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“There, peeping among the cloud-wrack above a dark tor high up in the mountains, Sam saw a white star twinkle for a while. The beauty of it smote his heart, as he looked up out of the forsaken land, and hope returned to him. For like a shaft, clear and cold, the thought pierced him that in the end the Shadow was only a small and passing thing: there was light and high beauty for ever beyond its reach.”
― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Return of the King

On the contrary, I think that Bush's less than mediocre grades throughout his scholastic career were a pretty good predictor of his subsequent intellectual rigor as president (or lack thereof). Regardless of his success or lack of succes before Harvard, the fact that Obama was able to be so successful there I certainly one factor that I consider in suppoting him. Not just that he had good grades, but that he exhibited the kind of leadership qualities even then that led him to be made president of the Law Review (and still managed to get good grades despite the huge time committment that required).

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'But very bright were the stars upon the margin of the world, when at times the clouds about the West were drawn aside.'

VtF, in reference to your last post in the other thread. You do know that being President of the Law review is a popularity contest, right? I mean, it's voted on by the other members, it has nothing to do with merit.

If anything, it shows he's good at getting elected.

Britons who hated Britain:
Cromwell, Milton, Bunyan, Penn, Blake, Wilberforce, Byron, Shelley, Dickens, Pankhurst, Lawrence, Orwell, countless trade unionists, reformers, journalists and preachers.

God bless'em.

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response to hal from the other thread:

Forgive me if I don't take your word on things pertaining to Jeremiah Wright. You seem to be too willing to throw out things like 'racist' and 'hates America'.

We've already had this discussion about people and their pastors. Others have said that they do not agree with everything their pastor says but that does not prohibit them from being a member of their church.

Since you haven't been sitting in on all of Wright's sermons for the past 20 years, you have no clue as to what they were mostly about. The stuff you're complaining about could have been a small minority of Wright's sermons, but since it's inflammatory to some, made into a very big deal.

In regards to Palin, she's been outright dishonest about her record and has been actively avoiding the press. You don't like Obama because you think he has lied and been hiding things. You don't want these two qualities in a president. It confuses me that you are okay with these two things in regards to Palin.

Have you ever been part of the Law Review, hal? I haven't and would never have said that.

Click me

I'd say we can talk tax policy, but I myself don't exactly understand tax policy except for what the candidates say. Obama's "spreads the wealth" which is fine by me. I am not against a little socialism in this state of the nation. McCain's, as to my understanding, has policies too similar to Bush to really enact any change.

No, of course it doesn't. Any schmo could run for president of the Harvard Law Review.

Any schmo who'd already been picked as an editor for the Review, which means he's in his second year of academic success in one of the toughest schools in the country.

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“There, peeping among the cloud-wrack above a dark tor high up in the mountains, Sam saw a white star twinkle for a while. The beauty of it smote his heart, as he looked up out of the forsaken land, and hope returned to him. For like a shaft, clear and cold, the thought pierced him that in the end the Shadow was only a small and passing thing: there was light and high beauty for ever beyond its reach.”
― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Return of the King

My experience with student groups of any kind is that the students choose the leader they are willing to follow. Likeability plays a part in that, but so does competence. Students aren't stupid. They want the person they've put in charge to be qualified for the job. This tendency becomes only more prominent in larger and more established student groups because the students feel that they have a tradition to uphold and they're proud of that tradition and believe in whatever their group's mission is. The lovable slacker might get elected to some other position, such as secretary, but certainly not president.

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When you can do nothing what can you do?

Given that the Republican campaign has clearly labelled Obama as a dangerous liberal who will introduce socialist policies; then what if the American public goes ahead and chooses him?
Does that mean the public have democratically and with forethought chosen to have gone in a socialist direction?

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Just out of curiousity, how did socialist tendencies evolve in Britain? How did the idea of the NHS come about? Did people support it? So many people seem to be on benefits and the government is involved so much more in Britain than in the US. I'm guessing people voted in the politicians that brought this about? One wonders if the US will ultimately head this direction one day.

Btw, you and I really need to go to sleep!

Obama campaign workers in Appalachia are hearing some people there saying that economic conditions are so terrible that they are going to vote for the <racist term>. There's just a limit to how much people are willing to take, and these are some of the most economically hard-hit areas of the country, also hit hard by the general neglect of pretty much everything governments usually do that's been a hallmark of the past eight years.

As ye sow, so shall ye reap, and all that.

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“There, peeping among the cloud-wrack above a dark tor high up in the mountains, Sam saw a white star twinkle for a while. The beauty of it smote his heart, as he looked up out of the forsaken land, and hope returned to him. For like a shaft, clear and cold, the thought pierced him that in the end the Shadow was only a small and passing thing: there was light and high beauty for ever beyond its reach.”
― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Return of the King

I imagine people will just assume that Obama stole the election. Similar to 2000.

I picked this up from another website. Pretty big news, if true. Of course, the Obama campaign could adjust and go back into PA to compete.




dailykos

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Avatar photo by Richard Lykes, used with permission.

Here is tomorrows Republican cause celebre that will be turned into talking points ....

from ABCNEWS.com



The drudgereport has this as their top story of the evening. I just heard it discussed on local conservative talk radio here in Michigan. It is being reported as a serious insult to Senator McCain and senior citizens who should now turn on Obama for having one of his supporters make fun of a senior health issue. I am not making that up.

Can anyone say "sense of humor"?

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There are two novels that can change a bookish fourteen-year old's life: The Lord of the Rings and Atlas Shrugged. One is a childish fantasy that often engenders a lifelong obsession with its unbelievable heroes, leading to an emotionally stunted, socially crippled adulthood, unable to deal with the real world. The other, of course, involves orcs.... John Rogers

I just read that Obama's grandmother (who helped raise him) is seriously ill, and he's canceled his campaign events on Thursday and Friday and is flying to Hawaii to be with her. She's out of the hospital but "deteriorating."

Link

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“There, peeping among the cloud-wrack above a dark tor high up in the mountains, Sam saw a white star twinkle for a while. The beauty of it smote his heart, as he looked up out of the forsaken land, and hope returned to him. For like a shaft, clear and cold, the thought pierced him that in the end the Shadow was only a small and passing thing: there was light and high beauty for ever beyond its reach.”
― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Return of the King

The Obama campaign will stop this Thursday and Friday so Senator Obama can fly to Hawaii to be at the bedside of his ailing grandmother who helped raise him as a child. All public appearances have been canceled.

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There are two novels that can change a bookish fourteen-year old's life: The Lord of the Rings and Atlas Shrugged. One is a childish fantasy that often engenders a lifelong obsession with its unbelievable heroes, leading to an emotionally stunted, socially crippled adulthood, unable to deal with the real world. The other, of course, involves orcs.... John Rogers

I doubt the campaign will stop. But Obama won't be there.

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“There, peeping among the cloud-wrack above a dark tor high up in the mountains, Sam saw a white star twinkle for a while. The beauty of it smote his heart, as he looked up out of the forsaken land, and hope returned to him. For like a shaft, clear and cold, the thought pierced him that in the end the Shadow was only a small and passing thing: there was light and high beauty for ever beyond its reach.”
― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Return of the King

If I thought praying would help I would pray she could live till January. How bitter.

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It is very sad that Obama's grandmother is ill. Glad to see that he is taking a break to be with her, but I wonder how the conservative pundits (specifically them) will spin this. Will they be sympathetic? Or will they find something to attack? I hope not for the latter.

Oh, Kerry! The joke is in bad taste, and has been around since Dole's campaign. Still, I can't imagine why it should matter to Obama's campaign.

So sad about Obama's grandmother. I hope she will pull through. The man has enough on his shoulders, he doesn't need the added burden.

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“It may help to understand human affairs to be clear that most of the great triumphs and tragedies of history are caused, not by people being fundamentally good or fundamentally bad, but by people being fundamentally people.”

- Terry Pratchett & Neil Gaiman, Good Omens