2008-01-07
Fresh off his victory in the Iowa caucus, Barack Obama would be well served to enlist the help of Rev. Jackson and Rev. Sharpton along with the continued support of Oprah. For if Barack thinks the Clintons are going to take this defeat lying down, he is grossly underestimating the Clinton attack machine.
A full 68 percent of Iowa Democrats rejected Hillary Clinton and the politics she represents. But that didn't stop ol' battle axe from giving a victory speech in the wake of a humiliating defeat. Flanked by Bill, Chelsea and the sourpuss, Madeline Albright, Hillary spoke as if she had just won the November election.
She made it clear she was ready to lead and that she intends to, "restore America's leadership and our moral authority in the world." Ah ... OK, Hillary. Right!
While I would be the last to judge Hillary's perception of morality, I find it hard to believe the world is going to take a lesson on morals from a Clinton. Vince Foster, Whitewater, cattle futures, lost billing records, rape allegations, questionable campaign contributions, oval-office sex etc. Does any of that ring a bell Hillary?
Here I go again with my near obsession with the Clintons. Watching this speech conjured up all that is bad about the years of Clinton. I need to get over all that and focus on the real issues we face and highlight the historic significance of the Iowa vote last Thursday. What happened was not lost on me.
Iowa said yes to Barack Obama and a loud and clear no to Hillary. On Jan. 3, 2008, Iowa, on behalf of all America, said we have finally made it as a nation. We are truly free from racism and bigotry. An American with a father from Kenya and a mother from Kansas is qualified to serve as the next president, and Iowa agrees. That was the big news in Iowa, not the Clinton loss. Iowa, with a population that is 2 percent black, looked past the color of the skin and focused on the content of a man's character.
But the friends of Hill in the media made sure to focus on the Huckabee victory and made only a passing mention of the Obama victory. Hillary is going to need all the help she can get given how clearly Democrats rejected her in Iowa. While the race is still young, and 49 more states still need to choose whom they wish to send to the White House, this victory for Obama is crushing to the "inevitability" factor of Hillary. Hillary should have left Bill home. Look at her numbers since he joined the stump.
Therefore, I suspect the Clinton attack machine will go into full battle mode going into New Hampshire and beyond. Phones calls are more than likely being made to Terry Lenzner, Paul Begala and James Carville as I write. The war room is being reassembled. As Jake and Elwood would say, "we are getting the band back together." Clinton is not a person; it is a machine.
So the attacks will come. Thus the need for the Obama campaign to enlist the help of the reverends. This will keep the Clintons from attacking Obama for fear of Jesse and Al crying foul. Democrats may even want to suggest affirmative action or quotas for this election. To date, 43 white presidents have had their chance at the job. Now it may be time for a black president. In the liberal world of equal opportunity, that is the only way to be fair, isn't it? Think of the positive ads that can be run around that theme. Democrats love quotas.
Fact is, while I disagree with many of the positions of Obama, he would make a far better president than Hillary Clinton; his "hope" speech weeks ago focusing on the future (versus rehashing the '90s) and his victory speech Thursday night were brilliant. He is a great communicator. He is, as Joe Biden opined, "articulate" and "clean." He may well be what the Los Angeles Times refers to as the "Magic Negro."
America needs hope for the future. America needs leadership and a president with a vision for the greatest nation in the history of planet Earth. It needs someone who will pay attention to the needs, and not the wants, of the people – someone who relies on principles, not polls.
Barack Obama may not be that leader. In fact, I think there are many other choices America has that are better qualified to face the future with the hope and determination Obama speaks about. However, I know for a fact the one candidate who does not possess those qualities – Hillary. Apparently 68 percent of Iowa Democrats agree with me.
In Hillary's goodbye speech last Thursday, she made an interesting statement, "Now, you know, we have always planned to run a national campaign all the way through the early contests because I want the people of America, and particularly Democrats, and like-minded independents ... (laughter) ... and Republicans who have seen the light ... (applause) ... to understand, number one, that the stakes are huge, that the job is enormous, but that I believe we're going to make the right decision."
Hillary, you are right. Americans are going to make the right decision. The Republicans have seen the light, and the Democrats and independents have as well – the light of the train wreck called Bill and Hillary Clinton, and they are getting out of the way.
Barack Obama may well win the Democratic nomination of his party. He could, in fact, go on to win a general election and become the first "black" president in American history. However, I suspect, given the love the media has for Hillary and the Clinton machine, they won't announce Obama as the first "black" president. That title firmly belongs to Bill Clinton. So maybe, just maybe, if you follow the Clinton logic, Obama would be the first "white" president? I will have to ponder that for a while.
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