“The ring of authenticity, a man speaking from the gut, speech full of genuine feeling”

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 Hi guys,

1. Today’s schedule:

9:30 am

The President receives the Presidential Daily Briefing

1:00 pm

The President departs the White House en route Andrews Air Force Base
South Lawn

1:15 pm

The President departs Andrews Air Force Base en route New York, NY
Andrews Air Force Base

2:05 pm

The President arrives in New York, NY
John F. Kennedy International Airport

4:45 pm

The President delivers remarks at the dedication of the Ronald H. Brown United States Mission to the United Nations Building
USUN Building
Open Press

7:00 pm

The President delivers remarks at a DNC event
Red Rooster Restaurant

9:05 pm

The President delivers remarks at a DNC event
The Studio Museum
Pooled Press
10:10 pm

The President departs New York, NY
John F. Kennedy International Airport
Open Press
11:00 pm

The President arrives at Andrews Air Force Base
Andrews Air Force Base

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Few morning thoughts about that speech last night:

1. Dithering, shmithering. It took PBO 31 days to do what took Clinton and the world more than a year back in the ’90s. But hey, this is Barack Obama we’re talking about. Double standards is the standard.

2. Booman pointed that “He’s so good with words that his critics like to say that “he’s just words.” – which actually is the ultimate proof to how miserably most people fail to understand the greatness if this man. His speeches are some of the greatest in history, yet his actions are even greater.  And that’s what really kills the haters. They just can’t catch him.

3. It’s obvious on the Right, but it’s more astounding when it comes to Left. The reason they’re simply against anything this man does is not because – as they disingenuously claim – he doesn’t keeps his promises. It’s because *he does*. It’s because they realize that either they never really listen to him during the campaign, or they did listen and were certain that once he’s in the WH, they will make him bend to them. And he just refuse to do so.

Maybe it’s just me, but I saw a real disdain on his face when he kicked some PL butts last night.

4. That noise you heard all night? That was Wingnuts heads explodes. He just buried the Bush-ism once and for all.

5. Who would have thought, 3 years ago, that the United Nations will be cool again?

6. Best tweet I’ve seen last night: “This is not the Nobel Pacifism Prize, it’s the Nobel PEACE Prize. Saving lives and taking down dictators is worth the prize”.

7. While I understand why the political team doesn’t want to over-expose him, I honestly believe that it’s a mistake not to send PBO out there much more often. Whenever he speaks directly to the people, they can suddenly see how smart he is and how much sense he makes. How sincere and human and full of goodness this man is. In each and every speech he expose his critics for what they really are, and I wish he would make more of these.

8. Finally, you guys are awesome. Really enjoyed the party here last night.

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Here’s as actual intelligent conversation between Rachel Maddow and Lawrence O’Donnell last night.

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Jonathan Capehart

Obama makes a convincing case for action in Libya

For a man who didn’t want to elevate U.S. actions in Libya to the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq by delivering an Oval Office address, President Obama just delivered a speech worthy of the venue. Did it answer all of the questions asked by members of Congress on the right and the left, particularly the one about what victory would look like? Um, no. But Obama did state clearly why the United States stepped in to corral an international coalition and why it must relinquish its customary lead role.

// more

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Joan Cole:

….

Despite the close and elegant moral reasoning tempered by a steady pragmatism, the speech was full of genuine feeling, including empathy and outrage. It strikes me as among the better speeches President Obama has given since taking office.

// much more and terrific

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Peter Beinart:

…..

Obama’s is a different version of American exceptionalism. For men like John Bolton, American virtue is a given. American presidents should never apologize because America never has anything to apologize for. Our mistakes are never crimes, and if others don’t see our moral greatness that just proves their moral cynicism.

Obama, by contrast, because he can see America through post-colonial eyes, knows this is a fable. He knows that in many places on earth, America has abetted dictatorship and corruption and slaughter. In some cases he has apologized, which has led men like Bolton to claim that he sees America as no different from any other great power.

But they don’t get it. For Obama, American exceptionalism is not a fact; it is a struggle. Bolton and company like to invoke World War II and the Cold War because in those conflicts we fought the evil that lay out there. Obama, by contrast, often invokes the civil-rights movement: a struggle against the evil within. That’s what makes his Libya decision powerful. He knows that there are good reasons for Middle Easterners to fear when they see American planes overhead. And yet he is acting to show that it does not have to be that way.

I don’t know how Obama’s Libya intervention will end; in his speech, he made it seem tidier than it really is. But the speech had something notably absent from his addresses on Afghanistan: the ring of authenticity. When he said that he refused to sit by and watch Benghazi be raped, he sounded like a man speaking from the gut. Obama does not romanticize the history of American power and yet he is wielding American power. I wouldn’t want it any other way.

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Kate Seelye

Obama Wins Arab Respect

It’s one of those twists of irony that the U.S.-backed no-fly zone over Libya has more support in the Arab world than in the U.S. Congress. I’m not sure if Obama’s eloquent defense of the American military mission in Libya during his address to the nation Monday night convinced a skeptical Congress of its value, but his speech certainly articulated an American role that many Arabs embrace.

// more

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 Almost there!

Mark Ambinder: President Obama is fewer than three weeks away from formally announcing his reelection campaign

President Obama is fewer than three weeks away from formally announcing his reelection campaign, and will make it public with an online video his aides will post on his new campaign website, Democratic sources familiar with the plans said.

Obama’s team will try to keep the exact date and time a surprise, letting supporters know first by text message and e-mail. By that point, Obama would have opened his campaign account with the Federal Election Commission.

But a major Democratic National Committee fundraiser is set for April 14 in Chicago, and Democratic donors are being told that it will coincide with the announcement. Obama will attend the event.

// more and very interesting.

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Finally, this is hilarious:

165 thoughts on ““The ring of authenticity, a man speaking from the gut, speech full of genuine feeling””

  1. Thanks for this excellent mishmash BWD!!!

    Fantastic speech. That is one that our great-grand children will be learning at school. And I love how our VP Biden has our President’s back, through thick and thin.

  7. I’m glad to see that article on the Maddow-O’Donnell conversation last night — I really thought they had a very thoughtful and positive take on President Obama’s speech. I watched until they said Dennis Kucinich was coming on next to whine about it, then I turned it off! One thing that struck me was their view that this speech did not announce an “Obama Doctrine” as such (will we ever hear that term without thinking, “In what respect, Charlie?”) but signaled that the president will take each situation as it comes, think it through in his very measured and reasonable and practical way, and deal with it on its own merits, not because he is dug in with a one-size-fits-all foreign policy.

    Great set of photos and articles to start the day, BWD — thanks!!

  8. I’ve been really busy lately and haven’t had time to join into some powerful threads that I’ve so appreciated, especially the very moving one about racism on the left. But I’ve been here every day, and just wanted to say how much I appreciate BWD’s amazing work, and all the posters, the civil discourse, the sharing of information and links, the enthusiasm and concern. Loved both the pundit and pundit free speech threads! I’m so grateful to this whole community for fostering this intelligent, civilized place.

  9. In my own mind at least I have started calling myself an Obama Democrat. I think its true.

  10. Last night was one of the best nights I’ve spent on the internet evah!

    Phenomenal speech — one for the ages. Truly historic and world-changing. Nobel Prize worthy and then some.

    And sharing it with you all (particularly in the pundit-free thread) was the icing on the cake.

    Have a great day, everyone :-).

    Viva Obama!

  12. A friend of mine, when asked her political affiliation, says simply “Obama.” LOL!

  13. And apparently, Kucinich made an even bigger arse of himself than he had done last week. Even Weiner openly disagreed with him, and we know that Weiner is no Obama supporter.

  14. BWD,

    With the formal announcement of his 2012 campaign, I’m sure we will be seeing much more of POTUS speaking directly to Americans and the world without interference from the “media”. They hated on him just as much in ’08 and it didn’t work. And it won’t work this time.

  18. I wonder if it is just a coincidence, but the moment the US siezed ops to NATO, the rebels in Libya are now in retreat!~ ODD! Oh well, just a thought!

  19. Good morning everyone! I so agree, politicaljunkessa, last nights speech was one for the ages and being able to share it here was so outstanding!
    We are watching a President come into his own. He is brilliant.

  22. Again, thank you BWD for a superb site and all of the hard work that you put into making this an excellent site for all of us here.

    I appreciate the remarks opening the site this morning. Something to think about as we go into the day. I also was very moved by the close-ups of POTUS taken during the speech. I always give a deepness of his heart when photos like these are presented. The President is serious about his actions, and respectful of the men and women in uniform who serve their nation and CIC. They often speak about him being presidential, well he gave them Presidential last evening. I am also elated about the news for his announcements for his re-election. Let us get to work and keep his back. Joe had it last night. I loved the manner in which Joe lead the way for order, grace, and seriousness in what we were about to hear. I have seen many Presidents in the past, but NOT ONE that fits the fitness under fire like President Barack Obama. He makes us proud everyday. Let us make him proud by re-electing One of a Kind.

  23. Oh my goodness. What a coincidence – I was just asking about you!! Didn’t see your post until now. 🙂 🙂

  25. Yes indeed, marilyn! No wonder no gooper has stepped up to the plate for 2012 yet. They don’t want no parts of this.

    PBO is gobbling up all the former republican real estate: foreign affairs, military, business, economy, patriotism…..what will be left for them to run on that he hasn’t already tackled and excelled in? Poor thangs.

  26. from BBC:

    Meanwhile, ships from the US Sixth Fleet attacked three Libyan ships that had been firing indiscriminately at merchant ships in the port of Misrata, west of Sirte.
    Start quote:
    The massacre that was avoided in Benghazi thanks to the intervention of coalition forces will be carried out in the Misrata”
    End Quote
    Rebel spokesman
    One of the vessels was destroyed and a second beached, while the third was abandoned, US Navy officials were quoted as saying by Reuters.

    Rebel leaders in their eastern stronghold of Benghazi say at least 124 people have been killed in Misrata in the past nine days.

    “Misrata is in danger,” a rebel spokesman told the AFP news agency.

    “The criminal forces are advancing on the city and the tanks are firing shells indiscriminately.

    “The massacre that was avoided in Benghazi thanks to the intervention of coalition forces will be carried out in the Misrata.”

    Rebel radio from eastern Libya has been urging more people in the west to join the anti-Gaddafi uprising.

    ————–

    I guess Misrata is the next focus! Jeesh!

  29. The Dem Third Party group that Burton will be starting, I hope ill tell donors that their names will not be secret. I ant a big deal made about the Citizens United ruling and the secret donors and that can’t be done if both sides are doing it. IIRC 70% said they didn’t like the secret money when polled during the mid-terms. I think it’s a big winning issue, and would love to see it somehow voted on in the House to show the “open government” Republicans vote against donor transparency. Reid could at least bring it to the floor in the Senate for a vote – let the GOP vote against it there too.

  31. Thanks for this roundup – amazing that whenever he speaks the clueless suddenly get a clue – I really think what most angers the frustrati is the requirement that they think things through themselves. It’s the quality I most respect about this President – he seems to expect me to use my head, to have a sense of history, to be politically aware and somewhat astute about the complexity of the world. I find that challenging and respectful, but if you’re looking for a savior and a daddy it would be infuriating.

    Most of the complaints seem to come from people who need to have every step mapped out, and every bully spat upon. I prefer to live in a world where I pull on my big-girl panties every morning and work for the change I believe in.

  32. Unless I’m reading it wrong, when Chu says close he seems to mean 30 or so years.

  34. Hispanic Americans need to decide if they want the Boehner led House having a huge say in the immigration reform policy or not. And if they don’t they better get organized and motivated to help the Dems take back the House and even add a few Senate seats – Az, Nv and Tx are all open seats in 2012.

    If President Obama wins re-election and the GOP wins the Senate and holds the House than President Obama is virtually handcuffed. There needs to be much more focus on Congressional races as well as working for PBO’s re-election.

  37. me here! I was mad at the tv and the pundits, but watched rachel and lawrence, right up until they had on kucinich and weiner and then I changed it to the event!

    Good morning!

  38. A comment I read here yesterday TEA Party stands for The Easy Answer Party – it’s true for both extreme wings.

  39. Best part from the article –

    “We’re disclosing all our donors,” said Kennedy Townsend, who declined to comment on other Democratic groups that won’t disclose their contributions. “American democracy has to be based on transparency and who’s giving and why are they giving.”

    I hope all SuperPAC’s do this – it will really draw a distinction that can be part of the campaigns.

  40. I keep forgetting what that girls name is on CNN, the one who rides out with the REBELS! She is some journalist and gives even a better report than Richard enberg, who changes his tone, depending on which show he is on!
    But, again, that girl, is amazing! Seriously!

  41. Good morning what a great night BWD i enjoyed that. Maybe Weiner got all those replies saying they would not contribute until he stop bashing.

  42. Because, the extreme left has to fundraise, they do not have the DNC or the POTUS to fundraise, so they have to get on tv and bash the POTUS, b/c they THINK that is where the money is!
    Also, they are now trying to peel away dollars from Obama supporters, weiner said to please help the President and donate to me!
    WTF? Really!

  49. Saint Roscoe, I feel as if I’m an ostrich with my head stuck in the sand. Burton? The Dem Third Party?

  50. One thing people on the hard left and hard right often forget is that Gadhafi is a terrorist. He orchestrated the bombing of Pan Am Flight103 killing 243 people. The guy ultimately held accountable was freed by the the British in a secret deal for oil and welcomed as a hero in Libya in 2009.

    I am not an advocate for war, especially GOP type wars for control of oil and other natural resources, but I am for military intervention when an innocent population is at risk of rape, torture and death. We could have cleaned up Dafur in 3-4 weeks.

    It is sad that there are tyrants in the world who repress their people, but that is the way it is. We need to understand that and be prepared to deal with such miscreants while being as humane as possible in untenable circumstances. Being President of the United States is often a choice between 2-3 very bad choices.

    Lastly, I don’t believe any GOP politician cares one way or another about the Libyan people or whether we are at war or not. They are only driven by scoring perceived political points. And they are some of the biggest hypocrites in history.

  51. Great video, St Roscoe. I know they are working hard to get this done. Isn’t there some hearing today on the Repubs trying to put the law into place early?

  52. Here is what Barboour is saying about the Presidents speech:

    -Mr. Barbour’s glib resort to this trope of the isolationist left suggests he hasn’t thought very hard about foreign policy. It is the kind of politics Americans have come to expect from Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid—”this war is lost”—not Republicans who have since Reagan been the party of robust nationalism.

    ——–
    Really? Ahh, Haley, your boy reagan, tried to get kaddafy back in 86, missed got his children and never went after him again!

    By your standards, reagan is now a FAILURE! LOL!
    —-
    -Oh, how I wish I could be on tv as a democratic strategist and say that to the public!@ It would make me so happy!

  54. I know they defied a court order not to post it, so they seem pretty desperate.

    Unsourced reports have the Wisconsin Supreme Court election on April 5th between incumbent Justice David Prosser and JoAnne Kloppenburg a dead heat. This is a big one for the Dems, as it would really get the momentum rolling. If Prosser wins it will be trumpeted by Walker and his cronies.

  56. This is a nail bitter. I just don’t understand how Repubs have justify what they are doing. But then I am a liberal.

  58. From the National Journal article linked to in the Mishmash –

    Two former White House aides, Sean Sweeney and Bill Burton, are expected to form an independent political group that is expected to morph into the vehicle for outside expenditures during the campaign. In the wake of the Supreme Court’s loosening of campaign-finance laws, Obama’s team has decided that it will not unilaterally deprive itself of a weapon that Republicans used to batter Democrats in the 2010 election. In 2008, the Obama campaign strongly discouraged the formation of any outside group, preferring to centralize messaging inside a tight circle of advisers in Chicago.

  60. This is what I am looking forward to about the start of the campaign season. When the press isn’t getting in the way of filtering or ignoring the president’s speeches, people respond positively to him. Once the campaign starts they will be forced to carry his speeches and town halls again and the public will get to actually hear him more often. And when people get to hear him, they like what he has to say.

  62. BWD, the following allowed a big chuckle. And it is only 7 in the morning.

    Maybe it’s just me, but I saw a real disdain on his face when he kicked some PL butts last night.

    So much to read. Thank you.

  63. All the truly serious candidates on the republican side are sitting this election out. They know they can’t compete against the President and it would be a waste of time and money. So all we get are the perennial also rans like Romney, the wingnut crazies like Bachmann, the ones who want to get their names out to begin building name recognition for the future but have no intention of actually trying to win the nomination, and attention seeking famewhores like Donald Trump. Big field but no star players.

  64. Oh no! The rebels are now getting beat back our of Bin Jawad! Kaddafy forces are making them retreat! Shit!

  67. I think the only people who don’t understand why the president made the decision to intervene in Libya are those who have an “ax” to grind with the president. I understood why he made the decision weeks ago because he explained it THEN when he held that press conference in Latin America. Politico was reporting last night that the republican response to the speech was that it was “too little, too late.” Boehner knows he was in on the conference call with the president and his security team after the decision was made to intervene. PM had a post on his blog stating that Boehner had nothing to say during the entire time that the call lasted, and he was wondering whether he and the republicans could ever stop being partisans and playing politics on every issue because, after the call, Boehner pretended to not know what PBO’s plans were for Libya. The republicans have no shame. They’re more than willing to destroy America and the world to advance their political ambitions.

  68. I think that resistance was already anticipated once they got nearer to qaddafi’s hometown.

  70. Gaddafi will not go down easy. But, I don’t think that saying the Benghazi massacre is now being carried out in Misrata is correct. I think both cities would have been attacked brutally along with any others Gaddafi thought he needed to attack in order to maintain his grip on power. There are going to be setbacks and Gaddafi will succeed in some small instances, but as the President said, history is not on Gaddafi’s side. He will lose power but he won’t go easily and there will be terrible things he does on his way out. All we and NATO can do is try to minimize those things as much as possible and enable the rebels to fight back and hopefully shorten the amount of time it takes to get rid of Gaddafi.

  71. It is an oil city, the rebels need it! It seems their is a lapse of airstrikes since the US seeded control. They need to step it up, they are in transition…

  73. I hope other Democratic groups follow this and disclose their donors too. I think it would give such an advantage to the Democrats to be seen as the party of openness while the Republicans hide their donors and make people question why that is. What do they have to hide?

  74. Not good:

    Al Jazeera’s Hoda Abdel-Hamid reports from Ras Lanuf that the news from Bin Jawad is that the city has fallen to pro-Gaddafi forces, and opposition fighters are now retreating to Ras Lanuf.

    She also says that the opposition’s military commanders are complaining that their fighters “do not want to be” disciplined or act in a structured way.

    Furthermore, the rebels’ supply lines are stretched.

  76. The sad thing is that I think they understand very well why the President made the decisions he did about Libya. They just pretend they don’t get it so they can oppose him. It isn’t based on any principles or moral values or even practical reasoning. It is just one more time being the “party of no” for republicans and jumping on the “I’m not on that black guy’s side who we all think is evil” for the detractors on the left. What they forget is that always being opposition, even when that means flip flopping your opinion from one day to the next, Newt, makes you look ridiculous over time. It may work for the first few issues, but it soon becomes “the boy who cried wolf”. I think that is a large part of the decline of the appeal of the Tea Party. Even the most ardent right wing people can see that always reflexively taking the opposing side, regardless of merit, leads to philosophical and moral dissidence and makes them uncomfortable.

  77. It is much like Asian names. Because the original spelling is in different characters than used in the Western world, we must spell the name phonetically. Different people think different phonetic spellings are more accurate so you get a wide variety of spellings.

  78. Since last year, I proudly proclaim myself to be an Obamacrat.

    Everyone else (outside of a select few — ie. Pelosi, Boxer) can go kick rocks. They have to earn my vote and donations.

  79. Good Morning All

    Wonderful postings last night, even though I was tired from teaching I felt uplifted by reading everyone’s pundit free comments.

    I wanted to discuss how it felt to read positive comments about the speech WITHOUT reading about what the critics, PL, or news analysts had to say.

    For me it was much more peaceful and positive. Thanks BWD for giving us the 2 options.

    I learned a few things from it.

    1. For me the blog has a mood or rythym which changes as I read each post. When I read a comment about how great the speech was or about a specific point POTUS brought out that was well stated, or courageous the momentum soars upward.

    2.When in a typical blog we write about a Presidential accomplishment and then veer off onto a “Kunich is against it, he is an idiot, he needs to go, he is jealous….. it brings down my mood and frankly distracts from the importance of the President’s actions.

    3. For some of you those Kunich comments are helpful in helping you vent or express emotions you have also been feeling. I am not suggesting we should not make the Kunich comment or that they are not helpful.

    4. I am suggesting we all think about how much blog space we give to these types of comments and how they affect those who read them as well as those who post them.

    5. I am in favor of calling out those who attack the President, I am in favor of taking actions against those bozos, but I would like to see those posts be short, to the point regarding what the idiot did, and contain suggestions for actions we can take.

    6. I am also suggesting we may want to clearly label them so those who want to skip them can.

    For example if we start posting about a speech the president has given to the Latino community and one of the pundits says something stupid we could start that blog post with this term – IDIOT ALERT

    Then list the name of the pundit, brief summary of what was said, if on TV the name of company that sponsors their show, and a call to action.

    A call to action could be a suggestion to email the person who made the stupid comment, the owner of the company (for example whoever owns CBS or NBC), and the sponsor. Send 1 email and put 3 addresses in the To: area of the email message. That lets the TV analyst know you aren’t just complaining to them you are complaining to their boss and their sponsor.

    Another aspect of this is emailing Democratic leaders when a specific Democrat mouths off. For example if Anthony Weiner says something stupid (and you know he will) we can write to Weiners office and express our support of the President and our concern over Weiners comments. We can also send that email to Nancy Peolosi, Tim Kaine at Democratic Headquarters, and whoever else is fund raising for the party. (I need help with this since I don’t know who folks are).

    Building on the concept of labeling posts, we could also have a VENT label. When we just want to say something to get it off our chest because it makes us feel better we could use the word VENT as the first line of our post. Then folks who want to join in the vent can respond and those who don’t want to have their mood brought down can skip the comment and just scroll on down.

    One final note, I hope I have not offended anyone by making these suggestions. I am not trying to quiet anyone’s voice or tell BWD how to run her wonderful blog. I am hoping we can come up with ways we can share our concerns, anger, and disapproval while still keeping the tone of the blog positive and strong.

    Virtual Hugs

  80. Just about to post the same thing! PMC is great. I discovered him on the blogroll here. Great quote:

    “Yet what strikes me as most incongruent is that so many of our yearning, anguished absolutists of doctrinaire diplomacy are undoubtedly also Sunday religionists who somehow find peace and mental comfort in worldly contradictions of literally biblical proportions. Their Judeo-Christian God wasn’t — and still isn’t, I assume, since He has sent unto us no exacting editors — fussy about consistency; He could say one thing one millennium and the confounding opposite the next, yet somehow it all blends together in acceptable text.

    In other words, they cut God some slack, but for this U.S. president, they don’t.”

  81. I think you are right on him realizing spouting off has consequences. I am sure he will slip from time to time but I am sure he will figure out the negative crap he spews impacts his financial bottom line and keeps it to himself.

  82. President Obama, who is under fire from Republicans over gasoline prices, will “outline his plan for America’s energy security” in a speech Wednesday and then tout advanced vehicles Friday at a UPS facility in Maryland, the White House said.

    Wednesday’s speech at Georgetown University will mark Obama’s second high-profile remarks this month on energy. He addressed increased oil and gasoline prices at a March 11 press conference.

    The White House effort to seize control of the political narrative on energy comes amid constant GOP attacks on administration policies and unfolding Republican legislative plans.

    A top House Republican — Natural Resources Committee Chairman Doc Hastings (R-Wash.) — is unveiling legislation Tuesday to expand U.S oil-and-gas drilling.

    Obama’s energy agenda includes expanded deployment of advanced vehicles such as plug-in cars through consumer incentives and other policies, and increased federal spending on green energy R&D at a time when Republicans are calling for cuts.

    He will focus on advanced vehicles Friday. “The President will visit a UPS shipping facility in Landover, MD where he will view vehicles from AT&T, FedEx, PepsiCo, UPS and Verizon’s clean fleets and deliver remarks to the companies’ employees,” the White House said.

    http://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wire/677-e2-wire/152379-obama-pivots-to-energy-with-speech-clean-vehicles-focus

  86. Yes excellent speech and we just listened to tthis great man,and sfter the speech we turn off the TV and star celebrating with some champage.
    How ever this morning the nayseyers, looser like Sarah Palin, McCain, Kucinich were in full force critizising PBO well screw them.
    Just glad the Mccain/Palin are not in charge what a relive, This president is the best.

  87. BWD; Thank you, Thank you, Thank you for such a great mishmash we just do not know what we would do with you soooo THANK YOU.

  88. Trump is an attention whore. I’m sure he has some new swindle lined up. Soon he’ll announce that he simply can’t run for president right now because of his new bankrupt venture.

  90. Oh, Jovie…we can only hope!!! She would win hands down!What a refreshing change that would be, on two counts. One, that Gabby would be well enough to be a Senator for this state,and two, for the People of AZ to FINALLY have someone in the senate that actually does work for the people of AZ.The current crop have done NOTHING. EVER.

  91. That’s how I feel as well.
    I’d never be a Republican (no how, no way) but I’m very disgusted in a lot of the Democrats. I’m not sure I can stand fast with them anymore; they are too whiny, don’t take a stand but yet blame him for everything that goes wrong. This goes for the Kucinichs, Conyers, Weiners, etc. Screw them.

  92. Maybe he was hungover.Hard to concentrate when you feel like your body is detached from your head.Sorry…but how do you NOT know that the President talked to you about this beforehand?

  93. BWD, can you tell me about that image at the end of the string of images of the child with the Obama shirt on? The image is striking and I’d love to know more about it, such as where and when it was taken. Thanks!

  94. Also, they are now trying to peel away dollars from Obama supporters, weiner said to please help the President and donate to me!
    WTF? Really

    Which means helping him bash the president.
    Kick rocks, Weiner.

  95. I believe you mean Arwa Damon jovie, and she also speaks fluent Arabic. She is indeed awesome, we have admired her for a long time. She goes everywhere, does everything, and is always cool-headed and articulate.

  96. Just put your cursor on the pic for a second and it has a little pop up window that describes the pictures.

    This one was taken in Darfur on March 27th.

  97. Hi M, If you put your cursor on the photo a little box with the photo description will pop up.

  99. BWD – Wow. Thanks for all of these “after party” goodies!

    Among others, I like this from Peter Beinart:

    “Obama’s is a different version of American exceptionalism … For Obama, American exceptionalism is not a fact; it is a struggle.”

    That was as eloquent (and human) as President Obama is. We have to work – every day – at making our country a “more perfect union.” Our founders got it; President Obama gets it, and the sooner all of our countrymen and women go back to getting it, the better off we’ll all be.

  100. Yes he was great I watched the townhall. and also told the to call on the republicans to come on board for immigration reform, he can not do it alone, The Hispanic comunity anderstand that, and they will vote for him in 2012.

  101. Big push in Wisconsin to get people out for the election. The motto among the protest movement is “Take it to the polls.”

    There will probably never have been an election for a SC justice in WI with this high a turnout.

  102. I am proud of our military. They are so amazing, selfless and deserve our respect. Please thank them for ALL they do when you see them and keep them in your prayers.

    There are no words to express how much I love this Commander and Chief. What a speech and what a man, he ALWAYS ALWAYS follows up what he says he will do. Bless him and his family. Love the images.

  104. thnx just voted. woooo look at that cute guy on the pic over there holding that flag. 😀

  105. I also appreciated this from Jason Easley:

    “America has replaced Bush’s gut with Obama’s brain. Hope has replaced fear, and the intrinsic human desire for freedom has replaced defensive policies of liberty at gunpoint … Change has finally come to a decade’s worth of war.”

  106. I believe what makes America exceptional is our values and beliefs. We honor freedom of expression, self governance and dignity for all human beings. We don’t always live up to our ideals and that is why it can be described as a struggle. But, we still hold those ideals and work to see them come to reality.

    The conservative view of American Exceptionalism seems to be that we are the best and everyone better do whatever we say because we are better than you, so there, nananana boo boo. Guess which one sells better to other people?

  107. I have a little concern: If the repubs choose Rubio as candidate for VP, in the hopes to get the Hispanic vote, will the Hispanic community fall for it ?

  109. Until the progressives (real and poseurs) and the left (again real & poseurs) burn their own feet in getting the votes when & where it counts most, they should STFU about holding the president’s feet to the fire.

  110. Makes a good case for dragging his butt to the Hague…first question: How the heck to you spell your name?

  111. Thank you President Obama, our US Military and Coalition Forces for fighting for democracy in the world!

  112. Nicely stated Wes. People cannot adjust to the idea that this president is rarely a one-size-fits all kind of guy.

  113. Jovie, I am a bit confused by your statement. The rebels are not taking back the territories they lost to the despot?

  114. Dorothy, could you repost that great comment from yesterday about the difference between the far right and far left? I loved it but don’t want to spend ages trying to find it. Thanks.

  115. ComPLETEly Off topic: Can anyone recommend a reasonably priced avi-splitter for windows? Thanks.

  116. (warning: negative comment; please scroll past if disinclined).

    The child in that picture with the worn Pres. Obama shirt is the reason that I will resent the PL until the day that I die. I cannot I cannot I cannot believe that these people, who are soo spoiled, sooo entitled, are so full of themselves that they would try to control, disparage, punish and take down a worldwide symbol of hope, change, and aspirations for a better life. I will never forget this.

  117. I am trying to decide on an approrpiate response. I don’t disagree with you at all. The fact is, this President, perhaps more than any other, is widely admired more outside the US than inside. Not that there aren’t admirers inside this country (this site is evidence that there are.)

    But the PL, which benoaned the fact that Amrica’s image had suffered so much under Bush, and who preached and preached about how world opinion is important, go after the very person that has turned that image around. And in doing so, they have, albeit not as much as they would like to think, have tarnished his image here.

    If it were suddenly discovered beyond a shadow of a doubt that Obama was Christ come back to earth, they would still find a reason to spit on him, because the world is not yet a garden of paradise.

  118. gn – Well, you just spoke for me, too. I cannot understand it and I will not forget it.

  119. (second negative comment, sorry guys, this is the last of it)

    h/t sepia@weeseeyou:

    Why I called Bradley Manning’s treatment ‘stupid’

    Earlier this month, I was asked by an MIT graduate student why the United States government was “torturing” Private First Class Bradley Manning, who is accused of being the source of the WikiLeaks cables that have been reported by the Guardian and other news outlets and posted online. The fact is the government is doing no such thing.

    http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/cifamerica/2011/mar/29/bradley-manning-wikileaks

    *************************

    People can read the whole thing if so inclined (discusses US prison conditions generally) but that bolded sentence is, for me, the long and short of it. The government has been accused of “torturing” Manning. Per Crawley, the governing “is doing no such thing.” Period. Point blank. All of the nonsense about “persecuting torture whistleblowers” etc. was just made-up, lying, phony, garbage from the same people who can be counted on to create and promote hysterical drivel as pertaining to this President: (rogue’s galley) Arianna, dailyfox, GG, FDL.

    People like PJ Crawley need to totally completely and utterly disengage from the PL. Too much garbage, GOP-enabling content right now.

  120. Sorry, to be clear, that was authored by PJ Crawley, who was fired/resigned for calling Manning’s treatment stupid and counterproductive, upon which, the rogues gallery which has the utter nerve to call itself “the base” created a purity swarm of outrageous, dishonest content accusing the WH of firing “torture whistleblowers.” In that article, he’s clearing things up.

  121. Thank you BWD for all you do. A special thanks for the link to Juan Cole, it was worth the read just because he called Trump “Carrot Top”

  122. Interesting. He stands by his statement about it being “stupid” but really clarifies why. It is not because of torture, but rather, as far as I can tell, because although actions taken may be legal, they still can come across aas crossing a line. Not into the area of torture, however.

    He is, of course, totally allowed to have his own opinion. The reason for his firing, which he doesn’t seem to contest, BTW, is that he allowed his personal feelings to come out while in the position of being an official spokesman.

  123. I don’t find this offensive. It’s funny, because I actually just vented about two things without reading the thread first and put (warning: negative comment) as my first line, lol. So I definitely agree with the warning labels approach.

    I also think that bifurcated threads during big news events like last night’s speech are simply terrific. Everyone is different. And everyone is subject to different moods. Sometimes people may feel like going in on the PL and right wing; sometimes they don’t.

    “sometimes you feel like a nut, sometimes you don’t; PL’s got nuts, bwd’s space don’t”

    So people can engage the content that they want, when they want. You may find Kucinich discussions depressing; others find it funny and empowering to know that plenty of people feel about him as they do. I also think that people are very quick to write emails, make donations, and withhold donations already. I do like your suggestions.

  124. I caught President Obama’s speech a couple of minutes into it. You’re talking about Joe Biden speaking before him.

    I don’t see this on C-Span. Was it on CNN ? MSNBC ?

    If there’s a video, I would love to see it !!!

  125. Sounds to me like he just got caught up in the PL’s excess and is defending his statement (I’m not really buying the explanation either; I think he just got caught up in the emotional tizzy). But my real takeaway is yet another confirmation that Manning is not being nor has he been tortured. That whole story is an utter lie. Who does this? What type of people would choose to fabricate a TORTURE accusation in order to take a slap at President Obama? It nearly defies belief.

  127. Okay, so negativity off my chest, I want to thank this community for such an utterly lovely experience viewing the speech. I enjoyed both threads, and I even moreso enjoyed the fact that people were free to engage the content which gave them the most comfort. Just terrific.

    Happy Tuesday everyone!

  130. NY Daily News had a good opinion piece this morning:

    http://www.nydailynews.com/opinions/2011/03/29/2011-03-29_president_obama_makes_effective_and_principled_case_for_us_involvement_in_libya.html

    “Just a few years ago, we had a President who valued clarity so dearly that he labeled three utterly different countries, presenting drastically different security problems, an “axis of evil.” Didn’t really make sense, but lumping them together was catchy and, at least as far as it went, clear.

    So, yes, everyone knew precisely where George W. Bush stood. That’s a big part of why he beat John Kerry in 2004; the chronically cautious senator got tagged as impossibly indecisive.

    Barack Obama isn’t an all-or-nothing kind of commander in chief or an all-or-nothing kind of man. He gambled in pushing health care reform, but in his bones he’s a cautious leader who overcomplicates where others oversimplify. He turns bumper stickers into dissertations, not the other way around.

    Those who are grousing about that fact now should count their blessings – and remember the alternative. This is what we said we wanted just two years ago, after eight years of Bush foreign policy impulsiveness, when offered a McCain-Palin ticket that promised more gut-driven decision-making. We wanted more candid discussion of risks and benefits. More sharing of responsibilities with allies. We wanted a President to think twice before playing Braveheart. Didn’t we?

    But now, in the first major test of a crisis rearing its head on his watch, many have derided Obama’s approach as the professor’s way of war. So the pundits were craving clarity Monday night when he took the stage at the National Defense University in Washington, clamoring for something like an Obama Doctrine, a few snappy sentences that encapsulate his foreign policy, a formula where you plug in the variables and get your answer each and every time.

    It didn’t happen. It was never going to happen. Nor should it have happened.

    In typically Obamastic fashion, he rejected the arguments of those who suggested we should have allowed a humanitarian disaster to unfold while the world watched (that would have “been a betrayal of who we are”), and similarly dismantled the arguments of those who want a more aggressive, expansive, expensive campaign.

    ….

  132. Nice read and a reminder to those voted for him, both the satisfied and the poutraged. Think the msm is finally turning the tide ? Hope so.

  133. watching CNN they are posing the question. Do you believe in the Obama Doctrine. Many are agreeing and like his approach.

  134. No…read the transcript from last night’s address, or check it out on youtube to hear about Libya straight from the President’s mouth :-).

  135. thanks u so much for the warning. I wish more people would do this, also before the Oh my god we doomed and pundit such and such said blah blah. *presses down arrow key scroll is my friend and keeps me sane* 😀

  137. Hi BWD gang, I just had to come on to share a quick success story from Obama’s HAMP (mortgage modification program). while it took my friend a year of hassling with the bank; she was finally approved for her modification.

    This gets her out of her interest only ARM product to a fixed Principal & interest payment. Also lowers her overall mtg payment about $400/mo. So while PBO can’t help the banks dragging their feet, without his insistence and creation of this program my friend would have remained up a creek with no paddle.

    Funny that stories like this get so little attention.

  138. ((((((kelly))))))

    It’s amazing, because WiW has almost the exact same suggestion upthread; I did that before even reading it! I love this warning labels idea, because I can rant when the mood strikes, but don’t have to feel guilty about bringing other people down because they’ve been alerted to scroll past a negative thread. And when I personally don’t feel like reading negativity, I will be scrolling past as well and won’t feel compelled to say, “who cares what they say etc.” I really like this approach.

  140. Although I was registered as a Republican (I know, I know how could I?) up until Obama came on the scene I thought of myself as an Independent. I just didn’t like not being able to vote on much of anything in the Primaries so left my original registration in tact. I really don’t think I much ever voted Republican though as I voted more for the person.

    As I look back on my philosophy I realize I was more in line with the Democratic party than the Republican party but my own family was Republican.

    I changed my registration to the Democratic Party so I could vote for Sen. Obama in the Primary.

    I will most likely stay part of the Democratic Party as I never even can fathom ever voting Republican again after all the sheningans they are pulling now and their blatent alignment with the Corporations and their unAmerican greed. I might change to Independent as I really am annoyed with the ideologically driven Far Left and their criticism of our President.

    I think what first attracted me to PBO was his more middle of the road, pro middle America views, his pragmatism, his intelligence, his character, and his ability to listen and see value on both sides.

    I too think many on the Left either just figured PBO was just talking and they could sway him to what they wanted or just never did their homework when he ran. I read his two major books and looked up his state and Federal Senate voting records. I also researched all the arguments against him to see most were not truthful.

    Our President had a real record of accomplishment prior to coming into office. Comparing the records of HRC and BHO in what kind of legislation they authored or cosponsored showed a huge difference in value of the bills. It was like comparing working on Nuclear Proliferation and proclaiming a holiday for a soccer team.

    I for one am not surprised this man, our President says what he means and means what he says. He walks his talk and I had already known that from my research from before he was elected. The best known indicator of future behaviors is based on past behaviors.

  141. Hey guys this is my first time posting a comment on this site though I love reading all of the comments and I agree with you guys.

    I use to post on the Huffington post but I got tired of that. But I think that the PL (far Left) are crazy. Dennis the Menace talking about this being a war with disregard for the Libyans who were getting killed by the thousands by Ghaddafi and talking about the cost of this intervention when I don’t recall him talking about this during the Bosnia conflict. I also went on Daily Kos and they are using MLK to smear Obama again by saying “What would MLK do ?”. And some of the comments were trying to equate the rebels and Libyans against Ghaddafi to Ghaddafi and his forces. And how this is a plot by the CIA and that the CIA had it’s hand in Ghaddafi coming into power (though that is true that was a number of decades ago way before Obama came into office and that was based on Cold War policy between the U.S. and Russia).

    Sorry for the rant but the PL are crazy and I am officially done with them.

  143. There was some retreat this morning from one city. Gadaffi’s forces pushed them back. So yes, it’s true.

  144. The bad boys in WI got smacked down on their first legal maneauver: asking that the TRO be rescinded because it was ‘moot’ because the law had been ‘published.’

    “Fat chance, and I’m no idiot” is my translation of the judge’s take.

  146. Many will unfortunately. He is a big bs’er – I live in Florida and saw how he managed to manipulate the people here.

  148. Welcome, Jeremy.

    IMO, the far left has become as toxic and conspiracy-laden as the far right. They will stop at nothing to smear PBO. I stopped visiting the sites you mention a long time ago because the posters on those sites were getting on my last nerve.

  149. Welcome Jeremy. You will find this site a more peaceful place to visit and share thoughts.

  150. Welcome, Jeremy! I too use to go to those 2 but got so depressed. So happy when BWD started this place. This family here will help to keep you informed and sane!

  151. Thanks guys !

    Yeah doom and gloom 24/7 at those sites really gets old. President Obama has done many great thing since becoming President some things I didn’t even know.

  152. Welcome aboard Jeremy glad you are here. you can just call me tulips if the name is to long.

  153. Thanks for posting that. I had a feeling that he wasn’t a true member of the Glenn Greenwald club and have been waiting for his comments. Doubt we’ll see his clarification on any of those sites who proclaimed him their hero and the second coming to Daniel Ellsberg. Or worse they will denounce him for speaking a truth that differs from their opinion.

  154. What I love about this sit is all the information everyone brings things you might not hear about anywhere else. And the discussing of issues is done in a very civil manner even if you disagree! This place has helped me to believe again!

  155. I’ve been watching her, too. She’s really good, and right in the middle of everything.

  156. I just can’t believe the level of maliciousness, which is given the imprimatur, visibility, and credibility of a Salon platform. And yet this guy calls bwd a propagandist?

  159. Great, positive and actionable comments. Someone made a similar excellent point in the discussion yesterday (or the day before) about energy attracting like energy. I’ve heard similar theories before, and it’s important to keep reminding each other. The more positive we are, the more positive we become – and vice versa. It’s easy to fall into the negativity pit, and it will take all of us to pull each other out. There’s a difference between awareness of the nonsense, and wallowing in it – to which I’m often victim, as well. But, as we head into a very ugly election cycle with a bunch of crazies on the ballot, spouting their hatred etc., it will behoove us to start training ourselves now to lean to the positive, rather than the negative.

    Thanks for the gentle reminder!

  161. I think our SOS Clinton said that if he walked on water the critics would complain that he couldn’t swim.

  162. GN, I really appreciate your sensitivity to, and considerateness of, people who hold different views from you. Nevertheless, I don’t think that speaking TRUTH should ever be considered a negative. All you are doing is speaking the truth.

    I’ve listened to the PL as they waged a relentless war, demonizing the President, because he did not prosecute President Bush and his cronies, under International Law, for war crimes. Yet, these are the same people who are now attacking him because he decided to participate in enforcing International law to prevent impending genocide and crimes against humanity.

    I am sorry, but I will not forget, nor forgive the self-indulgence of these “spoiled” people whose sole preoccupation is spreading the hatred of President Obama, while pretending to care for International law and human rights. It seems to me that these anti-Obama PL are only concerned with supporting human rights in the abstract. The people and organizations, that are genuinely focused on saving lives, such as Bishop Tutu and Human Rights Watch, know that the U.N. and President Obama did the right thing about Libya.

    I’ve lived long enough to know that there are no guarantees in Life. And certainly there are no guarantees in politics. I will work hard for the re-election of this wise, intelligent and compassionate young man we elected President. But if the majority in this country decide to buy into the hatred of the President, that is coming from both the left and the right, and President Obama is denied a second term, I am convinced that the world will always remember him as a great man who, in a relatively short time, inspired hope and change all across the globe.

  163. Once again GN, as I commented on you earlier “negative” comment, I don’t think you should be equating telling the TRUTH with being negative. The propaganda being waged by folks and groups you listed, about the so called torture of Bradley Manning, is just that propaganda; It’s all aimed at discrediting the President. I’ve yet to see any credible evidence that Private Manning is being tortured. So, I don’t think that you are being negative. What you are doing is truth telling which deprives the liars another false weapon they are using to demonize the President.

    I think you are one of most fair and considerate people that comment on this site and the other sites I’ve visited. I am sure no one, with any smidgen of objectivity, will ever accuse you of being negative. For me, I just admire your clarity and your reasonableness.

  164. I think a return thank you is in order for suggesting the two threads and for convincing BWD to go along with your suggestion. I really enjoyed visiting both threads. As many people have already observed, you are certainly a terrific thinker and writer. I know I am not alone in appreciating your invaluable contributions to this site.

    Since it’s already Wednesday in California I hope you have a wonderful Wednesday!

  165. Hi Nathan, thanks for the thoughtful reply as always. Just to clarify, I’m not calling myself negative; the content which I was discussing is negative. Some folks don’t want to read it, for a variety of reasons, none of which are offensive to me at all. As much as I can cater to that desire, and to allow people to easily skip over and choose the content which they prefer to consume, I think it’s worth the time and care to do that. Reactions to media and critic negativity is not fun content for everyone as it is for some of us; I’m going to continue to be mindful of that.

    And your comment is superb.

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