We have is a pattern here, what he is doing is one thing and telling you what you should conclude, which is another, a old Jedi trick. Isn't a lack of backbone what we just hate about Democrats on a whole host of issues:
War, lies about war, election stealing, lack of movement on energy, impeachment, FISA, choke-cough-choke-ahem, caging, war profiteering, WH-RNC-Rove email, Plamegate.......we've got nothing. The only thing more horrible than a President lying, intimidating and murdering us into war, is one getting away with it! I suppose the weak minded or lazy will gleefully follow along and vote Barack, it does seem to be the cool thing, but voting for Nader was cool also. Right now Barack is running from Hillary (a girl) as fast as he can, why, avoiding any debate or is it that she reveals she is a human being and quite a capable one at that. We as Americans sure ignored hints at major flaws when G. Bush ran......twice. To avoid reality, we stuck our heads in the sand, immediately attacked the messenger, misled, plugged our ears, mischaracterized, changed direction and the best tactic was to belt out the words "but Clinton", as if in a séance. Aren't we voting for change this time, do you think voting for it will make it so? Do you really thing it's that easy? Put that pizza down and start researching, do your homework and don't let someone else tell you how you should feel about a candidate.
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New York Times Article - February 3, 2008
When residents in Illinois voiced outrage two years ago upon learning that the Exelon Corporation had not disclosed radioactive leaks at one of its nuclear plants, the state's freshman senator, Barack Obama, took up their cause.
"Mr. Obama scolded Exelon and federal regulators for inaction and introduced a bill to require all plant owners to notify state and local authorities immediately of even small leaks. He has boasted of it on the campaign trail, telling a crowd in Iowa in December that it was "the only nuclear legislation that I've passed."
"I just did that last year," he said, to murmurs of approval.
"A close look at the path his legislation took tells a very different story. While he initially fought to advance his bill, even holding up a presidential nomination to try to force a hearing on it, Mr. Obama eventually rewrote it to reflect changes sought by Senate Republicans, Exelon and nuclear regulators. The new bill removed language mandating prompt reporting and simply offered guidance to regulators, whom it charged with addressing the issue of unreported leaks".
"Since 2003, executives and employees of Exelon, which is based in Illinois, have contributed at least $227,000 to Mr. Obama’s campaigns for the United States Senate and for president".
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"In a Democratic event from Sunday, Nov. 16, 2003, then-state senator Obama told a cheering crowd that it was wrong to vote to fund the war. Sen. Obama said he would have 'unequivocally' voted against war funding because it was the only way to oppose Bush on Iraq." After being elected to the U.S. Senate in the fall of 2004 Obama then being sworn in 2005 proceeded to immediately support every funding bill for the Iraq war!
[2005 Vote # 117, HR1268, 5/10/05; 2005 Vote # 326, S1042, 11/15/05; 2006 Vote # 112, HR4939, 5/4/06; 2006 Vote # 239; 2006 Vote # 186, S2766, 6/22/06, HR5631, 9/7/06]
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Obama also has a history of dodging commitments on tough votes. In a New York Times article on December 20, Raymond Hernandez and Christopher Drew report that Obama's often voted just "present" in the Illinois Senate. They write:
"In 1999, Barack Obama was faced with a difficult vote in the Illinois legislature — to support a bill that would let some juveniles be tried as adults, a position that risked drawing fire from African-Americans, or to oppose it, possibly undermining his image as a tough-on-crime moderate. In the end, Mr. Obama chose neither to vote for nor against the bill. He voted "present," effectively sidestepping the issue, an option he invoked nearly 130 times as a state senator."
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Obama conveniently takes an antiwar stance or an antinuclear stance but does nothing to stop it. What he also does is to avoid voting on important issues time after time. He won't stand and be counted, he won't lead the charge he stands back where it is safe.
Here are more votes as a U.S. Senator on security and the Iraq War:
Did Not Vote: Date: 01/22/2008 Bill Number: HR 4986 - To provide for the enactment of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2008
Did Not Vote: 12/18/2007 - Bill Number: HR 2764 - Sponsor: Rep. Lowey, Nita (D-NY) - Prohibits these funds from being used to enter into an agreement with the government of Iraq that would subject members of the Armed Forces of the United States to the jurisdiction of Iraq criminal courts or punishment under Iraq law (Division L, Title VI, Sec. 612).
- Requires the Department of Defense to provide Congress with periodic reports regarding the political, security, economic, and security force training objectives in Iraq, as well as a notional timetable for achieving these goals.
Did Not Vote: Date: 12/18/2007 Bill Number: S Amdt 3875 - Sen. Feingold, Russell (D-WI) - To provide for the safe redeployment of United States troops from Iraq.
Did Not Vote: Date: 12/18/2007 Bill Number: HR 2764 - Vote to adopt an amendment to the consolidated appropriations bill (HR 2764) to include $70.00 billion for military operations in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Did Not Vote: 10/03/2007 - Bill Number: S Amdt 3117 - Sponsor: Sen. Graham, Lindsey (R-SC) - Vote to pass an amendment that appropriates $3.00 billion to be used to hire full-time border patrol agents, improve employment eligibility verification, and fund security measures along the U.S. and Mexican border that include building a fence, establishing vehicle barriers, utilizing unmanned aerial vehicles, placing ground-based sensors and cameras, and removing and detaining undocumented immigrants.
Did Not Vote: Date: 10/01/2007 Bill Number: HR 1585 - Vote to pass a bill that sets authorization limits for Defense appropriations in fiscal year 2008 at $653.22 billion.
Did Not Vote: 09/26/2007 - Bill Number: S Amdt 3017 - Sponsor: Sen. Kyl, Jon (R-AZ) - Highlights:
-Expresses the sense of the Congress that the United States should use its military, diplomatic, economic, and intelligence instruments to combat Iranian activities inside Iraq that are designed to destabilize Iraq.
-Expresses the sense of the Congress that the United States should officially designate the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps of Iran as a foreign terrorist organization and assign it to the list of Specially Designated Global Terrorists.
Did Not Vote: 07/26/2007 - Bill Number: HR 1 - Sponsor: Rep. Thompson, Bennie (D-MS) - Vote to pass a bill that amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to implement certain recommendations of the 9/11 Commission.
Did Not Vote: Date: 07/19/2007 Bill Number: S Amdt 2351 - Vote to pass an amendment that expresses the sense of the Senate that the detainees at Guantanamo Bay should not be released into American society or transferred into detention facilities on American soil.
Voted YES: 04/26/2007 - Bill Number: HR 1591- Emergency Supplemental Appropriations - including $96.96 billion for the Department of Defense
Voted NO: 06/22/2006 - Bill Number: S 2766 - Sponsor: Amendment: Sen Kerry, John F. [MA]; Original Bill: Sen Warner, John [VA] - Vote to adopt an amendment that requires the President to withdraw troops from Iraq by July 1, 2007 and states that some forces shall remain in Iraq to train Iraqi security forces, conduct counterterrorism operations and protect U.S. personnel and facilities.
Voted YES: 03/02/2006 - Bill Number: HR 3199 Sponsor: Rep Sensenbrenner, F. James, Jr. - Vote to adopt a conference report that extends the authority of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to conduct roving wiretaps and access certain business records through December 31, 2009, and makes the remaining 14 provisions of the Patriot Act permanent.
Voted YES: 02/02/2006 - Bill Number: HR 4297 - Vote on a motion to waive the budget act in order to adopt an amendment that appropriates $47.27 billion to the military and repeals the extension of tax cuts for capital gains and dividends to 2010 back to 2008.
Let us choose wisely.