October 24, 2006

The Obama Drama

Hatched by Dafydd

(The "Elections" category refers to '08, not '06 -- forwarned is forsworn!)

So I'm just settling back down into my Hume-watching seat (which is generally lying prone on the carpet drinking a stiff apple martini through a Crazy Straw) -- having previously leapt to my feet in hilarity when Brit Hume accidentally introduced Mara Liasson as "Mort Kondrake" (I am too easily amused) -- when she said something that would have rocked me back on my heels if they hadn't been pointed ceilingwards.

Talking about Sen. Barack Hussein Obama, jr. (D-IL, 100%), Mara managed to blurt out that he had "a compelling life story."

After I ceased choking and extracted the Crazy Straw from my larynx, I ran to my infallible source, Wikipedia, to see whether there were some extraordinary event in Obama's brief life so far (he's younger than I, another reason he cannot be allowed to win the presidency).

I confess, I was surpised at what an adventurous, danger-filled life he lead, the things those oyster-eyes of his have seen. I learned a great deal I had never known about Obama. I think that after you hear about his disadvantaged upbringing and his sorrows, that you, too, will wish we could give him some sort of prize... other than the presidency, of course, since he's way too liberal and has virtually no experience. And there's that age thing, but I think I already covered that.

Obama was born in war-ravaged Honolulu in 1961 (what did I tell you?) His father was a Harvard economist, while his mother was an anthropologist from Kansas; yet despite this deprivation, Obama has gone on to be one of the most celebrated men of recent history.

He spent his formative years learning, teaching, and defending his ancestral manse from marauding members of the haole tribe, who frequently raided to capture slaves for the Dole Pineapple plantation -- which still grew pineapples, rather the tourists, in those days of yore.

During this period, Obama was described by many as the mainstay of the community, the one to whom everyone turned for advice on minimum wage, military redeployment, and animal husbandry. But then, at age two, tragedy struck: Obama's parents divorced. When Obama was six, his mother packed him off to the jungles of Indonesia, where he excelled in the simple but effective guerilla tactics that would later serve him so well as a statesman.

Rescued at age 10, when his mother returned to sanity and to Hawaii -- deadly though it may be, he still called it home -- he enrolled in the fifth grade.

We skip seven years, thankfully. I don't know if my heartstrings can take much more of this. When next we intersect the Great Man, he has graduated high school and enrolled in a junior college in Los Angeles. But he never forgot his deep, ethinic roots. Many years after leaving, he said:

The irony is that my decision to work in politics, and to pursue such a career in a big Mainland city, in some sense grows out of my Hawaiian upbringing, and the ideal that Hawaii still represents in my mind.

King Kamehameha himself would have been proud of the Kenyan-Kansan-American Obama, spiritual heir to the island majesty.

But such genius could never be satisfied by the cramped confines of Occidental College. Bursting forth, like Minerva from the brow of Zeus -- or was that Athena from the brow of Cicero? -- Obama and his entourage transferred base of operations to the world-renowned Columbia University in New York City (Los Angeles not having been quite liberal enough).

Obama was a pioneer in more ways than two: he took a daring combination major of both political science and international relations, demonstrating the finely honed ability to juggle many more balls than most men can ever dream of handling. I should rephrase that, but I'm under a deadline here.

Surprisingly, considering the manifold difficulties and dangers faced first by the boy, then the man, Obama graduated with a B.A. But he was not content to rush immediately to Harvard Law, as so many other lesser men have done. Nay, Obama knew that the first duty of any man who has clawed his way out of the Honolulu ghetto was to give back to the community.

Thus, rather than yield to his own selfish desires, Obama gave selflessly for a year at Business International Corporation, followed by a four-year stint as a missionary and freedom rider in late 1980s Chicago.

Then he went to Harvard. But you knew we were getting there eventually, didn't you? While at the world's greatest and most liberal law school, Obama became a pioneer once again, becoming the very first ever half-African, half-Kansan, who had grown up in Hawaii, elected president of Harvard Law Review. This is an inspiring "first" that no one can take away from him, no matter what else may happen in his life.

Rounding out this utterly compelling drama of his days before becoming a public servant, when he would devote the rest of his life to generously helping constituents (as all politicans do, that noble breed), I can do no better than simply to quote the great Wikipedia itself, documenting Obama's sweep from triumph to triumph:

On returning to Chicago, Obama supported a voter registration drive, then worked for the civil rights law firm Miner, Barnhill and Galland, and taught constitutional law at the University of Chicago Law School.

I truly must doff my chapeau and hold it over my heart. It is rare to be touched by such greatness, even in a country as wide and thick as ours.

But Barack Hussein Obama did not rest on his laurels nor sit down on his well-padded plaudits. Rather, he busted his accolades to rise to the high ranks of the state legislature. Alas, Obama was unaware that his life, hitherto untouched by calamity (except for his parents' divorce, several screens ago), was about to come crashing down around his well-developed earmarks.

In a devastating blow in 2000, Barack Hussein Obama was informed that he had lost the primary for the Democratic nomination to the United States House of Representatives. His career in ruins, his future shattered, Obama hit the nadir of his life. But it was there, in such adversity, that he showed the true superiority that has marked him as Fate's special star since those bitter, threat-filled days in Honolulu.

Refusing to accept failure, he came back... and in a victory described as "brilliant" by many observers, Obama managed to shepherd a law through the Illinois State Senate that made it mandatory for health insurers to cover routine mammograms. Is there any wonder that such a man should be considered presidential timber?

But as the capstone of his life -- so far! -- he ran for liberal, Democratic senator in a liberal, Democratic state to replace the conservative, Republican Peter Fitzgerald; thus did Obama avenge the shameful evil that Fitzgerald committed by defeating one of the grand dames of American politics, former Sen. Carol Mosley-Braun, in an election that was widely thought to have been corrupt, in that the Chicago dead were deliberately disenfranchised.

In the midst of Obama's historic campaign -- where he achieved yet another pioneering goal, becoming the very first descendent of a Wichita native, and whose middle name happened to be the same as a famous tyrant, ever to be elected senator from Illinois -- Obama was tapped to give the keynote address at the Democratic National Convention... which was justly famous as the only political convention in modern American history not to give the party's nominee any "bump" whatsoever. But surely that cannot be laid at the doorstop of the keynote speaker!

And here comes Mr. Obama now, having served long in the Senate without even a single investigation, scandal, or night spent in detox to blot his record. Considering his mixed "salt" and "pepper" heritage, which he loses no opportunity to discuss, Obama truly is a man for all seasons.

And I'm sure it is now as clear as kristol what Mara Liasson meant by her understated description of the life of Barack Hussein Obama, with all the drama of a storybook, as simply "compelling."

Hatched by Dafydd on this day, October 24, 2006, at the time of 5:41 AM

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Listed below are links to weblogs that reference The Obama Drama:

» A Man for all Seasons from Joe's Dartblog
Dafydd ab-Hugh is less than wooed by Barack Obama's life story.... [Read More]

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» Why Barack Obama is Overrated from La Shawn Barber's Corner
I usually avoid blogging about black “golden boy” Democratic politicians like U.S. Senator Barack Obama because I know I’ll be accused of “player hating,” but I can’t let the hype parade pass without comment. Barac... [Read More]

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» Noonan Looks at Obama... from Papa Familias
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Comments

The following hissed in response by: Smitty

For the life of me I don't understand this adulation for Barack Obama.
But what do I know I dumb white cracker from Mississippi, must just be cuz he's a negro or something.

Heh anyway, the guy is dull as dishwater, I don't see the "Rock Star", I see a guy that's boring. I saw him on Meet The Press and he put me to sleep in 5 minutes.

Sorry, not experiencing any Obasms here!

-cs™

The above hissed in response by: Smitty [TypeKey Profile Page] at October 24, 2006 7:44 AM

The following hissed in response by: Big D

"...like Minerva from the brow of Zeus -- or was that Diana from the brow of Jupiter? --" I thought it was Athena. Ah, heck. Someone was always springing from a brow, somewhere.

Obamasms. Smitty you are a genius.

He's black. And so well spoken. And he's black. And a Democrat. And so well spoken.

I don't get Obama either - I can only explain it by the complete lack of any other viable candidates in the Democratic party. In the barren tundra of the Democrats, even a small shrub seems like presidential timber.

Or in a new and improved metaphor: In an empty room, one man cheering can seem inordinately loud. And kinda pathetic.

The above hissed in response by: Big D [TypeKey Profile Page] at October 24, 2006 9:16 AM

The following hissed in response by: Smitty

Thank Rush Limbaugh for the term Obasms. Or is it Obamasms?

Oh well.

This isn't new, heck 2 years ago after his hehee "electrifying" more like electrolosis speech he was the golden boy then. He's golden now once more, though it's more like a golden shower. I better stop, I'm getting dirty and I don't wanna be banned by Lizardo Giganto!

-cs™

The above hissed in response by: Smitty [TypeKey Profile Page] at October 24, 2006 9:28 AM

The following hissed in response by: Lib-O-Suxion

Even though I'm most definitely NOT a dhimmicrat, Obama seems to be an OK guy. However, I have found little, if any, real lists of accomplishment accompanying any politician's viva. Going to Harvard simply doesn't cut it if he majored in the typical "all A's" non-curriculum of politically correct pap. After all, if Ted Kennedy can get through - Harvard has lost all semblance of standards. Hopefully, Obama is smart enough to give the dhimmis a hope of future credibility.

The above hissed in response by: Lib-O-Suxion [TypeKey Profile Page] at October 24, 2006 10:14 AM

The following hissed in response by: PC14

Obama didn't graduate from just any high school in Hawaii, he attened Punahou. Check out that place, one of the most elite private schools in the US and currently a little in the limelight because of Michelle Wie.

The above hissed in response by: PC14 [TypeKey Profile Page] at October 24, 2006 10:53 AM

The following hissed in response by: Joe Zwers

Occidental is not a junior college, but a small, expensive four year private school. Tuition alone is over $30,000 per year.

The above hissed in response by: Joe Zwers [TypeKey Profile Page] at October 24, 2006 11:41 AM

The following hissed in response by: chief illiniwek

Don't forget the lack of competition in Obama's senate run, which explains his margin of victory. Jack Ryan, forced to drop out due to his unbridled lust for his own wife, was replaced with Alan Keyes, who was a bit late to stop the Obama media gushing.

The above hissed in response by: chief illiniwek [TypeKey Profile Page] at October 24, 2006 11:56 AM

The following hissed in response by: julesk

Thanks for filling us in on O's "compelling" life. Mara's comment led me to assume that he actually did have a compelling story and that was one reason he is being worshipped so. Now we know that he is just another limo lib trying to be one of the little people. Blech.

The above hissed in response by: julesk [TypeKey Profile Page] at October 24, 2006 11:57 AM

The following hissed in response by: nandrews3

Congrats on the research that went into this posting. Do you write a lot of 5th grade book reports? Or maybe you're an actual adult for whom looking at Wikipedia represents due diligence.

It's not even apparent that you took the trouble to figure out your own point here. Are you dissing Mara Liasson for her passing comment? There's a project worth spending time on. Or are you trying to say that Obama's life story actually isn't a compelling one? It's not exactly your place to say that. For his part, he has never claimed to have come up from poverty or a "disadvantaged upbringing."

Or maybe you're trying to suggest that the range and quality of his personal experiences have been exaggerated by his admirers. If you seriously wanted to argue that point, then you should at least know something about the "story" itself, as he has written it. In fact, Liasson is entirely right, only not in the way you seem to have assumed. What makes "Dreams From My Father" compelling isn't the events and circumstances of his life -- unusual though some of them are -- so much as his sharp eye and reflective voice.

Not that you'd care. Disagree with someone if you want, poke fun at length if you feel like it. But when you can't stir yourself to look into the object of your posting, don't be surprised to hear that your posting is worthless.

The above hissed in response by: nandrews3 [TypeKey Profile Page] at October 24, 2006 12:26 PM

The following hissed in response by: Bill Faith

Fascinating, Dafydd, absolutely fascinating. "The stuff of legends" indeed. I excerpted and linked.

The above hissed in response by: Bill Faith [TypeKey Profile Page] at October 24, 2006 1:09 PM

The following hissed in response by: No More Spin

I agree with you that Barack Obama has been getting a very soft treatment from the media. He is constantly referred to as a political rock star, etc.

however, when someone uses Wikipedia as a source, the validity of the post goes down. In my eyes, we keep it he is useless as a direct source.

The above hissed in response by: No More Spin [TypeKey Profile Page] at October 24, 2006 1:27 PM

The following hissed in response by: reliapundit - the astute blogger

http://astuteblogger.blogspot.com/2005/06/hillary-and-barack-perfect-together.html

After graduating from Harvard Law, the then utterly unknown Obama was contacted by a bright aggressive literary agent who thought he might have a story to tell. They signed a contract. The agent sold his book.

After his pretty convention speech in 2004 - (and before he was elected to the Senate)- he unilaterally broke this contract in order to sign with another bigger agent (who he was introduced to by Clinton, they say!). He eventually "settled" with his first agent.


I think Betsy proves Obama is a demogogue who is happy to regurgitate the kind Leftist propaganda that the MOVEON.ORG base of the New Democrat Party loves.
My little story proves Obama has no scruples or loyalty.

But he sure talks pretty.

Which means he's a perfect running mate for Hillary in '08: She likes fast-talking immoral disloyal men. So does her party.

The above hissed in response by: reliapundit - the astute blogger [TypeKey Profile Page] at October 24, 2006 2:28 PM

The following hissed in response by: Norman Rogers

Lizardman!

Now I understand your choice of nom de plume. Those of us who were born without your extra long tongue (and nictating membranes) would be hard put to find ourselves prone BEFORE sipping on that martini.

The word you sought is "supine" (if you were prone, your nose would be buried in the carpet).

The above hissed in response by: Norman Rogers [TypeKey Profile Page] at October 24, 2006 2:35 PM

The following hissed in response by: Dafydd ab Hugh

Joe Zwers:

Occidental is not a junior college, but a small, expensive four year private school. Tuition alone is over $30,000 per year.

What makes it a junior college is that he treated it as a junior college, or rather, a prep school: he went there for two years, presumably taking the tough classes he skipped while at Punahou, but then transferred to Columbia (for a full four years, I believe) to get his actual degree.

I didn't even mention that the evidence is quite clear that he was brilliant enough to grow up rich. More evidence of his Horatio Alger life story!

Dafydd

The above hissed in response by: Dafydd ab Hugh [TypeKey Profile Page] at October 24, 2006 2:41 PM

The following hissed in response by: Fritz

For us oldtimers, I can remember when Mario Cuomo was supposed to lead the Democrats out of the wilderness. Now it is Obama. Seems like every so often the media has to find the greatest thing since sliced bread to lead the Democrats. Obama might turn out to be the real thing, but I would perfer to wait and see. After all, before Cuomo it was James Earl Carter and he managed to get elected. I think we all know how great he was. So perhaps we shouldn't take the media's pronouncements on rising Democrats so seriously. As I recall they were even excited about Howard Dean.

The above hissed in response by: Fritz [TypeKey Profile Page] at October 24, 2006 2:50 PM

The following hissed in response by: Dafydd ab Hugh

nandrews3:

Pssst... could you perhaps buff your comment with an example of something Barack Obama has done in his life that is remarkable? Or even compelling? Having read both of his books twice, I'm sure you can pull out something to knock our socks off!

Thanks,

Dafydd

The above hissed in response by: Dafydd ab Hugh [TypeKey Profile Page] at October 24, 2006 2:53 PM

The following hissed in response by: socialism_is_error

Norman Rogers:

Your analysis is flawed.

"Prone" is the correct word.

Note that Dafydd cites his heels as "pointed ceilingwards"; in addition, one can drink in any physical attitude if one is employing a Crazy Straw.

The above hissed in response by: socialism_is_error [TypeKey Profile Page] at October 24, 2006 3:00 PM

The following hissed in response by: Beerme

My first visit to the site. This article was beautiful on so many levels!

Rock on!

The above hissed in response by: Beerme [TypeKey Profile Page] at October 24, 2006 3:19 PM

The following hissed in response by: LPMandrake

Was there any reason to constantly refer to him as "Barack Hussein Obama" other than to attempt to irrationally link him to Saddam? Why not go full-out Rush and call him "Osama Obama" while you're at it?

The above hissed in response by: LPMandrake [TypeKey Profile Page] at October 24, 2006 3:35 PM

The following hissed in response by: Dafydd ab Hugh

Norman Rogers:

The word you sought is "supine" (if you were prone, your nose would be buried in the carpet).

Well, no: I lie on the floor, prone, elbows propped on a floor pillow, and watch the telly, sipping the old apple martini. I would have a dreadful time of it doing either of these urgent tasks while supine.

I would gag and choke; and then when I took a gulp of the drink, I would gag and choke a second time!

Dafydd

The above hissed in response by: Dafydd ab Hugh [TypeKey Profile Page] at October 24, 2006 3:54 PM

The following hissed in response by: Dafydd ab Hugh

LPMandrake:

Was there any reason to constantly refer to him as "Barack Hussein Obama" other than to attempt to irrationally link him to Saddam? Why not go full-out Rush and call him "Osama Obama" while you're at it?

Well, one reason might be that Osama Obama is not his name, while Barack Hussein Obama is.

Could that explain it, perhaps?

(And by the way, if Rush calls the senator "Osama Obama," then he is only quoting Ted Kennedy.)

Dafydd

The above hissed in response by: Dafydd ab Hugh [TypeKey Profile Page] at October 24, 2006 3:59 PM

The following hissed in response by: andycanuck

I would comment, but my eyes are too full of tears.

The above hissed in response by: andycanuck [TypeKey Profile Page] at October 24, 2006 5:11 PM

The following hissed in response by: Hermie

As an Illinois resident, I saw how the MSM treated Obama with kid gloves, and virtually handed him the Dem nomination by publishing his opponents' divorce and child custody hearing records. First they took out the Dem frontrunner, then they went after the GOP nominee.

Obama never received one criticism of his positions, or his being just another politician in the statehouse; doing whatever the Dem party bosses told him to do.

He never fought the Daley machine. Reformer? Hah! He one one of many Dems who remained silent as the Daleys and their minions stole millions from the state coffers. Instead of being a leader, he was just another beneficiary of Chicago-style politics.

The above hissed in response by: Hermie [TypeKey Profile Page] at October 24, 2006 5:17 PM

The following hissed in response by: nk

Ditto what Hermie said. I am from Chicago. Obama is an empty suit -- a political hack who went into politics because he could not hack it as a lawyer. May I also quote a writer not nearly half as good as our host? "Niceness is overrated. Nice is how you make it into the Party if you don't have the guts to be tough or the brains to be brilliant."

Also ... a very humorous and well-written post, Dafydd, regardless of or notwithstanding the subject. Keep up the good work.

The above hissed in response by: nk [TypeKey Profile Page] at October 24, 2006 5:57 PM

The following hissed in response by: CherryRiver

While I enjoyed the Obamarama post, especially being from the Chicago area, I'm afraid there's one correction needed.
Obama has indeed been caught in a bit of a scandal, although I suppose it's not a scandal if no one finds out about it.
The good Senator has a taste for private jets and indulged himself to a good amount of kerosene when he got somehow caught declaring these flights, provided gratis by giant corporations fond of owning their own personal senator, as equivalent in value to ordinary airline flights.
This resulted in these corporations actually donating huge amounts of money under the campaign finance radar.
This is why he now "refuses" any private jet flights when publicly asked.
It so happens a friend is one of the pilots who was involved. Sadly, he was struck blind by Obamarama and still insists that the junior Senator is not a far-left socialist whose stands on every identifiable issue conflict completely with his.
As I have noted elsewhere, Obamarama has caused a spectacular outbreak of mass blindness.
Even Fred Barnes gave him a little smiley pass in that same Special Report.
And yes, we're still waiting for the Chicago Tribune to produce actual evidence sufficient to disqualify Jack Ryan from the Senate seat he was on his way to winning.

The above hissed in response by: CherryRiver [TypeKey Profile Page] at October 24, 2006 6:00 PM

The following hissed in response by: nk

CherryRiver:

Didn't he also get a 2.5 million dollar advance for some books he and his children were supposed to write just after he won the election? Has he and his children yet written 2.5 million dollars' worth of books?

The above hissed in response by: nk [TypeKey Profile Page] at October 24, 2006 7:06 PM

The following hissed in response by: bcorig

If you wish to really understand who this guy is check out http://www.discoverthenetwork.org/individualProfile.asp?indid=1511
The guy is a flat out Socialist - no wonder Mort..., er Moira would be so enthralled.

The above hissed in response by: bcorig [TypeKey Profile Page] at October 24, 2006 7:33 PM

The following hissed in response by: Dick E

Dafydd-

Great post -- Wikipedia sourcing notwithstanding.

But you'd best get used to the idea of presidents younger than you. Either we'll start having really old presidents or you'll ... no, I dare not say it. But we'll all grieve with Sachi.

The above hissed in response by: Dick E [TypeKey Profile Page] at October 24, 2006 9:32 PM

The following hissed in response by: Pat Patterson

Didn't everyone think that Julian Bond was the next thing at some time in the misty past? I like the image of Modred being oiled up by Morgana Le Fay better than the fully armed Athena springing from the brow of Zeus.

The above hissed in response by: Pat Patterson [TypeKey Profile Page] at October 24, 2006 11:11 PM

The following hissed in response by: clazy

nk: I looked up the book deal and found this from December 04, in case yr curious. It's just one kids' book for 200k going to charity:

Sen.-elect Obama lands 3-book deal

U.S. Sen.-elect Barack Obama, whose 1995 book jumped onto best-seller lists after his keynote address to the Democratic National Convention, has landed a three-book deal worth $1.9 million.

Obama will write two books for adults and one for children.

He'll be paid an $850,000 advance for each adult book and $200,000 for the children's book, said Obama spokesman Robert Gibbs. Proceeds from the children's book, which Obama will work on with his wife, Michelle, and their two young daughters, will go to charity, Gibbs said.

The above hissed in response by: clazy [TypeKey Profile Page] at October 25, 2006 9:03 AM

The following hissed in response by: Porkopolis

I offer a detailed, fact-based analysis of Obama's recent interview with NPR's Diane Rehm Show. (See: http://porkopolis.blogspot.com/2006/10/porkopolis-calls-bullshit-on-rock-star.html)

The Harvard Law educated grad disingenuously claims that Habeas Corpus and access to the courts was eliminated by the Military Commision Act just signed by the President.

Obama's claim is clearly refuted by Senators McCain, Graham and Warner in their statement of support in the Wall Street Journal:

...

Habeas Corpus : Another myth is that, under our bill, detainees would lose the basic right to challenge their imprisonment. Actually, both the Detainee Treatment Act and the Military Commissions Act allow an individual to challenge his status in administrative and judicial fora. These challenges are in excess of what our soldiers would be afforded as prisoners of war.

...

Judicial Review : Other critics claim that our civilian courts would have no power to review any aspect of the military tribunal system, except verdicts by military tribunals. The truth is that our federal courts today already have the right to review the decisions made by military Combatant Status Review Tribunals.

The above hissed in response by: Porkopolis [TypeKey Profile Page] at October 28, 2006 2:28 PM

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