The iPINIONS Journal: Commentaries on World Politics and Other Cultural Events of Our Times: Volume IV

By Anthony Livingston Hall

Ready for a dose of hard-hitting, no-holds-barred, honest narrative on the issues of the day without the spin? Then Anthony Livingston Hall is your man.

In this fourth volume of commentaries from The iPINIONS Journal weblog, Hall offers a bold, comprehensive anthology on the most significant and popular developments of our time. An unsparing, equal-opportunity critic, Hall’s sting is made both edifying and entertaining by his cogent writing and inimitable wit.

Hall’s refreshing worldview stems from the unique fusion of his Caribbean heritage and American education. He writes as persuasively about the pivotal 2008 U.S presidential election as he does about the Olympic Games, or the genocide raging in Darfur. Other timely targets include the pipe dream of peace in the Middle East, the global financial crisis, and the developments in Europe during 2008.

Intelligent and insightful, The iPINIONS Journal injects a powerful voice into the national dialogue, one not to be missed.

• Language: English
• Publisher: iUniverse
• Release date: Jun 29, 2009
• ISBN: 9781440144936

Anthony Livingston Hall

Anthony L. Hall is a Washington-based lawyer who is licensed to practice in a number of foreign jurisdictions. He hails from The Bahamas and Turks & Caicos Islands and was educated at some of America’s best schools, including Williams College. Hall is also a syndicated columnist and the author of The iPINIONS Journal, a weblog of enlightening and entertaining commentaries that provide a refreshing take on current events. He lives in Arlington, Virginia. http://ipjn.com

Book preview

The iPINIONS Journal

Commentaries on World Politics and Other Cultural Events of Our Times: Volume IV

Copyright © 2009 Anthony Livingston Hall

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

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Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any Web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

ISBN: 978-1-4401-4494-3 (sc)

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iUniverse rev. date: 06/25/2009

Contents

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INTRODUCTION

GLOSSARY

US PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION

The Primaries

In Which some Uppity Black Guy (with a Muslim Name no less) Dared to Challenge the Purportedly Divine Ordination of Hillary Clinton as the Democratic Nominee

Hillary vs. Obama

Is Hillary Blacker than Barack too?

Do or Die in South Carolina

The Kennedys: Dissing Hillary, Endorsing Obama

Can Superdelegates Foil Obama’s Rendezvous with Destiny?

Michelle: Bigger Obstacle for Obama than Hillary?!

McCain in Sex Scandal; Kerry Endorses Obama

The Great Texas Debate

Choir Sings for Obama; Fat Lady Sings for Hillary

Poor John Lewis

Super Tuesday

Hillary’s Big-State Endgame

Clintons Want Obama as VP…?

Ferraro Plays Race/Gender Card for Hillary

Scapegoating Obama’s Pastor, Rev. Jeremiah Wright

Obama’s Historic Speech on Race

With Hillary, the Truth Depends on Catching Her in a Lie

Chelsea Stumping for Mommy Stomps on Question About Daddy

Richardson: a Judas to be Branded Like Cattle?!

Hillary Threatens Cat-and-Dog Fight

Another Debate…? Round 21

Hillary Wins Pennsylvania to Remain a Nuisance

Hillary’s Diminishing Support Among Blacks

Obama Divorces His Pastor

Hillary Wins West Virginia for Rednecks of America

Hillary (like Bush?) is a Fighter, Not a Quitter

Hillary’s Dead-End Strategy: Obama Gets Assassinated…?

Obama’s Other Problem Cleric, Father Pfleger

Obama Divorces His Church

Hillary’s Two-Faced Fight for Michigan and Florida

GOOD HEALTH, SAFE SEX & FAMOUS INFIDELITIES

My 2008 New Year’s Resolution

Circumcision to Prevent HIV, not Cut Off your Pleasure

NY Gov. Eliot Spitzer’s Assignations with Prostitutes

Teen Sex = Russian Roulette

DC Madam Lays Down for Her Johns

Same-Sex Marriages Now Legal in California

HIV/AIDS: a Gay Disease after all…?

Edwards Caught Cheating on Cancer-Stricken Wife

Austria in Shock and Denial: Haider was Gay!

Women Satisfied in 3 to 13 Minutes?! Who Knew…

PIPE DREAM FOR PEACE IN THE MIDDLE EAST

Bush Promises Peace in [His] Time

Bush and Saudis Talking Down Price of Oil … Again

Petraeus Report on Iraq: Same Old Thing

US Retreat from Vietnam Offers Lessons for Iraq

Israel Celebrates 60th — Despite the (Arab) Odds

Bush: Obama is an Appeaser!

Israeli PM Olmert Resigns

Bush and Ahmadinejad at UN: Guess Who Showed More Statesmanship?

Iraqi Journalist Throws Shoes at Bush

TALKING SMACK ABOUT SPORTS

Lynch Tiger Woods…?

NFL Championship Sunday

Forget the Hall of Fame, Clemens Might Be Headed to Prison

NCAA Final Four: My Pick? North Carolina

Danica Patrick Finally Wins Indy Car Race

The Bell Tolls for Eight Belles at Kentucky Derby

The US Open: Tiger, Tiger, Tiger!

Celtics Rout Lakers to Win NBA Championship

Venus Disciplines Little Sister Serena at Wimbledon

Nadal Dethrones Federer at Wimbledon

World Series Champions: Philadelphia Phillies!

Hamilton Becomes Youngest (and First Black) F1 Champion

De la Hoya Retires in Shame

POLITICS OF THE TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS

The Sea-Breeze Revolution

In Which TCIslanders Mount a Cyber Campaign to Oust the Country’s Mini-Mugabe Premier

Open Letter to UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown

British are Shocked and Appalled

Commission of Inquiry Looms: Do the Right Thing … Now!

Premier Misick Accused of Rape

Premier Blames Me for Bankrupting TCI?!

Defending Reputation of TCI First Lady LisaRaye

Government’s Questionable Fingerprinting Policy

Letters from Tourists about Corruption in TCI

Divorce Looms for Premier and First Lady

AFRICA: STILL A DARK & DESPAIRING SHADOW ON THE WORLD STAGE

Kenya: Another Genocide in the Making?

Bush Seals Presidential Legacy … in Africa

Mugabe Stumps for Re-election in Zimbabwe

Kenya’s Coalition Government: a Model for Zimbabwe?

South Africa’s Xenophobic Blacks Behaving Like Apartheid Whites

UN Honors Mugabe … Again

Charging Bashir of Sudan with Genocide is a Joke!

Opposition Leader Tsvangirai Flees Zimbabwe … Again

South African President Mbeki Forced to Resign

AFRICOM: No Good (Bush) Deed Goes Unpunished

Rwandan-style Violence Erupts in Congo … Again

Zimbabwe: from Bread Basket to Basket Case

Zuma Issues Fatwa Against Cartoonist Zapiro

US PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION

And the Nominees are…

So Why is Everybody Talking About Rev. Jesse Jackson and Paris Hilton…?

McCain Clinches Republican Nomination

Obama Clinches Democratic Nomination

Hillary Surrenders, Endorses Obama

Rev. Jackson Threatens to Cut Obama’s Nuts Off

The New Yorker Lampoons Obama and Wife as Terrorists

Obama Campaigns in Europe and the Middle East

McCain Accuses Obama of Playing the Race Card…?

Paris Hilton Becomes Focus of Presidential Campaign…?

DEATHS OF FAMOUS PEOPLE

Heath Ledger, Hollywood’s Most-Promising Young Actor

William F. Buckley Jr., Bona fide Renaissance Man

Charlton Heston, Film Legend Turned NRA Poster Boy

A Tale of Two Inquests: Princess Diana and Anna Nicole’s Son Daniel

Aimé Césaire: Poet, Novelist, Politician

Sydney Pollack: Actor, Director, Producer

Bo Diddley, Rock ‘n’ Roll Pioneer

Tim Russert, Moderator of Meet the Press

George Carlin, the Thinking Man’s Comic

Alexander Solzhenitsyn, the Soviet Union’s Most-Celebrated Dissident

Bernie Mac, Original King of Comedy

Isaac Hayes: Legendary Singer, B-Actor

Paul Newman: Actor, Philanthropist, Political Activist

Michael Crichton: Bestselling Author, Creator of ER

Miriam Makeba, Legendary South African Folk Singer

Harold Pinter: Critically Acclaimed Playwright, Political Activist

Eartha Kitt: Critically Acclaimed Entertainer, Political Activist

THE PUTINIZATION OF RUSSIA … CONTINUES

Putin’s Puppet, Medvedev, Wins in Landslide … Duh!

Cold War II: Russia Reasserting its Sphere of Influence

Poland Moves to Check Russian Aggression

Russia Calls US (and EU) Bluff

WEATHERING THE WRATH OF MOTHER NATURE

Myanmar Cyclone: Death, Destruction and Despair

Even Earthquake Can’t Break Chinese Olympic Spirit

Prayer for Victims of Midwest Floods

Media, Seeking Another Katrina, Finds Only Gustav

TS Hanna Lashes TCI; Hurricane Ike’s on the Way

Ike testing TCI Preparedness and Resolve

Getting Donations Directly to TCI Victims

After Little TCI, Ike Moves on to Big Texas

Global Cooling? Yes!

California Burning … Again

US PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION

And the VP Nominees Are…

In Which a Star is Born with a Penchant for Winking and Shooting Moose

Obama’s VP Nominee: Joe Biden?

McCain’s VP Nominee: Sarah Who…?

BIG DEVELOPMENTS IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES

Recognizing (or Lamenting) Kosovo Independence

Musharraf Suffers Humiliating Blow at Polls in Pakistan

Calls for Musharraf to Resign Portend Chaos

Karadzic, Serbian War-Crimes Fugitive, is Arrested

Thaksin, Thailand’s Exiled Prime Minister, is Convicted

Osama bin Laden is Dead! I Told You So

Forget bin Laden, Jack Sparrows Terrorizing High Seas

Terror in Mumbai

Students Riot in Greece

Politics of the Turks and Caicos Islands

Commission of Inquiry into Corruption

In Which the British are Challenged to Explain Why they Allowed the Premier to Use Our National Treasury as His Piggy Bank

Britain’s Legal (or Parental) Responsibility to Fix the TCI

British Recommend Commission of Inquiry… Now What?

Ruling Party Attempts to Halt Inquiry

Evidently, When A.L. Hall Speaks, People Should Listen

OBSESSED WITH CELEBRITY: WHO? ME?

Wesley Snipes Takes on IRS in Dumbest Role of His Life

My Oscar Picks

Spike vs. Clint over Blacks in War Movies

Justice Delayed, But Not Denied, for O.J. Simpson

Oprah Duped … Again

US PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION

Party Conventions

In Which Palin Eclipses Obama as the Biggest Political Celebrity in America while The Clintons are Still Trying to Make It All About Them

Michelle Appears, but Hillary Hovers

Obama Accepts Historic Nomination, But…

Palin Delivers Obamaesque Speech

Say It Ain’t So Joe: Lieberman Endorses McCain

McCain Spoke at His Convention Too

THE OLYMPICS

China Takes Center Stage

In Which the Chinese put on Dazzling Display but Michael Phelps Steals the Show

Dara Torres, 41-year-old Mother, Triumphs at Swimming Trials

China Bans Dog Meat from Olympics Menu

Moratorium on Complaints about Human Rights … Puhlease

Opening Ceremony: Unprecedented, Spectacular, Awe-inspiring!

The 2008 Beijing Olympic Games

THE CARIBBEAN: IT’S ALL ABOUT CUBA

Raul Continues Fidel’s (50-year) Revolution … Duh!

Jamaican PM Golding Declares Cabinet a Gay-Free Zone

EU Lifts Sanctions Against Cuba; US Will Follow … Eventually

Wither Caribbean Emancipation Day

CARICOM’s Ironic Call for US to Lift Cuban Embargo

US PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION

The General Election

In Which Sarah Palin’s Shopping Spree Dominates Public Debate

McCain Casts Obama in Sleaziest Campaign Ad in History

Palin Courts World Leaders at UN

Debate about Debates Amidst Financial Crisis

Obama Wins Most-Coveted Endorsement: Gen. Colin Powell

Obama Wants to Spread the Wealth? Hooray!

Palin’s $150,000 Wardrobe Malfunction

Obama’s Must-See TV

EUROPEAN DEVELOPMENTS: IT’S ALL ABOUT ITALY

Another Italian Government Bites the Dust

US and Russia in Old Cold-War Fight Over New Europe

Pope Comes to America!

Labour’s Love Lost in UK Mid-term Elections

The EU Constitution is Dead … Again.

Update on My favorite Ex-Communists: the Ukrainians

US PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION

The Debates

In Which, after 20-plus Debates,Even Obama is Coming off like Just Another Boring Politician

McCain vs. Obama

Palin Courts Soft Bigotry of Low Expectations

The McCain-Obama Town Hall Farce

Do-or-Die Final Round

GLOBAL FINANCIAL CRISIS

The Bailout of Wall Street

In Which American Capitalism is Exposed variously as a House of Cards and a Giant Ponzi Scheme

Chickens Come Home to Roost on Wall Street

Congress Drafts $700 Billion Bailout Legislation

Global Bailout of Banks Stimulate Markets … For a Day

First Banking, Now Auto Industry Looking for Bailout

Madoff Pulls Off the Biggest Wall Street Scam in History

The G-20 Fails to Stimulate or Regulate Global Economy

POLITICS OF THE TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS

The Case for an Interim Government

In Which We Call on the British to Put our Terminally Corrupt Government into Receivership

Corruption is open, notorious and endemic

Unfolding Political Farce

British Announce Plans to Impose Interim Government

US POLITICS … NOT RELATED TO THE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION

Indictment of Hip Hop Mayor Kilpatrick of Detroit

A Prayer for Sen. Ted Kennedy, But…

Et tu, Scott? Former Press Secretary Stabs Bush in the Back

US Congress Finally Apologizes for Slavery

Ted Stevens, Longest-Serving Republican in US Senate, is Indicted

Despite his Father, Jesse Jr. Should Replace Obama

Crooked Congressman Jefferson Finally Booted from Office

Rod Blagojevich, Governor of Illinois, is Arrested

OMG!!! Jesse Jr. is Pay-to-Play Senate Candidate No. 5

Defiant Blagojevich Appoints Burris to Senate

Caroline Kennedy: Heir to Hillary’s Seat in Senate…?

Blagojevich Impeached: 59 to 0

US PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION

Election Day

In Which a Record Number of Americans Vote for the Triumph of Hope over Fear

Election Day … Finally!

Obama Defeats McCain in Landslide

Some Political Implications of Obama’s Election

SOCIAL AND CULTURAL POTPOURRI

Happy MLK Day

Harvard’s Controversial Women-Only Policy

China’s Buddhist Intifada

My Good Friday Sermon

Happy Easter … Monday!

Happy 38th Earth Day

Canada Apologizes for Genocide Against Native Indians

Hollywood Rescue of Betancourt and Other FARC Hostages

G8 Summit on Global Warming Emits Hot Air

Searching for Salmonella at Home Like Searching for WMDs in Iraq

MLK’s Kids Continue Family Feud Over His Legacy

Canada Rolls up Welcome Mat for US Military Deserters

Chávez Stokes Cold-War Tensions Between US and Russia

US Tribunal Convicts bin Laden’s Driver…?

US PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION

Post Election drama

In Which Hillary effectively Becomes Co-President Elect

French Lead International Chorus Heralding Obama as President

Hillary as Secretary of State?! Don’t Do It Barack…

Obama Insists We have only one President at a time. But…

First Rev. Jeremiah Wright, Now Rev. Rick Warren

Obama Taps Panetta to Head CIA…? That’s Inspired!

US PRESIDENTIAL POLITICS

The Inauguration of Barack Obama

In Which he Becomes the 44th (and First Black) President of the United States

Obama’s Inauguration to Pay Homage President Lincoln

Creating Terrorist-Free Zone for Inauguration

Wannabe Scarlet O’Haras Marching in Inauguration Parade?!

Team Obama Sells Out We are One Inaugural Concert to HBO

MLK Day on Eve of Obama Inauguration

Hail to the Chief: Barack Obama, the 44th President of the United States

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

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To Esther,

for being such a loving and nurturing big sister

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Introduction

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In terms of world events, 2008 was easily the most historic year of my life (well, at least since 1991 when the Soviet Union disintegrated). And no event dominated news coverage throughout 2008 quite like the US presidential election.

In fact, in an interview with Charlie Rose on April 28, former President Jimmy Carter said that he was stupefied when warring parties at a peace conference he was brokering in Nepal all seemed more interested in the political feud between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama than in the provisions of their draft peace accord.

Therefore, this volume is highlighted by commentaries chronicling the drama that unfolded during this seminal election.

Of course it also includes commentaries on other events that captured the world’s attention: from the never-ending conflict in the Middle East to the sexcapades of high-profile politicians; and from the incomprehensible wrath of Mother Nature to the latest scandal to hit Oprah’s Book Club. But most notable in this respect is a series from the two weeks in August when the Beijing Olympics took center stage.

Yet, as fixated as people around the world were on the US presidential election, people throughout the Caribbean were even more fixated on the still-unfolding political crisis in my mother country, the Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI). Naturally, I’ve included commentaries relating to this; especially since they were instrumental in forcing our British overseers to replace the brazenly corrupt and hopelessly incompetent local government of Premier Hon. Dr. Michael Misick.

I fully expect though that many readers will be more drawn to my commentaries on the allegation of rape that was filed against this Mini-Mugabe premier and to those on the salacious spectacle his imploding marriage to a Hollywood actress provided.

Then there are my commentaries on the global financial crisis. These reflect my cynical take on how the bailout of a few banks (deemed too big to fail) soon turned the aura of Wall Street into a costly mirage – complete with the biggest financial scam in US history.

Incidentally, the publishing date of this book has enabled me to include updates on a few commentaries with developments that occurred in early 2009.

Finally, as with previous volumes, I hope this one serves as a reliable and accessible resource to help you not only recall these events but also assess your comprehension of, and perspective on, them.

Glossary

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Throughout this volume, I use abbreviations to cite quotations from my previous books, my weekly syndicated newspaper column and my daily weblog as follow:

US Presidential Election

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The Primaries

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In Which some Uppity Black Guy

(with a Muslim Name no less)

Dared to Challenge

the Purportedly Divine Ordination

of Hillary Clinton as the Democratic Nominee

Hillary vs. Obama

Hillary Clinton defied the polls (and her own despairing expectations) by winning a narrow victory over Barack Obama in the New Hampshire Primary last night. This do-or-die win has effectively resuscitated her campaign, which flatlined after her third-place finish in Iowa.

In fact, after Obama’s stunning upset of Hillary in last week’s Iowa Caucus, almost every political pundit in America began heralding him as the second coming of a Kennedy (alluding giddily between JFK and RFK) and dismissing her as the second coming of Edmund Muskie (the presumptive Democratic Nominee in 1972 who ended up folding like a cheap suit).

But instead of joining the gaggle of those writing Hillary’s political death notice, I shall reiterate the admonition I offered in a published commentary the morning after Iowa:

[I]t really is too premature to count Hillary out. So let’s hold off on the celebrations for now.

[Obama whips Clinton(s) in Iowa, TIJ, January 4, 2008]

Accordingly, I admonish you to ignore all of the punditry that will surely flow from every new poll, political gaffe or primary result between now and Super Tuesday. Because, even after this purportedly fateful day (on February 5), we still will not have a definitive nominee for either party.

That said, I thought it was patently disingenuous of Hillary —— who has been speaking like a political Mother Teresa for over 35 years —— to declare during her victory speech that I have finally found my voice. Especially since this is the obvious gender-card spin she’s putting on the public breakdown she had a few days ago, when she was clearly just whimpering over what she feared was her looming defeat. And I thought it was plainly offensive for her husband Bill — who has been hailed as the first black president of the United States — to deride Obama’s campaign as the biggest fairytale I’ve ever seen. Especially since Bill is now doing all he can to undermine the opportunity for the first real black man to be elected president.

But trust me folks, the self-righteousness of the Clintons’ political ambition knows no bounds. For example, I doubt any other white politician in America would dare make the arguably racist assertion that President Lyndon Johnson did more to win civil rights for blacks than Martin Luther King Jr. – as Hillary did a couple days ago. Yet not only does she expect to get away with it, she even expects her supporters to shout: Amen!

This brings me to the support of blacks, which the Clintons have always taken for granted. Because they must fear that blacks will do to Hillary what whites have been doing to black politicians for decades: i.e., promising to vote across racial lines but then voting their race on Election Day. This, incidentally, might be the reason why — even though all of the polls had him winning easily going into yesterday’s New Hampshire Primary — Obama still came up short.

Therefore, the Clintons will have to gamble that the croupiers of their race cards — namely Rev. Jesse Jackson (the Ace of Spade), Rev. Al Sharpton (the Ace of Clubs) and Andrew Young (the Joker) — will still be willing (and able) to stack the deck among blacks in exchange for future presidential patronage. And, so far, these good ole (black) boys are rising to the occasion — complete with Young trying to convince black folks that Hillary is blacker than Barack.

They said this day would never come… They said our sights were set too high… But on this January night, at this defining moment in history, you have done what the cynics said we couldn’t do. Years from now you’ll look back and say this is the moment where it all began.

In spite of them, this is how Obama sounded the clarion for his candidacy. More to the point, he clearly challenged those white liberals and old blacks — who regard Obama as nothing more than an uppity Negro getting in the way of Hillary’s coronation — to get over the mantra they’ve been sounding lately, namely, Wait your turn Barack! Wait your turn…!

Meanwhile, I suspect that people in Iowa and New Hampshire (the two whitest states in the union) voted for Obama in such high numbers because they felt in their hearts and minds that he would make them proud … in many ways. No doubt absolving themselves of a little racist guilt by electing him president figured prominently in this respect. But if these white folks can feel this way about Obama, then I’m sure whites in New York, California, Florida and other states will feel even more so. In which case, all he needs is for his fellow blacks to appreciate the categorical imperative of respecting and appreciating him no less.

Finally, as Obama begins to look more and more like the truly inevitable Democratic nominee (and the next president of the United States), let us pray that his Secret Service bodyguards will redouble their efforts to protect him. Because the last thing America needs right now is another assassination that triggers all of the lost hope and incendiary rage that attended the assassinations of John F. Kennedy, Robert F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr. … combined!

Regrettably, there’s nothing Obama’s bodyguards can do to protect him from the character assassination the Clintons have already begun executing against him. I am confident, however, that he can withstand their negative attacks, and that the American people will resent and reject the Clintons even more for having launched them.

January 9

Is Hillary Blacker than Barack too?

Almost two years ago, I wrote a commentary in which I condemned Hillary for going into a black church in Harlem and faking a Southern-Chitlin accent as she wailed to an Amen-crowd of blacks about how Republicans in Congress were treating her like a black slave. I was so incensed by her unconscionable political exploitation of this seminal black experience that I wrote the following:

White liberals will never pay a political price for insulting blacks — who don’t realize they are being insulted, don’t care, or both.

[Hillary says Republicans are treating Democrats like slaves, TIJ, Vol. II, p. 21]

Now we have to contend with the manifestly absurd spin that Hillary has done more to further the cause of black civil rights than Obama. Even worse, the Clintons are relying on black spinmeisters to propagate this racial fiction. And in this shameless respect, Bob Johnson is aping Andrew Young (who argued recently that Bill is blacker than Barack because he’s been with more black women) by taking cheap shots at Obama.

Talk about the pot calling the kettle black. After all, Johnson is the latter-day minstrel who purportedly empowered blacks (and became a billionaire no less) by promoting images of them as a bunch of drug-pushing thugs and booty-poppin’ sluts on Black Entertainment Television (BET). Yet here’s what he had the unmitigated gall to say about Obama in support of Hillary on Sunday:

[T]o me, as an African-American, I am frankly insulted that the Obama campaign would imply that we are so stupid that we would think Hillary and Bill Clinton, who have been deeply and emotionally involved in black issues when Barack Obama was doing something in the neighborhood – and I won’t say what he was doing, but he said it in the book.

But I would bet my life savings that if you were to challenge Johnson to cite a single thing Hillary did to further the cause of black civil rights, you’d find that he’s every bit as stupid as he suggests the Obama campaign implies. (Got that?) Nevertheless, Johnson (and the Clintons) would have you believe that: whereas Hillary spent her years as a young adult championing the cause of black civil rights, Obama spent his hanging out in the hood smoking crack.

However, the record shows that Hillary spent those years trying to help Barry Goldwater defeat the very President Johnson she’s now praising for doing more to further the cause of black civil rights than MLK. And this, despite knowing full well that Goldwater was one of only six Republican senators who fought tirelessly to obstruct enactment of the 1964 Civil Rights Act for which MLK risked his life.

Moreover, lest you think this was just the political flirtation of a misguided young girl, you should know that in her recent autobiography, Living History, Hillary describes herself back then as a Goldwater girl, right down to my cowgirl outfit. You should also know that, after President Johnson defeated her anti-black hero, Hillary went on to get her law degree from Yale University, and then returned (with Bill) to Arkansas to work as a white-shoe lawyer for corporate fat cats.

By contrast, in his autobiography, Dreams from my Father, Obama describes himself back then as a wayward youth. And he even admitted that, like everyone except Bill, he inhaled…. But despite this, he went on to get his law degree from Harvard University, and then returned to Chicago to work as a civil rights lawyer (specializing in profiling and death-row cases in which blacks were often the victims of unfair and unjust prosecution) and as a community organizer (trying to empower blacks politically and economically).

Now, given this snapshot of their respective backgrounds, which do you find more troubling: Hillary idolizing Goldwater or Obama experimenting with drugs?

What is most instructive about the Clintons in this context, however, is that they capped their tenure as governor and first lady of Arkansas by executing a retarded black man to appease white voters during their first campaign for the presidency in 1992. (Of course, Hillary might argue that her work as an advocate for children more than compensated for this one execution….) Then in 1993, as president and first lady, they betrayed their close personal friend, black legal scholar Lani Guinier, by summarily withdrawing her nomination to head the Civil Rights Division at the Justice Department as soon as whites began smearing her as a Quota Queen.

You should also know that, within months of betraying Guinier, they gave the nation's highest civilian award — the Presidential Medal of Freedom — to William J. Fulbright, a man who spent the vast majority of his public career as a proud segregationist; which is rather like President George W. Bush giving this medal to Strom Thurmond.

Not to mention their end-welfare-as-we-know-it reform, which effectively took welfare checks from single black mothers and gave that money to fortune 500 corporations in tax breaks.

Enough said? Except please be advised that this is only the tip of the iceberg I could chip away at to expose the Clintons’ shortcomings and hypocrisy on black civil rights. Yet they have the nerve to accuse Obama of being all talk and no action…?

I also feel constrained to note here how profoundly disappointing it is that blacks like Johnson open wide and swallow their pride even when Hillary’s white liberal supporters make racist remarks about Obama. This was the case, for example, when Andrew Cuomo dismissed his campaign strategy as shucking and jiving, and when Bob Kerry insinuated that Obama is a Muslim who was educated at a Jihadist madrassa in Indonesia even though he knew these were bold-faced lies.

But do not be fooled by these political assassins — who hurl stink bombs and then issue contrived statements clarifying or apologizing for their remarks. Also, in this respect, bear in mind that no two people show more indignant sincerity when lying or spinning for political expediency than the Clintons. And, as between the two of them, Bill has nothing on Hillary.

Therefore, beware and be informed — especially as you watch them take center stage to exploit upcoming events commemorating MLK’s birthday.

January 15

Do or Die in South Carolina

If Barack doesn’t win Iowa, it is just a dream.

(Michelle Obama, CNN, September 26, 2007)

Well, since Obama won Iowa, it is impossible to prove my hypothesis that he could lose Iowa and still win the nomination. At any rate, just as I thought Michelle was wrong about the consequences of a loss in Iowa, I think pundits (many of whom are Obama supporters) are wrong about what a loss in South Carolina would portend for Obama’s candidacy. Never mind that I think he’s going to win.

Frankly, I’m more concerned about the way the Clintons are playing the race card. Because, despite protestations to the contrary, they’re doing everything they can to marginalize Obama as nothing more than a younger, more educated Rev. Jesse Jackson.

This means that even if Obama wins in South Carolina, where black voters predominate, the Clintons would spin it as merely a reflection of blacks voting their race. And their not-so-subtle hint would be that white voters should do the same (as they’ve always done, incidentally) in forthcoming primaries … where they predominate. The aim, of course, is to ensure that Obama does not repeat his impressive win and second-place finish in virtually all-white Iowa and New Hampshire, respectively.

But I encourage all Obama supporters to keep the faith … at least until Super Tuesday. Because no matter what happens in South Carolina, Obama’s candidacy will remain as viable as it was the day after his stunning must-win victory in Iowa.

Still, I’ve received enough complaints to appreciate that Obama’s performance in last night’s debate has given many of you cause for concern. And I gather that the way John Edwards switched his supporting role from helping Obama beat up on Hillary — as he did in previous debates — to helping Hillary beat up on Obama is the least of it. My only cause for concern, however, is the way Edwards has begun playing the electability card. Because in suggesting that America is not ready to elect a black or woman as president, Edwards, I fear, might be voicing the abiding thoughts of many voters (white, black, male and female).

Nonetheless, I feel obliged to remind you that we are not electing the leader of a debating society. After all, if that were the case, Hillary would be the runaway winner. Therefore, don’t be swayed by the media’s focus on who won the most debating points. Especially since these debates are staged more to entertain political pundits than to inform ordinary voters.

Though, for what it’s worth, I thought Obama prevailed in some of the more heated exchanges with Hillary last night. For example:

Obama: I was helping unemployed workers on the streets of Chicago when you were a corporate lawyer sitting on the board at Wal-Mart.

Hillary: I was fighting against misguided Republican policies when you were practicing law and representing your contributor … in his slum landlord business in inner city Chicago.

Obama: You and President Clinton are distorting my record. Your husband…

Hillary: I’m here. He’s not.

Obama: Well, I can’t tell who I’m running against sometimes….

Ouch!

January 22

The Kennedys: Dissing Hillary, Endorsing Obama

During recent business travel, I’ve been struck by how the only thing anybody wanted to talk about was the US presidential campaign. This, despite my best efforts to get Britons to talk about the Diana inquest or about the political travails of PM Gordon Brown; or similar efforts to get Africans to talk about the tribal warfare still raging in Kenya or about the criminal travails of ANC leader Jacob Zuma in South Africa.

But I suppose this global interest is understandable — given America’s global influence as well as the historic, and potentially transformative, nature of this campaign. It also happens to be animated by unprecedented political intrigue, racial drama and gladiatorial suspense. And Caroline Kennedy’s Op Ed in the New York Times is only the latest riveting development in this respect.

Kennedy stunned the political world on Sunday by making the unassailable proclamation that Obama would be a President like my father. And there’s no denying that her proclamation is tantamount to a slap in the face of all politicians (like Bill Clinton) who, for decades, have been touting themselves as heirs to the political legacy of her father, the martyred President John F. Kennedy (JFK).

Here, in part, is what she wrote:

I have never had a president who inspired me the way people tell me that my father inspired them. But for the first time, I believe I have found the man who could be that president — not just for me, but for a new generation of Americans… That is why I am supporting a presidential candidate in the Democratic primaries, Barack Obama.

Now I invite you to recall the hissy fit Bill threw after Obama merely suggested that Ronald Reagan was a more transformative president than he. Because only then can you appreciate what a devastating injury Caroline’s endorsement must have inflicted on his fragile ego. Not to mention the blow it delivered to Hillary’s … imperial candidacy.

Far more important, however, is the insult that followed on Monday when Caroline’s uncle, Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-MA), endorsed Obama as well. An insult, incidentally, which must have been exacerbated by the fact that, according to the Times, Bill pleaded with Sen. Kennedy for days last week to either endorse Hillary or stay neutral. He pleaded, of course, because Kennedy is the only person in the Democratic Party whose influence rivals Bill's; especially among poor whites, blacks and Hispanics.

It's time for a new generation of leadership… Through Barack, I believe we will move beyond the politics of fear and personal destruction and unite our country with the politics of common purpose… And I know he's ready to be president on day one!

(Sen. Kennedy endorsing Obama in Washington, DC on Monday)

It is interesting to note, however, that close friends say Kennedy had become so disgusted with the Clintons’ race-baiting tactics to marginalize Obama that he regarded Bill’s pleas as nothing more than a pathetic attempt to spin him. But far more troubling for the former president is the cognitive dissonance developing in Democratic circles that he is showing himself to be little more than the white equivalent of Rev. Al Sharpton.

[So what] Jesse Jackson won South Carolina in '84 and '88.

Indeed, it could only have reinforced Kennedy's disgust when Bill uttered these cynical words after Obama won a landslide victory in the South Carolina Primary on Saturday. Because it was obvious that Bill was trying to foment racial resentment among whites and Hispanics against Obama to get them to vote for Hillary. More to the point, what he was really saying to blacks in South Carolina, and implicitly to blacks all over America, is ya’ll can kiss my white ass cuz we don’t need you to win! And, given that Hispanics now outnumber blacks, he might be right….

In any event, this begs the critical question: If Kennedy’s racial conscience has been so offended by the way the Clintons have been playing the race card against Obama, what does it say about the racial pride of blacks who continue to support them?

And I respectfully submit that no black had a greater duty to address this question than Nobel Laureate Toni Morrison. After all, she is primarily responsible for injecting into black consciousness the oxymoronic notion that Bill is the first black president of the United States.

White skin notwithstanding, this is our first black president. Blacker than any actual black person who could ever be elected in our children's lifetime.

(Toni Morrison, The New Yorker, October 1998)

Therefore, I am pleased that Morrison joined the Kennedys on Monday in announcing her endorsement of Obama — as not only naturally but also politically far more worthy of this honor. I just hope that the many influential blacks who parroted her self-abnegating praise of Bill will now follow her commendable lead by eating their words too.

Meanwhile, nothing could have been more dispiriting for the Clintons than their efforts to counter Sen. Kennedy and Caroline’s endorsement of Obama by trumpeting the support Hillary has among the children of the martyred presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy (RFK). Because their efforts were summarily undermined when the Times reported last weekend that:

Ethel, the widow of RFK, referred to Mr. Obama … as ‘our next president’ and likened him to her late husband.

All the same, with the Kennedys proclaiming Obama the only legitimate heir to the political legacies of both JFK and RFK, let us pray that their endorsements do not turn out to be as much a curse as a blessing….

NOTE: I doubt anyone cares that President Bush delivered his final State of the Union Address on Tuesday. But, anticipating that the drama of this year’s campaign would eclipse his lame-duck presidency, here’s what I wrote in my commentary on Bush’s 2007 address:

The only thing on anyone’s mind listening to Bush deliver his final address in 2008 will be: 'I wonder who'll be standing there next year: Hillary or Obama?'

[Bush’s all-too-familiar State of the Union Address, TIJ, Vol. III, p. 16]

Was I right or what?!

January 29

UPDATE

Morrison: Clinton is NOT first black president

May 13: Here, in part, is the clarification Morrison offered in an interview with TIME magazine on May 7:

People misunderstood that phrase. I was deploring the way in which President Clinton was being treated, vis-à-vis the sex scandal that was surrounding him. I said he was being treated like a black on the street, already guilty, already a perp. I have no idea what his real instincts are, in terms of race.

For the record, however, I refer you the quote I cited above to confirm what she actually said; although, as self-serving political spin goes, at least Morrison’s has some redeeming value.

Can Superdelegates Foil Obama’s Rendezvous with Destiny?

In January, when most political pundits were asserting that the race for the Democratic nomination would be over by Super Tuesday (on February 5), I admonished you to ignore them.

Of course I appreciate how tempting it is now to think that he has the nomination all wrapped up — given Obama’s winning streak in primaries and caucuses all over the country since then. But I’m afraid Obama still has many challenges to overcome before he makes his rendezvous with destiny. To say nothing of the dirty tricks the Clintons still have to play on him….

Incidentally, Obama or Hillary needs 2,025 delegates to clinch the nomination. And, according to CNN, he now has 1,252 delegates and she has 1,211 – a virtual tie despite his eight-consecutive victories.

Meanwhile, you’ve probably heard