Rape is rape, except when it's done by a liberal artiste

CORDES

Updated at 3:30 p.m ET

(CBS News) Republican Rep. Todd Akin on Monday apologized for the controversial remarks he made over the weekend about abortion and rape, but he said he has no plans to drop out of the Missouri Senate race despite building pressure from within the GOP.

"What I said was ill-conceived, and it was wrong," Akin said on former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee's radio show Monday. "I really just want to apologize to those that I've hurt."

Akin's apology came as President Obama suggested the Republican's remarks illustrated the broad differences between Democrats and Republicans on issues like health care and reproductive rights.

"Rape is rape," Mr. Obama told reporters at the daily White House briefing Monday. "And the idea that we should be parsing and qualifying and slicing what types of rape we're talking about doesn't make sense to the American people and certainly doesn't make sense to me."

Mr. Obama added that Akin's remarks underscore "why we shouldn't have a bunch of politicians, a majority of whom are men, making health care decisions on behalf of women."

The president acknowledged that his GOP rival Mitt Romney and other Republicans have distanced themselves from Akin's statements. However, he said, "The underlying notion that we should be making decisions on behalf of women for their health care decisions, or qualifying 'forcible rape' versus 'non-forcible rape' -- those are broader issues....between me and the other party."

The controversy started after Akin, a six-term Missouri conservative now running against Democratic Sen. Claire McCaskill, was asked in a local interview on Sunday whether he would support abortions for women who have been raped.

"It seems to me first of all, from what I understand from doctors, that's really rare," Akin said in the interview. "If it's a legitimate rape, the female body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down," Akin said of a rape victim's chances of becoming pregnant.

Romney abortion view overrides Ryan in Akin response
Romney, Scott Brown rebuke Akin's rape comments
Mo. Rep. Todd Akin: Rape rarely leads to pregnancy

Romney called the remarks "inexcusable," while some Republican senators like Scott Brown of Massachusetts and Ron Johnson of Wisconsin called for him to drop out of the Senate race.

Some liberals tried to tie other Republicans to Akin's comments, noting that Romney's running mate, Rep. Paul Ryan, co-sponsored an abortion-related bill with Akin that would have limited federal funding for abortions to victims of forcible rape," rather than just rape. The FBI's definition of rape is known as "forcible rape," and it is used to distinguish between statutory rape and other kinds of rape.

Huckabee asked Akin whether he was talking about "forcible rape" when he used the term "legitimate rape."

"I was talking about forcible rape, and it was absolutely the wrong word," Akin said.

Akin said he understands that women can become pregnant from rape. "I didn't mean to imply that wasn't the case," he said. "That does happen."

While Akin acknowledged he made a "very, very serious error," he added that he's not dropping out of the Senate race.

"I don't know that I'm the only person in public office who suffered from foot-in-mouth disease," he said. "I feel just as strongly as ever that my background and ability will be a big asset in replacing Claire McCaskill... Just because someone makes a mistake doesn't make them useless."

Later in the day, Akin wrote on Twitter, "I am in this race to win. We need a conservative Senate." His Twitter message also included a link to his fundraising page.

As the Washington Post notes, the Republican Party can't force Akin to drop out of the race, but he could voluntarily resign by 5 p.m. Tuesday, or he could withdraw from the race by court order by Sept. 25.

In spite of Akin's insistence that he'll stay in the race, the pressure Monday continued to build against him. The National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) told Akin Monday it would no longer financially support his Senate bid if he chose to stay in the race, a GOP source told CBS News.

Sen. John Cornyn of Texas, chairman of the NRSC, said in a public statement that Akin's comments were "wrong, offensive, and indefensible," though he stopped short of explicitly calling on him to exit the race.

"I recognize that this is a difficult time for him, but over the next twenty-four hours, Congressman Akin should carefully consider what is best for him, his family, the Republican Party, and the values that he cares about and has fought for throughout his career in public service," Cornyn said.

Meanwhile, the Karl Rove-backed super PAC American Crossroads confirmed to CBS News that it is pulling its ads from Missouri. "The act speaks for itself," Crossroads said to CBS regarding its decision to pull its ads.

The editors of the conservative magazine the National Review wrote Monday that it was time for Akin to step aside.

Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell also called Akin's comments "totally inexcusable."

"What he said is just flat wrong in addition to being wildly offensive to any victim of sexual abuse," McConnell said in a statement. "Although Representative Akin has apologized, I believe he should take time with his family to consider whether this statement will prevent him from effectively representing our party in this critical election."


Remember when that master of relevant social commentary, Whoopi Goldberg, said that what Roman Polanski did to a young teenager in the 1970s wasn't "rape rape"? I won't say she is as vital to anyone as this Akin dude, but, really, where was THIS sort of broad shock across the media then?!

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-57496599-503544/akin-apologizes-for-ra...

Posted via email from Like, Totally Political Dude! - posterous

Rape is rape, except when it's done by a liberal artiste

Media_httpiicomcomcnw_fqgsw

Remember when that master of relevant social commentary, Whoopi Goldberg, said that what Roman Polanski did to a young teenager in the 1970s wasn't "rape rape"? I won't say she is as vital to anyone as this Akin dude, but, really, where was THIS sort of broad shock across the media then?!

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-57496599-503544/akin-apologizes-for-ra...

Posted via email from Like, Totally Political Dude! - posterous

Who is he?

In this July 14, 2012, file photo, President Barack Obama holds a campaign rally in a downpour at the historic Walkerton Tavern & Gardens in Glen Allen, Va. Nearly four years after Barack Obama was elected to the most powerful office in the most powerful country in the world, the question remains: Who is he? This is a man who seemed to come out of nowhere. He had served seven years in the Illinois state Senate, and less than four years in the U.S. Senate _ a meager political resume, augmented by a stirring speech at the 2004 Democratic National Convention. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)

In this July 14, 2012, file photo, President Barack Obama holds a campaign rally in a downpour at the historic Walkerton Tavern & Gardens in Glen Allen, Va. Nearly four years after Barack Obama was elected to the most powerful office in the most powerful country in the world, the question remains: Who is he? This is a man who seemed to come out of nowhere. He had served seven years in the Illinois state Senate, and less than four years in the U.S. Senate _ a meager political resume, augmented by a stirring speech at the 2004 Democratic National Convention. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)

Nearly four years after Barack Obama was elected to the most powerful office in the most powerful country in the world, the question remains: Who is he?

He seemed to come out of nowhere. He had served seven years in the Illinois Senate, and less than four years in the U.S. Senate — a meager political resume, augmented by a stirring speech at the 2004 Democratic National Convention.

His was an exotic story, at least by the standards of the 42 white men who preceded him in office. Son of a black African and white Kansan, born in Hawaii, raised there and in Indonesia, he was something new, and America seemed ready for him. He won almost 9.5 million votes more than John McCain.

And yet, "there was the feeling that we knew less than we needed to know" about our new president, says Janny Scott, author of "A Singular Woman," a biography of Stanley Ann Dunham, Obama's mother. "He didn't fit a comfortable template."

Four years have passed. We have watched Obama as commander in chief, waging wars in Iraq and Afghanistan — and we have seen him accept the Nobel Peace Prize. We have seen him grapple with a dismal economy and a relentless opposition. We have been spectators to a grueling fight over health care from which he emerged victorious — if only just barely. All of this in the glare of a fierce and unyielding media spotlight.

By now, we should have a fix on the man who is asking for a second term.

But still we ask: Who is Barack Obama?

___

On the last night of April in 2011, Obama put on his black tie for the annual White House Correspondents' Association dinner at the Washington Hilton. Obama was in good form that night; he congratulated Donald Trump, then considering a run for the Republican nomination, on his recent decision to fire actor Gary Busey on "Celebrity Apprentice."

"These are the kinds of decisions that would keep me up at night," Obama said, to peals of laughter. "Well-handled, sir. Well-handled."

What his audience didn't realize — what few people knew at that moment — was that Obama had, just hours before, given the go-ahead for the mission that would claim the life of America's Public Enemy No. 1, Osama bin Laden. It was a huge gamble, perhaps the biggest of Obama's presidency.

"If that failed, it really would have been a political disaster," says historian Robert Dallek, who has written books on presidents from Franklin Roosevelt to Ronald Reagan. "It would have been reminiscent of Jimmy Carter and the helicopter going down in the Iranian desert" in an ill-starred effort to rescue American hostages from Tehran.

If Obama was nervous, he kept it hidden. In fact, he played nine holes of golf the next morning, before returning to the White House to monitor the unfolding mission during what he later described as "the longest 40 minutes of my life."

It was retired Air Force Chief of Staff Tony McPeak, an Obama supporter, who first called him "No-Drama Obama" during the 2008 campaign. The nickname stuck, perhaps because sang-froid is central to Obama's personality.

"That measured approach to everything characterizes a lot of what he has done," says David M. Kennedy, Pulitzer Prize-winning historian. "It's kind of remarkable how he has stayed in character, as if he were the calm, cool grown-up in the room."

This has not always worked in his favor; he has frustrated supporters who say he does not express righteous anger when he should.

Kennedy recalls that in 1936, when FDR was running for his second term, he declared the start of the second New Deal — and pronounced himself ready to take on the many, moneyed powers aligned against him: "They are unanimous in their hate for me — and I welcome their hatred."

Obama, Kennedy says, is "temperamentally incapable" of taking that kind of stand. "It's just not in his bloodstream."

___

His education in Java, the main island of Indonesia, taught him not to show his emotions, author Scott says, and the story of his life with (and without) Ann Dunham explains a lot about her son.

Not that everyone believes the Obama story.

Drive along Interstate 78, near Fredericksburg, and you'll see a billboard in the gentle, rolling hills of the Pennsylvania Dutch Country. It bears just five words: "Where's the real birth certificate?" ''Real" is in red, the rest in black.

The name "Barack Obama" is nowhere to be found, but there is no mistaking the message. More than a year after the White House released copies of the birth certificate on file in Hawaii, a conservative website still questions whether the president is an American.

The "birthers" are easy to marginalize; a Gallup poll in 2011 found that only 13 percent of Americans believed Obama was probably or definitely born in another country. But how to account for a recent Pew Research Center poll that found that only 49 percent knew Obama is a Christian? Perhaps it's just that his name sounds unusual to many American ears.

The fact is, as certified by the state of Hawaii, Barack Hussein Obama Jr. was born on Aug. 4, 1961, in Honolulu. His birth certificate lists his mother's race as "Caucasian" and his father as "African." In June of the next year, his father — a brilliant economist from Kenya — would leave his young family to study at Harvard. He would never return.

His son would tell the story in his own memoir, "Dreams from My Father," and it would be retold — with additions and amendments — by others, including Scott, New Yorker editor David Remnick and Washington Post writer David Maraniss. The outlines basically remain the same:

— How he spent his youth alternately in the care of his grandparents in Hawaii and his mother, who moved to Indonesia and a short-lived marriage to a geologist there. In Indonesia he would eat dog and snake; in Hawaii he would sample marijuana, and sample it some more.

—How he went on to Occidental College, Columbia University and Harvard Law, and along the way struggled to come to terms with his identity as a black man of mixed heritage in a white society. Genevieve Cook, a girlfriend of Obama's from New York, told Maraniss how "he felt like an impostor. Because he was so white. There was hardly a black bone in his body." And that she would later realize that, "in his own quest to resolve his ambivalence about black and white, it became very, very clear to me that he needed to go black."

—How he ended up in Chicago as a community organizer, working on the South Side. In doing so, he would credit his mother and her work in Indonesia as his inspiration.

Much has been made of the omissions and inaccuracies found by Obama's biographers in his memoir. For example, Obama did not identify Cook, and would acknowledge later that he conflated her with another girlfriend. Some of Obama's opponents saw these discrepancies as evidence of slickness, or even con-artistry.

In her research, Scott found that Ann Dunham did not lack health insurance when she was dying of cancer, as her son would claim in pressing for his health care overhaul. Instead, she lacked disability insurance that would have paid other expenses.

"I don't see these things as an indictable offense," Scott says, chalking it up to a "failure of memory."

___

It is instructive that Obama, now 51, brought his own personal narrative — his most powerful weapon — to the health care fight. It is the signal achievement of his first term, but it came at great cost: time and energy and political capital in the midst of a raging recession.

"The president is an intellectually ambitious man who is temperamentally cautious," says Sean Wilentz, a professor of history at Princeton.

For health care, he was all in.

"I don't think a system is working when small businesses are gouged and 15,000 Americans are losing coverage every single day; when premiums have doubled and out-of-pocket costs have exploded and they're poised to do so again," Obama told a gathering of Republican lawmakers in 2010. "I mean, to be fair, the status quo is working for the insurance industry, but it's not working for the American people. It's not working for our federal budget. It needs to change."

The Republicans did not agree, and though his party had control of the House for the first two years of his presidency, Obama had to compromise again and again to ensure that he could hold on to every Democratic vote in the Senate, because he needed every vote.

In 2008, Obama offered the promise of a post-partisan age. That glimmering vision died in the debate over health care.

All along the way, Obama encountered lock-step opposition from Republicans. The most dramatic example, perhaps, was last summer's confrontation over raising the debt ceiling, in which the country came perilously close to defaulting on its obligations. Obama thought he had reached a "grand bargain" with House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, to cut spending and raise revenues, but then Boehner walked away. The Republicans insist they never neared an agreement.

Some opponents have charged that Obama was advancing socialism. His government did take over much of the auto industry for a time, seeing General Motors and Chrysler through bankruptcy. He did press for stronger regulation of the financial industry in the wake of the crisis that launched the Great Recession, and like most Democratic administrations his government is generally more bullish on regulation than are Republicans.

But daunted by the challenge of winning congressional approval, he sought a smaller stimulus than many thought necessary. His efforts to protect homeowners threatened with foreclosure have come up short. And surprisingly few bankers — but no high-level executives of major banks — are in jail on charges related to the financial crisis.

___

So he's not a socialist. In some ways, it's easiest to define Obama by what he's not.

He is clearly not a pacifist, though he was elected on a pledge to end the Iraq War, and he did.

But he also sent men to kill bin Laden. He helped engineer the international campaign that ended the life and regime of Libya's Moammar Gadhafi. He decimated the leadership of al-Qaida, cutting them down from above with a drove of drones.

And he escalated the war in Afghanistan, threading the needle between generals who wanted an even larger force and his own vice president, Joe Biden, who wanted to pull troops out. In his book, "Obama's Wars," Bob Woodward describes a president who is deeply involved in planning, one who recoiled when military leaders tried to convince him that his only real option was to send 40,000 troops with an open-ended commitment.

"I'm not going to make a commitment that leaves my successor with more troops than I inherited in Afghanistan," Obama said.

In the end, he decided to send 30,000 more troops immediately, and to begin to withdraw them in July 2011.

He would later tell Woodward that he was too young to be burdened with "the baggage that arose out of the dispute of the Vietnam War" — he didn't feel any adversarial relationship with the military, or "a hawk/dove kind of thing."

Nor was he worried about defeat. "I think about it not so much in the classic, do you lose a war on my watch? Or win a war on a president's watch? I think about it more in terms of, do you successfully prosecute a strategy that results in the country being stronger rather than weaker at the end of it."

This is a man, remember, who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2009, before he had even served a year in office. When he was informed of the award, he seemed abashed, describing himself as "surprised" and "deeply humbled."

When he accepted the prize, though, he gave an acceptance speech like no other. First, he noted the irony of accepting a peace prize even as he was commander in chief of a military waging two wars. Then, he went on to explain that, while he revered Mohandas Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr., he could not follow their example in every way.

"I face the world as it is, and cannot stand idle in the face of threats to the American people. For make no mistake: Evil does exist in the world. A non-violent movement could not have halted Hitler's armies. Negotiations cannot convince al-Qaida's leaders to lay down their arms. ...

"And yet this truth must coexist with another — that no matter how justified, war promises human tragedy. The soldier's courage and sacrifice is full of glory, expressing devotion to country, to cause, to comrades in arms. But war itself is never glorious, and we must never trumpet it as such."

___

The Oslo speech was widely praised. It was an exception in that way; in his first term, Barack Obama rarely delivered the kinds of extraordinary speeches that sent him to the White House in the first place. Instead, he offered well-written, logical addresses that were rarely memorable. The irony: Elected as a master communicator, he is sometimes criticized for failing to use his skills to enlist the public in his causes, like health care reform.

"Most people thought he would let his rhetoric do the work for him," says Douglas Brinkley, a historian whose books include biographies of Gerald Ford and Jimmy Carter.

But "he hasn't told his story well enough," Brinkley says. Obama himself has said as much: "The mistake of my first term — couple of years — was thinking that this job was just about getting the policy right," he told CBS' Charlie Rose last month. "But the nature of this office is also to tell a story to the American people."

Many thought that in electing Obama, Americans had chosen a president who would be bold and steadfast in pressing his agenda. Instead, he has drawn criticism from both the right and the left for being too coy, too willing to step back and let others lead.

"Instead of drawing clear lines and putting forward detailed proposals," conservative columnist Ross Douthat wrote in The New York Times after the debt ceiling fiasco, "the president has played Mr. Compromise — ceding ground to Republicans here, sermonizing about Tea Party intransigence and Washington gridlock there, and fleshing out his preferred approach reluctantly, if at all."

All agree that he does work hard, and is truly engaged by his work. CBS Radio's Mark Knoller keeps track of presidents' comings and goings. This past May, he said Obama had spent all or part of 54 days at the Camp David presidential retreat in Maryland. At the same point in his first term, George W. Bush had been there for all or part of 256 days.

This is not to say that Obama is averse to regular-guy moments of fun — say, a quick trip to a burger joint with the vice president. He startled an audience at a fundraiser at Harlem's Apollo Theater by breaking into a few bars of Al Green's "Let's Stay Together."

But the informal Obama is not necessarily convincing. When white police Sgt. James Crowley arrested black Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates as he tried to get into his own home and charged him with disorderly conduct, Obama said Crowley had "acted stupidly." (He later would say the phrase was ill-chosen.) To settle the issue, Obama held a "beer summit," inviting Gates and Crowley to come to the White House for a few brewskies. The event was lampooned: "This could be trouble, because the last time Obama got a few beers in him, he bought General Motors," said comedian Conan O'Brien.

Mostly, he remains a dignified and graceful figure — graying, like many of his predecessors, under the weight of office. He is, at heart, a dad, and Brinkley thinks that is one of the reasons his popularity ratings remain high.

"His strongest suit may be in the end that he is such a tremendous husband, a tremendous father," says Brinkley. "Even his mother-in-law lives in the White House."

There's also first lady Michelle Obama; and 11-year-old Sasha and 14-year-old Malia; and there is Bo, the Portuguese water dog the girls were promised as a reward for leaving Chicago to move to the executive mansion.

Obama's fatherly impulses have surfaced at many of the most painful moments of the past four years. When he visited the victims of the shootings in Aurora, Colo., and their survivors, he said he was doing so as a "father and as a husband." And after the killing of a black teenager, Trayvon Martin, by neighborhood watch volunteer George Zimmerman in Sanford, Fla., Obama spoke not only of his feelings as a parent, but as a man who understood firsthand the possible consequences of skin color:

"If I had a son, he'd look like Trayvon."

No other president could have said those words.

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  • Comments » 139

    Former_Hoosier writes:

    But his college transcripts ....

    blue2golf writes:

    Another puff piece from the A.P. This item belongs in the "Parade" insert, or on Entertainment Tonight. It does not belong in the news section.

    vidalia writes:

    I voted for hope and change and instead I got a dope and pain.

    tommyromo writes:

    yes the media lied and got a "blank slate elected".....now the media lies to get a slate full of failures elected.....not this time AP......

    poolshark47 writes:

    in response to tommyromo:

    yes the media lied and got a "blank slate elected".....now the media lies to get a slate full of failures elected.....not this time AP......

    Amen.

    Ace__Dad writes:

    Excellent article.

    Anyone voted into office 4 years ago would continue to struggle with the world economy the way it is, regardless of political party.

    Having lived 12 of my 56 years in the Washington DC metroplex I have a little better understanding of the challenges of national leadership, bipartisan support, and trying to bridge the gap between the extremists on the left side and the extremists on the right side. Not sure you could have done a better job.

    So, when faced with voting for Barrack Obama or Mitt Romney, Obama is the easy choice.

    For those of you still looking for a birth certificate.......who cares?

    Ace__Dad writes:

    in response to tommyromo:

    yes the media lied and got a "blank slate elected".....now the media lies to get a slate full of failures elected.....not this time AP......

    Are you a sheep? Do you have your own mind? Can you read? Can you do your own research? Can you listen to differing opinions and develop your own? As I said to my class on Friday after a two hour discusion on the Role of the Media in the Military: only an idiot blames the media for the citizens' decision.

    Ace__Dad writes:

    in response to vidalia:

    I voted for hope and change and instead I got a dope and pain.

    Define hope. Define change. I bet you are not smart enough to operationalize, describe, or conceptualize either. In other words, you whine.

    Any examples about how your life is worse off in the last 4 years?

    Ace__Dad writes:

    in response to blue2golf:

    Another puff piece from the A.P. This item belongs in the "Parade" insert, or on Entertainment Tonight. It does not belong in the news section.

    Must be rough not to be able to discuss both sides of the same coin?

    The article provided the good, the bad, and the ugly of President Obama and you are not sophisticated enough to reflect upon other positions.

    Re read the article again or have someone read it to you. Excellent, balanced article.

    retiredhomicide writes:

    in response to Ace__Dad:

    Excellent article.

    Anyone voted into office 4 years ago would continue to struggle with the world economy the way it is, regardless of political party.

    Having lived 12 of my 56 years in the Washington DC metroplex I have a little better understanding of the challenges of national leadership, bipartisan support, and trying to bridge the gap between the extremists on the left side and the extremists on the right side. Not sure you could have done a better job.

    So, when faced with voting for Barrack Obama or Mitt Romney, Obama is the easy choice.

    For those of you still looking for a birth certificate.......who cares?

    "For those of you still looking for a birth certificate.......who cares?"

    America cares and so should you. So why was the fake BC posted on the White House website if he was really born where he said? Why does he have a forged Selective Service registration card? Why does he have a Connecticut social security number? Why is he refusing to release his college transcripts/records? The questions continue to go unanswered.

    tommyromo writes:

    in response to Ace__Dad:

    Are you a sheep? Do you have your own mind? Can you read? Can you do your own research? Can you listen to differing opinions and develop your own? As I said to my class on Friday after a two hour discusion on the Role of the Media in the Military: only an idiot blames the media for the citizens' decision.

    i stand by my post.....the media did elect the idiot with their lies and half truths......why you may ask i know this because after 4 years obama is a disaster......now with the facts accounted for only a racist fool would defend little barry now......

    Ace__Dad writes:

    in response to tommyromo:

    i stand by my post.....the media did elect the idiot with their lies and half truths......why you may ask i know this because after 4 years obama is a disaster......now with the facts accounted for only a racist fool would defend little barry now......

    The media informs.

    Citizens vote.

    Losers whine about the results of the vote.

    Ace__Dad writes:

    in response to retiredhomicide:

    "For those of you still looking for a birth certificate.......who cares?"

    America cares and so should you. So why was the fake BC posted on the White House website if he was really born where he said? Why does he have a forged Selective Service registration card? Why does he have a Connecticut social security number? Why is he refusing to release his college transcripts/records? The questions continue to go unanswered.

    "America cares and so should you."

    No, RH, most Americans do not care. About 12% of the populace is concerned. Get over it already.

    "So why was the fake BC posted on the White House website if he was really born where he said?"

    Just like the fake homicide investigation documents you signed? Be careful about allegations when you do not have first hand knowledge. The allegations become Urban Legends.

    "Why does he have a forged Selective Service registration card?"

    Similiar to the forged crime lab report you submitted when you were in active service? Again, be careful about subjects when you do not have first hand knowledge.

    "Why does he have a Connecticut social security number?"

    Who cares? Is the SSN tied to him and his income for the last 30 odd years? Does he have more than one? Get over it already.

    "Why is he refusing to release his college transcripts/records?"

    Not a requirement to run for office or to be elected for office.

    "The questions continue to go unanswered."

    The man was elected President of the United States by the citizens of the United States of America. He was duly installed. In November you get the chance to vote for his opponent, Mitt Romney. Vote and stop the whining.

    Mandrake writes:

    Obama has accomplished much during his first term. He could have done even more if he wouldn't have spent the first couple of years trying to appease those who hate him. He wasted valuable time and a willing congress trying to reach out to those who call him a Kenyan. I think he will get another shot, a second term. If so, he will probably also have a less obstructionist congress and our country can again move forward.

    He has shown our country has a ways to go before truly being the United States of America again. We are currently a fractured amalgamation of states.

    tommyromo writes:

    in response to Ace__Dad:

    The media informs.

    Citizens vote.

    Losers whine about the results of the vote.

    sorry media does not inform any more....do your own research ace..... it is called the internet....citizens do vote sometimes non citizens vote the libs bread and butter..........losers so far america is the loser under this failure......whine wrong again ace......it is called work and get out the truth......why is little barry not running on his record....because he is jimmy carter on steroids all over......

    NOT_MY_NAME writes:

    in response to Ace__Dad:

    The media informs.

    Citizens vote.

    Losers whine about the results of the vote.

    I take it you're going to vote for OBAMA.

    NOT_MY_NAME writes:

    in response to Mandrake:

    Obama has accomplished much during his first term. He could have done even more if he wouldn't have spent the first couple of years trying to appease those who hate him. He wasted valuable time and a willing congress trying to reach out to those who call him a Kenyan. I think he will get another shot, a second term. If so, he will probably also have a less obstructionist congress and our country can again move forward.

    He has shown our country has a ways to go before truly being the United States of America again. We are currently a fractured amalgamation of states.

    Wow now you think Obama is going to get re-elected. A few weeks ago he was a shoo in.

    tommyromo writes:

    in response to NOT_MY_NAME:

    I take it you're going to vote for OBAMA.

    16000000000000 in debt....our credit rating down graded for the first time in history.......over 8% unemployment for 42 straight months.....gas prices skyrocketing......food prices skyrocketing.....and ace who calls himself a teacher is still backing obama.....wow.......

    retiredhomicide writes:

    in response to Ace__Dad:

    "America cares and so should you."

    No, RH, most Americans do not care. About 12% of the populace is concerned. Get over it already.

    "So why was the fake BC posted on the White House website if he was really born where he said?"

    Just like the fake homicide investigation documents you signed? Be careful about allegations when you do not have first hand knowledge. The allegations become Urban Legends.

    "Why does he have a forged Selective Service registration card?"

    Similiar to the forged crime lab report you submitted when you were in active service? Again, be careful about subjects when you do not have first hand knowledge.

    "Why does he have a Connecticut social security number?"

    Who cares? Is the SSN tied to him and his income for the last 30 odd years? Does he have more than one? Get over it already.

    "Why is he refusing to release his college transcripts/records?"

    Not a requirement to run for office or to be elected for office.

    "The questions continue to go unanswered."

    The man was elected President of the United States by the citizens of the United States of America. He was duly installed. In November you get the chance to vote for his opponent, Mitt Romney. Vote and stop the whining.

    Not one question was answered.

    retiredhomicide writes:

    in response to tommyromo:

    16000000000000 in debt....our credit rating down graded for the first time in history.......over 8% unemployment for 42 straight months.....gas prices skyrocketing......food prices skyrocketing.....and ace who calls himself a teacher is still backing obama.....wow.......

    Why bite the hand that feeds you.

    fedupoldvet writes:

    Still, he is by far a much better choice than Ryan/Rmoney....Just like 4 years ago with McCain/ Palin...

    And if you'll ponder it a few minutes...I'll bet YOU are better off now than you were 4 years ago...

    Ace__Dad writes:

    in response to tommyromo:

    sorry media does not inform any more....do your own research ace..... it is called the internet....citizens do vote sometimes non citizens vote the libs bread and butter..........losers so far america is the loser under this failure......whine wrong again ace......it is called work and get out the truth......why is little barry not running on his record....because he is jimmy carter on steroids all over......

    "sorry media does not inform any more....do your own research ace....."

    It does if you watch Fox News and MSNBC. I do.

    It does if you read the Washington Post (Liberal), Washington Times (Conservative) each day. I do.

    "sometimes non citizens vote the libs bread and butter.........."

    These so called non-citizens who vote (they do not) also work (1)in agricultural industries; (2) food service jobs; (3) the housing industry: and (4) do many other jobs to keep this country humming.

    "losers so far america is the loser under this failure"

    This comment makes no sense.

    "...whine wrong again ace......it is called work and get out the truth......why is little barry not running on his record....because he is jimmy carter on steroids all over......"

    History will determine how well or poorly President Obama performed, not biased idiots. I am not calling you a biased idiot ;)

    Ace__Dad writes:

    in response to NOT_MY_NAME:

    I take it you're going to vote for OBAMA.

    I will, as long as Mitt Romney is the Republican nominee. The Conservatives could have done so much better.

    Ace__Dad writes:

    in response to tommyromo:

    16000000000000 in debt....our credit rating down graded for the first time in history.......over 8% unemployment for 42 straight months.....gas prices skyrocketing......food prices skyrocketing.....and ace who calls himself a teacher is still backing obama.....wow.......

    Yup.

    Why?

    Because if Senator McCain would have been elected 4 years ago we would still have the same problems. Are you familiar with positive correlation? You extremists (both Democrats and Republicans) believe the POTUS directly controls and influences economic outcome. He does not. The POTUS can only do so much to deal with an international economic malaise or a domestic depression or recession. Again, we are going through a down cycle and if Jesus Christ was President (no disrespect meant) we were in for bad times.

    If Senator McCain would have been elected President, then the extremist from the Democratic party would be on this site pissing on his name.

    It is ok to disagree with an opposing party's platoform or policies. I got it. Both sides have taken this too far.

    Ace__Dad writes:

    in response to retiredhomicide:

    Not one question was answered.

    RH, you were xitch slapped with my response and you are not sophisticated enough to know it.

    blue2golf writes:

    in response to Ace__Dad:

    Must be rough not to be able to discuss both sides of the same coin?

    The article provided the good, the bad, and the ugly of President Obama and you are not sophisticated enough to reflect upon other positions.

    Re read the article again or have someone read it to you. Excellent, balanced article.

    A little tart today are we? No need to have someone read this article for me, nor do I need a lecture transmitted from the alternate reality you inhabit.

    I say it again, this worship piece belongs somewhere else, "O" magazine prehaps.

    Ace__Dad writes:

    in response to retiredhomicide:

    Why bite the hand that feeds you.

    RH, I have worked since I was the age of 16. I continue to work today. I paid 34K in federal taxes last year and some of that money probably went to Americans who are less fortunate than me, and that is ok.

    You are a retired cop who receives a pension, like me, from a governement entity. Your pension comes from a combination of your deductions during your law enforcement career, Indiana state taxes, and federal taxes. In other words, you are retired today because American citizens, rich and poor, black and white, paid taxes to supplement your retirement.

    So, do not bite the hand that feeds YOU.

    Ace__Dad writes:

    in response to fedupoldvet:

    Still, he is by far a much better choice than Ryan/Rmoney....Just like 4 years ago with McCain/ Palin...

    And if you'll ponder it a few minutes...I'll bet YOU are better off now than you were 4 years ago...

    You get it.

    The Republican Party has not figured out how to find a moderate Conservative who can appeal to the average American. I thought John McCain would have been a pretty good President. No way can I see Mitt Romney as POTUS. But if elected, I will support him.

    dveatch writes:

    in response to Ace__Dad:

    The media informs.

    Citizens vote.

    Losers whine about the results of the vote.

    Lol. If you want to call what the media did during Obmamas presidential campaign "vetting" I can understand the things you post.

    dveatch writes:

    in response to Ace__Dad:

    Yup.

    Why?

    Because if Senator McCain would have been elected 4 years ago we would still have the same problems. Are you familiar with positive correlation? You extremists (both Democrats and Republicans) believe the POTUS directly controls and influences economic outcome. He does not. The POTUS can only do so much to deal with an international economic malaise or a domestic depression or recession. Again, we are going through a down cycle and if Jesus Christ was President (no disrespect meant) we were in for bad times.

    If Senator McCain would have been elected President, then the extremist from the Democratic party would be on this site pissing on his name.

    It is ok to disagree with an opposing party's platoform or policies. I got it. Both sides have taken this too far.

    Oh I dunno. Obmama seems to have gotten the knack of wielding executive orders. So if he can issue those directing selective enforcement of immigration laws, I see nothing that would stop him from issuing one that influences our economy.

    Ace__Dad writes:

    in response to dveatch:

    Lol. If you want to call what the media did during Obmamas presidential campaign "vetting" I can understand the things you post.

    Our founding fathers only wanted land owners and the educated to vote because they believed the average citizen not to be well-informed enough and that is one reason we have an electorial system. That was an era when farmers, ranchers, and Americans in faraway corners did not have access to information.

    Today we have too much information, misinformation, false information, and malinformation and the electorate is not sure what to belive. The internet worsens our ability to know the truth.

    So, again, the media informs. Read and listen from different sources and one can form his own opinion. Too many of us, both Conservatives and Liberals, spend too much time wallowing in our own bias.

    Ace__Dad writes:

    in response to blue2golf:

    A little tart today are we? No need to have someone read this article for me, nor do I need a lecture transmitted from the alternate reality you inhabit.

    I say it again, this worship piece belongs somewhere else, "O" magazine prehaps.

    Fair response.

    I take back my "tart."

    We will disagree.

    Now, I need for you to come back with a link of a better article that talks to the good, the bad, and the ugly of President Obama. Do you have one, or are you a whiner?

    Ace__Dad writes:

    in response to dveatch:

    Oh I dunno. Obmama seems to have gotten the knack of wielding executive orders. So if he can issue those directing selective enforcement of immigration laws, I see nothing that would stop him from issuing one that influences our economy.

    You are correct in that President Obama has over-indulged in Executive Orders. We agree.

    However, it is one thing to issue an Executive Order that tells a department what to do. It is another to try to directly influence the economy. So, you disagree with his policy decisions on the economy? I understand.

    If you were POTUS, what 3-5 policy decisions would you try to push through Congress to improve our economy: jobs, housing, education opportunity, medical access, etc, etc.

    Most Americans do not have frickin clue to how our government works. They simply whine when they are not doing well.

    seditious writes:

    in response to retiredhomicide:

    Not one question was answered.

    Sorry, but i don't believe you're retired homicide, or there are many innocent people in prison because of you.

    If you were an investigator you can easily find the answers to you idiotic questions.

    To Obama's college transcripts: By the way, why won't Mitt Romney won't release his?

    http://www.snopes.com/politics/obama/...

    As to Obama's SSN.
    http://www.snopes.com/politics/obama/...

    Selective Service Card

    http://www.debbieschlussel.com/archiv...

    I really hope the Innocence Project investigates your work.

    http://www.innocenceproject.org/

    Ace__Dad writes:

    in response to seditious:

    Sorry, but i don't believe you're retired homicide, or there are many innocent people in prison because of you.

    If you were an investigator you can easily find the answers to you idiotic questions.

    To Obama's college transcripts: By the way, why won't Mitt Romney won't release his?

    http://www.snopes.com/politics/obama/...

    As to Obama's SSN.
    http://www.snopes.com/politics/obama/...

    Selective Service Card

    http://www.debbieschlussel.com/archiv...

    I really hope the Innocence Project investigates your work.

    http://www.innocenceproject.org/

    I do believe he is a former police officer and retired homicide investigator. However, unlike a true investigator, RH only looks at one side of the situation and is not willing, at least on this site, to explore other ideas.

    Thanks for the legwork.

    seditious writes:

    in response to Ace__Dad:

    I do believe he is a former police officer and retired homicide investigator. However, unlike a true investigator, RH only looks at one side of the situation and is not willing, at least on this site, to explore other ideas.

    Thanks for the legwork.

    If that's true, then he most likely planted evidence to get convictions just like he does in his posts. A good investigator looks at more than one side of an investigation.

    coltslarry1 writes:

    in response to Ace__Dad:

    Yup.

    Why?

    Because if Senator McCain would have been elected 4 years ago we would still have the same problems. Are you familiar with positive correlation? You extremists (both Democrats and Republicans) believe the POTUS directly controls and influences economic outcome. He does not. The POTUS can only do so much to deal with an international economic malaise or a domestic depression or recession. Again, we are going through a down cycle and if Jesus Christ was President (no disrespect meant) we were in for bad times.

    If Senator McCain would have been elected President, then the extremist from the Democratic party would be on this site pissing on his name.

    It is ok to disagree with an opposing party's platoform or policies. I got it. Both sides have taken this too far.

    Thank you, The world as it realy is.

    retiredhomicide writes:

    in response to seditious:

    Sorry, but i don't believe you're retired homicide, or there are many innocent people in prison because of you.

    If you were an investigator you can easily find the answers to you idiotic questions.

    To Obama's college transcripts: By the way, why won't Mitt Romney won't release his?

    http://www.snopes.com/politics/obama/...

    As to Obama's SSN.
    http://www.snopes.com/politics/obama/...

    Selective Service Card

    http://www.debbieschlussel.com/archiv...

    I really hope the Innocence Project investigates your work.

    http://www.innocenceproject.org/

    I can care less what you believe about me. I looked at your links. Nothing was debunked. My earlier questions still remain unanswered. Fake BC on the WH website. Selective Service registration card with an 80 for year date. US government only uses a 4 digit year. And the 80 was an inverted 08. It is quite obvious. Your link still doesn't explain the Connecticut SSN. He never lived there, there was no reason to mail it to a Connecticut address.

    retiredhomicide writes:

    in response to seditious:

    If that's true, then he most likely planted evidence to get convictions just like he does in his posts. A good investigator looks at more than one side of an investigation.

    Name one case I ever planted evidence on? If not you are just blowing hot air.

    retiredhomicide writes:

    in response to Ace__Dad:

    I do believe he is a former police officer and retired homicide investigator. However, unlike a true investigator, RH only looks at one side of the situation and is not willing, at least on this site, to explore other ideas.

    Thanks for the legwork.

    I am sure you could teach me a lot about a true investigator with you serving on those mean streets of Ft. Sill. A true investigator can spot a fraud in a heartbeat. Much like the one we have in the White House.

    Mandrake writes:

    in response to retiredhomicide:

    Name one case I ever planted evidence on? If not you are just blowing hot air.

    I've known a couple of folks who have worked murder cases for EPD. I have a good idea of what they'd think of your screen name. I have other friends who are current officers. I've never read a thing in any of your posts to indicate you were ever a police officer. I don't believe you were.

    Anyone can claim to be anything here and often do.

    You birther claims and other unproven and specious charges against President Obama cry out for proof. Strong charges demand strong proof. Put it up.

    tommyromo writes:

    in response to retiredhomicide:

    I am sure you could teach me a lot about a true investigator with you serving on those mean streets of Ft. Sill. A true investigator can spot a fraud in a heartbeat. Much like the one we have in the White House.

    rh this is lib mental disorder.....if you do not agree with them......you do not research you only look at one side of situation......they are predictable.....because.....drum roll......they have to lie because only 25% of the population believe in their spread the wealth marxist ways.....

    retiredhomicide writes:

    in response to Mandrake:

    I've known a couple of folks who have worked murder cases for EPD. I have a good idea of what they'd think of your screen name. I have other friends who are current officers. I've never read a thing in any of your posts to indicate you were ever a police officer. I don't believe you were.

    Anyone can claim to be anything here and often do.

    You birther claims and other unproven and specious charges against President Obama cry out for proof. Strong charges demand strong proof. Put it up.

    Again I can care less what you think of me or believe. I have already posted the proof on here many times. And in fact it is a common belief among the law enforcement community that Obama is a fraud. If you don't believe me ask the folks that you claim to know that have worked murder cases.

    Rally2012-2013 writes:

    in response to Mandrake:

    I've known a couple of folks who have worked murder cases for EPD. I have a good idea of what they'd think of your screen name. I have other friends who are current officers. I've never read a thing in any of your posts to indicate you were ever a police officer. I don't believe you were.

    Anyone can claim to be anything here and often do.

    You birther claims and other unproven and specious charges against President Obama cry out for proof. Strong charges demand strong proof. Put it up.

    Attacking another poster I see. You just can’t act like an adult can you? I know the broken Dreams of Your Messiah has to be painful, but pull yourself together.

    seditious writes:

    in response to retiredhomicide:

    Again I can care less what you think of me or believe. I have already posted the proof on here many times. And in fact it is a common belief among the law enforcement community that Obama is a fraud. If you don't believe me ask the folks that you claim to know that have worked murder cases.

    I still don't believe you. Anyway here is what FOX News said about Obama, but we all know they lie, because Canada won't even let them broadcast there.

    http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2012/...

    http://latino.foxnews.com/latino/news...

    Mandrake writes:

    in response to Rally2012-2013:

    Attacking another poster I see. You just can’t act like an adult can you? I know the broken Dreams of Your Messiah has to be painful, but pull yourself together.

    Aw man, that hurts barron[sic].

    Stop acting like a child. You've been here basically embarrassing yourself for days now. It is getting comical. Almost time for you to give great ponder to growing up and possibly even getting a job.

    Your constant abuse of other posters here won't pay the bills if you ever ascend those cellar stairs and strike out on your own. I suspect you know Obama does have a record to run on and it's not too bad. You're probably looking at another four years of it.

    I'll be here to help shepherd you through. Offering advice when needed and correction as necessary.

    Rally2012-2013 writes:

    (This comment was removed by the site staff.)

    tommyromo writes:

    in response to Rally2012-2013:

    (This comment was removed by the site staff.)

    wow rally you have the truth facts and intellect to destroy these obama zombies.......like catching fish in a barrel.....lol

    IndianaEnoch writes:

    in response to Ace__Dad:

    Our founding fathers only wanted land owners and the educated to vote because they believed the average citizen not to be well-informed enough and that is one reason we have an electorial system. That was an era when farmers, ranchers, and Americans in faraway corners did not have access to information.

    Today we have too much information, misinformation, false information, and malinformation and the electorate is not sure what to belive. The internet worsens our ability to know the truth.

    So, again, the media informs. Read and listen from different sources and one can form his own opinion. Too many of us, both Conservatives and Liberals, spend too much time wallowing in our own bias.

    I think the problem with media and the intellectual level of our debates is that they have the depth of a bumper sticker. The internet is bumper stickers we shout at each other.

    I don't mind a media bias as long as they are honest about it. The CP is honest about their bias. If it wasn't, then we would be seeing more on the real problem's facing us, our national debt. If more people understood it, then Obama's birth certificate and Romney's taxes would not sell advertising time for the media.

    Obama does not get the problem and is therefore making it worse. I doubt Romney can make it better, and I have to keep reminding myself that we are not electing Ryan for president. I just hope by listening to Ryan that Romney has an ah-ha moment.

    The electoral college addresses the problem of state power over federal. Few understand that when we vote for president we are not electing him/her. The states elect the president. If we did not have the electoral college, fly over territory would be ignored for larger populations.

    IndianaEnoch writes:

    in response to Ace__Dad:

    Excellent article.

    Anyone voted into office 4 years ago would continue to struggle with the world economy the way it is, regardless of political party.

    Having lived 12 of my 56 years in the Washington DC metroplex I have a little better understanding of the challenges of national leadership, bipartisan support, and trying to bridge the gap between the extremists on the left side and the extremists on the right side. Not sure you could have done a better job.

    So, when faced with voting for Barrack Obama or Mitt Romney, Obama is the easy choice.

    For those of you still looking for a birth certificate.......who cares?

    Twelve years in the metroplex? Sorry my friend, I fear that experience may have harmed you more than helped you. :)

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    "By now, we should have a fix on the man who is asking for a second term.

    But still we ask: Who is Barack Obama?"

    And we will continue to do so, because he's got the cover of an awful lot of modern American liberal protectors. So, why keep him? He's made every promise that proved alternate to his actions, short of only a few. And Obamacare was, essentially, a surprise off the path of his campaign. Little wonder we still don't get who this guy is.

    Except a likeably former president.

    Posted via email from Like, Totally Political Dude! - posterous