Dems Cross Paths On Homestretch To Tuesday

Obama Assures Voters He Is A Christian; Clinton Makes Surprise Appearance On "SNL"

(CBS/AP)  Democrat Barack Obama worked to fend off an intensified attack on his foreign policy credentials from rival Hillary Rodham Clinton on Sunday as their paths crossed two days ahead of a potentially race-ending showdown in Ohio and Texas.

"What precise foreign-policy experience is she claiming that makes her qualified to answer that telephone call at 3 a.m. in the morning?" Obama asked of the former first lady at a town-hall meeting. It was a reference to dueling television ads over who would exercise superior judgment in responding to a national emergency in the middle of the night.

The Illinois senator also sought to ease lingering Internet-fed concerns about his religion, in particular whether he was a closet Muslim.

"I am a devout Christian. I have been a member of the same church for 20 years. I pray to Jesus every night," he declared at an earlier appearance in the rural southern Ohio town of Nelsonville. He said he wanted to halt "confusion that has been deliberately perpetrated."

Unlike Clinton, who has been barnstorming Ohio, Obama had only two events in the state on Sunday and was spending the night in hometown Chicago. He heads to Texas on Monday for a final day of campaigning before awaiting returns on Tuesday in San Antonio.

His aides said privately that they felt they had a good shot at a win in Texas, but were less certain about Ohio, where they braced for a possible loss.

The two senators came close to running into each other in a Columbus suburb, where Clinton spoke at one high school and Obama spoke several hours later at another. Obama supporters boasted of a much larger crowd.

CBS News correspondent Jim Axelrod reports that in one part of Westerville, Ohio, Clinton told supporters: a candidate must be more than a good speaker.

"Sometimes I finish a speech," she said, "and people come up to me and they say, 'Oh, that was so inspiring and so wonderful and it made me feel so good.' I say 'Well, that's great but that's just words.' Our job is to make a difference."

From another part, Obama had a different message: Clinton's experience didn't stop her from voting wrong on Iraq.

"To this day, she won't even admit her vote was a mistake or that it was even a vote for war," he told potential voters. "So besides the decision to invade Iraq, we're still waiting to hear Senator Clinton tell us what precise foreign policy experience that she is claiming that makes her prepared to answer that phone call at three in the morning."

Obama said his opposition to the war in Iraq in 2002 was not a single speech - as Clinton has asserted - but a series of remarks during his 2002 successful Senate campaign.

Obama criticized Clinton expressly for failing to read the classified National Intelligence Estimate on Iraq's weapons capabilities, a report available at the time of her October 2002 vote authorizing the Iraq war. "She didn't give diplomacy a chance."

"When it came time to make the most important foreign policy decision of our generation the decision to invade Iraq Senator Clinton got it wrong," Obama said.

He said that Sen. Jay Rockefeller, a fellow Democrat from neighboring West Virginia, had read the intelligence estimate as a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee. However, Rockefeller wound up voting for the war resolution.

Rockefeller, who is now chairman of that committee, endorsed Obama on Friday and campaigned with him on Saturday.

Rockefeller called Obama "brilliant" and "well grounded" and prepared to take the reins as commander in chief.

The Obama campaign also lined up a conference call for reporters with various Democratic foreign-policy experts who asserted his ability to inspire and lead, his good judgment on Iraq, and ticked legislative accomplishments. It was an effort to undercut Clinton's claim that Obama foreign-policy experience was shallow.

Neither candidate forgot the fact that Ohio is a state hit hard by job loss, and both hit on the economy in their stump speeches today.

"I couldn't believe the prices on the gas stations I was driving by … $3.68 in the poorest part of Ohio," Clinton marveled. "We need a President who gets it and who says, 'wait a minute, we're going to do something about this!"

"I will invest $150 billion over ten years in establishing a green energy sector that will create up to five million new jobs," said Obama.

With Ohio and Texas both widely seen as "must win" for Clinton, she took a quick trip to New York last night to be on "Saturday Night Live."

"Oh, the campaign is going very well." Clinton told comedian Amy Poehler, dressed as a Hillary lookalike, "Very, very well. Why? What have you heard?"

"Nothing," Poehler answered, just a little too quickly.

Both Clinton and Obama will fly to Texas tomorrow where Obama has erased a long-standing Clinton lead. Political scientist James Henson says voters like to be on the winning team - and Obama's won 11 in a row.

"Texans like to think of themselves as different, Henson said. But we're not that different in the sense that people are taking a second look at this thing."

"And moving towards Obama?" asked Axelrod.

"It feels like it," Henson nodded.

Still, Axelrod reports, it's too close to call in Texas. As for Ohio, where the polls do show Clinton in a little bit of a stronger position, one top neutral Democrat there says that Obama does have the momentum, he is shrinking the lead, but the question is, does he have enough time?

[kansas1946]

Just think of the Impossibility and trouble we have in trying to Impeach Bush and Cheney, and think about that now while looking at in trying to impeach a Black President when he commits acts of treason and commits more of the same war crimes as Bush..."
- Posted by tomtomasters at 08:10 AM : Mar 03, 2008
-------------------
Why would you assume that Obama would commit acts of treason? Would you not vote for Hillary because it would be hard to impeach a woman?? That is really a lame reason not to vote for either one of them.
No one wanted to impeach Bush because by the time he needed to be impeached, it really wasn''t worth the bother. It was too late in his second term to waste the time and energy.

[realpatriot1]

The Clinton supporters are the ones doing all the whining about the press and name calling and posturing and spreading unsubstantiated smearsand then saying that those who support Obama are being ruled by emotion.

Too funny yet so pathetically sad!

[realpatriot1]

Jack3213,

Anyone who voted for Bush should not be calling others suckers.

juwboys,

If lying to infidels is a sin there are a whole lot of Bush & Clinton supporters on this board who are adhere to Al-Taqqieh.

[iceman_1960]

"Just think of the Impossibility and trouble we have in trying to Impeach Bush and Cheney, and think about that now while looking at in trying to impeach a Black President when he commits acts of treason and commits more of the same war crimes as Bush..."
- Posted by tomtomasters at 08:10 AM : Mar 03, 2008
-------------------

Don"t take counsel of your fears.

Barack Obama will be a fine President.

[tomtomasters]

Just think of the Impossibility and trouble we have in trying to Impeach Bush and Cheney, and think about that now while looking at in trying to impeach a Black President when he commits acts of treason and commits more of the same war crimes as Bush. Executives will censor down the media faster than when Bush was in office claiming every dissatisfaction article written about Obama is racist. Talk about having a do anything you want President. Just vote in a black one, because you can''t prosecute blacks with Impeachment on the grounds of subverting the constitution because of the overtones of being racially prejudice.

[jack3213]

OBAMA IS A SUSPICIOUS CHARACTER WITH A GOOD STUMP SPEECH. UNDERNEATH THE WORDS THERE IS NO SUBSTANCE. PEOPLE ARE SUCKERS AND CONTINUE TO FALL FOR THIS AND SHOULD BE MADE AWARE HE IS NOTHING MORE THAN AN EMPTY SUIT. CLINTON IS NOTHING MORE THAN A LIAR. NEITHER CANDIDATE IS QUALIFIED OR CREDIBLE AND SHOULD BE IGNORED FOR THE SAFETY OF THE USA.

[newsstar0724]

thats crazy!! check out getrichoffthis . com

[b-easy63]

We have to look no further than how Hilary ran her campaign to see how she would run this country on a larger scale. From a spending spree mentality to foreign policy--we have far more to lose now, than her budget of campaign wrecks and personal 5 Million dollar loans--too much at stake to place it all in the hands of someone whose best asset on the trail has been the ability to finally cry--an attribute that disturbingly resonates with the "sensible heads Clinton crowd" while they discount all that is jarring and questionable about their own candidate.

[b-easy63]

Hilary ran and is running a lousy campaign. She failed to plan for contingencies (like the race not being over by Feb. 5) and she wasted a lot of her donor''s money buying things at gouged prices and paying exorbitant fees for lunch meat and other things. She had really terrible set up policies for events in Texas and her campaign support have been caught in snafus like trying to plant questions, failing to articulate even 1 actual foreign policy exp. she has had (there are NONE) and she misjudged her staffing and campaign requirements. She has been caught in amazing flip flops or lies, she has been found to try everything from challenging rules she agreed to when she was winning, to threatening law suits to win. She has changed positions, lied about her position and collected slogans and made pitches (like having more NS experience) that her time in the CDF just can''t back up. Our hearts tell us she is a flake...but it is our heads that underline that point, with every bizarre move on the campaign trail she makes. (see YOu tube, Hillary Clinton Exposed ---2)



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S4vn4cBmqJ0&session=*************************************************************************************************************************************************************-farsCz_h72rppeafbYC0XEA3D5y_BmYnMkH7ofWENdUaUp74V5dhiB8VEm37pOpcV0aWbJSNZfJFg1emhdKLF6estnhHIXIZd7czsYw9anFxYjVu6ypB23diyYHXkNax2n

[b-easy63]

.
Do we want a President who was elected by people voting with their emotions? Or people voting with their heads? Posted by truth-hurts at 03:33 AM : Mar 03, 2008

We actually want a President who does the will of the people and considers remarks and policies before making them and makes those judgments based on sound thinking not on polls or saying what they think is the most politically expedient answer for their personal future. We want a President who backs up what they say and is not caught in lie after lie or in manipulating and/or maneuvering us (like planting questions in Iowa) We don''t care if our hearts or heads net us such a person. We only care that to the best of our ability--we can select (of those in the field) the one we can trust the most, the one who we feels gets us best and will serve our collective interest, and the one who can unite our divisions and reflect a new way forward.

Now--you may want to think that is your Candidate--but it is not. next post

[b-easy63]

The New York Times recently reported on Obama''''s penchant while serving in the Illinois legislature for merely voting "present" when faced with some tough issues. Farrakhan, in a strictly political sense, may be a tough issue for him. This time, though, "present" will not do. [e-mail]

Posted by girlinvt at 03:03 AM : Mar 03, 2008


Too bad your research did not lead you to note why Obama voted "present" instead of cast specific votes and why the blocks he represented wanted only that level of support. When Congressmen appear and do not cast definitive votes, they are often requested to do so by constituents to not indicate a specific leaning, but to deter some meetings or votes from being nullified. As we understand it, to prevent certain policies or rules in Congress from kicking in, a certain amount of Congressmen must meet and take a vote. Not specifically on any issue--but to prove that they were present and accounted for. Senator Clinton knows this about procedural voting as does Obama--and Senator Clinton has voted "present" at least 112 times to Obama''s 132. But of course--you did not know Clinton also votes merely "present" sometimes.

[b-easy63]

"I couldn''t believe the prices on the gas stations I was driving by %u2026 $3.68 in the poorest part of Ohio," Clinton marveled. "We need a President who gets it and who says, ''wait a minute, we''re going to do something about this!"

3.68 per gallon for gas is HORRIBLE anywhere *****!!! You did not need to drive to the "poorest part of Ohio" or anywhere else for that matter ---to get that. You phony heifer.

[juwboy]

The Islamic doctrine of Al-Taqqiyeh not only permits, but ENCOURAGES Moslems to lie to non-Moslem infidels.

Under Al-Taqqiyeh, lying to infidels isn''t a sin, it''s a virtue.

[ranakarimi]

brianbwb after i red ur comments i start lol u are realy out of touch with reality so get a life and get in touch with reality

[brianbwb-2009]

"... he spent his first 9 to 10 years in Indonesia, a Muslim country, living with a Muslim step father."
Posted by ranakarimi

#1. There are many families in Indonesia that have Muslim, Christian, and Buddhists, so your assertion that he must be a Muslim is a lie as it is contrary to facts in Indonesia, which, while it the country with the world''s largest Muslim population, it is not a Muslim country, the constitution specifically prohibits such.

and dont forget there is a law in islam called TAGIYEH which means u can lie about ur religion in order to do good for allah later now the question is waht good obama has plan to do for allah!" Posted by ranakarimi

This is the second lie, there is no reason accepted for lying for any reason in the Koran, your made-up word "tagiyeh" does not exist.

Clearly you are a troll you have posted these lies before and been shown the truth, yet here you are posting the same lies again. Obviously you are neither Christian or Muslim, as you try to promote hate by spreading lies.

[laurenbrillante]

Voting Present is common in Illinois state legislature and is often used as a statement of dissatisfaction with the form the legislation is being offered in. You can check other facts about stories/rumors regarding Senator Obama on his website. He is a Christian and a patriotic american.
I have been involved in politics most of my life. I fought against NAFTA, GATT, and the WTO because they were unbalanced. I have watched and listened to the senate for years... I fought against giving president Bush authority to use force in Iraq and the Patriot Act.
In all of the time that she has been in the senate Hillary Clinton has never done anything that made me wish she was president. In fact as a senator she has been very unimpressive. She is the last person I would like to see be commander and chief of our country...not because she is a woman, I am a woman, but because she has demonstrated poor judgement in foreign policy, an inability to get her healthcare plan passed, and poor management of her campaign.
Senator Obama, on the contrary, has impressed me with his leadership skills, his public stand on Iraq, his management of his campaign. Most of all he has impressed me with his character. He is an extraordinary man. He is brilliant, wise, and he has very strong, natural leadership skills. He sees the big picture in a much bigger framework than most people can and this is good for the american people. I believe he has the potential to be one of the greatest leaders of our time.

[girlinvt-2009]

What is clear from rereading King''s celebrated "I Have a Dream" speech of Aug. 28, 1963, is how inclusive that dream was -- "all of God''s children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual, ''Free at last! Free at last! Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!'' " This, though, is not Farrakhan''s dream. He has vilified whites and singled out Jews to blame for crimes large and small, either committed by others as well or not at all. (A dominant role in the slave trade, for instance.) He has talked of Jewish conspiracies to set a media line for the whole nation. He has reviled Jews in a manner that brings Hitler to mind. And yet Wright heaped praise on Farrakhan. According to Trumpet, he applauded his "depth of analysis when it comes to the racial ills of this nation." He praised "his integrity and honesty." He called him "an unforgettable force, a catalyst for change and a religious leader who is sincere about his faith and his purpose." The rap on Obama is that he is a fog of a man. We know little about him, and, for all my admiration of him, I wonder about his mettle. The New York Times recently reported on Obama''s penchant while serving in the Illinois legislature for merely voting "present" when faced with some tough issues. Farrakhan, in a strictly political sense, may be a tough issue for him. This time, though, "present" will not do. [e-mail]

[amandagalaxy]

Obama''s supporters react angrily against Hillary''s claim that she offers action, Obama only words. But she has a point: Not in a long time has a candidate sought the presidency on the basis of a record as slight as Barack Obama''s. His supporters compare him to Abraham Lincoln, who served only a single term in Congress before winning election as president. A better analogy might be William Jennings Bryan, who won the Democratic nomination in 1896 on the power of a great convention speech. Obama too gave a great speech in 2004. Beyond that, there is only guesswork, hope and fantasy.
-----David Frum, National Post
Published: Saturday, February 23, 2008

[iceman_1960]

Seriously, Hillary"s foreign policy experience is the same as Obama"s: they are both United States Senators.

And in the Senate they voted the same way 94% (!!!) of the time.

"Peas in a Pod"

http://www.factcheck.org/elections-2008/peas_in_a_pod.html

[iceman_1960]

"What precise foreign-policy experience is she claiming that makes her qualified to answer that telephone call at 3 a.m. in the morning?" Obama asked of the former first lady"
----------------

That TV ad she ran, the parody of the Sopranos... I believe that took place in the International House of Pancakes.

Does that count ?