RUSH: Progressive bloggers very, very alarmed, very, very upset about the Obama campaign. Now, normally, you know, bloggers being upset about things wouldn’t bother anybody, but the Drive-Bys care what progressive bloggers say. The Drive-Bys go to progressive liberal blogger conventions. The Drive-Bys put ’em on television. The Drive-Bys accept them as a credible source. The Huffington Post here lists three prominent progressive bloggers suggesting that Obama has a serious weakness. One of these bloggers that’s loved and adored by the Drive-Bys is a guy named Joshua Micah Marshall and he’s got a blog called Talking Points Memo, and he wrote yesterday: ‘With so many instances of corruption and influence-peddling around him and whatever problems with the candidate that are keeping the campaign from letting reporters interview him anymore, John McCain is now again charging Obama with what amounts to soft treason — wanting to lose the war in Iraq in order to make himself president. The lack of any consistent lines of attack against McCain is becoming palpable.’
Then another blogger complains that Obama’s lack of attack is having an effect on liberal activists. So they’re distressed that Obama is not fighting back. Even when he does fight back at some point, they’re saying he doesn’t do it with any passion, he doesn’t do it with any excitement. Now, ‘Today Obama responded to McCain’s patriotism attacks in a style he used effectively against Hillary Clinton — criticizing the tone of his opponent’s campaign.’ I don’t know that that’s effective. I mean, here you have this former street activist and parrot running for president of the United States wagging his finger at John McCain on the improper tone McCain is using in the campaign. Obama has no solid ground to stand on that level. Plus Barry, grow up, it’s a presidential campaign. Get used it. He got so used to not being attacked — I’ll tell you something else Barry is doing, and this is something, folks, mark my words — this is something the McCain campaign needs to do more and more. They need to provoke Barry into playing the race card, as often as they can. They need Obama whining about race. We need Obama complaining more and more about the pictures of the people on the dollar bills and how he doesn’t look like ’em and how people are not going to be comfortable with that. It’s a very sensitive area for him and the Democrats and the Drive-Bys, and the more he can be provoked into responding by using race, the more of a whiner he becomes, and that is, of course, not attractive.
As somebody wrote today, it’s like Bob Dole back in 1988 running against Bush 41. Dole at one point just blew up and said, ‘You make him stop lying about my record,’ and that was the end of the Dole campaign. Well, Obama’s getting pretty close to that, wagging his finger, ‘You stop saying those things about me. You stop attacking me like that.’ And then when he gets provoked and plays the race card to go all defensive and whiny and moany, it’s even better. Let’s listen to a little bit of Obama today. He was in Orlando this morning at the VFW convention. Here’s a portion of what he said.
OBAMA: Before the surge I argued that the long-term solution in Iraq is political. The Iraqi government must reconcile its difference and take responsibility for its future. That holds true today. We have lost over a thousand American lives. We’ve spent hundreds of billions of dollars since the surge began. But Iraq’s leaders still haven’t made hard compromises or substantial investments in rebuilding their own country. It is time to press the Iraqis to take responsibility for their future. The best way to do that is a responsible redeployment of our combat brigades carried out in close consultation with commanders on the ground.
RUSH: So he’s still out there insisting that the surge didn’t work, and he still wants to declare defeat. This is what he wants. He wants to be able to proclaim that Iraq is a failure, when the truth is it’s almost to the point now where we can say Iraq is a victory. It’s not there yet, but it’s much closer. This is something that Obama and the Democrats do not want. Here is Obama again demanding that Russia abide by the ceasefire.
OBAMA: I reiterate my demand that Russia abide by the ceasefire. Russia must know that its actions will have consequences.
RUSH: Yeah?
OBAMA: It will imperil the civil nuclear agreement —
RUSH: Yeah?
OBAMA: — and Russia’s standing in the international community —
RUSH: Yeah?
OBAMA: — including the NATO-Russia Council —
RUSH: Yeah.
OBAMA: — and Russia’s desire to participate in organizations like the WTO and the OECD.
RUSH: Yeah.
OBAMA: And finally we must help Georgia rebuild that which has been destroyed.
RUSH: Yeah.
OBAMA: That is why I’m proud to join my friend Senator Joe Biden in calling for an additional one billion dollars in reconstruction assistance for the people of Georgia.
RUSH: Screw the people of Georgia! Make ’em rebuild their own country like the Iraqis have to rebuild their own country, you doofus! I’m sorry. I don’t want to call names. He’s ragging on McCain about taking the Russians out of the G8? He was. Everything McCain said about this Obama was criticizing. Now he’s parroting what McCain said. And he again, ‘I reiterate my demand that Russia abide by the ceasefire.’ Wait a second. I remember The Eyebrow, Tim Kaine, governor of Virginia, proclaiming that Russia had abided by Obama’s demand. Remember that? I thought the Russians had abided by it, but apparently not, eh, Obama? So you demand again, the street activist is demanding that Pootie-Poot stop his aggression against the Georgias, (doing impression) ‘Come on, Mr. Pootie-Poot, listen to me — I’m The Messiah, I’m Barack Obama — or I’m going to pull you out of the G8. I’m going to pull you out of the WTO. I’m going to pull you out of the OECD. I’m going to pull you out of the OSS. I’m going to pull you out of the CIA.’ He doesn’t even know what he’s saying. Somebody put it on the prompter, he’s reading it. I mean, a billion dollars to help Georgia rebuild. The Russians ought to pay that! The Russians ought to pay that, Obama, or make ’em pay it themselves like you’re making the Iraqis pay for themselves. And then there was this.
OBAMA: One of the things that we have to change in this country is the idea that people can’t disagree without challenging each other’s character or their patriotism.
RUSH: (crying)
OBAMA: I never suggested — I have never suggested and never will that Senator McCain picks his positions on national security based on politics or personal ambition.
RUSH: You do.
OBAMA: I’ve not suggested it because I believe that he genuinely wants to serve America’s national interests.
RUSH: Do you?
OBAMA: Now it’s time for him to acknowledge that I want to do the same. Let me be clear. I will let no one question my love of this country. I love America — (cheers and applause) I love America, so do you, and so does John McCain.
RUSH: This, to me, ladies and gentlemen, is striking. Here we have the Democrat Party’s presidential nominee, presumptive nominee, unless the Clintons do something about that next week, telling a convention of the Veterans of Foreign Wars that he loves his country. There must be some doubt in some people’s minds if the Democrat Party’s presidential nominee has to go to the Veterans of Foreign Wars convention and assure them that he loves his country, pleading with people to believe that he loves his country. If the Democrat Party’s presidential nominee has to say that he loves his country, then — he-he-he-he-he-he-he — there might be some question, and it’s not ’cause of anything McCain said. McCain’s not the only bright light in the room here who’s figured out that Obama and the Democrat Party want defeat in Iraq.
They’ve been hoping for it, and they own it. They invested in it. Challenge the idea that people can’t disagree without challenging each other’s character and patriotism. I’ll challenge your patriotism. When you actively seek the defeat of the US military, the United States of America in Iraq, what the hell are you doing? Hey, I wonder if Obama — I’m sure if he had said this Cookie would have given it to us — I wonder if Obama told the Veterans of Foreign Wars that America isn’t the country that it used to be? I wonder if he would tell the VFW that America is not what it used to be and that’s why he is running for president, because our country is not what it used to be. Like he said in Berlin, and like he said to the seven-year-old kid that asked him why he wanted to be president. I wonder if he said that to the VFW. Nope. Don’t think so. He had to assure them first that he loves the country.
BREAK TRANSCRIPT
RUSH: Say, folks, let’s go back here and review some of Obama’s statements. I don’t want to say, ‘Let’s go back and review Obama’s patriotism,’ but he just got through telling the VFW convention today that he loves America. And we have prepared for you here a montage of Senator Obama and his lovely and gracious (yet enraged and angry) wife, Michelle (My Belle) Obama on the campaign trail.
OBAMA: They get bitter. They cling to guns or religion or antipathy towards people who aren’t like them.
MICHELLE (MY BELLE) OBAMA: Barack knows there’s a hole in our soul.
OBAMA: I know my country has not perfected itself.
MICHELLE (MY BELLE) OBAMA: It’s easier to hold onto your own stereotypes and misconceptions. It makes you feel justified in your ignorance. That’s America.
OBAMA: We’re confronting the history and stain of slavery in this country. We’re confronting those scars.
MICHELLE (MY BELLE) OBAMA: For the first time in my adult lifetime, I’m really proud of my country.
OBAMA: America, uh, is — is no longer, uh, what it — it could be, what it once was.
RUSH: Barack Obama and the lovely and gracious Michelle (My Belle) Obama, enraged and angry and echoing the sentiments that they both have been taught throughout their lives.