MyDD :: Barack's Sista Souljah moment

Barack's Sista Souljah moment - Update

by kosnomore, Tue Jul 01, 2008 at 08:11:53 AM EST

So here I sit with my morning coffee, listening to Pat Buchanan compliment Obama's nimble dash to the center, and describing his critique of Clark as his "Sista Souljah moment".

Of course, Souljah was a recording artist that never sold any records. Clark is a respected leader of our party and respected military genius (and is the only American general who actually WON a war in recent memory).

But Pat Buchanan and the MSM and the whole gang on MSNBC are so thrilled by this "rush to the center"! Thank God we avoided any of those triangulatin' neo con DLC demos in the running! I can't wait to hear the "new" Iraqi policy after they finish "reevaluating" their options.

But, of course, "This is what post-partisan "new politics" means"!
http://www.mydd.com/story/2008/6/30/2010 16/050

Update - Now, Pat's crowing to Axelrod that "Barack came out for the Scalia position" on guns and the death penalty, and is "admitting" the American public is right of center on these social issues. Nice.

Poll

Votes: 12
Results : Vote Link : Polls

Tags: Wes Clark, Pat Buchanan, Barack Obama (all tags)

Permalink :: 29 Comments :: Post a Comment

Re: Barack's Sista Souljah moment (2.00 / 3)

Moment? I think it has been a couple of Sista Souljah weeks.

by souvarine on Tue Jul 01, 2008 at 08:17:16 AM EST

He has a Phd in Sister Souljah moments! (2.00 / 3)

You may not agree with What I say but don't forget I am a Democrat

by indydem99 on Tue Jul 01, 2008 at 08:29:00 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Only if you believe it was real (2.00 / 0)

I think it was a "plausible deniability" scenario. IMO, it's too much of a win-win for Obama to be complete coincidence.

by Neef on Tue Jul 01, 2008 at 08:27:05 AM EST

Honest question (if it's allowed anymore) - (2.00 / 1)

Do you really think the leading question from Schieffer (sp?), the Clark response, and the Obama condemnation were planned? You think the Obama campaign WANTED it to play this way? Wouldn't that have required Schieffer's collusion?Again, honest question.

John McCain says he would stay in Iraq for 100 years? That's crazy talk!

by kosnomore on Tue Jul 01, 2008 at 08:34:15 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Yes (none / 0)

It is a fair point to say that being a POE alone is not a requirement to be President, but Obama doesn't have the standing to say that. I 4 star general on the other hand does, and one that supported Hillary to boot. Plausible deniability every, its about damn time the Dems are playing hardball. The republicans have attack dogs that hit Obama every day, and we need attack dogs, the general is doing his part, and I am happy for it.

"Is there no keeping with class in whom we mingle with anymore?"

by Brandon on Tue Jul 01, 2008 at 08:41:53 AM EST
[ Parent ]

But, wouldn't that have required Schieffer's (2.00 / 1)

collusion? was he in on it?

John McCain says he would stay in Iraq for 100 years? That's crazy talk!

by kosnomore on Tue Jul 01, 2008 at 08:47:54 AM EST
[ Parent ]

In a presidential Campaign (none / 0)

You dont think a 4 star general, who...has been saying this for weeks(somehow the media glosses over that) would not be asked about it? This has been a plan from the start.

"Is there no keeping with class in whom we mingle with anymore?"

by Brandon on Tue Jul 01, 2008 at 08:54:01 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Honest question (if it's allowed anymore) - (2.00 / 2)

I would want it to play this way, were I the Obama campaign.

First, Wes Clark doesn't have a huge base of his own - so very few are deeply offended by Obama's disagreement with him... and those few don't matter all that much in terms of anything that actually counts for campaigns.

Second, it makes Obama look like a great guy... coming out and defending his opponent against his allies because he doesn't like their attacks. It gives him real cred to demand McCain go after the inevitable swiftboaters later.

Third, it keeps the conversation going... Clark just had another retired military rolled out to defend his views. Obama gets to have a conversation in the news media that's critical of McCain's military service, and takes no political fallout for it.

I don't know if this was planned, but honestly, I'm not sure it could have been better if it was.

Join the Matthew 25 Network and help Democrats win the next generation of evangelicals.

by mistersite on Tue Jul 01, 2008 at 08:49:35 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Certainly (2.00 / 1)

They couldn't have planned McCain trotting out Bud Day to defend him even if they wanted to.

Seriously... getting the key SBVFT to denounce swift-boating? Precious.

In this avalanche, the pebbles get to vote.

by Dracomicron on Tue Jul 01, 2008 at 10:05:42 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Super Secret Plan (none / 0)

Yes, it's another one of Obama's super secret plans which only Olbermann & few other close people know about.

by gaf on Tue Jul 01, 2008 at 01:00:51 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Super Secret Plan (2.00 / 0)

I didn't come down on whether it's planned or not... and frankly, given the upside, it doesn't really matter.

Join the Matthew 25 Network and help Democrats win the next generation of evangelicals.

by mistersite on Tue Jul 01, 2008 at 02:10:57 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Honest answer (2.00 / 2)

(if it's accepted anymore) =)

The question wasn't a plant, clearly. The answer was a step too far - perhaps in phrasing - but the fact that Clark was the one in a position to be asked the question is significant.

Let me put it to you this way - name one other Obama supporter who could have been asked the question, fired back, and still have the standing to stick by his guns after the backlash.

Was it just incredibly lucky that Clark was the one to take the hit? That McCain's one significant advantage over Obama is now being questioned?

Clark is qualified to make the assessment he made. Obama is not, and yet Obama would clearly be called on to "denounce" something he really isn't qualified to. He can't agree, and Clark knows it.

But Clark didn't apologize and back down. He reiterated, while using terms like "judgement" and "election of change". This doesn't sound like a rejected supporter to me, it sounds like an unconnected surrogate.

by Neef on Tue Jul 01, 2008 at 08:49:46 AM EST
[ Parent ]

I hope youre right - (2.00 / 1)

for many reasons and on many levels, that would increase my comfort level.
For me, I just think it was Clark's turn to audition for VP as surrogate of the week on Sunday talk, and he answered like the general he is.
FWIW, I tend to avoid complicated scenarios and assume that what is, is.
BTW - Thanks for sane discussion. I guess the west coast crowd is sleeping in - LOL

John McCain says he would stay in Iraq for 100 years? That's crazy talk!

by kosnomore on Tue Jul 01, 2008 at 08:54:11 AM EST
[ Parent ]

I hear you on simplicity (none / 0)

I also tend to like the Occam's razor approach. The problem with applying that to Poker and Politics is that simple isn't necessarily the most likely explanation. Both activities often involve subterfuge.

But not always, lol.

by Neef on Tue Jul 01, 2008 at 12:54:42 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Barack's Sista Souljah moment - Update (none / 0)

John McCain says he would stay in Iraq for 100 years? That's crazy talk!

by kosnomore on Tue Jul 01, 2008 at 08:39:17 AM EST

Wise up.... (2.00 / 2)

Left leaning doesn't cut it when it comes to a win. This is a centrist country. That's why Bill Clinton was successful becoming a Democratic prez, he realized that he had to move toward the center in order to win.

by soyousay on Tue Jul 01, 2008 at 09:04:50 AM EST

Re: Barack's Sista Souljah moment - Update (none / 0)

Here's an update on Obama's move to have mean faith-based initiatives:

http://blogs.suntimes.com/sweet/2008/07/ obama_to_create_a_presidents_c.html

This is a fuller description from Lynn Sweet's blog

by strongerthandirt on Tue Jul 01, 2008 at 09:32:31 AM EST

Looks good to me (2.00 / 1)

There's a lot of potential in faith-based initiatives. They don't have to be evil just because Bush liked them.

In this avalanche, the pebbles get to vote.

by Dracomicron on Tue Jul 01, 2008 at 10:13:11 AM EST
[ Parent ]

THAT I disagree with (none / 0)

don't preach with my tax dollars.
If Jesus or Yahweh or Allah is your cure for addiction, you shouldn't get govt $$$ - end of story.

John McCain says he would stay in Iraq for 100 years? That's crazy talk!

by kosnomore on Tue Jul 01, 2008 at 03:03:48 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Barack's Sista Souljah moment - Update (none / 0)

whoops -- I did not mean to have "mean" in there; it was part of a deleted sentence

by strongerthandirt on Tue Jul 01, 2008 at 09:34:04 AM EST

plausible deniability (2.00 / 1)

The "Obama's a secret lefty" stuff is hilarious. Uncritical Obama supporters are as flexible, if not as deft, as Obama himself.

Markos and TPM deserve credit for holding Obama's feet to the fire, on both tactical and principled grounds. It should be interesting to see how much of the rest of the Obamasphere's attacks on "the DLC" reflected their actual motivations, given Obama's new positioning.

by souvarine on Tue Jul 01, 2008 at 09:55:45 AM EST

Holding his feet to the fire (none / 0)

on tactical grounds, I give you. Its a great thing.

Kos is actually to the left of me in some ways, so 100% adherence to the dKos platform isn't what I want. Not that my needs outweigh Markos's, but ideological purity from one side of the fence looks like intransigence from the other.

by Neef on Tue Jul 01, 2008 at 12:46:59 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Jesus H. Tubthumping Christ (II) (none / 0)

Look, if you're just going to start copying your own diaries -- sorry, comments; these don't qualify as diaries -- over and over again, I have no choice but to start copying our responses to them:

Get a job, you cute little black rain cloud. Cheerleading for Obama's failure isn't working out so well for you.
-Spunkmeyer

You don't think, you just try and smear.
-Venician

Claiming that Obama threw Clark under the bus is hyperbole, plain and simple. Gee, I wonder if you have ever been accused of that before?
-MS01

This horse has been beaten so completly, it's down below ground level at this point.
-WashStateBlue

Ah, a new week, new concern trolling. Hell, I expect aliveandkickin to have 37 diaries on the subject today. So nice to see your exaggeration and strawman-brutalization skills in top form.
-Johnny Gentle Famous Crooner

So stop looking for bad excuses to attack Obama if you're a former Clintonite, or find a GOP blog to do it on if you're a current McCainiac.
-Beren

I disagree with you. By saying that I disagree with you, I've apparently just thrown you under the bus.
-mistersite

i voted Obama maxed out contribs also to tune of $4700 BUT what I dont get is hes not willing to apprecaite the good woman that McCian's mother is_ ALSO clear to me journos cant put agnets at risk and need to reveal sourcs, but FISA's bad ~~becaus Obama didn't vote it down~~ I mean, because it infringes us __what the fuuu wherz my Coors, mom?!?
-aliveandkickin

by spunkmeyer on Tue Jul 01, 2008 at 12:42:52 PM EST

Re: Barack's Sista Souljah moment - Update (2.00 / 1)

barack has had enough sista souljahs to fill a convent. need we list all of them that he's thrown under the bus?

his church, wright, grandmother, clinton administration, carter, clark, netroots (fisa, etc), his aides (x 12+), economic advisor, dc pols (who supported the gun ban)...am i missing anyone?

by darwinism on Tue Jul 01, 2008 at 02:20:19 PM EST

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