THE ANOINTED ONE'S PILGRIMAGE TO THE HOLY LAND IS A MIRACLE IN ACTION - AND A BLESSING TO ALL HIS FAITHFUL FOLLOWERS:
And it came to pass, in the eighth year of the reign of the evil Bush the Younger (The Ignorant), when the whole land from the Arabian desert to the shores of the Great Lakes had been laid barren, that a Child appeared in the wilderness.
The Child was blessed in looks and intellect. Scion of a simple family, offspring of a miraculous union, grandson of a typical white person and an African peasant. And yea, as he grew, the Child walked in the path of righteousness, with only the occasional detour into the odd weed and a little blow.
When he was twelve years old, they found him in the temple in the City of Chicago, arguing the finer points of community organisation with the Prophet Jeremiah and the Elders. And the Elders were astonished at what they heard and said among themselves: “Verily, who is this Child that he opens our hearts and minds to the audacity of hope?”
In the great Battles of Caucus and Primary he smote the conniving Hillary, wife of the deposed King Bill the Priapic and their barbarian hordes of Working Class Whites.
And so it was, in the fullness of time, before the harvest month of the appointed year, the Child ventured forth - for the first time - to bring the light unto all the world.
He travelled fleet of foot and light of camel, with a small retinue that consisted only of his loyal disciples from the tribe of the Media. He ventured first to the land of the Hindu Kush, where the
Taleban had harboured the viper of al-Qaeda in their bosom, raining terror on all the world.
And the Child spake and the tribes of Nato immediately loosed the Caveats that had previously bound them. And in the great battle that ensued the forces of the light were triumphant. For as long as the Child stood with his arms raised aloft, the enemy suffered great blows and the threat of terror was no more.
From there he went forth to Mesopotamia where he was received by the great ruler al-Maliki, and al-Maliki spake unto him and blessed his Sixteen Month Troop Withdrawal Plan even as the imperial warrior Petraeus tried to destroy it.
And lo, in Mesopotamia, a miracle occurred. Even though the Great Surge of Armour that the evil Bush had ordered had been a terrible mistake, a waste of vital military resources and doomed to end in disaster, the Child's very presence suddenly brought forth a great victory for the forces of the light.
And the Persians, who saw all this and were greatly fearful, longed to speak with the Child and saw that the Child was the bringer of peace. At the mention of his name they quickly laid aside their intrigues and beat their uranium swords into civil nuclear energy ploughshares.
From there the Child went up to the city of Jerusalem, and entered through the gate seated on an ass. The crowds of network anchors who had followed him from afar cheered “Hosanna” and waved great palm fronds and strewed them at his feet.
In Jerusalem and in surrounding Palestine, the Child spake to the Hebrews and the Arabs, as the Scripture had foretold. And in an instant, the lion lay down with the lamb, and the Israelites and Ishmaelites ended their long enmity and lived for ever after in peace.
As word spread throughout the land about the Child's wondrous works, peoples from all over flocked to hear him; Hittites and Abbasids; Obamacons and McCainiacs; Cameroonians and Blairites.
And they told of strange and wondrous things that greeted the news of the Child's journey. Around the world, global temperatures began to decline, and the ocean levels fell and the great warming was over.
The Great Prophet Algore of Nobel and Oscar, who many had believed was the anointed one, smiled and told his followers that the Child was the one generations had been waiting for.
And there were other wonderful signs. In the city of the Street at the Wall, spreads on interbank interest rates dropped like manna from Heaven and rates on credit default swaps fell to the ground as dead birds from the almond tree, and the people who had lived in foreclosure were able to borrow again.
Black gold gushed from the ground at prices well below $140 per barrel. In hospitals across the land the sick were cured even though they were uninsured. And all because the Child had pronounced it.
And this is the testimony of one who speaks the truth and bears witness to the truth so that you might believe. And he knows it is the truth for he saw it all on CNN and the BBC and in the pages of The New York Times.
Then the Child ventured forth from Israel and Palestine and stepped onto the shores of the Old Continent. In the land of Queen Angela of Merkel, vast multitudes gathered to hear his voice, and he preached to them at length.
But when he had finished speaking his disciples told him the crowd was hungry, for they had had nothing to eat all the hours they had waited for him.
And so the Child told his disciples to fetch some food but all they had was five loaves and a couple of frankfurters. So he took the bread and the frankfurters and blessed them and told his disciples to feed the multitudes. And when all had eaten their fill, the scraps filled twelve baskets.
Thence he travelled west to Mount Sarkozy. Even the beauteous Princess Carla of the tribe of the Bruni was struck by awe and she was great in love with the Child, but he was tempted not.
On the Seventh Day he walked across the Channel of the Angles to the ancient land of the hooligans. There he was welcomed with open arms by the once great prophet Blair and his successor, Gordon the Leper, and his successor, David the Golden One.
And suddenly, with the men appeared the archangel Gabriel and the whole host of the heavenly choir, ranks of cherubim and seraphim, all praising God and singing: “Yes, We Can.”
Story Here ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
LOL! They even see what I'm seeing in the UK. Holly Molly, what an election!
This is incredible! Does this Lunatic think he's running for President of the World? Not there as a candidate for President my behind. I'm sure 100,000 peoople just showed up to hear some black guy from America speak.
Isn't it enormously ironic that Barack Obama now finds himself the unintended beneficiary of the Iraq surge that he so vocally — and wrongly — opposed?
It seems that Obama's untimely calls for a withdrawal timetable have lingered long enough to have some merit in the eyes of Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki.
Al-Maliki told Der Spiegel, a German magazine, that U.S. troops should withdraw from Iraq "as soon as possible, as far as we are concerned. U.S. presidential candidate Barack Obama talks about 16 months. That, we think, would be the right timeframe for a withdrawal, with the possibility of slight changes."
Assuming al-Maliki said it, and there has been some dispute, it doesn't make Obama right — even now. But it's hard to imagine al-Maliki would be saying anything helpful to Obama's campaign today if the United States had followed Obama's disgraceful surrender policy instead of implementing the surge in 2007, over his strenuous objections.
Obama Democrats have been adamantly opposed to our intervention in Iraq from the beginning, including when they voted for it for political expediency and then later claimed they were duped into it.
NBC’s Andrea Mitchell (Of All People) Blasts Obama for ‘Fake Interviews
Even purple-stained Iraqi fingers, symbolizing the advent of democracy in Iraq, didn't stir an ounce of empathy, much less sympathy from these capital-D Democrats, who persisted, undeterred, in their demands for retreat, regardless of the consequences.
It seems in this life, anyway, there never will be accountability for those Democrats who opposed this operation every step of the way (following their initial fraudulent support) and continue to do so, no matter the state of the "facts on the ground."
Their mentality is always the same, and we see it rearing its head again on Iran, which by all accounts is dangerously close to producing a nuclear weapon. They believe it's always better to negotiate and that the enemy with whom we are to negotiate must always be given the benefit of the doubt — especially against the sinister United States.
Iran, they believe, has legitimate grievances, just like the 9/11 terrorists, who may not have attacked us had we addressed those concerns. So we must always begin with a presumption of the enemy's good will, then sweet-talk, then cave — anything to avoid violence and at any cost.
Think I'm exaggerating?
Then explain Obama's statements shortly after the 9/11 attacks, reported in the Hyde Park Herald Sept. 19, 2001: "We must also engage, however, in the more difficult task of understanding the sources of such madness. The essence of this tragedy, it seems to me, derives from a fundamental absence of empathy on the part of the attackers: an inability to imagine or connect with the humanity and suffering of others. Such a failure of empathy . . . most often . . . grows out of a climate of poverty and ignorance, helplessness and despair."
If Obama's own words aren't enough to convince you of his reckless appeasement mentality, let's look at the position of one of his senior advisers, Richard Danzig. According to the U.K.'s Daily Telegraph, Danzig told the Center for a New American Security, "Winnie the Pooh seems to me to be a fundamental text on national security."
Meanwhile, while the U.S. has reached out in sacred diplomacy to Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the dictator has thumbed his nose at us, defiantly refusing to discontinue his uranium enrichment program. I suppose we need more empathy for him, too.
As we speak, Obama struts around Iraq with his signature arrogance and bereft of the shame he's earned for his insistence we withdraw in defeat there, pretending that history's repudiation of his surrender policy is a vindication of his prescience and wisdom. And they tell us President George W. Bush will never admit his mistakes!
How strangely paradoxical it would be if Barack Obama were to sail into the presidency on the strength of his own failures. Crazier things have happened.
American Heroism Goes Unreported in Iraq ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ What an arrogant SOB! According to Obama it was the "Sunni Awakening" that is responsible for the Stability on the ground in Iraq, NO!! The Troops did NOTHING! According to Obama. Is this Lunatic completely out of his mind? 10 out of 18 Provinces have been handed back over to the Iraqi's, they are getting their Political **** together, and if it wasnt for our Troops and the Surge, NONE of this would be going on. Did the Sunni's kill Zarqowi? NO! Did the US Troops? YES! Did the Sunni's take back Fallujah? NO! Did the American Troops? YES! Did the Sunni's take back Al Anbar Province, Baghdad, Diwaniyah, Ramadi, Mosul, Karbala? NO! Did the US Troops? YES! Is Barack Obama that out of touch with reality? YES!!!
And having to be reminded that he isnt the President yet on his whirlwind world tour, is the height of arrogance at it's worst!
Obama's Rock Star Tour Begins, Complete With All Star Anchor Crew
Senator John McCain's trip to Iraq last spring was a low-key affair: With his ordinary retinue of reporters following him abroad, the NBC News anchor Brian Williams reported on his arrival in Baghdad from New York, with just two sentences tacked onto the "in other political news" portion of his newscast.
But when Obama heads for Iraq and other locations overseas this summer, Williams is planning to catch up with him in person, as are the other two evening news anchors, Charles Gibson of ABC and Katie Couric of CBS, who, like Williams, are far along in discussions to interview Obama on successive nights.
And while the anchors are jockeying for interviews with Obama at stops along his route, the regulars on the Obama campaign plane will have new seat mates: star political reporters from the major newspapers and magazines who are flocking to catch Obama's first overseas trip since becoming the presumptive nominee of his party.
The extraordinary coverage of Obama's trip reflects how the candidate remains an object of fascination in the news media, a built-in feature of being the first African-American presidential nominee for a major political party and a relative newcomer to the national stage.
But the coverage also feeds into concerns in McCain's campaign, and among Republicans in general, that the media is imbalanced in their coverage of the candidates, just as aides to Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton felt during the primary season.
WOW! I never saw the news Anchor's accompany McCain! And he's been to Iraq and Afghanistan Umpteen times!! If this doesnt prove the MSM is in the Tank for Obama I dont know what does! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ It's The Obama Show!
Barack Obama began his campaign-season tour of two war zones Saturday by meeting with U.S. forces stationed in Kuwait and Afghanistan, where Obama says more military resources must be devoted.
The presumptive Democratic nominee arrived in Kabul early Saturday as part of an official, taxpayer-funded congressional delegation. It was his first-ever visit to Afghanistan.
Details out of the war zone are sparse, but officials say Obama visited troops at an airfield in Jalalabad, in the eastern part of the country. He heads next to Iraq.
The Illinois senator announced his plans to tour the war zones after facing criticism from John McCain and Republicans for not visiting since becoming a presidential candidate. McCain has been to Iraq eight times, and last traveled there in March.
Obama told a pair of reporters who accompanied him to his departure from Andrews Air Force Base on Thursday that, “I look forward to seeing what the situation on the ground is.
“I want to, obviously, talk to the commanders and get a sense both in Afghanistan and in Baghdad of, you know, what the most, their biggest concerns are, and I want to thank our troops for the heroic work that they’ve been doing,” he said.
Obama arrived in Afghanistan after meeting with U.S. troops in Kuwait at Camp Arifjan, the main U.S. military base in Kuwait and gateway for U.S. soldiers heading into and out of Iraq.
Lt. Col. Bill Nutter, a spokesman for the U.S. military in Kuwait, said, “He talked to soldiers and constituents and met with senior military leadership.”
During the two-hour visit, Nutter said, the officers gave him an overview of operations. Obama shook hands, answered questions, posed for photos and played a little basketball during the visit.
Sultan Ahmad Baheen, spokesman for Afghanistan’s Foreign Ministry, said Saturday that Obama would meet with President Hamid Karzai. Obama recently chided Karzai and his government, saying it had “not gotten out of the bunker” and helped to organize the country or its political and security institutions.
McCain, in his radio address released Saturday, criticized Obama for announcing his strategy for both countries before departing on his “fact-finding mission” abroad.
“Apparently, he’s confident enough that he won’t find any facts that might change his opinion or alter his strategy. Remarkable,” McCain said in the address.
Also on Obama’s itinerary later in the trip is a meeting with Nouri al-Maliki, the Iraqi leader. On the campaign trail, Obama has said one benefit of withdrawing U.S. troops is that it would pressure al-Maliki to shore up his government as well.
Nonetheless, he said he did not plan to reiterate those messages in person.
“I’m more interested in listening than doing a lot of talking, and I think it’s very important to recognize that I’m going over there as a U.S. senator,” he said. “We have one president at a time.”
Traveling with Obama were Sens. Chuck Hagel, a Nebraska Republican and Jack Reed, a Democrat from Rhode Island. The senators, both military veterans, have been mentioned as potential Obama vice presidential running mates, but Reed has said he’s not interested in the job. A top staffer to Delaware Sen. Joe Biden, another potential running mate, was also accompanying the group.
Obama also arranged to visit Jordan, Israel, Germany, France and England, traveling aboard a jet chartered by his presidential campaign, before his return to the United States. The weeklong trip marks his only foreign excursion as a presidential candidate; McCain has visited Canada, Colombia and Mexico, in part to highlight Obama’s opposition to trade deals with those allies.
Few citizens in impoverished Afghanistan were aware of Obama’s unannounced visit, and few have been following the U.S. presidential race.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Oh Goodie!! Are we going to get to see the Messiah Obama part the Red Sea as well? What an escapade! Just another Media hyped Photo Op!
Nitwit Democrat's Put Forth Energy Bill Excluding ANWR
The White House on Thursday threatened to veto legislation being considered by the U.S. House of Representatives that would force oil companies to give up undrilled federal leases and ban the export of crude drilled in Alaska.
The bill, which the House was to vote on later on Thursday, has a "use it or lose it" provision that requires oil companies to diligently develop their existing federal leases or turn them back to the government before they could obtain new acres to drill.
"By blocking some firms from competing for new leases, this legislation would further increase gasoline prices that already exceed $4 per gallon and result in unintended consequences due to litigation," the White House said in a statement.
"Even though new leases will take years to develop, oil markets are forward-looking, and an expected decline in future supply will raise prices today," the White House said.
The White House also said it opposed the bill's language banning the export of crude oil produced in Alaska. The Congress allowed exports of Alaskan oil in 1995, but virtually none of the state's crude has been shipped to other countries in the past eight years.
"Such a ban would make virtually no additional oil available to U.S. consumers, and would not lower oil prices that are set in a world market," the White House said. "At the same time, such export restrictions are detrimental to the efficient operation of global energy markets and would send the wrong signal to our trading partners who may face pressure to impose similar trade restrictions."
This came as quite a shock today, I really thought Tony would beat the cancer. He was the best Press Secretary President Bush ever had. He was a great White House correspondent over the years as well as talk show host, radio show host, and a variety of other tasks. And was one of the founders of "The Wounded Warrior Project".
No one will ever be able to fill his shoes. What a wonderful man, he will be sorely missed.
JESSE JACKSON SAYS HE WANTS TO CUT OBAMA'S 'NUTS OUT'....LMAO!
JESSE JACKSON SAYS HE WANTS TO CUT OBAMA'S 'NUTS OUT'
In a vulgar tirade caught on tape by Fox News, the Rev. Jesse Jackson said he wanted to "cut his [Barack Obama's] nuts out" and he accused the fellow Chicagoan of "talking down to black folks" by giving moral lectures to African-Americans, source said Jackson's shocking quotes were picked up by a hot mic before an interview on health care in Fox's Chicago studio last Sunday
Blah, Blah, Blah, O'Reilly! Give Obama Yet Another Chance!!
Fox planned to air the recording on Bill O'Reilly's "The Factor" show.
In an effort to blunt the controversy, Jackson issued an apology.
"For any harm or hurt that this hot mic conversation may have caused, I apologize," Jackson said in a statement.
Jackson said he couldn't recall everything he'd said in the studio but couched the remarks as part of a discussion about Obama speaking to black churchgoers.
In such settings, Obama has urged greater emphasis on fatherhood, advised parents to choose reading books over playing video games and most recently told young students to stick with school and forget about a career as a rap star or professional basketball player.
Jackson said that in doing so Obama was hurting his relationship with black voters, "that the senator was cutting off his you-know-whats with the black people and black churches."
Jackson told CNN that he called the Obama campaign to apologize and reiterated his support for the campaign of the first black nominee of a major party.
"My support for Senator Obama's campaign is wide, deep and unequivocal," he said in his statement. "I cherish this redemptive and historical moment."
Obama had no comment.
Story Here ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ OMG! LMAO! Isnt Jesse Jackson's Son the head of Obama's Campaign? Jesse Jackson Jr.? Oh God this is to damn funny!
Even black folk dont agree with Obama's Policies, yet they will vote for him because he's black!
For God's sake! Think People! Think about how much Obama can take away from you without batting an eyelash! Not because he's black, but because he's Liberal!
He acts like he's moving to the Center, but be warned, HE IS THE SAME LIBERAL HE WAS 1 YEAR AGO!
UPDATE:
O'REILLY: 'We held back some of this conversation... we didn't feel it had any relevance to the conversation this evening. We are not out to get Jesse Jackson. We are not out to embarrass him and we are not out to make him look bad. If we were, we would have used what we had, which is more damaging than what you have heard'... .......................................................................................
American And Iraqi Forces Clear Out What's Left Of Al-Queada
Woooooooooo Hoooooooooooooo Way to Go Troops!!!!
American and Iraqi forces are driving Al-Qaeda in Iraq out of its last redoubt in the north of the country in the culmination of one of the most spectacular victories of the war on terror.
After being forced from its strongholds in the west and centre of Iraq in the past two years, Al-Qaeda’s dwindling band of fighters has made a defiant “last stand” in the northern city of Mosul.
A huge operation to crush the 1,200 fighters who remained from a terrorist force once estimated at more than 12,000 began on May 10.
Operation Lion’s Roar, in which the Iraqi army combined forces with the Americans’ 3rd Armoured Cavalry Regiment, has already resulted in the death of Abu Khalaf, the Al-Qaeda leader, and the capture of more than 1,000 suspects.
The group has been reduced to hit-and-run attacks, including one that killed two off-duty policemen yesterday, and sporadic bombings aimed at killing large numbers of officials and civilians.
Last Friday I joined the 2nd Iraqi Division as it supported local police in a house-to-house search for one such bomb after intelligence pointed to a large explosion today.
Even in the district of Zanjali, previously a hotbed of the insurgency, it was possible to accompany an Iraqi colonel on foot through streets of breeze-block houses studded with bullet holes. Hundreds of houses were searched without resistance but no bomb was found, only 60kg of explosives.
American and Iraqi leaders believe that while it would be premature to write off Al-Qaeda in Iraq, the Sunni group has lost control of its last urban base in Mosul and its remnants have been largely driven into the countryside to the south.
Nouri al-Maliki, Iraq’s prime minister, who has also led a crackdown on the Shi’ite Mahdi Army in Basra and Baghdad in recent months, claimed yesterday that his government had “defeated” terrorism.
“They were intending to besiege Baghdad and control it,” Maliki said. “But thanks to the will of the tribes, security forces, army and all Iraqis, we defeated them.”
The number of foreign fighters coming over the border from Syria to bolster Al-Qaeda’s numbers is thought to have declined to as few as 20 a month, compared with 120 a month at its peak.
Brigadier General Abdullah Abdul, a senior Iraqi commander, said: “We’ve limited their movements with check-points. They are doing small attacks and trying big ones, but they’re mostly not succeeding.”
Major-General Mark Hertling, American commander in the north, said: “I think we’re at the irreversible point.”
Hmmmmm.. I think It was "Dingey Harry Reid D-NV" that said "The War Is Lost"!!!
And isnt Barack Obama saying he want's to end the War? Look's like the Troops took care of that already Democrats!! Once again America Wins!! :-) ..............................................................................................
Ahem.....Senator Kerry, you are about a day late and a dollar short in your tiny little mind.
If left up to the Democrats our Troops would have come home with a huge Al-Queada Victory behind them, and they would have been humiliated. But then again that's the Democrat way!
Thank's to Senator John McCain and President George Bush our Troops will come home Victorious and the Democrats just cant stand it.
President Bush's Last 4th Of July Address: Complete With Morons Interupting The President, Showing Their Stupidity
President Bush at his Last 4th of July address and swearing in Ceremony A Yearly Event Of Legal Immigrant's Swearing Their Oath To Become American Citizens.
Is it just me? Or does President Bush look tickled when he sees these Lunatic's being drug off and arrested?
I know I am quite Happy when these Morons get carted off........ :-)
Here are the IDIOT'S being carted off, I wish it was to Guantanamo Bay!
Obama On Energy....Who Really Want's To Elect This Guy?
Who in their right mind want's to elect Barack Obama as President?
Why would anyone want to vote for someone who tells you straight to your face they want to Take Things Away From You, Make Government Bigger than it already is, and Tax Everyone To Death? Why?
Yes, this is America. We can walk and chew gum at the same time. Why cant we do it all? Drill for oil in our OWN Backyard, use Clean burning Coal (Oops sorry Dingey Harry Reid) Coal does NOT make us sick, use Solar and Wind and have it all? Why not?
WESLEY CLARK & BARACK HUSSEIN OBAMA....KISS MY ASS!!
Gen. Wesley Clark Denigrates McCain's Heroism
WASHINGTON: The U.S. presidential campaign turned angry Monday as supporters of John McCain rolled out a full-throated defense against attacks on the quality of his military experience and Senator Barack Obama attacked head-on the persistent rumors that his loyalties to the country were doubtful.
The McCain campaign appeared incensed by comments Sunday by an Obama supporter, the retired General Wesley Clark, that even heroic service by the Arizona senator as a naval aviator in Vietnam did not prepare him for the presidency.
"I don't think riding in a fighter plane and getting shot down is a qualification to be president," Clark said.
McCain, at a news conference in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, said that he thought remarks like Clark's were "unnecessary" but that the question of an apology was up to Obama.
"If that's the kind of campaign that Senator Obama and his surrogates and supporters want to engage in, I understand that," he said. "But it doesn't reduce the price of a gallon of gas by a penny" or do anything else to help Americans.
He added a moment later, "I know that General Clark's comment is not an isolated incident. I have no way of knowing what involvement Senator Obama has in that issue."
Bill Burton, a spokesman for the Illinois Democrat, said Monday that "Senator Obama honors and respects Senator McCain's service and of course he rejects yesterday's statement by General Clark."
A series of McCain surrogates, all with military connections and ties to the senator, made their discontent clear in a conference call arranged by the campaign.
"It is inconceivable to me that anyone would take a shot at Senator McCain's military experience or say he lacked experience because he didn't command troops in wartime, " said Admiral Leighton Smith, who has worked with McCain for years. "General Clark is way off base on this one."
Robert McFarlane, a Vietnam combat veteran who was national security adviser in the Reagan administration, suggested that "this may be part of a larger gambit."
He explained: "If the opposing candidate doesn't really have the experience or knowledge or depth in international affairs, then one approach can be, I suppose, to try to deny that Senator McCain does."
Obama traveled Monday to Independence, Missouri - well-known as the hometown of President Harry Truman - to proclaim his love of the country (Yeah! Right!!) and to try yet again to beat back persistent rumors, kept alive by conservative blogs and the rumor mill, that he is less than a true patriot.
"The question of who is or is not a patriot all too often poisons our political debates in ways that divide us rather than bring us together," he said. "We can no longer afford these kinds of divisions."
He explicitly paid tribute to McCain. Saying that patriotism involved loyalty to American ideals, "a willingness to dissent on behalf of those ideals," but also a willingness to sacrifice, he added that "for those like John McCain who have endured physical torment in service to our country, no further proof of such sacrifice is necessary."
But he sent a measured warning to any political opponent who continues to question his own patriotism.
"I will never question the patriotism of others in this campaign," he said. "And I will not stand idly by when I hear others question mine."
As he spoke, the senator stood on a flag-bedecked stage and, providing visible refutation to rumors, he wore a clearly visible American flag pin on his lapel.
Rumors are a staple of politics, but Obama seems to face an unusual problem in tamping them down.
A Washington Post article Monday summed up the entirely false rumors being widely circulated in small-town America this way: "Barack Obama, born in Africa, is a possibly gay Muslim racist who refuses to recite the Pledge of Allegiance."
Patriotism, national security and foreign affairs were thus set to take an uncommonly high profile this week in both presidential campaigns.
Just as Obama has suffered from persistent rumors, some leftist blogs have been attacking McCain's military record with mounting ferocity.
The Politico journal reported Monday that critics have accused the senator of war crimes for bombing targets in Hanoi in the 1960s and castigated him for his coerced participation - after he suffered serious injuries when his plane was shot down, and following torture - in propaganda films.
McCain, who campaigned Monday in Pennsylvania, was set to travel Tuesday to Colombia and Mexico in his third foreign trip of the year. Obama plans two trips abroad in coming weeks, one to Western Europe and the other expected to include Afghanistan, Iraq and Jordan.
Some on left target McCain's war record? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Oh who the hell does Wesley Clark think he is? Maybe he was commander of Nato during the Croatia/Bosnia thing, but that doesnt even qualify Wesley Clark to make any judgements about John McCain during his time in Viet Nam! John McCain was a Commander of a group of fighter Pilots in Viet Nam who got shot down, was tortured by the enemy and held prisoner for FIVE FRIGGEN YEARS!!! NO! This is nothing like John Kerry and the Swiftboat guy's. The Swiftboat Vets were on Kerry's boat with him and saw what they saw and couldnt take him lying about his experiences not to mention throwing his medals over the wall of the White House. John McCain did his duty, never threw his medals anywhere and paid dearly for his Country. Can Barack Hussein Obama say the same? I think NOT! Screw Wesley Clark and Barack Obama!
