Ted Kennedy is one of the most, if not the most, prolific legislators in history, but I won't hold my breath waiting for the RNC or Clinton's camp from rallying around him.

Presidents don't need to have a long list of legislative accomplishments. They just need to have good judgement.

I offer the following as a reminder of how ready Obama is to be president.

"If we have actionable intelligence about high-value terrorist targets and President Musharraf won't act, we will."

- Barack Obama, 8/1/07

Clinton ... suggested Obama's high-profile speech earlier in the week in which he said would be willing to invade Pakistan to attack high-profile al Qaeda targets, given actionable intelligence, was inappropriate (and naive).

- ABC News, 8/2/07

"The only foreign policy thing I remember he said was, he's going to attack Pakistan."

- George W. Bush, TIME (2/25/08 issue)

"Will the next president have the experience, the judgment and experience in (unintelligible) and the strength of purpose to respond to each of these developments in ways that strengthen our security and advance the global progress of our ideals? Or will we risk the confused leadership of an inexperienced candidate who once suggested bombing our ally Pakistan."

- John McCain, post-Wisconsin primary speech, 2/20/08



Someone wake up Bush and McCain and let them know the U.S. took out al Qaeda's reputed # 4 in Pakistan - THREE WEEKS AGO!


Strike kills Al Qaeda commander in Pakistan
By Craig Whitlock and Karen DeYoung | The Washington Post
February 1, 2008

BERLIN - A senior Al Qaeda commander was killed this week in Pakistan, according to Western officials and an Islamic radical Web site, marking a rare success in the flagging U.S. and Pakistani campaign to hunt down members of the network.

Abu Laith al-Libi, the nom de guerre of a Libyan fighter who has served alongside Al Qaeda and the Taliban since the late 1980s, had become an influential field commander in recent years, overseeing many operations against U.S. and NATO troops in Afghanistan, officials said.

The Western officials declined to give details of how al-Libi died. But there is evidence he was targeted in a missile strike that killed 12 people early Tuesday in a remote village in northwestern Pakistan.

Villagers reported seeing an aerial drone shortly before the attack, and local officials said al-Libi and his deputies were known to visit the area. The CIA has previously used unmanned Predator aircraft to kill Al Qaeda and Taliban leaders hiding in Pakistan; U.S. personnel are officially barred from conducting operations in the country.

Wanted Al Qaeda figure moved freely in Pakistan
By Imtiaz Ali and Craig Whitlock | The Washington Post
February 5, 2008

PESHAWAR, Pakistan - A Libyan Al Qaeda commander who was killed last week in northwestern Pakistan had lived there for years and, despite a $200,000 U.S. bounty on his head, felt secure enough to meet officials and visit hospitals, according to officials and residents of this city.

No, it's not. It's just funny. Since you guys keep taking my posts and making them into Swamp items, why don't you guys start paying me?

I think Watson was a Hillary plant. I really do. There's no way someone could be that clueless and on TV as a supporter. You ask the average Swamp poster what legislation Obama has written and they'll rattle off a list of 8-10 pieces of major legislation. They're mostly bills that McCain and Tom Coburn had introduced in earlier congresses that just had the Obama name and some new democrat-pleasing language thrown into them, but at least he was working in a bipartisan manner to get things done.

There's no way a real Obama supporter would be that clueless.

Here is an accomplishment of Senator Obama (and Dick Lugar) that illustrates
that Obama isn't an empty-suit lightweight. It also shows Obama's ability to work with Republicans to get important things done.

This is off Senator Lugar's web site:

Legislative Update

Lugar-Obama Passed by Congress

In the final hours of the legislative session, the U.S. Congress approved the Lugar-Obama non-proliferation and threat reduction initiative.

Senators Dick Lugar (R-IN) and Barack Obama (D-IL) authored S. 2566 and included provisions of the bill as part of H.R. 6060, which now goes to President Bush for signature into law.

The Lugar-Obama initiative expands U.S. cooperation to destroy conventional weapons. It also expands the State Department’s ability to detect and interdict weapons and materials of mass destruction.

“The United States should do more to eliminate conventional weapons stockpiles and assist other nations in detecting and interdicting weapons of mass destruction. We believe that these functions are underfunded, fragmented and in need of high-level support,” said Senator Lugar.

The Lugar-Obama effort would energize the U.S. program against unsecured, lightweight anti-aircraft missiles and other conventional weapons. There may be as many as 750,000 MANPADS in arsenals worldwide, and the State Department estimates that more than 40 civilian aircraft have been hit by such weapons since the 1970s. In addition, loose stocks of small arms and other weapons help fuel civil wars in Africa and elsewhere and provide the means for attacks on peacekeepers and aid workers seeking to stabilize war-torn societies. In Iraq, unsecured stockpiles of artillery shells and ammunition have been reconfigured into improvised explosive devices (IEDs) that have become an effective weapon for insurgents.

!GOBAMA!

Sponsoring lame legislation is now being passed off as accomplishments. McCain was a war hero who has a well earned reputation of being Senator who stands up for what he believes in and doesnt just toe the party line like Obama does. Obama's resume is very thin whether or not the media pretends it isnt. Kids care was Blagoevichs idea not Obamas. The whole time he has been a Senator he has written 2 books and been running for President. What has he done for IL since being elected to the Senate? Nothing. Even his speeches are short on details. He says I will do this I will do that but never says how he is going to do it. The best is the staged fainting that goes on when Obama gives speeches. The fainters all just happen to be standing in the exact same spot every single time. Obama always follows up the fake faintings with a "that is the excitement hope gives you" HE is a sooth sayer and the Obama Nazis are falling for a fraud.

The Spin Doctor polishes his rhetoric and his brainwashed followers spout out his perceived greatness like the vile it is. Read deeper into what he has truly accomplished and what he plans. Not much there and that that is is not that orginal. He's just another politician eager to get his slimy bottom into the White House.

Karma is a bitch, it's just too bad that it has to make a presidential candidate look bad.

Sen. Kirk Watson is a grade A snake. In October, Sen. Kirk Watson voted to ignore the public and divert nearly a Billion tax dollars to convert portions of Austin existing freeways (183, 290W, 290E, 71E, and 71W) into tollways.

No city in the country has shifted it's freeways to tollways.

This double tax, of tolling drivers to use public expressways to drive to work, school and shop, benefits Watson contributors, developers he was hired to lobby for and the City of Austin, who pays Watson $450 an hour to do land deals.

http://salcostello.blogspot.com/

What has John McCain done? Please don't list getting captured as an accomplishment.

The above bloggers must be kidding right? You think that Watson is a Hillary plant? Well, I think Obama is a Republican plant. Why? Because putting a left-wing, ethnocentric candidate up in a year when Democrats should easily win is so darned crazy. Look, the press has done Obama a disservice because it has refused to cover him despite the fact that so much damning information can be found in his silly books. You have a man who belongs to a church that not only knocks white people, to which a man born of a white mother should take offense, but insists that they pledge a nonnegotiable loyalty to Africa. That's fine. We live in a free country but it isn't fine for a potential President.

The Republicans are going to have a hey-day. And Michelle Obama has foot in the mouth disease. She's a downer. Nothing positive to say.

At the end of the day we have Obama who would attack Pakistan and in a speech to AIPAC said he would attack Iran and John McCain who would attack Iran. No difference. But where the difference lies is that we know John McCain loves America and we know Obama and his wife resent the country.

This is not a candidate who will easily sweep to victory. Democrats forget - GW won TWICE. Despite the war. And there is half the country out there who, when told about Obama, will say no. And there are still many Democrats who believe in America and will say no to Obama and his wife and their pessimism.

Obama's speech (October, 2002):

Good afternoon. Let me begin by saying that although this has been billed as an anti-war rally, I stand before you as someone who is not opposed to war in all circumstances.

The Civil War was one of the bloodiest in history, and yet it was only through the crucible of the sword, the sacrifice of multitudes, that we could begin to perfect this union, and drive the scourge of slavery from our soil. I don't oppose all wars.

My grandfather signed up for a war the day after Pearl Harbor was bombed, fought in Patton's army. He saw the dead and dying across the fields of Europe; he heard the stories of fellow troops who first entered Auschwitz and Treblinka. He fought in the name of a larger freedom, part of that arsenal of democracy that triumphed over evil, and he did not fight in vain.

I don't oppose all wars.

After September 11th, after witnessing the carnage and destruction, the dust and the tears, I supported this Administration's pledge to hunt down and root out those who would slaughter innocents in the name of intolerance, and I would willingly take up arms myself to prevent such a tragedy from happening again.

I don't oppose all wars. And I know that in this crowd today, there is no shortage of patriots, or of patriotism. What I am opposed to is a dumb war. What I am opposed to is a rash war. What I am opposed to is the cynical attempt by Richard Perle and Paul Wolfowitz and other arm-chair, weekend warriors in this Administration to shove their own ideological agendas down our throats, irrespective of the costs in lives lost and in hardships borne.

What I am opposed to is the attempt by political hacks like Karl Rove to distract us from a rise in the uninsured, a rise in the poverty rate, a drop in the median income - to distract us from corporate scandals and a stock market that has just gone through the worst month since the Great Depression.

That's what I'm opposed to. A dumb war. A rash war. A war based not on reason but on passion, not on principle but on politics.

Now let me be clear - I suffer no illusions about Saddam Hussein. He is a brutal man. A ruthless man. A man who butchers his own people to secure his own power. He has repeatedly defied UN resolutions, thwarted UN inspection teams, developed chemical and biological weapons, and coveted nuclear capacity.

He's a bad guy. The world, and the Iraqi people, would be better off without him.

But I also know that Saddam poses no imminent and direct threat to the United States, or to his neighbors, that the Iraqi economy is in shambles, that the Iraqi military a fraction of its former strength, and that in concert with the international community he can be contained until, in the way of all petty dictators, he falls away into the dustbin of history.

I know that even a successful war against Iraq will require a US occupation of undetermined length, at undetermined cost, with undetermined consequences. I know that an invasion of Iraq without a clear rationale and without strong international support will only fan the flames of the Middle East, and encourage the worst, rather than best, impulses of the Arab world, and strengthen the recruitment arm of al-Qaeda.

I am not opposed to all wars. I'm opposed to dumb wars.

So for those of us who seek a more just and secure world for our children, let us send a clear message to the president today. You want a fight, President Bush? Let's finish the fight with Bin Laden and al-Qaeda, through effective, coordinated intelligence, and a shutting down of the financial networks that support terrorism, and a homeland security program that involves more than color-coded warnings.

You want a fight, President Bush? Let's fight to make sure that the UN inspectors can do their work, and that we vigorously enforce a non-proliferation treaty, and that former enemies and current allies like Russia safeguard and ultimately eliminate their stores of nuclear material, and that nations like Pakistan and India never use the terrible weapons already in their possession, and that the arms merchants in our own country stop feeding the countless wars that rage across the globe.

You want a fight, President Bush? Let's fight to make sure our so-called allies in the Middle East, the Saudis and the Egyptians, stop oppressing their own people, and suppressing dissent, and tolerating corruption and inequality, and mismanaging their economies so that their youth grow up without education, without prospects, without hope, the ready recruits of terrorist cells.

You want a fight, President Bush? Let's fight to wean ourselves off Middle East oil, through an energy policy that doesn't simply serve the interests of Exxon and Mobil.

Those are the battles that we need to fight. Those are the battles that we willingly join. The battles against ignorance and intolerance. Corruption and greed. Poverty and despair.

The consequences of war are dire, the sacrifices immeasurable. We may have occasion in our lifetime to once again rise up in defense of our freedom, and pay the wages of war. But we ought not - we will not - travel down that hellish path blindly. Nor should we allow those who would march off and pay the ultimate sacrifice, who would prove the full measure of devotion with their blood, to make such an awful sacrifice in vain.

Let's turn the page,

VOTE OBAMA FOR PRESIDENT!

See Doug Zook illustrate my point. Richard Lugar worked for years on similar legislation. Even Obama's website admits that the bill was "Modeled after the Nunn-Lugar program that focuses on weapons of mass destruction in the former Soviet Union."

But it's still working in a bipartisan manner and passing legislation. Good for Obama. See, I say nice things about him, too. Watson had to be a Hillary plant. I'd be ashamed if he was my state senator.

Once again Obamas friends at the swamp and unabashed Obama supporter Frank James comes to the defense of his CHOSEN ONE. This is exactly the type of thing that Bill and HIlalry are talking about. The medias refusal to take an objective look at Obama. The lack of response from an Watson speaks volumes about Obamas empty campaign. One instance in 10 years is all the swamp could find. How about finding something he has done since becoming a US Senator. You cant because there isnt anything. Obama is a career politician who spent his time hiding in a classroom and is soley being elected on his ability to give a speech, and even those words are not his own. Yet the media doesnt care because he is their CHOSEN ONE. Frank James is an unabashed Obama supporter and this lame attempt to beef up Obamas lack of experience. ALso many people in the good gov have stated that Obamas "ethics reform" is very lacking and has not really even made any difference.

What are McCain's legislative accomplishments other than restricting political speach?

Jackson, here's the world of hurt you just set yourself up for.

1.) Truly co-authored and fought for passage through two congresses of McCain-Feingold, the landmark campaign finance legislation that limited the pervasive influence of "soft money" in politics.

2.) Publicly supported and called for the troop surge that has stabilized the situation in Iraq a full three years before it was implemented. Also publicly called for the firing of Donald Rumsfeld and an end to his "lighter, faster" military" strategy before it actually happened. Remarked "I'd rather lose a campaign than a war" when it looked like the situation in Iraq was unsalvageable, demonstrating more political courage than any other candidate in the race, republican or democrat.

3.) Truly co-authored and introduced McCain-Lieberman, landkmark legislation that would have - if passed curbed US carbon emissions by estimates of 30%.

4.) During the five years McCain served as Navy Liaison to the US Senate he played a key behind-the-scenes role in gaining congressional financing for a new supercarrier against the wishes of the Carter administration and Navy Secretary W. Graham Claytor Jr.

5.) McCain got the Indian Economic Development Act of 1985 signed into law.

6.)In 1986 he broke ranks again in voting to successfully override Reagan's veto of the Comprehensive Anti-Apartheid Act that imposed sanctions against South Africa.

7.) He was a member of the 1991–1993 Senate Select Committee on POW/MIA Affairs, chaired by Democrat and fellow Vietnam War veteran John Kerry, convened to investigate the fate of U.S. service personnel listed as missing in action during the Vietnam War. The committee's work included more visits to Vietnam and getting the Department of Defense to declassify over a million pages of relevant documents.

8.) In 1994 the Senate passed a resolution, sponsored by Kerry and McCain, that called for an end to the existing trade embargo against Vietnam; it was intended to pave the way for normalization.

9.) For almost his entire Senate career McCain has aggressively attacked and tried to stop pork barrel spending within Congress, believing that the practice did not contribute to the greater national interest. Towards this end he was instrumental in pushing through approval of the Line Item Veto Act of 1996, which gave the president the power to veto individual items of pork. Too bad the supreme court took it away in 1998. McCain and Tom Coburn are still two of only six senators in office today who did not ask for or receive a single earmark in 1996. Hillary or Obama can't say that.

I could go on but I think you should see the point by now.

Hillary's accomplishments - Iraq War
Iran War Authorization

Enough said.

One, Obama could save a few bucks and start directing folks directly to the Swamp. Who needs a communication staff when you have the Chicago Tribune. Nice spin, guys! Your “Nah-ah, lookie here, he’s got lots of accomplishments!” post is priceless.

Two, Watson is a Clinton plant? Would you listen to yourselves? Who could blame the guy for being ill prepared. I mean, why on Earth would any of his surrogates expect a question like, “name one of (Obama’s) legislative accomplishments,” especially from the likes of Chris Matthews.

I have never seen Frank James pen an article in defense of criticism leveled at Hillary nor at MCCain. Yet anytime someone dares to level any at Obama is friends in the media come running to his defense. In todays paper alone there are 2 articles in the Sun TImes defending Obama and 2 more in the Tribune defending Obama and telling us how awful Hillary is. When a candidate can not stand on his own merits he needs others to defend him. Bottom line is Obama was a very undistinguished state Senator for 10 years. Before he ran for US Senate no one outside his district had any idea who he was. Then he sold his sole to EMil JOnes had Jack Ryan taken out by his friends at the Tribune and gave a great speech at the DNC. I have never seen a candidate who has done so little get so much off of SPEECHES. The weapons legislation wasnt even his own. Frank James, Andrew Greeley, Mary Mitchell, Clarence Page are all sheep and shills for the Obama campaign. They have ZERO CREDIBILITY in this 2008 election cycle. Watch as the democratic nomination ends and they then turn their pens from HIllary onto McCain. I cant wait to see how they go into attack mode on McCain WHO IS A WAR HERO. Watch as it unfolds before you. All the negative articles about Hillary written by all these people will change to attack articles on McCain. I dont kow they will justify it but IT WILL HAPPEN.

Sen. Kirk Watson take a look at Obama's legislative achievements vs Clinton's

http://weblogs.baltimoresun.com/news/politics/blog/2008/02/hillary_clinton_lets_get_real.html

Read it here also:

Get real? OK. Here's a reality check. The only weakness in Barack Obama's campaign right now is that he has no articulate / well-informed person to speak on his behalf to the Press, and Hillary Clinton is surrounded by an army of P.R. pros who make her look look and constantly attack her opponent. Kirk Watson's appearance on MSNBC last night was embarrassing, but very soon, the Obama camp will send out well-informed supporters to make their case for them! And when they do, it's all over...
HILLARY VS. OBAMA LEGISLATIVE RECORDS:
During Obama's first (8) eight years of elected service (in Illinois) he sponsored over 820 bills - 233 regarding healthcare reform, 125 on poverty and public assistance, 112 crime fighting bills, 97 economic bills, 60 human rights and anti-discrimination bills, 21 ethics reform bills, 15 gun control, 6 veterans affairs and many others. IN ADDITION, DURING HIS FIRST YEAR IN THE U.S. SENATE, HE AUTHORED 152 BILLS AND CO-SPONSORED ANOTHER 427. THESE INCLUDED:
*The Coburn-Obama Government Transparency Act of 2006 (became law)
*The Lugar-Obama Nuclear Non-proliferation and Conventional Weapons Threat Reduction Act, (became law)
*The Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act, (passed by the Senate)
*The 2007 Government Ethics Bill, (became law)
*The Protection Against Excessive Executive Compensation Bill, (In committee)
In all, since he entered the US Senate, Obama has written 890 bills and co-sponsored another 1,096. AN IMPRESSIVE RECORD, FOR SOMEONE WHO SUPPOSEDLY "HAS NO RECORD"
HILLARY CLINTON, WHO HAS SERVED FOR 6 YEARS IN THE U.S. SENATE, AND CLAIMS TO KNOW HOW TO "GET THINGS DONE" HAS MANAGED TO AUTHOR AND PASS NTO LAW ONLY TWENTY (20) PIECES OF LEGISLATION, ONLY FIVE (5) OF WHICH HAVE ANY REAL SUBSTANCE:
1. Extend period of unemployment assistance to victims of 9/11.
2. Pay for city projects in response to 9/11
3. Assist landmine victims in other countries.
4. Assist family caregivers in accessing affordable respite care.
5. Designate part of the National Forest System in Puerto Rico as protected in the wilderness preservation system.

Legislative accomplishments? Okay we all know what they are and people like Matthews should be reporting what they are, not asking others. That point aside, is the president a legislator or an executive?

Rick and Frank,
Are in the tank,
Around the clock,
For St. Barack.

When was the last time ANY congressman accomplished anything (other than favors for special interests)? They couldn't even pass a budget on time.

I saw this today and so thought I'd copy and paste it here today, from a poster. Anybody speaking on behalf of Senator Obama on tv or otherwise needs to have this. Thank you, Anita W for posting it:

HILLARY VS. OBAMA LEGISLATIVE RECORDS:
During Obama's first (8) eight years of elected service (in Illinois) he sponsored over 820 bills - 233 regarding healthcare reform, 125 on poverty and public assistance, 112 crime fighting bills, 97 economic bills, 60 human rights and anti-discrimination bills, 21 ethics reform bills, 15 gun control, 6 veterans affairs and many others. IN ADDITION, DURING HIS FIRST YEAR IN THE U.S. SENATE, HE AUTHORED 152 BILLS AND CO-SPONSORED ANOTHER 427. THESE INCLUDED:

*The Coburn-Obama Government Transparency Act of 2006 (became law)
*The Lugar-Obama Nuclear Non-proliferation and Conventional Weapons Threat Reduction Act, (became law)
*The Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act, (passed by the Senate)
*The 2007 Government Ethics Bill, (became law)
*The Protection Against Excessive Executive Compensation Bill, (In committee)

In all, since he entered the US Senate, Obama has written 890 bills and co-sponsored another 1,096. AN IMPRESSIVE RECORD, FOR SOMEONE WHO SUPPOSEDLY "HAS NO RECORD"

HILLARY CLINTON, WHO HAS SERVED FOR 6 YEARS IN THE U.S. SENATE, AND CLAIMS TO KNOW HOW TO "GET THINGS DONE" HAS MANAGED TO AUTHOR AND PASS NTO LAW ONLY TWENTY (20) PIECES OF LEGISLATION, ONLY FIVE (5) OF WHICH HAVE ANY REAL SUBSTANCE:
1. Extend period of unemployment assistance to victims of 9/11.
2. Pay for city projects in response to 9/11
3. Assist landmine victims in other countries.
4. Assist family caregivers in accessing affordable respite care.
5. Designate part of the National Forest System in Puerto Rico as protected in the wilderness preservation system.

Posted by: Anitra W. | February 20, 2008 11:18 AM

People are dieing for the right to vote in there countries and people here are treating this election like American Idol. This is a perfect example that this is a bandwagoning farce by the Democrats to back the “POP”ulor Obama then finding the right candidate to become the next president of the United States.

Obama and campagne manager ( Axelrod)are products of Gov. Blagov. ,Emil Jones and Exelon/ Comm.Ed and where Alexrod comes from. Obama watered down a nuclear water filtration bill for them here in Il. This is a corporate show. And his buddies are scary here in Il and his best buddy Rezko trial starts 3/3/08.

If you can put aside a good amount of time you can go here http://thomas.loc.gov/home/rollcallvotes.html and check out the legislation John McCain has chair and co-chair over the years. If you have a couple minutes you can check out the rubbish Obama has introduced.

The videotaping passage is amazing and I wonder why Obama does not 'brag' about what he has done, he really has great accomplishments and a nice size of them. Maybe this should all be sent to Chris Matthews and to everyone.

Matthews did not ask the same question to Rep. Tubbs. It was low class move. Is Matthews going to grill everyone like this from now on?

Matthews did not ask the same question to Rep. Tubbs. It was low class move. Is Matthews going to grill everyone like this from now on?

When I saw Kirk Watson being interviewed last night - live - I cringed. Turns out, it made me google "Obama's legislative record" and found a wealth of information! So I think it backfired! Now maybe people will be willing to learn more. The opposition says Obama just gives good speeches. Since when does that mean that's ALL he can do? I am now and have been an Obama supporter since the moment he threw his hat in the ring! Go Obama!

The issue isn't whether we are sending missions into Pakistani's - we are... the issue isn't whether the Pakistani govt. is letting us - it likely is.

The issue is that you don't stand up at a presidential podium and tell the world unabashedly that you are going to do it. Because the next question "Well, don't you believe in sovereignty?" or some other question that undercuts the Pakistani government. Part of diplomacy is knowing when to keep your mouth shut or at least be subtle about it. Nixon and China never admitted talking, because they knew it would blow up.. they didn't announce anything until they'd worked it out. Kennedy made a deal with the Russians, in order to defuse the missle crisis, but part of that deal was that the American tit-for-tat withdrawal of missles from Cuba had to be kept quiet, otherwise the whole thing would have collapsed. The candidate needs to show some sense - there is no on the job training on Day 1.

Tim, do you think it's at all possible that Matthews might've asked Tubbs-Jones the same question if he didn't have to ask Watson the same thing two more times? It was Watson's inability to answer that set up the next two re-askings. I still think he's a Clinton plant, but you can't blame Tubbs-Jones for what he did to himself on national TV.

Also, don't go citing "McCain-Obama" as Obama's legislation, either. Everyone knows it's the exact same bill as McCain-Lieberman reintroduced with Obama to try and get some more democrat votes. Remember they were all POed at Lieberman around that time.

The same question was asked before at a Democrat's presidential nominee debate, the question was "what are the accomplishments that you are most proud of?" Obama is most proud of the passing of a bill that restricts lawmakers attend parties hosted by lobbyists, well,not really so, that bill only restricts those lawmakers who need wheelchairs or have the hobby to eat on toilet.

I am waiting for someone to question what Hillary has accomplished. She doesn't have all that much experience in elected positions either. She is an opportunist with alot of experince in destroying other peoples credibility for her and Bills' own gain.

RNC Gadfly Bruce & the Kids are going nuts right now.

Calm down boys, McCain will...

...never mind.

Jeff, in reality, most Obama supporters a clueless. They don't know much so they support the empty suit.
Obama has not accomplished much as a legislator. Hillary hasn't accomplished anything either. She is complaining about the same things he/she complained about in 1992. So, what did Billary do for 8 years as co-president?
Obama has all the qualifications of being president as do the ciccadas that entered our world last summer.

Hilary says she's about solutions. Well, what is her solution to the "Obama problem?"

The Spin Doctor polishes his rhetoric and his brainwashed followers spout out his perceived greatness like the vile it is. Read deeper into what he has truly accomplished and what he plans. Not much there and that that is is not that orginal. He's just another politician eager to get his slimy bottom into the White House.

Posted by: Paul | February 20, 2008 11:23 AM

Yeah, and John McCain Bush is offering us WHAT?

John McCain/Bush has followed in lockstep with the Bush crime family on everything except tax cuts for the rich people and torture and he just flip-flopped on those two.

-100 years in Iraq
-Bombing of Iran
-no plans for education or healthcare
-no knowledge of the economy or how to fix it.

John McCain/Bush is a "stuffed suit".

Here's what the guy that rightwing knuckledraggers call an "empty suit" stands for.

Barack Obama positions:

Opposed the Iraq war from the start.
Voted to end the war in Iraq.
Supports capturing and killing Osama Bin Laden.
4, Favors a $1000 tax cut for every working American family.

Will implement tax form simplification to reduce filing time.
Provide tax credit for all middle class homeowners.
Provide a tax cut for all families making less than $75,000 a year.
Amend NAFTA to protect American workers.
Amend NAFTA to strengthen environmental protections.
Providing Flex Ed training accounts for workers.
Extending Trade Adjustment assistance to service workers.
Supported Patriot Employer Act of 2007 that gives tax credits to large companies that keep workers here in America.
Double funds for basic federal research.
Implement a long term research and development tax credit.
Invest in green technologies.
Reduce carbon emission gases.
Tackle the challenges of global warming.
Create an energy focused youth jobs program.
Create Federal Renewable Portfolio Standard.
Extend the Production Tax Credit.
Expand Broadband into every community.
Keep the Internet tax free.
Expand high speed internet access in rural areas.
Fight for passage of Employee Free Choice Act.
Ensure freedom to unionize.
Would overturn "Kentucky River" classifications of Bush's NLRB
Protect rights of striking workers.
Increase the mininum wage to index it to inflation.
Crack down on predatory lenders.
Provide a universal mortgage tax credit for homeowners who don't itemize.
Sign the Stop Fraud Act to prevent lending fraud.
Mandate accurate loan disclosure.
Create a fund to protect people from foreclosures.
Close the bankruptcy loophole for mortgage companies.
Establish a credit card rating to improve disclosure.
Ban utilateral credit card charges.
Apply interest rate only to future debt.
Prohibit credit card interest on fees.
Prohibit Universal defaults.
Require prompt and fair crediting of cardholder payments.
Protect working people from unfair bankruptcy laws.
Ban executive bonuses for bankruptcy companies.
REquire disclosure of pension investments.
Cap outlandandish interest rates on payday loans.
Implement legislation to drive unscrupulous lenders out of business
Create a bankruptcy exemption for people that went broke because of medical bills.
Double funding for after school programs.
Extend Family and Medical Leave Act.
Encourage states to adopt Paid leave.
Expand the Child Care Tax Credit
Supports ratification of UN Convention Rights of Persons With Disabilities.
Supports independent, community based living for people with disabilities.
Expand educational opportunites for people with disabilities.
Expand job opportunities for people with disabilities.
Strengthen civil rights enforcement.
Sign into law the Fair Pay Act.
Sign law reversing recent SCOTUS rulings that permitted discrimination against women.
Sign law reversing recent SCOTUS rulings that permitted discrimination against racial minorities.
Strengthen federal hate crimes legislation.
Eliminate the sentence disparities regarding crack cocaines.
Establish drug courts for first time, non violent offenders.
Create a prison to work incentive for those transitioning back into society.
Passed a law to prohibit the practice of racial profiling.
Supported reauthorizing the Voting Rights Act.
Opposes all discriminatory barriers to voting.
Helped reform death penalty system in Illinois to protect innocent people on death row.
Voted to ban cluster bombs.
Provide high quality affordable child care to families.
Will quadrulple Early Head Start funding.
Will increase Head Start funding.
Creates early learning challenge grants.
Abolish overly rigid teach to the test curriculum in schools.
Improve accountability in public schools.
Invest in intervention strategies to reduce dropout rates in schools.
Increase funding for afterschool programs.
Supports Step Up program to increase summer learning opportunities.
Support English language learner programs.
Expand college outreach programs.
Create teacher service scholarships.
Requires all public schools to be accredited.
Create teacher residency programs.
Create the American Opportunity Tax Credit for higher education.
Streamline financial aid application.
Introduced legislation to increase Pell Grant to $5,100.
Reduce carbon emissions by 80% by 2050.
Confront deforestation.
Promote carbon sequestration.
Accelerate commercialization of plug in hybrids.
Promote development of commercial scale renewable energy.
Invest in low emission coal plants.
Transition to new electric digit grid.
Double science funding for clean energy products.
Create Green Jobs Corps.
Invest in programs to help manufacturers make transition to green products.
Create clean technologies venture capital fund.
Deploy cellulosic ethanol.
Expand locally owned biofuel refineries.
Increase renewable fuel standards.
Establish national low carbon fuel standard.
Increase fuel economy standards.
Invest in solar energy.
Invest in wind energy.
Establish a centralized database to track lobbyist activities.
Appoint an independent watchdog group to oversee congressional ethic violations.
Favors campaign finance reform.
Sunshine on legislation proposal.
End abuse of no bid contracts.
Release presidential records in a more timely fashion.
Prevent political appointees from working as lobbyists within two years after employment has ended.
Reform political appointment process.
Sign ethics legislation that he proposed as a Senator with Russ Feingold.
Obama sponsored a bi-partisan bill allowing regular people to track federal grants.
Take leadership in the global fight against AIDS.
Provide tax cuts to small businesses.
Provide income tax cuts for all senior citizens making $50,000 a year or less.
Expand the Earned Income Tax Credit.
Protect workers from caregiver discrimination.
Increase mentoring programs for beginner teachers.
Provide universal health care for all Americans within 4 years.
Combat fraudulent subprime loans.
Expand Nurse Family Partnership.
Provide automatic workplace pensions for workers.
Expand savings credit for retirement accounts.
Reinstate pay as you go budget rules.
Repeal Bush tax cuts for top 1% which led to lower middle class standard of living.
Slash earmarks to pre 2001 levels.
Abolish obsolete wasteful government programs.
Voted against raising the minimum debt in 2006.
Supports wiping out Al Qaeda wherever they may be.
Opposed Kyl Lieberman.
Supports tough attempts at diplomacy with Iran to protect America's interests.
Will work to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Restrengthen NATO.
Passed a bipartisan law with Senator Lugar to prevent smuggling of WMDs.
Introduced a bill with Senator Hagel to reduce nuclear arsenals around the globe.
Supports securing loose nuke arsenals from the former Soviet Union and elsewhere.
Strengthen Non Nuclear Proliferation Treaty.
Expand size of Army by 65,000.
Expand size of Marines by 27,000.
Provide our troops with new equipment and the tools they need.
Provide National Service troops with adequate leave time.
Will insulate the Director of National Intelligence from partisan politics.
Guarantee that health care can never be denied because of a pre-existing condition.
Introduce a health care plan similar to the one members of Congress have and give all Americans access to this plan.
Simplify the paperwork in health care costs.
Make premiums and co pays affordable.
Require mandatory coverage of all children for health care.
Expand SCHIP.
Expand Medicaid.
Reduce costs of catastrophic illnesses for employers and employees.
Support disease management programs.
Require hospitals and providers to have full transparency over costs.
Promote patient safety by requiring providers to report medical errors.
Establish an independent institute to guide reviews + research on comparative effectiveness in health care.
Strengthen anti trust laws to prevent insurance companies from gouging medical providers.
Lower medical costs by having electronic health info systems.
Increase competition in prescription drug markets.
Advance biomedical research field.
Improve mental care coverage.
Reduce mercury deposits to help prevent miscarriages.
Increase funding for autism research.
Cosponsored Healthy Kids Act of 2007.
Cosponsored reauthorization of SCHIP in 2007.
Obama introduced legislation to establish guidelines to monitor fuels from nuclear power plants.
Sponsored a bill with Senator Lautenberg to protect chemical plants from possible terrorist attacks.
Introduced legislation to upgrade monitoring of water supplies.
Introduced legislation to protect localities from radioactive leaks.
Create secure borders with additional personnel and infrastructure.
Remove incentives for people to enter this country illegally.
Crack down on employers who hire illegal immigrants.
Invest in transitional jobs.
Improve transportation access to jobs.
Fully fund community block grants.
Create an affordable housing trust fund.
Establish a program called 20 Promise Neighborhoods.
Invest in rural areas, especially small businesses, schools, and doctors.
Implement a payment limitation program to help small farmers.
Protect family farms from anti-competitive monopolies.
Implement tough fines for CAFO violations.
Establish country of origin labeling for all products.
Support regional food systems.
Encourage organic farming.
Provide tax credits for young farmers.
Increase capital for small farmers.
Modify FCC so all rural residents have access to modern communications.
Upgrade rural infrastructure.
Supported legislation to reverse 2 billion dollars of agriculture cuts under Bush.
Cosponsored Emergency Farm Relief Act of 2006.
Sponsored a bill to combat the scourge of methamphetamines.
Expand Americorps.
Double the Peacecorps in 8 years.
Expand Service learning in all our schools.
Offer an opportunity tax credit for college students in exchange for 100 hours of community service.
Promote college work study programs with public service.
Expand on the YouthBuild program.
Create a Social Investment Fund Network.
Create a non profit entrepreneur agency.
Protect Social Security.
Reform corporate bankruptcy laws.
Strengthen laws protecting against age discrimination in the workplace.
Ensure heating assistance for senior citizens.
Protect the openness of the Internet.
Encourage diversity in media ownership.
Protect children from Internet predators with strict law enforcement.
Support transition of the internet into the digital world.
Preserve artistic expression.
Keep inappropriate advertising away from programs for children.
Enhance safety standards for toys imported into this country.
Protect the right of privacy of every law abiding American.
Update surveillance laws under the rule of law.
Higher salaries for teachers.
Work with the FTC to cut down on cyber crimes.
Eliminate teach to the test curriculum and restore true learning to the classroom.
Open up government to citizens by providing transparency.
Provide all our schools with broadband technology.
Modernize public safety networks.
Make the research and development tax credit permanent.
Protect intellectual property at home and abroad.
Reform the patent system to encourage innovation.
Allow all veterans back into the VA.
Strengthen VA care for all veterans.
Fight veterans employment discrimination.
Fix the benefits bureaucracy to help veterans.
Expand vet centers across the country.
Obama passed legilsation to slash red tape to help wounded soldiers at Walter Reed.
Introduced legislation to direct the VA and Pentagon to fix its veterans record systems.
Introduced legislation to help the victims of Hurricane Katrina.
Rebuild the roads and bridges that need to be rebuilt.
Will end the genocide in Darfur.
Will restore habeas corpus to America.
Reject torture.
Close down Gitmo.
Pledges to obey the Constitution of the United States.
Will fully implement and enforce the Equal Pay Act.
End tax breaks for US companies sending jobs overseas.
Voted to reinstate 1.15 billion to the COPS program to reduce crime.
Wants to keep drinking age at 21.
Supports grants to local educational agencies.
Voted to protect ANWR.
Voted to protect the Great Lakes from polluters.
Favors labor and trade standards with trade with China.
Opposed CAFTA which hurts American workers.
Voting to give the District of Columbia its proper vote in Congress.
Voted to expand enrollment period for Medicare Part D.
Favors repealing the discriminatory don't ask don't tell policy.
Provide first responders with the health care and equipment they need.
Voted to implement the 9/11 commission recommendations.
Voted to restore money to ports and first responders.
Voted to establish a Guest Worker program.
Voted to increase the minimum wage.
Voted against anti-Constitution radicals Alito and Roberts.
Voted against the repeal of the estate tax that only applies to 1% of the wealthiest of estates.
Supports the first amendment freedom of religion clauses and establishment clauses.
Introduced a bill requiring public companies to give shareholders an annual nonbinding vote on executive compensation.
Protects our schools by opposing voucher schemes.
Introduced Biofuels Security Act in 2007.
Favors closing corporate tax loopholes.
Understands that global warming is a real problem that must be addressed.
Supports civil unions for LGBT couples.
Favors the death penalty in the rarest but appropriate of circumstances.

Hillary's campaign is just getting pathetic at this point. It's laughable really. Key the Benny Hill music!

Obama's camp announces the support of the Teamsters' 1.something million members and the best hillary's got is to go negative on a single ignorant statement by a Texas state senator with no relation to Obama's campaign?

LOL. Nice one Hillary. That'll win an election for ya.

Next thing you know, her camp is going to start forwarding Robin's anti-Obama Swamp posts to the media with tag lines like "MUST READ!"

Hey Michael, why is it that your only response to the questioning of Obamas' legislative accomplishments is to ask about someone else's? Typical liberal. When you don't have an answer you change the question.

Jeff,
You conveniently left off 1) Getting snared in the Keating Five Scandal and 2) John McCain's call to cut and run from Somalia. If you don't remember that episode I can't cut and paste the entire Senate floor speech he gave.

On another note, has anyone made the effort to scrutinize Clinton's Senate record. Just to make it easy, here are the 20 bills she authored in her seven years in the Senate.

1. Establish the Kate Mullany National Historic Site.
2. Support the goals and ideals of Better Hearing and Speech Month.
3. Recognize the Ellis Island Medal of Honor.
4. Name courthouse after Thurgood Marshall.
5. Name courthouse after James L. Watson.
6. Name post office after Jonn A. O'Shea.
7. Designate Aug. 7, 2003, as National Purple Heart Recognition Day.
8. Support the goals and ideals of National Purple Heart Recognition Day.
9. Honor the life and legacy of Alexander Hamilton on the bicentennial of his death.
10. Congratulate the Syracuse Univ. Orange Men's Lacrosse Team on winning the championship.
11. Congratulate the Le Moyne College Dolphins Men's Lacrosse Team on winning the championship.
12. Establish the 225th Anniversary of the American Revolution Commemorative Program.
13. Name post office after Sergeant Riayan A. Tejeda.
14. Honor Shirley Chisholm for her service to the nation and express condolences on her death.
15. Honor John J. Downing, Brian Fahey, and Harry Ford, firefighters who lost their lives on duty.
16. Extend period of unemployment assistance to victims of 9/11.
17. Pay for city projects in response to 9/11
18. Assist landmine victims in other countries.
19. Assist family caregivers in accessing affordable respite care.
20. Designate part of the National Forest System in Puerto Rico as protected in the wilderness preservation system.

Seems like more of a legislative lightweight to me.

A couple of excerpts from the 2002 speech posted above:

"My grandfather signed up for a war the day after Pearl Harbor was bombed, fought in Patton's army. He saw the dead and dying across the fields of Europe; he heard the stories of fellow troops who first entered Auschwitz and Treblinka."

Auschwitz and Treblinka are in Poland, which was liberated (?) from the Germans by the Soviet army. So, unless he talked to a lot of Russians, his grampy didn't talk to any "fellow troops who first entered" those camps. Dachau, maybe, or Buchenwald?

"I suffer no illusions about Saddam Hussein. He is a brutal man. A ruthless man. A man who butchers his own people to secure his own power. He has repeatedly defied UN resolutions, thwarted UN inspection teams, developed chemical and biological weapons, and coveted nuclear capacity."

So BHO believed that Iraq had WMD's in 2002, along with everybody else!

Let's not forget Hillary's attempt at flag burning legislation:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/12/14/AR2005121401887.html

That would have been a real triumph.

Moreover, as Jay points out above, she's not "ethnocentric." So she has that going for her too.

To Ruthie M:

Thank you. We need to set the record straight! This should have been a great night for Obama (10-0), but Matthews was determined to steal the spotlight!

But the best part? Right after this exchange, Keith Olbermann challenged Matthews to name one piece of legislation recently passed by the US Senate. Answer? SILENCE!!! A silly, self-important bully, Matthews bragged this morning that this incident is going to be a big story - Yeah, a phony non-story that you made into a story just to feed your own fragile ego. What a pathetic excuse for a journalist!

Kirk Watson was frighteningly ill-prepared! But this was not real journalism. This was full on Anti-Obama attack mode - by a man determined to prove to the Clintons that he can be tough - after drooling over Obama for the past few weeks.

But Matthews has a point: There is a real (and quite serious) weakness in Barack Obama's campaign right now. Barack apparently has a lack of articulate / well-informed surrogates to speak on his behalf to the Press, and Hillary Clinton is surrounded by an army of P.R. pros who make her look good and constantly attack her opponent. Kirk Watson's appearance on MSNBC last night was embarrassing, to be sure, but I presume that very soon, the Obama camp will dispatch well-informed supporters to make their case for them! And when they do, it's all over...

HILLARY VS. OBAMA LEGISLATIVE RECORDS:
During Obama's first (8) eight years of elected service (in Illinois) he sponsored over 820 bills - 233 regarding healthcare reform, 125 on poverty and public assistance, 112 crime fighting bills, 97 economic bills, 60 human rights and anti-discrimination bills, 21 ethics reform bills, 15 gun control, 6 veterans affairs and many others. IN ADDITION, DURING HIS FIRST YEAR IN THE U.S. SENATE, HE AUTHORED 152 BILLS AND CO-SPONSORED ANOTHER 427. THESE INCLUDED:

*The Coburn-Obama Government Transparency Act of 2006 (became law)
*The Lugar-Obama Nuclear Non-proliferation and Conventional Weapons Threat Reduction Act, (became law)
*The Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act, (passed by the Senate)
*The 2007 Government Ethics Bill, (became law)
*The Protection Against Excessive Executive Compensation Bill, (In committee)

In all, since he entered the US Senate, Obama has written 890 bills and co-sponsored another 1,096. AN IMPRESSIVE RECORD, FOR SOMEONE WHO SUPPOSEDLY "HAS NO RECORD"

Hillary Clinton, who has served for six (6) straight years in the US Senate. and claims to know how to "GET THINGS DONE" has managed to author and pass into law only twenty (20) pieces of legislation, and only five (5) of those had any real substance:
1. Extend period of unemployment assistance to victims of 9/11.
2. Pay for city projects in response to 9/11
3. Assist landmine victims in other countries.
4. Assist family caregivers in accessing affordable respite care.
5. Designate part of the National Forest System in Puerto Rico as protected in the wilderness preservation system.

Hillary's one notable vote: SUPPORTING THE PLAN TO INVADE IRAQ, which she has since disavowed and twisted, but refuses to admit was a mistake. Barack Obama, however, is the only '08 Democratic Presidential Candidate who had the good judgment to oppose the war from day one. This is no contest!

[quote]
Jeff, in reality, most Obama supporters a clueless.

Posted by: John D | February 20, 2008 2:07 PM
[/quote]

Geographically Ignorant Dumb Dumb Little Johnny Dyslin, "the Joseph Stalin of Streamwood", at least the supporters of Sen. Obama know how to write properly. The WORD you wanted to use in that sentence is "are", not "a".

And you continually try to pass yourself off to Swamp posters as a "journalist". What a laugh!

Great catch Dave. Obama is obviously unfit to be President because he mistakenly or uncarefully or exaggeratedly referred to the liberation of certain concentration camps rather than others. Where are the Buchenwald Liberating Veterans for Truth when we need them?

Meanwhile, the quote about Saddam says that he "developed chemical and biological weapons" -- past tense, developed. Everyone knows he did that, and he used them too. The question was (and is) did he have such weapons in 2002, and was our attack justified on that basis? You can answer those questions for yourself, but I think most Americans now know the answers they would choose.

"I suffer no illusions about Saddam Hussein. He is a brutal man. A ruthless man. A man who butchers his own people to secure his own power. He has repeatedly defied UN resolutions, thwarted UN inspection teams, developed chemical and biological weapons, and coveted nuclear capacity."

So BHO believed that Iraq had WMD's in 2002, along with everybody else!

Posted by: Dave | February 20, 2008 3:14 PM

Everyone still does believe he "developed chemical and biological weapons"; we know he used them on his own citizenry (well, the Kurds, I'm not sure if they had full citizenship under Saddam, but I digress).

As for the rest of the thread, I have to say that Hillary's experience seems little more than First Lady of Arkanasas and the U.S., where she accomplished little, followed by a weak legislative record since (not to mention that she ran for Senate from NY, where she had never previously lived???). Can someone please tell me what her "experience" is? Obama lacks experience too, don't get me wrong, but he doesn't seem to inflate and/or lie about his accomplishments so blatantly.

So you don't refute anything I wrote, Jackson? At least you're acknowledging the veracity.

I bear no dillusions about Keating Five. McCain was dumb to get involved in it and has written so himself. He was still called "only a minor player" by the ethics committee investigating it whereas DeConcini and Riegle were recommended for censure.

I think McCain and Glenn were caught up in that scam because there were no clear campaign finance law rules at the time. Because of McCain-Feingold there now are.

What McCain said about Somalia was entirely right. The Clinton administration and the Pentagon could have wiped out Aidid by simply sending the right amount of troops and weaponry to get the job done. Instead the "peacekeeping" going on was tantamount to fighting a war with one hand tied behind your back.

It's essentially the same thing as what Rumsfeld was trying to do in Iraq and McCain spoke out against him, too, and thank God he did.

At least Jackson has tacitly admitted McCain's legislative record is long and distinguished, but this discussion was never about his record. It's about Obama's.

I still think Watson was a Clinton plant.

Hey Ruthie et al,

coming up with resolutions to declare a special day for someone or to add some extra verbage to an existing law or to re-write a law so it sounds better isn't really an accomplishment. It's lawywering at politics. Perhaps you should actually read what the Obama campaign is shoving up your nose before you use it with such ferver. You sound as dense as Obama himself!

Hey Paul et al.

Perhaps you should look at Obama's policy positions before claiming he offers no solutions. I don't know if you personally repeat that meme or if instead you favor different spin points pushed by the rival campaigns, but he's offering just as many ideas for solutions going forward as anyone else is, and I like his ideas better.

Now, looking to the past instead of the future -- as Jeff just noted, this discussion is about Obama's experience, not about Hillary's or McCain's. Obviously, Obama has less experience in Washington than either of them. Yet, as does much of the rest of the country, I shrug my shoulders slightly and ask "this is supposed to be a bad thing?"

Will implement tax form simplification to reduce filing time.
Provide tax credit for all middle class homeowners.
Provide a tax cut for all families making less than $75,000 a year.
Amend NAFTA to protect American workers.
Amend NAFTA to strengthen environmental protections.
Providing Flex Ed training accounts for workers.
Extending Trade Adjustment assistance to service workers.
Supported Patriot Employer Act of 2007 that gives tax credits to large companies that keep workers here in America, etc. etc, ets.....
Posted by: John E | February 20, 2008 2:15 PM

With all these marvels of legislation that Obama promised to implement,we don't need a Congress or elected officials. Obama will just spread his almighty hand, and say, "Let it be." Maybe he will also part the "Red Sea." All of the items he wants to "implement" were stock DEmocratic platform items or borrowed from John Edwards or even Ron Paul. Your god is a false god, or should I say, "talent borrows, genius steals" type of guy.

I think Matthews is a disgrace. And the people of Texas are not going to take too kindly to Clintons embrace of the public humiliation of a fellow Texan. You will see.

For Obama's record, read this:

And for the record:

During the first (8) eight years of his elected service he sponsored over 820 bills. He introduced
233 regarding healthcare reform,
125 on poverty and public assistance,
112 crime fighting bills,
97 economic bills,
60 human rights and anti-discrimination bills,
21 ethics reform bills,
15 gun control,
6 veterans affairs and many others.

His first year in the U.S. Senate, he authored 152 bills and co-sponsored another 427. These included:
**the Coburn-Obama Government Transparency Act of 2006 (became law),
**The Lugar-Obama Nuclear Non-proliferation and Conventional Weapons Threat Reduction Act, (became law),
**The Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act, passed the Senate,
**The 2007 Government Ethics Bill, (became law),
**The Protection Against Excessive Executive Compensation Bill, (In committee), and many more.
In all since enter the U.S. Senate, Senator Obama has written 890 bills and co-sponsored another 1096.

To say nothing of his achievements while he was a community organizer in Chicago.

--------------

-- Graduated first black president of Harvard Law Review having won trust and support of conservative members.

-- Passed over 600 high-money law firm offers to work for civil rights practice at fractional pay.

-- Added health insurance for 20,000 children, welfare reforms, earned-income tax credits, and increased minimum wage in Illinois.

-- Reformed death-penalty cases, requiring that interrogations be video-recorded. Passed Illinois Senate 58-0. Signed into law by Illinois governor who first opposed Obama’s bill. Obama succeeded by building consensus with conservative opposition.

-- Opposed Iraq war publicly, long before invasion. Accurately depicted it as of undetermined length, undetermined cost, undetermined objective, with a great likelihood of civil war breaking out.

-- Expanded program to locate and dismantle stray Russian WMD with Republican Senator Lugar.

-- Passed major ethics and lobbying reform bill with Russ Feingold, insisting upon tougher restrictions around gifts, meals, etc. And extended the interval preventing exiting congress members from moving directly into lobbyist positions.

-- Toured Kuwait, Jordan, Israel, and Palestinian territories, telling Palestinian Authority Abbas that US would never recognize Hamas leaders until they renounced mission to attack Israel.

-- Cosponsored Secure Orderly Immigration Act by John McCain. Passes Senate 62-36. Makes undocumented persons who have been here 5+ years only allowed to stay and apply for citizenship if they pay back-taxes, learn English, and have no criminal record.

-- Communicated frankly to Michigan automaker executives of need to increase fuel-efficiency standards by at least 3% per year.

-- Many aisle-crossing bi-partisan solutions throughout 10 years of senate experience (8 state, 2 federal).

-- 100% approval rating from the League of Conservation Voters, Planned Parenthood. National Education Association gives him an “A” on their most recent scorecard.

-- In Illinois State Senate sponsored 780 bills, 280 were signed into law.

-- In first year as US Senator, held 39 town-hall meetings throughout his state, sponsored 152 bills and resolutions, and cosponsored 427 more.

-- Designated US Senate point person on ethics by Speaker Harry Reid.

---------------

Judge Him by His Laws - Obama's 12 year record as senator
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/01/03/AR2008010303303.html

"Since most of Obama's legislation was enacted in Illinois, most of the evidence is found there -- and it has been largely ignored by the media in a kind of Washington snobbery that assumes state legislatures are not to be taken seriously. (Another factor is reporters' fascination with the horse race at the expense of substance that they assume is boring, a fascination that despite being ridiculed for years continues to dominate political journalism.)"

The problem is lazy "journalists" like Matthews, who should be telling us the facts, not creating sideshows.

Here's Hillary's *impressive* list of legislative achievements:

1. Establish the Kate Mullany National Historic Site.
2. Support the goals and ideals of Better Hearing and Speech Month.
3. Recognize the Ellis Island Medal of Honor.
4. Name courthouse after Thurgood Marshall.
5. Name courthouse after James L. Watson.
6. Name post office after Jonn A. O'Shea.
7. Designate Aug. 7, 2003, as National Purple Heart Recognition Day.
8. Support the goals and ideals of National Purple Heart Recognition Day.
9. Honor the life and legacy of Alexander Hamilton on the bicentennial of his death. 1
10. Congratulate the Syracuse Univ. Orange Men's Lacrosse Team on winning the championship.
11. Congratulate the Le Moyne College Dolphins Men's Lacrosse Team on winning the championship.

12. Establish the 225th Anniversary of the American Revolution Commemorative Program.
13. Name post office after Sergeant Riayan A. Tejeda.
14. Honor Shirley Chisholm for her service to the nation and express condolences on her death. 15. Honor John J. Downing, Brian Fahey, and Harry Ford, firefighters who lost their lives on duty. Only five of Clinton's bills are, more substantive.
16. Extend period of unemployment assistance to victims of 9/11.
17. Pay for city projects in response to 9/11 18. Assist landmine victims in other countries.

18. Assist family caregivers in accessing affordable respite care.
19. Designate part of the National Forest System in Puerto Rico as protected in the wilderness preservation system. There you have it, the fact's straight from the Senate Record.

when you look at hillary's "experience" as a legislator, you will see that NONE of the issues that now bring tears to her eyes, have been part of her legislative history, ---until now, when she needed to raise them for her presidential run... Why did she hold back until now????

Senator Watson - you are with the majority of the American people - they have no clue what the guy has done, but damn he has a nice voice.

Well, Matt, you would have thought that St. Barack might have checked the plausibility of what he made up before he went public with it! That's Politics 101.

I was surprised to see Chris Matthews asked such a pointed question of Senator Kirk Watson since Mr. Matthews has publicly said how impressed with Senator Obama. However his questioning was not out of line. Kirk Watson at first tried to give a non answer and Matthews would let him get away with it and kept insisting on a response, not an evasion. We have too much of that from our current President.

Since this incident there have a number of articles about Senator Obama's accomplishments while a state and US senator. While they are more lengthy than I realized, they have a strange quality about them. They remiind of someone who compiles a straight A average in college by putting together a disconnected series of non challenging courses. He may get the nomination and if so he will proably beat Mclain. However his charm and speaking ability do not make him equal to the task of correcting the wrongs of the Bush and the Clnton administrations. We are headed for some painful times and if he were really honest , he would tell us this right now.

How audacious of Chris Matthews to ask that question! who cares about records?

Who cares what he's done? Who cares what he will do?

The most liberal Senator in Congress will reach across the aisle and unite us. How do we know that? From his record? No, but it's Obama, that's all we need to know!

It's a secular religous movement people, you gotta believe in Obama.

Yes we can!

"There you have it, the fact's straight from the Senate Record."

An extreme falsehood, actually. Quite easy to go to the Senate website and look up Mrs. Clinton's lengthy record.

Thank you, though, for another poignant reflection on what the Obama campaign is really about.

That alone is enough for a McCain vote, if your candidate wins the primary.

http://www.halliburtonwatch.org/