June 27, 2008
Bush Pastor Launches Pro-Obama Web Site
Rev. Kirbyjon Caldwell, Who Officiated At Jenna Bush's Wedding, Launches Site Titled "James Dobson Does Not Speak For Me"
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Photo
Jenna Bush, daughter of President George W. Bush and first lady Laura Bush, exchanges wedding vows with Henry Hager in an outdoor ceremony at the Bush family's Prairie Chapel Ranch near Crawford, Texas, Saturday, May 10, 2008. (AP/The White House/S. Craighead)
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Photo Essay
Jenna's Big Day
Pictures from Jenna Bush's wedding to Henry Hager at the Western White House.
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Photo Essay
Barack Obama
A look at the life and meteoric rise of the president-elect.
Sparks are flying in the 2008 culture wars.
The Rev. Kirbyjon Caldwell, leader of the largest Methodist congregation in the country, launched a website yesterday titled "James Dobson Does Not Speak For Me." The site is a jab at Dobson, a stalwart of the religious right who this week called Sen. Barack Obama's interpretation of the Bible in a 2006 speech distorted "to fit [Obama's] own world view, his own confused theology."
Caldwell's site launched a day after Dobson's Focus on the Family radio program aired a harsh assessment of Obama's speech on faith and public policy and encourages readers to sign a statement declaring that Dobson does not represent them.
"I think it's a crime and a shame that Senator Obama has had to explain the fact that he's a Christian," Caldwell said in a recent interview. "Criticize his politics. Criticize his stance on whatever, but don't question his faith. Never in the history of American politics has someone said that he is a Christian and someone came back to say, 'No you're not.'"
If Rev. Caldwell's name sounds familiar, it may be because he is the same Rev. Caldwell who introduced President Bush at the 2000 Republican National Convention and last month officiated at Jenna Bush's wedding ceremony at the presidential ranch in Crawford. This election Caldwell is firmly in the Obama camp and doggedly trying to help the campaign bring other pastors and parishioners along.
Caldwell's site encourages readers to sign this statement:
James Dobson doesn't speak for me.
He doesn't speak for me when he uses religion as a wedge to divide;
He doesn't speak for me when he speaks as the final arbiter on the meaning of the Bible;
...What does speak for me is David's psalm celebrating how good and pleasant it is when we come together in unity;
Micah speaks for me in reminding us that the Lord requires us to act justly, to love mercy and to walk humbly with Him;
...These words speak for me. But when James Dobson attacks Barack Obama, James Dobson doesn't speak for me.
The site also provides a side-by-side transcript of Obama's Call to Renewal speech and Dobson's critique.
Caldwell is not an official surrogate for the Obama campaign, but has for months participated on a weekly Friday morning prayer call with members of Obama's staff and other Christian ministers who dial in from across the county.
Caldwell, who oversees the 14,000-member Windsor Village United Methodist Church in Houston, said he personally prayed with Obama before the Texas primary and talks regularly with Joshua DuBois and Paul Monteiro, the young staffers overseeing the campaign's religious outreach.
The campaign has indicated recently that it will aggressively pursue religious voters, and Obama met with 30 evangelical leaders earlier this month, including the Bishop T.D. Jakes and the Rev. Franklin Graham (son of the Rev. Billy Graham), for an off the record Q & A session. And the campaign is reportedly working on a broad outreach to young evangelicals that it calls "The Joshua Generation."
CBN reporter and blogger David Brody, who has been following the role of faith in the campaign closely, has suggested that Obama will struggle to win over many traditional Evangelicals but has a shot with younger Christians. "Clearly there are differences between Obama's more progressive views of Christianity and the conservative viewpoint. It's important to remember that while Obama will attract some conservative Evangelicals, Obama's main goal is to win over moderate Evangelicals," Brody wrote on his blog. "Also young conservative Evangelicals seem more open to Obama's 'Christian' message of caring for the poor, fighting genocide, healthcare for all, and climate change. They also like the fact that he is reaching out to try and find common ground with conservative faith voters."
For his part, Caldwell, who still considers Bush a personal friend, said he sees similarities between the President and Obama that may appeal to religious voters.
"They are both loyal to their God. They are very loyal to their country. They are very loyal to their wives and their families," Caldwell said. "They are great husbands and great dads. Both of them have a clear understanding of the role that the families play in the community."
Will that be enough for Obama to siphon off some of the heavily Republican evangelical vote, which went overwhelmingly to Bush in 2000 and 2004? If Dobson is any indication, skeptics remain.
By Krissah Williams
© 2008 The Washington Post Company
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See all 313 CommentsGod doesn''t need you he already has everthing.
Oh this is funny!
Talk about chickens coming home to roost! What delicious irony!
Do you all get it yet?
Do you all get it yet?
Posted by jack3213 at 12:17 PM : Jun 27, 2008
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You know this how?? Have YOU ever lived in Illinois? Have you even ever MET the man?? Your nothing but a Nazi... a fraud and a fake who will say or do anything to keep the Party in Power. I unlike YOU have lived in Illinois for a LONG LONG time and YOU are a LIAR Mr. PERIOD!! A LIAR!! When US Steel and WS shut down on the South Side, Obama passed up a job on Wall Street so he could come back and help. HELP he did too! He organized and set up groups to help people who were going to have their homes taken away. He helped set up groups to deal with family and marriage problems. He set up a committee seek out and develope new investment in the area... in short you pathetic LYING Nazi HE did MORE in ONE month to help the citizens of Chicago and Illinois than Bush did in 8 years!! God were do these fascist come from?? I''m serious what kind of slime produces someone like this?? Sieg Heil Bush
Posted by MCVet at 12:27 PM : Jun 27, 2008
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Ouch!! Way to go Sarge!! Semper Fi!!
Posted by stevex47 at 12:28 PM : Jun 27, 2008
+ report abuse
This Minister had NOTHING to do with the Swift Boat Fraud! Please make your attacks accurate... You look foolish if you don''t!! Sieg Heil Bush
Posted by antoniof123
Then please tell his evil minions to quit hitting me up for donations!
The prolonged Democratic primary race had all the twists and turns of a Hollywood thriller, and at least one A-list actor is ready to portray Barack Obama on the big screen.
Speaking with MTV earlier this week, actor Will Smith said he''d enjoy playing the Illinois senator in an upcoming movie and noted the two share at least one feature in common: rather large ears.
"It''s all right here," Smith joked as he pointed to his ears. "That''s the key. That''s the key. America loves ears, you know? Mickey Mouse started it; Goofy and Dumbo followed behind. And America just loves ears."
Earlier this year, Obama said he and Smith had discussed the possibility.
Posted by jack3213 at 12:17 PM : Jun 27, 2008"
The only thing that anyone gets is that you are an idiot.
AND, Laura reportedly was driving!
Do you all get it yet?
Posted by jack3213 at 12:17 PM : Jun 27, 2008
So what''s the problem then, you probably voted for Bush so now cast your vote for Obama!
What more can you ask for. Recently, 1st Lady Laura Bush came out in favor of Michelle Obama. What a great feeling.
Next, I expect President Bush to join this historic moment in America.
"If you cannot beat them, then join them"
Nothing in the USA or 2 theaters of war is as McBush says it is.
Posted by j-whitman
PLEASE!!!! It''s President B.O.
Feel free to snark as much as you want but a smart guy like Obama who%u2019s gone to a Christian Chruch for 20 years should know this. Instead, he probably willfully threw out this misdirection, a fallacy that any second year Sunday school adult knows is false.
Nice try, though.
Had he known that, he would have insisted that Jenna be married by a "loyal" member of the religious right like James Dobson, or pastor Haggee. Now, when confronted by the press on this issue, the Great Emperor Bush will have to get the advice of Karl Rove and VP Darth Vader Cheney (who still has that "gay" daughter of his) on how to deal with this situation.
SIG HEIL, BUSH!!!!!
notblue
You''ve lost every single debate you''ve engaged in so far because you take the wrong side of every issue. Of course we wouldn''t expect anything different from you now as you have proven yourself completely incapable of rational, objective, independent thinking. You fit perfectly my definition of insanity:
Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.
The country is moving on and soon you will be irrelevant. Your ideology is a complete and utter failure as it has left the country in a shambles. If you can''t help clean up the mess you''ve made then kindly just get out of the way.
At a local level, rabid evangelical supporters of B/C will probably be held accountable for their actions.
''Real'' Christians have had it with these psuedo-Christians who have violated the Word of God with their support of the aforementioned.
Rev. Caldwell can see the ''writing on the wall'' and is attempting to extricate himself from the purge when it comes.
His website is a very good first step in asking forgiveness of God and his fellow Americans! :) Amen.
Nothing in the USA or 2 theaters of war is as McBush says it is.
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Posted by j-whitman at 01:35 PM : Jun 27, 2008
And the US is not full of unhappy harpies like Obama vomits out every day either!
The big news will be when Karl Rove writes his tell-all about how ''Bu$h made me plan 9/11'' as the reason to invade for oil...
Feel free to snark as much as you want but a smart guy like Obama who%u2019s gone to a Christian Chruch for 20 years should know this. Instead, he probably willfully threw out this misdirection, a fallacy that any second year Sunday school adult knows is false.
Nice try, though.
His arse pro''bly hasn''t sat in a Christian Sunday School one day in his life!
Posted by RowdyWicca at 01:55 PM : Jun 27, 2008''
No koolaid, no poison...
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Posted by notblue at 01:30 PM : Jun 27, 2008
We''ll be here--celebrating America''s return to being the land of the free and the home of the brave. Obama in ''08!
Posted by RowdyWicca at 01:55 PM : Jun 27, 2008''''
No koolaid, no poison...
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Posted by Inventagod2 at 01:57 PM : Jun 27, 2008
Then why use Christianity and LIE about participating in it!!!! That''s the POINT!
Right Wingers infighting.... gotta love it.
All you do is use aZZumptZIONZ, you not biblical, not caring thing! Time and time again you liet to cover lies.
What does speak for me is David''s psalm celebrating how good and pleasant it is when we come together in unity; (UNITY) U-N-I-T-Y ....
HILLARY SAID IT BEST
%u201CWe have gone toe to toe in this hard-fought primary, but today and every day going forward we stand shoulder to shoulder for the ideals we share, the values we cherish and the country we love.%u201D
%u201CWe may have started on different paths but today our paths have merged,%u201D
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"He and Senator Clinton may have started with separate goals in this campaign, but they have made history together,%u201D the Obama campaign said in a statement Friday
if this is correct, he is growing up in a white society while being an outsider,
personally i see no wrong in that, especially if questioning everything around him made him the man he is today, at least he paid his way through everything, Unlike SHRUB who never did anything without daddies $$$$ or friends.
"Whenever I appear before immigrant audiences, I can count on some good-natured ribbing from my staff after my speech; according to them, my remarks always follow a three-part structure: "I am your friend," "[Fill in the home country] has been a cradle of civilization," and "You embody the American dream." They''re right, my message is simple, for what I''ve come to understand is that my mere presence before these newly minted Americans serves notice that they matter, that they are voters critical to my success and full-fledged citizens deserving of respect.
"Of course, not all my conversations in immigrant communities follow this easy pattern. In the wake of 9/11, my meetings with Arab and Pakistani Americans, for example, have a more urgent quality, for the stories of detentions and FBI questioning and hard stares from neighbors have shaken their sense of security and belonging. They have been reminded that the history of immigration in this country has a dark underbelly; they need specific assurances that their citizenship really means something, that America has learned the right lessons from the Japanese internments during World War II, and that I will stand with them should the political winds shift in an ugly direction." [Page 260-261]
Bush throws this loser a bone and this is how he repays him. I hope this guy''s car is followed night and day by FBI agents the rest of his life.
Allegedly (McVet) quotes passages from Senator Obama''s books related to race and religion. The majority of these are alterations, deliberate manipulations, and in one case, an outright fabrication of Obama''s words.
%u201CMost truly I say to you, Unless anyone is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God
unless we are "born again" of water and Spirit in baptism, we cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
Bush throws this loser a bone and this is how he repays him. I hope this guy''''s car is followed night and day by FBI agents the rest of his life.
Posted by FeelFreee4U at 02:11 PM : Jun 27, 2008
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Yeah, you said it!
That''s what 32 million (at least) voters are sick of.
Getting thown a "bone" for you freakin'' RepubliCains"
Vote OBAMA ''08!!
This is one reason so many of use were raised from childhood to go for the dunkers, and steer clear of the tea sipping sprinklers.
Reckon what Rev. Wright was...A dunker, or a sprinkler??
How''s the "REAL" American doing today.
Got your boots polished and dusted off your Swatsika :-)
It''s not too late.
Come out from the DARK SIDE.
Vote OBAMA! :-)
Posted by j-whitman at 02:18 PM : Jun 27, 2008
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"J", "J", "J", now you know the ka,kay you drizzle about the two wars is just that.
And, you know this $142 a barrel crude oil price made this huge climb following the Democrats regaining control of Congress just 18 months ago. And, are continued to be driven higher every time Obama needs a bit more cash from his big bio-fuel producing buddies.
Sen. Obama, what do you mean when you say we Americans can just go drill ourselves for all you care??
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