Chain of Command?

Saw this in the news today.

WASHINGTON, Feb 2 (IPS) - CENTCOM commander Gen. David Petraeus, supported by Defence Secretary Robert Gates, tried to convince President Barack Obama that he had to back down from his campaign pledge to withdraw all U.S. combat troops from Iraq within 16 months at an Oval Office meeting Jan. 21.

But Obama informed Gates, Petraeus and Joint Chiefs Chairman Adm. Mike Mullen that he wasn't convinced and that he wanted Gates and the military leaders to come back quickly with a detailed 16-month plan, according to two sources who have talked with participants in the meeting.

Obama's decision to override Petraeus's recommendation has not ended the conflict between the president and senior military officers over troop withdrawal, however. There are indications that Petraeus and his allies in the military and the Pentagon, including Gen. Ray Odierno, now the top commander in Iraq, have already begun to try to pressure Obama to change his withdrawal policy.

A network of senior military officers is also reported to be preparing to support Petraeus and Odierno by mobilising public opinion against Obama's decision.

I really hope that this article is blowing things out of proportion. If this is what's really going on, then General Petraeus needs someone to send him a copy of the Constitution, and he should lock-step behind his Commander in Chief. Personally, based on the election Iraq just had, and the fact that the US military wasn't the entity providing security, I say it's time to declare victory and get out. Enough American mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, sons and daughter soldiers have sacrificed an incredible amount to give this country a chance to rise from the ashes.

BTW, just so you know. IF Iraq maintains and strengthens this fragile, secular democracy over the next couple of years, then Bush deserves all the credit for pushing the surge to help get the peace when no one else thought it was a good idea. And the Democrats and critics should loudly acknowledge that. I hope to be one of them.

Wow...

What I've Learned

What an election. Last night at 11:01 pm Harlem erupted in shouts, horns, drums, dancing, and celebration. The sound of the masses was incredible and it was thrilling to be part of it.

As euphoric as I feel today, I know there are others who still have fears, doubts, suspicions, and are disappointed McCain didn't win.

I have a political ideology shaped by the issues that are important to me, and Obama convincingly addressed those issues. However, I have come to understand during this campaign that compassionate, smart, sincere, and faithful people see the solutions to those issues in completely different ways than I do. Understanding their viewpoints and how different sets of beliefs can come from places of sincerity. This is the most important way I have grown as a person during this election. It hasn't always been easy and I have failed miserably at times to give honor and even courtesy to another persons ideas. But I really believe the tone is going to change, and change for the better.

I believe it's important to note that Obama spoke to this last night. This was the part of his speech that moved me the most:

"In this country, we rise or fall as one nation, as one people. Let's resist the temptation to fall back on the same partisanship and pettiness and immaturity that has poisoned our politics for so long. Let's remember that it was a man from this state who first carried the banner of the Republican Party to the White House, a party founded on the values of self-reliance and individual liberty and national unity.

Those are values that we all share. And while the Democratic Party has won a great victory tonight, we do so with a measure of humility and determination to heal the divides that have held back our progress. As Lincoln said to a nation far more divided than ours, we are not enemies but friends. Though passion may have strained, it must not break our bonds of affection.

And to those Americans whose support I have yet to earn, I may not have won your vote tonight, but I hear your voices. I need your help. And I will be your president, too. And to all those watching tonight from beyond our shores, from parliaments and palaces, to those who are huddled around radios in the forgotten corners of the world, our stories are singular, but our destiny is shared, and a new dawn of American leadership is at hand.

So I will buy a NY-Times today (if I can find one, they are sold out everywhere) as a keepsake, and wear my campaign button for another day, but then those things will become part of history.

The future is one where we as Americans come together and tackle the truly daunting challenges we face in this country under the Presidency of Barack Obama. And the criticism by the opposition, and revelations by the press are vital in helping to keep America great. It is my hope, and expectation, that "Yes We Can" does not merely remain a campaign slogan, but turns into a refrain the people of our nation repeat together as Americans.

One day left...

Mom spent her Saturday in Ohio knocking on 100 doors getting out the vote for Obama. We have twenty four hours to see if it paid off.

Nice work mom!

The Final Obama Endorsement

It is my hope that Barack Obama becomes President of the United States. However it's important not to mistake my enthusiasm and belief in Obama for infallibility. Obama is a politician and those people are inherently flawed (like most of us are).

A friend of mine went to a forum at Princeton the other night where Cornell West was speaking. Here are some quotes via James' blog.

- "Barack will need accountability should he win. He's not the messiah. If I had power, I'd need accountability too!"

- "Obama doesn't have a lot of anger. If he did, he'd be sitting in here with us!"

- "Ever wonder why there was never a black al-Qaeda? Some brothers tried to get it going, but they just couldn't convince enough people."

- "If Obama wins I will breakdance that night, and critique him in the morning.... We'll be up there at the White House, waving to Sasha and Malia. 'Hi girls, how you doing? Yes, we're protesting your daddy.'"

If Obama wins the Presidency, the question remains to be seen if he has started a movement for change or just become another President. He has the capability, vision, rhetorical skills, and experience to change the direction of this country. And he will make mistakes, and there will be misguided policies, and there will be failure. In the face of those, we as citizens and as Christians must speak truth to power.

But I am further convinced as this election draws mercifully to a close that McCain and Palin lack any visionary framework for America. Their entire campaign has hinged solely on making Obama less than American or worse, an enemy of America which he clearly is not. You may disagree with Obama on policy but he would never cast you out as being unAmerican or unpatriotic.

As you consider your vote on Tuesday keep in mind that despite the hype, you are not electing a messiah to the Oval Office. Relieve yourself of that burden and expectation, and instead think clearly and critically about the strengths and weakness of both candidates and their ideas about leading America.

It is my hope that you will vote for Obama and that you will see him as representing a fundamental change for the future of this country and our children. I hope for those of you who are the most skeptical that you will step out and take the chance on Obama over finding comfort in the familiar of McCain / Palin.

In order to govern this country to greatness in the 21st century Obama needs the cautious and skeptical supporters as much as the die hard fervent ones. There is a place in the tent for the doubters and skeptics and in fact they are vital to the success all of us want this country to have moving forward.

Obama in Indianapolis

"There are no real or fake parts of this country. We are not separated by the pro-America and anti-America parts of this nation—we all love this country, no matter where we live or where we come from. There are patriots who supported this war in Iraq and patriots who opposed it, patriots who believe in Democratic policies and those who believe in Republican policies. The men and women from Indiana and all across America who serve on our battlefields may be Democrats and Republicans and Independents, but they have fought together and bled together and some died together under the same proud flag. They have not served a red America or a blue America—they have served the United States of America."

Interconnectedness...

This video blew my mind! It's a simulation of all the commercial flights around the world in a twenty-four hour period.

Relatively speaking, there are still a lot of logistics to getting multi-ton flying tubes full of people all around the world. Air travel has to be the least efficient method of interconnectedness in the world, yet it still moves millions and millions of people around the globe everyday.

Many more things are not inhibited by weather, flight patterns, mechanical failures, and expense. The flow of money, services, ideologies, faith, ideas that foster hate, love, compassion, injustice, peace, and war move with unprecedented ease around the world.

America's future and place in the world depends on our leaders utilizing the strengths and combating the weaknesses of our country in the face of this global reality. That's just one of the reasons why I support Obama for President, because I believe he possesses the best set of skills, policies, and life experience to position America to lead the rest of the world in this new era of global connectedness and interdependence.

Survey Results

Last night Sarah Palin gave a speech that solidified her as a force to be taken seriously. Her ability to be divisive, condescending, and warm at the same time are pretty formidable political skills. This was her introduction to the nation, and what an introduction it was. In political terms this speech was to her, what Obama's speech in Iowa was to him.However, the difference in content is pretty stark.

She obviously has a talent for giving a good speech at a convention. She will have to wait another four years to do that again. Palin hasn't taken a single question from a reporter yet or stated her policy positions on any positions outside of those policies that affect Alaska.

She took it to Obama, the media, Michelle Obama, and the Washington establishment. That really fired up the base and gave them one night of feeling inspired about their candidate. But the crowd wasn't inspired by what she had to say about the middle class, the poor, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Russia, health care, veterans care, the home mortgage crisis, the economy, and education. They couldn't have been excited about those things because she didn't mention any of them. We will see tonight if the top of the ticket thinks those things are issues worthy of addressing for the next President of the United States.

What is "amusing" in all this is the sudden reversal of fortunes that Republican's who love Palin find themselves in. They are trumping up Palin's experience, fawning over her one speech, and decrying the sexist media. As John Stewart astutely pointed out.

I heard what I wanted to hear in 2004 at the Democratic Convention when Obama gave his speech that talked about the promise and hope of America. And the more I have listened to both sides the more sure I am about who I want to lead this country.

"America, we cannot turn back. Not with so much work to be done. Not with so many children to educate, and so many veterans to care for. Not with an economy to fix and cities to rebuild and farms to save. Not with so many families to protect and so many lives to mend. America, we cannot turn back. We cannot walk alone. At this moment, in this election, we must pledge once more to march into the future. Let us keep that promise - that American promise - and in the words of Scripture hold firmly, without wavering, to the hope that we confess." - Barack Obama, Denver 2008

Palin's Comeback

There is a lot of chastising going on about Palin and her family right now. A lot of the questions regarding her decision to be a VP nominee are fair to ask and some, in the grand scheme of things, are not. But the McCain campaign has not made her available to answer or refuse to answer any of those questions. They have her hidden away and the ensuing vacuum of her absence has allowed for others to create the news about her and her family.

Before you think I am feeling sorry for her, realize that I believe this sets her up perfectly for a great "comeback speech" tonight. I fully expect her to bring the house down with her speech (speech writers have been working on it all week) and send the press into it's favorite exercise, navel gazing about themselves. I can't decide if the McCain campaign is savvy enough to have scripted this or if they are lucking into this scenario.

Palin will rightly criticize the media for making as big of an issue out of her 17 year old daughters pregnancy as they have (3 stories on the front page of NY-Times is excessive). And she will be hailed for defending her family against the onslaught of media coverage and the angry left (is it angry to point out hypocrisy in a political ideology....hmmm). I fully expect her to be strong, unfazed, and full of passion, and kudos to her if she can pull that off tonight. But that doesn't change the fact that she was chosen by John McCain in an attempt to win an election and not to govern the country.

Yes I will agree with people out there who say that Barack Obama doesn't have the longest resume for a Presidential Candidate. However, we have all had 18 months, 22 debates, countless speeches, and memorable moments to get to know how Obama thinks and feels about countless issues facing our nation. His speeches are all written by him and the speech he gave at the last night of the convention was all about the challenges facing this country and what he wants to do about them. Something the GOP has yet to do at this convention.

In contrast, we only have 66 days to get to know Palin, and that's an awfully short time to get to know a person and make them the second most powerful person in our Nation. There are so many questions to ask and the list grows longer every single day. Tonight I think she will shine, but tomorrow the questions will remain. And until she faces them on her own she should be viewed with utmost skepticism and doubt.

NEW POLL (can't see it in an rss reader):

Thoughts on Obama's Speech

After last nights speech in which Obama articulated a picture of America that inspired me and made me hopeful for my children's future. It is crystal clear where Obama wants to lead the country and how he would do it.

Survey Results

17 Total Responses

Absolutely, wouldn't miss it.		10	59%
I'll watch, but I'm not sold.		3	18%
Heck no, Mythbuster's is on.		1	6%
Nope. I've already heard enough...hope, change, higher taxes...blah, blah, blah		3	18%
You know he's a secret Muslim right?		0	0%

What an amazing night for our country. No matter who you support in this election we should all be proud of our nation and it's people. Tonight we take a giant leap forward in realizing Dr. King's dream of equality for this country.

Survey

I have been working with Google documents and 'discovered' you can make these cool online forms. This is a life saver for a youth minister because now I can create these sign up forms for activities and post or e-mail them to my kids. They put in the information I want and it's goes straight into a Google document. It also gives me basic statistical analysis on those questions I asked. Like what percentage of people want a large t-shirt, or how many guys have signed up, you get the idea.

Anyway, the feature also allows you to put together simple surveys like what's below. I will post the results right before Obama's speech on Thursday night. You can't see the survey in your rss reader, so if you want to participate you have to actually go to the blog to do so (link).

She's Made of Wood!

As the general election gets under way I think it's important for all of us to take a moment and have a lesson from good old Monty Python and the Holy Grail regarding logical fallacies. What should we learn? Don't believe every e-mail forward you're sent, blog post you read, or other unfounded rumor you may hear about Obama or McCain. Listen to the candidates yourself, watch the town halls and debates, and do your own research using reputable sources like www.factcheck.org

Obama Wins!

You may be sick of hearing or reading about Obama and Clinton by this point. I don't blame you, I am definitely sick of seeing Hillary trying to take down Obama. But I do have some thoughts on what happened last night that I would like to share.

Hillary:
I struggle to say anything nice about her. I don't for the life of me understand how people can have any pride in their support for her. She is absolutely devoid of any class or grace. Melinda Henneberger of Slat's The XX Factor Blog sums it up perfectly:

There has never been anything wrong with her decision to stay in the race; it's how she waged war that was at issue. There is nothing wrong with the fact that she did not concede last night, either. But her mouth says unity, and her feet say kick him where it hurts.

She has a very small window with which to use her influence. She is in real danger of overplaying her hand if she isn't careful. I was genuinely surprised at her speech. Had I been able to see The Daily Show at 6:00 p.m. when it tapes instead of 11:00 p.m. then I wouldn't have been as surprised.


Obama:
Obama delivered a soaring and inspiring speech that was full of class and grace. I thought he was generous to both McCain and Hillary. Something neither of them did for him. His speech made it clear to me that he doesn't need to have Hillary as his VP to win and here is why.

The next few months our political discussion will be the best it's been in generations. We are presented with two Presidential candidates who have very different notions on how America should be governed and what the needs of it's people are. And we are faced with stark contrasts in foreign policy philosophies. The stark contrast on issues will neutralize the race aspect of this election and even the necessity of Hillary being VP. People won't need to base their support on the fact that they aren't sure of a black guy being President or that their feelings are hurt that Hillary didn't win. People will be able to support or reject either candidate based on issues and policy direction rather than superficial things.

I plan to do whatever I can to make sure that the futures Levi and Zeke grow into is the one articulated and led by the next President of the United States, Barack Obama.

Naw Dawg, Naw

"Archuleta is boring but the boy’s got pipes. He needs to make his money now cause there’s not a place for him in the industry. And rightly so." -Joe H.

Joe "Simon" Hays couldn't be more wrong. It's true that the right person won American Idol last night. It is also true that I am on the record as saying he is a poser. I take that back. Cook took chances and was rightly rewarded for it. Choosing Collective Soul's "The World I Know" as his last song was brave and he totally pulled it off. I would buy that album. Archuleta's "Imagine" was impeccable and better than the first time he sang it, but after a million plus views on YouTube people knew what he was going to do with it. It's another example of how our society right now is ready to embrace "CHANGE" over the assuming the who the inevitable winner is going to be!

But that's not to say Archuleta has no future or doesn't belong in the industry. The path of success for artists like Archuleta is well worn and he will navigate it to become a very successful artist. He is no Taylor Hicks.

Look at Carrie Underwood's audition tape from three years ago and then check out her performance from last night. You have a young, wide eyed, unexperienced, gifted singer who in three short years is at the top of the music industry. Archuleta has all the same raw characteristics as she does. Good looks, an incredible flexible voice, and he is moldable!

Another example, Jordin Sparks. She is about the same age as Archuleta (he's a better singer) and young to the world of music. So what did they do, they paired her up with Chris Brown for the duet "No Air" which has become a major hit!

Cook has the maturity, skills, and now platform to have major success, and he deserves it. But Archuleta isn't dead in the water and he will make a place in the industry.

Go Away Wright!

About two months ago when the Rev. Wright story had just blown up I was in some very long e-mail discussion with my friend Matt trying to get him to see a more nuanced view of the good Reverend. Matt maintained all along that the guy was a charlatan and was going to be a major problem for Obama. I disagreed and tried to illuminate the in's and out's of prophetic preaching, I even compared some of Wright's comments to those made by MLK and other great champions of social justice. Then after Obama gave is great speech and didn't throw Wright under the bus I felt like my point had been made and that nuanced and open minded thinking had won the day.

I was wrong. With Rev. Wright storming back on the scene it's clear that he is a narcissistic poison to Obama and our political debate. Rev. Wright is doing everything in his power to derail Obama's campaign, and throw him under the bus!

His latest appearances on PBS, at the NAACP, and the National Press Club, in the words of NY-Times editorialist Bob Herbert, have amounted to an "I'll show you!" tour. Bob goes onto say:

"This is hardly new ground [Wright speaking about inequality for African Americans]. The question that cries out for an answer from Mr. Wright is why — if he is so passionately committed to liberating and empowering blacks — does he seem so insistent on wrecking the campaign of the only African-American ever to have had a legitimate shot at the presidency...

What he is succeeding in doing is diminishing the stature of Senator Obama. A candidate who stands haplessly by as his former spiritual guide roams the country dropping one divisive bomb after another is in very little danger of being seen by most voters as the next J.F.K. or L.B.J."

Since Obama won Iowa I have perceived an unspoken deal between some of the African American leaders of today (Sharpton, Jackson, Farrakhan) to give Obama breathing room to run a campaign that might transcend his race. The Reverend Wright is doing the complete opposite, and in undermining Obama is basically telling him that he has sold himself out to the oppressive power structures of the white government. As blogger Kim Winter says, "If Barack is elected President, it completely negates everything that Rev. Wright has been trying to preach."

In my mind we aren't electing a black President, or at-least I am not supporting a 'black' President. I am supporting Barack Obama, who even more than his race, represents a generational change in power and world outlook that is incredibly significant at this time in our nations history.

It's clear that Rev. Wright believes Obama has sold him out. I have heard rumors that Wright is going to have a book out around the time of the election in November and if his current behavior is any indication Wright is going to do everything in his power to bring down Obama, and to remind America that it can never get past the past. That whites are all doomed by our inherent racism and that African Americans can find no hope except by turning inwards to themselves.

For all our sakes, I am hoping that Obama can prove that Rev. Wright is just a silly old man whose only power lies in the past.

This is my advice to Obama. Make a speech in which you tell America that the words and actions of Rev. Wright over the last few days highlight exactly why you are running for President. Your candidacy stands in direct opposition to the petty and myopic views expressed by Wright and that he is a relic of the past that society is able to pay respect to, but more than ready to move beyond.

Debate Thoughts

Obama seemed defensive and didn't do as well as Clinton. He was not on his game. But Clinton didn't pull that far away from him either.

However...Charlie Gibson and George S. were terrible. The entire debate from the "Colbert-ish" set design, to constitution snippets, to spending the first 51 minutes on topics that don't mean jack crap. The first hour addressed nothing of substance. I mean bringing up the flag pin? Ridiculous, they should have just had Rush and Hannity moderate the debate. It was terrible and a waste of time.

I would love to know your thoughts.

What Are You Thinking?

Why would he do that? After Hillary Clinton has put the whole Bosnia thing behind her there he is bringing it right back up again. Here's the quote he gave at two separate rallies yesterday:

"A lot of the way this whole campaign has been covered has amused me," he said. "But there was a lot of fulminating because Hillary, one time late at night when she was exhausted, misstated and immediately apologized for it, what happened to her in Bosnia in 1995. Did y'all see all that. Oh, they blew it up. Let me just tell you...."

Come on Bill! As sure as you reading this someone is putting together the YouTube video showing at-least three of the times she told that story, all of which were well before 11:00 p.m.

The press had moved on from that lie she told, so why would Bill bring it back up again? Bill is a smart guy and I think he knows that people have a soft spot for Hillary when it comes to him "hurting" her. There has always been a rally of support to Hillary when it's perceived by the undecided Democrats that she is getting a raw deal at the hands of people she can't control. Bill is throwing himself under the bus. He can play dumb and say that he was just trying to help point out how unfair the press was to her in this one instance. The problem is EVERYONE knows she told the story multiple times. But I think that people don't think she should loose because of something Bill did to embarrass or hurt her....again!

Of course this could be some sort of way to bait Obama into delving into the whole Bosnia thing. Their calculus might be that if he goes for her on that, then they can talk about Rev. Wright. She told a blatant lie in an attempt to "pad" her resume. He should take her to task on that and stay on it for the next two weeks. That's not dirty politics, it's within the bounds of fairness.

I am wondering if Hillary supporters feel proud of their candidate? My friend who is a life-long Democrat says her supporters feel duty bound by either gender or Clinton loyalty to stay with her. ANYWAY...

So if you were Obama what would you do?

Modeling the Race Discussion

Mike Huckabee takes Obama's lead and continues to model for America how we can begin to talk about race in this country. Huckabee would have been so good, for the Republican party. I have immense respect for him. Here is what he said:

... One other thing I think we've got to remember: As easy as it is for those of us who are white to look back and say, "That's a terrible statement," I grew up in a very segregated South, and I think that you have to cut some slack. And I'm going to be probably the only conservative in America who's going to say something like this, but I'm just telling you: We've got to cut some slack to people who grew up being called names, being told, "You have to sit in the balcony when you go to the movie. You have to go to the back door to go into the restaurant. And you can't sit out there with everyone else. There's a separate waiting room in the doctor's office. Here's where you sit on the bus." And you know what? Sometimes people do have a chip on their shoulder and resentment. And you have to just say, I probably would, too. I probably would, too. In fact, I may have had a more, more of a chip on my shoulder had it been me.

Mike is also modeling for us exactly what Obama's speech implored us to do with regard to Rev. Wright and the issue of Race. We can't throw a person under the bus because of the way they express their feelings about race and justice based on their experiences. White or black. To do so would be to miss the point of Obama's speech on race. That's why Obama didn't disown Rev. Wright. He repudiates, disagrees with, and condemns Rev. Wright's statements, but he still loves him and accepts him as a mentor. Why, because four clips on YouTube don't make the sum total of a person who has dedicated forty years of serving Jesus on behalf of the poor and disenfranchised. And people who experienced a kind of racism that might be somewhat foreign to my generation still have the right to see the world through their experiences, even if that world has and continues to change.

Besides Christians shouldn't be so taken aback by Rev. Wright's statements. I mean have you read Amos or Jeremiah lately? They make Rev. Wright look like a softy.

Obama has kicked the race discussion to the next generation who has experienced a different society than the previous generation has with regard to gender and race. Regardless of what happens in this election, Obama has changed the frame work and ground rules of the discussion. What a great new place to be in. I couldn't be more proud to be supporting him for President. Who would have a thought, a national leader calling us to a nuanced and imperfect discussion on a difficult topic. Feels good to not have to be so "black and white."

Finally, Nicolas Kristof had this great line in his editorial:

What should draw much more scrutiny in this campaign than any pastor’s sermons is the candidates’ positions on education, health care and poverty — and their ability to put those policies in place. Cutting off health care benefits for low-income children strikes me as much more offensive than any inflammatory sermon.

I am eager for that debate between Obama and McCain.

Commentary

Colbert puts the SMACKDOWN on the Clintonion logic that "Size is What Matters" when it comes to winning the Democratic Primary..

The definitive word on the Ferraro comments and Hillary's 'at all costs' campaign. Olberman's passion is slightly dramatic, but he is spot on in his editorializing about Ferraro's comments.