Kristol in the NYT: Obama is an Uppity Negro who Hates America

Due to his startingly prescient predictions about the Iraq War, Bill Kristol was given the cherry job of columnist for the New York Times.

Today he excretes one about Obama, and Kristol doesn't even trouble with the race-baiting code anymore.  He says it outright:  Obama is an uppity negro hustler who hates America.  

Follow me into the filth...

Let's start with America-hating:

But Ronald Kessler, a journalist who has written about Wright’s ministry, claims that Obama was in fact in the pews at Trinity last July 22. That’s when Wright blamed the "arrogance" of the "United States of White America" for much of the world’s suffering, especially the oppression of blacks. In any case, given the apparent frequency of such statements in Wright’s preaching and their centrality to his worldview, the pretense that over all these years Obama had no idea that Wright was saying such things is hard to sustain.

And for what esteemed, award-winning news organization does "journalist" Ronald Kessler work for?  That would be NewsMax (no link, ick).  But it's nice that the New York Times is now sockpuppeting for NewsMax.

Funny thing: Turns out Ronald "Pulitzer" Kessler was wrong about Obama being in the pews on 7/22/07; Obama was not.

But the point Kristol is trying to make is the obvious one we've been hearing the last few days: Obama is a secret America-hater.

Let's move on to Hustling:

This doesn’t mean that Obama agrees with Wright’s thoroughgoing and conspiracy-heavy anti-Americanism. Rather, Obama seems to have seen, early in his career, the utility of joining a prominent church that would help him establish political roots in the community in which he lives. Now he sees the utility of distancing himself from that church. Obama’s behavior in dealing with Wright is consistent with that of a politician who often voted "present" in the Illinois State Legislature for the sake of his future political viability.

Aha! "Utility"! "Political viability"!  Now we're in Bill Clinton draft-evasion land, complete with eyes-on-the-presidential-prize from decades back.  See, Obama doesn't really believe in what Trinity UCC stands for; it was just a step on the ladder to presidential success.  Unlike, say, John McCain, who would never NEVER change affiliations for political purposes.  That Obama, what a slick hustler.

And last, but not, no, never, sadly, least, Uppity:

With no particular dog in the Democratic fight, many conservatives have tended to think it would be good for the country if Obama were to win the Democratic nomination, freeing us from the dreary prospect of the return of the House of Clinton. Now I wonder. Might the country be better off with the cynicism of the Clintons than the conceit of Obama

(my emphasis)

Well, here we have it.  He's conceited to want to be president without the Kristol Imprimatur, the Dispensation of Willie.  Whither this uppitiness?

Obama's campaign, in the face of this race-baiting, is almost, oh, what's the word I'm looking for?...audacious.

•  Tips...

  ...for audacity.  And for bacterial showers to scrub the Kristolian grime from out my soul...

  by Penman on Mon Mar 17, 2008 at 12:13:59 AM PDT

  •  You took one for the team. Thank you.

    I cannot bear to read Kristol at all.

    by beijingbetty on Mon Mar 17, 2008 at 12:38:38 AM PDT

  •  Now, after the "This Week" gang, further proof th

    at this story is completely nowheresville. Thank you for your service to our country!

    by slaney black on Mon Mar 17, 2008 at 02:32:54 AM PDT

  •  I think it would be of interest if you all

    read the following articles by Frank Schaeffer talking about his father's statements, and how he was embraced by Reagan and the Republicans.

    http://www.huffingtonpost.com/...

    by ronnied on Mon Mar 17, 2008 at 04:46:43 AM PDT

•  Now Obama is conceited?

  This is just dumb.

  by Drdemocrat on Mon Mar 17, 2008 at 12:16:50 AM PDT

  •  Billy Kristol, your daddy loves you....

    Like W, Little Billy has issues with his daddy, Irving. Seems he wants to be a bigger racebaiting, neocon, chickenhawk fascist than his father ever was. Don't worry little Billy, you helped drive the Republican Party into the ditch and we'll make sure you get the credit you deserve, you self-serving sanctimonious shill.

    by smartinez on Mon Mar 17, 2008 at 01:05:04 AM PDT

•  Tip You & Fuck Kristol n/t

  by gabbardd on Mon Mar 17, 2008 at 12:17:30 AM PDT

•  Conservative Conceit

  Bill Kristol and his conservative buddies have nothing but contempt for the American people and there way of life.

  I wish he would spare me his false sense of outrage and justify the corporate bailout of Bear Stearns.

  by glennmid on Mon Mar 17, 2008 at 12:18:48 AM PDT

  •  Too Many Words: "Contempt for The People" Period.

    It's the noblemens' world not ours.

    by Gooserock on Mon Mar 17, 2008 at 01:03:15 AM PDT

•  Maybe,,,

  just maybe, it might be wiser to address the claims Kristol is making.

  This Wright thing is going to hurt Obama more than anything Hillary or her campaign has ever said.  He needs to make it go away, and he needs to do it forcefully.  The man claimed he never heard Wright utter these statements - he better be sure there is no record of him being in the church when they were uttered.

  I think all of it is crap, but this is the kind of thing that does hit home with no-nothing voters.  I received a spam email just tonight with the whole Obama's-Pastor-hates-America meme.

  Make this go away before November, or things will get a hell of a lot uglier than they are now.

  by Miss Blue on Mon Mar 17, 2008 at 12:24:11 AM PDT

  •  There is NO record of it

    Obama was in Miami on July 22nd at a La Raza conference and he was the keynote speaker.

    http://www.nclr.org/...

    by Drdemocrat on Mon Mar 17, 2008 at 12:26:15 AM PDT

    •  Then,,,

      that's what needs to be shouted from the rooftops, not "Bill Kristol is an asshole".

      (He is, but that doesn't really solve the problem.)

      by Miss Blue on Mon Mar 17, 2008 at 12:27:39 AM PDT

      •  Rokay...

        ...I'd hoped my brief diary was doing more than "Bill Kristol is asshole."

        I hope I was calling out his deliberate playing on racist stereotypes and his employing time-tested racist rhetoric to put African-American's in their place.

        Oh, and I did link to the fact-check on the 7/22 claim.  Not rooftop-shouting, I grant, but I do think we have to click to learn. :)

        by Penman on Mon Mar 17, 2008 at 12:33:37 AM PDT

        •  OK, so he's a racist asshole. n/t

          by gabbardd on Mon Mar 17, 2008 at 12:35:15 AM PDT

        •  No, you made some good points

          Your diary's fine.

          Kristol will push the racist themes-- that is a very deliberate strategy on their part. You caught some of the main points on it.

          by doinaheckuvanutjob on Mon Mar 17, 2008 at 01:29:03 AM PDT

        •  Penman, great diary...

            I find it odd that Kristol would be ranting about this minister and his anti-American rhetoric immediately after a three part series on how western civilization (that's us, USA) has treated the Muslims in the world.  Markshshark had a great diary on the series yesterday. You can read part three now from Dr. Jurgen Todenhofer's site. Since these articles were published as paid advertising to the New York Times, we all know Kristol saw it.
            I found his writing style too dense and disjointed but the passion and the condemnation for Western Civilization and its failures remind me of Rev Wright. I have no idea what passions Obama has and how his campaign and his presidency will include any thoughts from Rev Wright but I hope if nothing else his sermons have given Obama reason to be challenged and energized. That is exactly what a great minister can do for a congregation. Give them the facts and details of how their fellowship is involved in world affairs and constantly challenges the government leaders to do better for its people and the less powerful in the world.
             With Kristol, I don't see his concern as race or cult worship so much as his threat to his white man's world domination. Please read Todenhofer's series to be better enlightened on our failings. The problem with people like Kristol and John McCain is that never see us as a failing culture.

          by NC Dem on Mon Mar 17, 2008 at 05:58:05 AM PDT

      •  Like anyone would notice.

        We've been shouting that for 7 years and nobody has noticed yet.

        by johnsonwax on Mon Mar 17, 2008 at 12:50:02 AM PDT

      •  If Obama

        turned on his old friend, because he has differences with him, then he would have a problem.

        Senator Obama is not about to get down in the dirt with the likes of those who point fingers, and cry, "There but for the grace of God go I."

        We all have friends (and in many cases, family) with whom we have profound differences. I would hope we might be able to find fault with them without turning on them and rending them limb from limb, like ravening beasts.

        There is Biblical precedent for not casting the mote out of our brother's eye.

        by kpardue on Mon Mar 17, 2008 at 01:12:49 AM PDT

  •  Kinda thought I did address the claims...

    ...with the appropriateness that Kristol's awful offal deserved.  He couldn't even fact-check on the 7/22 thing.  Keerist.

    Micro, I agree that Obama has probably boxed himself in by saying "I never heard that kinda thing when I was in the pews."

    Macro, he addressed the larger issue, repudiating the words and thoughts, embracing the man and the church, and reminding us how much better we'll be as a nation when we acknowledge why Wright and his ilk might be so angry even as we transcend that rage.  Pretty good, I thought.

    (And, FYI, it's late, but it's "know-nothing.")

    by Penman on Mon Mar 17, 2008 at 12:29:31 AM PDT

    •  "know"

      I knew it as soon as I hit post.

      Preview is a long-lost friend.

      by Miss Blue on Mon Mar 17, 2008 at 12:32:50 AM PDT

      •  Miss Blue makes a good point --

        that Penman I think also agrees with -- that low information/high dudgeon voters will latch onto Kristol and other so called 'intellectuals' as justification for keeping Obama in the 'angry black candidate' box. (Or even worse, the 'manchurian angry black candidate' box.)

        by beijingbetty on Mon Mar 17, 2008 at 12:44:02 AM PDT

        •  Here Obama is the conceited candidate

          This is just dumb.

          by Drdemocrat on Mon Mar 17, 2008 at 12:47:23 AM PDT

          •  They need a label, will try to find one that

            sticks.

            They've been trying this one for awhile. They see the 'lofty speeches' and such and label it as conceited, plays to the lower consciousness of those who fear eloquence. It's clever on their part. Will it stick? I doubt it, too much of a stretch, but I expect much repetition of it; if that won't work they'll try other labels.

            Like 'scary' for starters. It is dumb, but it is what they specialize in.

            by doinaheckuvanutjob on Mon Mar 17, 2008 at 01:34:13 AM PDT

      •  I know the feeling

        I use preview and nothing jumps out until right as my finger is coming down on the button.  Then I do a face-plant and hope everyone is asleep.

        by Grannus on Mon Mar 17, 2008 at 12:49:53 AM PDT

    •  Actually that isn't what Obama said

      He said that those specific statements that the news media have been showing he personally have never heard.

      Re-read what he wrote at Huffingtonpost.

      by Drdemocrat on Mon Mar 17, 2008 at 12:38:43 AM PDT

      •  You are correct about

        ...his written column at Huffpo, but I heard him be a bit more general when he was on Countdown.  Sorry, no link.

        by Penman on Mon Mar 17, 2008 at 12:40:55 AM PDT

    •  He didn't say that 'kinda thing'

      He was specifically addressing what was reported, specifically the comments on Bill and Hillary.

      by johnsonwax on Mon Mar 17, 2008 at 12:51:45 AM PDT

    •  He didn't actually say that.

      He said he never heard the specific statements that everyone's caterwhauling about right now. He didn't say he'd never heard him say anything outrageous, in fact, he's made it pretty clear that he's said a bunch of stuff he disagrees with over the years, but not this.

      It's bad enough he was mischaracterized by Hannity on it two seconds after he said it, than we should be repeating it here.

      by LABobsterofAnaheim on Mon Mar 17, 2008 at 01:05:38 AM PDT

      •  Woops!

        DrDemocrat said basically the same thing as I did above me. There I go, plagerizing stuff. It's late. Time to go to be.

        by LABobsterofAnaheim on Mon Mar 17, 2008 at 01:07:39 AM PDT

  •  Not ironclad

    But here is Obama speaking in Miami that day.

    Could be he attended church and flew to Miami, but this should put the burden back on Kristol:

    by johnsonwax on Mon Mar 17, 2008 at 12:49:22 AM PDT

  •  "he needs to make it go away."

    The only people I hear saying things like this are the people who don't want it to go away because they're hoping... praying... it's the thing that finally kills Obama's campaign dead.

    Checking the new outlets... CNN: tiny headline 6 rows down about Wright's church saying the claims are unfair... NY Times: nothing.... WaPo: nothing... MSNBC: nothing...

    by chicago DEM on Mon Mar 17, 2008 at 03:25:20 AM PDT

•  Seriously...

  ...all this angst and anger over Obama is a psychological reaction from folks who truly fear that he will indeed be successful at reaching the presidency of the United States of America.

  If folks truly didn't think Obama had a chance, they wouldn't be so worked up over him.

  I'd say this is pretty compelling evidence of sorts.

  Ray

  by Solari on Mon Mar 17, 2008 at 12:25:54 AM PDT

•  I'm starting to think that it was this guy

  who sent the email to my cousin in Houston.

  Here is the letter.

  Could Be Our Future First Lady?

  Michelle Obama, wife of Democrat frontrunner Barack Obama, shocked a lot of people over the weekend when she said this: "For the first time in my adult lifetime I am proud of my country."&n bsp; Wow! That takes my breath away.

  Mrs. Obama is 44 years old, so for over roughly 24 years of "adulthood," taking her at her word, she has never been proud of our nation. Is there a theme here? You may remember that last year Senator Obama said he refused to wear a flag lapel pin because it represented a "substitute for true patriotism." An d what precisely is true patriotism? According to Senator Barack Hussein Obama, it is opposing the war in Iraq.

  Apparently nothing America did from 1982 to 2008 caused her heart to swell with pride. Not our successful effort to defeat Soviet communism and liberate millions of people in Eastern Europe? Not our relief efforts around the world, through which we spent billions to help the downtrodden? Not anything?

  When she learned with all the rest of us how her fellow citizens on United Flight 93 bravely fought back against jihadist hijackers and prevented another disaster on September 11th, did she not fill up with pride? As Americans of all races and classes rallied together in defense of our nation in the aftermath of September 11th, did her spirit not jump with love for her homeland? ; Apparently not.

  The Obamas are living examples of the American Dream. Both Michelle Obama and her husband have Ivy League degrees. They make a joint income of over one million dollars a year. They live lives that most ordinary Americans can only dream of. Yet, Mrs. Obama, who wants to be first lady, has been unable to find the pride in America that millions of ordinary Americans feel every day.

  Sadly, her attitude is not rare among leftwing American elites. We are "educating" millions of Americans to be globalists first and foremost, and we are doing precious little about educating our children to be proud and unashamed Americans.

  The Obamas are flying high politically right now, but I don't believe many Americans will want to cast their votes this November for a couple so out of touch with traditional American values.

  Please feel fre e to pass on this "End of Day" update to interested friends and family members.

  by pileta on Mon Mar 17, 2008 at 12:29:50 AM PDT

  •  "traditional American values"

    Ignorance is not a value, although it is valuable to the powerful. That's why they try to impose it on the rest of us. Obviously, in this guy's case, they've been successful.

    by gabbardd on Mon Mar 17, 2008 at 12:34:16 AM PDT

    •  Out of Touch with Traditional American Values

      Is code for:
      Suburban Seperatism from "Urban" centers.

      "Urban" is code for Black people that talk funny, make you lock you car doors when you are driving to Tiger Stadium, are all on the "Welfare", let their babys run in the streets at 2 in the morning, while their fathers are long gone in jail or who knows where, are all on drugs, trash everything that we so benevolently build for them, and will drive your property values down when they move into your suburban neighborhood.

      I know these messages. I am a 47 year old Irishamerican white guy from Detroit. My dad is basicly, Archie Bunker. He's Racist, and says it out loud when he's safe at home. I have been hearing this shit my whole life, and watched the local news report the subliminal hate since the 80's.

      The media has been insane, over the top with the subliminal visual messages of a screaming Rev. Wright split screen with Barack Obama. The message is clear:

      The Blacks are taking over! Be VERY afraid!

      Sometimes I just feel utterly powerless.

      The thing is though, these racist voters are LAZY.
      The conclusion I have come too is that we don't have to worry about changing their minds, It aint gonna happen. For us to win, it is all about registering NEW voters.

      by irishamerican on Mon Mar 17, 2008 at 01:57:40 AM PDT

  •  That's almost a laughable parody.

    It's amazing how they write this crap.

    The ones who write this garbage who don't go to jail after the Truth Commission Hearings should be unemployed in Hollywood.

    by doinaheckuvanutjob on Mon Mar 17, 2008 at 01:39:08 AM PDT

•  My opinion of Mr. Kristol

  

  by quaoar on Mon Mar 17, 2008 at 12:42:26 AM PDT

•  Fuck NYT

  they're selling filth and shit as news and respected opinion. Why the HELL did they pick up Kristol? he's proven a disastrous mistake from day one.

  by phukhotfashion on Mon Mar 17, 2008 at 12:44:55 AM PDT

•  Generation 9/11

  I wish that man could have the capacity to be ashamed of himself. "Generation 9/11" is an attempt to define an entire generation of people by the hysterical fear that the right wing of this country has bludgeoned this country with, to their eternal shame. Generation Obama may have many potential shortcomings, but it epitomizes the notion of of hope over fear in the very basic sense that this generation knows there are no easy solutions, but outright rejects Bill Kristol and his brand of terrorism.

  by nussbaumski on Mon Mar 17, 2008 at 12:47:07 AM PDT

•  I never read Kristol

  and never will. He can go jack off in a paper sack for all I care. I blame the NYT for hiring him. What were they thinking? I guess they'll hire Coulter next.

  by Libertaria on Mon Mar 17, 2008 at 12:52:27 AM PDT

•  asdf

  

  by Libertaria on Mon Mar 17, 2008 at 12:53:15 AM PDT

  •  She's Kristol's soul mate. n/t

    by Libertaria on Mon Mar 17, 2008 at 12:54:02 AM PDT

•  Beware: This conceit thing is now a meme

  Everyone's talking about it. And some hack at AP just wrote an article called "Obama walks arrogance line" which includes reports from "aides" who say in private that he is obstinate and doesn't like to be challenged. Funny, because when people who know him talk about him in PUBLIC and not via anonymous quotes, they generally describe him as someone who likes to listen.

  The attacks aren't even grounded in reality anymore. People's perceptions have become news.

  by Last Years Man on Mon Mar 17, 2008 at 12:53:40 AM PDT

  •  It's All About Moving Power/Influence Blocks

    Cult, arrogant, Christianist, uppityn*gger.

    Not aimed at the general voter. It's aimed at donors, SD's, media an the like.

    Ownership continues to balk so the memes must escalate.

    Babykiller and holocaust to follow.

    by Gooserock on Mon Mar 17, 2008 at 01:07:12 AM PDT

  •  Isn't that part of the job description

    for being a politician.  I don't think you can aspire to the job of president, let alone county commissioner, without being a bit conceited or arrogant.

    The job is not look conceited or arrogant.

    by Crisis Corps Volunteer on Mon Mar 17, 2008 at 01:18:56 AM PDT

•  Someone somewhere

  is gonna attach Obama to something THEY personally find offensive sooner or later. It's inevitable. I only hope that the Obama campaign didn't set themselves up for another NAFTA-Gate style leak/hit job by oversttating their denial. No matter what he was really trying to say, the idea that he claims to have never heard the statements or been there when anything like that was said has become the conventional interpretation of his comments.

  Even if he was there, what's wrong with criticizing the "greed of the United States of America." This is getting ridiculous

  by Last Years Man on Mon Mar 17, 2008 at 12:57:56 AM PDT

•  NYT is becoming a cesspool, people like Kristol

  in their ranks makes them just that

  by DFutureIsNow on Mon Mar 17, 2008 at 01:01:20 AM PDT

•  Obama's Whereabouts

  A simple google search confirms his actual whereabouts (the initial campaign response got it wrong, tsk tsk):

  He was speaking in Miami at a La Raza conference, Clinton was there too.

  http://www.washingtonpost.com/...

  http://www.barackobama.com/...

  One of my conservative acquaintances send out an anti-obama email relating to the Kristol column, I was sure to correct him to everyone on the recipients list :-D

  by SoCalRefugee on Mon Mar 17, 2008 at 01:13:49 AM PDT

  •  How?

    How did they get it wrong? I think they said from the beginning that he was in Miami.

    by jenontheshore on Mon Mar 17, 2008 at 01:28:48 AM PDT

    •  Nevada

      On Time.com they said a campaign rep initially said O was campaigning in Nevada.  It may also be true, but I think the Miami-Nevada flight is unlikely in a single day

      by SoCalRefugee on Mon Mar 17, 2008 at 01:33:09 AM PDT

•  I think a lot

  of bloggers are overreacting to this. Nerves, perhaps.

  When the right wing says,  Jump," too many democrats still ask, "How high?"

  A silly charge has been made regarding Senator Obama's long time friendship with an aging and sometimes overzealous preacher. The charge has been answered to the satisfaction of everyone, I think , saving those who don't want an answer.

  Time to stop letting the hyenas call the shots. Time to move on.

  by kpardue on Mon Mar 17, 2008 at 01:24:49 AM PDT

  •  I agree

    by valadon on Mon Mar 17, 2008 at 01:27:38 AM PDT

•  He left out

  "shucking and jiving."
  [/snark]

  by happymisanthropy on Mon Mar 17, 2008 at 01:25:27 AM PDT

•  Re: An Email from a Wingnut Friend

  "Richard Lim <[e-mail]>
  to [e-mail],
  date Sun, Mar 16, 2008 at 8:04 PM
  subject signs of hope
  mailed-by hotmail.com

  hide details 8:04 PM (5 hours ago)

  Reply

  First of all, McCain is looking good according to this Zogby poll and is making inroads into the Obama supporters.  Also, Ralph Nader seems to be carrying more support than in 2004.  Of course, polls are just polls and we'll see if he can maintain this support.
  http://newsmax.com/...

  http://newsmax.com/...

  Ok, I know I've beaten this anti Obama thing like a dead horse, but I just had to comment on this bit of info because it just gets worse.  We all know Obama is trying to distance himself from his preacher, but now we find he's just being flat out misleading the public about the relationship.  Obama claims that he was "shocked" when he heard Wright's anti-American comments.  Well, guess what... he was in the pews that day nodding in agreement!  I just disliked Obama for his views and now he's flat out prevaricating the American public on this matter.  "

  I love how he quotes Zogby and NewsMax as authorities.

  by SoCalRefugee on Mon Mar 17, 2008 at 01:28:20 AM PDT

•  Wright is largely right

  jeebus, I agreed with most of what he said, or at least a certainly understood the sentiments as much as a white person can, even as they were often about white people. none of it surprised or shocked me in the least. why is this such a big deal? the preacher gave voice to what a lot of people feel, whether or not people want to hear it.

  I thought the "GD America" thing would be a much bigger deal in the media, for the "my country, right or wrong" crowd.

  by demoKatz on Mon Mar 17, 2008 at 01:37:58 AM PDT

•  Wait....

  So YOU came up with the following phrase and NOT Bill Kristol:

  Obama is an uppity negro hustler who hates America.

  WTF is wrong with you?

  by TheKost on Mon Mar 17, 2008 at 01:40:14 AM PDT

  •  Juices up the crowd

    because we aren't sufficiently OT...

    Regardless, Obama is going to be lambasted at every turn over everything, and it is going to sell because it will be the only version getting out.  There is the possibility that Hillary could handle that better because it has already been done to her.  Maybe people wil say, here they go again, and ignore it.  Maybe, they will feel sorry for her.

    All I know is that it is going to be a nasty, nasty race.  If HRC & BO are having this much trouble with each other, just wait till McBush and his machine turn on.  Lies and damned lies.

    by dkmich on Mon Mar 17, 2008 at 03:00:36 AM PDT

  •  Oh no. Not The Kost again.

    If you can't see that, while it's not a direct quote, it exactly embodies what Kristol is communicating, then it's unclear to me what you are doing on this site.

    by mrchumchum on Mon Mar 17, 2008 at 03:04:48 AM PDT

    •  Oh no....

      Not the race baiting jackasses again!  Get your F'ing head out of your ass.  Instead of creating race war rhetoric, why not just debate on Kristol's lack of merit than this gutter shit.

      by TheKost on Mon Mar 17, 2008 at 04:23:30 AM PDT

      •  Oh no! Not ad hominem attacks again! n/t

        by mrchumchum on Mon Mar 17, 2008 at 04:34:04 AM PDT

      •  Alright, I'll give you the point, slightly.

        There are racial implications to what Kristol is saying and that's why I don't think the title of the diary is too far from the truth and why Kristol is discredited.  

        But you are correct that it's probably better not to fan the flames.

        by mrchumchum on Mon Mar 17, 2008 at 04:45:50 AM PDT

  •  Look, sorry if I called you out.

    Sometimes it's hard to tell if someone is a candidate troll (I'm not sure if they're on strike still, or not).

    by mrchumchum on Mon Mar 17, 2008 at 04:57:06 AM PDT

    •  No hard feelings...

      I'm one of the most forgiving people I know.  As the joke goes...

      by TheKost on Mon Mar 17, 2008 at 03:13:27 PM PDT

•  These guys are starting to realize

  Just what a significant departure Obama represents. His way candidacy is solidly against the hard core conservative wing of the Republican Party. The Kristol wing. He will make them eat their shit on a much more regular basis than any Democratic nominee for president ever. The only way to tear him down is blatant character assination. That's the only way. For either Clinton, McCain, Karl Rove or Bill Kristol. That's literally their only stategy. To make believe that he is a phony. That what they are seeing day after day with their own is not actually "reality." It's a "fantasy."  It's a good attempt, all things considered, but in the end it won't do so well.

  by Clipper on Mon Mar 17, 2008 at 02:54:43 AM PDT

  •  And the great thing about Obama...

    ....is that he'll make them eat shit, but with a big smile on his face. I like it.

    by metal prophet on Mon Mar 17, 2008 at 04:27:12 AM PDT

•  Kristol is a stinking pig.

  And I don't say that lightly.

  His argument is insidious and revolting in more ways than I can count.

  The NY Times completely discredits itself once again by having anything to do with his putrescence.

  The MSM is a frigging parade of sick clowns.  This Wright thing is their latest side show.

  by mrchumchum on Mon Mar 17, 2008 at 02:57:54 AM PDT

•  In the encyclopedia

  within the entry for "neocon pro-Israel lobby" is a picture of this smug little butthole Kristol.  

  by redstatemike on Mon Mar 17, 2008 at 03:40:17 AM PDT

•  I am against political violence

  But Bill Kristol tempts me to change my views. Even compared to other massive assholes, Kristol is a massive asshole. Schande for the goyim. I wish we Jews had excommunication.

  by metal prophet on Mon Mar 17, 2008 at 04:06:01 AM PDT

  •  You don't need violence

    and you don't need excommunication. As a Jewish American who typifies the traditional reason and empathy your folks have brought to the political arena for many many years call out the fat cats and challenge their misguided belief that Israel is the end that justifies any means. And force them to respond to criticism of the Israeli Middle East agenda with thought not accusations.

    by redstatemike on Mon Mar 17, 2008 at 04:16:58 AM PDT

    •  Yes, yes I know

      And I agree with you. Kristol makes me irrationally angry, though.

      by metal prophet on Mon Mar 17, 2008 at 04:28:22 AM PDT

•  This diary rocks.

  by mman on Mon Mar 17, 2008 at 04:32:50 AM PDT

•  Wright's sermon was a bit over the top

  But - in a Christian sense - he was on to something.

  He was right to point out the moral gap between our drive to imprison as much of the population as possible while asking God to bless our actions.

  It is a prevailing morality of vengeance and arrogance - these are not what Jesus preached.

  by CA Libertarian on Mon Mar 17, 2008 at 04:36:28 AM PDT

  •  I'm an old white guy

    who lives in South Carolina and for me no possible sermon can be more over the top than the insidious coded racism I see every day in things like corporate promotion policies, letters to the area newspapers, police treatment of minorities, obsession with immigration reform, obsession with a stupid and traitorous battle flag...uuh my BP is way up.

    by redstatemike on Mon Mar 17, 2008 at 04:45:25 AM PDT

    •  ...Or the insidious coded racism...

      ...in Kristol's column.  I can't believe the NYT's continues to publish this man's filth.

      by Thomas C on Mon Mar 17, 2008 at 05:07:10 AM PDT

•  Barack was in Miami on July 22, 2007

  At the National Council of La Raza.  Here's the link to the schedule for the conference. His speech was at 1:30 PM.  

  http://www.nclr.org/...

  Here's the link to the speech itself.  

  http://www.barackobama.com/...

  The day before he was in Des Moines for a 7 PM speech.

  http://projects.washingtonpost.com/...

  Seems physically impossible for Barack to be in Chicago during this time period.  Maybe Kessler mistook someone else for Barack -- to someone like him all African Americans probably look alike anyway (snark).

  What is Kristol anyway, a journalist or a stenographer?

  Dave in DC

  by Dave in DC on Mon Mar 17, 2008 at 04:41:36 AM PDT

•  See you in synagogue next month, Bill

  I'm looking forward to going back to OT (my parents' synagogue) for Passover.

  by jim bow on Mon Mar 17, 2008 at 05:00:22 AM PDT

•  Kristol on Fox

  The Sunday Morning Fox Roundup gave Kristol, and others, the platform to expound upon this issue.  If you missed it, well, take my word for it: Clearly, they smell a Swift Boat opportunity, and it is not surprising that they are going for it.

  Regardless of Rev. Wright's Christian underlying message,which PastorDan blogged about eloquently, his phrasing will raise the ire of a number of voters, and the conservatives are on to something that they feel can be used effectively in the general election.

  Generalizations that can be linked to white American leadership are political cannon fodder, and the conservatives will be launching on this for days to come. Moreover, Juan Williams did not do much to deflate the issue--probably because he realizes that the subtleties of Rev. Wright's points will not lend themselves to tidy responses in upcoming debates.

  As progressives, we need to take the issue seriously because white leadership is no longer monolithic in American politics. I think the reality of today is that some of the mess that we are in has been orchestrated with the help of influential black Americans, e.g., Colin Powell and Condeleeza Rice, and the promise of the Obama campaign is its ability to transcend the issue of old racial politics and focus on issues that affect all races. Whether he will succeed in this noble goal of transcendence is not yet assured, and just because folks like Kristol are the author should not lull us into a sense of security.

  by bluedoglaika on Mon Mar 17, 2008 at 05:13:52 AM PDT

•  there's no racism in the

  examples you cite. It reads like a political tactic to smear Kristol. It's actually less powerful to critique the right this way than to just stick with the themes themselves.

  Kristin may be racist, but in this essay he is simply vapid.

  by Jeffrey Feldman on Mon Mar 17, 2008 at 05:22:38 AM PDT

•  Kristol's piece was bad

  but I thought in many ways this one was worse:

  Obama walks arrogance line

  by genxerd71 on Mon Mar 17, 2008 at 05:45:47 AM PDT

  •  Great minds and all that ...

    I totally agree with you.  Fournier's column is one of the worst and most unfair I've ever seen.

    Was there a meeting somewhere when these guys decided that the Meme of the Week about Obama was that he's an "uppity n....."?  The coincidence of this coming immediately on the heels of the Rev. Wright controversy, which has nothing to do with arrogance, but everything to do with white fears and resentments about black people, seems just too amazing to really be a coincidence.

    The timing is just amazing:

    First, some Clinton surrogates, including Bill, seek to marginalize Obama as a "black candidate" in the mold of Jesse Jackson or Al Sharpton.  Then, in quick succession, we have the following:

    1. Geraldine Ferrarro brands Obama as lucky to be black, and as only being in the position he is because he's black;

    2. We see the Rev. Wright stuff, which has been out there for awhile, but hadn't previously gotten anything approaching this kind of publicity;

    3. And then, just as the Rev. Wright stuff seemed to be dying down, we see these columns appearing on the same day accusing Obama of being arrogant and having a "sense of entitlement."

    If I were Mark Penn and wanted to make Obama appear as threatening as possible to blue-collar white voters, I'd arrange this in exactly this sequence.  First, soften up the ground by reminding everyone of his blackness, then run some scary 3 am commercials, then essentially tell people that he's like somebody who you think has gotten a job you should have gotten because of affirmative action, then brand him as "anti-American" and radical through guilt by association, and then accuse him of being arrogant enough to actually thinking he's ENTITLED to all of the breaks he's supposedly gotten because of his skin color.

    Normally, I'm extremely sceptical of conspiracy theories, but the coincidences here are just amazing.

    by leevank on Mon Mar 17, 2008 at 06:03:04 AM PDT

•  This seems to be the Meme of the Day

  Ron Fournier makes it even more explcitly clear in an AP column entitled "ON DEADLINE: Obama walks arrogance line.  It contains gems such as the following:

  He's bordering on arrogance.

  The dictionary defines the word as an "offensive display of superiority or self-importance; overbearing pride." Obama may not be offensive or overbearing, but he can be a bit too cocky for his own good.

  The freshman senator told reporters in July that he would overcome Hillary Rodham Clinton's lead in the polls because "to know me is to love me."

  A few months later, he said, "Every place is Barack Obama country once Barack Obama's been there."

  Fournier acknowledges that "there's a certain amount of tongue-in-cheekiness to such remarks," (only a "certain amount," Mr. Fournier, when anybody who has ever heard them knows they're totally tongue in cheek?) but then goes on almost immediately thereafter to say, "But both Obama and his wife, Michelle, ooze a sense of entitlement."

  Fournier even says,

  If arrogance is a display of self-importance and superiority, Obama earns the pejorative every time he calls his pre-invasion opposition to the war in Iraq an act of courage.

  As the basis for this, he mentions that Obama represented a liberal district in Illinois, without bothering to mention that there were many other Democrats representing liberal districts who were cowed into voting to authorize the war.

  If you're dieting and want to lose your appetite for awhile, I highly recommend Fournier's article.  Otherwise, trust me when I say that it's basically one long explication of why Barack Obama is an "uppity n...." with a "sense of entitlement."

  I doubt that there is anybody who has ever been in one of Michelle Obama's small group appearances who thinks she has an ounce of a sense of entitlement, much less that she "oozes" it.  But most voters won't ever meet Michelle or Barack in person, and all they have to go on is what they hear from the MSM or what they hear from Obama volunteers.  So we've got our work cut out for us.

  by leevank on Mon Mar 17, 2008 at 05:48:26 AM PDT

  •  One more comment...

    But both Obama and his wife, Michelle, ooze a sense of entitlement.

    How dare he feel entitled! Only white men born into the "connected class" can be adorned with "entitlement". What a slobbering fool! Fournier makes me puke.

    by NC Dem on Mon Mar 17, 2008 at 06:18:36 AM PDT

  •  Sen and Mrs Obama,

    I sense, are on the wavelengths of many of us and of many across the country who "get" their senses of humor and irony.  The danger in this is that most of this dumbass country, like its redneck President and his tightass party, "don't do nuance".  BO uses humor to bring across the absurdity of the notion that his biography makes him the "frontrunner" in anything in American life.  But beware that this can be presented to the United States of Obtuse as conceit, overconfidence, and entitlement.

    by redstatemike on Mon Mar 17, 2008 at 06:21:14 AM PDT

•  kristol is a Clinton/McCain Pimp!

  by marsbardem on Mon Mar 17, 2008 at 05:53:17 AM PDT

•  E-mail

  [e-mail]

  http://www.nytimes.com/...

  Don't let them keep this shit up.  Spend 2 or 3 minutes getting the truth out.

  by Vappid on Mon Mar 17, 2008 at 05:54:46 AM PDT

•  Revise Your Racist Diary

  You're totally right about how wrong Kristol is. Of course he's wrong - he's an uppity neocon who hates America. But nowhere in that article does Kristol say anything, or imply anything, about Obama's race.

  You made that part up in your headline. You don't even mention it in your diary, except when you close out with an unsubstantiated charge of "race baiting". If you can't back up a charge of racism, the racism is coming from you, and you should revise your diary.

  Why should your otherwise solid diary undermine itself with a false accusation of racism?

  by DocGonzo on Mon Mar 17, 2008 at 05:55:11 AM PDT