ÿþ<html> <head> <meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html;charset=iso-8859-1"> <title>OnlineColumnist&reg;.com: Putin Punishes Georgia</title> <meta name="generator" content="Adobe GoLive 4"> <style type="text/css"> .style2 { font-size: large; font-weight: bold; font-family: Arial; } .style3 { font-size: large; font-weight: bold; } </style> </head> <body bgcolor="white" vlink="black"> <center> <table cool width="624" height="2719" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" gridx="16" showgridx gridy="16" showgridy> <tr height="79"> <td width="133" height="118" rowspan="2" valign="top" align="left" xpos="0"><a href="aboutdiscobolos.html"><img height="110" width="62" src="images/discobolos.logo.transp.gif" border="0"></a></td> <td width="7" height="118" rowspan="2"></td> <td width="482" height="79" colspan="2" valign="top" align="left" xpos="140"><img height="75" width="450" src="images/banner.GIF"></td> <td width="1" height="118" rowspan="2"></td> <td width="1" height="79"><spacer type="block" width="1" height="79"></td> </tr> <tr height="39"> <td width="182" height="39"></td> <td width="300" height="39" valign="top" align="left" xpos="322"><a href="aboutdiscobolos.html"><img height="14" width="267" src="images/divisionofNEW.GIF" border="0"></a></td> <td width="1" height="39"><spacer type="block" width="1" height="39"></td> </tr> <tr height="24"> <td width="624" height="24" colspan="6" valign="top" align="left" xpos="0"> <table border="0" width="100%" bgcolor="black" cellspacing="0"> <tr> <td> <table border="0" width="100%" bgcolor="#99ffcc" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="4"> <tr> <td align="center"> <div align="left"> <a href="index.html"><font face="Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular" size="2"><strong>HOME</strong></font></a><font face="Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular" size="2"><strong> &#149; <a href="articlesindex.html">ARTICLES</a> &#149; <a href="books.html">BOOKS</a> &#149; <a href="teflon.html">THE </a><a href="teflon.html">TEFLON</a><a href="teflon.html"> REPORT</a> &#149; <a href="mailto:letters@onlinecolumnist.com">REACTIONS</a> &#149; <a href="aboutdiscobolos.html">ABOUT DISCOBOLOS</a></strong></font></div> </td> </tr> </table> </td> </tr> </table> </td> </tr> <tr height="2"> <td width="133" height="2">&nbsp;</td> <td width="489" height="2576" colspan="3" rowspan="2" align="left" xpos="133" content valign="top" csheight="2573"> <p class="style2">Obama&#39;s Gettysburg</p> <p><b><font face="Arial,Geneva,Helvetica">by John M. Curtis</font></b><font face="Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular"><b><a href="books.html"><br> </a></b></font><font face="Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular"><b>(310) 204-8700</b></font></p> <p><font size="2" face="Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular"><i>Copyright August 29, 2008<br>All Rights Reserved. </i></font>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </p> <p class="MsoNormal"> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <span class="style3">D</span>elivering his Gettysburg Address, Sen. Barack Obama (D-il.) exceeded all expectations, etching himself into the annals of classic American oratory, mesmerizing 85,000 emotionally-drained fans at Denver s Mile High Stadium.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Whether you agree or disagree with Barack s politics, you can t question his brilliant oratory, hitting high notes commemorating the 45th anniversary of Rev. Martin Luther King Jr s &quot;I have a dream&quot; speech..<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span> Instead of taking only the  high road, Obama delivered a scathing indictment of his GOP rival Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and President George W. Bush.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>McCain stunned the political world Aug. 29 picking little-known, 44-year-old Alaska Gov. Sarah Falin.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>No one was more shocked than the Obama campaign, handing out an early Christmas gift.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>McCain s gamble could easily backfire, blowing his first major decision as would-be commander-in-chief.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <![if !supportEmptyParas]>&nbsp;<![endif]><span style="mso-tab-count:1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span>Trying to steal Barack s thunder, McCain changed the conversation from Barack s inspiring speech.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>In front of 85,000, Barack methodically presented his case for change.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span> John McCain has voted with George Bush 90 percent of the time, said Barack, adding,  I m not ready to take a 10 percent chance on change, arguing a vote for McCain was a vote for Bush.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Barack blasted McCain for abandoning his promise to keep lobbyists out of elections.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>No where has McCain flip-flopped more than on abortion, suddenly born again as a  right-to-lifer. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>When McCain and Barack met teleevangelist Rick Warren Aug. 20 in Lake Forest, Calif., he stated he would run a pro-life presidency.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Ten days later he chose a pro-life VP, hoping to capture Bush s elusive evangelical base.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>McCain s team concluded they couldn t win in November without capturing woman and evangelicals.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <![if !supportEmptyParas]>&nbsp;<![endif]><span style="mso-tab-count:1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span>Obama s speech rejected the GOP monopoly on patriotism.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span> I ve got news for you John McCain, we all put our country first, calling it patriotic to oppose the status quo when it subverts the Constitution and engages in reckless war-making.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Barack methodically rejected the Iraq war, where the nation s military and resources were diverted from the real war on terror in Afghanistan and Pakistan.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Barack said McCain would  follow Bin Laden to the gates of hell but wouldn t  follow him into his own cave. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Barack s speech questioned the wisdom of a unilateral foreign policy that weakened alliances with key allies, while, at the same time, harming U.S. national security by damaging the economy to the point that the Pentagon faces tight budgets.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Bush promised better national security despite allowing al-Qaida to regroup and plan new terrorist attacks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp;&nbsp; </span> </p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <![if !supportEmptyParas]>&nbsp;<![endif]><span style="mso-tab-count:1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span>Barack delivered his speech with such mastery and poise it prompted even his worst critics to acknowledge his brilliance.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Conservative pundit Pat Buchanan called it  the greatest convention speech ever, despite disagreeing with Barack s attempt to end Washington s gridlock.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Republicans are still stuck on Reagan s promise to curb the influence of the federal establishment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Barack will be branded a  tax-and-spend liberal while the White House spends $10-12 billion a month on a war with no national security significance.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span> I will cut taxes cut taxes for 95% of all working families.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Because in an economy like this, the last thing we should d is raise taxes on the middle-class, upending GOP talking points that he plans on across-the-board tax hikes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Since March 20, 2003, the Iraq war has caused nearly 4,200 deaths and drained nearly $1 trillion from the U.S. treasury.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <![if !supportEmptyParas]>&nbsp;<![endif]><span style="mso-tab-count:1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span>Promising to invest $150 billion in the next 10 years on renewable energy, Obama committed to reducing U.S. dependence on Mideast oil, developing alternative fuel technology and working toward an a less polluted future.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span> Now is the time to end this addiction, and to understand that drilling is a stop-gap measure, not a long-term solution.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Not even close, challenging McCain s promise to drill more oil wells offshore and in Alaska.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Now that Palin joined McCain s ticket, much will be made of her attempts to open up the Artic National Wildlife Refuge, a source of potentially 6-16 billion barrels of oil.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Before Obama makes good on his promise of developing alternative fuels, he must confront the oil industry s stranglehold on the U.S. economy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>No economy can survive inflated energy prices without serious consequences to virtually every business and consumer.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <span style="mso-tab-count:1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span>Barack s overwhelming message involved reminding voters that the country could do a lot better.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span> We meet at one of those defining moments a moment when our nation is at war, our economy is in turmoil, and the American promise has been threatened once more, Barack told the Mile High Stadium audience, that on Bush s watch the county has become worse off.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Voters will ultimately decide whether they can go in the same direction for another four years.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Even evangelicals know there s more at stake in this election that reversing Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court s 1973 ruling giving women the right to abortion.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Without ending the Iraq war and preventing new ones the U.S. economy has a slim chance of recovering, robbing millions from gainful employment, Barack s speech reminded voters they have a real choice heading into November.</p> <p><b><u>About the Author</u></b><br> </p> <p><b>John M. Curtis </b>writes politically neutral commentary analyzing spin in national and global news. He&#x2019;s editor of OnlineColumnist.com and author of <a href="books.html">Dodging The Bullet</a> and <a href="books.html">Operation Charisma</a>.<br> </p> <p></p> </td> <td width="1" height="2576" rowspan="2"></td> <td width="1" height="2"><spacer type="block" width="1" height="2"></td> </tr> <tr height="2574"> <td width="133" height="2574" valign="top" align="left" xpos="0"><img height="172" width="111" src="images/johninframe3.jpg"></td> <td width="1" height="2574"><spacer type="block" width="1" height="2574"></td> </tr> <tr height="1" cntrlrow> <td width="133" height="1"><spacer type="block" width="133" height="1"></td> <td width="7" height="1"><spacer type="block" width="7" height="1"></td> <td width="182" height="1"><spacer type="block" width="182" height="1"></td> <td width="300" height="1"><spacer type="block" width="300" height="1"></td> <td width="1" height="1"><spacer type="block" width="1" height="1"></td> <td width="1" height="1"></td> </tr> </table> <table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="2" width="597"> <tr> <td><font size="1" face="Arial,Geneva,Helvetica"> <hr noshade size="1"> </font><a href="index.html"><font face="Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular" size="2"><strong>Home</strong></font></a><font face="Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular" size="2"><strong> || <a href="articlesindex.html">Articles</a> || <a href="books.html">Books</a> || <a href="teflon.html">The Teflon Report</a> || <a href="mailto:letters@onlinecolumnist.com">Reactions</a> || <a href="aboutdiscobolos.html">About Discobolos</a></strong></font> <div align="left"> <p><font size="1" face="Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular">This site designed, developed and hosted by the experts at</font><font size="2" face="Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular"> <a href="http://www.cmeonline.net" target="_blank"><img height="30" width="138" src="images/cmelogoANIM.gif" border="0" align="absmiddle"></a></font></p> </div> <p><font size="2" face="Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular">&copy;1999-2005 <a href="aboutdiscobolos.html">Discobolos Consulting Services, Inc.</a><br> (310) 204-8300<br> All Rights Reserved. </font></td> </tr> </table> </center> </body> </html>