Obama: 'Obama-palooza'
Posted: Thursday, July 17, 2008 9:11 AM by Domenico Montanaro
USA Today curtain-raises Obama's trip overseas. “For Barack Obama, the road to the White House is about to take a 12,000-mile detour. The presumptive Democratic presidential nominee will try to boost his résumé next week with a five-country European and Middle East tour that threatens to turn into Obamapalooza. In contrast to the low-key coverage of Republican John McCain's European and Middle East trip in March, Obama will be accompanied by a campaign plane of reporters and trailed by three network broadcast anchors. McCain got some headlines, but did not have a traveling press corps.”
VIDEO: Former Congressman Tim Toemer, a member of the Obama campaign, talks with MSNBC's Mika Brzezinski about criticism over Barack Obama's overseas trip amidst domestic economic and energy concerns.
The
New York Times notes how folks in Iraq and Afghanistan seem to be looking forward to Obama's election. "There was, as Mr. Obama prepared to visit here, excitement over a man who is the anti-Bush in almost every way: a Democrat who opposed a war that many Iraqis feel devastated their nation. And many in the political elite recognize that Mr. Obama shares their hope for a more rapid withdrawal of American forces from Iraq.”
“But his support for troop withdrawal cuts both ways, reflecting a deep internal quandary in Iraq: for many middle-class Iraqis, affection for Mr. Obama is tempered by worry that his proposal could lead to chaos in a nation already devastated by war. Many Iraqis also acknowledge that security gains in recent months were achieved partly by the buildup of American troops, which Mr. Obama opposed and his presumptive Republican opponent, Senator John McCain, supported."
“Obama said two goals of his administration would be to secure all loose nuclear material during his first term, as well as rid the world of nuclear weapons,” AP writes. “He said adhering to nonproliferation treaties would put pressure on nations such as North Korea and Iran.”
Bloomberg News profiles Illinois state Senate president, Emil Jones, who calls himself Obama's political Godfather. "The two men, who met in 1985 when Obama was a community organizer in Chicago, didn't get off to an auspicious start. Obama once described Jones, a holdover from the machine-politics era of Chicago Mayor Richard Daley, as an ‘old ward heeler.' When Obama made his first successful run for the state Senate in 1996, Jones supported his opponent. In 2000, when Obama ran unsuccessfully for an Illinois U.S. House seat against incumbent Bobby Rush, Jones didn't back him.”
“Their relationship took a different turn after that defeat and Obama, 46, sought Jones's advice on reviving his political career. Jones had earlier urged the three-year state senator to venture outside his Chicago social sphere and forge ties with both Democrats and Republicans from across Illinois. He now also helped Obama build a legislative record by making him the sponsor of high-profile bills, including a death-penalty overhaul."
The Los Angeles Times profiles Obama's father.
Obama will celebrate his 47th birthday on Aug. 4 with a fundraiser in Boston. “The first-term senator from Illinois, a graduate of Harvard Law School, will mark his birthday in a room with one of the great panoramic views of Boston Harbor,” the Boston Globe writes. “The State Room, on the 33d floor of the 60 State Street building, features a glass wall, 30 feet by 120 feet, and seats as many as 800 people.”
And… “In a previously unreleased transcript of the salty studio tantrum, Jackson said: ‘Barack - he's talking down to black people - telling n- - - - -s how to behave,’ mediabistro.com reported. A couple of years ago, Jackson had publicly called for African-American entertainers to stop using the ‘n-word.’”
