hi girl..............

And the money quote is...

"This victory alone is not the change we seek. It is only the chance for us to make that change. And that cannot happen if we go back to the way things were. It can't happen without you, without a new spirit of service, a new spirit of sacrifice."

This is one in a long stream of articles on intentblog praising Obama up and down. Obviously, intentblog is infatuated with Obama. I wonder why intentblog does not have one featured writer with any kind of conservative bent, b/c it just seems the Obama worship is so plentiful here--it seems a little one-sided. But, whatever. I make a prediction--20 years from now President Bush will be regarded as having been a good leader. Obama will go down in history as a mediocre one.
Again, it is only a prediction. But either way, intentblog has lifted Obama up so high, him and his wife. They will have a long way to fall when they don't live up to fixing the economy, healing the wound of slavery, unifying all colors of the rainbow, solving unemployment, fixing our schools, healing the sick, making the lame walk and the blind see....and on and on. Because they won't be able to do these things. And to say he never made race an issue...huh? Again, it is the blind love of infatuation. Yes, he did make race an issue. But that is fine to deny that...love is blind.

One more thing if I may add, I am not sure how to feel about Whoopi Goldberg's comment. I tend to find what she said to be quite off-putting. America has made her rich and famous, and still, I am supposed to feel what exactly that now she feels she can "put her suitcase down". I ask this earnestly--what should I feel? Relief? Sympathy? Pity for her that although she is rich, famous, she still did not feel accepted? She is on the View every day voicing her opinion. I just don't get what these celebrities complain about at times. It seems they have it pretty damn good compared to 99.99999999999999999999999999999999999999999999 percent of the world, so it is hard for me to feel pity for most of them.

Olivia has given her prediction, and the world has to wait for 20 years. I am from a third world country, and have always been an admirer of the great American spirit, so I am not a blind supporter of President Bush or President elect Barack Obama.

I am worried that if Olivia's prediction comes true, that President Bush was a good leader and Obama a mediocre one. GOD HELP THE POOR AMERICAN PEOPLE.

I am concerned not so much with Mr. Bush or Mr. Obama, but with the lives of the American people in general.

Just imagine under President Bush if things are like there are as of now, what will be the condition of the American people under the new Presdient if Olivia's prediction comes true!!

It will not be is my prediction. I will not keep you waiting for 20 years. You will see a change for the better within a year.

May the middle name, hidden but not written off, for a well meaning purpose, be a catalyst for CHANGE for the good of US in particular, and the world humanity at large.

He will say it only once of the historic occasion of taking the oath as The President of United States of America. The middle name is symbolic with the sacrifice of a great martyr, and I am very positive and confident, that the blessings of that name, will surely usher in a CHANGE and a cleansing process in the society.

There is no harm in whising for the best from a new incumbent. Time will only tell.

Last Monday, Nobel Laureate in Economics, Paul Krugman wrote "Franklin Delano Obama", a column in which he argued that the new President should "...learn from F.D.R.’s failures as well as from his achievements: the truth is that the New Deal wasn’t as successful in the short run as it was in the long run. And the reason for F.D.R.’s limited short-run success, which almost undid his whole program, was the fact that his economic policies were too cautious."

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/10/opinion/10krugman.html

Last Friday, he was at it again in a column in which he says we're in a period when "virtue becomes vice, caution is risky and prudence is folly.":

"To pull us out of this downward spiral, the federal government will have to provide economic stimulus in the form of higher spending and greater aid to those in distress — and the stimulus plan won’t come soon enough or be strong enough unless politicians and economic officials are able to transcend several conventional prejudices.

"One of these prejudices is the fear of red ink. In normal times, it’s good to worry about the budget deficit — and fiscal responsibility is a virtue we’ll need to relearn as soon as this crisis is past. When depression economics prevails, however, this virtue becomes a vice. F.D.R.’s premature attempt to balance the budget in 1937 almost destroyed the New Deal. ...

"All indications are that the new administration will offer a major stimulus package. My own back-of-the-envelope calculations say that the package should be huge, on the order of $600 billion.

"So the question becomes, will the Obama people dare to propose something on that scale?"

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/14/opinion/14krugman.html

Being daring is good advice for the President-Elect on a lot of fronts. One thing FDR did was become the chief legislator during the famous Hundred Days. He didn't wait for the Senate or House leadership to wrangle the members and produce some legislation. Instead, he sent 15 pieces of legislation crafted by his "Brain Trust" up to Capitol Hill for approval. As Jonathan Alter wrote in "The Defining Moment: FDR's Hundred Days and the Triumph of Hope," Congress didn't so much as pass that daring legislation as salute it as it went by.

http://www.amazon.com/Defining-Moment-FDRs-Hundred-Triumph/dp/0743246004

It's doubtful that Obama will be greeted with quite the same attitude despite his much-touted bipartisan approach. Having been a Senator and not a governor, he may not even believe that it's wise for the President to produce legislation in such a manner. But being daring rather than cautious may be the least risky way for him to achieve his ends.

Asgar,

Most of the people in the world don't have to wait for history to judge G.W.B. -- only idiots do.

This country doesn't need to wait to judge President Bush unless looking back occurs with a blind eye. Judgments can be made now. All we have to recognize is that his decision making has involved: -crimes against humanity -transgressions upon the constitution -practicing and advocating torture -politicizing civil services, the justice department, the state department and numerous federal agencies -massive fiscal irresponsibility -failing to look after citizens who were devastated by natural disasters -the failure to maintain a separation of church and state - censorship of science, and the list goes on on and on.

"...don't have to wait for history to judge G.W.B."

"This country doesn't need to wait to judge President Bush..."

You guys are so wrong it's laughable.

The Bush legacy will be one of the saddest pages of modern history. An arrogant and ignorant cowboy bully with loaded six shooters that suceeded in alienating the rest of the world with his insensitive self-centeredness.

His recent "better late than never approach" to become involved in the art of diplomacy is only a last ditch effort to be relevant in an area he has blotched consistently. This can only be explained by a total absense of sensitivity and sensibility. On one hand he believes that he can trample over the rest of the world and on the other he thinks he can come back with a couple of band aids to patch and heal the deep wounds he has inflicted to international diplomacy and thus earn the respect of the peoples of this world. It is evident that his only concern right now is one of an egotistical nature.

I feel sure that Barack Obama will be aware that George has left some groundwork on which he can develop his own Presidency. Things like the largest national debt in History, the largest deficits in History, the widening chasm between people who have and those who have not in our nation, the massive embarrassment of our military and its exposure for what it really is, an obscenely expensive and massively inneffective mess, the new character of our nation as a war mongering, nation threatening bully, the arrival on the scene of a United States no longer the nation of respect and honor, but a nation of laughter and ridicule, the loss of our status as the world's premier economic model, the debris of two lost wars and a commitment to those wars that may well be endless and a legacy of failure and disgrace unknown to the leaders of this or any other great nation for centuries. Oh yes, George W. Bush has laid the ground work for the efforts of the next President, and probably for the two after that if our nation survives that long in a form close to what it was before Bush. Given the groundwork of mud and slime left by Bush however, that is rather unlikely as you cannot build upon mud and slime. That's where Obama came in. Yes We Can.

#9

Huh?

This Iraq war was one of the dumbest things that this country ever involved itself in. For that reason alone, history will not view Mr(10%) Bush favorably.

It's a shame that there are still people who support Bush and Cheney and think they are "in the right" for invading Iraq.

OK let's give to Bush's achievement that the US hasn't seen no terrorist attack after 911, but DUBYA certainly has ruffled feathers and his allies have sure gotten the worst of it. Bombings in Madrid, Great Britain, Pakistan and so on. Granted other presidents before him William J Clinton and George Bush Sr. messed up too but GWB messed up all the way until know.

The Bush legacy: Deficits for as far as the eye can see, a crippled military, loss of our nations reputation as the guardian of law, a country that condons and conducts torture, hundreds of thousands of dead Iraqi's and over a million displaced, enabled and invigorated enemy states and failed states. I certainly hope the next President fires anyone who ever served in this Administration, there needs to be a debushification of our government immediately.

When the history does judge Bush as the Worst President Ever, I guess the republicans will claim that it's the "librul" historians or just blame it on "librul" Bush. Didn't you notice GOP establishment already threw him under the bus and the republicans and conservatives -- except the 10% to 20% deadenders -- blame the Bush administration for their party's miserable situation.

When history for this administration is wriiten and published, you will see GWB and Cheney cringe. Their legacy is so close to facism, it's pathetic. I just pray that all the wrongdoing is exposed to the public as it legally is supposed to be. The history books need the correct feedings.

" I just pray that all the wrongdoing is exposed to the public as it legally is supposed to be. The history books need the correct feedings."

Well said, Sandy.

Irvine, that's the answer to your question.

History will be 'incomplete' until the Bush abuses and crimes are given a fair hearing. And, Personally I don't see it happen in the next 4 years. What with all the talk about "blanket pardon" being prepared by Pres. Bush to protect his cronies and himself. It will be difficult and a long process perhaps 8-20 years is a right time frame, hopefully, for justice to prevail.

I agree with Chris. And speaking of 'justice prevailing'...

Kavita Chhibber et al,

In an article today in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, William S. Sessions -- former district court judge, served as FBI director from 1987 to 1993-- on the imminent execution of Troy Anthony Davis:

"It is wrong to execute an innocent man. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit will now consider whether it is constitutional. Troy Anthony Davis, convicted of murder, is asking the courts to hear evidence that key government witnesses have repudiated their testimony against him. But so far the courts have decided that, while he may be innocent, procedural rules prevent them from taking a second look. [...]

Davis is not asking the court to set him free. He is asking for the court’s permission to give his innocence claims the full hearing they deserve. Our justice system should punish the guilty, free the innocent and have the wisdom to know the difference. I hope the 11th Circuit will give Davis his day in court."

http://www.ajc.com/opinion/content/opinion/stories/2008/11/18/sessionsed_1118.html

It is so easy to judge Bush--he is everyone's favorite scapegoat. But I would like to have seen how anyone here would have handled things like 9/11, Katrina, the failing economy (which everyone here blames on Bush--what a joke! Like Bush is responsible for the global economic collapse!) Anyway, I wonder how Obama would have handled all of these incredibly complex challenges. In all of your minds, b.c you are all infatuated, you think he would have handled everything so brilliantly, made no mistakes, while simultaneously keeping his calm, cerebral, unwavering demeanor. I doubt it. But as I said, history will judge who the best leader will be. Right now, all Bush is is a convenient scapegoat.

Also, people who want to blame Katrina on Bush need to understand that LONG before Katrina happened, people were WELL aware that if a strong hurricane were to directly hit New Orleans that the levee system would not hold and that the city would go underwater. So, this was common knowledge, and the levees should have been repaired and updated so that they would hold the water out. Blaming Bush is just a case of scapegoating. Had the city and state no responsibility in PREVENTING the flooding?
Anyway, I'm done arguing. As I said time will tell who the best president will be.

Olivia:

Sorry to say but you are delusional. No one is blaming Bush for Katrina except maybe you in your warped way.

It's Bushes response to Katrina that is in question. Especially, as you have pointed out, since we already knew what the results of such a hurricane would be. He clearly dropped the ball.

"Had the city and state no responsibility in PREVENTING the flooding?"

The buck stops at the top.

lady, pull ur head out of the sand...and btw...we already have regular trolls here...u are in tough.

LPB and Diablo,

Sorry for expressing my views. I am now drinking the kool-aid. Obama! Hooray Obama!

LPB,

You start out by saying noone is blaming Bush and then end your post by blaming him.
It is a terrible tragedy what happened down there but by no means can you lay all of the blame at the feet of Bush.
What happened after Katrina?
It was a large scale natural disaster--unprecedented in its destruction in the US. Bush did not magically make everything better. But Mother Nature gets no blame?

Thank you all for your responses.
Olivia, first of all I appreciate your courage for standing up for what you believe in. I don’t have to agree with you but you have every right to be skeptical or suspicious of anything that doesn’t resonate with you. So thanks for sharing your thoughts.

As far as Obama is concerned, all conjecture about his place in history are presumptuous, but as I wrote in response to another comment on a different blog- for me the most substantial thing right now is that I believe we have a man of substance at the helm and the purpose of this blog was to note that and also to share my personal journey where Obama is concerned. And I wish I could learn to be as calm as he appears-it would do me a lot of good 

The news media is filled with a lot of presumptuous comments on the so called "substantial issues" and not so substantial issues related to Obama, even since he decided to run for President. Living in a Republican state I see people still divided by personal prejudices and waiting for Obama to fail.

I think the discussion of key issues, be it the economy, the war in Iraq, healthcare etc must be reserved until he is sworn in and his administration starts dealing with a very difficult time in American history. And hopefully you and I and many others will not only address these issues but offer solutions in a supportive way.

Whether Bush made a huge mess –and sadly the stats are out there for every one to see-or whether it was the advisors he listened to, who pulled the trigger from his shoulder-the captain of the ship has to own responsibility. And that unfortunately is how it is.

I think Obama carries a huge burden of expectations- and a bigger burden of the cynicism many people feel-and of nay sayers waiting for him to fail.

I wonder though- Why can’t we stand together and offer Obama our support irrespective of which side of the fence we are on, for the better good of this great nation that embraces all ethnicities and gives them an opportunity to be the best that they can be?

In the long run it will never be about Bush or Obama-its about America. And just as we must also own responsibility to the part we played in choosing leaders who have not delivered-and we stood by Bush for many years-we must also shoulder the responsibility with Obama and work together as unifying forces that help in the challenges ahead of us.
Give the man a chance-and on a fair playing field-and lets all do our bit to help-because we help ourselves in the bargain. That is all I ask.

Preity thank you for remembering about Troy. That article and another very important one are linked on my site. I spent 6 hours on the 9th of November with Troy at the GDCP, and I talk to him very frequently. I am also very grateful that a remarkable woman who has not only won every single case she has fought, but is also a renowned expert on capital punishment, and a highly respected Professor, has kindly agreed to help with the case. I have such respect for her intelligence and compassion, and her commitment to helping indigent death row inmates pro bono who have exhausted all appeals. The fact that the 11th circuit federal courts even stayed the execution was a miracle in itself.
Asgar, thank you for your post. Its important that every one feels included and respected in the process. Sachin-very thought provoking points. Diablo Hi back to you, LPB, Irvine, Chris, Mini, Yogi-One, John, Sandy, thanks for your post. I learn a lot and I welcome the comments..they make me think and learn and understand different viewpoints

lady u have every right to express ur views no matter how ridiculous it is...just like we have the right to call u out on it! there is diffference between the dream world and the real one...where most one us would want to live it....damn!

KAVITA has rightly summed up ' In the long run it will never be about Bush or Obama, its about AMERICA'

It's starting, the more things change, the more things stay the same:

Al-Qaeda message condemns Obama

Zawahiri is deputy to Al-Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden
The second-in-command of Islamic militant network al-Qaeda has hit out at US President-elect Barack Obama.

In a message purportedly from Ayman al-Zawahiri, the al-Qaeda deputy called Mr Obama a "house negro" - a demeaning term implying he served white people.

Mr Obama's plan to bolster the US military presence in Afghanistan would fail, Zawahiri said.

If genuine, the message would be the first acknowledgement by al-Qaeda of the president-elect's victory.

The audio message appeared on militant websites.

Zawahiri, an Egyptian by birth, is often referred to as Osama Bin Laden's right-hand man and the chief ideologue of al-Qaeda.

In the short message he warned Mr Obama of failure if he followed Bush administration policies in the Middle East and Afghanistan.

He also criticised Mr Obama - whose father is Muslim - for abandoning his Islamic roots.

"You were born to a Muslim father, but you chose to stand with the enemies of Muslims," he said.

On Sunday, in his first television interview since his 4 November election win, Mr Obama reiterated his commitment to shift more US troops to war-torn Afghanistan.

Stamping out al-Qaeda "once and for all" was a top priority, he said, and capturing or killing Osama Bin Laden was "critical" to US security.

Olivia -- What utter rubbish.

"2 wars, a Planet in Peril and Global Financial crisis that has spread across the World" -- That is George Bush's legacy..

His intrangience in making progress with Kyoto, for allowing the de-regulation of Wall Street and post 9-11 for taking his eye off the main enemy hidden away in Afghanistan/Pakistan and instead doing the bidding of the Neo-Cons that preyed around Washington by waging an illegal war in Iraq.

He may or may not be a bad guy -- but history will remember George W. Bush a fool that was easily led by people far sinister and followed by people far too stupid to think.

Olivia:

You are delusional.

My post is quite clear and if you stopped sticking your head where the sun don't shine you'd have understood me.

No one here is blaming Bush for hurricane Katrina. And I certainly am not so delusional as to "blame" nature or any other unseen force. It was what it was. A moment in time.

I don't then go on to blame Bush for Katrina in my last post after exempting him from blame (for Katrina and the destruction that occurred).

I do condemn him for his response or lack of.

And yes I can lay the blame of the response or lack of at his feet. He calls himself to be "the commander in chief" for gods sake.

First, I want to thank Kavita for graciously allowing other views to be shared here. That is what keeps restoring my faith in intentblog--the freedom of speech allowed here.
LPB, what would you have done (differently)?
Many people dropped the ball in allowing New Orleans to remain vulnerable to Katrina (ie. any large hurricane which would have happened to be on a similar trajectory with New Orleans). Once that happened, what would you have done differently? I am asking this in some ways to play devil's advocate. Yes, there were mistakes made. But again, there was a chain of command. Many again dropped the ball in this long chain of command. It is easy to scapegoat Bush. Looking back, I see one major thing that he did do right.
He instructed everyone to evacuate the city in advance. Many, many lives were saved because of this. I give him credit for that--that was a good decision as commander-in-chief. Far worse guffaws could have been made. An example would be...gee...we don't want to panic anyone, so we won't instruct the city to evacuate.
And, I will similarly praise Obama for any good decisions that he makes. And perhaps he will be a good president. Only time will tell.

President-elect Obama's address to the nation today has got me all fired up all over again.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m17pz0R_qZo

In the days immediately following the election, there was a natural sort of waning of intensity as the afterglow of victory receded. And then the distraction of the HRC and Lieberman dramas was disconcerting.

All this was taking place in a leadership vacuum created by the combination of George Bush's unwillingness to do anything to help the economy, and by the fact that Barack Obama does not get sworn into office for two more months.

But today, President-elect Obama stepped up to the plate and started to define the work that we must do. He didn't tick off a technocratic list of bullet points aimed at achieving small goals. Instead, he set forth a bold vision of creating 2.5 million jobs by investing in our in nation's infrastracture and by starting the process of building a new energy economy.

These are things we've needed to do for years and years, and finally the moment is arriving where will we move from simply hoping that they get done, to actually getting them done. And that's inspiring.

In a sense, this is the beginning of his presidency. Sure, he won't put his hand on the Bible for several more weeks. But he's laying out what will happen as soon as he steps into the Oval Office. I can't wait.