week that he believes elements of sex education should begin in kindergarten.&quot; [http://abcnews.go.com/print?id=3395856 (ABC News)] July 20, 2007 &lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> Obama spoke at the May 1, 2006, illegal immigration march in Chicago.&lt;ref&gt;http://nomoreblather.com/barack-obama-and-the-immigration-marches Immigration marches&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> ::''We are hungry for change!'' S.C. January 26, 2008.<br /> <br /> Barack Obama, in his short stint as Senator of Illinois, has made clear his opposition to the [[U.S. Military]] in policy and in rhetoric. Obama has spent much energy to argue that the Iraq War should have never been waged and that we should not be there at all, in any way. In 2002, as an unknown Chicago representative to the state of Illinois, he declared his opposition to &quot;dumb wars&quot;. At the time, America was united in the stance against terrorism and the prospects of a rogue enemy with WMD worried the United States. Obama, has said that he does not know whether he would have voted for or against the Iraq War. Since elected to Congress, he voted against the Emergency War Supplemental. Obama did not oppose his party debating the bill long past the timeframe requested. This action directly affects troop deployment in combat zones. Obama has repeatedly called for the return of troops in Iraq. Barack Obama has a no confidence vote for the 'Surge' before the measure was put forth by General Petraeus to Congress. Obama would not denounce MoveOn.org's slander NY Times advertising against the General.<br /> <br /> Senator Obama often refers to the office that he seeks, without the proper respect of those that came before him. When talking of the President, he frequently refuses to call him [[George W. Bush|President George Bush]] or even Mr. George Bush. Obama has also disrespectfully called him 'George Bush'. Oddly, when Bill Clinton spoke with Obama on September 11th, 2008 predicting he would win handily, Obama responded, &quot;There you go, you can take it from the President of the United States.&quot;&lt;ref&gt;http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/09/11/campaign.wrap/index.html&lt;/ref&gt; It appears Obama will use the term for a former President, but will not do the same for the actual President. Examples of Obama's treatment of our current President: <br /> * &quot;I am happy to have a debate with John McCain and George Bush about foreign policy,&quot; Obama said &lt;ref&gt;[http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/05/16/obama.bush.mccain/], CNN Obama blasts Bush McCain, May 16, 2008&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> * &quot;For all his talk about independence, the centerpiece of John McCain's economic plan amounts to a full-throated endorsement of George Bush's policies,&quot; &lt;ref&gt;[http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2008/06/10/obama_takes_the_offensive_vs_mcca)n/]`Boston Globe Obama takes offensive vs. McCain, June 10, 2008&lt;/ref&gt; <br /> * &quot;George Bush knows that I have never supported engagement with terrorists.&quot; &lt;ref&gt;[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7403386.stm], BBC Obama attacks Bush over Iran , May 15, 2008&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> * Obama called the U.S. economy a disaster thanks to &quot;John McCain's President, George W. Bush&quot; &lt;ref&gt;[http://www.newsmax.com/insidecover/obama_mccain/2008/08/18/122924.html No More Hugs: Obama Tears Into McCain] AP, August 18, 2008&lt;/ref&gt; Side note, George W. Bush is also Barack Obama's President.<br /> <br /> Obama is for a one-world government unaccountable to the American people, a threat to U.S. sovereignty and independence. He said &quot;for all nations in the world to come together to build a stronger, global regime&quot;&lt;ref&gt;[http://worldnetdaily.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&amp;pageId=94380]&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> == Foreign policy experience ==<br /> In his presidential campaign, Obama stated&lt;ref&gt;http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mayhill-fowler/obama-says-no-to-foreign_b_95357.html&lt;/ref&gt; that &quot;foreign policy is the area where I am probably most confident&quot; and then cited &quot;having lived in Indonesia for four years, having family that is impoverished in small villages in Africa&quot;. He lived in Indonesia from age 6 to 10, and he later discovered that his father had some other children in Africa.<br /> <br /> While campaigning, he has visited several foreign countries. In [[Russia]] and the former Soviet republics, he met with representatives of the International Republican Institute and National Democratic Institute to discuss democracy in the former Soviet republics. He also met with Russian military officials and visited several nuclear and biological weapons destruction sites in Russia, [[Ukraine]], and [[Azerbaijan]] with Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Richard Lugar (R-IN). On the same tour, he visited London, UK, and met with [[Tony Blair]], sitting UK Prime Minister.&lt;ref&gt;http://obama.senate.gov/press/050823-obama_to_visit/&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> Obama visited South Africa, Kenya, Ethiopia, Djibouti, and Chad; he discussed his tour of Robben Island prison, met with U.S. troops, and visited refugee camps of the people fleeing Darfur. He also addressed Africa's growing [[AIDS]] epidemic. &lt;ref&gt;http://obama.senate.gov/podcast/060906-090606_africa_t/&lt;/ref&gt; <br /> <br /> During a ten-day-long tour of the Middle East, he talked with government leaders in Qatar, Kuwait, Iraq, Jordan, and Israel. &lt;ref&gt; http://obama.senate.gov/news/060113-obama_wraps_up/&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> == Books ==<br /> <br /> * ''Dreams from My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance.'' (B. Obama and, allegedly, William Ayers) ISBN 0307383415<br /> * ''The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream.'' (B. Obama) ISBN 0307455874<br /> * ''Barack Obama in His Own Words.'' (B. Obama and Lisa Rogak) ISBN 0786720573<br /> * ''Change We Can Believe In. Barack Obama's Plan to Renew America's Promise.'' (B. Obama)<br /> * ''The Case Against Barack Obama. The Unlikely Rise and Unexamined Agenda of the Media's Favorite Candidate. '' (David Freddso) ISBN 1596985666 <br /> * ''The Obama Nation. Leftist Politics and the Cult of Personality.'' (Jerome R. Corsi) ISBN 1416598065 <br /> * ''Obama Unmasked. Did Slick Hollywood Handlers Create the Perfect Candidate?'' (Floyd Brown and Lee Trexler) ISBN 0936783591 <br /> * ''Obama: The Man Behind The Mask.'' (Andy Martin) ISBN 0965781240 <br /> * ''The Audacity of Deceit. Barack Obama's War on American Values.'' (Brad O'Leary) ISBN 1935071025<br /> <br /> ==Published criticism==<br /> On April 11, 2007, staff writers of ''The Boston Globe'' reported the criticisms of several black commentators regarding Obama's apparent hesitation to join the race to condemn acclaimed radio personality [[Don Imus]],&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2007/04/11/obamas_silence_on_imus_alarms_some_blacks/ Obama's silence on Imus alarms some blacks], Rick Klein and Joseph Williams, ''The Boston Globe'', April 11, 2007.&lt;/ref&gt; who made a racially insensitive remark&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.reuters.com/article/industryNews/idUSN1237895620070412|title=Furor over Imus puts heat on other broadcasters], Daniel Trotta, Reuters, 2007-04-12.&lt;/ref&gt; on the air during the April 4 broadcast. Obama did not comment on Imus's remarks until well after prominent civil rights leaders [[Al Sharpton]] and [[Jesse Jackson]] had called Imus to account and after Imus was suspended by MSNBC and CBS Radio. Obama later weighed in on April 10 by saying, &quot;The comments of Don Imus were divisive, hurtful, and offensive to Americans of all backgrounds.&quot; &lt;br /&gt; <br /> <br /> The ''Globe'' reported that Obama's perceived delay in addressing Don Imus's remarks was described by Melissa Harris Lacewell, a professor of politics and African-American studies at Princeton University, as &quot;miss[ing] an opportunity to prove himself to blacks and white liberals who would have wanted Obama take the lead in denouncing Imus.&quot;&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2007/04/11/obamas_silence_on_imus_alarms_some_blacks/ Obama's silence on Imus alarms some blacks], Rick Klein and Joseph Williams, ''The Boston Globe'', April 11, 2007.&lt;/ref&gt;&lt;ref&gt;[http://time-blog.com/real_clear_politics/2007/04/obama_race_and_the_election.html Obama, Race, and The Election,] ''Real Clear Politics.com''&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> In June 2007 the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' reported Obama had actually received nearly three times more campaign cash from indicted slum landlord Tony Rezko&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.suntimes.com/news/metro/353829,CST-NWS-rez23.article Barack Obama and his slumlord patron], Tim Novak, Chicago Sun-Times, April 23, 2007.&lt;/ref&gt; and his associates than Obama has publicly acknowledged.&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.suntimes.com/news/politics/432197,CST-NWS-obama18.article Rezko cash triple what Obama says], Chris Fusco and Tim Novak, ''Chicago Sun-Times'', June 18, 2007.&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> Executive vice president Wayne LaPierre of the [[NRA]] accuses Barack Obama of &quot;mouthing pro-Second amendment words and pandering to gun owners&quot; on the campaign trail.&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.gopusa.com/news/2008/may/0514_nra_mccain.shtml], http://www.gopusa.com/news/2008/may/0514_nra_mccain.shtml, NRA chief stresses common ground with McCain, Associated Press, May 14, 2008&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> [[McCain]] Aide Says Obama Has Sept. 10 Mind-Set &quot;an extremely dangerous and extremely naive approach toward terrorism&quot; &lt;ref&gt;[http://www.newsmax.com/politics/mccain_obama/2008/06/17/105265.html], AP McCain Aide Says Obama Has Sept. 10 Mind-Set, June 17, 2008&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> ===Birth Certificate Controversy===<br /> During the democratic primaries the Clinton Campaign lead a smear campaign against the validity of Barack Obama's Hawaii Birth certificate, claiming that it is false and that he is ineligible for Presidency. &lt;ref&gt;[http://campaignspot.nationalreview.com/post/?q=ZTgxZmIwNTg0OWVhMWJkODNmZjI4ZjY4Mjg2OWRmNzI= http://campaignspot.nationalreview.com/post/?q=ZTgxZmIwNTg0OWVhMWJkODNmZjI4ZjY4Mjg2OWRmNzI=]&lt;/ref&gt; After initially refusing to produce a birth certificate in response to such rumors, the Obama campaign eventually endorsed a document posted on the Daily Kos as <br /> authentic.&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2008/6/12/11012/6168/320/534616 Obama's Birth Certificate]&lt;/ref&gt; The response is split regarding the birth certificate. Some commentators, such as those at the National Review, are satisfied with the document.&lt;ref&gt;[http://campaignspot.nationalreview.com/post/?q=NWVjN2I1MjlhM2ZjZjRjYzBkODAxZjZkZGQyYWNkMDk= http://campaignspot.nationalreview.com/post/?q=NWVjN2I1MjlhM2ZjZjRjYzBkODAxZjZkZGQyYWNkMDk=]&lt;/ref&gt; However, some analysts claim that the birth certificate is false.&lt;ref&gt;[http://web.israelinsider.com/Articles/Politics/12939.htm http://web.israelinsider.com/Articles/Politics/12939.htm]&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> On August 21st, 2008, Factcheck.org published an article regarding the controversy.&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.factcheck.org/elections-2008/born_in_the_usa.html Born in the U.S.A.]&lt;/ref&gt; The site stated, &quot;FactCheck.org staffers have now seen, touched, examined and photographed the original birth certificate. We conclude that it meets all of the requirements from the State Department for proving U.S. citizenship.&quot; In addition, the site posted high-resolution photographs of the birth certificate, which clearly showed the raised seal, stamp of Hawaii state registrar Alvin T. Onaka, and certificate number. The birth date corresponds to a birth announcement published in the ''Honolulu Advertiser '' on Sunday, August 13, 1961. &lt;ref&gt;http://texasdarlin.wordpress.com/2008/07/23/obama-was-born-in-hawaii-wrong-can-of-worms/&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> A Philadelphia attorney, Phillip Berg, has filed a lawsuit against the DNC and Barack Obama. Berg maintains that Sen. Obama is not a natural born U.S. citizen or that, if he ever was, he lost his citizenship when he was adopted in Indonesia. Berg also cites what he calls &quot;dual loyalties&quot; due to his citizenship and ties with Kenya and Indonesia. The &quot;dual loyalties&quot; which have not been shown to exist do not violate any constitutional or legal precedents and would make Sen. Obama a poor choice for President, not an invalid choice.<br /> <br /> Obama website Fight The Smears has confirmed that Obama was once a Kenyan citizen until 1982. Attorney Philips Berg's lawsuit is being challenged by the Obama Campaign. Instead of producing the original birth certificate in court and paying a number of legal fees and taking several days out of his busy campaigning schedule the Obama campaign had the case dropped on the grounds that it lacked any supporting evidence. &lt;ref&gt;http://neighbors.denverpost.com/viewtopic.php?t=10815605&lt;/ref&gt; The fact that Mr. Berg's dual arguments were mutually contradictory may also have contributed.<br /> <br /> The state of Hawaii announced that the &quot;Certification of Live Birth&quot; document is legitimate and official. Since the state of Hawaii is the issuing body, they have ultimate authority with regards to the matter.&lt;ref&gt;http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/20081031/BREAKING01/81031064/0/BREAKING04&lt;/ref&gt; Critics rightfully point out such documents actually were issued for children not born in the state.<br /> <br /> Adding fuel to the fire is Obama's persistent refusal to release documents that could provide answers. While his supporters cite an online version of a &quot;Certification of Live Birth&quot; from Hawaii. &lt;ref&gt;[http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&amp;pageId=92810 Justice, Supremes confirm getting eligibility challenge] WND, March 24, 2009&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> [[Bob Schultz]] with the [[We The People Foundation]] said: <br /> <br /> &quot;In the end, there is no practical reason why Obama refuses to produce his original birth certificate. He... has a duty to provide evidence that he meets the explicit requirements established by the Constitution.&quot; <br /> <br /> [[Nancy Salvato]] with [[BasicsProject|BasicsProject.org]] perhaps put it best: <br /> <br /> &quot;What perturbs the rest of us is that President Obama has failed to produce a legitimate birth certificate. He has a team of lawyers who are opposing the examination of his sealed records in Hawaii. What he produced was a certificate of live birth... not a birth certificate. The rest of us are appalled at the lack of media examination surrounding the fact that there is no law requiring that a candidate for the highest office in our land produce an authentic birth certificate which proves natural citizenship.&quot;<br /> <br /> ==Quotes==<br /> * Early in his campaign for president in 2007, Obama declared in an interview with the [[Chicago Tribune]], &quot;I'm a [[Christian]]. And so, although I try not to have my religious beliefs dominate or determine my political views on this issue ... my religious beliefs say that [[marriage]] is something sanctified between a man and a woman.&quot;&lt;ref&gt;http://thehill.com/cheri-jacobus/obama-and-miss-california-2009-04-23.html&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> ==See also==<br /> *[[Previous Breaking News/Barack Obama|Articles about '''Barack Obama''' from previous &quot;Breaking News&quot;]]<br /> *[[Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN)]]<br /> *[[Birthplace of Barack Obama]]<br /> *[[Essay:Born Outside the U.S.A.!]]<br /> *[[Essay: The Special Interests Candidate]]<br /> *[[Lobbyists ties to the Obama administration]]<br /> *[[New Party]]<br /> *[[Obama Administration‎]]<br /> *[[Obama birth certificate lawsuits]]<br /> *[[Obama doublespeak]]<br /> *[[Obama inauguration]]<br /> *[[Religion of Barack Hussein Obama]]<br /> *[[The Honorable James David Manning]]<br /> <br /> ==Further reading==<br /> *[[Peter Hitchens|Hitchens, Peter]] [http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/worldnews.html?in_article_id=511901&amp;in_page_id=1811 ''The Black Kennedy: But does anyone know the real Barack Obama?''] [[Daily Mail]]. Accessed 4 February 2008.<br /> <br /> ==Sources==<br /> &lt;small&gt;<br /> *[http://www.barackobama.com/ Offical Obama for President Website]<br /> *[http://www.opensecrets.org/pfds/pfd2005/N00009638_2005.pdf Barack Obama Personal Financial Disclosures Summary: 2005], retrieved from opensecrets.org 17 June 2007.<br /> *[http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=O000167 Biographical Directory of the United States Congress]<br /> *[http://www.law.uchicago.edu/faculty/obama/cv.html University of Chicago Law School] Faculty Listing<br /> *[http://www.biography.com/search/article.do?id=12782369 Barack Obama Biography] from Biography.com<br /> *[http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/o/barack_obama/index.html?inline=nyt-per New York Times Topics, Barack Obama]<br /> *[http://youtube.com/watch?v=zUdjhKbImwE Documentary on Barack Hussein Obama]<br /> *[http://www.votesmart.org/voting_category.php?can_id=9490 Voting Record of Barack Hussein Obama]&lt;/small&gt;<br /> <br /> ==References==<br /> {{reflist|3}}<br /> <br /> ==External Links==<br /> *[http://www.antiobama.net/ Anti Obama.net]<br /> *[http://www.dontvoteobama.net/ Dont Vote For Obama.net]<br /> *[http://nobamanetwork.com/ Nobama Network]<br /> *[http://www.audacityofhypocrisy.com/ Audacity Of Hypocrisy]<br /> *[http://therealbarackobama.wordpress.com/ The Real Barack Obama]<br /> *[http://www.spiked-online.com/index.php?/site/article/6130/ The New Cult of Personality]<br /> *[http://www.survivingobamunism.com/index.html Surviving Obamunism T-shirts]<br /> *[http://www.barackobamaantichrist.blogspot.com/ Barack Obama the Anti-Christ ?]<br /> *[http://www.noquarterusa.net/blog/2008/06/23/che-obama-and-the-revolutionary-agenda/ Che, Obama, and the Revolutionary Agenda]</div>

DerekSmalls https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=User:DerekSmalls/Obama_draft&diff=669759 2009-06-03T02:05:20Z

<p>DerekSmalls: /* Religious affiliations */</p> <hr /> <div>work in progress, the original Obama Article is here so I can edit it<br /> {{President<br /> |image=President Barack Obama.jpg<br /> |seq=44<br /> |term_start=January 20, 2009<br /> |term_end=January 20, 2013<br /> |party=Democrat<br /> |vp=Joe Biden<br /> |previous=George W. Bush<br /> |next=<br /> |birth_date=August 4, 1961<br /> |age={{age|1961|8|4}}<br /> |birth_place=<br /> |death_date=<br /> |death_place=<br /> |spouse=Michelle LaVaughn Robinson Obama<br /> |spouse2=<br /> |religion=Described in this entry<br /> }}<br /> '''Barack Hussein Obama II''' (allegedly&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.worldnetdaily.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&amp;pageId=82033]&lt;/ref&gt;&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.factcheck.org/UploadedFiles/birth_certificate_5.jpg Large, high-resolution picture of his birth certificate]&lt;/ref&gt;&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.kitv.com/politics/17860890/detail.html?rss=hon&amp;psp=news KITV Honolulu report]&lt;/ref&gt;&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.newsmax.com/farber/Obama_birth_certificate/2009/04/06/200320.html]&lt;/ref&gt;&lt;ref&gt;Obama's [[African]] grandmother Sarah Hussein Obama says Barack was born in her presence in Kenya.[http://www.israelnationalnews.com/Blogs/Message.aspx/3074 Obama Born In Kenya? His Grandmother Says Yes, Israali News, October 12, 2008][http://www.worldnetdaily.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&amp;pageId=78931 Democrat: Obama's grandma confirms Kenyan birth, WND, October 23, 2008][http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=b58_1225645143 Audio Conversation Link]&lt;/ref&gt; born in [[Honolulu]] Aug. 4, 1961) is the 44th president of the [[United States]], <br /> and previously served as a first-term [[Democratic party|Democratic]] [[Senator]] from [[Illinois]] (2004-2008). Obama and his running mate [[Senator Joseph Biden]] won the presidential election&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.newsmax.com/insidecover/obama_wins_presidency/2008/11/04/147788.html?utm_medium=RSS]&lt;/ref&gt; after 23 months of campaigning that spent over $700 million,&lt;ref&gt;http://www.opensecrets.org/pres08/summary.php?cid=N00009638&lt;/ref&gt; most of it raised from undisclosed donors. <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> ==Obama is likely the first Muslim President==<br /> [[Image:OBAMA MUSULMAN.jpg|left|thumb|President-Elect Obama wearing traditional African garb, a gift from his hosts while visiting Kenya&lt;ref&gt;[http://sweetness-light.com/archive/obama-wore-muslim-gear-during-kenya-trip]&lt;/ref&gt;]]<br /> The argument that Obama is a Muslim includes:<br /> <br /> *Obama declared in prepared remarks, &quot;The United States has been enriched by Muslim Americans. Many other Americans have Muslims in their families or have lived in a Muslim-majority country - I know, because '''I am one of them'''.&quot;&lt;ref&gt;http://apnews.myway.com/article/20090406/D97D32C00.html&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> *Obama's background, education, and outlook are [[Muslim]], and fewer than 1% of Muslims convert to Christianity.&lt;ref&gt;http://www.religionnewsblog.com/17736/barack-obama-2&lt;/ref&gt;&lt;ref&gt;http://www.faithfreedom.org/oped/sina31103.htm. During the third and fourth grades, Obama learned about Islam for two hours each week in religion class, according to the LATimes. [http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/nation/bal-te.obama16mar16,0,1634059,print.story?coll=bal_news_nation_promo Campaign downplays his connection during boyhood in Indonesia, Baltimore Sun, March 16, 2007]&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> *Obama's middle name (Hussein) references '''Husayn''', who was the grandson of [[Muhammad]],&lt;ref&gt; Oxford Dictionary of First Names, 2nd edition (2007).[http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/277459/al-Husayn-ibn-Ali].&lt;/ref&gt; which most Christians would not retain.&lt;ref&gt;Only after Obama became politically ambitious did he declare himself to be a [[Christian]], yet he never replaced his [[Muslim]] name &quot;Hussein&quot; with a Christian one as most do when they undergo a religious conversion. For example, when the Italian journalist Magdi Allam recently converted to Christianity, he took a new name: &quot;Cristiano&quot;.[http://www.catholic.org/international/international_story.php?id=30814] When Saul became a Christian, he changed his name to &quot;Paul&quot;; when the famous boxer Cassius Clay converted to [[Islam]], he took the Muslim name of [[Muhammad Ali]]. &quot;It is common for those converting to a new religion to change their name on conversion&quot;[http://www.ukdp.co.uk/pages/religiousconversion.php] or adopt a Christian name at [[baptism]].[http://www.answers.com/topic/christian-name]&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> *Obama recently mentioned his religion as &quot;[[my Muslim faith]].&quot;&lt;ref&gt;Obama declared, &quot;John McCain has not talked about my Muslim faith.&quot;[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iQqIpdBOg6I]&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> *He has said that &quot;Islam can be compatible with the modern world.&quot;&lt;ref&gt; [http://www.newsweek.com/id/145971 Barack Obama's Christian Journey | Newsweek Politics: Campaign 2008]&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> *Obama said the Muslim call to prayer is &quot;one of the prettiest sounds on Earth at sunset,&quot; and recited &quot;with a first-class [[Arabic]] accent&quot; the opening lines: Allah is Supreme! ... I witness that there is no god but Allah ....&quot;&lt;ref&gt;http://www.wnd.com/index.php?pageId=78309&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> *Obama stated that the autobiography of Malcolm X, a Nation of Islam leader who became a Muslim, inspired him in his youth.&lt;ref&gt;For example, Obama writes in his own autobiography, &quot;Only Malcolm X's autobiography seemed to offer something different. His repeated acts of self-creation spoke to me. The blunt poetry of his words, his unadorned insistence on respect, promised a new and uncompromising order, martial in its discipline, forged through sheer force of will. ... [E]ven as I imagine myself following Malcolm's call, one line in the book stayed with me. He spoke of a wish he'd once had, the wish that the white blood that ran through him, there by an act of violence, might somehow be expunged.&quot;[http://www.americanthinker.com/2008/04/does_obama_know_america.html]&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> *Obama raised nearly $1 million and campaigned for a [[Kenyan]] presidential candidate who had a written agreement with [[Muslim]] leaders promising to convert Kenya to an Islamic state that bans Christianity.&lt;ref&gt; [http://www.worldnetdaily.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&amp;pageId=78324] Text of the agreement, as three images: [http://www.worldnetdaily.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&amp;pageId=78323]&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> *Obama's claims of conversion to Christianity arose after he became politically ambitious, lacking a date of conversion or baptism.&lt;ref&gt;In his book, Obama oddly claims to have been baptized without giving his age or date, and later gave a date that postdates his political ambition (1992).&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> *On the campaign trail, Obama was reading &quot;The Post-American World&quot; by [[Fareed Zakaria]],&lt;ref&gt;http://www.canada.com/topics/news/world/story.html?id=fa8cf1bf-2cc8-4d6e-b72d-a07d406e19ff&lt;/ref&gt; which is written from a Muslim point-of-view.&lt;ref&gt;http://www.villagevoice.com/2005-08-09/news/the-interpreter/&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> *Contrary to [[Christianity]], the Islamic doctrine of [[taqiyya]] encourages adherents to deny they are Muslim if it advances the cause of Islam.<br /> *Obama uses the Muslim Pakistani pronunciation for &quot;Pakistan&quot; rather than the common American one.&lt;ref&gt;Obama repeatedly pronounced &quot;Pakistan&quot; as &quot;Pokiston&quot; in the first presidential debate.&lt;/ref&gt; <br /> *Obama was thoroughly exposed to Christianity as an adult in Chicago prior to attending law school, yet no one at law school saw him display any interest in converting. Obama unabashedly explained how he became &quot;churched&quot; in a 2007 speech: &quot;It's around that time [while working as an organizer for the Developing Communities Project (DCP) of the Calumet Community Religious Conference (CCRC) in Chicago] that some pastors I was working with came around and asked if I was a member of a church. 'If you're organizing churches,' they said, 'it might be helpful if you went to a church once in a while.' And I thought, 'I guess that makes sense.'&quot;&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.speroforum.com/site/article.asp?id=15363 Obama, ACORN, and the churches] SperoNews, October 7, 2008&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> *Obama is mentioned as helping to organize the 1995 million man march led by black [[Muslim]] leader [[Louis Farrakhan]] from the [[Nation of Islam]]. &lt;ref&gt;[http://www.biography.com/search/article.do?id=9291850 Louis Farrakhan Biography] Biography.com&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> *Obama has chosen the [[Secret Service]] code name &quot;Renegade&quot;. &quot;Renegade&quot; conventionally describes someone who goes against normal conventions of behavior, but its first usage was to describe someone who has turned from their religion. It is a word derived from the [[Spanish]] ''renegado'', meaning &quot;Christian turned Muslim.&quot;&lt;ref&gt;http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/barackobama/3452281/Renegade-and-Renaissance-Obama-to-replace-Trailblazer-and-Tempo-Bush-in-the-White-House.html&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> *Obama enjoyed a bigger increase in voter support in 2008 (compared to 2004) by Muslims than by any other voting group, including blacks;&lt;ref&gt;http://www.altmuslim.com/a/a/a/2873/&lt;/ref&gt; &quot;Muslim turnout in the U.S. elections reached 95 percent, the highest Muslim turnout in U.S. history.&quot;&lt;ref&gt;http://newsweek.washingtonpost.com/postglobal/islamsadvance/2008/11/is_obama_the_muslim_worlds_sup.html&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> *&quot;President-elect [[Barack Obama]] has yet to attend [Sunday] church services since winning the [[White House]] earlier ..., a departure from the example of his two immediate predecessors.&quot;&lt;ref&gt;http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1108/15902.html&lt;/ref&gt;&lt;ref&gt;http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/washingtondc/la-na-obama-religion26-2008dec26,0,1910913.story&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> *Obama used his Muslim middle name when sworn in as President.&lt;ref&gt;http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/ET_Cetera/Obama_to_take_oath_using_middle_name_/articleshow/3813120.cms&lt;/ref&gt;&lt;ref&gt;http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/12/10/politics/main4660590.shtml?source=RSSattr=Politics_4660590&lt;/ref&gt; <br /> *Obama botched his public oath of office in which he placed his hand on a Bible, then chose not to use the Bible for his real, private oath.<br /> [[Image:Obamabow.jpg|thumb|right|President Obama bowing to the King of Saudi Arabia - April 2009]]<br /> *'''At the G20 summit in April 2009, Obama bowed deeply to Saudi King Abdullah, a Muslim who is also the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques.'''&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LEUif1--r38&amp;feature=player_embedded Video of Obama bowing almost to King's waist]&lt;/ref&gt; Never before in the history of the U.S. has a president displayed such shocking deference to a foreign official and Obama has not bowed to any other royal leaders. Obama later stated, &quot;We have to change our behavior in showing the Muslim world greater respect.&quot;&lt;ref&gt;http://washingtontimes.com/news/2009/apr/07/barack-takes-a-bow/&lt;/ref&gt; Obama's spin doctors and left-wing apologists dismissed the obviousness of the bow. One anonymous aide stated, &quot;It wasn't a bow. He grasped his hand with two hands, and he's taller than King Abdullah.&quot;&lt;ref&gt;http://www.onenewsnow.com/Blog/Default.aspx?id=483326&lt;/ref&gt; However, in video of the incident, Obama's left hand can clearly be seen staying at his side until after he had finished his bow.&lt;ref&gt;http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9WlqW6UCeaY&lt;/ref&gt; Additionally, Obama also met with Queen Elizabeth, who is much shorter than King Abdullah, but he did not bow when he shook her hand and neither he nor the queen appeared to have any difficulty.&lt;ref&gt;http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=71N34K9EVLU&lt;/ref&gt; (Many liberals and even a handful of conservatives have proposed that President Bush also bowed before King Abdullah.&lt;ref&gt;http://littlegreenfootballs.com/article/33289_Bush_Bowed_Too&lt;/ref&gt; However, there is a vast, inexorable difference between bending down to receive a medal as Bush did and bowing in deference to a foreign leader as Obama did.)<br /> *Obama required that a religiously affiliated college take the extraordinary action of concealing with wood the monogram &quot;IHS&quot;, which represents the name of Jesus, during a speech by Obama there&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.foxnews.com/politics/first100days/2009/04/16/georgetown-university-hid-religious-symbols-white-house-request/ Georgetown hides Jesus' name at request of Obama's White House]&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> Obama tries to downplay his [[Islamic]] background by claiming that his [[Kenya|Kenyan]] [[Muslim]] father was a &quot;confirmed [[atheist]]&quot; before Obama was born, but in fact less than 1% of Kenyans are atheists, agnostics, or non-religious.&lt;ref&gt;http://www.adherents.com/Na/Na_14.html&lt;/ref&gt; There is apparently no evidence of any Christian activities or local church participation by Obama while he was in Massachusetts from 1988 to 1991, nor of Barack Obama's joining of a Mosque (The Islamic house of worship) at any time in his life. Finally, Obama abruptly left his radical Christian church in Chicago in 2008, when it became politically controversial, without first finding another church to join. On April 7, 2009, Obama visited a mosque in Istanbul, Turkey.&lt;ref&gt;http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=CNG.c2e3700ab4e271bc32827b0fccfe560b.421&amp;show_article=1&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> __TOC__ &lt;!--Do not remove this. We want to keep the insights on the first screen of viewing--&gt;<br /> <br /> ==Early life and education==<br /> Barack Hussein Obama II claims to have been born in [[Honolulu]], [[Hawaii]] to Barack Sr. and Ann Dunham in 1961, but there is evidence that he may have actually been born in Kenya. In 1967, he moved with his mother and new stepfather to Jakarta, [[Indonesia]]. He attended a [[Catholic]] elementary school for two years, followed by an Indonesian public school for two years. Media scrutiny in the light of Obama's campaign for President revealed that the Indonesia public school was not a madrassa, teaching Islam. His days off of school in observance of Islamic holidays were spent praying in a Mosque with his stepfather. &lt;ref&gt;[http://www.newsmax.com/insidecover/pipes_obama_muslim/2008/10/09/138898.html Obama 'Lying' About Muslim Past, Expert Says] NewsMax, October 9, 2008&lt;/ref&gt; After Indonesia, he returned to the United States with his mother where he attended the Punahou School, the leading private preparatory school in [[Hawaii]], until he graduated in 1979.<br /> <br /> For college, Obama initially attended Occidental College in Los Angeles, [[California]], before transferring to [[Columbia University]] in New York, [[New York]] and graduating without honors with a Bachelor of Arts degree, majoring in political science. Obama refuses to describe his academic performance at Columbia despite commenting about New York during this period and despite disclosures of the academic record for all other major-party presidential candidates since at least 2000.&lt;ref&gt;http://www.nysun.com/new-york/obamas-years-at-columbia-are-a-mystery/85015/&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> After working as a community organizer in New York City and Chicago, Illinois, Obama enrolled at [[Harvard]] Law School. He became a member of the ''Harvard Law Review'', which uses racial quotas, in 1989. He was then elected by popular vote as its first African American president in 1990, a story that was immediately promoted in the [[New York Times]].&lt;ref&gt;http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C0CE2DC1631F935A35751C0A966958260&amp;scp=3&amp;sq=Obama%201990&amp;st=cse&lt;/ref&gt; He graduated ''magna cum laude'' with his J.D. in 1991, but did not serve in a clerkship. Federal clerkships are the typical post-graduate position for top law students.<br /> <br /> Obama has described himself as a constitutional law professor at the University of Chicago.&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2007/03/30/politics/p132303D74.DTL&amp;type=politics]&lt;/ref&gt; He held the position of Lecturer, an adjunct position, from 1992 to 1996.&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.law.uchicago.edu/media/index.html]&lt;/ref&gt; He held the position of Senior Lecturer from 1996 until his election to the senate in 2004.&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.law.uchicago.edu/media/index.html]&lt;/ref&gt; Dan Ronayne, a spokesman for the Republican National Committee, has pointed that Obama was only a senior lecturer and not a full professor. &lt;ref&gt;[http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2007/03/30/politics/p132303D74.DTL&amp;type=politics]&lt;/ref&gt;The University states that Senior Lecturers are regarded as professors, although not full-time or tenure track.&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.law.uchicago.edu/media/index.html]&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> == Religious Affiliation ==<br /> <br /> ==Obama and Elitism and Ayers==<br /> <br /> Obama has consistently shown himself to be an elitist who looks down on &quot;ordinary&quot; Americans. Asked to explain why working-class [[Democrats]] do not support him while campaigning for the [[Pennsylvania]] primary, Obama replied &quot;it's not surprising, then, they get bitter, they cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren't like them or anti-immigrant sentiment or anti-trade sentiment as a way to explain their frustrations.&quot;&lt;ref&gt;http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7344532.stm&lt;/ref&gt; In response to outrage when his remarks were unexpectedly publicized, Obama did not recount his statement but instead replied, I &quot;didn't say it as well as I should have.&quot;&lt;ref&gt;http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7344532.stm&lt;/ref&gt; Although many rural counties went for McCain, Obama carried the state with 54.6% of the vote, compared to 44.3% for John McCain.&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.electionreturns.state.pa.us/ElectionsInformation.aspx?FunctionID=13&amp;ElectionID=28&amp;OfficeID=1]&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> In an attempt counter the view by many that Obama is an elitist, he began running campaign ads claiming that he &quot;worked his way through college and Harvard Law.&quot; This claim is at best an exaggeration, as Obama only held summer jobs while in college and law school&lt;ref&gt;http://www.factcheck.org/elections-2008/obamas_work_claim.html&lt;/ref&gt;, and he would have likely benefited from special scholarships not available to most students.<br /> <br /> Obama almost always reads from prepared text on a [[teleprompter]] and rarely allows tough questions.&lt;ref&gt;After one debate against [[Hillary Clinton]] in Philadelphia, the Obama campaign announced that the questions were too difficult and that Obama would not agree to future debates with her.&lt;/ref&gt;&lt;ref name=&quot;teleprompter&quot;&gt;The Daily Standard, ''Obama Unplugged Lost without a Teleprompter'', by Dean Barnett, 02/12/2008[http://www.weeklystandard.com/content/public/articles/000/000/014/728ofzey.asp]&lt;/ref&gt; Indeed, when unable to read from prepared text he often fails at articulating his positions and is caught tripping over his own feet.&lt;ref&gt;This was first displayed in the Saddleback Forum, and has occurred subsequently also.&lt;/ref&gt; His most recent debate performances illustrate that he may have been extensively coached over the course of 2008, although he still repeatedly fumbles at moments where he moves off his memorized remarks.<br /> <br /> Obama refers to America in the third person, as a foreigner would. In his first television interview after becoming president, Obama declared that &quot;all too often the United States starts by dictating.&quot; Earlier, when Obama gave his acceptance speech, he said &quot;We may not get there in one year or even one term, but America - I have never been more hopeful than I am tonight that we will get there.&quot;&lt;ref&gt;[http://news.yahoo.com/s/ynews/ynews_pl135]&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> President Obama is the first person having ties to a known former terrorist to gain control over America's nuclear weapons.&lt;ref&gt;http://www.clevelandleader.com/node/7127&lt;/ref&gt;&lt;ref&gt;http://elections.foxnews.com/2008/08/26/obama-associate-bill-ayers-unrepentant-for-acts-of-terror/&lt;/ref&gt; Author and blogger Jack Cashill requisitioned a comparison of the writing style of Bill Ayers' 2001 memoir, ''Fugitive Days'', with Barack Obama's earlier 1995 book, ''Dreams From My Father'', and came to the conclusion that Ayres may have ghostwritten Dreams.&lt;ref&gt;www.cashill.com, ''Who Wrote “Dreams From My Father&quot;?'', by Jack Cashill, October 9, 2008, retrieved on 10/16/2008 [http://www.cashill.com/natl_general/who_wrote_dreams_from.htm] Cashill states that a computer comparison of Obama's so-called autobiography with that of the terrorist Bill Ayers, supports the theory that Ayers actually wrote parts of Obama's book; also he wrote &quot;None of this, of course, proves Ayers' authorship conclusively, but the evidence makes him a much more likely candidate than Obama to have written the best parts of Dreams&quot;. &quot;In assessing the signature of sample passages from Dreams,&quot; the experienced analyst found &quot;a very strong match to all of the Ayers samples&quot; that he processed. He did not address the possibility that Ayers had plagiarized from Obama's earlier book. A philosophy professor from England disagreed.[http://wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&amp;pageId=77815]&lt;/ref&gt; Ayers admitted that he was &quot;guilty as hell&quot; in planting bombs in the 1970s, and that he has no regrets and felt he &quot;should have done more.&quot;&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.clevelandleader.com/node/7127]&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> ==Insights==<br /> <br /> Obama displayed ignorance about American history when he said, &quot;Throughout our history, America's confronted constantly evolving danger, from the oppression of an empire, to the lawlessness of the frontier, '''from the bomb that fell on Pearl Harbor''', to the threat of nuclear annihilation.&quot;&lt;ref&gt;http://www.weeklystandard.com/weblogs/TWSFP/2008/07/obama_ignorance_watch_1.asp&lt;/ref&gt; <br /> <br /> Obama has described himself as a constitutional law professor at the University of Chicago.&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2007/03/30/politics/p132303D74.DTL&amp;type=politics]&lt;/ref&gt; He held the position of Lecturer, an adjunct position, from 1992 to 1996.&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.law.uchicago.edu/media/index.html]&lt;/ref&gt; He held the position of Senior Lecturer from 1996 until his election to the senate in 2004.&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.law.uchicago.edu/media/index.html]&lt;/ref&gt; Dan Ronayne, a spokesman for the Republican National Committee, has pointed that Obama was only a senior lecturer and not a full professor. &lt;ref&gt;[http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2007/03/30/politics/p132303D74.DTL&amp;type=politics]&lt;/ref&gt;The University states that Senior Lecturers are regarded as professors, although not full-time or tenure track.&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.law.uchicago.edu/media/index.html]&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> In his 1995 memoir, ''Dreams from My Father'', Obama admitted using illegal drugs, including cocaine and marijuana, which he referred to as &quot;blow&quot; and &quot;pot&quot; respectively, in his high school years and into his college years, before claiming to choose a different path in life.&lt;ref&gt;http://www.nbc5.com/politics/3444371/detail.html&lt;/ref&gt;&lt;ref&gt;http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2008/02/26/obamas_senate_foreign_relations_work/&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> Obama wore an American flag lapel pin after [[9/11]], but later stopped wearing it without adequate explanation.&lt;ref&gt;http://www.swamppolitics.com/news/politics/blog/2007/10/when_did_obama_stop_wearing_a.html&lt;/ref&gt; Presumably it would have hurt him with anti-military campaign donors.&lt;ref&gt;In 2007, at critical moments in his campaign for the nomination, Obama had difficulties securing the support of anti-war activists. [http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/04/04/politics/main2645861.shtml]&lt;/ref&gt; Recently, he has begun wearing one again for reasons that are likely political pandering.<br /> <br /> In his memoirs, Obama claimed a ''[[Life]]'' magazine article about a man who had become ill after trying to lighten his skin color by chemical means had a major impact on him. In fact, ''Life'' never published any such article.&lt;ref&gt;http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/03/26/AR2007032601583.html&lt;/ref&gt;&lt;ref&gt;&quot;Then there's the copy of Life magazine that Obama presents as his racial awakening at age 9. In it, he wrote, was an article and two accompanying photographs of an African-American man physically and mentally scarred by his efforts to lighten his skin. In fact, the Life article and the photographs don't exist, say the magazine's own historians.&quot; [http://newsbusters.org/node/11641]&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> Obama said that &quot;[t]here was something stirring across the country because of what happened in Selma, [[Alabama]], because some folks are willing to march across a bridge. So they got together and Barack Obama Jr. was born.&quot; In fact, Obama was born in 1961 and the Selma march took place in 1965.&lt;ref&gt;http://michellemalkin.com/2008/05/21/barack-obama-gaffe-machine/&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> Obama states that he has consistently opposed the [[Iraq War]] since 2002, a claim and position that former President [[Bill Clinton]] criticized as &quot;the biggest fairy tale I've ever seen.&quot;&lt;ref&gt;http://www.reuters.com/article/politicsNews/idUSN1131516320080111&lt;/ref&gt; In his famous 2002 speech&lt;ref&gt;http://www.barackobama.com/2002/10/02/remarks_of_illinois_state_sen.php&lt;/ref&gt; at an anti-war rally, Obama said that he was against &quot;dumb wars&quot; and expressed some reservations about the Iraq War because he disagrees with the ideological agendas of the Bush administration, but he did not explicitly oppose the war. In his 2004 Democrat Convention speech, Obama said that he did not know how he would have voted on the Iraq War.<br /> <br /> Obama's campaign &quot;is proud to be actively participating in over 60 local and state wide [[homosexual]] Pride events over the summer.&quot;&lt;ref&gt;http://my.barackobama.com/page/community/post/jcitron/gG5VLs&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> Obama claimed to have visited 57 states while campaigning for President of the United States.&lt;ref&gt; [http://www.mediaresearch.org/BozellColumns/newscolumn/2008/col20080528.asp Barack Potatoe Obama?]&lt;/ref&gt; &lt;ref&gt;http://www.stoptheaclu.com/archives/2008/05/12/obamas-freudian-slip-there-are-57-islamic-states/&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> ==Charitable Giving==<br /> <br /> In the years 2000 through 2004, before becoming a United States Senator and being in the public spotlight, Obama gave 1% of his earnings to charity even though he made $250,000 per year. Since becoming a national figure, that amount has jumped to 6%.&lt;ref&gt;http://patterico.com/2008/10/31/obama-and-bidens-charitable-giving-they-dont-want-to-spread-their-own-wealth-around/&lt;/ref&gt; Obama's small donations are consistent with atheism and were perhaps influenced by his nonbelieving mother. According to a study by the Barna Group, atheists give less per capita in donations than religious Americans &lt;ref&gt;http://www.barna.org/FlexPage.aspx?Page=BarnaUpdateNarrow&amp;BarnaUpdateID=272 The Barna Update, 2007&lt;/ref&gt;.<br /> <br /> ==Aunt is in the United States Illegally==<br /> At the end of October 2008 it came to light that Obama's aunt is in the United States illegally and has been since 2004 when her request for asylum was turned down. She has been living in public tax payer funded housing in Boston. This may have some bearing on Obama's immigration policy given that a member of his own family is in violation of current US immigration law. There are also questions about how much Obama knew about this.&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27481680 Obama's Aunt Living in US Illegally]&lt;/ref&gt; The Obama campaign issued a statement to the effect that they had no knowledge of this situation and returned the donation she made to his campaign; in the United States it is illegal to accept campaign contributions from people who are not currently citizens or legal residents of the United States. &lt;ref&gt;http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/11/01/obama.aunt/index.html&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> ==Statements==<br /> Obama has been noted by several independent sources as misquoting historical events and statements by famous persons. A notable example came after Obama's win in the [[North Carolina]] democratic primary. Obama was quoted as saying, &quot;I trust the American people to understand that it is not weakness, but wisdom to talk not just to our friends, but to our enemies as Roosevelt did, and Kennedy did, and Truman did.&quot; (Franklin Delano) Roosevelt spoke with none of the [[Axis]] or [[Japanese]] leaders and the the only communication that was sent to them was unconditional surrender. (President) [[Harry Truman]] took over for FDR and continued his unconditional surrender philosophy as well as ending [[World War II]] with an atomic bomb.&lt;ref&gt;http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2008/05/obama_needs_to_study_history_b.html&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> ==Legal career==<br /> Following law school, Obama continued his work as a community organizer in Chicago as the director of Illinois Project Vote. In 1993 he was hired as an associate at the Chicago law firm Miner, Barnhill &amp; Galland, P.C., and began lecturing in Constitutional Law at the University of Chicago Law School. He remains on the faculty on leave of absence through today. During this time he wrote his first book, ''Dreams from My Father'', detailing his background, his youth, and his education. ''Dreams'' was published in 1995.<br /> <br /> ==Senate career==<br /> [[Image:obama.jpg|thumb|right|Senator Barack Obama]]<br /> Obama was elected to the Illinois State Senate for the first time in 1996 and served there for the next eight years. <br /> <br /> October 2008 crimes against Academy Award winner Jennifer Hudson's family highlighted Obama's record against law and order, as he voted against making it a crime in Illinois &quot;for convicts on probation or on bail to have contact with a street gang&quot;.&lt;ref&gt;[http://thehill.com/leading-the-news/obamas-crime-votes-are-fodder-for-rivals-2007-03-13.html]&lt;/ref&gt;&lt;ref&gt;The person of interest in the murders of Hudson's mother, brother, and 7-year-old nephew is the estranged husband of Hudson's sister and a convicted felon who had violated his parole conditions.[http://www.chicagotribune.com/chi-julian-king-autopsy-1029,0,2752431.story]&lt;/ref&gt; &quot;'We've got 75,000 gang members - that's almost six gang members to one police officer,'&quot; in Obama's hometown of Chicago.&lt;ref&gt;&quot;More people have been murdered in Chicago this year than in New York - even though New York's population is three times greater. When Hudson's mother, brother and nephew were killed last month, they pushed the city's homicide total for the year to 436 and counting. New York has had 430 homicides.&quot; [http://www.nydailynews.com/news/us_world/2008/11/01/2008-11-01_chicago_buried_in_murders.html]&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> Following a failed campaign for the House of Representatives, Obama ran for the open Senate seat from Illinois in 2004. Obama delivered the keynote address at the 2004 Democratic National Convention. He won a seat in the [[U.S. Senate]] after [[liberals]] obtained the release of confidential and personally embarrassing divorce records of his opponent, Jack Ryan, forcing him to resign from the race and be replaced by the out-of-state candidate [[Alan Keyes]].<br /> <br /> A March 16th, 2005 AP article puts Senator Obama on record to ban oil drilling in the Alaska frontier known as ANWR &lt;ref&gt;http://www.commondreams.org/headlines05/0316-13.htm&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> His 2007 voting record in the U.S. [[Senate]] makes him as its most [[liberal]] member. Among fellow Senate Democrats, he was further left than liberals like [[Ted Kennedy]], [[John Kerry]], [[Dianne Feinstein]], [[Charles Schumer]], [[Russ Feingold]], [[Carl Levin]], [[Joseph Biden]] and [[Harry Reid]].&lt;ref&gt;[http://nationaljournal.com/voteratings/sen/lib_cons.htm?o1=lib_composite&amp;o2=desc]&lt;/ref&gt; He has grown steadily more liberal since arriving at the Senate: the same analysis assessed him as 10th most liberal in 2006&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.nationaljournal.com/members/news/2007/voteratings/sen/lib_cons.htm?o1=lib_composite&amp;o2=desc]&lt;/ref&gt; and 16th most liberal in 2005.&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.nationaljournal.com/members/news/2007/voteratings/sen/lib_cons.htm?o1=lib_composite&amp;o2=desc]&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> In late 2006, Obama's second book, ''The Audacity of Hope'', was published. Its title was supplied by the Rev. Jeremiah A. Wright Jr., a minister who has stated that &quot;racism is how this country was founded and how this country was run .... We believe in white supremacy and black inferiority and believe it more than we believe in God.&quot;&lt;ref&gt;http://blog.washingtonpost.com/the-trail/2008/03/14/obama_condemns_pastors_remarks.html&lt;/ref&gt; The book contains more of Senator Obama's personal story including the roles of both family and politics. ''Audacity'' spent 30 weeks on the ''New York Times'' Nonfiction Best Sellers list.&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/27/books/bestseller/0527besthardnonfiction.html?_r=1&amp;oref=slogin New York Times Best Sellers Non Fiction]&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> Senator Obama is the chairman of an important subcommittee that has oversight of our efforts in Afghanistan. He has not held a single hearing on Afghanistan even though American forces are risking their lives in a theatre of war. Since joining Foreign Relations, Obama has missed three meetings on a &quot;new strategy&quot; in [[Afghanistan]], a country he only visited in 2008.&lt;ref&gt;[http://thehill.com/leading-the-news/obama-absent-at-afghanistan-hearings-2008-03-01.html&lt;/ref&gt; Barack Obama clinched his party's nomination for President after 16 straight months of campaigning.<br /> <br /> In June 2008, Obama voted with the Democratic party to kill the sunset provision of the [[Bush]] tax cuts. By letting these tax cuts expire, single mothers with two kids will pay an additional $1,800 annually. Married couples with incomes of $50,000 will pay an additional $2,180 annually. Elderly couples will pay an additional $2,000 annually and a family of four will pay 191% more per year in taxes. Barack Obama often claims to be for taxing the rich their fair share. By voting to eliminate the Bush tax cuts, Obama is taxing most middle class and blue collar families.<br /> <br /> Obama and the Democratic-led Congress has voted for the upgraded GI Bill despite the opposition from the President, the Secretary of Defense, the Pentagon, the generals in combat zones and the GOP Presidential nominee. It was crafted to increase veteran benefits. Yet, the strain on our military is great.&lt;ref&gt;[http://marcambinder.theatlantic.com/archives/2008/05/mccain_to_obama_dont_demagogue.php] http://marcambinder.theatlantic.com/archives/2008/05/mccain_to_obama_dont_demagogue.php , McCain To Obama: Don't Demagogue The GI Bill, May 22, 2008&lt;/ref&gt; The bill would cost $2.8 to $4 billion per month. Some argue that this bill depletes the US's volunteer military personnel by enticing them to leave service rather than be re-deployed.<br /> <br /> As senator, Obama has requested nearly $936 million in earmarks which averages to $500,000. per day over four years, &lt;ref&gt;[http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122108935141721343.html?mod=googlenews_wsj Obama Can't Win Against Palin] Wall Street Journal, September 11, 2008&lt;/ref&gt; for which the Council for Citizens Against Government Waste has given him a rating of 10% in 2007 (18% lifetime).&lt;ref&gt;[http://councilfor.cagw.org/site/DocServer/2007_Senate_Ratings_Final.pdf?docID=3242 2007 Senate Scorecard]&lt;/ref&gt; A score of 100% represents voting against all pork, and 0% represents voting ''for'' all pork. Democrats averaged 5% in 2007, whereas Republicans averaged 60%. &lt;ref&gt;[http://councilfor.cagw.org/site/News2?abbr=CCAGW_&amp;page=NewsArticle&amp;id=11590 CCAGW Releases ''2007 Congressional Ratings'']&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> According to a Fox News report on October 5th, Obama has taken more than $126,000. in campaign contribution from [[Fannie Mae]] in a little over three years. This ranks him second, only Chris Dodd has received more campaign contribution dollars from Fannie Mae.<br /> <br /> === Bills co-sponsored ===<br /> Obama's principal legislation was S. 2433, which was an attempt to force the U.S. to increase its foreign aid by hundreds of billions of dollars under the guise of reducing global poverty, which was subsequently blocked by [[conservatives]].&lt;ref&gt;http://www.cnsnews.com/ViewPolitics.asp?Page=/Politics/archive/200802/POL20080225a.html&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> Obama did support and co-sponsor a bill championed by [[Tom Coburn]] and known as the Coburn-Obama Government Transparency Act of 2006, which was signed into law by President [[George W. Bush]] on Sept. 9, 2006. This law created a website that will list the federal government's grants and contracts.&lt;ref&gt; http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2006/09/20060926.html&lt;/ref&gt; <br /> <br /> Between Jan 13, 2007 and March 13, 2008, Sen. Obama has sponsored 120 mostly [[liberal]] resolutions and bills in the Senate.&lt;ref&gt;http://thomas.loc.gov/&lt;/ref&gt; His supporters cite the following less liberal examples, but this list is not representative:<br /> <br /> *S.117 : A bill to amend titles 10 and 38, United States Code, to improve benefits and services for members of the Armed Forces, veterans of the Global War on Terrorism, and other veterans, to require reports on the effects of the Global War on Terrorism, and for other purposes.<br /> <br /> *S.133 : A bill to promote the national security and stability of the economy of the United States by reducing the dependence of the United States on oil through the use of alternative fuels and new technology, and for other purposes.<br /> <br /> *S.453 : A bill to prohibit deceptive practices in Federal elections.<br /> <br /> *S.713 : A bill to ensure dignity in care for members of the Armed Forces recovering from injuries.<br /> <br /> === Accomplishments while serving on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee ===<br /> <br /> In February 2008, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee approved Obama's proposal on a new strategy to reduce poverty throughout the world.<br /> <br /> Obama worked with Sen. Lugar writing legislation aimed at improving conventional and nuclear non-proliferation efforts. This legislation was signed by [[George W. Bush|President Bush]] in January 2008.<br /> <br /> In June 2007 the Senate passed his resolution condemning violence by the [[Zimbabwe]] government. It also passed legislation co-sponsored by Obama that financed a Special Court for Sierra Leone to prosecute former [[Liberia | Liberian]] President [[Charles Taylor]]. &lt;ref&gt; http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2008/02/26/obamas_senate_foreign_relations_work/ &lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> Barack Obama continued to collect money for a 2010 Senate re-election campaign as late as June 2008, and has filed reports recently indicating that money is still pouring into this fund. This is especially notable because it is an efficient way of sidetracking donations from his Presidential race. The website&lt;obamasenate2010.gov&gt; is now defunct.<br /> <br /> ==Presidential campaign==<br /> [[Image:Democrat Obama during the Pledge.jpg|325px|thumb|right|Obama, on the campaign trail, stands with folded hands while [[Bill Richardson]] and [[Hillary Clinton]] honor the flag by placing their hands over their heart during the [[National Anthem]]. [http://rawstory.com/news/2007/Obama_doesnt_put_hand_over_heart_1022.html See Video] ]]<br /> Senator Obama began his candidacy for President of the United States on February 10, 2007, in Springfield, Illinois. His announcement speech largely avoided specific campaign issues and focused on his general political message of hope for the future. It also attempted to strongly invoke the memory of Abraham Lincoln and his &quot;House Divided&quot; speech.&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/02/10/obama.president/index.html &quot;Obama declares he's running for President&quot;] 11 February 2007, www.CNN.com &lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> Obama's campaign has been financed largely by [[leftist]] donors opposed to the war and to the [[American]] military in general. Obama has encouraged this by refusing to wear the customary flag on his lapel during appearances (asserting that he would prefer his patriotism to be represented through his actions rather than an arbitrary symbol) and by other less-than-patriotic gestures and symbols, such as declining to put his hand over his heart during a patriotic recitation. In an appearance on May 16 where he addressed President Bush's statements that some politicians would prefer appeasing terrorists through negotiations, Senator Obama once again wore the flag pin as he did following 9-11. <br /> <br /> By early April 2007, his campaign generated over $25 million from over 100,000 contributors. $23.5 million of that money will be available for the Democratic Primary.&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/05/us/politics/05obama.html Obama Shows His Strength in a Fund-Raising Feat on Par With Clinton], 4 April 2007, Jeff Zeleny and Patrick Healy,'' The New York Times''&lt;/ref&gt; After the first Democratic presidential debate in Columbia, South Carolina, Obama's image as an &quot;articulate&quot; spokesman came into question after his failure to state right away that he would retaliate in case of further terrorist strikes against the United States.&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/27/AR2007042702162.html?hpid=moreheadlines Clinton Campaign Tries to Keep Heat on Obama Over Debate Response], Dan Balz, ''Washington Post'' April 28, 2007.&lt;/ref&gt;&lt;ref&gt;Chicago Sun-Times, <br /> [http://www.suntimes.com/news/sweet/362269,CST-NWS-sweet29.article 'I was a little nervous' at debate'], Lynn Sweet, <br /> April 29, 2007,&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> During a fund raising event in Virginia in May 2007 Obama told donors,<br /> {{Cquote|This week there was a tragedy in Kansas. Ten thousand people died. An entire town destroyed.&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,271357,00.html Transcript: 'Special Report with Brit Hume,' May 9, 2007], retrieved from ''FOX News'', 06/13/07.&lt;/ref&gt;}}<br /> <br /> In reality, the tornado which touched down in Kansas cost the lives of nine people in the town of Greensburg, and twelve overall in Kansas.<br /> <br /> Speaking regarding his knowledge of the Afghanistan conflict, Obama points the finger at U.S. troops and American policy &quot;...just airraiding villages and killing civilians, which is causing enormous problems there.&quot; &lt;ref&gt;[http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,293365,00.html Barack Obama Caught on Tape Accusing U.S. Troops of 'Killing Civilians'] Fox News, August 15, 2007&lt;/ref&gt; [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wrW4fOGIMVY See Video]<br /> <br /> By August it appeared Obama was running to be left off the ticket completely rather than the much ballyhooed Hillary/Obama ticket the [[mainstream media]] was pushing. After a series of ill-advised foreign policy statements, Obama was openly criticized as a lightweight even by liberals, in much the same vein as [[John Edwards]] and [[Dan Quayle]] had been depicted. First, Obama said he would have face-to-face meetings with two of Florida's most feared enemies, [[Fidel Castro]] and [[Hugo Chavez]]. Florida is a key state to any presidential ambitions. Then Obama claimed that he would be willing to invade the sovereign territory of a U.S. ally without prior consultation. Finally, Obama broke the cardinal rule of declaring he would not use nuclear weapons, removing the element of bluff U.S. Presidents had vitally depended upon throughout the [[Cold War]] era. The incidents all added up to a picture of a candidate ill-prepared and ill-advised, lacking in a basic understanding of the office of the Presidency, and failing to surround himself with appointees able to make up for his deficiencies. However, Obama won the Iowa Democratic caucuses, pushing [[Hillary Clinton]] into third place, and went on to become the unofficial Democratic nominee.<br /> <br /> At a campaign event in Elkhart, Indiana, a seven-year-old girl asked Barack Obama why he wants to be President. He replies, <br /> '''&quot;America is …, uh, is no longer, uh … what it could be, what it once was. And I say to myself, I don’t want that future for my children.&quot;''' &lt;ref&gt;[http://newsbusters.org/blogs/tom-blumer/2008/08/09/mostly-mia-obamas-downer-america-delivered-7-year-old Media Mostly MIA on Obama's 'America No Longer What It Once Was' Downer Delivered to 7 Year-Old] Newsbusters.org, August 9, 2008&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> Obama became the presumptive Democratic nominee on June 3rd after receiving a majority of pledged delegates and superdelegates. His only remaining primary opponent, [[Hillary Clinton]], conceded the race on June 7th. On August 23, Joe Biden was announced as Obama's vice-presidential nominee. Obama became the official Democratic nominee on August 27 at the Democratic National Convention, when Hillary Clinton's motion to end the roll call vote of the states and select Obama by acclamation was passed.<br /> <br /> On June 5th, Obama spoke at Briston, Virginia- Healthcare Town Hall forum regarding Political Action Committees and his campaign. &quot;Well, we’re here today because we know that if we’re going to make real progress, this time must be different. Throughout my career, in Illinois and the United States senate, I’ve worked to reduce the power of the special interests by leading the fight for ethics reform. I’ve sent a strong signal in this campaign by refusing the contributions of registered federal lobbyists and PACs. And today, I’m announcing that going forward, the Democratic National Committee will uphold the same standard and won’t take another dime from Washington lobbyists or special interest PACs. They do not fund my campaign. They will not fund our party. And they will not drown out the voices of the American people when I’m President of the United States.&quot; <br /> <br /> On June 6th, an [[AP]] article &lt;ref&gt;[http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/D/DEMOCRATS_MONEY?SITE=KING&amp;SECTION=HOME&amp;TEMPLATE=DEFAULT Transcript: 'Democratic Party returns lobbyist, PAC money ,' June 6, 2008]&lt;/ref&gt; presented the rules for lobbyist donations to the DNC and for the Presidential nominee. Obama does accept money from lobbyists who do not do business with the federal government and he also accepts money from spouses and family members of lobbyists. And the DNC ban is also not retroactive, which means the DNC will keep lobbyist and PAC contributions it received earlier in the election cycle. Retroactive period being the date Barack Obama started his campaign, February 10, 2007. The DNC possibly the day after the November 2006 Congressional elections until June 5th, 2008. In addition, Barack Obama's ban does not apply to the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee nor to the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. Unlike [[John McCain]], Barack Obama has not disclosed the lobbyists working in his campaign.<br /> <br /> Senator Obama visited U.S. troops in Iraq in 2006&lt;ref&gt;[http://abclocal.go.com/wls/story?section=news/local&amp;id=3794382 Obama visits troops in Iraq]&lt;/ref&gt; and in Afghanistan and Kuwait in 2008&lt;ref&gt;[http://abclocal.go.com/wls/story?section=news/local&amp;id=3794382 Obama visits troops and officials in Afghanistan and Kuwait]&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> Obama's tax plan calls for increasing taxes on the wealthiest 1% of Americans, while cutting taxes for the middle class. According to the non-partisan [[Tax Policy Center]], most Americans would pay less taxes than under Senator McCain's plan.&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/publications/url.cfm?ID=411749 An Updated Analysis of the 2008 Presidential Candidates' Tax Plans: Updated September 12, 2008]&lt;/ref&gt; According to another non-partisan group, Americans for Tax Reform, tax-payers would clearly be burdened by an Obama Presidency.&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.atr.org/content/html/2008/june/0616-obama_mccaintaxes.html McCain vs. Obama on Taxes] Americans For Tax Reform, June 2008&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> During the campaign Obama repeatedly claimed he would “cut taxes for no less than 95% of &quot;working families.&quot;”. The Wall Street Journal asked, “how does he conjure this miracle, especially since more than a third of all Americans already pay no income taxes at all?” &lt;ref&gt;http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122385651698727257.html&lt;/ref&gt; In truth, Obama was calling government handouts “tax credits” and counting those as tax cuts. The Wall Street Journal wondered why McCain “allowed Mr. Obama's 95% illusion to go unanswered”.<br /> <br /> ===Campaign financing=== <br /> Obama is the first presidential candidate to reject public financing. He broke his promise to accept it in the hope that his powerful fund-raising machine would generate far more money than the $84.1 million McCain is getting in public funding. Indeed, on August 14th, the Obama campaign announced it had received donations from 2 million individuals, setting new records. Obama raised $272 million for the primaries and expects to raise $300 million for the general election. However the Republican National Committee has been raising much more than the Democratic National Committee and each candidate had about $100 million in cash on September 1. Each expects to spend about $300 million by November. However, Obama is obliged to devote much of his time to fund raising among supporters rather than campaigning among undecided voters.&lt;ref&gt; see [http://blog.newsweek.com/blogs/stumper/archive/2008/09/09/was-obama-right-to-opt-out-of-public-financing.aspx Andrew Romano, &quot;Was Obama Right to Opt Out of Public Financing?,&quot; ''Newsweek'' (Sept. 9, 2008) online]&lt;/ref&gt; Among his backers is homosexual pornography baron [[Terrence Bean]].<br /> <br /> ===Secrecy=== <br /> <br /> The Democratic party feels it necessary to keep all questions about Obama at a safe distance. It is an unprecedented move to keep secrets about a presidential candidate. The following questions remain sealed from the public. &lt;ref&gt;[http://obamawtf.blogspot.com/2008/08/who-sent-obama-why-has-he-refused-to.html Who sent Obama? Why has he refused to release these basic documents?] ObamaWTF.blogspot.com&lt;/ref&gt; <br /> <br /> # Certified Copy of original Birth certificate(see certificate controversy below)<br /> # Columbia College records<br /> # Columbia Thesis paper<br /> # Campaign donor analysis requested by 7 major watchdog groups<br /> # [[Harvard]] College records<br /> # Illinois State Senate records<br /> # [[Illinois]] State Senate schedule<br /> # [[Law]] practice client list and billing records/summary<br /> # Locations and names of all half-siblings and step-mothers<br /> # Medical records (only the one page summary released so far)<br /> # Occidental College records<br /> # Parent's [[Marriage]] Certificate<br /> # Record of baptism<br /> # Selective Service Registration<br /> # Trips schedules for trips outside of the United States before 2007<br /> # Scholarly articles<br /> # Access to his Grandmother (Obama's Grandmother has since passed away from cancer [http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5g3m4YaeYwDHXS6hHdZJi8pm6cZdAD947RJKO0])<br /> # List of all campaign workers that are lobbyists<br /> <br /> Obama keeps donations secret by exploiting a loophole that allows campaigns to refuse to divulge donations under $200.00. This is useful to the candidate because many of his contributions are from dubious foreign or illegal sources. It is described as the &quot;largest pool of unidentified money that has ever flooded into the U.S. election system, before or after the McCain-Feingold campaign finance reforms of 2002.&quot; &lt;ref&gt;http://www.newsmax.com/timmerman/Obama_fundraising_illegal/2008/09/29/135718.html&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> ===Tone===<br /> <br /> Many observers have criticized Obama's campaign for its incivility. For instance, John McCain's wife Cindy noted that Obama is running &quot;the dirtiest campaign in American history.&quot; <br /> <br /> Obama's smears usually fall into two categories: race-baiting and distortions. On October 10, 2008, Obama surrogate Rep. John Lewis (D-GA) typified the campaign by comparing Sen. McCain to racial segregationists and Klansmen. &quot;Sen. McCain and Gov. Palin are sowing the seeds of hatred and division,&quot; Lewis exclaimed before comparing Sen. McCain to segregationist Democrat George Wallace, further noting that he, &quot;...never fired a gun, but he created the climate and the conditions that encouraged [the attacks in which] four little girls were killed on Sunday morning when a church was bombed in Birmingham, Alabama.&quot; &lt;ref&gt;http://edition.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/10/11/mccain.lewis/index.html?eref=rss_politics&lt;/ref&gt; This is particularly harsh to Sen. McCain because he fondly admires Lewis. &lt;ref&gt;http://www.rickwarrennews.com/transcript/civil_forum_transcript-04.txt&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> As for the distortions and personal attacks, Obama mocks Sen. McCain's for his age and Gov. Palin for being a woman and outsider. For instance, Obama responded with a subtle reference to Alzheimer's disease when Sen. McCain criticized his foreign policy in May 2008, alleging that Sen. McCain &quot;lost his bearings&quot; &lt;ref&gt;http://www.politico.com/blogs/bensmith/0508/Obama_McCain_offensive_losing_his_bearings.html&lt;/ref&gt;. Senior Adviser Mark Salter noted, &quot;He used the words 'losing his bearings' intentionally, a not particularly clever way of raising John McCain's age as an issue. This is typical of the Obama style of campaigning.&quot; &lt;ref&gt;http://marcambinder.theatlantic.com/archives/2008/05/salter_obama_attacked_mccains.php&lt;/ref&gt;. In reference to Gov. Palin, Obama was caught for his quiet hiring of Winner &amp; Associates to disseminate a sexist smear video against her. &lt;ref&gt;http://mypetjawa.mu.nu/archives/194057.php&lt;/ref&gt; Some argue this is a FEC violation because it lacked obligatory label denoting it was sponsored by the Obama Campaign (Ethan Winner has made a claim that he alone produced the video) &lt;ref&gt;http://eclipseweb.blogspot.com/2008/09/vicious-anti-sarah-palin-smear-campaign.html&lt;/ref&gt; &lt;ref&gt;http://mypetjawa.mu.nu/archives/194180.php&lt;/ref&gt;One of the biggest distortions by Obama is that 95% of all taxpayers will get a tax cut. &lt;ref&gt;[http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122385651698727257.html?mod=googlenews_wsj Obama's 95% Illusion] Wall Steet Journal, October 13, 2008&lt;/ref&gt; Without the distortion, Obama is proposing income re-distribution because those families that pay no taxes, one-third, will get money from the wealthy top 5%.<br /> <br /> Another feature of the Obama campaign is the unruly audience. CNN reported in October of 2008 &lt;ref&gt;http://www.findinternettv.com/Video,item,3565842635.aspx&lt;/ref&gt;, that people are calling John McCain a terrorist at these events. According to Sen. McCain, &quot;I've heard the [label terrorist], unfortunately, at Senator Obama's rallies being said about me. There's always a fringe element.&quot; Other eyewitness reports are harsher.<br /> <br /> ==Election==<br /> <br /> Senator Obama won the 2008 Presidential election, with over 52% of the popular vote. He carried every state that [[John Kerry]] won in 2004, in addition to Iowa, North Carolina, Ohio, Virginia, Colorado, New Mexico, Nevada, Florida, and Indiana. Of the 127 million votes cast, Obama beat John McCain by 8 million total votes.&lt;ref&gt;http://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS/&lt;/ref&gt; [http://images.newsmax.com/misc/2008_Election_Map.jpg See county breakdown map] &lt;ref&gt;[www.cnn.com/election]&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> == Positions and Qualifications ==<br /> Obama is [[pro-abortion]]. The leading abortion providers and PAC supporters have wholeheartedly endorsed Barack Obama. The National Abortion Rights Action League [[NARAL]] has given Barack a 100% rating for his efforts in Congress 2005, 2006 and 2007 &lt;ref&gt;http://www.prochoiceamerica.org/elections/statements/obama.html&lt;/ref&gt;. EMILY's List, a political action committee that funds female candidates who support abortion rights backs Barack Obama&lt;ref&gt; [http://www.boston.com/news/politics/politicalintelligence/2008/06/emilys_list_bac.html],EMILY's List backs Obama, June 6,2008&lt;/ref&gt;. The nation's largest abortion business, Planned Parenthood has begun the process necessary to endorse pro-abortion presidential candidate Barack Obama. &lt;ref&gt;[http://www.lifenews.com/nat3971.html], http://www.lifenews.com/nat3971.html, Planned Parenthood Begins Process to Endorse Pro-Abortion Barack Obama, June 10,2008&lt;/ref&gt;The board of directors of the pro-abortion group's political operation met on Friday June 6, 2008 and unanimously voted to recommend an endorsement for Obama. Obama has steadfastly advocated support for partial birth abortion as an Illinois legislator. Barack's wife, Michelle Obama, wrote a fundraising letter&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.prolifeblogs.com/articles/archives/2006/10/post_5.php], http://www.prolifeblogs.com/articles/archives/2006/10/post_5.php, February 17,2004&lt;/ref&gt; in support of partial birth abortion and against the proposed ban. Barack voted against the Born Alive Infant Protection Act to give a child who survived an abortion procedure life support healthcare. Obama wanted the life terminated even if he or she survived outside the mother's womb.&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.citizenlink.org/content/A000007034.cfm], http://www.citizenlink.org/content/A000007034.cfm, Obama Blocked Born Alive Infant Protection Act&lt;/ref&gt; With Obama no longer in the state Senate, the Born Alive legislation passed in 2005.<br /> <br /> In the context of sex, he quipped about his daughters, &lt;ref&gt;http://michellemalkin.com/2008/03/30/sunday-meditation-obama-and-the-punishment-of-unborn-life/&lt;/ref&gt;{{QuoteBox|&quot;If they make a mistake, I don't want them punished with a baby.&quot;}} Obama makes it clear if his daughters had an unplanned pregnancy, he would support terminating the life of his grandchild and it is undeniable that Michelle Obama agrees with that decision.<br /> [[Image:Features ayers1.jpg|175px|thumb|right|[[Weather Underground]] co-founder Bill Ayers&lt;ref&gt;http://foia.fbi.gov/weather/weath1a.pdf&lt;/ref&gt; stomps on the American flag in this 2001 pose for Chicago Magazine.]]<br /> <br /> Obama, having been asked about his associations with [[William Ayers]], an unrepentant [[terrorist]],&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.chicagomag.com/Chicago-Magazine/August-2001/No-Regrets/]&lt;/ref&gt; he explained that the views of his associates are not necessarily his own. Ayers and his wife, [[Bernardine Dohrn]], hosted a fundraiser for Obama in their home in 1995 at the start of Obama's political career. Obama compares his friendship with Ayers whose actions led to the loss of a life to his friendship with pro-life doctor and representative Tom Coburn&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.lifenews.com/nat3894.html]http://www.lifenews.com/nat3894.html, LifeNews.com, April 25,2008&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> Obama explained that his friendship with Ayers, shouldn't be construed as implying he endorsed the terrorist-like tactics Ayers used to drive home his political point. Barack Obama brought up the pro-life colleague to make the dubious comparison that he's friends with other people who take &quot;extreme&quot; positions or would use terrorist tactics.<br /> &quot;The fact is, is that I'm also friendly with Tom Coburn, one of the most conservative Republicans in the United States Senate, who during his campaign once said that it might be appropriate to apply the death penalty to those who carried out abortions&quot; <br /> <br /> Obama has no military or executive experience and little foreign policy experience.&lt;ref&gt;&quot;Fresh doubts over Barack Obama's foreign policy credentials were expressed on both sides of the Atlantic last night, after it emerged that he had made only one brief official visit to London – and none elsewhere in Western Europe or Latin America. ... Mr. Obama had failed to convene a single policy meeting of the Senate European subcommittee, of which he is chairman.&quot;[http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/article3080794.ece]&lt;/ref&gt; Yet he is the favorite of the leftist attack site &quot;MoveOn.org&quot; for the [[Democratic]] nomination for [[President of the United States]] in the [[2008 Presidential Election|2008 election]],&lt;ref&gt;MoveOn.org reportedly favored Obama by 70-30% over Clinton. [http://www.swamppolitics.com/news/politics/blog/2008/02/moveonorg_obama.html]&lt;/ref&gt; campaigning to the left of [[Hillary Clinton]].&lt;ref&gt;For example, Obama promised not to use nuclear weapons against terrorists, a promise Hillary Clinton refused to make. [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/08/02/AR2007080202288.html]&lt;/ref&gt; <br /> <br /> He has no clear personal achievement that cannot be explained as the likely result of [[affirmative action]]. Some examples border on the absurd: Obama has no background in [[physics]], yet it is claimed that &quot;Obama analyzed and integrated [[Albert Einstein|Einstein]]'s [[theory of relativity]], the [[Heisenberg uncertainty principle]], as well as the concept of curved space as an alternative to [[gravity]], for a Law Review article that Tribe, for whom Obama worked as a research assistant, wrote titled, 'The Curvature of Constitutional Space'.&quot; &lt;ref&gt;http://cbs2chicago.com/politics/barack.obama.harvard.2.334825.html&lt;/ref&gt; Obama's &quot;research&quot; for Constitutional Law Professor Tribe on this article also raises issues about preferences, as Obama had not yet even completed any law school courses&lt;ref&gt;Obama did not start his second year of law school until September 1989, the earliest he could have taken constitutional law, yet this article must have been written, submitted and accepted prior to that time to be published in the November 1989 issue of the Law Review.&lt;/ref&gt; on the [[Constitution]].&lt;ref&gt;The liberal Professor Tribe saw the best law students for several decades, yet insisted that Obama was the &quot;best student I ever had&quot; and the &quot;most exciting research assistant.&quot; [http://www.cmonitor.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071114/NEWS01/711140429/1217/NEWS98]&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> Throughout his career, Obama repeatedly ducked controversial stands in a transparent attempt to make it easier to be elected to higher office. In example, as a state senator in [[Illinois]], he voted &quot;present&quot; rather than &quot;aye&quot; or &quot;nay&quot; nearly an astounding 130 times.&lt;ref&gt;http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/20/us/politics/20obama.html&lt;/ref&gt; During that same period, he was planning to run for the [[House of Representatives]], which was unsuccessful, and then for [[U.S. Senate]], which was successful after his opponent Jack Ryan, a millionaire school teacher, was smeared with a court-ordered disclosure of confidential divorce records that both he and his ex-wife wanted to remain sealed. A newspaper that favored Obama took the unusual step of suing to force the confidential divorce information to become public, and a California judge opened the records at a pivotal time in the campaign.&lt;ref&gt;http://www.nbc5.com/politics/2898641/detail.html&lt;/ref&gt;&lt;ref&gt;http://www.nbc5.com/news/3289561/detail.html&lt;/ref&gt;&lt;ref&gt;http://www.nbc5.com/politics/3444371/detail.html&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> Barack Obama is often praised for his speeches, except when he is not able to read them from a [[teleprompter]]. &quot;Shorn of his Teleprompter, we saw a different Obama. His delivery was halting and unsure. ... The prepared text for his remarks, as released on his website, sounded a lot like a typical Obama speech. ... [But with] no Teleprompter signaling the prepared text, Obama failed to deliver the speech in his characteristically flawless fashion.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;teleprompter&quot; /&gt; The [[New York Times]] noted that &quot;Mr. Obama excels at inspirational speeches read from a teleprompter before television cameras, critics have noted, but many of his other speeches on the campaign trail have failed to electrify.&quot;&lt;ref&gt;http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/20/fashion/20speechwriter.html?_r=2&amp;ex=1358485200&amp;en=bb179297e5f61acb&amp;ei=5090&amp;partner=rssuserland&amp;emc=rss&amp;oref=slogin&amp;oref=slogin&lt;/ref&gt; When Obama ridiculed [[Hillary Clinton]] for being like [[Annie Oakley]], it is apparent that he was not writing his own speeches.&lt;ref&gt;&quot;Some Obama adviser probably earned his or her dollars for that cut,&quot; the USA Today wrote. [http://www.usatoday.com/news/opinion/columnist/raasch/2008-04-17-2008-04-17-raasch_N.htm]&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> Obama often makes reference to his &quot;two decades of experience&quot; in public service work. During most of that time he claims experience, he was either going to school, working for a law firm, writing a book, or organizing community events.<br /> <br /> == Political views ==<br /> Obama's political views have been subjected to controversy even before he put himself forward as a presidential candidate. Former House majority leader [[Tom DeLay]] has described Obama's record in the Illinois Senate as that of a [[Communism|“Marxist leftist&quot;.]]&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/home/daily/site_121306/content/stop_the_tape.guest.html|Sexy Rock Star Obama Whines About His Ears], RushLimbaugh.com, December 13 2006&lt;/ref&gt; Which matches the fact that during his campaign, his staff were discovered on numerous occasions to have Cuban flags bearing the face of Marxist guerrilla/murderer [[Che Guevara]].&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.moonbattery.com/archives/2008/02/obama_workers_c.html Obama Workers' Che Guevara Poster Was No Fluke] from Moonbattery&lt;/ref&gt; Former presidential candidate [[Alan Keyes]] calls Obama a &quot;radical communist.&quot; &lt;ref&gt;[http://www.newsmax.com/insidecover/keyes_obama_destroy_US/2009/02/23/184503.html Alan Keyes: Obama Will Destroy U.S.] NewsMax, February 23, 2009&lt;/ref&gt; <br /> <br /> In May 2007, Obama (and Sen. Hillary Clinton) voted against funding the Iraq War for the first time.&lt;ref&gt;[http://uspolitics.about.com/od/legislatio1/a/HR2206.htm HR 2206 - Emergency Appropriations], Kathy Gill, Your Guide to U.S. Politics: Current Events. May 26 2007.&lt;/ref&gt;&lt;ref&gt;[http://more.gov.mtopgroup.com/2007/05/votes-hr-2206-iraq-supplemental.html Votes - H.R. 2206: Iraq Supplemental], May 28, 2007. Retrieved from Deeper Inside the Mountain, June 4, 2007.&lt;/ref&gt; <br /> <br /> Obama's views on [[gun control]] are focused on an opinion article in the [[Wall Street Journal]]:&lt;ref&gt;David Kopel, &quot;The Democrats and Gun Control,&quot; Wall St.J., Page A19, April 17, 2008 [http://online.wsj.com/article_email/SB120839466717921537-lMyQjAxMDI4MDE4NzMxOTc0Wj.html]&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> :As a state senate candidate in 1996, Mr. Obama endorsed a complete ban on all handguns in a questionnaire. The Obama campaign has claimed he &quot;never saw or approved the questionnaire,&quot; and that an aide filled it out incorrectly. But a few weeks ago, Politico.com found an amended version of the questionnaire. It included material added in Mr. Obama's handwriting.<br /> <br /> After [[D.C. v. Heller]], Obama claimed to support Second Amendment rights.<br /> <br /> Obama has said, &quot;Doing the Lord's work is a thread that runs through our politics since the very beginning,&quot; and &quot;it puts the lie to the notion that [[separation of church and state]] in America means somehow that faith should have no role in public life.&quot;&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.siouxcityjournal.com/articles/2007/06/17/news/iowa/8db7c1a17d2b51f9862572fd000fc9f4.txt Obama says religion has place in politics], By Todd Dorman, ''Sioux City Journal'', June 18, 2007.&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> He believes children should be taught sex education in kindergarten, although in what he refers to as &quot;an age-appropriate manner&quot;.&lt;ref&gt;&quot;Barack Obama reaffirmed to [[Planned Parenthood]] this week that he believes elements of sex education should begin in kindergarten.&quot; [http://abcnews.go.com/print?id=3395856 (ABC News)] July 20, 2007 &lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> Obama spoke at the May 1, 2006, illegal immigration march in Chicago.&lt;ref&gt;http://nomoreblather.com/barack-obama-and-the-immigration-marches Immigration marches&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> ::''We are hungry for change!'' S.C. January 26, 2008.<br /> <br /> Barack Obama, in his short stint as Senator of Illinois, has made clear his opposition to the [[U.S. Military]] in policy and in rhetoric. Obama has spent much energy to argue that the Iraq War should have never been waged and that we should not be there at all, in any way. In 2002, as an unknown Chicago representative to the state of Illinois, he declared his opposition to &quot;dumb wars&quot;. At the time, America was united in the stance against terrorism and the prospects of a rogue enemy with WMD worried the United States. Obama, has said that he does not know whether he would have voted for or against the Iraq War. Since elected to Congress, he voted against the Emergency War Supplemental. Obama did not oppose his party debating the bill long past the timeframe requested. This action directly affects troop deployment in combat zones. Obama has repeatedly called for the return of troops in Iraq. Barack Obama has a no confidence vote for the 'Surge' before the measure was put forth by General Petraeus to Congress. Obama would not denounce MoveOn.org's slander NY Times advertising against the General.<br /> <br /> Senator Obama often refers to the office that he seeks, without the proper respect of those that came before him. When talking of the President, he frequently refuses to call him [[George W. Bush|President George Bush]] or even Mr. George Bush. Obama has also disrespectfully called him 'George Bush'. Oddly, when Bill Clinton spoke with Obama on September 11th, 2008 predicting he would win handily, Obama responded, &quot;There you go, you can take it from the President of the United States.&quot;&lt;ref&gt;http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/09/11/campaign.wrap/index.html&lt;/ref&gt; It appears Obama will use the term for a former President, but will not do the same for the actual President. Examples of Obama's treatment of our current President: <br /> * &quot;I am happy to have a debate with John McCain and George Bush about foreign policy,&quot; Obama said &lt;ref&gt;[http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/05/16/obama.bush.mccain/], CNN Obama blasts Bush McCain, May 16, 2008&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> * &quot;For all his talk about independence, the centerpiece of John McCain's economic plan amounts to a full-throated endorsement of George Bush's policies,&quot; &lt;ref&gt;[http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2008/06/10/obama_takes_the_offensive_vs_mcca)n/]`Boston Globe Obama takes offensive vs. McCain, June 10, 2008&lt;/ref&gt; <br /> * &quot;George Bush knows that I have never supported engagement with terrorists.&quot; &lt;ref&gt;[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7403386.stm], BBC Obama attacks Bush over Iran , May 15, 2008&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> * Obama called the U.S. economy a disaster thanks to &quot;John McCain's President, George W. Bush&quot; &lt;ref&gt;[http://www.newsmax.com/insidecover/obama_mccain/2008/08/18/122924.html No More Hugs: Obama Tears Into McCain] AP, August 18, 2008&lt;/ref&gt; Side note, George W. Bush is also Barack Obama's President.<br /> <br /> Obama is for a one-world government unaccountable to the American people, a threat to U.S. sovereignty and independence. He said &quot;for all nations in the world to come together to build a stronger, global regime&quot;&lt;ref&gt;[http://worldnetdaily.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&amp;pageId=94380]&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> == Foreign policy experience ==<br /> In his presidential campaign, Obama stated&lt;ref&gt;http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mayhill-fowler/obama-says-no-to-foreign_b_95357.html&lt;/ref&gt; that &quot;foreign policy is the area where I am probably most confident&quot; and then cited &quot;having lived in Indonesia for four years, having family that is impoverished in small villages in Africa&quot;. He lived in Indonesia from age 6 to 10, and he later discovered that his father had some other children in Africa.<br /> <br /> While campaigning, he has visited several foreign countries. In [[Russia]] and the former Soviet republics, he met with representatives of the International Republican Institute and National Democratic Institute to discuss democracy in the former Soviet republics. He also met with Russian military officials and visited several nuclear and biological weapons destruction sites in Russia, [[Ukraine]], and [[Azerbaijan]] with Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Richard Lugar (R-IN). On the same tour, he visited London, UK, and met with [[Tony Blair]], sitting UK Prime Minister.&lt;ref&gt;http://obama.senate.gov/press/050823-obama_to_visit/&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> Obama visited South Africa, Kenya, Ethiopia, Djibouti, and Chad; he discussed his tour of Robben Island prison, met with U.S. troops, and visited refugee camps of the people fleeing Darfur. He also addressed Africa's growing [[AIDS]] epidemic. &lt;ref&gt;http://obama.senate.gov/podcast/060906-090606_africa_t/&lt;/ref&gt; <br /> <br /> During a ten-day-long tour of the Middle East, he talked with government leaders in Qatar, Kuwait, Iraq, Jordan, and Israel. &lt;ref&gt; http://obama.senate.gov/news/060113-obama_wraps_up/&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> == Books ==<br /> <br /> * ''Dreams from My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance.'' (B. Obama and, allegedly, William Ayers) ISBN 0307383415<br /> * ''The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream.'' (B. Obama) ISBN 0307455874<br /> * ''Barack Obama in His Own Words.'' (B. Obama and Lisa Rogak) ISBN 0786720573<br /> * ''Change We Can Believe In. Barack Obama's Plan to Renew America's Promise.'' (B. Obama)<br /> * ''The Case Against Barack Obama. The Unlikely Rise and Unexamined Agenda of the Media's Favorite Candidate. '' (David Freddso) ISBN 1596985666 <br /> * ''The Obama Nation. Leftist Politics and the Cult of Personality.'' (Jerome R. Corsi) ISBN 1416598065 <br /> * ''Obama Unmasked. Did Slick Hollywood Handlers Create the Perfect Candidate?'' (Floyd Brown and Lee Trexler) ISBN 0936783591 <br /> * ''Obama: The Man Behind The Mask.'' (Andy Martin) ISBN 0965781240 <br /> * ''The Audacity of Deceit. Barack Obama's War on American Values.'' (Brad O'Leary) ISBN 1935071025<br /> <br /> ==Published criticism==<br /> On April 11, 2007, staff writers of ''The Boston Globe'' reported the criticisms of several black commentators regarding Obama's apparent hesitation to join the race to condemn acclaimed radio personality [[Don Imus]],&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2007/04/11/obamas_silence_on_imus_alarms_some_blacks/ Obama's silence on Imus alarms some blacks], Rick Klein and Joseph Williams, ''The Boston Globe'', April 11, 2007.&lt;/ref&gt; who made a racially insensitive remark&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.reuters.com/article/industryNews/idUSN1237895620070412|title=Furor over Imus puts heat on other broadcasters], Daniel Trotta, Reuters, 2007-04-12.&lt;/ref&gt; on the air during the April 4 broadcast. Obama did not comment on Imus's remarks until well after prominent civil rights leaders [[Al Sharpton]] and [[Jesse Jackson]] had called Imus to account and after Imus was suspended by MSNBC and CBS Radio. Obama later weighed in on April 10 by saying, &quot;The comments of Don Imus were divisive, hurtful, and offensive to Americans of all backgrounds.&quot; &lt;br /&gt; <br /> <br /> The ''Globe'' reported that Obama's perceived delay in addressing Don Imus's remarks was described by Melissa Harris Lacewell, a professor of politics and African-American studies at Princeton University, as &quot;miss[ing] an opportunity to prove himself to blacks and white liberals who would have wanted Obama take the lead in denouncing Imus.&quot;&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2007/04/11/obamas_silence_on_imus_alarms_some_blacks/ Obama's silence on Imus alarms some blacks], Rick Klein and Joseph Williams, ''The Boston Globe'', April 11, 2007.&lt;/ref&gt;&lt;ref&gt;[http://time-blog.com/real_clear_politics/2007/04/obama_race_and_the_election.html Obama, Race, and The Election,] ''Real Clear Politics.com''&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> In June 2007 the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' reported Obama had actually received nearly three times more campaign cash from indicted slum landlord Tony Rezko&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.suntimes.com/news/metro/353829,CST-NWS-rez23.article Barack Obama and his slumlord patron], Tim Novak, Chicago Sun-Times, April 23, 2007.&lt;/ref&gt; and his associates than Obama has publicly acknowledged.&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.suntimes.com/news/politics/432197,CST-NWS-obama18.article Rezko cash triple what Obama says], Chris Fusco and Tim Novak, ''Chicago Sun-Times'', June 18, 2007.&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> Executive vice president Wayne LaPierre of the [[NRA]] accuses Barack Obama of &quot;mouthing pro-Second amendment words and pandering to gun owners&quot; on the campaign trail.&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.gopusa.com/news/2008/may/0514_nra_mccain.shtml], http://www.gopusa.com/news/2008/may/0514_nra_mccain.shtml, NRA chief stresses common ground with McCain, Associated Press, May 14, 2008&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> [[McCain]] Aide Says Obama Has Sept. 10 Mind-Set &quot;an extremely dangerous and extremely naive approach toward terrorism&quot; &lt;ref&gt;[http://www.newsmax.com/politics/mccain_obama/2008/06/17/105265.html], AP McCain Aide Says Obama Has Sept. 10 Mind-Set, June 17, 2008&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> ===Birth Certificate Controversy===<br /> During the democratic primaries the Clinton Campaign lead a smear campaign against the validity of Barack Obama's Hawaii Birth certificate, claiming that it is false and that he is ineligible for Presidency. &lt;ref&gt;[http://campaignspot.nationalreview.com/post/?q=ZTgxZmIwNTg0OWVhMWJkODNmZjI4ZjY4Mjg2OWRmNzI= http://campaignspot.nationalreview.com/post/?q=ZTgxZmIwNTg0OWVhMWJkODNmZjI4ZjY4Mjg2OWRmNzI=]&lt;/ref&gt; After initially refusing to produce a birth certificate in response to such rumors, the Obama campaign eventually endorsed a document posted on the Daily Kos as <br /> authentic.&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2008/6/12/11012/6168/320/534616 Obama's Birth Certificate]&lt;/ref&gt; The response is split regarding the birth certificate. Some commentators, such as those at the National Review, are satisfied with the document.&lt;ref&gt;[http://campaignspot.nationalreview.com/post/?q=NWVjN2I1MjlhM2ZjZjRjYzBkODAxZjZkZGQyYWNkMDk= http://campaignspot.nationalreview.com/post/?q=NWVjN2I1MjlhM2ZjZjRjYzBkODAxZjZkZGQyYWNkMDk=]&lt;/ref&gt; However, some analysts claim that the birth certificate is false.&lt;ref&gt;[http://web.israelinsider.com/Articles/Politics/12939.htm http://web.israelinsider.com/Articles/Politics/12939.htm]&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> On August 21st, 2008, Factcheck.org published an article regarding the controversy.&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.factcheck.org/elections-2008/born_in_the_usa.html Born in the U.S.A.]&lt;/ref&gt; The site stated, &quot;FactCheck.org staffers have now seen, touched, examined and photographed the original birth certificate. We conclude that it meets all of the requirements from the State Department for proving U.S. citizenship.&quot; In addition, the site posted high-resolution photographs of the birth certificate, which clearly showed the raised seal, stamp of Hawaii state registrar Alvin T. Onaka, and certificate number. The birth date corresponds to a birth announcement published in the ''Honolulu Advertiser '' on Sunday, August 13, 1961. &lt;ref&gt;http://texasdarlin.wordpress.com/2008/07/23/obama-was-born-in-hawaii-wrong-can-of-worms/&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> A Philadelphia attorney, Phillip Berg, has filed a lawsuit against the DNC and Barack Obama. Berg maintains that Sen. Obama is not a natural born U.S. citizen or that, if he ever was, he lost his citizenship when he was adopted in Indonesia. Berg also cites what he calls &quot;dual loyalties&quot; due to his citizenship and ties with Kenya and Indonesia. The &quot;dual loyalties&quot; which have not been shown to exist do not violate any constitutional or legal precedents and would make Sen. Obama a poor choice for President, not an invalid choice.<br /> <br /> Obama website Fight The Smears has confirmed that Obama was once a Kenyan citizen until 1982. Attorney Philips Berg's lawsuit is being challenged by the Obama Campaign. Instead of producing the original birth certificate in court and paying a number of legal fees and taking several days out of his busy campaigning schedule the Obama campaign had the case dropped on the grounds that it lacked any supporting evidence. &lt;ref&gt;http://neighbors.denverpost.com/viewtopic.php?t=10815605&lt;/ref&gt; The fact that Mr. Berg's dual arguments were mutually contradictory may also have contributed.<br /> <br /> The state of Hawaii announced that the &quot;Certification of Live Birth&quot; document is legitimate and official. Since the state of Hawaii is the issuing body, they have ultimate authority with regards to the matter.&lt;ref&gt;http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/20081031/BREAKING01/81031064/0/BREAKING04&lt;/ref&gt; Critics rightfully point out such documents actually were issued for children not born in the state.<br /> <br /> Adding fuel to the fire is Obama's persistent refusal to release documents that could provide answers. While his supporters cite an online version of a &quot;Certification of Live Birth&quot; from Hawaii. &lt;ref&gt;[http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&amp;pageId=92810 Justice, Supremes confirm getting eligibility challenge] WND, March 24, 2009&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> [[Bob Schultz]] with the [[We The People Foundation]] said: <br /> <br /> &quot;In the end, there is no practical reason why Obama refuses to produce his original birth certificate. He... has a duty to provide evidence that he meets the explicit requirements established by the Constitution.&quot; <br /> <br /> [[Nancy Salvato]] with [[BasicsProject|BasicsProject.org]] perhaps put it best: <br /> <br /> &quot;What perturbs the rest of us is that President Obama has failed to produce a legitimate birth certificate. He has a team of lawyers who are opposing the examination of his sealed records in Hawaii. What he produced was a certificate of live birth... not a birth certificate. The rest of us are appalled at the lack of media examination surrounding the fact that there is no law requiring that a candidate for the highest office in our land produce an authentic birth certificate which proves natural citizenship.&quot;<br /> <br /> ==Quotes==<br /> * Early in his campaign for president in 2007, Obama declared in an interview with the [[Chicago Tribune]], &quot;I'm a [[Christian]]. And so, although I try not to have my religious beliefs dominate or determine my political views on this issue ... my religious beliefs say that [[marriage]] is something sanctified between a man and a woman.&quot;&lt;ref&gt;http://thehill.com/cheri-jacobus/obama-and-miss-california-2009-04-23.html&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> ==See also==<br /> *[[Previous Breaking News/Barack Obama|Articles about '''Barack Obama''' from previous &quot;Breaking News&quot;]]<br /> *[[Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN)]]<br /> *[[Birthplace of Barack Obama]]<br /> *[[Essay:Born Outside the U.S.A.!]]<br /> *[[Essay: The Special Interests Candidate]]<br /> *[[Lobbyists ties to the Obama administration]]<br /> *[[New Party]]<br /> *[[Obama Administration‎]]<br /> *[[Obama birth certificate lawsuits]]<br /> *[[Obama doublespeak]]<br /> *[[Obama inauguration]]<br /> *[[Religion of Barack Hussein Obama]]<br /> *[[The Honorable James David Manning]]<br /> <br /> ==Further reading==<br /> *[[Peter Hitchens|Hitchens, Peter]] [http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/worldnews.html?in_article_id=511901&amp;in_page_id=1811 ''The Black Kennedy: But does anyone know the real Barack Obama?''] [[Daily Mail]]. Accessed 4 February 2008.<br /> <br /> ==Sources==<br /> &lt;small&gt;<br /> *[http://www.barackobama.com/ Offical Obama for President Website]<br /> *[http://www.opensecrets.org/pfds/pfd2005/N00009638_2005.pdf Barack Obama Personal Financial Disclosures Summary: 2005], retrieved from opensecrets.org 17 June 2007.<br /> *[http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=O000167 Biographical Directory of the United States Congress]<br /> *[http://www.law.uchicago.edu/faculty/obama/cv.html University of Chicago Law School] Faculty Listing<br /> *[http://www.biography.com/search/article.do?id=12782369 Barack Obama Biography] from Biography.com<br /> *[http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/o/barack_obama/index.html?inline=nyt-per New York Times Topics, Barack Obama]<br /> *[http://youtube.com/watch?v=zUdjhKbImwE Documentary on Barack Hussein Obama]<br /> *[http://www.votesmart.org/voting_category.php?can_id=9490 Voting Record of Barack Hussein Obama]&lt;/small&gt;<br /> <br /> ==References==<br /> {{reflist|3}}<br /> <br /> ==External Links==<br /> *[http://www.antiobama.net/ Anti Obama.net]<br /> *[http://www.dontvoteobama.net/ Dont Vote For Obama.net]<br /> *[http://nobamanetwork.com/ Nobama Network]<br /> *[http://www.audacityofhypocrisy.com/ Audacity Of Hypocrisy]<br /> *[http://therealbarackobama.wordpress.com/ The Real Barack Obama]<br /> *[http://www.spiked-online.com/index.php?/site/article/6130/ The New Cult of Personality]<br /> *[http://www.survivingobamunism.com/index.html Surviving Obamunism T-shirts]<br /> *[http://www.barackobamaantichrist.blogspot.com/ Barack Obama the Anti-Christ ?]<br /> *[http://www.noquarterusa.net/blog/2008/06/23/che-obama-and-the-revolutionary-agenda/ Che, Obama, and the Revolutionary Agenda]</div>

DerekSmalls https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=User:DerekSmalls/Obama_draft&diff=669758 2009-06-03T02:04:39Z

<p>DerekSmalls: /* Early life and education */</p> <hr /> <div>work in progress, the original Obama Article is here so I can edit it<br /> {{President<br /> |image=President Barack Obama.jpg<br /> |seq=44<br /> |term_start=January 20, 2009<br /> |term_end=January 20, 2013<br /> |party=Democrat<br /> |vp=Joe Biden<br /> |previous=George W. Bush<br /> |next=<br /> |birth_date=August 4, 1961<br /> |age={{age|1961|8|4}}<br /> |birth_place=<br /> |death_date=<br /> |death_place=<br /> |spouse=Michelle LaVaughn Robinson Obama<br /> |spouse2=<br /> |religion=Described in this entry<br /> }}<br /> '''Barack Hussein Obama II''' (allegedly&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.worldnetdaily.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&amp;pageId=82033]&lt;/ref&gt;&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.factcheck.org/UploadedFiles/birth_certificate_5.jpg Large, high-resolution picture of his birth certificate]&lt;/ref&gt;&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.kitv.com/politics/17860890/detail.html?rss=hon&amp;psp=news KITV Honolulu report]&lt;/ref&gt;&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.newsmax.com/farber/Obama_birth_certificate/2009/04/06/200320.html]&lt;/ref&gt;&lt;ref&gt;Obama's [[African]] grandmother Sarah Hussein Obama says Barack was born in her presence in Kenya.[http://www.israelnationalnews.com/Blogs/Message.aspx/3074 Obama Born In Kenya? His Grandmother Says Yes, Israali News, October 12, 2008][http://www.worldnetdaily.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&amp;pageId=78931 Democrat: Obama's grandma confirms Kenyan birth, WND, October 23, 2008][http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=b58_1225645143 Audio Conversation Link]&lt;/ref&gt; born in [[Honolulu]] Aug. 4, 1961) is the 44th president of the [[United States]], <br /> and previously served as a first-term [[Democratic party|Democratic]] [[Senator]] from [[Illinois]] (2004-2008). Obama and his running mate [[Senator Joseph Biden]] won the presidential election&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.newsmax.com/insidecover/obama_wins_presidency/2008/11/04/147788.html?utm_medium=RSS]&lt;/ref&gt; after 23 months of campaigning that spent over $700 million,&lt;ref&gt;http://www.opensecrets.org/pres08/summary.php?cid=N00009638&lt;/ref&gt; most of it raised from undisclosed donors. <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> ==Obama is likely the first Muslim President==<br /> [[Image:OBAMA MUSULMAN.jpg|left|thumb|President-Elect Obama wearing traditional African garb, a gift from his hosts while visiting Kenya&lt;ref&gt;[http://sweetness-light.com/archive/obama-wore-muslim-gear-during-kenya-trip]&lt;/ref&gt;]]<br /> The argument that Obama is a Muslim includes:<br /> <br /> *Obama declared in prepared remarks, &quot;The United States has been enriched by Muslim Americans. Many other Americans have Muslims in their families or have lived in a Muslim-majority country - I know, because '''I am one of them'''.&quot;&lt;ref&gt;http://apnews.myway.com/article/20090406/D97D32C00.html&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> *Obama's background, education, and outlook are [[Muslim]], and fewer than 1% of Muslims convert to Christianity.&lt;ref&gt;http://www.religionnewsblog.com/17736/barack-obama-2&lt;/ref&gt;&lt;ref&gt;http://www.faithfreedom.org/oped/sina31103.htm. During the third and fourth grades, Obama learned about Islam for two hours each week in religion class, according to the LATimes. [http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/nation/bal-te.obama16mar16,0,1634059,print.story?coll=bal_news_nation_promo Campaign downplays his connection during boyhood in Indonesia, Baltimore Sun, March 16, 2007]&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> *Obama's middle name (Hussein) references '''Husayn''', who was the grandson of [[Muhammad]],&lt;ref&gt; Oxford Dictionary of First Names, 2nd edition (2007).[http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/277459/al-Husayn-ibn-Ali].&lt;/ref&gt; which most Christians would not retain.&lt;ref&gt;Only after Obama became politically ambitious did he declare himself to be a [[Christian]], yet he never replaced his [[Muslim]] name &quot;Hussein&quot; with a Christian one as most do when they undergo a religious conversion. For example, when the Italian journalist Magdi Allam recently converted to Christianity, he took a new name: &quot;Cristiano&quot;.[http://www.catholic.org/international/international_story.php?id=30814] When Saul became a Christian, he changed his name to &quot;Paul&quot;; when the famous boxer Cassius Clay converted to [[Islam]], he took the Muslim name of [[Muhammad Ali]]. &quot;It is common for those converting to a new religion to change their name on conversion&quot;[http://www.ukdp.co.uk/pages/religiousconversion.php] or adopt a Christian name at [[baptism]].[http://www.answers.com/topic/christian-name]&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> *Obama recently mentioned his religion as &quot;[[my Muslim faith]].&quot;&lt;ref&gt;Obama declared, &quot;John McCain has not talked about my Muslim faith.&quot;[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iQqIpdBOg6I]&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> *He has said that &quot;Islam can be compatible with the modern world.&quot;&lt;ref&gt; [http://www.newsweek.com/id/145971 Barack Obama's Christian Journey | Newsweek Politics: Campaign 2008]&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> *Obama said the Muslim call to prayer is &quot;one of the prettiest sounds on Earth at sunset,&quot; and recited &quot;with a first-class [[Arabic]] accent&quot; the opening lines: Allah is Supreme! ... I witness that there is no god but Allah ....&quot;&lt;ref&gt;http://www.wnd.com/index.php?pageId=78309&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> *Obama stated that the autobiography of Malcolm X, a Nation of Islam leader who became a Muslim, inspired him in his youth.&lt;ref&gt;For example, Obama writes in his own autobiography, &quot;Only Malcolm X's autobiography seemed to offer something different. His repeated acts of self-creation spoke to me. The blunt poetry of his words, his unadorned insistence on respect, promised a new and uncompromising order, martial in its discipline, forged through sheer force of will. ... [E]ven as I imagine myself following Malcolm's call, one line in the book stayed with me. He spoke of a wish he'd once had, the wish that the white blood that ran through him, there by an act of violence, might somehow be expunged.&quot;[http://www.americanthinker.com/2008/04/does_obama_know_america.html]&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> *Obama raised nearly $1 million and campaigned for a [[Kenyan]] presidential candidate who had a written agreement with [[Muslim]] leaders promising to convert Kenya to an Islamic state that bans Christianity.&lt;ref&gt; [http://www.worldnetdaily.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&amp;pageId=78324] Text of the agreement, as three images: [http://www.worldnetdaily.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&amp;pageId=78323]&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> *Obama's claims of conversion to Christianity arose after he became politically ambitious, lacking a date of conversion or baptism.&lt;ref&gt;In his book, Obama oddly claims to have been baptized without giving his age or date, and later gave a date that postdates his political ambition (1992).&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> *On the campaign trail, Obama was reading &quot;The Post-American World&quot; by [[Fareed Zakaria]],&lt;ref&gt;http://www.canada.com/topics/news/world/story.html?id=fa8cf1bf-2cc8-4d6e-b72d-a07d406e19ff&lt;/ref&gt; which is written from a Muslim point-of-view.&lt;ref&gt;http://www.villagevoice.com/2005-08-09/news/the-interpreter/&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> *Contrary to [[Christianity]], the Islamic doctrine of [[taqiyya]] encourages adherents to deny they are Muslim if it advances the cause of Islam.<br /> *Obama uses the Muslim Pakistani pronunciation for &quot;Pakistan&quot; rather than the common American one.&lt;ref&gt;Obama repeatedly pronounced &quot;Pakistan&quot; as &quot;Pokiston&quot; in the first presidential debate.&lt;/ref&gt; <br /> *Obama was thoroughly exposed to Christianity as an adult in Chicago prior to attending law school, yet no one at law school saw him display any interest in converting. Obama unabashedly explained how he became &quot;churched&quot; in a 2007 speech: &quot;It's around that time [while working as an organizer for the Developing Communities Project (DCP) of the Calumet Community Religious Conference (CCRC) in Chicago] that some pastors I was working with came around and asked if I was a member of a church. 'If you're organizing churches,' they said, 'it might be helpful if you went to a church once in a while.' And I thought, 'I guess that makes sense.'&quot;&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.speroforum.com/site/article.asp?id=15363 Obama, ACORN, and the churches] SperoNews, October 7, 2008&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> *Obama is mentioned as helping to organize the 1995 million man march led by black [[Muslim]] leader [[Louis Farrakhan]] from the [[Nation of Islam]]. &lt;ref&gt;[http://www.biography.com/search/article.do?id=9291850 Louis Farrakhan Biography] Biography.com&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> *Obama has chosen the [[Secret Service]] code name &quot;Renegade&quot;. &quot;Renegade&quot; conventionally describes someone who goes against normal conventions of behavior, but its first usage was to describe someone who has turned from their religion. It is a word derived from the [[Spanish]] ''renegado'', meaning &quot;Christian turned Muslim.&quot;&lt;ref&gt;http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/barackobama/3452281/Renegade-and-Renaissance-Obama-to-replace-Trailblazer-and-Tempo-Bush-in-the-White-House.html&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> *Obama enjoyed a bigger increase in voter support in 2008 (compared to 2004) by Muslims than by any other voting group, including blacks;&lt;ref&gt;http://www.altmuslim.com/a/a/a/2873/&lt;/ref&gt; &quot;Muslim turnout in the U.S. elections reached 95 percent, the highest Muslim turnout in U.S. history.&quot;&lt;ref&gt;http://newsweek.washingtonpost.com/postglobal/islamsadvance/2008/11/is_obama_the_muslim_worlds_sup.html&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> *&quot;President-elect [[Barack Obama]] has yet to attend [Sunday] church services since winning the [[White House]] earlier ..., a departure from the example of his two immediate predecessors.&quot;&lt;ref&gt;http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1108/15902.html&lt;/ref&gt;&lt;ref&gt;http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/washingtondc/la-na-obama-religion26-2008dec26,0,1910913.story&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> *Obama used his Muslim middle name when sworn in as President.&lt;ref&gt;http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/ET_Cetera/Obama_to_take_oath_using_middle_name_/articleshow/3813120.cms&lt;/ref&gt;&lt;ref&gt;http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/12/10/politics/main4660590.shtml?source=RSSattr=Politics_4660590&lt;/ref&gt; <br /> *Obama botched his public oath of office in which he placed his hand on a Bible, then chose not to use the Bible for his real, private oath.<br /> [[Image:Obamabow.jpg|thumb|right|President Obama bowing to the King of Saudi Arabia - April 2009]]<br /> *'''At the G20 summit in April 2009, Obama bowed deeply to Saudi King Abdullah, a Muslim who is also the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques.'''&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LEUif1--r38&amp;feature=player_embedded Video of Obama bowing almost to King's waist]&lt;/ref&gt; Never before in the history of the U.S. has a president displayed such shocking deference to a foreign official and Obama has not bowed to any other royal leaders. Obama later stated, &quot;We have to change our behavior in showing the Muslim world greater respect.&quot;&lt;ref&gt;http://washingtontimes.com/news/2009/apr/07/barack-takes-a-bow/&lt;/ref&gt; Obama's spin doctors and left-wing apologists dismissed the obviousness of the bow. One anonymous aide stated, &quot;It wasn't a bow. He grasped his hand with two hands, and he's taller than King Abdullah.&quot;&lt;ref&gt;http://www.onenewsnow.com/Blog/Default.aspx?id=483326&lt;/ref&gt; However, in video of the incident, Obama's left hand can clearly be seen staying at his side until after he had finished his bow.&lt;ref&gt;http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9WlqW6UCeaY&lt;/ref&gt; Additionally, Obama also met with Queen Elizabeth, who is much shorter than King Abdullah, but he did not bow when he shook her hand and neither he nor the queen appeared to have any difficulty.&lt;ref&gt;http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=71N34K9EVLU&lt;/ref&gt; (Many liberals and even a handful of conservatives have proposed that President Bush also bowed before King Abdullah.&lt;ref&gt;http://littlegreenfootballs.com/article/33289_Bush_Bowed_Too&lt;/ref&gt; However, there is a vast, inexorable difference between bending down to receive a medal as Bush did and bowing in deference to a foreign leader as Obama did.)<br /> *Obama required that a religiously affiliated college take the extraordinary action of concealing with wood the monogram &quot;IHS&quot;, which represents the name of Jesus, during a speech by Obama there&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.foxnews.com/politics/first100days/2009/04/16/georgetown-university-hid-religious-symbols-white-house-request/ Georgetown hides Jesus' name at request of Obama's White House]&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> Obama tries to downplay his [[Islamic]] background by claiming that his [[Kenya|Kenyan]] [[Muslim]] father was a &quot;confirmed [[atheist]]&quot; before Obama was born, but in fact less than 1% of Kenyans are atheists, agnostics, or non-religious.&lt;ref&gt;http://www.adherents.com/Na/Na_14.html&lt;/ref&gt; There is apparently no evidence of any Christian activities or local church participation by Obama while he was in Massachusetts from 1988 to 1991, nor of Barack Obama's joining of a Mosque (The Islamic house of worship) at any time in his life. Finally, Obama abruptly left his radical Christian church in Chicago in 2008, when it became politically controversial, without first finding another church to join. On April 7, 2009, Obama visited a mosque in Istanbul, Turkey.&lt;ref&gt;http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=CNG.c2e3700ab4e271bc32827b0fccfe560b.421&amp;show_article=1&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> __TOC__ &lt;!--Do not remove this. We want to keep the insights on the first screen of viewing--&gt;<br /> <br /> ==Early life and education==<br /> Barack Hussein Obama II claims to have been born in [[Honolulu]], [[Hawaii]] to Barack Sr. and Ann Dunham in 1961, but there is evidence that he may have actually been born in Kenya. In 1967, he moved with his mother and new stepfather to Jakarta, [[Indonesia]]. He attended a [[Catholic]] elementary school for two years, followed by an Indonesian public school for two years. Media scrutiny in the light of Obama's campaign for President revealed that the Indonesia public school was not a madrassa, teaching Islam. His days off of school in observance of Islamic holidays were spent praying in a Mosque with his stepfather. &lt;ref&gt;[http://www.newsmax.com/insidecover/pipes_obama_muslim/2008/10/09/138898.html Obama 'Lying' About Muslim Past, Expert Says] NewsMax, October 9, 2008&lt;/ref&gt; After Indonesia, he returned to the United States with his mother where he attended the Punahou School, the leading private preparatory school in [[Hawaii]], until he graduated in 1979.<br /> <br /> For college, Obama initially attended Occidental College in Los Angeles, [[California]], before transferring to [[Columbia University]] in New York, [[New York]] and graduating without honors with a Bachelor of Arts degree, majoring in political science. Obama refuses to describe his academic performance at Columbia despite commenting about New York during this period and despite disclosures of the academic record for all other major-party presidential candidates since at least 2000.&lt;ref&gt;http://www.nysun.com/new-york/obamas-years-at-columbia-are-a-mystery/85015/&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> After working as a community organizer in New York City and Chicago, Illinois, Obama enrolled at [[Harvard]] Law School. He became a member of the ''Harvard Law Review'', which uses racial quotas, in 1989. He was then elected by popular vote as its first African American president in 1990, a story that was immediately promoted in the [[New York Times]].&lt;ref&gt;http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C0CE2DC1631F935A35751C0A966958260&amp;scp=3&amp;sq=Obama%201990&amp;st=cse&lt;/ref&gt; He graduated ''magna cum laude'' with his J.D. in 1991, but did not serve in a clerkship. Federal clerkships are the typical post-graduate position for top law students.<br /> <br /> Obama has described himself as a constitutional law professor at the University of Chicago.&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2007/03/30/politics/p132303D74.DTL&amp;type=politics]&lt;/ref&gt; He held the position of Lecturer, an adjunct position, from 1992 to 1996.&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.law.uchicago.edu/media/index.html]&lt;/ref&gt; He held the position of Senior Lecturer from 1996 until his election to the senate in 2004.&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.law.uchicago.edu/media/index.html]&lt;/ref&gt; Dan Ronayne, a spokesman for the Republican National Committee, has pointed that Obama was only a senior lecturer and not a full professor. &lt;ref&gt;[http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2007/03/30/politics/p132303D74.DTL&amp;type=politics]&lt;/ref&gt;The University states that Senior Lecturers are regarded as professors, although not full-time or tenure track.&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.law.uchicago.edu/media/index.html]&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> == Religious Affiliation ==<br /> <br /> ==Obama and Elitism and Ayers==<br /> <br /> Obama has consistently shown himself to be an elitist who looks down on &quot;ordinary&quot; Americans. Asked to explain why working-class [[Democrats]] do not support him while campaigning for the [[Pennsylvania]] primary, Obama replied &quot;it's not surprising, then, they get bitter, they cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren't like them or anti-immigrant sentiment or anti-trade sentiment as a way to explain their frustrations.&quot;&lt;ref&gt;http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7344532.stm&lt;/ref&gt; In response to outrage when his remarks were unexpectedly publicized, Obama did not recount his statement but instead replied, I &quot;didn't say it as well as I should have.&quot;&lt;ref&gt;http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7344532.stm&lt;/ref&gt; Although many rural counties went for McCain, Obama carried the state with 54.6% of the vote, compared to 44.3% for John McCain.&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.electionreturns.state.pa.us/ElectionsInformation.aspx?FunctionID=13&amp;ElectionID=28&amp;OfficeID=1]&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> In an attempt counter the view by many that Obama is an elitist, he began running campaign ads claiming that he &quot;worked his way through college and Harvard Law.&quot; This claim is at best an exaggeration, as Obama only held summer jobs while in college and law school&lt;ref&gt;http://www.factcheck.org/elections-2008/obamas_work_claim.html&lt;/ref&gt;, and he would have likely benefited from special scholarships not available to most students.<br /> <br /> Obama almost always reads from prepared text on a [[teleprompter]] and rarely allows tough questions.&lt;ref&gt;After one debate against [[Hillary Clinton]] in Philadelphia, the Obama campaign announced that the questions were too difficult and that Obama would not agree to future debates with her.&lt;/ref&gt;&lt;ref name=&quot;teleprompter&quot;&gt;The Daily Standard, ''Obama Unplugged Lost without a Teleprompter'', by Dean Barnett, 02/12/2008[http://www.weeklystandard.com/content/public/articles/000/000/014/728ofzey.asp]&lt;/ref&gt; Indeed, when unable to read from prepared text he often fails at articulating his positions and is caught tripping over his own feet.&lt;ref&gt;This was first displayed in the Saddleback Forum, and has occurred subsequently also.&lt;/ref&gt; His most recent debate performances illustrate that he may have been extensively coached over the course of 2008, although he still repeatedly fumbles at moments where he moves off his memorized remarks.<br /> <br /> Obama refers to America in the third person, as a foreigner would. In his first television interview after becoming president, Obama declared that &quot;all too often the United States starts by dictating.&quot; Earlier, when Obama gave his acceptance speech, he said &quot;We may not get there in one year or even one term, but America - I have never been more hopeful than I am tonight that we will get there.&quot;&lt;ref&gt;[http://news.yahoo.com/s/ynews/ynews_pl135]&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> President Obama is the first person having ties to a known former terrorist to gain control over America's nuclear weapons.&lt;ref&gt;http://www.clevelandleader.com/node/7127&lt;/ref&gt;&lt;ref&gt;http://elections.foxnews.com/2008/08/26/obama-associate-bill-ayers-unrepentant-for-acts-of-terror/&lt;/ref&gt; Author and blogger Jack Cashill requisitioned a comparison of the writing style of Bill Ayers' 2001 memoir, ''Fugitive Days'', with Barack Obama's earlier 1995 book, ''Dreams From My Father'', and came to the conclusion that Ayres may have ghostwritten Dreams.&lt;ref&gt;www.cashill.com, ''Who Wrote “Dreams From My Father&quot;?'', by Jack Cashill, October 9, 2008, retrieved on 10/16/2008 [http://www.cashill.com/natl_general/who_wrote_dreams_from.htm] Cashill states that a computer comparison of Obama's so-called autobiography with that of the terrorist Bill Ayers, supports the theory that Ayers actually wrote parts of Obama's book; also he wrote &quot;None of this, of course, proves Ayers' authorship conclusively, but the evidence makes him a much more likely candidate than Obama to have written the best parts of Dreams&quot;. &quot;In assessing the signature of sample passages from Dreams,&quot; the experienced analyst found &quot;a very strong match to all of the Ayers samples&quot; that he processed. He did not address the possibility that Ayers had plagiarized from Obama's earlier book. A philosophy professor from England disagreed.[http://wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&amp;pageId=77815]&lt;/ref&gt; Ayers admitted that he was &quot;guilty as hell&quot; in planting bombs in the 1970s, and that he has no regrets and felt he &quot;should have done more.&quot;&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.clevelandleader.com/node/7127]&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> ==Insights==<br /> <br /> Obama displayed ignorance about American history when he said, &quot;Throughout our history, America's confronted constantly evolving danger, from the oppression of an empire, to the lawlessness of the frontier, '''from the bomb that fell on Pearl Harbor''', to the threat of nuclear annihilation.&quot;&lt;ref&gt;http://www.weeklystandard.com/weblogs/TWSFP/2008/07/obama_ignorance_watch_1.asp&lt;/ref&gt; <br /> <br /> Obama has described himself as a constitutional law professor at the University of Chicago.&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2007/03/30/politics/p132303D74.DTL&amp;type=politics]&lt;/ref&gt; He held the position of Lecturer, an adjunct position, from 1992 to 1996.&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.law.uchicago.edu/media/index.html]&lt;/ref&gt; He held the position of Senior Lecturer from 1996 until his election to the senate in 2004.&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.law.uchicago.edu/media/index.html]&lt;/ref&gt; Dan Ronayne, a spokesman for the Republican National Committee, has pointed that Obama was only a senior lecturer and not a full professor. &lt;ref&gt;[http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2007/03/30/politics/p132303D74.DTL&amp;type=politics]&lt;/ref&gt;The University states that Senior Lecturers are regarded as professors, although not full-time or tenure track.&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.law.uchicago.edu/media/index.html]&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> In his 1995 memoir, ''Dreams from My Father'', Obama admitted using illegal drugs, including cocaine and marijuana, which he referred to as &quot;blow&quot; and &quot;pot&quot; respectively, in his high school years and into his college years, before claiming to choose a different path in life.&lt;ref&gt;http://www.nbc5.com/politics/3444371/detail.html&lt;/ref&gt;&lt;ref&gt;http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2008/02/26/obamas_senate_foreign_relations_work/&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> Obama wore an American flag lapel pin after [[9/11]], but later stopped wearing it without adequate explanation.&lt;ref&gt;http://www.swamppolitics.com/news/politics/blog/2007/10/when_did_obama_stop_wearing_a.html&lt;/ref&gt; Presumably it would have hurt him with anti-military campaign donors.&lt;ref&gt;In 2007, at critical moments in his campaign for the nomination, Obama had difficulties securing the support of anti-war activists. [http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/04/04/politics/main2645861.shtml]&lt;/ref&gt; Recently, he has begun wearing one again for reasons that are likely political pandering.<br /> <br /> In his memoirs, Obama claimed a ''[[Life]]'' magazine article about a man who had become ill after trying to lighten his skin color by chemical means had a major impact on him. In fact, ''Life'' never published any such article.&lt;ref&gt;http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/03/26/AR2007032601583.html&lt;/ref&gt;&lt;ref&gt;&quot;Then there's the copy of Life magazine that Obama presents as his racial awakening at age 9. In it, he wrote, was an article and two accompanying photographs of an African-American man physically and mentally scarred by his efforts to lighten his skin. In fact, the Life article and the photographs don't exist, say the magazine's own historians.&quot; [http://newsbusters.org/node/11641]&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> Obama said that &quot;[t]here was something stirring across the country because of what happened in Selma, [[Alabama]], because some folks are willing to march across a bridge. So they got together and Barack Obama Jr. was born.&quot; In fact, Obama was born in 1961 and the Selma march took place in 1965.&lt;ref&gt;http://michellemalkin.com/2008/05/21/barack-obama-gaffe-machine/&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> Obama states that he has consistently opposed the [[Iraq War]] since 2002, a claim and position that former President [[Bill Clinton]] criticized as &quot;the biggest fairy tale I've ever seen.&quot;&lt;ref&gt;http://www.reuters.com/article/politicsNews/idUSN1131516320080111&lt;/ref&gt; In his famous 2002 speech&lt;ref&gt;http://www.barackobama.com/2002/10/02/remarks_of_illinois_state_sen.php&lt;/ref&gt; at an anti-war rally, Obama said that he was against &quot;dumb wars&quot; and expressed some reservations about the Iraq War because he disagrees with the ideological agendas of the Bush administration, but he did not explicitly oppose the war. In his 2004 Democrat Convention speech, Obama said that he did not know how he would have voted on the Iraq War.<br /> <br /> Obama's campaign &quot;is proud to be actively participating in over 60 local and state wide [[homosexual]] Pride events over the summer.&quot;&lt;ref&gt;http://my.barackobama.com/page/community/post/jcitron/gG5VLs&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> Obama claimed to have visited 57 states while campaigning for President of the United States.&lt;ref&gt; [http://www.mediaresearch.org/BozellColumns/newscolumn/2008/col20080528.asp Barack Potatoe Obama?]&lt;/ref&gt; &lt;ref&gt;http://www.stoptheaclu.com/archives/2008/05/12/obamas-freudian-slip-there-are-57-islamic-states/&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> ==Charitable Giving==<br /> <br /> In the years 2000 through 2004, before becoming a United States Senator and being in the public spotlight, Obama gave 1% of his earnings to charity even though he made $250,000 per year. Since becoming a national figure, that amount has jumped to 6%.&lt;ref&gt;http://patterico.com/2008/10/31/obama-and-bidens-charitable-giving-they-dont-want-to-spread-their-own-wealth-around/&lt;/ref&gt; Obama's small donations are consistent with atheism and were perhaps influenced by his nonbelieving mother. According to a study by the Barna Group, atheists give less per capita in donations than religious Americans &lt;ref&gt;http://www.barna.org/FlexPage.aspx?Page=BarnaUpdateNarrow&amp;BarnaUpdateID=272 The Barna Update, 2007&lt;/ref&gt;.<br /> <br /> ==Aunt is in the United States Illegally==<br /> At the end of October 2008 it came to light that Obama's aunt is in the United States illegally and has been since 2004 when her request for asylum was turned down. She has been living in public tax payer funded housing in Boston. This may have some bearing on Obama's immigration policy given that a member of his own family is in violation of current US immigration law. There are also questions about how much Obama knew about this.&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27481680 Obama's Aunt Living in US Illegally]&lt;/ref&gt; The Obama campaign issued a statement to the effect that they had no knowledge of this situation and returned the donation she made to his campaign; in the United States it is illegal to accept campaign contributions from people who are not currently citizens or legal residents of the United States. &lt;ref&gt;http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/11/01/obama.aunt/index.html&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> ==Statements==<br /> Obama has been noted by several independent sources as misquoting historical events and statements by famous persons. A notable example came after Obama's win in the [[North Carolina]] democratic primary. Obama was quoted as saying, &quot;I trust the American people to understand that it is not weakness, but wisdom to talk not just to our friends, but to our enemies as Roosevelt did, and Kennedy did, and Truman did.&quot; (Franklin Delano) Roosevelt spoke with none of the [[Axis]] or [[Japanese]] leaders and the the only communication that was sent to them was unconditional surrender. (President) [[Harry Truman]] took over for FDR and continued his unconditional surrender philosophy as well as ending [[World War II]] with an atomic bomb.&lt;ref&gt;http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2008/05/obama_needs_to_study_history_b.html&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> ==Legal career==<br /> Following law school, Obama continued his work as a community organizer in Chicago as the director of Illinois Project Vote. In 1993 he was hired as an associate at the Chicago law firm Miner, Barnhill &amp; Galland, P.C., and began lecturing in Constitutional Law at the University of Chicago Law School. He remains on the faculty on leave of absence through today. During this time he wrote his first book, ''Dreams from My Father'', detailing his background, his youth, and his education. ''Dreams'' was published in 1995.<br /> <br /> ==Senate career==<br /> [[Image:obama.jpg|thumb|right|Senator Barack Obama]]<br /> Obama was elected to the Illinois State Senate for the first time in 1996 and served there for the next eight years. <br /> <br /> October 2008 crimes against Academy Award winner Jennifer Hudson's family highlighted Obama's record against law and order, as he voted against making it a crime in Illinois &quot;for convicts on probation or on bail to have contact with a street gang&quot;.&lt;ref&gt;[http://thehill.com/leading-the-news/obamas-crime-votes-are-fodder-for-rivals-2007-03-13.html]&lt;/ref&gt;&lt;ref&gt;The person of interest in the murders of Hudson's mother, brother, and 7-year-old nephew is the estranged husband of Hudson's sister and a convicted felon who had violated his parole conditions.[http://www.chicagotribune.com/chi-julian-king-autopsy-1029,0,2752431.story]&lt;/ref&gt; &quot;'We've got 75,000 gang members - that's almost six gang members to one police officer,'&quot; in Obama's hometown of Chicago.&lt;ref&gt;&quot;More people have been murdered in Chicago this year than in New York - even though New York's population is three times greater. When Hudson's mother, brother and nephew were killed last month, they pushed the city's homicide total for the year to 436 and counting. New York has had 430 homicides.&quot; [http://www.nydailynews.com/news/us_world/2008/11/01/2008-11-01_chicago_buried_in_murders.html]&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> Following a failed campaign for the House of Representatives, Obama ran for the open Senate seat from Illinois in 2004. Obama delivered the keynote address at the 2004 Democratic National Convention. He won a seat in the [[U.S. Senate]] after [[liberals]] obtained the release of confidential and personally embarrassing divorce records of his opponent, Jack Ryan, forcing him to resign from the race and be replaced by the out-of-state candidate [[Alan Keyes]].<br /> <br /> A March 16th, 2005 AP article puts Senator Obama on record to ban oil drilling in the Alaska frontier known as ANWR &lt;ref&gt;http://www.commondreams.org/headlines05/0316-13.htm&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> His 2007 voting record in the U.S. [[Senate]] makes him as its most [[liberal]] member. Among fellow Senate Democrats, he was further left than liberals like [[Ted Kennedy]], [[John Kerry]], [[Dianne Feinstein]], [[Charles Schumer]], [[Russ Feingold]], [[Carl Levin]], [[Joseph Biden]] and [[Harry Reid]].&lt;ref&gt;[http://nationaljournal.com/voteratings/sen/lib_cons.htm?o1=lib_composite&amp;o2=desc]&lt;/ref&gt; He has grown steadily more liberal since arriving at the Senate: the same analysis assessed him as 10th most liberal in 2006&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.nationaljournal.com/members/news/2007/voteratings/sen/lib_cons.htm?o1=lib_composite&amp;o2=desc]&lt;/ref&gt; and 16th most liberal in 2005.&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.nationaljournal.com/members/news/2007/voteratings/sen/lib_cons.htm?o1=lib_composite&amp;o2=desc]&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> In late 2006, Obama's second book, ''The Audacity of Hope'', was published. Its title was supplied by the Rev. Jeremiah A. Wright Jr., a minister who has stated that &quot;racism is how this country was founded and how this country was run .... We believe in white supremacy and black inferiority and believe it more than we believe in God.&quot;&lt;ref&gt;http://blog.washingtonpost.com/the-trail/2008/03/14/obama_condemns_pastors_remarks.html&lt;/ref&gt; The book contains more of Senator Obama's personal story including the roles of both family and politics. ''Audacity'' spent 30 weeks on the ''New York Times'' Nonfiction Best Sellers list.&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/27/books/bestseller/0527besthardnonfiction.html?_r=1&amp;oref=slogin New York Times Best Sellers Non Fiction]&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> Senator Obama is the chairman of an important subcommittee that has oversight of our efforts in Afghanistan. He has not held a single hearing on Afghanistan even though American forces are risking their lives in a theatre of war. Since joining Foreign Relations, Obama has missed three meetings on a &quot;new strategy&quot; in [[Afghanistan]], a country he only visited in 2008.&lt;ref&gt;[http://thehill.com/leading-the-news/obama-absent-at-afghanistan-hearings-2008-03-01.html&lt;/ref&gt; Barack Obama clinched his party's nomination for President after 16 straight months of campaigning.<br /> <br /> In June 2008, Obama voted with the Democratic party to kill the sunset provision of the [[Bush]] tax cuts. By letting these tax cuts expire, single mothers with two kids will pay an additional $1,800 annually. Married couples with incomes of $50,000 will pay an additional $2,180 annually. Elderly couples will pay an additional $2,000 annually and a family of four will pay 191% more per year in taxes. Barack Obama often claims to be for taxing the rich their fair share. By voting to eliminate the Bush tax cuts, Obama is taxing most middle class and blue collar families.<br /> <br /> Obama and the Democratic-led Congress has voted for the upgraded GI Bill despite the opposition from the President, the Secretary of Defense, the Pentagon, the generals in combat zones and the GOP Presidential nominee. It was crafted to increase veteran benefits. Yet, the strain on our military is great.&lt;ref&gt;[http://marcambinder.theatlantic.com/archives/2008/05/mccain_to_obama_dont_demagogue.php] http://marcambinder.theatlantic.com/archives/2008/05/mccain_to_obama_dont_demagogue.php , McCain To Obama: Don't Demagogue The GI Bill, May 22, 2008&lt;/ref&gt; The bill would cost $2.8 to $4 billion per month. Some argue that this bill depletes the US's volunteer military personnel by enticing them to leave service rather than be re-deployed.<br /> <br /> As senator, Obama has requested nearly $936 million in earmarks which averages to $500,000. per day over four years, &lt;ref&gt;[http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122108935141721343.html?mod=googlenews_wsj Obama Can't Win Against Palin] Wall Street Journal, September 11, 2008&lt;/ref&gt; for which the Council for Citizens Against Government Waste has given him a rating of 10% in 2007 (18% lifetime).&lt;ref&gt;[http://councilfor.cagw.org/site/DocServer/2007_Senate_Ratings_Final.pdf?docID=3242 2007 Senate Scorecard]&lt;/ref&gt; A score of 100% represents voting against all pork, and 0% represents voting ''for'' all pork. Democrats averaged 5% in 2007, whereas Republicans averaged 60%. &lt;ref&gt;[http://councilfor.cagw.org/site/News2?abbr=CCAGW_&amp;page=NewsArticle&amp;id=11590 CCAGW Releases ''2007 Congressional Ratings'']&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> According to a Fox News report on October 5th, Obama has taken more than $126,000. in campaign contribution from [[Fannie Mae]] in a little over three years. This ranks him second, only Chris Dodd has received more campaign contribution dollars from Fannie Mae.<br /> <br /> === Bills co-sponsored ===<br /> Obama's principal legislation was S. 2433, which was an attempt to force the U.S. to increase its foreign aid by hundreds of billions of dollars under the guise of reducing global poverty, which was subsequently blocked by [[conservatives]].&lt;ref&gt;http://www.cnsnews.com/ViewPolitics.asp?Page=/Politics/archive/200802/POL20080225a.html&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> Obama did support and co-sponsor a bill championed by [[Tom Coburn]] and known as the Coburn-Obama Government Transparency Act of 2006, which was signed into law by President [[George W. Bush]] on Sept. 9, 2006. This law created a website that will list the federal government's grants and contracts.&lt;ref&gt; http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2006/09/20060926.html&lt;/ref&gt; <br /> <br /> Between Jan 13, 2007 and March 13, 2008, Sen. Obama has sponsored 120 mostly [[liberal]] resolutions and bills in the Senate.&lt;ref&gt;http://thomas.loc.gov/&lt;/ref&gt; His supporters cite the following less liberal examples, but this list is not representative:<br /> <br /> *S.117 : A bill to amend titles 10 and 38, United States Code, to improve benefits and services for members of the Armed Forces, veterans of the Global War on Terrorism, and other veterans, to require reports on the effects of the Global War on Terrorism, and for other purposes.<br /> <br /> *S.133 : A bill to promote the national security and stability of the economy of the United States by reducing the dependence of the United States on oil through the use of alternative fuels and new technology, and for other purposes.<br /> <br /> *S.453 : A bill to prohibit deceptive practices in Federal elections.<br /> <br /> *S.713 : A bill to ensure dignity in care for members of the Armed Forces recovering from injuries.<br /> <br /> === Accomplishments while serving on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee ===<br /> <br /> In February 2008, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee approved Obama's proposal on a new strategy to reduce poverty throughout the world.<br /> <br /> Obama worked with Sen. Lugar writing legislation aimed at improving conventional and nuclear non-proliferation efforts. This legislation was signed by [[George W. Bush|President Bush]] in January 2008.<br /> <br /> In June 2007 the Senate passed his resolution condemning violence by the [[Zimbabwe]] government. It also passed legislation co-sponsored by Obama that financed a Special Court for Sierra Leone to prosecute former [[Liberia | Liberian]] President [[Charles Taylor]]. &lt;ref&gt; http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2008/02/26/obamas_senate_foreign_relations_work/ &lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> Barack Obama continued to collect money for a 2010 Senate re-election campaign as late as June 2008, and has filed reports recently indicating that money is still pouring into this fund. This is especially notable because it is an efficient way of sidetracking donations from his Presidential race. The website&lt;obamasenate2010.gov&gt; is now defunct.<br /> <br /> ==Presidential campaign==<br /> [[Image:Democrat Obama during the Pledge.jpg|325px|thumb|right|Obama, on the campaign trail, stands with folded hands while [[Bill Richardson]] and [[Hillary Clinton]] honor the flag by placing their hands over their heart during the [[National Anthem]]. [http://rawstory.com/news/2007/Obama_doesnt_put_hand_over_heart_1022.html See Video] ]]<br /> Senator Obama began his candidacy for President of the United States on February 10, 2007, in Springfield, Illinois. His announcement speech largely avoided specific campaign issues and focused on his general political message of hope for the future. It also attempted to strongly invoke the memory of Abraham Lincoln and his &quot;House Divided&quot; speech.&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/02/10/obama.president/index.html &quot;Obama declares he's running for President&quot;] 11 February 2007, www.CNN.com &lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> Obama's campaign has been financed largely by [[leftist]] donors opposed to the war and to the [[American]] military in general. Obama has encouraged this by refusing to wear the customary flag on his lapel during appearances (asserting that he would prefer his patriotism to be represented through his actions rather than an arbitrary symbol) and by other less-than-patriotic gestures and symbols, such as declining to put his hand over his heart during a patriotic recitation. In an appearance on May 16 where he addressed President Bush's statements that some politicians would prefer appeasing terrorists through negotiations, Senator Obama once again wore the flag pin as he did following 9-11. <br /> <br /> By early April 2007, his campaign generated over $25 million from over 100,000 contributors. $23.5 million of that money will be available for the Democratic Primary.&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/05/us/politics/05obama.html Obama Shows His Strength in a Fund-Raising Feat on Par With Clinton], 4 April 2007, Jeff Zeleny and Patrick Healy,'' The New York Times''&lt;/ref&gt; After the first Democratic presidential debate in Columbia, South Carolina, Obama's image as an &quot;articulate&quot; spokesman came into question after his failure to state right away that he would retaliate in case of further terrorist strikes against the United States.&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/27/AR2007042702162.html?hpid=moreheadlines Clinton Campaign Tries to Keep Heat on Obama Over Debate Response], Dan Balz, ''Washington Post'' April 28, 2007.&lt;/ref&gt;&lt;ref&gt;Chicago Sun-Times, <br /> [http://www.suntimes.com/news/sweet/362269,CST-NWS-sweet29.article 'I was a little nervous' at debate'], Lynn Sweet, <br /> April 29, 2007,&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> During a fund raising event in Virginia in May 2007 Obama told donors,<br /> {{Cquote|This week there was a tragedy in Kansas. Ten thousand people died. An entire town destroyed.&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,271357,00.html Transcript: 'Special Report with Brit Hume,' May 9, 2007], retrieved from ''FOX News'', 06/13/07.&lt;/ref&gt;}}<br /> <br /> In reality, the tornado which touched down in Kansas cost the lives of nine people in the town of Greensburg, and twelve overall in Kansas.<br /> <br /> Speaking regarding his knowledge of the Afghanistan conflict, Obama points the finger at U.S. troops and American policy &quot;...just airraiding villages and killing civilians, which is causing enormous problems there.&quot; &lt;ref&gt;[http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,293365,00.html Barack Obama Caught on Tape Accusing U.S. Troops of 'Killing Civilians'] Fox News, August 15, 2007&lt;/ref&gt; [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wrW4fOGIMVY See Video]<br /> <br /> By August it appeared Obama was running to be left off the ticket completely rather than the much ballyhooed Hillary/Obama ticket the [[mainstream media]] was pushing. After a series of ill-advised foreign policy statements, Obama was openly criticized as a lightweight even by liberals, in much the same vein as [[John Edwards]] and [[Dan Quayle]] had been depicted. First, Obama said he would have face-to-face meetings with two of Florida's most feared enemies, [[Fidel Castro]] and [[Hugo Chavez]]. Florida is a key state to any presidential ambitions. Then Obama claimed that he would be willing to invade the sovereign territory of a U.S. ally without prior consultation. Finally, Obama broke the cardinal rule of declaring he would not use nuclear weapons, removing the element of bluff U.S. Presidents had vitally depended upon throughout the [[Cold War]] era. The incidents all added up to a picture of a candidate ill-prepared and ill-advised, lacking in a basic understanding of the office of the Presidency, and failing to surround himself with appointees able to make up for his deficiencies. However, Obama won the Iowa Democratic caucuses, pushing [[Hillary Clinton]] into third place, and went on to become the unofficial Democratic nominee.<br /> <br /> At a campaign event in Elkhart, Indiana, a seven-year-old girl asked Barack Obama why he wants to be President. He replies, <br /> '''&quot;America is …, uh, is no longer, uh … what it could be, what it once was. And I say to myself, I don’t want that future for my children.&quot;''' &lt;ref&gt;[http://newsbusters.org/blogs/tom-blumer/2008/08/09/mostly-mia-obamas-downer-america-delivered-7-year-old Media Mostly MIA on Obama's 'America No Longer What It Once Was' Downer Delivered to 7 Year-Old] Newsbusters.org, August 9, 2008&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> Obama became the presumptive Democratic nominee on June 3rd after receiving a majority of pledged delegates and superdelegates. His only remaining primary opponent, [[Hillary Clinton]], conceded the race on June 7th. On August 23, Joe Biden was announced as Obama's vice-presidential nominee. Obama became the official Democratic nominee on August 27 at the Democratic National Convention, when Hillary Clinton's motion to end the roll call vote of the states and select Obama by acclamation was passed.<br /> <br /> On June 5th, Obama spoke at Briston, Virginia- Healthcare Town Hall forum regarding Political Action Committees and his campaign. &quot;Well, we’re here today because we know that if we’re going to make real progress, this time must be different. Throughout my career, in Illinois and the United States senate, I’ve worked to reduce the power of the special interests by leading the fight for ethics reform. I’ve sent a strong signal in this campaign by refusing the contributions of registered federal lobbyists and PACs. And today, I’m announcing that going forward, the Democratic National Committee will uphold the same standard and won’t take another dime from Washington lobbyists or special interest PACs. They do not fund my campaign. They will not fund our party. And they will not drown out the voices of the American people when I’m President of the United States.&quot; <br /> <br /> On June 6th, an [[AP]] article &lt;ref&gt;[http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/D/DEMOCRATS_MONEY?SITE=KING&amp;SECTION=HOME&amp;TEMPLATE=DEFAULT Transcript: 'Democratic Party returns lobbyist, PAC money ,' June 6, 2008]&lt;/ref&gt; presented the rules for lobbyist donations to the DNC and for the Presidential nominee. Obama does accept money from lobbyists who do not do business with the federal government and he also accepts money from spouses and family members of lobbyists. And the DNC ban is also not retroactive, which means the DNC will keep lobbyist and PAC contributions it received earlier in the election cycle. Retroactive period being the date Barack Obama started his campaign, February 10, 2007. The DNC possibly the day after the November 2006 Congressional elections until June 5th, 2008. In addition, Barack Obama's ban does not apply to the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee nor to the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. Unlike [[John McCain]], Barack Obama has not disclosed the lobbyists working in his campaign.<br /> <br /> Senator Obama visited U.S. troops in Iraq in 2006&lt;ref&gt;[http://abclocal.go.com/wls/story?section=news/local&amp;id=3794382 Obama visits troops in Iraq]&lt;/ref&gt; and in Afghanistan and Kuwait in 2008&lt;ref&gt;[http://abclocal.go.com/wls/story?section=news/local&amp;id=3794382 Obama visits troops and officials in Afghanistan and Kuwait]&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> Obama's tax plan calls for increasing taxes on the wealthiest 1% of Americans, while cutting taxes for the middle class. According to the non-partisan [[Tax Policy Center]], most Americans would pay less taxes than under Senator McCain's plan.&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/publications/url.cfm?ID=411749 An Updated Analysis of the 2008 Presidential Candidates' Tax Plans: Updated September 12, 2008]&lt;/ref&gt; According to another non-partisan group, Americans for Tax Reform, tax-payers would clearly be burdened by an Obama Presidency.&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.atr.org/content/html/2008/june/0616-obama_mccaintaxes.html McCain vs. Obama on Taxes] Americans For Tax Reform, June 2008&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> During the campaign Obama repeatedly claimed he would “cut taxes for no less than 95% of &quot;working families.&quot;”. The Wall Street Journal asked, “how does he conjure this miracle, especially since more than a third of all Americans already pay no income taxes at all?” &lt;ref&gt;http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122385651698727257.html&lt;/ref&gt; In truth, Obama was calling government handouts “tax credits” and counting those as tax cuts. The Wall Street Journal wondered why McCain “allowed Mr. Obama's 95% illusion to go unanswered”.<br /> <br /> ===Campaign financing=== <br /> Obama is the first presidential candidate to reject public financing. He broke his promise to accept it in the hope that his powerful fund-raising machine would generate far more money than the $84.1 million McCain is getting in public funding. Indeed, on August 14th, the Obama campaign announced it had received donations from 2 million individuals, setting new records. Obama raised $272 million for the primaries and expects to raise $300 million for the general election. However the Republican National Committee has been raising much more than the Democratic National Committee and each candidate had about $100 million in cash on September 1. Each expects to spend about $300 million by November. However, Obama is obliged to devote much of his time to fund raising among supporters rather than campaigning among undecided voters.&lt;ref&gt; see [http://blog.newsweek.com/blogs/stumper/archive/2008/09/09/was-obama-right-to-opt-out-of-public-financing.aspx Andrew Romano, &quot;Was Obama Right to Opt Out of Public Financing?,&quot; ''Newsweek'' (Sept. 9, 2008) online]&lt;/ref&gt; Among his backers is homosexual pornography baron [[Terrence Bean]].<br /> <br /> ===Secrecy=== <br /> <br /> The Democratic party feels it necessary to keep all questions about Obama at a safe distance. It is an unprecedented move to keep secrets about a presidential candidate. The following questions remain sealed from the public. &lt;ref&gt;[http://obamawtf.blogspot.com/2008/08/who-sent-obama-why-has-he-refused-to.html Who sent Obama? Why has he refused to release these basic documents?] ObamaWTF.blogspot.com&lt;/ref&gt; <br /> <br /> # Certified Copy of original Birth certificate(see certificate controversy below)<br /> # Columbia College records<br /> # Columbia Thesis paper<br /> # Campaign donor analysis requested by 7 major watchdog groups<br /> # [[Harvard]] College records<br /> # Illinois State Senate records<br /> # [[Illinois]] State Senate schedule<br /> # [[Law]] practice client list and billing records/summary<br /> # Locations and names of all half-siblings and step-mothers<br /> # Medical records (only the one page summary released so far)<br /> # Occidental College records<br /> # Parent's [[Marriage]] Certificate<br /> # Record of baptism<br /> # Selective Service Registration<br /> # Trips schedules for trips outside of the United States before 2007<br /> # Scholarly articles<br /> # Access to his Grandmother (Obama's Grandmother has since passed away from cancer [http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5g3m4YaeYwDHXS6hHdZJi8pm6cZdAD947RJKO0])<br /> # List of all campaign workers that are lobbyists<br /> <br /> Obama keeps donations secret by exploiting a loophole that allows campaigns to refuse to divulge donations under $200.00. This is useful to the candidate because many of his contributions are from dubious foreign or illegal sources. It is described as the &quot;largest pool of unidentified money that has ever flooded into the U.S. election system, before or after the McCain-Feingold campaign finance reforms of 2002.&quot; &lt;ref&gt;http://www.newsmax.com/timmerman/Obama_fundraising_illegal/2008/09/29/135718.html&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> ===Tone===<br /> <br /> Many observers have criticized Obama's campaign for its incivility. For instance, John McCain's wife Cindy noted that Obama is running &quot;the dirtiest campaign in American history.&quot; <br /> <br /> Obama's smears usually fall into two categories: race-baiting and distortions. On October 10, 2008, Obama surrogate Rep. John Lewis (D-GA) typified the campaign by comparing Sen. McCain to racial segregationists and Klansmen. &quot;Sen. McCain and Gov. Palin are sowing the seeds of hatred and division,&quot; Lewis exclaimed before comparing Sen. McCain to segregationist Democrat George Wallace, further noting that he, &quot;...never fired a gun, but he created the climate and the conditions that encouraged [the attacks in which] four little girls were killed on Sunday morning when a church was bombed in Birmingham, Alabama.&quot; &lt;ref&gt;http://edition.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/10/11/mccain.lewis/index.html?eref=rss_politics&lt;/ref&gt; This is particularly harsh to Sen. McCain because he fondly admires Lewis. &lt;ref&gt;http://www.rickwarrennews.com/transcript/civil_forum_transcript-04.txt&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> As for the distortions and personal attacks, Obama mocks Sen. McCain's for his age and Gov. Palin for being a woman and outsider. For instance, Obama responded with a subtle reference to Alzheimer's disease when Sen. McCain criticized his foreign policy in May 2008, alleging that Sen. McCain &quot;lost his bearings&quot; &lt;ref&gt;http://www.politico.com/blogs/bensmith/0508/Obama_McCain_offensive_losing_his_bearings.html&lt;/ref&gt;. Senior Adviser Mark Salter noted, &quot;He used the words 'losing his bearings' intentionally, a not particularly clever way of raising John McCain's age as an issue. This is typical of the Obama style of campaigning.&quot; &lt;ref&gt;http://marcambinder.theatlantic.com/archives/2008/05/salter_obama_attacked_mccains.php&lt;/ref&gt;. In reference to Gov. Palin, Obama was caught for his quiet hiring of Winner &amp; Associates to disseminate a sexist smear video against her. &lt;ref&gt;http://mypetjawa.mu.nu/archives/194057.php&lt;/ref&gt; Some argue this is a FEC violation because it lacked obligatory label denoting it was sponsored by the Obama Campaign (Ethan Winner has made a claim that he alone produced the video) &lt;ref&gt;http://eclipseweb.blogspot.com/2008/09/vicious-anti-sarah-palin-smear-campaign.html&lt;/ref&gt; &lt;ref&gt;http://mypetjawa.mu.nu/archives/194180.php&lt;/ref&gt;One of the biggest distortions by Obama is that 95% of all taxpayers will get a tax cut. &lt;ref&gt;[http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122385651698727257.html?mod=googlenews_wsj Obama's 95% Illusion] Wall Steet Journal, October 13, 2008&lt;/ref&gt; Without the distortion, Obama is proposing income re-distribution because those families that pay no taxes, one-third, will get money from the wealthy top 5%.<br /> <br /> Another feature of the Obama campaign is the unruly audience. CNN reported in October of 2008 &lt;ref&gt;http://www.findinternettv.com/Video,item,3565842635.aspx&lt;/ref&gt;, that people are calling John McCain a terrorist at these events. According to Sen. McCain, &quot;I've heard the [label terrorist], unfortunately, at Senator Obama's rallies being said about me. There's always a fringe element.&quot; Other eyewitness reports are harsher.<br /> <br /> ==Election==<br /> <br /> Senator Obama won the 2008 Presidential election, with over 52% of the popular vote. He carried every state that [[John Kerry]] won in 2004, in addition to Iowa, North Carolina, Ohio, Virginia, Colorado, New Mexico, Nevada, Florida, and Indiana. Of the 127 million votes cast, Obama beat John McCain by 8 million total votes.&lt;ref&gt;http://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS/&lt;/ref&gt; [http://images.newsmax.com/misc/2008_Election_Map.jpg See county breakdown map] &lt;ref&gt;[www.cnn.com/election]&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> == Positions and Qualifications ==<br /> Obama is [[pro-abortion]]. The leading abortion providers and PAC supporters have wholeheartedly endorsed Barack Obama. The National Abortion Rights Action League [[NARAL]] has given Barack a 100% rating for his efforts in Congress 2005, 2006 and 2007 &lt;ref&gt;http://www.prochoiceamerica.org/elections/statements/obama.html&lt;/ref&gt;. EMILY's List, a political action committee that funds female candidates who support abortion rights backs Barack Obama&lt;ref&gt; [http://www.boston.com/news/politics/politicalintelligence/2008/06/emilys_list_bac.html],EMILY's List backs Obama, June 6,2008&lt;/ref&gt;. The nation's largest abortion business, Planned Parenthood has begun the process necessary to endorse pro-abortion presidential candidate Barack Obama. &lt;ref&gt;[http://www.lifenews.com/nat3971.html], http://www.lifenews.com/nat3971.html, Planned Parenthood Begins Process to Endorse Pro-Abortion Barack Obama, June 10,2008&lt;/ref&gt;The board of directors of the pro-abortion group's political operation met on Friday June 6, 2008 and unanimously voted to recommend an endorsement for Obama. Obama has steadfastly advocated support for partial birth abortion as an Illinois legislator. Barack's wife, Michelle Obama, wrote a fundraising letter&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.prolifeblogs.com/articles/archives/2006/10/post_5.php], http://www.prolifeblogs.com/articles/archives/2006/10/post_5.php, February 17,2004&lt;/ref&gt; in support of partial birth abortion and against the proposed ban. Barack voted against the Born Alive Infant Protection Act to give a child who survived an abortion procedure life support healthcare. Obama wanted the life terminated even if he or she survived outside the mother's womb.&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.citizenlink.org/content/A000007034.cfm], http://www.citizenlink.org/content/A000007034.cfm, Obama Blocked Born Alive Infant Protection Act&lt;/ref&gt; With Obama no longer in the state Senate, the Born Alive legislation passed in 2005.<br /> <br /> In the context of sex, he quipped about his daughters, &lt;ref&gt;http://michellemalkin.com/2008/03/30/sunday-meditation-obama-and-the-punishment-of-unborn-life/&lt;/ref&gt;{{QuoteBox|&quot;If they make a mistake, I don't want them punished with a baby.&quot;}} Obama makes it clear if his daughters had an unplanned pregnancy, he would support terminating the life of his grandchild and it is undeniable that Michelle Obama agrees with that decision.<br /> [[Image:Features ayers1.jpg|175px|thumb|right|[[Weather Underground]] co-founder Bill Ayers&lt;ref&gt;http://foia.fbi.gov/weather/weath1a.pdf&lt;/ref&gt; stomps on the American flag in this 2001 pose for Chicago Magazine.]]<br /> <br /> Obama, having been asked about his associations with [[William Ayers]], an unrepentant [[terrorist]],&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.chicagomag.com/Chicago-Magazine/August-2001/No-Regrets/]&lt;/ref&gt; he explained that the views of his associates are not necessarily his own. Ayers and his wife, [[Bernardine Dohrn]], hosted a fundraiser for Obama in their home in 1995 at the start of Obama's political career. Obama compares his friendship with Ayers whose actions led to the loss of a life to his friendship with pro-life doctor and representative Tom Coburn&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.lifenews.com/nat3894.html]http://www.lifenews.com/nat3894.html, LifeNews.com, April 25,2008&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> Obama explained that his friendship with Ayers, shouldn't be construed as implying he endorsed the terrorist-like tactics Ayers used to drive home his political point. Barack Obama brought up the pro-life colleague to make the dubious comparison that he's friends with other people who take &quot;extreme&quot; positions or would use terrorist tactics.<br /> &quot;The fact is, is that I'm also friendly with Tom Coburn, one of the most conservative Republicans in the United States Senate, who during his campaign once said that it might be appropriate to apply the death penalty to those who carried out abortions&quot; <br /> <br /> Obama has no military or executive experience and little foreign policy experience.&lt;ref&gt;&quot;Fresh doubts over Barack Obama's foreign policy credentials were expressed on both sides of the Atlantic last night, after it emerged that he had made only one brief official visit to London – and none elsewhere in Western Europe or Latin America. ... Mr. Obama had failed to convene a single policy meeting of the Senate European subcommittee, of which he is chairman.&quot;[http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/article3080794.ece]&lt;/ref&gt; Yet he is the favorite of the leftist attack site &quot;MoveOn.org&quot; for the [[Democratic]] nomination for [[President of the United States]] in the [[2008 Presidential Election|2008 election]],&lt;ref&gt;MoveOn.org reportedly favored Obama by 70-30% over Clinton. [http://www.swamppolitics.com/news/politics/blog/2008/02/moveonorg_obama.html]&lt;/ref&gt; campaigning to the left of [[Hillary Clinton]].&lt;ref&gt;For example, Obama promised not to use nuclear weapons against terrorists, a promise Hillary Clinton refused to make. [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/08/02/AR2007080202288.html]&lt;/ref&gt; <br /> <br /> He has no clear personal achievement that cannot be explained as the likely result of [[affirmative action]]. Some examples border on the absurd: Obama has no background in [[physics]], yet it is claimed that &quot;Obama analyzed and integrated [[Albert Einstein|Einstein]]'s [[theory of relativity]], the [[Heisenberg uncertainty principle]], as well as the concept of curved space as an alternative to [[gravity]], for a Law Review article that Tribe, for whom Obama worked as a research assistant, wrote titled, 'The Curvature of Constitutional Space'.&quot; &lt;ref&gt;http://cbs2chicago.com/politics/barack.obama.harvard.2.334825.html&lt;/ref&gt; Obama's &quot;research&quot; for Constitutional Law Professor Tribe on this article also raises issues about preferences, as Obama had not yet even completed any law school courses&lt;ref&gt;Obama did not start his second year of law school until September 1989, the earliest he could have taken constitutional law, yet this article must have been written, submitted and accepted prior to that time to be published in the November 1989 issue of the Law Review.&lt;/ref&gt; on the [[Constitution]].&lt;ref&gt;The liberal Professor Tribe saw the best law students for several decades, yet insisted that Obama was the &quot;best student I ever had&quot; and the &quot;most exciting research assistant.&quot; [http://www.cmonitor.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071114/NEWS01/711140429/1217/NEWS98]&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> Throughout his career, Obama repeatedly ducked controversial stands in a transparent attempt to make it easier to be elected to higher office. In example, as a state senator in [[Illinois]], he voted &quot;present&quot; rather than &quot;aye&quot; or &quot;nay&quot; nearly an astounding 130 times.&lt;ref&gt;http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/20/us/politics/20obama.html&lt;/ref&gt; During that same period, he was planning to run for the [[House of Representatives]], which was unsuccessful, and then for [[U.S. Senate]], which was successful after his opponent Jack Ryan, a millionaire school teacher, was smeared with a court-ordered disclosure of confidential divorce records that both he and his ex-wife wanted to remain sealed. A newspaper that favored Obama took the unusual step of suing to force the confidential divorce information to become public, and a California judge opened the records at a pivotal time in the campaign.&lt;ref&gt;http://www.nbc5.com/politics/2898641/detail.html&lt;/ref&gt;&lt;ref&gt;http://www.nbc5.com/news/3289561/detail.html&lt;/ref&gt;&lt;ref&gt;http://www.nbc5.com/politics/3444371/detail.html&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> Barack Obama is often praised for his speeches, except when he is not able to read them from a [[teleprompter]]. &quot;Shorn of his Teleprompter, we saw a different Obama. His delivery was halting and unsure. ... The prepared text for his remarks, as released on his website, sounded a lot like a typical Obama speech. ... [But with] no Teleprompter signaling the prepared text, Obama failed to deliver the speech in his characteristically flawless fashion.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;teleprompter&quot; /&gt; The [[New York Times]] noted that &quot;Mr. Obama excels at inspirational speeches read from a teleprompter before television cameras, critics have noted, but many of his other speeches on the campaign trail have failed to electrify.&quot;&lt;ref&gt;http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/20/fashion/20speechwriter.html?_r=2&amp;ex=1358485200&amp;en=bb179297e5f61acb&amp;ei=5090&amp;partner=rssuserland&amp;emc=rss&amp;oref=slogin&amp;oref=slogin&lt;/ref&gt; When Obama ridiculed [[Hillary Clinton]] for being like [[Annie Oakley]], it is apparent that he was not writing his own speeches.&lt;ref&gt;&quot;Some Obama adviser probably earned his or her dollars for that cut,&quot; the USA Today wrote. [http://www.usatoday.com/news/opinion/columnist/raasch/2008-04-17-2008-04-17-raasch_N.htm]&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> Obama often makes reference to his &quot;two decades of experience&quot; in public service work. During most of that time he claims experience, he was either going to school, working for a law firm, writing a book, or organizing community events.<br /> <br /> == Political views ==<br /> Obama's political views have been subjected to controversy even before he put himself forward as a presidential candidate. Former House majority leader [[Tom DeLay]] has described Obama's record in the Illinois Senate as that of a [[Communism|“Marxist leftist&quot;.]]&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/home/daily/site_121306/content/stop_the_tape.guest.html|Sexy Rock Star Obama Whines About His Ears], RushLimbaugh.com, December 13 2006&lt;/ref&gt; Which matches the fact that during his campaign, his staff were discovered on numerous occasions to have Cuban flags bearing the face of Marxist guerrilla/murderer [[Che Guevara]].&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.moonbattery.com/archives/2008/02/obama_workers_c.html Obama Workers' Che Guevara Poster Was No Fluke] from Moonbattery&lt;/ref&gt; Former presidential candidate [[Alan Keyes]] calls Obama a &quot;radical communist.&quot; &lt;ref&gt;[http://www.newsmax.com/insidecover/keyes_obama_destroy_US/2009/02/23/184503.html Alan Keyes: Obama Will Destroy U.S.] NewsMax, February 23, 2009&lt;/ref&gt; <br /> <br /> In May 2007, Obama (and Sen. Hillary Clinton) voted against funding the Iraq War for the first time.&lt;ref&gt;[http://uspolitics.about.com/od/legislatio1/a/HR2206.htm HR 2206 - Emergency Appropriations], Kathy Gill, Your Guide to U.S. Politics: Current Events. May 26 2007.&lt;/ref&gt;&lt;ref&gt;[http://more.gov.mtopgroup.com/2007/05/votes-hr-2206-iraq-supplemental.html Votes - H.R. 2206: Iraq Supplemental], May 28, 2007. Retrieved from Deeper Inside the Mountain, June 4, 2007.&lt;/ref&gt; <br /> <br /> Obama's views on [[gun control]] are focused on an opinion article in the [[Wall Street Journal]]:&lt;ref&gt;David Kopel, &quot;The Democrats and Gun Control,&quot; Wall St.J., Page A19, April 17, 2008 [http://online.wsj.com/article_email/SB120839466717921537-lMyQjAxMDI4MDE4NzMxOTc0Wj.html]&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> :As a state senate candidate in 1996, Mr. Obama endorsed a complete ban on all handguns in a questionnaire. The Obama campaign has claimed he &quot;never saw or approved the questionnaire,&quot; and that an aide filled it out incorrectly. But a few weeks ago, Politico.com found an amended version of the questionnaire. It included material added in Mr. Obama's handwriting.<br /> <br /> After [[D.C. v. Heller]], Obama claimed to support Second Amendment rights.<br /> <br /> Obama has said, &quot;Doing the Lord's work is a thread that runs through our politics since the very beginning,&quot; and &quot;it puts the lie to the notion that [[separation of church and state]] in America means somehow that faith should have no role in public life.&quot;&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.siouxcityjournal.com/articles/2007/06/17/news/iowa/8db7c1a17d2b51f9862572fd000fc9f4.txt Obama says religion has place in politics], By Todd Dorman, ''Sioux City Journal'', June 18, 2007.&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> He believes children should be taught sex education in kindergarten, although in what he refers to as &quot;an age-appropriate manner&quot;.&lt;ref&gt;&quot;Barack Obama reaffirmed to [[Planned Parenthood]] this week that he believes elements of sex education should begin in kindergarten.&quot; [http://abcnews.go.com/print?id=3395856 (ABC News)] July 20, 2007 &lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> Obama spoke at the May 1, 2006, illegal immigration march in Chicago.&lt;ref&gt;http://nomoreblather.com/barack-obama-and-the-immigration-marches Immigration marches&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> ::''We are hungry for change!'' S.C. January 26, 2008.<br /> <br /> Barack Obama, in his short stint as Senator of Illinois, has made clear his opposition to the [[U.S. Military]] in policy and in rhetoric. Obama has spent much energy to argue that the Iraq War should have never been waged and that we should not be there at all, in any way. In 2002, as an unknown Chicago representative to the state of Illinois, he declared his opposition to &quot;dumb wars&quot;. At the time, America was united in the stance against terrorism and the prospects of a rogue enemy with WMD worried the United States. Obama, has said that he does not know whether he would have voted for or against the Iraq War. Since elected to Congress, he voted against the Emergency War Supplemental. Obama did not oppose his party debating the bill long past the timeframe requested. This action directly affects troop deployment in combat zones. Obama has repeatedly called for the return of troops in Iraq. Barack Obama has a no confidence vote for the 'Surge' before the measure was put forth by General Petraeus to Congress. Obama would not denounce MoveOn.org's slander NY Times advertising against the General.<br /> <br /> Senator Obama often refers to the office that he seeks, without the proper respect of those that came before him. When talking of the President, he frequently refuses to call him [[George W. Bush|President George Bush]] or even Mr. George Bush. Obama has also disrespectfully called him 'George Bush'. Oddly, when Bill Clinton spoke with Obama on September 11th, 2008 predicting he would win handily, Obama responded, &quot;There you go, you can take it from the President of the United States.&quot;&lt;ref&gt;http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/09/11/campaign.wrap/index.html&lt;/ref&gt; It appears Obama will use the term for a former President, but will not do the same for the actual President. Examples of Obama's treatment of our current President: <br /> * &quot;I am happy to have a debate with John McCain and George Bush about foreign policy,&quot; Obama said &lt;ref&gt;[http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/05/16/obama.bush.mccain/], CNN Obama blasts Bush McCain, May 16, 2008&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> * &quot;For all his talk about independence, the centerpiece of John McCain's economic plan amounts to a full-throated endorsement of George Bush's policies,&quot; &lt;ref&gt;[http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2008/06/10/obama_takes_the_offensive_vs_mcca)n/]`Boston Globe Obama takes offensive vs. McCain, June 10, 2008&lt;/ref&gt; <br /> * &quot;George Bush knows that I have never supported engagement with terrorists.&quot; &lt;ref&gt;[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7403386.stm], BBC Obama attacks Bush over Iran , May 15, 2008&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> * Obama called the U.S. economy a disaster thanks to &quot;John McCain's President, George W. Bush&quot; &lt;ref&gt;[http://www.newsmax.com/insidecover/obama_mccain/2008/08/18/122924.html No More Hugs: Obama Tears Into McCain] AP, August 18, 2008&lt;/ref&gt; Side note, George W. Bush is also Barack Obama's President.<br /> <br /> Obama is for a one-world government unaccountable to the American people, a threat to U.S. sovereignty and independence. He said &quot;for all nations in the world to come together to build a stronger, global regime&quot;&lt;ref&gt;[http://worldnetdaily.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&amp;pageId=94380]&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> == Foreign policy experience ==<br /> In his presidential campaign, Obama stated&lt;ref&gt;http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mayhill-fowler/obama-says-no-to-foreign_b_95357.html&lt;/ref&gt; that &quot;foreign policy is the area where I am probably most confident&quot; and then cited &quot;having lived in Indonesia for four years, having family that is impoverished in small villages in Africa&quot;. He lived in Indonesia from age 6 to 10, and he later discovered that his father had some other children in Africa.<br /> <br /> While campaigning, he has visited several foreign countries. In [[Russia]] and the former Soviet republics, he met with representatives of the International Republican Institute and National Democratic Institute to discuss democracy in the former Soviet republics. He also met with Russian military officials and visited several nuclear and biological weapons destruction sites in Russia, [[Ukraine]], and [[Azerbaijan]] with Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Richard Lugar (R-IN). On the same tour, he visited London, UK, and met with [[Tony Blair]], sitting UK Prime Minister.&lt;ref&gt;http://obama.senate.gov/press/050823-obama_to_visit/&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> Obama visited South Africa, Kenya, Ethiopia, Djibouti, and Chad; he discussed his tour of Robben Island prison, met with U.S. troops, and visited refugee camps of the people fleeing Darfur. He also addressed Africa's growing [[AIDS]] epidemic. &lt;ref&gt;http://obama.senate.gov/podcast/060906-090606_africa_t/&lt;/ref&gt; <br /> <br /> During a ten-day-long tour of the Middle East, he talked with government leaders in Qatar, Kuwait, Iraq, Jordan, and Israel. &lt;ref&gt; http://obama.senate.gov/news/060113-obama_wraps_up/&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> ==Religious affiliations==<br /> <br /> Obama and his wife (raised a Baptist) were members of the Trinity [[United Church of Christ]]&lt;ref&gt;http://www.tucc.org/about.htm&lt;/ref&gt; in Chicago. The church embraces [[black liberation theology]] and its emphasis on empowering oppressed groups against establishment forces. This denomination was the first in America to ordain gays, women and blacks as ministers.&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.mcclatchydc.com/227/story/31079.html], http://www.mcclatchydc.com/227/story/31079.html, Obama's church pushes controversial doctrines, March 20, 2008&lt;/ref&gt; According to his sister, Obama was baptized at this church the same year.&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/04/30/america/30obama.php?page=2 http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/04/30/america/30obama.php?page=2]&lt;/ref&gt; Obama describes his conversion in ''The Audacity of Hope''. The title of this book is taken from one of Pastor Wright's sermons. <br /> In April 2008, Obama disavowed Pastor Wright's views. In May 2008, Obama left his church. His response blamed the media &lt;ref&gt;[http://elections.foxnews.com/2008/05/31/obama-resigns-church-membership-in-chicago/], Obama Drops Church Membership in Chicago, may 31, 2008&lt;/ref&gt;, stating “It’s not fair to the other members of the church who seek to worship in peace...&quot;, and called Wright's rhetoric &quot;&quot;a bunch of rants that aren't grounded in the truth.&quot;&lt;ref&gt;USA TODAY, ''Obama breaks with former pastor, Candidate cites rants on U.S. role in terror, AIDS'', by Kathy Kiely and David Jackson [http://www.usatoday.com/printedition/news/20080430/1a_offlede30_dom.art.htm]&lt;/ref&gt;&lt;ref&gt;''Obama Says He Is Outraged By Wright's &quot;Rants&quot;''[http://www.usnews.com/usnews/politics/bulletin/bulletin_080430.htm]&lt;/ref&gt; Wright had been making inflammatory comments and posting his sermons online for sale. These include the statements &quot;G-d damn America&quot; and describing the September 11th attacks, he said &quot;We have supported state terrorism against the Palestinians and black South Africans, and now we are indignant because the stuff we have done overseas is now brought right back to our own front yards. America's chickens are coming home to roost.&quot;&lt;ref&gt;[ http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/Story?id=4443788 Obama's Pastor: G-d Damn America, U.S. to Blame for 9/11]&lt;/ref&gt; In addition, Rev. Wright blamed America saying &quot;We supported Zionism shamelessly while ignoring the Palestinians and branding anybody who spoke out against it as being anti-Semitic.&quot; <br /> <br /> [[Image:Barack Obama Jeremiah Wright.jpg|thumb|Barack Obama and Jeremiah Wright.]]<br /> <br /> [[Daniel Pipes]] claims that Obama was raised a [[Muslim]] because he attended classes on the Koran while attending a Muslim school.&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.danielpipes.org/article/5286 Was Barack Obama a Muslim&lt;/ref&gt; Obama did attend a school administrated by Muslims but [[CNN]] reports that it was a non-religious public school attended by students of many faiths, not a [[madrassa]].&lt;ref&gt;http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/01/22/obama.madrassa/&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> {{QuoteBox|In Indonesia, I'd spent 2 years at a Muslim school, 2 years at a Catholic school. In the Muslim school, the teacher wrote to tell mother I made faces during Koranic studies. In the Catholic school, when it came time to pray, I'd pretend to close my eyes, then peek around the room. Nothing happened. No angels descended. Just a parched old nun and 30 brown children, muttering words. Sometimes the nun would catch me, and her stern look would force my lids back shut. But that didn't change how I felt inside.&quot;}}&lt;ref&gt;Dreams from My Father, by Barack Obama, p.142 Aug 1, 1996 &lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> Obama has described his upbringing as occurring in a non-religious environment. <br /> <br /> {{QuoteBox|In sum, my mother viewed religion through the eyes of the anthropologist that she would become; it was a phenomenon to be treated with a suitable respect, but with a suitable detachment as well. Moreover, as a child I rarely came in contact with those who might offer a substantially different view of faith. My father was almost entirely absent from my childhood, having been divorced from my mother when I was 2 years old; in any event, although my father had been raised a Muslim, by the time he met my mother he was a confirmed atheist, thinking religion to be so much superstition.<br /> <br /> And yet for all her professed secularism, my mother was in many ways the most spiritually awakened person that I've ever known. She had an unswerving instinct for kindness, charity, and love, and spent much of her life acting on that instinct, sometimes to her detriment. Without the help of religious texts or outside authorities, she worked mightily to instill in me the values that many Americans learn in Sunday school: honesty, empathy, discipline, delayed gratification, and hard work. She raged at poverty and injustice.}}&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1546579-4,00.html My Spiritual Journey] Time Magazine, October 2006&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> == Books ==<br /> <br /> * ''Dreams from My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance.'' (B. Obama and, allegedly, William Ayers) ISBN 0307383415<br /> * ''The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream.'' (B. Obama) ISBN 0307455874<br /> * ''Barack Obama in His Own Words.'' (B. Obama and Lisa Rogak) ISBN 0786720573<br /> * ''Change We Can Believe In. Barack Obama's Plan to Renew America's Promise.'' (B. Obama)<br /> * ''The Case Against Barack Obama. The Unlikely Rise and Unexamined Agenda of the Media's Favorite Candidate. '' (David Freddso) ISBN 1596985666 <br /> * ''The Obama Nation. Leftist Politics and the Cult of Personality.'' (Jerome R. Corsi) ISBN 1416598065 <br /> * ''Obama Unmasked. Did Slick Hollywood Handlers Create the Perfect Candidate?'' (Floyd Brown and Lee Trexler) ISBN 0936783591 <br /> * ''Obama: The Man Behind The Mask.'' (Andy Martin) ISBN 0965781240 <br /> * ''The Audacity of Deceit. Barack Obama's War on American Values.'' (Brad O'Leary) ISBN 1935071025<br /> <br /> ==Published criticism==<br /> On April 11, 2007, staff writers of ''The Boston Globe'' reported the criticisms of several black commentators regarding Obama's apparent hesitation to join the race to condemn acclaimed radio personality [[Don Imus]],&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2007/04/11/obamas_silence_on_imus_alarms_some_blacks/ Obama's silence on Imus alarms some blacks], Rick Klein and Joseph Williams, ''The Boston Globe'', April 11, 2007.&lt;/ref&gt; who made a racially insensitive remark&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.reuters.com/article/industryNews/idUSN1237895620070412|title=Furor over Imus puts heat on other broadcasters], Daniel Trotta, Reuters, 2007-04-12.&lt;/ref&gt; on the air during the April 4 broadcast. Obama did not comment on Imus's remarks until well after prominent civil rights leaders [[Al Sharpton]] and [[Jesse Jackson]] had called Imus to account and after Imus was suspended by MSNBC and CBS Radio. Obama later weighed in on April 10 by saying, &quot;The comments of Don Imus were divisive, hurtful, and offensive to Americans of all backgrounds.&quot; &lt;br /&gt; <br /> <br /> The ''Globe'' reported that Obama's perceived delay in addressing Don Imus's remarks was described by Melissa Harris Lacewell, a professor of politics and African-American studies at Princeton University, as &quot;miss[ing] an opportunity to prove himself to blacks and white liberals who would have wanted Obama take the lead in denouncing Imus.&quot;&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2007/04/11/obamas_silence_on_imus_alarms_some_blacks/ Obama's silence on Imus alarms some blacks], Rick Klein and Joseph Williams, ''The Boston Globe'', April 11, 2007.&lt;/ref&gt;&lt;ref&gt;[http://time-blog.com/real_clear_politics/2007/04/obama_race_and_the_election.html Obama, Race, and The Election,] ''Real Clear Politics.com''&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> In June 2007 the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' reported Obama had actually received nearly three times more campaign cash from indicted slum landlord Tony Rezko&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.suntimes.com/news/metro/353829,CST-NWS-rez23.article Barack Obama and his slumlord patron], Tim Novak, Chicago Sun-Times, April 23, 2007.&lt;/ref&gt; and his associates than Obama has publicly acknowledged.&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.suntimes.com/news/politics/432197,CST-NWS-obama18.article Rezko cash triple what Obama says], Chris Fusco and Tim Novak, ''Chicago Sun-Times'', June 18, 2007.&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> Executive vice president Wayne LaPierre of the [[NRA]] accuses Barack Obama of &quot;mouthing pro-Second amendment words and pandering to gun owners&quot; on the campaign trail.&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.gopusa.com/news/2008/may/0514_nra_mccain.shtml], http://www.gopusa.com/news/2008/may/0514_nra_mccain.shtml, NRA chief stresses common ground with McCain, Associated Press, May 14, 2008&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> [[McCain]] Aide Says Obama Has Sept. 10 Mind-Set &quot;an extremely dangerous and extremely naive approach toward terrorism&quot; &lt;ref&gt;[http://www.newsmax.com/politics/mccain_obama/2008/06/17/105265.html], AP McCain Aide Says Obama Has Sept. 10 Mind-Set, June 17, 2008&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> ===Birth Certificate Controversy===<br /> During the democratic primaries the Clinton Campaign lead a smear campaign against the validity of Barack Obama's Hawaii Birth certificate, claiming that it is false and that he is ineligible for Presidency. &lt;ref&gt;[http://campaignspot.nationalreview.com/post/?q=ZTgxZmIwNTg0OWVhMWJkODNmZjI4ZjY4Mjg2OWRmNzI= http://campaignspot.nationalreview.com/post/?q=ZTgxZmIwNTg0OWVhMWJkODNmZjI4ZjY4Mjg2OWRmNzI=]&lt;/ref&gt; After initially refusing to produce a birth certificate in response to such rumors, the Obama campaign eventually endorsed a document posted on the Daily Kos as <br /> authentic.&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2008/6/12/11012/6168/320/534616 Obama's Birth Certificate]&lt;/ref&gt; The response is split regarding the birth certificate. Some commentators, such as those at the National Review, are satisfied with the document.&lt;ref&gt;[http://campaignspot.nationalreview.com/post/?q=NWVjN2I1MjlhM2ZjZjRjYzBkODAxZjZkZGQyYWNkMDk= http://campaignspot.nationalreview.com/post/?q=NWVjN2I1MjlhM2ZjZjRjYzBkODAxZjZkZGQyYWNkMDk=]&lt;/ref&gt; However, some analysts claim that the birth certificate is false.&lt;ref&gt;[http://web.israelinsider.com/Articles/Politics/12939.htm http://web.israelinsider.com/Articles/Politics/12939.htm]&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> On August 21st, 2008, Factcheck.org published an article regarding the controversy.&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.factcheck.org/elections-2008/born_in_the_usa.html Born in the U.S.A.]&lt;/ref&gt; The site stated, &quot;FactCheck.org staffers have now seen, touched, examined and photographed the original birth certificate. We conclude that it meets all of the requirements from the State Department for proving U.S. citizenship.&quot; In addition, the site posted high-resolution photographs of the birth certificate, which clearly showed the raised seal, stamp of Hawaii state registrar Alvin T. Onaka, and certificate number. The birth date corresponds to a birth announcement published in the ''Honolulu Advertiser '' on Sunday, August 13, 1961. &lt;ref&gt;http://texasdarlin.wordpress.com/2008/07/23/obama-was-born-in-hawaii-wrong-can-of-worms/&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> A Philadelphia attorney, Phillip Berg, has filed a lawsuit against the DNC and Barack Obama. Berg maintains that Sen. Obama is not a natural born U.S. citizen or that, if he ever was, he lost his citizenship when he was adopted in Indonesia. Berg also cites what he calls &quot;dual loyalties&quot; due to his citizenship and ties with Kenya and Indonesia. The &quot;dual loyalties&quot; which have not been shown to exist do not violate any constitutional or legal precedents and would make Sen. Obama a poor choice for President, not an invalid choice.<br /> <br /> Obama website Fight The Smears has confirmed that Obama was once a Kenyan citizen until 1982. Attorney Philips Berg's lawsuit is being challenged by the Obama Campaign. Instead of producing the original birth certificate in court and paying a number of legal fees and taking several days out of his busy campaigning schedule the Obama campaign had the case dropped on the grounds that it lacked any supporting evidence. &lt;ref&gt;http://neighbors.denverpost.com/viewtopic.php?t=10815605&lt;/ref&gt; The fact that Mr. Berg's dual arguments were mutually contradictory may also have contributed.<br /> <br /> The state of Hawaii announced that the &quot;Certification of Live Birth&quot; document is legitimate and official. Since the state of Hawaii is the issuing body, they have ultimate authority with regards to the matter.&lt;ref&gt;http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/20081031/BREAKING01/81031064/0/BREAKING04&lt;/ref&gt; Critics rightfully point out such documents actually were issued for children not born in the state.<br /> <br /> Adding fuel to the fire is Obama's persistent refusal to release documents that could provide answers. While his supporters cite an online version of a &quot;Certification of Live Birth&quot; from Hawaii. &lt;ref&gt;[http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&amp;pageId=92810 Justice, Supremes confirm getting eligibility challenge] WND, March 24, 2009&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> [[Bob Schultz]] with the [[We The People Foundation]] said: <br /> <br /> &quot;In the end, there is no practical reason why Obama refuses to produce his original birth certificate. He... has a duty to provide evidence that he meets the explicit requirements established by the Constitution.&quot; <br /> <br /> [[Nancy Salvato]] with [[BasicsProject|BasicsProject.org]] perhaps put it best: <br /> <br /> &quot;What perturbs the rest of us is that President Obama has failed to produce a legitimate birth certificate. He has a team of lawyers who are opposing the examination of his sealed records in Hawaii. What he produced was a certificate of live birth... not a birth certificate. The rest of us are appalled at the lack of media examination surrounding the fact that there is no law requiring that a candidate for the highest office in our land produce an authentic birth certificate which proves natural citizenship.&quot;<br /> <br /> ==Quotes==<br /> * Early in his campaign for president in 2007, Obama declared in an interview with the [[Chicago Tribune]], &quot;I'm a [[Christian]]. And so, although I try not to have my religious beliefs dominate or determine my political views on this issue ... my religious beliefs say that [[marriage]] is something sanctified between a man and a woman.&quot;&lt;ref&gt;http://thehill.com/cheri-jacobus/obama-and-miss-california-2009-04-23.html&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> ==See also==<br /> *[[Previous Breaking News/Barack Obama|Articles about '''Barack Obama''' from previous &quot;Breaking News&quot;]]<br /> *[[Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN)]]<br /> *[[Birthplace of Barack Obama]]<br /> *[[Essay:Born Outside the U.S.A.!]]<br /> *[[Essay: The Special Interests Candidate]]<br /> *[[Lobbyists ties to the Obama administration]]<br /> *[[New Party]]<br /> *[[Obama Administration‎]]<br /> *[[Obama birth certificate lawsuits]]<br /> *[[Obama doublespeak]]<br /> *[[Obama inauguration]]<br /> *[[Religion of Barack Hussein Obama]]<br /> *[[The Honorable James David Manning]]<br /> <br /> ==Further reading==<br /> *[[Peter Hitchens|Hitchens, Peter]] [http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/worldnews.html?in_article_id=511901&amp;in_page_id=1811 ''The Black Kennedy: But does anyone know the real Barack Obama?''] [[Daily Mail]]. Accessed 4 February 2008.<br /> <br /> ==Sources==<br /> &lt;small&gt;<br /> *[http://www.barackobama.com/ Offical Obama for President Website]<br /> *[http://www.opensecrets.org/pfds/pfd2005/N00009638_2005.pdf Barack Obama Personal Financial Disclosures Summary: 2005], retrieved from opensecrets.org 17 June 2007.<br /> *[http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=O000167 Biographical Directory of the United States Congress]<br /> *[http://www.law.uchicago.edu/faculty/obama/cv.html University of Chicago Law School] Faculty Listing<br /> *[http://www.biography.com/search/article.do?id=12782369 Barack Obama Biography] from Biography.com<br /> *[http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/o/barack_obama/index.html?inline=nyt-per New York Times Topics, Barack Obama]<br /> *[http://youtube.com/watch?v=zUdjhKbImwE Documentary on Barack Hussein Obama]<br /> *[http://www.votesmart.org/voting_category.php?can_id=9490 Voting Record of Barack Hussein Obama]&lt;/small&gt;<br /> <br /> ==References==<br /> {{reflist|3}}<br /> <br /> ==External Links==<br /> *[http://www.antiobama.net/ Anti Obama.net]<br /> *[http://www.dontvoteobama.net/ Dont Vote For Obama.net]<br /> *[http://nobamanetwork.com/ Nobama Network]<br /> *[http://www.audacityofhypocrisy.com/ Audacity Of Hypocrisy]<br /> *[http://therealbarackobama.wordpress.com/ The Real Barack Obama]<br /> *[http://www.spiked-online.com/index.php?/site/article/6130/ The New Cult of Personality]<br /> *[http://www.survivingobamunism.com/index.html Surviving Obamunism T-shirts]<br /> *[http://www.barackobamaantichrist.blogspot.com/ Barack Obama the Anti-Christ ?]<br /> *[http://www.noquarterusa.net/blog/2008/06/23/che-obama-and-the-revolutionary-agenda/ Che, Obama, and the Revolutionary Agenda]</div>

DerekSmalls https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=User:DerekSmalls/Obama_draft&diff=669757 2009-06-03T02:04:04Z

<p>DerekSmalls: </p> <hr /> <div>work in progress, the original Obama Article is here so I can edit it<br /> {{President<br /> |image=President Barack Obama.jpg<br /> |seq=44<br /> |term_start=January 20, 2009<br /> |term_end=January 20, 2013<br /> |party=Democrat<br /> |vp=Joe Biden<br /> |previous=George W. Bush<br /> |next=<br /> |birth_date=August 4, 1961<br /> |age={{age|1961|8|4}}<br /> |birth_place=<br /> |death_date=<br /> |death_place=<br /> |spouse=Michelle LaVaughn Robinson Obama<br /> |spouse2=<br /> |religion=Described in this entry<br /> }}<br /> '''Barack Hussein Obama II''' (allegedly&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.worldnetdaily.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&amp;pageId=82033]&lt;/ref&gt;&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.factcheck.org/UploadedFiles/birth_certificate_5.jpg Large, high-resolution picture of his birth certificate]&lt;/ref&gt;&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.kitv.com/politics/17860890/detail.html?rss=hon&amp;psp=news KITV Honolulu report]&lt;/ref&gt;&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.newsmax.com/farber/Obama_birth_certificate/2009/04/06/200320.html]&lt;/ref&gt;&lt;ref&gt;Obama's [[African]] grandmother Sarah Hussein Obama says Barack was born in her presence in Kenya.[http://www.israelnationalnews.com/Blogs/Message.aspx/3074 Obama Born In Kenya? His Grandmother Says Yes, Israali News, October 12, 2008][http://www.worldnetdaily.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&amp;pageId=78931 Democrat: Obama's grandma confirms Kenyan birth, WND, October 23, 2008][http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=b58_1225645143 Audio Conversation Link]&lt;/ref&gt; born in [[Honolulu]] Aug. 4, 1961) is the 44th president of the [[United States]], <br /> and previously served as a first-term [[Democratic party|Democratic]] [[Senator]] from [[Illinois]] (2004-2008). Obama and his running mate [[Senator Joseph Biden]] won the presidential election&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.newsmax.com/insidecover/obama_wins_presidency/2008/11/04/147788.html?utm_medium=RSS]&lt;/ref&gt; after 23 months of campaigning that spent over $700 million,&lt;ref&gt;http://www.opensecrets.org/pres08/summary.php?cid=N00009638&lt;/ref&gt; most of it raised from undisclosed donors. <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> ==Obama is likely the first Muslim President==<br /> [[Image:OBAMA MUSULMAN.jpg|left|thumb|President-Elect Obama wearing traditional African garb, a gift from his hosts while visiting Kenya&lt;ref&gt;[http://sweetness-light.com/archive/obama-wore-muslim-gear-during-kenya-trip]&lt;/ref&gt;]]<br /> The argument that Obama is a Muslim includes:<br /> <br /> *Obama declared in prepared remarks, &quot;The United States has been enriched by Muslim Americans. Many other Americans have Muslims in their families or have lived in a Muslim-majority country - I know, because '''I am one of them'''.&quot;&lt;ref&gt;http://apnews.myway.com/article/20090406/D97D32C00.html&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> *Obama's background, education, and outlook are [[Muslim]], and fewer than 1% of Muslims convert to Christianity.&lt;ref&gt;http://www.religionnewsblog.com/17736/barack-obama-2&lt;/ref&gt;&lt;ref&gt;http://www.faithfreedom.org/oped/sina31103.htm. During the third and fourth grades, Obama learned about Islam for two hours each week in religion class, according to the LATimes. [http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/nation/bal-te.obama16mar16,0,1634059,print.story?coll=bal_news_nation_promo Campaign downplays his connection during boyhood in Indonesia, Baltimore Sun, March 16, 2007]&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> *Obama's middle name (Hussein) references '''Husayn''', who was the grandson of [[Muhammad]],&lt;ref&gt; Oxford Dictionary of First Names, 2nd edition (2007).[http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/277459/al-Husayn-ibn-Ali].&lt;/ref&gt; which most Christians would not retain.&lt;ref&gt;Only after Obama became politically ambitious did he declare himself to be a [[Christian]], yet he never replaced his [[Muslim]] name &quot;Hussein&quot; with a Christian one as most do when they undergo a religious conversion. For example, when the Italian journalist Magdi Allam recently converted to Christianity, he took a new name: &quot;Cristiano&quot;.[http://www.catholic.org/international/international_story.php?id=30814] When Saul became a Christian, he changed his name to &quot;Paul&quot;; when the famous boxer Cassius Clay converted to [[Islam]], he took the Muslim name of [[Muhammad Ali]]. &quot;It is common for those converting to a new religion to change their name on conversion&quot;[http://www.ukdp.co.uk/pages/religiousconversion.php] or adopt a Christian name at [[baptism]].[http://www.answers.com/topic/christian-name]&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> *Obama recently mentioned his religion as &quot;[[my Muslim faith]].&quot;&lt;ref&gt;Obama declared, &quot;John McCain has not talked about my Muslim faith.&quot;[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iQqIpdBOg6I]&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> *He has said that &quot;Islam can be compatible with the modern world.&quot;&lt;ref&gt; [http://www.newsweek.com/id/145971 Barack Obama's Christian Journey | Newsweek Politics: Campaign 2008]&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> *Obama said the Muslim call to prayer is &quot;one of the prettiest sounds on Earth at sunset,&quot; and recited &quot;with a first-class [[Arabic]] accent&quot; the opening lines: Allah is Supreme! ... I witness that there is no god but Allah ....&quot;&lt;ref&gt;http://www.wnd.com/index.php?pageId=78309&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> *Obama stated that the autobiography of Malcolm X, a Nation of Islam leader who became a Muslim, inspired him in his youth.&lt;ref&gt;For example, Obama writes in his own autobiography, &quot;Only Malcolm X's autobiography seemed to offer something different. His repeated acts of self-creation spoke to me. The blunt poetry of his words, his unadorned insistence on respect, promised a new and uncompromising order, martial in its discipline, forged through sheer force of will. ... [E]ven as I imagine myself following Malcolm's call, one line in the book stayed with me. He spoke of a wish he'd once had, the wish that the white blood that ran through him, there by an act of violence, might somehow be expunged.&quot;[http://www.americanthinker.com/2008/04/does_obama_know_america.html]&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> *Obama raised nearly $1 million and campaigned for a [[Kenyan]] presidential candidate who had a written agreement with [[Muslim]] leaders promising to convert Kenya to an Islamic state that bans Christianity.&lt;ref&gt; [http://www.worldnetdaily.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&amp;pageId=78324] Text of the agreement, as three images: [http://www.worldnetdaily.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&amp;pageId=78323]&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> *Obama's claims of conversion to Christianity arose after he became politically ambitious, lacking a date of conversion or baptism.&lt;ref&gt;In his book, Obama oddly claims to have been baptized without giving his age or date, and later gave a date that postdates his political ambition (1992).&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> *On the campaign trail, Obama was reading &quot;The Post-American World&quot; by [[Fareed Zakaria]],&lt;ref&gt;http://www.canada.com/topics/news/world/story.html?id=fa8cf1bf-2cc8-4d6e-b72d-a07d406e19ff&lt;/ref&gt; which is written from a Muslim point-of-view.&lt;ref&gt;http://www.villagevoice.com/2005-08-09/news/the-interpreter/&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> *Contrary to [[Christianity]], the Islamic doctrine of [[taqiyya]] encourages adherents to deny they are Muslim if it advances the cause of Islam.<br /> *Obama uses the Muslim Pakistani pronunciation for &quot;Pakistan&quot; rather than the common American one.&lt;ref&gt;Obama repeatedly pronounced &quot;Pakistan&quot; as &quot;Pokiston&quot; in the first presidential debate.&lt;/ref&gt; <br /> *Obama was thoroughly exposed to Christianity as an adult in Chicago prior to attending law school, yet no one at law school saw him display any interest in converting. Obama unabashedly explained how he became &quot;churched&quot; in a 2007 speech: &quot;It's around that time [while working as an organizer for the Developing Communities Project (DCP) of the Calumet Community Religious Conference (CCRC) in Chicago] that some pastors I was working with came around and asked if I was a member of a church. 'If you're organizing churches,' they said, 'it might be helpful if you went to a church once in a while.' And I thought, 'I guess that makes sense.'&quot;&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.speroforum.com/site/article.asp?id=15363 Obama, ACORN, and the churches] SperoNews, October 7, 2008&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> *Obama is mentioned as helping to organize the 1995 million man march led by black [[Muslim]] leader [[Louis Farrakhan]] from the [[Nation of Islam]]. &lt;ref&gt;[http://www.biography.com/search/article.do?id=9291850 Louis Farrakhan Biography] Biography.com&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> *Obama has chosen the [[Secret Service]] code name &quot;Renegade&quot;. &quot;Renegade&quot; conventionally describes someone who goes against normal conventions of behavior, but its first usage was to describe someone who has turned from their religion. It is a word derived from the [[Spanish]] ''renegado'', meaning &quot;Christian turned Muslim.&quot;&lt;ref&gt;http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/barackobama/3452281/Renegade-and-Renaissance-Obama-to-replace-Trailblazer-and-Tempo-Bush-in-the-White-House.html&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> *Obama enjoyed a bigger increase in voter support in 2008 (compared to 2004) by Muslims than by any other voting group, including blacks;&lt;ref&gt;http://www.altmuslim.com/a/a/a/2873/&lt;/ref&gt; &quot;Muslim turnout in the U.S. elections reached 95 percent, the highest Muslim turnout in U.S. history.&quot;&lt;ref&gt;http://newsweek.washingtonpost.com/postglobal/islamsadvance/2008/11/is_obama_the_muslim_worlds_sup.html&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> *&quot;President-elect [[Barack Obama]] has yet to attend [Sunday] church services since winning the [[White House]] earlier ..., a departure from the example of his two immediate predecessors.&quot;&lt;ref&gt;http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1108/15902.html&lt;/ref&gt;&lt;ref&gt;http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/washingtondc/la-na-obama-religion26-2008dec26,0,1910913.story&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> *Obama used his Muslim middle name when sworn in as President.&lt;ref&gt;http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/ET_Cetera/Obama_to_take_oath_using_middle_name_/articleshow/3813120.cms&lt;/ref&gt;&lt;ref&gt;http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/12/10/politics/main4660590.shtml?source=RSSattr=Politics_4660590&lt;/ref&gt; <br /> *Obama botched his public oath of office in which he placed his hand on a Bible, then chose not to use the Bible for his real, private oath.<br /> [[Image:Obamabow.jpg|thumb|right|President Obama bowing to the King of Saudi Arabia - April 2009]]<br /> *'''At the G20 summit in April 2009, Obama bowed deeply to Saudi King Abdullah, a Muslim who is also the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques.'''&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LEUif1--r38&amp;feature=player_embedded Video of Obama bowing almost to King's waist]&lt;/ref&gt; Never before in the history of the U.S. has a president displayed such shocking deference to a foreign official and Obama has not bowed to any other royal leaders. Obama later stated, &quot;We have to change our behavior in showing the Muslim world greater respect.&quot;&lt;ref&gt;http://washingtontimes.com/news/2009/apr/07/barack-takes-a-bow/&lt;/ref&gt; Obama's spin doctors and left-wing apologists dismissed the obviousness of the bow. One anonymous aide stated, &quot;It wasn't a bow. He grasped his hand with two hands, and he's taller than King Abdullah.&quot;&lt;ref&gt;http://www.onenewsnow.com/Blog/Default.aspx?id=483326&lt;/ref&gt; However, in video of the incident, Obama's left hand can clearly be seen staying at his side until after he had finished his bow.&lt;ref&gt;http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9WlqW6UCeaY&lt;/ref&gt; Additionally, Obama also met with Queen Elizabeth, who is much shorter than King Abdullah, but he did not bow when he shook her hand and neither he nor the queen appeared to have any difficulty.&lt;ref&gt;http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=71N34K9EVLU&lt;/ref&gt; (Many liberals and even a handful of conservatives have proposed that President Bush also bowed before King Abdullah.&lt;ref&gt;http://littlegreenfootballs.com/article/33289_Bush_Bowed_Too&lt;/ref&gt; However, there is a vast, inexorable difference between bending down to receive a medal as Bush did and bowing in deference to a foreign leader as Obama did.)<br /> *Obama required that a religiously affiliated college take the extraordinary action of concealing with wood the monogram &quot;IHS&quot;, which represents the name of Jesus, during a speech by Obama there&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.foxnews.com/politics/first100days/2009/04/16/georgetown-university-hid-religious-symbols-white-house-request/ Georgetown hides Jesus' name at request of Obama's White House]&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> Obama tries to downplay his [[Islamic]] background by claiming that his [[Kenya|Kenyan]] [[Muslim]] father was a &quot;confirmed [[atheist]]&quot; before Obama was born, but in fact less than 1% of Kenyans are atheists, agnostics, or non-religious.&lt;ref&gt;http://www.adherents.com/Na/Na_14.html&lt;/ref&gt; There is apparently no evidence of any Christian activities or local church participation by Obama while he was in Massachusetts from 1988 to 1991, nor of Barack Obama's joining of a Mosque (The Islamic house of worship) at any time in his life. Finally, Obama abruptly left his radical Christian church in Chicago in 2008, when it became politically controversial, without first finding another church to join. On April 7, 2009, Obama visited a mosque in Istanbul, Turkey.&lt;ref&gt;http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=CNG.c2e3700ab4e271bc32827b0fccfe560b.421&amp;show_article=1&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> __TOC__ &lt;!--Do not remove this. We want to keep the insights on the first screen of viewing--&gt;<br /> <br /> ==Early life and education==<br /> Barack Hussein Obama II claims to have been born in [[Honolulu]], [[Hawaii]] to Barack Sr. and Ann Dunham in 1961, but there is evidence that he may have actually been born in Kenya. In 1967, he moved with his mother and new stepfather to Jakarta, [[Indonesia]]. He attended a [[Catholic]] elementary school for two years, followed by an Indonesian public school for two years. Media scrutiny in the light of Obama's campaign for President revealed that the Indonesia public school was not a madrassa, teaching Islam. His days off of school in observance of Islamic holidays were spent praying in a Mosque with his stepfather. &lt;ref&gt;[http://www.newsmax.com/insidecover/pipes_obama_muslim/2008/10/09/138898.html Obama 'Lying' About Muslim Past, Expert Says] NewsMax, October 9, 2008&lt;/ref&gt; After Indonesia, he returned to the United States with his mother where he attended the Punahou School, the leading private preparatory school in [[Hawaii]], until he graduated in 1979.<br /> <br /> For college, Obama initially attended Occidental College in Los Angeles, [[California]], before transferring to [[Columbia University]] in New York, [[New York]] and graduating without honors with a Bachelor of Arts degree, majoring in political science. Obama refuses to describe his academic performance at Columbia despite commenting about New York during this period and despite disclosures of the academic record for all other major-party presidential candidates since at least 2000.&lt;ref&gt;http://www.nysun.com/new-york/obamas-years-at-columbia-are-a-mystery/85015/&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> After working as a community organizer in New York City and Chicago, Illinois, Obama enrolled at [[Harvard]] Law School. He became a member of the ''Harvard Law Review'', which uses racial quotas, in 1989. He was then elected by popular vote as its first African American president in 1990, a story that was immediately promoted in the [[New York Times]].&lt;ref&gt;http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C0CE2DC1631F935A35751C0A966958260&amp;scp=3&amp;sq=Obama%201990&amp;st=cse&lt;/ref&gt; He graduated ''magna cum laude'' with his J.D. in 1991, but did not serve in a clerkship. Federal clerkships are the typical post-graduate position for top law students.<br /> <br /> Obama has described himself as a constitutional law professor at the University of Chicago.&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2007/03/30/politics/p132303D74.DTL&amp;type=politics]&lt;/ref&gt; He held the position of Lecturer, an adjunct position, from 1992 to 1996.&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.law.uchicago.edu/media/index.html]&lt;/ref&gt; He held the position of Senior Lecturer from 1996 until his election to the senate in 2004.&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.law.uchicago.edu/media/index.html]&lt;/ref&gt; Dan Ronayne, a spokesman for the Republican National Committee, has pointed that Obama was only a senior lecturer and not a full professor. &lt;ref&gt;[http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2007/03/30/politics/p132303D74.DTL&amp;type=politics]&lt;/ref&gt;The University states that Senior Lecturers are regarded as professors, although not full-time or tenure track.&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.law.uchicago.edu/media/index.html]&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> ==Obama and Elitism and Ayers==<br /> <br /> Obama has consistently shown himself to be an elitist who looks down on &quot;ordinary&quot; Americans. Asked to explain why working-class [[Democrats]] do not support him while campaigning for the [[Pennsylvania]] primary, Obama replied &quot;it's not surprising, then, they get bitter, they cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren't like them or anti-immigrant sentiment or anti-trade sentiment as a way to explain their frustrations.&quot;&lt;ref&gt;http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7344532.stm&lt;/ref&gt; In response to outrage when his remarks were unexpectedly publicized, Obama did not recount his statement but instead replied, I &quot;didn't say it as well as I should have.&quot;&lt;ref&gt;http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7344532.stm&lt;/ref&gt; Although many rural counties went for McCain, Obama carried the state with 54.6% of the vote, compared to 44.3% for John McCain.&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.electionreturns.state.pa.us/ElectionsInformation.aspx?FunctionID=13&amp;ElectionID=28&amp;OfficeID=1]&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> In an attempt counter the view by many that Obama is an elitist, he began running campaign ads claiming that he &quot;worked his way through college and Harvard Law.&quot; This claim is at best an exaggeration, as Obama only held summer jobs while in college and law school&lt;ref&gt;http://www.factcheck.org/elections-2008/obamas_work_claim.html&lt;/ref&gt;, and he would have likely benefited from special scholarships not available to most students.<br /> <br /> Obama almost always reads from prepared text on a [[teleprompter]] and rarely allows tough questions.&lt;ref&gt;After one debate against [[Hillary Clinton]] in Philadelphia, the Obama campaign announced that the questions were too difficult and that Obama would not agree to future debates with her.&lt;/ref&gt;&lt;ref name=&quot;teleprompter&quot;&gt;The Daily Standard, ''Obama Unplugged Lost without a Teleprompter'', by Dean Barnett, 02/12/2008[http://www.weeklystandard.com/content/public/articles/000/000/014/728ofzey.asp]&lt;/ref&gt; Indeed, when unable to read from prepared text he often fails at articulating his positions and is caught tripping over his own feet.&lt;ref&gt;This was first displayed in the Saddleback Forum, and has occurred subsequently also.&lt;/ref&gt; His most recent debate performances illustrate that he may have been extensively coached over the course of 2008, although he still repeatedly fumbles at moments where he moves off his memorized remarks.<br /> <br /> Obama refers to America in the third person, as a foreigner would. In his first television interview after becoming president, Obama declared that &quot;all too often the United States starts by dictating.&quot; Earlier, when Obama gave his acceptance speech, he said &quot;We may not get there in one year or even one term, but America - I have never been more hopeful than I am tonight that we will get there.&quot;&lt;ref&gt;[http://news.yahoo.com/s/ynews/ynews_pl135]&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> President Obama is the first person having ties to a known former terrorist to gain control over America's nuclear weapons.&lt;ref&gt;http://www.clevelandleader.com/node/7127&lt;/ref&gt;&lt;ref&gt;http://elections.foxnews.com/2008/08/26/obama-associate-bill-ayers-unrepentant-for-acts-of-terror/&lt;/ref&gt; Author and blogger Jack Cashill requisitioned a comparison of the writing style of Bill Ayers' 2001 memoir, ''Fugitive Days'', with Barack Obama's earlier 1995 book, ''Dreams From My Father'', and came to the conclusion that Ayres may have ghostwritten Dreams.&lt;ref&gt;www.cashill.com, ''Who Wrote “Dreams From My Father&quot;?'', by Jack Cashill, October 9, 2008, retrieved on 10/16/2008 [http://www.cashill.com/natl_general/who_wrote_dreams_from.htm] Cashill states that a computer comparison of Obama's so-called autobiography with that of the terrorist Bill Ayers, supports the theory that Ayers actually wrote parts of Obama's book; also he wrote &quot;None of this, of course, proves Ayers' authorship conclusively, but the evidence makes him a much more likely candidate than Obama to have written the best parts of Dreams&quot;. &quot;In assessing the signature of sample passages from Dreams,&quot; the experienced analyst found &quot;a very strong match to all of the Ayers samples&quot; that he processed. He did not address the possibility that Ayers had plagiarized from Obama's earlier book. A philosophy professor from England disagreed.[http://wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&amp;pageId=77815]&lt;/ref&gt; Ayers admitted that he was &quot;guilty as hell&quot; in planting bombs in the 1970s, and that he has no regrets and felt he &quot;should have done more.&quot;&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.clevelandleader.com/node/7127]&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> ==Insights==<br /> <br /> Obama displayed ignorance about American history when he said, &quot;Throughout our history, America's confronted constantly evolving danger, from the oppression of an empire, to the lawlessness of the frontier, '''from the bomb that fell on Pearl Harbor''', to the threat of nuclear annihilation.&quot;&lt;ref&gt;http://www.weeklystandard.com/weblogs/TWSFP/2008/07/obama_ignorance_watch_1.asp&lt;/ref&gt; <br /> <br /> Obama has described himself as a constitutional law professor at the University of Chicago.&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2007/03/30/politics/p132303D74.DTL&amp;type=politics]&lt;/ref&gt; He held the position of Lecturer, an adjunct position, from 1992 to 1996.&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.law.uchicago.edu/media/index.html]&lt;/ref&gt; He held the position of Senior Lecturer from 1996 until his election to the senate in 2004.&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.law.uchicago.edu/media/index.html]&lt;/ref&gt; Dan Ronayne, a spokesman for the Republican National Committee, has pointed that Obama was only a senior lecturer and not a full professor. &lt;ref&gt;[http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2007/03/30/politics/p132303D74.DTL&amp;type=politics]&lt;/ref&gt;The University states that Senior Lecturers are regarded as professors, although not full-time or tenure track.&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.law.uchicago.edu/media/index.html]&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> In his 1995 memoir, ''Dreams from My Father'', Obama admitted using illegal drugs, including cocaine and marijuana, which he referred to as &quot;blow&quot; and &quot;pot&quot; respectively, in his high school years and into his college years, before claiming to choose a different path in life.&lt;ref&gt;http://www.nbc5.com/politics/3444371/detail.html&lt;/ref&gt;&lt;ref&gt;http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2008/02/26/obamas_senate_foreign_relations_work/&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> Obama wore an American flag lapel pin after [[9/11]], but later stopped wearing it without adequate explanation.&lt;ref&gt;http://www.swamppolitics.com/news/politics/blog/2007/10/when_did_obama_stop_wearing_a.html&lt;/ref&gt; Presumably it would have hurt him with anti-military campaign donors.&lt;ref&gt;In 2007, at critical moments in his campaign for the nomination, Obama had difficulties securing the support of anti-war activists. [http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/04/04/politics/main2645861.shtml]&lt;/ref&gt; Recently, he has begun wearing one again for reasons that are likely political pandering.<br /> <br /> In his memoirs, Obama claimed a ''[[Life]]'' magazine article about a man who had become ill after trying to lighten his skin color by chemical means had a major impact on him. In fact, ''Life'' never published any such article.&lt;ref&gt;http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/03/26/AR2007032601583.html&lt;/ref&gt;&lt;ref&gt;&quot;Then there's the copy of Life magazine that Obama presents as his racial awakening at age 9. In it, he wrote, was an article and two accompanying photographs of an African-American man physically and mentally scarred by his efforts to lighten his skin. In fact, the Life article and the photographs don't exist, say the magazine's own historians.&quot; [http://newsbusters.org/node/11641]&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> Obama said that &quot;[t]here was something stirring across the country because of what happened in Selma, [[Alabama]], because some folks are willing to march across a bridge. So they got together and Barack Obama Jr. was born.&quot; In fact, Obama was born in 1961 and the Selma march took place in 1965.&lt;ref&gt;http://michellemalkin.com/2008/05/21/barack-obama-gaffe-machine/&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> Obama states that he has consistently opposed the [[Iraq War]] since 2002, a claim and position that former President [[Bill Clinton]] criticized as &quot;the biggest fairy tale I've ever seen.&quot;&lt;ref&gt;http://www.reuters.com/article/politicsNews/idUSN1131516320080111&lt;/ref&gt; In his famous 2002 speech&lt;ref&gt;http://www.barackobama.com/2002/10/02/remarks_of_illinois_state_sen.php&lt;/ref&gt; at an anti-war rally, Obama said that he was against &quot;dumb wars&quot; and expressed some reservations about the Iraq War because he disagrees with the ideological agendas of the Bush administration, but he did not explicitly oppose the war. In his 2004 Democrat Convention speech, Obama said that he did not know how he would have voted on the Iraq War.<br /> <br /> Obama's campaign &quot;is proud to be actively participating in over 60 local and state wide [[homosexual]] Pride events over the summer.&quot;&lt;ref&gt;http://my.barackobama.com/page/community/post/jcitron/gG5VLs&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> Obama claimed to have visited 57 states while campaigning for President of the United States.&lt;ref&gt; [http://www.mediaresearch.org/BozellColumns/newscolumn/2008/col20080528.asp Barack Potatoe Obama?]&lt;/ref&gt; &lt;ref&gt;http://www.stoptheaclu.com/archives/2008/05/12/obamas-freudian-slip-there-are-57-islamic-states/&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> ==Charitable Giving==<br /> <br /> In the years 2000 through 2004, before becoming a United States Senator and being in the public spotlight, Obama gave 1% of his earnings to charity even though he made $250,000 per year. Since becoming a national figure, that amount has jumped to 6%.&lt;ref&gt;http://patterico.com/2008/10/31/obama-and-bidens-charitable-giving-they-dont-want-to-spread-their-own-wealth-around/&lt;/ref&gt; Obama's small donations are consistent with atheism and were perhaps influenced by his nonbelieving mother. According to a study by the Barna Group, atheists give less per capita in donations than religious Americans &lt;ref&gt;http://www.barna.org/FlexPage.aspx?Page=BarnaUpdateNarrow&amp;BarnaUpdateID=272 The Barna Update, 2007&lt;/ref&gt;.<br /> <br /> ==Aunt is in the United States Illegally==<br /> At the end of October 2008 it came to light that Obama's aunt is in the United States illegally and has been since 2004 when her request for asylum was turned down. She has been living in public tax payer funded housing in Boston. This may have some bearing on Obama's immigration policy given that a member of his own family is in violation of current US immigration law. There are also questions about how much Obama knew about this.&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27481680 Obama's Aunt Living in US Illegally]&lt;/ref&gt; The Obama campaign issued a statement to the effect that they had no knowledge of this situation and returned the donation she made to his campaign; in the United States it is illegal to accept campaign contributions from people who are not currently citizens or legal residents of the United States. &lt;ref&gt;http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/11/01/obama.aunt/index.html&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> ==Statements==<br /> Obama has been noted by several independent sources as misquoting historical events and statements by famous persons. A notable example came after Obama's win in the [[North Carolina]] democratic primary. Obama was quoted as saying, &quot;I trust the American people to understand that it is not weakness, but wisdom to talk not just to our friends, but to our enemies as Roosevelt did, and Kennedy did, and Truman did.&quot; (Franklin Delano) Roosevelt spoke with none of the [[Axis]] or [[Japanese]] leaders and the the only communication that was sent to them was unconditional surrender. (President) [[Harry Truman]] took over for FDR and continued his unconditional surrender philosophy as well as ending [[World War II]] with an atomic bomb.&lt;ref&gt;http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2008/05/obama_needs_to_study_history_b.html&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> ==Legal career==<br /> Following law school, Obama continued his work as a community organizer in Chicago as the director of Illinois Project Vote. In 1993 he was hired as an associate at the Chicago law firm Miner, Barnhill &amp; Galland, P.C., and began lecturing in Constitutional Law at the University of Chicago Law School. He remains on the faculty on leave of absence through today. During this time he wrote his first book, ''Dreams from My Father'', detailing his background, his youth, and his education. ''Dreams'' was published in 1995.<br /> <br /> ==Senate career==<br /> [[Image:obama.jpg|thumb|right|Senator Barack Obama]]<br /> Obama was elected to the Illinois State Senate for the first time in 1996 and served there for the next eight years. <br /> <br /> October 2008 crimes against Academy Award winner Jennifer Hudson's family highlighted Obama's record against law and order, as he voted against making it a crime in Illinois &quot;for convicts on probation or on bail to have contact with a street gang&quot;.&lt;ref&gt;[http://thehill.com/leading-the-news/obamas-crime-votes-are-fodder-for-rivals-2007-03-13.html]&lt;/ref&gt;&lt;ref&gt;The person of interest in the murders of Hudson's mother, brother, and 7-year-old nephew is the estranged husband of Hudson's sister and a convicted felon who had violated his parole conditions.[http://www.chicagotribune.com/chi-julian-king-autopsy-1029,0,2752431.story]&lt;/ref&gt; &quot;'We've got 75,000 gang members - that's almost six gang members to one police officer,'&quot; in Obama's hometown of Chicago.&lt;ref&gt;&quot;More people have been murdered in Chicago this year than in New York - even though New York's population is three times greater. When Hudson's mother, brother and nephew were killed last month, they pushed the city's homicide total for the year to 436 and counting. New York has had 430 homicides.&quot; [http://www.nydailynews.com/news/us_world/2008/11/01/2008-11-01_chicago_buried_in_murders.html]&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> Following a failed campaign for the House of Representatives, Obama ran for the open Senate seat from Illinois in 2004. Obama delivered the keynote address at the 2004 Democratic National Convention. He won a seat in the [[U.S. Senate]] after [[liberals]] obtained the release of confidential and personally embarrassing divorce records of his opponent, Jack Ryan, forcing him to resign from the race and be replaced by the out-of-state candidate [[Alan Keyes]].<br /> <br /> A March 16th, 2005 AP article puts Senator Obama on record to ban oil drilling in the Alaska frontier known as ANWR &lt;ref&gt;http://www.commondreams.org/headlines05/0316-13.htm&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> His 2007 voting record in the U.S. [[Senate]] makes him as its most [[liberal]] member. Among fellow Senate Democrats, he was further left than liberals like [[Ted Kennedy]], [[John Kerry]], [[Dianne Feinstein]], [[Charles Schumer]], [[Russ Feingold]], [[Carl Levin]], [[Joseph Biden]] and [[Harry Reid]].&lt;ref&gt;[http://nationaljournal.com/voteratings/sen/lib_cons.htm?o1=lib_composite&amp;o2=desc]&lt;/ref&gt; He has grown steadily more liberal since arriving at the Senate: the same analysis assessed him as 10th most liberal in 2006&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.nationaljournal.com/members/news/2007/voteratings/sen/lib_cons.htm?o1=lib_composite&amp;o2=desc]&lt;/ref&gt; and 16th most liberal in 2005.&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.nationaljournal.com/members/news/2007/voteratings/sen/lib_cons.htm?o1=lib_composite&amp;o2=desc]&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> In late 2006, Obama's second book, ''The Audacity of Hope'', was published. Its title was supplied by the Rev. Jeremiah A. Wright Jr., a minister who has stated that &quot;racism is how this country was founded and how this country was run .... We believe in white supremacy and black inferiority and believe it more than we believe in God.&quot;&lt;ref&gt;http://blog.washingtonpost.com/the-trail/2008/03/14/obama_condemns_pastors_remarks.html&lt;/ref&gt; The book contains more of Senator Obama's personal story including the roles of both family and politics. ''Audacity'' spent 30 weeks on the ''New York Times'' Nonfiction Best Sellers list.&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/27/books/bestseller/0527besthardnonfiction.html?_r=1&amp;oref=slogin New York Times Best Sellers Non Fiction]&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> Senator Obama is the chairman of an important subcommittee that has oversight of our efforts in Afghanistan. He has not held a single hearing on Afghanistan even though American forces are risking their lives in a theatre of war. Since joining Foreign Relations, Obama has missed three meetings on a &quot;new strategy&quot; in [[Afghanistan]], a country he only visited in 2008.&lt;ref&gt;[http://thehill.com/leading-the-news/obama-absent-at-afghanistan-hearings-2008-03-01.html&lt;/ref&gt; Barack Obama clinched his party's nomination for President after 16 straight months of campaigning.<br /> <br /> In June 2008, Obama voted with the Democratic party to kill the sunset provision of the [[Bush]] tax cuts. By letting these tax cuts expire, single mothers with two kids will pay an additional $1,800 annually. Married couples with incomes of $50,000 will pay an additional $2,180 annually. Elderly couples will pay an additional $2,000 annually and a family of four will pay 191% more per year in taxes. Barack Obama often claims to be for taxing the rich their fair share. By voting to eliminate the Bush tax cuts, Obama is taxing most middle class and blue collar families.<br /> <br /> Obama and the Democratic-led Congress has voted for the upgraded GI Bill despite the opposition from the President, the Secretary of Defense, the Pentagon, the generals in combat zones and the GOP Presidential nominee. It was crafted to increase veteran benefits. Yet, the strain on our military is great.&lt;ref&gt;[http://marcambinder.theatlantic.com/archives/2008/05/mccain_to_obama_dont_demagogue.php] http://marcambinder.theatlantic.com/archives/2008/05/mccain_to_obama_dont_demagogue.php , McCain To Obama: Don't Demagogue The GI Bill, May 22, 2008&lt;/ref&gt; The bill would cost $2.8 to $4 billion per month. Some argue that this bill depletes the US's volunteer military personnel by enticing them to leave service rather than be re-deployed.<br /> <br /> As senator, Obama has requested nearly $936 million in earmarks which averages to $500,000. per day over four years, &lt;ref&gt;[http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122108935141721343.html?mod=googlenews_wsj Obama Can't Win Against Palin] Wall Street Journal, September 11, 2008&lt;/ref&gt; for which the Council for Citizens Against Government Waste has given him a rating of 10% in 2007 (18% lifetime).&lt;ref&gt;[http://councilfor.cagw.org/site/DocServer/2007_Senate_Ratings_Final.pdf?docID=3242 2007 Senate Scorecard]&lt;/ref&gt; A score of 100% represents voting against all pork, and 0% represents voting ''for'' all pork. Democrats averaged 5% in 2007, whereas Republicans averaged 60%. &lt;ref&gt;[http://councilfor.cagw.org/site/News2?abbr=CCAGW_&amp;page=NewsArticle&amp;id=11590 CCAGW Releases ''2007 Congressional Ratings'']&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> According to a Fox News report on October 5th, Obama has taken more than $126,000. in campaign contribution from [[Fannie Mae]] in a little over three years. This ranks him second, only Chris Dodd has received more campaign contribution dollars from Fannie Mae.<br /> <br /> === Bills co-sponsored ===<br /> Obama's principal legislation was S. 2433, which was an attempt to force the U.S. to increase its foreign aid by hundreds of billions of dollars under the guise of reducing global poverty, which was subsequently blocked by [[conservatives]].&lt;ref&gt;http://www.cnsnews.com/ViewPolitics.asp?Page=/Politics/archive/200802/POL20080225a.html&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> Obama did support and co-sponsor a bill championed by [[Tom Coburn]] and known as the Coburn-Obama Government Transparency Act of 2006, which was signed into law by President [[George W. Bush]] on Sept. 9, 2006. This law created a website that will list the federal government's grants and contracts.&lt;ref&gt; http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2006/09/20060926.html&lt;/ref&gt; <br /> <br /> Between Jan 13, 2007 and March 13, 2008, Sen. Obama has sponsored 120 mostly [[liberal]] resolutions and bills in the Senate.&lt;ref&gt;http://thomas.loc.gov/&lt;/ref&gt; His supporters cite the following less liberal examples, but this list is not representative:<br /> <br /> *S.117 : A bill to amend titles 10 and 38, United States Code, to improve benefits and services for members of the Armed Forces, veterans of the Global War on Terrorism, and other veterans, to require reports on the effects of the Global War on Terrorism, and for other purposes.<br /> <br /> *S.133 : A bill to promote the national security and stability of the economy of the United States by reducing the dependence of the United States on oil through the use of alternative fuels and new technology, and for other purposes.<br /> <br /> *S.453 : A bill to prohibit deceptive practices in Federal elections.<br /> <br /> *S.713 : A bill to ensure dignity in care for members of the Armed Forces recovering from injuries.<br /> <br /> === Accomplishments while serving on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee ===<br /> <br /> In February 2008, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee approved Obama's proposal on a new strategy to reduce poverty throughout the world.<br /> <br /> Obama worked with Sen. Lugar writing legislation aimed at improving conventional and nuclear non-proliferation efforts. This legislation was signed by [[George W. Bush|President Bush]] in January 2008.<br /> <br /> In June 2007 the Senate passed his resolution condemning violence by the [[Zimbabwe]] government. It also passed legislation co-sponsored by Obama that financed a Special Court for Sierra Leone to prosecute former [[Liberia | Liberian]] President [[Charles Taylor]]. &lt;ref&gt; http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2008/02/26/obamas_senate_foreign_relations_work/ &lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> Barack Obama continued to collect money for a 2010 Senate re-election campaign as late as June 2008, and has filed reports recently indicating that money is still pouring into this fund. This is especially notable because it is an efficient way of sidetracking donations from his Presidential race. The website&lt;obamasenate2010.gov&gt; is now defunct.<br /> <br /> ==Presidential campaign==<br /> [[Image:Democrat Obama during the Pledge.jpg|325px|thumb|right|Obama, on the campaign trail, stands with folded hands while [[Bill Richardson]] and [[Hillary Clinton]] honor the flag by placing their hands over their heart during the [[National Anthem]]. [http://rawstory.com/news/2007/Obama_doesnt_put_hand_over_heart_1022.html See Video] ]]<br /> Senator Obama began his candidacy for President of the United States on February 10, 2007, in Springfield, Illinois. His announcement speech largely avoided specific campaign issues and focused on his general political message of hope for the future. It also attempted to strongly invoke the memory of Abraham Lincoln and his &quot;House Divided&quot; speech.&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/02/10/obama.president/index.html &quot;Obama declares he's running for President&quot;] 11 February 2007, www.CNN.com &lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> Obama's campaign has been financed largely by [[leftist]] donors opposed to the war and to the [[American]] military in general. Obama has encouraged this by refusing to wear the customary flag on his lapel during appearances (asserting that he would prefer his patriotism to be represented through his actions rather than an arbitrary symbol) and by other less-than-patriotic gestures and symbols, such as declining to put his hand over his heart during a patriotic recitation. In an appearance on May 16 where he addressed President Bush's statements that some politicians would prefer appeasing terrorists through negotiations, Senator Obama once again wore the flag pin as he did following 9-11. <br /> <br /> By early April 2007, his campaign generated over $25 million from over 100,000 contributors. $23.5 million of that money will be available for the Democratic Primary.&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/05/us/politics/05obama.html Obama Shows His Strength in a Fund-Raising Feat on Par With Clinton], 4 April 2007, Jeff Zeleny and Patrick Healy,'' The New York Times''&lt;/ref&gt; After the first Democratic presidential debate in Columbia, South Carolina, Obama's image as an &quot;articulate&quot; spokesman came into question after his failure to state right away that he would retaliate in case of further terrorist strikes against the United States.&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/27/AR2007042702162.html?hpid=moreheadlines Clinton Campaign Tries to Keep Heat on Obama Over Debate Response], Dan Balz, ''Washington Post'' April 28, 2007.&lt;/ref&gt;&lt;ref&gt;Chicago Sun-Times, <br /> [http://www.suntimes.com/news/sweet/362269,CST-NWS-sweet29.article 'I was a little nervous' at debate'], Lynn Sweet, <br /> April 29, 2007,&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> During a fund raising event in Virginia in May 2007 Obama told donors,<br /> {{Cquote|This week there was a tragedy in Kansas. Ten thousand people died. An entire town destroyed.&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,271357,00.html Transcript: 'Special Report with Brit Hume,' May 9, 2007], retrieved from ''FOX News'', 06/13/07.&lt;/ref&gt;}}<br /> <br /> In reality, the tornado which touched down in Kansas cost the lives of nine people in the town of Greensburg, and twelve overall in Kansas.<br /> <br /> Speaking regarding his knowledge of the Afghanistan conflict, Obama points the finger at U.S. troops and American policy &quot;...just airraiding villages and killing civilians, which is causing enormous problems there.&quot; &lt;ref&gt;[http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,293365,00.html Barack Obama Caught on Tape Accusing U.S. Troops of 'Killing Civilians'] Fox News, August 15, 2007&lt;/ref&gt; [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wrW4fOGIMVY See Video]<br /> <br /> By August it appeared Obama was running to be left off the ticket completely rather than the much ballyhooed Hillary/Obama ticket the [[mainstream media]] was pushing. After a series of ill-advised foreign policy statements, Obama was openly criticized as a lightweight even by liberals, in much the same vein as [[John Edwards]] and [[Dan Quayle]] had been depicted. First, Obama said he would have face-to-face meetings with two of Florida's most feared enemies, [[Fidel Castro]] and [[Hugo Chavez]]. Florida is a key state to any presidential ambitions. Then Obama claimed that he would be willing to invade the sovereign territory of a U.S. ally without prior consultation. Finally, Obama broke the cardinal rule of declaring he would not use nuclear weapons, removing the element of bluff U.S. Presidents had vitally depended upon throughout the [[Cold War]] era. The incidents all added up to a picture of a candidate ill-prepared and ill-advised, lacking in a basic understanding of the office of the Presidency, and failing to surround himself with appointees able to make up for his deficiencies. However, Obama won the Iowa Democratic caucuses, pushing [[Hillary Clinton]] into third place, and went on to become the unofficial Democratic nominee.<br /> <br /> At a campaign event in Elkhart, Indiana, a seven-year-old girl asked Barack Obama why he wants to be President. He replies, <br /> '''&quot;America is …, uh, is no longer, uh … what it could be, what it once was. And I say to myself, I don’t want that future for my children.&quot;''' &lt;ref&gt;[http://newsbusters.org/blogs/tom-blumer/2008/08/09/mostly-mia-obamas-downer-america-delivered-7-year-old Media Mostly MIA on Obama's 'America No Longer What It Once Was' Downer Delivered to 7 Year-Old] Newsbusters.org, August 9, 2008&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> Obama became the presumptive Democratic nominee on June 3rd after receiving a majority of pledged delegates and superdelegates. His only remaining primary opponent, [[Hillary Clinton]], conceded the race on June 7th. On August 23, Joe Biden was announced as Obama's vice-presidential nominee. Obama became the official Democratic nominee on August 27 at the Democratic National Convention, when Hillary Clinton's motion to end the roll call vote of the states and select Obama by acclamation was passed.<br /> <br /> On June 5th, Obama spoke at Briston, Virginia- Healthcare Town Hall forum regarding Political Action Committees and his campaign. &quot;Well, we’re here today because we know that if we’re going to make real progress, this time must be different. Throughout my career, in Illinois and the United States senate, I’ve worked to reduce the power of the special interests by leading the fight for ethics reform. I’ve sent a strong signal in this campaign by refusing the contributions of registered federal lobbyists and PACs. And today, I’m announcing that going forward, the Democratic National Committee will uphold the same standard and won’t take another dime from Washington lobbyists or special interest PACs. They do not fund my campaign. They will not fund our party. And they will not drown out the voices of the American people when I’m President of the United States.&quot; <br /> <br /> On June 6th, an [[AP]] article &lt;ref&gt;[http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/D/DEMOCRATS_MONEY?SITE=KING&amp;SECTION=HOME&amp;TEMPLATE=DEFAULT Transcript: 'Democratic Party returns lobbyist, PAC money ,' June 6, 2008]&lt;/ref&gt; presented the rules for lobbyist donations to the DNC and for the Presidential nominee. Obama does accept money from lobbyists who do not do business with the federal government and he also accepts money from spouses and family members of lobbyists. And the DNC ban is also not retroactive, which means the DNC will keep lobbyist and PAC contributions it received earlier in the election cycle. Retroactive period being the date Barack Obama started his campaign, February 10, 2007. The DNC possibly the day after the November 2006 Congressional elections until June 5th, 2008. In addition, Barack Obama's ban does not apply to the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee nor to the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. Unlike [[John McCain]], Barack Obama has not disclosed the lobbyists working in his campaign.<br /> <br /> Senator Obama visited U.S. troops in Iraq in 2006&lt;ref&gt;[http://abclocal.go.com/wls/story?section=news/local&amp;id=3794382 Obama visits troops in Iraq]&lt;/ref&gt; and in Afghanistan and Kuwait in 2008&lt;ref&gt;[http://abclocal.go.com/wls/story?section=news/local&amp;id=3794382 Obama visits troops and officials in Afghanistan and Kuwait]&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> Obama's tax plan calls for increasing taxes on the wealthiest 1% of Americans, while cutting taxes for the middle class. According to the non-partisan [[Tax Policy Center]], most Americans would pay less taxes than under Senator McCain's plan.&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/publications/url.cfm?ID=411749 An Updated Analysis of the 2008 Presidential Candidates' Tax Plans: Updated September 12, 2008]&lt;/ref&gt; According to another non-partisan group, Americans for Tax Reform, tax-payers would clearly be burdened by an Obama Presidency.&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.atr.org/content/html/2008/june/0616-obama_mccaintaxes.html McCain vs. Obama on Taxes] Americans For Tax Reform, June 2008&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> During the campaign Obama repeatedly claimed he would “cut taxes for no less than 95% of &quot;working families.&quot;”. The Wall Street Journal asked, “how does he conjure this miracle, especially since more than a third of all Americans already pay no income taxes at all?” &lt;ref&gt;http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122385651698727257.html&lt;/ref&gt; In truth, Obama was calling government handouts “tax credits” and counting those as tax cuts. The Wall Street Journal wondered why McCain “allowed Mr. Obama's 95% illusion to go unanswered”.<br /> <br /> ===Campaign financing=== <br /> Obama is the first presidential candidate to reject public financing. He broke his promise to accept it in the hope that his powerful fund-raising machine would generate far more money than the $84.1 million McCain is getting in public funding. Indeed, on August 14th, the Obama campaign announced it had received donations from 2 million individuals, setting new records. Obama raised $272 million for the primaries and expects to raise $300 million for the general election. However the Republican National Committee has been raising much more than the Democratic National Committee and each candidate had about $100 million in cash on September 1. Each expects to spend about $300 million by November. However, Obama is obliged to devote much of his time to fund raising among supporters rather than campaigning among undecided voters.&lt;ref&gt; see [http://blog.newsweek.com/blogs/stumper/archive/2008/09/09/was-obama-right-to-opt-out-of-public-financing.aspx Andrew Romano, &quot;Was Obama Right to Opt Out of Public Financing?,&quot; ''Newsweek'' (Sept. 9, 2008) online]&lt;/ref&gt; Among his backers is homosexual pornography baron [[Terrence Bean]].<br /> <br /> ===Secrecy=== <br /> <br /> The Democratic party feels it necessary to keep all questions about Obama at a safe distance. It is an unprecedented move to keep secrets about a presidential candidate. The following questions remain sealed from the public. &lt;ref&gt;[http://obamawtf.blogspot.com/2008/08/who-sent-obama-why-has-he-refused-to.html Who sent Obama? Why has he refused to release these basic documents?] ObamaWTF.blogspot.com&lt;/ref&gt; <br /> <br /> # Certified Copy of original Birth certificate(see certificate controversy below)<br /> # Columbia College records<br /> # Columbia Thesis paper<br /> # Campaign donor analysis requested by 7 major watchdog groups<br /> # [[Harvard]] College records<br /> # Illinois State Senate records<br /> # [[Illinois]] State Senate schedule<br /> # [[Law]] practice client list and billing records/summary<br /> # Locations and names of all half-siblings and step-mothers<br /> # Medical records (only the one page summary released so far)<br /> # Occidental College records<br /> # Parent's [[Marriage]] Certificate<br /> # Record of baptism<br /> # Selective Service Registration<br /> # Trips schedules for trips outside of the United States before 2007<br /> # Scholarly articles<br /> # Access to his Grandmother (Obama's Grandmother has since passed away from cancer [http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5g3m4YaeYwDHXS6hHdZJi8pm6cZdAD947RJKO0])<br /> # List of all campaign workers that are lobbyists<br /> <br /> Obama keeps donations secret by exploiting a loophole that allows campaigns to refuse to divulge donations under $200.00. This is useful to the candidate because many of his contributions are from dubious foreign or illegal sources. It is described as the &quot;largest pool of unidentified money that has ever flooded into the U.S. election system, before or after the McCain-Feingold campaign finance reforms of 2002.&quot; &lt;ref&gt;http://www.newsmax.com/timmerman/Obama_fundraising_illegal/2008/09/29/135718.html&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> ===Tone===<br /> <br /> Many observers have criticized Obama's campaign for its incivility. For instance, John McCain's wife Cindy noted that Obama is running &quot;the dirtiest campaign in American history.&quot; <br /> <br /> Obama's smears usually fall into two categories: race-baiting and distortions. On October 10, 2008, Obama surrogate Rep. John Lewis (D-GA) typified the campaign by comparing Sen. McCain to racial segregationists and Klansmen. &quot;Sen. McCain and Gov. Palin are sowing the seeds of hatred and division,&quot; Lewis exclaimed before comparing Sen. McCain to segregationist Democrat George Wallace, further noting that he, &quot;...never fired a gun, but he created the climate and the conditions that encouraged [the attacks in which] four little girls were killed on Sunday morning when a church was bombed in Birmingham, Alabama.&quot; &lt;ref&gt;http://edition.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/10/11/mccain.lewis/index.html?eref=rss_politics&lt;/ref&gt; This is particularly harsh to Sen. McCain because he fondly admires Lewis. &lt;ref&gt;http://www.rickwarrennews.com/transcript/civil_forum_transcript-04.txt&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> As for the distortions and personal attacks, Obama mocks Sen. McCain's for his age and Gov. Palin for being a woman and outsider. For instance, Obama responded with a subtle reference to Alzheimer's disease when Sen. McCain criticized his foreign policy in May 2008, alleging that Sen. McCain &quot;lost his bearings&quot; &lt;ref&gt;http://www.politico.com/blogs/bensmith/0508/Obama_McCain_offensive_losing_his_bearings.html&lt;/ref&gt;. Senior Adviser Mark Salter noted, &quot;He used the words 'losing his bearings' intentionally, a not particularly clever way of raising John McCain's age as an issue. This is typical of the Obama style of campaigning.&quot; &lt;ref&gt;http://marcambinder.theatlantic.com/archives/2008/05/salter_obama_attacked_mccains.php&lt;/ref&gt;. In reference to Gov. Palin, Obama was caught for his quiet hiring of Winner &amp; Associates to disseminate a sexist smear video against her. &lt;ref&gt;http://mypetjawa.mu.nu/archives/194057.php&lt;/ref&gt; Some argue this is a FEC violation because it lacked obligatory label denoting it was sponsored by the Obama Campaign (Ethan Winner has made a claim that he alone produced the video) &lt;ref&gt;http://eclipseweb.blogspot.com/2008/09/vicious-anti-sarah-palin-smear-campaign.html&lt;/ref&gt; &lt;ref&gt;http://mypetjawa.mu.nu/archives/194180.php&lt;/ref&gt;One of the biggest distortions by Obama is that 95% of all taxpayers will get a tax cut. &lt;ref&gt;[http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122385651698727257.html?mod=googlenews_wsj Obama's 95% Illusion] Wall Steet Journal, October 13, 2008&lt;/ref&gt; Without the distortion, Obama is proposing income re-distribution because those families that pay no taxes, one-third, will get money from the wealthy top 5%.<br /> <br /> Another feature of the Obama campaign is the unruly audience. CNN reported in October of 2008 &lt;ref&gt;http://www.findinternettv.com/Video,item,3565842635.aspx&lt;/ref&gt;, that people are calling John McCain a terrorist at these events. According to Sen. McCain, &quot;I've heard the [label terrorist], unfortunately, at Senator Obama's rallies being said about me. There's always a fringe element.&quot; Other eyewitness reports are harsher.<br /> <br /> ==Election==<br /> <br /> Senator Obama won the 2008 Presidential election, with over 52% of the popular vote. He carried every state that [[John Kerry]] won in 2004, in addition to Iowa, North Carolina, Ohio, Virginia, Colorado, New Mexico, Nevada, Florida, and Indiana. Of the 127 million votes cast, Obama beat John McCain by 8 million total votes.&lt;ref&gt;http://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS/&lt;/ref&gt; [http://images.newsmax.com/misc/2008_Election_Map.jpg See county breakdown map] &lt;ref&gt;[www.cnn.com/election]&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> == Positions and Qualifications ==<br /> Obama is [[pro-abortion]]. The leading abortion providers and PAC supporters have wholeheartedly endorsed Barack Obama. The National Abortion Rights Action League [[NARAL]] has given Barack a 100% rating for his efforts in Congress 2005, 2006 and 2007 &lt;ref&gt;http://www.prochoiceamerica.org/elections/statements/obama.html&lt;/ref&gt;. EMILY's List, a political action committee that funds female candidates who support abortion rights backs Barack Obama&lt;ref&gt; [http://www.boston.com/news/politics/politicalintelligence/2008/06/emilys_list_bac.html],EMILY's List backs Obama, June 6,2008&lt;/ref&gt;. The nation's largest abortion business, Planned Parenthood has begun the process necessary to endorse pro-abortion presidential candidate Barack Obama. &lt;ref&gt;[http://www.lifenews.com/nat3971.html], http://www.lifenews.com/nat3971.html, Planned Parenthood Begins Process to Endorse Pro-Abortion Barack Obama, June 10,2008&lt;/ref&gt;The board of directors of the pro-abortion group's political operation met on Friday June 6, 2008 and unanimously voted to recommend an endorsement for Obama. Obama has steadfastly advocated support for partial birth abortion as an Illinois legislator. Barack's wife, Michelle Obama, wrote a fundraising letter&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.prolifeblogs.com/articles/archives/2006/10/post_5.php], http://www.prolifeblogs.com/articles/archives/2006/10/post_5.php, February 17,2004&lt;/ref&gt; in support of partial birth abortion and against the proposed ban. Barack voted against the Born Alive Infant Protection Act to give a child who survived an abortion procedure life support healthcare. Obama wanted the life terminated even if he or she survived outside the mother's womb.&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.citizenlink.org/content/A000007034.cfm], http://www.citizenlink.org/content/A000007034.cfm, Obama Blocked Born Alive Infant Protection Act&lt;/ref&gt; With Obama no longer in the state Senate, the Born Alive legislation passed in 2005.<br /> <br /> In the context of sex, he quipped about his daughters, &lt;ref&gt;http://michellemalkin.com/2008/03/30/sunday-meditation-obama-and-the-punishment-of-unborn-life/&lt;/ref&gt;{{QuoteBox|&quot;If they make a mistake, I don't want them punished with a baby.&quot;}} Obama makes it clear if his daughters had an unplanned pregnancy, he would support terminating the life of his grandchild and it is undeniable that Michelle Obama agrees with that decision.<br /> [[Image:Features ayers1.jpg|175px|thumb|right|[[Weather Underground]] co-founder Bill Ayers&lt;ref&gt;http://foia.fbi.gov/weather/weath1a.pdf&lt;/ref&gt; stomps on the American flag in this 2001 pose for Chicago Magazine.]]<br /> <br /> Obama, having been asked about his associations with [[William Ayers]], an unrepentant [[terrorist]],&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.chicagomag.com/Chicago-Magazine/August-2001/No-Regrets/]&lt;/ref&gt; he explained that the views of his associates are not necessarily his own. Ayers and his wife, [[Bernardine Dohrn]], hosted a fundraiser for Obama in their home in 1995 at the start of Obama's political career. Obama compares his friendship with Ayers whose actions led to the loss of a life to his friendship with pro-life doctor and representative Tom Coburn&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.lifenews.com/nat3894.html]http://www.lifenews.com/nat3894.html, LifeNews.com, April 25,2008&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> Obama explained that his friendship with Ayers, shouldn't be construed as implying he endorsed the terrorist-like tactics Ayers used to drive home his political point. Barack Obama brought up the pro-life colleague to make the dubious comparison that he's friends with other people who take &quot;extreme&quot; positions or would use terrorist tactics.<br /> &quot;The fact is, is that I'm also friendly with Tom Coburn, one of the most conservative Republicans in the United States Senate, who during his campaign once said that it might be appropriate to apply the death penalty to those who carried out abortions&quot; <br /> <br /> Obama has no military or executive experience and little foreign policy experience.&lt;ref&gt;&quot;Fresh doubts over Barack Obama's foreign policy credentials were expressed on both sides of the Atlantic last night, after it emerged that he had made only one brief official visit to London – and none elsewhere in Western Europe or Latin America. ... Mr. Obama had failed to convene a single policy meeting of the Senate European subcommittee, of which he is chairman.&quot;[http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/article3080794.ece]&lt;/ref&gt; Yet he is the favorite of the leftist attack site &quot;MoveOn.org&quot; for the [[Democratic]] nomination for [[President of the United States]] in the [[2008 Presidential Election|2008 election]],&lt;ref&gt;MoveOn.org reportedly favored Obama by 70-30% over Clinton. [http://www.swamppolitics.com/news/politics/blog/2008/02/moveonorg_obama.html]&lt;/ref&gt; campaigning to the left of [[Hillary Clinton]].&lt;ref&gt;For example, Obama promised not to use nuclear weapons against terrorists, a promise Hillary Clinton refused to make. [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/08/02/AR2007080202288.html]&lt;/ref&gt; <br /> <br /> He has no clear personal achievement that cannot be explained as the likely result of [[affirmative action]]. Some examples border on the absurd: Obama has no background in [[physics]], yet it is claimed that &quot;Obama analyzed and integrated [[Albert Einstein|Einstein]]'s [[theory of relativity]], the [[Heisenberg uncertainty principle]], as well as the concept of curved space as an alternative to [[gravity]], for a Law Review article that Tribe, for whom Obama worked as a research assistant, wrote titled, 'The Curvature of Constitutional Space'.&quot; &lt;ref&gt;http://cbs2chicago.com/politics/barack.obama.harvard.2.334825.html&lt;/ref&gt; Obama's &quot;research&quot; for Constitutional Law Professor Tribe on this article also raises issues about preferences, as Obama had not yet even completed any law school courses&lt;ref&gt;Obama did not start his second year of law school until September 1989, the earliest he could have taken constitutional law, yet this article must have been written, submitted and accepted prior to that time to be published in the November 1989 issue of the Law Review.&lt;/ref&gt; on the [[Constitution]].&lt;ref&gt;The liberal Professor Tribe saw the best law students for several decades, yet insisted that Obama was the &quot;best student I ever had&quot; and the &quot;most exciting research assistant.&quot; [http://www.cmonitor.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071114/NEWS01/711140429/1217/NEWS98]&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> Throughout his career, Obama repeatedly ducked controversial stands in a transparent attempt to make it easier to be elected to higher office. In example, as a state senator in [[Illinois]], he voted &quot;present&quot; rather than &quot;aye&quot; or &quot;nay&quot; nearly an astounding 130 times.&lt;ref&gt;http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/20/us/politics/20obama.html&lt;/ref&gt; During that same period, he was planning to run for the [[House of Representatives]], which was unsuccessful, and then for [[U.S. Senate]], which was successful after his opponent Jack Ryan, a millionaire school teacher, was smeared with a court-ordered disclosure of confidential divorce records that both he and his ex-wife wanted to remain sealed. A newspaper that favored Obama took the unusual step of suing to force the confidential divorce information to become public, and a California judge opened the records at a pivotal time in the campaign.&lt;ref&gt;http://www.nbc5.com/politics/2898641/detail.html&lt;/ref&gt;&lt;ref&gt;http://www.nbc5.com/news/3289561/detail.html&lt;/ref&gt;&lt;ref&gt;http://www.nbc5.com/politics/3444371/detail.html&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> Barack Obama is often praised for his speeches, except when he is not able to read them from a [[teleprompter]]. &quot;Shorn of his Teleprompter, we saw a different Obama. His delivery was halting and unsure. ... The prepared text for his remarks, as released on his website, sounded a lot like a typical Obama speech. ... [But with] no Teleprompter signaling the prepared text, Obama failed to deliver the speech in his characteristically flawless fashion.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;teleprompter&quot; /&gt; The [[New York Times]] noted that &quot;Mr. Obama excels at inspirational speeches read from a teleprompter before television cameras, critics have noted, but many of his other speeches on the campaign trail have failed to electrify.&quot;&lt;ref&gt;http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/20/fashion/20speechwriter.html?_r=2&amp;ex=1358485200&amp;en=bb179297e5f61acb&amp;ei=5090&amp;partner=rssuserland&amp;emc=rss&amp;oref=slogin&amp;oref=slogin&lt;/ref&gt; When Obama ridiculed [[Hillary Clinton]] for being like [[Annie Oakley]], it is apparent that he was not writing his own speeches.&lt;ref&gt;&quot;Some Obama adviser probably earned his or her dollars for that cut,&quot; the USA Today wrote. [http://www.usatoday.com/news/opinion/columnist/raasch/2008-04-17-2008-04-17-raasch_N.htm]&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> Obama often makes reference to his &quot;two decades of experience&quot; in public service work. During most of that time he claims experience, he was either going to school, working for a law firm, writing a book, or organizing community events.<br /> <br /> == Political views ==<br /> Obama's political views have been subjected to controversy even before he put himself forward as a presidential candidate. Former House majority leader [[Tom DeLay]] has described Obama's record in the Illinois Senate as that of a [[Communism|“Marxist leftist&quot;.]]&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/home/daily/site_121306/content/stop_the_tape.guest.html|Sexy Rock Star Obama Whines About His Ears], RushLimbaugh.com, December 13 2006&lt;/ref&gt; Which matches the fact that during his campaign, his staff were discovered on numerous occasions to have Cuban flags bearing the face of Marxist guerrilla/murderer [[Che Guevara]].&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.moonbattery.com/archives/2008/02/obama_workers_c.html Obama Workers' Che Guevara Poster Was No Fluke] from Moonbattery&lt;/ref&gt; Former presidential candidate [[Alan Keyes]] calls Obama a &quot;radical communist.&quot; &lt;ref&gt;[http://www.newsmax.com/insidecover/keyes_obama_destroy_US/2009/02/23/184503.html Alan Keyes: Obama Will Destroy U.S.] NewsMax, February 23, 2009&lt;/ref&gt; <br /> <br /> In May 2007, Obama (and Sen. Hillary Clinton) voted against funding the Iraq War for the first time.&lt;ref&gt;[http://uspolitics.about.com/od/legislatio1/a/HR2206.htm HR 2206 - Emergency Appropriations], Kathy Gill, Your Guide to U.S. Politics: Current Events. May 26 2007.&lt;/ref&gt;&lt;ref&gt;[http://more.gov.mtopgroup.com/2007/05/votes-hr-2206-iraq-supplemental.html Votes - H.R. 2206: Iraq Supplemental], May 28, 2007. Retrieved from Deeper Inside the Mountain, June 4, 2007.&lt;/ref&gt; <br /> <br /> Obama's views on [[gun control]] are focused on an opinion article in the [[Wall Street Journal]]:&lt;ref&gt;David Kopel, &quot;The Democrats and Gun Control,&quot; Wall St.J., Page A19, April 17, 2008 [http://online.wsj.com/article_email/SB120839466717921537-lMyQjAxMDI4MDE4NzMxOTc0Wj.html]&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> :As a state senate candidate in 1996, Mr. Obama endorsed a complete ban on all handguns in a questionnaire. The Obama campaign has claimed he &quot;never saw or approved the questionnaire,&quot; and that an aide filled it out incorrectly. But a few weeks ago, Politico.com found an amended version of the questionnaire. It included material added in Mr. Obama's handwriting.<br /> <br /> After [[D.C. v. Heller]], Obama claimed to support Second Amendment rights.<br /> <br /> Obama has said, &quot;Doing the Lord's work is a thread that runs through our politics since the very beginning,&quot; and &quot;it puts the lie to the notion that [[separation of church and state]] in America means somehow that faith should have no role in public life.&quot;&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.siouxcityjournal.com/articles/2007/06/17/news/iowa/8db7c1a17d2b51f9862572fd000fc9f4.txt Obama says religion has place in politics], By Todd Dorman, ''Sioux City Journal'', June 18, 2007.&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> He believes children should be taught sex education in kindergarten, although in what he refers to as &quot;an age-appropriate manner&quot;.&lt;ref&gt;&quot;Barack Obama reaffirmed to [[Planned Parenthood]] this week that he believes elements of sex education should begin in kindergarten.&quot; [http://abcnews.go.com/print?id=3395856 (ABC News)] July 20, 2007 &lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> Obama spoke at the May 1, 2006, illegal immigration march in Chicago.&lt;ref&gt;http://nomoreblather.com/barack-obama-and-the-immigration-marches Immigration marches&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> ::''We are hungry for change!'' S.C. January 26, 2008.<br /> <br /> Barack Obama, in his short stint as Senator of Illinois, has made clear his opposition to the [[U.S. Military]] in policy and in rhetoric. Obama has spent much energy to argue that the Iraq War should have never been waged and that we should not be there at all, in any way. In 2002, as an unknown Chicago representative to the state of Illinois, he declared his opposition to &quot;dumb wars&quot;. At the time, America was united in the stance against terrorism and the prospects of a rogue enemy with WMD worried the United States. Obama, has said that he does not know whether he would have voted for or against the Iraq War. Since elected to Congress, he voted against the Emergency War Supplemental. Obama did not oppose his party debating the bill long past the timeframe requested. This action directly affects troop deployment in combat zones. Obama has repeatedly called for the return of troops in Iraq. Barack Obama has a no confidence vote for the 'Surge' before the measure was put forth by General Petraeus to Congress. Obama would not denounce MoveOn.org's slander NY Times advertising against the General.<br /> <br /> Senator Obama often refers to the office that he seeks, without the proper respect of those that came before him. When talking of the President, he frequently refuses to call him [[George W. Bush|President George Bush]] or even Mr. George Bush. Obama has also disrespectfully called him 'George Bush'. Oddly, when Bill Clinton spoke with Obama on September 11th, 2008 predicting he would win handily, Obama responded, &quot;There you go, you can take it from the President of the United States.&quot;&lt;ref&gt;http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/09/11/campaign.wrap/index.html&lt;/ref&gt; It appears Obama will use the term for a former President, but will not do the same for the actual President. Examples of Obama's treatment of our current President: <br /> * &quot;I am happy to have a debate with John McCain and George Bush about foreign policy,&quot; Obama said &lt;ref&gt;[http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/05/16/obama.bush.mccain/], CNN Obama blasts Bush McCain, May 16, 2008&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> * &quot;For all his talk about independence, the centerpiece of John McCain's economic plan amounts to a full-throated endorsement of George Bush's policies,&quot; &lt;ref&gt;[http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2008/06/10/obama_takes_the_offensive_vs_mcca)n/]`Boston Globe Obama takes offensive vs. McCain, June 10, 2008&lt;/ref&gt; <br /> * &quot;George Bush knows that I have never supported engagement with terrorists.&quot; &lt;ref&gt;[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7403386.stm], BBC Obama attacks Bush over Iran , May 15, 2008&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> * Obama called the U.S. economy a disaster thanks to &quot;John McCain's President, George W. Bush&quot; &lt;ref&gt;[http://www.newsmax.com/insidecover/obama_mccain/2008/08/18/122924.html No More Hugs: Obama Tears Into McCain] AP, August 18, 2008&lt;/ref&gt; Side note, George W. Bush is also Barack Obama's President.<br /> <br /> Obama is for a one-world government unaccountable to the American people, a threat to U.S. sovereignty and independence. He said &quot;for all nations in the world to come together to build a stronger, global regime&quot;&lt;ref&gt;[http://worldnetdaily.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&amp;pageId=94380]&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> == Foreign policy experience ==<br /> In his presidential campaign, Obama stated&lt;ref&gt;http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mayhill-fowler/obama-says-no-to-foreign_b_95357.html&lt;/ref&gt; that &quot;foreign policy is the area where I am probably most confident&quot; and then cited &quot;having lived in Indonesia for four years, having family that is impoverished in small villages in Africa&quot;. He lived in Indonesia from age 6 to 10, and he later discovered that his father had some other children in Africa.<br /> <br /> While campaigning, he has visited several foreign countries. In [[Russia]] and the former Soviet republics, he met with representatives of the International Republican Institute and National Democratic Institute to discuss democracy in the former Soviet republics. He also met with Russian military officials and visited several nuclear and biological weapons destruction sites in Russia, [[Ukraine]], and [[Azerbaijan]] with Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Richard Lugar (R-IN). On the same tour, he visited London, UK, and met with [[Tony Blair]], sitting UK Prime Minister.&lt;ref&gt;http://obama.senate.gov/press/050823-obama_to_visit/&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> Obama visited South Africa, Kenya, Ethiopia, Djibouti, and Chad; he discussed his tour of Robben Island prison, met with U.S. troops, and visited refugee camps of the people fleeing Darfur. He also addressed Africa's growing [[AIDS]] epidemic. &lt;ref&gt;http://obama.senate.gov/podcast/060906-090606_africa_t/&lt;/ref&gt; <br /> <br /> During a ten-day-long tour of the Middle East, he talked with government leaders in Qatar, Kuwait, Iraq, Jordan, and Israel. &lt;ref&gt; http://obama.senate.gov/news/060113-obama_wraps_up/&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> ==Religious affiliations==<br /> <br /> Obama and his wife (raised a Baptist) were members of the Trinity [[United Church of Christ]]&lt;ref&gt;http://www.tucc.org/about.htm&lt;/ref&gt; in Chicago. The church embraces [[black liberation theology]] and its emphasis on empowering oppressed groups against establishment forces. This denomination was the first in America to ordain gays, women and blacks as ministers.&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.mcclatchydc.com/227/story/31079.html], http://www.mcclatchydc.com/227/story/31079.html, Obama's church pushes controversial doctrines, March 20, 2008&lt;/ref&gt; According to his sister, Obama was baptized at this church the same year.&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/04/30/america/30obama.php?page=2 http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/04/30/america/30obama.php?page=2]&lt;/ref&gt; Obama describes his conversion in ''The Audacity of Hope''. The title of this book is taken from one of Pastor Wright's sermons. <br /> In April 2008, Obama disavowed Pastor Wright's views. In May 2008, Obama left his church. His response blamed the media &lt;ref&gt;[http://elections.foxnews.com/2008/05/31/obama-resigns-church-membership-in-chicago/], Obama Drops Church Membership in Chicago, may 31, 2008&lt;/ref&gt;, stating “It’s not fair to the other members of the church who seek to worship in peace...&quot;, and called Wright's rhetoric &quot;&quot;a bunch of rants that aren't grounded in the truth.&quot;&lt;ref&gt;USA TODAY, ''Obama breaks with former pastor, Candidate cites rants on U.S. role in terror, AIDS'', by Kathy Kiely and David Jackson [http://www.usatoday.com/printedition/news/20080430/1a_offlede30_dom.art.htm]&lt;/ref&gt;&lt;ref&gt;''Obama Says He Is Outraged By Wright's &quot;Rants&quot;''[http://www.usnews.com/usnews/politics/bulletin/bulletin_080430.htm]&lt;/ref&gt; Wright had been making inflammatory comments and posting his sermons online for sale. These include the statements &quot;G-d damn America&quot; and describing the September 11th attacks, he said &quot;We have supported state terrorism against the Palestinians and black South Africans, and now we are indignant because the stuff we have done overseas is now brought right back to our own front yards. America's chickens are coming home to roost.&quot;&lt;ref&gt;[ http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/Story?id=4443788 Obama's Pastor: G-d Damn America, U.S. to Blame for 9/11]&lt;/ref&gt; In addition, Rev. Wright blamed America saying &quot;We supported Zionism shamelessly while ignoring the Palestinians and branding anybody who spoke out against it as being anti-Semitic.&quot; <br /> <br /> [[Image:Barack Obama Jeremiah Wright.jpg|thumb|Barack Obama and Jeremiah Wright.]]<br /> <br /> [[Daniel Pipes]] claims that Obama was raised a [[Muslim]] because he attended classes on the Koran while attending a Muslim school.&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.danielpipes.org/article/5286 Was Barack Obama a Muslim&lt;/ref&gt; Obama did attend a school administrated by Muslims but [[CNN]] reports that it was a non-religious public school attended by students of many faiths, not a [[madrassa]].&lt;ref&gt;http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/01/22/obama.madrassa/&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> {{QuoteBox|In Indonesia, I'd spent 2 years at a Muslim school, 2 years at a Catholic school. In the Muslim school, the teacher wrote to tell mother I made faces during Koranic studies. In the Catholic school, when it came time to pray, I'd pretend to close my eyes, then peek around the room. Nothing happened. No angels descended. Just a parched old nun and 30 brown children, muttering words. Sometimes the nun would catch me, and her stern look would force my lids back shut. But that didn't change how I felt inside.&quot;}}&lt;ref&gt;Dreams from My Father, by Barack Obama, p.142 Aug 1, 1996 &lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> Obama has described his upbringing as occurring in a non-religious environment. <br /> <br /> {{QuoteBox|In sum, my mother viewed religion through the eyes of the anthropologist that she would become; it was a phenomenon to be treated with a suitable respect, but with a suitable detachment as well. Moreover, as a child I rarely came in contact with those who might offer a substantially different view of faith. My father was almost entirely absent from my childhood, having been divorced from my mother when I was 2 years old; in any event, although my father had been raised a Muslim, by the time he met my mother he was a confirmed atheist, thinking religion to be so much superstition.<br /> <br /> And yet for all her professed secularism, my mother was in many ways the most spiritually awakened person that I've ever known. She had an unswerving instinct for kindness, charity, and love, and spent much of her life acting on that instinct, sometimes to her detriment. Without the help of religious texts or outside authorities, she worked mightily to instill in me the values that many Americans learn in Sunday school: honesty, empathy, discipline, delayed gratification, and hard work. She raged at poverty and injustice.}}&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1546579-4,00.html My Spiritual Journey] Time Magazine, October 2006&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> == Books ==<br /> <br /> * ''Dreams from My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance.'' (B. Obama and, allegedly, William Ayers) ISBN 0307383415<br /> * ''The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream.'' (B. Obama) ISBN 0307455874<br /> * ''Barack Obama in His Own Words.'' (B. Obama and Lisa Rogak) ISBN 0786720573<br /> * ''Change We Can Believe In. Barack Obama's Plan to Renew America's Promise.'' (B. Obama)<br /> * ''The Case Against Barack Obama. The Unlikely Rise and Unexamined Agenda of the Media's Favorite Candidate. '' (David Freddso) ISBN 1596985666 <br /> * ''The Obama Nation. Leftist Politics and the Cult of Personality.'' (Jerome R. Corsi) ISBN 1416598065 <br /> * ''Obama Unmasked. Did Slick Hollywood Handlers Create the Perfect Candidate?'' (Floyd Brown and Lee Trexler) ISBN 0936783591 <br /> * ''Obama: The Man Behind The Mask.'' (Andy Martin) ISBN 0965781240 <br /> * ''The Audacity of Deceit. Barack Obama's War on American Values.'' (Brad O'Leary) ISBN 1935071025<br /> <br /> ==Published criticism==<br /> On April 11, 2007, staff writers of ''The Boston Globe'' reported the criticisms of several black commentators regarding Obama's apparent hesitation to join the race to condemn acclaimed radio personality [[Don Imus]],&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2007/04/11/obamas_silence_on_imus_alarms_some_blacks/ Obama's silence on Imus alarms some blacks], Rick Klein and Joseph Williams, ''The Boston Globe'', April 11, 2007.&lt;/ref&gt; who made a racially insensitive remark&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.reuters.com/article/industryNews/idUSN1237895620070412|title=Furor over Imus puts heat on other broadcasters], Daniel Trotta, Reuters, 2007-04-12.&lt;/ref&gt; on the air during the April 4 broadcast. Obama did not comment on Imus's remarks until well after prominent civil rights leaders [[Al Sharpton]] and [[Jesse Jackson]] had called Imus to account and after Imus was suspended by MSNBC and CBS Radio. Obama later weighed in on April 10 by saying, &quot;The comments of Don Imus were divisive, hurtful, and offensive to Americans of all backgrounds.&quot; &lt;br /&gt; <br /> <br /> The ''Globe'' reported that Obama's perceived delay in addressing Don Imus's remarks was described by Melissa Harris Lacewell, a professor of politics and African-American studies at Princeton University, as &quot;miss[ing] an opportunity to prove himself to blacks and white liberals who would have wanted Obama take the lead in denouncing Imus.&quot;&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2007/04/11/obamas_silence_on_imus_alarms_some_blacks/ Obama's silence on Imus alarms some blacks], Rick Klein and Joseph Williams, ''The Boston Globe'', April 11, 2007.&lt;/ref&gt;&lt;ref&gt;[http://time-blog.com/real_clear_politics/2007/04/obama_race_and_the_election.html Obama, Race, and The Election,] ''Real Clear Politics.com''&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> In June 2007 the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' reported Obama had actually received nearly three times more campaign cash from indicted slum landlord Tony Rezko&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.suntimes.com/news/metro/353829,CST-NWS-rez23.article Barack Obama and his slumlord patron], Tim Novak, Chicago Sun-Times, April 23, 2007.&lt;/ref&gt; and his associates than Obama has publicly acknowledged.&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.suntimes.com/news/politics/432197,CST-NWS-obama18.article Rezko cash triple what Obama says], Chris Fusco and Tim Novak, ''Chicago Sun-Times'', June 18, 2007.&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> Executive vice president Wayne LaPierre of the [[NRA]] accuses Barack Obama of &quot;mouthing pro-Second amendment words and pandering to gun owners&quot; on the campaign trail.&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.gopusa.com/news/2008/may/0514_nra_mccain.shtml], http://www.gopusa.com/news/2008/may/0514_nra_mccain.shtml, NRA chief stresses common ground with McCain, Associated Press, May 14, 2008&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> [[McCain]] Aide Says Obama Has Sept. 10 Mind-Set &quot;an extremely dangerous and extremely naive approach toward terrorism&quot; &lt;ref&gt;[http://www.newsmax.com/politics/mccain_obama/2008/06/17/105265.html], AP McCain Aide Says Obama Has Sept. 10 Mind-Set, June 17, 2008&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> ===Birth Certificate Controversy===<br /> During the democratic primaries the Clinton Campaign lead a smear campaign against the validity of Barack Obama's Hawaii Birth certificate, claiming that it is false and that he is ineligible for Presidency. &lt;ref&gt;[http://campaignspot.nationalreview.com/post/?q=ZTgxZmIwNTg0OWVhMWJkODNmZjI4ZjY4Mjg2OWRmNzI= http://campaignspot.nationalreview.com/post/?q=ZTgxZmIwNTg0OWVhMWJkODNmZjI4ZjY4Mjg2OWRmNzI=]&lt;/ref&gt; After initially refusing to produce a birth certificate in response to such rumors, the Obama campaign eventually endorsed a document posted on the Daily Kos as <br /> authentic.&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2008/6/12/11012/6168/320/534616 Obama's Birth Certificate]&lt;/ref&gt; The response is split regarding the birth certificate. Some commentators, such as those at the National Review, are satisfied with the document.&lt;ref&gt;[http://campaignspot.nationalreview.com/post/?q=NWVjN2I1MjlhM2ZjZjRjYzBkODAxZjZkZGQyYWNkMDk= http://campaignspot.nationalreview.com/post/?q=NWVjN2I1MjlhM2ZjZjRjYzBkODAxZjZkZGQyYWNkMDk=]&lt;/ref&gt; However, some analysts claim that the birth certificate is false.&lt;ref&gt;[http://web.israelinsider.com/Articles/Politics/12939.htm http://web.israelinsider.com/Articles/Politics/12939.htm]&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> On August 21st, 2008, Factcheck.org published an article regarding the controversy.&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.factcheck.org/elections-2008/born_in_the_usa.html Born in the U.S.A.]&lt;/ref&gt; The site stated, &quot;FactCheck.org staffers have now seen, touched, examined and photographed the original birth certificate. We conclude that it meets all of the requirements from the State Department for proving U.S. citizenship.&quot; In addition, the site posted high-resolution photographs of the birth certificate, which clearly showed the raised seal, stamp of Hawaii state registrar Alvin T. Onaka, and certificate number. The birth date corresponds to a birth announcement published in the ''Honolulu Advertiser '' on Sunday, August 13, 1961. &lt;ref&gt;http://texasdarlin.wordpress.com/2008/07/23/obama-was-born-in-hawaii-wrong-can-of-worms/&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> A Philadelphia attorney, Phillip Berg, has filed a lawsuit against the DNC and Barack Obama. Berg maintains that Sen. Obama is not a natural born U.S. citizen or that, if he ever was, he lost his citizenship when he was adopted in Indonesia. Berg also cites what he calls &quot;dual loyalties&quot; due to his citizenship and ties with Kenya and Indonesia. The &quot;dual loyalties&quot; which have not been shown to exist do not violate any constitutional or legal precedents and would make Sen. Obama a poor choice for President, not an invalid choice.<br /> <br /> Obama website Fight The Smears has confirmed that Obama was once a Kenyan citizen until 1982. Attorney Philips Berg's lawsuit is being challenged by the Obama Campaign. Instead of producing the original birth certificate in court and paying a number of legal fees and taking several days out of his busy campaigning schedule the Obama campaign had the case dropped on the grounds that it lacked any supporting evidence. &lt;ref&gt;http://neighbors.denverpost.com/viewtopic.php?t=10815605&lt;/ref&gt; The fact that Mr. Berg's dual arguments were mutually contradictory may also have contributed.<br /> <br /> The state of Hawaii announced that the &quot;Certification of Live Birth&quot; document is legitimate and official. Since the state of Hawaii is the issuing body, they have ultimate authority with regards to the matter.&lt;ref&gt;http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/20081031/BREAKING01/81031064/0/BREAKING04&lt;/ref&gt; Critics rightfully point out such documents actually were issued for children not born in the state.<br /> <br /> Adding fuel to the fire is Obama's persistent refusal to release documents that could provide answers. While his supporters cite an online version of a &quot;Certification of Live Birth&quot; from Hawaii. &lt;ref&gt;[http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&amp;pageId=92810 Justice, Supremes confirm getting eligibility challenge] WND, March 24, 2009&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> [[Bob Schultz]] with the [[We The People Foundation]] said: <br /> <br /> &quot;In the end, there is no practical reason why Obama refuses to produce his original birth certificate. He... has a duty to provide evidence that he meets the explicit requirements established by the Constitution.&quot; <br /> <br /> [[Nancy Salvato]] with [[BasicsProject|BasicsProject.org]] perhaps put it best: <br /> <br /> &quot;What perturbs the rest of us is that President Obama has failed to produce a legitimate birth certificate. He has a team of lawyers who are opposing the examination of his sealed records in Hawaii. What he produced was a certificate of live birth... not a birth certificate. The rest of us are appalled at the lack of media examination surrounding the fact that there is no law requiring that a candidate for the highest office in our land produce an authentic birth certificate which proves natural citizenship.&quot;<br /> <br /> ==Quotes==<br /> * Early in his campaign for president in 2007, Obama declared in an interview with the [[Chicago Tribune]], &quot;I'm a [[Christian]]. And so, although I try not to have my religious beliefs dominate or determine my political views on this issue ... my religious beliefs say that [[marriage]] is something sanctified between a man and a woman.&quot;&lt;ref&gt;http://thehill.com/cheri-jacobus/obama-and-miss-california-2009-04-23.html&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> ==See also==<br /> *[[Previous Breaking News/Barack Obama|Articles about '''Barack Obama''' from previous &quot;Breaking News&quot;]]<br /> *[[Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN)]]<br /> *[[Birthplace of Barack Obama]]<br /> *[[Essay:Born Outside the U.S.A.!]]<br /> *[[Essay: The Special Interests Candidate]]<br /> *[[Lobbyists ties to the Obama administration]]<br /> *[[New Party]]<br /> *[[Obama Administration‎]]<br /> *[[Obama birth certificate lawsuits]]<br /> *[[Obama doublespeak]]<br /> *[[Obama inauguration]]<br /> *[[Religion of Barack Hussein Obama]]<br /> *[[The Honorable James David Manning]]<br /> <br /> ==Further reading==<br /> *[[Peter Hitchens|Hitchens, Peter]] [http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/worldnews.html?in_article_id=511901&amp;in_page_id=1811 ''The Black Kennedy: But does anyone know the real Barack Obama?''] [[Daily Mail]]. Accessed 4 February 2008.<br /> <br /> ==Sources==<br /> &lt;small&gt;<br /> *[http://www.barackobama.com/ Offical Obama for President Website]<br /> *[http://www.opensecrets.org/pfds/pfd2005/N00009638_2005.pdf Barack Obama Personal Financial Disclosures Summary: 2005], retrieved from opensecrets.org 17 June 2007.<br /> *[http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=O000167 Biographical Directory of the United States Congress]<br /> *[http://www.law.uchicago.edu/faculty/obama/cv.html University of Chicago Law School] Faculty Listing<br /> *[http://www.biography.com/search/article.do?id=12782369 Barack Obama Biography] from Biography.com<br /> *[http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/o/barack_obama/index.html?inline=nyt-per New York Times Topics, Barack Obama]<br /> *[http://youtube.com/watch?v=zUdjhKbImwE Documentary on Barack Hussein Obama]<br /> *[http://www.votesmart.org/voting_category.php?can_id=9490 Voting Record of Barack Hussein Obama]&lt;/small&gt;<br /> <br /> ==References==<br /> {{reflist|3}}<br /> <br /> ==External Links==<br /> *[http://www.antiobama.net/ Anti Obama.net]<br /> *[http://www.dontvoteobama.net/ Dont Vote For Obama.net]<br /> *[http://nobamanetwork.com/ Nobama Network]<br /> *[http://www.audacityofhypocrisy.com/ Audacity Of Hypocrisy]<br /> *[http://therealbarackobama.wordpress.com/ The Real Barack Obama]<br /> *[http://www.spiked-online.com/index.php?/site/article/6130/ The New Cult of Personality]<br /> *[http://www.survivingobamunism.com/index.html Surviving Obamunism T-shirts]<br /> *[http://www.barackobamaantichrist.blogspot.com/ Barack Obama the Anti-Christ ?]<br /> *[http://www.noquarterusa.net/blog/2008/06/23/che-obama-and-the-revolutionary-agenda/ Che, Obama, and the Revolutionary Agenda]</div>

DerekSmalls https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Dick_Cheney&diff=669746 2009-06-03T01:31:40Z

<p>DerekSmalls: /* Political Career */ added some recent facts. From a kinda liberal source, but should be accurate. Please review before removing</p> <hr /> <div>{| align=right border=3 cellspacing=0 style=&quot;border-width: 5px; border-color: #c0c0c0; background: #e0e0e0; margin: 2em;&quot;<br /> | style=&quot;text-align: center; padding: 10px 40px 10px 40px;&quot; | [[Previous_Breaking_News/Dick_Cheney| Previous Breaking News:&lt;br&gt;Dick Cheney]]<br /> |}<br /> <br /> {{President<br /> |image=408px-Richard Cheney 2005 official portrait.jpg<br /> |seq=46<br /> |office=vice<br /> |term_start=January 20, 2001<br /> |term_end=January 20, 2009<br /> |party=Republican<br /> |pres=George W. Bush<br /> |previous=Al Gore<br /> |next=Joe Biden<br /> |birth_date=January 30, 1941 <br /> |birth_place=Lincoln, Nebraska<br /> |death_date=<br /> |death_place=<br /> |spouse=Lynne Cheney<br /> |spouse2= <br /> |religion=Methodist<br /> }}<br /> '''Richard B. Cheney''' served as the 46th Vice President of the United States, 2001-2009. He was first elected in 2000 along with President [[George W. Bush]]. Cheney was re-elected along with President Bush in 2004. He served as White House Chief of Staff for President Ford, and Secretary of Defense for President George H. W. Bush. Cheney is best known for his strong conservatism, and his promotion of the powers of the presidency, especially in foreign affairs.<br /> <br /> == Life and Family ==<br /> Richard 'Dick' Cheney was born in Lincoln, Nebraska.&lt;ref&gt;http://www.whitehouse.gov/vicepresident/1&lt;/ref&gt; He has both a BA and an MA in Political Science from the University of Wyoming &lt;ref&gt;http://www.whitehouse.gov/vicepresident/2&lt;/ref&gt;. He married [[Lynne Cheney]] in 1964. They have two daughters; Elizabeth and Mary.<br /> <br /> == Political Career ==<br /> Richard Cheney assumed his first political post as an assistant to Wisconsin Governor Warren P. Knowles in the early 1960s, at the age of 28 when he became an intern near the beginning of the [[ Nixon]] Administration. He quickly came to the attention of [[Donald Rumsfeld]], then directing the Office of Economic Opportunity, and was promoted to a paid position in 1971. When [[Watergate]] forced Nixon's resignation in 1973, Cheney became vice president of an investment firm for a year, but Rumsfeld convinced [[Gerald Ford]] upon the latter's accession to the presidency that Cheney was indispensable, and he was recalled to public service. Eventually Cheney replaced Rumsfeld as [[Chief of Staff]] to Ford as Rumsfeld was promoted to [[Secretary of Defense]].<br /> <br /> [[Image:Cheney3.jpg‎|left|thumb|200px|Vice President Dick Cheney and his wife Mrs. Lynne Cheney welcomed their fifth grandchild, 2006]]Upon hearing that Cheney had been chosen by Bush as his running mate, [[Paula Jones]] who was notable in some of the early [[Bill Clinton|Clinton]] scandals sued to disqualify them from receiving the electoral votes of [[Texas]]. Her theory was that under the [[12th Amendment]] to the [[U. S. Constitution]], no state may give its electoral vote to a Presidential ticket both of whose members are from that state. [[Republican]] lawyers argued that Cheney's ties to [[Wyoming]] were more significant than those to Texas, which had effectively been dissolved as soon as Lynne carried out Richard's instructions to sell their house there. This argument prevailed in Federal district court, and Jones did not appeal.<br /> <br /> On February 11, 2006, Mr. Cheney accidentally&lt;ref&gt;Bash, Dana. [http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/02/12/cheney/ Cheney accidentally shoots fellow hunter]. February 12, 2006 (accessed July 16, 2007), ''CNN''&lt;/ref&gt; shot a hunting partner, Mr. Harry Whittington, in the face with [[birdshot]] while the pair were hunting Quail in [[Corpus Christi]], [[Texas]]. Mr. Whittington suffered a minor heart attack due to the incident,&lt;ref&gt;Lavandera, Ed. [http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/02/17/cheney/ Man shot by Cheney: 'Accidents do and will happen'] February 20, 2006 (accessed July 16, 2007), ''CNN''&lt;/ref&gt; and Cheney accepted full responsibility for the incident.&lt;ref&gt;Dana Bash, Suzanne Malveaux, Tim McCaughan. [http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/02/15/cheney/ Cheney: 'One of the worst days of my life']. February 16, 2006 (accessed July 16, 2007), ''CNN''&lt;/ref&gt; The incident was, according to all involved, an accident.&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/11409731/ Harry Whittington's hospital statement]. February 2006 (accessed July 16, 2007), ''MSNBC''&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> Currently, Mr. Cheney is working on his memoir of his life in politics, which will, among other things, highlight the successes of post 9-11 politics. <br /> Mr. Cheney also came out in favor of Gay marriage at a press conference that otherwise defended Bush era politics against a relatively negative press. He however agreed that it should be decided on a state by state basis. [http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/31066626/ source]<br /> <br /> == Health Issues ==<br /> A survivor of several heart attacks, Cheney's health was too precarious to run for president. In March 2007 he had surgery to remove a blood clot in his leg, the result of extended periods of sitting while airborne.<br /> <br /> ==Quotes==<br /> * &quot;It is easy to take liberty for granted, when you have never had it taken from you.&quot; &lt;ref&gt;[http://books.google.com/books?id=MRalq4bgd60C&amp;pg=PA15&amp;dq=It+is+easy+to+take+liberty+for+granted,+when+you+have+never+had+it+taken+from+you&amp;ei=XBMWSu7AKJaQyAS2i-z9CQ He Kept the Colors: The True Story of the General, the Old Man and the Flag‎ - Page 15] L.E. Johnson&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> ==See Also==<br /> [[Previous Breaking News/Dick Cheney|Articles about '''Dick Cheney''' from previous &quot;Breaking News&quot;]]<br /> <br /> ==References==<br /> <br /> &lt;small&gt;&lt;references/&gt;&lt;/small&gt;<br /> <br /> ==External links==<br /> <br /> {{DEFAULTSORT:Cheney, Dick}}<br /> [[Category:Republican Party]]<br /> <br /> {{USVicePresidents}}<br /> [[Category:Reagan Era]]<br /> [[Category:Conservatives]]</div>

DerekSmalls https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=User:DerekSmalls/Obama_draft&diff=667150 2009-05-27T18:53:14Z

<p>DerekSmalls: </p> <hr /> <div>work in progress, the original Obama Article is here so I can edit it<br /> {{President<br /> |image=President Barack Obama.jpg<br /> |seq=44<br /> |term_start=January 20, 2009<br /> |term_end=January 20, 2013<br /> |party=Democrat<br /> |vp=Joe Biden<br /> |previous=George W. Bush<br /> |next=<br /> |birth_date=August 4, 1961<br /> |age={{age|1961|8|4}}<br /> |birth_place=<br /> |death_date=<br /> |death_place=<br /> |spouse=Michelle LaVaughn Robinson Obama<br /> |spouse2=<br /> |religion=Described in this entry<br /> }}<br /> '''Barack Hussein Obama II''' (allegedly&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.worldnetdaily.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&amp;pageId=82033]&lt;/ref&gt;&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.factcheck.org/UploadedFiles/birth_certificate_5.jpg Large, high-resolution picture of his birth certificate]&lt;/ref&gt;&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.kitv.com/politics/17860890/detail.html?rss=hon&amp;psp=news KITV Honolulu report]&lt;/ref&gt;&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.newsmax.com/farber/Obama_birth_certificate/2009/04/06/200320.html]&lt;/ref&gt;&lt;ref&gt;Obama's [[African]] grandmother Sarah Hussein Obama says Barack was born in her presence in Kenya.[http://www.israelnationalnews.com/Blogs/Message.aspx/3074 Obama Born In Kenya? His Grandmother Says Yes, Israali News, October 12, 2008][http://www.worldnetdaily.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&amp;pageId=78931 Democrat: Obama's grandma confirms Kenyan birth, WND, October 23, 2008][http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=b58_1225645143 Audio Conversation Link]&lt;/ref&gt; born in [[Honolulu]] Aug. 4, 1961) is the 44th president of the [[United States]], <br /> and previously served as a first-term [[Democratic party|Democratic]] [[Senator]] from [[Illinois]] (2004-2008). Obama and his running mate [[Senator Joseph Biden]] won the presidential election&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.newsmax.com/insidecover/obama_wins_presidency/2008/11/04/147788.html?utm_medium=RSS]&lt;/ref&gt; after 23 months of campaigning that spent over $700 million,&lt;ref&gt;http://www.opensecrets.org/pres08/summary.php?cid=N00009638&lt;/ref&gt; most of it raised from undisclosed donors. <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> ==Obama is likely the first Muslim President==<br /> [[Image:OBAMA MUSULMAN.jpg|left|thumb|President-Elect Obama wearing traditional African garb, a gift from his hosts while visiting Kenya&lt;ref&gt;[http://sweetness-light.com/archive/obama-wore-muslim-gear-during-kenya-trip]&lt;/ref&gt;]]<br /> The argument that Obama is a Muslim includes:<br /> <br /> *Obama declared in prepared remarks, &quot;The United States has been enriched by Muslim Americans. Many other Americans have Muslims in their families or have lived in a Muslim-majority country - I know, because '''I am one of them'''.&quot;&lt;ref&gt;http://apnews.myway.com/article/20090406/D97D32C00.html&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> *Obama's background, education, and outlook are [[Muslim]], and fewer than 1% of Muslims convert to Christianity.&lt;ref&gt;http://www.religionnewsblog.com/17736/barack-obama-2&lt;/ref&gt;&lt;ref&gt;http://www.faithfreedom.org/oped/sina31103.htm. During the third and fourth grades, Obama learned about Islam for two hours each week in religion class, according to the LATimes. [http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/nation/bal-te.obama16mar16,0,1634059,print.story?coll=bal_news_nation_promo Campaign downplays his connection during boyhood in Indonesia, Baltimore Sun, March 16, 2007]&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> *Obama's middle name (Hussein) references '''Husayn''', who was the grandson of [[Muhammad]],&lt;ref&gt; Oxford Dictionary of First Names, 2nd edition (2007).[http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/277459/al-Husayn-ibn-Ali].&lt;/ref&gt; which most Christians would not retain.&lt;ref&gt;Only after Obama became politically ambitious did he declare himself to be a [[Christian]], yet he never replaced his [[Muslim]] name &quot;Hussein&quot; with a Christian one as most do when they undergo a religious conversion. For example, when the Italian journalist Magdi Allam recently converted to Christianity, he took a new name: &quot;Cristiano&quot;.[http://www.catholic.org/international/international_story.php?id=30814] When Saul became a Christian, he changed his name to &quot;Paul&quot;; when the famous boxer Cassius Clay converted to [[Islam]], he took the Muslim name of [[Muhammad Ali]]. &quot;It is common for those converting to a new religion to change their name on conversion&quot;[http://www.ukdp.co.uk/pages/religiousconversion.php] or adopt a Christian name at [[baptism]].[http://www.answers.com/topic/christian-name]&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> *Obama recently mentioned his religion as &quot;[[my Muslim faith]].&quot;&lt;ref&gt;Obama declared, &quot;John McCain has not talked about my Muslim faith.&quot;[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iQqIpdBOg6I]&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> *He has said that &quot;Islam can be compatible with the modern world.&quot;&lt;ref&gt; [http://www.newsweek.com/id/145971 Barack Obama's Christian Journey | Newsweek Politics: Campaign 2008]&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> *Obama said the Muslim call to prayer is &quot;one of the prettiest sounds on Earth at sunset,&quot; and recited &quot;with a first-class [[Arabic]] accent&quot; the opening lines: Allah is Supreme! ... I witness that there is no god but Allah ....&quot;&lt;ref&gt;http://www.wnd.com/index.php?pageId=78309&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> *Obama stated that the autobiography of Malcolm X, a Nation of Islam leader who became a Muslim, inspired him in his youth.&lt;ref&gt;For example, Obama writes in his own autobiography, &quot;Only Malcolm X's autobiography seemed to offer something different. His repeated acts of self-creation spoke to me. The blunt poetry of his words, his unadorned insistence on respect, promised a new and uncompromising order, martial in its discipline, forged through sheer force of will. ... [E]ven as I imagine myself following Malcolm's call, one line in the book stayed with me. He spoke of a wish he'd once had, the wish that the white blood that ran through him, there by an act of violence, might somehow be expunged.&quot;[http://www.americanthinker.com/2008/04/does_obama_know_america.html]&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> *Obama raised nearly $1 million and campaigned for a [[Kenyan]] presidential candidate who had a written agreement with [[Muslim]] leaders promising to convert Kenya to an Islamic state that bans Christianity.&lt;ref&gt; [http://www.worldnetdaily.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&amp;pageId=78324] Text of the agreement, as three images: [http://www.worldnetdaily.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&amp;pageId=78323]&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> *Obama's claims of conversion to Christianity arose after he became politically ambitious, lacking a date of conversion or baptism.&lt;ref&gt;In his book, Obama oddly claims to have been baptized without giving his age or date, and later gave a date that postdates his political ambition (1992).&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> *On the campaign trail, Obama was reading &quot;The Post-American World&quot; by [[Fareed Zakaria]],&lt;ref&gt;http://www.canada.com/topics/news/world/story.html?id=fa8cf1bf-2cc8-4d6e-b72d-a07d406e19ff&lt;/ref&gt; which is written from a Muslim point-of-view.&lt;ref&gt;http://www.villagevoice.com/2005-08-09/news/the-interpreter/&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> *Contrary to [[Christianity]], the Islamic doctrine of [[taqiyya]] encourages adherents to deny they are Muslim if it advances the cause of Islam.<br /> *Obama uses the Muslim Pakistani pronunciation for &quot;Pakistan&quot; rather than the common American one.&lt;ref&gt;Obama repeatedly pronounced &quot;Pakistan&quot; as &quot;Pokiston&quot; in the first presidential debate.&lt;/ref&gt; <br /> *Obama was thoroughly exposed to Christianity as an adult in Chicago prior to attending law school, yet no one at law school saw him display any interest in converting. Obama unabashedly explained how he became &quot;churched&quot; in a 2007 speech: &quot;It's around that time [while working as an organizer for the Developing Communities Project (DCP) of the Calumet Community Religious Conference (CCRC) in Chicago] that some pastors I was working with came around and asked if I was a member of a church. 'If you're organizing churches,' they said, 'it might be helpful if you went to a church once in a while.' And I thought, 'I guess that makes sense.'&quot;&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.speroforum.com/site/article.asp?id=15363 Obama, ACORN, and the churches] SperoNews, October 7, 2008&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> *Obama is mentioned as helping to organize the 1995 million man march led by black [[Muslim]] leader [[Louis Farrakhan]] from the [[Nation of Islam]]. &lt;ref&gt;[http://www.biography.com/search/article.do?id=9291850 Louis Farrakhan Biography] Biography.com&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> *Obama has chosen the [[Secret Service]] code name &quot;Renegade&quot;. &quot;Renegade&quot; conventionally describes someone who goes against normal conventions of behavior, but its first usage was to describe someone who has turned from their religion. It is a word derived from the [[Spanish]] ''renegado'', meaning &quot;Christian turned Muslim.&quot;&lt;ref&gt;http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/barackobama/3452281/Renegade-and-Renaissance-Obama-to-replace-Trailblazer-and-Tempo-Bush-in-the-White-House.html&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> *Obama enjoyed a bigger increase in voter support in 2008 (compared to 2004) by Muslims than by any other voting group, including blacks;&lt;ref&gt;http://www.altmuslim.com/a/a/a/2873/&lt;/ref&gt; &quot;Muslim turnout in the U.S. elections reached 95 percent, the highest Muslim turnout in U.S. history.&quot;&lt;ref&gt;http://newsweek.washingtonpost.com/postglobal/islamsadvance/2008/11/is_obama_the_muslim_worlds_sup.html&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> *&quot;President-elect [[Barack Obama]] has yet to attend [Sunday] church services since winning the [[White House]] earlier ..., a departure from the example of his two immediate predecessors.&quot;&lt;ref&gt;http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1108/15902.html&lt;/ref&gt;&lt;ref&gt;http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/washingtondc/la-na-obama-religion26-2008dec26,0,1910913.story&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> *Obama used his Muslim middle name when sworn in as President.&lt;ref&gt;http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/ET_Cetera/Obama_to_take_oath_using_middle_name_/articleshow/3813120.cms&lt;/ref&gt;&lt;ref&gt;http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/12/10/politics/main4660590.shtml?source=RSSattr=Politics_4660590&lt;/ref&gt; <br /> *Obama botched his public oath of office in which he placed his hand on a Bible, then chose not to use the Bible for his real, private oath.<br /> [[Image:Obamabow.jpg|thumb|right|President Obama bowing to the King of Saudi Arabia - April 2009]]<br /> *'''At the G20 summit in April 2009, Obama bowed deeply to Saudi King Abdullah, a Muslim who is also the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques.'''&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LEUif1--r38&amp;feature=player_embedded Video of Obama bowing almost to King's waist]&lt;/ref&gt; Never before in the history of the U.S. has a president displayed such shocking deference to a foreign official and Obama has not bowed to any other royal leaders. Obama later stated, &quot;We have to change our behavior in showing the Muslim world greater respect.&quot;&lt;ref&gt;http://washingtontimes.com/news/2009/apr/07/barack-takes-a-bow/&lt;/ref&gt; Obama's spin doctors and left-wing apologists dismissed the obviousness of the bow. One anonymous aide stated, &quot;It wasn't a bow. He grasped his hand with two hands, and he's taller than King Abdullah.&quot;&lt;ref&gt;http://www.onenewsnow.com/Blog/Default.aspx?id=483326&lt;/ref&gt; However, in video of the incident, Obama's left hand can clearly be seen staying at his side until after he had finished his bow.&lt;ref&gt;http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9WlqW6UCeaY&lt;/ref&gt; Additionally, Obama also met with Queen Elizabeth, who is much shorter than King Abdullah, but he did not bow when he shook her hand and neither he nor the queen appeared to have any difficulty.&lt;ref&gt;http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=71N34K9EVLU&lt;/ref&gt; (Many liberals and even a handful of conservatives have proposed that President Bush also bowed before King Abdullah.&lt;ref&gt;http://littlegreenfootballs.com/article/33289_Bush_Bowed_Too&lt;/ref&gt; However, there is a vast, inexorable difference between bending down to receive a medal as Bush did and bowing in deference to a foreign leader as Obama did.)<br /> *Obama required that a religiously affiliated college take the extraordinary action of concealing with wood the monogram &quot;IHS&quot;, which represents the name of Jesus, during a speech by Obama there&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.foxnews.com/politics/first100days/2009/04/16/georgetown-university-hid-religious-symbols-white-house-request/ Georgetown hides Jesus' name at request of Obama's White House]&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> Obama tries to downplay his [[Islamic]] background by claiming that his [[Kenya|Kenyan]] [[Muslim]] father was a &quot;confirmed [[atheist]]&quot; before Obama was born, but in fact less than 1% of Kenyans are atheists, agnostics, or non-religious.&lt;ref&gt;http://www.adherents.com/Na/Na_14.html&lt;/ref&gt; There is apparently no evidence of any Christian activities or local church participation by Obama while he was in Massachusetts from 1988 to 1991, nor of Barack Obama's joining of a Mosque (The Islamic house of worship) at any time in his life. Finally, Obama abruptly left his radical Christian church in Chicago in 2008, when it became politically controversial, without first finding another church to join. On April 7, 2009, Obama visited a mosque in Istanbul, Turkey.&lt;ref&gt;http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=CNG.c2e3700ab4e271bc32827b0fccfe560b.421&amp;show_article=1&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> __TOC__ &lt;!--Do not remove this. We want to keep the insights on the first screen of viewing--&gt;<br /> <br /> ==Obama and Elitism and Ayers==<br /> <br /> Obama has consistently shown himself to be an elitist who looks down on &quot;ordinary&quot; Americans. Asked to explain why working-class [[Democrats]] do not support him while campaigning for the [[Pennsylvania]] primary, Obama replied &quot;it's not surprising, then, they get bitter, they cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren't like them or anti-immigrant sentiment or anti-trade sentiment as a way to explain their frustrations.&quot;&lt;ref&gt;http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7344532.stm&lt;/ref&gt; In response to outrage when his remarks were unexpectedly publicized, Obama did not recount his statement but instead replied, I &quot;didn't say it as well as I should have.&quot;&lt;ref&gt;http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7344532.stm&lt;/ref&gt; Although many rural counties went for McCain, Obama carried the state with 54.6% of the vote, compared to 44.3% for John McCain.&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.electionreturns.state.pa.us/ElectionsInformation.aspx?FunctionID=13&amp;ElectionID=28&amp;OfficeID=1]&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> In an attempt counter the view by many that Obama is an elitist, he began running campaign ads claiming that he &quot;worked his way through college and Harvard Law.&quot; This claim is at best an exaggeration, as Obama only held summer jobs while in college and law school&lt;ref&gt;http://www.factcheck.org/elections-2008/obamas_work_claim.html&lt;/ref&gt;, and he would have likely benefited from special scholarships not available to most students.<br /> <br /> Obama almost always reads from prepared text on a [[teleprompter]] and rarely allows tough questions.&lt;ref&gt;After one debate against [[Hillary Clinton]] in Philadelphia, the Obama campaign announced that the questions were too difficult and that Obama would not agree to future debates with her.&lt;/ref&gt;&lt;ref name=&quot;teleprompter&quot;&gt;The Daily Standard, ''Obama Unplugged Lost without a Teleprompter'', by Dean Barnett, 02/12/2008[http://www.weeklystandard.com/content/public/articles/000/000/014/728ofzey.asp]&lt;/ref&gt; Indeed, when unable to read from prepared text he often fails at articulating his positions and is caught tripping over his own feet.&lt;ref&gt;This was first displayed in the Saddleback Forum, and has occurred subsequently also.&lt;/ref&gt; His most recent debate performances illustrate that he may have been extensively coached over the course of 2008, although he still repeatedly fumbles at moments where he moves off his memorized remarks.<br /> <br /> Obama refers to America in the third person, as a foreigner would. In his first television interview after becoming president, Obama declared that &quot;all too often the United States starts by dictating.&quot; Earlier, when Obama gave his acceptance speech, he said &quot;We may not get there in one year or even one term, but America - I have never been more hopeful than I am tonight that we will get there.&quot;&lt;ref&gt;[http://news.yahoo.com/s/ynews/ynews_pl135]&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> President Obama is the first person having ties to a known former terrorist to gain control over America's nuclear weapons.&lt;ref&gt;http://www.clevelandleader.com/node/7127&lt;/ref&gt;&lt;ref&gt;http://elections.foxnews.com/2008/08/26/obama-associate-bill-ayers-unrepentant-for-acts-of-terror/&lt;/ref&gt; Author and blogger Jack Cashill requisitioned a comparison of the writing style of Bill Ayers' 2001 memoir, ''Fugitive Days'', with Barack Obama's earlier 1995 book, ''Dreams From My Father'', and came to the conclusion that Ayres may have ghostwritten Dreams.&lt;ref&gt;www.cashill.com, ''Who Wrote “Dreams From My Father&quot;?'', by Jack Cashill, October 9, 2008, retrieved on 10/16/2008 [http://www.cashill.com/natl_general/who_wrote_dreams_from.htm] Cashill states that a computer comparison of Obama's so-called autobiography with that of the terrorist Bill Ayers, supports the theory that Ayers actually wrote parts of Obama's book; also he wrote &quot;None of this, of course, proves Ayers' authorship conclusively, but the evidence makes him a much more likely candidate than Obama to have written the best parts of Dreams&quot;. &quot;In assessing the signature of sample passages from Dreams,&quot; the experienced analyst found &quot;a very strong match to all of the Ayers samples&quot; that he processed. He did not address the possibility that Ayers had plagiarized from Obama's earlier book. A philosophy professor from England disagreed.[http://wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&amp;pageId=77815]&lt;/ref&gt; Ayers admitted that he was &quot;guilty as hell&quot; in planting bombs in the 1970s, and that he has no regrets and felt he &quot;should have done more.&quot;&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.clevelandleader.com/node/7127]&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> ==Insights==<br /> <br /> Obama displayed ignorance about American history when he said, &quot;Throughout our history, America's confronted constantly evolving danger, from the oppression of an empire, to the lawlessness of the frontier, '''from the bomb that fell on Pearl Harbor''', to the threat of nuclear annihilation.&quot;&lt;ref&gt;http://www.weeklystandard.com/weblogs/TWSFP/2008/07/obama_ignorance_watch_1.asp&lt;/ref&gt; <br /> <br /> Obama has described himself as a constitutional law professor at the University of Chicago.&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2007/03/30/politics/p132303D74.DTL&amp;type=politics]&lt;/ref&gt; He held the position of Lecturer, an adjunct position, from 1992 to 1996.&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.law.uchicago.edu/media/index.html]&lt;/ref&gt; He held the position of Senior Lecturer from 1996 until his election to the senate in 2004.&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.law.uchicago.edu/media/index.html]&lt;/ref&gt; Dan Ronayne, a spokesman for the Republican National Committee, has pointed that Obama was only a senior lecturer and not a full professor. &lt;ref&gt;[http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2007/03/30/politics/p132303D74.DTL&amp;type=politics]&lt;/ref&gt;The University states that Senior Lecturers are regarded as professors, although not full-time or tenure track.&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.law.uchicago.edu/media/index.html]&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> In his 1995 memoir, ''Dreams from My Father'', Obama admitted using illegal drugs, including cocaine and marijuana, which he referred to as &quot;blow&quot; and &quot;pot&quot; respectively, in his high school years and into his college years, before claiming to choose a different path in life.&lt;ref&gt;http://www.nbc5.com/politics/3444371/detail.html&lt;/ref&gt;&lt;ref&gt;http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2008/02/26/obamas_senate_foreign_relations_work/&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> Obama wore an American flag lapel pin after [[9/11]], but later stopped wearing it without adequate explanation.&lt;ref&gt;http://www.swamppolitics.com/news/politics/blog/2007/10/when_did_obama_stop_wearing_a.html&lt;/ref&gt; Presumably it would have hurt him with anti-military campaign donors.&lt;ref&gt;In 2007, at critical moments in his campaign for the nomination, Obama had difficulties securing the support of anti-war activists. [http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/04/04/politics/main2645861.shtml]&lt;/ref&gt; Recently, he has begun wearing one again for reasons that are likely political pandering.<br /> <br /> In his memoirs, Obama claimed a ''[[Life]]'' magazine article about a man who had become ill after trying to lighten his skin color by chemical means had a major impact on him. In fact, ''Life'' never published any such article.&lt;ref&gt;http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/03/26/AR2007032601583.html&lt;/ref&gt;&lt;ref&gt;&quot;Then there's the copy of Life magazine that Obama presents as his racial awakening at age 9. In it, he wrote, was an article and two accompanying photographs of an African-American man physically and mentally scarred by his efforts to lighten his skin. In fact, the Life article and the photographs don't exist, say the magazine's own historians.&quot; [http://newsbusters.org/node/11641]&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> Obama said that &quot;[t]here was something stirring across the country because of what happened in Selma, [[Alabama]], because some folks are willing to march across a bridge. So they got together and Barack Obama Jr. was born.&quot; In fact, Obama was born in 1961 and the Selma march took place in 1965.&lt;ref&gt;http://michellemalkin.com/2008/05/21/barack-obama-gaffe-machine/&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> Obama states that he has consistently opposed the [[Iraq War]] since 2002, a claim and position that former President [[Bill Clinton]] criticized as &quot;the biggest fairy tale I've ever seen.&quot;&lt;ref&gt;http://www.reuters.com/article/politicsNews/idUSN1131516320080111&lt;/ref&gt; In his famous 2002 speech&lt;ref&gt;http://www.barackobama.com/2002/10/02/remarks_of_illinois_state_sen.php&lt;/ref&gt; at an anti-war rally, Obama said that he was against &quot;dumb wars&quot; and expressed some reservations about the Iraq War because he disagrees with the ideological agendas of the Bush administration, but he did not explicitly oppose the war. In his 2004 Democrat Convention speech, Obama said that he did not know how he would have voted on the Iraq War.<br /> <br /> Obama's campaign &quot;is proud to be actively participating in over 60 local and state wide [[homosexual]] Pride events over the summer.&quot;&lt;ref&gt;http://my.barackobama.com/page/community/post/jcitron/gG5VLs&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> Obama claimed to have visited 57 states while campaigning for President of the United States.&lt;ref&gt; [http://www.mediaresearch.org/BozellColumns/newscolumn/2008/col20080528.asp Barack Potatoe Obama?]&lt;/ref&gt; &lt;ref&gt;http://www.stoptheaclu.com/archives/2008/05/12/obamas-freudian-slip-there-are-57-islamic-states/&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> ==Charitable Giving==<br /> <br /> In the years 2000 through 2004, before becoming a United States Senator and being in the public spotlight, Obama gave 1% of his earnings to charity even though he made $250,000 per year. Since becoming a national figure, that amount has jumped to 6%.&lt;ref&gt;http://patterico.com/2008/10/31/obama-and-bidens-charitable-giving-they-dont-want-to-spread-their-own-wealth-around/&lt;/ref&gt; Obama's small donations are consistent with atheism and were perhaps influenced by his nonbelieving mother. According to a study by the Barna Group, atheists give less per capita in donations than religious Americans &lt;ref&gt;http://www.barna.org/FlexPage.aspx?Page=BarnaUpdateNarrow&amp;BarnaUpdateID=272 The Barna Update, 2007&lt;/ref&gt;.<br /> <br /> ==Aunt is in the United States Illegally==<br /> At the end of October 2008 it came to light that Obama's aunt is in the United States illegally and has been since 2004 when her request for asylum was turned down. She has been living in public tax payer funded housing in Boston. This may have some bearing on Obama's immigration policy given that a member of his own family is in violation of current US immigration law. There are also questions about how much Obama knew about this.&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27481680 Obama's Aunt Living in US Illegally]&lt;/ref&gt; The Obama campaign issued a statement to the effect that they had no knowledge of this situation and returned the donation she made to his campaign; in the United States it is illegal to accept campaign contributions from people who are not currently citizens or legal residents of the United States. &lt;ref&gt;http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/11/01/obama.aunt/index.html&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> ==Statements==<br /> Obama has been noted by several independent sources as misquoting historical events and statements by famous persons. A notable example came after Obama's win in the [[North Carolina]] democratic primary. Obama was quoted as saying, &quot;I trust the American people to understand that it is not weakness, but wisdom to talk not just to our friends, but to our enemies as Roosevelt did, and Kennedy did, and Truman did.&quot; (Franklin Delano) Roosevelt spoke with none of the [[Axis]] or [[Japanese]] leaders and the the only communication that was sent to them was unconditional surrender. (President) [[Harry Truman]] took over for FDR and continued his unconditional surrender philosophy as well as ending [[World War II]] with an atomic bomb.&lt;ref&gt;http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2008/05/obama_needs_to_study_history_b.html&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> ==Early life and education==<br /> Barack Hussein Obama II claims to have been born in [[Honolulu]], [[Hawaii]] to Barack Sr. and Ann Dunham in 1961, but there is evidence that he may have actually been born in Kenya. In 1967, he moved with his mother and new stepfather to Jakarta, [[Indonesia]]. He attended a [[Catholic]] elementary school for two years, followed by an Indonesian public school for two years. Media scrutiny in the light of Obama's campaign for President revealed that the Indonesia public school was not a madrassa, teaching Islam. His days off of school in observance of Islamic holidays were spent praying in a Mosque with his stepfather. &lt;ref&gt;[http://www.newsmax.com/insidecover/pipes_obama_muslim/2008/10/09/138898.html Obama 'Lying' About Muslim Past, Expert Says] NewsMax, October 9, 2008&lt;/ref&gt; After Indonesia, he returned to the United States with his mother where he attended the Punahou School, the leading private preparatory school in [[Hawaii]], until he graduated in 1979.<br /> <br /> For college, Obama initially attended Occidental College in Los Angeles, [[California]], before transferring to [[Columbia University]] in New York, [[New York]] and graduating without honors with a Bachelor of Arts degree, majoring in political science. Obama refuses to describe his academic performance at Columbia despite commenting about New York during this period and despite disclosures of the academic record for all other major-party presidential candidates since at least 2000.&lt;ref&gt;http://www.nysun.com/new-york/obamas-years-at-columbia-are-a-mystery/85015/&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> After working as a community organizer in New York City and Chicago, Illinois, Obama enrolled at [[Harvard]] Law School. He became a member of the ''Harvard Law Review'', which uses racial quotas, in 1989. He was then elected by popular vote as its first African American president in 1990, a story that was immediately promoted in the [[New York Times]].&lt;ref&gt;http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C0CE2DC1631F935A35751C0A966958260&amp;scp=3&amp;sq=Obama%201990&amp;st=cse&lt;/ref&gt; He graduated ''magna cum laude'' with his J.D. in 1991, but did not serve in a clerkship. Federal clerkships are the typical post-graduate position for top law students.<br /> <br /> Obama has described himself as a constitutional law professor at the University of Chicago.&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2007/03/30/politics/p132303D74.DTL&amp;type=politics]&lt;/ref&gt; He held the position of Lecturer, an adjunct position, from 1992 to 1996.&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.law.uchicago.edu/media/index.html]&lt;/ref&gt; He held the position of Senior Lecturer from 1996 until his election to the senate in 2004.&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.law.uchicago.edu/media/index.html]&lt;/ref&gt; Dan Ronayne, a spokesman for the Republican National Committee, has pointed that Obama was only a senior lecturer and not a full professor. &lt;ref&gt;[http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2007/03/30/politics/p132303D74.DTL&amp;type=politics]&lt;/ref&gt;The University states that Senior Lecturers are regarded as professors, although not full-time or tenure track.&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.law.uchicago.edu/media/index.html]&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> ==Legal career==<br /> Following law school, Obama continued his work as a community organizer in Chicago as the director of Illinois Project Vote. In 1993 he was hired as an associate at the Chicago law firm Miner, Barnhill &amp; Galland, P.C., and began lecturing in Constitutional Law at the University of Chicago Law School. He remains on the faculty on leave of absence through today. During this time he wrote his first book, ''Dreams from My Father'', detailing his background, his youth, and his education. ''Dreams'' was published in 1995.<br /> <br /> ==Senate career==<br /> [[Image:obama.jpg|thumb|right|Senator Barack Obama]]<br /> Obama was elected to the Illinois State Senate for the first time in 1996 and served there for the next eight years. <br /> <br /> October 2008 crimes against Academy Award winner Jennifer Hudson's family highlighted Obama's record against law and order, as he voted against making it a crime in Illinois &quot;for convicts on probation or on bail to have contact with a street gang&quot;.&lt;ref&gt;[http://thehill.com/leading-the-news/obamas-crime-votes-are-fodder-for-rivals-2007-03-13.html]&lt;/ref&gt;&lt;ref&gt;The person of interest in the murders of Hudson's mother, brother, and 7-year-old nephew is the estranged husband of Hudson's sister and a convicted felon who had violated his parole conditions.[http://www.chicagotribune.com/chi-julian-king-autopsy-1029,0,2752431.story]&lt;/ref&gt; &quot;'We've got 75,000 gang members - that's almost six gang members to one police officer,'&quot; in Obama's hometown of Chicago.&lt;ref&gt;&quot;More people have been murdered in Chicago this year than in New York - even though New York's population is three times greater. When Hudson's mother, brother and nephew were killed last month, they pushed the city's homicide total for the year to 436 and counting. New York has had 430 homicides.&quot; [http://www.nydailynews.com/news/us_world/2008/11/01/2008-11-01_chicago_buried_in_murders.html]&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> Following a failed campaign for the House of Representatives, Obama ran for the open Senate seat from Illinois in 2004. Obama delivered the keynote address at the 2004 Democratic National Convention. He won a seat in the [[U.S. Senate]] after [[liberals]] obtained the release of confidential and personally embarrassing divorce records of his opponent, Jack Ryan, forcing him to resign from the race and be replaced by the out-of-state candidate [[Alan Keyes]].<br /> <br /> A March 16th, 2005 AP article puts Senator Obama on record to ban oil drilling in the Alaska frontier known as ANWR &lt;ref&gt;http://www.commondreams.org/headlines05/0316-13.htm&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> His 2007 voting record in the U.S. [[Senate]] makes him as its most [[liberal]] member. Among fellow Senate Democrats, he was further left than liberals like [[Ted Kennedy]], [[John Kerry]], [[Dianne Feinstein]], [[Charles Schumer]], [[Russ Feingold]], [[Carl Levin]], [[Joseph Biden]] and [[Harry Reid]].&lt;ref&gt;[http://nationaljournal.com/voteratings/sen/lib_cons.htm?o1=lib_composite&amp;o2=desc]&lt;/ref&gt; He has grown steadily more liberal since arriving at the Senate: the same analysis assessed him as 10th most liberal in 2006&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.nationaljournal.com/members/news/2007/voteratings/sen/lib_cons.htm?o1=lib_composite&amp;o2=desc]&lt;/ref&gt; and 16th most liberal in 2005.&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.nationaljournal.com/members/news/2007/voteratings/sen/lib_cons.htm?o1=lib_composite&amp;o2=desc]&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> In late 2006, Obama's second book, ''The Audacity of Hope'', was published. Its title was supplied by the Rev. Jeremiah A. Wright Jr., a minister who has stated that &quot;racism is how this country was founded and how this country was run .... We believe in white supremacy and black inferiority and believe it more than we believe in God.&quot;&lt;ref&gt;http://blog.washingtonpost.com/the-trail/2008/03/14/obama_condemns_pastors_remarks.html&lt;/ref&gt; The book contains more of Senator Obama's personal story including the roles of both family and politics. ''Audacity'' spent 30 weeks on the ''New York Times'' Nonfiction Best Sellers list.&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/27/books/bestseller/0527besthardnonfiction.html?_r=1&amp;oref=slogin New York Times Best Sellers Non Fiction]&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> Senator Obama is the chairman of an important subcommittee that has oversight of our efforts in Afghanistan. He has not held a single hearing on Afghanistan even though American forces are risking their lives in a theatre of war. Since joining Foreign Relations, Obama has missed three meetings on a &quot;new strategy&quot; in [[Afghanistan]], a country he only visited in 2008.&lt;ref&gt;[http://thehill.com/leading-the-news/obama-absent-at-afghanistan-hearings-2008-03-01.html&lt;/ref&gt; Barack Obama clinched his party's nomination for President after 16 straight months of campaigning.<br /> <br /> In June 2008, Obama voted with the Democratic party to kill the sunset provision of the [[Bush]] tax cuts. By letting these tax cuts expire, single mothers with two kids will pay an additional $1,800 annually. Married couples with incomes of $50,000 will pay an additional $2,180 annually. Elderly couples will pay an additional $2,000 annually and a family of four will pay 191% more per year in taxes. Barack Obama often claims to be for taxing the rich their fair share. By voting to eliminate the Bush tax cuts, Obama is taxing most middle class and blue collar families.<br /> <br /> Obama and the Democratic-led Congress has voted for the upgraded GI Bill despite the opposition from the President, the Secretary of Defense, the Pentagon, the generals in combat zones and the GOP Presidential nominee. It was crafted to increase veteran benefits. Yet, the strain on our military is great.&lt;ref&gt;[http://marcambinder.theatlantic.com/archives/2008/05/mccain_to_obama_dont_demagogue.php] http://marcambinder.theatlantic.com/archives/2008/05/mccain_to_obama_dont_demagogue.php , McCain To Obama: Don't Demagogue The GI Bill, May 22, 2008&lt;/ref&gt; The bill would cost $2.8 to $4 billion per month. Some argue that this bill depletes the US's volunteer military personnel by enticing them to leave service rather than be re-deployed.<br /> <br /> As senator, Obama has requested nearly $936 million in earmarks which averages to $500,000. per day over four years, &lt;ref&gt;[http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122108935141721343.html?mod=googlenews_wsj Obama Can't Win Against Palin] Wall Street Journal, September 11, 2008&lt;/ref&gt; for which the Council for Citizens Against Government Waste has given him a rating of 10% in 2007 (18% lifetime).&lt;ref&gt;[http://councilfor.cagw.org/site/DocServer/2007_Senate_Ratings_Final.pdf?docID=3242 2007 Senate Scorecard]&lt;/ref&gt; A score of 100% represents voting against all pork, and 0% represents voting ''for'' all pork. Democrats averaged 5% in 2007, whereas Republicans averaged 60%. &lt;ref&gt;[http://councilfor.cagw.org/site/News2?abbr=CCAGW_&amp;page=NewsArticle&amp;id=11590 CCAGW Releases ''2007 Congressional Ratings'']&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> According to a Fox News report on October 5th, Obama has taken more than $126,000. in campaign contribution from [[Fannie Mae]] in a little over three years. This ranks him second, only Chris Dodd has received more campaign contribution dollars from Fannie Mae.<br /> <br /> === Bills co-sponsored ===<br /> Obama's principal legislation was S. 2433, which was an attempt to force the U.S. to increase its foreign aid by hundreds of billions of dollars under the guise of reducing global poverty, which was subsequently blocked by [[conservatives]].&lt;ref&gt;http://www.cnsnews.com/ViewPolitics.asp?Page=/Politics/archive/200802/POL20080225a.html&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> Obama did support and co-sponsor a bill championed by [[Tom Coburn]] and known as the Coburn-Obama Government Transparency Act of 2006, which was signed into law by President [[George W. Bush]] on Sept. 9, 2006. This law created a website that will list the federal government's grants and contracts.&lt;ref&gt; http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2006/09/20060926.html&lt;/ref&gt; <br /> <br /> Between Jan 13, 2007 and March 13, 2008, Sen. Obama has sponsored 120 mostly [[liberal]] resolutions and bills in the Senate.&lt;ref&gt;http://thomas.loc.gov/&lt;/ref&gt; His supporters cite the following less liberal examples, but this list is not representative:<br /> <br /> *S.117 : A bill to amend titles 10 and 38, United States Code, to improve benefits and services for members of the Armed Forces, veterans of the Global War on Terrorism, and other veterans, to require reports on the effects of the Global War on Terrorism, and for other purposes.<br /> <br /> *S.133 : A bill to promote the national security and stability of the economy of the United States by reducing the dependence of the United States on oil through the use of alternative fuels and new technology, and for other purposes.<br /> <br /> *S.453 : A bill to prohibit deceptive practices in Federal elections.<br /> <br /> *S.713 : A bill to ensure dignity in care for members of the Armed Forces recovering from injuries.<br /> <br /> === Accomplishments while serving on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee ===<br /> <br /> In February 2008, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee approved Obama's proposal on a new strategy to reduce poverty throughout the world.<br /> <br /> Obama worked with Sen. Lugar writing legislation aimed at improving conventional and nuclear non-proliferation efforts. This legislation was signed by [[George W. Bush|President Bush]] in January 2008.<br /> <br /> In June 2007 the Senate passed his resolution condemning violence by the [[Zimbabwe]] government. It also passed legislation co-sponsored by Obama that financed a Special Court for Sierra Leone to prosecute former [[Liberia | Liberian]] President [[Charles Taylor]]. &lt;ref&gt; http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2008/02/26/obamas_senate_foreign_relations_work/ &lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> Barack Obama continued to collect money for a 2010 Senate re-election campaign as late as June 2008, and has filed reports recently indicating that money is still pouring into this fund. This is especially notable because it is an efficient way of sidetracking donations from his Presidential race. The website&lt;obamasenate2010.gov&gt; is now defunct.<br /> <br /> ==Presidential campaign==<br /> [[Image:Democrat Obama during the Pledge.jpg|325px|thumb|right|Obama, on the campaign trail, stands with folded hands while [[Bill Richardson]] and [[Hillary Clinton]] honor the flag by placing their hands over their heart during the [[National Anthem]]. [http://rawstory.com/news/2007/Obama_doesnt_put_hand_over_heart_1022.html See Video] ]]<br /> Senator Obama began his candidacy for President of the United States on February 10, 2007, in Springfield, Illinois. His announcement speech largely avoided specific campaign issues and focused on his general political message of hope for the future. It also attempted to strongly invoke the memory of Abraham Lincoln and his &quot;House Divided&quot; speech.&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/02/10/obama.president/index.html &quot;Obama declares he's running for President&quot;] 11 February 2007, www.CNN.com &lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> Obama's campaign has been financed largely by [[leftist]] donors opposed to the war and to the [[American]] military in general. Obama has encouraged this by refusing to wear the customary flag on his lapel during appearances (asserting that he would prefer his patriotism to be represented through his actions rather than an arbitrary symbol) and by other less-than-patriotic gestures and symbols, such as declining to put his hand over his heart during a patriotic recitation. In an appearance on May 16 where he addressed President Bush's statements that some politicians would prefer appeasing terrorists through negotiations, Senator Obama once again wore the flag pin as he did following 9-11. <br /> <br /> By early April 2007, his campaign generated over $25 million from over 100,000 contributors. $23.5 million of that money will be available for the Democratic Primary.&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/05/us/politics/05obama.html Obama Shows His Strength in a Fund-Raising Feat on Par With Clinton], 4 April 2007, Jeff Zeleny and Patrick Healy,'' The New York Times''&lt;/ref&gt; After the first Democratic presidential debate in Columbia, South Carolina, Obama's image as an &quot;articulate&quot; spokesman came into question after his failure to state right away that he would retaliate in case of further terrorist strikes against the United States.&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/27/AR2007042702162.html?hpid=moreheadlines Clinton Campaign Tries to Keep Heat on Obama Over Debate Response], Dan Balz, ''Washington Post'' April 28, 2007.&lt;/ref&gt;&lt;ref&gt;Chicago Sun-Times, <br /> [http://www.suntimes.com/news/sweet/362269,CST-NWS-sweet29.article 'I was a little nervous' at debate'], Lynn Sweet, <br /> April 29, 2007,&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> During a fund raising event in Virginia in May 2007 Obama told donors,<br /> {{Cquote|This week there was a tragedy in Kansas. Ten thousand people died. An entire town destroyed.&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,271357,00.html Transcript: 'Special Report with Brit Hume,' May 9, 2007], retrieved from ''FOX News'', 06/13/07.&lt;/ref&gt;}}<br /> <br /> In reality, the tornado which touched down in Kansas cost the lives of nine people in the town of Greensburg, and twelve overall in Kansas.<br /> <br /> Speaking regarding his knowledge of the Afghanistan conflict, Obama points the finger at U.S. troops and American policy &quot;...just airraiding villages and killing civilians, which is causing enormous problems there.&quot; &lt;ref&gt;[http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,293365,00.html Barack Obama Caught on Tape Accusing U.S. Troops of 'Killing Civilians'] Fox News, August 15, 2007&lt;/ref&gt; [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wrW4fOGIMVY See Video]<br /> <br /> By August it appeared Obama was running to be left off the ticket completely rather than the much ballyhooed Hillary/Obama ticket the [[mainstream media]] was pushing. After a series of ill-advised foreign policy statements, Obama was openly criticized as a lightweight even by liberals, in much the same vein as [[John Edwards]] and [[Dan Quayle]] had been depicted. First, Obama said he would have face-to-face meetings with two of Florida's most feared enemies, [[Fidel Castro]] and [[Hugo Chavez]]. Florida is a key state to any presidential ambitions. Then Obama claimed that he would be willing to invade the sovereign territory of a U.S. ally without prior consultation. Finally, Obama broke the cardinal rule of declaring he would not use nuclear weapons, removing the element of bluff U.S. Presidents had vitally depended upon throughout the [[Cold War]] era. The incidents all added up to a picture of a candidate ill-prepared and ill-advised, lacking in a basic understanding of the office of the Presidency, and failing to surround himself with appointees able to make up for his deficiencies. However, Obama won the Iowa Democratic caucuses, pushing [[Hillary Clinton]] into third place, and went on to become the unofficial Democratic nominee.<br /> <br /> At a campaign event in Elkhart, Indiana, a seven-year-old girl asked Barack Obama why he wants to be President. He replies, <br /> '''&quot;America is …, uh, is no longer, uh … what it could be, what it once was. And I say to myself, I don’t want that future for my children.&quot;''' &lt;ref&gt;[http://newsbusters.org/blogs/tom-blumer/2008/08/09/mostly-mia-obamas-downer-america-delivered-7-year-old Media Mostly MIA on Obama's 'America No Longer What It Once Was' Downer Delivered to 7 Year-Old] Newsbusters.org, August 9, 2008&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> Obama became the presumptive Democratic nominee on June 3rd after receiving a majority of pledged delegates and superdelegates. His only remaining primary opponent, [[Hillary Clinton]], conceded the race on June 7th. On August 23, Joe Biden was announced as Obama's vice-presidential nominee. Obama became the official Democratic nominee on August 27 at the Democratic National Convention, when Hillary Clinton's motion to end the roll call vote of the states and select Obama by acclamation was passed.<br /> <br /> On June 5th, Obama spoke at Briston, Virginia- Healthcare Town Hall forum regarding Political Action Committees and his campaign. &quot;Well, we’re here today because we know that if we’re going to make real progress, this time must be different. Throughout my career, in Illinois and the United States senate, I’ve worked to reduce the power of the special interests by leading the fight for ethics reform. I’ve sent a strong signal in this campaign by refusing the contributions of registered federal lobbyists and PACs. And today, I’m announcing that going forward, the Democratic National Committee will uphold the same standard and won’t take another dime from Washington lobbyists or special interest PACs. They do not fund my campaign. They will not fund our party. And they will not drown out the voices of the American people when I’m President of the United States.&quot; <br /> <br /> On June 6th, an [[AP]] article &lt;ref&gt;[http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/D/DEMOCRATS_MONEY?SITE=KING&amp;SECTION=HOME&amp;TEMPLATE=DEFAULT Transcript: 'Democratic Party returns lobbyist, PAC money ,' June 6, 2008]&lt;/ref&gt; presented the rules for lobbyist donations to the DNC and for the Presidential nominee. Obama does accept money from lobbyists who do not do business with the federal government and he also accepts money from spouses and family members of lobbyists. And the DNC ban is also not retroactive, which means the DNC will keep lobbyist and PAC contributions it received earlier in the election cycle. Retroactive period being the date Barack Obama started his campaign, February 10, 2007. The DNC possibly the day after the November 2006 Congressional elections until June 5th, 2008. In addition, Barack Obama's ban does not apply to the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee nor to the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. Unlike [[John McCain]], Barack Obama has not disclosed the lobbyists working in his campaign.<br /> <br /> Senator Obama visited U.S. troops in Iraq in 2006&lt;ref&gt;[http://abclocal.go.com/wls/story?section=news/local&amp;id=3794382 Obama visits troops in Iraq]&lt;/ref&gt; and in Afghanistan and Kuwait in 2008&lt;ref&gt;[http://abclocal.go.com/wls/story?section=news/local&amp;id=3794382 Obama visits troops and officials in Afghanistan and Kuwait]&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> Obama's tax plan calls for increasing taxes on the wealthiest 1% of Americans, while cutting taxes for the middle class. According to the non-partisan [[Tax Policy Center]], most Americans would pay less taxes than under Senator McCain's plan.&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/publications/url.cfm?ID=411749 An Updated Analysis of the 2008 Presidential Candidates' Tax Plans: Updated September 12, 2008]&lt;/ref&gt; According to another non-partisan group, Americans for Tax Reform, tax-payers would clearly be burdened by an Obama Presidency.&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.atr.org/content/html/2008/june/0616-obama_mccaintaxes.html McCain vs. Obama on Taxes] Americans For Tax Reform, June 2008&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> During the campaign Obama repeatedly claimed he would “cut taxes for no less than 95% of &quot;working families.&quot;”. The Wall Street Journal asked, “how does he conjure this miracle, especially since more than a third of all Americans already pay no income taxes at all?” &lt;ref&gt;http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122385651698727257.html&lt;/ref&gt; In truth, Obama was calling government handouts “tax credits” and counting those as tax cuts. The Wall Street Journal wondered why McCain “allowed Mr. Obama's 95% illusion to go unanswered”.<br /> <br /> ===Campaign financing=== <br /> Obama is the first presidential candidate to reject public financing. He broke his promise to accept it in the hope that his powerful fund-raising machine would generate far more money than the $84.1 million McCain is getting in public funding. Indeed, on August 14th, the Obama campaign announced it had received donations from 2 million individuals, setting new records. Obama raised $272 million for the primaries and expects to raise $300 million for the general election. However the Republican National Committee has been raising much more than the Democratic National Committee and each candidate had about $100 million in cash on September 1. Each expects to spend about $300 million by November. However, Obama is obliged to devote much of his time to fund raising among supporters rather than campaigning among undecided voters.&lt;ref&gt; see [http://blog.newsweek.com/blogs/stumper/archive/2008/09/09/was-obama-right-to-opt-out-of-public-financing.aspx Andrew Romano, &quot;Was Obama Right to Opt Out of Public Financing?,&quot; ''Newsweek'' (Sept. 9, 2008) online]&lt;/ref&gt; Among his backers is homosexual pornography baron [[Terrence Bean]].<br /> <br /> ===Secrecy=== <br /> <br /> The Democratic party feels it necessary to keep all questions about Obama at a safe distance. It is an unprecedented move to keep secrets about a presidential candidate. The following questions remain sealed from the public. &lt;ref&gt;[http://obamawtf.blogspot.com/2008/08/who-sent-obama-why-has-he-refused-to.html Who sent Obama? Why has he refused to release these basic documents?] ObamaWTF.blogspot.com&lt;/ref&gt; <br /> <br /> # Certified Copy of original Birth certificate(see certificate controversy below)<br /> # Columbia College records<br /> # Columbia Thesis paper<br /> # Campaign donor analysis requested by 7 major watchdog groups<br /> # [[Harvard]] College records<br /> # Illinois State Senate records<br /> # [[Illinois]] State Senate schedule<br /> # [[Law]] practice client list and billing records/summary<br /> # Locations and names of all half-siblings and step-mothers<br /> # Medical records (only the one page summary released so far)<br /> # Occidental College records<br /> # Parent's [[Marriage]] Certificate<br /> # Record of baptism<br /> # Selective Service Registration<br /> # Trips schedules for trips outside of the United States before 2007<br /> # Scholarly articles<br /> # Access to his Grandmother (Obama's Grandmother has since passed away from cancer [http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5g3m4YaeYwDHXS6hHdZJi8pm6cZdAD947RJKO0])<br /> # List of all campaign workers that are lobbyists<br /> <br /> Obama keeps donations secret by exploiting a loophole that allows campaigns to refuse to divulge donations under $200.00. This is useful to the candidate because many of his contributions are from dubious foreign or illegal sources. It is described as the &quot;largest pool of unidentified money that has ever flooded into the U.S. election system, before or after the McCain-Feingold campaign finance reforms of 2002.&quot; &lt;ref&gt;http://www.newsmax.com/timmerman/Obama_fundraising_illegal/2008/09/29/135718.html&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> ===Tone===<br /> <br /> Many observers have criticized Obama's campaign for its incivility. For instance, John McCain's wife Cindy noted that Obama is running &quot;the dirtiest campaign in American history.&quot; <br /> <br /> Obama's smears usually fall into two categories: race-baiting and distortions. On October 10, 2008, Obama surrogate Rep. John Lewis (D-GA) typified the campaign by comparing Sen. McCain to racial segregationists and Klansmen. &quot;Sen. McCain and Gov. Palin are sowing the seeds of hatred and division,&quot; Lewis exclaimed before comparing Sen. McCain to segregationist Democrat George Wallace, further noting that he, &quot;...never fired a gun, but he created the climate and the conditions that encouraged [the attacks in which] four little girls were killed on Sunday morning when a church was bombed in Birmingham, Alabama.&quot; &lt;ref&gt;http://edition.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/10/11/mccain.lewis/index.html?eref=rss_politics&lt;/ref&gt; This is particularly harsh to Sen. McCain because he fondly admires Lewis. &lt;ref&gt;http://www.rickwarrennews.com/transcript/civil_forum_transcript-04.txt&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> As for the distortions and personal attacks, Obama mocks Sen. McCain's for his age and Gov. Palin for being a woman and outsider. For instance, Obama responded with a subtle reference to Alzheimer's disease when Sen. McCain criticized his foreign policy in May 2008, alleging that Sen. McCain &quot;lost his bearings&quot; &lt;ref&gt;http://www.politico.com/blogs/bensmith/0508/Obama_McCain_offensive_losing_his_bearings.html&lt;/ref&gt;. Senior Adviser Mark Salter noted, &quot;He used the words 'losing his bearings' intentionally, a not particularly clever way of raising John McCain's age as an issue. This is typical of the Obama style of campaigning.&quot; &lt;ref&gt;http://marcambinder.theatlantic.com/archives/2008/05/salter_obama_attacked_mccains.php&lt;/ref&gt;. In reference to Gov. Palin, Obama was caught for his quiet hiring of Winner &amp; Associates to disseminate a sexist smear video against her. &lt;ref&gt;http://mypetjawa.mu.nu/archives/194057.php&lt;/ref&gt; Some argue this is a FEC violation because it lacked obligatory label denoting it was sponsored by the Obama Campaign (Ethan Winner has made a claim that he alone produced the video) &lt;ref&gt;http://eclipseweb.blogspot.com/2008/09/vicious-anti-sarah-palin-smear-campaign.html&lt;/ref&gt; &lt;ref&gt;http://mypetjawa.mu.nu/archives/194180.php&lt;/ref&gt;One of the biggest distortions by Obama is that 95% of all taxpayers will get a tax cut. &lt;ref&gt;[http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122385651698727257.html?mod=googlenews_wsj Obama's 95% Illusion] Wall Steet Journal, October 13, 2008&lt;/ref&gt; Without the distortion, Obama is proposing income re-distribution because those families that pay no taxes, one-third, will get money from the wealthy top 5%.<br /> <br /> Another feature of the Obama campaign is the unruly audience. CNN reported in October of 2008 &lt;ref&gt;http://www.findinternettv.com/Video,item,3565842635.aspx&lt;/ref&gt;, that people are calling John McCain a terrorist at these events. According to Sen. McCain, &quot;I've heard the [label terrorist], unfortunately, at Senator Obama's rallies being said about me. There's always a fringe element.&quot; Other eyewitness reports are harsher.<br /> <br /> ==Election==<br /> <br /> Senator Obama won the 2008 Presidential election, with over 52% of the popular vote. He carried every state that [[John Kerry]] won in 2004, in addition to Iowa, North Carolina, Ohio, Virginia, Colorado, New Mexico, Nevada, Florida, and Indiana. Of the 127 million votes cast, Obama beat John McCain by 8 million total votes.&lt;ref&gt;http://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS/&lt;/ref&gt; [http://images.newsmax.com/misc/2008_Election_Map.jpg See county breakdown map] &lt;ref&gt;[www.cnn.com/election]&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> == Positions and Qualifications ==<br /> Obama is [[pro-abortion]]. The leading abortion providers and PAC supporters have wholeheartedly endorsed Barack Obama. The National Abortion Rights Action League [[NARAL]] has given Barack a 100% rating for his efforts in Congress 2005, 2006 and 2007 &lt;ref&gt;http://www.prochoiceamerica.org/elections/statements/obama.html&lt;/ref&gt;. EMILY's List, a political action committee that funds female candidates who support abortion rights backs Barack Obama&lt;ref&gt; [http://www.boston.com/news/politics/politicalintelligence/2008/06/emilys_list_bac.html],EMILY's List backs Obama, June 6,2008&lt;/ref&gt;. The nation's largest abortion business, Planned Parenthood has begun the process necessary to endorse pro-abortion presidential candidate Barack Obama. &lt;ref&gt;[http://www.lifenews.com/nat3971.html], http://www.lifenews.com/nat3971.html, Planned Parenthood Begins Process to Endorse Pro-Abortion Barack Obama, June 10,2008&lt;/ref&gt;The board of directors of the pro-abortion group's political operation met on Friday June 6, 2008 and unanimously voted to recommend an endorsement for Obama. Obama has steadfastly advocated support for partial birth abortion as an Illinois legislator. Barack's wife, Michelle Obama, wrote a fundraising letter&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.prolifeblogs.com/articles/archives/2006/10/post_5.php], http://www.prolifeblogs.com/articles/archives/2006/10/post_5.php, February 17,2004&lt;/ref&gt; in support of partial birth abortion and against the proposed ban. Barack voted against the Born Alive Infant Protection Act to give a child who survived an abortion procedure life support healthcare. Obama wanted the life terminated even if he or she survived outside the mother's womb.&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.citizenlink.org/content/A000007034.cfm], http://www.citizenlink.org/content/A000007034.cfm, Obama Blocked Born Alive Infant Protection Act&lt;/ref&gt; With Obama no longer in the state Senate, the Born Alive legislation passed in 2005.<br /> <br /> In the context of sex, he quipped about his daughters, &lt;ref&gt;http://michellemalkin.com/2008/03/30/sunday-meditation-obama-and-the-punishment-of-unborn-life/&lt;/ref&gt;{{QuoteBox|&quot;If they make a mistake, I don't want them punished with a baby.&quot;}} Obama makes it clear if his daughters had an unplanned pregnancy, he would support terminating the life of his grandchild and it is undeniable that Michelle Obama agrees with that decision.<br /> [[Image:Features ayers1.jpg|175px|thumb|right|[[Weather Underground]] co-founder Bill Ayers&lt;ref&gt;http://foia.fbi.gov/weather/weath1a.pdf&lt;/ref&gt; stomps on the American flag in this 2001 pose for Chicago Magazine.]]<br /> <br /> Obama, having been asked about his associations with [[William Ayers]], an unrepentant [[terrorist]],&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.chicagomag.com/Chicago-Magazine/August-2001/No-Regrets/]&lt;/ref&gt; he explained that the views of his associates are not necessarily his own. Ayers and his wife, [[Bernardine Dohrn]], hosted a fundraiser for Obama in their home in 1995 at the start of Obama's political career. Obama compares his friendship with Ayers whose actions led to the loss of a life to his friendship with pro-life doctor and representative Tom Coburn&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.lifenews.com/nat3894.html]http://www.lifenews.com/nat3894.html, LifeNews.com, April 25,2008&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> Obama explained that his friendship with Ayers, shouldn't be construed as implying he endorsed the terrorist-like tactics Ayers used to drive home his political point. Barack Obama brought up the pro-life colleague to make the dubious comparison that he's friends with other people who take &quot;extreme&quot; positions or would use terrorist tactics.<br /> &quot;The fact is, is that I'm also friendly with Tom Coburn, one of the most conservative Republicans in the United States Senate, who during his campaign once said that it might be appropriate to apply the death penalty to those who carried out abortions&quot; <br /> <br /> Obama has no military or executive experience and little foreign policy experience.&lt;ref&gt;&quot;Fresh doubts over Barack Obama's foreign policy credentials were expressed on both sides of the Atlantic last night, after it emerged that he had made only one brief official visit to London – and none elsewhere in Western Europe or Latin America. ... Mr. Obama had failed to convene a single policy meeting of the Senate European subcommittee, of which he is chairman.&quot;[http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/article3080794.ece]&lt;/ref&gt; Yet he is the favorite of the leftist attack site &quot;MoveOn.org&quot; for the [[Democratic]] nomination for [[President of the United States]] in the [[2008 Presidential Election|2008 election]],&lt;ref&gt;MoveOn.org reportedly favored Obama by 70-30% over Clinton. [http://www.swamppolitics.com/news/politics/blog/2008/02/moveonorg_obama.html]&lt;/ref&gt; campaigning to the left of [[Hillary Clinton]].&lt;ref&gt;For example, Obama promised not to use nuclear weapons against terrorists, a promise Hillary Clinton refused to make. [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/08/02/AR2007080202288.html]&lt;/ref&gt; <br /> <br /> He has no clear personal achievement that cannot be explained as the likely result of [[affirmative action]]. Some examples border on the absurd: Obama has no background in [[physics]], yet it is claimed that &quot;Obama analyzed and integrated [[Albert Einstein|Einstein]]'s [[theory of relativity]], the [[Heisenberg uncertainty principle]], as well as the concept of curved space as an alternative to [[gravity]], for a Law Review article that Tribe, for whom Obama worked as a research assistant, wrote titled, 'The Curvature of Constitutional Space'.&quot; &lt;ref&gt;http://cbs2chicago.com/politics/barack.obama.harvard.2.334825.html&lt;/ref&gt; Obama's &quot;research&quot; for Constitutional Law Professor Tribe on this article also raises issues about preferences, as Obama had not yet even completed any law school courses&lt;ref&gt;Obama did not start his second year of law school until September 1989, the earliest he could have taken constitutional law, yet this article must have been written, submitted and accepted prior to that time to be published in the November 1989 issue of the Law Review.&lt;/ref&gt; on the [[Constitution]].&lt;ref&gt;The liberal Professor Tribe saw the best law students for several decades, yet insisted that Obama was the &quot;best student I ever had&quot; and the &quot;most exciting research assistant.&quot; [http://www.cmonitor.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071114/NEWS01/711140429/1217/NEWS98]&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> Throughout his career, Obama repeatedly ducked controversial stands in a transparent attempt to make it easier to be elected to higher office. In example, as a state senator in [[Illinois]], he voted &quot;present&quot; rather than &quot;aye&quot; or &quot;nay&quot; nearly an astounding 130 times.&lt;ref&gt;http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/20/us/politics/20obama.html&lt;/ref&gt; During that same period, he was planning to run for the [[House of Representatives]], which was unsuccessful, and then for [[U.S. Senate]], which was successful after his opponent Jack Ryan, a millionaire school teacher, was smeared with a court-ordered disclosure of confidential divorce records that both he and his ex-wife wanted to remain sealed. A newspaper that favored Obama took the unusual step of suing to force the confidential divorce information to become public, and a California judge opened the records at a pivotal time in the campaign.&lt;ref&gt;http://www.nbc5.com/politics/2898641/detail.html&lt;/ref&gt;&lt;ref&gt;http://www.nbc5.com/news/3289561/detail.html&lt;/ref&gt;&lt;ref&gt;http://www.nbc5.com/politics/3444371/detail.html&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> Barack Obama is often praised for his speeches, except when he is not able to read them from a [[teleprompter]]. &quot;Shorn of his Teleprompter, we saw a different Obama. His delivery was halting and unsure. ... The prepared text for his remarks, as released on his website, sounded a lot like a typical Obama speech. ... [But with] no Teleprompter signaling the prepared text, Obama failed to deliver the speech in his characteristically flawless fashion.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;teleprompter&quot; /&gt; The [[New York Times]] noted that &quot;Mr. Obama excels at inspirational speeches read from a teleprompter before television cameras, critics have noted, but many of his other speeches on the campaign trail have failed to electrify.&quot;&lt;ref&gt;http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/20/fashion/20speechwriter.html?_r=2&amp;ex=1358485200&amp;en=bb179297e5f61acb&amp;ei=5090&amp;partner=rssuserland&amp;emc=rss&amp;oref=slogin&amp;oref=slogin&lt;/ref&gt; When Obama ridiculed [[Hillary Clinton]] for being like [[Annie Oakley]], it is apparent that he was not writing his own speeches.&lt;ref&gt;&quot;Some Obama adviser probably earned his or her dollars for that cut,&quot; the USA Today wrote. [http://www.usatoday.com/news/opinion/columnist/raasch/2008-04-17-2008-04-17-raasch_N.htm]&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> Obama often makes reference to his &quot;two decades of experience&quot; in public service work. During most of that time he claims experience, he was either going to school, working for a law firm, writing a book, or organizing community events.<br /> <br /> == Political views ==<br /> Obama's political views have been subjected to controversy even before he put himself forward as a presidential candidate. Former House majority leader [[Tom DeLay]] has described Obama's record in the Illinois Senate as that of a [[Communism|“Marxist leftist&quot;.]]&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/home/daily/site_121306/content/stop_the_tape.guest.html|Sexy Rock Star Obama Whines About His Ears], RushLimbaugh.com, December 13 2006&lt;/ref&gt; Which matches the fact that during his campaign, his staff were discovered on numerous occasions to have Cuban flags bearing the face of Marxist guerrilla/murderer [[Che Guevara]].&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.moonbattery.com/archives/2008/02/obama_workers_c.html Obama Workers' Che Guevara Poster Was No Fluke] from Moonbattery&lt;/ref&gt; Former presidential candidate [[Alan Keyes]] calls Obama a &quot;radical communist.&quot; &lt;ref&gt;[http://www.newsmax.com/insidecover/keyes_obama_destroy_US/2009/02/23/184503.html Alan Keyes: Obama Will Destroy U.S.] NewsMax, February 23, 2009&lt;/ref&gt; <br /> <br /> In May 2007, Obama (and Sen. Hillary Clinton) voted against funding the Iraq War for the first time.&lt;ref&gt;[http://uspolitics.about.com/od/legislatio1/a/HR2206.htm HR 2206 - Emergency Appropriations], Kathy Gill, Your Guide to U.S. Politics: Current Events. May 26 2007.&lt;/ref&gt;&lt;ref&gt;[http://more.gov.mtopgroup.com/2007/05/votes-hr-2206-iraq-supplemental.html Votes - H.R. 2206: Iraq Supplemental], May 28, 2007. Retrieved from Deeper Inside the Mountain, June 4, 2007.&lt;/ref&gt; <br /> <br /> Obama's views on [[gun control]] are focused on an opinion article in the [[Wall Street Journal]]:&lt;ref&gt;David Kopel, &quot;The Democrats and Gun Control,&quot; Wall St.J., Page A19, April 17, 2008 [http://online.wsj.com/article_email/SB120839466717921537-lMyQjAxMDI4MDE4NzMxOTc0Wj.html]&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> :As a state senate candidate in 1996, Mr. Obama endorsed a complete ban on all handguns in a questionnaire. The Obama campaign has claimed he &quot;never saw or approved the questionnaire,&quot; and that an aide filled it out incorrectly. But a few weeks ago, Politico.com found an amended version of the questionnaire. It included material added in Mr. Obama's handwriting.<br /> <br /> After [[D.C. v. Heller]], Obama claimed to support Second Amendment rights.<br /> <br /> Obama has said, &quot;Doing the Lord's work is a thread that runs through our politics since the very beginning,&quot; and &quot;it puts the lie to the notion that [[separation of church and state]] in America means somehow that faith should have no role in public life.&quot;&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.siouxcityjournal.com/articles/2007/06/17/news/iowa/8db7c1a17d2b51f9862572fd000fc9f4.txt Obama says religion has place in politics], By Todd Dorman, ''Sioux City Journal'', June 18, 2007.&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> He believes children should be taught sex education in kindergarten, although in what he refers to as &quot;an age-appropriate manner&quot;.&lt;ref&gt;&quot;Barack Obama reaffirmed to [[Planned Parenthood]] this week that he believes elements of sex education should begin in kindergarten.&quot; [http://abcnews.go.com/print?id=3395856 (ABC News)] July 20, 2007 &lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> Obama spoke at the May 1, 2006, illegal immigration march in Chicago.&lt;ref&gt;http://nomoreblather.com/barack-obama-and-the-immigration-marches Immigration marches&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> ::''We are hungry for change!'' S.C. January 26, 2008.<br /> <br /> Barack Obama, in his short stint as Senator of Illinois, has made clear his opposition to the [[U.S. Military]] in policy and in rhetoric. Obama has spent much energy to argue that the Iraq War should have never been waged and that we should not be there at all, in any way. In 2002, as an unknown Chicago representative to the state of Illinois, he declared his opposition to &quot;dumb wars&quot;. At the time, America was united in the stance against terrorism and the prospects of a rogue enemy with WMD worried the United States. Obama, has said that he does not know whether he would have voted for or against the Iraq War. Since elected to Congress, he voted against the Emergency War Supplemental. Obama did not oppose his party debating the bill long past the timeframe requested. This action directly affects troop deployment in combat zones. Obama has repeatedly called for the return of troops in Iraq. Barack Obama has a no confidence vote for the 'Surge' before the measure was put forth by General Petraeus to Congress. Obama would not denounce MoveOn.org's slander NY Times advertising against the General.<br /> <br /> Senator Obama often refers to the office that he seeks, without the proper respect of those that came before him. When talking of the President, he frequently refuses to call him [[George W. Bush|President George Bush]] or even Mr. George Bush. Obama has also disrespectfully called him 'George Bush'. Oddly, when Bill Clinton spoke with Obama on September 11th, 2008 predicting he would win handily, Obama responded, &quot;There you go, you can take it from the President of the United States.&quot;&lt;ref&gt;http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/09/11/campaign.wrap/index.html&lt;/ref&gt; It appears Obama will use the term for a former President, but will not do the same for the actual President. Examples of Obama's treatment of our current President: <br /> * &quot;I am happy to have a debate with John McCain and George Bush about foreign policy,&quot; Obama said &lt;ref&gt;[http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/05/16/obama.bush.mccain/], CNN Obama blasts Bush McCain, May 16, 2008&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> * &quot;For all his talk about independence, the centerpiece of John McCain's economic plan amounts to a full-throated endorsement of George Bush's policies,&quot; &lt;ref&gt;[http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2008/06/10/obama_takes_the_offensive_vs_mcca)n/]`Boston Globe Obama takes offensive vs. McCain, June 10, 2008&lt;/ref&gt; <br /> * &quot;George Bush knows that I have never supported engagement with terrorists.&quot; &lt;ref&gt;[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7403386.stm], BBC Obama attacks Bush over Iran , May 15, 2008&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> * Obama called the U.S. economy a disaster thanks to &quot;John McCain's President, George W. Bush&quot; &lt;ref&gt;[http://www.newsmax.com/insidecover/obama_mccain/2008/08/18/122924.html No More Hugs: Obama Tears Into McCain] AP, August 18, 2008&lt;/ref&gt; Side note, George W. Bush is also Barack Obama's President.<br /> <br /> Obama is for a one-world government unaccountable to the American people, a threat to U.S. sovereignty and independence. He said &quot;for all nations in the world to come together to build a stronger, global regime&quot;&lt;ref&gt;[http://worldnetdaily.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&amp;pageId=94380]&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> == Foreign policy experience ==<br /> In his presidential campaign, Obama stated&lt;ref&gt;http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mayhill-fowler/obama-says-no-to-foreign_b_95357.html&lt;/ref&gt; that &quot;foreign policy is the area where I am probably most confident&quot; and then cited &quot;having lived in Indonesia for four years, having family that is impoverished in small villages in Africa&quot;. He lived in Indonesia from age 6 to 10, and he later discovered that his father had some other children in Africa.<br /> <br /> While campaigning, he has visited several foreign countries. In [[Russia]] and the former Soviet republics, he met with representatives of the International Republican Institute and National Democratic Institute to discuss democracy in the former Soviet republics. He also met with Russian military officials and visited several nuclear and biological weapons destruction sites in Russia, [[Ukraine]], and [[Azerbaijan]] with Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Richard Lugar (R-IN). On the same tour, he visited London, UK, and met with [[Tony Blair]], sitting UK Prime Minister.&lt;ref&gt;http://obama.senate.gov/press/050823-obama_to_visit/&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> Obama visited South Africa, Kenya, Ethiopia, Djibouti, and Chad; he discussed his tour of Robben Island prison, met with U.S. troops, and visited refugee camps of the people fleeing Darfur. He also addressed Africa's growing [[AIDS]] epidemic. &lt;ref&gt;http://obama.senate.gov/podcast/060906-090606_africa_t/&lt;/ref&gt; <br /> <br /> During a ten-day-long tour of the Middle East, he talked with government leaders in Qatar, Kuwait, Iraq, Jordan, and Israel. &lt;ref&gt; http://obama.senate.gov/news/060113-obama_wraps_up/&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> ==Religious affiliations==<br /> <br /> Obama and his wife (raised a Baptist) were members of the Trinity [[United Church of Christ]]&lt;ref&gt;http://www.tucc.org/about.htm&lt;/ref&gt; in Chicago. The church embraces [[black liberation theology]] and its emphasis on empowering oppressed groups against establishment forces. This denomination was the first in America to ordain gays, women and blacks as ministers.&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.mcclatchydc.com/227/story/31079.html], http://www.mcclatchydc.com/227/story/31079.html, Obama's church pushes controversial doctrines, March 20, 2008&lt;/ref&gt; According to his sister, Obama was baptized at this church the same year.&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/04/30/america/30obama.php?page=2 http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/04/30/america/30obama.php?page=2]&lt;/ref&gt; Obama describes his conversion in ''The Audacity of Hope''. The title of this book is taken from one of Pastor Wright's sermons. <br /> In April 2008, Obama disavowed Pastor Wright's views. In May 2008, Obama left his church. His response blamed the media &lt;ref&gt;[http://elections.foxnews.com/2008/05/31/obama-resigns-church-membership-in-chicago/], Obama Drops Church Membership in Chicago, may 31, 2008&lt;/ref&gt;, stating “It’s not fair to the other members of the church who seek to worship in peace...&quot;, and called Wright's rhetoric &quot;&quot;a bunch of rants that aren't grounded in the truth.&quot;&lt;ref&gt;USA TODAY, ''Obama breaks with former pastor, Candidate cites rants on U.S. role in terror, AIDS'', by Kathy Kiely and David Jackson [http://www.usatoday.com/printedition/news/20080430/1a_offlede30_dom.art.htm]&lt;/ref&gt;&lt;ref&gt;''Obama Says He Is Outraged By Wright's &quot;Rants&quot;''[http://www.usnews.com/usnews/politics/bulletin/bulletin_080430.htm]&lt;/ref&gt; Wright had been making inflammatory comments and posting his sermons online for sale. These include the statements &quot;G-d damn America&quot; and describing the September 11th attacks, he said &quot;We have supported state terrorism against the Palestinians and black South Africans, and now we are indignant because the stuff we have done overseas is now brought right back to our own front yards. America's chickens are coming home to roost.&quot;&lt;ref&gt;[ http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/Story?id=4443788 Obama's Pastor: G-d Damn America, U.S. to Blame for 9/11]&lt;/ref&gt; In addition, Rev. Wright blamed America saying &quot;We supported Zionism shamelessly while ignoring the Palestinians and branding anybody who spoke out against it as being anti-Semitic.&quot; <br /> <br /> [[Image:Barack Obama Jeremiah Wright.jpg|thumb|Barack Obama and Jeremiah Wright.]]<br /> <br /> [[Daniel Pipes]] claims that Obama was raised a [[Muslim]] because he attended classes on the Koran while attending a Muslim school.&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.danielpipes.org/article/5286 Was Barack Obama a Muslim&lt;/ref&gt; Obama did attend a school administrated by Muslims but [[CNN]] reports that it was a non-religious public school attended by students of many faiths, not a [[madrassa]].&lt;ref&gt;http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/01/22/obama.madrassa/&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> {{QuoteBox|In Indonesia, I'd spent 2 years at a Muslim school, 2 years at a Catholic school. In the Muslim school, the teacher wrote to tell mother I made faces during Koranic studies. In the Catholic school, when it came time to pray, I'd pretend to close my eyes, then peek around the room. Nothing happened. No angels descended. Just a parched old nun and 30 brown children, muttering words. Sometimes the nun would catch me, and her stern look would force my lids back shut. But that didn't change how I felt inside.&quot;}}&lt;ref&gt;Dreams from My Father, by Barack Obama, p.142 Aug 1, 1996 &lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> Obama has described his upbringing as occurring in a non-religious environment. <br /> <br /> {{QuoteBox|In sum, my mother viewed religion through the eyes of the anthropologist that she would become; it was a phenomenon to be treated with a suitable respect, but with a suitable detachment as well. Moreover, as a child I rarely came in contact with those who might offer a substantially different view of faith. My father was almost entirely absent from my childhood, having been divorced from my mother when I was 2 years old; in any event, although my father had been raised a Muslim, by the time he met my mother he was a confirmed atheist, thinking religion to be so much superstition.<br /> <br /> And yet for all her professed secularism, my mother was in many ways the most spiritually awakened person that I've ever known. She had an unswerving instinct for kindness, charity, and love, and spent much of her life acting on that instinct, sometimes to her detriment. Without the help of religious texts or outside authorities, she worked mightily to instill in me the values that many Americans learn in Sunday school: honesty, empathy, discipline, delayed gratification, and hard work. She raged at poverty and injustice.}}&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1546579-4,00.html My Spiritual Journey] Time Magazine, October 2006&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> == Books ==<br /> <br /> * ''Dreams from My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance.'' (B. Obama and, allegedly, William Ayers) ISBN 0307383415<br /> * ''The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream.'' (B. Obama) ISBN 0307455874<br /> * ''Barack Obama in His Own Words.'' (B. Obama and Lisa Rogak) ISBN 0786720573<br /> * ''Change We Can Believe In. Barack Obama's Plan to Renew America's Promise.'' (B. Obama)<br /> * ''The Case Against Barack Obama. The Unlikely Rise and Unexamined Agenda of the Media's Favorite Candidate. '' (David Freddso) ISBN 1596985666 <br /> * ''The Obama Nation. Leftist Politics and the Cult of Personality.'' (Jerome R. Corsi) ISBN 1416598065 <br /> * ''Obama Unmasked. Did Slick Hollywood Handlers Create the Perfect Candidate?'' (Floyd Brown and Lee Trexler) ISBN 0936783591 <br /> * ''Obama: The Man Behind The Mask.'' (Andy Martin) ISBN 0965781240 <br /> * ''The Audacity of Deceit. Barack Obama's War on American Values.'' (Brad O'Leary) ISBN 1935071025<br /> <br /> ==Published criticism==<br /> On April 11, 2007, staff writers of ''The Boston Globe'' reported the criticisms of several black commentators regarding Obama's apparent hesitation to join the race to condemn acclaimed radio personality [[Don Imus]],&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2007/04/11/obamas_silence_on_imus_alarms_some_blacks/ Obama's silence on Imus alarms some blacks], Rick Klein and Joseph Williams, ''The Boston Globe'', April 11, 2007.&lt;/ref&gt; who made a racially insensitive remark&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.reuters.com/article/industryNews/idUSN1237895620070412|title=Furor over Imus puts heat on other broadcasters], Daniel Trotta, Reuters, 2007-04-12.&lt;/ref&gt; on the air during the April 4 broadcast. Obama did not comment on Imus's remarks until well after prominent civil rights leaders [[Al Sharpton]] and [[Jesse Jackson]] had called Imus to account and after Imus was suspended by MSNBC and CBS Radio. Obama later weighed in on April 10 by saying, &quot;The comments of Don Imus were divisive, hurtful, and offensive to Americans of all backgrounds.&quot; &lt;br /&gt; <br /> <br /> The ''Globe'' reported that Obama's perceived delay in addressing Don Imus's remarks was described by Melissa Harris Lacewell, a professor of politics and African-American studies at Princeton University, as &quot;miss[ing] an opportunity to prove himself to blacks and white liberals who would have wanted Obama take the lead in denouncing Imus.&quot;&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2007/04/11/obamas_silence_on_imus_alarms_some_blacks/ Obama's silence on Imus alarms some blacks], Rick Klein and Joseph Williams, ''The Boston Globe'', April 11, 2007.&lt;/ref&gt;&lt;ref&gt;[http://time-blog.com/real_clear_politics/2007/04/obama_race_and_the_election.html Obama, Race, and The Election,] ''Real Clear Politics.com''&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> In June 2007 the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' reported Obama had actually received nearly three times more campaign cash from indicted slum landlord Tony Rezko&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.suntimes.com/news/metro/353829,CST-NWS-rez23.article Barack Obama and his slumlord patron], Tim Novak, Chicago Sun-Times, April 23, 2007.&lt;/ref&gt; and his associates than Obama has publicly acknowledged.&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.suntimes.com/news/politics/432197,CST-NWS-obama18.article Rezko cash triple what Obama says], Chris Fusco and Tim Novak, ''Chicago Sun-Times'', June 18, 2007.&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> Executive vice president Wayne LaPierre of the [[NRA]] accuses Barack Obama of &quot;mouthing pro-Second amendment words and pandering to gun owners&quot; on the campaign trail.&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.gopusa.com/news/2008/may/0514_nra_mccain.shtml], http://www.gopusa.com/news/2008/may/0514_nra_mccain.shtml, NRA chief stresses common ground with McCain, Associated Press, May 14, 2008&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> [[McCain]] Aide Says Obama Has Sept. 10 Mind-Set &quot;an extremely dangerous and extremely naive approach toward terrorism&quot; &lt;ref&gt;[http://www.newsmax.com/politics/mccain_obama/2008/06/17/105265.html], AP McCain Aide Says Obama Has Sept. 10 Mind-Set, June 17, 2008&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> ===Birth Certificate Controversy===<br /> During the democratic primaries the Clinton Campaign lead a smear campaign against the validity of Barack Obama's Hawaii Birth certificate, claiming that it is false and that he is ineligible for Presidency. &lt;ref&gt;[http://campaignspot.nationalreview.com/post/?q=ZTgxZmIwNTg0OWVhMWJkODNmZjI4ZjY4Mjg2OWRmNzI= http://campaignspot.nationalreview.com/post/?q=ZTgxZmIwNTg0OWVhMWJkODNmZjI4ZjY4Mjg2OWRmNzI=]&lt;/ref&gt; After initially refusing to produce a birth certificate in response to such rumors, the Obama campaign eventually endorsed a document posted on the Daily Kos as <br /> authentic.&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2008/6/12/11012/6168/320/534616 Obama's Birth Certificate]&lt;/ref&gt; The response is split regarding the birth certificate. Some commentators, such as those at the National Review, are satisfied with the document.&lt;ref&gt;[http://campaignspot.nationalreview.com/post/?q=NWVjN2I1MjlhM2ZjZjRjYzBkODAxZjZkZGQyYWNkMDk= http://campaignspot.nationalreview.com/post/?q=NWVjN2I1MjlhM2ZjZjRjYzBkODAxZjZkZGQyYWNkMDk=]&lt;/ref&gt; However, some analysts claim that the birth certificate is false.&lt;ref&gt;[http://web.israelinsider.com/Articles/Politics/12939.htm http://web.israelinsider.com/Articles/Politics/12939.htm]&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> On August 21st, 2008, Factcheck.org published an article regarding the controversy.&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.factcheck.org/elections-2008/born_in_the_usa.html Born in the U.S.A.]&lt;/ref&gt; The site stated, &quot;FactCheck.org staffers have now seen, touched, examined and photographed the original birth certificate. We conclude that it meets all of the requirements from the State Department for proving U.S. citizenship.&quot; In addition, the site posted high-resolution photographs of the birth certificate, which clearly showed the raised seal, stamp of Hawaii state registrar Alvin T. Onaka, and certificate number. The birth date corresponds to a birth announcement published in the ''Honolulu Advertiser '' on Sunday, August 13, 1961. &lt;ref&gt;http://texasdarlin.wordpress.com/2008/07/23/obama-was-born-in-hawaii-wrong-can-of-worms/&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> A Philadelphia attorney, Phillip Berg, has filed a lawsuit against the DNC and Barack Obama. Berg maintains that Sen. Obama is not a natural born U.S. citizen or that, if he ever was, he lost his citizenship when he was adopted in Indonesia. Berg also cites what he calls &quot;dual loyalties&quot; due to his citizenship and ties with Kenya and Indonesia. The &quot;dual loyalties&quot; which have not been shown to exist do not violate any constitutional or legal precedents and would make Sen. Obama a poor choice for President, not an invalid choice.<br /> <br /> Obama website Fight The Smears has confirmed that Obama was once a Kenyan citizen until 1982. Attorney Philips Berg's lawsuit is being challenged by the Obama Campaign. Instead of producing the original birth certificate in court and paying a number of legal fees and taking several days out of his busy campaigning schedule the Obama campaign had the case dropped on the grounds that it lacked any supporting evidence. &lt;ref&gt;http://neighbors.denverpost.com/viewtopic.php?t=10815605&lt;/ref&gt; The fact that Mr. Berg's dual arguments were mutually contradictory may also have contributed.<br /> <br /> The state of Hawaii announced that the &quot;Certification of Live Birth&quot; document is legitimate and official. Since the state of Hawaii is the issuing body, they have ultimate authority with regards to the matter.&lt;ref&gt;http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/20081031/BREAKING01/81031064/0/BREAKING04&lt;/ref&gt; Critics rightfully point out such documents actually were issued for children not born in the state.<br /> <br /> Adding fuel to the fire is Obama's persistent refusal to release documents that could provide answers. While his supporters cite an online version of a &quot;Certification of Live Birth&quot; from Hawaii. &lt;ref&gt;[http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&amp;pageId=92810 Justice, Supremes confirm getting eligibility challenge] WND, March 24, 2009&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> [[Bob Schultz]] with the [[We The People Foundation]] said: <br /> <br /> &quot;In the end, there is no practical reason why Obama refuses to produce his original birth certificate. He... has a duty to provide evidence that he meets the explicit requirements established by the Constitution.&quot; <br /> <br /> [[Nancy Salvato]] with [[BasicsProject|BasicsProject.org]] perhaps put it best: <br /> <br /> &quot;What perturbs the rest of us is that President Obama has failed to produce a legitimate birth certificate. He has a team of lawyers who are opposing the examination of his sealed records in Hawaii. What he produced was a certificate of live birth... not a birth certificate. The rest of us are appalled at the lack of media examination surrounding the fact that there is no law requiring that a candidate for the highest office in our land produce an authentic birth certificate which proves natural citizenship.&quot;<br /> <br /> ==Quotes==<br /> * Early in his campaign for president in 2007, Obama declared in an interview with the [[Chicago Tribune]], &quot;I'm a [[Christian]]. And so, although I try not to have my religious beliefs dominate or determine my political views on this issue ... my religious beliefs say that [[marriage]] is something sanctified between a man and a woman.&quot;&lt;ref&gt;http://thehill.com/cheri-jacobus/obama-and-miss-california-2009-04-23.html&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> ==See also==<br /> *[[Previous Breaking News/Barack Obama|Articles about '''Barack Obama''' from previous &quot;Breaking News&quot;]]<br /> *[[Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN)]]<br /> *[[Birthplace of Barack Obama]]<br /> *[[Essay:Born Outside the U.S.A.!]]<br /> *[[Essay: The Special Interests Candidate]]<br /> *[[Lobbyists ties to the Obama administration]]<br /> *[[New Party]]<br /> *[[Obama Administration‎]]<br /> *[[Obama birth certificate lawsuits]]<br /> *[[Obama doublespeak]]<br /> *[[Obama inauguration]]<br /> *[[Religion of Barack Hussein Obama]]<br /> *[[The Honorable James David Manning]]<br /> <br /> ==Further reading==<br /> *[[Peter Hitchens|Hitchens, Peter]] [http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/worldnews.html?in_article_id=511901&amp;in_page_id=1811 ''The Black Kennedy: But does anyone know the real Barack Obama?''] [[Daily Mail]]. Accessed 4 February 2008.<br /> <br /> ==Sources==<br /> &lt;small&gt;<br /> *[http://www.barackobama.com/ Offical Obama for President Website]<br /> *[http://www.opensecrets.org/pfds/pfd2005/N00009638_2005.pdf Barack Obama Personal Financial Disclosures Summary: 2005], retrieved from opensecrets.org 17 June 2007.<br /> *[http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=O000167 Biographical Directory of the United States Congress]<br /> *[http://www.law.uchicago.edu/faculty/obama/cv.html University of Chicago Law School] Faculty Listing<br /> *[http://www.biography.com/search/article.do?id=12782369 Barack Obama Biography] from Biography.com<br /> *[http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/o/barack_obama/index.html?inline=nyt-per New York Times Topics, Barack Obama]<br /> *[http://youtube.com/watch?v=zUdjhKbImwE Documentary on Barack Hussein Obama]<br /> *[http://www.votesmart.org/voting_category.php?can_id=9490 Voting Record of Barack Hussein Obama]&lt;/small&gt;<br /> <br /> ==References==<br /> {{reflist|3}}<br /> <br /> ==External Links==<br /> *[http://www.antiobama.net/ Anti Obama.net]<br /> *[http://www.dontvoteobama.net/ Dont Vote For Obama.net]<br /> *[http://nobamanetwork.com/ Nobama Network]<br /> *[http://www.audacityofhypocrisy.com/ Audacity Of Hypocrisy]<br /> *[http://therealbarackobama.wordpress.com/ The Real Barack Obama]<br /> *[http://www.spiked-online.com/index.php?/site/article/6130/ The New Cult of Personality]<br /> *[http://www.survivingobamunism.com/index.html Surviving Obamunism T-shirts]<br /> *[http://www.barackobamaantichrist.blogspot.com/ Barack Obama the Anti-Christ ?]<br /> *[http://www.noquarterusa.net/blog/2008/06/23/che-obama-and-the-revolutionary-agenda/ Che, Obama, and the Revolutionary Agenda]</div>

DerekSmalls https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=User:DerekSmalls/Obama_draft&diff=667022 2009-05-27T03:32:29Z

<p>DerekSmalls: </p> <hr /> <div>work in progress, the original Obama Article is here so I can edit it<br /> {{President<br /> |image=President Barack Obama.jpg<br /> |seq=44<br /> |term_start=January 20, 2009<br /> |term_end=January 20, 2013<br /> |party=Democrat<br /> |vp=Joe Biden<br /> |previous=George W. Bush<br /> |next=<br /> |birth_date=August 4, 1961<br /> |age={{age|1961|8|4}}<br /> |birth_place=<br /> |death_date=<br /> |death_place=<br /> |spouse=Michelle LaVaughn Robinson Obama<br /> |spouse2=<br /> |religion=Described in this entry<br /> }}<br /> '''Barack Hussein Obama II''' (allegedly&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.worldnetdaily.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&amp;pageId=82033]&lt;/ref&gt;&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.factcheck.org/UploadedFiles/birth_certificate_5.jpg Large, high-resolution picture of his birth certificate]&lt;/ref&gt;&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.kitv.com/politics/17860890/detail.html?rss=hon&amp;psp=news KITV Honolulu report]&lt;/ref&gt;&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.newsmax.com/farber/Obama_birth_certificate/2009/04/06/200320.html]&lt;/ref&gt;&lt;ref&gt;Obama's [[African]] grandmother Sarah Hussein Obama says Barack was born in her presence in Kenya.[http://www.israelnationalnews.com/Blogs/Message.aspx/3074 Obama Born In Kenya? His Grandmother Says Yes, Israali News, October 12, 2008][http://www.worldnetdaily.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&amp;pageId=78931 Democrat: Obama's grandma confirms Kenyan birth, WND, October 23, 2008][http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=b58_1225645143 Audio Conversation Link]&lt;/ref&gt; born in [[Honolulu]] Aug. 4, 1961) is the 44th president of the [[United States]], <br /> and previously served as a first-term [[Democratic party|Democratic]] [[Senator]] from [[Illinois]] (2004-2008). Obama and his running mate [[Senator Joseph Biden]] won the presidential election&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.newsmax.com/insidecover/obama_wins_presidency/2008/11/04/147788.html?utm_medium=RSS]&lt;/ref&gt; after 23 months of campaigning that spent over $700 million,&lt;ref&gt;http://www.opensecrets.org/pres08/summary.php?cid=N00009638&lt;/ref&gt; most of it raised from undisclosed donors. <br /> <br /> As President, Obama has pushed for establishing a Palestinian state over the objection of [[Israel]]'s Prime Minister,&lt;ref&gt;http://www.indianexpress.com/news/us-is-not-and-will-never-be-at-war-with-islam....-many-americans-have.../444572/&lt;/ref&gt; for inclusion of [[Turkey]] in the [[European Union]],&lt;ref&gt;http://apnews.myway.com/article/20090406/D97D32C00.html&lt;/ref&gt; and for closing the prison for suspected terrorists at [[Guantanamo Bay]] to transfer them to U.S. facilities. The Democratic-controlled Congress repudiated Obama by denying funding for that transfer, and leaders from both parties spoke against it.&lt;ref&gt;http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/article6326589.ece&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> Obama's budget and stimulus bill advanced his [[Socialism|socialist]] idea of &quot;spreading the wealth.&quot;&lt;ref&gt;&quot;My attitude is that if the economy's good for folks from the bottom up, it's gonna be good for everybody. I think when you spread the wealth around, it's good for everybody.&quot; [http://www.nypost.com/seven/10152008/news/politics/obama_fires_a_robin_hood_warning_shot_133685.htm OBAMA FIRES A 'ROBIN HOOD' WARNING SHOT], N.Y. Post &lt;/ref&gt;&lt;ref&gt;John McCain quipped during the campaign, &quot;He's running for Redistributor In Chief, I'm running for Commander In Chief.&quot;[http://elections.foxnews.com/2008/10/31/mccain-hungry-upset-obama-eyes-landslide/ McCain Attacks Obama's Faith in Americans] Fox News, 10-31-2008. The slogan &quot;from each according to their ability to each according to their need&quot; is an idea originally proposed by [[Karl Marx]] and could be the inspiration for the centrally planned economy Obama plans to introduce to the US when he is installed into office.&lt;/ref&gt; His health care plan would force employers to purchase health care or pay a fine and will force many into a poorly run single payer system.&lt;ref&gt;The socialization of health care will force taxpayers to pay for healthcare for those who refuse to or can not afford to purchase it themselves.&lt;/ref&gt; To announce his trip to [[Berlin]] in July 2008, Obama used posters which show a marked similarity to posters of [[Lenin]] and [[Che Guevara]].&lt;ref&gt;[http://andrightlyso.com/2008/07/24/obama-lenin-gaffe/ Obama's direct copy of a Lenin poster for his Berlin visit]&lt;/ref&gt;&lt;ref&gt;[http://michellemalkin.com/2008/05/31/the-la-times-looks-into-the-obama-che-iconcography-connection/ The LA Times looks into the Obama-Che iconcography connection] by Michelle Malkin &lt;/ref&gt; During Obama's youth in Hawaii, he developed a strong, almost Father/Son relationship with Frank Marshall Davis, a known Communist&lt;ref&gt;http://www.aim.org/aim-report/is-barack-obama-a-marxist-mole/ &quot;Is Barack Obama a Marxist Mole?&quot;, Accuracy in Media.&lt;/ref&gt; while Obama has stated that his favorite professors in school were themselves Marxists.<br /> <br /> Catholic Archbishop Charles Chaput of Denver, where Obama was nominated for president, criticized Obama as the &quot;most committed&quot; [[abortion]]-supporting candidate &quot;since the ''[[Roe v. Wade]]'' abortion decision in 1973.&quot;&lt;ref&gt;http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/new.php?n=14088&lt;/ref&gt; Obama said &quot;the first thing I'd do as President is sign the Freedom of Choice Act.&quot;&lt;ref&gt;[http://christiannewswire.com/news/560716251.html]&lt;/ref&gt; It &quot;would invalidate virtually all state and federal limitations on abortion, and would make [[partial-birth abortion]] legal again.&quot;&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.lifenews.com/nat3961.html], http://www.lifenews.com/nat3961.html, Pro-Life Voters Must Work Overtime to Stop Pro-Abortion Barack Obama, June 4, 2008. Indeed, Obama was upset with the decision of the [[United States Supreme Court|Supreme Court]] not to strike down the law passed by the [[United States Congress]] to prohibit partial-birth abortion, believing that partial-birth abortion is guaranteed right of the [[United States Constitution|Constitution]] and that there should be no ability to legislate against it.&lt;/ref&gt; <br /> <br /> The [[Association of American Physicians and Surgeons]] observed that Obama used techniques of [[mind control]] in his campaign, as in this speech: &quot;a light will shine down from somewhere, it will light upon you, you will experience an epiphany, and you will say to yourself, 'I have to vote for Barack.'&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;mind control&quot;&gt;http://www.aapsonline.org/newsoftheday/0089 . The doctors observe that &quot;Obama's logo is noteworthy. It is always there, a small one in the middle of the podium, providing a point of visual fixation ... [that] resembles a crystal ball, a favorite of hypnotists.&quot;&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> ==Obama is likely the first Muslim President==<br /> [[Image:OBAMA MUSULMAN.jpg|left|thumb|President-Elect Obama wearing traditional African garb, a gift from his hosts while visiting Kenya&lt;ref&gt;[http://sweetness-light.com/archive/obama-wore-muslim-gear-during-kenya-trip]&lt;/ref&gt;]]<br /> The argument that Obama is a Muslim includes:<br /> <br /> *Obama declared in prepared remarks, &quot;The United States has been enriched by Muslim Americans. Many other Americans have Muslims in their families or have lived in a Muslim-majority country - I know, because '''I am one of them'''.&quot;&lt;ref&gt;http://apnews.myway.com/article/20090406/D97D32C00.html&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> *Obama's background, education, and outlook are [[Muslim]], and fewer than 1% of Muslims convert to Christianity.&lt;ref&gt;http://www.religionnewsblog.com/17736/barack-obama-2&lt;/ref&gt;&lt;ref&gt;http://www.faithfreedom.org/oped/sina31103.htm. During the third and fourth grades, Obama learned about Islam for two hours each week in religion class, according to the LATimes. [http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/nation/bal-te.obama16mar16,0,1634059,print.story?coll=bal_news_nation_promo Campaign downplays his connection during boyhood in Indonesia, Baltimore Sun, March 16, 2007]&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> *Obama's middle name (Hussein) references '''Husayn''', who was the grandson of [[Muhammad]],&lt;ref&gt; Oxford Dictionary of First Names, 2nd edition (2007).[http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/277459/al-Husayn-ibn-Ali].&lt;/ref&gt; which most Christians would not retain.&lt;ref&gt;Only after Obama became politically ambitious did he declare himself to be a [[Christian]], yet he never replaced his [[Muslim]] name &quot;Hussein&quot; with a Christian one as most do when they undergo a religious conversion. For example, when the Italian journalist Magdi Allam recently converted to Christianity, he took a new name: &quot;Cristiano&quot;.[http://www.catholic.org/international/international_story.php?id=30814] When Saul became a Christian, he changed his name to &quot;Paul&quot;; when the famous boxer Cassius Clay converted to [[Islam]], he took the Muslim name of [[Muhammad Ali]]. &quot;It is common for those converting to a new religion to change their name on conversion&quot;[http://www.ukdp.co.uk/pages/religiousconversion.php] or adopt a Christian name at [[baptism]].[http://www.answers.com/topic/christian-name]&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> *Obama recently mentioned his religion as &quot;[[my Muslim faith]].&quot;&lt;ref&gt;Obama declared, &quot;John McCain has not talked about my Muslim faith.&quot;[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iQqIpdBOg6I]&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> *He has said that &quot;Islam can be compatible with the modern world.&quot;&lt;ref&gt; [http://www.newsweek.com/id/145971 Barack Obama's Christian Journey | Newsweek Politics: Campaign 2008]&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> *Obama said the Muslim call to prayer is &quot;one of the prettiest sounds on Earth at sunset,&quot; and recited &quot;with a first-class [[Arabic]] accent&quot; the opening lines: Allah is Supreme! ... I witness that there is no god but Allah ....&quot;&lt;ref&gt;http://www.wnd.com/index.php?pageId=78309&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> *Obama stated that the autobiography of Malcolm X, a Nation of Islam leader who became a Muslim, inspired him in his youth.&lt;ref&gt;For example, Obama writes in his own autobiography, &quot;Only Malcolm X's autobiography seemed to offer something different. His repeated acts of self-creation spoke to me. The blunt poetry of his words, his unadorned insistence on respect, promised a new and uncompromising order, martial in its discipline, forged through sheer force of will. ... [E]ven as I imagine myself following Malcolm's call, one line in the book stayed with me. He spoke of a wish he'd once had, the wish that the white blood that ran through him, there by an act of violence, might somehow be expunged.&quot;[http://www.americanthinker.com/2008/04/does_obama_know_america.html]&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> *Obama raised nearly $1 million and campaigned for a [[Kenyan]] presidential candidate who had a written agreement with [[Muslim]] leaders promising to convert Kenya to an Islamic state that bans Christianity.&lt;ref&gt; [http://www.worldnetdaily.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&amp;pageId=78324] Text of the agreement, as three images: [http://www.worldnetdaily.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&amp;pageId=78323]&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> *Obama's claims of conversion to Christianity arose after he became politically ambitious, lacking a date of conversion or baptism.&lt;ref&gt;In his book, Obama oddly claims to have been baptized without giving his age or date, and later gave a date that postdates his political ambition (1992).&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> *On the campaign trail, Obama was reading &quot;The Post-American World&quot; by [[Fareed Zakaria]],&lt;ref&gt;http://www.canada.com/topics/news/world/story.html?id=fa8cf1bf-2cc8-4d6e-b72d-a07d406e19ff&lt;/ref&gt; which is written from a Muslim point-of-view.&lt;ref&gt;http://www.villagevoice.com/2005-08-09/news/the-interpreter/&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> *Contrary to [[Christianity]], the Islamic doctrine of [[taqiyya]] encourages adherents to deny they are Muslim if it advances the cause of Islam.<br /> *Obama uses the Muslim Pakistani pronunciation for &quot;Pakistan&quot; rather than the common American one.&lt;ref&gt;Obama repeatedly pronounced &quot;Pakistan&quot; as &quot;Pokiston&quot; in the first presidential debate.&lt;/ref&gt; <br /> *Obama was thoroughly exposed to Christianity as an adult in Chicago prior to attending law school, yet no one at law school saw him display any interest in converting. Obama unabashedly explained how he became &quot;churched&quot; in a 2007 speech: &quot;It's around that time [while working as an organizer for the Developing Communities Project (DCP) of the Calumet Community Religious Conference (CCRC) in Chicago] that some pastors I was working with came around and asked if I was a member of a church. 'If you're organizing churches,' they said, 'it might be helpful if you went to a church once in a while.' And I thought, 'I guess that makes sense.'&quot;&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.speroforum.com/site/article.asp?id=15363 Obama, ACORN, and the churches] SperoNews, October 7, 2008&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> *Obama is mentioned as helping to organize the 1995 million man march led by black [[Muslim]] leader [[Louis Farrakhan]] from the [[Nation of Islam]]. &lt;ref&gt;[http://www.biography.com/search/article.do?id=9291850 Louis Farrakhan Biography] Biography.com&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> *Obama has chosen the [[Secret Service]] code name &quot;Renegade&quot;. &quot;Renegade&quot; conventionally describes someone who goes against normal conventions of behavior, but its first usage was to describe someone who has turned from their religion. It is a word derived from the [[Spanish]] ''renegado'', meaning &quot;Christian turned Muslim.&quot;&lt;ref&gt;http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/barackobama/3452281/Renegade-and-Renaissance-Obama-to-replace-Trailblazer-and-Tempo-Bush-in-the-White-House.html&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> *Obama enjoyed a bigger increase in voter support in 2008 (compared to 2004) by Muslims than by any other voting group, including blacks;&lt;ref&gt;http://www.altmuslim.com/a/a/a/2873/&lt;/ref&gt; &quot;Muslim turnout in the U.S. elections reached 95 percent, the highest Muslim turnout in U.S. history.&quot;&lt;ref&gt;http://newsweek.washingtonpost.com/postglobal/islamsadvance/2008/11/is_obama_the_muslim_worlds_sup.html&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> *&quot;President-elect [[Barack Obama]] has yet to attend [Sunday] church services since winning the [[White House]] earlier ..., a departure from the example of his two immediate predecessors.&quot;&lt;ref&gt;http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1108/15902.html&lt;/ref&gt;&lt;ref&gt;http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/washingtondc/la-na-obama-religion26-2008dec26,0,1910913.story&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> *Obama used his Muslim middle name when sworn in as President.&lt;ref&gt;http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/ET_Cetera/Obama_to_take_oath_using_middle_name_/articleshow/3813120.cms&lt;/ref&gt;&lt;ref&gt;http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/12/10/politics/main4660590.shtml?source=RSSattr=Politics_4660590&lt;/ref&gt; <br /> *Obama botched his public oath of office in which he placed his hand on a Bible, then chose not to use the Bible for his real, private oath.<br /> [[Image:Obamabow.jpg|thumb|right|President Obama bowing to the King of Saudi Arabia - April 2009]]<br /> *'''At the G20 summit in April 2009, Obama bowed deeply to Saudi King Abdullah, a Muslim who is also the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques.'''&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LEUif1--r38&amp;feature=player_embedded Video of Obama bowing almost to King's waist]&lt;/ref&gt; Never before in the history of the U.S. has a president displayed such shocking deference to a foreign official and Obama has not bowed to any other royal leaders. Obama later stated, &quot;We have to change our behavior in showing the Muslim world greater respect.&quot;&lt;ref&gt;http://washingtontimes.com/news/2009/apr/07/barack-takes-a-bow/&lt;/ref&gt; Obama's spin doctors and left-wing apologists dismissed the obviousness of the bow. One anonymous aide stated, &quot;It wasn't a bow. He grasped his hand with two hands, and he's taller than King Abdullah.&quot;&lt;ref&gt;http://www.onenewsnow.com/Blog/Default.aspx?id=483326&lt;/ref&gt; However, in video of the incident, Obama's left hand can clearly be seen staying at his side until after he had finished his bow.&lt;ref&gt;http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9WlqW6UCeaY&lt;/ref&gt; Additionally, Obama also met with Queen Elizabeth, who is much shorter than King Abdullah, but he did not bow when he shook her hand and neither he nor the queen appeared to have any difficulty.&lt;ref&gt;http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=71N34K9EVLU&lt;/ref&gt; (Many liberals and even a handful of conservatives have proposed that President Bush also bowed before King Abdullah.&lt;ref&gt;http://littlegreenfootballs.com/article/33289_Bush_Bowed_Too&lt;/ref&gt; However, there is a vast, inexorable difference between bending down to receive a medal as Bush did and bowing in deference to a foreign leader as Obama did.)<br /> *Obama required that a religiously affiliated college take the extraordinary action of concealing with wood the monogram &quot;IHS&quot;, which represents the name of Jesus, during a speech by Obama there&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.foxnews.com/politics/first100days/2009/04/16/georgetown-university-hid-religious-symbols-white-house-request/ Georgetown hides Jesus' name at request of Obama's White House]&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> Obama tries to downplay his [[Islamic]] background by claiming that his [[Kenya|Kenyan]] [[Muslim]] father was a &quot;confirmed [[atheist]]&quot; before Obama was born, but in fact less than 1% of Kenyans are atheists, agnostics, or non-religious.&lt;ref&gt;http://www.adherents.com/Na/Na_14.html&lt;/ref&gt; There is apparently no evidence of any Christian activities or local church participation by Obama while he was in Massachusetts from 1988 to 1991, nor of Barack Obama's joining of a Mosque (The Islamic house of worship) at any time in his life. Finally, Obama abruptly left his radical Christian church in Chicago in 2008, when it became politically controversial, without first finding another church to join. On April 7, 2009, Obama visited a mosque in Istanbul, Turkey.&lt;ref&gt;http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=CNG.c2e3700ab4e271bc32827b0fccfe560b.421&amp;show_article=1&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> __TOC__ &lt;!--Do not remove this. We want to keep the insights on the first screen of viewing--&gt;<br /> <br /> ==Obama and Elitism and Ayers==<br /> <br /> Obama has consistently shown himself to be an elitist who looks down on &quot;ordinary&quot; Americans. Asked to explain why working-class [[Democrats]] do not support him while campaigning for the [[Pennsylvania]] primary, Obama replied &quot;it's not surprising, then, they get bitter, they cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren't like them or anti-immigrant sentiment or anti-trade sentiment as a way to explain their frustrations.&quot;&lt;ref&gt;http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7344532.stm&lt;/ref&gt; In response to outrage when his remarks were unexpectedly publicized, Obama did not recount his statement but instead replied, I &quot;didn't say it as well as I should have.&quot;&lt;ref&gt;http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7344532.stm&lt;/ref&gt; Although many rural counties went for McCain, Obama carried the state with 54.6% of the vote, compared to 44.3% for John McCain.&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.electionreturns.state.pa.us/ElectionsInformation.aspx?FunctionID=13&amp;ElectionID=28&amp;OfficeID=1]&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> In an attempt counter the view by many that Obama is an elitist, he began running campaign ads claiming that he &quot;worked his way through college and Harvard Law.&quot; This claim is at best an exaggeration, as Obama only held summer jobs while in college and law school&lt;ref&gt;http://www.factcheck.org/elections-2008/obamas_work_claim.html&lt;/ref&gt;, and he would have likely benefited from special scholarships not available to most students.<br /> <br /> Obama almost always reads from prepared text on a [[teleprompter]] and rarely allows tough questions.&lt;ref&gt;After one debate against [[Hillary Clinton]] in Philadelphia, the Obama campaign announced that the questions were too difficult and that Obama would not agree to future debates with her.&lt;/ref&gt;&lt;ref name=&quot;teleprompter&quot;&gt;The Daily Standard, ''Obama Unplugged Lost without a Teleprompter'', by Dean Barnett, 02/12/2008[http://www.weeklystandard.com/content/public/articles/000/000/014/728ofzey.asp]&lt;/ref&gt; Indeed, when unable to read from prepared text he often fails at articulating his positions and is caught tripping over his own feet.&lt;ref&gt;This was first displayed in the Saddleback Forum, and has occurred subsequently also.&lt;/ref&gt; His most recent debate performances illustrate that he may have been extensively coached over the course of 2008, although he still repeatedly fumbles at moments where he moves off his memorized remarks.<br /> <br /> Obama refers to America in the third person, as a foreigner would. In his first television interview after becoming president, Obama declared that &quot;all too often the United States starts by dictating.&quot; Earlier, when Obama gave his acceptance speech, he said &quot;We may not get there in one year or even one term, but America - I have never been more hopeful than I am tonight that we will get there.&quot;&lt;ref&gt;[http://news.yahoo.com/s/ynews/ynews_pl135]&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> President Obama is the first person having ties to a known former terrorist to gain control over America's nuclear weapons.&lt;ref&gt;http://www.clevelandleader.com/node/7127&lt;/ref&gt;&lt;ref&gt;http://elections.foxnews.com/2008/08/26/obama-associate-bill-ayers-unrepentant-for-acts-of-terror/&lt;/ref&gt; Author and blogger Jack Cashill requisitioned a comparison of the writing style of Bill Ayers' 2001 memoir, ''Fugitive Days'', with Barack Obama's earlier 1995 book, ''Dreams From My Father'', and came to the conclusion that Ayres may have ghostwritten Dreams.&lt;ref&gt;www.cashill.com, ''Who Wrote “Dreams From My Father&quot;?'', by Jack Cashill, October 9, 2008, retrieved on 10/16/2008 [http://www.cashill.com/natl_general/who_wrote_dreams_from.htm] Cashill states that a computer comparison of Obama's so-called autobiography with that of the terrorist Bill Ayers, supports the theory that Ayers actually wrote parts of Obama's book; also he wrote &quot;None of this, of course, proves Ayers' authorship conclusively, but the evidence makes him a much more likely candidate than Obama to have written the best parts of Dreams&quot;. &quot;In assessing the signature of sample passages from Dreams,&quot; the experienced analyst found &quot;a very strong match to all of the Ayers samples&quot; that he processed. He did not address the possibility that Ayers had plagiarized from Obama's earlier book. A philosophy professor from England disagreed.[http://wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&amp;pageId=77815]&lt;/ref&gt; Ayers admitted that he was &quot;guilty as hell&quot; in planting bombs in the 1970s, and that he has no regrets and felt he &quot;should have done more.&quot;&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.clevelandleader.com/node/7127]&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> ==Insights==<br /> <br /> Obama displayed ignorance about American history when he said, &quot;Throughout our history, America's confronted constantly evolving danger, from the oppression of an empire, to the lawlessness of the frontier, '''from the bomb that fell on Pearl Harbor''', to the threat of nuclear annihilation.&quot;&lt;ref&gt;http://www.weeklystandard.com/weblogs/TWSFP/2008/07/obama_ignorance_watch_1.asp&lt;/ref&gt; <br /> <br /> Obama has described himself as a constitutional law professor at the University of Chicago.&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2007/03/30/politics/p132303D74.DTL&amp;type=politics]&lt;/ref&gt; He held the position of Lecturer, an adjunct position, from 1992 to 1996.&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.law.uchicago.edu/media/index.html]&lt;/ref&gt; He held the position of Senior Lecturer from 1996 until his election to the senate in 2004.&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.law.uchicago.edu/media/index.html]&lt;/ref&gt; Dan Ronayne, a spokesman for the Republican National Committee, has pointed that Obama was only a senior lecturer and not a full professor. &lt;ref&gt;[http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2007/03/30/politics/p132303D74.DTL&amp;type=politics]&lt;/ref&gt;The University states that Senior Lecturers are regarded as professors, although not full-time or tenure track.&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.law.uchicago.edu/media/index.html]&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> In his 1995 memoir, ''Dreams from My Father'', Obama admitted using illegal drugs, including cocaine and marijuana, which he referred to as &quot;blow&quot; and &quot;pot&quot; respectively, in his high school years and into his college years, before claiming to choose a different path in life.&lt;ref&gt;http://www.nbc5.com/politics/3444371/detail.html&lt;/ref&gt;&lt;ref&gt;http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2008/02/26/obamas_senate_foreign_relations_work/&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> Obama wore an American flag lapel pin after [[9/11]], but later stopped wearing it without adequate explanation.&lt;ref&gt;http://www.swamppolitics.com/news/politics/blog/2007/10/when_did_obama_stop_wearing_a.html&lt;/ref&gt; Presumably it would have hurt him with anti-military campaign donors.&lt;ref&gt;In 2007, at critical moments in his campaign for the nomination, Obama had difficulties securing the support of anti-war activists. [http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/04/04/politics/main2645861.shtml]&lt;/ref&gt; Recently, he has begun wearing one again for reasons that are likely political pandering.<br /> <br /> In his memoirs, Obama claimed a ''[[Life]]'' magazine article about a man who had become ill after trying to lighten his skin color by chemical means had a major impact on him. In fact, ''Life'' never published any such article.&lt;ref&gt;http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/03/26/AR2007032601583.html&lt;/ref&gt;&lt;ref&gt;&quot;Then there's the copy of Life magazine that Obama presents as his racial awakening at age 9. In it, he wrote, was an article and two accompanying photographs of an African-American man physically and mentally scarred by his efforts to lighten his skin. In fact, the Life article and the photographs don't exist, say the magazine's own historians.&quot; [http://newsbusters.org/node/11641]&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> Obama said that &quot;[t]here was something stirring across the country because of what happened in Selma, [[Alabama]], because some folks are willing to march across a bridge. So they got together and Barack Obama Jr. was born.&quot; In fact, Obama was born in 1961 and the Selma march took place in 1965.&lt;ref&gt;http://michellemalkin.com/2008/05/21/barack-obama-gaffe-machine/&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> Obama states that he has consistently opposed the [[Iraq War]] since 2002, a claim and position that former President [[Bill Clinton]] criticized as &quot;the biggest fairy tale I've ever seen.&quot;&lt;ref&gt;http://www.reuters.com/article/politicsNews/idUSN1131516320080111&lt;/ref&gt; In his famous 2002 speech&lt;ref&gt;http://www.barackobama.com/2002/10/02/remarks_of_illinois_state_sen.php&lt;/ref&gt; at an anti-war rally, Obama said that he was against &quot;dumb wars&quot; and expressed some reservations about the Iraq War because he disagrees with the ideological agendas of the Bush administration, but he did not explicitly oppose the war. In his 2004 Democrat Convention speech, Obama said that he did not know how he would have voted on the Iraq War.<br /> <br /> Obama's campaign &quot;is proud to be actively participating in over 60 local and state wide [[homosexual]] Pride events over the summer.&quot;&lt;ref&gt;http://my.barackobama.com/page/community/post/jcitron/gG5VLs&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> Obama claimed to have visited 57 states while campaigning for President of the United States.&lt;ref&gt; [http://www.mediaresearch.org/BozellColumns/newscolumn/2008/col20080528.asp Barack Potatoe Obama?]&lt;/ref&gt; &lt;ref&gt;http://www.stoptheaclu.com/archives/2008/05/12/obamas-freudian-slip-there-are-57-islamic-states/&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> ==Charitable Giving==<br /> <br /> In the years 2000 through 2004, before becoming a United States Senator and being in the public spotlight, Obama gave 1% of his earnings to charity even though he made $250,000 per year. Since becoming a national figure, that amount has jumped to 6%.&lt;ref&gt;http://patterico.com/2008/10/31/obama-and-bidens-charitable-giving-they-dont-want-to-spread-their-own-wealth-around/&lt;/ref&gt; Obama's small donations are consistent with atheism and were perhaps influenced by his nonbelieving mother. According to a study by the Barna Group, atheists give less per capita in donations than religious Americans &lt;ref&gt;http://www.barna.org/FlexPage.aspx?Page=BarnaUpdateNarrow&amp;BarnaUpdateID=272 The Barna Update, 2007&lt;/ref&gt;.<br /> <br /> ==Aunt is in the United States Illegally==<br /> At the end of October 2008 it came to light that Obama's aunt is in the United States illegally and has been since 2004 when her request for asylum was turned down. She has been living in public tax payer funded housing in Boston. This may have some bearing on Obama's immigration policy given that a member of his own family is in violation of current US immigration law. There are also questions about how much Obama knew about this.&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27481680 Obama's Aunt Living in US Illegally]&lt;/ref&gt; The Obama campaign issued a statement to the effect that they had no knowledge of this situation and returned the donation she made to his campaign; in the United States it is illegal to accept campaign contributions from people who are not currently citizens or legal residents of the United States. &lt;ref&gt;http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/11/01/obama.aunt/index.html&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> ==Statements==<br /> Obama has been noted by several independent sources as misquoting historical events and statements by famous persons. A notable example came after Obama's win in the [[North Carolina]] democratic primary. Obama was quoted as saying, &quot;I trust the American people to understand that it is not weakness, but wisdom to talk not just to our friends, but to our enemies as Roosevelt did, and Kennedy did, and Truman did.&quot; (Franklin Delano) Roosevelt spoke with none of the [[Axis]] or [[Japanese]] leaders and the the only communication that was sent to them was unconditional surrender. (President) [[Harry Truman]] took over for FDR and continued his unconditional surrender philosophy as well as ending [[World War II]] with an atomic bomb.&lt;ref&gt;http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2008/05/obama_needs_to_study_history_b.html&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> ==Early life and education==<br /> Barack Hussein Obama II claims to have been born in [[Honolulu]], [[Hawaii]] to Barack Sr. and Ann Dunham in 1961, but there is evidence that he may have actually been born in Kenya. In 1967, he moved with his mother and new stepfather to Jakarta, [[Indonesia]]. He attended a [[Catholic]] elementary school for two years, followed by an Indonesian public school for two years. Media scrutiny in the light of Obama's campaign for President revealed that the Indonesia public school was not a madrassa, teaching Islam. His days off of school in observance of Islamic holidays were spent praying in a Mosque with his stepfather. &lt;ref&gt;[http://www.newsmax.com/insidecover/pipes_obama_muslim/2008/10/09/138898.html Obama 'Lying' About Muslim Past, Expert Says] NewsMax, October 9, 2008&lt;/ref&gt; After Indonesia, he returned to the United States with his mother where he attended the Punahou School, the leading private preparatory school in [[Hawaii]], until he graduated in 1979.<br /> <br /> For college, Obama initially attended Occidental College in Los Angeles, [[California]], before transferring to [[Columbia University]] in New York, [[New York]] and graduating without honors with a Bachelor of Arts degree, majoring in political science. Obama refuses to describe his academic performance at Columbia despite commenting about New York during this period and despite disclosures of the academic record for all other major-party presidential candidates since at least 2000.&lt;ref&gt;http://www.nysun.com/new-york/obamas-years-at-columbia-are-a-mystery/85015/&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> After working as a community organizer in New York City and Chicago, Illinois, Obama enrolled at [[Harvard]] Law School. He became a member of the ''Harvard Law Review'', which uses racial quotas, in 1989. He was then elected by popular vote as its first African American president in 1990, a story that was immediately promoted in the [[New York Times]].&lt;ref&gt;http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C0CE2DC1631F935A35751C0A966958260&amp;scp=3&amp;sq=Obama%201990&amp;st=cse&lt;/ref&gt; He graduated ''magna cum laude'' with his J.D. in 1991, but did not serve in a clerkship. Federal clerkships are the typical post-graduate position for top law students.<br /> <br /> Obama has described himself as a constitutional law professor at the University of Chicago.&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2007/03/30/politics/p132303D74.DTL&amp;type=politics]&lt;/ref&gt; He held the position of Lecturer, an adjunct position, from 1992 to 1996.&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.law.uchicago.edu/media/index.html]&lt;/ref&gt; He held the position of Senior Lecturer from 1996 until his election to the senate in 2004.&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.law.uchicago.edu/media/index.html]&lt;/ref&gt; Dan Ronayne, a spokesman for the Republican National Committee, has pointed that Obama was only a senior lecturer and not a full professor. &lt;ref&gt;[http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2007/03/30/politics/p132303D74.DTL&amp;type=politics]&lt;/ref&gt;The University states that Senior Lecturers are regarded as professors, although not full-time or tenure track.&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.law.uchicago.edu/media/index.html]&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> ==Legal career==<br /> Following law school, Obama continued his work as a community organizer in Chicago as the director of Illinois Project Vote. In 1993 he was hired as an associate at the Chicago law firm Miner, Barnhill &amp; Galland, P.C., and began lecturing in Constitutional Law at the University of Chicago Law School. He remains on the faculty on leave of absence through today. During this time he wrote his first book, ''Dreams from My Father'', detailing his background, his youth, and his education. ''Dreams'' was published in 1995.<br /> <br /> ==Senate career==<br /> [[Image:obama.jpg|thumb|right|Senator Barack Obama]]<br /> Obama was elected to the Illinois State Senate for the first time in 1996 and served there for the next eight years. <br /> <br /> October 2008 crimes against Academy Award winner Jennifer Hudson's family highlighted Obama's record against law and order, as he voted against making it a crime in Illinois &quot;for convicts on probation or on bail to have contact with a street gang&quot;.&lt;ref&gt;[http://thehill.com/leading-the-news/obamas-crime-votes-are-fodder-for-rivals-2007-03-13.html]&lt;/ref&gt;&lt;ref&gt;The person of interest in the murders of Hudson's mother, brother, and 7-year-old nephew is the estranged husband of Hudson's sister and a convicted felon who had violated his parole conditions.[http://www.chicagotribune.com/chi-julian-king-autopsy-1029,0,2752431.story]&lt;/ref&gt; &quot;'We've got 75,000 gang members - that's almost six gang members to one police officer,'&quot; in Obama's hometown of Chicago.&lt;ref&gt;&quot;More people have been murdered in Chicago this year than in New York - even though New York's population is three times greater. When Hudson's mother, brother and nephew were killed last month, they pushed the city's homicide total for the year to 436 and counting. New York has had 430 homicides.&quot; [http://www.nydailynews.com/news/us_world/2008/11/01/2008-11-01_chicago_buried_in_murders.html]&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> Following a failed campaign for the House of Representatives, Obama ran for the open Senate seat from Illinois in 2004. Obama delivered the keynote address at the 2004 Democratic National Convention. He won a seat in the [[U.S. Senate]] after [[liberals]] obtained the release of confidential and personally embarrassing divorce records of his opponent, Jack Ryan, forcing him to resign from the race and be replaced by the out-of-state candidate [[Alan Keyes]].<br /> <br /> A March 16th, 2005 AP article puts Senator Obama on record to ban oil drilling in the Alaska frontier known as ANWR &lt;ref&gt;http://www.commondreams.org/headlines05/0316-13.htm&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> His 2007 voting record in the U.S. [[Senate]] makes him as its most [[liberal]] member. Among fellow Senate Democrats, he was further left than liberals like [[Ted Kennedy]], [[John Kerry]], [[Dianne Feinstein]], [[Charles Schumer]], [[Russ Feingold]], [[Carl Levin]], [[Joseph Biden]] and [[Harry Reid]].&lt;ref&gt;[http://nationaljournal.com/voteratings/sen/lib_cons.htm?o1=lib_composite&amp;o2=desc]&lt;/ref&gt; He has grown steadily more liberal since arriving at the Senate: the same analysis assessed him as 10th most liberal in 2006&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.nationaljournal.com/members/news/2007/voteratings/sen/lib_cons.htm?o1=lib_composite&amp;o2=desc]&lt;/ref&gt; and 16th most liberal in 2005.&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.nationaljournal.com/members/news/2007/voteratings/sen/lib_cons.htm?o1=lib_composite&amp;o2=desc]&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> In late 2006, Obama's second book, ''The Audacity of Hope'', was published. Its title was supplied by the Rev. Jeremiah A. Wright Jr., a minister who has stated that &quot;racism is how this country was founded and how this country was run .... We believe in white supremacy and black inferiority and believe it more than we believe in God.&quot;&lt;ref&gt;http://blog.washingtonpost.com/the-trail/2008/03/14/obama_condemns_pastors_remarks.html&lt;/ref&gt; The book contains more of Senator Obama's personal story including the roles of both family and politics. ''Audacity'' spent 30 weeks on the ''New York Times'' Nonfiction Best Sellers list.&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/27/books/bestseller/0527besthardnonfiction.html?_r=1&amp;oref=slogin New York Times Best Sellers Non Fiction]&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> Senator Obama is the chairman of an important subcommittee that has oversight of our efforts in Afghanistan. He has not held a single hearing on Afghanistan even though American forces are risking their lives in a theatre of war. Since joining Foreign Relations, Obama has missed three meetings on a &quot;new strategy&quot; in [[Afghanistan]], a country he only visited in 2008.&lt;ref&gt;[http://thehill.com/leading-the-news/obama-absent-at-afghanistan-hearings-2008-03-01.html&lt;/ref&gt; Barack Obama clinched his party's nomination for President after 16 straight months of campaigning.<br /> <br /> In June 2008, Obama voted with the Democratic party to kill the sunset provision of the [[Bush]] tax cuts. By letting these tax cuts expire, single mothers with two kids will pay an additional $1,800 annually. Married couples with incomes of $50,000 will pay an additional $2,180 annually. Elderly couples will pay an additional $2,000 annually and a family of four will pay 191% more per year in taxes. Barack Obama often claims to be for taxing the rich their fair share. By voting to eliminate the Bush tax cuts, Obama is taxing most middle class and blue collar families.<br /> <br /> Obama and the Democratic-led Congress has voted for the upgraded GI Bill despite the opposition from the President, the Secretary of Defense, the Pentagon, the generals in combat zones and the GOP Presidential nominee. It was crafted to increase veteran benefits. Yet, the strain on our military is great.&lt;ref&gt;[http://marcambinder.theatlantic.com/archives/2008/05/mccain_to_obama_dont_demagogue.php] http://marcambinder.theatlantic.com/archives/2008/05/mccain_to_obama_dont_demagogue.php , McCain To Obama: Don't Demagogue The GI Bill, May 22, 2008&lt;/ref&gt; The bill would cost $2.8 to $4 billion per month. Some argue that this bill depletes the US's volunteer military personnel by enticing them to leave service rather than be re-deployed.<br /> <br /> As senator, Obama has requested nearly $936 million in earmarks which averages to $500,000. per day over four years, &lt;ref&gt;[http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122108935141721343.html?mod=googlenews_wsj Obama Can't Win Against Palin] Wall Street Journal, September 11, 2008&lt;/ref&gt; for which the Council for Citizens Against Government Waste has given him a rating of 10% in 2007 (18% lifetime).&lt;ref&gt;[http://councilfor.cagw.org/site/DocServer/2007_Senate_Ratings_Final.pdf?docID=3242 2007 Senate Scorecard]&lt;/ref&gt; A score of 100% represents voting against all pork, and 0% represents voting ''for'' all pork. Democrats averaged 5% in 2007, whereas Republicans averaged 60%. &lt;ref&gt;[http://councilfor.cagw.org/site/News2?abbr=CCAGW_&amp;page=NewsArticle&amp;id=11590 CCAGW Releases ''2007 Congressional Ratings'']&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> According to a Fox News report on October 5th, Obama has taken more than $126,000. in campaign contribution from [[Fannie Mae]] in a little over three years. This ranks him second, only Chris Dodd has received more campaign contribution dollars from Fannie Mae.<br /> <br /> === Bills co-sponsored ===<br /> Obama's principal legislation was S. 2433, which was an attempt to force the U.S. to increase its foreign aid by hundreds of billions of dollars under the guise of reducing global poverty, which was subsequently blocked by [[conservatives]].&lt;ref&gt;http://www.cnsnews.com/ViewPolitics.asp?Page=/Politics/archive/200802/POL20080225a.html&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> Obama did support and co-sponsor a bill championed by [[Tom Coburn]] and known as the Coburn-Obama Government Transparency Act of 2006, which was signed into law by President [[George W. Bush]] on Sept. 9, 2006. This law created a website that will list the federal government's grants and contracts.&lt;ref&gt; http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2006/09/20060926.html&lt;/ref&gt; <br /> <br /> Between Jan 13, 2007 and March 13, 2008, Sen. Obama has sponsored 120 mostly [[liberal]] resolutions and bills in the Senate.&lt;ref&gt;http://thomas.loc.gov/&lt;/ref&gt; His supporters cite the following less liberal examples, but this list is not representative:<br /> <br /> *S.117 : A bill to amend titles 10 and 38, United States Code, to improve benefits and services for members of the Armed Forces, veterans of the Global War on Terrorism, and other veterans, to require reports on the effects of the Global War on Terrorism, and for other purposes.<br /> <br /> *S.133 : A bill to promote the national security and stability of the economy of the United States by reducing the dependence of the United States on oil through the use of alternative fuels and new technology, and for other purposes.<br /> <br /> *S.453 : A bill to prohibit deceptive practices in Federal elections.<br /> <br /> *S.713 : A bill to ensure dignity in care for members of the Armed Forces recovering from injuries.<br /> <br /> === Accomplishments while serving on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee ===<br /> <br /> In February 2008, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee approved Obama's proposal on a new strategy to reduce poverty throughout the world.<br /> <br /> Obama worked with Sen. Lugar writing legislation aimed at improving conventional and nuclear non-proliferation efforts. This legislation was signed by [[George W. Bush|President Bush]] in January 2008.<br /> <br /> In June 2007 the Senate passed his resolution condemning violence by the [[Zimbabwe]] government. It also passed legislation co-sponsored by Obama that financed a Special Court for Sierra Leone to prosecute former [[Liberia | Liberian]] President [[Charles Taylor]]. &lt;ref&gt; http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2008/02/26/obamas_senate_foreign_relations_work/ &lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> Barack Obama continued to collect money for a 2010 Senate re-election campaign as late as June 2008, and has filed reports recently indicating that money is still pouring into this fund. This is especially notable because it is an efficient way of sidetracking donations from his Presidential race. The website&lt;obamasenate2010.gov&gt; is now defunct.<br /> <br /> ==Presidential campaign==<br /> [[Image:Democrat Obama during the Pledge.jpg|325px|thumb|right|Obama, on the campaign trail, stands with folded hands while [[Bill Richardson]] and [[Hillary Clinton]] honor the flag by placing their hands over their heart during the [[National Anthem]]. [http://rawstory.com/news/2007/Obama_doesnt_put_hand_over_heart_1022.html See Video] ]]<br /> Senator Obama began his candidacy for President of the United States on February 10, 2007, in Springfield, Illinois. His announcement speech largely avoided specific campaign issues and focused on his general political message of hope for the future. It also attempted to strongly invoke the memory of Abraham Lincoln and his &quot;House Divided&quot; speech.&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/02/10/obama.president/index.html &quot;Obama declares he's running for President&quot;] 11 February 2007, www.CNN.com &lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> Obama's campaign has been financed largely by [[leftist]] donors opposed to the war and to the [[American]] military in general. Obama has encouraged this by refusing to wear the customary flag on his lapel during appearances (asserting that he would prefer his patriotism to be represented through his actions rather than an arbitrary symbol) and by other less-than-patriotic gestures and symbols, such as declining to put his hand over his heart during a patriotic recitation. In an appearance on May 16 where he addressed President Bush's statements that some politicians would prefer appeasing terrorists through negotiations, Senator Obama once again wore the flag pin as he did following 9-11. <br /> <br /> By early April 2007, his campaign generated over $25 million from over 100,000 contributors. $23.5 million of that money will be available for the Democratic Primary.&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/05/us/politics/05obama.html Obama Shows His Strength in a Fund-Raising Feat on Par With Clinton], 4 April 2007, Jeff Zeleny and Patrick Healy,'' The New York Times''&lt;/ref&gt; After the first Democratic presidential debate in Columbia, South Carolina, Obama's image as an &quot;articulate&quot; spokesman came into question after his failure to state right away that he would retaliate in case of further terrorist strikes against the United States.&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/27/AR2007042702162.html?hpid=moreheadlines Clinton Campaign Tries to Keep Heat on Obama Over Debate Response], Dan Balz, ''Washington Post'' April 28, 2007.&lt;/ref&gt;&lt;ref&gt;Chicago Sun-Times, <br /> [http://www.suntimes.com/news/sweet/362269,CST-NWS-sweet29.article 'I was a little nervous' at debate'], Lynn Sweet, <br /> April 29, 2007,&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> During a fund raising event in Virginia in May 2007 Obama told donors,<br /> {{Cquote|This week there was a tragedy in Kansas. Ten thousand people died. An entire town destroyed.&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,271357,00.html Transcript: 'Special Report with Brit Hume,' May 9, 2007], retrieved from ''FOX News'', 06/13/07.&lt;/ref&gt;}}<br /> <br /> In reality, the tornado which touched down in Kansas cost the lives of nine people in the town of Greensburg, and twelve overall in Kansas.<br /> <br /> Speaking regarding his knowledge of the Afghanistan conflict, Obama points the finger at U.S. troops and American policy &quot;...just airraiding villages and killing civilians, which is causing enormous problems there.&quot; &lt;ref&gt;[http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,293365,00.html Barack Obama Caught on Tape Accusing U.S. Troops of 'Killing Civilians'] Fox News, August 15, 2007&lt;/ref&gt; [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wrW4fOGIMVY See Video]<br /> <br /> By August it appeared Obama was running to be left off the ticket completely rather than the much ballyhooed Hillary/Obama ticket the [[mainstream media]] was pushing. After a series of ill-advised foreign policy statements, Obama was openly criticized as a lightweight even by liberals, in much the same vein as [[John Edwards]] and [[Dan Quayle]] had been depicted. First, Obama said he would have face-to-face meetings with two of Florida's most feared enemies, [[Fidel Castro]] and [[Hugo Chavez]]. Florida is a key state to any presidential ambitions. Then Obama claimed that he would be willing to invade the sovereign territory of a U.S. ally without prior consultation. Finally, Obama broke the cardinal rule of declaring he would not use nuclear weapons, removing the element of bluff U.S. Presidents had vitally depended upon throughout the [[Cold War]] era. The incidents all added up to a picture of a candidate ill-prepared and ill-advised, lacking in a basic understanding of the office of the Presidency, and failing to surround himself with appointees able to make up for his deficiencies. However, Obama won the Iowa Democratic caucuses, pushing [[Hillary Clinton]] into third place, and went on to become the unofficial Democratic nominee.<br /> <br /> At a campaign event in Elkhart, Indiana, a seven-year-old girl asked Barack Obama why he wants to be President. He replies, <br /> '''&quot;America is …, uh, is no longer, uh … what it could be, what it once was. And I say to myself, I don’t want that future for my children.&quot;''' &lt;ref&gt;[http://newsbusters.org/blogs/tom-blumer/2008/08/09/mostly-mia-obamas-downer-america-delivered-7-year-old Media Mostly MIA on Obama's 'America No Longer What It Once Was' Downer Delivered to 7 Year-Old] Newsbusters.org, August 9, 2008&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> Obama became the presumptive Democratic nominee on June 3rd after receiving a majority of pledged delegates and superdelegates. His only remaining primary opponent, [[Hillary Clinton]], conceded the race on June 7th. On August 23, Joe Biden was announced as Obama's vice-presidential nominee. Obama became the official Democratic nominee on August 27 at the Democratic National Convention, when Hillary Clinton's motion to end the roll call vote of the states and select Obama by acclamation was passed.<br /> <br /> On June 5th, Obama spoke at Briston, Virginia- Healthcare Town Hall forum regarding Political Action Committees and his campaign. &quot;Well, we’re here today because we know that if we’re going to make real progress, this time must be different. Throughout my career, in Illinois and the United States senate, I’ve worked to reduce the power of the special interests by leading the fight for ethics reform. I’ve sent a strong signal in this campaign by refusing the contributions of registered federal lobbyists and PACs. And today, I’m announcing that going forward, the Democratic National Committee will uphold the same standard and won’t take another dime from Washington lobbyists or special interest PACs. They do not fund my campaign. They will not fund our party. And they will not drown out the voices of the American people when I’m President of the United States.&quot; <br /> <br /> On June 6th, an [[AP]] article &lt;ref&gt;[http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/D/DEMOCRATS_MONEY?SITE=KING&amp;SECTION=HOME&amp;TEMPLATE=DEFAULT Transcript: 'Democratic Party returns lobbyist, PAC money ,' June 6, 2008]&lt;/ref&gt; presented the rules for lobbyist donations to the DNC and for the Presidential nominee. Obama does accept money from lobbyists who do not do business with the federal government and he also accepts money from spouses and family members of lobbyists. And the DNC ban is also not retroactive, which means the DNC will keep lobbyist and PAC contributions it received earlier in the election cycle. Retroactive period being the date Barack Obama started his campaign, February 10, 2007. The DNC possibly the day after the November 2006 Congressional elections until June 5th, 2008. In addition, Barack Obama's ban does not apply to the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee nor to the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. Unlike [[John McCain]], Barack Obama has not disclosed the lobbyists working in his campaign.<br /> <br /> Senator Obama visited U.S. troops in Iraq in 2006&lt;ref&gt;[http://abclocal.go.com/wls/story?section=news/local&amp;id=3794382 Obama visits troops in Iraq]&lt;/ref&gt; and in Afghanistan and Kuwait in 2008&lt;ref&gt;[http://abclocal.go.com/wls/story?section=news/local&amp;id=3794382 Obama visits troops and officials in Afghanistan and Kuwait]&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> Obama's tax plan calls for increasing taxes on the wealthiest 1% of Americans, while cutting taxes for the middle class. According to the non-partisan [[Tax Policy Center]], most Americans would pay less taxes than under Senator McCain's plan.&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/publications/url.cfm?ID=411749 An Updated Analysis of the 2008 Presidential Candidates' Tax Plans: Updated September 12, 2008]&lt;/ref&gt; According to another non-partisan group, Americans for Tax Reform, tax-payers would clearly be burdened by an Obama Presidency.&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.atr.org/content/html/2008/june/0616-obama_mccaintaxes.html McCain vs. Obama on Taxes] Americans For Tax Reform, June 2008&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> During the campaign Obama repeatedly claimed he would “cut taxes for no less than 95% of &quot;working families.&quot;”. The Wall Street Journal asked, “how does he conjure this miracle, especially since more than a third of all Americans already pay no income taxes at all?” &lt;ref&gt;http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122385651698727257.html&lt;/ref&gt; In truth, Obama was calling government handouts “tax credits” and counting those as tax cuts. The Wall Street Journal wondered why McCain “allowed Mr. Obama's 95% illusion to go unanswered”.<br /> <br /> ===Campaign financing=== <br /> Obama is the first presidential candidate to reject public financing. He broke his promise to accept it in the hope that his powerful fund-raising machine would generate far more money than the $84.1 million McCain is getting in public funding. Indeed, on August 14th, the Obama campaign announced it had received donations from 2 million individuals, setting new records. Obama raised $272 million for the primaries and expects to raise $300 million for the general election. However the Republican National Committee has been raising much more than the Democratic National Committee and each candidate had about $100 million in cash on September 1. Each expects to spend about $300 million by November. However, Obama is obliged to devote much of his time to fund raising among supporters rather than campaigning among undecided voters.&lt;ref&gt; see [http://blog.newsweek.com/blogs/stumper/archive/2008/09/09/was-obama-right-to-opt-out-of-public-financing.aspx Andrew Romano, &quot;Was Obama Right to Opt Out of Public Financing?,&quot; ''Newsweek'' (Sept. 9, 2008) online]&lt;/ref&gt; Among his backers is homosexual pornography baron [[Terrence Bean]].<br /> <br /> ===Secrecy=== <br /> <br /> The Democratic party feels it necessary to keep all questions about Obama at a safe distance. It is an unprecedented move to keep secrets about a presidential candidate. The following questions remain sealed from the public. &lt;ref&gt;[http://obamawtf.blogspot.com/2008/08/who-sent-obama-why-has-he-refused-to.html Who sent Obama? Why has he refused to release these basic documents?] ObamaWTF.blogspot.com&lt;/ref&gt; <br /> <br /> # Certified Copy of original Birth certificate(see certificate controversy below)<br /> # Columbia College records<br /> # Columbia Thesis paper<br /> # Campaign donor analysis requested by 7 major watchdog groups<br /> # [[Harvard]] College records<br /> # Illinois State Senate records<br /> # [[Illinois]] State Senate schedule<br /> # [[Law]] practice client list and billing records/summary<br /> # Locations and names of all half-siblings and step-mothers<br /> # Medical records (only the one page summary released so far)<br /> # Occidental College records<br /> # Parent's [[Marriage]] Certificate<br /> # Record of baptism<br /> # Selective Service Registration<br /> # Trips schedules for trips outside of the United States before 2007<br /> # Scholarly articles<br /> # Access to his Grandmother (Obama's Grandmother has since passed away from cancer [http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5g3m4YaeYwDHXS6hHdZJi8pm6cZdAD947RJKO0])<br /> # List of all campaign workers that are lobbyists<br /> <br /> Obama keeps donations secret by exploiting a loophole that allows campaigns to refuse to divulge donations under $200.00. This is useful to the candidate because many of his contributions are from dubious foreign or illegal sources. It is described as the &quot;largest pool of unidentified money that has ever flooded into the U.S. election system, before or after the McCain-Feingold campaign finance reforms of 2002.&quot; &lt;ref&gt;http://www.newsmax.com/timmerman/Obama_fundraising_illegal/2008/09/29/135718.html&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> ===Tone===<br /> <br /> Many observers have criticized Obama's campaign for its incivility. For instance, John McCain's wife Cindy noted that Obama is running &quot;the dirtiest campaign in American history.&quot; <br /> <br /> Obama's smears usually fall into two categories: race-baiting and distortions. On October 10, 2008, Obama surrogate Rep. John Lewis (D-GA) typified the campaign by comparing Sen. McCain to racial segregationists and Klansmen. &quot;Sen. McCain and Gov. Palin are sowing the seeds of hatred and division,&quot; Lewis exclaimed before comparing Sen. McCain to segregationist Democrat George Wallace, further noting that he, &quot;...never fired a gun, but he created the climate and the conditions that encouraged [the attacks in which] four little girls were killed on Sunday morning when a church was bombed in Birmingham, Alabama.&quot; &lt;ref&gt;http://edition.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/10/11/mccain.lewis/index.html?eref=rss_politics&lt;/ref&gt; This is particularly harsh to Sen. McCain because he fondly admires Lewis. &lt;ref&gt;http://www.rickwarrennews.com/transcript/civil_forum_transcript-04.txt&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> As for the distortions and personal attacks, Obama mocks Sen. McCain's for his age and Gov. Palin for being a woman and outsider. For instance, Obama responded with a subtle reference to Alzheimer's disease when Sen. McCain criticized his foreign policy in May 2008, alleging that Sen. McCain &quot;lost his bearings&quot; &lt;ref&gt;http://www.politico.com/blogs/bensmith/0508/Obama_McCain_offensive_losing_his_bearings.html&lt;/ref&gt;. Senior Adviser Mark Salter noted, &quot;He used the words 'losing his bearings' intentionally, a not particularly clever way of raising John McCain's age as an issue. This is typical of the Obama style of campaigning.&quot; &lt;ref&gt;http://marcambinder.theatlantic.com/archives/2008/05/salter_obama_attacked_mccains.php&lt;/ref&gt;. In reference to Gov. Palin, Obama was caught for his quiet hiring of Winner &amp; Associates to disseminate a sexist smear video against her. &lt;ref&gt;http://mypetjawa.mu.nu/archives/194057.php&lt;/ref&gt; Some argue this is a FEC violation because it lacked obligatory label denoting it was sponsored by the Obama Campaign (Ethan Winner has made a claim that he alone produced the video) &lt;ref&gt;http://eclipseweb.blogspot.com/2008/09/vicious-anti-sarah-palin-smear-campaign.html&lt;/ref&gt; &lt;ref&gt;http://mypetjawa.mu.nu/archives/194180.php&lt;/ref&gt;One of the biggest distortions by Obama is that 95% of all taxpayers will get a tax cut. &lt;ref&gt;[http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122385651698727257.html?mod=googlenews_wsj Obama's 95% Illusion] Wall Steet Journal, October 13, 2008&lt;/ref&gt; Without the distortion, Obama is proposing income re-distribution because those families that pay no taxes, one-third, will get money from the wealthy top 5%.<br /> <br /> Another feature of the Obama campaign is the unruly audience. CNN reported in October of 2008 &lt;ref&gt;http://www.findinternettv.com/Video,item,3565842635.aspx&lt;/ref&gt;, that people are calling John McCain a terrorist at these events. According to Sen. McCain, &quot;I've heard the [label terrorist], unfortunately, at Senator Obama's rallies being said about me. There's always a fringe element.&quot; Other eyewitness reports are harsher.<br /> <br /> ==Election==<br /> <br /> Senator Obama won the 2008 Presidential election, with over 52% of the popular vote. He carried every state that [[John Kerry]] won in 2004, in addition to Iowa, North Carolina, Ohio, Virginia, Colorado, New Mexico, Nevada, Florida, and Indiana. Of the 127 million votes cast, Obama beat John McCain by 8 million total votes.&lt;ref&gt;http://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS/&lt;/ref&gt; [http://images.newsmax.com/misc/2008_Election_Map.jpg See county breakdown map] &lt;ref&gt;[www.cnn.com/election]&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> == Positions and Qualifications ==<br /> Obama is [[pro-abortion]]. The leading abortion providers and PAC supporters have wholeheartedly endorsed Barack Obama. The National Abortion Rights Action League [[NARAL]] has given Barack a 100% rating for his efforts in Congress 2005, 2006 and 2007 &lt;ref&gt;http://www.prochoiceamerica.org/elections/statements/obama.html&lt;/ref&gt;. EMILY's List, a political action committee that funds female candidates who support abortion rights backs Barack Obama&lt;ref&gt; [http://www.boston.com/news/politics/politicalintelligence/2008/06/emilys_list_bac.html],EMILY's List backs Obama, June 6,2008&lt;/ref&gt;. The nation's largest abortion business, Planned Parenthood has begun the process necessary to endorse pro-abortion presidential candidate Barack Obama. &lt;ref&gt;[http://www.lifenews.com/nat3971.html], http://www.lifenews.com/nat3971.html, Planned Parenthood Begins Process to Endorse Pro-Abortion Barack Obama, June 10,2008&lt;/ref&gt;The board of directors of the pro-abortion group's political operation met on Friday June 6, 2008 and unanimously voted to recommend an endorsement for Obama. Obama has steadfastly advocated support for partial birth abortion as an Illinois legislator. Barack's wife, Michelle Obama, wrote a fundraising letter&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.prolifeblogs.com/articles/archives/2006/10/post_5.php], http://www.prolifeblogs.com/articles/archives/2006/10/post_5.php, February 17,2004&lt;/ref&gt; in support of partial birth abortion and against the proposed ban. Barack voted against the Born Alive Infant Protection Act to give a child who survived an abortion procedure life support healthcare. Obama wanted the life terminated even if he or she survived outside the mother's womb.&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.citizenlink.org/content/A000007034.cfm], http://www.citizenlink.org/content/A000007034.cfm, Obama Blocked Born Alive Infant Protection Act&lt;/ref&gt; With Obama no longer in the state Senate, the Born Alive legislation passed in 2005.<br /> <br /> In the context of sex, he quipped about his daughters, &lt;ref&gt;http://michellemalkin.com/2008/03/30/sunday-meditation-obama-and-the-punishment-of-unborn-life/&lt;/ref&gt;{{QuoteBox|&quot;If they make a mistake, I don't want them punished with a baby.&quot;}} Obama makes it clear if his daughters had an unplanned pregnancy, he would support terminating the life of his grandchild and it is undeniable that Michelle Obama agrees with that decision.<br /> [[Image:Features ayers1.jpg|175px|thumb|right|[[Weather Underground]] co-founder Bill Ayers&lt;ref&gt;http://foia.fbi.gov/weather/weath1a.pdf&lt;/ref&gt; stomps on the American flag in this 2001 pose for Chicago Magazine.]]<br /> <br /> Obama, having been asked about his associations with [[William Ayers]], an unrepentant [[terrorist]],&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.chicagomag.com/Chicago-Magazine/August-2001/No-Regrets/]&lt;/ref&gt; he explained that the views of his associates are not necessarily his own. Ayers and his wife, [[Bernardine Dohrn]], hosted a fundraiser for Obama in their home in 1995 at the start of Obama's political career. Obama compares his friendship with Ayers whose actions led to the loss of a life to his friendship with pro-life doctor and representative Tom Coburn&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.lifenews.com/nat3894.html]http://www.lifenews.com/nat3894.html, LifeNews.com, April 25,2008&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> Obama explained that his friendship with Ayers, shouldn't be construed as implying he endorsed the terrorist-like tactics Ayers used to drive home his political point. Barack Obama brought up the pro-life colleague to make the dubious comparison that he's friends with other people who take &quot;extreme&quot; positions or would use terrorist tactics.<br /> &quot;The fact is, is that I'm also friendly with Tom Coburn, one of the most conservative Republicans in the United States Senate, who during his campaign once said that it might be appropriate to apply the death penalty to those who carried out abortions&quot; <br /> <br /> Obama has no military or executive experience and little foreign policy experience.&lt;ref&gt;&quot;Fresh doubts over Barack Obama's foreign policy credentials were expressed on both sides of the Atlantic last night, after it emerged that he had made only one brief official visit to London – and none elsewhere in Western Europe or Latin America. ... Mr. Obama had failed to convene a single policy meeting of the Senate European subcommittee, of which he is chairman.&quot;[http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/article3080794.ece]&lt;/ref&gt; Yet he is the favorite of the leftist attack site &quot;MoveOn.org&quot; for the [[Democratic]] nomination for [[President of the United States]] in the [[2008 Presidential Election|2008 election]],&lt;ref&gt;MoveOn.org reportedly favored Obama by 70-30% over Clinton. [http://www.swamppolitics.com/news/politics/blog/2008/02/moveonorg_obama.html]&lt;/ref&gt; campaigning to the left of [[Hillary Clinton]].&lt;ref&gt;For example, Obama promised not to use nuclear weapons against terrorists, a promise Hillary Clinton refused to make. [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/08/02/AR2007080202288.html]&lt;/ref&gt; <br /> <br /> He has no clear personal achievement that cannot be explained as the likely result of [[affirmative action]]. Some examples border on the absurd: Obama has no background in [[physics]], yet it is claimed that &quot;Obama analyzed and integrated [[Albert Einstein|Einstein]]'s [[theory of relativity]], the [[Heisenberg uncertainty principle]], as well as the concept of curved space as an alternative to [[gravity]], for a Law Review article that Tribe, for whom Obama worked as a research assistant, wrote titled, 'The Curvature of Constitutional Space'.&quot; &lt;ref&gt;http://cbs2chicago.com/politics/barack.obama.harvard.2.334825.html&lt;/ref&gt; Obama's &quot;research&quot; for Constitutional Law Professor Tribe on this article also raises issues about preferences, as Obama had not yet even completed any law school courses&lt;ref&gt;Obama did not start his second year of law school until September 1989, the earliest he could have taken constitutional law, yet this article must have been written, submitted and accepted prior to that time to be published in the November 1989 issue of the Law Review.&lt;/ref&gt; on the [[Constitution]].&lt;ref&gt;The liberal Professor Tribe saw the best law students for several decades, yet insisted that Obama was the &quot;best student I ever had&quot; and the &quot;most exciting research assistant.&quot; [http://www.cmonitor.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071114/NEWS01/711140429/1217/NEWS98]&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> Throughout his career, Obama repeatedly ducked controversial stands in a transparent attempt to make it easier to be elected to higher office. In example, as a state senator in [[Illinois]], he voted &quot;present&quot; rather than &quot;aye&quot; or &quot;nay&quot; nearly an astounding 130 times.&lt;ref&gt;http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/20/us/politics/20obama.html&lt;/ref&gt; During that same period, he was planning to run for the [[House of Representatives]], which was unsuccessful, and then for [[U.S. Senate]], which was successful after his opponent Jack Ryan, a millionaire school teacher, was smeared with a court-ordered disclosure of confidential divorce records that both he and his ex-wife wanted to remain sealed. A newspaper that favored Obama took the unusual step of suing to force the confidential divorce information to become public, and a California judge opened the records at a pivotal time in the campaign.&lt;ref&gt;http://www.nbc5.com/politics/2898641/detail.html&lt;/ref&gt;&lt;ref&gt;http://www.nbc5.com/news/3289561/detail.html&lt;/ref&gt;&lt;ref&gt;http://www.nbc5.com/politics/3444371/detail.html&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> Barack Obama is often praised for his speeches, except when he is not able to read them from a [[teleprompter]]. &quot;Shorn of his Teleprompter, we saw a different Obama. His delivery was halting and unsure. ... The prepared text for his remarks, as released on his website, sounded a lot like a typical Obama speech. ... [But with] no Teleprompter signaling the prepared text, Obama failed to deliver the speech in his characteristically flawless fashion.&quot;&lt;ref name=&quot;teleprompter&quot; /&gt; The [[New York Times]] noted that &quot;Mr. Obama excels at inspirational speeches read from a teleprompter before television cameras, critics have noted, but many of his other speeches on the campaign trail have failed to electrify.&quot;&lt;ref&gt;http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/20/fashion/20speechwriter.html?_r=2&amp;ex=1358485200&amp;en=bb179297e5f61acb&amp;ei=5090&amp;partner=rssuserland&amp;emc=rss&amp;oref=slogin&amp;oref=slogin&lt;/ref&gt; When Obama ridiculed [[Hillary Clinton]] for being like [[Annie Oakley]], it is apparent that he was not writing his own speeches.&lt;ref&gt;&quot;Some Obama adviser probably earned his or her dollars for that cut,&quot; the USA Today wrote. [http://www.usatoday.com/news/opinion/columnist/raasch/2008-04-17-2008-04-17-raasch_N.htm]&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> Obama often makes reference to his &quot;two decades of experience&quot; in public service work. During most of that time he claims experience, he was either going to school, working for a law firm, writing a book, or organizing community events.<br /> <br /> == Political views ==<br /> Obama's political views have been subjected to controversy even before he put himself forward as a presidential candidate. Former House majority leader [[Tom DeLay]] has described Obama's record in the Illinois Senate as that of a [[Communism|“Marxist leftist&quot;.]]&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/home/daily/site_121306/content/stop_the_tape.guest.html|Sexy Rock Star Obama Whines About His Ears], RushLimbaugh.com, December 13 2006&lt;/ref&gt; Which matches the fact that during his campaign, his staff were discovered on numerous occasions to have Cuban flags bearing the face of Marxist guerrilla/murderer [[Che Guevara]].&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.moonbattery.com/archives/2008/02/obama_workers_c.html Obama Workers' Che Guevara Poster Was No Fluke] from Moonbattery&lt;/ref&gt; Former presidential candidate [[Alan Keyes]] calls Obama a &quot;radical communist.&quot; &lt;ref&gt;[http://www.newsmax.com/insidecover/keyes_obama_destroy_US/2009/02/23/184503.html Alan Keyes: Obama Will Destroy U.S.] NewsMax, February 23, 2009&lt;/ref&gt; <br /> <br /> In May 2007, Obama (and Sen. Hillary Clinton) voted against funding the Iraq War for the first time.&lt;ref&gt;[http://uspolitics.about.com/od/legislatio1/a/HR2206.htm HR 2206 - Emergency Appropriations], Kathy Gill, Your Guide to U.S. Politics: Current Events. May 26 2007.&lt;/ref&gt;&lt;ref&gt;[http://more.gov.mtopgroup.com/2007/05/votes-hr-2206-iraq-supplemental.html Votes - H.R. 2206: Iraq Supplemental], May 28, 2007. Retrieved from Deeper Inside the Mountain, June 4, 2007.&lt;/ref&gt; <br /> <br /> Obama's views on [[gun control]] are focused on an opinion article in the [[Wall Street Journal]]:&lt;ref&gt;David Kopel, &quot;The Democrats and Gun Control,&quot; Wall St.J., Page A19, April 17, 2008 [http://online.wsj.com/article_email/SB120839466717921537-lMyQjAxMDI4MDE4NzMxOTc0Wj.html]&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> :As a state senate candidate in 1996, Mr. Obama endorsed a complete ban on all handguns in a questionnaire. The Obama campaign has claimed he &quot;never saw or approved the questionnaire,&quot; and that an aide filled it out incorrectly. But a few weeks ago, Politico.com found an amended version of the questionnaire. It included material added in Mr. Obama's handwriting.<br /> <br /> After [[D.C. v. Heller]], Obama claimed to support Second Amendment rights.<br /> <br /> Obama has said, &quot;Doing the Lord's work is a thread that runs through our politics since the very beginning,&quot; and &quot;it puts the lie to the notion that [[separation of church and state]] in America means somehow that faith should have no role in public life.&quot;&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.siouxcityjournal.com/articles/2007/06/17/news/iowa/8db7c1a17d2b51f9862572fd000fc9f4.txt Obama says religion has place in politics], By Todd Dorman, ''Sioux City Journal'', June 18, 2007.&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> He believes children should be taught sex education in kindergarten, although in what he refers to as &quot;an age-appropriate manner&quot;.&lt;ref&gt;&quot;Barack Obama reaffirmed to [[Planned Parenthood]] this week that he believes elements of sex education should begin in kindergarten.&quot; [http://abcnews.go.com/print?id=3395856 (ABC News)] July 20, 2007 &lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> Obama spoke at the May 1, 2006, illegal immigration march in Chicago.&lt;ref&gt;http://nomoreblather.com/barack-obama-and-the-immigration-marches Immigration marches&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> ::''We are hungry for change!'' S.C. January 26, 2008.<br /> <br /> Barack Obama, in his short stint as Senator of Illinois, has made clear his opposition to the [[U.S. Military]] in policy and in rhetoric. Obama has spent much energy to argue that the Iraq War should have never been waged and that we should not be there at all, in any way. In 2002, as an unknown Chicago representative to the state of Illinois, he declared his opposition to &quot;dumb wars&quot;. At the time, America was united in the stance against terrorism and the prospects of a rogue enemy with WMD worried the United States. Obama, has said that he does not know whether he would have voted for or against the Iraq War. Since elected to Congress, he voted against the Emergency War Supplemental. Obama did not oppose his party debating the bill long past the timeframe requested. This action directly affects troop deployment in combat zones. Obama has repeatedly called for the return of troops in Iraq. Barack Obama has a no confidence vote for the 'Surge' before the measure was put forth by General Petraeus to Congress. Obama would not denounce MoveOn.org's slander NY Times advertising against the General.<br /> <br /> Senator Obama often refers to the office that he seeks, without the proper respect of those that came before him. When talking of the President, he frequently refuses to call him [[George W. Bush|President George Bush]] or even Mr. George Bush. Obama has also disrespectfully called him 'George Bush'. Oddly, when Bill Clinton spoke with Obama on September 11th, 2008 predicting he would win handily, Obama responded, &quot;There you go, you can take it from the President of the United States.&quot;&lt;ref&gt;http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/09/11/campaign.wrap/index.html&lt;/ref&gt; It appears Obama will use the term for a former President, but will not do the same for the actual President. Examples of Obama's treatment of our current President: <br /> * &quot;I am happy to have a debate with John McCain and George Bush about foreign policy,&quot; Obama said &lt;ref&gt;[http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/05/16/obama.bush.mccain/], CNN Obama blasts Bush McCain, May 16, 2008&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> * &quot;For all his talk about independence, the centerpiece of John McCain's economic plan amounts to a full-throated endorsement of George Bush's policies,&quot; &lt;ref&gt;[http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2008/06/10/obama_takes_the_offensive_vs_mcca)n/]`Boston Globe Obama takes offensive vs. McCain, June 10, 2008&lt;/ref&gt; <br /> * &quot;George Bush knows that I have never supported engagement with terrorists.&quot; &lt;ref&gt;[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7403386.stm], BBC Obama attacks Bush over Iran , May 15, 2008&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> * Obama called the U.S. economy a disaster thanks to &quot;John McCain's President, George W. Bush&quot; &lt;ref&gt;[http://www.newsmax.com/insidecover/obama_mccain/2008/08/18/122924.html No More Hugs: Obama Tears Into McCain] AP, August 18, 2008&lt;/ref&gt; Side note, George W. Bush is also Barack Obama's President.<br /> <br /> Obama is for a one-world government unaccountable to the American people, a threat to U.S. sovereignty and independence. He said &quot;for all nations in the world to come together to build a stronger, global regime&quot;&lt;ref&gt;[http://worldnetdaily.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&amp;pageId=94380]&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> == Foreign policy experience ==<br /> In his presidential campaign, Obama stated&lt;ref&gt;http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mayhill-fowler/obama-says-no-to-foreign_b_95357.html&lt;/ref&gt; that &quot;foreign policy is the area where I am probably most confident&quot; and then cited &quot;having lived in Indonesia for four years, having family that is impoverished in small villages in Africa&quot;. He lived in Indonesia from age 6 to 10, and he later discovered that his father had some other children in Africa.<br /> <br /> While campaigning, he has visited several foreign countries. In [[Russia]] and the former Soviet republics, he met with representatives of the International Republican Institute and National Democratic Institute to discuss democracy in the former Soviet republics. He also met with Russian military officials and visited several nuclear and biological weapons destruction sites in Russia, [[Ukraine]], and [[Azerbaijan]] with Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Richard Lugar (R-IN). On the same tour, he visited London, UK, and met with [[Tony Blair]], sitting UK Prime Minister.&lt;ref&gt;http://obama.senate.gov/press/050823-obama_to_visit/&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> Obama visited South Africa, Kenya, Ethiopia, Djibouti, and Chad; he discussed his tour of Robben Island prison, met with U.S. troops, and visited refugee camps of the people fleeing Darfur. He also addressed Africa's growing [[AIDS]] epidemic. &lt;ref&gt;http://obama.senate.gov/podcast/060906-090606_africa_t/&lt;/ref&gt; <br /> <br /> During a ten-day-long tour of the Middle East, he talked with government leaders in Qatar, Kuwait, Iraq, Jordan, and Israel. &lt;ref&gt; http://obama.senate.gov/news/060113-obama_wraps_up/&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> ==Religious affiliations==<br /> <br /> Obama and his wife (raised a Baptist) were members of the Trinity [[United Church of Christ]]&lt;ref&gt;http://www.tucc.org/about.htm&lt;/ref&gt; in Chicago. The church embraces [[black liberation theology]] and its emphasis on empowering oppressed groups against establishment forces. This denomination was the first in America to ordain gays, women and blacks as ministers.&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.mcclatchydc.com/227/story/31079.html], http://www.mcclatchydc.com/227/story/31079.html, Obama's church pushes controversial doctrines, March 20, 2008&lt;/ref&gt; According to his sister, Obama was baptized at this church the same year.&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/04/30/america/30obama.php?page=2 http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/04/30/america/30obama.php?page=2]&lt;/ref&gt; Obama describes his conversion in ''The Audacity of Hope''. The title of this book is taken from one of Pastor Wright's sermons. <br /> In April 2008, Obama disavowed Pastor Wright's views. In May 2008, Obama left his church. His response blamed the media &lt;ref&gt;[http://elections.foxnews.com/2008/05/31/obama-resigns-church-membership-in-chicago/], Obama Drops Church Membership in Chicago, may 31, 2008&lt;/ref&gt;, stating “It’s not fair to the other members of the church who seek to worship in peace...&quot;, and called Wright's rhetoric &quot;&quot;a bunch of rants that aren't grounded in the truth.&quot;&lt;ref&gt;USA TODAY, ''Obama breaks with former pastor, Candidate cites rants on U.S. role in terror, AIDS'', by Kathy Kiely and David Jackson [http://www.usatoday.com/printedition/news/20080430/1a_offlede30_dom.art.htm]&lt;/ref&gt;&lt;ref&gt;''Obama Says He Is Outraged By Wright's &quot;Rants&quot;''[http://www.usnews.com/usnews/politics/bulletin/bulletin_080430.htm]&lt;/ref&gt; Wright had been making inflammatory comments and posting his sermons online for sale. These include the statements &quot;G-d damn America&quot; and describing the September 11th attacks, he said &quot;We have supported state terrorism against the Palestinians and black South Africans, and now we are indignant because the stuff we have done overseas is now brought right back to our own front yards. America's chickens are coming home to roost.&quot;&lt;ref&gt;[ http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/Story?id=4443788 Obama's Pastor: G-d Damn America, U.S. to Blame for 9/11]&lt;/ref&gt; In addition, Rev. Wright blamed America saying &quot;We supported Zionism shamelessly while ignoring the Palestinians and branding anybody who spoke out against it as being anti-Semitic.&quot; <br /> <br /> [[Image:Barack Obama Jeremiah Wright.jpg|thumb|Barack Obama and Jeremiah Wright.]]<br /> <br /> [[Daniel Pipes]] claims that Obama was raised a [[Muslim]] because he attended classes on the Koran while attending a Muslim school.&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.danielpipes.org/article/5286 Was Barack Obama a Muslim&lt;/ref&gt; Obama did attend a school administrated by Muslims but [[CNN]] reports that it was a non-religious public school attended by students of many faiths, not a [[madrassa]].&lt;ref&gt;http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/01/22/obama.madrassa/&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> {{QuoteBox|In Indonesia, I'd spent 2 years at a Muslim school, 2 years at a Catholic school. In the Muslim school, the teacher wrote to tell mother I made faces during Koranic studies. In the Catholic school, when it came time to pray, I'd pretend to close my eyes, then peek around the room. Nothing happened. No angels descended. Just a parched old nun and 30 brown children, muttering words. Sometimes the nun would catch me, and her stern look would force my lids back shut. But that didn't change how I felt inside.&quot;}}&lt;ref&gt;Dreams from My Father, by Barack Obama, p.142 Aug 1, 1996 &lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> Obama has described his upbringing as occurring in a non-religious environment. <br /> <br /> {{QuoteBox|In sum, my mother viewed religion through the eyes of the anthropologist that she would become; it was a phenomenon to be treated with a suitable respect, but with a suitable detachment as well. Moreover, as a child I rarely came in contact with those who might offer a substantially different view of faith. My father was almost entirely absent from my childhood, having been divorced from my mother when I was 2 years old; in any event, although my father had been raised a Muslim, by the time he met my mother he was a confirmed atheist, thinking religion to be so much superstition.<br /> <br /> And yet for all her professed secularism, my mother was in many ways the most spiritually awakened person that I've ever known. She had an unswerving instinct for kindness, charity, and love, and spent much of her life acting on that instinct, sometimes to her detriment. Without the help of religious texts or outside authorities, she worked mightily to instill in me the values that many Americans learn in Sunday school: honesty, empathy, discipline, delayed gratification, and hard work. She raged at poverty and injustice.}}&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1546579-4,00.html My Spiritual Journey] Time Magazine, October 2006&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> == Books ==<br /> <br /> * ''Dreams from My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance.'' (B. Obama and, allegedly, William Ayers) ISBN 0307383415<br /> * ''The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream.'' (B. Obama) ISBN 0307455874<br /> * ''Barack Obama in His Own Words.'' (B. Obama and Lisa Rogak) ISBN 0786720573<br /> * ''Change We Can Believe In. Barack Obama's Plan to Renew America's Promise.'' (B. Obama)<br /> * ''The Case Against Barack Obama. The Unlikely Rise and Unexamined Agenda of the Media's Favorite Candidate. '' (David Freddso) ISBN 1596985666 <br /> * ''The Obama Nation. Leftist Politics and the Cult of Personality.'' (Jerome R. Corsi) ISBN 1416598065 <br /> * ''Obama Unmasked. Did Slick Hollywood Handlers Create the Perfect Candidate?'' (Floyd Brown and Lee Trexler) ISBN 0936783591 <br /> * ''Obama: The Man Behind The Mask.'' (Andy Martin) ISBN 0965781240 <br /> * ''The Audacity of Deceit. Barack Obama's War on American Values.'' (Brad O'Leary) ISBN 1935071025<br /> <br /> ==Published criticism==<br /> On April 11, 2007, staff writers of ''The Boston Globe'' reported the criticisms of several black commentators regarding Obama's apparent hesitation to join the race to condemn acclaimed radio personality [[Don Imus]],&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2007/04/11/obamas_silence_on_imus_alarms_some_blacks/ Obama's silence on Imus alarms some blacks], Rick Klein and Joseph Williams, ''The Boston Globe'', April 11, 2007.&lt;/ref&gt; who made a racially insensitive remark&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.reuters.com/article/industryNews/idUSN1237895620070412|title=Furor over Imus puts heat on other broadcasters], Daniel Trotta, Reuters, 2007-04-12.&lt;/ref&gt; on the air during the April 4 broadcast. Obama did not comment on Imus's remarks until well after prominent civil rights leaders [[Al Sharpton]] and [[Jesse Jackson]] had called Imus to account and after Imus was suspended by MSNBC and CBS Radio. Obama later weighed in on April 10 by saying, &quot;The comments of Don Imus were divisive, hurtful, and offensive to Americans of all backgrounds.&quot; &lt;br /&gt; <br /> <br /> The ''Globe'' reported that Obama's perceived delay in addressing Don Imus's remarks was described by Melissa Harris Lacewell, a professor of politics and African-American studies at Princeton University, as &quot;miss[ing] an opportunity to prove himself to blacks and white liberals who would have wanted Obama take the lead in denouncing Imus.&quot;&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2007/04/11/obamas_silence_on_imus_alarms_some_blacks/ Obama's silence on Imus alarms some blacks], Rick Klein and Joseph Williams, ''The Boston Globe'', April 11, 2007.&lt;/ref&gt;&lt;ref&gt;[http://time-blog.com/real_clear_politics/2007/04/obama_race_and_the_election.html Obama, Race, and The Election,] ''Real Clear Politics.com''&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> In June 2007 the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' reported Obama had actually received nearly three times more campaign cash from indicted slum landlord Tony Rezko&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.suntimes.com/news/metro/353829,CST-NWS-rez23.article Barack Obama and his slumlord patron], Tim Novak, Chicago Sun-Times, April 23, 2007.&lt;/ref&gt; and his associates than Obama has publicly acknowledged.&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.suntimes.com/news/politics/432197,CST-NWS-obama18.article Rezko cash triple what Obama says], Chris Fusco and Tim Novak, ''Chicago Sun-Times'', June 18, 2007.&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> Executive vice president Wayne LaPierre of the [[NRA]] accuses Barack Obama of &quot;mouthing pro-Second amendment words and pandering to gun owners&quot; on the campaign trail.&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.gopusa.com/news/2008/may/0514_nra_mccain.shtml], http://www.gopusa.com/news/2008/may/0514_nra_mccain.shtml, NRA chief stresses common ground with McCain, Associated Press, May 14, 2008&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> [[McCain]] Aide Says Obama Has Sept. 10 Mind-Set &quot;an extremely dangerous and extremely naive approach toward terrorism&quot; &lt;ref&gt;[http://www.newsmax.com/politics/mccain_obama/2008/06/17/105265.html], AP McCain Aide Says Obama Has Sept. 10 Mind-Set, June 17, 2008&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> ===Birth Certificate Controversy===<br /> During the democratic primaries the Clinton Campaign lead a smear campaign against the validity of Barack Obama's Hawaii Birth certificate, claiming that it is false and that he is ineligible for Presidency. &lt;ref&gt;[http://campaignspot.nationalreview.com/post/?q=ZTgxZmIwNTg0OWVhMWJkODNmZjI4ZjY4Mjg2OWRmNzI= http://campaignspot.nationalreview.com/post/?q=ZTgxZmIwNTg0OWVhMWJkODNmZjI4ZjY4Mjg2OWRmNzI=]&lt;/ref&gt; After initially refusing to produce a birth certificate in response to such rumors, the Obama campaign eventually endorsed a document posted on the Daily Kos as <br /> authentic.&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2008/6/12/11012/6168/320/534616 Obama's Birth Certificate]&lt;/ref&gt; The response is split regarding the birth certificate. Some commentators, such as those at the National Review, are satisfied with the document.&lt;ref&gt;[http://campaignspot.nationalreview.com/post/?q=NWVjN2I1MjlhM2ZjZjRjYzBkODAxZjZkZGQyYWNkMDk= http://campaignspot.nationalreview.com/post/?q=NWVjN2I1MjlhM2ZjZjRjYzBkODAxZjZkZGQyYWNkMDk=]&lt;/ref&gt; However, some analysts claim that the birth certificate is false.&lt;ref&gt;[http://web.israelinsider.com/Articles/Politics/12939.htm http://web.israelinsider.com/Articles/Politics/12939.htm]&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> On August 21st, 2008, Factcheck.org published an article regarding the controversy.&lt;ref&gt;[http://www.factcheck.org/elections-2008/born_in_the_usa.html Born in the U.S.A.]&lt;/ref&gt; The site stated, &quot;FactCheck.org staffers have now seen, touched, examined and photographed the original birth certificate. We conclude that it meets all of the requirements from the State Department for proving U.S. citizenship.&quot; In addition, the site posted high-resolution photographs of the birth certificate, which clearly showed the raised seal, stamp of Hawaii state registrar Alvin T. Onaka, and certificate number. The birth date corresponds to a birth announcement published in the ''Honolulu Advertiser '' on Sunday, August 13, 1961. &lt;ref&gt;http://texasdarlin.wordpress.com/2008/07/23/obama-was-born-in-hawaii-wrong-can-of-worms/&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> A Philadelphia attorney, Phillip Berg, has filed a lawsuit against the DNC and Barack Obama. Berg maintains that Sen. Obama is not a natural born U.S. citizen or that, if he ever was, he lost his citizenship when he was adopted in Indonesia. Berg also cites what he calls &quot;dual loyalties&quot; due to his citizenship and ties with Kenya and Indonesia. The &quot;dual loyalties&quot; which have not been shown to exist do not violate any constitutional or legal precedents and would make Sen. Obama a poor choice for President, not an invalid choice.<br /> <br /> Obama website Fight The Smears has confirmed that Obama was once a Kenyan citizen until 1982. Attorney Philips Berg's lawsuit is being challenged by the Obama Campaign. Instead of producing the original birth certificate in court and paying a number of legal fees and taking several days out of his busy campaigning schedule the Obama campaign had the case dropped on the grounds that it lacked any supporting evidence. &lt;ref&gt;http://neighbors.denverpost.com/viewtopic.php?t=10815605&lt;/ref&gt; The fact that Mr. Berg's dual arguments were mutually contradictory may also have contributed.<br /> <br /> The state of Hawaii announced that the &quot;Certification of Live Birth&quot; document is legitimate and official. Since the state of Hawaii is the issuing body, they have ultimate authority with regards to the matter.&lt;ref&gt;http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/20081031/BREAKING01/81031064/0/BREAKING04&lt;/ref&gt; Critics rightfully point out such documents actually were issued for children not born in the state.<br /> <br /> Adding fuel to the fire is Obama's persistent refusal to release documents that could provide answers. While his supporters cite an online version of a &quot;Certification of Live Birth&quot; from Hawaii. &lt;ref&gt;[http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&amp;pageId=92810 Justice, Supremes confirm getting eligibility challenge] WND, March 24, 2009&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> [[Bob Schultz]] with the [[We The People Foundation]] said: <br /> <br /> &quot;In the end, there is no practical reason why Obama refuses to produce his original birth certificate. He... has a duty to provide evidence that he meets the explicit requirements established by the Constitution.&quot; <br /> <br /> [[Nancy Salvato]] with [[BasicsProject|BasicsProject.org]] perhaps put it best: <br /> <br /> &quot;What perturbs the rest of us is that President Obama has failed to produce a legitimate birth certificate. He has a team of lawyers who are opposing the examination of his sealed records in Hawaii. What he produced was a certificate of live birth... not a birth certificate. The rest of us are appalled at the lack of media examination surrounding the fact that there is no law requiring that a candidate for the highest office in our land produce an authentic birth certificate which proves natural citizenship.&quot;<br /> <br /> ==Quotes==<br /> * Early in his campaign for president in 2007, Obama declared in an interview with the [[Chicago Tribune]], &quot;I'm a [[Christian]]. And so, although I try not to have my religious beliefs dominate or determine my political views on this issue ... my religious beliefs say that [[marriage]] is something sanctified between a man and a woman.&quot;&lt;ref&gt;http://thehill.com/cheri-jacobus/obama-and-miss-california-2009-04-23.html&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> ==See also==<br /> *[[Previous Breaking News/Barack Obama|Articles about '''Barack Obama''' from previous &quot;Breaking News&quot;]]<br /> *[[Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN)]]<br /> *[[Birthplace of Barack Obama]]<br /> *[[Essay:Born Outside the U.S.A.!]]<br /> *[[Essay: The Special Interests Candidate]]<br /> *[[Lobbyists ties to the Obama administration]]<br /> *[[New Party]]<br /> *[[Obama Administration‎]]<br /> *[[Obama birth certificate lawsuits]]<br /> *[[Obama doublespeak]]<br /> *[[Obama inauguration]]<br /> *[[Religion of Barack Hussein Obama]]<br /> *[[The Honorable James David Manning]]<br /> <br /> ==Further reading==<br /> *[[Peter Hitchens|Hitchens, Peter]] [http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/worldnews.html?in_article_id=511901&amp;in_page_id=1811 ''The Black Kennedy: But does anyone know the real Barack Obama?''] [[Daily Mail]]. Accessed 4 February 2008.<br /> <br /> ==Sources==<br /> &lt;small&gt;<br /> *[http://www.barackobama.com/ Offical Obama for President Website]<br /> *[http://www.opensecrets.org/pfds/pfd2005/N00009638_2005.pdf Barack Obama Personal Financial Disclosures Summary: 2005], retrieved from opensecrets.org 17 June 2007.<br /> *[http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=O000167 Biographical Directory of the United States Congress]<br /> *[http://www.law.uchicago.edu/faculty/obama/cv.html University of Chicago Law School] Faculty Listing<br /> *[http://www.biography.com/search/article.do?id=12782369 Barack Obama Biography] from Biography.com<br /> *[http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/o/barack_obama/index.html?inline=nyt-per New York Times Topics, Barack Obama]<br /> *[http://youtube.com/watch?v=zUdjhKbImwE Documentary on Barack Hussein Obama]<br /> *[http://www.votesmart.org/voting_category.php?can_id=9490 Voting Record of Barack Hussein Obama]&lt;/small&gt;<br /> <br /> ==References==<br /> {{reflist|3}}<br /> <br /> ==External Links==<br /> *[http://www.antiobama.net/ Anti Obama.net]<br /> *[http://www.dontvoteobama.net/ Dont Vote For Obama.net]<br /> *[http://nobamanetwork.com/ Nobama Network]<br /> *[http://www.audacityofhypocrisy.com/ Audacity Of Hypocrisy]<br /> *[http://therealbarackobama.wordpress.com/ The Real Barack Obama]<br /> *[http://www.spiked-online.com/index.php?/site/article/6130/ The New Cult of Personality]<br /> *[http://www.survivingobamunism.com/index.html Surviving Obamunism T-shirts]<br /> *[http://www.barackobamaantichrist.blogspot.com/ Barack Obama the Anti-Christ ?]<br /> *[http://www.noquarterusa.net/blog/2008/06/23/che-obama-and-the-revolutionary-agenda/ Che, Obama, and the Revolutionary Agenda]</div>

DerekSmalls https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=User:DerekSmalls/Obama_draft&diff=667021 2009-05-27T03:29:36Z

<p>DerekSmalls: Created page with '...'</p> <hr /> <div>...</div>

DerekSmalls https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Talk:Barack_Hussein_Obama&diff=666617 2009-05-25T22:50:11Z

<p>DerekSmalls: /* Encyclopedic Setup? */</p> <hr /> <div>{{protect|TK}}<br /> &lt;br /&gt;<br /> {{articletalkheader|prefix=archive}}<br /> &lt;br /&gt;<br /> <br /> == Trip to Canada ==<br /> <br /> Obama's first foreign trip as President of the United States occured yesterday, to Canada.<br /> <br /> Most telling, he declared &quot;I love this country [Canada]&quot; - has he ever even uttered such words about America?<br /> <br /> : *sigh* [http://www.outsidethebeltway.com/archives/obama-loves-america-no-really/ yes, yes he has] --[[User:ShawnJ|ShawnJ]] 17:40, 20 February 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> == Demanding Major Change ==<br /> <br /> I'm not well educated on Obama enough to write an article on him, and even if I did I would not know where to start, but come on! Someone step up to the plate and correct this article. We atleast need a rewrite that presents a case for him being a christian. It can include all the Rev. Wright stuff you want, but if Conservapedia wants to become &quot;The trustworthy encyclopedia&quot; it has to convey both sides.<br /> <br /> As a conservapedian, I don't like where this site is going. When writing articles, we can have conservative viewpoints, just not conservative crusades.<br /> <br /> : It's remarkable how people who spell Christian with a small &quot;c&quot; want to insist that Obama is somehow a Christian.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 23:37, 5 January 2009 (EST)<br /> :: Mr. Schlafly, how that makes someone less christian then somebody else is beyond me. Petty remarks like that does not help conservapedia's image at all[[User:Skwisgaar|Skwisgaar]] 11:52, 18 February 2009 (EST)<br /> :::Reminiscent of those who assert the title of catholic with a small c, which in fact means something wholly other than a Catholic (i.e., a Roman Catholic) with a large C. (All Christians are in fact catholic with a small c if I understand it's fairly broad meaning.) --[[User:RickD|RickD]] 23:42, 5 January 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> : I don't think you can &quot;demand&quot; anything here. This is not a place where you can get what you want with the well-worn liberal tactic of stamping your feet and throwing a tantrum.<br /> : If you have proof that Obama is a Christian, then let us see it. As far as I can tell, he is completely uninterested in Christian fellowship of any kind, which to me is very telling.<br /> : It is easy to talk the talk. As the Lord himself said:<br /> : '''Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?' Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!'''' (Matthew 7:22-23)<br /> : When and if Barack Hussein Obama shows some evidence of having been washed clean in the blood of Christ, then we can talk. I'm not holding my breath. --[[User:DavidS|DavidS]] 08:34, 6 January 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> ::DeanS, you have proof, it's been shown to you multiple times. All the people seem to be interested here is raising a conspiracy theory. They are so set in their ways that arguing against them will yield no results. That's the whole thing about conspiracy theorists: it doesn't matter what proof you show or how complete it is, they will find some hole, real or imagined, and fill it in with whatever belief they hold to actually add strength to their theories. A quick review of the page reveals 3 telling conspiracy theories that are held in belief by the people who hold power on this website: 1) That Obama is a Muslim (he isn't) 2) That Obama wasn't born in Hawaii (He was), and 3) That the majority of Obama's campaign contributions came from anonymous donors (they didn't). That's why this page has been locked from editing, because it has become a war zone and is unlikely to change if it was unlocked. The only solution at this point is to try and gleam what facts you can from this article, and do your own independent research for more facts concerning Obama. [[User:ShawnJ|ShawnJ]] 09:14, 6 January 2009 (EST)<br /> ::: First of all, I'm David, not Dean. Secondly, Obama certainly doesn't ''act'' like any sort of Christian I care to know: he supports [[abortion]], he is a radical [[socialist]] (possibly a [[Communist]]), and he tells falsehoods. I don't know if he is a Muslim or not, but it seems quite likely, and the page has a lot of evidence showing that he is. --[[User:DavidS|DavidS]] 11:44, 6 January 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> ::::First, my apologies on the name. Secondly, I'm not claiming that Obama is a good Christian, just that he most certainly is not Muslim. The evidence on this page, many of which are blatant falsehoods, are hardly conclusive proof of anything. I have no doubt that if I held any user here under the same scrutiny that Obama has, I could gather enough &quot;evidence&quot; to make a case that they are any religion I choose them to be. Thirdly, just because he may not be the type of christian you want to know doesn't make him not christian. There are many Christians that I [[Ku Klux Klan|don't care to know]]. Does that make them not Christian?--[[User:ShawnJ|ShawnJ]] 12:13, 6 January 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> ::::: Islam is a religion trained to not be noticed, it encourages Muslims to remain hidden, any evidence that Obama isn't Muslim is denied by the one fact that Islam is a religion designed to remain hidden until the moment is right to strike. Recent &quot;negotiations&quot; with the Middle East prove this! --[[User:Deadpool]] (EST)<br /> <br /> :::::: Even if he is a muslim ,(which i am sure he is not), how does that change anything. Are you suggesting that everyone who is muslim is an amoral terrorist with an agenda to kill all christians and destroy our family values? Are you suggesting that every single muslim follows the tenets unfailingly? Even the most devoted christians i have met follow all of the tenets. A person is a person, religion may play a part in their every day life, but the amount of people willing to die or kill for it is very few. I met the now-president myself once. He was a good man who loved his family and his country, more so than many people I have met, liberals AND conservatives. Even though I voted for McCain, he seemed like a good candidate for president. [[User:Skwisgaar|Skwisgaar]] 11:51, 18 February 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> == Obama's Atheism ==<br /> <br /> I know it is a popular view on this site that Obama is a Muslim, but has anyone considered the possibility that his apparent lack of religious devotion indicates instead that he is an atheist? In an article about Obama on mensvogue.com, it is noted that &quot;Though Obama had long been skeptical of organized religion, he gradually came to embrace it &quot;as a choice, not an epiphany.&quot;&lt;ref&gt;http://www.mensvogue.com/business/politics/feature/articles/2006/09/11/barack_obama&lt;/ref&gt; It is frequently observed on Conservapedia that his claims of religious activity may be self-serving; could they not be an attempt to hide his atheism instead of his Islamic beliefs? After all, Ron Reagan, Jr. once remarked that nobody ever elects atheists.<br /> <br /> In addition, Conservapedia has also pointed out on numerous occasions that atheists are strongly inclined to dislike America. Is it also not possible that Obama's pro-Islamic behavior is not a series of Freudian slips, but rather a manifestation of his liberal dislike for America?<br /> <br /> Just some interesting points to consider. Perhaps we could open this up for discussion. --[[User:Economist|Economist]] 18:30, 6 January 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> == Obama Arab-American ==<br /> <br /> This article should, at some point, actually say that Obama is African-American, making him the first black president. If you really want to leave room for speculation about Warren G. Harding's ancestry, you could write &quot;first openly black president&quot; or something. But Obama's blackness is clearly a large part of his personal and political identity, and is probably going to be remembered as one of the most historically significant aspects of this election. An article on Barack Obama should contain a direct statement of this information, period.<br /> <br /> The editors should also consider putting that information in the first paragraph. I understand that there is no established rule about the ordering of information in a Conservapedia article. However, an uneducated reader looking at this article would learn how long his campaign was before learning that he is the first black president, which doesn't make much sense to me. [[User:Cb201|Cb201]] 16:20, 9 January 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> <br /> There is much distortion in the media about Obama being African-American. '''Obama is actually Arab-American''', and I agree that this page should reflect his race.<br /> <br /> Barack Hussein Obama is 50% Caucasian from his mother's side and 43.75% Arabic and 6.25% African Negro from his father's side. While Barack Hussein Obama's father was from Kenya, his father's family was mainly Arabs.. Barack Hussein Obama's father was only 12.5% African Negro and 87.5% Arab (his father's birth certificate even states he's Arab, not African Negro). --[[User:Cwcopela|Cwcopela]] 14:11, 19 January 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> :Does it really matter? It's not the technicalities that define what race Americans perceive Obama as - He looks more black, than white and arabic and that's how people will perceive him - They won't perceive him as another rich religious white guy or as an arab because of technicalities like that. --[[User:Atheuz|Atheuz]]<br /> <br /> :*So, perceptions matter above facts? That is typical of [[liberal]] thinking, you know. --[[User:TK|'''₮K''']]&lt;sub&gt;&lt;small&gt;&lt;small&gt;/Admin&lt;/small&gt;&lt;/small&gt;&lt;/sub&gt;&lt;sup&gt;[[User_Talk:TK|/Talk]]&lt;/sup&gt; 16:06, 19 January 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> :Wait, by your own admission Obama is half-Caucasian. Shouldn't we say &quot;first president with significantly ethnic roots&quot; or something (not as politically correct, of course)? [[User:T2master|T2master]] 19:30, 31 January 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> == Small comments ==<br /> <br /> Hello. Would it be appropriate to create a &quot;family&quot; section in this biography, it seems rather lacking on this point? For the rest it seems very informative, but rather cluttered. Would it be more logical to use a chronological build-up for this biography, such as placing the parts relating to his presidency more to the end of the biography, and his earlier endeavors to the front? Perhaps it would help if the contents table was moved up, at least to end up higher than the first muslim president bit? Let's hope I'm not asking any all-too-stupid questions! ;-) Regards, [[User:AVanbeek|AVanbeek]] 22:51, 12 January 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> : I don't see any of your suggestions as an improvement. Obama's presidential ambition predates the other items you mention, and his personal beliefs are the most significant. Encylopedias, like newspapers, prioritize presentation based on significance.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 22:59, 12 January 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> :: Shall I go ahead then, and erase &quot;Family&quot; Sections on George W. Bush and McCain's articles? Their great accomplishments surely predate those insignificant sections. [[User:AMurdoc|AMurdoc]] 13:29, 15 January 2009 (EST)<br /> :::Why not go ahead and make some positive contributions to this encyclopaedia by creating wanted articles, rather than attempting to be satirical? [[User:MikeSalter|MikeSalter]] 14:18, 15 January 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> I'd also note that Michelle is refered to by her maiden name in the info box. Checking the previous Presidents, their wives are referenced in First Last or First Maiden Last (Laura Bush and Hillary Rodham Clinton). Any reason not to have Michelle Obama or Michelle Robinson Obama? Is there some dispute about her legal name? As her name has changed in the popular view and the law, this information would appear to be just wrong. <br /> <br /> == Lincoln's Bible? ==<br /> <br /> Fox News is reporting that Obama will use the Lincoln Bible to be sworn in &lt;ref&gt;http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2008/12/23/obama-sworn-using-lincoln-bible/&lt;/ref&gt;. I think it's fairly safe to say that it will not be a koran. I also think it is safe to say that this is exactly the kind of trickery a manchurian muslim would use. Is it worth a mention in the &quot;likely muslim&quot; section?<br /> <br /> [[User:CWood|CWood]] 11:01, 15 January 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> : I agree, it is safe to say it will not be a Koran. I think i'ts also safe to say this is exactly the kind of &quot;trickery&quot; a Christian would use. Is it worth a mention in the &quot;likely Christian&quot; section? oh wait... [[User:ShawnJ|ShawnJ]] 11:59, 15 January 2009 (EST)<br /> : So Obama is damned if he does use a Bible, and damned if he doesn't. Seems a bit unreasonable. None of those other candidates were ever accused of being &quot;Manchurian Muslims&quot; just because they DID use a Bible to get sworn in. Then again, none of those other candidates had brown skin and a funny name, right? [[User:Cb201|Cb201]] 12:55, 16 January 2009 (EST)<br /> :::Typical [[liberal]] [[race baiting]]... How about you come up with evidence rather than allegations? [[User:CWood|CWood]] 16:47, 18 January 2009 (EST)<br /> ::None of the other candidates hid from questions about their past, it's Obama's own fault. Nobody ever said his name was funny except Obama. The brown skin comment is over the top racist ploy. You know very well that there are more respected, patriotic, qualified 'brown skin' people that are deserving of presidency, Obama isn't one of them. FYI- slanderous allegations are deserving of a permanent block here. --[[User:Jpatt|Jpatt]] 13:03, 16 January 2009 (EST)<br /> :::How about slanderous allegations that a man is lying to the country about his religion? Do those count?<br /> <br /> :::I'm not accusing anyone of racism per se. I'm just pointing out that no other presidential candidate has ever had to prove to the country that he is not a Muslim. And let's be honest - that's because all the other presidential candidates have been white guys named George or Bill or Ron or Jimmy, and this one is a black guy named Barack. If people WANT to believe he's a Muslim (the authors of this article clearly do) it's easier to do so. If you can't see the connection between his race/name and the popularity of the belief that he is a Muslim, you're not looking hard enough.<br /> <br /> :::Anyway, this is all a moot point. He's not a Muslim. As time goes by after Obama takes office, this page will look increasingly loony. I guess if Obama really turns out to be an Al-Qaeda sleeper agent poised to sabotage the United States in a plot straight out of a Tom Clancy novel, I will be the one looking loony. But I think I'll take that chance.[[User:Cb201|Cb201]] 17:55, 16 January 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> == References ==<br /> <br /> Barack Hussein Obama (born in Honolulu,[1][2][3] August 4, 1961) served as a first-term Democratic Senator from Illinois (2004-2008) and then, along with his running mate Senator Joseph Biden, won the presidential election[4] after twenty-three months of campaigning, raising an unprecedented $750 million and spending over $700 million of it,[5]. Post-election, Obama indicated that he would make an unprecedented speech within his first 100 days from a Muslim capital.[6] (7][8] <br /> <br /> Obama has espoused the idea of &quot;spreading the wealth,&quot;[10] <br /> in other words raising the tax rates on business and the wealthy in order to redistribute their income to low income individuals, many of whom don't currently pay income taxes.[11] His health care plan requires employers to purchase health care or pay a fine and will require many into a single payer system.[12] To announce his trip to Berlin in July 2008, Obama used posters which show a marked similarity to posters of others.[13] During Obama's youth in Hawaii, he developed a strong, almost Father/Son relationship with Frank Marshall Davis.14]<br /> {{unsigned|Lucyjordan}} 11:00, 17 January 2009<br /> <br /> The claim that Fareed Zakaria's book ''The Post-American World'' &quot;is written from a Muslim point-of-view&quot; is not supported by the reference, [35]. [[User:Dadsnagem2|Dadsnagem2]] 15:41, 19 February 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> : Ah yes, Fareed Zakaria is actually a Jewish name, written from a Juda perspective. Let's get serious ok? --[[User:Jpatt|jpatt]] 15:53, 19 February 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> :: The ''Village Voice'' article that was referenced describes Zakaria as a secular Muslim, but it doesn't mention the book at all. Do you not think it's possible for someone to write a book on a secular topic without injecting his religious point of view? [[User:Dadsnagem2|Dadsnagem2]] 16:20, 19 February 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> Cleary Obama has a Muslim background but is not a Muslim. Some reference to Muslim allegations, rumors and conspiracy theories might be appropriate but Obama is not a Muslim. You people are making yourself look silly beyond belief.<br /> {{unsigned|garyn}}<br /> : So smarty pants, prove he is no longer Muslim. Also, what does the word 'likely' mean to you?--[[User:Jpatt|Jpatt]] 19:44, 22 May 2009 (EDT)<br /> <br /> ==Picture==<br /> [[Image:AC776AB92D53D08B124F57F6B9B6C2.jpg‎]] Here's a picture of our plotting leader. Too sinister? --[[User:StevenM|Ṣ₮ёVeN]] 09:41, 19 January 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> : Interesting, Steven. But where did you get it from? The uploads should reflect the source and claim of ability to use it, unless before 1923 (in which everything is public domain).--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 10:22, 19 January 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> ::Oh yes. sorry, i got it from the msn.com do i need promission to take photos from there? --[[User:StevenM|Ṣ₮ёVeN]] 14:03, 19 January 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> == Obama/Muslim Support ==<br /> <br /> In the May be a Muslim section, it says that he had an increased support of Muslim voters. How does this prove he is Muslim? While this should be kept, It should be moved to another section.<br /> <br /> :Nation of Islam's annual convention in a Chicago suburb, a white T-shirt with an image of Obama between Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr. sold for $10. <br /> <br /> :The Muslim community supports their Muslims. MLK just thrown into the mix for his iconic black image. [http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jGXLhxPilGxuVttW5L588O-y4uAAD96LKH200]<br /> <br /> == I know we lost a week... ==<br /> But we can't stay in some alternate universe where G.W.Bush is still president forever, especially if this article is going to link to the front page. We need to update this article to show that Obama is now president. I would do so, but its locked. As it has been. For quite some time. --[[User:DReynolds|DReynolds]] 23:57, 27 January 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> == Low Res Pic ==<br /> <br /> Why is the leading picture of Obama such a low resolution version? It looks crappy when stretched [[User:NotALiberal|NotALiberal]] 08:20, 28 January 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> : That's the only picture we could get from the White House Web site. It certainly surprises me, because I would have thought that they would have a very high-resolution picture of...&quot;Him.&quot; We might try the White House site again to see whether &quot;He&quot; has corrected this&amp;mdash;er&amp;mdash;oversight.--[[User:TerryH|TerryH]]&lt;sup&gt;[[User talk:TerryH|Talk]]&lt;/sup&gt; 08:26, 28 January 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> ::Wikipedia found one (http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e9/Official_portrait_of_Barack_Obama.jpg) [[User:NotALiberal|NotALiberal]] 08:29, 28 January 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> ::(I could have sworn i edited this already, did we loose some more from the database?) The orginal high resolution image can be obtained from the change.gov site; http://change.gov/page/-/officialportrait.jpg . Updating to this version should fix all the scaling artefacts --[[User:SCarter|SCarter]] 22:10, 28 January 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> == Second swearing in ceremony? ==<br /> <br /> I'm surprised that this isn't even mentioned in the article, but when Obama retook the Oath he DIDN'T USE A BIBLE. In fact, there was no video recording of the session and the picture taken only showed him from the chest up. This is profound evidence of being Unchristian at the very least. Since we can't see his left hand during the ceremony, it could be on anything ... dare I say, the Koran?? (source http://www.foxnews.com/politics/first100days/2009/01/21/obama-takes-oath-office/) [[User:NotALiberal|NotALiberal]] 08:40, 28 January 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> : I consider swearing on the Bible to be un-Christian, because of Matthew 5:34-37, where swearing on anything is expressly forbidden by Jesus.--[[User:CPalmer|CPalmer]] 08:48, 28 January 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> Additionally, the second swearing-in ceremony was hardly &quot;private.&quot; There were a number of reporters present. Even if it were private, the first ceremony is the one that is constitutionally binding. In any case, the allegation in the main article needs a citation. There are plenty out there, so get to it!<br /> <br /> == Rejects ID, Pushes Evolution (Over Christianity!?) ==<br /> <br /> This really needs to be a section in the mainspace. Someone unlock or please add a section mentioning the following:<br /> <br /> ''Rejects ID''<br /> From the responses to a Q&amp;A sent out by Nature: Do you believe that evolution by means of natural selection is a sufficient explanation for the variety and complexity of life on Earth? Should intelligent design, or some derivative thereof, be taught in science class in public schools?<br /> <br /> Obama: I believe in evolution, and I support the strong consensus of the scientific community that evolution is scientifically validated. I do not believe it is helpful to our students to cloud discussions of science with non-scientific theories like intelligent design that are not subject to experimental scrutiny. &lt;ref&gt;http://www.uncommondescent.com/intelligent-design/in-obamas-own-words/&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> ''Pushes Evolution Over Christianity''<br /> Remnick, who at this point could be considered the President of the United States of Magazines, forced Obama to address the topic of religion. &quot;It's not 'faith' if you are absolutely certain,&quot; Obama said, noting that he didn't believe his lack of &quot;faith&quot; would hurt him a national election. &quot;Evolution is more grounded in my experience than angels.&quot; &lt;ref&gt;http://www.mediabistro.com/fishbowlny/magazines/barack_obama_i_inhaled_that_was_the_point_46068.asp&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> Wow. [[User:CherylE|CherylE]] 10:17, 28 January 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> == Allegedly born in Honolulu ==<br /> <br /> Why does it still say he was allegedly born in Honolulu? Later on in the page it says the it was proven his birth certificate is genuine. [[User:JohnKite|JohnKite]] 11:15, 28 January 2009 (EST)<br /> :We merely state that FactCheck.org believed the photo of the birth certificate was genuine.--&lt;small&gt;[[User:Iduan|&lt;span style=&quot;color: #FFCCCC; background: #660000&quot;&gt;I]][[User_talk:Iduan|&lt;span style=&quot;color:#CCCCFF; background:#000033&quot;&gt;Duan]]&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/small&gt; 10:58, 28 January 2009 (EST)<br /> Maybe it should be rewritten then since now it reads more like it states a fact that the birth certificate is indeed genuine. I'm guessing 99% of people never even check the reference.[[User:JohnKite|JohnKite]] 11:15, 28 January 2009 (EST)<br /> :Additionally, he's already been sworn in as president, so arguing over where he was born is a moot point. --[[User:FrankincenseMonster|FrankincenseMonster]] 23:57, 29 January 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> == Why no family section? ==<br /> <br /> The Obama article has no family section. Neither does Clinton's or Carter's. However, Reagan's, Bush the elder's and W.Bush's articles have them. Why none on the democratic presidents'? [[User:JohnKite|JohnKite]] 11:42, 28 January 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> There's a simple answer: Obama, Clinton, and Carter are Democrats. They belong to an anti-family party, therefore their family is irrelevant to their political existence. Family is central to Republican policy, and so it is impossible to understand President Bush without mentioning his family.<br /> [[User:LatinScholar]] 1:36, 30 January 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> :He has a family though, doesn't he? [[User:JohnKite|JohnKite]] 13:47, 30 January 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> Yes, but a Democrat family, which is something entirely different. [[User:LatinScholar|LatinScholar]] 2:22, 30 January 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> : How about adding a family section now mentioning his half brother in Kenya who was arrested for drug possession? Shouldn't there be something about him on the page? [[User:JohnKite|JohnKite]] 08:02, 1 February 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> ::This argument doesn't make sense. If he's &quot;anti-family,&quot; '''he wouldn't have a family'''. I suppose by &quot;anti-family,&quot; you mean pro-abortion. That has nothing do to with whether to include his own family. A good encyclopedia doesn't leave out information for reasons like this. It's relevant and it should be here.[[User:Dantès|Dantès]] 17:09, 2 March 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> == Some Changes ==<br /> <br /> Why is this locked?<br /> Obama has not been succeded by &quot;incumbent&quot; nor will he be.<br /> Obamas term in office might not go to 2013, it might go further, it might not go that far, unless you are psychic this should be changed. --[[User:Brendanw|Brendanw]] 11:58, 28 January 2009 (EST)<br /> :&quot;Incumbent&quot; means he is the current holder of the office. It's simply a term to indicate that he is the most recent. And while it is true that Obama could be elected to a second term and thus serve until 2017, he hasn't. His first term expires on 2013 regardless of what happens between now and then (barring impeachment or death, of course) so it's factual to list that date. Listing a second term when he's only a week and a half in his first one is speculative and inappropriate for an encyclopedia. --[[User:Ampersand|Ampersand]] 14:49, 28 January 2009 (EST)<br /> It's the exact same thing we did with [[George W. Bush]] - &lt;s&gt;there's nothing factually wrong about saying whoever replaces obama will be an incumbent.&lt;/s&gt; - saying incumbent merely confirms that he is the current president - no one has succeeded him yet.--&lt;small&gt;[[User:Iduan|&lt;span style=&quot;color: #FFCCCC; background: #660000&quot;&gt;I]][[User_talk:Iduan|&lt;span style=&quot;color:#CCCCFF; background:#000033&quot;&gt;Duan]]&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/small&gt; 14:42, 29 January 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> ==Is he or isn't he President?==<br /> This article has a lot of wildly inaccurate and unsourced information in it. It also can't seem to decide whether BO is President or not - the picture on the right says he is, the text varies from claiming he's won the election, to him being Senator. I'd love to help clean this up, but can't seem to edit the page? Ready to help. [[User:FNNoonan|FNNoonan]] 15:15, 28 January 2009 (EST)<br /> :Yes, it's pretty weird isn't it. One would have thought that if it was important enough to protect then it would be important enough to update. But the failure to update tells the casual reader what to expect in respect of the general accuracy of the article - so it's probably not a bad thing.--[[User:British_cons|British_cons]] [[User_talk:British_cons|(talk)]] 11:12, 29 January 2009 (EST)<br /> ::I notice the article has been updated to make it somewhat more reality-based. Good. However, I would expect - almost to the case of 'demand' - that the article on the current POTUS begin with the short and simple line &quot;Barack Hussein Obama is the 44th and current President of the United States of America&quot;. Instead, the first sentence about this, arguably the world's most important person, is overlong, appallingly punctuated, begins immediately with unfounded gossip and wanders off into some other random irrelevant facts and utterly lacks focus. It says a lot about what the reader can expect from the entire article to follow. I wish I could help rewrite this article so as it would be more based on fact and reality - and particularly, better written - but as it's locked, that's impossible. So all we, the casual readers, can do is suggest things which need to be done to improve the article. I would begin by recommending the deletion of the entire monster and a total rewrite from scratch. There's nothing here of substance and nothing that will engender any respect for this supposed 'encyclopedia'. [[User:FNNoonan|FNNoonan]] 13:33, 29 January 2009 (EST)<br /> :::It's a shame we can't all be as learned and insightful as you, FNNoonan. However, I dare say all the hard-working editors here will jump up to obey your lofty commands. If you want a 'better' article, why not write one on your userpage/in a sandbox and submit it to the criticism of your peers? Or is this a case of 'those who can't, criticise'? [[User:MauriceB|MauriceB]] 14:19, 29 January 2009 (EST)<br /> :::: You must not have read my comment, in which I made a suggestion to improve the article's first sentence. What's yours? You might try contributing something to the debate rather than trying to shoot the messenger. The message is - the article's a disaster. Now, what are you doing about that? [[User:FNNoonan|FNNoonan]] 16:24, 29 January 2009 (EST)<br /> :::::I don't think it a disaster, but a multi-layered and well-argued piece. Looking at the revision history and talk pages, I see that some of the best minds on Consercvapedia think so, too. Therefore I have no need to do anything. You, on the other hand, see faults, but do nothing except indulge yourself in corrosive criticism. [[User:MauriceB|MauriceB]] 17:10, 29 January 2009 (EST)<br /> ::::::I would also point out that the article even fails to mention which country he's President of. I would again recommend the inclusion of my suggested opening sentence - &quot;Barack Hussein Obama is the 44th and current President of the United States of America&quot;. Thank you for helping to improve this terrible article. [[User:FNNoonan|FNNoonan]] 14:34, 30 January 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> The article should begin with &quot;Barack Hussein Obama is currently the 44th President of the United States of America.&quot; Someone please make this change. [[User:Gadzodilo|Gadzodilo]] 23:22, 1 February 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> Thanks for improving the article's first few words - we now know what his job is and of what country he's President. But I would ask that someone PLEASE look at the grammar in that first sentence - it's absolutely atrocious. Again, since I cannot edit the page, I cannot help but instead can only point out the problems here. First, if you want to make the point about his birthplace, the correct place would be later - and then with an explanation of why this might be a problem (the Constitution states that President's must be born in the USA - there's no mention of this anywhere in the article). If you want to make the point where it is, despite that being a nonsequitor, simply add a period after 'States' and remove the word 'although'. Also please note that the word 'although' is a conditional - and what follows the word 'although' has nothing to do with the opening part of the sentence. You might as well write &quot;He is the President of the USA, although he apparently doesn't like cheese&quot;. The two items have no connection. Subject-Object. Next, the entire first sentence is utterly malformed, with a punctuation that woulod shame a four year old, including a period in the middle of the sentence. There is what is presumably a birthdate just floating in the middle of the sentence, undescribed. This is followed by a close-parentheses, where there was no open-parentheses. The sentence then runs on with some gibberish about electoral donations. It also appears as if Joe Biden was his running mate while he was a Senator from Illinois. The first paragraph continues in what can barely be described as comprehensible English with a stream of random, unintroduced facts. Finally, it ends with a nonsensical reference to the absolutely normal practice of politicians referring to the practices of their nation, and addressing their nation as a collective body. I would love to help tidy up this amateur article, but the childish English throughout, combined with the fact that the article is locked, leave me to believe it is not possible, and this encyclopedia is anything but 'trustworthy'. Would you trust your children with this article? [[User:FNNoonan|FNNoonan]] 14:16, 4 February 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> == Real Bible NOT Koran ==<br /> <br /> Below is the kind of post I’ve been looking forward to:<br /> <br /> “Look, I wrote here and in the article that Obama would swear on the Koran, and now I’ve just got to eat [[humble pie]]. See, I was wwoo….wrooggga…woolooo..wopppaaa. wrong. There, I managed to say it, and I feel better for it.”<br /> <br /> Yeah, I been waiting for that one, but I’m not holding my breath. But since Obama DID in fact swear on Lincoln’s Bible that means (check this one in archives) you clowns owe me $100. Each. (American notes thank you.) [[User:MylesP|MylesP]] 18:31, 28 January 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> : You're clueless, Myles. Obama's real oath was not on the Bible. I don't know if it was on the Koran. Do you?--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 23:01, 28 January 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> OP Myles back. Right, let me see if I can sum up the state of play. Obama tries to take the Oath on the Lincoln Bible, which presumably has special powers not available to the usual Gideon’s Hotel edition. Anyways, Chief Justice Roberts manages to bellyflop his role in history. It’s like the guy who needs play only one note on a triangle during the symphony and manages to foul that up. Along with 90% of the world, I thought that Obama was completely blameless for this glitch, and actually quite gracious. His face and bearing said “Hey, you stuffed up, but I forgive you. Let’s try it again.” This was not what the foaming at the mouth crowd saw, and talk here was of how Obama was not properly inaugurated, and that somehow it was all his fault. Then, to satisfy the New Philistines, he takes the oath, again. This time, no one of the Born Again crowd who frequent these occasions thinks to bring a Bible, but it is Obama’s fault once more, because apparently he should have one in his back pocket at all times. He takes the oath again. Hey, that’s good enough for me, but apparently I’m clueless, according to Andy, who, in one of his regular 2 line missives from above believes there’s more to this than meets the eye.<br /> <br /> Well, let me see. I suppose Obama could have paid Roberts off in the first instance to screw up the wording, so he would not have to put his hand on the Bible. (Because then he would wince with pain as the Word of God burnt his skin, or something.) This set up the SECOND inauguration at which everyone was paid to make sure no Bible was there, so Obama gets to be Prez while cunningly evading the Bible. You see, it all makes perfect sense, don’t it? Yeah, and I’M the one who’s clueless! Truly, what a man believes, he sees. Look, I’ve got an idea. Instead of hurling everything you got including the kitchen sink at Obama on a second by second basis, every time he so much as scratches his nose, let’s take the fair-minded, objective, dare I say American approach. It’s the customary 100 day honeymoon. Why don’t we all give him those 100 days, and THEN have a look at the plus and minus sheet? Sound like a sensible notion? Of course, that would mean putting your knee in some other crotch for that time, which is asking a hell of a lot I know. But then you would have some REAL grievances at the end instead of the kind of sort of all this relentless muck-raking on the basis of trivia. And just think of the size of the bonfire you could build then. <br /> <br /> You know, where I come from conservatives are known as people with a sense of honour, with ethical standards, polite and cultivated, aware of etiquette, educated, and with a keen sense for fair play. You might be using a different dictionary. [[User:MylesP|MylesP]] 00:42, 29 January 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> *Myles, please read the box at the top of this page, and adhere to it. Thanks. --[[User:TK|'''₮K''']]&lt;sub&gt;&lt;small&gt;&lt;small&gt;/Admin&lt;/small&gt;&lt;/small&gt;&lt;/sub&gt;&lt;sup&gt;[[User_Talk:TK|/Talk]]&lt;/sup&gt; 00:55, 29 January 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> :Myles, one can tell you're a liberal just by observing how many words it takes you to say nothing. Your non-American spelling of &quot;honor&quot; is also a giveaway.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 22:43, 29 January 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> ::Somebody decides to spell 'honour' the way that it is spelt correctly in '''English''' (the mother-tongue of '''England''') and you decide to try and be insulting about it. Classy.--[[User:Ieuan|Ieuan]] 12:47, 30 January 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> ::Despite Myles' tone, his post does have some merit: It's time to let go of this &quot;swearing in on the Koran&quot; business because it is purely insulting speculation. <br /> ::And I have to ask... why is using non-American spelling a liberal trait? Our Prime Minister up here in Canada is as conservative as they come... [[User:SJames|SJames]] 13:37, 30 January 2009 (EST)<br /> ::: It doesn't show you're non-conservative. It shows you are not American, or an un-American person. [[User:T2master|T2master]] 19:30, 31 January 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> == Incumbent ==<br /> <br /> In the box to the right of the page it says that Obama will be succeeded by [[incumbent]]? Doesn't this imply that he will have two terms? I'm a bit confused. [[User:AndyJM|AndyJM]] 11:19, 29 January 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> :I can understand the confusion, but all it implies is that he is the current President. It would probably be better if the whole line was removed until we actually know who he would be succeeded by. [[User:ShawnJ|ShawnJ]] 13:09, 29 January 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> ::Well, I tried to fix it up, I really did. But it was hard what with the lock down. I tried dabbing liquid paper on my monitor but that didn’t work very well either. Normally, “Not known” or “To be announced” or “To be determined” are the accepted forms, but hey, what about &quot;Sarah Palin&quot;? Let’s be positive and proactive about this. That lady is gonna wipe the floor with this Obama ring in. I’m marching in her parade right now. “Palin ain’t for failin’ “ <br /> ::Whoo hooo!!” [[User:MylesP|MylesP]] 21:42, 29 January 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> <br /> :::I fixed all this....what's the problem now, Myles? --[[User:TK|'''₮K''']]&lt;sub&gt;&lt;small&gt;&lt;small&gt;/Admin&lt;/small&gt;&lt;/small&gt;&lt;/sub&gt;&lt;sup&gt;[[User_Talk:TK|/Talk]]&lt;/sup&gt; 22:46, 29 January 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> == Stylistic matter ==<br /> Technically, it is proper to simply list the day of Obama's inauguration followed by a dash, as, God forbid, he might be reelected in 2012. So we can't say until the election when his last day in office will be... --[[User:DReynolds|DReynolds]] 09:36, 30 January 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> *I believe you are not correct. ''Technically'' he was elected to a four year term. The text for the info box says term of office, no? That would be four years from his inauguration, 20 January, 2009. One doesn't typically take into account the possibility of death, resignation or re-election. Perhaps you are saying what is &quot;typical&quot; for Wikipedia? --[[User:TK|'''₮K''']]&lt;sub&gt;&lt;small&gt;&lt;small&gt;/Admin&lt;/small&gt;&lt;/small&gt;&lt;/sub&gt;&lt;sup&gt;[[User_Talk:TK|/Talk]]&lt;/sup&gt; 12:52, 30 January 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> ::This[http://conservapedia.com/index.php?title=George_W._Bush&amp;oldid=598707] seems like a reasonable template &quot;typical&quot; for Conservapedia. The Bush entry was changed from &quot;present&quot; to January 20, 2009 less than three weeks before the date that he was definitively leaving office.[[User:Mikek|Mikek]] 14:51, 30 January 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> ::What he was elected to and his actual term in office can be different things. William Henry Harrison was elected for a four year term but his actual term was one month. As I recall Bushes article said 'present' until several days after his term was over. --[[User:Brendanw|Brendanw]] 15:11, 30 January 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> Actually, that's almost universal. We don't know when his term will end. He could be re-elected in four years, or shot tomorrow. We can't say when his term will ''actually'' end. Wikipedia, by the way, doesn't even have a dash- just &quot;assumed office,&quot; &quot;incumbent&quot; and &quot;January 20, 2009.&quot; If accuracy is our goal, it's best to simply put a dash, or a dash followed by &quot;present&quot; or &quot;incumbent.&quot; --[[User:DReynolds|DReynolds]] 15:34, 30 January 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> == Article Naming ==<br /> <br /> As the article for [[Barack Hussein Obama]] includes his full name, [[John McCain]] should redirect to [[John Sidney McCain III]], [[Joe Biden]] to [[Joseph Robinette &quot;Joe&quot; Biden, Jr.]], etc. - [[User:LafinJack|LafinJack]] 17:05, 30 January 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> *No. But you just keep on LafinJack. ;-) -- --[[User:TK|'''₮K''']]&lt;sub&gt;&lt;small&gt;&lt;small&gt;/Admin&lt;/small&gt;&lt;/small&gt;&lt;/sub&gt;&lt;sup&gt;[[User_Talk:TK|/Talk]]&lt;/sup&gt; 18:05, 30 January 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> ::Can we ask why we will have the inconsistency TK? --[[User:WillB|WillB]] 18:15, 30 January 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> I fail to understand what LafinJack or WillB are complaining about. What inconsistency? [[User:LatinScholar|LatinScholar]] 7:08, 30 January 2009<br /> ::They are referring to the fact that only Barack Obama's middle name is included in the article name, while the others are not. They are wondering why that is. <br /> ::The obvious answer: Hussein is a Muslim name. It helps when trying to portray the slant that President Obama is lying about being a Christian. &quot;Sidney&quot; and &quot;Robinette&quot; are regular Western middle names and serve no significant purpose. A similar line of reasoning can also explain why the Table of Contents is oddly out of view in President Obama's article. [[User:AdamSchaley|AdamSchaley]] 19:21, 30 January 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> Leave it to a liberal to reduce this discussion to nonsense, innuendo, and pointless name-calling. What's the use of even trying to have this discussion when you won't discuss things rationally? [[User:LatinScholar|LatinScholar]] 19:42, 01/09<br /> <br /> ::I should remind you that this is a Conservative Christian encyclopedia with an ADMITTED BIAS. The goal is obvious: To show readers that Obama is a Muslim, however this is in line with the principals of the encyclopedia, so there isn't anything really to complain about. Conservatives want everyone to understand Obama is a Muslim. There is no NPOV, get over it (my $.02) [[User:NotALiberal|NotALiberal]] 21:56, 30 January 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> :::I'm pretty sure his religion should have no bearing in the first place. Then again, you're the type of moron who lets a candidate's religious faith influence your vote. &quot;I AINT GON' VOTE FOR NO MUSLIMS OR JEWS.&quot; I'm quite sure the color of his skin also has a bearing on you. Let's not forget that there isn't any credible evidence that he's indeed a Muslim. --[[User:VictorT|VictorT]] 17:45, 7 March 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> == Change of wording? ==<br /> <br /> I think &quot;Obama will likely be the first Muslim President&quot; would be better written as &quot;Obama is likely the first Muslim President&quot; ... just a thought [[User:NotALiberal|NotALiberal]] 22:08, 30 January 2009 (EST)<br /> :Nah, let's not. --[[User:VictorT|VictorT]] 17:47, 7 March 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> == Update picture? ==<br /> <br /> I'd just like to rerequest that the Obama main picture get updated with a higher resolution version. It looks very bad stretched. Here is a URL to an official version (http://change.gov/page/-/officialportrait.jpg) [[User:NotALiberal|NotALiberal]] 10:58, 31 January 2009 (EST)<br /> [[User:NotALiberal|NotALiberal]] 10:58, 31 January 2009 (EST)<br /> :Done. Thanks for the link. --[[User:DeanS|DeanS&lt;sup&gt;talk&lt;/sup&gt;]] 11:24, 31 January 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> ::Thanks. Looks a lot better [[User:NotALiberal|NotALiberal]] 12:10, 31 January 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> == Obama's religious outlook ==<br /> '''Obama's &quot;outlook is Muslim&quot;? That is simply not true'''<br /> <br /> The Obama article presently reads: &quot;Obama's background, education, and '''outlook''' are Muslim, and fewer than 1% of Muslims convert to Christianity.&quot;<br /> <br /> I don't think the above sentence is true and I will give two notable cases where it can be shown that Obama's '''outlook''' is not Muslim. <br /> <br /> First, Obama heavily promotes the abortion (&quot;pro-choice&quot;) ideology.[http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&amp;pageId=72511] How many Muslim countries promote the abortion ideology? Not many at all. I cite the following: &quot;The rules are also influenced by the role of religion; in most Muslim countries abortion is prohibited and it is also restricted in Catholic Latin America.&quot;[http://www.newsbatch.com/abort.htm] <br /> <br /> One of the first things the Obama administration did was to put on the White House website that they were going to promote the homosexual agenda. I cite the following: &quot;President Obama had not even finished his inaugural address today before his agenda was posted on the WhiteHouse website, where he promised to &quot;overturn&quot; the Supreme Court's precedents on discrimination claims and to demand new laws requiring employers to provide special protections for homosexuals and others with &quot;gender&quot; issues.[http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&amp;pageId=86633] I do know for a fact that homosexuality is presently generally looked upon very unfavorably in Muslim countries. I cite the following: &quot;Same-sex intercourse carries the death penalty in five officially Muslim nations: Saudi Arabia, Iran, Mauritania, Sudan, and Yemen. [3] It formerly carried the death penalty in Afghanistan under the Taliban, and in Iraq under a 2001 decree by Saddam Hussein. The legal situation in the United Arab Emirates is unclear. In many Muslim nations, such as Bahrain, Qatar, Algeria or the Maldives, homosexuality is punished with jail time, fines or corporal punishment. In some Muslim-majority nations, such as Turkey, Jordan, Egypt, or Mali, same-sex intercourse is not forbidden by law. However, in Egypt gays have been the victims of laws against &quot;morality&quot;.&quot;[http://www.religionfacts.com/homosexuality/islam.htm]<br /> <br /> I think it is untrue to say that Obama's outlook is Muslim. [[User:Conservative|conservative]] 04:06, 1 February 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> :His background is [[Islam]]ic, but I am unaware of his theological beliefs. Has he ever espoused a particular Christian or Muslim idea? If so, what? --[[User:Ed Poor|Ed Poor]] &lt;sup&gt;[[User talk:Ed Poor|Talk]]&lt;/sup&gt; 17:43, 20 February 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> == Obama's Historical Ignorance ==<br /> <br /> The first statement in the Insights section claims that &quot;Obama displayed ignorance about American history when he said, &quot;Throughout our history, America's confronted constantly evolving danger, from the oppression of an empire, to the lawlessness of the frontier, '''from the bomb that fell on Pearl Harbor''', to the threat of nuclear annihilation.&quot;<br /> <br /> There are a few things wrong with what Obama said about Pearl Habor, but none of them constitute ignorance. The only things wrong with what he said are that he a) did no pluralize the phrase to &quot;from the bombs that fell on Pearl Habor&quot;; b) he wasn't accurate in the kind of weaponry used because they were actually torpedoes (which is hardly ignorance as it is a largely insignificant fact); or c) the fact that he failed to properly pluralize 'bomb' means that his phrase seems to reference a far more infamous bomb, the one on Hiroshima. This last point of course does not constitute ignorance. Even if he did mistaken Hiroshima for Pearl Habor I would see that as a gaff rather than evidence of impeded ignorance towards American history. But, given that, in the context of 'constantly evolving danger' and the other historical references contained within the whole statement, it is quite clear Obama did not mean Hiroshima, I would be inclined to either edit or remove this phrase entirely.<br /> <br /> Politicians make gaffs all the time. If you want to find actual evidence of Obama's 'ignorance' towards American history look somewhere else.<br /> <br /> ==Rearranged content==<br /> First, very little was removed or changed, but there was some there which was either repetative or in the wrong context. This I hope was corrected.<br /> <br /> Second, the place of birth was changed to Hawaii. There has to be ''proof'' that he was ''not'' born in Hawaii, and we cannot allow someone else's opinion in the article which states that he was not. But, the birth controversy is still a relevent topic as far as his possible history and the campaign is concerned, and this feature has been preserved.<br /> <br /> And third, there are minor corrections to be made to the article, which include writing and grammer, accuracy, and minor info that could be added as to his presidency. [[User:Karajou|Karajou]] 01:50, 2 February 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> <br /> I think that Andrew Schafly was right to move the sections back into their previous order. [[User:LatinScholar|LatinScholar]]<br /> <br /> :I think that speculation should come after factual information in an article. Why are we talking about what Obama &quot;may be&quot; before what he actually is? --'' '''[[user:JArneal|&lt;font color=&quot;#006666&quot; &gt;JArneal&lt;/font&gt;]]'' ''' 18:29, 3 February 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> ::There you go again! &quot;Actually is&quot; ? I think first, JArneal, in the great tradition of liberals, you need to define what &quot;is&quot; -- ''is''! Please find a new hobby, JArneal, as your present one of constantly arguing and disputing doesn't wear well. --[[User:TK|'''₮K''']]&lt;sub&gt;&lt;small&gt;&lt;small&gt;/Admin&lt;/small&gt;&lt;/small&gt;&lt;/sub&gt;&lt;sup&gt;[[User_Talk:TK|/Talk]]&lt;/sup&gt; 18:59, 3 February 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> ::Why must liberals censor that Obama is likely a Muslim... get over it guys --[[User:PMichael|PMichael]] 20:06, 3 February 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> ::: Why can't conservatives accept the fact that he isn't...get over it guys --[[User:ShawnJ|ShawnJ]] 20:37, 3 February 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> ::: Sheesh, TK. I'm sorry if I offended you. Do you really want me to define &quot;is&quot;? I was just asking why we don't put factual information in front, and speculation in back. Is there a reason? --'' '''[[user:JArneal|&lt;font color=&quot;#006666&quot; &gt;JArneal&lt;/font&gt;]]'' ''' 22:24, 3 February 2009 (EST)<br /> Is is the 3rd person singular, possessive form of be.<br /> <br /> == Obama and Sexism ==<br /> <br /> In the &quot;Presidential Campaign&quot; section of this article it states &quot;Obama mocks Sen. McCain's for his age and Gov. Palin for being '''a woman''' and outsider.&quot; The evidence of Obama mocking Palin for being a woman is explained later: &quot;Obama was caught for his quiet hiring of Winner &amp; Associates to disseminate a sexist smear video against her.&quot; Are you talking about this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6eu9Z2hXky0&amp;eurl=http://mypetjawa.mu.nu/archives/194057.php ? How is this video a &quot;sexist&quot; smear? Not only that, but there is little evidence to support the claim that Obama hired Winner to make this video.<br /> <br /> The article suggests that Obama was caught for hiring someone to make a sexist smear video. I am asking for definitive proof that Obama was behind the video, AND definitive proof that the video is a &quot;sexist&quot; smear. If there is no proof, I am at least requesting that the untrue statements about Obama mocking Palin for being a woman are removed. If I do not get a response from one of the editors of this article I will email the owners of Conservapedia directly. [[User:FairMan|FairMan]] 19:25, 4 February 2009 (EST)<br /> :First, if you have correct information as to who was actually behind the video in question then it needs to be brought to our attention in a fair manner. Second, the way you brought this about, by making your statement here in the form of a DEMAND, is not going to be tolerated. [[User:Karajou|Karajou]] 19:38, 4 February 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> First of all, if my tone sounded as though i was demanding something from you or seemed disrespectful in some way I apologize, that was not my intent. I am merely requesting that the article changes it's tone. It states: &quot;Obama was caught...&quot; we do not know for certain that Obama was behind the video at all. Are we as Americans not considered innocent until proven guilty?<br /> <br /> And what about the charges of sexism? The article calls the video a &quot;sexist&quot; smear. Will someone please tell me what was sexist about it? [[User:FairMan|FairMan]] 23:02, 4 February 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> :Looking at the references, it is a documented fact that this video was made professionally; it is not an amateur attempt at all. It's also documented that Winner &amp; Associates (including Ethan Winner) are die-hard Obama supporters who have given much to the campaign. While it is not proven from these pages that Obama supported such a video, it is also not proven that he didn't help out the creation of it in some way. I added Ethan Winner's ''alleged'' claim that he made the video alone. [[User:Karajou|Karajou]] 22:17, 4 February 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> Well that is a start, thank you. I honestly didn't think I'd get anyone to change anything in the article. But there are still those sexism charges. Can you provide some explanation to those? The line reads: &quot;Obama was caught for his quiet hiring of Winner &amp; Associates to disseminate a sexist smear video against her.&quot; Do you think you might be able to take out that word sexist? And maybe reword it in a way that doesn't immediately imply that Obama is behind the video (Until damning evidence is brought forth)? And there is also the claim at the beginning stating: &quot;Obama mocks Sen. McCain's for his age and Gov. Palin for being a woman and outsider.&quot; The only evidence supposedly supporting the claim that Obama mocked Palin for being &quot;a woman and outsider&quot; is this smear video. Am I just missing something here? How is Obama mocking her for being a woman in this video? How is the video itself at all sexist? [[User:FairMan|FairMan]] 23:02, 4 February 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> *FairMan, you are in danger of being blocked. There was a well-documented news story, during the campaign, showing women were getting paid less on his campaign staff and in his Senate offices, which was hugely embarassing to Obama. [http://www.suntimes.com/news/politics/obamacommentary/222679,CST-NWS-sweet22.stng] Palin was mocked by Obama and Joe Biden, for her so-called &quot;lack of experience&quot; even though her own exceeded Obama's, in terms of executive/managerial experience. Please stop your liberal excuse making and time-wasting. Learn the truth, and it will set you free! --[[User:TK|'''₮K''']]&lt;sub&gt;&lt;small&gt;&lt;small&gt;/Admin&lt;/small&gt;&lt;/small&gt;&lt;/sub&gt;&lt;sup&gt;[[User_Talk:TK|/Talk]]&lt;/sup&gt; 23:31, 4 February 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> Why exactly am I in danger of being blocked? I am aware of that news story, I will save that for another place and time (I don't want to stir up more trouble then I am already in). My main complaint is that the article claimed that Obama mocked Palin for being a woman. The only evidence that supports this claim in the article is the link to the smear video mentioned previously (If there is more evidence then please add it). It is claimed that the video is a sexist smear. Why is my questioning of the label &quot;sexist&quot; being ignored every time someone replies? Please tell me if I am missing something obvious here. It is not my intent to waste anyone's time. I am just looking for answers.<br /> <br /> &quot;Palin was mocked by Obama and Joe Biden, for her so-called &quot;lack of experience&quot; even though her own exceeded Obama's, in terms of executive/managerial experience. &quot;<br /> <br /> That is a great example! That is something you could add to the article to back up the claim of Obama mocking Palin for being an outsider. Currently there is nothing in the &quot;Tone&quot; section of the article backing that up.{{unsigned|FairMan}}<br /> <br /> *Then that is what you should have said, is exactly my point! Everyone wants to be a critic, while offering nothing, as the box at the top of this page says, that will improve it. If one doesn't do that, how am I, or any editor to distinguish you from the dozens of trolls and disruptor's who sign up everyday? You know how long it took me to find that citation? Less then two minutes. I ask for your understanding, but do not apologize for my comments, simply because I have just pointed out why I would think what I did. &quot;Assume good faith&quot; is something attempted by lots of other places, but it rarely is achieved, and certainly not so often here, where even the most casual reader/editor knows we are constantly set-up by liberal trolls and parodists. Your last comments let all of us see your motivations are perhaps better than assumed, and I do thank you for that. This is how you will build your reputation here, and anywhere else in life. I look forward to other suggestions, offered in the same spirit, and in fact, if you want, put them on my talk to make sure I see them, if you want. Thanks. --[[User:TK|'''₮K''']]&lt;sub&gt;&lt;small&gt;&lt;small&gt;/Admin&lt;/small&gt;&lt;/small&gt;&lt;/sub&gt;&lt;sup&gt;[[User_Talk:TK|/Talk]]&lt;/sup&gt; 02:24, 5 February 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> == Category ==<br /> <br /> Could a sysop edit this page to add it to [[:Category:Barack Obama]]? -[[User:CSGuy|CSGuy]] 14:20, 6 February 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> *No, sly mis-naming of the object isn't it? --[[User:TK|'''₮K''']]&lt;sub&gt;&lt;small&gt;&lt;small&gt;/Admin&lt;/small&gt;&lt;/small&gt;&lt;/sub&gt;&lt;sup&gt;[[User_Talk:TK|/Talk]]&lt;/sup&gt; 15:53, 6 February 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> ==Minor Edits==<br /> There is a missing parenthesis in his date of birth, and in the &quot;Birth certificate controversy&quot; section, the word &quot;intelligible&quot; should be &quot;ineligible&quot;. Those are the only 2 I caught in a quick scan of the page. [[User:WesleyS|WesleyS]][[User Talk:WesleyS|&lt;sup&gt;Hello!&lt;/sup&gt;]] 23:32, 7 February 2009 (EST)<br /> :Thanks! [[User:WesleyS|WesleyS]][[User Talk:WesleyS|&lt;sup&gt;Hello!&lt;/sup&gt;]] 23:48, 7 February 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> Hi, I'm a new user. I was curious as to whether this talk page is actualy considered in the editing of this article. What i mean by that is, as this article is locked-down, does the editing administrator read this page and make changes to the article, or will the article always be left as it is? ( I don't mean to offend, as Imentioned, I am a new user, and I am honestly just curious)<br /> <br /> == Flag Pin &quot;insights&quot; ==<br /> <br /> This section is badly written and requires major change. First, it says Obama didn't provide &quot;adequate&quot; explanation. &quot;Adequate&quot; is subjective. He either provided and explanation or he didn't. The citation indicates he explained. Second, the word &quot;presumably.&quot; Encyclopedias aren't supposed to presume things. Third, the word &quot;likely.&quot; Again, just an opinion. &quot;Recently&quot; is a vague term; be specific. The assumption about military donors is unsupported speculation. If anyone cares about making this into objective encyclopedic content, it should read as follows:<br /> <br /> ''Obama wore an American flag lapel pin after 9/11, but later stopped wearing it, explaining he felt that &quot;Patriotism to me, isn't what you wear on your lapel. &quot;It's what you carry in your heart. I don't need a pin to certify my love for this country.&quot;[59] As of DATE, he has begun wearing a pin again.'' <br /> <br /> I suspect that if I change this, it will be quickly overridden. Are any regular editors/sysop-types willing to change this part? [[User:Dantès|Dantès]] 17:15, 2 March 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> *Dantes, why are you here? If it is to talk, talk, talk, complain, complain, complain, argue, argue, argue, you chose the wrong place. Our tolerance of liberal/socialist Canadians is pretty low. --[[User:TK|'''₮K''']]&lt;sub&gt;&lt;small&gt;&lt;small&gt;/Admin&lt;/small&gt;&lt;/small&gt;&lt;/sub&gt;&lt;sup&gt;[[User_Talk:TK|/Talk]]&lt;/sup&gt; 17:24, 2 March 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> ::Well, if you bother to read my entries, you'll see that I'm providing civil and rational suggestions for how to make this content more encyclopedic and objective. It's sad that you assume I'm a liberal/socialist just because I'm proposing corrections, and my country of residence is totally irrelevant. The better question would be why are YOU here? I'm here to propose corrections. Apparently you're here to try to insult me. [[User:Dantès|Dantès]] 11:40, 3 March 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> == Michelle ==<br /> <br /> Could we link to her? --[[User:Brendanw|Brendanw]] 15:14, 23 February 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> == Religion... ==<br /> Correct me if I am wrong, but I'm pretty sure there is no requirement that one must be Christian to be President. Ah, I just checked the constitution and it mentions nothing about religion except once, in the first amendment. He's not a Muslim, which has been confirmed, and even if he were, what does it matter? Maybe this should be reconsidered?[[User:Heartbeat|Heartbeat]] 16:37, 23 February 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> : You're wrong on multiple points. How about learning first, and then preaching second?--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 15:33, 23 February 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> :: Actually, I'm correct on multiple points as per the United States Constitution. And Hussein is not a 'Muslim' name. Muslim is the word used to denote a person whose religion is Islam. Hussein is an ''Arab'' derived name Mr. Schlafly. [[User:Heartbeat|Heartbeat]] 16:37, 23 February 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> ::: The Constitution also mentions religion in Article VI &quot;but no religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States.&quot; --[[User:Brendanw|Brendanw]] 16:46, 23 February 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> :::: Whatever faith Obama is, he is not a Christian&lt;ref&gt;http://209.85.173.132/search?q=cache:Xld3RpINYVUJ:www.conversantlife.com/politics/is-barack-obama-really-a-christian+obama+quote+christian&amp;hl=en&amp;ct=clnk&amp;cd=11&amp;gl=us&lt;/ref&gt;. For he fails to acknowledge the Nicene creed. --[[User:RickD|RickD]] 18:58, 23 February 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> ::::: The Nicene creed only applies to Paulian Christians. --[[User:Brendanw|Brendanw]] 22:42, 24 February 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> :::::: &quot;Pauline Christians&quot; as opposed to .... Muslim Christians???? Got news for you: Paul had nothing to do with the Nicene Creed, which is accepted by all Christians.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 22:48, 24 February 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> Heartbeat, try to stick to the point; and don't be so pedantic. Many people use the terms ''[[Muslim]]'' and ''[[Islamic]]'' interchangeably. Such loose usage does not invalidate an argument. You are surely award that the Arab countries are within the Islamic cultural sphere, and that they almost all are places where the required religion is Islam. So having an Arabic name places one within the Islamic sphere and is a [[clue]], anyway, to someone's religious heritage.<br /> <br /> These discussions are long on finger-pointing and short on research. Let's have a little more information. Has Obama been attending a church? Is church attendance a better indicator of religious faith than one's father's last name? Was the church he attended Christian? If it doesn't adhere to the [[Nicene Creed]], then is it some sort of heretical variant, or what?<br /> <br /> And why is it important what his religion is? Does anyone think he plans to violate the [[First Amendment]] by setting up a [[state religion]] (such as [[Islam]])? Or that he plans to neglect the protection of Americans' [[religious freedom]] even more than President Bush did? --[[User:Ed Poor|Ed Poor]] &lt;sup&gt;[[User talk:Ed Poor|Talk]]&lt;/sup&gt; 09:54, 25 February 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> ==== Affirmative Action Question ====<br /> <br /> If all of Obama's achievements are linked to affirmative action, how did he get around Harvard Law's anonymous grading procedures? Did he find a way to communicate his race to his professors on his exams? Is there evidence of this? I know that Andy Schlafly was at HLS at the same time as Obama. Maybe he could shed some light on how Obama accomplished that. Was this not official policy when you went to Harvard: http://www.law.harvard.edu/academics/handbook/rules-relating-to-law-school-studies/examinations.html [[User:AGoogins|AGoogins]] 19:15, 23 February 2009 (EST)<br /> :Law schools have almost always graded anonymously. Journals like the Harvard Law Review do, admittedly, have affirmative action policies in selecting their editors, but they do ''not'' use affirmative action in selecting board members. So at most Obama got onto HLR by affirmative action, but his grades and election as President were his own accomplishments. Great point RickD.-[[User:LuciusF|LuciusF]] 19:01, 23 February 2009 (EST)<br /> ::I seem to recall reading that there was a vote in selecting Obama as the President of the Law Review and that a number of conservatives voted for him: http://daggatt.blogspot.com/2008/11/obamas-harvard-law-days.html<br /> <br /> ::&lt;blockquote&gt;<br /> ::The block of conservatives on the Law Review my year I think was eager to avoid having any of the most political people on the left govern the Review. I mean, the first bedrock criterion, I think for almost all of the editors, was to have somebody with an absolutely first-rate legal mind who would be able to engage competently with the nation's top legal scholars on their scholarship and on these articles, and who would provide the intellectual leadership for the Review that it always needed. That was non-negotiable for almost everybody right or left . . . And ultimately, the conservatives on the Review supported Barack as president in the final rounds of balloting because he fit that bill far better than the other people who were running. We had all worked with him over the course of a year. And we had all spent countless hours in the presence of Barack, as well as others of our colleagues who were running, in Gannett House [the Law Review offices], and so you get a pretty good sense of people over the course of a year of late nights working on the Review. You know who the rabble-rousers are. You know who the people are who are blinded by their politics. And you know who the people are who, despite their politics, can reach across and be friendly to and make friends with folks who have different views. And Barack very much fell into the latter category.<br /> ::&lt;/blockquote&gt;<br /> ::-Bradford Berenson, #2 lawyer in George W. Bush’s White House, from a Frontline interview [[User:AGoogins|AGoogins]] 19:32, 23 February 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> :::Here is a link to the Frontline interview: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/choice2008/obama/harvard.html<br /> :::This seems to call into question the statement in the article about Obama's success being entirely the result of affirmative action. The single citation currently used to support this point consists of one sentence pulled from an article that otherwise casts Obama in a very positive light. Does anyone have another citation in support of the existing language besides that one, or should we discuss the possibility of changing or removing that paragraph? [[User:SStaples|SStaples]] 08:23, 24 February 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> At second glance, none of the citations say anything about Obama's HLS achievements being the result of affirmative action. Law students constantly publish articles on subjects that they haven't taken formal courses on. My school doesn't even offer courses dealing with election law, but my friend still published an article about it. The article is missing a logical step between &quot;Obama published an article without taking a class on [science subject] and Constitutional Law&quot; and &quot;Obama's article was published because of his race.&quot; Has the writer done any research to justify that inference? [[User:AGoogins|AGoogins]] 00:20, 25 February 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> == &lt;1% Correction ==<br /> <br /> The &lt;1% statistic appears to be legitimate, but it is not presented correctly. According to the source currently used for this statistic (http://www.faithfreedom.org/oped/sina31103.htm), 'The Internet site aljazeera.net published an interview with Ahmad Al Qataani أحمد القطعاني An important Islamic cleric who said: “In every hour, 667 Muslims convert to Christianity. Everyday, 16,000 Muslims convert to Christianity. Ever year, 6 million Muslims convert to Christianity.&quot;'<br /> <br /> This link puts those numbers into context and gives us the &lt;1% figure: http://www.pbs.org/wnet/wideangle/episodes/young-muslim-and-french/info-graphic-muslim-populations/info-graphic-muslim-populations-worldwide-growth/2526/. However, that is &lt;1% of Muslims worldwide per year, not &lt;1% of all Muslims over their lifetime, as our current wording might lead some to believe.<br /> <br /> We could fix this by changing the sentence in the article from its current form<br /> :''Obama's background, education, and outlook are Muslim, and fewer than 1% of Muslims convert to Christianity.''<br /> to<br /> :''Obama's background, education, and outlook are Muslim, and fewer than 1% of the the Muslim population converts to Christianity annually.''<br /> <br /> The link I provide my also be of use as an additional source for this. [[User:SStaples|SStaples]] 08:59, 24 February 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> :It also seems like a bad use of statistics. It's useful if you are trying to determine whether a random Muslim converted to Christianity, but is less useful when you're talking about a specific person where lots of other evidence makes a raw percentage meaningless. The percentage of Americans who become President is a lot lower than 1%, but that doesn't mean that Obama didn't become President.[[User:AGoogins|AGoogins]] 14:33, 24 February 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> :: When the inherent fallacy of weak induction is pointed out that is ignored, however the factual correction to the nature of the 1% number probably will not. --[[User:Brendanw|Brendanw]] 22:40, 24 February 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> ::: There is nothing fallacious about the 1% statistic, or its use here.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 22:47, 24 February 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> :::: But do you agree that the information I presented here, in so far as it relates to the proper wording of this part of the article, is also not false, but is in fact a more reasonable summary of the truth behind the 1% number? I'm not trying to make any statement about how applicable the figure may or may not be when talking about Obama's own religious status; that's clearly a broader debate for another time. --[[User:SStaples|SStaples]] 08:49, 25 February 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> :: I know you're committed to this 1% argument and won't change it, but would you care to address my affirmative action question, above, regarding Harvard Law grading and law review editorial board policies?[[User:AGoogins|AGoogins]] 00:14, 25 February 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> == Obama's name in Arabic? ==<br /> <br /> Should we show his name in Arabic like Wikipedia does for Muslims? Google translator turned this up &quot;باراك حسين أوباما&quot;<br /> <br /> Maybe we could change the opening sentence to be<br /> <br /> &quot;Barack Hussein Obama II (Arabic: باراك حسين أوباما)(allegedly born in Honolulu Aug. 4, 1961) &quot; [[User:UnLiberal|UnLiberal]] 15:46, 25 February 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> :Wikipedia does that for Arabs, not Muslims. Also we should get someone who actually reads Arabic rather than a Google translation, anyone can punch something into an internet translator. --[[User:Brendanw|Brendanw]] 18:17, 26 February 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> <br /> The problem with your auto-translate is that it has too many vowels. It's assuming that you typed in a non-Arabic word and it's trying to reproduce it phonetically, instead of just figuring out the original version. I looked up &quot;Hussein&quot; and &quot;Barack&quot; on Wikipedia to see how they're spelled, Googled up those two words together in Arabic, and found the following full name spelled just like this all over the place:&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;'''<br /> بارك حسین اوباما''' <br /> <br /> I think it'd be a pretty neat touch to add to the article, honestly. [[User:DavidLReyes|DavidLReyes]] 18:13, 7 April 2009 (EDT)<br /> <br /> == &quot;Islam can be compatible with the modern world.&quot; ==<br /> <br /> [http://www.conservapedia.com/User_talk:Ed_Poor Ed Poor’s] recent addition to the list of points arguing that Obama is a Muslim is out of context.<br /> <br /> :''He has said that &quot;Islam can be compatible with the modern world.&quot;''<br /> <br /> Examining the cited work, one finds that the lead up to that quote goes as follows:<br /> <br /> :''In Indonesia, Obama has said, he saw women with and without head coverings and Muslims living comfortably next to Christians. He has said that his life among Muslims in Indonesia showed him that “Islam can be compatible with the modern world.”''<br /> <br /> Retaining the full content of the second sentence would give readers a better grasp of the context in which he made this statement. Why did you choose to omit this information? And on what basis do you present this as proof that Obama is a Muslim?<br /> <br /> Furthermore, knowing the context seems to weaken the point’s usefulness in revealing Obama’s religion, because it suggests that the quote was informed by his time living abroad rather than his own personal beliefs. If I spent several years living in Thailand and later commented that the experience showed me that Buddhism was compatible with the modern world, would you think I was a Buddhist?<br /> <br /> If we insist on continuing to build the case for Obama’s religion, let’s please do so carefully so that we do not omit or obscure any relevant information. If the quote is to remain in the article, I propose that the line be altered to read<br /> <br /> :''He has said that the experience of living among Muslims in Indonesia showed him that “Islam can be compatible with the modern world.”''<br /> <br /> NB - I would make this and other minor changes myself, but the article is locked. --[[User:SStaples|SStaples]] 18:49, 25 February 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> : The background adds nothing. Obama's promoting Islam with his statement itself, and there will be many more examples during his term.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 19:26, 26 February 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> ::While I understand your desire for brevity, I respectfully disagree. I think that a reader's interpretation of the quote could be made very different given the full context, especially considering the heading under which we provide it here. And though I do see how the statement itself could be seen as a promotion of Islam, there are many things which are &quot;compatible&quot; with the modern world that not everyone would want to endorse - homosexuality (even if you disagree with it, there's no question that it is becoming more and more accepted by society every day), war (just look at Africa), and drug use just to name a few. One could correctly state that they are thriving in these times without endorsing them. Lastly, how does the expectation of more examples of his support for Islam have any bearing on the inclusion or exclusion of information regarding this one? --[[User:SStaples|SStaples]] 20:38, 26 February 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> ::Conservapedia has [http://www.conservapedia.com/Out_of_context this] to say about quotes taken out of context. --[[User:SStaples|SStaples]] 09:02, 4 March 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> == More religion ==<br /> <br /> The intro states that Obama &quot;chose not to use the Bible for his real, private oath.&quot; His first oath was also real. It was cited as being legally binding. It's misleading to call the second oath &quot;real.&quot; Also, did he choose not to use a Bible, or did he just not use one? This is an important point. Anyone care to look into this and change it if necessary? [[User:Dantès|Dantès]] 17:19, 2 March 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> : Perhaps you think Obama's aides wouldn't let him use the Bible for his real, private oath??? Please. Obama could have easily used a Bible ... if he wanted to.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 22:01, 4 March 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> :: You've ignored my first point, which is that the first oath was also real, valid and legally binding. It's misleading and inaccurate to distinguish the second oath as &quot;real,&quot; when the first one was equally so. But as to my second point, it's this kind of thing that prevents Conservapedia from becoming truly encyclopedic; writers are choosing to rely on their own logical deductions instead of verifiable sources. The sentence says Obama &quot;chose not use&quot; a Bible. The point is you don't know he chose not to use one. Maybe Roberts said they didn't need one. Maybe Obama didn't want to use one. Maybe the only Bible available was a Klingon translation. Who knows? But this article confidently states that he &quot;chose not to&quot; use a Bible without anything to back up that statement. This will never be &quot;The Trustworthy Encyclopedia&quot; if this kind of content is permitted. [[User:Dantès|Dantès]] 11:46, 6 March 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> ::: &quot;Dantes&quot;, your rant is incoherent. There's no disputing that Obama &quot;chose not to use&quot; a Bible for his real, private oath. Note, by the way, that if the first oath was &quot;real, valid and legally binding,&quot; then there would not have been a second oath. No kidding.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 12:44, 6 March 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> :::: I agree with ASchlafly, it's not as if a Bible would have been hard to find, or as if the second oath was so urgent that there was no time to find one. And why is a second oath needed if the first one was 'real, valid and legally binding'? I doubt he did it for his own amusement: &quot;Hey guys, that was fun, let's do it again!&quot; [[User:ETrundel|ETrundel]] 14:13, 6 March 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> ::::: But that isn't the point. And Aschlafly, I'm sorry you couldn't understand my suggestion. But the fact that you don't like it doesn't make it a rant. I'll explain again, in simpler terms:<br /> :::::1) Obama didn't use a bible for his second oath.<br /> :::::2) It is possible, even likely, that he &quot;chose not to use&quot; a bible.<br /> :::::3) However, there is nothing to support the view that he &quot;chose not to.&quot; There's no extant source to back this up<br /> :::::4) Therefore, this article is making a logical deduction<br /> :::::5) Encyclopedias do not deduce, speculate, assume or opinionate. They state proven facts<br /> <br /> :::::It doesn't matter if that is the only logical explanation. Without any proof, it's just speculation, regardless of how likely it is. Unless someone can supply a reputable source that says Obama chose not to use a bible, this is an assumption. That makes it biased. Saying &quot;there's no disputing&quot; something isn't the same as proving it.<br /> <br /> ::::: As to the &quot;real&quot; oath, basic research indicates it was done out of a &quot;superabundance of caution,&quot; not because it was legally necessary. See this article: http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5iJKZrJDhy6g52PZNb7phfFmsQVow A &quot;seeker of truth&quot; would know this, or at least try to find out. [[User:Dantès|Dantès]] 14:52, 12 March 2009 (EDT)<br /> <br /> == Obama is likely the first Muslim President ==<br /> Found yet another example. Muslim helps Obama get into Harvard. &lt;br&gt;''&quot;It was former Malcom X lawyer and New York City mayoral candidate Percy Sutton who inadvertently revealed how Obama could even afford to get into Harvard. In a New York television show entitled “Inside City Hall”, Sutton admitted that orthodox Muslim, Black Nationalist, and Black Panther mentor Dr. Khalid al-Mansour personally asked Sutton to help Obama get into Harvard.&quot;'' [http://blogs.newberlinnow.com/speaking_the_truth/default.aspx Barack Obama Couldn't Pass a Background Investigation In His Own Administration] --[[User:Jpatt|jpatt]] 23:49, 3 March 2009 (EST)<br /> :Blogs are nice. But if you're going to use one as a source for this article, I would prefer they disclose their own sources so that those sources can be checked. Unfortunately, there was not a single link in the entire post. Maybe an actual video clip of the interview, or a coverage of the story by a news organization? --[[User:SStaples|SStaples]] 01:00, 4 March 2009 (EST)<br /> ::Dear comrad, you have the peoples names, you have the name of the show, are you mad it is not sourced further for you?-[[User:Jpatt|jpatt]] 01:13, 4 March 2009 (EST)<br /> :::I'm not mad, though I am a little disappointed that not everyone here seems interested in pushing for greater quality. We are an internet encyclopedia, and as such are expected to provide credible outside sources for all our material. In any case, I took your advice and went looking for additional sources and found [http://mediamatters.org/items/200809080018 this coverage] as well as [http://www.cashill.com/natl_general/mansourian_candidate.htm this post]. Note that, although both of these are internet blogs, they both provide material in the form of outside links to back up their discussion; the latter even does this with a video of the interview. Yes, the first one is from Media Matters, but it contains some good follow-up. If you're really interested in presenting the truth, more information always helps, even if it means having to dig around and analyze all of it before you figure out what exactly what the truth is. I hope these prove useful. --[[User:SStaples|SStaples]] 08:23, 4 March 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> :::: SStaples, now that you've overcome your initial denial and confirmed the accuracy of the statement, do yourself a favor and open your own mind further. Start recognizing that over half of what you see on television and learned in school is liberal deceit.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 22:05, 4 March 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> :::::Andy, with respect, I never denied the accuracy of Jpatt's quotation. I merely wanted a better source so that both it and this article as a whole would be better supported. --[[User:SStaples|SStaples]] 08:32, 5 March 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> ==Obama's Tax Cut Claims During the Campaign==<br /> I would like to add this text right before the &quot;Campaign financing&quot; secion:<br /> :During the campaign Obama repeatedly claimed he would “cut taxes for no less than 95% of &quot;working families.&quot;”. The Wall Street Journal asked, “how does he conjure this miracle, especially since more than a third of all Americans already pay no income taxes at all?” &lt;ref&gt;http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122385651698727257.html&lt;/ref&gt; In truth, Obama was calling government handouts “tax credits” and counting those as tax cuts. The WSJ wondered why McCain “allowed Mr. Obama's 95% illusion to go unanswered”. [[User:Sjay|Sjay]] 19:32, 9 March 2009 (EDT)<br /> <br /> :: Good point. I just unlocked the page for you to insert info as you think best.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 19:48, 9 March 2009 (EDT)<br /> <br /> ::: I added this text. Thanks. [[User:Sjay|Sjay]] 20:42, 9 March 2009 (EDT)<br /> <br /> ==Obama &amp; Che Guevara / Fidel Castro etc==<br /> I was surprised this page had such little about all the connections out there. Thus I have added the fact that his poster is taken to resemble Jim Fitzpatricks Che poster. Also during the campaign his workers were found with Cuban flags bearing the face of Marxist &quot;hero&quot; (puke) [[Che Guevara]]. I added this fact as well with a ref. thanks and Cuba Libre ! (free Cuba from Commie-nism) [[User:PaulRevere|PaulRevere]] 20:18, 9 March 2009 (EDT)<br /> <br /> :: Can an admin possibly help me add some images to the page. I want to add [http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_8Mo9wgzZpRk/SFLC2eJtvXI/AAAAAAAAA8I/zV0AwV3hbVM/s400/obamachehouston2__oPt.jpg This one] of Obamas campaign HQ, with a Cuban Che flag. just google it for more info. Someone also needs to add [http://ecarson.files.wordpress.com/2009/01/im000541.jpg this brilliant image] to the article, showing all of Obamas Commie pals. Story behind it [http://ecarson.wordpress.com/2009/01/22/communist-obama-display/ here]. Lastly I want to add [http://www.virtuousplanet.com/shops/userimages/00003/00000000008/section/00000000000000061879.png this image] I made to his political view section. thanks and Viva Conservatism! [[User:PaulRevere|PaulRevere]] 20:24, 9 March 2009 (EDT)<br /> <br /> == Abandoned ==<br /> <br /> This article is starting to look like nothing more than an abandoned campaign ad. [[User:Everett3|Everett3]] 00:05, 16 March 2009 (EDT)<br /> <br /> :: please be more specific? [[User:PaulRevere|PaulRevere]] 00:22, 16 March 2009 (EDT)<br /> <br /> ==Page should be unlocked==<br /> Right now it seems that registered users can't edit the article. Why is that? How do we expect to compete with the Communists at Wikipedia, if we ham string some of our best talent. Things are happening everyday, and our nation irks closer to disaster and Marxist takeover. This article should be our best one, and our most updated. Come on fellas, this is a war of ideas. [[User:PaulRevere|PaulRevere]] 00:30, 16 March 2009 (EDT)<br /> <br /> *The reason that it is locked is comments like yours. Communists at Wikipedia? That is so over the top, it rounds the bend and meets up with the liberals wacky comments, PaulRevere. I will be happy to unlock it for you, so long as you read what it says at the bottom of the edit screen: ''&quot;If you do not want your writing to be edited mercilessly, then do not submit it here.&quot;'' --[[User:TK|'''₮K''']]&lt;sub&gt;&lt;small&gt;&lt;small&gt;/Admin&lt;/small&gt;&lt;/small&gt;&lt;/sub&gt;&lt;sup&gt;[[User_Talk:TK|/Talk]]&lt;/sup&gt; 00:42, 16 March 2009 (EDT)<br /> <br /> :: With all due respect TK, I disagree on Wikipedia being communist infiltrated in many ways. Just read their Obama article compared to the one here. As for sources and added info, there is tons of good info at [http://www.canadafreepress.com/index.php/article/2289 this article] that I wanted to add. Basically Obama should be described right off the bat as a MARXIST, no if ands or butts about it. [[User:PaulRevere|PaulRevere]] 00:47, 16 March 2009 (EDT)<br /> <br /> :::Remember encyclopedia's do not use speculation or conjecture. While you and I might agree as to the plausibility of of many of the items in the article, the author's opinion, absent facts, is just that; the opinion of the author. I have unlocked the article. --[[User:TK|'''₮K''']]&lt;sub&gt;&lt;small&gt;&lt;small&gt;/Admin&lt;/small&gt;&lt;/small&gt;&lt;/sub&gt;&lt;sup&gt;[[User_Talk:TK|/Talk]]&lt;/sup&gt; 00:55, 16 March 2009 (EDT)<br /> <br /> :::: Please unlock the article, many recent disasters are missing from it. Thanks &amp; Viva America ! [[User:PaulRevere|PaulRevere]] 21:25, 11 May 2009 (EDT)<br /> <br /> ==Age template==<br /> <br /> I mentally calculated his age wrong, which is embarrassing for a math tutor! Anyway, I added an {{tl|age}} template, so on August 4th he'll age one year. And the year after that another, and so on. --[[User:Ed Poor|Ed Poor]] &lt;sup&gt;[[User talk:Ed Poor|Talk]]&lt;/sup&gt; 15:50, 21 March 2009 (EDT)<br /> <br /> : Ha ha. You're a genius, Ed!--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 15:54, 21 March 2009 (EDT)<br /> <br /> ::Not to boast, but the [[Template:Age]] which I created over at Wikipedia is in over 50,000 articles. It's hard to find a bio there which doesn't use it. --[[User:Ed Poor|Ed Poor]] &lt;sup&gt;[[User talk:Ed Poor|Talk]]&lt;/sup&gt; 16:00, 21 March 2009 (EDT)<br /> <br /> <br /> == Referring to America in 3rd person? ==<br /> &quot;We may not get there in one year or even one term, but America - I have never been more hopeful than I am tonight that we will get there.&quot;- this is 1st person plural, surely? Sorry to nit pick, but it ''is'' on the front page after all. [[User:WillD|WillD]] 17:27, 21 March 2009 (EDT)<br /> <br /> == Damned if you do, damned if you don't ==<br /> <br /> On the subject of his American flag lapel pin, the &quot;Insights&quot; section says that he ceased wearing one because it &quot;presumably&quot; would have hurt his relations with anti-military campaign donors. Then he starts to wear it again, and this is explained as being &quot;likely&quot; to do with political pandering. It sounds as if the author is determined to view every action Obama takes in a negative light. --[[User:Eoinc|Eoinc]] 10:58, 27 March 2009 (EDT)<br /> <br /> == Needed updates for Turkey speech, &quot;no longer Christian&quot;, etc. ==<br /> <br /> I don't have editing power for this article, but it'd be great if someone can add:<br /> <br /> *update on Obama's &quot;no longer a Christian nation&quot; comments. [http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&amp;pageId=67735]<br /> *confirming that the &quot;speech in muslim capitol in first 100 days&quot; prediction came true (Turkey)<br /> *any other pertinent facts from his recent speech in Turkey, especially the &quot;Islam is not the enemy&quot; type of content. <br /> <br /> Lots of significant events that flesh out his perspective and stance in recent weeks...<br /> [[User:DavidLReyes|DavidLReyes]] 17:58, 7 April 2009 (EDT)<br /> <br /> : Go ahead, David. I just unlocked it.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 18:14, 7 April 2009 (EDT)<br /> <br /> :: Interesting.... so Obama said in Turkey, and I quote, &quot;The United States has been '''enriched by Muslim Americans'''. Many other Americans have Muslims in their family, or have lived in a Muslim-majority country. I know, because '''I am one of them'''.&quot; [[User:Pandeism|Pandeism]] 22:36, 7 April 2009 (EDT)<br /> <br /> ::::What's also interesting is where you chose to add your emphasis. Why not read it as: &quot;The United States has been enriched by Muslim Americans. '''Many other Americans''' have Muslims in their family, or '''have lived in a Muslim-majority country'''. I know, because '''I am one of them'''&quot;? --[[User:Eoinc|Eoinc]] 18:27, 8 April 2009 (EDT)<br /> <br /> :::I have respect for Muslims and for Islam, but this hardly makes me non-Christian. I am a Jewish convert to Christianity. I wish we could stop branding Obama as non-Christian. <br /> <br /> :::If we must criticize him, let's focus on describing his policies and the effects they have had or are likely to have. He is primarily a politician; he is not a religious leader. --[[User:Ed Poor|Ed Poor]] &lt;sup&gt;[[User talk:Ed Poor|Talk]]&lt;/sup&gt; 13:48, 8 April 2009 (EDT)<br /> <br /> :::: Ed, you make a valid point, but many (including myself, historians, reporters and voters) would disagree. A president's religious beliefs are significant. When a president ''lies'' about those beliefs, then the significance is amplified. Do you think Obama told the truth when he campaigned as a Christian? I don't, and that raises valid questions about what the truth really is that Obama was lying about.<br /> <br /> :::: Ed, you suggest focusing only on Obama's policies, but unfortunately policies are often not known in time to object to them. Obama quickly sent a secret letter to Russia upon becoming president, and the public had no opportunity to object. Hitler did not publicize his policies to give people an early opportunity to object.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 14:41, 8 April 2009 (EDT)<br /> <br /> Yes he did, most of his polices were clearly laid out in Mein Kampf, which was published before he came to power --[[User:LPowell|LPowell]] 20:21, 20 April 2009 (EDT)<br /> <br /> *That's really ludicrous. A small, hardly read tome, little noticed or read, written by a fringe paper hanger, is hardly (in any era) publicizing something. --[[User:TK|'''₮K''']]&lt;sub&gt;&lt;small&gt;&lt;small&gt;/Admin&lt;/small&gt;&lt;/small&gt;&lt;/sub&gt;&lt;sup&gt;[[User_Talk:TK|/Talk]]&lt;/sup&gt; 20:32, 20 April 2009 (EDT)<br /> <br /> I do not think that your above description can be accurately applied to Mein Kampf. It consists of two volumes and a total of twenty seven chapters. Granted its popularity grew with its authors profile but it had already achieved 850,000 sales by 1933, the year in which Hitler rose to power. In any case Hitler can hardly be accused of trying to suppress circulation of the book, as is evidenced by the German government’s purchase and distribution of six million copies in the following nine year period. <br /> In Mein Kampf Hitler sets out his ambitions, including the establishment of a new world order, expanding German territories in the east and exterminating the Jewish people. I must admit that I have not read Audacity of Hope, but would be extremely surprised to discover that it contained similar content. As such think it is a huge leap to try to draw parallels between the two leaders. --[[User:LPowell|LPowell]] 18:18, 22 April 2009 (EDT)<br /> <br /> ==Allegedly Born in Honolulu?==<br /> <br /> The first sentence says he was '''allegedly''' born in Honolulu, except one of the references linking to this statement is a '''confirmation''' from state officials that he was born in Honolulu. And not to mention he's released his birth certificate. I think it is dishonest to have the word 'allegedly' here. I'm taking it out unless anyone objects. --[[User:PaulLaroque|PaulLaroque]] 08:38, 10 April 2009 (EDT)<br /> <br /> Ok I changed it and it was instantly reverted back. It is a '''fact''' that Obama was born in Honolulu verified by many independent sources. Encyclopedias report '''facts''' not unproven allegations. I am reverting it back. --[[User:PaulLaroque|PaulLaroque]] 12:25, 10 April 2009 (EDT)<br /> <br /> == Argument for Obama being a Muslim ==<br /> <br /> Can we have an honest discussion about this section. There may be something to it, but a lot of the bullets are a bit absurd.<br /> <br /> The argument that Obama is a Muslim includes:<br /> <br /> * Obama declared in prepared remarks, &quot;The United States has been enriched by Muslim Americans. Many other Americans have Muslims in their families or have lived in a Muslim-majority country - I know, because I am one of them.&quot;[16]<br /> <br /> I interpret this as he '''lived''' in a Muslim country which is true. This doesn't make him Muslim.<br /> <br /> * Obama's background, education, and outlook are Muslim, and fewer than 1% of Muslims convert to Christianity.[17][18]<br /> <br /> This is misleading to say the least. Random statistics have no place in an encyclopedia. Does this 1% figure include all the Muslims in the middle east who do not convert to Christianity, it likely does and therefore has nothing to do with Obama who is an educated US citizen. -[[User:PaulLaroque|PaulLaroque]] 09:05, 10 April 2009 (EDT)<br /> <br /> * Obama recently mentioned his religion as &quot;my Muslim faith.&quot;[21]<br /> <br /> If you watch the video, it's clearly out of context. He said &quot;John Mccain has not talked about my Muslim faith&quot;. Meaning John Mccain had not himself accused Obama of being Muslim. If you watch a few seconds past this on the video he explains this.<br /> <br /> * He has said that &quot;Islam can be compatible with the modern world.&quot;[22]<br /> <br /> Ok, it probably is &quot;compatible with the modern world&quot;. Why is this evidence he is Muslim.<br /> <br /> I could go on but I am getting tired of this. I'm not saying get rid of this section, but the claims should be factually correct and not be based on sweeping generalizations. Furthermore, why is this the first section in the article? Usually in an encyclopedia, the biographical content comes first. Early life and legal career and that stuff. And usually encyclopedia articles not the place for pushing your particular beliefs or rumor about somebody. I welcome any comments. --[[User:PaulLaroque|PaulLaroque]] 09:05, 10 April 2009 (EDT)<br /> <br /> : Paul, you have free will to reject that 2+2=4 too. I'm not going to spend my morning trying to convince you. [[Obama]] lied when he campaigned as a Christian. It may be years before you admit that to yourself, or you may never admit it, or you may admit it but actually like the [[deceit]]. Suit yourself, but the evidence is overwhelming.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 09:36, 10 April 2009 (EDT)<br /> <br /> Since you never addressed my concern about the ordering of the article I'll assume your in agreement. Biographical information first and then other issues. By the way, perhaps Obama lied about being a Christian, but if he did, its much more likely he's an Atheist than a Muslim. -[[User:PaulLaroque|PaulLaroque]] 09:54, 10 April 2009 (EDT)<br /> <br /> : You assume wrong. Don't think that you're going to downplay the truth by burying it later in an entry.<br /> <br /> : As to your theory, it just doesn't fit the evidence. Atheists having Obama's upbringing are virtually non-existent, and atheists' intellectual style is very different from Obama's. Feel free to start a different entry developing your theory, because it will become apparent quickly how implausible it is.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 10:11, 10 April 2009 (EDT)<br /> <br /> It's not a truth, it's your theory that he is a Muslim, just as it is my theory that he is an Atheist. Obama says he is Christian, and who is to say otherwise? A person's faith is entirely a personal thing, you can never say for certain what he believes in, you have to go with what he has said in public, namely that he is Christian. Whether he might secretly be Muslim or Atheist is inconsequential, they are both theories, and neither theory belongs in an encyclopedia (which is fact based), end of story. --[[User:PaulLaroque|PaulLaroque]] 12:31, 10 April 2009 (EDT)<br /> <br /> ::And your claim that &quot;Atheists having Obama's upbringing are virtually non-existent&quot; is another sweeping generalization. Please tell me how that proves that he is a Muslim (or not an Atheist), because it's completely absurd<br /> <br /> : By the way, Obama's father was an Atheist. I suspect that most people retain the religion (or lack thereof) of their parents. But either way, I'm not trying to make the case that he's an Atheist (or that he's not a Muslim). My point is that he says he's a Christian so anything else is just a theory which has no place in an encyclopedia article (unless this is not really an encyclopedia, but just a forum for pushing your conservative ideology). --[[User:PaulLaroque|PaulLaroque]] 12:40, 10 April 2009 (EDT)<br /> <br /> == Dog ==<br /> <br /> Do we want to add anything about the Obamas' new dog (Portugese water dog)? --[[User:RobertT|RobertT]] 11:19, 12 April 2009 (EDT)<br /> <br /> == Reversion of [[User:Clintville]] ==<br /> <br /> I believe these have been discussed on this talk page before, and settled after input from [[User:Aschlafly]]. In particular, I think it has been exposed that Snopes has been bit gullible in the past when it comes to liberal deceit. As far as the other two items go, though they are not convincing in a vacuum, we must consider them in context of all the other evidence. See the two or three talk page sections above this one, or the talk archives, for more discussion on this. [[User:BHarlan|BHarlan]] 01:10, 22 April 2009 (EDT)<br /> <br /> <br /> ----<br /> == Kenya is not a muslim country. ==<br /> <br /> According to the CIA World Fact Book, Kenya is 78% Christian.<br /> https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ke.html<br /> So I have deleted the claim that Kenya is a predominantly muslim country. [[User:DanielVaccle|DanielVaccle]] 09:52, 25 April 2009 (EDT)<br /> <br /> == Middle Name in title ==<br /> <br /> I noticed that Hussein is in the title for this article (Barack Hussein Obama). This is not done for any president who doesn't regularly use his middle name (Obama doesn't use Hussein anywhere). Can we either a)take Hussein out of the title of b)add the middle name of every US president. while his middle name i on of the many proofs he is a Muslim, that goes in the article, not in the title.<br /> <br /> :That's the name he was sworn in under. He's not ashamed of his middle name, why are you? Fair and balanced is a news organization motto, adding a middle name to each President is not a requirement here. Though nobody is stopping you from additions.--[[User:Jpatt|Jpatt]] 23:19, 10 May 2009 (EDT)<br /> <br /> ::Every other president was sworn in using his middle name and it isn't in there title. I'm not ashamed of his middle name, that is an unfair statement portaying me as a liberal. I will take you up on that challange and add middle names to every president, because we can't single Obama out in the title, it is in the article we go for the kill. <br /> <br /> ::I take that back, it seems as editing the title of an article is harder than it seems. Can anyone help me. {{Unsigned|Backstop}}<br /> <br /> :::No other President has gone to such lengths to obscure/hide their background and connections, either. That is why the middle name is used. If you try making the kind of changes you are talking about, we will simply wish you Godspeed, and say goodbye, so I don't suggest it. Also, use the signature button above, when editing, on all posts, please. --[[User:TK|'''₮K''']]&lt;sub&gt;&lt;small&gt;&lt;small&gt;/Admin&lt;/small&gt;&lt;/small&gt;&lt;/sub&gt;&lt;sup&gt;[[User_Talk:TK|/Talk]]&lt;/sup&gt; 20:12, 12 May 2009 (EDT)<br /> <br /> :::: Obama uses his full name. Why does that bother you?--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 20:12, 12 May 2009 (EDT)<br /> <br /> First off, i do believe Obama is a Muslim, based partly on the middle name, but mostly on other proofs. However, there is a time and place for proofs, and the title isn't one of tem, I'm just asking about a minor inconsistency in the titles of articles (the Presidents), why it is there and what is planned to be done about it. i am in no way offended by hiss middle name, that is an unfair comment portraying me as a liberal. <br /> <br /> TK, we have had presidents smuggle illegal goods out of Italy (Jefferson, who also was reported to have had an affair with his slave that produced a cild), we've had a president who was never married and lived with a male roommate (Buchanan), while Obama ranks right up there, the middle name has nothing to do with it. I respectfuly ask TK to make that connection please.<br /> <br /> Also, I saw TK told me I was a &quot;sock&quot;. not quite hip with the lingo, can you explain what that means.--[[User:Backstop|Backstop]] 18:24, 13 May 2009 (EDT)<br /> <br /> *Aschlafly asked you above: &quot;Obama uses his full name. Why does that bother you?&quot; Now, it is apparent you are not here to help, but rather to pursue your own agenda. We are not striving here for NPOV, but rather the facts. --[[User:TK|'''₮K''']]&lt;sub&gt;&lt;small&gt;&lt;small&gt;/Admin&lt;/small&gt;&lt;/small&gt;&lt;/sub&gt;&lt;sup&gt;[[User_Talk:TK|/Talk]]&lt;/sup&gt; 18:40, 13 May 2009 (EDT)<br /> <br /> == Arguments for Obama being a Muslim ==<br /> <br /> While there is enough proof to convince me Obama is a Muslim in the article, but some of these proofs are untrue or misused:<br /> <br /> '''Obama declared in prepared remarks, &quot;The United States has been enriched by Muslim Americans. Many other Americans have Muslims in their families or have lived in a Muslim-majority country - I know, because I am one of them.'''<br /> <br /> ''Obama is saying that he is a person who has had &quot;Muslims in their families or have lived in a Muslim-majority country&quot; such as his father and Indonesia. not that he is one of those Muslims. That is my interpetation of this statement.''<br /> <br /> '''He has said that &quot;Islam can be compatible with the modern world.&quot;'''<br /> <br /> ''I think that lots of things can be compatible with the modern world (like my Mac!) but does that make me a follower of the Mac necesarily?'' <br /> <br /> '''Obama said the Muslim call to prayer is &quot;one of the prettiest sounds on Earth at sunset,&quot; and recited &quot;with a first-class Arabic accent&quot; the opening lines: Allah is Supreme! ... I witness that there is no god but Allah ....'''<br /> <br /> ''I think that many Christian prayers are beautiful, and I'm Jewish!''<br /> <br /> '''On the campaign trail, Obama was reading &quot;The Post-American World&quot; by Fareed Zakaria,[32] which is written from a Muslim point-of-view.[33]'''<br /> <br /> ''Fareed Zakaria is my favorite author and journalist. I've read his book many times and I'm still not Muslim''<br /> <br /> '''Obama enjoyed a bigger increase in voter support in 2008 (compared to 2004) by Muslims than by any other voting group, including blacks;[38] &quot;Muslim turnout in the U.S. elections reached 95 percent, the highest Muslim turnout in U.S. history.&quot;[39]'''<br /> <br /> ''Similar things happened for Obama with Hispanics, and I think we all agree Obama is not Hispanic. Maybe Muslims were excited to finaly have a president with a Muslim backround after 8 years of Bush, who they didn't like at all.''<br /> <br /> == Encyclopedic Setup? ==<br /> I was wondering if it would be ok to try to re-format this on my talk page to include all the same information in a more encyclopedic manner, because...this article isnt very good right now (no offense intended to the writers) [[User:DerekSmalls|DerekSmalls]] 21:42, 21 May 2009 (EDT)<br /> <br /> *Create a page: User:DerekSmalls/Obama draft and that would be fine. --[[User:TK|'''₮K''']]&lt;sub&gt;&lt;small&gt;&lt;small&gt;/Admin&lt;/small&gt;&lt;/small&gt;&lt;/sub&gt;&lt;sup&gt;[[User_Talk:TK|/Talk]]&lt;/sup&gt; 23:12, 21 May 2009 (EDT)<br /> <br /> :Derek, forget-about-it if you think you're going to dilute the entry with Wikipedia-style [[placement bias]].--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 23:22, 21 May 2009 (EDT)<br /> ::ok, I'll Try. Before I start, if i make such an article and you deem it full of placement bias, will I suffer negative side affects? Because I would rather avoid nefativityt period. If that makes any sense[[User:DerekSmalls|DerekSmalls]] 18:50, 25 May 2009 (EDT)</div>

DerekSmalls https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Talk:Barack_Hussein_Obama&diff=665491 2009-05-22T01:42:43Z

<p>DerekSmalls: </p> <hr /> <div>{{protect|TK}}<br /> &lt;br /&gt;<br /> {{articletalkheader|prefix=archive}}<br /> &lt;br /&gt;<br /> <br /> == Trip to Canada ==<br /> <br /> Obama's first foreign trip as President of the United States occured yesterday, to Canada.<br /> <br /> Most telling, he declared &quot;I love this country [Canada]&quot; - has he ever even uttered such words about America?<br /> <br /> : *sigh* [http://www.outsidethebeltway.com/archives/obama-loves-america-no-really/ yes, yes he has] --[[User:ShawnJ|ShawnJ]] 17:40, 20 February 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> == Demanding Major Change ==<br /> <br /> I'm not well educated on Obama enough to write an article on him, and even if I did I would not know where to start, but come on! Someone step up to the plate and correct this article. We atleast need a rewrite that presents a case for him being a christian. It can include all the Rev. Wright stuff you want, but if Conservapedia wants to become &quot;The trustworthy encyclopedia&quot; it has to convey both sides.<br /> <br /> As a conservapedian, I don't like where this site is going. When writing articles, we can have conservative viewpoints, just not conservative crusades.<br /> <br /> : It's remarkable how people who spell Christian with a small &quot;c&quot; want to insist that Obama is somehow a Christian.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 23:37, 5 January 2009 (EST)<br /> :: Mr. Schlafly, how that makes someone less christian then somebody else is beyond me. Petty remarks like that does not help conservapedia's image at all[[User:Skwisgaar|Skwisgaar]] 11:52, 18 February 2009 (EST)<br /> :::Reminiscent of those who assert the title of catholic with a small c, which in fact means something wholly other than a Catholic (i.e., a Roman Catholic) with a large C. (All Christians are in fact catholic with a small c if I understand it's fairly broad meaning.) --[[User:RickD|RickD]] 23:42, 5 January 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> : I don't think you can &quot;demand&quot; anything here. This is not a place where you can get what you want with the well-worn liberal tactic of stamping your feet and throwing a tantrum.<br /> : If you have proof that Obama is a Christian, then let us see it. As far as I can tell, he is completely uninterested in Christian fellowship of any kind, which to me is very telling.<br /> : It is easy to talk the talk. As the Lord himself said:<br /> : '''Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?' Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!'''' (Matthew 7:22-23)<br /> : When and if Barack Hussein Obama shows some evidence of having been washed clean in the blood of Christ, then we can talk. I'm not holding my breath. --[[User:DavidS|DavidS]] 08:34, 6 January 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> ::DeanS, you have proof, it's been shown to you multiple times. All the people seem to be interested here is raising a conspiracy theory. They are so set in their ways that arguing against them will yield no results. That's the whole thing about conspiracy theorists: it doesn't matter what proof you show or how complete it is, they will find some hole, real or imagined, and fill it in with whatever belief they hold to actually add strength to their theories. A quick review of the page reveals 3 telling conspiracy theories that are held in belief by the people who hold power on this website: 1) That Obama is a Muslim (he isn't) 2) That Obama wasn't born in Hawaii (He was), and 3) That the majority of Obama's campaign contributions came from anonymous donors (they didn't). That's why this page has been locked from editing, because it has become a war zone and is unlikely to change if it was unlocked. The only solution at this point is to try and gleam what facts you can from this article, and do your own independent research for more facts concerning Obama. [[User:ShawnJ|ShawnJ]] 09:14, 6 January 2009 (EST)<br /> ::: First of all, I'm David, not Dean. Secondly, Obama certainly doesn't ''act'' like any sort of Christian I care to know: he supports [[abortion]], he is a radical [[socialist]] (possibly a [[Communist]]), and he tells falsehoods. I don't know if he is a Muslim or not, but it seems quite likely, and the page has a lot of evidence showing that he is. --[[User:DavidS|DavidS]] 11:44, 6 January 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> ::::First, my apologies on the name. Secondly, I'm not claiming that Obama is a good Christian, just that he most certainly is not Muslim. The evidence on this page, many of which are blatant falsehoods, are hardly conclusive proof of anything. I have no doubt that if I held any user here under the same scrutiny that Obama has, I could gather enough &quot;evidence&quot; to make a case that they are any religion I choose them to be. Thirdly, just because he may not be the type of christian you want to know doesn't make him not christian. There are many Christians that I [[Ku Klux Klan|don't care to know]]. Does that make them not Christian?--[[User:ShawnJ|ShawnJ]] 12:13, 6 January 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> ::::: Islam is a religion trained to not be noticed, it encourages Muslims to remain hidden, any evidence that Obama isn't Muslim is denied by the one fact that Islam is a religion designed to remain hidden until the moment is right to strike. Recent &quot;negotiations&quot; with the Middle East prove this! --[[User:Deadpool]] (EST)<br /> <br /> :::::: Even if he is a muslim ,(which i am sure he is not), how does that change anything. Are you suggesting that everyone who is muslim is an amoral terrorist with an agenda to kill all christians and destroy our family values? Are you suggesting that every single muslim follows the tenets unfailingly? Even the most devoted christians i have met follow all of the tenets. A person is a person, religion may play a part in their every day life, but the amount of people willing to die or kill for it is very few. I met the now-president myself once. He was a good man who loved his family and his country, more so than many people I have met, liberals AND conservatives. Even though I voted for McCain, he seemed like a good candidate for president. [[User:Skwisgaar|Skwisgaar]] 11:51, 18 February 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> == Obama's Atheism ==<br /> <br /> I know it is a popular view on this site that Obama is a Muslim, but has anyone considered the possibility that his apparent lack of religious devotion indicates instead that he is an atheist? In an article about Obama on mensvogue.com, it is noted that &quot;Though Obama had long been skeptical of organized religion, he gradually came to embrace it &quot;as a choice, not an epiphany.&quot;&lt;ref&gt;http://www.mensvogue.com/business/politics/feature/articles/2006/09/11/barack_obama&lt;/ref&gt; It is frequently observed on Conservapedia that his claims of religious activity may be self-serving; could they not be an attempt to hide his atheism instead of his Islamic beliefs? After all, Ron Reagan, Jr. once remarked that nobody ever elects atheists.<br /> <br /> In addition, Conservapedia has also pointed out on numerous occasions that atheists are strongly inclined to dislike America. Is it also not possible that Obama's pro-Islamic behavior is not a series of Freudian slips, but rather a manifestation of his liberal dislike for America?<br /> <br /> Just some interesting points to consider. Perhaps we could open this up for discussion. --[[User:Economist|Economist]] 18:30, 6 January 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> == Obama Arab-American ==<br /> <br /> This article should, at some point, actually say that Obama is African-American, making him the first black president. If you really want to leave room for speculation about Warren G. Harding's ancestry, you could write &quot;first openly black president&quot; or something. But Obama's blackness is clearly a large part of his personal and political identity, and is probably going to be remembered as one of the most historically significant aspects of this election. An article on Barack Obama should contain a direct statement of this information, period.<br /> <br /> The editors should also consider putting that information in the first paragraph. I understand that there is no established rule about the ordering of information in a Conservapedia article. However, an uneducated reader looking at this article would learn how long his campaign was before learning that he is the first black president, which doesn't make much sense to me. [[User:Cb201|Cb201]] 16:20, 9 January 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> <br /> There is much distortion in the media about Obama being African-American. '''Obama is actually Arab-American''', and I agree that this page should reflect his race.<br /> <br /> Barack Hussein Obama is 50% Caucasian from his mother's side and 43.75% Arabic and 6.25% African Negro from his father's side. While Barack Hussein Obama's father was from Kenya, his father's family was mainly Arabs.. Barack Hussein Obama's father was only 12.5% African Negro and 87.5% Arab (his father's birth certificate even states he's Arab, not African Negro). --[[User:Cwcopela|Cwcopela]] 14:11, 19 January 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> :Does it really matter? It's not the technicalities that define what race Americans perceive Obama as - He looks more black, than white and arabic and that's how people will perceive him - They won't perceive him as another rich religious white guy or as an arab because of technicalities like that. --[[User:Atheuz|Atheuz]]<br /> <br /> :*So, perceptions matter above facts? That is typical of [[liberal]] thinking, you know. --[[User:TK|'''₮K''']]&lt;sub&gt;&lt;small&gt;&lt;small&gt;/Admin&lt;/small&gt;&lt;/small&gt;&lt;/sub&gt;&lt;sup&gt;[[User_Talk:TK|/Talk]]&lt;/sup&gt; 16:06, 19 January 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> :Wait, by your own admission Obama is half-Caucasian. Shouldn't we say &quot;first president with significantly ethnic roots&quot; or something (not as politically correct, of course)? [[User:T2master|T2master]] 19:30, 31 January 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> == Small comments ==<br /> <br /> Hello. Would it be appropriate to create a &quot;family&quot; section in this biography, it seems rather lacking on this point? For the rest it seems very informative, but rather cluttered. Would it be more logical to use a chronological build-up for this biography, such as placing the parts relating to his presidency more to the end of the biography, and his earlier endeavors to the front? Perhaps it would help if the contents table was moved up, at least to end up higher than the first muslim president bit? Let's hope I'm not asking any all-too-stupid questions! ;-) Regards, [[User:AVanbeek|AVanbeek]] 22:51, 12 January 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> : I don't see any of your suggestions as an improvement. Obama's presidential ambition predates the other items you mention, and his personal beliefs are the most significant. Encylopedias, like newspapers, prioritize presentation based on significance.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 22:59, 12 January 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> :: Shall I go ahead then, and erase &quot;Family&quot; Sections on George W. Bush and McCain's articles? Their great accomplishments surely predate those insignificant sections. [[User:AMurdoc|AMurdoc]] 13:29, 15 January 2009 (EST)<br /> :::Why not go ahead and make some positive contributions to this encyclopaedia by creating wanted articles, rather than attempting to be satirical? [[User:MikeSalter|MikeSalter]] 14:18, 15 January 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> I'd also note that Michelle is refered to by her maiden name in the info box. Checking the previous Presidents, their wives are referenced in First Last or First Maiden Last (Laura Bush and Hillary Rodham Clinton). Any reason not to have Michelle Obama or Michelle Robinson Obama? Is there some dispute about her legal name? As her name has changed in the popular view and the law, this information would appear to be just wrong. <br /> <br /> == Lincoln's Bible? ==<br /> <br /> Fox News is reporting that Obama will use the Lincoln Bible to be sworn in &lt;ref&gt;http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2008/12/23/obama-sworn-using-lincoln-bible/&lt;/ref&gt;. I think it's fairly safe to say that it will not be a koran. I also think it is safe to say that this is exactly the kind of trickery a manchurian muslim would use. Is it worth a mention in the &quot;likely muslim&quot; section?<br /> <br /> [[User:CWood|CWood]] 11:01, 15 January 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> : I agree, it is safe to say it will not be a Koran. I think i'ts also safe to say this is exactly the kind of &quot;trickery&quot; a Christian would use. Is it worth a mention in the &quot;likely Christian&quot; section? oh wait... [[User:ShawnJ|ShawnJ]] 11:59, 15 January 2009 (EST)<br /> : So Obama is damned if he does use a Bible, and damned if he doesn't. Seems a bit unreasonable. None of those other candidates were ever accused of being &quot;Manchurian Muslims&quot; just because they DID use a Bible to get sworn in. Then again, none of those other candidates had brown skin and a funny name, right? [[User:Cb201|Cb201]] 12:55, 16 January 2009 (EST)<br /> :::Typical [[liberal]] [[race baiting]]... How about you come up with evidence rather than allegations? [[User:CWood|CWood]] 16:47, 18 January 2009 (EST)<br /> ::None of the other candidates hid from questions about their past, it's Obama's own fault. Nobody ever said his name was funny except Obama. The brown skin comment is over the top racist ploy. You know very well that there are more respected, patriotic, qualified 'brown skin' people that are deserving of presidency, Obama isn't one of them. FYI- slanderous allegations are deserving of a permanent block here. --[[User:Jpatt|Jpatt]] 13:03, 16 January 2009 (EST)<br /> :::How about slanderous allegations that a man is lying to the country about his religion? Do those count?<br /> <br /> :::I'm not accusing anyone of racism per se. I'm just pointing out that no other presidential candidate has ever had to prove to the country that he is not a Muslim. And let's be honest - that's because all the other presidential candidates have been white guys named George or Bill or Ron or Jimmy, and this one is a black guy named Barack. If people WANT to believe he's a Muslim (the authors of this article clearly do) it's easier to do so. If you can't see the connection between his race/name and the popularity of the belief that he is a Muslim, you're not looking hard enough.<br /> <br /> :::Anyway, this is all a moot point. He's not a Muslim. As time goes by after Obama takes office, this page will look increasingly loony. I guess if Obama really turns out to be an Al-Qaeda sleeper agent poised to sabotage the United States in a plot straight out of a Tom Clancy novel, I will be the one looking loony. But I think I'll take that chance.[[User:Cb201|Cb201]] 17:55, 16 January 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> == References ==<br /> <br /> Barack Hussein Obama (born in Honolulu,[1][2][3] August 4, 1961) served as a first-term Democratic Senator from Illinois (2004-2008) and then, along with his running mate Senator Joseph Biden, won the presidential election[4] after twenty-three months of campaigning, raising an unprecedented $750 million and spending over $700 million of it,[5]. Post-election, Obama indicated that he would make an unprecedented speech within his first 100 days from a Muslim capital.[6] (7][8] <br /> <br /> Obama has espoused the idea of &quot;spreading the wealth,&quot;[10] <br /> in other words raising the tax rates on business and the wealthy in order to redistribute their income to low income individuals, many of whom don't currently pay income taxes.[11] His health care plan requires employers to purchase health care or pay a fine and will require many into a single payer system.[12] To announce his trip to Berlin in July 2008, Obama used posters which show a marked similarity to posters of others.[13] During Obama's youth in Hawaii, he developed a strong, almost Father/Son relationship with Frank Marshall Davis.14]<br /> {{unsigned|Lucyjordan}} 11:00, 17 January 2009<br /> <br /> The claim that Fareed Zakaria's book ''The Post-American World'' &quot;is written from a Muslim point-of-view&quot; is not supported by the reference, [35]. [[User:Dadsnagem2|Dadsnagem2]] 15:41, 19 February 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> : Ah yes, Fareed Zakaria is actually a Jewish name, written from a Juda perspective. Let's get serious ok? --[[User:Jpatt|jpatt]] 15:53, 19 February 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> :: The ''Village Voice'' article that was referenced describes Zakaria as a secular Muslim, but it doesn't mention the book at all. Do you not think it's possible for someone to write a book on a secular topic without injecting his religious point of view? [[User:Dadsnagem2|Dadsnagem2]] 16:20, 19 February 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> ==Picture==<br /> [[Image:AC776AB92D53D08B124F57F6B9B6C2.jpg‎]] Here's a picture of our plotting leader. Too sinister? --[[User:StevenM|Ṣ₮ёVeN]] 09:41, 19 January 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> : Interesting, Steven. But where did you get it from? The uploads should reflect the source and claim of ability to use it, unless before 1923 (in which everything is public domain).--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 10:22, 19 January 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> ::Oh yes. sorry, i got it from the msn.com do i need promission to take photos from there? --[[User:StevenM|Ṣ₮ёVeN]] 14:03, 19 January 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> == Obama/Muslim Support ==<br /> <br /> In the May be a Muslim section, it says that he had an increased support of Muslim voters. How does this prove he is Muslim? While this should be kept, It should be moved to another section.<br /> <br /> :Nation of Islam's annual convention in a Chicago suburb, a white T-shirt with an image of Obama between Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr. sold for $10. <br /> <br /> :The Muslim community supports their Muslims. MLK just thrown into the mix for his iconic black image. [http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jGXLhxPilGxuVttW5L588O-y4uAAD96LKH200]<br /> <br /> == I know we lost a week... ==<br /> But we can't stay in some alternate universe where G.W.Bush is still president forever, especially if this article is going to link to the front page. We need to update this article to show that Obama is now president. I would do so, but its locked. As it has been. For quite some time. --[[User:DReynolds|DReynolds]] 23:57, 27 January 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> == Low Res Pic ==<br /> <br /> Why is the leading picture of Obama such a low resolution version? It looks crappy when stretched [[User:NotALiberal|NotALiberal]] 08:20, 28 January 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> : That's the only picture we could get from the White House Web site. It certainly surprises me, because I would have thought that they would have a very high-resolution picture of...&quot;Him.&quot; We might try the White House site again to see whether &quot;He&quot; has corrected this&amp;mdash;er&amp;mdash;oversight.--[[User:TerryH|TerryH]]&lt;sup&gt;[[User talk:TerryH|Talk]]&lt;/sup&gt; 08:26, 28 January 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> ::Wikipedia found one (http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e9/Official_portrait_of_Barack_Obama.jpg) [[User:NotALiberal|NotALiberal]] 08:29, 28 January 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> ::(I could have sworn i edited this already, did we loose some more from the database?) The orginal high resolution image can be obtained from the change.gov site; http://change.gov/page/-/officialportrait.jpg . Updating to this version should fix all the scaling artefacts --[[User:SCarter|SCarter]] 22:10, 28 January 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> == Second swearing in ceremony? ==<br /> <br /> I'm surprised that this isn't even mentioned in the article, but when Obama retook the Oath he DIDN'T USE A BIBLE. In fact, there was no video recording of the session and the picture taken only showed him from the chest up. This is profound evidence of being Unchristian at the very least. Since we can't see his left hand during the ceremony, it could be on anything ... dare I say, the Koran?? (source http://www.foxnews.com/politics/first100days/2009/01/21/obama-takes-oath-office/) [[User:NotALiberal|NotALiberal]] 08:40, 28 January 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> : I consider swearing on the Bible to be un-Christian, because of Matthew 5:34-37, where swearing on anything is expressly forbidden by Jesus.--[[User:CPalmer|CPalmer]] 08:48, 28 January 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> Additionally, the second swearing-in ceremony was hardly &quot;private.&quot; There were a number of reporters present. Even if it were private, the first ceremony is the one that is constitutionally binding. In any case, the allegation in the main article needs a citation. There are plenty out there, so get to it!<br /> <br /> == Rejects ID, Pushes Evolution (Over Christianity!?) ==<br /> <br /> This really needs to be a section in the mainspace. Someone unlock or please add a section mentioning the following:<br /> <br /> ''Rejects ID''<br /> From the responses to a Q&amp;A sent out by Nature: Do you believe that evolution by means of natural selection is a sufficient explanation for the variety and complexity of life on Earth? Should intelligent design, or some derivative thereof, be taught in science class in public schools?<br /> <br /> Obama: I believe in evolution, and I support the strong consensus of the scientific community that evolution is scientifically validated. I do not believe it is helpful to our students to cloud discussions of science with non-scientific theories like intelligent design that are not subject to experimental scrutiny. &lt;ref&gt;http://www.uncommondescent.com/intelligent-design/in-obamas-own-words/&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> ''Pushes Evolution Over Christianity''<br /> Remnick, who at this point could be considered the President of the United States of Magazines, forced Obama to address the topic of religion. &quot;It's not 'faith' if you are absolutely certain,&quot; Obama said, noting that he didn't believe his lack of &quot;faith&quot; would hurt him a national election. &quot;Evolution is more grounded in my experience than angels.&quot; &lt;ref&gt;http://www.mediabistro.com/fishbowlny/magazines/barack_obama_i_inhaled_that_was_the_point_46068.asp&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> Wow. [[User:CherylE|CherylE]] 10:17, 28 January 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> == Allegedly born in Honolulu ==<br /> <br /> Why does it still say he was allegedly born in Honolulu? Later on in the page it says the it was proven his birth certificate is genuine. [[User:JohnKite|JohnKite]] 11:15, 28 January 2009 (EST)<br /> :We merely state that FactCheck.org believed the photo of the birth certificate was genuine.--&lt;small&gt;[[User:Iduan|&lt;span style=&quot;color: #FFCCCC; background: #660000&quot;&gt;I]][[User_talk:Iduan|&lt;span style=&quot;color:#CCCCFF; background:#000033&quot;&gt;Duan]]&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/small&gt; 10:58, 28 January 2009 (EST)<br /> Maybe it should be rewritten then since now it reads more like it states a fact that the birth certificate is indeed genuine. I'm guessing 99% of people never even check the reference.[[User:JohnKite|JohnKite]] 11:15, 28 January 2009 (EST)<br /> :Additionally, he's already been sworn in as president, so arguing over where he was born is a moot point. --[[User:FrankincenseMonster|FrankincenseMonster]] 23:57, 29 January 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> == Why no family section? ==<br /> <br /> The Obama article has no family section. Neither does Clinton's or Carter's. However, Reagan's, Bush the elder's and W.Bush's articles have them. Why none on the democratic presidents'? [[User:JohnKite|JohnKite]] 11:42, 28 January 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> There's a simple answer: Obama, Clinton, and Carter are Democrats. They belong to an anti-family party, therefore their family is irrelevant to their political existence. Family is central to Republican policy, and so it is impossible to understand President Bush without mentioning his family.<br /> [[User:LatinScholar]] 1:36, 30 January 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> :He has a family though, doesn't he? [[User:JohnKite|JohnKite]] 13:47, 30 January 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> Yes, but a Democrat family, which is something entirely different. [[User:LatinScholar|LatinScholar]] 2:22, 30 January 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> : How about adding a family section now mentioning his half brother in Kenya who was arrested for drug possession? Shouldn't there be something about him on the page? [[User:JohnKite|JohnKite]] 08:02, 1 February 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> ::This argument doesn't make sense. If he's &quot;anti-family,&quot; '''he wouldn't have a family'''. I suppose by &quot;anti-family,&quot; you mean pro-abortion. That has nothing do to with whether to include his own family. A good encyclopedia doesn't leave out information for reasons like this. It's relevant and it should be here.[[User:Dantès|Dantès]] 17:09, 2 March 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> == Some Changes ==<br /> <br /> Why is this locked?<br /> Obama has not been succeded by &quot;incumbent&quot; nor will he be.<br /> Obamas term in office might not go to 2013, it might go further, it might not go that far, unless you are psychic this should be changed. --[[User:Brendanw|Brendanw]] 11:58, 28 January 2009 (EST)<br /> :&quot;Incumbent&quot; means he is the current holder of the office. It's simply a term to indicate that he is the most recent. And while it is true that Obama could be elected to a second term and thus serve until 2017, he hasn't. His first term expires on 2013 regardless of what happens between now and then (barring impeachment or death, of course) so it's factual to list that date. Listing a second term when he's only a week and a half in his first one is speculative and inappropriate for an encyclopedia. --[[User:Ampersand|Ampersand]] 14:49, 28 January 2009 (EST)<br /> It's the exact same thing we did with [[George W. Bush]] - &lt;s&gt;there's nothing factually wrong about saying whoever replaces obama will be an incumbent.&lt;/s&gt; - saying incumbent merely confirms that he is the current president - no one has succeeded him yet.--&lt;small&gt;[[User:Iduan|&lt;span style=&quot;color: #FFCCCC; background: #660000&quot;&gt;I]][[User_talk:Iduan|&lt;span style=&quot;color:#CCCCFF; background:#000033&quot;&gt;Duan]]&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/small&gt; 14:42, 29 January 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> ==Is he or isn't he President?==<br /> This article has a lot of wildly inaccurate and unsourced information in it. It also can't seem to decide whether BO is President or not - the picture on the right says he is, the text varies from claiming he's won the election, to him being Senator. I'd love to help clean this up, but can't seem to edit the page? Ready to help. [[User:FNNoonan|FNNoonan]] 15:15, 28 January 2009 (EST)<br /> :Yes, it's pretty weird isn't it. One would have thought that if it was important enough to protect then it would be important enough to update. But the failure to update tells the casual reader what to expect in respect of the general accuracy of the article - so it's probably not a bad thing.--[[User:British_cons|British_cons]] [[User_talk:British_cons|(talk)]] 11:12, 29 January 2009 (EST)<br /> ::I notice the article has been updated to make it somewhat more reality-based. Good. However, I would expect - almost to the case of 'demand' - that the article on the current POTUS begin with the short and simple line &quot;Barack Hussein Obama is the 44th and current President of the United States of America&quot;. Instead, the first sentence about this, arguably the world's most important person, is overlong, appallingly punctuated, begins immediately with unfounded gossip and wanders off into some other random irrelevant facts and utterly lacks focus. It says a lot about what the reader can expect from the entire article to follow. I wish I could help rewrite this article so as it would be more based on fact and reality - and particularly, better written - but as it's locked, that's impossible. So all we, the casual readers, can do is suggest things which need to be done to improve the article. I would begin by recommending the deletion of the entire monster and a total rewrite from scratch. There's nothing here of substance and nothing that will engender any respect for this supposed 'encyclopedia'. [[User:FNNoonan|FNNoonan]] 13:33, 29 January 2009 (EST)<br /> :::It's a shame we can't all be as learned and insightful as you, FNNoonan. However, I dare say all the hard-working editors here will jump up to obey your lofty commands. If you want a 'better' article, why not write one on your userpage/in a sandbox and submit it to the criticism of your peers? Or is this a case of 'those who can't, criticise'? [[User:MauriceB|MauriceB]] 14:19, 29 January 2009 (EST)<br /> :::: You must not have read my comment, in which I made a suggestion to improve the article's first sentence. What's yours? You might try contributing something to the debate rather than trying to shoot the messenger. The message is - the article's a disaster. Now, what are you doing about that? [[User:FNNoonan|FNNoonan]] 16:24, 29 January 2009 (EST)<br /> :::::I don't think it a disaster, but a multi-layered and well-argued piece. Looking at the revision history and talk pages, I see that some of the best minds on Consercvapedia think so, too. Therefore I have no need to do anything. You, on the other hand, see faults, but do nothing except indulge yourself in corrosive criticism. [[User:MauriceB|MauriceB]] 17:10, 29 January 2009 (EST)<br /> ::::::I would also point out that the article even fails to mention which country he's President of. I would again recommend the inclusion of my suggested opening sentence - &quot;Barack Hussein Obama is the 44th and current President of the United States of America&quot;. Thank you for helping to improve this terrible article. [[User:FNNoonan|FNNoonan]] 14:34, 30 January 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> The article should begin with &quot;Barack Hussein Obama is currently the 44th President of the United States of America.&quot; Someone please make this change. [[User:Gadzodilo|Gadzodilo]] 23:22, 1 February 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> Thanks for improving the article's first few words - we now know what his job is and of what country he's President. But I would ask that someone PLEASE look at the grammar in that first sentence - it's absolutely atrocious. Again, since I cannot edit the page, I cannot help but instead can only point out the problems here. First, if you want to make the point about his birthplace, the correct place would be later - and then with an explanation of why this might be a problem (the Constitution states that President's must be born in the USA - there's no mention of this anywhere in the article). If you want to make the point where it is, despite that being a nonsequitor, simply add a period after 'States' and remove the word 'although'. Also please note that the word 'although' is a conditional - and what follows the word 'although' has nothing to do with the opening part of the sentence. You might as well write &quot;He is the President of the USA, although he apparently doesn't like cheese&quot;. The two items have no connection. Subject-Object. Next, the entire first sentence is utterly malformed, with a punctuation that woulod shame a four year old, including a period in the middle of the sentence. There is what is presumably a birthdate just floating in the middle of the sentence, undescribed. This is followed by a close-parentheses, where there was no open-parentheses. The sentence then runs on with some gibberish about electoral donations. It also appears as if Joe Biden was his running mate while he was a Senator from Illinois. The first paragraph continues in what can barely be described as comprehensible English with a stream of random, unintroduced facts. Finally, it ends with a nonsensical reference to the absolutely normal practice of politicians referring to the practices of their nation, and addressing their nation as a collective body. I would love to help tidy up this amateur article, but the childish English throughout, combined with the fact that the article is locked, leave me to believe it is not possible, and this encyclopedia is anything but 'trustworthy'. Would you trust your children with this article? [[User:FNNoonan|FNNoonan]] 14:16, 4 February 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> == Real Bible NOT Koran ==<br /> <br /> Below is the kind of post I’ve been looking forward to:<br /> <br /> “Look, I wrote here and in the article that Obama would swear on the Koran, and now I’ve just got to eat [[humble pie]]. See, I was wwoo….wrooggga…woolooo..wopppaaa. wrong. There, I managed to say it, and I feel better for it.”<br /> <br /> Yeah, I been waiting for that one, but I’m not holding my breath. But since Obama DID in fact swear on Lincoln’s Bible that means (check this one in archives) you clowns owe me $100. Each. (American notes thank you.) [[User:MylesP|MylesP]] 18:31, 28 January 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> : You're clueless, Myles. Obama's real oath was not on the Bible. I don't know if it was on the Koran. Do you?--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 23:01, 28 January 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> OP Myles back. Right, let me see if I can sum up the state of play. Obama tries to take the Oath on the Lincoln Bible, which presumably has special powers not available to the usual Gideon’s Hotel edition. Anyways, Chief Justice Roberts manages to bellyflop his role in history. It’s like the guy who needs play only one note on a triangle during the symphony and manages to foul that up. Along with 90% of the world, I thought that Obama was completely blameless for this glitch, and actually quite gracious. His face and bearing said “Hey, you stuffed up, but I forgive you. Let’s try it again.” This was not what the foaming at the mouth crowd saw, and talk here was of how Obama was not properly inaugurated, and that somehow it was all his fault. Then, to satisfy the New Philistines, he takes the oath, again. This time, no one of the Born Again crowd who frequent these occasions thinks to bring a Bible, but it is Obama’s fault once more, because apparently he should have one in his back pocket at all times. He takes the oath again. Hey, that’s good enough for me, but apparently I’m clueless, according to Andy, who, in one of his regular 2 line missives from above believes there’s more to this than meets the eye.<br /> <br /> Well, let me see. I suppose Obama could have paid Roberts off in the first instance to screw up the wording, so he would not have to put his hand on the Bible. (Because then he would wince with pain as the Word of God burnt his skin, or something.) This set up the SECOND inauguration at which everyone was paid to make sure no Bible was there, so Obama gets to be Prez while cunningly evading the Bible. You see, it all makes perfect sense, don’t it? Yeah, and I’M the one who’s clueless! Truly, what a man believes, he sees. Look, I’ve got an idea. Instead of hurling everything you got including the kitchen sink at Obama on a second by second basis, every time he so much as scratches his nose, let’s take the fair-minded, objective, dare I say American approach. It’s the customary 100 day honeymoon. Why don’t we all give him those 100 days, and THEN have a look at the plus and minus sheet? Sound like a sensible notion? Of course, that would mean putting your knee in some other crotch for that time, which is asking a hell of a lot I know. But then you would have some REAL grievances at the end instead of the kind of sort of all this relentless muck-raking on the basis of trivia. And just think of the size of the bonfire you could build then. <br /> <br /> You know, where I come from conservatives are known as people with a sense of honour, with ethical standards, polite and cultivated, aware of etiquette, educated, and with a keen sense for fair play. You might be using a different dictionary. [[User:MylesP|MylesP]] 00:42, 29 January 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> *Myles, please read the box at the top of this page, and adhere to it. Thanks. --[[User:TK|'''₮K''']]&lt;sub&gt;&lt;small&gt;&lt;small&gt;/Admin&lt;/small&gt;&lt;/small&gt;&lt;/sub&gt;&lt;sup&gt;[[User_Talk:TK|/Talk]]&lt;/sup&gt; 00:55, 29 January 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> :Myles, one can tell you're a liberal just by observing how many words it takes you to say nothing. Your non-American spelling of &quot;honor&quot; is also a giveaway.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 22:43, 29 January 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> ::Somebody decides to spell 'honour' the way that it is spelt correctly in '''English''' (the mother-tongue of '''England''') and you decide to try and be insulting about it. Classy.--[[User:Ieuan|Ieuan]] 12:47, 30 January 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> ::Despite Myles' tone, his post does have some merit: It's time to let go of this &quot;swearing in on the Koran&quot; business because it is purely insulting speculation. <br /> ::And I have to ask... why is using non-American spelling a liberal trait? Our Prime Minister up here in Canada is as conservative as they come... [[User:SJames|SJames]] 13:37, 30 January 2009 (EST)<br /> ::: It doesn't show you're non-conservative. It shows you are not American, or an un-American person. [[User:T2master|T2master]] 19:30, 31 January 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> == Incumbent ==<br /> <br /> In the box to the right of the page it says that Obama will be succeeded by [[incumbent]]? Doesn't this imply that he will have two terms? I'm a bit confused. [[User:AndyJM|AndyJM]] 11:19, 29 January 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> :I can understand the confusion, but all it implies is that he is the current President. It would probably be better if the whole line was removed until we actually know who he would be succeeded by. [[User:ShawnJ|ShawnJ]] 13:09, 29 January 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> ::Well, I tried to fix it up, I really did. But it was hard what with the lock down. I tried dabbing liquid paper on my monitor but that didn’t work very well either. Normally, “Not known” or “To be announced” or “To be determined” are the accepted forms, but hey, what about &quot;Sarah Palin&quot;? Let’s be positive and proactive about this. That lady is gonna wipe the floor with this Obama ring in. I’m marching in her parade right now. “Palin ain’t for failin’ “ <br /> ::Whoo hooo!!” [[User:MylesP|MylesP]] 21:42, 29 January 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> <br /> :::I fixed all this....what's the problem now, Myles? --[[User:TK|'''₮K''']]&lt;sub&gt;&lt;small&gt;&lt;small&gt;/Admin&lt;/small&gt;&lt;/small&gt;&lt;/sub&gt;&lt;sup&gt;[[User_Talk:TK|/Talk]]&lt;/sup&gt; 22:46, 29 January 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> == Stylistic matter ==<br /> Technically, it is proper to simply list the day of Obama's inauguration followed by a dash, as, God forbid, he might be reelected in 2012. So we can't say until the election when his last day in office will be... --[[User:DReynolds|DReynolds]] 09:36, 30 January 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> *I believe you are not correct. ''Technically'' he was elected to a four year term. The text for the info box says term of office, no? That would be four years from his inauguration, 20 January, 2009. One doesn't typically take into account the possibility of death, resignation or re-election. Perhaps you are saying what is &quot;typical&quot; for Wikipedia? --[[User:TK|'''₮K''']]&lt;sub&gt;&lt;small&gt;&lt;small&gt;/Admin&lt;/small&gt;&lt;/small&gt;&lt;/sub&gt;&lt;sup&gt;[[User_Talk:TK|/Talk]]&lt;/sup&gt; 12:52, 30 January 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> ::This[http://conservapedia.com/index.php?title=George_W._Bush&amp;oldid=598707] seems like a reasonable template &quot;typical&quot; for Conservapedia. The Bush entry was changed from &quot;present&quot; to January 20, 2009 less than three weeks before the date that he was definitively leaving office.[[User:Mikek|Mikek]] 14:51, 30 January 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> ::What he was elected to and his actual term in office can be different things. William Henry Harrison was elected for a four year term but his actual term was one month. As I recall Bushes article said 'present' until several days after his term was over. --[[User:Brendanw|Brendanw]] 15:11, 30 January 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> Actually, that's almost universal. We don't know when his term will end. He could be re-elected in four years, or shot tomorrow. We can't say when his term will ''actually'' end. Wikipedia, by the way, doesn't even have a dash- just &quot;assumed office,&quot; &quot;incumbent&quot; and &quot;January 20, 2009.&quot; If accuracy is our goal, it's best to simply put a dash, or a dash followed by &quot;present&quot; or &quot;incumbent.&quot; --[[User:DReynolds|DReynolds]] 15:34, 30 January 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> == Article Naming ==<br /> <br /> As the article for [[Barack Hussein Obama]] includes his full name, [[John McCain]] should redirect to [[John Sidney McCain III]], [[Joe Biden]] to [[Joseph Robinette &quot;Joe&quot; Biden, Jr.]], etc. - [[User:LafinJack|LafinJack]] 17:05, 30 January 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> *No. But you just keep on LafinJack. ;-) -- --[[User:TK|'''₮K''']]&lt;sub&gt;&lt;small&gt;&lt;small&gt;/Admin&lt;/small&gt;&lt;/small&gt;&lt;/sub&gt;&lt;sup&gt;[[User_Talk:TK|/Talk]]&lt;/sup&gt; 18:05, 30 January 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> ::Can we ask why we will have the inconsistency TK? --[[User:WillB|WillB]] 18:15, 30 January 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> I fail to understand what LafinJack or WillB are complaining about. What inconsistency? [[User:LatinScholar|LatinScholar]] 7:08, 30 January 2009<br /> ::They are referring to the fact that only Barack Obama's middle name is included in the article name, while the others are not. They are wondering why that is. <br /> ::The obvious answer: Hussein is a Muslim name. It helps when trying to portray the slant that President Obama is lying about being a Christian. &quot;Sidney&quot; and &quot;Robinette&quot; are regular Western middle names and serve no significant purpose. A similar line of reasoning can also explain why the Table of Contents is oddly out of view in President Obama's article. [[User:AdamSchaley|AdamSchaley]] 19:21, 30 January 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> Leave it to a liberal to reduce this discussion to nonsense, innuendo, and pointless name-calling. What's the use of even trying to have this discussion when you won't discuss things rationally? [[User:LatinScholar|LatinScholar]] 19:42, 01/09<br /> <br /> ::I should remind you that this is a Conservative Christian encyclopedia with an ADMITTED BIAS. The goal is obvious: To show readers that Obama is a Muslim, however this is in line with the principals of the encyclopedia, so there isn't anything really to complain about. Conservatives want everyone to understand Obama is a Muslim. There is no NPOV, get over it (my $.02) [[User:NotALiberal|NotALiberal]] 21:56, 30 January 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> :::I'm pretty sure his religion should have no bearing in the first place. Then again, you're the type of moron who lets a candidate's religious faith influence your vote. &quot;I AINT GON' VOTE FOR NO MUSLIMS OR JEWS.&quot; I'm quite sure the color of his skin also has a bearing on you. Let's not forget that there isn't any credible evidence that he's indeed a Muslim. --[[User:VictorT|VictorT]] 17:45, 7 March 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> == Change of wording? ==<br /> <br /> I think &quot;Obama will likely be the first Muslim President&quot; would be better written as &quot;Obama is likely the first Muslim President&quot; ... just a thought [[User:NotALiberal|NotALiberal]] 22:08, 30 January 2009 (EST)<br /> :Nah, let's not. --[[User:VictorT|VictorT]] 17:47, 7 March 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> == Update picture? ==<br /> <br /> I'd just like to rerequest that the Obama main picture get updated with a higher resolution version. It looks very bad stretched. Here is a URL to an official version (http://change.gov/page/-/officialportrait.jpg) [[User:NotALiberal|NotALiberal]] 10:58, 31 January 2009 (EST)<br /> [[User:NotALiberal|NotALiberal]] 10:58, 31 January 2009 (EST)<br /> :Done. Thanks for the link. --[[User:DeanS|DeanS&lt;sup&gt;talk&lt;/sup&gt;]] 11:24, 31 January 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> ::Thanks. Looks a lot better [[User:NotALiberal|NotALiberal]] 12:10, 31 January 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> == Obama's religious outlook ==<br /> '''Obama's &quot;outlook is Muslim&quot;? That is simply not true'''<br /> <br /> The Obama article presently reads: &quot;Obama's background, education, and '''outlook''' are Muslim, and fewer than 1% of Muslims convert to Christianity.&quot;<br /> <br /> I don't think the above sentence is true and I will give two notable cases where it can be shown that Obama's '''outlook''' is not Muslim. <br /> <br /> First, Obama heavily promotes the abortion (&quot;pro-choice&quot;) ideology.[http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&amp;pageId=72511] How many Muslim countries promote the abortion ideology? Not many at all. I cite the following: &quot;The rules are also influenced by the role of religion; in most Muslim countries abortion is prohibited and it is also restricted in Catholic Latin America.&quot;[http://www.newsbatch.com/abort.htm] <br /> <br /> One of the first things the Obama administration did was to put on the White House website that they were going to promote the homosexual agenda. I cite the following: &quot;President Obama had not even finished his inaugural address today before his agenda was posted on the WhiteHouse website, where he promised to &quot;overturn&quot; the Supreme Court's precedents on discrimination claims and to demand new laws requiring employers to provide special protections for homosexuals and others with &quot;gender&quot; issues.[http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&amp;pageId=86633] I do know for a fact that homosexuality is presently generally looked upon very unfavorably in Muslim countries. I cite the following: &quot;Same-sex intercourse carries the death penalty in five officially Muslim nations: Saudi Arabia, Iran, Mauritania, Sudan, and Yemen. [3] It formerly carried the death penalty in Afghanistan under the Taliban, and in Iraq under a 2001 decree by Saddam Hussein. The legal situation in the United Arab Emirates is unclear. In many Muslim nations, such as Bahrain, Qatar, Algeria or the Maldives, homosexuality is punished with jail time, fines or corporal punishment. In some Muslim-majority nations, such as Turkey, Jordan, Egypt, or Mali, same-sex intercourse is not forbidden by law. However, in Egypt gays have been the victims of laws against &quot;morality&quot;.&quot;[http://www.religionfacts.com/homosexuality/islam.htm]<br /> <br /> I think it is untrue to say that Obama's outlook is Muslim. [[User:Conservative|conservative]] 04:06, 1 February 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> :His background is [[Islam]]ic, but I am unaware of his theological beliefs. Has he ever espoused a particular Christian or Muslim idea? If so, what? --[[User:Ed Poor|Ed Poor]] &lt;sup&gt;[[User talk:Ed Poor|Talk]]&lt;/sup&gt; 17:43, 20 February 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> == Obama's Historical Ignorance ==<br /> <br /> The first statement in the Insights section claims that &quot;Obama displayed ignorance about American history when he said, &quot;Throughout our history, America's confronted constantly evolving danger, from the oppression of an empire, to the lawlessness of the frontier, '''from the bomb that fell on Pearl Harbor''', to the threat of nuclear annihilation.&quot;<br /> <br /> There are a few things wrong with what Obama said about Pearl Habor, but none of them constitute ignorance. The only things wrong with what he said are that he a) did no pluralize the phrase to &quot;from the bombs that fell on Pearl Habor&quot;; b) he wasn't accurate in the kind of weaponry used because they were actually torpedoes (which is hardly ignorance as it is a largely insignificant fact); or c) the fact that he failed to properly pluralize 'bomb' means that his phrase seems to reference a far more infamous bomb, the one on Hiroshima. This last point of course does not constitute ignorance. Even if he did mistaken Hiroshima for Pearl Habor I would see that as a gaff rather than evidence of impeded ignorance towards American history. But, given that, in the context of 'constantly evolving danger' and the other historical references contained within the whole statement, it is quite clear Obama did not mean Hiroshima, I would be inclined to either edit or remove this phrase entirely.<br /> <br /> Politicians make gaffs all the time. If you want to find actual evidence of Obama's 'ignorance' towards American history look somewhere else.<br /> <br /> ==Rearranged content==<br /> First, very little was removed or changed, but there was some there which was either repetative or in the wrong context. This I hope was corrected.<br /> <br /> Second, the place of birth was changed to Hawaii. There has to be ''proof'' that he was ''not'' born in Hawaii, and we cannot allow someone else's opinion in the article which states that he was not. But, the birth controversy is still a relevent topic as far as his possible history and the campaign is concerned, and this feature has been preserved.<br /> <br /> And third, there are minor corrections to be made to the article, which include writing and grammer, accuracy, and minor info that could be added as to his presidency. [[User:Karajou|Karajou]] 01:50, 2 February 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> <br /> I think that Andrew Schafly was right to move the sections back into their previous order. [[User:LatinScholar|LatinScholar]]<br /> <br /> :I think that speculation should come after factual information in an article. Why are we talking about what Obama &quot;may be&quot; before what he actually is? --'' '''[[user:JArneal|&lt;font color=&quot;#006666&quot; &gt;JArneal&lt;/font&gt;]]'' ''' 18:29, 3 February 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> ::There you go again! &quot;Actually is&quot; ? I think first, JArneal, in the great tradition of liberals, you need to define what &quot;is&quot; -- ''is''! Please find a new hobby, JArneal, as your present one of constantly arguing and disputing doesn't wear well. --[[User:TK|'''₮K''']]&lt;sub&gt;&lt;small&gt;&lt;small&gt;/Admin&lt;/small&gt;&lt;/small&gt;&lt;/sub&gt;&lt;sup&gt;[[User_Talk:TK|/Talk]]&lt;/sup&gt; 18:59, 3 February 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> ::Why must liberals censor that Obama is likely a Muslim... get over it guys --[[User:PMichael|PMichael]] 20:06, 3 February 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> ::: Why can't conservatives accept the fact that he isn't...get over it guys --[[User:ShawnJ|ShawnJ]] 20:37, 3 February 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> ::: Sheesh, TK. I'm sorry if I offended you. Do you really want me to define &quot;is&quot;? I was just asking why we don't put factual information in front, and speculation in back. Is there a reason? --'' '''[[user:JArneal|&lt;font color=&quot;#006666&quot; &gt;JArneal&lt;/font&gt;]]'' ''' 22:24, 3 February 2009 (EST)<br /> Is is the 3rd person singular, possessive form of be.<br /> <br /> == Obama and Sexism ==<br /> <br /> In the &quot;Presidential Campaign&quot; section of this article it states &quot;Obama mocks Sen. McCain's for his age and Gov. Palin for being '''a woman''' and outsider.&quot; The evidence of Obama mocking Palin for being a woman is explained later: &quot;Obama was caught for his quiet hiring of Winner &amp; Associates to disseminate a sexist smear video against her.&quot; Are you talking about this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6eu9Z2hXky0&amp;eurl=http://mypetjawa.mu.nu/archives/194057.php ? How is this video a &quot;sexist&quot; smear? Not only that, but there is little evidence to support the claim that Obama hired Winner to make this video.<br /> <br /> The article suggests that Obama was caught for hiring someone to make a sexist smear video. I am asking for definitive proof that Obama was behind the video, AND definitive proof that the video is a &quot;sexist&quot; smear. If there is no proof, I am at least requesting that the untrue statements about Obama mocking Palin for being a woman are removed. If I do not get a response from one of the editors of this article I will email the owners of Conservapedia directly. [[User:FairMan|FairMan]] 19:25, 4 February 2009 (EST)<br /> :First, if you have correct information as to who was actually behind the video in question then it needs to be brought to our attention in a fair manner. Second, the way you brought this about, by making your statement here in the form of a DEMAND, is not going to be tolerated. [[User:Karajou|Karajou]] 19:38, 4 February 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> First of all, if my tone sounded as though i was demanding something from you or seemed disrespectful in some way I apologize, that was not my intent. I am merely requesting that the article changes it's tone. It states: &quot;Obama was caught...&quot; we do not know for certain that Obama was behind the video at all. Are we as Americans not considered innocent until proven guilty?<br /> <br /> And what about the charges of sexism? The article calls the video a &quot;sexist&quot; smear. Will someone please tell me what was sexist about it? [[User:FairMan|FairMan]] 23:02, 4 February 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> :Looking at the references, it is a documented fact that this video was made professionally; it is not an amateur attempt at all. It's also documented that Winner &amp; Associates (including Ethan Winner) are die-hard Obama supporters who have given much to the campaign. While it is not proven from these pages that Obama supported such a video, it is also not proven that he didn't help out the creation of it in some way. I added Ethan Winner's ''alleged'' claim that he made the video alone. [[User:Karajou|Karajou]] 22:17, 4 February 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> Well that is a start, thank you. I honestly didn't think I'd get anyone to change anything in the article. But there are still those sexism charges. Can you provide some explanation to those? The line reads: &quot;Obama was caught for his quiet hiring of Winner &amp; Associates to disseminate a sexist smear video against her.&quot; Do you think you might be able to take out that word sexist? And maybe reword it in a way that doesn't immediately imply that Obama is behind the video (Until damning evidence is brought forth)? And there is also the claim at the beginning stating: &quot;Obama mocks Sen. McCain's for his age and Gov. Palin for being a woman and outsider.&quot; The only evidence supposedly supporting the claim that Obama mocked Palin for being &quot;a woman and outsider&quot; is this smear video. Am I just missing something here? How is Obama mocking her for being a woman in this video? How is the video itself at all sexist? [[User:FairMan|FairMan]] 23:02, 4 February 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> *FairMan, you are in danger of being blocked. There was a well-documented news story, during the campaign, showing women were getting paid less on his campaign staff and in his Senate offices, which was hugely embarassing to Obama. [http://www.suntimes.com/news/politics/obamacommentary/222679,CST-NWS-sweet22.stng] Palin was mocked by Obama and Joe Biden, for her so-called &quot;lack of experience&quot; even though her own exceeded Obama's, in terms of executive/managerial experience. Please stop your liberal excuse making and time-wasting. Learn the truth, and it will set you free! --[[User:TK|'''₮K''']]&lt;sub&gt;&lt;small&gt;&lt;small&gt;/Admin&lt;/small&gt;&lt;/small&gt;&lt;/sub&gt;&lt;sup&gt;[[User_Talk:TK|/Talk]]&lt;/sup&gt; 23:31, 4 February 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> Why exactly am I in danger of being blocked? I am aware of that news story, I will save that for another place and time (I don't want to stir up more trouble then I am already in). My main complaint is that the article claimed that Obama mocked Palin for being a woman. The only evidence that supports this claim in the article is the link to the smear video mentioned previously (If there is more evidence then please add it). It is claimed that the video is a sexist smear. Why is my questioning of the label &quot;sexist&quot; being ignored every time someone replies? Please tell me if I am missing something obvious here. It is not my intent to waste anyone's time. I am just looking for answers.<br /> <br /> &quot;Palin was mocked by Obama and Joe Biden, for her so-called &quot;lack of experience&quot; even though her own exceeded Obama's, in terms of executive/managerial experience. &quot;<br /> <br /> That is a great example! That is something you could add to the article to back up the claim of Obama mocking Palin for being an outsider. Currently there is nothing in the &quot;Tone&quot; section of the article backing that up.{{unsigned|FairMan}}<br /> <br /> *Then that is what you should have said, is exactly my point! Everyone wants to be a critic, while offering nothing, as the box at the top of this page says, that will improve it. If one doesn't do that, how am I, or any editor to distinguish you from the dozens of trolls and disruptor's who sign up everyday? You know how long it took me to find that citation? Less then two minutes. I ask for your understanding, but do not apologize for my comments, simply because I have just pointed out why I would think what I did. &quot;Assume good faith&quot; is something attempted by lots of other places, but it rarely is achieved, and certainly not so often here, where even the most casual reader/editor knows we are constantly set-up by liberal trolls and parodists. Your last comments let all of us see your motivations are perhaps better than assumed, and I do thank you for that. This is how you will build your reputation here, and anywhere else in life. I look forward to other suggestions, offered in the same spirit, and in fact, if you want, put them on my talk to make sure I see them, if you want. Thanks. --[[User:TK|'''₮K''']]&lt;sub&gt;&lt;small&gt;&lt;small&gt;/Admin&lt;/small&gt;&lt;/small&gt;&lt;/sub&gt;&lt;sup&gt;[[User_Talk:TK|/Talk]]&lt;/sup&gt; 02:24, 5 February 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> == Category ==<br /> <br /> Could a sysop edit this page to add it to [[:Category:Barack Obama]]? -[[User:CSGuy|CSGuy]] 14:20, 6 February 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> *No, sly mis-naming of the object isn't it? --[[User:TK|'''₮K''']]&lt;sub&gt;&lt;small&gt;&lt;small&gt;/Admin&lt;/small&gt;&lt;/small&gt;&lt;/sub&gt;&lt;sup&gt;[[User_Talk:TK|/Talk]]&lt;/sup&gt; 15:53, 6 February 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> ==Minor Edits==<br /> There is a missing parenthesis in his date of birth, and in the &quot;Birth certificate controversy&quot; section, the word &quot;intelligible&quot; should be &quot;ineligible&quot;. Those are the only 2 I caught in a quick scan of the page. [[User:WesleyS|WesleyS]][[User Talk:WesleyS|&lt;sup&gt;Hello!&lt;/sup&gt;]] 23:32, 7 February 2009 (EST)<br /> :Thanks! [[User:WesleyS|WesleyS]][[User Talk:WesleyS|&lt;sup&gt;Hello!&lt;/sup&gt;]] 23:48, 7 February 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> Hi, I'm a new user. I was curious as to whether this talk page is actualy considered in the editing of this article. What i mean by that is, as this article is locked-down, does the editing administrator read this page and make changes to the article, or will the article always be left as it is? ( I don't mean to offend, as Imentioned, I am a new user, and I am honestly just curious)<br /> <br /> == Flag Pin &quot;insights&quot; ==<br /> <br /> This section is badly written and requires major change. First, it says Obama didn't provide &quot;adequate&quot; explanation. &quot;Adequate&quot; is subjective. He either provided and explanation or he didn't. The citation indicates he explained. Second, the word &quot;presumably.&quot; Encyclopedias aren't supposed to presume things. Third, the word &quot;likely.&quot; Again, just an opinion. &quot;Recently&quot; is a vague term; be specific. The assumption about military donors is unsupported speculation. If anyone cares about making this into objective encyclopedic content, it should read as follows:<br /> <br /> ''Obama wore an American flag lapel pin after 9/11, but later stopped wearing it, explaining he felt that &quot;Patriotism to me, isn't what you wear on your lapel. &quot;It's what you carry in your heart. I don't need a pin to certify my love for this country.&quot;[59] As of DATE, he has begun wearing a pin again.'' <br /> <br /> I suspect that if I change this, it will be quickly overridden. Are any regular editors/sysop-types willing to change this part? [[User:Dantès|Dantès]] 17:15, 2 March 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> *Dantes, why are you here? If it is to talk, talk, talk, complain, complain, complain, argue, argue, argue, you chose the wrong place. Our tolerance of liberal/socialist Canadians is pretty low. --[[User:TK|'''₮K''']]&lt;sub&gt;&lt;small&gt;&lt;small&gt;/Admin&lt;/small&gt;&lt;/small&gt;&lt;/sub&gt;&lt;sup&gt;[[User_Talk:TK|/Talk]]&lt;/sup&gt; 17:24, 2 March 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> ::Well, if you bother to read my entries, you'll see that I'm providing civil and rational suggestions for how to make this content more encyclopedic and objective. It's sad that you assume I'm a liberal/socialist just because I'm proposing corrections, and my country of residence is totally irrelevant. The better question would be why are YOU here? I'm here to propose corrections. Apparently you're here to try to insult me. [[User:Dantès|Dantès]] 11:40, 3 March 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> == Michelle ==<br /> <br /> Could we link to her? --[[User:Brendanw|Brendanw]] 15:14, 23 February 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> == Religion... ==<br /> Correct me if I am wrong, but I'm pretty sure there is no requirement that one must be Christian to be President. Ah, I just checked the constitution and it mentions nothing about religion except once, in the first amendment. He's not a Muslim, which has been confirmed, and even if he were, what does it matter? Maybe this should be reconsidered?[[User:Heartbeat|Heartbeat]] 16:37, 23 February 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> : You're wrong on multiple points. How about learning first, and then preaching second?--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 15:33, 23 February 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> :: Actually, I'm correct on multiple points as per the United States Constitution. And Hussein is not a 'Muslim' name. Muslim is the word used to denote a person whose religion is Islam. Hussein is an ''Arab'' derived name Mr. Schlafly. [[User:Heartbeat|Heartbeat]] 16:37, 23 February 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> ::: The Constitution also mentions religion in Article VI &quot;but no religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States.&quot; --[[User:Brendanw|Brendanw]] 16:46, 23 February 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> :::: Whatever faith Obama is, he is not a Christian&lt;ref&gt;http://209.85.173.132/search?q=cache:Xld3RpINYVUJ:www.conversantlife.com/politics/is-barack-obama-really-a-christian+obama+quote+christian&amp;hl=en&amp;ct=clnk&amp;cd=11&amp;gl=us&lt;/ref&gt;. For he fails to acknowledge the Nicene creed. --[[User:RickD|RickD]] 18:58, 23 February 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> ::::: The Nicene creed only applies to Paulian Christians. --[[User:Brendanw|Brendanw]] 22:42, 24 February 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> :::::: &quot;Pauline Christians&quot; as opposed to .... Muslim Christians???? Got news for you: Paul had nothing to do with the Nicene Creed, which is accepted by all Christians.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 22:48, 24 February 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> Heartbeat, try to stick to the point; and don't be so pedantic. Many people use the terms ''[[Muslim]]'' and ''[[Islamic]]'' interchangeably. Such loose usage does not invalidate an argument. You are surely award that the Arab countries are within the Islamic cultural sphere, and that they almost all are places where the required religion is Islam. So having an Arabic name places one within the Islamic sphere and is a [[clue]], anyway, to someone's religious heritage.<br /> <br /> These discussions are long on finger-pointing and short on research. Let's have a little more information. Has Obama been attending a church? Is church attendance a better indicator of religious faith than one's father's last name? Was the church he attended Christian? If it doesn't adhere to the [[Nicene Creed]], then is it some sort of heretical variant, or what?<br /> <br /> And why is it important what his religion is? Does anyone think he plans to violate the [[First Amendment]] by setting up a [[state religion]] (such as [[Islam]])? Or that he plans to neglect the protection of Americans' [[religious freedom]] even more than President Bush did? --[[User:Ed Poor|Ed Poor]] &lt;sup&gt;[[User talk:Ed Poor|Talk]]&lt;/sup&gt; 09:54, 25 February 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> ==== Affirmative Action Question ====<br /> <br /> If all of Obama's achievements are linked to affirmative action, how did he get around Harvard Law's anonymous grading procedures? Did he find a way to communicate his race to his professors on his exams? Is there evidence of this? I know that Andy Schlafly was at HLS at the same time as Obama. Maybe he could shed some light on how Obama accomplished that. Was this not official policy when you went to Harvard: http://www.law.harvard.edu/academics/handbook/rules-relating-to-law-school-studies/examinations.html [[User:AGoogins|AGoogins]] 19:15, 23 February 2009 (EST)<br /> :Law schools have almost always graded anonymously. Journals like the Harvard Law Review do, admittedly, have affirmative action policies in selecting their editors, but they do ''not'' use affirmative action in selecting board members. So at most Obama got onto HLR by affirmative action, but his grades and election as President were his own accomplishments. Great point RickD.-[[User:LuciusF|LuciusF]] 19:01, 23 February 2009 (EST)<br /> ::I seem to recall reading that there was a vote in selecting Obama as the President of the Law Review and that a number of conservatives voted for him: http://daggatt.blogspot.com/2008/11/obamas-harvard-law-days.html<br /> <br /> ::&lt;blockquote&gt;<br /> ::The block of conservatives on the Law Review my year I think was eager to avoid having any of the most political people on the left govern the Review. I mean, the first bedrock criterion, I think for almost all of the editors, was to have somebody with an absolutely first-rate legal mind who would be able to engage competently with the nation's top legal scholars on their scholarship and on these articles, and who would provide the intellectual leadership for the Review that it always needed. That was non-negotiable for almost everybody right or left . . . And ultimately, the conservatives on the Review supported Barack as president in the final rounds of balloting because he fit that bill far better than the other people who were running. We had all worked with him over the course of a year. And we had all spent countless hours in the presence of Barack, as well as others of our colleagues who were running, in Gannett House [the Law Review offices], and so you get a pretty good sense of people over the course of a year of late nights working on the Review. You know who the rabble-rousers are. You know who the people are who are blinded by their politics. And you know who the people are who, despite their politics, can reach across and be friendly to and make friends with folks who have different views. And Barack very much fell into the latter category.<br /> ::&lt;/blockquote&gt;<br /> ::-Bradford Berenson, #2 lawyer in George W. Bush’s White House, from a Frontline interview [[User:AGoogins|AGoogins]] 19:32, 23 February 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> :::Here is a link to the Frontline interview: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/choice2008/obama/harvard.html<br /> :::This seems to call into question the statement in the article about Obama's success being entirely the result of affirmative action. The single citation currently used to support this point consists of one sentence pulled from an article that otherwise casts Obama in a very positive light. Does anyone have another citation in support of the existing language besides that one, or should we discuss the possibility of changing or removing that paragraph? [[User:SStaples|SStaples]] 08:23, 24 February 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> At second glance, none of the citations say anything about Obama's HLS achievements being the result of affirmative action. Law students constantly publish articles on subjects that they haven't taken formal courses on. My school doesn't even offer courses dealing with election law, but my friend still published an article about it. The article is missing a logical step between &quot;Obama published an article without taking a class on [science subject] and Constitutional Law&quot; and &quot;Obama's article was published because of his race.&quot; Has the writer done any research to justify that inference? [[User:AGoogins|AGoogins]] 00:20, 25 February 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> == &lt;1% Correction ==<br /> <br /> The &lt;1% statistic appears to be legitimate, but it is not presented correctly. According to the source currently used for this statistic (http://www.faithfreedom.org/oped/sina31103.htm), 'The Internet site aljazeera.net published an interview with Ahmad Al Qataani أحمد القطعاني An important Islamic cleric who said: “In every hour, 667 Muslims convert to Christianity. Everyday, 16,000 Muslims convert to Christianity. Ever year, 6 million Muslims convert to Christianity.&quot;'<br /> <br /> This link puts those numbers into context and gives us the &lt;1% figure: http://www.pbs.org/wnet/wideangle/episodes/young-muslim-and-french/info-graphic-muslim-populations/info-graphic-muslim-populations-worldwide-growth/2526/. However, that is &lt;1% of Muslims worldwide per year, not &lt;1% of all Muslims over their lifetime, as our current wording might lead some to believe.<br /> <br /> We could fix this by changing the sentence in the article from its current form<br /> :''Obama's background, education, and outlook are Muslim, and fewer than 1% of Muslims convert to Christianity.''<br /> to<br /> :''Obama's background, education, and outlook are Muslim, and fewer than 1% of the the Muslim population converts to Christianity annually.''<br /> <br /> The link I provide my also be of use as an additional source for this. [[User:SStaples|SStaples]] 08:59, 24 February 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> :It also seems like a bad use of statistics. It's useful if you are trying to determine whether a random Muslim converted to Christianity, but is less useful when you're talking about a specific person where lots of other evidence makes a raw percentage meaningless. The percentage of Americans who become President is a lot lower than 1%, but that doesn't mean that Obama didn't become President.[[User:AGoogins|AGoogins]] 14:33, 24 February 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> :: When the inherent fallacy of weak induction is pointed out that is ignored, however the factual correction to the nature of the 1% number probably will not. --[[User:Brendanw|Brendanw]] 22:40, 24 February 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> ::: There is nothing fallacious about the 1% statistic, or its use here.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 22:47, 24 February 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> :::: But do you agree that the information I presented here, in so far as it relates to the proper wording of this part of the article, is also not false, but is in fact a more reasonable summary of the truth behind the 1% number? I'm not trying to make any statement about how applicable the figure may or may not be when talking about Obama's own religious status; that's clearly a broader debate for another time. --[[User:SStaples|SStaples]] 08:49, 25 February 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> :: I know you're committed to this 1% argument and won't change it, but would you care to address my affirmative action question, above, regarding Harvard Law grading and law review editorial board policies?[[User:AGoogins|AGoogins]] 00:14, 25 February 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> == Obama's name in Arabic? ==<br /> <br /> Should we show his name in Arabic like Wikipedia does for Muslims? Google translator turned this up &quot;باراك حسين أوباما&quot;<br /> <br /> Maybe we could change the opening sentence to be<br /> <br /> &quot;Barack Hussein Obama II (Arabic: باراك حسين أوباما)(allegedly born in Honolulu Aug. 4, 1961) &quot; [[User:UnLiberal|UnLiberal]] 15:46, 25 February 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> :Wikipedia does that for Arabs, not Muslims. Also we should get someone who actually reads Arabic rather than a Google translation, anyone can punch something into an internet translator. --[[User:Brendanw|Brendanw]] 18:17, 26 February 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> <br /> The problem with your auto-translate is that it has too many vowels. It's assuming that you typed in a non-Arabic word and it's trying to reproduce it phonetically, instead of just figuring out the original version. I looked up &quot;Hussein&quot; and &quot;Barack&quot; on Wikipedia to see how they're spelled, Googled up those two words together in Arabic, and found the following full name spelled just like this all over the place:&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;'''<br /> بارك حسین اوباما''' <br /> <br /> I think it'd be a pretty neat touch to add to the article, honestly. [[User:DavidLReyes|DavidLReyes]] 18:13, 7 April 2009 (EDT)<br /> <br /> == &quot;Islam can be compatible with the modern world.&quot; ==<br /> <br /> [http://www.conservapedia.com/User_talk:Ed_Poor Ed Poor’s] recent addition to the list of points arguing that Obama is a Muslim is out of context.<br /> <br /> :''He has said that &quot;Islam can be compatible with the modern world.&quot;''<br /> <br /> Examining the cited work, one finds that the lead up to that quote goes as follows:<br /> <br /> :''In Indonesia, Obama has said, he saw women with and without head coverings and Muslims living comfortably next to Christians. He has said that his life among Muslims in Indonesia showed him that “Islam can be compatible with the modern world.”''<br /> <br /> Retaining the full content of the second sentence would give readers a better grasp of the context in which he made this statement. Why did you choose to omit this information? And on what basis do you present this as proof that Obama is a Muslim?<br /> <br /> Furthermore, knowing the context seems to weaken the point’s usefulness in revealing Obama’s religion, because it suggests that the quote was informed by his time living abroad rather than his own personal beliefs. If I spent several years living in Thailand and later commented that the experience showed me that Buddhism was compatible with the modern world, would you think I was a Buddhist?<br /> <br /> If we insist on continuing to build the case for Obama’s religion, let’s please do so carefully so that we do not omit or obscure any relevant information. If the quote is to remain in the article, I propose that the line be altered to read<br /> <br /> :''He has said that the experience of living among Muslims in Indonesia showed him that “Islam can be compatible with the modern world.”''<br /> <br /> NB - I would make this and other minor changes myself, but the article is locked. --[[User:SStaples|SStaples]] 18:49, 25 February 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> : The background adds nothing. Obama's promoting Islam with his statement itself, and there will be many more examples during his term.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 19:26, 26 February 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> ::While I understand your desire for brevity, I respectfully disagree. I think that a reader's interpretation of the quote could be made very different given the full context, especially considering the heading under which we provide it here. And though I do see how the statement itself could be seen as a promotion of Islam, there are many things which are &quot;compatible&quot; with the modern world that not everyone would want to endorse - homosexuality (even if you disagree with it, there's no question that it is becoming more and more accepted by society every day), war (just look at Africa), and drug use just to name a few. One could correctly state that they are thriving in these times without endorsing them. Lastly, how does the expectation of more examples of his support for Islam have any bearing on the inclusion or exclusion of information regarding this one? --[[User:SStaples|SStaples]] 20:38, 26 February 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> ::Conservapedia has [http://www.conservapedia.com/Out_of_context this] to say about quotes taken out of context. --[[User:SStaples|SStaples]] 09:02, 4 March 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> == More religion ==<br /> <br /> The intro states that Obama &quot;chose not to use the Bible for his real, private oath.&quot; His first oath was also real. It was cited as being legally binding. It's misleading to call the second oath &quot;real.&quot; Also, did he choose not to use a Bible, or did he just not use one? This is an important point. Anyone care to look into this and change it if necessary? [[User:Dantès|Dantès]] 17:19, 2 March 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> : Perhaps you think Obama's aides wouldn't let him use the Bible for his real, private oath??? Please. Obama could have easily used a Bible ... if he wanted to.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 22:01, 4 March 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> :: You've ignored my first point, which is that the first oath was also real, valid and legally binding. It's misleading and inaccurate to distinguish the second oath as &quot;real,&quot; when the first one was equally so. But as to my second point, it's this kind of thing that prevents Conservapedia from becoming truly encyclopedic; writers are choosing to rely on their own logical deductions instead of verifiable sources. The sentence says Obama &quot;chose not use&quot; a Bible. The point is you don't know he chose not to use one. Maybe Roberts said they didn't need one. Maybe Obama didn't want to use one. Maybe the only Bible available was a Klingon translation. Who knows? But this article confidently states that he &quot;chose not to&quot; use a Bible without anything to back up that statement. This will never be &quot;The Trustworthy Encyclopedia&quot; if this kind of content is permitted. [[User:Dantès|Dantès]] 11:46, 6 March 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> ::: &quot;Dantes&quot;, your rant is incoherent. There's no disputing that Obama &quot;chose not to use&quot; a Bible for his real, private oath. Note, by the way, that if the first oath was &quot;real, valid and legally binding,&quot; then there would not have been a second oath. No kidding.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 12:44, 6 March 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> :::: I agree with ASchlafly, it's not as if a Bible would have been hard to find, or as if the second oath was so urgent that there was no time to find one. And why is a second oath needed if the first one was 'real, valid and legally binding'? I doubt he did it for his own amusement: &quot;Hey guys, that was fun, let's do it again!&quot; [[User:ETrundel|ETrundel]] 14:13, 6 March 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> ::::: But that isn't the point. And Aschlafly, I'm sorry you couldn't understand my suggestion. But the fact that you don't like it doesn't make it a rant. I'll explain again, in simpler terms:<br /> :::::1) Obama didn't use a bible for his second oath.<br /> :::::2) It is possible, even likely, that he &quot;chose not to use&quot; a bible.<br /> :::::3) However, there is nothing to support the view that he &quot;chose not to.&quot; There's no extant source to back this up<br /> :::::4) Therefore, this article is making a logical deduction<br /> :::::5) Encyclopedias do not deduce, speculate, assume or opinionate. They state proven facts<br /> <br /> :::::It doesn't matter if that is the only logical explanation. Without any proof, it's just speculation, regardless of how likely it is. Unless someone can supply a reputable source that says Obama chose not to use a bible, this is an assumption. That makes it biased. Saying &quot;there's no disputing&quot; something isn't the same as proving it.<br /> <br /> ::::: As to the &quot;real&quot; oath, basic research indicates it was done out of a &quot;superabundance of caution,&quot; not because it was legally necessary. See this article: http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5iJKZrJDhy6g52PZNb7phfFmsQVow A &quot;seeker of truth&quot; would know this, or at least try to find out. [[User:Dantès|Dantès]] 14:52, 12 March 2009 (EDT)<br /> <br /> == Obama is likely the first Muslim President ==<br /> Found yet another example. Muslim helps Obama get into Harvard. &lt;br&gt;''&quot;It was former Malcom X lawyer and New York City mayoral candidate Percy Sutton who inadvertently revealed how Obama could even afford to get into Harvard. In a New York television show entitled “Inside City Hall”, Sutton admitted that orthodox Muslim, Black Nationalist, and Black Panther mentor Dr. Khalid al-Mansour personally asked Sutton to help Obama get into Harvard.&quot;'' [http://blogs.newberlinnow.com/speaking_the_truth/default.aspx Barack Obama Couldn't Pass a Background Investigation In His Own Administration] --[[User:Jpatt|jpatt]] 23:49, 3 March 2009 (EST)<br /> :Blogs are nice. But if you're going to use one as a source for this article, I would prefer they disclose their own sources so that those sources can be checked. Unfortunately, there was not a single link in the entire post. Maybe an actual video clip of the interview, or a coverage of the story by a news organization? --[[User:SStaples|SStaples]] 01:00, 4 March 2009 (EST)<br /> ::Dear comrad, you have the peoples names, you have the name of the show, are you mad it is not sourced further for you?-[[User:Jpatt|jpatt]] 01:13, 4 March 2009 (EST)<br /> :::I'm not mad, though I am a little disappointed that not everyone here seems interested in pushing for greater quality. We are an internet encyclopedia, and as such are expected to provide credible outside sources for all our material. In any case, I took your advice and went looking for additional sources and found [http://mediamatters.org/items/200809080018 this coverage] as well as [http://www.cashill.com/natl_general/mansourian_candidate.htm this post]. Note that, although both of these are internet blogs, they both provide material in the form of outside links to back up their discussion; the latter even does this with a video of the interview. Yes, the first one is from Media Matters, but it contains some good follow-up. If you're really interested in presenting the truth, more information always helps, even if it means having to dig around and analyze all of it before you figure out what exactly what the truth is. I hope these prove useful. --[[User:SStaples|SStaples]] 08:23, 4 March 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> :::: SStaples, now that you've overcome your initial denial and confirmed the accuracy of the statement, do yourself a favor and open your own mind further. Start recognizing that over half of what you see on television and learned in school is liberal deceit.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 22:05, 4 March 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> :::::Andy, with respect, I never denied the accuracy of Jpatt's quotation. I merely wanted a better source so that both it and this article as a whole would be better supported. --[[User:SStaples|SStaples]] 08:32, 5 March 2009 (EST)<br /> <br /> ==Obama's Tax Cut Claims During the Campaign==<br /> I would like to add this text right before the &quot;Campaign financing&quot; secion:<br /> :During the campaign Obama repeatedly claimed he would “cut taxes for no less than 95% of &quot;working families.&quot;”. The Wall Street Journal asked, “how does he conjure this miracle, especially since more than a third of all Americans already pay no income taxes at all?” &lt;ref&gt;http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122385651698727257.html&lt;/ref&gt; In truth, Obama was calling government handouts “tax credits” and counting those as tax cuts. The WSJ wondered why McCain “allowed Mr. Obama's 95% illusion to go unanswered”. [[User:Sjay|Sjay]] 19:32, 9 March 2009 (EDT)<br /> <br /> :: Good point. I just unlocked the page for you to insert info as you think best.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 19:48, 9 March 2009 (EDT)<br /> <br /> ::: I added this text. Thanks. [[User:Sjay|Sjay]] 20:42, 9 March 2009 (EDT)<br /> <br /> ==Obama &amp; Che Guevara / Fidel Castro etc==<br /> I was surprised this page had such little about all the connections out there. Thus I have added the fact that his poster is taken to resemble Jim Fitzpatricks Che poster. Also during the campaign his workers were found with Cuban flags bearing the face of Marxist &quot;hero&quot; (puke) [[Che Guevara]]. I added this fact as well with a ref. thanks and Cuba Libre ! (free Cuba from Commie-nism) [[User:PaulRevere|PaulRevere]] 20:18, 9 March 2009 (EDT)<br /> <br /> :: Can an admin possibly help me add some images to the page. I want to add [http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_8Mo9wgzZpRk/SFLC2eJtvXI/AAAAAAAAA8I/zV0AwV3hbVM/s400/obamachehouston2__oPt.jpg This one] of Obamas campaign HQ, with a Cuban Che flag. just google it for more info. Someone also needs to add [http://ecarson.files.wordpress.com/2009/01/im000541.jpg this brilliant image] to the article, showing all of Obamas Commie pals. Story behind it [http://ecarson.wordpress.com/2009/01/22/communist-obama-display/ here]. Lastly I want to add [http://www.virtuousplanet.com/shops/userimages/00003/00000000008/section/00000000000000061879.png this image] I made to his political view section. thanks and Viva Conservatism! [[User:PaulRevere|PaulRevere]] 20:24, 9 March 2009 (EDT)<br /> <br /> == Abandoned ==<br /> <br /> This article is starting to look like nothing more than an abandoned campaign ad. [[User:Everett3|Everett3]] 00:05, 16 March 2009 (EDT)<br /> <br /> :: please be more specific? [[User:PaulRevere|PaulRevere]] 00:22, 16 March 2009 (EDT)<br /> <br /> ==Page should be unlocked==<br /> Right now it seems that registered users can't edit the article. Why is that? How do we expect to compete with the Communists at Wikipedia, if we ham string some of our best talent. Things are happening everyday, and our nation irks closer to disaster and Marxist takeover. This article should be our best one, and our most updated. Come on fellas, this is a war of ideas. [[User:PaulRevere|PaulRevere]] 00:30, 16 March 2009 (EDT)<br /> <br /> *The reason that it is locked is comments like yours. Communists at Wikipedia? That is so over the top, it rounds the bend and meets up with the liberals wacky comments, PaulRevere. I will be happy to unlock it for you, so long as you read what it says at the bottom of the edit screen: ''&quot;If you do not want your writing to be edited mercilessly, then do not submit it here.&quot;'' --[[User:TK|'''₮K''']]&lt;sub&gt;&lt;small&gt;&lt;small&gt;/Admin&lt;/small&gt;&lt;/small&gt;&lt;/sub&gt;&lt;sup&gt;[[User_Talk:TK|/Talk]]&lt;/sup&gt; 00:42, 16 March 2009 (EDT)<br /> <br /> :: With all due respect TK, I disagree on Wikipedia being communist infiltrated in many ways. Just read their Obama article compared to the one here. As for sources and added info, there is tons of good info at [http://www.canadafreepress.com/index.php/article/2289 this article] that I wanted to add. Basically Obama should be described right off the bat as a MARXIST, no if ands or butts about it. [[User:PaulRevere|PaulRevere]] 00:47, 16 March 2009 (EDT)<br /> <br /> :::Remember encyclopedia's do not use speculation or conjecture. While you and I might agree as to the plausibility of of many of the items in the article, the author's opinion, absent facts, is just that; the opinion of the author. I have unlocked the article. --[[User:TK|'''₮K''']]&lt;sub&gt;&lt;small&gt;&lt;small&gt;/Admin&lt;/small&gt;&lt;/small&gt;&lt;/sub&gt;&lt;sup&gt;[[User_Talk:TK|/Talk]]&lt;/sup&gt; 00:55, 16 March 2009 (EDT)<br /> <br /> :::: Please unlock the article, many recent disasters are missing from it. Thanks &amp; Viva America ! [[User:PaulRevere|PaulRevere]] 21:25, 11 May 2009 (EDT)<br /> <br /> ==Age template==<br /> <br /> I mentally calculated his age wrong, which is embarrassing for a math tutor! Anyway, I added an {{tl|age}} template, so on August 4th he'll age one year. And the year after that another, and so on. --[[User:Ed Poor|Ed Poor]] &lt;sup&gt;[[User talk:Ed Poor|Talk]]&lt;/sup&gt; 15:50, 21 March 2009 (EDT)<br /> <br /> : Ha ha. You're a genius, Ed!--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 15:54, 21 March 2009 (EDT)<br /> <br /> ::Not to boast, but the [[Template:Age]] which I created over at Wikipedia is in over 50,000 articles. It's hard to find a bio there which doesn't use it. --[[User:Ed Poor|Ed Poor]] &lt;sup&gt;[[User talk:Ed Poor|Talk]]&lt;/sup&gt; 16:00, 21 March 2009 (EDT)<br /> <br /> <br /> == Referring to America in 3rd person? ==<br /> &quot;We may not get there in one year or even one term, but America - I have never been more hopeful than I am tonight that we will get there.&quot;- this is 1st person plural, surely? Sorry to nit pick, but it ''is'' on the front page after all. [[User:WillD|WillD]] 17:27, 21 March 2009 (EDT)<br /> <br /> == Damned if you do, damned if you don't ==<br /> <br /> On the subject of his American flag lapel pin, the &quot;Insights&quot; section says that he ceased wearing one because it &quot;presumably&quot; would have hurt his relations with anti-military campaign donors. Then he starts to wear it again, and this is explained as being &quot;likely&quot; to do with political pandering. It sounds as if the author is determined to view every action Obama takes in a negative light. --[[User:Eoinc|Eoinc]] 10:58, 27 March 2009 (EDT)<br /> <br /> == Needed updates for Turkey speech, &quot;no longer Christian&quot;, etc. ==<br /> <br /> I don't have editing power for this article, but it'd be great if someone can add:<br /> <br /> *update on Obama's &quot;no longer a Christian nation&quot; comments. [http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&amp;pageId=67735]<br /> *confirming that the &quot;speech in muslim capitol in first 100 days&quot; prediction came true (Turkey)<br /> *any other pertinent facts from his recent speech in Turkey, especially the &quot;Islam is not the enemy&quot; type of content. <br /> <br /> Lots of significant events that flesh out his perspective and stance in recent weeks...<br /> [[User:DavidLReyes|DavidLReyes]] 17:58, 7 April 2009 (EDT)<br /> <br /> : Go ahead, David. I just unlocked it.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 18:14, 7 April 2009 (EDT)<br /> <br /> :: Interesting.... so Obama said in Turkey, and I quote, &quot;The United States has been '''enriched by Muslim Americans'''. Many other Americans have Muslims in their family, or have lived in a Muslim-majority country. I know, because '''I am one of them'''.&quot; [[User:Pandeism|Pandeism]] 22:36, 7 April 2009 (EDT)<br /> <br /> ::::What's also interesting is where you chose to add your emphasis. Why not read it as: &quot;The United States has been enriched by Muslim Americans. '''Many other Americans''' have Muslims in their family, or '''have lived in a Muslim-majority country'''. I know, because '''I am one of them'''&quot;? --[[User:Eoinc|Eoinc]] 18:27, 8 April 2009 (EDT)<br /> <br /> :::I have respect for Muslims and for Islam, but this hardly makes me non-Christian. I am a Jewish convert to Christianity. I wish we could stop branding Obama as non-Christian. <br /> <br /> :::If we must criticize him, let's focus on describing his policies and the effects they have had or are likely to have. He is primarily a politician; he is not a religious leader. --[[User:Ed Poor|Ed Poor]] &lt;sup&gt;[[User talk:Ed Poor|Talk]]&lt;/sup&gt; 13:48, 8 April 2009 (EDT)<br /> <br /> :::: Ed, you make a valid point, but many (including myself, historians, reporters and voters) would disagree. A president's religious beliefs are significant. When a president ''lies'' about those beliefs, then the significance is amplified. Do you think Obama told the truth when he campaigned as a Christian? I don't, and that raises valid questions about what the truth really is that Obama was lying about.<br /> <br /> :::: Ed, you suggest focusing only on Obama's policies, but unfortunately policies are often not known in time to object to them. Obama quickly sent a secret letter to Russia upon becoming president, and the public had no opportunity to object. Hitler did not publicize his policies to give people an early opportunity to object.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 14:41, 8 April 2009 (EDT)<br /> <br /> Yes he did, most of his polices were clearly laid out in Mein Kampf, which was published before he came to power --[[User:LPowell|LPowell]] 20:21, 20 April 2009 (EDT)<br /> <br /> *That's really ludicrous. A small, hardly read tome, little noticed or read, written by a fringe paper hanger, is hardly (in any era) publicizing something. --[[User:TK|'''₮K''']]&lt;sub&gt;&lt;small&gt;&lt;small&gt;/Admin&lt;/small&gt;&lt;/small&gt;&lt;/sub&gt;&lt;sup&gt;[[User_Talk:TK|/Talk]]&lt;/sup&gt; 20:32, 20 April 2009 (EDT)<br /> <br /> I do not think that your above description can be accurately applied to Mein Kampf. It consists of two volumes and a total of twenty seven chapters. Granted its popularity grew with its authors profile but it had already achieved 850,000 sales by 1933, the year in which Hitler rose to power. In any case Hitler can hardly be accused of trying to suppress circulation of the book, as is evidenced by the German government’s purchase and distribution of six million copies in the following nine year period. <br /> In Mein Kampf Hitler sets out his ambitions, including the establishment of a new world order, expanding German territories in the east and exterminating the Jewish people. I must admit that I have not read Audacity of Hope, but would be extremely surprised to discover that it contained similar content. As such think it is a huge leap to try to draw parallels between the two leaders. --[[User:LPowell|LPowell]] 18:18, 22 April 2009 (EDT)<br /> <br /> ==Allegedly Born in Honolulu?==<br /> <br /> The first sentence says he was '''allegedly''' born in Honolulu, except one of the references linking to this statement is a '''confirmation''' from state officials that he was born in Honolulu. And not to mention he's released his birth certificate. I think it is dishonest to have the word 'allegedly' here. I'm taking it out unless anyone objects. --[[User:PaulLaroque|PaulLaroque]] 08:38, 10 April 2009 (EDT)<br /> <br /> Ok I changed it and it was instantly reverted back. It is a '''fact''' that Obama was born in Honolulu verified by many independent sources. Encyclopedias report '''facts''' not unproven allegations. I am reverting it back. --[[User:PaulLaroque|PaulLaroque]] 12:25, 10 April 2009 (EDT)<br /> <br /> == Argument for Obama being a Muslim ==<br /> <br /> Can we have an honest discussion about this section. There may be something to it, but a lot of the bullets are a bit absurd.<br /> <br /> The argument that Obama is a Muslim includes:<br /> <br /> * Obama declared in prepared remarks, &quot;The United States has been enriched by Muslim Americans. Many other Americans have Muslims in their families or have lived in a Muslim-majority country - I know, because I am one of them.&quot;[16]<br /> <br /> I interpret this as he '''lived''' in a Muslim country which is true. This doesn't make him Muslim.<br /> <br /> * Obama's background, education, and outlook are Muslim, and fewer than 1% of Muslims convert to Christianity.[17][18]<br /> <br /> This is misleading to say the least. Random statistics have no place in an encyclopedia. Does this 1% figure include all the Muslims in the middle east who do not convert to Christianity, it likely does and therefore has nothing to do with Obama who is an educated US citizen. -[[User:PaulLaroque|PaulLaroque]] 09:05, 10 April 2009 (EDT)<br /> <br /> * Obama recently mentioned his religion as &quot;my Muslim faith.&quot;[21]<br /> <br /> If you watch the video, it's clearly out of context. He said &quot;John Mccain has not talked about my Muslim faith&quot;. Meaning John Mccain had not himself accused Obama of being Muslim. If you watch a few seconds past this on the video he explains this.<br /> <br /> * He has said that &quot;Islam can be compatible with the modern world.&quot;[22]<br /> <br /> Ok, it probably is &quot;compatible with the modern world&quot;. Why is this evidence he is Muslim.<br /> <br /> I could go on but I am getting tired of this. I'm not saying get rid of this section, but the claims should be factually correct and not be based on sweeping generalizations. Furthermore, why is this the first section in the article? Usually in an encyclopedia, the biographical content comes first. Early life and legal career and that stuff. And usually encyclopedia articles not the place for pushing your particular beliefs or rumor about somebody. I welcome any comments. --[[User:PaulLaroque|PaulLaroque]] 09:05, 10 April 2009 (EDT)<br /> <br /> : Paul, you have free will to reject that 2+2=4 too. I'm not going to spend my morning trying to convince you. [[Obama]] lied when he campaigned as a Christian. It may be years before you admit that to yourself, or you may never admit it, or you may admit it but actually like the [[deceit]]. Suit yourself, but the evidence is overwhelming.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 09:36, 10 April 2009 (EDT)<br /> <br /> Since you never addressed my concern about the ordering of the article I'll assume your in agreement. Biographical information first and then other issues. By the way, perhaps Obama lied about being a Christian, but if he did, its much more likely he's an Atheist than a Muslim. -[[User:PaulLaroque|PaulLaroque]] 09:54, 10 April 2009 (EDT)<br /> <br /> : You assume wrong. Don't think that you're going to downplay the truth by burying it later in an entry.<br /> <br /> : As to your theory, it just doesn't fit the evidence. Atheists having Obama's upbringing are virtually non-existent, and atheists' intellectual style is very different from Obama's. Feel free to start a different entry developing your theory, because it will become apparent quickly how implausible it is.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 10:11, 10 April 2009 (EDT)<br /> <br /> It's not a truth, it's your theory that he is a Muslim, just as it is my theory that he is an Atheist. Obama says he is Christian, and who is to say otherwise? A person's faith is entirely a personal thing, you can never say for certain what he believes in, you have to go with what he has said in public, namely that he is Christian. Whether he might secretly be Muslim or Atheist is inconsequential, they are both theories, and neither theory belongs in an encyclopedia (which is fact based), end of story. --[[User:PaulLaroque|PaulLaroque]] 12:31, 10 April 2009 (EDT)<br /> <br /> ::And your claim that &quot;Atheists having Obama's upbringing are virtually non-existent&quot; is another sweeping generalization. Please tell me how that proves that he is a Muslim (or not an Atheist), because it's completely absurd<br /> <br /> : By the way, Obama's father was an Atheist. I suspect that most people retain the religion (or lack thereof) of their parents. But either way, I'm not trying to make the case that he's an Atheist (or that he's not a Muslim). My point is that he says he's a Christian so anything else is just a theory which has no place in an encyclopedia article (unless this is not really an encyclopedia, but just a forum for pushing your conservative ideology). --[[User:PaulLaroque|PaulLaroque]] 12:40, 10 April 2009 (EDT)<br /> <br /> == Dog ==<br /> <br /> Do we want to add anything about the Obamas' new dog (Portugese water dog)? --[[User:RobertT|RobertT]] 11:19, 12 April 2009 (EDT)<br /> <br /> == Reversion of [[User:Clintville]] ==<br /> <br /> I believe these have been discussed on this talk page before, and settled after input from [[User:Aschlafly]]. In particular, I think it has been exposed that Snopes has been bit gullible in the past when it comes to liberal deceit. As far as the other two items go, though they are not convincing in a vacuum, we must consider them in context of all the other evidence. See the two or three talk page sections above this one, or the talk archives, for more discussion on this. [[User:BHarlan|BHarlan]] 01:10, 22 April 2009 (EDT)<br /> <br /> <br /> ----<br /> == Kenya is not a muslim country. ==<br /> <br /> According to the CIA World Fact Book, Kenya is 78% Christian.<br /> https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ke.html<br /> So I have deleted the claim that Kenya is a predominantly muslim country. [[User:DanielVaccle|DanielVaccle]] 09:52, 25 April 2009 (EDT)<br /> <br /> == Middle Name in title ==<br /> <br /> I noticed that Hussein is in the title for this article (Barack Hussein Obama). This is not done for any president who doesn't regularly use his middle name (Obama doesn't use Hussein anywhere). Can we either a)take Hussein out of the title of b)add the middle name of every US president. while his middle name i on of the many proofs he is a Muslim, that goes in the article, not in the title.<br /> <br /> :That's the name he was sworn in under. He's not ashamed of his middle name, why are you? Fair and balanced is a news organization motto, adding a middle name to each President is not a requirement here. Though nobody is stopping you from additions.--[[User:Jpatt|Jpatt]] 23:19, 10 May 2009 (EDT)<br /> <br /> ::Every other president was sworn in using his middle name and it isn't in there title. I'm not ashamed of his middle name, that is an unfair statement portaying me as a liberal. I will take you up on that challange and add middle names to every president, because we can't single Obama out in the title, it is in the article we go for the kill. <br /> <br /> ::I take that back, it seems as editing the title of an article is harder than it seems. Can anyone help me. {{Unsigned|Backstop}}<br /> <br /> :::No other President has gone to such lengths to obscure/hide their background and connections, either. That is why the middle name is used. If you try making the kind of changes you are talking about, we will simply wish you Godspeed, and say goodbye, so I don't suggest it. Also, use the signature button above, when editing, on all posts, please. --[[User:TK|'''₮K''']]&lt;sub&gt;&lt;small&gt;&lt;small&gt;/Admin&lt;/small&gt;&lt;/small&gt;&lt;/sub&gt;&lt;sup&gt;[[User_Talk:TK|/Talk]]&lt;/sup&gt; 20:12, 12 May 2009 (EDT)<br /> <br /> :::: Obama uses his full name. Why does that bother you?--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 20:12, 12 May 2009 (EDT)<br /> <br /> First off, i do believe Obama is a Muslim, based partly on the middle name, but mostly on other proofs. However, there is a time and place for proofs, and the title isn't one of tem, I'm just asking about a minor inconsistency in the titles of articles (the Presidents), why it is there and what is planned to be done about it. i am in no way offended by hiss middle name, that is an unfair comment portraying me as a liberal. <br /> <br /> TK, we have had presidents smuggle illegal goods out of Italy (Jefferson, who also was reported to have had an affair with his slave that produced a cild), we've had a president who was never married and lived with a male roommate (Buchanan), while Obama ranks right up there, the middle name has nothing to do with it. I respectfuly ask TK to make that connection please.<br /> <br /> Also, I saw TK told me I was a &quot;sock&quot;. not quite hip with the lingo, can you explain what that means.--[[User:Backstop|Backstop]] 18:24, 13 May 2009 (EDT)<br /> <br /> *Aschlafly asked you above: &quot;Obama uses his full name. Why does that bother you?&quot; Now, it is apparent you are not here to help, but rather to pursue your own agenda. We are not striving here for NPOV, but rather the facts. --[[User:TK|'''₮K''']]&lt;sub&gt;&lt;small&gt;&lt;small&gt;/Admin&lt;/small&gt;&lt;/small&gt;&lt;/sub&gt;&lt;sup&gt;[[User_Talk:TK|/Talk]]&lt;/sup&gt; 18:40, 13 May 2009 (EDT)<br /> <br /> == Arguments for Obama being a Muslim ==<br /> <br /> While there is enough proof to convince me Obama is a Muslim in the article, but some of these proofs are untrue or misused:<br /> <br /> '''Obama declared in prepared remarks, &quot;The United States has been enriched by Muslim Americans. Many other Americans have Muslims in their families or have lived in a Muslim-majority country - I know, because I am one of them.'''<br /> <br /> ''Obama is saying that he is a person who has had &quot;Muslims in their families or have lived in a Muslim-majority country&quot; such as his father and Indonesia. not that he is one of those Muslims. That is my interpetation of this statement.''<br /> <br /> '''He has said that &quot;Islam can be compatible with the modern world.&quot;'''<br /> <br /> ''I think that lots of things can be compatible with the modern world (like my Mac!) but does that make me a follower of the Mac necesarily?'' <br /> <br /> '''Obama said the Muslim call to prayer is &quot;one of the prettiest sounds on Earth at sunset,&quot; and recited &quot;with a first-class Arabic accent&quot; the opening lines: Allah is Supreme! ... I witness that there is no god but Allah ....'''<br /> <br /> ''I think that many Christian prayers are beautiful, and I'm Jewish!''<br /> <br /> '''On the campaign trail, Obama was reading &quot;The Post-American World&quot; by Fareed Zakaria,[32] which is written from a Muslim point-of-view.[33]'''<br /> <br /> ''Fareed Zakaria is my favorite author and journalist. I've read his book many times and I'm still not Muslim''<br /> <br /> '''Obama enjoyed a bigger increase in voter support in 2008 (compared to 2004) by Muslims than by any other voting group, including blacks;[38] &quot;Muslim turnout in the U.S. elections reached 95 percent, the highest Muslim turnout in U.S. history.&quot;[39]'''<br /> <br /> ''Similar things happened for Obama with Hispanics, and I think we all agree Obama is not Hispanic. Maybe Muslims were excited to finaly have a president with a Muslim backround after 8 years of Bush, who they didn't like at all.''<br /> <br /> == Encyclopedic Setup? ==<br /> I was wondering if it would be ok to try to re-format this on my talk page to include all the same information in a more encyclopedic manner, because...this article isnt very good right now (no offense intended to the writers) [[User:DerekSmalls|DerekSmalls]] 21:42, 21 May 2009 (EDT)</div>

DerekSmalls https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Rent&diff=661600 2009-05-09T15:27:09Z

<p>DerekSmalls: </p> <hr /> <div>'''Rent''' is a monthly charge by an owner for providing apartments, land or office space. <br /> <br /> In theoretical economics rent is a concept introduced by [[David Ricardo]] and is the the excess of the produce or return yielded by a given piece of cultivated land over the cost of production; the yield from a piece of land or [[real estate]].&quot;&lt;ref&gt;{{cite web|work=Dictionary.com|url=http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/Rent|title=rent|format=HTML|language=English|accessdate=2007-09-30}}&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> ===The play===<br /> see [[Rent the Musical]]<br /> ==See Also==<br /> *''[[High School Musical]]''<br /> *''[[My Fair Lady]]''<br /> <br /> ==References==<br /> {{reflist}}<br /> <br /> [[category:economics]]<br /> [[Category:Musicals]]</div>

DerekSmalls https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Rent_(musical_play)&diff=661598 2009-05-09T15:25:51Z

<p>DerekSmalls: Created page with 'RENT is a Broadway Musical, and the winner of the 4 1996 Tony awards, including Best Musical, Score, book, and Actor. It also won the 1996 Pulitzer Prize for Best American Drama...'</p> <hr /> <div>RENT is a Broadway Musical, and the winner of the 4 1996 Tony awards, including Best Musical, Score, book, and Actor. It also won the 1996 Pulitzer Prize for Best American Drama.<br /> The Musical has become very popular among fans of Musicals, but is also very controversial among many people.<br /> <br /> ==Plot==<br /> Rent covers a year in the life of a group of artists living in New York City, shedding normal life values. Their landlord, an old friend of theirs goes back on a promise to let them live there, and demands that they pay rent for the previous year. 2 of the main characters are gay (Angel and Collins), one is a lesbian, and her Girlfriend is bisexual (Joanne and Maureen).The two gay characters have aids, as does two other character, a stripper and a guitar player (Mimi and Roger). The main character, a filmmaker (Mark), must deal with many of his friends dying (only one does throughout the course of the play). The Musical covers their life throughout the year, Roger trying to live life again rather than sulking, Mark trying to fit in and make money without conforming, and all of them seeing how short life can be when Angel dies.<br /> <br /> ==Themes== <br /> the Musical deals with themes of acceptance, homosexuality, drug abuse, love, and Life as a starving artist. No aspect of their life is glorified, as some have seen. Still, in is controversial when performed by high schools due to mentioning them. Many shows, including ones in texas, have been cancelled after the community complained. However, it is a very popular musical among students, especially those involved in drama programs.<br /> <br /> <br /> ==sources==<br /> http://www.musicalsonline.com/rent/awards.htm</div>

DerekSmalls https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=George_Lucas&diff=661593 2009-05-09T14:43:10Z

<p>DerekSmalls: /* Early Life */</p> <hr /> <div>'''George Walton Lucas''' (born May 14, 1944) is an [[United States|American]] filmmaker. He is the creator of the [[Star Wars]] series as well as many other films, including [[American Graffiti]], [[THX 1138]], and, with the help of Steven Spielberg, [[Indiana Jones]].<br /> <br /> <br /> He lives in Modesto, [[California]] and is, in his own words, a &quot;[[Buddhist]] [[Methodist]]&quot;. &lt;ref&gt;http://www.adherents.com/people/pl/George_Lucas.html&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> ==Early Life==<br /> <br /> George Lucas, the son of a middle class Business man, grew up in Modesto, California. His childhood and teenage years heavily revolved around cars and girls, and this aspect of his life became the basis for his movie American Graffiti. He was a poor student, however, in his senior year of High School, he got into a serious life changing car accident. After he graduated, he was able to bring his grades up in community college, and got into USC's Film program.<br /> <br /> ==American Zoetrope==<br /> With Francis Ford coppola, he founded an independent film studio, American Zoetrope. Their first feature was THX 1138, based off of one of Lucas's student films. The film depicted his then pessimistic view of the 21st century, a world where people engage in mindless, pointless consumerism and love is outlawed. It was poorly recieved at the time, but currently holds an 89% &quot;fresh&quot; approval rating from critics on Rotten tomatoes. The film was not commercially succesful.<br /> <br /> <br /> Following a dispute, he withdrew from the Writers' Guild of America and the Directors' Guild in 1980 over his choice of using no opening credits in ''The Empire Strikes Back''. In addition, he originally wanted his friend Steven Spielberg to direct Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983), but his dispute with the Director's Guild barred him from doing so. &lt;ref&gt;http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000184/bio&lt;/ref&gt; Since then, in all of his recent films, he has hired actors who are not members of the Screen Actors' Guild, as legally a non-Guild member cannot hire Guild members.&lt;ref&gt;http://www.stagesource.org/download/8_advice_article_for_aftra_sag.pdf &lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> ==References==<br /> &lt;references/&gt;<br /> <br /> ==Links==<br /> *[http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000184/ George Lucas] at the Internet Movie Database<br /> <br /> A&amp;E books Biography channel book on George Lucas<br /> <br /> {{DEFAULTSORT:Lucas, George}}<br /> <br /> [[category: Directors]]</div>

DerekSmalls https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=George_Lucas&diff=661592 2009-05-09T14:42:56Z

<p>DerekSmalls: /* Early Life */</p> <hr /> <div>'''George Walton Lucas''' (born May 14, 1944) is an [[United States|American]] filmmaker. He is the creator of the [[Star Wars]] series as well as many other films, including [[American Graffiti]], [[THX 1138]], and, with the help of Steven Spielberg, [[Indiana Jones]].<br /> <br /> <br /> He lives in Modesto, [[California]] and is, in his own words, a &quot;[[Buddhist]] [[Methodist]]&quot;. &lt;ref&gt;http://www.adherents.com/people/pl/George_Lucas.html&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> ==Early Life==<br /> <br /> George Lucas, the son of a middle class Business man, grew up in Modesto, California. His childhood and teenage years heavily revolved around cars and girls, and this aspect of his life became the basis for his movie American Graffiti. He was a poor student, however, in his senior year of High School, he got into a serious life changing car accident. After he graduated, he was able to bring his grades up in community college, and got into USC's Film program.<br /> <br /> ==American Zoetrope==<br /> With Francis Ford coppola, he founded an independent film studio, American Zoetrope. Their first feature was THX 1138, based off of one of Lucas's student films. The film depicted his then pessimistic view of the 21st century, a world where people engage in mindless, pointless consumerism and love is outlawed. It was poorly recieved at the time, but currently holds an 89% &quot;fresh&quot; approval rating from critics on Rotten tomatoes. The film was not commercially succesful.<br /> <br /> <br /> Following a dispute, he withdrew from the Writers' Guild of America and the Directors' Guild in 1980 over his choice of using no opening credits in ''The Empire Strikes Back''. In addition, he originally wanted his friend Steven Spielberg to direct Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983), but his dispute with the Director's Guild barred him from doing so. &lt;ref&gt;http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000184/bio&lt;/ref&gt; Since then, in all of his recent films, he has hired actors who are not members of the Screen Actors' Guild, as legally a non-Guild member cannot hire Guild members.&lt;ref&gt;http://www.stagesource.org/download/8_advice_article_for_aftra_sag.pdf &lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> ==References==<br /> &lt;references/&gt;<br /> <br /> ==Links==<br /> *[http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000184/ George Lucas] at the Internet Movie Database<br /> <br /> A&amp;E books Biography channel book on George Lucas<br /> <br /> {{DEFAULTSORT:Lucas, George}}<br /> <br /> [[category: Directors]]</div>

DerekSmalls https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=George_Lucas&diff=661591 2009-05-09T14:42:40Z

<p>DerekSmalls: </p> <hr /> <div>'''George Walton Lucas''' (born May 14, 1944) is an [[United States|American]] filmmaker. He is the creator of the [[Star Wars]] series as well as many other films, including [[American Graffiti]], [[THX 1138]], and, with the help of Steven Spielberg, [[Indiana Jones]].<br /> <br /> <br /> He lives in Modesto, [[California]] and is, in his own words, a &quot;[[Buddhist]] [[Methodist]]&quot;. &lt;ref&gt;http://www.adherents.com/people/pl/George_Lucas.html&lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> ==Early Life==<br /> George Lucas, the son of a middle class Business man, grew up in Modesto, California. His childhood and teenage years heavily revolved around cars and girls, and this aspect of his life became the basis for his movie American Graffiti. He was a poor student, however, in his senior year of High School, he got into a serious life changing car accident. After he graduated, he was able to bring his grades up in community college, and got into USC's Film program. <br /> <br /> ==American Zoetrope==<br /> With Francis Ford coppola, he founded an independent film studio, American Zoetrope. Their first feature was THX 1138, based off of one of Lucas's student films. The film depicted his then pessimistic view of the 21st century, a world where people engage in mindless, pointless consumerism and love is outlawed. It was poorly recieved at the time, but currently holds an 89% &quot;fresh&quot; approval rating from critics on Rotten tomatoes. The film was not commercially succesful.<br /> <br /> <br /> Following a dispute, he withdrew from the Writers' Guild of America and the Directors' Guild in 1980 over his choice of using no opening credits in ''The Empire Strikes Back''. In addition, he originally wanted his friend Steven Spielberg to direct Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983), but his dispute with the Director's Guild barred him from doing so. &lt;ref&gt;http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000184/bio&lt;/ref&gt; Since then, in all of his recent films, he has hired actors who are not members of the Screen Actors' Guild, as legally a non-Guild member cannot hire Guild members.&lt;ref&gt;http://www.stagesource.org/download/8_advice_article_for_aftra_sag.pdf &lt;/ref&gt;<br /> <br /> ==References==<br /> &lt;references/&gt;<br /> <br /> ==Links==<br /> *[http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000184/ George Lucas] at the Internet Movie Database<br /> <br /> A&amp;E books Biography channel book on George Lucas<br /> <br /> {{DEFAULTSORT:Lucas, George}}<br /> <br /> [[category: Directors]]</div>

DerekSmalls https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Talk:Rent&diff=661578 2009-05-09T13:32:11Z

<p>DerekSmalls: Created page with 'The Play RENT should get its own article, because this is kind of coinfusing Should I go ahead and make one? ~~~~'</p> <hr /> <div>The Play RENT should get its own article, because this is kind of coinfusing<br /> <br /> Should I go ahead and make one?<br /> [[User:DerekSmalls|DerekSmalls]] 09:32, 9 May 2009 (EDT)</div>

DerekSmalls